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

"Somersault kick..."

Miss Daphne murmured stiffly, restoring the slowed flow of time to normal.

Miss Aisha immediately threw a rope to Miss Ming, who had fallen into the water, and I, who was behind, quickly ran towards the long, backward-facing body of the giant water snake.

As we passed each other, I used the "Goddess's Blade" to slice the serpent's flawed body in two.

"call!"

"──────────────!?"

The giant water snake, accompanied by its dying screams, sank into the current, triggering another massive tsunami.

Unable to withstand the acceleration, my posture swayed, and the huge wave felt like a final kick to my goal. I was almost swept away by the water, but I managed to push off the crystal and reach the shore where Welf and the others were. Miss Ming had someone pull her ashore with ropes, and she also made it to safety.

"Miss Ming, when did you learn that move...?"

"Actually, I trained with Takemikazuchi before the 'Expedition,' and that's when I learned a new taijutsu... It's already coming in handy so quickly..."

"You were amazing just now, my goodness!"

"Seriously, you've really got a knack for it, from just now until now."

I was soaked to the bone, crawling on my hands and feet. The young lady dried my face, giving me a half-smile, as if I'd just barely escaped death. Miss Chigusa and Miss Aisha both sincerely praised her, and the group was enveloped in a warm atmosphere.

We left the flooded passage and moved to a small cave, our excitement still lingering. We placed our backpacks on the ground, and everyone peered inside.

"So many maze corals, and maze pearls..."

"Wait a minute, I think these alone could sell for three million fares!"

"If we can negotiate with the merchant, we should be able to raise the price to 3.5 million fares."

"Three, three, three and a half million...!? This is the value of the 'lower class'...!"

"Pay off the weapons loan in one go...!"

"Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, you can't keep them all to yourself!"

"A great achievement indeed, Lord Bell!!"

Upon seeing the gleaming coral and pearls in the bag, Miss Cassandra, Miss Daphne, Miss Aisha, Miss Haruhime, Mr. Sakura, Miss Chigusa, and Lily cheered in turn. Everyone high-fived each other in praise, while Miss Mei and I could only scratch our cheeks, blushing with embarrassment.

"It's starting to feel more and more like an 'expedition,' isn't it?"

"……Um!"

Welf put his arm around my shoulder and smiled at me, and I smiled back.

"Expedition" is a high-risk, high-return gamble. Only after bringing back the treasures of the labyrinth did I truly understand the meaning of this phrase.

As I shared my excitement with my companions, I recalled a feeling different from "wanting to become stronger"... the childlike heart I had when I first arrived in Orario.

Back then, I was completely absorbed in the thrill of adventure. Although it feels like just a few months ago, I've rediscovered that same excitement for adventure.

(However, being attacked by a large water snake out of the blue was a bit thrilling...)

As I laughed and laughed with everyone, a small alarm bell rang in my heart as an adventurer.

It's fine to be joyful when you're happy, but you have to completely switch gears when you need to change your mood. While I can't become like Mr. Finn, I should be able to cut off complacency or arrogance.

As the team leader elected by everyone, I quietly rallied my spirits on my own.

At this point, I was already excited about the new floor and anticipated the extra hard work and ingenuity required for the "water" terrain.

I kept thinking about the knowledge about the "lower class," and I also thought about the face of the girl who helped me.

*

(Bell doesn't know if it's serious...)

Eina kept thinking about Bell's face.

The guild headquarters stood on the ground bathed in the midday sun.

After finishing her lunch break, Eina spread out a stack of parchment on her desk and propped her chin on her elbow. Her colleague, Missia Flott, at the next desk, was busy with paperwork, wailing "Ugh!" even during her lunch break.

(I don't think we'll reach the "lower levels" that quickly, but... ah~ maybe I should have dug out more documents about second-level adventurers to teach him back then.)

In order to carry out the mandatory mission, Bell and others set off for the "Expedition" and entered the second day.

She guessed that Bell and the others were still making their way through the "Great Tree Maze," while her gaze furtively lowered.

"Upper level" and "middle level" are different. This is a common saying among adventurers.

Similarly, the "middle level" and the "lower level" are also different. Eina felt that she had taught him everything she could, but afterwards she couldn't help but sigh, "Perhaps I could have done more for him," perhaps due to the earnest nature of her elven bloodline.

Eina sighed as she read the articles on the parchment.

"Sister Eina—! I would be so happy if you could help me if you had some free time—!? No, is that not possible?"

"No. You have to do things yourself."

"Waaah~!...By the way, what have you been looking at since just now?"

Missia looked dejected at first, then peeked at her desk.

Eina is currently looking at unresolved adventurer requests related to the "middle" or "lower" levels.

"Hmm... I've had a feeling that a lot of adventurers have been going missing lately. Especially in the 'lower levels'... Bell and his crew went there on their expedition, so I'm a little concerned."

The parchment's requests were all for help in finding adventurers who had gone missing in the dungeon. It was just like the request Hestia had made with great concern when Bell and his companions first challenged the "Middle Level" and never returned.

Is there something in the "lower levels" that prevents adventurers from returning?

Seeing Eina's concern about this possibility, Missia stopped writing with her quill.

She gazed at Eina's melancholy profile with an indescribable expression.

"...I mean...huh? Isn't this something that happens all the time?"

Upon hearing her criticism, Eina froze, "Huh...?"

"It's a bit much to say this, but... is there ever a day when we don't receive applications to search for adventurers who have gone missing in the labyrinth?"

People die in the dungeon every day. Every guild member knows this.

This is especially true for the "lower levels," where the difficulty of clearing the levels increases.

"Besides, Eina, all those adventurer requests you've made about finding companions seem pretty old..."

Hearing her further criticism, Eina suddenly realized something.

Indeed, it seems I've already read every single one of these adventurer requests...!

It's only now that they've unearthed the long-accumulated search requests and even compiled a list. I sigh every time I look at it. And of all times, it happened to be at the exact time when the Hestia Familia set off on their "expedition."

I wonder what Missia thought of this appearance?

Eina's face flushed at the thought.

"No, but! I really feel like things have changed a bit lately!? It's not because I care about Bell that I dug up the information... I, I wasn't worried about him!?"

She's lying. She's only thinking about Bell.

This is indeed overprotective... no, it's excessive worry. Not long ago, when Bell went to the dungeon, she wouldn't have been so restless.

"Expeditions," yes, it's all the fault of "expeditions"!

Because unlike normal explorations where safety is guaranteed, I feel so uneasy!

Eina decided to accept it—she couldn't bear to deceive herself like this.

However, Eina's inner turmoil and rapid-fire explanations were of no use to her best friend.

"I'm telling you, Eina..."

"W-What is it?"

"You've been acting strange lately, could it be that you really have feelings for that little brother—"

"No way!?"

Eina loudly denied what Missia was about to say.

All eyes in the office were on them with curiosity; normally, her mischievous colleagues would have already started teasing her, but when she looked at Eina, whose face was flushed, she suddenly had a look of sudden realization.

Her face held a mature expression that resembled that of an older sister or a mother.

"Hey, Eina, that little brother... Bell is a full five years younger than us, you know? Uh, no, age might not matter, but the advisor having those kinds of feelings for the adventurers he's in charge of is still a bit... Besides, most 'that kind of relationship' with adventurers ends tragically... The other person is human, and maybe he could have children with a half-human (hybrid race)... But I still think..."

"Don't try to persuade me so seriously!"

Seeing Missia kindly trying to persuade her, Eina couldn't take it anymore and cried out.

Eina no longer cared about the surprised looks from the waitresses or guild staff. Her friend, who was usually taken care of, was now seriously worried about her, which severely depleted her life force (spiritual energy).

She finally collapsed onto the table, hoping to at least cover her burning red face.

(Enough already~, really enough~~!)

All she could make were sounds of anguish and struggle.

While casually listening to Missia's gentle voice of advice from the side, Eina raised her eyebrows.

(It's decided... I said it's decided, and that's it.)

When Bell returns, I'll have him treat me to dinner as an apology.

Eina swore in her heart. This was not a date, nor was it a blurring of public and private matters. The angel representing reason (Hestia) in her mind was furious, but the guardian of will (Riveria) erected a barrier to protect the huddled emotions (Eina).

She looked at the parchment scattered on the table with her slightly teary, emerald-green eyes.

Eina touched the pile of adventurers' requests, which were praying for her beloved's safety, with her finger, making a rustling sound.

"So, you have to come back..."

Eina murmured softly.

*

Compared to the vast, hollow "Giant Waterfall," the labyrinthine section inside the cliff resembles a high-rise building (apartment).

As Miss Aisha said, there are stairs and ramps here. We had just walked down for a long time, and then we had to climb up again, giving us a real taste of the multi-layered road structure we had never experienced before. It is said that adventurers must climb up and down like this to reach the entrance (gateway) which is equivalent to the first floor of a building (apartment), and then go to the passageway located in the southeast of the large cavern that leads to the next floor.

As for the exploration itself, sometimes the path forward was blocked by a large geyser that suddenly erupted from the ground, sometimes a "Monster Party" occurred after taking a detour, or Miss Daphne insisted on refusing to take the route that brushed past the "Giant Waterfall" on the Crystal Bridge, and Welf's arm was grabbed by the suction cup of a giant octopus (dragging an octopus), and he almost fell into the rapids, etc... Although the situation was constantly changing, we still kept our feet on the ground and slowly walked through the regular route of the 25th floor.

We are now in the maze-like area on the north side of the floor.

If you walk due south along the water flow, you will find the location of "Giant Cang Waterfall".

Lily deciphered the map of the 25th floor, which was equivalent to several layers of a maze. According to her, we hadn't even reached halfway down the proper route. It seemed there was still a long way to go. After our third rest, we decided to walk a little further before turning back to the 24th floor, and so we began our exploration again.

"...?"

The white crystals formed on the ground glowed faintly as we walked through the dimly lit passage...

Being at the front of the squad, I was the first to notice that one.

"That shadow... is it an adventurer?"

As Welf said, a human silhouette was slowly walking towards them from the front.

With its face drooping low, long, thin ears protruding from both sides... it looked like an elf.

I stared intently into the dark passage and barely managed to make out this detail.

"It's been a long time since I've run into any colleagues. Although I didn't see them much even when I was in 'middle management'."

"Is it some expert? There's no [Family] involved, and our expedition overlaps with Lily's... To reach this point through regular exploration, are they someone at least Level 2?"

Ignoring the conversation between Mr. Sakura and Lily behind them, the figure of the approaching adventurer became clearer and clearer with each passing moment.

It's clear that the leather armor is of very high quality, the quiver hangs at the waist, and the crest of the [Family].

These familiar pieces of equipment made me realize that I had met them once before.

(That was...I remember it was Mr. Lewis?)

Nearly two months ago, I took on Miss Eina's bodyguard job.

This high-ranking elven adventurer, along with the dwarf Mr. Dorumur, had been instigated by the chief god to stalk Miss Eina every night. Although her expression, shrouded in shadow, was unclear, there was no mistake.

—Is there only one person on this floor?

Although I've heard he's Lv.3, isn't this a bit too careless? Even for a second-level adventurer, it's hard to say that safety is guaranteed without forming a party.

And if there was a quiver of arrows, why wasn't he carrying a bow?