Author: Yume Neiji

The night bell was ringing. We left the carriage and guards in the square and sneaked inside the city walls.

We had managed to hide the existence of the golem, but in its place there was a scoundrel who had conducted a magical experiment. So witnesses and people who were really worried were allowed to enter the city.

Right now, we are renting a room in the temple of Odis to get some rest.

At the temple of Odis, which is dotted along the road, there are people who cooperate with the Raven Warriors, and they are all eager to help in times like this.

Crouching in a cold chair, I drink a cup of tea that is said to dispel drowsiness. I can’t afford to lose consciousness just yet.

The bell rang. The date changed.

As I was counting, Felix-san came into the room.

“All the adventurers carrying the golem core have been captured.”

I exchanged glances with Mia-san.

We are in a small room with only a round desk and four chairs. The only people here were Felix-san, Mia-san and me.

It’s a different story if we include the “other race” though.

“The wagon departed from Alvis, as expected. The golem core in the western dungeon might have come from there as well.”

Felix-san stopped talking at this point.

My gaze moved down to the table. To be precise, on the small figure sitting on it.

“……Fuaa~.”

The other party yawned loudly, as if to emphasize her presence.

Her round clear eyes were black, and they blink repeatedly. Her green hair was tied high and arched on both sides. It was the black dwarf girl who was “unsealed” in the carriage.

“Hey, is it not over yet? I’m getting sleepy now.”

She is really small.

A child—I can’t help but think of those words.

“W-what is it?”

As I stared at her, the child pursed her lips. She is being defensive like an echidna.

“I already pointed it out. The fact that I was in that carriage was unavoidable. Or rather, where are we? It’s so cold, and when I wake up, there’s a big battle! Ah, and let me emphasize one thing, that golem has nothing to do with me!”

The words came pouring out like a bucket overturned.

We all looked at each other blankly. Felix-san pulled a chair and sat down, but he didn’t seem to know what to ask first.

“Uhm……”

The more I looked at her, the more mysterious she was.

When standing, her head is lower than Felix’s belt. But compared to my height, she’s only tall up to my stomach. However, over her tunic, she is wearing an apron like a blacksmith’s. The bag she is carrying on her shoulder looks quite heavy too.

A small body with equipment suitable for heavy work.

This—Black Dwarf?

“I just wanted to confirm something. We were heading to Alvis, no – Alfheim.”

Ahem. I cleared my throat exaggeratedly. It’s really rude to stare at girls.

“My name is Rion, and they are Felix-san and Mia-san. I’m sorry for looking at you so many times. I think you’re a black dwarf, but this is the first time I’ve seen one…. I just wanted to confirm if I’m correct.”

This is what I learned as an adventurer. The first step in the discussion is to confirm the premise.

The black dwarf girl curled her mouth. She looks around, and finally, her gaze moved to my hand.

“That’s a nice gauntlet.”

It was made by Lu.

“Oh, thank you very much……”

“But the white armor on your chest is very ordinary. I think it’s just coated in magic defense dye, but that’s not a good combination you know. If it were me, I would make a chest plate for the same weight and price. It’s nice to see the cockatrice leather carefully tanned, but it’s not worth the effort.”

The girl began to talk about my equipment one after another.

“The axeman over there, you’ve been hitting hard stuff lately, haven’t you?”

Mia-san raised her eyebrows.

The little girl chuckled.

“Soon your strength will surpass the strength of your axe. I’ll make one out of harder, tougher steel. Don’t worry, there won’t be any scary price to pay like the rumors say. And you’re a magician, right? Don’t you have any iron weapons?”

Having spoken in one go, the black dwarf took a long breath.

“Ah~, I’m so happy. I’ve finally calmed down and I can see weapons and equipment……!”

After swaying her pigtails from side to side, the child crossed her arms.

“Rejoice! If you came here looking for a blacksmith, then I am the black dwarf! My name is Safi!”

With a puff of her chest, she stands on the chair. Finally, her head was a little higher than ours.

“I’m one of the Ten Blacksmiths of Alfheim!”

She nods her head proudly.

“Hmm, I see. You have come to Alfheim huh. I guess a lot of people come here looking for a blacksmith. If that’s the case, you should have told me sooner!”

The black dwarf—Safi seemed relieved.

Maybe she thinks that we are in Alfheim. In fact, it still takes four days by horse-drawn carriage to Alvis.

Safi tilts her head.

“Oh, but you guys…… wasn’t there a God earlier? No, no, there’s no way……”

The gold coin in my pocket vibrated.

『Rion, let me tell her what’s going on. 』

“Yes….…”

She probably have a lot to talk to this person.

“….W-what’s with you people? Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?”

I put the leather coin case on the desk. Safi narrowed her eyes seeing that.

“It’s a nice little thing.”

As if she had found a treasure, Safi sat back down.

“Mmm, it might be the best. The design is strange, but…it’s made with the user in mind and designed to last a long time. It’s a fine tool, and it’s full of emotion.”

My chest felt a little warmer.

If I am to say what is the proof to a dwarf’s existence, it might be the emotional attachment they had to crafted items.

I used my Alarm skill.

“Wake up.”

The gold coin scattered a dazzling light.

Four gods, Solana, Sigris, Uru and Loki, appeared in the room. Everyone showed up at their original size, which made the room a little cramped.

With no place to stand, Solana floated softly.

“……Eh?”

The biggest one is missing.

“What about Thor?”

“……He is too rambunctious. He used up too much magical power so even his small form can’t come out.”

Solana looked off into the distance.

The gods suddenly appeared, and Safi was stunned.

“G-Gods!? Why are you gathered in a place like this? Was it the Sun Goddess? Huh? That’s right, how did the war with the monsters go?”

“It’s still going on.”

Saying that, Solana shook her blonde hair.

“To be precise, we lost once, and now we have started again.”

The goddess talked about the current situation. That the gods were about to lose, and the seal covered the world.

Safi was stunned.

“There was a distress call from Alfheim? I mean, this is 1000 years ……from that time?”

Her eyebrows furrowed again and again.

Somehow… Safi seems really lively.

“E, e, eeeeeh!?”

Her voice echoed in the room, and Felix-san quickly doubled the soundproofing magic.

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

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Thanks to the god’s efforts, the battle was over. I detected magical energy with【Wild Heart】, but the golem was no longer moving. It’s back to a quiet night with just the wind howling.

You leveled up. You’re now level 20.

I heard God’s voice.

It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that, so I was left with my mouth open.

I leveled up —I reached Level 20, which is also known as the entrance to the intermediate level.

“I-, I did it!”

Mia-san raised her eyebrows.

“Have you leveled up?”

“Yes!”

Compared to the days when I was going up two or three levels at once, I’ve leveled modestly lately. 

Well, there is a period of time when some people are at the so called “standstill”.

Of course, in my case, there was also the fact that there were more parties of Raven Warriors, in other words, parties that share magical power has increased.

Or it’s that the zombie werewolves and Skoll were out of the norm. But it was certain that I was at a standstill. 

This is a big step forward. It means that my body has become stronger by another level.

“Congratulations Rion!”

Solana congratulated me. Goddess’s words always make my heart flutter and warm.

“Thank you. But……”

But I can’t rejoice just yet.

I looked around me. All that remains of the mist-shrouded battlefield are broken trees and gouged ground. Just like in the Royal Capital, the scars of the battle are fresh. The place that was part of the square looked like it had been plowed by a giant.

The golems were strong, but the power of the gods is also outrageous. If the horn could be blown, it would be even more terrible.

“Well then….…”

Loki softly descends to the ground. The moonlight shone on his black hair and robe with a pale blue glow.

“Oh dear. Even though we went to great lengths to hide the battle, it doesn’t make much difference since there are so many traces left.”

That’s… true. It’s better than total chaos, though…

“Fufu, I know what you’re thinking. If I were to release the mist and leave this view like as is, everyone would end up being in a panic. That would mean there was a monster that caused this much destruction after all.”

Loki chuckled, his red eyes shining.

“I really wish I could just release the magical mist and enjoy the astonishment of the crowd.”

“Loki!”

“I know, I know.”

Loki shrugged after being scolded by Solana. 

He waved his hand, and red lights lit up all around. They were the golem cores that had not been destroyed. There are about eight of them. Then the light gradually turned blue.

“I’ll do it right until the end.”

It was eye-opening. The soil and rocks that made up the golem returned to the ground. The hole created by the smashing disappeared as if nothing had happened here.

Loki explained proudly.

“It’s just a matter of moving a finger. Creating Golem involves taking in rocks and soil from the surroundings. If you reverse that technique, the soil and rocks will return to their original state.”

I remembered what I had learned in the study of the Temple of Odis. The golem changes its properties depending on the materials at the vicinity of the core.

The Mithril Golem in the West Dungeon is made of Mithril. The one that was rampaging earlier was probably the type that had absorbed wood, rocks, or even iron from weapons.

“Uhm……”

Therefore, if you reverse the occurrence of the golem, the soil and rocks will return to the original place…… is that it?

Felix-san stroke the coronet on his forehead.

“What an incredible feat.….. It’s like taking wheat out of bread. It’s out of standard, I would say.”

Sigris floated in the air softly.

“Then I will take care of the living trees.”

Her large spoon scattered particles of light. Broken branches and damaged trunks are healed back to normal.

Loki winked at me.

“With this, there are no traces left.”

He snapped his fingers.

“Well then, next is….…”

Loki spoke happily then he placed his index finger to his lips. 

As we stood there, stunned, he pulled his robe up to his neck and pulls her hood over his eyes.

“Next, let’s play a little prank.”

The mist that covered the battle area thinned. 

I could see the adventurers and Raven Warriors outside. Even from a distance, I can feel the tension of the people watching. Most of the people were holding weapons.

In this situation, how is it possible to settle the place without causing the slightest panic?

Solana and Thor returned to the gold coins.

Loki is the only one who remained outside.

“All we need is a made-up story. The kind that will convince everyone and help them sleep at night.”

Loki stretches out of the mist with a loud “Mmm~.”

It was so natural that I froze. Everyone’s eyes followed Loki.

Loki, they can see you clearly…..

“Uhm…”

“Shhh”

Solana’s voice interrupted me as I tried to call out to Loki.

Loki continued his performance. He stretched out his hands.

“Oho~, I’m glad I was able to do the experiment! It was fun!”

Adventurers gathered near us. There are more than 30 of them. Loki spins around, fluttering his robe in a showoff manner.

“Haha! Being outdoors is the best! Well, it was a bit loud, but—”

Then, as if suddenly noticing everybody else, he turned his head towards the adventurers who had gathered around.

“……Oh. Did I cause a commotion?”

The silence was momentary.

The temperature suddenly rose.

“My goodness!”

“It was just a magician’s experiment!”

“Give me back my sleep!”

“I thought I heard a loud noise……”

“I must be seeing things wrong! Where are the golems?”

There were swearing and complaining. 

Loki quickly ran away. It looked like he vanished into the darkness, but he probably really did vanish with magic….

“Someone should call the guards!”

“That guy is ridiculous!”

Loki had left a mist behind so that we could escape. By simply following the blind spot, we returned to where the black dwarf had been.

Felix-san narrow eyes squinted even more. Then he looked dumbfounded at the late realization.

“Oh, I see…… Does this mean that the commotion was caused by an unknown magician?”

The gold coin trembled. Loki is back on the coin.

『Well, it will cause some anxiety, but it’s much better than having the golems go on a rampage, right? The temple can announce later that the magician has been caught and punished, fufufu.』

There was no such thing as an army of golems in the first place. That’s what he portrayed by acting like a foolish magician who caused chaos at night while doing experiments.

『Our journey will be covert as possible till we reach Alvis. This will suit our goal better. 』

I see, so you’ve thought that far……

Loki is indeed a trickster.

『Haha, well, it’s fun to surprise everyone, right? 』

『……That’s what you say.』

Sigris continued, 『Even then』, but she stopped talking.

What was it?

I think the gods’ mood had changed a bit.

“……What’s wrong?”

As I waited for a response, I noticed that one person was missing from the gold coin.

“Eh? Where’s Uru…… ?”

　　　　　◆◆◆

A man was on the run.

Scratching the scar on his nose was a habit when he is impatient.

“Damn it! Damn it!”

It should have been an easy job. It was a job he had done many times before after all. He had been contracted by a magician in Alvis to transport the golem cores and magic stones.

Golem cores, especially powerful ones, were controlled by the kingdom and were considered prohibited goods, so secret transports could bring in loads of money.

He was used to it. But this time, he let his guard down. He neglected to keep an eye out.

What he regrets most of all is that he took the middleman’s offer seriously.

――A child adventurer with brown hair and a gold coin in his hand.

――Even the slightest bit of information could turn into money.

If he remembered correctly, he was called something like the “Wake-up caller.” There were many middlemen between him and his employer, so the information that came down was limited. But he remembered the smell of money.

So, when he saw a child who met the description, he wanted to make sure if he had a gold coin.

He put his hand in the boys’ pocket. If there were any, that was good. Even if there weren’t any, he’d been a pickpocket before. It would just be another thing to add to his record.

Fortunately or unfortunately, he hit the jackpot.

“If only I had known that they were such dangerous people……!”

He speaks scathingly of his employer, whom he has never even seen.

When he robbed the gold coin, he made fun of the coin case. The strange feeling of intimidation at that time frightened him very much. Even though he is a child, he seems to have tremendous power.

But, what’s the point of such a dirty coin case? He thought to himself.

“Damn it!” He can’t help but curse loudly.

All of his comrades have been caught. He was lucky enough to escape when the golem went on a rampage.

Whoooosh! An arrow moved past his head as he sprints.

“Hii-”

With his head down, the man lost his balance and fell to the ground. 

He is now carrying a trunk on his back.

“W-what’s this, ……?”

Squirrels, bats, owls, rabbits, foxes —all the creatures in the forest where he had fled were watching him. It’s as if they’re watching him to make sure he doesn’t escape.

“Weren’t you told when you were a child? God is watching you, so you should not do something bad.”

Right in front of him.

A hunter-looking man came down from the tree. Immediately afterwards, a thick branch falls on the man’s head, knocking him unconscious.

“Alright, I’ve caught my prey. I guess I should head back now. It’s getting cold cause of the seal……”

Uru, the God of Hunting, picked up the man and walked back to his precious boy.

“By the way…… I wonder if anyone will come to pick me up……?”

There was a lonely breeze and the cry of an owl.

“Yeah, that’s what scouts are like…… I mean, I wonder if everyone is aware that I’m still working……”

Shrugging his shoulders, Uru moves on.

Reconnaissance, disturbance, lure and clean-up —the front line has always been a bit dark, even in the past.

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

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With the boy’s words, the skill took effect.

――Wake up!

An invisible force resists the seal that covers the world. The gods, who were unsealed by Rion, accurately perceived the situation with their respective abilities.

With the strategic eye of the God of Thunder, with the insight of the God of Mischief, with the sense of the God of Hunting, with the sympathy of the Valkyrie.

The thing they needed to avoid most was panic. Behind the square was the outer city, and if the residents rushed to the walls, there could be accidents resulting in unnecessary deaths. And it was even worse that it was at night, as darkness incites fear.

Because of the Eastern dungeon of the Royal Capital, the idea of a monster invasion could easily panic the residents.

“I’ll do it.”

Without any prior agreement, Loki made the first move.

“Luna, Eolph, and Lag, the mist that protects dreams――”

A dark mist hung over the square, separating the golem army from the square.

　　　　　◆◆◆

A pitch-black mist was created between the golems and us. It’s like pulling back a black curtain.

“Rion”

God’s voice echoed in our mind.

“Loki……?”

“For the time being, I hid the golems in the mist.”

The Raven Warriors are also looking around. I guess they are not used to hearing God’s voice.

The square is already noisy. There is no way an adventurer can sit still when they hear the commotion.

“We appreciate the help, but if there are people around, it will make it harder for us to move.”

It was Thor’s voice.

Uru, the god of hunting, added,

“……So, Warrior group. We want you to hold off the reinforcements outside the mist for a while.”

The warriors exclaimed.

“T-that’s……!”

“Don’t worry, it will only take about five minutes.”

Thor rounded up reassuringly, and then he stopped talking.

Nothing could be heard from the mist. Even with “Wild Heart” and “Golden Flame”, the presence and smell of battle was blocked out. The Gods intend to settle the matter with the golems without anyone knowing.

Felix-san furrowed his brows, pressing his coronet.

“The production and sale of golems that can be used in combat should be strictly controlled. Why have there been so many in such a short time…”

While he was pondering, adventurers came one after another from the square.

“Oi, what’s going on!?”

“It’s suddenly foggy and I can’t see what’s in there….…”

“Did a monster come out?”

Many adventurers did not even realize that a battle is already taking place. Never cause panic in the city of Kalmar –that’s what Thor and the others are doing.

“……The Gods.”

Naturally, my back straightens.

“I-, I’m going too.”

Mia-san grinned and Felix-san called out to the others.

“I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“In this situation……!?”

“H-how could we hold them back….?”

“Calm down. There should be enough materials to use for magic failures, cargo troubles, and disguise. Come on!”

We waited for Felix-san and then we jumped into the mist.

“Huh?”

The mist is thick. Just one step forward can disorient you.

“Rion!”

Solana was no longer the size of a small doll, but the size of a girl, about the size of me. Her white hand grasps my arm.

“This way!”

“……yes!”

Solana led the way for us.

When we all got out of the mist together, it was a mythical world.

Thor swings his hammer in the air. His red hair flutters, and lightning flashes through his short-handled hammer. On the other hand, a golem crosses its arms and braces itself.

Thor was huge, but the golem was twice as big.

“Haa!”

The hammer slammed into the golem’s arm. Its arms shattered and the upper body was blown off. Stomping on the collapsing golem, the giant god aims for its next prey.

“O, ou……!”

With a growl, the next golem threw a punch. Thor swatted away with his left hand. The golem’s fist was deflected along with his arm. The golem fell to his knees from such impact, and Thor quickly grabbed its head and pulled it up.

Thunder burst from his hand. The golem emits smoke from its entire body and returns to a pile of rubble.

“…… Amazing.”

It’s like a thundercloud in the shape of a person. The aftermath of the attack left me weak-footed. Solana created a magical barrier to block the flying debris.

I can hear the laughter of the giant god.

“Hahaha”

Thor threw his hammer again. Several golems that were at a distance were blown away at once. Like a chain, the hammer returns to Thor’s hand.

“……It’s like a whirlpool.”

Mia-san clicked her tongue.

“Loki, the god of mishief, surrounded them with mist, and I think God Uru cornered the golems in the middle.”

At the center of it all is Thor, who smashes the golem as he approaches.

Right, it’s definitely a vortex.

Maybe we aren’t needed here after all?

“Leave everything to the Gods”—I shook my head and scolded myself for being so weak.

Didn’t they say, ‘fight together’?

“Waa……!”

A golem, which had been knocked off by the impact, landed near us. It slowly got up. I jump on its head and aimed for the core.

“Leave this to me!”

Thor paused for a moment. With a huge body of nearly 2 meters, he held the hammer in his right hand and said,

“……Oh, thank you. You’re a big guy, after all.”

God’s body glowed red. The same light dwelled in my chest, but it is instantaneous and quickly disappears.

“Fighting together huh”

Solana spoke with a smile. She kept going, protecting us from the flying debris.

And if someone suffers even the slightest hand injury, Sigris will heal them immediately.

“Thor may have changed a bit.”

The goddess’s voice sounded a little happy.

I think it’s a little strange though.

The Gods changed?

“He was also called the strongest god and was often relied on, and because of his individual strength, the gods rarely joined forces.”

A new golem appeared in front of us. But it was already damaged, and the core was exposed.

We just drew its attention and let Mia-san’s chainaxe deal with it.

“In Ragnarok, I think we were struck by that. The gods were never united. Perhaps their strength made them unable to show weakness.”

Solana’s slightly strange logic resonated with me.

“Since meeting you, Rion… perhaps we have changed too.”

Thor jumps up.

In the last one, a terrible lightning strike struck the ground. The golem army was decimated. It took less than 5 minutes as declared.

The god of war let out a roar.

This is Thor, the god of thunder. He is a reliable god who confronts enemies bigger than himself with a hammer.

That strength made me realize once again that I awakened something incredible.

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

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Both Felix-san and I froze when we saw what was underneath the cloth in the back of the carriage.

We both looked at each other.

“……Stone statue?”

“Looks like it.”

It’s a very strange stone statue.

It is in the shape of a little girl, and it is extremely detailed. Her large eyes, the tips of her hair, and even the wrinkles of the clothes and bags are intricately carved. The ring on her looks like it’s about to sparkle at any moment too.

Even I can tell that it was carved by someone with great skill, but the pose is, how should I put it.…. it’s very strange.

She is on all fours with her right hand reaching for the bag next to her. It’s as if the moment she tried to pick something up, she was frozen in her place.

Black Dwarf can be unsealed.

My shoulders jerked.

“B-black dwarf?”

It was a type of dwarf who can be found at our target destination, Alvis. They are also known as the “Dwarf of Darkness”. A cunning being who makes deals with gods and humans. I was at a loss for words at this encounter, which I thought was still a long way off.

『L-let me see too.』

Solana jumped out of the gold coin. The doll-sized goddess flies around the strange stone statue.

“Yes, it definitely looks like a black dwarf —Dwerg… no it doesn’t look like it. Can you unseal it?”

I nodded, but I was also confused.

“Well, you said they might be in Alvis, right?”

“That’s true…… I also wonder why there’s one here.”

There are a lot of things I don’t understand.

Felix-san spoke, looking wary of the surroundings.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you’re saying at all. .….Is this the dwarf we are looking for? No matter how you look at it, it’s just a stone statue.”

I nodded my head in agreement. Though my Alarm skill is reacting, it looks like a normal stone statue.

Solana nodded her head in confirmation and crossed her arms.

“Dwarves are half-human, half-god. They are not manifested by magic like I am now. They have a physical body you see.”

“Oh, I see….…”

“Maybe the way they are sealed is different to how gods are sealed.”

Well….… Let me think about it for a moment.

“Solana is sealed in the gold coin, right……?”

“Yes, but the dwarves can’t afford to lose their body, so they may be sealed with their body, or they may have turned to stone statues to protect their body……. What do you think of Loki?”

『Well, I’m not sure either. I agree with the latter though. I’ve heard rumors about black dwarves turning to stone after being exposed to the sun, but that’s just a small story.』

I looked at the black dwarf who had turned to stone. When I looked closely, I can see that her eyebrows are furrowed, and she looks a little distressed.

“……I wonder if she’s okay.”

When I touched it gently, the skill rose on its own.

Skill: 『 Alarm』was used. Executing【Unseal】.

The light suddenly scattered. Felix-san and I hurriedly covered the area with the white cloth.

“Rion, what are you……?”

“I’m sorry.”

Both Felix-san and I were dripping with cold sweat as we looked around.

If anyone saw our current situation, they might think we are thieves. At worst, if we revealed our identity as Raven Warriors, we could say we were “investigating,” but trouble was still trouble.

“Uh~hmm……”

In front of us, the white cloth begins to squirm. The apples also rolled off the cart.

“Uah.”

The unsealed entity falls to the ground, taking the white cloth covering the loading platform with it.

I closed my eyes hearing the painful thud sound. For a while, the white cloth continued to wriggle and move.

“O-ouch……!”

Eventually, a girl poked her head out of the cloth. She was wearing a tunic and was about 4 or 5 years old. But if she’s really a black dwarf —I’m not sure if she’s really that age.

She is wearing an apron like that of a blacksmith’s, and her green hair is eye-catching. It was a hair color that I haven’t seen in the Royal Capital. Her dark eyes seemed to be unlike anything I had ever seen. Somehow, I think it glowed a little like an animal.

“……Y-you are….…”

“Rion.”

Felix-san pointed to the exposed cargo bed where the cloth had come off.

“That’s…”

I gasped.

In the cargo bed of the carriage, there was a gap on the left edge, exposing a dark red color. The gap had been covered by other luggage, but now it had shifted along with the white cloth.

“Leviation”

Felix-san used magic to float the luggage. Apparently, the loading platform had a “double bottom”. And that hidden bottom is lined with densely packed dark red orbs.

“Golem core.”

Felix-san’s analysis made me remember the Mithril Golem we fought before.

The same “Golem Core” are now lined up all over the cargo bed!

“The core’s color is similar to the one in the Western Dungeon….…”

“They may be related.”

A black dwarf who came along with the golem’s technology.

What does that mean? Where are they from?

Solana softly descends on the cores.

“This is…… perhaps we now know where the golem from the western dungeon came from?”

At that moment, we heard footsteps in the distance.

They were walking slowly towards the carriage. Since they are not monsters, it was impossible to detect their magical powers. There are four footsteps. They seem to walk with varying strides, and they are chatting while walking.

If we want to run away, we could do so now.

“Felix-san”

“……Has the guards returned?”

“Yes.”

I gestured four people with my hand. Solana quickly returned to the gold coin. I didn’t suggest hiding because I simply thought it would be quicker this way.

There are risks. However, now that I had dived into the dungeon and trained with the Raven Warriors, I could estimate the strength of our opponents with just my ‘Wild Heart’.

Strong people are different from the way they walk.

“……I trust you.”

Felix-san whispered.

Eventually, the men who returned ran up to us.

“You!”

I stared back at them and got ahead of them.

It was that man –the man with a scar on his nose who tried to pickpocket me in the evening. Felix-san whistles briefly. He must have given a signal to our comrades.

“……We’d like to have a question about your cargo.”

The men whispered at each other hearing those words.

“Is this the one our employer talked about?”

“Yeah…… I didn’t think so at first, but he did have a gold coin.”

……Employer?

That’s a little worrisome. The pickpocket incident in the evening was aimed at me after all.

Solana whispered.

『Rion』

“Un, I know.”

I prepared myself so I can activate “Golden Flame” at any time. I can’t let my guard down. There’s no way I’ll miss an enemy now.

“What are you doing here?”

When I didn’t answer, he clicked his tongue.

“Catch him.”

A scary-looking man jumped at me, but I dodged him by stepping forward. They still think of me as a child. I’m stuck at level 19, but with a lot of God’s protection, I can close the level gap by two or three in terms of physical ability.

“Gaa……”

Uh-, I don’t think I need to fill it.

『Haha, nice throw. 』

Thor laughed from the gold coin. While I waited in the temple, the Gods gave me a lesson. At that time, I was taught how to fight a big enemy.

『Perfect for a brave person like you. 』

I had already been taught how to use the difference in height to my advantage and aim for my opponent’s legs. The other two are quickly knocked out by Felix-san.

“You……!”

The pickpocket yelled, his eyes blazing with anger. He held a dagger in reverse grip and started slashing at me. But I know how to use a dagger too. Of course, I know how to block it.

“Ha!”

I took a short breath and guarded my arm with my gauntlet. After killing his momentum, I turned my wrist and grabbed his arm.

“O-o-ooouch!”

Maybe using Golden Flame was unnecessary…

The other party dropped the dagger and groaned in pain. Then our comrades also arrived. Among the warriors was Mia-san.

The man with a scar on his nose spoke with a pale face.

“W-who are you guys……?”

We exchanged glances with each other.

For the time being, there may be people watching the uproar, so we can’t say “Raven Warriors”…….

I laughed mockingly.

“Are you awake?”

“………Huh?”

I glanced back. Wrapped in a white cloth, the black dwarf was staring at us.

“Amazing~……”

She looks somehow harmless. Even after hearing about the black dwarves nature, I can’t help but think that.

Now then, it is time to ask her a lot of questions….

Suddenly, I shuddered. Looking back at the wagon. All the golem cores are now glowing bright red.

When the Raven Warriors stepped forward, the men panicked.

“No, no, w-we don’t know anything!”

“We were just told to transport it!”

“It’s just that.…. an information about a brown-haired kid with a gold coin would be worth money so..…”

I activated the Protection of the Hunting God, “Wild Heart”. The red lights indicating dangerous monsters were not only on the loading platform in front of us, but all over my field of vision.

7, 8……

“…..Seventeen?”

There are other wagons who appear to have been loaded with golem cores. And right now, the magic in it is strengthening all at once.

『Oh my~ oh my~, I see…..』

Loki’s voice sounded.

『So they are using the giant’s ashes in the golem core. We’ve got some good enemies huh. 』

“What do you mean?”

『Giants hate the gods you see. They use their nature to activate the golem when they feel the power of the gods. 』

Loki’s voice, which is lower than usual, burns in my chest with anxiety.

『This could be…… dangerous, you know? 』

Golem cores are activated one after another. They grew larger, absorbing the surrounding rocks and trees, and even the weapons on the loading platform.

I gulped.

If we do it poorly, we would end up repeating what had happened on the east side of the royal capital. Outside the square, there are dense buildings and food stalls —the outer market is right in front.

『Rion!』

It was Thor who spoke.

This is not a dungeon. I realized that the seal was weak.

There is a flash of hope.

Inside the gold coin are the four pillar gods and Solana, who has regained her power.

『I can’t last as long as I did with the horn, but…….』

『I think it’ll be enough against the golems. 』

『It’s not a bad time to work. 』

Thor, Loki, and Uru each conveyed their eagerness to fight.

Bathed in moonlight, an army of golems appeared on the night of Kalmar.

『Rion, this time we’re going to fight together.』

Thor’s words made my golden flame burn even hotter.

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

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