— — — — — —
Ryo's thoughts stalled for a split second before quickly getting back on track.
He turned the message over in his head and, for now, came up with three possible interpretations.
First, Koumei Kasukabe was trapped by some kind of force and unable to return to Arcadia, but he had already found a way to escape.
Second, Koumei believed he was no longer worth saving. The cost of rescuing him would be too great for Arcadia's members, so he wanted to warn them to give up.
Third, Koumei was actually free and did not need rescuing at all, but for some reason, he still could not return to Arcadia.
After a moment of silence, Ryo looked at Willa and asked, "Under what circumstances did he say that?"
"Ninety days ago," Willa replied. "In a café in the Blazing Radiance City, in the North Area. He helped me shake off Maxwell's pursuit and asked me to pass on the message."
Ninety days ago… about three months… also three months after Arcadia's collapse…
Ryo suddenly felt that the truth leaned toward the third possibility.
Free, not in need of rescue, yet unable to return for some reason.
And more importantly… Koumei was in the lower layers of Little Garden, right in the North Area's Blazing Radiance City. That was different from what Ryo remembered from the original story, where Koumei had been exiled to the outside world and raised his daughter, Kasukabe Yō. Was this an unknown deviation? Or had he returned on his own after exile by triggering some kind of historical shift?
Frowning, Ryo continued questioning Willa, "What state was he in back then?"
"Very weak," Willa said after thinking it over. "His spirit rank was even weaker than mine. He looked like a child."
"He used his intellect to help me break Maxwell's tracking ability and let me escape safely."
"So that's how it was…"
Ryo tapped the table lightly with his index finger, murmuring to himself.
Weak. Weaker than Willa. That did not match his image of Koumei Kasukabe, a four-digit legend whose authority over life was almost absurdly powerful.
If Koumei had been at full strength, someone like Maxwell would have been nothing more than a question of whether he felt like killing him or not.
Being hunted, unable to use his authority over life, relying only on experience and intellect…
Was it the same as in the original story, where he handed over his most important Gift to Kasukabe Yō to keep her alive? That level of doting really was terrifying.
Either way, Koumei probably would not be coming back anytime soon. If he had already returned to Little Garden, coming back to Arcadia would have been easy. The fact that he had not returned said a lot.
After piecing together Koumei's situation, Ryo let out a sigh.
"Your information is extremely valuable to me. In return, I can agree to one request, as long as it's within my ability."
Willa excitedly grabbed her white cross-shaped staff, "I—"
Swish—
Jack snatched the staff from her hand in one swift motion, glaring at her in frustration.
"Willa, this is not the time to indulge your bad habits."
Throwing her staff at people just to see how they reacted. When was she ever going to quit that?
More importantly, wasn't the real issue Maxwell's obsessive pursuit of Willa?
They should be using this opportunity to ask Ryo to deal with Maxwell, not to satisfy Willa's childish impulses.
When would this willful master of his ever give him peace of mind?
With her staff taken away, Willa pouted and muttered, "Jack's turned into an annoying pumpkin demon."
Jack snorted, then turned to Ryo, "I wonder if your intelligence network mentioned Willa being harassed by the Demon Lord Maxwell?"
"It did," Ryo replied with a faint smile, clearly having expected this request.
Jack relaxed slightly and asked carefully, "Since you know that, I assume you understand our predicament."
"So Will-O-Wisp hopes to form an alliance with Arcadia."
Ryo looked at Jack in surprise, then suddenly laughed, "Pumpkin Jack, you've really thought this through."
An alliance with Arcadia was very different from simply killing Maxwell.
The latter was just eliminating a Demon Lord. For Ryo, that was not particularly difficult. The only trouble was tracking him down, and even that could be handled by getting a little information from certain insiders he already had contacts with.
But forming an offensive and defensive alliance with Will-O-Wisp was a whole different matter.
On a larger scale, it meant that if Will-O-Wisp ran into trouble in the future, Ryo would be obligated to step in and protect this little partner.
So this was what it felt like to have someone cling to your leg instead? Ryo mocked himself inwardly.
"And your decision?" Jack asked cautiously.
Choosing to side with Arcadia was Jack's own call, based on several reasons.
First, Arcadia was facing a major crisis and had already drawn Asura's attention. Offering support now was like delivering firewood in the snow.
Second, Jack did not sense any imminent sign of Ryo's death. His intuition told him that Arcadia had a strong chance of surviving this crisis.
Third, he wanted a stronger, more reliable ally than the Queen's loose, carefree coalition.
From the outside, Arcadia might still look like it was in recovery. But with Leticia the Spearhead and a leader like Ryo Yagami, whose strength was still unclear but likely enough to hold off Asura, Arcadia's deterrence in the lower layers was solid.
A community with power but without an equal rival would inevitably expand, and expansion meant resources and benefits ripe for division.
Founding members always climbed faster than latecomers. That was Jack's thinking.
On top of that, Jack had foreseen that Willa would face a life-threatening crisis in the future, and that he himself would likely die in that event.
That was why he needed to prepare early.
All these factors combined pushed Jack toward allying with Arcadia, both to help Will-O-Wisp grow and to better protect Willa.
As allies, Willa could even stay at Arcadia's headquarters to avoid Maxwell's pursuit. That was one of the perks of being an ally, and it would also help her avoid that looming life-or-death crisis.
From their perspective, it was a win on every front.
Facing Jack's expectant gaze, Ryo chuckled, "Aren't you supposed to be under Queen Halloween?"
"The Queen isn't interested in ruling," Jack replied. After a brief pause, he smiled bitterly. "Her idea of accepting communities is more about… entertainment."
A thrill-seeker, huh…
Ryo's expression stiffened as he recalled the woman he had seen in his fight with Mithras, radiant as the sun and smiling at him. His scalp tingled slightly.
In the end, he let out a sigh, "I accept your request."
"From this moment on, Will-O-Wisp will be under my protection, part of the Arcadia Grand Alliance."
Having said that, Ryo did not intend to elaborate further. Switching roles, he issued an order as the alliance leader, "You may leave. Take the time to think again."
"Until tomorrow's Gift Game ends, I'll allow you to change your mind."
Jack finally relaxed and bowed deeply, "Thank you for your generosity."
Changing their minds was impossible. Absolutely impossible. Jack had foreseen that both his and Willa's survival lay with Ryo. Why would he ever back out?
Straightening up, he turned to Willa.
"Lady Wil—"
Before he could finish, a white cross-shaped staff flew through the air toward Ryo and landed squarely in his… palm.
Jack's pumpkin face instantly broke out in a cold sweat, and his apology burst out before he even finished reacting.
"I am so, so sorry!!"
"Hahaha!"
Ryo laughed loudly, gripping the staff as he looked at Willa's innocent expression.
"Looks like I've gained a really fun subordinate!"
Before he could say anything else, the staff flew back with a thud, striking Willa right on the forehead.
A visible bump instantly swelled up.
"Oww!"
'I've got a naughty side too, y'know…' Ryo thought cheerfully as her cry echoed through the room.
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