101 The Devious God of Mischief [200 PS]

As is well-known, Odin, the Allfather of Asgard, raised two princes.

One was Thor, the God of Thunder, who possessed pure Asgardian blood and was the first heir to the throne of Asgard.

The other was Loki, the God of Mischief, adopted by Odin from the land of the Frost Giants, Jotunheim.

"I don't sense any sadness or pity in your words, Prince of Asgard, the God of Mischief, Loki," Kagura Hitomi said, turning around to face the handsome, mysterious figure who had suddenly appeared before her.

[Unknown species detected, exact time-space position unclear, threat level: High, Neutral]

[Visual sensory interference detected]

[Audiory sensory interference detected]

[Warning: Unknown disruption to sensory functions]

It seems Loki is an illusion.

Kagura silently thought to herself. No, everything around me must be an illusion.

But even if it's an illusion, there's no harm in talking to him.

Loki, despite the constant mischief and pranks he pulled on Thor, was someone Kagura felt wasn't entirely evil by nature.

His actions often seemed to be an attempt to prove to Odin that he was superior to Thor. He was a child who lacked love, a child desperate for recognition.

Kagura knew it might be an overestimation to think she could unravel Loki's inner turmoil, but perhaps, if she left a lasting impression, he might cause less chaos in the future.

If their Asgard branch of Griffin expanded by one more person, that would be a bonus!

"You know me?" Loki raised an eyebrow, his signature smirk spreading across his face.

"I thought humans from Midgard were just a bunch of short-sighted, ignorant savages."

"Maybe your understanding is wrong. At least, Asgard isn't unfamiliar to me," Kagura smiled.

"So, I'm honored to meet you. Would you mind chatting with me?"

Loki tilted his head slightly, eyes filled with suspicion and wariness.

"Are you… from Asgard?"

'Ugh! Why do you two brothers keep asking that?'

"No, unfortunately, I'm not," Kagura replied, playfully pouting as she placed her hands behind her back.

"Just think of me as a traveler passing through."

"Interesting," Loki took a step forward and lightly tapped Kagura's forehead.

"You'd better speak the truth in front of me, little beauty. Otherwise, I can't guarantee I won't see you as a threat and just kill you."

"Why would you kill me? I have no grudges with you," Kagura asked calmly.

"Do you think there's any feud between a boot and an ant?" Loki grinned.

"But the ant has never been defeated," Kagura replied sweetly.

"Oh? I'm intrigued by you now," Loki leaned closer to Kagura, his smile widening.

"So, what do you want to talk about, smooth-talking beauty?"

"Are you here to kill Thor?" Kagura thought for a moment and then steered the conversation.

"Thor is just a mortal without his godly powers right now. If you wanted to kill him, it would be as easy as squashing an ant, wouldn't it?"

"No, why would I kill him? He's my brother," Loki replied.

"I'm just here to see him, maybe chat with him."

"Is that so? Because from the look on your face, I'm reading a lot of jealousy and fear," Kagura said, her smile turning knowing.

"I'm not afraid of my brother! Why would I be afraid of him? He's just a mortal now, a mere insignificant ant!" Loki's expression grew more agitated.

"And me, I'm the king of Asgard now!"

"But I heard that the king of Asgard should be able to lift that hammer first," Kagura stuck out her tongue and winked.

"Have you tried, Loki?"

At the mention of the hammer, Loki's expression darkened for a moment, but he quickly regained his usual arrogant demeanor.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Kagura Hitomi."

"I've never heard of that name."

"That's normal. I don't think I'm famous yet."

Loki smiled. "Kagura Hitomi, Mjolnir is just Odin's trick. Odin favors Thor, but the truth is, I'm the rightful heir to the throne of Asgard!"

Loki continued, "No matter what version you've heard, I can tell you that both Thor and I had the qualifications to be king. But now, he's been exiled, and Asgard's throne should rightfully belong to me!"

This guy is completely obsessed with the throne!

Kagura thought, How fixated is he on proving his worth as king to Odin?

She felt if the conversation kept going this way, she might end up being strangled by Loki, so she quickly changed the subject.

"You've misunderstood," Kagura said.

"I'm not interested in your royal family squabbles. I only care about the technology of Asgard. That's why I made a deal with Thor – I'll help him regain his powers, and in return, he'll share some Asgardian knowledge with me. That's all."

"Oh, what a pity," Loki pointed to Thor, who was being taken away by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

"You see, he can't even lift the hammer that rightfully belongs to him. He's no longer worthy of returning to Asgard."

"Maybe," Kagura said with a small smile, "It certainly seems that way, at least for now."

"For now? You still haven't given up on that waste of space? Thor is nothing! You won't get anything by teaming up with him!" Loki said.

"If you want to have some so-called academic exchange with Asgard, you should come to me, because I'm the one who holds the power of Asgard now!"

"Mr. Loki…" Kagura sighed softly, then looked up at him with a serious gaze.

"Would you mind if this naïve Earth girl gave you some advice?"

"What do you want to say?"

Kagura raised her head, golden eyes locking with Loki's pupils.

"You don't need to prove anything, Loki. You don't need to prove yourself to anyone. I recognize you, and I think Thor recognizes you too. Your father, Odin, recognizes you as well. The only one who doesn't recognize you, actually, is you."

Loki froze for a moment, his eyes trembling slightly as if moved by her words.

But he quickly returned to his usual sly smile.

"How do you know Odin recognizes me? He passed the throne to Thor, not me!"

"Hmm…" Kagura smiled.

"Maybe it's just a girl's intuition."

"Hmph! Intangible nonsense!" Loki scoffed.

"But I really believe you don't need to try and prove anything," Kagura continued.

"You are Loki, not Thor. You have many traits Thor could never hope to have, just as Thor has strengths you can't match. You're two completely different people. Why do you need to compete?"

Loki fell silent for a long time. "No, you don't understand how I feel. But…"

He looked at the silver-haired girl before him, then glanced at Thor in the distance.

"Kagura Hitomi, you're the first person who's ever said 'I recognize you.' So, I'll remember you. But you should also know that Thor must never return to Asgard."

"If you persist in your course, you will feel my wrath! The wrath of me, the King of Asgard!"

"When Asgard's flames scorch the earth, I hope you'll still have that calm expression when we talk again."

With those words, Loki's illusion faded into a green light and disappeared.

It seemed like he didn't want to continue the conversation with Kagura.

"No…" Kagura murmured to herself.

"Thor will return to Asgard. You can't escape him. You need to face him."

"Did you say something?" Agent Coulson, who had been standing beside Kagura, asked in a puzzled tone after the illusion of Loki vanished.

"Nothing," Kagura smiled.

"Just some small thoughts."