The Demon Spear (Machang)

In Brudhild’s room, decorated in the refined style of an Eastern shrine, Brudhild straightened his posture as he faced the skeleton sitting cross-legged on the floor before him.

The father he had merely longed for over the past hundred years was now right in front of him.

After stabilizing his mind by reciting the Mingyeongjisu (Sea of Enlightened Mirror), he slowly bowed his body.

“I offer my late respects to my father.”

His palms and forehead touched the floor.

Vyuskr attentively observed his son’s respectful prostration with his empty eye sockets, then nodded his skull. Doyun, leaning against one wall, silently watched the scene.

Vyuskr, now reduced to a withered skeleton, and Brudhild, whose appearance was now befitting of a middle-aged man.

It seemed like an aged father and the admirable son he had raised.

‘It is truly a sight that evokes many emotions.’

And undoubtedly even more so for Vyuskr himself.

Brudhild slowly rose. As Doyun savored this precious moment, a thought came to him, and he lightly spoke:

“But you only bowed once?”

A peculiar smile tugged at the corner of Doyun’s mouth as he spoke.

In this world, it was customary to bow twice: once to the living and once to the deceased.

“Pardon? Ah, you’re right…”

“…”

Brudhild, who valued propriety, took it seriously and pondered intently. Vyuskr lazily turned his chilly skull towards Doyun.

As a skeleton incapable of expressing any facial expressions, it was remarkable how the stark contrasts of his cheekbones, eye sockets, and jaw conveyed his state of mind, like a comical expression from a comic book on Earth.

“…Heh.”

Doyun couldn’t help but laugh at the sitcom-like appearance.

He seemed utterly vexed. If Vyuskr had a sword at his waist, he probably would have struck Doyun’s crown with the scabbard.

Strangely, Doyun felt that his friend’s emotions seemed more vivid now as a skeleton than when he was alive.

Perhaps the lingering yearning, despite being apart for a hundred years, had deepened their inner bond. It was an ironic and amusing notion.

“…Enough, sit down.”

Vyuskr hurriedly made Brudhild sit, lest he bow again. The fact that Brudhild was wearing a neat and dignified white robe added to the peculiar feeling.

Knock, knock.

Shortly after, a maid of the mansion slid open the door and entered.

Throughout her task of placing the tea tray, she never once straightened her back or raised her head.

As one of Brudhild’s closest aides, having been informed of the skeleton’s identity, she strived to show the utmost respect to the venerable elder.

In the end, she exited without uttering a word, leaving in the same lowered posture as she had entered. Vyuskr nodded his skull, satisfied with the maid’s respectful attitude towards his son.

There were no snacks, only three small ceramic cups. The maid must have heard of Vyuskr’s tradition of not enjoying snacks with tea, as she had intelligently prepared the tray. The cups were magic items that maintained the temperature.

The fragrant aroma of tea filled the room. The rich floral scent harmonized beautifully with the faint apricot aroma, a familiar scent to all three of them.

Vyuskr, despite lacking the ability to smell, gently raised his jawbone as if savoring the aroma in the air.

“…Splendid.”

“It is?”

Like Doyun, Vyuskr raised a cup, unable to drink but simply enjoying the aroma. He seemed thoroughly pleased. Brudhild raised his cup a beat later than the elders.

“To think… I could smell this scent again.”

“It is the ‘Uncle’s’ recipe that would have disappeared if not for Ellora.”

“I find this one better than Uncle’s, in fact.”

Each contributed a line, reminiscing about the same memory.

‘Uncle’ referred to the portly head chef in Enoch’s Guild who was responsible for everyone’s meals.

Among the Guild members, there was no one who didn’t enjoy Uncle’s special tea, and Vyuskr was no exception.

The three men silently savored the aroma and sipped the tea. It was a truly meaningful moment, as they shared a common memory.

Especially for Brudhild, he had to make an effort to stabilize his heart, which felt like it might burst with happiness, through the Mingyeongjisu.

‘That I would once again sit side by side with these two…’

It was an excruciatingly blissful moment he could not have imagined during the seventy years of dreadful war. He prayed for this moment to last forever.

They engaged in lively conversation, mostly with Vyuskr asking questions and Brudhild respectfully answering. Though one-sided, the dialogue showed no sign of ending.

The two had lost a hundred years of time together due to the war. Perhaps even staying up all night tonight would be far from enough to vent their pent-up feelings of not seeing each other’s faces or hearing each other’s voices for so long.

They had too many stories to share.

“…I see. You have achieved some accomplishments recently.”

“Yes. Uncle directly taught me…”

The father and son’s conversation seemed endless.

Doyun regarded Vyuskr with a fresh perspective.

Among all the repeated rounds over the past 200 years, his friend was displaying his most talkative side. While understandable, it was still strikingly novel to witness.

Words were exchanged, and the tea level diminished. Although their pace of drinking was uniformly slow, the cups of both Doyun and Brudhild had already been drained, except for Vyuskr’s.

“…That’s how I met and buried so many comrades. It was a period of profound learning about connections.”

“…Connections.”

After silently listening to his words, Vyuskr nodded his skull and spoke:

“Then, do you have a wife and children?”

“Pardon?”

“Phew!”

Doyun could not contain the laughter that suddenly welled up within him.

He slightly lowered his head and covered his face, his shoulders shaking ever so slightly.

Caught off guard by his father’s abrupt question, Brudhild could not immediately answer.

After wiping away his laughter, Doyun looked at Vyuskr. He never expected to hear such words from that ruthless man’s mouth.

‘It’s not my place to say, but…’

Despite living over 200 years, that man had truly become an old geezer.

“…Why? Are you opposed to marriage?”

“Ah… No. It’s just that, given the current war…”

Vyuskr silently observed Brudhild trailing off, then nodded his head, acknowledging the truth in his words.

However, he still expressed his lingering sentiment.

At his following words, Doyun and Brudhild could only close their mouths, suppressing their laughter and embarrassment.

“I wish for you to experience the happiness of raising children.”

“…”

“…Yes.”

He then raised his cup and savored the aroma.

A gentle silence settled in the room.

Brudhild could not easily brush off his father’s words.

Though it might seem old-fashioned, Vyuskr had always fully respected Brudhild’s life as his disciple. Yet now, he had directly voiced his desire for Brudhild’s life.

Aside from telling him to survive on the day of the final expedition, this was the first time he had done so.

‘…I should perhaps ask Dokkomuyoung for a suitable match.’

With that quiet resolution, Brudhild drained the last of his tea.

+++

“Thank you for gracing us with your esteemed presence.”

Dokkomuyoung and the Lion King bowed their heads to the two legendary heroes who had visited the royal capital.

“You have worked hard, so it is only natural for us to welcome you in person. I hear you have acquired quite a remarkable item…”

“Yes. It was an infamous weapon on the battlefield for a long time.”

Doyun had returned to Muspelheim after Dokkomuyoung mentioned obtaining a new spear as a spoil of war.

During the relatively stable period of the past six months, Doyun had collected spears from various regions of the continent using the Alliance’s influence. Naturally, only the finest spears worthy of being called divine arms were collected. The number of spears he had amassed now exceeded ten.

Such divine arms often proved quite useful even against Vanguard Commanders in battle, having served him well in the previous war.

While Doyun did not revel in excessive armaments, these spears, including javelins, had undoubtedly become a potent part of his arsenal.

Since it was said to be a remarkable item, he could not help but be willing to take a look.

“However, the item is far more sinister than expected. I’m worried that it might have been a waste of your precious time…”

“Sinister?”

The Lion King chimed in with an explanation.

“Yes! It was quite ferocious. Continuous measures by multiple experts were required even for simple storage.”

“Ah, so that’s why you summoned me to the royal capital.”

“Indeed. I heard the transportation was a near-death experience.”

“You mean…”

As Doyun was about to voice his guess about the item’s identity, Dokkomuyoung began walking.

“Please follow me.”

The king and Dokkomuyoung took the lead, with the subjects who had been waiting outside following behind the four of them.

As they headed towards the storage room, Vyuskr moved his jawbone.

“Javelins, eh? Did you overcome that in this life?”

As a human-born, Enoch had faced great difficulties with long-range attacks in his previous life, causing him much suffering. Vyuskr was referring to that.

Doyun nodded satisfactorily.

“They’ve been quite useful. Especially recently, my javelin skills have undergone quite a splendid change.”

“A change?”

Vyuskr’s empty eye sockets turned towards Doyun.

It was a change brought about by the leveling up of his mana and javelins, as well as the increase in his willpower, after the previous war.

“You’ll see it on the battlefield. Expect it.”