— — — — — —
As soon as Ryo finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room turned… strange.
Using Lamia as a gift?
Wow. Just wow.
Uncle Ryo, what exactly are you implying about your own niece?
Of course, that was only the most surface-level interpretation.
Both Kalki and Rin were thinking much deeper than that.
Why would Ryo call Lamia a "gift"?
A man like him—even if he were some kind of lecher—wouldn't be foolish enough to say something so inappropriate in a setting like this, especially with Leticia present.
And more importantly… was Ryo even that kind of person?
Maybe. But in just half a year, he had taken the crumbling Arcadia and built it into something powerful—strong enough to surpass its previous generation even at the highest combat tiers. A man like that couldn't possibly be so careless.
Which meant his words carried a far subtler meaning. In his eyes, Lamia was the gift being delivered.
Sure, Lamia had just claimed that Maxwell's death was a "present" from Ouroboros to calm Ryo's anger—but that was just her side's narrative.
A Demon Lord like Maxwell was nothing more than a minor figure to Ryo.
Ouroboros wouldn't be stupid enough to offer him as a gift.
So that raised the real question—
If Maxwell wasn't the gift, then who was?
The answer was obvious.
Lamia Draculea—the daughter of Leticia's sister, Ryo's so-called "niece"—was the real offering.
By returning Lamia, Ouroboros was making a clear gesture: they wanted reconciliation.
It was an open, calculated move. As long as Ryo cared about Leticia, Lamia's value as a "gift" would be immense.
If he accepted her, the chances of a truce would rise significantly.
Once he did, the blood feud between the two sides would be suppressed, and a hidden force like Ouroboros wouldn't have to worry about being exposed or hunted down by him.
And if he refused?
Well, even then, Ouroboros wouldn't lose much. If it created tension between Ryo and Leticia, that alone would be worth it. Leticia —a veteran four-digit Demon Lord from before the Dawn Era, holder of the 25th sun authority Ophiuchus— might even decide to join Ouroboros.
"..."
Ryo, fully aware of all these undercurrents, had deliberately phrased his words with a hint of teasing provocation—and now he simply smiled at Lamia.
Leticia, on the other hand, stayed silent.
She was the one person here with the least right to speak.
If not for her connection to Lamia, Ryo wouldn't even be considering reconciliation with Ouroboros.
After all, Ouroboros had orchestrated Arcadia's destruction. More than thirty percent of the pressure Ryo had faced recently came from them alone.
The two sides hadn't openly declared war—but in practice, they were already enemies.
Six months ago, Ouroboros had sent top-tier forces to assassinate Canaria.
Not long ago, Ryo retaliated by destroying one of their major lower-level strongholds, killing Mithras in the process.
The conflict had already escalated sharply.
Under normal circumstances, this would have turned into a full-blown war across the lower layers.
But for Ouroboros, eliminating someone like Ryo—a four-digit rule-breaker—was extremely troublesome.
His connections ran too deep. Killing him would come at an enormous cost.
And the most likely outcome? Ouroboros would be forced out of hiding entirely, exposing themselves to the upper layers of Little Garden.
Yes, they had backing—acting as the "black gloves" for certain powerful factions above. But that didn't mean they were untouchable.
They had enemies.
Unlike the Tricksters, whose tracks were hard to pin down—or those publicly protected by two-digits—Ouroboros didn't have that kind of cover.
If they were exposed, they'd be finished.
From that perspective, if things truly escalated, Ouroboros would be the one at a disadvantage.
Which was exactly why they revealed Lamia and sent Kalki to negotiate.
Lamia represented goodwill and cooperation. Kalki represented the powerful backing behind him.
One in the open, one in the shadows—two warnings, paired with an offer of peace.
Because of Leticia, Ryo had no choice but to play along… at least on the surface.
...
There were too many layers to this situation. Once Leticia pieced it all together, silence was the only response she could manage.
Lamia, however, wasn't capable of grasping something this complicated.
"So if I'm the gift… Uncle will be happy?"
The young blonde vampire with twin tails tilted her head, looking puzzled.
Then, suddenly, realization dawned.
"Ohhh—Uncle wants me to stay in Arcadia?"
"You could put it that way," Ryo said with a smile, nodding. "After all, your aunt is getting older. She'd probably like you to spend more time with her."
He casually used Leticia as a shield.
Leticia's lips twitched, her expression instantly turning awkward.
Getting older? What kind of nonsense is that?
Sure, she was a veteran from the Dawn Era—but after becoming a Demon Lord, she had spent most of her time asleep. Counting only her waking years, by vampire standards, she was barely twenty-eight!
"Oh, I see!" Lamia seemed to accept the explanation without question.
Her mother had always told her that her aunt was someone she could trust completely. And if that was the case, then her aunt's husband must be trustworthy too.
With that thought, Lamia nodded seriously, putting on a determined expression. "In that case, I'll report this request to the upper levels. If possible, I'd also like to stay by my aunt's side for a while."
Leticia forced a smile.
She wasn't sick, and she definitely wasn't on her last legs—so why did this sound like someone making arrangements for a final visit?
Faced with Lamia's uncertain promise, Ryo, on the other hand, looked completely confident. "Just pass the message along to Ouroboros' higher-ups. I'll handle the rest."
Then he turned to Kalki with a polite smile. "Until Lamia receives a response, I'll have to trouble you all to remain here for a while."
"After all, Arcadia and Ouroboros have quite a few matters that require… detailed discussion."
'You might as well just say you're detaining me unless they agree,' Kalki thought bitterly.
But outwardly, he had no choice but to lower his head.
"That's understandable."
After a brief hesitation, he added through clenched teeth, "Until we receive a reply from the upper levels, I'll be in your care, Mr. Yagami."
He only mentioned himself—not Rin or the others—clearly hinting that they should be allowed to leave.
Ryo, of course, agreed without issue.
After all, that was a trivial request.
.
.
.