Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 326 Sword Fighting Practice (First Update)

"This won't do, Thor. I don't see any sincerity from Asgard." Salomon shook off Thor's arm from his shoulder. The stars gradually sank, casting thick shadows on the flowers and plants near the training ground, obscuring Salomon's expression. The arcane mage's next words embarrassed him, but fortunately, the shadows concealed his awkwardness.

"Karmar-Taj has not received any plans regarding Loki's fate," the sorcerer said. "Although Kamar-Taj was founded before you were even old, it remains the recognized lord of Asgard, possessing greater autonomy than Vanaheim. He never enjoyed the right to guests, and we agreed to Asgard's request not to behead him. However, regarding the Asgardian prince who rebelled under our roof, the Allfather should at least inform us of the plan—the reason I haven't directly addressed this to the Queen is to prevent her from worrying about it again. Therefore, I hope you will make a request to the Allfather, at least issuing a clear official letter; this is your duty as the future monarch..."

Thor reached up and scratched his head.

Before this, he rarely dealt with such back-and-forth official matters. The Allfather had only entrusted him with battles, and such matters were usually left to Loki. Loki, however, was intoxicated by the power on paper. He believed he had the right to manage all affairs of Asgard, large and small. The most powerful empire in the universe, with countless resources flowing through his hands, and the fates of the nine kingdoms and countless smaller nations resting on his pen.

It wasn't until the moment Saul ascended the throne that he finally understood the origin of power.

It is violence. Without the violence to match, all power is empty talk. The foundation of power is iron and blood, an invincible army—something the Allfather generously bestowed upon Thor, yet was stingy with in return. From beginning to end, the throne of Asgard belonged only to Thor, not him. He bore the title of God of Mischief, and was constantly being fooled by the Allfather.

Loki felt there was nothing more ridiculous in the world; he felt like a jester in the eyes of the Allfather.

Now that Loki is imprisoned in the dungeon filled with resentment, Thor has to shoulder part of the responsibility. But the truth is, Thor has no idea how Loki handled these public affairs before, and now that he's imprisoned, Loki is even more hostile towards his brother and the entire Aesir—he believes his natural rights have been taken away and that he has suffered injustice from the Asgardian gods.

This was something Thor couldn't understand, and Salomon was even less inclined to try. He wasn't even willing to fight for the title of "Sorcerer Supreme," so don't expect a creature of such low desires to understand Loki.

Seeing that Thor was stammering and unable to give a clear answer, Salomon gave up on pursuing the matter further. He planned to use Heimdall to communicate this issue with the Allfather beforehand, so that Odin could come up with a suitable solution when the Council of the Gods convened. This would resolve Asgard's attitude towards other realms without catching the Allfather off guard and forcing him to make a hasty decision that could damage Asgard's prestige.

The only person who could help Thor was Sif—as Frigga, the Queen of the Gods, and the chosen next Queen of the Allfather, she would certainly need to receive political education. However, as a woman of the Aesir, she naturally could not allow herself to fall behind Thor in any way, which was why she chose to take up arms and fight on the battlefield.

Salomon wasn't some noble hostage; he was there to negotiate with Asgard, and he employed a very prudent diplomatic strategy. He hadn't formally studied this; he'd only learned the rules of interaction among nobles through the subtle influence of Athena and the Sorcerer Supreme—of course, some overly convoluted aspects were purely his concern. In reality, those political novels with eighteen twists and turns in a single sentence don't exist; the game of thrones isn't that complicated—it's just that Salomon believed it to be true, so he was extremely cautious when dealing with such matters.

If no one tells him the truth, he will probably continue to be misled.

As Salomon questioned Saul, Sif tried to emerge from the shadows of the bushes. She had expected Saul to ask Salomon about Jane Foster, but instead, she hadn't anticipated being questioned. She hesitated, wanting to see how Saul would handle the challenge from another nation, but the outcome left her quite disappointed.

"It's alright, there's still time. What Thor can't do, I will." She thought to herself, silently adding to her own study load. The task entrusted to her by Frigga, the Queen of the Gods, and the Allfather was to assist Thor, ensuring he didn't make foolish decisions in crucial moments. Previously, this task belonged to Loki.

"Let's talk about something else... like, how about Jane? I heard something from Heimdall..."

Sif lowered her eyes. This question was expected. To be honest, she hadn't figured out how to face the Midgard woman, because this time Thor wasn't just playing around; he seemed genuinely fond of Jane Foster. The Allfather and Frigga had assured her she would become Thor's wife, but that didn't alleviate her concerns.

----------

"Perhaps you could consider using a hammer, like me." Thor wiped the sweat from his nose; a red mark on his cheek was slowly fading. Mjolnir spun in his hand before he raised it again. "I've never met an enemy like you who wields a longsword and prefers close combat. Why don't you use the blade, instead fighting with the hilt? You should know that won't break through enemy armor, right? Wait, we agreed not to use magic..."

"I'm just an Earthling. How can I defeat you without using magic to enhance myself?" Salomon assumed the Italian Fiore-True Cross stance, also known as Vera Croce. This is armored swordsmanship, where the sword is held with both hands separately, gripping the hilt and blade, with the tip of the sword facing the enemy.

The reason he didn't activate the sword's energy was precisely to use this stance. As one of Salomon's main sword techniques, he was intimately familiar with the Germanic moves recorded in "The Flower of Battle." However, if he could, he wouldn't want to use swordsmanship that might injure him when unarmored; a single slip could sever his fingers from the blade.

Before this, he had tried to raise his longsword high and use the downward-sloping blade to deflect Thor's hammer, but Thor, with his strength and excellent armor, had pushed the hammer right in front of him. Forced to retreat, he had to step forward halfway to the side, dodging Thor's direct attack, and simultaneously use the blade as a pivot to strike Thor's face with the hilt.

He also kicked Thor in the knee, a small act of revenge for the Asgardians' savage nature.

In order to win with a single blow, Salomon abandoned the Richardar swordsmanship and switched to the Fiore swordsmanship. He was targeting Thor's armor. Asgardians, who were used to overwhelming others with their physical advantages, wouldn't care about Salomon's change of stance. Thor had no idea what this meant.

The hammer blow was still incredibly fierce. Thor leaped up and slammed down on Salomon. But the arcane mage didn't block. He simply used the reaction time given by magic to sidestep the attack, placing his sword against Thor's arm, and then thrusting the tip of the sword straight at the unprotected part of Thor's shoulder.

But Thor, with his thick skin, wasn't even scratched. He grabbed the blade and lifted himself up, sword and all.

"SHIT!"

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)