"Chisé... do you hate ? I killed your parents, your friends..."
"No. Chisé doesn't hate Grandma. Chisé wants to be different from our ancestors. I don't want anyone else to lose their family like I did. I just want everyone to live happily and peacefully."
And so, the story of the Valkyrie and the dark elf girl continues...
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"So that's how it is—your arrival here was caused by a spaceti distortion during the celestial convergence."
After hearing the whole story, Hogun let out a deep sigh.
"Miss Kagura, you don't need to worry. I'll contact Prince Thor first thing tomorrow and have him find a way to send you back. For tonight, just rest here."
"Alright, I'll gratefully accept your hospitality. Thank you for your help, General Hogun."
Kagura gave him a polite nod.
"Co now, don't be so formal. You're Thor's adoptive sister and even helped us fight off Loki's Destroyer once."
Hogun chuckled. "I may be a brute, but I've got a good mory. It's truly my honor to help you."
"Ah, now you're making blush a little."
Kagura smiled warmly in return. "By the way, is this your hotown?"
"It is." Hogun nodded.
"I was born in Vanaheim. I t Sigrid here by chance when she ca seeking a new life, and we've been living together ever since—with little Chisé too."
"That's honestly quite the fascinating combination," Kagura said with genuine curiosity.
"An Asgardian general, a forr Valkyrie, and a dark elf girl, all under one roof. That sounds like sothing out of a myth."
"Hahaha!" Hogun laughed heartily. "Every ti I tell soone about our ho, they always react the sa way. I've gotten used to it!"
"To be honest, I was shocked the first ti I saw Chisé too," he continued.
"A little dark elf girl, in Vanaheim of all places, unbelievable right? Why was she here? And why was she being cared for by an Asgardian?"
"Aren't Asgardians and dark elves supposed to be mortal enemies?"
"A million questions raced through my head. But then I realized they were just old prejudices."
Hogun continued speaking as he cleared the table. "Ancient grudges, old wars... what do they have to do with an innocent little girl like Chisé?"
"She never let hatred cloud her eyes. All she wanted was to live a normal life."
"No matter how stubborn Asgardians may be, surely we aren't so cruel that we'd deny even a child the right to exist?"
"That's why I chose to take them in. To give them a ho."
Bringing his thoughts back to the present, Hogun added, "Maybe we've all been wrong. But the sins of our ancestors shouldn't be chains that bind our new generation."
"Every life deserves a chance to survive. Asgardians are not inherently superior, and dark elves don't all deserve to die."
"Wow, I didn't know you were such a philosopher," Sigrid chid in, teasing. "You always seem like the type who just fights, drinks, and sleeps all day."
"There you go again." Hogun shrugged with a grin.
"It's rare to have a guest who actually listens to ramble. Gotta take advantage of the opportunity, right?"
"If I talked about your dark past every day, you'd probably have chopped in half by now."
"Don't mind him, Miss Kagura," Sigrid said with a laugh. "This thick-headed guy only has a few topics he can go on about."
"Not at all," Kagura replied, waving her hand politely. "General Hogun makes so excellent points. I completely agree with him."
"You better stop now, or his ego's going to soar past the clouds."
As they chatted, Sigrid finished setting the table, laying out a spread of exotic and colorful dishes.
"Dinner ti! Dinner ti!" Chisé skipped over to her seat, then sat upright with a respectful posture—like a perfect little angel.
She looked up, eyes wide with anticipation.
"Grandma, Grandma! What are we eating tonight?"
"Tonight's a feast, because we have a special guest!" Sigrid lovingly patted her head.
"We've got charcoal-grilled Sakas Fish Fillets, stir-fried Gulugu lon with Momo Bird Eggs, and your favorite—Spicy Pepper-Stuffed Gugu at!"
"Yaaay! That sounds amazing!" Chisé clapped her hands, clearly overjoyed.
"W-Wait a second... why do all those dishes sound like dark cuisine experints?"
Kagura whispered to herself. "Are these things... actually edible by humans?"
"Don't worry, Miss Kagura," Sigrid reassured her.
"These are basically like the ho-cooked als on Earth, just made with different ingredients. Just try it, you might be pleasantly surprised."
"They're delicious, I promise!" Hogun added. "We're not so different from Midgardians, you know. Our food tastes pretty similar."
"R-Really...?" Kagura cautiously picked up a piece of the Sakas Fish and took a tiny bite. "...Mmm!"
"Well? How is it?" Sigrid and Hogun leaned in eagerly.
Kagura's surprise slowly lted into delight. "Mmm, it's sweet and tangy! I thought it'd be salty, but this is really good! It kinda tastes like polo from Earth!"
Fish that tasted like citrusy fruit, what a strange but wonderful experience.
"See? Told you you'd like it!" Hogun bead. "Co on, try the others too. Enjoy the feast!"
"Thanks for the al, everyone." Kagura smiled as she tried the Gulugu lon and Momo Bird Eggs.
"Wow! This lon thing... it tastes like cumin-flavored gummy candy!"
"...Whoa, these eggs are super spicy!"
"And this one savory minced at with sweet and spicy green peppers? Mmm, this is actually really close to sothing we'd have on Earth. I love it!"
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Laughter and warmth filled the dining table. A simple al shared among unlikely companions, yet it radiated the joy of an ordinary life—a precious kind of happiness.
"Ahh..." Kagura let out a sigh of contentnt. "This place feels a lot like Earth a few centuries ago... and honestly, it's surprisingly comfortable."
After dinner, she sat at a low table, cradling a cup of tea brewed from so unknown alien plant.
The tea was fragrant, with a hint of lemon sothing impossible to replicate on Earth, yet soothing in a way that transcended worlds.
"You're thinking it, aren't you?" Sigrid joined her, sitting by her side with a knowing smile.
"That this world looks ancient, like your Midgard of old, but it's filled with advanced technology. Strange, isn't it?"
Sigrid sat beside Kagura, as if she had seen right through her thoughts.
"You're wondering about it, aren't you?" Sigrid asked with a knowing smile.
Kagura nodded. "Yeah. Aunt Sigrid, do you know what Earth is like?"
"Of course. We've been watching your planet's developnt for a long ti."
Sigrid chuckled softly before gesturing around them. "But you see, progress doesn't always an constantly changing cityscapes, social structures, or living environnts like on Earth."
She pointed at their surroundings. "Look at how we live. It's convenient, comfortable, and not so different from your world, don't you think?"
"This little house can regulate its own temperature, generate a protective field to keep out pests, and even adjust sound and light levels when necessary. Your concrete skyscrapers can't do that, can they?"
Kagura blinked in realization. "You're right... I kept thinking of this place as sothing caught between primitive and advanced, but I never looked past the surface."
"Vanaheim is an advanced civilization," Sigrid explained. "Its people live in harmony with nature, and while you don't see towering steel cities here, that doesn't an we're behind in technology."
She poured Kagura another cup of tea. "The real purpose of societal developnt is to improve people's lives. All technological advancents, all progress, ultimately serve that one purpose—to bring happiness."
"If a civilization forgets that fundantal goal," she continued, gazing out the window at the star-filled sky, "it can easily stray down a dangerous path."
"There have been civilizations that fueled endless wars, those that expanded recklessly until they collapsed.
"Those that digitized themselves only to fade into nothingness."
"Those that destroyed themselves through reckless experintation, and even those that beca soulless machines endlessly replicating themselves..."
Sigrid turned back to Kagura. "Tell , Miss Kagura, what path will Earth choose?"
Kagura smiled wryly. "That's a tough question. I can't speak for all of humanity. We're a diverse species, after all. But I believe we'll find our own way."
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