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

"Of course! After all, this way we can infiltrate from the air! Now, I'll leave it to you to take good care of it, little Bell!!"

"The problem is I have absolutely no idea how to control it!!"

As we shouted to avoid our conversation being drowned out, I was forced to wear Miss Asphyxi's "flying shoes"—or rather, the spare ones—and just kept falling downwards.

About ten minutes ago, I put on these magic items that I had absolutely no idea how to use.

Wearing a suspicious helmet, I "invisibly" appeared alongside Hermes and slowly ascended, swaying from side to side. Although I eventually managed to reach the skies above the "school district" without being detected by anyone, the miracle ended there.

The result was that, like fools whose wax wings melted in the sun, I and Hermes fell continuously from an altitude of 500 meters!

"I heard Hestia and Asphie secretly enjoyed a solo flight together! In that case, let's two grown men experience a blush-inducing, heart-pounding, and spectacular landing ourselves!!

"This isn't the time for such sarcastic remarks!!"

Hermes, whom I was holding sideways in my arms, laughed heartily in my ear, while my bangs and clothes were blown into a mess by the wind!

This time, the feeling was different from when I fell down the Great Falls. A primal fear welled up from the depths of my heart, causing tears to well up in my eyes! But the water droplets that formed quickly flew away with the wind!

Completely gripped by panic, I sped towards the artificial land below, looking as if the gods in heaven would be laughing their heads off.

"Wa ...

In the end, we landed safely in a corner of the "school district" filled with wooden crates—the so-called supply depot.

Just before it was about to hit the ground, the "Flying Shoes" seemed to react to my scream by spreading its four wings, but such an emergency start was no different from a drop in the ocean.

I tried to slow down, and my outstretched feet crashed into a pile of wooden crates, causing a loud thud.

"...Thank goodness I'm still alive..."

"Hmm~ As expected of Lv.5! I, the burden, am completely unharmed. You've certainly grown a lot~ Little Bell!"

As a result of me shielding Hermes with my body, he was completely unharmed, and he was very happy about it.

As I struggled to my feet from the shattered wooden crates, responding to the compliment with a dry laugh—

"What was that sound just now!?"

"It must be invaders from Orario again! Let's go check it out!!"

Beep beep!

The sharp "siren" sound immediately caused a commotion in the surrounding area.

"Eeeeee!? This situation is obviously...!?"

"Our whereabouts have been exposed, after all, we made such a loud noise just now."

That’s true!

Just as my inner self screamed in terror, hands pressed against my cheeks, my real self quickly stood up.

"Let's quickly maintain our 'invisibility' and escape from here! That way, we won't have to worry about being discovered...!"

"Hmm~ Actually, I infiltrated this place a long time ago using the Black Helmet (Hades Helmet), so the 'School District' developed a magical item that can detect invisibility~"

"What on earth are you thinking?!"

The key point is that you already have a criminal record!

No wonder the security in the "school district," including the port area, is so tight!

As I was complaining, I could sense someone gradually approaching this storage area!

"So, little Bear, let's use the decoy tactic next!"

"I... I have a bad feeling about this, but what kind of tactics are you suggesting?!"

"You'll be the bait, and I'll slip away while I'm at it! It's that simple!"

"Hermes—!? Uh, whoaaaaaah—!?"

Before I could even protest, Hermes had already snatched my helmet—a magical artifact that kept me "invisible" during the fall—and shoved it hard into my chest.

Staggering over a pile of wooden crate fragments, I landed hard on the metal floor. I heard the invisible Hermes toss out a "Sorry," followed by "I'll leave the rest to you!" before I could feel him quickly abandoning me and fleeing the scene! And Hermes even retrieved his "Flying Shoes" and tossed my original shoes over!

(Hermes!?) As I pathetically screamed this in my heart—

"Hey, sir!"

Immediately, a group of male and female students in uniforms came up to me like executioners.

I was so scared that I held my breath and broke out in a cold sweat as I put on my shoes at the last minute.

My feelings right now are like those of a thief who has been cornered on a cliff with nowhere to escape!

Next—

"Were you affected by the blast? Are you injured?!"

"Ah, um... I'm fine."

"Did you see any suspicious persons? Did you see them run in any direction??"

"Um...I saw it! They went...that way..."

Seeing me hurriedly get up, the human female student, though looking serious, came over to ask if I was injured, while the orc male student was concerned about my disheveled appearance and inquired about the whereabouts of the intruders.

I tried to avoid eye contact with the other person, and pointed in the opposite direction from where Hermes had gone.

"Is it over there!?"

"You're really unlucky! Remember to go to the infirmary for treatment as soon as possible!"

"It's definitely the Hermes Familia again! There's no way they could get in from the sky except with a Perseus's magical artifact!"

The students didn't suspect me at all; they even asked about my health and quickly left in the direction I pointed.

Only after the group had gone far away and could no longer be seen did I collapse to the ground, feeling utterly exhausted.

"I'm saved..."

The sense of liberation from extreme tension transformed into a heavy sigh that escaped from his mouth.

I slumped on the ground, looking up at the blue sky. After a long while, I shakily stood up and looked down at my body.

"Hermes made me wear a 'uniform'... presumably for times like this."

The clothes I'm wearing right now are not my usual casual clothes or combat suit for exploration.

Instead, they wore the same "school district uniforms" as the group of students from before.

The outfit was predominantly white, and Hermes tied a burgundy tie around my collar.

Like the tailcoat she wore when attending banquets hosted by Apollo in the past, the dress had a long hem at the back.

This long-sleeved top and trousers are less of a fitted cut and more of a close-fitting cut, as the gods described them...

Well, to put it simply, this outfit fits me perfectly.

Could it be that Hermes... had prepared this outfit from the very beginning, intending to drag me into this mess?

Otherwise, how could I have prepared this well-fitting uniform in advance? I pondered for a moment, sweating profusely, and then I figured it out.

Although I've just escaped unscathed, it would be too suspicious for me to remain alone at the scene. If questioned, I have no confidence I could get away with it.

So I quickly left the scene, taking three steps at a time.

Not long after, I couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"Whoa...!"

Leaving the intricate network of narrow paths—or rather, exiting that area—I was greeted by a view so spectacular that it made me forget I was on a deck.

You can see many white stone buildings with blue roofs, and churches that are so beautifully symmetrical that they seem like works of art... Perhaps calling them sanctuaries would be more accurate.

Since this is a "school district", does that mean all those buildings are "school buildings"?

I walked along the deserted stone-paved road, constantly looking left and right to admire the scenery.

The magic stone streetlights lining both sides of the road are so exquisitely crafted that they rival those in Orario. As for the inscription "Graduation Project of the 42nd Crafts Department," does it mean it was made by a student? Besides these, there are various elegant buildings and arches, and even a goddess statue!

I looked around curiously and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. If someone saw my reaction at that moment, they would definitely think, "This kid is definitely not a student here" and become suspicious.

"If someone told me that this deck was cut from a city and assembled here... I might actually believe it."

Because the "school district" is such a magnificent and imposing place.

Despite being situated on a limited deck, these buildings, perhaps due to their ingenious design, do not feel oppressive at all. Besides the man-made structures, the ubiquitous evergreen trees offer a welcome respite for the eyes. Furthermore, the closed doors and windows of the buildings, clearly "shops" rather than "school buildings," strangely gave me the feeling of walking down a fashion street or upscale residential area I had never been before.

This is... the "school district".

And this place is actually located on a ship!

"...!"

I could no longer suppress the excitement welling up from the bottom of my heart, and I started running forward.

This feeling is just like when I first arrived in Orario six months ago; it's as if my heart has been captured by this new world!

I hurried across the street, ran up the stairs, and came to a slightly higher place.

Then I placed my hands on the railing and gazed at this incredibly beautiful "education park".

"How spectacular...!"

As far as the eye can see, there are only white buildings and blue roofs.

There are more than fifty beautiful school buildings just by looking at them.

Describing this place as a paradise between the sea and the sky is quite apt.

The roads radiate outwards from the central area, dividing the city into several sections. Among the many beautiful buildings, all in blue and white, stands a particularly eye-catching facility resembling an arena. This facility is constructed from white diamond, a material unique to dungeons (labyrinths) used for crafting weapons, and in my eyes as an adventurer, it is the only building in this beautiful city that exudes a chilling atmosphere.

Furthermore, on the other side of the view, at the stern of the ship, there is a lush green landscape... Could it be a park?

In terms of area alone, it is so vast that it could almost accommodate three of the arenas mentioned earlier.

(However, the most breathtaking thing about this is...)

Nothing stands out more than the tower that stands prominently in the center.

Although it can't compare to the Tower of Babel, it is still a colossal tower that can only be seen by looking up at it.

This white tower, which shares the same blue roof as the school buildings, seems more worthy of being described as magnificent than majestic.

Based on this observation, the "school district" is like a city built around a giant tower. Even if I know nothing about this place, it's not hard to imagine that the "tower" must hold a very important position in this colossal ship.

At the same time, I had a strange sense of déjà vu.

"The structure here... is very similar to Orario?"

I recalled the view of the "school district" from the air before the fall.

Apart from the "blue feathers" covering the huge ship's hull—which are likely replacement parts for the "sails"—the entire "school district" is circular, with the same structure as the labyrinth city (Orario) surrounded by huge walls.

Miss Eina said that the "school district" is operated with the sponsorship of the guild, plus the giant tower standing in the center, and several main roads extending outward from the center... The guess that it was built with reference to the labyrinth city (Orario) may not be wrong.

This is a small labyrinth city, or rather, a sister city of Orario.

However, this place is far cleaner and more elegant than the original.

The reason I have this feeling is probably because one is an "adventurer's city" and the other is a "student city".

I leaned out from the railing with both hands, almost falling off, and gazed intently at the view of the "school district".

"Nina! You're really amazing!"

"I heard you got first place in this pop quiz! I think you should hurry up and leave the 'bottom-of-the-class' group and transfer to the Department of Moral Education!"

At this moment──

My attention was drawn to the cacophony that reached my ears.

On the stone path facing the steps leading up to the top, just below my line of sight.

A group of female students of different races walked by, chatting and laughing.

"I was just lucky; the exam questions just happened to fall within the range I predicted."

After I saw clearly "her" surrounded by others in the center, I couldn't help but widen my eyes.

Her long, brown hair was tied into a ponytail with a ribbon at the back.

Although their ears are longer and thinner than those of humans, they are not as pointed as those of elves.

Although she was a half-elf, as if to prove the nobility of her bloodline, she had a tuft of emerald-colored hair in her bangs.