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

Welf and Lily leaning against the wall, Miss Mikoto and Miss Haruhime standing still, and the fairy sitting on the dusty bed all wore the same heavy expression as they surrounded us who were sitting on the floor.

...The harsh reality is right before our eyes.

Winnie is just a fragment of a monster.

There are also the issues that Lily and the fairy are worried about.

The chasm, friction, and overwhelming hostility between humans and "monsters".

Humans will not accept the existence of "monsters".

People loathe their fangs, claws, and wings that allow them to soar through the sky, and they are averse to their existence.

Conversely, this is actually the opposite of the fear that humanity has suffered helplessly from the devastation of the past, a fear that has persisted from "ancient times" to the present. Monsters are humanity's common enemy.

The undeniable truth shattered our relationship with Winnie.

Tears streaming from her amber eyes soaked my clothes.

Tell me... Bell.

When everyone had their eyes downcast, Winnie looked up.

Her small hands gripped my clothes, her pale, bluish cheeks streaked with tears, and she opened her trembling lips:

"Can't I... be with Belle?"

I heard her pleading voice.

I couldn't say anything.

It's fine.

I can't bring myself to say this to her, something I've said so many times before.

I succumbed to reality, speechless and utterly pathetic. When I looked up and saw my expression, Winnie had a long face.

All I could do was hold her tightly.

He himself looked like he was about to cry, and hugged her tightly as if her slender and fragile body would break at the slightest touch.

Humans and "monsters" are irreconcilable enemies.

The ominous, single wing of the dragon right before my eyes seemed to be telling me this.

Night fell, and darkness enveloped everything.

Deep in a back alley, far from the bustling main street.

The front half of the church ruins, starting from the main entrance, has collapsed and seems to have been abandoned. The area is quiet and still, save for a pile of fragments that once held a statue of a goddess, lying beside the rubble.

An owl looked down at the unbearable ruins under the tranquil moonlight.

White feathers with vertical stripes, claws entwined around the iron railings of a building.

One of the owl's eyes flashed blue, and soon after, it spread its wings and flew away from the top of the building.

It soared across the city, a city ablaze with starlight, dropping white feathers that gracefully landed on an outstretched arm—its owner's arm.

"Still not working...?"

The black-clad figure standing on the rooftop, recalling the owl familiar, murmured from beneath his hoodie.

Inside the patterned black gloves, he held a blue crystal that shone with the same brilliance as the prosthetic eye embedded in the owl's single eye.

The long, jet-black robe that completely covered his body swayed like a sigh.

"Their way of being could have been a glimmer of hope... but it seems far from it." As if agreeing with the man in black, the owl perched on his arm closed its eyes. The man in black looked in the direction the familiar had come from, towards the church ruins north of West Street. "We can't let those people move freely any longer."

The man in black looked up at the night sky where the moon hung high.

"I'll leave the rest to you, Uranus."

Then, the man in black looked down at his feet.

He spoke softly to the solemn Pantheon, composed of white pillars—the guild headquarters.

Volume 9, Chapter 4, MISSiON

"A winged monster?"

Upon hearing the information, Freya asked in response.

"Yes, it is said that he appeared on the street this evening."

"Oh, I was just wondering why the city was so noisy... So that's what's going on."

After hearing what Ota, the boar's follower, said, she showed an expression of understanding.

In the dead of night, with stars twinkling in the sky, Freya sat in a luxurious chair on the top floor of the towering white-walled Tower of Babel.

Hearing what Otto, who was waiting beside her, said, she held a glass of wine in one hand and asked him:

"Was the city center undamaged?"

"There appears to have been some localized chaos, but no damage. It's said the monster didn't harm anyone; someone simply took it away."

"Someone, right... Has the guild issued any announcements?"

"No, no. They seem to be too busy getting to the bottom of things and cleaning up the mess to attend to anything else."

All developments in the city, especially noteworthy news, will be reported to the Supreme God by Otto.

Upon hearing the attendant's earnest report, the silver-haired goddess showed a lack of interest.

At least for now.

"Should we find out?"

"Well... I'll consider it when things get out of hand. There's no need to worry about it now. Anyway, I can just grab Hermes or someone else and ask them. They'll probably know more than we do."

Achoo!? A sneeze came from somewhere in the neighborhood below the giant tower, but Freya and the others naturally couldn't hear it.

The goddess of beauty leaned back in her chair, her full, ample breasts, partially concealed by her black evening gown, swaying slightly.

"If nothing happens, then so be it. But if something does happen, the guild will naturally come begging to me, and the latter will cause me trouble."

Due to the raid on the Wind and Moon City and the annihilation of the major faction (Ishtar Familia), the Freya Familia was punished by the governing body (guild), and Freya had to serve as a servant of that organization for a while.

Rebellion isn't out of the question, but the guild that manages the city has to give them some face. Even now, those goddesses who are jealous of them are still making a fuss, and it would be troublesome to ask them to go and complain to Loki.

Freya considers herself to be free from anyone's constraints, but she has no intention of becoming an arrogant tyrant like the goddess of beauty (Ishtar).

"Maybe we'll be called upon to do something else, and I'll have to ask you for help then."

"As commanded."

The goddess smiled at her subordinates, who were actually forced to work hard.

Then she swirled the red wine, brought it to her lips, and tilted the glass.

"Maybe I won't be bored for a while?"

Freya murmured softly, as if she were expecting something.

"A humanoid monster...?"

Ais asked again about the information she had heard.

"Yes, yes, I heard they were in the West District yesterday."

"Not a large-scale one, or something like that...?"

"It doesn't seem so. I heard it was seen by a novice adventurer, something like 'Happy' or 'Siren'. I guess it's not related to the commotion at the last festival."

Ais tilted her head and asked, while the Amazon sisters Tiona and Tione answered in turn.

Early in the morning, the chirping of birds could be heard. Walking down the narrow corridor of the Loki Familia headquarters, Ais learned the gist of yesterday's commotion.

They said that the grassroots members of the faction were all talking about this.

"It seems like it caused quite a stir yesterday. Guild staff are currently investigating a lot of questions."

"...Does Finn know?"

"I know. They said they hoped anyone with free time could gather some intelligence. The commander seems to have some ideas about it too."

After hearing what Tiona said, Ais asked Tione a question.

Hmm... Ais gently raised her head and looked up at the ceiling.

Regardless of the leader's instructions, she was not without feelings for this city, and could not so callously assert that it had nothing to do with her.

If the monster were still hiding somewhere, the general public would be terrified.

As an adventurer living in the city, Ais decided to keep this to herself.

"What if we find the monster?"

"Finn said it would be best to capture them alive."

Instead of her younger sister, who had her hands clasped behind her head, Tiony answered.

"If it will hurt anyone—the commander said to punish them."

She swayed her long golden hair and touched the rapier at her waist.

"understood."

Ais nodded.

The guild is in a state of chaos.

It has been reported that an unidentified monster suddenly appeared on the streets of District 7 yesterday, spreading its wings and attempting to attack children. While the general public raised numerous questions and criticisms about the guild's crisis management capabilities, the guild is currently scrambling to gather detailed intelligence.

If we allow monsters to invade the surface and step out of the dungeon, it will be a big deal. Just a few days ago, an adventurer reported that "barbarian warriors" had appeared underground near the orphanage on Daedalus Road.

Coupled with the mishaps of the previous Monster Philia festival, this situation will damage the reputation of the governing body.

What exactly happened? Guild staff are busy dealing with it.

"Ugh~, I just worked the night shift yesterday~"

"It's an emergency now, so try to look on the bright side."

Among the guild staff who were all out working, the half-elf Eina could also be seen.

Together with her colleague Missia, who had come to her crying, she was busy running around headquarters.

From providing front-line services to relaying information within headquarters, and even going directly to the scene to conduct interviews and other investigations, the tasks are countless. And some lecherous gods seem to be enjoying themselves, forcing guild staff to investigate all the gods' suspicious information one by one.

"But, but, they said a monster suddenly appeared in the city... it wasn't a trained monster that escaped, right?"

"Hmm, it seems no monsters have escaped from the Ganesha Familia."

Eina walked down the corridor, nodding in response as she skipped and hopped along with her Missia.

The guild keeps track of the number of beast tamers in the city, and among them, only the Ganesha Familia, who are in charge of the beast taming show (performance) at the Monster Festival, are permitted to raise monsters in Orario.

In their vast headquarters, they conducted experiments on monsters under the pretext of "helping to conquer the dungeon"... or rather, various experiments.

"Ultimately, the trainer has an obligation to equip the trained monster with a plate, so that even if the monster escapes, it will be detected immediately."

These magical artifacts, worn around the neck or body of tamed monsters, transmit the wearer's location to the receiver at all times. Even when destroyed, these artifacts emit a loud alarm, so it's impossible for the Ganesha Familia to have missed them.

The creature suspected to have appeared in District 7 is a humanoid winged monster, most likely a half-human, half-bird (Happy) or a singing bird (Syllen).

According to eyewitness accounts, there is currently no information indicating that a transmitter was seen.

(One intriguing piece of information is that the monster was wearing a robe... If it was concealing its true form, it meant that the monster possessed intelligence...)

If that's really the case, it's truly chilling.

Eina continued talking to Missia while rubbing her upper arms.

"Zul".

"Team leader? What's wrong?"

As she walked into the office and headed to her desk, her orc boss called her over.

The dog-man, who wore glasses like Aina and had a delicate face, had a look of lethargy... or perhaps guilt, and stated his intention:

"The guild master wants you to go to the administration office immediately."

"Smell..."

Upon hearing her boss's instructions, Aina froze on the spot.