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

Unable to bear seeing me turn pale with fright, Welf supported me with one hand and sighed.

"Don't worry about it so much. After all, these guys have been a lot of help in other ways besides being 'shop assistants'."

"Yeah, yeah! Ever since the War Game ended, there have been so many people trying to kidnap Haruhime! If it weren't for the Freya Familia acting as her 'protectors,' who knows what would have happened by now!"

The battle prostitute, Ms. Samira, laughed happily, while Ms. Lina, also a female warrior (Amazon), added gestures to explain.

The two were referring to the same thing—Miss Haruhime's "rank advancement".

"Ever since 'Level Up' was revealed in the war game, it has become commonplace for various organizations to send assassins. That's why I reminded you not to expose this, you silly fox."

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

After Miss Aisha patted her head, which was covered in golden hair, Miss Haruhime shrank back in self-reproach.

Because Miss Haruhime used the [Magic Hammer] multiple times in the war game broadcast throughout the city, her "level-up" has become a well-known fact. Although it can only temporarily raise the level of a designated target by one level, it is conceivable that many people want to possess such an overpowered magic... As a result, all sorts of malice and disturbances, such as abduction, kidnapping, and threats, have been directed at Miss Haruhime.

Although I, Miss Mikoto, Miss Aisha, Miss Samira, and other battle prostitutes have built a tight defense... it is the Freya Familia that has been assigned to serve as "guards".

"It's all fate... The poor fox is destined to be offered up as a sacrifice on the altar. Since that's the case, we, as the culprits, must take responsibility for severing this spiral of cause and effect to atone for our sins..."

"What on earth is this guy spouting nonsense?"

Mr. Hegney, who happened to be passing by, muttered to himself, earning him a glare from Welf.

Well, what Mr. Hegney was trying to say was probably, "Miss Haruhime was targeted by bad guys because she's at war with us, so we'll take responsibility to protect her," I think...

"Um, Mr. Hegny, may I ask how many times Miss Haruhime has been targeted so far...?"

"Well... up to today, Hedin and I have been taking turns keeping watch... I've already made seventy-one moves so far."

"Pfft!"

Even though it's been less than a week since the war game ended, and all the attacks have come to nothing, I couldn't help but let out a strange cry after hearing these astonishing numbers.

While Haruhime's "class ascension" is indeed incredibly powerful, it also made me realize once again that Orario is a place fraught with danger. No, it's likely that forces from outside the city are also involved...

"...Mr. Hegny, thank you very much for helping to protect Miss Haruhime, and of course, thank you also to Miss Samira and the others."

"Hmm... You don't need to thank me so formally, it makes me feel quite embarrassed."

Mr. Hegney, who was not usually one to speak in a strange or eccentric manner in front of me, blushed slightly and then looked away.

"Furthermore... if you want to express your gratitude, you should thank that person, not us. After all, it was that person who entrusted us with this task."

Even without following Mr. Hegney's gaze, I knew who was there.

Actually, from the start of the banquet until now, the most diligent waiter in the tavern has been that "girl" with light gray hair.

"Seele, could you please have another plate of tomato pie?"

"Okay~! Goddess Demeter~!"

"Little Seele~ We need more wine here~!"

"Here comes! Nyod the God!!"

"Hiss, could you please pour us some drinks?"

"Ughhhhhh! Coming right now!!"

Miss Seele was so busy serving the gods who had come to the victory banquet that her voice was so loud it could practically lift the roof off the house; she had given up and abandoned all pretense of decorum. Seeing this, the goddess Hephaestus grinned smugly, while Takemikazuchi and Mihri wore wry smiles.

The goddess of beauty in the twisted city of Orario has disappeared.

In principle, it should be assumed that she had already left the city.

Whether due to the side effects of the large-scale and intense "charm," most of the lower realm residents have lost their memories of Orario being transformed into a "closed world." In other words, only a handful of people, including ourselves, know that the "goddess (Freya)" is actually the "city girl (Seele)."

However, almost all the gods already know Seele's true identity.

Since the labyrinth city is no longer threatened by "charm," the gods all feign ignorance and come to tease or flirt with Miss Seele. Although the goddess Hestia, as the representative of the faction alliance, has forgiven "Miss Seele's existence," she believes that enduring this level of humiliation is only natural.

Miss Seele readily accepted this.

She has apologized to many people to date, silently endured many complaints—and was even slapped at times—and is still being punished at this very moment.

Although the gods, especially the goddesses, thought the punishment was too lenient... she had already lost her status and reputation, and even her property was gone.

Then she shouldn't be seen as a "goddess," but must atone as a "young girl."

The reason why all the members of the Freya Familia work in this tavern, besides being forced to obey Aunt Mia, is that they want to reduce Miss Seele's burden as much as possible.

These people still serve her as her family and help share her sins.

"Seele～～～～～～～～!! Where is my big brother, meow!? I'm going to have a good chat with him today, meow! And we can be family again, meow~!"

"I think he should be on the roof, helping to keep watch for any bad guys approaching."

"Okay, meow! Then I'll slack off for a bit and go find my big brother, meow! I'll leave the cat's work to you, meow! Seele!"

"Huh!? Anya! Wait a minute! I'm already overwhelmed! Please don't leave yet! Anya!?"

Miss Anya dashed out of the tavern, followed by a series of "thump thump thump!" footsteps from the ceiling that sounded nothing like a cat's, and then two voices talking, completely different from the cat's meow.

Voices such as "Don't come any closer!", "Don't hug me!", and "Big brother~!"

Since the sound quickly faded away, the two cats were likely playing a game of chasing, jumping, and bumping each other along the roof.

Thanks to Miss Seele, Miss Anya has now fully recovered.

Even though things haven't gone smoothly enough to return to normal... the "Abundant Tavern" is gradually regaining its former daily routine.

"...Miss Seele, shall I help you too?"

Because she was so busy that she could barely maintain a forced smile, I took the initiative to go over and show my concern.

"No, Mr. Bell, you promised to keep an eye on me, didn't you?"

Miss Seele politely declined my offer.

"If Mr. Bell isn't watching over me, I might turn back into an evil 'witch' because I can't be a 'good girl' anymore, so you'll have to keep an eye on my hard work, okay?"

It's a deal.

My Knight (Odr).

Miss Seele said that.

A bright smile appeared on his face.

She looks just like a real girl, completely unaware of what a goddess is.

...and it's a smile I absolutely must protect.

This is the same promise I made to Heretic (Winnie) and others in the past; it is a kind of hypocrisy (selfishness) unique to me, and I can never break my word.

In the jubilant tavern celebrating the victory, when I came to my senses again, I found myself smiling at Miss Seele, just like the day we first met.

"—That's right, Bell!! This Miss Seele is both ruthless and troublesome, far more difficult to deal with than Miss Warren, so you can't spoil her too much!!"

“Puff!?”

Just then, as someone flew in from the side and crashed into me, I quickly grabbed the deity who was throwing himself on top of me.

"Please, Seele, show some respect!! Bell isn't anyone to you, she's mine!! Bell is mine!! If you try to seduce the easily deceived Bell again, I'll set you on fire again!!"

The reason why the deity who clung to me like a child seeking his mother's affection deliberately didn't call the goddess (Freya) by her name, but instead addressed her as "Miss Seele something" in front of her, was clearly out of malice, and he even deliberately used a trilled "r" tone when saying it.

Faced with the smug smile on Hestia's face, Miss Seele could no longer help but put on a sour face.

"Cough, cough... God, God, Miss Seele has already reflected on her actions, please don't make things so difficult for her..."

"Bell, you're so naive! More naive than a kid who loves red bean butter fries! This Seele is just as difficult as a final boss!! If you show even the slightest weakness, she'll snap her fingers and incite the mighty (King) to make a move!! And she'll kidnap you again!"

"Haha, that won't happen."

"Hehehe, that's right~ Oops, my finger slipped accidentally."

Just as I was amused by the deity's serious expression, a clear sound suddenly rang out.

With a beaming smile, Miss Seele elegantly snapped her fingers.

"—Sorry to keep you waiting, here's your extra dish."

The next second, the boar giant appeared in front of us as if it had teleported.

"Wa ...

"──────────(Gurgle gurgle gurgle gurgle gurgle)!!"

"Bell──────────────────────!?"

The moment that massive, rock-like figure appeared before me, holding a tray, my consciousness plummeted into darkness at lightning speed. Nightmare-like images of a one-hit kill (getting a severe beating), receiving a baptism (getting a severe beating), and endless deathmatch (getting a severe beating) flashed through my mind.

"What have you done?! Goddess Hestia?!"

"Lord Bell has foamed at the mouth and fainted!!"

"Hey, this reaction is clearly a relapse of psychological trauma, isn't it!?"

"Lord Bel-Lord—!?"

Following the fairy's exclamation, I seemed to vaguely hear Lily, Miss Mikoto, Welf, and Miss Haruhime screaming, but unfortunately, I was already lying on the floor and couldn't confirm it.

"Oh no, Mr. Bell, something terrible has happened! He's not breathing! I'll perform CPR on him!"

"Don't even think about it! Seele, what kind of 'Miss' are you? I don't think you're even reflecting on your actions!"

"Frei—Lady Seele! You mustn't kiss such filth! This terrible punishment, I, the sinner, will bear it in your place…!!"

"Helen, don't worry, I'm right here as your healer~ Come on, Bell~ Let's kiss~"

"What are you all trying to do in this chaos?! Lord Welf, please burn this witch and her minions to ashes!!"

"You're asking too much of me..."

I collapsed to the ground, convulsing and completely disheveled, and could no longer hear what happened next.

As for the commotion and fierce fighting that followed, I had absolutely no idea.

"How long are you going to lie there, you idiot?"

“Puff!?”

I finally snapped out of it when a relentless impact exploded on my cheek.

I felt someone kick me in the face, forcing me to wake up, and I suddenly sat up.

Then I quickly looked around and found someone looking down at me from the front.

"Ah, Master..."

"Get up, you silly rabbit, don't cause me any more trouble over there."

I felt inexplicably at ease because of my master's usual attitude, but then I started to look around with a sense of trepidation.

The celebration banquet seemed to be continuing, and one could hear Mr. Perth and others toasting for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

Has a long time passed since I lost consciousness?

I'm currently positioned by the wall, with only my master beside me...

"Um... why are you here, Master...? Um, could it be that you're... taking care of me...?"

"Because everyone thinks I'm the most neutral towards you. You good-for-nothing, stop causing me trouble."

Neutral...? What do you mean? Perhaps "ruthless" (or "devilish") would be a more accurate description...

"What are you thinking about?" As expected, my master kicked me again, and that's when I finally noticed something.

That is, the master, whose face was so beautiful that it almost resembled that of a woman, now had several scars on his face.

"Excuse me... how did you get injured on your face...?"

"It was left behind by the executives (Eren and others) and the members (Haichi and others). It's simply that I willingly accepted the punishment for bringing shame upon that person."

“Eh!?”

"But I fought back after taking the second hit."

"Eh..."

"I was willing to accept the punishment for the very first blow, but I have no reason to tolerate any further attacks."

Hmm... that's certainly true given Master's temperament. Also... the situation on the ground could very well escalate into a death match because of this.

I realized that even though Mr. Alfred and the others had deliberately covered themselves with armor, they were covered in wounds. So something like this had happened before...