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

Only Lefia and Philweis remained.

The joyful chatter of adventurers surrounded them. The sound of stringed instruments drifted from somewhere, perhaps played by the townspeople for fun. Crystal light streamed down from the ceiling, illuminating their thick golden hair and long, glossy black locks.

As if isolated from the bustling surroundings, the two exchanged silences.

Just as Lefia hesitated to speak... Philvis, without looking at her, opened her lips and said:

"Lefia Viridis... never develop feelings for me, and don't come near me."

The first time she heard her call her name, Lefia's shoulders trembled.

Philweis advised Lefia, as if warning her who had taken care of her along the way, or as if rejecting her tenderness.

"I am already covered in filth."

Then, as if she had finally understood something, she smiled gently.

"I don't want to tarnish my fellow countrymen."

She told the astonished Rafia with absolute certainty.

Philweis uttered those words that an elf shouldn't have said and immediately tried to walk away.

Seeing her coldly turn her back to Lefia, clearly indicating her rejection, Lefia, who stood motionless, widened her eyes in disbelief.

Without thinking, she stretched out her arm and, unafraid of a counterattack, grabbed Phil Weiss's wrist.

"Who said you're dirty?!"

Then, a sincere and genuine cry reached the elf's slender ears.

This time, it was Phil Weiss's turn to be speechless.

Looking back, the azure eyes staring intently at her and the words spoken to her made her eyes widen... but a beat too late, she snapped back to reality and shook off Lefia's hand.

Phil Weiss pressed her wrist and stepped back, looking quite panicked.

She seemed surprised that she didn't immediately pull her hand away, and looked down at her right hand that Lefia had held.

"You are much more beautiful and gentle than me!"

Rafia continued to explain desperately.

This is not sympathy, nor comfort, nor sweet talk; it is a genuine feeling.

The insult of being "covered in filth" ignited Lefia's fury. It was tantamount to humiliating the girl who had shown concern for her fellow elves (Lefia) through her words and actions along the way, and even if she herself had done it, Lefia couldn't tolerate it. Deep within Lefia lay an unwavering pride as an elf and a deep friendship for her fellow elves, stirring emotions that defied explanation.

Most importantly, Lefia couldn't stand by and watch the girl in front of her drive her into a state of loneliness.

When Lefia's feelings were expressed in harsh words, the previously disheveled Philweis glared at her with her crimson eyes.

In a voice brimming with anger, she berated Lefia in front of her:

"What do you know! Don't you dare talk nonsense! We've only known each other for a short time, what do you know about me?"

Faced with a counterargument ostensibly a positive argument, Lefia was momentarily speechless.

But she couldn't lose—so, fueled by a surge of energy, she reflexively retorted:

"I...I'm going to find a whole bunch more!!"

I was talking about your strengths! She added.

"..."

"..."

Phil Weiss was stunned.

Lefia froze as soon as she spoke.

Hearing her compatriot's sudden and strange answer, Phil Weiss seemed a little surprised and stood there stunned... before finally bursting out laughing.

She quickly covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her uncontrollable laughter, but she couldn't stop.

"Hehe." Finally, she gave up and pointed at him as if she found it very funny:

"What kind of answer is that? It's completely irrelevant to the question."

“Ah…”

Rafia realized she had spoken incoherently and blushed.

Seeing her like this, Phil Weiss laughed even harder, her cherry-like lips emitting soft, bird-like giggles.

This might be...

She, ostracized by adventurers and her companions, showed a smile she hadn't displayed in a long time.

Lefia, who was initially shy, broke into a smile upon seeing Philweis's smile.

(Although it's hard to explain in words, but...)

Because they were compatriots, Lefia knew one thing.

That is the person before me, possessing a proud and beautiful soul.

Although the two had only exchanged a few words, Lefia had already sensed it.

"...You are truly an extraordinary elf."

Phil Weiss smiled and said calmly.

Seeing that the feeling she exuded was no longer so prickly, Lefia was overjoyed.

Under the blue sky below, she laughed with her fellow girls.

illustration

"Hey, you two clumsy elves! Get over here right now!"

Not long after, Bert started cursing at them.

Upon closer inspection, they saw that Bert was still standing outside the square waiting for them.

Hearing his call, Lefia and Philweis looked at each other, nodded, and quickly walked to his side.

The squad members remained unchanged, and the three-person squad left Rivera Town.

■

The silver sword, the Sword of Despair, emitted a howl of wind.

"Whoa!?"

With a swift, diagonal slash, he severed the sword-like antlers of the stag monster, the "Sword-Horned Deer," and cleanly cut its face in two.

The monster's massive body lost its balance and crashed to the ground of the dungeon with a loud thud.

"Eek~ You're still as amazing as ever~"

Seeing Ais take the life of the sword-horned deer in the blink of an eye, Lulu said admiringly.

Armed with her weapon, Ais remained vigilant, keeping a close watch on her surroundings while also glancing at Lulu and her companions. Meanwhile, the members of the makeshift team had just finished dealing with the horde of monsters they had encountered.

The passageway was entirely covered in tree bark and moss that shimmered with countless tiny lights. After dispelling the increasingly powerful monsters that grew stronger with each floor, Ais and the others entered their destination: the 24th floor.

The 24th floor, which is very close to the lower area, even has a passageway that is wider than the "upper" or the current middle area. The team of sixteen people, including Ais, can occupy the space to their heart's content and move around leisurely.

Although the number of monsters encountered each time also increased significantly, Lulu and her Hermes Familia handled the enemies with ease.

"Miss Lulu, you guys are amazing too..."

"Just call me Luluni, we're about the same age, aren't we?"

She said she was eighteen years old and hoped that Ais wouldn't be so reserved around her.

As Ais nodded in agreement, ahead of them, squad leader Asifi was instructing everyone to move forward.

The group maintained a safe distance from each other and began to move forward in the underground city.

"After all, we're not lying about our level for fun. I'll let it slide, but don't let Asphie and the other guys fool you; they're all pretty good fighters."

The two walked side by side in the middle of the group, continuing their conversation.

Despite her words, Luluni's skills and dagger techniques were quite formidable. She did call herself a thief, and seemed to dislike direct combat, but she excelled at disrupting monsters, occasionally striking them on the limbs, and completely supporting her companions in the battle from beginning to end.

(Their individual skills and collaborative actions are both highly adept...)

The members of the Hermes Familia are indeed impeccably strong, even the supporters equipped with backpacks are no exception.

The tiger-men wielding greatswords and shields, the dwarves launching spells at the perfect moment, the elves handling both short bows and hand axes with ease… Looking back at the battles fought along the way, their skills were undeniably superb. The fact that Ais only fought the sword-horned deer once, and hadn't had a chance to appear in any other engagements, is the best evidence of this.

Perhaps reflecting the leader's (Asufi's) personality, the squad is divided into forwards, center-backs, and defenders, with clear division of responsibilities. The center-backs, led by Asuf, are particularly formidable. Including the guerrilla (Lulune), the center-backs' coordinated attacks and emergency responses are extremely swift. With the center-backs stabilizing the situation, the forwards and defenders can act with greater confidence.

They strive to minimize unnecessary actions and prioritize efficiency, but they are indeed very strong.

In terms of the strength of a small team, it is likely to be equal to, or even stronger than, the core members of the Loki Familia, such as the first-level adventurer (Ais).

This is the Hermes Clan. Seeing the actual level of a faction that she had never paid attention to before, Ais could only feel admiration.

(Especially...)

She stole a glance at the woman with a pure white cloak and light blue hair.

Although she only gave instructions and didn't participate in many battles herself, she was incredibly skilled with her short sword.

Among this excellent team, leader Asifi's skills still stand out as particularly outstanding.

"Hmm, are you very concerned about Asphie?"

"...Lulu, what is Miss Asphie's level?"

Ais whispered in Lulu's ear, "Lv.4, huh?" Lulu answered readily.

On one hand, Ais felt that it was just as she had expected, but on the other hand, judging from Asphie's fighting style, she felt that she was hiding something. Or rather, she didn't want Ais to see it and deliberately kept it to herself.

It seems we really need to reconsider our evaluation of the Hermes Familia. Ais thought to herself.

For reference, Ais asked Luluni:

"What floor did the [Family] reach?"

"The 37th floor, but the monsters there were incredibly strong, so I didn't go too deep."

I remember the official (guild) announcement that the [Hermes Familia] had reached the 19th floor.

That's almost doubled. I was really surprised that they'd even ventured into the "deep" levels.

At this moment, Ais suddenly became curious about something and asked a question.

"You managed to go so deep into the building without being discovered by the other adventurers...?"

With so many people exploring the dungeon together, it's bound to attract the attention of other adventurers—wouldn't that expose the lie about the Lv.? Just as Ais was thinking this, Luluni revealed a smug expression.

"Our captain is the infamous 'All-Powerful One,' you know? She has an incredibly powerful magical artifact that makes everyone invisible—"

"Have you talked enough, Lulu?"

Asphi interrupted Lulu's voice.

A pair of cold eyes glared behind his glasses, warning her to keep quiet.

"I'm sorry, Asphie."

"Really..."

Lulu, momentarily carried away by her triumph, shrank back.

The big-mouthed thief made Asphie sigh, and then she walked over to Ais.

"[Sword Maiden], I'd like to ask for your frank opinion: what are your thoughts on this request?"

"……What's the meaning?"

"I've heard the general outline of the Rivera town attack from Lulune. The black-robed man, obsessed with the mysterious orb, made the request... Do you think this commotion is also dangerous?"

The man in black is implying that the surge in monsters is a harbinger of something concerning the "orb."

Asphie wanted to ask Ais if she thought this adventurer's quest was dangerous enough to rival the recent incident that nearly destroyed Rivera Town. Ais paused, then nodded. At least as an adventurer herself, Ais believed this adventurer's quest should not be viewed optimistically.

Seeing her reaction, Asifi's expression was as if she was holding back a sigh.

"I've really gotten myself into trouble..."

Luluni, who was listening nearby, seemed to feel embarrassed, but Asphie stopped blaming her and just became more tense to fulfill her duties as the squad leader.

Ais and the others worked together to deal with the scattered attacks of monsters while advancing along the regular route on the 24th floor.