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

My own composure was so unusual that it left me feeling bewildered.

In the past, I would have been restless and anxious in this situation, constantly looking for things to do and desperately trying to move forward. But now I am very calm, which surprises even myself.

Ever since losing to that formidable rival, I was unwilling to admit defeat and had a miserable cry.

I feel that something inside me has changed.

(Speaking of change...)

Since that day, my surroundings have slowly begun to change.

First, the townspeople's accusatory attitude towards me softened. While not quite like it was right after winning the war game, at least no one looked at me with condemnation or contempt anymore. Lily meant that the townspeople, having witnessed our battle firsthand, had changed their opinion of us… She was right; centered around the hot-blooded dwarves, passersby did indeed start approaching me to talk.

What surprised me the most was that the children from the orphanage—Lay and his friends—visited our base camp.

Led by Ms. Maria, Ray and the others actually apologized to me, who was quite surprised, in the entryway. They also thanked me.

I'm sorry we said such hurtful things. Thank you for saving us. You were so handsome back then... Lai and Fina told me this sincerely, their cheeks flushed. I can't say I was unhappy, but I felt even more guilty.

Rye and the others didn't know about the "heretics"; they simply thought we were protecting them from terrifying monsters. No, not just the children, but the people in town too. I felt the same guilt and indescribable frustration as Lily and the others who were there at the time.

Big brother…

However, the half-elf path cleansed my mind.

"Big brother didn't do anything wrong."

Thank you... for fighting for everyone.

Xiao Lu gently buried her face in my stomach, and those words... saved me.

Although the child knew nothing about "heretics," these words sounded as if they confirmed Mr. Reed and his group... confirmed Winnie's existence.

I quietly hugged Xiaolu tightly, my eyes probably filled with tears.

"..."

As I felt the wind blowing between the ramparts and the passageway, I recalled what had happened, and then slowly turned my head back.

I could sense the presence of two people, and hear footsteps.

A visitor came from behind, coming up the stairs leading to the upper level of the city wall.

"Hey, little Bear."

"Hermes..."

Hermes, the god of gods, and his attendant, Miss Asphie, were ascending the steps.

The handsome man with orange-yellow hair lightly lifted his feathered travel hat, as if to say hello.

At that moment, I noticed something.

"Excuse me... what happened to the red mark on your face? It looks like you were kicked by someone..."

"Before coming here, I went to your headquarters. ... Haha! As soon as Hestia saw me, she gave me a double flying kick."

Double dropkick... Hearing that word suddenly made me break out in a cold sweat, and Miss Asphie sighed as well. Hermes, whose handsome face bore clear footprints, let out a hollow laugh, "Ahahaha."

However, I can guess why the goddess Hestia acted so violently.

"Little Bell—I'm so sorry."

Hermes seemed to have guessed what I was thinking, and after straightening his posture, he apologized to me.

The way he held his hat to his chest and bowed made him look like a nobleman. I widened my eyes slightly, and Miss Asphy looked just as astonished as I did, as if quite surprised.

"I want to apologize to you for what happened with the 'Heretics'. I knew you would suffer, but I still used the gargoyles and the others."

Five days ago, after Winnie and the others escaped, I fought with Mr. Guross and his men.

I know it was a trap set by Hermes. I know he drove the "heretics" into a corner, trying to make me personally defeat Mr. Guros and his men. Goddess Hestia must have been angry about that, which is why she kicked Hermes when he visited her headquarters.

Hermes did not say why he did that.

He only said one sentence:

Do you hate me?

That's what he asked me.

"……I have no idea."

Therefore, I answered with my honest feelings.

"I can't get over what happened to Mr. Guros and the others... but Hermes has helped me and the other gods many times. I... don't understand Hermes's intentions."

If you were to say that this was merely a whim of the gods, a pastime to pass the time, then perhaps that would be the best way to put it.

But I don't think Hermes helped us or acted secretly purely out of interest. I always felt that he was acting according to some divine will (emotion).

Hermes resumed his posture, and upon hearing my answer, couldn't help but chuckle.

"It's okay if you can't let it go. You don't need to understand my thoughts. However—I will still do some 'meddlesome' things for you in the future. Depending on the situation, even if I know you will resent me, I will still do it."

"why?"

"That's because... I'm your supporter (fan)."

I heard this phrase before, at some point and in some place.

However, at this moment, he wasn't wearing his usual handsome smile, but rather a squinting smile, as if a god were gazing down at the child from heaven.

"I'm here today to explain this matter and to clarify the truth behind our outrageous scheme. Now that I've already visited Hestia, it's time for me to take my leave."

Hermes put his travel hat back on and turned his back to me.

Like a gust of wind that came and went as it pleased, it left my sight without a second thought.

"Bell Crane... If you can let it go, I hope you won't despise that god (man)."

Miss Asphie remained where she was and spoke to me.

Only in this moment did she feel like a guardian with a child in need of care, watching the fairy's departing figure.

"Don't let his appearance fool you, he's actually very worried about you."

After saying this, Miss Asif bowed and turned to leave.

I stood there, watching Hermes and his companions disappear down the steps.

"—This is a real headache. I just happened to run into the god Hermes when I came to visit."

It was as if they were alternating with the god Hermes.

Then another visitor appeared before me.

"Fels..."

"Judging from your reaction, you must have noticed me a long time ago. In the words of the gods, I seem to be one of those people whose timing is 'wrong'."

The black-clad magician Fels removed his invisibility cloak and appeared in an empty space.

A rare magician, wearing a black hood that concealed his inner workings and matching gloves, stood five steps away from me.

"Have you been hiding all this time?"

"Yes... I'm afraid I'll lose my temper if I'm face to face with the god Hermes, so I'll wait until they leave."

I was talking to Fels while I was thinking about how many people had come to visit today.

Fels also seems unable to forgive Hermes because of that incident, and doesn't seem to know how to deal with him; or rather, he has mixed feelings and doesn't know how to face him. It seems that Hermes has aroused the resentment of all sides, and I can imagine the god's wry smile and "Oh dear~" expression.

Fels shook his black clothes as if he were sighing, then looked up at me.

"The aftermath of this incident is finally over, so I came to see you. Have you recovered?"

"Yes."

"...You seem to have changed quite a bit. The news of your level 4 advancement was just delivered to the guild, but... in just a few days, you're practically a different person in my eyes."

"The only problem is that I don't have eyeballs," the sage said, jokingly looking at me with admiration.

They look like completely different people... Is that true? I don't quite understand myself.

However, the desire to become stronger that had been ignited deep within his heart shone with an even brighter light than before.

"Bell Craney, may I ask you a question?"

"What's the problem?"

When I asked him, he paused for a moment, then slowly said:

"Have you decided... what you want to do from now on?"

"..."

I remained silent on this issue for the time being.

To catch up with the person I admire, to fulfill my promise to Winnie, and to settle the score with my nemesis. The things I need to do have already been decided, already been planned.

It took me a few seconds to put this will into words.

"I want to start challenging dungeons again... to become stronger."

The high-pitched wind howled wildly against the massive city walls, and Fels stared intently at me.

I didn't look away for a moment, and soon he nodded.

"It seems you're prepared... However, I also sense a slight confusion."

"..."

"I don't want you to die. As Reed said in Miri, this is my sincere wish. So next, I want to do some 'meddlesome' things too."

The magician in black added, "Although this may not dispel your confusion..." and then quietly raised a hand.

"Bell Craney, I'm giving you a reason to fight."

He pointed to our feet—to the deep, far-below earth below.

"Conquer the lowest level of the dungeon. Without accomplishing this, it is impossible for humanity (us) to coexist peacefully with the 'heretics'."

"!"

Seeing that I had opened my eyes wide, Fels continued:

"Of course, Uranus and I will continue to do our utmost for them... but in the end, if we cannot achieve this goal, the future we hope for will never come."

The lowest level of the underground city.

This sentence permeated my entire being, and it took me a while to understand its meaning.

I, who had stopped moving, slowly opened my lips:

"What's in the lowest level... in the underground city?"

What exactly is a dungeon?

I had asked the same question to the gods before, and Fels quietly replied to my question:

"A vow made...and an end."

The sound, as if about to vanish with the wind, lingered among us.

Fels refused to explain to me why we absolutely had to conquer the lowest level of the dungeon, or why this matter was related to the "heretics."

He simply conveyed to me the indisputable truth—the divine will that must have been revealed to me by the old god (Uranus).

"If you care about Reed and the others... then please go ahead, Bell Craney."

"..."

May your future be bright and promising.

After Fels finished speaking, he opened the invisibility cloak he was holding with a snap, and his figure disappeared into the empty space.

The gentle footsteps of the wind remain, and silence fills the surroundings.

On the city wall where everyone had left, I was the only one left, turning my face to the side to gaze in that direction.

Gazing upon the towering, cloud-piercing Tower of God, and the vast, expanding labyrinth beneath the earth.

*

The Tower of Babel is a skyscraper facility that stands in the center of Orario.

The lobby on the thirtieth floor of the tower was filled with an unprecedented clamor.