Chapter 662: Chapter 662

Back when Mira first formed a Contract with Alfina and her sisters, they were mediocre at best when compared to the other Valkyries. They were still far stronger than the average human warrior, but not enough to really compete in a big tournament like that.

After many battles alongside Danbulf, gaining plenty of combat experience, they matured into the strongest Valkyries in Valhalla.

Meanwhile, only one day had passed since Bruce formed his Contract with Valkyries, so they had no experience yet. So Mira wanted to know how strong they were currently, and if they would be of help in the tournament or not.

「How strong? Well…obviously they’re not as strong as Alfina, but they really surprised me. My Dark Knight stood no chance against them.」

He said that with a hint of pride. But Mira mumbled, 「That really doesn’t serve as much of a comparison for me,」 and decided to go straight to the source instead, telling Bruce to summon them so Mira could test them herself.

Mira had implicitly told him that she doubted his strength, but that did not make him upset or combative. After all, it was one of the Nine Wisemen telling him that, and if anyone had the knowledge and experience to claim that, it was her. So Bruce did as told and summoned his Valkyries without a second thought.

(Oh… He’s quite adept at this.)

「We three sisters are here at your service.」

The Valkyrie Helcune stepped out of the summoning circle, followed by Erne, and Lagrinne. Bruce stared at them stunned, before his eyes filled with emotion.

「Ah… I still can’t believe I’ve done it…」

He was still trying to process that he had already formed a Contract with the Valkyries, and that his first time summoning them had worked without a hitch, and when it sunk in, he looked to the sky, like he could pass away with no regrets now.

While Bruce remained in that state, the three sisters also began to show a strange reaction.

「But how…」 Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on NoveI★Fire.net

There were only clouds in the skies above, a building like a palace stood a distance away, and on the opposite side were seven Valkyries training. The moment the three noticed that, they stiffened up in shock, realizing they were on the highest island of Valhalla.

Almost instinctively, the three trotted up to hide behind Bruce, trying to not be seen by the seven, and whispered 「Jude, what exactly do you need from us?!」

「Hm? Ah, right, sorry. There’s something Mira wanted to ask from you.」

Bruce finally snapped back and replied to them, and then pointed behind where they stood. The three sisters followed his finger, finally spotting Mira there, before frantically taking formation and kneeling down.

「Sovereign! Our deepest apologies for not greeting you sooner.」

The three of them kept their heads low, and Mira just waved it away with a bit of laughter, saying she did not mind. Mira felt like they always fussed about her position too much, but she knew that if she told them to take things more lightly, they would politely refuse, adhering to their code of conduct. So Mira just tried to move on, bringing up the reason why she had asked to see them.

Mira wanted to know how strong they were, and the sisters answered by detailing which Valkyries they had defeated, and which they had lost to, essentially a useless reply for anyone who did not live there.

There were no monsters in Valhalla either, being a space mainly inhabited by Valkyries, so there was very little that could be used as comparison there.

Mira then thought of bringing Alfina and her sisters for a practice match, but Helcune and her sisters said they were so far behind the seven that they would be beaten instantly, yet again providing no real comparison.

In the end, Mira decided to use a more direct approach and summoned her Dark Knights. It would take some time, but as she was extremely familiar with the capabilities of her Dark Knights, it would give her the most accurate information.

「Hmm, I think I’ve got it now.」

Some ten odd minutes later, Helcune and her sisters were done proving each of their capabilities against a seemingly endless wave of Dark Knights. The last one to fall exhausted was Erne, signaling the end of Mira’s test.

The three had roughly the same amount of power, being more or less on par with someone like Sasori, a member of the Fifty Bells’ elite Hidden group.

In adventurer terms, she would fall right in the middle of rank A. Strong enough in most cases, but there would be many stronger opponents in the tournament. It was easy to imagine that the finalists of the tournament would be far above rank A anyway, so Bruce needed something better if he wanted to get that far.

「Okay, I know what to do.」

After some quick thinking, Mira decided on the best way to improve their abilities. She turned around and waved while shouting loudly 「Heyyy, Alfinaa!! Come here for a minute!」

She was calling in the direction of the seven sisters, who were currently practicing a 3v3v1 fight. They were ferocious, the clashing of their various weapons clearly audible even from far away. Obviously enough, the one fighting on her own was Alfina.

Even when outnumbered like that and having to focus to maintain her ground, she was the first one to react to Mira’s call. As soon as she spotted Mira waving, she zoomed over almost like she was dashing through the air.

「What do you need, Master.」

Alfina had run like an approaching tidal wave, but as soon as she was in front of Mira, she knelt in the most refined way possible. Helcune and her sisters watched in amazement, before quickly getting nervous.

「Actually, it’s not about me, but those three there.」

Saying that, Mira glanced over to the three sisters hiding behind Bruce. Alfina followed Mira’s gaze and commented, 「They put up a good fight, didn’t they?」

Even while far away, she had seen the three fighting against Mira’s Dark Knights, but her voice rang slightly harsh, almost like she was jealous that they had gotten to practice directly with her Master.

The three did not pick up on that, and were just happy to be praised by Alfina.

「Now Alfina, I want to ask a favor from you, and as I mentioned, it’s about those three. Would you mind letting them train alongside you for a while?」

Mira asked Alfina to be in charge of training the three sisters, while also explaining the reason why. Summoners were still largely looked down on, and having Valkyries perform well in the tournament would have a big impact in changing that perception.

Alfina’s training regiment placed a lot of emphasis on the fundamentals of combat, and was proven to bring success in actual battle.

Christina’s cries told Mira how ruthless and strenuous it was too, but there was no better approach to prepare for a tournament in such a short time than that.

「We’ll be training as spellcasters here as well, so I’d appreciate it if you could bring them to a higher level on your side.」

The three sisters were still catching up on what was happening, but Mira just went ahead asking again 「So, can I count on you?」 and Alfina instantly replied affirmatively.

「I’ll do anything you wish, Master! I vow on my life that I’ll follow your desires, and thoroughly train them for as long as you need!」

There was no bigger honor for Alfina than to receive such a direct request from Mira, so her heart set ablaze, she raised her sword and announced her determination to fulfill it.