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

According to the god Icelus, there is more than one "key". We only need one.

Finn seemed to have his sights set on the future and shared his thoughts with her.

"So, even though the guild has its own agenda, it can still be considered as an 'assistant'?"

"At least Lloydman can. Just like that time when they issued the mandatory mission, there's still something fishy about the whole thing. We still know too little about this matter to fully trust the guild."

"The guild isn't united either," Finn said, licking his right thumb.

"By the way, Rivera, how is the Freya Familia doing?"

"They seem to be doing the same thing as before, serving as the city's gatekeepers. It might be understandable if it were due to the special circumstances... but it's rare to see her taking a wait-and-see approach; she doesn't seem to have any intention of getting involved at the moment."

As the two were discussing the largest faction in Orario, alongside the Loki Familia, a blonde, golden-eyed girl appeared beside them.

"Ah, you must be tired from patrolling, Ais."

"Um……"

"Is there a problem?"

"...That child, Bell has arrived at Daedalus Road."

Upon hearing the report, Finn narrowed his blue eyes.

"They've taken action."

"Finn... are you still doubting Bell Craney?"

Rivera, observing Ais's expression out of the corner of her eye, asked the question on behalf of the girl.

"I'm certain he's a key witness to the incident. The adventurer I confronted that day wasn't the Bell Craney I knew."

After saying this, Finn looked around at the road where he had been locked in a standoff with the boy.

"The god Icarus said that they hunted and smuggled monsters to sell to people with a 'monster fetish.' But is that really all there is to it? Armed monsters, highly intelligent creatures, and mutated 'subspecies' like the black bull (Minotaur)... Is there some special 'secret' about those monsters?"

Finn recalled that before bringing the god (Ikeros) to the guild, he hadn't lied, but he hadn't mentioned the core either, with that malicious smile.

Before him, Ais seemed to remember something, and her shoulders trembled.

"Suppose those armed monsters have some kind of 'insider information'... and Bell Craney acted strangely because he knew that 'insider information,' then what happened that day would make sense. And that 'insider information' forced him to become our enemy."

At this point, Finn noticed that Ais remained silent, and said with a wry smile:

"Ais, I won't label Bell Crane as an enemy without careful consideration. Don't let my appearance fool you, I admire him greatly, both as a person and as an adventurer."

"..."

"But this time the problem is different. Is he on our side, or could he become our enemy...? That's the only thing I want to figure out."

After Finn finished speaking with the expression of a faction leader, he looked in the direction of the towering buildings in the maze street.

"Rivia, I'm leaving this place to you. I'll be right back."

"What?"

"I don't want to attract attention or arouse suspicion. Ais, is Bell Craney here on Daedalus Road alone?"

"...It was with the main god (deity)."

"Okay, I understand. Tell me where you saw him."

Rivera and Ais both looked at him with disbelief. The dwarf adventurer said:

"I'll go meet with Bell Craney and be right back."

Volume 11, Chapter 2: Parallel Threads, Intertwined Thoughts

After saying goodbye to Miss Seele, I walked alone to the place where I parted ways with the fairy.

It's the same here; everyone I pass seems to dislike me. Even though Miss Seele just encouraged me, I'm still finding it hard to adjust.

I lowered my gaze slightly and quickened my pace.

"Bell Crane".

Just then, someone called my name.

Previously, people had only looked down on me; no one had ever called out to me. I stopped in surprise.

Turning my head, I saw—

"—!! Finn, sir...?"

They are a race of little people with golden hair.

The leader of the Loki Familia, equipped with armor and a spear, stared intently at me.

"You only have a dagger for self-defense, is that right...? That's quite convenient for this situation."

My heart skipped a beat when I saw the other person's narrowed blue eyes, which were brimming with a smile.

I'm not wearing any protective gear right now because I know the "heretics" aren't dangerous. But the other adventurers don't know that, and they'll definitely say I'm being careless with my outfit. I wonder what Mr. Finn will think of that.

Although I didn't have the extra thought to consider it, it was still incredibly careless. Just as I was feeling embarrassed by my failure, Mr. Finn casually said to me:

Are you alone right now? Perfect, I'd like to talk to you alone.

Hearing his request, I and the other demi-humans who were spying on us were all taken aback.

In an instant, we were exposed to strange gazes. Even Mr. Finn himself was subjected to reproachful looks, while the Lilliputian Level 1 Adventurer smiled at me.

However, his seemingly friendly smile almost made me wary... Had I misunderstood him?

What do you think?

"……I see."

Facing those blue eyes, I felt as if I had no right to refuse.

My voice was more stiff than I had imagined, but I still accepted Mr. Finn's request.

In order to find a place where no one would bother me, I followed his small figure to a dead-end alleyway where wooden barrels and crates were scattered haphazardly, like a warehouse.

"..."

This has happened before. I remember he contacted me then to discuss a marriage proposal from a dwarf.

However, the situation is quite different now.

What was his purpose in proactively contacting his former adversary?

Mr. Finn seemed to have guessed what I was thinking, and as he turned around, he said:

"Regarding your actions that day, I intend to turn a blind eye. The priority now should be resolving the current situation. I'd like to discuss something constructive with you."

Mr. Finn looked up at my surprised expression and indicated that he wanted to have a meeting with me.

"You want to talk to me...?"

"Yes, do you know anything about those armed monsters that we don't? Furthermore, I think you have a clear understanding of the whole situation."

Then, he stepped into the core in one breath.

I had the illusion that a gun was pointed at my heart.

【Braver】Finn Dem is not only known for his exceptional combat skills, but also for his command abilities, which allow him to easily handle the irregularities in the "Deep" dungeon—his shrewd "mind" is also famous.

How much did he actually detect? What did he know, and what information did he want?

Is he an enemy, or could he become one of our own?

My racing heart prevented me from thinking; I was shocked and stared intently at Mr. Finn.

"I think our conflict back then stemmed from a small misunderstanding. If we had been able to share intelligence, things wouldn't have turned out that way."

After listening to Mr. Finn's suggestion, I touched my chest with my right hand.

Indeed, there might have been a smarter approach. If I had revealed all my secrets when confronting the Loki Familia, perhaps the outcome would have been different.

However, the moment I decided to save Winnie, my body acted on its own.

It can only be described as an intuition.

Mr. Finn... no matter what others said back then, he would definitely kill the out-of-control Winnie.

Show no mercy, and accept no pleas.

Seeing him throw his spear, and those blue eyes looking down at me from the rooftop, my instinct kicked in and I abandoned the option of communication.

That's the difference in "magnanimity" between the leaders. He's an even greater realist than Lily, treating everything with impartiality and equality, and making choices based on that principle. His scales are fair, cruel, and ruthless.

He was someone who made sacrifices without hesitation in order to consider the bigger picture.

"Besides, the situation is different now than it was then."

But now what?

Mr. Finn is right, things are different now.

There's no out-of-control Daenerys (Vinnie) right now, and there's no reason for her to harm the general public. We didn't really have any reason to be enemies. I don't expect all members of the Loki Familia to understand, but if only Mr. Finn could express understanding of the existence of "heretics"...

I knew that Mr. Finn had been in control of the conversation, but I trusted his character and didn’t know whether I should tell him about the “heretic”.

"Bell Craney, if you know anything, please tell me."

"I……"

If it's possible to ask him for help... maybe it wouldn't hurt to ask?

Just as my tightly closed lips were about to open.

"Hey, little Bell! What a coincidence!"

"!"

A male god's lively and cheerful voice echoed throughout the dead-end alley.

"Hermes...?"

"That's right, it's me, Hermes. Seeing you standing here motionless, are you lost? Or is little brother Bell also here on 'Daedalus Road' to gather intelligence?"

Hermes, wearing a feathered travel hat, appeared behind us. He walked over casually, as if he had only just noticed Mr. Finn hiding behind me, and reacted accordingly:

"Oh, it's the [Hero]. Are you busy discussing things?"

"...No, it's all over, Hermes the God."

Hermes smiled at Mr. Finn, who observed his expression with a probing look.

He quickly sighed and walked away from us as if he had given up.

As Mr. Finn walked past me, I was at a loss for what to do when he turned and looked at me as he left.

"Bell Craney, do you have the 'key'?"

"...?"

At first, I didn't understand what he meant.

However, after a moment, I was startled and my shoulder swayed.

"Key"... He meant the "key (jewel)" of the man-made maze?

As I looked on nervously, remembering the magic item with the "D" mark that was no longer with me, Mr. Finn smiled.

"It's nothing, if you don't know, just forget about it."

After saying that, Mr. Finn left the dead-end alley without lingering any longer.

I stared blankly as the small figure disappeared into the distance along the complex road, then looked at Hermes beside me.

"Hormes, what brings you here...?"

"Little Bell."

Hermes interrupted my question, placed his hand on my shoulder, and brought his face closer.

"It's best not to tell the Loki Familia about the 'heretic'."

"!"

Hearing Hermes utter the word "heretic," coupled with the content of his warning, gave me a double shock.

Hermes ignored my inability to answer and continued in a low voice:

"No, I should say it wouldn't make a difference to tell them, right? Even if the Loki Familia knew that those monsters possessed rationality, I think they would ultimately only choose to annihilate them."