We immediately boarded the carriage and headed for the Royal Capital.
This was the location where the next god would awaken. The sacred object that indicated this location, the “Water Mirror of the World Tree Yggdrasil,” was located in the Western Dungeon.
The temple we were in was outside the Royal Capital’s walls, in the northeast direction. To reach the dungeon we were aiming for, we would have to go all the way around the capital’s long walls.
It might be past noon by the time we arrived.
We had a light meal, I made the gods return to the gold coin in my pocket and then we prepared ourselves. As I jumped into the carriage, another person got on from the opposite entrance.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
From the carriage door, Safi appeared.
“S–Safi?”
“What? I should at least check how that sword I gave you is holding up. And besides…”
She tapped a finger against her head. The small hat she wore bobbed, the black feather tucked into it swaying lightly.
“I need to test this little thing’s effect, too.”
Safi handed me a hat of the same design.
“Don’t break it.”
“O-oh, I won’t…”
Soon after, the carriage set off. Inside, it was just the three of us—Felix-san, Safi, and me.
The coach passed through the temple gates and sped toward the Royal Capital. Beyond the windows, the Eastern gate of the city wall came into view—the very place where, only a month ago, I had fought Skoll.
From the outside, the entrance to the Eastern dungeon looked repaired, once again open to adventurers as though nothing had happened. The surrounding buildings told another story though. They are burned down to their foundations, with only charred pillars left standing like grave markers. The massive scar carved into the city wall was still visible too, likely from when Skoll smashed the gate with his great club.
『.…The wounds run deep huh.』
At Solana’s voice, I lowered my chin. Perhaps the goddess too was remembering that battle.
“Yeah.”
The Eastern gate receded into the distance.
After a time, Felix-san spoke.
“The Adventurers’ Guild hall suffered damage as well, but thankfully there were no casualties among their ranks. With the tyranny of Gideon gone, the Eastern district has, in fact, grown more peaceful. However….”
Felix paused, resting his hand thoughtfully on his chin.
“How should I put it… the adventurers’ trade—particularly around the western dungeon—has shifted somewhat. Well, once we arrive, you’ll understand soon enough.”
I tilted my head, puzzled.
The carriage made a wide arc around the city walls, and before long, the Southern Gate came into view. We hadn’t entered through the Eastern Gate earlier, precisely to avoid the risk of a familiar guard peering inside the carriage. After the battle with Skoll, our family was said to have left the capital, seeking shelter with distant relatives. It would take more explaining if someone recognized me.
Once the gate was cleared, the sound of rushing water reached my ears.
The Southern district of the Royal Capital lay close to the canals. Every so often, the carriage passed between rows of buildings, and through the gaps, I caught glimpses of the flowing current. It made me recall the time I’d walked that same canal road with Mia-san.
“Eh?”
We passed through the main avenue, drawing closer to the western side of the capital. This area should have been bustling with adventurers as always.
Well, it was still bustling—but something felt off.
The noise and commotion hadn’t changed, but the adventurers themselves had. Their gear, their expressions… it’s different. Some wore heavy furs, some carried enormous axes the likes of which I’d never seen in the city. Others went about lightly dressed, bows strung across their backs, the kind of archers that were just as rare here.
It just didn’t add up…..
The monsters in the capital’s dungeons were predictable. You don’t need a massive axe unless you are to fight giant ones, and you won’t rely on bows unless you faced long-ranged beasts. Neither of those monster types existed here.
So why—?
“What’s with you!? That’s why northerners are such a—”
“Look who’s talking! You sound like some country bumpkin from the South! You newcomer!”
The reason for this argument, or rather the angry shouting, became clear. By my side, Safi tilted her head from side to side, frowning at the unfamiliar scene.
“What do they mean? The equipment, sure, but…”
“They’re not from the capital. They’re all from outside…”
From the harsh tundra in the north, people who must have come from the very edge of habitable land. And from the warm and fertile south, travelers who had crossed half the realm to be here.
I had been running around the city countless times as an errand boy, but never had I seen so many from so far away.
And in contrast—the adventurers I was used to, the ones of noble birth, the familiar faces of the capital—they were nowhere to be seen.
I blinked, once, twice, trying to take it all in.
“W-why…?”
“You recall the message the gods sent to everyone, right?”
I move my gaze away from the window and look up at Felix-san, who is sitting across from me.
“…The message about a ‘Hero’?”
——When the apocalypse is overcome,
——the heroes shall be blessed by the gods.
It seems this message was heard in the Royal Capital as well. As a result, the word ‘hero’ came to be associated with many adventurers.
“The events in the mining town of Alvis are also the subject of rumors in the Royal Capital. Of the giant snake that appeared, and how it was defeated along with the horn. And…”
Felix-san rubs his arm.
“The immense magical power used to defeat the monster caused many of the surrounding adventurers to level up.”
In the wake of that battle, all of us—Felix-san, Mia-san, and I—had grown stronger.
My own level had risen from level twenty-two to twenty-six. Mia-san had advanced to level thirty-two, and even Felix-san, who’s already formidable, had reached level forty-one.
It’s said that once you climb high enough, gaining further levels becomes exceedingly difficult. The body can only absorb so much magical power—the so-called “growth limit”—and the closer you get to it, the harder each step upward becomes. Which was why the others were so astonished.
Though if I were to be honest, the fact that I had jumped four levels in one stroke was hardly less strange. And yet, it wasn’t only us. Even adventurers who had merely witnessed the World Serpent from a distance found themselves empowered, their levels raised by the unleashed surge of magic.
“I’ve heard the same phenomenon occurred during the battle with Wolfbone Sköll. But at that time, the range in which the magical power was released was much smaller. And most of the adventurers had been directly engaged in combat, making it difficult to distinguish from an ordinary level-up.”
I gazed out at the boulevard.
Liveliness. Yes—that word fit the bustling streets, teeming with travelers and new faces.
“The chief god had sent message twice already. And twice, a great hunt has truly come to pass. Such things must have stir the ambition of adventurers.”
“And so…”
I murmured.
“Indeed. One might call it… the great migration of adventurers.”
I swallowed hard, a shiver racing up the back of my neck.
“In search of the next big thing, skilled adventurers began their journeys to become heroes. And the Royal Capital, being a key transportation hub, became overflowing with such travelers.”
A tale of a monster appearing on the frontier and the hero who defeated it. It must have ignited the spirit of adventure that lay dormant in the Kingdom of Asgard. Investigating dungeons and repeating the same thing every day. Instead of that life, adventurers set out on a true adventure.
『I wonder how much of this is Odin’s plan.』
Solana murmured something under her breath, but it was not something I could easily grasp.
The gold coin vibrated again, and I could hear Thor’s voice.
『Having so many adventurers must be Odin’s trump card. He’s been distributing skills for 1,000 years and creating teachings to help us dive into the dungeon, so he could use them as a fighting force in times like these. If that’s the case, then this situation could be seen as his way of sending us reinforcements, or… is it another plan?』
I clutched my gauntlet tightly.
No matter what era comes, I will survive and return to my family. And then I will solve the mystery of Lu’s power.
“Well, we’ve arrived.”
Felix-san signaled for the carriage to stop.
We looked up at the entrance to the Western Dungeon.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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