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

The once sensational winner of the war game in Orario, [Rookie], has seen his reputation plummet.

Reputation and expectations were overturned by a single act. Trust and disappointment are two sides of the same coin.

Bell betrayed them. It's too late to undo the betrayal.

Exposed to the potentially hostile emotions of the crowd, Bell's hands and feet were so cold they were almost trembling, but he forced himself to keep walking.

then.

"————"

When Bell arrived at that road, he froze in shock.

Everywhere he looked, there were shattered and broken stone slabs on the ground. Houses were reduced to piles of rubble. Burnt-out marks were visible everywhere. Forced to witness this scene, Bell deeply understood that this was one of the consequences of his choices.

"Bell..."

Hestia stood by the roadside. Welf and Life were also there. Lily and Haruhime didn't seem to be in good health. A sharp pain shot through her chest.

"..."

Ais could be seen in the distance. She stared intently at Bell, the members of the Loki Familia waiting behind her. Some were busy, while others looked at him hesitantly. Bell's throat tightened.

"...!"

Then, since it was the main battlefield, there were many guild members around.

Many people were staring at Bell, but a female employee noticed him and walked straight over.

Her brown hair swayed, her emerald-green eyes were framed by glasses, and her pointed half-elf ears were delicate.

"Eina, Miss..."

Eina walked up to Bell, who was standing there dumbfounded, and stopped.

She glared at Bell with a stern expression, her eyebrows raised in a way I'd never seen before.

No one wanted to approach the space that belonged only to the two of them.

Many people stopped in their tracks, and silence began to strike Bell's ears.

Eina slowly began to speak:

"You endangered citizens and even harmed adventurers because of your selfish judgment. —Is that true?"

——No.

He really wanted to say that.

Bell didn't want to be misunderstood by her, though.

However, for Winnie and the others' sake, they couldn't say it out loud.

Bell lowered his head and answered:

"...It's true."

The next instant—snap!

A crisp sound came from my cheek, and it started to hurt.

Bell opened his eyes wide and looked in front of him, only to see Eina, who had slapped him with her right hand, her eyes brimming with tears—her anger was palpable.

"I don't believe it...!"

Then, tears rolled down from those emerald-green eyes.

"How could I possibly believe that...!"

Eina burst into tears and hugged Bell tightly.

She saw through Bell's lie and was angry that he wouldn't tell the truth and wouldn't tell her.

Eina sobbed and hugged Bell, leaving him speechless.

When a girl cries, hug her and let her snuggle in your arms.

Her grandfather's teachings flashed through her mind, and Bell raised her hands to reach behind her... but immediately fell limply.

Grandpa, I—

I don't know what to do.

He was bewildered and lost when he saw his sister (Eina) crying, and the tragic scene around him.

Hestia and the others gazed silently at the boys.

Held tightly in Eina's arms, Bell naturally looked up at the sky.

The still fiery red sky descended upon them.

*

early morning.

It was not yet sunrise, and the sky was shrouded in a thin layer of darkness.

The rain that had fallen all night finally stopped, and a thin layer of morning mist enveloped the surroundings. In Orario, surrounded by massive city walls, the northern city gates opened wide.

"It's finally time for me to say goodbye to Orario... but I really didn't expect you to come see me off, Ganesha?"

"Because I am Ganesha."

As Ganesha and his retinue watched him leave, Icelos was about to walk out of the wide-open north gate alone. The brown-haired god, tossing his dark blue hair, said, "What kind of answer is that?" and gave the god of appearances a smirk.

After being brought to the guild via the Loki Familia, Ikelos admitted that the Familia was indeed connected to urban smuggling activities, and also confessed that the faction members had been hunting monsters for a long time, avoiding the guild's eyes and ears.

The appearance of monsters on the surface and the impact on the city were determined to be the crime committed by him and his [Familia]. Two days after the incident, as punishment, he will be permanently banished from Orario today.

Having lost all his family and had all his property confiscated, he was effectively driven out of the city penniless.

"Well, it's better than being sent back to Heaven."

"I heard the guild has been arguing about your punishment for a long time."

"I understand. In short, it means someone needs to make a sacrifice to appease the public, right?"

It's all because my family members caused so much trouble.

Seeing Ikelos accept all punishment with a grin, Ganesha remained silent beneath his mask.

The guild opened the top of the northern city wall, and although it was early in the morning, many people and gods crowded around to witness the moment when Ikelos was banished.

"It's just... it's rare that something fun might happen, but I can't witness it with my own eyes, which is really a pity."

Ikeros turned his gaze toward the door and stared at Orario.

"I really envy you, Hermes."

"—That's how it is; the commotion has gradually subsided."

Hermes slightly opened his arms and reported to the old god.

In the "Prayer Hall" beneath the guild headquarters, four torches illuminated the dark space, where Uranus, seated firmly on his divine throne, was holding a secret meeting with Hermes.

"I sent the children to investigate the situation in the city, and the criticism of the guild was relatively mild. This is probably thanks to Ikelos taking almost all the blame."

The blame for allowing the monsters to escape to the surface and plunging the city into danger was entirely placed on the god (Ikeros) and his [Family]. The latter no longer exists, so the guild made him the target of public criticism and punished him in hopes of temporarily appeasing the people. This way, they could maintain a facade, claiming that the incident was not an intentional invasion of the surface by the monsters.

The permanent banishment of a deity also serves as a scapegoat.

"The people haven't discovered any rational monsters either. It's just that the residents of the town (Rivera) have witnessed armed monsters, the relationship between the 18th floor and 'Daedalus Road'... I think it's only a matter of time before the entrance to the underground city outside the Tower of Babel is exposed."

However, only a portion of the Familias and Guilds are aware of the existence of the man-made labyrinth (Knossos).

"How things unfold from here is up to you," Hermes said casually.

"I think we can consider the matter to be temporarily closed."

After hearing the handsome god conclude his statement, Uranus spoke:

"But the matter is not over."

"Yes," Hermes, who was facing him, nodded.

"The 'heretics' who successfully escaped the Loki Familia... some of them still failed to return to the dungeon and are being hunted by adventurers."

"After waiting for so long and finally reaching the surface, it's ironic that we have to go back to the dungeon just to survive. That being said, the Tower of Babel is out of the question, and Daedalus Road is also sealed off by the guild's higher-ups, with Loki and the others having laid a trap. They have no way to go back."

"It's only a matter of time before the 'heretics' are caught, along with Fels, who is hiding them..."

Faced with a precarious situation, Hermes jokingly suggested, "How about we try to win over Loki and the others? Although the chances are extremely slim."

Seeing that Uranus remained calm and did not answer, the god shrugged, and his demeanor changed. His eyes, which were originally long and narrow, curved into crescent shapes before he opened them.

"Uranus, you are the pillar of the guild and the city. If we wish for order to prevail in Orario, you alone must forever be the symbol of peace and tranquility."

"..."

Even if you're secretly planning something wrong, you have to pretend you don't care.

"……I see."

After Hermes repeatedly emphasized this, Uranus finally replied.

Hermes smiled at him as soon as he asked this question.

"—So, Uranus, leave the task of quelling the unrest to me from now on."

"...What are you up to, Hermes?"

"It's nothing, I just want something in return."

I've worked diligently for you, so I should get something in return.

Hermes made this demand.

"As for me, I can't let that kid—let little Bell's reputation plummet like this. I've staked everything on him, Uranus."

A plummeting reputation and public condemnation.

Hermes explained his divine will, saying that he had no intention of ruining the boy there, and asked him to step down and bow.

Why are you so obsessed with Bell Craney?

Uranus did not let Hermes know his opinion of the boy, but only pressed him for answers.

Hermes curled his lips upon hearing this.

"Perhaps because he was a gift left by the great god (Zeus)?"

With a crackling sound, the torch burst into sparks, illuminating Uranus's astonished expression.

The old man had his eyes wide open, but then quietly closed them.

"This time, it's your turn to help me, Uranus?"

Seeing the male god's sinister smile as he devoured both the pure and the impure, the old god remained silent for a moment—then nodded.

*

A corner of ruins in the suburbs, viewed from the vast night sky.

A "monster" stood there, holding its breath, blending into the darkness in the shadows.

It was a black bull that had lost an arm.

Blood flowed from its wounds, staining its body crimson. The bull planted its double-edged axe in the ground, dripping blood, clinging to life only through the monster's vitality.

"..."

The ferocity he displayed on the battlefield seemed feigned; now, the "monster" was silent, slowly gazing up at the decaying, perforated roof above him.

The sky above the earth. The starlight that the labyrinth lacks.

A crescent moon, missing a corner, peeks out from behind the drifting clouds.

The moon is bright tonight.

The bright moon forgot its golden hue and instead emitted a cold light.

The monster's eyes seemed to still be searching for something yet to be found, its gaze fixed on the pure white moon.

Ability value

Lv. 3

Strength: D 577 Durability: D 508 Dexterity: D 582 Agility: A 807 Magic: D 531