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

"But now Bell's reputation is safe... I need to go back and report to him as soon as possible... Ah, but maybe I'd like to rest for a bit..."

Hestia waved to Mih and Takemikazuchi, who had left earlier, and then collapsed onto the table as if she had used up her last bit of strength...

"Hestia, your [Family] level has increased, right?"

Hephaestus asked her about it.

"Huh? Ah—, well, they said it's because Bell rose to Lv.4, so the Familia also rose from E to D... But why are you asking this?"

She looked up at her red-haired, red-eyed friend (best friend) who was right beside her.

As he said, after Bell reached Lv.4, the Hestia Familia was recognized by the "Guild" as having increased combat power, thus raising the faction's level.

When she looked puzzled, Hephaestus shrugged and replied:

"Well then, the 'notification' will be here soon."

"……"notify"?"

Upon hearing this, Hestia tilted her head.

*

The hall was packed with demi-humans.

This is the guild headquarters, a corner of the lobby with a huge notice board. Adventurers, knowing the Gathering of the Gods had just ended, have come here. Because the nicknames decided at the naming ceremony are displayed on this notice board immediately. Among the crowd, you can also see curious ordinary citizens and merchants, eager to be among the first to witness the divine might (taste).

After the guild staff posted the roster of titles, many eyes were drawn to the huge cork notice board. Before long, voices of joy and sorrow, or sighs of admiration, began to emanate from the surrounding area.

"...Hey, look at that."

"I know, I saw it."

Among them, one nickname was the most sought after.

They looked up, squinted, and stared intently at it, pointing out its name with their fingers.

People's attention naturally focused on that nickname, concentrating on a particular adventurer, making the noise even more unified. Orc masters and servants, the desperately stepping dwarf (Palum) sisters, the beautiful and charming elf group, the wounded dwarf ruffians, and the licking-lipped Amazons, all discussed the title with great enthusiasm.

Bell watched all of this from behind.

"Ah... Bell Craney."

Upon hearing someone murmur the name, the adventurers all turned around.

As soon as they noticed Bell's presence, the previous noise gradually subsided, almost as if preordained. Bell, who had just arrived, was aware of the attention he was receiving and walked forward.

"Sorry," Bell apologized, and as he was about to move forward, the crowd automatically parted to the sides.

He walked along the opened road, came to the signboard, and looked up at the huge wooden plank.

Bell found his name and uttered the title bestowed upon him by the gods.

"--【Rabbit Foot】."

This is his new nickname.

It was a title given to the boy as the fastest newcomer, a title bestowed upon him in praise of his appearance and exceptional speed, after the name "Unfinished" was abolished for his remarkable growth.

Some stared at Bell with hostility, some smiled at him, and some expressed envy. The adventurers reacted in various ways, but their eyes all acknowledged the incredible achievement of the world's fastest white rabbit (the record holder). Unlike before, when some people ridiculed him for "faking it," the jealousy had completely vanished, and no one regarded him as a cocky newbie anymore. Everyone praised the boy's performance.

Bell sensed this firsthand and felt embarrassed, fleeing towards the service window as if trying to escape. He wanted to discuss future matters with his specialist.

He spotted the half-elf girl among the waitresses who were excitedly screaming at him, and prepared to go over to her—but…

"...Miss Eina?"

"..."

The half-elf waitress, Eina, was simply staring at Bell in a daze.

The beautiful emerald eyes behind the glasses seemed absent-minded, and her cheeks were slightly flushed, like she had a cold.

Bell was puzzled by Eina's stunned silence.

"Eina, Eina! Little Bell is here! Look, look over there!"

“──!”

When her colleague Missia lightly poked her arm, Eina's shoulder swayed.

She finally managed to get a proper look at Belle, and immediately panicked, "Huh, oh! That's strange!?" Her face turned even redder.

Eina was unusually flustered and took something from the service desk.

"Bell!...This, this is for you!"

"what?"

She handed Bell a plain white envelope.

Bell looked at Eina's face and then at the envelope, repeating this twice. Some of the adventurers watching nearby cried out, "Could it be that the popular waitress (Miss Eina) is giving out love letters?!" But Bell took the envelope and was quickly taken aback.

The letter was made of high-quality paper, and it was sealed with the guild seal.

Bell had seen letters like this.

He dug into his past memories, unconsciously muttering to himself:

"A 'mandatory mission'...?"

Volume Twelve, Chapter Two: A Mid-Adventure

Hestia, having finished the Grand Assembly of the Gods, met up with Bell, who had received a sealed letter at the guild headquarters. The meeting place was a teahouse on the Northwest Main Street, commonly known as "Adventurer's Street."

Facing Bell and Hestia, Hephaestus, the blacksmith goddess wearing a large eye patch, sat opposite them.

Hestia wanted to hear more details, and on her way to Hephaestus’s northwest branch, she happened to run into Bell, who was coming out of the guild headquarters. Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, the three of them decided to chat over tea.

"Hephaestus, is this the 'notice' you just mentioned that Bell received?"

"Yes, Hestia."

Hephaestus nodded as Hestia twirled the white, sealed letter between her fingers.

The sun was gradually approaching the western city wall; it was afternoon.

The three sat around the table, with Bell and Hestia listening to Hephaestus explain the "mandatory quest" he had brought from the "guild".

"When a [Family] of the exploration (dungeon) type reaches a certain level, they must go on an 'Expedition' at fixed intervals; this is an obligation. Moreover, they must obtain results from the 'Expedition'."

"Huh, an 'expedition'?"

"Yes, the guild issues the order, like this."

Hestia was taken aback and hurriedly checked the contents of the sealed letter. The parchment, signed and stamped by the guild master, indeed contained the order to carry out an "expedition".

"Goddess Hephaestus, a certain level refers to..."

"Rank D and above, Bell Craney. Loki and Freya, known as the largest faction, are also present and have been working on it. However, Loki and the others are going to the deeper areas, so they won't be urged on as often."

"What specific achievements are you referring to?"

"Even just adding one more floor to the reach is fine, or discovering new resources or minerals, or mapping 'unexplored territory' would also work. I think defeating the floor leader counts too? Most [Familia] seem to increase the number of floors you can reach."

Bell was in stark contrast to the Supreme God; he seemed lost in thought, asking questions repeatedly.

Hephaestus, seeing his reaction, gave him an "Oh?" look, but still answered each question in great detail.

"The management (guild) is constantly asking everyone to explore dungeons or discover new resources. Exploration is a unique characteristic of this labyrinth city's [familia], meaning that if you want to call yourself a [familia], you have to deliver commensurate results."

"I...I didn't know..." Hestia was slightly shocked.

From the standpoint of establishing a "guild" and effectively controlling the world's only dungeons, the ultimate goal is to explore and expand the vast underground labyrinth beneath our feet. Unknown resources, unknown territories, and unknown discoveries will certainly promote Orario's development.

Therefore, exploration-type [families] can enjoy convenience in terms of adventurer registration, unlike commercial types which require complicated procedures, and they also receive tax breaks when paying to the "guild".

At the time, Hestia had no insistence on faction attributes and simply thought that "it's just right for a small [Familia]~", so she registered the [Familia] as an exploration class.

"Mich and his crew are really something, why didn't they tell me before I logged in..."

"They didn't expect you to reach D-rank. Of course, neither did I. Besides, you guys leveled up so quickly..."

Hephaestus gave Hestia a wry smile and glanced briefly at Bell.

Bell realized that the problem lay with him, and pressed his right temple with a hint of guilt.

Only high-ranking factions whose strength is recognized—high-level adventurers who can return alive from the depths of the dungeon—are required to fulfill the obligation of "expeditions".

This matter should have had absolutely nothing to do with the lower-ranking factions...

"Perhaps Hermes simply doesn't want to fulfill his duty of 'expedition,' which is why he hasn't reported to Lv...."

Hestia murmured, mentioning the cunning (Hermes) faction that had made false reports about their factional strength.

Judging from Hephaestus's explanation, the conditions for completing the expedition's "mandatory mission" are probably not easy.

That [Family] doesn't like to stand out and claims to be neutral. Hestia realized, recalling that handsome man's smile, that this was one of the reasons why they would falsify their official level.

"Back to the main point... Here's an important point: the expedition must be conducted by your own [Familia]. Hiring adventurers from other factions is fine, but if you're just following another [Familia] on an expedition, the guild won't approve it. Please keep that in mind."

The expedition must be led by their own faction. Hephaestus told them this important instruction, reminding them of it. Finally, she added, "By the way, if you don't participate in the 'expedition' or fail to achieve any results, the guild will consider you a failure and impose penalties." The main penalty mentioned here is paying a fine.

"That's about it for the 'mandatory missions' of the 'Expedition'. Any other questions?"

"Oh dear... hearing about this so suddenly, I feel like it's not even real, or maybe I don't even know anything about it...?"

After listening to her friend's opening lecture, Hestia stared blankly with her mouth agape.

As she had said, the main god was still organizing the key points. Bell, standing beside her, watched Hephaestus and finally asked:

"Miss Ais and the others... many high-level adventurers have overcome this path, right?"

"...Yes, that's right, Bell Craney."

Under the direct gaze of those deep red (rubellite) eyes, Hephaestus seemed to understand everything, narrowing her left eye, which was not covered by an eyepatch. The lines of her lips softened slightly, accompanied by a smile of affirmation.

"Well then, good luck! I'll help you if anything happens... I support you."

After enjoying the black tea laid out on the table, the male-dressed beauty paid the bill and left.

Bell and Hestia exchanged a glance and nodded in unison.

"The 'mandatory mission' of the 'Expedition'... has finally arrived?"

He murmured to himself, seemingly deep in thought, as he sat in his seat in the living room.

After dinner, all members of the Hestia Familia gathered in front of Hestia for a meeting.

The topic of discussion was naturally how to handle "expeditions".

"I, along with my sister Aisha and others, have also visited the goddess Ishtar..."

"Goddess Hephaestus is a forging expert, so I've never had that opportunity. ...But there is a Chun (a busybody) who loves to go on 'expeditions' with other factions."

Haruhime, dressed in a maid outfit, helps serve tea, while Welf, sitting cross-legged on a chair, talks about his past experiences with different factions.

After the fox-girl finished serving the tea, Bell and Life pulled out a chair for her. "Thank you," she said as she sat down.

"You mean, Goddess Hestia, aren't you aware of the obligation to 'expedition'? Didn't we conduct a small expedition before?"

"Uh-uh—because it was Takemikazuchi and the others who invited me... I didn't think too much about it, I just felt that considering the future, going once wouldn't be a bad idea..."

Seeing Hestia avert her gaze while chuckling, Lily gave her a cold look.

"Really." The little girl sighed and looked up.

"Just like when we sent Lady Winnie to the 'Secret Realm' last time, this 'mandatory mission' is the same. Basically, Lily and I have no right to refuse. Only if the guild judges that its own faction (familia) has suffered serious losses in combat power, or if the faction has accepted a long-term and important adventurer quest or other 'mandatory mission', is it possible to avoid it."

"Is it not a good idea to accept another important adventurer's request now?"

"Yes, no."

Chunji's timid suggestion was rejected by Lily with a single sentence.

"Ugh..." Chun Ji said dejectedly, her voice trembling as she spoke, on the premise that an "expedition" would be carried out:

"The Hestia Familia has reached the 20th floor... If things go smoothly, the 21st floor should be the next target."

"Well, Lily doesn't think it's a stretch at all. Now that Lord Bell has reached Lv.4, he might achieve his goal quite easily..."

The lowest level of the "middle layer"—the 24th layer—has a reaching standard of Lv.2 and an ability parameter assessment of C to S.

From this perspective alone, Bell at Lv.4 is far beyond the standard. Of course, since this is the first floor we're attempting, we absolutely cannot be careless, Lily added.

"I have a simple question: how can we prove that the 'expedition' was a success? Surely no guild staff members went along?"

"I remember that Sister Aisha and the others... always brought back 'dropped items' ores from specific monsters. The quota was more than ten, and I think you all mentioned that it was quite troublesome..."