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

"Eek, ee-ee!?"

The vicious wolf will not spare this "little guy" who can't even howl and can only embarrassingly run away at the last minute.

"Loo ...

"Chirp, chirp yaa ...

Bert punched and kicked, then finally grabbed the face with his right hand.

He easily lifted the woman's body and slammed it against the pillar, his limbs flashing with fiery fangs.

"Wait, wait a minute!? If you kill me, the whereabouts of the 'key' will be—!?"

"It's so noisy."

Faced with a raging, hungry wolf, such insurance is completely meaningless.

Wolf Fang will tear open the flesh of its prey fairly and equally.

Valette tried to use the whereabouts of the "key" she possessed as a lifeline, but her pleas were immediately and ruthlessly rejected.

"No! Bert!?"

Bert shook off Ais's attempts to stop him and unleashed his "fangs".

"Burn it all! Aa ...

The fire roared wildly.

"--------------------------------ah!?"

The fiery roar emanating from the upper teeth (Ulga) drowned out the woman's scream.

Valetta, afflicted with the fiery tattoo, was instantly reduced to black dust and burned away. She became ashes, a more gruesome death than any monster could have imagined.

Ais watched.

I couldn't help but imprint that scene in my mind.

They saw the end world where the wild wolves had arrived.

They witnessed the calamity of Zhurong, unleashing its furious cannons and devouring everything in its path.

In the fiery red underground space, only the dark faction, ravaged by ferocious wolves, lay on the ground in its final moments.

Woo woo ...

Surrounded by flames and bathed in moonlight, a wolf howls at the night sky.

As if declaring that the vow had been fulfilled, that distant bark that soared into the sky sounded extremely brave to Aiss's ears, yet also filled her with sorrow.

Ais let the sparks burn her cheek, sweat pouring down her face, letting the firelight illuminate her blonde hair as she gazed at that figure.

She kept watching that fierce, majestic figure, embraced by loneliness.

★

The shocking "hunting of Amazons" incident that rocked the city is finally coming to an end.

The official statement says the identity of the person who hired the assassin is unknown. This is the result of the Loki Familia keeping quiet about the term "remnants of the Dark Faction" to avoid unnecessary confusion.

The battle that erupted in the reconstruction area of ​​the Pleasure Quarter—the massive flames—didn't escape everyone's notice, and the "Guild" intervened to investigate. They discovered the remains of adventurer patrol members, as well as the charred remains of assassins, almost unrecognizable from their original bodies. All guild staff and members of the [Ganesha Familia] turned pale. Although they suspected it was likely the work of a high-ranking member of the city's largest faction (a certain familia), they didn't pursue the matter, not even mentioning it. The elimination of a dangerous element threatening the city was welcome; there was no need to delve into the truth of the matter or stomp on the monster's tail. The guild's higher-ups, upon receiving the report, were also filled with fear and decided to ignore it. Aside from the reconstruction work in the Pleasure Quarter being further delayed due to the damage, what happened that night remained buried in the darkness.

The Guild retrieved the assassins' bodies, observed the events, and determined that no further attacks would occur, so they released the former Ishtar Familia members who were originally under their protection. As if a night of torrential rain had washed everything away, Orario returned to its peaceful daily life, much like before the incident.

Only a few people remain, suffering from new trauma.

The Third District of the City, Fengyue Street.

In the reconstructed area where claw marks from the fight remain.

As the sky was bathed in the colors of the setting sun, Bert sat on the rubble in a corner of the ruins.

That was the square where he last saw the face of the Amazonian girl.

The twilight rays from the west were somewhat dazzling, causing him to squint.

"Bert..."

Ais and Loki gazed at his retreating figure.

The rainy days have passed since the day Valetta was killed. Bert has not returned to headquarters; his whereabouts are unknown. Ais and the others finally managed to find him at this location.

They weren't sure when Bert had been there. At least a few hours before Ais and the others arrived, he had been motionless, gazing at the ever-changing sky.

In Ais’s eyes, Bert’s back view was more serene than ever before, and he looked so small.

"I'm exhausted, both physically and mentally... If I don't know my place and rush in to have a blast, the atmosphere will definitely become incredibly awkward."

"Hmm...you look really tired."

That's probably true.

The memories of those two short days with the girl, the self-blame for being strong yet unable to protect the weak, and other emotions that Ais couldn't even imagine, all surfaced and disappeared in Bert's heart.

Ais, her eyes drooping with sadness, turned to Loki:

"Loki... what can Bert do to..."

"Yes, you don't need to say anything more, I understand, Ais. I'll teach you one of my treasured secret techniques."

Loki responded with a smile to her.

"Tell Bert what I'm telling you now. That will cheer him up."

"……say what?"

Loki brought his lips close to Ais's ear, and she listened while nodding repeatedly.

The time to listen was only a moment. Ais solemnly accepted the divine decree, made up her mind, and stepped into the square.

Ais walked toward Bert while listening to Loki's quiet encouragement, "Go for it!"

Before Ais could say anything, he spoke to her first.

"Is something the matter, Ais?"

"Bert..."

"I'm not in the mood to talk to anyone right now, go away."

Bert said this to Ais without turning his head.

Ais gazed at his profile illuminated by the setting sun, and at his "fangs" stained a moist, maroon color. She pursed her lips tightly and then stood closer to him.

Then, Ais lightly placed her right hand on Bert's left shoulder.

As he slowly turned his head, Ais conveyed that message:

"Dongmai".

Moreover, the tone of voice lacked any intonation or rhythm.

「… … … … … … … … … … 」

Hearing her utter those words with such earnestness and devoid of emotion, Bert's cheeks twitched. *Pfft!* The god who had instigated the airheaded girl to do such a foolish thing burst into laughter from his hiding place.

"…………?"

Ais, who had been all serious, looked at the reaction before her and seemed confused, tilting her head slightly.

After all that commotion, Bert started to feel that everything else was ridiculous, and he sighed, "Sigh..." Then he got up from the rubble.

Bert said nothing, somewhat rudely placed a hand on the girl's head and patted her, then walked past her.

Ais pressed her hands to her head, watching his back, which seemed less sorrowful than before.

"Oh, Bert, what a coincidence!"

"What blatant lies you're spouting..."

Just as Bert was about to leave the square, Loki suddenly jumped out from his hiding place like a clown. Bert stared with half-open eyes at the chief god who had completely ruined the solemn atmosphere of dusk.

"I've been looking for you for ages! What have you been up to these past few days? Honestly!"

"What I do is none of your business. Besides, even if I go back to headquarters, those guys won't give me a friendly look."

"Hmm~ that's hard to say~"

"...?"

When Bert mentioned Tiona and the others, with whom he had parted on rather unpleasant terms, Loki responded with a smile that was practically humming a tune. Bert was surprised, but still intended to leave.

"Wait a minute, Bert. Miss Ais said there's something she absolutely has to ask you."

"……what?"

Looking back, Loki smiled at Bert with his eyes slightly open, while Ais caught up and stared intently at him.

After Bert looked back into her golden eyes, Ais seemed nervous, took a breath, and then asked him firmly:

"Bert... I hope you can tell me... why you look down on others, and why you want to become stronger."

"!"

"Because you wouldn't tell me back at the tavern. So..."

Bert squinted one eye.

The girl, speaking haltingly and desperately trying to convey her feelings, still stared intently at him.

He couldn't feign drunkenness to deceive them, nor could he lie. Neither was permitted before that gaze.

Bert remained silent, wanting to leave quickly, however...

"Bert, just tell her. It's a command from the gods."

"Loki, you bastard...!"

"If you can't say it in front of everyone, can't you at least tell this girl?... It's so sad to be separated from someone by life and death before the misunderstanding has been cleared up, don't you already know that?"

God's words struck my heart.

The voice of the Lord God struck at Bert's heart with every word, making him genuinely angry.

He clicked his tongue and turned to the girl.

Ais is still waiting for Bert's response.

Ais wore an expression that evoked Bert's homesickness, a sisterly look, and eyes that held the memory of her past self. Her golden hair, like that of her childhood friend (that guy), shimmered in the afterglow of the sunset.

There is only one person in this world to whom I cannot lie: the girl in front of me.

At that moment, Bert unfortunately realized this.

He had intended to make an excuse, but his mouth opened automatically:

"...Because I hate small-time crooks."

"Just because of that?"

"Because Xiao Ka's behavior is too embarrassing, I don't even want to look at him."

"that's all?"

"Because hearing Xiao Ka's tearful complaints makes me feel disgusted..."

"that's all?"

"—What else?!"

Hearing Ais's repeated questioning, Bert seemed to lose his temper and shouted.

"It's the responsibility of the strong to bully the weak! If we don't do it, who will? Tell me! Otherwise, more and more scoundrels will lose sight of their own limitations! Don't be ridiculous!!"

Bert is roaring.

As if venting all his accumulated emotions and spewing out all the phantom pain (pain) flowing from his "wounds," he unleashed it all on the girl in front of him.

"Weaklings, don't go to the battlefield! Soft women, hide in your nests! Know your own limitations! All that wailing and howling at the slightest trouble is infuriating!! It's enough to make me sick!! I never want to see those little devils die a horrible death in front of me again!!"

Images of his parents, his tribe, his sister, his childhood sweetheart, and her death flashed through his mind.

What resurfaces in my mind are the gentle girl who tried to heal me and the Amazonian girl, their dying expressions.

These scenes disrupted Bert's train of thought, and he talked on and on, finally shouting:

"No one is allowed to cry or scream anymore!!"