Mars—the Arcadia Alliance's base—
A signature crimson sandstorm swept across the planet's surface, filling the air with dense red dust. Visibility had dropped to barely a hundred meters.
Wrapped in a cloak, Ryo used his Cosmo to keep the sand at bay as he followed a secret route toward the base.
Before long, two cloaked figures appeared through the storm.
He narrowed his eyes, recognizing them at once.
Leticia Draculea. Garol Gundark.
Adjusting his cloak, Ryo stepped forward first and said quietly, "Let's get inside before we talk."
The two nodded.
Together, they approached the canyon. Reaching the edge, they leaped down onto a stone platform below.
Beyond it lay a cavern guarded by heavily armed soldiers. Once inside, the three of them pulled off their cloaks and shook away the layers of red dust.
Ryo took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "The air's a lot better in here. Mars really is a miserable place."
"Battlefields usually are." Smiling, Leticia accepted his cloak before saying, "Kurousagi already told me everything. I never imagined that a trip back to Little Garden would end with... this."
"Don't remind me." Dusting off his sleeves, Ryo sighed. "Has anyone in the Alliance raised objections? I suddenly became part of the Greek pantheon. If anyone with a grudge against Greece starts causing trouble, it'd be a headache if it split everyone's morale."
Garol burst out laughing. "Leader, you're worrying about everyone else before yourself again."
Then he explained, "But honestly, you don't need to worry. Rather than hurting people's trust in the Alliance, your becoming the Fourth King of the Greek Gods has only strengthened it."
He gave Ryo a playful wink. "After all... everyone knows what Zeus is like. Since you're practically fated to be his enemy, people are more likely to celebrate than complain."
"...I see!"
Ryo walked deeper into the cave and entered the conference room.
It had been carved directly into the existing cavern. The room was modest—less than eighty square meters—but every inch had been put to good use. The uneven ceiling was covered with black conceptual runes that blocked eavesdropping while providing defenses on the level of a four-digit authority.
A large circular conference table occupied the center, seating up to thirty people. A projection system was built into its middle, and three small rest rooms branched off from the left wall.
Compared to the last time Ryo had visited—when it had been little more than an empty cave with unfinished runes—the place was now fully equipped.
Looking around, he nodded in approval. "You've turned this place into quite the headquarters."
"We have Lady Nephthys to thank for this." Leticia closed the conference room door behind them. "As the Mistress of the House, Lady Nephthys presides over palaces and is one of the deities associated with the pyramids. Thanks to that, her community can construct a base like this in a remarkably short time."
She smiled, "Though the biggest reason was still you. Destroying the Greek stronghold last time gave us a chance to study its structure."
Ryo grinned, "So that little detour wasn't a waste after all."
Then something occurred to him. "Speaking of that... what about Eunomia? The one I captured."
Leticia blinked.
"I was just about to tell you." After a brief pause, she continued, "She was quite insistent about meeting you."
"Oh?" Ryo chuckled. "What, now that she knows I'm the Fourth King of Greece, she's planning to defect?"
Of course, he knew the prison's restraints couldn't completely sever Eunomia's connection to the Greek gods. Which meant she had undoubtedly learned that Olympus had acknowledged him as the Fourth King.
If she wanted to see him now... That carried certain implications.
Yesterday Apollo had sought him out. There was every chance Eunomia had come for a similar reason.
Or perhaps she was simply acting as someone's messenger.
Leticia took a slow breath. "She says she's delivering the will of Lady Hera."
Ryo froze, "...Hera? I didn't expect her to contact me this soon..."
The Queen of Heaven.
The goddess who governed marriage and childbirth in the Greek pantheon, sharing dominion over the sky with Zeus himself.
Ryo had assumed she would be among Zeus's staunchest allies. Yet after Apollo, she had become the second Olympian to seek him out.
"Would you like to meet her?" Leticia asked carefully.
Ryo fell silent for a moment before sighing. "We haven't gone to war yet. Let's meet her."
Rumor painted Hera as notoriously difficult. He wasn't eager to find out what happened if he kept the Queen of Heaven waiting.
Besides, he couldn't deny his curiosity. A goddess important enough that Zeus had shared his authority with her—Anyone would want to see what she was like.
Garol immediately caught the hint. "In that case, Leticia will escort you to the prison."
Ryo glanced at him, then gave his broad shoulder a firm pat. "If anything comes up, contact me the same way we arranged before."
Garol nodded without hesitation.
Not long afterward, Leticia led Ryo deeper into the cavern.
After winding through a maze of tunnels, they reached the deepest level of the underground prison. There, behind thick iron bars, Ryo finally saw Eunomia.
Though petite in stature, the goddess carried an inexplicable air of authority.
Heavy shackles bound both of her wrists with enchanted chains. She sat cross-legged on a straw mat, eyes closed, breathing steadily.
Sensing his gaze, she slowly opened her eyes.
The moment she saw him, her expression turned oddly complicated. "... you finally came."
Caught off guard, Ryo wasn't sure how to respond. "...Yeah. I'm here."
Eunomia's expression grew even more conflicted.
After a long sigh, she said, "Before I carry out Mother Hera's orders... may I ask you one question?"
Ryo frowned.
For some reason, the request made him inexplicably uneasy.
Still, considering he'd been the one to capture her, he nodded. "Go ahead."
Relieved, Eunomia took a breath.
She carefully chose her words, hesitated for quite a while... Then finally asked, "...Who is your father?"
Ryo's face instantly darkened.
So that's why he'd felt something was off.
Rolling his eyes, he replied flatly, "An ordinary human. And while we're at it, my mother was an ordinary human too—not Metis, if that's what you're thinking. Got it?"
"I understand. I understand." Eunomia nodded repeatedly. Unfortunately, the look on her face made it painfully obvious she had misunderstood everything.
"In that case..." She hesitated, "...Little brother... shall I summon Mother Hera's avatar now?"
"...Who are you calling 'little brother'?" Ryo shot her an exasperated look.
Something was seriously wrong with this woman's train of thought. And why had her attitude suddenly become so... friendly?
"I can't call you that?" Eunomia looked genuinely troubled. "Then... may I just call you Ryo?"
"...Fine."
Ryo glanced sideways at Leticia, who was desperately trying not to laugh, and shot his vampire maid a warning glare.
"Just hurry up. I'm on a schedule."
He wasn't actually in a hurry. But after seeing Eunomia act like this, he suddenly felt like pretending he was.
'She's really treating me like family now...'
The thought left him speechless.
Receiving his permission, Eunomia took a slow breath and closed her eyes.
Ancient verses flowed from her lips in a solemn, melodic chant.
As the song echoed through the prison, a figure bathed in pure white light gradually took shape in the air.
Then, the Queen of Heaven, Hera, slowly opened her radiant eyes.
.
.
.
(A/N: "Queen of Heaven" is actually a title historically associated with several sky goddesses, including Inanna, Anat, Isis, Nut, Astarte, Hera in Greek tradition, and Juno in Roman tradition.)