Nils-san and I threw ourselves into training.
It might have been the first time since my father that I’d trained with a true swordsman.
I pushed myself to the brink of exhaustion, drawing on the Golden Flame until my magical power nearly ran out, learning the delicate balance of offense and defense right at the edge of my limits.
It was only because Nils-san was such a skilled swordsman that he was able to fight me while wrapped in Golden Flame. Because of him, true full-strength training was possible.
Golden Flame greatly enhances physical abilities for a limited time. It seems that precisely because it’s so powerful, I ended up relying too much on speed and fighting roughly. Come to think of it, even in my fight with Flamebone Surtr, I gave in to his temptation and nearly suffered a serious injury.
The blessing skill granted by the gods are powerful, undeniably so. But relying on it alone would only take me so far. Even in the most desperate moments, I couldn’t neglect the importance of reading my opponent, of strategy, of seizing the unexpected chance.
—That was Nils-san’s lesson.
“Let’s call it a day.”
Before I realized it, the sun had dipped toward the horizon, painting the training yard in shades of gold and amber.
Nils raised a finger, then went to return his wooden sword to the rack.
The evening breeze swept through, cool against the sweat on my skin. By the end, I’d even managed to land a few counterattacks on him, though, to be fair, only while the Golden Flame was active.
“You’ve got solid fundamentals.”
“I’ve been practicing every day.”
“That’s good.”
A faint smile softened his expression. The corners of his eyes eased just slightly, and for that brief moment, it was easy to see the kindness beneath his usual sternness.
“But still…”
He paused, his gaze settling on me. The warmth vanished from his eyes, replaced by a cold, sharp focus.
“Powerful monsters and people will use tactics, deception, and feints.”
“I… I understand.”
“If there’s something you truly want to protect, then don’t shy away from any means necessary to do so.”
Nils-san returned to the inn, escorted by members of the warrior corps.
As for me, I made my way back to the temple. I changed out of my sweat-soaked clothes and wiped myself down with warm water.
When I stepped out of my room, I ran into Felix-san.
“Training huh?”
“Yes. It’s been a while since――”
I was startled. Right, tomorrow, once our scouting and preparations are done, we’ll be entering the dungeon again. Perhaps he is about to warn me not to overdo it before such an important mission.
However, Felix-san just smiled.
“That’s all right.”
Leaning lightly on his staff, he glanced around, as if checking to make sure no one else was nearby.
“…I’d like to ask you about Nils-dono. If he’s willing to cooperate, I’m considering adding him to our party. What do you think, Rion?”
“I think that’s a great idea.”
Felix-san nodded, as though he’d expected that response from the start.
“…Then allow me to be frank. I still believe there are a few things about him we should be cautious of.”
Apparently, Felix-san had spent the morning questioning Nils-san about various details—his homeland, his past, the sister he was searching for. Those much, we already knew.
But there was one thing still unresolved, the contact that Nils-san had mentioned. The “ally” who was supposedly providing him with information. That person had yet to make any kind of appearance.
“But if you vouch for him, Rion, then I’ll trust your judgment. It seems you carried out that ‘adventurer-style introduction’ of yours quite thoroughly.”
He gave a playful wink and I couldn’t help but pout a little.
“Y-you were watching?”
“Yeah. You’re good. You were completely outmaneuvered, though.”
“Oh, come on…!”
Felix-san laughed heartily, clearly enjoying himself, then motioned for me to follow.
“Now then, this way. There’s something about this temple you should see. It’s a bit cold down there, so I suggest putting on a warm cloak.”
After changing into a warm cloak, I followed Felix-san up to the spire of the temple. It must have been the fourth floor above ground—high enough to overlook the entire city. From this height, the great lake mirrored the glow of the setting sun.
The edge of the world wasn’t marked by a horizon of land, but by the distant line where water met sky—burning red in the twilight.
“Wow…”
It was a sight I could never have witnessed in the royal capital. My chest tightened, full of awe, and I found myself unable to move.
The gold coin at my side trembled, and Solana’s voice echoed softly in my mind.
『A vast lake huh. It’s almost like the sea.』
“The sea…?”
『Mm. You’ve never seen the sea before, Rion?』
I shook my head.
“No.”
『I see. The scenery of this lake is somewhat similar.』
In the Kingdom of Asgard, the southern edge of the continent met the sea, while the far north stretched into a barren tundra. My father had shown me those places once. Well, just an adventurer’s map.
So I knew about them… but I’d never actually seen them. I wondered if both ends of the world were as beautiful as this lake before me.
『I hope that one day we can show it to you.』
A smile tugged at my lips.
“Thank you… goddess.”
I stepped away from the window as Felix-san beckoned me toward the center of the tower. He opened a heavy door, and a chill breeze drifted out from within.
If the tower were a hollow cylinder, then this chamber would be its core. The moment the door swung open, the air grew sharp and cold, prickling against my skin.
I shivered involuntarily.
…It felt almost like the cold air inside a dungeon.
“Go on.”
Hugging my arms around myself, I stepped into the room. At its center stood a stone pedestal, and resting atop it was a small orb—glowing faintly white, a thin layer of frost spreading outward from its base.
The sight stole my breath.
“This is…”
It’s the『Frost Orb』.
I recognized it immediately—the same kind of divine relic Pauline-san had shown me back in the royal capital. But this one was much smaller, no larger than a clenched fist. The capital’s orb had stood nearly two meters tall.
“It’s freezing in here, isn’t it?”
The familiar voice made me turn.
Mia-san and Safi were already there, both wrapped snugly in cloaks against the chill. Beside them stood another woman, one I hadn’t seen before. She wore a tall, formal hat, and there was something about her—her silver hair, her clear blue eyes—that reminded me of Pauline-san.
But she was older, perhaps by a decade or more.
She bent slightly to meet my gaze.
“An honor to meet you, Hero-dono. I am the cousin of the Ninth Princess, Pauline-denka.”
“I can slightly use the Seal skill. That is why the protection of Flocia’s Frost Orb has been entrusted to me.”
So she truly bore one of the royal bloodline’s hereditary skills. No wonder she was stationed here—in a city so vast it served as both a temple and a fortress for the warrior order.
“Shall we begin?”
At Felix-san’s cue, the woman placed her hand gently atop the orb.
The cold deepened instantly, and the Frost Orb flared with a blinding white light. When the brilliance scattered, two silhouettes shimmered into view above the pedestal—hazy at first, then sharp enough to recognize.
“Lu? And… Pauline-san!”
I could only stare in stunned disbelief.
There, projected in miniature above the glowing orb, were my sister—and the Ninth Princess herself, speaking to us from the royal capital.
“Oh my, it seems the connection worked.”
Pauline-san said pleasantly, waving with her usual calm grace.
Lu looked around in wide-eyed wonder before spotting me. Then she began bouncing up and down excitedly atop the orb’s light.
“From the capital’s orb, we can channel magic to the other branches. As an experiment, we tried seeing whether that same flow could transmit images and voices as well.”
Now that she mentioned it, I remembered her saying something about testing a new function back in the royal capital. Just as the divine horn had reawakened the gods’ presence, perhaps the sacred relics they’d left behind across the kingdom were beginning to regain their power too.
“Now then…”
Pauline-san cleared her throat softly before letting her gaze sweep across all of us. From her side of the connection, she was probably seeing us as small shimmering figures, just as we saw her.
“Felix. What we are about to begin is a strategy meeting. But first, let’s make sure everyone here is up to date.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Felix-san gave a crisp nod, then began his report.
He explained about Nils-san—how we’d met him, his skills as a swordsman, and his offer to assist in the dungeon investigation.
“…Ah, the swordsman mentioned in the earlier reports. If his abilities are proven and he’s not one to be ignored, then adding him to your ranks may be a wise choice. Understood.”
Leaning on his staff, Felix-san stepped closer to the wall. There hung a massive frame—larger than an adult could span with outstretched arms—and within it was a detailed map.
“The map of… Flocia?”
Felix-san gave a single, grave nod.
“We’ve located the slave traders’ base.”
The air in the room seemed to drop several degrees at those words. He pointed to a section on the map—right over the dungeon of Flocia.
“Their stronghold lies within the Flocia dungeon, just as we suspected. Our scouts discovered an entrance leading to a hidden area from the fourth layer. However, tracing several faint lines radiating from the lake’s outline, it appears there are multiple concealed passages scattered around the lake that connect to the same secret zone.”
The map of the lake was dotted with tiny islands, each marked with careful ink strokes.
From what Felix-san explained, some of those islands concealed secret passages leading directly into the dungeon.
“…No wonder the river bandits were never caught.”
Mia-san muttered, her lips twisting in frustration.
She was right. If the slave traders were connected to the river bandits—and both had access to those hidden routes into the dungeon—then they essentially possessed an escape network no one could trace.
“The hidden area within the dungeon appears to extend all the way beneath Flocia itself.”
I froze.
What—there was an exit from the dungeon inside the city?
“You mean it runs under the lake?”
“Most likely. Flocia’s dungeon has a recommended level of thirty, and its deepest point—thirteen layers down—reaches near the lake bed. You can think of it as a network of tunnels spreading outward from the dungeon’s core.”
We all stood there, speechless.
“B-but… why?”
Weren’t dungeons supposed to be sanctuaries—refuges built to protect the faithful from monsters?
Alvis’ dungeon had once been the palace of the dwarves, but if the reports were right, then the Flocia Dungeon sprawled beneath the lake itself… a vast maze beneath the waters.
The coin at my side vibrated, and the god’s voice resonated gently in my mind.
『A escape route.』
Uru spoke.
『Yeah. Sounds like something those sibling gods would’ve done… though I’d bet it was the brother’s idea.』
Loki seconded. Their voices overlapped in my mind, followed by a calmer, softer tone—the voice of Sigris, the God of Medicine.
『Freyja-sama, the Goddess of Fertility, is deeply loved by his brother, Freyr. It’s likely he created the escape path to protect her—just in case. That would explain why the deepest layers connect to it.』
『Even if that’s the case… then what?』
Another voice chimed in—Loki’s this time.
Even he sounded subdued, his usual teasing remark was replaced by something thoughtful, almost grave. The gods’ voices echoed one after another, their surprise mirroring our own.
It seemed even they hadn’t expected this truth about this dungeon.
『And those hidden paths might not be the only ones. For us gods, the greatest escape route always leads upward.』
His words lingered in my mind, stirring a quiet unease. I started piecing things together—the slave traders’ testimonies, what we’d seen in the dungeon, and what we now knew about Flocia’s structure. The fragments fit together almost too neatly.
I raised my hand.
“Um, just to confirm… Is there any chance the slave traders were lying in their statements?”
Felix-san glanced at me, mildly surprised.
It was possible, after all. If the enemy had fed us false information, it might be part of a larger deception. And if that were true—then verifying it wasn’t just caution. It was strategy.
“It’s possible. But personally, I believe their statements are credible.”
“Why’s that?”
Mia-san asked, crossing her arms.
“Because, before the interrogation began, I happened to hear the voice of the god Loki in my mind. When I followed his advice… the slave trader broke almost immediately.”
From the coin at my side came that all-too-familiar, mischievous voice.
『Fufu, just a little trick, that’s all. The overseer nearly drowned once, you see. So he’s terrified of water. Fear can sometimes become the best oil to make the truth slip free.”
I couldn’t help but shiver.
This god really was scary sometimes…
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Safi’s green hair bounce as she coughed politely into her hand, trying to defuse the tension.
“So—if the information is accurate, how do we attack?”
Right. If the dungeon stretches out under the lake in so many places, we’d be facing an enormous area.
Safi trotted over and craned her neck to study the map on the wall.
“As an engineer… and, well, a black-dwarf, I can pretty much lay the underground layout. If you give me the dungeon map, I can extrapolate routes.”
“But that’s just one piece.”
Felix-san interrupted.
“The hidden areas likely spread all across the lake. The warrior corps alone won’t have enough manpower to clear them.”
The image of Pauline-san, projected through the orb, gave a small, decisive nod. It almost felt as if her eyes met Felix’s through the shimmering light.
“Let’s recruit allies from among Flocia’s adventurers.”
Pauline-san spoke decisively. Both Mia-san and I widened our eyes in surprise.
“Is that… really all right?”
“Yes.”
That answer carried the weight of something immense—a decision that would break the silence the Warrior Corps had kept for so long. It meant revealing the dungeon’s secret to the public.
Pauline continued, her voice calm but firm.
“The kingdom has already begun to change since the Great Message. Colossal beasts have awakened, and adventurers are migrating across the land. We can no longer cling to the way things were.”
Toward the end, her words sounded almost as if she were speaking to herself—steadying her own resolve.
Revealing the hidden areas of the dungeon to adventurers meant exposing the frozen monsters, and possibly even the gods themselves, to mortal eyes. Pauline-san knew that. Still, she chose to move forward—to fight.
“It’s time for the Raven Warrior Corps to steel themselves as well.”
Felix-san bowed deeply.
“Understood. Then, tomorrow….”
“Yes. Announce the discovery of the dungeon’s hidden sectors, and call for volunteers among the adventurers.”
We will gather a large force and set out into Flocia’s unexplored zones. It would be the largest dungeon expedition I’ll be a part of.
Clutching the gold coin, I held back the tremor in my hands.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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