The magic formation shines faintly and fills the room with a mysterious light.
A young man was standing in front of Hajime, and if they looked closely the man was wearing the same robe as the corpse on the chair.
“You have arrived here after overcoming the trials. My name is Oscar Orcus. The person who created this dungeon. If I said one of the Traitors, would you understand?”
Seems like the person speaking was Oscar Orcus. The creator of the “Orcus Dungeon”. Hajime was surprised but kept listening.
“Ah, please don’t ask questions. This is just a recording, unfortunately, it wouldn’t be able to answer your questions. For the person to reach this place, I will impart the truth of the world and what we fought for…this is the leftover message. I took this shape. Please I want you to listen…We are traitors but we are also not.”
Then Orcus started his story. This story was much different from the known history that the church taught and what Yue explained to him; it shocked him.
A tale of the battle between the Mad God and his descendants.
During the first years after the Age of Gods, the world was filled with strife. Humans, Devils, and Demi-Humans were constantly at war with each other. The reason for their wars varies. Territorial expansion, ethnic values, greed, and much others. The biggest reason was “Enemy of God”. During that time the races and countries were finely divided. Each of the race and country would worship their own god. For their god’s oracle, they continued to wage their war.
After hundreds of years of countless battles, but there came people who wanted to end this war. The group was called “Liberators” during those days.
They all had a common connection. All of them were direct descendants of the gods that were followed in the Age of Gods. The leader of the “Liberators” had, by chance, found out the real intentions of the gods. The gods had urged the wars with the intention of having the people be the pieces in their war game. When he found this out, the leader set out on a mission. He gathered like minded people who would not stand for the gods manipulating the people and driving them to war for their games.
They located the place where the gods resided, “World of God”. There were 8 of them that had the strength of ancestral times in “Liberators”, and with their powerful strength challenged the gods.
However, the plan fails before the fighting began. The gods were the puppet masters of the people, and they had gotten people to recognize the “Liberators” as the enemy of god that wanted to bring destruction to the world. People were made to be their enemies. There were complications in the process, after all, they couldn’t wield their power against the people they were trying to protect. When the “Liberators” were defeated they were labeled as “Traitors”, the traitors who forgot the grace of god and wanted to destroy the world.
At the end, their group had been dwindled to the 8 strongest. They were now the world’s enemies and they judged that they were not strong enough to strike down the gods. Each of them scattered around the continent and created the 8 Great Dungeon to hide in. The dungeon was a trial to find a worthy person to hand over their powers, and with it accomplish what they could not.
Orcus smiles gently after he finished that long story.
“I don’t know who you are or what reason you arrived here for. I will not coerce you into killing God. However, I wanted you to know. What we stood for.
…To you, I grant my powers. You are free to use it as you will.
Please do not use this power to satisfy the evil in your heart.
Our conversation is at an end. Thank you for listening. Now your free will won’t be under supervision.”
After he finished what he said, the recorded image of Orcus disappeared. Something invaded Hajime’s mind at the same time. His mind ached with a throb, but endured it quietly because it imprinted knowledge of a certain magic.
Soon, both the pain and magic formation settled. Hajime slowly exhaled.
“Hajime…are you okay?”
“Ah, I’m fine…kind of. I just heard something immense.”
“…Okay…What do you want to do?”
Yue asked what he wanted to do, after he heard Orcus’ story.
“Yeah? Nothing in particular? Being summoned without permission and asking them to fight a war was bothersome. I don’t even know what’s going on with this world. Looking for a way to the surface and going home. That’s my only goal…Are you bothered by it, Yue?”
The previous Hajime would probably do something. However, his values had changed and it allowed him to ignore Orcus’ plight. This world should have its own people deal with their problems, but Yue was as resident of this world. Since he couldn’t leave her alone, he had to consider what she wanted. He couldn’t cut off Yue like he did Orcus because their relationship was a lot closer. Hajime asked her for her thought, but after a slight hesitation she shook her head.
“My place is here…others I don’t care.”
She snuggled up to Hajime and took his hand. Yue tried to convey her true feelings as she grasped his hand. In the past, she devoted everything for her country. Betrayed by those she trusted and not a single person saved her. For Yue after her long imprisonment, this world was just a prison to her.
Hajime was the one to save her from her prison. That is why being beside Hajime was her everything.
“…Is that so.”
Hajime was slightly embarrassed. He cleared his throat to disguise it, and tells the shocking truth without hesitation.
“Ah, I also learned some new magic…Age of Gods magic it seems.”
“…Really?”
Yue had an expression that said she didn’t believe him, but it was expected. The magic used in the Age of Gods were lost to the modern world. It was transition magic that summoned him and the others here, and that was an Age of Gods magic.
“This magic formation on the floor can fiddle with your brain and teach you to use it. It seems like.”
“…Are you okay?”
“Yeah, no problem. This magic…seems like its the magic for me.”
“…What kind of magic?”
“Well, I think its called Creation Magic. You can add magic into minerals with it, and the added magic can give special properties to the minerals.”
Yue jaw-dropped at Hajime’s explanation.
“…You can make artifacts.”
“Ah, I can do that.”
Creation Magic was used to create artifacts during the Age of Gods. Like this magic was made for “Transmutation Master”. The truth was Orcus’ class was “Transmutation Master”.
“Why don’t you learn, Yue? Entering this magic square and it will explore your memories. Orcus said something about a trial and you may learn it if it judges that you passed the trial.”
“…I don’t use transmutation…”
“Mah, that’s true but…its magic from ancient times? It wouldn’t hurt to learn it?”
“…Okay…if Hajime says so.”
Yue walks to the center of the magic formation just like Hajime advised. The magic formation shines as it searches through Yue’s memories. Now the moment of truth of its verdict…
“You have arrived here after overcoming the trials. My name is Oscar…”
Orcus appeared again. There was a spoiled feeling. Hajime and Yue ignored Orcus’ story and kept talking to each other.
“Did you learn it?”
“Yeah. But…artifact is difficult.”
“Yeah, it seems that Ancient Magic might have affinities and suitability.”
While the two were talking with each other, near them was Orcus talking and smiling to nothing. It was very surreal. Hajime thought he saw the corpse look sad, but wrote it off as his imagination.
“Ah, for the time being, this place is ours now, do you want to tidy up the corpse.”
Hajime did not have any compassion.
“Un…fertilize the field…”
Yue also did not have any compassion.
Even though there was no wind, Orcus’ body hung its head.
Orcus’ body was buried at the end of the field, and a gravestone was erected there. As expected, treating him like fertilizer was too pitiful.
When they finished with the burial, Hajime and Yue went to the sealed rooms. They had received a ring that Orcus had worn. Don’t call them grave robbers. On the ring was an engraved pattern that was crosswise in the circle, and the pattern was the same as the seals in the library and studio.
First, they headed to the study.
Their first purpose was to search for a way to the surface. Hajime and Yue unlocked the seal on the bookshelf and checked it for anything notable. They discovered the designs for the whole dwelling. Although it wasn’t to the degree of a blueprint, where what went, it was a memo of where certain buildings would be placed.
“Bingo! It has it, Yue!”
“Un”
A voice of delight escapes from Hajime. Yue is also joyful. According to the plan, the magic formation on the third floor was also connected somehow to a formation on the surface. The magic would not activate without Orcus’ ring. Stea…Accepting that ring was a good idea.
When they examined the plan more, there was an independent golem in the studio that maintained this dwelling periodically. The light from the globes on the ceiling had the same property as natural sunlight. This meant that crops and other things that rely on sunlight could be grown. It seems the reason this place felt so clean, even when no life was here, was because of the golem.
The studio acted as a storage for all the artifacts and materials Orcus had made during his lifetime. These items were stole…transferred to them. There were quite a lot of devices.
“Hajime…this.”
“Yeah?”
Yue had been investigating the other documents while Hajime checked the plans, and brought him one of the books. The book was Orcus’ memoir. Inside the memoirs were the written the daily lives of former comrades, especially about the 8 core members of the “Liberators”.
Within the passages, one of them was related with the Dungeons the other 7 made.
“…In other words, its that? If we conquer the other dungeons, we would obtain the creator’s Ancient magic?”
“…Maybe.”
According to the memoirs, just like Orcus, the other 7 “Liberators” were prepared to teach their Ancient Magic to those that conquer their dungeon and reach the final floor. Unfortunately the types of magic was not written…
“…Maybe we found a way home.”
Just as Yue said, there was a possibility. The transition magic that summoned beings from other world was an Ancient Magic.
“Looks like we have a guideline from now on. To conquer the 8 Great Dungeons when we return to the surface.”
“Yeah.”
Hajime loosen his cheeks as he got the guideline. He instinctively patted Yue’s head, and her eyes squinted joyfully.
They were looking for more information, but they weren’t able to find any data that showed the exact locations of the dungeon. Currently, the confirmed dungeons were “Mountain of Great Flames” around the Guruyuen Desert, and “Hartzena Sea of Trees”. The rumored dungeons were “Raisen Great Canyon” and “Schnee Snowfield”. They had no choice but to investigate all of them.
Satisfied with their search of the study, the two moved to the studio.
There were a lot of small rooms in the studio and they could open them all with Orcus’ ring. Inside them were various never seen before ores and work tools. Theory books crowded the area and it could be mistaken as a paradise for Transmutation Masters.
Hajime folded his arms and pondered as he looked over the studio. When Yue saw him in that state, she looked puzzled and voiced it.
“…What’s up?”
After being lost in thought for a while, Hajime proposed to Yue.
“Umm, that is Yue. Can we stay here for a bit? I want to quickly get to the surface but…there are many things to learn and this is the best base. When thinking about conquering the other Dungeon, I want to prepare as much as possible here. How about it?”
Yue had been sealed underground for 300 years and she did not want to lose a second in getting to the surface. However, after becoming speechless at Hajime’s proposal; she immediately approved. Strangely, it was Hajime who thought that…
“…Anywhere is fine if Hajime is there.”
That’s how it is. Hajime tried to hide his embarrassment at Yue’s surprise declaration.
Both of them decided to train and equip themselves as much as possible here.
* * *
Omake
Evening of that day, the sun in the ceiling had changed into a moon and gave off a pale light. Hajime let his whole body relax as he soaked in the bath. After falling into the abyss, this was the first time he had loosened up. A bath was often said to cleanse the mind.
“Phew, this is the best.”
A voice that was unthinkable for the current Hajime’s nature came out. When he loosened his whole body, he suddenly heard footsteps. The completely off-guard Hajime shivered. Although he said he would enter alone!
Of course, the one to make the sounds and enter the bath was…
“…Ah…feels so good…”
Yue immediately sat down near Hajime, stark naked.
“…Yue-san, didn’t I say I’ll enter alone?”
“…I refused.”
“Wait a minute! I know that material!”
“…”
“…At least cover your front. There are plenty of towels.”
“Rather look.”
“…”
“…Eh.”
“…Ah, I’ve been hit.”
“…No you haven’t.”
“Why do you know that material? Fine, I’ll go!”
“I wont’ let you go!”
“Wa-Wait! Ah, Ahhhhh!!!”
I will leave the rest to your imagination.
* * *
Omake II
Kaori’s side.
“What’s this? Suddenly there is Killing Intent…”
“Kaori!? There is a Hannya behind you!”