Wind's Tomb (2)

There’s good news and bad news.

The good news is that Nidhogg has withdrawn his hostility toward us and we’ve found Hraesvelgr, who was our original target.

Wow! Two pieces of good news.

And the bad news is nothing special. We’re all about to die.

“Great, perfect. It’s a perfect plan. Am I perhaps a genius?”

“Sure. If you think of yourself as a heaven-sent calamity, that’s not wrong. We’re all about to die after all.”

It’s a minor issue that the <Wind’s Tomb> appears far more formidable than I expected.

Since the three combined are called a single trial, I thought they’d be weaker than Pinocchio, but the result is somewhat disappointing.

I guarantee that if these three combined their powers, Pinocchio would definitely win.

“Still, the important thing is that we’ve met Hraesvelgr. Let’s ask what I’ve been curious about.”

Right now, this space is turning into a complete mess in real-time due to the territorial dispute between the three monsters.

The land was virtually a wasteland to begin with, so it can’t get much messier. What might scatter would be us.

In other words, we’ll be lucky if we don’t end up as literal minced meat caught between them.

“Hraesvelgr-nim! We are priests dispatched from the Pantheon Temple to Alfheim! Might we request your help to travel safely?”

“……”

Despite my loudly shouted request, there was no response.

No time to pay attention to us? No, that’s not it.

Hraesvelgr definitely acknowledged us the moment I opened my mouth.

It might be shameless for me to ask for help after creating this situation, but to completely ignore us?

“Okay, this is going according to plan too.”

Not scolding us, not getting angry, just pretending not to see us—isn’t his intention too obvious?

That monster intends to pretend he didn’t see us. At least Hraesvelgr had some kind of ulterior motive.

Yes, that’s actually better. If he had been merely kind, my suspicion would have only deepened.

This is honest enough, isn’t it?

He has a human side despite being a monster.

“Claire, get ready.”

“I’d better. Otherwise, we’ll all be torn to pieces.”

“Good to see you understand.”

The impact created by the three monsters fighting will certainly be more intense than I had anticipated.

But that doesn’t mean our plan has completely collapsed.

This is still within the range of prediction.

“We set those three against each other, so now we’re going to flee to a safe place. Who needs to step up for that? Who will be our hero?”

“You don’t need to butter me up. I’ll do it anyway. If I don’t, we’ll all die, so don’t waste my energy with unnecessary talk.”

“I thought you could use some motivation since your self-love seems to have grown lately.”

“I’m a humble person.”

Don’t lie.

I saw you giggling under your blanket every night, thinking up technique names while I was on watch duty.

Of course, since you’re still in your delicate adolescence, I didn’t point it out.

I’m still a kind-hearted priest with a human heart after all.

Isn’t it proper to pretend not to know such things?

“What about you, Lost? Do you think you can do it well?”

“Who are you worrying about, kid?”

They look much stronger than I expected, but that’s fine.

Then I’ll just have to use a far more daring method, won’t I?

“Just get the timing right.”

With the center of the three monsters as the focal point, Claire stands at the front line.

Behind her, Titan supports her position, and behind them are me, Línea, and Master.

“Immortality-symbolizing god of the underworld, Osiris. Please grant this foolish one time to prepare for death.”

I deploy Canopus’s Jar.

This time, I add an incantation to maximize its power.

Dong!

As I begin to deploy the sacred magic, four jars emerge.

Imseti who resembles a human.

Hapi who resembles a monkey.

Duamutef who resembles a jackal and Qebehsenuef who resembles a falcon.

I fill each of the four death artifacts that contain the liver, lungs, stomach, and intestines with divinity and parts of my own organs.

“Kup!”

Death god worship of the ritual system that borrows power in exchange for sacrifices.

The burden has increased since I used it in the recent fight with my teacher.

I feel like my insides are twisting and I might lose consciousness at any moment, but I still have things to do.

“O great Minerva, ruler of wisdom, war, and many other things. Please bestow your shield upon the warriors dedicated to you.”

The divine shield Aegis.

Heimdall’s White Shadow, which can protect all directions, would also be good, but Aegis is more suitable for the current situation.

That’s because Aegis has a clear form.

Thud!

Enhanced by Canopus’s Jar, the divine shield Aegis boasted a size so massive it was like having a separate roof.

And there are only two here who can handle such weight and size.

“Alright! I’ll hold it steady, so everyone stay close behind me!”

The moment Claire and Titan support the massive shield with both hands,

The three monsters, who had been watching and waiting, begin to pour out their powers at each other.

Zwoooosh!

From a position slightly away from the shield, I observe the conditions of the three monsters and draw out chains to hook onto the shield.

We can’t just endure.

No, enduring would actually be a bad move.

“Huu… Huu…”

Due to the damage to my internal organs, blood sprays with every breath and I feel dizzy, but no mistakes are allowed.

If I make a mistake now, everyone here will die.

“Nidhogg is hot wind, Hraesvelgr is biting wind, Vedrfolnir is windless state.”

To make sure I don’t forget, I vocalize the positions of the three monsters and the powers they’re beginning to pour out as I grip the chains.

Nidhogg’s hot wind breath, Hraesvelgr’s cold wind, Vedrfolnir’s vacuum.

I take in the impact of the three colliding and exploding with my own eyes.

Hot wind and vacuum collide.

Cold wind and vacuum collide.

Then, fierce winds bend in the air, rotate, and eventually lose their momentum.

A strangely perfect axis.

Complete cancellation.

What about the other side?

The spot where cold wind and hot wind collide creates an incredible boom just by itself. Beyond wind colliding with wind, it’s hot versus cold.

The reaction being explosive is only natural. Hraesvelgr, who has the seasonal advantage, will soon gain the upper hand, but…

“Línea! To the left!”

I gradually adjust the direction of the shield by calculating where the impact, created when those three powers collide for an instant, will flow.

Since I’m in a weakened state from deploying Canopus’s Jar, I decided to borrow Línea’s strength.

She, too, despite not being as prominent as Titan and Claire, is a possessor of tremendous power. I had already confirmed this when I saw her dragging the alligator magical beast.

Bam!

The shield, deeply embedded in the ground, gradually shifts its direction.

Fortunately, Claire and Titan also loosen their strength to match that movement.

And then the storm that bursts out in all directions.

“Pull!”

The moment it touches the shield, I pull the chains and press close to the shield.

The impact from the battle. Even that alone casts a shadow of death.

Crackle, crackle, crackle!

The storm strikes the shield. I remain silent as I watch Aegis being shaved away in real-time.

Although Claire and Titan were holding the shield with all their strength and weight, the impact was enough to overturn the earth, so they couldn’t endure for long.

Thunk!

Eventually, the massively heavy shield rises into the air.

Yes, this is the moment I was waiting for.

A momentary storm. It will spread in all directions, but what follows is different.

“Thank you, Vedrfolnir.”

The storm that was tearing everything apart eventually circles around Vedrfolnir’s domain, which handles the windless state.

Vedrfolnir’s vacuum. It’s just a temporary phenomenon because there was the most empty space in that direction due to it.

Of course, this would become meaningless once the power balance starts to tilt.

But right now, we can use that fleeting moment to escape.

“Now there’s only one thing left.”

Clinging tightly to the shield as it rose into the air, I shouted.

“Hold on and don’t die…!”

With those final words, I gradually began to lose consciousness.

The recoil from Canopus’s Jar. Perhaps because I even added an incantation, I could clearly realize something.

This is indeed death god worship.

*     *     *

“Kugh!”

When I regained consciousness, it was noon with the sun shining down.

I woke up not so much from the brightness but from the uncomfortable bed.

“How far have we come?”

I asked while being carried by Titan. I thought the ride was uncomfortable for a reason—this damned orc had just slung me over his shoulder and was running.

“We still have about half a day to go.”

The plan to set the three monsters against each other and move to an empty space.

So far, this has been successful.

We’ve even picked up speed because we abandoned all supplies and only took what we needed. Right now, we must be running at full speed to Alfheim.

This should be fine for the time being, but only until the <Wind’s Tomb> finishes fighting.

They say that once they start fighting, they’ll fight for three days and nights, so there’s a high probability we’ll be okay, but if they enter a lull early, it could be quite dangerous.

“Lost, are you alright? First, drink this.”

“Línea, this tastes strange.”

“Good medicine is supposed to be bitter.”

Somehow it feels different from the medicine I usually take, even the color seems off.

Is this really the same as what I had before? The one I took when Teacher got me seemed more dull in color.

“Well… There’s no way there would be poison in this for me, so it should be fine.”

“Ah, is that why it didn’t work before?”

“So you did put something in this one?”

“No, not this time?”

“So you did last time?”

“……”

Yes, so you did.

No matter what, Línea wouldn’t try to poison me, so she must have put something else in. Suddenly, the mushroom Línea collected earlier came to mind.

-By the way, Línea, this mushroom has aphrodisiac effects, so don’t use it.

-Oh, is that so? I didn’t know.

-What were you going to do with it?

-I need to research it. I’m a doctor, and what if you accidentally ingest this mushroom, Lost?

-To make an antidote?

-To check the symptoms.

-…So you’re checking the symptoms to make an antidote?

Judging by the circumstances, I have a feeling that might be it…

“Indeed, people who live virtuously are blessed.”

The blessing Eremus left me has truly given beneficial results.

Until now, I hadn’t seen its usefulness since I hadn’t encountered enemies using poison, but it effectively blocked internal threats.

I was thinking Línea’s blatant self-promotion was reaching a dangerous level when…

I left Línea pouting and sipped the medicine.

Medicine is indeed bitter.

Línea’s medicine especially feels that way. Is this what all the Spirin family’s secret recipes feel like?

Certainly, my churning insides seem to be getting a bit better as soon as I drink it, so the effect is definite.

“Good, if I hold out a bit longer like this, I can regenerate my damaged organs with holy power.”

It’s impossible right now.

That’s because this is also a result achieved through holy power.

The damage to my organs is already a work touched by the hand of god.

It will take some time for those effects to fade, so until then, I’ll have to rely on Línea’s medicine.

“By the way, where’s Master?”

Now that the pain has subsided somewhat, I finally noticed my surroundings.

Master, who was certainly with us. He’s nowhere to be seen.

“…Hadard left mid-way.”

“Left? From here?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“How would I know? He just said he was leaving and disappeared.”

I’m not sure if this is good or bad.

Master came to help us.

Based on that, it might mean that we don’t need help now. Either my plan was successful, or the opposite.

“Either way, without that man around, at least I won’t have to worry about dying from frustration.”

It’s reassuring to have him around, but it’s also unsettling not knowing when he might stab us in the back. Moreover, it’s so difficult to even have a conversation with him.

“Aren’t you worried?”

“Worried? Who about whom?”

“But Hadard’s body is already in tatters…”

The condition of Master that Línea saw.

She said his entire body was marked with red lines, worse than Claire used to be? If it’s that bad, he might die just from brushing against the monsters.

Línea must be worried about that. After all, our escape was also treacherous.

But my thoughts are a bit different.

“Línea, what if you can see weak points but can’t pierce them?”

When I first heard Línea’s words, I was quite shocked too. When I talked with Master and found out it was true, I felt numb.

But thinking about it now, that was a trivial issue for Master.

“Has anyone among us even touched the hem of Master’s garment?”

I felt it keenly through training.

Again and again, I confirmed it while colliding and rolling.

At least those of us who directly crossed swords with Master—me, Titan, and Claire—would know.

“That man has survived until now without allowing even a single strike.”

There’s a reason why a trial is called a trial.

Master is unquestionably at the peak among the monsters in this realm.

*     *     *

Hadard, who had separated from Lost early on, hadn’t gone far.

There was a place he had to go, so he stood rooted to the spot.

Lost is still inexperienced.

Although he received education from Revenna, he still doesn’t know how cunning the monsters called trials can be.

“Hehehehe…”

Hadard knew.

Revenna knew too.

But Lost doesn’t know. Current humanity hasn’t figured out their true nature.

That’s why Lost’s plan was doomed to fail from the start.

No matter which option he chose.

“It’s truly amusing. Humans only see the surface power and think they exist proudly alone.”

Hadard looked at the monster surrounding him now.

No, the ‘monsters’ surrounding him.

“<Wind’s Tomb> was in cahoots from the beginning.”

Nidhogg, Hraesvelgr, Vedrfolnir. These three mortal enemies were surrounding Hadard as if they were cooperating.