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

A faint, pure white light surrounded the area above the wrist.

Smaller light particles than snow crystals are drawn into the right hand every so often, and then new light particles are immediately generated, and then drawn into the hand again as if time were reversed.

The gathering and convergence of light repeats itself continuously.

It was as if only my right hand was surrounded by fine snow falling and swirling in a whirlwind.

In addition, I also noticed that it emitted a sharp, thin ringing sound.

Like a bell, it rings at subtle intervals.

"..."

"..."

Mr. Welf and I looked at each other in bewilderment.

Our expressions shared the same confusion and bewilderment. Even if you asked him, he probably wouldn't be able to answer.

What... what is this...?

I stared at my right hand, which was filled with white light, and almost wanted to see right through it.

Later, perhaps unable to bear seeing my confused look, Mr. Welf was about to speak—just a moment before.

"--Roarooooo ...

A deafening and shocking roar rang out at this moment.

"!"

Mr. Welf and I looked up together. No, not just us, but all the adventurers in the cave were staring in the same direction in astonishment.

The location is at the entrance to the cave. From a passageway leading to other areas, a large patch of amber-colored scales breaks through the thick fog.

A long tail, sharp claws, and countless fangs.

It is about 150 cm tall and probably over 4 meters long – it is a small dragon.

"Young Dragon...!"

The voice of an unknown adventurer rang out.

This four-legged monster is a dragon, hailed as the most powerful of all monster races. Although it has no wings, its strong, scale-covered body clearly reveals a potential far surpassing that of a half-orc. Its blood-red eyes darted about.

"Young dragon."

A rare monster that appears on the 11th and 12th floors and is generally rare.

Encountering fewer than five of these small dragons within a vast building is not rare; in fact, it could be considered lucky. However, this is contingent on not taking reports of a novice adventurer group being wiped out to heart.

In the upper levels where the "Monster Rex" is absent, the little dragons are essentially the floor masters.

"——!"

With a loud roar, the young dragon unleashed its power, striking a nearby elven adventurer with its long tail. In that instant, the male elf, slammed against the wall, stared wide-eyed before collapsing unconscious like a puppet with its strings cut. Several screams erupted from the surrounding area.

Upon seeing those powerful monsters, though not as formidable as the Minotaur, some even worthy of being classified as Level 2, everyone, for this very moment, abandoned their unwritten rules and chose to fight side by side. Barriers between the teams vanished, several began chanting spells, and the Amazons and dwarves, wielding greatswords or axes, charged forward together.

"Little Riko, run!"

In the midst of this, Mr. Welf frantically shouted at one side.

I, who was initially terrified by the appearance of the dragon, also witnessed that sight.

In the far distance, the little dragon was rushing toward Lily, who had moved deep into the cave to retrieve the magic stone.

Seeing Lily standing there unable to move, and the monster approaching step by step, I was dumbfounded and my body started moving on its own.

I suddenly stretched out my constantly glowing right hand and shouted with all my might.

"【Flame and Lightning!】"

The next moment.

All sound disappeared.

“——”

A pure white flash.

A burst of white light that engulfed the entire field of vision exploded, accompanied by a deafening roar like that of a giant beast.

The white light bursting from the right hand emitted a fiery lightning strike, [Flame Lightning].

However, its scale was extraordinary. Crimson lightning, wreathed in white light particles, flew towards the young dragon with a thickness and size large enough to engulf a person.

In an instant, the fiery lightning pierced through the little dragon and then struck the underground city wall, which was quite a distance away.

big Bang.

"...Gah, ah..."

The amber-colored scales peeled off one by one and fell off.

The young dragon, now prey for the flames and lightning, let out a hoarse cry before collapsing to the ground. Its hide, which should have been resistant to fire, was burned to a crisp, black smoke billowed around its massive body, and sparks and debris flew everywhere in the air.

Deep within the cavern, cracks resembling the claw marks of a fierce dragon were left. The dungeon walls, having taken the brunt of this massive [Fire Lightning] attack, shattered as if struck by lightning.

After a while, a section of the wall seemed to suddenly remember something and began to collapse with a loud crash.

"..."

Silence reigned over the entire cave.

The adventurers, who had paused their actions, all focused their attention on me. Lily and Mr. Welf were among them.

Shock, trembling, and... hostility. A barrage of emotions assaulted me, but I couldn't react; I could only stiffly retract my outstretched right hand.

I stared blankly down at my palm, only to see that the white light particles had dissipated, remaining silent as if nothing had happened.

○

"……call."

I stuck my head out of my collar and exhaled as if to release all the fatigue in my body.

After changing into my pajamas, I clicked open the door and stepped out of the shower.

The deity, already dressed, was sitting on the purple sofa.

"Bell, it's okay to rest if you're tired. I'll make dinner."

"No, I'm fine, I'm here to help!"

"Hehe, really? Let's do it together then."

One reason was work, and the other was the extended dungeon exploration time. Returning to headquarters later than usual, I and the immortal began preparing dinner. It was already night.

At the goddess's request, all household chores at headquarters should be done by two people as much as possible. Logically, the goddess shouldn't be bothered, but she said, "Don't be so formal, Belle."

However, I still feel a little apprehensive...

"...Hey, Bell? Can I ask you something?"

"What's up?"

As I washed vegetables on the cramped countertop that barely qualify as a kitchen, the immortal chopping meat next to me asked this question with a somewhat hesitant tone.

I stopped what I was doing and looked at the deity who was standing on the footstool because of his small stature.

"Do you know Freya... ah—no, have you ever seen a silver-haired goddess?"

"A silver-haired goddess? No, I don't think I've ever seen one..."

I answered while recalling my memories.

Since arriving in this city, apart from the goddess Hestia, almost no other goddess has spoken to me. Besides, her silver hair is so eye-catching, I should remember her.

"Yeah, that's true..."

The deity raised her chin, muttering incantations as she gazed up at the ceiling. What was wrong with her?

Now that you mention it, I realize that ever since the Gathering of the Gods ended, I've often seen the goddess deep in thought. Even when I ask her if something's wrong, she just gives a wry smile, shakes her head, and says, "Nothing."

Although I was a little bothered, I focused on preparing dinner and soon found myself sitting around the table with the gods.

"Oh—so that blacksmith is a good boy."

"Yes. He's a very easygoing person and quite reliable. However, I don't really know whether his relationship with Lily is good or bad..."

"Hahaha."

I ate my dinner, which was practically a midnight snack, while chatting and laughing with the immortals.

Our meals have become more substantial lately. No, I should say we've been eating less simple food.

There was always a two-person bread set on the table, a salad with meat served on a plate, and a mountain of fried potato balls.

It feels like the journey to get to this point has been both very long and very short... I would say we've somewhat escaped poverty.

"Well, if he's such a nice guy and a boy, then there's no problem. I'd welcome him with open arms. Belle, you better not let that kid get away, okay?"

"Yes! After all, Mr. Welf is a blacksmith, and I've heard that the danger is reduced if the team operates in groups of three! If possible, I hope we can continue like this..."

"That's right, you have to do everything you can to catch him. It's too dangerous for just the two of you, Miss Supporter and me."

Seeing the radiant, goddess-like smile on the fairy's face, I nodded excitedly as well.

Even her twin ponytails swayed happily. It seems she was really worried about us before.

As is my usual practice, I will tell the gods what happened today.

First, there's Mr. Welf. I already told her yesterday that we signed a personal contract, and now I'm going to tell her my impressions of our time together today.

"Speaking of which, I didn't expect you to team up with Hephaestus's kids... Heh, perhaps this is some kind of destiny that led you to join my [Family]?"

The immortal chuckled softly.

It is said that the goddess Hestia and the goddess Hephaestus had a close friendship when they were in the heavens. However, many things happened after they came to Orario, and since they are both the chief goddesses of their respective [Familias], they can no longer interact as easily as before.

The immortal laughed so hard his shoulders swayed as he talked about the unbreakable bond between the two.

"...Um, a deity? Have you heard anything about Mr. Welf's surname, 'Krozo'?"

I seized a break in the conversation and mustered the courage to ask something that had always intrigued me.

The story Lily told about "Crozo" and the "Demon Sword".

Although doing this feels like invading someone's privacy, which bothers me a bit, I still can't suppress the feeling called curiosity.

"'Krozo's Demon Sword,' is that so...? I've heard of that legend too, but... I think it's probably similar to what Bell knows."

"Is that so..."

I heard that the immortals have only been descending to the mortal realm for a short time. Even if they don't know much about the mortal world... or even only have the same level of knowledge as me, there's nothing I can do about it.

In the end, I still couldn't find out about Mr. Welf's background.

"...Although I'm not familiar with the 'Krozo' family, I can tell you something about that blacksmith, Mr. Welf."

“Eh!”

"Hmph, Bell, have you forgotten where I work?"

Ah! After hearing what she said, I immediately understood.

The fairy works at the Hephaestus Familia, the shop where Mr. Welf belongs. Indeed, since she works there, she might have heard one or two comments about him from any of the members.

Seeing the goddess's excessively full breasts, as if she were saying, "How about it, Belle!", I let out a "woo" sound, blushing and speechless. I could only force a wry smile and reluctantly ask her to continue.

According to the fairy, she seemed to have gone off to gather information on her own after I mentioned Mr. Welf's name yesterday.

"I've heard he's quite skilled at blacksmithing. Although he hasn't made a name for himself yet, Hephaestus often mentions his name, so it's probably true."

"Her...the goddess Hephaestus, did she speak about Mr. Welf?"

"Yeah. It was something that came up casually after a few drinks when we went out for drinks. Like, 'So-and-so is really talented,' or 'What a pity about that kid—' or things like that."

The chief god who governs the world-renowned forging faction actually appreciates his talent... Could it be that Mr. Welf is actually a person with great potential for success among the [Family]?

"Hephaestus pays close attention to him and admires his abilities, saying he has talent. ... However, she also says that the boy is a real disappointment, mainly in terms of taste."

"..."

The name "Tuji" evoked a strong sense of déjà vu in my mind.

By the way, the light armor I'm using now also inherits the name of my ancestor. This set is Mk-III (third generation).