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Chapter 129: To The Capital Of Ice And Death IV

I was awakened by the sensation of a foreign object being removed from my body. My consciousness was still hazy, like I was only half awake.

To tell the truth, I can\'t tell if I\'m awake, still dreaming, or hallucinating. I can\'t tell the difference.

I can hear the sound of metal clanking against metal. It sounds familiar………it reminds me of the sound of surgical instruments. And then, there\'s the constant howling of the snowstorm.

But it\'s warm. I can feel the warmth of other people\'s bodies close by.

Yet their voices sound distant.

「―――――With that, most of his wounds have been closed. The frostbite has been treated and there is no longer any risk of gangrene. The fragments inside his eyeball have been removed, and the bones in his leg have been set. This means that we don\'t have to worry about him needing a prosthetic eye and leg」

「Well, in a way, he\'ll look pretty cool with them though」

「Considering the maintenance needed in the long run, living tissue is better」

「Are you sure? It\'s more work for you, isn\'t it?」

「I won\'t do anything more than that though. I hope you\'re not mistaking me for a workaholic」

「Wa, waka, what?」

「It means someone who\'s addicted to work」

「Isn\'t that exactly what you are?」

「No way」

「What are your interests?」

「It\'s work」

「And, what is work to you?」

「Something I do for fun」

「There, aren\'t I right?」

「………………No way」

Who are they?

I\'ve heard those voices before. But I can\'t make the connection.

I opened my eyes groggily, but found them covered by bandages, and I could only see the silhouettes of the women. They were both snuggled up against me, keeping me warm.

I felt a slight breeze on my cheek. It appeared that I was in a dugout in the snow.

「Oh, he\'s awake」

「That was much sooner than I had expected. No, this must be the phenomenon where time flies when you\'re having fun that Einstein talked about」

「Ein, who?」

「A person with high IQ」

「So he’s a person with a big head, huh?」

「You\'re not wrong, but it feels like you\'re taking it the wrong way」

Who are you two?

I tried to say, but nothing came out. I tried to move my body, but all I managed to do was raise one hand slightly.

「Listen to me carefully」

That hand was taken.

「After this, you will need to fight. You\'re physically exhausted, and while your wounds have been treated, they\'re far from fully healed. Even so, you will need to spill more blood in battle. There is a girl waiting for you. And a home to return to………………You understand, right?」

I couldn\'t speak. So I squeezed her hand back.

Strangely, I felt a little bit of strength well up inside me.

「That\'s what I thought. That\'s the kind of person you are, isn\'t it? Now, I\'m going to send you to the Garden of the Dead inside the royal castle of Neomia. Show this to the queen you will meet there」

She closed my hand around something. It was pointed, like a thick nail or something.

The other woman murmured softly.

「Did the egg come first or the chicken? That is something that will play havoc with the law of cause and effect. Never part with it. No, it will likely never leave you. Much like the magic sword that has attached itself to you」

「The queen is ruthless, but she’s a reasonable person. If you show her that thing in your hand and offer to lend her your strength, she will also help you in return. Take advantage of this opportunity. You\'ve always been good at negotiating under pressure, right?」

I can\'t even persuade a single child though.

「Also, don\'t be too hard on that girl. She\'ll learn her lesson from this and become more obedient in future」

That would be great.

I sincerely hope that\'s true.

「What about you, ? Is there anything that you want to say to him?」

Wait, what did you just say?

No way. That\'s a name that can\'t possibly be here. Even if I misheard, it\'s still no laughing matter. Then, could it be that the other woman here is……

My brain and consciousness were jolted.

I nearly blacked out.

「Listen to me」

The other woman also took my hand.

「You will continue to be faced with many tribulations and hardships as you go forward. Some will be more painful than having your flesh ripped out, and some will be so horrible that you would rather forget about them. This is the last thing "we" can do. This is really the last time. We cannot help you ever again. But please don\'t worry. You can overcome it all. You can fight it all. After all, you\'re my―――――」

I was enveloped in light.

The bandages slipped, and for a brief moment, I saw both of their faces.

This may have been nothing more than a hallucination.

Or maybe I\'m just having a fleeting dream on the verge of death.

Then, even if it was a dream, it must have been a part of reality.

Clenching my teeth against the agonizing pain, I used Agathion, which was in my hand, as a support to stand up.

I was weighed down by the sword on my back and the katana at my hip, my cloak and clothes were in tatters, and blood was seeping from my wounds, but I was still alive and kicking. The blurred vision in both my eyes gradually cleared.

The place called the Garden of the Dead was a greenhouse.

It was warm, and snow had piled up on its glass ceiling. The garden was filled with flowers that looked as translucent as crystal. When I touched the petals of one of the flowers with my fingers, I was greeted by a mineral-like texture.

These flowers look familiar.

They resemble the crystalline spear made using Gunmerry\'s core. Could this maybe be its original form?

「To touch my prized possessions without permission, what a boorish visitor you are. Oh, but……Toto, is he a visitor, I wonder?」

「No, my princess. He\'s just another suspicious person」

「Yes, that\'s what I thought」

In the middle of the garden, there was a lady lounging on an opulent, comfy-looking sofa and sipping tea.

On the table beside her was a gorgeous tea set and many sugary pastries. Around her stood a group of pale-faced butlers and maids. They were of a wide variety of races, including Hemus, elves, beastkin, and a short race of people that I had never seen before.

For all the expensive furniture, the lady\'s attire was rather plain. And very familiar.

She wore a black dress.

It was sleeveless and had a large opening in the back. Her bare legs and exposed skin were as white as snow. She was toying with a pair of black high heels with her toes.

Her hair was red, as if covered in blood. She had a voluptuous body and her heavy breasts swayed with every languid movement she made. She had the appearance of a tremendous beauty who ruined countries, and mysterious golden eyes that seemed to suck me in. From behind her thin lips, a tongue as red as fresh blood and her long canine teeth peeked out.

「Kill him and feed him to the wolves」

She issued such an order.

The butlers and maids leaped into action as one. They moved at a speed that differed from the wolves\' as they had the finesse and skill of humans. The only thing that was the same was that their weapons were claws and fangs.

「Don\'t just kill me, for crying out loud」

I let go, and the magic sword flew into motion.

I performed the backhanded iai-draw technique that I had grasped the knack of. I pulled the sword on my back out halfway and used it to block.

With three blades, I stopped all of the vampires\' attacks.

The impact and the pressure drove the grogginess out of my body completely.

「I apologize for my sudden visit. I have something very interesting to discuss with you」

The long nails and the blades creaked as they strained against one another.

For a brief time, I was able to match their strength.

「Toto, what do you think?」

「He\'s a swordsman of some skill, it seems. That magic sword, it reeks of beastkin blood. How very curious」

There was one particular maid who hadn\'t joined the fight. She was a cat beastkin with chestnut-brown hair. Her hair was long and wavy, and she looked very much like someone I knew.

But in that moment, I couldn\'t quite take the time to figure out the connection.

「My princess, I believe it won\'t be too late to kill him after hearing what he has to say」

「What do you want to bet on that?」

「My head」

「Then I\'ll hear what he has to say」

The lady looked amused as she shifted her body and turned to me with a coquettish look in her eyes.

「You, the dirty little swordsman there. My favorite is betting her head on you. Do your best to entertain me. If what you say is boring, I\'ll skin you alive and make you live like that for a hundred years」

Judging from the fact that she hadn\'t ordered the vampires to back off, she was clearly not joking.

Even if it\'s with a beautiful woman, that kind of play is a bit too much for me.

I opened the hand gripping the handle of the sword on my back to reveal what I had in it.

It was a fang.

A large fang.

I had no idea where it had come from. Those women had said to show it to her and I trusted them, so I did as they said and showed the fang to the lady.

「A vermin should have made its way into this city of Neomia. Just for you, I\'ll be happy to exterminate it at a discounted price」

「A vermin? Are you talking about the dog wandering around the city? Or do you mean the rat scurrying about the castle?」

She probably means Barfuru when she was talking about the dog. Then is the rat Maria? Did she manage to escape from Barfuru? If so, that\'s a relief, but I wish she had the sense to flee to my side right away.

「My princess, this one appears to be an adventurer. He possesses a regeneration point」

「Houma\'s blood substitution technique? The grave robbers are still using that magic, huh? Yuck, how barbaric」

That\'s rich coming from a person who just talked about skinning someone alive.

「Adventurers will do anything for a price. I believe they can be trusted so long as we aren\'t stingy」

「Trusting the descendants of grave robbers………Well well, how interesting」

I can\'t figure out this lady’s criteria for what\'s interesting.

So, what now? Am I making progress? Are things starting to look up?

「Oh? Now that I\'ve taken a closer look, that fang………」

The lady finally showed some interest in the fang in my hand.

「I can smell the familiar stench of abominable blood from it. Incidentally, from your body, your sword, and even your soul, I smell the scent of blood most unclean. ………Explain. Depending on your answer………」

「Urgh」

「Lower yourself to the ground like a frog」

The standoff came to an abrupt end as I was forced down. I was nearly crushed by the increased pressure from the vampires. I dropped to one knee and held on.

Do I tell the truth or not? Is this someone I can fool? Probably not.

「Agathion, send them flying」

The magic sword roared into action.

Four vampires were blown away. The moment they were about to land on the flowers, they, both male and female, transformed into black mist, then returned to human form and stood beside the lady with calm expressions.

That bastard Barfuru. Isn\'t the information that he told me completely wrong? I won\'t trust anything I hear from him anymore.

「Agathion. I\'ve heard that name before. If I recall correctly, it\'s one of the three swords Ardi wielded」

The lady\'s interest seemed to have been further piqued.

Three-Swords Ardi was one of the Vindoobunikuru. So, Agathion was also one of his swords, just like Shuna\'s Star\'s Child. It\'s strange how I have such a connection with him.

「This magic sword was seized from the beast hunter hero, Varner Kalbezzo」

「Varner? I\'ve never heard of this hero. His name sounds like that of a roadside stone」

I think that metaphor is a bit harsh.

Next, I showed her the sword that I had used to fend off the enemies behind me.

「This famed sword belonged to Zamonglass, the Scarlet Knight………」

My words caught in my throat.

But I spoke the truth.

「………and is something I seized along with his sword techniques」

「Zamonglass………………that\'s a tad interesting. You\'ve killed a man with a name similar to my mortal enemy\'s」

A similar name? What do you mean?

No, leave that for later.

「In other words, I\'m an enemy of Elysium. I\'ve made myself stronger by seizing things from them over and over again」

「In front of me………」

The lady suddenly flipped out and bared her fangs threateningly at me.

「………how dare you bring up the name of Elysium, you fool!」

I was surprised, but didn\'t let myself get overwhelmed. I made my mind into a cold blade.

「I have no interest in what happened between you and Elysium. You asked me to explain, so I told you a secret I had intended to take to my grave. If your thanks for that is anger, I\'ll reciprocate with all my might」

I wasn\'t putting up a front.

I directed at her a deadly serious intent to kill.

「What a barbaric man you are. Can\'t you even shrug off a woman\'s temper? Good grief」

The lady recovered her poise quickly and shrugged off the whole affair.

The maid called Toto remarked bluntly.

「My princess, I\'m sure that this one has never known a woman. From the looks of him, he seems to be a man with a small caliber. I believe he\'s not the kind of person who would attract those of the opposite sex」

「So I guess you\'re a virgin, huh?」

「I\'m not. I have a wife」

I\'m married, for crying out loud! Recently, we\'ve been so happy together that I\'ve almost forgotten that our marriage was pretend!

「Pfft. Is, is that right? You\'re a married man, huh? I guess I should at least ask. What\'s she like?」

The lady asked while holding in her laughter.

Eh, could it be that she thinks I\'m delusional or something?

「They\'re not as big as yours, but she\'s got big boobs, is short in spite of that, looks as cute as that maid over there, is an elf, and a former princess」

「Kuh, pfft, hahahahahahahaha!」

After holding it in for a brief moment, the lady burst out laughing. The sound of her laughter filled the garden.

Unable to stand it, she pulled Toto closer and started fondling her breasts for some reason.

「To think that this is the kind of nonsense you come up with in desperation when faced with my majestic presence. How very amusing. I haven\'t laughed this much in 500 years. Phew………………I feel great. I\'m going to sleep」

「Haa?」

After releasing Toto, the lady laid down on the sofa to sleep.

The other vampires, who had retreated, went to get her a blanket and some pillows so that she could sleep better.

「………………」

I was suddenly left standing there, ignored.

「Umm, excuse me……」

In a lot of ways, what the heck is going on?

「Come with me. I\'ll show you around the castle」

Toto walked up to me and motioned for me to leave the garden. I had no choice but to follow her.

I found myself in a long corridor. It was lined with red curtains, the floor was marble, and the occasional furnishings I saw were undoubtedly expensive.

Compared to this, Lemuria\'s royal castle seemed no better than a hovel.

「Don\'t worry. The princess will likely request that you exterminate the vermin」

「Then why doesn\'t she do that right away?」

I mean, I really can\'t grasp the logic behind going to sleep all of a sudden.

「It’s quite unbecoming for a noble, especially one of the prestigious and distinguished nobles of ice, to enter into a contract with an unannounced visitor. The request and contract must be discussed in a more formal setting at a later date. It may seem old-fashioned to an outsider like you, but this is how it is here. Please just go along with it」

「Understood」

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Toto took a moment to look me over, then remarked.

「Now, please take a bath first. You look just like a gutter rat」

I know what you’re thinking. That Dues ex Machina-like part is so unexpected from this author who writes such intricate and long plot lines. I actually had a looong essay explaining this, but I thought better of it. I’ll just say this, I thought the same the first time I read it and I was so disappointed, but man oh man, believe me when I say that this is no Dues ex Machina but planned and foreshadowed from a long time ago. It’s gonna take a while before you get to see the evidence of that though.

As for the actual contents of the chapter itself, can you guess who those two are from the contents of the conversation? It’s really interesting and you’ll learn the answer surprisingly soon too!

And there are a few interesting new characters! There are many things about them that sound really familiar, aren’t there? By the way, that lady speaks in the same archaic speech that I mentioned before, the one Maria, Misuranika, and the dragon uses, though the maid does not. The design of her dress is really familiar too, isn’t it? Is this a hint to Misuranika’s origins? I mean, other than the red hair, almost every descriptor of that lady is similar to Misuranika’s……

And I’ve brought it up several times, but Souya just seems to have a connection to Ardi, doesn’t he? From the fact that Agathion was his sword, we can probably surmise that he fights with 2 swords plus a flying magic sword, which reminds us of how a certain someone fights, doesn’t it? What could this mean?

Oh and just in case, the woman said “workaholic” in English, hence the confusion from the other woman who didn’t know what that word means. There’s the reference to Einstein too, so yeah, that woman possesses knowledge from the modern world. And yes, Einstein is known to have a big head, in every respect of the word, which is the joke of course.

One more chapter till this arc ends! Stay tuned!