Chapter 57: Erin-7-

The road from the Kingdom of Munster to the Kingdom of Eden held far too many variables for us to risk taking the land route.

To cut across the Irish interior, we would have had to pass either through the territory of the Kingdom of Mide, occupied by Lugaid mac Loegairi, or along the border of the Kingdom of Leinster, who were certain to be wary of us.

To avoid their interference and any confusion of information, I chose the fastest and surest route: by sea.

Prydwen, its preparations complete, stood ready to depart from Munster's harbor.

King Anguishaus came all the way to the shore to see us off, his face heavy with deep concern.

"Your Highness. Do you truly mean to retake the Kingdom of Eden with only so small a force?"

"At a time like this, the Kingdom of Mide may well seize the chance to invade Munster. That is precisely why I'm telling you to stay behind and prepare for it."

"I am ashamed. You are striving this hard for Erin, and yet I can offer you so little help in return."

King Anguishaus's voice was laced with heavy guilt and worry. Standing at the prow, I laughed heartily and waved a hand.

"Do not worry, King Anguishaus. Our way has always been to overwhelm the enemy with a handpicked elite."

Prydwen, carrying me, the Heroic Spirits, Britomart, and Talos, cut through the rough waters and headed out to sea along the southeastern coast.

With a favorable wind at its back, the ship began racing along Ireland's coastline at tremendous speed.

As I stood on deck in the sea breeze, a question suddenly occurred to me, and I tossed it to Merlin.

"Merlin. Come to think of it, isn't it strange? Rience practically had all of Ireland in the palm of his hand, so why did he leave the Kingdom of Eden and Dál Riata in the northeast unconquered?"

Leaning against the rail and leisurely watching the waves, Merlin flicked her staff.

"Because even Rience had his own political calculations and fears. In Dál Riata's case, their true power base is not Ireland at all, but deeply tied to Pictland in northern Britain. There was no reason for him to poke that nest of warlike Gaels and create a two-front war for himself."

"Then what about the Kingdom of Eden?"

That question was answered by Britomart, who stood beside me.

"According to what I heard from Queen Gloriana, it was because Rience was also aware of the usurper Grandot, who had been targeting the Kingdom of Eden. The two were powerful figures of roughly equal standing, each keeping the other in check."

My eyes lit up with interest at Britomart's words.

"Equal to Rience?"

"Yes. But if one were to compare them directly, then in pure strength and brute force alone, Grandot is said to be a monster who far surpasses Rience. The only reason the balance held was because Rience possessed Marmyadose. Grandot is an overwhelming being who smashes armies apart with nothing but his axe and his own strength."

"Oh...?"

I licked my lips. After dealing with bastards who relied on Mystery or overpowered weapons, now I was about to face someone who had reached the summit through nothing but raw muscle and brute force.

"Sounds even more worth fighting than Rience."

A little later, Britomart glanced with fascination at the Heroic Spirits moving freely about the deck, then carefully spoke.

"By the way, Prince Arthur. I never imagined I would meet the Valkyries of legend here in person. With such dependable strength at your side, reclaiming Eden can hardly be called a dream any longer."

"Valkyries? Who here are you calling Valkyries?"

When I asked back in bafflement, Britomart pointed seriously toward Ushiwakamaru, Barghest, and the others as she answered.

"Among the people, the beautiful and powerful women who guard Your Highness are praised as Valkyries striding across the battlefield. To my eyes as well, their nobility and martial prowess seem no different from the Valkyries of old tales..."

I let out a short, incredulous laugh.

"Ah... well, at a glance, I suppose they do seem similar. And since I keep traveling around with nothing but women, rumors like that were bound to spread."

That reminded me of Kay, who was probably being worked to the bone in Nogales, assisting Artoria with administrative matters. It seemed his existence had been completely buried beneath public rumor.

Sorry. When I get back, I'll recruit a whole army of capable civil officials and lighten your workload.

I offered him a perfunctory bit of comfort in my heart.

Meanwhile, in one corner of the deck, an oddly awkward atmosphere was hanging in the air. Whenever she had the chance, Medea hovered around the iron spirit Talos, stealing glances at him and watching his reactions.

"Ahh... this is driving me insane. How am I supposed to deal with that?"

She had good reason to feel troubled.

Long ago, it had been Medea herself who pulled the nail from the ankle of the original giant Talos, guardian of Crete, and destroyed him.

Even if the Talos before her now was merely a second model, reconstructed on a smaller scale by the goddess Astraea from fragments of the original, that faint guilt buried deep within her made things unbearably awkward for her.

"Ta... Talos? Um, nothing's creaking, is it? Should I maybe inject you with some mana?"

When Medea awkwardly tried to speak to him, Talos merely made a mechanical noise and gave a curt nod.

Watching that scene, Britomart's gaze came to rest on a woman sitting gracefully at the prow, enjoying the sea breeze.

"Your Highness. If it is not too rude of me to ask, who exactly is that lady? Compared even to Lady Gloriana, the Fairy Queen, she does not seem lesser in the slightest... no, rather, I feel a divinity from her that surpasses even that."

Where Britomart was looking, the goddess Stheno wore a leisurely smile.

I shrugged as I answered.

"Hm? She's a genuine Greek goddess. Stheno, the eldest of the Gorgon sisters."

"A-a goddess?!"

At the words genuine Greek goddess, Britomart nearly jumped out of her skin. She immediately ran over to Stheno, dropped to one knee, and offered a formal greeting.

Stheno burst into a clear laugh, looking thoroughly delighted by Britomart's respectful manner.

"Fufufu, raise your head, dear little knight. Whether in Ireland or Britain, it seems all the gods have vanished and only I remain, so I had been rather bored inside. But being treated with such proper reverence feels quite wonderful."

She covered her mouth with her fan, thoroughly savoring her status as the sole god descended into the present world.

"More importantly, Britomart, I'm glad to see you've regained some of your spirit."

As I approached and spoke, she rose with a grim look in her eyes and nodded.

"Yes, thank you, Your Highness. For the sake of avenging Lord Artegall, I will not break."

She then began giving a detailed briefing on the Kingdom of Eden's current military situation.

"Through the desperate battle fought by Artegall, Talos, and myself, Grandot's forces were cut in half. But their core strength still remains intact. The Witch of Agitation, Malengin, who incited and brainwashed the people into driving out Queen Elena, and the gigantic serpent-shaped demonic beasts guarding the castle gates... none of them are easy opponents."

After finishing her explanation, Britomart carefully untied a long, weighty bundle from her waist.

A brilliant golden radiance spilled across the deck, and a single sword revealed itself.

"This is Lord Artegall's keepsake, the golden sword [Chrysaor], bestowed by the goddess of justice Astraea. Please accept it, Your Highness."

"[Chrysaor]?"

I narrowed my eyes at the extraordinary Mystery pouring from the blade.

If it was Chrysaor, then it was the sword Medusa wielded when she appeared as Saber, and also the name of the son born from her corpse.

"It is the legendary sword once used by the god Zeus when he defeated the Titans."

Zeus used a sword? Not lightning? Then was it that thing, perhaps?

"You mean Harpe, the adamant sickle-sword that Cronus used to cut Uranus, and that Zeus lent to Perseus?"

"Something like it. Lady Gloriana told me it was forged from the same material as Harpe, which the earth goddess Gaia gave to Cronus and which later passed down to Zeus. A peerless adamant blade forged by Hephaestus, tempered with a portion of the power of lightning refined by the Cyclopes... even the toughest Aegis or divine construct would be sliced apart like tofu before it. It is the ultimate armament."

Then Stheno secretly added further explanation to me through telepathy.

This sword was made from the substance of the gods, adamas.

Yes, that famous adamantium. Orichalcum had turned out to be nanomachines, but this one was actual metal?

It was the same metal as the chains that bound Prometheus, and the weapons used by the Dioscuri twins, Achilles' armor, and Heracles' bow were all said to be made of adamas as well.

And the weapon Cronus used to cut Uranus was said to be both sickle and sword. Fragments of it were obtained by Demeter and made into her sickle, while what remained was used by Zeus, and that very remnant became this sword.

In other words, that adamant sickle had been split in half to form Harpe and this [Chrysaor].

"And even with a ridiculously broken item like that, he still lost to Grandot?"

When I asked in puzzlement, Britomart bit her lip as if in pain.

"It was not because the sword was lacking. He moved to save me when I was in danger... and threw himself into the boar's tusks."

"Ah... sorry. I made you bring up painful memories."

I soothed her grief and carefully accepted the golden sword [Chrysaor].

"No matter how exceptional a weapon may be, the result always changes depending on the one who wields it and the circumstances. Don't worry. This sword bearing Artegall's will—I will put it to very good use when I take Grandot's head."

I sheathed [Chrysaor] and fastened it firmly at my waist.

Still, the name Chrysaor... could it have some connection to Chrysaor, who was born alongside Pegasus when Medusa's head was severed?

After all, legends are things whose forms and powers are profoundly shaped by human belief and concept, especially in the case of Noble Phantasms.

Before my eyes, now holding a new armament, the pitifully ruined walls of the Kingdom of Eden finally began to take shape in the distance.

"All right, everyone, take up your weapons! It's time to drag down the usurper of Eden!"

At my thunderous command, Prydwen charged fiercely toward the shores of the Kingdom of Eden.

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