The gods who dwelled in the heavens created the lower world, and the first race they made was the unremarkable human.
Starting with humans, the gods created beastfolk, Amazons, pallums, elves, and dwarves, and finally spirits, only to discover an unexpected life-form.
The gods discovered a life born from the Arcanum left over after creating the lower world, and gave the tiny being the name Pandora.
Pandora quickly understood the world, and understood and used the Arcanum possessed by the gods.
Watching this, the gods became afraid that Pandora might reach them, so they cursed Pandora and buried her deep beneath the earth.
Pandora came to hate the gods who had cursed her, and used everything she had to create three monsters.
"So those are Behemoth, Leviathan, and the Black Dragon?"
[Yes, though they are dead now...]
But contrary to Pandora's plan, the three monsters had no interest in killing gods.
"So your child-rearing failed."
[...Let's skip over those children.]
Pandora needed a vast land for revenge, so she encroached on the surrounding area, and as a result, what became known as the Dungeon was born.
And Pandora began creating monsters for the sake of her plan.
"Plan?"
[To take revenge on the gods, and to obtain a body with a beating heart.]
"I can understand revenge, but why the body?"
[Do you prefer a body that can live and breathe, or a body like this, stuck in the ground and unable to move?]
"..."
[I made countless attempts to create a body I could settle into, but... because of the curse, I kept failing frequently.]
"Hmm..."
[Bringing you here was for a similar reason.]
"I don't have the ability to break a curse."
[I know. What I want to ask of you is—]
"Before that."
[Yes?]
"Why do monsters try to kill adventurers?"
[Because of a protective instinct.]
...?
"Explain that in detail."
[The Dungeon is my hands and feet, and for my children it is a home that cannot be exchanged for anything else.]
So the monsters were angry because adventurers were trespassing without permission...
"I heard that in ancient times monsters would burst out and harm people. What about that?"
[Back then, I also held resentment toward humans. Right now, I don't have hostility toward humans.]
"...How am I supposed to believe that?"
[...You're right. Bellf Crozzo, you probably can't trust me.]
"You know it well."
[What must I do to earn your trust?]
"...What do you want?"
[I want the sword you took.]
The sword I took...ah.
"Why did you modify Excalibur?"
[I thought I might be able to contain my soul in it, so I tried to encroach on it, but I failed because of the spirit sleeping inside.]
"You said you wanted a body with a beating heart, though?"
[I would have to move my soul first before I could obtain a body, wouldn't I?]
That was true.
...But was it really right to hand it over?
Even if there was no hostility, this was still an enemy of humanity... or at least it seemed that way.
[If you find that objectionable, how about a trade? I will give you information and ore that you do not know about.]
"I'm not particularly interested."
[Are you not even interested in information about the god who is colluding with me?]
"..."