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

The villagers and Miss Ais all looked at us with disbelief.

(Oh no! I have to apologize...!)

I don't know if apologizing will make a difference, but even the gods seem to be peeking at me, waiting for my next move.

Just as I was anxiously trying to apologize for what happened three days ago—

"Um……?"

I heard singing.

The air was filled with the lively singing and clapping of the villagers. Turning my eyes, I saw men and women dancing in pairs around the bonfire.

"Is that a village dance? It seems to be mostly performed by young people..."

"Oh, that's..."

The deity noticed as well, turning her gaze in that direction. She was right; those dancing now were young men and women, humans and elves, dwarves and orcs—various racial combinations. What they all had in common was an expression of mixed joy and shyness.

Upon hearing the deity's question, the middle-aged human beside him replied with a wry smile:

"It's not exactly a village custom... We have an unwritten rule that if an unmarried young man invites a girl to dance, it's basically a confession of love. If the girl agrees, the two become a couple..."

"Is that so?"

As I listened to his explanation, still stunned and amazed, the immortal suddenly became restless.

"Today is a festival to pray for a bountiful harvest. If you don't mind, Your Majesty, why don't you join us for a dance?"

"Grant us abundant blessings!"

The dancing began, and villagers from all around came to plead with the gods.

I remember that the goddess Hestia did not govern the harvest... but the villagers, who had no communication with the gods, did not seem to care much and hoped to receive the goddess's blessing.

Surrounded by the villagers' voices, the deity closed his eyes and coughed lightly.

Then, she moved swiftly in front of me.

"Ah—Bell? It seems I suddenly have to fulfill my responsibilities as a god... Well, how should I put it?"

Illuminated by the firelight, the immortal's face flushed red, and he said to me with a hint of unease:

"As long as you dance with me... I won't pursue that matter anymore."

I blinked several times.

Soon, the immortal's words made the people in the surrounding villages cheer.

The villagers' excitement startled me, but seeing the lively scene around me, it seemed I couldn't refuse. Besides, if this could earn me the gods' forgiveness, I couldn't be happier... Moreover, well, I'd be happy to dance with the gods.

As long as it helps her fulfill her responsibilities as a goddess, this little thing is nothing. I suppressed my embarrassment—forcing myself not to smile—and nodded to the deity.

"I understand... Let's dance, fairy."

However, the deity seemed quite dissatisfied, pouting.

"Please put in a little more effort when you invite me, Bell. Like you and that Miss Warren over there... dancing at the banquet of Apollo."

Miss Ais and I both froze for a moment, stopping what we were doing.

My face immediately turned red, and I turned sharply to Miss Ais, who was still tilting her head in disbelief.

I, I did indeed dance with Apollo at his "Feast of the Gods," but...!

Seeing my blushing and flustered appearance, the fairy said, "Anyway, you must have said some cool lines to invite her, right?" and looked up at me coldly.

"No, but... a god...!?"

"You have to create the atmosphere from the very beginning, right, everyone?"

Seeing that I hesitated to agree, the deity sought approval from those around him, thus cutting off my escape route.

No one objected to the goddess's request for consent, and the villagers all nodded in agreement.

Sweating, I secretly glanced at Miss Ais... She stared at me intently, as if curious about my answer.

I always felt like I was caught between the two... In the end, I still couldn't defy the will of the gods.

"...Please, please dance with me, goddess!"

I stretched out my hand, my face flushed, and the deity smiled broadly.

"Um!"

Her slender, soft little hand grasped mine.

The immortal took my hand and we ran to the campfire like children.

I was given a send-off by the villagers—I dared not look at Miss Ais’s expression—and thus joined the ranks of the young people.

I held hands with the deity and we danced an impromptu folk dance.

"Hmm, it's quite difficult."

"Ah, ahahaha..."

"To uphold the dignity of the gods, Belle, you must guide me well, okay?"

I tried to dance like the others around me, but it wasn't easy for me. The fairy held my hand, and although she wasn't very agile, her expressions were still ever-changing, and she laughed happily.

The firelight bathed her beautiful profile and her body, dressed in village attire, in a fiery red glow. As I danced in circles with the fairy, I realized that the heat that made my face burn was not solely caused by the flames.

The fairy smiled innocently, and I forced a smile back.

Mars danced in the air, their shadows stretched out, and warmth emanated from their hands.

At this moment, everyone in the village was watching us. We danced non-stop, encouraged by the singing and clapping.

"call……"

After I and the immortals circled the campfire several times, the dance finally came to an end.

The goddess was finally satisfied and let me go. Now she's dancing a folk dance with the children who ran off to find her.

I really wanted to ask her not to overwork herself... but given the current situation, it wasn't easy for me to bring it up.

I watched the fairy and the half-human girl dancing happily in a corner of the square, and a wry smile appeared on my face.

"By the way, where is Miss Ais...?"

With the gods participating, the festival atmosphere became even more joyful. I started to worry about Miss Ais, and after searching... I found her. She was standing alone behind a house, or rather, she was a wallflower.

I jogged over to her.

"Um, Miss Ais..."

"……Um."

Miss Ais avoided the villagers' gazes, slightly concealing her presence. After glancing at me, she looked towards the center of the square where everyone was dancing.

"Everyone looks so happy..."

A human little sister holding hands with her father, and an orc boy being scolded by his mother for playing too much.

As if looking at something dazzling, Miss Ais narrowed her golden eyes, gazing at the smiles blooming everywhere among the villagers.

"...You danced very well."

"Eh... Th-thank you."

"...Yes, you jumped very well."

"Uh, yes..."

"..."

"..."

I was suddenly praised, and then the conversation immediately stopped.

Miss Ais kept staring at the campfire, refusing to look at me. Although, in truth, it wasn't any different from usual…

"Um, aren't you going to dance?"

"Everyone seems to be having a lot of fun... I feel like I shouldn't have gone and caused trouble..."

"H-How could this be!"

"And... no one dances with me."

Hearing her soft words, I groaned inwardly and hesitated for a long time.

My face flushed red, and I spoke tremblingly:

"No... if you don't mind, I can..."

Upon hearing this indistinct sentence, Miss Ais opened her eyes wide and finally turned to look at me.

"...Would you like to dance with me?"

"Ah—, no! I meant if Miss Ais doesn't mind...!?"

Miss Ais stared intently at me, who was blushing and flustered.

A moment later, she timidly reached out her hand to me—

"—I crashed—!!"

"ah."

"Whoa!?"

The deity rammed into me from the side, hitting me directly in the side abdomen.

"What's wrong, Miss Warren? Nobody's dancing with you?! Then I'll dance with you!!"

"……Thanks?"

Ignoring my painful struggle as I was thrown to the side, the fairy grabbed Miss Ais's hand without saying a word.

She blinked incessantly as she was led to the campfire.

Then, the two began to dance.

One is an adorable little goddess, and the other is a beautiful young woman with a mysterious aura.

Their smooth, jet-black hair and long, golden hair billowed and danced, dazzling and captivating in the firelight. Coupled with their matching outfits, the two looked like close sisters.

The dance of the beautiful goddess and the young girl drew the loudest cheers of the day.

The villagers, regardless of age or gender, applauded and laughed at the two beautiful women.

Watching from the side, I also smiled, and finally burst out laughing.

Surrounded by smiles, she was startled... and a faint smile appeared on her lips as well.

Seeing everyone's happy expressions, the gods smiled too, and the lively festival continued until the warm fire died down.

*

As the village festival finally came to an end.

Me, the fairy, and Miss Ais rested in a corner of "Aidas Village".

"Waaah~, I went too far... I'm swaying unsteadily~"

"So, that's why I said..."

As a result, the fairy had been dancing with the village children the whole time, and now she was so tired that she plopped down on the ground. Seeing that the fairy was forcing herself even though she hadn't fully recovered, I couldn't help but mutter a curse to her.

Miss Ais, who was standing to the side, chuckled softly when she heard our conversation.

"So, what's next..."

In the central square of the village, the men, instead of tidying up, were all drunk. It was then that I brought up the matter of the future. The immortal stared intently at the dragon scales, erected like stone tablets at the boundary between the village and the forest, rubbed one arm, and raised his head.

"Oh, I'm alright now. Although I caused you a lot of trouble before, I can move around now."

The immortal and I turned our gaze to Miss Ais and asked her to make a judgment. Miss Ais, a first-level adventurer, nodded.

"I'll leave the village first thing tomorrow morning."

To be fully prepared, we'll return to Orari after daybreak.

Neither the deity nor I objected to Miss Ais's judgment, and so we agreed.

The three of them enjoyed the scenery of the village they would be leaving behind after tonight, as well as the night sky over the mountains.