End of 5 chapters mass release! Chapters will be released on alternate days.
P.S. Will soon launch kofi advance tiers.
The Branch in the Coffin, Mistletoe (1)
The night is steeped in darkness.
A woman quietly walks towards her destination.
Her long, blond hair gleams in the moonlight, glowing brilliantly in the surroundings.
Slightly sunken eyes, calm gait.
Her gaze, gently pushing away the scenery as if cutting through it, had an alluring charm that could make a man look back.
In this manner, the woman continued her leisurely pace until she suddenly uttered,
“Oops.”
She opened her eyes. No, her eyes were already open. She just woke up from her trance.
A few strands of hair stuck to her lips.
“Well, I’m here.”
Ellen looked at her house in front of her.
She checked her appearance.
“I don’t look disheveled. Good.”
Last time, she walked all the way home with leaves stuck in her hair.
Yawn. She still felt sleepy. Has there ever been a time when she wasn’t sleepy?
She opened the front door.
“Oh, you’re home, Sis?”
Her younger brother greeted her from the sofa. No, he wasn’t greeting her at all since he didn’t even look away from the Wizard View.
“Aster.”
Ellen threw a suspicious glance at her younger brother, Aster Evans.
“What’s wrong?”
“Do you know a freshman of the Roach family?”
“Who’s that?”
“Frondier. Moron Frondier.”
Aster tilted his head upon hearing Ellen’s words.
“…Who’s that?”
Ellen sighed.
Her brother was really clueless about the world outside. To think that he didn’t even know about Frondier.
“I heard that you were with Frondier. In the training room.”
“…Oh, that guy?”
Aster spoke as if he suddenly remembered something.
“But we weren’t together. I just met him in passing and greeted him. It seemed like he was waiting for someone.”
“Hmm.”
Ellen briefly snorted before walking past Aster.
Aster watched her walk towards the refrigerator with a dumbfounded look.
“Hey, is that it?”
“I was worried that you might get involved with something weird.”
Ellen fetched a jug and poured water into a cup.
Behind her, the sound of Aster's snickering could be heard.
"You're funny. Spending all day sleeping—"
Swiftly, Ellen's hand swung around.
The cup that extended from her fingertips, and the water it contained. The whole thing flew towards Aster, maintaining a clean horizontal line as if it had been gently placed on a table.
Aster caught it with his hand and leaned back with the momentum, slightly altering the direction of the force to spin around.
Splash, the water in the cup swayed.
Ellen looked on with a nonchalant gaze and said,
"Spilled it."
"That’s what happens when you throw it like that!"
"Like that? Want to be thrown like that too?"
Damn it, Aster swallowed his frustration internally and drank the water.
As if using mystical power was nothing to him.
Aster shifted his gaze to the WizardView to forget the pointless thoughts.
"Huh?"
The WizardView was broadcasting news.
The content stopped Aster in his tracks.
[Here's the next piece of news. A party venturing near the dungeons of Solgitop has reportedly found a divine object. The object is a branch nearly 2m in length, resembling Mistilteinn in appearance, and has become a topic of discussion—]
"Mistilteinn?"
At Aster's mutter, Ellen also reacted. She set down her cup of water and moved beside Aster.
On the screen, a member of the party was holding a transparent cylinder. Inside, a long branch was placed.
An interview was in progress.
[Why is it in the cylinder?]
[We didn't place it there. It was like this when we found it in the dungeon.]
[Did you think about breaking the cylinder?]
[Of course not. If this is indeed a divine object, including the cylinder, we could incur the wrath of the gods.]
[I see. There's speculation that it might not be Mistilteinn, what do you think?]
[We're not sure. If it truly is, that would be delightful!]
The party's leader laughed heartily.
Listening to that voice, Aster quietly examined the branch inside the coffin.
Ellen looked at Aster's expression and asked, "What do you think?"
"I'm not sure. I've never seen the real thing."
"Did he react at all?"
Aster shook his head.
The "he" Ellen referred to was Baldur. Since it was the weapon that killed him, they had hoped he might reveal something to Aster.
For reference, most gods have experienced "death." Throughout long histories and mythologies, gods have done so.
However, this does not mean they are completely annihilated. It means they have left the world of humans.
They now exist in the 'world of salvation', which is a concept somewhat superior to the Greek 'Underworld' or the Norse 'Helheim' mentioned in various mythologies.
Therefore, Baldur could also be there, and if he wished, he could give Aster some sort of sign or hint.
Unfortunately, Aster received no hints from Baldur.
Yet, his gaze remained fixed on the branch as if nailed to it.
"But you still want to check it out, right?"
"Yeah. If that really is Mistletoe, I have to have it."
The branch that killed Baldur.
For Aster, who was loved by Baldur, it becomes a weakness.
Conversely, if he could possess it, his greatest weakness would disappear.
No, not only that. If there is someone who can wield this divine object, someone who is permitted by the gods to use it. That could only be him.
[What do you plan to do with the divine object then? You can't use it as it is.]
[We think it's a weapon too presumptuous for us to have. We're considering selling it if we can get the right price.]
"…Aster."
"I know."
That weapon will surely fetch an enormous price. Real or fake, it doesn't matter. Even if it's fake, until the real one appears, this is considered the real one.
Probably, a family not involved in combat would never use this weapon.
They’ll just display it in their house without ever verifying if it's the real deal.
Even that much is enough to raise their reputation. The price will jump just for that.
A commoner like Aster Evans wouldn't be able to dream of a price like that.
