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

When Chloe and Lunova saw Anya, who had lost her former glory and whose eyes were empty, they both put on stern faces.

However, the two men still grabbed Anya's hand without any mercy or politeness and pulled her off the bed.

"Come on, let's go!"

"Look at you, smelling so bad. Go take a shower first, meow, you silly Anya."

Watching the two people pulling her forward, Anya was so moved she wanted to cry, yet she also loathed herself for this.

Anya was forced to change into a uniform and arrived at the tavern, where she found that "The Abundant Mistress" was preparing to open for business as usual.

The cat people, except for Anya and the others, were busy preparing for the opening of the store.

"We've been incredibly busy these past couple of days while you were gone, haven't we?"

"I wonder where Ryu has gone. She's been so lax ever since the Goddess Festival ended, meow!"

Runova and Chloe poured out their grievances in anger, and Anya's shoulders trembled upon hearing this.

Ryu's situation is indeed worrying, but right now her biggest concern is a certain girl.

"...Where's Seele?"

His voice was hoarse and gloomy, as if it weren't his own.

Unable to lift her head at all, she could only stare at the floor.

Lunova and the others, whose expressions were currently unknown, gave their response.

"What is Seele?"

He said this in a very clear tone.

"…………What?"

"Is it a person's name? Do we have any guests with that name?"

"Runova, you're so silly, meow~ This silly little cat accidentally called porridge 'Seele,' meaning she should get breakfast for her as soon as she gets up, meow...! Wait, did the cat misspoke, meow?"

Anya looked up and saw that Lunova and Chloe were both tilting their heads in confusion.

She wanted to refute what the two were saying, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.

They didn't seem to be joking or lying.

The two of them didn't even ask "who," but rather "what."

They expressed that they were genuinely confused, having never heard of the name Seele before.

Anya was so stunned that she forgot to breathe and just stood there in place.

"...What are you talking about, meow? Seele is Seele meow, of course!!"

"Meow~!? Wait, what are you doing, meow!?"

"It's Seele! Seele Frova, who works in this tavern with the cats!"

"What's wrong with you!? Anya!!"

"Although she's a bit mean and a terrible cook, she's incredibly kind! When the cat was abandoned and alone, she was the one who brought it to this tavern! She's a very important member of the cat's family, meow!!"

Anya, who was holding Chloe, slapped Lunova's hand away, but no matter how she explained, she couldn't get the message out and only deepened their confusion.

Their situation was no longer about whether they could regain their memories, but rather that they couldn't understand what Anya was saying.

"May! Beryl! Fei! Rosie! Don't you all remember Seele...!?"

Anya began asking the other shop assistants.

However, the shop assistants standing at a distance also wore the same expressions as Chloe and her companion. Each of their faces clearly showed that they had never heard of the name "Seele."

All those empty eyes were directed at Anya.

Anya felt a chill for no reason, and the hair all over her body stood on end.

"No way... this is all a lie, meow!?"

The current situation felt like a continuation of a "dream".

It's like being in a nightmare where you're the only one who's awake.

The place where a certain girl once existed is now a blank space.

"...Stop talking, Anya."

Mia came out of the store and spoke up to stop Anya, who was acting out of control.

Anya stepped forward and, as if seeking help, hugged the tavern owner, who was not as domineering as usual.

"Miya Mommy! Everyone else doesn't remember... doesn't remember Seele...! But... Miya Mommy is different, right!? Miya Mommy must still remember, right...!"

Mia looked down at Anya, who was cowering and trembling like an abandoned cat, her eyes brimming with tears, and said:

"...Of course I still remember that silly girl."

"!"

Upon hearing this murmur, Anya's wide eyes gradually filled with hope, but—

"The problem is that nobody remembers her except us... The goddess has completely erased the existence of the city girl (Seele)."

Hearing her next explanation, it was as if an electric current had surged through Anya's body.

"Except for that goddess's kin, everyone else has been corrupted."

The "absolute allure" powerful enough to change the world is the power of the "Goddess of Beauty." Although Anya, who had once been a member of the Freya Familia, had never seen anyone's memories altered like this, it was a piece of cake for that Goddess of Beauty.

For Anya, Freya was a terrifying being who made her so certain.

"Why...why would the goddess Freya treat Seele like this!?"

“…………”

"Miya's Mommy!?"

Even when they loudly questioned their relatives who shared the same "favor" and once belonged to the same clan, they ultimately received no answer.

With a trembling voice, Anya ignored Chloe and the others who couldn't understand the conversation and ran out of the tavern at top speed.

"Anya!"

Despite Mia calling from behind, Anya walked briskly across the main street on the west side without turning her head.

What benefit would a goddess gain from erasing the existence of a young girl? Anya, with her mind blank, racked her brains but couldn't come up with an answer.

However, doing this is really going too far.

Anya felt she had no right to grieve for Seele, no matter what happened to her. But being forgotten like this was worse than death. Once the girl's (Seele's) existence was completely erased, it was as if she had lost the meaning of her birth. Even if a tombstone was erected for her, what she received in return was not tears, but smiles from people who had completely forgotten her—that was truly tragic for someone.

Anya charged forward headlong toward the "Tower of Babel," where she might finally see the goddess.

Completely unaware that "destruction" awaited her.

"stop."

"!!"

A cat-person stood in the middle of the street, as if waiting there in advance.

This person's iris color is the same as Anya's, but their body hair is different from Anya's, appearing black.

Anya's only brother stood in front of her, holding a silver spear.

"Big brother...!?"

Allen said impatiently to Anya, who was trembling all over from his glare:

"You could have just stayed in your room and completely stayed out of it."

He ignored the strange looks from others in the distance and turned to walk in a certain direction.

"Come here, and I'll tell you everything."

Anya could only obediently follow her brother's receding figure.

*

"Although we successfully infiltrated Orario..."

Ryu couldn't help but chuckle at the word "infiltrate," which was anything but funny, while simultaneously observing his surroundings.

To ensure the plan went perfectly, the two gathered as much information as possible about Orario while out in the field. Under Asphie's guidance, they also investigated the port city (Mellen)—although they didn't explore it in depth, Asphie concluded that "the port city (Mellen) hasn't changed significantly, but something seems off"—the enemy is the largest faction in the city (Freya Familia) and the "Goddess of Beauty" who can control people's hearts, so no amount of time to prepare is ever enough. Ryu suppressed her anxiety and spent several days drafting a plan.

The only open gate in Orario is the south gate, and climbing over the city wall directly is not a good idea. Therefore, Ryu and her friends decided to use the "secret passage" built specifically for the creator god (Uranus).

Asphi knew of this underground passage used by the Hermes Familia during the "Dark Ages" when "evil" was rampant. Ryu entered the entrance located on the mountainside of the "Bioh Mountains," directly north of Orario, and headed to the city before the captive guards (Fels) discovered her. They then split up along the forks in the road. When she pushed open the secret door, she arrived in the northwest district of the city, at a dilapidated residential area marked "Fourth Street."

"Rion, let's split up and infiltrate the city. That way, we can reduce the risk of being wiped out by the enemy."

Ryu and Asifi, who had proposed this before invading the city, split into two groups.

She will likely use the Hades Helmet, a black helmet that allows her to become "invisible," to enter Orario alone from the air.

"After we have each gathered our intelligence, we will meet at the hideout I have marked at sunset... If you do not appear as scheduled, I will assume that you have fallen into the hands of the Freya Familia and take action accordingly. Conversely, if you do not see me, the same approach will be taken."

This was her last conversation with Asifi. After noting down the location of their hiding place, Ryu burned the paper and silently prayed for her friend's safety while beginning her operation.

(If you want to gather intelligence, it's best to avoid going to the main streets. Bars are also too risky. Focus on the alleys and alleys instead.)

Even in broad daylight, the desolate alleys far from the main roads are still quite dark. Along the way, you can see homeless people, down-on-their-luck adventurers, and suspicious vendors, most of whom are people with injuries such as missing legs.

Tense on guard against being targeted by the Freya Familia, Ryu wrapped herself in a tattered cloak, deliberately dirtied her face, and began to gather information from all directions.

"Treat all Orario residents except us as enemies."

Given this consideration, there's no harm in being as cautious as possible in your actions.

"This year's Goddess Festival was just as lively as ever. Strange place? I have absolutely no recollection of it."

"【Freya Familia】? Just like always? A bunch of people you shouldn't mess with."

"You look like a traveler, don't you? What you're asking about is rather strange."

Whether she asked the masked fortune teller or the homeless people who ate leftover food, they all gave the same answer: "Nothing is wrong," and they were completely unaware that they had been "bewitched." This even made Ryu wonder if Freya's "bewitching" was just a rumor.

However, after Ryu severely punished the down-on-his-luck adventurer who discovered she was a female elf—a thug who planned to ambush her from the shadows—

"Do you know where Bell Craney is right now? And what's happening to the faction the boy belongs to (the Hestia Familia)?"

"Bell Crane? And what does it mean that the boy belongs to the Hestia Familia? This promising newcomer should belong to the Freya Familia, right...!?"

The thug, who was being interrogated by Ryu holding a small katana to his neck, answered in this way with a look of fear on his face.

Faced with this testimony that could not be ignored, just as Ryu was preparing to question him in detail—

"...Are you trying to find out about Bell Craney?"

The thugs, who had been terrified and trembling, suddenly became expressionless, like puppets.

Startled, Liu immediately knocked unconscious the thug who was about to shout for help.

"They've become puppets in an instant...!? Could it be that if anyone violates the 'rules' set by the goddess, they'll immediately report it to others...!?"

However, this time it can be clearly determined.

As Asphie said, Freya intended to take Bell for herself.

And they intend to completely eliminate any variables that could threaten this "closed world".

While feeling a chill run down her spine at the power of "charm," a fire of anger also ignited within her. Filled with righteous indignation, she secretly vowed to take back the boy (Bell), restore the city (Orario) to its original state, and never tolerate such a desecration of human nature.

"And, Seele... I wonder if she's alright now...?"

During her ongoing investigation, Ryu was also deeply concerned about her close friend, whose whereabouts were currently unknown.

To be cautious, Ryu tied the unconscious man up tightly and hid him in an abandoned house, then expanded the scope of her inquiries.

(That's... the Freya Familia? Are they searching for us?)

Ryu, hiding in the shadows, peeked out from the alley leading to the main road and spotted a group of members dressed in Freya Familia uniforms. She instinctively guessed that they were chasing her and Asphie, who had escaped the "Charm."

At the same time, she was shocked to discover that some members of the group had disguised themselves as ordinary citizens and mingled in the crowd.

They deliberately had the members wear uniforms to attract attention, thereby identifying suspicious individuals. This was a common tactic used by the military police. Drawing on her experience within the Justice Faction (Asteria Familia), Ryu quickly moved away from the scene.

(As expected, we can't walk on the streets. "The Lady of Abundance" is bound to be under surveillance as well. Since the enemy is already on our guard, going to scout their headquarters would be tantamount to suicide. Should we wait until sunset to meet up with Andromeda...?)

As Liu walked along, he pondered a solution—when he suddenly noticed something "abnormal".