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

With her red kimono billowing in the wind, Welf effortlessly leaped into her opponent's arms and cleaved the monster's face in one swift motion.

The hellhound's forehead was stained bright red, and it collapsed to the ground with a groan.

"Very good...that's a good start, isn't it?"

"Even a last-minute, coordinated operation should be pretty much in place. This level of performance is to be expected."

"But that felt really good."

With the battle temporarily over, the atmosphere in the squad immediately relaxed.

Although some scenes were tense, I was relieved to have defeated the hellhound without much effort. While these monsters could be quite an obstacle to conquering the 13th floor, they shouldn't be a problem if we handle them carefully. Just knowing that is a valuable lesson in itself.

Furthermore, I learned that fire attacks require charging... so it seems there should be a way to solve this.

Lily was collecting the "magic stones" nearby, which made me feel a little more relaxed.

"Oh. Here we go again."

"!"

I immediately responded to Welf's voice.

Then, three monsters that looked like rabbits appeared from the depths of the road.

It has long, swaying ears, yellow and white fur, a fluffy tail, a sharp horn on its forehead, and stands on its hind legs. Its body size is about the same as Lily's.

It's like a one-horned rabbit that has learned to walk on two legs.

"That's... Lord Bell!"

No, that's not it!

"What are you saying!" I snapped at Lily, whose eyes were wide open.

The rabbit monster "Unicorn Rabbit".

It appears docile, but is actually very aggressive; it is the first monster to appear on the 13th floor.

"The opponent is Bale... This is a huge joke."

"No, this was supposed to be a joke!"

Even Welf looked so serious, which made me want to cry.

Faced with the ridicule from the two, the unicorn rabbits smashed the large rock beside them and took out a brand new natural weapon.

It's a small tomahawk that can be wielded with one hand. So, were all the rocks along this passage actually part of the "landform" of the labyrinth?

All three monsters were fully armed. The unicorns' bright red eyes slanted up adorably, looking down at us disdainfully.

"Three against three."

"Let me make this clear first, it has to be repeated three times, three against one, okay? Only an idiot would fight one-on-one. Lily goes without saying, but if Lord Welf isn't careful, he could be taken advantage of."

Among the mid-level monsters, the unicorn rabbit is considered to have relatively low combat ability. However, as long as you pay special attention to its agility, which surpasses that of the silverback ape, even adventurers with high stats at level 1 can barely manage to fight it.

Even so, these rabbit monsters are still classified as Lv.2 in threat level... because their group combat ability is terrifyingly strong.

Soon, the unicorn rabbits charged over with piercing cries.

"Attack the right side first!"

"Uh, um!"

"But then again, this is the first time Lily has ever hesitated to fight a monster... How cute."

"Gaa-woo!" "Chirp, chirp!"

Three people in a group, three in a bunch.

A total of six figures clashed head-on.

◆

"Hermes is back?"

As Hestia handed out the potato balls to the guests, she turned to look at Takemiya, who had come to find her.

"This seems to be quite early? Didn't he attend the last Grand Assembly of the Gods?"

"I don't understand that either. Besides, it's impossible for that guy to turn back halfway through a trip without a reason."

"Thank you for your patronage"—as Hestia bowed to the guest, Takemikazuchi, standing beside her, rested his elbows on the counter with a blank expression.

This is inside a stall on North Street. Although business has already started, Shinmoku ran over and said, "I have something to say to you!" So Hestia talked to him while she worked.

"But... business is really good, huh."

"Hmph, of course. Because I'm here!"

"Damn it, it really makes a difference without a mascot..."

The number of customers was neither too many nor too few, and there was never a break; sometimes, queues would even form. Seeing the bustling scene at the stalls, Takemiya was quite annoyed. Hestia stood with her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest.

Both of them wore the same aprons as the shops where they worked, blending seamlessly into the shop's scenery.

"Then, what did Hermes say? Didn't he just go straight to you?"

"Hmm... Has Hestia not met him yet?"

"Hmm, not yet. If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known that Hermes was back."

The orc female shop assistant deftly fried the potato balls, and Hestia skillfully wrapped them up and handed them to the customers. Whether it was for some kind of blessing or not, every customer who bought potato balls smiled and patted Hestia's head before leaving the stall.

"He said he was interested in your kid named Bell Craney... but I always felt something was off, like he had some ulterior motive."

"Hmm...aren't you overthinking it? I don't think Hermes would cause any trouble on his own."

Hermes is not a deity that spontaneously sows conflict.

Perhaps it could be said that he was exceptionally clever. He was more deserving of the word "cunning" than any other god, wielded considerable influence, and even frequently mediated disputes among the gods.

As far as Hestia knew, Hermes was a shrewd and cunning god who could devour both the pure and the impure.

"Hermes isn't the only one who likes to touch Bell inappropriately... We've been driven crazy by the other gods this week, haven't we?"

"You really know how to defend him, Hestia. I'm not afraid of anything else, but I'm completely helpless against Hermes. I don't believe a word that guy says."

"Haha. Because Ah Jian is often teased by Hermes."

Because their territories were close in the Celestial Realm... a so-called "good neighbor" relationship, Hestia and Hermes had a fairly good relationship.

A half-elf girl, even smaller than Hestia, clung to her, laughing and joking. Hestia smiled and sent her back to her mother.

"It's not that I don't understand Hestia's meaning... but this time, I just feel like something's not quite right."

"...Do you have any evidence?"

"My intuition."

Facing the purple eyes that were staring at her, Hestia slightly raised her chin and made an "Hmm..." sound as she pondered for a moment.

There is no more convincing evidence than God's intuition.

"—Takemikazuchi, if you're so free, you can come here to slack off..."

"Ah, I'm sorry, manager. I have something to attend to... No, I will definitely increase revenue, yes. I will try my best, yes."

"Talk is cheap, isn't it? I'm telling you, you should at least try to be like Hestia, shouldn't you...?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. No, I will try my best from now on. I will be serious starting tomorrow."

While Hestia was lost in thought, Takemikazuchi saw the manager of the potato ball shop where she worked running over, bowing and scraping to him repeatedly. Watching the strange sight of the god repeatedly showing the back of his head to the child, Hestia thought, "The end of the world is coming." However, she hadn't expected to have to work two jobs herself.

"Then I'm off, Hestia. There's probably no point in telling you to be careful, but you'd better keep an eye on Hermes' movements."

"Yes, thank you, Jian."

After dealing with the shopkeeper, Takemikazuchi turned around and raised his hand to Hestia before returning to his shop. Hestia thanked her friend for his kindness and watched him leave.

"Hermes..."

She peeked out from the vendor's stall, gazing up at the clear blue sky.

Just as Hestia recalled the familiar smile of Hermes…

Unwittingly, Hestia was reminded of another god.

"...Probably not."

The whispered voices were carried away by the casual wind.

◆

Sunlight streamed down from the blue sky, which was dotted with beautiful cirrus clouds.

The warm sunlight shone on West Street, and amidst the bustling crowds and several carriages, a divine figure, accompanied by his entourage, mingled into the throng.

"So, Asphie, how is he doing?"

"The guild's official intelligence says they've already broken through the 11th floor. In the past ten days, they've reached the 12th floor."

The person conversing amidst the bustling crowd was the god Hermes. His conversation partner, whom he called Asphi, was a human woman who followed behind him as they walked down the western street.

The woman wore a pure white cloak, and on her slender feet were unique shoes—sandals adorned with what appeared to be golden wings.

"In addition, I asked the people at the skyscraper facility (Tower of Babel)... He bought several pieces of 'fire spirit cloth' today, apparently for all the team members to wear."

"Wait, did they go to the middle level?"

"That should be true," Hermes smiled after hearing Asphie's reply.

"It's only been ten days since the upgrade. No wonder it's the world's fastest rabbit, it moves incredibly fast."

"In addition, I also discovered that he possesses powerful 'magic.' It is said that he used a high-output attack spell, possibly a long chant, on the 11th floor, defeating the infant dragon in one blow. Many people witnessed it."

As she walked alongside the chief god (Hermes) to explain things, her beauty was in no way inferior, even when she was beside the god. Among her well-defined features, especially her intelligent blue eyes, paired with silver-rimmed glasses, exuded wisdom. Her aquamarine hair was uniquely dyed with only one strand white.

Attracting the attention of the orcs and dwarves passing by, Asfi continued her report.

"...Although it can't be said that it has a specific origin."

"Um?"

Other adventurers seemed to think that he was only able to defeat the Minotaur because the magic just happened to hit him. They considered him a coward who only stole the monsters left over by the Loki Familia. Some even slandered him, calling him a "fake newcomer."

"Hahaha, 'Fake Rookie'! That's quite a description!"

Hermes laughed heartily.

The laughter startled everyone, and their surprised gazes were all fixed on him, but he didn't mind and cheerfully swayed his shoulders.

"However, the blessing of magic hitting the target perfectly, or delivering the final blow to a dying monster, is not something so simple. It's not something that can be enhanced with such cheap experience points... Well, I understand their thinking."

He stopped laughing and narrowed his long, thin eyes.

"I think they mean he lied about the number of days needed for the upgrade..."

"Ah, I see. Adventurers have quite a discerning eye."

"It's fair to say that what happened to Bell Craney really left other adventurers feeling uneasy."

Their conversation was interrupted for a moment, and the noise from the main road took advantage of the lull to surround Hermes and his companion.

In front of a shop, a group of multi-ethnic bards visiting Orario, each holding an instrument, showcased their playing skills to the citizens under the blue sky. They were also wandering travelers, turning what they saw into lyrics, singing lively and sometimes passionate songs accompanied by the harmonious and overlapping timbres of string instruments. People surrounded them, and residents of the buildings lining the avenue sat on their windowsills or leaned out to listen attentively to the melodies.

Hermes stopped, clapped his hands, and threw out a gold coin when the piece ended.

The travelers were moved to tears by the gods' smiling blessings, and the onlookers cheered loudly in praise of them.

What are your plans for the young rookie?

After they started walking forward again, Asphie asked him.

Hermes felt her gaze from behind. Then she continued:

"He didn't tell me why, he just ordered me to gather intelligence, as if he's very interested in him..."

"What's wrong, Asphie? Are you jealous because I haven't spent enough time with you lately?"

"Who's jealous!"

Asphie became agitated and raised her voice, but immediately rubbed the corner of her eye with her finger.

Faced with the god's teasing tone, she, who should have been calm and composed, revealed an expression of weariness accumulated over the years.

That was the look of misery unique to those who were being played by God.