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

"........."

"Um...uh...──..."

Compared to the silent Seele, Bell's attitude seemed somewhat strange for some reason.

Just as Seele was feeling confused, she saw the boy open his arms as if he had made up his mind.

Huh, what does this mean?

The boy made a gesture that looked like he was about to pull her into his arms, leaving Seele speechless. However, Bell, blushing, suddenly covered her head with both hands and let out a groan, "Ughhhhh!" and squatted down on the spot.

A moment later, he stood up as if he had made up his mind.

Then, blushing, she gently took Seele's right hand.

Seele felt her heart skip a beat at this unexpected action.

Next—

"...What a naughty little cat! To prevent you from causing any more trouble, I'll be keeping a close watch on you! You'd better be prepared... Heh heh!!"

A cold wind blew.

Silence fell.

Lunova and the others behind him watched Bell with cold eyes.

Especially Ryu, whose gaze plummeted to below freezing, carrying a chilling aura that seemed capable of taking Bell's life with just a glare.

"ah…………"

Seele didn't notice that the boy's face was pale and he was sweating profusely as he recalled a past event.

"What would Mr. Bell do if I became strange?"

This happened when the two went on a date during the Goddess Festival.

Seele secretly worried that she might go crazy because of "love" in the future, so she half-jokingly asked Bell about it.

"Won't he just hold me tightly in his arms, whisper in my ear, 'You're such a naughty little kitten. To prevent you from causing any more trouble, I'll be keeping a close watch on you. You'd better be prepared, hmph,' and then take me home?"

"I would never do that!!"

Then Seele and Belle looked at each other and smiled.

The boy couldn't hug the girl, but instead, he took her hand.

"...Miss Seele, I said before that I would stop you to prevent you from hurting anyone."

Bell gave Seele, who was standing there stunned, a shy smile that resembled a wry smile.

"To prevent you from hurting others, and in doing so, therefore..."

After saying that—

Bell did not release Seele's hand, but gently placed the object she had taken from her bosom into her right palm.

"────"

It was a silver ornament adorned with pale blue decorations.

It is also a pair of silver ornaments whose other half has been crushed by the goddess.

It is a hair accessory with a "knight" shape, designed based on the heroic tale (Flanders).

"I will be in charge of monitoring Miss Seele."

“Eh…?”

"To prevent you from doing bad things, and so that you can live happily with Ms. Ryu and the others forever... I will always stay by your side."

Seele's hands trembled slightly.

"I cannot be your 'partner'."

Then, she instinctively grasped the hair accessory.

"I am not 'Flanders' either."

The boy smiled shyly and said to the girl whose lips trembled:

"However, I can share your sorrow... and become a 'knight' capable of protecting you."

Tears slowly slid down Seele's cheeks.

"Miss Seele, now it's your turn to fulfill your promise."

Faced with Seele's unending tears, Bell concluded with words that were both gentle and wicked.

"Didn't we agree on something? If I win, you have to grant me one request... tell me the 'real you'."

Seele felt her throat trembling.

She was about to choke up and sob.

I won't allow that. I'm a goddess (Freya), you know?

Despite her inner bravado, tears still streamed from her pale gray eyes, revealing everything.

She recalled the fantasy (dream) she had seen in the "flower field".

Who is her "true self"? What is her "true wish"? She has already realized it.

Both the goddess (Freya) and the girl (Seele) are played by "she".

She was just a young girl who was crying and grieving in that "flower field".

"…………I don't want to be a goddess anymore."

Therefore, she decided to reveal her "true self".

She cried out her truest self to the one who could liberate her from the "yoke of the goddess."

"I (Seele) want to continue being with everyone!!"

Bell was all smiles.

Liu smiled through her tears.

Anya burst into tears and hugged Seele, while Kroy and Lunova each put their hands on one of her shoulders and laughed happily.

The tavern staff cheered, and the dwarf, who had been watching all this from a leaning pillar, smirked.

The city gradually awoke to the sounds of celebration that filled the morning.

The bright rays of dawn peeked out from the eastern city wall.

It burned and condemned the girl's tears, while also bringing a touch of blessing.

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

This is punishment.

"I'm so sorry, Chloe... I'm so sorry, Lunova...!"

This is a punishment for a "witch" who is willful and reckless, and is by no means a "saint".

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

Every time I face them, I am overwhelmed with shame and feel I must spend my whole life to repay them.

"I'm so sorry, Mia's mom...!"

I can't afford to go astray again.

"Everyone... thank you so much."

Because there is a "knight" who will always be by her side.

"...Are you satisfied now, you flying insect?"

On the roof of a tavern.

Among the clansmen who were silently observing the current situation, Eren asked a question with a displeased expression.

"What do you think?"

"What?"

"No one can be sure this is the best outcome."

Hedin expressed his thoughts frankly and briefly.

Not only Allen, but also Otto, and even the four brothers (Alfred and others) and Hegny looked over coldly, Hedin quietly smiled.

"But...it's not bad."

That foolish boy, as expected, did not become her partner.

He did not become her hero.

The boy chose to become her "knight".

Girls are fairies.

The witch is a saint.

She embodies both the girl (Seele) and the witch (Freya) in one person. This is "the real her".

She will never again be driven mad by "love" nor killed by "admiration".

Because, only in front of him, who was able to resist "love," she, who had been rescued from "admiration," was no longer a goddess, but just "a young girl."

As long as he is by her side, she can find relief.

Her "true wish" has been fulfilled.

"You've passed the test... you silly apprentice."

The sun rises.

The light shone on the girls embracing each other.

There are no flower fields there.

They only display the tender green of their new leaves.

"What a... hateful man."

Faced with the scene before him, this whisper rang out.

Witnessing this scene alongside the warriors, the daughter of the gods (Herren) couldn't help but curse.

However, despite her tears, a faint smile appeared on her face.

"Thank you for saving us (Seele)... Bell."

She offered her first and final thanks to the sky tinged with the dawn.

The boy, who was watching the girls from a short distance away, beamed with joy.

Autumn has come to an end.

The goddess and abundance departed together.

The girl, reborn from the shattered yoke, smiled as brightly as a flower, accompanied by a cry as clear as her first cry.

Postscript to Volume 18

This is episode eighteen, in which the White Rabbit would have been intercepted and killed by the tank if it hadn't escaped (according to its ability parameters).

Please allow me to begin with my thanks.

To Kitamura, former editor-in-chief who has retired from GA Bunko, thank you for your hard work all this time. I am truly grateful, and I will always remember the time we spent working together on this series up to volume eighteen. To the newly appointed editor-in-chief, Usami, I look forward to your continued guidance. Also, I am truly sorry for the frequent delays in submitting manuscripts. To Yasuda Suzuhito, who also created beautiful illustrations for this work, I was absolutely amazed when I saw the double-page spread illustrations; thank you so much. To everyone involved in the production of this book, I extend my sincerest gratitude.

Next, I must apologize to all readers. It has been a year and a half since the publication of volume seventeen (note: this refers to the Japanese publication schedule), and I am truly sorry. All the problems are my fault. The fact that the final page count is twice as many as expected, making the book significantly thicker, is also entirely my fault. I have really kept everyone waiting this time.

As I write this afterword, I can no longer recall what my thoughts were when I wrote this work. Or perhaps I simply don't want to remember. I believe I went through a painful battle, just like the protagonists. So I tried to think about why I felt so tormented, and then it dawned on me—yes, because I've always longed to reach the "flower field" in the goddess's heart. Therefore, given this rare opportunity, I decided to peek into the inner world of the goddess named Freya.

When I first decided to write this series, my first step was to consult various mythologies and learn about the gods.

However, the more I investigated, the more confusing the results became.

The legends recorded in this book and that book are actually different!

The intelligence is scattered and disorganized! And there are a lot of contradictions!

Because I wasn't used to reading books at the time and knew nothing about mythology, I was completely confused when I looked it up.