“Yar! ‘That guy’ is coming!”
A clan warrior roughly pulled back the curtain, tearing through the heavy silence in the tent. He hesitated for a moment in the oppressive atmosphere where two people were glaring at each other in silence, then quickly approached Aeren.
“That southern woman is coming. Yar.”
“Yeah. I heard. Where is she?”
“Near the north gate. Should I bring her here now?”
“No, I’ll go myself. Lead the way.”
Aeren put on his coat and nodded. Gunnar chuckled and said,
“He’s quite the guy.”
“You mean the fact that he escaped from that hellhole alone?”
“No, not just that. That guy, he’s coming from the north gate. He must have deliberately come back to let us know there are no enemies in that direction.”
Gunnar nodded and stood up. He swung his arm around and confidently walked ahead of Aeren.
“Shall we go meet this rumored southern woman ourselves?”
A noisy crowd stood at the entrance to the village, near the checkpoint, watching him. Fernandez smiled as he watched Kirhas running towards him from afar.
“Your Excellency! I’m glad you’re safe!”
“Did you doubt I wouldn’t be?”
“Of course not! Haha… But, who’s the person behind you…?”
Kirhas, about to run and hug him, suddenly stopped. At her words, Freya jumped down, fluttering her cloak. She stood in front of Kirhas and the crowd, proudly raising both arms.
[If I may speak! The greatest of the great Vanir gods. Half of the Einherjar pledge their loyalty to me, and I am the leader of all Valkyries! Yes! I am Freya Banadis! Bow before—.]
-Pop!
A burst of flowers bloomed brightly beside her. The flower buds, breaking through the snowflakes, bloomed simultaneously at her gesture, instantly turning the area in front of the checkpoint into a flower-covered meadow.
[You may worship me!!]
Kirhas stepped back, staring at Freya, who was chattering away. Your Excellency, another woman…? She looked up at Fernandez with a sense of betrayal in her eyes.
“Your Excellency, what is this, no. Is this woman… a witch or something?”
“Sadly, she really is a god, Kirhas.”
“A god…? A goddess?”
Kirhas narrowed her eyes, staring at Freya. She felt a strange, ambiguous presence, almost like she was less than an ordinary person, and it confused her.
From afar, Abel walked over and plucked a flower. She smiled brightly and placed the flower in Freya’s hair.
“Long time no see, Banadis.”
[Lindblum!! Seeing you in person is even more surprising! How are you alive? I’m so happy. What’s going on, oh my!]
Freya laughed brightly and hugged Abel. Abel smiled and stroked Freya’s hair. She then looked up at Fernandez.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
“You too.”
“Not really. I’m fine. Can I hear what happened?”
“We’ll talk about it when everyone’s gathered. Are you alright?”
“Thanks for your concern. You must be tired, let’s go inside.”
At that moment, the crowd at the village entrance buzzed and parted. A woman with lion-like golden hair and eyes blazing with energy appeared. It was Aeren.
The clan warriors bowed in submission and stepped aside. Watching the scene, Faijashi clicked his tongue.
-Impressive. That woman must have awakened some of her former power.
‘She’s a different case from Fierenel of the Great Wilderness. This land is full of crises, after all.’
The best way to build the quality and karma of the soul is through experience, and the purest experience is that of crisis. Aeren’s soul is that of an archangel. If even a part of that power awakens, it’s no wonder ordinary people can’t handle it.
Fernandez turned his gaze to the unfamiliar man standing beside her. The man was also looking at him.
‘Hmm?’
After a moment of eye contact, the man suddenly raised his axe and threw it.
-Kwaaaang!
A fierce strike that tore through the air. Fernandez quickly drew his greatsword from behind his back and cut through the trajectory. His clothes and hair fluttered, and snowflakes scattered everywhere.
He briefly assessed the tingling in his hand, then spun around and sheathed his greatsword. The hostility quickly faded. The man was staring at him blankly.
The crowd parted, and the moment he saw the southern woman, Gunnar’s survival instincts screamed. He was captivated by the southern woman’s half-white curly hair and the gloomy blue eyes shimmering within.
‘d*mn, what the hell is that…’
Gunnar had good eyes. In other words, he had a good eye for people. He instinctively knew how to grasp a person’s essence, not by their appearance, but by their spiritual presence.
Therefore, he knew that the southerners of this city were twisted in some way. They acted cheerful and confident, but deep down, a sense of caution was growing. Warriors blessed by the gods were bustling around, and even the weakest-looking girl exuded a direct divine presence.
In the midst of all this, the ‘southern man’ they had all been whispering about, waiting for every moment, was said to be coming. Presumably, the leader of the southern warriors. Hearing this, Gunnar’s heart raced with both competitiveness and caution.
And then he met him.
‘That’s a monster.’
The moment he saw his face, it felt like the world was engulfed in darkness. The fact that a goddess jumped out of the baggage he was carrying was surprising, but that surprise was nothing compared to the moment he saw Fernandez.
His vision rapidly darkened…
