Loki Laughs Until Tears Flow
Loki wiped the corners of his eyes with his finger, tears welling up from laughing too hard.
“Ha. Haha… ha… Sorry about this. It was a joke. A joke!”
A joke…? That was the thought of everyone gathered in the courtyard.
Who would unleash assassins as a joke—and then subdue an assassin trying to kill a marquis?
Normally, such acts would warrant punishment for insulting nobility without issue, but no one could reproach Loki.
All those present had already been utterly overwhelmed by Loki's presence.
Even if he openly killed the marquis right before their eyes… how many could actually stop him?
“The meal ends here….”
Loki approached Hallum Marquis, who fell flat on his rear and scrambled backward. Loki leaned in close to the marquis's ear, whispering so softly that only he could hear.
‘Have you learned your lesson?’
“……!”
‘Remember what kind of being you’ve provoked, Marquis.’
Loki patted the marquis's plump cheeks with a smile curling his lips.
“Then, Hallum Marquis. Looking forward to our next meeting.”
“…….”
Loki left those words behind and strode toward the mansion. He turned to the Berserk Warrior who had subdued the assassin.
“Heal him with a potion and let him go.”
The Berserk Warrior eyed the assassin, who clutched his leg and wailed in agony, and asked dubiously.
“…Release this one?”
“I promised to let him go with his limbs intact, so I must keep my word.”
…Could this even be called keeping a promise?
The Berserk Warrior glanced at the assassin.
“Kuhuk…!”
‘His eyes have rolled back.’
Even if a potion restored his body perfectly, his mind was surely shattered.
‘Well, it’s amusing, so who cares.’
The Berserk Warrior smirked and nodded. It was the command of Asgard's ruler. Whatever it was, they would obey.
“Fi… finally arrived—!!”
On a hill not far from Roden Territory, a knight in plate mail spread his arms wide and shouted.
His face was caked in dirt, but he looked utterly beaming. He seemed thrilled to have reached the territory at last.
“Fi, finally… arrived…!”
The boy in a conical hat and cloak barely supported himself with his staff, his hands trembling.
Dark circles ringed his eyes, and exhaustion made him stagger repeatedly on the verge of collapse.
“…Yes, we’ve finally arrived. But… do we even have the face to see His Highness the prince….”
The old knight in plate armor pressed his temples hard, his shoulders shaking. Tears streamed between his fingers, a testament to their ordeal.
They were Rapilta, Alber, and Pol—once the kingdom’s knights and mages. After an interminable journey, they had barely made it here.
But they had found no trace of their original goal: the “legendary potion.”
“You old geezer, don’t ruin the mood! What legendary potion crap! If we die, it’s all for nothing!”
At Rapilta’s words, Alber drew his sword and swung at him. Startled, Rapilta dodged and bellowed.
“You senile old fool…!”
“Sorry about that. Must be dementia—these days my body moves on its own.”
“That’s definitely on purpose! Right, Pol? Right?!”
“…I just want to rest. Let’s head back quick. We need to pay respects to His Highness too.”
Pol shook his head as he spoke, and Rapilta and Alber ceased their bickering to nod in agreement.
They were exhausted too. All they craved was a hot meal, a warm bath, and sleep as soon as possible.
“Then let’s hurry!”
Rapilta dashed off. Alber and Pol trailed behind, stumbling wearily.
Unaware of the chaos unfolding in Roden Territory, they brimmed with hope for some rest.
The room assigned to Loki was a luxurious suite befitting an honored guest.
The Berserk Warriors waited in their own quarters.
Loki, Aum, Kankun, Kudan, and Salat—the key figures—gathered in one room.
Salat lay on the bed, hand pressed to her forehead, still queasy.
Kankun gently stroked her hair.
Kudan peeked outside from the balcony, face half-hidden by the curtains.
Aum sat on the sofa, popping a cookie into his mouth as he eyed Loki across from him.
“How was my cooking?”
Loki lifted the teacup from the table.
“The spicy flavor was a welcome change after so long. The cheese especially hit the spot.”
Cheese tteokbokki. One of Loki’s particular favorites.
“I’m grateful for your high praise.”
“Thanks to you, we ate in fine spirits.”
“Glad to hear it.”
The two Berserk Warriors standing guard outside nearly burst into laughter at the exchange.
‘As expected of the Constellation!’
‘Those fools trembling was quite the sight.’
The disdainful gazes that once looked down on them were now stained with terror after Loki’s meal.
‘Sticking with the Constellation means endless fun, huh?’
Incidents never ceased. The boredom of the frozen wastes might be bearable with him around.
That thought filled the Berserk Warriors with anticipation for what lay ahead.
“What’s your plan now? Punishing them won’t be easy.”
Loki paused mid-sip.
“Punish? What do you mean?”
“…Weren’t you going to eliminate them?”
“Me?”
Loki smirked wryly and shook his head.
“No, I don’t bother with tedious nonsense like that.”
“……?”
Wasn’t the whole point of entering this territory to crush them?
Loki set down his teacup and lounged back on the sofa.
“The root of this mess is Hallum Marquis, isn’t it?”
“…Yes.”
“What I want is to seize Ash Ronia and leverage him for ties with western Ronia and the Holy Church. Catching just the marquis solves nothing. And throwing troops at them rashly for a wipeout? Innocents die, and the continent heaps criticism on us.”
…He stirred all this up and now he’s thinking of that?
‘Must be a joke.’
Aum knew well that Loki wasn’t the type to care.
‘He’s probably just come up with some amusing prank….’
“So here’s the thing….”
“……?”
“You need to fetch the marquis for me. As politely as possible.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Diplomacy, of course. Diplomacy.”
Aum caught the playful lilt in Loki’s tone. Truly an unfathomable god—capricious, prankish, and cruel.
“Loki!”
At that moment, Kankun shot up her hand and called to him, pointing toward the balcony.
More precisely, at the assassins skewered on spits outside.
“Can we release those guys now? They’re looking kinda messy….”
“Hm… Do whatever.”
“Thanks! Be right back….”
Kankun gave Salat’s hair one last pat and dashed out the door.
Kudan smiled at the sight.
“She says that, but she’ll probably bury them.”
“Yeah, figures.”
Loki knew it too. No—everyone in the room knew her well.
“She’s a kind soul, isn’t she?”
At Kudan’s words, Loki rose from his seat.
“Then I’ll step out for a bit too.”
“Where to?”
“…Sightseeing the city. Gotta help the kid. He’ll waste time playing hero again if injustice pops up.”
As Loki left the room, Aum remarked.
“The Constellation sure has a soft spot for people.”
“You’re telling me.”
Kudan agreed.
“Then….”
Aum stood as well, his face twisting into a viper’s sneer.
“Let’s go catch that fat frog of a marquis.”
In the command room favored by eastern Ronia’s central nobility, a meeting raged on.
Hallum Marquis sat at the command table, utterly dazed.
“What do we do now?!”
“Who the hell sent those assassins?!”
“We’re already desperate thanks to western Ronia, and now more enemies…!”
The room swirled only with sidelong glances of resentment and blame. No one had the guts to speak up directly or bear the consequences.
So they vented like this.
“Damn it all…!”
“Those bastards…!”
“Why…!”
The marquis’s cheek twitched at the nobles’ clamor.
Ash Ronia clutched his forehead, pretending ignorance and averting his eyes. He even whined childishlike, “I told you. It’s not my fault!”
Hallum Marquis’s face twisted savagely at the words.
He slammed his meaty fist on the table.
“Enough—!”
His shout silenced the nobles in the room.
“I get it, so shut your yapping mouths already!”
They flinched, glanced warily at the marquis, and cleared their throats awkwardly.
They already knew full well who had orchestrated this. No hard evidence, but certainty.
“Fine, let’s drop it. But….”
A count among them eyed Hallum Marquis with a sly grin.
“Did you order this, Hallum Marquis?”
“…….”
“If so… you’ll have to take responsibility. Can’t just let it slide—”
“Should I slice that mouth off right in front of me first? Or take the blame myself—which is quicker?”
The count fell silent. He’d opened his mouth to seize control in this moment, but it was far too hasty.
“Ahem!”
The marquis’s face, usually mild and smiling, now contorted like a raging orc.
His hidden temperament was far too dangerous to underestimate. His obsession with power bordered on madness, so the count wisely backed off.
“Y-your words are too harsh. We just want to know who’s behind this.”
“Right, exactly. Ah! Or why not crush them for real this time? With the territory’s troops, even those Nords might fall!”
“You call that an idea?”
Hallum Marquis glared at the nobles.
Underworld figures underwent hellish training from childhood. Forged in brutal cold regimens, their prowess rivaled well-drilled knights.
Yet they’d been overwhelmed without a fight… and now suggesting soldiers against barbarians?
If it backfired, stoking only revenge? Everyone in this room would be skewered next.
“Out of the question. No rash moves!”
As the nobles sighed at the marquis’s furious tone—
“Indeed, we shouldn’t have acted rashly. Marquis.”
Hallum Marquis whipped his gaze toward the voice. Ash, hand on forehead, now glared right at him.
“P-prince?”
The marquis broke into cold sweat. He’d just escaped the nobles’ grilling, only for Ash to corner him now.
“I clearly said to handle it diplomatically. And you pull this….”
“T-that was….”
“If this blows up, you take responsibility….”
Ash fixed him with a piercing stare.
“And prepare to lose your head.”