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

"This thing may have once been in the possession of your former chief goddess (Ishtar). Do you have any clues?"

"Hmm~..."

Lina finished the milk that had been chilled with magic stone artifacts, looked at the spherical sketch with the "D" mark engraved on it, and stole a glance at Bert's face.

"...I can't be sure if it's this one, but it seems...I vaguely remember it?"

"Really?"

As Bert leaned out from under the table, Lina nodded, keeping everyone in suspense.

Tell me what you know!

"Hmm~ It can't be free, can it?"

“Ah?”

"Bert Roca humiliated me like that yesterday... I want some retribution!"

Bert's face twitched when he saw the girl smile with her eyes closed and say something with ulterior motives.

"You...you want a beating, don't you?"

"Bert Roca is so rude! Is this appropriate? We're sitting down to negotiate, you know? If you upset your business partner, everything will be ruined... Even I, an Amazonian, know that!"

"Stop your nonsense! Believe me or not, I'll really ask you about your body directly!"

"Oh my! He actually dares to ask about my health, Bert Roca, so bold so early in the morning!"

"You're not allowed to interpret it the way you want?!"

Following last night, Bert roared again, "Hey!?" but it had no effect on the Amazonian girl who was squirming and holding her face in her hands.

This is really difficult. If it were an ordinary adventurer, Bert would have simply grabbed the opponent by the collar and glared at them, and that would have been it. However, the opponent in front of him wasn't intimidated at all; on the contrary, he seemed quite pleased. This was incredibly troublesome. Or rather, it was disgusting.

Neither "disgust" nor "fear" could elicit such a thorny reaction from "goodwill."

It was only then that Bert realized he could finally truly understand how exhausted Finn was from Tiony's relentless pursuit. He even wanted to apologize to Finn, saying, "I'm so sorry I didn't understand how hard you were working before."

"I can always ask other Amazonians!"

"Maybe no one else has seen this magical artifact except me, right? Besides, it was the same back in the port city (Mellen). We just had a big fight yesterday, so Aisha and the others probably won't give in, will they?"

"Ugh...!?"

That's absolutely right. They've already decided that Bert is a "hateful werewolf," and forget about getting any information from him; he might even spit on him. Aside from Lina, he can forget about dealing with anyone else.

Seeing Bert speechless, Lina made a circle with her finger and gave him a flirtatious look.

"Don't forget to pay when acquiring information... Isn't that an old rule for adventurers?"

Bert clenched his sharp canines with all his might.

Another thing that made it difficult for Bert to deal with the girl in front of him was that what she was asking for was not the normal "intelligence fee" including money.

"...What do you want from me to be satisfied? Tell me!"

"Then have a baby—ah! Just kidding, just kidding!"

Seeing Bert clench his fist and unleash his true killing intent, Lina quickly changed her tune.

The girl, drenched in sweat, thought for a moment, then her expression suddenly brightened, and she said:

"Come on a date with me, Bert Roca!"

★

As the morning sun rises over the city walls, the city comes alive.

Northwest Street, commonly known as "Adventurer's Street," is bustling with demi-humans preparing to explore the dungeon. The nearby Deankaite Familia's pure white clinic is also crowded with customers.

Among them, the elven royal family of Riveria were in the meeting room at the back of the facility.

Facing her was a beautiful human girl with long, flowing silver hair, Amid Teyazanare.

"Do you know anything about that short sword?"

"The testing is complete. Based on the results, I must say... this weapon is far too unusual."

Amid answered stiffly, glancing down at a blackened dagger on the table.

This is a "cursed tool" that contains an "incurable curse".

These are items that Ais brought back from the artificial labyrinth (Knossos) when she was recovering the remains of Linne and the others.

"What a terrifying 'curse'... When I was breaking the curse on Captain Finn that day, none of the items available on the market could help. I had to pour a huge amount of mental energy into 'magic' to barely manage to..."

Amed held the little hand tightly as she recalled the memory.

"I've tried it myself; neither protective amulets nor magical items can prevent this sword's curse..."

"Without any means of defense, and the only way to break the curse is through the [Dea Saint], such a powerful 'curse'..."

Amid said that the old equipment or tools could neither defend against nor cure this curse, her tone filled with a sense of crisis. What worried Riveria even more was that there was more than one cursed weapon.

The strange man (Rives) who fought Ais or Finn, the short sword thrown next to Linne and the others, and the fact that Tione, although only suffering a scratch, said that the assassins she fought also used this type of weapon.

In other words, at least one person on the enemy side is involved in creating this troublesome weapon.

"The hexer who created this 'cursed artifact'... is an extraordinary individual. That person may possess abilities beyond our imagination, or perhaps it's a kind of delusion..."

The sorcerer, whom Amid had never met but was certainly extraordinary, filled her with fear.

Riveria felt the same way.

The "cursed artifacts" were likely distributed to every member of the remnants of the dark faction. Without taking any countermeasures, the number of casualties will only increase. While navigating the artificial labyrinth (Knossos), it is necessary to obtain the "keys" while simultaneously devising a solution to this problem.

"Is it possible to make a custom-made antidote?"

"...Let me be frank, it's difficult right now."

Amida must have tried this several times already; her face was etched with weariness. Because her fair skin was so translucent, the accumulated fatigue was even more pronounced, making her look pitiful.

"However, I will definitely make it... This kind of weapon should not exist."

However, Amid showed a strong will.

That was a passion she rarely showed, a passion that she rarely displayed, a passion that was so rare to her, a passion that was so intense, like that of a delicate doll.

She glared at the cursed dagger, then looked back at Riveria.

"I will destroy this curse."

"...Please."

Hearing the girl's declaration, which sounded like a saint's vow, Riveria also earnestly pleaded.

★

The upward-sweeping curved blade severed the monster's lower jaw.

"Gurgle ooh!?"

“Yo!”

With a swift flip, the head of the Minotaur flew into the air.

Her tied-up black hair stretched across the phosphorescent light of the dark cave.

Lina swiftly slaughtered the monster and leaped towards the scattered horde of enemies.

"Bert Roca! Come on, let's go! A date, a date!"

"When did games between men and women become so bloody...?"

As the Amazonian girl engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the ferocious monster while smiling and waving at him, Bert, with his hands in his pockets, sullenly stuck out a foot and kicked the head of the charging black dog (hellhound) until it exploded completely.

The location is in the "Cave Labyrinth" area of ​​the middle level of the underground city.

Bert is on the 17th floor, which is the base of the third-level adventurers.

Lina's request turned out to be a "dungeon date" devoid of any romantic feelings between men and women.

Fighting and killing together deepens their bond, thus strengthening their relationship. This is the typical female warrior's way of dating—quite violent indeed. Whether this is the norm for their race or if Lina is just an oddball, Bert couldn't tell.

Sleep well before fighting, fight well before sleeping.

It seems like these are the only two things on an Amazonian's mind. Bert was initially unhappy about the date, but honestly, it actually did him a huge favor.

"Look, look! This white rabbit (unicorn) is so cute!!"

"Chirp chirp!?"

"Please don't talk and then start hitting me, okay?"

As Lina saw the adorable rabbit monster "Unicorn Rabbit" jumping and squealing, *whoosh!* she used a martial arts technique to throw it away. Seeing such a dangerous scene, so far removed from a typical date, Lefia or anyone else present would definitely have fainted from fright.

The young girl, brimming with energy, replaces the dead female warriors and unleashes sharp slashes.

"With Bert and Roca around, I always feel like I'm playing really smoothly!"

Lina's armor consisted of a scimitar in her right hand and a golden eagle gauntlet on her left.

She danced gracefully, depicting flashing swords and clashing blades, deflecting or neutralizing her opponent's attacks with her gauntlets. Her unique battle style involved skillfully using her agile body to spin like a top while fighting. Her slender limbs, moving with effortless grace, showcased the Amazonian's physical prowess, even capable of shattering the fangs and bones of a giant tiger (a fanged lion-tiger) with bare feet. Her thin loincloth fluttered in the wind, repeatedly revealing glimpses of her pure white underwear and the brown skin of her thighs.

The left hand gauntlet can also be used as a gauntlet, making it easy to destroy the monster's body from the front.

(His ability (stat) is LV·2, looks like he'll be rank-up soon... He should be more than capable of reaching floor 24.)

Seeing that the girl didn't need his help and single-handedly cut down the monster horde one by one, Bert narrowed his eyes.

The girl, battling through the night with glistening beads of sweat, still appeared pitiful and, to put it modestly, beautiful and radiant. Indeed, seeing her like this, men might rush headlong into her arms, becoming her captives.

However, this is on the condition that there are no monsters' horrible roars or showers of blood.

"It's in the way."

“Gahhhhhh!?”

Wow! It lives up to its reputation, truly amazing!

After Bert kicked the Minotaur that Lina hadn't killed, the battle ended. The Amazon girl seemed to have had a fulfilling time, letting out a big sigh of relief.

Compared to Bert, who had no intention of helping with the cleanup after the battle, Lina acted as if she were taking care of a good-for-nothing man, humming a song to herself as she picked up and put away the "magic stones" and "dropped items".

If he could just slightly annoy her like that, things would be much easier, but such a superficial idea probably wouldn't work. The thought of other adventurers seeing the two of them alone together was simply unthinkable. Thinking of this, Bert let out another gasp, a sound that had increased dramatically since yesterday.

"I'm so happy! Exploring the dungeon together (on a date)!"

"I'm not happy at all."

"My heart is pounding! For some reason, I'm too embarrassed to look Bert Roca in the face, so I have to focus on fighting to cover it up!"

Honestly, I don't know what I'm so happy about.

Lina ran over and stopped in front of Bert, sticking out her tongue and beaming.

Lina Tully, compared to Tiona, possessed a different kind of innocent naiveté. This girl was also somewhat clever, saving Bert some trouble, but she was still just as clueless. This was probably not her true nature, but rather an over-excitement stemming from the "affection" she harbored within her.

"...Do you Amazons wag your tails at every strong man you encounter?"

"Huh? How could that be? I'm so surprised! If that's the case, even if Aisha and the others lost to Bert Roca, wouldn't they all be clinging to him and refusing to let him go?"

That's true.

Lina protested, saying that not all Amazons are like the common perception of them.

"We all have our type, you know. For me, it was like, 'beep beep!'—it clicked! I thought to myself, 'Ah, this is the guy!' Didn't I say yesterday that I've started to believe in fate?"

"..."

"That's why... I feel like I want to have a child with this person."

If an elf (alf) heard such an overly direct courtship, it would likely frown.

The Amazonian warrior's (Amazonian) words of love are unreserved and unhidden.

Lina blushed slightly, a hint of shyness in her eyes, as if she had mustered the courage to smile at Bert.

"Going deeper might mean spending the night, which Bert Roca probably doesn't like, right? So... well... if you don't mind... next time we meet, how about we take a walk around the 'lower levels'?"

Seeing the girl's pitiful appearance, Bert's heart turned to ice.

He looked down on the smiling girl with his all-seeing amber eyes.

Boring "liking".

Adventurers and strongmen don't need this kind of thing.