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

Considering the impact on the operations of Harbor City (Meren) , the guild decided not to punish Njord and Borg. Needless to say, the two sides had made a private agreement, requiring the two to agree to provide assistance to the guild.

As a result, the only one who was punished this time was the guild's branch manager, Rupert.

"What? So that means the only one who drew the 'King of Lottery' was that guy named Lu Bo?"

The night after Tiony and the others returned to the port, two days after the matter was settled.

After dealing with the troublesome dealings with the guild, Loki prevented Njord and the others from escaping, capturing them early on and forcing them to reveal the relevant information and gains from the incident.

"Yeah, it seems like I've even lost my job. I really feel bad for that guy."

"Ugh, Njord, you're so awful. You dragged the child into 'the best plan I could think of' and made him unemployed—"

"Yes, so I carved 'gratitude' on his back to make him join the ranks of fishermen."

"You devil."

Njord said seriously, and Loki also retorted with a serious expression.

The location is in the Nyod family's headquarters, "Ship Castle," specifically in Nyod's shrine.

"Throwing someone who was originally sitting in an office into a physical battlefield, I'm telling you..."

"But this is all I can do, to atone for the sin of dragging him into this..."

I heard that Rupert was surrounded by laughing fishermen who said, "We'll take good care of you," as if they wanted to vent their pent-up resentment, which terrified him so much that he cried and screamed. Well, I heard Rupert had done a lot of bad things against Njord's wishes before; perhaps this is a good way to punish him…

"So? Is there any possibility of repairing your relationship with your child?"

"You mean Rod...? He doesn't seem to have sorted out his feelings yet, but..."

Njord spoke vaguely, a bitter smile playing on his lips.

He said, "From now on, in order to prevent Njord from getting stuck in a rut and doing things he shouldn't, we will be strong..."

"You're such a good child..."

"That's right."

Seeing Loki's words resonate deeply, Njord chuckled.

"I can't quite let go of the fisheries and ocean issues yet, but I'll think of other ways to stop using those man-eating flowers. If I get involved with that stuff, Loki and the others will come and lecture me again."

"Yes, it's better to do it this way."

"I will work hard together with Rod and Borg."

Having finalized their future strategy, Njord and Loki turned in the same direction.

Before their eyes, a child goddess was sitting in a chair, bound by layers of ropes.

"Well then, you brat, it's your turn again. I want you to spit it all out, word for word."

"...Hmph, who cares about you?"

Seeing Kali turn her face away, Loki made a strange, mocking clucking sound.

After the battle was decided in the sea cave, Loki treated the wounded, including Bajie. Out of pity, he threw them onto the ship of Tyr's Scylla, capturing only the chief god and bringing him here. Kali, treated as the defeated, seemed quite annoyed, which gave Loki a chance to vent his frustration.

"In short, you must promise me you won't cause any more trouble for Tione and the others. Especially that battle maniac named Algana, you have to make her behave..."

"...Argana is finished."

"what?"

"Not just Algana, everyone else... anyone other than Baje who was defeated by your men (children) is no good anymore..."

Loki looked surprised, and Kali pouted. She muttered, "In the end, they are women (Amazons) after all," "How can they talk about others (Tione) like that?" "What kind of girl in love is that, it's just..." "Algana has become like that, and Baje has no reason to fight anymore..." and "The future is bleak," she muttered to herself with dead fish eyes.

"Tyr Scylla may already be finished... Ah, my paradise..."

"What have you been saying all this time... And because my darlings Tiona and Tione insist, I'm telling you, stop letting your people kill each other. At least let those who don't like participating in the 'ritual' go."

"If I said, 'It's okay if those who don't want to die speak up~, you can all leave~' everyone would definitely raise their hands, okay? What nonsense are you spouting? Are you an idiot?"

"Hey, you idiot, you're tired of living, aren't you?"

"Yes, yes, I understand, I understand! Love can save the world! Love and peace, love and peace! Long live Lady Aphrodite!"

"That brat..."

"Hey Loki, we're getting off-topic. Put your fist down."

Seeing the masked girl spouting nonsense with such an annoying face, Loki's clenched fists trembled uncontrollably, but Njord nudged her with his elbow, and she finally managed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"First, let me ask you, what are you doing in Mehren?"

I won't tell you.

"Hey, you motherfucker, give me some leeway!"

"This is the only thing I cannot speak of. After all, I have come this far with great difficulty."

Seeing the goddess of infancy turn her face away again, Loki's face finally bulged with veins. "Alright, alright," Nyord stepped in to mediate. Judging from his skillful peacemaking techniques, it was easy to see the friendship between the two since the time of Asgard.

"It seems like the goddess (Ishtar) took care of them; she must have some connection to that side, right?"

"Hey, is that what he said? Confess now."

"~Soil

When Loki pressed her for answers, Kali started whistling off-key. Loki had been glaring at her, but when he heard that Ishtar was behind it, he roughly identified her as the potential candidate.

The first thing that came to her mind was the face of the goddess of beauty with whom she had a tragic past… but Loki thought to himself: I have no obligation to advise her, so I'd better not say it—

"...Next question. What do you know about the man-eating flower monster?"

"This concubine doesn't know. Really."

Loki stared intently into those red eyes, realizing she wasn't lying.

"By the way, Ishtar seems to know something about that monster?"

"It's Ishtar again... Njord, those guys who provided you with the carnivorous plants, they're somehow connected to Ishtar, aren't they?"

"Hmm. But all things considered, it seems like it's just a business transaction like ours... They said they had a suitable candidate who could move the carnivorous plant to the port city (Melon), and introduced them to me."

He said that afterwards, both sides would use the sea cave together. Although they had agreed on terms—the other side would help Njord transport the carnivorous plants, and Njord would facilitate their activities in the port city (Melen)—their relationship with Ishtar and her group seemed to be merely one of commission. "To put it bluntly, you were just being manipulated by Ishtar, and you'll end up as scapegoats," Loki criticized. Njord, looking weary after his crucial mistake was exposed by the appearance of the carnivorous plants in the port, said, "Stop talking..."

"Hmm... the only clues are Ishtar and the mysterious human we met in the underground sewers..."

A moment later, the table was set up, on which lay the emblem of the [Ishtar Familia]—one of the guild’s publicly available emblem registers (light)—and a detailed portrait painted by Njord.

The man in the portrait has bangs covering one eye, heavy dark circles under his eyes, and looks unhealthy. He seems even more sinister than Soma, the god of interest. Loki thought to himself.

"By the way, what kind of smuggled goods are those guys asking for?"

"I didn't check the contents, but sometimes it's valuables, sometimes it's alcohol, and sometimes the boxes rattle and vibrate, so it might be a living being. From what that human said, they seem to desperately need money?"

"Money..."

Perhaps it's the funding needed for the urban destruction advocated by remnants of dark factions or "weirdos"?

Loki initially thought it was all in vain, but then he gained a clue to think about the next question, and felt that he had gained something.

"Hey, brat, has Ishtar said anything else? Anything, no matter how trivial."

"Hmm—I also have some secrets to hide, so I don't really want to talk about them...but I really don't remember what she said."

Of the three gods in the room, Kali, who was reluctantly cooperating with Loki, first had a thoughtful expression, and then added, "But..."

"That goddess (woman)...Ishtar is a terrible goddess."

"...? What do you mean? If you're talking about the power (strength) of your [Family], you should be stronger than her..."

"That fellow is cunning and treacherous, and he possesses a 'secret weapon.' Loki, haven't you listened to what your own children are saying?"

After hearing what she said, Loki had a clue.

Ais and Bert had mentioned that Freni Jamil, who should be at level 5, was wielding combat power equivalent to level 6. Bert said, "The other side brought along a sorcerer," but... if she possessed a super-enhanced "magic" or "curse" ability comparable to Ascension (leveling up), that would be a huge threat. If that "power" were used on Algana or Baje, this incident might truly be unsolvable. Loki was relaxed because he knew Finn and the others would come to his aid, but one wrong step could lead to irreversible consequences. To be honest, Loki was really on edge.

Meanwhile, Loki thought to himself.

This is the lower realm. It is the highest level of chessboard game, containing "possibilities," which even the gods cannot fathom.

That's why I never get tired of it. Loki thought to himself, licking his lips rather unceremoniously.

"Again, it's my intuition... She specifically summoned us, yet showed no regret when it came to parting with us. I feel there might be another reason. In my opinion—there's probably another 'secret weapon'."

"Other 'secret weapons'..."

With Nyod watching, Loki pondered Kali's words repeatedly.

As darkness enveloped the mansion, Loki heard the unpredictable intertwining of divine will among the gods.

✉

"Really, that little girl Kali... as expected, she was defeated by Loki and the others."

A seductive, alluring figure walked along the stone-paved path.

Ishtar grumbled as she walked, her braids swaying with each step. In the dark passage, the goddess's servant, the loyal young man (a human), followed silently behind.

Ishtar, who had been puffing away unhappily with her pipe, suddenly changed her expression and smiled. She had arrived at the end of the passage where a faint light was emanating.

"I knew it wouldn't be reliable... When necessary, use 'this'."

It was a spacious hall.

In the large, stone-designed space, a group of people draped in robes moved about. Ishtar looked down at the scene from a high, balcony-like vantage point, watching the object bound to the center of the hall.

That enormous "monster" that was bound by countless chains.

In short... let's call it "the bull of heaven".

The silent young attendant behind her trembled with fear, while the goddess of beauty narrowed her amethyst-like eyes.

The head had magnificent yet twisted and ominous horns.

On her forehead, the female body devoured the "magic stone" she had obtained, her ugly, large eyes twitching.

Side Story: Sword Oratoria 6 Afterword

I recently took a long trip and leisurely strolled along the coastline before returning.

The sea under the clear sky was beautiful, but what impressed me even more was the sound of the waves. Listening to the tranquil lapping of the waves against the shore, I even vaguely conjured up scenes of dialogue between male and female characters in my mind. I'm not very good at romantic comedies, but at that moment, I suddenly felt an urge to write one. However, when I started writing the manuscript, I suddenly realized that the Amazonians were engaged in a full-blown brawl. How did it turn out like this?

This is the sixth episode of the spin-off. Chronologically, it covers events from before the start of the sixth episode of the main series to the beginning.

When this episode was in the plot development (story outline) stage, the bond between the Amazonian sisters and the character of the antagonist were still very vague. It's fair to say that while there were things I wanted to write, the content felt empty, like starting to write without any plan before fleshing out the core characters. Perhaps the biggest reason is that the author felt the older sister was a bit...unconventional, while the younger sister was rather simple-minded, questioning whether there was truly any "bond" between the Amazonian sisters (and also, describing the sisterly affection made me quite shy...).

However, what was originally just a textual "setting" gradually unfolded into the sisters' "past," and the "affection" that had previously been hesitated to be written suddenly came to life. The character design of the antagonist also improved. Perhaps it seems obvious, but I began to feel that the characters in the book also had their own lives, from which many stories were derived. I felt that in this volume, the two Amazons became "sisters" for the first time.

Besides these, this volume also includes many new settings, hoping to expand the world-building of the work and dreaming of one day depicting the outside world. In addition, some characters who appear in the main series play important roles in the story; readers who are willing to refer to volume seven of the main series might find it even more enjoyable.

Now, please allow me to proceed to the acknowledgments section.

To the editors, Mr. Kotaki and Mr. Takahashi, illustrator Haimuraki Yotaka, and everyone involved, this is the longest I've ever delayed a manuscript, and I apologize for the inconvenience. I also sincerely thank everyone for their tremendous help. Furthermore, I would like to thank all the readers who have taken the time to pick up this book; please allow me to express my deepest gratitude. I hope you will continue to support me in the future.

If the story unfolds as planned, the next episode will likely be about events that happen after episode six of the main series, but episode seven might skip an entire episode of the main series. Very likely, probably... In short, I will work even harder than before.

Thank you for reading this far. See you next time.

大森藤ノ

Side Story: Sword Oratoria 6 Illustration

Gaiden: Sword Oratoria 6 Bonus: Past Psychological Trauma

"Stop right there, Ais! Have you forgotten about your swimming practice?"

"Here we go again." Young Ais thought to herself as she listened to the ( ) royal family's angry rebuke.

"...Finn said he would teach me how to fight..."

"You were supposed to be practicing swimming with me today, right? Are you planning to be a landlubber for the rest of your life?!"

This happened about nine years ago, on a certain day. Seven-year-old Ais was trying to sneak out of the mansion with a short sword that suited her petite frame when she was caught by Riveria and scolded.

"...Swimming doesn't help in combat..."

"Idiot! Wait until you're forced into a naval battle in the dungeon, then let's see if you'll still say the same thing!"

The little girl, whose only thought was to practice swordsmanship, looked resentful and defiant.

When they first met, Ais and Riveria's relationship was far from good. Ais was basically a rebellious child—from that time on, she prioritized improving her physical fitness—so much so that Riveria had to lecture her every day like a mother disciplining her child.