Episode 33/Chapter 3: Idun's warrior (3)

TL: Tsubak

ED: Julsmul

The Sea of Ymir was very broad and complicated.

The sea that could be described as a vast expanse of water and the expression 'complicated' didn't seem to suit each other, but that was only when perceived through the eyes of an outsider.

There were many experienced sailors among the warriors of Valhalla. For them, who were accustomed to naval navigation, the complicated changes that were occurring below the surface of the water were seen clearly.

The fast but dangerous path, the slow but safe path, or other routes that held some dangers within but were relatively safe- there were various kinds of paths.

Hildegarde decided on the path they should take after thinking about it for a long time. Despite her precaution, unexpected occurrences could always take place. The turmoil between Adenmaha and the Kators was such an example.

For the newcomer Valkyrie of Idun's legion to be of a dragon race, it was a situation that was hard to guess, but it ended up happening anyways.

Hildegarde blamed herself for the incident. An accident had happened because of her not having investigated the group she traveling with.

Hildegarde apologized to Adenmaha and Tae Ho and then reviewed the remaining sea routes. As they were in a situation that necessitated haste, they had been forced to navigate the fast, dangerous path. Needless to say, the remainder of the trip probably wouldn't be easy either.

Still, Hildegarde decided to keep with the path they were on after pondering about it for a while. In her mind, there wouldn't be any more dangers now that she'd been made aware of any potential threats from Tae Ho's and Adenmaha's presences.

But once again, there was nothing absolute in a trip in the sea.

After the third day since the group entered Ymir's sea, Hildegarde decided to change the difficulty of this trip greatly.

From a dangerous and hard trip to a comparatively easy one, that is.

The reason was simple.

"Idun's warrior!"

"Idun's warrior!"

"You are reeeaaally cool!"

"Too strong!"

The female warriors of Freya's legion exclaimed with really excited faces. There were admiration and joy mixed in their eyes.

That was the long and short of it.

Simply put, the commander of Idun was much stronger than what Hildegarde had thought.

But of course, she did know that he was strong. Because if he wasn't, he wouldn't have been able to become commander in the first place. He wouldn't have been able to accomplish his shining achievements in Midgard.

However, Hildegarde thought of different things.

Because whatever the case, he was still a warrior that had just become superior-ranked. He was a warrior that hadn't even been in Valhalla for a full year yet.

She had thought him far below the other commanders and considered the possibility that the legion had given him the title even though he lacked strength. He had certainly accomplished surprising things, but she had thought that it was the result of having received help from other warriors.

But that wasn't it either.

Idun's commander was strong, and in addition, the kind of strength and its shape was different to what Hildegarde had thought.

"Whew."

Tae Ho heard the cheers of the warriors of Freya's legion and let out a long sigh. Cuchulainn said with a confused voice,

'If others see you, they will think that you were the one that had fought.'

When the battle against the people with the heads of fish had started, Tae Ho couldn't take one step. It wasn't that he was standing on the ship while swinging his sword. He just stood there and watched others fight.

There were Valkyries gathered in front of Tae Ho.They were all fakes and they were equipped with the weapons of the Knights of the Round Table and gear made with the 'Warrior's Equipment'.

[Valkyrie Captain]

[Fake Heda]

The fake Heda grabbed the sword of Lancelot, Arondight, and expressed etiquette in front of Tae Ho. After her the fake Ingrid, Adenmaha, Reginleif and Rasgrid also did the same with their respective weapons.

Excluding the fake Heda which had an exceptional completion rate, the others were rather lacking, but as the performance of the weapons Tae Ho provided them with were great and their teamwork was immaculate, so they could display quite a notable battle prowess.

If one simply looked at their battle capabilities, then the five fake Valkyries standing in front of Tae Ho would be much stronger than the twenty warriors of Freya's legion gathered together.

Tae Ho expressed etiquette to the fake Heda with a satisfied expression and then retrieved their equipment and dispeled the 'Warrior that had a Valkyrie Meet Him'. The warriors of Freya's legion cheered once again when they saw the fake Valkyries disappear into light.

'Those eyes are admiring you because they think that you created a saga that makes your army because you were the only one in your legion.'

Tae Ho ignored Cuchulainn's guess of a gaze of one Valkyrie of Freya's legion and then turned around. It was because he was bothered about something while fighting.

"Adenmaha?"

"Hue..?"

Adenmaha let out a strange sound when she got called.

It seemed like she made that sound because she was surprised, but Tae Ho had also gotten surprised as that sound was really unexpected.

"Are you hurt somewhere? Or you have a fever, perhaps?"

"Wh-why? Is my face red?"

Adenmaha grew nervous as she spoke since her face was actually quite red. Tae Ho couldn't help but worry.

"That's something, but you also aren't able to stand properly since the attack. You just keep staring off into a distant place... you're doing it again."

Should he say that she looked uneasy?

She was looking elsewhere instead of looking at Tae Ho while he was talking to her. It seemed like she was evading his eyes.

Adenmaha flinched at Tae Ho's guess and then replied,

"I-I'm not. I'm looking at you properly."

It was a lie. Whoever saw it could notice that she was only glancing at him. She didn't hurriedly roll her eyes when their eyes met but even turned her head.

Tae Ho frowned even more at the clear symptom. It was because he was seriously worried about Adenmaha's state.

"Are you really not hurt? Like you are seasick or something."

Tae Ho placed his hand on Adenmaha's forehead. It was slight, but he could feel some heat from it.

On the other hand, Adenmaha let out another vague sound when Tae Ho's hand touched her forehead and said while stuttering and still avoiding his gaze.

"Uh....that's probably the case. Yeah. I'll go rest for a moment."

Adenmaha let out a long sigh and then turned around to hurry towards the curtain room.

And Tae Ho nodded slowly after looking at her as if he understood it now.

"So that is the case. Sea serpents can also become seasick, it seems."

Because swimming for yourself and riding on a ship were different things.

Tae Ho got convinced and nodded, and Cuchulainn spoke with a dumbfounded voice as if it was absurd.

'Hey, did you really learn Scathach's style techniques?'

The essence of that technique was on the insight that let one see through everything. That meant that it was normal for them to be more quick-witted than others.

However, Tae Ho talked back as if he didn't know what he was talking about.

"Why? Is there a problem?"

'Leave it.'

Perhaps, this was also the effect of having fallen deeply in love.

Tae Ho shared a short conversation with Hildegarde and then sat down and looked out over the water before them.

"It's really smooth."

'Right. You don't have any notices from Idun?'

Rather than being worried, it seemed like he wanted to hear a notice from her quickly.

Tae Ho shook his head and said,

"Not yet. And thinking about it...I think that I worried that much for nothing."

'What are you talking about?'

"Well, it was two years for me, but it has only been twenty two days for Idun-nim."

That was right.

Because Tae Ho was the one to enter the Tower of Shadows, not Idun.

It wasn't that Tae Ho went to meet Idun everyday just because it was him. He did get divine messages from her when he was out on an expedition, but that was also when she had a special business with him.

If matters were urgent, fifteen days was the usual period between their visits. Otherwise, two months and one month were the respective longest period and average.

As that was the cycle that Tae Ho met Idun, twenty two days wasn't that long of a time.

'Tch. So he noticed.'

He had hoped for him to feel more haunted thinking that it was two years.

Tae Ho shook his head as Cuchulainn regretted it quite seriously.

"You really are bad as a person. Tch tch tch."

Of course, the two people were joking. Cuchulainn spoke once again.

'But still, it's true that you didn't greet her before coming out. You should soothe her well later.'

"Yes, I should."

If it was like Hildegarde had said, even communication magic was difficult to use in the Sea of Ymir.

'Right, that's why it should be fine until we get out of Ymir's sea.'

He had heard that they still had two more days to go until they reached Vanaheim, so he could talk about how to soothe her at a later time.

Tae Ho became determined and looked off into the distance. Later that night, he realized that his thoughts were quite wrong.

-

"My warrior, Tae Ho."

"The commander of Idun greets the Goddess of Youth."

Tae Ho expressed etiquette politely while hiding his surprise.

For him to receive a divine message as soon as he relaxed....

'But still, it doesn't seem like she's all that sulky.'

He had thought that she would say something like, 'So that was the case. You only go with Heda just like a warrior of Heda.' or 'Aren't you Tae Ho, the warrior of Freya?' as soon as she saw him.

It seemed like there was no need to worry that much as she called him as 'my warrior'.

Tae Ho grew relieved but was taken aback upon raising his head. It was because he saw the anxiousness written on Idun's face.

"You are not a warrior of Freya."

Idun said matter-of-factly. She approached Tae Ho and then said quickly,

"You are Idun's warrior. My warrior, not a warrior of Freya. So don't say that even as a joke. Understood?"

It seemed like she had seen right through what he was thinking about.

He could know it even without using the insight of Scathach's style. There was anxiousness and eagerness mixed in Idun's voice, and Tae Ho could also feel a bit of obsession towards him.

'It feels vaguely good.'

If Cuchulainn had heard this, he would have said that he was a pervert, but it was still the truth. The truth that none other than Idun was, on some level, obsessed with him and that she treated him specially gave him satisfaction.

"Tae Ho?"

"Of course."

Tae Ho answered while smiling as if relieving Idun. Idun seemed to have gotten relieved at that smile, and she let out a long sigh.

"Freya-unnie too. How can she entrust with something like this to another commander?"

She could, of course, understand.

It was because it was important enough that Freya, the owner of Valhalla, had the right to give orders to a commander even if they belonged to another legion. A report had also reached Idun, but she ended up contacting Tae Ho.

But still, it was a lie if she said that she wasn't angry.

Idun pouted and complained a bit more about Freya, and Tae Ho decided to enjoy it leisurely instead of feeling awkward by Idun's showing of this side of her for the first time.

And a few minutes later-

Idun seemed to have noticed Tae Ho's gaze that she flushed and cleared her throat a few times and then said something else with a calmed expression.

"My warrior, Tae Ho. You should already know this, but you will meet the chief of Vanaheim, Heimstream, if you reach it."

He had already heard this from Hildegarde.

The chief of the Vanir couldn't be compared to Odin or Freya, but he was still one of the strongest magicians among the Vanir.

Bringing Freya the several magic tools he had stored was the task of Tae Ho.

Idun paused for a moment and then said with a resolved expression.

"It shouldn't be something that Freya planned, but it turned out well anyway. If you meet Heimstream, reveal your identity and say that you have come to claim the legacy of our legion."

"The legacy.....of our legion?"

"Right, it's the legacy of before the Great War.....of Idun's legion. It is now time to retrieve it."

Maybe it was his imagination, but Tae Ho could feel a bit of sadness in her voice.

The legion before the Great War.

Tae Ho didn't know much about them. It wasn't because he didn't try to investigate but because there were very few records about them.

Heda would always answer Tae Ho's questions, but she always evaded the question about the legion before the Great War.

But it was now time.

Not only because Idun's legion was rising up again. Perhaps, there was a deeper meaning in it.

But Idun saved her words. She just smiled towards Tae Ho instead of speaking longer.

"I heard from Heda. It must have been really hard being in the Tower of Shadows alone for two years. I am really proud of you."

It was merely twenty days for Idun, but it was two years for Tae Ho. Tae Ho could feel his heart grow soft.

Tae Ho expressed etiquette once again, and Idun approached Tae Ho a bit more. It was to bless him like she always did.

Tae Ho raised his head and Idun looked at him with a gentle expression. She pondered for a moment, and then gave him the best blessing.

"May my blessing accompany you."

Idun smiled shyly, and Tae Ho woke from his dream.

-

Time flowed like usual.

Skuld, who had transformed into a swan, flew towards Vanaheim.

Loki, who'd been roaming Midgard, finally stopped.

The Magician King, Utgard Loki, called and gathered the remaining Five Fingers in one spot.

The frost giant king, Harmarti, ordered the giants in the front lines.

Uld and Verdandi looked at the threads of fate.

The King of Gods, Odin, sat before the Lake of Mimir and had a conversation with him. Hugin and Munin told him the news.

Freya looked at Midgard with worried eyes.

And a day after that,

Tae Ho reached Vanaheim.

< Episode 33 - Idun's sword (3) > End

TL note: Thanks for reading~