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

"She definitely wants to hear some guy say the bento box is delicious..."

When Miss Seele wasn't around, the children whispered among themselves and stared at me, who was sweating profusely.

"So it turns out Seele-neechan has started making bento boxes! It's all Big Brother's fault...!"

"The food at the restaurant used to be so delicious...!"

"We are laboratory animals..."

Little Brother Lai stared at me with tears in his eyes, Little Sister Fina also sighed with tears in her eyes, and Little Brother Lu whispered expressionlessly.

Even I, who am usually slow to react, started to understand.

I realize that my gut health is built on the precious sacrifices of these children.

I vaguely sensed the full extent of the tragedy before me, but I was too frightened to say anything.

She glanced at Ms. Maria... and quietly looked away.

"No, it's not that we can't eat it, and we're really grateful to her, it's just..."

I could only let my face twitch.

Later, the children's screams of "Ooh-ga—" echoed across the dining table and then disappeared.

*

If you don't mind, could you please play with them?

After the children finished eating, rubbing their bellies, Ms. Maria said this to me.

"Because these children seem to like Mr. Craney very much too..."

She politely asked me to do it with a smile, and I naturally had no reason to refuse, so I readily agreed with a smile.

I had the bouncy children hold hands and walk with Miss Seele into the spacious church.

"Sister Seele—let's play on the Oule Bridge!"

"Big brother, let's play the adventurer game!"

The girls sang nursery rhymes with Miss Seele and played the so-called "passing through the city gates" game.

The boys asked me to play an adventurer game, and by the way, I played the killer rabbit monster.

Sunlight streamed into the church through the dilapidated windows, and children laughed and played energetically on the overgrown tile floor.

Miss Seele and I were pulled around by the children's hands.

"Uh... little brother Lai..."

"Just call me Lai, big brother. You're an adventurer, right? Calling me that is too cheesy. Everyone else can just call me by my first name!"

The space was filled with laughter, and the children were making a ruckus. I tried to talk to them whenever I had the chance.

The human brother, Rai... uh, no, Rai seems to be the older brother in the orphanage, and he's eleven years old this year.

His face was covered in scrapes and bruises; how should I put it, he was a bit like a mischievous version of Welf. He asked me about the dungeons several times, though that's what he told Lady Maria, but perhaps he really longed for the profession of adventurer.

"Hey, is Bell the one who's Seele's boyfriend?"

"No, that's not it!?"

"Wow—, Seele is so pretty! Her cooking is rather… well… but she looks so slim when she dresses? Actually, she has a really big bust—"

"this……!?"

Fina, the dog-person, is a lively little girl.

She's the same age as Lai, both in the older group. Her straight, long hair is a similar cream color to mine. She's pretty with delicate features, a natural beauty. When we first met, she was quite wary of me, but now she's affectionate and playful. However, she gets a little too affectionate… saying a bunch of things that make me blush.

"Uh, is Xiaolu a boy? Or...?"

"...So sleepy."

"Uh, um."

The half-elf Lu is a year younger than Lai and Fina, and is an incredible child.

As expected of someone who inherited elven blood, he probably had the most handsome features in the orphanage. He had short blond hair, was taciturn, and had a neutral voice, making it truly impossible to tell his gender. He always had a blank expression, making him difficult to understand.

Besides these three children, many of the other children were semi-human, including humans, beastmen, dwarves, and a timid Amazon girl. Each child was full of curiosity and energy.

"Sister Seele, shall we play?"

"We want some too—!?"

"Okay, okay, I'll play with everyone, so please don't fight, okay?"

As I played and talked with the children, I noticed that Miss Seele had become a hot commodity, regardless of whether they were boys or girls.

I've been thinking about this for a while now... It's really unexpected.

I only knew her as a bartender, and seeing her smiling like that, squatting down to comfort the children, and gently hugging them, I couldn't help but feel a sense of novelty.

From her smile and eyes, it was clear at a glance that she really liked these children. Just as I was lost in thought, Miss Seele noticed my gaze, turned around, and smiled shyly at me.

Her lovely and beautiful smile made me blush.

"……Um?"

As Miss Seele held hands with the two children on either side, laughing and spinning around, Ray approached her with an evil smile.

Miss Seele didn't notice the little boy approaching her from behind, and for her unsuspecting back, Ray seized the opportunity—"Hey!?"—and boldly lifted her skirt.

「!?」

“Ahh!?”

The white dress was lifted up to the waist, making my eyes widen in disbelief.

That, that's it! The family heirloom sword Grandpa mentioned—wait, something's not right!?

I could see the underwear, which was the same color as my clothes, very clearly, and my face turned extremely red.

Miss Seele let out a cute squeal, hurriedly grabbed her skirt, turned around, and met my eyes, which were frozen in place.

Miss Seele, her cheeks flushed, then walked straight toward me.

"You saw it!?"

"Uh! No, this one doesn't exist! Um...!?"

"You saw it, right!?"

"Y-yes, I saw it, that's right...!?"

"Mr. Bell is so mean!!"

"Is it my fault!?"

Miss Seele's entire face came close, her eyes and nose were red, which made me blush and shout loudly.

"My underwear was seen by a man... Mr. Bell! Since things have come to this, you have to grant me one request!"

"Eee ...

"If you don't agree... I'll tell Ryu and the others that you peeked at my underwear!"

"How despicable!"

Does that mean I'm definitely going to die a horrible death?!

I insisted that I was innocent and tearfully resisted Miss Seele's request.

"...The first time I successfully lifted Seele's skirt..."

"Could it be... that Seele did this on purpose?"

"Skills and tactics..."

While we were arguing face to face, in a corner of our field of vision, the trio of kids—Lai, Fina, and Xiaolu—huddled together, looking bewildered.

For some reason, they looked at Miss Seele with fear, and as for me, encountering this person who was approaching me for fun... I still couldn't win the argument.

As the price for witnessing the upskirt view, I had to grant her a request.

"Then... Mr. Bell, please lie on my lap."

「!?」

"Mr. Bell has lain on the lap of [Fiora]... Miss Ais Wallenstein, right?"

Why are you lying on my lap?!

No, to get to the bottom of it, how did she know about Miss Ais's matter...!

"Actually, the Loki Familia members are regulars at our tavern. Their goddess Loki is quite fond of us... Listening closely, something incredible happened... the voices of Miss Swordswoman and the others..."

"I understand! I understand, so please stop talking!?"

When I heard Miss Seele enthusiastically explain it to me using a set of lines I had definitely heard a long time ago, I blushed and screamed again.

This person really is a witch!

"Then..."

Miss Seele happily sat down quickly on the spot, bending her knees.

Ignoring the children around us who were staring at us intently, he openly kneed me.

She looked up and saw me blushing and hesitating for a long time. She seemed to find it amusing and waited for a while—suddenly.

She seemed to remember something, her smile faded, and she began to think seriously.

"...Mr. Bell, by the way, have you ever let Miss [Sword Princess] lie on your lap...?"

"Of course not!"

"How could I possibly dare to do that!" I replied in a panic.

After hearing my answer, I felt that when I looked up at Miss Seele, her eyes did indeed light up.

A few minutes later.

"hey-hey--"

"..."

For some reason, I ended up sitting on the ground while Miss Seele lay down with her head resting on my lap.

Miss Seele, her cheeks flushed, buried her face in my thighs as she used my lap as a pillow.

"Um, is it almost ready...?"

"Not yet—"

The children watched me and Miss Seele with longing eyes. I couldn't hold back any longer. My face was burning with shame. I begged Miss Seele for mercy, but she refused me without hesitation.

I endured a punishment so cruel it was beyond compare, and could only let the cheerful Miss Seele lie on my lap until my legs went numb.

*

After having a great time at the church.

Perhaps they were too tired from playing, or perhaps they were affected by seeing Miss Seele lying on their laps, because the children started rubbing their eyes sleepily.

Even the older kids, like Ray, were yawning, so we decided to take a nap and headed up to our dorm room in the orphanage.

"Everyone's sleeping so soundly..."

"yes……"

The dorm rooms on the second floor were just as spacious as the dining room downstairs, with several carpets covering the floor.

Scattered on the floor were some thin picture books with worn covers and building blocks, which reminded people of the word "children's room". Fina and the others fell asleep without being coaxed.

Their tiny bodies snuggled together as they slept, and they began to snore a few times.

"..."

Miss Seele gently stroked the head of the fast-sleeping Path.

She must have been only a little older than me, yet the way she knelt down and gazed at the child with loving eyes evoked the image of a loving mother. To put it more bluntly, she was like a saint or goddess.

Her soft, light gray hair cascaded down her neck.

"Should I lull Mr. Bell to sleep too?"