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

"We've provided some truly exceptional food and wine, so of course they'll happily part with their money!"

The above are the remarks of Mia Grand, the dwarf shopkeeper.

The taste here is truly guaranteed; countless adventurers (returning travelers) have fallen in love with her special fruit wine and become frequent customers.

"Things were alright during the day, meow~"

"Every night, a lot of adventurers who love to drink flock to this place... Ugh~ Just thinking about it makes me depressed~"

"Hey~ you two cats, if you keep slacking off, you'll get a scolding from Mia's mom."

Mia, originally a top-notch adventurer, semi-retired from her faction and opened "The Abundant Mistress." Most of the waitresses who work at the shop live here, and Ryu is one of them.

Listening to the familiar conversation between Anya and Chloe, the cat people slacking off at the bar, and Lunova, the human who was giving them instructions, Ryu casually took the fruit tarts off the tray.

"Welcome, our two guests!"

The waitress who led the way for new guests at the entrance was Seele, with her light silver hair flowing in the wind.

This young woman was the only waitress who didn't live here, and she was also the bar's mascot. It wasn't just because of her incredibly sweet appearance, even though she was human, but also because her personality was different from Ryu's cold and unapproachable attitude. Her friendly attitude towards everyone, without discrimination, made her like a simple girl next door, which earned her great popularity among the male customers.

Her unexpected, strong, and fearless smile could even make the most hot-tempered adventurer fall at her feet.

Thanks to the quick and skillful service of the owner, Mia, and the waitresses, "The Abundant Mistress" was packed with guests today.

The warm sunlight streams in through the windows, and the store is bustling with activity; the customers are mainly female demi-humans.

"—So what does that mean? Did Anna get sold?!"

The streets were bustling with people as noon approached.

The tranquility of the store was suddenly shattered.

The customers in the shop, as well as Liu and the others, looked in the direction of the sound and saw a human couple sitting in the two-person seats opposite each other. They were the same guests who had been led to their seats by Seele earlier.

"She wasn't sold... she was forcibly taken away."

"What's the difference?! You useless man! That's why I've been urging you to quit gambling...!"

A middle-aged woman with her flaxen hair tied up in a bun unilaterally launched into a tirade of insults.

The man with a full beard sitting on the opposite side leaned back in his chair, his head hanging low in frustration, and his tone of voice lacked confidence.

"What parents in the world would be willing to give up their own daughter to pay off debts!"

The woman finally couldn't hold back any longer and began to cover her face and weep bitterly.

The cat people chefs, who had been busy in and out of the kitchen, peeked out. It was easy to see that the woman was crying loudly, and the atmosphere was unusual. Anya, Chloe, and Lunova, who were located in various parts of the restaurant, all stopped and looked at the two of them, while Ryu and Seele exchanged bewildered glances.

The middle-aged man, who had been keeping his head down the whole time, seemed to sense the gazes from those around him. He glared at them, kicked a chair away, stood up, and roared:

"What are you all looking at?! This isn't a performance! Just eat your stinky food!"

"Wait, stop!"

The enraged man ignored the woman's attempts to stop him, grabbed a glass from the table, and splashed the water inside onto the surrounding area.

Just as the customers gasped in surprise—a hand reached out.

With lightning speed, she firmly grasped the man's wildly waving hand.

"Sir... if you want to cause trouble, would you please pay and leave now?"

"You—uh, it hurts so much!?"

Runova, who had silently approached him, narrowed her eyes with ill intent and gripped the man's arm tightly.

It's hard to imagine from her thin, frail female arms that she actually possesses an astonishing grip strength, perhaps enough to break bones. This time, it was the man who let out the cry of pain.

"Hey, don't you even think about who'll be cleaning up the mess afterward, meow?"

"A wasteful wretch like you deserves to be punished by heaven and sent to hell, meow."

Then two more hands reached out and firmly gripped the man's shoulders. They were Chloe, who was grinning wickedly, and Anya, who was furious.

The two girls, who had sandwiched the man from behind, executed a swift and fluid sweeping kick, striking both of his feet. The man, hit on both legs, naturally fell heavily to the ground.

"Huh, huh—uh?"

The man who had fallen to the ground was eventually lifted into the air.

The man who grabbed the man by the collar and lifted him off the ground was none other than the burly dwarf shopkeeper.

With just one hand, Mia easily lifted the adult man into the air—and when the man saw the fierce expression on her face, he turned pale with fright.

"You dare to criticize the food in my restaurant without even trying it? You've got guts."

"Ee--...!?"

"—Don't disturb the other guests! You idiot!!"

In the blink of an eye, Mia threw the man out the door with a flourish.

A man who was walking straight through the store entrance was blasted into the street with a near scream.

Faced with the man who suddenly fell heavily in the middle of the road, the horse neighed in fright, and the driver quickly stopped the carriage.

The pedestrians were momentarily stunned, but after learning that the restaurant that had kicked the man out was "The Abundant Hostess," they casually avoided him and continued walking.

"The Abundant Mistress"

Most of the waitresses taken in by Mia have unknown pasts, so they are very adept at handling these kinds of troublesome matters.

Unsuspecting adventurers are often drawn to the shop by its reputation for being cute and beautiful, but after engaging in frivolous behavior, they are invariably kicked out of the shop in a sorry state. This has become a common sight for the residents living nearby.

The shop returned to its original tranquility, and Liu regretted in her heart that she hadn't had time to make a move.

"You mentioned something disturbing earlier... Could you please tell me what happened?"

Seele tilted her head and stepped forward with a calm demeanor to inquire about the woman's condition. The woman, who was terrified, remained silent and stood frozen in her seat.

"My daughter was kidnapped by the casino to pay off debts..."

After the commotion subsided.

After bringing the unconscious man back into the store, Ryu, who learned the whole story with Seele in a corner of the store, couldn't help but frown.

The woman's name was Karen, and the man's name was Hugh.

The two are a married couple who make a living by working in a magic stone product factory and shop. They still live in the western part of the city. However, the husband, Hugh, is a gambler, which led to this incident.

"I had no other choice... I truly had no other option at the time. Otherwise, how could I have agreed to use my daughter (Anna) as a gamble..."

Having regained consciousness, Hughie sat dejectedly in a chair and weakly began to defend himself.

(illustration)

As mentioned before, this man actually used his only daughter with Kallen as a wager, and ultimately lost the bet. As an elf with high moral standards, Ryu made no attempt to hide her accusation and contempt upon hearing this. Seeing her wife (Kallen) unable to hold back her tears, Seele sympathetically put her arm around her shoulder.

Anya and the others, who were working in the store while eavesdropping, also looked dumbfounded.

"What's there to be helpless about? Ultimately, it's all your own fault for playing with fire and getting burned!"

"Well, um... those guys initially said it was just for fun, but after I lost several rounds in a row, they immediately turned their backs on me! They threatened that if I couldn't pay up... they'd make me hand over my house to pay off the debt, and things have gotten out of control..."

Faced with Kallen's tearful, angry stare, Hughie's voice grew softer and softer.

According to the man's explanation, he also lost badly in the final bet, losing his daughter and house. Early this morning, thugs came to their door, kidnapped their daughter, and kicked the couple out of their home. Distraught, Karen wanted to find a place to calm down—so she came to this "Abundant Mistress." However, after learning the whole story from Hughie, the two got into an argument.

The middle-aged human insisted that he had been tricked by his adversaries, and by the time he realized the enormity of his mistake, the whole affair was already set in stone. After listening, Seele slowly asked:

"Is your gambler perhaps an adventurer?"

"...Yes, they were a bunch of scoundrels belonging to different [familias]. They threatened me menacingly, saying...if I agreed to use my precious daughter as a wager, they would give me another chance to gamble..."

Upon hearing this, Karen immediately collapsed onto the table and burst into tears. Faced with the accusation of "You shameless scoundrel!!" choked with sobs, this useless husband, already ashamed to face his wife and children, could only lower his head once more.

At this moment—only Liu raised her eyebrows slightly.

Because there was one sentence in Hugh's explanation that really bothered her.

To be precise, Ryu had seen similar "methods" before.

"May I ask if you two could introduce your daughter, Anna?"

Faced with Ryu's question, Kallen, who was lying on the table, and Hugh, who had his head down, both raised their heads and exchanged glances.

Then Hughie stammered a reply to the female elf waitress standing by the table, looking down at him.

"As I just said... Anna is truly my greatest pride; I am utterly unworthy to be her father's darling."

"Yes, she is just as beautiful as me, gentle and graceful, and a good daughter who is also a bit introverted."

Karen wiped away her tears and proudly followed Hugh, boasting to herself. Seele looked slightly embarrassed and let out a bitter laugh.

"She's quite famous in the West End; some heartthrobs have even proposed to her. Of course, I asked them not to joke around, and I rejected them all outright."

"Out and about?"

"what?"

"Does your daughter go out frequently?"

"Well... she works at a flower shop, so she often goes out to help with deliveries."

Upon hearing Ryu's question, Karen gave a puzzled answer.

A gentle, graceful, and exceptionally beautiful woman whose appearance could even make the gods fall in love at first sight.

Due to my work, I often appear in public on the streets.

Having found out this much, Liu was even more confident.

It's likely that their target from the very beginning was their daughter.

"...My daughter is so lovely, she must have already been sold to a brothel. Ah~ my daughter is innocent!"

"Why don't you seek help from the guild or the Ganesha Familia?"

"It's no use. In the city, similar reports come in almost every day, and they won't handle them immediately."

When Seele mentioned the city's management unit and the name of the [Family] that cooperated with the unit and was known as the "Orario Military Police," Kallen shook her head and denied it.

Even if they wanted to post informal adventurer requests, the couple could only lament that they couldn't raise the corresponding rewards.

"...If only the Astrea Familia were still around."

Karen uttered those words softly, almost unconsciously.

Upon hearing this, Liu felt a pang of heartache, even though she didn't show it on her face.

"Hey, that [familia] has already disbanded, so don't bring it up again..."

"But if Lady Astrea were still alive, she would surely be willing to lend us a helping hand! Why is it that such a kind-hearted [Familia] has to disappear...!"

After Kallen mentioned the name of a certain goddess, she broke down in tears as if her heart had been crushed. Hugh also looked away and fell silent.

【Astraea Familia】.

This is a faction led by the goddess Astraea, who wields the sword of justice and wings as their symbols.

During the dark period when "evil" spread through the city, this clan fought against the strong and helped the weak, devoting themselves to the order and peace of Orario.

Ryu's former affiliation was the now-defunct Familia of Justice.

"..."

Ryu remained silent as he watched Kallen and the others weeping uncontrollably.

The waitresses, including Seele and Anya, knew about Ryu's past, and each wore a different expression as they secretly glanced at Ryu's profile. Mia, who was working alone behind the bar, hadn't said a word since earlier—as if she were turning a blind eye to what was about to happen—deliberately putting on an indifferent act.

Hearing the sorrowful cries, Ryu decided to confront her own heart.

She must have made up her mind long ago.

I will no longer help complete strangers, and I will no longer perform acts of charity without expecting anything in return.

I only ask for help from those around me, and nothing more.

Because I am no longer qualified to bear the burden of justice.

Ryu, who had once fallen into the fire of revenge, repeatedly recalled the decision she had already made in her mind.

But──

(Doing this... is just hypocrisy.)

The image that comes to mind now is the smile of the goddess who loves children so much, and the figures of my fellow [familia] companions.