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

Dejected Hestia saw a small, lonely figure from behind.

Judging from his silhouette, he is human. The slender, white-haired boy, like Hestia, looked dejected and wandered aimlessly through the streets.

This caught Hestia's attention, so she decided to follow and see what was going on.

She kept a certain distance from the other party, hiding continuously in the narrow, dark corners of the building, trying not to make any footsteps, but running.

It seemed the boy hoped to join a Familia. He knocked on the door of the Familia headquarters, only to be turned away. Hestia counted ten Familias that refused to meet with him, and finally, the boy slumped to the ground in despair.

He casually watched the people coming and going on the street, anxiously searching for his place to belong. Looking at his pale appearance, one might think that if left unattended, he might die of loneliness.

"Hey—you over there, boy. It's dangerous in the alley, you'd better not go there."

When she came to her senses, she realized that she had already called out to him.

The boy, who was about to enter the alley, turned around in surprise and looked down at Hestia.

"Th-thank you... Uh, who are you? What are you doing here all alone? Are you lost?"

"...Your eyes look more like those of a lost child, don't they?"

The first meeting went terribly. Not only that time, everyone who met Hestia for the first time mistook her for a child. However, upon realizing Hestia's true identity, the boy immediately panicked and apologized repeatedly.

"Oh. So you're saying every single [familia] turned you away!"

"Yes, yes..."

Hestia blatantly lied, pretending that she only just found out, and stole a glance at the dejected boy.

Although he seems quite unreliable, his character appears to be sound. In fact, you could say he's quite likable to her.

From this brief conversation, she could tell that the boy in front of her was a child, both for better and for worse.

"Ah—, umm—...Actually, I'm currently looking for someone to join my [Family]. It just so happens that I've recently started wanting an adventurer as a member, um, well..."

Forget about adventurers, Hestia hasn't even found a single member yet. Just by listening to her talk, you can tell she's obsessed with saving face and unwilling to let go. It's simply unbearable to hear.

But the boy immediately agreed.

"I want to join! Please let me join!"

"...W-Is it really okay? You'd really like to join my [Familia]?"

"Sure, I have no problem with that! On the contrary, are you saying it's okay for someone like me to join?"

Things progressed quickly from there. Overjoyed, both sides swiftly introduced themselves, and Hestia and Bell's [Familia] was thus established.

"Alright, Bell, come with me! I'll perform the initiation ceremony for your [Family]!"

"yes!"

The two went to a run-down bookstore.

An elderly human in the shop twitched his short white beard when Hestia entered.

"Hey, Hestia. Don't ask me to join the Hestia Familia anymore."

"No, sir! Can I borrow the bookcase upstairs?"

"Okay, okay, no problem. Remember to put the book back on its original shelf after you're done reading."

She pulled Belle by the hand and ran up the stairs to a room that smelled of aged wood.

The bookshelves, crammed full, occupied all four walls of the room, and books were piled up like mountains in front of them.

Hestia, who didn't even have money to buy books, often spent time in this bookstore thanks to the shop owner's kindness.

"Come on, take off your clothes and sit here."

"Take off...take off your clothes?"

"Ah, just the top will do. Next, I will carve my 'Blessing' onto your body."

Hestia began to enthusiastically inscribe "God's Grace" on Bell's body.

She had decided long ago that this place would be the location for her first "gift" to her child. She felt that for someone who loved books, this place was the perfect setting for the beginning.

The story should begin in a place surrounded by many books.

"Bell, why do you want to become an adventurer?"

"Actually, I've always longed for the kind of fateful encounters described in 'The Lost Tomb of the Labyrinth' since I was a child...!"

"An encounter—? You mean with a girl? You want to become an adventurer for something as trivial as that?"

"How can you say it's a small matter! An encounter is a great thing, it's a man's romance! My grandfather, who raised me, also said, 'The harem is the best!'"

"You really should find someone else to support you."

Soon after, the inscription of "God's Grace" was completed.

Several lines of black text were etched on Bell's back. Hestia gently stroked his back, following the text.

It resembles a list of sacred texts on a page of an ancient book.

That was a "book" called "Ability Values".

What kind of story (path) will you walk through?

Accumulated [experience points]... The [ability points] of the phenomena experienced can be said to be the history of those who receive "blessings"; the things that the family has seen, heard, and done will be evaluated by the gods and gradually recorded on that person's back.

Hestia will write about Bell's journey and his story.

"...Alright, Bell. Let's do our best from now on. Our [Familia] begins here."

"Ah, yes!"

Golden sunlight streaming in through the window illuminated the room, which was covered with a thin layer of dust.

The numerous books surrounding the room, silent and still, seemed to bless the beginning of a brand new story.

Hestia smiled as she looked at the story etched on Bell's back, which was still a blank sheet of paper.

From now on, her own hand will write his story.

Those are stories woven by children.

An adventure story that has been repeated time and again from the past to the present.

A mythical tale of heroes forever protected by the gods.

This is the trajectory of a young man, and the record of a goddess.

Familiar Myth

Afterword to Volume

A few days ago, someone who has been very supportive of my work asked me a question: "If you yourself possessed a skill (referring to a special ability in your work), what kind of skill would it be?"

This question is really embarrassing to answer seriously, but when I thought about how to answer it, I found that I couldn't think of anything.

Since it's called a skill, it should at least be related to one's strengths; so what are my strengths? Thinking about this, I realized that I don't have any talent that I can proudly boast about to others. I can list a whole bunch of weaknesses, but I just can't find a single skill that I can be proud of and that belongs solely to me.

I'm troubled. I'm hesitant. I've even considered just answering with the skill of freely manipulating fire, even though I might regret it terribly later.

But just then, as if a deity had suddenly given me a divine revelation, a flash of inspiration struck me.

On a whim, I answered, "It's the skill of encountering someone!" with a slightly smug expression.

Whenever I recall the stunned expression on the other person's face and my inexplicable excitement at the time, I feel intensely ashamed and regretful, wishing I could dig a hole and hide. Even so, if I have anything to boast about, I think it would still be this "encounter" up to today.

To date, I have met many people and learned a great deal. I have received much support and help from them, and ultimately, I have always gained something from it. Each "encounter" represents a different destiny, and all of this has undoubtedly become my own treasure.

I am someone who has benefited from "encounters".

From the moment this work won the award, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone at the GA Bunko editorial department who supported me in many ways; to my editor who always patiently cared for my immaturity and guided me at all times; to Ms. Yasuda Suzuhiko, who created many wonderful illustrations for this book; and to the many people I have been fortunate enough to meet through this work. Looking back, I realize how many people I have met and how much support I have received, which made this book possible. Please allow me to express my thanks here. Thank you all.

And then there are the readers who have graced us with their presence to read this book. Even though it's a different kind of encounter than usual, it's a small source of pride for me to be able to "meet" you all through this work.

Thank you for reading this. See you next time.

Goodbye.

大森藤ノ

Volume Illustrations

Volume Two Prologue: "The Laughter of the Weak"

The Taiwanese version is from the Kingdom of Light

Image source: Hodxer

Input by: Da Gua Feifei

Photo editing: lanuna

Proofread by: cleverchm

Supporters. Non-combat personnel during dungeon exploration.

The main responsibility is to recover loot such as magic stones or dropped items and deliver them safely to the ground.

A behind-the-scenes staff member who is responsible for providing comprehensive support to prevent burdening the comrades fighting monsters on the front lines.

In a nutshell, the so-called supporters are just porters.

"Hey, what are you doing! Hurry up!"

Today there was another round of scolding.

Carrying bulging bags of luggage, and lagging behind, he was met with disdainful scolding from the male adventurers.

In a labyrinth glowing with phosphorescence, where there's no need to worry about the light source.

The man's undisguised contemptuous voice echoed shrilly.

"You're so slow and dawdling even when moving your luggage, you're such a useless piece of trash!"

It's the same old complaint again, blaming myself for being just a porter. I've heard it so many times that my ears are calloused.

Arrogant words can sometimes turn into brutal violence. Always in a dominant position, they are completely unable to understand the pain of those who are used as stepping stones.

Adventurers don't care about supporters.

Not to mention the professional (outdated) support staff, who were simply objects of ridicule.

They can be infinitely cruel to the weak.

Money, dignity, and hope—they can take everything away from us.

Somewhere, I seem to have heard a few words like this.

Some say that without good supporters, adventurers cannot realize their true value.

Some say that adventurers can only enter the dungeon thanks to the contributions of their supporters.

Some say they are the heroes behind the adventure.

It sounds like a whitewash, very pleasing to the ear, but it's not hard to understand. There's some truth to it. That's right.

The presence of support personnel has effectively reduced the burden on adventurers. This is undeniable.

"You can't even do a single job properly, you're just getting in my way. Don't expect to get a single penny from me!"

However, how many adventurers could understand even one tenth of these words?

Where can I find such an admirable adventurer who actually knows how to be grateful to his supporters?

It's hard to say whether such a peculiar person, who wouldn't show such contempt as a professional (but outdated) supporter, truly exists.

"Listen up, if I get surrounded by monsters, you'd better do your job properly then—you coward (supporter)?"

In an emergency, they'll use you as bait to lure monsters.

She couldn't help but laugh when she saw the adventurer say such things so openly.

That's it, that's it.

What easy-to-discard guys.

You adventurers.

Volume Two, Chapter One: "The Supporter After the Date"

The sizzling sound of mud rubbing together filled the air.