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

Does this mean he has already acknowledged that I am part of the team?

However... I don't aspire to be an adventurer, but I am an active adventurer... If we were to assume "I am a student," the answer would naturally be to join the [Hestia Familia], but I cannot reveal my identity... So after much deliberation, I revealed the name of the second faction I wanted to join.

"That must be the Loki Familia, right...?"

I think I saw Nina's pointed ears twitch slightly, but Iglin, oblivious, continued talking.

"It seems like everyone who wants to become an adventurer goes there. I've heard the competition is fierce, but I think you should be able to join. If I'm wrong, it's purely because the Loki Familia is blind."

"Th-thank you for your affirmation...?"

Such high praise made my cheeks feel a little hot.

Feeling lost and confused, I changed the subject in an attempt to cover it up.

"So, Iglin, what about you? Have you decided on your path yet?"

"I want to become a blacksmith."

"Huh!? You've already joined the 'Combat Technology Department,' haven't you!?"

After I asked him a question with surprise, Iglin explained with a strange sense of pride:

"Currently, the most skilled blacksmith in the Lower Realms is Chun Corbrand. This master smith once said, 'To test a weapon, one must venture into the Deeper Realms.' Therefore, I must hone my forging skills from the user's perspective and strive to become a master smith myself!"

Ms. Tsubaki, please be responsible for your words...!

"Hmm... And what about you, Leiqi?"

"I want to become... an assassin."

"Hmm hmm hmm hmm!?"

Because I didn't know how to respond, I passed the topic to someone else, only to receive an answer that left me unsure of how to respond!

"I am waiting for... the Dark Elf's... royalty. And a royalty so powerful... capable of destroying the White Elves."

"Huh? Huh?"

"So... I don't want to... interact with people... I plan to become stronger on my own... but... that doesn't work in the dungeon."

"!"

"Competing with others is far more powerful than going it alone... Now I finally understand this... It's a self-evident truth... Thank you... Rabbi... and everyone else."

"Raiki..."

"I now... want to train soldiers."

If my translation skills honed during my conversation with Mr. Hegney are indeed reliable, then Rachel probably comes from a tribe that aspires to revive the Dark Elf royal family and aspires to become an assassin in order to defeat the numerically superior White Elves. Although it's unclear how she came to attend the "school district," she originally only wanted to improve her personal combat skills, but after this special (dungeon) internship, she realized how vulnerable she is in one-on-one combat.

Therefore, she wants to become an instructor for training soldiers in the future... I think that's what Rachel wanted to express.

"I want to become a knight of the Empire! And then change the Empire from within, which has long forgotten the name of Kormac and the glory of Arsda, and is so corrupt that all it knows is how to rule its colonies."

Chris, who speaks his mind with unwavering confidence even when no one asks, is arguably the one among us with the clearest and most ambitious goals. Though it may sound offensive, I was genuinely quite surprised.

"I will revive the knightly order that represents the glory of my race! I will achieve feats even greater than those of the [Hero]!"

"Better than Mr. Finn? That's a bit difficult..."

"I can definitely do it! After all, as a dwarf, I've already reached Level 2!! If the [Hero] is determined to recruit me, I'm open to joining the [Loki Familia]! That way, I can continue to be with Lavi, and you can continue to be my guardian beast!"

Seeing Chris, just like when we first met, with his eyes closed and chest puffed out in smugness, I couldn't help but smile.

Then everyone focused their attention on the last person.

"Now that you mention it, I've never heard you mention it before. What are your dreams, Nina?"

"..."

Nina looked down at the bowl of soup in her hand that she hadn't finished, responding with silence.

After a while, she raised her head and revealed a slightly lonely smile.

"I still can't figure out what I want to do..."

“…………”

A silence fell between the squads.

Of the five of us, only Nina seemed like a lost child.

Exactly ten minutes had passed.

Iglin and I were on lookout duty ten minutes ago. After the next person came to relieve me, I went back to my tent for a short rest.

Compared to the "deep layers" where shifts had to be rotated every five minutes, the 18th floor of Peace was practically paradise. After a short rest, my thoughts, which had been as chaotic as a swamp, seemed to clear as spring water. As for my body, I wasn't particularly tired to begin with, which made me realize that this was what was called Lv.5.

To avoid waking Iglin, who was snoring, I left the tent... and saw a girl with a slightly haggard appearance sitting by the campfire.

"Nina."

"Rabi...? Didn't we just switch classes?"

"I'm having trouble sleeping... Where's Chris?"

"In our tent. Because I saw him blinking a lot and looking very sleepy, I let him go to sleep first."

Actually, setting up two tents was out of consideration for men and women... Oh well, given Chris's character, it should be fine.

Nina shifted her gaze back to the lake directly in front of her, her long, brown hair swaying gently with her movements.

After obtaining Nina's consent, I sat down next to her at a proper distance.

"Nina...is something on your mind?"

"..."

"Because you just... looked really tired."

Nina didn't answer. She was so cheerful and friendly to everyone, like the rising sun, when she was in the "school district," but now she was as quiet, cold, and lonely as the lake in front of her.

"If you have any worries... I hope you can tell me, after all, I have received a lot of help from you so far."

I mustered up my courage and asked, explaining that I did this to repay a debt of gratitude.

Nina, still showing no reaction, lowered her head.

I initially thought Nina was going to bury her face between her thighs, but as her emerald bangs fluttered, she slowly raised her head.

"As for me... I can't find what you call a 'dream'."

I looked at Nina, puzzled, and found that she was still facing forward with a smile.

But that smile seemed so empty, as if it might disappear at any moment.

"I thought that people who entered the 'school district' were all harboring some kind of 'anxiety,' unsure of what they wanted to become or where their future lay... But the students here—the 'school district'—showed me all sorts of 'dreams'."

"……"dream"?"

"Yes, whether it's the scenery, culture, jobs, scholarship, or research of various countries... it presents the world to me, and then students one by one find the goals they want to pursue and leave the 'school district'."

As the word "dream," repeated many times, lingered in my mind, Nina continued quietly.

"Therefore... this situation is quite overwhelming for people who just follow the crowd into the 'school district'."

At that moment, Nina's smile looked like she was mocking herself.

Actually, I have an older sister.

"...Was it the woman I met at the guild headquarters?"

"Yes, her name is Eina, and she's my sister whom I'm very proud of."

I know all this.

But I must now pretend that this is the first time I've heard this.

"No... I should say she's the older sister everyone is so proud of."

At this point, Nina's smile seemed to be shrouded in shadow.

"As far back as I can remember, my older sister went to school in the 'school district,' so I've never seen her or heard her voice before. Therefore, the day we met at the guild was my 'first meeting.'"

"..."

"But I know my sister is very outstanding. The neighbors in our hometown often talk about her, praising her intelligence and excellence. Whenever I hear these things, I feel proud from the bottom of my heart, and my father and mother... also regard my sister Eina as a daughter they are proud of."

I wonder if Nina noticed the expression on her face at that moment?

Do you have the courage to see what expression you have reflected on the lake?

"My mother is frail and often ill. My older sister went to school in the 'high school district' for my mother's sake and for my father's sake, who was working hard to earn money for my mother's medical treatment. She hoped that this would help her find a good job. Perhaps my older sister doesn't have 'dreams', but she has clear 'goals'."

"On the other hand, I don't even have a goal," Nina said self-deprecatingly.

"The reason I went to the 'school district' was simply because my sister had attended it. Since my sister had studied there, I thought I could follow the same path... I went to take the 'school district' test with this very frivolous feeling."

I couldn't help but widen my eyes.

I was simply following the path left by Miss Eina.

That's what Nina's confession meant.

"I went to school with this superficial attitude and have lived a muddled life ever since... which I deeply regret."

I was quite shocked that Nina would say the word "regret".

Nina is clearly very interested in learning and works very hard, so is life in the "school district" making her feel miserable?

"Rabbi, do you know what subject I specialized in at the beginning?"

"...Sorry, I can't guess."

"It is 'synthetic theology'."

"!!"

I was taken aback.

When I was considering elective courses, Nina casually discouraged me from taking this one.

"The reason is that my sister took and passed this course, and everyone praised it highly, so I decided to give it a try, and I firmly believe that I can learn it."

"..."

"But I was wrong, that's not true at all. No matter what I do, I can't learn it, I can't become like my sister and understand the sacred text."

Nina recounted her past with a pained expression, as if her heart was breaking, as if she were still suffering from it.

Personally, I don't really recommend it...

—I heard that the pass rate for this subject is less than 10%, and the number of people who can actually understand the sacred text is even smaller.

It turns out that Nina's advice to me didn't come from someone else, but from her own experience.

"Later, I still wanted to follow in my sister's footsteps, so I took the mock exam for the guild test, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get good results and couldn't compare to my sister at all. So, just like I gave up on 'Comprehensive Theology,' I chose to escape again."

"..."

"My sister continued to excel after graduating from the 'school district,' and many people remember her name, including in my hometown. Therefore, I always tried to imitate her and follow in her footsteps... but I could never achieve the same result. My sister is far more outstanding than me."

Nina's eyes gradually began to moisten.

Her overwhelming emotions contradicted the content of her words; tears welled in her trembling, emerald-green eyes.

"I can do all the things my older sister did when she was little. So I decided to follow in her footsteps, thinking it would be easier that way, but... it turns out that's not the case at all."

"..."

"I always imitate my sister and never have my own opinions... I'm so pathetic."

……wrong.

I think Nina made a mistake.

Since the "school district" gods, including Baldr, would interview applicants to verify whether their reasons for wanting to enroll were "false"—

I believe Nina's reason for getting into the "school district" is...

"And I originally belonged to the 'Public Education Department'... before I transferred to the 'Combat Technology Department'."

"what?"

"It was a coincidence... really just a coincidence. When I was in 'Magic' class, Professor Leon suddenly said to me... 'Try chanting with this wand.' As a result, I successfully cast a spell, and I was also better at sports than I thought... and thus received a lot of praise."

"...So you transferred to the 'Combat Technology Department'?"