Chapter 733: Their Respective Choices, Canary's Awakening and Revival
"Can you really... take me to Hakoniwa? To the world my father spoke of?"
Kasukabe Yō looked up at the man standing before her, her voice trembling slightly. She clutched the wooden pendant—the Genome Tree—hanging around her neck, her heart pounding with a mix of nervousness and hope.
She wasn't very good at interacting with strangers. For years, her only companions had been the animals she befriended through her father's gift.
Ren smiled, his expression gentle yet carrying an undeniable weight. "I came here specifically for you, Yō."
Beside them, Kudo Asuka crossed her arms, her red dress rustling in the wind. She coughed deliberately.
"Don't be fooled by his smooth talk. He's a pervert. You need to be careful, or he'll eat you up."
"Eh? Per-pervert?!"
Kasukabe Yō was startled, instinctively stepping back. Her eyes darted between Asuka and Ren, unsure how to process this information.
Ren didn't get angry. He simply shrugged. "Sorry, Miss Kudo. This is called appreciating beauty. Besides, both Kasukabe Yō and you are very special existences."
"Special?"
Kudo Asuka's eyes narrowed. Her first thought was their latent potential—their connection to the high-level Gifts that defined the elites of the Little Garden. She assumed he meant their value as combatants or pawns in whatever game he was playing.
But in reality, Ren meant they were the "Heroines" of this world.
However, this misunderstanding wasn't a big problem; it made logical sense to the proud young lady.
"Whether you want to come with me is your decision," Ren said, turning his attention back to the quiet girl with the calico cat resting on her shoulder. "But before that..."
He squatted down in front of Yō.
"Hm?"
Kasukabe Yō was puzzled by this action. She stiffened as he reached out.
Ren extended a finger and gently touched her legs.
It wasn't a groping touch. It was precise, like a doctor examining a patient, yet warm like sunlight breaking through winter clouds.
"My legs..."
Yō gasped.
For years, she had relied on the Genome Tree to walk. The sheer burden of the Gift had taken a toll on her physical body, leaving her legs weak and dependent on the life force of her animal friends to function.
But the next moment, she noticed a miraculous change.
A golden warmth flooded her limbs. The heavy, wooden stiffness—the backlash of the Life Record—was disappearing, dissolving into nothingness. Yet, the strength didn't leave her. Instead, her own muscles, her own nerves, surged with vitality.
"Try it," Ren encouraged, standing up.
She tentatively lifted her right leg.
It moved. Smoothly. Effortlessly. There was no pain, no drain on the pendant.
"My legs... they're really healed?"
Yō stomped her foot on the grass, then jumped lightly. The sensation of being wholly herself, unburdened, brought tears to her eyes.
"Your legs have recovered; consider it a small welcoming gift," Ren said with a satisfied nod.
Kudo Asuka looked at him strangely, her guard not lowering an inch.
"Are you trying to win her over with kindness, so she'll make her choice based on sentiment? This is the classic trick of a scumbag trying to gain a naive girl's trust. Buying her favor with miracles."
Ren corrected her with a serious expression, looking deeply into Asuka's eyes. "No. As I said, this is simply an appreciation for beauty. A flower shouldn't be broken before it blooms."
"Oh... I... I'm not very pretty..."
Yō blushed, lowering her head. Being praised as beautiful by such a charismatic stranger made her ears burn.
However, the kindness wasn't the deciding factor. She clutched her pendant tighter.
"I want to go to Hakoniwa," she said, her voice firm. "And no, it's not just because of Mr. Ren's kindness."
Kasukabe Yō looked up, her eyes shining with determination.
"I want to go to the Little Garden because... I want to make friends. I want to see the world my father saw."
That's right.
This was the thing she wanted to do most. Her father had given her this Gift not to fight, but to connect. Now that the door to that world was open, she wouldn't let it slip away.
Behind Ren, Leticia Draculair let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
The Vampire Maid was overjoyed.
Because both of them—Kudo Asuka with her Authority and Kasukabe Yō with her Genome Tree—not only had intricate connections with the former Arcadia Community but also possessed Gifts with terrifying potential.
Ren had said he would send them to Kuro Usagi.
That meant bringing new, powerful blood to the "No Name" Community. It meant hope.
Moreover, they would definitely receive Shiroyasha's protection because of their connection to Ren. And standing behind them all was Ren himself—an existence who feared no Two-Digit Demon Lord.
Leticia's wine-red eyes already saw the vision: the banner of Arcadia rising once again over the Little Garden.
"Very good."
With both of them agreeing, Ren was in a good mood.
He reached out and tapped the foreheads of both girls.
Zing.
He subtly left a trace of his own power—a protective ward—on their bodies. It would shield them in times of crisis until they could stand on their own.
"I still have some matters to attend to in this timeline, so I cannot escort you personally just yet," Ren explained. "But the path is open."
After dealing with the two new members of the "Problem Children," Ren turned his attention to the silent maid beside him.
"Leticia."
"Yes, Master." Leticia stood at attention.
Ren looked at her profound, ancient eyes. "I heard Shiroyasha say that your greatest wish is to find Canary."
Leticia's eyes narrowed sharply. Her pupils constricted into vertical slits.
That name.
It made her breath hitch, her heart clench in a vice of nostalgia and pain.
She asked nervously, her mouth suddenly dry, "Master... can you... can you find her?"
"I can't," Ren shook his head simply.
Leticia's face fell. The flicker of hope was extinguished before it could burn.
But before she could even show her disappointment, Ren continued calmly.
"Because Canary is already dead. You cannot find someone who no longer exists in this timeline."
"Dead..."
Leticia stood frozen. She was both stunned and felt... a hollow sense of acceptance. It was only natural.
After all, Canary—the great Strategist of Arcadia, the Poet who challenged the Gods—had been expelled from Hakoniwa. For a Divine Spirit to lose the grace of the Garden meant death was inevitable.
But acknowledging it and feeling it were two different things. A profound sadness washed over her.
"However," Ren smiled, a mysterious glint in his eyes. "Shiroyasha should have told you. I don't care about the laws of life and death. I have a way to bring her back."
"You mean..."
Hearing this, Leticia raised her eyes, her dead heart beating faster than it had in centuries.
"You're going to resurrect the dead?"
Kudo Asuka, who had been listening and analyzing their conversation, stepped forward. Her sharp mind quickly pieced together the context.
Regarding the name "Canary" that was mentioned with such reverence... she could guess that it was someone incredibly important to Leticia, perhaps a mentor or a mother figure.
Ren's words clearly indicated that he intended to defy the natural order.
Kudo Asuka was very curious, her scientific skepticism warring with the magic she had just witnessed. "Is there really a power that can resurrect the dead? That belongs in the realm of myths."
Leticia was also unsure, her voice trembling. "Canary was expelled from Hakoniwa by the Gods. Her Spirit Status was shattered. Resurrecting her shouldn't be easy... or even possible, right?"
"Why wouldn't it be easy?"
Ren laughed softly. He raised his hand, snapping his fingers.
"Look. Here she comes."
He gestured for them to look at the open space on the lawn behind them.
Hummmmm.
The air began to vibrate. Golden specks of light, like fireflies, emerged from the void. They danced and swirled, defying gravity, slowly gathering into a human form.
First the boots, then the dress, then the face.
Under a pure white long shirt that fluttered in the ethereal wind, she wore a purplish-red camisole and black knee-high boots with heels. Symmetrically placed seashell earrings adorned her ears, catching the light.
Her short golden hair was wavy and vibrant.
She was very petite, her stature unassuming, only slightly taller than the current Shiroyasha in her loli form.
But the aura she radiated was unmistakably that of a ruler of wits.
"Canary!!!"
Leticia screamed. The dignity of the Vampire King vanished instantly. Even with her eyes closed, Leticia wouldn't fail to recognize that presence.
As if hearing her cry across the boundary of life and death...
The woman's delicate eyelashes trembled.
Slowly, the Poet of Arcadia opened her eyes. They were sharp, intelligent, and filled with the wisdom of a thousand schemes.
"Leticia..."
Canary blinked, genuine surprise coloring her features when she saw her former comrade standing there in a maid outfit.
Then, her mind—the mind that had once outsmarted Demon Lords—instinctively analyzed the current situation.
She looked at her hands. She felt the flow of mana.
"...I should be dead."
She whispered the conclusion. She was incredibly clear about the specific circumstances of her demise.
She had died a few years after being expelled to the outside world.
It was publicly stated that she died of illness. In reality, she died because her Spirit Status itself had been excessively depleted, causing her physical vessel to crumble.
She had used the "Poet's Grace"—singing poems to rewrite reality—to trigger a historical turning point in the year 2000, ensuring the future of humanity.
The cost was her life. Her Spirit Status, which originally had five hundred years left, was reduced to five years. She had burned her very soul to save the future.
That's why she died so early.
But now.
She, who should have been dust, was standing on green grass, breathing fresh air.
"Resurrected... again?"
No, her current state didn't seem to be a simple resurrection. She felt... anchored. Anchored by a power far greater than her own.
Her gaze swept over the weeping Leticia, the curious Kudo Asuka, and the quiet Kasukabe Yō.
Finally, it settled on Ren.
In her judgment, those three girls were not the key to her awakening. Their emotions were raw—excitement, curiosity, surprise. They were spectators.
Only this man was different.
He stood there with his hands in his pockets, his expression calm, almost bored. He looked at her not as a miracle, but as an expected result.
Canary narrowed her eyes.
"Did you make me wake up again?" she asked, her voice steady.
Ren raised an eyebrow slightly and sighed with a smile. "As expected of Canary, the Strategist whom even the Gods target with fear. You have good discernment."
"That's right. I made you wake up. I pulled your Spirit Status back from the void."
He stepped closer.
"At the same time, I also promised my new subordinate that I would return her precious person to her."
"Subordinate?"
Canary looked at Leticia, her gaze softening but remaining sharp.
Leticia composed herself, wiping her eyes. She bowed deeply, placing a hand over her heart.
"Leticia thanks Master for his infinite Grace."
Canary was not surprised by Leticia calling someone else 'Master'.
She knew the rules of the Garden. After Arcadia fell, its members would be stripped of their names and flag. Becoming a commodity, a prize to be traded, was a harsh but normal reality for a Demon Lord who had lost.
But she was very confused about one thing.
Who exactly was this man?
Who could—or rather, who dared—to resurrect the woman the Gods wanted dead?
To bring back Canary was an act of open enmity against the celestial order of Hakoniwa.
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