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

To be honest, I didn't have much hope for this guess, but I still headed towards the west avenue with a glimmer of expectation.

It's early morning, but bars that have been partying all night are still open, and there are more pedestrians than usual. It seems that the festive atmosphere hasn't diminished even after a night.

I came to the west avenue and found Welf dressed as a male waiter, looking haggard as he prepared to enter "The Abundant Mistress".

"Welf!"

"Huh? Bell!? Where did you run off to last night!?"

When Welf turned around and saw me, he quickly looked around and ran towards me.

"I was so worried about you not coming home all night... By the way, were you with that woman last night? When Xiaolizi found out, she was furious and started cursing. She turned pale and wanted to go out and look for you. We had a lot of trouble stopping her... We also had to take care of Fox, who was so scared that she fainted..."

"Excuse me! But more importantly, has Miss Seele returned?! I woke up this morning to find she was suddenly gone!"

I anxiously interrupted Welf, who was afraid Lily would see me there, and asked this question.

Welf blinked first, and seeing my anxious expression, he put on a serious one.

"Calm down first. Let's go to the side first, and then you can tell me what happened."

We arrived at the back alley near "The Abundant Mistress".

I recounted the events of yesterday and this morning from the beginning. During this time, Welf leaned against the wall and listened silently.

"You were being hunted by the Freya Familia, and when you woke up this morning, you found she was gone..."

"Yes, I'm worried she'll be taken away..."

Seeing my obvious unease, Welf lowered his hands, which were originally crossed in front of his chest.

"Excuse me, Bell, please answer one question for me first."

"what?"

Welf looked straight at me.

"What are your plans after you find that woman?"

I didn't understand the meaning of this question at first.

"You...are you planning to fight...?"

"To be honest, I don't really understand women's thoughts... but I'm sure this woman has feelings for you."

"...!"

"I'm not referring to friends, but the kind of relationship between a man and a woman."

Seeing me gasp, Welf raised his voice and glared at me.

"Answer me first: what are your plans after you find her? Are you planning to pretend nothing happened and just try to rekindle your old relationship? Even I understand that it would be too cruel if you didn't give her an answer."

"...like, like someone like me..."

"Are you still going to insist that she could never like you?"

Welf wouldn't let me make excuses to escape.

You've already realized it yourself, haven't you?—he said with his eyes.

"If you still want to pretend to be slow to understand now, I'll look down on you."

This statement was made with absolute certainty.

My eyes couldn't help but flicker.

Welf was not blaming me, but it felt like I had been hit in the chest with a hammer.

...That's when it dawned on me.

To this day, I always try to convince myself not to be presumptuous, because it would be too embarrassing to misunderstand. No, I'm just trying to deceive myself.

However, after yesterday's date, I vaguely sensed Miss Seele's true feelings.

I also heard her confess her feelings to me.

Now... I can no longer gloss over this matter.

I silently lowered my head.

"Humility is not a bad thing, and I can understand that your lack of confidence prevents you from taking further action, but... you can't deceive yourself, and you can't end this by shaming a woman."

"..."

"If you wake up in the morning and find her not by your side, the most reasonable reason is that she has lost all hope in you."

At this moment, I am so pathetic that I cannot refute it.

After Welf finished speaking, he let out a slow sigh.

"...Judging from your appearance, those who like you must be having a tough time."

“Eh!?”

"Ah, well, what I meant was that becoming a high-level adventurer always makes it easier to encounter suitors, right? Don't take my words to heart."

When Welf saw me suddenly raise my head, he covered his mouth with his left hand as if he had let something slip, and gave a wry smile as if he was trying to evade the question.

"I'm not suggesting you become arrogant. After all, those who only hope the other person will realize their feelings quickly but are unwilling to confess themselves are also a bit selfish. At least from a male perspective, I think women who hold such a mindset should also reflect on themselves."

"..."

"But... when someone confesses their feelings to you, you can't choose to run away."

—Although this is a kind of whim of a blacksmith…

—But I hope my partner is a person of principle.

Upon hearing Welf's smiling remark, a strong sense of guilt welled up within me.

The elder brother of the [family] spoke earnestly and persuasively, which deeply touched my heart.

"I……"

if……

If the time has come when I must give an answer, I—

"...Are you prepared?"

"...Yes, I won't run away anymore."

"Then I have nothing more to say. Sorry for forcing you to listen to my rambling."

"No, that's not true... I should be the one apologizing to you, Welf... Thank you."

When I finished speaking so softly, Welf wore a smile that resembled that of an older brother.

"Let's get back to the main topic." After saying that, he changed his previously serious attitude.

"I don't know where that woman went, but I'm pretty sure she's related to the Freya Familia, right? In that case, we have no choice but to take the initiative and contact her, don't we?"

"Does it refer to the Freya Familia...?"

"That's right, I don't believe an ordinary city girl can escape the inescapable trap set by high-level adventurers."

Welf seems to share the same thought as me. Calling it protection might not be the right word, but in any case, Miss Seele has most likely fallen into the hands of the Freya Familia.

Therefore, asking them directly is indeed the most time-saving approach.

"You don't need to worry that casual contact with the other party will cause us trouble. Although this is just my guess... I don't believe it will escalate into a full-scale war."

"Hmm, um, probably..."

"I really want to help you... but I'm sorry, Xiaoli and I have to work at the bar all day, so we just can't get away..."

"Forced labor?"

"Because of the cat people skipping work and running away, we were also affected and couldn't escape from under the nose of that female shop owner... I mean it."

According to Welf, they appeared to have been forced to sleep in the bar's dormitory yesterday.

Aunt Mia explained that Welf and the others had to live in the bar and help out in place of their mentally challenged daughters.

Only then did I finally understand why Welf had looked so haggard.

Considering that Ms. Ryu and the others also appeared on the "Water Boat Key" yesterday... could it be that they were there to spy on us?

"Hasn't Miss Ryu and the others returned yet?"

"Yes, including Lady Hestia."

I nodded to Welf, who shrugged.

In short, since the options are currently limited, we can only investigate them one by one.

After asking Welff to keep my suitcase safe, I turned back to him and said:

"Thank you, Welf, I'll be right back!"

"Well, go ahead."

I thanked Welf again and ran out of the alley.

"Even though my strength as an adventurer has greatly increased, I'm still like a child when it comes to romance..."

Watching that receding figure, Welf murmured to himself.

Although his partner has become more mature because of the Heretic incident, he still reveals a side that is more like his age, or rather, overly innocent, whenever the topic turns to something unrelated to adventure.

"But that's also his strength," Welf said with a smile, but immediately frowned.

"A waitress protected by the city's most powerful faction... the female shop owner, who is her employer, probably knows about it too, right?"

--No, to be honest, this bar is probably more closely related to the "Goddess of Beauty".

Welf couldn't help but look up at the "Abundant Mistress" signboard; his speculation was almost exactly "the truth."

I weaved through the crowds, running swiftly along the west avenue.

On the streets celebrating the Goddess Festival, many guild members could be seen bustling about, replenishing empty wooden crates with wheat, fruits, and vegetables. The rows of stalls were also preparing to open.

As I was pondering how to contact the Freya Familia, I glanced at the scene and suddenly noticed something.

"The 'eyes and ears' responsible for surveillance have all disappeared...?"

I can no longer feel those intense gazes that almost pierced me during my date with Miss Seele yesterday.

Was it because I took off my eyeliner and stayed overnight at a hotel? Or were they busy with other things?

Or has the Freya Familia lifted its surveillance on me?

The best solution right now is to go find my master... and get in touch with Mr. Hedin.

(No, someone is watching me.)

There was only one person on the other side.

Someone is lurking in the shadows, watching me, and their stealth skills are unparalleled.

Being extremely sensitive to the gaze of others, I first stopped in my tracks—the next second I turned into a narrow alley next to the main road with lightning speed and ran wildly toward the building in front of me.

To prevent the other party from hiding their tracks, I jumped up the wall of another building and landed on the roof of the target's location.

"...!"

The monitor stood on the roof of the high-rise building, neither hiding nor concealing himself from my arrival.

A dark elf let his black cloak flutter in the wind.

The opponent is a first-class adventurer belonging to the Freya Familia, whose strength is on par with Mr. Hedin.

I recognized the other person at a glance and swallowed hard.

...But it's strange.

Why is he deliberately turning his back to me, looking like he's trying to look cool...?

"The wind is weeping—and a white beast has come to visit, riding on this gloomy sky."

Hmm...?

"Uninvited guest, what brings you here? The sky is clearly in a bad mood today. If you don't want to be dragged into this chaotic feast, I advise you to leave immediately."

I can't understand what this person is trying to say at all... Hmm?

The cloak fluttering in the wind strongly accentuated a sense of aloofness, and the posed figure from behind looked truly dashing.