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

"Please, please calm down, God!"

For some reason, the deity took advantage of the chaos to hug me, which almost made me lose my composure for a moment, but I immediately raised my head.

Another level of battle was still underway. Countless sparks flew as they performed a fierce sword dance.

It's impossible for it to be universally applicable. I understood this in my mind, yet I reflexively extended my right arm.

With my left arm supporting the deity who was holding me, I aimed at the men surrounding that person.

"Miss Ais!"

She turned around when she heard me call out, her eyes widened slightly, and she instantly moved away from her original position.

I infuse all my mental energy into unleashing "magic".

"[Flame Lightning]!"

Six shots in quick succession.

The "quick-fire magic" that erupted instantly transformed into six bolts of fiery lightning that exploded on the group of men.

The back alley was instantly bathed in a crimson glow.

The explosions spread outwards, and sparks flew in a fierce wind.

As a sea of ​​fire erupted in the very center of the back alley, the cat-man and four dwarfs (Palum) walked through the wall of fire and leisurely emerged from where the magic bullet had landed.

"They cast magic without even chanting..."

"We must report this to that sir. He will be very pleased."

Using [Flame Lightning] with difficulty caused numbness in my right arm and a corner of my brain, yet the group of men were even smiling, discussing something from the direction of the burning flames.

Although I hadn't anticipated this outcome, many of my beliefs seemed to have been shattered in the process.

I was breathing heavily, and I only squinted my right eye.

I had to acknowledge the difference in strength between myself and the higher-level adventurers.

"It's too flashy. This fire will attract a lot of people soon."

"I know... That's enough, let's retreat."

The male cat-man first looked up and said this, then was the first to leave the scene.

The adventurers I defeated were also taken back by the dwarves (Palum) and vanished into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

In the back alley, only the fire had subsided, with flames still gushing out like a spring.

"Bell..."

"Ah, sorry, deity..."

I apologized to the fairy I had been holding, loosened my arms around her waist, and let her go.

However, the fairy did not let go of me. She looked up at me and gently reached out to touch my cheek.

"How are you?"

"..."

She looked at me with some worry and offered words of comfort.

With a heart full of despair, I looked at the celestial being before me, thinking that perhaps she had seen through me to some extent. Feeling the warmth from her soft palms on my cheek, I forced a bitter smile.

"Are you injured?"

"Ah, I'm fine. Where's Miss Ais...?"

"I'm fine too."

Miss Ais, unharmed, answered calmly as usual.

Thinking about how she had saved me again—no, she always saved me—I bit my lip and asked, feigning calmness:

"Who are those people? Why did they suddenly attack us...?"

All the attackers covered their faces, and the insignia of the [Family] could not be identified from their equipment.

They destroyed all light sources, including the magic stone lamps, cleared the area beforehand, and arranged the attack location in advance, so it's not hard to guess that they already had a solid plan.

Surely they wouldn't be planning a night raid on us for no reason...

"Night raids are quite common."

"Does this happen often?"

"Hmm, it's quite unusual for them to make a move outside the dungeon..."

In other words, this kind of thing seems commonplace in the dungeon. The shocking truth left me speechless.

Those who attacked were extremely powerful... It felt as if I had glimpsed a power struggle between powerful [familias].

Could it be that Miss Ais was discovered leaving the Familia alone at this time and was thus attacked...?

"But I really don't understand. It would be understandable if it were Miss Warren who was attacked, but they didn't even spare us, no, they didn't even spare Bell, did they?"

“Well…”

"And it seems they've split into two groups to coordinate with your efforts?"

Indeed, I agree with the immortal's question.

Miss Ais and her group of cat-people were one thing, but the adventurers I fought all seemed to be evenly matched, as if their abilities had been pre-arranged. It was as if they were being forced to fight on equal footing to measure something.

But after all that talk, it's all just speculation...

"Regarding the person who might have attacked you, do you have any suspects in mind, Miss Warren?"

"...There are too many to list, so I can't give any examples."

"Seriously, Loki really knows how to cause trouble."

"sorry……"

"Ugh... Forget it. Let's not talk about this anymore, let's get out of here quickly. Who knows if someone will hear the commotion and come to check it out."

After speaking with Miss Ais, the deity decided to leave. The fight had been quite intense; not only civilians, but even guild members might have come.

We came to the conclusion that we should leave as soon as possible before getting involved in unnecessary trouble.

The fairies hurried down the narrow path, and I decided to follow them.

Instantly.

"——!"

A chill ran through my body.

It felt like my heart was being grabbed and spied on.

An illusion arises in the mind, as if seeing only the lips of a seductive smile.

I couldn't help but turn around and look up at the direction the cat-man had been gazing.

Ahead, the Tower of Babel stands tall. A colossal tower with white walls.

My heart was racing for some reason as I looked down at the enormous skyscraper (Tower of Babel).

"..."

The deity repeatedly admonished Miss Ais herself, who tilted her head slightly, while I was left behind, standing there blankly.

Something, slowly and surely, crawled toward him, a dark omen.

Under the night sky where the silvery starry sky casts a faint glow.

I felt a chill accompanying the uncertainty of the truth.

Volume 3, Chapter 4: The Meaning of Adventure

He pondered deeply and racked his brains.

Sitting in an armchair with her knees drawn up to her chest, Ais silently brooded and pondered.

The spacious interior was decorated in warm colors and furnished with several round tables and sofas. Besides Ais, many other people were also relaxing here.

The location is the Loki Familia headquarters, in the reception room.

"Hey, Ais, what are you thinking about? You seem so focused."

A dark-haired girl with wheat-colored skin leaned over and asked Ais, who was burying her face gently in her knees.

She wore only a top that covered her chest and back, and her ethnic clothing exposed many patches of healthy skin, making her look somewhat like a dancer.

Ais raised her face and looked at the Amazonian girl with a long wrap skirt around her waist.

"Tiona..."

"You've been looking so grumpy lately, Ais. If you're having any worries, you can talk to me—"

Seeing the affectionate smile on the girl Tiona's face, Ais quietly smiled as well.

She said "Thank you" first, and was about to slowly open her mouth when...

"Let's forget about it, Ais. Talking to Tiona won't solve anything—it'll only make things worse."

"Bert, you're so noisy! I'm talking to Ais, don't interrupt!"

"But Bert is right, and that's the saddest part."

"Hey, Tione—! You can help anyone, why did you have to help Bert—"

A gray-haired orc youth and another Amazon girl interrupted from the side.

The two men, named Bert and Tiony respectively, got more and more excited and boisterous as they talked.

"I'm talking about Ais, where have you been these past few days? You disappeared early this morning, and you didn't come back to headquarters all day yesterday, right?"

"Ugh—did you hear that, Dione? Bert seems to be sneaking around sniffing around, trying to find out about Ais. He even knows exactly when she's not at headquarters, how disgusting."

"Bert is just too protective and worried, but only towards Ais. It's so cute."

"Stop making so much noise, you two Amazonian clowns! Our 'expedition' is almost here, and I'm telling her to stop causing trouble so she doesn't sabotage me!"

"Going out for a bit won't hurt. It's not like Ais went into the dungeon alone like last time. As long as she doesn't do that, I think everything's fine, that's good—... Also, don't say we're doing this together—!"

Seeing that Tiona and the others were probably arguing because of her, Ais was very troubled, but she knew that saying anything at this time would only add fuel to the fire, so she decided to remain silent.

She watched them silently for a while, when suddenly a few sounds came from another direction, prompting her to turn her gaze in that direction.

A tall, beautiful elf and a short, dwarf (Palum) boy are playing chess around a table, the sounds of their moves echoing.

The two demi-humans, one a head or two shorter than each other, were of different races. One looked solemn, while the other leisurely enjoyed the game.

"General."

"Well……"

After the young Palum made a move and informed his opponent, the beautiful elven woman slightly furrowed her elegant brows.

She pondered for a long time, then sighed and placed her hands on her knees.

"I'm dying. I surrender."

"That's decisive, Rivera. There's still hope, isn't there?"

"I still don't like games that are already lost, Finn."

The elves and dwarves (Palum) addressing each other by name have contrasting expressions on their faces.

Soon, the elf Riveria noticed Ais's gaze, tossed her long emerald hair, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Is there something you want to tell us? Maybe you want to play chess together?"

"Haha, the chess player Ais, huh? I'd really like to meet her."

Finn, a small-sized dwarf whose smile exuded wisdom, smiled gently, his eyes as blue as a lake.

"I heard what Tiona and the others were saying. Are you troubled by something, Ais?"

"Oh, that's really strange. If Ais ever has any troubles, be sure to talk to me about it."

Urged on by both the captain and vice-captain (top two) of the Loki Familia, Ais thought for a moment and asked without changing her expression:

"Rivia, Finn, what do you do when you want to teach adventurers something?"

"...This is a different kind of trouble indeed."