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

—You can't be wrong!

Deep within the cracks of the dense fog, dispelled by the "magic" used, the boy is fighting.

He dodged the monsters' flailing limbs and bravely fought back with his equipped short sword. Even when the encirclement formed by the imps and orcs put him in a difficult position, the boy fought with the agility of a rabbit, outnumbered but outgunned.

The boy has indeed grown, demonstrating the strength to fight on the 10th floor.

Judging from his skillful use of what might be considered a very short and complex form of fire and lightning combat, given some time, he should be able to weather this storm on his own.

Ais was surprised and rushed to his side.

The boy suddenly misjudged the situation, his dodge a beat too slow. He used the shield on his left arm to deflect the force, causing the orc's swung wooden club to slide off the shield. However, the shield's surface made a loud "crackling" sound as it rubbed against the shield, and the impact caused the boy to stumble.

The little devils licked their lips, about to pounce on the unsuspecting back—but Ais's sword wouldn't let them succeed.

"Guye——!?"

「!?」

A flash of high-speed sword light sliced ​​the three little devils in two.

A fleeting sword dance unfolded behind the boy. Ais sensed that something was happening outside her field of vision, which startled him, but for the time being, Ais prioritized eliminating the monster.

She blended into the fog, her momentum like a raging torrent causing the monster to let out a series of death screams.

Neither the boy nor the monster could keep up with Ais's speed, as if she had several clones fighting at once. Ais let her long golden hair fly wildly, causing the little devils to fall one after another to the blade of her beloved sword (the sword of despair). The slow-moving pig-headed humanoid (half-orc) couldn't even react in time, and by the time it noticed, its entire body had already been brutally dismembered.

In the blink of an eye, the number of monsters dwindled.

"I'm so sorry!?"

"what……"

Seeing the encirclement gradually crumble, the boy forced his way through from one point.

He only said one word to Ais in a voice that couldn't hide his anxiety before rushing towards the cave exit without looking back.

Looking back, the boy's figure had already disappeared into the depths of the fog.

Ais was still standing there in a daze, but when the monster attacked, she had no choice but to fight back.

She skillfully annihilated all the monsters, preventing them from pursuing the boy.

"They've left..."

The battles that have taken place so far seem as if they never happened, and the grasslands have fallen into silence.

Ais murmured softly to herself.

She couldn't even call out to the boy.

In the blink of an eye, they met back to back.

The thick fog prevented either of them from seeing each other's faces, and the boy probably didn't realize who Ais was. She had come to save him... but the two passed each other by once again.

"..."

Ais silently thought to herself, "However."

Perhaps I was able to help him.

Ais sensed that the boy had seemed quite anxious. Ignoring the attack he was under, he desperately tried to escape the monster horde, as if rushing to rescue a companion in danger.

Although this was just Ais's intuition, she felt it was probably pretty close to the truth.

On her way here, while inquiring about the boy, she heard several times that he was exploring alone, accompanied only by one companion (supporter).

(What should we do next...?)

According to the client (Eina), the boy may have been drawn into the conflict between other factions because of that companion (supporter)... I don't know if he's alright.

If we try to chase after him now, it's hard to say whether we can find him again. Besides... now that he has learned "magic," even if a group of thugs wanted to cause him trouble, they probably wouldn't be able to do anything to him.

Ais recalled the boy's skills from earlier and, after analysis, concluded that he was gradually acquiring the highest level of strength among novice adventurers. She felt that she didn't need to worry about the boy.

Ais hesitated for a moment about what to do, and just then...

Unwittingly, she spotted a glowing object in the corner of her field of vision.

"……This is……"

She walked over and picked up the glowing object that had fallen onto the grassland—a piece of protective gear.

It was a piece of armor that shone with the light of emeralds. The light source seemed to be coming from this shield.

As if telling a story of resisting monster attacks, the smooth surface has become riddled with holes.

Are they the lost items adventurers sometimes find while exploring dungeons? Ais tilted her head slightly, "Ah..." and suddenly a thought flashed through her mind.

"Could it be...?"

Perhaps it was the boy's equipment.

It was probably detached from his arm when he was parrying the orc's club. In the dense fog where visibility was poor, Ais did see the boy's arm flash with an emerald light.

She crouched down and carefully picked up the protective gear. Seeing the damage to the metal buckles, Ais was certain it belonged to the boy.

Ais looked down at the armor she was holding and stood there for a while.

"...?"

Ais looked up.

The rustling sound made her turn around.

Behind them, on the grassland, perhaps having mistakenly heard the sound of this floor, a rabbit-monster from the upper floors, the "Needle Rabbit," hopped around. The unicorn rabbit's eyes met Ais's, and it was startled, fleeing in panic. It seemed to have seen the scattered monster corpses around it and realized the difference in their strength.

Just an ordinary monster...?

Ais became suspicious. What should have truly drawn her attention was another voyeuristic aura.

Am I overthinking it?

"..."

wrong.

Ais's eyes sharpened as she faced the thick fog.

She held the protective gear in her right hand and drew her sword from its sheath again with her left.

There is something deep within that fog.

illustration

"...We've been discovered? They really didn't recognize my worth."

Soon, the fog began to sway.

From the depths of the white mist, a pitch-black shadow emerged.

It was a mysterious figure dressed entirely in a black robe. Nothing could be seen beneath the hood that filled the darkness, and his hands were covered by intricately patterned gloves (goLve), revealing no skin.

The person exuded an indescribable presence, making one wonder: Is this person really human?

Faced with a man in black whose gender was impossible to determine, Ais remained vigilant and asked:

"Did you need something from me?"

"Yes, that's right. But before I explain, I hope you'll put down that sword. I have no intention of harming you."

The suspicious man in black, who had emerged from the thick fog, stopped in his tracks.

Indeed, there was no trace of hostility emanating from this man. He deliberately stepped into Ais's attack range, entrusting his life or death to her. Within this distance, before an opponent could even move, he would be felled to the ground by Ais's beloved sword (the Sword of Despair).

Seeing that this person sincerely hoped she would listen to him, Ais temporarily put down her sword.

"……Who are you?"

"Nothing much, just an insignificant magician... I've had contact with Lulune Louis before, you should understand what I mean."

Ais was startled when she heard what the other person said.

Luluni Louis is the orc girl who received the orb (goods) from the murdered Hassan in Rivera Town.

She said she accepted the deliveryman's job at the request of a mysterious client.

"A long, black robe," "It's impossible to tell if he's a man or a woman"... The characteristics of the client she described were exactly the same as the person in front of her.

"Ais Wallenstein... I would like to ask you to accept the adventurer's request."

While Ais was still in shock, the man in black had already revealed his purpose.

"An anomaly (Lrregular) has occurred on the 24th floor, causing a surge in monsters. I hope you can investigate this matter or quell this riot."

The man in black then added, "Of course I will prepare payment."

"We've got a clue as to the cause; the problem is most likely in the deepest part of the building... the food pantry."

Ais listened in silence, while constantly thinking.

She only now realizes that an unusual surge of monsters has occurred on the 24th floor, but why has she (Ais) been approached to investigate? Judging from the current situation, it seems that the other party has been waiting for an opportunity to contact her.

So, who exactly is this person in front of us? He claims to be a magician, and if we believe him, he must be a follower of the gods who have received their "blessings," but for some reason, he is seeking help from other factions.

Ais stared at the man in black before her, trying to discern his intentions.

"In fact, a phenomenon very similar to this one occurred on the 30th floor—the location I sent Hassanna to."

"!"

Ais's shoulders trembled.

Her expression immediately wavered.

The other party seemed to think that Ais would understand once they got to this point.

The man swayed his long black robe, pointing directly to the core.

"The people who attacked 'Rivera Town'... are very likely connected to that 'jewel'."

Ais gasped.

She knew it was bait, meant to pique her interest, but her heart was still pounding wildly.

A strange "jewel" that makes my body restless, and a red-haired woman who calls herself "Arya".

A series of memories flooded back into Ais's mind.

"The situation is quite serious, [Fiora], I hope you can help."

Ais was very distressed.

Faced with the pleading man in black, she thought and thought... After a while, she lowered her slender chin.

"I see……"

Ais accepted the adventurer's request.

The other party had no ill intentions—no malicious intent to frame her. Ais considered various factors and possibilities, and finally made this decision based on her intuition.

Most importantly, Ais desperately wants to obtain clues about the red-haired woman and the "jewel".

Seeing that she had agreed, the man in black thanked her, saying, "I am extremely grateful."

"If possible, I would like you to go there right now, is that alright?"

Ais was unable to answer the other party's request immediately.

She wasn't sure if she could take matters into her own hands and handle the task alone... so even though she knew it wasn't feasible, she still tried to ask the suspicious person in front of her for help.

"Um, could you please pass on a message to my [Family]...?"

"Hmm? Oh... I see. I understand. Leave this to me."

Perhaps sensing that Ais didn't want her companions to worry, the man in black actually agreed.

A slightly surprised but also relieved Ais immediately wrote a letter. She took out a quill—an expensive magic item that could use a small amount of blood instead of ink—and parchment from her pouch, and wrote the letter to Loki in her own handwriting, ending with sacred writing to prove it was Ais. She placed the letter on the outstretched glove.

...If there was anything else that worried her, it was the safety of the White Rabbit (the boy).

Ais decided to believe what she had just seen.

I believe in the figure of an adventurer who has grown up and thrived in a completely different way.

"First, please go to 'Rivera Town'. Your 'helpers' have arrived."

"I see."