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

In an instant, time stood still.

"Pfft!?"

Upon seeing the high-quality paper laid out before her, the goddess Hestia spat out a mouthful of saliva.

"Huh?" Lily froze on the spot. "Two... hundred million?" Welf stood there motionless, and all the volunteers who had joined the group were speechless with astonishment.

As for me—I was frozen.

Miss Ming was shown screams on a high-grade piece of paper, with a row of hastily written numbers in the very center.

20000000—two hundred million Fali.

My trembling eyes instantly counted the zeros. The list of items written in blood red was undoubtedly the real "IOU." The name of the main god (Hestia), signed in both common language and sacred script, wouldn't let me escape reality.

As if about to deliver a fatal blow, I saw the signature of "Hephaestus Familia" written in the corner of the paper, and all the sounds faded away.

(No way...)

The Goddess's Blade, still worn at her waist, flashed briefly.

As I had imagined, the jet-black dagger engraved with the name 【ΗØαιστοs】 became as heavy as a gold nugget.

The next instant, I lost consciousness.

"Ugh, ah..."

"Lord Bel—!?"

"Hey, you're kidding, right...?"

I lay on my back, powerless, on the ground. Beside me, Lily screamed, followed by Welf's stiff voice.

Then, as if triggered by these events, the front yard was suddenly shrouded in wails and screams.

"—Let's go back, Cassandra."

"Huh, huh! Daphne?"

The volunteers who wanted to join the Youth League all disappeared like the receding tide.

Upon seeing the amount of debt owed by the [family] displayed in broad daylight, everyone vanished from our sight.

Just as the once bustling scene suddenly fell silent, leaving no one left in the headquarters.

As my vision went completely dark, the last thing I saw was...

It was a figure frozen in place, like a statue of a deity.

■

"How is this going?"

Please explain clearly. I heard Lily say that.

This is the spacious living room at the far end of the first floor of headquarters. In this large room, where everything is still unpacked and the wooden crates are scattered haphazardly, there's a long sofa, candlesticks fixed to the wall, and a fireplace. The candlesticks, now merely decorative, aren't lit; instead, they're illuminated by magic stone lamps. We're all gathered in the center of the room.

I was the only one lying there, groaning pathetically and unable to get up, while Lily, Welf, and Miss Fate sat in a circle on the carpet with the fairy in the middle.

Goddess Hestia looked extremely embarrassed, as if she were surrounded by Lily and the others.

The clock on the wall was ticking, indicating that it was sunset.

Half a day has passed since that failed selection process for joining the group, and it has already become dark outside the window; night is about to fall.

"I was delayed earlier because of the cleanup and taking care of Lord Bell. Now, please explain clearly what happened with that IOU?"

"That's my personal IOU, it won't directly harm the faction (familia)..."

"Because of this IOU that shouldn't have caused any direct harm, no one wants to join the group now, and Lily and everyone else are also scared. As the chief god, you have an obligation to explain this clearly to us who have entered into the familiarity contract."

Lily spoke on behalf of everyone, her barbed tone causing the deity to utter a soft "Ugh!" and be momentarily speechless.

Although Miss Ming had lost her temper in a moment of shock, she had revealed her debt in front of everyone, which made her feel very guilty. However, she was also waiting to hear an explanation. Welf, who was sitting cross-legged, seemed to have the same thought, lowering his eyebrows and waiting for the divine intervention.

Looking at Lily and the others, and at me lying beside them, my gaze wandering around in pain, the immortal seemed to have given up and began to tell his story.

"Actually... something happened when I asked Hephaestus to forge Bell's dagger..."

As expected, the whole affair of the immortals' conversation revolved around my "Goddess's Blade".

She said she reluctantly asked the goddess Hephaestus to forge a dagger for me.

It is also said that this is a unique weapon in the world, and probably only the God of Forging (Hephaestus) could make it, making it extremely precious.

The price she paid for this precious weapon was a heavy debt (loan).

Upon hearing this, Welf, originally belonging to the forging faction (Hephaestus), pressed a hand to his brow. "I saw the logotype on it, and I was wondering whose work it was… I never imagined it was made by the goddess herself." He groaned as he spoke of the "Goddess's Blade." Miss Fate, hearing that the deity was determined to shoulder hundreds of millions in debt, seemed to swallow hard as well. Lily, who knew I carried an inappropriate dagger even when I was still a novice adventurer, seemed to have guessed most of it already, sighing and muttering, "Just as I expected…"

After the deity finished explaining the whole story, he shrank into a tiny ball and poked his fingers together.

"...Lily just went to the city to inquire, and now the news has spread throughout the city by the gods...The people now think that the [Hestia Familia] is a ticking time bomb with a mountain of debt."

"So that means..."

"Yes, I'm afraid no one will want to join the group."

Lily looked up to explain the current situation of the [Family]. Miss Ming asked timidly, receiving a cruel revelation; tears welled up in my eyes.

It's strange, this atmosphere that everyone's avoiding like the plague seems exactly the same as before...

"In practical terms... 200 million fares is a serious problem."

"That's extremely dangerous."

Welf spoke to Miss Fate in a strained voice, then stole glances at Lily beside him.

Lily, who had now fully become the [Family]'s accountant, spoke with a solemn expression:

"Almost all the compensation money was spent on the renovation of the headquarters, and the faction (family) doesn't have much asset left now."

"..."

"Furthermore, the victory in the war game and Lord Bell's level-up have caused the faction's rank to jump to E level in one go, which will increase the taxes paid to the guild. Please be prepared, the annual tax will probably not be less than a million."

“…………”

"In other words... in order to pay off our debts, we have to work even harder to venture into the dungeons and earn more money."

Lily and the others, sitting in a circle, fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone must earn several times more than before, otherwise they will be so poor that they cannot make a living. Faced with this reality, everyone remained silent.

Seeing the sorrowful expressions on Lily's and the others' faces, the fairy quickly stood up.

"You...you guys have got it wrong! This is the money I owe, and I'm going to pay it back myself! No, I must pay it back by myself alone!!"

The immortal slapped the IOU to his chest, emphasizing that it was purely his personal debt and had nothing to do with any faction.

"This IOU is like a crystallization of love, showing how deep my love for Belle is!! I won't give it to anyone!!"

"The fruit of love is a mountain of debt, what kind of talk is that?"

The goddess Hestia pointed at the book with the number two hundred million without a care, and Lily rolled her eyes at her.

Ignoring the confused looks from Welf and Miss Fate, the deity muttered to himself, "In the end, this is all Hephaestus's scheme. It shouldn't have been this expensive..." and "That friend of mine just wanted me to work, so he made up this excuse..."

After a while, the fairy shook her head from side to side, swaying her ponytail and face, and looked at us, saying:

"In short, you don't need to take on this debt for me. You know I'm working, right? I've used all my wages to pay off my loan. No matter how many centuries it takes, I will definitely pay it off."

"..."

"It was indeed my fault; I shouldn't have concealed the debt... But I assure you, I will absolutely not implicate my family (you)."

Although perhaps no one will ever volunteer to join the group again... After saying this apologetically, the deity firmly added, "But don't worry."

When Lily and the others heard the Lord God insist that his subjects did not need to bear debts, they looked at each other blankly.

"……But,"

I removed the wet cloth from my forehead and slowly propped myself up.

Sitting on the long-haired carpet, I looked up at the standing deity.

"A deity... must have lent me money and given me this dagger specifically for my sake?"

"..."

Although the deity refused to answer, her silence was tantamount to an affirmation.

A sharp pain shot through my chest.

The Goddess's Blade has helped me countless times. I've survived many battles and am now sitting here perfectly fine. I have to thank the gods for preparing this dagger for me.

Because the gods bear heavy burdens, I have been able to fight my way to this day.

"...Don't worry, Belle, this is what I wanted..."

The fairy smiled gently at me, but I interrupted her and stood up.

After touching the dagger at my waist, I stared intently at the immortal.

"God... I want to repay this debt together with you."

His eyes, with their mysterious blue hue, were wide open.

I pleaded with the startled goddess in short but sincere words.

Because this dagger must be... the bond between God and His people.

"Please... let me help you."

"..."

After I expressed my inner thoughts, the deity stopped what he was doing—and then gave a wry smile.

She slowly reached her right hand towards her ponytail.

"I'd lose face if I asked you for help..."

Her slender fingers touched the hair accessory I had given her before.

The ribbon, resembling azure petals, swayed, and the small silver bell emitted a clear "ring" sound.

The fairy blushed slightly, her fingers fiddling with her hair ornaments, and finally she chuckled softly, drawing her conclusion.

"No matter how many years it takes, I will pay off my debts. So I hope that Bell and you all... can support me and keep me from collapsing."

This time it was my turn to open my eyes wide, and Lily and the others had similar expressions. The gods were looking around at each of us.

Support the gods. That means warm meals, family reunions, and protecting this headquarters—the place where the gods can smile. With all our strength.

That's what Hestia means.

"I'm sorry, I'm a god (celestial being) drowning in debt... Would you be willing to support me?"

"Of course I'd love to!"

Seeing the fairy smile softly, I excitedly leaned forward and nodded.

This goddess is a bit stubborn, insisting on paying off her debts herself and putting an end to it, but she is also willing to rely on us. I have decided to support her and work together to make a difference.

Seeing her joyful smile, I made that vow in my heart.

"...Since the chief god has said so, the servants certainly cannot disobey."

"Hehe, that's right."

"Really! You can't do that again!"

Seeing us standing face to face, Welf and Miss Fate couldn't help but laugh and stood up. Lily, while giving instructions, also stood up. "No problem, no problem!" Fairy replied to Lily with a smile. I stood beside Fairy, smiling wryly, while thanking Welf and the others for granting Fairy's wish.

Later, we stood in a circle and discussed our future plans again.

"Now let's confirm the current situation and policy of the [Family]. The immediate goal is to ensure sufficient living expenses and save money to pay taxes to the guild. In order to avoid accumulating more debt, we must raise funds."

"In other words, the faction's activities will now mainly focus on exploring dungeons."

"To improve the efficiency of exploration, the most urgent task is to strengthen the faction and its members."

"It might be difficult to say this now... but it means we should actively encourage our members, right?"

Lily, Miss Life, Welf, and I spoke in turn, sharing information with each other.

Finally, Welf and the others jokingly urged me, "You're the leader, you should conclude this." Though shy, I still extended my hand. Everyone, including the immortals, put their palms together, and I gave the pep talk: "Let's all do our best!"

Everyone shouted "Whoa!" in unison, cheering for the future of the [family].