Seven months have now passed since we began living in the Land of Shadows.
Flap, flap~
"Alright, good work today."
For the past seven months, I have been sending letters to Ulster once a week, using birds I've caught in this spectral land as messengers. It's quite convenient; if I give them a runestone, they can find their way to Ulster, a place they've never been before.
"Hmm... he's still in good health."
The old king is still healthy, for the most part. However, given his age, I worry if he'll last for more than another year here. There was also news of Setanta.
He had accidentally killed the hound of the smith, Culann, and for a time, Setanta had become Culann's hound himself. In reality, it was just a few months of acting as a gatekeeper, but to live under the name Cú Chulainn, the Hound of Culann... it's quite ironic.
Whether I'm here or not, is this what they call fate? Setanta is overflowing with talent, making him the strongest among his peers. His skills are already comparable to those of an adult warrior. However, Setanta has no master. In the Celtic world, there is a rule that one can only be taught by a person of the opposite sex.
That is also why there are no female disciples among Scáthach's students. Furthermore, it is a relatively peaceful era with no wars at present.
There are three tribes in Erin (Ireland), and this tradition was passed down from the Fir Bolg tribe of Ulster, the northern kingdom of Erin. There is Ulster in the north, Connacht in the west, Leinster in the east, and the south is divided into North and South Munster, like the United States, making a total of five kingdoms.
Medb's Connacht is descended from the Fir Domnann tribe and shares the same roots as Munster. Even so, the Celtic traditions are quite similar... For reference, Ulster is also called Ulaid, and the country's name itself is Ulaid. It is called Ulster because the region is called Ulster, but in reality, the name Ulaid is not often used.
Although there are these five kingdoms, there have been no wars for some time, so it is unclear whether the overall level of the warriors is that high. There are prominent individuals like Setanta, but the overall quality is still ambiguous.
The current king is satisfied with the current level, but I am not. Even without the future Medb, the greatest war in Celtic history could still occur. That is why I believe we must raise the standard. And before that, I must grow stronger myself.
And I will not raise the child I am raising to be weak. Everything is for the sake of a happy ending.
"The reply is like this... are you finished, Medb?"
"Huh? Ah, I'm done."
Medb, who could now defeat weak demonic beasts on her own without any problems. Her aptitude was excellent from the beginning. She was a princess born to be a queen.
Her talent was also innate, and although not on the level of Setanta, she possessed a remarkable gift. She quickly mastered techniques that had taken me years to learn. She lacked strength, but she was technically brilliant. She handled the bone whip I had made for her from the bones of a demonic beast with skill, and she was also proficient with a sword.
"I'm hungry, so let's just eat quickly."
"Yes, yes, just after I send this."
I sent the messenger bird and began to dress the demonic beast that Medb had caught. Medb herself helped, showing how much she had grown compared to before.
"So... how long are we going to be here? Are we just going to live in the Land of Shadows and that's it?"
"Of course not. The time has come to meet the mistress of the Land of Shadows, Scáthach. It's time to enter Dun Scaith, the fortress of the Land of Shadows. This is not yet the heart of this spectral land. We must go to the center, to the Shadow Fortress. And to get there, I believe there are two trials."
"There are trials too? What a pain..."
The Land of Shadows. Not all of this spectral land is the Land of Shadows. This is the outer region. The true Land of Shadows, where the level is completely different, is further in. And now that we have finished our preparations, we are heading there.
The entrance to the Land of Shadows, the fortress gate, is visible in the distance.
The only way to reach the gate is to overcome the trials. The first trial is the Plain of Misfortune.
It is a land entirely made of swamps, and the grass that grows in the swamps is a deadly weapon, sharp enough to cut through even armor with ease. Falling into the swamp is one thing, but even a slight brush against the grass would cause great harm, even to me.
"Now, hold on tight."
"Okay."
Medb clung to my back. I drew Caladbolg and quickly unleashed a fragment of its power as a Noble Phantasm.
KRAKOOOOOOM!!!!
The rainbow-colored flash from Caladbolg, used without its True Name release, swept across the swamp, cutting down and clearing away the grass.
"Here we go...!"
Have you ever heard of how not to sink in water? It's by taking another step before your foot is completely submerged!
Splash, splash, splash!!!
In reality, I was just using runestones to enhance my leg strength as much as possible and running precariously on the verge of sinking. Even the slightest mistake felt like it would send me tumbling over...! If I had Hamon, it would have been a different story!
"Hoo... hoo... even this is tough for me."
"How can crossing a swamp be harder than..."
After crossing the swamp, Medb got down from my back. Immediately after leaving the swamp, a small hill came into view. What was this place called again? The Perilous Glen?
"Grrrrr..."
"What's this, a whole pack of demonic beasts?"
"This part is simple. We just need to defeat the swarming demonic beasts and move forward. Easy, right?"
"Easy for you to say! Ugh... well, let's just get it over with."
Medb took out her whip. The whip was studded with the bones of demonic beasts, and if she swung it with all her might, it could do more than just scratch armor; it could partially break it. It was made from the bones of a demonic beast, after all.
"Then, let's do this!"
As we faced the horde of demonic beasts, I quickly cut them down with Caladbolg to end it swiftly. Medb also skillfully wielded her whip, tearing through the hides of the beasts and ripping into their flesh.
Swish...!
"I think that's about it."
"Hah... there must have been thirty of them."
Thirty demonic beasts was quite a large number. I suppose it was a trial, after all. A bridge was visible beyond the hill. Is the Land of Shadows beyond that bridge? The land of darkness where the sun does not rise. Well then, let's go.
Medb suddenly offered me her hand, and I took it without much thought and walked forward. She's still a child, after all.
We crossed the bridge and arrived at the gate of the fortress of the Land of Shadows. The gate was unguarded. As I pushed, the gate slowly opened. As we entered, a huge fortress came into view. Is that Scáthach's fortress...?
"So you have come."
"!"
Startled by a voice from above, I looked up to see a woman sitting on the fortress wall. A beautiful woman with long, purple hair and red eyes. Dressed in the full-body tights typical of Ulster, she jumped down.
Thump...
"I have been waiting for you, Fergus mac Róich."
"You know of me."
"As a native of Ulster, it would be a disgrace not to know the current heir of Ulster."
"Well... it's just like someone from Ulster to be wearing such tights."
"And your attire makes me doubt whether you are from Ulster at all."
"It's just that I dislike such clothing."
Cú Chulainn and Scáthach are famous for their full-body tights. Diarmuid's outfit is also close to tights, though he wears leather over it. Fergus goes topless... the only one who wears armor is Fionn mac Cumhaill. The traditional battle attire of Ulster is full-body tights. Even further back, they used to fight naked, covered in paint... yes, they originally fought naked.
Both men and women, without distinction... that's why they switched to full-body tights. The reason they don't wear armor? It's cumbersome and gets in the way. The weight of armor is considerable, and no matter how light the material, it still adds weight. That's why in Ulster, a single hit can be fatal. Still, these days, the tights have been magically treated to have a hardness close to that of armor. It's always so embarrassing to look at... I'm not going to make Medb wear something like that.
"How peculiar... A rare guest. And at the same time, a rare warrior."
Shing…
"A battle, is it?"
"When two warriors meet, is it not the natural course of things? Come, heir of Ulster."
"...If I win, what will you do for me?"
"....Ha, haha... hahahahaha! A whelp who has not even lived for twenty years claims he will defeat me? A amusing jest. And an arrogant one at that. Very well, if you defeat me, I shall even give you my ownership."
"What is that old hag saying..."
Twitch...!
"She's... she's just a child, she doesn't know any better. Rather, why don't you vent your frustrations on me?"
"...Very well. It will be your fault for failing to control the brat."
I'm screwed...
But... I know. The persistent rule of the Type-Moon universe. The exceptionally strong are, without realizing it, prone to arrogance. There are those like the King of Heroes who are openly arrogant and full of carelessness, but he can get away with it because at full power, he's at least a Divine Spirit-level monster. Scáthach is the same. She believes herself to be the strongest and eagerly seeks a warrior who can kill her. Even as she thinks it's impossible...
And she is, in fact, overestimating me and underestimating me at the same time. She considers me strong for my age, but still weaker than her. And she's right. But... there is one way to defeat her. It's all or nothing. Either I die, or I win. At the very least, it's a strategy that no Celtic warrior or god would have ever used against her...
Here, I will defeat her. This will probably be the first and last chance. If I fail, there will be no next time.
I drew Caladbolg and pointed it at her.
"Then... I'm coming."
"Come, whelp."
CLANG...!!!
And so, her demonic spear and my sword clashed.
"N-no way..."
"Huff... huff... huff..."
"──────"
Whoosh…
"Fergus, won...? Against that god-slayer, the monster that even the gods feared and exiled...?"
"Hah... hah... a hundred times, no, a thousand, no, even if we fought a hundred million times, you would win 99.99% of the time. But... like this, with a 0.01%... no, even with a 0.001% chance, I can defeat you... We call that, a miracle..."
The victory was mine. I, who looked like I was about to die at any moment, pierced in several places, and Scáthach, who looked unharmed but had fainted with the whites of her eyes showing.
This was my winning strategy, a strategy that took advantage of her psychology and her carelessness...