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

The raging flames on my back seemed to be protecting me, constantly fighting against and repelling another powerful force.

That was the sound of burning dreams (something).

That was a sound that went against God's will (something).

Like a golden flower blooming high above, it resists all conquest and invasion.

That flame doesn't need firewood.

That flame will not produce ash.

Sparks danced in the air.

That golden scene, which never fades, burns endlessly deep within the hearth.

The eternal holy fire residing within my body gently embraced me as I closed my eyes and found myself in darkness.

But—

I don't understand why I feel so uneasy.

It felt as if I was the only one who had been abandoned by everyone.

Standing alone in the endless darkness where there is no one.

It was as if I was surrounded by countless backs, and no matter how I called out, no one was willing to turn around and look at me.

That warm sacred flame continued to burn alone.

The consciousness, tormented by fear, will soon awaken—

*

“…Hmm.”

An unusually hoarse groan rang out.

After I opened my eyes, I blinked reflexively, and the high ceiling came into view.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, gently caressing my cheeks.

After a brief moment of distraction, I propped myself up with the sound of the blankets rubbing together.

"here it is……?"

This room is very spacious.

The room was furnished with tables and chairs with three curved legs, a wardrobe, and a magic stone lamp resembling a candlestick. The bed I was on looked quite luxurious, and the floor was covered with a soft carpet that seemed to sink right into.

It inevitably evokes images of luxury hotels.

For someone like me, a member of a "familia" burdened with enormous debt, this place is one where even if the sky were to fall, it wouldn't affect me in the slightest.

But how should I put it?

If I had to explain it... it's that this place has a "sense of life" that's different from a hotel.

It was more like a bedroom than a guest room. I turned my head to look inside the room, puzzled.

Why am I here? I desperately try to piece together the memories in my mind.

"...I've got it! I...!"

I was attacked.

Together with Ms. Ryu, they encounter an attack by "the city's strongest adventurer".

While I was taken aback, a sense of tension arose spontaneously.

Why am I here?

Were they kidnapped?

Is Miss Ryu alright?

I suppressed the questions that kept popping up in my mind and quietly got out of bed.

I was wearing unfamiliar pajamas. My body wasn't bound, meaning I could move freely. But my equipment was nowhere to be found, even "Goddess's Blade" was missing.

It seems my equipment has been confiscated. I gritted my teeth in frustration, and after carefully confirming that there was no one else in the room besides me, I tiptoed to the sunlit window.

"...Plains?"

I peeked out a little and discovered that there was a rather spacious courtyard outside the house... no, it was a "field".

Under the azure sky, a vast sea of ​​green grass stretches as far as the eye can see, while in the distance, towering stone walls resemble city walls.

No, I have absolutely no recollection of this scenery.

They even began to doubt whether this was Orario.

Fearing I would be kidnapped and taken out of the city, I began to check the windows in front of me.

The window wasn't locked, nor were it fitted with iron bars, making it seem like one could easily escape. However, several figures, presumably adventurers, could be seen outside; rushing out like this would definitely lead to discovery.

So I gave up and jumped out of the window to escape.

"In that case..."

I looked toward the only entrance and exit in the room.

After observing for a while, I made up my mind and took action.

I gripped the doorknob and quietly pushed the door open, while remaining alert to my surroundings.

"Where am I?"

As soon as I stepped out of the room, I murmured in astonishment.

The stylish white corridor was long and spacious, as magnificent as a castle.

When I panicked, thinking I might have been taken to some terrible place—

"What are you doing?"

"!!"

The sound coming from behind me startled me so much that I almost forgot to breathe.

I reflexively turned around and saw that the person who had come was none other than the blonde elf whose true nature I had recently come to understand.

"Master...Master..."

Mr. Hedin, who was standing alone in front of me, seemed to have come from the side corridor.

I couldn't sense his presence at all—but that's to be expected, after all, he's a Level 6, Level 1 adventurer.

Having gone through the previous special training and reformation, even though I am unwilling to admit it, I still deeply realize that no matter how I try to hide my whereabouts, he can subdue me with his bare hands.

Maybe he'll offer help out of consideration for our past relationship as master and student... but that's unlikely.

Because his master is cold-hearted and ruthless by nature, and he is also a member of the Freya Familia!

"...!"

Will he catch me? Will he take me back to my room? The main question is, how did I end up here?

After I stared at my master for a while, trembling with fear, he spat as if he had seen something filthy.

"Hurry up and wash your dirty face, then go have breakfast."

…………………………Huh?

I didn't understand what my master was trying to say at first.

"...Eat, eat breakfast? Why...?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? Since you just woke up after sleeping all night, you should wash your face first. Reminding you to eat breakfast is for the same reason."

"Huh? Huh...? I was just about to ask you that, Master. Could it be... that you've gone mad—"

"Are you kidding me, you stupid rabbit?"

"Ptooey!?"

Just like before, a side kick landed silently on my face.

Indeed, reminding people to eat breakfast is a perfectly normal thing to do...!

When I was writhing on the ground in pain, I couldn't help but feel a little relieved.

First of all, I'm not the kind of person who would be happy to be kicked... it's because my master is as unchanged as ever.

At least they didn't see me as an enemy. For someone like me who was completely confused and disoriented, this at least helped to ease my tense emotions.

...but it still couldn't get rid of that "strange feeling" stuck in my heart.

"Go wash your face quickly."

My master stared at me through his glasses with his coral-red eyes for a while, then turned away.

I could only obediently shut my mouth and silently follow behind him.

—Then, as soon as I stepped into the washroom, my master threw down a sentence, “I told you to go wash your face, you good-for-nothing,” first kicking me, then grabbing the back of my head and shoving me into the sink full of water.

*

After I was forced to wash up, I changed into clothes that looked like combat gear and followed behind my master.

While the Hestia Familia's "Heartfire Mansion" could be considered a mansion, it paled in comparison to this place. The sheer size of the estate goes without saying, and the interior decoration was nothing short of opulent. I was first startled by the extravagant carpet that seemed to sink into you with a single step, then I was dumbfounded by the giant magic stone chandelier, and finally, I was speechless with astonishment as I stood before the spacious, palace-like staircase. As I cautiously looked around, I finally arrived at my destination.

The "Grand Hall" is so enormous, it seems to exist only in a fairy tale.

"You're awake."

"I really admire how you dared to oversleep."

"Does he think he's the chairman? You little brat."

"You seem to be getting pretty arrogant lately, you brat."

Inside, there was a long table made up of several tables joined together, roughly estimated to be fifty meters long. There were also four tiny people sitting in chairs, looking like children whose feet couldn't touch the ground.

They are the four brothers, the "Four Warriors of Flame Gold".

Seeing the first-tier adventurers from the city's largest faction, I was speechless with surprise... but before that, I was confused.

"Hey, Du Hualin, stop being a picky eater and refusing to eat tomatoes."

"Red eggplant in breakfast? What kind of torture is this? Alfred, you get your pass."

"Stop messing around! Hey, stop imitating Du Hualin! Berlin!"

"You've got it wrong, Alfred. I just wanted to use this to exchange for dessert with you (Pass)."

"You're making things worse! Hey, Ger, don't do what I say!"

"I'll take you, I'll take you."

"At least come up with an excuse!"

"Please, Alfred, brother!"

"I'll beat you all to a pulp!!"

The quadruplets, who look and sound exactly alike, desperately tried to stuff tomatoes from their plates into each other's mouths.

A bizarre battle, seemingly a playful fight with one's own clones, began right there at the dining table.

...What...what's going on?

This is what the immortals often say, giving people a feeling of home...

Seeing this unexpected side of these first-class adventurers who strike fear into the hearts of the world, I couldn't help but wonder if I was seeing things.

"That's enough! You eat, Belle! Consider it punishment for oversleeping!"

The moment someone called out "my name" felt like a fatal blow, leaving me utterly bewildered.

"Alfred is so mean~"

"That's none of your business! Besides, that way of speaking sounds incredibly rude!!"

The four little quadruplets, oblivious to my complete daze, continued bickering like a bunch of children.

"It was destiny that four destined souls, sharing a single spirit, were suddenly plunged into war at the dawn's feast..."

"Mr. H. Hageny..."