Valhalla Saga Chapter 123

TL note: Thanks for reading~

Episode 34/Chapter 1: Vanaheim (1)

TL: Tsubak

ED: Julsmul

The G.o.ds for the humans of Midgard were the Aesir.

It was because the King of G.o.ds, Odin, alongside Thor, Heimdall, and all the other G.o.ds that had power in Asgard, belonged to the Aesir.

But it wasn’t like that from the start.

Long ago, the Aesir didn’t only have the giants as their enemies. Another race of G.o.ds that were called the Vanir confronted the Aesir with the right to rule the divine world.

The war between the Aesir and the Vanir didn’t come to a conclusion easily. One of the reasons was because they both had the giants as a common enemy, meaning they couldn’t unleash all of their strength, but also because the Vanir weren’t easy adversaries for the Aesir.

The G.o.ds of the Aesir, including Odin, were all proficient in battle. It wouldn’t be excessive to say that the Aesir were a race specialized in battle.

But compared to them, the Vanir weren’t proficient in battle. The number of warriors and their skills couldn’t be compared to the Aesir.

But the Vanir had the power of strong magic.

If the Aesir were warriors, then the Vanir were magicians. They lacked strong warriors but had strong magicians.

But of course, it wasn’t that the Aesir were ignorant on magic as even the King of G.o.ds, Odin, was a strong magician. Especially, his prowess in magic was so outstanding that there were few G.o.ds among the Vanir that had comparable skills to him.

However, the number of G.o.ds that were proficient in magic was different. The Aesir from back then and the current race had many different points.

The Aesir of that time didn’t have strong magical tools like right now. They didn’t have Thor, and also didn’t have the strongest weapon of Asgard, Mjolnir.

Excluding Odin and a few others, they didn’t have resistance towards magic.

The war prolonged.

And at the beginning of the war, the Vanir rather suppressed the Aesir.

But as more time pa.s.sed, the Aesir grew accustomed to magic. The decisive point was that the Giant of Fire, Loki, who was proficient in magic, became the aide of Odin.

Loki received the good will of Odin even though he was a Giant and became a G.o.d of Asgard.

He hara.s.sed the Vanir with cowardly and cunning tricks that the simple warriors of the Aesir wouldn’t imagine at all.

In addition, the battle prowess of the Aesir increased greatly just by having one more being proficient in magic. The Vanir couldn’t overcome the Aesir with their sorcery and magic anymore.

The race of the Aesir had won; however, they couldn’t annihilate them or absorb them completely as they still had the common enemy remaining.

Because of that, Odin chose to reconcile with the Vanir and inserted them in Asgard after a long time.

The Vanir that accepted their defeat followed the will of Odin and chose three outstanding G.o.ds among their ranks and sent them to the Aesir as hostages.

And one of them was the G.o.ddess of Magic and Beauty, Freya.

Freya was actually a prisoner of war, but thanks to her outstanding beauty and her character that had a lot of charm, she received a lot of love from the G.o.ds of the Aesir.

In addition, as she was also a great magician that was comparable to Odin, she could become a magic teacher for the Aesir and transmit them to Asgard.

‘Simply put, she was a war prisoner but was so outstanding that she rose to the highest ranks of Asgard.’

Cuchulainn stated his opinion bluntly after listening to the long explanation of Hildegarde that was full of praise towards Freya.

‘Because Hildegarde is a Valkyrie of Freya.’

Tae Ho just answered inwardly, as Hildegarde was right in front of him.

It was a really obvious thing to say, but the Valkyries showed a really good att.i.tude towards the G.o.ds of their legions.

Ingrid thanked Njord at every meal time, and when Gandur got drunk, she praised Ullr without stop.

‘Now that I see, Heda doesn’t speak about Idun-nim that much.’

He rather felt that Idun spoke about Heda more.

“-is like this. Did you understand?”

Hildegarde put her face closer to Tae Ho and asked, and he nodded reflexively.

‘She said that the current Vanaheim has the role of a magic research center of Asgard.’

Cuchulainn explained quickly as he realized that he hadn’t been able to listen to her because he was thinking about other things. Tae Ho thanked Cuchulainn inwardly and nodded once again.

“So that’s the case.”

“That’s right.”

Hildegarde smiled brightly with a satisfied expression and pointed at the front.

“Welcome to Vanaheim, the mystical land that magic breathes.”

It almost seemed like she had set a timer, for the moment she finished her words, the dense fog cleared up and a big, lush island appeared.

Vanaheim, the land of the Vanir.

‘It makes me think of Ulster.’

Cuchulainn said briefly, and Adenmaha, who was sitting behind Tae Ho, looked at Vanaheim with interested eyes.

—

“I’m the defense commander of the port of Vanaheim, Harod. I welcome you, Commander of Idun.”

There were dozens of lines where one could leave their s.h.i.+p at in the port of Vanaheim.

However, there were only two places that could station a big s.h.i.+p. In the first place, as Vanaheim had no need to go to battle using s.h.i.+ps, they had limited the numbers for defense.

Tae Ho thought of the explanation he had heard from Hildegarde before getting off the s.h.i.+p and posing confidently on the dock. He expressed etiquette.

“Idun’s commander greets Harod-nim. Thank you for welcoming us.”

The ones living in Vanaheim were the G.o.ds of Vanir, and if one interprets this in a different way, it meant that Harod was also a G.o.d.

Still, on that note, then Adenmaha was also a G.o.ddess as she was a Tuatha De Danann and Gandur, who had nasty alcoholic habits, and Ingrid, a well mannered Valkyrie, were also G.o.ds. But there was the difference in status among G.o.ds.

The defense commander of the port of Vanaheim wasn’t a low rank by any means. If one just thought of the abilities and simply thought of the role, they could compare him to Heimdall of Asgard, so it was proper to speak politely for Tae Ho.

It seemed like Harod liked Tae Ho’s att.i.tude, and he put on a bright smile. That smile suited well with his s.h.i.+ning golden armor and white helmet.

‘The affiliation feels clearly different from the Aesir.’

The only Aesir Tae Ho knew was Thor, but whatever the case, compared to the strong and manly Thor, Harod in front of him was tall and had broad shoulders but emanated a more feminine-like aura.

That was only when you compared him with Thor, as it was good to call his strength and manliness as being outside the standards.

When Harod fluttered his violet cape and turned around to take the lead, warriors that were wearing golden armor and had magical spears spread to the sides and lined up as if covering the group.

It was a small, flashy escort squad of sorts.

It seemed like Hildegarde really liked Vanaheim’s polite welcome, and she smiled brightly while walking next to Tae Ho to lead the warriors of Freya’s legion.

“It would have been good if Merlin was also here.”

Adenmaha, who followed Tae Ho’s back, mumbled in a low voice. It was because she could smell the scent of the strong magic covering the entire Vanaheim.

It seemed like there was also magic even in the most insignificant pebbles.

Harod, who’d been taking the lead, stopped and entered a big road. Several big carriages were seen as if they were prepared beforehand. The animals at the reins weren’t cats, but just by looking at their shapes, it was quite similar to what they had seen in the palace of Freya.

The warriors of Valhalla created some distance and then lined up in front of the carriage.

But it was at that moment-

“Oh my.”

Adenmaha let out a small exclamation. Tae Ho turned around and saw a unicorn approaching Adenmaha.

The port of Vanaheim gave a weak artificial feeling compared to the ports of humans cities. It was like it was mixed with nature just like the fairy village they saw in Svartalfheim.

The unicorn that had white fur and had no spots was beautiful to whomever saw it. In addition, it’s body was amazingly smooth, and it gave an innocent feeling because of its blue and big eyes.

‘I heard that it was a creature of Olympus. It’s also the first time for me seeing one. They are bad creatures that only let pure, beautiful women ride on their backs.’

Tae Ho listened to Cuchulainn’s words and nodded. It was because he had heard several things about them but it was the first time seeing one directly.

It seemed like the unicorn really liked Adenmaha that it approached her while lowering its head and acted affectionately.

The female warriors of Freya’s legion that were preparing the carriage smiled at that scene.

Harod frowned because of the delay thanks to the unicorn, but he didn’t chase it away. He rather looked at Tae Ho’s group as if he was making a guess.

On the other hand, the unicorn placed his head on Adenmahas chest and then slightly bit on her clothes and pulled her to its side.

“Huh? You want me to ride on you?”

It seemed like she had guessed right that the unicorn nodded.

Adenmaha pondered for a moment and then glanced at Tae Ho.

“Right, I should ride on something at times as I always carried people.”

But of course, she couldn’t become an obstacle to Tae Ho that had to go to Vanaheim with the carriage, so she would only ride on it for a moment or follow the carriage with the unicorn.

Adenmaha hurriedly rose on its back as the unicorn lowered its posture. As she was wearing the clothes of a Valkyrie instead of her usual long skirt, it didn’t become an obstacle for her.

But it was at that moment-

As soon as Adenmaha rode on it the eyes of the unicorn changed. Its eyes turned crafty instead of being innocent and then tried to escape somewhere.

The movement of the unicorn was really fast. It was an agility that the warriors of Freya’s legion and the warriors of Vanaheim couldn’t react to.

But the unicorn which wanted to run suddenly couldn’t do so.

It couldn’t move after taking two steps as if it had been flash frozen.

Harod opened his eyes sharply and let out a small exclamation. It wasn’t magic grabbing it.

The unicorn was standing still and trembling. It couldn’t move because of the nasty and overwhelming killing intent currently bombarding it.

“Adenmaha, are you okay?”

Tae Ho approached the blinking Adenmaha that was on top of the unicorn and asked. And only then did she understand what had happened just now.

‘So you did learn properly.’

It was one of the Scathach’s style techniques he learned in the twentieth floor. It was a technique that restrained a low-level adversary by emanating a strong killing intent, but as it was mixed with the technique of Kalsted, that had the blood of a dragon, he had the skills of a kind of dragon peer.

The reason Cuchulainn was satisfied wasn’t only because he had managed to restrain his opponent with killing intent nor because of the completion of the technique.

The only thing Tae Ho’s killing intent was restraining was the unicorn. It wasn’t leaked even by a little towards the others. Thinking about the property of the killing intent that was easy to disperse to the surroundings, it was a really precise control. The reason Harod grew amazed was also because of that.

Adenmaha jumped down from the unicorn while Cuchulainn was feeling proud. She realized the situation as she looked the eyes of the unicorn that had changed completely, but she rather scolded Tae Ho.

“Why are you reacting so sensitively with a prank made by this guy?”

However, her eyes were smiling. No, her entire face was smiling.

‘Her mouth will rip off at this rate.’

Cuchulainn clicked his tongue. On the other hand, Harod, who’d been standing still while the unicorn approached Adenmaha, got closer to Tae Ho and said,

“They are rumored to have bad habits. Forgive me, as it became a test for you. Forgive my rudeness.”

He could have stopped the unicorn before, but he had just left it be. In the end, he had just observed how Tae Ho would react.

“It’s nothing.”

Honestly speaking, it wasn’t the he wasn’t angry at all, but it wasn’t the time to argue about these things. As it were, Adenmaha had acted on her own.

Harod smiled once again at Tae Ho’s open-minded reaction.

“I sincerely welcome you to Vanaheim.”

—

The carriage still rode and reached the big and white palace while Adenmaha was mumbling because she got hit by Tae Ho. It was said that this place was only opened when guests arrived to Vanaheim.

“Nice to meet you. I’m the chief of the Vanir, Heimstream.”

“Idun’s commander greets Heimstream-nim.”

As soon as they entered the palace, their eyes landed on an old man whose hair and long beard were white standing in the middle of the hall.

The man that was standing below the s.h.i.+ning light smiled towards Tae Ho and spoke, and Tae Ho hit his chest and expressed etiquette.

Only Tae Ho was allowed from his group to enter the palace, and because of that, Heimstream told Tae Ho what was going to occur without any secondary greetings.

“I did know that someone special would come, but I didn’t think that Freya would send a warrior of Idun’s legion instead of someone from her legion.”

The slim and tall Heimstream was a man that gave the feeling of being a scholar at first glance. In addition, Tae Ho couldn’t feel his strength or divinity even though he was right in front of him unlike Thor or Freya.

However, that wasn’t because Heimstream was weak. That rather proved how great of a G.o.d he was. There were very few G.o.ds in Asgard that could completely hide their divinity in front of a commander of Valhalla.

It seemed like it was really unexpected for him that a warrior of Idun was the one to come instead of a warrior of Freya, and he looked at Tae Ho with conspicuous eyes before handing him a chest the size of a person’s head that he had prepared beforehand.

“All the things you have to send to Freya are here. The chest is protected by a strong magic, but I still hope you can be careful.”

“I will take it into account.”

Tae Ho stored the chest inside of Unnir. Actually, putting it inside of his inventory was more secure, but he could just do it outside. There was no need to activate his saga in front of a chief of the Vanir.

It was a trip that had taken a few days, but it wasn’t excessive to say that the matter ended here.

But Tae Ho didn’t stand up immediately, and Heimstream put on a smile.

“It seems like you have something to tell me.”

It seemed like he already knew what he was going to say and because of that Tae Ho said directly.

“Idun-nim said that I should bring back the legacy of the legion.”

“Right. I think that, after looking at you, it is finally time.”

He put on a soft smile once again and then rolled his finger in the air. On cue, violet s.p.a.ce door materialized beside him.

“This is the pa.s.sageway leading to the place which contains the legacy of Idun’s legion.”

Heimstream said as much and then gestured lightly towards the s.p.a.ce door. It seemed like he was telling him to go and bring it as there was nothing more to talk about.

It didn’t seem like he was testing Tae Ho at this point. Realizing this, Tae Ho stood up and promptly strode into the s.p.a.ce door Heimstream had made.

< Episode 34 – Vanaheim (1) > End

TL note: Thanks for reading~

Episode 34/Chapter 2: Vanaheim (2)

TL: Tsubak

ED: Julsmul

The place that appeared beyond the s.p.a.ce door was a vast, devastated landscape.

Tae Ho instantly knew.

He was gazing upon a remnant of the Great War.

It was the same scene that he had seen in Svartalfheim, and Tae Ho remembered the trace of the Great War that was hidden in a crack of the world.

He had also heard that there were some traces of the Great War in Vanaheim.

Tae Ho looked a bit further. There was a sky, but it was dark. The chaotic flow of magic had formed an invisible whirlpool, and the land had an ash gray color just like the destroyed remains of Erin.

The devastated land had a unique shape. It felt like there was a wall or some other obstacle blocking the s.p.a.ce beyond the part that waved like heat.

It felt like they had torn off the trace of the Great War located in the crack of the world or ripped off a part of it and placed it in a magical s.p.a.ce.

Tae Ho let out a long sigh and looked at his surroundings. In his vision, many icons were revealed upon his activation of ‘Eyes of the Dragon’.

[Sword of Idun’s warrior, Karen]

[Sword of Idun’s warrior, Luph]

[Spear of Idun’s Valkyrie, Asir]

There were weapons lying about everywhere. There weren’t only the weapons that were used by the lowest-ranked warriors but also the weapons used by the intermediate and superior-ranked warriors.

Tae Ho could sense the foreboding atmosphere. This was undoubtedly the place where Idun’s legion had faced its annihilation.

Idun and Heda didn’t tell him what had happened to Idun’s legion in the Great War in detail, and Tae Ho didn’t ask further as it seemed like it was painful for them to even remember it.

In the first place, the fact that there was only one Valkyrie remaining was already evidence of several things.

Idun’s legion had been utterly obliterated. That, or only an exceptionally small minority had survived to the point that everyone excluding Heda had disappeared over the past hundred years.

Tae Ho walked by, following the weapons that were lined up in the ground, and then stopped in his tracks. It was because he saw white gold letters in a not distant place.

[Magical sword of Idun’s commander, Sigmund, Argentra]

The black and ma.s.sive magic sword emanated a faint green light and was stuck like a tombstone.

As he had heard that there hasn’t been any commanders in Idun legion, Tae Ho could be certain that he was the second generation commander.

The weapons the warriors of Idun had left behind. Could these be the things Idun had spoken about?

It did make sense. By this point in time, new warriors had entered Idun’s legion. Retrieving the weapons of the warriors of the previous generation, those which now functioned as tombstones, would be more efficiently used in arming the current one.

But he thought that it wasn’t the case.

Tae Ho touched the hilt of Argentra for a moment and then continued walking.

He started to see other things. It was the giants and the fragments of their weapons. They were emanating a strong aura even though a hundred years had pa.s.sed.

Idun’s legion had been ravaged during the fighting against them.

What happened at their last moment? Was it a situation where they couldn’t even retreat?

He walked a bit further up and Tae Ho stopped walking unconsciously.

There was a trace of divine power left in the ground, and Tae Ho’s ‘Eyes of the Dragon’, which had grown exponentially more powerful as he did, told him to whom it belonged. No, he could feel it just by facing it.

[G.o.ddess of Youth and Life]

[Idun’s divine power]

It was scattered everywhere. Tae Ho felt that it was a bit different to what Idun usually emitted, but he could feel that it was similar in its overall appearance.

The scattered divine power didn’t only belong to Idun. There was another divine power felt right next to it.

[G.o.d of Music and Poetry]

[Bragi’s divine power]

It was the name of a G.o.d he’d heard for the first time. Tae Ho had already memorized the G.o.ds of Asgard that had legions and their commanders and also their representative Valkyries.

He must have been a G.o.d that has lost his life in the Great War, just like Freya’s brother, Freyr.

Just why was his divine power felt in the place Idun’s legion got annihilated?

Did Idun face a big injury in this battle?

‘The warriors of Idun fought desperately to protect Idun and Bragi, and their efforts resulted in Idun barely managing to survive…..it seems like it’s that kind of story, anyway.’

Cuchulainn said in a low voice. It was his guess that the warriors of Idun’s legion had chosen to face an honorable death to protect their G.o.ddess.

It was quite a convincing story. He automatically thought that Heda was an apprentice Valkyrie or had stayed behind in another place, so she had barely managed to survive.

But it was when Tae Ho took a few more steps following the trace of the divine power.

“Huh?”

‘What? Do you see something?”

[Idun’s husband, Bragi]

[Bragi’s wife, Idun]

[He rests in this place]

There was no need to see it with the ‘Eyes of the Dragon’. Those were letters that were engraved on the elaborate yet decayed tombstone.

‘So Idun was a widow. Hoh, it makes her feel more mature.’

Cuchulainn made a joke to try to lift up the mood, but his efforts were entirely in vain.

Idun’s husband, Bragi.

It made sense now why his divine power remained in the place where Idun’s legion had met its demise and that Idun’s legion had put their lives to protect him.

However, Tae Ho didn’t accept Cuchulainn’s joke nor did he even acknowledge it. It wasn’t because he couldn’t imagine the gentle and bright G.o.ddess having a husband.

This tombstone wasn’t only for Bragi. The name of Idun was also engraved in it.

Cuchulainn misunderstood for a moment because Idun was currently alive, but he soon realized that something was wrong.

‘Uh, what happened?’

If this was the tombstone of Idun and Bragi, then just who was the Idun they’d been a.s.sociating with until now?

She wasn’t a fake. Because if she was one, all the things that happened until now wouldn’t make sense.

‘Did she inherit the name of Idun or something?’

Cuchulainn stated his guess. Cases that you received a name of a family was quite common. The administrator of the golden apple tree was called Idun, and if one thought that it was the name all of the administrators received, then it made sense.

The place the previous Idun and her husband, Bragi, had died at.

Idun’s legion had died alongside them.

Then, just what was the legacy that was in this place?

Tae Ho lowered his posture in front of the tombstone. He slowly placed his hand on the tombstone and activated the power of Idun.

The faint golden light started to transmit from Tae Ho’s palm to the tombstone and then a reaction occurred in the tombstone. The scattered divine power of Idun and Bragi started to gather on it.

The light grew stronger. The divine power of the previous Idun was golden, and Bragi’s divine power was silver. It was so bright that Tae Ho felt like he would be blinded.

Cuchulainn called Tae Ho’s name, but the latter couldn’t hear him. He couldn’t even realize that the divine power of Idun was being fired from the weapons of the warriors of Idun’s legion that were scattered everywhere.

It was because he heard a voice.

The voices of the previous Idun and Bragi.

Their call.

Tae Ho opened his eyes. He wasn’t at the wasted remnant of the Great War anymore. The entire world was black, and there were two people standing before him whom he’d never before met.

The woman was young and beautiful. She had long, golden hair with a mild smile. She was a beauty that wouldn’t fall short to Freya, and her gentle atmosphere was similar to Idun.

There was also a middle-aged man that had an exceptionally long beard standing next to her. He was tall and had a good body, but he didn’t give the feeling that he was a warrior even by a little bit. His really big and clear golden eyes were memorable.

They were certainly the previous Idun and her husband, Bragi.

The two G.o.ds looked at Tae Ho, but he realized that they weren’t souls that stayed behind like Cuchulainn or the Knights of the Round Table.

They were really remains. You could say that the two were echoes of their divine power.

Idun extended her hand towards Tae Ho. Tae Ho hesitated a bit at her gesture that told him to get closer but chose to walk towards her anyway. The divine powers of the two G.o.ds that were before him felt like living fire. It was burning right now, but one couldn’t know when it would extinguish.

The previous Idun was a bit shorter than the current one, and because of that, she looked up at Tae Ho with her big, s.h.i.+ny eyes. It seemed like she would ask a question at any time, as her eyes shone with curiousness.

But the previous Idun then blocked her mouth with her two hands as if it wasn’t the time to speak….or that there was no time to begin with.

Tae Ho grew a bit taken aback at that cute action, and Bragi laughed. He, who was taller than Tae Ho, placed his big hand on top of Tae Ho’s shoulder and then clenched it.

It was a really strong grip. Tae Ho frowned unconsciously, but it seemed like Bragi wasn’t planning on letting go. The symbols of Bragi and the previous Idun were engraved in Tae Ho’s shoulder and wrist.

“May our blessing accompany you.”

The previous Idun then spoke. Bragi looked at Tae Ho with complicated eyes mixed with resentment, rage, expectation, and resignation and made a request.

“I’m leaving our daughter to you.”

The current Idun.

The woman which two G.o.ds and an entire legion had died protecting.

“You must never make her cry. Understand?”

The previous Idun said playfully, and that was the end. The divine power of the two people started to disappear. It started to dim little by little, and then it disappeared completely.

Tae Ho opened his eyes again. He was in front of the tombstone and he could feel that his shoulder and wrists were burning. But those weren’t the only places. Tae Ho screamed and opened his mouth. It was because his tongue was so hot it felt like it was burning.

“Hey, are you okay? Hey!’

Cuchulainn called out to Tae Ho several times, but Tae Ho just stuck out his tongue without answering and looked down. He couldn’t see his tongue properly, but he could read the words through the ‘Eyes of the Dragon’.

[Bragi’s rune]

[A rune engraved by the G.o.d of Music and Poetry, Bragi. His speech has a magical power within it]

Tae Ho said random words. His voice wasn’t different from before, but he could feel a definite change.

He hadn’t tested it yet, but his ability to sing would probably have increased greatly.

‘Wait. Your words give great trust, people fall for your words more easily, you are able to control the sweet feeling more easily and you can even sing well? This is the most suitable ability to pick up girls?!’

Tae Ho was at a loss for words for a moment.

He was still someone that was called the Prince of Light, so how did all his thoughts flow that way?

‘Why? What else is more important for a man?’

Tae Ho just looked at his shoulder and wrist instead of talking back to him. It was hidden by his clothes, but the ‘Eyes of the Dragon’ didn’t miss the two runes of the G.o.ds that were s.h.i.+ning with distinctive gold and silver lights.

The power behind those two runes.

The real legacy Idun had told him to retrieve.

The rune of the previous Idun wasn’t that different from the blessing of the current Idun. Actually, you could say that they were the same.

But the rune of Bragi was different.

The several effects Bragi’s rune gave were only supportive ones. But the reason it was engraved on Tae Ho’s tongue was to unleash the real power his rune possessed.

The G.o.d of Music and Poetry, Bragi.

The G.o.d who sang legends to life.

Tae Ho activated a saga reflexively. He then added the power of Idun and Bragi onto it.

[Strengthened Saga]

[The Warrior that had a Valkyrie Meet Him]

“Ma….master?!”

Adenmaha appeared in front of Tae Ho. It wasn’t the doppelganger but the real one.

She was shocked from having been suddenly transported from the entrance to the white palace, and she looked at her surroundings in amazement.

Meanwhile, Tae Ho hurriedly looked away and ignored Adenmaha.

The reason was simple. It was because Bragi’s rune hadn’t only strengthened one saga.

[Strengthened Saga]

[The Eyes of the Dragon See Through All Things]

‘Hey! What can you see?! Huh?! What did you see?!’

Cuchulainn asked hurriedly, but Tae Ho didn’t answer him.

< Episode 34 – Vanaheim (2) > End

TL note: Thanks for reading~

Episode 34/Chapter 3: Vanaheim (3)

TL: Tsubak

ED: Julsmul

“What happened? Where are we?”

Adenmaha checked her surroundings and then spoke with a slightly frightened voice. It was because she’d been called suddenly but also because she felt that the isolated s.p.a.ce itself was twisted.

“Master?”

Adenmaha approached Tae Ho and raised her head to meet his gaze. Tae Ho looked down at Adenmaha, but it was only for a moment. He then turned his head sharply.

Cuchulainn clicked his tongue at that and said,

‘Hey, she is asking you. You should answer her and slowly check on her from head to heel. If you can share what you see, it’s all the better.’

Those were advices that weren’t worthy to be heard; however there was someone that moved regardless of Cuchulainn’s advice. It was Adenmaha.

“Master? Why do you keep avoiding my eyes?”

Adenmaha blinked her eyes and tilted her head before moving again. This time she moved sideways to put herself in Tae Ho’s range of view instead of approaching him.

“Adenmaha, wait. Wait.”

Tae Ho looked at the other side once again and then Adenmaha frowned and even opened her eyes suspiciously.

“How suspicious.”

There was a bit of playfulness in her voice. It was because Tae Ho acting this way was quite new and funny.

“Why aren’t you able to see me properly? And why are your eyes s.h.i.+ning?”

Adenmaha moved her body to try to match Tae Ho’s eyes, but Tae Ho turned his head desperately and said quickly,

“No, well-”

“So?”

Tae Ho couldn’t speak anymore. It was because Adenmaha extended her two hands and grabbed him.

Of course, Adenmaha couldn’t be compared to Tae Ho in strength, but the current Tae Ho was in a really panicked state. He couldn’t push away Adenmaha, let alone move himself.

“Why do you keep dodging me, I wonder.”

Adenmaha suppressed Tae Ho like a snake that had prey before it. She didn’t know the reason, but now that it turned out like this, she decided to release all the hard feelings she had acc.u.mulated up to this point.

Tae Ho stepped back and then fell on the ground with Adenmaha on top of him.

‘You can just close your eyes, but you don’t.’

While Cuchulainn was clicking his tongue and criticizing him, Adenmaha grabbed Tae Ho’s head in an almost perfect mount position and didn’t let Tae Ho turn away.

“Yes? Master?”

Tae Ho thought of closing his eyes, but he discovered himself opening them just slightly.

In the end, Tae Ho wanted to curse at himself and release the saga, but that wasn’t easy either. It couldn’t be controlled properly, perhaps because the saga had been strengthened suddenly.

“Master?”

Adenmaha put her face closer to Tae Ho’s and he realized that there were no other options. He looked at Adenmaha fixedly and yelled,

“I can see it!”

“What?”

Adenmaha tilted her head and asked provokingly, but Tae Ho couldn’t say the words. Because of that, he grabbed Adenmaha’s wrist and activated another saga.

[Strengthened Saga]

[The One that Controls Dragons]

Tae Ho synchronized his senses with Adenmaha, and he showed all the things he had seen to her.

And about 1 or 2 seconds later-

“Hwik?!”

Adenmaha let out a mortified scream and hurriedly stood from her position.

—

“Shameless! Pervert! Enemy of humankind!”

‘I have certainly said that I wouldn’t watch. You were the one that forced me.’

Tae Ho rebuked inwardly. It was because he would only provoke her even more if he said it out loud.

“Ah, anyways! This is a trace of the Great War, and your saga has been strengthened, right?”

Adenmaha changed the subject first, and Tae Ho didn’t miss the opportunity and followed her up.

“Right. This is a trace of the Great War. It doesn’t seem like it’s hidden in a crack of the world, but it was forcefully separated with magic. The reason my saga was strengthened is because of the blessing of the G.o.d of Music and Poetry, Bragi.”

He said all of those things quickly without breathing out once. Adenmaha, who barely managed to understand all of that, tilted her head at the name she’d heard for the first time.

“Bragi-nim?”

“Idun-nim’s husband.”

“Ah, Idun-nim’s hus…..Idun-nim is a widow?!”

Adenmaha let out a shocked voice. It seemed like she had met her once opposed to what Tae Ho had thought.

‘Well, she must have met her once to become a Valkyrie.’

Tae Ho, who became convinced by that idea alone, picked the most important point and continued.

“No, the previous Idun-nim.”

But it seemed like that was too summed up. Adenmaha blinked with a face that mirrored her confusion and then asked for an explanation with a slow voice.

“Explain it in a bit more detail.”

“Right. That would be good.”

Tae Ho nodded and took out Gae Bolg to provide an easier explanation. He made Adenmaha grab a part of it and started his explanation.

“Uh, so summarizing it up, Idun’s legion was annihilated in this place, right? Annihilated to the point where the previous Idun-nim and her husband Bragi-nim also died.”

Adenmaha picked the most important points after listening to all of Tae Ho’s story. Tae Ho nodded once again.

“Right, and…… I don’t know exactly, but it seems like the current Idun-nim is the daughter of the previous Idun and Bragi and inherited the position of administrator to the golden apple tree and seat of the G.o.ddess of Life and Youth.”

The previous Idun and Bragi had said that they would entrust their daughter to him.

So based on the situation, the daughter they were talking about should be the Idun Tae Ho knew.

“Hmm. It’s a bit unexpected, but it’s not that there were no precedents of this. There were also some G.o.ds among the Tuatha De Danann that took over the ranks and names of others.”

Adenmaha nodded while having her arms crossed and then looked at Tae Ho’s right shoulder and left wrist before continuing.

“Anyways, Idun-nim has told you to retrieve the legacy of the legion, and the legacy you received were the runes of the previous Idun-nim and Bragi-nim?”

“Right. The rune of Bragi-nim…I think that my saga became strengthened thanks to his blessing.”

“You said that he was the G.o.d of Music and Poetry, so it does make sense. So that means that he was the G.o.d of bards and troubadours, right?”

Because spreading tales and stories was their job.

The one that sings legends.

The one that spreads the story of a warrior.

It was obvious for Bragi to have the power to strengthen a saga.

‘Now that I see, didn’t all the sagas get strengthened in a lump? Or they get strengthened by time?’

Cuchulainn worded his first normal question in a long while, and because of that, Tae Ho answered almost immediately unlike before.

“I think that it’s closer to the latter. I will have to investigate a bit more…..but I feel like I’m not able to use it perfectly because my capability in it is lacking?”

“Um, shouldn’t the divine power of Bragi-nim still be unfamiliar for you, Master?”

He did feel a bit unfamiliar with the divine power of the previous Idun, but it was still familiar overall.

However, Bragi’s divine power was completely unfamiliar to Tae Ho, so he could only be clumsy in using it.

‘The G.o.d of Music and Poetry….how unfortunate. If someone had taken over his rank like the current Idun, it would be helpful in several ways.’

Tae Ho thought of the same thing. For the current Idun to have taken over the name, divine power, and rank of the previous Idun meant that she had inherited a divine mandate. It was possible to succeed a rank or or authority on such a level.

But it was meaningless to worry about such a thing right now.

Because of that, Adenmaha said something else.

“Anyways……how did the sagas that got strengthened change? Like the ‘Warrior that had a Valkyrie Meet Him’ and….. ‘The Eyes of the Dragon see Through all Things’.”

Adenmaha’s face flushed completely upon recalling what had happened a few minutes ago. Tae Ho ignored her face and said,

“Firstly, the limit of the number of Valkyries increased for the ‘Warrior that had a Valkyrie Meet Him’. It was nine before, but I can now register eighteen.”

‘The number nine is treated as a holy number in Asgard, but it doubled in an instant. Now you won’t need to worry about who to put in the list.’

“For now.”

“For now, he says. Just how many more Valkyries do you want to obtain?”

The last one was Adenmaha. She looked at Tae Ho and mumbled, and Tae Ho spread his chest shamelessly and said,

“Won’t it be better to strengthen my saga even more and create an army of Valkyries? If I penetrate through the enemy ranks alone and then summon a lot of Valkyries….it’s really a one man army, right?”

‘So you want to roll on a field of flowers. There were also male Valkyries, so how about putting them in your army?’

Cuchulainn’s unproductive opinion pa.s.sed through one of Tae Ho’s ears and flowed out the other. Adenmaha shook her head as if it was absurd and said,

“That, and a summoning function was added?”

“Yes. I think that I’m able to summon the real deal, but I feel like there’s a distance limit.”

The reason Adenmaha had been summoned was because she was the closest to him among the Valkyries that were registered on his list.

Heda and Ingrid were in Valhalla, and Gandur, Reginleif, Rasgrid, and the rest were in the much further away realm of Midgard.

“Hm. So if we organize it, the number of members increased and a function to call the real one got added, right?”

“Right, and for the eyes of the dragon…..”

Tae Ho paused and then turned his eyes away. Adenmaha blushed and also turned her eyes away so they didn’t exchange glances.

“The effect range widened, and the ability to grasp a weak point was also strengthened. The vision…..also got strengthened.”

“R-right. What about Bragi’s rune? You said that it also had a function.”

‘That’s right. That’s also important. Now that it came out, let’s test a few things.’

Cuchulainn received Adenmaha’s words. Tae Ho started to explain as he also agreed to it.

“Firstly, the functions I saw with the eyes of the dragon are as follows.”

His words became more trustable. Even if he said the same things, the positive reception to his words from others was increased.

Secondly, his words had become more convincing.

Thirdly, he could influence the mood of the adversary through his words.

Fourthly, Tae Ho was able to sing really well.

And lastly, the functions of the tongue, such as his sense of taste, had grown more intense and precise.

Actually, it wasn’t that he could seen the explanations in that much detail with the ‘Eyes of the Dragon’. It was because the explanation that came with Bragi’s rune also came with a lot of metaphoric explanations.

The five functions that were lined up were the explanations Tae Ho came up with after a.n.a.lyzing and guessing it.

But it wasn’t impossible to guess what the overall ability was. Adenmaha put on a thoughtful face and then smiled brightly.

“This will be really useful. You are saying that your speech will strengthen, right?”

‘That’s right. You were already a swindler, but you now hold the apt.i.tude of a swindler king.’

Cuchulainn thought of the warriors that were smiling brightly in Idun’s residence and then had a silent time of meditation.

But Tae Ho shook his head.

“Cuchulainn, I have never lied. I just exaggerated it a bit. Isn’t that right, Adenmaha?”

“I will just say that’s the case.”

Adenmaha evaded Tae Ho’s eyes as if she couldn’t agree to his words.

‘Fine. Whatever the case, it will effective in gathering more warriors to Idun’s legion. Now, sing.’

“He-here? Without any chorus?”

‘Now you are acting like a pro. Just sing.’

“Dugun dugun.”

The last one that put the effect was Adenmaha. It seemed like she was really looking forward to it, for her eyes were s.h.i.+ning.

“Le-let’s pa.s.s this one for now. Let’s investigate the other things. Um, like the one that gives more trust to the adversary and makes them feel better?”

Cuchulainn continued speaking as if he didn’t really want to hear Tae Ho singing that much.

‘Precisely speaking, it’s more like controlling. Should I call it as oratorical talent? Let’s test it on Adenmaha.’

“Me?”

‘Right, you. Say something to her. Let’s see how she reacts.’

Tae Ho looked at Adenmaha at Cuchulainn’s urge and her eyes were s.h.i.+ning expectantly.

What should he say?

Tae Ho thought for a moment but decided to say anything. In the first place, they were testing the effects of the rune, so there was no need to say anything cool.

“Hm hm. Adenmaha.”

“Yes.”

Adenmaha answered gently and looked at Tae Ho. Tae Ho felt the pressure and opened his mouth.

“Yo! You are really beautiful! You are just like a flower!”

His voice was split because of the nervousness, and the words he chose were also cheesy. Surely enough, Cuchulainn started to scream.

‘Kuaaaaaaaaaaagh! Painful. Too painful! Hey, how can you say something like that among all the things you could have said?!’

Cuchulainn kept criticizing him but suddenly shut his mouth unconsciously. It was because the reaction of Adenmaha wasn’t normal.

“Re-really? Ehehe.”

Adenmaha, who’d became red like a tomato, looked down as if she was embarra.s.sed and kept laughing sillily. It seemed like she was trying not to laugh too much like a fool, but thanks to that, one could see that she was dying of happiness.

“It….does have an effect.”

Tae Ho spoke in a bewildered state. It was because he also thought that his words were a mess. For the effects to be this good….

‘No, she doesn’t count. It’s null. Think about it. There’s no way she can be used as a test.’

Because she was really blinded by affection.

Cuchulainn felt stuffed alone and then held back Tae Ho that wanted to say a few more words.

‘Hey, let’s go out. You can finish the test later. Was he called Heimstream? The chief of the Vanir should be waiting for you’

It was a reasonable thing. It wasn’t easy to imagine Heimstream waiting until Tae Ho got out, but whatever the case, Tae Ho had to go out for their meeting to come to an end.

If one also thought about Hildegarde and her group waiting outside, they had to hurry.

‘Perhaps, there’s a commotion because of Adenmaha.’

She had, after all, disappeared without warning.

It wasn’t the time to be testing things just like Cuchulainn had said. Because of that, Tae Ho nodded and stood up.

“Tch.”

Adenmaha pouted as if it was regretful, but there wasn’t anything that could be done.

Cuchulainn laughed.

‘You can test it as much as you want in the residence so don’t feel regretful. Let’s hurry, anyways.’

“Wait a moment. We should take all the things we have to.”

Tae Ho interrupted Cuchulainn this time. Cuchulainn and Adenmaha asked at the same time.

‘What?’

“What?”

Things they should take. Wasn’t this the end as they had received Idun’s and Bragi’s rune?

Tae Ho clicked his tongue and opened his arms widely. He pointed at the white gold colored weapons that were close to him and said.

“The legacy of the legion.”

The weapons his seniors had left. They would be given to his juniors.

Tae Ho activated the ”Warrior that had a Valkyrie Meet Him’ and mobilized all the Valkyries, excluding Freya, to retrieve the scattered weapons.

—

“It took longer than I expected.”

< Episode 34 – Vanaheim (3) > End

TL note: Thanks for reading~

Episode 34/Chapter 4: Vanaheim (4)

TL: Tsubak

ED: Julsmul

“It took longer than I thought.”

Tae Ho flinched at the voice that he heard when he got out of the s.p.a.ce door.

Fortunately enough, Heimstream wasn’t just dumbfoundedly looking at the s.p.a.ce door.

He was inspecting some books and doc.u.ments while sitting in a big table next to it. If one just looked at him, it looked like he was investigating something.

“I’m sorry. Displaying etiquette towards my seniors took longer than I expected.”

Tae Ho hurriedly apologized. Those were common words, but the only thing in common was the contents. Heimstream placed his eyes off the doc.u.ments the moment he heard Tae Ho’s words and then looked at him. His face then drew a smile.

“It seems like you put your hands on Bragi’s rune.”

Because the strength behind his words were different. Tae Ho’s words now had the power to move a person’s heart.

“It’s a rune that will bring danger if held by a weak person. The power of words is that strong.”

‘In that case, it seems like disaster will soon befall the Nine Realms.’

It was when Cuchulainn clicked his tongue and criticized that Adenmaha, who’d left the s.p.a.ce door a bit later than Tae Ho, glanced at Tae Ho and Heimstream and then hit her chest twice.

“Idun’s Valkyrie, Adenmaha, greets the chief of the Vanir.”

The movements of Adenmaha and eyes were graceful and beautiful; however, Heimstream didn’t look interested in the external appearances, but in another thing.

“For a G.o.ddess of the Tuatha De Danann to have become a Valkyrie of Asgard. How marvelous.”

It seemed like his words were close to mumbling to himself, so Adenmaha pretended not to have heard it.

It seemed like Heimstream also liked that, and he laughed in a low tone. He then sat in his chair and said,

“The s.p.a.ce door shook for a moment, but it seems like you called your Valkyrie. Hm. What an interesting saga.”

Heimstream was looking at the air and not at Tae Ho. The place Tae Ho had been in was a place that was being maintained by Heimstream’s magic. Because of that, Heimstream could know what had happened in the trace of the Great War.

“Is it a saga that recreates fake Valkyries that have a deep connection with you and can call for a real one when they are close? Although it will only work when you register them, it seems like it will be quite useful. On top of that, it’s a saga that can be greatly abused like Bragi’s rune, so it’s a saga that not just anyone should learn.”

‘Ahh, I understand. So you are the disaster of the Valkyries.’

Cuchulainn received Heimstream’s words. Meanwhile, Heimstream used some magic while waving his hand a few times and then frowned.

“The name of the saga…’The Warrior that had a Valkyrie Meet Him?”

It was a voice layered with astonishment. Tae Ho flinched once again and Adenmaha did the same.

“Just what do you have to do for a saga like this to get created?”

He didn’t speak alone this time. Heimstream was looking at Tae Ho right now.

‘Yeah. It is marvelous indeed.’

A saga wasn’t made out of nothing. There had to be an origin and a transmission for a saga to be created.

So that meant that for the saga ‘The Warrior that had a Valkyrie Meet Him’ to be made, a similar story had to have happened.

Tae Ho received Heimstream’s curious and perplexed eyes and replied calmly,

“It’s thanks to the representative Valkyrie of my legion. She took care of me a lot after I first entered Valhalla.”

Whatever Tae Ho was feeling right now, his words that came out through his tongue that had Bragi’s rune engraved were good to hear and trustworthy.

But his adversary was the chief of the Vanir. Heimstream smacked his lips a few times as if reviewing what Tae Ho had just said and then nodded.

“If it’s Idun’s representative Valkyrie, it should be Heda.”

“Do you know her?”

Tae Ho was the one to get surprised this time. Heimstream didn’t miss the joy in Tae Ho’s voice and smiled.

“A bit. There are merely ten representative Valkyries in Valhalla, and in addition, she’s the youngest representative Valkyrie. There are a lot of reasons to remember her.”

The Valkyrie that had protected Idun’s legion alone for a long time.

The last survivor of Idun’s legion.

Heimstream remembered the day Idun’s legion suffered devastating losses.

He couldn’t forget Heda who had faced the gruesome, devastated lands alone.

Originally, Idun’s legion was a legion that shouldn’t have existed. It was because Odin had decided to disband Idun’s legion, as it wasn’t able to work as a legion anymore.

But Idun’s legion wasn’t disbanded. That was the result of Heda supplicating Odin, believing she would protect it.

‘And in the end, it resurrected.’

For the day that the commander of Idun’s legion came to this place to retrieve Idun’s and Bragi’s legacy had actually come true.

Heda, who’d been but a small girl, would have matured as a beautiful woman. Heimstream imagined that for a moment and looked at Tae Ho once again. He said what he just remembered.

“Idun’s commander. What do you think a saga is?”

“It’s a magic of Asgard that recreates the story of a warrior and the several thoughts, beliefs, and strength other people have in it.”

Tae Ho answered reflexively. It was because he had heard that several times from Heda and Ragnar. However, Heimstream put on a vague smile instead of saying that he was right.

“Right. It is normally told like that. If you ask the warriors of Valhalla, two or three will answer like that. And the remaining seven or eight would say that they didn’t know.”

Tae Ho nodded unconsciously, and it was the same for Adenmaha.

Because those were the warriors of Valhalla.

Heimstream spoke with a light joke and continued by saying,

“The power of magic…it’s both wrong and right. The magic Asgard currently uses, and the magic our race has developed, both have a long history behind them. The order and system are also clear, and the theory is also right. But it’s a bit different for the saga.”

The magic of the Vanir was certainly mystical, but it had a clear theory behind it. It was an exact science like math where adding one plus one would give someone a two.

“The one that made the sagas isn’t Odin nor Freya nor even me. The sagas weren’t made by the G.o.ds of Asgard…..it’s a shared strength that the entire Asgard possesses.”

It was different to magic. In the first place, the origin of it was a different strength.

“Idun’s commander, why do you think the warriors of Asgard and the Nine Realms all use a different strength? Is it to have a peculiarity of themselves?”

Asgard had the sagas, and there was the gea.s.s and the sentence of the Milesians in Erin.

“Just like you said……It’s because of the shared strength each world has.”

“That’s right. Because of that, it’s impossible to use the power of another world in general. Why can’t the warriors of Valhalla use the sentence of the Milesians or the gea.s.s? They would be able to grow much stronger if they did. And it’s the same for the ‘task’ of Olympus and the ‘energy’ in the Temple.”

There was no warrior of Valhalla that used the ‘task’ that was the power of Olympus.

And martial arts that utilized ‘energy’ also didn’t exist.

“The reason is simple. It’s not that they don’t use it willingly but because they physically can’t. Right, Cuchulainn?”

As soon as Heimstream finished speaking, Cuchulainn materialized next to Tae Ho. Just like the cave of Scathach was her magical territory, this place was Heimstream’s magical region.

“It’s been a while.”

“It has, Prince of Light. I’m a bit disappointed, as you didn’t greet me since the beginning.”

“I am doing it now.”

Cuchulainn smiled bitterly and expressed etiquette. Heimstream nodded and then kept talking to Tae Ho.

“A warrior being able to use the power of another world is a really special one. It’s not that it’s completely unheard of, but it also doesn’t happen frequently. But you are really special even among them, as you are using the power of Asgard and Erin at the same time.”

Cuchulainn had fought with the warriors of Asgard in the Great War, but he couldn’t use the sagas.

It was the same for Ragnar. He was bright on the power of Erin to the point he had warned Tae Ho about the danger of the gea.s.s, but in the end, he couldn’t use the sentence of the Milesians or the power of Erin.

But of course, it wasn’t that it was completely impossible. Not being able to use it in general meant that there were special exceptions. Even with the gea.s.s, one needed to pay a great price for it, as its magical property was really strong, but it was possible to use it.

And there were more special cases that could use the power of a foreign world even without paying that price.

“I don’t know if you have already heard this from Heda, but there are warriors that came to Valhalla from another world. They were all able to use the sagas, and that is because the world allowed them to do so.”

The saga was an innate strength the world had. It was a power that was granted only to the ones that lived in that world. Because of that, the world was able to allow the usage of that strength.

“Cuchulainn, why did you choose the commander of Idun as the successor of Erin?”

“Because he is indeed the successor of Erin.”

“Is it not because only Tae Ho could become the successor among the warriors of Valhalla?”

“Is it that different?”

“What a warrior-like reply.”

Heimstream laughed like a magician.

“Idun’s commander. You are special. Even if we bring warriors of another world forcefully, they won’t be able to become like you. There’s a high probability they won’t merely be able to use the power of different worlds at the same time but also won’t even be able to use the sagas. That’s because they haven’t been chosen by the world, since we’d have brought them forcefully.”

Tae Ho remembered what he and Hildegarde had talked about when he met her again in the night banquet.

Odin and Freya weren’t the ones that chose who they brought from the mortal world. Perhaps, the will of the world may have really chosen Tae Ho just like Heimstream had said.

“What I’m trying to say is that you are special. You are someone that has been chosen by the world.”

“Is that not the result of nonsense and gibberish?”

As Cuchulainn b.u.t.ted in, Heimstream laughed once again.

“I got busted. Right, if we return to the beginning of the story….the sagas are a shared power of the world. That’s why they don’t have a fixed rule as the G.o.ds or humans think. Only a similar rule exists.”

The reason Heimstream had stated this wasn’t to say that Tae Ho was special.

“You may have already heard this from your teacher, Ragnar, but there’s no need to limit your sagas yourself. The power of your sagas, your story, will always be able to reach further.”

What would happen if you tried to recreate the ‘Warrior that had a Valkyrie Meet Him’ with magic? You would need a really, really huge-scaled magic for it.

But it wasn’t like that for the saga. Perhaps, it may be able to develop even more.

“This is all I wanted to say including the gibberish nonsense. But Idun’s commander. Don’t you need more pockets? There would have been so many weapons to put it all inside of Unnir.”

“I’m fine. I retrieved all of them.”

Heimstream blinked as Tae Ho smiled and answered him and then he understood his words.

“The power of a saga is really incredible.”

He laughed pleasingly and stood up.

“Send my greetings to Freya and the current Idun.”

“I will.”

Tae Ho fixed his posture. It seemed like Heimstream had grown to like Tae Ho, and he hit his chest twice with a good mood.

“For Asgard and the Nine Realms.”

“For Asgard and the Nine Realms.”

Tae Ho left Heimstream’s room after he finished greeting him.

—

“Hua. I thought like I would die out of breath.”

As soon as the big door, which resembled a gate, slammed shut, Adenmaha let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t end there and then slightly pulled on Tae Ho’s arm.

“It seems like all the great magicians are weird and cranky.”

‘Hey. Are you talking about Master right now?’

Cuchulainn spoke with sharp eyes, but unfortunately, Adenmaha wasn’t grabbing Gae Bolg right now.

Because of that, she hummed a bit more and talked ill about Scathach a bit more. It was because one could even curse the king when he wasn’t present.

“Uh…..Master?”

“Ah, sorry. I had something to think about.”

Adenmaha let out a sigh of relief because she had thought that it bothered Tae Ho that she had spoken ill about Scathach. On the other hand, Tae Ho fell into his thoughts once again.

It was because a worry he had from a long time had surged up, although he didn’t say it out loud.

Tae Ho’s comrades.

More specifically, the professional gamers that he played Dark Age with instead of the warriors of Valhalla.

They hadn’t said that it was a shared power of the world like Heimstream, but he had already heard from Heda and Ragnar that they probably won’t be able to use the sagas even if they brought people from another world.

But he still couldn’t erase his uneasiness.

Because Heda’s and Ragnar’s words were merely a guess.

What Tae Ho was worried about wasn’t that another pro-gamer would appear in Valhalla to take away his specialness. What Tae Ho worried about was rather the pro-gamers themselves.

It would be a big problem to bring them, who were living good lives, to test something.

To enter Valhalla, one had to first die.

In addition, what would happen to their lives if they couldn’t use the sagas when they were brought to Valhalla? Would they get taken back to the underworld of Tae Ho’s world, or would they get thrown to Niflheim, the otherworld of Asgard?

‘That wouldn’t happen.’

It didn’t seem like Odin or Freya didn’t know something that Heimstream did. In addition, even if he didn’t know Odin, he had met Freya several times. It didn’t seem like she would casually do something that cruel.

Tae Ho calmed himself and thought of another thing. It was because he’d formed a new doubt after listening to Heimstream’s story.

Asgard’s saga, Erin’s gea.s.s, and the sentence of the Milesians, Olympus’s task, the energy of the Temple.

Then, what was the power of the world Tae Ho grew up in?

‘It wouldn’t be something like science, right?’

There was magic that could be compared to science in Asgard and also in Erin and Olympus.

‘Let’s think about it slowly.’

It wasn’t a problem that would get solved by thinking about it. Tae Ho grew resoluted and then stroked Adenmaha’s head that was looking at him with worried eyes.

“Anyways, let’s go, our good and pretty Adenmaha.”

“Uh, it’s a humph.”

Adenmaha snorted like always, but she failed this time. Tae Ho felt like he had heard a melting voice and then spoke to Cuchulainn excitedly.

“Isn’t the effect really great? I should also use it on Heda.”

‘What should I say? What’s the reasoning for using it on an adversary if you can’t check the effect of the rune? You aren’t confident?’

Tae Ho took Adenmaha and got out of the palace while hearing Cuchulainn’s rebuke. The first one that greeted them was certainly Hildegarde.

“Did you come?”

“Yes. I’m sorry to have made you wait for too long.”

“How can that be? Let’s ride the carriage. I will lead you to your lodging.”

She replied skillfully and then glanced at Adenmaha and said something to the Valkyrie that was near her. It seemed like they had started to search the surroundings as Adenmaha had suddenly disappeared.

Tae Ho took Adenmaha, who was still trying to snort, and then got on the carriage. But it was then that Tae Ho turned his eyes unconsciously. It was because a strong urge that couldn’t be explained made him do that.

The direction which pulled at Tae Ho’s attention-

The front lines of Asgard lay in that place.

< Episode 34 – Vanaheim (4) > End

TL note: Thanks for reading~

Episode 34/Chapter 5: Vanaheim (5)

TL: Tsubak

ED: Julsmul

Asgard was different to the world Tae Ho used to live in.

G.o.ds and magic actually existed, and it was a word that had an invisible strength and even made prophecies.

Because of that, Tae Ho couldn’t shake away the uneasiness that pa.s.sed through his chest.

‘What’s wrong?’

“Master?”

Cuchulainn and Adenmaha asked almost at the same time, but Tae Ho just frowned instead of answering either of them.

‘It must be an illusion, right?’

This place was Vanaheim. It was a place that was harder to communicate with than even Midgard, a realm being protected by the Great Barrier.

There were several mysteries in Asgard. That’s why uneasiness was like having a premonition backed up with proof.

Like having sensed a change from faraway or a force was transmitted like a current of water.

“Master, are you hurt somewhere?”

Adenmaha asked with a worried voice and then put her hand on Tae Ho’s forehead.

‘Rather than worry, it seems like you are feeling more excited and happy at the contact.’

The jab didn’t reach Adenmaha, fortunately. Because of that, Adenmaha was enjoying her happy time but soon regained her composure and tilted her head.

“You don’t have a fever.”

“I’m fine. I was just thinking of another thing.”

Tae Ho pushed away Adenmaha’s hand as he had also gotten a hold of himself and said. It seemed like it really was a delusion.

‘Hm, did you feel something uneasy?’

“That’s right….but I don’t think it’s something much. Or a mistake.”

The door of the carriage opened up as he answered Cuchulainn. It was Hildegarde, that had finished searching the surroundings.

“We will depart immediately.”

Hildegarde simply revealed her business and then rode on a horse instead of entering the carriage and started to take the lead. The warriors of Freya’s legion also rode on their horses and took an escorting formation.

“Depart!”

The carriage and the escort group started to move at Hildegarde’s terse order. And then, Cuchulainn spoke once again.

‘Even if it bothers you, it must have been a delusion like you said. Rest for now. You must already be familiar with the divine power of the previous Idun, but that isn’t the case with Bragi-nim’s. Perhaps, a flaw was created in your soul and body while receiving an unfamiliar divine power.’

“Yes, that is also possible.”

It was a really convincing story. As Tae Ho nodded at Cuchulainn’s words, Adenmaha, after guessing their conversation, said,

“Master, are you going to rest now? You said that we would depart tomorrow morning, right?”

“That is the schedule Hildegarde set up for us. It’s barely noon, but they would go to make preparations to sail once again. Being shut in our rooms will be helping them.”

It took about four days by s.h.i.+p to come to Vanaheim from Freya’s legion. It may take a similar time when they returned, so they needed the process to check the condition and objects of the s.h.i.+p.

In addition, the warriors of Freya’s legion weren’t Steel Warriors. They also needed time to release their fatigue of travelling.

“Umm, then don’t we have to bring back Merlin’s belongings?”

Adenmaha looked up at Tae Ho next to him and said carefully. She growled against Scathach like a cat to a dog- Of course, this was only what she thought, but when others saw them, they saw that Adenmaha suffered one sidedly- but she was in a really good relation with Merlin.

In addition, if she took something, be it small or big, it became of help to Tae Ho and Idun’s legion.

So whatever the case, Adenmaha had started to think about managing the legion after she became a Valkyrie of Idun.

Tae Ho really treasured Adenmaha, but Cuchulainn clicked his tongue and said,

‘What else do you want to take from here? Just sweep it all.’

They had already retrieved more than many dozens of weapons from the trace of the Great War.

Tae Ho drew a smile and looked at Adenmaha.

“It would certainly be good if we can make some time….and we even know the general location from what we heard from Merlin.”

It seemed like it would certainly be good to retrieve it now that they were in Vanaheim.

Adenmaha smirked as Tae Ho agreed but then said with a regretful voice,

“If we knew we were going to come to Vanaheim, it would have been good if Merlin came with us.”

Tae Ho thought of the same thing, but he couldn’t do anything about it at this point. As the visit to Freya’s residence itself was too sudden, he should be glad that he had at least brought Adenmaha.

“Well, you shouldn’t worry too much. He has already retrieved the most important thing that was in Vanaheim.”

“You are speaking about Gallatin, right?”

“Right. Gallatin. That’s one of the most precious objects among the ones Merlin hid in Vanaheim. The other ones are somewhat good, but even so, they won’t be normal as they have been through Merlin’s hands.”

Merlin was a strong magician and an excellent blacksmith. Even the ma.s.s-produced Liberatuses boasted of a performance that was much superior than average magical tools.

But of course, Tae Ho’s battle power wouldn’t increase by having a few more ma.s.s-produced Liberatuses but it was different for Idun’s legion. If he distributed Merlin’s weapons to the new warriors, then their individual battle prowesses and survivability rates would increase exponentially.

‘Then you should just take it now. When else will you come to Vanaheim? The path to here is that far and harsh.’

It was a distance that took over a week even if one rode a fast s.h.i.+p. Tae Ho nodded.

“I was going to request to Hildegarde when we reached our lodging as it would be good if we had a guide.”

He heard the general story from Merlin, but it was still an unfamiliar path for them. If there was someone that was knowledgeable of this land, then searching the secret investigation lab of Merlin would be much easier.

Adenmaha listened to Tae Ho’s words and said in a good mood,

“We have to eat lunch, so let’s go slowly. It’s not that anyone is chasing after us, right? I’m also curious as to what they eat in Vanaheim.”

It seemed like Adenmaha was looking at the secret lab of Merlin as going on an excursion.

Tae Ho’s eyes remained on Adenmaha. The inside of the carriage was bright, but humming next to Tae Ho made her seem like a cat.

“Now that I see Adenmaha, don’t you have motion sickness for being in the carriage?”

Because the sea and the carriage moved the same.

Adenmaha had rejected looking at Tae Ho in the face, pretending to have gotten sea sick.

Adenmaha blinked with a surprised face at his question and barely managed to open her mouth.

“Uh….now, now that I see I slightly…..huugh?”

Adenmaha slightly closed her eyes and leaned towards Tae Ho, and Cuchulainn criticized her as always.

‘She acts disgustingly bad.’

But still, Cuchulainn was being considerate of her as he spoke in a voice so low Tae Ho didn’t hear it.

At that moment, Tae Ho thought about using the ‘Eyes of the Dragon’ but then changed his thoughts. He fixed his sitting posture and then pulled Adenmaha to make her lie down sideways. And obviously, Adenmaha’s head landed on Tae Ho’s thigh.

“Rest. I will tell you when we arrive.”

“Yees.”

Adenmaha covered her face with her long hair while answering.

Tae Ho stroked the head of Adenmaha and looked at the front once again. He didn’t get the uneasy feeling like before, but it was still hard to look away.

“May Idun’s blessing accompany you.”

Tae Ho prayed in a low voice while looking at the newly engraved rune of Idun in his wrist and slowly closed his eyes.

—

Siri stood in the hall of Valhalla that was connected with the wooden dock and looked at a distant place. Several warriors of Ullr’s legion were lined up behind her.

They were the force that was selected to be dispatched to the front lines.

‘How regretful.’

Siri thought of Tae Ho and put on a bitter smile. It was because she wouldn’t be able to visit Idun’s legion for a few months while she was away in the front lines. Having departed from him without saying a proper farewell was really regretful.

But right at that moment-

“Heey Siri.”

“Bracky.”

Siri looked at the direction the voice was heard at and smiled. Bracky, who was bigger than the already ma.s.sive warriors, smirked and approached her.

“It’s been a while. Did you rest well?”

“Somewhat. What about you?”

“I had a fun time in Anaheim.”

Bracky laughed treacherously and looked at a distant place. Siri let out a sigh reflexively at him, who looked like a fool, and then shook her head and started to imitate Heda.

“So that was the case. You had a fun time. How good of you.”

She had learned from Heda because she had said that it had great effects and that really was the case.

“Wh, what is it? I feel like i’m being treated like a moron.”

There certainly wasn’t a curse mixed in her words.

Siri just looked at him with lukewarm eyes instead of explaining to him, and Bracky couldn’t endure it anymore.

“A-anyways! We got to be together this time, too. Don’t you think that there’s a solid tie between us?”

“Well, it’s not that there is none.”

Actually, it wasn’t that she had been in almost all the battlefields like with Tae Ho, but she had still been in quite a lot of battlefields with Bracky.

Just taking into account the time they had spent in an expedition, Tae Ho came first and Bracky would be the second. Rolph, who hadn’t been with her recently, would take third place.

While Siri was counting the numbers by herself, Bracky looked at his surroundings and then blinked and asked,

“Isn’t that Tae Ho guy here? He has almost always been with you. Or went with Ullr’s legion.”

Because the one-man-army of Idun’s legion couldn’t go out on an expedition alone. Tae Ho had always joined in another legion for an expedition since he was a lowest-ranked warrior, especially in Ullr’s legion.

But of course, the situation had changed now. Tae Ho had become the commander and new warriors had entered Idun’s legion.

But even so, Bracky just ignored that fact. It was because the new warriors were all lowest-ranked and it was impossible for them to stand on the same battlefield as Tae Ho, a superior-ranked warrior.

Siri didn’t answer immediately and checked her surroundings and then approached Bracky and said in a low voice,

“He went to Vanaheim after receiving a call from Freya-nim.”

It was something that shouldn’t be hidden, but it still wasn’t something that could be said openly.

Bracky thought of the beautiful face of Freya at the words of ‘Freya’s orders’ and drooled like a fool, and Siri looked at him once more with lukewarm eyes.

And a few seconds later, Bracky said after he barely managed to regain his bearings.

“Mm, he’s quite busy lately. Is it different if you are a commander of a legion?”

“Of course. And Tae Ho is a superior-ranked warrior while we are still intermediate-ranked.”

At first, Siri was an inferior-ranked warrior and Tae Ho was at the lowest rank but when did this gap get created?

Siri put on a bitter expression unconsciously, but Bracky didn’t follow suit. He rather snorted and said bravely,

“Good, good. We will catch up to him soon. Siri, you should also work hard as you will want to be with him from now on.”

“Let’s work hard.”

Siri thought why the warriors of the mortal world liked Bracky. An existence that gave one strength just by being with him. Someone that was like a vitamin.

Siri laughed and tried to speak about the frontlines that they were about to go to. Siri had already gone once when she was an inferior-ranked warrior, but it was the first time for Bracky.

But of course, they had stayed in the fortress next to the front lines, but that was rather like visiting as guests instead of protecting it like warriors. There could only be a difference in it.

But it was when Siri was about to open her mouth.

“Siri! Bracky!”

“Ingrid-nim?”

They turned their heads to look at the urgent call and saw that Ingrid was fast approaching them. She, who didn’t normally have any change in her stone-like expression, was putting on a face with perplexity and anxiousness.

“The two of you, follow me. It’s an urgent task.”

Siri and Bracky turned to look at themselves at the sudden order, and it was at that moment-

The sound of a horn trumpet was heard from a far place.

It was the signal indicating an emergency.

—

Skuld, who was flying towards Vanaheim, twisted her body in the air. She transformed from a swan back into a woman and then looked at the direction the front lines was at.

She was the future.

She was the one that reviewed the thread of fate made by the past Uld and the present Verdandi.

The uncertain future one faced no matter how many times they untied the thread and made it anew.

Skuld transformed into a swan once again. She flew towards Vanaheim, as she didn’t have much time anymore.

—

The G.o.d of Thunder, Thor, glared at the front lines and the G.o.d of Hunting, Ullr, clenched his lips at the roars that was heard from far away.

The roars of beasts.

The cry of a predator that made one’s organs freeze.

They were similar to a wolf’s, but Ullr shook his head. It wasn’t Fenrir. The roar of the world wolf wasn’t that weak.

The canine of h.e.l.l, Garmr.

The beast that got out of the hands of Hela.

It wasn’t complete, but wasn’t weak either. It was the strongest and biggest roar that was heard since Asgard has started searching for the soul fragments.

“It’s not only one soul fragment.”

Ullr said, and Thor understood his words.

The number of Garmr’s soul fragments that Odin had estimated numbered about fifteen.

Among them, Asgard had merely attained six of them.

There wasn’t a clear method for Asgard to know how many fragments the giants had gathered and how many more they have acquired.

“But it’s still incomplete.”

It wasn’t to the point to wake up the world wolf that was in its long slumber. They hadn’t gathered that amount of fragments yet.

But it had certainly drawn near. If even one or two more fragments were added, the thing they were deathly afraid of could certainly happen.

Thor felt doubt. Why did the giants wake up Garmr when they didn’t have enough soul fragments? Just why did they reveal the fact that they had gathered almost enough fragments?

“Thor! Ullr!”

A voice was heard from behind, and the two of them turned around hurriedly. Hermod, the younger brother of the two and the G.o.d of Wind and Messages, hurriedly landed on the fortress of the front lines. He, who had the look of a youth, reported to the two G.o.ds.

Things were happening in Midgard.

The roar of Garmr was spread once more, and the giants in the front lines started to move.

—

Hugin and Munin were currently in Midgard.

The two crows transmitted to Odin what they heard and seen from the sky.

There were changes occurring in several places of Midgard. It was a similar thing that happened when Garmr’s soul fragment was discovered.

In addition, it wasn’t only one or two this time. About five soul fragments were emanating its strong presence at the same time.

The distance among them was far. It wasn’t close at all. It was impossible to retrieve all of them at once with just the warriors that were down in Midgard.

Odin, who was sitting in front of Mimir’s lake, gazed at the head of Mimir.

The head of Mimir, which was on top of a wide and plain boulder, opened its mouth and spoke.

It was a story he had kept repeating since long before, and that didn’t change much but there was a variable added into it.

Odin agreed. The several crows aside of Hugin and Munin told him of the many things that were happening in Midgard and Asgard.

Giants were appearing in Midgard. Now that the fomoires had disappeared, there was only one person that could do what they did.

The G.o.d of Fire and Lies, Loki.

Odin saved his words for a moment. He looked at a distant place and said with a bitter smile.

“It’s finally started.”

The time has arrived now.

Odin stood up from his place. He didn’t stay seated anymore.

Gungnir.

The spear of Odin that boasted an absolute accuracy. A strong weapon suitable for the King of G.o.ds.

He could hear the voice of Freya searching for him urgently, and the voices of Thor and Heimdall were also heard.

The head of Mimir spoke once again.

And Odin didn’t speak back this time. He looked at a distant place with his only eye and then placed the horn trumpet he was carrying on his waist in his mouth.

He’d been the G.o.d of War before the King of G.o.ds.

Odin blew the horn trumpet.

It announced the start of war.

< Episode 34 – Vanaheim (5) > End