"You ate it...? You actually ate it...?" She was completely stunned.
Shirou raised a brow, asking, "Lady Ortlinde, is there something you haven't told me? What exactly was that stone slab?"
"Stone slab... Stone slab," Thrud mumbled, lost in thought. Then her eyes widened as she looked at Ortlinde and asked, "Sis, could that stone slab be the one Ymir had?"
"Of course! What else could it be?" Ortlinde replied anxiously. She turned to Shirou, "Your Majesty, you really ate it?"
He nodded, patting his stomach. "I did."
"Can you spit it back out?"
"Afraid not," he shook his head.
Asking someone to vomit up something they ate was rather vulgar. But it showed how important that slab must be. He thought he understood this world, yet key information still seemed to be with Skadi and Ortlinde.
"Is that thing really important?" He asked.
"This..." Ortlinde caught herself.
Some things shouldn't be said. She had just lost her composure and revealed too much. She really was still immature, Ortlinde scolded herself inwardly. She shook her head and said, "It's nothing, just a very powerful mana crystal."
Thrud wanted to say more but Ortlinde silenced her with a look.
"I see, that's good to hear," he nodded.
Of course, Shirou had already noticed the slab's importance. However, since he had consumed it already, having him spit it back out was impossible.
Ortlinde collected herself. Shirou eating the stone slab from Nidhogg was truly beyond her expectations. But it was still better than it landing in Surtr and Hel's hands.
She recollected herself and chatted amiably with him for a bit longer.
"Right, I still have a companion who Lady Hildr stopped down in Midgard. Can you let her up?"
He was referring to Salter.
"Of course, friends from Chaldea are always welcome here. Though we can't persuade Lady Hildr. The only one who can change her mind is Lady Skadi. But once she falls asleep, without an emergency, she generally won't awaken..."
Ortlinde trailed off, but he understood her meaning.
He nodded, "Then let her wait in Midgard for now."
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty."
At this time—
"Ortlinde..."
A soft, gentle voice suddenly rang out from the golden throne.
Everyone was caught off guard, looking over to see the sleeping Skadi, who had unexpectedly awakened from her slumber.
She mumbled softly, calling for Ortlinde.
"She's awake!"
"Lady Skadi is awake!"
The Valkyries spoke, though they maintained wooden expressions. Skadi's sudden awakening had apparently caught them by surprise.
Ortlinde was stunned for a second, then immediately walked over to stand by the throne, gently calling out, "Lady Skadi."
Skadi slowly opened her wine-red eyes, glancing around the cold, empty Great Temple. Her gaze finally settled on Shirou, "You are...?"
"Greetings, Lady Skadi. I'm a Servant from Chaldea. Pleased to meet you," he said with a smile.
He had already reverted back to his normal Saint Graph earlier, not wanting to cause trouble in his Alter state before meeting Skadi.
Skadi nodded, then slightly turned her head, her wine-red eyes gazing at Ortlinde by her side.
Ortlinde understood, nodding as she said, "Lady Skadi, he is indeed a Servant summoned by Chaldea, an ally and friend."
Skadi nodded again. The previously dazed look in her eyes faded.
She met Shirou's gaze for a moment before focusing on his face. Then she slowly raised her hand, pointing at him. "Seize him!"
Everyone was confused, "Huh?"
"Seize him for me!" she repeated.
Shirou was completely lost. "????"
The Great Temple doors creaked shut.
The Valkyries obeyed Skadi's command and quickly surrounded him.
After a brief shocked moment, Thrud also said softly, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty." She too moved to surround him.
He glanced around at the encircling Valkyries and turned slightly towards Skadi, who had risen from her throne and was pointing at him. He couldn't help but feel his heart sink.
"Lady Skadi, what is the meaning of this?" he asked. "Could it be you want to turn against Chaldea?"
"You are not someone from Chaldea," Skadi declared arrogantly, looking down at him from her place beside the throne.
He raised his eyebrows slightly, "Lady Skadi, are you judging friend from foe based solely on their Saint Graph? I'll admit I have descended as an Alter, but if that's your only criteria, is that not a bit shortsighted?"
"Not at all," she replied, "because you are the same evil being I struck down before. Your words may disguise who you are, but your mana signature cannot be faked. Also, if you were truly a Servant from Chaldea, you wouldn't be able to eat that fruit."
Skadi stretched out her fingers, pointing at the blue fruit in his hand.
His expression remained calm, but he was quite surprised inside. Skadi had remembered his mana signature from when she shot him down? And what did this fruit have to do with anything?
"Also, if Chaldea has summoned a Servant of your strength to this land, should I take that as a sign they are preparing to make a move against me? After all, Chaldea's purpose is—"
She raised her hand slightly, and faint rays of light glimmered on her slender palm. Then, a black object appeared.
Seeing it, he couldn't help crying out in surprise, "The Black Grail!"
Indeed, the object in her hand was none other than the Black Grail.
"It's actually in your hands!" he said with a frown. This was different from what he knew. What he hadn't expected was for the Black Grail, the cause of this connection point, to be in Skadi's hands.
But if Skadi already had the Black Grail, why would Chaldea be working with her?
Skadi gave no answer. She put away the Grail, her wine-red eyes looking indifferently at him. "Thrud, grab him."
"Ah...yes!" After a brief shocked moment, Thrud hesitated before taking a small step towards Shirou.
Of course, he wasn't about to let himself be captured. As Shirou turned, his body emitted a dazzling silver glow. With a wave of his hand, Rhongomyniad appeared, his body giving off an intense, sun-like aura.
Seeing Shirou enter a combat stance, Thrud panicked and didn't dare approach further. She knew well his power far surpassed her own.
"Your Majesty..." she said nervously.
"Have I been too courteous, making you think I'm a pushover?"
Glancing at Thrud who didn't dare come close, he slightly turned, his gaze settling on Skadi as he strode towards her, Rhongomyniad in hand. "You want to catch me? Just the few of you?"
He sneered, "Since you have the Black Grail, I'll be taking that back."
Shirou was no longer polite. Since the Black Grail was on Skadi, he decided to take it back first. That thing was nothing but trouble. Back in Romania, it had nearly summoned Cthulhu. It needed to be secured as fast as possible.
"Insolent!"
"Don't be rude to Lady Skadi!"
Seeing Shirou approaching Skadi, Ortlinde and the others rebuked him one after another.
However, he didn't stop. On the contrary, his terrifying aura made the Valkyries hesitate to attack recklessly. Shirou walked right up to Skadi. Standing a head taller, he lowered his gaze, his fiery eyes staring into Skadi's beautiful wine-red ones.
Despite his close proximity and Rhongomyniad in hand, Skadi's expression remained tranquil as frost and snow.
She looked at him, pondering a moment before speaking. "I know you, Eternal King."
"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows.
Skadi sat back on her throne and gazed at him, saying, "Although I don't understand why, the moment I saw you, knowledge of you filled my mind."
Hearing this, he frowned. "What are you playing at, Skadi? Did you realize provoking me is unwise, so now you try to win me over instead? That can't be right. You're no weak goddess to stoop to such things. If so, it would be a disgrace to your name."
"An absurd joke," Skadi scoffed softly. Her slender legs, clad in purple stockings, crossed as she looked at him imperiously, like a queen. "I'm telling you this to let you know there is only one ruler of the Nordic lands, and that is me!"
The moment she finished speaking, Skadi's eyes flashed with divine light. Her slender and charming figure emitted an extremely terrifying aura, stirring up snowstorms around her.
That was a goddess's divine power!
...
Get the latest chapters on my Patreon: patreon.com/bcloud