I sat on the bus seat while thinking again about the information I had obtained and the archivist's final words. The figure of the knightly angel was the archangel Marsiel. I had not heard his name in the game lore. The figure of Grhemolus was holding his spear Grunginus, which was blood-red in color, whereas in the game lore the spear appeared bright yellow.
Grhemus was also not mentioned in the game, and his figure was rarely seen anywhere during my time here. Could Marsiel be considered the main God in Grivendal? Why did Emperor Gregustus, who was nicknamed a spear master, not wield Grunginus? Did he actually wanted to use Hellraider to kill the demon king forever?
I understood why the archivist said those things. I arrived at my house as the sun began to set. My intention to take a break to refresh my mind instead became filled with things that made my brain work even harder thinking about them again.
The next day I returned to the headquarter. I immediately met Gruzhnil and also Grelmure. Behind them, I saw Hellraider standing with his arms folded across his chest and looking around.
"Ahh… everyone is here. Very well, let us depart," Gruzhnil said.
We all boarded a large go-kart that was already parked there. We drove along the foothills behind the headquarters building. After a while, I saw a truly astonishing sight. Beyond the hills lay a vast military base with several large buildings.
There were buildings with their own specialized functions, spaced far apart from one another. I saw a building resembling an airport where many Graendall shuttlecraft were parked. Then there was a building that appeared to manufacture weapons. I also saw a wide weapon-testing arena.
Grelmure drove to there. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the head of production along with several managers. We walked into the building, and it turned out to be larger inside than I had imagined.
There were many weapons of various types similar to my world but there was already laser weapons. The head of production told us that some of the weapons already used Starstone energy ammunition, which was commonly used during expeditions to the hell realm.
I looked toward Hellraider, and his face appeared slightly awestruck by the sight. I understood that he really wanted to try those weapons. It had been quite some time since he had used his own weapons in hell. I wondered whether the weapons here could be stronger than Hellraider's. I did not see any weapon comparable to the MKM-999. Was his old weapons truly no longer available? I recalled that according to The Mayhem lore, he could no longer used weapons from his original world in Grivendal.
The head of production took us to the final section of the building, which was melee weapon production. He said that the blades were made from a mixture of Grivendal's special metals and Starstones. Every Graendall soldier was required to be able to use one close-combat weapon, either a sword or a spear, as part of the military order's tradition that had been preserved for thousands of years.
There was a very special sword that at first glance appeared to be only a hilt, but when activated emitted a bright golden light that formed the blade. That light blade was actually formed from a large condensation of Starstone energy. This sword could only be wielded by elite soldiers. I then remembered that Hellraider also had such a sword in the gameplay.
As I knew from the lore, demon monsters were highly vulnerable to Starstone energy. However, what made me question things slightly was how Hellraider, who also used conventional weapons not based on Starstone energy, could also slaughtered them. This also created a contradiction in my mind. Had the developers of The Mayhem overly specialized Hellraider's character so that he could defeat all enemies with any weapon?
I also remember during the infiltration in Nuclear Power Plant, where the special forces could take out the lowest-level hell monsters with ordinary firearms, and I was able to take out several of them with my pistol when I first landed in the hell realm. I guess that part of the game's lore just adds to the coolness. Hellraider's strongest weapon, MKM-999, was made from venusian radioactive stones. I thought that the energy of that stone might be even stronger than Starstones.
After finishing the tour of the entire weapon production building, Hellraider and I were taken to an open shooting range. There, various weapon tests were conducted to ensure they were fit and ready for Graendall soldiers. Gruzhnil asked me to tell Hellraider that he could try all of the weapons.
After that, he immediately picked up one weapon and fired at the dummy statue in the middle of the range. As I had predicted, his extraordinary shooting ability was still intact. He switched to another weapon and tried several dummy targets. Hellraider was able to master every weapon without the slightest difficulty on his first attempt. Everyone who witnessed it was amazed. The head of the department said that no soldier had ever been able to do that in a single trial throughout the history of The Graendall.
After finishing trying, Hellraider returned to stand silently and occasionally gazing at the weapon table. Gruzhnil asked me to take turns trying the weapons. I was afraid because my ability was very, very far below him. They expected that I could also use them because I had survived in the hell realm like Hellraider.
"Commander, actually when I was in that realm of terror, I could only use this weapon and thrown explosives," I said while pointing toward weapon like a pistol.
"It's okay, you may try that weapons first."
I took the weapon and tried firing at the dummy. Its design resembled a typical pistol but was slightly larger, so at first I had difficulty controlling its recoil. However, after several shots I began to get used to it. The target I fired at was eventually hit once I managed to control the recoil.
The head of production explained to me that they produced two types of grenades: explosive grenades and flashbang grenades. He also told me how to activate them. I took an explosive grenade and tried throwing it at the dummy. My throw was fairly precise because the explosion clearly hit the target. I glanced toward Hellraider. I could sense that he seemed surprised that I could use weapons like this.
"I appreciate your ability, Johann. Even though I know you will later serve only as an observer, this is more than enough for self-defense," Gruzhnil said while smiling at me. I felt happy as well and thanked him.
Gruzhnil concluded today's training and invited us back to headquarters. We ate lunch together first, and I was allowed to rest freely. Grelmure asked me whether I felt burdened by having to go back and forth between my house and the headquarters. I fell silent for a moment and thought; indeed, it had felt quite exhausting like this over the past week. Especially now that this was direct training that relied more on physical exertion. I immediately conveyed this to Grelmure.
"Very well, Johann, I also feel that you need a closer place. I can propose this to Commander so that you can rest in the headquarters barracks as a second residence," Grelmure said with a smile.
I immediately agreed and expressed my gratitude. At last, I could obtain a place to stay even closer. Actually, deep down, I hoped that I could live together with Hellraider. But at this moment it was almost impossible because he was still very cold toward me, and I didn't know what he might do to me if Gruzhnil were not there watching us.
I believed that one day Hellraider and I would find a point where we could understand each other.