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

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As if he were feeling grateful.

In her arms, the beautiful edelweiss flowers still swayed as if smiling.

"..."

At this time.

The male god Su Mo raised his head.

"What's wrong, Chief God?"

Chandra, the dwarf with a gourd hanging from his waist, noticed this action and spoke up in concern.

This is the headquarters of the Soma Kinkaku, located in the third district of the southeastern part of the city.

Soma was in the shrine with Chandra, the leader of the group, arranging and organizing the items around them when he stopped what he was doing and stood by the window.

Her eyes, hidden by her long bangs, weren't looking at Chandra, but rather out the window.

"That girl...has moved on to a new stage."

"...?"

"I have that feeling."

Conversion does not erase the earliest traces of "God's grace".

The blood drawn on the painting is like a wound, or perhaps proof of a past pact with God, which will remain forever on the back of the person's family.

Soma did not consider it a destiny—but he sensed that a young girl had taken a step closer to the gods.

"Is that girl referring to Lilyluka Erd?"

"……Um."

"I don't really understand... but if you're concerned about that girl, why don't you give the Hestia Familia a visit?"

Although Chandra had only been the leader for a few months, he was slowly beginning to understand what the overly taciturn God was trying to convey. He happened to be holding a list of past members, so he flipped through a few pages and opened it to Lily's hastily written entry.

It may have been written by the main deity himself, as the project only includes the bare minimum information such as race and gender.

When Chandra asked him this question, Soma, who had been standing silently, slowly shook his head.

"No... no thanks."

"Hmm, why?"

"I am not qualified to take the initiative to reconcile with that girl."

"Not qualified?"

"I had given up on that girl at one point... and she had already escaped my protection."

That concludes Soma's statement.

Chandra could tell he had no intention of continuing the conversation. "Still the same old thing, a truly incomprehensible god," he shrugged. He easily hoisted the large bundle tied with rope onto his shoulder and temporarily left the shrine to take the contents out.

Soma, left alone, gazed out the window at the unfolding Orario streetscape.

Then he muttered to himself:

"Congratulations, Lilyluka Erd... the once weak girl."

He looked at the girl who was probably somewhere in this landscape.

With remorse, atonement, and blessing.

"You've grown up."

He murmured to himself with a small smile.

Volume 15, Chapter 3: The Girl Covered in Ashes

Lilyluka Erd was born into this world fifteen years ago.

Lily heard that Orario's security situation at that time was the worst in its long history.

The reason is the failure of the "Three Great Adventurers' Request".

The two factions of gods (Zeus) and goddesses (Hera), who had long reigned supreme at the top of the labyrinthine city—the world's strongest adventurers—challenged and defeated powerful ancient monsters, only to be annihilated by the final dragon king. The two [Familias], having lost their main fighting force, suffered a devastating blow.

As a result, the weakening of the two powerful factions in the city, which were once feared by everyone, led to the rise of evil forces.

As if mocking the despair of the people of the Netherworld whose long-cherished wish had been shattered, or perhaps taking the opportunity to laugh out loud, the forces of darkness spread throughout Orario. Led by an extremist group known as the Evils, the long-suppressed outlaws ushered in an era of chaos for the labyrinth city.

A power struggle ensued, with the factions of the two goddesses driving the defeated kings from the land and sparking a new hope. Meanwhile, the celestial beings, chanting slogans of justice, rose up one after another, dedicated to ending this chaotic world.

At that time, Orario was a place where justice and evil, order and chaos clashed fiercely, making it a turbulent era.

In daily life, evil runs rampant, wickedness goes unpunished, and lawless people laugh wildly.

Lily was born in such an era.

"Please give me some money..."

Lily started to understand things when she was three years old.

The first thing she learned was how to beg. Dressed in rags, she stood barefoot on the dirty streets, stretching out her hands to passersby. If it weren't for the "Blessing" (ability value) engraved on her back, she might have already died in the streets. At her biological parents' insistence, she waited for pity and coins to fall into her hands until the moon rose into night.

"—Give me the money."

Lily's parents repeatedly gave her this instruction.

The little people's father and mother always said the same thing to young Lily. Lily doesn't remember them ever doing anything that parents should do.

Lily and her parents belong to the Soma Familia.

The faction formed by the chief god Soma, solely for the purpose of brewing wine, has a twisted culture. To raise the large sums of money needed for the chief god's interests, the faction stipulates that those with the highest income will receive a "prize"—"divine wine." Even though Soma has sealed his own "divine power," he can still brew an exquisite wine that captivates many members, sparking fierce competition for money within the faction. Their desire to once again taste this truly divine nectar has even driven them to the brink of madness.

Lily's parents were no different from those who were obsessed with the "divine wine." They were so desperate to make money that they even exploited Lily, who had just been born.

When she discovered it, her parents had already passed away.

They seemed to have ventured deep into the dungeon for money... no, for their excessive pursuit of "divine wine," only to be killed by monsters in no time. As a child, Lily only learned of her parents' passing when she overheard her fellow members mocking them for being fools. She couldn't understand grief, only knowing that she was truly alone and helpless within the [Family].

No one cared about young Lily; they wouldn't even glance at her.

She had no choice but to continue begging, sometimes even scavenging through garbage like a stray dog, to get through each difficult day.

"...I'm hungry."

Living a life of shuttling between the roadside and the base camp every day, Lily looked down at her withered hands, her mind filled with more and more questions. Who on earth raised her to be this old?

Before she became old enough to understand things and act independently, who took care of her? She didn't believe her parents, who had almost abandoned their parenting responsibilities, would have cared for her. These were questions that often lingered in Lily's young mind.

"Ah... a deity."

"..."

That day, urged on by the groans of her stomach, Lily wandered around the base camp looking for food, and unexpectedly ran into her god Soma in the corridor.

The enigmatic god, his eyes hidden by long bangs, never uttered a word, and no one could guess what he was thinking. Even though the other members now worshipped "Divine Wine," Lily knew that this divine being (figure) imbued with serene divine power still commanded their awe.

Somo stopped right in front of her, his dark eyes peering at Lily through the gap in his bangs. She had the illusion that the [ability value] etched on her back was starting to sting, and quickly ducked around the corner of the corridor.

Lily peeked out from around the corner... and when she came to her senses, her gaze was fixed on the paper bag Somo was holding. The bag, emitting a faint aroma of oil and salt, was filled with golden-brown fried potato balls.

The little belly made a gurgling sound.

Facing Lily, who was looking down at her body and rubbing her belly, Soma walked towards her without saying a word.

Just as Lily hesitated to approach, a fried potato ball was placed in front of her.

Lily's eyes widened as she glanced at the food offered to her and at the unchanging expression of the main god. Then, she timidly accepted the potato ball.

She opened her small lips as wide as possible and took a bite.

The delicious flavor of potatoes filled my mouth with the crisp sound of the hot, fried coating.

The long-awaited decent food brought an explosive joy to my whole body.

"Um... thank you, God."

"..."

She licked her fingers clean, devoured the potato balls, and thanked him clumsily, but Soma still didn't reply.

After a while, the main god walked away again. Lily hesitated, but still chased after that figure.

She followed Soma into the main shrine, her footsteps clattering softly. Seeing Lily timidly enter the room, the chief god said nothing, nor did he send her away.

He placed several potato balls on a small plate and put them on the chair.

It took Lily a while to realize that it was meant for her.

Ignoring Lily, who had silently begun to eat, Soma finished his meal with only one fried potato ball and began preparing what he believed to be ingredients for brewing in a corner of the room. He used a mortar and pestle to grind the herbs, making a gurgling sound.

(This, the voice is...)

After filling her stomach, as her eyelids began to slowly droop, Lily felt as if she had heard this work voice before.

That was a lullaby-like sound that flowed through the cracks of dreams long ago, a sound that had never even remained in memory.

This regular, steady rhythm quickly lulled Lily into a dream. She lay curled up on the floor, clear tears streaming from her closed eyelids.

Soon, large hands, neither belonging to her father nor mother, lifted Lily's body. As those hands laid her on the bed and covered her with a warm blanket, tears streamed down her face, even though she should have been fast asleep.

For the first time in her life, Lily felt loved by another person while standing beside the taciturn god.

That was the first and last kindness the Supreme God bestowed upon her.

Not long after Lily turned six, her life-changing moment—a fateful day—arrived.

Just as she was repeating her daily routine of begging or scavenging and then visiting the silent room of Soma, the entire Familia received a summons.

This was a gathering of the retinue, held in the absence of the chief deity.

"I am glad you are all here, everyone. From today onwards, I will become the leader, taking over the command of the faction in place of the chief god (Soma).

In the slightly soiled hall, the man standing on the hastily constructed lectern was named Chanis.

In the fiercely competitive Soma Familia, where the struggle for the "divine sake" has led to intense changes in leadership, Chanis is a powerful figure who has raised himself to Lv.2. Lily overheard some dangerous whispers, saying that the person standing there was only able to do so because he had eliminated the troublesome leader candidate.

Just as she was unable to shake off her ominous premonition, the human man, who looked to be in his early twenties, snapped his fingers and distributed wine glasses to each member of the group.

"From now on, the Soma Familia will strive to expand its scale further. After all, the situation in Orario is unstable right now, so let us cooperate with the new members and try to survive in the great waves of the times. ... This sake is offered to us by the chief god (Soma) in recognition of his expectations for our performance."

The crowd erupted in uproar.

Newcomers to the guild, and lower-ranking members like Lily who had never tasted the "divine wine" before... many eyes were fixed on the wine glasses distributed to everyone. They knew that Soma would never use the "divine wine" to entertain everyone in this way—they knew that the new guild leader (Chanis) had stolen it from the wine cellar—yet they were all drawn to the cool, sweet aroma and brought their lips to the wine glasses.

Young Lily was no different. Unable to resist the magic of the "divine wine," she slowly raised her glass.

Chanis squinted behind his glasses and raised his glass as well.

"May the faction thrive—cheers!"

The man's lips twisted into an ugly smile.

Then, in the very next instant after she drank the "divine wine".

"────────"

Lily has been reduced to a beast.

From then on, Lily never went to Somo's room again.

Instead, she began to venture into the underground city, the place where her parents had been buried, a place she had previously avoided.

To make money, no, to obtain the "divine wine".

I want to drink!

—I want to drink that again!