—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Cyno
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
As the sun set in the evening, Cartianne walked down the hallway with a deeply troubled expression. Ever since she had killed a man named Yan the day before, Ignis had been exuding a chilling aura, refusing to meet with her. At this critical juncture, with an important mission ahead, their strained relationship—especially since Ignis was supposed to serve as her guide—was more than just a minor inconvenience.
Having lived in the floating city of Chronos for so long, Cartianne was not well-versed in the ways of the world.
‘That damn brat. If I call for him, he should come running.’
Cartianne had assumed the wretched boy would reluctantly show up at the last moment. After all, a mage of his caliber couldn’t possibly have failed to sense the immense mana contained in the “Descent of the Fire Dragon” spell.
Yet, he stubbornly resisted until the very end and met a laughable death. It was truly absurd.
Arriving at Ignis’ office, Cartianne paused to gaze at the crest of the Church of Light engraved on the door, took a deep breath, and knocked cautiously. Ignis’ voice soon answered from inside.
“Come in.”
Cartianne cracked the door open slightly and waved at Ignis through the gap.
“It’s me~ Are you sure I can come in?”
“Yes. Come in.”
Permission granted, Cartianne hurried inside. She slowly approached Ignis, who was silently reviewing documents on the sofa.
“So, what are those papers about?”
“The Karl Ducal House reached out. Grand Duke Karl will be visiting soon, and they want a detailed explanation of how and why Duke Yan died. They want the full story.”
Cartianne wiped her face in frustration. She had plenty of work to do and critical matters to handle, but right from the start, she had ended up killing the son of one of the most powerful figures in the human world. This was no small problem.
If the Grand Duke secretly sought revenge for Yan’s death, it could cause major disruptions to their future plans.
“Oh, really? Are they very angry?”
“No. Not particularly.”
“Huh?”
“There were only a few lines about Duke Yan. Most of the letter was just questions about you, Cartianne.”
“About me? Why?”
“They probably want to know whether you’re aligned with the forces of Light or Darkness. You revealed yourself as the Great Saint of Flame while causing trouble yesterday, didn’t you? In human society, that’s a politically and religiously significant issue. After all, you’re the first Great Saint to descend since the dawn of human civilization. Anyway, great job~ Someone who should be acting in secrecy has now revealed their face to the entire world. What exactly is your plan? Sigh.”
Ignis’ last remark carried unmistakable sarcasm. Valkyries were not supposed to interfere in worldly affairs or reveal their identities. Fortunately, her status as a Valkyrie hadn’t been exposed yet, but it was obvious that this would become a major obstacle moving forward.
Cartianne averted her gaze awkwardly.
“Well, at least they’re not angry. That’s a relief. Truly fitting of the Ironblood Chancellor, Grand Duke Karl. To remain so composed even after his son’s death.”
“Do you really think so?”
Cartianne quickly turned to look at Ignis.
“Why? Did he say something else?”
“No. It’s just something Duke Yan said before he left that’s been bothering me.”
“What did he say?”
“He said that even if he died, there would be no one to sing a requiem for him.”
A requiem was a song of mourning sung by the living for the dead. In other words, it meant that even if Yan died, no one would grieve for him.
“So?”
“Yes. Upon investigation, it seems the Grand Duke secretly wanted to pass the ducal seat not to Duke Yan but to his half-brother, Joseph.”
Cartianne squeezed her eyes shut.
“I shouldn’t have used ‘Descent of the Fire Dragon’ back then.”
“No, you did the right thing.”
Cartianne shot Ignis a glare. The girl had been sarcastic this whole time. Just yesterday, when Cartianne had visited to congratulate her on becoming the Great Saint of Light, Ignis had been icy because of Yan’s death. Now, she was saying something completely different.
“Are you mocking me?”
“I’m serious.”
“You were upset with me for killing Yan, weren’t you?”
“I was. But after thinking it over, I realized he must still be alive. After all, there’s no way Duke Yan would die from something like that.”
Her words carried a subtle jab at Cartianne’s pride. ‘Something like that’ referred to Cartianne herself.
“Hey. Your tone just now was weird.”
“No, I was just expressing my faith in Duke Yan’s abilities.”
“What abilities?”
“His abilities as the Great Prophet. He predicted the event of me becoming a Great Saint in advance.”
Cartianne had heard that before. But she couldn’t believe it. There was no such thing as a prophet chosen by the gods.
If the gods were kind enough to communicate directly with humans, they wouldn’t have sent Valkyries like them to this world in the first place.
“That was a coincidence. He just said it to manipulate you into becoming his hostage, and it happened to match. Even we Valkyries can’t see the future. Well, some might catch vague glimpses, but never in such precise detail.”
“I thought so too, but it turns out I was wrong.”
“What’s your proof?”
“Late this afternoon, Beremund, the Annihilator of the Earth God, chose its master.”
Cartianne’s face went blank with shock.
“Y-You don’t mean… Princess Sierra?”
“Yes.”
“That’s impossible…!”
“Then go confirm it yourself.”
Though hard to believe, if true, it almost certainly meant Yan was indeed a Great Prophet chosen by the gods.
The Seven Divine Artifacts had remained in the Hall of Divinity for thousands of years after they were enshrined, never choosing a human master. Yet now, two had appeared, and Yan had predicted both. Such a thing would be impossible without prophetic abilities.
Cartianne was utterly dumbfounded.
“So, I really killed a Great Prophet chosen by the gods?”
“I told you, he’s not dead. Why would someone who knows the future walk into a place where they’re destined to die?”
“No way. No one could’ve survived that situation. How could he escape from a sealed bathroom?”
Ignis clicked her tongue and stood up, retrieving a blueprint from her desk.
“Look at this.”
“What is it?”
“The blueprint for the external restroom of the Purity Temple. See this small passage next to it?”
Cartianne tilted her head. There was indeed a hole next to the toilet, just large enough for a person to squeeze through.
“Yeah, it’s there.”
“According to a construction expert, external restrooms in temples or high noble estates have drainage passages leading to underground waterways in case of heavy rainfall causing overflow. They can’t have sewage flooding sacred or noble grounds.”
“So, you’re saying he went through there?”
“Yes.”
Still unconvinced, Cartianne shook her head.
“No way. I confirmed his death.”
“Did you see it with your own eyes?”
She hadn’t. At the time, Cartianne had been standing far away to avoid the… unpleasant aftermath.
“No, but I sensed it with mana.”
Ignis smirked.
“I knew it.”
“What?”
“During today’s investigation, we found traces of an aura blade cutting through a tree near the Purity Temple. Part of it was missing.”
“So, you mean…?”
“Yes. It’s likely an assassin technique.”
Cartianne rubbed her face. Among assassin techniques, there was one that involved imbuing mana into dead animals or wood to mimic one’s presence, fooling pursuers with mana-sensing abilities. Given the circumstances, Yan had probably set up a wooden decoy while concealing his own mana and escaping through the underground waterways.
No wonder he had been so confident about fleeing. Assassins had techniques for rapid movement too.
This was humiliating. If her fellow Valkyries found out she’d been tricked by a mere human, she’d be the laughingstock for life.
“That damn brat! Just wait—”
“Yes. You got played.”
Cartianne shot Ignis a sharp glare.
“You’ve done quite the investigation, haven’t you?”
Ignis met her gaze calmly.
“I had a strange feeling.”
“Strange? About what?”
“His fear and dread of the future.”
Cartianne didn’t even scoff. Yan hadn’t even been afraid of her, a Valkyrie.
“Are you sure you’re not mistaken? From what I saw, he didn’t seem the type.”
“No. I sensed it clearly. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked me to sing a requiem for him before leaving. People his age don’t usually talk about their own deaths. They dream of the future.”
“But back then, he was surrounded by thousands, wasn’t he? In a life-or-death moment, he might’ve felt that way.”
Ignis shook her head.
“No. He wasn’t afraid of anyone in that moment. His fear was solely directed at the distant future.”
“So, you mean…?”
“Yes. He must know about the crisis humanity will face.”
“Well, if he really is a Great Prophet, I suppose that’s possible.”
Ignis folded the blueprint and stood up.
“Right. So we must find him.”
“We should. He might even know the location we’re looking for.”
“Yes.”
Cartianne also nodded sharply and rose from her seat.
“Anyway, it’s a good thing you became the Great Saint of Light at this time. We need to work together to stop Savondia’s madness.”
Savondia was the Valkyrie of Death. Once the strongest and most human-loving Valkyrie, she had recently succumbed to madness and deserted the floating city of Chronos without permission.
In response, the Valkyrie Queen had ordered Cartianne and another Valkyrie, Armida, to find Savondia. Shortly after her desertion, the “Guidance of the Era” had pointed to destruction.
That was why Ignis had agreed to help. If left unchecked, Savondia would bring ruin to this world, so humanity needed to contribute as well.
“Right.”
“And be prepared. Handling the Seven Divine Artifacts won’t be easy. You’ll have to endure harsh training under me.”
“I know.”
Cartianne studied Ignis for a moment. There was one more thing she needed to confirm.
“Oh, and last night, someone from the forces of Darkness awakened too, right? The wielder of Dallahan?”
“Yes.”
“Where are they now?”
“I don’t know. They stormed out in a rage, and there’s been no trace since. Since even the forces of Darkness haven’t found them yet, it seems they’ve already left the holy site.”
“No idea why?”
“Well~ I’m not sure either.”
Cartianne clicked her tongue in disappointment.
Dallahan was a divine artifact forged by the Valkyrie Queen from orichalcum, tempered ten thousand times. Even as a second-tier artifact, its power was close to that of the Seven Divine Artifacts, so its wielder would’ve been a great asset. Losing such a person was a shame.
But it didn’t matter. The forces of Darkness were under the jurisdiction of Armida, the Valkyrie of Darkness. Though she had her… quirks, with their help, finding one person would be child’s play.
“Tch, Armida will handle it.”
Cartianne walked to the window and gazed at the darkening sky.
‘But what was that sword that brat was carrying?’
She recalled Yōjo, the blade that had blocked Idrun. If it had stopped her flaming aura blade without being shattered, it meant the sword was also a divine artifact forged from orichalcum.
But aside from the Seven Divine Artifacts and Dallahan, no such weapons existed in this world. Any other so-called divine artifacts were just crude magical items crafted by humans. A sword like Yōjo shouldn’t exist.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
[Your Text Here]
