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

I couldn't resist setting trials for the boy (the silverback ape), and because I felt it wasn't enough, I also gave him a magic book. To make him stronger, to make him a better match for me. During the days of close contact in the bar and observing him from afar on the tower (the Tower of Babel), I was filled with all sorts of fantasies about my future "partner," and I planned to continue to hone his soul.

But from a certain day onward, the whole thing started to go wrong.

This feeling didn't come out of nowhere.

Instead, quietly and slowly, without even my noticing, the gears began to turn more and more erratically, gradually emitting strange sounds. Like ripples spreading across a clear lake under the moonlight, my divine sense was slowly being corrupted by the transparent spring water.

In fact, signs had already appeared at that time.

Even though I arranged a trial (Minotaur) for that child that could easily lead to his death, on the night I went to see him as a "girl (Seele)," I said something quite unbelievable.

"...It doesn't necessarily have to be risky."

It's utterly contradictory and absurd to the point of being laughable.

I had already decided that if the child's soul returned to heaven, I would follow him, yet now I blurted out that I wanted to live with him in the mortal realm. After returning to my lodgings from the tavern, I pondered this matter privately.

It seems I've become a little too engrossed in the "role-playing" game. These might be lines a "girl" (Seele) would say, but they contradict my (Freya's) intentions. I've inadvertently become too fixated on the game's action judgments. That's the conclusion I reached at the time.

After that, subtle distortions began to increase.

For the sake of that child, I still protected him, but I no longer intervened so frequently. When he returned after narrowly escaping death, and when I arranged another trial (the Minotaur) to awaken him, I was excited, but I also strictly ordered my kin (Otto and the others) "We must not let him die."

Compared to before, I spend less and less time transforming back into the "goddess (Freya)," while the time I spend playing the "girl (Seele)" has increased significantly.

I was quite taken aback when I realized this fact; it was a change within me.

what is the reason?

Is it because I'm like a girl in her first love, constantly preparing inedible lunches for others?

Is it because the body is affected by the real name taken from Heron?

Is it because that child is always so clumsy, innocent, and straightforward that he is so endearing?

Is it because he wholeheartedly forged ahead toward an impossible goal, and that attitude and the possibilities he displayed were so dazzling and enviable to me, who is eternally unchanging?

I don't know, and I don't think these are the most direct reasons. It just feels like they're forcing an explanation.

In short, I found myself constantly looking at him, searching for his figure wherever I went.

For example, when you hand him lunch.

I love the smile he gave me.

For example, when he talks to other women.

If he blushes when teased by someone of the opposite sex other than me, I feel uncomfortable.

For example, when a pure white will is shrouded in shadow.

When I saw him suffer through hardships and setbacks, yet he rallied and forged ahead, I felt a deep and selfless urge to lend him a helping hand.

For example, for example, for example...

After countless examples and countless trivial, almost laughable, brief moments, I found myself falling for him.

Although it's really inexplicable, it makes me feel inexplicably ashamed, and I don't want to admit it no matter what.

My heart has been deeply attracted to him.

Not me as a god, but me as a woman.

After recognizing the facts, I felt a sense of relief, and the whole matter became very simple.

At the same time, my other self, the goddess, couldn't help but laugh at this foolish result.

Because, that's how it is, isn't it?

I completely immersed myself in the child I was playing—becoming a character in the game.

It's truly absurd and beyond redemption.

Because the "girl (Seele)" is a "fake" existence.

I'm just playing this role. Just looking down at a chessboard called the Lower Realm, manipulating a piece called "City Girl." But this is different from ordinary board games; the characters aren't made of wood or stone, but possess their own will and life. But so what? When I change my voice and appearance, move the piece called "Girl (Seele)" to interact with them, and then realize that my true self is looking down at this game, I feel incredibly empty. It's no different from falling in love with a character in a book and fantasizing about having a rendezvous with a fictional character. After all, everyone knows that no one can become a resident of a fairy tale.

But—

The one who fell in love at first sight was the goddess (me).

The girl (me) was the one whose heart he stole.

Therefore, she cannot appear as a "goddess (Freya)".

If I don't pursue what I want as "Girl Seele," it will definitely lose its meaning.

The "purpose" of the goddess (me) and the "means" of the girl (me) have been interchanged, and that's what it refers to.

Once upon a time, I was freed from the "shackles of the goddess"—rekindling the hope I had abandoned tens of thousands of years ago—but in the end, I still faced the "breakthrough".

The result is what it is now.

"Girl (Seele)" can no longer obtain what she desires. Then she should abandon the pawn called "Girl (Seele)" and return to her original self, remaining true to her original desires as "Goddess (Freya)".

They would claim that soul as their own, keep the "companion" they longed for by their side, and never give it to anyone else.

I don't need any proof. In the end, all I have is so-called "love".

The girls (Ania and others) on the chessboard looked up at me and said, "You are not a girl (Seele)."

He even told me to "give the girl (Xier) back".

What kind of joke is this? I've already said that "Girl (Seele)" doesn't even exist. Both they, who are so ridiculous, and I, who am genuinely saddened by it, are utterly laughable. It seems I've been playing the role of "Girl (Seele)" for a little too long.

So he and the Virgin Goddess (Hestia) seized the opportunity and turned the game upside down.

……wrong.

...That's not how it works.

It is "sound".

A "voice" from an unknown source is confusing me.

—When will you finally realize your true "desire"?

Ugh, so noisy!

The voice of "someone" who should have been buried long ago still echoes deep within my heart—

(Illustration 014)

Postscript to Volume Seventeen

The author says, "Women before and after makeup are completely different people."

Editor-in-Chief: "I see."

The author writes: "Even without makeup, the difference in mindset can make you seem like a completely different person."

Editor-in-Chief: "And then?"

The author wrote: "Seele is what Freya looks like without makeup."

Editor-in-Chief: "I see, I didn't understand."

Because no matter how eloquently I explained, I couldn't convince anyone, I added the unique secret method setting, which eventually completed the seventeenth episode.

I apologize that this arc hasn't ended after episode sixteen. After all, a book can't exceed eight hundred pages. Anyway, I will try my best to present the ending of the "Seele Arc" and "Freya Arc" to everyone as soon as possible, so please be patient for a little longer.

It's inconvenient to discuss the contents of this book here, so I've decided to talk about the past.

When I first submitted "DanMachi" to GA Bunko, the ending was actually different from what it is now.

When the protagonist is being chased by monsters during the Monster Festival, the one who escapes with him is not the young goddess, but a girl with light gray hair.

Although the story didn't change after obtaining the dagger from the young goddess, the editor at the time suggested, "Let's focus on Hestia here," which I accepted and revised.

Looking back at the original manuscript now, I recall many things, such as what my thoughts were when writing this story... But at least from that time on, this bar waitress has always been a special girl.

Is the "flower field" she arrived at the same place I had envisioned back then? I'm thinking about that question now.

Next is the thank you speech.

To my newly appointed editor, Usami, I look forward to your continued guidance! And to my editor-in-chief, Kitamura, who's been keeping a close eye on me, I thank you for your continued support. To Yasuda Suzuhito, who once again provided exquisite illustrations that added so much color to this work, thank you for your consistently dedicated artwork. Including cross-media collaborations, I extend my deepest gratitude to everyone involved in this series. Finally, to all the readers who have perused this book, thank you so much!

Next is something related to another work, please allow me to give a brief introduction.

The first volume of the manga "The Tale of the Sword and the Staff," with my original work, will be released by Kodansha on April 9, 2021 (this is the Japanese release date). Although the artist, Sei Aoi, is a newcomer, his drawing skills have already reached a master level.

However, I still failed to learn my lesson and set the genre to be the same as "DanMachi," a fantasy story about exploring dungeons.

There is also a section that places a greater emphasis on "swords and magic".

Every day I think about how to write in a way that will satisfy my readers, and I strive to achieve my ideal story. It would be my honor if you could read this manga and compare it with "DanMachi".

Thank you for reading this far.

Goodbye, everyone.

大森藤ノ

Volume 17 Illustrations

Volume 17 Digital Edition Bonus: Between Syr and Horn

[Translator's note: Horn is Helen's name in the English version.]

Helen watched the boy's miserable plight.

"Remember the 'conditions' you made when Bell exposed your 'lie'... the 'contract' we made? You're never allowed to have contact with Bell again. And you're not allowed to enter that child's field of vision."

Obeying Freya's orders and never showing herself in front of him, she kept watching Bell Crane, who was fighting in the "Battle Wilderness".

Sometimes it's looking down from the room window.

Freya's five senses are sometimes connected through "divine transformation magic".

While carrying out the task given by the goddess, she kept watching him, longer than anyone else in the Familia.

"...Foolish man."

When she's alone, these are the words that always come to her lips.

Beaten mercilessly by the first-class adventurers Hedin and his ilk, he vomited blood, rolled on the ground, tears welling in his eyes, desperately resisting the storm of violence. Or perhaps, he was resisting the very "miniature garden" created by Freya. In this world of Bell Craney, who denied the Hestia Familia and affirmed it, he struggled with all his might, cried out in agony, and revealed his tragic state.

Helen coldly gazed at the pitiful boy.

They cast cold glances at me, never looking away.

"This is the punishment you deserve... After all, it was you who caused the goddess pain and drove her to this point..."

She murmured it so softly. So certain of it.

Incredibly, however, she didn't think he deserved it.

If someone were to ask her if the current situation is as she once envisioned, Helen would likely be speechless.

Helen's attempt to assassinate Bell at the Goddess Festival ended in failure.

The plan to have Bell personally end things for the girl Hill felt like a mixed bag of success and failure.

He rejected the girl's advances, so Freya, the goddess of beauty, would no longer be reduced to a mere 'little girl.' Just as Helen had hoped, she remained a transcendent and sublime goddess.

However, the obsession with the boy did not disappear. On the contrary, it seemed to have become more intense and more distorted.

Helen was not executed.

In order to ensure the goddess's continued existence, she had even prepared for death, but she survived because of Freya's mercy.

This is indeed a 'punishment'. It's also like a humiliation worse than death.

Helen never felt guilty towards Freya. No matter how hard she worked or how loyal she was, she could never look at the goddess's noble face again.

Furthermore, the gazes of the other attendants toward the head attendant were subtly piercing.

Although it wasn't abuse or neglect, they would look at her with pity while whispering amongst themselves, which made Helen very uncomfortable. Freya had already told them clearly what Helen had done; that was her malicious nature, almost like a little devil. The looks they gave her seemed to say, "Why aren't you dead yet? You're even serving as a goddess's attendant," which made her feel very embarrassed.

Like him, she was a sinner, Helen thought to herself with self-mockery.

Bell and Helen, though in different circumstances, both appear very tragic now.

Suddenly, a strange empathy began to bring a smile to her face—and then Helen's lips curled into a smirk.

"Why should I be happy because we have things in common... How foolish."