Danmachi: My Adventure With a High Fairy Queen, Vol. 1

Epilogue

The self-proclaimed tyrant empress of the Dungeon sat upon her throne, delighting in the developments unfolding before her. Her eyes glittered with an evil light as she surveyed her dark domain, the walls seeming to pulse with her sinister energy.

"Ljos Alf is dying," she declared with cruel satisfaction, her voice echoing through the cavernous chamber. "The rest of the stinking High Elves will die along with her. No more relatives of Celdia will be left. The clan of Alf will vanish off the face of the Earth, and then nothing, not even the gods, can stop me."

"The boy has embarked on a perilous journey to find the Night Lotus," one of Medusa's attendants informed her, emphasizing the high stakes of Bell Cranel's quest.

"Excellent. The young upstart is walking straight into my intricately woven trap," Medusa replied with a self-important grin, accentuating her strategic cunning. Her eyes narrowed, a gleam of triumph dancing in their depths.

"W-What do you have planned, my Queen?" the attendant stammered, eyes wide with apprehension.

"You and he will find out in good time," she retorted, her tone dripping with venom. "But I will break his spirit and make him mine, using his affections for Nine Hell and the Sword Princess against him."

"And what action should be taken against the adventurer camp on the 18th floor?" another attendant dared to ask, their voice barely above a whisper.

"Let them be for now," she said, dismissing the concern with a wave. "Without Bell Cranel and Ljos Alf, they are nothing. And I am about to teach him, and all of them, that."

She pondered for a moment, consulting with the voices of the vengeful spirits that embodied the Dungeon's hatred in her head. Their whispers grew louder, urging her towards her dark destiny. Then, with a wicked smile, she spoke again.

"The whispers are singing, calling on us to make war on the Lower World. They are becoming restless as the day of reckoning nears. The day we rule supreme is upon us. I will cleanse all of the land of all impure creatures. The humans. The demi-humans. Animals. Monsters. Spirits. Gods. They will all perish as I cover this world in shadow! I've almost won, and once I do, nothing will stop me from claiming it all!"

The Dungeon's fell queen threw her head back and laughed triumphantly, the sound reverberating through the dark corridors, revelling in the imminent victory soon to be hers. Her laughter was a symphony of madness and power, a prelude to the chaos she was ready to unleash.

"Let the world know that I shall discard the name Medusa thereafter. I will henceforth go by Tyratryx, a name that will terrorise every man, woman and child in the land. And soon, no man, woman or child in the land will remain in this world."

Medusa squawked like a crone over a cauldron as the vengeful whispers coaxed her on, the torches crackling as if in tune with the dark melody of the Dungeon's Dark Lady.

"The city of heroes will be destroyed so utterly that nothing can live there ever again!"

---

Hestia paced the floor of Hearthstone Manor, her eyes darting to the door every few moments. The familiar walls felt confining, pressing in on her worries. Bell and the rest of her familia were out there, facing unimaginable dangers. Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her dress as she tried to shake off the anxiety gnawing at her.

"Get it together, Hestia," she muttered, pausing by the hearth. "They'll be fine. They have to be fine."

Still, the thought of Bell confronting Medusa sent a chill down her spine. She needed a distraction to keep her hands busy and her mind occupied. With a resolute nod, she grabbed her apron and set off for the potato popper stand.