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

Seeing the monstrous creature tearing through the lightning torrent and continuing its rampage, the "Immortal Essence Avatar," who should also be an extraordinary being, was completely terrified.

He could only watch helplessly as those indestructible sharp horns hurtled towards him.

This unprecedented and most powerful attack crashed head-on into the giant pillar of immortal essence.

"Moo ooh ...

A deafening sound erupted from the scene.

The "heretics" were all shaken and staggered.

After a powerful tremor that shook the entire cavern, the last giant face of the "Altar Pillar" was shattered into pieces, just as the name suggests. The "Celestial Pillar," now completely without its roots, collapsed.

"—Ya ...

With the fairy's screams, the giant pillar slowly tilted towards the center of the cave.

Winnie, Aruru, and the others were thrown into the air by the renewed earthquake, their cheeks twitching as they stared at the heretic who was their fellow countryman.

"They actually destroyed the pillar with just one impact..."

This is a collision that shows no regard for how much damage it suffers.

This was an attack that had no tactics or strategy whatsoever, relying solely on brute force.

The embodiment of power that even Finn feared shattered everything in its path through sheer force.

As if imitating his "past life master," Asterios also knocked down the giant pillar of immortal spirits.

"Roar────"

"babble!?"

The green flesh covering the floor in the center of the large cave was crushed, and a cloud of dust rose up.

The fallen fairy was like a butterfly without wings, watching in horror as the "monster" drew closer with the rumbling of the earth.

Its enormous, jet-black body was covered in wounds and had suffered severe injuries.

But the high fighting spirit in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

Asterios, who had gone to the "deep" to train alone, is now forced to come here, so he decides to make his enemies pay the "price" and take the double-edged axe back into his hands.

In order to enjoy a blood-pumping final battle, he seemed to transform into a natural disaster and begin to wreak havoc.

"...Hey, Fels, I heard that Bell and the others also came to the artificial maze?"

"...Yes, I did receive that message."

Two calm voices conversed through the crystal.

The lizardman paused slightly before whispering:

"...Given the situation, it's probably best not to let him know that Little Bell is here too..."

Reed watched from afar as the bull went on a rampage, emitting deafening roars, and made up his mind to do just that.

*

Countless roars.

Countless sword strikes and spells transformed into a surge.

Even from a great distance, one could hear the roars of adventurers fighting bravely.

"We really haven't gone to the wrong place, have we...!?"

The little girl Lilyluka Erd couldn't help but blurt out the question that was on her mind.

As a member of the Hestia Familia, she is traversing the passageways of a man-made labyrinth.

Even before arriving at the battlefield, she was already feeling apprehensive.

Lily had just recently experienced the feeling of "death battle" in a dungeon "adventure" during an "expedition," but the tension here was even greater. After realizing that this was a battlefield beyond human intelligence—no, a battlefield where only the "chosen ones" with the qualifications of heroes were worthy of participating—Lily swallowed hard.

"Instead of saying such discouraging things, hurry up and give the orders, Commander!"

"Please continue to guide us, Commander!"

"What should we do, Commander?"

"Um, good luck, Commander Lily!"

"Please don't address someone like that when things are already going wrong! Also, Lord Bell, please don't force yourself to speak; it sounds insincere!!"

The little girl started to throw a tantrum because of the unreasonable questions her companions posed. Asphie, who was traveling with her, couldn't stand it and offered some advice.

"For now, let's rendezvous with the other units. There's no point in wandering around aimlessly like this."

That's certainly a very valid opinion... but Lily still doesn't find it real.

With the Loki Familia at the forefront, all the major factions have come to fight in this completely transformed man-made labyrinth, so she doubts how much her own family can actually help here.

For her, who was merely a supporter—no, for ordinary people, it was unimaginable that this was a battle that risked the fate of the city.

"Liliruka Erd!"

"──!! Lord Fels!"

Just then, the black-clad magician swiftly approached Lily and the others from the front.

"When I first received the message, I thought I had misheard... I never expected you to actually come, [Hestia Familia]."

"We've all heard that Orario will be destroyed if we don't join the war, so we have no choice but to come and help! Putting aside what contribution we can make here, what's the current situation?! What's the actual state of affairs?!"

Fels was somewhat taken aback by Lily's inexplicable outburst of anger and emotional outburst, but he quickly began to explain the situation.

"Thanks to the arrival of reinforcements, the situation was finally turned around. However, if anything goes wrong, it is still easy for the enemy to turn the tide."

"Huh... Where's Lord Finn? Shouldn't that other one be in charge?"

Fels's words implied that their side was in a tense situation where they could not afford to be careless in the slightest, which made Lily feel a little shaken.

Because Lily Luca Erd had been quite optimistic before this.

This little warrior had outwitted Lily in a battle of wits, so she originally thought that she would have the upper hand in the war from beginning to end.

However──

"The Hero is currently in charge of commanding every battlefield with a 'Fairy Spirit Avatar'... and there are as many as six of them. In addition, he also has to fight personally. He has no spare time."

"Six places!?"

Simultaneously dealing with six battlefields.

This fact frightened Lily so much that her expression froze.

Not only must he control the other five battlefields, but he must also personally lead the main battles where he is stationed.

That's just too ridiculous.

Lily had become the commander of the Hestia Familia, so even without explanation, she could sense its power and even wondered how someone could have accomplished such a feat. She was still unable to calm her racing emotions.

At the same time, she also understood how critical the current situation was.

Finn had no choice but to take on such a heavy responsibility because the faction alliance was fighting a desperate battle.

"Fels! The Second and Third Divisions are exposed to a fierce enemy offensive! Can you move now!?"

At this moment──

One of the crystals held by Fels emitted a bright light after receiving the message.

Lily trembled with shock, for the voice belonged to Finn.

"I don't want to use the reserve forces yet! Instead, I plan to have Raul and the others rescue the hostages while the maze's 'counter-attack magic' is off, thus eliminating any future worries! Even choosing from the reinforcements from before is fine! Quickly send reinforcements to these two units!!"

The rapid-fire speech echoed from within the crystal, interspersed with chilling sounds of battle.

Besides the unimaginable explosion, there were screams from the adventurers and the deafening roar of the fairy, whose actual size was unknown. Not only Welf and the others, but even Asphie was startled and gasped in horror by the communication.

Lily's face grew paler and paler, and just as she reflexively prepared to take a step back—

"Mr. Finn!! Is there anything we can do to help!?"

Only this young man showed great courage and volunteered himself.

"That voice... Bell Crane? Why are you here?! Wait, could this be Hermes's doing?"

Lily was completely unable to stop them, and her expression froze once again.

A fighting spirit burned within those deep red eyes.

That's right, Bell Craney is a boy with such a personality.

He's the kind of person who would never remain silent when he hears that the city is in crisis.

They are not adventurers who would desert their posts.

Even if he is an outsider who has not been informed of the truth, he will step forward and lend a helping hand without hesitation whenever someone cries for help.

The boy who once yearned to be a "hero" has now embarked on the path of becoming one himself.

Although the person involved was unaware of this, he had "grown" through the "heretic" incident, and in Lily's eyes, he was already one of the "chosen ones" mentioned earlier, and an adventurer who was qualified to be included among them.

(Oh no, oh no, this is really bad!!)

Finn must have seen through Bell's "aptitude".

If he were to accept Finn's command, he would inevitably be treated like livestock and forced to take on a whole host of arduous tasks.

Then, Lily's sweetheart will be sent to a dangerous area just like the other Level 1 adventurers! This is terrible!! It's unacceptable!! But no one can stop Bell!! What should we do now!?

A myriad of questions churned through Lily's mind like a tidal wave. Her chestnut eyes went unfocused, as if scribbled with random spirals. An apocalyptic scene even flashed through her mind: a meteorite falling from the sky, triggering explosions of all sizes, with countless little people screaming and scrambling for cover.

Forced to make a "choice" before Finn could speak, the young strategist quickly spoke up:

"────Please hand over control of both battlefields to me!!"

Lily ultimately did something that no one could have predicted.

Not only were Bell, Fels, Asif, and Welf surprised, but even Finn was astonished that Lily had gone a step further and was vying for "command of the troops".

"Lily will take command of the troops in place of Lord Finn! This will lighten your burden!"

This request is utterly absurd; it's completely out of the ordinary.

Even Lily herself, who had made that boast, thought so.

Even if it's to protect a boy, does a mere luggage carrier think she can command a battlefield composed of first-class adventurers? It's utterly laughable. Absolutely ridiculous. She actually thinks she can relieve the burden of the renowned "Hero"? She's completely overestimating herself. If other adventurers were present, they would definitely berate Lily for being "indiscreet." Even she herself thinks so; in fact, she understands this better than anyone. To put it bluntly, it was "a moment of impulsiveness."

(but!!)

After learning that Finn was dealing with "six battlefields" at the same time, didn't he feel "resentful"?

Aside from wanting to protect the boy, didn't a hint of jealousy rise in your heart?

Because of her feelings for Bell and her own slight reserve, coupled with a sense of crisis that "concerns the survival of the city," Lily, contrary to her usual self, felt a "sense of mission" called "to assist the heroes."

Even though Lily's position in the team is the same as Finn's—both are commanders—she understands that she still needs to improve, and she doesn't want to see the boy being bossed around by him, nor does she want to see Bell abandon her and leave.

"Could you be... Lilyluka Erd?"

"Lily has received command training modeled after Lord Finn! She can manage just as well as one or two units!! At least she can imitate some of your basic skills!!"

Time could not be turned back, and the atmosphere at the scene left Lily no choice but to retract her earlier statement.

So Lily cast aside all thoughts of regret and, like a hero poised to bite the other end of the "Eye Crystal," leaned out and boasted with righteous indignation. She completely let go of her chaotic emotions, which were beyond her control, and added to her bluff that could be easily exposed by anyone, recklessly carrying out her promise.

"But there are only two locations! And they're places where the battle situation isn't too complicated! Lily won't accept anything else!!"

"Look at you saying that! Do you even really want to help, Riko?"

At this point, Lilyluka Erd had given up on herself, and even her companions couldn't help but complain about her.

In fact, the burden that came with this proposal was far too heavy for her.

As Asif and Fels, who were about to speak up to stop the girl from continuing her outrageous performance—

"Okay, I believe you."

The result was a prompt and decisive reply.

Finn had made his decision before Lily could even gasp.

"I'm handing the troops over to you! You will take command of two of the battlefields in my place!"

Even Asphie and the others were temporarily silenced by the bold statement.