— — — — — —
The Gem Building was a 23-story department store. Every floor from one to twenty-three had been rented and was being operated by a single supermarket.
And expectedly there were no underground parking lots in the building.
The simple reason was that cars weren't as fast as the residents' own two legs.
And compared to cars, mounts were far more common. On the first floor of the building, there was even a dedicated pocket-space stable for temporarily housing dangerous beasts.
Ryo followed behind Rin, weaving past residents who had arrived riding all sorts of flashy monsters. They headed straight toward the internal staff elevator.
Rin took out her Gift Card, swiped it, and led Ryo inside.
From this point onward, she mostly communicated by telepathy to avoid being overheard.
"Basement levels one through three are mostly private quarters for combat members. That'll be your biggest obstacle when leaving."
"Levels four through six are where the non-combat members live."
"Level seven is for the management staff. That includes the Prophet."
"And level eight is the vault, along with the sealing chambers for dangerous Gifts."
"There are only 180 non-combatants right now. Direct combat members, including His Highness, total thirty-two."
"There used to be Maxwell, but he requested leave today."
Ryo glanced at the floor display in the upper corner. "The Prophet is on level seven?"
Rin nodded. "He lives in one of the three rooms deep in the seventh floor. To reach level eight, you have to pass through where he stays."
"So we'll definitely bump into him." Ryo narrowed his eyes slightly, expression calm but sharp.
"Yes."
Rin dipped her head, then added, "And you and His Highness must fight. Of course, His Highness will pretend to be defeated and seized, and you will 'steal' the Sun Authority."
"So I'm playing the villain now?" Ryo's expression twisted a little.
Rin gave him a sideways look. "There's something else you should know."
"Last time you met, His Highness suspected you carried some kind of Leo-related legacy or Gift. That report was filed upward. Also, it was stated you attacked him."
Her expression held an apology.
"The reports are always recorded by members who preside over the aspect of omniscience. We can't hide things from them."
"I get it."
Ryo nodded. Information slipping out was something he had mentally prepared for the day he came into contact with Ouroboros.
There was no such thing as perfect secrecy.
In a sense, leaking some information was the best way to hide the real secrets.
If everyone believed he was strongly tied to the Leo Sun Authority, then no one would ever imagine he was linked to all twelve constellations, let alone the Another Cosmology that required them to unlock.
'Though that does mean, when I make the Cloth later, I'll have to claim I'm a Leo Gold Saint?' Ryo considered it, and concluded it didn't really matter.
It's not like the upper management of Ouroboros has watched Saint Seiya, right?
Silently complaining, he followed Rin as the elevator arrived at basement level seven.
This was the deepest level the elevator could reach.
When it stopped, Ryo looked toward Rin, who hadn't moved. "You're nervous?"
"A little." She took a deep breath and stepped out.
Ryo smiled faintly and followed her out.
The Ouroboros underground base was enormous. Ryo immediately sensed the use of spatial Gifts.
At least ten square kilometers. They actually built a small town down here. He observed while walking.
About two kilometers ahead stood a stone arch. The passage to level eight was inside it.
Around the arch were three buildings arranged like a triangle, enclosing it.
Ryo narrowed his eyes and continued forward with Rin.
Staff members passed them at a brisk pace, wearing neat black uniforms embroidered with a black ouroboros on the cuffs. They stepped aside politely and bowed as the two passed.
These were ordinary members sent from above. Their status was nothing like Rin's, so they acted respectfully.
Ryo's gaze flickered as he observed the surroundings.
The space was reinforced. The only exit seemed to be the elevator, though there were likely hidden escape routes.
'If I went all out, breaking through to the surface would take about three seconds. Pretty strong defenses…' He narrowed his eyes further.
Three seconds sounded short, but only because his cosmos specialized in pulverizing matter.
...
Soon, they reached the archway.
The arch was sculpted into two enormous white serpents, both biting at a single pearl between them, as if struggling for it.
Ryo noted the structure, then followed Rin inside after she swiped her Gift Card.
A few steps in, Ryo stopped.
Someone was standing in the center of the passage.
He was short, perhaps a bit over one-seventy. His white hair was lightly curled, with a matching beard. Deep lines etched his forehead and cheeks, but his smile was gentle and warm.
He looked exactly like an old priest you'd meet in a small temple.
While Ryo thought that, he heard Rin's calm voice: "Prophet."
She bowed slightly and stepped aside.
The Prophet smiled kindly. "You're here to bring medicine for His Highness, I assume?"
"Yes," Rin responded immediately.
Earlier, when Highness returned, he had intentionally injured himself. The attack used a one-use four-digit Gift that pulverized matter.
He had destroyed his entire right forearm himself. A fabricated injury to make the story convincing: that he had been wounded in battle with Ryo.
As a faction leader, he had the right to use the treasures sealed on level eight for treatment.
The Prophet sighed softly. "How frightening, the new leader of [No Name]. To think he could even injure His Highness.
"A community that has lost even its name still produces someone like that. Truly unexpected."
He spoke lightly, but his eyes fixed onto Ryo.
And that gaze made Ryo's skin crawl.
This old man… Is he hinting at something? Or testing me…?
Ryo didn't show any reaction, but his vigilance rose sharply.
"Speaking of which, Maxwell, why did you return early today?" the Prophet asked with casual curiosity.
At that, Ryo's expression shifted instantly. His gaze went unfocused, voice trembling as he murmured, "Willa… my Willa…"
The Prophet sighed as if he had expected this.
He reached out and gently patted Ryo's shoulder.
"Don't force what's already broken. Sometimes, letting go brings better things."
He smiled, then turned to Rin. "I won't delay you. Go on, and come back soon."
"Yes." Rin bowed and guided Ryo down the stairs.
They walked for a long time before reaching the end of the passage. Only then did Ryo slow down.
Rin breathed out in relief. "What was he doing in the vault at this hour…"
"No time to question it." Ryo took the lead again.
Rin bit her lip and followed.
They passed through a narrow corridor and entered a spacious room.
Roughly a hundred square meters, circular walls.
Surrounding the room were stone doors.
"This way." Rin walked to the third door on the right. Ryo followed.
She stopped. "It's inside."
Ryo nodded and pushed the door open.
Inside the room, countless floating bubbles drifted silently.
These bubbles were seals and storage spaces, used for holding high-value Gifts.
But right now—
Every bubble was empty.
The moment Ryo saw it, his pupils contracted to a pin-point.
At that same moment, he turned around. And right behind him was a face.
White beard. Deep wrinkles. Gentle eyes.
The Prophet.
.
.
.