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

Freya's face revealed an absolute zero smile, enough to freeze the beauty of her opponent.

"it's useless."

The true queen is here.

The goddess, enraged by the fury of her lover (her lover) being touched by another, sought to burn the debauched city to the ground.

To watch, to tremble, to ravage.

Several goddesses are engaged in different actions, yet they all share a common thought.

That is: this commotion was pre-arranged with a predetermined outcome, orchestrated by someone behind the scenes.

In Loki's mind, a single figure emerged.

That was the smile of a certain male god that remained in my memory.

★

The fire in the capital, where adultery had taken place, was still raging.

The screams and wails shook the heavens as the Amazons fell one by one. The pleasure quarters of the southeastern city were swiftly ravaged by a group of adventurers adorned with Valkyrie badges.

As crimson sparks flew, a celestial being squinted, gazing upon the chaotic scene.

"So, which parts were part of your plan?"

Hearing the question posed by Asphi al Andromeda, the chief god Hermes, who was waiting behind him, curled the corners of his mouth.

Seeing that her god was deliberately changing the subject and refusing to reveal the divine will, Asphie pressed for an answer:

"Is your objective to destroy the dangerous elements (Ishtar's Familia)?"

When Ishtar was identified as a dangerous individual on Hermes' and Loki's search team, Hermes disposed of her immediately.

Hermes judged that her excessive jealousy and loss of control would indirectly cause the destruction of the labyrinth city.

Hermes uses the connections of the neutral faction, Ishtar's hatred and anger towards Freya, and Freya's "treasure" to his advantage, secretly pulling strings behind the scenes.

The seeds sown by the male god have blossomed and borne fruit beautifully.

It burst forth with such magnificent, large sparks.

"Is it for entertainment? Or... as a trial?"

Regarding her incisive question...

Hermes smiled but did not answer.

"Whether it's humans or gods... even a girl like that yearns for it; we're all the same."

The red-hot, bustling street of pleasure.

A scene of fierce conflict erupting.

One of the boys was fighting alone.

The gods surveyed all of this and declared:

"The world wants 'heroes'."

One of the remaining "Three Great Adventurers' Requests": The One-Eyed Black Dragon.

And perhaps a comparable threat—the "Filthy Fairy" that exposes its true form.

Leaving aside the underground city that was the root cause of everything, the darkness stirring in the city is now sounding the footsteps of destruction not far away.

Faced with the imminent crisis, Hermes asserted:

"Yes, we don't have enough pieces; we need the final trump card (the Joker)."

The voice of God and the sparks of Mars vanished with the wind.

Meanwhile, all eyes in the city were focused on the burning red-light district.

"The white light needs to be driven out of the darkness."

From the labyrinthine streets shrouded in night, comes the gaze of the people of darkness.

"The bells must be rung to save the chosen ones."

The tower in the northern part of Chili City is the focus of the blonde, golden-eyed girl and others.

"There needs to be a hero who will one day become the last hero of the 'Promised Age'."

All eyes were focused on the battlefield where the soldiers were born.

The gods, like those who bring prophecies, speak inaccurate, ambiguous, self-serving pronouncements, accompanied by an eager tone—oracles that belong only to them.

"For the world's long-cherished wish... I will—"

Side Story: Sword Oratoria 7 Afterword

When I began writing this collection, I encountered an unprecedented crisis (I suppose).

Initially, the author intended for this seventh volume of the spin-off to depict the backstory of the seventh volume of the main story, which is the result of the main protagonist returning home from the red-light district in the morning.

The spin-off's protagonist, Sword Maiden, and her companions encounter the main protagonist, who has stumbled into the labyrinthine street. The musky scent of the red-light district infuriates the elf heroine, leading to a chase, mishaps, and various other events that give the two protagonists a chance to be alone. Sword Maiden and Rabbit develop misunderstandings due to their interactions with prostitutes, creating an awkward atmosphere while a romantic comedy unfolds. Through luck and knowledge of the Heroic Tale, they disarm the enemy's headquarters, allowing the elf heroine and her companions to infiltrate their hideout. Sword Maiden and Rabbit encounter a strange creature, fighting side-by-side for the first time, and then many things happen. The two protagonists disregard the main protagonist's heroines, using saving lives as an excuse to share their first kiss... I've already imagined this much beforehand.

However, after several discussions with the editors, the final conclusion was that "it seems a bit forced to have the main character appear?" This was mainly due to considerations of integration with the already released volumes of the main series.

The outline I had prepared beforehand was thus abandoned. "Oh God—!?" But no matter how much I screamed, the deadline was fast approaching. "I can only write and think at the same time!" That's how I challenged myself to improvise for the first time.

Then I racked my brains and tried to keep writing until the very last day of the fateful deadline.

The final battle, which was supposed to be the grand finale, was surprisingly absent.

It's not that I haven't written it yet; it's that I haven't even come up with a blueprint for the plot development.

Setting off on an "adventure" without a map is truly terrifying. I had no choice but to face the Heavenly Bull (the final boss), who appeared in the sixth episode of the spin-off and was kept in suspense, with a look of despair... and the result was indeed a headache for me.

The reliable, overpowered elves who could use cheat magic are gone, and the hero has been knocked down and hasn't gotten back up. Sure enough, the dwarves and two Amazons alone are no match for them... It's over, everything is finished...!

This left me with no choice but to fight with my back against the wall, so I revised the storyline to include Fiora and Werewolf in the battle...! Just as I was about to use a forbidden move, the character truly "broke down".

Wait, "tug-of-war"? Is that right? Does such a thing even exist?

Are you saying that someone would like to see dwarves and Amazons?

Anyway, as long as it's exciting, that's all that matters! Go! Charge!

Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh! Gorudi Hammer ————————————!

...This is really the feeling after staying up all night for three days. The level of excitement from staying up all night is truly amazing.

The author was too scared to reread the second half carefully. Therefore, the author would like to ask readers to judge from their own perspective whether that method of victory counts. Personally, the author feels they have discovered a major problem: "poor improvisation skills"...

Now, allow me to move on to the thank-you remarks.

To the editors at the editorial department, Kotaki-sama, Takahashi-sama, and editor-in-chief Kitamura, I'm sorry, the side stories have been a tough battle lately. I hope things will go more smoothly next time. To the illustrator, Haimura Kyotaka-sensei, I'm truly in awe of your ability to draw so many different enemy characters.

To coincide with this limited edition release, we invited Kazuki Ikawa to illustrate the booklet, and Takashi Yagi, who is in charge of the manga section of Monthly GANGAN JOKER, to create a travelogue-themed manga. We are so happy to have these two artists create the illustrations and manga, and we are truly grateful to them. In addition, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to everyone involved, and sincerely thank all the readers who have made it this far.

This episode had to include some heartbreaking scenes, and this part took a lot of effort. For the next episode, I want to write a werewolf story to fit this part; it's absolutely necessary. I pray I can capture his arrogant roar in one sentence, and I hope to see you all again in the next episode.

Thank you for reading this far, goodbye.

大森藤ノ

Side Story: Sword Oratoria 7 Illustration

Side Story: Sword Oratoria 7 Bonus: Girl's Heart Labyrinth

"And what about Ais?"

On Daedalus Road as night falls.

The girls, who were originally searching for the second entrance to the dungeon, are now chatting happily about love.

"...I don't have that kind of partner..."

"There must be someone you care about, right? Tell me, tell me!"

The story begins when Ais and her friends are exploring the maze town, and Philweis comes to meet them.

In order to improve their relationship with her, who was difficult to get close to, somehow everyone decided to talk about love.

Phil Weiss herself was exhausted from being interrogated repeatedly, while the smiling Tiona, the eavesdropping Lefia, and the other members all waited with great interest for Ais's answer.

"I……"

Ais was very troubled and timidly tried to open her mouth to solve the problem.

at this time.

"Excuse me—! I'm sorry—! Could you please help me—!?"

A very humiliating sound, like that of a boy, echoed all around.

(...? Who is that voice?)

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Ais was the first to react.

Turning my head, I saw a light source flickering in a narrow, complex fork in the road.

Tiona and the others were puzzled when they saw a magic stone lamp walking towards them from a distance. Before long, the figure appeared in front of Ais and the others.

"I...I can't find my way out of this maze...Could you...tell me how to get there!?"

A head of white hair appeared in the night.

Rubellite's deep red eyes were almost bursting with tears.

He was a boy who resembled a white rabbit.

"Huh... wait?"

Seeing the Loki Familia members standing there in a daze, the boy was speechless.

"...Bell?"

When both of them stopped moving, Ais, who was about to speak, murmured that name.

"It's Argo, the little hero! Huh?! What are you doing here?!"

"You, you, you, how did you get here?!"

The paused time resumes its flow.

Starting with a beaming Tiona and a terrified Lefia, the girls were thrown into a commotion.

"Loki, Loki, the Loki Familia!? And Miss Ais!?"

"Hmm... Goodnight?"

Goodnight!

After Ais tilted her head slightly to greet him, the white-haired boy also bowed his head in excitement.

Judging from his flustered manner, there's no doubt that he's Bell Craney, the adventurer from the Hestia Familia who recently made great contributions in the war game.

Bell looked up, his expression still shaken, as he surveyed Ais and the other members of the Loki Familia.

"Miss Ai, Miss Ais, what brings you to a place like this so late...?"

"Ah—, we're playing that game, the famous ritual from the Far East...yes, a test of courage."

"Try it, test your courage..."

To prevent Bell from knowing about the existence of the second entrance, Tione whispered something to him. Although Bell seemed a little skeptical, he accepted the answer.

"And what about you? How did you end up here?"

"Huh—"

Tiony reacted quickly the moment she asked the question.

Bell suddenly froze.

Seeing his reaction, Ais and the others were once again puzzled. Then, Tiona sniffed and began to smell.

"Strange, little hero Argonaut... are you wearing perfume? It smells sweet and cloying."

Besides her, the orc girls also frequently twitched their noses.

Shock! Bell's shoulders twitched involuntarily.