Humans are creatures that can understand each other through conversation and communication. After a long time persuading her, Friede finally managed to grasp the usefulness of this breastplate.
It’s not that I was particularly persuasive; it’s just that Friede had no other choice.
Even though I was walking right out in the open, the Valkyrie’s specter didn’t attack. In other words, it’s half confirmed that I’ve already defeated most of the specters. I couldn’t really hope for the lucky encounter of finding a specter that would drop the rune engraving circuit.
More than that, I needed a helmet! I came here to cover my face, not my chest!
Getting all the parts except for the helmet was encouraging, but if I didn’t get the helmet, my situation wouldn’t change much.
Ah, well, it would change a little.
I’d go from being a simple, nasty criminal to being treated as a “super dangerous, top-tier nasty criminal.” I had gotten stronger, after all. Stronger than before.
There was a significant gap in skill between the me who was discovered by my old party members in Vespians and the me now.
Even if the previous me multiplied by three couldn’t take down the me now.
The growth in capability and skill, the enhancement of traits, and the acquisition of new equipment. All elements that make a warrior strong have clearly advanced compared to before.
To put it simply, back then I was about the level of an upper-tier silver adventurer, but now I’m at the point where I can be counted among the top gold adventurers.
I’d say I’m at the level of the squad leader of a small detachment made up of 5 to 10 kingdom knights.
Brunhilde before my possession was probably right at that level.
Even talented individuals born into noble families who were trained as knights from a young age could only reach that level by the time they turned thirty.
Achieving such strength and status at a mere twenty years old is exactly why Brunhilde was selected as a member of the hero party.
And now, I had barely reached that level of skill. It’s like I finally reached the starting point, you know?
It might sound like a joke, but after months of struggling, I’ve only returned to the starting point.
“Honestly, that’s not bad for me. Right?”
A modern person who’d lived a life unrelated to fighting was suddenly thrown into this kind of world. I was thrown into battle without even a moment to learn basic swordsmanship or find a teacher.
Yet, without dying, I managed to survive and gain the strength to be called an elite knight, so doesn’t that deserve applause instead of mockery?
I can guarantee that even if someone were to possess Brunhilde’s body, only about one out of ten would be able to survive.
Three would end up in Gunther’s hands right from the start, another three would be caught in a rural village like sitting ducks, and the remaining three would wander aimlessly until they got caught by bounty hunters.
So, I’d say I did quite well. In fact, I even surpassed Brunhilde. She messed things up completely by getting caught up with Gunther.
Yeah. I’m doing fine. So…
I’ll have to keep giving it my all.
Huff…
With a short sigh, I steeled my resolve again, and along with Friede, I diligently searched the ruins for the ancestor who would grant me a helmet.
“…No sign of him.”
“Indeed…”
Even after wandering around aimlessly for about thirty minutes, the Valkyrie’s specter showed no sign of an ambush.
At first, the little rascals gathered without even being invited, but now they don’t appear no matter how long we search. Honestly, it was starting to get a bit irritating.
“Um, could it be… just a wild thought, but… have we really wiped them all out…?”
Friede looked up at me cautiously and voiced her suspicion: that we might’ve annihilated all the specters.
“…No way.”
I rubbed the back of my neck with my left hand, my cold sweat betraying my unease. It was a troubling thought, even if it felt like a stretch.
“It can’t be. No way. Right?”
“R-Right?”
I forced a smile, trying to deny the creeping anxiety. I kept telling myself that there had to be at least one left.
… What if there really isn’t one?
I suddenly felt an irrational anger toward the three pairs of Greaves I had carelessly collected.
◆◆
“Systur okkar….”
Our sister…
There it was.
“There! There’s one! Finally found it!”
“Thank goodness!”
After a long search with our bodies soaked from exertion, we finally spotted the Valkyrie’s specter. Friede and I rushed toward it with genuine excitement.
“Come on, helmet, come on…!”
Helmet, helmet, helmet, helmet, helmet!
That thought occupied my mind. If that thing spat out Greaves or something, I might just lose my mind.
All the relaxation I initially had was long gone.
Given that this might be the last specter, if it doesn’t drop a helmet, we’d be at a total dead end.
“It’s gonna throw a spear, right?!”
“Probably! You deflect it! I’ll grab it while you hold it down, then the finishing blow’s on you!”
“Got it!”
A quick exchange of ideas.
Against my spear, blocking its spear would only wear me out, and if I tried to finish it off, it might drop Greaves. So that was out of the question.
So, this was our best option.
There’s only one enemy. The spear flying at us will be deflected by Friede, and I just need to charge forward with all my strength.
Alright, throw that spear, Valkyrie’s specter! That moment shall be your funeral—
“Kuuuu…?!”
That was when it happened.
The Valkyrie made eye contact with me, scanned my whole figure, and suddenly turned around in shock, fleeing rapidly.
“W-What? It’s running away?!”
What’s that thing? Why’s it fleeing the second it sees me? Isn’t it supposed to throw a spear or charge at me?
“Herra Valfreyja…!”
The Valkyrie’s specter yelled out Valfreyja’s name in a panic as it fled. This reaction was totally unexpected for me.
“I’ll chase it!”
While I stood there, dumbfounded, Friede picked up her pace and pursued it without a hint of hesitation.
Oh, right. We have to chase it. I accelerated too.
I had never seen a Valkyrie run away before; if it’s just retreating, we can’t let it get away.
Anyway, since we’re a bit faster, no matter how far it runs, we’ll catch up to it eventually…
…Wait a minute.
“That brat, could it be…!”
Raising my head and checking its escape route, I could only stare in horror. My heart did a little flip.
And of course,
“Friede! The castle! It’s running to the castle! We have to stop it!”
It was heading toward the castle grounds, where we absolutely couldn’t go.
“The castle?! The place you said we shouldn’t go?!”
“Exactly! We have to stop it before it gets there…!”
It was truly an alarming situation.
If it calmly hid in the castle, we’d have no way of getting to it.
No, that’s not all.
A very ominous hunch hit me.
Is that specter really just fleeing to the castle, simply trying to escape us?
If that were the case, I’d be relieved… but what if it’s not?
What if there’s another reason for it?
Perhaps it’s a stretch, but what if it’s heading to report to the lord of the castle and wake him up, like some kind of messenger?
And, there’s a slim chance, but what if it actually succeeds?
I couldn’t shake off the feeling.
A spine-chilling conjecture.
“We have to stop it now! Can you land a finishing attack to take it down?!”
“That’s…! It’s gonna be cutting it close!”
The answer was that it was just barely too far for a successful strike.
As soon as I heard that, I quickly scanned the surroundings and sprinted toward the nearest spear lying around.
“Just shoot! I’ll aim for it too!”
“Okay, got it!”
Nodding, Friede focused on gathering the Holy Sword’s light. I too pulled back my spear over my shoulder, gathering my strength.
“Hyahhh!”
“Hit it, gooo~!”
With my left foot stomping down like I was smashing the ground, I unleashed my spear with all my might.
– TuKwaaaang!
The slightly worn spear roared like a cannon as it soared toward the fleeing Valkyrie’s back. It moved like a beam of light.
And then,
– Pooorrk!
With a force so strong it made a cracking noise from my arm, the spear and Friede’s glowing strike pierced into the Valkyrie’s back.
To be precise, the spear went through its spine first, and Friede’s strike followed, nearly severing its upper and lower body.
“Kyaaaaaak…!”
A perfect hit. The two halves of the Valkyrie fell to the ground, releasing a final wail. As the smoke cleared around its upper half, a black-gray helmet stood out vividly.
It was more than a moment of triumph.
However, my gaze was fixed not on the helmet it had spat out but on the air behind it. It couldn’t be helped.
– Squeeeeaaak!
The spear had too much power packed into it, and instead of stopping at the Valkyrie, it soared beyond.
Following the same trajectory aimed at the back of the Valkyrie, it shot upward at an angle.
“Er…? Hilde, if that happens…?!”
In other words… toward the magical gem on top of the castle.
“…It’s gonna blow.”
I just closed my eyes. It was too late to stop it. There was no way to halt it now.
In the next moment, Eisenstein’s spear clashed with the sealed container that Valfreya was dormant in.
– Kwad-de-dek!
The spear shattered into pieces from the impact beyond its limits, scattering metallic fragments, while glass-like purple shards sparkled beautifully in the chaos.
Should I be relieved that only a bit of it broke away?
I couldn’t even take a breath as I stood frozen, my eyes glued to the sparkling gem above the castle.
Please, please don’t let this break the seal.
And then…
【 I can see you. 】
Into my mind, which had gone blank from shock, someone’s voice echoed like a hum.
It was a voice akin to a professional serial killer whose number of people killed was hundreds of times greater than the meals they had eaten in their lifetime.
Valfreya Eisenstein.
The monster in the gem addressed me.
【 Weak and young Valkyrie. Our fallen descendant and servant. 】
From the cracks in the shattered gem, those ghostly, glowing blue eyes stared at me.
“… Phew.”
For now, I felt relieved.
If it was hidden away in the seal, calling to me with its eyes wide open, that meant it couldn’t break the seal and jump out.
It had awakened, but couldn’t undo its seal. If that weren’t the case, it would’ve simply sprung out without delay, right?
So I couldn’t help but feel at ease. At least, it meant I wouldn’t be killed on this spot in an instant.
Wow, really, I almost had a heart attack. I nearly lost my heart, for real.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.