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

I walked silently, following the path leading to the towering Tower of Babel, a path that seemed to grow naturally from my actions.

"Mr. Bell."

"Ah... Miss Seele."

As I was walking on West Street, someone suddenly called out to me.

Just as I was about to pass by the tavern "The Abundant Mistress", Miss Seele came out of the tavern and walked briskly down the stairs to my side.

"Good morning. I made bento boxes again today, if you don't mind... Mr. Bell?"

Miss Seele, who was holding a lunch basket and smiling at me, paused here and leaned closer to look at my face.

She tossed her light gray hair and furrowed her brows with concern.

"What's wrong? You look worse than usual..."

"..."

Is it because Miss Seele has good eyesight and saw through it immediately, or am I just too prone to wearing my emotions on my sleeve?

In any case, I made her worry. I quickly tried to cheer myself up.

"No! I'm fine. I just overslept a little..."

"...I see."

"So, um, I'm just going to the dungeon for a bit today, I'll be right back, so for lunch... um, sorry."

If I accept the wicker basket, I must return it. Seeing my pathetic expression would only cause her worry. Thinking this, I quickly declined today's lunch.

I forced an awkward smile, apologized profusely, and then... stared intently at Miss Seele as she took a step closer to me.

“Eh…”

The distance between the two sides narrowed to almost touching.

Just as the wafting scent of soap was making me blush, Miss Seele pointed her index finger straight at my face.

Then--

"Mr. Bell will cheer up—cheer up—"

"..."

...She started twirling her fingers in front of my eyes and at the tip of my nose.

"Mr. Bell will smile—"

"...Um, Miss Seele?"

"Hey!"

"Ouch!"

Finally, she pressed my nose to seal the knot, making me shout.

I opened my eyes wide in surprise, and Miss Seele gave me a bright and sweet smile.

"It's a spell to lift people's spirits... I do that to the children in the orphanage too, you know?"

Miss Seele leaned closer and whispered in my ear as if sharing a secret.

I was taken aback when I heard this... and naturally, a relaxed smile appeared on my face.

I think I may have forgotten this natural smile for quite some time.

I felt that her happy smile in front of me truly gave me energy.

"...Thank you, Miss Seele. I'll be right back."

"Okay, take care."

Miss Seele didn't ask any questions and watched me leave. I felt both grateful and guilty as I left.

"Idiot—! White-haired head! If you don't accept Seele's lunchbox, the cats will have to clean it up...!?"

"This is certainly a headache, but... adventurer brother, you look so listless."

"A face so gloomy I've never seen before, meow—"

Anya, Lunova, and Chloe, who witnessed the incident through the shop window, each shared their thoughts.

Anya cried out with tears in her eyes, while the human next to her, Lunova, turned around to look behind her.

"Is Ryu worried about him too?"

"No, I..."

The elf Liu, who was gazing at Bell and Seele just like them, was about to deny it, but then she took back her words.

"...Yes, I care a lot."

She recalled that the boy had been acting strangely ever since she went to the 18th floor with the Amazon heroine (Aisha) five days ago, and she spoke her mind.

Like Seele outside, Ryu also watched the receding figure.

*

Sunlight shines on the city.

Summer is about to officially arrive on the mainland, and temperatures are rising day by day. Orario is no exception, with most citizens walking on the main streets wearing cool and light clothing such as short sleeves.

As for the adventurers heading into the labyrinth, they donned their battle clothes and armor as usual, letting the blazing sun beat down on them. The tall orcs and dwarves, especially those clad in armor or heavy gear, were particularly drenched in sweat. It wouldn't be funny if they succumbed to the heat and donned lighter armor, only to lose their lives. All they had to do was retreat into the shaded dungeons. The adventurers, gradually gathering in Central Park, naturally quickened their pace.

At almost the same time that Bell and these adventurers headed to the dungeon.

"Ah—excuse me, may I see Ganesha?"

Slightly sweating, Hestia visited the giant statue with an elephant's head—the stronghold of another faction.

"I didn't make plans with him, and this came so suddenly. I'm sorry to cause you trouble, but could you...?"

The orc and dwarf male members of the guard team looked at each other in bewilderment at being entrusted with such a task by a goddess who was even smaller than themselves.

The location is in the southwest of Orario, near the Exchange. The strange giant statue, sitting cross-legged with its arms crossed, sits in the center of a vast area surrounded by towering white walls.

This is the headquarters of the Ganesha Familia, "I am Ganesha".

This giant statue, unnecessarily large enough to force you to look up and cause neck pain... Correction, this building is famously bought by the God of War in a fit of madness, using up his entire savings. It's also listed as one of Orario's tourist attractions, along with other skyscrapers (the Tower of Babel) and the bustling city center.

Their presence was still as strong as ever. Just as Hestia was reflecting on this strange headquarters, the orc guard said, "Please wait here." and went inside. Even though other factions' gods had come directly to them, the members didn't seem particularly wary. Hestia thanked them for their kindness while watching the young man crawl between the giant statue's legs—the entrance to the building.

"If only the chief god (Ganesha) could change his inexplicable behavior, we too... Waaah!" "Ah—you guys have really worked hard too~" Hestia listened earnestly to the dwarf guard's complaints, and soon the orc youth returned.

"Ganesha is now in the backyard and says you may go there yourself."

"Oh, thank you."

Hestia thanked the group members who made way for her and then passed through the main gate.

On one hand, she wondered if this "familia" was being too careless, but on the other hand, she optimistically thought, "Maybe it's because I'm trusted," and she bypassed the giant statue to head towards the so-called backyard.

The entire area of ​​"I am Ganesha" was a lush green meadow—covered entirely by pasture. Were it not for the calls of merchants from the surrounding area, one might easily forget that they were in a metropolis. After spotting several small-scale stone structures resembling stables at the edge of her field of vision, she arrived at the backyard of her destination.

“Ouch!”

The scene that unfolded after passing the giant statue made Hestia recoil in fright.

The idyllic pastureland had been completely transformed, now enclosed by a silver fence reflecting the sunlight. The metal fence, thicker than the goddess's (Hestia's) body, was made of a refined metal (mithril), or perhaps corrugated steel (damascus) suitable for weapons, or some super-hard metal (hard steel), its supports driven deep into the ground like giant stakes. Moreover, armed members surrounded and guarded the fence from both inside and outside, creating an eerily solemn atmosphere in this backyard.

In the center of the fence were adventurers who appeared to be tamers, and several monsters that obeyed their commands—or were being trained.

"This...this is truly amazing..."

The water beasts (Kelpai) with their beautiful azure manes whipping about, and the three-headed armed dragons (Armarosaurus) attacking with clubs on their tails or large spikes on their skin. The beautiful tamer uses a whip to try to subdue these monsters that dwell in the lower levels by force.

Hestia had heard that, including those trained at the Monster Philia, only the Ganesha Familia in Orario were permitted to raise monsters born from the dungeons.

If the information from the governing body (guild) is correct, the Ganesha Familia has the largest number of members in the city.

Furthermore, the average ability of the members of the first-rank adventurers and their party is very high, and the size of the party is the largest in Orario. The faction's rank is S, which is enough to rival the largest factions in the city, the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia.

Their faction's size and organizational strength have earned them the title of "the military police of the labyrinth city," which may explain why they are the only "familia" that the guild allows to raise monsters.

(You're the group admin, right...)

Led by the gatekeepers guarding the walls of Orario City, the Ganesha Familia, in cooperation with their guild, are dedicated to maintaining order in the city. The general public places great trust in them.

The fact that the city residents agreed to let them keep monsters shows that everything was a reward for the achievements of the Ganesha Familia.

Hestia was initially captivated by watching the tamers battling various monsters when she suddenly remembered the purpose of her visit and began searching for the divine object (person) she was looking for.

Just as she was about to ask the group members who were standing guard around the fence—

"I am Ganesha! So don't bite me, monster!"

(Ah, there it is.)

Hearing that loud voice, Hestia immediately spotted him...

The god, wearing an elephant mask, slowly approached the monster from inside the fence. The "young dragon"—a trained monster wearing a collar with a transmitter (plate) attached—wasn't about to attack the god without warning because its tamer was nearby, but it still stared at Ganesha with wary eyes.

"Don't be afraid~, don't be afraid~?"

"..."

"Don't be afraid~, don't be afraid———— good~ oh good ...

As soon as Ganesha snuggled into the enormous monster's arms, he immediately hugged it and rubbed its neck and back.

"Roar!"

The young dragon immediately bared its fangs, trying to crush the elephant's head.

“Uuuuuuuu!?”

"What are you doing?!"

"That's why I told you to stop messing around—!?"

Ganesha rolled across the grassland, narrowly avoiding a collision, and the surrounding members immediately berated him. The animal trainers rushed forward to stop the agitated young dragon.

The series of events left Hestia completely dumbfounded.

"Ganesha was in dire straits!!...Phew, I thought I was going to die."

"You don't always pull this stunt, do you, Ganesha?"

"Oh! Hestia! You've come!"

Violent tremors rippled from the monster's side. Hestia wearily watched Ganesha scramble to the fence. The elephant-faced god, with his well-trained and muscular physique, noticed her and quickly stood up, shouting "Hah!" as he used his hands to vault over the metal fence.

He knelt down beside Hestia in an incomprehensible pose.

"Welcome! And regarding your question, I often ask this when I have some free time!"

"Would you risk your life to play with monsters?"

"This is to explore true friendship!"

Seeing Ganesha's unnecessary, dazzling smile that made her white teeth shine, Hestia sighed.

After that, she stopped talking nonsense and began to talk about why she was there.

"I heard you know about the 'heretic'."

"..."

As soon as Hestia brought it up, Ganesha stopped his playful antics and fell silent.

Beneath that mask—or rather—he wore a serious expression, and with his back to Hestia, said, "Let's go somewhere else."

Ganesha stopped the guards who wanted to accompany him, and he and Hestia began to talk under the shade of a tree near the white wall.

"You've learned of the existence of those sentient monsters?"

"Yes, Uranus told me himself."

Upon hearing the name Uranus, Ganesha seemed to understand everything.

Just as Bell and his companions learned about the "heretics" while carrying out a mandatory mission, Hestia also heard about Winnie and her companions from the guild god Uranus.

There is also the fact that Uranus and his people have done so far, and that Ganesha was also involved in these actions.

"It really startled me, whether it was your assistance to Uranus and the others, or the secret of the Monster Festival."

"Me too. When they first came to me to discuss this... when Uranus told me about it, I couldn't help but doubt my ears."