What Tae Ho felt at Hildegarde's fervent hug was that it hurt.
She, who was wearing an armor that covered her chest and shoulders with an especially hard material, wasn't muddy. She put more strength in her arms embracing Tae Ho once and then stepped back.
Valkyrie Hildegarde.
The one that had brought Tae Ho to Valhalla.
She had black hair and a blue armor that suited her well. Her cheerfulness, that was a bit different to Reginleif, could be felt in her expression and her small movements.
Tae Ho breathed in for now. As he calmed down his surprised heart he became rather composed.
When he first entered Valhalla, he really wanted to meet the Valkyrie that was now in front of him. Where was this place, why had he come to Valhalla, and how was the situation turning? He didn't want to ask about one or two things.
But it was now different.
The questions he had were almost fully answered.
This place was Valhalla, where the souls of the great warriors gathered at. The warriors of Valhalla were the warriors that protected Asgard and the nine realms from the giants and demons.
It was a rather strange thing that Tae Ho, that wasn't from Midgard, got brought here but even so it wasn't unprecedented.
And based on the experiences he had accumulated until now, there was almost no probabilities for the Valkyrie in front of him to hold all the answers. Because it wasn't that she had brought him out of her own will.
But still, Tae Ho asked her once and heard the answer he had expected.
"That was also the first time I brought someone from another world."
The method the Valkyries gathered souls was simple. They would wait on the battlefield they were designated and if some warriors died over there she would bring the ones she judged as being righteous to enter Valhalla or fitted the requisites, or just left them be.
"The thing that decides on which battlefield we have to be at is the Celestial sphere the king of Gods Odin and the Goddess of magic Freya made together."
In other words, it meant that it was decided by a machine and wasn't willed by someone.
But of course, there may be the possibility for someone to have manipulated the machine, but that was really difficult and unnecessary. There was no one that would benefit from having brought Tae Ho to Valhalla.
'Well, if there was should it be Idun?'
Cuchulainn said and Tae Ho ignored him.
Hildegarde kept speaking.
"Anyways, i'm really glad for us to have met like this. I belong to Freya's legion."
"Freya's legion?"
The Goddess of love and beauty Freya.
Tae Ho had seen warriors from almost all the legions but he had never seen a warrior that belonged to Freya's legion.
As Tae Ho put on a surprised face, Siri that was next to him, said in a low voice.
"Almost all of the Valkyries that retrieve the souls of the warriors belong to Odin's or Freya's legion."
The reason was simple. Odin and Freya were the ones that made Valhalla.
"I thought that you would become an intermediate ranked warrior in a short time. Because you had the quality to do so. Take pride in yourself as you are the first soul I led."
Hildegarde laughed as she was really proud of herself and then asked while tilting her head.
"But you belong to Idun's legion?"
"Yes."
"How marvelous. It has been a really, really long while since a new warrior entered Idun's legion. It must have been a dozen years...no, the first time since the Great war. I obviously thought that you would enter Odin's or Freya's legion."
The two things piqued his interest.
He did know that there were scarce newcomer warriors in Idun's legion but for him to be the first since the Great War. There was a possibility for Hildegarde to be misinformed but whatever the case, it seemed like it was true that it has been a dozen years.
"When the souls don't have any particular God they served, the promising ones usually go to Odin's or Freya's legion. I could have never imagined that you would go to Idun's legion. I was planning to teach you the path of the warrior myself if you came to Freya's legion."
'Was it really a plot of Idun?'
Tae Ho ignored Cuchulainn's words once again and pointed at the empty table.
"Why don't we sit down?"
"That would be good."
Hildegarde laughed and took the lead and Tae Ho followed her back. Bracky and the warriors were looking at Tae Ho, that had attained a place to have alcohol with the Valkyrie, with taciturn eyes and then scattered. And he didn't know why but Siri followed him.
"It's for surveillance."
He didn't know for whom or for what it was but Tae Ho didn't refute for now.
The time with Hildegarde wasn't as long as he thought. Hildegarde wanted to listen to things related to Idun's legion and the world Tae Ho originally used to live but she didn't have the time to do so. She received a sudden call from Freya's legion and stood up from her seat after emptying her glass.
"Valkyries at the front lines are always the busiest. I will wait for the day we stand on the same battlefield."
Hildegarde smiled brightly and then placed her lips on Tae Ho's forehead.
"Let Freya's blessing accompany you."
'One more blessing from a Valkyrie has been added. A smile appears on the face of the Valkyrie collector Tae Ho.'
Cuchulainn was saying a lot of nonsense today. Tae Ho also ignored him this time and then expressed etiquette towards Hildegarde by hitting his chest.
He didn't know if it was inevitable or a coincidence but Heda returned not too long after Hildegarde left. As the warriors of Valhalla had all scattered and were drinking among themselves, Tae Ho chose to return quickly.
"I will return in a while. See you later."
Siri waved her hand while sitting down and Tae Ho moved to the dock with Heda. He was just looking at Heda's back, that was preparing the wooden boat like usual, and said casually.
"Um, Heda."
"Yes?"
"I heard that it has been tens of years since a warrior entered Idun's legion."
Heda flinched. Tae Ho laughed unconsciously and started to tell her about the meeting he had with Hildegarde. And then Heda pouted her lips and said.
"I acted a bit calm. It's embarrassing to act excited."
She did bring Tae Ho to Idun's legion as if nothing had happened but actually Heda was really excited that day. No, she was nervous. She even offered him a cigarette she didn't even smoke.
Actually it was something she could only say it now but she was glad that Tae Ho said he wouldn't smoke it. She did have it in case a new warrior entered but she hadn't actually used it. There was also the probability of it having turned bad because of how long it was there.
Tae Ho just looked at Heda refuting back and put on a smile and said.
"So that was the case. You were pressing it down. You forced yourself to act calm."
Heda flushed. She looked at Tae Ho with resentful eyes and then pouted again.
"I, I can act a bit tough."
In addition, Tae Ho was really bewildered on that day. If Heda was also bewildered then Tae Ho's uneasiness would have become bigger.
Tae Ho also knew that truth really well. Because of that he just laughed instead of teasing her.
'How far you go is always important.'
While Cuchulainn unexpectedly said some helping words, time flowed fast and they could soon see the residence right in front of them. Adenmaha, that had the shape of a sea serpent, greeted Tae Ho and Heda.
"You came?"
A sea serpent that was just pouting its head on a misty lake was something really scary, but as it was Adenmaha they were talking about they didn't think of that at all.
Heda tied up the wooden boat and then said.
"Go greet Idun-nim."
Because the first thing you had to do when you returned to the residence was to greet Idun.
'She's sulking. You won't be able to receive her blessing for quite a while.'
Tae Ho placed Gae Bolg in Unnir to block Cuchulainn's teasing voice and walked towards the shrine. As soon as he opened the door, a green field spread in front of them.
"My warrior Tae Ho."
It was Idun, that was the same as always. As soon as Tae Ho expressed his manners Idun said again.
"I'm glad that you are healthy."
"It's thanks to your blessing."
Idun smiled brightly at Tae Ho's answer and then extended her hand to raise him up.
"My warrior Tae Ho. I have many things I want to show you. Thanks to you, my believers in Midgard increased by a lot. In addition, you should also see this. A shrine was built up."
As Idun waved her hand lightly, two circle scenes appeared in the air.
"It's my shrine. I'm able to see it like this."
King Sven and his advisor Ube was seen in the first scene. The two people had built up several shrines of Idun in several places of the island, just like they promised Tae Ho.
In the second scene they could see Helga praying. It was Idun's shrine that king Ivar had set up.
"Warriors holding me in their hearts have increased. Will you listen to their voices?"
As Idun spoke excitedly, Tae Ho also got as excited as her. As he nodded fervently, Idun laughed and waved her hand again. The voices of the warriors were heard in another scene.
"Oh valiant and beautiful Idun, give me strength and courage."
"I heard the story of Idun's legion that's filled with beautiful Valkyries. I also want to go there."
"I saw the flying pirate ship. For only a part of the treasures that Idun has to be that much. It's really incredible. I'm sure it's a great army even in Valhalla."
"Ragnar said that you sold a lot of stuff."
The last one was Idun. While Tae Ho cleared his throat another voice was heard again. It was the voice of a woman this time.
"I want to meet Idun's warrior that came from Valhalla again."
It was the princess of Kataron, Helga. She was drawing an image of Tae Ho in her head that has rescued her and her siblings.
"Hmm, so that's the case."
Idun said with a vague voice. Although he couldn't see her because of the light, he was sure that her eyes were sharp right now.
While Tae Ho was still perplexed, Idun waved her hand to erase all the scenes.
"It is a really amazing achievement to the point I had to think really hard on what reward I should give you. So won't you wait for a moment? I will soon prepare something suitable for your achievement."
How can he say no in this situation? As Tae Ho answered that he would, Idun nodded slowly.
"We have many things to talk about. Although you did have an audience with me I couldn't talk to you as you were always training. We have to talk about 'Idun's warrior' that has transformed but I think it would be better to speak to Ragnar and Scathach about that."
Because it was related to a saga and a geass.
Idun finished speaking and grabbed on Tae Ho's hands. It was really warm and soft. It was the same sensation he got when he connected with Idun when he used 'Idun's warrior'.
"But...my warrior Tae Ho."
Idun paused and said. When Tae Ho looked at her Idun slightly closed the distance between Tae Ho and said.
"You called Heda's name in the decisive moment this time too."
The name Tae Ho called before swinging the Sword of light wasn't Idun's but Heda's name.
As Tae Ho flinched, Idun let go of Tae Ho's hands and turned in a circle.
"So that was the case. You called out Heda's name even though you were connected with me. That was what happened."
Although she was imitating Heda, it felt like there were blades in her words.
As Tae Ho struggled without being able to answer anything, Idun giggled as if it was all a joke.
"Just like I told you before, the most important thing is that you returned safely. So don't worry too much. But....call out my name at times too. I'm rather disappointed. Understand?"
How will he not call her when the Goddess tells him like that? It was weird to say that he would but he decided to answer something first.
"I will also call Idun-nim's name from now on."
"Right, that's something a playboy would say."
By now, he became certain that she was teasing him.
Idun giggled this time too and then calmed down her breathing and fixed her expression and looked at Tae Ho.
"My warrior Tae Ho. You have done really well. I'm really proud of you."
They were just some words instead of a material reward, but Tae Ho could feel a sense of accomplishment fill his heart.
Although it wasn't that the number of warriors increased in Idun's legion or there was a noticeable change, but he felt rewarded based on his efforts.
"Let my blessing accompany you."
Idun placed her lips on Tae Ho's forehead.
&
The next morning, Tae Ho got greatly satisfied after eating the meal Heda prepared in a really long time. Heda also had a fresh expression as if her sulkiness had all disappeared in a day.
As Ragnar was outside of the residence as he had some business to take care of, Tae Ho decided to first speak it with Scathach.
Although he did have Cuchulainn, he had other things to ask aside of the geass.
Scathach's body was still asleep, but her consciousness was awake. Because of that, she could send her soul outside of her body and communicate with the people in the residence.
Compared to Rolo, that didn't particularly care if his owner returned safely, Adenmaha certainly had a cute side in her. When she heard that Tae Ho would be going to Scathach, she transformed into the shape of a Goddess and followed Tae Ho's back.
Scathach's lodging was a building made of stones that was located in a corner of Idun's residence. Just looking at it made you think of a shrine and Scathach's asleep body was inside of that.
"The power of Idun nim is strong."
Adenmaha said while passing the entrance of the shrine. It was because of the blessings she had given her several times to protect her. Perhaps, the amount of blessings would be bigger than the number of Idun's shrines.
As Adenmaha touched her neck as if it was stifling, Tae Ho grabbed on her hands and activate the 'one that controls dragons' to strengthen her control. Only then did Adenmaha nod as if it was much better.
Although the difference in their status as Goddesses was clear and Adenmaha was a Goddess of another world, she could only feel a bit of rejection towards the power of Idun but thanks to Tae Ho all of that rejection had disappeared.
As Tae Ho grabbed on Adenmaha's hands and entered a deep place, he could see Scathach's body lying on an altar and next to her, the soul of Scathach that was half transparent.
"So you came Tae Ho. I was worried because the speed of the classes slowed down."
Tae Ho flinched unconsciously and Adenmaha burst out of laughter.
"It's important for the classes to be constant. As you have already started to learn about the power of Tuatha De Danann, you should keep on progressing."
'Those are right words.'
He couldn't ignore Cuchulainn's words this time maybe because it really were right words.
Tae Ho cleared his throat a few times to change the atmosphere and then spoke to Scathach.
"Master, I have some things I want to ask you."
"If it's about the power you used, Idun-nim was also greatly worried about you. But looking at how calm Cuchulainn is, it seems like it's not that big of a problem."
Because the after effects of the geass or the restrictions had disappeared. Cuchulainn recommended talking about the legend ranked saga 'Idun's warrior' having strengthened and its restriction having disappeared was closer to the boundary of the saga rather than the geass, so they should talk about it when Ragnar returned.
Because of that Tae Ho said something apart of 'Idun's warrior'.
"It's an item I found in Midgard."
What Tae Ho took out from Unnir was Liberatus.
The treasure of the kingdom of Kataron, that held a fragment of Gae Bolg. Cuchulainn guessed that the one that made Liberatus was someone that could handle the power of Erin.
"It really isn't an ordinary item. This object was made with the techniques of Erin. It's the handiwork of someone that's skilled in the techniques of Tuatha De Danann and also the Milesians. No, it's not only that. If we are talking about the technique that made this object...then it seems like it rivals mine."
There was no way a human that was born in Midgard possessed those abilities. It was certainly a survivor of Erin.
'Are you talking that his skills rivals yours, teacher?'
Scathach nodded as Cuchulainn asked in a surprised voice.
"The reason I was able to make Gae Bolg is because I was the queen of the land of darkness. It won't be easy even for me to make something like this."
Scathach was one of the great witches of high status even in Erin. Although her abilities on crafting a weapon was limited, there weren't many that had skills that were comparable to hers.
"Unfortunately enough, I can't check whose work this is from. But fortunately, the one that made this left a clue."
"A clue?"
"Right. There's a message magic left in the part of the hilt, that's not related to the operation of the sword."
If it was a message magic, then it was highly probable for it to be a clue. Something like telling them his location or something similar.
Tae Ho admired and turned to look ad Adenmaha.
"What?"
"Well, I was wondering why you didn't know."
She should also be a Goddess of Tuatha De Danann.
"You didn't show it to me!"
"Ah, I didn't."
Tae Ho understood and turned to look at Scathach again, and she looked at Adenmaha that had inflated her cheeks and laughed. She then extended her hand towards Liberatus.
"I will activate it then."
The magic of Tuatha De Danann.
A stream of light appeared from Liberatus and the message magic got activated.
< Episode 25 - Paul's sword (1) > End