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

Among them were travelers, hunters, and bards; eventually, even a knight from a certain kingdom arrived.

Even though they were right in the middle of the road, the fairies disregarded their positions and affiliations and attacked together.

Their swarming arrival threw Riveria and Aina, who were at the center of the encirclement, into a panic. The people of the post town of Karuna were also astonished, saying, "We've been in this outpost for so long, and we've never seen anything like this before..."

"Wait, wait a minute, I've already severed ties with the royal family...!?"

"Lady Riveria—!"

"Aina—!?"

Riviria, oblivious to her own existence and value as a high-ranking royal fairy, was swept away by the swarm of fairies. From afar came the mournful cry of Aina, who seemed to have been separated from her.

Finn and Loki were speechless as they watched the scene turn into a huge mess from a distance.

"...Let's go somewhere a little quieter."

The little boy sighed and said this. The main god did not raise any objections.

"I underestimated my compatriots' faith in higher fairies..."

This was the first thing Riveria said after escaping the fairy's encirclement.

The princess understood firsthand how impactful it was for a high-ranking fairy, who had secluded herself in the great sacred forest of the royal family, to embark on a journey to the outside world.

"We were startled too. Fairies really have a strong sense of kinship!"

"I think that situation just now was a very special case. But it's great that we finally got rid of it."

"Yes, thank you for that... I'm sorry to have troubled you."

At the round table in the tavern, Riveria frankly thanked Loki and Finn. Meanwhile, Aina, as naive as the princess in her understanding of the outside world, kept saying, "It's...it's terrible..." She remained disoriented and exhausted.

"But... couldn't we think of another place to stay? Look at this filthy interior... it's more like a dilapidated abandoned house than a tavern."

"In this town full of other races, it's rare to find a shop without fairies. It wouldn't be good if it weren't a place like this that makes you frown and is physically unacceptable."

Finn and his companions arrived at a tavern in the most remote corner. The floors and walls were dilapidated, seemingly riddled with wormholes, and even the tables and chairs creaked and groaned. The customers were no different, all dressed in rags, mostly dwarves and little people. The tavern owner behind the counter had a face that looked like a villain. For the high elves living in the pristine and elegant royal city, this was, in a sense, a culture shock.

Seeing the old, somewhat rotten wooden shop, Riveria covered her nose with one hand. Loki, noticing this, casually remarked, "I actually quite like these kinds of secluded taverns."

"It seems best not to linger in this post town of Karuna. You're attracting too much attention."

"There's nothing I can do about it... It was definitely not my intention to be exposed to more curious gazes than I did in the village."

Riveria, who responded to Finn's proposal, seemed troubled by the reactions of her compatriots.

The group ordered some simple food and began a modest induction celebration while discussing future plans.

"Come to think of it, I haven't asked you the purpose of your trip yet."

"Hmm~, while we have our own ideas and Finn has his own considerations... to put it simply, it's about 'our envisioned strongest kin conquering the world'! Is that how it feels?"

Finn, with a wry smile, explained everything to Riveria, including his stakes with Loki and his ambition to revive his race, to Loki, who gave a very succinct summary.

Riveria, who had rediscovered Finn's enlightenment, wore a solemn expression. That expression no longer betrayed the insult of calling him "just a mere little human."

"Rivilia Tan wants to travel the world, right? We're planning to wander around too, so we can see all sorts of things!"

"I already told you not to use that disgusting term... Although I've ended up as a fellow traveler, I'll leave once I've repaid the debt of gratitude for freeing me from the forest. After a year, it's fine whether I transfer out of the Loki Familia or leave the group altogether."

"Hey~, what happened!? Where did you throw away the vows of love we exchanged—?"

"Who exchanged vows of love with you?!"

"Please calm down, Lady Riveria!"

"He's been baptized by Loki, huh?" Finn remarked, seemingly unconcerned.

"Rivia, do you know about 'Dungeons'?"

"...Of course. One of the world's three great secret realms, and among the three, it still holds endless unsolved 'unknowns'—the underground labyrinth located at the edge of the continent. This is also why the labyrinth city of Orario is called the 'center of the world'."

"Exactly. So if you're looking for a world you've never seen before, isn't that dungeon the best choice?"

"..."

"Loki and I have no destination but the labyrinth city of Orario. You simply need to use us for your own purposes of seeking knowledge. If you're not satisfied, you can quit halfway. What do you say?"

"...Alright. Indeed, my interests are aligned with yours. I'll stay with you until then."

After listening to Finn's words, Riveria considered the pros and cons of the current situation and agreed to his proposal.

It wasn't just because she understood that she wasn't used to the outside world yet, but more importantly, because Finn and the others would prevent Aina from being put in danger. She had this kind of certainty, which was akin to trust.

"Here it comes~. Finn's cunning words accompanied by a clear smile~. He'll probably use this to win over many girls and keep deceiving them~. He'll do anything for his ambition, what a cruel little devil!"

"Mr. Finn is such a dwarf, yet he's so confident. It's truly remarkable..."

Loki and Aina left Finn and the others standing aside and began to whisper among themselves.

"And so, even though it's only now that I'm asking, is it okay for Aina-chan to be like this?"

"Yes, I will follow Lady Riveria wherever she decides to go. ...And I feel that Lady Riveria is better off with you all."

Unexpectedly, Aina felt the same way as Riveria. Her cheerful smile conveyed both her friendship and love for Riveria.

'She's a lovely fairy,' Loki thought frankly. 'And her breasts are huge. She's much more refined and delicate than the somewhat wild Riveria; she's more like a sheltered young lady.'

Loki flashed a lewd smile.

"Hey, why don't you join our [Familia], Aina-chan? We won't treat you badly. As long as we end up flirting in the bathroom—"

"I already told you not to lay a hand on Aina!"

"—Guha!?"

"Lady Riveria—!?"

"You shameless god, if you ever try to seduce Aina again, I'll definitely cut ties with you!"

The staff exploded on Loki's forehead. Looking at the increasingly noisy table, Finn shrugged wearily. Then, smiling narrowed his eyes, he thought, 'So this is the Familia, my fellow travelers on the journey?'

"Speaking of which, what we need right now is to strengthen our [Family] and acquire new members, right?"

"This time we're looking for a beast girl! And it's decided—a super cute beast-eared girl! Without a doubt!"

"Is it really okay for the main god to act like this? And this [Family]...?"

Ignoring Loki's unwavering devotion to beautiful girls, Finn expressed his desire to expand the crew. Having already assembled a mage for the backline and a guerrilla for the center, all that remained was a strong forward, completing the ideal trio. More important than enhancing the [Family's] reputation, Finn considered finding the 'third person' as soon as possible.

"Shouting, what do you mean by the strongest [Familia]...?"

"Just because he's with an ignorant high fairy, he's putting on airs."

"...I can hear you all, you degenerates who waste your precious time drinking!"

Hearing the conversation of these outsiders, the tavern patrons, led by dwarves and gnomes, seemed displeased and uttered harsh words. To them, who always spent their nights drinking in these secluded taverns, the Loki Familia, marching towards their ambitions and dreams, was simply irritating them.

Perhaps it was also due to the racial prejudice of the guests, but Riveria, who still held prejudices against certain demi-humans, couldn't help but overreact. Bathed in the chaotic gazes of the guests that almost made the fairy blurt out "Is something wrong?", Finn and the others, along with Aina, persuaded Riveria, who was trying to rush forward again and again, and then decided to leave the tavern.

After paying the bill, they led the thoroughly displeased fairy princess through the shop door.

"Huh!? Why are there fairies or something on our territory?!"

It happened right at that time.

Finn and his group bumped into a group that was heading into the tavern, the opposite of what they were doing.

"This is bad," Finn muttered.

Why? Because the other side was a group of dwarfs.

"...I, a fairy, can go to any shop I want without any problem. Speaking of which, what's wrong with you guys? Not only are you all hot and stuffy, but you also have body odor. Don't dwarves even have a culture of washing their bodies?"

As expected, Finn's prediction came true; Riveria expressed her disgust as if to say, "Look at yourself." The lingering effects of the bad mood she had in the tavern probably played a part, but more importantly, the latent mutual loathing between the elves and dwarves was the fatal factor.

"What?! You demons are the ones with the problem! You have a doll-like face! Stop putting on airs!"

"Stop swinging your short arms and legs and yelling. It's ear-piercing."

The princess's inability to gauge the situation caused Finn to sigh deeply. Aina hurriedly tried to stop them, but their argument continued unabated, while the gods watched the unfolding events with great interest.

(Judging from the soot-stained body, clothes, and equipment... were they miners returning from a coal mine?)

Finn looked at the dwarves' attire and began to deduce their professions.

Then, his blue eyes settled on one of the dwarves.

(That dwarf...)

The dwarf, carrying a large pickaxe on his shoulder, cast a composed gaze upon the arguing Riveria and her companion, watching with an air of utter boredom. Finn instinctively deduced that he was the leader of the group.

I can't quite explain why my gaze was drawn to him. But if I had to explain it, it was because of a sense of incongruity. It was like a lone 'warrior' had infiltrated a group of coal miners—that kind of incongruity.

Only that dwarf was different from the other miners.

"You've always been with that person who looks down on us miners...! You annoying little devil!"

Immediately afterwards, the arguing dwarf, seemingly unconvinced, threw the coal stuffed in his backpack over.

"ah!?"

The thrown coal chunks left abrasions on Aina's skin.

That was precisely the breaking point for Riveria.

Seeing her friend's wounded figure made her eyes widen suddenly, her face turning fierce as she swung the long staff she held. Before Finn could stop her, she had already sent the dwarf flying.

"Gurgle!?"

"Shame on you, you barbaric dwarves!"

"What the hell?!" "Go for it!"

In the blink of an eye, the conflict between fairies and dwarves began.

"Lady Riveria!?"

Aina's voice, trembling with unsteady steps, failed to reach the tavern, and the fight spread right up to the entrance.

Having received the "Blessing," Riveria refused to yield an inch to the dwarf, who possessed the strongest arms among the demi-humans. Utilizing the attack range of her staff, she sent her opponent flying before she could be caught.

With a sigh, Finn had no expectations of Loki's cheerful jeering and intended to step forward to mediate.

"—You annoying little devil!"

But even faster than that.

After Riveria defeated the third man, the former dwarf leader made his move.

—The Grace of God can unleash the latent abilities of the inhabitants of the lower realms. It's not wrong to be careless or overly reliant on the powerful abilities you gain, and even Riveria is no exception.

However, even putting that aside, the dwarf's actions can only be described as audacious.

"Varied!?"

He actually caught the long staff that was being swung around with his bare hands—and threw Riveria to the ground along with it, as if to insult her by implying that she was inferior in skill. And he did it all with just one arm.

"Rivia!?"

Finn was also amazed by the strange strength.

Then, his blue eyes widened at the sight of the dwarf raising his fist at Riveria, who was trying to get up immediately.

He instantly threw away his spear, shielding Riveria behind him to defend against the approaching fist.

"————"

In an instant, the impact struck.

Finn's right arm couldn't withstand the dwarf's fist, and with a loud thud, he and Riveria were spectacularly blasted into the tavern's outer wall, dragging the guests' tables and chairs along with them.

"Finn!?" "Lady Riveria!?"

Loki and Aina, their faces changed drastically, shouted loudly. The patrons in the tavern immediately became agitated.

"Cough, cough...!?"

"Hiss... Sorry, Riveria...!"

Riveria, who hadn't expected to be slammed against the wall while tightly hugging Finn, bent over.

Finn, clutching his right arm, winced in pain as he stared in astonishment at the object that had blasted them away.

The bearded dwarf male looked over there with a bored expression.

"You've caused trouble again, you dwarves of Lunsa! I warned you like that, and you still managed to cause trouble! Go back, get out!"