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

And after the discussion ended.

Hermes immediately flashed a handsome smile and said this to them.

"Thanks to you, no one was killed."

"That's truly remarkable! No wonder they're called the Loki Familia!"

Upon hearing Finn's answer, Hermes initially reacted with excitement—

"So, what did you find on the 59th floor?"

Then suddenly they made a probing move.

A smile still lingered on his lips as he opened his eyes, which had been curved into crescents and had long, narrow corners.

Facing the all-seeing eyes of the celestial being, Ais widened her eyes slightly. Tiona and Tione's expressions also tensed, and Raul was the only one who visibly wavered.

Ignoring Ais and the others' reactions, Finn, Riveria, and Grace remained calm and composed.

"We are Loki's followers and have no obligation to tell a god of unknown origin."

Rivera closed one eye and refused decisively.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense. The attendant behind the main god (Asphi) exuded an aura of misfortune, with one hand touching his abdomen.

"That's true, I'm sorry. But since Zeus, you are the first people to try to step into that realm, and the whole city is watching your every move, so I was just curious."

Hermes, nonchalant and boastful, continued:

"Actually, I have already formed an alliance with Loki and Dionysus."

"!"

"You could say it's an alliance among the victims, fighting together against the colorful monsters and the remnants of the dark faction."

When the other party casually revealed information that Ais and the others hadn't expected, Finn calmly replied:

"I regret to inform you that I cannot believe your words until I have verified them, Hermes the God."

"Of course, so just take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt."

Hermes first gave the opening remarks, and then told him:

"【Hero】Finn Demna, perhaps you have noticed... besides the Tower of Babel, there are indeed other entrances to dungeons on the surface. This is the conclusion reached by the gods after my discussion with Loki."

This time, Ais and the others really gasped.

Riveria and Grace's gazes sharpened as well.

"After you return to the surface, we plan to conduct a formal investigation of Orario's interior, or the area surrounding the city... This is our idea."

Hermes met the gaze of the steady, unwavering leader of the small faction, narrowing his orange-yellow eyes.

A moment later, he turned his back to Finn and the others.

"It's not much, just consider it as accommodation fees."

"I hope you keep this safe." With those words, the handsome god departed.

After bowing, Asphie followed the chief god away and quietly visited the tent.

"Commander, Commander..."

Seeing Hermes leave after unilaterally providing information, Raul groaned.

Ais and the others also showed different expressions, their gazes focused on the leader of the dwarf race, who licked his right thumb.

"Although I expected this... it seems I still won't have time to rest after I get back."

It's nerve-wracking.

Finn sighed quietly.

✿

"Things are getting out of hand..."

The whispers that fell from her lips sounded particularly loud in the tent.

Tione's words, spoken by the person standing by the wall, made Lefia and the others look tense.

The location is a tent used by the female members of the Loki Familia.

After meeting with Hermes and the others, Tione and the others left their camp and gathered here with the team that had attacked the 59th floor. Besides Lefia, the Lv.4 adventurers of the Second Army and the cat-woman Angie were also present.

Raul and the other male members of the team were still outside giving instructions; Ais and Riveria were not there.

"Hmm, it's an honor that you invited me... but is it alright for me to be here? I'm practically an outsider to you all."

"It's alright. You saw that thing with us on the 59th floor. What's there to hide now? ...Besides, I'd also like to ask for your opinion."

Chun could also be found in the tents where only women were present.

Seeing Tiony shrug, the half-dwarf blacksmith smiled and said, "Then I'll have to bother you."

Tiony and others left the group of leaders who had adjourned the meeting and were now examining the series of events.

I've been so busy with this and that that I haven't had time to discuss this properly. But after hearing what Hermes said earlier, I'd like to take my time to exchange some opinions.

"But...but he said that besides the skyscraper (Tower of Babel) facilities, the underground city has other entrances and exits...Is...is that really possible?"

"Hmm~, after all, it was said by those gods—"

"Besides, it makes sense. This explains how that giant man-eating plant could be transported into the Monster Festival and the underground waterways without anyone noticing. After all, if we followed the previous explanation, we could only suspect the guild and the Ganesha Familia."

Lefia timidly said it was hard to believe, Tiona sat down on the ground to answer, and Tione also expressed his opinion.

If the underground city has other entrances besides the "great hole" beneath the skyscraper (Tower of Babel) facility, it will overturn all conventional wisdom. Things have escalated too much; I can't keep up... Lefia groaned, clutching her head.

"However... what I care about most is Ais—"

Tiona began to speak slowly.

Everything about the "Fairy Clone," including its ability to use "magic," is beyond the realm of ordinary reason.

In terms of abilities and unusual characteristics, she is arguably more exaggerated than other "weirdos" like the red-haired woman, Revis.

And this being has indeed set its sights on Ais.

And he even called her "Arya".

"I remember Ais was the first to discover that the monster was a 'fairy'."

"And your expression was weird, wasn't it?"

The beautiful (elf) Alicia and the young (human) Navi each gave their speeches.

Ais, who is called "Aria" by the "fairy spirit clone," has refused to reveal anything to this day, only saying "I'm sorry" with her eyes lowered.

"Sigh, although I've long thought she was a strange girl."

"Tsubaki, Miss Tsubaki!"

"Anqi is the most senior among us, right? Does she know anything?"

"It's a pity, after all, Ais was much more taciturn in the past than she is now... I asked the captain and the others, but they only said there was another reason."

Chun stroked her chin and said, "Just as Lefia was expressing some dissatisfaction with her, Tione asked Angel."

"Excuse me," the black cat woman said, her beautifully arched eyebrows.

"'Fairy' plus 'Arya'... it still reminds me of Dungeon Oratoria..."

In this moment, Tiona looked up at the ceiling covered by a curtain.

Tiony's lips curled into a ヘ shape upon hearing her younger sister's words.

"So you're saying that 'fairy spirit' is Ais? And the heroic tales you're talking about are 'ancient' stories? That's ridiculous!"

"I didn't mean to say that—..."

"But, Miss Tiona, 'fairy spirits' are supposed to be unable to reproduce..."

Lefia followed up with Tiony's words.

After being pointed out as wrong by the two, the Amazonian girl, who loves fairy tales, crossed her arms and fell into deep thought.

"Hmm~! Are they really unrelated...?"

Angie and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.

People began to speculate about the "fairy spirits" that appear in many fairy tales.

Try to find their points of contact with humans or demi-humans—their relationship with Ais.

"Leaving aside children and such... there are people who have inherited the 'immortal essence' bloodline, aren't there?"

at this time.

Chun casually spoke to the thoughtful Tiona and the others.

Lefia and the others looked up abruptly and exclaimed in unison, "Huh!?"

Seeing the Loki Familia members' reaction, the leader of the Hephaestus Familia, the blacksmith, found it amusing and laughed.

"Perfect, I'll bring him here."

"...Why did you bring me here?"

A red-haired youth dressed in a kimono was forced to sit in the center of the tent.

He sat cross-legged, making no attempt to hide his sour face, and glanced around at Lefia and the others who had distanced themselves from him.

"As you know, this kid is the blacksmith who teams up with Bell Craney, and he's also one of the underlings in our faction."

"Hey! Tsubaki, explain yourself!"

The blacksmith youth that Tsubaki brought with her when she temporarily left the tent was someone the Loki Familia had been protecting along with Bell.

He seemed to have been forcibly brought over from the group of teenagers, and even though the other party was the faction leader, he still roared angrily. However, Tsubaki ignored his anger—some of the others, including Lefia, were sweating, while others were dumbfounded—and continued:

"This kid's name is Welf Crozo."

"...Crozo?"

"Strange, I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before...?"

As Lefia and Tiona tilted their heads at the same time, there was a "thud".

Angie's thin cat tail, which grew on her waist, stood up.

"Krozo, could he be... the cursed blacksmith of the demonic sword?"

Seeing her reaction, Chun told her with a hint of smugness:

"Indeed, the 'Demon Sword of Crozzo' that established an undefeated legend in that kingdom (Lachia)... This man is a descendant of the forging nobles who have created this weapon for generations."

Everyone in the tent was astonished upon hearing these words.

"Kroso's Demon Sword." Needless to say, this legendary weapon is famous throughout the world, originating from the labyrinth city of Orario.

Originally, the "Demon Sword" did not require incantation, but could only unleash degraded attacks of "magic." However, the artillery fire unleashed by this "Demon Sword" could surpass that of original magic, as evidenced by numerous records of the invasions waged by the Kingdom of Lachia in the past.

Legend has it that its power was so great that it "burned the ocean," making it undoubtedly the world's strongest "demon sword."

The person standing before Lefia and the others was from the same blacksmithing family that created such a powerful "magic sword".

All eyes were focused on the young man, Welf Crozzo, who was staring at Tsubaki with agitation.

"Is this for real!?"

Followed by.

The angry roar that startled Lefia and the others made their shoulders tremble resounded all around.

"The Crozo family... the culprits who burned down their own villages, causing countless elven clans to lose their forest homes."

The elf Alicia was emotional.

Lefia was startled. She had heard that the "Crozo's Demon Sword," used in the kingdom's wars of conquest, possessed immense power, razing battlefields to the ground or turning them into barren wastelands. The flames of war had also reached the unrelated elven villages, burning them along with their forests.

The misuse of "Crozo's Demon Sword" has caused countless elves to lose their homeland.

"Miss Alicia..."

Compared to the influence of the education process of her birth village and "school district," which can be described as flexible thinking or carefree, Alicia, as an extremely pure elf with a strong sense of kinship and pride, has an expression that is chilling.

The cursed swordsmith, who sowed the seeds of disaster, revealed the young elves' hostility. The usually kind and gentle elder, who was like an older sister to the group members, suddenly changed, causing the young Lefia and Navi to gasp in shock.