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

The words that struck my back vanished in an instant.

These words, spoken in a voice so gentle they sounded like a lullaby, seemed not to be addressed to me, but rather to Miss Seele herself—

Ah, that’s it.

That's why I treated you—

The whispers abruptly stopped there.

The breath of Miss Seele, who had closed her eyes and fallen asleep, could be heard.

Although she did not make any sleeping sounds.

But at least we can be sure she won't be sober tonight.

I looked down at the little hands that were holding me, feeling the warmth coming from behind, and slowly closed my eyes.

I'm absolutely exhausted. In some ways, it's far more tiring than adventuring in dungeons.

I drifted off to sleep in her embrace.

I could hear the sound of someone breathing soundly as they slept.

After the clock's long hand had completed about two full rotations, Seele slowly opened her eyes.

To avoid waking the boy, she withdrew her hand and sat up on the bed.

Perhaps due to exhaustion, the boy didn't even notice that Seele had gotten up. No, it's possible that the boy subconsciously trusted the girl deeply, firmly believing that she wouldn't secretly do anything reckless since she had made a promise.

Looking at that innocent sleeping face, Seele felt both love and hate, but she couldn't reach out to stroke the other person's hair or cheek.

"..."

Soft moonlight streamed into the room through the window.

This dreamlike light seemed to be announcing that it was past midnight, yet no carriage came to greet the girl.

Seele looked down at the boy's sleeping face again and whispered quietly:

"If we can meet again tomorrow...then..."

Only the moonlight heard the second half of that sentence.

Seele quietly climbed out of bed, put on her still-dry dress, and left the room after getting ready.

She never looked back.

Volume XVI Monologue V

Human longing is incredibly cruel.

People consider devotion a virtue. But now I've personally experienced that this kind of unwavering loyalty is far more ruthless than anything else in the world.

Because this kind of emotion makes it impossible to consider the feelings of others, it leads to others' efforts not being reciprocated.

The only ways to keep someone are through pity and lust.

But what if the person you love understands that doing this will hurt both of you in the future, and is too gentle to easily accept your sacrifice?

If the other person is a man who will not forget his pure spirit, will not easily fall into desire, and has a pure heart, what should I do?

It's easy to make fun of someone for being childish.

But as you get older, you realize how precious this is.

Compassion is a poison, and so is pleasure. If both parties resonate with each other, they must bear this cross until they have suffered enough.

His aspirations would never waver. If he were to fall from grace, succumbing to power, his naive yet sublime way of being would never be destroyed. If he were truly defiled, he would not abandon his will, and would likely carry the darkness with him as he pursued his beliefs.

So how can I win his heart?

To be honest, I don't have any answers.

Human longing is cruel; it is cruel.

That's why I'm grateful to him—but at the same time, I hate him to the core.

Because, thanks to your way of existing, even "a goddess" has been driven mad.

Volume Sixteen, Fragment: The Beginning of Syr

Snowflakes are falling.

These beautiful yet cruel white fragments fell from the sky, gradually accumulating on the frozen bodies.

I have tasted the bitterness of loneliness.

This body has endured countless hardships.

No one will embrace this body or relieve its hunger.

Frozen limbs are an undeniable reality.

A dirty body is an unchangeable reality.

Why am I so dirty, poor, empty, and cold? Even after asking myself this question a thousand times, I only drift and sink in the dusty sea of ​​my heart, disappearing without a trace.

In a corner of my mind, endlessly worn down, I pondered how to transcend this body. In the end, I even considered giving up on life.

at this time.

"Are you alright?"

Suddenly, a beautiful voice, seemingly capable of healing the ears, rang out.

As she pried open her nearly closed eyes and saw the other person clearly, she couldn't help but widen her eyes.

Something incredibly beautiful, magnificent, and comforting is right before my eyes.

Only then did I learn that such things truly exist in the world.

"I'm going to save you now... What do you want?"

It was as if they wanted to change her long-held beliefs.

It's as if you can see through the brilliance of the soul within.

The existence before us raises such a question.

I do have something I want.

Of course there are things I want.

After encountering incredibly beautiful, magnificent, and heartwarming things that bring a sense of satisfaction, only one thought remains in my mind.

It wasn't envy, longing, or jealousy—it was "desire."

I want to be you.

I don't want to be myself anymore; I want to be beautiful and warm like you.

The other party probably didn't expect that someone would actually say such a thing.

The woman was first speechless with astonishment, then couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"You want to be a god? What an insatiable child! I've never seen anyone make such a request before!"

Some were saved by her love. Some swore allegiance to her.

But no one wants to be her.

Then she smiled.

The silver-haired goddess kept smiling.

It was as if she had heard something that she found very interesting.

It's also like having a heart full of curiosity.

"Well, I'll give you—in exchange for you giving me—okay?"

The goddess slightly lowered her chin and looked down.

Then, the goddess reached out her hand in the unredeemed slums and asked:

"What is your name...?"

The girl opened her trembling lips.

"—Seele."

That was the moment when "fate" was exchanged.

From that moment on, my future was decided.

Even so, it doesn't matter.

As long as we can get rid of that frozen soil.

As long as we can be freed from loneliness and darkness.

As long as I can become that being who is more beautiful, more abundant, more perfect, and warmer than anything else in the world.

So I changed.

That's right—I've become a "goddess".

Volume Sixteen, Chapter Six: The Price of a Wish

I can feel myself waking up from a deep sleep.

I opened my eyes and saw unfamiliar wooden walls and windows with cheap curtains drawn.

Smelling the unfamiliar indoor odors, I gradually regained my memory of where I had spent the night.

"Is it dawn...?"

And then she remembered who she had spent the night with.

"Miss Seele?"

That's when I finally realized I was lying in bed alone.

Miss Seele, who should have been sleeping nearby, was nowhere to be seen. I got up and looked around, and found that her dress, which had been hanging on the chair, was also gone. The shower room next to her was also empty. Had she left alone? As a high-level adventurer, to be completely unaware of this, even if I was exhausted, was far too inattentive.

But why did she leave silently?

Has she become utterly disappointed in me?

Or is it because the date has already ended?

Or... were they taken away by the Freya Familia?

My final thought left me deeply shaken. But since I'm safe and sound, that possibility should be very low. However, what if Miss Seele was trying to protect me...?

I know I'm overthinking, but the thought makes me restless.

So I suppressed my feelings of rejection and quickly changed into half-dry clothes.

"...!"

Just as I was about to leave the room, I quickly stopped.

On the table sat an ornament. It was the other half of the pendant, covered in pale blue decorations.

I stared at the silver jewelry for a while, then stuffed it into my pocket and rushed out of the room.

"Miss Seele, where did you go...!"

Upon arriving on the first floor, I inquired about the whereabouts of Miss Seele from the dwarf shopkeeper, but he said he did not know her location.

Moreover, Miss Seele didn't ask the dwarf innkeeper to pass on a message, so I ran straight out of the commercial inn.

The sky was overcast and gray.

The weather on the second day of the Goddess Festival was the complete opposite of the previous day; it was a depressing overcast day.

The clouds are thick, the sky is dark, and it might start raining later.

I ran as fast as I could, my heart filled with anxiety.

He kept looking around as he ran back along the route he had taken yesterday.

I walked along the Hero's Bridge, the shore I reached after jumping into the water, and the waterway I used to access the floating restaurant. Then I discovered that the "Water Boat Key," where the battle had previously taken place, had safely returned and was anchored in its original spot. It seems that after we left, the reason for the conflict between Ais and the others and the Freya Familia disappeared, and the battle ended there. I found the waiter I had seen last night there, so I went up to ask him for information. Although I didn't get any clues about Miss Seele, I successfully retrieved my suitcase that I had left there, and the magical items inside were intact. After thanking him, I continued my search.

However, searching aimlessly like this is really not a good method.

"Perhaps Miss Seele has already returned to the 'Abundant Mistress'..."