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

As for Welf, facing the elf who was glaring angrily at him with his upper body sticking out, he merely frowned.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and Tiona and the others were eager to stop her.

"Wait, wait, wait, Alicia, let me finish what I have to say."

However, at this moment, Chun casually interrupted again.

The half-dwarf stretched out his palm towards the elf who was blinking his green eyes.

"This man abandoned the Crozzo family."

“Eh…?”

"Although I completely, utterly, and without any understanding, Brother Will deeply loathes his bloodline—no, his talent. In fact, this man could wield a 'magic sword' far more powerful than mine, but he just refuses to do so. What a waste of his talent!"

It is said that the fallen blacksmithing noble (Crozzo) lost the skill to forge the "magic sword," but upon hearing that a weapon was even more powerful than the blacksmith master's work, Tione and the others all spat out mouthfuls of saliva.

"It seems the reason he ran away from home and fled the kingdom (Lachia) was because he was forced to forge the 'Demon Sword.' So, Alicia, maybe you and little brother Will get along quite well?"

Like a child, Tsubaki smiled at the speechless Alicia.

As for the young man, he seemed to have reached his limit and angrily said:

"Hey! Stop gossiping about other people's private affairs!"

"What, I'm here to clear up your misunderstanding."

"You were the one who started this in the first place, weren't you!"

The shouts scattered again.

The scene before her made Alicia look quite embarrassed, but Welf seemed completely unconcerned and ignored her. His utter disregard made it seem pointless to overthink it.

The young man's unpretentious personality perfectly embodied the spirit of a craftsman. Seeing the matter resolved peacefully, Lefia and Navi breathed a sigh of relief and formed this impression of the young man.

"Damn it... Alright! Just say what you have to say and let me go home as soon as possible."

Seeing Tsubaki's perpetually carefree attitude, Welf has become self-destructive and is no longer afraid of the Loki Familia members, urging everyone to speak quickly.

"Then I'll get straight to the point... I heard you inherited the bloodline of the 'Immortal Spirit,' is that true?"

"……Hello."

"What's the big deal? It won't cost you anything. We also have something we want to know, so please help us out."

Upon hearing Tiony's question, Welf looked at Tsubaki with a stern face.

His accusatory gaze, as if to say, "How much have you talked about me?" made her apologize, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

After letting out a deep sigh, Welf nodded in affirmation. While Lefia and the others were still in shock, Welf cautioned, "I don't like being questioned. Don't tell anyone."

"But...but! How could the blood of the 'immortal essence' be passed on to a human...?"

"...Let's skip the troublesome parts. First of all, in 'ancient times,' our family's (Crozo's) ancestor saved a 'fairy' from the jaws of a monster. At that time, in order to save our severely injured ancestor, the 'fairy' gave him its own blood."

"The miracle of the 'Fairy Spirit'..."

Welf answered the panicked Lefia nonchalantly, and Tiona murmured blankly upon hearing this.

Having received the blood of the "celestial essence," the dying man was saved. Moreover, this ordinary human being was granted the ability to use "magic" passed down from the celestial essence, and even extended his lifespan. He possessed the "celestial essence's" grace, a feat worthy of being called a "miracle."

"So, could it be that 'Krozo' can mass-produce such an absurd 'magic sword' because...?"

"You've probably guessed about 80% of it, right?"

The young man said, "It's just a byproduct of the bloodline that has continued from our ancestors to the present day," and shrugged at Alicia, who had asked him the question.

Lefia and the others seemed to hear the sound of their doubts disappearing. The origin of the "Crozo's Demon Sword," which was said to have burned the sea, was actually from a powerful "Ancient Fairy."

"So how did the blacksmith nobles (Krozo) become unable to forge the 'Magic Sword'?" they pressed, but Welf, annoyed, retorted, "Is it really necessary to tell us that?"

Indeed, the question went too far. Tiona, Tione, and Alicia all blushed and coughed lightly.

—Indeed, some people have inherited the blood of the "immortal essence".

—Then, maybe Ais is one too?

With Welf present, Rafia and the others didn't say it aloud, but they shared the idea with their eyes.

Ais's powerful "wind"... if that's also a byproduct of the "Fairy Essence" blood, then it makes sense. The reason she was the first to detect the true identity of the "Fairy Essence clone" is quite reasonable if we think of it as the turmoil of her blood.

If we assume this, there is another question: what was the reason that Ais inherited the blood of the "Fairy Essence"?

Tiona and the others adopted serious expressions and fell into deep thought.

"Angie, Ais's parents..."

"No, I haven't heard that. I always thought she had no relatives or friends..."

"Miss Tiona, have you read about 'fairies' in the Heroic Tales?"

"Hmm~, I haven't seen it. The 'Tales of the Labyrinth' I read when I was a kid, and the ones kept at headquarters, were all copies. After being copied several times, the content might have differed a bit from the original..."

"It's also possible that it was deliberately fabricated by someone..."

"Hmm... it seems like this suspicion will never end."

Tiony and Angel, Lefia and Tiona, Alicia and Navi whispered.

Seeing the Loki Familia whispering amongst themselves, leaving him aside, the young man was getting annoyed when Tsubaki, who had been watching Tiona and the others, asked him:

"Hey, little brother Will, what else do you know about 'fairies'? We want information about the fairy 'Arya' who appears in Heroes' Tale."

"Who knows! Only the progenitor had direct contact with the 'immortal spirits,' and he didn't leave behind any legends."

The immortal blood within him seemed to make Welf feel a sense of rejection towards this matter, and he told Tsubaki that he had no clue what to do.

"Really!" Chun shook her chest, which was wrapped in white cloth, and began to pat the blacksmith youth.

"You're completely useless when it matters most! That's why people say your work is 'the weapon itself is great, but it's a bit...' or 'very disappointing'!! Okay, hurry up and remember something!"

"You really need to get this straight!! And this has nothing to do with the work, right!?"

Welf's face turned red with anger this time.

Not only did Chun make unreasonable demands, but she also reopened old wounds about being a craftsman, causing Welf to yell, "I'm not messing around with you anymore!" and abruptly stand up, shaking her off.

He spoke loudly, clearly not wanting to stay a second longer:

"When it comes to heroic tales, someone knows more than I do!! Go ask that guy!"

"Excuse me, why was I brought here?"

The next person forced to sit in the center of the tent was a white-haired boy.

Lefia exuded dangerous hostility, and he remained kneeling, sweating profusely.

"Hmph, Bell Craney, you've been betrayed by little Will. Give up now."

"Sold...sold...!?"

The boy was terrified when he saw Tsubaki making wicked jokes and laughing evilly, just like a corrupt official.

After Welf stormed out of the tent, Bell was summoned right after him. The young man, who only wanted to get away from Tsubaki, inadvertently used the boy as a substitute, and might be regretting it now.

The urgent summons from the Loki Familia, the tents filled only with beautiful young women, and the murderous aura of a single person. The boy, his face flushed and pale, like a helpless white rabbit, froze with tension.

"We won't eat you, don't be so tense. Consider this a favor for the night and a meal. As long as you answer our questions, we'll let you go immediately."

Tione spoke casually to the boy who was fluctuating between fear, shyness, and despair.

Seeing her smile at him, Belle tried to relax and also loosened her shoulders.

"Hehe~, it's Argo, the little hero!"

As for Tiona, she's been very happy ever since Bell arrived, sitting cross-legged and swaying her body incessantly.

She was like a child who had found a playmate, her eyes sparkling.

"Hey! Little hero Argonaut, I heard you're very familiar with the Legend of the Heroes, is that true?"

"Uh—I don't know if I'm familiar with it or not... but I used to watch it a lot when I was a kid."

Upon hearing this answer, Tiona excitedly tested him.

"So, what's the name of the person Knight Galad is trying to save?"

"Princess Artis..."

"Then, where does the monster that Dragon-Slaying George defeated live?"

"Lake Serena..."

"Then, what weapon did he use to defeat the dragon back then?"

"A holy sword like a spear... and a maiden's ribbon."

"You're amazing!!"

Tiona cheered when she saw that Bell answered all the questions correctly.

With flushed cheeks, she asked again, excited and expectant:

"So, young hero Argonaut, have you ever heard a story called 'The Ideal Country'?"

"Ugh—is this ever going to end?! Let's get back to the main topic!"

"Seeing that the topic has gone off track," Thione exclaimed.

Interrupted by her sister, Tiona pouted. Seeing this reaction from her, who had supposedly loved fairy tales since childhood, Angie and Alicia both smiled wryly.

"Let's get down to business. Do you know a fairy named 'Arya'?"

"The fairy 'Arya'? The one who spent her life with the hero Albert, the great fairy from 'Dungeon Sacred Tales'?"

"Yes, yes, that's it, that one!"

Bell answered Tiony's question fluently, and Tiony happily affirmed.

If it were a world-famous fairy tale, everyone would know the outline of the original heroic story—so the name of the great hero (Albert) would still be considered part of their knowledge—but seeing Bell's profound understanding of fairy tales, Chun and Navi couldn't help but admire him. Only Lefia, out of her hostility, refused to openly praise him, only thinking, "It's amazing he could answer that."

Generally speaking, the stories or tales of heroes passed down among different races often differ. This is because each race tends to praise and venerate the heroes of its own kind. The heroes appearing in dwarven tales are actually just eccentric cowards in elven holy books, or the monsters are defeated not by Amazon warriors but by orcish rogues; such discrepancies are commonplace.

The world's knowledge of heroic tales is somewhat biased, and few are truly proficient in this field, partly due to this background. People are unwilling to read or acknowledge the "official" origin approved by the gods, believing only in racial pride and dignity.

"The Sacred Tale of the Labyrinth" is a heroic tale recognized by the gods.

Because of its vast length, it was divided into several volumes, and some episodes were lost over time, so very few people have been able to read the entire collection.

"Have you ever heard stories like 'Arya' cutting open her own body and sharing her 'blood' with someone...?"

"Hmm, hmm~?"

When Tiona asked nervously, Bell sounded embarrassed for the first time.

He put one hand on his head, his brows furrowed.

"I've never read such an anecdote before..."

"What about the humans who were seriously injured while protecting 'Arya'? And their descendants and so on?"

"I... I think it should exist, but it's not specifically mentioned in 'The Sacred Tale of the Labyrinth'..."

When Tiony bombarded him with questions, Bell panicked and replied.

He seemed confused by things he didn't remember and by questions he couldn't understand.

It seems we still can't get any clues... Just as Lefia and the others were feeling a little disappointed.

“Ah, but…”

The boy seemed to remember something and looked up.

"Although they can't be considered descendants... I've heard that the hero Albert had children..."

"Huh—!? What's going on? I've never heard of this before—!!"

What Bell said made Tiona scream in surprise.

The anecdote she was unaware of surprised her greatly.

"Could the version that Argonauts read be the original? The very first version, written a thousand years ago?"

"Uh, no, that's not it. Well... it seems like it was drawn for me by my grandfather."

Upon hearing this, Tiona blinked several times.

Tiony and the others were also dumbfounded and said, "What?"