A purple light flashed into Thor’s field of vision.
“Thor, can you hear me?”
The gold coin held by Rion contained several gods. Even while they were sealed, the gods still had consciousness, so by sensing each other’s consciousness, it was possible to exchange words without leaving the gold coin.
“……What?”
Thor manipulates his magic powers and responds to the question.
Light filled the surroundings. Floating in the space are two gods. Thor, the god of war, and Loki, the god of mischief.
Loki is dressed in a slender black outfit wrapped in a dark robe. He was a stark contrast to Thor, who was dressed in sackcloth and had disheveled red hair. Occasionally, lightning would flash in the distance behind him. On Loki’s side, it was dim, like the sky before dawn.
Each god has a unique magical power, and that individuality is reflected in the space. The fact that the nature of the gods is reflected in the natural scenery such as the sky is probably influenced by the fact that it was the god of nature, the sun goddess, who made the gold coin.
It was, so to speak, a space created by magic for conversation.
Loki tilts his head as he puts his fingers to his cheek.
“You’re aware, aren’t you?”
There is no usual smug smile on his lips. His eyes are narrowed with seriousness.
“Are you going to let Rion and the others go deeper like this? I think we should give them a little advice……”
Thor clenched his jaw, and Loki pointed his long finger at him.
“Unlike the gods, dwarves have bodies. That is fundamentally important.”
The God of Thunder snorted.
“Having a physical body is the same as most monsters.”
“That’s right. Just like humans can become undead, dwarves can become monsters. Goblins are monsters that dwarves have transformed into. In other words――dwarves can descend upon their enemies.”
The tone that gradually quickened indicated that Loki, who was good at annoying others, was now on the contrary, annoyed.
“Demigods…… It’s a convenient word, isn’t it? When they were allies of the gods, we call the dwarves demigods. But that also means they are demigod and half-monster.”
Loki’s red eyes flashed.
“Rion doesn’t realize it. Felix and the other adults are probably vaguely suspicious. They must be thinking, why would a giant-sized weapon be in a dwarves palace…..is that it?”
Thor remained silent. Thunder shook the space, and the occasional breeze disturbed Thor’s red hair.
“……We don’t need any superfluous information right now.”
Loki narrowed his eyes.
“Superfluous information? Is it superfluous information that the dwarves might have betrayed?”
“We have to look deeper into it, that’s for sure. So now is not the time to lead Rion astray. He’s a warrior, but… he’s the type who only shows his strength when there’s something to protect.”
That’s why he hides the possibility that the gods have noticed. Safi and the dwarves need to be “protected” for Rion’s sake.
Loki went silent for a while.
“It’s unfair and unjust. It brings shame to the name of the God of Thunder. But as a god of war, it makes sense.”
Eventually, he waves his hand and leaves the conversation.
“……I don’t think we should underestimate humans or Rion too much. It’s a bad habit of all of us gods.”
◆◆◆
I think I heard someone call my name, so I looked up. There is a bonfire in front of me. The cup of tea placed next to me has long stopped to steam. While resting my body, I must have taken a nap before I knew it.
The dungeon is quiet.
Sensing the abnormality down here, many adventurers must have turned back to the ground. The roar of the incarnation of rage must have reverberated through all levels after all.
And as for our group, it would be reckless for us to continue to fight all the way down to the 10th level. Right now, we are back at the stairwell that connects the third and fourth floors to rest. In terms of location, it was like the edge of a dungeon, chilly and dim. This is probably due to the cold air on the mountainside.
“Haa……”
My sighing like this must be a sign of fatigue. When I fight a strong enemy, even if I can heal my wounds with magic, it still deeply scars my heart.
“Awake?”
It was Mia-san. She is now standing next to me. In her hand is a cup of steaming tea. Felix-san must have warmed it up over the bonfire.
“Y-yeah. I think it’s okay now…… Sorry, I’ll now go check for enemies.”
I patted my butt to dust off and as I stood up, I turned my attention to the party members gathered around the bonfire. The only people here right now are Felix-san, Mia-san, and Safi, the dwarf. The two supporters carrying our luggage are back on the ground, I guess. They should be tasked to find out what is going on above ground and to get support for the bosses.
“You still need to get a good rest.”
Mia-san reprimanded me when I said I’ll search for enemies. Felix-san squinted his narrow eyes even more as he sips his tea.
“There’s a good reason why Felix said it’s only the third day that we’ll take on the bosses. You see, adventurers adapt to the dungeon as they level up. And when you sleep, your mind organizes the experience. The next day you will be more familiar with the environment and the monsters.”
Come to think of it, my dad said that too.
“Sleeping” is one of the adventurers’ talents.
“I’m now level 22….…”
“It would have been great to get a good night’s sleep and try to do it early tomorrow morning. But, well, I guess it can’t be helped this time.”
Mia-san shrugged her shoulders and pushed me to sit down.
“For now, leave it to us. As you’re the one with the lowest level, it’s your job to rest and adjust your body to your new level and to the dungeon.”
With a final pat on my back, Mia-san left the bonfire. Felix-san also slowly stood up.
I wonder if the reason I find myself thinking, “I’m so reliable,” in a somewhat unrealistic way, is because I’m emotionally tired.
But I don’t feel as drowsy as before. In terms of resting the body, a nap may have been sufficient. My head has become much clearer, and my eyelids have become lighter.
As I looked around, I noticed another person away from the fire.
“……Safi, don’t you want to rest?”
Shaking her green hair, Safi turns her head towards me. It seems that she is investigating by tapping the wall of the stairwell room with her hammer.
“I’m fine. I’m more worried about my friends……”
Safi turns to face the wall. Her face seemed to be covered in dark shadows, perhaps because she was facing the other side of the fire. Her eyes, which tend to be black, sparkled like animals do.
――At times like this, I think that she is indeed a “dwarf”, not a human.
“Hey, Safi.”
I called out.
“What was Alfheim like in the old days?”
“Do you want to know……? I’ve told you guys a little about the palace and the terrain…”
“Yes…… I wonder what kind of place it was for Safi.”
Until now, I haven’t had the time to ask, and I’ve only been able to ask about the black and white dwarfs, and what Safi was feeling. But seeing the Dwarves’ forge has changed my mind. Even if we go forward, there may be no salvation.
That’s why I want to know more about Safi.
I think it’s important to know in advance what kind of people I’m trying to help or can’t help. Sometimes it’s like Gideon in the Royal Capital. I think that “saving someone” means thinking about “what the one being saved will do”.
“……Me? It’s not a very interesting story.”
As she says that, Safi approaches the bonfire.
She sat down next to me and began to speak to the swaying fire.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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