"Cut the crap, Ragnar. I'm here to meet the patriarch. Call him."
The Sword God's irritation was evident as he stood rigidly before Ragnar.
"Not possible at the moment," Ragnar replied casually instead, as he stood before the Sword God,
"Father is in seclusion, and we have strict orders not to disturb him."
He gestured to the chair at the end of the table.
"Why don't you take a seat first? It will be a long discussion, and well, I'm in charge of all Volford affairs until he's back. Whatever you need, you can discuss with me."
"Tch!"
The Sword God clicked his tongue in frustration but reluctantly took the seat. As much as he hated him, Ragnar was his only option for now.
And he knew the fate of humanity rested on this discussion, he had to convince and stop this man sitting before him, especially infamous for his insanity to stop the war.
Sword god was frustrated, to why he had to take care of such a difficult task, even after living for so long and struggling all his life to reach the top.
Is there even retirement for him?
Well, focusing Sword god's gaze locked on that irritatingly smiling face of Ragnar.
"Let's get to the point." His voice was firm, "Ragnar, think this through. The human nation is at its weakest. Right now, we're heavily dependent on the Elven states for support. If you act recklessly, they'll withdraw their aid. And if war does break out, with the Mosaic Kingdom even the Empire will come at us"
Ragnar tilted his head, his grin widening mockingly. "The Empire won't join."
"That doesn't matter!" his brows Narrowing Sword God replied,
"In our current state, Mosaic is more than enough to annihilate us. You need to hold back for now. And when times come. I promise the council will support you."
What responded wasn't any argument but a loud chuckle, It was a laugh devoid of respect, one that made Sword God's jaw clenched and eyes cold.
Yet, he could only watch, in this palace of honour he was just as powerless as commoners.
"I can't believe it. The mighty Sword God… grovelling like this? How far you've fallen."
"You basta—"
"Listen." Ragnar's tone turned sharp as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.
"The Volfords aren't going to let this matter go, no matter what you say. But," he added with a sly grin,
"I have a better solution. One that will solve all your problems."
The Sword God frowned, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What?"
"Elves?" Ragnar scoffed, leaning back in his chair. "What are even they? Why are you so much sucking up to them? When Human nation's daddy is still there," His grin grew devilish,
"Sell the human nation to the Volfords. We'll protect it. No, we will restore it to its former glory and even take it to new heights."
"What nonsense are you spouting?" The Sword God's voice rose, his tone filled with disbelief. "Do you even hear yourself?"
"You know me, Sword God. I don't make claims I can't back." Ragnar's voice was calm but carried a chilling edge.
"And more than that, you can have trust in the honor of Volfords, you know what it means right?"
"This is madness," the Sword God retorted. "I can't gamble the lives of hundreds of thousands on such uncertainty. You're overestimating yourselves."
Ragnar's expression darkened, "Then we'll proceed with our plans regardless. It's my soft heart which wanted to take responsibility but you are far too cowardly and short-sight to grab such an opportunity,"
Sigh
After moments of contemplation, he exhaled sharply. "What do you mean by sell the human nation?"
"Hand over the seven council seats to the Volfords."
The Sword God's eyes widened. "The other families won't stay quiet about this."
"You don't need to worry about those fucking nobodies,"
❀❀❀
With a strong push using both hands, Claire broke free from his grip, which, to her surprise, wasn't as firm as she'd expected. Her sharp eyes locked onto him, her stance immediately shifting into a guarded posture.
But she waited silently, ready for Arthur's command.
Arthur's narrowed eyes bore into the man. His voice was calm yet remained, "Who hired you?"
For a moment, the man seemed taken aback by the audacity of the question, his frown deepening as he turned his gaze toward Arthur.
Who was he and why was he interfering?
"What do you want, crippled bastard? How are you related to this woman?"
Arthur's eyes widened briefly before realizing it, 'He doesn't know who I am? Maybe only Claire's involvement was reported.'
Arthur concluded as a fleeting smile appeared on his face, but he quickly replaced it with an act of fear. Trembling slightly, he stammered in a hesitant voice, "I-I don't know anything. I live in the slums, and she… she hired me a couple of days ago as her porter."
The man turned to Claire, his expression sceptical.
"Is that so?"
Catching onto Arthur's plan, Claire gave a simple nod, her face usual, remained emotionless.
The man sighed heavily and stepped closer to Claire again. "I'll make this quick then. I am hired by someone related to those you killed. They want me to bring you Crippled, of course. So they can have fun raping you."
His lips curled into a sick grin, his eyes scanning Claire for a reaction.
'This bitch, what is she thinking?'
But Claire's expression didn't waver even for a bit, her steely gaze remained keenly focused on him, on guard.
The man chuckled, almost amused by her calmness. "But personally? I think it'd be a waste to sacrifice talent like yours. So, here's an offer, more like a golden opportunity, really."
His grin widened, "Join my squad. With the guild's support, you and I, both could grow a lot stronger together. Who knows? Eventually, you might even be lucky enough to marry someone like me. Doesn't that sound like a great deal?"
Claire subtly glanced at Arthur for direction, though her face betrayed no emotion.
'He's alone, right? Maybe we can take him.'
Arthur weighed the odds quickly. Then, with a barely perceptible shake of his head, he signalled Claire to reject the offer.
"So, what's your answer?"
"Fuck you," Claire responded while aura manifested around her fist, quickly launching herself toward and aiming a devastating punch at his face before he could process the situation.
But contrary to what she expected, before she could close the distance, a swift, brutal kick landed in her stomach, sending her flying backwards into the wall.
With a loud Thud!
The man's cold grin remained fixed as he approached her. "I figured you wouldn't accept right away. That's fine. I'll just beat some sense into you first."
Just very than,
A loud, angered voice broke in drawing everyone's attention.
"What the hell is going on here?!"
Everyone turned toward the shopkeeper, who came back from the storage, his face red with frustration.
He had only stepped away to fetch the broadsword Claire had requested, and now in just another moment, his shop was in chaos.
"Get out of here before I call the cops!" the shopkeeper barked, his voice reverberating through the room.