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

"It's alright, God. Just like before, I can manage on my own."

The God kept staring at my smile, which was probably a bit forced.

After thinking for a few seconds with his hand on his chin, "Okay" nodded, a broad smile spreading across his face.

"Let me lend a hand."

"Eh?"

The deity puffed out his chest and pressed against me, leaving me stunned.

"I am your supporter."

For a moment, not understanding what was being said, I froze completely.

For some reason, a smug expression appeared on God's face, and soon after, he suddenly stood up from his chair.

"Hey, what are you saying, Lord God!?"

"Well, I have a day off from work tomorrow, so it's fine for me to go with you."

That's not what I meant...!?

Do you understand what it means to step into a dangerous area called a maze? My mouth opened and closed, and I could only express my accusation with my eyes.

"No problem, it's just carrying luggage. I'm your god, you can't look down on me!"

Then, the god who started the conversation, like a mischievous child, happily continued talking.

Even if there's danger, you'll still help me, right?

Unable to respond to God's trusting gaze, I said hesitantly, "Of course..."

"Then it's decided. Hehe, I really look forward to exploring the maze with Belle~"

There was no sense of tension whatsoever, or rather, the way he acted like a god going on a picnic made me quite uneasy, and that's when I said what I cared about.

"Um, Lord God, may we infiltrate the labyrinth? I've only just become an adventurer, but I've never seen any god approach a labyrinth before..."

"...Well, if it's around the first floor, it shouldn't be exposed, right?"

The god, who had stopped moving at this simple question, gently looked up at the ceiling and then answered. He tilted his head slightly at the lack of a clear answer, but the god's determination to go to the labyrinth gave me a headache.

In the end, I still couldn't suppress God's feelings.

The next day, I decided to enter the labyrinth with God.

◇

"Is this a maze...?"

Upon reaching the first level of the dungeon, the God looked around.

Book III Prologue "Alea jacta est"

The Taiwanese version is from the Kingdom of Light

Image source: Hodxer

Input by: Da Gua Feifei

Retouching: Uncle’s Fantasy

"Oh no. That kid's gotten stronger again."

"That would be perfect, wouldn't it?"

"yes."

The room was dimly lit. The dusk outside the window spread deep into the room.

As the magic stone lamp on the table swayed slightly like a candle, Freya quietly raised the corners of her mouth.

The skyscraper (Tower of Babel) built directly above the labyrinth. On its highest level.

There were few everyday items. The spacious interior, resembling a first-class suite, was incongruously lacking in decoration, yet every item was extravagantly luxurious, yet complemented the room's overall décor.

A huge bookcase, an unusually large bed, a stylish dark red carpet, and a painting of the sun and moon, separated by a boundary, hung on the wall.

The silver-haired goddess held a wine glass in her hand and was talking enthusiastically about a topic with her chosen follower.

"They're like completely different people. I'm not talking about their [ability stats]. They only gained a spell as a trigger, and that child's brilliance has become even more pronounced... To me, it's like a vessel being polished to a brighter shine."

She held a glass up to the cold moonlight streaming into the spacious room, admiring the ripples on the water reflecting the moonlight.

The brightly lit young baijiu has no depth of color. Of course, the same is true for flavor.

However, Freya seemed to find this crystal-clear color irreplaceable, and with a smile, she narrowed her silver eyes and brought the glass to her lips.

Does this indicate significant progress in the development of vessels?

"You could say that."

She exchanged brief words with Otto, who remained expressionless in a corner of the room.

They remained upright and motionless, silently watching the attendants of the supreme deity.

At this moment, under the watchful gaze of his earth-red eyes, Freya slowly, gradually, half-closed her eyes.

"However, there is only one... only one blockage that hinders the radiance. It binds the child like shackles."

"..."

"Yes, he is a full vessel. But the center is lacking. No, he has a center, but it looks hazy... Is something missing, or is something hindering it?"

"Do you know what 'Ota' is?" Freya turned to ask for his opinion. It was as if she were asking him: "Because you're all boys." The rock-like orc pursed his lips for a moment before answering his master's question.

"I think it's due to fate."

"cause……?"

"Yes. You once told me about that man's connection with the Minotaur... an indelible stain on his past, perhaps becoming a thorn in places he himself was unaware of, tormenting him."

She had told Otto about Bell and the Minotaur. Freya hadn't heard about it directly from Bell; she had only heard rumors about it.

Although this is just speculation, Freya is almost certain that when he faced that bull-like monster, he must have suffered a humiliating defeat that cannot even be described as a complete rout.

Freya curled her fingers and placed them on her delicate chin.

"So, emotional trauma... Children are so delicate. We have our attachments, yet we're not bound by the past. It's fascinating... Or, from your perspective, are we simply carefree?"

"I wouldn't dare."

"If you could crack a few more jokes for me, I wouldn't be bored..."

To Ota, whose attitude remained consistently attentive, she smiled and looked at him again. "Never mind, it's alright."

"So, how do we remove the thorns surrounding that child?"

Freya looked at her attendant with a somewhat challenging gaze and a smile, and asked him.

"If you want to sever the ties of the past, you can only do so by breaking the symbols of the past yourself. There is probably no other way."

O also accepted the question from the main god from a positive perspective.

"...Were you like this before?"

"In my humble opinion, men are all creatures who repeat the same mistakes."

Freya chuckled softly and looked away.

Having found the cause of her worry, she couldn't hide her joy and fell into deep thought.

(If the Minotaur (the monster) is the reason that has traumatized the child, then the answer is simple: do nothing, just wait and see. The child will eventually grow stronger and more capable of overcoming this obstacle...)

When the time comes, Bell will naturally possess the strength to defeat the Minotaur.

He will move beyond his far-reaching past. There shouldn't be any problems.

(Then, when he defeated the Minotaur, nothing could hinder the child's brilliance...)

At that time, he will appear before Freya in a completely mature form. He will be so dazzling that she will be mesmerized. She can't wait—that's her sincere feeling. For Freya right now, Bell is the most important thing to her. He's more charming than anyone else.

She really wanted that boy.

It even made her want to keep the boy by her side forever.

Thinking of this, Freya casually asked Ota:

"Oh it."

"What's the problem?"

"Don't you have any thoughts? I'm obsessed with that child, and I'm neglecting you all who are already members of the Familia."

Ota remained silent, his expression unchanged, and Freya continued:

"What would you do if that child became better than you?"

"..."

"Maybe I'll value that child more than you. Maybe I'll take your current position and let that child take your place."

"It is entirely up to Lady Freya to decide."

Aren't you jealous?

Ota, his expression unchanged, said sincerely, even with trust:

"Your love is equal for everyone. There is only special, not superior or inferior."

"..."

"I believe that even if I leave here, your love will not disappear."

Silver pupils and reddish-brown pupils intertwined.

In the silence, Otto bent his massive body and quietly lowered his head.

"I have overstepped my bounds."

"It's okay. I like you even more now."

"This is my greatest honor."

The two of them chatted back and forth, as if they were joking.

Then, Freya's face broke into a mischievous smile, and she said in her beautiful voice:

"But it's a real shame. I'd really like to see what you, a gentleman, are like when you're jealous."

"Just one word from you."

"...Heh, heh heh! Ahahahaha! Please, Ota? Stop making me laugh like that, okay? If I see you looking so seriously jealous, I'm not confident I can hold back my laughter."

"..."

Freya laughed heartily. She covered her mouth with the back of her hand and laughed like a young girl.

As for Ota, his always taut face only showed a slight—as if somewhat shy—wave at this moment. The wild boar ears on his head bent slightly in a strange direction.

After Freya had laughed to her heart's content, she first wiped the corners of her eyes, then, considering her subordinates' inner embarrassment, she calmly changed the topic and changed the atmosphere.

"Hey, what do you think, Ota?"

"...What do you mean?"

"I meant the child. Is my anxiety just unfounded worry?"

She asked Otto to recount her earlier thoughts.

O'Ta immediately became serious and listened attentively.

"Now that child doesn't need my intervention, he will become stronger on his own. One day he might even be able to sever the karmic ties you mentioned."

"..."

"But then I wonder if this is really a good thing. I can't explain it clearly, but... one day, soon, when the time comes... it all comes down to this, and it makes me feel like I'm being too cowardly. I feel like I'm degenerating, even though that's not really the case."

"Am I overthinking things?" she murmured to herself, as if in a monologue.

Bell's current situation is perfectly fine, without any problems or mistakes, yet Freya couldn't help but wonder indifferently: Is it really enough to just maintain the status quo?

She didn't have any concrete evidence. It was just that she had seen many children along the way... seen her own talented group of members, and felt that leaving everything to time seemed inappropriate.

At this moment, Ota squinted his eyes for the first time.

Does O'Neill also believe that time will solve this problem?