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

She believes that Bell, who has been fighting alone until now, does indeed possess the judgment of an adventurer.

"...You will definitely become stronger. And you yourself hope to become even stronger than you are now."

"……yes."

Hestia reached out and pulled Bell, who was sitting on the bed staring at her intently, into her arms.

With her eyes lowered in worry, she revealed her true feelings.

"...I hope you promise me you won't force yourself. I hope you swear to me you won't do what you did last time again."

“I, I…”

"If you're determined to become stronger, I won't object, and I respect your decision. I'll cheer you on, help you, and lend you a hand... So..."

Hestia struggled to hold back her tears, and prayed from the bottom of her heart:

"...Please, don't leave me alone."

This statement took effect immediately.

Bell's shoulders jerked, his eyes widened as if he had remembered something, or as if he were re-examining his promise to himself. He lowered his head, closed his eyes, and delved into his inner world.

Silence tickled Hestia's ears. A long silence fell between them.

"……yes."

Bell looked up.

His expression was a mixture of guilt, laughter, and tears, with a hint of sudden enlightenment.

A genuine smile speaks volumes about trust in her, more so than a thousand words.

Therefore, Hestia was certain that the boy before her would keep his promise.

"I won't do anything reckless. I will work hard and desperately to become stronger... but I will absolutely not abandon the gods. I will not let the gods worry."

"I can rest assured now that I've heard your reply."

Hestia had an urge to throw herself into his arms, but she resisted and smiled instead.

After a while, she picked up the clothes and handed them to Bell. With her back to Bell, who shyly said "Excuse me" and began to change, Hestia stared at the ceiling.

(……good.)

She decided to take immediate action for Bell.

Hestia made light, quick footsteps as she ran across the uneven, crooked floor and rushed toward the sideboard. She opened a drawer in the middle and began rummaging through it. She searched through the haphazardly crammed boxes of flyers and job offers, and soon found what she was looking for.

It was an invitation to some kind of gathering, and it said, "Ganesha hosts a banquet for the gods."

(Hephaestus will come too...?)

She remembered the face of the friend who had given her this hidden room as a favor.

Because Hephaestus is a hard worker and is always busy in the city, it is not easy to get in touch with her.

Hestia deduced that if she wanted to see her, she would have to take advantage of this gathering.

The date is... tonight.

Hestia cried out in surprise and quickly began to prepare.

"Bell, I won't be back to my room tonight... no, for a few days. Is that okay?"

"Huh? Oh, I see, you want to work?"

"No, my friend threw a party. I wasn't planning on going, but I decided to show up anyway. It's been a long time, and I wanted to see how everyone's been doing."

"Then go ahead, don't be shy," Belle agreed. "Because friends are very important." He even smiled and encouraged her to go.

Although Hestia felt guilty about her impulsiveness, she nodded and opened her wardrobe to look for clothes. She selected the most presentable item from her few belongings and stuffed it into her bag, then tidied her other luggage. She then headed out of the room to ask her part-time job for a shift change.

She was about to open the door when she turned back towards Bell.

"Bell, you're not going to the dungeon again today, are you?"

"This is what I planned to do... Is that not allowed?"

Remembering that he had just made a promise with the fairy, Bell thought that perhaps he should be more self-respecting, so he timidly looked up at her.

Hestia shook her head, smiled at him, and said:

"No, it's alright, you can go. But you should know when to stop, okay? After all, you're not fully healed yet."

"Yes, thank you, deity."

Hestia smiled at Bell, who bowed his head in gratitude, and then left the room.

✟

The sun shone brightly in the sky.

It was just before noon. I jogged along the crowded street.

After the deity left, I followed him out of the room and put on my full set of adventurer gear. I planned to head straight to the dungeon.

Just as the fortune teller predicted, the wound on my knee still hurts. The monsters on the 6th floor were incredibly fierce. It seems it will take some time for it to heal.

Therefore, I will not force myself. I will not take risks. I will never act rashly again. I will simply continue to do what I can.

I have a clear goal now. The place I want to reach is in the distance. Until the day before yesterday, I thought I had to keep running towards it, letting my impatient emotions drive my actions, but now it's different.

I heeded the divine teachings and calmed my mind. I will proceed step by step at the fastest speed I can sustain.

To be honest, I'm still a little anxious, but I also feel that this is the fastest shortcut to catching up with Miss Wallenstein. Because forcing myself now will inevitably come at a price someday.

As I recalled the genuine concern the deity had shown me, I muttered to myself, "Don't be reckless, don't be reckless." Soon I arrived at a place and stopped.

Before heading to the dungeon, I need to go to one place first.

"This is a little awkward..."

I scratched my head in front of the door that had a "Closed" sign on it.

After standing there agonizing for a moment, I made up my mind and stepped into the tavern "The Abundant Mistress." The bells rang loudly above my head as I passed through the doorway.

"I'm very sorry, sir. Our restaurant is still under preparation. Would you please come back at another time?"

"The cats' shop is still open, meow!"

The elf and cat-like shop assistants who were putting tablecloths on the tables in the store immediately noticed that someone had arrived and came over to greet me.

Both shop assistants were very lovely. They wore the same uniform as Miss Seele, one with delicate features and the other innocent and carefree, creating a striking contrast. I've recently discovered I really like elves, so hearing this long-eared woman's voice made me inexplicably nervous.

"Excuse me, I'm not a customer... Um, Miss Seele... Is Miss Seele Frova here? And the shopkeeper...?"

Upon hearing what I said, the two women widened their eyes slightly, and soon they seemed to notice something, their gazes towards me changed.

"Aaaaah! You're the cat who ate and dashed that day! That white-haired bastard cat who only made Seele pay him and then discarded her like a cat after using her!"

"Quiet down."

"Pfft meow!"

"Excuse me. I'll bring Seele and Mia's mother right away."

“Okay, okay…”

I didn't see her hit the cat shop employee...

I watched, sweating profusely, as the elf shopkeeper grabbed the orc girl by the collar and dragged her away. Then, having nothing else to do, I looked around the shop.

The shop's layout is different from when I last visited; it now looks like a café. Perhaps many adventurers venture into the dungeon during the day, but not at night, resulting in a different clientele?

Oh, and there's even an outdoor cafe. They really know how to do business...

"Mr. Bell!"

First came the sound of footsteps rushing down the stairs, then Miss Seele appeared deep inside the store.

Thinking back to the scene when I left, I wished I could dig a hole and hide, but I still tightened my stomach and walked towards her.

"I'm so sorry about the day before yesterday. I ran away without paying..."

"...No, don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're back like this."

I bowed and apologized, and Miss Seele smiled at me as always.

Seeing that she didn't ask me why, but just gently tolerated me, almost brought me to tears. I pretended that some dust had gotten into my eyes, wiped the corners of my eyes, and then handed her the money I had prepared.

"This is the money I didn't pay for the meal. If it's not enough, I'll pay you back with interest..."

"I have no right to say such things. Your kind intentions are enough... I should be the one apologizing to you."

Upon hearing the last sentence uttered softly, I quickly told Miss Seele that she didn't need to feel guilty. I gestured wildly and exaggeratedly explained the situation to her.

Miss Seele was initially stunned by my boldness, then swayed her shoulders and chuckled softly. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Then she squinted at me with loving eyes, and suddenly, as if remembering something, she clapped her hands together. "Please wait a moment." With that, she ran to the kitchen.

When Miss Seele returned, she was carrying a large basket.

"You're going to the dungeon, right? If you don't mind, could you please accept this?"

"what?"

"Today's meal was prepared by our chef, and I guarantee it will taste great. However, I've already eaten a little of some of it..."

"No, but why...?"

"Isn't the reason 'because I want to give it to you' sufficient?"

Miss Seele tilted her head slightly to the side and gave a shy, wry smile.

Seeing that gentle expression, even someone as slow-witted as me could understand.

She wanted to cheer me up... no, she was encouraging me.

"...I'm sorry. Well then, I'll accept it."

Having understood her intentions, I accepted the basket with a smile.

Miss Seele, whose eyes met mine, also blushed slightly, and a composed smile appeared on her face.

"I heard the kid's here?"

The female shop owner, Aunt Mia, silently appeared from the door inside the bar.

The sudden, indescribable sense of presence made me involuntarily take a few steps back.

She was significantly larger than any other dwarf. She was much bigger than me, both horizontally and vertically.

"Oh, I see. You've come to return the money. That's very thoughtful of you."

"Hello..."

"Seele, come in. You left your work behind to come here, didn't you?"

"Ah, okay. I understand."

Miss Seele bowed and went back into the shop, while Aunt Mia showed a heroic (not exactly generous) smile and poked my chest with her thick fingers.

She said, "If you don't come back soon, I'm going to come and settle things with you myself." She added, "If you're even one day late, my old lady's long-dormant weapon (military shovel) is going to come out and get serious." It was only then that I realized my life was in danger.

Beautiful defense!

"Seele, if you give that to someone else, you won't have lunch..."

"Oh, um. It's just lunch, I can tolerate that, right?"

"Why should I give him my lunch and starve myself? He's a cat risker; he should be able to afford lunch."

"Uh, that's because..."

"Oh—oh—, you two, you shouldn't ask such tactless questions, meow. So, that boy is Seele's... this one, meow?"

"No way!"

I kept feeling like the kitchen was getting noisy, but I didn't have the energy to pay attention.

I swore to myself that I would never misbehave in front of Aunt Mia.

"You should find another chance to thank Seele. Most of the people in our shop, including myself, are hot-tempered kids. If it weren't for that girl stopping everyone, you would have sunk to the bottom of the lake by now."

"..."

It's not funny.