Valhalla Saga

ED: Julsmul

“Idun! Heda! Idun! Heda!”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m protecting my family’s......no, the peace in my residence.”

Tae Ho answered Bracky’s question with a rather serious face.

Obviously enough, Bracky’s face contorted in disbelief as he asked again.

“What bullshit are you talking about?”

Just how was alternatingly calling the names of a Goddess and a Valkyrie related to protecting the peace in his residence?

Bracky’s doubt was logical and Siri, who was sunbathing nearby, angled her head as if she were equally perplexed.

It was obvious for the two of them not to know of Tae Ho’s domestic plight.

Siri had never met Idun, while Bracky was a man who’d never even visited Idun’s residence.

Tae Ho crossed his arms and thought for a moment.

Was it wise to elaborate to those two?

Frankly, he felt he needed some proper counseling from others at least once.

‘If it’s Bracky and Captain Siri.......’

They were the best comrades in arms that could exist, warriors that had surpassed several obstacles together alongside him. In addition, Bracky was a married man with several wives, and Siri was a woman.

At the very least, they’d know better about women than himself.

‘Although, she’s not just a woman but a Goddess as well.’

Idun always announced her attitude as ‘joking’ and that she wasn’t really so petty that he need worry, but Tae Ho couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

‘It will be fine for the two of them.’

If he insisted, they would keep his secret.

Tae Ho’s determination overcame his sense of precaution, and he motioned for Bracky and Siri to come closer.

“Well, the thing is....”

Tae Ho explained the things that had happened during that short, sweet time. After he’d finished, Bracky was the first to speak, his words filled with admiration.

“So even a Goddess came to visit you. Scary bastard.”

It was a divine message with words, but it was actually a meeting.

Siri also nodded with a really surprised face.

“Anyways, the problem is that...Idun-nim....has become sulky?”

Siri spoke while choosing her words carefully. Tae Ho nodded and Bracky smirked.

“The Goddess of ‘Youth’ indeed. How cute.”

“Bracky, you are being disrespectful.”

Siri stared daggers at Bracky for his casual remark. Bracky showed his palms as if telling her to calm down and then turned towards Tae Ho.

“Anyways, if the problem is as such, isn’t there an easy fix?”

“Oh? It seems like you have thought of something?”

“No, well- You can also call out the name of Idun-nim in decisive moments. Take me for instance; I always pray to Thor.”

It was so whenever he swung his hammer, called out lighting, or even simply swung his fists.

“I also thought the same. In the first place, I don’t know how many times Idun-nim has su...no, been bothered by it.”

The words of the two warriors were reasonable, as it was a no-brainer for the warriors of Valhalla to praise whichever God they served.

However, Tae Ho awkwardly scratched his head before speaking.

“Eh, what can I say? It comes out unconsciously....? I just accidentally blurt out Heda’s name instead of Idun-nim’s.”

After all, he did get strength from it.

“That’s serious. But still, it’s a good time for you. A good time.”

Bracky clicked his tongue and then laughed again.

“But hey, if you flip-flop calling out Idun-nim’s name and Heda’s name, you’ll still end up calling out Idun-nim’s name first sometimes. Won’t Heda also sulk out?”

He’d call out her name after Idun’s.

Tae Ho flinched at Bracky’s words which seemed to pierce his soul. He ran a quick simulation in his head.

Actually, as a serious thought, Heda, unlike Idun, had no way of knowing who Tae Ho called out first so there was no need to worry. Unfortunately, Tae Ho had already distanced himself from thinking rationally about such a tender subject.

Idun could always tell Heda.

“Uh, um, she won’t right?”

Whatever the case, Heda was still a Valkyrie of Idun.

It would be weird to sulk out because Idun was called out first.

However, Bracky only raised his head triumphantly and spoke with an air of unfathomable wisdom.

“Foolish child, the heart of a woman is something you can’t understand with your head.”

Compassion filled Bracky’s eyes as if he’d suddenly gazed upon some poor, hapless creature.

Tae Ho was overwhelmed by a sudden feeling of uneasiness, and desperately turned to look at the only woman present.

“Ca- Captain Siri?”

“I....I don’t know about that. You should go ask Adenmaha instead.”

Embarrassed, Siri shook her hand and quickly stepped back.

Siri always grew awkward when they talked about the ‘heart of a woman’ or other cheesy things.

“Hahh. Besides, it’s disrespectful. Let’s end it here.”

Siri cleared her throat and put their conversation to an abrupt halt. Bracky smirked as if reveling in something, but Tae Ho could only put on a dumbfounded face.

But it was at that moment-

“What are you talking about that’s so funny?”

Valkyries Reginleif and Rasgrid had walked over.

Kalliv Ahim, a land whose ruler had disappeared, had ended up falling into a state of vacancy.

The Valkyries were now in charge of the political affairs, and they worked hard to lessen the problems Bress’ absence had created by promoting new rulers in his stead.

As the situation was as such, although half of the deployed warriors of Valhalla had already returned home, the Valkyries were still stuck at Kalliv Castle.

“We were just talking about worldly affairs.”

Bracky winked towards Tae Ho as he spoke. It was a sign that he would keep their secret.

Regrettably, his ‘secret’ gesture had been far too obvious, and it was no different than proclaiming that there was something hidden between the two of them.

What was fortunate was that the ones who’d appeared were Reginleif and Rasgrid. If Gandur was also present, she would have pressed for the truth until the end.

“It’s enough if you were resting well. The reason we came is because we have a order to pass along, warrior Tae Ho.”

Tae Ho stood up reflexively at the word ‘order’. Siri and Bracky also fixed their postures.

Reginleif put on a satisfied face at the reaction of the three people and glanced at Rasgrid, maintaining a neat figure as she stood before Tae Ho.

“Warrior Tae Ho, Commander of Idun’s legion. Effective immediately, you shall become the commander of all forces of Valhalla currently within Midgard.”

As she spoke about forces, it was obvious that she meant not only the warriors but the Valkyries as well.

As if proving this, Rasgrid spoke right after that.

“Both I and Valkyrie Reginleif will support you. As of now, you have two directives; the first pertains to dispatching the remaining fomoires, and the second is ensuring the continuation of the search for Garmr’s soul fragment. This is a direct order from the King of Gods, Odin, so please fulfill your duties as a glorious, superior-ranked warrior of Valhalla without any setbacks.”

Rasgrid ended the explanation while looking at Tae Ho and then hit her chest twice.

“For Asgard and the Nine Realms.”

“For Asgard and the Nine Realms.”

As Tae Ho hit his chest twice and expressed etiquette, Rasgrid let out a short sigh. Reginleif, that was behind her, laughed before speaking.

“Well, there’s no need to be nervous about it. It really isn’t that big of a change. You will only have to command and lead the forces as well as deploy us Valkyries to the appropriate areas.”

“That....does seem like something.”

Bracky remarked, and Tae Ho nodded.

Compared to the times when he had to follow the Valkyries’ orders, it was the difference between heaven and earth.

However, Rasgrid smiled as if telling him not to worry.

“Warrior Tae Ho, Reginleif and I will be assisting you. It won’t be an easy task, but I’ve no doubt of your endurance.”

“I have a question.”

The one that raised his hand and spoke up was Bracky. As Rasgrid asked him what was wrong, he continued with interest.

“Is there something that changes when one becomes a superior-ranked warrior or the commander of a legion? I’m wondering because I’ve never met a superior-ranked warrior aside from Tae Ho.”

Bracky had once seen the old man that commanded Thor’s legion in the welcoming banquet from far away, but that was it. A superior-ranked warrior was still an unfamiliar existence for him.

“For the superior-ranked warriors....Right, if I speak with numbers, it will be easier to understand.”

Reginleif clapped her hands and then raised six fingers.

“The warriors of Valhalla number approximately six hundred thousand. Among them there are merely tens of superior-ranked warriors. Even if you calculate it simply, it’s about one superior-ranked warrior per legion.”

Of course, about half of those six hundred thousand were steel warriors, but still, tens of warriors compared to three hundred thousand was still a low number.

“Superior-ranked warriors are heroes that can take control of an entire battlefield by themselves. Because of that, in battles that superior-ranked warrior are deployed, only us Valkyries will assist them.”

They weren’t the leaders anymore. The authority of a superior-ranked warrior superseded that of a Valkyrie’s.

“You must already know about the myth-ranked saga of a superior-ranked warrior and if there’s a change in normal life.....superior-ranked warriors live in a different place from the intermediate-ranked warriors and below. When they are outside the residence, they are given individual tasks that often entail traveling to other planets or protecting the front lines. Siri, didn’t you already go to the front lines once?”

“It was for a really short while, but I have.”

When Tae Ho and Bracky were lowest-ranked warriors, Siri was already an inferior-ranked warrior.

After her promotion to the inferior rank, she’d been dispatched to the front lines with the warriors of her legion, albeit for a short time only.

Reginleif nodded and continued.

“It’s not excessive to say that most of the superior-ranked warriors are in the front lines, as the war between the giants is still raging even at this moment.”

In truth, they were in a state of ceasefire, but the Gods of Asgard and the giants had never come to an agreement or signed any formal pact.

Their peace was only temporary. Because of that, Asgard was still dispatching droves of warriors to the front lines in preparation for the inevitable invasion by the giants.

“Whatever the case, the treatment a superior-ranked warrior receives becomes better. Each legion does this differently, so ask when you return to yours.”

In other words, she’d implied that he’d have to find out for himself.

As Bracky rolled his eyes, Rasgrid began expounding upon another topic.

“The commander of a legion is a warrior that both represents and commands it. A warrior can become a commander starting from the superior rank, and each legion only has a single commander.”

Tae Ho was the only warrior in Idun’s legion, but he’d been an intermediate-ranked warrior until very recently. It went without saying that there hadn’t been any commanders for Idun’s legion until now.

“The commander will administer the legion along with the representing Valkyrie of the legion from training the legion’s warriors to increasing the buildings of welfare by using the legion’s resources. As a result, the quality of a legion changes depending on who becomes the commander.”

‘So if a commander is a division commander, then the representative Valkyrie is the one in charge of a division?’

Just by looking at the work they did in their legions, the Valkyries were no different from administration personnel in many ways.

“A commander is the person closest to the God of a legion. Because of that, they’re granted more audiences with their God.”

Bracky and Siri nodded as Reginleif spoke as if that wasn’t cool, but Tae Ho put on a vague expression.

He already met with Idun quite frequently. Tae Ho probably had the highest frequency of meetings with his God among all the warriors of Valhalla.

“But warrior Tae Ho, are you training hard on the attributes?”

Tae Ho grew unconsciously nervous at Rasgrid’s question, and Siri also flinched and shrugged her shoulders.

Tae Ho put on a desperate expression and replied.

“I’m doing it everyday.”

So there’s no reason to take classes.

Tae Ho forced out the last syllables and sent an earnest gaze, and Rasgrid laughed in a low voice and nodded.

“Right. If it’s you, I can trust in your abilities. I hope you can keep progressing.”

“Thank you.”

Tae Ho thanked her sincerely. Siri, who stood behind him, didn’t make a sound, but her expression was identical to Tae Ho’s. She let out a sigh of relief as soon as Rasgrid finished speaking.

Reginleif laughed again.

“Anyways, we have finished with our immediate task. It seems that we’ll head out to deal with the remaining fomoires in a few days at most, so you should enjoy your free time. It’s every warrior’s duty to rest when they can, so I hope you can enjoy this time earnestly, okay?”

“I understand.”

Tae Ho had become a commander that would lead the forces deployed in Midgard, but he was still more accustomed to receiving orders.

Rasgrid put on a smile at Tae Ho’s unavoidable answer as Reginleif laughed magnanimously beside her.

Elsewhere, at the same time-

Merlin, who’d been searching for Mordred’s room for the past few days, finally found it.

Deep underground, it was closer to a prison cell than someone’s living quarters.

Merlin scanned the cold, dark room hewn from rock with a contrite expression before sitting on the dusty, rotting bed.

“Mordred....”

Drawings which littered the floor, ceiling, and wall entered Merlin’s aged vision. Within them was depicted the untarnished splendor of Camelot that he couldn’t even forget in his dreams.

Merlin couldn’t forgive Mordred. His rationale for betraying King Arthur to protect Camelot was completely insane.

Still, despite everything, Merlin’s heart bled upon realizing the magnitude of Mordred’s love and grief for Camelot.

Merlin checked each drawing slowly before pausing on one.

It was the only drawing that wasn’t of Camelot.

“Is that it?”

It was a place that couldn’t possibly exist now that Erin was gone.

Regardless of that, Merlin couldn’t completely deny the notion.

When Tae Ho had recreated Camelot’s glory with Caliburn, Merlin could feel its existence in a far away place.

It was the promised resting place of the king.

It was the land of the fairies, a place which had the highest possibility of containing the sword of the fairies, Excalibur.

“It’s Avalon.”

Merlin let out a low exclamation and then extended his hand to envelope the drawing itself. He delved into the remnants of Mordred’s magic power which remained in the drawing.

—

Time flowed.

The warriors of Valhalla that currently resided in Kalliv Castle were preparing themselves for a new battle.

The fomoires that had lost their king were appearing everywhere, and the underlings of the Giant of Earth, Balgad, moved stealthily amidst the fuss.

On the sixth night since the battle of Kalliv Castle, Tae Ho made plans to go to battle with Rasgrid and went to sleep late.

A few hours later-

Tae Ho opened his eyes again before dawn, but he was quick to realize from experience that he was still dreaming.

‘Did Idun-nim call me?’

Normally when this happened, he’d be granted an audience with Idun.

Tae Ho stood up from his bed and waited for Idun to visit him, but it was different. Rather, it was the same. His surroundings didn’t change no matter how long he waited. A wide plains with an apple tree had yet to appear.

But that wasn’t the only weird thing.

A sweet scent was coming from somewhere, different from the smell of apples.

Tae Ho sniffed a few times and then pinched his cheek once to see if it hurt or not before rising from his bed. The sweet smell was coming from outside his door.

Tae Ho slowly opened the door and was greeted by a completely different scene than the hall of Kalliv Castle.

It was a really big bed.

There were several layers of carpets on the ground, and beautiful, thick tapestries were draped along the walls. It gave a rather cozy feeling.

Tae Ho scanned his surroundings slowly. There were cats rolling on the cushions splayed over the ground. If he’d counted their numbers, it wouldn’t be surprising for there to be dozens of cats.

It wasn’t a divine message from Idun.

The sweet scent and the odd feeling weren’t hers.

Tae Ho took a wary step forwards and then the inner side of the bedroom entered his vision. To his surprise, a bewitchingly beautiful lady lay lounging on the enormous bed.

Tae Ho halted his movement, but he was already in front of the bed. The woman wore a thin, sky-blue dress that flashed her skin and a fluffy hood which covered her head. He couldn’t see her face, but he knew she was an outstanding beauty just from her figure alone.

“So....you are the rumored commander of Idun.”

The woman spoke enigmatically and then twisted her body forward a bit to fixate upon Tae Ho. She then took off her hood, and long hair and a beautiful, alabaster face were revealed underneath.

The Goddess of Beauty and Magic, Freya.

Her beauty seemed to depict the golden ratio. Even Gods fell for her beauty if they met her in person, so there was nothing more to say about the warriors of Valhalla.

Freya had never requested any warrior to move to her legion, but there were nevertheless countless warriors that had done so.

Obviously, all of those who’d flocked to her legion voluntarily did so because they craved her love.

Freya wasn’t particularly thinking of stealing away Idun’s commander. She was curious, but if Heimdal hadn’t provoked her, then this wouldn’t have happened in the first place.

Freya looked at Tae Ho with her mystical, azure eyes.

It was the seductive eyes of Freya that had caught the hearts of innumerable men.

But when Tae Ho faced them, a thought arose in his mind which Freya couldn’t have foreseen in the slightest.

‘Heda is prettier.’

Is what he thought of unconsciously.

The clout of love was rather mighty.

< Episode 29 – Idun’s commander (2) > End