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

So Hestia secretly warned herself to stop having naive assumptions and to do what she should do.

"Miss Warren... do you know Bell?"

"...? Does that refer to Bell Craney of the Freya Familia...?"

Hestia felt inexplicably lonely the moment she heard Ais describe Bell in that way.

[Sword Princess] is definitely being watched by [Freya Familia] as well. Unbeknownst to her, [The Mighty One (King)] is watching her from somewhere.

Even knowing this, Hestia still managed to squeeze out the following words.

"Please...please don't show up in front of Bell."

No one can be sure how the goddess's "eyes and ears" would feel after hearing this.

But she simply didn't have time to worry about that.

Even though she (Hestia) was powerless to change the situation, she still tried her best to spare Bell from suffering.

If the boy were rejected by Ais, whom he "admires"—he probably would no longer be able to resist the allure of the goddess of beauty.

After losing his passion (skill), Bell may become completely Freya's person.

Hestia was both worried and afraid that this situation would occur.

"Me...?"

"Um……"

"Why……?"

"I can't say..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Okay, I understand."

Sorry, thank you.

Hestia gazed at the black shadow she cast on the ground and uttered those words in a barely audible voice.

Outside the city walls, the sky was shrouded in twilight.

The last rays of the setting sun fell upon the goddess and the young girl.

*

The sun gradually sank behind the massive city walls.

The orange-red sunset was so beautiful that it evoked a sense of melancholy.

After witnessing this beautiful scenery, countless people stopped what they were doing to admire it carefully.

"...Got it, here is Mr. Bell Craney's personal information."

In the northwest district of the city, dyed fiery red by the setting sun, lies the "Guild Headquarters" facing "Adventure Street".

Eina pulled out a few documents from a shelf filled with countless files.

(Something about Mr. Craney I just met seemed off... I have absolutely no connection with this renowned and outstanding adventurer... yet he called my name so desperately...)

Eina meets "Bell Crane" during the day.

The boy's ashen face remained etched in Eina's mind, so after informing her colleague (Misia), she returned to the "Guild Headquarters" alone. Although she didn't entirely believe what the boy had said, she still wanted to check his resume.

"...And I don't understand why, even though I don't know him at all... I'm inexplicably concerned about him..."

The key point is that deep inside, there seems to be a voice desperately trying to tell me something.

That indescribable and almost insane impulse felt quite strange even to herself, yet she had a peculiar feeling that it was "correct," causing her to close her lips tightly and silently retreat from the shelf.

The guild headquarters was almost deserted due to the ongoing cleanup work for the "Goddess Festival".

After leaving the archives, Eina walked into the equally empty second office and returned to her desk.

For this reason, no one criticized Eina for flipping through documents while walking.

"Bell Crane... Fourteen years old, human, male. He registered as an adventurer six months ago. He did not receive any 'divine grace' before entering Orario, and currently belongs to the [Freya Familia]..."

She could sense that there were still a few window staff and employees on duty at the service desk, but Eina continued reading the adventurers' profiles stored in headquarters.

It was no different from what I remembered.

There was nothing suspicious about the document that included the boy's portrait—no, that's not true.

"...Are there signs of alteration?"

Eina, who had intended to sit down and properly review the information, had already walked to her office seat, but became so engrossed that she forgot to sit down.

Each project, led by its respective faction, shows obvious signs of modification.

It was almost like being a "controlled employee" who hurriedly modified the data last night.

Could it be that... someone really fabricated Bell's experiences?

Does this mean that everything Bell said to himself was true?

The next moment Eina thought this—

"—No, there are no signs of alteration on this. Mr. Craney originally belonged to the Freya Familia—"

A "shard of silver light" flashed in her emerald eyes, and she murmured to herself in a hollow voice.

Eina, expressionless, developed a "misconception" about the information before her.

—This is the powerful "charm" that the goddess Freya has cast upon the entire city.

Freya did not take away or restrict Eina and the others' free thoughts and minds. Even though she would stop at nothing to get the boy (Bell), she did not intend to put on an empty "puppet show".

This was the final line she drew, mocking her own actions, and also out of respect for the lower realms. The citizens could then continue their daily lives as before, guided by their own will.

Freya's rules, established through "seduction," are very simple.

It means that there is a misconception about all the information about "Bell Crane".

If the person being charmed develops doubts about the "hypothetical memory" inputted by Freya, even if they feel something is wrong with the boy's original experience, their thoughts will be forcibly modified the moment they resist the rules. No, to be precise, it's a self-correction, just like Eina at this moment, unable to realize that her thoughts have been distorted.

Freya's "seduction" is flawless; in the end, those who are seduced have no awareness of the altered content.

"...Um, uh..."

However──

Eina felt a splitting headache, as if it were tearing her personality apart.

This is because her "careful cultivation of the boy's longing" so far has conflicted with the coercive power of "allure".

Multiple misconceptions burdened her body, making her unable to stand steadily—suddenly, there was a sound of something falling.

"Oh no... this is terrible!"

A large amount of documents piled on the desk were knocked over and scattered all over the floor.

Eina reflexively bent down and hurriedly tidied up.

As she wondered why her desk, which she usually kept tidy, was now covered with so many documents, she happened to pick up a notebook...

“…Huh?”

Eina's time seemed to have been frozen.

She forgot to breathe, blinked hard, and looked at the cover of the manual again.

The cover is inscribed with "Bell Crane's Observation Log" in Koine.

When Eina served as an advisor, she would always record the adventurer's deeds.

By recording adventurers' activities within dungeons, she could increase their chances of survival. She even kept the logs of the elf Ruvis and the dwarf Mr. Dorumur, whom she had previously overseen, in her apartment room.

Why is the name "Bell, Crane" written on this journal?

Her brain couldn't comprehend the scene before her, it couldn't even function properly. Eina felt short of breath. Judging from the handwriting, it was indeed written by her own hand. Why would such a thing be on her desk? No, was it that she (Eina) subconsciously intended to throw this journal along with the pile of documents into the guild's waste bin—intending to discard it all?

Why? How could this be?

Eina was completely confused.

But she opened the journal with trembling hands.

"I went and negotiated with the higher-ups, forcibly becoming Mr. Bell Craney—Bell's advisor. That's the kid Miss Rose and her group used for betting. Perhaps he truly lacks the talent to be an adventurer… but I will never let him die! Therefore, as usual, I will begin writing his observation log today."

The somewhat agitated handwriting described her encounter with the boy.

The following section describes how she handed over the equipment provided by the guild to the boy, and how he listened attentively to her lectures from the very first day they met.

"It's unbelievable! Bell broke his promise and went into the 5th floor! And after nearly losing his life, he walked straight across the street covered in blood! Although he's an obedient child, he can get a little carried away sometimes, so I need to be stricter with him. Speaking of which, he actually fell in love at first sight with the infamous 'Sword Princess'... Is that really okay?!"

She turned several pages, making the sound of the pages turning.

Despite the anger in her words, it was clear that she (Eina) was genuinely worried about the boy.

"Bell actually single-handedly defeated the Minotaur and leveled up to Lv.2... It's absolutely absurd. Perhaps this child will become a very powerful adventurer, but I also feel that if I'm not careful, he might just die right away, which really terrifies me... You really know how to make me worry, Bell."

The author expresses a mix of anticipation, excitement, and a touch of unease regarding the boy's advancement to the next level.

This is a record I (Eina) wrote down as I observed this strange boy—the power of "charm" then came into play.

The "Bell" mentioned in the diary no longer refers to "Bell".

"This is the first time I've ever hit that kid. He wouldn't tell me either, whether he attacked adventurers or became a public enemy, so I got angry and slapped him. I was so stupid; I'm older than him, and this behavior was like a child throwing a tantrum. But… I'm so lonely, and I feel so frustrated, Belle. I want to help you; when you're in trouble… I want to be your support."

But she (Eina) couldn't stop turning the page.

She saw the writing blurred by droplets of water that appeared to be tears—

At the same time, silent drops of water slid down her (Eina's) emerald-green eyes.

"No, I really can't take it anymore. I, with elven blood, have actually harbored such immoral feelings. I've actually wronged the adventurers I'm responsible for… the adventurers I'm responsible for…! It's utterly shameful! I must apologize to the guild members who clearly distinguish between public and private matters! I must apologize to the goddess Hestia!! Ah~ Mother Aina, please rebuke me. Lady Riveria, please punish me. I shouldn't have harbored such feelings…"

I like him.

Tears streamed down her emerald-green eyes.

Even though she didn't understand who the "boy" mentioned in the diary was, she still couldn't stop the large tears from welling up in her eyes.

Tears streamed down the face that had lost all expression, whether it was sadness, joy, or unease, even smiles.

"Now that things have come to this, the fact that I know nothing about Bell, who isn't an adventurer, is making me feel a sense of crisis. Just think, how did this journal become indistinguishable from some love diary! Even though there are still records of his trips to the dungeon, but... Oh dear... But for Bell, it's just (desperately erasing any trace of the words)."

...No matter what the future holds, I don't want to forget this feeling. Even if he truly dies a violent death, or I leave this world first...I absolutely refuse to forget.

Eina turned to the next page.

She didn't know why she was crying, her gaze continuing to follow the words on the pages of the book.

And he desperately reached out to the "longing" that kept whispering in his heart.

"To keep seeking even when one cannot understand... is indeed intriguing, but it is also a miscalculation."

"!!"

Suddenly a hand reached out from the side and took the book away.

Eina was quite taken aback, only to find a figure standing beside her, disguised in a long robe—no, it was the "goddess" standing there.

Beneath the hood, one could vaguely see her fair and delicate skin, as clean and flawless as alabaster.

Upon seeing those jewel-like silver eyes, Eina gasped as she recognized the newcomer.

"Freya, the goddess...?"

"Leaving aside the case of targeting a single person, when 'charming' a large, unspecified number of people, there will always be some who slip through the net... Among them, children who have strong feelings for that child are most prone to this situation, but fortunately, it was detected in advance."

Eina was quite surprised that the goddess would appear here, but Freya ignored her and quickly flipped through the pages to confirm the contents.

After leaving behind a confession that she had not told anyone, the goddess slowly raised her head.

"A girl who has no power at all can actually resist a god (me)... It's truly enviable, as if you've forged a deep bond with Bell."

Freya smiled.

It looks both peaceful and beautiful.