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

"Well then, excuse me."

Lily put down her backpack and deftly took out a large piece of cloth. The cloth was dyed light green, and the color seemed to blend in with the pale green walls of the 7th floor.

Lily suddenly unfurled the cloth, which resembled a giant cloak, and covered our heads and her own, wrapping us both up.

"I bought this fabric for this reason..."

"Yes. There are no monsters with a keen sense of smell on the 7th floor. As long as we stay still, we can hide with this cloth."

These items were something Lily said she needed to prepare, and she bought them before coming to the dungeon. At the time, I didn't know what they were for... Oh, I see.

We were wrapped in camouflage that blended perfectly with the color of the walls and the landscape, while the monsters went about their hunting without noticing our presence.

"Um, Lily? Isn't it too close?"

"No, no. Because we also need to cover the backpack, there isn't that much space. Yes, we need to get even closer!"

As Lily's petite body pressed closer and closer, I couldn't help but waver.

Lily nestled against me, hugging my right side tightly. The soft touch of her body through my shirt made me blush.

She has a point... but I always feel like she seems really happy. Am I overthinking it?

I squirmed nervously under the cloth, whispering to her frequently.

"...Right, right, isn't there a kind of flesh and blood that can lure monsters (a trap item)? If there's food, why would those monsters take the bait...?"

To hide my shame at being so close to her, I struck up a conversation with her.

Lily, who was so happy she was practically purring like a kitten, immediately answered my question.

"Lord Bell, don't you get tired of eating the same thing all the time?"

"what……"

"Hehe, that's exactly right. Those monsters are gourmets too."

Having learned something new, I took this opportunity to ask Lily about everything I didn't understand.

I asked why I hadn't seen any other adventurers at such an off-the-beaten-path hunting spot, and Lily replied that it was because the food depots were simply too far away. Although there was more than one food depot on each floor, they were all located on the outermost edge of the floor, potentially taking longer than walking down two floors. Instead of spending hours hunting here—if you were skilled enough to fight off hordes of monsters in the food depot—it was better to go down to the next floor and defeat monsters with higher-quality magic stones; that would be more profitable and efficient.

Most importantly, if one makes a wrong move, outnumbered by the enemy, one may be unable to defeat the large number of monsters coming from the entire underground city.

For these reasons, adventurers rarely use food depots as battlefields.

(...Perhaps there's another reason, which is simply not wanting to spoil this beautiful scenery.)

As I covered myself with a cloth and gazed at the scene before me, this thought came to mind.

A warm green light illuminates the vast emptiness.

The trees shimmered with a crystal-like light, so beautiful and clear. The spring water beneath them seemed to reflect the moonlight, its tranquil surface sparkling.

Several white flowers with blue stems bloomed beside the spring, and white rabbits (needle rabbits) would occasionally peek out from among the flowers and grass; above their heads, purple moths (purple flying moths) rested on glowing quartz, their wings stained with green light. The "splashing" sound of the water was made by a group of huge ants (killer ants) silently wading across the spring toward the trees.

Everything bathed in green light looked so gentle.

For some reason, the monsters that should be ferocious and ugly now look beautiful.

Although I knew perfectly well that they were the enemy of mankind, monsters.

I know that once a standoff begins, they will attack without warning; they are dangerous creatures.

But this is the only view I really want to preserve.

Looking around at the fantasy space illuminated by soft light, I couldn't help but have this somewhat pretentious thought.

"...Lord Bell!"

"!"

Lily's shoulders tensed instantly, and she grabbed my upper arm and shook it.

Startled from my momentary daze, I jumped back and followed Lily's unwavering gaze. Instantly, my eyes widened in shock.

A blue butterfly gracefully fluttering its wings.

Several Blue Demon Butterflies, which were the targets of the adventurers' commissions, gathered together and floated in the air, appearing inside the grain warehouse.

"It wasn't a wasted trip to the grain depot."

"Yes, yes!"

We were all excited and began preparing so that we could set off at any time.

Equally stunning as the vast, empty space, those butterfly monsters were also beautiful. Their bodies were even more delicate than those of the purple moth, and their four wings were crystal clear and vibrant. The blue trails they traced in the air were truly breathtaking.

The Blue Demon Butterfly has almost no combat ability; however, the blue scales it sheds from its wings have healing properties for monster wounds. Miss Nazha's desire for the Blue Demon Butterfly's dropped items must also be helpful for the development of elixirs.

"It's not a good time to act here. Let's wait until they leave the grain depot before chasing after them."

"Okay, sure."

I turned my attention back to the adventurer's quest, and Lily and I continued to hide for the time being, holding our breath and waiting.

●

A refreshing breeze blew in, caressing my cheeks.

As soon as I stepped out of the skyscraper, I closed one eye and felt the wind brush against my skin. I smiled at Lily beside me and said:

"Fortunately, it went very smoothly."

"Yes, and I was very lucky; I collected all the dropped items, and quite a lot of them at that."

Lily smiled at me happily. Later, we chased after the swarm of blue butterflies, successfully taking them all down at once, and now we're back on the ground.

As Lily said, all the Blue Demon Butterflies that were defeated left behind dropped items, which not only reduced the time spent but also allowed them to make a fortune.

Five wings in total... I'm sure Miss Nazha, who commissioned me, will be satisfied with that.

"Just taking these wings to the guild would fetch at least nine thousand falies. The important thing is, the wings themselves aren't damaged. No, if the negotiations go smoothly, we might even get more! ...Hmm—, what a pity—"

After all, it was a "rare" item drop, and Lily seemed unable to hide her joy. I don't know if it was just my imagination, but she seemed a little excited as she spoke. I gave my excited companion a wry smile, and the two of us headed to the main street west of the central square.

(It seems I've successfully changed my mood...)

Witnessing that beautiful landscape healed my soul.

I never expected to have this opportunity to rest and recuperate. I felt a pleasant fatigue throughout my body, and I walked with a brisk pace.

"Excuse me—good afternoon—"

"...Bell?"

After passing through the back alley, we arrived at the headquarters of the Mih Family.

When Ms. Nazha, who was behind the counter, saw me walk in from the door, she slightly opened her half-closed eyes.

"You haven't already completed the adventurer's quest, have you...?"

"Yes. It was just finished."

I opened the package, about the size of a small shield, that I had been tucking under my arm, and showed her what was inside.

Upon seeing the "Blue Demon Butterfly Wings" emitting a bluish light, Miss Nazha unusually showed an expression as if she had been tricked by a fox, before immediately smiling happily.

The dog's tail, with its tip pointing towards the floor, wagged even more vigorously than usual.

"Thank you, Bell... You're amazing, I'm truly impressed this time."

"No, no way..."

"I knew Bell could do it..."

I couldn't help but feel shy, and Miss Nazha gently patted my head.

"Excuse me for disturbing you both, but could we exchange some items for payment?"

At this moment, Lily, who had remained silent until now, spoke up.

Miss Nazha stopped what she was doing, shifted her gaze to look down at Lily, who was all smiles, seemingly innocent and naive.

Miss Nazha seemed to think that Lily, whom she was meeting for the first time, was my teammate, so she nodded obediently and said, "...that's true.", and went behind the counter.

"Lord Bell, please don't look at me with such a lecherous expression."

"I...I wasn't being lecherous..."

"Listen carefully, please remember that an adventurer's quest is not considered complete until you have received your due reward."

“…Huh?”

Hearing a quote that sounded like a proverb made me exclaim "Huh?", but Lily just kept facing Miss Nazha with a smile on her face.

Just as I was wondering what was going on, not long after, Miss Nazha returned carrying two wooden boxes.

"This is the reward... two dozen elixirs."

"Two, two dozen!"

The cheapest elixir I bought from the Mih Family cost 500 Fali, so 24 vials would cost... 12,000 Fali!

When I heard Ms. Nazha say "including salary," I almost felt terrified.

The reward I received for the first time made me quite happy. Just as I was about to hand her the package containing "Blue Demon Butterfly Wings"—"snap."

A small hand reached out from the side and grabbed my wrist.

"Lily, Lily...?"

"Could you please wait a moment, Lord Bell?"

Lily's gaze remained fixed on Miss Nazha, and she quickly and naturally reached out to touch the wooden box that Miss Nazha was holding.

She took out a test tube filled with a blue solution.

"Please forgive my rudeness, Lily. The payment will be made later."

"Huh? You..."

Without saying a word, Lily pulled out the plug and brought her small nose close to the test tube.

She confirmed the scent and examined the color. Ignoring Miss Nazha's somewhat disheveled appearance, Lily quickly dripped a drop of the elixir onto the back of her hand and licked it—in the next instant.

"—Heh, this elixir costs five hundred falies? That's a steal! I'm so envious."

She continued to feign an innocent childlike smile, but her tone betrayed her anger.

"——"

"This solution must have been diluted, right? Now its effect is probably less than half of what it was originally. The elixir's characteristic sweetness seems to be created by adding seasonings. Hmm, what an old trick."

The shocking truth that was revealed.

Miss Nazha and I were both speechless, our eyes fixed on Lily, who was still all smiles.

"At most, you'll be lucky to get two hundred fares. Looks like they've been treating you like a sucker, Lord Bell. —Of course, the payment this time is completely — not worth it."

Miss Nazha was already pale.

Her eyes remained half-closed, but cold sweat poured down her back. Her tail was also pointing in an absurd direction.

I haven't been able to recover from this setback yet.

"Alright, how do you plan to resolve this?"

Lily's eyes snapped open to a slit, and she smiled gently, like a little devil, pressing her for an answer.

●

"sorry!"

Mih bowed deeply.

His loud voice echoed in the room, which was illuminated by the crimson sunset outside the window.

Beside him was Ms. Nazha, who was being forced to bend over by the back of her head.

"It's all my fault for not supervising properly, I'm so sorry, Bear! We'll pay you back every penny we've cheated you out of!"

"Uh, don't be like that, God Mih, it's alright, please lift your head..."

I was at a loss and asked him not to mind. Mihe looked up dejectedly and said "I'm sorry" again to apologize.

His tall, slender build and long, dark blue hair, unusually long for a man, gave him the air of a nobleman. The old, grey robe he wore, ironically, accentuated his handsome features.

Miss Nazha's main deity—Mih—with her perfectly proportioned features worthy of transcending existence, now appeared somber due to her deep sorrow.