Shhk—
I swung my sword horizontally, aiming to slice through Galsvint’s thigh.
I had put all my strength into cutting it clean off, yet her body was far tougher than expected.
Rather than flesh being severed, all I managed was a shallow wound on the surface of her skin.
“Your body is like steel.”
Galsvint wiped the wound with her palm, smiling faintly.
“Because I’m a monster.”
Thanks to inheriting Brunhilde’s blood, aura had no effect on her. Not only that, but she could absorb an opponent’s mana and turn it into her own strength. The only way to fight her was through pure swordsmanship.
Galsvint loosened her hair tie and wrapped it around her thigh.
Pak.
“…You’re not ordinary either. Do you carry the blood of Strange?”
“That’s right. My name is Verdin, youngest son of Lois de Strange.”
“A child of a prestigious swordsmanship house. Why are you looking for Lady Brunhilde?”
“I need her.”
“Who does?”
“I do.”
“…You?”
She tilted her head, disbelief written all over her face.
“You have a spiritual guardian with you, don’t you? Then how—”
“I don’t have time to explain everything. What I can say now is this—hand over Brunhilde, and I’ll spare your life.”
“Hah? Just because you know how to use a sword, your arrogance is through the roof.”
“Then should I be humble instead?”
“…Fair enough.”
That was the end of our conversation.
After that, we exchanged countless blows.
The thunderous roar of her punches and the sharp whistle of my sword cutting through the air blended into a violent symphony.
“Not bad, little knight of Strange.”
“This isn’t the time to be relaxed.”
Clang!
Galsvint blocked my blade with her bare fist. Her steel-like body was harder than a knight’s shield.
“Stay strong, Lady Galsvint! If needed, we’ll fight alongside you!”
An ogre shouted, and the others chimed in.
“Hey, don’t be stupid! She told us not to interfere.”
“Yeah! And as if Lady Galsvint would lose to some human!”
They were certain of her victory. Their eyes held not a trace of doubt, as if the outcome had already been decided.
Idiots.
She could never defeat me.
If they didn’t step in now, this battle would soon be over.
This wasn’t a contest of endurance—it was a fight to the death.
Clang!
For someone with such an exceptional body, her martial skills were disappointingly lacking.
Had she received proper training, she might have reached the pinnacle of mastery.
Kaang!
I twisted my sword mid-strike and slashed upward.
Shhk!
The blade narrowly missed her face.
Without stopping, I pushed forward, slamming my foot against the ground.
Pah!
My next strike would end this fight.
How tough her body was didn’t matter.
The fact that aura and mana had no effect on her didn’t matter either.
Right now, the one inside my body was a man who had once reached the peak of swordsmanship.
“Finish it, my disciple.”
A thrust aimed at her throat.
Too fast for her to react.
Even if she blocked it, the impact would still destroy her insides.
Kwaduk!
The sword struck her squarely in the throat.
Though the thick cord around her neck prevented the blade from piercing her skin, the internal damage was evident.
For a brief moment, her face twisted in pain.
“Kuh.”
Galsvint staggered back a step.
I glanced at the necklace that had fallen from her neck. At its end, a sharp stone shimmered with a strange light.
That’s it.
An ogre who had been cheering for her let out a desperate cry.
“T-That’s impossible!”
The others erupted in an uproar.
Uwooooh!
I gave them no time to act, continuing my relentless assault.
By now, her arms and legs were covered in countless bleeding cuts.
It was clear the battle had already tilted in my favour.
With a thud, Galsvint fell to one knee.
I placed my sword against her neck.
“If you hand over Brunhilde now, I’ll let you live.”
She spat at me.
Ptuh!
“Screw you.”
“Seems like you want to die. Then let’s finish this.”
“…….”
“Any last words?”
“None. Do it.”
She glanced around, then clenched her lips and lowered her head.
I had expected her to make a final stand for the sake of her pride. But for it to end this easily…
“You fought well, Galsvint.”
I raised my sword for the final blow.
At that moment—
“Stop!!”
A small, trembling voice cut through the air.
Everyone turned to look.
I followed their gaze and saw a young human boy, panting and gripping a club.
“……A child?”
Galsvint furrowed her brows and staggered forward, clutching my pant leg.
“Stay out of this. Rox! I told you never to leave the hut!”
Emerald eyes. A sharp, furrowed brow.
He was unmistakably her child.
“Is he yours?”
“Stay out of it.”
Hmm. If he’s Galsvints blood, he must have talent. And since he’s still young, shaping him to my will wouldn’t be difficult…
I had never heard of this child from Edward.
More and more, this life was straying from what I knew.
“M-Mother, it’s not—”
“Shut up and go back to the hut! Now!!”
“Ah… Y-Yes, ma’am!”
An ogre rushed forward, grabbed Rox by the collar, hoisted him onto his shoulder, and dashed away.
“Young Master! Now is the time to run!”
“But…!”
“Close your eyes and keep your mouth shut, Young Master!”
After confirming the face of the boy called Rox once more, I slowly withdrew the sword pointed at Galsvint’s neck.
Swish—
“Hmm, I’ve changed my mind, Galsvint.”
“What do you mean—”
Whoosh— Bang!
I raised my sword and struck Galsvint’s head with the flat of the blade.
I had knocked Galsvint unconscious with a blow to the head.
Then, after instructing the surrounding ogres to take care of her, I left the area.
Of course, I made sure to take the necklace containing Brunhilde, which had been hanging around Galsvint’s neck.
Now then…
Brunhilde’s bloodline hadn’t been severed yet. And more importantly, there was someone else I hadn’t known about.
Brunhilde, who carried the blood of the gods, her descendant Galsvint, and the emerald-eyed child who seemed to be her offspring.
Siegfried leaned in close to my face, his brows deeply furrowed.
“Ah? So what you’re saying is… you want to take Galsvint’s son into your party?”
“Yes.”
“Are you out of your damn mind? Think logically! After you tore through his village and nearly killed his mother, you think he’ll just follow you around?”
“I’ll make it so he has no choice.”
“And how exactly do you plan to do that?”
I picked up Galsvint’s necklace from the table and slowly swung it through the air.
Whoooom.
“By showing him the power of Strange.”
“The power of Strange?”
“Yes. If I raise an army and burn down the entire forest, he’ll have no choice but to comply.”
“W-What kind of insane nonsense is that? That’s your own territory!”
I shook my head firmly.
“Yes, but who would suffer the most if the forest burned down?”
“…The monsters, obviously.”
“Exactly.”
“Wait, hold on. Do you really think that will work? That woman… She didn’t hesitate to cut down her own allies and didn’t even flinch when you were about to kill her.”
“It doesn’t matter. What they’re protecting isn’t the fortress—it’s the forest itself.”
“The forest?”
“Yes, the forest.”
Siegfried tilted his head in confusion.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Master, think carefully. What is the ogres’ nickname? And what is their reason for existing?”
“They’re called the Guardians of the Forest. They were born to protect the forest.”
“Exactly. The ogres exist to protect the forest.”
“…Fine, I get the ogres. But why would Galsvint care about protecting the forest?”
The answer was simple.
Because the key to reaching the top of the tower was hidden within this forest.
Siegfried either already knew this or would soon realize it.
If he had truly made Brunhilde his spiritual guardian in the past, there was no way he wouldn’t know why she became one and what her ultimate goal was.
I deliberately put on a clueless expression.
“I have no idea.”
It was the kind of answer only a five-year-old would give.
“Bullshit.”
“…Master, I’ve been meaning to say this for a while, but don’t you think you speak too harshly to a child?”
“A child? Hah—now you’re just saying anything. Hey, brat, do you really think you’re just a kid?”
“Of course.”
“You’re a knight.”
“A knight?”
“Yeah. What kind of ordinary kid trains swordsmanship with a Seven-Star Knight, hacks off an assassin’s and a mage’s arms, and takes on the leader of an ogre stronghold?”
When he listed out my accomplishments like that, even I had to admit it sounded absurd.
I had been trying to keep my power hidden as much as possible, but the sheer amount of strength I possessed made it impossible to fully suppress.
But it was fine.
This was a problem that could be solved with a single sentence.
“I’m a Strange.”
A clean and perfect answer.
Siegfried nodded in approval.
“Well, if you inherited my blood, I suppose this much is expected.”
Rather than looking displeased, he actually seemed satisfied.
“But what are you going to do now that you didn’t bring Brunhilde back?”
I placed Galsvint’s necklace on top of the map.
Tap.
“I did bring her.”
“What?”
“She’s right here.”
Siegfried glanced around in confusion.
“Where?”
“Right here.”
“Are you messing with me? You little—!”
“I’m not joking. Look closely—it’s right here.”
I raised my eyebrows and gestured.
Following my gaze, Siegfried inspected the necklace. Then, suddenly, his eyes widened, and he clapped his hands together.
Clap!
“Don’t tell me! Brunhilde is inside this necklace?”
“That’s right.”
“For real?”
“If you don’t believe me, check for yourself. You’ll sense a strong demonic energy coming from the crystal in the necklace.”
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary stone with an unusual colour, but upon closer inspection, it was clearly a gem.
A gem containing an overwhelming amount of demonic energy—the very spiritual guardian that was Brunhilde.
“Where did you find this?”
“It was hanging around Galsvint’s neck.”
“Around Galsvint’s neck?”
“Yes. I pretended to go for her throat, but instead, I cut the necklace’s cord. Then, when the child appeared, I used the distraction to snatch it up.”
Siegfried stared at the crystal for a long moment, lost in thought. Then, shaking his head, he muttered under his breath.
“But… do we really have to work with her? You’re not considering taking any other spiritual guardians?”
“No.”
“If you want, I could introduce you to some better ones—”
“I don’t need them.”
“Yeah, I figured. Of course, you wouldn’t listen to me. But listen, kid, there’s something you need to know.”
“What is it?”
Siegfried hesitated, his face clouded with concern.
Then, after a deep sigh, he turned his back to me.
“Brunhilde… she’s not a mage.”
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