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

The reason this magic exists may be based on the blacksmith's desire, as a weapon master, to fight honorably with weapons, rather than with external magic.

"I've never tried this with a monster before... I'm so glad I escaped with my life."

Seeing me blinking, Welf forced a smile.

As he said, this seemed to be the first time he had ever used this kind of magic on a monster. Come to think of it, there wasn't a single monster in the Upper Realms capable of burning its internal magic to breathe fire and unleash a similar magical attack as the Cerberus.

When he was attacked by the simultaneous fire on the 13th floor, he hesitated because he was unsure if it would be effective; more importantly, the collapse had just occurred, causing him to miss the opportunity and thus he did not have time to use his skills.

Even short chants require preparation time. It seems Welf's magic isn't all-powerful after all.

"Huh, you said you haven't tried it on monsters, which means... you've tried it on people?"

"Hmm. I asked my fellow members of the [Family] for help. The explosion was incredibly powerful."

"...Lord Welf, this..."

"No, no, I admit I was wrong too! But I did say I could try it out. They knew perfectly well what might happen... Okay, okay, I know it was all my fault!"

After hearing his desperate explanation, which he knew he was in the wrong, Lily and I both wore pained expressions.

Welf faces disdain from his faction members, and besides his lineage as a sword-forging family, there might be other reasons as well...

However, this makes the future situation much more optimistic. The impact of stripping the hellhound of its power is that significant.

We saw a glimmer of light as we passed the dying hellhounds. These hellhounds, which had exploded on their own, did not get up to chase us.

We continued to avoid the monsters, letting them pass by.

Lily desperately endured the stench of the sack to avoid the monster's surprise attack. Even so, if our opponent still tried to get close, I used my [Fire Lightning] to drive them away.

Welf neutralized the threat of the hellhounds. Monsters preparing to launch fire attacks from afar were all blasted to pieces by the anti-magic magic.

"Welf, this..."

"What is it, a magic potion?"

I took a test tube filled with dark blue liquid from my leg bag.

After drinking half of it, Welf looked surprised.

"Is this some kind of magic potion? My body feels lighter too."

I gave him a dual potion. This item was also made by Ms. Gulnazar.

Welf's physical and mental strength, which had been depleted from walking with his injuries and continuously casting spells, seemed to have recovered smoothly.

I was relieved and briefly explained this convenient elixir. Welf smiled at me.

"Not bad. Next time, tell me where you can buy it."

"When we get back, I can recommend a few shops to you..."

We looked at each other and smiled. I tilted my head back and drank the dual-attribute elixir that he had given me after drinking half of it.

Although physical and mental strength have not fully recovered, they have both recovered to some extent.

"...Lord Bell, Lily also wants to share the elixir with you."

"Hey, I just drank some, don't I need any more? That's such a waste."

"How cunning! How cunning! Only Lord Welf could do such a thing!"

"What are you talking about?"

The conversations among teammates eased the tension somewhat. We dared not be careless, remaining ready to face the enemy at any moment, but also occasionally taking a break from our taut nerves.

By lending our shoulders to our companions and letting them protect us, we gradually explored the middle level of the dungeon.

Don't lose hope, keep moving forward in the maze, and finally...

"Found it..."

Just as we peeked out from around the corner of the transverse cave, right in front of us, in the very center of the cave-like path.

Just like the passage separating us from the other side, the crooked, vertical cavern opens wide.

I approached the edge of the cave with Welf, who was leaning on my shoulder, and peered inside. Lily peeked out from beside us and could see that the cave did indeed lead to the lower levels.

Judging from this depth... it's probably the 16th floor.

Letting the phosphorescent light that appeared in the darkness burn our faces, we exchanged glances and then nodded.

I wrapped my right arm tightly around Welf's waist and my left arm around Lily's backpack.

With a final, gentle breath, I jumped into the vertical cave with Lily and Welf.

◆

A golden moon floats in the sky.

The sun had set, and a vast expanse of azure night sky stretched across Orario. The labyrinthine city, overflowing with Materia lights, shone as brightly as if a jewel box had been overturned.

In the heart of the city, the skyscrapers built in Central Park always overlook the bustling, brightly lit streetscape.

The tower built directly above the labyrinth is called the Tower of Babel.

On the highest level of the white-walled tower, a place reserved only for the gods, a goddess moved forward.

She made her shoes click, then with a flick of her wrists, let her long silver hair cascade down her back.

"Will it take a long time?"

After walking down the long corridor, Freya, the "Goddess of Beauty," opened the huge oak door and asked this question as her first words.

The spacious interior features luxurious furniture such as bookshelves, an attendant Otto, and a male god with his retinue.

"No, no problem. Sorry to take up your time, Miss Freya."

Hermes sat beside an exquisitely carved table with apple tree patterns on its legs. He spoke in a playful tone with a smile on his face, while a nervous-looking Asphie stood beside him.

After glancing at them, Freya sat down in the chair that Ottar had pulled out.

Even a simple act of sitting down was alluring; her full, bouncy breasts peeked out from under her black dress, swaying slightly. Her slender waist slid into the chair with a soft creak, and her silver hair cascaded down her fair neck.

A series of actions left Asphie stunned, and after a sudden realization, her cheeks flushed red as she looked away. While her child was captivated by the goddess's "beauty," Hermes still wore the sweet smile of a handsome young man.

Across a table for two, two members of the household and two deities faced each other.

"By the way, what's up?"

Without omitting the opening remarks, the beautiful soprano began to ask.

Freya didn't cross her legs, but simply smiled beautifully and boldly; Hermes quickly opened his narrow eyes and replied:

"I think you already know, Bell Craney didn't return from the dungeon. I plan to go find him with Hestia and the others later, Miss Freya."

"so what?"

"So, I wanted to tell you first."

"Why did you specifically report this to me?"

Freya's smile remained unchanged, and Hermes smiled as well.

"Didn't you protect Brother Bell, Miss Freya? During the last Gathering of the Gods."

"..."

"That adventurer is the one that the beautiful goddess (you) has taken a liking to, and I'm quite interested in him too."

About ten days ago, at the assembly of the gods held in this Tower of Babel, Freya did indeed defend Bell. To be precise, she argued to the other gods that Loki's act of spying on the reasons for his upbringing (his privacy) was against the rules.

The gods attending the assembly of gods, especially the male gods, almost all obeyed Freya. Half of them were drawn in by Freya's "beauty" and easily followed her orders without giving a second thought to her intentions.

Hermes should have been one of those followers as well.

Perhaps seeing through Freya's heart, he raised his right hand and patted his chest.

"I'm also quite infatuated with Miss Freya. However, I'm not so lustful as to be out of my mind."

...In other words, it was just a pretense of madness (hypocrisy).

He was completely infatuated with Freya and joined in the commotion with the others; it turned out it was all an act.

"What a cunning fellow," Freya muttered to herself as she faced the seemingly weak god before her.

"It's just that your method is different from before, so it seems that not many other gods have noticed."

Everyone knows Freya has a fetish for collecting children, but she always manages to immediately go and persuade them and win them over.

Normally, she would approach her rivals directly and pursue them aggressively, but her approach to Bell this time was clearly different from before. The Freya of the past would never have resorted to such roundabout methods.

She practically ignored the boy (target) this time, so even the gods who weren't "bewitched" didn't notice.

"Alright," Freya interrupted Hermes impatiently.

She no longer hid the fact that she had taken a liking to Bell, her silver eyes urging him to get to the point.

"I have no intention of harming your toy. I just want to witness its power firsthand."

Hermes, with a serious expression, strongly advocated for it.

Then, with a half-crying, half-laughing expression, he pleaded with her:

"So—please don't attack my Familia, Miss Freya!"

"..."

Seeing Hermes' tearful and pleading appearance, Freya immediately lost interest and looked at him with the eyes one would give an insect. She hadn't looked at anyone like that in a long time.

The Freya Familia, along with the Loki Familia, is considered one of the strongest factions in Orario. If Freya were to get serious, the Hermes Familia would be crushed in an instant.

It's likely he came for insurance purposes. It seems Hermes still has some affection for his own [familia].

Conversely, while he didn't lie, he didn't tell the truth either.

Freya noticed this. She narrowed her eyes, trying to see through Hermes's divine will (true intention) in trying to confirm the boy's power... but then gave up.

She felt incredibly bored and sighed.

Because she realized that trying to outwit the god in front of her was just a waste of time.

"Okay, sure."

Freya listened to Hermes's incessant pleas and decided to turn a blind eye to his actions.

She understood that Hermes did not intend to harm Bell.

Hermes visibly relaxed upon receiving permission.

"Ah, Miss Freya, thank you! I owe you a favor! Next time you encounter any difficulties, just let me know, and then—"

"but."

She stopped Hermes from continuing and stood up.

Seeing that he still wanted to play the fool, Freya placed her hand on his shoulder, bent down, and whispered in his ear:

"Remember? Only I can play with that child."

She murmured it in a beautiful voice.

Upon hearing that voice, devoid of consciousness and reason, and sending chills down one's spine, Hermes froze instantly, then his lips began to twitch.

"I...I know, I can swear to the goddess (you)..."

"Okay, I'll trust you."

Seeing him nodding while sweating, Freya gave him a smile and a flirtatious wink, then stood up. She pointed to the oak door leading to the exit and stepped aside.

Hermes said a few perfunctory words of farewell and left in a hurry. Freya watched him and Asphie, who was frightened by Ota and muttering "I almost thought I was going to die...", leave without saying a word.

With a "snap," the two large doors closed.

"Is this okay?"

After Hermes and the others left the room, Otto spoke:

"Although that god said that, he might still interfere in ways we can't see. Let me be frank... that god is very suspicious."

Faced with Ota's advice—which was delivered in a blunt manner—Freya chuckled.

"We'll see when the time comes."

She left the center of the room and walked to the huge glass window.

The clear moonlight streamed into the room through the rectangular glass that filled the entire wall, reaching Freya's feet.