IBHJ Chapter 760

Hel hovered high in the sky, her body shining like a bright moon, illuminating the dark, snowy night. Her divine presence seemed to stretch as far as the ocean, and her brilliance blanketed the land like a silky veil.

Whoosh! The bronze pipes standing tall like a forest began to vibrate, their surfaces glowing faintly. The glow traveled along the pipes and into the snowy ground below. Crack, crack! The ice and snow beneath the pipes shattered, resembling a spider's web. The snow-covered land, silent and unchanging for so long, finally split open! Villagers reacted in different ways - some cheered, some jumped with joy, while others waited eagerly to see what would happen next.

After taking out Eric Bloodaxe, Shirou flipped the switch, pushing open the statue of the God of Darkness. Hodr. Behind it, an entrance to an underground passage revealed itself. Staring into the pitch-black opening, he couldn't help but admire Svadilfari's handiwork. Sure, the guy had the emotional intelligence of a rock, but his artistic and technical skills were top-notch. Who else could design a secret passage right under the Norse gods' noses?

Svadilfari had designed this underground passage to help the giants overthrow the gods, but before they could even use it, the Norse gods had already plotted against them. To make matters worse, in this world, Ragnarok hadn't even happened yet the gods had simply vanished without a trace. Svadilfari was probably pretty depressed about the whole situation. He poured his heart and soul into creating this secret passage, and it ended up being completely useless. Well, useless for the giants, but pretty convenient for Shirou.

As he entered the underground passage, he flipped his hand, and a blob of black mud appeared in his palm. It swirled and shifted like mist, eventually transforming into a map.

The map, created by Adam using the black mud, was like a GPS for the underground passages. It had all the directions and paths clearly marked, so getting lost wasn't even a possibility. Shirou took a quick glance at the map before putting it away. He then cast three stacks of [Instinct] on himself, just to be on the safe side. With that, he started making his way through the passage, taking it slow and steady.

...

She couldn't quite recall what had happened. This dream, spanning over two thousand years, always came in bits and pieces, and she'd constantly forget the reasons behind it and the events that happened in it. Just like now. Her student, the one she'd saved from the Holy Grail War all those years ago, was carrying her on his back as they trekked across an icy island. She was sprawled across his back, with his hands gripping her thighs. The cheeky little guy had initially wanted to grab her butt, but he must've thought it was a bit too bold. So, he settled for holding onto her thighs instead.

In fact, this little guy had no idea that she actually loved having him close to her. Of course, these feelings definitely belonged to the her in this dream, not her current self in Scandinavia! She was sure of it! Still, being carried on his back with her face pressed against his warm back gave her a sense of security. She couldn't quite put her finger on what this sense of security was, but she liked it, and she liked being by his side even more. After all, no matter what, this little guy was the one she had raised. The only problem was, she also knew that when she woke up from this dream, she'd forget everything - forget him, and forget this warm, fuzzy feeling.

"Teacher, you're awake?" He noticed her stirring and spoke to her in a casual tone, despite the effort it took to carry her. Mm. She nuzzled her head against his back, savoring its warmth.

Assuming she was worn out, he quickly reassured her, "Just hang in there a bit longer. We'll be out of this snowstorm soon."

She nodded faintly, responding with a soft, weak voice. She had no idea what had happened to her. Like she said, this dream came in fragments, and sometimes she couldn't piece together the cause and effect. Take right now, for instance - she was being carried by him, completely exhausted, with a small hole pierced in her chest. It was bleeding, staining his back a vivid red.

He was also covered in wounds, and every step he took left a bloody footprint in his wake. She couldn't tell if the blood was hers, his, or a mix of both. She had no idea what dreaming about this scene meant, but one thing was for sure - if this man were to abandon her right now, his chances of survival would increase significantly. But he didn't. Instead, he picked her up and pressed on, despite the struggle.

"How could I leave you behind? You've saved my life more times than I can count. I get it, you're worried, aren't you? But I won't abandon you. If you ever find yourself in danger, I'll be there to save you, no matter what. I'll always protect you, teacher."

He tried to reassure her, but she couldn't help but chuckle. She knew her student's abilities all too well. If there was a threat that even she couldn't handle, then her student coming to her aid would be the same as sending him to his death.

"Don't laugh, Teacher. I'm serious, I really am—"

He protested, sounding both annoyed and embarrassed, but she just couldn't stop giggling. She was well aware of her student's capabilities. It had always been her protecting him; when would it be his turn to protect her? However, her laughter wasn't meant to mock him. She was genuinely touched. Because, in all her life, no one had ever said they would come to protect her. Not even as a joke.

However, he seemed to misunderstand. With one hand still gripping her thigh, he took advantage of her weakened state and mischievously tickled her with the other, saying in a mix of embarrassment and frustration, "Let's see you laugh now, come on, laugh again."

She was a warrior, and her body wasn't usually sensitive. But because she spent so much time with this little rascal, he knew exactly where to tickle her to get a reaction. He kept at it until she burst out laughing and quickly pleaded for mercy, "Haha, okay, okay, I won't laugh anymore, I promise! I won't laugh, just stop. If you keep this up, I swear I'll get you back with a tickle attack of my own once I'm better."

Only then did he stop, but he was still slightly miffed and embarrassed. "I know you're laughing at me for thinking too highly of myself, hmph. If you don't believe me, you'll see when the time comes. I'll definitely come to your rescue, riding on colorful clouds. And when that happens, Teacher, try not to fall head over heels for my dashing good looks."

Honestly, she couldn't quite picture him riding on colorful clouds. But his concern for her touched her deeply, and she couldn't help but ask, "Who are you, really?"

He raised an eyebrow and then flashed her a smile, "I—"

Suddenly, she woke up, and everything came to an abrupt end. It all disappeared like smoke in the wind. She couldn't remember who he was or anything about the dream. It was all meaningless. After waking up, she found herself once again in a bleak reality without him by her side.

When she heard a soft call by her ear, Skadi slowly opened her eyes and found Ortlinde looking at her, clearly nervous.

"What's wrong, Ortlinde?" Skadi asked as she sat up straight.