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

"I went to visit that silly fox, and also wanted to see your face, but she said you went to the dungeon. I was just about to head home when I saw you on the main road. What luck!"

Miss Aisha leaned closer to answer me, which made me realize something.

In short, she still cares about Miss Haruhime. She has visited our headquarters several times and spoken a few words with Welf and Lily.

Today was no exception; the result was exactly what we missed.

"By the way, what are you all doing standing there in front of this tavern?"

Miss Liu and her companions were meeting Miss Aisha for the first time and exchanged greetings. Miss Aisha looked at the two of them, then at us, and asked, "What do you mean?"

Although I hesitated for a moment, I still explained the matter to her, only concealing Miss Liu's background.

"Oh, so you're just looking for bodyguards? Okay, I'll take that."

“Eh!?”

"Just go to the safe floor and come right back, right? It's that easy."

Hearing Miss Aisha say that, not only me, but also Lily, Welf, Miss Seele and Miss Ryu were startled.

"Is...is that okay...?"

"It's just like an adventurer's quest. As long as you're prepared with the reward, I'll go with you. Besides, I've been wanting to go dungeon with you for a while now."

Miss Aisha's first half is understated, while the second half is delivered in a seductive tone, with her arms crossed over her chest.

Tucked into a short top that resembled underwear, her full breasts, no less impressive than a goddess's, swayed and were lifted upwards. Miss Aisha's somewhat provocative gestures made my cheeks burn.

...Miss Aisha, who embodies the race of female warriors (Amazons), well, I'm a little unsure how to deal with her.

Besides her bold personality, her tender brown skin and the deep valley in her chest would often intrude into my view, making me blush—and Lily staring at me and Miss Seele smiling broadly somehow frightened me.

Sweat was dripping down my forehead... but I also frankly felt that if this Level 2 adventurer were willing to come with us, it would be really helpful, and perhaps we wouldn't have to trouble Miss Ryu.

As I was thinking about these things, Miss Aisha suddenly narrowed her eyes.

"However—my price is quite high, isn't it?"

"Alas……!?"

A snake-like arm reached out and wrapped around my shoulder, embracing me.

Feeling her soft body pressed against me, before my heart could even race, I felt fear. Miss Aisha drew close to my eyes and nose, then licked her lips.

Lily and Miss Seele were startled, and I could sense Welf's helpless expression.

Even Miss Liu, who had been silent, suddenly sharpened her eyes.

"Price... price tag...!?"

"You know what I mean, right? You didn't get to eat it last time."

This sentence reminds me of the nightmare memory of being chased in the red-light district. The faint musky scent emanating from the brown limbs now awakens the fear I felt back then.

Just as Miss Aisha's carnivorous smile made my face turn pale—

"—Don't touch him."

Just like a flash of sword light, the wooden plate was raised high and swung down with astonishing speed.

Faced with a vertical slash, Miss Aisha immediately jumped away.

She was just as astonished as I was when I was liberated. She turned her eyes and saw that Miss Ryu had a cold and stern look in her eyes that she had never seen before.

"Let him go, Amazon! You are not allowed to do anything filthy to him."

In response to the elf's cold gaze, the Amazonian heroine revealed a belligerent smile.

"Oh, so? You've fallen for this man too?"

"...Don't misunderstand, he already has a partner."

What are you talking about now?!

"Oh, what a coincidence! I also have a little sister who has already pledged her life to this little brother."

"Please don't speak carelessly; it will only trouble Mr. Crannie."

"Okay, okay, we'll have a taste first. You and your best friend can start by holding hands, just like you elves do."

"I can't hand him over to someone who lacks class; you're the ones who should back out."

My eyes widened as I watched them exchange intense glances.

The tall Miss Aisha looked down at Miss Ryu, who stared back at her from below. I could almost see the intense sparks flying between them. They chatted about random things, and I couldn't keep up anymore.

...The relationship between the fastidious elves and the free-spirited Amazons is perhaps just as bad as that between the dwarves, or even worse.

As I watched the sharp-eyed Miss Ryu and the fiercely laughing Miss Aisha glare at each other, I was sweating and thinking.

"Seele, I'm sorry. I need to take half a day off. Please convey this to Mia's mother."

"Uh, Ryu?"

"She's too dangerous; I can't leave her alone. To protect Mr. Craney's chastity, I'll accompany the adventurers on their missions and keep a close eye on her. I'll be back before the night shift."

Chastity, chastity...?

Miss Liu kept her eyes fixed on Miss Aisha, and even Miss Xier panicked when she heard her announcement.

Miss Ryu really wanted to protect me from Miss Aisha's clutches...

Perhaps it was because she was too serious; she wasn't joking, but genuinely driven by a sense of justice and courage.

"...Well, it seems we've been fortunate to have two unexpectedly reliable people willing to help us."

"...It must be tough for famous adventurers to be targeted by all sorts of people."

Seeing Miss Ryu standing like a knight in front of Miss Aisha, Lily and Welf chatted amongst themselves.

Welf's last words of sympathy, though seemingly insignificant, struck me the most deeply.

With the help of Miss Ryu and Miss Aisha, and with Miss Seele watching us go, we are about to head to the dungeon.

Perhaps considering our desire to go and return quickly, Miss Aisha and her group stopped at a weapons shop on their way to the White Tower (Tower of Babel) to buy equipment and spare clothes, saving us the trouble of going back to headquarters to get weapons.

Thus, our temporary team gained two Level 2 adventurers as powerful allies, and we broke through the "upper level" in no time at all.

"Haa ...

With a shout as loud as tearing silk, the large blade flashed and cleaved several "hellhounds" in two.

The location is on the 14th floor of the "middle level," reminiscent of a cave. Miss Aisha, acting as the vanguard attacker, flashes a fierce smile, killing any monster she encounters.

The weapon she bought at the roadside shop was a greatsword, a type of large weapon. Even though it was far less sharp and strong than the broadsword she usually used, she still wielded the greatsword with ease, preventing the monster from crossing the line. Her swordsmanship even impressed Welf, who was skilled with a greatsword.

After her former faction (the Ishtar Familia) was destroyed, Miss Aisha temporarily became a memberless family, but she has since converted.

I once asked Miss Haruhime with which faction she had joined.

"It's a secret."

But she changed the subject with a smile.

Although you should be able to find it by checking the official information from the governing body (guild)...

"...Lady Aisha? You haven't leveled up to LV4, have you?"

"Oh, you have a sharp eye."

Seeing that she was so agile that she didn't need the support of a crossbow, the observant Lily noticed this and asked her about it. Miss Aisha readily admitted it.

From LV·3 to LV·4, that is, [upgrade] - sublimation to a higher level of "capacity".

Her skills were completely different from when we fought last time, which I vaguely noticed... However, hearing their conversation still made me quite surprised; Miss Aisha gave me a flirtatious wink while dispersing the enemy.

"You really messed with me last time, so I holed up in the maze for a while and trained myself again."

It sounds like after that fight in the red-light district, she has also embarked on quite a few "adventures".

This combat barbela, who was originally listed as one of the highest-ranking combat prostitutes at LV·3, has been in the game for a month since that battle, so it's not surprising that she has "leveled up".

Seeing her competitive smile at me, I actually felt surpassed.

In terms of overall ability (ability value), Miss Aisha is definitely above me now.

Miss Aisha, wielding her greatsword, used her martial arts skills, her long legs moving with incredible flexibility, kicking the monster's head apart like fruit. She fluidly combined footwork with her greatsword, alternating between kicking and slashing, tore the monster to pieces.

She dances a merciless sword dance, her dancer-like costume and long, jet-black hair swirling around her body, not a single drop of blood splattered on her.

"Antianeira...I see, so she is..."

With her hood pulled low, Miss Ryu, positioned a step back from Miss Aisha, murmured her nickname. Almost simultaneously, while Miss Aisha was engaged in battle, countless monsters burst forth from the wall from her blind spots, only to be instantly slain by Miss Ryu with two small katana.

"Oh, that's quite a skill."

"The same to you."

Seeing Miss Ryu vanquish the monster in the blink of an eye, Miss Aisha frankly praised her.

The combat outfit that Ms. Ryu bought at the weapon shop was similar to travel attire. She paired it with a hooded robe, concealing her true identity as usual. To avoid unnecessary questioning, she didn't wear the clothes she had been seen in during the war games, dressing in a less conspicuous manner. Her only weapons were two small katana, which she seemed to always carry with her.

Miss Aisha may have vaguely sensed Miss Ryu's true colors.

But she never mentioned it.

It's like she's facing a thrilling battle, which is nothing more than a trivial matter. She slaughters monsters with Ms. Ryu, who bears a striking resemblance to the masked adventurer from the War Game.

"—Chirp!!"

"!"

Just as the overly aggressive avant-garde kept carving out a path.

A group of monsters emerged from the horizontal cave and attacked me and Welf, who were waiting in the center-back position.

We engaged in battle with the rabbit monster "Unicorn Rabbit." Welf slashed down several at once with his greatsword. Before I could react, my natural weapon—the tomahawk—came at me.

I quickly used "Goddess's Blade" and "Ushiwakamaru Second Form" to knock down all the stone axes. The al-miraj rabbits, now unarmed, obeyed their monster instincts and were not discouraged. They took their sharp horns on their foreheads, got into a fighting stance, and charged at me.

I deflected, parried, and fought off all the charging attacks, and was about to counterattack a rabbit that was off-balance—

"——!"

Just before I was about to strike, my movements faltered.

"Bell!"

"Lord Bell!?"

As my eyes met those of the monster with its crimson gaze, I hesitated.

I stopped completely in my tracks. When Welf and Lily saw this, they yelled. In the next instant, the unicorn rabbit, who had escaped unscathed, raised its big eyes and charged at my breastplate.

The impact of the blow to the center of my body caused me to fall backward in an unsightly fashion.

(Oops--)

As I fell, the unicorn rabbits pounced on me from all directions.

Oh no!

Just as I was about to launch a counterattack, which was too late, a gust of wind swept by.

"grumble--!?"

His hooded robe billowed as he unleashed four silver slashes, displaying immense power amidst the horde of monsters.

The "magic stone" was shattered with perfect accuracy, and the unicorn rabbit turned to dust.

The figure that saved my life continued to wipe out the remaining monsters.

"...No, I'm sorry, Ms. Ryu."

Miss Liu instantly retreated from the front line, wiping out the entire enemy force in the blink of an eye.

She reached out her hand and pulled me to my shaky feet.

"What's wrong with you, Bell Craney? You're really spoiling my mood."

The battle ended, and Miss Aisha, carrying her greatsword, wore an incredulous expression. "I'm already LV3, and I still lost to a 'mid-level' monster!" she thought, looking at me with disappointment.

Her eyes seemed to be blaming me, "You're the man who defeated me."

Having made a complete fool of myself, I had nothing to say.

"Mr. Crannie, this is not like you at all."