Chapter 31 – Brisingamen
It was a feather.
I instinctively felt that it was fundamentally different in size and shape from Ran’s or Lin’s feathers. Vundi gently settled in the grassy field. I entrusted Ran, still sound asleep and oblivious, to her. Vundi widened her eyes upon seeing the feather in my hand.
“Master… Teacher…! That feather is…”
“Banir tribe.”
“….!”
Lynn, who approached with Cecilia’s support, must have overheard our conversation.
“…. Those people just now, were they from the Banir tribe…?”
Lynn
“At home, there are no longer any newcomers suited for Brisingga-men. There’s no point in going back as it is.”
“I know that! …Damn it! We were almost done! What in the world was that guy just now?!”
“Shh… Someone’s coming.”
It was at that moment. A male student emerged from the rustling bushes, apparently disturbed by the conversation between the two Vanyr newcomers.
It was Allen, secretly practicing magic in the garden.
“Hey, what are you guys doing there?”
Reflexively, one of the Vanyr newcomers cast a stunning shock spell.
Struck by the sudden electric shock, Allen remained stunned, his eyes turned backward, collapsing to the ground unconscious.
“We might have to kill him. It’s getting troublesome.”
“Hmm… No, wait, there’s an unusual energy flowing through this boy? No, this isn’t magic…”
“…Enchantment… He’s enchanted by the Vanyr newcomers.”
“Hmm… It’s a pretty strong enchantment. Were there Vanyr newcomers here?”
“Isn’t it the siblings’ doing?”
“…No, those siblings are still young. They can’t cast such a definite and intense enchantment. There must be another Vanyr newcomer here. And they’re using a powerful enchantment too… Who could it be?”
After pondering deeply for a moment, one of the Vanyr newcomers murmured softly.
“…Who could it be? There’s only one newcomer capable of naturally casting an enchantment so deeply ingrained into the soul.”
“Ha! I didn’t think about it. It’s Freiya, isn’t it? …Wait! Then, that man from earlier…”
“His face was obscured in darkness, but I couldn’t forget his name. Eugene Ser Neperna. The Second Sword of the Holy Knight, wiped from records for betraying even the human race. The despicable one who snatched Freiya away from our kind.”
“Living in the wilderness all his life, behaving as if he would perish in the wilderness with demons, and now he’s about to live comfortably in a place like this.”
“We searched so hard, never would have thought he’d be in a place like this. …Did our tribe build too thick a barrier between us and the outside world?”
The sight of fangs quickly sinking made one of the kinfolk sigh deeply.
“Anyway, things turned out well. Probably, Freya didn’t intentionally cast enchantment. She unknowingly spreads enchantment wherever she goes… She might be one of the victims.”
“What’s the plan then? Another kidnapping? It’s Freya, it’s the siblings, and the situation with the Second Holy Sword!”
“But we can’t just leave empty-handed. If we can only retrieve Lady Freya, there’s no need to chase after those siblings. The power of enchantment strong enough to accumulate strength in Brisangamen, that’s all we need to reclaim.”
Looking down at the unconscious Alen, they muttered to themselves.
“We’re also members of the Vaneer clan. We might as well try to turn this half-baked enchantment to our advantage.”
***
“This is bad.”
Freya paced anxiously around the room.
“What do I do… What do I do…”
The repetitive sound of pacing had my head spinning after thirty minutes. It’s unsettling, but going round in circles feels like falling under a trance. Ironically, Freya seemed unaffected, spinning around busily.
In the end, I turned my head to Professor Aegis to check the situation.
“Professor Aegis, how’s Ran?”
“Thankfully, nothing serious. Hah… It’s been only a few days since the ocular regeneration, so I was worried, but it’s truly fortunate.”
“Is it okay for her to keep sleeping like this?”
“I’ve cast a sleep spell. It’ll be more comfortable for Ran while her body recovers.”
Between Cecilia and Vundine, Lyn, who had been holding her breath, finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank… thank you…”
“Thankfully, Lyn.”
“All this happened because of us…”
“No, it’s not because of you guys.”
It was Fraya who cut in sharply. She stopped walking and looked around at the people in the hospital room.
“What the Banir clan is after is the privilege over the power accumulated in Brisingamen.”
Wundi, who seemed to understand the situation to some extent, let out a faint sigh.
“If it’s privilege… Professor Fraya must be involved too.”
“Yeah… Since Professor Aegis knows about it anyway, I’ll tell the truth.”
Fraya gently brushed back her disheveled hair.
The necklace that was delicately hanging around her collarbone shimmered and sparkled.
“For a long time, the Banir clan has been accumulating the enchanting power of the Banir clan in a magical artifact called Brisingamen. They have been selling the accumulated power to their bloodline and making a huge amount of money. I am also one of the wearers of Brisingamen, so I know it well. That money is an amount that Banir can never ignore.”
“It’s hard to believe, but it’s because of those clan guys that they revealed the money…”
“…It’s greed. And the fact that Lin and Lan were targeted this time… It’s probably because of me. I was one of the wearers of Brisingamen and I left the village and cooperated with the bloodline myself. Maybe they couldn’t find my whereabouts and were desperate to find the successor.”
“…………”
“From the perspective of the Banir clan, it was a situation where a huge source of money suddenly disappeared one day. But I never expected them to resort to such radical methods…”
“B-Bloodline…? Unni, are you leaving?!”
Seeing Lin’s face turn pale as a sheet, I chuckled and gave a brief answer.
“I’ll explain later.”
“Yes…?”
“Lin, just live your life as usual. You and Lan are safe now, and you will be in the future as well. Don’t worry about Brisingamen or the clan for the time being.”
Lin hesitated to speak, looking confused.
At that moment, Cecilia asked quietly.
“…Why would the Bloodline spend so much money to purchase the power of the Banir tribe?”
“To conceal the moon.”
“Yujin!”
Despite Freya’s rebuke and my fear, I hammered the nail, as if questioning what the problem was.
“It’s about handling the lavish messes left behind by the Goddess. Personally, I don’t unconditionally agree with these sorts of things that the Bloodline does, except for one thing. There’s no disagreement about the necessity of the enchanting power stored in this Brisengamen. It’s necessary, even if just to prevent chaos.”
I turned my gaze and asked Professor Aegis.
“Professor Aegis, would it be alright to move a bed or a couch into this hospital room?”
“Oh my, a bed? Are you planning to live here?”
“For the time being, it seems like Lynn, Lan, and even Freya will have to live together. It might be a bit uncomfortable, but it’s better than regretting it later.”
“Me? Why me? I won’t be of much help. Wouldn’t it be better if Undine or Cecilia, the students, were here instead?”
Freya asked, tilting her head.
Given the circumstances, I didn’t speak out of turn, but I sent a hopeful glance as if expecting Undine and Cecilia to burst in any moment. …I know what they’re hoping for, but for now, let’s hold back.
“What’s the point if you’re separated? Remember? Brisengamen. You stole it a long time ago. You’re still wearing it, aren’t you? If by any chance the tribes knew you were here, it wouldn’t be an issue with Lynn or Lan, but their attention would shift more to the necklace that’s been accumulating enchanting power for years and to the existence of Freya.”
“What?!”
“……?”
“!!!”
Lynn was the most shocked. With a trembling voice, she said as if she couldn’t believe it.
“Brisengamen is a magical tool that absorbs enchanting power! If you keep wearing it, you’ll start looking terribly hideous to those around you…”
Lynn couldn’t finish her sentence and glanced briefly at Freya. Cecilia lazily asked with a smirk.
“So, what happens if you take off that necklace?”
“Without the necklace, Freya? Unable to carry on with everyday life.”
“…Hey! Even so, you should be able to manage everyday life, right? Don’t exaggerate.”
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“Really? Would you try going around once without the necklace? No matter what happens, I won’t help you.”
“………….”
Freya lowered her head deeply and hesitated to speak. I spoke firmly.
“Regardless of being male or female, they rush to attack Freya relentlessly. Even if they cover their faces with masks or disguises, it’s the same. It’s not enchantment or fascination, it’s like being collectively ensnared in a mental magic. You know it too, Undine?”
“Phew, I know. Once, Professor Freya accidentally dropped her necklace in some remote village, and from the little kids playing in the village to the old man tilling the fields, they all stood up as if they were about to die, in a collective frenzy…”
“Whoaaa! Stop right there!”
Freya covered our mouths vigorously with her flushed face.
“…Hurry up and go to class.”
Teasing her further might upset her. I clapped my hands together to draw attention.
“Well, thinking about it now won’t make us fight against the Banir tribe, we just need to preserve our daily lives.”
“You’re quick to change your stance.”
“Thinking about it won’t help, those guys have already fled, and there’s no way to find them. Besides, we can’t use our family’s magic within the school premises, right?”
I stood up abruptly.
“Undine! Cecilia! We need to go to class. Get ready. Here… we should inform Ignis to keep an eye. Skipping one class should be fine, right?”
“Yes? Oh, sure! Yesss♡!”
“Yes…”
Undine and Cecilia replied warmly as they got up from their seats.
“Oh, Freya, you should attend class too. Are you planning to be absent?”
“… I need a moment alone now.”
“I got it, just kidding.”
As I was about to leave, leaving Professor Eegis chuckling in the corner, Freya stopped us and said this belatedly.
“Oh, right! About that class, take Ryn with you instead of me.”