LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 152.1
Mythological Pretense
Beneath the dark sky, in a desolate wilderness where nothing but sharp rocks extend endlessly.
In such a place, I felt as if I were the only one left behind.
But I wasn't just in the wilderness. For some reason, my whole body was wrapped in hot iron chains, burning red and tightly squeezing, scorching my flesh as they constricted fiercely.
(Wh- why am I in such a state?!!)
I don't understand the reason.
While groaning in pain, I turn my head, searching for any means of escape. But all around is nothing but wilderness. No, if I look up, a clear blue moon floats overhead. And it shines coldly as if mocking me in my suffering.
[Woooooahhhh…!!]
Before I knew it, I was roaring at the moon.
As my anger towards the blue moon in the night sky grew, my thoughts became stronger and stronger, finally swirling into intense hatred in my chest. No matter how much the chains binding my limbs burned me, I didn't care.
Just you wait! I'll definitely get you back!!
With that fury in my chest, I gather all my strength into my muscles, and my body twitches as I suddenly wake up.
(Ha!? What, a dream!?)
The scorching chains that had wrapped around my body so hotly just moments ago are nowhere to be found. Instead, long, slender limbs wrap around my entire body with a soft, supple touch.
"Mm… mmuu…"
(So, that was just a dream.)
I confirm Serai-san's sleeping face, who is gently murmuring, and I breathe a sigh of relief, snuggled up in the high-quality feather futon with three beautiful college girls.
(But, that was a vivid dream. I really felt the heat.)
In fact, I seem to have sweated quite a bit.
It seems that being hugged by the 3 of them while sleeping caused me to become overheated, and I must have had a strange dream because of that discomfort.
Huh? Could that have been my first dream!? That dream of being [bound by scorching chains in a wilderness]!? Hm? What is this? I'm not sure how to take this.
"…(sigh…)"
"…(peacefully…)"
However, all 3 of them are sleeping so peacefully. I feel thirsty and would like to go get some water, but I'll wait a little longer until they naturally wake up.
Still, a dream about being [bound by scorching chains in a wilderness]… what could that mean? As I think about it, the first thing that comes to mind is Fenrir.
Fenrir is said to be a giant monster in Norse mythology, appearing in the form of a wolf. Though a child of the gods, he got abandoned in the wilderness because of a prophecy that he would bring disaster to the gods.
However, thinking about it, it feels like recently there's been an overabundance of interpretations regarding Fenrir as the supreme monster among wolves. Just thinking back, there are countless stories involving Fenrir that come to mind.
Indeed, Fenrir is said to be a giant monster with a cool wolf-like appearance, but is that really the case?
This is likely influenced by games and such.
However, I want to challenge this perception of [Fenrir ≒ supreme monster among wolf-type monsters] because it's likely heavily influenced by his origins.
Looking into his origins, Fenrir was born as the child of the god Loki, living in Asgard.
It's said Loki fathered him with the giantess Angrboða, or that he gave birth after eating her heart, but he certainly carries the blood of the god Loki.
So why was Fenrir, a child of the gods, treated unfairly and restrained? It's because he was born from a relationship with the giant race, Æsir's enemies.
However, a big question arises here.
It's the question of [Why are Fenrir, Jormungandr, and Hel, the three siblings, in Asgard, the realm of the gods?]
Angrboða is a giantess, so she should naturally be in Jotunheim, the realm of the giants.
No matter how much the 2 loved each other, the gods wouldn't easily accept a woman from an enemy nation, so there's no reason for Loki to bring her to Asgard.
Did Loki leave only the mother in Jotunheim and bring only the children to Asgard?
But that doesn't make sense either. The children are half-breeds of gods and giants. Naturally, they would also be a problem in Asgard, so Loki wouldn't foolishly separate them from their mother and bring them back for no reason.
Thinking about it, as I've thought before, it's likely that Angrboða was Loki transformed into a giantess.
Loki, who got engaged in espionage in Jotunheim, accidentally became pregnant during his mission and, shocked by this, fled back to Asgard, where he gave birth to Fenrir and the others.
In other words, for the gods of Asgard, Fenrir and his siblings are abominable beings with the blood of enemy giants.
Even Loki, who was disliked for his mischief, had a weak position, but he got along quite well with the chief god Odin and was treated somewhat equally by other gods. However, Fenrir and his siblings are different; they are hated as the despised children of the enemy.
Therefore, the possibility of being labeled as monsters in the sense of [you are not the same as us!] by the gods of Asgard due to discrimination seems plausible.
For example, Fenrir has the blood of giants.
So his body was large, and his mouth was big. And since giants were generally of a rough temperament, he likely inherited that trait too.
In other words, Fenrir, a half-breed of gods and giants, might have received treatment similar to a [boy raised by wolves in modern times] captured by civilized society due to his rough and violent behavior, and he was probably not simply [a wolf in the literal sense].
So basically, this is discrimination and bullying.
The derogatory term that was born from the discrimination of the gods of Asgard, saying [you are different from us, so we won't recognize you as equals], might have gradually transformed the appearance of Fenrir and his siblings from human forms into monsters in the legendary tales that got passed down over time.
…..