episode_0128

=====[ Gunter ]=====

Irina’s report of missing Brunhilde brought strong regret and anger to Gunter.

It was a missed opportunity due to the two women’s reckless judgment.

“To miss Eisenstein. To miss Eisenstein, who inherited the abilities of the ancestors in full. It’s so regrettable.”

After Irina, plagued by long accusations, bit her lip and left the bedroom, Gunter, with regret, picked up the old book he had placed on the shelf again.

“Forgotten legends of ancient times.”

A librarian who compiled various stories from hundreds and thousands of years ago.

Titled ‘Forgotten Legends,’ it was a book filled with baseless and empty contents, considered a relic that could be dismissed within Burgund.

More like a book to be considered a novel than a librarian. It was a publication that naturally received such treatment.

Why?

If a book recording historical events wants to be recognized as a librarian, it must include evidence proving its truth.

However, this book was full of groundless and fanciful topics not mentioned in other librarians, with excuses like “erased and gone” dominating the part that would prove its truth.

To put it bluntly, it was an unconvincing miscellaneous book that could be seen as someone’s delusion transcribed into writing in the past, officially.

However, Gunter believed that the contents written in this book, despite lacking evidence, were likely true.

Because he had found an item in the confiscated items list of the Goddess Sect that matched the title of this book.

“If this were really a frivolous novel, it wouldn’t have been included in the sect’s confiscated items.”

The fact that the sect tried to collect and destroy all copies of this book indicated that they considered it a forbidden text that must be eliminated.

That was a clear evidence that the contents written in this book were true.

Gunter accidentally obtained this book during dungeon exploration and had since been deciphering and analyzing the contents written in ancient language one by one.

Because he thought there might be some information inside that would help him. His obsession with Brunhilde was also because of the contents written in this book.

“Eisenstein… A military force that boasted such great power that it rivaled a country a thousand years ago. Now just a simple rebel family.”

That’s how it was written in the book.

Although records about Eisenstein had been erased from history, their legacy was said to be sealed somewhere, not destroyed.

Gunter had almost completely deciphered the ancient language on that page and concluded that descendants related to their bloodline were needed to find it.

The last descendant of Eisenstein.

Brunhilde Eisenstein.

That was why Gunter was fixated on Brunhilde.

If he could get her and thoroughly subjugate her, the power of the ancient Eisenstein, which once rivaled a country, would come into his hands.

◆◆

Several days after Irina’s report, a letter of invitation from Heid arrived for the girls and Gunter, who had been caught in Vespyr’s affairs.

It contained an informal invitation to meet once.

Since Gunter also had something he wanted from Heid, he eventually accepted Heid’s invitation after much deliberation.

Thus began an informal meeting.

For the sake of their ambitions, Gunter and Heid made several secret agreements that would benefit each other, agreements unknown even to the royal family or the sect.

Spreading the warrant for Brunhilde throughout Herbor was also part of the agreement.

Spreading the warrant for Brunhilde and agreeing that if she were arrested within Herbor, her safety would be handed over to Gunter.

Heid didn’t know why Gunter was fixated on Brunhilde, but since it didn’t harm her, she readily accepted it.

A day later, a wanted order was issued to arrest Brunhilde throughout the Herbor region. Along with fabricated charges by Gunter and Heide.

“Gunter, if you want to capture Brunhilde, shouldn’t you have included a condition to capture her alive, not dead?”

Having read the completed wanted poster, Emilia expressed doubt about the clause regarding capturing her dead or alive.

“If that were the case, it would have been too conspicuous. It’s common sense that wanted orders for such heinous criminals do not consider life or death.”

“Well, you never know, right? What if she really dies…”

“No problem. That’s why I deliberately understated her abilities.”

Gunter replied with a nod. To prevent any mishaps, in the wanted poster, they had recorded Brunhilde’s prowess as barely reaching the level of a silver-ranked adventurer party.

It was nearly impossible for those indecisive individuals to defeat Brunhilde. Gunter’s expectation was for them to clash with Brunhilde and leave traces behind, not actually to take her life.

“Moreover, beside Brunhilde is Frede… No, Frede? The fallen hero is with her. They shouldn’t fall prey to bounty hunters.”

“Oh, Frede was there, right.”

Frede.

The most perplexing part for Gunter in Irina’s report was not that they missed Brunhilde but the emergence of Frede as a variable.

That was truly inexplicable.

The fact that the supposedly inept hero, known to have disappeared, was now frolicking alongside Brunhilde in adventurer games was astonishing enough. Furthermore, their prowess had increased to an incredible extent, even handling the power of the Holy Sword Nibelung proficiently.

“What’s more? She transformed into a little girl? No, was that her true form from the beginning?”

Even in inexplicable circumstances, there are limits to what one can accept.

If it had been Emilia’s report instead of Irina’s, Gunter might not have believed it at all. He would have thought she was speaking like a lunatic.

However, Irina was mentally sound, not given to false reports or jokes. No matter how nonsensical it seemed, it was something one had to believe.

“By the way, what do you think we should do with Frede?”

As if remembering Frede’s existence just then, Emilia lightly brushed her head and asked Gunter about Frede’s fate.

“Should we kill her? Or handle her like us or Brunhilde?”

The question of whether they should capture her alive and bring her to their bedroom for conquest.

Gunter, looking momentarily dumbfounded, raised his left hand towards his abdomen and opened his mouth.

“That woman, wasn’t she about this tall?”

“Yes, around that height.”

“Her face looked about fifteen years old?”

“Yes, she did. I was quite envious of that.”

Gunter let out a hollow laugh. Even though he was not in a position to talk, this woman seemed truly unhinged in many ways.

“So, she’s just a child. An immature girl with Frede inside her. What fun could there be with such a creature?”

Even if her actual age was twenty, her appearance clearly showed a young teenage girl. Such a child was beyond Gunter’s defensive scope.

Unless one had completely lost their mind, it was hard to feel desire for an unripe fruit.

Gunter prided himself on not being that insane. Because of this pride, the mere thought sent shivers down his spine.

=====[ Hilde ]=====

After obtaining a helmet that rolled down the hill and completing the Valyria set.

Frede and I escaped from the increasingly desolate bandit fortress and threw ourselves back into the waters of the Rhine River.

And as soon as the cold river water wrapped around my whole body, I vigorously kicked and swam to the surface.

There was no interference.

The ‘drowned spirits’ who woke up smelling my blood had already fallen asleep. The wounds from battle had long since healed thanks to armor and potions.

Yes, there was certainly no interference, but…

“Ugh, this is a bit harder than I thought…”

Unlike going down, swimming up to the surface was much more difficult than I had anticipated.

Well, it’s always harder to go up than to go down, whether in games, grades, or even baseball teams.

Anyway, after swimming for a long time until my breath was almost gone, we finally reached the surface and could crawl onto the riverbank and make our way to land.

“Heek… Hieeek…!”

“Haa, haa….”

We then lay gasping for breath on the gravel field for a while.

“Haa… I never thought the last part would be the hardest…”

“Fighting three ghosts would have been easier…”

Freide lay sprawled on the ground, looking up at the sky, panting heavily, while I knelt down, bowed my head, and panted heavily.

My lemon-colored hair, soaked through, spread out like yellow seaweed over the gravel field, and the helmet tied around my waist clinked with each breath.

Did I wear it on my head?

As if that would ever happen. If it were to come off and float away in the current, my heart would break.

Since it was an item I didn’t need right now, it was wiser to keep it securely tied around my waist without any unnecessary fuss.

That’s what I thought.

“Oh, wait, could it be…!”

Freide, who was gasping for breath, suddenly sat up straight.

“So you were here after all. Brunhilde, the Knight of Betrayal.”

Until the gruff young man’s voice reached my ears.

“A pursuer?!”

An unexpected intruder. I quickly got up, scanning the direction from which the voice came.

In the forest by the riverside. There.

“A pursuer—or not, it doesn’t matter. There’s no need to be wary. I’m not your enemy. Not now.”

A man in a pitch-black, plain robe peered at me from between the trees, raising both hands halfway above his head, perhaps to show that he wasn’t a threat.

His face was hidden by the hood. His voice sounded quite young. On Earth, he might have been a high school student.

“…Showing up in such a suspicious manner and claiming you’re not an enemy? Where are you trying to pull a fast one?”

I rested my hand on the hilt of my sword, lowering my stance. Whatever he was planning, I would draw my sword first if needed.

Beside me, Freide also glared at him, reaching out into the empty air. She seemed ready to summon the Holy Sword at a moment’s notice.

“You’re quite suspicious. Well, considering the circumstances, it’s only natural.”

A tense situation. The man nodded without a hint of a smile in his voice, bringing one hand to his chest in a gesture of greeting, slightly bowing his waist.

“But once you know who I am, those suspicions will disappear.”

Then, as if to reassure me, he politely introduced himself.

“I greet you. I am Orde Zenbel, the fourth finger of the Kuma Yokechon Association, a priest embraced by the depths of abyss serving the wisdom of magic.”

There was no reassurance, just a surge of anxiety rising to its peak.