Chapter 63: Until Her Husband Awakens

Chapter : Until Her Husband Awakens

After the Four Pillars had finished their discussion about the Sovereign Fafnir’s marriage, Griselda remained standing before them, a hint of excitement visible on her face that she could not conceal.

Without hesitation, she asked somewhat impatiently:

“Then... where is my husband secluded?”

The moment the question left her lips, a brief silence fell over the group.

Thorin and Valor felt a strange bitterness in their hearts upon hearing the words “my husband” once again, as though they were being deliberately reminded of a reality neither of them had ever expected to hear.

As for Eleanor and Morgana, they were still distracted.

Each of them was lost in her own thoughts, trying to comprehend the news that had completely turned their thoughts upside down.

The Sovereign Fafnir was married.

And what was even more shocking was that his wife was not some unknown woman or an ordinary figure, but Griselda herself—the former Elven Queen, the Iron Maiden, and one of the most powerful beings in Gandalia.

Morgana stared at her in silence, while Eleanor continued thinking about the matter, almost as though she were hoping she had somehow misunderstood what she had heard.

But the truth was clear.

Griselda was Fafnir’s wife.

At that moment, Valor cast a strange glance toward Thorin.

Their eyes met, and the two men stared at each other for several moments.

Neither of them needed words to understand what the other was thinking.

Finally, Thorin sighed and said,

“There may be a problem with the Sovereign leaving his seclusion, Queen Griselda.”

Griselda’s expression changed slightly.

She looked at him curiously and asked,

“A problem? What problem?”

Valor answered this time,

“The Sovereign did not enter an ordinary seclusion.”

Griselda tilted her head slightly, her confusion deepening.

“What do you mean?”

She then looked between him and Thorin.

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”

Valor sighed wearily, then raised his hand and gestured toward one of the corridors.

“Rather than explain it to you, follow me and you will see what I mean.”

Griselda narrowed her eyes slightly.

“Very well.”

She then glanced at Eleanor, Morgana, and Thorin before following Valor.

The five of them walked together through the Sovereign Palace.

Their footsteps echoed across the palace’s vast floors, while its black-and-crimson walls reflected the majesty of the new age humanity had created. Although Griselda had already seen the palace from the outside, she was now beginning to appreciate its grandeur from within as well.

Enormous corridors, towering pillars, ancient and modern inscriptions intertwined with one another, and guards standing silently at their posts with solemn dignity.

As they passed, the soldiers bowed respectfully whenever they saw Valor and Thorin.

But when their eyes fell upon Griselda, some of them froze for a moment.

The Iron Maiden was a legend known to everyone.

Even so, no one dared stare at her for long.

After roughly ten minutes, Valor stopped before a dark corridor leading toward Fafnir’s hall.

The atmosphere of the place changed completely.

Even Thorin, who was accustomed to entering this area, became more serious.

Griselda asked,

“This is Fafnir’s hall?”

Valor answered,

“Yes.”

Thorin stepped forward toward the enormous black gate.

He reached out and pushed it.

A deep, low sound echoed through the darkness as the gate slowly opened.

The moment it opened, a wave of strange darkness surged from within, as though the hall were not merely dark but concealing something far deeper.

The five of them entered.

The farther they walked, the weaker the light behind them became.

After only a few steps, Griselda could no longer make out the details of the hall clearly.

She raised an eyebrow.

“This darkness... is strange.”

Eleanor said,

“It has been like this ever since the cocoon appeared.”

Griselda asked,

“Have you never tried to dispel it?”

Thorin answered,

“We did.”

Then he added,

“But nothing changed.”

They continued walking.

The hall was frighteningly silent.

No sound.

No movement.

Even the air seemed completely still.

Then, when they reached the far end of the hall, Griselda suddenly stopped.

Her eyes widened.

For several moments, she could not say a word.

Before her stood an enormous cocoon, black as the deepest darkness, its surface threaded with glowing crimson veins.

Those veins moved slowly across its surface before pulsing with a faint crimson light, again and again.

One pulse.

Then another.

Until the cocoon seemed almost like a living creature breathing.

But what frightened Griselda most was not its appearance.

It was the pressure it radiated.

A terrifying, oppressive pressure that made the very air feel heavier and sent a cold shiver throughout her body.

Griselda stared at the cocoon without blinking.

Then she asked in a low voice,

“What is this thing...?”

She took a step forward.

“And where is Fafnir?”

Valor answered,

“This cocoon was created by the Lord.”

Griselda stopped moving.

Valor continued,

“And the Lord has been inside it for three years.”

Her eyes widened further.

“Three years?”

Valor nodded.

“Yes.”

Griselda looked at the cocoon again, then asked quickly, concern beginning to creep into her voice,

“If Fafnir created it himself... why did he enter it?”

No one answered immediately.

Then Thorin said,

“We do not know either.”

Griselda turned toward him.

Thorin continued,

“When we discovered this cocoon three years ago, we tried to determine what it was and what lay inside it.”

He gestured toward the cocoon.

“But it is completely impervious.”

Griselda asked,

“Impervious?”

He answered,

“Neither divine sense can penetrate it, nor can any force we have used leave even a scratch upon it.”

Griselda looked at him.

“Even you?”

Thorin remained silent for a moment before answering,

“Even me.”

There was a seriousness in his voice that made Griselda realize just how extraordinary the situation was.

She knew Thorin’s strength very well.

That was precisely why his admission was so unsettling.

She asked,

“Then how did you know Fafnir was inside?”

Valor answered,

“At first, we were not certain.”

He then looked toward the cocoon.

“Thorin tried to break through it by force.”

Thorin added in a dry tone,

“And failed.”

Griselda gave him a brief glance before returning her eyes to the cocoon.

Valor continued,

“After that, the Lord’s aura emerged from within it for a single moment.”

Griselda asked,

“His aura?”

“Yes.”

“What happened?”

Valor said,

“It lasted for only a very brief moment, but it was clear enough.”

Then he added,

“It was unmistakably his aura. There was no doubt about it.”

“It was almost as though the Lord was indirectly telling us that he was fine.”

Then the aura disappeared just as quickly.

Silence fell once more.

Griselda stared at the cocoon, but this time there was more than curiosity in her eyes.

There was genuine concern.

She said quietly,

“This story... is difficult to believe.”

Then she looked at Valor.

“But I know you are not lying to me.”

Valor gave a small smile.

“I have no reason to lie to you, Queen Griselda.”

Griselda turned her gaze back toward the cocoon.

“I wonder why Fafnir created this cocoon.”

Valor answered,

“I believe the Sovereign is completely healing his old injury.”

Griselda froze.

Then she turned toward him sharply.

“What?”

Valor said,

“His old injury.”

Griselda shook her head in disbelief.

“Are you saying that the injury Fafnir suffered five thousand years ago has still not completely healed?”

She paused for a moment before continuing,

“But I fought him four years ago.”

The memories of that battle were still vivid in her mind.

“He appeared to be in perfect health.”

Then she added,

“His strength even seemed to be at its peak.”

Valor answered calmly,

“Unfortunately, the Lord’s injury had not completely healed.”

Griselda stared at him.

He continued,

“And his strength was not at its peak either.”

Silence descended.

Then Valor said,

“But I believe this cocoon is part of his healing process.”

He gestured toward it.

“And when the Lord emerges from it, I believe he will be completely healed.”

Then he added with confidence,

“And he will return to the peak of his glory.”

Griselda did not answer.

The shock was plainly visible on her face.

Throughout these past four years, she had believed that Fafnir had completely recovered.

When she fought him, she had believed she was facing Fafnir at his full strength.

But the truth was entirely different.

The man she had fought had not been at the peak of his strength.

He had still been carrying an injury that was five thousand years old.

Griselda lowered her eyes slightly.

A deep sadness seeped into her heart, accompanied by a concern she could no longer hide.

“So... when I fought him...”

She stopped for a moment.

Then whispered,

“He wasn’t at his full strength.”

Valor said,

“Apparently not.”

Griselda closed her eyes for a few moments.

She remembered the battle.

She remembered his strength.

And she remembered the way he had stood before her as though his ancient injury meant nothing.

Only now did she realize how terrible the truth was.

He had fought her while carrying a wound that had remained unhealed for five thousand years.

She opened her eyes again and looked toward the cocoon.

She no longer saw it as merely something mysterious.

To her, it was now the place where her husband was.

The man she had waited for throughout thousands of years without knowing that she would ever meet him again.

After several moments of silence, Griselda gathered herself.

Then she said firmly,

“I will wait here for my husband until he emerges safe and sound.”

Thorin raised an eyebrow.

Valor, meanwhile, looked somewhat surprised.

Even Eleanor and Morgana, who had been lost in their thoughts moments earlier, raised their heads and looked at Griselda.

Valor said,

“But the length of the Lord’s stay inside is unknown.”

He then added,

“It could last a few more years...”

He paused briefly.

“Or decades.”

Then he looked directly at her.

“Perhaps even centuries.”

Griselda’s expression did not change.

She answered simply,

“That is not a problem.”

Valor looked at her in surprise.

She said,

“I will wait for centuries if necessary.”

Silence filled the hall.

Thorin stared at her for several moments before saying,

“You truly are determined.”

Griselda turned toward him.

“He is my husband.”

Her words were simple, yet they carried a weight that made Thorin fall silent.

As for Morgana, she lowered her eyes slightly, while Eleanor unconsciously clenched her fist.

Valor finally spoke.

“Very well, Queen Griselda.”

He nodded.

“Since you have made your decision, I will not stop you.”

He added,

“I will order someone to prepare a luxurious residence for you inside the palace, and you may stay there for as long as you need to wait.”

Griselda nodded.

But she did not move.

Her eyes remained fixed upon the black-and-crimson cocoon.

She took a few steps closer before stopping.

The crimson light pulsed slowly across its surface.

One pulse...

Then another.

Griselda placed a hand over her chest and felt her heart beating strongly.

She whispered in a voice no one could hear,

“Wait for me, Fafnir...”

Then she smiled faintly.

“This time, I will not leave before you emerge.”

Behind the walls of the cocoon, Fafnir remained submerged in his deep slumber.

And the fusion process continued in silence.

While his wife stood before the cocoon, prepared to wait for however long it took, no matter how long that might be.