Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

Soma is the god in charge of wine cups, descending to earth supposedly to brew "fine wine," making him a particularly peculiar being among the gods. His [Family] also ventures into commerce, even owning wine cellars outside their main base. Loki, who boasted that "when you think of wine, you think of yourself (Loki), and when you think of yourself (Loki), you think of wine," developed a acquaintance with Soma because he longed to taste Soma's homemade wine.

"what are you doing here……?"

"That's what I wanted to say, okay!"

For a man, his hair was relatively long, and his eyes were covered by his bangs.

Using the word "gloomy" to describe him wouldn't be wrong; Loki often teased this god who stayed at home engrossed in brewing wine as the "god of interests." It's understandable that Loki would be startled when this indoor god suddenly went out.

"My wine cellar is near Daedalus Road..."

"Ah—...right, you did mention that. So you were taking a shortcut?"

"right……"

"But you're not allowed to enter here now! If you're discovered, Ganesha will come and get you!"

"So, I was careful not to be seen the whole way..."

Loki was utterly dumbfounded by Soma's mumbling. If he really was the "City Destroyer," the whole thing was so ridiculous that Loki was completely drained of his fighting spirit.

But he already looks much more like a "god" than when we first met.

Although it's unclear what kind of change in his mindset he's undergone... in any case, Loki doesn't have the energy to deal with him right now.

"I won't tell anyone, let's go."

"I'm leaving now..."

Loki waved to him, urging him to hurry up.

The slightly hunched god walked past Loki, who was sighing, with faltering steps.

however……

"——Sacred wine."

As they brushed past each other, Soma suddenly stopped and turned around as if he had been electrocuted.

"Huh?"

"—You have the scent of 'divine nectar' on you."

Beneath the sea, Su Mo, his eyes wide and expressionless, approached.

Seeing his idol's sudden change in expression, Loki was truly shocked.

"Loki, have you ever touched the divine wine?"

"Stop talking nonsense! I haven't drunk a single drop of your real divine wine, Soma! To be honest, you're not even willing to share with me! I really want to drink it, okay?! Let me tell you, I want to drink it like crazy right now!!"

Loki, spitting as her opponent pressed her, insisted on her innocence, but Soma denied her claims.

"No, it's not my divine wine. This doesn't smell like the divine wine I brewed."

"What did you say?"

"It is a divine wine brewed by someone other than me."

"I... I think you're the one talking nonsense. Who else but you could brew divine wine in the 'lower realm'..."

"But Loki, you do smell of alcohol on you."

Seeing Soma twitch his nose repeatedly as he made this assertion, Loki couldn't help but shrink back a little.

Loki was, after all, a goddess, and she really wanted to punch this idiot god who had so brazenly brought his face close to smell her... But she also tried raising her arm and sniffing.

However, the same thing still happened; even Loki, who was obsessed with wine, couldn't smell the wine he was talking about.

"The smell wasn't from direct drinking... it most likely picked up from someone else..."

"The smell that lingered...?"

"Loki, do you know any wine lovers?"

Soma leaned his upper body towards her.

The once aloof and elusive male god has now truly changed his tune.

"Loki, I want to know. I want to know who else in this lower realm besides me has brewed the divine wine."

"Wait, wait, wait!? I told you I have absolutely no clue...!"

Faced with Somo's increasingly eloquent and aggressive speech, Loki stretched out his hands, intending to push him away...

"The brewing method and the types of wine are different from mine... Is this 'wine'?"

But the moment I heard those words...

Thump! My heart skipped a beat deep inside.

“…………”

A current of electricity surged through my body.

Thoughts flickered between light and darkness.

She knew her heart was beating stronger than usual.

So, with a trembling throat, she managed to utter the only "eyebrow".

"Could it be...?"

Loki's eyes widened, and he immediately dashed out.

"Soma, come with me!"

Loki charged forward like a spring, with Soma following closely behind.

The two crossed Daedalus Road and headed towards the southeast of the city.

She had never visited the place herself, but knew it existed.

Partly out of caution, she never approached this "headquarters".

Loki, breathless and nearly bumping into pedestrians along the way, arrived in front of the building.

"Haa, haa...! This is it..."

The headquarters of the Dionysian Familia.

The luxurious mansion, where no one ever returns, still feels devoid of any human presence.

When a Familia disbands or disintegrates on the grounds of being sent away by the chief god, its private property is supposed to be recovered by the Guild. However, the Familia of Dionysus had just been completely defeated just yesterday.

Guilds, busy dealing with various problems, probably don't have the extra energy for this.

The items should not have been confiscated yet.

"There's a smell... over here."

Before Loki could ask, Soma said this and then went around to the back of the headquarters.

Loki didn't have the heart to call him a dog. She followed him and climbed the back wall of the mansion. Normally, doing this would have immediately gotten her arrested by the guards, but now none of them were there.

They entered the backyard and, led by the twitching-nosed god Soma, broke into the mansion—discovering the staircase leading to the basement.

"here it is……"

Upon opening the door, one is greeted by shelves lining an entire wall, and countless bottles of wine.

It turned out to be a wine cellar set up by Dionysus..

The cellar contained countless bottles of wine; normally, Loki would have been overjoyed to have struck gold. The two shivered and breathed heavily in the cool, slightly chilly air as they hurried deeper into the cellar.

Soon, Soma, his nose twitching, suddenly stopped in a corner of the rows of wine shelves.

As if guided by his fixed gaze, Loki picked up a bottle of wine and pulled it from the shelf.

She suppressed her trembling fingers and pulled out the stopper.

A captivating and rich aroma of wine spread in all directions.

"...No mistake, it's 'divine wine'."

Soma's assertive tone made her gasp.

Unable to hide his shock and interest, he continued:

"More exquisite than my divine wine..."

This statement left her speechless.

How could it surpass Soma, the god of interest who was unmatched in brewing?

Impossible, she couldn't believe it.

Who could possibly brew a wine that he admires so highly?

As if to sever Loki's ever-questioning thoughts...

Finally, Soma uttered these words:

"With this wine... even the gods would get completely drunk."

"————"

This sentence……

The implication is...

A flash of inspiration struck Loki.

Dionysus, manipulated by others. Dionysus, transformed into a "clown".

Drunk. Drunk. Drunk. —Was he always drunk?

Was Dionysus always drunk?

What if he were given this "divine wine" under normal circumstances?

What if he unknowingly drinks this "divine wine" every day and becomes someone else's puppet in his drunken stupor?

What if he falls into a "drunken" state without realizing it, drawing Loki and the others' attention and turning against the Uranus forces that protect the city's order?

(It's possible...it really is possible! If we had this kind of miraculous wine!!)

She gazed at the exquisite wine before her, its aroma alone capable of captivating all five senses, and couldn't help but feel certain.

Meanwhile, the enticing aroma of wine stirred ripples in Loki's memory.

"...I know. I know this scent!"

I, Loki, have smelled a similar fragrance anywhere else except here!

She gripped the bottle with both hands, her gaze sweeping over it as if she were glaring at an enemy.

(Where, where did I smell this? Where did I smell this fragrance before...!?)

The mark on the label was something even Loki had never seen before.

The pattern of wine spilling from the glass looks a bit like a badge.

(A tavern? Impossible, who would dare sell such a potent drug! A brewery? No, wait, I've never been to a place like that! Or is it not directly from the wine, but from the raw material?... Grapes... grapes... grapes?)

As she gazed at the shimmering, blood-red wine in the bottle…

Memories shrouded in a misty haze softly distort and deform in response.

(At that time, Dionysus was drinking wine beside that fellow—)

Yes, right then...

—I'm quite particular about wine, I must admit.

Dionysus stepped forward to greet Loki...

—This wine is indeed delicious.

That statement was indeed made beside "that god"—

"Could it be...?"

His crimson eyes were wide open to their limit.

Loki screamed almost in agony:

"Could it be her!?"