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

Hearing me say that, Lily immediately beamed. "Thank you!" she said happily, thanking me several times. I lowered my head and gave a wry smile.

"Should we set off now? Or, just in case, should we replenish our supplies at the Tower of Babel first?"

"Lily prepared all the props yesterday. But let's not talk about that now, Lord Bell, would you like to try this?"

"……This is……"

Lily took out a short sword with a dark hilt from the backpack on the ground.

If the blade length of the "Goddess's Blade" is considered to be 20C, then this sword is nearly 50C.

A short sword... no, this should be classified as a double-edged dagger (baselard), right?

The rod-shaped hilt forms a right angle with the guard and the blade. It is a simple-shaped short sword.

How did you get this?

"I'm sorry I didn't tell Lord Bell beforehand. This was something Lily prepared on her own. Lord Bell's current weapon has too short an attack range when fighting large monsters. Even disregarding that, Lily has always felt that Lord Bell's attack range should be wider."

"Uh, is this a gift for me? I feel bad taking your things for free..."

"You granted Lily's capricious request, so consider this your way of repaying her kindness. Please accept it."

"...In that case, I'll accept it."

I drew the double-edged dagger I had received from its sheath.

The silver blade is double-edged and extremely thin. It's quite light, like an extended version of a short sword. Even for someone like me who has never used a sword before, it wouldn't seem difficult to wield, but…

"Am I even capable of using this? I've never used a weapon like this before..."

"How about we try it out before reaching the 10th floor? The enemies up to the 7th floor are perfect for testing the sword. And unless Lily is mistaken, Lord Bell should be quite suited to using a short sword as well."

Lily, who has traveled with many adventurer parties, has a keen eye. To this day, all her accusations against me are spot on.

I had no doubts and decided to believe Lily.

"Ah... I don't have the equipment for the hanging sword..."

That's when I realized I didn't have the equipment for the hanging sword.

This would make the scabbard very cumbersome...

"Lord Bell, Lord Bell."

"?"

"If Lily remembers correctly, your protective gear should be able to store weapons, right?"

Ah, I forgot. I was the one who said it.

I temporarily removed the Goddess's Blade from the armor, adjusted the storage mechanism, and then put the Double-Edged Dagger back in. No problem, it fits.

"Lily, it's amazing you still remember. I'd completely forgotten about it myself."

"Hehe. Lily only just realized it now."

Lily put her hands on her head, looking embarrassed.

Seeing Lily's appearance, I couldn't help but smile, but then I immediately noticed that there was nowhere to put the Goddess Blade now.

"..."

Suddenly, the words the immortal had spoken last night echoed in my mind.

—Is that supporter really someone I can trust?

It was as if the Goddess's Blade in my hand was speaking to me, the voice of the deity from my memory repeatedly questioning me.

"..."

I quietly closed my eyes, as if asking for forgiveness.

When I opened my eyes again, I put the Goddess's Blade into my leg pouch.

I inserted the dagger, scabbard and all, into a pouch the size of a test tube.

"..."

Lily silently watched me, her head slightly lowered.

"Shall we go then?"

Upon hearing my confirmation, Lily looked up, smiled from under her hoodie, and nodded, saying, "Yes."

★

"Thank you for your help, Zul. Although it's an inspection, please don't be too strict."

"Yes, I understand."

Eina walked out of the guild headquarters under the watchful eyes of her superior and set off from the Northwest Street.

On this day, Eina was to conduct an inspection under the pretext of a business trip to the "Tower of Babel," which was managed by the guild. She had to conduct spot checks on the various shops of the [Family] that rented storefronts to confirm whether there were any illegal activities within the skyscraper facilities under the guild's authority.

Wearing an armband identifying herself as an investigator and a blue scarf, Eina arrived in the city center a few minutes later than the other staff who had set off earlier.

(In the end, I still didn't run into Bell...)

Eina kept thinking about the information she had obtained from her visit to the Loki Familia yesterday.

Loki's final advice left Eina deeply concerned, and she began to feel uneasy about Bell's current situation, experiencing a growing sense of anxiety.

It even made her feel regretful, thinking she should have found a way to see him yesterday.

(Although the order is reversed... since it's convenient, let's tell the goddess Hestia about it first.)

Today, Eina was going to inspect the Hephaestus Familia's shop. Remembering the goddess's beauty she'd recently seen working there, she decided to book the trip. Words like "blurring the lines between public and private" and "abuse of power" flashed through her mind, but she dismissed them without a second thought.

"ah."

"...?"

Just as she entered the central square from the avenue and walked for a while.

Ais Wallenstein was walking towards him from North Street, facing him as he came from Northwest Street, as if she were about to meet up with Eina.

"Good morning, Miss Wallenstein."

"……Good morning."

In contrast to Eina's somewhat hesitant greeting, Ais nodded slightly in greeting. Her long, golden hair, as if inlaid with sand gold, flowed in sync with her movement.

Eina was momentarily at a loss for words, but considering that she had just introduced herself yesterday, it seemed inappropriate to leave so soon. So she struck up a conversation with Ais:

"Miss Wallenstein, is there something you need today?"

"I want to buy props."

"Huh, are we going to buy it at the Tower of Babel?"

Ais nodded, and Eina continued talking to her, only to learn that Ais planned to go straight into the dungeon after buying the items.

Eina didn't understand why she didn't go to the shop Riveria had visited yesterday, but after seeing Espee with her weapons and armor, she suddenly realized.

It's hard to imagine from her beautiful appearance that she not only has the nickname "Sword Princess," but adventurers also give her another recognized title—"War Princess"—because she is always engrossed in battle.

(...it seems like he hasn't quite gotten into the spirit yet.)

Having witnessed Ais's dejected state last night, and noticing her lack of assertiveness and downcast face, Eina understood everything. The man she cared about had run away; it must have truly been a blow to her.

While thinking, "Let's see what kind of guy would run away from such a beautiful girl," Eina decided to be a little nosy for the boy she loved like a younger brother.

"Miss Wallenstein, thank you for saving the adventurer I was in charge of a few days ago."

"...?"

"Perhaps you don't remember, but I heard that a few days ago you defeated the Minotaur who was causing havoc on the 5th floor and saved his life at the last minute."

"...Mino, Tauros."

"Yes. The adventurer's name is Bell Craney. He is extremely grateful to you..."

The moment Ais heard the name Bell, her neck bent miserably. Eina, who was about to convey the boy's affection for her, was startled by Ais's reaction.

After a period of silence, when the Tower of Babel was almost in sight, Ais, whose expression was usually detached, revealed a somewhat sorrowful look and timidly moved her lips.

"...Is he very afraid of me?"

"Huh, huh...?"

Ayina could only manage a bewildered expression, unsure of how to react.

"—?"

At that moment, a scene inadvertently entered Eina's field of vision.

In the corner of the field of vision, there was a broad-leaved tree, and under the tree, a group of about four adventurers were gathered together.

Three of them have a wine cup emblem with a crescent moon background engraved on their armor... a symbol of the Soma Familia.

Eina reflexively used lip-reading to read the lip movements of the people in front of her.

"—Take it one step at a time—don't mess it up—" "I know—Erd will handle it—"

Because of the distance, some parts were not clearly visible, but Eina's emerald-green eyes could indeed read those words.

Although they didn't mention Bell's name directly, they did mention the name of the supporter the teenager had hired.

Soon they dispersed and headed towards the towering Tower of Babel, probably to the underground city.

"...What's wrong with you?"

Perhaps noticing Eina's unusual behavior, Ais looked up and asked her.

Eina, whose expression became more serious than usual, looked at Ais with hesitant eyes for a long time before bowing her head as if she had given up her hesitation.

"Excuse my rudeness, but please hear me out. I need your help, my trusted adventurer, Bell Crane."

"..."

"Perhaps I'm overthinking it. But he's likely gotten himself into trouble. I know this is shameless of me, but I really need your help."

"You mean, yesterday's...?"

Ais, who had overheard the whole story in the reception room last night, immediately sensed what Eina wanted to say. Eina looked up, nodded, and told her that the small team, which was likely from the Soma Familia, had just set off, and gave a detailed account of what had happened so far.

After Eina finished speaking, Ais nodded and said, "I understand."

"May I?"

"Well... because I haven't properly apologized to him yet."

The last sentence left Eina momentarily confused, but she still made way for him.

She had intended to watch Ais leave, but in the end, she made a decision and called out to the blonde figure as she walked away:

"Um, Miss Wallenstein!"

"...?"

"Bell... Bell Craney is truly grateful that you saved him!"

Upon hearing Eina's words, Ais's eyes widened slightly.

Then her gaze softened noticeably, and she gave a small smile.

●

On the 8th and 9th floors, the scenery and terrain of the underground city will change significantly.

First, the number of cave chambers increased, and they became more spacious. The paths connecting the cave chambers were very short, and the ceiling height, which was originally only three to four meters, increased to nearly ten meters.

The wooden walls were covered in moss, and the ground had transformed into a grassland overgrown with short grass. The phosphorescent light descending from above resembled the rays of the sun, inevitably giving one the illusion of walking in an open field.

The monsters appearing are a large-scale event so far. There are no new types of monsters; instead, goblins and earth spirits will appear in stronger forms. However, as long as you don't misjudge the strength of your opponents and fight them in the same way as before, floors 8 and 9 should be relatively easy to conquer.

The best evidence is that it only took us a few days to reach the stairs leading to the lower level.

And so, we arrived at the most important 10th floor.

This floor...

"It's foggy..."

A thin, but obstructive white mist enveloped the entire underground city.

The 10th floor of the dungeon was constructed using the same form as the 8th and 9th floors. However, the ceiling light source was no longer as bright as sunlight; its brightness was more reminiscent of morning mist.