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

Like faithfully detonating the bomb my grandfather planted inside me, I slowly approached Miss Ais, all the while subtly concealing my presence. What on earth was going on?!

Could it be that I really... should I... have sex with her?

"Kiss him!"

Waa ...

"—Wait a minute, Bell!"

at this time.

As if blaming me for my misconduct, the voice of the goddess (Hestia) echoed in my mind.

"You actually touched a girl while she was asleep! Is that right?! I don't remember ever teaching you to do that!"

I was startled; my mind and body began to waver.

The mind and body, which had been manipulated by some force, seemed to regain their senses.

Yes, that's right! The gods are right...!

"I won't allow you to kiss that girl, absolutely not! Absolutely not!"

The fairy's desperate, hoarse screams made me break out in a sweat, and I wanted to distance myself from Miss Ais.

I was just trembling uncontrollably, and my movements were slow to progress, as if two powerful wills were fighting inside me, affecting my actions.

The oracle of the goddess (light) clashed violently with the whispers of the grandfather (darkness).

"Alright, get away from her quickly—"

"We are about to wage holy war."

"—Hey, what are you doing? Waaaaah!"

—Even the gods lost!

The massive fluctuations overwhelmed the goddess, causing Libra to tilt in one fell swoop.

The remaining distance suddenly shortened, and I was almost touching Miss Ais's nose.

"...!"

Her beautiful sleeping face with her eyes closed is a sight to behold.

My eyes went unfocused. Her face, so close to mine, made my mind and body burn.

As I listened to my grandfather's still-echoing laughter, my lips were about to touch hers.

"etc……"

"!"

I instantly regained my physical freedom.

I abruptly pulled my face back, turned around sharply, and moved away from Miss Ais.

My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst. I was sweating profusely.

As my grandfather's regretful hallucinations faded away, I cautiously turned my head to look at her, who was standing with her back to me.

"..."

Miss Ais did not wake up.

She kept her eyes closed, emitting a soft, steady snore that was barely audible unless you listened very closely.

I relaxed all the strength in my body in one breath.

(…Wait for me?)

I listened to the still-pounding heartbeat and recalled the movements of that person's lips.

It's not "wait"... it's "wait for me".

I remember her lips; she did make that movement.

I tried to understand what she meant, but a wave of intense self-loathing washed over me. I buried my face in my hands and began to agonize. What had I almost done...?!

Ughh ...

"……well."

Clutching at a lingering sense of self-loathing, he waited for a while.

I sighed. This time, to avoid being bewitched again, I created an even wider space than before, returned to my supine position, and looked up at the sky.

I kept apologizing in my mind, trying to cool down my burning face.

"..."

Even though I stubbornly told myself not to listen, the steady breathing rhythm still reached my ears.

In my final moments of agonizing, I made a pact with myself to only look at her one last time, pressing my cheek against the stone slab as I slowly gazed at her.

"..."

Right in front of me, at such close range, was her face.

A soft snore gently brushed against her ear. A strand of golden hair fell down and landed on her cheek.

Seeing her innocent and carefree sleeping face makes one forget that she is a warrior whose strength surpasses that of anyone else.

If I get just a little closer, within arm's reach... she sleeps peacefully there.

Which heroic tale is that?

There was a lonely princess who was cursed and had been in a deep sleep for hundreds of years without aging.

She will never open her eyes until her hero appears; she is forever Sleeping Beauty.

Somehow, the illustrations from the stories that captivated me as a child overlap with the image of her sleeping soundly right now.

"..."

I stared at her sleeping face without saying a word, then turned my face back to face her.

I lay on my back, raised my left hand, and quietly tugged at my cheek.

It hurts a little.

(I still feel like it was all a dream...)

To be able to stay by this person's side like this. To be able to spend time together.

Lowering my hand from my cheek, I gazed up at the enchanting blue sky.

As all the emotions I had felt gradually faded, my heart felt empty.

In the very center of the sunlit city wall, the two of us lay together on the ground. I slowly closed my eyes and drifted into a light sleep.

□

Orario's city walls are both sturdy and enormous.

The city walls surrounding the circular city are naturally ring-shaped. The road at the top also follows the shape of the city walls, with an irregular ring of stone slabs.

The top of the city walls, which are off-limits, is usually deserted. Furthermore, since Orario's city walls function not as external defense but as breakwaters within the labyrinth, they are built extremely high; you can climb any tall building and still not see the top of the walls, let alone from the ground.

In addition, there are low walls set up on the city walls, so as long as you choose the right location, you don't have to worry about being discovered.

Special training conducted atop the city wall would not be spied on, nor could anyone watch.

Ais did this specifically to prevent her training with Bell from being exposed and to avoid being caught by their respective "familias," which shows how thoughtful she was.

"However, I still saw it all."

There is only one exception: the view from the Tower of Babel, the tallest skyscraper in the city.

Sitting in her luxurious chair in her room, located on the highest floor of the Tower of Babel, Freya could clearly see Bell and Ais sleeping on the city wall.

The low wall surrounding the road was useless from above; she had a clear understanding of Bell and his group's movements.

"It's just that Fiora's (that kid's) brilliance is a bit too dazzling..."

The distance from the city center, and from the top floor of the fifty-story Tower of Babel, to the outskirts of the city where Bell and his companions were located was extraordinary, but Freya's "eyes" still clearly saw the radiance of the boy and girl.

Though small, its clear and transparent radiance, along with the dazzling, intense golden glow, could not be missed by Freya's "eyes" that could discern the essence (color) of the "soul."

Ever since she discovered Belle and Ais diligently exercising past dawn, she has been observing the two of them.

"But then again... things have gotten quite interesting."

Freya brushed her silver hair behind her ear, and a smile formed on her lips.

While his family members were secretly building a stage in the dungeon, the boy who was the protagonist unexpectedly became the apprentice of a female swordsman, one of the strongest warriors in the city.

Monsters (monsters) educated by martial artists (Ota) and boys (humans) trained by sword princesses (Ais).

Freya couldn't help but look forward to the possibility that things might turn out even more interesting than she imagined.

"..."

For quite some time, the silver eyes silently focused their gaze on Bell and his companions.

Perhaps they were sleeping, the two radiant lights nestled together motionless. Freya smiled, but her slender fingers began to slowly tap the armrest of the chair.

Then, as she began to twirl her silver hair with her fingers, she suddenly stopped.

Only then did she notice her unconscious actions; her lips curved slightly, a smile that resembled both a bitter laugh and a mocking one.

"Ugh, I'm jealous..."

"Really," Freya laughed.

Despite being a goddess, she acts like a child, which she finds ridiculous.

There was a time when the goddess (Hestia) was with a boy, and she had felt the same way. This time, the feeling seemed to be stronger than before.

The golden radiance that amplified the transparent glow made her feel slightly... really only slightly, bored.

A tiny bit of jealousy sprouted deep within her full breasts.

"...It's really worrying."

Freya murmured to herself, closed her eyes, leaned back in her chair, and tilted her head back.

A while passed like this.

The goddess, who had been keeping her eyes closed, slightly opened her eyelids... and smiled radiantly.

"I wonder how much stronger he's become?"

She resumed her original posture and stared boldly in that direction.

She was interested, had a mischievous streak, and, more importantly, wanted to vent her jealousy (the knot in her stomach).

Let's tease him a little more. Freya didn't hesitate and silently submitted to this dark feeling.

The entire wall of the house is covered by a long, large pane of glass, which vaguely reflects a tyrannical smile.

●

After passing through several long passageways and staircases inside the city walls, the door leading to the outside opens.

The heavy wooden door leads to a dark corner of a back alley.

The place was filled with dirty wooden crates and scrap materials, resembling a warehouse. Miss Ais and I looked around as we set off from the forgotten entrance to the city wall.

After a good afternoon nap, we resumed training, now temporarily leaving the city walls and heading towards the city.

"Miss Ais, no need. That was just an accident."

"It's alright, I'm hungry too."

...We did this because, as my movements became noticeably sluggish under strict instruction, my stomach growled.

Miss Ais stared blankly at me, my face completely red, and then considerately suggested that we go get some light food, which led to this situation.

(I didn't eat breakfast this morning, but... ugh, really...)

I suppressed the urge to cry and followed Miss Ais dejectedly.

Miss Ais found a shortcut—a gate that should have been blocked off, leading into the city walls, located in the northwest area on the outskirts of the city. After turning several alleys and passing through wide, well-maintained back streets, the atmosphere of the main street would become increasingly strong.

Stylish, columnar magic stone streetlights stood along the road surrounding the house, and I curiously admired the scenery I was seeing for the first time.

"Um, where are we going now?"