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

We stopped side by side. What came into view was a lush, verdant waterfall.

We are situated atop a towering hill. Looking down, we see a slope that is far from gentle, even quite steep.

To say that this near-cliffside steep slope isn't terrifying would be a lie. But its beauty is even more breathtaking than its fear.

The wind rustled through the untouched green fields, where flowers bloomed silently in the winter.

The scattered figures visible in the distance are probably monsters on the ground.

"Whether it's sowing or cultivating, it can't be separated from the soil called time. Even the interpersonal relationships you mentioned are no exception."

Whether it's the boundless grasslands or the blooming flowers, only through the accumulation of time can this magnificent and beautiful picture be painted.

As Professor Leon said, the seed of my encounter and the bud of the bond Nina mentioned will never blossom into a flower without the nourishment of time.

Time may be a treasure shared by all things; it treats all things equally and is intimately connected with everything.

"Moreover, time is far more precious than we imagine. Once this moment is gone, it will never come back... Although we know this, we often carelessly let it slip away, ultimately leading to irreversible consequences."

Leon's voice carried a hint of seriousness and earnestness.

Never waste the treasure called time.

Is this Professor Leon's philosophy, or one of the beliefs he carries?

My heart skipped a beat. Just then, Mr. Leon, who was gazing at the scenery ahead, turned to look at me with a mischievous smile on his lips.

Ultimately, what I'm trying to say is... we don't have much of a spare time right now.

"Eh?"

"If we don't cherish our time, the 'Urban Sports Festival' will be over in the blink of an eye. So let's quicken our pace a bit."

While we were still in a daze, Teacher Leon had already picked up Nina's backpack and slung it over his shoulder.

"Nina. Which side do you want to grab, me or Lapi?"

"...!"

Before I could even process the meaning of her words, Nina froze instantly, as if she had already grasped the implication.

Her face turned bright red instantly, like a flower in full bloom.

I looked up at Professor Leon on my left, then turned and glanced at myself on my right.

After exchanging glances several times, she finally lowered her head and timidly pinched the sleeve of my school uniform with her fingers.

Huh...? What's going on?

"How youthful (AOHARU) it is. Well then, Nina is in your care."

Professor Leon actually spoke like Lord Eden!

However, I had absolutely no time to feel the impact.

With his backpack on, Professor Leon leaped down the mountain and ran off.

"Alas!!?"

Like a lion with wings, he swooped down the steep slope that was almost a precipice, moving with lightning speed.

Seeing that the distance and speed were such that I couldn't catch up without running at full speed, I opened my eyes as wide as they could.

Speeding up... is that what you mean!?

"Nina!"

"Yes, yes!...Please, please!"

I stretched my hand out to the side.

The half-elf classmate blushed and responded softly, then shyly shrank back and placed her hand on mine.

He pulled her closer and then picked her up.

I carried her horizontally and leaped down the hill.

With my feet planted on the slope, I almost leaped into the air, transforming into a whirlwind in order to catch up with the rapidly receding shadow of the 'knight'.

"Ah—, ah—, hey—good morning, noon, and evening, everyone! The commentary for this unprecedentedly grand event will once again be provided by me, Ibri Acha! That's right, the well-known, self-introducing commentary expert, Ibri Acha!! But since I'm here, let me introduce myself. I'm from the [Ganesha Familia], also known as [Flame Blaze], and as the title suggests, I'm a talking fire magic!! I've been providing commentary since the faction wars began, and I'm so happy! !"

"I'm Ganesha, the commentator! Aa ...

Under a clear blue sky, the voices of the two incredibly loud representatives resounded through the heavens, plunging the entire Orario into a frenzy.

Location: The Second District on the east side of the city, the circular arena.

"Willpower forges the sword! Knowledge shapes the staff!"

"Failure is our crown of glory!"

"The katana and the spring stand with us!! School district, give it your all──────!!"

The arena, which can hold 50,000 spectators, is no longer filled with only residents of the Labyrinth City.

Although they make up less than one-tenth of the total, a group of spectators wearing burgundy ties and pure white uniforms have already occupied a corner of the audience.

"How dare you brats from the 'school district' swagger in here like that!"

"I'll beat you all back to school right now!!"

"What utterly uncultured people, these barbaric adventurers!"

"We're going to show you what it's like to run into a brick wall!"

"But we have to follow the rules and settle this on stage! Just you wait and see!"

Even when trapped in enemy territory, and faced with the adventurers' endless shouts and insults, the students of the 'school district' still fought back defiantly.

The boys and girls are truly a "cheering squad," representing the contestants (supporters) who are offstage in the upcoming competition.

"The atmosphere in the arena has gone beyond just being enthusiastic; it's reached a frenzied level! Adventurers, please behave yourselves, or the average citizen's opinion of you will plummet!"

"It's always us Ganesha who work ourselves to the bone, sweating buckets!"

"Well—never mind all our useless hard work for now! Since we're all warmed up, let's begin! The Urban Sports Festival is officially open! Aa ...

Ooh o ...

Incited by Ibri, deafening shouts erupted not only in the arena but throughout Orario.

Those who couldn't get into the arena gathered in taverns, squares, or main streets to watch the entire event through the "mirror" that had been set up early.

The "school district" docked in the port city also took the same measures. Students other than the "cheering squad" gathered early at the arena on the school floor, shouting encouragement towards the "mirror" floating in mid-air.

From gods to adventurers, students to teachers, the "Urban Arena Festival" has officially begun amidst great anticipation.

"The official showdown between Orario and the school district has truly begun..."

"Yes, I wonder how things will develop..."

"More importantly, where did Lord Bell go off to?! Even when we ask Lady Hestia, she just keeps giving us vague answers!"

"Calm down, Riko. Anyway, that guy's probably been dragged into some kind of incident again."

"It would be a miracle if I calmed down! Lord Welf, you were fighting the 'Demon Sword' the whole time, you definitely know something about it!"

"I was just doing what Lady Hestia told me. Since that goddess patted her chest and said 'no problem,' then there must be nothing wrong, right?"

Among the Hestia Familia seated in the west wing, Mikoto, Haruhime, Lily, and Welf observed their surroundings and chatted.

While Lily and Welf were arguing, Hestia and Ryu were nowhere to be seen.

The former, having received a notice to work during the busy season at his stall, was grumbling while diligently hawking his potato balls. The latter, on the other hand, had been called in to temporarily help out at the "Abundant Mistress," using his spare time for pre-match preparation. This large newcomer at Lv.6 unsurprisingly found himself caught up in this "Urban Sports Festival."

Ibri seized the moment when the cheers subsided and turned his face toward the commentary booth.

"Next, please welcome our special guest for today, Hermes, the source of all evil and representative of the festival gods, to give a speech! Thank you!"

"Thank you very much, little brother Ibri! Now, it is I, Hermes, who will introduce this year's Urban Arena Festival to everyone!"

Hermes held a magic stone microphone, his orange-yellow hair flowing in the wind.

As previously announced, the Urban Arena Festival consists of five representative matches. The first team to win three matches will be the winner, and the losing team must accept the winner's demands! The competition is scheduled to last six days! Due to the need for various preparations, it will take a considerable amount of time, so please bear with us! This Urban Arena Festival is sponsored, planned, and broadcast by our organization, the Divine Society!

After Hermes, full of vigor, shouted into the magic stone microphone, a sly smile appeared on his lips.

"After all that talk, I'm sure you're all getting impatient, so let's begin! First, the Orario and school district representatives will take their oaths! Then, the long-awaited first round of the representative matches will begin immediately!!"

The crowd erupted in cheers once again.

Fireworks burst into bloom in the sky first, and representatives from both sides took the stage on the specially constructed central stage. On one side was Arisa, a female student representing the school district, while on the other side, Royman, who was not a contestant, was forcibly pushed onto the stage by adventurers who were unwilling to participate, with the excuse that "you should do the job yourself."

One side stood tall and resolute, while the other clutched his stomach, clutching his stomach medicine. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, they exchanged solemn vows.

Under the watchful eyes of the smiling, joyful crowd, the "Urban Sports Festival" officially opened.

"Ah ah!"

As Nina shouted, the long staff flashed by, trailing a 'light band'.

That was a specially designed armed force for the school district.

Its name is "The Staff of Amystyl".

A jade-colored crystal is inlaid at the staff's head, and a magical blade about three centimeters thick emerges from the edge of its axe-like blade. The mage's staff has now transformed into a long-handled weapon.

The "mechanical armor," enhanced in power and sharpness by magic, is tearing apart the four-legged beast "Grey Wolf" that is pouncing on it.

"Gooooo!?"

"You're even pretty good at close combat!"

"I studied very hard in Professor Leon's class!"

Nina easily dealt with the attacking ground monsters, and I immediately realized that there was no need to go and help. We exchanged a smile.

During the explorations of the "Third Squad," because Iglin and his group always rushed to the front, I never saw Nina appear in any position other than providing support from the rear. But as it turned out, Nina truly lived up to her reputation as a student of the "District." She applied the "staff techniques" and "gun techniques" she learned in class with great ease. Even considering that the potential abilities of surface monsters are slightly inferior to those of individual monsters in the dungeon, her strength was already quite outstanding.

Seeing Nina, a healer, personally taking action, I smiled knowingly. As I passed by her, I casually dealt with a Grey Wolf before turning my attention to someone else.

"The large-scale appearance of 'Grey Wolf'... no, is it a mass migration?"

However, I still didn't get to witness that person fighting.

Teacher Leon unloaded his backpack at his feet, spun his greatsword once, and then sheathed it. Scattered around him in a ring were the corpses of monsters that had been cleaved in two.

Leon ended the battle in a literal instant.

Whenever I turned my attention to the monster, or for a moment when I was distracted by Nina, I would hear a crisp "slashing sound," and by the time I turned back, it was all over.

To me, the scene resembled a 'magician' skillfully tuning an instrument.

(Miss Ais was right... he really is Lv.7.)

At first I doubted whether I had misheard, but now there is no doubt.

Although not affiliated with Orario, he possesses strength surpassing that of Miss Ais and the others. Faced with this extraordinary knight, I simply cannot suppress the intense awe and curiosity in my heart.

"Hey, Nina... what do you know about Professor Leon?"

The battle has ended successfully, and we are currently dealing with the monster's corpse.

I secretly asked Nina, who was squatting next to me.

"For example, their nationality... or that they are a human who inherited super-powerful knight bloodlines, etc..."

"Human? Professor Leon is a 'dwarf'?"

"—Eh!!!"

Upon hearing this sudden and astonishing answer, I let out the loudest exclamation I'd heard in days.

"A dwarf!? Like Mr. Iglin, that kind of dwarf?"

"Why are you suddenly calling him 'sir'? He's definitely one of those dwarfs..."

"You, think about it, Professor Leon is tall, with long arms and legs, he doesn't have a messy beard, and he doesn't drink while laughing loudly!!"

In the midst of extreme confusion, I blurted out remarks that were almost discriminatory against dwarves!

I apologize to all dwarfs in the world!

Nina was initially puzzled and startled by my enthusiasm, but then she seemed to understand and said with a smile, "Ah, I see."

"Professor Leon's parents... that is, his father and mother, are both 'half-dwarfs'."

"...? A half-dwarf...?"