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

A strange fortune-telling stall tucked away in a back alley, a small flower shop run by demi-human girls without any familiars, a potato ball shop in an unexpected location. Adventurers have all gone to explore the dungeons; there are hardly any of them on the streets. I turned and gazed at the scene around the corner, acutely aware of how utterly ignorant I was of Orario.

The labyrinth city is vast.

From industrial areas to bustling districts, and more recently, the red-light district, the massive city walls contain numerous districts.

I've been in Orario for three months now, but there's still a lot of scenery I haven't seen. Just strolling around the streets like this has led to many new discoveries, though that's partly because I love going to the dungeons.

Because of the sunny weather, I mainly walked on the main streets and in the back alleys, feeling cheerful.

Unfamiliar people, unfamiliar place, unfamiliar scent.

I'm filled with excitement as I fully enjoy this holiday.

I splurged a little and bought some kebabs from a roadside vendor. The orc vendor exclaimed, "Aren't you the 'rising star'?!" and gave me an extra kebab.

I felt a little shy, but also incredibly happy, and I smiled shyly while holding the meat skewers in both hands.

"call……"

With my mouth slightly smudged by meat juices, I ate some meat skewers to fill my stomach and then sat down on a wooden bench in the corner of the central square.

The city center, adorned with greenery and fountains, was bustling with people. My eyes gazed up at the towering Babel skyscraper directly in front of me. The white-walled behemoth reached straight to the clear, pristine sky, its celestial tower inspiring awe once again.

What should have been a common sight looked somewhat different today.

"Um……?"

A little while later, the warm weather made me doze off on the wooden bench.

A girl, mixed in with many demi-humans, entered my hazy vision.

The swaying light gray hair made my eyes react instantly.

"Miss Seele?"

Because I had said those things at the bar just a few hours earlier, I leaned forward.

A clean white dress and a straw hat.

It wasn't her usual shop assistant uniform, but a cool outfit with an early summer vibe, giving me a fresh and lovely impression, even making me forget what to say.

Miss Seele came from the south-southwest side of the city, passing directly by the corner of the central square and heading towards the main east street. I, who was sitting on a wooden bench on the north side of the square, stood up as if drawn by her disappearing down the street.

The conversation between Miss Anya, Miss Chloe, Miss Lunova, and Miss Ryu flashed through my mind.

After hesitating for a while, I couldn't resist my curiosity and followed behind Miss Seele.

My sleepiness had completely vanished, and I stepped into East Street.

"Where is Miss Seele going...?"

I passed by a carriage traveling in the middle of the road, chasing the silhouette of a woman in a white dress and with light gray hair.

A distinctive feature of the eastern part of the city is the abundance of guild-managed facilities and hotels. With massive buildings like the amphitheater and luxurious red-brick hotels towering in the distance, this area is perhaps more geared towards festival-goers or travelers.

Miss Seele carried a large rattan basket in both hands, which was covered with a lid.

Is something being moved somewhere...? Just as I was thinking this, Miss Seele turned a corner from the main road and entered a side road.

I chased after her as she headed southeast, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far, and hurriedly ran onto the same road.

(Strange, this road...)

I walked for a while in the familiar, narrow back alleys.

After several turns, my premonition came true.

"Daedalus Road...?"

As I stepped out of the path, the maze-like street unfolded before my eyes, making them widen in surprise.

"Daedalus Road" is a sprawling residential area that has been reorganized several times by a designer known as "the eccentric," resulting in a loss of order. Stone buildings, staircases, and alleyways intertwine, creating a solemn atmosphere that can be described as a labyrinthine underground city existing on the surface.

As I stood there dumbfounded, Miss Seele walked straight into the entrance of the maze street.

Now that we're already here... there's no turning back.

I have no fond memories of this place, and I felt quite embarrassed, but I still made up my mind.

As I walked into Daedalus Road, I checked to make sure that the Goddess Blade was still properly tucked into my waistband.

This was, after all, a slum inhabited by the urban poor—plus some things that had happened to me personally—after confirming the feel of my self-defense weapon, I stepped into the maze-like street made of blackened bricks and stone slabs.

(What is Miss Seele doing here...?)

First, the stairs extend upwards, then protruding buildings and rooms block the way. In the dark, narrow, and complex path where sunlight cannot reach, the light of old magic stone lamps shines. Along the messy road, one can see street residents whose clothes are not very neat—washing clothes by the well or playing chess on the roadside.

Ahead, I saw Miss Seele seemingly treating this place like her own backyard, weaving through the complex network of roads, which raised my questions. I'd heard that this slum area was frequented by lawless adventurers, making it one of the more dangerous districts in the city. It seemed dangerous, or perhaps more accurately, incredibly careless, for a girl who wasn't a member of a Celestial [Familiar] to wander around here alone…

Ignoring my questions, Miss Seele carried her basket and walked briskly forward.

Monster Philia and the events of the brothel district had left me completely lost in this labyrinthine area. Frankly, I was confident I couldn't find my way out alone. I repeatedly checked the road signs painted with bright red arrows on the wall, my unease barely amplified. I couldn't afford to lose Miss Seele now. My face twitched as I desperately chased after her.

Then, after walking around in all directions, I found myself on several different paths.

Miss Seele finally stopped in front of a building.

(--church?)

The deserted building nestled deep within the labyrinthine streets is a "church," which reminded me of the headquarters where I used to live with the goddess Hestia.

It was a large wooden church with a wide, dry square in front of it, where a broken fountain had appeared. The church itself seemed to be embedded in the surrounding buildings. I peeked out from the exit of the path I had come from and saw Miss Seele push open the door, making a creaking sound, and go into the church.

"..."

I never expected there would be a church in a place like this... I came to the front of the building and stared at it in a daze.

Seeing several broken windows upstairs, I hesitated for a long time, wasting time, before finally making up my mind and reaching out to push the door open.

I pushed open the old wooden door, said "Excuse me..." and walked into the church.

"Wow, it's huge!?"

I was surprised to see that the interior of the church was even deeper than it appeared from the outside.

Along the walls, which were about ten meters wide, were several doors leading to the room, and the altar could be seen in the distance ahead. Several floor tiles were broken, and weeds grew rampant. The ceiling was also very high, almost making me think that this truly lived up to its name as Daedalus, the labyrinthine city.

There were several long wooden chairs around, stacked like building blocks.

"I always feel..."

It looks like a child's secret hideout.

I glanced sideways at the mountain of chairs piled up like a fortress, thinking to myself as I walked, wondering where Miss Seele had gone... Just then, I sensed a presence.

Having been an adventurer trained in dungeons, I sensed "that" and reacted before even hearing a sound, turning around.

On my right as I walked toward the altar, someone peeked out from a door in the wall.

"……Who are you?"

He was a blonde elf child with a blank expression.

"Ah...uh, well, I'm not a suspicious person! I...I'm here to find someone..."

"Looking for someone...?"

As I realized I was trespassing and stammered an explanation to a small child, the elf child emerged from behind the door.

Somewhat dull blonde hair, with small, pointed ears.

So they weren't elves after all, but a half-human, half-human hybrid race?

The little elf stared at me intently at first, then walked towards me with small, quick steps, completely unsuspecting.

A half-elf boy... no, a girl? Anyway, this child looked up at me.

The child still looked blank, leaving me unsure how to respond. But since that was the case, I decided to ask the child if they knew anything about Miss Seele.

"Hey! Little Lu, if you run out, Seele will find you—who are you!?"

"Lay, what's wrong!?"

Just then, the voices of other children came flying over.

My gaze shifted to the other side, and I saw two children run out of the door from before, pulling the half-elf child close to them, trying to protect him from my arms. It was a human boy with brown hair, and a dog-woman girl with her tail tucked in.

Seeing the two people's hostile gazes and their tense expressions that went even further than hostility, I thought, "Oh no!" and quickly explained that I wasn't a suspicious person.

"I'm sorry! I didn't have any strange intentions, I'm just looking for someone... Wait, didn't you just say Miss Seele!?"

"...I did say that."

"I'm looking for her! Do you know where she is?"

Hearing Miss Seele's name just now triggered my reaction; the boy and girl looked at each other in bewilderment.

Seeing the two of them racking their brains, the half-elf child being protected patted the hands that were holding him.

"Lay, Fina...this person isn't a bad person."

We were clearly meeting for the first time, yet the half-elf child told them this without any basis.

Upon hearing this, the human and orc children lowered their guard slightly.

"...Do you know Sister Seele?"

"Ah, um. I'm sorry, I startled you. So who are you? And this church is...?"

I bent down and asked the children, who were only the height of a fairy or Lily.

Through the door through which those children ran, many more children peeked out to look at me.

The half-elf child answered my question in place of the orc girl:

"Lay, Fina, Xiaolu... this is our home with Maria's mother."

The child pointed to the boy, the girl, and himself in turn, and finally mentioned the church.

Maria's mother... no, more importantly, he said this was their "home".

I still don't quite understand the significance of this church.

"Uh... what were you guys doing?"

"...avoiding Seele's bento box."

I asked them, who were still quite tense, and the girl named Fina answered me. Her answer made me murmur "Huh?"

Just as I stood frozen in place, the boy who had been looking up at me with suspicion seemed to notice something, suddenly snapped back to reality, and pointed at me with his finger.

"White hair and red eyes—you're Bell Craney, a second-level adventurer!?"

"A rising star!?"

"That war game!?"

The moment the boy yelled, all the other children peeking from behind the door rushed forward.

I opened my eyes wide in fright, and then I was swallowed up by the throng of children running towards me.

"Is that the real deal, incredibly powerful!?"

"Even though she's not Humbunny, she acts like a rabbit!!"

"Hey, can I borrow your weapon?!"

One attack followed another, with hordes of children swarming towards me, some even headbutting me directly in the stomach. "Gurgle!?" The impact bent my body into a U-shape. The children's sharp, noisy shouts pierced my ears.

Led by a boy named Lai, the children formed a circle around us. The orc girl excitedly joined in, while the half-elf child remained oblivious, staring blankly at us from the outside.

Seeing several hands reaching out from all directions, I could only hurriedly protect the knives and daggers, but I couldn't just forcefully shake off the child. Finally—

"Wait a minute—Wa ...

My back fell heavily to the ground.

"W-What happened?! What's going on?!"

"What's wrong with everyone!?"

Hearing my screams and the children's cheers, two women rushed out from the room behind the altar.

It was a middle-aged human lady... and Miss Seele.

Miss Seele looked down at me with surprise, seeing me lying on my back surrounded by children, clutching the Goddess Blade tightly in my arms, looking utterly pathetic.

When the kids pulled my hair, all I could do was give a dry laugh.