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

The ideology he championed was "the instinct to fight," and the surrounding people described him as "reckless and impulsive."

Seeing the main god's angry expression after being called "all brawn and no brains" by the other gods, the young adjutant beside him slumped his shoulders wearily and sighed deeply.

Ares, the god of war.

He is the god of war, but not the god of victory.

The thick atmosphere of defeat made all the officers in the tent camp silent, and only the roar of the male god could be heard.

"Shouldn't we be planning something bad this time?"

—When the roar of a certain military god resounds through the sky.

At the same time, far from the battlefield, atop the massive city wall surrounding the labyrinthine city, the beautiful woman with her pure white cloak fluttering in the wind—Asphi—said to her god.

The handsome man, leaning against a low wall that reached his chest, answered while watching the "magical" black smoke rising in the distance with his naked eye:

"Even if you encourage Bell to go to Ares's side, there's nothing you can do about it..."

Only then did Hermes's handsome smile turn into a wry one, his orange-yellow hair swaying. He held down his travel hat, preventing it from being blown away by the wind.

"Although it would be fun to do this... I'm afraid Miss Freya will get angry."

"...Did you later have any contact with Freya's faction?"

"No? She just didn't say anything, which is like a warning that there won't be a next time."

Hermes believed that the unrest in the red-light district had not yet subsided, and to further provoke that faction would be tantamount to suicide. He turned to Asphie.

His subordinates looked at him coldly and said, "If the faction is destroyed, that's no joke." The chief god shrugged and said, "I know."

"I've already spoken with the guild and made sure Hestia and the others won't be drafted this time. They've had a lot of trouble lately, they deserve a break once in a while."

Hermes leaned against the chest-high wall, gazing up at the azure sky.

"Sword, [Sword Maiden]!?"

"It's Fiora!!"

"Run! Aa ...

Then, the location came to the northern part of the main battlefield field.

The surprise attack troops hiding in the forest lost their will to fight as soon as they saw the female swordsman appear before them.

No matter how much the platoon leader tried to stop them, it was no use; the infantrymen abandoned their weapons and deserted.

"Well, you can imagine."

"That's why I told you not to rush out, Ais. Seriously, chasing after them is such a hassle."

"..."

Upon hearing what Riveria and the werewolf Bert said, Ais Wallenstein, who was holding a sword, shut her mouth and hung her head in dejection.

Her striking blonde hair and golden eyes made her too conspicuous and easily recognizable to the enemy. The "Battle Maiden," who had single-handedly defeated the floor master, terrified the soldiers. Seeing their reaction, the girl's face, though expressionless, was clearly showing her frustration.

"Ais, stop spacing out and hurry up and chase them. If they go on to burn, kill, and loot in the nearby villages, it will be terrible."

"……Um."

"Let's hurry up and get back to Orario, this is a waste of time."

Riveria, Bert, and the other members started running in pursuit. Ais planned to follow, but before running forward, she looked back.

In the southwest, the white-walled giant tower remains unchanged, reaching straight to the sky.

This military operation by the kingdom was later known as the "Sixth Invasion of Orario".

Amidst a war that has lasted longer than ever before, the labyrinth city continues its mundane daily life.

The gods and their retinues weave little stories unknown to anyone.

Volume 8, Chapter 1: A Love Song Dedicated to a Certain Martial God

"Life, you're right here."

She is dreaming.

It was a chilly, cold day, near the roots of a dead tree.

Seeing her younger self sitting under a tree with her knees drawn up to her chest, Destiny realized that this was a memory from the past.

"What's wrong? Are you hungry?"

As a child, she used to keep her forehead to her knees and refuse to lift her head, just like now. Jian Yu Lei, with her hair tied up in a ponytail by her ears, called out to her.

In their hometown in the Far East, behind the shrine where they lived, only the voices of two people could be heard.

"...Takemikaze."

The young creature didn't raise its head, uttering a tender voice.

She asked the Kenmikazuchi who was squatting down in front of her:

Why is life without parents...?

Because you are an orphan.

My current fate can answer that clearly.

War, plague, and monsters.

It's not uncommon for children to lose both parents and become destitute. For someone like Mikoto, who has lost all support, to be taken in by Takemikazuchi's shrine is already considered very lucky.

—He took me to a lively village festival?

—Is it a port city where ships dock, or the capital?

Where Takemikazuchi and the other gods led Mikoto, Sakura, and Chigusa to, Mikoto saw a loving father and son, and could no longer bear the loneliness she had previously felt, which she had never known.

"...Your parents, who gave you life, entrusted you to us and then returned to heaven."

"Will I never see them again...?"

"Hmm...while they're still alive, they might not be able to return to the mortal realm."

It may take decades, or even centuries, for the souls of the parents to be reborn.

The young boy was too young to understand Takemikazuchi's unspoken meaning; he only knew that he would never see them again, and his body stiffened.

Are you lonely?

A young life can neither nod nor shake its head.

She simply tightened her grip on his arm, letting her fingers dig into his flesh, to prevent some emotion from overflowing.

Facing the little girl who was beginning to tremble slightly, Kenjiro knelt on the ground.

Then, he suddenly and easily lifted her body above his head.

She was lifted up by her crush with his arms under her armpits, and her field of vision suddenly rose higher. She looked down at him in surprise.

"Fate, be my daughter."

Then, Takemikazuchi smiled at Mikoto, whose eyes were wide and filled with tears.

"Huh...?"

“One day, I will give you my grace, Pharna. Then you and I will be father and daughter, family, sharing the same divine blood—my retinue and clan.”

Family...relatives.

Those words not only sounded sweet, but also brought warmth to the heart of a sorrowful soul.

Because when Takemikazuchi picked him up like a baby and looked up at him, there was indeed a father's loving gaze in his eyes.

"Illness arises from anger, and anger arises from the body—this has always been my belief. I will teach you martial arts and other things to keep you company. So rest assured, fate, you should be mentally prepared."

The young girl was stunned. After Kenji finished speaking to her, he smiled like a child.

"Fate, what things do you want to do with your parents?"

Then he gave me a gentle look again and told me the truth.

"...Fate, fate really wants to sit on Father's shoulders."

"I'll let you sit down right away, anything else?"

"I want to sleep in the same bed as my parents! That way I won't be lonely!"

Okay, let's do that tonight. Anything else?

I want to eat the konpeito (golden candy) I saw in Kyoto with my parents last time!

"Uh, okay, no problem."

When the little girl asked for fancy candy, Kenjiro's smile froze.

Even though the shrine was always impoverished, a few days later, he still fulfilled his promise to fate with Sakura and Chigusa.

God and the child were both dressed in shabby clothes, and their eyes met.

"However, well, if you don't like me, you can become a member of the goddess Tsukuyomi's or other gods' familiars—"

"My destiny is to become Takemikazuchi!!"

His young life was interrupted, and he cried out loudly.

Her cheeks flushed red as she stared intently at her idol with her bluish-purple eyes.

"...I see."

Takemikazuchi blinked several times before breaking into a smile.

He laid her on the ground and patted her head hard.

That large hand made Ming close her eyes in embarrassment, and a single tear fell.

Takemikazuchi immediately let Mikoto straddle his shoulders, and the two of them laughed as they went back to search for her Sakura, Chigusa, and the gods.

From that day on, Takemikazuchi became a father, and Nozomi developed feelings of affection for him.

But at some point, this kinship turned into love.

*

"..."

Life slowly opened its eyelids.

The soft light outside the window and the chirping of birds told her that morning had arrived.

The fond memories made Ming's mood clear and transparent. She looked up at the ceiling and unconsciously smiled.

Ming was immersed in memories. When she got up from the bedding, she heard soft breathing beside her.

She heard quiet snoring from someone else.

Looking beside her, she saw the fox-girl Haruhime lying on another set of bedding.

After what happened with the Ishtar Familia, she smiled, knowing she could hold hands with this girl from her hometown again. She carefully stroked her beautiful blonde hair and fox ears, making sure not to wake her.

This is a room in the "Hestia Familia" headquarters, "Kamakura".

After the conversion, Mikoto and Haruhime were assigned a double room on the third floor.

There was no bed in the room, but many Far Eastern-style everyday items that seemed out of place with the room's original continental design. Brightly colored kimonos and Far Eastern-style combat uniforms hung on a folding clothes rack in the corner of the room.

Life awakens from a dream; the shrine she was used to living in is gone, replaced by her current residence, which gradually brings her consciousness back to normal.

After gazing for a while at the sleeping face of his childhood playmate, with whom he had rekindled their friendship, Ming turned his eyes to the slowly brightening view outside the window.

"……good!"

As the fresh morning arrived, Ming stretched his body with all his might.

*

"Lady Haruhime, may I ask you to set the food on the table?"

“Okay, okay!”

A delicious aroma wafted from the headquarters' main dining room.

In the spacious kitchen adjacent to the main restaurant, Ming, with her black hair tied up and an apron on, was chopping vegetables, frying fish, and stirring the pot with a wooden spoon.

Under her efficient instructions in preparing breakfast, Chun-hee entered and exited the restaurant several times with her clattering footsteps, bringing tableware and dishes to the table.