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

Upon hearing the woman react to Ais's [Wind Spirit Dash] and utter the name "Arya," Loki and Finn all fell silent.

—Is Ais also one of the enemy's objectives?

Finn and the others all had the same question in mind.

"...I don't think anyone other than us knows about Ais's background."

"But if that's the case, how would they know Ais's mother's name?"

Grace frowned, indicating that only the four people present could possibly know about it. Finn glanced sideways at him talking to Riveria, then looked at Loki.

"Loki, is there anyone among the gods who knows the truth about Ais?"

"...Probably only Uranus noticed it."

Upon hearing this, Finn and the others all glared coldly at the main god. Their gazes conveyed the unspoken message, "So, after all this time, the guild is still the most suspicious one."

"Wait, wait," Loki, sweating, raised his hands, interrupting the children's doubts.

Everyone decided to put aside the question of whether the guild was suspicious for the time being.

"However, she calls Ais 'Arya'... How could she mistake her for my mother? That bothers me."

The leader (Finn) speculated that perhaps the female beast tamer was not entirely clear about the girl's (Ais's) current situation.

Others also thought it made sense and included this opinion in their consideration.

"...Assuming the enemy knows Ais's true identity, what is their objective?"

Rivera parted her lips slightly and asked the question.

No one could answer her. They only had scattered pieces of information, insufficient to connect the two points. Furthermore, this matter concerned their companion's (Ais's) privacy, so they couldn't rush to conclusions.

A silence fell between the four of them.

"There's something else that bothers me."

Finn suddenly spoke up:

"That female animal trainer doesn't seem to know who we are."

"What's the meaning?"

When Grace asked him a question, Finn turned his gaze to Riveria.

"Do you remember, Rivera? What did the female beast tamer say to us after the battle?"

"...You mean that one?"

Hearing Finn say this, Riveria recalled the battle ten days ago.

—"Level 1...Lv.5, no, it's 6."

She did say that after Finn and Riveria teamed up to deliver a blow to the female beast tamer.

It sounds like she only realized Finn and Riveria were Level 6 through battle. Conversely, this means she didn't know their strength or any relevant information before fighting Finn and the others.

She knew absolutely nothing about the top-tier adventurer who was famous throughout the city.

"Oh—I see. Our [family] is quite famous, and its fame extends far and wide, known throughout the world."

Especially Finn and you first-tier adventurers, you're quite famous, aren't you?

"Yes. I'm not bragging, but it's unlikely that anyone, whether a city dweller or someone from outside the city, hasn't heard of us."

Finn nodded in agreement with Loki's statement.

Information about the labyrinthine city of Orario, hailed as the "center of the world," has always been a focus of global attention.

This renowned adventurer, Orario's proudest and strongest warrior, is a Level 6 adventurer and holds a top position in the city—the highest rank besides "Top of the World." His fame is known to everyone.

Finn Dimna, the Brave, and Riveria Rios Alf, the Nine Hell. As an adventurer, it's impossible that I wouldn't have information about these two well-known figures.

Even to say that one has no interest in worldly affairs would be an overstatement.

"Capable of taming a large number of monsters, yet lacking general knowledge... it's just like..."

Finn paused abruptly at this point.

"It's just like what?"

"...No, it's nothing, just forget about it."

Riveria urged Finn to continue, but he just shook his head.

Finn seemed to find his own delusions ridiculous and abandoned the idea.

He let out a soft breath and sat back down in his chair.

"...Whether it's this matter or the situation Loki encountered in the underground waterways, we couldn't even see the outline of the enemy."

"That's right."

Grace made the chair creak, and Finn nodded in agreement. "Hmm..." Loki also scratched his thin chin with his finger.

The conversation in the room was temporarily interrupted.

"...I'd like to ask Ais herself what she has to say."

After a long while, Finn murmured this.

He opened the drawer of his desk and took out a handbell.

The handbell was tied with a gorgeous ribbon, and the handle was a striking bright red. Finn held the handbell in his right hand and shook it gently. The pager rang out... Less than a second later, the sound of running footsteps echoed throughout headquarters, heading towards the office, followed by the door slamming open.

"—Did you call me, Commander!?"

Tiony, with a bright expression, appeared at the door.

Finn used the pager she had given him—which she had practically forced upon him—to summon him, and gave the instructions in a low voice.

"Could you please go find Ais and bring her over? I'd like you to ask Lefia and the others to help bring Ais over."

"Leave it to me!!"

Tione readily agreed with delight and vanished in the blink of an eye. Riveria silently closed the door that had been left unattended.

Seeing the call bell that could summon female warriors (Amazons) at any time with a shake, Grace muttered, "This is really convenient..." "It's alright," Finn chuckled dryly.

"Hmm—, since we've got nothing else to do before Ais comes over, let's talk about the next 'Expedition'."

Loki gave a "hey" and got off the desk.

The next "expedition"—the Loki Familia's exploration of the unreached floors of the "Deep" dungeon—will take place in eleven days, less than two weeks away.

Finn and the others had no objections to the God's proposal and expressed their approval.

"Have you reached an agreement with the goddess Hephaestus, Loki?"

"Oh—you mean the thing about wanting to bring the blacksmith along? It's all settled. Although the condition was that we'd give them the weapon materials (dropped items) from the 'Deep Layer,' anyway, Fifi has agreed."

When Finn raised a question while making detailed adjustments and confirmations to the scheduled itinerary, Loki made a circle with his fingers to indicate that everything was fine.

The last "expedition" was attacked by the corrosive liquid of larval monsters, melting all equipment and backups. After repelling the enemy, they were unable to continue exploring due to a severe lack of weaponry. Learning from the experience of being forced to retreat last time, Finn wanted to bring a blacksmith who could repair weapons with him this time, so he asked Loki to entrust other members of the [Familia] to provide assistance.

Finn has designated the large faction of forging, the Hephaestus Familia.

Needless to say, the Hephaestus Familia's forging skills are superb, and they also possess many high-level blacksmiths whose combat abilities surpass those of ordinary high-level adventurers. Finn judged that even if the members of the Hephaestus Familia encountered an accident in the "Deep Layer," they wouldn't hold them back, which is why he designated this faction.

"As long as the blacksmith repairs the weapon, I can fight with the same main weapon all the time... without having to prepare a backup."

"Yes, the saved baggage space can all be used to carry the 'Demon Sword.' Grace, how's that going?"

"Oh, everything is ready. I've scoured the entire city's weapon shops and managed to get about thirty guns, all top-quality. I'll pick them up today."

The "Demon Sword" is a means of preventing contact with the larval-type body fluids that would damage the weapon—a countermeasure against direct attacks.

They planned to use special weapons to unleash a devastating barrage, equivalent to magic, from a distance. While it was uncertain whether they would encounter the larval swarms again, they still needed to be prepared for the worst.

These "magic swords" will be equipped by lower-ranking members, primarily responsible for defending outposts (camps).

"Next, all the main combat forces besides Riveria and Ais need to prepare weapons with 'Durandal' attribute."

During the last "expedition", only Ais's indestructible sword (the sword of despair) was able to continuously resist the corrosive liquid that melts weapons and effectively attack the enemy.

Finn said he would equip all first-class adventurers, except for the mage Riveria, with special weapons (superiors) similar to hers.

This is also a strategy to deal with that new type (monster). He concluded that without dealing with the larval type, it would be impossible to enter the unreached floors.

"The 'Demon Sword' and everyone's special weaponry... Haha, I expected this, but it's really expensive!"

Needless to say, the "Demon Sword" is a special weapon with "indestructible attributes," and it's incredibly expensive.

Even excluding Riveria and Ais, just preparing the weapons for Finn, Grace, Bert, Tiona, and Tione would wipe out all the profits earned from the last "expedition." Not only that, but even the [Family] assets accumulated so far would be used up to near their limit.

"I'm sorry, Loki."

"I left everything to my family (Finn) to handle, so you can just go ahead and do it... Besides, I like to gamble and I'll gamble everything."

Loki cheerfully told him that the thrill of high-risk, high-return adventures was part of the fun for exploration-type Familias, and also a regular part of expeditions. She handed over all the command of dungeon-related matters to Finn, replying with a hearty laugh.

"However... this makes the female beast tamer's movements very concerning."

During the discussion, Rivera suddenly said this.

If the female animal trainer is indeed interested in Ais, she might react in some way this time.

If they were attacked by the female beast tamer and her carnivorous flower army on the way to the "expedition," they would be in serious trouble—that was her unspoken concern.

"Hmm...Indeed, temporarily canceling this 'expedition' might be a solution."

"If we only say we're stopping now, Bert or Tiona might make a scene..."

Besides, Ais has only just leveled up; they definitely won't sit still. Grace sighed as she spoke, following Finn.

"Furthermore, going on an expedition might yield some clues about the colored 'magic stones'."

“Hmm…”

"In any case, let's continue with the current plan and make preparations."

Although it's still uncertain on which floor the man-eating plant will appear, the larval monsters will definitely be based around the 50th floor.

Finn argued that it was necessary to launch a "feedback expedition" in order to gather intelligence, and Riveria nodded in agreement.

Then, just as the conversation came to an end, someone knocked on the door.

"Commander, this is Tione. May I bother you?"

"Oh, it seems they've arrived."

Finn answered the voice coming from behind the door with "Come in."

The double doors to the office were opened, and there stood, as expected, Tiony, Tiona, and Lefia.

However, Ais, whom Finn had asked them to bring, was nowhere to be found.

"Strange, where's Ais?"

"Well--……"

When Loki asked her question, Tiona looked away.

The three of them must have searched the entire headquarters for Ais, and now they all looked embarrassed.

Finally, Rafia, trembling with fear, spoke on behalf of the others:

"It seems she went to the underground city... all alone."

“…………”

Upon hearing her apologetic words, the entire leadership of the [Family] fell silent.

Finn and the others looked at each other, then sighed.

"Just got back from the dungeon..."

"She's seemed down lately, did she go out to cheer herself up?"

Having defeated the floor master and returned to headquarters after a long exploration, only a day had passed. Rivera was worried, and Grace looked helpless.

"I'm truly defeated by her," Finn said with a wry smile.

"We just talked about it, so I'm a little worried."

"I think maybe it's just worrying unnecessarily... after all, she's already level 6."

"Besides, we don't know where she's going. Even if we chase after her, we can't guarantee we'll find her in the vast underground city. According to Ais..."