Chapter 175

*

The wind blew, and petals floated gently. Unlike the heat of the forge, furnace, and smelter, a cool breeze softly brushed Fernandez’s cheek. A sweet floral scent wafted through the air.

Soon, the woman’s appearance changed. More alluring, yet surprisingly pure. Her large eyes, slightly teary, and her flowing white dress revealed a figure that captivated his gaze.

[Well, how about now? Has the madness, violence, and all those typical male emotions in your heart calmed down a bit?]

The woman laughed triumphantly. Her playful smile was perfectly symmetrical, her white teeth gleaming like a painting. If there were a painter who could capture perfect beauty, they would depict her and the flower-covered grass around her.

However, instead of answering, Fernandez sliced through the drainage pipe blocking his way. With a loud *crack*, the steel pipe tore apart, and black steam hissed out.

[What? Why…? My appearance should perfectly align with human aesthetic standards… This can’t be. Are you trying to harm me?]

-*Crack.*

Another pipe was torn away, creating enough space for Fernandez to squeeze through. The metallic stench mixed with the refreshing floral scent, oddly tickling his nose.

[Stop! Don’t come closer! Just, just look! I can change forms. I can do many things. I, I’m useful!]

-*Crack.*

Now, there was enough space for a person to pass through comfortably. Fernandez sheathed his greatsword and pushed his way in. A chilling *swoosh* echoed.

[I can’t die like this! You, you’re a knight, right? What about chivalry? Are you going to harm a helpless woman?]

The grass crunched under his boots. Unlike the hard steel plates he had been stepping on earlier, this felt real. Fernandez knew this wasn’t an illusion.

The only one here capable of illusions, or something similar, was that witch. A blue glow flickered in Fernandez’s dark hair.

With enough space to swing his sword, Fernandez slowly drew it, placing his hand on the hilt. It seemed the woman could only cast illusions on herself, so there was no need to rush.

The light from the smelter cast a long shadow over the woman as she trembled and looked up at him.

The hatred of a reincarnated soul carries a weight beyond time. Fernandez looked down at her with calm hatred. It was the hatred of a man who had defeated the God of Death and even gazed upon the end of the world.

The woman saw a kind of darkness in Fernandez. An abyss where only the blue glow shone. A churning void filled with the hatred and madness of a killer stood before her.

[You, you monster. Don’t you have any love in your heart?]

“I did.”

-*Swoosh…*

The emotions you crushed and discarded.

The sword rose with a clear sound. The woman, holding back tears, tightly shut her eyes. Then, a *clap* was heard. Fernandez stopped, sword in hand, and looked toward the sound.

To his right, Loft was clapping, laughing.

“This is it! Hahaha, I haven’t seen you make that face in so long!”

[You…! You clown! So, is this human your minion? Where did you find such a twisted, mad, and cruel human?]

“Oh… More of a partner than a minion. My little sister. And speaking so harshly, that’s quite hurtful. Don’t families usually ask about each other’s well-being when they meet after so long? Tsk tsk…”

[Who’s your family! You’re a Jotun, and I’m a Vanir!]

“Your mother was a Jotun, so technically, I’m your uncle… We agreed a thousand years ago not to count that anymore, Banadis! Ahaha… Oh, being abandoned by family must hurt…”

Loft trailed off, then whispered to Fernandez.

“Go ahead and finish what you started, friend. Seems I gave you the wrong directions!”

[Wait, wait!]

The woman shouted in panic. Seeing this, Fernandez lowered his sword. The tension eased, and his killing intent softened. Fernandez frowned at Loft.

“Are you messing with me?”

“Oh, would I do that? Calm down, my friend. That delicate woman is half of the Einherjar. And she’s the one who’ll open the door for us!”

[Tell your beast to put away his sword now!]

“Oh, come on, Banadis. Are we really going to be scared of just one sword?”

Fernandez frowned and sheathed his greatsword. The atmosphere wasn’t right for slaughter, and the woman didn’t seem like a demon or its follower. First impressions were terrible, but if she was useful, he could control his emotions.

Seeing this, the woman sniffled.

[You beasts. You monsters. How did I end up like this… Stupid dwarves, stupid elves. All the useless ones are gone…]

“Banadis, ahaha, shouldn’t you take that up with Botan? Speaking of which, which of the Aesir are in the Material World right now?”

[Why should I tell you?]

“Because not just the Aesir and Midgard, but you Vanir are all on the brink of death?”

Loft shrugged, and the woman glared at him, growling. The golden chains around her arms and neck jingled. She stared at them for a moment, then hung her head.

[What can I do in this state… Fine, okay. Among the Aesir fools… Tyr and Baldur are around. Baldur has attached himself to a human king, and Tyr is wandering.]

“Human king? Hmm… That brat Erik?”

[He calls himself ‘Obsidian.’ That’s the one.]

“Baldur, ha! The god of purity and innocence is doing a fine job as a snake’s lackey. This is getting interesting.”

Loft clapped, chuckling. Fernandez frowned, looking at the woman.

“How can we trust her?”

“At least Banadis hasn’t fallen. She escaped before she could. And at least in this northern land, the wild grass…”





“And you can know everything about the place where life blooms. In exchange for that seal.”

[Yeah! If you don’t trust me, why did you come looking for me, human!]

The woman straightened her back confidently and laughed. She tilted her head slightly and looked at Loft.

[No matter how much I looked, I couldn’t find a way to stop Ragnarok. I remember you left for the south to find something yourself… What did you come back with?]

“Hmm… Well, I was captured too.”

[Men are all useless, I tell you.]

The woman sighed deeply. She shook her head and looked at Loft with a pitiful expression.

[So, what are you planning to do now?]

“What else? We’ll do what we can to avoid regrets. This guy will lend a hand.”

[This little human?]

“Weren’t you trembling just a moment ago?”

[Who was trembling!]

The woman grumbled and looked at Fernandez. She cleared her throat and swept her hair back behind her ear. Her flawless golden curls shimmered like a curtain.

[Well, human. Let me introduce myself. I am Freya. The goddess of perfection, beauty, life, birth, and many other… beautiful things. Half of the Einherjar have sworn allegiance to me, and I am the protector of all shieldmaidens and valkyries. Consider this meeting an honor.]

She smiled proudly and extended her hand. Her slender, white fingers twitched in the air as if caressing it. Fernandez stared at her, and she awkwardly withdrew her hand.

[Do southerners not know how to shake hands?]

“What’s this woman going to do for us, Loft?”

“Despite how she looks, every blade of grass and flower bud in the northern continent becomes Banadis’s eyes, and every child’s breath in the wind becomes Banadis’s ears. In the north, the only being with more information than Banadis is… Botan, who holds Hugin.”

“She might be useful.”

[Is that how you treat a goddess!]

She growled at Fernandez. Fernandez chuckled and drew his greatsword. The goddess flinched, and the sword swung past her.

-Slice.

The blade severed a golden chain. The goddess stared blankly at the scene, frozen.

[You cut Brisingamen…? This was made by the dwarves!]

“You’d be shocked if you knew what else this human has cut down in the south. Don’t underestimate him. He’s the wolf I marked.”

Loft snickered. Fernandez strode over, lifted Freya with one hand, and slung her over his shoulder.

“Next?”

“Baldur. If he’s with Erik, things will move faster. If we find out where Thor and Botan are, this war will end. Let’s head back first. Your cheerful friends might help.”

Loft chuckled and led the way.

*

The victory feast was held around a modest campfire, but it was lively and joyful enough. The warriors of Hazart Palan drank rough liquor, roasted jerky over the flames, and laughed loudly.

Among them, Kirhas watched Zephis and the Inquisition Officers with a troubled expression. Since they weren’t aligned with the gods of the Temple of the Gods, Kirhas was anxious they might suddenly decide to purge heretics.

“Sister, where are our Saint Brothers?”

“They’ve gone to crush the enemy stronghold allied with demons directly. We’ve tied the enemies here, so they’re planning a surprise attack.”

“Hmm… A precision strike. Always an effective tactic. Did they go alone?”

“They took some warriors from this tribe, but… yes, it’s almost as if they went alone.”

“Further east?”

Fabiano jumped up as Kirhas nodded. Fabiano looked at Zephis and shouted enthusiastically.

“Isn’t this what the Monastery Head meant, Brother? Let’s depart immediately!”

“No, let’s observe for now.”

“Huh?”

Zephis looked around at the warriors raising their cups. They were larger and tougher than the average southern soldiers, but so were the enemies.

Fernandez had left Kirhas and Abel behind. He wouldn’t have abandoned his sisters in the Inquisition Office as bait, so this place must be his base.

All field agents have certain habits. You could call it a tactical preference. Analyzing past reports, especially operations in the Great Wilderness, Fernandez enjoyed building a solid foundation and strategically tightening the enemy’s grip.

This was closer to a war leader’s strategic thinking than an Inquisition Officer’s tactics. Zephis wasn’t particularly versed in military strategy, but his long experience managing Diemonica allowed him to read Fernandez’s tactical tendencies.

“Sister Kirhas, is this area completely secure?”

“That’s… not the case, Brother. Today’s battle wasn’t against the enemy’s main force. The enemy is waging an unprecedented war of unification in the north with a massive army. En… I mean, Brother Fernandez said there are demons behind the enemy lines, and if they win this war, they’ll march south.”

“So he left to end the war before that happens.”

Zephis nodded. It was still unclear how large the enemy forces were, but if a demon-infested army marched south, even a successful defense would be a disaster.

If demons from the north infiltrated a civilization already in chaos from war, the Eastern Kingdom Alliance, which had just begun rebuilding, would collapse instantly. Even a small demon incident could easily engulf a large territory in flames.

Corruption spreads like ink dropped in water. Once tainted, the water can’t be purified. When demon incidents occur, the Inquisition Office chooses to burn the area, and such events lead to the decline of civilization and an inevitable end.

‘Monastery Head, this might have been a situation worth deploying Diemonica’s entire force.’

Zephis frowned and fell silent. It wasn’t common to see demons mingling with crowds and fighting in broad daylight. It was proof of how far the north had fallen.

Gathering information came first. Contacting field agents deployed in the operation area was the Inquisition Office’s basic tactic. Rather than chasing Fernandez, who could be anywhere by now, Zephis decided to align with his grand strategy.

“We’ll wait here for our brother.”

“Huh? But we don’t know what threats the Saint Brother might be facing right now.”

“It’s too late to chase him now, Brother Fabiano. It’s better to protect the people here and wait for his return.”

Zephis said this and took a sip from his canteen. Even Diemonica needed rest, and they had been fighting non-stop since arriving in the north after three days of sailing.

-Peeeeep!

Just then, a long horn sound echoed near the port. Kirhas’s ear twitched. She grabbed her sword hilt and jumped up.

“Someone’s approaching the port!”

It could be Fernandez. Kirhas quickly ran toward the port.