Noren’s Annoyance and the Giant’s Aftermath

A few minutes after the giant’s departure, Noren swiftly climbed down the tree.

“Ugh, how annoying! My soft armor…”

Upon landing, Noren discovered her armor was covered in cedar leaves. Unlike pine needles, cedar leaves were also pointed, though thicker and elongated, with tiny serrated edges that clung tenaciously. Once affixed to her linen outerwear and soft armor, they proved incredibly difficult to remove, requiring painstaking effort to pluck them off one by one.

A thick layer of these leaves matted her front and back, but even more vexing was the abundance clinging to her lustrous golden hair.

“Tolke, over here!” she called out to Tolke, who had just descended from the tree.

“Thump! Thump! Thump!” Two blond youths and a brown-haired one, hearing her call, turned their heads in unison. In their distraction, they tumbled from the tree. Fortunately, they were only a few feet from the ground, so their rear ends remained relatively unscathed.

Having often climbed trees with Noren during hunting trips, Tolke was quite agile. He had already reached the ground when Noren called out. Hearing the thuds of falling bodies, he glanced back in confusion before making his way towards the golden-haired maiden.

“What’s wrong?” Tolke, himself covered in cedar leaves, asked with a puzzled expression, noting the vexed and impatient tone in Noren’s voice.

“Quickly, help me get these cedar leaves out of my hair.”

Noren untied the band at the end of her braid, swept her hands from her forehead back to behind her ears, gathering her golden hair. With a sudden toss, her hair cascaded down, a shimmering golden waterfall flowing over her back.

‘?’ After a long moment of silence, she tilted her head and glanced out of the corner of her eye. Tolke stood there, utterly dumbfounded, his vacant eyes seeming to have lost their soul.

“Tolke?” the maiden called out. The Norse youth snapped back to reality. Just as he reached out to pluck the clinging cedar leaves from her hair, Noren raised a hand and pushed him gently away. “Never mind, I’ll do it myself.”

It wasn’t that she intended to tease him; rather, Tolke’s dazed expression made her realize something was amiss. Noren wouldn’t have cared about such a slight touch before, but ever since that night at Olomouc Castle, she had acutely sensed that someone harbored desires for her body!

[Ah, yes, Noren, you are indeed very perceptive. After being childhood sweethearts for so many years and only realizing this after one intimate encounter, you are truly *too* perceptive!]

To prevent further contact from sparking unnecessary fantasies in the youth, and to ensure he didn’t misplace his affections, it was best to avoid any undue intimacy.

‘Noren reminded herself of this inwardly.’

“Oh…” Tolke blinked. Though he didn’t quite understand why Noren had called for his help only to refuse it, their good relationship meant he wouldn’t get angry over such a minor thing. He wasn’t one to harbor grudges.

As Noren slowly plucked the bothersome leaves from her golden strands, Hafdan and the others approached.

“What exactly *was* that giant?” Hafdan asked Noren. Only Wiz and Henry stood beside him; the others were nowhere to be seen.

“Where are the others?” Noren flicked a leaf away, not answering Hafdan’s question, but instead inquiring about the whereabouts of the rest of their group.

“That monster charged so quickly,” Hafdan recounted, “it immediately overturned a carriage, then used that massive tree trunk to smash a coachman into a pulp right before our eyes. We were all stunned. Such a large man, in an instant, became nothing but a flat puddle of flesh and mud. The other coachmen and that little girl fled south in terror. We, however, escaped to the west.”

Hafdan spoke with animated gestures, his expression betraying a hint of excitement. ‘It was baffling what he found so exhilarating.’

“What happened then?” Noren asked, smoothing down a cleaned lock of golden hair, flattening any stray wisps, before picking up another section to continue her task.

“Then? Weren’t we chased into this very forest by that strange monstrosity?” Wiz mimicked Noren, clearing leaves from his own person. His tone remained perpetually languid; only in battle did his voice ever gain fervor.

“What I meant was, how did you get rid of the giant? Why couldn’t he find you once you were up in the trees?”

“Because I shot him with an arrow,” Tolke explained, “and given his clumsy physique, he certainly couldn’t climb the trees, so we hid up there.” He carried a recurve bow on his back, its quiver completely empty.

He continued, “That giant has skin as tough as hide. Wiz threw a short-handled throwing axe at his forehead, but it didn’t even leave a scratch. Hafdan hurled a javelin, but the tree trunk blocked it.”

“What about you, Henry?” Noren asked, a note of concern in her voice for the brown-haired strongman. Henry had been utterly distracted since earlier, as if his spirit had been shattered by fear.

“Ah!” Henry, still caught in the throes of his recent terror, let out a startled cry before offering an embarrassed, sheepish grin. “I… I just ran. I suppose Hafdan and the others only followed because they saw me flee.”

Having spoken, Henry’s gaze grew distant. “I’m sorry, Miss Noren. I played the coward once more.”

“It’s alright,” Noren consoled, her voice calm and devoid of any blame. “That giant’s resilience is simply too great, unlike anything human. Perhaps this is one of the Jotun from Norse legends. Even the Aesir gods of Asgard might struggle against such giants.”

Henry lifted his bowed head, his eyes, previously downcast, now widening in surprise as he looked at the golden-haired maiden. His gaze quickly filled with gratitude. “Thank you for forgiving my transgression, kind Miss Noren!”

Noren merely offered a soft “Mm” in response.

It wasn’t truly forgiveness for Henry; rather, the giant was simply preposterous. Even she had been chased ignominiously, let alone Henry and his companions. Had Henry not led this group of Norse fools in their flight, and had they been flattened by the giant, she would have had nowhere to turn in her despair.

‘She thought to herself, casting a disgruntled glance at the Norsemen. Some were exuberant, others utterly indifferent, clearly illustrating the Norsemen’s peculiar view on life and death.’

Even Tolke, who had nearly spiraled into reclusive melancholy after taking a life last year, now wore an expression of calm composure, appearing entirely unlike someone who had just skirted the precipice of death.

Noren felt a surge of indignation, vexed by Tolke and the others’ nonchalant attitude towards life and death. Alongside her anger, a sense of helplessness welled within her.

She sighed, amidst their confused glances. There was simply no helping it; that was just the way of the Norsemen.

Harsh environments bred resilient people. Even if Tolke and the others hadn’t been born around the North Sea or the Baltic, even if they had left those arduous conditions behind, Svein and Tolruk would still instill their unwavering spirit into the next generation.

‘Perhaps only a transmigator like herself wouldn’t be brainwashed by Norse culture!’

‘If Henry hadn’t run like a frightened rabbit, Tolke would likely have been a puddle of gore by now! Perhaps I should reward Henry.’

“However, Henry, you still need diligent training. Once we return to the village, I’ll ask my father to hone your martial skills.” Noren decided to reward Henry, but openly commending a coward would undoubtedly provoke resentment among some of the Norsemen. Training someone’s martial skills was a good form of reward, and paradoxically, in the eyes of the Norse, it might even be perceived as a punishment.

“I will train diligently and strive to earn your approval!” Henry declared, thumping his chest with a loud promise.

Noren nodded. After several minutes of conversation, she had finally cleared all the cedar leaves from her hair.

She picked up a small twig from the ground and held it between her teeth. Using both hands, she smoothed her golden hair and gathered it into three sections. The largest section she twisted into a bun, then inserted the twig to serve as a hairpin. The other two smaller sections she braided into golden plaits, coiling them around the bun. Once secured, she removed the twig.

‘A hairstyle identical to Artoria’s was complete!’

“Hmm, not bad!” Noren nodded, her mood slightly improved. This hairstyle was quite practical for fighting; there was no need to worry about anyone pulling her hair. As for the scorpion-tail braid that could ensnare necks, or the waist-high kick that could send people flying… ‘She certainly couldn’t learn those!’

Noren raised a hand. “Let’s go! We’ll head back and see if the giant is still there. If not, we’ll salvage whatever hasn’t been destroyed from the wreckage. As for avenging ourselves against the giant…” She sighed softly. “That can wait for another day!”