I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

In mythology, this is the world inhabited by humans—also known as "Midgard".

Legend has it that this world is surrounded by a bottomless deep sea, a world of ocean and water, which is inaccessible to humans.

In the depths of the sea dwells the world-encircling giant serpent, Jormungandr.

"Wow... what a spectacular scene."

Standing in front of the pier, gazing at the boundless, misty horizon and the "City of Water" nestled at its edge, Hifumi felt a deep sense of emotion.

As far as the eye could see, the sea and sky merged into one at the "Mythical End of the Sea." The sea breeze blowing in their faces made the girls feel refreshed, but also a little worried about the journey ahead.

"The scenery is beautiful, but... the fog is so thick..."

The thickening sea fog before her eyes gradually filled Hifumi with an inexplicable unease.

The blonde girl paused slightly and looked at Amamiya, who was at the back of the group and responsible for bringing up the rear.

“Sensei…this fog…”

Amamiya, who was walking ahead, stopped and looked around before giving a very definite answer: "That's right... these seemingly insignificant 'sea fog' are also a fog of lies."

"Sensei..."

The girl looked slightly nervous: "Does this mean... the 'hall' is in a somewhat... state..."

"Yes, it's somewhat dangerous."

Amamiya sighed and said seriously, "We're already in the 'imminent conquest' stage..."

The Midgard region symbolizes Nagisa's 'inner world'—a world now shrouded in a fog of lies.

The 'Jormungandr,' a symbol of Nagisa's spirit, lay sprawled on the building, having lost the imposing presence befitting a mortal serpent; it had become lifeless and on the verge of death...

This situation alone can explain a lot.

Nagisa is probably already at a threshold where she is "about to break down".

If Jormungandr, who symbolizes her spirit, truly "dies," then it means that Nagisa in the real world will be completely plunged into suspicion and doubt, recklessly launching various actions similar to the "Great Purge," plunging the entire Trinity into turmoil.

"so……"

Hifumi frowned as she looked around at her teammates, who were already showing signs of tension and urgency.

She was about to say something to "boost morale" when she was suddenly enveloped in a golden light.

"Tick-tock, tick-tock"

The gentle mechanical ticking of the clock's second hand, accompanied by the crisp sound of high heels clattering on the wooden floor, was accompanied by a large, illusory projection of a "person" surrounded by a ball of light, lingering around the clock.

The blonde, fox-eared girl waved her hand, hidden beneath her flawless white long-sleeved dress, and smiled elegantly in the silence, greeting Hifumi and her group.

"Heh heh... You lot, your arrival is truly 'fateful'."

"I am 'Noren,' the 'Goddess of Fate' you rescued before. Shouldn't you say... 'Long time no see'?"

After giving Zi a meaningful look, "Noren"... no, it should be said that Saint Ya, disguised as Noren, chuckled mysteriously.

Amamiya: "..."

She seems to be having a lot of fun with role-playing.

After a moment of silence, Amamiya decided to play along and not undermine her.

The girls traveling with them were either surprised or delighted by the arrival of the "Goddess of Fate" they had previously rescued.

"Huh?! Norren's here too?"

Why is the goddess Norn here?

"Goddess Norn, have you come to help us?"

Faced with the barrage of questions from the four girls in the tutoring department, which was a little noisy, "Noren" seemed to enjoy it very much, squinting his eyes slightly and not answering any questions immediately.

Only after the girls had asked a series of questions and their emotions had gradually calmed down did she leisurely speak in a slow, deliberate tone that was almost unbearably impatient: "Please don't be anxious... I will answer every single question you have."

Norren first looked at Hanako, who had asked the first valid question: "Why have I come...? Of course, to help you. Now, you may be able to 'break fate' and create the outcome of Ragnarok."

"But 'fate'... can be complicated or smooth. It can be smooth sailing or full of setbacks."

Then, Norren looked at Zi, who had asked the second valid question, and said meaningfully, "I will show you the way... so that you can avoid those meaningless setbacks."

Norren spoke in very obscure "classical Chinese," but the girls all understood—she was about to provide a full-map perspective for the exploration, avoiding various pathfinding and puzzle-solving steps.

"Do we need to pay a price for this?"

Ms. Zi felt that "there is no such thing as a free lunch," and she asked in a relatively cautious voice.

Noren slowly shook his head, then gave Amamiya a smile.

"The gifts of fate always come with a hidden price... My 'guidance' certainly requires a certain 'cost,' but this cost does not need to be paid by you..."

“‘The Deceiver’,” Noren’s eyes were deep and unfathomable, “may I…accompany you?”

The four girls from the tutoring club, including Akira and Sophia, all focused their attention on Amamiya at the same moment.

Amamiya, being stared at by six girls with completely different art styles: "..."

Saintia is really addicted to role-playing...

Amamiya forced a smile; what else could he say?

"...Welcome, Goddess Norren, to our team."

Having received a satisfactory answer, the blonde, fox-eared girl chuckled leisurely, her long-sleeved dress pulled together to cover the lower half of her face.

"Then I'll leave it to you..."

"'Trickster,' you... as one who will ultimately be free from the constraints of fate, remember to protect me."

After this little incident, a slightly speechless Amamiya led the girls deeper into Midgard.

Soon, the group arrived at a rainbow bridge made up of three colors.

"Legend has it that the three-colored rainbow bridge is the key link between Midgard and Asgard... and this place, along with the giants who set foot here, will eventually be burned and shattered by the twilight's flames..."

After a sorrowful sigh, Norren raised her delicate hand, hidden beneath the long sleeves of her dress, and pointed in a certain direction on tiptoe: "Go in that direction... There, you can find the Netherworld Ship, Nagilfa. Board this ship, and you can go to the endless sea to find the head of the 'World Serpent'."

"And that place... is now under the control of Thor."

"Defeat Him, and you will be able to set the giant serpent free—He will be your key ally when Ragnarok is brought about."

It has to be said that the guidance of Saint Ya... no, "Goddess Norren" is really powerful.

Under her guidance, Amamiya didn't even need to use [Prometheus] to search for enemies. She led the girls safely across the [Rainbow Bridge].

During this time, Amamiya and his group only experienced one "inevitable battle"—because a powerful shadow guarded the other end of the rainbow bridge, Amamiya and his group had to eliminate it in order to continue.

After crossing the Rainbow Bridge, an "endless sea" officially appeared before the girls' eyes.

The sea was still calm... but unlike what we had seen from afar before, the sea now seemed to be turbulent and not as calm as it appeared.

An old ship, bearing a tattered flag and with a hull that looked as if it were pieced together from various strange 'wrecks', appeared before Amamiya and the girls traveling with her.

"Look... that's 'Nagilfa'."

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Ship of the Underworld - Nagilfa

"Look... that's 'Nagilfa'."

Saintia… no, after the “Goddess Norren” finished speaking, the girls all focused their attention on the strangely shaped large ship.

The perceptive 'compassionate phantom thief' swung her pink cat tail as Jing paced back and forth, observing the large ship docked at the temporary pier from afar.

A decaying mast; tattered sails; a rusted hull, a structure that looks like it could fall apart at any moment...

The sinking and departure of this great ship is also one of the most crucial prophecies of Ragnarok.

According to legend, it would transport a massive army of giants, monsters, and the dead at the start of Ragnarok.

"'Nagirfa, the Ship of the Underworld'... In terms of appearance, it truly lives up to its name."

Hanako nodded gently in agreement, then the pink-haired girl tossed her side hair, which was slightly ruffled by the sea breeze, and murmured, "It's just like the legendary... 'ghost ship'."

"This is the great ship from mythology, captained by Loki..."

Before Hanako finished speaking, everyone present suddenly felt a scorching heat that was completely different from the sea breeze.

A flame, a symbol of deception, ignited from the mast and then spread rapidly, engulfing the entire ship.

Strangely, instead of being burned to wreckage by the flames, the ship seemed to shed all its disguise and become magnificent and splendid.

The tattered sails were repaired; the rusted hull was given a new lease on life; the decaying masts were engraved with eerie purple "underworld magic runes," and the ship instantly expanded dozens, even hundreds of times, becoming the size of a continent, an immeasurable expanse—

This is the ship that transported the giants and the army of the dead during Ragnarok! How could it be small?

"Heh... I think I've heard that someone is spreading my name..."

The Fiery Demon Sword fell from the sky and landed firmly on Nagilfa's mast.

Following the heat, the girls looked up—and then they saw:

A giant covered in black and white stripes like a zebra stood on the hilt of the demonic sword, its crimson eyes gleaming as it surveyed them from its superior position.

Zi immediately became alert: "The enemy...?"

Hifumi stopped Azusa, who was about to summon her Persona to prepare for battle: "Don't rush, Azusa... it might not be the real 'enemy'."

"Hanako just said that the captain of Nagilfa is Loki. And Loki... He stood on the side of the giants during Ragnarok. He's on our side."

While signaling her companions to relax their guard, Hifumi remained tense, ready to protect them from any sudden attack, and used her "Third Eye" to check Loki's basic information.

[Cognitive Existence: Loki, the God of Deception]

[Initial Level: 99+++]

Arcana: Justice

[Introduction: God of lies and deceit, and also the deity who controls fire.]

[It is said that He was born into the race of giants and was once sworn brothers with Odin, the king of the gods. Later, for various reasons, He betrayed the Aesir and sided with the giants during Ragnarok, becoming the captain of the great ship Nagilfa, providing crucial assistance for the transport of troops on this ship.]

Upon seeing Loki's exaggerated level, Hifumi immediately became somewhat serious.

“'An extremely powerful target that exceeds the [level cap]'…”

If I were the enemy... even if I fought with all my might, I could only block their attacks... to win, I'd need JOK to join the battle, right?

After glancing furtively at the curly-haired young man beside her, the girl's worries lessened somewhat.

"You all..."

Loki kicked the Flame Sword away, then descended from the sky, landing directly on the open ground near Amamiya and his group.

"Why have you come here?"

His crimson, glowing eyes stared at the group except for Amamiya and Sophia, his words carrying a hint of hostility, as if he were ready to fight at the slightest provocation.

The 'god of deception' in mythology is not someone to be easily fooled... The girls who are under His gaze are all on guard against the possibility of a battle if they tell a lie.

“Mr. Loki…” Hifumi stepped forward, blocking Loki’s dangerous gaze, “We are here to find ‘Jormungandr’.”

"Oh...? What do you want with that giant snake?"

Meeting Loki's piercing gaze, Hifumi remained composed and calmly replied, "In order to create Ragnarok—to utterly destroy this place—we need the help of the 'World Serpent'."

"Heh... Just as I thought."

Loki wore an expression of 'I knew it': 'I... I noticed you 'thieves' a long time ago. I never imagined... you would share my ambitions...'

"If your goal is to create Ragnarok... then let me, as captain, activate the 'Nagil Law' and give you a ride..."

Loki's stance on Ragnarok was exceptionally clear.

He is like Yang Jian, Nezha, and Sun Wukong in Chinese mythology—[If anyone makes trouble in Heaven, we will definitely lend a hand].

Loki's attitude towards Ragnarok was this: "Hurry up. If anyone wants to do it, I'll definitely help them without hesitation."

After the guard was lifted, Loki lowered the gangway to the ship: "Come on... I will steer the ship and take you to where the World Serpent sank."

"That mortal serpent has long been bewitched by lies and deception... I hope you can dispel the fog and let it see the truth."

After bringing Amamiya and his group onto the deck of the Nagilfa, Loki said nothing more, then slipped into the captain's cabin and began to steer the ship.

Only when they felt the danger had completely dissipated did the girls breathe a sigh of relief.