The Circumstances Leading to Waltraute's Marriage:Volume1 Chapter 1

Status: Incomplete

Chapter 1: Jack and the Beanstalk was Set to a Backdrop of Norse Mythology

Part 1

A Valkyrie descended to the human world of Midgard.

She had long blonde hair and white skin. She was tall for a woman, but had a much more slender frame than a man. It was a balance that could not be maintained by any soul born of a human mother. Her beauty was not the type that was meant to draw the opposite sex to her. Her beauty was wrapped in a chill like a flower offered up to a slaughtered foe.

Her appearance was that of a woman in her mid-twenties, but human aging did not apply to a Valkyrie. She had been fighting for much, much longer than that.

The armor she wore was green. However, that was just one aspect of the armor. It was magic armor that could freely change its properties to suit the situation. The aurora seen in the northern sky was actually the constantly changing light produced by Valkyrie armor.

She held what looked like a bluish-white spear in her right hand, but it was made up of the very lightning that fell from the sky. A swing of her weapon was enough to slaughter all who had made themselves enemies of the heavenly world of Asgard. They would be destroyed down to their souls and unable to even join the realm of the dead. That divine punishment was known as the Spear of Destroying Lightning and it held enough destructive power to warrant such a name.

“Is that all?”

She was surrounded by nothing but rubble.

The name of the maiden who glowed radiantly amid the blackened scenery was Waltraute.

She was tall but only when compared to a human woman. Even so, she stood triumphant above all those around her. She had crushed, wiped out, and burned away all those who had been taller or larger than her.

No one could imagine that a false temple gaudily decorated with gold and marble had stood there not long before. All that remained was black. Pitch black. The garish decorations had been torn down and all that was left had turned pure black as if to attest to their sins.

Sinners.

Heretics.

Those rebels who had joined with the giants to intentionally create monsters and then used the offspring as slaves had all been purged. They had committed three major sins. Loving those beyond their species was not one of them. It was joining with the giants for their own personal greed that had been one of those sins. The second had been using the offspring as tools. Even if they were half human, using anyone with a human soul as a tool was a sin. And the last was that they had offered up their young to join with the giants rather than doing it themselves. It had been judged that the ultimate punishment was required.

…Actually, Odin had only ordered Waltraute to sort out the souls of the youths who were like to die in the disturbance and lead only those necessary to Valhalla, the great hall of the heavenly world. However, she had used a bit too much strength as she had a tendency to do.

Thanks to that, it had all ended before a large-scale tragedy could occur, and all of the owners of the souls she was supposed to guide had survived.

There was a reason Valkyries did not stand at the top of everything even though they were the strongest when it came to pure power.

Without giving even a glance to the survivors who had their heads hanging down, Waltraute looked up into the sky and spoke to someone who was not present.

“Report. Situation 3469 is complete. …I suppose the ruler on the throne is angry again. But I suppose the queen of the realm of the dead is also gnashing her teeth at missing out on those impure souls. With that in mind, let’s just call this even.”

The humans living in Midgard would likely be unable to understand some of what the gods said. They purposefully tried to keep the humans from understanding more than they had to.

“Understood. So I have authorization to return. Tell Heimdallr to guide me along the route. Over.”

As she finished speaking, a single ray of light burst through the dark clouds above her head. It fell directly atop Waltraute. The next thing she knew, a giant white horse was standing next to her. Waltraute climbed atop the horse and her hair floated up unnaturally. Once that change in gravity reached the white horse’s giant body as well, Waltraute’s very existence would be temporarily split into pieces and she would leave the human world of Midgard while overcoming all forms of aerodynamic restrictions.

But then…

An error occurred in the return process.

A boy was weakly clinging onto Waltraute’s right leg as she sat atop the white horse.

“A survivor, hm?” said the Valkyrie with an emotionless look in her eyes. “Do you wish to head to Valhalla to experience the battles of the heavenly world? You need not be so hasty. If you continue to possess such a valiant and just soul, that time will surely come.”

“So beautiful.”

The boy’s context-less comment was spoken with a hoarse voice.

He was looking at Waltraute’s golden hair that was reflecting the light shining down on her.

“Can I have some?”

Waltraute fell silent.

Valkyries had but one role to play for the humans of Midgard…or so it should have been. From experience, she knew there were irregular situations that would occasionally occur.

In other words…

Sometimes, a man would fall in love with a Valkyrie.

“I am sorry, but I cannot do that,” she replied with an icy voice.

The boy did not seem to understand the situation.

“Why not?”

“We live in different worlds. The world tree Yggdrasil divides up the nine worlds. The divisions between worlds may only be crossed for the purposes of a battle. That is why I am here in Midgard now. Crossing those divisions for no reason would cause a battle in and of itself.”

“Ohh…” The boy’s mouth opened wide but it was unclear what exactly seemed to have impressed the boy. “So you can’t stay here?”

“I am not saying I cannot, but I see no rational reason to do so.”

“Mhh…”

“?”

“I can’t accept that. This isn’t the time to talk about things in that way.”

“Hm?” Waltraute looked slightly puzzled.

Waltraute did not understand the subtleties of human romance, so she chose the method her experience had taught her was the quickest option of dealing with such problems.

She grabbed the Spear of Destroying Lightning in her right hand.

She intentionally made it start noisily sending sparks flying every which way.

“Whatever the reason may be and whatever that person may say, a Valkyrie has the authority to deem anyone who stands in her way as evil. Be warned that anyone who blocks my path is destined to fall defeated before me.”

“Hm? Hmm? So if I beat you, you’ll do whatever I ask you?”

“Mh!? Wait a second!! What kind of roundabout thinking led you to that conclusion!? I was merely saying that anyone who got in my way would meet a bitter fate!!”

“I see… So I could marry you…”

“You’re just assuming you would win!! A-ahem. Soul born in the human world of Midgard, do you truly believe that frail glow of yours is enough to stand up to Waltraute, the fourth sister of the nine Valkyries?”

“Let’s fight!! Let’s fight!! Waltraute, tell me the rules of the fight!!”

“Dammit! I let my name slip out!?”

But Waltraute was not so cruel as to actually begin a competition of strength with that boy of Midgard as she would utterly demolish him.

(Oh, I know. I can give this human an utterly impossible challenge.)

That was the standard pattern for goddesses and princesses from all over the world both in ancient and modern times.

Waltraute cleared her throat and said, “My challenge to you is to scale the world tree Yggdrasil with your own strength. Once you arrive at the heavenly world of Asgard, I will accept your marriage proposal.”

(There is no way he can do it. Not even a Valkyrie like me could manage that. A soul born in the human world will likely be too overcome with awe upon seeing the world tree Yggdrasil to even touch it.)

“…What does ‘scale’ mean?”

“It means ‘climb’ and is usually used in the context of a mountain or a cliff!! I am telling you to climb up that giant tree with just those two hands of yours!!”

“Ehh!?”

“Th-that’s right. How about that? Can’t do it, can you? Simply impossible, isn’t it? Give up here and join with a human woman like a proper human man. A neighborhood childhood friend can be a surprisingly excellent choice. And now, I will be going.”

“All you have to do is climb a tree and you get to marry a Valkyrie!? I-I have to go tell everyone!!”

“Wait!! This is not a custom of my race! This is a competition that is only valid between the two of us!! If a large number of humans begin trying to climb the world tree Yggdrasil, the head god Odin will mistake it for a rebellion!!”

“Then I’ll climb it! If I climb Yggdrasil, I get to marry you, right!? You’re the one that said it, Waltraute!!”

“Mh.”

It seemed the boy truly intended to attempt the challenge, but Waltraute could not treat the challenge lightly as it was a competition with a winner and a loser.

The Valkyries were the members of the gods that dealt with battles and they were something like the strict guardians of competitions in the human world of Midgard.

Whose jurisdiction the world tree Yggdrasil fell under was a bit vague, but the competition was rooted in the human world of Midgard, so she had to be strict about it.

Also…

If the challenge was nothing more than something the boy had come up with, Waltraute could simply refuse to participate. However, Waltraute had been the one to suggest the challenge and the boy had accepted. That meant the competition had become official the second the boy had okayed it. Waltraute could not back out now.

“F-fine then. I will accept the competition. But a soul of Midgard will never be able to scale the world tree Yggdrasil.”

“I can do it.”

“The heavenly world of Asgard is literally above the clouds. If you run out of strength partway up and fall off, only death awaits you. Are you still willing?”

“I can do it.”

Even under Waltraute’s icy gaze that could cause heretics and even giants and dragons to tremble in fear, the human boy gave a defiant response.

(Those are the eyes of a warrior.)

But in the next instant, the boy gave a big grin, swung one arm around in a circle, and said, “Okay, I’ll climb up before you know it! Once I’m ready, I’ll head to Yggdrasil, so you wait at the goal point in Asgard!! That’s another rule!!”

“Wait,” said Waltraute suddenly from atop the white horse. “Why do you wish to marry me so much?”

“Hm?” The boy replied almost immediately. “Because you’re beautiful.”

“…”

“Waltraute, I will definitely climb up Yggdrasil, and we’ll get married when I do!!”

Once Waltraute returned to the heavenly world of Asgard, Heimdallr the watchman asked her a question.

“…Why didn’t you just refuse?”

A Valkyrie usually remained completely expressionless, but Waltraute’s cheeks reddened slightly and her eyes darted away when he asked that question.

“O-once the competition had been established, I could hardly just refuse him outright!!”

Heimdallr had been wondering why she had not simply returned to Asgard from the beginning, but before he could say anything further, Waltraute’s eyes darted away once more and she continued speaking.

“That’s…That’s right. It’s a competition, so I had no choice!! I am a strict guardian of competitions after all! Whatever it may entail, I must let it carry out to its conclusion once it has been established!!”

“Wait, don’t tell me you’re letting this go because he said you were beautiful and said he would marry you after he managed to climb u-…Eeee! Eeee!!””

“Could you explain to me what part of what I said led you to believe that? And could you give an explanation for why you are grinning like that?”

“I-is this invisible wall that is hard as thick concrete nothing but your aura of intimidation!? No, wait! I get it! I get it! Don’t bring out the Spear of Destroying Lightning! Wait, wait!!”

Heimdallr trembled in fear when faced with that grand destructive power that was being used to hide Waltraute’s embarrassment.

Whatever she may have said, her true feelings were clearly visible on her face.

Most everyone was too frightened of her to try, but Waltraute was surprisingly weak to those who maintained a strong will while interacting with her.

Part 2

On one end of the heavenly world of Asgard were the seven runways of Bifröst.

They may have been known as “runways”, but the process by which they were used was quite complex. The user’s “existence” was split into pieces, and they could then be freely sent to any of the 9 worlds while ignoring all aerodynamic restrictions. It was not a complete “teleportation”. Technically, the user was accelerated to 97% of the speed of light, but the size of the nine worlds meant it was more or less instantaneous.

The Valkyrie armor that was broken to pieces along with Waltraute would react and spread out. That process caused a giant aurora to fill the night sky when a Valkyrie was sent flying through the sky.

It was largely due to Bifröst and the Valkyries that the Æsir were able to display such tremendous power in the nine worlds. It took a slight amount of time to begin the process, but in exchange, a military force made up of the Valkyries and the spirits of the dead known as Einherjar that were under their control could be sent wherever they were needed. The earlier annihilation of the heretics should be enough to demonstrate how much of a threat that was.

And…

Waltraute was now peering down to the human world of Midgard from the edge of Bifröst. Heimdallr the watchman was in charge of controlling Bifröst, so he was utterly fed up with the Valkyrie that was obstructing the path.

“Um, if you stay there, the 3rd runway can’t be used…”

“You have seven of them. The loss of one or two is no big deal.”

“Um, do you have any idea how many dozens of flights come through every hour? This is an issue of efficiency and distribution. You’re causing a traffic jam. Surely you know how blocking a seemingly empty lane can cause a huge backup on the highway. If you block the 3rd runway, the percentage of late flights will jump up to-…”

“What is your point?”

“Oh…um…nothing…I guess…Sigh…”

When she glared at him, Heimdallr shrunk down like he was preparing to close himself up in a small box.

While crouched down, Heimdallr said, “But was there really any reason to take that verbal promise seriously?”

“H-hmph! I do not think that boy from Midgard can climb the world tree Yggdrasil. But now that the competition has been established, I must see it through to the end as a Valkyrie. In the best case, he will make it to the base of the world tree and be too overwhelmed to do anything more. In the worst case, his awe upon seeing Yggdrasil will be too great and he will not even make it to the base.”

“…So in the ‘worst case’, the boy doesn’t even come for you?”

The glance that was as sharp as a spear that Heimdallr received in response to his unwanted comment caused his entire body to freeze in place. He realized he could not make his body any smaller than it already was.

Waltraute composed herself and said, “At any rate, I am only watching over this competition to its end. And that end will be the boy’s loss. If he does not show up, that counts as a loss. Once that happens, I will be freed from this nonsensical verbal promise of marriage.”

“Um…”

“It is true that the boy had the eyes of warrior when he announced he would climb the world tree. Those were the eyes of someone with a will strong enough to challenge a Valkyrie to a competition. But words are cheap. He is sure to lose his nerve when he sees the true recklessness of this challenge…Why are you interrupting me?”

“The boy has arrived.”

“!?!?!?”

Waltraute frantically looked back over the edge of the 3rd runway and to the human world of Midgard.

“Impossible…Impossible!! Does that boy have no fear of death!?”

“ ‘That he would go this far for an unrefined, battle-crazy girl that wears armor year-round like me just sets my heart aflutt-…’ No, I was just kidding! Please! Please forgive me! I won’t make any more liberal translations of your thoughts, so please spare me from the lightning!!” As Heimdallr held his hands up to cover his head, he looked down toward the surface. “J-Jack Elvan was it? According to the data we have on him, he comes from the middle class on Midgard.”

But of course, the boy had not arrived in Asgard.

The base of Yggdrasil was in Midgard. The boy had made it to that giant tree.

He truly seemed intent on climbing up that tree.

Any normal human would have been too filled with awe at the site of Yggdrasil and with a general fear of heading to another world to even think about trying to climb the world tree. Nevertheless, that boy had burst through those limitations.

It was called a tree, but the trunk was as thick as a standard-sized city was wide, so it felt more like rock climbing. The complexly intertwined branches and hollows almost turned it into something like a labyrinth.

Waltraute used magic to enhance her already superhuman senses (not that she was human in the first place), so she just had to stare down with her eyes wide to see every step the boy took.

At the base of the world tree, the boy said, “I have my handkerchief, some snacks for if I get hungry, and a water bottle. Okay, time to go.”

“He’s extremely lightly equipped!! Wait, he’s not even wearing boots! Those are sandals! At least prepare a lifeline…Ah, he started climbing! He really started climbing!! He started climbing up Yggdrasil in sandals! What do I do!?”

“…Th-there would be nothing wrong with you heading down to save him, right? You can just head down and grab him. I can open up one of Bifröst’s runways for you.”

“You fool!!!!” Waltraute’s iron fist sent Heimdallr’s giant form rolling across the runway like a pebble. “I am a god that rules over battles and I watch over all events with a winner and a loser!! I cannot interfere in a competition with clear rules!!”

“B-bghh…bbh…”

Heimdallr let out a groan without even a shred of intelligence in it, but he was not listening to what Waltraute was saying. He had more important worries.

Meanwhile, something happened down at the surface.

Even though Asgard was literally above the clouds, the boy was sitting on a branch and reaching for his water bottle after only climbing about 10 meters.

“Hahh…I’m exhausted.”

“You weakling!!” shouted Waltraute.

“U-um, ten meters is pretty high up for a human,” commented Heimdallr.

“That is not the issue here! He said that he would climb Yggdrasil and marry me. Even if the reward is completely ridiculous, it is still a sacred competition with a Valkyrie. And yet…And yet…that bastard!! Only 10 meters!? That is an insult to the one whose fate hangs in the balance here, is it not!?”

“Um…So basically you’re upset about that being as far as his feelings for you went and you want him to try a little harder? …Gyaaahhh! I’m sorry!!”

Waltraute seemed to want to avoid using her overwhelming strength on Heimdallr himself (despite the punch from earlier), so she started destroying the runway of Bifröst. Heimdallr began apologizing with all his strength because Bifröst’s destruction would do serious social damage to him.

But then he noticed something.

He pointed down toward the surface and said, “Look at that. There’s something down there!”

“Mh?”

Waltraute looked down and spotted a white cat approaching the boy who was resting on a branch of Yggdrasil.

For some reason the cat was able to speak the human language.

“Hey, there. What are you doing here? It’s dangerous being this high up. You’ll get hurt if you fall.”

“…That’s surprisingly good advice for a talking cat,” commented Heimdallr.

“…”

The boy responded by saying, “I’m climbing the world tree. Waltraute is waiting for me.”

“I-I am not waiting!!”

“But you aren’t trying to stop him either,” added Heimdallr.

“Of course not. This is a serious competition!!”

The cat then said, “But look up. Do you really think you can climb all the way up there?”

“I can,” replied the boy.

“How about you head down instead. If you go to Jötunheimr, you can find some magic water that will give you any knowledge you wish for.”

“But Waltraute isn’t there.”

“If you drink the water of knowledge, homework will never be a problem again.”

“…Really?”

“Really, really. So give up on going somewhere as boring as Asgard and come with me to-…”

That was when Waltraute threw the Spear of Destroying Lightning.

With a tremendous noise, a bluish-white spear stabbed down in a straight line from heaven to earth. It passed directly in front of the boy and mercilessly struck the talking white cat down to the very depths of the surface.

Lightning.

The symbol of divine punishment.

While breathing erratically, Waltraute shouted down at the surface knowing full well her voice would not reach.

“Don’t interfere with a serious competition, you fool!! Do you want him to gain a body that cannot even reach the realm of the dead!?”

“Th-the kitty… The pretty kitty…!?” said Heimdallr.

“That was actually the Midgard Serpent!! When Útgarða-Loki tricked Thor, that giant snake aided in Útgarða-Loki’s illusions by transforming into a cat to leave Thor unprepared!! Look, the transformation is starting to come off. Creepy scales are starting to cover its body!! No competition can be fair with a monster like that involved!!”

“Oh, you’re right. It really is Jörmungandr,” said Heimdallr.

Waltraute folded her arms in front of her armor’s breastplate.

“Honestly. Even a beast powerful enough to stand on the same level as Thor is getting in the way… This is why you cannot take fate lightly. That boy need only think of the competition. Giving him that is proper manners as his opponent.”

“But the boy seems worried about the snake that fell to the surface. He’s climbing back down to check on it.”

“~ ~ ~!! Take. This. Competition. Seriously!!”

Waltraute started childishly stomping her feet in frustration, but she had only just declared that she would not directly interfere.

Part 8

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