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

Although it's an odd pairing, they are, after all, the renowned [Sword Maiden] and [Hestia Familia], the main deities, so how could they not attract attention? Whether their relationship is good or bad is unknown, but their stunning beauty completely captivated the surrounding guests, though the two involved seemed completely oblivious.

The only people the two cared about were Bell and his friends.

"Speaking of which, I always seem to have trouble getting a good look at the other person's face..."

There were many guests between the two sides of the seating area, as well as glass walls used to separate the interior of the ship.

Due to the rather subtle angle, Hestia was unable to clearly see Bell's female companion.

To be honest, Hestia really wanted to rush straight to Bell and the others, but the food here was just too delicious.

Because of her greedy nature, the goddess decided to wait until she finished eating all the food before rushing forward.

"..."

Unlike Hestia, who was enjoying her meal, Ais gazed forlornly at Bell and the others with feelings she herself didn't understand.

"Meow~ It looks so delicious~ Cats can't eat these things, meow?"

"How could the waiter steal food meant for the guests? Get the food out of there right now!"

Anya and the others are greeting the guests.

The location was inside the "Water Boat Key" where Bell, Hestia, and the others were.

"Why did we have to become waiters after escaping the bar?"

"There's no other way, meow. This is the only way to sneak into Seele and the others' dinner spot, meow! They all agreed so readily to let the cats fill in, how can we let their manliness go to waste, meow!"

"That's because you threatened them with a knife."

Runova, who came out of the kitchen, rolled her eyes at Chloe, who was pretending to cry.

The three women skillfully served the wine and food to the table, but a closer look revealed that they were all wearing male waiter uniforms with shirts and trousers.

Their infiltration methods, as Lunova described, will not be detailed here.

"If you want to complain, go find that young cat! If it weren't for him arranging this floating restaurant, the cats wouldn't have had to resort to such a difficult infiltration method, meow!"

Kroy cried out in a voice that only Lunova and the others could hear.

The reason why Chloe and the others were able to sneak into the "Key to the Water Boat" first is actually very simple: they discovered Hestia, who was dragging Ais and running around the city while shouting, so they followed her.

Hestia, who should have been used as a living sacrifice by Chloe and the others and trapped in the "Abundant Mistress," actually headed to a certain place with a clear goal, which is not hard to imagine as being for her most precious familiar.

"Furthermore, under Mia's tutelage, every single one of us is an excellent waitress, no less than a top-tier one! I'm sure the restaurant owner will be overjoyed!"

"What kind of twisted logic is that...?"

Seeing Koro's smug expression, Ryu, fed up with this nonsense, let out a sigh.

Ryu knew that they had committed illegal acts for their own selfish reasons, but it was also true that if she hadn't been there, Roy and the others would have definitely lost control.

Ryu sighed again, then looked at Bell and the others who were having a meal on the deck, separated by a pane of glass.

Because the deck area is handled by other staff, Ryu and the others, who were assigned to the interior area, were unable to go there.

"Seele... Bell..."

As Ryu gazed at the two of them, her heart was filled with emotions that she found hard to let go of.

As always, the various dishes served at "Water Boat Spoon" are incredibly delicious.

The ingredients are likely sourced from an "exchange" encompassing goods from all over the world. The cuisine primarily features fish and shellfish, and the seasonings are mostly quite novel. They use blue cooking oil that they've never seen before, moldy cheese with a unique flavor and red stripes, and sansho peppers from the Far East. Some dishes are very sour, some are very salty, and some even numb the mouth, bringing a unique feast to the taste buds.

It could be said that the characteristics of a maze city are used to interpret delicacies from all over the world.

Miss Seele also frequently expressed her admiration and happily enjoyed the various delicacies.

Perhaps she will report her dining experience to Aunt Mia later.

The voyage featured in this meal was even more spectacular than I had imagined.

The night view of Orario seen from the waterway is completely different from the streetscape seen from the main avenue, giving one a strange feeling of being in a foreign land. Of course, part of the reason is the celebration of the Goddess Festival, and the city's atmosphere is indeed different from usual, but putting that aside, the dazzling city on the shore is truly breathtaking.

The shimmering water surface rose and fell.

A faint sound of waves reached my ears.

Miss Seele squinted her eyes, also enjoying the beautiful scenery before her.

"You seem to have something you want to ask me?"

She used a knife and fork to enjoy the pear cake that the waiter brought to her.

The mannerisms were clearly different from the dining etiquette I had been honed by Mr. Hedin at the last minute.

Her elegant demeanor was enough to draw the attention of others.

She doesn't look like a city girl at all.

"...Miss Seele, um...who exactly are you?"

Even asking questions couldn't erase the strange feeling in my heart, but I still couldn't help asking.

During the date, one thing kept running through my mind.

Who exactly is this girl who is being monitored and protected by the city's largest faction?

Mr. Hedin once warned me not to delve too deeply, but the contradiction between not facing the person in front of me and not being able to confront it will eventually reach its limit.

"Well," Miss Seele put down her knife and fork and looked me straight in the eye.

"Can you guarantee that you won't change at all after hearing my secret?"

"It should be possible..."

"Don't give such ambiguous answers!"

Miss Seele squinted her eyes like a kitten and gave me a mischievous smile.

Miss Seele is now completely in charge of this date.

The control I initially held has long since vanished.

After forcing myself to finish the dessert I didn't particularly like, I gave Miss Seele a wry smile and replied:

"No matter what secrets Miss Seele is hiding... I promise I will never forget the memories we shared... and I believe our relationship will not change in the future."

I'm not sure if this is a perfect answer.

However, when Miss Seele looked at me, her expression immediately relaxed.

Just as she was about to open her mouth to speak—bang!

“Eh!?”

The ship began to rock due to the impact.

The impact was not very violent.

It seems like at worst, a small boat collided with the ship from the side.

As the waiters and other guests panicked, I quickly looked toward the source of the disturbance.

Directly opposite our deck, on the side of the ship—

"—Ice, ice bridge!?"

In some sections of the river, a thin, long ice bridge has formed, connecting the boats to the ice.

Just as I was wondering what had happened, the answer came rushing over from "over there".

"Suppress this ship immediately!"

A group of people—no, a group of adventurers—suddenly jumped onto the ship with a roar!

"Could it be... the Freya Familia!?"

I was so shocked I almost fainted.

After discovering we were on the ship, this group actually had their mages use ice magic to freeze the water... and forcibly build a "bridge" so they could get onto the ship!?

"Wow, they actually went to this extent!?"

"Aa ...

The "Key to the Water Boat" instantly descended into chaos.

Black-clad attackers, wearing black helmets and armor and wielding weapons of the same color, surged toward the ship.

The adventurers, who overturned tables and chairs as they charged forward, were no different from thugs in their brutal manner. Enraged at witnessing their captive being abducted, the adventurers pressed on, confirming the guest's identity.

"W-What's going on here!? Those kids' outfits...they look a lot like the adventurers who attacked us and the Sword Maiden before!?"

"【Freya Familia】...?"

Amidst the chaos at the scene, Hestia and Ais looked completely bewildered.

"What happened, meow~!?"

"Oh dear! If you want to do that kind of thing, please do it at Mia's mom's bar!"

Anya and Lunova were also panicked.

This ship, which should have been enjoying delicious food and beautiful scenery, was instantly transformed into a "water battlefield".

"Tch, still didn't make it."

Hedin, who witnessed this scene alone on the shore, narrowed his eyes and spat in anger.

As the commander, Hedin, just as his unworthy apprentice had wished, secretly manipulated the members of his faction. He pretended to command effectively, precisely directing the search to avoid the location where Bell and his men were.

In fact, Hedin had already done his best.

Even though he couldn't stop his crew from attacking the ships, his exceptional skills are still commendable.

The reason was that he had sent Allen, Hegni, and the four Jariba brothers away—these tyrannical and unruly first-class adventurers—as far away from the southwest district of the city as possible.

"You dare expect me to listen to you?" "Don't joke around." "Are you hiding something?" Faced with such extreme murderous intent, insults, and accusations that would have knocked an ordinary person unconscious, Hedin remained calm and managed to prevent the boy from being instantly killed. If it weren't for Hedin's strategic planning, Seele and the others would have been caught long ago.

The price of dealing with this group of cadres was that he failed to control a small portion of the frontline troops.

Ultimately, they were unable to stop the team members who witnessed Bell and the others acting on their own.

"That's Pan's army... Is that brainless bastard trying to embarrass the goddess Freya?"

People on shore gradually noticed something unusual about the ship.

If people were to learn that this commotion was caused by the Freya Familia, regardless of the actual circumstances, it would inevitably lead to questions about the "character" of the Goddess of Beauty faction.

The white elf, who was solely responsible for rational judgment within the [Family], couldn't help but distort her intellectual appearance.

"Find that person immediately! We must snatch him back from those horny brats as soon as possible!"

The out-of-control, berserk half-human, Pan, was completely oblivious to the grievances of the faction's leaders.

Pan completely lost his mind.

The reason was that Bell Craney hindered the escort mission and even caused him to suffer a loss in silence.

Having sworn allegiance to his faction, he would never let this go unpunished.

Almost blinded by rage, he decided that even if his methods were a bit harsh, he would still win the girl back.

"No matter what means you use, you must get rid of 'White Rabbit's Feet'! As long as he's around, he'll continue to cause us trouble! We have to eliminate him no matter what!"

After Paine gave the order, one person responded.

It was Ais.

Whether she put on a stern face or not, without saying a word, she took out her beloved sword, which she had hidden under the dining table for self-defense, and slashed at Pan En.

"Huh!? You, you're the [Sword Princess]!?"

"What do you mean by saying you want to deal with Bell?"

Pan barely managed to block the attack with his twin swords, and when he saw the female swordsman blocking his way, he was horrified.

"This...this has nothing to do with you! The important thing is to stay out of our way! Do you want to oppose our faction!?"

Faced with this almost threatening remark, Ais responded very briefly.

"So what?"

She brandished her silver sword, revealing the only emotion she was certain of.

"If you try to bully that child, I will stop you."