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

And he agreed.

—After hearing Ais tell the story and apologize, Lefia lost her training time with her.

Three days before the "expedition".

He was a day behind the boy (Bell), and it should have been the morning session of the fourth day of training.

Lefia walked alone on the bustling avenue, her mood at its worst.

Her azure eyes widened slightly, and a quiet anger brewed on her beautiful elven face. The demi-humans walking beside her and the crowd passing by all quickly averted their gazes from her.

Lefia gripped her beloved wand tightly to her chest, her heart filled with resentment.

"They're clearly from another faction, they're clearly from another faction, they're clearly from another faction...!"

Shameless! Unbelievable!

With tears in her eyes, she kept muttering her condemnations in a low voice, all directed at the boy.

Bell dared to shamelessly make such a request, wanting to monopolize [Sword Maiden] for the entire day, which infuriated Lefia. She couldn't object to Ais's judgment, and could only keep sobbing... no, she was harshly criticizing the boy for lacking common sense.

The road she was walking on was Beida Street, near the headquarters.

Left with no other choice, Lefia decided to train alone. As she headed to the dungeon, she walked through the throngs of people under the infuriatingly clear blue sky.

"—Viredis?"

Just as anger made her vision extremely narrow.

Lefia heard a voice calling her surname.

"Huh?" He turned around and saw that the girl of his own kind (elf) was still standing there, having just brushed past him.

It evokes images of a shimmering black shimmering hair and eyes that are a jewel-like crimson.

Her slender figure was dressed in a short cloak and a pure white battle cloth that covered her neck.

Seeing her serving as an attendant beside the blond heartthrob, Lefia looked surprised.

"Miss Philweis..."

Looking at the murmuring Lefia, the pure white-clad girl, Philweis, also showed a similar expression.

She is a Level 3 magic swordsman and a member of the Dionysus Familia, who fought alongside Lefia and others in the recent incident on the 24th floor.

The unexpected reunion caused both of them to stop what they were doing, swaying and jostling in the crowd. At that moment, the divine being that accompanied Phil Weiss spoke:

"The Thousand Elf...she's the fellow human you mentioned, isn't she?"

With her flowing golden hair, she resembled a prince. The god Dionysus said this, and Philweis replied, "Yes, yes."

When Lefia first met this god, she was at a loss for how to deal with him. Just as she was racking her brains, Dionysus, who had been secretly watching her with his glassy eyes, suddenly smiled.

"Philips mentioned you to me, and I'd like to thank you for something. If you don't mind, how about we have some tea?"

On a corner of the street just around the corner from Beidajie, there is an open-air café full of customers.

The sound of footsteps and cheerful chatter came from the street directly opposite. Lefia, Philweis, and Dionysus sat together at a round table.

"My child was cared for by you on the 24th floor. Please allow me to express my gratitude again. ... Thank you for saving this child's life. I am deeply grateful, Rafia Viridis."

"No, no! I'm the one who's been saved by Miss Philweis several times...!"

Lefia was overwhelmed with gratitude at the solemn thanks from the gods.

On the table lay the black tea and fruit tart that Dionysus had paid for; the fresh red and blue berries, combined with the sweet aroma of the baked goods, were mouthwatering. However, the blond heartthrob seemed unable to contain his amusement, jokingly saying, "If Loki knew I brought this little thing as a thank you gift, she'd probably strangle me."

Lephia's first impression of Dionysus was that of a kind and elegant god.

At the same time, Lefia sensed that this deity was intelligent and cautious, not letting anyone notice him, but instead trying to see through others' hearts with his glass-like eyes. She seemed to understand what Loki meant by his disdainful assessment of him as a "cunning god (guy)."

While Lefia conversed with Dionysus, Philweis, who had been forced to sit, remained silent. She didn't touch her tea or fruit pie (tart), her gaze shifting between her compatriots and the chief god.

"I think I understand the situation regarding that incident, but I'd still like to hear other people's perspectives. From your point of view, what are your thoughts on what happened on the 24th floor?"

After the pleasant conversation interspersed with thanks, Dionysus's expression turned serious.

Lefia reflexively straightened her posture and pondered for a moment. The chief god (Loki) seemed to regard him as a troublesome person, but she had also heard that the two had exchanged information several times since the Monster Festival incident, and he should have talked to Loki about the 24th floor later.

Lefia judged that there would be no problem in speaking out, so she expressed her opinion as the person involved.

"—It contains a 'magic stone,' an existence that surpasses the wisdom of the gods, and a 'jewel' that causes monsters to mutate. It's really...it gives me a headache no matter how many times I hear about it."

After listening silently to Lephia's words, Dionysus sighed heavily, pressing his hand to his forehead.

Watched by his retinue (Philwis), he gazed at Lefia with his glass-colored eyes.

"Thanks to the intelligence you brought back, the true face of the 'enemy' is gradually being revealed. The third force colluding with the remnants of the dark faction, the resurrected 'she' mentioned before... Lefia Viridis, I am now gradually developing a strong sense of crisis."

The male god said he even had a feeling that at this very moment, the peace of the city was being quietly eroded.

Dionysus told her this with a stiff expression that suppressed his emotions.

Lefia listened solemnly, having heard from Philwis that the child of this celestial being had been killed before the monster festival.

"Perhaps doing this is tantamount to leaving everything to you [Loki Familia], but... we will do our best to help in this matter. Please feel free to contact us if you need assistance."

"Okay, thank you!"

Dionysus, who proposed the partnership, lowered his gaze to express his gratitude.

The conversation between the two parties came to an abrupt end, and the three of them were enveloped in the noise of the street.

"By the way, how are the preparations for the 'Expedition' going? I heard you're heading to the 'Deep' soon?"

Under the furtive glances of the female guests around him, Dionysus elegantly sipped his black tea and asked in a cheerful tone.

The sweet, handsome face smiling at her made Lefia feel strange. She replied while being careful not to reveal any detailed information about her faction.

"Preparations are going smoothly, and we will depart as scheduled in three days."

"Three days later..."

Dionysus spoke softly, then smiled.

"Philweis is very worried about you going on your 'expedition'."

Both Lefia and Philweis were taken aback. The male god continued:

"After what happened on the 24th floor, this kid talked about you so enthusiastically, as if it were his own story."

"Dionysus!?"

Seeing the elven girl waver as she stood up from the chair, Lefia's eyes widened.

Phil Weiss was speechless for a moment, her fair cheeks flushed, and she refused to look into her eyes.

"It's been a long time since I've seen this child open up to anyone. Cats must often like to be around you, right?"

"Uh... what do you mean?"

Lefia looked puzzled, while Dionysus curled his lips into a smile typical of the gods.

"When Phil Weiss first joined the faction, her obsessive-compulsive disorder drove me crazy. Back then, she was like a cat, extremely wary of anyone who approached her."

"W-what are you talking about...? This has nothing to do with the current topic!"

At this point, the male god was already trying to make Phil Weiss happy. He chuckled and swayed his shoulders.

Ignoring the protests of his family, Dionysus, like a mischievous child, dug up the girl's past.

Seeing Phil Weiss's panic, Lefia couldn't help but chuckle softly.

She tried to suppress her laughter when Phil Weiss glared at her, but she couldn't.

Because the girl's face had turned completely red.

"May I ask about your planned itinerary for today?"

"Huh! Ah, okay. I plan to train in 'magic' in the dungeon."

Dionysus looked at the two of them kindly and slowly asked her.

After Lefia answered honestly, he said, "Hmm." He placed his hand on her delicate chin.

"If it won't bother you, could you please bring Phil Weiss along?"

This suggestion surprised Lefia and Philweis once again.

"how?"

"I...I'm fine..."

"Please, please wait a moment, Dionysus!?"

Lefia nodded, while Philweis tried to object, but Dionysus interrupted her.

"Don't worry about me, go and help her."

“B-But…”

"I won't stop you from deepening your friendship with Loki's child. Besides, I've already said I'm willing to provide all assistance. Do you want to go against what the Lord God has said?"

The handsome man's smile silenced Phil Weiss's panicked rebuttal, and he finally looked at Lefia.

"Lefia Veridis, if you don't mind, I hope you can continue to get along well with Phil Weiss in the future. There is also a distance between this child and the other members."

Then, he revealed the loving gaze of a parent towards their child.

"I'll be happy as long as you can bring a smile to this child's face."

As he spoke, Dionysus stood up from his seat.

"I'll take my leave now," he said as he departed the coffee shop and disappeared into the crowd.

The two elven girls were left behind.

After exchanging glances for a while, Phil Weiss seemed to have given up and finally spoke:

"...If it won't bother you, I'll go with you."

She turned her flushed face to the side and said this.

"...Okay! Please take care of me."

Seeing her shy expression, Lefia's cheeks also flushed red, and she smiled broadly.

"..."

After saying goodbye to Lefia and the others, Dionysus left the crowded area and walked along the path between the buildings.

Stepping into the dark, narrow path, unlike the brightly lit road, I walked for a while.

"—The close relationship between two beautiful young girls (elves) is truly irresistible~"

A mischievous voice came from ahead.

"What do you need, Hermes?"

Dionysus seemed to have noticed him long ago and replied in a cold tone.

The person who made the sound emerged from the shadows and walked up to him.

Orange-yellow hair and eyes, plus lightweight travel attire.

The handsome god with crescent-shaped eyes lifted his wide-brimmed feather hat and smiled at him.

"Hey, Dionysus."

Seeing the god Hermes's mask-like smile, Dionysus's gaze sharpened.

Dionysus sensed the gaze of this god, which is why he distanced his followers from him. Because in the power struggles among gods, a child who cannot lie only becomes a burden.

Hermes exudes an aura that cannot be ignored.

This male god, who is known among the gods as a "jack-of-all-trades" and "shrewd and capable," now reveals his true nature of indiscriminately absorbing both the pure and the impure.

The dim light of the back alley enveloped Hermes, deepening the smile on his face.

"I'd like to talk to you. Are you free now?"

"Which wind blew you here?"

"Hey, don't be so wary."

Hermes slightly opened his arms, emphasizing that he had no intention of harming anyone.

Looking at this pretentious and extremely suspicious god, Dionysus snorted.