CHAPTER 261: MELODIES OF STEEL [PART 1]

Alex had been in the Dwarven Ruins before, though not in person. Back when he had still been playing ELO, he had challenged the ruins a few times.

However, this was his first time entering the tunnel leading to the Morgim Trial, representing Oath and Honor.

As he walked deeper into the tunnel, something bothered him. It wasn’t the seemingly endless length of the tunnel.

No.

It was the sound of footsteps from behind.

By right, all he had to do was to turn around and the mystery should’ve been solved, but no matter where he looked and how many times he checked, there was no one at all.

At least, not within the range of his eyes and the Mimic Lantern.

"Who’s there?" Alex summoned Everguard, ready to bash whatever creature was stalking him.

A moment later, a mischievous voice reached his ear.

"Guess who?"

Alex didn’t even need to make a guess since he recognized the voice right away.

"Lumi," Alex replied. "So I guess Lotte is with you as well."

The sound of footsteps grew stronger.

It didn’t take long before he saw Lotte and Lumi enter the range of his Mimic Lantern.

Latifa was still sleeping soundly in Lotte’s arms, most likely oblivious to everything happening around her.

"Why are you girls here?" Alex asked.

"Why can’t we be here?" Lumi countered with her arms crossed over her chest. "We’re also taking the trial. What’s wrong with that?"

"Well, there is nothing wrong with it," Alex answered. "I’m just surprised you chose this trial over the others."

Lotte was easy to talk to, but Lumi had a little attitude.

She was the most aggressive among Latifa’s Alters, but Alex inferred that she represented a suppressed part of Latifa.

Since her consciousness had different personalities, the young man assumed they were the sides of Latifa others weren’t able to see.

For example, Lumi was like a chihuahua that would bark at anyone, including a God, if she felt like it.

But as someone who had pursued the Latifa Route, Alex knew she was also the purest among Latifa’s Alters.

The moment Lumi trusted someone, she would trust them completely and even allow them to fluff her fluffy tail.

"Sorry, but Lumi insisted that we pick this trial. She felt like it’s the most interesting one among the bunch," Lotte commented.

"Right!" Lumi nodded. "It’s not like I chose to go here because of you, you know? Don’t get the wrong idea."

Alex wanted to scratch his head, but since Dim Dim was basically his beanie, he scratched the little bun’s head instead. The little guy giggled in delight.

"Just be careful, okay?" Alex said. "We don’t know what kind of danger we’ll face in this trial. Please protect Latifa to the best of your abilities."

"Hmph!" Lumi glared. "You don’t have to state the obvious!"

Alex briefly wondered if chihuahuas were a type of fox before raising his hands up in appeasement. Lumi’s glare did not soften, but she didn’t say anything more either. Alex resumed his journey, holding his Mimic Lantern to light the way.

The two fox ladies followed behind him without saying anything else.

After walking for some time, they finally arrived at a spacious hall, which looked like a throne room.

It was not abandoned.

On the throne was a person wearing a full set of knightly armor and a golden crown.

Obviously, the sitter was the King of this place.

"Hello?" Alex called out to the King, hoping to get a reaction. "We’ve come to take the Morgim Trial."

For a moment, there was only silence.

Then...

CLANG.

The armored figure moved.

Its hand, protected by an intricate gauntlet, slowly rose from the armrest and reached for the massive sword resting against the throne.

The sound of metal scraping against stone echoed throughout the chamber as the blade was lifted.

Lotte instinctively took a step back. Lumi’s ears perked up, tail bristling with tension.

Alex gripped Everguard tighter.

Then, the knight stood up, his movements measured and deliberate.

A golden glow radiated from beneath his helm.

Twin lights—no, eyes—locked onto Alex as the knight descended the stairs of the dais like a judge ready to deliver his verdict.

"Three who seek the Oath. One with fractured souls. One with fractured fate. One with fractured will," the knight said, voice echoing as if a dozen others were speaking at once. "Who among you carries the burden of the Heart?"

"What burden?" Alex asked, not knowing how to answer a question he didn’t understand.

The knight’s helm tilted slightly, as if scrutinizing the young man.

"The Trial of Morgim is not a challenge of strength nor cunning," the knight said after half a minute of silence. "It is a trial of resolve. To swear an Oath is to bind yourself, not in name—but in soul. To falter is to fall. To fall... is to burn."

At that final word, the room darkened.

The torches that lined the hall extinguished themselves one by one.

Then, the floor beneath them cracked and split open, as if the ruin itself were reacting to the knight’s words.

"W-What’s happening?" Lotte cried out, holding Latifa tightly.

"An illusion?" Lumi growled, her hands glowing with magic.

But Alex didn’t move. He recognized this part. At least, something like it.

This wasn’t just a cut scene.

It was a descent.

A test.

Without warning, the floor beneath their feet gave way and darkness swallowed them whole.

When Alex opened his eyes, he stood alone in a vast chamber of silver and flame.

An endless smithy stretched before him, its anvils glowing. Runes hovered midair like fireflies.

Lining the room were giant statues of Dwarven warriors with weapons broken, shields shattered, and armors cracked.

Each statue bore a word inscribed in stone:

"HONOR."

"LOYALTY."

"SACRIFICE."

"BETRAYAL."

In the center stood a black anvil and atop it was a single shield—Alex’s shield.

Everguard.

But it looked different. Its surface was cracked. As if it had tasted failure.

Alex didn’t know if Everguard had broken in the past when in the hands of its original owner, the First Oathkeeper, Leonard the Everguard.

He only knew that after his battle against the Mutant Spider, the shield had fulfilled its last oath and broke apart. After that, Ramza had asked Alex for the broken fragments so it could be reforged.

After its repair, Everguard had been returned to the silver-haired young man, symbolizing the beginning of the new Oathkeeper’s era.

Seeing the familiar shield littered with cracks, Alex couldn’t help but wonder what this test was about.

He then tried to summon the Everguard that he possessed, but it didn’t appear.

Instead, the cracked shield on the anvil rose and flew towards Alex. His hand instinctively reached out to grab it, but it crashed into his palm with such force that he flinched.

"No way..." Alex couldn’t help but stare at the shield in disbelief. It was already so damaged that he was surprised it hadn’t shattered when he’d caught it.

He didn’t know if he was in an illusionary world or not, but one thing was clear.

The shield in his hand could only take one last hit before it broke apart.

Not wanting to break the shield, Alex tried to keep it inside his storage ring, but it refused to budge.

After trying a few more times, he reluctantly placed the shield on his left arm so he could carry it with him.

"Svalinn." Alex tried to summon his other shield, but it seemed like no shields wanted to obey him today!

He tried to summon it a couple more times, but the first sentient shield in his possession was nowhere to be found.

"Dim Dim?" Alex shouted as he scanned the vast smithy. "Latifa? Lotte? Lumi? Are any of you here?!"

No answer came.

Instead, he heard a loud metallic clang, as if something very hard was hitting a piece of metal.

Alex turned to the source of the sound and saw a substantial bronze gate that was firmly shut.

A second later, the gate shook as if hit by something like a battering ram. The young man’s face turned solemn.

Dirt and rubble started to fall from the ceiling as the attack on the gate continued.

Alex could feel it.

Right behind the gate, something or someone dangerous was trying to break in with brute force.

Alex tried to summon his sword, but nothing happened.

[E/N: Presumably, all his belongings were on strike to protest the terrible working conditions.]

Defenseless except for a shield that might not even last till the next blow, the young man desperately looked around for something he could use to protect himself.

His eyes landed on a hammer resting beside forge. It was not a traditional weapon, but it would do. He dashed towards it.

The hammer was barely in Alex’s hand when a final clang freed the bronze gate from its hinges and sent it crashing into the floor with a deafening thud.

Alex took a fighting stance and faced the creature which made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.