The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar: Volume 19 E-Book

Seiichi Takayama

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Seitenzahl: 269

Beschreibung

The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar: Volume 19

Leseprobe

PROLOGUE

“It would appear the quake is over,” Nobunaga said as he stood up and let out a sigh of relief. The great earthquake that had struck a year prior had itself been quite impressive, but this last one was far more intense. Were his territories, namely the capital of Blíkjanda-Böl, still intact? Earthquakes were especially dangerous in that they had the potential of causing further damage from secondary disasters such as tsunamis and fires. He couldn’t help but worry about the state of his realm. But before he pondered that too deeply, he called out to his most trusted retainer. “Ran, are you alive?!”

“Yes, I’m fine. Are you unharmed, My Great Lord?!”

“All good here. However, what’s most important right now is information. Find out everything you can about the damage inflicted by this quake.”

“Yes, My Lord!” Ran nodded then called over to a group of nearby soldiers and sent them off to gather information. Although he was dealing with a completely unexpected event, Ran’s expression remained calm, and there was no sign of panic in his voice; his orders were concise and unwavering. That extraordinary calmness was a big part of the reason he served as Nobunaga’s right-hand man.

For the moment, Nobunaga decided to leave Ran to handle the situation and pondered about what he would do next. Try as he might, he wasn’t able to shake the nagging concerns lingering in his mind about Yggdrasil sinking into the sea—the matter that Suoh Yuuto had informed him of at their first meeting.

“It seems that the lad’s prediction may well be coming to pass...”

He had been able to determine early on in their conversation that Suoh Yuuto was an honorable man, and that he had not lied to him. It was also clear that he was from further in the future than Nobunaga was. By all accounts, it appeared that Yuuto was right; Yggdrasil was going to sink into the sea. Of course, Nobunaga had already half-suspected that would be the case.

With that in mind, the most reasonable path would be to abandon this destructive war, cooperate with Suoh Yuuto, and plan the evacuation of the continent’s entire populace. However, as he reached that point in his thought process, a sharp pain suddenly pierced his breast, and he coughed violently. The hand he had held up to his mouth was stained with blood. “Hrmph. Seems I’ll be going to Valhalla sooner rather than later,” Nobunaga muttered dryly and chuckled self-deprecatingly.

Two years ago, during the summer months, he had started to feel a pain in his chest, near his heart. He hadn’t paid much attention to it at the time, but the symptoms had slowly, but steadily, gotten worse as the days had passed.

“Daddy! Are you okay?! Hold on, daddy, I’ll heal you right now!” The girl who had come running to check on him suddenly went pale the moment she saw the blood, and she held her hands out to him. In an instant, Nobunaga felt a gentle warmth flow into his body, and the pain in his chest began to fade.

The girl who was currently healing him was none other than Homura. She was the one child born to Nobunaga since his arrival in Yggdrasil. She was also one of just three or four individuals in Yggdrasil who possessed twin runes—a trait that granted her extraordinary supernatural powers.

“I feel much better, Homura. Thank you, as always.” Nobunaga curled the corners of his lips into a smile and gently patted his beloved daughter’s head.

One of Homura’s abilities was the power to control and strengthen living creatures. While her ability to control animals was limited to smaller creatures—things like birds, rodents, or insects—she was capable of strengthening humans, and currently, she was using that portion of her power to hold back Nobunaga’s illness.

“You sure? Don’t push yourself too hard, daddy.” She beamed one of her usual smiles when Nobunaga praised her, but there was still a look of concern present. It was understandable, given that her beloved father was suffering from an illness. There was no way she wouldn’t be worried. “Hey, daddy, why don’t we go back home to Blíkjanda-Böl and rest a little? You can leave all the work to Ran, and I can cast seiðrs on you every day. If we do that, then...”

“You’re such a thoughtful child, Homura. But that wouldn’t matter in the end...” Nobunaga understood his own body better than anyone else could. He was already over sixty years of age by now. At this point in his life, it was possible that he could die at any moment. Even with Homura’s twin-runed powers, the most she could do was slow his disease’s progression. The intervals between his coughing fits were steadily growing shorter, meaning that he was nearing the end of his natural life span.

Nobunaga pondered the issue in a very detached manner, almost as though he were dealing with someone else’s health issues. He had already watched numerous relatives and retainers die, ordered his subordinates to slay countless people, and had himself killed many people by his own hand. He had no illusions that he alone would somehow escape death.

“I will not choose to die quietly and peacefully! I would rather seek glory on the battlefield and do everything I can to become the conqueror I am destined to be!” Nobunaga shouted and gripped his hand into a tight fist. Given that he had been born into the world, he wanted to leave behind undeniable proof that he had lived. In his mind, if he left no legacy in his wake, then he might as well have never been born.

“Sniff... But, but...”

“Do not cry, Homura. The act of a child outliving their parents is a natural and normal thing. For a parent, knowing that they will be survived by their children is the greatest pleasure they can possibly experience.”

In this age of war, it was common for children to die before their parents. It also wasn’t unusual for parents to kill their own children to maintain power. On top of that, it wasn’t rare for illnesses to take the young and the weak. In fact, Nobunaga had already lost several children in his lifetime. The stark contrast of perhaps finally being able to experience the natural order of things left Nobunaga feeling unusually pleased.

“Sniff...”

That said, getting a girl barely ten years of age to accept that logic was another matter entirely, especially when considering how much Homura loved her father.

“Well then, let me dance for you, to help settle your feelings. Carve the memory of me into your mind.” With that, Nobunaga took his fan from his sash and opened it. Soon after, he began to dance.

“A man’s life of fifty years under the sky is nothing compared to the age of this world. Life is but a fleeting dream, an illusion—is there anything that lasts forever?”

What he had recited was an excerpt from the Noh play Atsumori, and this passage, in particular, was one that Nobunaga had loved since his youth. He had often performed it at key moments throughout his life.

He particularly liked the view of life and death that Atsumori expressed. People die eventually. It is unavoidable. When viewed from the perspective of the heavens above, humans are fragile, fleeting creatures. However, that was exactly why Nobunaga wanted to live every moment to the fullest, so that he could leave the mortal world with no regrets.

“My Great Lord!” The moment he had finished his dance, a Flame Clan soldier dashed in looking for him. Though he was still young, he had the makings of a general, and Nobunaga had placed him in command of the front lines.

“What news do you bring?!”

“I bring word that the Steel Clan’s fortress has collapsed from the earthquake! Now is the time to attack!”

“Is that so?”

Nobunaga’s eyes shone with the predatory gleam of a falcon that had found its prey. He had been struggling to find a way to breach the fortress walls; the new province destroyers had done little damage to the all-but-impenetrable barrier that had, until now, been impeding his advance. To have gained an opportunity of this magnitude as a result of a completely unexpected event was something that even Nobunaga, with his uncanny ability to read the battlefield, could not have foreseen. That being said, it showed the true extent of his abilities as a general for him to be able to find opportunities born of coincidences like these and then proceed to exploit them to their fullest.

“Perhaps this is indeed the will of the heavens. Reminds me of Okehazama. Heh, it seems the gods above want me to conquer, after all.”

Nobunaga didn’t believe in the divine. At the very least, he was willing to state without hesitation that the gods pushed by religions—beings of vast power that offered aid in exchange for prayers—simply didn’t exist.

At the same time, there were moments when he felt there was a greater will that existed in the world. While Nobunaga believed that his conquests were due to his own abilities and efforts, he was also well aware that he had been blessed with a great deal of luck along the way. The rain at Okehazama, his sister’s message at Kanegasaki, the sudden passing of his great enemy Takeda Shingen during the Encirclement—Nobunaga had found himself saved by numerous twists of fate. Had there been even the slightest change in his fortunes, Nobunaga would have long ago been reduced to another corpse on the battlefield. However, even when he was faced with his imminent death at Honno-ji, the supernatural had intervened; the heavens had chosen to save Nobunaga’s life and had guided him to the land of Yggdrasil. With all that had happened, Nobunaga believed with a great amount of conviction that he had been sent by the heavens to the world of men to restore order, and that he had been born to become the conqueror of all that existed beneath the heavens.

“Send word to all forces. Prepare immediately for battle! We will begin an all-out assault at once. The heavens are on our side! We shall take this opportunity to destroy the Steel Clan!”

ACT 1

“Father! The Flame Clan has begun their preparations for battle! I believe they’ll be upon us within the hour!”

“Tch. That old man is so damned aggressive! Sheesh!” Yuuto’s expression twisted into a sour scowl as he listened to Kristina’s report.

Quickly identify the enemy’s weak links, and if an opportunity to leverage them presents itself, send all of one’s forces to thoroughly exploit those openings. These particular points made up the foundations of great generalship, but being able to make that sort of decision so quickly after a giant earthquake went beyond bravery and verged on insanity. A lesser leader would have been more concerned about his own territory and chosen to withdraw in the wake of such an event. Once again, Nobunaga had lived up to the nickname of the Great Fool of Owari.

Yuuto immediately came to his decision and issued his instructions. “We’re going to withdraw to the Holy Capital for now. We have no chance of winning in a direct battle as things stand.”

While the Flame Clan’s soldiers were probably just as unsettled as his own, it was clear that his soldiers had suffered a greater shock, given that the walls that had so effectively stopped the Flame Clan assault had collapsed before their very eyes. It was also worth remembering that the Flame Clan’s force was over three times larger than the Steel Clan Army group that had been defending the walls until now. He didn’t have any plans that would allow him to make up for that disparity, and he didn’t have time to think up or prepare any. That meant that the only option that remained was to run like the wind.

“I believe it is the correct call. Who will cover the retreat?” Kristina asked.

“Let’s see...” Yuuto’s expression clouded as he struggled with the question. The troops assigned to cover the retreat would be left at the very back to hold off the advancing enemies as the rest of the army retreated. It was an extremely important role, and it was considered one of the greatest honors that could be afforded to a general, but that was in large part because it was extremely dangerous. For Yuuto, who valued the lives of his comrades, it was a difficult decision to make.

“Father, please give that role to me.” The person who stepped forward to volunteer was a strikingly handsome woman—Fagrahvél, the patriarch of the Sword Clan. “I swear that I will hold the Flame Clan attackers back until our troops can reach the Holy Capital,” Fagrahvél said calmly with a dignified air, despite the fact that she had just volunteered to undertake what was essentially a suicide mission. Her expression was that of a warrior that had steeled herself to her fate.

Yuuto placed his hand over his mouth and appeared to take a moment to think, avoiding an immediate answer. Certainly, she was well suited to the role. Maintaining the morale of the forces covering a retreat was difficult, given that they faced almost certain death. Many often broke ranks and fled in an attempt to save their own hides. Conveniently, Fagrahvél’s rune—Gjallarhorn, the Call to War—was capable of turning the rear guard’s soldiers into fearless berserkers, whether they liked it or not. No doubt the Flame Clan Army, expecting a broken and fleeing opponent, would be caught off guard by the desperate charge of a force of soldiers who were ready to embrace death. Such a force would almost certainly slow the Flame Clan Army’s pursuit.

However, even with that certainty, Yuuto found himself unable to make the decision. Though Fagrahvél was a relative newcomer to the Steel Clan, and he had only known her for a bit over a year, she was the milk sibling of Yuuto’s late wife, Sigrdrífa, and to Rífa, she had been a beloved sister and friend. On top of that, he had heard Fagrahvél had recently become close friends with his first wife, Mitsuki. He knew that it was selfish of him, particularly given that he had already ordered the deaths of many thousands of enemy soldiers, and sent countless of his own soldiers to their graves, but he still had a strong aversion to resigning someone close to him to that same fate.

Though he may not have liked it at that particular moment, Yuuto was the supreme leader of the Steel Clan. If he twiddled his thumbs and delayed his decision, that would place even more people in danger and could even cost them their lives. Regardless of what he actually wanted, he had to take responsibility and make a decision. He gritted his teeth and slowly spoke. “Very well, then...”

“Hold it right there! Allow me to take that role.” A sharp voice interrupted Yuuto before he could finish. When he turned to face the speaker, the first thing he saw was the strange sight of a mask staring back at him.

“Bi...No, Hveðrungr.” Yuuto quickly stopped himself and managed to address the man by his current name. If it was revealed that Hveðrungr was actually Yuuto’s old sworn big brother Loptr, then it was highly likely that he would be swiftly executed for the grave sin of patricide. That particular secret had to be kept at all costs.

“Uncle, this is my role. Don’t presume to snatch it from me,” Fagrahvél replied coldly and glared sharply at Hveðrungr. Although she was still in her mid-twenties, Fagrahvél was a great leader who had risen to become the patriarch of a great clan like the Sword Clan and had been chosen to lead the Anti-Steel Clan Alliance Army. The aura she exuded was so powerful that it could overwhelm and frighten even the most hardened veterans.

“You should understand your place. This sort of job isn’t suited to a child like you who must carry the future of the clan. Something like this should be left to a lowly subordinate like myself.” Hveðrungr showed no sign of caving under Fagrahvél’s glare and instead retorted with a confident smile. His bravado was certainly reminiscent of the man who, if only for a short while, had led his clan to become one of the three largest in all of Yggdrasil. This show of his bravado was also reasonably impressive, by all accounts.

Most importantly of all though, he had logic on his side. As per the established hierarchical structures of Yggdrasil’s clan system, subordinates had no right to inherit their sworn parent’s title and, on top of that, were entirely uninvolved in the governing of a clan. In the event of Hveðrungr’s death, the damage to the Steel Clan as an organization would be substantially lighter than if Fagrahvél were to fall instead. That, of course, was completely ignoring the personal pain that Yuuto would suffer if either of them were to perish.

“Now is not the time to be talking about such things. My rune’s power is perfectly suited to covering a retreat. The lives of tens of thousands of our soldiers are on the line. Please, leave this to me.” Fagrahvél, of course, wasn’t one to back down easily. While she was respectful toward him, given that Hveðrungr, as her uncle, was technically of higher status, her gaze made it absolutely clear that she considered him a nuisance and wanted him to butt out.

“I see. Do you intend to die, then?”

“If that is what must be done. If it’ll save the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and save Father, the man Lady Rífa entrusted with the future, then my life is but a small price to pay.”

“Is that so? That’s all the more reason that we can’t leave this to you.” Hveðrungr snorted derisively as he dismissed her argument. Even the usually calm Fagrahvél found herself considerably irked by his response. It was understandable, given that he had just completely disregarded her intention to die in battle.

“That is going too far, even for an uncle! Are you mocking me?! Prepare to face me in a duel in that case!”

“That aggression is why I say you’re unsuited to the role. You’ve narrowed your perspective, and you can’t see the big picture.”

“What?!”

“By all means, with your ability, you can definitely stop the Flame Clan Army’s pursuit. But what will you do after that’s done?”

“After? That requires no explanation. I will kill as many enemies as I can for Father, the Steel Clan, and the people of Glaðsheimr that Lady Rífa loved so much. I will fight to my last breath.”

“Fool. That’s what I mean by not seeing the big picture.”

Once again, Hveðrungr made his scorn clear as he flatly dismissed Fagrahvél’s argument. Fagrahvél’s face turned crimson with anger.

“Grr! What is it that I’m not seeing, then?!”

“Let me repeat myself. What will you do after?” It seemed like his comment failed to resonate with her, and Fagrahvél furrowed her brow in frustration. Hveðrungr shrugged his shoulders in exasperation, then continued. “Their goal is the Holy Capital and the unification of Yggdrasil. Even if you delayed their advance for a while, we would soon end up having to fight them again. However, if we had just recently suffered your loss, then it would be all but impossible to raise the morale among the Steel Clan’s soldiers.”

“Right...”

Fagrahvél seemed to have accepted some of the logic behind Hveðrungr’s words, and she placed her hand over her mouth in thought. Hveðrungr followed up with further arguments. “Your rune may very well be the power best suited to rebuild our army’s morale—perhaps even the only thing capable of doing it. If we lose you here, the Steel Clan will lose the opportunity to strike back.”

“...I see.” Fagrahvél nodded, though she appeared far from pleased.

It was true, the Steel Clan had suffered a major defeat. As Hveðrungr had argued, it would be difficult to motivate the Steel Clan Army when they eventually needed to strike back against the Flame Clan. But with Fagrahvél’s rune, Gjallarhorn, they would be able to, albeit temporarily, massively boost the army’s morale. If they could use that to score a victory—even a small one—then it would go a long way to rebuilding the army’s spirits. It was also worth mentioning that if they found themselves locked into a stalemate, Gjallarhorn could be used to tilt the odds in their favor. By thinking further ahead—considering the bigger picture, as Hveðrungr had put it—it became clear to Fagrahvél that losing the Rune of Kings would be an incalculable loss to the Steel Clan. No situation thus far was desperate enough to take that risk.

“I understand what you’re saying, but can you actually stop them? With respect, you currently have no soldiers of your own, do you, Uncle? It would be difficult to cover a retreat with borrowed men.”

It bore repeating that covering a retreat placed the soldiers responsible right into the grips of almost certain death. Of course, most of the soldiers involved wouldn’t want to die; they would much prefer to return home alive if at all possible. Because of that, the trust between soldier and commander was of paramount importance. The soldiers had to believe that the man or woman leading them was someone worth dying for. Until recently, Hveðrungr had led an elite cavalry unit made up of horsemen who had been brought up on the harsh plains of Miðgarðr called the Independent Cavalry Regiment. However, it had been decimated after a flurry of tough battles, and the few who survived had been absorbed into Sigrún’s Múspell Unit, leaving Hveðrungr with no soldiers under his direct command.

“Heh, not a problem. I’m not so reckless that I’d volunteer without some expectation of success.” Hveðrungr curled his lips into a confident smirk. He was almost certainly one of the five sharpest minds in all of Yggdrasil. He had turned the tables on Yuuto several times with just his wits, even though Yuuto had access to weapons and tactics developed using knowledge that came from a time far beyond Yggdrasil’s current era. Hearing Hveðrungr make such a bold claim, Yuuto was all but certain he would fulfill the task he had taken upon himself. If he had one concern, that would be...

“You’re not planning to die yourself, are you?” Yuuto gazed intently into the eyes behind the mask. It was true that at one point he and Hveðrungr had been engaged in a bloody battle for supremacy. Hveðrungr had killed people dear to Yuuto such as Fárbauti and Olof. Yuuto would be lying if he said he held no resentment toward Hveðrungr for those things, but Yuuto himself had been the greatest reason that Hveðrungr had lost himself in his rage. To Yuuto, Hveðrungr was an important big brother who had helped him when he was still starting out, and he had so many things he wanted to talk to him about over a drink once things had settled down. More than anything though, he was the older blood brother of Felicia, who had done so much for Yuuto over the years. Despite everything, he certainly didn’t want Hveðrungr to die.

“Oh, what a ridiculous thing to ask. Do I seem such a generous man that I’d die for someone like you?” Hveðrungr snorted and said with a derisive sneer. Yuuto couldn’t help but blink in surprise as he heard that.

“Wait, Bi...Ahem, Hveðrungr. You’re forgetting your place there,” he replied, somewhat taken aback.

“Indeed. It’s one thing to speak that way to us, but to do so to Father is going much too far,” Felicia and Fagrahvél both said with a stern expression.

Yuuto was now the reginarch of the Steel Clan and þjóðann of the Holy Ásgarðr Empire. He was someone who was to be respected and worshipped—someone all citizens of Yggdrasil were to bow down to and obey unconditionally. Hveðrungr was perhaps the only man in the entirety of the Steel Clan who was willing to speak so frankly and bluntly to Yuuto.

“Hah. I guess that’s fair. You wouldn’t die for me, would you? Heheh.”

Yuuto showed no sign of anger at Hveðrungr’s disrespect, and instead laughed in amusement. Yuuto held his titles only because he wanted to protect the people dear to him. He wasn’t in his position because he wanted to be admired or worshiped. He wasn’t bothered about something so trifling as respect; he was just happy to learn that Hveðrungr had no intention of marching off to his death.

“I’ve been on something of a losing streak lately. I’ve been looking for a chance to redeem myself, and I just so happened to find the perfect opportunity. That’s all,” Hveðrungr replied.

“Perfect, eh? Hah!” Yuuto couldn’t contain his laughter, and he slapped his knee. Hveðrungr had said it so casually, even though he would be facing Oda Nobunaga and his army of over one hundred thousand. However, that nonchalance was also why he inspired so much confidence.

“You may laugh if you wish, but what about on your end? I can buy you time to escape, but that’s the most I can do. Do you have a plan for defeating the Flame Clan Army when they advance upon the Holy Capital?”

It was Yuuto’s turn to answer questions. “It’d be best if we could just leave him an empty city, but, well...” Yuuto shrugged with a dry laugh. Yuuto’s ultimate goal was to simply move all of his people to the new land. There was nothing better than achieving that end without fighting.

“Likely not possible. In terms of timing, the people of Álfheimr haven’t gotten through Bifröst yet, I would think. Even if you could fully evacuate the Holy Capital before the Flame Clan Army reached it, they would have enough momentum to follow you all the way to Jötunheimr and cut you down,” Hveðrungr explained.

“...You’re right.” Yuuto frowned sourly and nodded. Hveðrungr was perhaps the best at identifying enemy weaknesses among the Steel Clan’s generals. He was able to precisely point out the flaw in Yuuto’s wishful thinking. Of course, there was a logistical problem involved in extending supply lines that far, but according to Kristina’s investigations, the Flame Clan had a powerful Einherjar who could massively increase the Flame Clan’s ability to produce food and gunpowder. Not only that, but the Holy Capital was almost entirely deserted, meaning that Nobunaga would face none of the difficulties often associated with ruling over a newly-conquered territory.

The emigration plan from Jötunheimr to Europe would take, at a minimum, another six months to a year. That meant that it was more than possible for the Flame Clan Army to finish the necessary preparations and march on Jötunheimr in an attempt to fully unify Yggdrasil. If that were to happen, and if the Steel Clan forces were forced to flee after a series of inevitable defeats, their morale would be at rock bottom, which would make any meaningful resistance difficult.

“We need to figure out some way to beat them...” Yuuto scratched at his head as he tried to come up with a way to deal with this rather bothersome problem. Honestly, he didn’t really want to think about it. Since he had to, though, he had no choice but to suck it up and come up with a solution.

“Based on your expression, it seems as though you’ve got something special in mind.”

“Well, yeah. I can’t very well face off against that monster with just a single solution.”

The idea Yuuto had come up with was to layer two or three different plans as contingencies. He had already anticipated the possibility of Nobunaga breaking through the Gjallarbrú Fortress, and he had set up a contingency plan. Of course, he hadn’t expected it to be a giant earthquake that would end up taking down the fortress.

“I see. Then I’ll go do my job and put my hopes in your next plan.” Hveðrungr nodded his acceptance of Yuuto’s explanation and turned to leave.

“Hold up, Brother,” Yuuto called out to him to stop him from leaving. Hveðrungr tilted his head quizzically as Yuuto held out his fist to him. “Make sure you come home alive.”

“Ah, that’s right... We did this back then, didn’t we?” Hveðrungr briefly blinked his eyes before letting out a faintly sarcastic snort. He was referring to when he was still Loptr, Second of the Wolf Clan.

“Yeah, and you came home safely. It’s a ritual of sorts.”

“We were routed in that battle though.”

“That’s fine. We’ve already lost this battle, remember?”

“I might very well betray you after the battle.”

“Hah, I’ll give you a front-row seat to an amazing reversal that’ll rob you of any desire to do that.”

“Oh? That’s quite the claim you’re making. Then I’ll have to sit and watch. You’ve made a bold claim. If you fail, I’ll make sure to laugh at you.” Hveðrungr’s lips twisted into a teasing smirk as he bumped his fist against Yuuto’s. As Felicia watched the pair, tears welled in her eyes.

Meanwhile, elsewhere on the continent...

Albertina sniffed at the air from atop the quarterdeck of the Galleon-class ship Noah before letting out a gleeful shout of triumph. “It’s the wind from the city! It’s almost time for fooooood!”

It had been nearly twenty days since they had set out from the port city of Njǫrðr on the western edge of Yggdrasil with the civilian population of the Panther Clan aboard. Over that entire journey, they hadn’t stopped to resupply once. While Albertina liked being aboard the ship and thoroughly enjoyed the briny scent of the sea breeze, the food available to her there was generally preserved foodstuffs that had been stocked specifically with long-term storage for long voyages in mind. That was not to mention that rations were severely restricted for the duration of the voyage since they had nearly a thousand civilians on board who also needed feeding. Albertina was well known for her love of food, and she was longing to sit down and fill herself up with a big, proper meal.

“I still don’t understand how you do it, Miss Admiral. I don’t notice anything different ’bout it. So, what’s different about the wind from the city?” The question came from the ship’s captain. A hint of admiration could be noticed in his words. He was a rugged boulder of a man in his mid-thirties and looked much like one would expect a man of the sea to.

“Well, um... I can tell there’s a whoooole lot of people there! The bustle and the smells of those people are all carried on the wind.”

“Is that so? Sniff sniff... No, it still just smells like regular old sea air to me, ma’am.”

One of the sailors nearby casually jumped into the conversation. “You really surprised? Miss Admiral’s blessed by the goddess of the wind, after all.” After a moment, he continued. “I mean, if I were a god, I’d definitely prefer our adorable little Miss Admiral over a greasy middle-aged man like you, Cap’n.”

“Hah! ’Course!” The captain laughed off the sailor’s remark with a loud guffaw.

Albertina was still in her mid-teens and was well known for her laid-back demeanor. She both looked and acted younger than her actual age. However, she was also an Einherjar with the rune Hræsvelgr, Provoker of Winds. Because she possessed that particular rune, she was far more attuned to the wind than most people. That was a large contributing factor as to why she had been assigned to lead the shipping convoy that held the key to the Steel Clan’s survival.

“Ahh, finally!” Ingrid said, appearing from the shade under the mizzenmast. While Galleon