"What did you just say?"
"What kind of talk is that?"
This time, it was Thor's turn to glare at Ronan.
"Who are you calling a weakling?"
"I'm a real man!"
Thor threw his hammer straight into Ronan's arms and flexed his muscular physique for emphasis.
He even added a small, subtle move—lowering his head slightly, as if anticipating Ronan would collapse under the weight of the hammer.
However, there was no trace of Ronan on the ground.
Surprised, Thor looked to his side, only to find that Ronan had disappeared. His hammer had somehow landed in front of Frigga, with Ronan casually standing beside it, whistling.
While whistling, Ronan even gave Frigga a knowing look.
"Look at your good son... He just tried to kill me!"
Frigga chuckled softly, clearly amused by Ronan. She truly had a fondness for this clever young man.
Bright children often gained the affection of their elders.
And with Frigga's age, she could be Ronan's great-great-great-great-great-grandmother!
So, just imagine how many generations she'd seen.
"Hey, how did you know there was something special about my hammer?"
Thor, being straightforward, voiced his curiosity. This had been bugging him the most.
On Earth, every Avenger had tried lifting the hammer, and aside from Steve Rogers managing to budge it a little, no one else could.
Plus, Thor had used the hammer for countless pranks.
But how did Ronan figure it out?
"Was that hard to guess?"
"A few years ago, my teacher noticed that the Bifrost had suddenly activated, so she sent me to investigate."
"I only saw a man in tight clothing fall from the sky, almost getting hit by a car."
"Oh, and by the way, I recorded the whole thing. If you want, I can help jog your memory."
Ronan casually pulled out his phone, waving it in front of Thor.
That was probably one of the most embarrassing moments of Thor's life.
Oh wait—he had even more embarrassing moments after that.
"You recorded it?"
Thor didn't say much, but Frigga, who stood beside him, seemed genuinely interested.
"That's right, I saved it on my phone. Would you like to see it?"
Ronan skillfully navigated through his files and found the video.
Unfortunately, the resolution from back then wasn't great, but it was enough to make out Thor's face.
"Oh my..."
"I would love to see how Thor lived on Earth."
Frigga's excitement was like that of a mother discovering her child's embarrassing past. The joy was written all over her face, barely contained.
Ronan happily obliged and played a video titled "Free Fall," handing the phone over to Frigga.
The first clip in the video was Thor crashing to the ground from the sky.
Thud!
And the sound of him getting hit by a car was particularly loud.
"Oh!"
"Is that the girl you dated on Earth?"
"She's quite pretty."
Frigga quickly noticed Jane Foster running toward Thor.
Praising the girl's beauty was also a subtle way of complimenting her son's taste.
Whether Ronan did it intentionally or not, the next clip showed Thor and Jane kissing passionately.
Seeing Thor's intense, deep French kiss, Frigga couldn't help but smile—almost like an auntie, but more of a proud mother.
"Wow!"
"It seems my son has truly grown up."
Frigga gave Thor a knowing look. Her message was clear without needing further words.
However, Odin was already starting to look displeased.
As the God of Thunder and the future King of Asgard, Thor had fallen in love with a mortal from Midgard.
That was something Odin couldn't tolerate.
The vast difference in their lifespans alone ensured they would never have a happy ending.
"Mother!"
Thor couldn't take it anymore. He rushed over and snatched Ronan's phone from Frigga's hands.
Crack!
In one swift motion, Thor crushed Ronan's phone into pieces with his bare hands!
As the pieces fell to the ground, Thor finally looked relieved.
His embarrassing history had finally been destroyed.
"Thor, that was very rude of you."
"Why would you break someone's belongings?"
Frigga was clearly displeased with Thor's behavior.
She hadn't even gotten a good look at her future daughter-in-law, and Thor had already smashed the phone!
Of course, with Odin standing nearby, Frigga couldn't say that outright, so she came up with an excuse.
"Mother..."
Thor sighed helplessly, glancing at Frigga. He could argue with his father, but he couldn't talk back to his mother.
So, he resorted to almost pleading.
"It's fine, really. I'm a cautious person. I keep backups of things like that."
"If you'd like to see it, I can send you a copy later."
"Though, this phone..."
Ronan gave his phone a regretful look.
In truth, he was absolutely thrilled inside!
He had been wanting to replace that old phone for ages, but he never had enough money saved up.
Now, thanks to Thor, he had a perfect excuse!
He could finally get a new phone!
And best of all, it might be free!
"Thor."
At that moment, Odin, who had remained silent for a while, finally spoke.
His words immediately put an end to this little "drama."
Thor quickly lowered his head and fell silent.
"The sorcerers of Kamar-Taj are our allies. They, like us, protect Midgard."
"You should show respect to our friends."
Though Odin's words seemed directed at Thor, they were also meant for the Ancient One.
And perhaps even for Ronan.
"Yes, Father."
Thor obediently took the scolding.
After all, he had grown somewhat in recent years. At least now, he knew better than to argue in front of guests.
"Alright, everyone, you may leave."
Odin waved at the soldiers standing on either side of the hall.
What came next was not meant for their ears.
As the soldiers filed out one by one, the little spectacle came to an end, and the conversation returned to the main topic.
"Sorcerer Supreme, soon, the Nine Realms will align once again."
"When that happens, Midgard will experience strange phenomena."
"If anything happens, we'll need your assistance."
Odin brought up a matter of moderate importance.
Ronan quietly stepped back behind the Ancient One, his mind wandering to other thoughts.
If the Nine Realms aligning was the only issue, Odin wouldn't have gone out of his way to dismiss both Ronan and Thor earlier.
After all, Thor was already aware of this event.
So, this topic was just the appetizer—the real issue was yet to come.
"Ronan will handle it. If he can't, I'll step in."
The Ancient One nodded, subtly pushing Ronan into the spotlight.
Odin glanced at Ronan, offering no objections.
No objection meant approval.
Odin then turned his gaze to his son, Thor Odinson.
He wasn't sure how Thor would react upon learning the full scope of the situation.
But...
Odin steeled himself.
If the Ancient One trusted a sixteen-year-old with this, surely his son, several hundred years old, could handle it as well.
He had to trust his son!
"There is one more thing I believe the Sorcerer Supreme is already aware of."
"In ancient prophecy, it is said that one day, Asgard will face Ragnarok—the Twilight of the Gods."
"And now, I can feel it... the prophecy is nearing fulfillment!"