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

I love the smile on his face.

For example, when he talks to other women.

When he blushes bright red when teased by other women, I feel a little uncomfortable.

For example, when the pure white will he possesses is shrouded in shadow.

Seeing him holding his head in distress, suffering setbacks yet still determined to move forward, I truly had no other thought than to lend him a helping hand.

For example, at that time, or at that period of time...

After countless memories and many insignificant moments shared—I think I've come to like him.

Although this fact is embarrassing and I don't want to admit it easily.

But my heart has indeed been deeply attracted to him.

Now, all I can do is frankly raise the white flag and surrender, honestly admit defeat to reality, and openly reveal my hand. Although I didn't actually say it to anyone, I could only pout stubbornly, make a face angrily, and confess that I had completely fallen in love. After generously admitting it, what appeared on my face was a calm smile that even I hadn't expected.

That's right.

My heart was completely drawn to him.

After acknowledging it like this, I always feel a sense of relief and clarity.

It was as if a gentle breeze had blown into my heart, and suddenly I felt light all over.

It's like finding some kind of treasure.

however.

At the same time, it was true that I had a bad feeling.

If you were to ask me what the decisive reason was for this premonition—

I think that the woman I cherish very much has recently undergone some subtle "changes".

—Ryu, your face is very red?

--I, I'm not blushing at all.

—Are you looking at Mr. Bell?

—No, that's not right! That's not true at all, Seele!

She was always so beautiful, elegant, and spirited, but she couldn't hide it at all when faced with something she wasn't good at, so I saw through her immediately. Actually, I had a premonition that this day would eventually come, so I wasn't particularly surprised.

That's right.

I had never had this sense of crisis before.

However—it has now been forced to acknowledge that this period cannot last forever.

He came to the bar as usual and accepted the lunch I had prepared for him.

Then he was teased and pranked by his colleagues.

This kind of life might crumble tomorrow.

Thinking about this, I felt a tremendous shock for no apparent reason.

Even though I maintained my usual smile and composure, another part of me deep down was stunned.

"Seele, what's wrong? You seem a bit listless lately?"

"...Is there?"

"I feel like your smile is a little different than before."

I touched my cheek, but I still couldn't feel it.

My colleague gave me a bright smile.

"Meow hehe, could it be a young girl's troubles, meow~?"

"You can talk to the cats about anything, meow! The price is that you'll have to cover for them when it's their turn to clean, meow!"

The black cat lay back against my back, while the lecherous cat pointed at me from in front of me.

This is just an ordinary part of daily life, but it's irreplaceable to me now. This scene will one day be gone. Because I understand how cruel the mortal world truly is. Because I understand that time will slip through my fingers in the blink of an eye.

Therefore, the "one day" I'm worried about may come sooner than I imagine.

The thought of this makes me restless.

My chest feels so tight.

Only now do I realize that this is a reality I cannot avoid facing.

But there was no way to stop it now.

Since when did I start reversing the "end" and the "means"?

When did I begin to feel pain from "lies" that pierce my heart like sharp thorns?

What is my true wish?

I know he's always looking at something.

I also know what those deep red eyes are looking up at.

I now understand where the future he envisions lies.

But I have freed myself from the longing in my heart.

I want to confirm. I want to confirm. I want to confirm.

Is this longing real?

Am I really "me"?

Can I be "me"?

Is there a way for me to break free from the "goddess's collar"?

This is not "love".

I want to prove this.

therefore.

That's right, that's exactly why.

I can only make the decision.

I can only let my "impulse" run wild to prove that I am not wrong.

I can only face it with the determination to go against God's will.

Climb this long staircase.

Push open that heavy door.

Stepping into the hall before me.

I went to pay my respects to a solitary queen who sat on her throne.

Facing "her" who revealed a faint smile—

Even if one were foolish and shallow, one should not disobey this supreme being—

I made a "negotiation" with the "goddess" in front of me.

Volume 16, Chapter 1: The Love Letter Uproar

You can smell a paper-like odor.

When I was a child, I would tirelessly turn to each page and read every line of text with complete concentration, and I often smelled this unique fragrance that belonged to books.

"I think it should be around here..."

I stood in front of the neatly arranged bookshelves.

To be precise, it was in the study of the "Kitchen Fire House," the headquarters of the [Family].

Including the study on the first floor facing the courtyard, which is filled with books and bookshelves, this sprawling building originally belonged to the Apollo Familia. Because we defeated the Apollo Familia in the war game, their entire base, including this study, now belongs to the Hestia Familia.

The vast collection of books was acquired by Apollo and his retinue through extensive plundering, which is why I was initially somewhat reluctant to browse through them—

"Go ahead and take it. After all, this is something you won in the war game, and no one is coming to claim it. You won't be criticized even if you keep it for yourself."

However, Miss Daphne comforted me in this way.

In addition, the gods also said that books certainly don't want to be left to gather dust, so I come here to read whenever I have free time.

The people who use this study most often are me, Miss Chunji, and the bookworm—or more precisely, a deity who loves all sorts of entertainment in the mortal realm. The bookshelves are filled with all sorts of books that I bought with my limited allowance; judging by this, it seems I should consider buying a new bookshelf.

And I was searching for a particular book among such a vast pile of books.

"...Got it."

On the upper shelf of the bookshelf filled with various biographies of heroes.

I tiptoed and reached out to pull out a thick book of "Heroic Tales".

"The Sacred Tale of the Labyrinth..."

This is a history book that records various real events that occurred in Orario. In other words, it encompasses the traces left by the heroes.

I opened this book of heroic tales that I've loved since I was a child.

The weight on my right hand gradually lessened as I turned the pages, and then I finally reached the last chapter of the book.

"Hero Albert..."

This person is hailed as the "strongest" hero in the history of heroes.

Not only in "The Maze Sacred Tales", but also in many fairy tales and folk tales, he is considered one of the great figures in the lower world.

I gazed at the illustration of him holding a sword, fighting alongside a fairy against a giant monster, and recalled the scene from a few days ago.

"You're here to pay respects at the graves too?"

On the morning of the "Elegy Festival," a memorial service held to mourn the heroes and adventurers who perished in the labyrinth city, I met Miss Ais at the "Adventurer's Graveyard."

She stood there holding a bouquet of flowers.

Moreover, it was in the dark monuments commemorating the heroes of the "ancient"—in front of the tomb built for the "hero Albert".

"Wallenstein...Waldstein".

The hero Albert has various titles.

One of them is called "Waldstein the Mercenary King".

In the later stages of "Ancient Times," mercenaries were equivalent to explorers of dungeons, so the "King of Mercenaries" was also the "King of Adventurers."

[Fiora] Ais Wallenstein lays flowers at the grave of mercenary king Walderstein...

Witnessing the connection between the strongest in ancient times and the strongest in modern times, I couldn't help but feel a thrill that was different from mere curiosity.

"The name Walterstein is not recorded in The Oratorio of the Labyrinth."

I searched the entire book carefully, but I still couldn't find the alias "King of Mercenaries".

The book I'm currently reading is actually a copy of "The Sacred Tale of the Labyrinth". Although it's a version that has been copied countless times based on the original text from a thousand years ago, it can ultimately be considered an "official version".

Actually, when I was still living in my birthplace, I had seen the name "Waldstein" in a book called "The Maze Oratoria"... but that book was written by my grandfather who raised me, so it was essentially a secondary creation.

Generally speaking, one should suspect that the latter is fabricated. Simply treat the Mercenary King as the creation of one's grandfather and laugh it off.

but……

(Why...why do I just not feel that Grandpa wrote those things down randomly?)

My grandfather's impromptu composition, written to amuse me, unexpectedly became connected with Orario. Is such a coincidence really possible?

This idea can only be described as an intuition.

(Could Miss Ais be a descendant of a hero...?)

In fact, the two are related, and this association makes more sense.

Rather than saying it's perfectly reasonable, it's quite logical.

She is hailed as Orario's strongest female swordsman, and it is actually a descendant of a great hero, which sounds very convincing.

...but something just feels off.