Posts from ⚔️Serberia Auto-translated

Katrina then leads the Baldr tourists to a large wall on which a certain woman was depicted. This work was attributed to Konrad Rivelstein, Rutger's grandfather.

— This is Emma Rivelstein. She was one of the Valkyries of Arteria and lived exactly one hundred years, born on January 1st, 600, and returning to the embrace of Arteria on January 1st, 700. Emma's divine power, the stigma "Light of Arteria," combined the abilities of many of her other sisters: she could heal severe wounds, bring the fallen back to life, and imbue people with high morals, while her singing lulled and calmed those who could not find peace. Distinctive features of her character included a lack of doubt, boundless patience, and serene calmness. Despite her righteous life and merits to the inhabitants of Vistaria, she did not earn any honor in Serberia, largely due to the not-so-warm relationship between the Church and Serberia. In the Church's chronicles, she is known as Catharsia.

"How beautiful!"
Gullveig gazed at this wonderful image for a long time, memorizing its qualities of character and the stigmas, which sounded like something close to perfection, so that it could be of benefit to people and the Artery. After the speech, however, she suddenly realized that she could not connect Emma with the other Rivelsteins by kinship. Perhaps the valkyrie was Conrad's sister? However, Vegi decided that she might have simply missed it, so she didn't ask again.

Ilva thought to herself that a distinctive trait of the Rivelstein family was undoubtedly their striking beauty and talent for art, primarily painting. This lineage seemed to embody all the bookish tales of ideal aristocrats: magnificent warriors with captivating appearances and a wide range of talents; among them were renowned commanders, charismatic managers, and even valkyries. However, the girl then considered that much of this was likely displayed to evoke admiration from simpletons, while the darker aspects of their history, if possible, were probably skillfully concealed.
Regardless, Ilva couldn't help but appreciate the magnificent work of Konrad Rivelstein. The girl reached for her notebook to make a few short notes, but remembered that she had used all the paper during the interview. All that remained was to remember with her eyes and ears.

Not only a great warrior who personally contributed to the founding of Serberia, but also a champion of the Goddess, and quite a remarkable one at that! The Riveldstein family clearly had no shortage of great personalities, although Kalentia hadn't expected to find a Valkyrie in their family tree. And not just any Valkyrie, but one who stood out even among her sisters, possessing, if not one of the strongest, then certainly one of the most versatile stigmata. Even her biography contained no dark spots or tragic mistakes, which were often found in the stories of other chosen ones of Arteria – Katarzia was an ideal example of Arterian virtue. Her story was so perfect that, had Kalentia not heard the name Katarzia before, she might have had certain suspicions – it was almost too convenient that such a great woman had not received due recognition. However, even so, the Argalian woman admitted that certain elements of the biography might have been either omitted or embellished. Despite the fact that Emma possessed only one stigma, the description of her abilities could not help but remind Kalentia of Kayano. Not so much because Katarzia's story devoted almost as much time to Katarzia's abilities as to her character, but for a slightly different reason. Emma made Kalentia wonder if there might have been other, long-forgotten Valkyries among the count's distant ancestors, similar to Asakura Rie, who had lost their powers due to external factors and decided to have offspring. Could it be that a particle of the goddess's power, in a latent form, was passed down through the Riveldstein family and their ancestors, unable to manifest itself until the birth of Emma, who received such a powerful stigma? And, if this was indeed the case, could this particle be the key to the not entirely standard use of the "Tear," which the count had spoken about? Unfortunately, Kalentia had no one to ask these questions, and they were based on a series of major assumptions by someone who was not even remotely an expert in any of the related issues, and it was easy to find fault with her line of reasoning. Besides, she didn't have much time to dwell on this topic – otherwise, she risked missing Katarzia's stories about the next member of the Riveldstein family.

— I just can't seem to win anything... The battles in Baldur, then in Tamfane, the swimming competition at Amelia's, those beach competitions... I might not be at the bottom of the list, but I'm never at the top. — Ayr shifts his gaze and focuses on Silika and Oscar. — And which of your rivals did you like the most?

— From the rivals? Well...
The guy suddenly realized that the appearance of most of his rivals somehow didn't leave a lasting impression on his memory. After glancing at them again, he remained silent for a while, mentally considering the options. Then he answered, lowering his voice.
— It's definitely hard to say... I would single out three who I liked the most, but they are roughly on the same level:
- Hildegard. Although her face seemed a bit foolish, it might be an illusion.
- Charlotte. She doesn't look as pretentious as the Duke's daughter; overall, she's pleasant.
- Trude. Perhaps it's not just because of her appearance, but also because of how she played and won.

— And did you like anyone? Look, there are some strong, healthy guys...

/ Oh, you ninja, you didn't notice an entire minefield in the question and stepped on as many as three mines. /

/A unit for testing observation skills has appeared./

At least I answered honestly. 🧐

— Hmm... I see. That makes sense. — She throws the ball she had left from their last match to Roheya, but the boy dodges, and it hits Silika, who was standing behind him. While the boy is explaining things to the "victim" and Oscar, Air is already gone.

Air + Carmesin and Mint, -300 silics.

Added 54 minutes later
The next exhibit was a huge dragon tooth, about one and a half meters high. Next to it was a painting drawn by Rutger himself, depicting four young men fighting a colossal black dragon.
— This depicts His Excellency, the Count, and his friends: Theodahad Bors, Jan Dere, and Vergilius of Stingleheim. According to the gentleman, this battle was one of the most difficult and memorable in his career.

Unfortunately, little was known about the dragons of Calentia; the girl knew their approximate appearance, that they were distinguished by their large size and, presumably, could breathe fire, and also that dragons were extremely rare and just as dangerous. And the trophy tusk, along with Rutger's painting, allowed one to fully appreciate the size of the creature – people were like cockroaches to it. Nevertheless, Rutger and his companions managed to overcome even such a formidable opponent, which could not but inspire admiration. Argalia would have been very interested to see this battle in person, especially after it was called one of the most memorable and difficult battles in the count's memory, but she had to be content with just the painting he created. It was impressive in itself – not everyone could recreate their memories on canvas in such detail, and even from the perspective of an outside observer, but Rutger succeeded, and it couldn't be said that he depicted himself worse than his own companions. Truly, this exhibit perfectly demonstrated the count's talents not only as a warrior but also as an artist.

"Four of them against such a giant!"
Gullveig stood there, holding her breath. Truly, the exhibits were one better than the next, and the beautiful, radiant figure of her teacher stood out in the painting more than the others, in contrast to the black dragon, as dark as a moonless night. Well, that's how it seemed to the girl.
A lot of information could be gleaned by studying the styles in which the fighters battled. Virgil, whom Vegi knew, didn't particularly like to demonstrate his skills, preferring to teach others through words, which made it all the more interesting to see him wearing a scabbard for a straight, beautiful sword on his belt – they didn't fight like that in Serberia. Perhaps it was that very Roman sword that Ilva from their squad had now learned to wield.
In the painting, Ian didn't demonstrate any preference for fiery sabers, as Eir did. However, if Gullveig understood correctly from the various fragmented pieces of information, what he and Eir, as well as Rutger and his students, used was an entire school consisting of several styles, each fighter choosing one for life.
Theodahad in the painting looked noticeably paler than the others; he didn't exude strength. But even he played an important role, resembling a gray cardinal who stands in the shadows, but the battle unfolds according to his plan. Ah, Sir Theo, please forgive me that one foolish and naive person turned out to be too unpredictable for any of your plans... Such mistakes will not be repeated.

the radiant figure of her teacher stood out in the painting more than anything else, in contrast to the black dragon, as dark as a moonless night. Well, that's how the girl saw it.

- Young lady, please don't drool on the exhibit!

/ -- I won't eat your dragon, don't worry. /

The magnificent painting and rare trophy spoke volumes about the eventful youth of the four heroes, far more than any book could; although Ilva noted that their adventures could easily serve as the basis for many modern works. However, behind the colorful description of triumphant victories lay another, less pleasant truth: the heroism of the fearless warriors ended in a rather sad way for two of them. As for the others, the first, according to rumors, became an eccentric wanderer, and the second, despite all efforts, could not protect his loved ones from the fateful hand of the higher powers.
This spoke of an obvious, yet no less unpleasant thing: success, both in battle and in peaceful endeavors, often remained dependent on a lucky roll of the dice. No matter how worthy and talented a person may be, a single unlucky roll is enough to completely erase all past achievements and forever close off their future. Talent and diligence can reduce this insidious chance, but never eliminate it. And now, gazing at the hideous dragon's fang, Ilva realized better than ever how much luck and chance guided our lives: if the cards of fate had turned differently, instead of curious onlookers admiring the trophy, the black dragon himself could have been admiring the charred remains of the four heroes.

Having peeled Gulveig off the painting, Katrina led her guests further. The next exhibit was "Emil's scepter."

"Emil Rivelstein was Conrad Rivelstein's uncle and for a long time served as commander of Mirgoria's guard. Unlike other men of this dynasty, he did not enjoy robust health or an imposing stature, which apparently gave him deep-seated insecurities that drove him to study magic. The first spell he mastered in his youth was 'water bullet' from the school of water magic, while by the end of his life he was a master not only of water but also of cold. Unfortunately, his thirst for knowledge led him down a slippery path — to test ever-new spells, he initially used criminals, and then, when they became insufficient to quench his thirst for knowledge, he personally accused citizens of the county of crimes they had not committed, all in order to replenish his research material. This, however, proved to be his fatal mistake — when Conrad Rivelstein, then Count of Mirgoria, learned of it, he immediately seized Emil and soon executed him.