Chapter 148.2

Chapter 148.2. Nidhogg And Mercenaries

-???’s POV-

“I don’t need your sarcastic remarks. Remove this wretched seal immediately! I’ll pay from my assets!”

The robed man sat down with an arrogant attitude, crossed his legs, and puffed out his chest.

“Well… Your assets haven’t been sent to us. Therefore, it seems impossible for you to pay, Nagamasa-dono.”

“W-What?! That can’t be! I-I-I…”

He gets dtartled and flustered because of the leader’s voice. He quickly stood up and accidentally removed his hood, revealing his emaciated body.

He had become incredibly thin, resembling a withered skeleton, with pale, unhealthy skin.

Genshin Nagamasa. There was once a man there, a giant of a man, wrapped in muscle armor. This new appearance bore no resemblance to the massive, muscular figure he once had. Even if he claimed to be Nagamasa, no one would believe him. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Heh, you’ve succeeded in your weight loss journey.”

“Don’t look at me! Don’t look!”

Frantically covering his head again, he crouched, presenting a pitiful and comical sight. The leader and the others couldn’t help but laugh.

“Perhaps it would be best for you to remain like this for a while, without relying on your [God Armor].”

“Shut up! Shut up! Heal me already!”

Nagamasa’s [God Armor] was a skill that transformed his body into an invincible magical armor at the cellular level. However, the downside was that his muscles wouldn’t develop while the armor was active.

Therefore, it was a skill that he should only use in times of emergency or battle. Despite this, Nagamasa had been using a weaker version of the [God Armor] daily, fascinated by its power of invulnerability. As a result, he ended up with his current pitiful appearance.

The result was a pathetic figure as thin as a skeleton.

“Dear leader, could you please save Nagamasa-sama?”

Ymir made eye contact with the leader, and Eri approached with a rusted spear in her hand. A servant hurriedly stepped forward to intercept, but Eri handed the spear to the servant, who then knelt and presented it to the leader.

A pale hand emerged from behind the curtain and grabbed the spear before retreating. Behind the curtain, the leader examined the spear and let out a sigh of admiration.

“This is… Mistilteinn, could it be?”

“You have a keen eye, Your Holiness. That is the divine artifact Mistilteinn, discovered by the late Gerer-sama. The hermit druids killed Gerer-sama and took it from him. He used its power to aid the druids and then discarded it.”

“I see… I can hardly sense any remaining power in it. So, it’s just trash, isn’t it?”

“Heh. If Your Holiness says so, then it must be true. I only request that you return the spear to me and let me leave.”

Ymir laughs through his nose, dismissing the way the Pope tries to pass off the rusty spear as garbage.

“If it were just an ordinary divine artifact, it wouldn’t be revived. The forest hermit must have thought the same when they discarded it. The only use for it seems to be the druids using it as an idol.”

“Is that so?”

“Mistilteinn isn’t just an ordinary divine artifact. Do you need any further explanation?”

As Ymir suggests, the leader sighs, perhaps giving up on negotiations.

“Understood. Let’s release Nagamasa-sama’s seal. In return, I will ask you to awaken Mistilteinn as a Nidhogg executive for Nagamasa-sama. I will infuse it with mana every day. And I also ask that you create chaos in Japan.”

“I hope you won’t forget those words.”

With that, the leader shadows her hand and begins to channel her mana.

“O leaf of Yggdrasil, heal this man’s body with the fragment of eternal life.”

[Life Leaf]

The leader’s favored healing magic, golden leaves fluttering, attempts to release Nagamasa’s seal. However, sparks crackle, and with a sound like shattering glass, the magic vanishes as if it never activated in the first place.

“What?! My magic get dispelled?”

The leader exclaims in surprise as her magic, which she had absolute confidence in, is broken.

The Pope exclaims in surprise as his magic, which he had absolute confidence in, is broken.

“Hey! I’m not healed!”

Nagamasa barks in anger, but his emaciated body exudes no sense of fear, and the unfazed leader issues a new command.

“…Attendant, stand beside Nagamasa-sama.”

“Huh? Uh… Understood.”

The attendant stands next to Nagamasa, wearing a puzzled expression. Seeing this, the leader uses magic once again.

“O leaf of Yggdrasil, nourish his mana and heal this man’s body with the fragment of eternal life.”

[Sacrifice Life Leaf]

The next magic used by the leader was to create a spherical magic circle that enveloped Nagamasa and his attendant.

“Gah! Th-this is the leader’s…”

As Nagamasa’s body began to shine, he started to scratch his throat in agony. Then, golden branches burst forth from his body, and one-sided golden leaves started to sprout, covering the branches.

The leaves quickly fell from the trees and danced in the swirling air. They formed a storm of golden leaves that engulfed Nagamasa’s body. With crackling purple sparks and an unpleasant sound of metal being forcefully bent, Nagamasa’s seal was shattered.

“Ohhh! I’m back! My mana has returned!”

Nagamasa’s emaciated body, like a skeleton, rapidly swelled up as if a balloon were being filled with air. In no time, he donned a suit of muscular armor and transformed into a mighty giant. He burst into loud laughter.

Next to him, the magic ended, and his attendant had turned into a skeletal figure lying on the ground. Without care, Nagamasa stepped on and crushed the remains, then gave a thumbs-up and wore a self-satisfied expression.

“Nagamasa-sama, I shall present you with the Mistilteinn. By infusing it with immense mana, you can regain your true power. Please awaken it.”

“Mistilteinn seals magic. With this spear, I even can seal Agni.”

“How fascinating! It’s like having an ace up my sleeve!”

Hearing the words of the leader and Ymir, Nagamasa, who was laughing uproariously, glared intensely.

“I, the invincible me, will conquer Japan this time!”

“Please do your best, Nagamasa-sama, including the part that belonged to Gels.”

Observing the scene, Ymir maintained an expression as calm as a gentle breeze and faintly smiled.

“It was unexpected for Gerer to die. Therefore, I’ll have high expectations for you to make up for that. I wouldn’t want the story to be changed any further, you see.”

Ymir murmurs those words under his breath, too softly for anyone to hear.