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

"Alright! Now that it's decided, let's eat plenty of nutritious food today to prepare for tomorrow! Let's have a big meal tonight!!"

"We just finished talking, and now you're already going to splurge?! From today onwards, we need to try to be as frugal as possible! Goddess Hestia is such a spendthrift!"

"Hey, don't be so stubborn! It's not like it'll happen just today!"

"No!! Lily will no longer trust you, Lord God! Lily will manage the faction's assets!!"

After calming down the quarreling fairy and Lily, the three decided to have a big meal that night.

Unable to argue with the gods, we cooked fish and meat ourselves and sat down around the dishes in the spacious restaurant at headquarters.

Simple charcoal-grilled chicken cutlet, several hearty whole grilled fish, rice balls supposedly made from rice (a Far Eastern dish), fried potato balls, and a little bit of wine.

Lily was groaning and moaning, which made Miss Ming smile wryly and tell her to eat some chicken; Welff was drinking, and the other was stuffing his mouth full of hot potato balls. Caught between the two, I barely ate anything, only feeling dizzy from being jostled around. Night fell, and the streets were completely dark, but our laughter and the warm lamplight spilled out the window.

I thought about the years I spent with my grandfather and felt a little like crying, but I didn't tell anyone.

[Family/Relatives]

We all have divine blood (bonds) in us, this must be my second home.

Having lost my adoptive parents and living alone, I have long yearned for the warmth of family.

I think it's wonderful to have come to Orario.

It's so wonderful to have met these people; I truly feel that way today.

Everyone hugged their bellies and laughed and joked together, and the lively dinner continued until midnight.

■

The small banquet of the [family] ended the night before, and the next morning...

The gods went to work early this morning, while we're finishing up our remaining homework.

"The new house needs to be sorted out by today...it has to be done!"

I mustered my courage and started moving things along the hallway of the house all by myself.

In order to restart our exploration of the dungeon, we hoped to finish the move today. We divided the work and ran around the mansion, busy organizing and packing our belongings.

"My Lord, a guest is here to see you. Lady Chigusa has arrived!"

"Chigusa-sama?"

In a room on the first floor, Miss Fate, I, and Welf were taking things out of a wooden crate.

Hearing Lily calling out from the doorway, Miss Ming stood up and went out of the room.

Chigusa-san was a member of the Takemikazuchi Familia, to which Mikoto had recently joined. It's said that she, like Mikoto, is from the Far East and they've been friends since childhood.

Looking out the window, there she was, Chigusa-san. The girl, who always covered her eyes with her bangs, was pacing nervously back and forth in the middle of the front yard, arms crossed... How to put it? She seemed very anxious.

As soon as Miss Ming walked out of the gate, Miss Qiancao immediately ran over to talk to her.

Seeing Miss Chigusa like this, Miss Megumi was initially flustered, but as she spoke,

"—Is this real!?"

She exclaimed in surprise.

“…What happened?”

"Who knows?"

Welf and Lily, who were standing by the window together, both looked puzzled. We couldn't hear what Miss Fate and the others were saying from here, and their anxious expressions made me turn my head slightly.

Soon after, Miss Chigusa quickly left the headquarters, and Miss Megumi returned to her room.

"Miss Ming, what's wrong?"

"Uh, no! No, it's nothing..."

When I tried to ask her a question, Miss Ming looked away and quickly ended the conversation.

"Hurry up and get to work!" She picked up her things and left the room, somewhat hesitantly.

My new companion's stiff attitude made Lily, Welf, and I exchange glances.

Book 7, Chapter 2: Run! Craney

"Today, I'd like to go to bed early."

After having dinner at headquarters.

In a living room with only four people, Ming said this as his very first words.

After her conversation with Bell and the others last night, the goddess Hestia seems to have been ignited with fighting spirit and is now busy working overtime. Only now has the goddess finally found her motivation, burning with enthusiasm to actively repay her debts.

Hearing the girl's somewhat insincere remark, Bell and the others weren't surprised. They simply said "Goodnight" and watched her leave. It wasn't even 8 PM yet when Ming, with her back to them, tightly closed the door and left the living room.

She climbed the stairs, walked through the long corridor bathed in moonlight streaming through the windows, and headed to her assigned room on the third floor.

Then, halfway there—she changed direction.

She ran silently across the second-floor corridor, jumped out of the window, and landed in a corner of the backyard.

After confirming that the living room light was on, she stealthily left through the back door.

"Okay, let's give chase."

"It's been a long time since I've followed anyone since I retired from that life of crime—"

"Is this... okay...?"

As for the other side.

Welf, Lily, and Belle all clearly saw Ming walking into the street.

They had locked the mansion doors long ago, turned on the living room lights, and quickly went outside to wait. Now they emerged from their hiding place.

The group began tracking the girl, who was clearly hiding something.

"She seemed to care a lot about what was happening on the street... and sure enough."

"Anyone would notice her looking out the window so often."

After talking with Chigusa this morning, Ming's actions have become noticeably more furtive.

She couldn't calm down all day, glancing out at the street several times. Welf and Lily realized she was going to take some action, so they dragged the disheveled Bell into it, ready to follow her at any moment.

No matter how they were questioned, Ming simply pretended not to understand; they couldn't ignore their companion's suspicious actions.

"That guy is just like you."

"what?"

"He means that neither of you are good at lying, Lord Bell."

A girl who is bad at lying and has a rigid personality walks down a bustling street.

Perhaps due to her anxiety causing her to lose focus, she didn't realize she was being followed. Her crew moved south from the southwest of the city where headquarters were located, with Bell and the others keeping a safe distance as they moved stealthily.

Soon, they arrived at South Street—a bustling area.

The surrounding noise reached its peak here. Grand theaters, casinos, and upscale taverns lined the avenues with massive and imposing buildings, which were crowded with well-dressed merchants and adventurers. Even the gods came to join in the fun.

Ignoring the heart of this bustling city, fate took a detour from the main road and met the girl standing in front of a shop in a back alley.

"Is that Lady Chigusa? Is it just her and Lady Mikoto?"

"Ah, it seems they're changing locations... Where are they going?"

The two girls, both from the Far East, nodded to each other solemnly and then left.

Bell and the others peeked out from the shadows of the building, observing intently. Although the demi-humans around them looked at them suspiciously, they paid no attention and continued to follow.

As they got further and further away from the bustling area, the two girls continued walking along the dark path.

"...Hey, this direction, could it be...?"

After following them for a while, Welf suddenly looked up.

He stared at the southeastern part of the city where his target was headed, and spoke stiffly.

Upon hearing the young man's words, Lily's body trembled.

"Huh?" Only Bell looked puzzled.

"Bell! Go back right now!"

"Lord Bell! Please go back!"

"Huh? Huh? What's wrong? Why?"

Bell was thrown into confusion after receiving the same order from both sides.

He shook his head frantically, looking at the two people on either side. Welf and Lily both emphasized their words.

"Don't worry about it, just do it! It's too early for you here."

"This is definitely not a place for Lord Bell!"

"Why are you only saying this now... Ah! Miss Mikoto and the others are leaving!?"

Just as Lily and Welf were trying their best to persuade Bell, who didn't want to be ostracized.

They almost lost track of them as they walked forward on the road.

"Ugh—damn it. Riko, give up, let's chase after them!"

"Ughhhhh!? My Lord, why did you have to go to a place like that...!"

Welf and Lily gave up trying to stop the boy and ran out from the shadows behind the wall. Lily, in particular, looked distressed and complained. A panicked Bell quickly followed them.

The drunken adventurers lay fast asleep by the roadside, and the three of them followed in the direction the two girls had gone.

"W-Where is this...?"

then.

When the road opened up, the sight that appeared before him made Bell's face stiffen.

Our current location is in the fourth district of the city, which is relatively far from Southeast Avenue.

This place is completely different from the bustling area adjacent to it, exuding a decadent atmosphere.

Peach-colored magic stone lamps are installed on the walls or pillars of the buildings. A few dim streetlights illuminate the billboards with bright red lips or fresh fruit designs, as well as women in dresses whose beautiful backs and slender waists are on full display—bewitching men.

The group was predominantly composed of Amazons, but also included humans, orcs, and even dwarves. These women would call out to men walking along the street, flashing alluring or provocative smiles. After exchanging a few words with the men, who were leering at them, the women would either take their hands or put their arms around their waists before heading into their respective shops.

Full, rounded breasts, delicate shoulders, and thighs swayed in various parts of the field of vision, their outlines barely visible. A sweet fragrance wafted from somewhere—was it perfume, or the faint scent of their perspiration?

"Th-th-those people are...?"

Bell pointed at them with trembling fingers, his mouth opening and closing in a pathetic sound.

He felt a wave of dizziness that he couldn't resist.

The fact that those sexy women were actually prostitutes sent shivers down his spine.

This is a true "red-light district".

The "Red and Red Street," with its scenery and smells completely different from other districts or main streets, made Bell blush.

"That's why Lily doesn't want Lord Bell to come...!!"

"I really don't like the smell here..."

Seeing women of various races luring excited male customers into the store, Bell realized what kind of place this was. Lily, standing to the side, blushed and was angry, while Welf frowned and covered his nose with his arm.

So that's what their advice meant... Dambel only just realized it now.

Not only was it too early, but he would never have anything to do with a place like this in his entire life. Bell felt dizzy and backed away.

He then realized that the goddess (Hestia) had repeatedly told him before that he was "absolutely forbidden from going to the southeastern region"... When the young goddess's bloodshot eyes flashed through his mind, the boy understood everything.

"Orario... there's a place like this?"

"This area, including the main road, is always kept closed during the day, with no visitors. It's understandable that Lord Bell wouldn't know about it..."

The red-light district, known as "Fengyue Street," operates on a reversed day-night cycle, with residents sleeping during the day.

Ordinary people certainly wouldn't live here; to outsiders, it just looks deserted and quiet. Bell, being strapped for cash, couldn't even afford to go to the downtown area, so it's understandable that he didn't understand the actual situation in this district.

Another reason is that the boy's acquaintances kept it a secret.

With Belle standing there dumbfounded, Welf and Lily resumed their pursuit of the people ahead.