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

After the "ritual" ended, on a whim, the goddess (Kali) asked her if there was anything she wanted. Tiona immediately replied:

"I want to read the rest of the story in this book."

Her wish came true. She ordered a brand new book and gave it to Tiona.

Tiona, though clumsy, wasn't stupid. Her childlike intellect, fueled by her interests and aided by the goddess (Kali), allowed her to quickly grasp the Common Language—she remembered Baje seeming slightly dejected and forlorn. In the entertainment-scarce world of the arena, she found an excitement different from that of battle. Tiona quickly became captivated.

From then on, Diona often received books as rewards for her victories. Some say the goddess (Kali) saw them as bait, while others say she was attracted to the girl's naivety. In any case, Diona gained access to many storybooks.

She brought the books back to the stone house, and even late at night, she would lie down and read them engrossed by candlelight. Seeing that the room was almost overflowing with storybooks, Tiony once lost her temper and kicked the mountain of books, causing Tiona to burst into tears and wildly punch her, which resulted in another fight between the sisters.

Encountering fragments of the story—fragments of "Heroic Tale"—Tiona has changed.

First, her dullness and frivolousness intensified.

Then, she started to laugh a lot.

Their laughter was innocent and carefree.

It's not hard to imagine how the older sister (Tione) must have felt. This must have been one of the reasons for her frustration. After all, she was becoming increasingly self-destructive, while her younger sister was engrossed in reading with shining eyes, laughing like an idiot.

In that harsh environment, if anything could be said to have caused the two to have such contrasting personalities, it would undoubtedly be their encounter with a scrap of storybook paper. In this world of struggle and killing, Tiona, who always smiled innocently, might have seemed a little abnormal in some ways. By the time people noticed, the young girl had already earned the new title of Berserker.

Her compatriots even pointed and whispered behind her back, saying that she might be crazy for laughing as if she were emotionally numb. Although Tiona didn't think she was crazy.

No matter what others said, Tiona just smiled. She kept smiling.

The girl was saved because of "Heroic Tales".

"..."

Ais gazed at Tiona's silent back.

Tiona, who had been standing still, waited until the girl holding the Hero's Tale disappeared before slowly speaking, "Eh, Ais..."

"……What's up?"

"Does seeing me always smiling make you feel disgusted?"

Ais paused for a brief moment as she watched Tiona gently touch her cheek.

Then, she gently shook her head.

"Because of Tiona... I feel very happy now."

That's far too brief.

However, it reached Tiona's heart.

She turned back, her cheeks flushed with joy, and said with a smile:

"Thank you, Ais!"

However, he still looked a little different from usual.

Normally, Tiona would hug Ais, but this time she did nothing and just walked forward.

"..."

Ais stopped walking, and a moment later, she also went to chase after that figure.

✿

At the same time that Ais and Tiona went to the mayor's (Medor's) house.

Lefia and the other members of the team diligently asked people questions.

(Not just the [Nyod Familia], if any guild branch gets involved in the carnivorous plant's disturbance... it could cause all sorts of serious problems.)

Although it's just a branch, if the guild, as the governing body, is protecting the remnants of the dark faction, then the problem is huge. Lefia had been feeling uneasy ever since Loki mentioned the candidates that morning.

She was feeling down, but she pretended not to have found out the core of the matter—leaving the real target to Ais or Riveria's team to spy on—and continued to gather intelligence on the streets.

"...Hey, big sister."

"?"

When Lefia turned around, she saw a girl with wheat-colored skin in front of her.

Seeing her brown skin, Lefia almost became wary, suspecting she was a member of the Kali Familia, but quickly lowered her guard. Once someone has received a "blessing," no matter how young or short they are, one cannot be deceived by appearances; however, the girl lacked the aura characteristic of a celestial being, such as the posture or gait associated with abilities (stats) that ordinary people don't possess. Adventurer or warrior professions seemed completely foreign to the girl before her.

It seems the girl is not an Amazon, but a human. She only reaches Rafia's abdomen in height. Judging from her thin clothing, she is probably a resident of the port city (Mellen).

With her shoulder-length black hair swaying, the girl looked up at her with her deep, tea-colored eyes.

"Is the older sister... an adventurer from Orario?"

"Yes, that's me. What's wrong?"

The Loki Familia, who had been staying in Mellen for several days, had perhaps become a topic of conversation among the residents. Lefia bent down, smiled gently at the girl, and the girl, who had been hesitantly asking, seemed to have made up her mind, tiptoing to whisper in her ear:

"Let me tell you, ever since a long time ago, I've been hearing strange noises where I play games..."

"A cry...?"

"Hmm. It sounds a lot like the long, monstrous sound that appears in the lake..."

"!"

The girl's words shocked Lefia. The monster she was referring to was a man-eating plant.

"The adults told me to keep it a secret, but I'm so scared..."

Where did you hear that?

"This road leads straight ahead..."

The girl pointed to the alleyway behind her.

"Sakta, Elfie!"

Lefia looked up and called out the names of her fellow girls.

The group members who had been scattered along the road asking questions gathered together.

"The monster's roar... Is it real?"

"She doesn't seem to be lying..."

"Since we don't have any leads anyway, let's just investigate."

After discussing with the Level 3 rabbit-person, her roommate (a human mage) at headquarters, and the other two members of the guild, Lefia made a decision. She glanced at the path leading to the back alley of the main street and asked the girl:

"Could you please show me the way?"

The girl nodded.

"My name is Rafia, what's your name?"

"Changdi".

Led by a girl who called herself Chanti, Rafia and the others began to move.

Unlike the bustling main streets of town, the back alleys were a maze of complex lanes, and those unfamiliar with the area could easily get lost. The girl seemed very familiar with the terrain, leading Lefia and the others into the depths of a deserted path.

"...?"

Lefia, who was walking behind the girl and in front of the squad, twitched her long, thin ears.

It was as if something was on her mind, causing her ears to twitch slightly.

(Looking around... Is someone watching us?)

None of the other members noticed, only Lefia sensed a sign, thanks to the countless "adventures" she had undertaken with the first-level adventurers (Ais and others).

Lefia didn't say anything, she was just at a loss, but—as if seeing through her heart, the girl walking in front of her, with her back to her, answered her doubts:

"It must be because the eldest sister from the Amazons has arrived."

Huh?

Just as Lefia was about to ask for clarification, something happened in the blink of an eye.

From above her head, a mysterious entity silently descended behind Lefia.

“——”

She couldn't turn back.

Because the attacker swung his hand with astonishing speed, delivering a painful blow to her neck.

"Lefia!?"

The shock from the neck up, along with the accompanying dizziness, caused Lefia to collapse to the ground, her knees buckling. She first heard the screams of her companions (Sakta and the others) turn into distorted, discordant sounds, followed by the deafening roar of intense fighting. Severe nausea caused the stone pavement in her vision to swirl, churning her consciousness, and just as she was unable to make sense of what was happening—

The voice of a girl (Changdi) came from above.

"Among the gods, some can reduce their 'divine power' to zero."

Although her voice was like a young girl's, her tone of voice had become like an old woman's.

Upon hearing that voice, Lefia opened her azure eyes wide through her hazy vision.

"For example, great gods like Zeus and Odin, or some other deities. They can disguise themselves as children and blend into the lives of ordinary people without anyone knowing... This is also a kind of game in the mortal realm."

Rafia mustered her last bit of strength to lift her head, just in time to see the girl take off her wig.

Beneath the black hair emerged blood-red hair. He pulled out and put on a demon mask with two fangs. Eyes, now as crimson as his hair, peered down at Lefia through two holes in the mask.

"You've learned something new, haven't you, Loki's child?"

Now the positions are reversed.

The once innocent girl was transformed into a deity displaying divine power, while she herself became an ignorant child.

As her consciousness faded, Lefia felt ashamed and remorseful for her immaturity.

"Come and wait here with me. Don't worry, I won't mistreat you."

The continuous clanging of metal abruptly ceased, and the unharmed female warrior with sand-colored hair—Bajie—stood beside the goddess.

Upon witnessing this scene, Lefia completely lost consciousness.

✿

"Argana...!"

A serpentine smile, and he happily accepted Tione's voice.

As Tione and the others made their way down a street leading to the guild branch, Argana appeared before them. She stood alone, blocking Tione's path.

"You dare to be so nonchalant...!"

"Tione, step back. Calm down."

Riveria stopped Tione, who was about to rush out with clenched fists, and stepped forward.

Like Ais and Tiona, she had taken her original weapon for repair, and now she held a substitute staff in her hand. While the other members were tense, she alone remained fearless, facing Algana face to face.

"If you have something to say, then say it. If not, please leave."

"..."

Riveria said calmly, and Algana glanced at her.

The elven royalty, exuding an aura of power, caused the female warrior (Amazon) to narrow her eyes. She then looked away with lingering affection, her gaze turning to Tione, who was still glaring at her.

"Lada Fa Aro. Naheke Xin Dina, Nuoyi Fei Gailand Zuya Di Xilut."

“——”

Tiony was stunned by the words directed at him.

The Amazonian language, which only they could understand, made Riveria furrow her brows, and the other members of the group were also at a loss; the next moment, Tione exploded.

"What do you mean? Explain yourself!"

Aljana simply smiled in response to the furious outburst.

Tiony's expression changed drastically, and she was about to press for more information, but...

"Lady Riveria!"

Voices calling for Riveria and the others came from another direction.

Tiony and the others turned around and saw a panting elf member.

"What happened?"