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

The party was over, and the band had long since disbanded. Only the loneliness of the post-festival lingered in the venue. Bathed in the pale blue moonlight streaming through the windows, her ornate attire exuded a melancholy.

Dejected and looking out of place, Hestia was about to leave the venue when a figure walked up to her.

"Bell...?"

"Immortal, please follow me."

Wearing a tuxedo, Bell took Hestia's hand and led her to the balcony.

She was startled and before she could ask Bell what he was going to do, the two of them had already stepped down the stairs outside the window and entered the lush green courtyard at night.

"Bell, what exactly is this...?"

The water in the fountain shimmered under the moonlight as Bell turned back towards Hestia.

"Look, a deity."

Hestia followed the boy's gaze and looked up behind her—she saw several figures standing on the towering roof of the venue.

"Come on, everyone, pick up your favorite instruments! This is dedicated to our adorable, youthful goddess—we're the band for tonight only!"

Standing in the command position was Hermes, who was swaying his bright orange hair.

Upon hearing his pretentious speech, everyone picked up the various musical instruments placed on the roof.

"Lord Welf... do you play a stringed instrument (violin)?"

"It's just for show. After all, this is the only surname I was ever a nobleman for. Don't worry, I'm a complete idiot."

"Is... am I really capable of playing this instrument...?"

"The magic item (lyre) will automatically play music no matter how bad the player's skill is, so don't worry. Well then, I'll play the flute."

Lily, Welff, Ming, and Asfi, some with their fingers on the strings or bow, others with their lips on the flute's embouchure hole. Finally, they began a quiet performance in coordination with the conductor's hand gestures.

Even though the various instruments produced different timbres, they combined to create a perfect waltz. With their backs to the azure starry sky and the moon, the five-member band wove together a beautiful melody.

The gentle melody that reached her ears made Hestia, who had been staring blankly at the roof of the building, turn around and look at the boy.

Bell, too, looked quite nervous.

"To make the goddess (Hestia) happy, you should say the most stylish lines possible." Hermes had instructed him beforehand, so he resolutely raised his face and knelt down on one knee in front of Hestia.

"Tonight, am I honored to dance with you, my goddess (Dearangel)?"

He summoned all the heroic tales he had been obsessed with since childhood from his memory, and tried his best to deliver the coolest lines to the young goddess.

Bell himself was already blushing when he delivered the cool line; as for Hestia, her eyes welled up with tears—then revealed a smile as beautiful as a blooming flower.

"Um!"

She met the boy's deep red (rubellite) eyes as he looked up at her, and took his hand in hers.

Urged on by the beautiful melody, the dance for just the two of them began.

In a corner of a building that resembles a palace, in a courtyard surrounded by flowers and greenery.

Accompanied by the sound of the fountain, the two danced with small steps.

Until the performance dedicated to the two of them from above ended.

The goddess and her young companion shared laughter, dancing the waltz under the moonlight.

Volume 6 Bonus: Behind the Special Training

The online translation is from Baidu Tieba

Translation: Miaopasi

"Let's eat, let's eat!"

The glow of the red campfire, the bubbling of the large pot, and Tiona's cheerful voice.

She stirred the meat in the pot with a wooden spoon, calling out, "Hey, Agno! And Ais too!" and placed the meat on a plate. "T-thank you," we said, "Thank you, Tiona."

On the walls of the city of Orario. Having finished our training for the war game, we're having a late-night snack under the stars. A pot is simmering chunks of meat and fish, with a small amount of vegetables. How delicious is this dish, prepared by Tiona, the hearty Amazonian warrior, after she went down to the city to buy ingredients! The steaming, flavorful meat and warm broth seem to seep into our wounded bodies.

"Today's special training is over. Take a shower and get some sleep! It'll be early tomorrow too, right, Ais?"

"Um, there's no time..."

Within the walls of this massive city, there exists a living space, primarily featuring showers. Who lived in these hidden rooms, bearing traces of human habitation—might have done so in secret, just as we do with our church's hidden rooms? Ais calls this the "secret base."

"Then... I'll sleep over there."

After finishing the food and washing myself, I said this. Even though I'm supposed to be in the midst of training, spending day and night with such beautiful girls is still quite embarrassing. Things have changed. A few hours later, my training resumed, and to allow my body to rest, I quickly moved to the corner.

"No!" "No!"

However, my arms were grasped by fair and brown hands. I turned around and saw Ais speaking with a serious expression next to the smiling Diona.

"Let's sleep together."

I tried to sleep while enjoying the warmth of the two of them. Of course, I didn't get a full night's sleep. Just as I was about to fall asleep with my eyes closed, I felt the thrown blade ‹Naifu› tumbling down from that spot with all my might.

Aissan and Tiona nodded in satisfaction at me for avoiding the surprise attack, having opened one eye.

To avoid being attacked while bedridden... this seems to be a form of training.

"But Sais, isn't this training for the dungeon ‹Monster›? You don't need to worry about falling asleep during war games."

"...!"

I felt somewhat uneasy during the unsteady conversation.

Although I know it's tough in every sense... is it really? Both physically and mentally.

(Am I alright...?)

This was only the first day of the special training.

Volume 6 Bonus: The Demon Sword That Went to Birth

The online translation is from Baidu Tieba

Translation: Miaopasi

He kept swinging the hammer.

The echo was a sharp, metallic sound. Each strike of the hammer produced a different sound. Listening to the iron's whispers, when did he begin swinging the hammer? Gazing at the metal block shaped like a longsword, Welf had dedicated himself to his training.

The workshop, assigned to Welf by the Hephaestus Familia, is a quiet battlefield nestled in a narrow alley. In the dead of night, as darkness fades, weapons are manufactured tirelessly.

The battle of the war game has begun. To protect Bell and ensure his victory, the blacksmith Welf started crafting weapons earlier than anyone else. In the corner of the workshop sits the completed Ushiwakamaru II, and a set of high-performance rabbit armor—a weapon for his companions—made in a short time. Currently working on an item commissioned by the goddess Hestia, and the magic sword that Welf himself has decided to forge.

Sweat dripped profusely from his head, which was wrapped in a towel. Killer-like heat billowed from the furnace. Sparks flew between the hammer and the metal, disappearing in a black blur, or leaving burns on his skin, starting with his neck. Welf's appearance as he faced the training was sharper and more intense than any battle against a monster, any confrontation with any opponent.

—I will no longer speak of forgiveness. Save my companions.

As he crafted the unparalleled "Crozo's Demon Sword," Welf silently chanted in his heart.

Besides the furnace light, a sliver of light danced in the workshop. Beautiful particles of light were drawn into a vortex onto the metal blocks on the iron bed. This was always the case when the Demon Sword Bloodline ‹Skill› was activated. As if drawn by Welf's blood, and in admiration of Welf, a spirit of light coiled from the empty air around the tightly gripped hammer, attaching itself to the metal. After learning the ability of 'Forging', a thin layer of red light enveloped Welf's hands.

Soon, the workout ended. The rhythm of the hammer stopped, and the longsword, having completed its swing, gleamed before Welf's eyes.

"You are... 'Princess Purple Lightning'"

When the "Demon Sword" was finished, Valf always chose its name casually. This was to prevent them from projecting their feelings onto their shattered and scattered fate. And this name also came from Valf's hand.

It is arranged next to another 'demon sword' that has already been completed.

The "Demon Sword," hastily crafted for a war game, unexpectedly became a sister sword.

"Naruto" and "Purple Lightning Princess".

At dawn, the red and purple longsword, bathed in the morning air, shone brightly towards Welf.

Volume 6 Bonus: Spy Girl

The online translation is from Baidu Tieba

Translation: Miaopasi

"Damn it, those guys always dump all their chores on me..."

Luan Esper, a member of the Apollo Familia and a member of the Lilliputian race ‹Palum›, reacted with hostility towards a large number of memos.

With five days to go before the start of the war game, he was forced to begin preparing supplies and wagons to be transported to the city at dawn. As a lower-level adventurer who had not yet undergone ascension (level increase), and especially as a small, despised race of dwarves (Palum), Ruan was given a convenient and useful position within the faction.

"Just you wait... If I become the Finn I admire, you'll have nothing to say."

Luan harbored the hopes of the dwarf race ‹Palum›—to become like the [Hero] Finn Demna, and he strived towards that dream. One day, that day would surely come. But that 'one day' never came; several years had passed. It remained just a verbal wish—a nearly given-upon idea—showing no sign of sprouting. With a desperate act of bravado, Luan entered a deserted alleyway.

"Ugh, this is so troublesome. Who can replace me?!"

"—Then, shall I take your place?"

Suddenly, a small boy appeared in front of Luan from the crosswalk. It was exactly the same as him, no, the same person in both figure and voice as Luan Esper. "Eh—" Luan stopped moving and froze.

A smile appeared on the face of Lu An before him. Thump! He was struck from behind and fainted.

"—Is it over, Supporter?"

"Yes, Miss Hestia. I have obtained all the necessary information."

The warehouse outside the street. Lily, who had locked Luan up, finished talking with Hestia and the others outside.

The war game has begun. For victory in the siege—and for espionage—Lily and Naza take away Luan, who has been replaced by the transformation magic ‹Cinderella›. To perfectly integrate into his group, all necessary information—his position within the faction, his relationships with other members, and their titles—comes from him personally.

"That being said, you've got the information really fast... Well, I hope it's something like torture."

"Pretty much. He cried and screamed when I shoved this smelly bag up his nose."

"Being able to use it flexibly is better than anything else..."

After Nazha's faint smile, Mihe, who participated in making the strong odor bag, gave a wry smile.

Lily put the items, which had turned into a bag of strong-smelling natural antacids, together and closed her eyes.

"————【Your mark ‹Scar› belongs to me. My mark ‹Scar› still belongs to me】"

As she chanted, she instantly became "Luan Esper," and she smiled.

"Well then, I'm leaving."

From then on, she was not suspected by anyone and infiltrated enemy lines alone.

Volume 6 Bonus: The Eve of the Final Battle between the Goddess and Her Kin

The online translation is from Baidu Tieba

Translation: Miaopasi

Lv. 2

Strength: SS 1088

Durability: SS 1029

Dexterity: SS 1094

Agility: SS 1302

Magic: A 883

(It's all a mess...)

Hestia, sitting on Bell's back as he lay on the bed, looked down at the updated [Status] with a complex expression.

Two days before the war game. Considering tomorrow's travel time, Bel returned home after completing his special training—which involved sending advance notice of the location of Apollo's mansion to Mich and his family—at the summons of the goddess Hestia.

Although she hadn't heard about it beforehand, seeing the astonishing increase in her stats ‹Abiriti›, she sought guidance from her idol ‹Ais›. About a month ago, her LV.1 update value was similar to that of her nemesis ‹Minotaur› after its defeat. Or perhaps ‹Abiriti› stats above SSS rank don't exist? Hestia wondered, looking at the ridiculously low 'Agility' stat. In other words, because things would get complicated, she shouldn't have told ‹Bell› beforehand.

"...Then, Belle, let's sleep in bed like this. Together."

"Ah, yes—wait, two people!?"

"Ah, this is the only sleeper berth left."

That was a complete lie. It was a scheme born of jealousy over the precious days spent with Ais. Bell initially said he wanted to sleep on the floor, but Hestia persuaded him not to tire himself out from the war games. Mich and the others had also warned him, but it didn't bother him.

In a room where the magic stone lamp was turned off, the two lay close together on a narrow bed.

"...Bell, do you hate me?"

Excitement and nervousness were just the beginning. Hestia asked Bell, adopting a sideways posture.

I was the one who unilaterally accepted the war game. I had no desire to lose, but Lily and the others imposed all the responsibility and burden on Belle. Perhaps, this will be the last night I spend.