— — — — — —
"How's the data collection?"
Ryo pushed up the flat-framed glasses on his nose. His eyesight was perfectly fine, but that didn't stop him from wearing them anyway. They added just the right touch of mad scientist flair.
"Nearly a hundred consecutive racial transformations completely ruined the Wiseman's vessel," said the blonde beauty in a lab coat, her wheat-colored skin glowing faintly under the lights as she sighed in pity. "It even destabilized the soul."
"I didn't ask about that."
The lenses on Ryo's glasses caught the light with a sterile white gleam. "Is the data on the metallic lifeform complete?"
"It is."
Nina Adelard let out a soft sigh, "What do you plan to do with the Wiseman? His soul is already dead."
"Dispose of it."
Ryo shook his head slightly, took off his glasses, and slipped both hands into the pockets of his coat.
"It was a menace that never treated people like people in the first place. The data's secured, so it's useless now."
Nina glanced at the figure on the experiment table one last time, then lowered her head.
"And the Executioner Priest of Lotharingia? Rudolf Eustach?"
"Him? He's a religious nutcase, but I promised to spare his life."
After saying that, Ryo didn't even look at the other experiment table. He turned and walked straight out of the room.
Down the corridor, down the stairs, he found Natsuki Minamiya sitting by the window in the living room, grading papers.
Before she could speak, Ryo took off his lab coat, draped it over his arm, "Asagi's still at the Keystone Gate?"
"Hasn't gotten off work yet," Natsuki replied calmly. "With her job, she's lucky if she comes home once a week. Most of the time she sleeps at the office."
She paused, then looked up at Ryo with a half-smile. "You've never been this attentive before. Feeling guilty now?"
"She was busy back when I wasn't even around," Ryo rolled his eyes. "How is that supposed to be my fault?"
He drained the rest of the tea and set the cup down. "Glenda's adjustments, Astarte's body tuning, the analysis of the Cleansing Magic. At this point, I'm pretty sure Asagi wants to kill me."
Natsuki paused in her work and chuckled. "That does sound about right. Why not make her the Queen of your empire, then? Your first official wife."
"Cough, cough!"
Ryo nearly choked, his face turning awkward.
He really didn't want to meet Kurousagi's resentful glare, and he definitely didn't want to imagine how Leticia would react if she ever found out. After all, even if no one said it aloud, everyone knew Kurousagi was the "Queen" of Arcadia.
"Besides, this so-called Dawn Empire isn't even under my control."
"Hm?"
Natsuki raised an eyebrow, clearly displeased. "What, are you accusing me of meddling in politics?"
"Natsuki, you haven't forgotten what Dawn Empire actually represents, right?"
"The Fourth Primogenitor?" Natsuki said, playing dumb on purpose.
Then she saw Ryo's face darken and gave up the act, laughing softly.
"Alright, alright, I get it. The Demon Star. You've gone and spread the concept all across the Empire…"
"My dear Natsuki-sensei, this stuff is life-or-death serious. How can I not be careful?"
Ryo put a hand on her shoulder, kneading it gently as he sighed.
"Linking the name to Algol from Little Garden means this world won't spiral into chaos later. At the very least, even those brain-dead gods won't dare cause trouble when they come down."
Natsuki's expression turned uneasy.
Ryo had never hidden the truth about Little Garden from her. She knew this world would eventually fall under that central authority.
When the gods descended, having no backing would absolutely spell disaster.
"Would those gods really fear the title of the Demon Star?"
Hearing that, Ryo smiled and shot back a question. "Would you provoke a monster that's insanely strong and can't be killed?"
As his words fell, a faint ringing of blades echoed in the air.
Sensing the agitation of a certain Zanpakutō, Ryo quickly corrected himself.
"Lady Algol is one of Little Garden's top beauties, and her strength is among the very best. She may not be at the absolute peak, but she's the kind of monster who can stand toe-to-toe with those who are."
"With her name attached, even if the gods notice something off about this world, they won't dare act rashly."
After forcibly finishing that praise, Ryo thought of something and snorted, a chill creeping into his smile. "And by the time they do dare to move, I'll make sure they can't."
Natsuki looked at him with a strange expression. It was honestly the first time she'd ever heard Ryo flatter someone like that.
But when she noticed the Zanpakutō beside them trembling slightly, she immediately understood why he was putting on such a performance.
"Still, will that Demon Star really agree to take the blame?"
Natsuki trusted Ryo, but she didn't believe Algol would just casually shoulder this kind of mess.
No sane person would.
"She already agreed," Ryo said firmly.
"Bottom line, don't worry. I'll handle it."
Seeing his confidence, Natsuki didn't press further. She just sighed. "I hope so."
"What's there to be afraid of? If the sky falls, I'll hold it up."
Ryo rolled his eyes, then sneered. "The gods up there are still causing me trouble. If I don't give them a push and let Algol loose, they'll really start thinking everything's peaceful."
With that, he headed for the door, speaking as he walked. "I'm going to the Development Bureau to check on the Cleansing. If anyone comes looking for me, just send them over."
He paused, then added, "Except Aldegyr. Let them stew a little longer."
"You're drooling over La Folia," Natsuki teased.
Ryo pretended not to hear and walked straight out the door.
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