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

(Welf! Lily! Miss Life—!?)

I kept calling out my companions' names in my mind, only caring about running away from the surrounding scenery.

I ran to the end of the street, turned a corner, and the road suddenly narrowed. In the dark alley, seemingly blending into the night, stood rows of tall brothels, with young women and girls looking down at me from their windows. A beastman girl who looked about my age leaned out of a window and blew me a kiss; I blushed and almost fell over.

I was gradually overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the "red-light district." I let out a groan, not daring to stop, and could only wander aimlessly through the red-light district.

"Haa, haa, ha...!?"

I truly lost my way and finally ran until I was out of breath.

It's not like I'm in an underground city, yet I ran like an idiot until my limbs were sore that I had to stop.

A few men, who appeared to be customers, looked at me, panting heavily, with strange eyes.

My whole body was burning up. I put my hands on my knees, wiped the sweat off, and looked up.

(Where...where am I...?)

The surrounding landscape has changed.

Unlike the brothel street we just passed, this place is filled with magic stone lights, as bright as day.

I wandered aimlessly through the red-light district and came to a lively area that resembled a festival.

"...Architecture from the Far East?"

In front of the gate, painted vermilion and merely for decoration, exotic buildings filled both sides of the road.

Those were wooden houses with red pillars and walls, each over three stories high, their vibrant crimson color breathtakingly beautiful. The roofs and gates were adorned with "tiles," a building material rarely seen in Orario. The entire area within sight consisted of buildings of the same style.

I remember... this is called "Wandering Pavilion"?

Looking up at the exotic architecture, I recalled the information about Miss Ming and her family's home island nation.

I only heard my grandfather, who somehow possessed some obscure knowledge, mention it. I never formally studied it, but judging from the unique design of the building complex, I'm sure I'm right.

When the structure of the stone pavement changed, I was reminded of my grandfather's memory and staggered over as if I were being lured.

(I heard that Fengyue Street (this place) blends architecture from many countries...)

The pleasure quarters—streets steeped in foreign culture—were brightly lit. Besides the magic stone lamps, candle lanterns hung everywhere, and young men and women strolled about in their glow. The women… no, the prostitutes wore strange garments that must have been the clothing of Far Eastern peoples known as "kimonos."

Along the wide road, or beside it, grow azzurra, cherry trees discovered on some level of the underground city. These labyrinthine trees from the underground city bloom with beautiful flowers regardless of the season, scattering azure petals on the stone pavement. These azure cherry blossoms, bathed in moonlight—neither white nor pink—tell me that this meticulously crafted arcade is merely a replica of a Far Eastern country.

As I was admiring the still dreamlike blue cherry blossoms in the promenade, I inadvertently witnessed a scene.

On the first floor of the vermilion brothel, in a large, grid-like room facing the main street, many prostitutes waited side by side.

A group of women, dressed in kimonos, were smiling and calling out to customers on the street. A group of men stopped in front of the shop, perhaps selecting a woman they liked. They exchanged a few words with the prostitutes through the wooden lattice window and then went inside.

Just as I was feeling curious, walking around and looking at the prostitutes of various races waiting for customers inside the wooden enclosure.

My eyes met those of a girl deep inside the large room.

“——”

Shiny blonde hair and emerald green eyes.

Her animal ears, the same color as her hair, and her thick, long tail told me she was an orc.

Judging from the shape of its ears and tail, it can be seen that its animal attribute is a fox.

——Fox man.

This is the first time I've seen this race of orcs.

They are a rare race that can only be found in a few regions such as the Far East.

Her appearance, somewhere between a young girl and a woman, was delicate and beautiful.

The young girl, dressed in a bright red kimono, sat in the corner of the room as if giving the opportunity to other prostitutes. Around her delicate neck, she wore a black necklace... no, a choker, perhaps an ornament.

The beauty and the girl's emerald green eyes made me stop in my tracks.

Her eyes seemed to be filled with envy and longing for the night sky and the view outside the latticed window—for me outside the prison.

As our eyes met, she smiled faintly, her cherry lips parting slightly.

Unlike the jovial and boisterous prostitutes, that illusory smile made me widen my eyes and freeze in place.

Her beautiful face, as if she were shedding tears, stole my consciousness and my sense of time.

The momentary exchange of glances felt like tens of seconds.

"—Could it be Bell's little brother?"

Someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I jumped in fright.

My consciousness was pulled back to reality, and I turned around in surprise to look behind me.

Standing before me is a male god with orange-yellow hair and eyes.

"H-God Hermes!?"

"Haha, just as I expected."

Seeing my surprised reaction, Hermes smiled.

The taller guy, whose eyes crinkled into crescent moons, flashed a handsome smile. Miss Asphie, who was always by his side, wasn't there; it seemed he was alone now.

His attire was also somewhat different from usual; he wore a hat with feathers on his head and carried a pouch on his shoulder.

"I didn't expect to see you in a place like this, haha. Little Bell has gotten this age."

"Wait... no, please wait! I'm here because...!!"

"You seem to be looking at Zhang Jianshi. Is there a girl you're interested in?"

I was caught in some misunderstanding and blushed, completely at a loss for words. Hermes ignored me, his eyes fixed on the brothel. I snapped back to reality and turned my gaze back to the large room, where the fox-girl was now hidden from view by the crowded prostitutes and customers.

I can't forget the scene from just now. Looking at the lattice-windowed room called Zhang Jianshi, I was teased by Hermes, who said, "Do you want me to teach you the secrets of picking girls?" I shouted, "No, no need."

I couldn't take his teasing anymore, so I forgot about the fox-girl and stopped looking at Zhang Jianshi.

"Uh, um—what's Hermes doing here? And what's that bag...?"

"Little Bell, you shouldn't ask such an inconsiderate question in this red-light district, okay?"

He lowered the brim of his hat slightly to cover his face and grinned at me.

Seeing those orange-yellow eyes, I instinctively knew he had secretly come to play without his attendant's (Miss Asphie's) knowledge, and I couldn't help but break out in a sweat. As for his mysterious personal belongings, he refused to say more.

"Don't tell anyone I'm here, okay? It's a deal."

"Uh, um..." Hermes leaned closer to me and urged me to nod.

However... after talking to him for a few minutes, my mind finally seemed to calm down.

The sense of security I felt upon seeing familiar faces helped me escape the loneliness that was almost overwhelming me from the brothel district.

Seeing Hermes made me feel relieved, and I wanted to ask him for directions back.

"But speaking of which, I never expected someone like you, Little Bell, to come to the red-light district alone~"

However, Hermes smiled maliciously and casually put his arm around my shoulder.

"H-God Hermes?"

"You seem quite interested in places like this, which makes me happy too. Of course, little Bell probably snuck here too, right?"

"No...!? Hermes! You've misunderstood!?"

I didn't have that thought...! ? I tried to explain, but Hermes interrupted me, saying to himself:

"Don't be shy, I won't tell the chief god (Hestia)—look, this is a farewell gift from the gods to you."

Hermes, displaying unnecessary comprehension, rummaged through his bag.

He flashed a "bright" smile and handed me a small bottle.

Inside a transparent container resembling chess pieces, a red solution made a sloshing sound.

"What...what is this?"

"Aphrodisiacs."

—Pfft!? I spat out a mouthful of saliva.

"Well then, bye-bye, little Bear! Have a nice evening!"

"Wait... Hermes—!?"

Hermes released his grip on her shoulder, a refreshing smile on his face, and departed happily.

"I...I don't want this anymore—!?" I grabbed the medicine in one hand and chased after him at full speed.

I'm going crazy being alone in these brothels again! And I absolutely cannot keep such a shameful aphrodisiac in my pocket! What am I supposed to do?!

I felt like I was carrying a bomb, desperately chasing after Hermes. He moved through the roads with his familiar gait, and I ran at full speed so as not to lose the agile god.

I had long forgotten about You Kuo. My face was flushed, and all I wanted to do was return the medicine to him.

"—Eeee!?"

Just as I was chasing after Hermes and rushing into the alley corner.

I bumped into someone walking towards me from the opposite direction and almost collided with them.

"oops."

Just as we were about to collide head-on, I kicked the ground. The other person, taken aback, dodged with agility, so we only brushed shoulders.

"Whoa!?" The sudden change of direction caused my body to lean forward, and I quickly turned my head around.

"I'm so sorry!? Are you... alright...?"

I was halfway through my apology when I saw the person in front of me, and my voice trailed off.

What first caught my eye were those beautiful long legs.

Her waist was positioned quite high, which is probably what people call beautiful legs.

Her attire was uniformly blue-purple, and her ample bust, comparable to that of the goddess Hestia, was concealed beneath a short blouse. Except for her shoulders and navel, the rest of her body was completely uncovered. Compared to her exposed upper body, her lower body was clad in an ankle-length garment resembling trousers, becoming looser towards the bottom… but perhaps due to the thin material, the supple lines of her thighs and hips were faintly visible beneath the smooth fabric. She was barefoot. Adventurer's accessories adorned her neck and wrists.

He's taller than me, over 170 cm (Celtic).

Her long, jet-black hair cascaded down to her hips, her well-proportioned body honed through exercise, and her brown skin exuded a captivating sex appeal that drew men's attention.

She was an Amazonian prostitute dressed as a dancer.

"...I'm so sorry! I suddenly ran out! Um, this...excuse me!?"

The most beautiful woman among the prostitutes I passed by today made me quickly look away.

Faced with the daringly revealing clothing and the stunning figure, I couldn't even speak properly. My face was burning, and I told myself I had to catch up with Hermes quickly and leave this place.

"etc."

However, before I could even run away, I was already moaning shyly.

Her hand grabbed my arm first.

"what?"

"I haven't seen you before?"

She pulled me to her side, turned me around, and wrapped her arms around my waist.

She pulled me into her arms—no, it was more like our lower bodies were pressed tightly together, and we gazed at each other.

"...!?"

I stood there while she observed my appearance from extremely close range.

Aside from blushing, I was completely helpless. I could feel the soft touch of her legs on my thighs, and her fresh, tender lips in front of me. If I looked down, the deep valley between her breasts would immediately come into view.

My whole body felt like it was on fire, but my hands and feet were frozen and I couldn't move them.

"Um--?"

The other person, however, didn't care at all. They released my waist with their left hand and pressed it against their cheek.

She gently lifted my face and looked down at me, as if she might steal my lips at any moment.

She squinted, scrutinizing my face intently... and then smiled.

"Oh...she's quite attractive."