NOVEL WEB Chapter 59: Don't tell me you are really... GAE?
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The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward.
Laius looked at Ryo standing in front of him. He opened his mouth—only to realize he had no idea what to say.
He was completely dumbfounded.
His mind went blank. He didn't even know how to respond.
From the host seat, Aishelia smiled and asked casually, "Laius, what are you doing? Why'd you run over there all of a sudden?"
Hearing that, Laius whipped his head around to stare at Aishelia in disbelief.
Wasn't it you who told me to go catch him?!
And now you're pretending like nothing happened? What the hell is this?!
Auntie, do you have any idea how embarrassing this is for me?!
Thinking about all the stupid crap he'd just blurted—things like "get beaten like a dog" and "die too fast"—Laius just wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out.
Absolutely humiliating.
Did I seriously look like a clown from some cheap traveling circus?
Ryo walked up, gave Laius a curious look, and asked suspiciously, "What's wrong with you? You suddenly froze up. Wait… don't tell me you are really... GAE?"
"Like hell I'm!"
With a strained expression and a twitch in his eye, Laius muttered, "I thought the door was broken. I was trying to fix it—is that a crime now?"
Ryo stepped aside and gestured politely, "Then go ahead. Fix it."
Laius looked at the door in front of him, then back at Ryo. He hesitated—step forward? Step back? Either way, it was painfully awkward.
Finally, Aishelia stepped in to defuse the tension. "Laius, that door always had issues. Don't mind it—just come back."
"Y-Yes!"
Laius shuffled back to his spot, head lowered, avoiding Ryo's gaze like it burned.
At this point, he was praying to become invisible—just some emotionless background character Ryo wouldn't bother mocking.
Leticia, seeing Ryo arrive, breathed a small sigh of relief. She patted the seat next to her and waved him over. "Made it through?"
"Barely," Ryo nodded. "I just happened to guess Algol's intent correctly."
The moment he said that, Laius flinched—but kept his mouth shut this time.
Aishelia rested her chin on one hand, intrigued. "I'm genuinely curious. How did you manage to win? Normally, Algol wouldn't let any intruder walk away alive."
Ryo thought for a moment, then answered frankly: "I promised Algol that if I ever get the chance, I'll help set her free."
After saying that, he glanced at Laius—half-expecting the guy to explode with sarcasm.
But instead, Laius rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then nodded with a face full of admiration. "So that's how it is… Ryo, you truly are brilliant. To fool a Demon Star like that… it's a feat worthy of comparison to Athena herself."
"…??"
Ryo stared at him, clearly suspicious.
He shot a look at Leticia, silently asking: Did they swap this guy out with a fake? Or he is really ...
Leticia stifled a laugh and shook her head. Then she stepped forward and turned to Aishelia. "Lady Aishelia, according to the terms of the trial, my ownership has to transfer now."
"I know," Aishelia sighed. She still didn't understand how Ryo pulled it off, but rules were rules.
Even if she hated to part with Leticia—a powerful asset—she had no choice but to honor the contract.
With a sigh, she took out a rolled-up black parchment from her Gift Card.
It was Leticia's ownership contract.
Seeing the document, Ryo looked again at Laius, who broke into a cold sweat under that gaze.
Laius forced a congratulatory tone, though his heart was bleeding. "As the heir to Arcadia, Mr. Ryo Yagami claiming Lady Leticia is perfectly legitimate. We were… overly hasty in doubting you earlier."
"I'll personally apologize later to compensate for any disrespect."
"Damn it, this is gonna cost me a fortune… And worst of all, I just lost a Four-Digit I could've kept in reserve!" Laius kept up the fake smile while mentally cursing. "Better to send this guy off as soon as possible. He's toxic."
"Dammit! A Five-Digit defeating a peak Four-Digit… This guy is a total monster in the Lower Layers of Little Garden."
"If it weren't for that old agreement with Algol—preventing surveillance in the game area—I'd have loved to see how he pulled it off. This just defies logic."
Leticia caught the parchment Aishelia tossed her way, gave it a glance, then handed it straight to Ryo.
Victory confirmed—her ownership now officially belonged to him.
Leticia felt a huge weight lift from her chest.
However Ryo managed it, the result worked in their favor. That was all that mattered.
Ryo gave Laius a weird look, then took the parchment and tucked it into his Gift Card with a smile.
"Thank you for all your help, Lady Aishelia. Leticia's been in your care for the past six months."
"Cut the crap," Aishelia rolled her eyes in mock annoyance. "Say one more word like that, and I'll make sure you never return to the Lower Layers."
Ryo just kept smiling. "No matter how you see it now, the friendship between [No-Name] and [Perseus] hasn't changed."
Aishelia twitched slightly, then scoffed. "Then how about handing that ownership document back?"
Unfazed, Ryo replied, "Technically speaking, that's not possible. But considering our communities' friendship, we're open to paid contracts."
"…You're seriously gonna take away one of my top assets, charge me for her services, and still make me owe you a favor?"
Aishelia's eyelid twitched as she forced a smile. "You're starting to remind me of a certain god."
"Oh? I'm honored to be compared to a deity. May I ask which one?" Ryo replied, beaming.
"Baron La Croix. Arcadia's most shameless man."
"What, that senior? You flatter me, Lady Aishelia."
Leticia gave Ryo a subtle tug on his sleeve—now was not the time to get cheeky.
Realizing that, Ryo bowed politely to Aishelia. "It's getting late. Until next time—if fate allows."
Aishelia nodded slightly, remaining seated as she watched Ryo leave the Perseus temple.
Beside her, Laius finally let out a long breath.
Once Ryo was fully out of sight, Aishelia murmured, "Looks like Arcadia's making a comeback."
Laius' eyes flickered. He gave a wry smile. "A Five-Digit beating a Four-Digit—even if he bent the rules, that still proves the new leader's ability."
"And to think I believed he was here just to make trouble… I was blind."
"I'll apply to transfer to the Knight Division—go back to the front lines and retrain myself."
But Aishelia shook her head. "Don't blame yourself. You misjudged him—but so did I."
"I thought he was just here to remind us that Arcadia isn't dead. A bluff to keep us from giving Leticia a hard time."
"But in the end, he actually won her back."
She shook her head again.
"Canaria really was the wisest mind in all of Little Garden's Lower and Middle Layers. Even with Arcadia fallen, she left behind someone like that."
Then she turned to Laius with a sly smile. "So… still planning to push me to sever ties with Arcadia's remnants?"
"…I think I'll keep my mouth shut for the next few years," Laius muttered, his lips twitching.
"Hah. Bitten once, huh?" Aishelia chuckled softly, then looked toward the great hall's entrance.
"Send them a proper gift. We've already lost this round—no point being stingy now."
"Yes, ma'am," Laius replied respectfully.
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