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

"Asterios...!"

Seeing the bull kneel before the adventurer wielding a silver sword, a great axe, and a spear, Reed's eyes showed pain.

Finally, even the last of their comrades was defeated. Just as Reed sensed Gross, Rey, and the other "heretics" struggling around him and watching the adventurers' backs, three black orbs were thrown into the middle of the road.

"!"

The impact of landing caused the bead to crack immediately, spewing out a large amount of black smoke.

Reed, Gross, and Rey, who were stunned, immediately knew what it was.

It is Fels' magical artifact.

"!"

"smokescreen……!"

"This smoke is sticky!?"

Seeing that the black smoke not only surrounded them but also instantly covered the surrounding area, Ais, Finn, and Grace were all utterly astonished. Reid and the others, who reacted a few seconds earlier than the first-level adventurers, exchanged glances as if struck by a sudden inspiration, and then mustered their remaining strength to split up and act.

"——————————————!!"

The gargoyle howled.

The monster's roar that echoed all around made the other "heretics" twitch their ears, and the bull suddenly raised its head.

Before the roar had even ended, the Songbird had already spread its wings and taken flight, unleashing a strange sonic wave with maximum output.

“““!?””””

The deadly high-frequency attack was aimed solely at Level 1 adventurers. Ais and the others were struck from behind by the sonic attack and stopped moving.

Sight, plus hearing.

With these two senses shattered, even a first-level adventurer showed a momentary weakness.

Minotaur

(—! The scent of the Minotaur…!)

Disappeared.

Having lost her sight and hearing and with severely limited access to information, Ais was puzzled to find that the aura of the "monster" that was right in front of her seemed to have melted away in the darkness.

"That's...!?"

—As for the goddess (Hestia), she had some recollection of the black smoke that engulfed the entire road, along with Ais and the others.

That was the black smoke that the black-clad magician released from under his clothes a few days earlier when Hestia and Fels met under the moonlight, in order to bring her before Uranus. Soon, more black beads were thrown in front of Hestia and the others, and the surrounding area was finally completely sealed off by a thick black fog.

"!"

The strange sound waves made Ais unable to hear Finn and Grace's instructions (voices), and she did not hesitate to use the wind (Wind Spirit Run).

The powerful airflow, which increased its output force, blew away the thick fog that was clinging to my body.

The smoke, clinging like a living creature, spread out in an instant, and sure enough, the bull vanished into thin air before their eyes.

(—Sorry.)

Then.

As the smoke cleared and Ais and the others appeared, Reed released his chest, which had been bulging like a balloon. Ais, Grace, and Finn, preoccupied with the missing bull, rushed towards Reed, but it was too late.

Flames spewed from Reed's mouth.

"The lizardman is breathing fire...!?"

Ignoring Grace's surprise, Ais intended to use the wind defense technique as before, but Reed's target was not them.

Reed spits fire while sweeping his face to the side, expanding the range of the flames he spews.

「!?」

The fire spread to the houses on both sides of the road, and Ais alone was not enough to stop it.

The abundance of flammable materials in the slums fueled the fire. The flames ignited wood and magic stone ignition devices, quickly turning the surrounding area into a sea of ​​fire.

"Goooooooooooo!"

The moment the gargoyle's voice rang out from above, the lizardmen and the singing birds stopped attacking and ran away in a flash.

The other monsters had already fled into the back alleys; the "heretics" had made a great retreat.

"...!"

"...We don't have enough manpower, let's save Kos and the others first."

Ais wanted to chase after him for a moment, but she dismissed the idea. Finn also gave her an order with an expression of being tricked by the enemy.

Along the way, there were Bert and others who were paralyzed and unable to move, as well as many other members of the group who had been knocked down by the bulls. The number of people present who could move, including Finn and others, was not large.

"What exactly is going on...!"

Rivera, who was maintaining the barrier to protect the residents, was also unable to move.

The strange, dense fog obscuring her vision prevented Riveria from making a judgment—fearing the smoke might be harmful—and thus prevented her from dispelling the "magic." The people she had to protect became her shackles.

The fact that the leader (Finn) was forced to go to the front lines, which brought the command system to a standstill, was the main reason why they were put on the defensive.

Under Finn's instructions, the adventurers quickly regrouped. Grace rescued Tiona and the others, along with the god (Ikeros), while Ais also devoted herself to the rescue efforts. The uninjured mages, together with Riveria, used ice and water magic, prioritizing fire suppression. Even the goddess (Hestia) and others, who had been hesitant about whether to help the "heretics" or the Loki Familia, came to lend a hand.

Ten minutes later, thanks to the efforts of the high-ranking mages, the fire was contained to the roadside and completely extinguished.

The stone road, billowing black smoke, was reduced to scorched earth.

"Finn, that bull (Minotaur)..."

"...Underground."

Unable to hide her sadness, Ais reached the middle of the road, while Finn looked down at the ground.

The stone slabs on the ground bulged up, opening up like a crack.

"This is……"

"The metal giant emerged from this hole. That 'monster' probably entered the underground sewers from here."

Ais was surprised to see the cave where Fels's humanoid soldiers appeared.

Beneath the charred stone slabs, traces of blood could be seen in the dimly lit waterway. The dark "monster" had vanished during the chaos and jumped into this cave.

"...Should we go after them?"

"Hmm, thank you... However, judging from the way it escaped at the end, the armed monster is indeed quite intelligent. Don't chase it too far alone."

After answering Ais's question, Finn sighed as the severed arm of the bull also disappeared.

A while later, the other adventurers and guild staff finally rushed over.

As the others healed those affected by the "bowl," Finn looked up at the sky, lamenting his own failure.

"I misjudged, didn't I... I'm truly defeated."

*

The fierce roars and explosions of monsters that erupted in the labyrinthine town, and most importantly, the news brought by many people who came to take refuge, caused Orario to fall into chaos again after the commotion had gradually subsided.

Led by Lloyd, the guild's high-ranking members all had grim faces and immediately ordered all [Familia] to rush to the scene and carry out rescue operations. At the same time, many adventurers were about to gather in the third southeastern district of the city, located on "Daedalus Road".

“Ugh…!”

The sun, positioned near the city wall, scorched my profile.

Bell is running.

The dragon girl was chasing after him, destroying alleyways as she rushed forward.

"Winnie!"

Even Bell's shouts couldn't reach the ears of the screaming, frantic dragon girl.

Bell and the dragon girl, who crashed through the wall and climbed the stairs, headed south and finally crossed the entrance to the maze street, entering the slums.

"Eek...! Noooooooo!"

"Hey, adventurer! Over here, over here!"

Upon seeing the out-of-control monster, the demi-humans screamed and fled.

As soon as they emerged from the maze-like street, it was immediately filled with crowds, and the noise and screams intensified. Women dressed like prostitutes called the adventurers over one after another.

Bell's face became full of anxiety.

"Winnie, please stop!"

“Aaaaaaaaaah!”

Even back in the maze town, Bell had pounced on her several times, trying to grab her, but each time he was violently thrown off by the serpentine movements. Bell's hands were already covered in cuts from each grasp of the twisted dragon scales. No matter how he called out to her, it was no use; trying to re-set the red stone on her forehead was even more difficult.

Bell clung tightly to her slender upper body, being tossed about by the relentless shaking, crashing into a shop sign beside the alley before falling to the ground again. This sight drew even more screams from the surrounding crowd.

(The curse should have been lifted by now...!)

The ominous and abhorrent red light had long since vanished from Winnie's eyes.

She should have been freed from the man's (Dix's) "curse." However, the dragon girl is still out of control.

Bell himself was bleeding from a head wound, looking at Winnie's left hand, which had a hole in it and was covered in blood.

—The spear that pierced through Winnie.

It was probably the thrown spear that unfortunately aroused the girl's fear.

It reminded her of how Dix, who also carried a gun, treated her, mocked her, and that malice.

The nightmare was so terrifying that, having lost the Red Stone, she was unable to make normal judgments and could only turn her back on all humans and flee in all directions.

The man's curse will not disappear.

"Found it, it's here!"

"!"

Before Bell could stop Winnie, the adventurers had already appeared.

Upon seeing the out-of-control state of the large, half-human, half-snake monster—the rare species "Vivel"—the adventurers hesitated for a moment, but still raised their weapons to prevent the monster from advancing any further.

An arrow nocked on a short bow, a javelin gripped tightly in hand, a magic wand gleaming with jewels.

Bell shouted at the top of his lungs at the adventurers who had leaped onto the front and sides of the alley:

"stop--!"

Bell's shouts were drowned out by the cheers of the adventurers.

The javelin pierced the lower half of the dragon's tail, the arrow pierced its shoulder, and the fire magic struck directly. Countless scales peeled off the dragon girl's body.

"————————————————Ahhh!"

A scream erupted from Winnie's throat.

She was suffering terribly from the adventurers' relentless attacks and sped up to escape their hostility.

The dragon girl sent the adventurers flying.

"...!"

Bell clenched his teeth so tightly they almost broke.

He took in the adventurers who were gradually gathering in the direction the dragon girl was heading—shaking off his entanglements and confusion, he stretched out his right arm straight towards them.

"[Flame Lightning]!"

Rapid-fire magic projectiles flew towards the adventurers who were about to attack the monster.

"What!?"

「!?」

"Woohoohoohoohoohoohoohoohoohoo!?"

The magic struck his feet, his armor, and his body.

A burst of fire and lightning erupted, and the adventurers fell backward, surrounded by a flurry of sparks.

While chasing Winnie, Bell also targeted the adventurers and the humans who should have been on the same side.