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

"Maybe I should accept his proposal," Lily murmured to herself, her heart filled with conflicting emotions.

It's already a certainty that there's no possibility of a positive outcome for the boy's feelings.

Since that's the case, she thought she might be able to accept the marriage proposal from the warrior of her clan.

Bell said he "would never allow himself to be unhappy," and that statement must be true. Just by meeting him in person, Lily could feel his honesty and magnanimity. Even from the perspective of status and wealth, any woman who could marry Finn Dimna would surely be happy.

Such a wonderful marriage won't happen again; it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Although she can't leave her faction without informing the gods, as long as she dedicates herself to him, she'll surely... be free from suffering and live a happy life.

Perhaps one day I will be able to let go of this feeling for the boy.

"...Please allow Lily to ask a question."

After repeating the question and answer to herself, Lily murmured softly.

She slowly raised her head, gazing into Finn's blue eyes with her chestnut-brown eyes.

Why did you choose Lily?

It's just a question.

To be honest, I lack manners and have done some unethical things—like theft.

Lily didn't think she was good enough for Finn and asked him what he thought.

"Didn't Bell Craney tell you? I'm fascinated by your 'courage'."

"Speaking of 'courage,' other members of our race should also possess it, like those even more formidable than Lily..."

"Perhaps so, but great strength and 'courage' are not synonymous. You know your weakness, yet you possess the willpower to fight against adversity. I also remember what happened on the 18th floor; you, like the great ancestor Fiana, were able to stand up for others, making you an admirable member of the Palum race."

Hearing Finn speak frankly and without embellishment about his inner thoughts, Lily's cheeks flushed instantly.

The unvarnished praise momentarily shook her, but she immediately shook her head.

"...You flatter Lily too much. Lily isn't such a remarkable little person. Since you're an adventurer too, you must have heard of it, right? There's this 'dishonest little person' who stole from his fellow adventurers."

"I've heard of it."

"That was all Lily's doing. Lily has been setting traps for adventurers and stealing their valuables for a long time. That's right, if Lily doesn't like someone, she'll even kill them. So, Lily is a complete scoundrel—"

"The existence of rumors means that the victims are not dead and the news can be spread. I also checked the incidents involving our own kind, and the victimized adventurers are all still alive."

"..."

Upon hearing Lily confess her bad deeds, Finn firmly stated, "You didn't kill anyone."

Lily lowered her head again.

She desperately wanted to say "no." Having been exploited by others for years, she sometimes really wanted to kill those adventurers.

However, those adventurers were simply too troublesome.

Adventurers whose belongings have been stolen can truly exhibit the vitality of pests.

So, Lily just couldn't kill them, she just couldn't handle them.

She simply changed her mind. If she wanted revenge, she only needed to make them suffer and regret it. It would be a waste to kill them all at once.

Lily—she's just too naive.

"It's actually quite endearing to rob people without taking their lives. Perhaps I'm influenced by the vices of this labyrinthine city of Orario... But I'm not a god. I have no intention of punishing you, nor do I have any interest in doing so."

Finn said it sarcastically, but then smiled and told her:

I'm looking at you as you are now.

"..."

"And you now possess an important quality that our race has lost."

Finn looked at Lily with obvious respect in his blue eyes.

*

"Lily... hasn't come back."

I was in the headquarters living room, muttering to myself.

Last night, after Lily ran away, I searched for her everywhere for a long time but couldn't find her, so I had to go back to the mansion.

I clung to a sliver of hope, telling myself she would come back in the morning, and kept waiting... pointlessly wasting time until now.

"She really went to see Mr. Finn...?"

Lily said she was going to see Mr. Finn, and today was the designated day for their meeting.

While Welf and Miss Fate were preparing breakfast in the grand dining room... I was troubled for a long time, and finally went to find a fairy.

I knocked on the door of the shrine on the third floor of the mansion, and a voice inside replied, "It's alright to come in."

"Ah, Bell. I heard from Haruhime and the others that the Supporter is missing. Do you know anything about it?"

I was speechless for a moment.

The fairy, who was preparing to work at the potato ball shop, turned around and asked me this question as I walked into the room. My gaze lingered for a while before I finally told her, with a helpless expression, what had happened last night.

I told the deity everything and asked her for advice. After listening, she sighed.

The immortal closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

"Bell, you—you must be overthinking things, concerned about Miss Supporter's happiness, which is why you haven't taken action, right?"

"!"

Hearing her criticism, I suddenly looked up.

I cannot deny that Lily has experienced the same hardships as the Soma Familia and lived an unhappy life. I don't want to say that I sympathize with her, but I sincerely hope that she can find happiness.

But if it's Mr. Finn... he said he "would never let Lily be unhappy," and I can't help but think: maybe he could make Lily happy.

If it were that first-level adventurer who is stronger and far more powerful than me.

Lily also said that the little man was much more handsome and amazing than me, if it were him.

...I felt that as a nobody, I couldn't do anything by interrupting.

"Let me make this clear first: if Miss Supporter... Lily Luca wants to leave the group, I won't stop her, okay?"

「!?」

The deity seemed to read my mind and said this.

Deep down, I actually hoped that the deity, who was the chief god, could persuade Lily to stay, but her tone sounded like she was blaming me.

"And this way, I'll have one less rival in love..."

I was stunned and didn't hear the fairy muttering to herself. Then she looked up.

"Bell, your strange concern is probably just being nosy to Miss Supporter. I think that child will definitely say that her happiness is her own decision."

"what……"

"If I were in Miss Supporter's shoes... I would be really hurt if you tried to set me up like that."

The deity spoke to me with a gentle expression, his tone both reproachful and amused.

"If Miss Supporter just leaves like this, Belle, don't you care?"

"I...I will..."

"You should be a little more willful."

I stood there, stunned, watching her smile through her mysterious, blue eyes...

The next instant, he clenched his fist tightly.

"—Sorry! I'm skipping breakfast!!"

I turned my back to the deity and ran away.

Looking back, I saw the fairy watching me with a gentle smile, and that's how I rushed out of the fairy's room and headquarters.

"...Sigh, being a god is really a disadvantage."

Hestia watched Bell leave, sighing that she had helped the enemy.

Although he said that, a smile was on his face.

*

"Hey, Ais, listen to me! I heard Finn's going on a blind date!"

Upon hearing the sound, Ais turned around and was immediately hugged from behind.

The narrow corridor of the Loki Familia headquarters, inside the long residence.

In the hallway where several room doors faced each other, the Amazonian girl Tiona ran over and excitedly put her arms around Ais's shoulders.

"Finn...?"

"Hmm! I was walking down the hallway yesterday when I overheard Finn and Riveria talking in the office—!?"

Ais opened her golden eyes wide, and after a rare look of astonishment appeared on her face, Tiona nodded excitedly.

"He even went out wearing glasses this morning, and I saw him!? He must be going on a blind date! Ah~! I wonder what kind of person Finn will bring to headquarters!?"

Tiona suddenly jumped around, shouting and leaping.

Ais was hugged from behind, her whole body swaying back and forth with her back. "Hmm..." she gently raised her chin.

Who would have thought that the Lilliputian leader would go on a blind date? Ais was thinking this when—

"—What were you talking about earlier?"

A chilling voice rang out.

""ah.""

The female warrior standing behind them made Ais and Tiona freeze in place.

*

"The exaggerated nickname 'Hero' was something I insisted on asking Loki to give me, so she could give me a title that conveyed that feeling."

A corner of "The Secret House of the Little People".

Surrounded by a noisy multitude of little people, Finn and Lily continued their conversation.

Finn said that he had negotiated with the chief god to ask her to bestow upon him the name "Hero" at the "Gathering of the Gods," a ceremony for naming adventurers' nicknames, which made Lily unable to hide her surprise.

He cut off his own escape route, forcing himself to become the leader of the Lilliputians.

"I must revive my race no matter what, for the sake of my future brethren. For this... I truly need an heir."

Finn explained his will and the necessity of a partner to the speechless Lily.

Orphaned shortly after birth and focused solely on survival, Lily had no obligation to worship the goddess Fiana and knew little about her. Her knowledge was similar to that of other races; she only knew that the goddess Fiana was of paramount importance to her people.

However, Lily, who didn't understand at first, understood everything after hearing the person in front of her explain the hope that replaced the goddess Fiana and the importance of "courage".

Moreover, Lily also realized how much effort he had put into this.

"...Lord Finn, don't you have a woman you like?"

By the time she came to her senses, Lily had already asked the question.

Because Finn seemed to be suppressing himself for the sake of his clan, she couldn't help but ask.

Finn looked a little surprised when Lily asked him that question.

"...There was a very troublesome girl who was infatuated with me."

A moment later, he gave a wry smile.

"She's always creating trouble for me, making me very tired... But when she's not around, sometimes it feels like something's missing. Maybe I'm too influenced by her?"

The smile on her lips was still a bitter one, but Lily thought it looked very gentle.

"—However, I have no interest in the happiness of ordinary people. No, I should say that if I did, all my efforts so far would have been in vain."

Finn's expression changed as he said this.

Like a knight who has made a vow, her beautiful blue eyes shimmered like the surface of a lake.

It's all for the sake of the clan.

Seeing his selfless and dedicated attitude towards life, Lily, who was also a dwarf, was deeply moved and could not help but be touched.