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

"Those people you know might also have some unspeakable secrets."

Hestia glanced at Lily first, and then told Bell what she meant. Bell knew what she wanted to say.

Like Lily, they belonged to a faction but chose to leave—in other words, they were on the run. They were like stray cats, or you could call them wandering adventurers.

The owner of "The Abundant Mistress," Mia, said that she was exempted from this restriction because she had received permission from the main god. However, the other staff members of the tavern, Seele, only said that they had something difficult to say and refused to explain further. Perhaps this is the case.

He could imagine without even asking that people in that situation must have had a very difficult time.

"...Even if you didn't join the [Family] voluntarily, you're not allowed to leave?"

"A nobleman's child is a nobleman, and a peasant's child is always a peasant. That's just how it is, Lord Bell."

Once a member has a child, the child is obligated to join the "family".

From God's perspective, since the member has given birth to his own clone, it is the responsibility of all those involved. Even if the child claims that he did not want to, it is none of His business.

To put it bluntly, the supreme deity doesn't care about so many things.

Whether or not you are allowed to leave the group depends entirely on the magnanimity of the supreme deity. It depends on whether you have encountered a benevolent deity.

If you're unlucky, you'll either have to pay a large sum of money to the God, or you'll have to accept a tricky problem posed by the God, leaving the God to wait and see what happens.

Bell looked at Lily, who was smiling, with a complicated expression.

"Without Soma's assistance, one cannot inherit the 'blessing'... nor can one convert."

"I'm afraid so..."

"However, you don't intend to continue like this forever, do you? Don't you plan to go and ask Soma one day?"

"Yes. Although Lily can't do anything about it right now, she will find an opportunity to meet with Somo. She just doesn't know if he will give her a positive answer..."

The conversation paused here. Each of the three wore a helpless expression.

Under the unbridled, gentle sunlight, Belle looked up and asked Lily:

"So, Lily, what are your plans for the future? Are you going to stay in another hotel alone again...?"

"Actually, there's a shop that Lily knows quite well... well, maybe I shouldn't say it's that she knows quite well, anyway, there's a goblin grandpa who's a good friend of Lily's, and Lily plans to stay there temporarily. Ah, of course, Lily will work there. And Lily will try her best not to transform and strive to gain the approval of others."

Hearing Lily's cheerful tone, free of any gloom, Bell knew she could find someone to help her and breathed a sigh of relief.

(I'll mention this to Miss Eina next time...)

To be honest, Bell still needs Eina's help with the issue of the Soma Familia; otherwise, the situation wouldn't change at all.

Normally, unless it's a very serious case, even guilds wouldn't interfere with the affairs of [Familia].

They are the administrators of Orario, not a charitable organization established for adventurers or supporters.

Guilds assist adventurers purely for the purpose of efficiently recovering the profits generated from dungeons; disputes between individual adventurers or supporters are not within their purview.

The thought of having to rely on Eina's kindness and generosity made Bell press a hand to his temple.

"Hey, is it really okay for you to just move into someone's house like this? Should I recommend the shop where I work?"

"No, no. Lily doesn't want to blow up the entire stall where she works because of a mishandling of the magic stone ignition device (fire source), so please allow me to politely decline."

"How did you know!"

"Lily just overheard the people around her talking about the curse of the Loli Goddess and the natural disaster in North Street. It seems everyone in this area knows about these things..."

"Wa ...

"Woo-hoo-hoo!"

Well, Bell thought.

As long as it's for the girl he can laugh and joke with in front of him, he doesn't care how many times he has to bow his head.

Bell watched as Lily finally showed a genuine smile, and he himself beamed with joy.

●

I ran forward along Northwest Street—"Adventurer's Street".

I parted ways with the goddesses for the time being and headed to the guild headquarters. I wanted to report to Miss Eina about our discussion regarding the Soma Familia.

It's time for the shops to open, and the various shops lining both sides of the avenue are bustling with activity today.

After all, these were the few shops that stood out prominently on this bustling avenue frequented by adventurers, all boasting magnificent buildings. These included item shops with stylishly decorated entrances, constructed of brick and tile, and others built of sturdy-looking gray processed stone. Even the merchandise displayed in the windows appeared to be of exceptional quality.

Many demi-humans could be seen around. Perhaps the adventurers were taking a day off, and they had taken off their weapons, dressed in light clothing, and strolled along the main street. Some small groups, which looked like teams, moved together, chatting happily about various topics and laughing together.

Seeing a group of familiar companions happily selecting maze exploration supplies made me a little envious.

Soon, the great temple... no, the Pantheon appeared on the wide avenue.

I walked through the front yard and stepped into the guild headquarters, which was built with white pillars.

Since it was past noon, in that awkward time—perfect for many adventurers to explore the labyrinth—the spacious white marble entrance hall was deserted. The usual bustling crowds of fellow adventurers were almost nowhere to be seen, and I quickly found Miss Eina.

"...?"

A visitor who had arrived earlier was standing in front of Miss Eina at the service window.

It was an adventurer, holding a white cloth bundle, discussing something with Miss Eina across the counter.

I only noticed Miss Eina replying while she seemed to be seriously contemplating something, and I didn't pay attention to the person with their back to me. I just walked forward with some confusion, even though that long blonde hair seemed vaguely familiar.

As I approached the two, Miss Emerald noticed my presence. Her emerald-green eyes widened.

Then, following her reaction.

The figure that was facing away from me slowly turned around.

(...Huh.)

Her long, golden hair swayed, and a pair of clear, golden eyes appeared from the other end.

A slender jawline, a slender neck. Her fair, supple skin is free of any artificiality, simply beautiful in its purest form.

Her beauty, which was in no way inferior to that of the goddess, seemed a little surprised to see me suddenly appear.

We forgot to speak, and the three of us remained frozen in place, each in our own posture.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The main point of eye contact was between Miss Wallenstein and me, while Miss Eina took turns looking at our expressions.

I couldn't breathe properly. Being stared at by those golden eyes left my mind blank.

The silence lasted for a long time.

With my expression unchanged, I slowly turned my body to the right, so that my back was to them.

I heard someone make a "Huh?" sound, and then I started running at full speed toward the exit.

"Bell! Bell! Wait a minute!"

I ignored Miss Eina's attempts to stop me and just ran for my life.

I kicked my feet on the marble floor, swung my arms wildly, and rushed through the main entrance of the headquarters without a care in the world.

Why would that person go to Miss Eina?

What exactly is going on now?!

My neck, face, and ears quickly turned bright red, and I continued to speed up, urged on by my instincts.

As the chaos reached its peak, I crossed the center of the front yard, trying to escape from there.

However, in the next instant, a gust of wind blew past me.

The wind chased after me and then blocked my way. The person appeared before me, his blond hair billowing in the wind.

"--babble!"

My eyes were wide open to the limit, I couldn't stop myself, and I rushed straight at her.

"Bell, Miss Wallenstein!"

Hearing Miss Eina's footsteps approaching, I closed my eyes tightly... but found that I felt no pain.

I was startled and opened my eyes to see slender arms wrapped around my abdomen and back, supporting my body in a horizontal embrace.

I looked up blankly and saw that person looking down at me with slightly drooping eyebrows.

"...I'm sorry, are you alright?"

"—I'm sorry!"

My face turned even redder, and I quickly jumped away from her.

She seemed to completely neutralize my aggressive momentum, and hugged me.

My heart was pounding, and I was utterly astonished by the series of events that had unfolded in such a chaotic manner.

"What are you doing! Running away like that is so rude!"

"I'm so sorry, Miss Eina..."

I reflexively apologized to Miss Eina, who was lecturing me, but my gaze remained fixed on Miss Wallenstein.

The moment our eyes met, I quickly turned my face away and stammered to Miss Eina:

"So, what exactly is the situation now...!"

"Sigh... Miss Wallenstein seems to have something to discuss with Bell."

“Eh!”

Miss Eina sighed at me, who didn't understand anything, and only told me this one sentence.

I reflexively turned my head and saw Miss Wallenstein open the cloth bag in her hand.

Inside is an Emerald green protective gear.

I opened my eyes wide.

"She said she found this in the dungeon and wanted to return it to you personally. Miss Wallenstein came to talk to me about this specifically, you know?"

As Miss Eina recounted the general course of events, I became stunned once again.

This protective gear was dropped on the 10th floor three days ago after being attacked by a series of monsters. I was in such a rush to Lily's side that I couldn't find it, and now…

At the same time, I noticed something else. The person who came to my rescue when I was surrounded by monsters and protected me from attack must have been this person.

"...Bell, you two should have a good talk."

"What!"

Hearing her whisper that to me, I abruptly turned to Miss Eina.

I pleaded with her while subtly whispering my pleas.

"Please, please wait a moment, Miss Eina! Please, you must stay here...! Otherwise, I'll die...!"

"What are you talking about? You're a boy. You have a lot to tell her, so you need to talk to her properly by yourself. Understand?"

"Keep it up!" Miss Eina leaned closer and whispered to me.

She probably meant well by wanting us to be alone, but it left me speechless with frustration. I felt like a little animal that had been abandoned, watching her walk back to the guild headquarters.

"...Um, this."

"!"

When I heard her call me, I turned around and took the protective gear that was handed to me without thinking.

Miss Wallenstein, who was about my height or a little shorter than me, stared straight at me.

My entire body turned into a red stone statue, and I was unable to speak for a long time.

"sorry."

“Eh…?”

"It's all because I failed to defeat that Minotaur that I caused you so much trouble and hurt you so much... I've always wanted to apologize to you. I'm sorry."

Seeing her with her eyes lowered and head bowed in apology, I gasped and, breaking free from my previous state, shouted:

"No, no, that's not it! I shouldn't have gone down to the lower level so carelessly. Miss Wallenstein did absolutely nothing wrong! On the contrary, I should thank you; you're my savior! Actually, I should be the one apologizing. I haven't thanked you properly; I've only been thinking about running away every time... I'm so sorry!"