Chapter 48: Meeting My Daughter, Yggi?
Chapter 48: Meeting My Daughter, Yggi?
"Haha, sorry, Queen Shehuang," Owen said, letting out a rough chuckle. "It is just really cool that you’re a Snake Lamia. Like Loki here, we men have strange tastes compared to normal human men... And Taki Tsuki-san, my wife doesn't harbor any ill will toward you. She is a very open Elf woman. Loki, as far as claiming Tsuki-san as your Summons, don’t worry about it. Being a part of Shehuang means she is still a part of you. Honestly, I’m a bit envious..."
"Ouch~?!"
Owen yelped in sudden pain. The woman nestled in his arms had just pinched his side with precise force, while the one massaging his shoulders clamped her hands down like a vice. Gondul remained in her full battle armor while working on his shoulders, but Skogul—whom he had summoned earlier—wore only a tiny bikini, her expression a mix of shame and irritation as Owen held her close while drinking his sake.
Skogul pouted deeply, looking down at her master. "You pervert. Don’t go envying other women when I’m right here in your arms. I can feel exactly what you're thinking through our link, dummy-master."
Owen quickly held up his hands in surrender. "No way! I’m not envious of Shehuang herself. But all Men-of-Culture dream of having a monster-girl as a wife, right Loki?!"
Shehuang, currently relaxed in her true form, had coiled her massive black-scaled lower snake body into a perfectly contoured seat for me. She pressed her chest firmly into my back to serve as a soft backrest while rubbing my shoulders, clearly competing with Gondul's massage. A deeply blushing Taki Tsuki sat in my lap, carefully pouring sake for me like a doting wife, actively vying against Skogul for the title of best lap server. To crown the absurdly decadent scene, Yin Meng was kneeling on the floor, rubbing my calves and ankles with an intensely serious, focused expression.
"Cough. Mrs. Skogul, King Owen is right," I offered, trying to clear the air. "It really is more about mutual admiration rather than wanting to take what the other has. We’re just paying compliments."
After rubbing his sore ribs, Owen pointed a knowing finger back at me, his tone turning contemplative. "Based on Shehuang being a Snake Lamia with black scales, and the fact that the huge Black Mamba that killed you was a reincarnated soul you knew before... I believe she might actually be the Goddess Sigyn."
The entire room perked up instantly. I blinked, trying to recall my limited knowledge. "I only know basic pop-culture stuff from movies, not the actual lore of Norse mythology. Who exactly was Sigyn?"
Shehuang leaned in closely, her golden eyes narrowing with rapt attention.
"Now mind you, my memories span over nine hundred years of old dreams," Owen explained, "but if I remember right, Sigyn was Loki’s most loyal and devoted wife. When the gods punished him, she stayed by his side, holding a bowl to capture the serpent's venom to ease his suffering. Perhaps that devotion is why she reincarnated into a black mamba? It might have been some lingering karmic punishment for the death of... Baldr? Hey Loki, do you think my grandpa was Baldr? I mean, our family name is Balder."
I shrugged, genuinely unsure. "I really don't know."
Hearing the romantic comparison, Shehuang’s eyes lit up with joy. "Massster~!" she hissed affectionately, squeezing me tighter. "See? I mussst be this Sigyn! Because I love you the mossst!"
The Summoner link between us thrummed with such sudden, overwhelming emotion that I couldn't have denied her even if I wanted to. I reached back and patted her scales. "The past lives don’t matter right now, Shehuang. What we do in the present is all that matters."
Owen and I had shared a lot over the last hour of heavy drinking, though I purposely kept the unique skills and stat buffs Shehuang gave me under wraps, speaking only of my role as a Summoner. In return, I caught him up on all the classic anime eras he had missed out on since leaving Earth.
Soon, it was time to part. Owen stood up reluctantly, stretching his massive frame. "I don’t know what kind of love-triangle drama you two brothers and my daughter are running into, but all I can say is Lana—the love of my life—will choose her own husband. Don’t expect me to tip the scales or help either of you. Our past-life connection is just a shared origin story, nothing more. But if you hurt my baby, I won't be a kind king. Got it, kid?"
I climbed out of my luxurious snakeskin armchair and nodded with absolute sincerity. "If she wants my brother, fine. If she wants to be single, fine. If she wants me... well, I don't know yet. But the one thing I can promise you is that I only want her to be safe and happy. I have a feeling she might be a piece of our past-life puzzle too—the Norse stuff."
Owen nodded, a heavy sigh escaping him. "After talking with you, I feel like that's highly likely. But I have absolutely no clue who she could have been. Anyway, be careful inside the Secret Realm. There are foreign factions targeting you, your brother, and Lana. Goodbye, Luke Sky..." He paused, scratching his head. "Hey, that was my grandfather's first name... Nah, just a coincidence."
With a wave of his hand, the king vanished.
Hum~!
With a soft flash of mana, Shehuang reverted to her human form, gazing at me with doting, golden eyes while the other two women watched quietly.
"Okay, so I guess we've figured out our connection with Shehuang and Taki," I muttered, turning my attention downward. "Yin, don't look so left out. I'm sure one day we'll figure out why I've always felt such a deep respect for you. Honestly, your personality reminds me a lot of both Gondul and Skogul. Maybe you were a Valkyrie once, too?" (Brynhildr)
Yin Meng looked up, a soft, rare smile gracing her lips. "Master, it truly does not matter to me. I am yours now, and that is more than enough."
"Alright ladies, head back to the inner world for now. I'll call you out once I land safely inside the Secret Realm."
After a few brief, affectionate moments, the three of them dissolved into light, leaving me alone to step out of Capsule Corp.
The next morning, the grand expedition gathered at the jagged outer edges of the Demonic Beast Forest. Dozens of academy teachers, hundreds of elite students, and members of the royal family stood in tight formations, waiting for the signal to advance. Thanks to Ayala and Lisa flanking me on either side, I managed to secure a spot at the absolute front of the line, giving me an unobstructed view of the massive terrain ahead.
When we initially departed the capital, we traveled across roughly 20,000 miles of the Eastern Principality, followed by another grueling 20,000 miles through the dense Demonic Beast Forest. Having finally bypassed those two vast regions, we were greeted by the breathtaking sight of the Inner Sea—a colossal body of water spanning nearly 20,000 miles before colliding with the far Eastern Demonic Beast Forest.
The waters of the Inner Sea were a brilliant, crystal-clear blue in the shallows, transitioning into a dark, foreboding abyss where the sunlight failed to penetrate the depths. The Mermaid and Nereid races ruled those deep waters, occasionally serving as rare, highly coveted summons to a lucky few.
They maintained a tense, isolated sovereignty in the underwater realm, strictly avoiding the territories of the High Elves, Dark Elves, and Amazons.
To the far north lay the Island Kingdom of the High Elves. The Amazon Isles Nation occupied the mid-southern stretches of the sea, while the Dark Elves claimed the Dark Forest along the southern shores. A massive, jagged mountain range split the Undead Lands from the Dark Forest, a region steeped in ancient Dark Elf ancestry.
But the true marvel drawing the eyes of every superhuman present was anchored far to the north.
Rising majestically into the stratosphere was the top of a giant, twenty-mile-high Ash Tree: the mythical World Tree. Its roots were so massive they traveled under the seabed, stretching all the way to our current location at the edge of the forest. The World Tree served as the literal anchor for all thirteen planes of Myst and the twelve elemental planes. While the elemental planes could never touch one another directly, they all intersected at Myst, held together by the tree's cosmic architecture. It was the closest thing to a living god on this world; only 9th Circle beings possessed the sheer magical power required to manipulate its energy. Not even Owen’s legendary Valkyries could tear a single leaf or twig from its branches, though Owen himself possessed the unique capability to do so.
Because the roots manifested across the globe, Secret Realms accessible to mortals opened wherever the World Tree broke the surface, just like the Royal Realm we were preparing to enter. Standing there, gazing at the colossal structure, a sudden, powerful resonance thrummed deep within my inner world. Shehuang, Yin Meng, and Taki Tsuki shivered simultaneously in response. A profound, warm sensation flooded my chest, accompanied by a fleeting illusion of the World Tree whispering a gentle welcome home.
I wasn't the only one affected. A few others on board the vessel immediately felt the sudden spike in the tree's ambient mana—Owen, his three Valkyries, Thorin, Lana, and Ayala all stiffened. They had never experienced this specific type of spiritual shiver before, entirely unaware that my presence had triggered the World Tree to reach out.
Lisa noticed my dazed expression and gently placed a soft hand on my cheek. "Loki, you completely went blank there for a second. Are you feeling alright?"
"Sorry, Lisa," I breathed, shaking off the fog. "The World Tree is just... far more breathtaking than I ever imagined. I got a bit overwhelmed."
Ayala shook her head, her eyes wide with a mix of awe and confusion. "No, Loki, it wasn't just you. Something happened to us just now... The World Tree acknowledged us. I felt it too—like a voice without words or thoughts. A profound understanding that slips away the moment you try to grasp it."
Before we could contemplate it further, our massive, thousand-foot-long SDF-One airship glided over the tree line and touched down smoothly on a pristine beach of white sand where the forest met the sea.
Instantly, King Owen’s Valkyries, Gondul and Skogul, alongside twelve senior academy teachers, leapt off the deck to secure the landing zone. Ayala and Lisa immediately left my side, drawing their weapons to join the monster extermination.
Ayala gripped a massive greataxe in her left hand and her signature Wolf Fang in her right. Her blazing fire aura erupted in a streak of crimson light as she charged into the thickets, transforming the roars of oncoming demonic beasts into a brutal symphony of death. Lisa utilized her enchanted Belt of Flight to hover effortlessly over the shoreline, channeling devastating lightning magic into the water to deter aquatic monsters. Her 7th Circle area-of-effect spell, Storm Bolts, rained down in a continuous barrage, exploding across a sixty-foot diameter and sending scorched marine beasts floating belly-up. To make the vanguard even more terrifying, the two Valkyries systematically slaughtered the beasts before casting Death Utility magic, reanimating the fresh corpses to march right back into the woods as an undead shield wall.
An hour later, the perimeter was secured, and the student body was marched roughly a mile into the dense Demonic Beast Forest.
We halted before an exposed root of the World Tree. It broke through the earth like a smooth, mountain-sized wall, rising twenty-five feet into the air and stretching for half a mile before plunging back into the dirt.
Lisa Swallow, the former Vice President and senior magic instructor, stepped forward. She utilized a wind spell to project her voice clearly to the crowd.
"This location will serve as the Royal Academy’s base camp. The portal to the Royal Realm will manifest right here. Look closely."
She pointed toward a massive, vertical, eye-shaped indentation in the gray bark, standing over ten feet tall. The center of the formation pulsed with a vibrant, rhythmic green light, signaling its direct connection to the Plane of Life.
"While we wait for the temporal alignment to open the portal, you are free to inspect the World Tree root," Professor Swallow announced. "It is completely indestructible to anyone below the 9th Circle, so do not worry about damaging it with your spells or aura. Feel free to test your strength."
Curious, I pulled my Elven Longbow from my inventory. Because it was crafted from harvested World Tree branches, I held it up against the massive root to compare the two. The bark possessed a distinct, interlocking diamond pattern that looked as though it were carved from ancient, weathered stone, interwoven with faint green runes that flickered like a slow heartbeat.
I reached out and placed my bare palm against the surface. Instantly, a deep, comforting warmth flooded my hand. The ambient magic of the root hummed at the exact frequency of my personal Life element, feeling less like an external force and more like a missing piece of myself.
Bang~!
Nearby, a snooty noble girl from Lisa’s advanced magic class cast a high-tier bolt spell against the root, which dissipated harmlessly against the stone-like bark without leaving a scratch.
Watching the mana fade, a chaotic, reckless impulse suddenly took hold of me—the ultimate bane of ordinary common sense. I channeled my mana, whispering the incantation internally: Minor Life Utility.
Hum~!
With my Elven Longbow gripped tightly in my left hand, my right palm began to glow with a soft, vibrant green aura. The moment the magic left my hand and sank into the root, the ancient structure did something that should have been mechanically impossible.
Creak... Creak... Groan!
The immovable, stone-gray bark suddenly shifted. The wood uncoiled like a mass of living vines and striking snakes, rapidly slithering up my arm and enveloping my entire forearm all the way to the elbow.
Then, clearing away the noise of the forest, a clear, sweet, childish girl's voice echoed directly in my mind.
[Father! Yggi has waited so long to see you again!]
Fwoosh! Chomp~!
Before I could even process the words, the shifting root split open like a massive, toothless wooden maw, swallowing me whole in a single, blindingly fast motion.
A female student nearby shrieked in absolute terror, her voice echoing across the clearing. "Ahhh~! The tree is eating people!"
Ayala, Lisa, and even King Owen froze where they stood, completely stupefied as their high-level senses tried to comprehend the impossible event they had just witnessed.
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