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

The monster's screams vibrated in our ears.

The howls, resembling those of wild beasts, contained anger, pain, and sorrow.

The monster's "wailing," which I had never heard of before, rendered me speechless.

(Just who is this monster...?)

Just as I was beginning to waver, I discovered that I actually felt a sense of aversion to attacking monsters.

The savage warrior, writhing in pain, suddenly opened his eyes wide and shot out a long tongue from his enormous jaw.

“Guuuu!?”

I stood motionless, speechless, as my tongue struck my body directly.

There was no time to dodge; the tongue struck my chest, where I wasn't wearing any protective gear, causing me to fall onto the cold stone floor.

A searing pain burned in my chest. "Pull yourself together, will you?!" I berated myself for my humiliation. I was sent flying into the depths of the cave, directly opposite the entrance to the stairs. Using the force of the impact, I rolled backward and barely managed to get up.

"You bastard! Stop it right now—!"

However, at this moment.

Ray rushed out of the staircase entrance, and fearing I would be knocked away, I actually threw a stone at the monster.

"--Whoa whoa!!"

The stone fragment that struck his back caused the barbarian warrior to turn backward.

The monster's gaze froze the human child—the monster, reacting to hostility, glared fiercely at Lei and charged forward.

"wait--!?"

"Oooooo ...

I was terrified and chased after the monster at full speed, but it was too late.

Miss Seele and the children rushed out in a panic and hugged Ray to protect him.

With my right arm outstretched, I shook off the feeling of rejection and was about to shout out the sound of cannons.

"————Gah!?"

However, Yan Lei did not have a chance to bombard it.

A long spear shot out like a meteor, piercing through the center of the barbarian warrior's body.

"--ah……"

Unable to even utter a dying scream, the "magic stone," along with the monster whose chest had been pierced, turned into a pile of dust.

After the ash blocks collapsed with a crash, the noise that had been echoing since then seemed like an illusion, and silence descended upon the cave. The dropped item, "Savage Warrior's Hair," was still burning.

Miss Seele and the others, who were sitting on the ground embracing each other, raised their heads tremblingly. I saw the figure standing directly behind them, at the entrance of the cave's steps, and I was speechless.

A short young man with black and gray fur.

It was the cat-person I saw before evening.

"...Please, please wait a moment!"

The cat-man youth leaped over Miss Seele and the children with a light, quick sound, and retrieved the spear that had fallen on the pile of dust; I ran to him hastily.

I wanted to tell him, "Thank you for saving us," but—

"Can't even protect a few women and children, you stinky rabbit?"

His overly sharp gaze and calm insults silenced me.

"I'm...I'm sorry."

"..."

He was absolutely right. I was dejected and could only apologize.

If it weren't for this person's intervention, Miss Seele and her companions might have perished. Putting ordinary people in danger disqualifies one from being an adventurer.

The cat-man youth ignored my feelings of powerlessness and shame and turned away.

He walked silently toward the exit of the stairs.

"【Vana Freia, the Goddess Chariot】...is a Level 1 Adventurer!?"

Seeing the young man about to walk past him, Lai, who had been in a daze, showed the most excitement he had shown all day.

【Goddess Chariot】—I think it was from 【Freya Familia】...?

I recalled the commotion caused by the destruction of the Ishtar Familia a few days ago. I was also caught up in that incident and was shocked to see one of the adventurers from that major faction being wiped out.

At the same time, I remembered.

The sound I just heard... was exactly the same as that of the cat-man attacker who, after completing special training on the city wall, apparently targeted Miss Ais, a member of the Loki Familia.

"..."

Just as I was feeling shocked, the young man stopped in front of Miss Seele as he brushed past me.

After silently bowing slightly in greeting, he truly left the cave this time.

Miss Seele stood there, smiling at the receding figure.

"Miss Xi'er! Are you alright!?"

"Mr. Bell."

I was still in shock, but I rushed to Miss Seele's side to make sure she and the children were safe.

I repeatedly apologized for putting them in danger, but she just smiled and said it was alright.

"What the hell, big brother? You actually let the Goddess Chariot save you!" Only Lai didn't reflect on his actions at all and got a scolding. He was severely reprimanded by Miss Seele, and then Fina and Xiaolu pinched his cheeks until he cried and screamed, which made me break out in a sweat.

"Um, do you know that person from [Goddess Chariot]?"

"Yes, that adventurer occasionally visits our tavern."

After staring at the monster's corpse turned to dust for a while, I finally decided to ask. Miss Seele smiled happily and said that he was a regular customer and that we knew each other.

"That person was a bit... no, rather quite scary... there was an unapproachable aura about him, Miss Seele, you're amazing..."

"Really? He's actually very sensitive to heat, and he'll secretly blow on his drinks to cool them down. That's a cute side of him, isn't it?"

When I spoke timidly, Miss Seele chuckled softly.

To use "cute" to describe a level 1 adventurer... should we say that Miss Seele is amazing, or that she's incredibly talented?

I couldn't help but smile wryly.

"So, the adventurer's quest is now complete...?"

"Ah, yeah. I guess so, there's no other strange smell..."

"How scary!"

Xiao Lu tugged at my hand, and I looked around at the endless cavern in response. Fina relaxed her shoulders and let out a long breath.

Just in case, I checked every corner with the magic stone lamp and found a collapsed and blocked passageway at the deepest part. Including the staircase entrance, these are the only two passable paths, so the large monster that entered this cave probably has nowhere to escape. Was it roaring because it was trapped, or...?

I stopped thinking about it and decided to inform the guild about what would happen next and let them handle it.

I made the children promise me they would never go near this underground passage—Miss Seele had intimidated the frightened Ray and the others with her silent smile, so there was nothing to worry about—and then I closed the stone door tightly.

After finally making it back to the surface from the mysterious underground passage, we were enveloped by the starry night sky.

This might have worried Ms. Maria and the others...

(Strange, but...)

After a little adventure, as Ray and the others laughed and joked their way home, I walked side by side with Miss Seele and a question inadvertently came to mind.

【Goddess Chariot】...【Freya Familia】Aren't they currently participating in the battle outside the city walls?

As if guided by a question, I looked up at the moonlit night above.

*

"How's the battle going?"

Walking inside the tent bathed in the glow of the magic stone lamps, the silver-haired goddess asked.

Located 30 kilometers due east of Orario, the Freya Familia's military camp is overlooked by a beautiful starry sky.

The taciturn members silently scooped food from the hot pot. In the vast headquarters in the center of the military camp, the young human member received the robe of the chief goddess Freya. "Thank you, Helen," the female member said, bowing deeply before leaving.

After Freya sat down on the throne, the boarman warrior Ota, who was standing beside her, spoke:

"The enemy's lines have completely collapsed, and the scattered troops are being pursued by Hedin and Ger alone. The beacon fires have been lit, and we should be able to capture the enemy alive soon."

"This should have been done from the beginning."

"If I had known, I shouldn't have driven the enemy away; I should have captured them all alive at once." Freya said, leaning back deeply in her chair.

Due to the hefty penalties imposed a few days prior, the Goddess of Beauty, who was required by the guild to fulfill her obligation to wait on the battlefield, lazily complained that it was a waste of time.

"The enemy forces have wavered slightly; something may have happened."

"It was Loki and his gang who did this, dumping everything on us and then going back to the city. Now it can finally be over."

Freya calmly answered Ota's report.

As she picked up the glass on the table and took a sip, the cat-man youth appeared at the camp's entrance.

"Excuse me."

"You've worked hard, Allen. Have you had a chance to relax a bit now that you're away from the battlefield?"

Freya comforted Alan Fromo, the Chariot of the Goddess, who was bowing.

The cat-man youth approached Otto and stood before the goddess, answering in a respectful but barbed tone:

"Thanks to your troubles, sir. However, the girl has left the tavern... which means I have to protect her 24/7."

Allen complained to Freya in a slightly sarcastic tone.

"We hope to ask the goddess to give strict orders and persuade her to avoid acting on her own..."

Freya put down the wine and chuckled softly.

"Hehe, I think my daughter Xi'er is very grateful to you for saving her, right?"

"..."

"Isn't our daughter, Xi'er, smiling?"

Upon hearing Freya's words, Allen fell silent.

However, beneath that indifferent face, her cheeks were slightly flushed. Her tail, which had extended from her waist, also wagged slightly.

Like a child whose secret crush is guessed, the young man endures the shame.

As for Wild Boar Warrior, he watched silently as his comrades were teased.

"What are you looking at, you idiot?!"

"..."

"Don't treat me like a monkey show, get out!"

Allen, his face flushed, roared and yelled, letting the shorter Allen curse him.

The faction leader, whose physique exceeded two meters, thoughtfully stepped out of his camp.

Allen grimaced, staring intently at the boar-man's retreating figure as he disappeared through the curtain.

Watching the two of them go back and forth, Freya seemed to find it amusing and covered her mouth to laugh. Allen, blushing, couldn't take it anymore and turned his face away.

Soon, the goddess's laughter subsided, and Freya took a sip of the wine in her glass.

"I really want to go back to Orario right now, but since I've come out, maybe I can take the opportunity to relax somewhere?"

"...For you, I am willing to become your chariot and take you to the ends of the earth."

"Wow, that's really reliable."

Upon hearing Freya say that since they were out of the city, they wanted to take a trip, Allen, standing in front of her, vowed to become the goddess's legs.

Seeing a member she particularly favored express her loyalty, Freya revealed a beautiful smile.

"Ellen, have you met with Anya?"