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

"Who was that busty little god and dwarf demon I usually accompanied..."

"Aren't you a lolicon...?"

"I heard he's dating Eina-chan from the guild, that bastard..."

"Dorm and Ruvis have really come up with nothing..."

"I saw him flirting with Hill from the tavern first thing this morning..."

"I've also heard the rumors that Fiora is actually just chasing after rabbits..."

"Besides that, there's also the [Great Severance]..."

"And there's [Lijie] too..."

Afterwards, the "Thousand Fairy" repeatedly pressured him, with tears in her eyes, to take responsibility...

"Isn't this just a lewd beast..."

"And then it seems he's also getting really close to that guy, Morde."

"It doesn't matter..."

Bearing the stares of his fellow professionals directed at him, Bell's face turned pale instantly.

A rain of gazes, condensed with resentment and lamentation that had transcended jealousy, pierced the boy's body.

Haruhime, who was unaware of the situation, looked around and realized that the atmosphere was extraordinary.

Bell Craney attracts attention wherever he goes.

Thanks to the great victory in the war game, and then to his own amazing "growth," it's no exaggeration to say that he is now one of Orario's most prominent adventurers. His fame has skyrocketed as he reached Lv.3, becoming the world's fastest rabbit, "Little Rookie."

If these adventurous individuals, who are considered promising prospects, were to stroll down the street exuding a sweet, affectionate aura, they would naturally attract attention. It would reach the point where passersby would immediately notice them.

Bell was sweating profusely.

His expression was as if he wanted to shout, "It's all a misunderstanding!" but the atmosphere emanating from the adventurers, whose faces seemed to be haunted by the dead, wouldn't allow him to say so. Their eyes, a mixture of jealousy, envy, and murderous intent, left no room for such a clumsy explanation. Haruhime couldn't help but let out a small, mournful "Ah!"

what can we do about it.

What should we do?

Help, Goddess (Hestia)!

Farewell, for I have a feeling this will bring unnecessary chaos, so let's replace them with the God of Healing (Mih) and the God of War (Takemikazuchi).

While escaping reality, Bell and Haruhime were both at a loss.

"What are you doing?"

From the commotion emerged a fierce Amazonian woman.

"Ah... Miss Aisha!"

Chunji gasped in surprise as Aisha, her black hair swaying, stopped in front of her.

She was taller than Bel, and looked back and forth in this direction before Haruhime explained the situation.

"...Hey, hey hey hey~"

She squinted her eyes like a cat.

While glancing at Haruhime out of the corner of his eye, he conveyed the meaning with his gaze, "Pretty capable, huh?"

Aisha is praising Haruhime for successfully 'seducing'—no, pleasing'—Bell, resulting in what appears to be a 'date'.

Knowing what Aisha wanted to say, Haruhime couldn't help but shrink back. Although Haruhime had no reason to be shy, she did it unconsciously.

"And then, why do you look so pale, Bell Craney?"

"Actually...!"

Facing Aisha, who had turned her gaze away from Haruhime, Belle began to explain with exaggerated gestures.

He said he didn't know why he got into this situation.

Haruhime herself wanted to help add some explanations, but she ended up saying things like, "It's like being surrounded by monsters in a dungeon and not being able to move an inch...!" "It's just like when Master witnessed the God of War (Takemikazuchi) stroking the heads of women without any hesitation...!" Like Bell, Yunyun's words were fragmented.

However, Aisha seemed to understand what was going on, saying, "Ah—ah—, I understand," and waving her hand with a look of annoyance.

"Simply put, it's because you feel awkward staying here and want to find a secluded place, right? A place where you won't have to worry about being attacked."

"Yes, that's exactly it!"

Aisha looked smug upon hearing Bell's immediate affirmation.

It's really easy to coax someone, as they said with that expression.

"I have a good idea. Wait a moment."

With that, Aisha temporarily moved away from Bell and the others.

Judging from her direction, she was heading towards a strangely dressed rabbit-like girl. Her white clothing with blue stripes scattered throughout made her look like a boatman, and long ears peeked out from her hat. She was calling out to passersby as if she were selling something.

Aisha started negotiating as soon as she spoke, flicking two Valis gold coins at him with her finger and buying what looked like a ticket from the grinning man.

"Hey, let's do that."

"Miss Aisha... what is this?"

Aisha returned and handed over two bills, which puzzled Haruhime greatly.

It looks like it was hand-drawn; the ticket has a pattern of boats and oars.

"This is a rare sightseeing tour in Orario!"

"To tour, to visit?"

Aisha curled the corners of her mouth.

"It's what they call a sightseeing cruise."

It flows around the western part of Oralley.

Like a vast, intricate net surrounding the Southwest Exchange, it sleeps, its surface shimmering in the sunlight.

This is a magnificent waterway.

"This is the first time I've used a donkey-shaped sightseeing boat. Lord Bell, have you ever tried it?"

"No, this is my first time too... I've seen ships traveling along waterways many times, though..."

Having been directed to the location, Haruhime and her companions arrived at the waterway in the western district.

Although Orario is surrounded by massive walls, its waterways, centered around an underground water system, are quite flexible. Rivers flowing down from the towering Beor Mountains behind the city brush past it, connecting it to the harbor town of Melen—Soda Lake—located to the southwest. To utilize this river for water supply, Orario even discharges wastewater into it.

Consequently, numerous waterways have been integrated into the urban landscape. Small lakes also exist near the former stronghold of the Apollo Familia, which is also the residence of the newly formed Hestia Familia.

With the development of waterways, passenger ship sightseeing has become a popular activity.

"There's a dock like this under the bridge..."

"It looks like an escape route in the city... a secret underground waterway."

After descending the steps as if passing through the interior of a stone bridge, the waterway extends along an underground tunnel. Just as Haruhime had said, a wooden dock was set up here. And there was even a long queue winding all the way to the steps where Bell and the others were.

Feeling the atmosphere, which was somewhat like a secret base, Haruhime's eyes inadvertently lit up. However, Bell remembered that before the War Game, during the struggle against the Apollo Familia, he and Hestia had desperately fled everywhere, and the place they eventually arrived at was by water. He gave a wry smile.

The queue moved forward unexpectedly quickly. The tanuki girl, dressed as a boatman like the rabbit-woman ticket seller, showed her her ticket and let people through. Just then, a sightseeing boat finishing its journey was moored there, and passengers were being transferred to board.

"Miss Haruhime, give me your hand. Be careful."

"Thank you, thank you so much."

Bell reached out his hand to Haruhime, who was swaying in the ship as she nearly used her skill.

She didn't know how many times this had happened, but as she felt the blush creeping up her face, Chunji boarded the ship with the boy's help.

Haruhime decided that she would definitely thank Aisha afterwards, as she had also paid for the boat ticket in advance.

"Hey everyone! Are you all seated? Well then, even though it's a short trip, our Orario sightseeing cruise is about to begin!"

Accompanied by the leisurely sounds from the bow, the passenger ship sightseeing tour began.

The boat that Haruhime and the others were in was a small boat. It was about the width of two gondolas side by side, and it was decorated with crocodile-themed items. There were two seats at each end of the boat. In this space where sitting next to each other would mean brushing against Bell's shoulder several times, Haruhime could feel her heart pounding.

"I'm Aina, the [Sobek Familia] at the bow of this ship—. Um, I don't know that faction? Well, that's how it is. Several hundred years ago in Orario, we got too cocky and fought against the monster group (Zeus and Hera) with Lord Set and Lord Osiris, and lost in the faction war—. Let's just say we're a weak, fallen faction, okay—"

The girl at the bow of the ship, who calls herself Aina, is a human with healthy, wheat-colored skin.

Slightly unconventional, unlike the orc girls, she wasn't dressed as a boatman, but rather in light clothing resembling a desert circle.

"I'm just a low-level adventurer, and I'm more concerned with safe daily explorations than venturing deep into labyrinths and getting into danger. Even though this angers the main god (Sobek). Anyway, to supplement my meager income, I hire girls I'm close to to earn a little extra money."

In other words, this is a "side hustle".

"Is this how people from the Exploration-type Familia work?" the naive Haruhime wondered, filled with mixed emotions. It seemed the girls dressed as boatmen were from a merchant guild operating tourist cruises, and Aina, who was on good terms with them, had gotten the job without going through an adventurer's request.

It is a well-known fact that guilds take a cut of the rewards from adventurers' commissions.

"If anything happens, adventurers like me will protect everyone—this is Orario! That's all—anything can happen. Yes, so without further ado, let's get to work—oh."

Including Aina, there were two people on board. The Sobek Familia, positioned one at the front and one at the back, rowed the massive wooden oars, propelling the tour boat forward slowly. Seemingly accustomed to steering, the boat remained completely still, making for a very comfortable experience.

The waterway was long, winding at times, and wide enough for five of these boats to pass each other side-by-side leisurely. Bathed in sunlight pouring down from the blue sky, the water shimmered. The sound of the wooden oars splashing in the water was subtly soothing. Even though they were just traveling on the water, the familiar Orario felt as if they were in a foreign land.

"This waterway seems to have been built a thousand years before the gods descended—meaning everyone can tour Orario from the same perspective as people from long ago—oh, by the way, the damage to this bridge, according to the chief god (Sobek), was caused during a struggle with the [Zeus's Familia] many hundred years ago—how terrible—it's terrifying—though I don't know if it's true or not—"

Behind her drawn-out tone, however, lay a sharp and concise explanation, as the bow-of-the-ship (Aina) diligently fulfilled her role as tour guide, keeping the passengers entertained.

Haruhime and Bell were sometimes surprised, and sometimes marveled at the Orario history they didn't know.

"Everyone, have you been to Heroes' Bridge yet? Unfortunately, this route doesn't go there, but I personally highly recommend it! The statues of real heroes are displayed there, and they're really cool!"

Most of the other passengers seemed to be travelers passing through the city, finding the cheap cruise sightseeing a good deal and offering the thrill of poetry comparable to that of bards. This could also be called intellectual curiosity. People were particularly interested in the labyrinthine city, even hailed as the 'center of the world'.

I want to learn about Orario.

Although only the dungeon became particularly famous, the fact that there was such a method filled Chunji and the others with mixed feelings.

"Someone who once only dreamed of Orario as a girl can now experience the history of the city firsthand... This is truly a wonderful experience. And Haruhime is very happy."

"Yes, that's what I think too."

The scent of water brushed against their noses, and they heard the voice of Aina from the bow of the ship. Haruhime and Bell looked at each other and smiled.

The girls who started this passenger ship tourism business must also love Orario, which is quite telling.

Chunji narrowed her eyes and gracefully dipped her hand into the beautiful blue water.

"Ah, you fox-woman over there. Don't stick your body out too much, okay? Orario is quite dangerous too; monsters roam the sewers—even in these peaceful waterways, they sometimes peek out—"

at this time.

As if to prove Aina's advice, a "dark shadow" rose to the surface from the depths of the water in one breath.

"Oh no, this is terrible!"

Ignoring the whispers of the crew at the bows of the ship, the "Radar Fish" suddenly broke through the water.

"Ohh ...

"this!?"

Faced with the fish-shaped monster that appeared before her, Haruhime let out a mournful cry that went off-key.

Faced with the sharp teeth that were closing in imminently, he couldn't help but close his eyelids tightly—just before that crucial moment.

Faster than the monster, Haruhime, and even everyone on the ship, the "adventurer" unleashed a flash attack with his black dagger.

"call!!"

“Guh!?”

Drawing his defensive blade, the Hestia Dagger, Bell cleaved the giant fish in two.

Before Chun-hee's wide-eyed eyes lay the back of a boy standing by the ship, protecting her.

They didn't even let the flowing blood stain the waterways.

It beautifully shattered the 'magic stone', which was much smaller than a fingernail, and the monster turned into a gray mass, slowly sinking to the bottom of the water.

"—Alright—, applause—!! As expected of Orario, as expected of an adventurer, as expected of a [rising star]! In the dangerous Orario, as long as there are such powerful adventurers, we can at least feel at ease—!"

Once Bell's true identity was revealed, the bowman (Aina) acted as if the monster attack was part of a tourist cruise—to cover up her own failure.

The other passengers, who had been momentarily stunned by this unexpected event, cheered and clapped, exclaiming "Oh, oh oh oh!"