A tower had suddenly appeared in the lake.
From above, it looked like an arrow driven straight into the water.
Originally, the lake had the trading city of Flocia on its northern shore, with Dungeon Island, which housed a dungeon, in its centre. The tower now rose in perfect alignment with both the city and the island. A bridge, equally as white as the tower, connected the commercial city of Flocia to the dungeon island in a single straight line.
From the skies above this transformed lake, an old man gazed downward.
This was the realm of the gods—known as the “Heavenly Realm.”
The old man peered at the world below, squinting one eye as he stroked his beard.
From the top of the tower, a rainbow arched upward. The bridge of the rainbow stretched toward the heavens, though it vanished halfway through.
Odin recalled how, long ago, the rainbow bridge—Bifrost—had connected the mortal realm and the heavens, and slowly shook his head.
It was still too early to linger in memories.
He raised a hand toward the tower, narrowing one eye.
“…So this is where the main source of magic was concealed.”
A smile formed beneath his beard.
“Quite well done. Yes… awaken it properly.”
Nodding with satisfaction, Odin furrowed his brow.
“…Strange. Why does that presence accompany Rion and Solana?”
Everything was proceeding without a hitch. Yet Odin felt unease at the unexpected aura.
A ripple disturbed the carefully calculated flow, as precise as the passage of the seasons.
He raised his right hand. Two ravens swooped down, landing on his shoulders.
“…Go.”
At his command, the two black birds took flight.
The descending birds quickly became mere black specks in the distance.
Below, Rion and the others were just emerging onto the surface.
◆◆◆
A pure-white tower had suddenly appeared in the lake.
An equally white bridge had emerged, connecting Flocia to the dungeon island, forming the very base of the tower.
While rescuing those trapped in the dungeon, we also had to investigate the tower. But… the results were completely unknown.
We followed the bridge and approached the tower—but there was no entrance anywhere. According to Loki, it seemed to be sealed with magic, similar to the mechanisms within the dungeon itself.
——The metal pieces we carry won’t unlock it.
——Most likely, there exists a master key somewhere. Probably some kind of a central key for the entire dungeon that can be used to access to this tower.
That was our analysis—but we couldn’t focus on investigation alone.
The tower, now visible from the city, was causing panic among the people. The raised bridge had lifted several ships, throwing the harbor into chaos.
Even more troubling was that the dungeon and the city were now connected by the bridge. Previously, the lake had served as a natural moat—but now the monsters of the dungeon could potentially cross into the city.
Safi and I, along with the raven warriors, had our hands full.
We returned to Flocia to recruit adventurers to protect the city. Then we went back into the dungeon to ferry the rescued people onto ships. We scanned every hidden area to ensure no one had been left behind. It wasn’t until dusk that things finally settled.
Having entered the dungeon at dawn, it meant we had been running all day. Exhausted, I returned to the Odis Temple and made my way first to the basement, where Safi was waiting.
“…I see now.”
The dwarf blacksmith held my short sword up to the magical stone lamp on the workbench. The blade gleamed sharply. Safi nodded with satisfaction and gently tapped the hilt with her hammer.
The short sword had been put through heavy use, so it seemed she was re-engraving the magical runes.
Without turning her back, Safi spoke.
“We achieved victories and results… but new problems arose.”
I nodded as I waited in the chair.
Watching the short sword take shape, Safi asked,
“The city’s gotten pretty chaotic. What’s your plan from here?”
“Well…”
After the tower investigation had settled for the moment, Safi had returned to the forge in the temple’s basement. So it made sense that she’d be curious about what was happening outside.
I answered,
“We’re suspending the dungeon investigation for today. Once the sun rises tomorrow, we’ll resume looking into the tower.”
I pressed a finger to my chin, thinking.
The suddenly appeared tower clearly held secrets. Even after returning from the dungeon, the gods had been unusually quiet.
I wanted to ask them for answers but there was this sense that I shouldn’t approach lightly.
“Rion, thank you for today.”
Before I realized it, Safi had finished her work. The little blacksmith held out the dagger in her small hands and said it.
Sitting down while she stood, our eyes met at roughly the same height.
I think I blinked in surprise.
“…Just now?”
“Ah! For helping me!”
Safi pouted.
“When my pack was broken and the monsters attacked!”
“Ah… yeah.”
“I really am a liability in the dungeon, huh…”
“It’s fine. Honestly, I’m glad you were there, Safi.”
There were probably things that would’ve gone wrong without her—like the lift mechanism, or the dungeon’s layout.
The dwarf blacksmith’s cheeks flushed, and she crossed her arms, leaning away slightly.
“W-well… maybe.”
The gold coin trembled.
…What was that?
Normally, the gods’ voices would speak right after such movement—but this time, nothing followed.
Safi pointed her thumb toward the workbench.
“Alright. I’m going to examine the magical keys here.”
On the tray before her lay several metal pieces. Each was about the size of a thumb, yet they were the proper “keys” that had unlocked the dungeon’s hidden doors.
There might even be hints here for entering the tower.
“I’m one of Alvis’ Ten Blacksmiths! From mousetraps to locks, if it’s metal, I can handle it!”
I couldn’t help but chuckle—after all, in the royal temple, she had created all sorts of things. The dwarves made not only weapons and armor, but also mechanisms to protect the temple—even mousetraps.
…Though, admittedly, the mousetraps were so elaborate that they moved in impressively dramatic ways.
Ahem. Safi cleared her throat.
“…Let’s go back a bit. That magical key… it’s quite worn, but I think it was originally a single divine artifact.”
“A god’s tool, you mean?”
“Yeah. Probably some kind of ornament. A bracelet, a chain, or something that had been broken apart and repurposed as keys.”
I tried to imagine what kind of divine artifact it had been.
A bracelet perhaps? A belt?
I stood from my chair and sheathed my short sword at my side.
“Thanks for the sword. After this, it seems we have business in the ‘Frost Orb’ chamber.”
I parted ways with Safi and left the underground forge.
In the temple, the warrior corps bustled back and forth.
I searched for that person—Nils-san.
He, too, had been summoned to the ‘Frost Orb’ chamber. There, I would see Pauline and Lu as well.
But first, I wanted to speak with him. I wondered what he was feeling. After all, the person we had rescued in the dungeon wasn’t his sister.
I recalled his weaknesses and scratched the back of my head.
“…I hope he isn’t lost somewhere again.”
However, Nils-san was not easy to find.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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