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

"Now that you've found your place, go ahead and go, silly girl."

The dwarf proprietress continued preparing the food without turning her head, saying that.

Miss Liu also said that before she left, she bowed deeply to that departing figure.

"Thanks to the comforting gray-faced ones, the tavern is not short of staff... and they seem to be more helpful in the shop than I am."

After providing further explanation, Miss Liu looked down at her feet with a slightly dejected expression, seemingly ashamed, and gave a bitter smile. Then she rallied and raised her head again.

"The goddess Astrea has personally performed the ritual for me. If you are willing to accept an elf like me who has made many mistakes... I hope you can let me join the 'Family'."

This means that the goddess Astraea has bid farewell to the "blessing" bestowed upon Miss Ryu's back.

This action does not "seal" [ability values], but rather puts the user into a state of "awaiting conversion".

Furthermore, even if the conversion is completed, the divine blood of the goddess Astraea will still remain on Miss Ryu's back.

The "bond of justice" between you and the important people (Alicie and others) will not disappear.

Ms. Ryu gently held her left shoulder with her right hand, looking directly at us with sincere eyes.

Miss Fate was the first to speak.

"We certainly welcome Lord Ryu! It is my honor to embark on an adventure with someone of the same faction as you!"

Ever since they joined forces to fight "Black Goliath" on the 18th floor, Miss Fate has set her sights on this elf who can cast "Parallel Chanting," so now she is as excited as a child with her cheeks flushed.

"No clan in the world would refuse a first-class adventurer's offer, right?"

"Yes! Moreover, I have received Lord Ryu's help many times, so naturally I have no reason to refuse!"

"The addition of Lv.6... and Lord Bell is already Lv.5... Faction levels will... the taxes paid to the guild... Ugh, my head hurts...!"

Welf and Miss Haruhime smiled and agreed, but our advisor was holding his head in distress... I believe things will work themselves out.

My answer was predictable.

The addition of new members was unanimously approved by everyone.

"Alright, it's settled then! We can hold the conversion ceremony later—welcome to our [Family], Miss Elf!"

Finally, a deity welcomed Miss Liu to the group.

We couldn't help but cheer, led by Miss Ming, while Miss Liu narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Liliruka".

"Huh...? Ah, yes!"

Lily was quite surprised to find that Ms. Ryu no longer used the honorific title (Ms. Erd), and was being addressed by her first name.

Our reactions were all the same.

"Welf, Mikoto, Haruhime... Bell, and Goddess Hestia, please take good care of me from now on."

Perhaps this is the rule that Miss Ryu set for herself.

When living under the same roof, honorifics are no longer used; instead, people treat each other as equals and call each other by their first names.

Seeing Ms. Ryu calling out each of our names as if she were treating Ms. Arissa and the others with the same tenderness she showed us when we were still in the Astrea Familia, we all felt a little embarrassed, but we still responded with smiles.

She is strong, beautiful, and more steadfast in upholding justice than anyone else; from this moment on, she truly becomes our partner.

Miss Ryu has officially joined the Hestia Familia.

Our [Family] as a whole has grown stronger once again.

"Miss Elf, you are such a good child! No wonder you were once a member of Astrea's kin! You certainly won't be like that vixen who secretly seduces Bell, so I can entrust Bell to your care with peace of mind!"

"Why are you looking at me when you say that, Goddess Hestia!"

"It's all your fault for always trying to get there first whenever you have the chance! As for Haruhime, although she doesn't intend to seduce Bell, she does things without thinking, making it impossible to guard against!"

"null!?"

"In that respect, your adherence to rules and consistency make you extremely trustworthy. Miss Elf, please feel free to tell me if you need anything! I have high hopes for you!"

Seeing the gods praising Miss Ryu, who has a strong sense of moral purity, Lily angrily protested, "This discrimination is too severe!" For some reason, this anger also spread to Miss Haruhime, and their usual bickering began again.

Miss Ming quickly stepped in to mediate, while Welf looked utterly dumbfounded. Just as I was wondering if the earnest Miss Ryu would be able to handle this atmosphere—

"...Then, I have a favor to ask."

After Miss Liu finished speaking, the immortals and the others immediately stopped arguing.

"Regarding my joining the guild, there's a problem... or rather, a requirement put forward by the guild: I have to change my name."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Actually, [Hayate (me)] has already been listed as a deceased person in the official records."

The immortal still tilted his head in confusion, but I understood what Miss Liu was trying to say from those words.

The guild has confirmed that [Swift] perished in the Destroyer (Zagnat) incident, but Miss Ryu has unexpectedly shone brightly in the war game broadcast throughout the city...

"Although the guild actually has no intention of delving into this matter... since the news of his death has already been officially announced, in order to save face for the management, they hope that I will not use my real name (Ryu Leon) to register as an adventurer."

Because the gods found it amusing, and the residents of the labyrinthine inn town (Rivera Town) helped cover it up, everyone insisted, "[Hayate] is long dead, the person in the broadcast isn't [Hayate], stop talking nonsense." But no matter what, quite a few people recognized Ms. Ryu's identity. Even though the guild believed that [Hayate] was dead and erased the record, it was still difficult for the guild to explain that a wanted criminal who had been on the Blacklis list had appeared in front of the world so openly.

Based on Ms. Ryu's merit in suppressing the dark faction during the "dark period," and considering the political considerations of not letting go of the extremely valuable Lv.6, the management organization (guild) requested that she "at least change her name when logging in."

"This means that the guild does not want to register Lady Ryu as a transfer from the [Asteria Familia], but rather as a novice adventurer of unknown origin, using a pseudonym in the adventurer register."

"A Lv.6 novice adventurer? That's an exaggeration, even just based on the words..."

"But this is nothing, right? After all, it's just changing the name on the written documents; we're not really forcing you to change your name."

Lily began to explain, and Miss Ming broke out in a cold sweat in embarrassment, while the fairy said she could understand.

Since no one objected, after Ms. Ryu thanked us, everyone began brainstorming names for the new group members.

"Um, is it really necessary to change all the names?"

"Hmm, changing my surname should work, right? Like me, I'd really like to get rid of the surname Crozzo if I could..."

"The name 'Ryu Rion' only has its surname changed..."

"Then how about we borrow Lady Mia's surname and change our name to Ryu Grande...?"

"Hmm... I feel like it's a bit too masculine..."

"Miss Elf, do you have any thoughts on this yourself?"

Sitting in a circle on the grass in the courtyard, I, Welf, Miss Haruhime, Miss Mikoto, and Lily all put our minds to work and offered our opinions, while the fairy asked the person involved in a relaxed tone.

After a moment of contemplation, Ms. Ryu, who had been sitting upright, suddenly glanced at me and then seemed somewhat uneasy for some reason.

After her gaze lingered for a moment, her cheeks flushed, and she whispered:

"Then, let's call him... Liu Crane..."

Snapped! !

With lightning speed, the deity circled behind Miss Liu, swiftly grabbed the sandal in his right hand, and then slapped it onto the back of Miss Liu's head, making this crisp and loud sound.

"I thought you were the only one who wasn't this kind of person—!!"

"No, no! Since we're joining a [Family], using the name of the main god would be too offensive, and naturally people would think of the captain next...!!"

"Stop spouting nonsense! You useless elf!"

"Please calm down! Goddess Hestia!!"

Faced with the swearing and waving sandals at the deity, Miss Liu touched the back of her head where she had been hit and desperately tried to defend herself.

While it sounds reasonable at first glance, well... it's still quite far-fetched...

Miss Ming desperately tried to stop the deity who was so frantic that he seemed ready to kick the new members out at any moment. Lily stood on the same side as the deity, while Miss Chunji was at a loss and spun around in place. As a result, the courtyard of the headquarters was thrown into chaos.

In my eyes, Miss Liu has always been a woman who is both dashing and beautiful, but now, with her constantly making excuses and justifying herself... how should I put it, she suddenly gives off a useless vibe.

"...She should integrate into her current life much faster than we think."

"Um……"

Unable to resist the urge to escape reality, I nodded in agreement with Welf's words.

"'Ryu Astrea'... It's a little embarrassing to say, but it doesn't seem like this new name is meant to conceal her true identity."

Miss Eina said this with a wry smile after accepting my novice adventurer registration information.

This is the consultation room at the guild headquarters.

Since the aftermath of the war game has finally come to an end, I've come to report to Miss Eina on the current situation and discuss future matters.

"Well, after brainstorming, everyone finally decided that it would be better to use the name of the former chief goddess (Asteria)..."

After entering the consultation room, which I've visited countless times, we, who hadn't been alone together for a long time, first gave each other awkward smiles across the table before perking up to discuss the important matter.

"Miss Eina, um... about this [Family]..."

"...Yes, the guild has officially issued an announcement."

I stood there, tense like a defendant awaiting a verdict, as Miss Eina held out a piece of parchment. And on that piece of paper, indeed stamped with the seal of the governing body (guild), it read—

"Congratulations, the [Hestia Familia] has officially been promoted to Rank B."

...Grade B.

...Upgraded from D-rank to B-rank in one go...

"But even with Ryu-san joining, the [Familia] only has six members in total..."

"Yes, that's certainly taken into account... but you have two Level 1 adventurers, and one of them is even Level 6. It's really impossible to classify such a faction as below Rank C..."

Holding onto a sliver of hope, I asked my question timidly. Miss Eina, who was sitting upright in preparation for announcing important news, also looked worried. However, when she added, "Actually, quite a few people have suggested that you should be promoted to A-level instead of B-level?", I was speechless.

If we consider that the largest faction in the city (Loki's Familia) is ranked S-class, while the now-disbanded Goddess faction (Ishtar's Familia) is ranked A-class, then we can understand how heavy a burden it is to be rated B-class. Both Loki's and Ishtar's factions are astonishingly large in scale, and the number and strength of their members are by no means insignificant.

"A very small elite faction".

【Hestia Familia】 seems to be defined as such.

(We were still a tiny faction not long ago...)

Moreover, she is currently burdened with a large amount of debt (although the goddess insists that it is money she herself owed)...

In short, the taxes that need to be paid to the guild will suddenly increase dramatically. It's not hard to imagine Lily crying out in despair, and the thought of it is heartbreaking.

As the leader of the faction, I've recently started helping manage the faction's ledgers... and the contents are so bad they only elicit a dry laugh. Furthermore, including the Silver Arms (Mih Familia), most of the rewards from the war game have gone to other factions.

"It's not just about the members' ranks; the main reason is... that Goddess Freya has become Goddess Hestia's 'subordinate goddess'..."

Even though I knew the room was well soundproofed and there was no need to worry about being eavesdropped on, Miss Eina still reflexively moved her face closer to mine and said those words in a low voice.

That's right.

The Freya Familia appears to have collapsed on the surface, but in reality, it would be more accurate to say that the goddess Freya—Miss Seele—has been brought under the command of the goddess Hestia.

For the city of Orario, it is absolutely impossible to let such a powerful force as the valiant warriors slip through their fingers.

However, the goddess of beauty (Freya) who "bewitched" the entire city was ultimately too terrifying.

After a compromise, these two heartfelt considerations resulted in Freya becoming "a subordinate goddess to the virgin goddess (Hestia)".

In the event of an unforeseen accident, the virgin goddess (Hestia), capable of burning down the "closed world," would still serve as a safety device to restrain the "goddess of beauty." Furthermore, in form, this would ensure that Miss Seele would obey the gods, preventing Mr. Otto and the others from leaving the city and even contributing to the exploration of the dungeon. According to Miss Eina, although the valiant warriors are outwardly positioned as "terrifying tavern waiters" and "familiars awaiting conversion" who refuse to be poached… that's how the guild's higher-ups perceive them. Because this is politically charged, I only partially understood what I heard.

In short, to put it another way, the Hestia Familia has brought a major force called the Freya Familia under its command. But in reality, let alone ordering them around, we can't even cooperate... to be honest, we simply don't have the guts to do it.

Therefore, to be precise, the Hestia Familia was classified as B(S) class for this reason.

Although the official record is B-level, the guild (higher-ups) seem to regard us as S-level.

Although it might be a bit confusing, that's basically it.

"Like the Kingdom of Lachia, this seems to be a common system among these national-level [familias], but it's almost non-existent in the labyrinth city of Orario... To be honest, this is the first time I've heard of it. But it means the Freya Familia is really powerful."

"Speaking of which, the guild seems to be having just as much trouble dealing with the other goddess (Ishtar), right?"

"Yes... but what is the actual relationship between you and the Freya Familia?"

Miss Eina asked with a hint of concern.

To reassure her, I forced a smile onto my face, my eyebrows slightly lowered.

"While it's unlikely they'll explore the dungeon together... they've really helped a lot in other ways."

The part that received the most attention was the "protection" mentioned at the celebration banquet the day before yesterday.