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

Then, we finally arrived at Daedalus Road.

"There are many adventurers here too..."

Long ago, during the Monster Philia, I came here with a deity; we passed through the same entrance we'd shared and found ourselves in a chaotic residential area, surrounded by fellow travelers. There were orcs with twin swords at their waists, elves carrying bows and quivers, and dwarves wielding massive hammers; they were armed no less formidable than those we'd encountered on our journey to the dungeon, and even more intimidating than the adventurers we'd met along the way. Their gear suggested they were ready to face any monster that might appear at any moment. Some even stopped passersby on the street to ask questions.

...Have they laid a trap to hunt down the "heretic"?

"Even without knowing the details, everyone seems to sense that something's fishy about the maze town..."

As if answering my question, the deity also solemnly revealed his thoughts.

Does this mean that everyone has vaguely sensed the connection between the underground city and this labyrinthine street?

I swallowed hard, a sense of anxiety washing over me. The only way for the "heretics" left on the surface to be saved was to return to the underground city. However, not only the Tower of Babel, but even Daedalus Road, the location of the "artificial labyrinth," was heavily guarded, making Winnie and the others' chances of returning to the underground city slim.

Most adventurers are probably after huge bounties... I glanced at my fellow adventurers as they passed by, instinctively feeling breathless, and put one hand to my throat.

"Um, what does the deity think about bounties? Guild... God Uranus, doing this..."

"Hmm, Uranus has his own perspective, too. I think he has to come up with some solutions to clean up the mess, otherwise he can't set a good example for others, right?"

I was initially worried that the guild's chief god, Uranus, would abandon Winnie and the others to their deaths, but the god crossed his arms and denied my unease and concerns.

"Shouldn't we say he's using the bounty system to prevent adventurers from teaming up?"

In other words, the god Uranus instigated the adventurers to compete, thereby hindering mutual assistance between [Families] and preventing the sharing of information among themselves. Indeed, for the "heretics," the most terrifying thing is the sharing of information between factions, creating an impenetrable encirclement.

At the same time, by offering a high bounty, they can create a show of ruthlessness, making it less likely that the guild members will harbor suspicions about Uranus.

After listening to the deity's whispered explanation, I suddenly understood.

"..."

We wander aimlessly, searching for intelligence, lost in the "Daedalus Road," a complex network of interconnected, multi-layered structures resembling an underground city.

In the midst of this, many shadowy gazes pierced through me from the dark corners of the roadside and from the windows of houses.

On my way here, I was met with cold stares from the crowd and heard slanderous remarks... but the situation here is even more intense.

Malice, hostility.

The residents of the labyrinthine town, who were directly harmed, seem to harbor resentment towards me, the adventurer who deliberately disrupted the monster-slaying operation. Though not to the point of throwing stones at me...

—I clearly dealt with the monsters that were causing trouble here before.

-- So it turns out that the "rising star" is just an adventurer after all.

Various voices of disappointment have emerged, and a wave of complaints could easily erupt at any moment.

The deity, worried that I was pressing my hand to his chest, wanted to hold my hand again—but just then…

"!"

I met the person I least wanted to see right now.

"Ais, Miss..."

A blonde, golden-eyed female swordsman appeared around the corner along with several low-ranking members.

The person I longed for—Miss Ais—appeared unexpectedly in my presence. For a moment, her eyes widened, but then she looked directly at my face.

The Loki Familia are also investigating Daedalus Road? No, what's more important now is—

Memories from a few days ago came flooding back.

At that moment, golden eyes looked down at me as I protected the dragon girl (Winnie), and daggers and swords faced off.

How will she look at me? What will she say to me?

The fairy was startled, and I stood beside her, too afraid to move as if I were being stared at.

"—Miss Warren! I'm on a date with Belle right now, could you please excuse me?"

Just as the other members of the group were showing suspicion or hostility, the deity hid me behind his back and asked them to make way.

Miss Ais glanced at the goddess Hestia briefly before looking back at me.

"..."

Contrary to my unease, her emotionless expression remained unchanged, as did her eyes.

After what felt like an eternity of silence to me, Miss Ais slowly began to speak…

"Hey~, Ais, what are you doing standing here?"

Just then, a carefree voice rang out.

It is Loki, the goddess who is the main god of Miss Ais and her friends.

Loki quickly peeked out from another path, looked at Miss Ais and the others standing there, at Hestia facing them, and then at me, and slightly opened her narrow eyes.

"Oh, you're from the place where the little dwarf lives."

Then, she smiled and curled her lips.

Loki, with a smile like a child finding a toy, gave instructions to Miss Ais and the others.

"Ais, didn't you need to see Finn? Hurry up and go!"

"……Um."

Miss Ais hesitated for a moment, but she obediently did as Goddess Loki said.

As she and the other group members were leaving, she looked at me one last time before departing.

"...What do you want to do, Loki?"

Even in the street corner surrounded by blackened bricks, the gods remained wary of the goddess who had kept everyone else at bay.

In contrast, the goddess Loki walked in from the front—smoothly passing by the tense gods.

"Young man, you're quite something, getting yourself into this mess~"

"Ah!?" Hestia exclaimed in surprise. Loki ignored her and suddenly brought his face close to me, who was looking on in astonishment.

"I don't know what your reasons are, but this is the consequence of protecting monsters (monsters). Now you understand?"

"!"

"Those kids who used to idolize you now look at you with disdain... Hey, how do you feel right now?"

I froze, and she slid her thin arms around my shoulders like a snake, leaning in to look at my face.

I think she meant no harm; she was just genuinely interested and had no other intentions.

Loki whispered maliciously in my ear, and I could only look down at the ground at my feet.

"Let him go, Loki! What do you want?!"

"Hehe! Of course I just wanted to tease you guys~"

The god, enraged, tried to pull Loki away, but she dodged his hand and took two or three steps back.

She didn't care at all that Goddess Hestia was blushing with anger, and "Hehehe!" she stuck out her tongue and let out a strange laugh.

"In every sense of the word, you're now the center of attention among all the gods. Everyone's saying, 'The White Rabbit has something new to tell!' You certainly always have something to talk about, buddy? Well, you're still a long way off from my Ais!"

“!…”

"But now I'm starting to get interested in you too. At first, I just thought, 'What a short kid who dares to be so arrogant!'"

Loki's slightly open crimson eyes were still fixed on me.

I think Loki's impression of me can be summed up in one sentence: "A funny little kid."

My unease was a feeling of confusion, as if I were witnessing a new understanding of a transcendent being (Deus.Dea) that cannot be measured by our standards—the difference in temperature between the gods and the inhabitants of the lower world.

"Your interest in him will only ruin him! The other gods are already giving us enough trouble, don't bother Bell!"

"What kind of attitude is that? As a goddess, how can you be so narrow-minded?"

Seeing the fairy's shoulders heaving and her breath coming in ragged gasps, I quickly reassured her, "Fairy, I'm alright!" Then...

A scene in the corner of my field of vision caught my attention.

(That is—)

A small, familiar figure crossed the alleyway ahead.

My attention was drawn away, and my gaze couldn't help but wander back and forth between the alleyway where the figures had disappeared and the fairies.

The deity noticed my attitude and said to me understandingly:

"Go see what's bothering you, Belle. I'll be waiting for you here."

“B-But…”

"It's alright, I won't argue with her... Besides, there's something I want to clarify with Loki."

The deity adopted a serious expression, completely different from before, and looked up at Loki, who tilted her head and said, "Hmm—?" I hesitated for only a moment before deciding to accept the deity's kindness.

"Sorry, I'll be right back."

I bowed my head and apologized to the fairies, then ran out.

I quickened my pace through the alleyways, careful not to lose sight of the person.

(This is the right road.)

I recalled what had happened on Daedalus Road, chasing after figures—those young children.

Soon, I arrived at a square where a cathedral stood tall.

"Ah!...Big brother..."

The broken fountain wasn't spraying water, and several church windows were broken.

I reunited with the children in front of the dilapidated "orphanage" deep in the maze-like street.

"Lai, Fina, Xiaolu..."

The three children noticed I was catching up, and I called their names softly.

A human boy with brown hair, his face covered in abrasions.

The chienthrope girl has long, straight, cream-colored hair.

The neutral half-elf child is the youngest of the three.

About a month ago, I followed Miss Seele's footsteps and encountered the children from the orphanage here. They were surprised to see me now. They were carrying food in their arms, probably out buying things for the orphanage.

"Big, big brother..."

"...!"

After the dog-woman Fina called me, she tucked her tail and backed away.

The half-elf Xiaolu lost his usual blank expression, his gaze shifting anxiously left and right.

They're afraid of me... no, this is...

As I stood there speechless, the human Ray leaned forward, as if to protect the two of them.

"What are you doing here?!"

His sharp gaze and those words carried a hostility he had never shown before.

I stopped breathing; this time, I really couldn't move even a single finger.

—Lay and the others are also residents of Daedalus Road, so they must know about my actions and the sins I've committed. They might even have witnessed me harboring monsters and attacking adventurers.

Why did you do that!

With the same condemnation, disgust, and disappointment as the people on the street...

"The streets are a complete mess! And you...aren't adventurers supposed to defeat monsters?!"

"That's what Lei said dismissively."

"traitor!"

My chest cracked instantly.

These words hurt me the most.

Of all the condemnations I received today, it was Lai's words, and the downcast eyes of Fina and Xiaolu, and their sorrowful expressions, that saddened me the most.

I have tainted the children's memories and betrayed the boys' yearning for adventure, as if something was stuck in my throat, almost succumbing to the excruciating pain.