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

The group members thanked Ais but politely declined her offer, saying they were too embarrassed. Just as they would treat a princess residing in a secluded palace, they subtly distanced themselves from Ais.

They were probably embarrassed to let the faction leaders handle these trivial matters... However, the sense of distance among the group members was different from that of Tiona and the others. It would be a lie to say that she didn't feel lonely because of this.

Perhaps it was psychological, but Ais's shoulders seemed to droop a little in dejection.

"Miss Tione, breakfast is ready..."

"I'm going to make the commander's breakfast! You all don't need to interfere, get out of the way!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Ais caught a glimpse of Tione huddled in the kitchen, pushing aside the other members, diligently preparing breakfast. Seeing her mingling happily with everyone—that's how Ais perceived her—Ais thought Tione was amazing, and at the same time, she was gently ushered out of the main dining room by everyone in the same way.

“Ugh…”

"?"

With nothing to do, Ais wandered aimlessly down the corridor and bumped into the werewolf Bert, who appeared around the corner. Bert was startled when he touched Ais, and his lips twitched slightly, revealing a smile that was obviously forced.

"...Hello."

At first, Bert's somewhat stiff attitude puzzled Ais, but she immediately remembered the reason.

It was because of the incident involving the White Rabbit at the tavern's "Abundant Mistress." At the time, Ais was indeed furious at Bert's insults, and coupled with her later low spirits, she seemed to have barely spoken to him.

Ais knew Bert had drunk too much at the time, so—although her favorability rating had slightly decreased—she no longer took it to heart.

Therefore, she originally wanted to reply with a "Good morning," but...

Good morning, Ais!

“Ouch!”

Tiona pushed Bert away and hugged Ais from the front.

Ais, who was leaning back slightly, was startled. Tiona hugged her with a smile and turned around to stick out her tongue with a "whoosh." Ignoring Bert, who was gritting his teeth and making a grinding sound, she grabbed Ais's hand and left.

"Ais—, there's no point in talking to that werewolf, shall we go?"

"Hey, stop right there! I heard you, washboard!"

"Don't you dare call me a washboard—!"

“Um, um…”

"What's all this noise about so early in the morning! You lot, stop making so much noise in the hallway!"

After that, the dwarf Gris gave Ais and the others a lecture, which went on until dinnertime.

*

"Come on, leader. This is my love dish (made by myself), please have some!"

The main restaurant has started its breakfast session.

Everyone reached for the steaming soup or the soft omelet, but Finn, the leader of the Familia, sitting in the seat of honor, had a wild-flavored female warrior dish made from a whole giant fish in front of him.

This is the Giant Black Fish, a fish with a massive body and twisted, sturdy scales that is often mistaken for a monster. This fish can be caught in the brackish lake southwest of Orario and is frequently seen in city markets. Before him lay a whole grilled fish, clearly still a juvenile but exceeding one meter in size. The little boy remained silent, his gaze drifting into the distance.

Forced to eat fish by the in high spirits Thione, he was met with a barrage of pitying glances.

"Ais, do you have any plans for today?"

"Hmm, let me think..."

More than fifty group members were gathered together for a meal, and the large restaurant was noisy.

Surrounded by the sounds of conversation, Tiona picked up the sandwich Ais had given her and put it in her mouth while asking her questions.

"I broke someone's sword the day before yesterday, so I have to pay for it..."

"You mean the rapier used during the celebration?"

Ais nodded in response to Lefia beside her.

She was a little embarrassed to tell Tiona and the others about her conversation with Gubern yesterday—that she had been planning to go into the dungeon to earn the necessary funds.

"I want to go too! Knowing Ais's personality, she's probably planning to stay in the dungeon for a whole week, right?"

"But, Tiona..."

"It's alright, it's alright! I also need to save up money to have someone reforge the double-edged sword."

"If it won't bother you two, please allow me to help!"

Tiona suggested they make money together, and Lefia, not wanting to lose face, also offered to help. Ais felt terrible for having unwittingly dragged Tiona and the others into this, but since they had both asked her for help, she couldn't very well refuse.

Most importantly, their kindness brought her pure joy.

"...Okay, then, I'll leave it to you."

Seeing Ais smile with her eyebrows down, Tiona and Lefia returned the smile.

"This might mean being away from headquarters for quite a while. Shouldn't we let Finn and the others know?"

"That's true. Although there's still some time before the next 'expedition,' if we need to stay in the dungeon for a while, it's best to ask Loki or the captain for permission."

"Besides, going to the dungeon without telling anyone would make people worry," Lefia replied to Tiona.

As the three discussed the approximate length of their stay and the itinerary, some people around them began to leave. After finishing breakfast, the group members gradually left the restaurant.

Suddenly, Ais realized that Loki wasn't at the dining room. Whenever the chief god appeared, the atmosphere would become lively, but his absence from breakfast today puzzled Ais. She hadn't heard anything about Loki drinking himself into a hangover.

"Why are you talking for so long?"

"Ah, Miss Tione."

"We were talking about the three of us going to the dungeon for a week to earn some pocket money—Does Tione want to come along?"

After feeding Finn, Tiony came to Ais and the others.

She devoured the whole roasted giant black fish that Finn insisted he couldn't finish—leftovers from his crush—and seemed to be in a great mood. However, when she heard Tiona say she was going to earn money for weapons, she immediately frowned noticeably.

"A week? No way, I don't want to be away from the leader for that long."

Seeing that her older sister was still the same as before, Tiona whispered a wicked idea.

"Since we have this opportunity, let's ask Finn if he wants to go."

"I just can't do anything with you guys. I'll go with you too. You should thank me, okay?"

Upon seeing Tione, Ais immediately expressed her intention to travel together, while Ais and Lefia exchanged wry smiles.

The headquarters of the Loki Familia, "Twilight Mansion," is composed of many tall towers, just like its alternate name, "Long Residence." The central tower is the thickest and largest, surrounded by seven spires.

The lower halves of these spires, varying in height and shape, are interconnected—only the central tower, surrounded by a circular atrium, stands alone—while the upper halves are connected by stone walkways extending to the other towers, allowing movement between them. There are three towers for men and four for women. Public facilities such as the library and the main dining hall are not concentrated in one place, but scattered throughout the towers; to put it bluntly, there is no order whatsoever, only utter chaos.

In these towers, Finn's personal room and office are located in the tower directly to the north.

"Finn—, am I going in—?"

After knocking twice, Tiona opened the double doors. Ais, Lefia, and Tione followed her into the room.

The office connected to Finn's personal room—the leader's room—is quite spacious. The interior features bookshelves filling an entire wall, a carpet resembling a vibrant floral crown, and a tall, straight grandfather clock. Even in this room, with its predominantly brown color scheme and calming style, the white stone fireplace remains pleasing to the eye.

Finn was located at the back of the room, behind a large desk that seemed disproportionate to his small stature.

"What's wrong with you all? Why did so many of you come here at once?"

"Ah, Lady Riveria...you're here too?"

Finn was reviewing piles of documents, with Riveria beside him.

After breakfast, the two of them seemed to be in the room together dealing with faction administrative matters. The vice-captain of the [Family], who was assisting the young leader, looked at Ais and the others while holding a piece of parchment in one hand.

"It's more like a discussion. There's something I want to tell Finn."

"Um—, could you please wait a moment? We'll be done soon."

Upon hearing Tiona's request, Finn, still engrossed in his documents, replied as follows.

He continued to write smoothly with his quill pen, as if it were a signature, and then took a new parchment from Riveria, who was standing next to him.

Everyone waited a moment, and Ais took the opportunity to look around the office. The large clock had a crystal that looked like a magic stone inside, and with the ticking of the pendulum, it showed 9:30. Then she turned her gaze to the textile painting hanging above the fireplace on the other side of the bookcase.

The image depicts an armored woman surrounded by spears and other weapons.

The tapestry, woven with many gold and silver threads, is embroidered with a portrait of a goddess.

This is Fiana, a fictional goddess worshipped by the Lilliputians. She is a product of the deification of a certain knightly order from ancient times.

Ais also knew that the Knights were the first and last glory of the dwarves—at the same time, she also knew that since the true "gods" descended to the mortal realm, her faith had declined rapidly, and the dwarves, having lost their spiritual support, had also fallen into decline.

To this day, many other races that have received "God's grace" have achieved great things and become famous throughout the world, but the Dwarfs are rarely heard of. Ais once heard that Finn came to Orario to revive his race.

He always referred to himself as a "vulgar man" without any reservation, saying that he made a pact with Loki and came to this labyrinthine city known as the center of the world in pursuit of fame.

The fact that Finn openly displayed the weaving painting shows that he hadn't abandoned his faith in Fiana. The fact that he allowed a faction leader to worship a god other than himself demonstrates the magnanimity of the supreme deity, or perhaps it's more accurate to say that the issue of respecting the gods wasn't taken too seriously. In truth, Ais understood that the supreme deity had no intention of requiring its members to worship him.

Perhaps Loki allowed Finn to do so because it was Finn.

Ais was thinking about these things as she gazed at the clown-shaped badge and banner with a comical smile hanging on the wall behind the boy at the desk deep in the room.

"Alright, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. What do you want to say to me?"

"Well, Tiona and the others want to temporarily go out and explore the dungeon, so they were wondering if the leader would like to come along if it's convenient..."

Tiony quickly stepped forward and explained this to Finn, whose work was now finished.

When they asked if they could stay in the maze and even wanted him to come along, he readily agreed with a "Okay, sure."

"I've been wanting to find an opportunity to explore the dungeons lately. I sometimes want to explore freely and without restraint."

Finn laughed and said that as the faction leader, he always had to lead his team on "expeditions," and sometimes he also wanted to experience the fun of exploring dungeons on his own. "Then Finn has decided to join too—" Tiona said with a beaming smile, and Tione also decided to join automatically.

"It's a rare opportunity, Rivera, would you like to come along? You've been busy with chores lately, haven't you?"

"...That's right, let me participate. Sorry to trouble Grace to handle things when we leave headquarters."

Riveria accepted Finn's invitation, making a total of six people including Ais and the others.

Apart from Lefia, the other five members are all Level 1 adventurers, making it a luxurious team.

"Oh, you can't tell Bert about this! He'll definitely complain if he hears, and he's always going on and on."

Tiona seemed to still be holding a grudge about what happened that morning, and she gave everyone a stern, malicious smile.

Finn and his group smiled wryly, but they also felt it was inappropriate for all the main forces of their faction to go out at once, so no one objected.

"Everyone, get ready and meet at the Tower of Babel at noon."

"oh--!"

Tiona and Tione raised one hand high, and Ais and the shy Lefia followed suit and raised their right hands slightly.

Riveria closed her eyes and left the decision to everyone, and they all agreed to Finn's proposal.

*

On the bustling Northwest Street, known as "Adventurer's Street," countless adventurers come and go.

The morning sun shone through the blue sky, making all sorts of armor gleam. The demi-humans scrambled to prepare for their exploration of the labyrinth. Shops along the main street opened their heavy doors and closed their iron gates, as if beckoning customers. Vendors lurking in the dim alleys, carrying strange medicines and smiling, called out to inexperienced girls. Some hurried travelers bumped into each other's shoulders, shouting curses incessantly.

The road was bustling with adventurers who, as usual, planned to venture into the dungeon today.

"Amid, give me the high potion! I want the most potent one, several bottles!"

"I want the same as Tiona... five bottles. And magic potions too."

"OK."

Inside the pristine white building, adorned with badges of light and herbs.

Tiona and Ais were shopping at one of the many counters when they were greeted by Amed, a girl with long, silver-white hair. She selected several bottles from a long row of colorful bottles on the shelf behind her and placed them on the counter. The various potions, in shades of ultramarine and citrus, reflected Ais and Tiona's faces in the solutions.

Are you all planning to embark on an extended exploration of the dungeon today?

"Yes, Tione and Lefia... and Finn and Riveria are with them too."

"Amid, is there anything you want? I think we'll reach at least the 30th floor. Just tell us, and we'll go get it for you!"

"Is that alright? Then... could you please pick a few white leaves for me?"

Tiona and Ais are shopping for supplies at the [Deanquet Familia] clinic. Tione and her friends have also asked them to buy things, and the two girls, looking at the parchment note, have bought many other items besides elixirs.

To stay in a dungeon where supplies are hard to come by for an extended period, you must stock up on more weapons, items, and supplies than you need. Even if it means adding a little extra luggage, it's always better to be prepared – this is the adventurer's code of conduct.

Ais and Tiona, who were close to Amed, readily agreed to her request and purchased a mountain of props.

"Renova, excuse me."