episode_0120

Just as the violet or purple iris is often considered a symbol of death, paired weapons are also representative symbols of death and defeat.

Holding paired swords signifies a pledge not to complain even if one were to die from hail while walking along the road, and paired spears were simply a natural part of life from the beginning.

It means that being defeated is more natural than being alive.

Among adventurers, it was a jinx that was widely known as a legend. If a party member wielded paired spears, there would be jokes circulating about cutting off one arm before entering the dungeon.

The existence farthest from victory. That was the Paired Spear Knight. It could be said that meeting them as an opponent meant ensuring victory.

– Card Deuk!

…There was a time when I thought that way too.

“Ugh… This is… more than I expected…!”

“Faster…!”

A confrontation with Valquiria on the ground.

I thought I would be able to handle this one-on-one battle with the weapon I had prepared and the Holy Sword, but experiencing it, it was more challenging than I had imagined.

“Dauði kappanum….endalaus kuldi…!”

Death to the warrior. Endless cold.

Valquiria, who spat out a sigh close to a curse, faced me and Freide at the same time. Swinging the ice spear held in both hands, she leaped around like a snake, scattering frost.

Speed, power, and technique. Every aspect of her martial arts was so threatening that there was nothing to criticize.

Whether it was due to being undead with limitless stamina or the strength of her arm, which did not seem to diminish, even though her reasoning had dulled, the thrusts of her spear were surprisingly precise.

“Tsk… How can she be this agile?”

I barely managed to parry the spear coming at me like a bullet, then dodged the second thrust by twisting my body, and narrowly avoided the third stab, only to be kicked away again.

“Ugh…!”

The gauntlet engraved with strengthening and shock-absorbing spells. The gauntlet that had deflected the kick was deeply dented in the shape of the sole of a foot.

“Hyaaaah!”

Freide, who had been repelled just like me, swung the Holy Sword, shooting out a blade of golden light that split the desolate rock, reaching out far and wide.

However, Balquira planted the spear into the ground and leaped like an acrobat, easily dodging it, then threw the spear, bouncing Freide away.

“Yikes!”

Freide, who had managed to deflect the spear with his black mask, screamed as he flew and crashed into the collapsed building’s wall.

Perhaps due to the damaged armor and the broken recovery spell, the power was less than half of the first spear, but it was enough to send Freide flying like a baseball.

“This…!”

He seemed to have not been seriously injured as he quickly got up.

“Svikari…!”

“The betrayer? There was never an ally in the first place, was there?”

As Freide, who had risen again after clearing the debris, rushed back, Balquira pulled out the spear that had been stuck in the ground and unleashed a flurry of attacks like a sudden downpour.

A powerful thrust combined with cold speed. It was a spear technique that felt like a compressed snowstorm raging.

“They said Einstein’s spear technique is nothing much except for one less spear, but that’s a load of nonsense…!”

I wielded my sword relentlessly, drenched in cold sweat, endlessly clashing against it.

Was this Balquira?

A relic from ancient times when the demons that had risen to the surface, the dragons that roamed the skies, heroes of all races, and the chosen warriors of humanity by the goddesses fought.

Once known as the ghost of the battlefield, even though weakened significantly as a specter, one skill was truly at a monstrous level.

Ice shards melting amidst the flames. The shattered ice blade clashed against my sword and armor, regenerating intact the next moment, persistently aiming for the gaps in my armor.

It was too fast and too cunning to just fend off.

– Clang!

The blade grazed my cheek, thigh, and forearm, splattering bright red blood on its tip.

“Haaah!”

A counterattack I struck. It was caught by Balquira’s gauntlet, and in an instant, darkness enveloped me, and my knees buckled. My breath was stifled.

“Ugh…!”

Sensation draining rapidly. I remembered that Balquira’s gauntlet had a life-absorbing spell engraved on it.

Probably to replenish the strength consumed through the arm. In his lifetime.

“Let go of that hand…!”

I bit my lip and pulled the sword, shaking off his hand. A bright flame burst inside the man’s gauntlet, and one of his fingers was sliced off and fell to the ground.

However, Balquira swung her spear as if one finger meant nothing, striking at my solar plexus.

I managed to block with my left arm, but due to the unstable posture, I stumbled sideways and tumbled to the ground. The taste of dusty dampness filled my mouth.

“Dauði!”

“Hilde, dear!”

Freida, who had suddenly run up to me, deflected Balquira’s spear that was about to strike me, and leaped into her embrace, swinging her greatsword down.

– Clang!

Was this the one thing I couldn’t completely avoid?

Balquira activated the defense spell of her breastplate, enveloping her entire body in a magical barrier, but the holy sword tore through it like paper, deeply penetrating Balquira’s armor.

“Kyaaak…!”

Balquira let out a fierce scream. Along with the flying ice fragments, her left arm was cleanly severed at the shoulder and stuck into the ground.

“Kvenhetja…!”

Balquira, who had given her left arm in exchange for a new era, glared at Freida with eyes full of resentment, thrusting her spear—

– Clang!

The dagger I had thrown while lying on the ground pierced vertically through her lower jaw.

◆◆

Even as a specter, are weaknesses the same as when alive?

As the hastily conjured holy dagger pierced through her jaw and into her skull, Balquira creaked like a broken doll, then lost strength and collapsed.

– Ssshhh….

Then, like melting summer ice cream, she slowly began to disappear, leaving only bones behind.

“A-Are you okay, Hilde?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. More importantly…”

I took Freida’s offered hand and stood up, gazing at the gradually vanishing remains of Balquira.

No, precisely speaking, the remnants he left behind…

“Huh? Is that…?”

…the remnants he left behind.

“At least I’ve got one thing.”

The pitiful remains of Balquira’s skeleton. The armor he wore melted away like ice flesh, but there was one part that didn’t disappear.

The greave firmly attached to the remaining calf bone.

The blackened greave, whose once brilliant gold and silver craftsmanship had faded into a rough, neglected state, was the very reason I sought out the bandit den and the hidden piece of this dungeon.

“Damaged Armor of the Former Maiden”

Despite the worn appearance and weakened or lost enchantments within, it was enough. The damaged parts were only the magical enchantments; the plate itself, made of resilient iron, remained unscathed.

In the early stages, a full suit of iron armor would be a hidden piece, wouldn’t anything else be? Rare metals are hard to come by, even with money. Gathering all five parts available here could rival the price of equipment in Heidna or Gunter.

I had hoped for a helmet or pauldrons as my first loot, but getting a greave was a bit disappointing.

“I’ll take this. Is that okay?”

I decisively asked Freide after breaking the deceased’s leg to remove the greave.

“Oh, yes! Of course! It’s yours, Hillde’s! Because you’re Hillde’s descendant!”

Hmm, probably not the best thing to say to someone who just broke the ancestor’s bones after honoring them.

Oh well, whatever.

“Thank you.”

I chuckled as I removed my crumpled greave mid-battle and donned the heirloom given by the ancestor. Expensive as it was, the rare metal was tougher and surprisingly lighter than black iron, almost like wearing leather armor.

– Clank.

As the greave’s clasp locked perfectly, a faint magic surged through the blackened plate, imbuing my legs with a wild, fleeting strength, though it soon dissipated due to the need for continuous magical supply from the breastplate.

The enchantments on the greave were meant to mitigate landing impact and enhance agility. While the impact mitigation enchantment was completely broken, the agility enhancement enchantment was weakly but properly functioning, just as in the original novel’s setting.

“Yeah, fits perfectly.”

Satisfied, I let out a contented smile, plopping down on the ground to catch my breath and rest.

Alright. First, I got one, and the remaining parts are now just the helmet, shoulder pads, breastplate, and gauntlets.

It was impossible to obtain a cape with flight abilities.

Unlike the iron armor that has endured for hundreds of years in a humid environment, the cape is simply made of cloth, so it must have rotted away long ago.

So now, once I obtain the remaining four parts, I’ll bid farewell to this dungeon. At least, once I get the helmet and breastplate, I won’t have to skulk around anymore.

The enchantment on the Valkyria’s helmet resists magical effects that penetrate through sight, accompanied by transparency.

As far as I remember, the enchantment on the helmet has been damaged, so the magical resistance has completely disappeared, but the transparency should still work weakly.

We can’t become completely transparent like the Valkyria who ambushed us, but just wearing it activates a cognitive impairment effect.

What is a cognitive impairment effect? In simple terms, it means that people won’t feel any different from ordinary passersby when they see me.

In fact, they won’t even be able to take more than a passing interest.

People naturally don’t remember someone who passes by without drawing their attention.

A human enchanted with cognitive impairment becomes like a background figure melted into the crowd.

Unless they draw attention by pulling out a sword to attack someone or dancing in the street, no one will pay them any mind.

In other words, if I just take the helmet from here, I can openly roam the city without any problems in the future.

It means the scope of my activities will greatly expand.

Considering my current situation and the future, there could be no equipment more important to obtain first than this.