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

The lights in the town's inns gradually went out.

The clamor of the tavern remained, and the labyrinthine town was shrouded in a somber gloom.

"..."

Welf sneaks out of the hotel alone and visits the town's high ground, which "Daylight" had visited.

Looking out from the railing, one can see the streets shrouded in the vast darkness of night, yet still sparkling with crystal light, as well as the dreamlike beauty of the 18th floor. The lake surrounding the island reflects the crystal light, as dazzling as a sea of ​​stars.

Welf, who had been absentmindedly gazing at the scenery he couldn't see from the ground, slowly turned his head.

Bell discovered that he had slipped out of the inn, chased after him, and climbed the steps to the high platform.

"What's wrong, Bell?"

Welf smiled faintly at him.

"Welf... um..."

"..."

"From that time until now, I have always been enamored with Welf's weapons..."

The boy opened his mouth and then closed it again, desperately trying to convey something.

However, seeing Welf staring into his eyes, he lowered his deep red eyes and fell silent.

He seemed to understand the young man's heart, as if he had had similar experiences himself, and discarded any words that might have become mere words of comfort.

After looking around, he walked over to Welf.

The two stood side by side in silence, listening to the faint laughter coming from the distant tavern, and gazing at the scenery of Rivera town.

Right here, where Welf's sword was easily shattered.

"...Hey, Bell, could I borrow Hestia's dagger for a moment?"

"what?"

Please.

Welf spoke slowly, pleading with Bell.

A moment later, the boy standing beside him nodded and took out a black dagger from his waist.

Welf accepted the Blade of Hestia that was handed to him.

"Damn it...it looks amazing no matter how you look at it..."

He looked down at the unsheathed sword engraved with sacred script, his face showing a mixture of emotion, resentment, and frustration.

From the first time he saw it, he was deeply struck by the goddess's sharp blade.

The blade would immediately die the moment it left Bell's hand, which puzzled Welf several times; however, he understood when he learned that it was the work of the blacksmith goddess Hephaestus.

I have come to understand the true value of this weapon, the divine technology infused within it, and its boundless peaks.

Welf looked down at the dagger and smiled, his face revealing awe for the god of forging.

"...Blacksmiths who join the Hephaestus Familia, the faction of the God of Forging, must undergo a ritual."

"……ceremony?"

"Yes, without exception, one person at a time."

Welf returned the black dagger to Bell, as if returning to his origin, and began to tell Bell about his encounter with Hephaestus.

That was when he left his birth family and kingdom of Lachia to wander through various countries.

He managed to sneak into a blacksmith shop in a sword-making city, where he lived and worked as an apprentice craftsman. He was spotted by Hephaestus, who happened to be visiting the shop.

After being persuaded, Welf was led alone into a room and underwent the initiation ceremony for the "Family".

"The goddess will show you a sword, and then it's up to you whether you want to join the group."

After they are alone in the room, Hephaestus will say:

"If this isn't what you want, then go to another faction or another organization."

Then she opened the door and led him into the innermost room to see "that".

A precious sword displayed on a pedestal.

The moment he saw that weapon, it felt as if an electric current surged through Welf's body.

"—I'm trembling. I never imagined that human blacksmiths could create weapons of that caliber."

Welf trembled upon seeing the sword Hephaestus had forged himself.

The goddess possesses no special powers, let alone "divine power Arcanum," yet she is able to create pure and unparalleled technological masterpieces.

The Origin Sword, crafted using only abilities equivalent to those of humans, is the goal of the people of the lower realms.

That was a masterpiece of divine skill, a work of the highest realm.

"That is an ultimate goal, a possibility that no human being with any power can reach."

Welf didn't look at the boy, but instead gazed at the town's night view unfolding before him, his tone gradually warming.

The scene from that time is still vivid in his mind, bringing a quiet smile to his face.

"I want to try to create something that surpasses that weapon."

He raised his right hand to chest height and clenched it.

Any blacksmith who sees that sword will be captivated by Hephaestus, the goddess of forging, and will hone their skills and practice diligently by her side, hoping to reach the level of the great goddess. They will aspire to surpass her and dream of a realm even higher than the highest.

That was an unimaginably arduous journey.

To use a metaphor, it was far more difficult than Bell's pursuit of Ais Wallenstein.

If the boy's goal is to become the [Sword Maiden]—the pinnacle of adventurers—then Welf's goal can be described as "the realm of gods."

He is too reckless and too unattainable.

As Bell looked on in astonishment, Welf finished recounting his ambitions and looked down at his clenched fist.

"...That's what I originally thought."

Then, a shadow fell over his face.

—Child, we must invest everything we have, otherwise we cannot reach the highest level of weaponry.

—To think you can reach the realm of that goddess or monster you're obsessed with is just wishful thinking.

The master blacksmith made him realize his own limitations.

Even she, who reigns supreme at the pinnacle of blacksmithing, calls Hephaestus a monster; her domain...

He knew all along that his goal was unattainable; he understood.

Today, however, he deeply felt and realized his own immaturity.

Is it really just wishful thinking, a ridiculous and absurd notion, that a blacksmith like myself wants to challenge the gods?

Just as Chun said, we must even use this bloodline that he avoids, otherwise we can forget about touching that domain.

If I don't become a magic sword blacksmith, will I never be able to reach Hephaestus's side?

"I……"

Under the boy's gaze, Welf looked up at the vast night sky above the labyrinth.

*

The next day.

The Hestia Familia and the Takemikazuchi Familia returned to the surface from the 18th floor.

In order to recoup their expenses during the Battle of Goliath and in the town, they explored as they progressed through the "middle level." When they reached the surface, Orario was already bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

Some went to exchange money, while others went to report their return to the two main gods. After everyone went their separate ways in the central square, Welf walked alone on the street corner that was dyed maroon.

The streets were bustling with activity. Adventurers returning from the labyrinth were already drinking and recounting their heroic exploits to the tavern staff and other customers. Bard, a bard with his instrument in both hands, played lively tunes, and the tavern's beauties danced along to his songs, welcoming customers with smiles.

Welf walked silently down the bustling avenue, no one calling out to him as he walked along the roadside, as if no one had noticed him.

After that, Tsubaki never appeared in front of Welf again.

Only her words remained in his ears and heart, and she could easily drag Welf into an abyss of regret.

Damn it! Welf shook his head. He had been asking himself questions and getting stuck on this one point since last night.

Ultimately, you only have one answer to choose from.

He looked annoyed, then immediately looked down at his feet with a sullen expression. With each step, the stone pavement gradually moved into view.

And just as he walked down the street, letting the setting sun cast a fiery red glow on his kimono—

"—Welf."

He heard a voice that he could not believe.

"————"

Welf stopped moving abruptly, his eyes widened to the limit, and he abruptly raised his head.

For a moment he thought there was something wrong with his head and suspected he was hallucinating. He looked into the back alley from which the sound came and saw a figure standing in the dark shadows.

Ignoring the stiff-faced Welf, the figure flipped his black coat and disappeared into the depths of the back alley, as if luring him away.

Without saying a word, Welf chased after him.

(Hey, no way! Why—)

He ran through the narrow alleyways.

Numerous questions surfaced and disappeared in his mind, making Welf increasingly confused.

What's that man doing here?

His heart pounded harder and harder, the pounding against his chest becoming increasingly irritating. Losing his composure, Welf relentlessly chased after the person in the coat ahead, until finally, the figure silently stopped.

This is the deepest part of the back alley, dark, littered with garbage, far from the noise of pedestrians on the street.

In a secluded corner of a deserted path, a figure turned around and took off the hood of his coat.

"Long time no see... Welf."

He was a middle-aged man who looked somewhat old, his face full of wrinkles making it difficult to guess his actual age. His long, brown hair, for a man, was tied up, and his eyes seemed to hold the weight of years of hard work, devoid of any domineering or powerful aura.

Like looking in a mirror reflecting the future, seeing a human face that resembled his own old age, Welf exclaimed.

"Dad...!?"

The person in front of him was Welf's biological father, with whom he shared blood ties.

Will Crozzo.

Seven years ago, Welf voluntarily severed his relationship with his father and son, and should rightfully become a man of the past.

Also belonging to the kingdom, the current head of the declining blacksmithing noble family of Crozzo.

"Why...why are you here!?"

"Do I need to explain, you stupid son?"

Welf roared, unable to contain his trembling, and Will looked back at him with weak, listless eyes.

Welf gritted his teeth.

He's right. Without even thinking, the simple and clear answer is right here in this city, outside the city walls.

At this moment, the factional alliances in the city are probably still fighting against those 30,000 troops.

He comes from the West, and the man before me belongs to a military state with a divine right of kings.

The thought that Will might have invaded this labyrinthine city along with the kingdom's attack sent a burning sensation through Welf's mind.

(Could it be...!?)

Will's motives for invading the city, his purpose in appearing before him... Ultimately, the kingdom's military intervention was for—

As if to confirm Welf's almost anxious prediction, his biological father said:

"Welf, forge the magic sword for us."

"Kingdom Lachia... God Ares admires your 'Demon Sword,' the power of your race that you use to play your silly god games."