In the middle of the crowd—outside the bar, a beautiful elf girl delivered some beers and food ordered by Yagami. With her silver hair and sparkling green eyes, she captivated the patrons. She wore a traditional black-and-white maid bar outfit.
"Apologies for the wait, Sir."
The beauty set the plates down and left with a sweet smile. Yagami simply waved his hand in response, trying to maintain his humanity.
The old man—Tatsuya, removed the hood of his cloak, revealing his disheveled, white hair. He began speaking about the next plan, "…So, what's next?"
"Don't be in such a rush, Tatsuya. Besides, the people here are preoccupied with forced military recruitment. We still have time to change their scenario. —So, I wanted to ask about the sword you carry… I suspect it's no ordinary weapon?"
The old man showed little emotion upon hearing this, though his hands trembled slightly as he hugged the large sword wrapped in worn bandages. "Yes, yes, I understand. —About this sword… It's a weapon from the gods, granted to me to bring peace to the world by defeating the 'Demon King.' —Well… At one time, I thought I was the chosen one, destined to eradicate evil. —But now, I understand. Humans and demons are no different. I don't know which one to destroy."
Yagami reached for the old man's sword, unwrapping the bandage on the hilt as he smirked slyly. "Ah~ It seems I was right. Do you know? The ancient writing on this hilt?"
"No, I… don't understand it. I've only been using it."
Showing little reaction, after realizing the old man knew nothing, Yagami might have been laughing inwardly. "…From that writing—It states that your sword is a fragment of the Ragnarok weapons scattered into various forms. That means, if you collect all the Ragnarok fragments, your strength will grow. Whether it's physical? Power? You can gain it all. —Do you understand what I'm saying, Tatsuya?"
The man seemed momentarily nervous, his expression bewildered, but he tried to remain composed. "—Ah, yes, I-I understand. So I must become 'a part' of you? And gain all that?"
"EXACTLY-! …You already know my true identity, right? I can help you obtain it all easily. So, you're not just cooperating with me—you'll become 'one of us.' —If you agree, I'll place you in my kingdom as a distinguished figure among existing beings."
Hearing that, the old man suddenly laughed as if feeling acknowledged and called upon again. "Ha-ha-ha, alright, maybe that's not so bad. After so long feeling discarded, to now be recognized—I am truly grateful to you if that's your offer. However… I want one final battle as a 'human' by fighting Reinhard, who still defends Solandis. Perhaps that's the only way to atone for my sins to Reinhard."
Yagami, sipping his beer and hearing those words, felt satisfied with the outcome. "Yup, don't worry. I'll make it all happen. For now, I need your strength to fight them—The Wild Organization."
"The Wild Organization, huh? It's quite difficult to uncover their identity. One thing I know about them—they are reincarnated heroes who feel as discarded as I do. …But before that, why do you want to get involved in this conflict?"
Yagami, unable to control his anger, unconsciously bent the fork he was holding. "Get involved, you say? Do you know why I came here? —I've been framed by that Wild Organization to destroy Solandis, with rumors claiming the reincarnated heroes would attack my territory. —If that's true, it has to be connected to the reincarnated ones. But I doubt that's entirely accurate; there must be interference from someone familiar with me. I highly doubt reincarnates like you could threaten my territory, as far as I know. You're not that strong compared to me."
Seeing the situation, the old man began to feel pressured, but he still wanted to be involved to atone for his sins. "…I understand. So what do you need me to do for you?"
"For now, I want to give you a task: kidnap some of Solandis's key figures, whether high-class mages or others, so we can dig deeper into their information. —Don't worry, I'll assign Aria to be your escort on this mission."
"What—are you insane?? That place is heavily guarded… And some of them possess extraordinary powers. Besides, my body has been ravaged by age—I'm not as agile as I once was."
"Shh… Don't worry about that. Haven't you met Aria? The girl who came with me here yesterday. She's the strongest demon general in Ryzon Alte, my territory. Even though she looks like a cute girl? That's just her human form—her true form is far more than that."
"…I understand. So, what's the plan?"
"Good… Tomorrow morning, come to my inn before sunrise. I have a rather effective plan. You and Aria will play in the shadows while I enter Solandis through the open gates, disguised as a noble. I will guide you subtly. I hope you understand."
"…Understood. I'll arrive on time for you. Thank you for acknowledging my existence."
As the old man felt this was his turning point, suddenly the place filled with soldiers and reincarnated adventurers, either returning from their duties or carrying loot.
"Pha-ha-ha-ha, don't exaggerate. This is just the beginning… For now, I think everything is clear enough. —I'll take my leave. Don't forget the plan we've made."
"…"
After saying that, Yagami left Tatsuya, who ate to regain his strength, perhaps in preparation for the mission ahead. When Yagami left, the bar was filled with people drained, both physically and mentally. Among the many adventurers who felt revived, only Tatsuya burned with newfound ambition.
Finishing his meal, Tatsuya unwrapped the worn bandages of his sword and gazed at it with enthusiasm. Slowly, tears began to fall as if marking a farewell ceremony for his human side.
Outside the bar, Yagami walked with meaningful steps. The sound of the wind whistled and swirled aimlessly.
The cold snow began to fall little by little, with not a single soul visible in the yards of their homes. There was only the silence of the night in the middle of the winter season.
In his mind, there was only one goal: to destroy everything without leaving a trace. By doing so, Yagami would expand his territory through the suffering endured by the local population.
Upon arriving at the inn, Yagami was warmly greeted by Aria, who could no longer suppress her need for nourishment—specifically, through s*x. Before fulfilling Aria's desire, he gave her instructions about the mission he had planned, ordering her to act as Tatsuya's subordinate and not to defy his orders, ensuring that the mission would be executed smoothly.
It should be noted that Aria was not a demon easily controlled like Yagami had managed to do. She was far more aggressive than the floor guardians of Ryzon Alte and the most insatiable when it came to suffering. She was the opposite of Yagami's composed demeanor.
Yagami unsealed Aria's power, which he had previously restrained to prevent any catastrophic actions. But this time, he chose to release it, as if he had just unleashed his predatory pet.
After releasing the seal, Yagami summoned his undead crow—Eyevorax. It was sent to fly to Solandis to map out the current situation there, allowing him to move freely as a noble the following morning.
Not only that, but Yagami also prepared an all-black cloak resembling the Wild Organization that was causing chaos in Solandis. This way, if Aria and Tatsuya carried out brutal actions in Solandis, it wouldn't reflect poorly on Yagami. Yes, it was like framing the Wild Organization.
Aria couldn't refuse because she herself relied heavily on Yagami for nourishment and was utterly dependent on him.
Tatsuya also couldn't defy him and had no choice but to follow Yagami's method of operating from the shadows. This ensured that both Yagami and Tatsuya would benefit from their cooperation—or, more accurately, Yagami would benefit the most. 'Although Yagami actually knew little about Reinhard, Tatsuya's rival—whether he was strong or just another old man like Tatsuya—it didn't matter. That issue had been fully handed over to Tatsuya to deal with Reinhard.'
Yagami's mission for Tatsuya wasn't merely a task—it was also a test of Tatsuya's quality as a chosen one who wielded a fragment of Ragnarok. Moreover, in Ryzon Alte, no human race had ever served under Yagami, making it feel as though Yagami had just acquired a new product of questionable quality.
After setting up his scenario and preparing items like clothing, Yagami now focused on fulfilling Aria's needs to ensure her performance the next day would not disappoint him as her provider.