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

—Then give your older sister a smile!

When Osin saw Miss Seele's smile, he smiled too.

Everyone beamed with joy at the heartwarming scene, as comforting as the rising sun, and soon the music resumed so they could continue enjoying themselves. Lost in thought, I found myself unconsciously pursing my lips and walking with Ms. Maria to Miss Seele and the others.

Then they helped disinfect and bandage the wound.

"Thank you, Mom! Thank you, Big Brother Bell!" Osin said with a smile, having already cheered up.

They were full of energy, as if they had been enchanted by Miss Seele.

"Mr. Bell, would you like to come along too?"

"what?"

"Why don't you join us in dancing? We haven't danced enough yet!"

After standing up, Miss Seele looked around and made this suggestion.

Whether it was Lei, Fina, Xiaolu, or Osin, every child's face beamed with smiles and cheers.

Let's get the atmosphere going again!

I finally smiled and, on a whim, extended my hand to Miss Seele.

"Would you be so kind as to join me—and dance with us, miss?"

"I'd love to!"

We held each other's hands and started dancing.

Centered around Miss Seele and me, everyone spontaneously started dancing a waltz. There were no set steps, just fun. We also took hands with the children, including Osin and Ray, and danced in a circle together.

Then a group of children started playing lively melodies on ocarinas. Seeing this, the adults, not to be outdone, picked up buckets and other objects and began to improvise.

The people around also clapped or stomped their feet in rhythm.

An unnamed little band accompanied the dance moves, making the music resound throughout Daedalus Road.

People were drawn to the cheerful melody.

At Fina and Xiaolu's waving invitation, more and more people joined the dance.

The music was continuous, and the laughter was constant.

They even forgot that Daedalus Road was just a slum, and many people were immersed in the lively atmosphere.

"Whew...that was really fun jumping around."

Miss Seele sat down on a brick bench, panting contentedly.

Unlike us, who sat down to rest, the energetic Lai and the other children continued to dance happily with the other visitors. Rarely does the maze-like street become so lively. Many people flocked to see it, making Daedalus Road its most bustling moment. Although it was all by chance, this unprecedented spectacle was all thanks to Miss Seele's gentle care for the children.

"That song was really beautiful. Could you tell me what kind of 'spell' it was?"

I handed the juice to Miss Seele instead of Ms. Maria, who was already busy.

She thanked him and accepted the juice, then stuck out her tongue slightly.

"That was my impromptu creation; I don't know why I just wanted to sing it that way."

"Huh? Is this for real?"

"Yes, I hope Osin and everyone else can smile."

Sitting to the side, I was quite surprised and reflexively looked at Miss Seele's clothes.

In her efforts to soothe Oshin from crying, she stained all her beautiful clothes. It wouldn't have been so bad if it were just tears, but there was also dust, and even bloodstains on her short cardigan.

Miss Seele seemed to notice my gaze, and her eyes immediately narrowed into crescent shapes.

"Even though the clothes are a little dirty, don't you think they look beautiful? It's like a unique pattern!"

Even the most polite person wouldn't be able to describe her as beautiful if they saw her in this outfit.

But she was still laughing.

There was not a trace of disgust on his face, as if he didn't care about the matter at all, and instead appeared quite cheerful.

It warmed my heart for no apparent reason.

Although I could never do that, I longed to hold the girl in front of me tightly in my arms right now.

And I hope to see this smiling face forever.

"Mr. Bell, did you already know that Rye and his team would be opening a shop here?"

"Yes, Ms. Maria told me. I'm sure Miss Seele would like to come and see for herself too?"

"That's right... I originally planned to visit here alone another day."

Sitting on the bench, we curiously observed the pedestrians on Daedalus Road. Miss Seele suddenly murmured to herself, "So you saw right through me."

"Although a lot has happened so far... I hope to play with Ray and the others again with Miss Seele."

Daedalus Road is almost completely restored.

Lei and his family, who are still living in temporary accommodations, are finally able to return to their original lives.

So I explained that I wanted to come here today to celebrate something.

Only in this way can we rediscover the memories that belong exclusively to us.

Miss Seele narrowed her eyes.

"I'm so happy."

She continued, as if wanting to savor the moment:

"I had a great time...it was a wonderful date."

Miss Seele gave me a radiant smile, as beautiful as a hundred flowers in bloom.

To say I wasn't completely captivated would be a lie.

However, another feeling welled up from the bottom of my heart, which made me smile naturally.

"Hmm...? What's wrong, Mr. Bell?"

"It's nothing... I just feel very happy."

I imagine my expression right now is just like Lei's—a naive smile.

Even though I feel that I am being a bit naive, I still frankly speak my mind.

"I'm so happy to see that the date I planned made people so satisfied."

I gave in to the emotion that was welling up inside me, and a cheerful smile appeared on my face.

Miss Seele froze completely.

Her cheeks seemed slightly flushed.

Although I found it unbelievable, I immediately rallied and stood up.

"Miss Seele, let's go shopping for clothes!"

"Mr. Bell?"

"Actually, there are many more places I'd like to take you to visit!"

Ignoring Miss Seele's surprised expression, I took her hand and helped her up.

I loudly said goodbye to Ray and the other children, as well as Ms. Maria, waving in response to their farewells, and led the bewildered Miss Seele away.

I felt happy myself.

I hope to continue to repay Miss Seele so that she can have even more fun!

"That's right. When facing that person, a conservative approach is the worst possible strategy."

The white-haired boy held the hand of the light gray-haired girl and walked forward.

Hedin looked down at the scene and murmured to himself.

This is the rooftop of a temple located in a corner of the city, towering a head above the surrounding buildings.

From afar came the cheers of people enjoying the "Goddess Festival".

"If we fall behind, we'll have no chance to attack. So we have no choice but to take the initiative. We need to surprise Lady Seele with all sorts of unexpected events. If you want today to be a special day, you have to keep striking first—of course, if you lose your mind and do anything out of line, you're dead."

The Freya Familia is being deployed extensively in various locations, with Seele and her companions at its center.

Following a battle plan called "Girl Guardians" (named by the Dark Elf), the members, like Hedin, hid on rooftops and in blind spots, or blended into crowds like plainclothes military police, posing as guards to secretly monitor the situation. No, calling it an "encirclement" would be more accurate.

If the girl is in danger, they will immediately transform into a strong shield and a sharp sword to eliminate the intruder.

If Bell dared to take Seele to an indecent place, it's not hard to imagine that this group would immediately punish her. The poor White Rabbit—seemingly sensing several gazes directed at him, breaking out in a cold sweat—didn't realize that he was actually walking on thin ice on a life-or-death date.

"However, those concerns are just unfounded worries. After all, someone as immature as you when it comes to love is unlikely to do anything foolish on a whim."

In fact, the "Girl's Guard" should not have deployed such a large number of troops.

At worst, one or two first-level adventurers will secretly act as guards.

The reason why a large number of second-level adventurers were mobilized this time is that today is the "Goddess Festival", and the girl was taken out by Bell, whom she clearly has feelings for.

Simply put, the group members were extremely jealous of the boy.

The girl named "Hiel Frova" is such a captivating presence to the Freya Familia.

"So far, the performance has been passable, but..."

On the other hand, Hedin, who was sent to be on guard duty, actually had other purposes.

Officially, he was to act as the girl's bodyguard.

It was essentially "supervising" the date, not monitoring it.

After Hedin completely "reformed" Bell's consciousness, he kept an eye on how Bell played the role of a protector.

Furthermore, it was also to fulfill the girl's wish.

Hedin had already made up his mind that if Bell messed up, he would mercilessly unleash one or two spells on him. True to his title, the "White Elf Wand," Hedin's exquisite control of magic and his mastery of spells were unparalleled in the city; his lightning bolts could strike their targets with pinpoint accuracy, making Bell vanish from Seele's sight instantly. Afterward, he would inflict a "punishment" on Bell called "discipline."

(Although this kid is naturally slow-witted and utterly inefficient... he always manages to live up to expectations and never disappoints others.)

Hedin, reflecting on the past five days of special training, couldn't help but develop a different understanding of the unfinished boy.

Hedin's beloved goddess dotes on Bell, and his strength has improved so rapidly that it makes people grit their teeth in hatred. However, he has also demonstrated his value in this special training.

Hedin despised "incompetence" from the bottom of his heart.

Those who drift aimlessly through life are not even worthy of being pitiful slaves to glory and dignity. Because elves possess long lifespans, Hedin couldn't bear to see those short-lived races living so listlessly. His arrogant and conceited kin were even less worthy of consideration. He constantly believed that it was precisely because of their incompetence that they should strive to burn their lives and forge ahead.

At the same time, he would affirm the value of "talent".

They will also give a certain degree of recognition to those who work hard and want to become talented.

From this perspective, Bell Craney is qualified.

As the name suggests, he truly burned his life force as he climbed upwards. He defeated the Fierce Bull at Lv.1, clashed head-on with absolute powerhouses, dealt with the Heretic incident, and recently heard about the "deep" death battle. He successively overcame "adventures" that ordinary people could not easily imitate, rapidly catching up with the first-level adventurers.

If he were to collapse and vanish from everyone's memory along the way, only Hedin would remember him and affirm his life story—but conversely, only those who do not perish halfway through can become what people call "first-class adventurers"—

The boy had already won Hedin's favor.

Just like this time when he was forced to accept all sorts of unreasonable demands, he still did not turn around and run away.

Regardless of his motives, he is willing to try to get rid of the word "incompetent".

Faced with this fact, Hedin, who was called Master, had no choice but to acknowledge it.

Although Hedin had absolutely no chance of developing feelings for the boy, he still held "expectations" for him.

"...Do you have a way of sensing her 'desire'?"

Hedin's whispers went unheard and vanished into the wind.

Although no one heard him, someone approached him from behind.

"What are you muttering about? It's disgusting."

"...Even I sometimes get lost in thought. Stop doing such clumsy things as eavesdropping, you silly cat."

"It's your own fault for being so talkative; stop blaming your stupidity on me."

The visitor was Alan the cat-man.