Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"After asking the goblin to guide us, we forcibly brought him to the village. He was quite resistant at first... but the food here is delicious and the villagers are very friendly, so he said he's willing to settle down here~"

"Hoo-hoo! Hoo-hoo!!"

It turned out that the goblin had also been secretly part of the farewell procession. When Grace discovered the goblin giving him a victory sign with two fingers, he was so surprised that he was speechless.

"Goblins" are the spirits of the earth.

He has a fondness for various minerals or gemstones, especially rare metals, and is able to detect these veins.

Legend has it that being protected by goblins is equivalent to receiving countless treasures of gold and silver.

Of course, he is ultimately a "spirit," unpredictable and difficult to please; generally, one has to endure considerable hardship to gain his protection.

"This is all thanks to the Joker (Loki) for his silver tongue. After all, he is very eloquent, and the 'fairy' at least gives some face to higher beings."

"The Lilliputians..."

"There are many mines around here, so we believe that there must be 'goblins' living here. At first, I asked Loki to ask the 'goblins' to find the Dark Stone veins..."

Finn, realizing that he needed to start with his hometown to recruit Grace, began to share his initial plan. He had originally intended to go into the mountains to find the "goblins" himself, but in the end, he managed to do so smoothly without saving a lot of labor and time, and he shrugged.

"This 'goblin' will take care of the funding to support the village. However, the village is still missing its biggest cash cow. Considering the intentions of the guards, you should first go and find other gods and consider whether to hire 'familias'? Or you can just establish your own."

"Okay, I understand!"

"Although no god has ever set up a base in such a remote and impoverished place, I believe there must be gods who are interested in managing villages (strategy games). Instead of worrying about whether the gods are willing to come, we should show enthusiasm by saying, 'Our village is really interesting!' to persuade them."

In response to Loki's suggestion, Yugur, acting as his representative, nodded in agreement.

Grace stood still and looked around.

The other dwarves seemed to have already heard about this from Loki and the others, and they all looked over with smiles on their faces. It was likely that Grace had been drinking alone during the banquet and was therefore unaware of this.

His compatriots, who admire Grace, are well aware of his selfless dedication to "Lonsa" to this day, and they want to help him break the shackles that bind him to his homeland.

Now it's up to Grace to make the decision.

"Then I'll extend the invitation once again. Grace of 'Lonsa,' would you be willing to join our [Family]?"

Finn, who had just started walking, looked up at Grace.

Loki and the others, who were behind Finn, were also waiting for Grace's reply.

The arrangements were so meticulous they were infuriating.

What's most frustrating is that you've been cut off from all options.

Therefore, Grace decided to frankly accept the feelings that welled up from the bottom of her heart at that moment.

"Ugh—Pfft! Haha ...

Grace smiled.

This was his first hearty laugh in a long time, one that would surprise anyone who saw it.

It was also a hearty laugh that perfectly suited the dwarf style.

"I admit defeat, I admit defeat, I've lost!"

"Grace...so..."

"That's right! I'm willing to join your [Family]! Wherever you go, I'll accompany you to the end!"

The villagers of Lonsa immediately cheered.

Amidst the enthusiastic cheers of those bidding farewell to their compatriots embarking on their journeys, Finn squinted and extended a hand—but Grace did not reciprocate.

"But I have one condition."

Grace crossed her arms and arrogantly uttered those words.

Rivera, who had remained silent until now and had not expressed her dissatisfaction, was so angry that her eyebrows rose.

"You bastard! What more do you want now—"

Grace ignored the elf's rebuke.

He stared intently at Finn and said:

"Let's have a contest first."

Riveria, Finn, and the others who came forward were all stunned and speechless.

"Since I've caused Yugur and the others so much trouble, I've decided to be true to my own desires from now on. But I have no intention of being used to fulfill your ambitions!"

"Grace..."

"If you want me to obey, then defeat me!"

Being constantly schemed against is not in Grace's character.

Those earthy brown eyes narrowed into malevolent crescent shapes, radiating a glint of desire for revenge.

Finn, who was momentarily stunned, couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth.

Having regained their natural instincts and become fearless, the dwarves yearn to enjoy a thrilling and intense battle as soon as possible.

"Let me make it clear first, I won't hold back."

"Of course! If you dare do that, I'll beat you to a pulp!"

"Go! Big brother—!!"

"Go, boss!" "Go!"

"Hoo hoo hoo!!"

The farewell venue was transformed into a circular arena formed by a human wall in the blink of an eye.

The hot-blooded dwarves raised their fists and cheered, and Loki, who always loved to stir up trouble, also joined in the commotion.

With a dumbfounded Rivera and a wry smile on Aina's face, Grace and Finn exchanged a knowing smile.

This has nothing to do with whether or not one receives a "favor".

At this moment, let us follow the stirrings of our hearts and add vibrant color to this farewell.

Finn gripped his beloved gun, while Grace took a large hammer from Yogur and the others.

Both sides gripped their weapons and assumed their stances—a head-on confrontation was about to begin.

"Enjoy a heated battle!"

The long period of dormancy has come to an end.

The dwarves then soared into a world filled with fierce battles.

Side Story: Sword Oratoria 14 - Final Chapter: The Three Unchanging Oaths

The three reminisced about their past conversation, which continued late into the night.

They responded to each other's stories with nostalgic expressions, sometimes widening their eyes in surprise at the thought of such a thing happening, and bursting into laughter at the embarrassing things they had done in their youth.

Even if the person involved pretends to be ignorant and insists that they have no memory of it, it is completely useless among three people and one god.

The main god and his retinue present had experienced so many stories together.

"Looking back now... the person who was the most difficult to recruit was Grace. I went to great lengths to get you to join the Familia."

"After all, this dwarf was really awkward back then, and it's impossible to associate him with the person he is now."

"How dare you, a spoiled princess, criticize me like that? Don't you realize that Loki took advantage of you and even dragged Aina into it?"

"Shut up! There was no other way at that time!"

Finn smiled and shared his thoughts, prompting Riveria to sigh. Grace immediately retorted, causing Riveria to blush and offer a rebuttal.

Perhaps because they were immersed in their memories, the three of them seemed to have returned to their former selves in both mindset and tone.

As for Loki, who is eternally existent, in order to recreate the scene when the three of them had just met, he grinned mischievously and teased from the side:

"I really miss the Finn of yesteryear~ You were so much more arrogant and annoying back then, and adorably so~ You always wanted to challenge Riveria or Grace whenever you had the chance~"

"Please spare me, Loki..."

With a wry smile, Finn obediently raised the white flag and surrendered.

As people get older, they gradually become more objective in examining their past selves.

Finn considers himself an adult and can accept that he was a "disobedient" child back then.

"We are not gods after all, and of course we will gradually change compared to our immature days."

"Is that so? I think your nature hasn't changed at all."

"I feel the same way."

At the same time, there are countless other things that remain unchanged.

"Oh, Grace, Rivera, how dare you say that to me?"

"Every word I said is true. You always pretend to know everything, and you're very competitive. You've never changed your old habit of bragging."

"Hey, hey, hey, what you're saying is completely contradicting yourself, isn't it? Grace, don't you remember how resentful you were after you lost to me when you left 'Lonsa'?"

"What kind of talk is that! You were the one who lost!"

"Honestly, in the end, you're all just as bad as they are—"

"Ah, right (yes), in the end, it was Riveria who came along halfway through and got involved who was defeated (defeated)."

"Nonsense! Who are you saying lost!?"

Riveria, who was originally uninvolved, sighed helplessly, but was inexplicably dragged into the dispute, which made her so angry that she seemed to have transformed back into the elven princess she once was, and she started cursing.

As Loki burst into laughter, the three men glaring at each other made the atmosphere tense and confrontational.

Then, someone immediately burst out laughing.

"...Although it wasn't exactly because we happened to be talking about the past that I thought of doing this, it was a rare opportunity, so I decided to give it a try."

Finn wiped away the tears welling up in the corners of his eyes with his index finger and stood up from his seat.

Riveria and Grace immediately understood what he was trying to do by adding, "And by the way, to celebrate that we've all reached Lv.7."

The two men gave wry smiles but did not object, mimicking Finn's actions.

"I have a feeling like I've done this recently too."

"It was when we were preparing to conquer the 59th floor, right? Grace initiated that."

"It doesn't matter, anyway, it's a way to boost morale."

There have been countless clashes between these three people.

They almost parted ways several times.

Although it may sound cliché, they have shared joys and sorrows and gone through many things together.

Ultimately, they forged an irreplaceable bond.

This bond can never be broken, no matter what happens in the future.

Under Loki's gentle smile, the three of them stood up and formed a circle.

Then Finn, Grace, and Riveria reached out and intertwined their hands—saying the same words they had spoken years before.

The weather was clear and sunny that day.

The green sea and flower fields stretch to the horizon.

On this small hill offering panoramic views, three people can be seen arguing heatedly.

"Let's head west! I absolutely want to visit the land of Tyr's Cula, where the Amazons are constantly at war!"

"Why go to the West! You dwarf will only get nowhere even if you go to the completely sealed-off holy land of female warriors! I think we should target the maritime nation (Desala) to the south! It would be a shame not to visit such a beautiful island nation!"

"I'd love to visit the opera country in the north (Merstola)! I heard they're putting on a play about the Knights of Fiana there."

"Who would be interested in a mere Lilliputian stage play?!"

"What? 'Mere little people'?"

Westward. Southward. No, northward.

The newly formed Loki Familia were arguing fiercely over their next destination.

It started with a dispute between Grace and Riveria, but later even Finn, who initially wanted to downplay the incident, joined the fray after hearing that his clan had been insulted.