The land of Asgard remained seemingly peaceful as ever. However, within the meeting hall of Valh?llsv?r, the air was thick with tension. All six Valkyries were gathered under the dim torchlight that flickered against the stone walls of Fort Ervaborg.
Lylith, the unit commander, sat motionless at the head of the table in her full dress uniform. Her face was as stoic as a statue, yet the overwhelming pressure she radiated was deeply unsettling—a clear sign that the current situation was dire.
To her left, Marin, the wise star pupil, reported on the situation in a polite yet firm tone. "The war has now spread throughout Svartalfheim."
"When you say 'throughout'..." Inga interrupted with her usual bluntness. "Does that include the dragon's nest?"
Marin shook her head slowly. "The territory of the giant dragon, Haretennr, is the only area we have never had to interfere with."
"One day, I'll go take that dragon's head myself." Inga tilted her head slightly, her eyes openly challenging Marin.
"Luga! Pay attention to Marin. Stop interrupting," Lylith's voice boomed. Only she called Inga by the name "Luga."
The reprimand made Inga flinch. She quickly leaned back against her chair, huffing in frustration. No one else would dare behave this way toward the Commander, but the two shared a bond deeper than that of a superior and subordinate; it was Lylith herself who had raised Inga to be the person she was.
"This war has expanded beyond expectations," Marin continued, pulling everyone's focus back. "The Unicorn Witches have formed an alliance with the new king of Dvergar's Holdfast, launching an assault on the three remaining Dwarven kingdoms."
"The kingdoms in the far west!" Ida, the short-haired Valkyrie, exclaimed in shock.
Marin nodded gently, not blaming her for the outburst; even she had found it hard to believe at first. "Yes... and now, King Stálmar has razed more than half of the underground realm of Sterkburin."
"If we head out to kill this King Stálmar now, will everything end?" Lydia, a physically imposing Valkyrie, proposed the idea while clenching her fist.
"That is the problem, Lydia," Marin sighed softly. "The intelligence we have only identifies him as the new leader of Dvergar's Holdfast. As for his appearance or his combat style, everything remains a mystery. No one had ever heard of this man before now."
"Perhaps not," Nydia, the petite Valkyrie with pink hair, spoke up. "If he collaborated with the Unicorn Witches, at the very least, the witches must have known him beforehand."
"What are you talking about?" Inga, sitting nearby, turned to ask in confusion. "If they're fighting a war together, of course they know each other."
"Ah!" Marin gasped suddenly. Her eyes widened as a realization struck her from Nydia's words. Nydia smiled back at Marin; both were recognized as the most intellectual among the group.
"That's it..." Marin whispered to herself, but in the silent room, her voice was crystal clear. "We have one of the Unicorn Witches with us right now!"
Marin's words hit Inga like a bolt of lightning. Her body trembled slightly before she instinctively turned to stare at Lylith.
Lylith realized it too. Previously, Marin's team had been ordered to capture Vina, a former Valkyrie who had fled Asgard to become one of the nine Unicorn Witches under the title "Witch of Stone." That woman was not only Lylith's biological sister but also Inga's mother.
Marin, who had been tasked with bringing Vina back personally, had completely overlooked this key. Unlike her, Nydia had remembered it at the most critical moment—proving why she was hailed as the most clever and intuitive within the fortress.
BANG!
The sound of a chair slamming against the floor echoed as Lylith bolted upright. The Commander didn't even glance back or stop to set it right. She turned and marched out of the meeting room, heading straight for the dungeons.
"Master!" Marin called out to restrain Lylith. "If you are going to see Lady Vina... please, let me go instead."
Lylith stopped in her tracks. With a cold, expressionless face, she asked, "Are you afraid I will go soft on Vina?"
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"Not at all... I am more afraid that you will decide to 'kill' her," Marin said, voicing the fear everyone held but dared not speak. In truth, since Vina had been imprisoned at the fortress, Lylith had not visited her even once.
"You worry too much, Marin," Lylith said shortly, though her words were betrayed by the murderous aura radiating from her.
"Let me handle the interrogation," Marin cut in, quickly grabbing Lydia's hand and pulling her along. They hurried past their master to exit the room before any further objections could be made.
"Marin..." Lylith's low voice followed them like a death sentence. "If she refuses to cooperate... you may kill her."
"Understood," Marin replied dismissively, leaving a heavy silence over the four remaining in the room. Lylith's gaze shifted back to the table, resting on Inga—the niece of the Commander and the daughter of the prisoner.
Marin and Lydia headed straight for the dungeon, grabbing the enchanted keys before descending into the depths to Cell Number Three.
As they stood before the steel door, Lydia reached out her hand. "Give me the keys. You're the one who promised Master you'd get the information, not me."
The intent was clear—Lydia would stand guard outside so Marin could negotiate alone, as the door had to be locked from the outside at all times. Marin nodded, handed the keys to Lydia, and stepped into the cell. The heavy iron bolt slid shut behind her.
Inside, Vina sat peacefully near the cold stone wall, staring blankly through the narrow barred window at the distant horizon. At a glance, her elegant yet cold features bore a striking resemblance to Lylith.
"Lady Vina, hello," Marin began with a simple greeting to draw her attention.
Vina slowly shifted her gaze to meet Marin's. Her eyes were deep and calm, showing she was ready to listen, though her lips remained tightly sealed.
"Are you doing well, Lady Vina?" Marin continued, intentionally dragging out the pleasantries to observe her reaction.
"Cease this idle chatter and say what you want," Vina interrupted. Her voice was calm but laced with undisguised annoyance at being disturbed.
"Have you ever heard the name 'Stálmar' before?" Marin fired the question immediately.
"Stálmar..." Vina repeated the name softly, then answered dismissively. "The only one I know is the weak son of Samantra, born of the dwarves."
Vina answered carelessly, thinking that Samantra—one of the nine witches who had already passed away—was of no importance. However, the answer hit the mark perfectly.
"You may not know this, Lady Vina..." Marin's eyes turned serious. "But a massive war has broken out in Svartalfheim between the Dwarves and the Witches."
Marin shared the news knowing Vina had been cut off from the world for a long time—even longer than the earth-shattering event of the slaying of the god Magni.
"The Unicorn Witches are at war with the Dwarves?" Vina's brow furrowed slightly, a rare look of surprise flickering across her face.
"Does that surprise even you?" Marin narrowed her eyes. "Was it not always the plan of the Unicorn Witches to conquer the Dwarven lands?"
"You truly know nothing, Marin." Vina leaned back against the cold wall, looking out the window again. "Our original intent was to find a way out of Midgard by taking territory from the savage dragons. Our nine villages always welcomed humans and dwarves alike. That was the sole wish of Lady Sigyn."
Sigyn was a sacred name among the ancient Valkyries—the first Valkyrie created by Odin. After Ragnarok, she was one of the survivors intended to marry the god Magni. However, she fled Asgard in shame after being rejected, living in Midgard under the name "Sydra." When the brothers Modi and Magni founded the kingdom of "Iceland" in Midgard, she was forced to move again, leading to the legend of the Nine Unicorn Witches.
"It seems the leader of the witches this time is Frónza, not Lady Sigyn," Marin informed her.
"Frónza..." Vina murmured the name. In her memory, Frónza was just a little girl who loved riding horses—a disciple of Sigyn whom Vina herself had mentored in magic.
"Lady Vina, please look at me and continue," Marin tried to press further, but seeing Vina's lack of cooperation, Lylith's order to kill her flashed through her mind.
"Did you know? I never once thought of leaving Asgard..." Vina said with a sad smile. Her heart had always been tied to this land of eternal light.
"But in the end, you chose to leave and become a witch, didn't you?" Marin asked softly.
"And Inga... my daughter. What kind of person has she grown up to be?"
Vina suddenly blurted out the question, her eyes filled with a longing she could no longer hide. Lylith had never visited, and neither had Inga.
"She is a strong woman, much like you... and Lady Lylith," Marin answered, thinking of Inga's face. "Though she can be a bit temperamental at times." Marin couldn't help but take a small jab at her friend and rival.
"Temperamental, is she..." Vina whispered. Then, her face clouded with deep concern. "I only hope she hasn't inherited that from Modi, her father."
This time, it was Marin's turn to be shocked. She knew Inga was Vina's daughter, but she had never known who the father was.
"You all probably think I owe Lylith so much for leaving Asgard, but was it not because she refused to marry Modi? I was the one who had to live my life with that mad, unstable god." Vina spoke of her bitter past—the real reason she fled Asgard was to escape a horrific marriage.
"I... I see..." Marin was caught off guard, not expecting to hear such a revelation.
"In Modi's eyes, only Magni was worth relying on, the only one he would listen to," Vina continued to mutter, unaware that Magni was no longer alive for Modi to lean on.
"I... I will come to speak with you again!" Marin blurted out. She hurriedly signaled Lydia to open the door.
Lydia, who had been listening outside, looked just as stunned. Marin waved her hand to snap her friend back to reality, and Lydia quickly unlocked the door to let her out.
Inside the cell, Vina remained alone, whispering to herself as she stared out through the narrow bars of the window.