The conversation with Hysteria was successful.
In the end, he had no choice but to accept my proposal.
Well, I wouldn’t have been able to refuse either. Opportunities to take down Gunter are rare.
Siegfried picked his nose as he asked,
“You’re more impressive than I thought. How do you manage to hold your ground against someone like that? It felt like he’d chop your head off if you slipped up.”
Strolling slowly through the rose garden in the center of the estate, I replied,
“He wouldn’t have done that. My brother doesn’t kill without a solid justification.”
“Really? He looked like a plain murderer to me. Especially when he licked the blood off his blade… wow, I never imagined I’d have a descendant like him!”
Hysteria is indeed a killer.
However, his targets are limited. His madness only manifests against those the family has explicitly marked as “enemies.” He doesn’t swing his sword recklessly without reason.
Though,
he has no mercy for those outside the family.
“Really? I heard the Sword God was also called a demon on the battlefield.”
“That’s different! I earned that nickname for my skill. That guy? He’s just outright insane.”
“Sure, if you say so.”
From the perspective of the people on the receiving end, it’s all the same.
“By the way, when are you planning to find your second spiritual guardian?”
“My second spiritual guardian?”
“Yeah. The estate’s empty today, isn’t it? Why not sneak into the warehouse and smash another jar? There are probably some decent ones in there.”
A second spiritual guardian, huh. It wouldn’t hurt to act quickly before someone else snatches one up.
I waved Siegfried away and continued walking through the garden.
“I won’t be searching within the estate.”
“Why not?”
“There’s no one suitable here.”
“Then where are you going to find one?”
Since obtaining Siegfried, I’ve been considering my next spiritual guardian.
Who would best complement me? It didn’t take long to find an answer.
In my past life, I hadn’t even had the chance to witness this particular guardian since its master disappeared when I was young.
But it was a guardian as extraordinary as the Sword God, Siegfried.
“Sword God, do you know who the strongest magician in history was?”
“The strongest magician?”
“Yes, the one who waged a hundred-year war against the Strange family.”
“The Hundred-Year War…”
“The half-demon who was called the strongest monster in history.”
“Half-demon… wait, what?”
Siegfried’s eyes widened as he pointed at me.
“Don’t tell me…”
“Brunhilde von Glazer.”
“?!?”
“The founder of the magical Glazer family. How about bringing her in as my second spiritual guardian?”
That night, having resolved to obtain my second spiritual guardian, I snuck out of the estate.
Avoiding the knights’ eyes wasn’t difficult. I knew every path in the area like the back of my hand, including hidden passages unknown to mere guards.
“Do you even know who Brunhilde is?”
Of course, I did.
She was known as the greatest adversary of the Strange family.
“Yes, I heard plenty about her from my nanny when I was young. She was in every bedtime story she read to me.”
“Bedtime stories?”
“Yes, about how the great ancestor of the Strange family finally defeated the demon Brunhilde and brought peace to the continent!”
Siegfried shook his head in disbelief.
“…What a load of nonsense. Killing Brunhilde didn’t bring peace, that’s absurd.”
“Why not?”
“She might’ve been a demon and had a terrible temper, but she wasn’t a villain.”
“You speak as if you knew her personally.”
“Of course! I didn’t just meet her—I fought her, too.”
“You’re lying. Brunhilde died before you were even born.”
Siegfried’s face twisted with anger as his body expanded.
Fwoosh!
“Who’s lying, you brat? She was my spiritual guardian!”
I was shocked. So shocked I couldn’t close my mouth.
This was new information, something I hadn’t learned in my past life.
Or was it? The fact that he revealed it so easily made me doubt whether it had been a secret at all.
Well.
I hadn’t asked about it in my previous life.
Back then, I didn’t care who his spiritual guardian was.
And frankly, we didn’t talk much. He’d treated teaching me as a disgrace, constantly raging at me.
Though after I entered the academy, he acknowledged my talent and actively trained me, those early days were filled with nothing but his insults: “You idiot!”
“So, did you learn swordsmanship from Brunhilde?”
“Do you think that makes sense? She was a magician, not a swordsman.”
“Then why did you choose her as your guardian?”
“…I had my reasons.”
Siegfried stared into the distance, lost in thought, then clenched his fists as his face contorted.
Crack.
It was clear something unpleasant had happened.
“Hey, forget it. Can’t you just choose a different guardian?”
“Why?”
“She doesn’t fit well with me. If you bring her here, I might run away.”
I firmly shook my head.
“Don’t be ridiculous. A spiritual guardian can’t leave without their contractor’s permission.”
“…”
“And whatever happened between you two, I’ve already decided to bring Brunhilde back.”
Siegfried let out a long sigh before nodding slightly.
If he wasn’t strongly opposed, then the issue between them couldn’t have been that severe.
“Do you even know where Brunhilde is? She’s not the type of guardian to stay in one place like me.”
“No, I don’t.”
“What? You don’t know?”
“Correct.”
Of course, there was no way I could know.
Brunhilde’s whereabouts were a mystery, not only to the Strange family but also to the Glazer family.
“No! Don’t tell me you came here planning to bring her back without even knowing where she is!”
“Yes, but I can find her.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“There are descendants of Brunhilde in this forest. If we use their abilities, we’ll find her quickly.”
“Descendants of Brunhilde… don’t tell me you mean those Glazer people.”
I shook my head lightly.
“Do you think I’d come all the way here at this hour to meet a mere magician? Besides, this isn’t Glazer territory—it’s the land of the Strange family.”
“Then…”
Siegfried’s expression shifted as if something dawned on him, and he let out a sigh of exasperation.
“You’re seriously out of your mind, aren’t you?”
His reaction was completely reasonable.
The one I intended to meet wasn’t human but a being known as the owner of this forest.
“Yes, I wouldn’t have come all the way here if I were in my right mind.”
The forest, shrouded in darkness, was a dangerous place.
Not only were wild beasts abundant, but monsters also roamed freely.
Yet even at this hour, some moved under the cover of night.
A group clad in white cloaks prowled through the woods like ravenous hunting hounds, disturbing the silence of the sleeping world.
There were at least a dozen or so, moving stealthily and suppressing their presence.
“Did you find it?”
A young man with a crescent moon mark on his forehead asked. An elderly man with a thick beard nodded slightly.
“Yes, Young Master Edward.”
Edward von Glazer.
Heir to the Glazer family, renowned as a magical powerhouse and ruler of the eastern continent.
At just fifteen years old, Edward had graduated from the Academy as a prodigy.
It was said that only Hagen, the family head, surpassed his strength as a magician.
“Where is it?”
“Approximately 500 meters northwest. It seems to be moving in search of prey.”
“How many?”
“One, moving alone.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes, it’s been a long wait.”
“…Finally, the opportunity has come.”
“Before it rejoins its group, we should act quickly.”
“Then let’s not delay. Begin immediately. This is Strange family territory.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
At Edward’s hand gesture, the magicians moved with seamless coordination, like migratory birds adjusting their formation to suit the terrain.
Before long, they reached a location where the forest’s so-called ruler, the “Giant Ogre,” awaited.
The Giant Ogre was a mutant with three heads, unlike typical ogres.
Its monstrous strength allowed it to crush ordinary ogres with a single blow and even take on a 3-star knight battalion alone.
Yet, the magicians showed no fear.
Instead, they spread out, forming a circle to prepare for combat as if they had been waiting for this moment.
“Do not kill it. Capture it alive.”
With Edward’s command, the group sprang into action.
“First squad, bind it. Second squad, prepare confusion spells.”
“Impact Chain!”
“Chaos Smoke!”
Clink!
Chains formed from mana coiled around the Giant Ogre’s limbs, restraining its movements.
Simultaneously, a gray fog engulfed its faces, obscuring their vision.
Roooar!
The Giant Ogre thrashed wildly, but the chains tightened, and the fog thickened.
The more it struggled, the stronger the binding magic became.
The spells in use were from the curse-type branch of magic, distinct from ordinary spells.
Every magician present had opened at least five circles of mana.
“Frozen Arrow.”
Edward’s hands emitted blue smoke that solidified into a large bow made of ice.
He took a deep breath, then released an arrow aimed at the Giant Ogre’s chest without hesitation.
Thunk!
The ice arrow pierced its chest with precision.
Crack!
“Graaargh!”
The hunt was over in an instant.
Though the Giant Ogre was formidable, it was powerless against such overwhelming magical might.
The magicians quickly verified the creature’s condition.
A middle-aged magician checked its pulse and breathing before turning to Edward with a meaningful expression.
“Young Master, we’ve succeeded.”
Edward clenched his fist triumphantly and smiled.
“Well done. I’ve made you stay in this forest for a month because of me.”
“No need for thanks! It was merely our duty.”
The middle-aged magician stepped back and bowed deeply with both hands clasped.
As they spoke, the lower-ranking magicians worked to bind the Giant Ogre with mana chains.
Their month-long effort culminated in this moment.
Even as they rejoiced, a purple pillar of light descended from the sky.
Boom!
Suddenly, a golden-haired boy appeared, grabbing Edward’s back and pressing a blade to his neck.
Swish.
“That’s enough. If anyone so much as moves a finger, I’ll cut his throat right here.”