The pressure of the God King's awakening was like an invisible hand, smoothing out the last ripples of restless energy in the void, and condensing the despair and sorrow permeating the broken Bifrost into a heavy, almost suffocating silence. Only Thor's suppressed, wounded-animal-like whimpers echoed intermittently in the deathly air.
Odin's majestic figure slowly descended beside Thor. He did not speak immediately, just looked down at his eldest son, who was collapsed and heartbroken, his single eye filled with complex light—pain, exhaustion, and an indescribable depth. He reached out his other hand, the one not holding his spear, and pressed it gently on Thor's trembling shoulder. Without using divine power to heal, just a simple gesture of a father comforting his son, a gentle yet unquestionable force penetrated his body, temporarily stabilizing Thor's near-collapsed state and agitated mind.
"Take him back to the Golden Palace for rest." Odin's voice was low as he ordered the Attendant Official, who had just arrived and was kneeling on the ground. The old general immediately complied, and together with a few elite guards, carefully lifted the nearly unconscious Thor. They used a stretcher formed of divine energy to carry him quickly toward the Golden Palace. Thor's gaze remained hollow, staring at the void where Loki had disappeared, allowing himself to be led away.
After dealing with Thor, Odin slowly turned around. His deep, single eye, as if piercing through layers of fog, landed on Artoria and Minerva, who were supporting each other not far away. His gaze was calm, without scrutiny or investigation, yet it carried a sense of vicissitudes that had seen through the ages and an invisible pressure.
"Guests who have come from afar," Odin spoke, his voice magnificent, ringing directly in their consciousness rather than through the air. "Asgard has suffered such a disaster, I apologize for letting you see this. Thank you for the helping hand you extended to Asgard and to Thor in this time of crisis."
His thanks were concise and solemn, carrying the weight of the God King.
Artoria stood firm with Minerva's support, suppressing her physical exhaustion and the mental shock from witnessing the brothers' parting just now. She bowed slightly and responded with poise: "Your Majesty, the God King, you are too kind. We only did what we should have done. Your Highness Thor... is admirable."
She weighed her words, not mentioning Loki or commenting on the tragic scene just now.
Odin's single eye lingered on her face for a moment, seemingly seeing through the exhaustion and caution beneath her calm exterior, and said slowly: "Thor's growth has his own insights, and... also has external opportunities. What you brought is not just aid." His words were somewhat vague, but Artoria could feel that this All-Father seemed to know, or perhaps inferred, that she and Minerva were not ordinary "travelers," and might even have some understanding of Thor's "trial" on Earth.
"A quiet room has been prepared in the Golden Palace for you to rest and recover. When things here settle down, we will talk in detail." Odin did not pursue the matter further and provided arrangements. He clearly had too many urgent matters to deal with—stabilizing Asgard, treating the wounded, assessing the damage to the Bifrost, dealing with the potential aftermath... and handling the mess left by Loki and Thor's breakdown.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, the God King." Artoria nodded in acceptance. She and Minerva indeed needed rest at this moment.
Odin said no more and nodded slightly to another Attendant Official standing to the side. The steady, elegantly dressed middle-aged man immediately stepped forward and respectfully led Artoria and Minerva away from the sad, broken bridge, walking toward a relatively intact area of the Golden Palace far from the main hall's hustle and bustle.
Everything seen along the way bore the scars of war. But Asgard's efficient repair mechanism had already been activated under the majesty of Odin's awakening. Craftsmen and mages were repairing damaged buildings and arrays, medical officers were rushing to treat the wounded, and guards were redeploying—everything, though busy, was orderly, revealing the foundation of an ancient divine realm.
The Attendant Official led them into a quiet guest room on the wing of the Golden Palace, overlooking a part of the inner garden. The room was spacious and bright, elegantly decorated without losing its luxury. The air was filled with the scent of rare spices that calmed the mind and aided sleep, and exquisite snacks and fragrant drinks were already prepared on the table.
"Please rest here with peace of mind. If you need anything, you may ring the bell to call. His Majesty has ordered that you are not to be disturbed." After the Attendant Official gave instructions, he bowed and retreated, gently closing the door.
"It's okay... Minerva..." Artoria squeezed a few words from her throat with her last ounce of strength. The mental dam she had been holding up collapsed instantly. An intense wave of dizziness and collapse overwhelmed her like a tsunami. Her legs went weak, and she fell forward. She did not hit the expected cold floor but fell into a cool yet exceptionally solid embrace.
The moment the door closed, Minerva had adjusted her posture, steadily catching her limp body. Her bionic arms carefully wrapped around her waist and the back of her knees, carrying her with the steadiest force toward the large bed in the center of the room, which was covered with thick, cloud-like soft velvet blankets.
"Vital signs fluctuating severely, dual exhaustion of spirit and energy detected, entering the critical point of mandatory protective sleep." Minerva's voice remained steady, but her speaking speed was slightly faster than usual. She placed Artoria gently on the bed, knelt on one knee beside it, and scanned Artoria's pale, sweaty cheeks, unfocused green eyes, and slightly trembling fingertips with her optical sensor at the highest precision.
"Need... to engage in deep rest immediately. Suggest initiating the 'Lullaby' protocol to assist sleep." As Minerva spoke, she reached out to undo the buttons of Artoria's coat, wanting to make her lie down more comfortably. Her movements were precise, carrying an unquestionable sense of care.
However, when the cool fingers touched the skin on Artoria's neck, Artoria shuddered violently as if startled, and her unfocused gaze struggled to focus on Minerva's face. She did not struggle, but reached out a weak hand and grabbed Minerva's wrist, which was about to adjust her collar, her fingertips icy cold.
"...Cold..." she mumbled, her voice as thin as a newborn kitten's, carrying an almost instinctive reliance and grievance she herself hadn't realized. "...Minerva... hold..."
It was not a command, not even a request. It was more like a child lost in a blizzard, upon seeing the only familiar figure, letting out a whimper mixed with fear, exhaustion, and a longing for shelter.
Minerva's movements stopped abruptly. The blue light in her optical sensor steadily reflected Artoria's defenseless face, which was full of fragility and a seeking of comfort. Her database did not have a standard protocol for dealing with this situation. Her logic module quickly deduced: hugging behavior helps increase the sense of security, promotes the secretion of dopamine and endorphins, lowers cortisol levels, and has a positive impact on alleviating extreme mental fatigue. However, the current environment was not absolutely safe, and the "hugging" action might affect the efficiency of responding to sudden threats...
The deduction was completed in a thousandth of a second. The blue light in Minerva's eyes softened imperceptibly. She silently gave up her original action, and while still being held by the wrist by Artoria, she sat on the edge of the bed. Then, she stretched out her arms and, with a force that would never make Artoria feel uncomfortable yet was firm enough, gently pulled her into her arms, letting her lean against her chest.
The bionic body had no warm blood flow, but the precise thermostatic system kept the temperature of her embrace in a comfortable range. Silver hair fell down, gently brushing against Artoria's sweaty forehead. Minerva adjusted her posture to let Artoria lean more stably, one hand wrapping around her shoulder, while the other hand patted her back slowly and rhythmically, as if comforting a baby.
"Physical contact soothing mode activated. Core temperature adjusted to the optimal comfort range. Lullaby protocol loaded... playing." Minerva said in a low voice. Her voice was no longer the cold, waveless tone of usual, but was deliberately made softer and steadier, like the quiet sea tide under the moonlight, carrying a strange, soothing rhythm.
There was no real singing, but the steady electronic tone rhythm itself became the best lullaby.
Artoria's body, which had been tense to the limit, relaxed involuntarily the moment she fell into this familiar and stable embrace. Her cold fingers unconsciously tightened on the fabric of Minerva's chest, burying her face deeper into the cool embrace that smelled faintly of detergent and electronic components. Her nose was filled with the scent that belonged solely to Minerva, and her ears were filled with her steady "heartbeat" and the soothing rhythm. The hustle and bustle of the outside world, the roar of battle, the pressure of the God King, the tragedy of the brothers' break... everything was isolated by this inch of peace.
The chaotic thoughts gradually calmed down, like a sand painting brushed by the wind, slowly dissipating. Only the boundless, heavy exhaustion remained, dragging her down into the depths.
"...Don't leave..." she mumbled vaguely before completely falling into the darkness, her fingers tightening again.
"I am here, Artoria." Minerva's reply was clear and certain, the patting on her back never ceasing. "Continuous protection protocol activated. Please rest with peace of mind."
Having received the promise, the last trace of unease dissipated. Artoria's breathing gradually became long and even, her tightly clenched fingers slowly loosened, and her whole person, like a tired boat finding a harbor, sank completely into a dreamless, deep sleep. Only a trace of undried wetness remained at the corner of her eye, not knowing if it was sweat or something else.
Minerva maintained the hugging posture, motionless. Her optical sensor quietly watched the peaceful sleeping face of the person in her arms, the blue light flowing softly. She dimmed the room's light and activated the highest-level silent force field to isolate all potentially disturbing sounds. At the same time, her perception network expanded to every corner of the room, maintaining an encrypted link with little ai outside, ensuring nothing went wrong.
Time passed in the quietness. The eternal starlight outside the window flowed quietly, plating the room with a hazy silver glow.
I don't know how long it had been, when a soft knock on the door sounded, which failed to penetrate the silent force field. But Minerva sensed it through vibration. The blue light in her eyes flashed slightly, and after assessing the situation and determining that the knocker had no malice and a very low energy level, she temporarily turned off the force field through a mental command.
Outside the door was the Attendant Official's respectful inquiry regarding His Majesty Odin's summons.
Minerva looked at Artoria, who was still sleeping in her arms but whose complexion had recovered some ruddiness and whose breathing was steady, and quickly calculated her recovery progress. Deep sleep had lasted about six hours, and the initial recovery was basically complete, but waking her up might lead to a drop in recovery efficiency and residual mental fatigue.
"Artoria is still in deep recovery," Minerva replied calmly to the outside, her voice controlled just enough for the person outside to hear clearly. "It is estimated that it will take another two hours before a formal meeting can be held. Please convey to His Majesty that once she wakes up and recovers, she will go to audience immediately."
The Attendant Official outside seemed to hesitate for a moment, but thinking that Odin had not set a time limit, and that this guest was a VIP valued by both the Queen and His Highness, he responded and quietly retreated.
Minerva restarted the silent force field, adjusted her posture to let Artoria sleep more comfortably, and then entered a silent guarding state again.
About an hour and a half later, Artoria's eyelashes trembled a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes. The green eyes were still filled with the confusion of just waking up, but they had regained clarity. She found herself being held in Minerva's arms, pillowing on her shoulder, covered with a soft velvet blanket. Memories flooded back like a tide, but the chaos and severe pain that had been on the verge of collapse had faded, leaving only deep exhaustion and a sense of peace as if after a disaster.
"Awake?" Minerva's voice sounded above her head, still steady, but seemingly with a hint of imperceptible warmth.
"Mm..." Artoria responded softly, not getting up immediately, but instead rubbing against Minerva's arms, finding a more comfortable position like a lazy cat. "How long did I sleep? How is... the outside?"
"Deep sleep for seven hours and thirty-seven minutes. His Majesty Odin summoned you earlier, and I requested a postponement on the grounds that you needed recovery. The Attendant Official has agreed. Order within Asgard is being restored, and His Highness Thor is being taken care of by the Queen; his specific condition is unknown." Minerva reported concisely.
"Oh..." Artoria responded, slowly sitting up. Although her spirit was much better, her body was still a bit sore, and her magic power had only recovered to about fifty or sixty percent. She rubbed her forehead and looked at Minerva: "Before I fell asleep... was I very embarrassing?"
"According to human behavioral models, experiencing short-term emotional dependence and seeking comfort after extreme consumption and mental shock belongs to the category of normal stress reactions and does not constitute an 'embarrassing' evaluation." Minerva answered seriously, while handing over a cup of warm water.
Artoria took the water cup and drank it in small sips. The warm water moistened her dry throat and made her clearer. She looked at Minerva's calm and waveless profile, remembering the "hold" word with a crying tone before she passed out, her earlobes heating up slightly, but her heart was warm.
"Thank you," she said in a low voice, not just for the glass of water.
"It is my duty." Minerva's answer was stereotypical, but Artoria understood the meaning within.
After drinking the water and resting for a while, feeling that she had recovered enough, Artoria tidied up her appearance with Minerva's help. At this time, the Attendant Official's knock on the door sounded again at the right time.
"It's time to face the God King." Artoria took a deep breath and nodded to Minerva.
The two followed the Attendant Official, passed through the corridor, and came to the side hall where Odin was. The audience process was unexpectedly calm. Odin's pressure was still vast, but it had converged a lot. He thanked them for their help, probed into Artoria's origin, and finally seemed to accept the "dimensional traveler" statement, and generously opened part of the library's authority, and even implicitly requested Artoria to enlighten Thor when appropriate.
Artoria responded cautiously and sincerely, showing a harmless and friendly stance. Odin's final attitude tended to be acceptance and observation, which was already the best result.
Leaving the side hall and walking in the corridor, Artoria felt that the invisible pressure on her shoulders had lightened a lot. Although the road ahead was still unknown, Loki's ending was pending, and Thor's pain was in urgent need of soothing, at least they had a relatively safe temporary foothold in Asgard, as well as a treasure trove that might contain endless knowledge waiting to be explored.
"Let's go back and rest for a while first," Artoria said to Minerva, feeling her energy starting to scatter again, "and then... let's go to the library and see. As for Thor... let's wait until he is ready himself."
Minerva nodded, steadily supporting her again, and the two walked slowly toward the guest room. The eternal starlight of Asgard shone on them, dragging two long, leaning shadows behind them.
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