Invitation
Invitation
If things had gone according to plan, I intended to capture Sahwi, extract information, and work with the Association to wipe out the Fiends' very seeds, but because of Linnea's foolish mistake after getting caught up in the moment, the path to finding information about the Fiends had vanished.
I did punish her with a full-power body slam for it, but that was obviously not enough. Just as I was pondering what kind of punishment would be appropriate, an unexpected call came from the Association.
"Nidhogg-nim, they say traces of Fiends have been discovered."
"What? Where?"
"Well... they say they're appearing simultaneously all over the world."
Less than a day after Sahwi died, the Fiends began to run rampant.
Baek Yeon, who was in contact with the Association, said that things appearing to be Fiends were running wild without any pattern in various cities across the globe.
The power of these indiscriminately rampaging Fiends easily surpassed most Awakened, and because of that, massive damage was reportedly occurring worldwide.
I wondered if they wanted us to step in and stop them, but that wasn't it; it was simply a report on the situation and a request for advice on how to deal with the Fiends.
Two weeks passed since the Fiends began their rampage.
The Fiend terror incidents, which had etched the name of 'Fiend' into the minds of people worldwide, had entered a lull.
They still popped up just when you were about to forget them, but it wasn't at the level of the global simultaneous terror from two weeks ago.
Having stabilized the situation, the world and the Association began a full-scale hunt for the Fiends.
Every nation that suffered massive damage from this incident was half-crazed with rage.
They brought in the corpses of dead Fiends to analyze every single cell and captured live ones to interrogate them brutally.
But they found out nothing.
This was because the Fiends never opened their mouths regardless of the torture, and after a certain amount of time, their bodies simply melted away.
I really should have captured Sahwi back then...
Of course, even if I had captured Sahwi, there was no guarantee he would have spilled information unlike the other Fiends, but still, wasn't there at least a possibility?
"Hwi-hwi~♪"
Seeing Linnea, the culprit who killed that Sahwi, whistling leisurely and scooping up ice cream right in front of me made my temper flare for no reason, so I smacked her on the back of the head.
Bbak!
"Kyaak?! A-ah, my ice cream!"
"Can you even swallow that ice cream right now?"
"Ugh—but it's the first vacation I've enjoyed in a long time..."
Looking at her as she stared at the fallen ice cream with the most pitiful expression possible, I could only sigh.
As punishment for killing Sahwi in the heat of the moment, I had tasked her with clearing various Gates for the past two weeks.
Originally, it would have been impossible for someone with an unclear identity like her to go around clearing Gates, but I solved that by using the Association's influence to create a new identity for her.
And as soon as the identity issue was resolved, I assigned Linnea to clear the Gates that Shin Su-ah—who knows a lot but only has one body—physically lacked the time to visit. She successfully cleared the Gates and swept up the elixirs and items sleeping within.
Clearing Gates for two weeks without rest was definitely overwork even for a Valkyrie, but whenever I thought about the moment she split Sahwi in half, any sympathy I felt quickly withered away.
"When's the next Gate raid?"
"It starts tomorrow at dawn."
"Suffer for just a few more weeks. Then I'll forgive you for what happened."
"Nuek."
She answered sluggishly, thinking about the path of hardship stretching out before her.
Something about it annoyed me, and I considered giving her another noggin-knock, but since she was going to suffer starting tomorrow anyway, I decided to let it slide.
And time passed, and it was the next day.
Linnea left early in the morning to clear a Gate, and Shin Su-ah and Baek Yeon went out to clear a different Gate than Linnea's, leaving me all alone at home.
Until the Fiend incident broke out, I had followed the two of them to Gates, but I stayed home this time for a few reasons: both of them had become strong enough to clear most Gates on their own after consuming the Giant's Essence, and if a Fiend who leads others like Sahwi appeared, I had to make sure to capture them this time.
In the house where everyone had left, I rolled around on the sofa, leisurely watching movies.
Being this relaxed brings back memories of the past.
The life I led back in Niflheim, rolling around and gnawing on roots before Yggdrasil ever went up in flames.
Compared to then, I've been out and about way too much lately.
A rest like this is necessary once in a while.
In my heart, I want to just lie face down and sleep for months or years like before, but the world won't leave me be.
Ding-dong!
I was rolling around and watching TV until the sun was high in the sky when the doorbell rang, announcing a visitor.
Since there was no one else home but me, I moved my sluggish body to the entrance and opened the door myself.
"Hello."
When the door opened, standing there was a suspicious person I'd never seen before.
I didn't know if he was wearing it as a fashion statement or to show his affiliation, but he was a middle-aged man in a pure white suit with his hair slicked back.
He bowed his head in greeting, then pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to me.
Truth's Eye
Seon Hye-seong
A simple business card with only the organization and his name written on it.
Truth's Eye, huh.
Despite the suspicious name, it was an organization I'd never heard of from Shin Su-ah.
Was it something she didn't know about, or was it another new variable?
The opponent didn't look strong enough to be wary of, but as I looked at him with a suspicious gaze, the man named Seon Hye-seong spoke to me with a faint smile.
"I am Seon Hye-seong, in charge of external affairs for Truth's Eye. Nidhogg-nim. I have come here to invite you to our organization."
"Inviting me, you say. For what purpose?"
"I only handle external affairs, so I do not know the detailed purpose."
Is he talking out of his mouth or his ass?
Who would follow someone who invites them without even explaining the purpose?
I looked at him in disbelief and released a bit of my power as if to apply pressure.
Though he was pressured by my power and cold sweat trickled down his forehead, he still maintained his faint smile.
"I-I am merely the mouth of those who wish to convey their words."
"Then, like a proper mouth, you should at least tell me what kind of organization Truth's Eye is."
"Truth's Eye is... a place where those who see fate reside."
"Fate?"
"Yes."
Fate, huh.
Come to think of it, there were similar types when I lived in that other world.
Urd, Verdandi, Skuld.
The three goddesses of fate known as the Norns.
They were beings I met long ago when I was curious about why Yggdrasil's roots grew incessantly and went looking for the reason.
They were the ones who managed Yggdrasil and sprinkled the water of life to replenish the roots I gnawed on.
To put it simply, they were the lunch ladies to me.
Thanks to them, I could eat as many Yggdrasil roots as I wanted without worry.
It was a long time after our first meeting that I learned they were goddesses who presided over fate, and when I asked about my own fate, they replied like this:
'Just what on earth did you do for your fate to be as tangled as a clumped-up ball of yarn?'
I had to return after hearing only that it was so tangled that the beginning and end were indistinguishable, making my past, present, and future all unclear.
Just as there were three goddesses presiding over fate in that world, it wouldn't be strange if there were beings who saw fate in this world.
But what I'm curious about is why such a being is looking for me.
Over there, they tried their best to stay away from me, saying that being near me would tangle their fate, yet here they are inviting me.
It's too suspicious.
"I have no intention of going, so tell them that."
"Yes, I understand..."
I gave the order to leave to Seon Hye-seong, whose face had turned pale and looked years older after being exposed to my power for just a short moment, and he nodded and left obediently.
I thought beings related to fate would have a habit of obsessing over it and would try their best to invite me somehow, so this is unexpected.
Leaving the unexpected encounter behind, I returned to the sofa, tore into some beef jerky I'd brought from the kitchen, and spent the day leisurely watching TV.
A few days flew by, and the weekend arrived.
Despite waiting without entering any Gates just in case, no Fiends capable of conversation had appeared, making my wait feel pointless.
No, it's safe to say that hardly any Fiends appeared in South Korea in the first place.
I didn't know if it was because we'd dealt with all the Fiends in South Korea back then or if they were wary of Linnea, but since no Fiends appeared, there was no damage from them, and people were actually happy, calling South Korea a 'Fiend-free country.'
Regardless, if no Fiends appeared by the end of the weekend, I planned to go back to clearing Gates myself.
Today, the only member at home besides me was Shin Su-ah.
Shin Su-ah, who had been diligently clearing Gates for several days and bringing back all sorts of things, had given herself a vacation, and Baek Yeon had gone out, saying she had business at the Association.
What about Linnea?
She's still doing the Gate rounds.
Still, there are only about ten days left, so I wanted to tell her to hang in there.
"What's for lunch today?"
"Shall I make some spicy stir-fried pork?"
"Spicy stir-fried pork sounds good."
Perhaps because she had returned from a future that was nearing destruction, Shin Su-ah loved eating delicious food, and her cooking skills had improved by leaps and bounds accordingly, making her as good as any professional chef.
I smacked my lips, thinking about the spicy stir-fried pork she would make.
Ding-dong—
"Huh?"
"Is someone here?"
Since Baek Yeon and Linnea knew the door lock's passcode, they wouldn't ring the bell, so it must be a visitor.
Shin Su-ah, who was heading to the kitchen, turned around, went to the entrance, and opened the door.
And there.
"Hello. I have come to see Nidhogg-nim."
A woman with her eyes covered by a white cloth was standing there.