Chapter 175

Episode 175

“To shine forever in the history of the Empire. That’s not a bad thing to hear.”

Was it a sign of agreement? I wasn’t sure yet.

“House Whitefield has fought countless battles. And many people have suffered in the process. The Nordics aren’t our only enemy. Our greatest enemy is this damn blizzard. More people freeze to death than die in battle.”

It seemed like a positive sign. The tension disappeared from Jericho and Selendis’s faces.

“We’re on the verge of making peace with the Nordics. But if your words are true, we can protect this territory without making peace with our enemies.”

“I promise you again. I will succeed, I swear on the name of House Walker.”

“I don’t trust words. And I don’t trust ink on paper. This is the north. I want to handle this matter the Whitefield way. Sir O’Brien, will you accept my proposal?”

It seemed like another condition was coming.

I didn’t have a choice in the first place. If I refused, he would tell me to pack my bags and leave.

“Alright. I accept.”

“You’re accepting without even knowing what it is. Is it confidence? Or the recklessness of youth?”

“I think you know better than anyone that I don’t have a choice, Margrave. Please get to the point.”

Finwinter grinned and stood up. He walked down to me and beckoned his eldest son, Baldr.

“Baldr, explain to our guest what the Whitefield way is.”

“It’s a very simple and effective method. It’s to prove your ‘strength.'”

“Strength. That’s abstract.”

At my question, Baldr raised his chin slightly with an arrogant expression.

“Perhaps it feels abstract because you’re weak?”

“That’s an interesting statement. It’s a shame the rumors about me haven’t reached here because of the blizzard.”

“If you’re planning to boast about disciplining a spoiled prince, you should go back to the south right now. I only use my hammer to crush Nordics.”

Baldr fiddled with Mjolnir, which hung at his waist.

I liked his spirit.

Alright. I’ve decided. You’re my target for a lesson, Baldr.

“It seems your son is confident in his martial arts. I’ll prove my strength through a duel with him.”

“Do you think that’s all? As expected of someone from the affluent south. There are three artifacts in the north. Baldr possesses one, and Freya possesses another.”

Did that mean I had to fight Freya too?

“You will fight Baldr with real swords. And you will compete with Freya in archery. If you win both duels, I will grant you what you desire.”

Since he said “archery,” it seemed like we wouldn’t be fighting. It would probably be something like hitting a distant target.

Finwinter called his daughter.

“If I don’t set a condition for you, you’ll lose on purpose, won’t you? Because you truly want to help Sir O’Brien. Fight with the honor of a warrior. If you lose to Sir O’Brien, leave this place. Your name will be erased from the family registry, and Mistilteinn will find a new owner.”

“…I will obey your command.”

A question suddenly came to mind, and I asked the Margrave, “As far as I know, Mistilteinn is given to the most skilled archer in the north. If I defeat Lady Freya, can I take the bow?”

At my words, the people started murmuring.

“How dare he covet the treasure of the north! What a greedy man!”

“He’s a rude outsider!”

“Those southerners are all the same. They pretend to care about us, but in the end, they want our treasures!”

Some warriors booed me. I understood. They couldn’t imagine a northern artifact falling into the hands of an outsider.

But I was stating a fact. If I defeated Freya, the most skilled archer in the north, it meant I was the best.

Shouldn’t the bow rightfully belong to me then?

“It’s unlikely to happen, but if you defeat Freya, you will become the rightful owner of Mistilteinn.”

“I’m not a fan of verbal agreements. It’s better to be certain. Can you promise me that here and now?”

“I promise on the name of Whitefield. Everyone here will be a witness.”

Good. I had secured one artifact. With ‘Automatic Combat,’ there was no way I could lose.

Although I was using a weapon with a fancy name like ‘Sword of Chaos,’ its origin was unknown.

On the other hand, ‘Mistilteinn’ was a bow that had been passed down in the north for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

Its power would be incomparable.

‘I wish there was a condition for obtaining Mjolnir too. That’s a shame.’

I heard it was passed down to the warrior acknowledged by the head of House Whitefield.

In other words, the wielder of Mjolnir was the strongest, excluding the Margrave. And coincidentally, it was the eldest son.

The Margrave asked, “When would you like to start the duel? I can give you a day to prepare.”

“I want to start right away. If Lord Baldr is ready, that is.”

I deliberately spoke in a dismissive tone, and Baldr grinned and walked towards me.

He was over two meters tall, so he looked down at me.

“You won’t be able to speak so freely soon, Baron.”

“We’ll see. There’s a saying in my hometown: ‘You don’t know what’s long or short until you measure it.'”

“There’s no need to measure.”

Baldr left with his subordinates.

The warriors left one by one, and Finwinter and the scribe also moved to observe the duel.

Only I, my subordinates, and Freya remained.

“I heard you’re strong. You must be even more skilled than what I saw in Aslan. But the north is a bit different. Since there’s no interaction with the outside world, it’s bound to feel unfamiliar.”

“You’re supposed to fight me, Lady Freya, but you’re taking my side. You’ll be banished from your family and lose your bow.”

Freya smiled wryly.

“This bow is an artifact that exists to protect the north. If my defeat brings peace to the north, maybe it’s for the best.”

“Don’t say such weak things.”

“…”

“Fight with the honor of a warrior. Iam a more formidable opponent than you think.”

Freya stared at me for a moment and then left. Jericho finally sighed deeply.

“Whew… That was nerve-wracking. Do you have nine lives, Inspector? How can you be so confident?”

“Because I’m not afraid of losing?”

“I’m glad you’re my superior, Inspector. If you were my subordinate, I would have punched you out of frustration.”

“You can hit me.”

“It seems my usefulness has run out before we even caught Muon. You’re already trying to get rid of me…”

We also moved outside. An unknown warrior was waiting for us. Or rather, blocking our way.

“Sir O’Brien, I’ll escort you to the dueling arena. This way.”

I had hoped for an indoor arena, but that was a luxury.

Huge braziers were burning all around, but they were no match for the blizzard.

The ground was uneven and cracked. If I stepped wrong, I could break my ankle.

But it wasn’t a penalty for me.

I had ‘Automatic Combat.’

This place truly represented the north. There were no amenities. Finwinter was just standing to the side, observing us.

Baldr was warming up, moving his head from side to side.

He said, “I thought you’d run away, but you actually came. Baron. I’ll give you plenty of time. Tell me when you’re ready.”

“Why bother warming up for a simple fight? Let’s start right away.”

*Shing!*

The ‘Sword of Chaos’ left its scabbard. As if waiting for it, Baldr drew Mjolnir.

“Sir O’Brien, any last words? Like a will?”

“Not particularly.”

“I’ll make sure you have a proper burial.”

*Crackle!*

Blue electricity surged around the hammer. At that moment, a message flashed through my mind.

The ‘Magic Power Detection’ skill activated.

‘As expected, that’s a real artifact.’

The weapons Selendis and I were using were also artifacts, but the magic power emitted by Mjolnir was incomparable.

It was an overwhelming amount of magic power.

‘This is what Freya meant by ‘unfamiliar.'”

There was a reason why he wasn’t intimidated even after hearing rumors that I was a magician. That level of magic power could probably crush my spells.

Baldr let out a shout and leaped into the air.

*Crackle!*

A bolt of lightning struck from the cloudy sky, hitting Mjolnir in his right hand.

The electricity converged and struck the ground.

*Rumble!*

Thunder and tremors shook the arena. A lightning storm engulfed me and my surroundings.

But why was I so calm?

Because I didn’t feel any impact.

The moment he jumped, I had prepared two spells with ‘Double Casting.’

One was ‘Enclave.’

I knew what kind of attack Baldr, the Thor impersonator, would use. ‘Enclave’ effectively blocked the lightning strike.

And the other was ‘Ice Bolt.’

With delicate mana control, I could transform ‘Ice Bolt’ into ‘Water Bolt.’ And I could also prevent it from freezing for a certain period.

I had come up with an interesting hypothesis while practicing magic with Jericho before.

— Can electricity pass through water created by magic?

I thought it wouldn’t. It was a little-known fact that pure water didn’t conduct electricity.

When we experimented, lightning magic didn’t affect the water created by magic.

It was our little secret that I had sprinkled some salt and electrocuted Jericho.

‘But the situation is different now.’

The ground of this training arena was a mess. Even if pure water was spread, it would definitely be mixed with various minerals.

So I cast Water Bolt on the ground, and water pooled everywhere except for where I was standing.

And then Mjolnir’s lightning struck, causing collateral damage to everyone else.

“Argh!”

“Gah!”

Screams erupted from all directions. The unprepared warriors collapsed one after another.

Among them was the one who had picked a fight with me at the border gate.

The one who had threatened to expel me if I caused trouble within the territory. I hoped he now understood how fearsome I was.

“What have you done! Why are the warriors…?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just blocked the attack. Wasn’t it your son who summoned the lightning?”

“That’s preposterous!”

“Open your eyes. The preposterous part is about to begin.”

I swiftly thrust my aura-infused sword in the direction indicated by ‘Automatic Combat.’

The counterattack had begun.