"Sorry about that, kid. My Valkyrie is doing bodyguard work for the first time, so she's still far too rigid. But then again, that's exactly why no man has ever taken a liking to her."
Odin said it with a cheerful smile.
Even though this was their first meeting, Rod found the old man rather amusing.
If not for the name Odin Borson hanging over his head, anyone would've thought he was just some ordinary old codger.
But before Rod could say anything, the Valkyrie who had been glaring at him just moments ago suddenly fell apart. Her face flushed bright red, and she clenched her fists as she hurriedly protested, "I... whether I have a man or not has nothing to do with this! And... and being rigid or whatever, I've always carried out my duties according to Valkyrie standards!"
"See? You're getting flustered again. That's exactly why you're so painfully average that not a single man in Valhalla has any interest in you."
Odin lazily tossed that line back.
"I... I already said it has nothing to do with my personality! It's... ugh, I... w-well, anyway, I'm just a useless Valkyrie who hasn't even held a man's hand before! I've been single for as long as I've been alive, but I want a boyfriend too! Waaaah!"
"?"
Rod nearly laughed on the spot.
"I didn't expect you two to be doing comedy here. Where do you perform? I'll definitely go support the show."
"Comedy? That should be a traditional performance art from somewhere, if I recall correctly. If I get the chance, I'd like to see it."
Odin stroke his cheek. Then, hearing Rossweisse sniffling softly beside him, he let out a helpless sigh.
"Sigh, sorry, kid. This woman is my current attendant. Though she's pretty enough and has a good figure, her personality is far too stiff. She's like some old granny, which is why she still doesn't have a man."
"Waaah!"
Rossweisse had just barely managed to compose herself, but the moment Odin said that, she burst into tears all over again.
Odin spread his hands helplessly.
Rossweisse's personality had serious issues, but she had still passed every trial with her own strength before becoming his guard.
If her personality had been just a little more interesting, this trip might have been far more entertaining.
"I don't really mind. A woman's charm comes in different forms."
"Eh?"
"Heh heh heh... to say something like that in front of me and Rossweisse, you're not simple either, kid."
"To be fair, that's true."
Hearing that, Odin continued stroking his cheek. "Since I'm the guest here, I suppose I should introduce myself first. I am..."
Before he could finish, Rossweisse, who had suddenly returned to normal, cut in ahead of him. "This is Odin, the chief god of the Norse Aesir, invited by the Three Factions to attend talks in the Underworld."
"I am Rossweisse, a Valkyrie of Asgard and Lord Odin's bodyguard for this journey. And you are?"
"Just a passing human."
The moment he said that, a look of embarrassment appeared on Rossweisse's face. She had clearly remembered what she had said before, when she dismissed Rod as merely a human.
Still, the whole situation was strange to begin with.
This was supposed to be a meeting between the Three Factions and Lord Odin. If it had been some other Upper-Class Devil, that would have been one thing, but for a pure human to be walking through the VIP passage...
Perhaps, just as Odin had said, this man really was one of the devils' invited guests.
Because of Rod's line, "A woman's charm comes in different forms," Rossweisse's favorability toward him, which had originally been zero, rose by twenty points, so her attitude softened as well.
"What's your name?"
"Rod."
"Oh? I think I heard the devils mention that name before we arrived. The one who stopped the fallen angels' plot and foiled the Terrorist Group's attack was a human mercenary. If that's the case, the one who did all that should be you, right?"
"I didn't expect my reputation to have spread all the way to the Underworld."
Rod was a little surprised.
"It hasn't, actually. I only asked Sirzechs about it, and that's what he told me."
Odin sized Rod up from head to toe, and a satisfied look appeared on his aged face.
"The younger generation is truly something."
"In recent years, the number of heroes and warriors in Asgard has been dwindling more and more. I had begun to wonder whether something was wrong with humanity, yet I never expected a human like you to still appear in this world."
Odin's remaining eye burned with interest as he stared at Rod.
At that, Rod realized that the reason heroes and warriors were becoming scarce in Norse mythology likely had something to do with the Hero Faction constantly recruiting people in secret.
On top of that, there was surely the influence of the Church as well.
Back when the Biblical God began spreading the faith, Norse mythology had been among the first to bear the brunt of it.
And with the Norse pantheon always carrying the prophecy of Ragnarok, their decline was only natural.
"Kid, how about coming to Asgard and becoming one of our heroes? Whatever conditions the Three Factions are giving you, I can offer double. And there are still plenty of single Valkyries like Rossweisse over there. With your looks, you'd probably have a harem in no time."
"Lord Odin, speaking like that is seriously damaging to Asgard's image!"
Rossweisse said righteously.
Yet even as she did, two faint blushes crept across her pale cheeks, and she didn't quite dare look Rod in the eye.
"What's the problem? Since ancient times, heroes have always needed beautiful women by their side. Asgard has plenty of pretty, friendly Valkyries. Though someone like Rossweisse is out of the question, there are plenty of others with much better and far more explosive figures."
Hearing that, Rossweisse finally couldn't take it anymore.
What did he mean, someone like her was out of the question?!
I was single too!
And what did he mean the other Valkyries had better, more explosive figures?
I wasn't that bad either!
And most of all, he was the king of the Norse gods. Yet here he was, openly pimping out young and beautiful Valkyries to tempt human men. Wasn't that basically the same as some brothel madam?!
"As for joining Asgard, forget it. But if the opportunity comes up, we can cooperate. As long as the pay is right and it doesn't violate my principles, I can take any job."
Rod remembered that there was a particular piece of plot tied to Odin.
Since he had run into him here, it was only natural to see if it could be triggered.
If it refreshed a quest, that would be a huge win. If not, there was no loss anyway.
"That works too. If Norse mythology ever runs into trouble, I'll contact you."
If it had been anyone else, Odin would've treated those words as a joke.
But Rod had already proven himself by defeating Kokabiel, foiling the Terrorist Group's attack, and even defeating the White Dragon Emperor. His track record was more than enough to show that his strength was anything but weak.
And Norse mythology had no shortage of internal troubles. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been the first outside faction to formally initiate contact with the Three Factions.
At that moment, the elevator doors opened again.
Then, three familiar figures walked out from inside.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Read 55+ Advanced Chapters
p(a)treon.com/Shalltearr
Drop some POWERSTONES to push the story forward!