After all, Skuld understood exactly what Promise meant by his words.
And she also knew that he wasn't exaggerating at all.
After all, from the very beginning, when Shini had told Promise about Loki's prank of cutting off Sif's hair a few days ago, with a tone that seemed to relish the drama while also expressing disdain for Loki, the god of Trickery,
Promise had recalled this legend from Norse mythology.
To appease the god of thunder, Thor's wrath and avoid being chased endlessly, Loki went to the realm of the dwarves and found a skilled dwarf to craft a magical golden mane for Sif, one that could grow naturally.
That golden mane was made from an extremely rare material, golden thread.
It was a treasure even the gods acknowledged as precious.
Thus, the focus of Promise's trial wasn't merely forging a golden mane for Goddess Sif to obtain the branch of Yggdrasil, the brush of this world.
What Promise needed to offer was something even rarer, in a sense, than the treasure acknowledged by the gods.
Only then could he receive Goddess Sif's blessing.
In other words, in this matter, his opponent was none other than the god of mischief himself.
The trickster god of Norse mythology, Loki!
And this was why the Norn of Fate, Skuld smiled.
Because, from Promise's seemingly casual words, she really sensed the future he spoke of.
A future beyond the fate she had foreseen!
And this was the very reason Skuld had been so focused on Promise, the anticipation she had held all along.
"Let me ask you again, have you made up your mind?" Thus, Skuld asked Promise once more, and this time, the smile on her face faded and her expression grew more serious.
After all, this was the expectation of a goddess.
And she wasn't the kind, adorable Goddess of Fate who had always been by Promise's side.
Skuld had waited with anticipation, patiently biding her time until this moment.
From the moment she saw Yggdrasil burning and the figure standing before it, Skuld had waited over a decade for Promise.
Therefore, she did not want to be disappointed.
Nor could she even guarantee that, if Promise really disappointed her, she... would not unleash her divine wrath!
"Yes."
However, Promise's reply remained calm and steady as she looked at the goddess in front of her, meeting her gaze, he smiled, saying, "I will offer a tribute to that goddess, and in doing so, I will take the first step on my journey in this world.
It's just... goddesses, I will need some help with this matter."
Idunn glanced at Promise, then at Skuld, who had now put away her smile.
Though she sensed that the atmosphere at this moment had grown somewhat strange, she couldn't quite figure out what was wrong.
Thus, she simply turned back to look at Promise again, waiting to hear what he would say next.
"As you can see, I am so weak that even a gust of wind could knock me over... I even once had a contest of strength with a beautiful girl, only to be easily defeated by her. It's a memory that has stayed with me to this day..."
Promise spread his hands.
Faced with this reality, now he had chosen to embrace it fully.
After all, he had come to fully understand that struggling against this matter was completely pointless.
And if it was pointless, why bother struggling?
The two goddesses and the little bird quickly understood the meaning behind Promise's words.
They looked at the frail young boy in front of them, who seemed as though a gentle breeze could topple him.
At that moment, both Shini and the goddess of Youth, Idunn suddenly came to their senses, realizing just how weak and delicate Promise was, something they had almost entirely overlooked until now.
And as this realization dawned,
The little bird Shini couldn't help but laugh out loud in front of the two goddesses.
But even as she laughed, a question lingered in her mind.
Because she couldn't recall when Promise had ever met a girl.
As far as she knew, there were only two people by his side,
The first one was Sigurd and other person was the dwarf Mime.
"Yes, I know."
Skuld remained calm about this, saying, "That's why I've had her stay by your side."
As she spoke, she glanced at Shini, who was perched on her shoulder.
"Her?"
Promise pointed at the little bird, who was secretly covering her mouth and giggling, and spoke with a pout. "I don't trust her."
'Guys with the same character as Brother Horse will sooner or later be included in my grudge list!'
"Hey!"
Hearing his words, Shini flapped her wings, glaring at Promise.
She was so angry that if it weren't for the fact that the two goddesses were standing right there, she would have pecked a few bumps into Promise's head!
"Journey... child, are you leaving the realm of the dwarves?"
Idunn blinked a few times, thinking about this, and asked the boy.
Promise, of course, had no reason to hide this and nodded in response. "To offer that tribute to Goddess Sif, I need to travel to Midgard to gather materials."
After hearing his words, Idunn lowered her head in thought for a moment, then looked up at Skuld, speaking with a smile. "Skuld, leave this matter to me. After all, I was the one who sought this child's help.
I promise you, I won't let him suffer even the slightest harm on this journey!"
Looking at the serious look of the goddess in front of her, Skuld actually understood in her heart that Idunn had misunderstood some things.
For example, she had mistaken Promise for Skuld's devotee.
But Skuld didn't bother to explain.
After all, to be honest, when it came to matters of fate, Promise did have a complicated relationship with her.
And so, the dream ended.
Promise and the little bird Shini were once again enveloped in the mist, their consciousness descending from the sanctuary and returning to the cave of the dwarf Mime in the realm of the dwarves.
Meanwhile, Idunn left and headed to a grand palace in the kingdom of Asgard.
This was the hall where the souls of Norse heroes gathered—the Hall of the Einherjar!
Idunn's purpose for coming here wasn't to seek the souls of heroes.
Rather, it was to find the Valkyries—those majestic and beautiful warriors who rode white steeds, shuttling between the Hall of the Einherjar and Midgard.
Faced with the arrival of the Goddess of Youth, the Valkyries naturally greeted her with respect.
When they learned of her request, the Valkyries looked at each other in astonishment, somewhat surprised that Idunn had come on behalf of a mortal child.
But upon hearing that Promise was Sigurd's younger brother, the descendant of the great hero who once wielded the holy sword, and that he had become a devotee of the most mysterious Norn of Fate, they all grew intrigued.
Just as several Valkyries were eagerly preparing to volunteer,
"Leave this matter to me."
A cool, composed voice rang out.
Under the slightly surprised gazes of the other Valkyries, a strikingly beautiful blonde Valkyrie stepped forward, her expression calm as she approached Idunn.
Even among the crowd of stunningly beautiful and dignified Valkyries, her presence stood out like a crane among chickens—she was clearly exceptional.
And she was none other than the Valkyrie who, with a sorrowful expression, had ridden her white steed to take Brynhildr away.
The most outstanding among the Valkyries, second only to Brynhildr herself.
The Valkyrie who had glanced at Promise from afar when Skuld carried him away—Þrúðr (Thrud)!
When Idunn saw that it was Thrud, who had stepped forward, her reaction was equally surprised.
Because in Norse mythology,
Thrud held a special identity.
This was also one of the reasons she was the most outstanding Valkyrie after Brynhildr.
Brynhildr was the daughter of Odin, the King of the Gods.
And Thrud?
She was the daughter of Sif, the goddess of harvest, and Thor, the God of Thunder!