Hunters of the Wastes (3)
Inside Albrecht’s office in the Altwissen Library.
“Hmm… are you all right?”
The director examined the two of them carefully.
Just moments ago we had been standing in the middle of the windless zone. I lent him my mana so he could cast a teleportation spell and pull us out of that space. I felt fine, but… the other two looked half-broken.
“Hey, Krim… you’re not dizzy?”
“Not really.”
“Uwaaa… my head’s still spinning…”
Yeah… if I left them like this, we’d never get anywhere.
Whoosh—
I summoned a light breeze.
“Hm? What are you trying to do?”
Instead of answering, I spread the wind wide and—
Fwaaaaa—
—slammed it straight into their faces.
“Huuueeebbbebebe…”
“Ugh! Hup! Haaah! Hey, hey!! Are you crazy!? You wanna die!!!!”
The swirling gust had hit them square in the face. It seemed to have jolted their brains back online.
“Relax. I held back.”
“You… get over here.”
Thud. Thud.
Brita approached with a dark shadow cast over her face.
I knew she wouldn’t actually use her strength. Her specialty was brute force, but she wouldn’t resort to it in a situation like this.
Still… I didn’t see this coming.
Streeeetch—
“Uweh.”
She walked right up and pinched both my cheeks, yanking them outward.
“Are you… gonna do that again? Or not?”
“Hurts. Leggo.”
It hurts, so let go already.
Streeetch— streeetch—
“So? Gonna do it again? Or not?”
“…Won’t.”
“You won’t? Okay.”
She finally released me.
“…”
I glared at her with half-lidded eyes.
“It was your fault, wasn’t it? Why are you looking at me like a kicked kitten?”
Hmph.
“Uwaaa… I think I’m back now…”
Soleil, hair completely disheveled, shuffled over to us.
Hmm… I probably should feel bad about that one.
“You… don’t feel sorry for me at all, do you?”
“How’d you know?”
“Haaaa……”
“Ahem!”
Albrecht cleared his throat to get our attention.
“You all seem to have recovered.”
“Ah, yes. Then let’s organize what we know.”
Perfect timing. If we dragged this out any longer… well… Brita might actually beat me up. I’d rather avoid that.
“First, allow me to introduce myself. I am Albrecht von Luftberg, director of the Altwissen Library.”
“I’m Krimhild Eschen. It’s an honor, Lord Luftberg.”
Since he used von, he must be nobility. I should treat him accordingly.
“Umm… I’m Brita Caera… I guess.”
Brita introduced herself in an awkward, stiff tone.
“Haha… no need to be so formal, Miss Eschen. Just call me Director. Everyone does.”
“Understood. Then please call me Krimhild, Director.”
“S-same here… please call me Brita.”
How long has it been since she last used polite speech? She sounded painfully rusty.
“Very well. Miss Krimhild, Miss Brita. Are you two already acquainted with Soleil?”
“Yes! These two helped me back in Steinbrücke!”
“I see. Then I owe you another debt of gratitude.”
Albrecht gently stroked Soleil’s head as he spoke with warm affection. Soleil beamed brightly in response.
The bond between them looked quite deep. Now I understood why she called him one of her precious people.
“I sincerely thank you both for helping me and Soleil.”
He placed his right hand over his heart and bowed.
“It was only natural.”
“Y-yeah…”
You really look like you’re struggling, Brita…
“You’ve been through a lot too. Coming all the way to such a dangerous place to find me… you’ve grown so much.”
“Uwaaa… thank you, Director!”
Soleil’s face flushed with embarrassment as she ducked her head.
“May we move on to the main topic? We still have matters to resolve.”
“Of course. Though I must be honest—the solution won’t be easy.”
“What is it… exactly?”
Brita, you poor thing…
“Have you heard of the Wild Hunt?”
“It means ‘wild hunt,’ right? I’m not familiar with it.”
“…”
Brita silently shook her head.
“Director, are you saying those things were the Wild Hunt?”
“Indeed. They have returned.”
From the way the two spoke, it sounded like something that only existed in old texts.
“Do either of you know about the Great War?”
“You mean the war between the gods…”
About five hundred years ago, a war broke out among the gods. No one knew the cause or how it unfolded—only the fact that the conflict had happened was passed down. It was almost as if the truth had been deliberately buried.
“Correct. When the war began, a horde of monsters appeared on this land.”
Albrecht paused to catch his breath before continuing.
“They were called the Wild Hunt.”
After the war, most of the gods fell silent. Even the wind god of Adelgard vanished. The void left by the gods must have caused this.
“But Director, wasn’t the Wild Hunt sealed away?”
“You are correct. They were imprisoned by the hands of ancient heroes.”
“Heroes?”
Brita, who had been listening quietly, showed a spark of curiosity.
“Yes. According to legend… they answered the call of the world itself.”
The call of the world? That sounded far too mythical.
“They wielded mysterious blades and drove out the monsters, bringing peace to the land. One of those seals lies in the plains.”
“The plains? Do you know the exact location of the seal?”
“…I’m ashamed to admit I do not. Almost no records from the Great War remain. We would have to dig through the deepest archives for quite some time.”
The deepest archives, huh…
“Could we go there ourselves? That’s actually why we came looking for you, Director.”
“Ah, I see. I never asked why you were searching for me. What is the matter?”
“We’re looking for records about this sword, and information on an organization called the followers of Nidhogg.”
“Nidhogg? There are people who worship that entity?”
So he knew about Nidhogg.
“They wear black cloaks. Their goal is the dragon’s resurrection.”
“Hah… resurrect Nidhogg? That evil dragon from the mythic era?”
“They’re trying to bring that dragon back? How horrifying…”
It seemed Soleil knew the legend too.
“You know about it?”
“According to the stories, wherever that dragon passes, the ground becomes filled with living corpses. Eugh…”
“Soleil is correct. What those people are attempting… will bring about irreversible consequences.”
Living corpses… that sounded a lot like those wraiths.
“I suspect this incident is also their doing. The Wild Hunt and those living corpses seem similar, don’t they?”
“Your theory has merit. But what connection could they possibly have to that dragon’s resurrection?”
“We detected Void mana in the windless zone. Those followers also use the Void.”
“The Void… I see. So that unpleasant mana was the Void. But how were you able to sense it?”
“Thanks to the spirit dwelling in this sword. Because of her, I can sense the Void and deal with it.”
Back when we fought the slimes in the underground waterway, I had received a small portion of Mist’s power.
“May I see your sword?”
“Here it is.”
Albrecht examined Gram closely.
“Hmm… I can’t tell much just by looking. You said you wanted information about the sword, correct? Is there something hidden about it?”
“One of the followers’ executives saw it and started babbling about a blood wind and fate. He was clearly insane, but it stuck with me.”
“…Blood wind? That’s what you heard?”
Albrecht stared at me with a startled expression.
“Is something wrong?”
“Do you know the name of that sword?”
“It’s Gram.”
“Hoh…”
His eyes widened.
“What is it, Director?”
Soleil asked with a curious gaze.
“Hmm… have you forgotten? About Gram.”
“Uh… umm… ugh, I’m sorry.”
She clutched her head, then turned away to avoid Albrecht’s gaze.
“It’s all right. The sword and its wielder’s name are among the few records that remain.”
He patted Soleil’s head and continued.
“The magic sword of destruction, Gram, and its owner—the hero known as the Sword of the Blood Wind, Lerir.”
The Sword of the Blood Wind… When I poured mana into Gram, it turned red. So that’s where the title came from.
“To think the sword and its new owner stand before me… this is truly astonishing. Where exactly did you obtain it?”
“…It was my father’s sword. I inherited it as it was.”
Dad…
“I see. Hmm…”
“Is there any material on this sword in the deep archives?”
“There should be. It will take some searching, though.”
“If I can understand Gram better… perhaps I can recreate the seal from that time.”
I already possessed the power to cut through the Void. If I could learn what kind of seal Lerir had created and find a way to draw out even more of Gram’s strength… it would help me deal with whatever lay beyond the seal.
It was worth trying.
“With your mana… I understand. Then follow me.”
Deep underground archives beneath the Altwissen Library. The secret repository.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
“This is the place.”
“W-wow…”
Soleil looked around with wide-eyed amazement.
The repository was lined with shelves packed with ancient documents and books of every kind. Surprisingly, it was spotlessly maintained—no dust or mold anywhere.
“This area is meticulously preserved with magic. Since these are ancient records, we must take great care.”
“Whoa, this is insane. I have no idea where to even start.”
Brita scratched the back of her head, looking overwhelmed.
“Take your time. I still have work to do, so I’ll excuse myself. I must deliver these children’s… personal effects.”
Albrecht held out a small pouch containing the keepsakes.
“…May they rest in peace.”
“…Our condolences.”
“…Sleep well.”
We closed our eyes and observed a moment of silence.
Their souls were probably still wandering. Tormented by those wraiths.
Once this was over, they would naturally return to the proper cycle. I’d hunt down the bastards hiding in the plains and offer their blood as my tribute.
After Albrecht left, we spent a long time rummaging through the shelves.
Imperial Year 424. Investigation Records of Weisenthal
Imperial Year 413. Hymn to the Wind God
Imperial Year 782. …
We weren’t finding anything useful. Just as the director had warned, records from that era were scarce, and even when we found some, they held no relevance.
…It would’ve been nice if he’d at least told us where to look.
“Ugh, how is there this much stuff? We’re gonna be here all night.”
“Y-you can do it!”
The other two were struggling as well.
Hmm…
I wonder if Mist knows anything.
Whiii—
I gently pushed a little wind into Gram.
Hey, Mist. If you can hear me, say something.
Is there any material here related to Gram?
Vrrr—
?
Vrrrr—
??
Vrrrrrr—
What? Is she actually responding?
Hmm… maybe I should walk around while holding it…
“Huh? What are you doing? Hurry up and search properly.”
Brita sounded a little irritated.
…Is she hungry?
“I’m asking Mist to help look. She might know something.”
“It can do that? The sword has that kind of function?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Get over here.”
“W-who knows! It might actually work!”
Soleil looked at me with sparkling, hopeful eyes.
No… even if you look at me like that, I don’t really know what I’m doing.
“Hmmm…”
Vrrr—
“Hmmmm…”
Vrrrrr—
The pattern seemed to change a little?
Let’s see… if I stretch it this way…
Vrrr—
Ah, not here?
Then the opposite direction…
Vrrrr—
This way?
Vrrrr—
Well… let’s call it an answer.
I walked in the direction where the vibration grew stronger.
Vrrrr— vrrrrrrrr—
Gram’s vibration grew more intense.
…Can I seriously find it like this?
Vrrrrrr— vrrr—
It got weaker again? Then right before that…
…
Ah. Found it.
Slide—
It was someone’s personal notebook.
“…It actually worked?”
“Uh… yeah. Let’s read it.”
Vrrrr—!
Gram gave a short pulse.
Mist? Are you trying to tell me something by vibrating?
Vrrrr—
Oh, that’s not it?
“Hey, read this for us.”
Vrrrr…
Mist seemed a little dejected.
What’s wrong with her? I have no idea what she’s trying to say.
“Let’s see…”
“Lord Lerir is quite peculiar. Sometimes he meditates while holding his sword.
He says he speaks with the spirit dwelling inside it, though I don’t understand how.
When I asked, he told me that pouring mana into the blade allows one to reach the place where she resides. I cannot comprehend it.
Without any mana of my own, it seems to be a realm beyond my reach. As expected of a hero.”
“Huh? That’s it?”
“That’s all that’s readable.”
Pour mana into Gram to meet the spirit in the mental space.
…I never thought about actually going in there myself.
“I’ll give it a try.”
Whooooosh—
“You two keep searching, just in case.”
“Yeah, good luck.”
“Got it!”
I closed my eyes.
I focused on the flow of mana. I slowly sent wind through the blade, letting my consciousness follow it into the sword.
…
My body grew lighter.
I was being drawn somewhere—not pulled against my will, but moving exactly as I desired.
Flash—
Light poured in.
An empty space, and within it—
the grey-haired spirit, Mist.
As if sensing my presence, she slowly turned around.
“…Welcome, Lady Krimhild.”