112: This Might Be a Talent

"Slude?"

In the sky, a white horse, its aura carefully concealed by runes, soared steadily. On its back, Brunhilde, clad in the pure white dress Slude had given her, was held securely in Slude's arms.

Noticing how silent her sister had been for quite some time, Brunhilde blinked and asked curiously, "What's wrong? Are you that worried about Kevin?"

As soon as Brunhilde finished speaking, Slude's arms reflexively tightened around her, causing Brunhilde to let out a soft, startled sound. Realizing what she had done, Slude quickly loosened her hold, her face flustered.

"Sorry, big sister," Slude said hurriedly. "I hope I didn't hurt you."

"It's fine." Brunhilde shook her head gently. Then, tilting her head slightly, she asked, "But isn't Kevin really strong? Do you really need to worry so much?"

Slude hesitated. She knew Kevin's capabilities well. Despite the reckless way he threw himself into situations, he always emerged relatively unscathed.

Slude had told Brunhilde about how Kevin would visit Valhalla almost daily, challenging the warriors there. She'd even recounted how he once went so far as to challenge Tyr, the god of war and justice.

But after hearing Brunhilde's question, Slude's expression grew conflicted. "It's not that I'm worried about him getting hurt…" she started but paused, fumbling for the right words. "It's more complicated than that. Sister, let me put it this way—Kevin has been in Asgard for less than ninety days. In that time…"

She took a deep breath and began recounting Kevin's various escapades.

"First, he caused chaos in Valhalla. Then, on his second day there, he decided to take me to meet Fenrir. After that…"

Slude continued, listing incident after incident. From their mission to Jotunheim, to borrowing the eagle feather from Freya, to the chaos that unfolded when Kevin sought Loki's help to kill the dragon and return the golden ring.

Initially, Brunhilde listened with wide eyes, her expression filled with admiration. But as Slude continued, detailing Kevin's seemingly endless list of reckless antics, her expression shifted. By the end of Slude's account, Brunhilde's gaze had grown distant, and there was a strange look in her eyes.

Finally, after a long silence, Brunhilde spoke up. "Maybe… we should go back and pick him up."

Slude's jaw dropped slightly as she stared at Brunhilde in disbelief.

"I mean it," Brunhilde continued earnestly. "We can make it work. I really don't mind squeezing in."

At that moment, Brunhilde truly understood Slude's feelings.

But Slude sighed heavily, resting her head lightly on Brunhilde's shoulder. "There's no point, Sister," she said after a moment. "Even if we went back, Kevin wouldn't agree to come with us."

Brunhilde looked puzzled. "Why not?"

"Because Neil is with him," Slude replied.

"Neil?" Brunhilde tilted her head slightly, recalling the beautiful bird that often perched on Kevin's shoulder.

"Yes, Neil," Slude said. "She has blessings on her—blessings from the Great God Odin, Lady Freya, and Lord Loki."

"…Say that again?" Brunhilde blinked rapidly, thinking she must have misheard.

Slude explained patiently, recounting how Neil had received her blessings and why the gods couldn't observe Kevin directly.

When she finished, Brunhilde was at a loss for words.

Kevin's refusal to accompany them wasn't merely about stubbornness; it was also tied to Neil. And while Slude was worried about Kevin, she knew he was indirectly protected because of Neil's connection to the gods.

Unbeknownst to them, however, Odin had issued a strict order: no god was allowed to spy on Kevin or Brunhilde until they returned to Asgard. This decree was Odin's way of safeguarding Brunhilde's choice.

Because of this, none of the gods had been watching Kevin or offering him guidance.

The gust of wind that had seemingly directed Kevin's path when he threw the branch? It had been purely coincidental.

"So," Brunhilde said thoughtfully after a long pause, "tell me more about Kevin."

"Hm?" Slude tilted her head, caught off guard by her sister's sudden request. "Why do you want to know?"

"Well," Brunhilde replied with a small smile, "you keep mentioning him. How could I not be curious?"

Hearing those words, Slude suddenly felt a strange discomfort. Her chest tightened ever so slightly, and she couldn't explain why. She glanced at Brunhilde, who had tilted her head at just the right angle so that Slude couldn't see her face.

In a dense forest in Midgard, Kevin stood with Neil perched on his shoulder. For the third time that day, he threw a branch high into the air, watching it spin and fall to the ground.

He pointed in the direction it landed and fell silent.

Neil, looking unimpressed, curled her beak in what could only be described as disdain. "Thrice now, Kevin. Three throws, three different directions. And you're still calling this reliable?"

Kevin frowned. "That doesn't make sense. It worked last time!"

Neil tilted her head skeptically.

Kevin folded his arms and looked at Neil. In truth, he wanted to shout, Is there a god watching? Can't you at least help me out and show me the way?!

But he didn't dare say it aloud. He couldn't risk offending the gods who had blessed Neil.

After a while, Kevin sighed. "Okay, hear me out. When I threw the branch the first time, there was wind, right?"

Neil nodded.

"Exactly!" Kevin said, as though that settled everything. "That means the wind must have been guiding us!"

Neil rolled her eyes but kept her doubts to herself.

"Alright, let's keep going!" Kevin declared confidently, pointing ahead with a heroic flair.

Neil looked in the direction Kevin was pointing, her expression grim. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were heading closer and closer to the bottomless sea.

"Kevin," Neil said cautiously, "what if the wind blowing the branch was just a coincidence?"

"How could that be?" Kevin scoffed, slicing through a snake that lunged at them from the underbrush with his magic spear.

Neil sighed. Coincidences happen all the time, she thought. But as much as she wanted to argue, she knew it was futile.

After a brief pause, she tried a different tactic. "How about this? Let's throw the branch one more time and see where it points."

Kevin nodded. He picked up another branch and tossed it into the air. Neil watched as it spun… and landed in a new direction.

But then, as if mocking her, a gust of wind suddenly blew, and the branch shifted back to its original direction.

Neil's eyes widened. "See!" Kevin exclaimed triumphantly. "I told you we're going the right way!"

Neil looked at the branch, then at Kevin, and finally up at the sky. She considered raising her middle claw—a gesture Kevin had taught her—but decided against it.

Fine, Neil thought. If the wind is that insistent, maybe it really is the right way.

Riding atop a beast that Kevin had managed to tame after a brief skirmish, he and Neil arrived at the edge of the bottomless sea.

"…Oh."

Kevin stared at the seemingly endless expanse of water, his confidence faltering.

"Well," he said after a moment, scratching his head. "I guess the wind wasn't guiding us after all."

"You think?" Neil snapped, glaring at him. "This is exactly what I warned you about!"

Kevin sighed, clearly embarrassed. But then, as if shrugging off the setback, he turned to Neil with a grin. "Hey, since we're already here, why don't we enjoy the view?"

Neil was not amused. "You can't swim. Why are you excited about the ocean?"

"Come on, Neil. Don't be so uptight," Kevin said, hopping off the beast and wading into the shallows.

Neil groaned, muttering under her breath about Kevin's recklessness.

An hour later, after much cajoling, Kevin finally relented and left the beach.

As he climbed back onto the beast, Kevin patted its side. "Let's go look for signs of people around here."

But the beast didn't move. Its head was low to the ground, and its body trembled.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Kevin asked, puzzled.

At that moment, the sky darkened, and a surge of magical energy rippled through the air.

Neil froze, her feathers puffing up in alarm.

This is bad, she thought. Really, really bad.

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