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

"Oh dear~" Missia, standing beside her, also gave a sympathetic smile.

—Did I do something wrong?

Aegina thought so while trying to hold down her glasses that had slipped down.

"...Excuse me."

Aegina knocked on the heavy oak door on the top floor of the guild headquarters.

Upon hearing a gruff "Come in," Eina opened the double doors and entered the room.

The room was spacious, its walls entirely occupied by massive bookcases. Luxurious carpets, jars, paintings, velvet couches, and alabaster magic stone lamps filled the room with a plethora of extravagant items and furnishings. Even in Orario, home to the many extravagant gods, few could compare.

Aegina bowed, walked to the center of the room, and approached the owner of the room with some nervousness.

Behind a huge desk piled high with stacks of documents, the man sat in a luxurious chair.

"Too slow, Eina Zur."

The man looked up from the desk where he was working on paperwork, his green eyes glaring at Aegina.

The pointed ears sticking out from his face clearly showed his elf identity.

However, their appearance was far from that of the race known for its beautiful appearance.

His belly fat filled out a suit that was more upscale than those worn by the average office worker. His wide-set figure could hardly be described as sturdy, no matter how polite one might be. As one waitress sarcastically remarked, he was as fat as a "pig (orc)." His arms and legs were thick and short, and his chin was saggy.

Paired with fine clothing, he looks like a wealthy businessman.

Guild Master Loiman Madil.

He has the final say in city management and is the de facto supreme authority of the guild.

"How many minutes do you think have passed since I called you? You dared to keep me waiting, you're quite something."

"terribly sorry……"

She was verbally attacked right away, but Aina said nothing and just apologized.

Loiman is a long-lived race (elves) and has served the guild for over a century. Since assuming his current position, he has led a dissolute life, which is one of the reasons for his obesity.

"The Guild's Pig".

All the elves in Orario despised and rejected him.

The elves said that he had forgotten the pride and dignity of his race and was shameless, and fiercely criticized him for being decadent because of money and becoming fat and ugly.

Perhaps because he was so disliked, and because of the inherent tendencies of those in power, even when facing fellow races (elves) with a strong sense of kinship, Loiman still displayed an arrogant and disrespectful attitude. He would only bow and scrape to the gods who held particularly high positions in Orario.

What's more, he is a half-elf.

He must be thinking of himself as a "half-baked" person right now.

(Alas, I knew this would happen when I heard him call me...)

Eina was not good at dealing with Loyman.

However, to be honest, there are probably not many guild staff who are good at dealing with him, or who don't dislike him.

However, although he was extravagant when it came to having fun, he was very capable at work.

His more than a century of service to the guild is no small feat. Although his desires often hindered those around him, overall, Lloydman did make significant contributions to the guild's operations.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to gain the support of others—let alone obtain permission from the guild's "true ruler" to serve as an officer.

(He must be so tired...)

This endless stream of sarcastic remarks he's so good at stems from the hardship and meticulousness of being manipulated by all the gods in the city! ...If you think about it this way, he's still somewhat worthy of sympathy.

Eina was basically a kind person, she told herself, and kept standing at attention.

"Hmph! You seem to really enjoy using your body to seduce adventurers. You've managed to incite as many as two high-ranking adventurers who are considered the property of the city, and now you've finally caused trouble. I've heard about that."

Loemann's gaze lingered unceremoniously on the full breasts and slender waist tucked into the suit, while Eina resisted the urge to twist her body.

He was deliberately provoking Eina, trying to find something to say about her.

Fortunately, his words were only insulting, not because he was lustful.

"...You've misunderstood. I haven't done anything the guild leader is thinking."

"Shut up! How dare you take advantage of the elven bloodline! Don't you have any shame?!"

Eina denied what had happened a few days ago with the dwarf Dorumur and the elf Luvis. Sure enough, Loiman's face turned red, and he cursed loudly in a rough voice.

Just as Eina swallowed her sigh, a fierce glint flashed in the corner of Loyman's upturned eyes.

"The most serious thing is! You deliberately concealed the information about Bell Craney, whom you were in charge of!"

(Woo…)

Very perceptive.

Eina didn't report any information about "Luck (Development Ability)" or "Quick Attack Magic (Fire and Lightning)"—an unprecedented spell without casting. Although the war game had gradually made the latter a well-known fact, the guild was eager to find out all of Bell's "rapidly growing" data. To be honest, they probably really wanted to interrogate Eina about everything she knew. Moreover, Eina had suppressed information about Bell's exemplary growth through "leveling up," which, while unavoidable, inevitably aroused suspicion.

In her reports, she always solemnly stated that her conversations with the adventurer in charge (Bell) were conducted in accordance with the confidentiality rules of the [Family]... However, after reading the reports, Lloyd probably had some thoughts in mind.

Hearing his criticism, Aegina tried hard to control her shoulders and prevent them from shaking.

"I bet you just don't want the adventurers you're leading to become toys (playthings) of the gods!"

"No, no! That's not true..."

"Don't lie! You always sided with the adventurers when you first joined the guild, didn't you?! Seriously! If Bell Craney's 'growth' has some secret, and the guild can't grasp it, it won't just be a matter of losses!"

Faced with Loiman's table-pounding, pig-like squeals, Eina could only patiently wait for the storm of insults to pass.

After a while, he had probably finally vented all his anger.

A thin film of sweat accumulated on Loiman's forehead and slack jaw, and he exhaled.

"...Let's get down to business."

Seeing the Guild Master speaking while wiping his face with a cloth, Aina perked up.

"Give this to the Hestia Familia... Bell Crane."

"what?"

What was brought to the desk was a white sealed letter.

Aegina was greatly surprised, but under the urging of Loiman's gaze, she picked it up cautiously.

"Guild Master, may I ask what exactly is going on...?"

The envelope was stamped with guild wax and looked like some kind of notice.

Is this a letter of commission from an adventurer?

Before Aina could ask, Loiman seemed to anticipate her thoughts and said:

"Let me tell you first, this isn't an adventurer's request, it's a 'mandatory mission'."

"!"

In an instant, Eina's eyes widened.

"And it's top secret. Not only should the staff not know, but no one outside the Hestia Familia should be informed. Be extremely careful when handing it over... You already know this, so don't ask any questions."

"Mandatory task".

This is an absolute order issued by the guild, and all the [Families] and adventurers affiliated with Orario must obey this order.

Moreover, it was a confidential mission, and she was in charge of leading the adventurers! Eina couldn't understand why she would receive such a mission.

"You're that adventurer's advisor, so you're the perfect person for this job."

From a positional standpoint, if I were to make direct contact with him, it would likely attract attention.

Ignoring Aina's astonishment, Loiman said arrogantly as he sat on the chair.

"Listen carefully, you must hand it over to them, and you are not allowed to refuse."

"President, President! This is... from the higher-ups—"

"You're just a lowly employee, you don't need to know. Hurry up! I'm busy."

Loiman refused outright and stopped her from asking further questions.

He unilaterally issued instructions, telling Eina to hand the envelope to the goddess Hestia, and then expelled her from the ruling room without further ado.

(Top secret mandatory mission... How could this happen, why...)

After being kicked out of the room, Aina stood in front of the closed door.

She looked down at the sealed letter in her hand, her emerald-green eyes shimmering.

(Is this the order from the higher-ups? But if that's the case, there's no reason for the guild master to personally summon me here... Is this just his own decision?)

Thinking about this, a negative voice of "no" came from the corner of my mind.

(He was also following orders——)

——Could it be…

Aina felt a suspicion growing in her heart.

She recalled the existence of the "Dominator," who was even more sublime than the higher-ups and reigned supreme at the top of the King's Guild.

There are certain movements in places that I don’t know about.

Aegina felt this way, accompanied by an ominous inner turmoil.

We returned to headquarters last night.

We barely managed to hide the whole way, trying not to let outsiders see Winnie with wings.

Even after a night, a heavy atmosphere still lingered in the mansion. Apart from Lily, who forced herself to cheer up and went out to gather information, everyone stayed indoors, holding their breath to avoid the confusing noise from the streets.

Right here.

I was summoned to the guild headquarters alone.

"I'm sorry, Belle, for suddenly asking you to come over."

“No, no!”

We are in the interview room at headquarters.

I was careful not to show my wavering on my face, lest Miss Eina notice.

The summons, delivered in Miss Eina's name, was sent by a special messenger at noon. Urged on by the word "urgent" on the letter, I hurried to the guild headquarters.

I felt myself becoming restless.

After all, that incident just happened yesterday.

I was filled with unease, worried that the guild would suspect my involvement in the incident that disturbed the city.

Although my rational mind tells me that Miss Eina contacted me, the adventurer in charge, in her personal capacity, so the possibility is very low.

And even though Winnie cried herself to sleep, I was still worried about her being left at the mansion.

In this well-soundproofed room, we were both standing without sitting down, and I was facing Miss Eina, whose expression was a bit stiff.

"……this."

"what?"

Just as I was getting nervous, she handed me a sealed letter.

"Miss Eina, this is...?"

I accepted it, puzzled. Miss Eina hesitated for a moment before speaking:

"They said it was a top-secret mandatory mission and asked me to hand it over to you."

I was startled.

A mandatory mission from the guild, and it’s top secret?

The Hestia Familia, though now somewhat famous, is only a mid-tier faction. When faced with anomalies in dungeons, powerful monsters, or emergencies outside the city, the management organization issues instructions to resolve these issues.

Not only is it a mandatory mission, but it's also top secret. In my memory, this kind of mission would target high-ranking members of the [familia] and adventurers in the city...

I couldn't help but stare at the high-quality sealed letter.

"Can I... open it here?"