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

Next standing before us was Lily, with a smile on her face.

"Little Riko! Oh, it was you all along..."

"Hehe, this is called transformation magic. Don't tell anyone, okay?"

This is called "Cooking Ash Woman," which is Lily's rare magic, allowing her to transform into other people's appearances.

Welf and I were both amazed by this incredible transformation that even adventurers couldn't detect.

"Lily, Lily. Do you know Finn...Mr. Dimna?"

"How could that be? He's a national hero who carries the hopes of all the little people in the world. Someone as insignificant as Lily has no chance of getting close to him."

You can't fool people with just looks; their demeanor and way of speaking should also be similar. That's why I asked her if she had ever had the opportunity to meet such a famous person, and Lily laughed and said, "I just admired Lord Bell's heroic figure with him."

"Let's not talk about that now, Lord Bell. You'd better be careful. People who resent you like they did just now will definitely appear again in the future. You need to be even more resolute."

"We were just lucky this time, we just happened to find out about it, but Xiaoli and I might not be able to help you next time."

“S-Sorry…”

After being given a few words of advice by the two of them, it was truly time to say goodbye. I remained standing there for quite some time after Lily and Welf's figures disappeared from sight before finally taking a step.

I followed the road I remembered and entered a lonely old shop located in an alley.

"Welcome... Oh, little Bell. Long time no see."

"I'm so sorry, it's been a while since I've been here. Is now a convenient time?"

Mr. Daldo, the dwarf owner of "Young Bird Anvil," located in a side street beside the main road, greeted me. Wearing an apron over his work clothes, he placed the book he was reading halfway through on the counter and readily invited me into the shop.

"Young Bird Anvil" is a shop that repairs worn-out weapons used in dungeons. When I first became an adventurer, Miss Eina said that this repair shop was very friendly to newcomers in all aspects and recommended it to me.

"Could you please repair this short knife?"

"No problem. ...Wow, you're using such high-end weapons now, you've really made something of yourself."

"Hahaha……"

Looking back, I didn't earn much money when I first started adventuring. I often couldn't even pay for repairs and had to ask people to let me buy on credit. Mr. Dardo knew about my predicament at the time, and when he saw the "Ushiwakamaru" that Welf had made for me, a mischievous smile appeared on his face.

While I was feeling embarrassed, he had already gone to the workshop inside the shop and was repairing short knives with a whetstone and other tools.

"You haven't been here lately. Have you found a trustworthy blacksmith?"

"No, I'm sorry... Well, yes, I have a personal contract with a blacksmith..."

"Hehe, don't worry about it. This is a place for newbies. Once you've made it big, you can find a better one... And you've finally graduated from here."

Welf, who has a personal contract with me, also repairs my weapons. As a result, I naturally come to this shop less often, which makes me feel a little guilty, but Mr. Dardo just smiled contentedly.

"Hey, little Bell, would you be willing to sell me your old, unused weapons?"

"what?"

After some explanation, I learned that Mr. Dardo often bought weapons from adventurers who no longer had the opportunity to visit but had promising futures.

He said that simply displaying this weapon in the shop would "tell everyone that this is a shop frequented by high-level adventurers, and attract a few customers." I thought of Miss Nazha and realized that every shop does the same thing. With a wry smile, I gave Mr. Dardo the short sword that I no longer needed for free.

Mr. Dardo, having finished the repairs, happily accepted the dagger and led me to a room deep inside the shop.

"Wow……!"

In the stone-built room, a large number of weapons were hung on the west wall.

Daggers, one-handed swords, short guns, and even hand axes. A dazzling array of weapons, displayed like a painting in red frames, filled the entire wall. Just as I was becoming overwhelmed by the sight, Mr. Dardo brought over a frame, placed the "short sword" inside, and hung it in a corner of the wall.

Seeing the signature of "Bell Crane" engraved on it, among the many weapons displayed here, filled me with a sense of pride.

"So many high-level adventurers have patronized Mr. Dardo's shop..."

I was deeply moved and said this excitedly—but Mr. Dardo said softly:

"They are all no longer alive."

“—Huh?”

"Adventurers die easily. The original owners of almost all the weapons adorning this place are gone; there should be about ten left..."

I was speechless. I saw Mr. Dardo squinting as if looking into the distance, gazing up at the weapons.

"...Little Bell, don't you dare die. Yes, you can't kick the bucket. When you're even more famous than you are now, you still have to let me keep bragging...about that adventurer who was once taken care of by me."

Mr. Dardo looked up at my face, swayed his beard, and laughed, revealing a bunch of wrinkles on his face.

In the room bathed in the glow of the setting sun, I answered him softly: I will.

◆

The sun had long since sunk behind the city walls, leaving only its afterglow painting part of the sky red.

As night was about to fall, I walked alone on the street leading to headquarters. The azure twilight began to envelop me, and the magic stone streetlights along the road emitted a faint glow.

I walked quietly, without saying a word, the last rays of the setting sun in the depths of my vision making me squint.

"Hey—, Bell—!"

"……immortal?"

A voice came from behind me. I turned around and saw a fairy trying to catch up with me. She swayed her jet-black hair, which was tied into pigtails, and ran towards me with a smile on her face.

"Ugh—, today's work was so tiring, but I'm so glad I got to go home with Belle..."

The deity, who was originally in a cheerful mood, seemed to notice something at this point in the story and started staring at my face.

"What happened?"

“Eh…”

You look so listless. You look a bit like a lost little kid.

I thought I wasn't showing my true feelings on my face, but I never expected that a deity could see right through me.

I wanted to say that I was fine, but I closed my lips again just as I was about to open them.

Looking into the azure eyes of the immortal gazing up at me, I began to speak as if confessing my love:

"I don't know how to put it, but... many things around me have started to change... and it seems to be making me a little scared."

I feel like the world has changed ever since I gained a little fame that allowed me to get a bit closer to my idol (that lady). At least, my environment has definitely changed. This confuses me quite a bit.

Sometimes it's objects, sometimes it's money, and sometimes it's other people's reactions.

I myself haven't changed at all, I shouldn't have, but the scenery around me has started to change color, as if the world has changed.

"I think I've run all the way to this point... Even though I'm only realizing this now, I'm starting to feel a little uneasy."

I gathered up the jumbled fragments of my emotions and stammered out this.

It's like someone who's been running so hard that they never stopped to look at their trail and found a long trail behind them, leaving them speechless.

I feel like I've arrived in a faraway place, and I can no longer see where I started.

I've only been in the city for two months. A year has passed since I lost my grandfather.

Hearing about the adventurers' doom in Mr. Dardo's shop, the harsh reality stirred up my unease about the future and evoked a feeling akin to nostalgia.

The changing environment, a slight fear of tomorrow, and a loneliness similar to homesickness.

All of these factors combined made my emotions somewhat unstable.

"...I'm sorry, it's so lame of me to worry about something like this."

I poured out my troubles and apologized to the deity before me.

I am her only family member, how can I look so downcast? In order to be her support, I cannot show weakness, I must be strong.

I forced a smile to cover up my earlier embarrassment and tried to change the subject.

However, the deity interrupted me and slowly said:

"What are you talking about, Bell? You're just as bad as me."

"what?"

I opened my eyes wide, and the fairy continued cheerfully:

"When I descended to this lower realm, I was filled with both anticipation and unease. I was so afraid back then, just like you are now."

"..."

"Even your revered god is like this, so what's there to be ashamed of?"

The words of gods are like magic.

Every word she said to me resonated deeply, melting away something that had become stagnant deep within me.

Feeling lost and ashamed of my inferiority, she forgave me.

"Besides, no matter what changes occur in your environment, I will never change."

After saying this, the immortal beamed with joy.

"No matter how heartbreaking things you encounter, I will always be waiting for you to come back to our home."

Her words were as warm as a slowly burning stove.

She always gives me a place to belong, and that makes me—really happy.

"...Are you crying, Bell?"

"Ah, no..."

I quickly reached out and wiped away the tears from the corners of my eyes.

The reason for these tears must be clear to the gods. She didn't ask any more questions, she just smiled at me.

"Honestly, even though he's gotten a little stronger, Bell is still a crybaby—"

"No, no, I didn't!"

Finally, the deity, with malicious intent, began to mock me, and I, blushing, retorted.

As we talked, the same smiles appeared on our faces, and we naturally headed towards their home.

The two walked home. Dusk left a faint blue glow in the western sky.

We walked side by side, and our hands, as if drawn together, naturally clasped together.

Volume 4 Bonus Interlude: Mich

The online translation is from Baidu Tieba

Translation: Miaopasi

"This is also a kind of fate, please accept it."

Mih gently softened his very dignified expression and smiled slightly.

The human girl in front of him immediately blushed.

"Um, but, but..."

"Don't mind it. This is a free gift with the purchase of my [family's] items. It's just a kind gesture from me. — And if you can, please come and visit my shop again. I would be very happy if you could come."

Faced with Mih, who had a blue flower tucked into his hair and a broad smile on his face, the girl's skin turned bright red, and her pupils became deeply moist.

"Ah, yes, I will definitely go! Absolutely, I'll go see my idol!"

"Well, please."

Under the blue sky, as he watched the girl disappear into the depths of the avenue, a voice came from behind Mihe.

"Lord Mich's heresy..." P: Here it refers to evil spirits or heretics, metaphorically meaning demons, monsters, or people of questionable character.

"Ah, Nazha. What's with accusing the main god of heresy?"

The street vendors of the Mich Familia. As Mich emerges from the shop to sell potions to adventurers, the dog-girl of the Familia's gaze begins to grow cold.

"That girl has completely misunderstood... Lord Mich proposes to women regardless of who they are..."

"What are you talking about? These goodwill gestures are important for future transactions. Not just transactions, there is nothing more precious than the bonds between people."

"...Moreover, despite being a god, he is very slow-witted."

Facing his teammate's puffed-up cheeks, Mihaly could only sigh and offer a wry smile.

Naza was angry at the god who knew nothing, but was unexpectedly gently stroked on the head.