Chapter 938: Farewell
The farewell took place in the mansion’s main courtyard, beneath a light snow drifting slowly down over Asgard.
The sky was still gray, but it no longer held the heavy, oppressive weight of the past few days. There was a lightness in the air—perhaps because Vex was smiling again, or because Mercedes no longer seemed on the verge of freezing half the city just by existing, or perhaps because, despite everything, this brief visit had ended better than any of them had dared hope after the kidnapping.
Mercedes’s wyvern knelt in the center of the landing area, its wings folded and its body covered in dark blue plates that shimmered beneath the snow. Mansion staff kept a respectful distance, while a few guards watched discreetly from the side corridors. After everything that had happened, no one wanted to intrude on that moment.
Vex stood before Strax, clutching a small bag filled with things she had insisted on taking along.
There were sweets.
There was a small book about trains.
There were three pretty stones she had found in the garden and decided were important.
And, carefully wrapped in blue cloth, there was a small, lopsided ice star she had managed to create with Strax’s help; she felt it wasn’t quite beautiful enough yet, but it had to be kept because it was the first one.
Strax looked at the bag.
Then at her.
"Are you taking half the mansion with you?"
Vex hugged the bag to her chest.
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Almost."
"That wasn’t very convincing."
"I’ll bring some things back when I return."
Strax smiled.
"So, you’re coming back?"
Vex looked at him as if that were the most absurd question she had ever heard.
"Of course I’m coming back."
Mercedes, standing beside the wyvern, crossed her arms with a neutral expression, though the corner of her mouth betrayed her amusement. Vex turned to her for a moment, as if to confirm that this was allowed, but Mercedes merely gave a slight nod. The girl then looked back at Strax, her expression one of almost solemn seriousness.
"I still need to learn how to do cartwheels."
"You do."
"And I want to ride a train."
"That too."
"And I want to see Asgard when the snow melts."
Strax pointed toward the city beyond the mansion walls, where the rooftops were still blanketed in a layer of winter white.
"By the time you get back, there probably won’t be snow everywhere."
Vex’s eyes lit up.
"I hope so."
Mercedes raised an eyebrow.
Vex realized her mistake too late.
"I’m already a bit tired of snow."
The silence that followed lasted only a second.
Mercedes placed a hand over her heart, putting on an offended expression that definitely didn’t suit the Ice Monarch, though it fit perfectly a mother dramatically wounded by a child’s betrayal.
"Oh, really?" she said, pouting slightly. "Then you don’t need an icy mother like me."
Vex’s eyes went wide.
"That’s not what I meant!"
Strax turned his face away, trying to stifle a laugh.
He failed completely.
Mercedes held the pout for a few more seconds, but her expression began to waver at the sight of Vex’s distress. The little dragon dropped her bag, ran over, and hugged Mercedes tightly around the waist, as if needing to immediately repair the emotional damage caused by her anti-snow declaration.
"I *do* need you!"
Mercedes looked at Strax over the girl’s head.
"Did you hear that?"
"I did."
"She needs me."
"It seems so."
"And not just for trains."
Vex looked up.
"I need the trains, too." Strax started laughing again.
This time, Mercedes couldn’t fully hold it back and let out a low, soft, brief—but genuine—laugh. She stroked Vex’s blue hair and then leaned down just enough to adjust the girl’s scarf, securing the fabric more snugly around her neck.
"Let’s go before you decide to adopt a locomotive."
Vex seemed to consider that possibility.
Strax pointed at her.
"No."
"I didn’t even say anything."
"Your face did."
"My face doesn’t speak."
"It speaks volumes."
Mercedes took Vex by the hand and led her to the wyvern. The girl climbed up first with the help of an adapted saddle, and once settled, she hugged the bag to her chest with a happy, sleepy expression. Mercedes climbed up right behind her, sitting with the ease of someone who had flown hundreds of times in far worse conditions.
Before departing, Vex leaned to the side and waved vigorously.
"I’ll be back!"
Strax nodded, looking at her with a smile that was calmer than he had expected to feel in that moment.
"I’ll be waiting."
Mercedes took hold of the reins.
For an instant, her gaze met his.
There were no grand words between them. Not there. Not with Vex smiling, the wyvern restless, and servants trying to pretend they weren’t watching. Still, there was a silent understanding in that look. The agreement remained. The responsibility remained. Vex belonged to them—in different ways, but equally real ones.
"Take care of Asgard," Mercedes said.
"Take care of the North."
"I always do."
"I know."
She nodded once.
Then the wyvern spread its wings.
The wind scattered the snow that had gathered in the courtyard as the creature propelled itself upward. Vex shouted a final "bye" from above, waving both hands before Mercedes held her by the waist to ensure she didn’t lean too far. Strax kept watching as the wyvern rose, crossed the gray sky, and moved away toward the northern horizon.
Their figures grew smaller little by little.
Then they disappeared into the clouds.
Strax remained standing there for a few more seconds.
The smile was still on his face.
But the instant Vex’s presence was completely out of his immediate reach, his expression changed. The softness vanished.
His gaze turned cold.
His relaxed shoulders stiffened, and the calm aura he had maintained during the farewell withdrew into him like a blade returning to its sheath. He was no longer a father saying goodbye to his daughter; he was the Lord of Asgard, once again facing the world that had nearly torn her away from him.
"What happened?"
The question was asked without looking back.
Yennifer emerged silently from the shadows cast by one of the side columns.
She walked toward him with a light step, her hair swaying gently, a small leather folder resting in one hand. Unlike the staff members who had kept their distance, she did not seem intimidated by his sudden shift in mood. On the contrary, a lazy smile played on her lips, as if she had been anticipating this moment since before the farewell even began.
"They healed Aelyra," she said. "Or at least stabilized her enough so she wouldn’t die."
Strax showed no reaction.
"Go on."
"They sent her to an Imperial prison."
"Not an ordinary cell?"
"No."
Yennifer stepped closer.
"A sealed prison beneath the Celestial Capital. Layers of containment, healers on duty, guards personally chosen by the Emperor, and total political isolation. From what I hear, she’s lost her title, lost her rights to the territory, and likely lost any desire to ever look at a box again for the rest of her life."
Strax gave a wry smile.
"How sad."
"Extremely."
Yennifer held out the letter.
"The Celestial Emperor sent this, too."
Strax took the envelope without haste.
The imperial seal was intact—molded in gold and white, clearly reinforced by diplomatic magic. He broke the seal with his thumb, removed the letter, and began to read. Yennifer took the opportunity to position herself behind him, naturally wrapping her arms around his waist while resting her chin lightly on his shoulder to follow along with the reading.
Strax didn’t complain.
Yennifer smiled.
The letter was formal.
Very formal.
The kind of formality that masked fear behind elegant words.
The Emperor acknowledged the gravity of Aelyra’s actions, stated that she had been removed from her position, assured that internal investigations would be conducted to identify any remaining accomplices, and expressed an interest in maintaining political stability between Asgard and the Celestial Capital. He also—with irritatingly calculated care—offered Strax the chance to officially assume the title of Monarch over Aelyra’s former territory, should he wish to "regularize the territorial situation and avoid succession disputes."
Strax finished reading.
He remained silent for two seconds.
Then, he began to laugh.
Yennifer raised her eyebrows.
"Was it that good?"
"It was that desperate."
He held the letter up between his fingers, and a white flame appeared in his hand, consuming the paper without letting any ash fall to the ground.
"He really doesn’t want trouble."
Yennifer chuckled softly against his shoulder.
"Offering the title of Monarch is stupid, isn’t it?"
Strax nodded.
"Very."
"But smart, too."
"Yes."
He looked toward the east, even though Aelyra’s territory was too far away to be seen from there.
"If I accepted, he’d put a pretty collar around my neck and call it imperial recognition."
Yennifer tightened her embrace slightly.
"And if you refused?"
"He could say he tried to resolve it diplomatically."
"So he really is afraid."
"He’s being smart."
"Is that different?"
"Sometimes."
Yennifer smiled.
Strax kept his gaze fixed on the horizon.
Snow continued to fall over the courtyard, slowly erasing the tracks left by Mercedes’s wyvern. The quiet moment with Vex felt distant now, even though it had happened just minutes ago. It was always like that. One part of his life was warmed by family, while another remained razor-sharp in the face of enemies, titles, empires, and future threats.
"How do things stand?" he asked.
Yennifer rested the side of her face against his back.
"Great for us."
Strax didn’t turn around.
"Explain."
"Aelyra’s territory is without a Monarch, missing three of her key intelligence lieutenants, and the entire court is too terrified to openly vie for anything. The Emperor has taken over temporary administration, but he lacks the local infrastructure to maintain direct control without help. The ports want stability. Merchants want safe routes. The lesser nobility just wants to survive the coming month."
"So they’ll seek protection."
"They already are."
Strax smiled.
"Asgard?"
"Some, discreetly. Others pretend they aren’t, yet send letters to intermediaries linked to Monica."
"Does she know yet?"
Yennifer let out a laugh.
"She probably knew before I did."
"Probably."
She continued, her voice lower and pleased.
"Besides, the story has spread. Not the full version, of course. But enough. Aelyra abducted a child under your protection; you went to her castle, removed only her from power, and spared the people. That created a very convenient image."
"Which is?"
"You’re monstrous, but not unpredictable."
Strax tilted his head slightly.
"Is that good?"
"Very. People fear unpredictable monsters. But monsters with rules? They make deals."
Strax’s smile widened a little.
"Monica will like that interpretation."
"Monica has probably already turned it into three trade proposals, two indirect alliances, and a memo on railway expansion."
"That sounds like her." Yennifer slid one hand across his chest, maintaining the embrace.
"There’s another detail."
Strax remained silent.
"The Emperor doesn’t want war with you. After the letter, after Aelyra was returned alive, and after realizing you spared civilians, he’s going to try to spin your reaction as an exceptional punishment against a criminal monarch—not as a rebellion."
"He needs to save his own authority."
"Yes."
"And I need to let him pretend."
"For now."
Strax looked up at the sky.
"For now."
The silence between them grew heavier for a few seconds.
Then Yennifer asked:
"And what about the title?"
"I don’t want it."
"Not at all?"
"No."
"Even though you could take that territory without effort?"
"I don’t need the title to influence the territory."
Yennifer smiled.
"That’s the answer Monica would give."
"I learned from the best administrative tyrant."
"She’d be touched."
"She’d charge a fee for it."
They fell silent again, but this time there was a touch of lightness between the words. Strax looked to the north, where Vex and Mercedes had vanished, then to the east, where Aelyra’s territory now lay open like a political wound.
He knew it wasn’t over.
Aelyra was imprisoned, but not dead.
The Emperor was cornered, but still the Emperor.
Asgard was growing too fast not to draw attention.
And the gods—somewhere above or below the layers of the world—kept moving pieces he couldn’t yet fully see.
But for now, Vex was safe.
Mercedes was taking her home.
And Aelyra had become a living warning.
Strax let out a slow sigh.
"Tell Monica I won’t accept any title."
"She already knows."
"Then tell her I want a meeting about the East tomorrow."
"She knows that, too."
Strax turned his face slightly back.
Yennifer smiled at him.
"She said you’d come up with that idea after burning the letter."
He closed his eyes for a moment.
"Of course she did."
"She also said that if you try to handle everything alone, she’ll freeze your administrative access."
"She doesn’t have that power."
Yennifer laughed.
"Yes, she does."
Strax fell silent.
Because, unfortunately, it was true.
He looked once more toward the eastern horizon.
"Great for us," he repeated thoughtfully.
Yennifer nodded against his back.
"Very great."
Strax smiled.
There was no pure joy in that smile.
There was calculation.
There was opportunity.
And there was a silent promise that anyone looking at Asgard as prey would quickly discover the city was no prey at all.
It was an open maw.
"Then let’s take advantage of it."
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