TL: Tsubak
ED:
"I really like Tae Ho master!"
The first thing Nidhogg did after putting down the keyboard and the mouse was run towards Tae Ho. But there was a swift hand that looked as if someone was snatching the prey. It was Adenmaha.
"I told you to differentiate the time and place, didn't I?"
Adenmaha stopped Nidhogg from hugging Tae Ho by grabbing her clothes and said with sharp eyes. The battle had just ended and there was a high probability for them to start speaking about Asgard after Odin and Vedrfolnir arrived.
And most of all, there was a need to fix her habit that tried to hug Tae Ho wherever she wanted.
But Nidhogg just blinked at few times at Adenmaha's scolding and then smiled brightly.
"Then at least Adenmaha!"
"At least? You really!"
"I like your whines. Hey, where did you learn....Kyak! Where are you touching?!"
Nidhogg embraced Adenmaha so she raised her voice and struggled.
And there was someone that looked that scene with warm eyes.
'Why is it. Usually, I would be looking at them with a satisfied look but why is it that only tears come out?'
Fortunately, the only one that could hear Cuchulainn's dispirited voice was Tae Ho. Hraesvelg, that had no way to know about Cuchulainn's loss of strength, looked at Nidhogg with a complicated look and then turned to look at Tae Ho.
"Idun's commander, predecessor of the great hero. Before going into details, may I speak with Nidhogg?"
Odin and Vedrfolnir were yet to arrive. Tae Ho turned to look at Odin's side for a moment and nodded.
"It's fine if she says so."
"It's fine. I wanted to speak with Hraesvelg for a long time!"
Nidhogg agreed immediately. Adenmaha gave up struggling in her embrace and dropped her shoulders. It was obvious as Nidhogg's essence was also strong, compared to Adenmaha when she was in her Goddess appearance.
Hraesvelg let out a sigh and fixed his expression. It was an expression suitable of the king of the highest branch.
"Vedrfolnir."
Hraesvelg said in a low voice as soon as Odin and Vedrfolnir arrived. Vedrfolnir understood his meaning just with the look in his eyes and tone and bowed.
"Yes, my king. I will prepare it."
Vedrfolnir started to recite a chant in a low voice. Hraesvelg then spoke to Odin.
"Odin, I will first take care of this side."
"Do it. I will wait."
The God of magic Odin realized what magic Vedrfolnir was preparing with a glance. Because of that, he agreed to Hraesvelg's request without even thinking about it. It was because what she was going to do now would be of help and not obstruct them the slightest.
Hraesvelg spoke to Nidhogg once again.
"Nidhogg, Vedrfolnir has the ability to read the memories of the one she touches. May we look at your memories?"
Nidhogg blinked at the polite question and then turned to look at Tae Ho and Adenmaha as if trying to get an answer.
Tae Ho nodded and Adenmaha whispered in a low voice.
"Do it if you want to, and don't if you don't want it."
The right to choice was on Nidhogg.
She thought for a moment and then let Adenmaha go from her embrace. She then faced Hraesvelg with a slightly nervous expression.
"It's fine if you read my memories. What do I have to do?"
"The only things we will be able to read will be the things that appear on the surface of your consciousness. That's why you just have to think about Ratatoskr."
"I understand, I will try."
Nidhogg closed her eyes tight and started to think about Ratatoskr. Then, her eyebrows twitched and put on a depressed expression like she would cry at any moment.
This side of Nidhogg was still too unfamiliar for Vedrfolnir. She showed bewilderment for a moment and then grabbed Nidhogg's hand.
Hraesvelg approached Vedrfolnir and grabbed her arm. It was to see Nidhogg's memories with Vedrfolnir as the medium.
It didn't last that long. After about twenty minutes passed, Vedrfolnir opened her eyes with an exhausted look. There was sympathy and pity in her eyes rather than bewilderment.
And that was also the same for Hraesvelg. He stroke Nidhogg's head swiftly and said gently.
"It must have been hard on you, Nidhogg."
"I'm fine now. I have Tae Ho master, Cuchulainn oppa, Adenmaha and Odin-nim."
Nidhogg smiled like a fool. She leaned her head a bit towards Hraesvelg's big hand as if she didn't dislike it.
"Right, how good."
Hraesvelg stroke her head a few more times and then turned towards Odin. His eyes now had bluntness instead of pity.
"Odin, I want to take care of Ratatoskr before speaking about the alliance. Can you wait for me?"
"Of course."
Odin also agreed this time. There was an order to all things, and Odin also thought that they had to take care of Ratatoskr before talking about the alliance.
Hraesvelg's original body flew up.
The place he headed to was the outskirts of the highest branch, the place where Ratatoskr was resting.
&
Hraesvelg's movements weren't stealthy at all. The gale generated by the stroke of his wings swept the sky and the ground and was so strong that you could realize that the king of birds was approaching even from far away.
Ratatoskr curled down and trembled. The groans and screams from Ratatoskr became louder along the sound of the wings that also increased.
Ratatoskr wanted to flee right now, but its feet didn't move. It was because Odin had placed several seals before he departed.
It couldn't flee even though death was approaching.
Ratatoskr started to sweat like rain and finally, the king of birds arrived.
"H, hiiik!"
Ratatoskr started to breathe roughly and curled down at the huge shadow that covered everything. It couldn't face the white eagle that was looking down at it.
But it was impossible to ignore him forever.
"Ratatoskr."
Hraesvelg called it out. Ratatoskr grinded its teeth and then raised its head. It yelled as if cursing.
"I was wrong! I was wrong! No, it's not my fault! It's rather yours!"
There was fear and rage in Ratatoskr's face. It glared at Hraesvelg and cried.
"You wanted it! You wanted Nidhogg to be an overwhelmingly evil existence! For your long enemy to be a strong existence! That's why I did it! I just said words you wanted to hear!"
"This bastard.....!"
Vedrfolnir got enraged but it was different for Hraesvelg. He didn't lose his composure until the end. THere wasn't even a slightest bit of trembling in his eyes when he extended his big hand to restrain Vedrfolnir.
"Ratatoskr. There's something you are misunderstanding."
The calm voice that was heard from the sky made Ratatoskr shut its mouth. Ratatoskr felt a terrible fear at the voice even though it didn't contain killing intent or rage.
Hraesvelg continued speaking.
"It's true that I hoped for that. It's true that I wanted my destined enemy to be a strong one and had the rights for me to defeat it. But even so, there's something that hasn't changed."
The essence of its sin.
The biggest mistake Ratatoskr made.
"It's that you have toyed with the king of the highest branch for a really long time."
He didn't force him to say that it was a lie.
What Ratatoskr wanted was real information about Nidhogg, not fake stories that would satisfy his vanity.
Ratatoskr had gained many things by telling stories about Nidhogg. He enjoyed the wealth and prosperity in the highest branch for a really long time.
"And one more thing."
Displeasement appeared in Hraesvelg's voice for the first time. And that was something obvious.
Hraesvelg also had a bit of fault as he got tricked by Ratatoskr. He couldn't completely blame it.
But what it was different to the thing he would say now.
Hraesvelg, that wanted to resemble the warriors of the temple and the great hero, hated injustice and favored justice. You could say that it was a quality he was born with.
That's why Hraesvelg got furious. He expressed a greater displeasure than when he got toyed with.
"Why did you harass Nidhogg?"
His voice was cold. It was like a cold fire.
Ratatoskr couldn't even breathe properly and this time, it couldn't even make an excuse.
"You had no proper reason to harass her. What did you gain by doing that? Aside from filling up your desire."
He had just read a fragment of Nidhogg's memory but it was terrible and cruel. One could thing that it was merely a childish prank but Hraesvelg didn't think like that. It was a harass that had continued for a thousand years.
ABusing and toying the one that only looked at it earnestly.
He couldn't forgive it. Hraesvelg released his aura and the entire highest branch shook as if reacting to the rage of its king.
Ratatoskr let out suffocating sounds. That was the only thing it could do.
He would die.
He would really die now.
Ratatoskr was filled with anger. Just what had he done wrong? Why did it have to die like this!
"You can't kill it!"
A voice was heard at that time. It was Nidhogg. She hurriedly grabbed Hraesvelg's arm and pledged while bowing.
"Y, you can't kill it. No. Save Ratatoskr. I'm begging you."
Nidhogg was crying. It was hard to explain but Ratatoskr was a precious existence for her. It was because Ratatoskr was the only one that had visited her regardless of the situation.
Hraesvelg looked at Nidhogg with regretful eyes and Odin also said.
"I'm also opposed to killing Ratatoskr. It still has its uses."
There was also something they had to investigate.
Hraesvelg nodded. He had already known that Nidhogg and Odin would stop him.
"I want to tear you to shreds for having toyed with me for a long time but I will leave your execution for now. I will trap you in a prison for now."
"No! No! I don't want to! Nidhogg! Save me! Help!"
Ratatoskr's despair got farther. Nidhogg breathed roughly and Hraesvelg's big hand got placed in her head.
"Nidhogg."
Nidhogg raised her head and looked at Hraesvelg. He spoke to the one connected by fate with him in a low voice.
"That doesn't change. Rather than thanking you for having saved its life, it would be blaming you instead. Saying that all of this happened because you got out of the roots."
There were people that won't change in the world. It's nature, that harassed Nidhogg for a thousand years, was like a rotten sewer. It was impossible to make it change.
"I...know."
Nidhogg mumbled with a depressed face. She also knew this fact. That's why she couldn't help but cry.
"Right, that's enough then."
Hraesvelg stroke her head a few more times and let out a long sigh. He faced Odin and Tae Ho once again as a king.
"The conversation became long. Let's return now and talk about the alliance."
He would keep the promise.
Hraesvelg's original body flew up once again.
&
The talk about the alliance didn't last that long compared to what they thought. It was because Hraesvelg requested to rest for a moment.
Taking back Asgard wasn't an easy thing. Odin gladly accepted that proposal as Niflheim and Midgard also had to cooperate. He used his crows to transmit the news to the two places.
Because of that, Tae Ho relaxed at the lodging Hraesvelg decided for him. The room that had a high ceiling and had a big terrace was a really fantastic scenery but he couldn't enjoy it properly.
'Right, it's time to rest by now.'
He had kept running since he left the roots.
And he finally reached the rest point. He had entered the turning point that was Asgard's recapture.
He had spent an overwhelming amount of power of a God against the battle against Hraesvelg and the mental fatigue he had accumulated and had been ignored flowed down all at once so he felt like he would collapse at any moment.
Tae Ho lied down in the bed that was placed alone in the middle of the room. He took out Heda's letter instead of falling asleep immediately.
Idun's and Heda's story.
The letter of the two people that was filled with worry towards him.
Heda believed that Tae Ho would be alive. She was earnestly craving for it and that was the same for Idun.
But now, he got able to go to rescue the two of them. There was no need to bury his worry towards them.
'Hello once again?'
He felt like he could hear Heda's voice and the gentle smile of Idun popped up in his head.
Nidhogg glanced at that Tae Ho from a distance. She sat at the entrance of Tae Ho's room and mumbled with a depressed face.
"Heda is too strong. I don't think I will be able to beat her....."
She didn't know if beating was the correct expression but she felt like that. A voice was heard next to her the moment she dropped her shoulders with a teary face.
"What about Adenmaha?"
"Adenmaha.....mm, I think I will be able to beat her."
"Because she is easy to deal with?"
"Yes, she is eas.....no, no. She's not. Not at all. I will say that she's not!"
Nidhogg, that had been mumbling unconsciously at herself, stood up and hurriedly denied it. However it was too late. Adenmaha, that sat next to Nidhogg and spoke with a voice to induce an answer from her, spoke with a fierce voice.
"You will? Ugh, you really!"
"It hurts! Hurts! Hurts!"
The war between dragons that has resumed once again.
Usually, Cuchulainn would have already cracked a joke by now but he was silent today. It was because he was thinking about his only master.
Tae Ho closed his eyes slowly. He then hit his chest twice and said in a low voice.
"For Asgard and the nine realms."
And for Idun and Heda.
The morning after four days.
The black dragon Nidhogg and the king of birds Hraesvelg left the highest branch and headed to Midgard.
< Episode 41 - The highest branch (7) > End
TL note: Thanks for reading~