Otherwise, you can find another savior.

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"The guests have all arrived. These are additional items we purchased. I'll go to the kitchen to put them away first. I'll trouble you to help us receive them."

Meiluxin, carrying a large shopping bag that was bulging out of its container, came over after changing her shoes. When she saw Xijian, she smiled happily, nodded to him, and walked through the living room to the kitchen.

Then came a series of lively sounds, from both men and women.

"Teacher, it's been a long time, happy birthday."

As you turn into the entrance hall, you see Olga Marie Shiomi, who comes up to Shiomi with a gift to congratulate her.

"It's a birthday that's over 6000 years old! Teacher, that's really scary," Reines said with a mischievous grin.

"Gaining access to the past of the Lostbelt and acquiring a vast amount of time is truly remarkable," said the Second Lord.

"Please go in first, otherwise we'll all be stuck at the door," Romani said, both amused and exasperated.

Behind him were Ritsuka, Mashu, and the two Leonardo da Vinci, each holding a gift.

As everyone greeted Xijian, they walked into the living room, which soon filled with people and laughter.

tide Jian realized that today was her birthday.

Although it was the date I registered when I joined the Magic Association, it has indeed been used as my birthday ever since.

but……

"Why is everyone here? Now...isn't the planet already a blank sheet of paper?" tide Jian suddenly realized what was happening and immediately pressed everyone for answers, "What exactly happened—"

His question struck everyone as odd.

"The crisis of human ethics being bleached has been resolved," Olga Marie said with a smile. "It's all thanks to our teacher for overcoming all obstacles and always being at the forefront."

"I?"

Shiomi did want to be at the forefront, but he had no recollection of having resolved a crisis that was no less severe than the burning of human reason.

“My husband is always so modest,” Morgan said, placing a pot of stew on the heat-resistant mat on the table. “That’s what makes him so fascinating.”

"It's not modesty, how could I possibly do something I haven't done before—" tide Jian leaned against the door frame, feeling a slight headache.

What was I doing just a moment ago?

How did they get back to Zaifuyuki's house?

He covered his face, and his memories, like clouds in the mist, gradually became clear.

"You don't look too good? Has the long battle really taken its toll?" Orange came over and took Shiomi's arm.

tide Jian slowly lowered her hand and shook her head nonchalantly.

"I'm probably too tired, I need to rest a bit more."

He slowly lowered his hand, revealing a bright smile, and glanced at Morgan, seemingly unintentionally.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Choice

This was a birthday celebration that Shiomi had never experienced before.

He doesn't like crowds and always spends his birthday with his family.

During my time at the Clock Tower in London, I received both personal gifts and many business-related birthday presents.

Shiomi was undoubtedly grateful to everyone who had come from all over the world to celebrate with her.

Even if it was just a dream, he knew that if there really was such a peaceful and inconspicuous day, yet so precious, his home would be just as lively.

“Why lie?” Morgan asked from behind him.

The living room was still bustling, but Shio stood in the courtyard, watching everyone from afar through the open sliding doors and French windows, like a guardian who didn't belong here.

"Unforgivable?" Shiomi smiled silently.

It's truly an extraordinary dream, even perfectly recreating Morgan's fairy eyes.

Morgan had already seen through his lie a moment earlier.

“No, I’m more worried about whether you have something on your mind,” Morgan asked.

“More than that, I’d like you to answer me, Morgan.” Shio thought for a moment, “If the peaceful daily life that you had to go through so much trouble to obtain was suddenly presented to you without any effort, how would you feel?”

Morgan gave a sly smile: "I would doubt the authenticity of this wonderful thing, after all, depending on the recipient, the 'Court of Disappointment' can bring something similar."

“That’s exactly how I feel right now.” tide Jian laughed along. “If something is taken back without any effort, even if it originally belonged to me, I can’t accept it with a clear conscience.”

"...Perhaps you've forgotten a lot of things? After all, you've had a tough journey." Morgan's eyebrows drooped slightly, her expression full of heartache.

“Speaking of hardship, you who have always been by my side and fought alongside me, haven’t you also had it tough? Haven’t Master and the others had it tough too?” Xi Jian shook her head. “It’s not just me who has had it toughest.”

"So you're saying that everything before your eyes is an illusion, including me, just a fabricated dream to deceive you?" Morgan asked.

Shiomi looked surprised: "That's amazing. I thought that at this moment, you would be my wife, representing this beautiful dream, and urging me to stay."

“That’s the problem with these kinds of illusions.” Morgan looked at his hands and gave a lazy smile. “Too perfect a reproduction of the original means that one can’t act or speak in a way that is not true to the original.”

"It's because I'm in the thick of it all." tide Jian frowned, then smiled sadly.

If he had known the answer was this, he might have lingered a little longer in this beautiful dream, instead of rushing to wake up.

Once the illusion was exposed, this warm and gentle courtyard, along with the surrounding world, began to show signs of shattering, like a broken mirror.

As darkness gradually fell, all the surrounding scenery faded away, leaving only the courtyard centered around him and Morgan.

Even the land beneath our feet is gradually disappearing.

"As far as I can remember, apart from that time during the Queen's calendar, I have never seen you leave before." Morgan remained unmoved by the disappearance of those around him.

Even she will disappear.

In the indistinguishable darkness, only Morgan and he remained, along with... someone else.

It was only at this moment that Shio realized that Skadi, like him, had been drawn into this second trial.

Skadi was sitting on the ground with her head down, as if her consciousness had been stripped away.

“It seems it’s time for me to leave.” Shio walked past Morgan and headed toward Skadi.

"Where are we going?" Morgan asked.

"Is that even a question? Of course, it's the road to this bright future," Shiomi said with a smile.

"That's good."

After a soft response, Morgan disappeared immediately.

Shiomi knelt down in front of Skadi and reached out her hand to Skadi's shoulder.

The moment he touched Skadi, the surrounding darkness vanished as if a scene had been switched, and Skadi curled up, leaning against the wall at the temple entrance.

"...?!"

Skadi snapped out of her daze and stared at Shiomi in astonishment.

"That's great, it looks like you've regained consciousness." He breathed a sigh of relief.

"What...what exactly happened just now?" Skadi was still a little dizzy, but she did remember what had just happened.

That beautiful dream, so wonderful that she didn't want to wake up, made her unconsciously immerse herself in it, accepting the tranquility and peace before her.

“A trial to see if we possess ‘wisdom’ and will not be deceived by false beauty.” tide Jian reached out her hand.

Skadi stared at the hand in a daze for a long time before taking his hand and standing up from the ground.

"Was that your dream, or..."

"It can't just be your dream, can it?" tide Jian teased half-jokingly. "If that's the case, I'll be a little worried. Actually, my second trial hasn't even started yet."

These words made Skadi blush slightly; she was quite certain that it wasn't a dream.

Everything was unfamiliar, yet it was filled with a peaceful and inclusive atmosphere.

Just like the man himself.

"If that's the case, it's really strange. Why would I be in your beautiful dreams about the future?" Skadi feigned composure, mocking the content of this trial.

"Because you are the bride that the great god arranged for me, I subconsciously accepted this fact." tide Jian said frankly, "Of course, it is your freedom not to obey Odin's prophecy."

"He's a man who's utterly speechless. He already has a wife and so many partners, yet he's still insatiable." Skadi seemed dissatisfied, criticizing his words and actions.

At this moment, she should actually shake off Xijian's hand and display the majesty of a goddess and queen, which would be more convincing.

However, when Shiomi led her by the hand toward the temple they hadn't yet entered, and through the narrow hall toward deeper within, Skadi still forgot to pull away.

This rendered her previous words less impactful.

"My mind is in complete turmoil" is the most fitting description of her current mood.

Skadi's disbelief in Odin's arranged marriage was more of a lack of resistance than a genuine belief, especially after waiting for three thousand years and beginning to doubt the truth of the prophecy, when everything finally came to fruition.

Then this man, without a second thought, accepted what she was still hesitating and pondering, and even reserved a place for her in the future he envisioned in his heart.

They were all in high spirits, laughing and chatting happily.

Not as a goddess, not as a queen, but as myself.

"Will there be a third trial? After testing 'strength' and 'wisdom,' what will be tested next?" he asked without turning his head.

"Perhaps it's about 'character'."

"Then I'd better turn back now."

"...So you were aware of it after all?"

Skadi felt both helpless and amused, but she couldn't shake off the hand that was reaching out to her.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Entrustment

Temple after temple, Valhalla's nested spaces, and Shiomi had no idea how long she and Skadi had been walking in this place.

In terms of perceived time, the trials of 'strength' and 'wisdom' did not take much time.

But they were indeed on their way before engaging Fenrir.

Especially before waking up from a beautiful dream, there is indeed a sense of fragmented memory, and tide Jian is not sure if time has passed in between.

After all, the passage of time cannot be observed within Valhalla.

"In the end... it was a cave?"

Walking through the temple's not-so-twisting secret passages, the marble-covered tunnels gradually lose their decorations and become pure caves.

When the secret passage, which was only wide enough for Shiomi to hold Skadi's hand and carefully walk through one after the other, finally opened up, he couldn't help but sigh at this seemingly insignificant change.

Inside the completely natural cave, stones embedded in the walls, containing magical energy, emit a dim light that barely illuminates the cave.

Inside a cave that was roughly twice the size of El-Melloi II's classroom.

The stone floor is carved with regular arcs and straight lines, nested in layers, indicating the location of the center.

“This is probably the location of the third trial, or something else,” Skadi guessed ambiguously, adding, “Odin never said how many trials there are.”

"It doesn't matter how many trials there are. If what we're leaving here is too important, it's only right that the great god Odin be cautious and set up more tests to select the best candidates." tide Jian was quite frank and began to look around.

“More than that—” Skadi changed the subject, “how long do you plan to keep holding my hand?”

tide Jian silently turned her head, looked into her eyes, and then lowered her gaze slightly to their clasped hands.

“Indeed, there’s nothing unusual here for now. If you feel uncomfortable, you can let go.” tide Jian looked apologetic and slowly released her hand. “After all… you haven’t given an answer yet, which makes me seem like I’m being too hasty.”

Just now he made a series of intimate gestures so readily, and now he's letting go so readily. Skadi couldn't help but feel that Shiomi was playing hard to get.

"What do you plan to do after the trial is over?" Skadi asked.

"Which aspect are you referring to?" tide Jian asked.

“The affairs of this world, and…my affairs,” Skadi added.

Shiomi knelt on one knee, examining the patterns on the ground and the altar placed in the center: "Since Ophelia, as a hidden being, is by my side, you are well aware of the fact that this world has become a fixed reality, aren't you?"

“That’s exactly what I mean,” Skadi said. “Once the Imaginary Tree is severed by you, my Nordic will lose its very foundation and will quickly vanish from this blank planet. And then—”

At the same time, no life in the Lostbelt will notice anything amiss, as if dying peacefully in a dream, the mist dissipating silently, like a distant, serene dream.

“My wife Morgan is also from a Lostbelt,” Shiomi said calmly. “You must have already learned this from Ophelia. The first Lostbelt to disappear was the Britannian Lostbelt.”

“I have indeed heard about it,” Skadi said. “It is said that the Lostbelt that was originally vacant without Ophelia’s companions was the first to change and the first to disappear.”

"So even the Hidden Ones mention other Lostbelts in front of the King they're working with?" Shiomi asked with a smile as she turned around.

“It’s nothing but trivial matters. By the time Ophelia mentioned this, the island nation in the southwest and the ice and snow empire in the east had already disappeared,” Skadi said casually. “Of the remaining four Lostbelts, the one managed by the woman named Hinako Akuta is not worth discussing.”