I sat on the bus seat while thinking again about the information I had obtained and the archivist's final words. The figure of the knightly angel was the archangel Marsiel. I had not heard his name in the game lore.
The figure of the first emperor Grhemolus was holding his spear Grunginus, which was blood-red in color, whereas in the game lore the spear appeared bright yellow. Grhemus was also not mentioned in the game, and his figure was rarely seen anywhere during my time here.
Why were there such clear differences? Could Marsiel be considered the main god in Grivendal? Why did the people here not perform worship to Marsiel, who was the primary reason this empire was founded? What did the High Heaven want from Grivendal?
Why did Emperor Gregustus, who was nicknamed a spear master, not wield the spear Grunginus? Did Gregustus want to use Hellraider to kill the demon king forever? Was there any similarity between the history of the hell invasion in Grivendal and that of my own world?
I understood why the archivist said those things. I felt that all of this remained unanswered and seemed as if something was deliberately being hidden by this authority.
I arrived at my house as the sun began to set. My intention to take a break to refresh my mind instead became filled with things that made my brain work even harder thinking about them again. Was my decision to dig deeper a mistake? But it could not be denied that I was "trapped" in a reality that should have existed only inside a game. I had to keep following it until I found the meaning of everything.
The next day I returned to The Graendall headquarters. I immediately met Commander Gruzhnil and also Grelmure. Behind them, I saw Hellraider standing with his arms folded across his chest and looking around.
"Ahh… everyone is here. Very well, let us depart," Gruzhnil said.
We all boarded a large go-kart that was already parked there. Grelmure drove it, I sat in the front seat, and Gruzhnil and Hellraider were in the back. We drove along the foothills behind the headquarters building. After a while, I saw a truly astonishing sight. Beyond the hills lay a vast military base with several large buildings.
There were buildings with their own specialized functions, spaced far apart from one another. I saw a building resembling an airport where many Graendall shuttlecraft were parked. Then there was a building that appeared to manufacture weapons for The Graendall soldiers. I also saw a wide weapon-testing arena.
Then there was a building that produced ground combat vehicles such as tactical cars and tanks. That place also manufactured large bipedal robots, each capable of carrying heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, and large laser cannons.
And the last, as well as the largest building, was the storage facility for The Graendall's giant robots. This was my favorite part in The Mayhem game. Those robots had once been used by Hellraider during The Graendall's massive invasion of the hell realm in the gameplay. Their form resembled ancient Roman centurions. They mainly operated by elite soldiers called the Graganthurion division.
Grelmure drove to the weapon production building. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the head of production along with several managers. Hellraider and I walked into the building, and it turned out to be larger inside than I had imagined.
There were many weapons of various types: long-barreled weapons, short-barreled ones like pistols, Graendall-style shotguns, submachine guns, machine guns, portable rocket launchers, grenade launchers, and laser weapons. The head of production told us that some of the weapons already used Starstone energy ammunition, which was commonly employed during expeditions to the hell realm.
I looked toward Hellraider, and his face appeared slightly awestruck by the sight. I understood that he really wanted to try and use those weapons. It had been quite some time since he had used his own weapons here.
I wondered whether the weapons here could be stronger than Hellraider's. I did not see any weapon comparable to the MKM-999. The strongest type here was only laser weapons. Was Hellraider's own weapon truly no longer available? I recalled that according to The Mayhem lore, Hellraider could no longer use weapons from his own world in Grivendal.
The head of production took us to the final section of the building, which was melee weapon production. There were also tactical knives, spears, and swords being made. He said that the blades were made from a mixture of Grivendal's special metals and Starstones.
Every Graendall soldier was required to be able to use one close-combat weapon, either a sword or a spear, as part of the military order's tradition that had been preserved for thousands of years.
There was a very special sword that at first glance appeared to be only a hilt, but when activated emitted a bright golden light that formed the blade. That light blade was actually formed from a large condensation of Starstone energy. This sword could only be wielded by elite soldiers.
I then remembered that Hellraider also had such a sword in the gameplay.
In the The Mayhem lore that I read, demon monsters were highly vulnerable to Starstone energy and were killed most quickly by weapons using that energy. However, what made me question things slightly was how Hellraider, who also used conventional weapons not based on Starstone energy, could slaughter so many demons in hell so quickly. This also created a contradiction in my mind. Had the developers of The Mayhem overly specialized Hellraider's character so that he could defeat all enemies with any weapon?
The strongest weapon, the MKM-999, was not made of Starstones but of radioactive stone from the planet Venus, discovered by an interstellar energy company within the game's story. I thought that the energy of that stone might be even stronger than Starstones.
After finishing the tour of the entire weapon production building, Hellraider and I were taken to an open shooting range. There, various weapon tests were conducted to ensure they were fit and ready for Graendall soldiers.
At one shooting station, all the weapons were neatly laid out on a table along with their magazines. Commander Gruzhnil asked me to tell Hellraider that he could try all of the weapons. I turned to Hellraider and relayed what Gruzhnil had said.
Hellraider immediately picked up one weapon and fired at the dummy statue in the middle of the range. As I had predicted, his extraordinary shooting ability was still intact. He switched to another weapon and tried several dummy targets. Hellraider was able to master every weapon without the slightest difficulty on his first attempt.
Everyone who witnessed it was amazed. The head of the department said that no soldier had ever been able to do that in a single trial throughout the history of The Graendall.
After finishing trying everything, Hellraider returned to standing silently again, occasionally gazing at the weapon table. Commander Gruzhnil invited me to take turns trying the weapons. I was afraid because my ability was very, very far below Hellraider's. They expected that I could also use them because I had survived in the hell realm like Hellraider.
"Commander, actually when I was in that realm of terror, I could only use this weapon and thrown explosives when activated. The rest I could not use, sir," I said while pointing toward the short-barreled weapon like a pistol.
"I see, hmm… Oh yes, do we not have throwing grenades? I recall you did not point to that section," Gruzhnil said while glancing at the head of production.
"Ohhh… please forgive me, Commander, if I forgot. I will retrieve them immediately," the head of production said, ordering his manager to fetch the grenades. I felt relieved that they were indeed still called grenades.
"Johann, you may try just that one weapon first," Gruzhnil said.
I took the weapon and tried firing at the dummy. Its design resembled a typical pistol but was slightly larger, so at first I had difficulty controlling its recoil. However, after several shots I began to get used to it. The target I fired at was eventually hit once I managed to control the recoil.
The manager returned carrying the grenades. The head of production explained to me that they produced two types of grenades: explosive grenades and flashbang grenades. He also told me how to activate them by firmly pressing a small button at the end of the cap.
I took an explosive grenade and tried throwing it at the dummy. My throw was fairly precise because the explosion clearly hit the target. I then returned to Gruzhnil.
I glanced toward Hellraider. I saw his arms still folded across his chest, his right hand clenched and covering his mouth, and his eyes slightly narrowed. I could sense that he seemed surprised that I could use weapons like this.
"I appreciate your ability, Johann. Even though I know you will later serve only as an observer, this is more than enough for self-defense," Gruzhnil said while smiling at me. I felt happy as well and thanked him.
Commander Gruzhnil concluded today's training and invited us back to headquarters. We ate lunch together first, and I was allowed to rest freely. Grelmure asked me whether I felt burdened by having to go back and forth between my house and the headquarters.
I fell silent for a moment and thought; indeed, it had felt quite exhausting like this over the past week. Especially now that this was direct training that relied more on physical exertion. I immediately conveyed this to Grelmure.
"Very well, Johann, I also feel that you need a closer place. I can propose this to Commander Gruzhnil so that you can rest in the headquarters barracks as a second residence," Grelmure said with a smile.
I immediately agreed and expressed my gratitude. At last, I could obtain a place to stay even closer. Actually, deep down, I hoped that I could live together with Hellraider. But at this moment it was almost impossible because he was still very cold toward me, and I did not know what he might do to me if Gruzhnil were not there watching us.
I believed that one day Hellraider and I would find a point where we could understand each other.