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

You are lying.

I thought this in my heart, but my indecisive nature prevented me from saying it aloud.

Seeing Lily's expression as she reluctantly revealed her stubborn feelings, I missed my chance to speak.

"Lord Bell, would you look down on Lily like this?"

Lily asked again as she walked.

Her tone was normal. Her gaze seemed resolute as she stared straight ahead… but… was she unaware of her own actions? The animal ears on her head were huddled up in small balls, stuck to her hair. As if she were afraid of something.

I blinked a few times, and then couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

Although I felt bad for Lily, my eyebrows involuntarily drooped into a V-shape, and I let out an inappropriate laugh.

"...I think I might find it hard to look down on awkward people."

"what?"

Lily stopped and turned around to look at me.

I laughed as I spoke my mind.

"Don't worry. I like Lily very much. So it's impossible for me to look down on you or hate you."

This is the truth.

To ease Lily's unease, I revealed my true feelings.

Lily's eyes widened so much they startled me, then her whole face flushed red. Her ears, which were close to the top of her head, stood up straight.

I was taken aback. Her tail was in an astonishing state.

Lily stared intently at me, who was inwardly panicked, then, still blushing, chuckled.

"If Lily asks you what you mean... that would be really silly."

Huh? Before I could even ask, Lily had already continued walking forward.

The small figure seemed to be in a better mood than before.

Did I cheer her up? I'm not sure, but I'll catch up with Lily first.

"Lord Bell's voice is like a bell that rings deep into the heart."

Lily's voice was always too soft.

No matter how I asked, Lily wouldn't tell me what she meant. Her attitude made me a little annoyed, and that's what I thought to myself.

◇

"Eee-yaaaaaah!"

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

The little devil monster, nicknamed "Little Devil," charged towards me with its sharp, piercing cries.

It was entirely black. A single horn, resembling a sharp pebble, sprouted from its large head, appearing somewhat disproportionate to its long, slender body. Yet, its appearance belied its agile and swift movements.

The slender tail with a claw attached swings up and down in coordination with the movements.

"!"

Facing the two little devils that were leaping and approaching, I gripped the Goddess's Blade and the Double-Edged Dagger in my hands to meet them.

I sidestepped and dodged the little devil to my right.

So I hid behind one of them, creating a position that prevented me from coming into contact with the other monster.

It was effectively one-on-one. The little devil in front of me bared its sharp teeth and swung its left claw at me.

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

"Too slow!"

—They're simply no match for that person!

I swung the "Goddess's Blade" in my right hand, trying to repel the sharp nails that were drawing arcs.

A magnificent blue-purple light streaked across the sky, and the little devil's claws were not repelled, but rather scattered in mid-air along with its five fingers.

"Gah, chirp chirp!"

As the little devil was first startled and then let out a scream, I followed up my previous attack by spinning my body.

Make your body mimic the movements of the blonde girl that appear in your mind.

Using his right foot as the axis, he unleashed a powerful spinning kick at the little devil in front of him.

"Hee-ga!"

"!"

The light-weight little devil was easily sent flying after being struck in the center of its chest.

Then it crashed directly into another one behind it. The little devil that caught its companion barely managed to steady itself, but I had already moved on to the next move. I pulled my left arm back as far as I could, gathering my strength, and thrust the double-edged dagger forward!

"Chirp chirp!"

The sword thrust directly pierced through the two little devils.

Overlapping death screams.

A silver dagger pierced two hearts, transmitting the destructive throbbing to the palm.

"Lord Bell, behind you!"

--I know!

Lily's warning did not sway me. I had already correctly sensed the approaching monster's presence.

The field of vision must be wide open, with absolutely no blind spots.

I released the Double-Edged Dagger and, as I turned around, equipped the Short Sword.

I rushed forward and unleashed two small slashes with the two daggers in my hands.

"Chirp—!"

"Wow... Lord Bell is amazing!"

Lower body, torso, head.

I brushed past the little devil that had been broken into three pieces and landed on the ground.

I immediately looked up to make sure I could see clearly. The enemy figures swaying in the depths of the fog had not diminished.

I asked Lily to retrieve the Double-Edged Dagger, and then ran towards the remaining monsters.

We are currently on the 10th floor.

The ground was overgrown with weeds, and the corridors and halls were the widest of all the floors so far. A continuous stream of white mist, seemingly appearing from nowhere, clung to the view.

Using the spacious "cave" with only one entrance as our base, we'll continue our exploration of the dungeon as usual today.

For the past two days, I've been using the battles with the monsters to review Miss Ais's teachings.

In preparation for the life-or-death situation I would face the next day, I carefully applied and adopted her teachings, and practiced diligently.

"Sahh ...

We're currently dealing with a horde of small devils. Starting from this floor, these smaller monsters will appear more frequently than the "orcs." The relentless waves of enemies launching attacks have left me momentarily at a loss as to how to proceed.

These little devils are quite cunning. Although they may look a bit like goblins at first glance, those monsters don't flaunt their cleverness like little devils. In other words, they're very sharp-witted.

They never fight alone; they always fight as a group. As a small team, they are quite formidable, unlike the monster hordes of today who merely prepare for battle at the last minute. As an adventurer, one can't help but admire them.

Some say that on this fog-shrouded 10th level, a half-orc is less troublesome than a group of lesser devils.

"Chirp chirp!"

"drink!"

I agree with that. After I used my protective gear to defend against the attack from my rear, even if I wanted to immediately launch a counterattack, the little devil had already disappeared into the depths of the fog. I couldn't help but make a bitter face.

A group of little devils used the fog to launch attacks from all directions. At the same time, they didn't forget to surround me completely; they were really cunning.

I moved to prevent my opponent from succeeding, and then I heard a blatant clicking of tongue from the other side of the fog. Eight times, no less. And now it's increased again.

If I were in a team, I could handle any number of monsters that came, but for solo adventurers, this was a monster that was difficult to deal with.

"Wow!"

"Hehe..."

"..."

The moment I stopped, the encirclement was completed in the blink of an eye.

On the other side of the thin mist, several dark figures were swaying their shoulders.

The circle formed by the little devils gradually shrank. The sound of their footsteps pounding on the grassland echoed everywhere. And it seemed as if the sound of licking lips could be heard at any moment.

If it were not long ago, I might have panicked.

Perhaps it's better to suffer some injuries than not to break through a corner of the encirclement.

however,

"If you look down on Lily, then Lily will have a little regret!"

I am no longer alone.

Further out of the little devil circle surrounding me.

An arrow suddenly shot out from behind the monsters.

"Gah!"

"——!"

Lily's arrow struck a monster in the head. This unexpected attack caused turmoil among the little devils.

It's not just monsters that can use the fog. Lily temporarily hid in the fog, completely escaping the little devils' watchful eye.

No matter how clever you are, you won't amount to much. As a team, we were better at using feints and surprise attacks than they were.

The words "squad action" filled me with excitement and joy.

(I want one too!)

Take this opportunity to launch a full-scale attack.

Taking advantage of the fact that one of the little devils was distracted by the barrage of metal arrows, I immediately used the Goddess's Blade to cut it in two.

Without stopping, I ruthlessly dispersed the group of monsters that had started squawking and were now in chaos.

"Sahhhhh!"

"Lily!"

Just as I felled the little devil who had been shot by an arrow.

The two monsters abandoned their collapsing encirclement and turned their attention to Lily.

I hurriedly called out, but Lily didn't seem flustered at all. She smiled slightly and took out a small bag from her bosom.

"Thanks for your hard work."

She tossed the small bag open, spraying out a large amount of powder in front of the little devils.

They had just been startled by the sudden burst of purple dust that filled the sky and the ground when, not long after, cough, cough, the little devils began to cough violently.

The item "Purple Moth's Wings" will drop.

Poison bags made from the venomous scales were extracted from these wings.

This item differs from the scales of the Purple Moth; it has an immediate effect, causing weak monsters to exhibit "poisoning" symptoms.

—Beautiful! No wonder Lily dared to boast like that; she's really used to dealing with monsters!

As Lily nimbly stepped back, I started running too.

When their eyes met, she meant, "I'm counting on you from now on."

I smiled.

"receive!"