Guts gripped the Dragonslayer's hilt with both hands and lifted it. It was extremely heavy—heavier than any weapon he had ever wielded—but it unexpectedly gave him a strange sense of security.
"Give it a try," Godo said calmly from the side.
So Guts stepped out of the house. He swung it hesitantly at first, then swung again, faster and faster. In less than a moment, the Dragonslayer was moving smoothly in his hands.
He even felt that if he had wielded this sword in his previous battle with Nidhogg, he might have stood a chance.
"It's a good sword." Guts was very pleased. He planted the Dragonslayer in the ground and looked at Godo. "It's a bit heavy, but after some practice, I should get used to it... This sword..."
"You can use it." Godo stroked his beard and laughed. "Honestly, I forged this sword for hunting dragons from the very beginning. I didn't think much about it."
"I only forged it to fulfill the king's request to kill a dragon. No one could wield it. Since you can use it, of course it's yours."
"Thank you." Guts gently stroked the thick blade of the Dragonslayer. "I will put it to good use."
After that, Guts went to pack his belongings. He had to leave at dawn. Nidhogg didn't want to delay any longer, so he decided to set out with Guts tomorrow morning and then go his separate way.
Before that, Nidhogg, having nothing to do, explored various parts of the blacksmith's hut. Guided by the enthusiastic Erica, she also took him to the mines in the back mountain.
A man-made stone staircase descended into the mine. At its end was a fairly spacious stone room. Sunlight streamed through an opening overhead, standing there like a pillar of light.
"Father said that a group of mining goblins used to live here," Erica said quite seriously. "But then, for some reason, they left and never came back."
This was the same situation as the fairies of Mist Valley. It was likely that the spread of the Holy See's teachings and the expansion of human territories had forced them to migrate or even return to the astral world.
No one knew what their fate would be later. Perhaps they still existed, or perhaps they had completely vanished into the astral world, forgotten by humanity. Both were possible.
Suddenly, Nidhogg received a notification from his golden brand.
「Quest」 Discover the Goblin Mine and Sense the Earth's Energy
「Reward」 Acquired: Whetstone Knife, Smithing Stones
Since beginning his journey, almost like an "open world," Nidhogg had rarely received quest information in advance. Instead, he would only know he had completed a quest upon receiving the reward.
Actually, this was quite good—very fresh. But Nidhogg needed to pay more attention, or he might accidentally miss many hidden quests.
Nidhogg had followed Erica's directions into the mine, just trying his luck. He hadn't expected to actually complete a quest.
Naturally, this Whetstone Knife was also good. It could engrave a skill, meaning "Ash of War," onto a weapon without a skill, making that Ash of War the weapon's skill.
Though he hadn't obtained any Ash of War yet, that didn't stop him from putting away the Whetstone Knife for future use.
As for the Smithing Stones, he silently used them to strengthen Bloodhound's Fang, bringing its enhancement level to +3—the highest among his weapons.
After dinner that evening, Erica begged Nidhogg to tell stories about his travels. She had long used the same method to extract countless thrilling ups and downs from Guts.
Nidhogg couldn't resist Erica's tearful pleas, so he had to talk about his experiences along the way. Of course, he omitted or downplayed anything too dark and brutal.
Nevertheless, Erica listened with pleasure to tales of the Hawk Company, Doldrey Castle, Gaol Castle, Mist Valley, the Count's domain... She was immersed in one story after another.
War, soldiers, monsters, goblins—all of it greatly satisfied Erica's curiosity.
Now, Erica, who had been strangely distant during the day, was almost tired of being close to Nidhogg and forgetting the old man (especially Guts) whenever she had someone new.
But this had its downsides. Early the next morning, when Nidhogg and Guts were about to say their goodbyes and leave, Erica cried very sadly. This time, no one tried to comfort her.
Nidhogg and Guts rode down the hill. Godo and Erica stood before the hut, watching their backs.
Erica wiped her tears with the back of her hand, desperately waving with the other, until she could no longer see them.
Reaching a fork at the foot of the mountain, Nidhogg and Guts parted ways. They were almost stunned, merely clasping wrists before one sped west and the other east.
After that, Nidhogg rode his spirit steed Torrent and soon left the territory of the Kingdom of Midland. He traveled through wilderness, between cities and villages.
Their common characteristics were these: the richer, the richer; the poorer, the poorer. Wealthy cities partied every night. Impoverished villages starved. Cannibalism was not uncommon.
For now, he was still within the sphere of the Holy See's teachings, which was too vast.
Even the Kingdom of Midland and the Tudor Empire, despite their territorial disputes, actually adhered to the same core faith. Both belonged to the Holy See's circle.
At present, the largest pagan religion and the common enemy of the Holy See's circle was the Kushan Empire to the east.
He didn't know how far he had traveled. Nidhogg had lost count of how many battles he had fought with Apostles and invaders along the way. Then, one day, the needle of the Spirit Tree Pavilion compass in his hand suddenly trembled violently.
The needle spun and spun, as if damaged. Only after five rotations did it suddenly stop, pointing in one direction.
Nidhogg headed in that direction, over the mountains, and saw a village hidden in a valley in the distance. It even had a collapsed and ruined tower that might have served as a watchtower.
The Village of Irog.
Nidhogg knew where he was. Since he had come to this village, he was indeed not far from the Spirit Tree Pavilion.
He looked at the sky and realized it was already late. So he decided to spend the night in the Village of Irog.
The present-day Village of Irog was a remote corner, but it was not far from the lord's castle and offered some shelter. It was fairly stable.
But one night after the rebirth of the Holy Eagle, beastly spirits would collectively emerge from the astral world to build a nest in the real world—and that nest happened to be nearby.
They would attack villages like Irog, plundering women, children, and livestock, then return to their cave like locusts crossing a border. They would attack again and again. The Village of Irog was in danger of complete annihilation.
The wickedness of this group of beastly spirits—eating people—was only the beginning. They could also impregnate human women with their spawn, kill the host at birth, and had the habit of keeping children captive and devouring them when they grew up...
If he had the chance, Nidhogg would surely kill all these evil creatures and leave none behind.