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

"I can understand that only those of us responsible for the 'outside the city' won't be discovered to belong to the Hermes Familia and become wary, but... ugh!"

In any case, it was for this reason that Loriel came into contact with the forces of other factions.

She pinned her last hope on being suspected by the other party, which caused the entire plan to collapse. However, things developed just as the great god had predicted. The adventurers, all of whom were male, looked lecherous and welcomed Loriel to join them.

Loriel hid her immense headache beneath a smile, exploring the maze while extracting information from them. She was already mentally prepared to use the opportunity to go drinking (and work overtime) that evening.

And that's why he suffered retribution.

"Goo ...

An unbelievable army of monsters suddenly attacked, and the men used him as bait, leaving him there.

Alone and helpless, Loriel had explored the dungeon far less often than the leader Asfi and the others, and was unable to escape this predicament.

(This hypocritical act is completely unlike the behavior of elves, and the Great Tree we serve will certainly not forgive me... I truly hate you, Lord Hermes.)

He knelt on the ground, covered in wounds, with the fangs of the "hellhound" closing in on him.

Loriel gave up resisting and was about to accept her fate when, at that moment...

"--call!!"

A swift white shadow saved Loriel, allowing her to escape her fate of death.

“…Huh?”

The hellhound let out a horrible, dying scream as its body was cleaved in two.

Immediately afterwards, the white figure began its 'annihilation' at a speed that Loriel couldn't even perceive.

Wielding only a single weapon, she dismembered the 'Unicorn Rabbits' with a jet-black dagger, and the large monster 'Fanged Lion Tiger,' which pounced from behind, was also killed by a flash of light like a black meteor. In this overly rapid dance of combat, a deep red gaze emitting a vivid glow was etched firmly into Lorie's pupils.

In the end, facing the 'Hellhound' group that was about to breathe fire, this person unleashed a groundbreaking magic that required no incantation, burning them to ashes instead. Despite the sheer number of monsters, he easily wiped them all out.

Against a backdrop of countless swirling sparks, a white figure—a boy younger than himself—turned his head.

The moment Loriel was stared at by those deep red eyes, her heart began to pound more violently than ever before.

—Just as a level one adventurer fairy who casually adjusted his glasses had predicted.

◇

I prioritized the safety of my companions, even using my precious magical Flame Volt, which allowed me to successfully defeat the monster army.

After carefully confirming that all the monsters had been eliminated, I turned around and saw the fairy adventurer lying on the ground staring blankly up at me.

A touch of rosy blush graced her fair skin.

...The guilt is so strong.

The feeling of guilt was unusually strong.

If my current self, the one who just arrived in Orario six months ago, could see me now, I wonder how disappointed I would be...

"Uh... how are you? Can you stand up?"

"...! Ah, ah, it's alright!... You, who are you?"

...My master gestured to me, telling me to quickly give him my name.

"My name is Bell Craney..."

"White, [White Rabbit Swift Foot]! Reaching Lv. 4 in one go, the world's fastest rabbit! ...Lord Hermes has mentioned it countless times, that..."

The other person stood up and was startled when they heard my name.

I think I heard her mention Lord Hermes... I noticed her gaze wandering for a while, then she would occasionally steal glances at my face.

This is the suspension bridge effect...

It's amazing, but the guilt is still really strong...

"I... my name is Loriel. Thanks to you for saving me when I was in danger, I was able to escape with my life... I'm very grateful."

"No, it's alright, please don't worry about it. Yeah, really, you don't need to worry about it..."

The other person was very nervous, while I felt extremely guilty.

Therefore, neither of them could speak, and the conversation could not continue. Just then...

"[Eternal Conflict, Undying Thunder Soldiers]"

"Hehe!?"

「!?」

My master performed a very short chant, and the lightning bolts he released struck my back.

The whole process was too fast for Miss Loriel to notice. She was surprised to see me making strange noises as the electric current spread throughout my body.

—Guide her the way I taught you, you idiot. Want me to roast you?

I turned around and felt an extremely cold gaze piercing me, carrying an unspoken message. I was practically roasted alive!

My face turned pale, and I hurriedly struck up a conversation with Miss Loriel.

"Miss Loriel! Your clothes and equipment are all worn out, so please wear my coat!!"

Before going to the dungeon, my master gave me a coat for some reason. I was careful not to startle the other person, so I quickly draped the coat over the injured fairy's shoulder.

(So ​​gentle!!)

thump!

Loriel's heart resonated with such a sound.

Loriel's face flushed even more as she felt the coat draped over her shoulders.

"Miss Lorie! Although I don't know you at all, it's too dangerous for you to move around alone in the 'Middle Level'! If possible, would you like me to take you to the 'Upper Level'?"

"Eh? No, no need. How could I let a complete second-level adventurer like you go to such lengths...!"

"Please don't make me do this! I really can't bear to leave Miss Loriel alone, both in her current situation and in danger of death!!"

"I...I can't bear to leave it alone!? Me...me?"

Feeling Bell's sincere gaze—the helplessness and desperation of someone now targeted by magic from behind—Lorie panicked. She touched her burning cheek, her gaze darting back and forth.

Loriel has never experienced love.

To be precise, she didn't understand the pure, uncomplicated relationship between men and women.

As a member of the Hermes Familia, she naturally made men aware of her 'feminine' side. However, in her heart, Lorie always looked at these men with unusually cold eyes. Other races praised her beauty, and lowly creatures constantly fawned over her; she, too, harbored the prejudice and contempt unique to fairies. She perfectly embodied the image of a fairy with a strong sense of chastity.

She met him while she was still a pure young girl who had never even experienced first love.

He swiftly rescued her from danger, offering immediate care and a passionate (desperate) gaze.

The boy's desire to protect me, Loriel (and his own life) was clearly conveyed.

Loriel was in a state of confusion.

She couldn't understand why her body temperature kept rising.

And to put it bluntly, although she herself didn't realize it, her "hobby" for the opposite sex was younger men with white hair and red eyes, and he was right on target.

"...Well, then...I'll leave it to you..."

Loriel's face was still flushed. She rubbed her hands together shyly and expressed her agreement in a weak voice.

She didn't notice that Bell, under Hedin's watchful eye, was sweating profusely with relief, and thus formed a temporary team with him.

◇

We walked along the road, talking, while keeping our guard up against the monster.

Relying on a common topic that my master had taught me—he said that if we were in the same profession, we could easily keep the conversation going by relying on information from the dungeon and our own experiences—we warmed up the atmosphere, and both of our tension eased.

"Honestly, that group was full of cowards! They stared me in the eye without a second thought, eager to become my girlfriend, but when it came down to it, they abandoned me and ran away!"

"Haha... Miss Loriel is very popular."

"Popular!? Stop flattering me! I'm only praised because I'm a fairy, I have no charm at all...!"

"Um...but after talking with Miss Lorie, I can tell you're a really nice person."

"!"

"It's actually quite awkward for people from different factions to join your party, right? That's why you took the lead in defeating many monsters, giving them all the magic stones and monster loot... and then they mistakenly thought you were a very skilled adventurer, so they abandoned you, right?"

"No, no, I approached them with an ulterior motive! So all that was just self-gratification to alleviate my guilt, what an outrageous way to treat people... It's because I always do things like this that I'm being punished by the heavens today. I'm truly an ugly fairy..."

"...Among my acquaintances, there is also a fairy like Miss Lorie...but I think that someone who would want to hate themselves because of someone else is unlikely to be ugly."

"You're very pretty," I said sincerely with a smile, and then...

"Eek!?...Ah, ouch...!"

Miss Lori covered her face with her hands, her cheeks turning bright red.

Is this really okay...?

Just say whatever comes to mind. If you discover something positive about her, simply praise her. That's enough. If you two get along well, this will stimulate her protective instincts, etc.

I strictly followed my master's instructions, and I saw that Miss Lorie's ears had turned bright red, and her behavior was quite suspicious. I feel like I've seen this scene before recently... Oh right, it was Miss Ryu.

Like this, I protected the injured Miss Lorie while fighting off the monsters, and after a while...

As we continued to follow the proper path, a passage leading to the "upper level" appeared in our field of vision.

In this way, the escort mission is considered complete.

Although my battle must continue, I breathed a sigh of relief after finishing the guidance of the first target. Just then, Miss Lorie, who had been keeping her eyes down, seemed to have made up her mind and raised her head.

"White, [White Rabbit Swift Foot]! No, Bell-kun! Thank you so much for saving me! I can't be a fairy if I don't repay this kindness!"

"No, no, please don't worry about it."

It's probably because we're about to part ways.

Miss Loriel, still standing there with her face flushed, said earnestly.

But honestly, as the person who faked an accident to save her, I really hope she doesn't feel guilty, or rather, I'm the one who's about to be overwhelmed by guilt...

"No, I must repay you! So, um, if you're okay... can we meet again?"

"Meet?"

"Next time is fine too! I'm available anytime, and I don't mind waiting as long as it takes! Actually, it would be even better if it were sooner... Anyway! I want to see you again and repay you in some way! Um... right, a sword or something, or armor! We can pick one out while we go shopping!"

Ah, so you mean like Miss Eina did that time?

After all, equipment is a necessity for adventurers... Perhaps there's a cultural custom in this line of work where you have to repay favors with equipment, I just don't know it. Things like how loot is distributed during exploration are determined by unspoken rules.

"So... what do you think?"

Miss Loriel glanced down at the ground several times, then looked up at my face. Her eagerness made me smile. I thought to myself, she really is like a fairy who observes all the proper etiquette.

"Hmm, no problem!"

As I answered, a beautiful smile bloomed on Miss Loriel's face in that instant.

"[Eternal Conflict, Undying Thunder Soldiers]"

"Hoo-hoo!?"

Zero seconds after I opened my mouth, lightning struck me.

Why—!?

Miss Loriel was startled by the sight of me being electrocuted and falling to the ground right before her eyes. At that moment, my master picked me up so quickly that she didn't even see me clearly.

My body was burning and smoking, so I was carried on my right shoulder and forcibly removed from Miss Loriel's side.

"Why...why!?"

"You've already made plans to meet someone else before even going on a date with Lord Hill? Are you underestimating me, you stupid rabbit?"

"I'm so sorry...!!"

"...And I have a feeling that if you get involved with that fairy again, you'll definitely get into big trouble later."

Big, big trouble...?

My tongue and body were paralyzed and unable to move freely, so I tilted my head in my mind, and then...

"What I mean is, the most troublesome are the pure and innocent fairy girls who know about 'encounters'."