Freyr, the God of Fertility, remained calm.
The effect of Awakening extended to his mind, allowing him to process the battlefield with perfect clarity.
First—Solana collapsed a massive pillar. Second—Rion disappeared into the swirling dust.
As long as he remembered their positions moments ago, it was trivial. Freyr was already a master swordsman among gods, capable of easily surpassing even the Swordmaster skill. If he combined that with the power of Awakening, he could seize the initiative in any situation, no matter how chaotic.
Freyr lowered his sword to mid-stance, the tip pointing downward. He deliberately left his head exposed, baiting an attack.
If he charged, a cloud of dust would move. Rion would also make noise as he moved, due to the rubble he had scattered. All Freyr had to do was wait.
“Wake up!”
That voice reached his ears.
Freyr braced himself—but no attack followed.
A lure, perhaps? He thought. The direction of the voice gave him a clue to Rion’s position.
Gradually, the dust began to clear. Freyr’s eyes widened—not with surprise, but with exasperation.
“Freyja, huh.”
The figure of his little sister, Freyja, floated a dozen steps ahead.
It’s a magical illusion, no doubt about it. His mind is telling him so. Perhaps because the real Freyja lay sealed in ice nearby, the imitation was flawless.
A bitter smile tugged at his lips.
“So… this is your plan?”
Disappointing. Was he trying to confuse me by revealing my sister? Or perhaps he was trying to anger me?
Either way, it was meaningless.
Freyr held his stance. Nothing had changed.
Time dragged on.
Freyr frowned at the phantom’s expression. Though seemingly blank, her gaze was fixed unwaveringly on him.
Looking at his sister’s blue eyes, a single question flickered in his mind.
—What would Freyja-sama think of you, right now?
Perhaps he remembered Rion’s words because his sister and the boy shared the same blue eyes.
He laughed off such stirring of the heart. The answer to that question had already been decided.
Rubble shifted on his right. Somewhere already cracked must have collapsed. Freyr intended to check with his eyes alone. Yet, as if pulled by some invisible thread, he turned his whole face towards that direction.
The moment he looked away from the gaze of the one he had sworn to protect, the fate of the God of Fertility was sealed.
◆◆◆
Step forward.
The resolve slipped out like a sigh, falling between my clenched teeth.
| Skill 『God of Mischief’s Divine Protection』 was activated. 【Genie’s Trick】……. A magic that creates illusions. |
Using the power of the water spirit Undine, I raised a wall of water—and on it, with Loki’s blessing, I projected an illusion.
An illusion of Freyja-sama.
Creating magical illusions is normally extremely difficult, but by projecting it onto a water surface, as Loki had once done, even I could manage it. I hid behind the illusion, taking advantage of how the water bent and refracted the scenery, making me invisible from Freyr’s perspective.
I waited for the moment.
Freyr would surely look away.
He diverted his gaze for only a fraction of a second. That was enough. Now, I would use the next skill to expand this chance.
| Skill 『Divine Protection of the God of Hunting』 was activated. 【Hunter’s Step】……. Move unseen, leaving no trace of one’s presence. |
Don’t notice, don’t notice me…
I told myself as I closed the distance.
Freyr reacted though. A thrust of godlike speed shot toward me.
“Hah!”
I slipped past the blade and leapt straight into Freyr’s chest.
“Y-you…”
Freyr’s eyes darted. He was shaken.
I pressed forward.
“You’re lying.”
“What?”
My short sword and his sword clashed with a sharp ting. But I didn’t step back. Now that I had leapt in, this was my only chance.
“You claim there’s no hesitation! Then… was training me, adventuring with me, was all of that a lie too!?”
Through Seiðr magic, Freyr had sealed his memories. Yet the expressions he wore when he trained me, when he fought alongside me—they felt real. Even this god must retain some fragment of his divine kindness.
He cut downward. I followed, chasing the wide opening he left.
“Tell me! What happened? Why are you our enemy?!”
Fire sparked in Freyr’s eyes. His slash grazed my cheek.
“If someone is precious… you can’t do things that would hurt them!”
“…Childish reasoning.”
I understood Freyr’s anger. Even I would have been deeply unsettled if someone had dragged Lu into a fight as an enemy.
My chest ached. The desire to protect family was probably the same for him as it was for me. I reversed my grip on the short sword, moving into a preparatory stance. I met Freyr’s eyes.
“Then… why did you look away?”
“—!”
I could feel the god’s emotions erupting.
After a slash, his sword—once flowing sideways—snapped forward, swung with raw force straight at me. A god striking down a powerless human.
Exactly what I had been waiting for.
A sword approached from my left. I spun my body, deflecting it.
“What—!”
With a high-pitched clash, the sword of the Fertility God Freyr was knocked aside. Even if he didn’t release his weapon, his torso was left completely exposed.
I had practiced countering swords countless times. This was the technique I excelled at most.
Using the momentum of my spin, I swept aside his horizontal slash. Against Freyr, whose Swordsman skill was original, I needed to bait the movement—but I had done it perfectly.
I had provoked him, drawing out a raw, forceful strike.
Freyr’s body faltered.
His eyes widened in disbelief. As if asking, —You read me?
I tilted my chin, meeting his questioning expression.
“…Yes.”
Because we were brothers in the same way, I understood why he was angry. I realized that somewhere along that adventure, Freyr and I had reached a point of understanding.
That was why I could play this game of strategy.
I could read this god—my brother.
“S-Sor—”
My chest ached, and those words nearly slipped out.
For Lu’s sake, the sister I wanted to protect, I pressed forward, pushing aside the brother who was likewise trying to protect his own sister. With a clear ching, the gold coin shot out of my pocket. I thought I saw Freyr’s eyes follow its intricate patterns.
“…What a face you make, hero.”
Freyr’s whisper.
It was the face of the adventurer I knew—Nils. The voice echoed in my mind, speaking as a god, yet with a familiarity I recognized.
And the words continued.
“You swore, didn’t you?”
Yes.
“You made your decision, didn’t you?”
I lifted my chin.
“Then move forward! One who feels no pain cannot be called a hero.”
The final words from the adventurer who had once been my mentor.
“Endure it. And press on.”
With the pain, my resolve ignited. Even through tears, I knew I had to take the next step. The power I wielded was borrowed from the gods—but my determination, my heart, that had to be my own.
| Skill 『Sun’s Divine Protection』 was activated. 【Sword of the Daughter of the Sun】…… Imbues the Daughter of the Sun in a weapon. |
“Solana!”
『…I know, but you sometimes say the most impossible things!』
The gold coin I had launched clung to the short sword, merging with it into a single weapon. We are now at a distance too close to dodge.
Golden light spilled from the dagger, streaking straight toward Freyr.
『A gentle strength, huh…』
It felt like the god muttered these final words.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next
Yume Neiji's Works 