262

Lord of the Nine Realms

"Yes," the guard replied.

After a while, Frigga entered, dressed elegantly and smiling calmly.

"Your Majesty."

Odin greeted her with a warm smile, "Frigga, it's been a long time."

Frigga responded, "Your Majesty, I will represent Sister Karnila and Nornheim at the ceremony in a few days."

"Let's not talk about that, it's rather dull." Odin waved his hand dismissively, motioning for Frigga to sit. He then asked, "How have you been lately?"

The two chatted, with Odin constantly smiling and Frigga initially reserved. However, as the conversation continued and Odin remained friendly and approachable, Frigga's reserve gradually lessened.

After a while, Frigga hesitantly asked, "Your Majesty, I heard that not long ago, you and Farbauti of Jotunheim... talked for an entire night?"

"These are just baseless rumors. How can you even believe them?" Odin said, shaking his head. "People nowadays are quick to jump to conclusions without proper judgment."

"Frigga, you know what kind of person I am. Although Farbauti and I talked for a long time, we were discussing important matters related to the Nine Realms and the universe."

Frigga was silent for a moment before saying, "I have always heard that Farbauti is called the Flower of Frost, but I have never seen her. Is she truly as beautiful as the legends say?"

"Indeed," Odin said. "Although Farbauti is a mother, she is definitely the second most beautiful woman in the Nine Realms. Marrying her might have been Laufey's only wise decision."

Frigga was taken aback. "The second most beautiful? Who is the first?"

Odin laughed, "Does it need to be said? Of course, it's you, Frigga."

"Your Majesty, you..." Frigga blushed and lowered her head.

The air grew thick with unspoken feelings.

Odin reached out his hand.

"Father." Hela's voice suddenly came from the door.

Odin was startled and withdrew his hand quickly, causing a loud sonic boom and a gust of wind.

On Earth, such a strong wind would be enough to destroy houses and knock people over. Fortunately, this was Asgard, where both people and things were far sturdier.

Even so, papers on the table flew up, scattering everywhere, with one even landing on Odin's head.

The atmosphere instantly became awkward.

"Cough, cough." Odin took the paper off his head, looked at Hela, and said, "Ha... Hela, why are you here, my daughter?"

Hela was silent for a moment before saying, "Father, Grimir has been executed."

"Oh, well, that, um." Odin tried to dispel the awkwardness but didn't know what to say.

Hela turned and left.

Odin quickly chased after her.

After a while, Odin found Hela and explained, "Sorry, daughter, but things are not what you think."

Hela was silent for a moment. "You said you wouldn't find a stepmother for me."

"This..." Odin was at a loss for words, then said, "I'm sorry, daughter. I promise there won't be a next time. I promise not to find a stepmother for you. Don't worry, even if I lose my mind, I won't find a stepmother."

Hela nodded but said nothing.

Odin consoled her for a while before returning to see Frigga.

As soon as he entered, Odin sighed, "Oh, being a parent is really troublesome."

"I think it's a happy thing to be a parent," Frigga said.

Odin asked, "Do you really think so?"

"Of course."

---

A few days later, the grand ceremony was held in the Golden Palace of Asgard. All the intelligent races of the Nine Realms, as well as notable figures from across the universe, sent representatives to meet Odin, the Lord of the Nine Realms.

In a hall in the Golden Palace, Odin sat on the throne, with Hela on one side and Tyr, the god of war, on the other. The rest of the gods surrounded them.

Forseti was also dressed in armor today, following Asgardian tradition. But he wasn't fond of the current look.

Asgardians were martial, and traditional male attire was a suit of armor, which was fine, but the helmet was another matter. Asgardian helmets always had two horns, most often like bull or ram horns, long and sharp enough to pierce someone.

Forseti stood in the hall, occasionally catching sight of the two large horns on his helmet, and always felt they were ugly.

The main part of the ceremony involved messengers from various countries entering the hall to greet Odin and offer gifts, which was rather boring.

"Nornheim presents a gift to our king, His Majesty Odin, the ruler of the Nine Realms." Frigga walked up to Odin and saluted.

Odin smiled and nodded at her.

"Jotunheim presents a gift to His Majesty Odin, the ruler of the Nine Realms." Farbauti saluted Odin on behalf of Jotunheim.

"Vanaheim presents a gift to His Majesty Odin, the ruler of the Nine Realms." The Vanir were almost wiped out, leaving only a few survivors. Their representative was the young Prince Hogun, whom Forseti had saved earlier, one of the future Warriors Three.

"The Nidavellir dwarves present a gift to His Majesty Odin, the ruler of the Nine Realms." A giant several meters tall saluted Odin, drawing much attention.

Seeing this so-called "dwarf," Forseti thought, "God, you are so tall."

Dwarves were just a name for the Nidavellir, having little to do with their actual height. Their body proportions were different from many humanoid creatures, with disproportionately large heads, making them look short from a distance.

Important messengers came one by one, and small countries came in batches. Even so, the ceremony lasted nearly all morning.

What most people did not expect was that something unexpected happened during such a grand ceremony.

A humanoid creature wearing armor and two horns walked into the hall. He had fiery red skin and exuded a fiery breath. He was a messenger from Muspelheim, the realm of fire giants.

"From Muspelheim, the fire giant Surtur, presents gifts to His Majesty Odin, the strongest in the Nine Realms," the messenger announced.

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall changed, and Odin frowned.

Until now, all the messengers had called Odin the "Lord of the Nine Realms," but Surtur's messenger only called him "the strongest of the Nine Realms."