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Outer Gate 3345, [Thousand Eyes] HQ.
"Lady Shiroyasha, the leader of the Perseus community—Lady Aishelia—has arrived."
As the shop girl spoke, the door slid open. A tall, striking blonde knight stepped inside. Her confident gaze swept the room—then froze.
Shiroyasha was lounging on a cushion, one hand digging absentmindedly at her foot, the other holding a thick paperback titled {How to Corrupt a Blonde Knight.}
Aishelia's expression didn't change, but she cleared her throat—loudly.
Shiroyasha's grin froze. In an instant, the book went up in golden flames. She grabbed a rag from the table and started wiping furiously as if she'd been polishing the place all along.
"Ais—Aishelia, you're here! Why didn't you send word ahead?"
As she spoke, she shot the shop girl at the door a sharp glare, clearly blaming her for not warning her sooner.
The shop girl's lips curled in a cold smirk. Without speaking, she mouthed two words: "No infighting."
Shiroyasha blinked. Before she could snap back, a familiar aura brushed past her senses.
"…Boss?"
She sucked in a sharp breath. But when she looked again, the shop girl was gone, the door already closed—like nothing unusual had happened.
Damn. My boss had caught my little side project. Shiroyasha felt a flicker of unease.
Aishelia crossed the room, sat down opposite her, and casually set her weapon on the tea table.
"It's been a while, Lady Shiroyasha."
"Ah, yes… it has," Shiroyasha replied evenly, though she muttered under her breath, "How did the boss figure it out that fast?"
"What?" Aishelia's brow furrowed. She could tell Shiroyasha's mind was elsewhere.
"Nothing," Shiroyasha said quickly.
If her boss, the twin goddesses —Alpha & Omega— had only dropped a warning, that meant they were allowing her little stunt. In that case, nothing to worry about.
Her easy smile slid back into place.
"My, my, isn't this Aishelia-chan? What brings you to my humble corner today?"
Aishelia's voice was calm, but her words were pointed.
"I wasn't aware the internal review of gift purchases had been reassigned to you, Lady Shiroyasha. Care to explain why?"
"Oh, probably because I'm so hardworking and capable, and my wise and glorious boss appreciates my talents," Shiroyasha said with a solemn nod, the picture of sincerity.
"Hardworking at harassing women, maybe." Aishelia didn't say it out loud, but she was still thinking about the book title she'd glimpsed earlier. The sooner she got out of here, the better.
"Then about the purchase of Ascalon—"
"You're too late," Shiroyasha cut her off. "The Cross bought the dragon-slaying sword back already. You know our rules and the buyer has a rightful claim; it's theirs. And they paid plenty."
"I see…" Aishelia frowned, unsurprised.
The Cross Pantheon was absurdly wealthy, and they despised the idea of outsiders holding their relics. Getting your hands on one of their gifts was almost impossible. This time, a saint of theirs had died in some political storm, letting the relic slip loose—but she'd been too slow to secure the funds.
Shiroyasha, watching her disappointment, tilted her head.
"I hear Perseus only has one more territory to conquer before you control your whole Outer Gate?"
To rule an Outer Gate, a community had to be the strongest within it. Perseus had already taken most of its regions. Only one remained, held by a draconic demihuman tied to the Cross Pantheon—strong even by four-digit standards, with several powerful allies. A hard nut to crack.
"You may as well say what you're getting at," Aishelia said flatly. She had no desire to spend any more time than necessary with Shiroyasha. Most beautiful women in Little Garden felt the same—for reasons that had as much to do with Shiroyasha's personality as with her… habits.
But she couldn't avoid her. Perseus was part of the [Thousand Eyes] alliance, and Shiroyasha was the community manager, only second to its leader.
"I'm just looking out for you." Shiroyasha unfolded her fan and lazily waved it at her.
"I remember you once invited Leticia to help take down that dragon, didn't you?"
"You remember something so trivial? I'm honored."
It wasn't surprising she knew—Perseus's attempt was public knowledge.
"But that's in the past. [No Name]'s current leader passed the Perseus Trial, so Leticia's ownership reverted to her original community."
"Ouch," Shiroyasha said with mock sympathy. "You spent a fortune on her, didn't you? I'll bet the old guys in your community weren't happy."
She wasn't wrong. Leticia was a top-tier four-digit combatant. Securing her had nearly emptied Perseus's vaults. But thanks to Aishelia's goodwill toward [No Name], Ryo had beaten the trial and walked away with her for free. The elders were furious.
If not for Aishelia's strength, authority, and position as leader, they might have already revolted.
Aishelia's eyes narrowed. "You've heard something?"
"Not exactly. But soon enough. After all, there's still that other four-digit successor—what was his name, Laius?"
Aishelia's face darkened.
"The elders mean to depose me and crown Laius instead?"
Her voice was cold. "Looks like just defeating them all those years ago wasn't enough. I should have finished the job."
She had taken leadership by beating every member in single combat. She'd spared the elders for the sake of the community's overall strength. But they still didn't respect her—even now, when she'd brought Perseus to its peak.
Shiroyasha smirked. "Of course. They're not knights—they prefer the ancestor Perseus's way: any means necessary. And you've heard the joke, haven't you?"
Her eyes gleamed. "Greek heroes don't need women… unless she's the huntress."
Aishelia's jaw tightened, but she smoothed her expression. "What do you want me to do?"
She knew Shiroyasha wasn't sharing this for free. This kind of intel could fetch a high price whether sold to her or to the elders. [Thousand Eyes] made its living off intelligence.
Shiroyasha snapped her fan shut and tapped it against her palm.
"Upper management says there's to be no infighting within the alliance for now."
Aishelia's eyes went glacial. "Understood. I'll deal with the restless ones."
The Thousand Eyes leader's orders weren't optional. She had no problem cutting down traitors.
But Shiroyasha waved a hand. "No, no, not you personally."
Aishelia paused as Shiroyasha grinned.
"What if, instead, you publicly announced an alliance with Ryo Yagami?"
"…What?"
"Use the dragon subjugation as the excuse. You need the extra manpower, right? No one can complain if you invite him and Leticia for that."
Aishelia blinked—then realization dawned. So that was her goal. Shiroyasha had been championing [No Name] lately, and now she was openly pushing sponsorship for them.
And it was… clever. The elders would lose their minds. They'd already lost Leticia to [No Name], and now they'd have to ask [No Name]'s leader for help? The proud "descendants of heroes" would never stomach it.
She frowned. "Is this your idea, or Ryo's?"
"Mine," Shiroyasha said smoothly. "Which means you'll have to negotiate with him yourself. Oh, and be warned—that kid's… unusual. Best be prepared."
Aishelia drew a slow breath, then nodded. "…I understand."
If Shiroyasha wanted her to extend a hand to [No Name], she had no real choice but to do it.
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.
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