Valhalla Saga

ED: Raigeh

The Valkyrie Rasgrid was glaring at the sky.

Although it may only seem like it was filled with dark clouds, it was different for Rasgrid’s red eyes. There were several vessels that represented the warriors and monsters over a map that was made with light.

The warriors deployed in this battle amounted to 2.000. It was estimated that the number of the dog-headed monsters was 1.500. So more than 3.000 troops were fighting in a single battlefield.

Although it wasn’t a small number, Rasgrid couldn’t feel that much interest. It was because this battle was a really small one among the ones Asgard was facing.

The number of the warriors in Valhalla numbered to hundreds of thousands. The force of 2.000 that was mostly composed of lowest ranked warriors wasn’t a force that could be sent to a proper battlefield.

Of course, even if that was the case, it wasn’t that this battle itself was meaningless. It was just that she wasn’t interested that greatly.

“We are winning.”

Rasgrid closed her eyes once and the color of her eyes returned back to be blue when she heard a voice behind her. And as expected, a big crow was sitting on a branch.

The name of the crow, that had violet feathers that were close to black, was Hugin.

Hugin twisted its beak and then said with a different voice.

[Rasgrid, how is the frontline?]

It wasn’t the voice of Hugin, that was more similar to that of a kid, but that of a thick and upright man. Rasgrid kneeled and showed courtesy. Her short black hair that reached her shoulders blew gently.

“Valkyrie Rasgrid greets Odin.”

[It’s Hugin that is here, not me.]

Rasgrid was still bowing down when she started to report instead of accepting his joke.

“The attack is smooth and the damages are minimal. This land will return to Asgard’s protection before the sun sets.”

Odin, the lord of Valhalla and the king of Gods, had two crows that acted as his eyes and ears.

The crows that were called as Hugin and Munin roamed parts of the world and not only gathered several secrets, stories, and information but also sent word to Odin.

[It’s a fairly easy victory.]

“It’s a small battle.”

As Rasgrid said in a low voice as if it wasn’t something worthy to get excited about, Odin burst out of laughter.

[Even so, there’s still victory and defeat. Right, was there someone that caught your attention?]

The warriors that participated in this battle were mostly the newcomers. At Odin’s question, Rasgrid couldn’t answer immediately and started to ponder.

[What’s wrong? Was there no one?]

There wasn’t even a trace of disappointment in Odin’s question. They were the lowest ranked warriors anyways, and Rasgrid had really high standards from a long time ago. It was hard to get her attention.

As Hugin tilted its head and asked, Rasgrid shook her head and said.

“There was only one.”

[I want to know who he is. Which legion does he belong to?]

As it was an evaluation from none other than Rasgrid, Odin couldn’t help but be interested. Rasgrid said carefully.

“He...”

&

“We won! It’s our victory!”

“Uooo!”

“Glory to Odin!”

As the horn trumpet started to make noise, all of the warriors raised their weapons and cheered.

Tae Ho, that had already experienced the same thing in the first day, put on a smile with difficulty.

“Whew... Ha......”

They had won. He had survived this time too.

All of his body hurt and his exhaustion was amazing, but it was still better than the first day.

As Tae Ho was breathing in, some warriors nearby approached him and said.

“It was a cool battle.”

“Treat us well in the battles that are to come.”

“That’s a nice sword.”

Tae Ho, that just nodded to answer them, turned to look at his sword. He had slain about 10 monsters with it, but it didn’t even have a trace of blood in it.

‘I should be able to do it, right?’

Tae Ho asked himself and then shook his hand lightly. And then, the sword started to become light and disappeared.

‘Again.’

As he thought of the saga: warrior’s sword, he could start feeling the sword in his hands again.

Tae Ho put a satisfied smile while looking at the manifested sword and then sat on a nearby rock.

‘Let’s calculate.’

[Saga: Immortal warrior] [Synchro rate: 5%]

[Saga: The charge of a warrior is just like a storm]

[Saga: Sword of a warrior

[ – ]

[Lowest ranked runes: 27]

[Inferior ranked rune: 2]

‘The synchro rate increased. And there’s one more slot for the saga.’

The number of runes he earned wasn’t small either.

‘Aren’t I going to become strong in an instant like this?’

As he had invested some runes and the synchro rate had also increased, he felt like he had gotten much stronger. A bigger satisfaction than when he leveled up in games filled him up.

“Young man, why are you smiling like that? Are you perhaps thinking of a Valkyrie?”

“Bjorn!”

As he turned his head when he heard the voice that was playful, he saw Bjorn as he expected. He approached Tae Ho and smiled brightly.

“You survived this time too.”

“You too.”

“That’s obvious to me.”

Bjorn laughed and patted on Tae Ho’s shoulders.

“I heard this while coming here. They say that performed excellently?”

“Well, a bit.”

Because he had slain a giant gnoll alone and led the warriors.

As Tae Ho shrugged his shoulders as if it was embarrassing, Bjorn looked at the sword Tae Ho had in his hands.

“Young man, it seems like you got better at handling your saga.”

“It is thanks to you.”

Actually, he wanted to thank Heda even more. Because even if it was a few bits of advice, it was thanks to her that he was able to manifest the warrior’s sword.

Tae Ho waved lightly and made his sword disappear, and Bjorn’s eyes opened widely as if it was marvelous and said.

“Now that I had seen your face, I will be returning now.”

“Ah, it seems like you also returning back to your legion?”

Because Bjorn and Tae Ho also came separately.

But Bjorn tilted his head as if he had heard something wrong.

“Huh? What are you saying? You still haven’t heard?”

“Sorry?”

“We will be staying here for a while. Our final objective is to recover the fortress we lost. You could say that today’s battle was the opening.”

Bjorn pointed far beyond the plains. However, Tae Ho’s interest was put in another thing.

“We are sleeping here?”

In these plains that could be called ruins?

“Captain!”

Right then, a loud voice was heard. It was certainly calling for them.

Tae Ho reflexively turned to look at Bjorn, but he shook his head.

“I’m not a captain.”

Then, the only one that remained was Tae Ho. Tae Ho pointed at himself with an awkward face and asked.

“Me?”

“The Valkyrie’s looking for you captain! Hurry, come with me!”

The warrior that called him warrior made a big hand gesture and said. Although he did lead a troop temporarily, Tae Ho still didn’t know the faces of the warriors. And the warrior that yelled just now was also a new face for him.

“So you really succeeded.”

Bjorn laughed and patted Tae Ho’s shoulders, and then turned back and left. Tae Ho also followed the warrior that was urging him and left.

On the place he had arrived, the warriors were setting up the tents and lit up the campfires. The reason the Valkyrie sought him was simple.

“I heard that the commander of your troop died and so you temporarily led them. Are you still planning on being the commander? Or I will put you in another troop.”

“I will join another troop.”

Tae Ho answered immediately. He didn’t want to lead 100 warriors whom he didn’t even know the faces of when it was still hard to take care of himself.

‘I succeeded for a little while.’

Was it 2 hours?

As Tae Ho said with a fresh expression, the flabbergasted Valkyrie just blinked her eyes.

“Uh.. really? Becoming a commander is a glorious thing.”

“I’m still lacking.”

“Mm, if that’s what you wish, I can’t force it upon you.”

The Valkyrie nodded with a regretful face and then pointed at the warriors that were preparing the camp.

“I entrust you the task of preparing the camp until you join another troop. You will be able to join a new commander tonight, or at most tomorrow morning.”

“I understand.”

“Then, I will see you later.”

The Valkyrie hit her left chest with her right hand twice and turned back. He didn’t know well, but it seemed like it was an etiquette.

‘But even if I have to command them on preparing the camp....Is there anything particular I should do?’

Having come to Valhalla meant that you were already a veteran warrior. Although no one was particularly commanding, they were proceeding on the preparations by themselves really well.

‘Let’s just see.’

It seemed like that would be better than sloppily step in.

Tae Ho put on an expression that rather suited a commander and started to look at his surroundings. Now that it became like this, he was planning to memorize the faces of the warriors he would be fighting with.

But it was then.

“Warrior Lee Tae Ho!”

“Yes!”

A loud voice called Tae Ho. As he turned back reflexively, he saw the Valkyrie from before standing.

Did he already get appointed to another troop?

But what came out from the mouth of the Valkyrie was completely different.

“Warrior Lee Tae Ho, you are exempted.”

“Sorry?”

Tae Ho asked back unconsciously. He could only do so.

To get exempted so suddenly.

There was someone finding him?

‘Uh, don’t tell me.’

Tae Ho approached the Valkyrie with a doubting face. And then, a red-haired Valkyrie extended her face from behind the other Valkyrie, just as if she was hiding, and smiled brightly.

“Hi.”

Valkyrie Heda.

It was her.

&

‘Ah, so this is what it feels like.’

Tae Ho shrugged his shoulders while getting out of the camp. What was this situation? It was similar to when your girlfriend came looking for you in the army. The warriors all looked at Tae Ho with jealousy and envy, and Tae Ho just walked next to Heda as if nothing had happened.

‘Did I do something more amazing than what I thought?’

Because Tae Ho was the only one that got exempted directly from a Valkyrie. He could already get a feeling when looking at the eyes of the warriors that looked like they were going to eat him.

“Huhu.”

“Why?”

As Tae Ho smirked and laughed, Heda tilted her head and asked. Tae Ho shook his two hands as if it was nothing.

“No, it’s nothing. But first of that, what’s going on?”

“I came because I was worried about you. You are the only warrior I’m in charge, right?”

After listening to her, it seemed like the Valkyries of other legions had too many warriors they were in charge of that they just didn’t request an exemption like this.

‘It really is a good point that we are few on people.’

Tae Ho nodded after looking at Heda from head to toe.

“Are you okay?”

Because Tae Ho wasn’t the only one that got out to battle today. Although he didn’t know much, it was obvious that Heda went out to an even bigger battlefield.

At Tae Ho’s question, Heda smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

“I’m fine. But I heard that you made quite the performance? You even got to command even if it was for a moment.”

“That somehow happened.”

He was being modest, but it really did happen somehow. Heda smiled after listening to Tae Ho’s.

“Fortune came looking for our legion.”

Because a performance of a warrior resulted in elevating the name of the legion.

After speaking of this and that, they had already reached the exemption place. In the first place, as exemptions were rare, the only ones at this place were Tae Ho and Heda.

“It doesn’t feel that right to leave like this, so let’s finish what we were doing in the morning.”

“What we were doing in the morning?”

“We were in the middle of classes. Don’t we have to investigate how to develop your saga, and to know what it is in the first place?”

They were appropriate words. The reason he was able to beat the giant gnoll today was that he had developed his saga.

“So first, show me your saga.”

Heda sat on a boulder and said. Tae Ho sat at the opposite side of Heda and scratched his cheek as if it was hard.

“Uh....But how do I show you my saga?”

Did he just have to read it?

It was nothing to read the title, but a saga was a story. There were outlines below the saga, but it was also written how it became known.

Heda took out one feather made of steel from her waist as if she knew he was going to ask, and gave it to Tae Ho.

“Grab this and think what you want to show me. I won’t be able to see as much as you, but I will be able to see the general outline.”

The texture of the steel feather was cool rather than cold. Tae Ho gripped the feather with one hand and frowned.

“I will start.”

“Okay.”

Tae Ho first thought about showing her the ‘immortal warrior’.

And about 5 minutes later.

Heda blinked with a dumbfounded face and asked Tae Ho.

“You, what did you do before kid....no, person.......no, sir?”

< Episode 3 – The dragon knight (3) > End