110: Knock Him Out and Tie Him Back!

"Rhine… Gold?"

Brunhilde, sitting in the shimmering pool of dark blue and green light, tilted her head slightly at Kevin's nonchalant reply. Her beautiful amethyst-like eyes blinked, reflecting a faint confusion.

Kevin's tone was so casual, so unburdened, that her already overwhelmed mind struggled to process what he had just said.

"Yes, Kevin returned the Rhine Gold," Slude interjected, her voice calm yet tinged with curiosity as to why Kevin had brought up this topic now. Glancing at Brunhilde, she added, "It wasn't that long ago. It happened just three days ago."

Brunhilde's long, flowing hair fell to the ground as a vacant expression spread across her delicate, flawless face. She glanced between Slude and Kevin, her dazed thoughts trying to catch up with what she had just heard.

"Wait," she muttered, pressing her hand against her forehead as if to steady herself. Her voice was soft, almost fragile. "Just… wait a moment. Give me some time."

Slude watched her sister carefully, blinking as she saw the evident confusion on Brunhilde's face. Unable to help herself, she covered her mouth and let out a quiet chuckle.

Slude knew Brunhilde well. If it hadn't been for her own firsthand experiences, Slude figured her reaction to all this would've been just as baffled and overwhelmed. After all, hearing such earth-shattering revelations compressed into such a short span of time would leave anyone's head spinning.

Brunhilde kept her hand on her forehead for a few more seconds, allowing the initial rush of disbelief to subside. Then, as if finally mustering the courage to ask, she lifted her head to look at Slude. "Is it… true? The Rhine Gold has been returned to the Rhine River?"

Slude nodded without hesitation, her expression soft and sincere. "Yes, it's true, Onee-sama. And…" She glanced over at Kevin, who stood across from them, her tone unconsciously laced with a hint of pride. "When he returned it, he resisted the temptation of the Rhine Gold purely through his own will. In the end, he received the blessing of the Rhine Gold and the Rhine Fairies!"

Brunhilde froze. Her body stiffened as her wide eyes slowly shifted toward Kevin. The two locked gazes, and though neither spoke at first, a quiet understanding seemed to pass between them.

Finally, Brunhilde broke the silence, her voice trembling slightly. "You… know everything?"

Kevin met her gaze calmly, nodding. "Yeah. I knew everything. That's why I returned it. And that's why I came here."

Brunhilde's eyes widened even further, her lips parting as though to speak, but no words came out. Her delicate frame began to tremble, and she suddenly stood up in the crystal pool, waves rippling around her. Her mouth opened and closed several times, but she seemed unable to find the words she wanted to say.

Slude, standing nearby, watched this scene unfold with growing concern. Her confusion deepened as she observed the tense, almost electrified atmosphere between Kevin and her sister.

"Sister? Kevin? What's going on between you two?" Slude's voice broke through the silence as she looked between them. A suspicion flickered in her red eyes as she turned toward Kevin and said, "Wait… Kevin, what did you do this time?!"

Kevin smirked, his tone playful as he replied, "Haven't you been watching me this whole time, Slude? You've barely left my side. What could I have possibly done without you noticing?"

Slude hesitated, realizing that Kevin had a point. Due to their contract, she had been with him almost constantly. There was hardly a moment when she wasn't at his side—except, of course, when they were sleeping.

"…Neil!" Slude suddenly turned her attention to the elegant bird perched on Kevin's shoulder. "Neil, do you know what's going on? What happened here?"

Neil turned her head toward Kevin instead of answering, an almost mischievous glint in her eye.

"Why?" Brunhilde's voice broke through the exchange, trembling as she took a step forward toward Kevin. Her emotions were no longer contained. "Why didn't you tell her? And why—why did you take such a huge risk to return the Rhine Gold?!"

Her voice rose with each word, raw with emotion. "The curse of the Rhine Gold is something even my father—Odin—doesn't dare touch. Why, Kevin? Why did you risk yourself just to… save me?"

Slude stared at her elder sister in stunned silence. This was the first time she had ever seen Brunhilde so visibly emotional. Not even when Brunhilde had woken up to find herself freed from her chains, nor when she saw Slude again after so long, had she displayed such intensity.

But how could Brunhilde not be emotional? How could she possibly remain calm?

Years ago, when Odin granted her a glimpse of the future, Brunhilde had seen a vision so horrifying that it had nearly driven her to madness.

She, Brunhilde—the daughter of Odin, chief of the Valkyries, and the pride of the gods—had seen herself fall into despair. In that bleak, unavoidable future, she had witnessed herself murdering the one she loved most.

It was that vision, that inevitable doom, that had led Brunhilde to give up her divine identity and willingly exile herself to the mortal realm. She had hoped, naively, to escape the fate Odin had shown her.

And yet, here stood Kevin, telling her that the very object tied to her cursed destiny—the Rhine Gold—had not only been returned but its curse nullified.

"Why?" Kevin tilted his head slightly, gazing at Brunhilde with a look of mild curiosity. Then he turned his head toward Slude, a small, knowing smile tugging at his lips. "Because I didn't want to see Slude sad."

"...Huh?"

Both Brunhilde and Slude stared at him, their voices overlapping in confusion.

Kevin continued as though he hadn't just delivered an earth-shattering answer. "I am a man without destiny. I may not be able to see the threads of fate, but these eyes…" He touched his fingers to his face, and his unremarkable black eyes suddenly shimmered like stars.

"…These eyes allow me to glimpse pieces of fate. And among the things I've seen, Brunhilde, is your story."

His gaze shifted to her, serious now. "You will fall in love and become beautiful because of it. But that same love will drive you to madness. In the end, you'll strangle the one you love with your own hands, won't you?"

Brunhilde said nothing.

"And if this were the old Slude," Kevin continued, gesturing to her, "she might not have understood. She might've blamed everything on the person you loved. But now? Don't you think she would be heartbroken over what happened to you?"

Brunhilde instinctively turned toward Slude, who met her gaze. Neither spoke, but the answer was clear in Slude's red eyes.

"Yes," Kevin said softly, smiling. "She would be sad. And I didn't want that. So I asked Loki how I could change things."

Slude's eyes widened. "…So that's why you tricked me into going with you to kill the evil dragon? It was all just to return the Rhine Gold?"

"Hey, don't look at me like that," Kevin said, coughing awkwardly. "It worked, didn't it? Everything turned out fine. Not only did I return the Rhine Gold, but I also earned its blessing!"

Neil, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. "You weren't certain it would work. You gambled, didn't you? Lord Loki didn't give you a clear answer at all!"

"Neil, shut up," Kevin snapped, glaring at the bird.

Slude, however, clenched her fists. "Kevin…" she said through gritted teeth. "You're the one who needs to shut up!"

Her anger was evident, yet beneath it, there was something else—relief. Gratitude. Joy.

Brunhilde, now fully understanding what Kevin had done, looked at him with a mix of emotions. No matter how she analyzed it, one fact remained undeniable: Kevin had rewritten her fate.

"In short," Kevin said, clearing his throat as if to shift the mood, "the Rhine Gold's curse is gone, and you don't need to worry anymore. So, Brunhilde, I'll ask you seriously: are you willing to return to Asgard?"

Brunhilde froze.

Slude turned to her, her expression filled with hope.

Finally, Brunhilde whispered, "…Can I really go back?"

"Of course," Kevin replied firmly. "The question isn't whether you can. It's whether you want to."

And then, with a mischievous glint in his eye, Kevin added, "Though if you keep hesitating, I might just knock you out and tie you back."

His words earned an incredulous look from both sisters.

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