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

"...Ah, ah—"

The immortal closed his eyes and gently parted his lips.

I froze for a moment, and then, urged by the fairy, slowly brought the crepe closer to her lips...

bite.

Her lovely pink lips took a small bite of the dessert as if kissing it. Her innocent, little girl-like behavior made this big idiot blush.

The deity, having opened its eyes, smiled like a mischievous child, and took one last bite of the crepe, this time a large one. Its soft cheeks puffed out roundly, as if it were chewing deliciously.

I don't know what kind of expression I have right now...

(ah……)

White whipped cream smeared on her cheeks.

Seeing the cream filling squeezed from the pastry smeared on the fairy's cheek, I reflexively raised my hand.

I reached out my finger to wipe off the white cream, but stopped at the last moment.

It suddenly occurred to me that such impolite behavior might be truly disrespectful to the gods. Unfortunately, I didn't bring a towel to wipe the gods' faces.

I awkwardly tried to pull my hand back... but the small hand quickly grabbed mine.

"Hehe, I hope you can wipe it off for me."

"..."

The deity smiled with a composed expression. His cheeks were slightly flushed, and his expression seemed full of compassion.

I stared intently at the goddess's smiling face, and with an awkward movement, I reached out and gently wiped her cheek.

The fairy, her cheeks flushed, squinted her eyes as if ticklish.

(Waaah...)

I feel like my head is about to explode.

My whole body is itchy. It's so embarrassing. No, maybe I'm just shy.

I was completely fooled by the gods.

"Okay, Belle, let's go to the next stall. Let's get fries this time."

"We...we want to shop some more!"

"Of course! It's rare to have a chance for the two of us to relax together!"

Once again, the fairy held my hand, and I followed behind her.

I was exhausted for many reasons, but when I came to my senses, I found a smile naturally appearing on my lips. Thinking about it carefully, perhaps it was just as the gods said.

To support our respective "familias," I ventured into the dungeon, while the deity went to work.

There have probably been very few times so far that two people have worked together on something like this.

Weaving through the crowds, I ran around the streets with the immortals.

Despite the constant wry smiles, I'm still willing to get dizzy and disoriented by the god in such a great mood.

✟

That scene unfolded amidst tremendous cheers.

Amidst billowing dust, a monster, freed from its chains, roared and charged straight ahead. The woman, alone and poised to meet the attack, let her short hair flutter in the wind as she narrowly avoided the charge of the two-meter-tall "Fighting Boar" monster.

The sound was deafening, layer upon layer, reaching the heavens. A vortex of hot air enveloped the audience seats, which could hold 50,000 people.

The amphitheatre located in the eastern part of the city.

Under the watchful eyes of a huge crowd, the main event of the day—the Monster Festival—began.

In the central arena, the monster captured that day unleashed its ferocity, charging towards its prey on all fours. A truly monstrous charge, capable of easily shattering rocks, it deftly evaded the Ganesha Familia's tamers, who garnered enthusiastic cheers from those around them.

To an expert, this scene might resemble a bullfight. Elegantly dressed women, wielding whips and cloaks, clashed repeatedly with a raging monster.

In this monster festival, her mission was not to defeat the monsters, but to train them. The sight of her risking her life to tame deadly monsters inspired awe, respect, and excitement in the citizens. Unpredictable events unfolded one after another, causing their palms to sweat countless times.

The roars of monsters, the host's commentary amplified by magic stone artifacts, and the shouts of the audience—the enthusiasm in the venue continued to rise without end.

"here we go……"

Seeing the unprecedentedly grand scene at the venue, Eina murmured to herself.

While waiting outside the arena, she felt the sounds and vibrations coming from inside with her skin, and looked back at the building behind her.

Currently, Eina and the other guild staff have been assigned to various areas of the arena. Their main tasks are managing and guiding the audience into the arena and providing support to the Ganesha Familia.

The Monster Festival wasn't just a whim of the gods. While the event was hosted by the Ganesha Familia, who had agreed to assist, the initiative itself was ultimately initiated by the Guild.

(Although I shouldn't have had this thought... how did I even come up with the idea of ​​organizing such an event?)

Holding a monster festival was the idea of ​​the guild's higher-ups. As a lower-ranking member of the organization, Eina had no right to interfere, but she still felt somewhat uncomfortable with it.

Even without the danger of a city-level city, bringing monsters from the dungeon to the surface is hardly something to be encouraged. At least, Eina would feel some resistance. She believes that if the labyrinth city is to be managed and its peace further celebrated, all potential dangers, regardless of size, should be eliminated.

Monsters are terrifying beings.

Surely they weren't trying to use this celebration to emphasize their friendly relationship with monsters. Venturing into dangerous territory for the sake of entertainment would be putting the cart before the horse—yes, at least from the guild's perspective, that's what Eina thought.

"And... bread and circus, huh? That's really jarring."

"Huh? Eina, did you say something?"

When her colleagues overheard her talking to herself, Eina shook her head with a wry smile, indicating that it was nothing.

Orario, being a city, boasts numerous "Familia" and adventurers. While this sounds impressive, the adventurers are, in reality, mostly brutes and outlaws. In fact, their barbarity and rudeness often clash with ordinary citizens, causing dissatisfaction among the populace regarding public order.

From the guild's perspective, if they want to efficiently recoup the profits from the magic stones produced in the dungeons, they naturally have to support the adventurers who venture into the labyrinths. Therefore, from an objective standpoint, even if some people believe that the Monster Festival is a way for citizens to turn a blind eye to the city's operations, there's nothing they can do about it.

Just two days before this event, she was slandered in the Tower of Babel, and even Eina herself heard it.

(Anyway, I just hope nothing goes wrong...)

She always gets incredibly nervous around the time of the monster festival. She becomes neurotic until the festival ends. Or is it that her thinking is too rigid?

Looking at her friend and colleague beside her, who kept saying, "I really want to go too," Eina pressed her finger to her forehead and fell into deep thought.

"Not here either..."

"Maybe they've already entered the arena?"

(……Um?)

A familiar face entered Eina's field of vision. It was Bell.

He looked around the outer perimeter of the arena, as if searching for someone. Beside him was likely the chief deity of the [Familia]. Eina glanced briefly at the staff holding their posts behind her, deciding that a short absence wouldn't be a problem, and then walked towards the young adventurer she was responsible for.

"Bell".

"Oh, Miss Eina?"

"Who is this half-elf lady, Bell?"

Eina gave Bell a wry smile before bowing to Hestia beside him.

"My name is Eina Zul, and I am an employee of the Guild Affairs Department. I am honored to serve as Mr. Bell Crane's dungeon exploration advisor. It's a pleasure to meet you, Goddess Hestia."

"Ah, is that so? Belle usually gets taken care of by you."

After finishing her self-introduction, Hestia waved her hand as if suddenly realizing something. As Eina bowed her head again in feigned surprise, Bell seized the opportunity to ask a question.

"What are you doing here, Miss Eina?"

"Since the guild was also involved in the festival preparations, I'm here to help set up the venue. I'm in charge of guiding the audience. Is Bell here to watch the event too?"

"No, I'm looking for someone... Um, have you seen someone wearing a waitress uniform... They probably wouldn't be here in that uniform. Have you seen a human girl who looks like she doesn't have any money?"

"Hmm—I don't think I saw it."

Hearing his strange and specific description, Eina couldn't help but smile wryly. Bell also said, "I think so," and scratched his head in some confusion.

There's a small entrance fee to the arena, so the person Bell is looking for who didn't bring a wallet is unlikely to be inside. Eina explained this to Bell, and he nodded to indicate he understood.

"Then, I'll take another look around this area. Maybe I'll just pass her by."

"Okay, if I see her, I'll ask her to wait here. If I can't find her, then come back and check again."

After bowing his thanks, Bell was about to leave, but Hestia, who was with him, stared at Eina and refused to move.

While Eina was still puzzled, she slowly spoke.

"By the way, Ms. Consultant."

"Yes, what is it?"

"You didn't use your position to flirt with Belle, did you...?"

At first, Eina didn't understand what the other person was saying and stood there speechless.

When she finally realized that Hestia, who was staring at her, was asking a serious question, her lips twitched silently.

"I... I think I've managed to separate public and private matters..."

"Yes, I believe you."

Hestia gently patted Eina's arm twice, nodding seriously.

Then, she walked away with a bewildered Bell.

Thinking that she might have been warned, Eina sweated as she watched the two figures disappear from sight.

With a slight headache and a lingering sense of unease, Eina returned to her colleagues.

"Seriously, what are those people doing?"

"We can complain later, just send the men over quickly."

"...?"

A commotion rippled through the staff.

The unusual atmosphere from before surprised Eina.

"Excuse me, what happened?"

"Ah, I heard that several employees waiting at the West Gate fainted."

“Eh…”

"Ah—no, they're still conscious. It's just that those guys are sitting on the ground like their legs are weak and they can't get up... Sigh, they probably drank too much yesterday. They don't seem to be able to do anything, so we need to send someone to relieve them."

The orc male employee helplessly put his hand behind his head.

Eina felt inexplicably uneasy after hearing what he said. An unpleasant sense of tension crept up her spine.

(Am I just being too neurotic...?)

Listening to the sounds of cheers and screams from the audience, she looked up at the enormous arena standing before her.

It was as if a monster howled from the depths of the earth, clinging tightly to Eina's eardrums.

❧

This is a dark and damp place with insufficient lighting.

Only one magic stone lamp remained hanging from the ceiling; the others were extinguished, casting shadows in every corner of the room. Square wooden crates were scattered everywhere, giving the surroundings a cluttered impression. Weapons and various other items leaned against the walls.

In the dimly lit space that at first glance resembled a warehouse, there were several "cages." Many monsters, chained together, were imprisoned inside, and the sound of metal scraping against metal could be heard frequently. Dog-like monsters stuck their noses into the gaps between the iron bars, baring their teeth and howling.

The large room located in the basement. It's the arena's backstage area, or in other words, the monsters' waiting room.

According to procedure, the monster, along with its cage, will be brought from here to the center of the arena by the person in charge. Once on the ground, the monster's restraints will be released, and it will then engage in battle with the tamer in the central arena.

The thunderous cheers of the audience echoed from afar.

"What are you guys doing? The next show is about to start! Why haven't you brought the monster up yet?!"

Accompanied by sharp footsteps, the door to the large room was flung open. Female members of the Ganesha Familia stormed into the room, their faces contorted with rage.

She was the team leader in charge of the backstage operations for the festival. With the performance time fast approaching and the monster still not brought up, she was so anxious that she jumped up and down and rushed over to check on the situation.

However, no one answered her angry voice.

"Wh...hey, hey, what's wrong!"

The scene inside the room was that all of his companions were sitting on the floor, unable to get up.