— — — — — —
"...You are…?"
Leticia's eyes widened in shock.
There was a reason for it.
The blonde girl standing before her looked exactly like her younger sister, Lamia Draculea.
And more than that, Leticia could clearly sense it. The unmistakable aura of a pureblood vampire.
A girl who called her "aunt," and who wore her sister's face…
Leticia's heart sank.
"Why…?"
She bit her lip, her face turning pale. "Why are you with Ouroboros?"
The same Ouroboros that had destroyed Old Arcadia. The same one that had killed or exiled her companions. Even Canaria, the one who had saved her from the fate of a Demon Lord, had been banished.
And now—
Her own niece was part of it?
What kind of cruel joke was this?
"Why? Because it's Mother's will, of course."
After greeting her aunt, Lamia smiled lightly and walked over to Maxwell's body. Without hesitation, she split open his skull with her bare hands.
After a brief inspection, she shook her head and sighed in disappointment.
"As expected. Maxwell's perpetual-motion Authority was stolen. What a shame."
Most Authorities would return to its rightful owner upon the thief's death.
Lamia had held onto a faint hope that Maxwell's wasn't stolen. But clearly, the only thing about him worth Ouroboros's attention had never truly been his.
"… How ironic."
Rin glanced between Lamia and Leticia, a trace of pity in her eyes.
Your own sister and niece being responsible for ruining your life… that was just tragic.
"…Sigh."
From the sofa, Ryo let out a quiet sigh.
Leticia snapped out of it and bit her lip again.
"Don't worry, Leader. I just… need a moment."
Ryo frowned slightly.
To be honest, he hadn't expected Lamia to show up now of all times. But now that she had, there was no way he could let her walk away.
Even if the so-called "original plot" information he had was unreliable, if it held even a little truth, then Lamia herself might just be another pawn being used by Ouroboros.
Which meant letting her leave was out of the question.
But before anything else, he needed to shake her mindset.
With that thought, Ryo narrowed his eyes and spoke, "Were you Maxwell's direct superior all along?"
"Not really." Lamia shook her head. "I've only been his single point of contact for about a year."
"A year?"
Ryo raised a brow. "How old are you? And what's your name?"
Lamia frowned, looking at him oddly. "You're strange. Why would you suddenly ask that? And what right do you have to question me?"
At that moment, Leticia cut in, "He's your uncle-in-law."
Silence fell.
Uncle-in-law???
Kalki and Rin both stared at Ryo with strange expressions.
From what they knew, wasn't Ryo supposed to be involved with that Moon Rabbit?
And yet Leticia just said that?
…Wow. Arcadia is really… complicated.
Jack and Ayesha looked surprised, but didn't think much of it. Relationships were relationships.
Willa tilted her head. "What's an 'uncle-in-law'?"
Clearly, her grasp of basic concepts was… lacking.
Meanwhile, Lamia blinked in shock. She pointed at Leticia, then at Ryo, before covering her mouth.
"Oh my god!"
Then she quickly gave Ryo an embarrassed smile and greeted him sweetly, "Hello, Uncle!"
She hurried to add, "Mother named me Lamia. Inside Ouroboros, I'm usually called Lamia the Second."
"As for my age…" She counted on her fingers before holding up five. "Not including the time I spent being 'created' by Mother… about five years, I think?"
"Five…?"
Leticia's expression shifted.
Lamia clearly looked around thirteen or fourteen. And for pureblood vampires, physical growth wasn't that different from humans.
Which meant this child was an abnormal birth.
What exactly had happened to her sister, Lamia Draculea the First?
"How is your mother?" Leticia asked urgently.
She needed to know. She had to understand what had happened.
After all, Ryo had told her before: Ouroboros had been lurking in the lower layers of Little Garden for a long time. The destruction of the Vampire Court and the fall of the Knights of Little Garden were both suspected to be their doing.
Her own sister joining the very force that wiped out their kind…
It was unbearable.
"I'm sorry, Aunt," Lamia said with a polite smile. "Unless you're willing to join Ouroboros, I can't reveal anything about Mother."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Of course, if Uncle is willing to join too, that would be even better."
As she spoke, she casually nudged Maxwell's corpse with her foot. "Oh, right. Speaking of which… this strange man was actually meant to be a gift for Uncle."
"A gift?"
Rin looked down at Maxwell's body, now cracked open, and felt a chill run down her spine.
You've got to be kidding…
So Ouroboros had intended to offer Maxwell's life as compensation to Ryo from the very beginning?
Was that why Lamia had been following them in secret?
Even if Maxwell hadn't overstepped and issued false orders… his death had already been decided?
For a moment, Rin felt a bitter sense of dread.
She ranked even lower than Maxwell.
If someone like him could be discarded so easily, then what about her?
"A gift?"
Ryo frowned, glancing at Maxwell's corpse. With a casual wave, he reduced it to pale, sand-like particles at the atomic level.
Then he looked back at Lamia. "A gift of this level isn't enough."
"What kind of gift would make Uncle happy?"
Lamia's tone remained warm and accommodating. "As long as it's within my power, I'll do my best to fulfill your request."
"Good."
Ryo nodded, then pointed straight at her.
"If it's a gift I want… then you'll do just fine."
A faint smile curved his lips. "That would make your uncle very happy."
.
.
.