— — — — — —
Ryo blinked.
Before he could even get a good look at the girl, she flipped through the open window of the palace and jumped straight down from the sky.
"Asura!" A woman's voice rang out from above, full of reprimand.
Too late. Asura had already landed safely, one knee on the ground and both arms stretched forward.
"Heave-ho~" She straightened up and rolled her shoulders. "Honestly, Mother insists on riding around in that carriage. It nearly shook me to pieces."
She stretched lazily, her sleeveless kimono-style outfit revealing her soft white arms.
No one looking at those delicate limbs would imagine that once they gripped a sword, even a war god like Ares wouldn't dare meet her blade head-on.
"Lady Asura..." The moment Kurousagi saw Asura, she immediately became polite and reserved, lowering her head respectfully.
"Oh! It's the little rabbit!" Asura had never held anything against Kurousagi. The one she disliked was her father, Indra. As for a distant descendant several generations removed like Kurousagi, she couldn't care less.
"Have you been drinking this morning? I can smell it." She licked her lips, her eyes sparkling. "That's Monkey King's oni sake, isn't it? And the good stuff, too. Last time I went to buy some, Shuten swore it was out of stock. That drunk was definitely lying to me."
Ryo's expression turned a little strange.
He wasn't new to Little Garden anymore. He'd gathered plenty of information about its famous powerhouses.
As far as he knew, the Seven Heavenly Great Sages generally didn't get along very well with the Asura clan.
Of course, the Monkey King wouldn't let her taste any.
Ryo had only managed to get this batch through Kurousagi, who'd pulled strings with the Roc Demon King, Karyou.
"Hurry, hurry! Bring the sake out before Mother steals it all!" Asura was pestering Kurousagi when Ryo's expression suddenly changed.
Without thinking, he took two steps backward.
The next instant, someone crashed down from the sky with enough force to shake the ground, planting Asura headfirst into the earth.
"And just who," a woman's voice asked coolly, "is going to steal your sake? You drink too much, and somehow I'm the bad guy for stopping you?"
Ryo instinctively took another step back.
The woman standing there wore layered robes of black and crimson, with a feathered shawl draped over her shoulders. A vermilion mark adorned her forehead, while her pure white hair framed a face of striking mature beauty.
Pinned beneath the shattered stone path, Asura weakly raised a hand, "M-Mother... mercy..."
"What a hopeless child." The woman rolled her eyes, lifted her foot off her daughter, then turned toward Ryo with an elegant smile, covering her lips with one hand. "Oh dear. I seem to have done something terribly improper. You didn't see any of that, did you?"
"..."
Ryo was silent for a moment before shaking his head.
Satisfied, the woman turned her smiling gaze toward Kurousagi.
Kurousagi visibly shuddered. The blue tint in her hair instantly faded to pink from sheer panic. "O-Of course not, Lady Sachi! I didn't see anything at all! Not you jumping out of the carriage, or stepping on Lady Asura, or..."
Sachi smiled gently, "You should stop talking now."
Kurousagi immediately clamped her mouth shut and looked pitifully toward Ryo for help.
Ryo quietly looked away.
'You talked yourself into this. Don't drag me into it.'
Only then did Sachi walk over to him with a warm smile. "You must be Ryo Yagami."
Ryo immediately put on his best host's smile and offered his hand. "That's right. Welcome, Queen Sachi."
"My, what a sweet talker." She chuckled as she shook his hand. "But I'm not a queen anymore."
She then glanced over at Asura, who was dusting herself off with a thoroughly aggrieved expression, one foot planted carelessly atop a nearby stone post.
Sachi frowned, "Why are you standing with your legs spread like that? Have you no sense of decorum?"
"Huh?" Asura blinked blankly. "But... that is normal."
"And you've already answered my question. How embarrassing." Sachi rolled her eyes.
There had been a time when she herself was regarded as one of Little Garden's most elegant beauties. How she'd ended up raising such an airheaded daughter remained one of life's great mysteries.
Asura looked utterly wronged, but she obediently lowered her leg and stood off to the side, pouting.
Seeing the exchange, Ryo couldn't help asking, "Is... this really okay?"
"It'll be fine." Sachi waved dismissively. "Once she has a few drinks, she'll go right back to being the same lovable fool."
Clearly, this wasn't the first time she'd bullied her daughter.
Ryo decided it was best not to comment on someone else's family affairs.
Hm?" At that moment, Sachi's attention shifted toward Ophis, who was floating absentmindedly in the reservoir.
Her expression changed, "...A pureblood?"
Kurousagi nearly jumped out of her skin. "H-Haha, surely you're joking! Why would there be a pure-blooded dragon in Arcadia?"
"I never said dragon." Sachi looked at her with an amused smile.
Ryo slowly turned to Kurousagi.
Without a word, she pulled a roll of tape from her Gift Card, sealed her own mouth shut, and obediently retreated to one side.
Ryo rolled his eyes.
"I told you to stop talking, not gag yourself." He pointed toward the castle, "Go bring the sake."
"Sake!" Asura instantly perked up. "Could you bring some peanuts too? Fried in vegetable oil!"
"I-I'll make them..." Kurousagi looked a little speechless as she hurried away.
"Ahem... Please, this way." Ryo led the pair to the pavilion in the center of the reservoir.
Although the reservoir served as Arcadia's water reserve, it had been built with remarkable craftsmanship. The elegant architecture, intricate carvings, and the four-digit divine tree growing at its center made it one of Arcadia's most beautiful spots.
It was certainly a fitting place to entertain guests.
The moment they sat down, however, Sachi's gaze locked onto the emerald tree gathering moisture from the air.
Her eyes widened with interest. "The Treasure Tree Ladon... the sacred tree born from the remains of the Dragon King who guarded the Golden Apples of Greece. It purifies dragon bloodlines and accelerates the growth of pure-blooded dragons. If I remember correctly... wasn't this tree enshrined in Athena's Parthenon Temple?"
Ryo froze halfway through setting out the cups.
He forced a smile, "Haha... you're mistaken. This is only a replica."
Even he hadn't expected Athena to send something this valuable without even mentioning it first. Nor had he expected Sachi to recognize its origin at a glance.
"A replica?" Sachi smiled knowingly.
Ryo could only continue laying out the cups, pretending nothing was wrong.
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