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

"That's going too far, Lily! Mr. Welf isn't trying to do anything wrong... What trouble? You've misunderstood him!"

"—You've misunderstood him! Saying he'll 'join until he gains the ability' is ridiculous. Lily and Lord Bell are just being used! And they're only temporary members! Once this mysterious blacksmith achieves his goal and leaves the team, Lord Bell will essentially be back to being just a supporter! How can he take one step forward and immediately retreat? He's completely unproductive! Yeah, the future looks bleak!"

In response to my rebuttal, Lily raised the corners of her eyes and retorted fiercely.

Under the barrage of fierce scolding, I was riddled with holes. I couldn't utter a single word and almost fell backward from Lily's tirade.

How embarrassing... Mr. Welf's gaze...!

"Why didn't you consult Lily before letting someone join the team, Lord Bell!"

"No, is that not okay...?"

"No, it's definitely not impossible! But I still need to tell Lily about this, otherwise she'll be very worried! Goddess Hestia specifically instructed Lily to keep a close eye on Lord Bell's safety!"

Yes, is that so? A deity actually asked Lily to do something like this... How untrustworthy am I?

Just as I was about to lose my head in despair, I saw Lily looking angry and suddenly realized that her anger might not be due to Mr. Welf.

How should I put it? She seemed to really want to take care of me... or maybe not.

She must think I'm careless or something, and she only feels at ease when she keeps a close eye on me. That's probably it.

"What, you think I'm in your way that much, little one?"

Mr. Welff, who had been observing our conversation, interjected at this point.

Being called "little one" made Lily, who already didn't seem to like Mr. Welf, look even more slanted in her chestnut eyes.

"Lily isn't called 'Little One'! Lily has a name and a surname; her name is Lily Luca Erd!"

"Oh, really. Nice to meet you, Riko."

"...Forget it, it's pointless to talk to you!"

Seeing Mr. Welf laughing heartily as if he were playing a prank (no, that's exactly what he was doing), Lily turned her head away in anger.

As for Mr. Welf, he was still smiling, as if he found it very interesting... I could imagine that his future would be fraught with difficulties.

"...Uh, Lily. It's a bit late, but please allow me to introduce you. This is Mr. Welf Crozo. He is the blacksmith of the Hephaestus Familia."

I wanted to finish the important things first, so I told Lily Mr. Welf's real name. Because when I arrived at the meeting point with him that morning, Lily's mood quickly soured, and I didn't have a chance to introduce him at all.

Mr. Welf has already heard Lily's name, so there's no need to repeat it.

I didn't expect Lily to answer, and finished speaking to her retreating figure—

"Crozzo?"

Upon hearing Mr. Welf's last name, Lily turned around as if struck by lightning.

The unexpected reaction made me mutter "Huh?"

"The cursed swordsmith's surname? That fallen noble family of blacksmiths?"

The Demon Sword, the Blacksmith...?

What intrigues me even more is, what is a forging noble...?

Lily's words surprised me, and I looked at Mr. Welf.

His expression changed, and he looked embarrassed, pouting.

"Um... what exactly is the origin of 'Crozzo'?"

I looked back and forth between the two people with their different expressions, and questioned Mr. Welf's surname. Lily opened her eyes wide and turned to me, her expression indescribable.

"You know nothing, Lord Bell...?"

"Uh, um... yeah, yeah."

There was no point in denying it, so I nodded honestly.

After letting out a short breath, Lily began to explain simply.

"The Crozzo family gained its noble status long ago by presenting a 'magic sword' to a royal family. It is the name of a prestigious blacksmithing family. Legend has it that all the works forged by the Crozzo family are 'magic swords'... It is generally believed that they have presented thousands or even tens of thousands of swords to the royal family over the generations."

"Tens of thousands...!"

"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they are the highest authority on the Demon Sword, the undisputed leaders in the industry. It's said their power once 'burned the ocean,' but..."

At this point, Lily paused and glanced at Mr. Welf.

Then, she hesitated for a moment, finding it difficult to speak, before continuing in a low voice.

"...One day, they lost the trust of the royal family, and now they have completely fallen into decline..."

After Lily finished her increasingly hushed explanation, I didn't know what expression to give Mr. Welf.

After haphazardly scratching his hair, Mr. Welf vigorously swung his wrists a few times.

"...Alright, that kind of thing isn't important right now, is it? Now that we're already inside the dungeon, there's only one thing left to do. Right?"

"Ah...yes, yes."

Mr. Welf smiled at me from eye level above mine, casually changing the subject.

The weapon slung on his shoulder... the broadsword, boasting advantages in its wide blade and attack range, pierced the grassland with a "thud".

I nodded stiffly, while Lily looked up at Mr. Welf's face with an observant gaze.

"—?"

"Um?"

Just then, we heard a "crack" sound as we faced each other.

We paused briefly. Accustomed to exploring underground cities, we didn't need to think about what the sound was; we immediately sensed where the ominous cracking sound was coming from.

Monsters are about to be born from the dungeon.

"Waaah...!"

"...This is really big."

"It's a 'half-orc'."

The three of us reacted differently, facing forward, where the walls of the dungeon were cracked and broken.

A thick, greasy brown arm crawled out from the inside of the wall, pushing aside the soil.

A fragment of the dungeon shattered and fell to the ground like an eggshell. First, the left arm broke through the wall and emerged, followed by the right arm, and then the giant pig's head.

"Pfft... Hoohoo ...

With a hoarse cry as it fell to the ground, the orc revealed its full form.

(This is the first time I've ever seen what it looks like when a half-orc is born...)

The moment the massive monster was born, I swallowed hard.

The sight of its enormous body breaking through the wall can only be described as earth-shattering.

The orc, who had been on his hands and feet, slowly rose to his feet.

"...It's not over yet, is it? That's why the floors below the 10th floor are so scary."

The cracking sound of the walls didn't end there. Just as several similar sounds rang out from all around, monsters burst through the cave walls from all directions.

Starting primarily from the 10th floor, people frequently witness the phenomenon of a large number of monsters suddenly appearing in the same area.

Once this phenomenon occurs, the previously empty area will be filled with monsters in the blink of an eye. Sometimes people call it a "monster party".

Of course, this is an extremely dangerous situation. Especially if you encounter this situation in the center of a "cave," you could be surrounded by monsters in an instant, just like now. A twitching smile involuntarily appeared on my face.

"Well, there's no need to be so pessimistic. Fortunately, this cave won't fog up, and it's quite spacious. We don't need to worry about being surrounded immediately. If something does happen, we can just run back to the 10th floor."

Lily said calmly, and with a "whoosh," she put her backpack back on.

Lily, who has traveled with many adventurer parties, has already been to the 11th floor. Although her [stats] may be the weakest among us, she is quite courageous.

After hearing what Lily said, I looked back at the grand staircase behind me, and my tension eased a little.

"Alright, I'll take care of the orcs."

"Huh, is that okay?"

When I heard Mr. Welf make this suggestion, my eyes widened.

Orcs possess astonishing brute strength. Lv.1... no, even Lv.2 adventurers could be rendered incapacitated if struck directly by an attack.

Compared to my surprise, Mr. Welf looked astonished.

"I couldn't be happier! They're slow and big. With my skills, I can easily hit them."

Ah, so that's how you can think of it...

I don't know if it's because I'm timid or Mr. Welf is bold, but to him, the orcs seem like an easy opponent. Mr. Welf is already facing forward, a smile playing on his lips.

Although the Hephaestus Familia is a faction focused on forging, they are also quite powerful in combat, with most members being so-called blacksmith warriors. Mr. Welf is no exception—though he claims he only came to gain "forging" abilities out of necessity—and observing his combat skills along the way, I felt that even near the 10th floor, he would certainly not be inferior. I think among Level 1 adventurers, he must be one of the stronger ones.

"Please, Lord Bell, act on your own. Lily will do her best to assist the blacksmith. But frankly, it would be even better if you could keep an eye on us occasionally."

"Oh? What's wrong? Didn't you dislike me, Riko?"

"Of course I don't like it. Lily just doesn't want to get in Bell's way."

Lily smiled slightly, giving Mr. Welf a broad smile. I could only manage a wry smile.

Lily made this suggestion because she considered my abilities after I reached Lv.2. In other words, she believed that now that I had "leveled up," I could handle things alone.

I have no intention of objecting.

...Besides, although it might be improper to say it like that.

But I also want to test my current abilities.

"It's about time we went in. Let's finish this off before the little devils gather."

"Lily knows without you saying it. Lord Bell? Lily thinks you should know..."

"Okay, don't worry. I'll be extra careful."

Everyone took their weapons and prepared themselves.

I stood still and did a stretching and bending motion, then completely switched my consciousness, and then leaped out in one breath.

"Eee!" "Eee-ga!"

I ran briskly across the grassland, heading towards the group of little devils that had already formed.

On the way to this 11th floor, I encountered several monsters, and Mr. Welf dealt with them almost all of them. This is my first real fight today.

Numerous menacing gazes and threatening shouts filled the air. Five against one, outnumbered and outmatched. The gap was widening.

Countless monsters emerged from the dungeon. Numerous lesser demons gradually gathered from the surrounding area to prepare for my attack.

—Let's be bold today and charge in!

I leaned my upper body forward even more.

As the distance between us grew shorter and shorter, I pushed off the ground with my right foot.

The next instant, the grassland erupted.

"—Eee?"

The little devil appeared before my eyes.

wrong.

It was I who shortened the distance between the enemy and ourselves.

An unbelievable acceleration. The wind ripped through my ears.

However, I feel that I have easily caught up with a speed that is completely different from what I have been doing before.

While the little devil was stunned by the sudden appearance of its opponent (me), I instantly unleashed the Goddess Blade.

There was a satisfying "whoosh" sound.

"!"

The little devil's head flew into the air.

The little devils who look up at their companions' heads flying in the air, and the little devils whose eyes are drawn to the whistling blue-purple light, each make up about half of the group.

The sudden turn of events left the monsters stunned, and I charged at them with lightning speed.