Forn quickly caught up to Odin, her eyes still fixed on the children who were training.
The moment they noticed her, they abruptly stopped their practice and ran toward them with obvious excitement.
She looked at them in confusion, but they came closer until they stood directly in front of Odin.
One of them asked innocently:
"Who is this short girl, Ruler Odin?"
Another agreed:
"Yes, who is this short girl?"
One of the girls tilted her head curiously and added:
"Why is she so short? Is she sick, Ruler Odin?"
Forn listened to their words, feeling heat rise to her face and anger flare in her eyes.
"How dare you children—"
But before she could finish, Odin calmly raised his hand and said in a firm tone:
"She is a guest. You must respect her. Do not describe her as short like that. Show some respect."
As soon as the children heard that, they looked at Forn briefly, then said in unison in a serious tone:
"We apologize for calling you short, honored guest."
Forn was about to respond, but Odin interrupted her again, waving his hand once more.
"Go and continue your training. Remember, in a few years you will spread across the island to fight and become warriors worthy of carrying the name of Asgard."
The children immediately ran back to the training grounds, shouting excitedly:
"Yes! We will become the greatest warriors and make Asgard proud!"
Odin shook his head lightly, then looked at Forn and gestured toward one of the houses.
"Come. This is my home."
He walked calmly, and Forn followed him like his shadow, one thought circling in her mind:
Who is "Asgard" that they keep talking about?
And is he the owner of the voice she heard weeks ago?
Lost in her thoughts, she suddenly bumped into his back.
Odin glanced at her coldly.
"We've reached the door. At least wait until I open it… or do you not know that either?"
Forn's face flushed with embarrassment, and she lowered her gaze.
"I was thinking about something… I didn't mean to."
He looked at her for a moment, then waved his hand dismissively.
"No need. Just try not to crash into me so often in the future. Understood?"
Then he entered the house calmly.
Forn muttered behind him:
"I won't be staying long enough to keep bumping into you, you annoying man…"
And she followed him inside.
The moment she stepped in, she froze.
Odin was sitting on a chair made from the bones of some strange creature—massive bones intricately intertwined, like a terrifying work of art. He gestured for her to sit on one of the chairs opposite him.
She sat down slowly, her eyes roaming around the house.
Bones of various sizes hung on the walls—some resembling twisted horns, others long, sharp fangs—like a museum of creatures she had never seen in her life.
She thought to herself:
What is this chair made of?
And what are these strange bones hanging on his walls?
Odin's voice cut through her thoughts:
"Have you finished inspecting the house? Or are you still evaluating the décor?"
After hearing that, Forn thought for a moment before replying:
"It's a bit primitive… but not bad. The only problem is that the chairs and furniture are far too large."
As soon as she said that, she tried to lean back against the chair—but she couldn't. The backrest was clearly too far behind her.
Odin looked at her and laughed lightly.
"We didn't build our homes to host short guests. We never expected anyone to come to Asgard."
He chuckled softly.
Anger instantly flared in Forn's eyes.
"This is the normal height for humans and elves! You're just ridiculously tall!"
Then she added more seriously:
"Tell me… what race are you? I've never seen, heard of, or read about a race like yours before. Not even in the ancient legends."
Odin looked at her calmly before answering:
"We are the Asgardian race… the descendants of rulers. We were born for war and glory."
His eyes paused for a moment before he continued:
"Perhaps you haven't heard of us because we haven't revealed our existence for hundreds of thousands of years. Our mere existence is a terrifying power to those who truly know us."
He leaned back slightly in his bone-made chair.
"We once lived on the continent of Mira. We had a ruler equal to the rulers of humans, elves, dwarves, giants, and demons."
Then he lowered his voice slightly:
"But we made enemies of the dragons… We tried to seize control of the continent from them. We fought a great war… and we lost. We were forced to retreat so we wouldn't go extinct."
He said it with complete composure, without even blinking.
Inside, he was smiling mockingly.
The truth was that the Asgardian race had only existed for a few decades… yet the lie flowed from his mouth with astonishing ease.
Forn was shocked as she listened to his words.
"You opposed the dragons?! How? Are you truly that powerful?"
Odin smiled coldly.
"In his prime, our ruler was even stronger than the Demon King. He wanted to expand further across the continent of Mira… but the dragons sensed the threat and initiated the war."
Inside, he laughed silently.
How easy it was to deceive that girl.
How had someone with her level of intellect reached such power and status?