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[Crossover] Ch 235: Melqart
🕑 Added 2025-09-04 00:21:49 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
At the hotel entrance, Erica had already arranged the car. She spotted Ryo walking toward her and greeted him with a smile.
"Lord Yagami, did the dinner suit your taste?"
"Interesting cooking," Ryo replied casually.
'So, not to his taste…' Erica kept her smile and offered, "Next time, how about Asian food?"
"I'll leave that to you."
Ryo nodded lightly before glancing at Liliana, whose expression was a little stiff. Without further comment, he stepped into the waiting car.
Liliana hesitated, exchanged a quick look with Erica, then clenched her teeth and sat down beside Ryo.
Just before the door closed, Erica glanced back at the hotel. "Will Lady Athena not be joining us?"
"She's tired. She wanted to rest for a while."
"Huh?" Liliana looked startled. A god… tired?
Erica clicked her tongue, cheeks flushing as she slid into the seat and pulled the door shut.
"The location of Melqart—have you confirmed it?" Ryo asked once the car was moving.
Liliana froze for two or three seconds, staring blankly until he followed her gaze downward—toward his pants.
"…Did something get on my pants?"
"Must be big— Uhhh! N-no! Nothing at all!" Liliana waved frantically, her face burning red.
"Lily, the ruins," Erica teased with a sly smile.
"Oh! The location, right!" Liliana drew a sharp breath, forcing herself to focus. Her cheeks were still pink as she explained, "It should be at the central ruins, about half an hour's drive."
Ryo studied her a moment, then leaned back comfortably. "Then we should be able to return to the hotel tonight."
"Tonight? Isn't that way too fast?" Liliana grabbed the hem of her skirt, looking as if she'd just been spooked.
"…What?"
He gave her a puzzled look. "You're acting strange. Did something happen just now?"
Erica's face changed—she wanted to stop him—but Liliana blurted out first, "N-no, nothing at all!"
"Oh? Sounds like you two are hiding something from me."
His amused gaze fell on her, and Liliana's face went crimson like an apple. She avoided his eyes, fidgeting nervously.
Seeing this, Ryo chuckled. "Forget it. I'll let you off for now."
Liliana exhaled hard, patting her chest in relief.
But then Ryo added casually, "Make time for me to meet Salvatore Doni."
The relief on Liliana's face vanished. She went pale. "Your Majesty, maybe you should reconsider that."
"I live to serve your will, my King," Erica declared happily.
"…"
The air instantly grew awkward. Liliana snapped out of her panic and turned on Erica, grinding her teeth. "Erica, do you even know what you're saying?"
Having Ryo and the King of Swords meet… that was basically Mars colliding with Earth!
"Lily, honestly…" Erica sighed, giving her a look of exasperation. "It's a good thing. Why can't you see that?"
"A good thing?" Liliana blinked, dumbfounded, then said with a twisted look, "Since when is brawling with a gorilla a good thing?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized her slip and clamped a hand over her lips. "Forgive me—I didn't mean to insult Lord Salvatore."
Ryo and Erica exchanged a glance and shrugged in unison. "In a way, your assessment's pretty accurate."
Erica shifted closer to Ryo, brushing against his arm as she added with a smile, "Lily, remember—we're both knights of Southern Europe."
"And? What about it?" Liliana asked, confused.
Erica raised her brows at Ryo, who gave her a small nod. With a sigh, she explained, "Which means, officially, we're still under Salvatore's command. But if Lord Yagami meets him, that… chain of command might just…"
She winked. "You get it, don't you?"
"You mean—!" Liliana's eyes widened in realization.
So Ryo wanted to meet the King of Swords in order to free them from that allegiance?
Wait… wasn't this exactly like a story about a brave hero rescuing two knight-maidens from a foolish tyrant?
Liliana's face turned even redder at the thought, while Ryo chuckled softly.
He turned to the side, noting Erica already clinging tightly to his arm.
Catching his gaze, Erica flashed him a dazzling smile. He returned it briefly before steering the conversation away.
"By the way, Melqart is also known as Baal, right?"
"Yes," Liliana said, seizing the chance to recover her composure. "Melqart was what the ancient Sardinians called him. His formal name is Baal—the Lord of Semitic peoples. Some records even describe him as the greatest enemy of the Cross God."
Ryo stroked his chin thoughtfully. "And I heard Cross deities rarely become disobedient gods."
"There's an explanation for that from England's Council," Erica chimed in with a smile. "The stronger a god is in myth, the more perfectly they remain within it. Which means gods of major faiths—Cross, Buddhism—almost never break free as disobedient gods."
"Rumor has it the Council even researched ways to summon them into the world. But the chairman at the time shut it down."
Ryo's eyes lit with interest. "So they actually made progress, didn't they?"
"Judging from how strongly they denied it—probably," Erica said, smirking. "The English politicians love nothing more than publicly denying what's true."
Liliana twitched at that jab, but… well, she couldn't deny the truth of it.
Ryo gave a slow nod. "Add a visit to the Council to my schedule."
"As you command, my King." Erica pulled out a small notebook, jotting it down with a smile.
Satisfied, Ryo leaned back, found a comfortable position, and closed his eyes halfway.
The car sped down the road toward the ruins.
Halfway there, the dead of night split open with thunder and lightning.
A massive bolt of lightning slammed down toward the car—only to be blocked midair by a golden lion made entirely of thunder.
The delayed rumble shook the air as the car screeched to a halt.
Inside, Ryo tilted his head back, his gaze piercing through the roof toward the sky. High above, a towering man loomed, staring down at them with solemn, weighty eyes.
And the moment their gazes met, that giant's expression grew even more aggressive.
.
.
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