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

"I mean, I can't stand how you just smile like an idiot!"

What do you mean?!

The heated argument on the balcony startled Ais and the others inside the room.

Before they could get up to stop the fight, Tione had already turned around abruptly, her back to Tiona.

She had to make way for Ais and the others who were rushing to the window, but was watched by Loki, who had his hands folded behind his head, and Riveria, who had one eye closed, as she walked straight through the hall and out.

Seeing that the two sisters were almost arguing and breaking up, Ais hesitated for a moment, glanced at the silent Tiona, and then went after Tione.

"Miss Tiona... are you alright?"

"Yeah, it's nothing..."

After Ais left the room, Lefia and the other members walked over to Tiona, and she nodded to them.

"...Um, I heard that Miss Tiona, you were with the goddess Kali, whom you met today..."

"It's true."

Rafia asked the question with difficulty, but Rafia answered it readily.

The other members and the elf girl all gasped.

"Well, uh, that..."

"I'm sorry, Tione isn't here, I don't know if I should reveal our relationship without permission..."

Hearing that Lefia couldn't continue speaking, Tiona's gaze fell on the floor.

As silence enveloped the crowd, she uttered a single word, "However," and gazed up at the starry sky above.

She gave a somewhat distant look.

"Actually, I didn't want Tione to meet Kali and the others again."

"Tione".

Someone was calling my name from behind.

Tione walked down the corridor, which was tinged with the azure night, and turned her profile toward Ais, who was catching up with her.

"It's really rare that you would chase after me like this."

It's usually the other way around. Tiony didn't even look Ais in the eye, and said sourly.

Ais stopped and said haltingly:

"Because of me, whenever I cause trouble for others, it's always Tiona and Tione who help me... so..."

Perhaps trying to express her feelings, the usually quiet girl was desperately choosing her words.

But even her adorable yet exasperating qualities now sound annoying.

"Ais, leave me alone right now. I'm a nuisance."

"Tione... if you have any worries..."

Was she trying to say, "You can talk to us about it"?

Before she could finish speaking, Tiony interrupted:

"Don't you also have things you're afraid to tell us?"

"!"

"Isn't this too suspicious? Instead of talking about your own affairs, you're just prying into other people's privacy."

Tiony kept people at arm's length, forcefully expressing her refusal.

Ais lowered her head.

"sorry……"

An almost inaudible apology echoed down the corridor.

Instead, Tione, unable to resist retorting, gritted her teeth. She walked away quickly, as if trying to escape from Ais.

"This is terrible..."

Tiony was consumed by severe self-loathing. Instead of going to her assigned room, she randomly opened the door to an empty room. She walked into the unattended room and collapsed onto the bed.

A wave of fatigue washed over me.

"Why do you have to show up in front of us again...?"

She gripped the bed sheet tightly.

Tiony closed her eyelids, which felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, as if she had been lured into a dream.

✿

From the moment they were born, Tione and the others were already in that country.

Tyr Sculla, an isolated island on land.

Long before a goddess descended, the warrior women's kingdom was already conducting a "ritual" called mutual slaughter.

Her oldest memory is the burning heat on her back and the cries that she doesn't know if they came from herself or her sisters.

"God's grace (pharna)." From the moment of their birth, Tione and the others were counted as the last of the goddess's retinue.

It is said that the Amazons of Tyr's Crypt learn how to kill monsters (goblins) before they learn to speak. Through the unleashed potential of "Blessing" from the very beginning, and the initial baptism—the process of elimination—thrown before young monsters, toddlers who have barely learned to stand are transformed into warriors. In fact, when Tione was old enough to understand, she didn't hold her mother's hand, but a blade as tall as herself.

She didn't recognize her parents, and she had never even heard their voices.

Although she wasn't interested in her family, when she met her only sister, she knew without anyone saying a word that the other was her sibling. Tiona must have felt the same way.

"I heard that Tione is the older sister and Tiona is the younger sister."

"Right."

Although the blood relationship told to them by others was just a marker for the young twins, it did become a bond that connected the two.

In Tir Sculla, only "true warriors" are revered.

In the sacred land of female warriors, might is justice, is truth. The strong are praised, gaining status and honor. Conversely, the weak, who are defeated and deprived even of the honor of dying in battle, become the labor force that supports the nation and the strong. Bloodshed in battle is the means, the stage, of becoming a "true warrior," a custom that has existed since ancient times. Tyr's Curla truly embodies the instincts of the Amazons.

After the "ancient times" shifted to the age of gods (the new era), the goddess (Kali) who appeared in the country also loved fighting.

Her "blessings" and ever-evolving abilities (powers) intensified the battles. She, who brought immense power, was worshipped as a unique supreme deity, and no one stopped them; thus, the rituals of fighting and killing flourished.

Tiony never felt pain for the years of fighting that she was forced to accept.

She didn't even have any questions.

If they don't kill the attacking monster, they'll be the ones who die. Extremely simple-minded, and driven by instinct.

Moreover, she was an Amazon. Perhaps it was in her race's nature, but Tione was indeed excited and her blood was boiling because of the battle.

She didn't dislike the years spent immersed in battle, actually feeling the extent of her power. Conversely, that was all the young girl knew. Slaying monsters on the battlefield (the arena), then returning to her large stone room where she lived. Every day consisted of traveling between these two places. The cold, icy stone arena, where the frenzied cheers of her compatriots filled the air, was once the only world Tione knew.

It wasn't until she started fighting with her fellow girls that a flaw emerged each day of the struggle.

Tiony herself felt that when she was very young, the enemies she fought against changed from monsters to Amazons.

Tione's fellow countrymen, of similar age and stature, were stronger than any opponent she had ever faced before, and for the first time, she found herself in a tough fight. But just as she had done with monsters before, she quickly took her opponent's life.

"ah--"

The first death screams of his compatriots that Tiony heard were very faint.

Although the blood splattered back and forth just like that of the monster, the blood of our compatriots felt even more vivid.

Seeing the opponent's eyes gradually lose their luster beneath the mask required by the ritual, Tione felt a surge of unease in her chest. It was a feeling difficult to describe. Back in the stone house, her usually restless sister (Tiona) was also covered in her compatriot's blood and stood there in a daze. That night, Tione unconsciously washed her body with cold water again and again.

The number of times he fought against his fellow girls increased day by day.

Killed with weapons, killed with bare hands, strangled with skill. From the moment she became aware of herself, her small body, accustomed only to battle, had not developed any proper ethical concepts. Yet, the turmoil within Tione refused to subside. She couldn't understand the difference between her fellow human beings and the monsters she could slaughter without hesitation. The sensation of beating flesh, the feeling of breaking bones, lingered on her hands. The screams and shrieks that inevitably burst forth at the moment of death still clung to her ears even after the battle was over.

Tione, victorious in every battle, was cheered and praised by the heroines in the audience. It was as if they were saying: You, who grow stronger by devouring the flesh and blood of the weak, deserve respect; your way of existence is correct. And the goddess (Kali), looking down upon her from the highest seat of the gods, always wore a smile.

At that time, Tione wasn't even aware of whether she was tired. Her emotions remained numb; she ignored the strange, restless feeling within her. Then, the days of simply fighting monsters began to bring her much relief.

However, there is a glimmer of hope even in such times.

There was an Amazon who was like an older sister to her. Only two or three years younger than her, this woman was like a big sister, generous and kind. All the other girls besides Tione, including Tiona, were very attached to her. Living in the same stone house, she would always smile and say "You're back" whenever Tione returned from battle. She was stronger than any other Amazon in the room, always waiting in the room to greet Tione and the others upon their return.

Perhaps Tienne sought maternal love in her. Her hands, though rough, were gentle as she healed her wounds. Tienne craved the warmth of another's skin, and slept huddled together with her, Tiona, and others. That large, cold, stone-cage-like room was indeed Tienne's "home."

The "ritual" has its own rules: Amazons living in the same stone house will not fight each other. This is a rule that the girls discovered through continuous battles.

This relieved Tione of a great weight on her heart. Tione no longer had to fight against her, who was like a sister to her, or these other girls she knew well, not to mention her younger sister, Tiona. This destiny would never change.

That's what she believed.

On her fifth birthday, Tiony was summoned to the battlefield (the arena) as usual, where—

✉

"..."

Tiony opened her eyes.

I didn't feel like I slept at all. It's all because of that dream called "Reminiscence." Just like two days ago, I felt terrible when I woke up.

She sat up and, as she brushed her sweat-dampened bangs aside, discovered that someone else was sleeping on the bed next to her.

It's Tiona.

She didn't go back to their room, but this younger sister specifically sought her out, as if she had spent the night in that room.

Tiony remained silent, gazing at her sister's sleeping face.

It's always been like this; whenever Tione is troubled, she comes to her side and spends time together. She says nothing, just nestles against Tione, like seeking out a blood relative.

It felt like going back to that time.

Before joining the Loki Familia.

Those were the days when it was just the two of them.

Tiony, looking down at her sister's face, silently walked out of the room.

"..."

After the door closed, Tiona opened her eyes.

✿

In the morning, Ais and others were greeted by Mellen and formed several groups to go out on the street.

The purpose is to gather information about the carnivorous plant that appeared in the brackish lake.

"Man-eating plant? I don't know... After all, there are plenty of monsters in the sea or lakes."

"If you include collisions with ships, when hasn't the monster caused damage? Well, that's also why we shipwrights make money."

"There have been very few deaths lately, meow—. The port city (Merlen) has also become peaceful, meow."

"Even if monsters appear, just leave them to the Njord Familia and everything will be fine. The fishermen there are much stronger than half-baked adventurers. If you really can't handle it, just ask the guild for help from Orario."

Young people (humans) running stalls, a rare sight like a female (elf) shipwright, a tanned girl (cat-person) selling chilled juice, and the manager of an old tavern (dwarf). The group members, including Ais and Lefia, who were in charge of gathering information, asked questions of the residents of Melon.

"It seems like nobody knows about the man-eating flower monster."

"Hmm. Everyone says the monster that appeared yesterday was the first time they'd ever seen it..."

Looking out from the alleyway at the bustling main street teeming with people every day, Ais and Lefia talked.

They rested for a while in the shade with the other members of the group, "and," Ais whispered.

"Lakes and the sea seem to be very safe..."

"Now that you mention it, it's true... If those man-eating flowers (monsters) were to appear, it would cause a very serious disaster."

If the carnivorous plants, which even advanced adventurers struggle to deal with, were to appear in this area, the lake would be more than just thrown into chaos. However, from what they heard, the residents said that Lake Rolog and the surrounding sea area were quite calm.

This slightly contradicts the eyewitness accounts of the man-eating plant.

"It doesn't seem like they're trying to extinguish the monster before it causes a disaster... What's going on?"

Beside the puzzled Lefia, Ais silently watched the pedestrians on the street.

"The drainage system... seems to be fine."

The cat-woman Angie and the human Lina temporarily left the port city (Melen) and returned to Orario.