Episode 18
“Who’s next?”
“It’s my turn now.”
At my words, the Valkyrie of wisdom, Radgrid, stepped forward.
Wearing a pink tracksuit and brushing snack crumbs off her lips didn’t quite fit the image of wisdom.
Though she now wore a helmet adorned with Valkyrie wings, it didn’t exactly restore any lost dignity when paired with the tracksuit.
“I watched you pass the Trial of Strength. But this next trial won’t be so easy.”
She spoke with a smug expression.
“Before I present your riddle, we must first follow protocol. I skipped this for the brute who only pursued strength.”
“What did you say?”
Landgrid, the Valkyrie of strength who had just been defeated, shouted in protest.
Radgrid ignored her and closed her eyes to focus.
A radiant light burst from her body.
“I am Radgrid, Valkyrie of wisdom. State your name, challenger.”
“Kim Do-jin.”
“No titles?”
“None.”
“Very well. Kim Do-jin, you are qualified to face the Trial of Wisdom.”
The Valkyrie of wisdom had issued her trial.
This test, meant to judge the challenger’s wisdom, resembled the Sphinx’s riddle from the myth of Oedipus.
A riddle meant to twist your thinking and lead you to deduce the answer.
‘I remember a few of the riddles thanks to Lee Su-yeon constantly repeating them.’
I had heard them directly from Lee Su-yeon in my previous life.
She had recounted her encounters with the Valkyries countless times.
—They were fascinating beings. Each one had a different kind of trial, and one of them gave out fun riddles! I think there were about ten problems…
Radgrid drew her sword from her waist.
“This one’s pretty tough. You’ll need to be prepared if you want to solve it.”
“Go ahead.”
Still with snack crumbs clinging to her mouth, she began.
“I revive the dead. I can make you laugh or cry. I turn the old young again. I am born in a fleeting instant, yet I can last a lifetime. What am I?”
She looked at me solemnly after posing the question.
‘Lucky me.’
It was the riddle I had heard the most.
“The answer is ‘memory.’”
“Think carefully. I’ll give you plenty of time—huh?”
Radgrid, who had started speaking in a triumphant tone, stared at me in surprise.
Her voice, full of confidence that I wouldn’t possibly get the answer, deflated like a popped balloon.
Perhaps I’d answered too quickly?
“A-Are you certain of that answer?”
“Yes. I’m sure.”
“……”
“That was a bit too easy.”
“…Easy?”
Radgrid looked stunned.
Reviving the dead.
Making someone laugh or cry.
Turning the old young again, and lasting a lifetime despite being born in an instant.
On the surface, it sounded like a divine being or an immortal creature from myth—but that was the trick of the riddle.
Reviving the dead?
Living forever?
Giving youth?
All of it was wordplay.
‘That’s why it’s a riddle.’
You couldn’t overlook the fact that this was, fundamentally, a riddle.
The answer wasn’t a physical object, but an abstract concept.
Memories can bring back the dead.
Memories can become cherished moments that make us laugh or cry.
An old person reminiscing can become young again in their mind.
And written memories can last forever, as long as the record remains.
—Isn’t it amazing? Technically, I’m capturing eternal beings in this book!
In her past life, Lee Su-yeon, the Recorder, had often recalled Radgrid’s riddle and felt a deep sense of duty in her work.
“I hope you give the next challenger a harder one.”
“……”
Radgrid fell silent at my words.
She must not have expected me to answer so quickly.
“Ahem! That is… correct.”
Flustered, she declared my answer right.
The second trial, the Trial of Wisdom, was cleared.
“Now only the Trial of Courage remains.”
I looked at Reginleif, the Valkyrie of courage, who wore a yellow tracksuit and was smiling at me.
But she shook her head.
“You have already passed my trial, challenger.”
“I have?”
“Yes.”
I instinctively looked back.
The Valkyrie’s door—one that could not be opened without courage worthy of divine recognition.
The fact that I had opened it and stepped inside had been a test in itself.
“Then… that intense killing intent I felt when I grabbed the doorknob—”
“That was me. You withstood my killing aura and entered.”
“So you knew I was coming.”
“Of course. I even brought up the delivery guy on purpose. Classic misdirection, don’t you think? It’s the basics of strategy.”
Her lips and eyes were smiling, but Reginleif’s crescent-shaped gaze fixed sharply on me.
She wasn’t just some cheerful Valkyrie after all.
“Then, does this mean I’m qualified to meet Brynhildr?”
“Absolutely.”
Her tone had turned formal.
“You are qualified not only to meet her, but also to take her belt.”
“Then I’d appreciate it if you could show me the way.”
“Of course. Follow me.”
The Valkyries stood and took the lead.
They opened a door next to the living room.
Click.
As Reginleif turned the knob, the lock clicked and the door creaked open.
Crrreeak.
It looked like an ordinary door, but the sound it made was anything but.
It groaned like a massive iron gate.
The door opened.
“Lady Brynhildr is asleep inside.”
Reginleif gestured inward.
“Aren’t you coming in with me?”
“No. We are merely gatekeepers. Only you, Kim Do-jin, have the right to enter.”
“Understood.”
I stepped inside under their watch.
Despite being indoors, sunlight streamed in from an open ceiling.
The golden rays shimmered down and illuminated a central altar.
Lying on it was a woman with brown hair.
Brynhildr, Queen of Iceland and once a Valkyrie who roamed the battlefield.
As one who should be guiding warriors and heroes to Valhalla, she now lay on the altar, eyes closed, as if in eternal slumber.
Unlike the other Valkyries in tracksuits, she was dressed in a feathered helmet, chainmail, gauntlets, and combat boots.
She looked ready to go into battle at any moment.
A sword—her constant companion—was clasped atop her chest.
Just like in the myth where Odin cursed her into an eternal sleep, she now lay alone on the altar in silence.
And I knew why.
“Odin…”
Odin hadn’t just placed her under house arrest.
He wanted to use humans to ascend to a higher dimension.
To him, humans were merely tools to achieve his goals.
But the Valkyries, including Brynhildr, refused to follow him.
Unlike Odin, who ruled like a god, the Valkyries were far more human.
They had witnessed countless deaths on the battlefield. They had seen the lives of men.
Brynhildr, especially, had once been a wife to a human. She strongly opposed Odin’s vision, and in return, he cursed her.
I had read all this in a book left by the Recorder who cherished the Valkyries’ tales.
Eternal Sleep.
In exchange for her endless slumber, the other Valkyries were allowed to live.
Afterward, the Valkyries ceased guiding human souls.
They realized the futility of it.
Most went off to live their own lives.
Only the three sisters outside remained, guarding her resting place.
That’s why entering this place required courage enough to challenge the gods.
“Now to receive her belt.”
I approached the altar.
Swish.
As I got close enough to clearly see her face, the air shimmered around her.
—Who are you?
Brynhildr’s lingering will appeared.
Bound to her body by Odin’s curse, her spirit looked at me.
—Who gave you the iron for your weapon?
Her gaze went to the sword at my waist.
“I received it from a lingering will inside Herfa’s Labyrinth.”
—Ah, her.
“You know her?”
—We crossed blades once in battle. One of the strongest gods from another world. I can sense her energy. Are you a disciple of the gods from that realm?
“No. I don’t believe in any gods.”
—Then why do you carry their weapon?
Because there was one reason.
“Because it helps.”
I planned to use every means necessary to take revenge on the gods.
Whether it came from another realm or from human myth, I didn’t care.
—That’s typical of humans. I understand. Since you’re here with divine relics but don’t believe in gods, I assume you’re here for something?
“I need your belt.”
—Why seek the belt of someone who’ll never awaken again?
She genuinely seemed puzzled.
“To give it to someone who needs it.”
—Did Gunther send you?
“No. I’m not his messenger. If anything, he’s the one in need.”
—Even if I give it to you, it won’t change his heart.
“They didn’t part because they wanted to.”
Lee Su-yeon had told me Brynhildr and Gunther divorced.
And during that process, Brynhildr took back everything that could remind him of her.
A silent message to forget her.
Because humans are creatures of forgetfulness.
—It’s been over two years since we parted. He must’ve forgotten me by now.
“I’m not so sure. Can a man really forget memories of a woman he loved so easily?”
But there was something she didn’t know.
People may be forgetful, but there are memories that never fade.
The feelings from time spent with someone you loved.
Even if the details blur, the emotions remain forever.
And she, once a Valkyrie, didn’t understand that.
—You think Gunther still longs for me? No way. I ended things coldly.
I didn’t bother to answer.
She knew better than anyone what Gunther felt.
He probably said nothing—no reason for leaving, no explanation for why she took everything.
Because if the truth came out—that she had been cursed by Odin—Gunther would have sought revenge.
She left him coldly to stop that from happening.
After a moment of thought, Brynhildr looked at me.
—So you’re using his feelings for your own ends.
“Yes.”
Gunther hadn’t let her go.
Even in my past life, he tried again and again to face the Valkyries, but never opened the door.
Because he couldn’t face the possibility that she really had abandoned him.
I planned to use that to my advantage.
If you want the upper hand in negotiation, possess what the other person needs most.
That’s negotiation 101.
—Can I ask why you chose him?
I looked at her.
A Valkyrie who had resisted her god, and been cursed into eternal sleep for the sake of her kin.
“The same reason as you.”
—I don’t understand.
“I plan to destroy Odin’s entire plan.”
More precisely, every plan of the gods to ascend by using humanity.
She went quiet, then asked:
—You do know what it means to defy a god?
“I do. That’s why I’ll use whatever means I must.”
Even if it meant manipulating someone’s heart.
—I’d like to refuse, but… you are a warrior who arrived here with rightful honor. I accept your request.
She nodded.
Her lingering will waved a hand, and a cabinet beside the altar opened. Her belt floated into the air.
—This is my belt. I gave it to Gunther after we spent a night together. I reclaimed it when we divorced, and swore never to return it.
“Thank you.”
I received the belt.
—I hope your rebellion against the gods succeeds.
Her will gave a bitter smile.
It was the weary smile of someone who had already tried—and failed.
“Don’t worry. I’ll succeed.”
I placed the belt in Kibisis and bowed before leaving.
“I’ll bring Gunther here soon.”
—…….
She didn’t object.
She only watched me in silence.
“Did your meeting go well?”
As I stepped out of Brynhildr’s room, the three Valkyries looked at me.
Still dressed in tracksuits, but now with none of their previous laziness.
Their presence alone radiated dignity as they bowed.
“It was a success. I’ll return again.”
“We await the honorable warrior’s return.”
After parting with them, I headed to Incheon, where Gunther was.
Screech! Screech!
The salty sea breeze of Incheon stung my nose.
Seagulls cried out above the coast.
Not far from the port.
In a place barely fit to be called a city—there resided the Viking king Gunther.
“A Viking who once ruled the world, now fishing in the West Sea. Doesn’t really suit him.”
