Following the successful operation at Baragor Fortress, Farran and his party hurried back to Mj?llnirshús to reunite with Málóei, their leader and key companion. Meanwhile, the news of Prince Torvin’s death sent shockwaves throughout the land of Midgard.
The Kingdom of Amirfar, under King Arkhad's rule, had lost its greatest ally, the people of ?xenmark, after Commander Hrolf perished at Torvin's hands. This event came as a welcome relief to the allied kingdoms of Allasia and Iceland, who were currently embroiled in a great war against Amirfar.
This morning, Marino (The Orange Knight)—one of Farran’s primary companions—awoke early to stroll through the bustling morning market. Ever since Gripr, the jovial dwarven merchant, became a counselor to village leader Málóei, the town had transformed into a commercial hub crowded with merchants of various races: humans, dwarves, and even a handful of wood elves.
Marino strolled along the market path, his sharp gaze scanning the long rows of stalls lining both sides. Food and various weapons were densely packed together on display. Clothing stalls appeared periodically, alongside several shops selling wooden boats. The entire scene made it clear that the village had truly become a center of trade.
Our mustachioed warrior, however, was more fastidious than one might expect. He had walked around the market more than twice but had yet to purchase anything. It wasn't until she ventured deep into a quieter corner, away from the chaotic main area, that he found a stall selling metal jewelry. The shop was owned by a young couple who appeared polite and quite trustworthy.
Marino reached out and picked up a gold brooch, examining it in silence.
“You have quite a sharp eye, handsome mustachioed sir. This piece is the work of a High Elf artisan,” the petite, short-haired wife said, speaking rather familiarly to the Orange Knight.
Marino glanced at her before issuing a quiet warning. “Selling High Elf goods in this village—is that really a good idea? This land has always been an enemy of Alfheimr.”
The merchant woman smiled faintly. “You seem well-aware of the situation, sir. I wonder, what exactly is happening in Alfheimr?”
The conversation proceeded smoothly, like a chat between close confidants. Suddenly, however, the one acting as the husband stepped into the middle of them and spoke in a flat tone.
“You two, there's no need to keep up this act. There are only the three of us here.”
The 'husband' then took a step back, allowing the other two to scan the surroundings, confirming that indeed, only the three of them were gathered in the area.
In truth, all three of them were Valkyries of Asgard—Marino was in fact Marin, the muscular merchant was Lydia, and the petite shopkeeper was Ida, each concealed beneath their assumed roles.
Marin paused before pointing a finger at the merchant. “Lydia, you’re disguised as a man, yet you didn't even bother to wear a mustache?”
The mustachioed warrior spoke with great familiarity, calling the other party by a woman's name—how could that possibly be the name of a male merchant?
“According to Lady Lylith’s orders, I was supposed to play the role of the wife, not her,” Lydia explained the original plan they were given. However, upon arriving at the location, Ida had decided to swap their roles without hesitation.
Ida let out a faint sigh before retorting wearily, “Marin, just look at me. Lady Lylith actually wanted me to play the merchant husband and have Lydia be my wife.”
Ida’s frame was delicate and slender, and she was much shorter than Lydia—her head barely reaching the other woman's shoulder.
“But didn't Lady Lylith tell you to disguise yourself as a dwarven merchant?” Lydia added.
Ida shook her head slightly before snapping back, “If I were to play a dwarf, I’d certainly be the tallest dwarf in this village. That would stand out even more!”
“Not necessarily, Ida… not necessarily,” Marin said, shaking her head gently. Her tone was calm, yet the denial carried a hidden meaning—implying that Ida was actually shorter than some dwarves.
“Having me as the wife and Lydia as the husband makes sense. Look at her—she doesn't even need a mustache to look like a man,” Ida said, her sharp tongue slipping out without her realizing it.
Lydia suddenly stepped toward Ida, glaring at her with clear displeasure.
“Alright, alright, let’s get back to business,” Marin interrupted. “Right now, in Alfheimr, the battle between the god Modi and the god Vidar is temporarily suspended. Dodan’s army will abandon Ainen-dor Fortress and return to Midgard shortly.”
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“Eh? Then why didn't they just return with you all at once?” Ida asked curiously.
“Dodan likely wants to destroy Ainen-dor Fortress first, so they won’t have to fight to seize the place again next time,” explained Marin, who had now become a figure of some importance in Dodan’s army as the Orange Knight.
“Hah! They’re going to destroy the whole fortress? These dwarves are truly barbaric,” Ida criticized the news she just heard.
“If you want to talk about destroying the fortress, it was already ruined the moment they started raising boars in the castle, to be honest,” Marin said, recalling the state of Ainen-dor Fortress when the dwarves occupied it.
“And what is Dodan’s next plan? Do you know?” Lydia asked.
“I do… upon returning to Midgard this time, our duty is to seek out the Belt of Power, Megingj?re, at all costs,” Marin informed her two friends so they could report back to Lylith, the leader of all their Valkyries.
“And where are you going to look for it?” Ida wondered.
“According to the god Modi, he firmly believes that since this Belt of Power was in the mouth of the giant serpent J?rmungandr after its battle with the god Thor, when it fell from Asgard, it must have certainly landed in Midgard,” Marin shared what she had heard directly from Dodan himself.
“But where exactly? Midgard is vast,” Ida said, feeling frustrated by the vague clue.
“Ida, do you remember? There is a lake that shares a name with the giant serpent, J?rmungandr, right on the border between the Kingdom of Allasia and the Kingdom of Amirfar,” Marin pointed out the most likely location.
“Searching for a single belt in a massive lake? No one has even been able to dive to the bottom of it yet,” Ida grimaced.
“That’s true. Because Dodan himself believes that in the past, the god Magni likely searched that lake as thoroughly as possible already,” Marin continued sharing the reasoning she had heard from the strongest dwarf.
“If you can't find it, that’s fine too. The battle between Modi and Vidar will just be postponed indefinitely,” Lydia said, looking on the bright side.
“If that were the case, it would be well and good,” Marin said solemnly. “But think deeper. If the god Modi is hoping to rely on the Belt of Power to face the god Vidar in their next battle, it means that deep down, he is no longer confident he can defeat Vidar with his own strength.”
She paused for a moment, letting the weight of those words sink in.
“And when that is the case… the outcome of this battle is almost a foregone conclusion.”
This conclusion was not something Marin had stated arbitrarily. She had pondered it over and over, filtering it through careful reasoning, and had even discussed it with Farran and their other companions previously.
“Meaning that if the Belt of Power isn't found, the High Elves will be the winners, right?” Ida took the conclusion a step further, as the god Vidar had always sided with the High Elves.
The three of them immediately fell silent. None of them supported the god Vidar, and there was a strong possibility that if he defeated Modi, his next target would be Asgard.
“Right! And how is Asgard doing?” Marin abruptly changed the atmosphere by asking about the home she had left behind to serve as an investigator on Modi’s side.
“Not too long ago, four Frost Giants invaded Asgard, but in the end, they were all eliminated,” Lydia, the powerfully built Valkyrie, replied.
“How did Frost Giants invade Asgard?” Marin asked in surprise.
“Two of them could fly, and each flying giant carried another monster with them,” Lydia explained the details.
“And how many did you kill, Lydia?” Marin, who was stationed here and not in Asgard, predicted the situation, believing firmly that the mighty Lydia surely played a part in eliminating those monsters.
“None at all…” Ida interjected immediately. “That day, this muscle-lady invited me to deal with Ashuran, the three-headed, six-armed giant, just the two of us in the High Ice Mountains. And do you know what happened?”
“What happened?” Marin asked reflexively.
“This one tripped over a block of ice and dropped her signature axe into a deep ravine! We had to spend four days and four nights searching for it before we finally found it. By the time we got back to Asgard, those four Frost Giants had already been killed by Lady Lylith two days prior,” Ida recounted at length, making the story sound like a massive ordeal.
“And did you eliminate Ashuran?” Marin asked about the original goal of their journey.
“What do you think! We were gone for four days. Once we found her axe, we had to rush back immediately. In the end, we were even punished by Lady Lylith with three days in the dungeon. My luck is just the absolute worst,” Ida vividly described her suffering to her close friend Marin.
Hearing Ida mention the dungeon made Marin think of Vina, the newest Valkyrie, who had previously been imprisoned at Valh?llsv?r, the Valkyrie headquarters. “And Lady Vina? Any problems?”
Although Vina was the newest Valkyrie right now, she was the biological younger sister of Lady Lylith and had also served as a Valkyrie in ancient times. Therefore, referring to her with respect was something Marin was happy to do.
“Vina has no problems. But as for you, I’m not so sure,” Ida said, her tone turning suspicious again.
“Me? Have a problem?” Marin countered immediately.
“Vina is much more clever than you and Lydia combined. When you finish your work here and go back, that position as the leader of various meetings you used to love… you won’t have a chance at it anymore,” Ida described Vina’s situation in a way stranger than anyone would expect.
“Ha ha!” Lydia couldn't help but laugh out loud at what Ida said.
Seeing Lydia laugh, Marin couldn't help but laugh along. Then all three of them laughed in unison.
But it was Marin who stopped laughing first and said, “Ha ha, I really miss you guys.”
Suddenly, a golden-bearded dwarf in noble attire passed nearby. He didn't walk like most people, but chose to hop and skip as if dancing. The three Valkyries were startled but tried to maintain their composure.
Marin quickly put on a stern voice. “For a small item like this, you’re selling it to me for two gold coins? That won't do.”
“Sir… this item is the work of a High Elf artisan,” the petite merchant replied.
Suddenly, the golden-bearded dwarf in noble attire came and grabbed Marin’s shoulder, saying, “Which one caught your eye, Orange Knight?”
Marin pointed to the crooked metal brooch in the petite merchant’s hand.
This golden-bearded dwarf was none other than Gripr, the famous counselor to the leader of Iceland. He picked up the brooch, held it close to his face, and examined it thoroughly while thinking to himself:
"This brooch is the work of a High Elf artisan? This brooch costs two gold coins? And there’s actually someone who likes this thing?"
Then, Gripr grabbed the coin pouch at his waist, took out two gold coins, handed them to the merchant, and presented the brooch to the Orange Knight.
Marin made a gesture to refuse the gift.
“Don’t refuse this small gift,” Gripr said with a wide smile.
Lydia shot Marin a look, signaling for her to accept it. Marin then took the brooch.
Gripr smiled happily before saying, “Master Orange Knight, please follow me. I will show you around this market myself. Who knows, we might find another brooch even more beautiful than this one!”
With that, Gripr grabbed Marin’s arm and led her away, leaving the "husband and wife" merchants to continue their business in that vast, empty space.