Coreal
patreon
[Crossover] Ch 52: Shirayuki-hime
🕑 Added 2025-05-29 12:31:57 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
At the [No Name] reservoir.
Cracked, bone-dry earth stretched beneath a cross-shaped walkway.
At its center stood a lone stone pavilion.
Inside the pavilion, Ryo gently placed a small sapling—its roots soaking in a sphere of water—onto a stone pedestal.
This wasn't just any pedestal. It was a sacred spot once used to house powerful Gifts.
In the past, it even held water-element Gifts ranked "four digits"—ones so potent they could channel divine spring water.
But after the Demon Lord's attack, all those Gifts were stolen.
Now, as soon as Ryo set the sapling down, thin beams of light shimmered to life, and pure, clear water began pooling beneath it. From the pedestal, water flowed through branching channels into the reservoir.
Watching it happen, Black Rabbit's eyes widened in awe. She scooped up a handful of water and took a sip—then gasped with joy.
"This is natural water! It's so pure—where did you even get it?!"
Ryo, standing to the side, replied casually, "From the water god at the Tritonis Falls. I passed her trial, more or less."
"You what?! Why would you just randomly go picking fights with a water god?! That's insanely dangerous!"
Black Rabbit muttered her complaint, but quickly turned her attention to the reservoir, which was now steadily filling. Her face lit up with excitement.
"With water this pure, we could totally ask the region's landowners to move our pastures and farms closer. Just imagine the kind of crops we could produce…"
Her eyes sparkled, lost in dreams.
Only when you're running a household do you realize how expensive and vital the basics are. And now, with water secured, she was filled with hope.
Meanwhile, Ryo just shrugged. "As far as I'm concerned, not having to boil water for baths anymore is already a win."
After Arcadia fell, they'd had to walk kilometers just to get water—bathing was basically a luxury.
They mostly relied on purification Gifts that Black Rabbit bought.
Sure, those got the job done, but it never felt quite like a real bath.
Black Rabbit, deadpan, pointed out, "Most of that bathwater prep was done by me, you know."
"I was sick at the time, wasn't I?" Ryo responded without an ounce of guilt.
Just then, a ripple of energy warped the air. Ryo's brows knit, and he immediately stepped in front of Black Rabbit protectively.
The sky shimmered with concentric rings of distortion—then, with a shriek, a figure came crashing down next to him.
From the other side of the ripple came a familiar voice: Shiroyasha's sharp and amused tone.
"You brat! Sit there and behave yourself for once!"
"Nooo! Lord Deity, please!!"
The fallen figure wailed in despair and reached out toward the closing space ripple, but it vanished without a trace.
Leticia arrived midair the moment the space warped, frowning in confusion. "Wasn't that Shiroyasha's voice just now?"
"Yeah," Ryo sighed. "No doubt about it."
Black Rabbit blinked, then leaned forward and poked the newcomer, who was still face-down with her rear awkwardly in the air.
"Hey, are you... a bunny? No, wait... a moon rabbit?"
The person on the ground quickly scrambled up, looking startled.
That's when Ryo finally got a good look.
It was a woman—with demonic horns, a short ponytail, and delicate, doll-like features.
She wore a white kimono with blue trim, but for some reason had paired it with thigh-high stockings. The contrast gave off an oddly seductive vibe despite the odd fashion.
Black Rabbit looked at her outfit and blinked, a little stunned. "You're one of Shiroyasha's subordinates, aren't you?"
Back when she was little, Shiroyasha often tricked her into wearing cute, questionable outfits like that. She'd mostly grown out of it now, but the nostalgia hit hard.
"Yeah, that obvious, huh?" the woman muttered, pointing at the horns on her head—same style as Shiroyasha's. Then she sighed dramatically.
"Just one loss... and the Lord Deity banished me here like trash. I swear, that devil was just too tricky—it wasn't even my fault!"
Ryo, the "tricky devil" in question, raised a brow but kept smiling politely.
"And you are…?"
"Call me Shirayuki-hime. You're with No Name, right?"
She puffed up with pride as she added, "By the way, I've been assigned here as a divine offering, got it?"
"Meaning: don't bug me unless you absolutely have to—and even then, don't! You guys are supposed to pamper me, alright? Pamper!"
"But hey, if any five-digit-level enemies show up, I'll take care of them. You're welcome!"
Ryo looked around, unimpressed. "So what exactly are you doing here?"
From the air, Shiroyasha's voice echoed.
"She's here to be Leticia's... target dummy—I mean, trainee. Let's go with trainee. Just don't kill her."
"Wait—Lord Deity?! You're still watching?!"
Shirayuki-hime turned pale, trembling.
"Yup, still here at the base. Watching everything."
Shiroyasha's mischievous tone was crystal clear. Then she chuckled.
"By the way, Ryo—you're technically my subordinate deity under my Sun Authority, aren't you?"
"...Kind of."
At that moment, Shirayuki-hime's eyes lit up with the enthusiasm of a predator spotting prey. She looked at Ryo like she expected him to bow and acknowledge her as his Senpai.
Then came the sound of a folding fan snapping open.
"Well, I never gave you a welcome gift, so here—Shirayuki-hime is yours now. Congrats! She's officially your subordinate deity."
"...Huh?" Shirayuki-hime stood there, completely stunned.
Wait. She was being gifted to someone? As a subordinate?
And that guy was Shiroyasha's subordinate too?
So now she went from "Senpai big sis" to "this" just like that?!
That's just cruel!
Ryo glanced at Leticia and Black Rabbit. Both gave him silent nods, clearly urging him to accept.
He sighed and shrugged. "Alright, fine. But since she's my subordinate, I get full authority over her, right?"
"Sure, as long as you keep her power level up, do whatever you want~"
Shiroyasha signed off with a cheerful tone. "Anyway, Athena's calling me to some banquet, later~"
With that, the ripple in space faded.
Now Shirayuki-hime found herself surrounded by Ryo, Leticia, and Black Rabbit.
"W-What do you all want?!"
The poor serpent girl looked like she was about to cry.
Ryo turned to Black Rabbit. "What can you do with a snake-dragon species?"
"Hmmm..."
"Their waste can boost crop growth, their teeth can be buried to grow dragon rice, their blood can be used for enchantments, and if you mix their saliva with the right trees, you get dragon ambergris."
"Oh, and if she's an Eastern dragon type, she can manipulate local weather patterns—rain, wind, and all that. Could really speed up plant growth."
By the time Black Rabbit finished, her eyes were practically glowing.
"Isn't that going a little too far?!" Shirayuki-hime whimpered.
Leticia chimed in coolly, "In training, some injuries are to be expected."
Shirayuki went even paler—whiter than her name suggested.
(Shira means 'white,' and Yuki means 'snow.)
"Come to think of it…" Ryo tilted his head. "You didn't recognize me?"
Shirayuki blinked, then squinted at him—until realization hit her like a truck.
"Wait—you're that devil from this morning!!"
"Glad you remember."
Ryo grinned and turned to Black Rabbit. "So, what's the penalty for a subordinate god who insults their deity?"
"Flaying and bloodletting? No, no—too wasteful. We should find something more... reusable," she muttered.
Ryo looked back at the now-petrified Shirayuki-hime and patted her shoulder.
"Let's get along, alright—my adorable little subordinate deity."
"Y-Yes… sir…"
She nodded stiffly, thoroughly terrified.
The three of them—Ryo, Leticia, and Black Rabbit—smiled in perfect sync.
— — —
Evening.
After assigning Shirayuki a room and some tasks, Ryo and Leticia strolled down a quiet corridor together.
"I gotta say, Lady Leticia, I didn't expect you to be so good at scaring little kids."
"You can drop the honorific," Leticia replied with a faint smile.
"That girl's basically a child at heart. You scare her a bit, and she'll behave. That's just... experience."
Ryo chuckled. "If she hears you say that, she's gonna cry."
"Dragon tears happen to be a rare alchemical ingredient," Leticia added playfully.
They both laughed.
Then Leticia narrowed her eyes slightly. "You brought me here at this time for a reason, didn't you?"
Ryo hesitated for a moment, then turned to her seriously.
"I'd like to use the favor you promised me."
"Oh? What kind of favor?"
"I want your full support in challenging the Trial of Perseus—and claiming the sovereignty of Leticia Draculea!"
.
.
.
