That thought irritated Sigurd. He’d never liked his sister when they had lived together at the castle. Despite being his sibling, she hadn’t been attached to him at all. She was timid and had always acted distantly toward him. That had always rubbed Sigurd the wrong way.
Bright red anger surged within him. “I knew I should have killed her back then.”
He wreathed his hand in the Thunder. And right when he was about to burn her to a crisp—
—a cry rang out in the nighttime forest.
“Wait, Your Majesty!”
Sigurd looked over to see his confidant, Richard. The man’s clothes were muddy, with leaves stuck to them. Sweat was dripping from his bangs.
“You mustn’t kill her…”
Sigurd gave Richard a dubious look. “Richard, why are you here?”
“I came here to stop you from making a mistake. You must not kill Her Highness, your sister.”
“Listen, Richard. The dragon granted her its power. If I let her live, she may endanger me.”
“That power…” A line of sweat dripped down Richard’s cheek.
“Surely now you understand,” said Sigurd.
“No. You still must not kill her.”
“Why?”
Richard stayed silent for a moment.
“What? Tell me already.”
“I hesitate to say this…but I cannot avoid telling you.” After a gulp, Richard faced Sigurd. “Brunhild has received one of God’s powers. That would make her the ideal mother for the child of God.”
It took Sigurd a little while to process what Richard was trying to say.
“Not a chance in hell…!” Sigurd glared at Richard, eyes blazing with rage. “You can’t be telling me to marry this fool. I won’t stomach such an insult, even from you.”
“Your Majesty, I beg you to consider the state of your clan. No matter how great you are, you cannot restore your family’s fallen grace on your own. The Siegfried family—your offspring and their offspring included—must all be children of God like you,” Richard continued, pressing him. “The tragedy you have experienced must never be repeated.”
Sigurd fell silent. After hearing that, he gave in. “…You’re quite right. For the revival of the Siegfried family, I must make this woman my wife.”
“But,” he continued, “I will burn her throat.” For he had no love for his sister. “I don’t mind conceding entirely and taking her as my betrothed. But I have no need of her voice. I will erase it with fire, just in case.”
“That won’t do, either.”
“You have more impertinent remarks for me?”
“People will have nothing but contempt for a king who makes a maimed woman his queen.”
“I need to contain Brunhild by any means necessary. She has acquired a great and fearsome power.”
“No. If sealing her abilities is what you need, there are other methods of accomplishing this. Consider, for instance, the necklace you wear.”
Sigurd wore a necklace adorned with a crimson jewel.
“That is no mere piece of jewelry. It was originally made by someone who resented the royal family in order to to punish a child of God. When placed around the neck of someone who wields the Power of God, the Power of God contained within the jewel reacts, attacking the wearer.”
“So you’re telling me to have Brunhild wear it?”
“Yes, exactly. If you pour the Power of God into that jewel, then it will regain its original function.”
Richard hung his head. “However, I am ultimately only your attendant. I can only suggest paths for you to take. The final choice rests with you…”
After a long moment of consideration, Sigurd removed his necklace.
“An excellent decision.”
When Sigurd touched the gem, a faint light shone within. The Power of God flowed into the jewel, and the necklace regained its original function.
Sigurd placed the jewelry around Brunhild’s neck. He then tightened the chain, melting the clasp with the heat of his Thunder, gluing it so it couldn’t come off.
He ordered Richard, “Take Brunhild to Etherium. Test whether you can extract the power. I’m sure it’s a useless venture, but it must be attempted.”
“As you wish.”
Richard slung Brunhild over his shoulder.
Sigurd made to return to the royal castle first. With the Power of God, he could fly without wings.
Before taking to the skies, he said to Richard, “I’m impressed you came all this way.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Seeing how disheveled you are, I can tell you hurried. It must have been difficult for a human to catch up to me.”
Before Sigurd had even left for Tauber, Richard had gone as fast as his horse would allow toward the village. He’d needed a good head start in order to catch up to his king, who had flown there.
“You’re as loyal as ever,” said Sigurd. “Your service is my most valuable treasure.”
“I am undeserving of such praise.”
“No, your admonition kept me from going down the wrong path.”