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

The "heretics" surrounded Winnie, who was still unable to fight, and stood ready, their numbers forming what could be called a small squad.

The team consists of six monsters: Arachne (a spider), a half-human, half-bird, a beastman (Fomer), a hippogriff, a war shadow, and the dragon girl Winnie.

Apart from them, the "heretics" were like adventurers on an "expedition," divided into several groups of about five or seven, each continuing to move.

Not only were they fully armed, but they also made no distinction between the "heretics" who originally inhabited the upper floors. To put it bluntly, they were abnormal beings even in the underground city, extremely conspicuous. In fact, the sight of spider-men in armor or robes, and half-human, half-bird creatures lined up in rows did indeed resemble a circus.

If these more than forty of them were to move together, they would inevitably be spotted by adventurers, and the news would spread quickly. Even if they remained separate individuals, it would be one thing, but the discovery of various races of monsters forming a community would be detrimental, causing unnecessary confusion and alert among adventurers.

When moving between floors, to avoid being discovered by adventurers, they always split into several small teams and head to designated meeting points. This is especially necessary in the "middle floors," where there are more adventurers, compared to the lower levels.

The lizardman Reid, leading the "Heretics," along with the songbird (Syrian) Rey and others, are assigned to the first or second unit to set off. To clear the way for their weaker brethren, they must scout the route for adventurers and eliminate ordinary monsters or irregularities. This position is the most dangerous, as battles and unexpected incidents frequently occur.

Winnie was assigned to a safe follow-up unit.

As her guards, the "deep" tribes and other "heretics" known for their martial prowess gathered in this force.

Winnie's head was covered by a long black robe, concealing the brilliance of the red stone on her forehead; she had not yet sorted out her feelings of longing for Bell and the others, and her lowered eyes were glistening with tears.

"Winnie, stop crying."

"I'm so sorry, Raniere..."

"It's Spider, who's in the front row of the squad," Spider said sternly. Winnie's shoulders trembled, and she curled up into a ball.

Her name is Raniere.

Lanie is a spider-human hybrid, known as "Heretic," with the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a spider. She is in charge of commanding this squad. Her upper body is clad in adventurer's armor, and her face is completely covered by a visor helmet.

"This is not the Secret Realm. Our own kind, harboring hostility, will attack us. If we keep thinking about those humans, we'll lose our lives."

Lanie removed his helmet, flicking his loose, pure white hair as he glared at Winnie with annoyance. His crimson eyes, constructed like those of humans—human-spider should have compound eyes—looked fierce.

Including her hair, the woman's skin was as white as a snowfield. From a human perspective, that skin color was almost sickly, unsettlingly white—yet this pale complexion did not diminish her beauty.

If an adventurer were to see her, he would first be disgusted by her hideous spider-like lower body, and then his gaze would inevitably linger on her beautiful female form. She possessed a beauty that would make even the gods jealous.

Even so, Lanie seemed to be wary of humans or her own kind, wearing a helmet in front of people other than her own kind and refusing to reveal her beauty.

"Winnie, are you still sad?"

"……Um."

"One day, I'll have the chance to see those surface dwellers again... Mr. Bell and the others. I believe so."

Winnie was devastated after being scolded by Raniere; Fly, a half-human, half-bird dressed in a robe like Winnie, came to her side to comfort her. The girl, who looked to be about the same age as Winnie, smiled at her, her shoulder-length crimson hair swaying.

Her words triggered her tear ducts, and Winnie's eyes filled with tears. As she nodded in response with difficulty, her rough, fur-covered fingers gently wiped away the tears that slid down her cheeks.

"oh……"

"...Thank you, Forl."

Winnie smiled faintly at the enormous beastman (Fomer) Fomer, whose size required her to look up at.

Contrary to his enormous size, Forl was gentle in nature.

Unlike Winnie and the others, he couldn't speak human language; all he could utter were shouts and yells, making verbal communication difficult. However, his every action conveyed his gentle nature. Once in battle, he would use his large breastplate as a shield, wielding a massive mace to boldly knock away enemies and protect Winnie and the others.

Those deep, dark eyes, devoid of emotion, always silently protect their compatriots.

So does everyone else.

Fly, a half-human, half-bird creature, is more interested in the surface of the earth and humans than anyone else, and has a strong sense of curiosity.

Cliff, the eagle that hovers in the air making a flapping sound, is lively and loves to play pranks.

The silent warrior Odd is always the first to engage in battle and values ​​his comrades.

Raniere, too, though fierce, possessed warmth and care for his fellow countrymen.

Everyone was very gentle.

They cared about Winnie, whom they had just met, and felt sorry for her.

This is where Winnie truly belongs. It is the only community where existence is permitted.

(But I...)

Winnie knew this, but she had no choice but to do it.

She just couldn't shake off her loneliness.

Because when she cried alone, that person was the first to notice her, and it was the other humans who laughed with her.

Even now, the dragon girl still couldn't help but seek the warmth of those boys and girls.

Even though they are different from us, they are human.

"...Vinnie, forget about those humans. It'll only torment you."

Just like when Lana, the spider, couldn't stand Winnie and Full's conversation, she offered advice. Her tone was one of disgust and disdain.

Unlike Reed or Rey, Lanie belongs to a group that has no goodwill towards humans.

Led by the veteran gargoyle Gulus, even though less than half of the "heretics" were human, a third of them harbored antipathy towards humans.

Winnie had no idea what had happened to them.

But this attitude made Winnie very sad.

"Why does Raniere hate Bell and the others...?"

"..."

"Bell, Haruhime, and even the fairy were all very kind to me! They all hugged me!"

"That was just a passing fancy..."

"That's not true at all!"

When her friendship with Bell and the others was denied, Winnie retorted with tears in her eyes.

Raniere looked back at her reaction with a bitter, distorted expression.

It's been like this from just now until now. Even though the spider-human "heretics" speak fluent human language, the emotions they convey are completely different from their longing for humanity.

Her words were tinged with anger and hatred, or perhaps lament.

"You don't understand anything."

"what?"

"You have no idea about those humans. You have no idea how cruel and cunning those guys are—"

The other compatriots remained silent, but Raniere spoke to Winnie, whose eyes were wide open.

—One day, those humans will also...

Just as she was halfway through her sentence.

A heart-wrenching scream reached Winnie's twisted, pointed ears.

"!!"

"Yikes!" Winnie's shoulders jerked violently.

When she suddenly stopped, all the surprised eyes of her compatriots, including Raniere, were fixed on her.

"Winnie?"

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"I...I heard..."

Fei'er and Raniere said in surprise, but Winnie's ears still twitched slightly.

Dragons, hailed as the strongest race among monsters, possess exceptional potential even compared to other races. Viviel, being a dragon, also possesses remarkably acute senses, including hearing.

Even from a considerable distance, she could hear the faint sounds coming from the same floor—screams that the other "heretics" couldn't detect.

"She's crying... she's screaming for help."

Winnie intuitively understood.

The voice did not come from adventurers or their own kind (monsters), but from their own kind, who possess reason.

At the same time, her excessive cries of grief caused her to have the illusion that her body was being cut apart.

Winnie, who was not long after birth, was hearing such a heartbreaking and painful cry for the first time.

She hugged her trembling body with her thin, branch-like arms.

"You said 'Help!'... You heard the voices of your fellow countrymen!?"

"Ugh, um... that person is in so much pain... we have to save him!"

Winnie nodded in response to Fei'er's astonished question.

The dragon girl, clutching her chest tightly, mustered the courage to plead her case. She remembered the boy who had once saved her when she was crying, and she kept glancing at the faces of her fellow dragons.

"What should we do, Raniere?"

"..."

The half-human, half-bird, swift eagle, war shadow, and beastman tribe all asked the spider to make a judgment.

Judging from Winnie's words and actions, the screams she heard couldn't have come from members of the "Heretics." It was probably from new comrades that Fei and the others had never met before.

Raniere, who was in charge of the squad, broke the silence as he stared at Winnie, who was on the verge of tears, under the watchful eyes of his comrades.

"...Let's go see what's going on. Winnie, lead the way."

Seeing Winnie's unusual expression, Raniere realized the situation was serious and made a decision.

These "outsiders," who live in the vast labyrinth with only a few companions, cannot turn a blind eye to their fellow citizens who may be in trouble.

Seeing Ranie clink her iron helmet on, the atmosphere among the other "heretics" tensed up. The beastmen's fur stood on end, the War Shadow chirped all over, and the Galloping Demon flapped its wings with all its might.

Putting aside the matter of meeting up with Reed and the others in the lower area for the time being, the Spider-Man's squad began to take other actions.

"Od, go."

“——”

Following Lanie's instructions, War Shadow Od sprinted off. A moment later, the squad caught up.

Od wore full-plate armor.

Like a humanoid shadow, covered from head to toe in armor, he didn't look like a monster at first glance, even if discovered by adventurers. The team's method of advancement was for him to scout ahead alone first, and only proceed after confirming that there were no adventurers or dangers.

Like a lone adventurer, Odd clattered his heavy black armor as he made his way through the passageways. Whenever he reached a corner or crossroads, he would look around and signal with his hand that it was safe to proceed before Lanie and the others crossed the deserted paths. If they encountered monsters, Odd would tear them apart with the sharp, protruding fingers of his gauntlet—the blades of War Shadow—singling them off single-handedly.

"—Guros, we may have discovered some new kin. Let's go check on the situation."

As Ranie ran on four legs, he spoke to the crimson crystal in his hand.

After a moment, the faintly glowing crystal responded:

"What? — Wait, Raniere, don't move until we get there."

"No, I must go."

Raniere made it clear that he rejected the incoming voice.

"Rani, listen to me! Something's not right! It could be a trap—"

"Even so, I cannot stand idly by, Guros."

She interrupted his increasingly heated persuasion while gripping the crystal tightly.

"Once you hear that scream, there's no stopping you."

Not only Winnie, but everyone else had heard the voice.

It was a piercing scream that made one want to clench their ears. The further they went, the louder the sound grew, robbing the "heretics" of their composure. Their feet kicking the ground and their wings frantically accelerated.

The sobbing that kept her biting her ear made Raniere grit her teeth.

"If this is the work of humans, I cannot stand idly by."

She became expressionless beneath her helmet visor and unilaterally ended the conversation.

Ignoring the still-sounding calls to stop him, Raniere stuffed the red crystal into his pouch.

"It's just ahead...!"

"Od, straight-line chamber!"