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

I heard that it was a meeting where gods exchanged divine messages in a solemn atmosphere...?

"Then, I'll be right back."

“Okay, okay!”

The prepared deity stood at the door and turned around.

Her figure looked like that of a warrior about to fight to the death, which made my voice sound a little off-key.

Finally, the deity looked at me, and with a resolute expression, spoke:

"Bell, even if it means enduring humiliation, I swear I will reclaim even an ordinary title...!"

For you…! The gods left behind this vow.

The headquarters door clicked shut.

As I sweated, I watched the immortal's back recede, a figure whose expression could be described as either full of energy or reckless courage.

◆

The so-called Assembly of Gods, after all, is a gathering planned by some gods to relieve boredom.

After accumulating a certain amount of strength and territory for their faction (or clan), a god can easily forget the hardships of life and enter a period of decline. With nothing to do, they learn to hang out with fellow townspeople and old friends, chatting about trivial matters to pass the time.

To put it bluntly, it's just an ordinary chat, but the point is: the unrestrained gods hold a party every once in a while.

As the number of gods participating in these gatherings grew, so did the scale of the gatherings. Over time, the purpose of the event shifted. From simply chatting, it became sharing the latest information and exchanging opinions. As a result, the gatherings were no longer just exchanges between Families, but became "events" that collaborated with guilds and had a city-wide impact.

Although it is almost in name only, the Assembly of the Gods has been recognized and evolved into an advisory body with certain powers and influence that even extends to the adventurer community.

Awarding titles is also one of the steps and has now become a routine.

"I heard there are a lot of kids getting promoted this time."

"Yes, I've heard it's a bumper harvest too. It's really something to look forward to."

The assembly of the gods was held on the thirtieth floor of the Tower of Babel, a skyscraper located in the center of the city.

The interior of this modified tower occupied an entire floor's lobby, removing all partitions and creating rows of thick, long columns that supported the soaring ceiling. The spacious area contained only a large round table in the center, devoid of any other furniture. In the distance, the walls were entirely made of enormous glass, surrounded by a sky thirty stories high.

Because the ceiling is unusually high, the entire space looks like a temple in the sky.

"More and more gods are showing their faces here."

"Hehe, but many gods have also disappeared."

There were at least thirty Celestials seated at fixed intervals around the round table. This means that Orario had many members whose strength was comparable to high-level adventurers—Lv.2 and above—and whose power was widely recognized.

A diverse array of gods attended the meeting. There were male gods with tightly pursed lips, unable to hide their nervousness; mysterious figures wearing giant elephant masks; and silver-haired goddesses with their eyes slightly closed and smiles on their faces, waiting for the meeting to begin.

Unlike the "Feast of the Gods," where formal attire is required, the gods are free to wear whatever they like. Hestia sat in her seat, seemingly glancing at the other gods around her.

"That's surprising, you're quite calm."

"There's no reason to be nervous, is there?"

As Hestia answered, she glanced at the red-haired, red-eyed goddess, Hephaestus, sitting beside her.

Her shimmering red hair cascaded down her back, and she wore a light top and black trousers. Her almost masculine attire, combined with her beauty, exuded a captivating charm that transcended gender.

The goddess, whose right eye was covered by an eyepatch, slowly shrugged.

"I thought you'd be even more nervous. Like usual, all tense and groaning."

"...If it could change anything, I'd call for as long as I wanted. But even if everyone saw my embarrassing state, wouldn't that just make them happier?"

"That's right..."

Hephaestus's wry smile drifted over her shoulder, while several gazes, like needles, pierced Hestia's soft cheeks. The gods who cast these glances wore distasteful smiles, seemingly unconcealing their amusement at moths drawn to a flame.

Even if it weren't Hestia, she could see through their thoughts. They were "welcoming" the weak [familia] who had miraculously risen to power in their own way.

"Let me make this clear upfront: don't expect my words to have much influence. Under the majority rule, my opinion is just one vote."

"I know."

Just as Hestia's tone became a little rough, a long, drawn-out voice rang out, "Well then, let's begin—".

The noisy round table suddenly fell silent. The person who had spoken stood up, his scarlet hair fluttering.

"The Great Assembly of the Gods, thousands of times, is officially beginning! I, Loki, am the master of ceremonies this time! Please take good care of me!"

"Yay—!" A burst of enthusiastic cheers and applause erupted from the crowd. It was truly an unprecedented spectacle.

Loki, who had his scarlet hair tied at the back of his head, raised his hands while smiling.

Hestia sat in the distance, staring at her intently, and whispered in a dissatisfied voice:

"Why is Loki the emcee?"

"It seems like she did it voluntarily? She said that almost all the members of the [Family] were on an 'expedition' and not at headquarters, so she was bored out of her mind."

"Hmph, they really have too much free time."

Because of their usual animosity, Hestia couldn't help but utter harsh words.

Whether or not he heard her complaints, Loki glanced at Hestia and the others with his narrow eyes, but seemed to decide to ignore them for now and return to his duties.

Hestia seemed somewhat surprised to see that she didn't immediately find fault with him as usual.

"Okay, let's start with a quick question and answer. First, let's exchange information. Anyone want to share some interesting topics?"

"Yes, yes, yes—! I heard that Soma received a warning from the guild, and his only hobby was confiscated!"

"What did you say—!"

"So, what are Soma's interests?" "Disaster."

"Ah—I think it was probably Eina who did it..."

"I never expected the first topic to be about a god (Soma) who has no friends!"

"And then? What happened next?"

"I heard he just hugged his knees and huddled in a corner of the room, not moving at all!"

"I really want to see it—!!"

"I'll go comfort my little brother Soma right away!"

"Hey." "You just want to rub salt into the wound, don't you?"

"Excuse me for interrupting everyone. But I have something serious to say. I heard that the Kingdom (Lachia) is preparing to attack Orario again."

"That was really sudden."

"Why is the God of War (Ares) here again?"

"Let's quickly think of a way to deal with that clueless guy? He's really annoying."

"Why do so many people in China believe in Him?"

"It's probably because he has a likable personality. Kids seem to really like that kind of person."

"It must be because she's incredibly beautiful. She's just as stunning as the 'Goddess of Beauty.' Ah, I only love Miss Freya—!"

"His brain is all muscles."

From jokes and laughter to serious topics, the topics at the round table were never dull and the content changed rapidly.

The atmosphere remained relaxed, with the gods speaking their own words as they pleased and responding to other gods' opinions.

Although the chaotic scene before her was expected, Hestia, who was attending the Conference of the Gods for the first time, couldn't help but look annoyed.

The scene was spiraling out of control—but the emcee shouted, "Okay, everyone, calm down!" and the surrounding noise immediately subsided, so quickly it was unbelievable.

"Very good. Let me summarize. The thing we can't ignore right now is the kingdom's situation. I'll report this to the guild. However, that old fox Uranus probably has some information too. He might summon all the Familias currently present. Is everyone okay?"

"learn."

Loki succinctly organized the information provided by the gods, highlighting the key points one by one. After all, the Assembly of the Gods was a gathering of the main gods of Orario's major [Family], and it also served the purpose of conveying high-profile information.

After that, Loki calmly continued to preside over the meeting, making sure that most of the topics had been discussed... She paused for a moment, then raised the corner of her mouth.

"Now let's move on to the next segment. The naming ceremony will begin."

A sense of tension ran through the whole place.

With Loki's words, the faces of the previously silent gods suddenly changed drastically. Hestia, who had remained silent, was one of them.

As for the others, they grinned evilly.

Some old faces of the Assembly of Gods seized the opportunity to have fun and smiled lewdly.

The tragedy began.

"Everyone has received the information, right? Let's begin then... The first one... shall we start with the adventurer from Set's side, a man named Seti."

"Please, please, have mercy...!"

"Nose is important."

"Nooooooooooooooooo!"

The fact that the gods love the culture of the mortal realm shows that the tastes of the gods and mortals are actually quite similar. Although they are transcendent beings (Deus·Dea), they do not possess feelings beyond human wisdom. In terms of feelings, there is no difference, and they are not much different from children.

but.

Only the taste for naming is exempt from this restriction.

I don't know if there's something wrong with God, or if the children are just too ignorant.

Are the gods too far ahead, or is the children's era not advanced enough?

No one knows the truth, but there are indeed some "tragic names" that the gods cannot bear to see even when the children's eyes are sparkling.

"—Decision. Adventurer Seti Celty, titled [Burning Fighting Fighter]." (Zhu Yue: This is such a familiar trope; this is practically a bunch of terminally delusional chuunibyou patients =.=)

"This is so embarrassing! Aa ...

The Assembly of Gods is a factory that produces a large number of such "tragic names".

In order to create jokes that will make children laugh until they suffocate, several gods with particularly bad tempers have come up with countless nicknames that will make children feel awe.

The child, overjoyed at receiving the title, and the gods, driven mad by pain, those wicked gods would point at each other and laugh themselves silly every day. Future generations would likely have yet another "myth" to tell.

"This is insane..."

"I can very well understand how you feel..."

Hearing Hestia's horrified mutter, "I was just like you at first," Hephaestus agreed. Her red left eye gazed into the distance.

At the assembly of gods, especially at the naming ceremony of aliases, the newly joined gods are mostly treated badly.

Those gods who led high-ranking [families] and held high positions of power, relying on their seniority at the Assembly of the Gods, would always take the opportunity to play a trick on the newcomers. On one side, people screamed and collapsed, while on the other side, people laughed heartily. Seeing the stark difference between the two camps, Hestia felt only the pity of the scene and turned away.

"Okay, next. Takemikazuchi's... Oh, this girl is so cute. Let me see, she's from the Far East, so her given name comes after her surname... That must be Yamato no Mikoto's sister."

Loki glanced at the documents he had obtained from the guild beforehand.

Besides the name, the documents also contained personal profiles and a realistic portrait drawn when the person registered as an adventurer. The surrounding gods, flipping through the stack of parchment, unanimously expressed their admiration.

"This one... is of a very high standard."

"Black hair is really great!"

"Hmm—, it's a bit much for me to bully this girl..."

"What I mean is, asking me to harm such a cute girl... would make my chest burn, uh no, my conscience feel uneasy."

"R-Really?!"

There are several ways to avoid getting a bad nickname in Conclave.

The simplest way is to slip a red envelope to the high-ranking official before the meeting, but most of them will ask for an exorbitant amount, which is no easy task for a developing clan that doesn't have enough financial resources.

A common scenario, like the one we're discussing right now, is that the member themselves wins the favor of the gods. This is a situation more likely to occur for women.

A ray of light in the dark clouds caused the god-like Takemikazuchi, whose hair was tied in two buns on either side of his head, to hurriedly stand up from his seat.

"However, Takemikazuchi, it's all your fault."

"You sly pretty boy..."

"You've fooled the goddess and the children..."

"Damn lolicon!"