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

This time, even Missia's words went in one ear and out the other. With a sense of relief welling up in her chest, Eina smiled broadly, although she immediately became serious, her cherry blossom-colored lips couldn't help but curl upwards slightly.

Seeing Bell hopping happily towards her like a rabbit, Eina felt a sense of relief immediately overshadowed her negative emotions, even though she resented him for not understanding her feelings.

Good morning, Miss Eina!

"Good morning, Bell. Long time no see. Have you been exploring diligently... Ah, I guess I don't need to ask that, do I?"

"Yes, I've been trying! But I've been on hiatus for a few days since the last exploration!"

"Hehe, rest is also very important. You should rest properly when you need to, isn't that just right?"

Eina continued her conversation with Bell, who was in an extremely good mood, with a beaming smile.

Missia, sitting at the window next door, smiled at Bell, then prepared to leave, giving Eina some personal time. She began preparing to move the accumulated documents out.

Eina continued with a gentle look in her eyes:

"Did something good happen to you?"

"Can you...can you tell?"

"Anyone could see through your expression."

Seeing Bell reach out and touch her wide-eyed grin, Eina couldn't help but smile wryly.

Clearly, he was hesitant and couldn't wait to tell her what good thing had happened. She gestured with her emerald eyes, "Tell me about it?" and Bell nodded with the same elation he had shown on his first day as an adventurer. Missia, suppressing a laugh, picked up the mountain of documents and stood up from her chair.

He really can't lie, Eina thought with the same peace of mind one would have when looking at their younger brother, waiting for Bell's next words.

"Actually, it's like this..."

"Um."

Then, Bell flashed a smile that made everyone happy for him and said:

"I finally...leveled up to Lv.2!"

—Slap slap slap slap, the documents in Missia's hands fell to the ground.

She remained frozen in place, her back to Bell and the others.

I often heard Eina mention Bell's Missia, and I knew that he had been an adventurer for "less than two months and was still a newbie."

Eina is smiling.

That smile was so beautiful.

That beautiful smile froze completely.

To be precise, time has stopped.

The clamor of voices ignored them and continued to fill the hall.

"……Um?"

Eina, still smiling, tilted her head at Bell, as if to say, "Did I hear that right?"

Her cheeks were almost twitching.

"I mean, I leveled up to Lv.2! Just three days ago!"

Bell, completely oblivious to her strange behavior, repeated the question with boundless enthusiasm.

Eina's smile twitched along with her whole body.

"Lv.2?"

"Yes!"

"Three days ago?"

"Yes!"

"You're not lying to me, are you?"

"No!"

"Bell, when did you become an adventurer?"

"A month and a half ago!"

The conversation ended there.

The humans and half-elves exchanged silent smiles as a form of communication.

Seeing their appearance, some adventurers who were about to return to the window to queue showed surprise on their faces.

The scene remained frozen for a moment, with Missia standing beside him, now a stone statue.

Eina stood up from her chair with a "squeak"—and then exploded.

"Lv.2 in just one and a half months! ~~ ...

The volume was so loud that it drowned out the surrounding noise.

Everyone in headquarters turned around and shouted loudly, their voices resounding like thunder across the sky.

As for Bell, who was standing in front of Eina, he was so frightened that he almost leaned back.

Book 4, Chapter 1: "The Assembly of the Gods"

"sorry!"

Eina clapped her hands and bowed her head in apology.

The location is the meeting room in the guild headquarters hall. Although the interior of this spacious room, which is large enough for one-on-one conversations, is simply decorated, it is fully equipped with soundproofing and other functions.

In a room fully furnished with tables and chairs, Eina is apologizing to Bell, who is sitting opposite her.

"I'm so sorry that I yelled in a place where other members of the [Familia] were present!"

Just minutes ago in the hall, Eina shouted loudly in a moment of impulse, resulting in everyone present knowing about Bell's [upgrade].

Although it was because she was so shocked, her face still turned bright red with shame whenever she thought about the astonished and strange looks she received from everyone.

Aside from the serious blunder of inadvertently leaking information about adventurers, what embarrassed Eina the most was her own sense of shame, which also turned her long, slender ears red.

"N-It's alright, Miss Eina. The Level 1 will be revealed sooner or later anyway... it's just a matter of time, isn't it?"

Seeing that she was reluctant to raise her head, Bell said this with some confusion.

Hearing the boy say that he didn't take it to heart at all, Eina awkwardly turned her gaze away.

(That's true, but... the problem isn't the upgrade itself, it's the time it takes...)

Reaching Lv.2 in about a month is arguably the shortest time ever. It makes one feel that offering an explanation would be incredibly foolish.

To level up, you need to achieve "great feats"—like defeating stronger opponents to gain more experience points. Eina was one of the few who knew Bell's growth rate, and although half of her heart was filled with prayer, the other half with the thought that even if his stats improved by leaps and bounds, it shouldn't be to the point where he couldn't even reach level... She never expected that her opinion would be overturned.

Even if it will be exposed sooner or later, she still hopes to keep it a secret as long as possible.

Such an unprecedented event might not be believed by most people, so there's no need to be so pessimistic. However... the phrase "unprecedented" is exactly what those entertainment-loving gods love to hear.

Just imagining their lewd grins gave Eina a headache.

"Um, Miss Eina...?"

"...No, it's nothing. Sorry, I was just lost in thought."

Imagining Bell being relentlessly pursued by the gods, Eina initially looked annoyed, then forced a wry smile. She let out a soft breath and forced herself to change her perspective.

"Bell, I'm sorry, but there's something I'd like to ask you for a favor. Is that alright? Although you've come all this way, I'm sorry to bother you... but I have to keep my business separate from yours."

"Oh, okay, no problem. What can I do for you?"

"I want you to tell me your activity record as an adventurer up to today."

"Well……?"

"Just give a general overview. For example, what monsters you've fought, or what kind of adventurer's quests you've accepted."

She said this to him as she prepared the parchment and quill.

As long as it indirectly improves the adventurers' skill level, the guild will disclose information without affecting the various [Familia]. This is to increase the collection rate of "Magic Stones," which bring huge profits.

Since Bell achieved an unprecedentedly rapid leveling up this time, his experience points will likely become the focus. The guild will probably release his activity records to the public anonymously.

In short, it means "Adventurers, please take inspiration from Bell's growth and try your best to become stronger."

As the adventurers' skill level increases, the number of casualties naturally decreases, so Eina is quite positive about this. While being careful not to infringe on his privacy, she inquired about the boy's adventures.

So, just as Bell was recounting what had happened three days earlier.

Eina's headache returned.

"The Minotaur..."

She felt dizzy, leaned back, and pressed her head with her right hand.

Three days ago, I encountered the Minotaur on the 9th floor and defeated it.

Upon hearing Bell's account, Eina nearly fainted. The message from the Loki Familia's lower-ranking members to the guild and Bell's testimony perfectly matched the facts.

No wonder the member was so evasive when asked which faction ultimately defeated the Minotaur. Eina recalled the scene and suddenly understood. Even if the member said that a suspected Level 1 adventurer had defeated the Minotaur, who would believe him?

Despite feeling dizzy, Eina forced open her heavy eyelids and glared angrily at Bell.

I've told you so many times, you're not allowed to take risks! Eina's reproachful gaze made Bell break out in a cold sweat and shrink back.

(Seriously, what kind of magic did you use?!)

She really wanted to spend an hour interrogating Bell about what he had done to enable a Level 1 adventurer to defeat a Level 2 Minotaur in a one-on-one fight.

"...Sigh. I roughly understand now, it's because Bell completely ignored my advice."

"Huh! No, that's...! I'm sorry."

Seeing Eina close her eyes and turn her head away, Bell, who was initially eager to explain, spoke softer and softer until he finally apologized, and his head drooped.

Eina opened one eye and glanced at the dejected Bell, which calmed her down a bit. At the same time, she reflected on her behavior and realized that she was being a little immature.

However, she also sincerely hopes that Belle can understand what she has done.

Because if anything went wrong, Bell wouldn't be here.

"...Bell. I wasn't there at the time, so maybe what I said was completely wrong. Perhaps the right thing to do wasn't to run away so easily."

"Miss Eina..."

"Perhaps I'm not qualified to say anything... but, there's only one thing I hope you'll always keep in mind... No matter the reason, death is meaningless."

"Please," Eina said, looking at Bell.

She made no attempt to hide her feelings, telling him that coming back alive was the most important thing.

Bell remained motionless at first, then nodded solemnly.

Their eyes met, and after a moment, Eina coughed softly.

She pointed her finger straight at Bell's face, waving away the somewhat somber atmosphere.

"In short, do you understand? Never try to be a hero. Got it?"

“I-I understand!”

After pressing down on the boy's nose until he cried out, Eina sat back down in her chair, breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled.

Let's not be so tactless as to criticize him today.

She tossed her brown hair and smiled gently at Belle.

"...Bell, congratulations on reaching Lv.2. You really worked hard."

Bell, whose nose was still being pressed down, suddenly opened his eyes wide and then broke into a bright smile, clearly showing that he was really happy.

Unless she was just imagining things, these were the words Belle most wanted to hear.

"Thank you!" Seeing the boy's flushed cheeks, Eina, who had been taking care of him all day, couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions.

"So, are you here just to report on the [upgrade]? Or do you have something else to discuss with me?"

"Ah, I almost forgot... There's something I'd like to ask Miss Eina for her opinion on."

When the conversation came to an end, Eina asked what was going to happen next, and Bell then said that there was something he had forgotten to ask.

Eina smiled and said, "Sure, go ahead and ask." She readily agreed.

"That's about 'development capabilities'..."