— — — — — —
The corner of Ryo's mouth twitched.
If he didn't already know the truth, he'd probably suspect the two people in front of him were putting on a performance, trying to convince him that Rossweisse and Odin had some kind of bizarre reverse master-servant relationship.
But the reality was that Rossweisse genuinely didn't get along very well with Odin.
Their relationship was closer to that of a grandfather and granddaughter. That was why she spoke to him with little restraint, regularly irritated him, and never missed a chance to complain about Norse employee benefits.
Come to think of it, Rossweisse had been born into a Valkyrie family. She was a demigod whose destiny had been decided from birth: become a Valkyrie.
Her grandmother had been a traditional, old-generation Valkyrie. As for her grandfather, his identity was unknown.
Yet according to Loki, Odin, who had once dreamed of surpassing Zeus, was suspected to be connected to the matter. However, whenever anyone asked him about it, he would merely offer a knowing smile and say nothing more.
In a sense, Rossweisse was divine nobility. Third-generation godhood. The daughter of a demigod. She had every reason to be spoiled.
So her annoyance with Odin was real. Her respect for him was also real.
It was similar to how no woman in Greece particularly liked Zeus, yet everyone understood that they couldn't simply do without a powerful king of gods.
As for her complaints about Norse benefits? Those were completely sincere.
The Norse pantheon was famous for being one of the most restrictive organizations in the world when it came to its own members.
Most of its resources were funneled straight into military development.
Odin and Loki had been locked in an arms race for years. At the same time, Norse relations with neighboring powers such as Greece, the three factions, and the Celts were hardly friendly, creating even more pressure to expand military strength.
The Greeks and Celts weren't much different. The only exception was the three factions.
Creator God had left behind such an enormous foundation that even while participating in the same military race, other pantheons couldn't hope to catch up even after thousands of years.
As a result, the Norse faction had never exactly been wealthy. Complaints about treatment and salaries were inevitable.
From Loki's memories, Ryo had seen countless examples of dissatisfaction among Norse members. Unfortunately, because of Norse laws and the tangled web of family relationships within the pantheon, very few people could actually leave.
When an entire divine system consisted of relatives and every position was occupied by someone connected to you, escaping your birthplace wasn't easy.
That said, Odin's performance just now had felt a little too deliberate.
Was he trying to make Ryo suspect Rossweisse might be a spy, so he could eventually ask for this talented subordinate back?
If so, he was out of luck.
Anything that ended up in Ryo's hands stayed there.
"I'm calculating her benefits according to my standards," Ryo said casually. "It's only one extra person."
The moment those words left his mouth, Rossweisse's eyes lit up.
Without the slightest hesitation, she stood up and immediately moved behind Ryo, making her position crystal clear.
After all, Odin was the one who had assigned her here. Switching employers felt completely justified.
The sight nearly made Odin blow a gasket.
His beard trembled and his eyes widened with fury, but there was nothing he could do.
He had already given up Mimir's Well. If Rossweisse wanted to jump ship too, then so be it. At least it would help strengthen relations between the two sides.
"Besides the previous conditions," Ryo said expressionlessly, "I also want the dwarves' forging techniques."
"Hm..."
Odin hesitated before replying. "I can arrange for some gray dwarves to assist you, but if you're asking them to hand over their craftsmanship directly..."
"What would I want dwarves themselves for?" Ryo asked with a strange look.
Beside him, Rossweisse immediately chimed in. "Dwarves are useless. They're greedy, dishonest, and turn into animals the moment they see a pretty woman. If you want them to forge weapons, you either pay them money or give them women. And if you're a woman yourself, they'll ask you to spend the night with them as payment. They're absolutely awful. I honestly don't know how such a garbage race came into existence."
Ryo glanced at her, then shrugged at Odin.
See? Professional opinion. No dwarves needed.
"Just the techniques. Keep the people."
"...Fine."
Odin nodded helplessly.
To be honest, he'd happily dump every dwarf on Ryo if he could. Those disgusting creatures spent all their time trying to harass Norse goddesses.
If they weren't still useful, Odin would have dealt with them himself long ago.
The two continued negotiating for another half hour. Eventually both sides felt satisfied enough with the arrangement and formally concluded the discussion.
...
"Finished already?"
Lavinia puffed out her cheeks slightly.
Of the four servings of kaiseki cuisine on the table, perhaps half of one had gone into Ryo's stomach.
The other three and a half had disappeared into hers.
"We've settled most of it." Ryo looked up before turning toward Rossweisse, who remained in the restaurant. "Starting now, you'll be integrated into my security detail."
"Yes, sir!"
Rossweisse bowed respectfully before taking her place behind him, standing perfectly straight as she immediately embraced her new role.
"It still feels like Mr. Odin paid surprisingly little," Lavinia muttered while wiping her mouth with a napkin.
Ryo answered calmly. "Because he's planning to cooperate with Loki."
Rossweisse looked startled for a moment before quickly understanding. "That does sound like the old man."
Was it strange for Odin and Loki to work together? Not really. They were sworn brothers, after all.
According to their ancient oath, if Odin died, Loki would die as well. The reverse was also true.
That was why, despite all the chaos Loki constantly caused in Norse territory, he'd never truly tried to kill Odin.
In fact, that had been Indra's objective all along.
The reason he leaked information to Loki in the first place was to force Odin into lowering his head and reconciling with him.
Imagine watching the brother you'd once fought to the death finally swallow his pride and yield. And the resources you'd used to join the Three Factions had essentially been obtained from Indra for free.
If Ryo had really been Loki, it would have felt incredibly satisfying. In a certain sense, Indra truly was an excellent ally. The man had practically paid out of his own pocket just to give an ally a chance to show off.
That kind of dedication was hard to find.
Ryo shook his head and said to Lavinia, "Tell Azazel to get ready. Odin should be looking for him soon."
Naturally, Ryo wasn't bored enough to continue pretending to be Loki and scam Odin a second time. He had already handed the role over to Azazel and left him to follow the script.
Ryo had more important matters to deal with.
Specifically, the "Gods' Fall" Experiment.
...
..
At that moment, inside the restaurant, streams of magical power began gathering beside Ryo's seat.
A teleportation circle appeared on the floor, centered around the Lucifuge family crest.
Not long afterward, a figure emerged from the magic formation.
It was Grayfia.
Dressed in her maid uniform, she stepped out of the circle and bowed respectfully toward Ryo.
"Your Majesty, Lady Lilith requests your presence."
"Algol..." A rare smile spread across Ryo's face. "I've been waiting a long time for you."
.
.
.