Night was falling in Asgard.
A lavish interior, decorated with gold everywhere.
In a place that could be called a work of art in itself, a woman was gazing out the window.
As the branches of Yggdrasil cast their shadows, the area grew even darker.
“…….”
Valaskjálf, the palace of the chief god, visible in the distance, still shone brilliantly, covered in gold and silver, even though its master had disappeared long ago.
The woman stared at the scene for a moment, then clicked her tongue in annoyance and gripped the wine glass she was holding.
“That bug-like little girl… does she have to bother me until the very end?”
The red eyes within her venomous gaze burned with irritation and anger.
Her plan to kill Elsie naturally in the gap when the head of the family and the heir were both away, and to disguise her death, had been thwarted.
Elsie, who should have died after swallowing Nidhogg’s poison.
To fabricate that death, it was necessary to dispose of her body.
Then, a call came from the main academy in Midgard.
‘Elsie has lost her memory.’
It was news that the little girl, who should have died, was alive and well, only having lost her memory.
“If it weren’t for that incompetent bitch…”
If only she, who received unilateral affection from the head of the family and the heir for being the daughter of his ex-wife, would just disappear cleanly, her own child would take that place.
And if, impossibly, her brother, the heir, were to disappear as well…
This prestigious family would fall into her hands.
It was a vain delusion.
But as the thought reached that point, the woman smiled eerily, as if pleased.
“It’s a bit twisted, but this will be the end of Elsie.”
That she didn’t die from the dragon’s poison was completely unexpected.
But since the order to dispose of her had been given, Elsie would certainly die this time.
“By the way, that guy who provided Nidhogg’s poison… he didn’t deceive me, did he?”
The woman, thinking of the man who had sold her the poison, tilted her head.
Since Elsie was still alive, she couldn’t help but suspect that the poison he had given her was faulty or fake.
A bespectacled man with jade eyes that handled crows.
He was a man who gave off an eerie aura.
The woman, who had to spend a huge amount of money to buy the poison, thought it was necessary to question him once and left her seat.
***
Elsie was in unbelievable shock.
She couldn’t accept this fact.
The red liquid rippling in the spoon.
She pushed it into her mouth once more.
“Heeeup-?!”
Spicy!
Was she this weak to spicy food?
That couldn’t be.
She wasn’t so weak to spicy food that she couldn’t even eat a spicy kimchi stew properly. At least, not in the past.
In her mind, she cried out that this was exactly the taste she had wanted, urging herself to eat more quickly.
But her body stubbornly refused this spiciness.
‘Elsie’s body isn’t used to this spicy taste…’
The truth was harsh. Elsie, her hand holding the spoon trembling, swallowed the saliva that had gathered in her mouth due to the lingering spiciness.
‘Spicy…’
How should she express this unfamiliar feeling?
It was hard to eat because it was spicy, but still, this taste. She missed it.
So she kept reaching for it.
Her body, surprised by the unfamiliar taste of kimchi stew that she only remembered in her head, emitted a burning heat.
Tears welled up from the stimulating taste.
“…Elsie. Don’t force yourself to eat if it’s hard.”
Seeing Elsie, with tears welling up, forcing down the kimchi stew, Doyun couldn’t help but stop her.
“Spi, spicy…”
“Some people don’t like spicy seasoned vegetable stew, so you don’t have to try so hard. Doyun will be satisfied just by you eating it like that.”
Thrud, who had swallowed Shetbullar with her rice, said to Elsie.
Doyun nodded once at her words.
In the end, Elsie, unable to hold out any longer, dropped a single tear and put down her spoon with a perfect motion, shouting at Thrud.
“It’s delicious! Thrud, you idiot! And it’s not spicy seasoned vegetables… it’s kimchi stew!”
“How does she even know that name…”
The past time, when she had clutched her hungry stomach, crammed down unfamiliar food from another world, and survived on preserved food, was extremely short.
But it was enough time to make Elsie recall her longing for her hometown.
So she was happy to be able to spend an evening like this.
It was a flaw that her taste buds couldn’t keep up…
“Ummm- the best!”
Elsie, who had somehow finished her meal, gently stroked her stomach with a blissful face.
Her mouth, unable to adapt to the spiciness, was numb, but even amidst that pain, it was a very satisfying meal.
Blue eyes, moistly soaked beneath long, sweeping eyelashes.
A hint of pitifulness felt beyond her blissful expression.
Doyun stared at Elsie’s face as if possessed.
“Han Doyun.”
“Uh, uh? Huh?!”
Doyun, who was about to drool with his mouth open, came to his senses at the sound of Thrud calling him.
Turning his head, he saw Thrud looking at him with fierce eyes.
“Should I give you just one Fist of the Heart? I really want to read the emotions engraved in your heart.”
“No, no. I, I’ll pass…”
“Hmm…”
Thrud, displeased, got up from her seat and glared at Han Doyun.
“What are you two doing? Are you going to have a post-meal duel like last time?”
Elsie was helplessly falling into the fullness that came from consuming a large amount of energy.
She wanted to enjoy the comfort of this rare moment.
“Instead of that, just relax and rest.”
Elsie’s languid voice and her blissful expression, as if she had forgotten all the worries and concerns of this world.
Seeing that figure, Thrud felt a warmth, as if she were looking at a cute creature, and perked up her ears.
As if possessed, Thrud approached Elsie and attempted an action that Doyun could never do.
Of course, it wasn’t that she was okay with it either, but it was an action she could do anyway.
Thrud lifted Elsie from her chair and hugged her from behind.
“Hick-”
The sensation of breasts pressing against the back of her head.
Elsie’s reaction, who had been immersed in the blissful afterglow of the taste of her hometown, was slower than usual.
Thrud, looking at Doyun with a triumphant expression, smirked and twisted one corner of her mouth.
Doyun, realizing her intention, could only tremble and lower his head.
Thus, the sun completely set, and just as everyone was about to fall into languor with silly jokes.
**_Kwaang!**!_**
The front door, which had been precarious but faithfully fulfilling its role, exploded.
It wasn’t a matter of whether there was a lock or not.
The shattered front door was embedded in the stairs leading to the second floor, turning into a cold corpse.
“Wak-!”
Thrud, startled by the sudden situation that she hadn’t sensed or foreseen, let out a short cry and turned to face the direction of the door.
Unconsciously, her arms tightened, squeezing Elsie.
“Cough-”
Elsie, hugged like a doll in Thrud’s arms, made a sound of air escaping from the tremendous pressure.
It was a chokehold of monstrous strength that instantly extinguished any thought of resistance.
“What is this…”
Doyun’s gaze turned to the place where the door had been.
A black outfit covering his entire body, a face mostly hidden by a mask.
All that could be seen were eerily gleaming gray eyes.
Elsie, in Thrud’s arms, identified the man who had appeared in an outfit that looked suspicious to anyone.
And she opened her mouth, thinking of the only possibility.
“A robber?!”
A pitch-black masked man. He looked like a robber no matter how you looked at it.
If you thought about it, it made sense that they had targeted a house in such a remote location.
“It’s a robber-!”
At Elsie’s shout, the masked man began to laugh unpleasantly.
“Heh heh, so you really lost your memory. If you had realized your situation even a little, you wouldn’t have said such a foolish thing.”
As soon as he finished speaking, an aura filled with clear hostility began to emanate from the man.
“Could it be…”
Elsie, pondering the man’s words, immediately realized that this situation was not as simple as a robbery.
‘Someone related to the family…?’
Elsie, recalling the family letter and Nidhogg’s poison, trembled slightly.
She felt her blood run cold.
“Who are you!”
Thrud, feeling Elsie’s trembling, shouted as she embraced her, and Doyun immediately took action.
“Balmung!”
Chwaarruk-!
Doyun, who had summoned Balmung, charged forward.
Doyun, who had rammed into the masked man with his shoulder and thrown himself outside, identified that there were two more people and created distance.
“Black-haired swordsman… you don’t mean…”
The masked man who had been thrown outside. Hrókr widened his eyes.
The one who had annihilated the bandit group he had hired to attack Elsie.
He also knew information about the black-haired swordsman.
“To think you were an academy student! Good! My superior was very troubled because of you.”
“What are you talking about?”
The masked man, Hrókr, stroked his chin with a relaxed air.
And he distorted his expression unpleasantly as he looked at Doyun.
“I mean, my superior would be quite pleased if I took your head.”
“….”
Doyun tilted his head at the sight of him just spouting his own words.
In any case, these were thugs who seemed to be targeting Elsie.
In that case, he couldn’t let a single one escape.
“But before I chop off your head, I’ll show you a very good show.”
“A good show? Crazy talk-”
Ignoring Doyun’s words, Hrókr grinned hideously, a grin that was visible even beneath his mask.
“Seeing the girls of that family die in disgrace will be quite a sight to behold!”
Hrókr’s vile voice echoed.
Instantly, the expression vanished from Doyun’s face, which was shadowed with darkness.
‘Gram would be more effective in situations like this, where emotions run high.’
Hrókr’s last words had truly provoked Doyun.
Like a dragon enraged by having its scales touched, Doyun’s mind reeled with explosive fury.
Clenching the Balmung in his hand, Doyun lowered his stance, like a wild beast ready to pounce.
Just then, a small hand reached out and grabbed Doyun’s shoulder.
Thwack-!
Elsie, held in Thrud’s arms, looked at Doyun and said,
“I think it would be better if I handled this.”
But having learned their purpose, Doyun couldn’t concede.
“Elsie? But these guys are going to…!”
“Going to what? Violate me?”
“Eep-?!”
Doyun’s thoughts froze at Elsie’s sudden, unexpected remark.
Elsie, wearing a chilling smile, squeezed Doyun’s shoulder with her hand.
“Just as those guys have business with me, I have a duty to give those vermin a taste of their own medicine.”
Elsie, stepping down from Thrud’s arms, stretched her shoulders and neck as she slowly walked forward.
“Don’t interfere. I’ll handle my own problems.”
Her cool eyes, sharply raised.
Elsie’s figure, swaying her long silver hair as she slowly approached.
Hrókr let out a hollow laugh at the absurd sight.
A useless girl who hadn’t even awakened her combat aptitude or manifested her divine power, good for nothing but her beauty.
“Hahaha! What are you trying to do? Asking to be killed? You’ve gone completely mad after poisoning yourself!”
“Oh, so you know about the poison.”
Hrókr licked his lips at Elsie’s smiling face.
The Adorencia family had produced talented individuals with strong combat aptitudes for many years.
It was laughable that such an ordinary girl, who didn’t seem to belong to such a family, was approaching so defenselessly.
“Does only useless drivel come out of that mouth of yours? It’s not nutritious.”
“You’ve lost your memory and your sense of fear. You have no power or ability, yet-”
Elsie sighed, hoping to hear something worthwhile from his rambling.
A soft, silver glow began to envelop Elsie’s body.
**Exalted Acceleration!**
An ultra-acceleration buff applied to the body in an instant.
With acceleration that transcended perception, Elsie’s figure vanished before their eyes.
Perhaps it was only a second in time.
Thud, thud-!
Hrókr’s two subordinates, who were on either side of him, suddenly collapsed to the ground.
Clutching their stomachs, they could only tremble, unable to react.
“Wh-What is this-?!”
Hrókr, who had been babbling, froze in panic as his subordinates suddenly foamed at the mouth and collapsed.
“What else could it be? An acceleration skill.”
Elsie’s voice came from right behind him.
Startled by the unimaginable situation, Hrókr swung his arm to attack Elsie, who was behind him.
“Damn you, die!”
_Whoosh-!_
His fist cut through the air.
Elsie wasn’t there.
“Why is that esteemed family so desperate to kill me? Can you tell me?”
Hrókr instinctively sensed immense danger as Elsie’s voice came from behind him again.
‘N-No way! She was definitely incompetent, how could she-!’
Was her staggering walk with a cane all an act? Had she figured out she was being watched?
‘Impossible!’
Elsie Adorencia was just a frail girl who couldn’t even protect herself.
Even if she had awakened her combat aptitude by chance after losing her memory, it was impossible for her to become so strong that she was a completely different person.
The moment Hrókr, breathing heavily and sweating coldly, turned around.
Elsie’s beautiful silver hair fluttered.
In an instant, a flash of light assaulted his eyes.
**_Pure Strike-!!_**
Elsie’s omitted strike landed squarely on his abdomen.
Crack!
“Gyaaaaaah-!!”
With a beastly scream, Hrókr flew into the wall and crashed into it.
Crumble-
Elsie stared blankly at the collapsing wall.
Was he the perfect example of someone who was all talk?
To think it would end so anticlimactically.
With a troubled expression, Elsie placed her hand on her hip, looked at Thrud and Doyun, and shrugged her shoulders once.