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

Before the stunned Welf lay a crumbling wall, and beyond that wall, a world expanded from the depths of darkness.

Then there are the images of the dying knights buried in the rubble.

"...Wa ...

Welf roared.

He let the fragments of the "Demon Sword" shatter and scatter in his hand, howling into the night.

"Is this... is this power!?"

Raindrops lashed his face, and several tear-like streaks of water slid down Welf's cheeks.

Black smoke billowed from the sturdy exterior walls, while the crimson inferno did not die out despite the rain.

Normally, a minor character like Welf could be subdued by the knights in the blink of an eye.

But "Crozzo's Demon Sword" overturned this.

With this monstrous weapon, even a child with no strength can defeat a strong knight.

In ancient times, this incredibly powerful demonic sword even corrupted the blacksmithing clan that created it.

Seeing the knights' tragically charred swords, Welf finally broke down in tears and cried out:

"Are we blacksmiths destined to make things like this?!"

Leaving the chaotic pursuers behind, Welf leaped over the damaged outer wall.

His figure disappeared into the darkness, while sobs and roars rose into the night sky again and again.

—I will never forge a "magic sword".

That day.

Welf vowed to uphold the dignity and ambition of a blacksmith.

*

Having escaped the capital, Welf arrived at a mixed forest not far from the capital.

The rain has stopped.

As he took off his hood, soaked to the bone, a black-haired goddess appeared from the shade of a tree.

"Looks like you succeeded, Welf."

"Fobos..."

Forbos, who had arrived at the agreed location first, slowly walked to his side.

The boy looked exhausted, and the "Demon Sword" disappeared, leaving only its scabbard.

She didn't say anything after seeing this, she just squinted her eyes.

"Welf, come here. Before you fly far away, I want to give you a farewell gift."

This is the first and last time I will update your [ability stats].

After saying this, Forbos went around to his back.

Exhausted from a night of fleeing, Welf silently obeyed and followed her lead.

He sat on the rock like a broken puppet, and Forbos lifted his clothes.

The goddess's slender fingers glided over the back of the boy, whose muscles were gradually developing during his training.

"Alright. And Welf, I've terminated your contract with me."

"...?"

"This means you can convert anytime, anywhere. From now on, you can join whichever god's faction (familia) you wish to join."

Forbos explained to him that she had not sealed his [ability value], but left him with enhanced ability parameters, putting him in a state where he could re-establish the contract.

In other words, it means being "prepared to convert" to another god.

"However, my divine blood will remain in you... which means I've taken your virginity (your first time)~"

"...Don't talk nonsense."

Welf, who had been keeping a straight face, finally responded in his usual tone after hearing Forbes's joke.

"Hehehe!" The goddess shook her shoulders, as if she found it very funny.

"A caravan will be passing through this grove today, so hitch a ride. After you leave the kingdom, do whatever you want."

"What... do you plan to do? If you go back to the capital now, you'll be punished for letting me escape..."

"If I don't go back, who will clean up your mess? Right now, the kingdom and your family (Crozo) are in complete chaos."

"..."

"Don't worry, I'll say that Will and the others were tricked by me, and that you were instigated by me. Just say that the goddess (me) wanted to have some fun~ Ares is an idiot, she'll believe it."

These are Frost's words.

And the way she looked at me.

All of this certainly disrupted Welf's plans.

"...Why? Why did you do so much for me...?"

"It's just God's madness. And then, let me think... maybe it's because of love for his precious child?"

The goddess tilted her head to the side, letting her long black hair fall from her neck.

"I'm glad to have a silly kid like you around. Besides, I'm tired of living under Ares."

Even if he were sent back to the heavens, it wouldn't matter. Buddha laughed without any restraint.

These words are probably all her true feelings, spoken on a whim.

But Welf, here and now, truly...

I saw "divinity" in her.

"Don't worry. Even after I'm blasted to the 'Heavenly Realm,' I'll still be watching over you. Hehe!"

"...I don't need your meddling."

then.

"Go, Welf, live life the way you like. Crozzo and the kingdom will only become your shackles."

Forbos neither hugged him nor touched his head.

She simply gave a composed smile that Welf had never seen before.

Goodbye.

"……Um."

That was the last thing Welf said to her.

*

a few days later.

In the direction of Balya, the capital of Lachia, a huge pillar of light rose into the sky.

—I'm sorry, thank you.

On a low hill outside the kingdom's borders.

The boy gazed up at the beautiful light alone, and a tear silently streamed down his face.

*

"There's a particularly energetic young man here."

A beautiful woman's voice rang out.

Her eyes were fixed on a forge where the furnace was ablaze.

There, a red-haired boy was wrestling with several adults over the iron-forging area.

"Oh, my goddess! I'm so sorry, it's such a rare treat for you to grace us with your presence, but I'm afraid you'll find it embarrassing..."

"Oh, isn't that how a blacksmith should be? I really like it. So, who is he?"

"He just suddenly showed up one day and said, 'Let me live and work here!'... His name is probably a pseudonym too. But his forging skills are pretty good, and we can't do anything about him."

Thoringon, the city of sword forging.

A certain goddess, who came to this city to discuss business with a partner, visited the blacksmith shop she had frequented for many years. Her beautiful face, covered by a large eye patch, squinted her left eye and stared intently at the young man diligently forging iron in front of the forge he had just snatched.

"Hey, foreman. Could you let me take care of that child?"

"Huh? We don't mind here... but you don't mind?"

"I don't mind." The goddess smiled and waited for the young man to finish forging.

Soon after, when he had forged a sword that was still considered too rough, she went to the boy's side.

"Hey, what's your name?"

The boy raised his sweat-drenched face, looking surprised at the sudden appearance of the divine object, and answered her question:

"...Welf"

"Your name is Welf? Don't you have a surname?"

"I don't want to say my surname..."

"I see. Well then, Welf, would you like to join my [Family]?"

"Huh...?"

Seeing the beautiful woman's crescent-shaped smile, the boy stared blankly.

"...Before inviting anyone to join, please state your name first. You've already asked for my name."

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, I forgot."

Faced with the suspicious look in the eyes of the young man, the goddess apologized for her rudeness.

then……

My name is—

Ahead on the path pointed out by my best friend...

The boy encountered a goddess with red eyes and red hair.

Volume 15 Interlude: The Spirit's Wavering

""Cheers──!""

The colliding glasses splashed out a lot of white foam.

We clinked together a dozen or so glasses and drank them down or sipped a full glass of wine or juice.

The location is "The Abundant Mistress".

It was late at night, but the tavern on West Street was still bustling with business. Bathed in the warm glow of the magic stone lights, the numerous customers created a lively atmosphere. The boisterous chatter of drunken dwarves and gnomes brought a strange sense of comfort to my body, which had just returned from an expedition.

We are holding a "banquet".

The list of participants includes familiar faces such as the Hestia Familia, the Mih Familia, and the Takemikazuchi Familia.

"Congratulations, Lord Bell, on the official removal of your cast!"

"Haha... Uh, thank you."

Lily's exaggerated statement made me smile wryly.

This was actually the second time we had held a banquet since returning from the "expedition".

The first one was at our base camp, during the "Expedition" return celebration.

At that time, both Mih and Takemikazuchi raised their glasses to celebrate for us.

This second party is to celebrate the removal of my cast.

To be honest, I feel like throwing a banquet for such a small thing is a bit much... but I've always wanted to eat Aunt Mia's cooking, so maybe it's not so bad. Besides, Lily, who's very strict with money, agreed.

By the way, even the gods still have to go to work.