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

A beam of light was emitted instantly.

With a sharp shout, the blade was thrown, the kodachi piercing the tree I was leaning against—right next to my face. The tree trunk made a thud next to my ear, making me gasp and unable to make a sound.

The elf, Miss Liu, raised her sky-blue eyes.

She covered her chest with her left arm, her right hand, which had thrown the katana, still extended, glaring at me fiercely... However, when she realized that I was the one peeping, she frowned in surprise.

"Mr. Craney?"

"...I'm so, so sorry—!"

Upon hearing her call my name, I snapped out of my daze, jumped up immediately, and kowtowed to apologize.

I banged my forehead on the ground to apologize to her.

What am I doing? What am I doing?! How could I repeat the same mistake so soon?!

This is the second time! I cursed myself inwardly. How could I possibly speak ill of Hermes after doing this?

My face turned red all the way to my ears, and I closed my eyes tightly, only to hear her exhale softly.

My shoulders trembled; Miss Ryu had spoken to me.

"Please turn around and turn your back to me."

“Okay, okay!”

I didn't raise my head, remaining in a kneeling position as I turned around. Only after the landscape changed from spring water to forest did I raise my upper body, fixing myself in place like a stone, waiting for time to pass.

I was sweating profusely when I heard the rustling of clothes behind me. It was probably Miss Ryu getting dressed. The thought made my cheeks flush red again.

"That's enough."

I turned my head nervously and saw that Miss Ryu had already put on the combat suit I had seen yesterday.

Shorts and boots, with a cloak worn over her top, but the hood up. The elven's undisguised beauty struck my eyes.

"Let me hear your explanation first."

"Okay, okay! Um, well, it's like this...!"

Miss Liu came to me, and I stood up and tried to explain what had happened... However, the whole process was just too... embarrassing to talk about.

"After peeping at someone taking a shower, I actually peeped at someone else taking a shower again." Can you believe that I said that?

In my panic, I considered lying... but I gave up.

Looking into those clear, sky-blue eyes, I felt that lying was a seriously shameful act.

My mouth opened and closed anxiously, and after a long while, I finally began to stammer out my confession. It was as if I were pouring out an endless stream of sins, but Miss Ryu didn't move; she just listened silently.

After telling everything, I felt as if I had used up all my strength, and I lowered my head.

"I understand Mr. Craney's situation. I'll take you back to the Loki Familia's campsite later."

"...Would you...would you forgive me?"

"There's no such thing as forgiveness. You didn't do anything wrong. I have no reason to blame you."

"Don't you think I'm lying...?"

"Mr. Crannie... Humility may be a virtue, but please don't belittle yourself. It's a bad habit of yours."

Seeing that Miss Ryu seemed a little angry, I sincerely apologized, "I'm sorry."

Listening to me belittle myself... it seemed that the insults I made to myself made her genuinely feel indignant on my behalf.

I stood still, while Miss Ryu walked past me first. It seemed she was going to retrieve the wooden sword and other weapons she had left aside while bathing.

Finally, she tied her bag under her cloak, said "Sorry to keep you waiting," and came back.

"...Uh, sorry I'm so late. Thank you for coming all this way to save me, even to a place like this..."

"No, please don't worry about it. I was planning to come to this floor in a while anyway."

Hearing the unexpected answer, I widened my eyes slightly and exclaimed, "Huh!"

Miss Ryu continued:

"I'd like to go somewhere first, could I take up a little of your time?"

"Ah...no problem."

She thanked me and then walked on.

I stared at her profile for a while, and then obediently followed behind her.

"Miss Ryu, um... you're not going to stay in this forest the whole time, are you?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you come camping with everyone? There are monsters here, and you're all alone in a place like this..."

"Because I have some personal matters to take care of, and I don't really want people to see what I look like."

Miss Liu spoke calmly, as always.

Hermes also said she had a secret... I wonder if it's related to that.

"Have you already heard about me from the god Hermes?"

"No, no..."

"……Really?"

"Really, really."

"It turns out I misunderstood..."

I sensed that she gave a wry smile as she faced forward.

"No, now that we're here, there's no need to hide it anymore. Let's go."

What does that mean...? It sounds like there's something ahead that's closely related to Miss Ryu.

I remembered that Miss Ryu had said she used to be an adventurer, and I kept a close eye on the figure in front of me so as not to get lost.

Miss Ryu seemed quite familiar with the terrain of the forest, walking steadily between the trees and crystals without encountering any monsters. She arrived at her destination after about twenty minutes.

"here it is……"

After passing through a narrow tunnel formed by trees, we arrived at a cemetery.

There is a small clearing here, surrounded by slender bushes and crystals.

A ray of light shone down from overhead, revealing several cross-shaped tombstones made of wood tied together with ropes.

"...Sometimes I would ask Mia's mother for leave so I could present them with flowers."

Miss Liu placed the white flowers in her hand one by one in front of more than ten graves.

She said she had some personal matters to attend to, which involved collecting these white flowers in this forest?

She then reached into her bag, took out a bottle—a bottle of wine—and poured it onto several specific graves in sequence.

"Miss Ryu, this is—"

"These are the graves of my former kin, my fellow members."

As an elf, she calmly said this to my bewildered expression.

She looked up, her sky-blue eyes fixed on me, and in an instant, she captivated my soul.

"Now that someone knows my background, you will find out someday too... I don't want to regret not telling you myself back then."

Even though it's just my whim, would you be willing to listen?

When Miss Liu asked me that, I nodded.

"My name is on the guild's blacklist."

"!"

"My status as an adventurer has long been stripped away... and for a time I was a wanted criminal."

Suddenly, I heard something unbelievable.

Is this why she doesn't show her true face and splits up with us to avoid being recognized?

"The faction I used to belong to was called the [Astria Familia]... Under the command of Astria, the goddess who governs justice and order, I was quite well-known at the time."

Ryu Rion is her real name. Her other name is [Swift Wind].

No one knows her real name; she is a masked adventurer whose identity and origins have always been shrouded in mystery.

"Our [Family] not only explores dungeons, but also takes care of those who disrupt the peace of the city. As a result, many people are opposed to us."

She said things are different now. Just five years ago, Orario's "evil" was in power and ran rampant.

Ms. Ryu said that she swore an oath with an emblem engraved with the sword of justice and wings, as well as the name of the chief god (Asteria), to do her best to maintain the peace of Orario with her companions.

"One day, our hostile Familia set a trap for us in the dungeon, and all of us except me perished... I couldn't even retrieve their bodies. At that time, I had no choice but to bury my companions' belongings on this 18th floor."

"Is this the cemetery you're talking about...?"

"Yes. They used to really like this floor (place)."

She said: "My companions always joke that if we die, we should be buried here."

Perhaps recalling what happened back then, Miss Liu's lips turned down, and her eyes became dim and melancholy.

"...Having survived, I told everything to the goddess Astrea, and then bowed my head and begged her to leave the city alone. Seeing my repeated pleas, she finally agreed."

"You...you want the gods to escape the city?"

No, it's not.

Miss Liu stubbornly denied it, saying it was for a more selfish and superficial motive.

"I just don't want that person to see me in my ugly state, controlled by resentment and passion."

Then, she revealed part of her feelings at the time, clearly stating:

"Harboring personal grudges over the loss of my comrades, I launched a solo revenge campaign against the enemy [Familia]."

"One, a person...!"

Ambush, surprise attack, trap—the enemy's [Family] was destroyed by any means necessary.

With the help of just one elf, the hostile faction that was once a huge organization was wiped out.

"That's not even justice anymore. Driven by hatred, I didn't let any of the suspicious people go, whether they were colluding with that organization or had any connection with it."

This is why her name was on the guild's dangerous list.

Her excessive acts of revenge incurred the resentment of adventurers, organizations, merchants, and other figures. They even offered a bounty for Miss Ryu's capture.

The consequences of such reckless and blatant actions... even considering past achievements, the guild had no choice but to punish Ms. Ryu. Furthermore, the fact that some of their own staff members (who were suspected of colluding with the [familia]) were also harmed made it even more difficult for them to ignore the situation.

Since the main god (Asteria) who fled outside the city is still alive and her blessings (ability values) remain, "Gale" swept through every corner of the city, causing turmoil driven by anger.

"...And then, what happened?"

"Exhausted. After taking revenge on everyone, I collapsed in a deserted, dark alley."

Perhaps she had long been prepared to exhaust her life.

Having completed her revenge, and having lost her god and companions, she had nothing left to cherish.

"I was covered in blood and mud... People who do foolish things deserve that kind of end."

"..."

"However……"

--How are you?

A warm hand took her dirty hand in its grasp.

Miss Seele saved Miss Ryu, who was lying alone in the back alley.

Ms. Liu said that it was her repeated sacrifices and dedication—which, in Ms. Liu's own words at the time, would have been "annoying busybody"—that brought her back to the path of life.

"The Seele who saved me asked Mother Mia to make me a member of the 'Mistress of Abundance' family... and even forced me to dye my hair."

Since she always wore a mask during her adventurer days, as long as she concealed her name as Gale and dyed her hair, she wouldn't be recognized.

Miss Liu concluded her life story so far in a gentle tone.