30 Chapter 28 - Finding Old Friends

Sleipnir crosses Africa in seconds, stopping directly above a small African village where the "residents" are tending to their crops as usual. Wakanda.

It's merely a façade, of course. The real city is hidden by the camouflage field. This is a false village guarded by the tribe that protects Wakanda's borders. Any normal person would never suspect there's anything of value here.

Commanding Sleipnir to descend right in front of the central hut of the false village, I could simply head to the castle, but that would be disrespectful in my opinion. When Sleipnir touches down, all the inhabitants pause their work and look at me. They recognize who I am and offer a typical Wakandan salute before returning to their tasks.

"Welcome, King Baldur."

A voice emanates from the center of the hut, revealing a bald woman wielding a silver spear. She's adorned with several golden ornaments around her neck, wearing a tight leather outfit. A Dora Milaje, Wakanda's finest warriors and the king's royal guard.

"It's good to be back, General Ada."

I've known Ada for years. She visited me during her training, and I even trained her myself a few times. I must say she's the best warrior I've encountered since coming to Earth.

She greets me with a smile and invites me inside the hut.

"So, where has the king been, Ada?"

Ada sits down and prepares drinks for us.

"The king is currently observing the Americans."

"I thought the issue was with the Nazis and the Jabari tribe. How did the Americans get involved in this?"

She places a clay cup in front of me, and I take a sip before awaiting her response.

"The Americans came to investigate why HYDRA is here. They're giving great importance to every step they take. They've even sent their best warrior, the one they call Captain America."

The last name catches me by surprise.

"Do you know him?"

Ada asks, noticing the shock on my face.

"I encountered him not long ago when I was traveling through America with Amora."

(It's been a short while since I ran into that scrawny kid.)

I think to myself, a smile forming on my face.

"Ada, I'm going to meet with them."

"As you wish, sir."

I leave the hut and mount Sleipnir.

"Let's go, my friend. We have to meet an old acquaintance."

"Hee!!"

Sleipnir responds with excitement, flying in the opposite direction of Wakanda to find the American army.

From above, it doesn't take long to spot them. From atop a hill, I can see the American army advancing toward Wakanda in a tactical and organized manner. It's just a small squad of twenty men. Leading them is a man clad in the colors of the American flag, wielding only a shield as his weapon. This shield isn't his vibranium one; it's a triangular shield with the American flag emblazoned on it, if I'm correct. Steve must have saved his men from HYDRA, but he still hasn't acquired his shield. There's a significant time gap in the Marvel movies, and I find myself among them now.

I didn't know Steve had been in Africa before, or he could be another version of Captain America. The army is very close to Wakanda when I notice movement behind them. Perched on a tree is a man in a black suit—Black Panther begins his attack. His suit resembles the one from the Black Panther movies, with the additional detail of a red cape.

Several Wakandan men begin to incapacitate the American soldiers from behind, leaving them unconscious. They've been trained exceptionally well, and the Americans suspect nothing.

After a few seconds, the numbers are reduced to zero, leaving only Steve, who only now realizes the situation. He assumes a defensive position, raising his shield.

One of the Wakandan men attacks him from behind, only to be struck by the shield, sending him flying and rendering him unconscious.

Several soldiers appear, surrounding Steve until Black Panther leaps from the tree, standing in front of Steve.

(It seems he wants to see if Captain America's fame is truly deserved.)

Steve says a few words. I'm too far away to hear, but Black Panther doesn't seem to care and begins his attack.

He charges at Steve and leaps, delivering a kick with both legs to his shield. The force of the impact sends Steve flying, and he rolls to his knees. Black Panther attacks again, this time using his claws, aiming for Steve's face. Steve manages to dodge and lands a punch on Black Panther's face. The fight continues for several minutes, with both displaying similar abilities and physical strength.

But as time passes, Captain America is clearly at a disadvantage. Without his vibranium shield, he can't penetrate Black Panther's armor.

Realizing his disadvantage, Steve tries to end the fight quickly. He attempts to strike the king's neck with his shield, but the king draws a khopesh from his back—a typical Egyptian sword with a curved blade. He strikes, slicing through Captain's shield as if it were paper.

Taking advantage of Steve's shock, the king delivers a powerful punch to his abdomen and strikes the back of his neck with the sword's hilt, rendering him unconscious. His men celebrate their leader's victory, and the king places Steve on his shoulders, heading toward Wakanda.

I mount my horse and fly to stand in front of them.

"It's been a while, King Azzuri. I haven't seen you since your wedding. How is your beautiful wife?"

Everyone is surprised by my appearance, but they're not afraid of me. Azzuri removes his Black Panther mask and speaks to me with a smile.

"You shouldn't openly call another woman beautiful, my friend. I fear your wife might become jealous and turn into a hideous monster! Hahaha!"

This elicits laughter from everyone present. My wife has gained quite a reputation for her jealousy.

"The gods are good and didn't grant her omniscience, so relax."

"You're very lucky, my friend. My wife and children are doing well. In fact, I was thinking of sending T'Chaka to your land next year for some training."

"He'll be warmly welcomed, I assure you."

After the introductions are made, I look at the man Azzuri is carrying on his shoulder.

"Do you know him?"

Noticing my attention on Steve, Azzuri asks me.

"We met when I was traveling through America. People like him are rare."

My last statement leaves Azzuri astonished.

"I picked him up because I judged that he has great skill, and also because he didn't fight to kill me after learning that his men weren't dead. But now that I know he has such high regard from you, I'll listen to what he has to say."

We then head to the false city of Wakanda, leaving only Azzuri, Steve still unconscious, and me. We wait for him to wake up.

"Since he hasn't awakened yet, why don't you update me on the situation?"

Azzuri becomes tense, and after a minute of silence, he speaks.

"The Jabari tribe is once again attempting to take the throne. They've allied with the HYDRA organization. Initially, I didn't pay much attention, until I sent Mateena to investigate HYDRA's strength. It seems they've given us a lot of attention and sent several beings with special powers to conquer us. I know that with our technology, we can easily win, but I was hoping to do so without them realizing the true power of Wakanda."

Mateena is the leader of the War Dogs and the king's lover. There's no one in this world with her espionage skills. If she sent this information, it's correct.

Wakanda's technology has advanced twice as fast with me here, but unlike me, they haven't been discovered yet.

"Who commands the German army?"

"His name is Fritz Klaw. He was a Belgian soldier who fell into Wakanda a year ago. I saved him, and in my foolishness, I showed him the true Wakanda. The result, you can imagine—he tried to steal our technology and nearly killed my wife. Now, he commands a Blitzkrieg squadron."

Azzuri spoke these words with great hatred in his voice.

(Seems like this is where Wakanda was cursed to be a target for the Klaw family.)

"Why wasn't I informed?"

In my question, he lowers his head.

"I was ashamed."

I was about to reply when I hear movement beside me. Steve, who was unconscious, finally wakes up. He sits up in alarm and looks at Azzuri, trying to recognize him without the mask. Then he looks at me and freezes in shock.

"Balldurr!"

He says in disbelief.

"It's been a while, young Steve. You've really grown."

As I complement him, I remember how we met.

Baldur's POV: Flashback. Brooklyn, USA, 1942.

Amora and I were enjoying some time alone in the USA. World War II was already happening, but it didn't affect us.

We were walking after shopping in some stores. Amora seems to quite like American fashion. As we strolled down the streets, we heard sounds of a fight. Curious, we headed towards an alley where we saw four teenagers beating up a person on the ground.

"Four against one doesn't seem very fair."

My voice causes everyone to look at me. When they see my appearance, they're confused.

I don't blame them; I'm wearing an all-black suit, but what catches their attention are my long braids, quite unusual for the time. After their initial surprise, they look at Amora, who's holding onto my arm, looking disinterested in the situation.

Their eyes begin to gleam with lust.

She was wearing a simple black dress, but her beauty outshone any other woman in this country.

"Don't get involved in this, you fag," the biggest of the four idiots tells me.

"Why don't we keep the woman? She'd be happy to try a real man," another idiot chimes in.

When another idiot speaks up, it makes me and Amora smile. Normally, anyone would be furious at their actions, but for us, it's like watching monkeys perform tricks.

"What are these idiots laughing about?"

"Let's teach him a lesson and spend some quality time with this slut," another one says.

The four of them leave the teenager on the ground and stand in front of me.

"Well, normally I'd care what you say about me, but I really can't allow you to speak ill of my wife."

"Ohhh, then what are you going to do?"

"This."

The four idiots have zero fighting skills and are easily defeated. To finish it off, I break all four of their left hands as a reminder. Once everything is done, I approach the young man who was being beaten before.

He has blond hair and green eyes, skinny as a rail, with several bruises on his face, but I recognize who he is.

Steve Rogers. A super-skinny version of actor Chris Evans.

"Thank you," he says as I lift him up from the ground.

"No need to thank me. My name is Baldur, and this lovely lady by my side is Amora."

He extends his hand and says, "My name is Steve Rogers. You guys have very strange names."

I shake his hand.

"It's a common name in our land. Why don't we go get something? My wife is a nurse; she can check your injuries."

I took Steve to a small restaurant where we sat at a table and had coffee. Amora took a look at him using magic without him noticing. He didn't have any serious injuries, so magical healing wasn't necessary.

"So, Steve, why were those four human-shaped animals beating you up?"

He places the cup on the table and speaks softly.

"It's because of the draft. I was rejected again."

The draft for the war was happening, putting immense pressure on young, hot-blooded men to enlist. Anyone who stayed home would undoubtedly be labeled a coward.

"Again? How many times have you tried?"

"Twice," he tells me with a low voice.

"Why do you want to go to war? I don't want to be rude, but do you think you'd make any difference there?"

My words seem to have struck a sensitive point; he lowers his head, contemplating what I said. Then he looks at me with great determination in his eyes.

"I may not be the smartest or the strongest, but if I can save just one life by giving my own, then I'd be happy."

His response even catches Amora by surprise, who looks at Steve for the first time with interest. How many young men have the willpower to do what he's doing?

"Very well, young Steve. I wish you all the luck in the world."

I place some dollars on the table to pay for the coffee, and we get up, leaving Steve still at the table.

As we're leaving, I turn around and say to Steve, "When you're on the battlefield, remember, no matter which side or government the soldiers are on, all that matters on the battlefield is staying alive. That's why everyone will fight with all their might."

Baldur's POV: Cabin in Wakanda, 1943.

"Well, Steve, stop gaping and sit down. We have much to talk about."

Steve, still surprised by my presence, sits almost mechanically on the ground beside us. This is my second meeting with him; fate really is strange.