— — — — — —
The sudden voice made Ryo frown.
Before he could say anything, the air rippled faintly, and four figures stepped out as if emerging from the void.
"Fancy seeing you again, Ryo Yagami."
At the front stood a white-haired boy—Kalki—greeting him as casually as if he were dropping by a friend's place.
Beside him were Rin, dressed in a black dress with her hair in twin buns, and the Demon King of Confusion with his ugly face.
"Willa!"
An out-of-place shout cut through the room.
Ryo shifted his gaze slightly, landing on the last of the four.
The new four-digit Demon Lord—Maxwell.
At that moment, Maxwell shoved the Demon King of Confusion aside and strode toward the sofa, his voice trembling with excitement.
"Willa, my Willa…"
Willa blinked, staring at the man in front of her with clear confusion.
He had brown hair, but it looked dry and brittle. White streaks lined his temples, a thick beard covered his chin, and his eyes burned with an intensity that made her uncomfortable.
After a brief look, she tilted her head and glanced at Jack. "Who's that?"
"…?"
Jack froze for a second, then broke into a cheerful grin. "Oh, nothing, Lady Willa. Just some nonflammable trash."
"Trash?"
Willa looked even more puzzled. Turning back to Maxwell, she asked in all seriousness, "Do we know each other?"
The room fell silent.
A second later, the Demon King of Confusion burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.
"Pfft—HAHAHAHA!"
"Oh man, that's rich! I can't—!"
"You've been running around yelling 'Willa, Willa' all day, driving everyone nuts—and she doesn't even know who you are?!"
"Enough. Show some manners."
Rin shot him a glare, though there was a trace of amusement in her eyes. If they hadn't come on orders from Ouroboros' upper ranks, she might've joined in mocking Maxwell herself.
Forcing down her laughter, she put on a neutral expression and explained, "Ahem… Maxwell, your appearance has changed quite a bit. It's only natural Miss Willa didn't recognize you."
But Maxwell didn't seem to hear her at all.
He kept walking toward Willa, pointing at himself, his face filled with disbelief.
"Willa, it's me! Maxwell! Don't you remember?"
"Who?"
Willa frowned deeply as he approached.
"…Disgusting. Don't come any closer."
D... Disgusting?
Maxwell froze on the spot.
Behind him, the Demon King of Confusion's laughter only grew louder.
Seeing this, Ayesha leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Willa-nee, it's that stalker who's been following you around. Remember?"
"I remember… something like that."
Willa nodded slightly, then frowned again. "But why would I bother remembering something that disgusting?"
Who Maxwell was, what he looked like—she didn't remember any of it.
All she remembered was that there had been some creep harassing her. Revolting. Like walking filth.
It had been so unpleasant that she'd deliberately erased his name and face from memory, leaving only a note tied to his spiritual signature: Disgusting.
And now, because of the injuries Ryo had inflicted earlier, Maxwell's spiritual presence had weakened and changed. No wonder she didn't recognize him.
Even so, the feeling of disgust remained.
Willa instinctively leaned back, her eyes wary as she watched him.
Maxwell's expression began to crack as he stood there.
So in her eyes, he wasn't even worth remembering?
"I love you this much… why…" His mouth twisted with anger.
"What's wrong with him?" Leticia frowned, clearly displeased.
Storming into Arcadia's base and spouting nonsense at their ally—if Ryo hadn't held back, she would've already acted.
To her senses, among the intruders, only Kalki carried any real danger.
"Easy."
Ryo stopped Leticia with a casual word. Leaning back on the sofa, legs crossed, elbow propped on the armrest and chin resting in his hand, he didn't even spare Maxwell a glance.
Instead, he looked straight at Kalki. "You brought this clown here on purpose? Trying to entertain me?"
He had nothing but contempt for Maxwell's attempt to decide Willa's future for her.
Ryo hadn't interacted with Willa much, but he could tell she was straightforward by nature.
With someone like her, you just approach her properly. Even if it doesn't work out, things wouldn't turn ugly.
And yet Maxwell chose obsessive harassment.
Ryo had zero interest in talking to someone like that.
So he went straight to Kalki. Either keep your dog on a leash—or he'd do it for him.
Kalki frowned slightly, placing a hand over his chest in a polite gesture. "My sincerest apologies. Please forgive our rudeness."
They hadn't come here to fight. Against someone like Ryo—a rule-breaker four-digit—even sending people like them would be meaningless.
So proper courtesy was still necessary.
With that in mind, Kalki turned to Maxwell, his expression darkening.
"Stand down, Maxwell."
Maxwell didn't move. He just stood there, staring at Willa like a man on the verge of collapse.
Kalki's displeasure deepened. "Maxwell. Your orders from the upper ranks are to assist me—not to defy me."
Maxwell's expression shifted.
He seemed to realize that this wasn't the time for stubbornness.
But then he looked at Willa again, gritted his teeth, and something fierce flickered in his eyes.
He was going to drag Kalki—drag Ouroboros—into this.
Because if Willa really formed an alliance with Arcadia, anything he wanted to do afterward would become nearly impossible.
If not for sheer luck today—barging in just before the alliance was finalized—he wouldn't even have had this chance.
This was his last window.
Once Willa gained the protection of Ryo Yagami, even Ouroboros wouldn't allow him to act recklessly.
Clenching his jaw, he spoke. "Your Highness… the upper ranks gave me… a special order as well."
His gaze turned cold as he looked at Ryo. "If Arcadia shows any signs of growth—eliminate it immediately."
.
.
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