We stood before the familiar gates of the Western Dungeon.
Of the four dungeon in the Royal Capital, this one was the most dangerous. Its recommended level was twenty-five, and both the monsters’ strength and the quality of the magic stones on it earned it the title of a first-rate dungeon.
We had already conquered it once before. Even so, carelessness here could mean death.
I glanced at Felix-san and at Safi.
“Let’s go.”
Just as we were about to step inside, a thunderous roar rang out from behind us.
“Sealed off!?”
“What the hell’s going on!?”
“What about the inn fee I already paid!?”
The street behind us erupted with cries and curses. Safi flinched, and I also instinctively covered my ears. The alleys had been noisy enough, but this… this was chaos in its own right.
Felix-san let out a weary sigh.
“The dungeon will remain sealed until the Warrior Corps finishes their business inside. But if this happens several times in such a short span and especially on top of that golem incident… it’s no wonder the adventurers are furious.”
The crowd of adventurers looked ready to tear down the ropes and barricades at any moment. Guild staff and city guards scrambled frantically to calm them.
Taking advantage of the commotion, we slipped quietly through the blockade.
“Hey! That group just went in!?”
“T-those guys belongs to the Raven Warrior Corps…”
“Damn…!”
Felix-san and I both wore the warrior corps’ black robe, the two raven crest boldly decorated on the back is recognizable even from a distance. Of course, having a youngster like me tagging along should have drawn more than a few stares… and Safi, who looked no older than a little girl, stuck out even more.
And yet—
“……”
I glanced back. No one’s eyes were on me. It was as if Felix-san alone existed in their sight.
“Amazing…. this is really incredible.”
I adjusted the hat on my head. A black feather was tucked into it—the very same design as Safi’s.
“Right? It’s called the Hat of Bewilderment. It’s a collaboration between the technology of the dwarves and the magic of the God, Loki.”
Its effect was simple yet powerful. It made the wearer almost impossible to notice. Inside the hat, the lining was etched with a dense weave of rune inscriptions.
Safi, looking immensely pleased with herself, waved a finger.
“You know how sometimes your eyes pass right over something, but it just doesn’t leave an impression? Like a pebble by the roadside, or a small figure standing next to someone flashy. This item puts you in exactly that state.”
Back in the mining town of Alvis, slave traders had been hunting for my description. To counter that, the dwarves had created this tool to conceal me.
“With this, you can even walk the city streets without worry.”
“Thank you.”
“Fufun”
Casting a glance at the blacksmith, we descended into the exploration floors of the Western Dungeon. There, we met up with the Raven Warrior group that had been ahead of us and then we headed deeper. Since the Hat of Bewilderment is fragile, I had taken it off and entrusted it to one of the support.
We made quick work of the descent. With no need to grind levels this time, we reached the boss floor in what felt like no time at all.
“…Is it really okay for it to be this easy?”
This is a dungeon with a recommended level of level 25, just like the Alvis Dungeon. And yet, the lack of action left me oddly underwhelmed.
『Rion, you seem… unusually calm.』
Solana’s words made me blink in surprise.
“Do I… really?”
『Indeed. With the Blessing of the Hunter God, your scouting ability has become far more precise. And with Sylph and Salamander at your call, you can strike and defend even at range. I daresay everyone feels more secure with you at their side.』
Hearing that, I realized. I really was a lot calmer than the first time I came here. And the reason was simple. I had more options now. My level had risen. My speed and strength increased. Situations where I once could only hang on by the skin of my teeth were now ones where I could think about counterattacking. If need be, I could even withdraw entirely and pull back. Then there were the spirits I could summon with awakening.
Even the fireballs hurled by goblin mages were no threat when Salamander raised its blazing shield. And when Sylph unleashed blades of wind, monsters far off in the distance were cleaved clean in two.
『This is the fruit of training and experience. Those fierce battles you endured… they are what let you stay calm now.』
Praised by the goddess, a gentle warmth swelled in my chest. One of the warriors turned to me, a little hesitant.
“R-Rion-san, what level are you…?”
“Twenty-six.”
I answered plainly and he was left dumbfounded.
“That’s… incredible. I mean, I’d heard the stories, but… judging from the spells you use, your detection skills, and the feats I’ve seen and heard of—it wouldn’t be strange if you were level 30, no, perhaps even level forty…”
I straightened my back with a touch of pride.
“Thank you. But it’s not just me… The gods, and the spirits lending me their strength—they’re amazing too.”
The raven warrior was left speechless, while Felix-san let out a hearty laugh.
“Fufu, our boy is extraordinary in many ways.”
The eighth floor of the Western Dungeon had eight paths extending from a huge hall. If we liken it to a carriage wheel, we’d be in the center, with the framework supporting the wheel representing the path. At the end of each path were supposed to be eight boss rooms. We began heading toward one of them.
『Hmm. There doesn’t seem to be any sign of monsters.』
Solana spoke, and Felix-san explained.
“Maybe because an unexplored area has opened up, monsters no longer appear in the boss room ahead.”
“It’s usually closed, right?”
Felix-san nodded at Safi’s question.
A boss chamber without a boss, and on top of that, a newly opened unexplored area—of course they couldn’t simply throw it open to adventurers.
“Exactly. The passage is open now, but earlier, the corps’ engineers sealed off the corridor leading to the chamber with magic.”
The person walking ahead gave us a polite nod.
So that was the one—the magical engineer who concealed unexplored areas within the dungeon.
A dungeon engineer huh.
Having managed the dungeon for the kingdom all this time, it seemed that the warrior group had inherited such techniques.
At last, we reached the boss floor. It’s vast, brightly lit chamber, normally meant for battle. It is currenty empty, with an opening at the far wall. We stepped into the uncharted zone where the frost still lingered.
—Suddenly, a hand wrapped in chains pops up from the ground.
“Oh! Rion!”
The next to leap out was a head with fiery red hair. With a wild grin splitting her face, Mia-san pushed her tall frame halfway out of the hole. The Water Mirror of Yggdrasil can be reached through a hidden corridor beneath the floor. She must have come to guide us.
“I’ve been waiting. Nothing can start without you and the gods you see.”
My heart gave a jolt. I think even the gold coin trembled.
“…So it really is it huh.”
“Yeah. Just like back with the dwarves—clear as day, it’s a god’s reaction.”
Unable to hold back, we broke into a trot. We slipped through the hidden passage and entered the chamber of the Water Mirror. The entire floor was already brimming with magic power. It was like stepping onto the surface of a radiant lake. With each step, the light beneath our feet swirled upward, rising to the height of our eyes.
“This way!”
Some dwarves were waving from a high platform along the wall. We followed the invitation and headed up to the high platform, looking out over the entire room.
The water mirror, its surface of light, reproduced a panoramic view of the kingdom of Asgard. It depicted the entire terrain of the kingdom, from the fertile south to the barren, unexplored tundra in the north.
All across the terrain, spheres of light floated in the air. Each marked the site of a dungeon. Most shone colorless, but those tinged with hues were the ones where gods had awakened. In the royal capital, there were four such lights—red, purple, brown, and blue—each carrying the color of the god who slumbered within.
Far away in Alvis, a golden light gleamed as well.
“…So? How does it look?”
Safi put the question to the dwarves.
Four white fae, their delicate wings folded neatly against their backs, and four black dwarves, stockier and wingless, stood before her. One of the black dwarves looked about forty in human years. With his stern face, he could have passed for a stubborn old blacksmith if not for the way he bowed deeply to Safi.
“Safi-dono, and—most noble saviors who delivered us from peril! I, born of the black dwarves, do humbly present this divine instrument we have labored upon….”
Flustered, I waved my hands. The dwarves always started with such overblown gratitude that it left me at a loss.
“You don’t have to make such a fuss!”
“Ah—Is that so? Then… ahem! As you can see, we’ve tweaked the flow of magic a little, and sure enough, we were able to catch a response from a god!”
The gold coin trembled, and Loki’s voice spilled forth.
『I see… impressive work indeed…』
“It is an honor, truly. Until now, the device would only respond to gods whose awakening was strong enough to allow them speech. But thanks to our adjustments, it can now detect even those still sunk deep in slumber.”
The horn I carried—each time it was blown, its call spread far and wide. Humans couldn’t hear it, yet the sound, carried with magic, resounded throughout the world. That was why the sealed gods, even those still lost in slumber, stirred a little closer to waking each time they heard it.
The improvement the dwarves had made, in short, are—
“So… in other words, it can find gods who are regaining their strength, but not yet fully conscious?”
“Exactly!”
The older blacksmith nodded, then lifted his thick hand toward the glowing map.
“Over there.”
Beneath the high platform where we stood, four lights shone—this was the royal capital. But farther away, to the south, a new green light had begun to flicker.
“…Flocia, huh.”
Felix-san touched his chin thoughtfully.
“Well, well. If there’s a god there as well, things might turn rather interesting.”
A sly grin spread across his face.
Interesting? What exactly did he mean by that…?
『Rion, we’d like to see it for ourselves. May we?』
Hearing Solana’s voice, I drew out the coin case and let my thumb trace the embossed surface.
“Wake up!”
From the gold coin, the gods burst forth. Five deities hovered in the air, gazing down at the emerald glow.
“This place…”
Uru, the God of Hunting, murmured.
“A lake… and hills. Magnificent. Just from the lay of the land, one can almost hear the voices of living creatures.”
“Ahh,” rumbled Thor, the Thunder God, hefting his great hammer onto his shoulder.
“Fertile land, without a doubt. And this green light… I believe I can guess which god slumbers here.”
Sigris, the God of Medicine, let her blue hair ripple as the light from the floor shimmered against her armor of the same hue.
“This time, it seems we may be rescuing two deities at once.”
I jolted, my shoulders leaping before I could stop them.
“T–two of them!? You mean, we’ve found not just one god, but two at the same time…?”
Solana turned toward me, she gave a grave nod.
“Yes. The deities who dwells there are especial even among gods. They are brother and sister gods.”
Lu came to mind at once.
“Brother and sister…?”
“That’s right. Born at the same moment, bearing the same power, and worshipped by the same believers. Thus, they are siblings.”
Sibling gods…
The strange coincidence left me speechless. I could only stare for a while at the southern glow. Alvis lay north of the capital, but this next destination was to the south. If I remembered right, there was a great lake there, a thriving center of trade and farming, said to rival the royal capital in size.
“Rion-dono”
The dwarves, too, were gazing up at us. The voice belonged to the older blacksmith who had spoken earlier.
“Y-yes?”
“Allow me to pronounce an oracle here and now. Concerning the horn of awakening—the Gjallarhorn you bear.”
A little taken aback, I nevertheless nodded.
“To cut to the chase, we were able to figure out quite a bit with our technology. There is a god sealed inside and a spell has been cast to protect him. There were also mechanisms in place to prevent the god from escaping, but we have removed most of them so that you can remove the seal.”
But then, the elder added with weight in his voice,
“But unlike the coin you carry, it is not yet possible to call forth the god inside. That much is certain.”
The elder dark dwarf gave Safi a glance, silently retreated.
Safi folded her arms and shook her head.
“…We’ve tried, believe me. Even showed it to the dwarves who specialize in fine crafting, but it was no use.”
“I see…”
I couldn’t help a pang of disappointment. From my pouch I drew out the horn, tracing its faintly gleaming surface with my fingertips.
But there was no helping it. Since coming to the capital, the dwarves had done so much—hammering out tools, strengthening the divine relic World Tree Yggdrasil’s Water Mirror, fortifying defenses to protect Lu. They had been indispensable.
If even they could not find the answer, then…
“The technology is simply different. There is a god inside of that there’s no doubt about it. Yet the seal does not seem to be woven with the runes, the magic script we dwarves employ. It is another kind of magic altogether. To use an analogy of a lock, it’s like we’ve removed 90% of the locks, but there is one last lock that we just can’t remove.”
The dwarves turned their gazes toward the green light glimmering on the map.
“…And so, it must be Heaven’s own design.”
The words that followed sent a shiver through me.
“The sibling gods were masters of such sorcery. They will, without doubt, be of great aid to you…”
“Their names… what are they?”
The blacksmith fell silent, lips pressed tight. He raised a finger to them, as if to say that is not my place to speak, and gestured toward the goddess reflected in the Water Mirror.
Solana’s voice rang clear through the chamber.
“The brother’s name is Freyr. The sister is called Freyja.”
The goddess continued,
“Skilled in both sword and magic, they are the divine twins of fertility—the ones who blessed the land with greenery.”
“――Un!”
I tightened my grip on the horn I held.
“Gods’ awakener, we found the next destination.”
This time, the road would lead us south. Gentle hills, a vast lake—such was the land shown upon the Water Mirror.
I drew upon all my courage, steeling myself for the journey into this new realm.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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