Chapter 151: I’m Here to Inherit Your Throne, Dad

"Hmm, how do you plan to explain this, Loki?"

"I'm helping John recognize himself," Loki stated confidently. "I'm helping him discover his weaknesses. John, like Clark, is invulnerable, but who can guarantee they'll never be hurt? That's why I did this—to help him identify his weak points."

"Discover weaknesses?"

John narrowed his eyes, giving Loki a sharp look. "My body is indestructible. I will never have a weakness."

"You can't be so sure. Even Achilles had a fatal flaw," Loki said with a smirk. "I'm just trying to help you, John."

"You should be more worried about getting punched in the face, Loki," John replied, clenching his fist, ready to land a hit.

"Oh? Is that so?"

Loki remained unfazed, looking smug. "I doubt Dad would let you do that."

Seeing the two troublemakers on the verge of a fight, Peter intervened.

"Enough. We'll discuss this later."

Then, he turned to Loki. "You shouldn't have messed with Clark today. Do you want me to put you in time-out, Loki?"

Given Loki's troublesome behavior, Peter had previously put him in "time-out" a few times—by locking him away in the icy realm of Jotunheim or the fiery depths of Muspelheim to reflect on his actions.

Unfortunately, the results had been... underwhelming. Loki's personality was just as mischievous as ever.

"No, Dad. I just wanted Clark to feel better," Loki defended himself. "I was trying to comfort him. You know, encouragement from a beloved girl always lifts the spirits."

Clark interjected from the side, "I don't feel any better."

"That's because you realized I wasn't actually Lana," Loki said with a chuckle. "If Dad hadn't exposed me, you would've spent the whole evening basking in happiness. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. Humans often prefer deceiving themselves—it lets them enjoy a beautiful illusion."

Clark frowned. "You're wrong. People don't like deceiving themselves."

Loki shrugged. "Oh? You don't understand humans at all, Clark. Humans are born liars—not to others, but to themselves. From the moment they're born until they die, they constantly deceive themselves... tricking themselves into living, because, in truth, they have no real reason to exist."

Peter, listening to Loki's nonsense, was a bit taken aback.

This kid was already showing his potential as the God of Lies and Mischief?

"Alright, Loki, you must have heard the saying—lies always come with consequences. Now apologize to Clark."

Peter ordered him firmly.

Seeing Peter's serious expression, Loki sighed in resignation and nodded. "If you insist, Dad. Fine."

Turning to Clark, he said, "Clark, I sincerely apologize."

Since Loki had apologized, Clark decided to let it go.

However, he suddenly remembered the vision he saw in the Mystery Room—the future where he snapped Loki's neck.

Now, it seemed that might not have been fake after all.

Considering Loki's endlessly irritating personality… maybe future him had a valid reason?

Clark fell into deep thought.

Later That Night – Star-Lord's Room

Star-Lord was studying Runes under Peter's guidance.

"Normally, when Rune symbols are combined into a sequence of two or more, we call it a Rune Formula."

"The most common formula consists of three runes, which ties into the concept of the Norns—the Three Sisters of Fate: 'Beginning,' 'Process,' and 'End.'"

As Peter spoke, he casually inscribed a Rune Formula on Star-Lord's desk.

The moment the symbols were completed, the wooden surface of the desk transformed, shifting in color and texture until it turned into solid metal.

"The first rune, 'Beginning,' determines how the spell starts and initiates the power of your intent. The second rune, 'Process,' defines how the spell unfolds and progresses. The third rune, 'End,' dictates how the spell concludes and how its power is finalized."

Star-Lord listened intently and nodded.

"Dad, why do my runes barely work?" he asked, frustrated.

Having been fascinated by magic tricks since childhood, Star-Lord was particularly interested in Rune Magic.

But no matter how much he studied, his results paled in comparison to his father's.

"You weren't born a natural magician, so learning Rune Magic takes time," Peter reassured him.

Star-Lord blinked and asked, "But why is Loki learning so much faster than me? He's younger than I am."

"Well…"

Peter cleared his throat. "That's… just his talent."

Star-Lord sighed in frustration.

"You were working on that toy gun before, right? I could help you engrave some Rune symbols on it," Peter suggested.

He suddenly recalled Star-Lord's odd-looking blasters from his past life.

Now, he could help his son make something similar.

Even if Star-Lord lacked magical talent, his sharpshooting skills were probably solid. Might as well start training early.

"That's not a toy gun," Star-Lord muttered. "I bought a real one from a flea market."

"WHAT?!"

Peter was utterly stunned.

"You're playing with real guns at your age?"

"N-No, Dad!"

Star-Lord quickly explained, "It's broken, and it's missing a lot of parts. It's just the outer shell—I added a bunch of things to it myself."

"Are you sure?"

Peter gave him a skeptical look.

He was genuinely worried that his kid was already messing around with real guns. What if he ended up in some kind of criminal gang in the future?

"Of course, Dad."

"Take it out and let me see."

Seeing Peter's serious expression, Star-Lord obediently nodded and pulled out a strangely modified firearm from his drawer.

Peter took the gun and examined it carefully.

The inside was indeed missing many components. Even the original magazine was gone, replaced entirely with parts that Star-Lord had put together himself.

"This is…"

He looked at the gun's chamber in surprise and asked, "Is this a branch from Yggdrasil?"

"Yes. I found it when Yggdrasil descended. I figured that since it had magical properties, it might be useful, so I incorporated it into the gun."

Staring at the weapon infused with the energy of the World Tree, Peter fell silent.

Loki had used a branch of Yggdrasil to make a staff. Star-Lord, on the other hand, had embedded it into a gun.

It seemed Star-Lord was destined to wield a firearm rather than a magic staff.

After offering a moment of silent respect for Star-Lord's nonexistent magical future, Peter said, "I can engrave some runes onto this gun. Since part of it comes from the World Tree, it should be able to channel and fire elemental energy."

Star-Lord's eyes widened with excitement. "Really, Dad?"

"Of course. But you have to promise me one thing—never use it to harm innocent people."

"I promise, Dad!"

Star-Lord grinned. "So, when do we start?"

"It'll take some time. Be patient."

Peter ruffled Star-Lord's hair.

"I'm always patient, Dad."

Star-Lord put on an uncharacteristically calm expression before immediately adding, "But can you hurry up a little?"

"I'll do my best."

Peter put the gun away and asked, "Now, let's talk about your studies."

The moment Peter mentioned school, Star-Lord's face fell.

Even though he was still in elementary school, he hadn't exactly been focusing on his studies.

Later, as Peter left Star-Lord's room…

"Dad."

A voice called out behind him.

Peter turned around and saw a young man in a long robe, wearing a golden horned crown, smiling at him.

He looked exactly like the older version of Loki that Peter remembered from his past life, down to his demeanor.

Peter sighed and walked over, reaching for Loki's ear.

Seeing that his father was actually going to grab him, Loki quickly reverted to his younger self.

"I told you, Loki—don't change your appearance at home whenever you feel like it."

Like Star-Lord and John, Loki was often troubled by dreams. Through vague glimpses, he could sometimes see fragments of the future.

Though his knowledge was limited, he had already figured out what he would look like as an adult. As a result, he frequently transformed into his older self just to mess around.

"I think it makes me look more mature."

Loki walked over and said, "Dad, I have a question."

"What is it?"

Peter eyed him suspiciously, wondering what mischief he was up to now.

"Dad, you're the ruler of the Nine Realms—so why do you live on a farm?"

"The ruler of the Nine Realms?"

Peter frowned.

Since when was he the ruler of the Nine Realms?

"Yes, Dad. You possess the World Tree. You can travel freely through all Nine Realms. So why don't we establish a palace in Asgard? Once you retire, I can inherit your throne and rule the Nine Realms."

Loki made no attempt to hide his ambition.

"How much do you actually know about Yggdrasil? And where did you hear all this?"

Peter narrowed his eyes at him.

"Didn't John say that I was born from the World Tree?"

Loki said matter-of-factly, "Dad, I know that Yggdrasil will eventually give birth to all Nine Realms. Right now, only Jotunheim and Muspelheim exist, but in time, it will expand. Asgard is one of the wealthiest realms. We could live there and rule over the entire Nine Realms—including Earth, of course."