The next day, a white steed lightly trod upon the Bifröst, the Rainbow Bridge,
Carrying the beautiful and valiant Valkyrie, it transformed into a streak of aurora as it left the realm of Asgard.
Passing through Midgard, the central realm, it arrived at Svartalfheim, the realm of the dwarves.
During this time, Promise had already informed the dwarf Mime of his departure.
In the gentle morning breeze, the dwarf Mime, who rarely left his cave..Well as dwarves in mythology, they seldom leave the ground, so in the records of Norse mythology, they do not like sunlight, and there is even a legend that they will turn into stone if exposed to sunlight.
Of course, the above words were just a myth, it wasn't that exaggerated.
But their dislike of sunlight was indeed true.
However, now the dwarf Minu came out in the sunlight, and looked up at the boy standing before him, a handsome young man with a beautiful emerald bird perched on his shoulder.
Even though he was wearing a rough, iron-forged clothing, he exuded the romantic aura of a poet and painter, his eyes shining like stars when he smiled.
Though only thirteen or fourteen years old, his mature demeanor made it easy to imagine how many kingdoms would fall for him in the future.
"...I have nothing to give you."
Outside the cave, Mime spoke softly to the smiling boy. "I've forged many powerful weapons, but none of them are suitable for you, and you truly don't need them.
Since you reforged that mighty holy sword, it proves your forging skills are no less than mine... The entire world awaits the arrival of Sigurd, the son of Sigmund, whether it be noble kings or the Valkyries who only watch over the souls of heroes.
They have always waited for the rise of a new, dazzling star among warriors. But I have always known, from the moment the Norn of Fate brought you before me, that the light you would emit in the future would inevitably outshine even Sigurd."
As for Promise, the child brought to him by the Norn of Fate, Mime had never treated him the same way he treated Sigurd... though perhaps it was also because of the astonishing forging talent the boy had displayed from a young age.
The blessing and gift bestowed upon Promise by the Greek goddess of craftsmanship.
It was the inheritance of a god of forging.
Thus, Mime had always held Promise in high regard.
In fact, after more than ten years, it was impossible to say that Mime had no affection for Sigurd.
But his mind had long been clouded by the allure of the Rhinegold.
Therefore, Mime knew that one day, he would raise his sword against Sigurd.
And indeed, this was what happened.
In the original myth, when Sigurd returned after his adventures, he had become a mighty warrior, and tales of his exploits began to spread across the land.
In this situation, Mime made his request to Sigurd.
Using the excuse of having raised and trained him, he accompanied Sigurd to the lair of the dragon Fafnir, relying on Sigurd's strength and the holy sword to slay his brother, who had transformed into a dragon.
Later, Mime demanded that Sigurd hand over Fafnir's heart, intending to consume it to gain immense power and then kill Sigurd.
Sigurd, however, had no desire for the dragon's heart.
But when he dug it out of Fafnir's body and picked it up with his bare hands, his fingers were burned.
As he sucked on his injured fingers, he inadvertently tasted the dragon's blood.
This granted Sigurd the ability to understand the language of birds.
Thus, from the little bird that had been watching everything from above, Sigurd learned of Mime's plan and the secret of the dragon's heart.
The heart was a manifestation of the curse of the Rhinegold, and consuming it would lead to death by the curse's corruption.
Sigurd was obviously heartbroken by Mime's intention to kill him, after all, it was Mine, who had raised and taught him since he was a child, needless to say he was like a father.
Sigurd had always respected Mime.
So, upon returning, he refused to hand over the dragon's heart, but Mime, enraged, believed Sigurd wanted to hoard the treasure for himself and refused to trust his words.
Thus, the two argued.
During the argument, Mime seized the dragon's heart and swallowed it in front of Sigurd, only to be consumed by the powerful curse and turned to ash.
In his final moments, Mime was freed from the allure of the Rhinegold and regained his senses.
He warned Sigurd that the ring of the Rhinegold, a symbol of ultimate power, would bring despair and suffering to its bearer.
To possess it was to gain all the wealth in the world.
But at the same time, the world itself would betray you, and you would die in despair.
As Sigurd grieved over the death of his foster father, the little bird that had been watching everything descended and transformed into Odin, the King of the Gods.
Odin picked up the dragon's heart, purified it of its curse with his divine power, and gave it to Sigurd, the slayer of the dragon.
From that moment on, Sigurd became the greatest warrior of his time and obtained the ring of the Rhinegold.
And because of this ring, Sigurd reached the turning point of his fate.
He journeyed to the mountain surrounded by flames, where he encountered the Valkyrie sleeping within, thus setting the stage for the tragic legend that would be told for millennia—the Volsunga Saga.
This was the fate that awaited Mime and Sigurd.
Mime, consumed by the allure of the Rhinegold, would meet his end due to his greed for wealth and ultimate power.
But now, standing before Promise, Mime was still the foster father of the Sigurd, who hadn't matured yet, as well as Promise's own foster father.
The dwarf looked at the boy standing before him, bathed in the gentle morning breeze and the soft light of dawn.
He had high praise for Promise.
And given the starlight that had illuminated the entire realm of the dwarves just days ago when Promise reforged the holy sword, there was no doubt that he deserved such praise.
Just as Promise was about to say something, the sound of galloping hooves suddenly rang out.
As he instinctively turned and Mime looked up, they saw a pure white steed carrying a radiant, golden-haired Valkyrie, as if running out of the sunlight itself.
The horse came to a stop before Promise, and the Valkyrie seated atop it naturally looked down, her gaze meeting Promise's as he raised his head.
The clear emerald met the Valkyrie's striking crimson, and in that moment, each saw the other reflected in their gaze.
"...Valkyrie SThrud?"
The little emerald bird, Shini, perched on Promise's shoulder, exclaimed in surprise, inadvertently answering the question in the boy's mind.
In that instant, he realized that she must be the companion Idunn had found for him.
And a Valkyrie riding a white steed across the world was certainly capable of guiding Promise through all of Midgard.
"It seems my last concern is no longer necessary."
Watching Thrud's arrival, Mime couldn't help but remark.
The Valkyrie's armor and white horse made her identity unmistakable to Mime, who had lived in this world his entire life.
Finally, he took out a storage pouch and handed it over to Promise.
Though it looked ordinary, the pouch contained a pocket dimension, holding many items.
Aside from some money and food, Mime had even packed forging tools like hammers for Promise.
The only thing missing was a weapon.
Unfortunately, Mime simply couldn't forge a sword light enough for Promise to wield.
While Sigurd couldn't find a weapon strong enough to withstand his power, Promise couldn't even lift one.
The "brothers" were like two extremes.
Well, since this kid can forge a holy sword, he might as well make his own weapon... That was what Mime's thought.
So, he left, and as Promise looked at his retreating figure, he couldn't help but mutter, "I feel like I've just been insulted again for no apparent reason."
Hearing his words, Shini tilted her head, giving him a big question mark.
"I feel like someone's whispering behind my back, saying I'm delicate, and not even good as a girl... Ugh, I'll definitely add this to my grudge list!"
Well..the little bird gave Promise a very human-like eye roll.
Is there any need to discuss this behind the scenes? This was clearly the fact!
At that moment, the Valkyrie Thrud gracefully dismounted from her white steed.
She was a goddess who rarely smiled, always serious about everything, but when her gaze fell on Promise, a rare softness appeared in her eyes.
However, this gentleness wasn't directed at Promise himself, but rather at the "elder sister," Brynhildr, the leader of the Valkyries.
That fleeting glance years ago had etched into Thrud's memory the child carried away by the Norn of Fate, Skuld—now standing before her as Promise.
And for this child, the last remnant of Brynhildr's presence in this world, she naturally held him in the highest regard.
This was also why, upon hearing Idunn's request, she immediately stepped forward to take on this task.
In fact, even now, Thrud still didn't know exactly what Promise intended to do...
As if sensing her gaze, Promise turned his head to look at her.
Their eyes met once more.
As they sized each other up, Promise took the initiative to extend his hand to her.
"Signor... it's an honor to meet you, beautiful Valkyrie."
Thrud tilted her head slightly, clearly unsure of the meaning behind Promise's gesture, but she still reached out and lightly touched his hand and replied in a light and melodious voice, "Valkyrie—Thrud, at the command of the Goddess of Youth, Idunn.
From this moment on, I will wield my spear and raise my shield for you."
The soft morning light fell upon the two of them, as Thrud's waist-length golden hair swayed gently in the breeze.
This was Promise's first meeting with the Valkyrie, a scene as if pulled straight from the opening of a legendary tale... if not for what happened next.
"Valkyrie Thrud, there's something I'm curious about. Your ears..."
Promise blinked, staring at the feathery, wing-like ears on her head that twitched slightly.
Unable to suppress his curiosity, he couldn't help but ask, "Are they real?"
Shini glanced at the boy with a slightly speechless expression.
Was this really a question to ask upon first meeting?!
"Yes, they're real."
And the ever-serious Thrud actually answered Promise's question.
As she spoke, the feathery ears on her head twitched slightly.
"They are the tools we Valkyries use to receive signals."
Oh... so, they're like antennas?
Promise pondered this thoughtfully.
Watching the way they twitched, he couldn't help but feel a strange itch in his heart.
It was like a cat watching a teasing wand swaying in front of it.
So, in the end..
"Can I touch them?" Promise blinked his beautiful emerald eyes, looking up at Thrud with hope.
The Valkyrie was stunned for a moment, not understanding his thought process and even Shini covered her face, unable to bear watching anymore.
"Sure."
And Thrud didn't find anything particularly wrong with the request, though no one had ever touched them before.
However, she agreed and took a few steps closer to Promise.
She bent down slightly, allowing Promise to touch her feathery ears.
Little Birdie standing to the side, hesitated to speak.
She wanted to tell Promise that everything he was doing was being watched by the Norn of Fate and the Goddess of Youth.
Idunn was probably grinning from ear to ear right now.
But looking at Promise's excited expression, she decided against it.
Come to think of it, it really was true...
As Shini muttered to herself, watching this rare side of Promise, she suddenly realized that the youthful innocence on his face had never truly faded.
"How is it?"
Thrud remained calm, asking Promise as he touched her feathery ears.
"Hmm... it feels nice?"
More than nice—it was incredibly satisfying.
For a moment, Promise didn't want to let go.
"Thank you."
Thrud expressed her gratitude sincerely and straightened up.
Then, her striking crimson eyes caught the fleeting disappointment and regret on Promise's face as his hand left her ears.
Seeing this, Thrud couldn't help but feel a strange sense of amusement she had never experienced before.
It caused her to let out a soft, inadvertent laugh.
"Let's go."
Then she turned and said to Promise. seaʀᴄh thё NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"By the way, following the Goddess of Youth's orders, where are we headed?"
Facing the question, Promise, walking beside her, replied naturally, "To Midgard, to gather materials and forge new golden hair for the honorable goddess of harvest."
Upon hearing this, Thrud stopped immediately.
She turned her head to look at Promise again, her eyes widening slightly, clearly surprised.
"What's wrong?" Promise asked, puzzled by her sudden halt.
"...Nothing."
Suppressing her surprise, the Valkyrie shook her head and answered.
Only Shini, perched on Promise's shoulder, was left with unspoken words.
She really wanted to tell Promise that the goddess of harvest he spoke of—Sif, one of the twelve major gods of Asgard and the wife of Thor—was, in fact, the mother of this Valkyrie with the beautiful golden hair...
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