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

Ryu defeated all the demi-humans in the bar faster than a game of poker could be decided.

"That's...too strong...!?"

"I know you've been watching Miss Anna from the very beginning. Where is she right now? Tell me the truth."

Amidst the wreckage of several overturned wooden tables and adventurers crammed into piles of chairs and a bar, Ryu grabbed the man by the collar with one hand and lifted him off the ground. The man knelt on the ground, his face, swollen like a pig's head, convulsing, his mouth opening and closing like a fish's.

"The...the stock exchange...!! We sent her there...!"

"The stock exchange...?"

"The people there commissioned us...! They're willing to pay us a fee, asking us to avoid abducting the girl using rough methods...!!"

"Is your client a trading company?"

The man nodded vigorously. Liu raised her eyebrows in surprise.

But when she pressed for more detailed information about the business, the man insisted he knew nothing. Looking at the women huddled in the corner, trembling and teary-eyed, Ryu fell silent.

So she let the man go and turned to leave the bar.

The elf, disappearing into the darkness and moving along the street, first went around to a certain place before returning to the "abundant mistress".

○

The next day

As Ryu diligently worked in her waitress uniform as usual, a customer walked into the bar and sat down in a corner seat.

Ryu was somewhat surprised that the person she had arranged to meet had shown up just one day later, and she took the menu and went over.

"What would you like to order?"

"A cup of black tea, and someone to chat with."

The person sitting elegantly in the chair is a beautiful woman with glasses and a head of light blue hair.

This person's name is Asif Al Andromeda.

She is the leader of the Hermes Familia, a group that prides itself on maintaining neutrality among the various factions in Orario and boasts an intelligence network more comprehensive than any other organization. As for the other place Ryu visited last night, it was the headquarters of this faction.

Inside the tightly closed doors of headquarters, Ryu placed a letter addressed to the "Perseus"—which also served as a request for his services—and signed it with his own name, "Ryo".

After taking the order, Liu first went back to the kitchen and brought a steaming cup of black tea to Asifi.

"I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly. Have you already found out?"

"Yes, I've found out where Anna Kretz is, the one you mentioned in your letter."

It was late afternoon, just as the customer base was shifting, so there were fewer regular customers in the shop. Asifi took a graceful sip of her black tea.

(illustration)

The content of Ryu's letter was about searching for Anna Kretz.

She asked Asphie to help investigate Anna's whereabouts after she was sent to the stock exchange.

"After all, I owe you a favor, even though the whole thing was caused by the Supreme God (Hermes)..."

Asphie sighed, her voice tinged with complaint.

"Given my industry background, what I fear most is owing favors, so having the opportunity to repay them is the best thing ever. Of course, I won't ask you for any payment this time."

"I did this not out of goodwill, and I hope you don't misunderstand," Asifi explained firmly.

"Thank you, Andromeda."

"...Then I'll continue."

Faced with the elf who still thanked her sincerely and politely despite all this, Asphie pushed up her glasses to hide her embarrassment.

"As you wrote in your letter, Anna Kretz was indeed bought by a trading company on the exchange. However, by the time I investigated, she had already been sold."

"So... was she sent to the red-light district?"

It also serves as an exchange at the city's logistics gateway, always gathering various imported and exported goods. Because human trafficking in Fengyue Street is conducted in an extremely secretive and frequent manner, the management organization (guild) turns a blind eye.

Seeing that Ryu's expression had become serious, Asphie lowered her voice and said:

"She wasn't sent to the red-light district, but... Li Ang, I don't know what trouble you've gotten yourself into, so I advise you not to get involved."

"Andromeda, please don't beat around the bush, just state your conclusion directly."

Asphie narrowed her azure eyes hidden behind her glasses and gave the answer to Ryu, who had a firm attitude.

"Anna Kretz's buyer is someone from 'the big casino'."

"!"

Ryu's eyes widened in surprise.

"...Is it not just a casino, but that shop in the bustling city center?"

"Yes, that's outside the city... It's a giant industry that has been overdeveloped due to foreign investment, second only to the magic stone manufacturing and trade. Even the guilds can't object to its operation. It has extraterritorial jurisdiction over the labyrinth city (Orario)."

Orario, the labyrinthine city hailed as the "center of the world," has historically lacked only entertainment facilities.

In response to the various demands persistently made by the gods, the governing body (guild) at the time sought foreign investment and relevant expertise, applying for cooperation with renowned countries and metropolises such as Melstolla, the land of opera, and Santorio Beja, the entertainment capital.

As a result, all sorts of entertainment facilities sprang up in the bustling area. Among the most famous were the grand theater and the large casino. In Orario, where resources and human culture are sourced from all over the world, the development of these two facilities has surpassed that of countries and cities that receive foreign investment. Because the achievements of these industries are comparable to Orario's proud magic stone manufacturing industry, even guilds now treat them with a degree of awe.

For these reasons, the operational control of this facility ultimately rests with the foreign-invested companies. This is why it is described as the only facility in the labyrinth city of Orario with extraterritorial jurisdiction.

"The casino operators have partnered with the guild, and guards from the city's major faction (Ganesha's Familia) are patrolling the facility."

"..."

"Intrusion is definitely not going to work, and even if it were to succeed by a narrow margin, we would inevitably be wanted by the authorities. Leon, even you would be no exception."

Whether high-ranking adventurers, gods, or wealthy tycoons from afar, all frequent the Grand Casino, where they spend money and indulge in pleasure. If any of the latter's powerful figures were to meet with misfortune there, it would jeopardize Orario's prestige and reputation. This gambling paradise operates on a membership system and employs formidable adventurers to maintain order.

The Ganesha Familia has many first-class adventurers and is one of the most prominent factions in Orario.

Even a Level 4 adventurer like Ryu would find it difficult to escape their surveillance, and if a battle broke out, he would be in deep trouble.

Ryu, whose eyes met Asifi's, remained silent for the time being.

"Moreover, causing a disturbance could lead to diplomatic problems. Even if Orario adopts a tough stance... of course, they can still insist it's an internal guild issue and completely absolve themselves of responsibility..."

"...Several countries operate large casinos in the downtown area. Which casino bought her...?"

"Golden City Amusement Park, the largest casino in the entertainment city of Santoro Beja."

Ryu's expression turned even more unpleasant.

As Asphie said, "Golden City Amusement Park" is the most powerful casino in Orario.

"Anna Krez's buyer was the dwarf owner of the place, Terry Sebandis, who seemed to be the one pulling the strings behind the scenes, whether it was the business or the local thugs."

In other words, the person who fell in love with the beautiful girl (Anna) at first sight was the casino owner, who went to such lengths to avoid being discovered.

"Golden City Park...Terry Sebendis".

Liu calmly uttered these two terms.

"Here's a piece of advice, Leon: for your own safety, I advise you not to get involved in this matter."

Asifi left with the words "Then I'll take my leave," placed the money on the table, and turned to leave the bar.

Ryu, who remained where she was, silently watched Asphie's retreating figure.

"...Anya, did you hear what Ryu and the others were talking about?"

"No, meow... I only heard them mention things like big casinos, meow."

On the other hand—

Seele stood at the kitchen entrance, secretly watching Ryu.

Anya, who had been helping with the dishwashing, nimbly twitched her cat ears. Seele, standing nearby, tilted her head slightly, gazing up at the ceiling.

"A big casino, huh...?"

●

Two days later.

Ryu felt very confused.

She was working at the bar while her mind raced with thoughts.

Hesitating about whether to infiltrate a big casino—forget it.

(Breaking through the back door of the facility in the red-light district... No, I heard that security there has become extremely tight since a bandit group (familia) failed there. Digging a tunnel to infiltrate is also impractical...)

In fact, quite the opposite was true; she was full of enthusiasm to save this complete stranger.

Ryu sells her stash of "magic stones" and monster treasures (dropped items) through various channels, converting them into funds while continuously preparing equipment to deal with various dangers. As for plans after rescuing the people, she hasn't thought about them at all. Ryu straightforwardly follows a piece of advice her close friend once gave her: "Don't think about things that are too complicated!"

It was dusk, as the sun was setting. Ryu carried barrels full of garbage from the back door of the bar into a dimly lit alley, all the while mentally rehearsing various intrusion plans.

"...?"

When Ryu finished cleaning up the trash—

A conversation could be heard coming from the corner of the alleyway facing the bar.

One of them had a familiar female voice. Confused, Ryu peeked out from around the corner.

"--Well then, I'll take my leave now."

"Okay, thank you so much."

Liu glanced to the side and saw that Seele was bowing and thanking someone.

Since the other person had already turned and left, she didn't see their figure. However, through the corner of her eye, Ryu caught a glimpse of a long, thin tail—which was probably the tail of a cat person.

"Xi'er?"

"Ah, Ryu!"

"what are you doing here?"

"That's not important, Ryu, look at this!"

Sher interrupted Liu's question, excitedly handing over a piece of paper with both hands.

It was a white envelope plated with luxurious gold leaf, clearly a letter.

In Ryu's eyes, it looked like an invitation to a ball.

"Seele, what is this...?"

"It's an invitation from a big casino! I had someone transfer it to me!"

Even the usually calm and collected Ryu was shocked after hearing this.

"What... what's going on... Seele?"

"I overheard your conversation the day before yesterday... so, as a last resort, I asked a friend if he could get me some access to that place, and the result was..."

"...That's unbelievable."

"Hehehe, but this way we can get into the big casino, right?"

Indeed, with this invitation, which is equivalent to a pass, one can enter the largest casino (gran casino) openly and legitimately, without having to sneak in.

Liu looked back and forth at Xi'er, who was beaming with joy, and at the invitation in her hand.

"I heard that you can't get into the grand casino if you're not rich enough... so they want me to impersonate the owner of this letter. I think it's a count from some small country?"

"...Was this letter prepared for you by the orc from earlier? It seems to be from a male..."

"Hehe~ After I started working here, I gradually built a good relationship with them."

This invitation must have been sent to a high-ranking official from some country... Ryuhara first wanted to find out who the person who transferred this letter was, but Seele just smiled and brushed him off.

Just who are these people? Liu Zong felt that Xi'er's background had become even more mysterious.

Because Seele is the bar's mascot, and because she possesses stunning beauty that makes male gods exclaim, "A high-quality girl has arrived!", she has become widely known...

"Um, Ryu, could you take me with you?"

“Eh!”

"I really want to visit a big casino!"

Upon hearing this explosive statement, Ryu raised her voice and said: