Chapter 20 - Belphi

After Lisa had finished explaining Hati's situation, they all decided to let Hati have some rest. He was still relatively weak from his wounds and would remain that way for at least a few months as his heart focal slowly started healing. Lisa promised to make weekly visits to expedite the process.

After Leif, Erik, Lisa and a reluctant Sif had left the room, only Hati and Astrid were left. As his maid, Astrid naturally stayed behind to take care of him. Hati looked at Astrid and noticed the emotional look she was giving him. Apparently, she had been holding back quite a bit while his family of powerful big shots was in the room. 

She kneeled beside Hati's bed and said with teary eyes and a smile, "I'm so relieved to see you awake again, master." Her face fell a little before she continued, "I was so scared when you collapsed. I know I have no right to ask this of you, but please don't risk your life like that! I don't mind spending my life protecting you, master. 

We can even forget about finding out more about my past. All I need is you!" Her speech became much more passionate near the end as her true feelings about Hati started spilling out a little.

Honestly, she hadn't expected to develop such feelings for Hati, and she wasn't sure when it happened either. Obviously, he was better than most masters. He had saved her from the many possible horrible fates that young and beautiful slaves like her suffered every day simply by accepting her as his maid and treating her humanely. 

But was that really all she needed? Or perhaps it had more to do with him being the only person of her generation that she had interacted with in the last few years. No, although both those things were true, the fact was that she felt safe with Hati, and that was the biggest reason for her increasing feelings. 

Yes, he bullied and embarrassed her; he was demanding and domineering, but by his demeanour and actions, she was sure he cared for her in his own way. His promise to help uncover her past also boosted her affection, and she couldn't deny that she liked how he sometimes treated her.

Hati looked at Astrid's tear-stained face for a moment before he smiled. He was happy with how his first maid in this new life was turning out, and even though his feelings for her were far weaker than hers for him, he did care for her. 

Honestly, next to his mother, Astrid was probably the most significant help in overcoming his ever-growing depression over Luna's unknown fate.

Still smiling, Hati stuck out his hand in a cupping gesture. Astrid looked at the hand for less than a second before she put her chin in it, and Hati grabbed it with his cupped hand. His still weak grip could never keep Astrid, who was already on the Einherjar path, in place, yet she had no intention of pulling back. 

This was a gesture they had agreed upon about a year before. It was partly to reinforce her position as his maid and partly to signify that her master had something important to say and she needed to listen well. 

Even though Astrid wanted to be more than just a maid to her master, she actually greatly enjoyed putting herself in her master's hands. It made her feel safe. Like the horrible year she had spent in the slave markets didn't matter anymore, and the fact she was missing the earlier years of her life was just a minor obstacle to be overcome in the future.

It was a little strange that she felt this way since Hati was currently weaker than her. Still, such things often had little to do with actual strength and more with trust and faith. 

Hati's mysteriousness, maturity, intelligence, and confidence had all culminated in making Astrid's young mind believe he was destined to soar into the heavens, with his current predicament simply being a stepping stone on his journey.

She lowered her body a little more and looked up at her master, waiting for what he had to say. Hati looked her in the eyes and said, "You know I would never accept such a fate, Astrid. You know my heavy pride; I would rather die than spend the rest of my life as a mortal in a world of gods." 

He didn't know how much of his prideful personality was influenced by the pride shard, but it didn't matter much to him either. In the end, he was who he was. The pride shard wasn't going anywhere, so he might as well accept it. He smiled and said, "I don't fear death, Astrid. The only thing worthy of fear is fear itself."

Hati may have simply paraphrased a quote from a certain famous person on Earth, but he still meant it. Meanwhile, Astrid, who had no idea about his plagiaristic ways, ate up his words like the most delicious food, thinking her master was the coolest person in the world. 

Before releasing Astrid's chin, he finished his speech by saying with a reassuring smile, "Anyway, you don't need to be worried so much. I won't die so easily." After all, he had three sin shards that would help him survive and thrive in the future.

Over the years, he had discovered a number of abilities for the things he once called aspects and has now realised are sin shards. For example, his pride had the ability to protect his body from harm when he managed to keep a cool head, and his wrath could increase his strength exponentially with his anger. 

Obviously, these two abilities could not work together normally, but those weren't the only abilities his sin shards granted him. The wrath shard could also increase his healing factor, which happened automatically whenever he was harmed. Of course, with the wrath shard suppressed on all sides, this wasn't as effective as it could be, but it still helped.

Before his next attempt, he would make sure to use his increased healing to recover as quickly as possible, and when the second attempt came, he would keep a cool head and use his pride ability to protect his body. Unfortunately, he had lost his fine control over his pride, so he could not focus the protection on his heart, but his whole body would simply have to do.

After this, he released Astrid's chin and sagged back into the bed's pillows, still feeling weak and exhausted from his recent ordeal. He looked at Astrid, and although he could see she wouldn't bring up the previous topic again, he could still feel her anxiousness. 

So, having already slightly chastised her, he decided to reward her for caring for him while also increasing her love for him by showing he cared. He beckoned her to come closer, saying,

"Come, you'll sleep with me tonight. Just sleep, though; don't get any ideas, my dear perverted maid." They had yet to actually do anything sexual, but Hati loved to remind Astrid about the possibilities.

Astrid's face lit up in a bright smile at his first words, then turned into an embarrassed one, with her head glowing bright red at his last words. She hadn't actually thought anything perverted before; she just liked sleeping next to her master, but his last words couldn't help but unleash some less-than-virtuous thoughts. 

Regardless, with a red face, she climbed into the bed and hugged her master's body like a koala hanging from a tree. She felt the anxiousness about his fate fade and be replaced by the familiar feeling of safety in her master's arms. She smiled as she said, "Thank you, master."

Hati smiled and kissed her forehead before he started drifting off to sleep.

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Meanwhile, in Sif's room, Sif was standing in the middle of several blood-red barriers that seemed to be stacked on top of each other. Then, seemingly from nowhere, she took out a round plate filled with runic inscriptions and placed it on the ground before she took a seat on top of it and closed her eyes.

Power seemed to thrum around her for a moment before it all gathered inside her, and her head fell forward, seemingly having fallen asleep, while her body remained upwards. 

She then appeared in a world filled with greenery and a single house that seemed reminiscent of her family house in the Fenrir clan. She smiled and entered inside, where a single man was already waiting for her. 

He was dressed in a standard light blue tunic and black pants. Looking at those clothes, you wouldn't expect this man to be anything special, and yet, most people who stood near him would be unable to move from sheer terror at the aura around him. 

The most interesting thing about him, though, was his light blue skin, paring nicely with his shirt, and the pair of horns that grew from the side of his head, shooting upwards. Clearly, this man was not human.

Sif didn't seem to care about any of this, though, as she rushed forward and hugged the man, yelling, "Belphi!" The man's eyebrows twitched at hearing this name, and he said, "Do you always have to call me by that name, little wolf?" 

To which Sif snorted and said, "Hmpf, who wants to say a name as long as 'Belphegor' all the time? Besides, you call me little wolf, not to mention that you're my husband, so I'll call you what I want!"