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

She busied herself with her little hands, touching me all over to check if I was hurt.

Hearing her show such concern for me made me so happy that I blushed shyly.

"I'm fine. I won't let a god end up homeless."

"Oh, you said it yourself—? Then I'm counting on you. You'd better be mentally prepared!"

"That sounds a bit strange..."

We laughed together and went deeper into the room.

The interior space is like a square and a rectangle joined together, forming a "P" shape. In the square space in front of the entrance, she and I sat on two sofas placed there.

The girl sitting directly opposite me was an absolute beauty. Her glossy black hair covered her ears, and her twin ponytails reached her waist. A small silver bell was pinned to the ribbon that held her hair up. Her round face and cheeks gave her a childlike appearance; perhaps because of this, it was easy to be drawn to her full, mature breasts, which were clearly visible even through her clothes.

Her large, clear blue eyes created an atmosphere of fantasy within her breathtakingly beautiful appearance.

Although she is an absolute beauty, she will remain as she is forever and will never grow up.

I call her "fairy" because she is a "god".

"Gods" are not like humans or demi-humans, nor are they monsters that appear in dungeons; they are transcendent beings of a completely different nature. Unlike us, they do not age, nor do their appearances change. They are beings that surpass human wisdom, and are greater than the heroes I admire.

"So, you probably didn't earn much today?"

"Less than usual. Where are the gods?"

"Heh heh—look closely! Ta-da!"

“This, this is!”

"The manager said he'd reward me for contributing to the stall's revenue, so he gave me all these fries! Let's have a party for dinner tonight! Hehe, Belle, I'm not letting you sleep tonight!"

"Wow, you're amazing!"

Despite being such a great figure, he worked in a human shop just like an ordinary person.

Of course, all of this is in order to make a living.

—Long, long ago, the "gods" descended upon this world we inhabit… From their perspective, this is the land they call the "lower realm." While there are many fairy tales about this, according to the deity before us, it boils down to this: "Because the heavens were bored to death."

Many gods spent endless time in what we generally imagine as paradise, the "heavenly realm," and eventually grew tired of their idle days. So they found entertainment in their "children"—who inefficiently cultivated culture and life—that is, us living on the lower world.

"To stand in the children's shoes, with the same status and abilities as them."

It is precisely because they are perfect beings that they are interested in our imperfections and inefficiencies and in this world.

As a result, the mortal realm greatly excited the gods. A phenomenon completely beyond imagination; desires satisfied through food, hobbies, and art; connections with many people, known as "friendship."

I heard they found it "very funny".

Although it was like a game to the gods, they enjoyed every moment of this game where they couldn't afford to be careless, and they never tired of it.

Before long, the gods settled down on Earth. It is said that many of them decided to live there forever.

Our ancestors, as native inhabitants of the lower realm, were naturally powerless to refuse; on the contrary, they should be very grateful to the gods for bestowing "favors" upon them. This may not sound pleasant, but it does resemble a relationship of mutual exploitation? The modern social structure faithfully reflects this relationship.

We mingled among the children, just as we did for each other, helping each other in our daily lives.

Giving up a life where they could have anything they wanted, the gods became fascinated with this extremely inconvenient world.

"Well, speaking of which... although everyone treats me like a poster girl and adores me, not a single child wants to join my [Familia]. Seriously, just because my name Hestia isn't very well-known, everyone's so pragmatic."

"Hmm, even though the 'blessings' bestowed by each [Family] are exactly the same..."

The deity before me is named Hestia. Like us, deities seem to have fixed names.

The term "familiar" refers to a faction or group belonging to a particular deity. For example, "Loki's Familiar" means "the retinue of Loki," and "Hestia's Familiar" means "the retinue of Hestia." It is also sometimes referred to as a "faction," such as the Loki faction or the Hestia faction.

Joining a [Family] is, in my opinion, like becoming part of a family of gods.

Once the gods decide to live like us in the mortal realm—it is said that the gods have made a rule that they cannot use the omnipotent "divine power (Arcanum)"—they will naturally need money in addition to food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.

While some gods do enjoy working, most simply want to play all day. To allow themselves to eat, drink, and be merry as they please, these gods decided to borrow the power of us mortals.

Those who join a "Family" in the lower realms will be granted "Blessings".

The gods would ask these people to do certain things, or to make money for them to spend.

That might be too direct, but to put it another way, gods rely on members of their "families" to support themselves.

However, the benefits of "Blessing" cannot be ignored for us. Anyone who receives "Blessing" will become able to defeat inferior monsters.

The goddess Hestia before me said that this is called "reciprocity".

"Sigh, I feel really bad about leaving Bell to bear this burden alone..."

"I think it's fine... Besides, even gods have their jobs."

Since there are large [familias] with a large number of members, there must also be weak [familias] like us.

In this way, even the gods can't nag... Just like the goddess Hestia, she has to go out and do her own work. She has no time to enjoy her favorite entertainment and can only toil for a living.

In fact, these gods can do anything if they want to, but they prefer to confine themselves to the framework of the mortal world, which makes me laugh and at the same time feel a sense of closeness.

However, some deities manipulate their "familias" to establish kingdoms at will—or rather, they transform the "familias" themselves into kingdoms. ...He seems to call this a "kingdom management game."

However, even the management of a kingdom is done by people, so it does not violate the rules of the gods. Although some criticize the gods behind their backs for wantonly manipulating the mortal realm, it is still the result desired by a portion of the mortals who claim to be royalty.

Although the gods may chuckle as they observe people's actions, their power is ultimately just a stimulant for people's behavior.

"...I'm sorry for making you make a pact with such a useless god."

"Gods, immortals..."

Seeing the deity become dejected and timid, I couldn't help but utter a weak voice as well.

Having left the countryside, I, who was about to become an adventurer, happened to encounter the goddess Hestia, who was searching for members of her [Family] in the streets.

Most famous clans are already saturated with talent. Even small and medium-sized clans prioritize hiring those with some combat or professional knowledge over seemingly unreliable country bumpkins. Having been turned away by countless clans, I agreed without hesitation when I heard the deity's persuasion.

The goddess Hestia told me that she had only recently descended from heaven to earth, and before meeting me, she had been a guest in her divine friend's "familia." Like many gods, she idled at home, spending her days engrossed in her favorite mortal books, leading a self-destructive life. This angered her diligent friend, who then banished her. This room, located in the church's crypt, is said to be the last favor her divine friend did for her.

However, in reality, the "favors" bestowed by each deity are essentially no different. This is a fact.

Everyone who receives a "favor" must start from the same point. How things develop afterward depends on the efforts of the individual.

As a result, the evaluation of a "Family" is determined by the abilities of its members, just like any shop or country. It's definitely not because the gods lack abilities.

"Don't worry, God! Our [Family] is just getting started, in other words, it's still developing! I think it will be a bit tough at first, but as long as we get through this phase, life should improve, and then we'll have a better life, and there will definitely be people willing to join!"

"Bell, you really are..."

I jumped up from the sofa, insisting strongly. The fairy looked up at me, moved. Actually, all of this was what Miss Eina had just told me. My heart aches.

However, anything goes, as long as it makes the gods happy.

Although I've had wicked fantasies like building a harem, when I arrived in this city and almost collapsed, it was a fairy who gently took my hand; she's a very important person to me.

I want to help this deity.

This is the first promise I made to myself that I have kept deeply in mind since I met the immortals.

"Hehe, I'm so happy to have met a child like you. Well then, for our future, I'll update your [Ability Values]!"

"yes!"

Even the fairy-like figure swung her legs and stood up from the sofa. Her unusually full breasts, which shouldn't be on a young girl's body, swayed elastically. I gave a twitching smile and quietly looked away. To my shame, it was too stimulating for me.

I heard the other gods laugh at her for being a "loli with big breasts." What is a loli?

"Then, just take off your clothes and lie down as usual—"

"I see."

I walked to the bed at the back of the room, removed my adventurer's light armor, and took off my shirt. When my upper body was completely naked, I stole a glance at my back.

The full-length mirror on the wall reflected my back, which showed my white hair like an old man and my light-colored skin. What was particularly noteworthy was the dense black writing on my back.

All of these were carved on my back by the goddess Hestia; this is the grace of the gods—"the grace of the gods (Pharna)."

"Alright, alright, lie down, lie down."

Urged by the gods, I let my body sink into the bed.

The fairy jumped onto my lying body and sat near my butt.

"By the way, you said you almost died, what exactly happened?"

"This is a long story..."

As I spoke, the deity stroked my back. Once, twice, stroking the same spot back and forth, as if soothing my skin. I couldn't help but tremble.

Soon I heard a clear metallic sound. The fairy had taken out a needle.

I turned my neck slightly and looked up. The deity was pricking his fingertip with a needle and letting the blood drip gently onto my back.

The red water droplets that fell on my skin "really" created ripples and gradually seeped into my back.

"You actually ventured into the lower levels just to meet a girl... You really have a dream about the dungeon. How could you possibly find the delicate, innocent girls you're imagining in such a dangerous place?"

"My...daughter...! Uh, but we can't guarantee it's definitely not happening! I've heard that elves only allow those they acknowledge to touch them!"

"Stop arguing, stop arguing. Okay, there are indeed races like elves, but there are also races like the Amazons who only have relations with strong men in order to leave behind powerful offspring. I think having too many expectations will only kill you."

“…Wuwu.”

Upon hearing such devastating news, I sank into my pillow. The deity ignored me, and began to trace lines with his finger, starting from the spot where the blood had dripped, slowly carving the mark from the left end.

Now, what's engraved on my back is the [ability value] – "God's grace".

This involves inscribing the "hieroglyph" used by the gods onto the subject's body using divine blood to enhance their abilities; it is a power that only the gods can wield.

There is a numerical value called "experience value". It can be obtained through various behaviors, and as the name suggests, it is the phenomenon of having experienced something.

Of course, experience is invisible to the naked eye; it's not a substance that people in the lower realms can hold and utilize. In other words, this numerical value is the history one has lived through. The gods will extract a trajectory buried in this history, such as "defeated the monster," and transform it into nourishment for growth.

The quality and quantity of success in one's career are measured by "experience points".

The gods could see these numbers and even take action to address them. This might be somewhat similar to the ancient custom of praising and blessing victories against enemies.

Rewrite or add the [Sacred Text] on your back, level up, and increase your abilities.

It is this power that makes the gods revered by the people of the mortal realm.

"And that Ais Wallenstein you mentioned? If she's really that beautiful and capable, other men can't possibly ignore her. It's only natural that she must have one or two boyfriends she particularly likes."

“How, how could this be…”

"Hmph. Listen up, Belle? I advise you to abandon this temporary confusion and pay attention to what's around you. I guarantee you'll find a wonderful girl who will offer you a gentle embrace and is full of understanding."

When the fairy pointed out the problem I was deliberately avoiding thinking about, I almost burst into tears. The fairy then went on to criticize Miss Wallenstein. She seemed to be in a very bad mood. Had I stepped on some landmine?

Although that's what the fairy said, the only girls I'm currently around are Miss Eina and the fairy. I have absolutely no chance with Miss Eina, and as for the fairy… how could I possibly say to her, "Please have a long-term relationship with me"? She's a fairy, after all; I'm simply not good enough for her.

Gods, reality is very harsh. Miss Eina told me the same thing.

"Anyway, once that Warren or something joins Loki's Familia, there's absolutely no way you can marry her."

"..."

Final blow.

Most members who join a "familia" will marry someone of the same "familia" or someone of the opposite sex who is not currently in a "familia." This is because marrying and having children with someone from another "familia" raises the question: to which "familia" should the child belong?

This is just one example and does not represent the whole picture. In short, having too close a relationship with other factions can easily lead to problems. To maintain discipline, the gods manage the [Family] very strictly.

Furthermore, if the deities on both sides have a bad relationship, their respective "familias" will become enemies for this reason alone. Members cannot casually allow their "familias" to be put in danger.

Miss Eina also advised me that as a member of the Hestia Familia, it would be very difficult for me to formally date Miss Wallenstein, who belongs to the Loki Familia.

"Okay, that's all! Alright, forget about that woman and let's look for a chance encounter that's right in front of us."

"...You're so ruthless, you god."

No matter what, I won't give up. At least I haven't started anything yet, so I won't get frustrated.

My relationship with that person hasn't even started yet.

As I regrouped and was changing clothes, the deity copied the updated [ability stats] onto a prepared piece of paper. Since I couldn't understand [divine script], the deity rewrote it into Koine, the common language used in the lower realms, and told me the detailed [ability stats].

Moreover, the words written on the back are not easy to see.

"Here, these are your new [ability stats]."

After thanking the deity, I accepted the paper he handed me. My gaze fell upon the paper.

Bell Craney