A word that signifies the end of Norse mythology, the demise of the gods.
However, Ragnarok doesn't simply refer to the end of the myth. It encompasses the entirety of Norse mythology.
For the gods, Ragnarok was a preordained event, and their long struggle to escape it forms the core of Norse mythology.
Of course, Frondier couldn't be sure if Ragnarok in this world held the same meaning, but based on what he learned from the settings and Constel, it wasn't much different.
This short sentence was a line that should never be true.
According to the game's settings, this world existed after the era of the gods. In every myth, gods withdrew from the human world, so in Norse mythology too, Ragnarok should have arrived, leading to the gods' complete withdrawal.
The gods reside in the realm of salvation, observing humans from above and bestowing divine power upon those they favor.
Humans use divine power and mana to confront monsters. This is the basic cycle.
'But if this statement is true...'
Although short, the sentence contained a vast amount of information.
The ancient language was a human language. Frondier was certain of that.
This meant that 'Ragnarok' was an event led by humans, and it had failed. It was evidence that humans had resisted the gods.
'These guys haven't been on good terms with humans since ancient times.'
The fact that the gods didn't like humans was something Frondier no longer questioned. He didn't know the exact reason, though.
In other words, Ragnarok was a war between humans and gods. And humans lost, resulting in the current world.
'Then the 'giants' mentioned in the settings and Constel textbooks were most likely humans.'
King Arthur also spoke as if the giants were his allies, so he was probably right.
Elodie, who was next to him, asked. Frondier hesitated for a moment, considering how Elodie would feel if she heard his thoughts.
'...No, it doesn't really matter, does it?'
Frondier briefly explained the meaning of the sentence and the thoughts he had derived from it. There was no reason to hide anything from Elodie or Selena now.
Elodie nodded in admiration after hearing the explanation.
"Humans and gods have a long history of conflict. The giants and enemies of the gods that I perceived as 'monsters' in textbooks were actually humans."
Selena also spoke as if something had come to mind.
"Then what Frondier saw at that time must have been related to the giants."
The ancient language that Merlin showed him, claiming it was left by King Arthur. Selena still didn't know its meaning. Frondier nodded.
"Yes. It said, 'For the giant who will bring down the gods.'"
"......Combining that with this sentence, it's clear that Ragnarok was a war started by humans."
The Imperial Palace and the people of the Empire probably wouldn't accept this information.
Before being expelled, Frondier had been concerned about how to prove the authenticity of the ancient language, but it seemed like honestly telling them was impossible from the start. It was a meaningless worry now.
Lily, who had been listening silently, spoke up.
"Why do people now consider the gods as allies? No, why did the gods become allies of humans?"
It was clear that the current gods were helping humans. They provided divine power, after all.
Of course, in Frondier's case, the gods seemed to find him a thorn in their side, wanting to kill him immediately, but that was limited to Frondier.
He had Weaving, and it seemed the gods really disliked that ability of his.
Excluding Frondier, the gods had never specifically harmed humans.
"Even if it failed, a war is still a war. There's no reason for the gods to have good feelings towards humans."
It would make more sense for them to try to destroy them, so the gods' current actions were strange.
Moreover, the fact that the current humans didn't know the truth about Ragnarok was also odd.
"It seems like there's nothing we can know for sure right now."
Frondier shook his head. They would find out someday. But with this one sentence, there was little they could learn.
"Let's look around some more."
Frondier and his party continued to explore the cave.
The ancient languages written on the Manggot, the long texts Frondier had interpreted, were mostly someone's records. Traces of the people who lived at that time.
However, most of them were like diaries, so while they were interesting, they weren't helpful.
Of course, it wasn't that they hadn't gained any knowledge.
'The hostility towards the gods is openly expressed in the writing. It's completely opposite to the perception of people in the current world.'
Whether it was the entire population of this era or just the group that wrote these sentences, it seemed that hating the gods wasn't that unusual back then.
And above all, the scale of the phrases that occasionally appeared was quite serious.
- We couldn't protect Fenrir.
- A surprise attack from Nastrond.
Anyone with some knowledge of mythology would be astonished by the content casually written on the walls.
With stories completely different from the knowledge of the current people popping up randomly, Frondier didn't know where to start questioning.
However, while examining the writings, Frondier realized one thing clearly.
"The handwriting is the same."
"Not all the random scribbles and words are by the same person, but the recorded writings seem to be mostly written by one person."
Come to think of it, while the ancient language was difficult to interpret in the present day, it must have been difficult to master back then.
'Did the leader write this? They must have been quite skilled in magic.'
These letters engraved on the Manggot's wall were written in ancient times and have been preserved until now.
Of course, there was some damage and deterioration, but it was well-preserved enough for me to read, so the mana of the person who wrote it probably helped with the preservation.
'It's a nice, easy-to-read handwriting, but it's quite round. It wouldn't be easy to carve smooth curves on the wall. The mana manipulation must have been incredibly precise.'
And they must have frequently used these letters on paper or other surfaces where they could write. The handwriting showed a determination to maintain the form used when writing on paper.