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Arthur felt as if his status had suddenly been elevated.
Not that it seemed particularly useful at the moment, he still couldn't sense the so-called "world" or the "Nine Realms" in the way Odin described. It all felt distant, like someone else's story, something detached from his personal experience.
But Odin's explanation made one thing clear.
Why was he always caught in the middle of chaos?
Strictly speaking, from the very beginning, he never really had a choice.
When he first arrived in this world, it was on the battlefield of World War II. If he hadn't fought to survive, he would've died right then and there.
But because he did fight, because he refused to die, he ended up on the Red Skull's radar. And from that moment on, everything unfolded like a chain reaction.
Looking back now, Arthur realized that he had never truly been in control of his own path.
It was either die or adapt.
And the moment he adapted, everything spiraled into chaos around him.
Then a thought crossed his mind. "Being the center of everything… just means being a walking disaster magnet, doesn't it?"
"...I don't appreciate your choice of words," Odin said, momentarily stunned. "And don't you think calling yourself that is, well… a bit undignified?"
"It's called self-deprecating humor." Arthur rolled his eyes. "I thought the all-seeing King of Asgard would've learned to take a joke by now."
Odin considered this for a moment, then nodded. "So, do you understand now?"
"I do." Arthur nodded, then suddenly hesitated. Wait a minute. Understand what, exactly?
His eyes flickered toward Odin, and then it hit him. He smacked his forehead. "Oh… so that's what this is all about."
"Ah. Now you truly understand." Odin smiled knowingly, turned, and with a single step, vanished.
Arthur stared at the now-empty room, momentarily at a loss.
"Popping in and out like that, doesn't seem like someone at death's door, does it?"
Shaking his head, he frowned again.
"To be honest, everything he just said… it's all just speculation, isn't it? Deductions based on what's already happened. Who's to say any of it is true? And just because of this, he's tying something as massive as Ragnarok to me? Betting that I can somehow change the final outcome? I don't even have that kind of confidence."
Odin hadn't explicitly mentioned Ragnarok.
But the implication had been crystal clear.
As long as Arthur existed, any connection he had to Ragnarok,no matter how small, would inevitably alter its course.
Odin wasn't asking Arthur to fight against Ragnarok.
He was simply acknowledging that the moment Arthur became involved, change was already set in motion. A change that couldn't be predicted. A change Odin had willingly accepted, regardless of the outcome.
That was why Frigga had told him that no matter what happened, they were prepared to accept it.
Even after understanding all this, Arthur didn't feel any relief.
Change, change, change…
When it came down to it, how much could really change if he didn't actively try?
Take today's events, for example. If he hadn't arrived in time, what would have happened between Malekith and Frigga? Would Frigga still have died?
That was a thought he wasn't ready to dwell on for too long.
"It's terrifying when you really think about it."
Arthur sat back down and tried sending a message to Lily using his wrist communicator.
It showed that the message was sent successfully.
"The Nine Realms aligning, that's when they momentarily overlap, creating pathways between them. It's like a cosmic family reunion that happens once every five thousand years. But now it seems that information can travel between realms even before physical objects can."
Arthur speculated that the spatial distortions might be allowing signals to leak through, creating unexpected connections.
Less than three minutes later, Lily's reply came: "I'm still awake, so no need for that joke. And please, get some new material."
Arthur couldn't help but chuckle. The message he had sent was an old joke: "Your sleeping posture is wrong. Get up and sleep again."
Before he could think of another witty reply, another message popped up from her:
"Who was that woman today? She was so elegant. Even though she spoke softly and had such gentle eyes, I felt nervous just looking at her. That kind of noble aura, is she royalty?"
"She is royalty, but not from any human kingdom."
Arthur smirked but decided against telling her the truth. Dropping goddess into the conversation might freak her out.
Instead, he replied, "Don't worry about her identity. She's a respected elder. I'll explain more when I get back."
Lily responded almost immediately: "Alright. But I don't think she was used to my cooking. I made spicy Sichuan food tonight, and she barely touched it. Maybe it was too much for her?"
"Haha."
Arthur laughed again. Conversations with her always felt light and refreshing.
As they kept chatting, the weight of the day's events seemed to lift from his shoulders.
Eventually, when Lily started nodding off and finally fell asleep, Arthur reluctantly set down his communicator.
That's when he noticed someone standing right in front of him.
A large, scruffy man with an unkempt beard and a thick, fur-lined cloak…
Thor.
"When did you get here?" Arthur nearly jumped. "Didn't anyone ever teach you to knock before barging into someone else's room?"
"Trust me, buddy, I almost broke the door down."
Thor gestured toward the doorway before fixing Arthur with a puzzled look. "What were you even doing just now? I called your name several times, and you didn't react. I stood here watching you for nearly three minutes, and you didn't even notice me. That's dangerous, you know. While Asgard is safe, you can't let your guard down like that."
Arthur blinked, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed.
He had teased Thor before about zoning out whenever he was with his girlfriend…
Now, it seemed he was just as bad. Maybe worse.
Clearing his throat, he said seriously, "No, buddy, you don't understand. I wasn't being careless, I was handling something extremely important."
Thor raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "So, that girl named Lily… is actually a villain plotting to conquer the universe?"
His expression made it very clear: 'I'm not buying whatever excuse you're about to throw at me.'
(End of this chapter)