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

I can finally get a good night's sleep today, without having to wail through terrible dreams.

As the boy listened to the beautiful, bell-like voice weaving tales of heroes, he felt his eyelids growing heavier and heavier.

*

"..."

From inside the room, one can faintly hear the sound of stories being woven.

As she leaned against the door, listening to the gentle lullaby, she smiled.

When Haruhime, who shared a room with her, quietly got up and went to Bell's room, she quietly followed her.

Because fate noticed her "gentleness and thoughtfulness".

"Hmm...wait...is that fate?"

"Goddess Hestia, what's wrong?"

"I had a feeling that Belle was scared... so I thought I'd check it out and maybe sleep with him while I was at it..."

"Lord Bell's room is over there. Come, let me accompany you there."

"Hmm~? Is that so~?"

Without making a sound, he led Hestia, who was holding her favorite pillow and rubbing her sleepy eyes, back to her shrine.

Wearing pajamas and feeling drowsy, the little sister goddess mumbled "Mmm" and obediently followed her.

While pushing the back of the deity, she secretly stuck out her tongue and apologized in her heart.

Like a samurai, loyal and righteous; like a ninja, ever-present and ever-present—

From now on, I only wish to continue to support Chun Ji in this way.

As he escorted the goddess back to her room, he thought to himself.

Volume Fifteen: Final Chapter - A Hero's Elegy

"Please... kill that guy."

The nameless human adventurer spoke these words in a trembling voice as he looked at me, who stood there blankly.

He was covered in wounds, and a female orc lay in his arms.

It was immediately obvious that the adventurer had a fatal wound, was covered in blood, and his closed eyelids would never open again.

"Please, kill that monster...!"

In a dark underground labyrinth where cold air drifts.

Dungeon level 20.

The adventurer and his wounded teammates stared ahead, tears streaming down their faces, as a pair of ferocious eyes approached from the depths of darkness.

The details of the matter couldn't be simpler.

This is a common occurrence in the dungeon.

A massive monster attacked high-level adventurers exploring the dungeon. An anomaly from the lower levels ravaged them, forcing them to flee in defeat, helpless.

We happened to be passing by then and offered our help to help them escape... but we didn't have time to treat the wounded.

The severely wounded orc woman breathed her last in front of her companions without leaving any last words.

"I know it's a huge mistake to say this, but it's our choice. But, but..."

If you choose to be an adventurer, you must be prepared to encounter danger.

There are plenty of safer jobs than this.

But they, and even she who had died, all chose to become adventurers.

Is it to pursue wealth and fame, to satisfy desires, or is it a fascination with the "unknown"?

Whatever the reason, they were fully aware of the risks involved, yet they chose this profession.

Therefore, hating monsters is completely misdirected. Whether it's permanent physical damage or the murder of a companion, hating monsters is not only misdirected, it's downright ridiculous.

The male adventurer indirectly revealed this thought in his words, yet he held the gradually cooling remains of his companion, letting tears slide down his face.

"Please, Bell Craney... help her get revenge...!"

The man kept saying it was a shameful and embarrassing personal grudge, yet he pleaded with me in a tearful voice.

My left arm had just healed, and I had just come back to explore the dungeon with my companions from the Hestia Familia when this happened.

The unsurprising death of an adventurer.

It has nothing to do with any events, and it's not even dramatic; it's just the daily routine of the dungeon.

There must still be many such cruel realities right before our eyes, but everyone has simply ignored them.

I stared blankly at my colleague as he breathed his last, but seeing the large tears streaming down his face... I knew that my mind and body were gradually turning pure white.

Wavering and distracting thoughts vanished, and a single, transparent will emerged in the hands and feet.

Prepare to defeat the monster that is roaring fiercely and relentlessly advancing.

"Bell..."

"Lord Bell..."

The voices of Welf and Lily came from both sides of my shoulders.

"Lord Bell..."

"Lord Bell..."

Behind them came the mournful cries of Miss Ming and Miss Chunji.

I gripped the Goddess's Blade and charged toward the roaring monster.

*

Orario is filled with human death.

From the distant past to today.

Among them, the types of deaths range from sudden, unjust deaths in peaceful and happy lives, to the tragic ends of those hailed as "heroes," to deserved retribution in this life—the variety is astounding. Only one thing is certain: most of them occur in the struggle between humans and monsters.

This land has now accumulated countless lives.

Orario is such a place.

Ironically, this labyrinthine city, which has prospered to the point of being called the "center of the world," continues to evolve and change its appearance, yet humans and monsters are forever killing each other.

This is a place built upon the death of humanity.

Its true meaning has never changed from ancient times to the present: it is the last bastion of the lower realm.

An ancient fortress isolated from the outside world and the labyrinth.

A symbol of the human race's long-cherished wish to wield swords.

Orario is the "Starting Ground".

only……

Looking at it from a different perspective, monsters can also be considered victims. After all, times have changed. Nowadays, monsters are slaughtered for the selfish interests and desires of humans, their "magic stones" or body parts stolen and sold for money. They are slaughtered as a price for prosperity, which is an undeniable side of the whole story.

The inhabitants of the lower realm would never accept such a thing, but as gods who transcend existence, they should also have such views or opinions.

Thinking about this kind of question is probably of no help whatsoever.

Long ago, when monsters overflowed from the "Great Hole" and ravaged the underworld, everything was already decided. Exploitation and being exploited, taking back and being taken back. The antagonism between humans and monsters has now reached a point of no return. Humans and monsters are destined to repel and loathe each other, fighting to the death.

But—if everything stemmed from the monsters' "invasion of the surface"...

Humanity's hatred and anger should be directed at the "Great Hole" known as the Underground City and those monsters, which is perfectly justifiable.

Ais Wallenstein couldn't help but think that.

Help me get revenge.

—Protect that child.

—Please fulfill the long-cherished wish of humanity.

In the deep darkness, all alone, Ais heard only the sounds of weeping and lamentation.

From the voices of strangers to familiar ones, countless desires clung tightly to the ears. From the depths of darkness, countless arms stretched out, their unfulfilled wishes groaning, "Please, please."

These are the voices of those who have passed away.

At the same time, it is also the people's real wish that awaits her in the future.

The young girl (Ais) looked down at her tiny palms and slowly nodded.

As many have done to this day, she pulled out a sword stuck in front of her and took up the weapon.

It was as if to show off one's enlightenment.

Just then, the dream ended.

"……Um."

She slowly opened her eyelids.

The familiar ceiling came into view through the blurry vision.

The monotonous and uninteresting interior space told her that this was her room.

It seems she accidentally fell asleep in her room after maintaining her weapons in the afternoon. Ais propped herself up in bed and saw her beloved sword and handkerchief standing to the side, recalling her vague memories.

The room was somewhat dim.

Looking at the clock, dusk is about to end.

The sun gradually disappeared outside the open window, and dusk slowly approached from the eastern sky.

"..."

Ais recalled the dream she had just had.

In her dream, she (Ais) accepted her true self.

She was not forced, nor burdened, nor driven by a sense of mission; it was as if she simply knew how to do it.

Ais silently sheathed the sword that was standing to the side, stood up, and tried to close the window with the curtains swaying.

"...?"

Standing by the window, Ais noticed that the city scenery was different from usual.

The usual torrent of intense light, which floods the night even under the countless magical stone lights, is gone.

The entire city was shrouded in darkness.

More importantly, she didn't hear the noise and commotion of the crowd.

After looking out the window at the view, Ais murmured to herself, "That's right."

"Today is a 'Requiem Festival'..."

Perhaps that's why I have those kinds of dreams.

Ais thought to herself as she gazed at the flickering lights hidden within the vast streetscape.

*

It was as if a thunderous roar was echoing from the depths of the earth, the deafening sound reverberating all around.

As the winds flowed into the "Great Hole," the labyrinthine underground would occasionally vibrate in the adventurers' ears like this. It even sounded like the distant howl of a giant creature.

A gigantic monster called the Dungeon.

I looked down at the empty, giant jaws of the maze below, let the wind blow through my hair, and walked up the long steps illuminated by the magic stone lamps.

The passageway between the white-walled, colossal "Tower of Babel" and the underground city features a spiral staircase.

We returned to the surface.

After defeating the ferocious monster that roared and brandished its sharp claws.

I have no real experience of avenging someone.

I didn't feel any sense of mission, nor did I feel that leaving that monster unattended would cause serious disasters or result in more deaths.