Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

It was a day like any other and Markus showed up at Helga's house after tending to his duties again. He wasn't done trying to convince the Valkyrie to end him, but Helga wasn't willing to budge either–leaving them in a stalemate of sorts and diverging from the topic since they couldn't reach a conclusion.

"How's Milo and Viola, how are they handling their royal duties?" Having exhausted the last stock of her coffee beans, Helga kicked her legs by the empty mugs on the coffee table. Yawning, she looked at Markus's unmasked face, burning like a wicked candle of emerald flames.

"They're handling it better than the last pair and since the hero scared off the rest of the nobles, nobody's attempting any coup at the very least," as Markus was done talking, a blanket of silence descended on the room. Only the sound of the wall clock could be heard bouncing around in the air.

'Why does he come here every other day?' Helga thought, eyeing him from the edge of her eyes. It has become somewhat of a ritual for the two to fight over Markus' death before drinking coffee until the whole batch runs out.

"What about your daughter? How are they doing?" Leaning on his knees with his eyes turned to Helga, Markus stared at the valkyrie while she stared right back.

"They're fine, not exactly happy that their dog's gone though," a bit surprised by the news, Markus leaned back into the couch and with a light to his head asked.

"What happened to it? Did it die?" Fanning her hands in denial, Helga set his worry to a quick rest.

"No he's not dead just sailing with the hero," upon hearing that, Markus was even more confused than before as he had no clue what the hero's party had been up to in recent times.

"Speaking of the hero…" Taking a moment to let the matter of the dog drift by, Markus decided to point to another more important matter. "What do you think? Someone like him against the demon lord? I don't see how he can win."

"You can say the same about us, can't you?" Leaning forward to grab the mugs off the table, Helga got off the couch with her eyes glued to the spirit warrior beside her. "A disabled kid and a stubborn girl against the many armies of gods? Hard to imagine that it happened now, isn't it?"

"We had more people," Markus instantly shot back, and although she nodded in agreement, Helga had a response of her own.

"He's gathering his army too, maybe it's time for us to sit back and watch what the younger generation can do." Turning around with the trays and the mug in her hand, Helga began walking to her kitchen but she wasn't finished talking yet. "Besides, why do you care if this world lives or dies, mister dead man walking? I thought you wanted an out anyway."

"You already know why…" That's all Helga heard as she moved into the kitchen and admittedly, she knew what he was talking about.

Dying in times of peace and leaving behind a better era for her daughters would be much better than dying while the world around her burns and her daughters are left without a mother to take care of them. Either way, she didn't want to admit that in this case at least Markus was in the right.

"Nerva…" Whispering the name while putting the dishes into the sink, Helga's mind raced. "What is that bitch's problem? Why not just rest already?"

Hearing her talk in the kitchen from the living room, Markus being a spirit–could've answered her easily. However, as it would only draw out the conversation he didn't say a thing.

'Scorn, why else?' Keeping that answer locked away inside his head, he got off the couch and with a quick pat across his armor readied himself to leave.

"I'll be back soon," he said to her, and she responded quickly.

"My answer won't change, no matter how long you try," the stalemate didn't end that day, and at least Helga was glad that it was the case.

Only a few moments after Markus was gone, the silence in her house was almost deafening to Helga. Breaking that ring of quiet in her ears with the clatter of dishes, she tried to deviate her mind with the thought of her daughters. Both Stella and Tatiyana were staying at a friend's house for the night–one whose parents were terrified at the sight of her dropping them at their doorsteps.

It made her wonder if they'll ever accept her daughters as have their offsprings; for there will come a time when both dragoness have to reveal their nature and live amongst the rest of society.

'If a devil can walk through the streets of Athenia, then why not my daughters?' Aelin's daily trip to the market had left a sizzling burn in the Valkyrie's heart–after all, both her husband and her daughters had to hide themself with a veil of humanity. 'Maybe I should ask Milo himself to allow them better social security? I'm sure there's something he can hire me for to compensate for the task.'

Getting lost in her thoughts, Helga didn't hear the faint knocking on her door, but as the knocking turned more raging, she quickly wiped her wet hands and made her way to the front door.

"Who is it at this hour?" She mumbled before looking through the peephole.

To her confusion, the person standing on the other end was the witch Linkle.

"What do you want?" Helga asked, her hands gripped tight on the doorknob so the witch couldn't unlock it with her magic.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Oh finally! I need to talk, open up!" Linkle responded, appearing to be in a rush through the peephole.

"Just answer me damn it!" Scoffing at the demand, Linkle shrugged her shoulders and moved her head to look through the peephole as well.

"I wanna hire you for a job! And I'm willing to give you everything like you asked!"

"Not interested!" Even though the offer of having everything the witch had was tempting, Helga just didn't wanna bother with whatever trouble Linkle was dragging along by her feet like muck.

Keeping the door shut and turning around to walk away, however, Helga was met with the sight of the witch standing right behind her. A bit surprised for a moment, she eyed the woman trying to make sure if it was an illusion or not.

Experience more on empire

"Ohhh you did not just do that…"

"Help me and I'll give you everything I own on Atlaris as well as two of these for your daughters!" Instantly holding up the life-giving necklaces before Helga could wind up a punch to attack her, Linkle managed to stop the Valkyrie from possibly killing her.

"What the hell even is–" Stunned at the glimmer from the necklace reminded her of Aphrodite's radiance, the Valkyrie grew uncertain about whether to get angry since the relic clearly belonged to a god or be more curious as to what it could do for her daughter.

Thankfully for her, Linkle was about to clear everything up–and as long as the Valkyrie decides to help her defeat Tariyaan, those necklaces would rest on her daughter's neck forever.