Forn listened to Odin speaking about his race and their ruler, then muttered in a low voice as if speaking to herself:
"Was it… the ruler who spoke to me back then?"
The moment she said that, Odin nodded calmly.
"Yes, Forn. Our ruler was the one who warned you. He didn't want you to do anything reckless that might cost you your life."
Then he added more seriously:
"What matters now… do you have any more questions? Or are you finished?"
Forn quickly lifted her head.
"No, of course not! I have many. For example… where am I? And why did you kidnap me?"
Odin replied in a steady tone:
"First, we did not kidnap you. We saved you from certain death. We owed your ancestors a debt… and now, that debt has been repaid."
Understanding flickered in Forn's eyes as she processed his words.
"And second… where are we?"
He paused before answering.
"I can't tell you that exactly. But what I can say is that we are in a safe place. No one who wishes to harm you will reach you here… ever."
Forn exhaled slowly.
"So… you saved me because you owed my ancestors a favor… is that it?"
Odin noticed she was still thinking and asked:
"Are we done with the questions? Or is there more?"
She looked at him directly.
"Can I leave the island? Or am I trapped here?"
Odin sensed the faint worry in her voice and reassured her:
"Don't worry. As I said, we owed your ancestors a debt. Of course we won't harm you or force you to stay. Now that you've fully recovered, if you wish to leave, I will help you."
Then he added clearly:
"But if you leave the island… we will not help you again, nor will we be responsible for protecting you. Is that understood?"
Forn sighed in relief.
"Yes… that's clear."
Odin noticed her small smile and frowned slightly.
"You thought we would imprison you here, didn't you, Forn? We are not that evil. We do not harm those who once did us a favor."
Her face flushed, and she waved her hand quickly.
"No, no… I was just thinking about something else. Nothing related to that."
Odin looked at her calmly, then tilted his head slightly.
"So… do you wish to leave the island, Forn?"
She hesitated.
This place was safe…
The Emperor would never find her here…
And it was full of secrets.
The Titan child… the mysterious voice… the race of Asgard…
She thought to herself:
I need to stay here… to uncover the truth.
She lifted her head to speak.
"I—"
But Odin interrupted calmly.
"Your expression tells me what you're about to say. You're staying… aren't you?"
Before she could answer, he stood up from his bone-made chair.
"Come with me. I'll show you where you'll be living."
The moment he said that, Forn looked at him, then at herself in shock.
How did he know what I was thinking?
Am I really that easy to read?
She touched her face, whispering:
"No… there's no change in my expression… how did he know?"
When Odin saw what she was doing, he frowned in irritation.
"Come here. Why are you sitting there daydreaming? Have you become foolish or what? Was your injury that severe? Or has the human bloodline weakened and become useless?"
The moment she heard that, anger flared within her and she stood up.
"How dare you—"
But Odin interrupted her while opening the door of his house.
"Good thing you stood up. I was worried you might be paralyzed… or that the chair had stuck to you."
Then he let out a provoking laugh.
Forn walked behind him, muttering angrily in her mind:
You'll regret this, Odin… you won't get away with what you say.
Suddenly, Odin stopped and raised an eyebrow at her.
"You're not insulting me in your head right now… are you?"
Forn froze in place, shaking her head and hands quickly while staring at the ground.
"No! No, I wasn't!"
Then she quickly walked past him and said a little louder to divert suspicion:
"Come on, come on! Show me where I'll be living."
Odin stopped calmly, then pointed ahead.
"Stop there."
Forn trembled slightly and looked at him nervously.
"I… I really wasn't thinking anything—"
But she saw that he was pointing to a house very close to his own.
"You'll live there. In that house, with my sister Athena. Do you see it? Do you recognize the place?"
Forn exhaled in relief and replied irritably:
"Of course I see it! You could have told me inside the house that it was the one next door! There was no need for all this—"
Odin cut her off with a wave of his hand.
"Then you've seen it. Good. And now… goodbye."
In the next moment, he vanished before her eyes.
Silence lingered for a brief second.
Then Forn spoke in a low, frightening voice:
"That idiot… how does he speak respectfully and then disappear like that?"
Before she could continue, she heard a woman's voice behind her—calm, yet clearly laced with sarcasm:
"And who exactly has upset our dear guest? And who is it that you intend to make speak to you with respect?"