Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: The Second Guardian Spirit
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Shk-.
I swung my sword horizontally with all my might, slicing into Galsvint's thigh.
I had definitely put everything into that strike intending to sever it clean off, but her body was far tougher than I'd imagined.
Far from flesh tearing away, only the surface of her skin was scratched.
"Your body is like steel."
Galsvint smirked and wiped the wound clean with her palm.
"I'm a monster, after all."
Thanks to her Brunhilt bloodline, aura didn't work on her. And not only that—she absorbed enemy mana and converted it into her own power. That left pure swordsmanship as my only path to victory.
Galsvint untied her hair tie and bound her thigh with it.
Thwack.
"...You're no ordinary one yourself. Do you carry the Strange bloodline?"
"Yes. My name is Berddin. The youngest son of Roys de Strange."
"Offspring of a famed swordsmanship house. Why are you looking for Lady Brunhilt?"
"I need her."
"Who does?"
"Me."
"...You?"
She tilted her head in disbelief.
"Don't you already have a guardian spirit? So how—"
"No time to explain one by one. All I can say right now is that if you hand over Brunhilt, I'll spare your life."
"Ha! Arrogance piercing the heavens just because you can swing a sword."
"Would you prefer I act humble?"
"...Fair enough."
That was the end of the conversation.
After that, we exchanged countless blows.
The harmony created by her bullet-like punches booming with sonic cracks and my blade slicing through the air like a dancer was beautifully resonant.
"Not bad, little Strange knight."
"Now's not the time to act cocky."
Ka-clang!
Galsvint blocked the blade with her fist. Her steel-like body was far tougher than any knight's shield.
"Lady Galsvint, hang in there! If things get dicey, we'll join the fight!"
One ogre raised his voice, and the others chimed in like a chain.
"Hey, shut it. She told us not to interfere no matter what."
"Right! You think Lady Galsvint would lose to a puny human like that?"
All of them predicted Galsvint's victory.
There wasn't even a hint of anxiety in their eyes. As if they were watching a battle whose outcome was already set.
'Idiots.'
She could never beat me.
If they didn't help her now, the fight would end soon. Our battle wasn't about who was tougher—it was about who took the other's life first.
Clang!
Compared to her exceptional physique, her martial prowess was disappointingly lacking.
With proper training, she could have raced toward the pinnacle.
Ka-clang!
I twisted the halted blade before her and slashed upward.
Shk!
It grazed just shy of her nose by a hair's breadth. Without pausing, I kicked off the ground and lunged forward.
Thud.
The follow-up slash sealed the fight's end. How tough her body was didn't matter.
The fact that aura and mana didn't work held no sway here either.
The one currently in my body was a figure who had once reached the realm of Sword God.
"Finish it, my disciple."
A deep lunge toward the enemy's throat, body low.
Speed too fast to react. Even if blocked, the impact would ravage her internals.
Krunch!
The blade struck Galsvint's throat dead-on.
The thick cord around her neck prevented it from piercing the skin, but the internal damage was certain.
In that split second, her contorted face told the tale.
"Kuh."
Galsvint staggered back a step.
I spotted the necklace that had fallen from her neck during that strike. At its end, a pointed stone emitting an ethereal glow vibrated.
'That's it.'
The ogre cheering her on bellowed in shock.
"N-No way!"
The other ogres followed with roars.
-Roaaar!
I gave no quarter, slashing relentlessly across her body.
Dozens of bloody trails streamed from her arms and legs alone—the victory was already tilting my way.
Thud.
Galsvint dropped to one knee. I leveled my sword at her throat and spoke.
"Hand over Brunhilt now, and I'll let you live."
She spat at me.
Ptooey!
"Get lost."
"Seems you want to die. Time to end this."
"......"
"Any last words?"
"None. Kill me."
She scanned the surroundings slowly, then bit her lip hard and bowed her head.
I'd expected a defiant counter to preserve her pride, not this anticlimactic surrender.
"Well done, Galsvint."
I raised my sword high for the finishing blow. Just as I swung down toward her neck—
"Stop!!"
Someone shouted.
It was a very childish, frail voice.
All eyes turned to one spot. I looked too and saw a human boy about my age, panting as he gripped a club.
"...A kid?"
Galsvint furrowed her brow deeply and staggered forward to grab my pant leg.
"Ignore him. Rox! Didn't I tell you not to come out of the hut?!"
His emerald eyes and upturned nose were identical to Galsvint's. Anyone could see he was her child.
"Your son?"
"I said ignore it."
'Hmm. If he's Galsvint's blood, he'll have talent. And since he's young, molding him to my liking should be easy...'
I'd never even heard about this kid from Edward. This life held several unknowns I'd been unaware of.
"M-Mother, that's not—"
"Shut up and get back to the hut! Now!!"
"A... All right!"
One ogre rushed over, grabbed Rox by the scruff, hoisted him onto his shoulder, and bolted away.
"Young master! It's time to run now."
"B-But...!"
"Close your eyes and shut your mouth, young master!"
I took another look at the boy called Rox, then slowly withdrew the sword from Galsvint's throat.
Swish—
"Hmm. Changed my mind, Galsvint."
"What are you...?"
Whoosh—Bang!
I raised my sword and brought the flat down hard on Galsvint's head.
I knocked Galsvint out cold by slamming the flat of my blade on her head.
After instructing the surrounding ogres to tend to her, I left the scene.
Of course, I'd taken the necklace containing Brunhilt from around her neck.
'Well now.'
Brunhilt's bloodline hadn't been severed yet. And there was another existence I hadn't known about.
Brunhilt with the blood of gods, her descendant Galsvint, and the child with emerald eyes who seemed to be Galsvint's son.
Siegfried shoved his furrowed brow right up to my face and said,
"Huh? So you're saying you want to add Galsvint's son to your party?"
"Yes."
"Are you insane? Think about it! The kid whose village you turned into a wasteland and who you tried to kill his mom—you wanna travel with him?"
"I'll make it so he has no choice."
"How?"
I dangled Galsvint's necklace slowly in the air over the table as I replied.
Whirr.
"By showing him the power of the Strange Family."
"The power of Strange?"
"Yes. Tell him I'll raise an army and burn the entire forest if he refuses—he'll have no choice but to comply."
"Wh-What kind of crazy talk is that? That's your territory."
I shook my head firmly.
"It is. But who suffers the most if that forest burns?"
"...Monsters?"
"Exactly."
"W-Wait a sec. You think that'll work on them? That woman earlier just hacked through her comrades and threw away her own life without a second thought."
"Doesn't matter. What they protect isn't the fortress. It's that forest."
"The forest?"
"Yes, the forest."
Siegfried tilted his head.
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it, Master. What's the ogres' nickname? And the reason they exist?"
"Guardians of the forest. Born to protect it."
"Exactly. Ogres exist to guard the forest."
"...Ogres, fine. But why's Galsvint protecting the forest?"
The answer was simple.
Because this forest held the key to the tower's summit. Siegfried knew that. Or at least, he should.
If he'd truly made Brunhilt his guardian spirit, he couldn't be ignorant of why she became one or her ultimate goal.
I feigned innocence on purpose.
"No idea."
A perfect five-year-old's response.
"Bullshit."
"...Master, I've been thinking lately. Don't you talk too harshly to a kid?"
"Kid? Hah—now you're saying all sorts. Hey, you little punk, are you just some kid?!"
"Yes."
"You're a knight."
"A knight?"
"Yeah. What kid practices with a seven-star knight, slices off an assassin's and a mage's arms, and takes on the boss of an ogre fortress?"
Listing my feats as he said, it did sound absurd.
I'd tried to hide my power as much as possible, but with such overwhelming strength, controlling it was impossible.
But that was fine.
One sentence solved it all.
"I'm Strange."
Clean and perfect.
Siegfried nodded in agreement.
"True. If you inherited my blood, this is the least you should do."
He even looked satisfied.
"But what about not bringing Brunhilt?"
I placed the dangling necklace on the map.
Thud.
"I did bring her."
"What?"
"She's right here."
Siegfried looked around.
"Where?"
"Here."
"You messing with me? I oughta smack you!"
"I'm serious. Look, right here."
I waggled my eyebrows at the map. Siegfried followed my gaze to the necklace, then clapped his hands with wide eyes.
Clap!
"No way! Brunhilt's inside this necklace?"
"Yes."
"For real?"
"Check it if you don't believe me. You'll feel the magic from the crystal attached to it."
From afar, it looked like a stone of odd hue, but up close with focus, it was clearly a gem.
A crystal brimming with potent magic, containing Brunhilt's guardian spirit.
"Where'd you get this?"
"It was around Galsvint's neck."
"Galsvint's neck?"
"Yes. I pretended to behead her to snap the cord. Then when the kid showed up, I pocketed it in the chaos."
Siegfried stared at the crystal thoughtfully for a long while, then shook his head and muttered to himself.
"But... do we really have to go with her? No plans for other guardian spirits?"
"Yes."
"If you want, I could introduce you to some good ones—"
"No need."
"Yeah, figured. You wouldn't listen anyway. But listen, disciple. One thing you gotta know for sure."
"What?"
"Truth is, Brunhilt..."
"Yes."
Siegfried hesitated with a troubled look, mumbling before sighing deeply and turning away.
"She's not a mage."