The boss layer of the Alvis Dungeon has returned to its original darkness with the disappearance of the Guardian. The unsealed “Anti-Titan Ballista” is pointing at the empty space.
We continued on, guided by Safi.
Eventually, I found a wall that is glowing faintly.
“Here goes.”
I took a deep breath and placed my hand over the vast wall.
“Wake up.”
The palace of the dwarves began to awaken. The earthen walls, once protected by the seal covering the dungeon, crumbled away bit by bit.
What emerged was a massive gate.
For over a thousand years—ever since the seal had been cast upon the world—soil and stone must have buried this grand entrance.
Looking up, it must be at least eight meters tall. As for the width, even if all of us walked through side by side, there is still plenty of room to spare. The carved decorations still retained traces of gold and silver in places, unmistakably marking this as a true palace.
“So big…”
I couldn’t help but mutter.
Without a doubt, this was the largest one I’d ever unsealed. Well, aside from when I used the Gjallarhorn, that is.
By the way, any unexplored area opened with Alarm is sealed off again by the Raven Warriors after the investigation. They use magic to manipulate the soil and stone, disguising it so well that it just looks like an ordinary wall.
But this time.…. I had a feeling that even the Raven Warriors are going to have a tough time.
Speaking of big things—
“…Eh?”
Something just as big—no, even bigger—than this one… I could feel its presence nearby.
Could it be that something massive is still hidden so close?
I could sense it clearly, but… I had no idea where it is. This was a first.
Safi brushed dust from her green hair.
“…..Originally, there should’ve been a grand staircase descending straight here from the first floor’s main gate.”
That maybe it. I concentrated on the door in front of us too.
Everyone brushed off the dirt that fell on the fireproof cloak and hood.
“Cough. Cough. It’s probably covered in dirt. There might be many other mechanisms still dormant in the dungeon, like that ballista.”
The massive gate began to open slowly.
It seemed the doors were designed to swing inward. Each one was as large as a giant bed. But the motion stopped midway. The right door remained still, while the left opened just enough to let two or three of us pass through at a time.
A bitterly cold wind whistled through the gap, blowing toward us.
『I’ll go first.』
Solana spoke from the gold coin.
『This space is filled with magical energy left behind by that boss. This is the lowest level, but—even if it’s just a little—I can help you, Rion. 』
I touched the gold coin, and the Goddess awakened. A doll-sized Solana floated through the gap in the large door as if to guide us.
“Let’s go, Solana, everyone.”
The unexplored area of the mine dungeon was dark. I could tell it was covered in ice because my breath turned white. But even though Solana is ahead and is emitting light for us, I couldn’t grasp the full extent of the space.
In other words, that’s all there is to it—it’s a big space.
“Felix-san, can you light it with magic?”
“Wait.”
In the darkness, Safi’s eyes shone like those of a squirrel or a cat—an animal-like gleam. It’s moments like this that really remind me—black dwarves are different from humans.
“Y-Yeah…”
I’ll keep it to myself, but… I was a little scared.
Safi moves in the dim light without hesitation. It seems that she is examining the wall near the main door.
“The lighting…… Mm, it’s working.”
Solana approached, she lit up the hammer that Safi had taken out.
“I’ll re-engrave the runes. Abundant Light!”
Safi struck the crystal by the wall. In an instant, a dazzling light was born. The ceiling glows white, and the surrounding ice reflected it. The light, like a snowy morning, burned our eyes for a moment.
My eyes gradually got used to it.
Then I was speechless at the sight before me.
『That settles it. 』
『Yeah……』
The gods, Thor and Uru, were conversing. I had no idea what they were talking about. But it was kind of ominous. I didn’t want to know.
“This is…….”
Safi muttered and bowed down.
“No way…”
Safi muttered as she collapsed to her knees.
“T-this has to be a lie!”
What had been frozen in ice was a scene of negotiation.
A golem—or perhaps a dwarf—was kneeling, offering up a massive weapon. The one receiving it was the Titan Vanguard—the very same figure we had seen in the boss chamber.
What was preserved in that vast, seemingly endless hall was a secret transaction: dwarves handing weapons to a titan, a truth even the gods themselves didn’t know. The ice seal had captured that moment with such vivid, chilling detail—so real that it was almost cruel.
『Kuku, I think it’s a reasonable decision. 』
Loki’s voice came. It was a terrifying laughter.
『Dwarfs have physical bodies just like monsters. So in principle, it is possible for them to succumb to monster-like behavior. Perhaps in exchange for supplying weapons, they chose to join the camp of the titans and escape the flames of the end. 』
“No, no. That’s not true!”
Safi’s face turned pale, and her dark eyes were wide open.
“W-we… we take pride in our weapons, in our tools! To knowingly supply tools that would bring harm to people, to our comrades—that’s unthinkable!”
At last, the reality of the scene began to sink in.
Mia-san, Felix-san, even the Raven Warriors—everyone stood in stunned silence, overwhelmed by what lay before us.
“…And if we’re talking about betrayal, aren’t you one to speak? I’ve heard the stories—Loki, God of mischief.”
『In my case, those were just rumors spreading. 』
As if he would not forgive insults, Safi stood alone in the hall.
“Let’s go further in.”
I shouted.
In this way, I drove the word “betrayal” out of my mind. I told myself that nothing had been decided yet.
“The king …… maybe the king of the dwarves is there, right?”
We went straight through the hall.
In this space, the ice seal had melted considerably. Where there are titans and dwarfs, ice still remains like pillars. However, the deeper we went, the less the ice became, and we could see the hall so much that it seemed hazy at the end.
The red carpet stretched straight out, and at the end of it was a fine chair—a throne.
“Your Majesty!”
Safi rushed over.
A winged person was crouching, clinging to the throne. Frost-like ice still clung to his body. But he hadn’t turned to stone, and most importantly, the light of the Alarm still dwelt within him.
“The seal is already about to be broken……”
The doll-sized Solana approached the person.
Loki’s voice echoed in my head.
『I thought ashes wouldn’t affect gods… but unlike gods, dwarves are merely demigods. Since they have physical bodies just like monsters, the ashes may have affected them, thus loosening the seal… though it doesn’t seem to be complete. Could that be why Safi woke up…? 』
Solana turned back to me.
“Rion!”
“Yes!”
The sealing ice was already melting—at this point, I should be able to use Alarm without needing the horn.
Please… let this be the time he finally wakes up from this nightmare.
“Wake up!”
As the dwarf king was enveloped in light, the ice covering his body shattered completely. With a jolt, the king’s body twitched, then he staggered forward and clung to the throne.
He was about the same height as Safi—only reaching up to my chest.
“T-this is…?”
“Your Majesty!”
Safi gained momentum and supported the king’s body. Solana became the size of a normal girl and held her hand.
“Rion, you too.”
“Uh, yes!”
| Skill, 『Sun’s Divine Protection』was used. Executing 【White Flame】 ―――――――――――――――――――― 【White Flame】…… Recovery. With the protection of the sun, curses are also dispelled. |
The white flames from me and the goddess enveloped the dwarf king. His complexion got better in no time.
“Uuh-, Y-your Majesty……!”
Safi’s eyes moistened.
“Here is….”
The dwarf king opened his eyes. He looked like a beautiful young boy. But the thin wings on his back, the pointed ears, the white hair—everything about him felt completely different from us, and even from Safi.
Most striking of all were his eyes—clear blue, yet so deep it felt like I could be pulled into them.
“Your Majesty, do you recognize me? I’m Safi. One of the Ten blacksmiths of Álfheim.”
The dwarf king’s eyes widened.
“S-Safi? ……Why are you ……?”
“Your Majesty, what is going on? The titans…. then our people offering weapons….”
The king looked around. Then he noticed me and Solana holding his hands. He frowned.
“Gods……?”
I felt like the “white flame” that enveloped my small body shook. Solana frowned.
“This is….…”
Safi, still exited, continued,
“It’s now 1,000 years in the future. Our city of Alfheim was attacked by the titans, but the gods sealed them away, and the place remained asleep like this for hundreds of years! What happened back then… without my knowledge?”
Safi’s eyes were moist.
“Tell me, did Alfheim start selling weapons, tools, and technology to the titans?”
The dwarf king looked at Solana, me, and Safi in turn.
And when he saw the sealed ice scattered around him, he seemed to have guessed various circumstances.
He slowly closed his eyes. Then his legs began to turn to stone.
“Y-Your Majesty!?”
Safi screamed.
“Dwarf King, what are you doing!”
Solana raised her voice. It was the Goddess’ scolding voice.
“……You are letting your magic flow somewhere, aren’t you? No matter how much new magic you poured in, it won’t help! King, don’t you want to be saved?”
“Safi”, the dwarf king, who’s turning to stone, finally spoke.
“Are you staying?”
“……Huh?”
“In that case, I want you to take over our final task. If you believe me now, but……”
The king turned his gaze to the back.
“Beyond this chamber, further down… there’s a path leading to the back gate. At the end of it lies a prison—where the leader of the Flame Titans is being held.”
“P-prison?”
“If you wish to leave this place, there is another path. Be blessed, Safi of the Black Dwarves…”
The king’s small body began to turn to stone. Even when I tried to unseal him again—there was no response.
I took out the horn.
“Fufu… so they sealed a soul inside a tool….. I see. So there were gods who did the same thing as us.”
When the Dwarf King completely turned to stone, a thunderous sound arose from directly below. It was a scream. A sign of anger and hatred crawled up from the depths of the earth.
“Flamebone Surtr….…”
Solana’s voice trembled.
We stood frozen in the shaking, unexplored area.
“The dwarf king told us to go… down below…”
“Hey.”
Mia-san reached out and steadied Safi’s swaying shoulders. Even someone as experienced as her didn’t seem to know what to do—or where to go next.
Of course, neither did I.
『Rion, fall back.』
Thor gave the order.
“But-”
『These guys clearly betrayed us. Don’t follow his words, it could be a trap…… from the very beginning…. 』
When he said from the very beginning, a chill ran down my spine.
Did he mean… even the voice we heard through the Water Mirror of Yggdrasil was part of the trap?
Such a possibility……
“Rion, you……!”
Safi’s voice tightened my heart.
Go or go back.
Move forward or stop.
For adventurers, it was the ultimate choice in a dungeon.
But this time… wasn’t Alvis’ fate at stake?
“Rion, calm down.”
Only Solana didn’t rush me.
Using Alarm, I can see a faint light in the back. If what the Dwarf King said was true, then one of the passages that could be broken by the seal led underground, and the other to the surface.
Believe in the dwarf, go down and fight?
Or believe in the Gods and flee outside?
I had to make a decision.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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