— — — — — —
After leaving the courtyard and asking a few small yokai for directions, Ryo found out where Grayfia was and headed straight there, Ophis in tow.
It didn't take long before he reached a guest room in the back garden. He stopped at the open sliding door and looked inside.
Grayfia was kneeling on the tatami, holding a black crystal in both hands. Her fingers gently traced its surface, her expression complicated and distant.
Ryo raised his hand and knocked lightly on the doorframe.
Knock, knock.
Grayfia startled slightly and looked up. When she saw it was him, she quickly stood and bowed.
"Your Majesty…"
"Seems like I picked a bad time?" Ryo offered an apologetic smile.
"Not at all. Please, come in." As she spoke, she used a spatial spell to take out a low tea table and a set of teaware.
Ryo walked in with Ophis, sat down on one of the cushions, and casually pulled Ophis onto his lap.
Grayfia paused, then put away the extra cushion she had prepared for Ophis and asked, puzzled, "And this is…?"
"She's Ophis," Ryo replied.
"My apologies. So it is Her Excellency, the Infinite Dragon God." Grayfia bowed gracefully, her tone respectful.
Ophis glanced at her, then lowered her head again, staring blankly ahead as if something fascinating was there.
Grayfia didn't mind being ignored. Instead, she asked naturally, "Would you like some black tea?"
"Sure."
As he answered, Ryo studied her calm, faintly smiling face.
That composed elegance almost made him think the scene he'd witnessed earlier was just his imagination.
But he knew it wasn't.
After killing her own younger brother with her own hands, she could still maintain perfect composure. Ryo couldn't help but admire her self-control.
He'd briefly considered comforting her, but now it felt unnecessary.
Before long, the tea was ready. Grayfia placed a cup in front of him. Ryo took a leisurely sip, then got straight to the point.
"I want to know what's going on with Algol right now. Is she really in seclusion, or is she doing something else?"
"Her Majesty is reconstructing the system," Grayfia replied seriously.
Having been instructed beforehand, she held nothing back from Ryo.
"Reconstructing the system…" Ryo tapped the table lightly with his finger.
The system used by God to manage the world's elements, faith, and even concepts.
It made sense that Algol would take an interest in modifying it. It aligned perfectly with their goals.
If they wanted to fundamentally alter the gods and buddhas of this world without being noticed, using that system as cover would make things much easier.
But that also meant Algol's warning couldn't be ignored. She had specifically sent word that Creator God was reviving. Clearly, she wanted to discuss how to handle it.
"I need more details about this so-called revival," Ryo said.
"I'm afraid I don't know the specifics." Grayfia shook her head, then continued, "But according to Her Majesty, the soul and will of God still linger in the world. It's been steadily gathering power and even providing energy for Sacred Gear evolution. As for why… even she doesn't know."
Ryo's eyebrow twitched. He looked at Grayfia.
"I want the exact wording."
Grayfia fell silent for a moment, then imitated Algol's tone. "No idea why that ugly bastard's buffing all this junk. I already stole his home and he's still playing dead. Must be brain damage. Whatever, not my problem. Time for skincare."
Ryo nodded, looking completely unsurprised.
Now that sounded like the Algol he knew.
Everything earlier had clearly been Grayfia's polished version. If you wanted the real meaning, you had to hear it straight from the source.
"Grayfia."
"Yes?"
"You don't need to clean up her words for me. I probably understand her personality better than you do."
Grayfia's lips twitched slightly before she sighed, "You're right."
Ryo didn't dwell on her reaction and instead fell into thought.
"Buffing junk, huh…"
The idea of God gathering power to strengthen Sacred Gears sparked a chain of thoughts.
After all, in Rias's generation, there seemed to be an unusual number of Sacred Gear users, especially Longinus holders. Even existing Sacred Gears had grown significantly stronger.
Vali Lucifer's Divine Dividing. Issei Hyoudou's Boosted Gear. Those overdeveloped "protagonist-tier" Sacred Gears aside…
Even secondary ones like Yuuto Kiba's Sword Birth had reached the Balance Breaker level.
One or two prodigies could be explained as talent. But waves of them? That wasn't normal.
As the leader of a community, Ryo began to grasp God's possible intent.
That being… mass-producing powerful individuals to resist an invasion from another world? Granting cheat-level boosts to the entire world?
It honestly sounded like something that god would do.
Thinking that far, Ryo felt a flicker of admiration. He had no respect for hypocrites who spent others' resources to play the saint, but someone who genuinely sacrificed everything for others… that was different.
Then he thought of the lingering will within the True Longinus.
A bold idea surfaced.
'What if… I could recruit that god into Arcadia?'
He inhaled sharply.
That would be poaching on an absurd scale.
His expression turned slightly strange as he said, "I need to meet her as soon as possible."
"The Devil Progenitor?" Grayfia looked surprised. She knew there were restrictions preventing Ryo and Algol from meeting openly, at least for now.
Ryo understood that himself.
Algol was operating under the watch of the Little Garden's central system, pulling off something akin to a grand deception.
And Ryo, as an observer, would eventually have his experiences directly examined by that system.
If they met face-to-face, Algol would be exposed. Her entire plan would collapse.
Ryo had no intention of doing something that reckless.
But the issues regarding the new Devils and God required a direct discussion. So he had to get creative.
"Yes… and no."
Ryo smiled at Grayfia, then said politely. "Grayfia, I need your body."
.
.
.