The three twins listened carefully to their grandfather's words and quickly realized that war was inevitable—if not now, then certainly in the future.
His talk of glory, of growing stronger, of spreading the name of Asgard across the world, and of fighting for that great goal… all of it tempted them deeply. It was enough to make them forget—at least for a while—the dangers of war and the harsh sacrifices that would inevitably come with it.
When Asgard noticed that the three twins had begun to understand the benefits of war, and that the shine of glory was starting to overshadow their fear, he spoke calmly, wishing to end the discussion for now:
— Look, my dear twins… the girl has already succeeded in healing that beast.
The moment they heard this, the three twins quickly turned their gazes toward the light through which they could see what was happening inside the cave.
There, far from their eyes, Athena's eldest daughter was discovering her new abilities, accompanied by Odin and his brothers—immersed in a decisive moment that would change many things.
And far from that cave… far from Asgard and the three twins… in a completely different place—
A true catastrophe was unfolding within the Human Empire.
Inside the imperial palace, the shouts of knights and mages echoed as they ran in every direction, yelling at the top of their lungs:
— Princess Forn has escaped the Empire!
— Capture her immediately!
When the common people heard these shouts and saw the imperial knights rushing out of the capital, shock and disbelief spread among them.
None of them understood what was happening, nor the reason behind this sudden chaos.
One of the commoners turned to a large shop owner in the heart of the capital and asked in clear astonishment:
— What is going on here, merchant? Why are the imperial knights chasing Princess Forn?
— Isn't she the new crown princess of the Empire?
Upon hearing the question, the merchant waved his hand dismissively and replied in a confused tone:
— I don't know anything at all… I'm just as shocked as you are.
The commoner laughed as he stepped closer, speaking slyly:
— Come on… you have a girl working as a servant inside the imperial palace. Do you really know nothing?
When the merchant saw the man approaching while saying those words, he was about to scold him harshly—but the bundle of money the commoner pulled out and handed over made him swallow the insult on the tip of his tongue.
The merchant quickly took the money, glanced around cautiously, then lowered his voice and said:
— Don't tell anyone what I'm about to say…
— But there's a rumor inside the imperial palace that Princess Forn fled the Empire because she stole something from it.
After saying that, he stepped back, shrugged indifferently, and added:
— That's all I know… believe me.
As he spoke, the merchant carefully tucked the bundle of coins into his clothes.
Seeing his behavior, the commoner quickly realized that this truly was all the merchant knew.
The commoner laughed foolishly as he walked away, muttering sarcastically:
— Heh… I never realized that even princesses steal.
After saying that, he vanished into the dense crowds watching the knights leave the imperial capital.
The merchant watched him disappear among the people for a few moments, then muttered to himself in astonishment:
— How can that commoner possess so much money?
He glanced again at the size of the bundle the strange man had given him.
But after a short while, he shrugged indifferently and returned to his shop to resume his work—strange events do not put bread on the table.
As for the commoner, once he was completely swallowed by the crowd, he quickly turned toward the gates of the imperial capital and studied the powerful magic enveloping them.
At that moment, he made his decision.
— This is an opportunity that cannot be missed…
He expected the capital's gates to be closed soon to prevent any rumors from spreading outside.
So he had to act quickly—and leave immediately.
He moved swiftly toward one of the gates used by merchants and travelers, avoiding the gates used by knights and mages, fearing arrest or thorough inspection.
Indeed, leaving the capital was somewhat difficult… but not impossible.
With a bit of money and a suitable bribe to the guards responsible for gate security, he managed to pass through and exit the imperial capital.
Once far from the city, he headed straight for a nearby forest and ventured deep inside until he disappeared among the trees.
He waited there for a while, watching and listening carefully, and once he was certain that no one was following or observing him…
He revealed his true face.
He removed a ring from his finger, made of a material resembling silver.
Any ordinary person would have thought it a cheap, worthless ring—but what no one knew was the cursed magic bound to it.
The moment he removed the ring, his human features vanished at an astonishing speed.
His black hair disappeared, his dark eyes faded away, and his normal ears sharpened into pointed ones.
His body transformed completely, revealing a figure with golden eyes and shining golden hair.
Anyone who saw him now
would not doubt for a single moment that he was a fairy.
The fairy let out a deep breath, as if freed from a suffocating restraint, then pulled out a strangely shaped crystal from his clothes and began whispering into it everything he had heard from the merchant—word for word.
Once he finished, he vanished from the place using his storage magic and changed his clothes.
After a short while, he returned wearing the clothes of a human commoner once more and placed the ring back on his finger… but this time, his human appearance was completely different from before.
When he was sure that everything looked normal, he walked once again toward the human imperial capital, returning as though he were an entirely different person.
The fairy spy was confident.
He believed he had not been seen,
not heard,
not noticed.
But he did not realize…
That red eyes were watching him from the depths of the darkness.
Eyes that saw everything…
and heard every word he spoke into that crystal.