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

This reaction illustrates how the Freya Familia is treated in Orario, except for Cassandra, whose arm is being held by Daphne.

She peeked out from around the corner, spying on the white-haired boy.

(I really don't understand Mr. White Rabbit Swift Foot... Should I... go talk to him? His 'prophecy' was so exciting, and he looks like he's in pain. If I can help in any way...)

Completely unresponsive to the gazes of others—thinking it was just ordinary people being afraid of Bell Crane of the Freya Familia, so distressed that he didn't even have the energy to react—the boy's profile was incredibly gloomy, while Cassandra, who was peeking at him, suddenly blushed.

(Besides, this is the first time such a "prophecy" has appeared. Could it be my fate, my destiny, my "destined partner" or something? That's the feeling...! Could it be that they will believe in my "precognitive dreams," like a unique understanding partner...!!)

Although it's just a delusion born from reading too many romance novels, it's largely correct.

(And upon closer inspection, he's so cute he doesn't seem like an adventurer at all. I don't quite understand why, but I have a feeling we might share the 'Ultimate Dungeon Sandwich - Pearl Deluxe Edition' and feed each other. I don't know why, but I have a feeling he'll actually listen to me properly...!)

Just as she mustered up the courage to speak to Bell Craney and was about to appear around the corner.

"Huh?"

A soft thud, a slight sound and impact, came from Cassandra's leg.

When she came to her senses, Cassandra was already kneeling on the stone steps.

Someone kicked her on the inside of her knee, and before she could run around the corner, she was kicked to her knees. After realizing this, Cassandra's face was covered by a "murderous shadow".

"—You bastard, what were you trying to do just now?"

That was a half-human.

They are strong warriors who are allowed to wear black silver captain's uniforms even among the Freya Familia who wear silver uniforms.

Upon realizing that he was a Level 2 adventurer, [Stonefire] Fan, who was traveling with Bell Crane and others, Cassandra's face drained of color.

"You know we're from the Freya Familia, so you're here to cause trouble?"

"Eh, ah, eh...!?"

"What's your purpose in trying to contact that stupid rabbit?"

Van immediately noticed the suspicious person (Cassandra) spying on them.

Moreover, it approached without Daphne and the others noticing, coming to 'crush' the foreign objects that tried to come into contact with the boy.

He forced Cassandra, who was taller than him, to kneel on the ground, then walked around to her front and grabbed her by the front, veins bulging on his forehead. A murderous intent flashed in his eyes. Needless to say, Cassandra, who was enduring his murderous intent, was also terrified, even the frozen Daphne and Nazha were horrified by this 'warning'.

The strong warrior gripped her collar even tighter, bringing his face close to her eyes and nose, and thus declared.

"If you dare do anything unnecessary to that guy—I'll kill you."

By intimidating the girl from a position where the boy could not see her, and in a low voice that the boy could not hear, Cassandra's consciousness almost flew away.

"Whoa ...

"What are you doing, you stupid Sandra?!"

"It's common sense in Orario that you shouldn't be targeted by the Freya Familia...!!"

"Huh...!? Why, why!? I haven't done anything yet!?"

Daphne, carrying the unfortunate girl on her right shoulder, and Naza, pulling a cart, whizzed through the streets at a speed surpassing that of adventurers fleeing the labyrinth. Kassandra, unaware of why she had angered them so much, could only tremble and cry out.

The Prophet's attempt to make contact was thwarted by the Freya Familia's tight defenses, which spared no effort in detecting even the slightest signs of anomalies, and ended in failure. After this terrifying experience, Cassandra dared not approach the boy again.

"Mr. Fan...? What happened?"

"...There's a group of female thugs targeting you. They must be the ones who cursed you before."

"Eh...Eh eh eh eh!?"

"Lasker, Remilia, report to 'a servant' that there are 'heretics' who must be eliminated."

After the girls left, the boy and Fan had the following conversation.

Ignoring Bell's astonishment, Van and the others communicated using coded language he couldn't understand—'a servant' meant the daughter of the gods (Heron), and 'heretic' was a code for an unusual situation—and took measures to maintain the 'miniature garden,' while further strengthening 'the boy's (Bell's) security' from that day onward.

—The tragic prophet who was later subjected to "charm" treatment and suffered greatly because of the "prophecy" of an even stronger "precognitive dream" goes without saying.

"【White Rabbit Swift Foot】? What a super rookie! And he caught up with me in level in just half a year. Should I say I'm embarrassed, or is it just too extraordinary and I'm completely dumbfounded..."

Ask the male member (human) about "a certain boy".

"It's surprising that such an unprecedented 'hero candidate' has appeared outside of the Freya Familia... no, to put it another way, it's astonishing... In short, I feel a great sense of crisis about this. As a candidate for a senior position in an opposing faction, in that sense. There have always been people around me saying that we 'middle-level' are lagging behind those strong warriors."

Ask the same question to the female members (cat people).

"Don't mention that name to me. It makes me as angry as that shitty cat... Huh? Reason? Mind your own business!!"

They also asked the faction leaders (werewolfs).

"...I don't know. Even though I don't know, I always feel a lot of pain and loneliness—hey, Finn? What are you doing here—? Huh? The answer to the question? What?"

They also repeatedly questioned another faction leader (Amazon) to avoid raising any doubts and to further solidify their conviction.

(—Something seems inconsistent; there's a strong sense of 'incongruity' about it.)

In the office at the base.

In the empty room, Finn sat at his desk and muttered to himself.

(I didn't even notice it at first. Like Raul and the others, I also thought I was just living an unchanging, extended daily routine and didn't notice this 'incongruity'.)

Finn himself is bound and imprisoned within the rules of the Little Garden by an unknown 'charm' curse, yet he notices the cause of the 'discomfort'.

It was entirely by his own "thumb".

(My thumb... is still throbbing slightly. It's like a wake-up call for this daily routine.)

Finn possesses a powerful "intuition".

It is both an "alarm bell" that foresees impending danger and change, and a kind of "sixth sense." Finn has made good use of this "premonition" advantage on several occasions, demonstrating his skills in areas such as dungeon exploration.

This "intuition" is now causing me constant pain.

Not about the future, but about the present.

It's as if it's declaring that this everyday life is actually "extraordinary".

(The pain in my thumb was faint and quiet, yet so persistent that it couldn't be ignored... Based on past experience, this usually meant I was in danger or undergoing some kind of mutation. At first, I was just confused... but now I understand that this "unusual" situation indeed involved many uncertainties.)

Even with his 'intuition' at work, Finn couldn't foresee the specific future and events. He was initially thinking about what to be wary of... but he unexpectedly found a corner of 'inconsistency' soon after.

That's where the 'data' is in this office.

The location of the books and documents, which are usually unnoticed, deviates somewhat from Finn's memory—to be precise, there are signs that they have been moved. The main objects are the "power map and changes in power within Orario," "comparative data between his own faction and other factions," and Finn's own "notebook that is more transactional than a diary."

"Comparative data", as well as Finn's own "a more transactional record book than a diary".

I tried to check the contents and found it immediately.

There are signs of data tampering.

Just as a reflection of the correctness of a certain dwarf race, the rewriting is very clean, or an entire page is torn out beautifully, but in Finn's eyes, everything is incredibly 'distorted'.

Finn realized the seriousness of the situation at that moment. He didn't rush to a conclusion and, just to be on the safe side, checked with the people around him.

Besides himself, the only people who would come to this office to look through files are Riveria, Gareth, and Loki. Suspecting an intruder is pointless. If there were, Finn would have noticed before his thumb started hurting. So he grabbed Gareth and asked him...

"So, I've already said I haven't investigated anything. How many times do you need to confirm this?"

But this is the answer I received, and that's all there is to it.

Finn doesn't remember the data that can only be identified as "tampered with by himself," nor does he remember asking Gareth and the others about it several times.

We can draw a conclusion now.

It was Finn himself who felt a sense of unease.

Or perhaps it's the world itself that makes it impossible for one to remember or understand these things.

(Was it some kind of mental attack being used against me, or...? Ugh, is it dangerous (or no good) to think about these things? At this stage, it feels like I'm being played with by a thumb.)

Finn's ability to continue "walking the tightrope" is largely due to his "intuition," which is both intelligent and intuitive.

The pain intensifies when his thinking goes too far—attempting to violate the rules of the "sand garden."

It was almost like a warning: "You can't go any further."

Finn relied on this feeling to adjust himself to a state of 'discomfort' without sublimating it to 'doubt', while successfully establishing himself as someone who actually felt that this 'ordinary' was actually 'non-ordinary'.

(But this is too harsh. They're forcing me to divide my thoughts. I'm not sure if that's the right way to put it, but I don't have the god-like ability to separate my thoughts. 'Once you overthink, it's over'... It works wonders on the hero (me). It's like I'm getting a fever from overusing my brain in an unusual way.)

However, the fear of the current situation is growing stronger.

A bead of sweat trickled down Finn's cheek, a rare sight indeed.

Although he could continue "walking the tightrope" guided by his "intuition," several "Finns" had already slipped off the tightrope and fallen into the dark abyss, perishing. This was evident in his conversation with Gareth. The "intuition" brought by his thumb was also gritting its teeth due to the repetitive "cycle"—though it sounds strange—the warnings (pain) were becoming more intense.

(Judging from the intensity of the pain, this "extraordinary" event probably doesn't directly threaten me or my [familia]. We've been swept up in a "torrent of immense power"... Even I find this too abstract and can't help but sigh, but it's best to stay at this level of understanding.)

With his thinking constrained, Finn cautiously made repeated conjectures.

This is a ridiculous and reckless approach, like groping, wandering, and exploring in the darkness of a maze without a single lamp. Fortunately, the compass called "intuition" is right at hand.

Then, after countless unconventional trials and errors, Finn noticed a clue—the center of the 'incongruity'.

(【Hestia Familia】...and 【White Rabbit Swift Foot】...Bell Crane)

By tracing the falsified information and the outlines of the "blank spaces" that have been removed from memory, it becomes clear what is being concealed.

Before returning to this office, Finn tried asking around among the group members (Raul) about [White Rabbit Swift Foot] for the same reason. Finn also left behind [insurance]. That is to say,

"I'm conducting a slightly strange thought experiment. If I ask the same question again, tell me how many times this is."

This was also instructed to the group members (Raul).

Even if the current Finn is erased, the next version of himself in the "cycle" can quickly approach the situation, which is the result of the plan made for this purpose.

This method itself was a countermeasure that could be deduced from Gareth's answer, but Finn, who attempted to defy the rules of the "Hand Garden" with minimal information, was still an impeccably outstanding individual. At least in terms of intellect, he was so excellent that even the white elves, known as the "Hildslief," were on high alert.

Finn is like "a certain warm-hearted god".

As someone who is not a god yet attempts to uncover the truth, he is the most threatening figure among the many Familias. The evidence is that, apart from the 'parties involved' who were not 'bewitched,' Finn noticed this 'extraordinary' existence earlier than anyone else.

Even before he entrusted the "paper that brought the dead back to life" to the goddess of the furnace, the warm-hearted god who had fallen into "enchantment" realized the truth of his "cycle".

However--.

"What's wrong, Finn? You finally finished dealing with that mountain of problems, why do you look so serious again?"

"Loki..."

Loki, the chief god, opened the office door and walked in.

Faced with the ever-elusive and capricious God, Finn raised his head, pretending it was just another ordinary scene.

"No, I'm thinking about the future of the Familia. We did overcome large-scale battles, just as you said, but so did Ota and the others... As a hero eager for fame, I must first devise a plan and figure out how to compete with the still powerful Freya Familia."

"You're still so greedy~. You've been leveling up intimately with Riveria and the others, so it's okay to show a smug expression a little."

Loki put his hands behind his head and walked to the front of Finn.

She turned her back, exclaimed "Oh!" and, as usual, behaved inappropriately, plopping down on the desk.

"Hmm, but—"

Then, she simply turned her profile toward Finn, her 'eyes' looking down at him.

"—It seems like you're 'hiding something'."

A sound that suddenly lost its warmth.

Finn covered his mouth with his hands, his lips slightly distorted imperceptibly.

"You seem to be asking Raul and the others about that boy... [White Rabbit Swift Foot], why?"

Without any hesitation, the god went straight to the heart of the matter, causing Finn's heart to skip a beat.

(Loki is now an "assassin")

In his slightly open crimson eyes, he seemed to see a 'bewitching light' unlike anything he'd ever seen before, but Finn didn't delve into it. He judged that getting bogged down in figuring out the rules that bound him would be too dangerous, and right now, he had to avoid the goddess's questioning no matter what.

Finn, who also possesses a brilliant mind among his clan, is convinced that the pursuit of existence is far more powerful than any form of deceit or trickery.

(This isn't about me personally, or any particular individual. Since the other members (Raul) are also caught up in this "sense of unease," it means... we're monitoring each other. If anyone around notices someone acting suspiciously or with a sense of unease, they immediately start investigating...)

Finn envisioned that if the conditions were met, he too would break free from his original consciousness and become a 'slave'.

Based on this, he became very eager to throw the chess pieces onto the current chessboard and surrender immediately.

(Even the gods (Loki) are affected by this 'sense of incongruity'... Judging from the degree of distortion in this 'extraordinary' situation, I wasn't entirely unprepared for this—but I really wanted to just give up.)