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

and so.

Now, have a good, ugly cry.

It's okay to cry shamefully.

So that we can run again tomorrow.

"Ugh, ah, ahh ...

Bell covered her eyes with her arms and began to wail unsightly.

*

"Bell!"

Eina is running.

After the monster and Bell disappeared into the skyscraper facility (Tower of Babel), she took action before everyone else and descended to the central square.

Breathless and clumsy, Eina frantically swung her arms as she ran toward the white-walled tower.

"Wait a minute, it's dangerous!?"

Ignoring the Ganesha's advice, she passed through the destroyed gate of the Tower of Babel.

What awaited Eina was a huge hole opened in the floor, leading underground.

She knew it had been sabotaged and turned pale.

—Was he caught up in this destruction?

At the bottom of the cave—below the underground city—Eina spotted a blurry white figure, prompting her to impulsively leap down the underground staircase. She made a sound as she ran down several flights of stairs. Only then did she truly resent that this body hadn't received "divine grace." If she had that ability, she could rush to the boy's side immediately.

With the magic stone lamp broken, Eina nearly tripped several times in the dimly lit space. She stumbled again and again, but never stopped.

First, there's the first basement level, buried under rubble, and then the spiral staircase next to the "big hole" leading to the underground city.

After a difficult journey through the partially damaged area, Eina finally reached the first level.

"Bell!!...Bell?"

What Eina saw was a boy covered in blood on the rubble, but still breathing and crying.

Large tears streamed down his face as he covered his eyes with his arm, and he trembled all over as he cried.

It was both ugly and pathetic, so I burst into tears.

"Bell..."

He is crying.

The boy... he was crying.

It wasn't the kind of crying and wailing that I've seen many times before, but rather the tears of frustration shed by a "man".

These are tears from the bottom of their hearts, real tears.

Eina had never seen Belle like this before, and a pang of sorrow welled up in her chest.

She didn't say anything, but wanted to do something for Bell, so she quietly approached him and squatted down.

She wrapped her hands around Bell's right hand and gripped it tightly until it hurt.

Eina knew that some kind of feeling was beginning to sprout in her heart.

It was a bittersweet, irreversible surge of emotion.

Bathed in a phosphorescent glow that resembled moonlight.

Eina stayed by Bell's side until the rescue arrived.

Volume 11 Final Chapter: Therefore, I will run again.

The phosphorescence illuminated the vast, thin darkness.

In the vast cavern illuminated by magic stone lights, Fels faced the monsters.

"I'm so sorry, Fels, I've caused you so much trouble..."

"Enough, Reed. If we're really going to get to the bottom of this, I was prepared to put in a lot of effort ever since I decided to get involved with you all, it's just that I was reluctantly doing it before."

"...I'm really defeated by you, thank you."

The lizardman Reed extended his strong, monstrous hand, which Fels grasped through his glove. The surrounding "heretics" also thanked Fels or made sounds of gratitude.

This is one of the "Heretic's Secrets" that exist in the underground city.

A few days after the long battle for the maze-like street ended, Reed and his companions returned safely to the settlement where other members of their community had stayed behind to wait for them.

"But speaking of which, Guross is back safe and sound... You're incredibly lucky!"

"...He didn't die."

"Really, you shouldn't say things like that!"

"That's wonderful, Groot!"

Fels watched Reed, Gross, Rey, and Winnie chatting and laughing as if he were looking at something precious.

After that incident, Reed, Winnie, and Gross successfully reunited.

It was Hestia and Lily who escorted Gross and the others to the "artificial labyrinth." They didn't know how to thank them, but according to them, it seemed to be "thanks to the Freya Familia keeping a close eye on the Loki Familia."

It all started with the boy's battle with that fierce bull.

If you take any wrong step, you'll miss this beautiful view.

Fortunately, there was a young man... and the Hestia Familia came to his aid.

"You even used 'magic' to heal everyone; that's really kind of you. Here's some lost item (magical potion) left behind by an adventurer from a very long time ago. Would you like some?"

"No, I'm just a skeleton, I can't drink that... Reed, what about him?"

Fels used healing magic to treat the injured "heretics".

The bull warrior, who was on the verge of death, has recovered from his injuries, and his frozen arm has been beautifully reattached.

He briefly thanked Fells and then disappeared.

"They've already gone to the 'deeper'... to cultivate themselves again."

“…I see.”

"They said we absolutely have to become stronger."

"For the sake of winning," he said.

After hearing the story of the Bull Warrior finding his "dream," Fels shook his black clothes.

He thought of a boy who, whether good or bad, was always favored by the goddess of fate who controlled his encounters, and he found it all very strange.

"...Well then, Reed, I really should go. I have a ton of work waiting for me in Uranus."

"Okay... Fels!"

"?"

"After you return to the surface, tell Little Bell..."

"..."

"...No, it's nothing. I'll wait until I run into him myself and tell him in person, after all, we made a promise."

"Yes, that's better."

Seeing Reed's lizard-like face contort into a smile, Fels nodded.

"Fels!"

"What is it, Winnie?"

Goodbye! See you next time with Bell and the others!

"...Okay, see you next time."

Fels thought to himself: It's a real shame that this body, unable to respond with a smile, is in this situation.

He faced Reed and the others who were seeing him off, as well as the smiling dragon girl.

Fels was frustrated that he couldn't smile at the world that the boy and the others were protecting, but at the same time, he was also somewhat grateful that this body didn't shed tears.

*

As expected, the chaos on the surface, far from the underground city, lasted for some time.

The aftermath of the "Daedalus Road" incident was particularly time-consuming. Although it was a slum, the guild was still working diligently to rebuild the disaster area so that the refugees could have a home. Temporary tents needed to be erected, and adventurers or staff needed to be deployed to reassure the residents; the tasks were numerous. The only saving grace was the Loki Familia's proactive assistance with the repair plan, which put the residents at ease. However, with the Wind and Moon Street still under reconstruction and this incident occurring, the problems piled up, and it was rumored that Guild Master Loiman finally collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

As for the monster that broke into the surface, the guild fabricated a false report.

The report describes how, while Bell Crane was dealing with the Minotaur, the Loki Familia seized the opportunity to eliminate all the other monsters; this was an order from Uranus, who knew the whole story. This false pact, which even Leviman was kept in the dark about, was expected to hurt the Loki Familia's pride and be met with resistance, but surprisingly, they did not object.

The guild members and the first-class adventurers all seemed to have their own thoughts, and thus accepted the guild's negotiations and the announcement of the news. The fake "dropped items" of the pre-prepared bounty targets (monsters) were displayed in front of the headquarters for everyone to see. The adventurers all shed tears of blood and beat their chests in despair, the gods lamented greatly—it was all an act—and the residents of the city were relieved.

then.

The boy at the center of the incident is—

"I wouldn't say everything is back to normal, but I feel like the kids' opinion of Little Bell has improved. Well, it ended up like a war game, after all."

"yes……"

Looking at Hermes, who was sitting in a chair and reporting, Uranus only said this one sentence.

On the altar illuminated by four torches, the god is carving wood with a dagger once again.

"Although the black bull (Minotaur) escaped, many people praised Bell. Perhaps that fight was just too impactful."

Hermes himself knew all too well about the boy's "adventure." When he brought it up, he shrugged and said that at least now there were no more criticisms of the boy.

Young children will likely idolize that little hero once again. And the adventurers who share his views will surely acknowledge the rookie's performance after this incident, praising and fearing their fellow adventurers who risk their lives.

The battle with the black bull (Minotaur) was indeed that epic.

Asterios, who was fighting Bell, had no intention of engaging in combat.

To be honest, he didn't care about Bell's reputation at all.

Ultimately, he only wanted one thing—to fight again.

However, in the end, his genuine killing intent and fighting spirit appeared as unmistakably "real" to the adventurers and the general public. No, those emotions were genuine, without any falsehood.

Hermes sculpted a bull chess piece holding a double-edged axe and placed it on the chessboard where the rabbit chess piece stood.

"...I really got tricked this time, and I suffered a setback. If all of this were under Miss Freya's control, I would feel better, but..."

He glanced at the bull chess piece and gave a slightly angry smile.

Hermes stood up, clapped his hands, and turned to face Uranus, who was sitting firmly on his throne.

"This concludes the report. Do you have any further questions?"

"...Will you still be able to assist us in the future?"

"As long as you promise not to drag Brother Bell into the 'heretics' problem, I'm willing to serve you for a while longer. Now that the existence of the 'artificial labyrinth' is obvious, our mutual hostility is not a solution. I'd like to ask you, Uranus, are you really indifferent to all of this?"

"The gods (Zeus) and goddesses (Hera) are not here now, and the forces I can mobilize are limited. There's nothing I can do."

As a pillar of peace for Orario, the old god gave a perfunctory reply, and Hermes said "I know" and raised his hands.

"Anyway, this incident might make Hestia or Bell start to dislike me, so I'll go and sincerely apologize first."

"..."

"—However, my approach will not change in the future."

"For the heroes," he said.

Perhaps one day, I will still have to be your enemy. Hermes made his stance clear with his orange-yellow eyes, and then put on the travel hat tucked under his arm.

"Well then, please allow me to take my leave. Continuing to loaf around here will probably only make me more disliked."

After saying this, Hermes stepped onto the stairs leading to the surface and left the "Hall of Prayer".

After a while, the hidden door of another "secret passage" outside the stairs opened with a click. Fels pushed aside the darkness and appeared.

"I'm back, Uranus... Was anyone here just now?"

"It's Hermes."