「Hmm…is it or are there more islands than before?」
She felt like there were more islands than she rembered, reaching even further into the sky. Wondering about that, she stepped off the staircase and onto the lowest island.
「Yes, that’s exactly it, that’s why I’m here!」
That island also served as the entrance to Valhalla, with a tall gate guarded by two girls wearing simple armor and ard with swords. Bruce was talking to them vehently, showing just how excited he was to form a Contract with the Valkyries.
This was the final examination, and the two gatekeepers would not let any lie slide, so one had to be completely honest. Anyone coming with ill desires was kicked out there.
Bruce did not look like the most sane person, but his enthusiasm was real, so he was allowed in, though the two gatekeepers looked slightly worried.
Next it was Mira’s turn, who did not really have a specific goal there. She had only co to help Bruce get in.
But being already there, she got in the mood of doing so sightseeing, as well as to check on sothing she had been curious about for a long ti. So she stepped forward to the gate.
「Welco, may you enjoy your visit.」
The two recognized Mira as the master of Alfina and her sisters, so she was let in without any questions. Bruce watched that happen, and began smiling like a little kid, wondering if he would also be let in like that the next ti.
Past the gate, a sight that could only be described as a paradise spread out. There was a vast adow of grass and vibrant flowers, with a large lake further in, and a single large tree growing next to it.
「Ohh… This is even more beautiful than I heard…」
Bruce continued being fascinated by it all, looking at all the new things nearby, including animals he had never seen before, which would not run away even as he and Mira got close to them. So would actually approach the pair instead.
Bruce was mostly interested in an animal that looked similar to a lamb, while many little animals kept circling around Mira, moving closer with curiosity when she held out a hand, licking it or rubbing against it, making her feel like she was in heaven.
As they did that, a girl with white wings landed in front of them. She was a guide of Valhalla, and had helped Mira when she ca to form a Contract as well.
「Welco to Valhalla.」
She spoke with a soft but crystal clear voice, before throwing a curious stare at Mira, tilting her head to ask, 「Wait, are you…」 and seeming to rember sothing before quickly standing up straight.
「Umm, back then you were—」
「Don’t worry about ! Here! I’m sure you ca to et soone who underwent so trials recently, this is him!」
Mira realized that the winged girl was about to ntion sothing about Mira’s appearance changing since the last ti she was there, so Mira had to interrupt her and push Bruce forward to make him the center of attention. That seed to work, or the winged girl got the ssage, as she turned to Bruce and asked, 「Is it you who challenged our trials?」
「Yes, I did. It’s a pleasure to be here.」
Bruce bowed to the girl, looking slightly saddened that he had to part ways with the lamb-like animal.
「I just ca to accompany him. I’ll just wait around here until he’s done, with everything, so don’t worry about .」
When Mira said that, the girl replied with a short, 「As you wish,」 then firmly took hold of Bruce and flew off the island, saying, 「I’ll go present him with the results of his trials.」
「Close one, close one…」
Mira let out a sigh of relief once they were gone. Bruce was very knowledgeable about Danbulf’s past, so if the girl said anything unnecessary, he would have seen through everything. With that issue taken care of, Mira continued walking around.
She walked through the soft grass and flowers, eventually reaching a small forest. This island was not as big as the other ones above, but in exchange, it seed to be more vibrant than the rest.
She continued going to the forest, where the trees were not just green, but were flowering in many colors, and so even had fruits, which were Mira’s main goal there.
「There, there it is!」
She quickly used Sky Stride to reach one of the fruits, plucking it out. It had a nice weight to it, with a silvery shine, a sweet aroma, and was known as a Celestial Princess Peach.
It was cultivated exclusively in Valhalla, and was a heavenly fruit in every aning of the word, with so claiming it was so delicious one could ascend to heaven after tasting it. Taking them out from Valhalla was forbidden as well, so there was no way to try them other than to visit in person.
「Now, let’s see how true those stories were.」
The first ti she visited Valhalla, this was still just a ga, with no sense of taste, and all she obtained by eating one was a buff, increasing her HP and MP recovery speeds, while getting rid of status effects. But now everything was real, and she would finally be able to taste it.
「Ti to figure it out!」
She opened her mouth wide and took a big bite. A mont later, her eyes snapped open at the taste.
It was like she was eating nature’s jelly, encased in a thin skin, so it all burst, filling her mouth the mont she took the bite, and then gently lting. At the sa ti, she was hit by the powerful fruity taste, accompanied by an imnse sweetness. The taste could be described like concentrated peaches, but sohow far sweeter in a pleasant way.
「Incredible…this taste is otherworldly!」
She was completely moved by the taste, and after eating the whole fruit and licking her fingers, she plucked a second one. But then, she realized that many of the animals from earlier were still following her, looking at her with pleading eyes.
「You also want so?」
She tried offering them a peach while saying that, and the animals began chirping and squeaking happily.
Even though they were small, there were so many that they ate the whole fruit in an instant, and then looked at Mira wanting more. She replied with a playful, 「You really are a helpless bunch,」 and left them another peach she had retrieved.
Watching the animals flock over to the fruit and eat it was a cute sight that brought imnse peace to Mira, and after that repeated for four tis, they were finally satisfied and all the little critters left.
「…What a cruel world…」
Mira felt a pang of pain, understanding that the animals had just seen her as a person that would feed them and nothing more. But as she had not gotten her fill yet, she decided to summon the First Lieutenant in their stead.
「Is this…this is heaven owww!」
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