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

Page 27

But besides that, I think I must be secretly hoping for something. Hoping for the warmth of family.

I long for the bond that the gods will bestow upon me, a bond called family.

I long to have a home.

"So, please, let me... protect my family (the gods)."

You can't protect her, yet you say such things. No, it's precisely because you can't protect her that you reveal this wish.

During this brief exchange, the deity kept his eyes wide open, staring at me, and finally revealed a distressed expression.

"...Please leave here quickly and seek assistance."

"...Bell!"

After saying that last sentence, I stood up.

The deity looked up at me with his eyebrows twisted in sorrow.

"...It's alright. Even the gods know how high my 'agility' is, don't they?"

I made a boast at the end and smiled at her.

The calls of the immortals came from behind me several times, but I did not turn around.

I'm sorry, I apologize to her again in a trembling voice for my powerlessness and weakness.

"...!"

I rubbed my face vigorously with my arms and went back the way I came, walking back to the crossroads.

The monster hadn't arrived yet. While keeping an eye on what was above me, I reached into my pouch. I took out the elixir bearing the mark of the [Mih Familia]—a test tube—and drank the azure solution inside in one gulp.

Fatigue vanished instantly. Strength was restored, and I felt full of energy.

The pain throughout my body has also lessened considerably.

"Rua!"

The silverback apes ran from one end of the passage towards this side.

This time I walked onto the main road at the intersection and turned around.

"Hmm...?"

"Come on, I'm over here."

Unable to find the deity, the monster was utterly bewildered. I shouted a provocative challenge.

The monster paused for a moment in the middle of the intersection, glancing at the passage on its right. I held my breath for a split second.

"...Gaa ...

(very good!)

Once I confirmed that the silverback ape was coming my way, I started running.

Daedalus Road was indeed complicated. Most passageways and staircases were mixed together, giving the illusion of wandering along the same road. My sense of direction was getting increasingly off.

During my escape, I saw bright red lines drawn on the walls everywhere. They read "Ariadne," probably written by the local residents. It seemed that following the arrows would lead to the exit of the maze. Even a god could easily escape if they found this signpost.

Conversely, simply heading in the direction indicated by the arrow will lead to the deepest level of Daedalus Road. If the monsters can be lured there, the safety of the gods can be greatly ensured.

Having received the pointer, I decided to follow this signpost for the time being.

(.......)

Multiple gazes are looking down at us.

From the shadows of the road in the distance, and from the small windows of houses, several pairs of eyes held their breath, spying on my and the monster's movements from various places. The residents here seemed to be very afraid of that monster.

(Who exactly is this person...?)

While I feel guilty for bringing trouble into this, I also sense a gaze I can't ignore.

Unlike other gazes that convey a mixture of fear and desire, this gaze was utterly unforgiving.

This person has been watching me exclusively for a long time. The sensation of being licked on the skin, a feeling I'd experienced before, forcefully drew my attention.

I was being monitored, no, it was more like I was being "observed"...

An indescribable chill rose in my throat, and I covered my mouth with my hand.

“Gurgle!”

“Ouch!”

Just before I was about to run out of the passage, I couldn't avoid the silverback ape's attack from above and fell onto the stone floor. I rolled several times until I reached a somewhat open oval space.

A crudely made fountain stands in the center, spouting blue water. This space, with its countless passageways converging at one point, has the atmosphere of a leisure plaza.

"Garuaaaaah!"

"!"

Anyone could see at a glance that the silverback ape was extremely excited, perhaps because it was impatient to find the immortal, and launched an even more intense attack on me.

Unexpectedly, it used the chains attached to its two wrists to start whipping itself like a whip.

It shattered the ground and scraped the walls. So fast. It was like a storm.

The terrifying howling wind, tearing through the atmosphere with brute force, struck me several times. I was unable to concentrate on any movement other than dodging.

The iron whip wielded with exaggerated wrist strength can only be described as ferocious.

"——!"

He was eventually caught.

A blow aimed at the head. Accompanied by a tearing bark, the chain swung straight down, about to strike me squarely.

I held the dagger to my face and managed to deflect the attack, but the shockwave still pierced through my entire body.

As I saw the red sparks flash in my vision, the next moment, my body suddenly fell to the side.

"Ah, oh...!"

I used my trembling arms to prop myself up, my upper body pressed against the ground. My body wouldn't obey me, and I couldn't get up for a long time.

As expected, I couldn't win. I was no match for it at all.

Looking down at the stone-paved ground in my field of vision, I felt a deep sense of pain and regret.

I slowly raised my head and saw the silverback ape growling by the fountain. It was probably trying to deliver the final blow; it gripped the chains, making a clanging metallic sound.

I don't want to die. I really don't want to die. But a part of my mind has already given up.

My body is completely powerless, and the worst part is that I'm about to run out of energy. My neck feels like it's about to break.

I don't know if the immortals escaped safely. That's what I'm worried about.

(By the way, that was also the case back then...)

It's the same feeling.

That's how that person arrived.

Miss Wallenstein saved me in this way.

But this time, I don't think she'll come to save me. I'm reluctant to leave, hoping to see her one more time, but at the same time, I feel relieved. Because I don't want her to see me looking so bad again.

The current situation made the scene from before seem like an illusion, suddenly appearing before my eyes. I lowered my head.

"Bell!"

“——”

Time paused.

The voice that burst into my blank consciousness grabbed my heart.

I looked up. My vision returned to normal. The scene that came into view left me feeling lost and bewildered.

Someone came to save me. This time it wasn't that person, but it was someone I cherish very much.

The panting goddess Hestia is watching me.

How could this be? Why? Why did you come?

I couldn't put the emotions welling up inside me into concrete form; my mind was completely overwhelmed by that sentence.

"Ugh..."

“——”

And things are heading in the worst possible direction.

The silverback ape finally spotted the object it had been searching for. Its expression changed, and its target shifted from me to the deity. Its wide eyes remained fixed in place.

The silverback ape approached the breathless immortal, and then in the next instant, it pushed off with its feet and charged towards her.

"immortal!"

I run.

Run beyond your limits.

I suppressed my wounded body, which was groaning uncontrollably, and in an instant, I rushed across the distance between us.

Just as the monster's iron arm was about to touch the goddess, my hand embraced that slender body.

"!"

The monster's colossal body swept past my field of vision at close range, and at the same time, I and the immortal rushed into a passage.

Rushing in recklessly caused us to stumble and fall on the path leading out of the square. Before we could even think, we tumbled down the long, wide, and steep steps leading up to the path.

The screams accumulated in his mouth but could not be uttered, and the world that came into view spun around dozens of times.

"...God, God, God, are you alright!"

"Ah, um, I'm fine..."

With a particularly strong impact, I was thrown onto the flat stone slab, and despite the pain, I confirmed that the deity was unharmed. The deity, who had also fallen to the ground like me, was dizzy and disoriented, but still answered me clearly in a dazed tone.

After a brief moment of relief, I immediately raised my voice.

"How did you end up here! I told you time and time again to go to safety! All my efforts have been for nothing...!"

The fairy's clothes were soaked with sweat. It's not hard to imagine that she must have searched all over Daedalus Road afterward to find me.

Did you predict my movements and run along the road signs, or did you arrive at that place based on eyewitness accounts from the residents of this area (the maze street) who witnessed me escaping the monster?

Why go to such lengths? My heart was filled with mixed emotions, and my voice almost rose in pitch.

"...I just can't do anything with you, kid."

For someone like me, she's like a goddess.

She lifted her slightly dirty face, wiped her cheeks with her arm, and smiled gently at me.

"How could I possibly abandon you and run away?"

"...!"

"You want to protect me? Then I'll return those words to you verbatim."

Moreover, the deity continued.

Speaking only through mouth movements:

Didn't you already agree with me?

"--ah."

I remembered.