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

"Yes. I really don't know how they got them in."

Fels added: "I don't know whether it was the will of the gods or the work of the child (humans)."

"Is this the work of people from outside the city, or perhaps a radical group of gods who call themselves 'Evil Gods'... remnants of the dark faction?"

"The spirits of the past...?"

The Familia, which once existed in Orario, was composed of gods who rejected order and craved chaos.

The group that was eliminated by the powerful factions at the time under the guild's will may still have survivors operating in the shadows.

The person in the black robe made this suggestion.

"Someone released a monster from Ganesha's group during the Monster Festival, which might be considered a stroke of luck. Because of that person's actions, the adventurers were able to act earlier... and prevent the carnivorous plant monsters from wreaking havoc."

"Yes. The Monster Festival thing can be considered a failed plan."

In the end, it was only thanks to the intervention of Loki and other adventurers and guild members to quell the commotion caused by the goddess of beauty that the subsequent attack by the carnivorous plants was dealt a heavy blow.

Recalling the surprise attack launched by the moderate number of man-eating plants, Fels and Uranus deduced that the mastermind behind it all likely quickly withdrew the monsters from the ground upon becoming aware of the events on the surface. Perhaps that person is currently gritting their teeth in frustration.

With Fels standing beside him, Uranus looked directly at him and said:

"There is a person who controls man-eating flower monsters... whose strength surpasses that of the beast tamers of the Ganesha Familia."

"I can't believe it...it was a nightmare."

Upon hearing Uranus's words, Fels shook his hoodie weakly from side to side.

Looking back on what has happened so far, it's clear that someone is leading the monsters. Fels sighed, as if to say he really didn't want to believe it. Uranus glanced at him, then turned his gaze back ahead.

Silence returned to the altar, and after a long while, Fels slowly raised his head.

"Uranus, there's something else, and it's bad news."

He said he wanted to let Uranus know something first.

Fels, with a hint of sorrow beneath his robes, recounted the events to the gods.

"Hassana, who accepted that commission, has been murdered. Just now, news came from 'Riviera Town'."

Upon hearing this, Uranus closed his eyes.

He closed his eyes, and after a long while, he turned his gaze to Fels and asked:

"How is the delivery girl doing?"

"I don't know. I only know that they probably haven't returned to the ground yet."

"Is that so?" Uranus lowered his eyes for the moment.

The god, whose eyes even held a hint of sorrow, slightly raised his chin and gazed up at the void.

The altar's ceiling was so high that it made you forget you were underground.

As if hinting at the outcome that Uranus and the others were still worried about, darkness silently hovered above their heads, where even the torchlight could not reach.

The azure eyes of the celestial being, gazing up at the sky, narrowed.

"So, it really was... found?"

He heard a voice that wasn't asking but confirming. "Yes," Fels nodded.

"It seems that's true. I even doubted my ears when I first heard it."

Fels, his robes swaying, spoke quietly:

"A mysterious orb that causes monsters to mutate... Something happened in the dungeon that we don't know about."

An unusual situation that even Uranus and his allies could not control.

Or perhaps—a higher form of monster has appeared, and Fels is hinting at this.

Something is operating behind the scenes.

The words of the man in the black robe were absorbed by the crackling of the torch and vanished instantly.

Sword Oratoria 2 Side Story Chapter 6: The Cry of Desire

That person was like a gust of wind.

Innocent like a child, even more naive than when I was younger.

She was unaware of people's malice, and no one would let her know.

Like the air currents that drift across the blue sky with the white clouds.

That person was like a gust of wind, freer than anyone else.

As for myself.

I used to really like her; she was as free-spirited, kind, and gentle as the wind.

I once deeply loved my mother, whose smile was innocent and carefree.

I still remember how that hand stroked my head.

I still remember the warm feeling of fingers touching my cheek.

I still remember the pleasant sound of my ears being tickled.

I still remember the gentle and happy stories she kept telling me.

After listening to the story in her arms, I let her hold me and when I turned around, I could see her innocent smile.

Her cheeks flushed red, and a smile appeared on her face.

I once believed that she must be a magician.

Everyone smiles in her presence. She has the power to make anyone smile.

When she looked down at me with loving eyes, I said in a childish voice, "I want to be like you too."

I also want to become like you, as swift as the wind.

"You are you, you can't become me, can you?"

She tilted her head and said it in the same voice as herself.

"That's not what I meant," she pouted, her round cheeks pouting. For some reason, she chuckled happily. Even I, with my pouting cheeks, was amused by her smile.

We embraced gently, smiles on our faces, and laughed together.

A short while later, she turned around.

I peeked out from over her shoulder and saw the young man standing there.

A black scarf and thin armor, along with a silver longsword sheathed in its scabbard.

Upon seeing his face, she stopped hugging herself and put herself down. She touched her head one last time and slowly stood up.

A smile, different from the one she had shown when looking at him, appeared on her face as she smiled at the young man. He smiled awkwardly and nodded, as if to tell her something.

The young man noticed his lonely gaze and gave another awkward laugh.

I'm sorry. The father apologized.

Then he turned around and called to his mother (her).

"Let's go, Arya."

Leaving Bai Ji behind, the two of them nestled together and walked into the white light.

*

"..."

The dream faded away like a white mist.

Consciousness traversed the white forest and arrived at the darkness accumulated beneath the eyelids. Passing through the narrow slit, time returned from the past to the present.

Someone gently shook his shoulder. He felt the cool air on his cheek, and his consciousness began to clear.

Ais slowly opened her eyes.

"Are you alright, Ais?"

"……Um."

She paused for a moment before answering Tiona's voice.

Looking up, I saw her leaning over to look at me.

"It seems like our break is almost over. They said it's about time to leave."

"Um……"

Seeing Ais's still half-asleep and somewhat dazed answer, Tiona gave a wry smile.

Ais gently shook her head to shake off the remaining drowsiness, and this time she looked around clearly.

The first thing that catches the eye is the flickering magic stone lamp. Finn, Riveria, Tione, and Ais and Tiona sit around the portable lamp. Everyone is seated, currently repairing weapons and taking inventory of supplies.

The current location, surrounded by dim light and murky white walls, is a small cavern. A little distance away from Ais and the others, Lefia is on guard, along with another member of their faction.

Ais and her companions were taking a short rest in a corner of the vast labyrinth.

Today is the sixth day since what happened in "Rivera Town".

After the commotion, Ais and her group temporarily returned to the surface. At the same time, they, who were at the center of the incident, were also forced to deal with various cleanup matters.

Needless to say, they rescued the wounded and provided escort during the retreat to the surface, and they also reported what had happened to the guild and the chief god Loki.

They had originally intended to release information about the red-haired woman who attacked the town—the beast tamer—but held off for the time being because Loki instructed them to "wait and see." As for the woman, she was wanted for murdering Hassanal, and due to the strong demands of the Ganesha Familia, a warrant was posted for her arrest—she was added to the list of dangerous individuals.

Aside from Ais and Lulu, no one else had encountered the beast tamer, so the truth behind the monster attack was gradually being treated as an anomaly—only Perth learned the truth from Finn. The news of Hassan's murder and the near destruction of Rivera Town was currently only circulating among high-level adventurers. The guild handled it this way because they judged that letting the numerous low-level adventurers who couldn't enter the "middle levels" know about it would only cause unnecessary chaos.

Moreover, they seized a large number of colorful "magic stones" that had been extracted from the carnivorous flower monsters without any explanation.

The aftermath of the incident subsided quickly, as if someone had secretly covered it up.

"The reconstruction of 'Rivera Town' has already begun! That's so fast—"

"It's truly admirable that someone can be so obsessed with money... but I guess it's also a way of helping everyone out."

While gathered around the magic stone lamp preparing to explore the labyrinth, Tiona and Tione seemed to inadvertently start talking about that matter.

After making preparations, Ais and her group went to the 18th floor again and saw that "Rivera Town" was gradually being repaired—the town was beginning to be rebuilt. Despite such a terrible event, the high-level adventurers did not take it seriously and slowly built their own shops.

According to Perse, "This is an important stronghold of the underground city! If we don't do our part, what will the others do?!" He spoke as if he were making a heart-wrenching sacrifice, but Tione was right; it was clear that he was just shameless and greedy for money.

In some ways, the fact that "Rivera Town," which the guild cannot oversee, is a paradise for unruly adventurers (thugs) is perhaps the most important point. Just the fact that illegal items such as "lockpicking potions" can be bought in the town tells you that illegal trade can be carried out at will here.

Regardless of right or wrong, for many adventurers, "Rivera Town" is indeed an indispensable place.

The town's reputation as a rogue town is well-deserved.

They are tougher and more difficult to deal with than anyone else in the city.

"The man-eating flower monster... and the tamer didn't do anything particularly noticeable."

"Hmm—after all, the last incident was quite a big deal. If the Supreme God were in charge, he would probably tell her to be more careful. Besides, it's almost impossible to retrain so many monsters in such a short time. I don't think the situation will repeat itself."

"I just hope they haven't held back a trick up their sleeve, or that they haven't sent out any trained elite troops (monsters) yet," Finn replied to Riveria.

The man-eating flower monster did not launch another attack, and the red-haired beast tamer also seemed to remain silent.

In their investigation into the commission (the relic), Ais and her group searched the 30th floor, a place Hassan might have visited, but found nothing. They still didn't know where Hassan had found the orb and brought it back. Lulu, who escaped unscathed, also seemed unable to contact the commissioner afterward.

"It's about time we set off. Lefia, Lakta, are you all set?"

"Ah, yes! No problem!"

At this moment, Ais and her companions are resuming their exploration of the maze for their original purpose: to make money.

When they returned to the surface, they brought one more supporter in addition to Lefia, making it a team of seven.

We are currently on the 37th floor.

This is the "deep region" beyond the "lower layer".

Upon hearing Finn's voice, Lefia nodded, and Lakta, another supporter who had just reached LV·3, also nervously agreed. She had been easily dragged to the deeper area by everyone under the pretext of "learning," and her face looked somewhat stiff.

"Ais, you haven't eaten anything and you've just been sleeping. Is that alright? I still have a little something to eat."

"Thank you, Tiona... I'm alright."

Ais stood up and began equipping herself with weapons, politely declining Tiona's offer.