Chapter 866

There was no point dwelling on who had started this particular political nightmare. Sif’s feelings toward Odin had already changed beyond recognition.

If she had to reduce the mess in her head to a single sentence, it would be this:

Why did Thor have to be born when Hela already existed?

She’d thought raising Loki was Odin’s greatest mistake. Apparently, he’d been hiding an even bigger problem all along.

And judging by the situation now, Hela was the overwhelming favorite to eventually claim the throne of Asgard.

Sif had no idea what to do about it.

She wanted to support Thor, but Thor himself seemed determined to make that impossible.

Sif knew Thor’s personality far too well. At this point, she could probably sneak into his room in the middle of the night, drape a royal robe over him while he slept, and he’d wake up, pretend not to notice, and go back to sleep.

Although, knowing Thor, there was a very real possibility that he genuinely wouldn’t understand what she’d been trying to tell him.

So Sif could only cling to one increasingly desperate hope:

Humans have short lives, and youth is even shorter. Maybe Thor will come around eventually.

"Keep dreaming."

Lorelei gave a knowing little laugh.

"I know Thor. When it comes to women, he’s not only hopelessly dense—he’s also a complete bastard."

"One woman disappears, and he’ll immediately find another. He likes the novelty. If you’re waiting for him to suddenly realize that he has a responsibility to Asgard, the kingdom will probably have to explode first."

Sif immediately turned on her.

"You know Thor that well?"

"Maybe not as well as you do in other matters."

Lorelei smiled smugly.

"But when it comes to romance, I know considerably more. I was his girlfriend, after all."

Sif fell silent.

That was an annoyingly effective argument.

"As his friend, though, I think he’s better off exactly as he is."

Now that everything was out in the open, Evenson no longer bothered hiding his opinion.

"Because the moment Thor changes his mind, he’ll become involved in this succession struggle. And if we’re looking at the situation rationally, I don’t like his chances."

"You really believe Thor can’t defeat..."

Sif hesitated.

She couldn’t exactly call Hela a lunatic to her face anymore.

"...the eldest princess?"

"Well..."

Evenson gave a dry laugh.

"I know Thor’s reputation in Asgard. Since the modern era, the name Thor has practically become synonymous with heroism. Everyone admires him. He’s led the Warriors Three—and you—to victory in plenty of battles."

"But..."

Evenson’s expression changed.

"Most of those ’wars’ he’s fought were closer to adventures than actual campaigns."

"And I have to wonder how much of Thor’s glorious reputation was deliberately cultivated by Odin."

In other words, Evenson thought Thor’s reputation had been inflated.

He gestured toward Hela.

"But this woman?"

"She fought her way out of oceans of blood. Every bit of her reputation was earned one battle at a time."

"Thor’s name might shine brightly."

"The name Hela inspires fear."

"Even Odin was afraid of her."

"Can Thor honestly say the same?"

"Exactly."

Hela leaned back with a satisfied smile.

"Keep going. I like this."

Evenson ignored her.

"I know Thor fairly well, so I have a good idea of what he’s capable of."

"But I’ve also fought the Goddess of Death."

"And I’ve experienced her strength firsthand."

Sif’s eyes widened.

"You’re saying you couldn’t beat her?"

Nobody actually knew the limits of Evenson’s strength.

Sif knew only that he was powerful.

That was partly because Evenson had made a point of keeping his abilities mysterious. He rarely fought anyone seriously, and even when he did fight, he almost never revealed everything he could do.

Aside from the Eredar Twins, almost nobody had enough information to make a reliable assessment of his actual strength.

"Of course I couldn’t."

If I could beat her, why would I need to keep feeding her offerings? I’d have captured her already.

"And when I fought Hela, I don’t think she was using her full strength."

Evenson spoke seriously now.

"The place where she’s imprisoned was specifically prepared by Odin as a trap. Her power is heavily suppressed there."

"Her strength originates from Asgard itself. Once she escapes and returns home, she’ll gradually recover."

"And when she does, she’ll become nearly unstoppable."

"Even Odin at the height of his power might not have been able to suppress her."

"So..."

Evenson was certain of this.

"If Thor enters a direct struggle with her alone, he’ll lose."

"There’s another problem. The spell imprisoning Hela was created by Odin, and it’s tied to his life."

"And we both know Odin is already nearing the end of his life."

"Three years. Five at most."

"Once he dies, Hela will be free."

"So if Thor doesn’t even want the throne, wouldn’t it be better to leave him alone?"

"Let him remain an independent prince somewhere far from the conflict rather than forcing him into a battle he’ll probably die in."

Sif’s heart sank.

If Evenson was right, then perhaps the safest possible outcome really was for Thor to stay exactly as he was.

But something still bothered her.

"If she only needs to wait in prison until she’s free, then take the throne that she believes already belongs to her..."

Sif frowned.

"Why does she need any of this?"

"Why recruit you?"

"Why demand your support?"

"And why would she even tolerate someone like Lorelei?"

Lorelei’s eyes narrowed.

"I was wondering when you’d get to me."

She ran her tongue slowly across her lips and smiled provocatively.

"You wouldn’t believe how much fun Thor and I had together."

Sif’s expression darkened.

Evenson sighed.

"I’ve said this several times. My support doesn’t actually matter."

He gave a self-deprecating smile.

"If we’re being completely honest, most of what I do is simply feed her ego."

"I wouldn’t put it quite that way."

Hela’s expression soured.

"I appreciate honesty, but there are times when a little tact is appropriate."

"Fine."

Evenson turned toward her.

"My work is simply to enhance the glory of the Goddess of Death."

He gave Hela a look that clearly said Happy now?

Then he pointed toward Lorelei.

"As for her, I have no idea."

He looked directly at Hela.

"Why did you send that enchantress here?"

That had actually been one of the main reasons he’d wanted this meeting.

The agreement between Hela and Evenson had been proceeding smoothly. Both sides had kept their arrangement secret, allowing Evenson to maintain good relations with everyone involved until the moment everything finally became public.

Lorelei’s arrival had completely disrupted that balance.

"Now you’ve forced me to expose things I was deliberately keeping hidden."

"So what exactly are you trying to accomplish?"

"Are you trying to force me to pick a side?"

"And if so, why?"

"Do you really have nothing better to do than eat too many noodles and invent problems for me?"

Hela shook her head.

"I didn’t intend for things to develop this way."

She glanced at Lorelei.

"This little enchantress showed me enough respect when she first arrived that I had no reason to kill her."

She paused.

"That doesn’t mean I intended to release her, either."

"But I questioned her about the current situation in Asgard."

"What I learned concerned me."

"There are some strange changes happening there."

"I needed to prepare."

Evenson’s expression became thoughtful.

So Hela already knew what Frigga had been doing.

And apparently, she’d recognized the danger.

"I’ll admit, I never noticed it before."

Hela’s expression became faintly amused.

"Our mother spent most of her life secluded within the palace. She never showed much interest in matters outside the royal court."

"But now that she’s finally acting, she’s making quite an impression."

She narrowed her eyes.

"My greatest rival for the throne may not be Thor."

"It may be my own mother."

Asgard’s political system wasn’t new to Hela.

Most of its fundamental rules had existed back when she and Odin were still fighting together. In fact, some of them had been established by the two of them personally.

There hadn’t been many major changes since.

That made Frigga’s reforms all the more astonishing.

Military achievements could now earn noble titles.

Even those born into lower social classes could rise through merit.

Slaves could receive rewards and eventually earn freedom.

Hela had been stunned by the scale of the changes.

But after examining them carefully, she realized they weren’t reckless decrees or the work of an inexperienced ruler experimenting blindly.

If Asgard implemented these policies fully, the efficiency of the entire kingdom would increase dramatically.

And then there were Frigga’s reforms to Asgard’s administrative system.

Hela had been genuinely impressed.

Frigga possessed considerably more political skill and foresight than Hela had ever given her credit for.

But Hela was also the woman who had once rebelled against Odin for the throne.

She understood ambition.

And she understood that Frigga’s reforms weren’t simply about strengthening Asgard or improving the lives of its people.

They were also strengthening Frigga’s own authority.

The Queen Mother had no intention of quietly stepping aside.

If anything, she appeared to be reaching for something more.

Being queen wasn’t enough.

Being Queen Mother wasn’t enough.

Hela could see where this was heading.

And there was only one position above her.

The throne.

Hela imagined the future.

The day she finally escaped.

The day she returned to Asgard.

The day she crushed every obstacle in her path.

The day she defeated Thor, her younger brother, and finally stood before the people of Asgard.

She could already hear the declaration.

"From this day forward, the supreme ruler of Asgard is..."

Hela paused dramatically.

"Her Most Divine Majesty, Queen Frigga!"

Sif stared at her.

Her hand slowly rose.

"You..."

Her finger trembled.

"You mean the Queen Mother wants the throne?"

Sif had been working wholeheartedly for Frigga.

She had noticed that ever since the crisis that had nearly destroyed them, the Queen Mother’s grip on power had become considerably tighter.

But Sif had always assumed there was a reasonable explanation.

Odin had withdrawn from governing.

Thor had abandoned Asgard.

The royal family had been weakened.

Someone had to preserve the authority of the crown.

Perhaps Frigga had simply decided that, while she was there, she might as well use her abilities to improve the kingdom.

Sif had never considered the possibility that Frigga herself wanted the throne.

Now that she did, her lingering anger toward Odin transformed into something dangerously close to sympathy.

What kind of family is this?

His eldest daughter wanted to overthrow him.

His adopted son rebelled.

His biological son abandoned the kingdom.

And the one person who seemed remotely normal was apparently sitting quietly in the palace, preparing to steal the throne herself.

Even a stage play couldn’t be this ridiculous.

No wonder Odin had decided to retire.

If Sif had a family like this, she’d probably want to disappear too.

"What does that have to do with you?"

Evenson, mercifully, ignored Sif’s internal crisis and focused on Hela.

"I know about Frigga’s reforms."

"They’ll certainly establish enormous authority for her."

"But none of that matters against your overwhelming strength."

"Once you’re free, you can tear all of it down."

Hela’s expression suddenly hardened.

"Frigga married into the royal family."

She emphasized each word.

"But she isn’t of the royal bloodline."

"There is no royal blood in her veins."

"She doesn’t have to spill her blood to transfer the crown."

Hela’s eyes became cold.

"Do you understand what I’m saying?"