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

"Bell actually wrote me a love letter...! We were originally at odds, with an atmosphere like we'd already signed a truce, but now he's chosen to go to war head-on! Even as enemies, he deserves praise! He's incredibly courageous!"

"Immortal, what exactly is this ceasefire treaty you're talking about...?"

"By the way, the dagger I gave Bell was originally intended as a 'love token'!"

“Eh!?”

"Now is not the time to bring up such obscure facts!"

I reflexively glanced at the smug expression on the immortal's face, when Lily, who was next to me, suddenly slammed her hand on the table.

The fairy cleared her throat, seemingly having calmed down, and looked sharply at the advisor, Lily, who had reported the events of that morning.

"Hey, Miss Supporter! You were right there beside her, how could you let such an absurd thing happen?! What kind of supervisor are you, Bell?!"

"I'm so sorry, Goddess Hestia...! Lily never expected a visitor to so brazenly hand over a love letter...! It seems high-level adventurers are monsters whose abilities cannot be judged by common sense!"

Lily felt as if she had made the biggest mistake of her life and was filled with remorse.

Speaking of my monitors... I've had this feeling for a long time: aren't the gods being a little too protective of me?

Could it be because I once said something like "a harem is a man's romance," which severely damaged my credibility? Now that they see I'm the leader, they want me to cheer up, right?

Even so—I thought there was no need to make a fuss about it—I looked to Miss Haruhime and the others for support, but they all looked away.

Why is that?

"But, more importantly, why is it someone from the Freya Familia who delivered the message for Seele? That's something I'm quite curious about..."

While I was somewhat discouraged, I voiced the questions that had been bothering me.

While dating is certainly something that can't be ignored, to be honest, that part is what intrigues me more.

"I'm not very close to Lady Seele, but could she have been a member of the goddess of beauty's harem...?"

"I don't think that's true. Judging from her demeanor and behavior, she doesn't seem to have received 'God's grace'; she's clearly just an ordinary person who has never joined any faction."

"Could she be a non-combatant? She doesn't look like the prostitute from the red-light district where Lady Haruhime used to live. Perhaps she's one of those people who are also known as 'believers'."

"Hmm... Based on my impression of Miss Seele, I really can't associate her with believers..."

Welf rejected Miss Haruhime's hypothesis, while I shook my head in denial of Miss Fate's argument.

Even if what Miss Ming said is true, how could a high-ranking figure who is the chief attendant of the main god run errands for a mere non-combatant?

"To be honest, once Lady Seele is involved in anything, all the speculation is useless. That's what happens when she's Lady Seele."

"Lily, Lily... your conclusion is too hasty..."

"Because she's Lady Seele, who can see through anything at a glance and always has a sweet smile on her face, right? Honestly, it's not hard to imagine her getting along so well with all the gods and adventurers who frequent the bar, is it?"

Sadly enough, I was completely unable to refute the fallacies that Lily presented with an inexplicable, self-destructive attitude.

It is said that... Miss Herren rarely appears in public; but whenever Miss Seele stands next to her, it always seems like a scene of Miss Herren and Miss Seele chatting happily at a bar is likely to unfold...

Everyone stopped eating and fell into deep thought.

(...Oh right, I remember...)

At that moment, a memory from two months ago flashed through my mind.

At that time, I followed Miss Seele to the orphanage located on Daedalus Road.

At the request of the children in the orphanage, I fought against the "Brutal Warrior" in the underground passage.

The one who intervened in that battle was... [Goddess Chariot].

First-class adventurer of the Freya Familia.

Looking back now, I always felt that this cat-man had been acting as Miss Seele's "guardian"—

"By the way, I've never seen this girl named Seele before!"

A voice pulled my consciousness back to reality from the vast ocean of memories.

I turned my head and saw the fairy with her hands crossed over her full breasts, pouting with displeasure.

"Huh, is that so?"

"Yeah! I couldn't attend the party because of my part-time job! I don't know why, I just don't seem to have a connection with that bar!"

Lily tilted her head in confusion, while the fairy, for some reason, confidently shared her thoughts.

This conversation does sound familiar; we may have talked about this before.

I remember that I was hated by the people because of the "heretic" incident. When I and the deity went to the "Mistress of Abundance", the deity said that it was his first time entering the place.

"Isn't that the girl who always cooks for you for lunch, Belle? I was thinking of seeing what she looks like, so I hid in the shadows and spies on the bar before I started working!"

"When did you do this...?"

"But I couldn't find her at all! I've never seen anyone like her before! I think this girl named Seele or something must be terrified of me, so she's deliberately hiding!"

"Lady Seele has no reason to be afraid of you, Goddess. Also, please don't force the word 'what' to add to other people's names."

Faced with the deity who seemed either angry or showing off, Lily looked utterly dumbfounded.

Like Welf and the others, I wore a wry smile, when suddenly I remembered something.

Speaking of the bar staff, the only one the deity hadn't actually met was Miss Seele. Miss Ryu had met her when she came to help on the 18th floor, and Miss Anya and the others had only met when the deity commissioned them to rescue us on our "expedition." Could it just be that the timing was incredibly unfortunate?

As I was thinking about things related to Miss Seele, a question suddenly popped into my head.

"Excuse me... what is the 'Goddess Festival'?"

Although it was a bit late in terms of timing, I still cautiously asked about this unfamiliar word that appeared in the letter.

"That's right. It's normal that you don't know about 'Elegy Festival' since you've never heard of it." Welf understood my lack of knowledge in this area, so he explained it to me in detail.

"The 'Goddess Festival' is one of the 'two major festivals' held in pairs with the 'Elegy Festival'."

"The two major festivals?"

"Well, to put it simply, the 'Elegy Festival' makes the city feel lifeless; in order to dispel this heavy atmosphere, the two festivals are held in pairs."

After I asked her the question, Lily answered it for me.

"The 'Goddess Festival' that follows is, in principle, equivalent to the Harvest Festival, which is a festival to celebrate the harvest."

"So, the reason it's called 'Goddess Festival' is because..."

"That's right, the goddesses here refer to the gods who govern abundance. And the festival itself is held around these goddesses."

Orario is currently in autumn.

I have been in this city for six months now. The tender buds that sprouted in spring have grown strong and healthy during this time, and the sweltering summer has also disappeared. It is time to prepare for the harvest. The "Goddess Festival" is an opening ceremony led by the goddesses who are in charge of abundance, allowing all citizens to share all the newly harvested crops, including grains.

In my birthplace, people always eagerly anticipate these harvest celebrations.

"I haven't seen it with my own eyes either... but according to my former sisters and guests, it seemed really lively. I heard that you could also taste all kinds of sweet fruits."

"As Lady Haruhime said, this festival is truly worth seeing. Although I have only been in Orario for two short years with Lord Takemikazuchi and the others, the venue is so dazzling that it certainly deserves to be called a festival of the continent."

Miss Haruhime smiled shyly, while Miss Mikoto, who was also in charge of preparing dinner with me today, sipped her miso soup and reminisced about various scenes related to the festival.

After commemorating heroes and adventurers and remembering the past, the harvest is celebrated to assure the world that a bright future is on the horizon.

This is the "two major festivals" consisting of the Elegy Festival and the Goddess Festival.

I see, that sounds quite convincing.

"Including the 'two major festivals,' Orario's famous festivals include the Holy Night Festival, the Monster Festival, the Day of Great Achievement, the Divine Moon Festival... Of course, there are other celebrations as well, but that's about it."

Lily used her tiny fingers to list the major festivals, summarizing the topic.

After learning what the Goddess Festival was, I began to feel a sense of anticipation. I heard that the Goddess Festival, which follows the Elegy Festival, would be held six days later, and I couldn't help but excitedly imagine what it would be like to see.

But in order to prepare for this festival, I have no choice but to confront this letter...

"...Ah~ Bell? How do you plan to respond to this invitation...?"

When the deity asked me a question, he looked inexplicably uneasy.

I knew it was somewhat impolite, but I couldn't answer immediately. I picked up the letter and read it again.

The letter was extremely short, a straightforward invitation that made one wonder why be nervous.

Furthermore, since I've never seen Miss Seele's handwriting, it even feels like this is all a dream.

Although the letter said it was a date, I suspect it was just accompanying her to buy ingredients for the bar, or to put it bluntly, inviting me to help carry things.

Miss Seele, who is usually very gentle and has a bit of a mischievous streak, may have sent me this letter just to play a trick on me...

(...No, that doesn't feel right.)

If Miss Seele wants to play a trick on someone, she only needs to wait for me to go to the bar to find her. That's what I call being as usual.

I always feel that compared to flowery words, these unadorned words convey Miss Seele's feelings more effectively.

Although I was still puzzled as to why it was a member of the Freya Familia who helped deliver the letter... I felt that this letter should not be taken as a joke.

"Mmm, uh..."

I could feel my cheeks starting to burn.

I groaned, my face flushed red.

(—Wa ...

Hestia, who was staring at the boy, screamed inwardly.

Hestia, who had heard that too many things had happened during the Elegy Festival and felt that it would be more appropriate to invite Bell on a date later, decided to work overtime during the festival. However, she couldn't help but curse herself for being too lax and making a big mistake.

(Lord Bell seems quite troubled!? If it weren't for Goddess Hestia getting in the way, Lily would have already gone to invite Lord Bell to the Goddess Festival! Aa ...

Lily, who was stealing a glance at the boy, couldn't help but hold her head in her hands and look up at the sky in frustration.

The strategist, who had already planned to take the opportunity to invite the boy on a date, hated himself for not acting decisively and for being in the way of the chief god.

(They had a secret rendezvous at the festival, spending all day together whispering sweet nothings, and finally spending the night together—Wa ...

Chunji, who repeatedly peeked at the boy out of the corner of her eye, blushed deeply.

Because the leader of the fox spirits had instilled unnecessary knowledge in the girl, the former prostitute trapped the girl in her own adult fantasies, causing her to squirm with embarrassment.

(I should learn from Lady Seele and take the initiative to invite Lady Takemikazuchi...!)

(I should also invite Lady Hephaestus... No, I haven't reached the highest level yet, I don't have time for romance right now...)

Both Ming and Welf crossed their arms and closed their eyes in deep thought.

Taking Seele's actions as an opportunity, the two considered taking the initiative to invite their favorite god on a date, completely ignoring the young goddess and the two girls who were making painful cries such as "Uwaa ...

Bell, who was focused on the letter in his hand, also failed to notice the situation around him.

A letter from the bar's signboard girl plunged the Hestia Familia into a chaotic vortex.

"...I've decided to see Miss Seele tomorrow and explain things to her in person."

With his face still flushed, Bell ultimately came to the above conclusion.

"Huh!? Seele, you invited your adventurer brother to the Goddess Festival!?"

It is now late at night, with darkness falling.

A gasp suddenly came from the empty room of "The Abundant Mistress," located on the main avenue on the west side.

"Shh~ Lunova, you're too loud. You'll wake May and the others up."

Faced with the astonished human waiter, Seele, who was halfway through taking off her clothes, put her index finger to her lips.

The bar had already closed, and the girls were changing clothes.

Not only Seele and Lunova, but also the cat-people Anya and Chloe, as well as the elf Ryuu, all took off their light green uniforms. As for the other staff members, they had already returned to their dormitories in another building, and were fast asleep in bed as if they had lost their souls due to their exhaustion from work.

"Meow!? What does that mean, meow!? What does it mean, meow!?"

"Seele's going on a date with her adventurer brother, you silly cat!"

"Whoa whoa whoa~!! Seele has finally decided to pursue the boy~! And she's so enthusiastic that she wants to go on a date with him during the Goddess Festival! Ah~ that boy's coveted little butt is about to be stolen away~!!"

Anya, Lunova, and Chloe, who had been exhausted, were now running around like fish in water. Chloe was especially excited. She was completely naked and was swaying her shapely body and long tail as if she were performing a erotic dance, her breathing becoming very rapid.

Seele used her discarded apron to cover her chest, first rolling her eyes at Chloe, then slapping her tail.

“…………”

Kroi let out a cry of "Ouch!!" and, clutching her aching tail, hopped and skipped away to a corner of the room. Meanwhile, Ryu, who was halfway through unbuttoning her shirt, just stood there, frozen in place, completely unresponsive.