Busan (3)
Busan (3)
Although many things happened along the way, I was finally able to explain to Baek Yeon the reason we had come this far.
I conveyed my plan to visit Asgard with Haeryeong to check on Apophis's corpse and that I might be late, and Baek Yeon said.
"If Nidhogg-nim is with you, there should be no problem. Please come back safely. I will be here tortu—ahem. Interrogating this man."
"You just said torturing."
"No, I didn't."
Since a moment ago, she's been exuding an inexplicable pressure, making me feel like I should stop her.
What happens to that man is none of my business anyway, so I made an effort to ignore it, gathered Haeryeong, and headed outside.
I placed Haeryeong on my back and soared into the cloudless sky, flying towards Asgard.
Since I was carrying Haeryeong and there was no need to rush, I flew leisurely towards Asgard.
Along the way, I saw what appeared to be the frontlines under restoration, and also saw Awakened individuals who were startled by my appearance.
Haeryeong seemed endlessly amused by the wind brushing past her face and the buildings and people that looked as small as toys.
I wonder how long we flew.
The distance wasn't that far, so soon the floating island, Asgard, came into view.
From a distance, I could see a Valkyrie spotting me flying leisurely towards them and hurriedly returning inside Asgard.
Upon arriving at Asgard, Valkyries lined up on both sides as if for a military inspection, welcoming us.
And walking out from among the Valkyries was a woman... no, a god.
"Freyja."
"Welcome. I welcome you to Asgard."
"Where's Odin?"
"She's inside, waiting for you. But... who is the child on your back?"
"Ah, you must be seeing her for the first time. This is Haeryeong, a child I'm raising."
"You had a child too?"
"No. I'm just raising her. She's not my child."
"Ah. Well, I welcome her too. I'll guide you to where Odin is, so please follow me."
Responsibilities without pleasure are unfair enough, and now you're trying to make me someone's dad?
Once I finished my explanation, Freyja reacted as if she had learned some good gossip, turned around, and took the lead, walking ahead.
Naturally, I landed, and Haeryeong, who immediately grabbed my tail, followed her along with me.
Whatever they've done, the environment, overflowing with Magic Power to the point of excess compared to the surroundings, was quite to my liking.
Haeryeong must have felt it too, as her steps were lighter than usual.
If you're in a good mood, why not let go of the tail a bit? Why is your grip getting stronger?
Following Freyja, a palace larger and more splendid than the others ahead came into view.
That's probably the palace where Odin lives.
Placing unnecessary importance on outward appearances is the same whether it's the old Asgard or this Asgard.
The palace interior was even more extravagant than the exterior, if not less.
Passing through corridors adorned with various jewels and gold engraved with magic, we entered and arrived at an audience chamber.
Inside the audience chamber, a magic circle filled with mysterious patterns floated in the air, and Odin sat on a throne at its center.
Odin, sitting on the throne with her legs crossed, still unable to let go of her vanity despite being so utterly defeated last time.
Unpleasantly, I recalled that she was preparing to stab me in the back last time.
"Welcome. To my Asgard."
"Your gaze is high. Why don't you come down here?"
"Why should I?"
"Because it's an order."
"Kuhk!"
Odin's face twisted, feeling humiliated by the fact that she had to be forcibly brought down from her throne.
With a heavily scowling face, Odin descended from the throne and approached us.
On her behalf, I took Haeryeong up and seated her on the throne.
Of course, with my tail grabbed by her, I stood beside it.
"Y-you!"
"Why. What. Why."
"Do you even know what that throne is before seating someone on it?!"
"Do I need to know that kind of thing?!"
"Ah, a throne that grants the power of divine sight to oversee all nine worlds in a single glance?! What do you mean 'that kind of thing'?!"
"Oh. Really?"
I didn't know the throne, which only looked splendid, had such a function.
"Yeah! And an unqualified person sitting on it without permission could die!"
"You should have said that first!"
"You didn't give me a chance to speak!"
Come to think of it, Haeryeong has been unusually quiet since sitting on the throne.
If something happens to Haeryeong, I wouldn't have the face to see the Dragon King, who gave me his tree without hesitation, so I hurriedly turned to look at Haeryeong.
"Wowaa..."
"She's fine?"
"That's... she really is fine?"
Both Odin and I were at a loss for words.
Contrary to Odin's warning, Haeryeong, seated on the throne, was fine and was looking ahead in admiration.
Wait, no? It seems like she's not looking ahead, but at something else.
Looking now, her gaze isn't straight ahead but seems to be looking at somewhere further away...
Could it be that she's not just sitting on the throne but actually using its power?
Even when I took Odin's Gungnir, there was severe resistance and I had to forcefully suppress it, yet Haeryeong is using the throne's power naturally without any sign of rejection.
"Impossible... my Hlidskjalf..."
Odin must have noticed it too, as she muttered blankly.
Getting so despairing just because someone else used her stuff.
As expected, this guy's mentality is screwed up.
Anyway, Hlidskjalf? I called out to Haeryeong, who was still looking somewhere while sitting on it.
"Haeryeong. What do you see?"
"Everything. I can see everything."
"If you say it like that, it's hard to understand. Tell me in more detail."
"Umm... that... it's like when I was flying in the sky with Nidhogg Ajusshi. I can see everything."
"Ah. That kind of feeling."
Although a bit abstract, it's easier to understand than just saying 'everything'.
Probably the feeling of looking down from above at everything below, like when flying in the sky with me.
"Sua Unni and also Yeoni Un... Hyeek!"
"Huh? What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"Huh... As if a mere young dragon could use my Hlidskjalf as she pleases."
"What are you so happy about?"
Kwa-jik!
"Eugyaaaah!!"
While a problem arose for the kid, Odin was happy by herself, so I punished her by smashing her head down, and then slowly calmed Haeryeong, who seemed frightened by something.
"Did you see something scary? Or does something hurt? If you're not feeling well, should you get down from the throne first?"
"Sob... Ye, Yeoni Unni is..."
"Yeoni? What about Baek Yeon?! Did something happen over there?!"
"Yeoni Unni was in a dark room with a strange object, doing something to a human..."
Hearing her call Baek Yeon's name while crying suddenly, I worried if something had happened to Baek Yeon and asked, but the words from Haeryeong's mouth were completely different from my expectation.
The spy we captured and took along with the Information Department Chief before coming to Asgard.
It seems Haeryeong saw the scene of them torturing that man.
I was worried something had happened to Haeryeong, but fortunately(?) it was just a simple operational mistake, it seems.
I finally calmed her down as she shed tears watching what amounted to a snuff film, harmful to juveniles.
And realizing there are more things than I thought that shouldn't be seen, I had her get down from the throne.
Odin, who finally reclaimed her throne.
Looking at Odin smiling contentedly, I understand why her personality became so twisted.
Sitting on that thing and just peeping on others in her daily life, it's no wonder her personality turned out like that.
Or maybe not? Perhaps she was chosen by that thing precisely because she had such a personality from the start.
After calming Haeryeong down, we finally got to the main point.
"The Apophis corpse I entrusted. I came to retrieve it."
"If it's that, I collected it separately."
"You did that?"
"Because it's not something ordinary Valkyries can handle."
Odin pulled out from her bosom a pouch the size of a human head.
Did she collect Apophis's corpse in there?
Probably an item similar to the magic pouch I obtained.
I was right to dump it on Asgard.
"That corpse still contains a toxicity that can kill even gods. If an ordinary Valkyrie gets poisoned, it's only a matter of time before they die."
"Linnea was fine though."
"That's because it's still just a corpse, and it was only brief contact. If exposed for a long time, like collecting and moving the entire corpse, it wouldn't be strange if all ordinary Valkyries died. Only a god of my level can collect it without any problems."
"Is that so?"
"...Is that all?"
"What kind of reaction did you expect from me?"
"But I went through the trouble of gathering it in one place, at least a word of thanks..."
"Me? To you?"
Considering I already know you're planning to stab me in the back, you should be thankful I haven't killed you yet.
Of course, since she has no way of knowing that, I gave Odin a twisted smile, which made her angrily throw the pouch towards my head.
I effortlessly caught the pouch.
I opened the pouch and checked inside.
Perhaps because it's a magic pouch with expanded space, just opening the pouch wasn't enough to see inside.
So, I stuck my foot in and something presumed to be Apophis's corpse was caught inside.
Grabbing the corpse tightly and pulling it out, Apophis's appearance, damaged here and there by my breath, was revealed.
But... something feels off?
The size of the fully extracted corpse is enormous enough to fill the audience chamber.
However, looking closely, unlike the one I killed, parts of the torso are missing and gone.
Even considering the smashed head and the parts of the torso vaporized by my breath, something feels a bit lacking.
"Hey, Odin."
"W,what?"
"The corpse seems to have shrunk a bit, hasn't it?"
"I, I'm not sure?"
"Really? Then die..."
"S,sorry! I kept a little for later use as material!"
"Why would you take it without telling the owner?"
"B,but I collected the corpse for you and even made a pouch for easy carrying, didn't I? Don't I have at least a little share?"
Odin boldly claiming her share.
The missing amount doesn't even seem that much, and as she said, she went through the trouble, so I could let her have some, but...
"Stolen is stolen."
Kwaaaak!!
"Eugyaaaah!!"
This time, I grabbed Odin's small face and administered Iron Claw punishment.