A blinding flash scorched my eyes. Silence followed. Or perhaps my ears had been shattered by the thunderous roar of the attack, leaving me unable to hear a thing.
My sight and hearing had both declined. And yet, strangely, I did not panic. Perhaps it was because I could still feel the goddess close by. The coin clung to my short sword, and Solana’s presence rested warm and certain against my palm.
Gradually, my senses returned. First came the sound—rolling thunder, and the steady drumming of rain. Cold water struck my cheek. Startled, I looked up. Through my hazy vision, I saw a jagged gash torn across the ceiling.
“…Solana?”
Her name left my lips just as another raindrop splashed against my face.
My senses were fully back now.
A great crack split the tower’s ceiling, and beyond it loomed churning thunderclouds. The Sword of the Daughter of the Sun indeed has power beyond reason.
The gold coin peeled away from the short sword.
With a bright, chiming ring, it bounced and the goddess sprang forth.
“I’m right here, Rion.”
Solana rose lightly into the air and swept her gaze across the tower.
It wasn’t only the ceiling— the opposite wall had been blown apart as well. And there, slumped against the crumbling remains, lay Freyr. Rain poured in through the breach, striking his wounded body without mercy. His beautiful golden hair was blackened with soot, so ruined it was hardly recognizable.
Just to be certain, I reached out with the Blessing of the God of Hunting. There’s a faint breath. He is alive. But there is no sign that he would stand up again.
Solana drifted toward him.
“…I will keep watch over Freyr. For now—our concern lies elsewhere.”
Solana pointed toward the great mass of ice at the far end of the hall.
In this place that resembled a cathedral, it looked at first like a goddess’s statue frozen in crystal. But the figure within was no statue. She’s a true deity. Freyja-sama—the Goddess of Fertility who had bestowed greenery and bounty upon Flocia.
Imprisoned within the ice, her flowing golden hair, her downcast eyes, the green-tinged dress that seemed caught mid-billow—she was preserved exactly as if she might stir at any moment.
I turned back to Solana.
“I’m doing it.”
“Mm!”
Swallowing hard, I stepped forward.
Rain seeped into every wound across my body, stinging as it went. Lightning flashed, illuminating both me and the frozen goddess in stark white brilliance.
Inside my pouch, the awakening horn—Gjallarhorn—began to tremble.
“…Ah.”
I stood before the ice.
A chill radiated from it, sharp and absolute. Goosebumps rose at the nape of my neck—an instinctive shiver at the sense of what was about to happen.
I drew out the horn and filled my lungs.
Then I blew.
—Wake up!
The sound echoed. The note of the divine instrument cleaved through wind and thunder, cutting across the storm as it rang out around the tower.
A crack split the ice. The fracture widened, spreading in branching veins. As fissures formed before Freyja-sama, her closed eyes slowly opened. Her blue gaze was distant at first—unfocused. Then, little by little, it found me.
“Freyja-sama?”
At my call, her lips curved.
It was a faint smile, the corners of her cheeks lifting ever so slightly—quiet, delicate… breathtakingly beautiful. For some reason, the image of my little sister rose in my mind—Lu—wearing that same gentle smile.
The ice began to shatter.
Light gathered across Freyja-sama’s entire body. It swelled from within then it burst outward, and every last shard of sealing ice was blown away. A wind tore through the hall—fierce beyond measure, yet strangely warm. Power the color of young spring grass drifted through the air, wrapping around me like an embrace.
Freyja-sama rose gently into the air and descended toward me.
She reached out and laid her fingers upon the horn in my hands.
—Rion… and Heimdall.
Her lips, shaped the words.
The horn blazed with blinding radiance. From somewhere far beyond the heavens, a roar thundered down.
—WOOOOOOOOOOO!
A voice echoed in my head.
『Let’s go! O righteous boy! Sound my divine instrument!』
It was a voice so loud it almost ringed my ears. Heimdall-sama is a bit—no, maybe he’s more than a bit loud…!?
“Y-you’re the god of the horn, after all…!?”
I forced more air into the horn.
Sound and magic rippled outward, making the very space tremble. Its tone rang bright and jubilant, as though blessing the entire world. As waves of young-grass-colored magic spread, Solana raised her voice. Her golden hair and divine garments streamed in the rushing wind.
“Freyja’s power has been released! The Seiðr magic placed upon the awakening horn, Gjallarhorn, has been undone!”
The green light surged upward through the shattered ceiling, climbing high into the sky. It pushed the clouds aside as it rose.
Like a colossal flower blooming. A blossom of clear sky opened within the thunderheads. Midday sunlight poured down through the rift above. Bathed in gold, Freyja-sama and I stood facing one another.
Then—
From the corner of the chamber, a voice spoke.
“…Guu—”
Freyr’s eyes fluttered open to narrow slits. His body was ravaged with wounds and he looked unable to move.
“…So I have been defeated.”
“I told you. Even if he hesitates. Even if he weeps. This child will still move forward. A gentle strongest is far stronger than one who is merely strong.”
Solana spoke softly.
Freyja-sama nodded quietly and smiled. She extended her pale hand to Solana who was standing a distance away, and poured light green magical power into her. The immense magical power that was said to be in the tower must have belonged to Lady Freyja after all.
As Solana received the power, her body took on an intensifying golden glow. She looked at me in surprise.
“Rion. If you have this much magical power, what will you….?”
I was startled. I hurried to the gap in the wall and looked outside.
The sunshine had not yet reached the cityscape visible from the tower. Everyone was still trapped in the storm, still fighting. On the bridge, countless monsters yet remained. Farther beyond, in the city of Flocia, crimson-black flames and lightning still clashed violently.
I looked up at Freyja-sama and made my wish.
“I want… to save everyone!”
Freyja-sama gave a quiet nod.
She raised her hand toward Solana, who stood some distance away, and poured forth magic the color of young grass. So the vast power said to lie within the tower… it had been Freyja-sama’s all along.
Bathed in that energy, Solana’s golden radiance intensified. She looked at me in astonishment.
“Rion. With this much magic…!”
She pointed toward the bridge, where the Medicine God Sigris is still fighting. The implication struck me so hard I nearly dropped my dagger.
“Don’t tell me…!”
“Yes! You, the humans, helped us! Now let us devote our power to you in return!”
I closed my eyes and unleashed the gods’ skill to its fullest. The magic required would be beyond imagining. After all, the one I meant to aid this time was not a single person—but the entire city.
| Skill『Sun’s Divine Protection』has been activated. 【Golden Flame】⋅⋅⋅⋅⋅⋅Improves physical ability. Further effect for a limited time. |
| Skill 『Divine Protection of the God of Medicine』has been activated. 【Valkyria’s Spoon】…… Recovery. Consumes magical power to expand the range. |
Through Loki’s power,【Duplicity】, the blessings of the gods could now overlap. Blessing of the Sun strengthened physical prowess through the Golden Flame. Blessing of the Medicine God expanded the healing reach of Valkyria’s Spoon.
“Sigris!”
When Solana’s voice rang out from the tower, even Sigris, fighting atop the bridge, seemed to notice. She shot upward into the sky. All the while, the clearing sky spread, and the sunlight glinted off her blue armor.
Sigris reached the upper air—and then swapped her spear for a spoon. Solana, wrapped in young-grass-colored magic, basked in the sunlight, her radiance growing brighter with every passing moment. She smiled at me.
“Thank you, Rion. This battle… it’s all thanks to you.”
From her outstretched hands, she sent golden magic to Sigris. The light settled into her spoon. As she lifted it, it seemed as though she were scooping up the sun itself. With the voices of the two goddesses chanting in unison, the blessings rained down.
—All warriors, arise!
For Flocia, it was like a divine rain, breaking through the storm to pour down its grace. The Golden Flame, scattered from the spoon across the city, imbued every adventurer who fought there. Slowly, here and there, the tide of battle began to turn.
It made sense. Even I, a fledgling, could wield it to battle monsters ten levels higher than myself. This was a blessing of unimaginable power.
Cheers rose from all around. Monsters on the bridge, monsters trying to swim up the canals—all were being pushed back by the adventurers. Even in the city, the thunder had grown more intense. Perhaps even the gods themselves had been enhanced by the Golden Flame.
Humans and gods, fighting side by side. I looked down on such scene from the tower. My heart burned so fiercely I could hardly move.
“T-this… this is incredible…!”
On the bridge, in the canals, throughout the city—the battles were coming to a rapid close.
Freyja-sama, without me noticing, appeared beside me. She smiled gently.
“Thank you. But I have one duty I must fulfill.”
“…Huh?”
She floated upward, then leapt from the tower toward the lake. Even the gods would have blinked at that sight.
From above, the cawing of ravens echoed.
Kyaa kyaa, kyaa kyaa.
Two crows circled the sky, their cries almost as if they were shouting, “Stop! Stop!”
Freyja-sama had reached the center of the lake. The storm had been pushed back by her magic, leaving only a gentle breeze rippling across the water’s surface. The lake itself was soon bathed in the young-grass-colored magic. She stretched her arms wide to either side. From above, it looked as though the green magic spread like ripples, filling the entire lake.
Then, the water itself began to rise, swirling upward in unison. It lifted all the way to the height of the tower where I stood—probably ten stories above the ground.
I couldn’t help but gasp.
Because before me, in the air, appeared Freyja-sama’s colossal form—a size so immense that if she stretched her arms, she could almost bridge the city to the dungeon island.
When you are truly overwhelmed, your mouth falls open, and words fail.
Solana furrowed her brow, sensing the gravity of the moment.
“…This is—”
Along with the gentle breeze, I felt the life force of the water itself.
“With an unfathomably vast magic, she’s reflecting her form in the water… like a mirage.”
Every adventurer fighting in the city must have seen this sight. Merchants, sailors, every single person—everyone must have caught a glimpse of the goddess, magnified to unimaginable scale.
A shiver ran down my spine. This—this was the first time her true divine form had appeared.
—I am Freyja, a goddess of ancient times.
—I bring a message to you all.
Freyja-sama began to speak, her voice descending from the massive form visible from every corner of the city, carrying a weight and authority that was impossible to ignore.
From the top of the tower, both Solana and I stood frozen, unable to look away.
Only Freyr, with his calm, unwavering eyes, continued to watch Freyja-sama silently, as if absorbing every word.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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