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

Although they can't meet like they used to, they can write to each other, that's what Reed and the others said.

They say this is called 'tōng xìn'!

The characters were written by me, Fels.

It is said that if it can be written well, even if it cannot be written properly, it can still be written properly.

So, I wrote down what I saw and heard.

Right now, my heart is pounding really fast.

Although it's not hot, it's so hot, I feel so shy.

It's really good that Bell read this letter!

So, I would be really happy if Bell could come back too.

Reed, Rey, and Fia all said "good jǐn zhāng" in a restless manner.

Although Guros said, "I am very 'lěng jìng'," everyone said he was "ào jiāo."

I'll tell you about what happened back then—.

1

"I really want to see Bell..."

Quietly.

Winnie's whisper slipped from her lips.

She was in a place unknown to both adventurers and monsters, a certain "heretic's secret realm".

This is the room that the Hestia Familia once traversed, resembling a stalactite cave. Because it's near the food storage room on the 20th floor, with its interspersed dark green quartz, it's also considered 'unexplored territory' by adventurers.

Deep within this labyrinth.

The lizardmen approached Winnie, who was sitting on a smooth rock that resembled a tree stump.

"What's wrong, Winnie? Didn't you promise yourself you wouldn't cry after saying goodbye to Belle and the others?"

“Tsk, tsk!”

“Woof!”

Whether they heard Winnie's mutterings or not, Reed the Lizardman cracked a joke with a smile, while Aruru the Unicorn Rabbit and Helga the Cerberus created a similar atmosphere and shouted as if saying, "That's right!"

Winnie pouted at Reed and his friends' teasing.

"I won't cry. I just feel a little lonely."

Two months have passed since the commotion that adventurers called the "Armed Monster Rampage" or the "Monster Invasion of the Ground Incident."

Since meeting Reed and the others, Winnie has become quite expressive.

Having experienced numerous events and grown remarkably, she continues to learn many things. From small tasks like cleaning secret realms and identifying delicious fruits found in labyrinths, to properly dealing with fellow monsters and adventurers, she, as a member of the Heretics, has learned all sorts of knowledge. And naturally, this includes communication skills such as expressing emotions and conveying thoughts.

She is transforming from a pure and innocent being into someone who is called a 'girl'.

Therefore, when Aruru asked with a mischievous grin, "Really, chuchu?", she suddenly picked her up and began a playful, rubbing retaliation, causing Aruru to let out a pitiful cry of "Gurgle-chu—!?" Incidentally, Aruru's partner, Helga, realizing the consequences, quickly escaped out of the attack range.

Holding Alulu, who had collapsed into a messy ball of fur, Winnie puffed out her cheeks.

"I know I can't live with Bell and the others yet. But I want to at least meet them here... Is that alright?"

The voice gradually became lower.

Perhaps it was because I was aware that it was my own willfulness.

She treated Alulu, who was limp in her arms, like a rag doll, burying the lower half of her face behind her head.

"After all, Mr. Bell and his colleagues have their own circumstances."

"To be honest, I can't easily let adventurers into the secret realm. It's those kids who are in charge."

With the sound of flapping wings, the singer bird Rei and the gargoyle Gross gently landed beside Winnie.

As they joined Winnie's conversation, the other heretics who had been resting and listening nearby also gathered around.

"Na me, we come to see you zen me yang!"

"If you run onto the ground again, it'll cause a huge mess, Laura."

"Maze Mom! Location! Choose a good spot!"

"Meeting somewhere on the floor, is that what you mean, Silver?"

"Oooooo ...

"Holding a banquet there is fine, Torrol. You just want the kids to cause another ruckus when they come, right? It's so noisy!"

Faced with the half-human snake who could only utter a few words, the silverback ape who could barely squeeze out a single word, the massive troll who roared loudly because it couldn't speak human language, and its other brethren who started making noise at will, Reed, Rey, and Gross dealt with them and persuaded them. Seeing her brethren who had ignored her and were all expressing their own opinions—seeing them and others who, like her, wanted to meet Bell and his group—Vinnie was first taken aback, then smiled.

As Goro explained, heretics have plenty of free time.

Strictly speaking, the heretics are currently in a state of "rest".

There were no obvious anomalies in the dungeon, nor any orders from their collaborator, Fels, and they were enjoying a long-awaited period of leisure. Normally, they were either secretly struggling to suppress the "abnormalities" within the "labyrinth," or busy dealing with troubles caused by Fels. Or they would hear news of new "comrades" like Winnie and rush to protect them.

The heretics' range of movement extends from the middle layer to the deep layer, beyond the 'upper layer' where adventurers are active.

Therefore, although they leave a certain number of their compatriots stationed in the "secret realms" on specific floors to use them as bases, there is no doubt that they are more diligent than the higher-level adventurers driven by the main god.

Closer to home.

In any case, this was an unexpected vacation in the midst of those continuous days of work.

Even if they were suddenly asked to rest and recuperate, these resilient monsters only needed a good night's sleep for a day or two, and their injuries and fatigue would be completely healed in the blink of an eye. Unlike humans on the ground, they didn't have much "entertainment"—the heretics, lacking ways to make use of their interests and leisure time, didn't know what to do when they were idle (there was also the backlash from a series of rare and busy events).

This group of heretics, who were not idle people but rather idle monsters, became interested in the topic that Bell and his group were discussing.

"Oh dear, the old-fashioned way of covering up things like not letting Bell kiss them into the secret realm is meaningless now, even if we put on such a statement—"

"Bing bu shi to cover up shame!!"

"Contact with Bell and the others was also forbidden by Fels, who said to 'wait a little longer.'"

Reed ignored Guros's screams and scratched the scales near his neck with his sharp claws.

"Although the aftershocks of the commotion we caused on the ground seem to be cooling down... it seems that Bell and the others are quite busy on their own."

Ahh ...

Bell and his crew were also incredibly busy, a statement that elicited unanimous understanding from all the monsters, regardless of whether they could speak human language.

"Although there seems to be a meeting planned... it seems that because of us, Bell has become even more famous. It's said that even just infiltrating the dungeon attracts attention."

Finally, as if embarrassed, Reed recounted his conversation with Fells.

The chaotic battle of the Battle of Daedalus in the Labyrinth City—specifically, the battle against the "Black Minotaur"—improved the boy's previously declining reputation, and his popularity continued to rise.

Nowadays, whenever the Hestia Familia goes on an "expedition," both the gods and the powerful clans pay attention. Even if it's not an expedition, but just a short stroll through the "middle level," people speculate, "Is there some information about a treasure?" Depending on the situation, they might even end up being chased around and bombarded with questions.

This also means that Bell and his teammates are emerging and are in the process of growing.

The group of heretics who directly caused the incident murmured, "Ughhhhhh..." While feeling guilty, they finally realized that "it's harder to meet Bell and the others than I thought."

"So, I still can't meet with Bell and the others..."

Just when Winnie was also dejected and ready to give up, at that moment...

"—Then! How about writing a letter!"

The spun bird leaped high into the sky and then forcefully spread its wings.

"xìn?"

"Yes, that's right, Winnie! Write down your thoughts and feelings, then send them to the people on Earth!"

Like an acrobat performing, the half-human bird Fia, drawing the attention of her fellow birds, swiftly flew to Winnie's side and hovered in mid-air.

Leaving the incredulous dragon girl Winnie aside, Reed and Rey chimed in.

"A letter, you know, right? Writing words on paper... basically, that thing called reading and writing."

"You can't write without all the necessary props, right?"

"Absolutely no problem! — Rett!"

"Leave it to me! The parchment and pen are right here!"

With a triumphant call from Fia, the red-hatted goblin made a dashing entrance, carrying a quill pen, a slightly stained parchment, and ink. The two's efficiency left Reed and Rey speechless, muttering, "W-when…?"

Incidentally, the parchment is something salvaged from the backpacks left behind by adventurers.

The pen, surprisingly, was made by the skillful Rett himself using Fia's feathers—a broken magical artifact as a reference—the Heretic Brand Quill Pen. Its alternate name is "The Half-Human Bird's Quill Pen."

(Translator's note: A quill pen is also called a goose feather pen; the original text uses the term "goose feather pen.")

The last ink was brought from the ground by Fels after the two men prostrated themselves before him.

"Leave all the culture of the people on Earth to us! We, 'Rett & Fia,' know everything, old and new!"

"To say you know everything is an exaggeration..."

"By the way, this is the first time I've heard of that title, which sounds like 'adventurer'..."

As Fia deftly draped her single wing across her chest with self-satisfaction, Guros and Reed stared at her in astonishment.

Fia the half-human bird and Rhett the red-hatted are interested in terrestrial culture.

If one had to categorize them, both belong to the "fusion faction," strongly desiring coexistence with humanity.

So much so that when the Hunter incident happened, even though Fia was captured, Rhett always stood by Reid's side, who was trying to stop the fight until the very end.

Among the heretics, besides Reed and Winnie, only Fia and Rhett can speak human language fluently.

They are also monsters who, in their dreams—in their past lives—have a strong longing or interest in the earth and humans.

"Use these things to 'communicate' with Mr. Bell and the others, Winnie!"

"'tōnɡ xìn'?"

"Communication" is a groundbreaking and remarkable method created by humankind to exchange information and thoughts with people who are far away!

Seeing Winnie's blank expression, Fia and Rhett seized the opportunity and began their enthusiastic speeches.

Seeing these women, who were either die-hard fans or, more accurately, homebodies, the heretics led by Reed felt a little awkward.

"But even if you write the letter, how do you plan to deliver it to Bell and the others? We can't go to the surface, kid. If we meet in the dungeon just to deliver the letter, that would be putting the cart before the horse, wouldn't it?"

After Reed, realizing he could no longer stop it and had given up, raised further questions, the centaur and the red-hatted man answered in unison.

"Then of course—!"

"—So, I was summoned here?"

Upon seeing Fels, who seemed to have appeared out of the void and arrived in the "secret realm," Fia and the others went forward to welcome him.

After being summoned from the ground via eye contact, the black-clad magician, having deactivated the transparency of his magical artifacts, shrugged as if to say, "I'm truly defeated by you guys."

"I don't have much free time either."

"Aren't we always the ones bossing us around? What's wrong with turning the tables once in a while?"

Reed grinned, then a wry laugh drifted from deep within his hood, saying, "Now that you've said that, I'm speechless."

Fells then looked at Winnie.

"But is Winnie really planning to write letters? It's not nice to say it like this, but if she doesn't even know the basics of words, learning a common language will be a very difficult task."

"...If I write down my desires, can I meet Bell?"

Winnie, who didn't quite understand what "faith" meant, blinked repeatedly and tilted her head.

Looking at the beautiful, silvery hair cascading down her slender shoulders, Fels denied her words.

"No, we can't see them. Letters are, in the end, just a means of transmitting information. Rather, it's precisely because there are objects we can't see that humans created letters."

"...If you can't see it, why write 'xìn'?"

Winnie asked with a slightly sad expression.

"If you can't see, hear, or touch them... wouldn't that be incredibly lonely?"

Recalling the warmth of Bell and the others, a voice filled with anguish welled up.

If she couldn't fall into their arms, wouldn't the more aware she was of this, the more loneliness would haunt her? Winnie was very worried and afraid of such a thing.