— — — — — —
Grayfia's pupils shrank slightly. She immediately took a step back and bowed. "My apologies."
Ryo paused for a moment, then casually wiped the corner of his mouth in front of her.
"Has that woman always been this ridiculous?"
"..."
Grayfia silently defaulted to agreement.
Seeing that, Ryo shook his head.
"This was just an accident."
"This was just an accident."
They spoke in unison.
The moment the words left their mouths, both of them froze.
After a second or two of awkward silence, Ryo chuckled. "Looks like you're not nearly as calm as you appear, Grayfia."
Grayfia kept a stiff expression, looking slightly uneasy for once, and didn't answer immediately.
Ryo smiled lightly. "Alright, let's leave it at that. You heard the order Algol left behind. Later, head over to Ajuka's side and take those demonized descendants of the old Satans away."
At that point, he looked at her with an amused smile. "Of course, if you really want me to take responsibility, I wouldn't mind."
"You misunderstand."
Grayfia's expression gradually returned to its usual calmness. "As your servant, expecting Your Majesty to take responsibility for something like this would be overstepping my place."
"If you wished it, even having me attend you in bed tonight would not be a problem."
"Then tomorrow night it is," Ryo answered instantly.
So quickly that Grayfia failed to react at all.
"..."
Her lips parted slightly. Clearly, she hadn't expected that response.
In the end, she simply bowed calmly. "As you wish."
After Grayfia excused herself and left, Ryo looked down the corridor and shook his head. "Serious women really aren't fun to tease."
She had agreed way too easily. He'd expected a far more entertaining reaction.
From Ryo's perspective, teasing Grayfia wasn't especially exciting, but it was certainly satisfying in its own way.
At the very least, if he tried to take advantage of her, she definitely wouldn't refuse.
There was desire, but not love.
Still, Ryo found the whole thing fairly enjoyable.
"Three months of preparation time, huh... Before that, I should confirm Mr God's situation. Ideally, I need to speak with Him directly at least once."
After thinking it over, Ryo left Grayfia's temporary residence. Not long afterward, near Kyoto's Nijo Castle, he found Michael at the angels' temporary lodging.
Inside the hotel suite's living room, Michael poured two glasses of wine before sitting opposite Ryo with a sigh. "Your sudden visit truly surprised me."
"Where's Gabriel?"
Ryo briefly sensed Gabriel's location and noticed she had already left Kyoto. Following the trace of power he had secretly left inside her body last night, he carefully tracked her position.
He soon realized she was inside a massive dimensional space.
So that's Heaven?
Ryo narrowed his eyes.
Across from him, Michael took a sip of wine and said. "Gabriel returned to persuade Uriel and the others. Given how things escalated, with her personality, she probably feels heavily responsible."
Ryo immediately understood.
So the Gabriel I sensed suppressing people one-handed across dimensions... that's the same Gabriel supposedly 'feeling guilty,' huh?
Ryo grumbled internally but wisely chose not to say it out loud.
Judging from Michael's strained smile, he clearly knew Gabriel had gone back to suppress opposing opinions by force.
So much for Heaven's softest, sweetest angel girl...
What a scam.
Still, Ryo understood perfectly well that when it came to reviving God, the other three angels combined probably didn't possess even half of Gabriel's drive.
As for why Ryo understood her so well...
Naturally, it was because he had personally confirmed it last night.
"I hope Gabriel can overcome this emotional burden," Ryo said while pretending ignorance.
"Yes... hopefully."
Michael's smile remained gentle, though there was obvious exhaustion hidden beneath it.
"Now then, back to business." Ryo looked up at Michael and spoke seriously. "I want access to Heaven's core and the system for research purposes."
Michael's expression stiffened slightly.
His mood seemed heavy, yet strangely relieved at the same time.
It was as though he had anticipated this request long ago. Remaining calm, he said. "I would like to know your reason, and I wish to accompany you the entire time."
"It concerns reviving your God." Ryo directly stated his purpose.
Michael froze.
Compared to the scenarios he had imagined beforehand, this outcome was incomparably better. So much so that he couldn't help but become suspicious instead.
For a moment, he wondered if Ryo was deceiving him.
But after thinking it through, he realized there was no need.
A being capable of defeating the Infinite Dragon God was likely stronger than even their Lord in His prime. If Ryo truly wanted to interfere with the system, he could probably invade it by force without the angels ever noticing.
There was simply no reason for him to lie.
Still, Michael genuinely hadn't expected Ryo to agree so quickly to help revive God.
He couldn't understand why Ryo seemed in such a hurry.
The only variable he could think of... was Gabriel's "disappearance" last night.
Wow. When Gabriel got serious, her efficiency was as terrifying as ever...
Thinking that, Michael couldn't help sighing inwardly.
"Is there a problem?" Ryo asked when Michael remained silent.
Hearing that, Michael let out a quiet sigh. "I understand. Please give me half a day. I'll make emergency arrangements and ensure your operation proceeds smoothly."
"Alright."
Ryo nodded in agreement.
Half a day was nothing. He could wait.
...
..
Mount Meru—
Indra stared at the report in his hand with an increasingly bizarre expression. His narrow eyes widened completely.
"(Ophis, leader of the Khaos Brigade, launches a surprise attack on the Three Factions Peace Summit, is defeated, and surrenders…) What kind of trash tabloid from the Divine Realm came up with this headline? Punish him severely."
"It's from Demon Daily, Heavenly Emperor," the little god below replied nervously.
"Demon Daily? Isn't that the newspaper that prints bikini photos every day…? Ahem… never mind, no need to punish anyone... Ahem…"
Indra coughed awkwardly.
"...Are you sure this is real?"
The little god shook his head frantically.
How could he possibly guarantee something this insane?
"This information was officially released by the devils, Your Majesty."
"And you believed it?" Indra asked again.
The intelligence officer instantly developed the urge to commit suicide.
Please stop asking me questions that could get me killed, Your Majesty!
Seeing his subordinate looking ready to smash his own head against a pillar, Indra steadied his emotions and spoke with a strange look on his face. "I only just released news that God is dead, and immediately afterward they announce Ophis got defeated? This..."
Indra seriously suspected the devils were screwing with him.
How could it possibly be this coincidental?
The devils were openly claiming they had defeated Ophis.
Oh, correction. The report specifically stated that the newly appointed Governor-General of the Fallen Angels, Ryo Yagami, had defeated Ophis.
Heh. Bullshit.
Wasn't Azazel the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels?
And where the hell did this Yagami come from?
"Y-Your Majesty... how should we handle this matter?" the little god asked shakily.
Indra rubbed his temples, then stroked his chin.
"Spread the news as well. Let those old fossils investigate it themselves."
"Oh, and contact Cao Cao for me. Have him confirm Ophis's actual condition."
"Yes, sir!"
The little god hurriedly retreated, leaving Indra alone upon the Heavenly Emperor's throne.
Within the vast empty palace, his muttering echoed softly, "The situation is becoming more and more wrong..."
.
.
.