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

Even with his skin torn and flesh bleeding, his hands never stopped gripping the stake and hammer. Unbeknownst to anyone, the man ran headlong down the path of obsession.

However, his ambitions ended in failure.

He encountered the human limit known as lifespan.

The man hated his mortal body, despaired at his increasingly immobile limbs, and wept bitterly at the approaching end of his life. Then—as a last resort, he left a cursed last message in a notebook.

Along with the "design drawings" he had in mind.

Men entrust everything to the genealogy passed down through bloodlines, to future generations bearing their names.

"Do it, do it!"

Create something that surpasses that one, and fulfill my wish!

Fulfill your mission, my nameless and unseen descendants!

Once you've read this journal, you'll be unable to escape the curse of blood!

The insatiable thirst and parchedness are incurable! Submit to the urge that burns your internal organs!

Drive your desires!

Listen to the demands of your bloodline.

Be true to your desires,

Pursue it purely!

Ambition, ambition, ambition!

Fulfill our cursed destiny!

The notes record everything.

He wrote extensively about men's stubbornness and incomprehension.

"..."

Dix, leaning against the sofa, silently read the tattered notebook in one hand.

As he flipped through pages of paper under the magic light, some of the text faded, blurred, and illegible, someone said behind him:

"Dix, everything's ready."

Upon seeing a large human man appear, he put the goggles he had pulled down over his head back over his eyes.

Dix put on her smoky quartz lenses and smirked.

"Okay, let's go."

He stood up and casually tossed the notebook in his hand onto the sofa.

The man, wearing goggles, picked up a chilling crimson spear and had his burly subordinates follow him into the dimly lit space.

The scent of stone wafted through the air, a chill in the air utterly absent from the warmth of the sun. They hadn't walked far when black cages began to appear before them. As Dix passed one, he chuckled softly:

"Pursue it purely... Ah, what a wise saying."

Listen to the clanging of the chains, as if they were afraid of any noise around them.

The brutal hunter let out a chuckle.

Volume 10, Chapter 6: Before the Storm

I could clearly feel the dazzling sunlight pulling my consciousness from a light sleep to the surface.

The touch of the morning sun illuminating my face made me open my eyelids.

Expanding into the blurry vision was a familiar scene of the room. The unsold blue crystals that remained, and the small bottle containing fruit seeds; a table and chairs decorated with labyrinth-gathered items, an empty bookshelf with a few books and used grimoires, and a half-open wardrobe storing weapons and armor.

This is my room.

This is my personal room at the [Family] headquarters.

"..."

The clock on the wall told me that not only had I skipped my morning workout, but it was almost time for breakfast too. I propped myself up and looked down at the bed.

I looked around me.

It was completely empty. There was no one there.

There were only empty, wrinkled, pure white sheets.

After searching the bed for the girl who was no longer there, I lowered my gaze and stood up.

I changed out of my pajamas and opened the door. The hallway was quiet; even looking down at the courtyard from the opposite window, I couldn't hear anyone running or playing. Was our home ever this quiet before?

Bathed in the bright sunlight that made me feel the height of summer, I went down from the third floor to the first floor.

"Good morning……"

Upon entering the large dining room, Welf and the others were already there.

"morning."

Good morning.

Welf and Lily smiled at me for being late, with a hint of apprehension in their eyes.

Miss Mei and Miss Haruhime, dressed as a maid, also noticed me and greeted me with what seemed like a forced smile.

The aroma wafting from the kitchen might be from Miss Ming's Far Eastern-style fried eggs.

It must be very sweet. I had a feeling of déjà vu even before I tasted it.

"That's rare, you actually overslept."

"Feel sorry……"

"We're not blaming you. The table is all set, Lord Bell, just wait."

"Hmm... uh, where are the gods?"

"Goddess Hestia said she had to go somewhere before starting her work, and she just went out, Lord Bell."

"Yes, she was in such a hurry to stuff the potato balls into her mouth that..."

Welf, Lily, Miss Mikoto, and Miss Haruhime all spoke to me in their usual manner, yet with a hint of something different. It was as if the gears weren't meshing properly... as if one gear was missing and spinning aimlessly.

Everyone was a little reserved.

There was very little conversation, almost an atmosphere that shouldn't exist on a crisp morning.

They looked confused or absent-minded as they prepared breakfast.

Miss Haruhime's condition was particularly severe.

Her cheerful demeanor had vanished, replaced by a look of dejection and sadness; her fox ears and thick tail drooped listlessly. She seemed still troubled, silently arranging the plates.

"...Haruhime-sama."

"Ah... what's wrong, Lord Fate?"

"You put in an extra set of cutlery..."

Reminded by Miss Ming's sorrowful expression, Miss Chunji suddenly snapped back to reality.

"I'm so sorry!" she said, and hurriedly began to tidy up.

The extra seat with an extra plate was where the girl had been sitting not long ago.

A dragon girl who always wears a pure and innocent smile.

Lily, Welf, and I were all speechless when we saw this.

"I'm starting to eat..."

Breakfast was ready, and everyone sat down around the table.

Even after dinner started, the room remained silent.

It has been two days since the guild issued the classified mandatory mission.

The events that occurred in the "Unexplored Territory" of the 20th floor of the dungeon—the secret realm of the "Heretics"—have cast a shadow over our [Hestia Familia].

"Genos the Heretic". A monster that can speak human language.

Although they are monsters, they possess rationality and are heretics rejected by both humans and their own kind.

The black-clad magician—who calls himself a "sage" and tragically meets his end—Fels, said that they harbored a strong longing for humanity and the surface world. At the same time, through a "dream" called "past life," they harbored the extremely difficult desire to reach the surface world.

The impact of the continuous "unknown" on me is beyond what the word "shock" can describe.

There are so many that I just want to give up thinking altogether.

However, at this moment, we are so silent and saddened... for a simpler reason.

Parting ways with Winnie.

The girl we once protected has been entrusted to the care of her fellow "heretics." Even with their desperate pleas, there is no place for "monsters" on the surface. The surface, reclaimed from the monsters and defended to this day, is human territory. Humanity will not allow them to exist.

Before we make any mistakes, and to further protect Winnie from danger, we've separated.

In fact—Fels said that a group of hunters who hunt "heretics" lurk in Orario.

I've already told Fels about the god Ikelos who inquired about the talking dragon girl (Vivel) from me. After listening, he said there was nothing we could do.

The pain of helplessness, and the loneliness and loss of feeling as if half of oneself has been lost.

We are now caught up in these feelings.

"..."

The conversation in the restaurant just wouldn't continue. Welf and Lily tried to help find topics to talk about, but to no avail.

After completing our mandatory mission, we returned to the surface yesterday morning and have remained in this state ever since.

Every time I think of that girl's tearful expression at the moment of parting, a pang of pain shoots through my chest. Then I realized that Welf and the others were all focused on the person next to me… Winnie's seat.

There's one less person's space.

The lively atmosphere from not long ago seems to have been fake.

Everyone, like me, was searching for that girl.

It was just one girl who left, but everyone was at a loss.

Miss Haruhime, Miss Nozomi, Welf, and even Lily.

This makes me sad... but also makes me a little happy.

Because I know that the time we spent as a family was definitely not "hypocritical".

Even though that girl is different from us, she is a monster.

"...Bell?"

As I was about to leave the restaurant after breakfast, Welf called to me.

"I... I'm going to the dungeon."

When I stopped to answer, not only Welf, but also Lily, Miss Mikoto, and Miss Haruhime all looked worried.

I turned my head and saw everyone's expressions, and gave a wry smile.

"It's alright. I plan to be back soon."

There's something I'd like to confirm.

If I'm to continue being an adventurer in Orario... there's something I need to figure out.

Are you really okay?

"Um……"

I answered calmly, and quietly closed the door to the grand meal.

Back in my room, I put on my gear and left the base camp (headquarters) "Stovehouse".

"..."

The sky is clear and cloudless.

The neatly paved stone slabs reflected the sunlight. Only when all I could see in my field of vision were a pile of paving stones emitting heat did I realize that my face was slightly lowered.

The sounds of horse-drawn carriages and pedestrians filled the air. The town was bustling with its usual hustle and bustle.