Sealed within the ice was a goddess of breathtaking beauty. If one were to compare her to a human, she would likely be a few years older than me—perhaps seventeen, or eighteen at most.
Hair like threads of woven gold rippled softly within the transparent ice. Her lowered face seemed tinged with quiet sorrow, and her unwavering blue eyes resembled those of an exquisitely crafted doll.
She was clad in a pale green dress. A golden ribbon gathered her hair of the same shimmering hue. Her left hand rested lightly against her throat, while her right arm extended gently forward, as if to grasp something, or perhaps to hold it out.
I had never before known what it meant to be struck silent by beauty. A single, magnificent flower, imprisoned in ancient ice—that was the image that came to mind.
“So this is… Freyja-sama”
At last, that was all I managed to say.
From the gold coin, the voices of the gods Thor and Uru rang out.
『Freyja…』
『She hasn’t changed at all. Not one bit—just as she was long ago.』
It sounded as though they were reminiscing about the past.
『It certainly is Freyja. As beautiful as ever, more beautiful than the early winter dawns or the budding spring trees. But…』
Though I couldn’t see him, I felt Loki’s gaze sharpen.
『Something’s missing. The absence of monsters nearby is strange too…』
As I listened to the gods’ voices, my hand brushed against the awakening horn, Gjallarhorn, at my side. Its engraved patterns shimmered like an aurora, as if it were urging me, “Blow me”.
I turned to look back at my companions.
Felix-san, Mia-san, Safi, and even the raven warriors behind us—all of them were utterly captivated by the goddess before them.
“…A goddess?”
The one who murmured it softly was Nils-san. His dull blond hair fluttered in the cold wind.
Remembering the god Freyr we had seen on the fourth floor, I answered him.
“They seem to be sibling gods. An older brother—and a younger sister.”
Nils-san still looked stunned. He only gave a faint nod, drawing his chin back slightly.
This time, Solana’s voice rang out.
『Rion. You’re going to do it, right?』
“—Yeah.”
If the Goddess of Fertility were to awaken, the rescue operation in this dungeon would become far easier. More than that, it would give me yet more power to protect Lu.
I knew we had to save the people who had been captured. I understood that. But for me—the power to save my sister was the strongest implication.
Felix-san planted his staff firmly on the ground.
“At this point, delaying the release of the seal would only be more dangerous. Please, Rion.”
I turned to face the ice.
Looking up at the goddess sealed within the icicle, I brought the awakening horn—Gjallarhorn—to my lips and blow into it.
Skill, please awaken the goddess!
——Wake up!
The sound of the horn rang out.
Light spilled forth from the awakening horn, Gjallarhorn, and in an instant, it raced through the entire space. The air, the ice, the walls—all of it began to tremble. The tremor grew into vibration, then into a deep, resonant roar.
The ice shattered one piece after another, dissolving into glittering motes of light that melted into the air. Cracks spread across the ice that bound Freyja-sama.
From the gold coin, Solana murmured—
『It’s breaking.』
Shards of radiant ice danced through the air.
Bathed in a rain of golden mana, the goddess slowly rose, then drifted down toward us.
She truly is beautiful. Her petal-soft lips slowly parted.
—Odin…
A voice echoed inside my head, and I reached up to touch my ear.
She was surely speaking right in front of me, yet the sound felt wrong. It wasn’t traveling through the air at all—it was resonating directly inside my mind.
—Odin…
What followed was badly distorted, so muddled that I couldn’t make out a single word.
Freyja-sama’s body was wrapped in a faint glow. Worse still, it was slowly beginning to fade, and without thinking I rushed toward her.
“G-Goddess!”
One after another, the gods leapt forth from the gold coins. With the horn having been blown, they had all regained their strength.
Solana, her white garments fluttering, caught Freyja and held her steady.
“…F-Freyja!”
The Sun Goddess was wreathed in gentle light. White flame enveloped Freyja-sama’s body.
Solana drew her brows together.
“This is…!”
The giant Thor, Sigris in blue armor, Uru clad in hunting garb—and Loki in a black robe. All of them hovered in the air, gazing down at Freyja.
It felt as though they were holding their breath.
“This vessel…. it’s a replica.”
At Loki’s words, I lifted my face.
“W-what do you mean? A replica?”
“A mass of magic shaped in the likeness of a god. Think of it as a message left behind—one that possesses power.”
I barely understood enough to grasp one thing.
It wasn’t the real her.
In other words—was it an illusion?
Indeed, the fading Freyja-sama didn’t look to be in pain. She had no expression of suffering, no will behind her eyes—like a beautifully made doll.
Loki bit down on his lip.
“Even so… I can’t read the message itself. This replica was woven with extraordinarily strong magic. It must have carried something of great importance, yet…”
A deep crease formed between Loki’s brows. I had never seen a god wear such a sorrowful expression.
“…Was the seal here made so powerful simply to weaken this vessel? If that’s the case, then the one who set such a contrivance must be—!”
Loki looked up, staring up above us.
Questions began to well up inside me one after another. Perhaps it was because my emotions had been thrown into chaos. The vague unease that had sunk deep in my chest surged up all at once.
Did something happen after all the gods were sealed away?
Did Freyja-sama really awaken before? Somewhere in the untold gaps of the kingdom’s history?
Did she knew that Lu possessed the Power of Creation?
…And who was it that hid such events?
“…Ah.”
In my mind, the image of the one-eyed old ancient artifacts dealer surfaced—overlapping with the figure of the Chief God, Odin.
I couldn’t say anything more.
The vibration that had just begun to subside suddenly intensified again. It was strong enough to be called a rumble from the depths of the earth. The remaining masses of ice shattered one after another, and water began to pour in from the places that had been sealed shut by ice.
Felix-san shouted.
“Flood!?”
“You’ve got to be kidding…”
Mia-san groaned. This was the thirteenth floor—deep beneath the lake. I had nothing but a bad feeling about this.
The great hall where we had just fought the boss was now being inundated from all sides, torrents of water rushing in with terrifying force. And on top of that—we could hear the cries of monsters.
“Kikii!”
“Gii!”
From the area where the boss had been, monsters surged in with the current—water wyrmlings, sahagins, and even the kelpies.
Mia-san swung her right hand, chains clanking as she did.
“This is bad. If we turn back now, we might still be able to—”
Everyone turned behind us at once.
At that very moment, the entrance to the unexplored area collapsed. Chunks of ice and rock crashed down, completely sealing the exit.
Mia-san slapped a hand to her forehead.
“We’re trapped…?”
The water level rose at an unbelievable speed. It had only reached our feet moments ago, yet now it was already up to our waists.
Safi screamed and clambered onto one of the soldiers.
“P-please, do something already! I’m about to drown here!”
W-well, you’re the only one whose head is about to go under…
The Thunder God, Thor, ran a hand through his blazing red hair.
“…Dwarf. What lies above this ceiling is still part of the dungeon, right?”
“Y-yes, but—!”
The Thunder God flashed a confident grin.
“Then up is our only option! Grab on!”
Thor whipped his red hair about as he let out a thunderous roar, hurling his hammer, Mjölnir, straight upward.
The falling masses of ice were shattered to pieces. Catching Mjölnir as it returned to his hand, Thor laughed.
“Here we go.”
The five gods wrapped us in light.
In contrast, the goddess we had awakened—Freyja-sama, that vessel of hers—grew dim, then began to fade away.
—Odin…
The repeated words broke off once again, unfinished.
My chest tightened. The weakened goddess somehow reminded me of Lu.
“…I’m sorry. I couldn’t find you. But if you’re nearby, I promise I’ll search for you—and wake you up. Because I… I’m the one who awakens the gods.”
I didn’t know whether words like these meant anything at all.
But for just an instant, the vessel seemed to smile.
Then it faded, and vanished.
“Nils-san!”
Nils-san looked utterly stunned—caught between the collapsing cavern and the disappearance of the goddess.
“…Rion, this… again, I—I—”
“Hold on!”
I gripped Nils-san’s hand tightly.
Solana shouted.
“Hold fast! We’re flying!”
Bathed in her gentle, protective light, we soared higher and higher.
With the gods’ power, we smashed through the cracked ceiling. A surge of water came rushing at us. I cried out, and the water spirit Undine gleamed within my right arm gauntlet. The spirit wrapped us in bubbles, shielding us from the torrent.
Someone was shouting, but the roar of the flood drowned them out.
We shot out into the open. The ceiling we had just burst through seemed to lie directly beneath a waterfall.
“…Amazing.”
The words slipped out of me.
The space ahead was vast—the same one we had descended to on the lift—but the view was like another world. It looked as though a flood had swept everything into a new dimension.
The chamber was shaped like an overturned cup, but waterfalls cascaded along its walls, as if the incoming water had built new boundaries of its own.
Following the flow, my gaze dropped downward.
The water level had risen dramatically. The thirteenth floor—maybe even the twelfth—was now completely submerged. Amid this overwhelming sight of water, a deep, rolling rumble continued.
“I feel an extraordinarily strong magic… similar to Freyja, but far stronger than Surtr—terrifyingly strong.”
The goddess closed her eyes tightly and shook her head.
She pointed toward the edge where the wall met the ceiling.
“That’s outside the dungeon.”
Does that mean the magic lies there?
Felix-san touched his coronet.
“This is way beyond expectations… my head hurts. For now, get us to a safe place!”
Looking down, the flooded lowest level came into view. The thirteenth floor was surely under water, at least.
“…I wonder… what about the other adventurers?”
Felix-san crossed his arms, his expression troubled.
“…The warrior corps should only be down around the tenth floor. Only we, accompanied by the gods, can scout the lowest levels.”
We slowly ascended through the vast chamber.
Me, Mia-san, Felix-san, Nils-san, Safi, and the raven warriors—five gods protecting us—but no one could say what might happen next.
Gradually, the influx of water began to ease.
Beneath us, multiple whirlpools were forming. The water that had rushed in… was it being drained?
“I-I see…”
Safi murmured.
“This space—it temporarily stores water to power something. I knew it was a vertical chamber, but it’s basically a water-pressure mechanism…”
Solana added her insight.
“A strong magic is moving… upward… toward the sky?”
What was actually happening?
My thoughts were a tangled mess, impossible to fully sort out.
A vertical shaft appeared above us—the same lift path we had descended earlier.
Clanking in her blue armor, Sigris pointed upward.
“Alright, everyone! We’re going in!”
Guided by the gods, we plunged into the narrow vertical shaft.
The walls rushed past us at incredible speed. We shot out into the hidden area on the fourth floor where the lift had departed, landing on solid ground.
As the gods returned to the gold coin, adventurers began to gather around.
“Felix-sama… what is this—!”
“The rescue on the fifth floor has been completed. We are now engaged in retrieving those trapped on the sixth floor—”
Felix-san stopped the rapid reports with a tap of his staff.
“Hurry! Gather the survivors and get them outside!”
After waiting for the sixth-floor rescue to finish, we led the survivors out.
And then—we saw something extraordinary.
The calm lake of Flocia. On its tranquil surface rose a tower, pure white, standing tall. So high that its upper reaches vanished into a haze. From its pinnacle, a seven-colored rainbow stretched into the sky.
The gold coin trembled, and Solana’s voice came through.
『Strong magical power comes from the peak.』
Our breaths caught, our hearts racing at the hint of a revealed secret.
Hidden away in Flocia —was the Tower of the Gods.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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