Chapter 59 – When Villains Meet

My new recruit was perfect.

Leo sat across from me in my room at the inn.

The flickering candlelight cast shadows across his face.

He looked broken, desperate, ready to be molded.

This was it.

This was the moment my revenge arc finally began.

I leaned forward, my elbows on the rickety wooden table between us.

“Leo, I want to help you get revenge on your old party.”

His green eyes widened.

A flicker of something passed through them.

Surprise maybe, or calculation.

“You… you mean that?”

His voice was tentative.

Perfect.

He was taking the bait.

“Absolutely. People like that? They dont deserve to get away with what they did.”

I let my voice drop low, conspiratorial.

This was the speech I had practiced in my head a thousand times.

“They betrayed you. They left you for dead. That kind of cruelty needs consequences.”

Leo stared at me for a long moment.

His hands were clasped on the table.

They were trembling just slightly.

Was it anger or fear?

I couldnt tell, and it didnt matter.

All that mattered was that he believed I was on his side.

“Why would you do this for me? You barely know me.”

There it was.

The question I had been waiting for.

The chance to cement my role as his ally.

“Because I know what its like to be underestimated. To be cast aside.”

The lie flowed smoothly off my tongue.

I was getting good at this.

“And because revenge isnt something you should face alone. Youll need help. Strategy. Resources.”

I gestured vaguely, trying to look wise.

“Lucky for you, I have all of that.”

Leo leaned back in his chair.

His expression was unreadable in the dim light.

For a second, I thought I saw a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

But it was gone before I could be sure.

“What did you have in mind?”

Hook, line, and sinker.

My heart was doing victory laps in my chest.

I had him.

“First, we need information. We need to find out where your old party is. What theyre doing. What their weaknesses are.”

I ticked off each point on my fingers.

This was basic villain plotting 101.

“Then, we start small. Little things that make their lives difficult. Sabotage. Misdirection. We make them paranoid.”

Leos eyes lit up.

Actually lit up.

The kid was into this.

“And then?”

“And then, when theyre at their weakest, when they least expect it, we strike.”

I slammed my fist on the table for emphasis.

The sound was louder than I intended.

I froze, listening for footsteps from the hall.

Nothing.

Good.

Leo was nodding slowly, his fingers drumming on the table.

“This is… a lot. I dont know if I can do this.”

Oh no.

Was he backing out?

“You can. I believe in you.”

The words felt like ash in my mouth.

I sounded like Kenji.

Gross.

“Besides, you wont be alone. Ill be with you every step of the way.”

That seemed to do it.

His shoulders relaxed.

He looked at me with something that might have been gratitude.

“Okay. Lets do it.”

Yes.

Yes.

This was happening.

My revenge arc, by proxy, was officially underway.

“But theres one condition.”

I held up a finger.

“You cant tell the others about this. Not Kenji. Not Daisuke. And especially not Reina.”

Leos expression darkened at the mention of her name.

“She doesnt trust me.”

“She doesnt trust anyone who might hurt me. Its… complicated.”

I waved my hand dismissively.

“The point is, if they find out what were planning, theyll try to stop us. Theyll say its wrong, that we should forgive and move on.”

I made my voice drip with sarcasm.

“But we know better, dont we?”

“We do.”

Leo extended his hand across the table.

“Partners?”

I took it.

His grip was firm, almost uncomfortably so.

“Partners.”

We shook on it.

I felt like I was sealing a deal with destiny itself.

This was it.

The beginning of something dark, something edgy, something glorious.

My mind was already racing ahead, planning our next moves.

We would track down his old party.

We would make them suffer.

And in the process, I would finally become the anti-hero I was always meant to be.

A soft knock at the door nearly gave me a heart attack.

“Ryuuji? Are you still awake?”

It was Reina.

Of course it was Reina.

Leo and I looked at each other in panic.

“Uh, yeah. Just finishing up some… planning. For tomorrows quest.”

There was a pause.

“Can I come in?”

No no no no.

“Actually, Im pretty tired. Can we talk in the morning?”

Another pause, longer this time.

“Of course. Sleep well, Ryuuji.”

Her footsteps retreated down the hall.

I let out a breath I didnt know I was holding.

Leo looked pale.

“That was close.”

“Too close. We need to be more careful.”

I stood up, blowing out the candle.

“Get some rest. Tomorrow, we start planning in earnest.”

Leo nodded and headed for the door.

He paused with his hand on the handle.

“Thank you, Ryuuji. For believing in me.”

“Dont mention it.”

Literally, dont mention it to anyone.

He slipped out into the dark hallway.

I collapsed onto my bed, staring at the ceiling.

This was perfect.

Too perfect.

For the first time since arriving in this world, everything was going according to plan.

I had a villain to cultivate.

A revenge plot to orchestrate.

And a party that was completely oblivious.

I closed my eyes, a smile spreading across my face.

Tomorrow, my real story began.

【Loki PoV】

I closed the door to my room and leaned against it.

My mortal heart was still racing.

That had been… unexpected.

Ryuuji Sato was not what the files had described.

The celestial intelligence had painted him as a Pure Hero.

A beacon of goodness and self-sacrifice.

A boy who saw the best in everyone.

That boy did not exist.

Or if he did, he was buried under layers of something far more interesting.

Ryuuji had just offered to help me get revenge.

Not justice.

Not reconciliation.

Revenge.

He had used that exact word, multiple times, with an enthusiasm that bordered on manic.

His eyes had lit up when talking about sabotage and suffering.

He wanted to make people suffer.

This was not the behavior of a pure soul.

This was the behavior of someone deeply, fascinatingly broken.

I walked to the small window and looked out at the sleeping town.

The moon was full, casting silver light over the rooftops.

My mission had been simple.

Infiltrate the party.

Befriend the hero.

Plant seeds of doubt and corruption.

Watch Amaterasus perfect world crumble as her chosen champion fell from grace.

But Ryuuji was already halfway to fallen.

He didnt need corruption.

He needed a push.

A gentle nudge in the direction he was already heading.

I smiled.

This was going to be easier than I thought.

And infinitely more entertaining.

Amaterasu, you fool.

You chose a broken hero and called him pure.

Your own delusion was going to be your downfall.

I lay down on the thin mattress, my mind already working through the next steps.

I would play along with his revenge fantasy.

I would be his eager student, his willing accomplice.

And in the process, I would lead him further and further from the light.

Until the celestial council had no choice but to see the truth.

That Amaterasus judgment was flawed.

That her world was flawed.

That she deserved to be stripped of her promotion and cast down.

I closed my eyes, sleep coming easily for the first time since my banishment.

Tomorrow, the game began in earnest.