Author: Yume Neiji

In the unexplored area of the Alvis Dungeon.

The Dwarf King has turned to stone, silent and motionless. We stood before the wall he had told us about. I exhaled a white puff of breath, then I gently placed both of my hands on the cold surface of the wall before me.

“Wake up!”

With my right hand, I released the seal on the passage to the right side and with my left, the one to the left. The stone wall crumbled away, revealing a fork in the path.

Like what the Dwarf King had said, one path likely led underground, the other above ground. The left side descended to the lowest floor, where Flamebone Surtr awaited and the right side leads outside.

We must make a choose.

“I…..”

I hesitated. Because this wasn’t just our problem— the fate of Alvis itself was at stake.

Something inside me was shouting. The fact that the Dwarf King had mentioned the “prison.” That there was an anti-Titan trap on the boss floor. That the guard golems had faced off against the titans.

Can dwarves really not be trusted?

Is that truly the right answer?

Was the country Safiy came from really such a terrible place?

All those thoughts were in my head.

“Let’s retreat.”

The words, spoken as if to cut something off, came in a firm voice. Felix-san’s sharp gaze passed over each of us in turn.

Me, Mia-san, the Raven Warriors, and finally to Safi.

After letting his eyes rest briefly on the dwarf blacksmith, Felix-san turned his gaze back to the passage.

“In this situation, it’s difficult to place complete trust in the dwarves. The dungeon is a den of monsters to begin with, and right now, we must also be wary of dwarven traps. We know that Flamebone Surtr is here. In that case, it would be far more rational for us to return to the surface, have the adventurers and guards prepare, and meet the attack from outside.”

Fighting in a place where traps might be waiting is sheer foolishness. That, perhaps, was what Felix was trying to say.

The gods—especially Thor—were probably thinking the same thing. 

Nothing was coming from the gold coin. I know they are waiting for me.

“B-but…”

I raised my voice, about to argue back at Felix-san.

“What is it?”

Looking down at me, Felix-san’s gaze stopped me from talking. He was a veteran of the Raven Warriors, and his words were sound enough that even the gods had nothing to say in objection.

“No way…!”

Safi’s lips trembled. The dwarf blacksmith’s face had gone pale.

“I… I…”

“We’ve heard enough about the land of the dwarves.”

Felix-san dismissed her. Safi glared back at him.

Yet my heart was still screaming—

—Believe them!

But… believe in what?

Which side?

“……!”

I couldn’t find an answer to that question.

And in the end, I couldn’t turn my voice into my true voice. When we returned, the city of Alvis was in an uproar. The dungeon had been declared off-limits.

Along the old castle walls that lay between the mining dungeon and the city, adventurers and soldiers were already lining up, preparing for the possibility of monsters pouring out of the dungeon.

Having fled back from the depths, we made our way to the Temple of Odis and revealed our identity as the “Raven Warriors.” We spent the entire afternoon issuing orders to the Adventurers’ Guild and informing the lord of the dungeon’s abnormal state. All to prepare for a large-scale monster invasion, like the one that had struck the eastern side of the Royal Capital.

◆◆◆

Right now, we are in the Temple of Odis. Night has already grown late.

I stand and walk over to the window. The mine still looms like a massive wall. From the temple’s high ground, I can clearly see the gentle slope leading up to its entrance. From the dungeon’s gate which was once the main entrance of a royal palace—the slope suddenly steepens.

At the foot of the moonlit mountain, countless torch lights are moving.

『There is nothing for you to worry about. Not a single thing.』

The gold coin vibrated, and Solana’s voice reached me. I take up the coin case Lu made for me and gently run my fingers over the half-exposed gold coin.

『…That kindness of yours, the way you can’t just shut your feelings off—I like that about you.』

Solana’s encouragement usually warms my heart like sunlight. But this time was different. There was a hollow in my chest, and no matter what words were spoken, they just slipped away with the wind, leaving nothing behind.

『In that moment… Felix is right.』

“No.”

I clenched my teeth.

“When I… when we left the Dwarf King’s chamber and head to the surface, when I decided not to go down—to face Surtr and the others…!”

I was presented a choice. To trust them and fight in the deepest layer, or to trust the gods and return to the surface. In the end… I chose to trust the gods.

I didn’t trust Safi, or the dwarves. What I chose was “retreat.”

“…I kept wondering if that was really okay. Safi looked so sad, but I don’t know what the future holds, and I couldn’t bring myself to decide… so…”

From my lips, the weaker side of me slipped out.

“I… I actually felt a little relieved.”

Because—

“…the gods decided for me, instead of me deciding for myself.”

The night was quiet, and perhaps because it was still before spring, not even the sound of insects could be heard. The roars and tremors that had shaken the ground so fiercely before were gone now.

“There were so many things I wanted to say, so many things I wanted to ask, so many things I wanted us all to talk about and think through together… But… the words just wouldn’t come out…”

The outline of the mountain blurred.

…Tears?

Father once said that, back in the dungeon where Ymir appeared, he stood and fought alongside his companions. Now, I could finally grasp just how incredible that was. Even when the Raven Warriors had nearly chosen to retreat, he kept fighting.

—That meant Father had made a decision. He knew what was right, and what should not be done. He had something like an unshakable core as an adventurer… and that’s why he could hold his ground.

“…You are kind. But at the same time, Thor’s way of thinking—and Felix’s—are also correct.”

Facing Solana, I kept my gaze fixed on the cluster of torches moving along the city wall.

They were prepared—keeping watch through the night against a monster assault, and come morning, we’ll be surrounding the dungeon. It’s a two-layered strategy, leaving no room for carelessness.

“I know that, but…!”

I gripped the window frame.

The gauntlet still on my hand gleamed white under the moonlight. I am weak. At the most crucial moment, I hadn’t even been able to show my own will.

It wasn’t enough to just be kind. I had sworn an oath to the goddess because I wanted the strength to uphold that kindness. Swallowing down the lump of shame in my throat, I tore my thoughts away from the past.

I stepped back from the window and sat down on top of the clothing chest.

“…I wonder if Safi’s okay.”

Safi should have been resting where the Raven Warriors were staying. 

I want to go check on her, but… right now, I didn’t really have the energy myself.

“I’m worried too, but…”

Solana’s voice brought back the words Safi had spoken when we returned to the surface. A sharp pain shot through my chest.

—And here I thought the black dwarves and white dwarves had changed.

—They’d started working at the forge together, cooperating with each other…

In the distant past, in Álfheim, the conflict between dwarves had been deeply rooted. So deep that they wouldn’t even work together. But in the frozen forge, both white dwarves and black dwarves had shared the same space.

Safi, a black dwarf, had even been granted the title of Top Ten Blacksmith.

The dwarven kingdom had been changing—or so we’d hoped. But that hope must have been shattered by the reality of their betrayal.

『I think it’s something that couldn’t be helped though.』

Loki’s voice came.

『…I may have said this before, but distrust and betrayal existed back then as well. In fact, I myself was once suspected of betrayal. Distrust existed even among the gods.』

I wiped away my tears, startled by his words.

“Y-you too, Loki…?”

『Heh. I once traveled far and wide to broaden my magical knowledge. I met with dwarves, and at times even with titans. Long, long before the war, there were still titans you could reason with…』

From the coin, I could feel Loki’s wry smile.

『Rion, just as you wrestle with your choices, the gods can be a little complicated too.』

He let the words hang with a sly air before falling silent.

Then the voice of Sigris, the god of medicine, followed.

『…Even when Loki was suspected, he continued to share the magical knowledge he had gained on his travels. You saw similar technology among the dwarves in the Western Dungeon, didn’t you?』

I see…

The magical rune letters in the Western Dungeon, and even the boss, the Iron Golem—those might well have been based on the knowledge Loki had acquired on those journeys.

『I may have been suspected, but the knowledge I’d gained was useful. Sure, I was down for a while, but they let me stick to my ways—stubbornly, flexibly, you know.』

To carry it through huh…

Father would’ve made that decision in an instant.

I’m still hesitating. Even after being swept along once, I’ve kept on wavering… over and over.

『Rion… Think it through, you have your own kind of strength.』

Solana said.

I touched the horn in my pouch— the Gjallarhorn, the horn I inherited from Father.

Calm down. Steady your breathing. Face forward.

One by one, I picture the words I couldn’t say aloud.

Yes… the dwarf king, he… the horn—

“…Ah.”

Just as I was about to speak, the ground shook.

The things all around me fell with clattering sounds. The clothing chest I was sitting on nearly tipped over, and I clung to the window frame for balance.

A deafening roar rolled across the sky. From behind the mine —from the exit we had used to escape the dungeon —rose a pillar of blazing red fire, like something out of a story about a volcanic eruption.

『Here it comes.』

Thor’s voice came from the gold coin. I tucked my chin, slipped the coin case into my pocket, and tucked the horn into my pouch. Rushing out of the room, I ran straight into a woman from the warrior group.

“Rion-san….”

After hearing what had happened, I must have gone pale. I raced back up the stairs I had just descended and threw open the door to a certain room.

No one was there. Night wind swept in through the open window, stirring the mess left behind by the earthquake.

“.…Safi-dono has run off.”

I was told by a member of the warrior group that she had most likely gone to the mine alone.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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In a hidden tunnel beneath the Alvis Dungeon.

Ganis’ eyes snapped open. He gulped. Sweat beaded on his frog-like face. His bloated body quivered, and he spoke in a trembling voice.

“A-all the golems on the lower levels… They were destroyed?!”

No. That couldn’t be. It had to be a mistake.

Ganis desperately clung to such denial.

However, his own skill, Puppet Master, and the ability [Golem Master] told him the cruel reality. There were no more signals from the golems just above the mine shaft.

“Kiiiiiii! Impossible! Impossible!”

The test golems stationed in the dungeon’s depths were annihilated. The new batch, brought in to intercept the intruders, hadn’t even caught up to them.

“This is bad… this is very bad…!”

His frog-like face flushed, then paled.

“Too fast…! They’re advancing through the dungeon far too fast!”

Whoever was down there was no ordinary adventurer. This wasn’t just some “boy holding a horn”. That child held terrifying power for sure. Of course, Ganis had no concrete proof that this “boy holding a horn” was the one tearing through the dungeon. He couldn’t be sure until he saw it with his own eyes. But the circumstantial evidence was piling up.

His skill transmitted fragmented data from just before the golems were destroyed. One had been struck by a powerful thunder spell that even Ganis had never heard of. The technique used to avoid the golems could only be said to be too refined to be that of a novice.

No, whoever it was… it could not be just a mere adventurer.

At any rate, the risk of staying in the tunnel any longer is too great. The slave trader woman is closing in on Ganis, intent on punishing him. The “Business Expert”, Rata’s promise to mediate on his behalf was conditional. It is contingent on his success in stopping the boy.

Ganis looked out over the secret tunnel with wide eyes. The icy tunnel is cold enough to make him shiver. Or… perhaps it is fear that made him shiver.

“In that case… there’s only one option. I run.”

Fortunately for him, Rata had already disappeared.

The tunnel, once filled with the rhythm of pickaxes, is now eerily silent. Ganis had returned to the dungeon entrance after meeting with Rata to issue detailed instructions. During that time, the slaves must have fled.

There were originally golems in the mine tunnels used as guards, but many of them had been turned back into golem cores in order to be used in tracking down the “boy holding a horn”. Just to be on the safe side, Ganis had also hired some adventurers, but it seems they have fled along with the slaves.

Then, from above, a beast-like growl echoed down.

A tremor shook the tunnel.

“…Those worthless scum. If they’d stayed, I could’ve used them as shields!”

Ganis clicked his tongue and hurried back toward the lift.

“I have to reach the manor. Burn the ledgers… Forget this research—no, wait…”

Muttering to himself, he rode the lift to the upper floor. And there, waiting at the exit, was a woman.

Ganis collapsed backwards in fear.

“Oh my, hello there.”

It is a woman in black robes.

“J-Jor-dono…? W-what a surprise, meeting you here…”

“Mm, going somewhere?”

Jor stepped closer. Her lips curled in a faint smile. Her black hair curled like coiled serpents. That crimson tongue licking her lips—paired with Ganis’s wide-eyed stare—made it look as if a frog had just caught the gaze of a snake.

“And where are you off to?”

“Ah, t-that…”

“Where to, mountain toad?”

Far too fast.

Ganis cursed under his breath.

“R-Rata… that bastard…!”

Rata sounded as if he’d only recently told Jor about it—though in reality, he’d probably tattled on him ages ago.

“Fufu… Ganis.”

Jor grasped Ganis with one of her pale, slender arm and lifted him effortlessly. The strength was clearly not that of a human. She dragged him out of the lift and slammed him against the wall.

“Gu-uh!”

“You used the ashes of the titan without permission. My, my, your greed is even greater than that of a snake.”

As Ganis tried to get up, he noticed the giant face in front of him. By coincidence, the place where Ganis was thrown was very close to the giant’s face embossed on the rock wall. He landed right in front of it.

――Oooooooo…

A searing breath leaked through its cracked lips. Blood-red eyes, as large as human heads, began to focus on him.

Ganis begged.

“I-isn’t this just a vein of ore? W-what have I been mining—!?”

Jor giggled.

“Ufufufu. No way. This—this is no ordinary ore. It is what remains of a titan that lived long ago, before the kingdom of Asgard was founded. He was sealed away and what remained of him was buried under ice and earth.”

Jor reached up lovingly and stroked the stony giant’s face.

The giant face, slightly larger than Ganis’s, was probably nearly two meters in size. If the creature stood upright, it could probably step over castle walls.

“B-buried in ice and earth…?”

Ganis remembered the subsurface landscape.

Finally, he understood. The materials he’d been mining—were parts of this giant.

――Oooooooo……

“Hi-hiiii!”

He curled up, clutching his head in terror, pleading. But Jor’s voice remained playful, even as heat rippled through the air.

“Oh? Seems that the boy with the horn is getting close.”

The dirt and stone peeled off the giant face, revealing the red-hot skin. The passageway began to heat up. The giant face is beginning to glow with flames.

“He’s reacting to god’s presence.”

Ganis could hear it—the crisp sound of his robe sizzling. Sparks scorched his cheeks. His instincts screamed.

“F-flame titan…?!”

Ganis knew neither the true myths nor the race called “Flame Titan.” But the words that slipped from his lips were true nonetheless.

“Correct. This is Surtr Flamebone, king of the flame titans.”

The titan roared. If it weren’t for the magical barrier that Jor had whimsically erected, Ganis would have been slammed against the wall and died. At the very least, his eardrums would have been ruptured.

“Ha, ha, hahaha… hihihihi…”

Ganis wept and laughed like a madman. The fact that he hadn’t wet himself only suggested something in his mind had already snapped.

The titan’s eyes turned upward—slowly.

“Oh my? Not coming after all huh…”

Jor covered her mouth with a delicate hand, chuckling.

“Cautious? Or just cowardly? Either way… the end won’t wait forever.”

Footsteps echoed from the tunnel. Another figure emerged from the exit.

It was another slave trader—Rata. His noble-style garments looked out of place in the dreary tunnel. Despite the heat, his expression was calm and composed.

“The dungeon is in complete chaos.”

He smiled like a kind youth. But his crescent-shaped eyes with cold gleam made that smile unsettling. From their golden depths, he stared into the titan’s burning face.

“That shaking and that roar… Some are calling this the world’s end. Well, it is not far off.”

He turned to face Jor, frowning slightly. He brushed aside his thick chestnut hair with a sigh.

“Jor, you are the only one here? There is no mistake about it—the boy holding the horn is here. They outsmarted us.”

“Ymir-sama won’t be joining us. As for brother…. it’s likely that he won’t be coming either.”

Jor added a small “ah,” as if remembering something.

“By the way, the brother I’m talking about isn’t the boy with the horn.”

She giggled and crouched, locking eyes with the slumped Ganis.

“But you know, Ganis, I am grateful to you. Ymir-sama granted you the Puppet Master skill to awaken the ancient dwarven techniques that lay dormant in this land. You did well—though, yes, a bit too greedy.”

Her eyes gleamed.

Ganis shrieked.

“But still. Since Surtr won’t fully awaken until nightfall… Ganis, I think I’ll borrow your strength a little longer.”

A fire ignited in Ganis’s heart. He wanted to be called a genius. To wield power freely. To have not only the commoners but nobles—even lords—kneel before him.

That greed was drawn out and it grew stronger.

Skill: Seduction was used.

Just as Surtr was cloaked in flame, Ganis’s soul was consumed by the fire of ambition.

“The power of the Serpent’s Temptation… Gideon didn’t need it. But you, Ganis—I’ll grant it to you.”

Jor leaned close to the dazed man, her red lips brushing his ear.

“Now… if this titan becomes your golem… If it were enhanced with your craftsmanship… You’d go down in history, wouldn’t you?”

The flame in Ganis’s almost-extinguished ambition was rekindled. At the serpent’s temptation, the magic engineer laughed like crazy. He stood up with vacant eyes and began to slowly walk back to the lift.

The conversation between the slave traders went on.

“Now, Surtr will fully awaken by nightfall.”

Rata said, glancing at Jor in her black robe.

“Surtr’s body is nothing but the ‘titan’s ashes.’ It seems Thor is also there… perhaps I can finally fight in my true form?”

Rata smiled gently.

“Serpentbone Jor—in the age of myth, you were the world’s largest serpent, after all.”

Jor shrugged and bit her fingertip. Dreaming of a day when her serpent’s maw would swallow the Thunder God, the boy, and his sister—all whole.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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The boss layer of the Alvis Dungeon has returned to its original darkness with the disappearance of the Guardian. The unsealed “Anti-Titan Ballista” is pointing at the empty space.

We continued on, guided by Safi.

Eventually, I found a wall that is glowing faintly.

“Here goes.”

I took a deep breath and placed my hand over the vast wall.

“Wake up.”

The palace of the dwarves began to awaken. The earthen walls, once protected by the seal covering the dungeon, crumbled away bit by bit.

What emerged was a massive gate.

For over a thousand years—ever since the seal had been cast upon the world—soil and stone must have buried this grand entrance.

Looking up, it must be at least eight meters tall. As for the width, even if all of us walked through side by side, there is still plenty of room to spare. The carved decorations still retained traces of gold and silver in places, unmistakably marking this as a true palace.

“So big…”

I couldn’t help but mutter.

Without a doubt, this was the largest one I’d ever unsealed. Well, aside from when I used the Gjallarhorn, that is.

By the way, any unexplored area opened with Alarm is sealed off again by the Raven Warriors after the investigation. They use magic to manipulate the soil and stone, disguising it so well that it just looks like an ordinary wall.

But this time.…. I had a feeling that even the Raven Warriors are going to have a tough time.

Speaking of big things—

“…Eh?”

Something just as big—no, even bigger—than this one… I could feel its presence nearby.

Could it be that something massive is still hidden so close?

I could sense it clearly, but… I had no idea where it is. This was a first.

Safi brushed dust from her green hair.

“…..Originally, there should’ve been a grand staircase descending straight here from the first floor’s main gate.”

That maybe it. I concentrated on the door in front of us too.

Everyone brushed off the dirt that fell on the fireproof cloak and hood.

“Cough. Cough. It’s probably covered in dirt. There might be many other mechanisms still dormant in the dungeon, like that ballista.”

The massive gate began to open slowly.

It seemed the doors were designed to swing inward. Each one was as large as a giant bed. But the motion stopped midway. The right door remained still, while the left opened just enough to let two or three of us pass through at a time.

A bitterly cold wind whistled through the gap, blowing toward us.

『I’ll go first.』

Solana spoke from the gold coin.

『This space is filled with magical energy left behind by that boss. This is the lowest level, but—even if it’s just a little—I can help you, Rion. 』

I touched the gold coin, and the Goddess awakened. A doll-sized Solana floated through the gap in the large door as if to guide us.

“Let’s go, Solana, everyone.”

The unexplored area of the mine dungeon was dark. I could tell it was covered in ice because my breath turned white. But even though Solana is ahead and is emitting light for us, I couldn’t grasp the full extent of the space.

In other words, that’s all there is to it—it’s a big space.

“Felix-san, can you light it with magic?”

“Wait.”

In the darkness, Safi’s eyes shone like those of a squirrel or a cat—an animal-like gleam. It’s moments like this that really remind me—black dwarves are different from humans.

“Y-Yeah…”

I’ll keep it to myself, but… I was a little scared.

Safi moves in the dim light without hesitation. It seems that she is examining the wall near the main door.

“The lighting…… Mm, it’s working.”

Solana approached, she lit up the hammer that Safi had taken out.

“I’ll re-engrave the runes. Abundant Light!”

Safi struck the crystal by the wall. In an instant, a dazzling light was born. The ceiling glows white, and the surrounding ice reflected it. The light, like a snowy morning, burned our eyes for a moment.

My eyes gradually got used to it.

Then I was speechless at the sight before me.

『That settles it. 』

『Yeah……』

The gods, Thor and Uru, were conversing. I had no idea what they were talking about. But it was kind of ominous. I didn’t want to know.

“This is…….”

Safi muttered and bowed down.

“No way…”

Safi muttered as she collapsed to her knees.

“T-this has to be a lie!”

What had been frozen in ice was a scene of negotiation.

A golem—or perhaps a dwarf—was kneeling, offering up a massive weapon. The one receiving it was the Titan Vanguard—the very same figure we had seen in the boss chamber.

What was preserved in that vast, seemingly endless hall was a secret transaction: dwarves handing weapons to a titan, a truth even the gods themselves didn’t know. The ice seal had captured that moment with such vivid, chilling detail—so real that it was almost cruel.

『Kuku, I think it’s a reasonable decision. 』

Loki’s voice came. It was a terrifying laughter.

『Dwarfs have physical bodies just like monsters. So in principle, it is possible for them to succumb to monster-like behavior. Perhaps in exchange for supplying weapons, they chose to join the camp of the titans and escape the flames of the end. 』

“No, no. That’s not true!”

Safi’s face turned pale, and her dark eyes were wide open.

“W-we… we take pride in our weapons, in our tools! To knowingly supply tools that would bring harm to people, to our comrades—that’s unthinkable!”

At last, the reality of the scene began to sink in.

Mia-san, Felix-san, even the Raven Warriors—everyone stood in stunned silence, overwhelmed by what lay before us.

“…And if we’re talking about betrayal, aren’t you one to speak? I’ve heard the stories—Loki, God of mischief.”

『In my case, those were just rumors spreading. 』

As if he would not forgive insults, Safi stood alone in the hall.

“Let’s go further in.”

I shouted.

In this way, I drove the word “betrayal” out of my mind. I told myself that nothing had been decided yet.

“The king …… maybe the king of the dwarves is there, right?”

We went straight through the hall.

In this space, the ice seal had melted considerably. Where there are titans and dwarfs, ice still remains like pillars. However, the deeper we went, the less the ice became, and we could see the hall so much that it seemed hazy at the end.

The red carpet stretched straight out, and at the end of it was a fine chair—a throne.

“Your Majesty!”

Safi rushed over.

A winged person was crouching, clinging to the throne. Frost-like ice still clung to his body. But he hadn’t turned to stone, and most importantly, the light of the Alarm still dwelt within him.

“The seal is already about to be broken……”

The doll-sized Solana approached the person.

Loki’s voice echoed in my head.

『I thought ashes wouldn’t affect gods… but unlike gods, dwarves are merely demigods. Since they have physical bodies just like monsters, the ashes may have affected them, thus loosening the seal… though it doesn’t seem to be complete. Could that be why Safi woke up…? 』

Solana turned back to me.

“Rion!”

“Yes!”

The sealing ice was already melting—at this point, I should be able to use Alarm without needing the horn.

Please… let this be the time he finally wakes up from this nightmare.

“Wake up!”

As the dwarf king was enveloped in light, the ice covering his body shattered completely. With a jolt, the king’s body twitched, then he staggered forward and clung to the throne.

He was about the same height as Safi—only reaching up to my chest.

“T-this is…?”

“Your Majesty!”

Safi gained momentum and supported the king’s body. Solana became the size of a normal girl and held her hand.

“Rion, you too.”

“Uh, yes!”

Skill, 『Sun’s Divine Protection』was used. Executing 【White Flame】 ―――――――――――――――――――― 【White Flame】…… Recovery. With the protection of the sun, curses are also dispelled.

The white flames from me and the goddess enveloped the dwarf king. His complexion got better in no time.

“Uuh-, Y-your Majesty……!”

Safi’s eyes moistened.

“Here is….”

The dwarf king opened his eyes. He looked like a beautiful young boy. But the thin wings on his back, the pointed ears, the white hair—everything about him felt completely different from us, and even from Safi.

Most striking of all were his eyes—clear blue, yet so deep it felt like I could be pulled into them.

“Your Majesty, do you recognize me? I’m Safi. One of the Ten blacksmiths of Álfheim.”

The dwarf king’s eyes widened.

“S-Safi?  ……Why are you ……?”

“Your Majesty, what is going on? The titans…. then our people offering weapons….”

The king looked around. Then he noticed me and Solana holding his hands. He frowned.

“Gods……?”

I felt like the “white flame” that enveloped my small body shook. Solana frowned.

“This is….…”

Safi, still exited, continued,

“It’s now 1,000 years in the future. Our city of Alfheim was attacked by the titans, but the gods sealed them away, and the place remained asleep like this for hundreds of years! What happened back then… without my knowledge?”

Safi’s eyes were moist.

“Tell me, did Alfheim start selling weapons, tools, and technology to the titans?”

The dwarf king looked at Solana, me, and Safi in turn.

And when he saw the sealed ice scattered around him, he seemed to have guessed various circumstances.

He slowly closed his eyes. Then his legs began to turn to stone.

“Y-Your Majesty!?”

Safi screamed.

“Dwarf King, what are you doing!”

Solana raised her voice. It was the Goddess’ scolding voice.

“……You are letting your magic flow somewhere, aren’t you? No matter how much new magic you poured in, it won’t help! King, don’t you want to be saved?”

“Safi”, the dwarf king, who’s turning to stone, finally spoke.

“Are you staying?”

“……Huh?”

“In that case, I want you to take over our final task. If you believe me now, but……”

The king turned his gaze to the back.

“Beyond this chamber, further down… there’s a path leading to the back gate. At the end of it lies a prison—where the leader of the Flame Titans is being held.”

“P-prison?”

“If you wish to leave this place, there is another path. Be blessed, Safi of the Black Dwarves…”

The king’s small body began to turn to stone. Even when I tried to unseal him again—there was no response.

I took out the horn.

“Fufu… so they sealed a soul inside a tool….. I see. So there were gods who did the same thing as us.”

When the Dwarf King completely turned to stone, a thunderous sound arose from directly below. It was a scream. A sign of anger and hatred crawled up from the depths of the earth.

“Flamebone Surtr….…”

Solana’s voice trembled.

We stood frozen in the shaking, unexplored area.

“The dwarf king told us to go… down below…”

“Hey.”

Mia-san reached out and steadied Safi’s swaying shoulders. Even someone as experienced as her didn’t seem to know what to do—or where to go next.

Of course, neither did I.

『Rion, fall back.』

Thor gave the order.

“But-”

『These guys clearly betrayed us. Don’t follow his words, it could be a trap…… from the very beginning…. 』

When he said from the very beginning, a chill ran down my spine.

Did he mean… even the voice we heard through the Water Mirror of Yggdrasil was part of the trap?　

Such a possibility……

“Rion, you……!”

Safi’s voice tightened my heart.

Go or go back.

Move forward or stop.

For adventurers, it was the ultimate choice in a dungeon.

But this time… wasn’t Alvis’ fate at stake?

“Rion, calm down.”

Only Solana didn’t rush me.

Using Alarm, I can see a faint light in the back. If what the Dwarf King said was true, then one of the passages that could be broken by the seal led underground, and the other to the surface.

Believe in the dwarf, go down and fight?

Or believe in the Gods and flee outside?

I had to make a decision.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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A massive body, nearly eight meters tall, is wreathed in flames. The original boss of the dungeon, “Titan Vanguard”, has been changed to “Flame Titan”. Its disheveled hair had turned into fire, the red glow in its eyes intensified, and its already thick, enormous frame became even more imposing with the searing heat.

There came a heatwave and roar that shook the space. The Flame Titan was rejoicing in regaining its true power. Or perhaps it had found a god and was enjoying the chance to resume the battle.

The mouth that stretched unnaturally wide across its face made me think so.

“……I knew it’s gonna be a giant-type guardian.”

Mia-san lightly swung her chain-axe, the chains clinking. From beneath her hood, her lips curled into a sly grin.

“I see. The ‘Titan Vanguard’ in Alvis Dungeon is not just a giant type. Its true identity is the flame titan who was stripped of the fire with a seal.”

I swallowed hard. So it’s true—there really is a Flame Titan in the Alvis Dungeon. The idea that their king, Flamebone Surtr, lies deeper underground suddenly feels a lot more convincing.

“There’s no need to panic. If the king is there, then of course his subordinates would be as well.”

Felix-san readied his staff, his sharp eyes turning toward us.

“Just as planned.”

At Felix-san’s signal, everyone dispersed. The enemy slams his fist into the ground. A tornado of flames swirled and the entire room shook. If that hit you, both the burns and the impact would be fatal. But in terms of the sheer, instinctive fear it stirred, yesterday’s “Incarnation of Rage” was far more terrifying.

“Wake up.”

At my voice, the wind spirit Sylph and the flame spirit Salamander jumped out. The wind blade cuts through the enemy’s shoulder. The scale-shaped barrier that nullifies the flame protected us from the heat wave.

“Guo-oh!”

Holding down its slashed shoulder, the titan groaned. The wind blade cannot fire repeatedly. But it’s powerful enough.

『It doesn’t measure up to yesterday’s incarnation.』

Nodding at Solana’s analysis, I activated Blessing of the Sun. As golden flames wrapped around my body, my senses were instantly heightened.

“Vuooooo!”

A vast battlefield.

The enemy leapt low and landed right in front of me. The ground shook, and the roar echoed through the space. But rather than feeling scared, the feeling of “wanting to confront it” comes first.

“Get out of the way!”

Because I can’t afford to stop!

I burst forward, diving in close to its feet. Looking up at a foot the size of a table, I slipped around behind it and slashed lightly at its leg. The Salamander spirit protected me from the flames surrounding its body.

The enemy raised its fist—likely preparing to unleash fire. But before it could, Felix-san swung his staff, and a chunk of ice pierced into the titan’s hand.

“Gaaah!”

The titan’s right fist froze solid, extinguishing the flames that had cloaked it. Mia-san stepped in front of me and activated the Axe Warrior skill—Immovable and Mighty Strength.

“Haa!”

Earlier, Mia-san had blocked the shockwave from the flaming tornado with her axe. The Crimson Axe gleamed, its magical rune letters repelling the force of the spell. The frozen right hand of the titan shattered completely.

As the titan collapsed to its knees, Mia-san, Felix-san, and I closed in to surround it.

“Ooh…”

The enemy should be a powered-up boss. But we’re overwhelming it—thanks to the god’s skill, the dwarf’s runes, and the coordination of our party.

Maybe… just maybe, we really are becoming a true party.

I raised my voice to my companions.

“We’re almost there!”

“Yeah!”

The Flame Titan crouched down, clutching its lost right hand.

A low growl escaped its mouth.

“Grrr…! OOOOAAAHHHH!!”

The entire space is shaking, and the Blessing of the Hunting God also detects that the enemy is gaining enormous magical power.

Mia-san stepped back.

“No way……”

I also have a bad feeling. Felix-san’s eyes widened.

“Magical power is contracting in the center of the body? This reaction…”

Felix-san shouted.

“It’s going to self-destruct!”

If it explodes in such a closed place, we will definitely be annihilated!

“Finish it right away!”

In response to Felix-san, I tried to kick the ground. However, suddenly, my Alarm skill conveyed something unusual. The light that can be unsealed is on the wall very closely.

“Anti-Titan ballista” can be unsealed.

“Ba-ballista……?”

The image of the giant bow from the passage we came through flashed through my mind.

No time to hesitate. Now’s the time to act!

“Wake up!”

As I activated my power, the entire wall lit up.

What burst forth was a massive mechanism. It’s a ballista—a relic resembling an enormous crossbow. The huge bow, as wide as a full-grown adult, was set horizontally. Loaded in it was a massive bolt, more like a spear than an arrow.

Its tip gleamed sharply. Then, as if moving on its own, it aimed straight at the titan—and fired the massive bolt.

“Gugaaaaa!”

The spear pierced deep into the titan’s chest. The death cry of the monster was painful to the ears.

“O-one hit?”

“What an incredible blow……”

The Raven Warriors also stood there in a daze. The flame on the titan gradually weakened and then it fell to the ground.

“Ooou……!”

The keeper of the dungeon stretches out a resentful hand to us. The fire covering its body had already been extinguished, and it had returned to the original “Titan Vanguard” form. Its head turned to ash, and the remaining right hand crumbled away in pieces.

Aside from the lingering warmth in the air, the boss chamber had returned to what it was just moments ago.

“That’s….”

Safi, her green hair swaying, poked her head out from the backpack.

“…Just like the golems—that’s a defensive mechanism of the dungeon. Something hidden and had been sealed away…”

I wonder if it’s a trap from a long time ago.

Mia-san took off her hood and bent her mouth as she wiped her sweat.

“This is near the throne room, right? Did they really have to set traps this far out?”

“I-I mean, it’s true the battle wasn’t exactly going in their favor, but still…”

Safi leapt out of the backpack. Her dark, wide eyes stared towards the back wall.

“I think we’ll understand once we get there!”

Without hesitation, Safi marched across the vast chamber.

“The throne should be in that direction, deep in this area!”

We hurried after her.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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