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

"Mr. Bell, do you believe that heroes exist in this world?"

I gazed intently at the statue before me.

As I was lost in thought about the heroes, Miss Seele's question suddenly brought me back to reality, and I immediately turned to look at her.

"Every time I come here, I always have an incredible feeling."

"...?"

"Are there really heroes in this world? Is there really someone willing to help everyone, save everyone... the only person who will help me fulfill my 'wish'?"

Miss Seele walked barefoot forward, cutting across my view.

Then she turned to look at me.

"I want to meet my ideal partner, my destined hero."

"companion……?"

"That's right, a hero who belongs only to me..."

Miss Seele smiled at me as I repeated the unfamiliar word.

There shouldn't be anything like that.

But I always felt that the smile on her face looked somewhat lonely.

"I've always hoped that one day I could see the other person."

Miss Seele and I locked eyes.

Those pale gray eyes were fixed on me.

Facing that gaze, I felt a little breathless.

The eyes that were looking at me seemed to be telling a story, which deeply moved me.

To avoid understanding its meaning, I tried desperately to pretend I was completely unaware, my heart pounding wildly.

My feet wouldn't obey me; I couldn't move forward or backward.

It was as if time itself had frozen at the scene; we all stood there, completely unresponsive.

Just as I was about to speak—

Suddenly a strong gust of wind blew by.

Then came a cute sneeze.

"Are you...are you alright?!"

"Hmm... I feel so cold all over."

"After all, you were soaking wet, isn't that obvious!"

Seeing Miss Seele frankly express her feelings, I cried out in alarm and ran to her side.

Since I was also soaking wet, having Miss Seele wear my clothes wouldn't help. Seeing Miss Seele hugging herself, just as I was about to suggest we quickly find a place to change—

"Mr. Bell...it seems a bit noisy over there?"

“Eh!?”

I quickly looked in the direction Miss Seele was pointing and listened carefully using my enhanced hearing after the upgrade. I could indeed hear the conversation.

--Find Lady Seele quickly!

--It should be around here!

Without a doubt, it was the shouts of the pursuers!

"Ugh...!? We...we have to run away! Miss Seele!"

"yes!"

We lingered too long on the "Heroes' Bridge".

If this continues, someone will find out. I don't have time to waste here.

I took Miss Seele's hand and ran towards the bridge tower on the opposite side of the bridge.

"But where should we escape to...!?"

Where can one change clothes and escape the pursuers of the Freya Familia?

Is there really such a place nearby?

"Mr. Bell, leave this to me!"

Miss Seele seemed to sense my distress.

I looked back and saw her wearing a reliable smile.

"I've got a great idea!"

"Really!?"

"Um!"

"Then I'll leave it to you!" Trusting Miss Seele, I asked her to lead the way.

However, looking back on it later—

At that moment, the smile on Miss Seele's face was undoubtedly that of a little devil.

Led by Miss Seele, we walked through the narrow alley and arrived at a bustling inn.

"what?"

Miss Seele asked the front desk for a single room.

"what?"

There was only one bed in the room.

"Eek e ...

"Shh~ Mr. Bell!" I couldn't help but scream, and Miss Seele quickly put her index finger to my mouth. No, no, no! The important thing right now isn't for me to keep quiet!!

Is the reason I've ended up in this situation simply because I'm a bit slow on the uptake and overly worried about the pursuers?

Or should I blame myself for being too indecisive, constantly comforting myself along the way with "that shouldn't be the case," "it's impossible for that to happen," "it's unlikely...?", and so deeply believing in Miss Seele, not daring to interrupt from beginning to end?

Ultimately, this resulted in the two of us staying in a "hotel" alone.

"There's nothing we can do about it. If we keep running, we'll definitely get caught, and if we drag this out any longer, we'll catch a cold."

"But...!!"

"Don't you think my idea is pretty good? No one would expect us to stay in a hotel like this."

I stared dumbfounded at Miss Seele, who was so self-praising without batting an eye.

This is a commercial hotel located on the outskirts of the "Exchange".

As its name suggests, it was originally an inn used by traveling merchants.

Logically speaking, adventurers and city girls wouldn't stay here.

A lone man and woman, soaking wet, came seeking lodging. While anyone would find them highly suspicious, the dwarf innkeeper readily accepted them. In a labyrinthine city, refusing service simply because someone is "suspicious" would probably mean losing business.

The room is primarily constructed of wood. Although the interior is very simple, with only a few pieces of furniture including a magic stone table lamp, it still includes a shower room, perhaps because it is intended for merchant use. The only bed in the room is located against the wall.

Because the bed was so conspicuous, I couldn't suppress the unease in my heart.

Seeing that I was acting very awkwardly, Miss Seele asked with her eyes, "Isn't there any other option?" Then she pointed out the window.

I peeked through the gap in the curtains and immediately saw members of the Freya Familia dressed in black. They rushed past, shouting, "Find them quickly!" and "They should be around here!"

I was so frightened that I covered my mouth with my hand, swallowed my scream, and quickly backed away from the window.

Forced to accept the status quo, I stood helplessly in place.

After an awkward silence, Miss Seele, who was standing next to me, spoke up:

"What should we do next?"

Even if you ask me that...

Miss Seele turned her face and looked at me over her shoulder.

The only bed in the room was right in front of us.

The simple bed was a bit narrow for the two of them, but not too cramped.

I stared blankly at the bed, then turned my gaze to Miss Seele.

Miss Seele slightly opened her cherry-like mouth.

Even though it should have been my imagination, I found those two lips to look inexplicably sentimental.

Suddenly.

I noticed a drop of water falling from her damp, light gray hair onto her dress.

I reflexively followed the water droplets downwards, and my lingerie peeking through the dress immediately came into view.

My face instantly turned bright red.

"—Please, please go take a shower first!!"

When I came to my senses, I realized that I had turned around and was shouting like that in a tone that could not hide the tremor in my heart.

I simply can't bring myself to say anything else like "I'll shower later" or "Warm yourself up first, don't catch a cold."

A moment later—

"I see."

First came this response, then you could feel Miss Seele gradually walking away.

Then, the sound of the shower door being opened and then closed came from inside.

“…………”

The previously tense body finally relaxed a little.

But the sound of clothes being taken off—and the sound of a shower soon after—made me tense again.

My mind went blank, and I even forgot that I was blushing.

"...clothes, I need to go get some clothes to change into..."

My temporarily paralyzed mind could only come to this conclusion.

There were no spare clothes on hand at the moment. Even if she warmed herself up with hot water, it would be useless without clothes to wear. Was she supposed to leave Miss Seele completely naked, wrapped only in a bath towel?

I immediately dismissed that foolish thought and rushed out of the room. As I left, I didn't forget to lock the door. Luckily, all the rooms in the business hotel could be locked. The only remaining sense of calm in my mind gave me a slight sigh of relief. If anyone had broken into the room now, I would never have forgiven myself.

I stealthily made my way to the counter on the first floor. While pressing the service bell, my attention was completely focused on our rented room. If anyone approached, I swore I'd be back in two seconds. As a second-level adventurer, I could definitely do it. I'd transform into a Sonic Rabbit. Finally, when the owner arrived, I asked him for two sets of clean clothes and, before he could even show a helpless expression, slammed all my money on the counter. Seeing this, the dwarf owner silently produced two sets of clothes for me.

I took the linen clothes and went back to my room.

Open the door and lock it again.

The sound of the shower continued to come from the other side of the thin wall.

"………………………………"

I casually tossed my change of clothes onto the bed, completely ignoring the fact that my clothes were already soaked, and plopped down in a chair.

I feel like my body is about to collapse from exhaustion.

It only took less than three minutes, but it was the most tiring experience I had today.

The chair happened to be facing away from the shower, so I reflexively bent down, interlaced my fingers, and looked down at the floor. No, the floor was all I could look at.

It's time to face the reality.

"So, I'm going to spend the night here with Miss Seele...?"

Just thinking about it makes me feel all the blood rush to my head.

Isn't that unnecessary? After Miss Seele finishes her bath, I can just hand her her clean clothes, say "I'll take my leave now," and turn around and leave, right? But I immediately realized that if I actually did that, I'd be struck dead by my master's lightning. After all, my master is an incredibly cold-blooded elf. Speaking of which, how long is this date at the Goddess Festival going to last? Is it really okay to just abandon Miss Seele like this? Is it really alright to cruelly trample on that happy smile I've never seen before? Besides, it's too late to say this now, but if I take away someone protected by the Freya Familia without permission, will the Hestia Familia and I even have a tomorrow? It's all in vain no matter where I run—

"Isn't today the harvest festival? My mother Maria told me that this is the day when many people are given babies!"

Just then, the child's innocent words flashed through my mind.