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

Today, the sky over Orario was a clear, cloudless blue. After wolfing down all the black bread on a street corner, I searched for the Familias I hadn't yet visited.

Countless times I've brushed past adventurers dressed in overly elaborate equipment and luxurious clothing.

They were heading towards the heart of the city, to a vast underground labyrinth slumbering beneath the chalk tower. In that monster-infested lair, what legendary adventures would they weave together today?

The gods watch over the adventurers' tales, and the city dwellers eagerly await their discoveries. This beginning, seemingly no different from any other, brings joy to many, filling the air with cheerful clamor.

Surrounded by such joyful sounds and overwhelmed by the bustling crowds, I wandered aimlessly through the city alone.

Then, after being turned away at the sixteenth [family] today, I collapsed in a corner of the street.

Completely disregarding the gazes of others, he leaned against the building wall as if utterly exhausted, staring blankly at the people passing by.

Is there no place for me here? Is there no one here who would even glance at me?

I felt as if I, along with the place I was sitting, had been detached from the world. The sound of footsteps and the noise of the street seemed far away. Everyone seemed to have forgotten my existence, passing by and leaving.

It's like a lost child, wandering aimlessly alone in the vast city.

The feelings I had before coming to Orario were almost lost.

I'm on the verge of a breakdown, overwhelmed by anxiety and loneliness.

"……I am"

I came to this city in search of a chance encounter.

Unable to relinquish his yearning for heroism, which is incongruous with his status, he came to this labyrinthine city.

I came to Orario to prevent the remaining memories and ties with my grandfather from being severed.

However, the real one.

What I really want is—

My bangs obscured my eyes, and with my head bowed low, I stood up unsteadily.

Having no idea where to go, and as if trying to escape the bustling streets, I decided to enter a dark alley.

And so, no one noticed this person.

"Hey—, you over there. It's dangerous in those alleys, you'd better not go there."

and so.

At first, I didn't realize who had said those words to me.

"Huh...?"

I'm sure, absolutely, without a doubt.

I can't forget that time, what happened back then.

"Thank you, thank you... Um, are you alone here? Are you lost?"

"...It seems like your side is the one that's lost, right?"

That person's figure, that person's voice.

"Ah—, umm—...Actually, I'm currently trying to recruit members for the [Familia]. They just happen to want adventurers—I think this is quite a stroke of luck, um, in other words..."

The hand that person extended.

"I want to join! Please let me join!"

"Is it...really? To join my [Family] or something?"

"Okay, no problem at all! Or how about someone like me joining too!?"

The moment I shook hands with that person's face, I smiled with great joy.

"My name is Hestia! What's your name!?"

The warmth of the gods who asked my name.

"Bell... Bell, Craney."

I will never forget the joy I felt then, the joy that almost brought me to tears.

I had an encounter with God.

On these streets where many encounters have occurred, in this labyrinthine city where many adventure stories have been woven, in Orario where many heroes have been born.

I had an encounter with God.

This is your story (path).

My story must have started from this day.

Because our [family]—on this day, began.

BD Bonus Novel BD2 Short Story Hello, World

The online translation is from the Kingdom of Light

Image source: uiop031

Translation: pdapanda

In order not to violate the rules set by the gods for the lower realm, the 'power of the gods' was sealed, and even divine might was suppressed, reducing the body to a state of utter powerlessness, completely devoid of any sense of omnipotence. The body's limbs were as thin and small as they appeared, possessing no power whatsoever.

Even with her body so weak, Hestia seemed to be in a good mood, with a big smile on her face.

"So...it must have landed nearby."

Her jet-black hair was being blown about by the cool night breeze as Hestia slowly looked around.

In the vast grassland illuminated by the light of the moon and stars, his face looked left and right, and in the instant he turned around to look behind him, he exclaimed "Oh!" and discovered the object that was there.

"Found it! Found it!"

In the far distance, a white chalk skyscraper stands tall, reaching straight into the night sky.

☆

Barefoot, they walked out of Hestia on the vast plains and happened to hitch a ride on a passing merchant's carriage, heading towards Orario, the labyrinthine city with a giant white tower.

Known in the mortal realm as the "center of the world," and the place of focus for the gods of heaven, this was Hestia's destination. Led by a kind-hearted female merchant who revered the gods, the young goddess finally arrived at the foot of the massive city wall that separated the city from the outside world at dawn.

If the gods and their [families] were to re-establish themselves in Orario, they would not be able to easily leave the city. Despite being somewhat bewildered by the guild guard's warning, Hestia still went through the complicated procedures and passed through the north gate of the city wall.

"The checks and questioning took so long. And there were all sorts of rules and regulations to get into the town and settle down... But I guess that's part of the 'spirit of the lower realms'."

Although slightly tired after a long period of examination and questioning, Hestia still smiled. Compared to the heavenly realm, where everything was free and unrestrained, this lower realm was neither convenient nor free, and everything felt new and unfamiliar.

Soon, Hestia squinted as she saw the town bathed in blue sky from the inside of the city walls.

"This is Orario! What a wonderful place!"

The title "Center of the World" is truly fitting; even goddesses would marvel at its magnificent streetscape. Cobblestone streets, shops, hotels, clock towers, plazas, skyscrapers—the scene, filled with all sorts of man-made structures, is a picture-perfect landscape that could never exist in the heavens—a fantastical and mysterious paradise imagined by mortals, filled with majestic nature and luminous waterfalls cascading from the clouds.

"We can't just stay here like tourists... Shall we go find Hephaestus? She's here."

Having a divine friend who had come to the mortal realm before settling in Orario was a great asset to Hestia. Although she had forgotten that it was hundreds of years ago, the goddess, an old acquaintance, said something like, "I really wanted to go to that place," before setting off ahead of her.

Having almost no knowledge of the lower realms, Hestia, practically ignorant, was trying to get in touch with the throngs of children around her in order to get information from Hephaestus.

"—Oh? Hey, could that be over there...?"

"Huh? What—uh?"

At that moment, a sound came from behind.

Turning around, Hestia faced the figure—no, the divine being—that came into view, and revealed an expression as if she had encountered a nemesis.

"Loki!?"

"Ah~, it really is a little one~ Ugh, this is terrible~"

Upon hearing the name of the red-haired, red-eyed goddess, Loki seemed to lament and accuse the heavens.

"That's my line," Hestia thought angrily.

Loki, a prankster who is also known as a madman in the Celestial Realm.

She is Hestia's enemy, as she always tries to play pranks on anyone who gets involved with her.

"Judging from your country bumpkin-like appearance, have you just arrived in the Nether? Could it be that you, little one, are planning to settle down in Orario?"

"So what!"

"Hehehe, we're going to laugh at you for not knowing your own limitations! This Orario isn't someone a lazy, shut-in goddess like you can handle!"

Faced with the divine decree that this place was different from the heavens, Hestia became angry, "What is there to be arrogant about...!" A demi-human waiting beside Loki spoke up tremblingly.

"Um, Loki, who is this goddess...?"

"Ah, Lefia, there's no need to greet this useless goddess—calling her 'little one' is enough."

Although I was angry at Loki's words, there was something even more undeniable.

Faced with the beautiful fairy girl and the other beautiful human and beast girls together, Hestia showed signs of wavering.

"Loki, could it be that these children are...!?"

"Did you finally notice, little one? Just like you thought, they are all our lovely Fellowships!"

[Family]. Children who have been bestowed with God's "grace"—God's family, or more commonly known as God's faction.

Were they on their way to buy something, or were they on their way back? Each of Loki's retinue was carrying a paper bag.

The girls, who were proudly introducing their god, were getting closer and closer, and although they looked annoyed, Hestia was shocked to see the "familia," which could even be called a large family.

"...Hmph. It's just Loki, nothing special as a member of his 'Familia' anyway..."

"Ignorance is a sin~. We're the most powerful faction in the exploration department, the so-called adventurer training faction... the largest faction in Orario, right?"

"What?!?"

Hestia's eyes widened as she looked down at Loki with a sly grin.

"Stop lying!? It's absolutely impossible for a lowly god's [familia] like you to be the strongest!?"

"Damn it, what do you mean by vulgar? Vulgar, indeed!"

On one side were pedestrians and fairy girls walking down the street in surprise, and on the other side were two goddesses arguing and wrestling with each other.

After a gruesome fight involving tearing at each other's cheeks and hair, Loki, panting heavily, grinned wickedly as he looked down at Hestia, who was also shaking and panting.

"Well, at most it'll just be a desperate struggle. Because it's you, you'll definitely run away from Orario with your tail between your legs, not a single child will be able to gather."

Facing Loki, who was boasting about his achievements and speaking arrogantly, Hestia gritted her teeth.

☆

"—This has happened, Hephaestus!?"

"Hahaha! I was immediately given a rude welcome as soon as I arrived in the lower realm!"

Hestia, her face flushed, explained to the goddess who was her friend.

This is a room inside a massive building in the northeastern part of the city, resembling a volcano.

After Loki left, Hestia, having learned of the headquarters of Hephaestus, the blacksmith goddess, located in the city, visited her and was welcomed.

Facing Hestia, who was incessantly recounting her feud with Loki in the main god's chamber at the far end, the god, who wore a large eyepatch over his right eye and was a close confidant, shrugged helplessly countless times.

"In that case, I'll show Loki what I'm made of! I'm going to form a powerful Familia!! I'll definitely make her cry her eyes out!"

"Oh dear, are you exaggerating? Loki's faction really is the biggest power in Orario, you know?"

Hearing Hephaestus's words from across the round table, Hestia replied, "So what?"

Although she was rambling on, Hephaestus, with her eyes narrowed, kindly tolerated Hestia's outburst, which stemmed from her anger and enthusiasm.

"You've just arrived in the mortal realm and don't know anything, right? Based on our friendship in the celestial realm, I'll take care of you until you can stand on your own. If you need anything, just let me know."

"Ah, thank you, Hephaestus!"

While thanking her divine friends for their assistance, Hestia thought, "We'll see," but the face of her nemesis flashed through her mind. A surge of antagonism ignited within her, a desire to instantly expand her [Familia]—a force directly related to her status as a lower-level god—and give her a spectacular show.

Then, at that moment, the doors of the shrine opened with a sound.

"My Lord God, I bought too much from the stall, would you like one? Oh, are you busy?"

"No, it's okay, Tsubaki."

The Hephaestus's retinue entered the room; the half-dwarf woman carried a large paper bag.