As Rion began searching for Nils, the gods were moving as well.
Five of them floated in the blue sky.
“After the world was sealed, Freyja… she must have been caught up in some event. That much I believe to be certain.”
As the first god to awaken, Solana seemed to take it upon herself to speak first. After that, she fell silent, passing the weight of words to the next speaker.
It was the young man clad in hunting attire who picked up the conversation.
“But you see…”
The God of Hunting, Uru, crossed his arms and stroked his chin thoughtfully. The brown braids of his hair fluttered lightly in the breeze.
“What sort of event was it? Even if you know there’s prey, if you don’t know what kind, it’s as though you know nothing at all.”
When it came to matters of battle, Uru’s gaze sharpened, becoming almost predatory.
He continued,
“From my perspective, Odin must have had a hand in it. That’s what the broken messages hinted at. If that’s true—”
Uru’s eyes swept across the gathered gods, measuring each of them.
“So, what do we do? Do we go rescue Freyja as things stand?”
Deciding the next move was inevitable. Quick as the wind, Uru drove the discussion forward, his instincts honed for instant judgment—as any hunter’s would be.
“The strategy’s unclear. It’s… unnervingly strange. And, just so you know, I’m against it. As a scout, I don’t want anyone rushing blindly into the fog.”
The next to raise her voice was a woman clad in azure armor. Sigris, the God of Medicine, let her eyes—matching the hue of her armor—sweep over those gathered.
“I wish for Freyja to be saved. Her power is too valuable to lose… especially her mastery of Seiðr magic. Among the sibling gods of fertility, she is unparalleled.”
Seiðr was a magic that acted upon the mind. It was the key to unlocking the full potential of the awakening horn, Gjallarhorn. Its power was bound and restrained precisely by Seiðr. One of the reasons Rion and the others came to Flocia was the existence of this magic.
“And…”
Sigris hesitated, then continued, her voice softening.
“Freyja and we, the Valkyrie warrior maidens, have fought together before. Our powers can strengthen one another. I admit… this is partly a personal wish, that a comrade might be saved.”
She let her armored hand rest over her chest, the metal ringing faintly.
A brief silence fell over the room, heavy yet respectful. It was Solana, as facilitator, who finally broke it.
“Anyone else…?”
A cough rumbled through the air, making the atmosphere itself shiver. The Thunder God, Thor, finally spoke.
Towering over two meters, his massive frame was easily twice the size of the other gods.
“…I’m in favor of rescuing Freyja too. You all felt the magic atop the Tower of the Lake, didn’t you?”
His voice rolled across the hall like distant thunder.
“I sense Freyja’s presence there. Nine times out of ten, she’s still in that tower. But—”
He paused, eyes narrowing.
“That magic… it’s far too strong for a single god to wield. There’s something suspicious about it, some kind of strategy at play.”
With a resounding thud, Thor struck his broad shoulder with his golden hammer, Mjolnir.
“But putting it another way, we can’t just leave her there. Imagine a power like that falling into the hands of monsters… or Ymir, the primordial titan. How much stronger would that make our enemies?”
A tension ran through the gathered gods.
Atop the suddenly appearing tower, all of them could feel a force of magic so immense it seemed impossible for a single deity to hold. It rivaled the combined strength of all five gods present—or perhaps even that of Odin himself.
Yet the presence they felt, unmistakably, was Freyja’s alone.
Solana took up the thought.
“If that’s the case… the power of Seiðr itself could fall into enemy hands.”
The thought of a power that could manipulate the mind—memories, will—falling into the hands of monsters was terrifying. No one could imagine what horrors they might force humans to commit.
It was entirely possible that the enemy had already acquired something close to that power, though the gods remained unaware.
Thor scratched his cheek with fingers like thick logs.
“As for her brother Freyr… we still got no lead. Whatever we found on the fourth level, it seemed just like a replica—much like Freyja herself…”
He paused, then turned his gaze toward the Sun Goddess, who nodded silently.
“So? Solana, what do you think?”
His wide, probing eyes urged her.
“Hm…”
The youngest of the five gods drew in a steady breath. Her golden eyes betrayed no hesitation. The pause was merely to let all eyes settle on her.
“I think we should go and save Freyja. And the reason is—”
Even as she spoke, Solana’s posture remained proud, unflinching.
“Rion, and the others… they would want to save Freyja too. They are the ones living in this world. If that is their wish, then I believe we should help them. We should help mortals.”
Uru and Sigris blinked in surprise. Thor squinted, then let out a booming laugh.
“For the sake of mortals, huh? I see… that’s very like you.”
Solana crossed her arms, raising the index finger of her right hand.
“Our will is important of course. However, the world does not belong to the gods alone. In the end, it is Rion and the others whose intentions we must respect. And mortals would never allow such a concentration of magic to remain unchecked—it sits right in front of the city, after all.”
A quiet, almost mischievous chuckle escaped and echoed in the room.
She pressed back a lock of golden hair and cast a questioning glance to her right.
“…What is it, Loki?”
“Oh? Nothing. I just think you’re right. We can’t ignore human opinions. It’s pointless for the gods to be talking among ourselves, isn’t it?”
The dark-robed god stretched both arms out from his sleeves and shrugged.
“But, Solana… watching you is fascinating. Just by interacting closely with a human boy, it seems even the gods start to change.”
Solana lowered her gaze, contemplative.
“…Indeed. The gods have not always trusted humans—or even dwarves, for that matter.”
Loki grinned broadly and waved his hand as if dismissing it all.
“I’m not teasing you, mind you… But gods do change, too. Solana, even you—thanks to a certain dwarf—seem to be… changing a little lately.”
Solana tilted her head, puzzled.
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh? You’re not aware? Don’t you feel… a little flustered around Rion?”
“Eh… that’s…”
Her golden eyes flickered uncertainly. The other gods suddenly began to flail in panic.
“L-Loki!?”
“Um, uh! I think that kind of thing should be handled slowly!”
“Y-Yeah! That’s right! I agree!”
Loki, in contrast, narrowed his eyes into a mischievous half-lidded gaze.
“…Why is it you all are the ones panicking the most?”
Solana’s eyes darted about, still clearly confused. She didn’t fully understand what he was implying.
“F-flustered…? Hah!”
She placed both hands over her chest, over her dress.
“Th-this… this part?”
“…I never imagined you’d be so innocent you can’t even handle a little teasing.”
Loki groaned and covered his eyes, then snapped his fingers with his free left hand.
“Doesn’t anyone notice? Even gods change. Just as Solana has grown and changed… gods can change too.”
His gaze lifted to the sky above. If this had been the real sky, Odin would surely have been there, watching.
Solana drew herself together and lowered her chin.
“The awakening goddess of fertility… isn’t necessarily on our side?”
“Exactly. If there’s a history we don’t know, that’s a possibility.”
Loki replied.
He continued, voice calm but firm.
“Still, I agree with Solana. That tower cannot be ignored. Even cautiously, we have to go.”
As if struck by a sudden thought, he added,
“If Odin has crafted a strategy, then we are already part of it. We know there’s a plan—but we may have no choice but to act according to it. Perhaps that’s the situation we’re already bound to.”
A wind began to stir in the sky above the gathered gods. Though it was a fabricated, semi-artificial sky, it was not completely sealed off from the world outside. If the weather changed, they would feel it.
Thor crossed his massive arms, feeling the air.
“…The wind’s picking up out there. Looks like a storm is brewing.”
And with that, the discussion ended.
Like Rion and the others, the gods had no choice but to move forward.
Solana, the Sun’s Daughter; Thor, the Thunder God; Loki, the God of Mischief; Uru, the God of Hunting and Sigris, the God of Medicine—each of them are already “unsealed” and rests within the gold coin that Rion carried.
The sky they hovered in wasn’t the real one.
It had been recreated from their combined magic.
When the gods held serious discussions, it was inconvenient not to be able to see one another. That was why a sky for conversation was projected inside the gold coin. The blue sky, surrounded by clouds, was essentially a council chamber for the gods.
“Freyja…”
The first to speak was Solana, her golden hair shimmering in the sunlight.
To grasp the situation, the Sun Goddess began by confirming the basics.
First: the labyrinth in Flocia had indeed contained the power of the Goddess of Fertility.
Second: the “unsealing” had triggered some mechanism, and a tower had risen from the lake.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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