Continuing westward from the Royal Capital, the land gradually changed until a vast, barren wasteland stretched before us. The lush, green hills slowly thinned, the grass disappearing, until the earth turned a harsh, reddish-brown.
—The Sunset Wasteland.
It was named for the site of the Blood-Red Sunset, where a monster outbreak and a fierce battle had left the land scarred. We had ridden from the temple in a carriage, taking two days to reach this desolate stretch.
The road had long since disappeared into rough terrain, and the carriage rattled over the uneven ground. We were nearing our destination—the dungeon ruins where the Crimson Sunset had occurred—so no proper path remained.
I peered out the window and muttered.
“To think that a land like this exists so close to the Royal Capital…”
Life itself seemed to vanish here. Not a single blade of grass dared to grow across the endless reddish soil. The sun beat down on the barren earth, reflecting its heat and making the spring day feel like midsummer.
Solana’s voice came from the gold coin.
『This might be the result of the battle between Ymir and Heimdall in the age of myths. This must have been the site of the fiercest battle.』
Heimdall had acted as a sentinel for the gods, blowing his horn and standing on the front lines. The monsters had targeted him first. The walls that were breached long ago had surely vanished without a trace over a thousand years. The dungeon where Heimdall had protected the faithful had already become ruins by the time I was born—and with Ymir’s resurrection, it had been utterly destroyed.
Eventually, the carriage came to a halt.
The reddish earth was scarred with deep craters, and a single thick pillar jutted upward, like a tombstone standing vigil.
“Let’s get out.”
We stepped onto the ground, preparing our equipment with the usual companions: Mia-san, Felix-san, and the Raven Warriors. This time, Safi is with us as well as she might be needed to maintain the sacred artifacts.
But the most unusual presence of all was—
“Here we go…”
Lu, dressed in her priest robes, stepped down from the carriage. I took her hand, steadying her.
“You okay?”
“Yeah…”
She smiled, though her expression remained tense.
“Lu, it’s dangerous to stay outside…”
“I’ll be fine. I’ve been practicing receiving magic from Freyja-sama anyway.”
That was right. Lu would be joining us in the exploration of the Blood-Red Sunset site. Her knowledge of the Freyja’s magic might prove essential. And with me moving into the field, the other gods would have to leave the temple too. Now that we knew Odin was targeting us, it made sense for Lu to stay as close as possible.
We waited for everyone to be ready, then signaled.
“Let’s move.”
We descended into the massive vertical chasm. The hole carved into the wasteland was enormous, easily fifty meters to the bottom. At the base, weathered pillars and crumbling walls jutted out from the earth. If this had once been part of a buried dungeon… it would have been a dungeon over ten layers deep. Had the dungeon’s functions remained intact, it would likely have been far more difficult than Flocia.
Finally, we reached the bottom.
From above, the howl of a wolf echoed through the air.
『…So you’ve come』
Heimdall’s voice echoed calmly from the gold coin.
I raised my short sword and glared upward, positioning myself to shield Lu with my back.
Above us, a massive wolf loomed, and on its back sat a man who looked down at us with unsettling calm.
“Welcome. I am Fenrir, Chief of the Wolf Bones. A pleasure to meet you.”
The wolf seemed to curl its cheeks in a twisted grin. Though the voice came from the man, it carried a disquieting serenity. And yet, it echoed through the gaps between the wolf’s enormous fangs, making the sound all the more unnerving.
“I invited you here because I wished to speak with you directly.”
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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