Waltrautesan no Konkatsu Jijou - Chapter 3 - Part 9

What if?

What if the boy drew the magic sword Dáinsleif from its scabbard? Even if he challenged Surtr to a fight with that magic sword, the boy would not win.

After all, it would be a battle between one of the strongest swords a human can wield and one of the strongest of swords that a human would never be able to wield.

It was obvious which would be victorious.

What if?

What if the boy tried to approach Surtr with that dangerous sword in hand? Surtr might be so taken aback he would frantically try to take Dáinsleif from the ignorant boy. If the sword was loose in the scabbard, it might slip out.

Whatever the situation might be, the one who drew the sword from its scabbard would be cursed. It was possible Surtr would be cursed by Dáinsleif.

But Surtr was the ruler of the fire world of Muspelheim. He understood just how great a meaning was held in his own life and the choices he made.

If the boy approached with an object dangerous enough to possibly hinder him, he would likely cut the boy down no questions asked.

And after making the correct decision, he would regret it on his own without letting anyone else know.

What if?

What if the boy drew Dáinsleif of his own free will and then told Surtr he had been tricked by Loki? Dáinsleif could not be returned to its scabbard until either its target or its wielder had died. Would Surtr hesitate to strike and be struck by the boy’s attack?

However, Surtr was a great ruler who had thoroughly trained himself and others for the sake of the coming battle. As he planned to literally rebel against the gods and sought victory despite knowing he could not overturn the predictions about Ragnarök, he had continued to strengthen his body and mind past their limits day after day.

Whatever the reason, he would cut down any human that stood before him while armed with a magic sword.

Surtr had thoroughly trained his thought processes for war, so that would be how he thought.

Even if he later regretted cutting down a powerless human, he would heartlessly act in the moment. That was simply the type of being Surtr was.

No matter what action he took and no matter what path he chose, the result would not change.

That was how most would view it and it was likely true.

But Loki was the one who had killed the light god Baldr who supposedly could not be killed no matter what. He knew from experience that those protected by an absolute always had the most vulnerable loopholes.

Even for Loki, this was a poor bet.

Replacing the magic flame sword that would burn down the nine worlds with Dáinsleif, the sword of mutual destruction, sounded simple enough, but it would be truly difficult to make Surtr mistake something else for the sword that was said to symbolize him.

And then the boy from Midgard made a suggestion.

After bringing him to Muspelheim to lure in Waltraute, Muninn, and Huginn so they would see Naglfar, that boy’s role was supposed to have ended.

The boy gathered his determination and spoke.

He stood before the evil god Loki.

He stood before the magic sword Dáinsleif.

The path chosen by that tiny boy was…