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

These few short sentences contain many "whys".

"...I helped you in the form of a girl (Seele) so that you could grow. Because I fell in love with your 'soul' at first sight, I planned to nurture your crystal-clear soul radiance. Once your body and mind have grown to my satisfaction, I will then take you as my own."

"..."

"Whether it's the grimoire, the amulet given to you during the war games, or everything else... it's all to nurture you and protect you."

There was no falsehood in what she said.

Thanks to her various forms of assistance, I was able to overcome numerous difficulties and stand here as a Level 2 adventurer.

Although it is not entirely false, it cannot be considered the truth either.

"The tears you saw... were just me playing the part of a 'city girl.' If it were a real girl (Seele), she would have cried then. I was just following the rules of the game."

I immediately retorted.

"That's a lie."

"!"

"You were truly heartbroken. Your tears were genuine, and I was unable to react for a long time."

I refuted it loudly.

Even though doing so would break my heart and reopen our wounds, I had to be sure that the girl named "Shel Frova" was real, so that my tears at the time wouldn't be mistaken for an act.

That was neither acting nor an illusion.

"Miss Seele does indeed exist in this world."

Through the large window, you can see the clouds drifting by.

The moonlight that streamed down further accentuated the tranquility of the room.

After I made my unwavering assertion, the room, now tinged with a pale hue, fell into silence, her expression twisted in pain.

They seemed very impatient, even furious, with me, who never looked away and had a firm expression.

She took something out of her bosom.

"...! That hair accessory is...!"

Those were a pair of ornaments, or more precisely, half of an ornament with a "fairy spirit" pattern, missing the "knight" part that I possessed.

It was also something I gave to Miss Seele.

"This is the first gift that the girl (Seele) has ever received from you... She was so happy at the time."

My gaze was drawn to the silver ornament adorned with pale blue decorations.

She smiled.

As if she wanted to pin it in her hair, she slowly raised the hair ornament she held in her right hand.

"But it's no longer necessary."

Then he slammed it down hard.

I stared in shock as the hair ornament was smashed to the ground and shattered into countless pieces.

The sharp sound of the jewelry being smashed was like the mournful cry of a young girl.

As time slowly passed, the cruelly smashed, pale fragments scattered all over the ground, robbing me of my ability to speak.

"The game ends here. There's no point in continuing to listen to your nonsense."

Then she stomped down hard.

Without any mercy, he crushed one of the broken pieces that had fallen to his feet.

"The girl (Seele) is dead and no longer in this world."

She gently lifted one foot and stepped down again.

My time seemed to stand still because of the trampled hair ornament, and various memories of Miss Seele flashed through my mind—the next second, I could feel the blood rushing to my head.

The goddess smiled sheepishly and saw through my thoughts with her discerning eyes, realizing that I was emotional because my mind was in turmoil.

My previous calm now seems like a joke, and anger begins to rise within me.

I have fallen right into the goddess's trap, and am now being manipulated by the witch.

So what?

I stopped being silent and started yelling at the top of my lungs.

"No! Miss Seele is still alive! Miss Seele is you! You said you hoped I could save you!"

"That was a confusion that occurred when my emotions with Herren became intertwined. It was because of the connection created by the 'God Transformation Magic' that my divine will was mixed with impurities called mortal desires. I had no hope of being saved, nor did I ever say such a thing."

The effect of the "transformation magic" is that it allows one to share the five senses with the other person, she asserted, knowing the whole story.

She smiled confidently, as if she wanted to mock a furious, silly child.

"And... how dare you say the word 'save'? To be honest, it's because you rejected the girl (Seele)'s confession."

She raised the corners of her mouth in a mocking smile.

This is the most crucial point, and it is the fact that a man named Bell Craney committed this crime by insisting on his own opinion.

Faced with her incisive accusation, my reaction was to agree with it unconditionally.

"That's right!! I'm the one who rejected you!!"

"!"

I ignored the wide, surprised silver eyes and strode forward.

The broken hair ornament shattered on the ground, forming "a road".

It forms a straight road, like a trajectory, that won't trample on any fragment representing a memory.

I strode over and stood before her, who was stunned.

"I reject your confession! I reject your longing, and it's not anyone else who does it! It's me who hurt you!!"

As before, I brought my face so close that the slightest movement would steal away those red lips, and loudly proclaimed my thoughts to her face.

"It's precisely because I've hurt you in the past that I feel I must stop you!"

"...!?"

"I will save you! And I will never leave this responsibility to anyone else!!"

What ignites within is an unbreakable will. What resides within is a vow that is no different from a child's tantrum.

I cannot respond to her tears, but I can protect her from hurting others and from hurting herself.

Am I the culprit? Yes! This whole thing started because of me; I'm the one who caused her so much suffering!

Am I, someone so worthless, not qualified to do anything for her? Don't be ridiculous!

No matter how much I am despised, no matter how much I hate myself, I know that giving up and waiting to die is even more cowardly and meaningless!

I don't intend to pay the price for my actions or try to atone for them!

Instead of cruelly rejecting her, I must stay by her side and suffer together!

"...Do you even understand what you're saying? You're unilaterally offering help to a woman you've rejected, even though you don't love her and can't give her anything in return?"

She was initially stunned, but then put on an expression of utter disgust.

She snorted coldly and spoke with disdain, making a sarcastic remark.

"What an ugly selfishness! There is no man like you even among the gods. You are a hypocrite."

"Then your actions are also 'selfish'!"

"...!"

"You're willing to twist everyone's values ​​and drag the entire Orario into this just to get what you want from me! That's incredibly selfish!!"

I will use her own methods against her to force her to suffer the same harm. Even though these words make my heart bleed, I am willing to bear it all.

She indulged her possessiveness, while I resorted to sophistry. Both of us displayed ugly and excessive willfulness. I understand all of this.

The dice have long since shattered. No matter how one seeks "love" or yearns to obtain "love," it is only selfishness that leads to mutual harm, leaving only blood and tears in the end.

Now that things have come to this, there's no going back.

My eyes met hers in a fierce, unyielding gaze.

"...No matter how you refute it, it doesn't change the fact that I'm just playing a game, and the girl (Seele) is a 'fake' existence—"

"How could I believe your heartfelt confession was 'false'!"

“Eh!”

After I let my impulse get the better of me and loudly retorted, a look of embarrassment flashed across my silver eyes for the first time.

"Even if you insist it was just a game, I will never let you pretend Miss Seele doesn't exist! Don't expect me to care about your feelings!"

I will never forget what happened that day.

I will never forget the tears she shed at that time, nor the inner turmoil and regret in my heart.

No matter how much we wish we could start over, what happened that day will never disappear!

"Those weren't 'fake,' they were 'real'! I won't let anyone deny what happened that day! Including you!!"

After I finished shouting, a slight blush appeared on her fair skin... her flawless cheeks.

However, that stunningly beautiful face immediately changed, as if it could no longer bear it and reached out a hand to push me away.

I wasn't pushed over; I just took a few steps back and kept staring at her.

"...It's really unpleasant. Yes, I feel extremely unpleasant; it's the first time I've ever felt this way."

She straightened her face and quietly uttered these words filled with anger.

Even through my skin, I could clearly feel the goddess's anger and divine power, which made me tremble slightly.

I'm absolutely certain that I've become incredibly reckless.

I directly defied the "Goddess of Beauty," whom even the gods feared, and challenged her in front of her. If Hermes had seen this, he would most likely have fainted on the spot.

That being said, the sacred flame residing on my back and the will held in my heart will never choose to yield.

"You've been spouting nonsense about stopping me, saving me... so what exactly do you plan to do?"

"..."

"You should have already realized that my 'charm' doesn't work on you, Bell, but the problem is that I still control the entire city of Orario. With just one order, everyone in the city will turn against you... even the Hestia Familia and the Sword Maiden."

Compared to my impulsive actions, she presented me with reality.

No matter how calm I tried to appear, my heart was pounding wildly. She pointed out this undeniable fact with her eyebrows raised, as if she had already seen through the changes in my heart.

"If I stop at nothing, you will definitely submit to me."

This statement, which holds the power of life and death over the entire Orario territory, is by no means an exaggeration.

Unable to hide my unease, I could feel a bead of cold sweat slowly trickling down the back of my neck.

"So, your idea to save me is just—"

She didn't even have time to finish speaking.

An "abnormality" suddenly appeared.

I was the first to realize this.

"—Is it too hot?"

A surge of heat came from my back.

As if trying to burn away the [ability values] updated by the hand of the goddess of beauty—as if trying to burn away the false "blessings," the "blessings" of the sacred fire roared.

"────"

The goddess Freya gasped, a look of surprise flashing in her eyes.

She quickly looked out the window.

As night fell, Orario was brightly lit.

"Could it be... Hestia?"