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

Page 464

"...No, that's not right, there's no smell of blood."

The other person first stared intently at us, who were standing there dumbfounded, then slightly twitched their high-bridged nose, and immediately withdrew their hostility. Their piercing pupils returned to normal, and their beautiful, rational eyes, contrary to their previous attitude, began to carefully observe us.

"Could you be the ones Fels mentioned?"

"Fell, S...?"

"What exactly have you been saying all this time?!"

I repeated the term in confusion, and Welf roared, trying to shake off his doubts.

The remarks were irrelevant and contained words that sounded unfamiliar or resembled the names of people.

Her clear, melodious voice was captivating, yet I became increasingly confused.

I was pathetically out of touch with the situation, my mind barely functioning. The unexpected turn of events left my throat dry and uncomfortable.

"..."

The mysterious figure... no, "she" fell silent.

The scene created an eerie space; I couldn't hear the distant howls of monsters at all, as if we were the only ones isolated from the underground city.

They were about five meters apart, and "she" remained motionless with her back to the huge downhill slope.

Time seemed to move incredibly slowly. Then, the other person slowly spoke:

"I want to ask you: Do you think we can coexist and prosper together?"

"Varied……"

The seemingly random questioning—no, the unexpected inquiry—left both of us speechless.

Do you think we can work together?

"W-What did you say...?"

"You kill us, and we kill you... Is this destined? Are we incapable of understanding each other?"

The understated tone conveyed a sense of reluctance to give up and a desire to let go.

Her blue eyes narrowed sadly beneath the hoodie.

"I...want to bask in the sunlight. I want to spread my wings and fly in a world of light, not this closed-off hell."

As he looked up at the sky, his hooded robe swayed.

The hood of her dress shook, exposing her face for a moment. Her face was just like Winnie's, so beautiful that it was breathtaking.

"I feel like you guys are a bit different... I have some expectations for you."

Then, she bent her knees deeply and jumped up in an instant.

““!!””

She faced forward and did a high backflip to jump backward.

Even adventurers with the Blessing (ability points) couldn't imitate that leap. She was as light as a bird, easily flying over the huge ramp behind her and disappearing just like that.

We were utterly astonished when, right before our eyes... several golden feathers drifted down from the robe.

"You're kidding... That guy, really..."

Welf said in a low voice, as if he had stumbled upon a daydream.

I was stunned, feeling the same way.

"Just like Winnie..."

The next sentence, I ultimately failed to utter.

After experiencing a shocking ordeal.

Welf and I stood there for a while, but then we were spotted by a group of monsters and had to start moving.

We engaged the attack, shook off the monster, and rejoined the main route to leave the building. We determined that our current state of confusion made it impossible to gather intelligence effectively. In fact, several times we were even unable to concentrate on fighting the monster and nearly got into trouble.

"..."

We didn't speak a word the whole way.

We haven't calmed down yet because of what happened earlier, and I'm afraid that if we start talking, it might disrupt some kind of balance.

We moved through the maze with stiff expressions.

「… … ?」

Just as we barely managed to repel the monsters we encountered and were about to see the passageway leading to the 18th floor...

A five-person adventurer party approached from the front, and a human male adventurer carrying a strange red gun and wearing goggles particularly caught my attention.

However, I felt inexplicably concerned about ordinary people in the same industry—then it suddenly occurred to me.

Besides the adventurer wearing goggles, the four demi-humans were the male and female adventurers who were chasing Winnie; I had barely managed to fool them back then.

I quickly looked away, avoiding their faces. Welf, who was beside me, seemed to sense something and moved naturally to act as a wall, preventing the adventurers from seeing me.

Just as we passed each other, the man in the goggles seemed to glance at me.

"..."

I turned my head slightly and glanced behind me, only to see that all the adventurers were staring at me.

"[Hestia Familia]...[Rookie Stars], is that right?"

"Ah...right! No doubt about it, that brat also accepted an adventurer's quest from the town (Rivera)!"

"Oh~" The man in goggles watched the boy's figure disappear on the 18th floor, a smile appearing on his face.

"What are you doing, sneaking around like this with only a few companions?"

"...Hey, Dicks, could it be...?"

"Yes, it is a little suspicious. It seems we should ask the Supreme God to investigate further."

We arrived safely at the floor and reunited with Lily and the others.

Miss Aisha complained a bit about us sneaking off and acting on our own, but noticing that Welf and I were both silent and looking strange, she didn't scold us further. Miss Ryu also remained silent and didn't ask us any questions.

I felt guilty towards the two of them, but I didn't have the energy to worry about them, so we returned to the surface early.

"Forget about the payment, consider it something you owe me."

Miss Aisha said this as she smiled and said goodbye to us.

I may deny it, but I am very grateful for her care for us.

"Mr. Craney, please feel free to consult me if you encounter any difficulties. I am willing to do my best to help."

Miss Liu thoughtfully said that she was going back to the tavern.

"..."

I walked alone on the city streets.

After leaving the White Tower (Tower of Babel), Lily and the others went our separate ways.

Because I want to be alone and sort out all my thoughts.

It wasn't evening yet; although the sun was already setting in the west, the sky above was still a clear blue. Thanks to Miss Ryu and Miss Aisha, we were able to return that same day.

I avoided the crowds and noise on the main road, and my feet started moving naturally.

"Oh, how lucky. Hey, [newcomer]."

I wandered aimlessly until I felt it was about time to head back to headquarters.

On my way to headquarters, on a street in the southwest of the city, I was stopped by a celestial being.

I've never met this handsome guy before... it's probably our first time meeting.

He had deep blue hair and eyes, and brown skin. He was of medium height and dressed in black. Perhaps one could say he had a godlike personality; he approached with a smile and an approachable demeanor.

He called me by my nickname, and I stopped and straightened my posture.

"Um... is there something you need from me?"

"Hehe! Don't be so wary, but it's no use saying that, since the gods (us) are indeed very suspicious."

Since my first "upgrade," strange deities have frequently come to tease me. In short, I am often bothered by gods on the street, and this has happened several times so far.

Just as I was about to back down despite my rudeness, this handsome guy chuckled.

"My name is Ikelos, nice to meet you~"

"Ikelos, is that so? Then, what brings you to me...?"

"Well, it's just a few arrogant brats ordering me around."

Listen to me. The god Icarus began to berate his followers and started circling around me.

The god Ikelos would sometimes lean in to look at my face, and other times he would put his arm around my shoulder in a seemingly intimate manner. It wasn't just pretending to be familiar; he was teasing me, which made me feel incredibly embarrassed.

I couldn't understand a word he was saying. Remembering what the chief god (Hestia, the cloud goddess) had once said, "A strange god wants to capture you; run away immediately!", I thought I should probably take my leave. Just then, I started sweating—

"Do you know the talking dragon girl?"

"————"

He circled behind me and whispered in my ear without warning, his words gripping my heart like a knife. "I heard it's really beautiful... apparently it's on the 19th floor. I really want to see it..."

That's when I realized he was interrogating me.

The clingy tone of the god Ikelos, mixed with the rapid heartbeat, clung to my ears.

First, there's the illusion of blood vessels vibrating throughout the body, then your palms suddenly start sweating.

I couldn't answer anything, and with a rusty motion, I turned my face to the side.

He brought his face close to my god Ikelos and curled the corners of his mouth.

As if trying to see through my heart, he narrowed his deep blue eyes.

"Hey, if you know anything—"

"Little Bell."

Just as he was about to press me further about my stiff posture...

A third party, other than us, interrupted the words of the god Ikelos.

"H-God Hermes...?"

"Hi, what a coincidence, I never expected to run into you here."

As Ikelos and I turned our heads, we saw Hermes, wearing a feathered hat, with a handsome smile on his face. He raised one hand and walked towards us with an irresistible grin.

"Little Bell, you can go now."

“Eh…”

"Being bothered by God must be very troubling for you, right? I understand without you having to say it outright."

Hermes smiled at me, who was just staring blankly, and then looked away.

Then, Hermes glanced sideways at Ikeros, who was leaving my side with a wicked grin.

"Besides, I have something to discuss with this Ikelos."

Hermes touched the brim of his hat and gave a slight smile.

"You can leave now, little Bell."

"I'm sorry... I must take my leave."

Urged on by the god Hermes, I turned my back to the two of them without properly saying goodbye.

I dared not look at the god Ikelos and quickly left the spot.

"What's wrong, Hermes? I'm talking to the [rising star]!"