Click!
The crisp snap of a dry twig, accidentally stepped on, cut through the hush of Elbaf's night and instantly drew Charlotte Linlin's gaze.
"Hey, brat, what are you doing skulking here?"
She followed the sound and saw a… very large brat scrambling to hide behind a titanic tree.
"Hide" might be the wrong word; to an ordinary human the plant was a towering giant, but to this figure it was merely an oversized Christmas tree, far too small to mask that colossal frame.
It was a Giant child wearing a helmet and sprouting horns, his face no older than a five- or six-year-old human's.
Yet his sheer size still loomed a full head—just that big head of his three-head-tall body—above even Charlotte Linlin.
"Hey! I'm not a brat! You're just a… medium-sized human!"
Caught red-handed, the boy shot from behind the trunk like a cat with a stepped-on Tail, neck stiff with indignation.
"Hahaha~"
Charlotte Linlin laughed brightly, eyeing the "big kid" who towered over her yet still wore his baby fat.
"Oh~ a cute little brat! What's your name? If I'm not wrong, you're Harald's boy?"
"I'm Loki. H-how did you know I'm Father's son?"
Young Loki blinked, fingers drifting to the horns on his helmet.
"You share some features that make the connection rather obvious."
Charlotte Linlin's tone stayed mild.
Of course they're obvious. Forget the horns—at five or six you're already taller than This old lady. Definitely not the stock of an average Giant.
Still, the name Loki plus that earlier rainbow bridge… this Elbaf is reeking of Asgard.
The thought flashed through her mind as she probed,
"By the way… don't you have an older brother?"
"How did you—?!"
Loki blurted, then shook his head as if stung, voice rising in fierce denial:
"No! I don't! That man isn't my brother! Father has only me!"
Seeing his vehemence and absolute refusal, Charlotte Linlin understood.
Looks like this Loki and "that" Loki share the same sore spot with their brothers.
Wonder if his brother is named Odin or Thor—then I'd know which Norse myth this Giant country is borrowing from. But with that face, I won't get a word more.
"Fine, you've got no brother." She went along smoothly, steering the talk elsewhere.
"So, little Loki, why are you sneaking around alone? The feast isn't this way."
The change of subject worked; Loki straightened, chest puffed, a look of Yearning and resolve far beyond his years on his face.
"I'm waiting for someone!"
"Oh? And who's important enough to make our little prince wait here?"
"It's Rocks!" Loki exclaimed, eyes blazing with fervor.
"I'll become his Crew member! I'll follow him, leave Elbaf, and sail the seas!"
"That Rocks fellow~"
Charlotte Linlin shook her head with playful amusement.
"He probably won't take you."
"Why not?!" Loki spluttered, as if doused with cold water.
"I'm strong! The village warriors praise my Talents, and grown Giants can't beat me!"
He swung his fists to prove his might.
"It's not about strength."
Charlotte Linlin watched his anxiety and didn't keep him guessing.
"It's because you're still a kid. Rocks' ship has no place for children."
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