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

“Ugh…”

"Besides, this is the Bio Mountains. From the moment we escaped into the deep mountains, victory was already assured."

Ares boasted that finding them from the scattered and disruptive forces pursuing them would not be a matter of a day or two. It was even less likely that they could break through the natural fortress and accurately capture them amidst the vast mountains in a short time.

"Ugh...!? You mean if you're going to take me away, can't you at least show some respect!? The armor keeps bumping into me, it hurts!!"

"It's all because my spineless family members said we can't be disrespectful to the goddess! What can I do?! I don't want to hug a coward like you; you'll infect me with germs!!"

Hestia could only groan, unable to utter a word in response, and had no choice but to blame Ares for something else.

She was tied back-to-back with her crush, and to be honest, the uneven armor hurt her a lot. She tearfully complained, only to receive this response: "What do you take me for?!"

Although they knew each other, Ares was a thug in the heavens, and Hestia, who basically spent her days lazing around indoors, was no match for him.

Seeing the two gods arguing so rudely, Marius, the adjutant walking beside Ares and the others, sighed.

"...It's raining."

A drop of water landed on the bridge of his nose, and Marius looked up.

As if confirming his mutterings, the gray clouds overhead finally began to rain. In the blink of an eye, the rain turned into a downpour, soaking the traveling attire of the soldiers and the robust generals.

Hestia and Ares, both soaked to the bone, sneezed loudly, "Achoo!?"

"Lord Marius, perhaps we should halt our march and find shelter from the rain... otherwise, the noble body of Ares..."

"No... I want to go all the way to the northern border. The enemy is Orario, and there's no guarantee that nothing will happen. Besides, that idiot god won't catch a cold, so I don't need to worry about him."

After listening to the soldiers' advice, Marius said that being surrounded by monsters would be troublesome, and decided to proceed with a forced march. Having received the "blessing" of the gods, they would not be affected by this level of rain.

At that moment, unintentionally.

In Marius's view as he looked up, a shadow was reflected in the sky.

"……bird?"

He let the rain pelt his upright, knightly features as he gazed up at his shadow soaring through the gray sky.

The white shadow hovered directly above them, and the presence of that wing-like object gave Marius a rather jarring feeling.

In the gradually picking up wind and rain, how could the bird not return to its nest and linger in the same place? Thinking of this—the next moment.

"Y-it's [Fiora]!?!"

A scream that sounded like the end of the world reached Marius's ears.

"Varied--"

Marius doubted his ears and suddenly turned his head to look.

A figure came speeding up the mountain path along the cliff edge they were climbing—uphill, no less.

Upon seeing the golden hair and golden eyes that still shone despite being wet with rain, Marius immediately exclaimed.

"Damn, Fiora!"

"Enemy, enemy attack!?!"

The blonde, golden-eyed swordswoman, Ais, who stole the spotlight from Tiona, brandished her rapier and launched a solo attack on the rear of the troops. The soldiers' shouts instantly reached the sky, and as the troops and Ares on horseback were filled with terror, Marius looked up at the sky once more.

He looked closely and saw golden wings, a pure white cloak fluttering in the wind, and human limbs.

Those aren't birds—they're adventurers.

"When did Orario even dominate the skies...!?"

Ignoring the "sky eye" in the towering cliffs and deep valleys, they were caught.

Upon witnessing the exaggerated power of the aquamarine-haired beauty—the "Omnipotent One"—who was still hovering in the air and telling the enemy their location, Marius's expression twisted drastically.

Just as he felt a chill run down his spine, almost at the same time, a deafening scream erupted.

"Gahh ...

The slashing storm felled the wavering soldiers.

A single slash can knock several soldiers to the ground or send them flying into the air.

The mass-produced screaming "war princesses" charged straight towards the center of the army, the goddess who had been captured by the mounted war god.

"Miss Hua, Miss Hua Lun...!?"

When Hestia opened her eyes wide, Ares revealed a fierce smile.

He stretched out his right arm, which was wrapped in a gauntlet, as if to boost morale.

"Soldiers, don't panic!! Although I'm surprised the enemy was able to catch up here, there's only one enemy, while we have the kingdom's strongest generals! Go, Garu, crush that little brat!!"

"Ares! Lord Garlu and the others have all been defeated!?"

"What!?"

It was an instant kill.

The bearded, muscular men convulsed and collapsed in front of the blonde, golden-eyed girl.

Seeing all his soldiers cut down on the ground, Ares gritted his teeth and hissed.

"Damn it! Since that's how it is...!"

"Ugh!?"

Ares untied the ropes binding him and Hestia and jumped off his horse.

Hestia rolled to the ground, and the god, freed from his burdens, equipped himself with the longsword fixed to his horse.

"Take this, Fiora!? I'll take care of you!" "..."

"Ughh ...

Ares came on strong, and Ais silently swung her sword.

*Snap!* The God of War's longsword made a faint sound as it broke in two.

"You've got some skills...!"

"What are you doing?!"

Seeing Ares suddenly lose his weapon and become frightened, Marius screamed at him.

Marius and the remaining soldiers surged toward the foolish god who, despite being merely a god, dared to challenge adventurers to a duel. A fierce sword fight ensued as everyone fought to protect their master, plunging the scene into utter chaos.

"--immortal!!"

"Ah... Bell!"

The boy stumbled onto the mountain path where the fight had broken out.

He rushed into the path Ais had carved out a step too late, taking advantage of the soldiers being distracted by the girl, and hurriedly headed to his god's side.

Hestia smiled and stood up when she saw the young servants arrive—and then…

The feet of the soldiers who were desperately protecting Ares knocked her away with a "thud!"

“——”

She lost her balance and fell into the valley on the side of the mountain road.

Her tied-up black hair was instantly enveloped in a floating sensation, and then Hestia was dragged off the cliff.

Her gaze met that of the frozen Belle as she plunged into the deep valley where the river's torrents rushed.

“——!!”

Bell took the leap.

He leaped from the ground toward Hestia, who was falling off the cliff, and jumped into the ravine below in the rain.

Bell kicked the cliff and reached out his hand. Hestia saw the boy catch up with her in one stride. After a moment of hesitation, she quickly reached out her arm as well.

The moment their hands touched, Bell pulled Hestia into his arms.

The boy held his petite body tightly in his arms in mid-air, and then fell heavily into the river.

"!!"

Ais dispersed the soldiers and also saw the splashing water in the distance below her field of vision.

Without hesitation, she abandoned the fight and chased after the boy and the goddess, leaping into the valley.

Ais kicked and sprinted along the valley wall, and as soon as she landed on the bank, she ran with the current.

"Bell Crane, [Sword Princess]...!?"

—Asphie witnessed the entire process from above.

Seeing that the goddess's rescue operation had turned out this way, she was clearly shaken. While flying through the air in her "flying shoes" to track down the kingdom's army, she hesitated for a moment and failed to make an immediate decision to rescue them.

But this slight flaw in her defense was seized upon by the enemy.

「!?」

"Forget about the goddess and the others! Attack that aerial spy first!"

As Asphie approached the valley and descended, unsure whether to land, a chain thrown by the enemy soldiers became entangled in her hand.

The pain of the tight straps made her eyes twitch as she looked down and saw Marius holding the chain.

"A chain made of refined mithril...!"

"Once we take care of her, Orario will have no way of finding us! Only that woman absolutely cannot be let go!"

Marius called out to the few soldiers who had escaped Ais's slash, and wrapped the strong silver chain binding Asphie around his own arm, preventing her from escaping.

Instead of the main god who was being forcibly restrained by soldiers and shouting "What are you doing—!?", the military adjutant correctly assessed the situation and ordered the elimination of Asphie.

"Marius Viktoria Lachia—I heard he's the foolish king's biological son, I didn't expect him to be so capable...!"

"I've also heard interesting rumors, the 'Omnipotent One'!? It's said that a beautiful princess from a certain sea kingdom was abducted and forced into becoming an adventurer!! But that country resolutely refuses to admit it!"

The chains pull on each other, and the two sides are evenly matched.

Seeing that the enemy prince could match her strength as a high-level adventurer and also possess excellent judgment, Asphie offered a sincere compliment with a twisted smile. In contrast, Marius looked more anxious, mustering all his strength while narrowing his eyes in a troublesome manner.

"I felt an instant connection with you—most importantly, you and I share a kind of unfortunate, downtrodden aura."

"—Shut up!? Don't look at me with that pitying gaze!?"

As a fellow victim manipulated by the gods, Asphie's pitiful gaze caused Marius immense anguish.

"Prince!? Prince!?" The soldiers around him cried out desperately for the young adjutant who was weeping.

Soon, several arrows and "magic" struck Asphie, whose movements were restricted by chains. Her cloak was torn, her clothes were charred, and a look of distress appeared on the face of the "Omnipotent One."

Annoyed by her rain-soaked bangs sticking to her forehead, Asphie decided to abandon Bell and the others, prioritizing evacuation from the battlefield. Asphie dodged attacks in mid-air, retrieving burst oil from her Holster suit.

The fierce battle continued, and below the mountain road, where explosions were deafening, the Wenji River swelled due to the heavy rain, emitting a fierce rushing sound.

*

The rain kept falling.

The rain in the mountain valley continued to intensify and showed no signs of abating.

The roaring water rushed through the valley—rushing past us. I struggled to climb up the riverbank with my arms around the fairy, and Miss Ais, who had followed the rushing water, was also beside us.

We ran as fast as we could down the valley floor.

"How is the goddess doing?"

"Her body is getting colder and colder! I called her, but she didn't answer...!?"

I answered Miss Ais's question almost in tears.

I carried the deity on my back, and I heard a weak, feeble "haa haa" sound as he exhaled.

Our bodies were freezing cold. Miss Ais, who had been soaked in the rain, was completely drenched, and needless to say, Hestia and I, who had fallen into the river, were also soaked to the bone.

Our bodies and minds, strengthened through [ability values] and upgrades, will not be defeated by this little rain. But the immortal is another matter. She fell into the river and, although she survived, her body was completely hypothermic and severely weakened.

In order to enjoy the pleasures of life on Earth, the gods established several rules.

The best example is the prohibition of the use of "divine power." The gods sealed away their overwhelming magical power, becoming no different from, or even below, the mortals who received "blessings." The gods only retained their immortality, but they could still get sick and catch colds.

They say this is a physical "adjustment," or "adaptation," done to experience the wonders of the lower realm.

"We need to find her a place to rest quickly...!"