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

"They're just ahead. They haven't woken up yet, but they've already been captured by Alfred and his men."

After casting the spell on the "small garden".

At noon on the final day of the "Goddess Festival," a massive "charm" was cast upon the labyrinth city of Orario, distorting everything.

The entire city, numerous gods, and the people were still lost in the 'bewitching' state of oblivion. Freya descended from the 'Tower of Abundance' and crossed the central square.

The bewitched dolls lined up on both sides, forming an unprecedented path. She showed no emotion about it and spoke to the familiars beside her.

"Then I'll apply a few more layers of 'charm' first. These children are used to interacting with Bell, so their bond with him is definitely deeper than with the other children. Besides, they also possess the divine blood of the virgin goddess (Hestia)."

"..."

"The most likely force to resist 'Charm' and break the rules I set is the Familia of the Virgin Goddess (Hestia Familia). In order to prevent Bell from noticing the mechanisms of the 'Miniature Garden,' I must deal with them carefully."

"……clear."

"There are still many weaknesses that need to be eliminated before Bell wakes up. Help me out."

Seeing Freya's overly meticulous efforts to eliminate any unusual circumstances—a departure from her usual queenly demeanor and lack of composure—Ota nodded as always after a brief silence.

An indiscriminate spell of "Charm" swept through the entire city, but only the Freya Familia were freed from the spell through the goddess's own divine blood. Having been aware of the entire situation beforehand, the Freya Familia acted according to their master's wishes.

Aside from those who are willing to bear the stigma of being rebels, everyone else is doing it so that this "miniature garden" can continue forever.

"In this way, I too will become a humiliator of the lower realms... I can no longer mock the ugly goddess (woman) of Ishtar and Dionysus. But—I will not stop. This is all I have left."

These self-deprecating words did not sway her; the icy goddess truly kept her word.

The virgin goddess (Hestia)'s familia, who had all fallen after the attack, were subjected to "charm" in several installments, causing the "Bell Crane of the Hestia Familia" slumbering in their hearts to sink into the mistakenly believed seabed, thus erasing it. In order not to damage their personalities, this was done carefully, solemnly, and almost pathologically.

When they awaken and return to the side of the main god, the familiars who not only forget the white-haired boy but also treat him as a dangerous person are thus born.

It even made the virgin goddess (Hestia) feel desperate.

—That's right, the movements of the 'small garden' are observed by them, the protagonists.

So this is what exists in places unseen by the protagonists—simple anecdotes (substory).

Only those who peer into the miniature garden can enjoy the little stories hidden in the corners of this tiny world.

Clang, clang.

The sound of metal clanging and sparks flying echoed throughout the workshop.

The red-haired youth swung his hammer, large beads of sweat dripping from his brow—a sight that Chun Cobrand, preparing for his work, watched with a look of utter annoyance.

"Honestly, this is my own forge! Would anyone really just start forging a sword like that?"

"You're the one who did whatever you wanted in my workshop while we were on our 'expedition,' aren't you?"

"Gulp...!"

Hearing the complaints from the half-dwarf leader of the Hephaestus Familia, Welf retorted without even looking up. When the Hestia Familia formed a "factional alliance" to go to the lower levels, Tsubaki, who was chosen to stay behind at the base but did whatever she wanted and even damaged Welf's supplies, was unable to refute anything.

Welf stayed there for several days in a row, and even Tsubaki, who was usually quite shrewd, wanted to complain about him, but his work was progressing smoothly. Concentrating intently to avoid any forging errors, the young man, who hadn't uttered a single word, finally finished shaping the blade and immersed the red-hot blade in water.

The quenching process was accompanied by a hissing sound and emitted astonishing heat. Welf then silently began to work as well, spending a considerable amount of time finishing up. Tsubaki silently watched as the young man, who was a member of the same god's kin and equivalent to her junior brother, worked.

"Besides, I originally wanted to invite Lord Hephaestus to come. It's all because you insisted on stopping me that this happened."

"You asked for 'some advice,' and this is what you're saying? I was just trying to stop you... That deity is in a bad mood right now."

"This is the first time I've heard of this."

"It's just that you, you idiot, who's obsessed with blacksmithing, didn't listen. The Goddess of Forging said something incomprehensible like 'I can't remember the weapons I've forged'... Anyway, she can't supervise your work right now, so she just threw down some golden advice. With your infuriatingly poor forging, she said, 'I have nothing to say. Redo it,' and that was it."

Welf didn't see Tsubaki as a senior, but rather as a high wall to be crossed. Her sharp words made Welf mutter "damn it" without changing his expression, but he still didn't stop what he was doing.

Soon after, he finished making a short sword.

Welf picked it up with one hand, the blade pointing towards the ceiling. Only then did Welf, who had been staring intently at the short sword, finally look at Tsubaki.

"how?"

"It's too blunt. Not to mention the Supreme God, even my sword can't reach it."

For concise questions and answers, offer brief criticism.

"However, it's much stronger than your previous weapons. It's strong enough to allow you to call yourself a superior blacksmith."

What follows is a less-than-frank praise from the artisan, a man with a troublesome personality.

"Your skills are indeed improving." Upon hearing this praise, which was quite good even among top-level blacksmiths, Welf felt neither proud nor basked in joy.

In Chun's view, he was actually displaying an unreasonable anxiety, repeatedly asking questions.

"I don't want to ask that. What I want to ask is..."

At this point, however, he hesitated and stopped.

Unable to express the emotions bottled up inside.

He looked worried and didn't even know what he wanted to say.

What Chun is referring to is the skills and attitude of a craftsman.

Welf, who was once a "rookie," has improved her skills and mindset, which is reflected in her work, and her words probably also convey this meaning.

Welf thought so too.

Through the experience of the "Expedition," his passion for iron and weapons intensified, and his resolve during each forging session increased significantly. This perfectly embodied the phrase "a single hammer blow can capture the soul," as the spirit infused into his forging improved his skills.

Unearth all knowledge and experience, and challenge the brilliance of the 'unknown'.

This brought an extreme part to Welf.

Moreover, it is precisely because he has touched upon a part of it that Welf becomes even more greedy in seeking knowledge and technology, constantly striving to improve in order to reach that ultimate level again.

In other words, Welf Crozo became more sincere, serious, and meticulous about iron.

He broke free from the shell of being a blacksmith and rose to a higher level.

Although Welf felt this was arrogant, he also had a real sense of it.

(But……!)

But there's something.

Something is strange.

Despite possessing skill, passion, and awareness, the short sword before him failed to reach the ideal depicted by Welf.

Other adventurers and blacksmiths would envy, desire, or even be jealous of this treasured sword.

But in Welf's eyes, it was a "fake sword disguised as a fine weapon".

(Fake...fake...yes, a 'counterfeit'. It's clearly not a copy; it should have been imbued with life, yet I consider this short sword (this thing) that I painstakingly crafted as a 'counterfeit'.)

As Welf gradually approached the fragments of feeling deep within his heart, almost at the same moment he successfully transformed them into ambiguous language, Tsubaki spoke again.

"You are now recognized as a blacksmith of a higher caliber than those around you. But at the same time... something is missing."

what.

What is it again?

Not only herself, but also Chun, who is also a craftsman, felt the same way.

"You said something's missing... what is it?"

"...How would I know about your problem? It's just that I feel you used to have...something that was missing."

Even if he was immature and careless in the past, the things that Welf possessed back then have now disappeared.

Chun, who witnessed the entire forging process, said this.

It wasn't that they deliberately withheld everything, hoping Welf would discover it himself.

Her eyebrows were also furrowed, as if she was stuck on something and spoke vaguely.

This is disgusting.

As a blacksmith, nothing could be more nauseating than this.

It could even escalate into uncontrollable anger.

It's like an empty gear.

Although everything around it was meshing and operating smoothly, there was only one empty spot, not even a sound of it spinning freely. If this void wasn't filled, the core essence couldn't be reached, and from now on, Welf would continue to create 'fakes'.

(Ultimately... why am I wielding a 'short sword' instead of a 'blade'? I'm that guy's personal weapon. I directly signed a contract with him. That's why I left Lord Hephaestus and joined Lord Hestia's ranks.)

He questioned the 'fake' in front of him.

(That guy is proficient in all kinds of martial arts. He can use any weapon. So it's not wrong to forge a short sword. It's not wrong, but that guy is best suited for a sword. The first thing I thought of 'forging' for that guy was a sword reminiscent of the Far East. Even if I was confused and doubtful for some reason, I would definitely forge a sword in the end. —But why did I forge a short sword?)

I felt a sense of unease about the short sword in front of me.

(Have I forgotten what I actually wanted to convey this to?)

The weapon, gleaming like a mirror, seemed to be telling a story, arousing 'doubt'.

"—No, that's impossible."

Then, the "charm" took effect immediately.

The youth's eyes shone with the same silver radiance as the goddess's, and the silver chains binding his soul rattled.

Along with the 'discomfort' that had been sublimated into 'doubt,' Welf reset everything.

Even Tsubaki, whose thought had not yet evolved into 'doubt,' stared at him with astonishment, and Welf's expression vanished.

The repeatedly applied "allure" transformed into heavily binding "silver chains," shrouding Welf's soul. It would not allow the light of passion to pierce the chains and reach the truth. Nor would it tolerate the slightest flaw. This meticulous detail and chilling complexity reflected the goddess's profound obsession. Even with "thin elven blood" flowing through her veins, nothing could overturn this principle.

The altered memories surged like a calm vortex, guiding Welf through a labyrinth of misunderstandings and misinterpretations, leading him to the entrance of a beautiful "miniature garden" constructed from falsehoods.

The intense, unconscious inner turmoil came at the cost of unspeakable anxiety.

Therefore, Welf was still very annoyed in the end.

They spent an amount of time and number of times that they themselves didn't even notice, continuously "inquiring about forgeries."

(Was I wrong? Or was the "fake" wrong? What exactly is missing between us?)

No matter how much you alter memories and perceptions, you can never distort the 'craftsman's sensibility'.

The goddess did not allow the residents of the miniature garden to degenerate into "dolls deprived of consciousness and freedom".

Therefore, the only thing that cannot be taken away is the craftsman's feeling for his work.

Only this intuition continues to repeat its cycle of birth and disappearance.

This frenzied passion, which was neither aware of nor threatened the enchanted "miniature garden," repeatedly scorched Welf. Welf was also unaware that he was surrounded by flames.

So he asked himself that question countless times, a question that was both disheartening and yet he never gave up.

What am I doing this for?

I built this weapon for my friend (something) —?

Empty, empty.

Something is weeping, like the tears of a fox in a scroll painting.

Chunji didn't know where the voice came from.

She was unaware that the voice that should have come from her own heart was actually her own.

Silence, silence.

My mind was shrouded in a thin mist like snow, and I did not encounter the hero (who) I had been longing to see.

Her body was mature and voluptuous enough to attract men's lust, but her childlike heart remained tender and innocent, purely yearning and dreaming like a child's fantasy.

She prayed to meet "her hero (who)", like the samurai in the open book who slew a thousand demons and rescued the poor girl.

"With whom...who is it?"

Sitting in the library of the base, Chunji murmured to herself as she turned the pages of Heroic Tales, her slender fingers stopping their movement.

She slowly raised her head and looked around. The room was filled with books and bookshelves.

Chunji had a complete collection of heroic tales before her, to the point that she should probably buy another bookshelf.

Haruhime, who had come to this library for some unknown reason, suddenly had an idea.

Speaking of which, who collected these tales of heroes?