Planet Talandra
After raking in a huge windfall from the Steller Empire, Orsaga felt his journey to another world had reached a perfect conclusion. With that, he settled down on Planet Talandra and began living a leisurely retirement life.
By now, more than a year had passed.
With power and influence at his fingertips, retirement life was quite comfortable. He basically had everything he could possibly want—life was endlessly enjoyable.
---
It was another beautiful, sunny day.
Ever since the self-appointed justice-loving Number One Pretty Boy beat Raiyaglen to death, the proliferation rate of evil entities on this planet had plummeted, and their undead traits had significantly diminished.
As a result, public order across various regions rapidly improved, and all relevant indicators steadily approached normalcy.
For a time, life for all of human society became noticeably better.
One had to admit, to accomplish something like this, Orsaga was indeed a kind-hearted abyssal demon who had contributed greatly to society.
A true example of doing good deeds without leaving a name—he had successfully played the role of a low-profile savior.
If you disregarded all the bad things he had done, all the bad things he was going to do, and all the bad things he wanted to do, then he was practically a saint of remarkably high purity!
---
"Waaa~~"
Cries echoed repeatedly through a lavishly decorated villa.
The source of the sound? A puppet doll made from countless fragments of human skin, stitched together.
At this moment, its grotesque face was streaked with thick black tears—tears that spoke of humiliation and despair.
Clearly, life had taught it a bitter lesson.
Just a few days ago, it had still been a carefree evil spirit, happily murdering a few people every now and then to unwind. Life was good.
Then it ran into Orsaga, who just happened to be out gathering ingredients.
As the saying goes: "Don't miss out when fate brings you together." And Orsaga was never one to pass up a good opportunity.
Thus, tragedy struck.
In Orsaga's hands, there were only two possible fates—death, or a fate worse than death.
As its cries grew louder and more sorrowful, Orsaga nodded in satisfaction and said contentedly,
"Cry! Keep crying for me! I just love this feeling of bullying the weak!"
The doll wept even harder.
Part of it was genuine grief, but part of it was also the bitter resignation of knowing that, under someone else's roof, even ghosts had to bow their heads. Life was just that cruel.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the room was oddly… peaceful.
---
Knock knock!
Two light knocks on the door were followed by a voice from outside:
"Sir, Miss Kayla and Miss Iris from Luminous Corporation are here to see you again."
Orsaga replied nonchalantly,
"Let them in~"
A few minutes later, led by the butler, Iris and Kayla pushed open the door and entered.
Compared to a few years ago, their appearances hadn't changed much—likely due to their cultivation of supernatural powers—but their clothing, bearing, and aura had shifted significantly. They now carried themselves with a calm, mature elegance befitting high-ranking executives.
Clearly, as top-level leaders of a major multinational corporation, they were no longer the naive girls they once were.
Not that it made much difference to Orsaga.
The lives of short-lived species passed too quickly compared to long-lived ones. Their so-called wealth and power could expire in the time it took an immortal to nap. At best, they were useful for experience and training.
So while Orsaga enjoyed the conveniences they brought, he never took them too seriously.
After all, those things were just accessories to real power.
---
As for Iris and Kayla themselves, Orsaga didn't have particularly strong feelings. At most, he was mildly fond of them.
In such matters, he was always straightforward, never bothering with pretense.
He treated Iris and Kayla this way—and the same went for Golarial and the others.
As the two women entered, the first thing their eyes landed on was the puppet made of human skin, still hanging from the ceiling.
Staring at its half-dead condition, Iris fell silent for a moment before speaking up:
"...Your twisted tastes are as baffling as ever."
Kayla nodded in firm agreement.
From their perspective, Orsaga's bizarre hobbies were beyond comprehension.
Only the human butler remained utterly confused.
To him, the skin puppet overhead was no different from air—it couldn't be perceived with the naked eye. He had no idea what the three of them were even talking about.
Faced with their obvious disapproval, Orsaga casually waved a hand and chuckled,
"It's just a personal hobby. I don't think it should bother you too much."
Ever since the three of them had run into each other again at a party half a year ago, Orsaga had to admit: no matter how big the world was, fate had a way of bringing people back together. So they began seeing each other more regularly—at least no longer depending solely on chance encounters.
It wasn't long before... well, certain "natural developments" occurred.
Not only was Orsaga perfectly calm about it, but even Iris and Kayla handled it with impressive composure.
Unlike Orsaga—who was thick-skinned and battle-hardened—they had reached a level of poise and refinement that came from being in high positions for a long time.
Even if they were panicking inside, they kept a calm expression.
Orsaga, however, was pretty sure they had panicked—especially since they avoided him for quite a while afterward~
---
Once the butler had left, Orsaga asked curiously,
"So? Have you thought over what I mentioned before?"
Yes, he had once again revealed his true identity to them—though he kept the exact details of his actions under wraps. After all, his glorious (and notorious) history was a bit too dazzling, and he didn't want to scare them off.
Orsaga had always been a low-key demon. He never flaunted anything.
Even with someone as close as Golarial, he never shared too much.
Especially his infamous 'Multi-World Plague Inc Plan', which he had kept tightly under wraps.
In his mind, that plan was his golden ticket to eventually becoming a Demon Lord, maybe even a Demon Prince.
Upon hearing his question, Iris and Kayla exchanged glances and both shook their heads.
"We're really curious about this Abyss you keep mentioning… but our parents, friends, and teachers all live in this world. Those bonds are something we simply can't abandon, so we have to decline your offer…"
Orsaga wasn't surprised.
Although feelings like familial love were foreign to him, memories from his past life allowed him to understand what they meant to humans.
"I understand. I won't push the matter."
He nodded and handed them two vials.
"These are potions I made using my blood, combined with materials from this world. They'll boost your physical capabilities, extend your lifespan, and allow you to communicate with me across dimensions."
"Think of them as parting gifts. I hope we meet again someday."
____
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