Volume 9 Chapter 18 Norse Mythology Story
The next direction we decided on was to support Clay, the top rising star in each camp.
"Sandra's Slum Team and Toxy's Demon King Army Team will continue gathering information in each region."
As I said that, Philia teased Mudi, saying "It's not time to get wild yet, huh?" Mudi grumbled, "Ugh, not yet... That's so lame..." and slumped into a chair.
Well, let's behave for a while. Your turn will come eventually.
"And about Clay..."
I turned my gaze to Clay.
"If Clay does well, we can move a lot of things on a large scale. So first, let's help Clay take the top spot in Bazaar. Once that's done, we'll go after the tower that protects Demon King Castle. Demon King will move for entertainment, and to some extent, for gold."
In other words, our first target is the "Fall of Bazaar".
When I said that, Clay nodded.
"I understand. I'll do my best."
I smiled and nodded along with Clay's words. Toxy looked apologetic, saying "Sorry, but it would've been nice to just barge into Demon King Castle..."
"No way. Only Demon King Hel can enter and leave Demon King Castle, and Hel has been hiding for hundreds of years."
"I heard that somehow, and it seems to be true. So, only a few people like Sur's father know Hel's face."
Sur remained silent, looking down. I brought the conversation back on track.
"That's how it is. Let's go with that for now. Any questions?"
Silence. That's good. I thought, and then Mudi raised his hand, saying "It's not a question, but..."
"What's up, Mudi?"
"I was thinking I could tell a story about the myths surrounding Nilfheim while we have the chance. Especially information about Ragnarok would be useful for knowing Hel."
Everyone's interest was clearly piqued by Mudi's suggestion. I nodded, saying "That's a good idea," and decided to let him proceed.
"Alright, that's all for our plan. Mudi, go ahead and tell the story."
"Alright, so let's listen to the old man's story for a bit."
Mudi laughed with a "Kakaka" and began to talk.
"First off, let's talk about why we need to know about mythology. There's a reason we can't ignore it. Anyone who doesn't understand?"
In response to the question, the demon siblings raised their hands with a "Yes" and "Yes~".
"Other than demons, does anyone else get it? Well, I don't think you guys will be fighting, but... the reason we need to know mythology is because our enemies might be gods."
Mudi continued.
"You can't just defeat a god with brute strength alone. So, what can you do? Well, knowing mythology can help you find a god's weakness. Especially for immortal gods, it's a must."
And with that, Mudi said, "Now, let's start talking about Norse mythology."
"It's a pain to start from the beginning of Norse mythology... We only need to know about Demon King Hel, so let's focus on that."
Mudi raised one finger.
"Demon King Hel. There's a god with the same name, the goddess Hel. It's not uncommon for a demon and a god to have the same name, but we don't know what's really going on. So, we'll skip that story for now."
It seems like he's taking a stance that he can't talk about what he doesn't know.
"The goddess Hel is the child of the god Loki. She has siblings like the Midgard Serpent Jormungand and the Fenrir wolf. In Ragnarok, the most important thing is not Hel, but Loki, the parent."
"Loki, huh. When we defeated the evil god last time, the evil god was calling out to him."
The evil god, while being defeated, was screaming "I won't forgive... I won't forgive you, Loki...!" It was a curse, nothing more.
"That's Heimdall, the god who will fight Loki in the mythology. The fact that the god who was supposed to be the evil god was defeated at the border... is quite suggestive when you think about it..."
Mudi cleared his throat and started again.
"Ragnarok is the twilight of the gods, the end of the world. It's a great war where gods with grudges, mainly the giants, will rise up against the gods, led by Loki. That's Ragnarok."
Giants. If it's just a few meters tall, it's probably a Klainatzirks. I think it was called Gand or something. I remember he had scales on his cheeks.
"It's the start of the end and a great disaster. What was it? Winter came 3 times without summer, and humans on the ground started killing each other out of hunger."
This is a terrible start.
"Next, the sun and moon will die. In Norse mythology, the sun and moon's cycles are interpreted as running away from the pursuing wolf. Eventually, they'll get caught and swallowed."
"Isn't that a huge tragedy?"
"Hahahah! Of course, it's true. The light from the sky will disappear, and the stars will fall apart. The earth will shake, trees will fall, and mountains will crumble. But it won't end there."
The festival starts here, Mudi says with a sly grin.
"Norse mythology is a story where the gods win against the giants. The conflict between gods and giants is at its core. And Ragnarok is the final battle. So, the giants' seals will be released all at once."
Mudi adds 2 more fingers to the one he's already raised, showing 3 fingers.
"First, Hel's brother, the giant wolf Fenrir, who was bound by the Gleipnir chain, will be released. Next, Hel's brother, the world serpent Jormungand, will move and surround the world."
"Surround the world?"
"Yeah, it's that huge."
I remember the statue I saw before. No, it was huge. Surrounding the world, that's... is it even bigger than that?
"And the giant's lookout will sound the alarm at the start of Ragnarok, signaling the giants. The roosters scattered all over the world will start making a ruckus. The ship made from the dead's nails will advance towards the gods' realm."
The omens continue, and the pre-war tension builds up.
"Of course, the giants will be the ones to ride it. Hel's followers, the dead, will be there too. And Loki, the father, will be the helmsman. Loki is a god, but also a giant. With a personality that's like eating people, he's also called the Trickster."
Hel's parent, who is both a god and the leader of the giants. That's Trickster Loki. Right now, he has a stronger presence than Hel.
"Loki's stories are often entertaining, so let's hear it over a drink sometime. Just remember, he's a bad guy who dresses like a woman."
"What's that?"
Mudi continues, unfazed by my tsukkomi.
"So, in the farthest reaches of the world, a giant named Sur appears, engulfed in flames. He crosses the bridge that leads to the realm of the gods, and the bridge crumbles with a loud crash."
Is that supposed to be good?
"Sur... it sounds similar..."
"Sandra-sama, please refrain from saying such terrifying things."
Sur's face turns pale, as if he's terrified.
...or rather, it's similar to what I heard earlier about the powerful demons from various regions, and the monsters from mythology that have appeared.
Empress Yor resembles a snake, just like the World Serpent Jormungand.
Don Fen is a wolf-like demon, just like Fenrir.
...am I overthinking this? I think to myself, but Mudi doesn't stop.
"The gods, of course, won't stay silent. Including the Heimdall we defeated, a large army will march out."
Mudi continues, seemingly enjoying himself.
"The chief god of Norse mythology, Odin, the king of the gods, is eaten by the giant wolf Fenrir and dies. The great hero Thor, known as the strongest in Norse mythology, engages in a fierce battle with the World Serpent Jormungand."
The gods continue to fall one by one.
"Freyr, the goddess of fertility, who is said to be the ancestor of the most prosperous country in Norse mythology, is also killed by Sur. And Heimdall is defeated by Loki."
It's a total annihilation. Even though I have memories of my past life, I'm still a human who grew up in this world, and the idea of the gods dying one by one is terrifying.
"And finally, Sur explodes. The flames of chaos that Sur unleashed reach every corner of the world, and the world becomes a hellish landscape."
Mudi says this with a serious tone.
"Of course, everyone dies. The earth sinks. That's the great destruction that we're trying to prevent, Ragnarok. Did you learn something?"
Mudi bursts into laughter, but the audience is in a somber mood.
"I learned something, at least. I understand that we need to stop it, no matter what."
The Great Destruction is indeed the Great Destruction, marking the end of the world. If this were to happen on earth, it would be unbearable.
I'm organizing the main characters. The gods are fine for now. What's important is the area around Hel.
There's Fenrir, the giant wolf and the brother, Jormungand, the world serpent. And then there's the sudden appearance of the giant Surtr.
And the most important one, Hel's parent, Trickster Loki.
Whether it's the Demon King Hel or the Goddess Hel, Hel is shrouded in mystery. I crossed my arms, wondering how things would unfold.
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