Volume 8 Chapter 10 The Secret Rules Of Nilfheim
The welcome in the village was really warm.
"Dear traveler, I am the village head of this village. Please, spend the night in this village at your leisure."
It was a welcoming gesture for the village head to come out all the way to greet us. We were lent a slightly old yet spacious house, and the village head humbly said, "I'm sorry for offering such a run-down place..."
"Oh no, no, no! We are grateful just to be lent this whole house. Are you sure it's okay? We really appreciate your kindness... If there's anything we can do in return..."
"No, no. We are always grateful for the help of officials like you, so it's more like we're repaying the favor."
With a gentle smile, the village head said so, and we decided to spend the night in that house, taking advantage of his words.
Crunching through the snow underfoot, we were guided by the village head. As we moved across the center of the village, it felt like a small village.
Just a few houses, not even ten. There are few villages that suit the word "remote village" as well as this one. In reality, Nilfheim was so cold that it made me shiver.
"It must be tough with this much snow falling every day."
I casually remarked, and the village head said, "It's not that bad."
"This snow falls all the time, but it doesn't accumulate. Thanks to Lord Bael, crops can grow even in this snow."
Lord Bael. It seems that the concept of a lord exists in the demon world as well. So, does Demon King literally mean a king? God, Demon King, King... There's still a lot I don't understand.
Or rather, Mudi said something about it, right? He probably meant that Lord Bael guy who attacked us with artillery. I should gather information while I can.
"What kind of person is he? I know of him, but I'm curious about his personality and such."
When I asked, the village head stopped and peered into my face. What is it? Scary, scary.
"...Ah, he's a wonderful person. Yes."
"R-right..."
Smiling at the village head, we made eye contact. Then, we followed the village head's cheerful guidance and settled into the house we were lent.
After that, I asked Ice,
"...What do you think?"
"From the surface, it doesn't seem like hell at all, maybe..."
"Yeah, I know... It'd make more sense if it was just a region where sheep-like beast people live in the snowy mountains."
I've never met them, but apparently, just like elves and dwarves, there are beast people in this world too.
Setting aside my curiosity to meet them, the fact remains that we are unquestionably in the depths of the great dungeon, in the hellish Nilfheim. This premise is causing us to hesitate in our judgment.
So, Ice and I, just the 2 of us, were sitting by the fireplace in a place that resembled a wooden cottage. It seems like a prosperous village if they can offer this to travelers.
Thanks to that, we've been able to endure the biting cold for now. However, there's a lot to think about.
"There are Demons we fought on the surface, right?"
"Yeah... Huh?"
"They seemed to be on good terms with each other, even though they were demons. If Mudi misled us for no reason, that must be the case."
"But if Mudi-san is telling the truth..."
"That would mean that the kind village head and the villagers are all telling completely unbelievable lies on the surface."
We exchanged words and groaned, facing a difficult decision.
In that case, it might be a good idea to do that.
I whisper 'Brahman' and activate the Ajna Chakra. The idea is to peek into their hearts with the second eye.
I'll take a bird's-eye view of the village once and then approach the village head. After that, if I can enter into the second eye, I can peek inside.
As I thought that, I suddenly felt a presence behind me and turned around.
Standing there was a young man wearing a feathered cap. He had a daring smile, his eyes hidden by the cap, and he said...
'In the name of the Demon King of Deception Hermes, no one shall intrude upon the thoughts of others throughout the entire demon realm. Those who intrude shall be punished.'
"Ha?"
With a thud, my Ajna Chakra explodes. I close my eyes again, blood trickling from my eyelids.
"Eh!? Wade-kun...what's wrong?"
"Oh, I was just getting hassled by some so-called Demon King named Hermes or something."
After swiftly healing with my second heart, the Anahata Chakra, I tilt my head. Huh? Who was that just now?
But at my words, Ice looks incredibly puzzled.
"Um, Wade-kun...I also know the name Hermes."
"What?"
"Alex-san taught me various things, including about Hermes, during training with Sieg-san. He taught us theory too. So, Hermes is the name of a messenger god in Greek mythology, and..."
Ice gulps and continues.
"It shouldn't be the name of a Demon King."
"...Seems like something strange happened. Anyway, let me just tell you what kind of experience I had."
I tell Ice about what happened. I tried to peek into the village head's mind with my Ajna Chakra and was punished by the false Demon King.
"...the Demon King of Deception...Hermes is also sometimes called the god of deception, but..."
Ice looks troubled, lost in thought. Then she looks at me with a serious expression.
"Um, Wade-kun...I've been thinking about something. I was a bit hesitant, but I think now's the only time to bring it up."
"What's wrong, Ice?"
"Well, you see, I've been a little troubled, and I thought this was the right moment to talk about it."
Ice hesitates and then speaks.
"I also find it strange that the name of the Demon King we have to defeat this time is Hel. In other words—my Transformation Magic's deity is also named Hel."
"...Really?"
So, the attack from that fake Demon King or whatever...or rather the restriction...is starting to seem more real. Namely, about the God and Demon King having the same name.
"Let's summarize for now."
I said with a grim look on my face.
"I tried using Ajna Chakra to look into the village head's heart. But I was caught and stopped by the 'Demon King of Deception Hermes.' Which means, I can't read anyone's mind in this hell."
"Uh-huh."
"So Ice is saying that since there's a God named Hermes, it doesn't make sense."
"Right. But."
"Oh."
I nodded and continued.
"But that's not just a denial, since the God of Ice's Transformation Magic also has the same name as 'Queen Hell,' who we're trying to defeat this time."
Here, things got more complicated. The situation became more complex. The coincidence of the God's and Demon King's names. That isn't just limited to Demon King Hermes. It's possible that something is going on as a general rule.
I folded my arms and thought for a few seconds. Then I shook my head.
"We can't figure this out here. We have to talk to everyone and organize the information. Let's set this aside for now."
"Uh-huh. I think so too, Wade-kun...!"
"Let's do what we can for now. If we can't see inside the village head's heart, we need to find a way to deal with him."
"That's right...right. So everyone, let's do our best...!"
Ice said and created several ice soldiers. They started moving with a clatter, setting traps and runes around the house.
"Wade-kun, leave it to me...I'll make this house into a fortress in no time, okay...!"
"...Oh yeah, Ice was that kind of gold rank, wasn't he?"
First-rate at making and taking down strongholds. A one-man army who personally destroyed the bandits near Karditsa. As far as gold ranks go, she was the strongest 'not-here' mage I knew before training.
"There was no one who could break through my defenses. And today let's get some lovey-dovey, Wade-kun...!"
'Ice Army'
Ice was smiling at me without any concern for potential enemies.
...Wow, Ice has really become strong. She truly is my wife.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)