System's POV

Chapter 1407: Audience With Destiny [Part 2]

"What are you all doing here?" Thirteen asked the moment Skuld pulled back.

"We came to see you, of course," Skuld replied as if it was the most normal thing to say.

"You guys only visit people when you need to do something important," Thirteen said in a serious tone. "All three of you are here, so you must be here for serious business. Am I right?"

Skuld pouted, Verdandi smiled helplessly, while Urd giggled.

Thirteen was right. The Norns weren’t beings who would seek out someone whenever they wanted to. Everything they did served a purpose.

Although Thirteen was genuinely happy to see them, he also felt troubled. Their presence here meant that they had business with him.

"We came here to help you a bit," Skuld said after nearly a minute of pouting. "You should be glad we came here before you could say something you cannot take back."

"Something I can’t take back?" Thirteen arched an eyebrow. "Are you talking about my answer about Stella?"

"Exactly," Verdandi replied before glancing at Chiffon who was frozen in time. "Chiffon loves Stella very much even though she’s not her blood daughter. In fact, she loves all of William’s children, so she takes her matter more seriously than most."

"You were about to tell her that you’re not interested in Stella romantically, right?" Urd commented.

"But isn’t it the truth?" Thirteen insisted. "She’s a good lady, and I don’t want to lie to her. Am I supposed to tell her that I love Stella even if it’s not the truth?"

The three Norns sighed at the same time. Thirteen was quite honest to a fault and didn’t think the way like humans do.

If he were an ordinary human, he would definitely not reject Stella’s advances. After all, being her fiance would come with a lot of benefits.

Benefits that people would kill to get!

"As we said, we came here to prevent you from regretting your decision today," Skuld declared while placing her hands on her hips and puffing up her chest. "You should be thankful. We won’t be here if we don’t love you very much!"

"... Skuld, even if you puff up your chest like that... the size will not change, okay?" Thirteen replied. "Have you been drinking milk as of late? You might need to raise the volume a bit."

"Mukiiii! Why are you such a pain in the butt?!" Skuld hammered Thirteen’s chest with her small fists. But instead of being hurt, the teenage boy only felt ticklish because there wasn’t much force in the young lady’s tantrum.

Verdandi and Urd smiled helplessly because Skuld had never won an argument with Thirteen, even in the rare instances where they appeared before him.

"Well, we can’t indefinitely pause the time of this world, so we will get straight to the point," Verdandi said. "You shouldn’t reject Stella. She is someone that you should hold near your inner circle."

"Do not ignore the threads that are connected to you," Urd commented. "They serve as your anchors so that you won’t lose your real self."

The Norns usually spoke vaguely, so they wouldn’t directly interfere with a person’s destiny. But since they were telling him to not reject Stella, he wanted to know the reason why they had come to advise him today.

The teenage boy grabbed hold of Skuld’s little fists and gently pulled her closer to him, giving her a hug.

Skuld was surprised but didn’t reject his hug. In fact, she even buried her head on his chest, enjoying this rare moment she hadn’t felt for hundreds of years.

"Skuld, I know that you and your sisters care about me," Thirteen said, while patting her head. "But you know what I’m like. I may be smart, but I am lacking in other areas. Unless you say it to me straight, I won’t really understand."

Skuld suddenly found herself trapped between a rock and a hard place.

She wanted to help Zion, but she was afraid of divulging too much information at this point in time.

The youngest of the three sisters knew that the moment she told Thirteen the truth, the teenage boy would no longer hold back and make sure that Stella remained by his side forever.

"Thirteen, I really want to tell you," Skuld said softly. "But I can’t. Now is not the time for you to know. However, Stella is someone very dear to you."

"Then answer me this, is she one of my previous hosts?" Thirteen asked in a serious tone.

Skuld turned her head to glance at her sisters, asking them if this was something that they should divulge to him.

Verdandi and Urd glanced at each other before sharing a reluctant nod.

"Yes," Verdandi, who represented the Present Time, answered firmly. "Stella is one of your previous Hosts."

"I’ve been meaning to ask, but are Sherry, Erica, and Princess Xynalia my previous hosts as well?" Thirteen felt a lump on his throat as he forced these words out of his lips.

"We have already said more than necessary," Verdandi warned. "Saying more will trigger causality. Just know that you share a common destiny with them."

Thirteen’s lips became a thin line after hearing the Norn’s reply.

He had often wondered what the colorful strings that were fluttering on his pinky finger signified.

Tiona was certainly one of his hosts. He couldn’t possibly forget her even if he tried.

Shana wasn’t one of his hosts, but he had a feeling that she was also someone who had taken a place in his heart in the past.

He didn’t have a history with Princess Xynalia, but she had become indirectly involved with him in more ways than one, especially during the time when he was in a coma.

Erica... she had been very dear to him. He wouldn’t tell her this, but she was the one who taught how to love in his current life.

Her stubbornness, passion, drive, and boldness was something that completed the parts of him that weren’t there.

Lastly, Stella.

She was the daughter of the strongest King in the world of Hestia.

Someone whose position couldn’t be shaken by anyone else.

Anyone who would marry her would receive eternal glory, fame, as well as influence that spanned the entire world, and beyond.

"Then one last question," Thirteen said. "Should I marry Stella?"

"Yes," Skuld replied in a heartbeat.

"Definitely," Verdandi stated without hesitation.

"Without a doubt." Urd nodded.

The three Norns had all said yes, which meant that he should truly take Stella’s matter seriously.

"I know that this goes against your code," Skuld said anxiously. "But you will regret it if you don’t make Stella your lover."

"William will not let her daughter marry just anyone," Verdandi said. "So, you better convince him that you are worthy of her."

"And we are here to tell you how you can fight him on even terms." Urd smiled. "Did you know? William was once an Einherjar."

"Ah... I see, so you are telling me to use that method." Thirteen nodded in understanding. "Did he also fight during Ragnarok?"

"Yes," Skuld replied. "He was the last one standing among the Einherjars."

"I see." Thirteen narrowed his eyes.

He was also there during the battle of Ragnarok because one of his Hosts was fated to die in that battle.

But now that he knew William’s background, there was indeed a method that he could use in order to fight him on even terms.

’I just hope that it doesn’t come to that,’ Thirteen thought. ’But based on what I have observed, he is one of those over-protective fathers who wouldn’t allow their daughters to marry even if they become old ladies.’

Those types of fathers were a pain. But he could somehow understand William’s perspective since he also didn’t want his sisters—Rhia, Remi, and Shasha—to marry just about anyone.

Their suitors must get his stamp of approval first before they could even start dating.

"I guess time is up," Skuld said reluctantly. "Goodbye, Thirteen. I hope the next time we meet, you have found the happiness that you deserve."

Skuld went back to her sisters, and all three of them waved at him.

A moment later, they turned into particles of light and rose towards the heavens.

Time finally returned to normal, which meant that he also needed to give Chiffon an answer.

"I know this is sudden, but can you give me your answer?" Chiffon asked once more after seeing that the teenage boy seemed to be troubled with her question.

"Before I give my answer, I would like to hear Stella’s honest opinion about me first," Thirteen replied. "Eros proposed to me using her face and body, and My Lady is telling me that she might have feelings for me. But unless I hear it straight from her lips, I cannot give my answer."

"Fair enough." Chiffon nodded in agreement. "Let’s go ask her then."

Chiffon didn’t want to waste any time, so she grabbed hold of Thirteen’s hand. She then dragged him toward the young lady, who quickly pretended that she hadn’t eavesdropped in their conversation.

This was the moment of truth, and depending on Stella’s answer, Thirteen would take the best approach to bridge the gap between them.