Chapter 166
Chapter 166
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: Strange's Sword
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I had a dream.
In a graveyard filled with countless tombstones, at its center stood a large, sharp sword that seemed to pierce through the black rock.
'That.'
Wasn't it the sword engraved on the Strange Family crest?
'No, to be precise, it's the very sword depicted in the crest.'
The black blade gleamed in the darkness, surrounded by neatly arranged stones from tombstones covered in soil and moss.
Above it, two dragons flew freely around the sword and the tombstones enclosing them.
The moment I faced them, I recognized their identities. One was the guardian deity protecting the Strange Family, and the other was the dragon I had seen in Glazer territory.
'That dragon for sure.'
I had slain it with Hagen.
'No.'
Dragons weren't beings that could be dealt with so easily. I knew that from experience in my previous life, facing them.
'Then.'
Are these two now with me? One to protect the family, the other who submitted to me.
If they sought to reveal themselves to me in some form, appearing in my dream made sense.
"...No."
But is this really a dream?
My senses were vividly alive, as real as reality. The thick stench of rotting corpses from the graveyard, the ear-piercing roars of the two dragons.
I watched the two dragons' wingbeats slicing through the sky for a long time. I don't know how much time passed, but when they descended to the ground, the air around the tombstones had become suffocatingly quiet.
'Dragons truly are remarkable.'
The presence felt when facing two at once was astonishing. Serene yet majestic, carrying a mysticism that transcended time.
"What brings you to my dream?"
I spoke boldly before them. To be honest, I felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness that made my hands and feet refuse to move properly.
'But they're not opponents I can't beat.'
Of the two dragons, the one with red scales approached me.
Kuung!
The mountain-like beast opened its massive maw wide toward me in a threatening display.
But soon, its size slowly shrank, transforming into a form almost human.
Shiiik—
The moment I saw the dragon in human form, someone came to mind. He had the exact same face and build as the one I knew.
"...Siegfried?"
At my question, the dragon twitched the corner of its mouth. It didn't answer, but it didn't deny it either.
"It's been a long time, Berddin."
Even his voice was similar to Siegfried's.
"You know me."
"Of course. How could I not know the one bearing Strange's Sword?"
"Then you're saying you're our family's guardian deity."
"Deity? No, I'm no such god."
"Then."
"Just think of me as one who shares the will you harbor."
Siegfried—no, the dragon—turned its head to look at the other dragon.
"That one you brought here by piercing through Glazer with your power also shares our will without difference."
Where his gaze directed was the blue-scaled dragon I had seen in the eastern lands.
"I don't understand what you're saying. What is this 'will' you speak of, and what exactly are you two standing before me?"
The dragon resembling Siegfried merely smiled, not giving a precise answer.
"You'll come to know naturally when the time comes. What you need to know now is that we stand behind you."
"That you stand behind me?"
"Yes. To endure the dark times approaching you ahead. And to protect Strange's Sword against those called gods."
"......"
"You'll need a firmer resolve than that."
I met his eyes and asked back.
"It sounds like you're saying hardship will come to me."
"Indeed, something like that. Berddin, do you see the names of those gathered here?"
"Names?"
I turned my head to try reading the letters on the tombstones. But wherever my gaze fell, the letters clustered and scattered repeatedly, hiding their forms, making them unreadable.
"I can't make them out."
"Those buried in this land now... are the ones who gave their lives in the past to protect the Strange Family."
"Ancestors of the Strange Family, you mean."
"That's right."
I scanned the graveyard once more and shrugged.
"So? I think their sacrifices are noble, but I'm not one to shed tears and wallow in sentiment out of respect."
"Look at the tombstone behind you now."
"The one behind me?"
"Yes."
The dragon crossed its arms and stepped back. I looked at the letters on the tombstone it indicated. Thinking they wouldn't be readable anyway, I turned my head, but...
'Huh?'
A red tombstone shaped like the hilt of my sword, Misteltein.
And at its base, my name and achievements were listed in a row.
'What.'
Why is my name here? I slowly read the achievements inscribed on the tombstone.
The final passage described stopping the wave that engulfed the continent—a scene matching the current situation.
I slowly turned my head to look at the dragon.
"Could this be the spirit world?"
The dragon regarded me with an enigmatic smile that betrayed no emotion.
"As expected, my eyes didn't deceive me. Berddin, you are the one who suits Strange's Sword the most."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It means the moment to wield the sword has come."
"The moment to wield the sword? No, my question was whether this is the spirit world—"
"I think you already know the answer to that without me saying."
The dragon resembling Siegfried walked right up to me.
Thud, thud, thud.
"Topple the tower. This time, I won't stop you."
"...You won't stop me?"
"Yes. You, as you are now, are sufficient to fell it."
A feast of incomprehensible words.
Yet I clearly understood what the dragon wanted.
'Topple the tower.'
Not climb it.
I tried to question him about it, but suddenly darkness fell before my eyes, and my vision began to close.
'I see.'
I didn't come here.
It called me.
'Not the guardian deity, but one who shares our will.'
The moment I awoke from the dream, I kicked off the bed and jumped up.
"...Until now, I wasn't walking the path slowly—I was wandering without a clear destination."
Unify the continent and conquer the tower.
Become the strongest Sword God in Strange Family history.
Saying that made the end seem clear, but without achieving it, it was no different from abstract talk.
'That's right.'
I had been too cautious. If I had pushed forward as aggressively as in my previous life, the Rothschilds wouldn't have come this far.
"I've been too reserved."
Being prudent to avoid repeating past mistakes was good, but it ended up restricting myself.
Through this dream, I clearly realized.
'Topple the tower.' The firm words from the family guardian deity—no, the one sharing our will.
I turned my gaze to Siegfried.
"Master."
Siegfried, who had been peeking under the maid's skirt, flinched in surprise and waved his hands frantically.
"N-No. I absolutely wasn't trying to look at Ellie's panties. Something just fell on the ground, and I was checking what it was."
"...Yes, come over here for a moment. Let's talk."
"Talk? Ah, right, of course. If my disciple wants to chat, his master has to respond."
He flew over to me with a reluctant expression.
Shiiik—
"What's up?"
"You said you've slain a dragon before, Master."
"That's right."
"Was it in the tower?"
"Yes, I beheaded the Red Dragon, called the Lord of Disaster. With the cat next to you now."
Brunhilt calmly licked her front paw as she replied.
"Yeah, I remember too. This guy looks dumb, but his swordsmanship was really impressive back then."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah."
"Then I have one question for you both."
I grabbed Misteltein from the bedside table, pointed the sword into the air, and asked Siegfried.
"Can I, as I am now, slay a dragon?"
They gave two answers to that question. Brunhilt said yes, since I was stronger than Siegfried back then.
The other was that strength alone and slaying a dragon were separate matters, so no.
'Siegfried's answer is probably closer to the truth.'
Since he actually slew one.
Brunhilt returned to her human form in a blue dress and clung tightly to my side.
"Siegfried's jealous of your power. If he fought you now as he was then... you'd turn him into a roast in an instant?"
Siegfried flew into a rage and pointed at Brunhilt.
"Don't talk bullshit! If my swordsmanship was that weak, how did I reach right below the tower's summit?!"
"You didn't reach the summit?"
"W-Well, that's true... but it wasn't my fault."
"Then whose fault was it? The party got wiped because you lost to that apostle."
"I didn't lose; the party got wiped! Weren't you all fighting together?"
"Don't say 'you all.' We couldn't even set up a plan before you charged ahead, so we didn't get to fight properly."
"......"
"Proof is, my body's still trapped in the tower, you pervert swordsman whose head's full of panties!"
The usual me would have brushed off their conversation. But today, I grabbed Brunhilt's waist, pulled her close, and listened.
"Master."
"...Ah, yeah?"
"Your body trapped in the tower—which floor is it on?"
In my previous life, I reached the 81st floor. As far as I knew, the gods were on the 100th, so her body should be trapped somewhere in between.
"81st floor."
"81st floor?"
"Yes. My body's in the ice castle on that floor. An apostle said to be closest to the gods guards it."
"...Then what's the name of the apostle who imprisoned you there, Master?"
At my question, Brunhilt shook her head.
"Can't tell you. A constraint was placed on me in exchange for extracting my soul."
"Then can you answer my question?"
"Question? What kind?"
I channeled Lightning through the sword I held and pointed it at Siegfried as I spoke.
"I want to know who is stronger: the tower's apostle who killed you both, or me."