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

They are all non-elf foreign companions.

Under Astraea's smiling gaze, Ryu and the others placed their hands together.

"We are the Familia of Astrea, the servants of the goddess Astrea, who reigns over justice and order, and we will bring peace to Orario! — We swear to the sword and wings of justice!!"

"I swear an oath to the sword and wings of justice!"

Following Alexandra's speech, the girls sang in unison.

Then, under the watchful eyes of her companions...

A smile appeared on Liu's face, and she did as instructed.

"I swear to the sword and wings of justice."

This vow was never broken until the day of parting five years later.

Volume 15 Interlude: The Struggling Princess and the Guardian Ninja

倭·命

Lv.2

力量：H185→G279　耐久：H158→G255　灵巧：G232→F334

Agility: G217→298 Magic: I97→H149 Abnormal Resistance: I

〖magic〗

【Futsu-no-Mitama】

• Heavy pressure magic.

• Create a gravity barrier within a certain area.

〖Skill〗

【Yata no Kuroga】

• Detects enemy presence within the effective range. Camouflage is ineffective.

• For monsters only. Only effective against monsters of the same type that have been encountered before.

• Active trigger.

【Yata no Hakucho】

• Detects all allies within the effective range. Disguise is ineffective.

• Only effective for those who possess the same kind of blessing.

• Can be activated at will.

Sanjou Haruhime

Lv.1

力量：I18→35　耐久：I43→80　灵巧：I70→99

Agility: I61→96 Magic: E441→D543

〖magic〗

【Treasure Hammer】

• Level boost.

• The target of the attack can only be one person.

• After activation, it must wait for a period of time before it can be used again.

• Ineffective against the warlock himself.

【Ninefold】

• Enchantment.

• Chanting link.

• Loads linked target magic. Maximum activation count: nine.

〖Skill〗

【The Enchanting Fox Technique (The Art of the Algae Maiden)】

Amplifies magic effects.

• Improve the efficiency of mental energy consumption.

This is the updated [ability value] of Fate and Spring Princess.

First of all, like Lily, their ability parameters have been greatly improved. In particular, Haruhime's growth in "Magic Power" is astonishing—"Magic Power" is more difficult to increase than other "basic abilities" such as "Strength" or "Agility" due to its nature—considering that the magic she possesses is long or extremely long incantations that are difficult to use frequently, this result is commendable.

It may have come with this growth, and even manifested as "skills".

The new "skills" are similar to those manifested by all members of the magical race (elves), and will undoubtedly be of great use to "sorcerers." Incidentally, among the magic-related "skills" confirmed to date, those related to mental energy consumption are particularly valuable, though seemingly insignificant, they are extremely useful.

Although fate has not revealed any new "magic" or "skills," but...

"It seems like a really ominous 'skill' is about to appear, but I find it terrifying, so I'll pass. It's definitely a self-destruct type."

This is Hestia's version of events.

For a deity whose curiosity about the unknown always trumps even the worst premonitions, and who always seeks out new abilities, this is a rare choice. Perhaps this shows that she genuinely cares about life, and is another expression of familial love.

Even disregarding that, her ability stat increase is still among the highest in the Hestia Familia, second only to Bell. This is the result of her continued active performance as an all-rounder in the "Expeditions." This ability value is approaching the mid-level of Lv.2.

Both Mikoto and Haruhime were delighted to see their own and the other person's update results.

But they didn't get carried away and quickly adjusted their mindset.

A young woman from the Far East, humble, diligent, and proactive, is moving towards her next goal.

*

"Hey, hey-ah—!"

The voice, though strained, echoed through the underground city.

Its thick tail, covered in golden fur, swayed in the wind.

The fox spirit Haruhime raised her long staff high and charged towards the monster.

"Go for it!?"

A goblin is waiting for her to attack.

As the pathetic low-level monster that is the weakest in the dungeon, it seemed to feel threatened even when the orc girl charged at it with the air of an amateur—in fact, the collision of a Lv.1 body was enough to constitute a fatal attack—and let out a panicked cry.

A perfectly timed swing, seemingly impossible to miss, resulted in an exaggeratedly missed swing.

"null!?"

Not only that, he also tripped and fell.

With a whoosh, Haruhime's body slid right into the spot next to the "goblin".

An indescribable silence flowed through the dungeon.

"...Gibberish!"

"Haguwoo!?"

The goblin, which had paused its movements, seemed to be saying, "You scared me!" and began to kick Haruhime, hitting her squarely in the side.

The fox-girl was mercilessly kicked by the goblin, letting out a muffled groan. Although it was only a kick from a low-level monster, it still hurt.

And then, perhaps lured in, other "goblins" joined in one after another, leaving Haruhime pitifully covered in a sack. "Awooo!?" Just as Haruhime was clutching her head and becoming a pathetic meat bun—a figure darted into the fray.

"Take this—!"

"Giggle!?"

It's Lily carrying a backpack.

She stomped her foot and unleashed a powerful flying kick.

Although they are small in stature, they possess a level 2 flying kick.

The goblins were powerless to resist, letting out shrill screams as they were blown away at an astonishing speed to the far end of the passage.

"What are you doing, Lady Haruhime! The opponent is just a 'goblin'!"

"I'm so sorry, Lady Lily... That attack was really strong."

"Of course! After all, Lily is Level 2! -- Level 2!!"

Lily, who had indeed kicked the monsters away, was beaming with pride, and for some reason, she repeated the same sentence twice.

Seeing Lily with her hands on her hips and her small chest puffed out, Chunji, who had been beaten badly, stood up with a bitter smile.

Even though her clothes were a little dirty, it couldn't diminish the elegance emanating from her beautiful long golden hair, her impeccable manners, and her feminine figure. However, a shadow fell over her beauty, and she sighed dejectedly, her shoulders drooping.

In stark contrast to her dejected state, Lily said in high spirits, "With Lily here, you don't need to worry!" She patted her tail repeatedly with her little hands.

"Alright, Lady Haruhime, let's face the next opponent! Lily will stay with you until you're ready to fight!"

"Th-thank you! I'm so happy!"

Urged on by her spirited supporters, the "sorcerer" girl, a complete novice in combat, immediately ran off to deal with the monster that emerged from the depths of the passage.

"They're really motivated..."

"After all, it's their first exploration after the [upgrade]... I was also very excited when I upgraded to Lv.2, so I can understand how they feel."

Welf and Bell watched from a distance.

Bell smiled wryly as he watched Lily, now at Lv.2, come to "return the favor" from the monsters who had "taken care" of her many times during her time as a supporter.

"That wasn't excitement, it was just overconfidence and a desire to have some fun."

"Welf..."

Welf, somewhat dumbfounded, offered a scathing critique, which only deepened Bell's wry smile.

This is the third level of the underground city.

The reason they stayed in the "upper echelons," which was completely incompatible with the Hestia Familia Lv., who prided themselves on their faction rank D, was simply to "train" Haruhime.

On floors below the [Family] exploration standard, earn [Experience Points] for party members with lower abilities (ability values).

This is what is known as "leveling".

In the [Hestia Familia], the target group is Lv.1 members, and Lily participated before she leveled up.

They only started dealing with this issue after Haruhime joined the troupe.

Actively arrange such activities without affecting the official exploration progress of the [Family].

Of course, they take safety precautions. To ensure they aren't hit in vital areas by the monsters on this floor (level), the trainers carefully wear protective gear meticulously crafted by Welf. Furthermore, there are always high-level characters like Bell accompanying them, ready to lend a hand even if an "abnormal situation" puts Haruhime and the others in danger.

This time, it was Lily who insisted, so she was the one protecting Haruhime... However, she seemed overjoyed to be able to drive away the monsters that she couldn't deal with in the past. Although Bell and the others also understood that the sense of omnipotence brought by the "leveling up" that greatly increased "ability values" could indeed bring excitement that went beyond confusion.

Incidentally, Bell's left arm has almost fully recovered.

Based on this, participating in the "middle level" exploration scheduled for the future should not be a problem.

Bell accompanied him today to explore the "upper level," also wanting to take the opportunity to test the condition of his arm.

"However, not to be blunt, but no matter how much she practices, she just can't seem to get it right."

"That, that's because Miss Haruhime... should we say her personality isn't suited for fighting, or...?"

"That's true, but the way she swings her cane, just watching it makes my legs go weak..."

For some reason, Bell was eager to explain to Welf, who had his arms crossed.

They often found time to "practice," but only Haruhime was more inclined to teach her "combat positioning." It wasn't quite "skills and tactics" yet; perhaps "methods of self-defense" would be a more accurate description.

She wanted to learn how to fight so that she wouldn't hold everyone back when exploring the floors below the "middle level".

It was Chun Ji herself who made that request.

However, as everyone can see, the result was not ideal.

"If we knew which weapon she was better at, we could be of some help... but swords won't work, guns won't work, and she can't use razors or bows and arrows. A warhammer or greatsword is out of the question, and as for a staff, I just missed... Is there anything else I haven't tried?"

Welf curled his fingers to express the blacksmith's opinion, and Bell thought long and hard but couldn't come up with a solution.