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

"Hmm!? You're right, Bell, let her go! The way you're smirking is truly awful!"

"I... I wasn't being lecherous at all!?"

Lily and the fairy suddenly started blaming me like a storm.

I retorted loudly to their nonsense, explaining that Winnie wouldn't let go of me, but they wouldn't listen. Welf and Miss Ming laughed with concern, while Miss Haruhime began to panic.

The atmosphere completely relaxed, and as I touched Winnie's soft body, I realized I should be embarrassed. I could only blush and moan.

later.

I argued timidly with the fairies, and Winnie seemed exhausted, starting to breathe softly in my arms.

Having fled aimlessly through the underground city, exhaustion and anxiety must have reached their peak. She fell into a deep sleep, and as if she had found a safe haven, she clung to my body, refusing to let go no matter what.

The fairies tried to pull her away, but she used even greater strength—the power of the dragon race—to hold me tighter, causing me to scream in agony.

Left with no other choice, I had to spend the night with her. But the fairy and Lily told me, "If anything happens, I won't forgive you, okay?" and "Don't do anything immoral, okay?" They warned me repeatedly with eyes that were below freezing, forcing me to nod repeatedly.

We lay together on the sofa in the living room, covered with the thin blankets that Miss Haruhime had brought.

(...But after all that talking, we ended up sleeping together anyway.)

In the living room, where the magic stone lamps were turned off, everyone except the two of us was sleeping on the other sofas or on the floor.

It started when the fairy said she was worried about us and brought us blankets. Then Lily, Miss Mikoto, Miss Haruhime, and Welf also got up to make their beds, and that's how things turned out.

Am I really that untrustworthy...?

Welf leaned against the wall, knees raised, eyes closed, and held the large knife.

Miss Mikoto also slept on the floor with Miss Haruhime, but one of the short swords, male or female, was placed beside her, and Lily held it tightly in her hand.

I understand what these weapons represent and who they are intended for.

It's not just that I lack credibility; everyone's opinion of this girl, or...

Listening to everyone's soft snores in the dark living room, I looked down at my arms.

The red stone on the girl's forehead emitted an eerie glow, revealing her innocent, sleeping face, completely unsuspecting.

(Seriously, who exactly is this girl...?)

Looking at the dragon girl sleeping soundly in the arms of a human, wearing a fire spirit protective garment, I was filled with questions.

I can't say I felt nothing about the congealed bloodstains peeking through the gaps in the robe, or the metallic smell emanating from the pale, bluish skin. At the same time, I was worried about what the future held.

I fell silent, lost in thought... Soon after, I felt my eyelids lose their strength.

A lot has happened, and I feel tired. I was quickly defeated by the onslaught of sleep.

In short, I need to clean her body tomorrow.

Just before I drifted off to sleep, I thought to myself this.

"I want information about Winnie."

next morning.

Hestia brought this up at a large dining room table during breakfast.

"To decide on our future strategy, we need to understand this girl better. Are there other people like her? What's happening in the dungeon right now...? I want to know these things."

A sleepy-eyed Winnie snuggled up to Bell, and while the two of them missed breakfast, Hestia ordered her retinue to gather information about the "talking monster."

"While we want to obtain information, we must not arouse suspicion. We must never let outsiders know that we are hiding Winnie... hiding a monster."

Needless to say, Winnie's existence is unacceptable; untrained monsters in the city would cause unnecessary chaos. Just as Lily told Bell and the others yesterday, Hestia strictly ordered everyone not to expose this matter.

"I'll also inquire about it. I'll be relying on you guys from today onwards."

"It seems we'll have to put our maze exploration on hold for a while."

"Yes. By the way, Lord Bell, Lady Haruhime, and Lady Mikoto, please avoid contact with people you cannot trust, lest you cause any unforeseen complications."

"Uh, yes..."

After Hestia and Welf finished speaking, Lily gave Bell, Haruhime, and Mikoto a stern warning.

Bell and the others shrank back after she pointed out that they weren't good at lying, or rather, they couldn't keep secrets. Seeing her family members talking like this, Hestia smiled and stood up from her chair.

"Please be careful, thank you for your help."

The sun was shining brightly, between morning and noon.

The sky was still a clear blue today. As adventurers made their way to the underground city in the center of the city via the main road, the laborers were busy with their work.

"Is there something you want to tell me? Are you just making excuses to slack off at work again?"

"I...I've been working hard too, so you should be able to change your opinion of me now, Hephaestus!?"

The shop of the Hephaestus Family on the fourth floor of the Tower of Babel.

This is the high-end branch of the [Hephaestus Familia], which sells top-notch weapons and armor. Hestia is here to work as usual, and at this moment, she is alone with her confidante Hephaestus.

Hestia grabbed her as she was inspecting the branch and begged her to listen to her.

"So, what is it that you want me to dismiss everyone else? If it's something inexplicable, I'll leave immediately."

Hephaestus led Hestia to the negotiation room at the back of the shop. The noise of the marketplace was blocked out by the thick walls and could not be heard at all. Hephaestus crossed his arms and looked at her coldly.

When Hestia first entered this room, she was curious and looked around. She walked to the longsword that was displayed on the shelf and looked at her reflection in the sword, as well as her divine friend (best friend) behind it.

"Have you ever heard of a talking monster, Hephaestus?"

"That what? Of course I've never heard of it."

"I think so..."

Hearing Hephaestus's surprised reply, Hestia rubbed her upper arm.

Hestia slowly turned her head, her red uniform swaying in the shop.

"If a monster could talk... what would you do?"

"...Tell me in detail."

Faced with Hestia's solemn gaze, Hephaestus narrowed her left eye, which was not covered by an eyepatch.

"A talking monster..."

Located in the seventh district, nestled between the northwest and western avenues, is "Tianqing Pharmacy".

The chief deity Mih, Takemikazuchi, and Mikoto reside in the guest room of the Mih Familia's headquarters, located at the end of a dark back alley.

"Did the monster really talk? You mean you can communicate with each other?"

"Yes...we've had her hiding in the mansion since last night."

Seeing that Takemikazuchi happened to react in a way similar to that of the forging god of the Tower of Babel, he nodded heavily.

In order to gather intelligence, Ming has been granted permission to discuss this matter with trustworthy gods such as Mih. Conversely, if the other party is from the lower realm, even if they are trustworthy, this matter cannot be discussed.

Sakura and Chigusa went to explore the labyrinth, while Naza and the other members of the Mih Familia went to collect medicinal ingredients. Ming then asked the two male gods to gather in one place and frankly told them about the dragon girl.

"You two seemed to be acting strangely last night, so that's what happened..."

Mihe, who was in charge of staying behind at the "Heathouse," had witnessed their unnatural behavior firsthand and suddenly understood, nodding in realization.

"Takemikazuchi and Mihage, do you two have any clues?"

"No... this is the first time I've ever heard of a monster speaking human language. To be honest, I was quite surprised."

"Hmm, it's really hard to believe right away... but..."

Takemikazuchi wore an expression of bewilderment that even Miki had never seen before. Behind him, Miki continued:

"The possibilities of the lower realms sometimes bring about 'unknowns' that even the gods (us) cannot fathom... This time is no exception; perhaps something has happened in the dungeon."

Upon hearing Mihe's advice, which was accompanied by the swaying of his long, dark blue hair, he ordered his men to remain silent.

Looking at her silent profile, Takemikazuchi asked:

"What do you think, fate? What do you think of that talking monster?"

"...I don't know."

Life shook its head weakly from side to side, and answered honestly:

"I understand Winnie... she's different from ordinary monsters, but... I'm confused and don't know how to approach her."

"It was an accident," she said, her lips trembling.

"I found myself monitoring her every move, watching to see if she would do anything suspicious... so that I could respond immediately if anything went wrong."

"..."

"I cannot put my mind at ease; I always feel a sense of fear towards her."

He managed to squeeze out these words, then lowered his eyes.

Mih looked at her with concern, while Kenji Rai beside her raised his hand and placed it on his hair, which was tied into a bun near his ear.

"Well, it's only natural to have this reaction..."

He said, "You didn't do anything wrong."

Upon hearing this, Ming was speechless and lowered his head.

Guild headquarters.

Many adventurers had already headed into the dungeon, and as the crowds gradually thinned out, Welf strolled through the marble hall.

He casually approached the group of adventurers, eavesdropping on their conversation. Sometimes, the keys to treasure were hidden in their baseless rumors—a lesson learned from countless hardships since his days as a novice blacksmith. He made full use of his upgraded [ability stats], which granted him enhanced hearing far beyond that of a novice adventurer, to find the information he needed. Of course, he wouldn't be foolish enough to directly ask the adventurers or guild staff.

Wearing a black kimono and carrying a large sword on his back, he then walked towards a corner of the hall.

A large group of adventurers gathered in front of a huge billboard displaying official information, while several guild staff members were posting the updated newspaper.

"—Hey, have you heard? It's about that equipment-stealing monster."

"I heard that he finally made it to the 'middle management' level."

"I also heard that the monster was unusually agitated and gave those guys in town (Rivera) a hard time."

Unwittingly, Welf overheard the adventurers whispering among themselves, and at the same time, a piece of parchment caught his eye.

The drawings on the paper depict monsters adorned with swords and armor.

"...Probably not."

Despite saying this, Welf's expression remained tense.

"What a sweet girl... Little fairy, could you pour us a drink?"

"If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to come to us for advice...hehehe!"

Lily, a young elf girl with blonde hair and pointed ears peeking out from under her hooded coat—who had used transformation magic (Cinderella)—ignores the men's lewd remarks and walks directly into the underground shop where sunlight doesn't reach.

The location is on Northwest Street, "Adventurer's Street".

This is a grimy tavern built along the main road, nestled among weapon shops and item shops. The wooden building's doors are decorated with faction emblems, indicating that this is a "familia" that runs the tavern.

The factions that run taverns mostly mediate between ordinary people or unofficial clients—that is, unofficial adventurers—or act as information brokers, trading the information they collect. Because of this line of work, the exchange of information among customers is particularly active.

There are several such taverns called "Family" in the city.

(Still the same, some places are incredibly dirty...)

The child, who was less than 120C (Selchi) tall and had transformed into a beautiful woman, attracted the attention of the patrons. Lily, who had often used this tavern since her days as a thief, muttered to herself.

The shop was dimly lit and shabby, with a stack of commission forms haphazardly pasted on one corner of the wall. Unlike the first floor, which faced the main street and was easily accessible to the general public, the basement, accessible only through the back door, was dimly lit and exuded a suspicious atmosphere.

A toothless orc chuckled as he drank beer, looking utterly disgusted. Amazons adorned themselves with a multitude of glittering rings and collars, while mysterious figures concealed their true identities behind masks. A group of people far from ordinary were engaged in hushed conversations around sofas and tables.

If the guild headquarters is the surface, this place is the interior. Unlike the guild, this place is teeming with people who have done bad things, and information from questionable sources, including unreliable rumors, is readily available. Furthermore, Lily is well aware that if you're careless, this magical realm will snatch all the cards from your hand.

This is definitely not a place for a teenager (Bear).

"A glass of Orb water."

Lily sat down at the empty bar and ordered a drink from the burly shop owner (human master).

Ice water collected from the Orb Mountains, known as the Spirit Peak—a non-alcoholic beverage that elves particularly love—was served at the bar. After taking a sip, she spoke again:

"Do you have any information about the 'talking monster'?"

"...Never heard of it."