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

"Sakura is the leader, we can't send him away..."

In other words, only fate can save you, but—

Would she be willing to join another [Family]...?

My fate is truly too deeply in love with the Takemikazuchi Familia.

She is inherently loyal, and to some extent, changing her nationality could easily be seen as an act of betrayal against Sakura and the others. Could she really do such a thing? Besides, Takemikazuchi and the others have a mission to fight for their homeland in the Far East—in other words, to send money back—and they can't abandon this responsibility.

"Even if I manage to persuade her, well... besides, to be honest, this is my own idea to help Hestia and the others... no, but... ooh ...

Kenji stopped pacing around the room, put his hands behind his head, and stared at the ceiling.

Just as he was agonizing over his actions, which were contrary to what one would expect of a god, he heard a knock at the door.

"Takemikazuchi, my fate rests here... Is it convenient to disturb you now?"

Upon hearing the message, Takemikazuchi jumped up with a "Whoa!?"

Fate seemed to take his strange cry as a promise, saying "Excuse me" before entering the room.

"...? What happened?"

"No, no! Nothing at all! Don't worry about it."

She tilted her head, and Kenjiro coughed lightly.

The male god pretended to be calm, but inside he was in a panic, so he kept silent; and fate, like the main god, remained silent with a sorrowful expression.

Her long, black hair was tied up as usual. However, her usually ramrod-straight back seemed to lack a certain commanding presence, perhaps due to psychological factors. Her beautiful, bluish-purple eyes also seemed uneasy.

The two faced each other, and for a while, neither of them spoke.

After a long pause, Takemikazuchi decided to disregard everything else and resolutely began to speak:

"—Uh, fate..."

"—Takemikazuchi!"

Their words overlapped at exactly the same moment.

Both of them were startled. "You, you go first..." "Uh, no, you go first..." They kept arguing like this for a long time.

In the end, fate has to yield first.

After saying "Then...", she stared intently into the eyes of the supreme deity.

The next moment, she performed a "dogeza" (a deep bowing gesture).

I'm so sorry!!

“What, what happened?”

Seeing the figure of the person kneeling and kowtowing, Kengo Rai panicked.

She lowered her face and uttered the next sentence:

"Please allow me to join Mr. Bell and his group!"

Upon hearing this request, Takemikazuchi stared in astonishment.

"I once drove them to the brink of death, yet I have not been able to atone for my sins! I also made a promise with him to help each other!"

Then, his voice was earnest, and his whole body trembled.

"This time, I truly cannot abandon them again..."

Seeing the girl reveal her innermost thoughts, Takemikazuchi, who was originally stunned, was shocked.

Slowly, I relaxed the tension in my body.

(So ​​we were all thinking about the same thing...)

He realized he hadn't understood the girl's feelings, even though they'd known each other for quite some time. He was truly useless.

Takemikazuchi smiled wryly, then quickly revealed a gentle smile.

He exhaled, and his shoulder swayed slightly.

As the supreme god, he looked up at the ceiling and whispered:

"A year...that's a long time."

Ming suddenly raised his head.

This is the rule of the [Family]. Those who change factions must wait a year before they can "convert" again.

Ming understood the unspoken meaning behind those muttered words, and his expression visibly brightened.

"As the saying goes, 'haste makes waste.' Let's go to Hestia and learn all sorts of new things that we don't have here, and then come back to us."

"--yes!"

Takemikazuchi smiled at her, then changed to a kneeling position and slammed her fist into her palm.

In anticipation of her return, the girl entrusted the [Family] emblem to the chief god for safekeeping.

Wa·Ming - Joined the Hestia Familia.

◆

"..."

Hephaestus looked down at a short sword placed on the table.

This is a branch of the Hephaestus Familia located on Northwest Avenue. She wasn't working in her office. She stopped what she was doing and simply stared at the weapon.

This short sword was crafted by a child with a troubled background. At the time, his skills were not yet mature and there were some rough parts, but his passion (heart) alone made him a capable craftsman, and this sword seemed to be infused with his will—it had a kind of "passion" that attracted the user.

Hephaestus gazed at the sword's gleaming blade when a knock came at the door.

"Come in."

She opened the shelf on her desk and put away the short sword that had been sheathed.

Hephaestus let the other person in, and the door opened, revealing a young man dressed in a kimono—Welf.

"What's the matter?"

When Hephaestus asked, he stepped forward without saying a word.

With a desk between them, Welf knelt down in front of her.

"I've come to say goodbye."

He closed his eyes and said.

"Please allow me to join the Hestia Familia."

That was not a plea, but a declaration made out of a long-established will.

Once he leaves the guild, he can no longer call himself a blacksmith of "Hephaestus". Having finally climbed to the position of a high-ranking blacksmith, which he had long dreamed of, and gained the right to be engraved with the [ΗΦαιστΟS] mark, he would rather give up these honors and leave the side of the goddess (Hephaestus).

Hephaestus asked calmly:

Do you think I would allow such willful behavior?

"If I don't choose to leave now, my beloved goddess will surely scold me."

Welf answered immediately.

Hephaestus, her expression unchanged, asked again:

"Didn't you want to make everyone connected to your bloodline look at you in a new light and forge a weapon that surpasses the 'Demon Sword'?"

"As long as you have a hammer, iron, and a burning passion (flame), you can forge weapons anywhere. You're the one who told me that."

Even if I leave the goddess's (your) side, I will definitely make a name for myself and one day reach the highest realm.

Welf answered without hesitation once again.

What exactly drives you?

Faced with the final question, Welf looked up and smiled.

"For my friends."

Hearing his assertion, Hephaestus couldn't help but smile.

"Okay. I'll agree."

Hephaestus stood up and walked toward the shelf where several hummers were displayed.

She picked up a red hammer that matched the color of her hair and eyes.

She walked up to Welf, who was kneeling, and held the hammer in front of him.

"This is a farewell gift. Take it."

When Hephaestus, who presented the blacksmith's soul (avatar) to send him on his journey, Wilf smiled again and bowed deeply.

"Thank you for taking care of me."

He turned his back to the goddess, his black kimono casual clothes swaying in the breeze.

Welf left the room with unwavering steps, heading towards the goddess he revered.

Welf Crozo – Joins the Hestia Familia.

◆

"...That's the situation. Could you please help me out again?"

Hermes observed the other person's expression and asked.

A separate room outside the tavern "The Abundant Mistress". In this wooden building where the tavern's staff lived and worked, the elf Ryu sighed as she faced Hermes, who was smiling wryly.

"Hermies, the god, have you mistaken me for someone who runs the Yorozuya (Odd Jobs) shop?"

"I'm sorry!! But please, just consider it helping Bell for Seele's sake!"

"Please don't try to pressure me with Seele at a time like this..."

"I'm so sorry, Ryu..."

"Seele, you don't need to apologize."

At this moment, in Ryu's room were Ryu herself, Hermes, and Seele.

With the war game starting in a few days, Hermes, who was recognized as a special case for this assistance system, didn't seek help from anyone else but went directly to Ryu for help.

The conditions for utilizing this system are limited to members of a "familia" originating from outside the city—that is, those who receive the "blessing" of the gods outside the city. Since Ryu's chief deity, the goddess Astraea, is currently residing in the land outside the city and is still alive, she meets the conditions.

Hermes felt guilty for forcing Bell and Hestia into this disadvantageous situation of siege warfare, so he couldn't help but side with them and said, "Please!" while pleading with Ryu with his hands clasped together.

"Once they participate in the war game and see how I fight, some people will probably discover my true identity."

"Don't worry about that. Before the war starts, I'll spread the word that you're from outside the city. I'll make sure no one knows you're a tavern clerk."

The masked adventurer, [Swiftwind], who was placed on the list of dangerous individuals due to past events, still harbors resentment towards some. Ryu expresses concern that her identity and the organization she currently belongs to might be discovered, and Hermes immediately offers a solution.

Ryu sighed again.

"I'm going to get scolded by Mia's mom again."

In any case, this former adventurer of the elven race could not abandon the boy (Bell), so he agreed to Hermes' request.

She picked up a cylindrical backpack and a wooden knife that were placed in a corner of the simple room.

"I'll forge the assistance permits (documents) submitted to the guild. Little Ryu, do you have a [Family] badge?"

"Yes, but please don't lose it."

With a "Okay," Hermes accepted the badge engraved with the sword of justice and wings.

Finally, Liu took the cloak from Xier who walked to his side.

"Good luck, Ryu. I'll try to put in a good word for her with Mom."

"Thank you, Seele."

After a soft laugh, Ryu picked up the strap and slung the backpack over her shoulder.

She left the tavern alone, watched by Hermes and Seele.

Ryu Rion – Participating in the War Game.

◆