Ch.193Revelation (7)

# To Reach Valhalla

To reach the main fortress of Valhalla, one had to pass through a triple gorge. It was literally a natural fortress, shaped like a funnel that gradually narrowed. It resembled the entrance to Berta Village, but was incomparable in scale.

Each time the wind blew, small stones tumbled down from the slopes beside them. Fearing rockslides, Kain and Maria constantly surveyed their surroundings.

The cliffs loomed over them. They felt the overwhelming helplessness and fear of a lost three or four-year-old child looking up at a place filled with adults, along with a surreal sense of intimidation.

Even the most courageous person would find their breath caught in their throat before such vast nature. Especially in Valhalla, situated at an elevation higher than most highland regions.

Walking even a short distance left them breathless and headachy. Yet their bodies craved more oxygen—typical symptoms of high altitude.

While resting along the way, Maria continuously massaged her thighs.

“Didn’t you say this used to be an Imperial fortress? How did the White Blood Knights ever breach this place? Even for a warrior clan, this seems impossible.”

In the era when one emperor fought against numerous kings, this place had been the Empire’s natural fortress. Military strategies were formulated on the premise that Valhalla Fortress would never fall.

The garrison commander had assured everyone that no king’s army could ever breach this place, but ridiculously, the fortress eventually fell to barbarian warriors.

But even to Maria, who knew nothing about soldiers or military tactics, the place seemed impenetrable. The cliffs were high, and the walls built upon them were even higher—so tall that climbing them with ordinary ladders would exhaust anyone before reaching the top.

Kain also wiped sweat from his forehead. Without the metal staff gifted by his master Francesco, climbing would have been even more difficult. The handle was wrapped in leather, while the body was made of lightweight yet sturdy steel.

“Well, according to legend, they flew in.”

“You must have energy to spare if you’re joking around.”

“Do I look like I do? The truth is even more absurd.”

“What did they do? Dig tunnels?”

“No. They came over.”

Kain pointed to the area behind them. Maria looked in that direction, saw nothing special, and turned back to Kain.

“Came over what?”

“That.”

“…The mountain?!”

Maria exclaimed in astonishment as she turned her head again. A towering mountain range stood firmly, making even the cliffs look as insignificant as ants. It was literally a manifestation of gods.

She couldn’t take in the entire view even when turning her head from side to side. Not just the peak, but even the middle of the mountain was hidden by clouds. For a moment, she had the illusion that if one climbed to the top, they might see the two-headed eagle.

“Yes. The mountain. They came over that mountain range. Since both the attackers’ and defenders’ records—the Empire’s records—match, it must be true. The Imperial commander at the time only expected attacks through this gorge and never imagined anyone would come over that mountain.”

“I thought that commander was just stupid, but now I realize he was truly unfortunate. That’s like a natural disaster. Who would think of such a thing?”

Maria continued to marvel. Kain smiled and recited something poetic:

“‘Until white blood flows, I shall not die; until all red blood is spilled, I shall fight.'”

“I’ve heard that somewhere before.”

Maria tilted her head, then clapped her hands lightly as she remembered.

“Ah, that! What Lily shouted! The White Blood Knights’ motto or something!”

“Exactly. That year, the climate was unusually warm, enough to melt the permanent snow on that mountain. Thanks to that, they found a truly safe and reliable path, which the White Blood clan followed.

Of course, it couldn’t have been easy. Why else would they say ‘until white blood flows, I shall not die’? Even those warriors couldn’t do anything about avalanches.”

“How do you know all this?”

Maria looked at Kain with renewed curiosity.

“I learned it, of course. Working at the Security Bureau means you need to know about noble customs and traditions.”

“What? I thought Lily taught you.”

“Lily avoided talking about the White Blood Knights. She simply refused to mention them. At the time, I thought, ‘Well, if home was so great, why would she have left?’ But that wasn’t quite it either.”

“Hmm.” Maria nudged Kain’s arm. “So, what are you planning to do? About Lily, I mean.”

At Maria’s question, Kain fidgeted with his staff, organizing his thoughts.

He wanted nothing more than to get Lily out immediately. He didn’t care whether it required gentle or forceful methods.

But this was also a matter for the Brynhildr family. He wanted to avoid causing pain to everyone by approaching carelessly as an outsider.

Even if he did get her out, there was still a problem. As the conclusion of this journey drew near, his ominous premonition was solidifying into certainty—an intuition built from experience.

The end of this story would not be beautiful at all.

Moreover, this mission was Kain’s responsibility. It was fortunate enough that Lily and Maria had accompanied him this far—something that would have been impossible without the blessing of the two-headed eagle, literally speaking.

But was it right to lead people who had become precious to him into impending doom? Kain couldn’t answer. It wasn’t that he didn’t need them—he wanted to protect them.

There was no reason for them to accompany him all the way to the Demon King. Laios and Kain himself would be sufficient.

That’s how it had to be.

* * * * *

The gate guards looked at Kain incredulously. They sent a subordinate to verify if he was genuine. After about 30 minutes, the subordinate returned, nodding.

“Technicians who came to catch rats in the ancient document room?”

Even after Kain and Maria had passed, the superior guard remained bewildered. But since it was the “Grand Executioner” herself who had summoned them, he showed no further interest.

The same thing happened at the second and third gates. Just because the first gate had let them through didn’t mean they were carelessly passed along. They went through the same verification procedure again.

“This place suits you well,” Maria whispered to Kain, tired of waiting.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Rigid, frustrating, principled, but then suddenly impulsive in strange ways.”

“Is that how you’ve thought of me all this time?”

“Wasn’t it true?”

Despite her words, Maria flashed a grin. “Well, I’ll admit you’re kind. I’ll give you that.”

Even as he smiled, Kain thought of Grand Executioner Astrid. Lily’s aunt, the judge of the White Blood, and currently acting as regent of the Knightly State.

Astrid seemed most fitting for the character Maria described.

Not completely inflexible, yet meticulously principled in certain aspects.

A woman who deeply cared for Lily in her heart but expressed it only through the laws and regulations of the White Blood. In Kain’s mind, Astrid was such a complex figure.

* * * * *

After passing the third gate, a “guide” appeared. It was a familiar face.

“Oh my. You folks?”

It was Huber, the “genealogist” they had met in Emmaus. A renowned warrior who repeatedly suffered defeat and retreat when faced with ancient books and complex ancient texts.

“It’s been a while.”

Kain and Maria greeted him warmly. The genealogist’s smile was as refreshing as ever, even after such a long time. Unfortunately, Lily was nowhere to be seen.

“I was quite surprised, actually. Grand Executioner Astrid instructed me to guide ‘rat catchers’ to the ‘ancient document room,’ and I wondered if she was exhausted from overwork. But as expected, the Grand Executioner is truly remarkable.”

“What exactly is the Execution Corps? Is it like an elite unit of the White Blood?”

At Maria’s lively question, the genealogist laughed heartily.

“Every single member of the White Blood is elite. But even combat members are human and make mistakes occasionally. And when an ‘elite’ warrior makes a ‘mistake,’ it sometimes leads to fatal consequences.

The Execution Corps exists precisely for such cases. Maintaining order, enforcing discipline—generally the folks who club troublemakers on the head, though lately they’ve been completely overwhelmed with administrative work.”

Maria wanted to ask if that didn’t make them “elite” after all, but considering the genealogist’s pride, she refrained. There were more important matters at hand.

“The Execution Corps doing administrative work? What about the librarians and others?”

“Everyone’s busy preparing for the tournament. Deciding which positions to increase or decrease, which knight squadrons to expand, and how to improve various areas. Selecting a new clan leader means many personnel changes, so everyone’s busy in different ways.”

“Wouldn’t that normally be a time-consuming process?”

“Ordinarily, yes. There’s a lot of work, but we usually prepare at a leisurely pace. However, this time things are proceeding rather strangely…”

As the genealogist was about to launch into gossip, another knight passed by. Only then did Huber collect himself.

“Ahem. Well, that’s not important. Just follow me closely. The path is quite complicated.”

* * * * *

The interior of the fortress was bizarre—no, bizarre was an understatement. Everything was identical and symmetrical. The spacing between doors, between torches, even the arrangement of weapons on the racks was the same.

All the doors looked identical, yet some were locked while others were open, adding to the confusion.

They seemed to have gone in a complete circle, yet suddenly a large garden appeared. Or they thought they had backtracked, only to find doors that had been unlocked now locked. Even Huber seemed slightly confused at times. With all doors looking the same and no markings, it was a layout perfectly designed to make strangers lose their way.

It was clearly intentional. If all rooms looked similar, attackers in an excited state would naturally become disoriented. It was confusing even during a peaceful visit, let alone during wartime. There was even something neurotic about the design.

Perhaps the White Blood had learned from the Imperial forces who originally owned this place. Even an impregnable fortress eventually falls, so one must prepare for the absolute worst.

Just as they had crossed the mountain, someone else might do the same. The fortress’s defenses were meticulous.

But the genealogist moved freely, like a librarian navigating between bookshelves.

“Hmm, how is our Security Bureau’s youngest member doing?”

To Kain’s question, the genealogist answered quite seriously.

“The clan leader is in training. Her wound was quite severe, causing concern, but the blood of the Brynhildr family cannot be denied.”

He still referred to Lily as the clan leader, or knight commander.

This alone showed how far he was from being a true genealogist. Rather than explaining according to documented records, he was conducting what amounted to independent research.

But he was also among those who supported Lily becoming clan leader. He had been that way since they first met. This contrasted with Lily’s own family member, Astrid, who emphasized “under a fair tournament.”

‘The Grand Executioner seems quite favorable toward us.’

But this might not be entirely positive. It could mean she had shown maximum goodwill, and would refuse any further requests.

Finally, the genealogist stopped in front of a door. When he opened it, the musty smell of mold, the rustling scent of fallen leaves, and the distinctive old odor of aged leather wafted out.

It was the document room.