Chapter 78: The Trial of Fafnir’s Cave

Qing Yu had never encountered an elderly person with such immense strength.

No matter how Qing Yu struggled, the old woman maintained an utterly composed demeanor.

His struggles failed even to slow her pace.

“Let me go! Let me go!”

Even as the old woman dragged him along, Qing Yu did not cease his threats.

“If Aldoran arrives and learns of how you’ve treated me, you’ll all face dire consequences!”

Unfortunately, the old woman remained completely impervious to Qing Yu’s threats, even going so far as to mock him with a few words.

“Cease your shouting, or your little lover might just become another wrongfully slain spirit if she ever finds her way here.”

“If you truly care for her, you should pray she never discovers this place.”

Qing Yu could not tolerate such words.

After all, Aldoran was destined to become a divine lord; what military might could a mere bandit possess to contend with her?

Far from relenting, Qing Yu intensified his struggles.

“Save your strength; no amount of struggling will avail you, and you’ll only injure yourself.”

“N-no, I won’t! Mind your own business!”

In truth, Qing Yu had already chafed his wrist, yet he refused to meekly obey the bandit.

The old woman simply glanced back, her lips curving into a knowing smile.

Within her clear, verdant pupils, something seemed to subtly shift.

The light in her eyes resembled a pristine spring, captivating even Qing Yu.

For a woman so advanced in years, her gaze was profoundly clear, as if it could pierce through all facades, radiating a poignant beauty.

“I’ve rarely encountered such a fiery spirit as yours, young man.”

“Before you, every man brought here would tremble so violently at the mere mention of meeting Lord Fafnir that they could barely walk, let alone resist with such fervor.”

“Could it be that your husband is a man of significant power and influence?”

Hearing the old woman’s question, Qing Yu, momentarily disoriented, immediately lifted his head, a confident expression gracing his features.

“Of course! That’s why I advise you to release me obediently! Otherwise, you’ll regret it dearly!”

The old woman remained unfazed by Qing Yu’s threats; she merely chuckled softly, saying little else, and instead quickened her pace.

“Each person has their own fate.”

“What if your destiny is to perish here?”

“Perhaps your husband will never find you.”

“Don’t imagine you can frighten me!”

“If Aldoran desires it, none of you will escape!”

Qing Yu strained to raise his voice to its loudest, dramatically threatening the old woman with exaggerated gestures.

“Aldoran?”

“You’ve mentioned her several times now.”

“It sounds like a truly lovely name.”

“I wonder what her eyes look like?”

As Qing Yu jumped and cursed, such a nonsensical remark unexpectedly slipped from the old woman’s lips, catching even him off guard for a moment.

However, once he regained his composure, he immediately launched into another verbal assault against the old woman.

The old woman nodded slightly, dismissing all of Qing Yu’s words from her mind.

She mumbled a few phrases that Qing Yu couldn’t quite discern, catching only a few perplexing terms like ‘as expected,’ ‘possibly,’ and ‘branches and leaves.’

Believing she was hatching another sinister plot, Qing Yu immediately rattled his chains, producing a clanking sound.

Even if escape was impossible, he was determined to vex her.

Remarkably, the old woman maintained an exceptionally good disposition; no matter how Qing Yu cursed or tried to disgust her, a cheerful smile remained fixed on her face, devoid of any hint of anger.

Qing Yu exhausted every insult he knew, cursing until his throat was parched, yet the old woman remained impassive, continuing to drag him until they stood before a slightly ajar iron door.

“Beyond this door lies Lord Fafnir.”

“I wonder if you’ll still be so spirited after you meet her.”

“Absolutely not!”

“I’d like to see for myself what kind of character this Fafnir is, to dare be so audacious!”

Just as Qing Yu was about to launch into another tirade, the old woman gave his chains a sharp tug.

Losing his footing, he stumbled through the iron door and landed face-first on the ground.

“Lord Fafnir, this is the man we just captured.”

“Please have a look.”

Qing Yu pushed himself up from the ground, but before he could even turn to utter a curse, a resounding ‘bang’ echoed as the old woman firmly shut the iron door, leaving Qing Yu seething with unspoken obscenities.

Though the old woman had departed, another person remained.

Qing Yu steadied himself, turning his head, ready to unleash his fury upon the bandit leader named Fafnir.

“Human, who permitted you to raise your head?”

That single, brief sentence instantly crushed all of Qing Yu’s burgeoning defiance into dust.

An overwhelming pressure flowed over Qing Yu’s head, forcefully pinning it to the ground.

For a fleeting moment, Qing Yu felt as if his very heart was being squeezed.

Helpless terror surged through his body, flooding his mind.

In the face of such oppressive power, Qing Yu even lost the courage to tremble.

He lay prostrate on the ground, consumed by fear, not daring to even draw a full breath.

It was then that he realized Fafnir was, indeed, a formidable opponent.

“Come here, human.”

After Qing Yu had obediently remained prostrate for approximately ten minutes, Fafnir spoke softly, her cold voice instantly raising goosebumps on his skin, as if the speaker could end his life at any moment.

In his current state, Qing Yu’s courage had been utterly pulverized by the terrifying pressure.

He dared not even utter a sound.

As he gently pushed himself up, just about to take a step, the oppressive force surged again, slamming his head back to the ground.

“Do humans even deserve to walk on two feet?”

Fafnir declared haughtily from her throne, and with a mere flick of her wrist, a bloody welt instantly appeared on Qing Yu’s face.

Warm blood trickled down Qing Yu’s cheek, slowly caressing his skin before dripping onto the muddy ground, where it mingled with the dirt, staining it an eerie black.

Amidst the suffocating fear, Qing Yu’s every breath seemed amplified, irritating Fafnir to no end.

“Human, why do you not move?”

“If you are unwilling to crawl, then these useless limbs are expendable.”

Fafnir raised her hand, and the surrounding air instantly condensed, forming a colossal hand that lunged viciously towards Qing Yu’s neck.

“Human, may we meet again in the next life.”

Fafnir had always been impatient, and Qing Yu’s immobility infuriated her.

This attack was solely intended to end his life.

Yet, a strange occurrence unfolded.

The instant the sharp claw lunged irresistibly towards Qing Yu’s neck, a burst of golden light erupted, tearing the claw apart into mere wisps of wind that vanished within the brightly lit cavern.

Perhaps sensing mortal danger, Frigga’s gem automatically emitted light, neutralizing Fafnir’s attack.

Perched high on her throne, Fafnir was clearly astonished that this human male had not only survived but also that his body could emit magic.

“To think a mere beast possesses such power.”

Observing Qing Yu as he repeatedly checked his body, Fafnir momentarily suppressed her urge to kill him.

A male with a magic circuit—this was truly intriguing.

“Hey, human, come here.”

Fafnir crossed her legs, propped her head with her hand, and gazed coldly at Qing Yu.

She intended to study this human thoroughly.

Perhaps the magic within him could even serve as sustenance for her.

Qing Yu swallowed hard, then obediently prostrated himself on the ground, crawling towards Fafnir on all fours.

Although the previous attack had been negated, Qing Yu had no understanding of why he had blocked it, nor could he be certain he would withstand Fafnir’s next assault.

He could not hope for luck to save him.

Soon, Qing Yu reached Fafnir’s throne.

Beside her, he saw a white-haired young woman, bridled with a bit and secured by a collar.

The young woman, clad in rags, lay prostrate at Fafnir’s feet.

Upon seeing Qing Yu, her pale blue eyes quickly scrutinized him once, finally fixating on the collar around his neck.

The gem embedded in that collar always evoked a sense of familiarity in Sleipnir; she felt certain she had encountered a similar power somewhere before.

However, the previous power had been more aggressive, intensely cold, and carried an inexplicable oppressive aura, whereas the gem’s power felt considerably softer and warmer.

‘(A man who can use magic? No, that’s not it.

All his power comes from the gem.)’

Sleipnir immediately realized.

A formidable power surged within this gem.

Although it felt insufficient to contend with Fafnir on its own, if she could absorb and wield it, she would undoubtedly be able to challenge Fafnir, perhaps even defeat her.

Qing Yu noticed Sleipnir’s covetous gaze.

He immediately realized those eyes were fixated on ‘his’ gem, so he instantly lowered his head, shielding the jewel from view.

Sleipnir gasped softly, already formulating a plan; come what may, she *would* acquire that gem.

“Human, I permit you to raise your head.”

Fafnir used her foot to lift Qing Yu’s chin, her sharp gaze like a piercing blade, cutting into him with each glance.

This horrifying sensation made Qing Yu feel as though he were being slowly tortured to death.

However, since Fafnir had withdrawn her oppressive aura, Qing Yu could now subtly make small movements, striving to conceal the gem on his collar.

If Sleipnir could notice it, Qing Yu refused to believe Fafnir wouldn’t.

Yet, Qing Yu was mistaken.

Fafnir disdained personally inspecting a human’s body; lifting Qing Yu’s chin with her foot merely provided her with a sense of superior amusement.

“Tell me, human, from where does your power originate?”

Fafnir abruptly withdrew her foot, then forcefully stomped Qing Yu’s head down.

“Tell me, and I shall leave your corpse intact.”

‘(So this monster never intended to let me go!)’

Qing Yu shifted uneasily, and Sleipnir, observing nearby, also felt a tremor of apprehension.

She had no desire whatsoever for Fafnir to acquire that gem.

Should Fafnir obtain the gem, Sleipnir would be condemned to eternal subjugation.

While Sleipnir was consumed by dread, Qing Yu racked his brain, desperate to devise an escape.

Force was clearly out of the question; his only recourse was to buy time and wait for rescue.

However, Fafnir was no fool; she would undoubtedly see through his attempts to stall.

Thus, Qing Yu needed rescue to arrive before Fafnir grew suspicious.

“L-Lord Fafnir…”

Qing Yu deliberately paused for breath after every few words, trying to inject as much irrelevant chatter as possible.

Even a single second gained was more precious than gold to him.

“How polite, human.”

“Perhaps after your death, I shall consider using your skull as an armrest for my throne.”

“M-my deepest gratitude for Lord Fafnir’s benevolence.”

“This humble servant is eternally grateful.”

As Qing Yu spoke, he hastily kowtowed several times, further delighting Fafnir.

The kowtowing lasted approximately three minutes.

With each bow, Qing Yu uttered a string of grateful words, seizing every possible chance to stall for time.

“Well done, human.”

“However, how does this relate to what I commanded you to tell me?”

Fafnir once again placed her foot on Qing Yu, asking languidly.

While Qing Yu’s flattery had certainly delighted her, it could not surpass the allure of discovering the source of his power.

She had no patience left for Qing Yu’s rambling; she only desired to know the crucial detail.

“Th-this…”

Realizing that kowtowing would no longer suffice, Qing Yu frantically searched his mind for another strategy.

“P-please, allow me a moment to think.”

“This matter happened so long ago…”

Finally, just a second before Fafnir’s patience completely ran out, Qing Yu offered his reply.

It was a response that clearly failed to satisfy her, yet Fafnir, restraining herself, granted Qing Yu ten seconds.

“T-ten seconds doesn’t seem like enough.”

Qing Yu swallowed, speaking timidly, and Fafnir immediately glared at him with venomous eyes.

“Human, I possess little patience.”

“You should know that my not handing you over to my subordinates, but instead listening to your nonsense here, is already the greatest mercy I can bestow upon you.”

“B-but…”

“Five.”

Fafnir impatiently cut Qing Yu off, beginning her countdown.

Concurrently, energy began to coalesce within her palm.

“If you cannot speak within five seconds, then I shall have no need to know.”

“After all, I possess countless methods to enhance my power.”

“Do you understand?!”

Fafnir slammed her hand against the armrest, and Qing Yu’s face instantly turned ashen as he began kowtowing frantically.

“Y-yes, yes, this humble one understands.”

“Four.”

Qing Yu was now drenched in sweat, and Sleipnir, too, grew tense.

Qing Yu’s life or death was inconsequential; if the gem were accidentally destroyed, Sleipnir would fight Fafnir to the death.

“Three.”

The pressure from Fafnir’s foot intensified, and energy roared, rattling Qing Yu’s very soul.

For the first time, he felt death’s icy breath so close.

“Two.”

Death entered its final countdown; Fafnir had completed gathering her power.

“One.”

The energy suddenly erupted, lunging towards Qing Yu’s back.

The shriek of death echoed in his ears—

‘(My life is forfeit!)’

Yet, what struck Qing Yu was not potent energy, but a mere wisp of wind.

Then, an explosion reverberated.

Amidst the billowing smoke, Qing Yu lifted his head.

Embedded in the wall nearby was a sacred spear.

He instantly turned back in surprise: Fafnir stood before him, and not far off, was that familiar figure.

Aldoran raised her hand, and the spear flew back into her grasp.

Ice crystals instantly spread across the entire cavern, and the temperature plummeted to freezing.

“Forgive me, I’m late.”