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

Miss Tarluvi stared intently into the depths of the maze, a serious expression on her face as she whispered something that surprised me.

I never expected to hear the word "become stronger" from her.

"Chirp chirp"

"Y-it's a monster! Please step back, Lady Tarluvi! Leave this to Haruhime..."

At that moment, the goblin appeared from the fork in the road, and Haruhime spread her arms to block it.

Oh no! Miss Haruhime's combat abilities, except for her 'magic power', are described as 'useless' by Miss Aisha, and her physique and demeanor are criticized by Lily as 'even more useless than Lily herself'...!

"Goblin!"

"Bang!?"

As expected, Haruhime was sent flying by the goblin's headbutt.

I rushed to stop the monster that was about to pounce on Miss Taluvi.

"Take this!"

"Goblin!?"

But then he saw the girl's decisive and efficient attack, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Why!"

Miss Taluwi, who dodged the attack like a dancer, didn't stop, bracing herself with one hand on the ground, preparing to kick. This time, I pounced on the goblin that fell with a "splat!" sound like a rabbit.

To prevent them from seeing the blood, I stabbed the goblin directly in the chest.

The protective "Dagger of God" pierced the "Magic Stone" precisely, turning the monster to ashes.

"...Miss Tarlvi, what was that just now...?"

The final attack was rather crude. However, the mannerisms were quite captivating.

Even claiming she was a lower-level adventurer accumulating experience would be hard to believe. I looked at her in surprise, and Miss Taluvi scratched her cheek somewhat awkwardly.

"I also have a chief god, and I've been given [ability stats]. Also, the situation in my hometown (Belden) is a bit unstable, so Uscari and the others taught me the bare minimum of self-defense..."

"So you're saying monsters can appear even around the country?"

I asked a series of questions, and Miss Tarlover just said "that's how it is" and laughed it off.

That's really surprising. I'd heard she was a princess, but I never expected her to act like that.

It's said that things are a bit unstable. What's the situation in their country...?

"Haaah~~ So you're saying that compared to Haruhime, Miss Tarúvi is much stronger... I'm just a burden~"

"Hehe, that's not how it is, Haruhime. Thank you for protecting me."

Miss Tarluvi smiled happily at Miss Haruhime, who was swaying as she stood up—suddenly, the depths of the dungeon became noisy.

"Damn it, we were forcibly thrown here!" "Those bastards, remember this!"

A group of people who looked like lower-level adventurers appeared, running past us while cursing.

Immediately afterwards, both Miss Haruhime's fox ears and my ears suddenly twitched.

They caught a series of howls coming from around the corner of the passage.

"Lord Bel!? The sheer number of howls... is a horde of monsters closing in!?"

"Huh!? Could it be... a 'monster gift'!?"

What kind of team has gathered such a large group of monsters?! This is the 'Level 1' of the upper level!?

Faced with a rare event so incongruous with our initial floor level—a commotion that, if we rushed past it, would surely lead us to another world—we were taken aback, while Miss Tarlúvi whispered quietly.

"So many monsters! ...Could this be a golden opportunity!?"

"Lord Tarluvi!?" "Miss Tarluvi!"

Ignoring the overlapping voices of Miss Haruhime and me, Miss Tarluvi ran out. She was surprisingly fast, about to rush into the roaring, rumbling corner of the passage!

No! Miss Chunji and I quickly chased after them—

"Ah, oh dear..."

We stared wide-eyed, along with Miss Taluvi, who had stopped as soon as she turned the corner.

There, more than ten monsters were all cut down without exception, their corpses spread out.

"Was it another adventurer who killed them...?" Miss Haruhime and the others asked in confusion. I cautiously glanced around at the corpses scattered all around me.

(They all have the same wounds... Did one person kill them all? Could the weapon be... a 'knife'?)

If that's the case... this wound is even sharper than Miss Ming's slash.

I held my breath quietly, while Miss Taluwe puffed out her cheeks.

"Honestly, I finally mustered up the courage to rush over there!"

"Oh, as expected of Your Highness. Before you act rashly, could you please tell me what you intend to do?"

"Is that even a question! Of course, we'll wipe them all out, keep it a secret from Uscari and the others, and get the [experience points]..."

Miss Taluvi froze mid-sentence. Miss Haruhime and I also froze.

He turned around cautiously, and there stood Mr. Uscarri, his face beaming but veins bulging.

"What are you doing, Your Highness?!"

A massive bolt of lightning struck the three of us, and needless to say, the sermons would continue even after we returned to the surface.

“Really…”

After the girls left, the sigh of the swordsman who had sheathed his sword echoed in the now silent labyrinth.

~Memory of Longing~ Holy Night's Dream Song Manga Bonus Volume 2 Bonus: Winter Queen and the Eternal Holy Flame

The online translation is from the Kingdom of Light

Translation by: Satsuki

"Hestia! Please, take the Staff of Winter from that beast Vera! Please!"

Well, how should I put it?

I have a feeling that something unusual, or rather, very troublesome, is going to happen.

"You actually asked why you have to do this? Isn't it because we're the closest of friends?! You're always hiding in the temple doing nothing, you should at least help out!! Okay!? I can't do it! Everyone knows Vera and I are incompatible! It's not that I can't win an argument with her or that I refuse to admit defeat! It's just that I'm a gentle and kind goddess who hates fighting, and I wouldn't do anything dangerous like fighting! Hey, you said I called you shorty, teased you, and even pulled your hair? So, so talkative—! Okay, please help me, I'm really begging you!!"

When her friend suddenly appeared at the temple, explaining, being stubborn, and even accusing her of being the villain, Hestia couldn't refuse her request. Although reluctant, she slowly got up.

He went to the side of the "Winter Queen," whom he had never met before.

"Hey, are you Vera?"

"Huh? What are you? You're wearing those dowdy twin tails."

"Is this the first thing you say to someone you've just met?! You're even more of a beast than I've heard about, goddess!"

Deep within the snow-covered sacred forest, above the holy spring, the "Queen of Winter"—Vera—floats as if seated.

"You have the body of a loli but the breasts of a cow... You must be Hestia. What brings a goddess from another region to this border region?"

"I have so much to say right now... In short, I hope you can put down the Staff of Winter. My friend (Bridget) has asked me to do this."

"Huh? Why did that goddess appear? You and I are different, you're not the goddess of the seasons... Oh right, Bridget is a virgin goddess. That makes sense since she has connections with the three virgin goddesses of Olympia."

[Translator's Note: For details regarding Bridget's storyline, please refer to the Hestia arc in Volume 8.]

Vera, who could see the big picture from small details, was indeed a god, but also a wicked goddess.

"So what? You're being used as an errand boy by the god of friendship, are you planning to take this staff by force? Let me make this clear, don't let my appearance fool you, I'm actually quite strong, you know?"

"I wouldn't do such a thing. I don't have that kind of strength. It's just that when you swing this staff, winter will blanket this area. Bridget is the goddess of summer, and constant snow would make her very uncomfortable, you understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

"So, even just for a little while, could you please put it down?"

"don't want"

"...Why is that? Is there some reason...?"

"Was that a question? If so, then there's nothing I can do. I'll answer you."

Hestia's eyebrows arched in surprise, while Vera's lips curled upwards.

"Because winter is more convenient for me."

"Huh?"

"I am the Queen of Winter, you know? I definitely prefer the frigid season when everything is frozen to the sweltering heat of summer, right?"

It is only natural that the gods who govern the seasons must love their seasons the most.

While Bridget is the goddess of abundance, she also has the aspect of being the goddess of summer, and thus she is furious at Winter (Vera) for refusing to relinquish her season. Such seasonal disputes are common among the gods.

After all, their rise and fall would also affect the 'lower realm' where the children lived, and Hestia still hoped that the seasons would cycle normally...

"A 'malicious honest man.' You truly are the goddess Bridget described."

"Here it comes, here it comes, this excessive criticism. I'm just being myself... So what? What are you going to do? If you're not going to take any real action, how about a showdown? A showdown with honest man (me)?"

Faced with Vera's almost distorted smile, Hestia was momentarily disappointed, then said, "...I'll sit here," brushed off the snow, and sat down on the spot.

"No, I'll wait. Until you're satisfied and hand that staff over to the arbitrator (me)."

"……What did you say?"

"You may have a bad intention, but you're not evil. So, there must be some reason."

As she said this, Hestia actually lay down with a thud and became lazy.

Vera paused for a moment, then frowned.

"Mmm. I really want a heater. Even though I'm not the god who controls the seasons, I still really prefer warmth."

"……Hello"

"What's wrong?"

"Aren't you going to ask me anything? Aren't you going to ask an honest man like me anything?"

"No, not at all. Because you just said that 'winter is more convenient for me,' right? So, me meddling or asking too many questions would be inconvenient for you, wouldn't it?"

The goddess of winter clearly showed a surprised expression.

"The gods are very capricious and unpredictable. 'Compassion' also comes in many different forms."

"————"

Then, seeing that she had stopped moving, Hestia said nonchalantly.

"I think if you weren't just a little less shy, Bridget would allow it."

Hestia's words silenced Vera.

She glanced at the sacred spring beneath her toes.

It is both a spring and a "mirror".

For a fleeting moment, the water's surface reflected an imperfect world that was not here, but located far away and low in the distance.

There live children suffering from a "stubborn ailment." They are the retainer clan, burdened by this tedious "incurable disease." And the god [Vera] knows that in a bitterly cold environment, their "stubborn ailment" can be somewhat suppressed.

The waxing and waning of the gods who govern the seasons also affect the 'lower realm' where the children live.

Although the gods are forbidden from directly intervening in or interfering with the mortal realm according to their agreement, there is nothing that can be done if it is the "aftermath" of a quarrel between gods.

That's probably what she was thinking. Being seen that way is more convenient for Vera.

That's how it is, right?

(Is this... the "Eternal Sacred Flame" [Hestia]?)

Completely opposite to Villa, which brought harsh winters.

The protector of petitioners who bestow warmth and protection upon those who seek with an inextinguishable flame.

They completely misunderstood Vera's "whim" as the goddess of "mercy," failing to see through the true nature of the spring and Vera's divine will.

However, Hestia will bestow "compassion".