The cheers and smiles of the dwarves warmly filled the hall. The white dwarves flitted through the air while the black dwarves on the ground clapped their hands. Our companion, the dwarf blacksmith, Safi, was also overjoyed at their reunion after 1,000 years.
“…But…”
Felix-san suddenly spoke up. His narrowed eyes were hard to tell from a smile, but he was looking down, seemingly in deep thought. His coronet glittered beneath his black hair.
“The revival of the dwarven kingdom is without a doubt a tremendous gain in terms of strength. But…”
But, what?
Brushing dust from her red hair, Mia-san raised an eyebrow.
“What is it? Supplies? Negotiations with the lord? That kind of thing?”
That’s what I thought too.
After all, there were matters to confirm—the fact that titan ashes had once been mined here, or that a golem master might have been involved. As a member of the Raven Warriors, Felix-san was probably concerned about such shady dealings in the dungeon.
“That’s part of it, and…”
A gust of wind whistled down through the crack in the ceiling. The sun was out and spring was near, yet the morning breeze still carried a chill.
Hunting God Uru let his brown pigtails sway as his eyes narrowed.
“…Felix, I think you have good instincts as a scout. We gods feel the same way.”
It was Thor who picked up the conversation, nodding gravely.
“I thought the same thing when we fought the World Serpent. ‘What’s Odin planning to do about all this commotion?’ I wondered.”
I blinked in surprise. Sure, we knew monsters were lurking there, and we’d defeated them… but still—
Thor’s crimson eyes locked on me.
“Think about it, Rion. Part of the dungeon collapsed, and a serpent that huge crawled out. Have you ever heard of such a thing happening before?”
I shook my head hard. If a monster like that had ever emerged from a dungeon so close to town, it would have been a major incident.
“—Ah!”
That was when I finally understood what Thor had been trying to say.
A major incident had just taken place in the mining town of Alvis—and not long after the trouble at the Eastern Dungeon near the capital.
“…When you say ‘commotion,’ you mean the world itself beginning to fall into chaos?”
The gods each gave a small nod in unison.
Sigris, the God of Medicine, planted her spear on the ground and spoke first.
“Rion, the world as it is now—in the Kingdom of Asgard—has kept the true myths hidden. That the gods nearly lost. That they covered the world in sealing ice to postpone defeat. And on top of that, they maintained a fragile peace.”
Memories of everything I had been taught since childhood flashed through my mind.
—The Odis Temple, said to oversee the dungeons. The nobles who received divine skills from Odis-sama himself.
“Of course, I don’t think everything was going smoothly. But even so, I believe the world was stable. As long as people believed in the myths, even if they were false, they would be protected.”
Sigris spoke up. Felix-san suddenly looked up hearing that.
“…Yes, that’s right. If that many monsters appeared, it wouldn’t be surprising if everything that’s been said about the dungeon up until now would be called into question. If things went wrong, the authority of the temple and the royal family would be shaken, and in turn, the entire kingdom would be destabilized… is that it?”
At that moment, we felt like the air was shaking. We snapped our heads upward as if jolted by an unseen force.
| To all adventurers |
That was the chief god, Odis-sama—no, Odin-sama’s second general message.
◆◆◆
At the river that flows at the foot of the Alvis mines.
One tributary flows into the town of Alvis, providing river transport for metals to the royal capital. The other diverges away from the town of Alvis, snaking through the mountains before finally reaching the northern plains.
Just now, a woman in a black robe emerged from the river. Water dripped from her chilled body, her pale hands gripping a tree and pulling herself up. Finally, the woman reached the shore and exhaled. Perhaps because her body was so cold, her breath didn’t come out with white breath.
Then the sound of hooves came.
“Hahaha! What a shame!”
The man who arrived on horseback was dressed in fine attire.
“Rata…!”
“I’m relieved you survived. Losing you right after Surtr would have been… troublesome, to say the least.”
From atop his horse, Rata extended a hand toward Jor.
“Where the hell did you go…?”
Jor glared at the shrewd merchant with thinly veiled resentment.
“Oh, now, let’s not call it desertion, shall we? For the sake of my honor, I must remind you—combat isn’t my line of work. Rata is a master of trade, a whisperer of secrets, and a handler of uh-… delicate transactions I could say. I’m the one who runs the slave operations, remember? You, on the other hand, wouldn’t even know how to read the first stroke of a ledger.”
Dripping with water, Jor dragged herself forward inch by inch. Like a black serpent that slithered past, a wet trail marked the ground behind her.
“…So? Did you get it?”
“Yes. I slipped in under disguise and borrowed Surtr’s magic stone. Once Ymir-sama consumes it—his power to break the seal will awaken.”
Still, it came at a cost.
Rata glanced toward the mountain, visible through the gaps between the trees, and gave a small shrug. The roar from earlier felt like a lie. The mountain peak now stood quietly, bathed in the soft light of morning.
“Well then, shall we go? The Raven Warriors aren’t fools. I heard hoofbeats not long ago.”
“…Tsk.”
Dragging her body forward, Jor gripped the horse’s side with her pale arm and hauled herself up behind Rata.
“…Hurry up and go.”
“Wait a moment.”
As Jor looked puzzled, Rata pointed to the sky above.
◆◆◆
| To all adventurers. |
The words began in the same way as the general message I had heard some time ago.
My skin broke out into goosebumps.
| A monster bringing about the end of the world has appeared in the mining town of Alvis. But there is no need to fear any longer. With the sounding of the horn, heroes have arrived, and they have triumphed over the powerful monster. |
Heroes…?
Those words sank into my heart.
Mia-san and even Felix-san, who is usually cynical, were listening intently to the message. There is something about this god’s voice that stirred reverence in all who heard it.
| Adventurers, use the skills you have been granted. Defeat the monsters. So that you may become heroes. |
Go forth and become heroes.
Those words—left behind by the antique shop owner… no, by Odin-sama—flitted through my mind.
| When the apocalypse is overcome, the heroes shall be blessed by the gods. |
The message ended there.
It had echoed through the clear sky, and surely, it had resounded across the world in the same way.
For a single moment, there was silence. Then, from far off in Alvis, cheers could be heard.
“H-heroes?”
I couldn’t help but mutter.
Solana floated up. She closed her eyes and listened to the cheers that were ringing out from her ears.
“I see.”
The goddess’s gaze wandered into the sky, as if searching for something.
Thor crossed his thick arms.
“So, that schemer had two goals in mind.”
Raising his firewood-like fingers, Thor addressed us.
“First, we need to win the initial battle, which means defeating Flamebone Surtr. He’s the source of the titan ashes, and he’s a powerful monster, too.”
Perhaps Odin-sama had been planning this development from the moment we boarded the carriage to Alvis—or perhaps from the moment we heard the dwarves’ voice in the western dungeon.
This thought suddenly crossed my mind.
Thor pointed his chin to the sky.
“And there’s one more thing…listen.”
The cheers of the adventurers echoed through the heavens. Even without the blessing of the Hunting God, I could hear them from far away, all the way in Alvis.
I stroked my goosebumps. The feverish groans made the screams seem like a lie.
“Everyone… they are not scared anymore?”
“Kukuku, well, isn’t that simple? Because they heard the voice of a god, they’ve come to believe that even the appearance of monsters is part of the gods’ will.”
It may be just as Loki said.
The people of Alvis witnessed the moment when the World Serpent, Jormungandr, disappeared.
—The moment when the mythical monster was defeated.
The message also announced that the terrifying monster that had shook the earth had been defeated.
“I can sense their strong trust in god even now. In fact…stronger than before.”
Solana spoke.
The adventurers of this town may be thinking this right now. A world unlike any before, a world like a heroic tale, has begun.
For instance, harvesting magic stones worth hundreds of gold coins from towering monsters. Or adventurers, even those without noble blood, being recognized by the gods for their achievements. Or seeking strength through rare materials and items never before seen. A world overflowing with such opportunities.
“Hmph!”
Thor snorted through his nose.
“In short, by awakening creatures straight out of the mythic age, parading them around, and having us strike them down in spectacular fashion, he’s fired up the adventurers. Word of today’s battle will spread—far beyond the royal capital.”
“B-but… why? Why would Odin-sama do something like that?”
Thor did not answer that.
I lifted my gaze to the clear blue sky.
Most adventurers dove into dungeons to fight monsters and claim magic stones as resources. But, of course, many also sought to make a name for themselves.
“…One thing’s for sure—Odin has no intention of returning the kingdom to the safe, stable world it once was.”
The words from the divine message lingered in my ears—hero and blessing. A blessing awaits the hero who survives the apocalypse.
But what lies… beyond the apocalypse?
“A hero huh…”
The words he muttered softly seemed to be carried away by the passing wind.
◆◆◆
A plump old man walked through the increasingly bustling town of Alvis at an unhurried pace. The backpack on his back shook with each of his steps. The antique dealer slowly looked back toward the mine.
“Hohoho. The apocalypse――there isn’t much one can carry beyond the apocalypse.”
The old man shook his backpack as if it were heavy.
“Tools, people, and skills.… You can’t just pack everything up and take it with you like what I can do with this old back of mine.”
He turned slowly into a deserted alleyway.
“Until I decide on my next journey and what I’ll bring with me—I’ll leave the treasures of my creativity to you.”
The old man dissolved into the hustle and bustle of the sky, leaving behind a raven’s feather.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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