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

The man in black instructed her to go to a designated tavern and say the "secret code" to pass through, and Ais nodded in agreement.

Having conveyed what needed to be conveyed, the man in black, without uttering any more words, retreated and disappeared into the fog.

As the other person disappeared, Ais turned around and stomped her boots.

The first destination is the 18th floor.

She needed to meet up with the "helper" the man in black had mentioned and head immediately to the 24th floor.

With the female animal trainer and the "jewel" on her mind, Ais set off from her current location.

Side Story: Sword Oratoria 3, Chapter 2: Let's party?

When the sun rises high in the sky and the clock hands point to ten.

The adventurers who happened to be passing by all went to explore the dungeon, and the guild headquarters gradually became quieter.

Those who arrived late brushed past a well-prepared party at the main gate; elsewhere, most of the remaining adventurers gathered in front of a large notice board, hoping to find some easy adventurer quests. Others frequently exchanged dubious information with their companions, hoping to hear some juicy gossip about the dungeons.

Among these people, the girl didn't even glance around, but instead looked up at the notice board.

This is a beautiful elven adventurer. Her long, glossy black hair, like that of a witch, reaches her waist, and her skin is stunningly white. The battle cloth she wears resembles a priestess's robe, also predominantly white. The long hem extends all the way to her neck, minimizing the exposure of her skin, as if reflecting the elf's fastidious nature.

The girl's crimson eyes swept over each parchment pasted on the notice board.

After reading the last power of attorney in the corner, she narrowed her eyes slightly.

Confirming that the notice board did not contain the information she needed—the adventurer's request for the 24th floor—she walked away from the notice board.

She then went to the service window.

"Excuse me, may I ask a question? My 24th floor adventurer's quest, the one about the monster overpopulation, doesn't seem to have been posted."

In an attempt to elicit information, she revealed a request she had never made before, and while waiting at the window for the staff to provide services, she visibly wavered.

The waitress, with her animal ears twitching, said "Please wait a moment" and disappeared into the depths of the room.

She returned soon after, and said tremblingly:

"The matter is currently under review... I'm very sorry."

After hearing the other person's reply, the girl turned and left without a word.

She walked through the white marble foyer, and halfway there, glancing back briefly, she saw that the service lady who had been contacted seemed equally puzzled by the decision to temporarily shelve the adventurer's request, which was currently "under review."

"The guild is deliberately restricting information about the 24th floor...?"

The elf girl deduced the movements of the guild's higher-ups from the reactions of the lower-level staff.

She sensed that the guild was manipulating information to prevent news of the unusual changes on the 24th floor—the surge in monsters—from spreading, and muttered to herself.

"...Report this to Dionysus."

Philvis, an elf and one of the members of the Dionysus Familia, has left the guild headquarters.

Located in the first district, far from Beidajie.

Beside the bustling street, there is a flower shop run by a group of demi-human girls. The shop's name, "Flower and Grass," is written on a cute wooden signboard.

The burly adventurer, who seemed to have no connection with delicate flowers—with a frivolous expression—frequently visited the flower shop, clearly with ulterior motives. However, thanks to these people, the flower shop was bustling with customers and its business was booming.

A handsome man visited the flower shop run by the girls.

"Excuse me, could you help me pick out some flowers?"

A handsome face smiled at her, causing the little girl's cheeks to flush. She waved to her colleagues for help and hurriedly began selecting flowers.

The girls in the shop were all stealing glances at Dionysus, the blond heartthrob standing in front of the shop. His handsome, dashing appearance, like a prince from some foreign land, made their hearts flutter.

Unlike other gods who possess only handsome looks but whose smiles are lewd, Dionysus exudes an extraordinary aura, far surpassing that of ordinary humans.

Even just admiring the flowers and plants inside the store from the entrance is enough to attract children's attention.

Soon, the bouquet Dionysus had requested was ready. As he thanked them and paid, the girls in the shop all gathered around him.

"Is this for a lady?"

"I really want to receive your bouquet too!"

"Hehe, then I'll accept you, who are even more beautiful than flowers?"

The shop assistant, who was flirting with Dionysus, seemed secretly pleased upon hearing this affected line, and looked at him with expectant eyes.

Dionysus narrowed his clear, glassy eyes and brought his face closer to the girls.

"Looking at me like that—I really might eat you up!"

The sweet, whispered voice elicited shrill screams from the girls—but in the next instant, they all froze, staring at Dionysus's back.

A beautiful elven girl appeared out of nowhere, staring at the shop assistants without any expression.

"........."

The clenched fist made a squeaking sound that shouldn't be heard from the slender fingers.

The girls scattered in panic and hid inside the shop. Dionysus, his handsome face twitching, turned to look at his retinue standing behind him.

"You're back so quickly, Philweis..."

"Yes, I received the information and wanted to inform Dionysus, so I came here specifically for Dionysus."

Phil Weiss answered calmly, relying on divine restraint to keep her voice from trembling before the Lord God.

A dark emotion churned silently in the girl's crimson eyes. Enduring this unspoken turmoil, Dionysus stood frozen for a long time—finally, slowly relaxing his grip and revealing a smile once more.

He held the bouquet in his right hand and took out another flower.

"I don't know how much you heard... but as far as the gods (us) are concerned, these are just polite words. They chose the flowers for you, so they should at least offer some words of thanks."

Phil Weiss accepted the flowers, her eyes widening.

It's as if she never existed just a few seconds ago; she suddenly becomes well-behaved and adorable.

The elven girl, her cheeks flushed a light pink, held white flowers in her hands and lowered her head.

"Although you are a god, I don't think it's appropriate for you to make such misunderstandings with your words and actions... to respond to other people's advances so casually."

"What, are you jealous?"

"...No one but Dionysus would love someone like me."

Philweis curled up in a ball and mumbled something, which made Dionysus laugh.

"Haha, what a cute little guy."

“!…”

The Supreme God gently stroked his fingers as he combed through her bangs, making Phil Weiss blush even more.

After laughing for a while, Dionysus raised his head.

"Alright, it's about time we went. Tell me the information when we get there."

Dionysus, holding a bouquet of flowers, called out to stop a carriage soliciting customers along the street, and got in with Philweis.

■

In the southeastern part of the city, there is a cemetery with countless tombstones standing side by side.

illustration

There is a place marked "First Cemetery," also known as "Adventurers' Cemetery." As its name suggests, it is a cemetery prepared for adventurers who perished in the dungeon. Their graves have continued to increase until today the cemetery is no longer sufficient to hold them all, so there are second and third cemeteries on the hills to the north of the city.

The tombs of adventurers who left behind illustrious achievements—especially those known as "heroes" since "ancient times"—are marked by massive monuments that can be seen in places like the guild headquarters' front yard. Many people, regardless of race or [Family], lay flowers here to express their pride and respect for their ancestors.

Dionysus and Philelves descended the long staircase and proceeded among the tombstones of these adventurers.

"..."

They stopped in their tracks. In front of them, in a corner of the cemetery purchased with the funds of their "kin," several graves had already been erected. Dionysus walked to the three newest tombstones and personally offered bouquets.

The remains buried beneath this cemetery are actually few. The ferocious hordes of monsters and the harsh environment of the dungeon do not allow the surviving members to collect the bodies; many graves are simply empty tombstones. The remains of Dionysus's child, who was killed recently, are placed in coffins, and the graves are spaced further apart.

Dionysus, being a god, knew very well that offering flowers at a grave like he did was meaningless.

The children's souls have already returned to heaven. What lies beneath this tombstone is merely a mass of flesh; the regrets that should be consoled, or the people who should rest in peace, are not here. The blessings to be prayed for in the afterlife are entirely up to the gods in "heaven." His actions were nothing more than imitating the customs of the people on earth.

This is also the only way that Dionysus, who remained on the ground, could express his gratitude to the children.

"Information about the 24th floor hasn't been released, is that right...?"

"Yes, there are no matching adventurer requests."

After offering flowers at the grave, Dionysus stood before the family's tombstone, listening to Phileith, who was waiting behind him, recount the details.

There was no one else around, and the two continued their conversation.

"When we went to Rivera Town yesterday, the town was in a state of panic because of the sudden increase in monsters. Some even thought it was best to avoid exploring areas below the 20th floor until the guild came up with a concrete solution."

The information about the disturbance on the 24th floor that Dionysus and his group obtained came from Philweis, who went to the safety point—the 18th floor—to inquire about it.

After hearing the family's description of the situation, the male god fell into deep thought.

"Indeed, given the scale of the situation, a mandatory mission should be issued..."

As the governing body of Orario, the guild can issue "mandatory missions" to all factions in the city in emergency situations—in other words, urgent requests from adventurers.

"Given this unusual situation, it's not surprising that a mandatory mission has been issued," Dionysus said in a low voice.

"Is it the guild's higher-ups... no, is it Uranus who's behind this?"

Do you not want to escalate the problem?

Or do they want to send a small number of elite troops to quickly quell the unrest?

Dionysus speculated that Uranus, as the chief god of the guild, might have secretly mobilized a private army.

"What should we do, Dionysus?"

Dionysus remained silent in response to Phileith's question.

After a while, he turned around and looked behind him.

"Let's drag Loki into this."

■

"He's here again..."

Loki greeted Dionysus and his companions with an expression of annoyance.

The location was the headquarters of the [Family], in front of the Twilight Pavilion. Loki received a report that a celestial being had requested a meeting with him. Upon exiting, he found the god waiting at the main entrance with his entourage member (Philwiss).

Dionysus's white teeth gleamed as he grinned broadly.

"I've obtained some information that's of interest to me. Let's not stand here and talk about it properly, shall we?"

His unspoken message was, "Let me into headquarters." Loki initially told him to "get lost," but upon seeing the brand of premium wine that Phil Weiss subtly gestured to, he reluctantly let them through the gate. The goddess, a heavy drinker, was met with disdain from the guards and her entourage.

However, she still refused to let outsiders cross the threshold, so she had tables and chairs prepared in the narrow courtyard in front of the tower.

"So, what kind of information are you referring to that's of concern?"

Loki took the wine, opened it, and drank it without saying a word. Dionysus first said, "The guild is acting strangely," and then described the current situation on the 24th floor.

It describes several incidents of monsters suddenly appearing on the floor.

"Although not many people know about it, there have actually been similar monster surges before, on the 30th floor."

The keyword "30th floor" made Loki raise one eyebrow.

Finn and the others had reported to him that Hassan, who was murdered, also found the gem on this floor.

"When was that?"

"I think it was... about three weeks ago. But since it was something that happened in the 'lower levels,' it seems that even the high-ranking adventurers aren't talking about it."

Even among high-level adventurers, only a small fraction can enter the "lower levels," which are even more dangerous than the "middle levels." Dionysus said that the news of the monster surge might not have spread because there were few witnesses.

He then told Loki, who was silently drinking his wine, that the Guild controlled this intelligence.

Dionysus also said that Uranus might be acting behind the scenes, sending his private army to the 24th floor.

"It's also possible that he wanted to cover up the whole thing."

"Can't guilds still be trusted?"

"...It was you, Loki, who went to spy on Uranus. As long as you believe he is innocent, I have nothing to say...but, I still feel something is amiss."