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

Ais tried to smell it too, and indeed, Belle exuded a fragrance she wasn't used to. It felt completely unrelated to men... especially innocent young men... how should I put it, yes, a somewhat lewd scent.

"Huh! Oh, no, that...!"

As for the person involved, Bell, he was sweating profusely and couldn't even speak.

He couldn't answer Tiona's question, his eyes darting left and right.

"This scent... I remember it being..."

Just like a fishbone stuck in her throat, Cat People Angie frowned.

However, just before the word came to her lips.

Phil Weiss, who had been silent until now, narrowed her eyes and said in a low voice:

Musk…

The boy was shocked! His whole body trembled.

Phil Weiss looked at him, her eyes as cold as the freezing cold.

"You mean musk, uh, you know, 'that', right...?"

"Yes... it's the one that's commonly used in the red-light district."

The healer, Linne, blushed, and Angie nodded with an unsure of what to say.

Fengyue Street.

The moment the word was uttered, all the girls present stopped in their tracks.

(Huh...)

Ais was one of them.

Golden Eyes slowly shifted their view, and they saw that the boy's sweat was about to reach its peak.

The red-light district... a brothel?

The moment Ais's slow-witted mind connected with that word, Lefia's anger erupted.

"So, so, so filthy~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!?"

Her face flushed red, and she roared so loudly it reached the heavens.

"The red-light district!? You just got back from a brothel!? You were just now having sex with two women on either side, doing, doing, doing, doing, doing, doing, doing, doing that kind of thing, and ...

"No, no!? Really, there's a reason for this!?"

"Where isn't it?! Look closely, isn't that magic stone lamp you're carrying a lantern from the Far East?! There's no mistake, you definitely just came back from the pleasure quarters!"

Lefia lost her temper and pointed at the boy, yelling.

Bell was just as flustered as the girl, desperately trying to explain herself.

Ais and the others quickly covered their ears as a heated argument erupted right before their eyes.

"Please, please, I beg you, Miss Lefia, please listen to me!?"

"No————————————!! Don't call my name, it's filthy!"

"Ugh!?"

"After watching that war game, I actually thought you were kind of cool. How stupid of me! I even had a slightly higher opinion of you, a slightly higher opinion! I never imagined you were such a terrible person!"

"Guha!?"

"Pervert, lecher, rabbit in heat all year round~~~~~~~~~~!!"

"Huh!?"

Completely bruised and battered.

Whenever Lefia's condemnation came, Bell would bend over in a U-shape, as if he had been hit directly in the stomach by a cannonball (magic). Lefia herself, her shoulders heaving, also lost her composure, her eyes filled with tears.

"Don't go near him, Lefia, you'll get dirty."

Philwis shielded Rafia behind her, protecting her from Bell.

Looking into the boy's eyes as if he were looking at something dirty, she, who was exceptionally beautiful and charming among the graceful elves, said something merciless that finally made Bell scream "Kah!?" and kneel down.

Even if they weren't as extreme as the germaphobic elves like Lefia, most of the girls in the Loki Familia became restless. Some blushed, some showed disdain, and some were utterly dumbfounded.

As for Ais... she didn't say anything.

At first glance, she seemed the same as usual, with an emotionless expression, but her golden eyes were completely disoriented. She was frozen like an ice sculpture, unable to move, while her inner child (Ais) covered her flushed face with her hands. "Waaaaah—!? Waaaaah—!?" The younger version of herself screamed and rolled around on the ground.

(A brothel...a place where girls do this and that...)

To be honest, Ais didn't know much about it, but she knew what a brothel was "like".

Ais had a strange feeling that the boys she had taught (fighting techniques, etc.) were becoming more and more distant from her.

It's like witnessing an unexpected side of the boy next door... no, it's like watching a pet rabbit leave its nest and go somewhere it doesn't know.

"So Argonaut is a boy after all—. Hmm, I didn't know that, but it's a bit of a shame."

"I-I already said no, Miss Tiona!? I didn't...!"

"But no, it's alright! Female warriors (Amazons) are pretty much the same! Don't be shy! Probably!"

"wait……!?"

"You little rascal, you still know how to do what you're supposed to do."

"Miss Tione, no...!"

Among the girls, perhaps it should be said that they are worthy of being female warriors (Amazons), only Tiona and Tione reacted normally.

Ais secretly watched Belle, who was clutching his head and groaning in pain.

(...a restless feeling in my chest.)

A small corner of my heart couldn't calm down. Was I (Ais) wavering because of this?

Perhaps noticing her gaze, Bell turned to look at her.

"what……"

"...!"

Ais, who bumped right into Bell, was inexplicably embarrassed—she couldn't help but turn Bell aside.

Boom! Bell suffered the most severe blow of the day.

Seeing the boy's expression as if the world was ending, Lefia and Tiona hesitated for a moment.

"Ah—...we're going to the main road. If you're okay with it, would you like to come along?"

"good……"

Seeing the miserable and dejected Bell, Tiony was a little frightened, but she still made the suggestion. The white-haired man couldn't say anything, but just nodded weakly in response.

And so, Ais and her companions took in a lost child and set off again.

"This is utterly disillusioning! How could someone be so dissolute...!"

"Lefia, why are you so angry with Argo, the little hero? Usually, when you hear others talking about these things, you just get shy—?"

"That's because he's my rival... no! It's because he only gained some fame through war games, and then he immediately went and did this kind of nighttime adventure, which made me very unhappy! He's so vulgar!! Someone who sought advice from Miss Ais... no, I mean, as an adventurer, shouldn't he be more ambitious...!"

As before, only Lefia remained, her face flushed and sulking. Although her presence prevented an awkward silence, a sense of unease still lingered among the group.

The reason lies partly in the boy's dejected and gloomy demeanor, as if the end of the world had arrived; and partly in the Fiora's obviously distant attitude, which was completely different from usual.

Naturally, an unnatural distance grew between Bell and the girls who were traveling with him.

"Um, speaking of the red-light district, what do the people in the Loki Familia think? Are there any male members who... go there to spend money or something... um, oh..."

"Don't mention it if it makes you blush, Linne. ...Alright, Raul used to go there often for a while."

“Eh!?”

"It seems he was tricked by a bad woman there. Didn't he once make some mess of the accounts regarding the 'expedition' earnings? It was all to give that woman some money."

"Mr. Raul..."

"But because of his personality, it seems like he's afraid to do anything other than hold hands... Honestly, I don't know if he's trying to change himself or what, but why go to a brothel?"

Angie sighed and answered Linne, who was desperately trying to find topics to talk about.

That's just how boys are...

Hearing Angie and the others' conversation, the team was filled with this kind of atmosphere.

"Hmm~! Let's make it a bit more lively! I've got it, let's continue talking about relationships!"

Perhaps sensing the subtle feelings of her companions, Tiona seemed unable to bear the silence any longer and cried out.

She waved her arms and encouraged everyone.

"...Dating topics?"

"Yeah, yeah! Everyone was just talking about the people they're interested in!"

Seeing Bell slowly raise his head, Tiona smiled innocently at him.

When asked to talk about romantic relationships with the opposite sex, Belle awkwardly said, "Uh, well..." unsure of what to say.

"It's Ais's turn! Right!"

"...!"

After saying that, Tiona hugged Ais from behind, and Bell was suddenly taken aback.

He suddenly became furtive, feeling a bit embarrassed, but then started stealing glances at the blonde, golden-eyed girl's profile.

The other members also remembered, and their eyes all turned to Ais.

"Come on, Ais! Is there someone you care about?"

"……I……"

Despite Tiona's insistence on holding her tightly from behind, Ais remained troubled, her gaze darting around.

A moment later, she glanced at the boy looking at her, then slowly spoke:

"I... don't have anyone I care about... but..."

"but?"

"...I might not really like... people who mess around with other girls..."

*Thud!* A startling sound rang out, as if something had pierced an object. It mainly came from the direction of the boy who was clutching his chest.

"Like, people who frequent the red-light district..."

"Whoa!?"

"Or, someone who smells of musk..."

"Kha!?"

"...I might not like it."

"Ugh!?"

Ais looked away from Bell and muttered to herself.

The direct and immediate comment sent the boy's body tumbling forward and backward, a reaction far greater than that of Lefia before.

"I-I knew it!? I knew it, Miss Ais! People who go out at night are definitely not interested in dating!"

"……Um."

Lefia raised both hands in approval of Ais.

Seeing her junior smiling happily at her as she approached, Ais nodded in response, her blonde hair swaying.

(Miss Ais actually made a complete accusation...!)

(How strange!)

(It seems she really hates people who are indecent~)

The other members also got lively for another reason, huddling together and whispering to each other.

Tiony and Angie smiled wryly, but they were puzzled by the girl's unexpected answer, as she had previously shown no interest in anything other than becoming stronger. Philweis simply closed her eyes, adopting an indifferent attitude.