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

"Sakta and the others... Lefia, she..."

Seeing the girl's unusually flustered expression, Rivera asked her what was wrong, and she explained with a pale face.

Riveria and the others' expressions changed, and at that moment, Tione snapped back to reality and turned her gaze back to the front.

In just a short moment, the Amazonian with sandy hair vanished into thin air.

"...!"

Not only that, Tiony also found an "item" left behind where the woman had just stood.

She picked up the object, trembling all over, and immediately followed Riveria and the others back.

"……What?"

Seeing the scene before me.

Upon seeing the gruesome sight of his wounded and bleeding family members, Loki's face lost all expression.

"I'm sorry, Loki... we've been ambushed."

The rabbit-man Sakta apologized in a hoarse voice.

Upon hearing the news, Loki rushed out of the Njord Familia's mansion, only to see his wounded members being carried to the fishing port. All of them were seriously injured. It was clear at a glance that the injuries were from battle. One member had likely been struck on the forehead by a powerful punch; the bandage used to stop the bleeding was stained red.

No one except Sakta was conscious.

"Rhodes, heal their wounds! Quickly!"

"Okay! Hey, you guys come help me!"

The chief god (Njord) gave the order, and the leader (Loki) shouted to those around him. The fishermen of Njord's clan, who had gasped in surprise, dropped what they were doing to help. Loki glanced at them and asked in a low voice:

"The one who did such a good deed was..."

"The Kali Kinta... suddenly attacked us..."

Not to mention Ais and the others, this team didn't even have any second-tier adventurers like Angie. Their opponents probably thought they were easy prey. Sakta, with tears in her eyes, continued, saying that they had been defeated by Baje alone:

"Lefia has been taken away...!"

What a shame.

Ignoring Loki's predictions, they attacked the crew in broad daylight, humiliating Loki and making fun of the world-renowned Loki Familia.

Most importantly, the harm done to his retinue caused Loki's rage to exceed acceptable limits.

"That brat... you want to fight me, huh...?"

Loki forgot his usual nonchalant expression and became so agitated that his anger was palpable.

Led by the cat-woman Angie and the elf Alicia, the members of the group gradually gathered after hearing the commotion. Even these familiars who had known Loki for many years were afraid of the chief god's expression.

"Hey, please, don't start a war in this town..."

Njord had seen Loki with this extremely menacing expression since the time of the Celestials, his face weary and pained.

Loki ignored his words, remaining calm despite his burning anger.

As she looked at the injuries of the family members receiving treatment, she noticed something and narrowed her crimson eyes.

The [Family] emblem was stripped from the clothes of one of the unconscious members.

(Taking away the badge... was it meant as a declaration of war? No, that's not right. They're taking Lefia away, why go through all that trouble... Oh, I see.)

Sensing his opponent's intentions and the divine will of that annoying goddess (Kali), Loki clicked his tongue.

Loki raised his face to face the assembled members.

"Stop Tiona and Tione. Don't let them go anywhere."

Although she knew it was too late, she still gave instructions.

"Oh dear, what's going on now!"

Just moments before Loki gave the instructions.

Tiona and Ais sneaked into the mayor's (Merdor's) house and were on their way back when they heard the commotion.

As they approached the port, they began to hear news of the attack on members of the Loki Familia, and quickened their pace.

"!"

Ais sped up towards the fishing port area that led through the trading port, while Tiona lagged slightly behind, just as she was about to catch up.

"—Tiona, come here."

"Huh! Tione?"

Tiony suddenly appeared in their field of vision, grabbed Tiona's wrist, and pulled her away.

Tiona was not only pulled away from Ais, but also dragged into a dark alley without a word, and she shook off her hand.

"What are you doing, Tione! Didn't something happen? Why did you bring me to a place like this...!"

Before she could finish complaining, Tione told her exactly what Algana had just told her.

"The girl is in our hands (Rada Fa Aro). If you want her back, do it tonight (Naheke Xin Dina), you two sisters come to the shipyard (Noi Fei Gailand Zuya Di Shilut)."

"!"

"This is what Algana just told me. The ones who were attacked were Sakta and the others. Among them... Lefia was captured."

She briefly explained the situation, and Tiona was stunned.

"Those guys are playing a joke on me...! They actually attacked the Familia just to lure us in...!"

A fury no less than that of the gods, coupled with guilt for having affected her companions. All these emotions merged into one, and Tione gritted her teeth in resentment. Facing her sister's raging anger, Tiona, who had remained silent until then, asked:

"...What do you plan to do?"

"You know without me asking."

The older sister's sharp gaze met the younger sister's straightforward eyes.

Just as the noise faded from their world, Tiony said:

"We'll solve this ourselves."

To put an end to this. To prevent this from happening again.

Upon hearing her sister's resolute words, Tiona remained silent at first, then lowered her gaze.

"Tione..."

What's wrong?

"Can't we ask Ais and the others for help...?"

"You! What kind of time is this? How incredibly foolish are you? We're the ones who got Lefia and the others into this mess—!"

"But aren't we one family (family)?"

Upon hearing Tiona raise her face and say this, Tione's angry outburst ceased.

"We're not the same as before."

This time, the older sister felt annoyed by what her younger sister had said.

Tione bit her lip and frowned, throwing the things Argana had left behind to Tionea in an attempt to break free from her hesitation.

"This is……"

What Tiona caught in her palm was the emblem of the Loki Familia.

The clown (trickster) with a comical smile has four cuts on his face.

"This is a warning; she wants both of us to go. If we go with Ais and the others... those guys will keep bothering us."

"..."

A vertical line with three lines is a symbol representing "repetition" in the "rituals" of the Kingdom of Tir Scylla. It is used in the arena to announce the form of competition, such as defeating monsters one after another.

Even if the two ask Ais and the others for help and manage to retrieve Lefia, the [Kali Familia] will continue to attack them until the day the "Ritual"—the duel with Tione and the others—is carried out.

The scarred badges left behind depict the will of Kali and the others.

"If we don't agree to the 'ritual,' those guys will do it again today. As many times as they want, and it can go on forever. No one can interfere with the outcome."

"..."

"We can only solve this ourselves. We absolutely cannot ask Ais and the others... or the captain and the others for help."

Silence fell between the two.

Tiony knew she was being too stubborn. She also knew that her statement about not wanting to involve the Familia was, in other words, a lack of trust in her comrades.

But even knowing this, she couldn't back down.

Only this matter, only the old grudge between them and the Kingdom of Dou (Tir Sculla), must be severed by their own hands.

"……I see."

Perhaps it was Tione's determination that conveyed this to her.

Tiona took a moment to nod slowly.

"Although I don't like keeping things from Ais and the others... I feel that this is the way to resolve this matter."

Seeing the lonely expression on her sister's face, Tiony's gaze fell to her feet.

Finally, she began to take steps, leaving the place she had been standing in.

Tiony turned away from the street, as if to escape the gaze of others.

Without telling Loki and Ais anything, they simply headed into the deepest part of the dark alley.

"Just like before..."

Gazing up at the sky, which had been cut into the shape of back alleys, Tiona murmured softly:

"It's like it's back to... just the two of us."

Regarding the phrase "bumped on the back".

Tiony was speechless.

✿

The sun had long since disappeared overhead, being sucked into the western horizon.

"Ais, have you found Tiona and the others?"

"No, I can't find it..."

As sunset approached, Ais, who had traveled all over Mellen, returned to the base inn for the time being.

On the first floor of the hotel, where the group members were busily moving around, she went to Loki and Riveria.

"I'm sorry, Loki, Rivera. I was clearly with Tiona..."

"No, if I had to say, it was my fault. I was only focused on getting to Sakta and the others, and I didn't pay attention to Tione's condition... Tiona must have been taken away by that child too."

Ais apologized, and Riveria shook her head at her with her eyes closed, saying that it was all her fault.

Rivera, a hint of shame showing in her distorted eyes, told her, "It's no use saying all this now."

She had switched consciousness, and Ais followed her example, no longer apologizing or regretting.

"Where are Sakta and the others?"

"Lene and the others have already received treatment. An immediate full recovery is unlikely, but after some rest, they should be able to walk around again."

Ais was relieved that her companion was safe and sound, and then asked:

"Have you found the [Kali Familia]?"

Just as Tiona and the others left Ais and the others, the [Kali Familia] vanished like mist, their whereabouts unknown. After the commotion following the attack on Lefia and her group, the townspeople all said that no one had seen any trace of the Amazons.

"Angie and the others split up to look for someone. Ah, it seems they've just returned."

Loki sat on the table, swinging his legs. She was right; Angie and Alicia walked in through the open door.

"No, it seems they only stayed at the hotel until today, and they've all disappeared. We sneaked in to check, but we didn't find any clues."

"The galleon they came to Melren is still there, but it's just as empty..."

After listening to the solemn reports from the second-tier adventurers, Loki stroked his chin thoughtfully.