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

"Is there any other information? If anyone knows anything about the ecology or weaknesses of that 'enhanced species'...?"

"No, we were attacked on our way back to the inn town (Rivera), so unfortunately we didn't know much about it... But no matter how much we beat it up or slashed at it, that monster didn't seem to get hurt at all. After all, even my secret lightning 'magic sword' was having no effect..."

"So, it seems that only Lord Bell's quick-attack magic (fire lightning) is clearly effective...?"

"So the weakness is 'fire'... Riko, please take out the red 'magic sword', I'll use it."

After listening to Dorumur's explanation, Welf and Lily changed their equipment.

Welf, who was originally holding a lightning-type short sword, took the long sword-shaped "Demon Sword" from his backpack and attached it to the sword strap hanging diagonally on his back.

"What are you guys planning to do now? We've ended up in this state, we hope you can let us travel with you..."

"Yes, helping each other in emergencies is a rule among adventurers. Lily, we plan to head to the area in front of the passageway on this floor and set up a base there."

Lily accepted Dorumur's request and quickly and clearly stated the current policy.

The dwarf understood the plan, expressed his approval, glanced briefly at Daphne who was supporting Luvis, and then strode towards her, who was startled.

"Give it to us! We'll take this skinny little bundle!"

"Dorumur, you..."

"Don't get me wrong! It's pathetic, really, we can't fight any monsters anymore! We've used up all our tools and even the 'magic sword'! But... we're still doing alright as supporters!"

Dorumur snatched Luvis from Daphne's hands and hoisted him onto his broad shoulders. The other dwarves followed suit, taking the elves that Ming, Chunji, or Sakura were carrying and carrying them themselves. Dorumur, spitting as he spoke, stopped the young elf from continuing, his unspoken message being, "Don't thank me."

As for Lily and the others, they were filled with admiration for the unique physical strength of their race. When faced with such personnel losses, there was no race more reliable than dwarves. This was one of the reasons why adventurers frequently recruited dwarves to serve as heavy fighters.

"Thank you so much, everyone! I really don't know how to thank you enough...!"

"You really helped us a lot, thank you!"

"This, this is nothing! This kind of rough work is our job as dwarves! How could we let Coco, Coco, adorable girls do it!"

One was Cassandra, whose triangular eyes evoked a protective instinct in others; the other was Daphne, with her large, watery phoenix eyes. Faced with two beautiful maidens so stunning they had been courted by the sun god (Apollo), the dwarf stammered, his ears turning red. The other, older-looking dwarves reacted similarly.

Seeing their attitude and behavior, Lily, who was allergic to adventurers, smiled slightly and thought, "Fortunately, they are some likeable and kind people."

"Have you finished talking? It's time to go."

Aisha spoke up, and everyone did as she said.

With the addition of dwarven supporters, the team became a large force, but their movements were more agile than before. Sakura and the others also returned to combat.

"Speaking of which, what's wrong with Bell Craney? Uh—hey, you, that beautiful fox-girl over there?"

"...Lord Bell..."

The fact that Chun Ji was even more beautiful than Daphne and the others made Dorumur nervous, and he asked about Bell.

Hearing the conversation coming from behind her, Lily gripped the backpack straps tightly with both hands.

*

The applause, mingled with the sound of the waterfall, continued unabated.

"She"—the mermaid—stared at me, who was in a daze, her emerald eyes sparkling like a child's.

Judging from her appearance, if converted to human age, she might be a little older than me, about the same age as Miss Ais. Her seashell pearl hair ornament, made of labyrinth pearls, is perfect for her by the water.

A monster that claps at humans... I only know of one kind of monster that shows friendliness towards humans.

"Who are you……"

I stood there, my lips moving in a daze. She first tilted her head slightly in a cute way, then suddenly snapped back to reality and opened her eyes wide.

She covered her mouth with her palm, her expression as if to say, "Oh no!"

Could it be... it really is—

The image of the dragon girl (Vinnie) flashed through my mind, and in that instant...

“Aaaaaaaaaah!”

「!?」

From the distant sky, the sound of flapping wings and a sharp cry descended.

I abruptly looked up, and "Happy" and "Silen" came into view. The monster flying above the great void sensed our presence, its eyes flashing with a ferocious light like those of a raptor. After such a fierce battle with Flash Swallow, of course it would have been discovered…!

"!"

As I was gritting my teeth, "she" saw the half-human, half-bird (Happy) and other monsters, jumped on her shoulder, and hurriedly leaped into the water to escape. To be honest, I was completely worried about her, but now I could only banish her from my consciousness.

With my strength completely drained by the Flash Swallow, I bravely faced the continuous battle against the winged monster.

"Shhhhhhh!"

"──────Ahhh!!"

Both the half-human, half-bird and the singing bird are monsters with female heads and bird bodies.

One was covered in crimson feathers, the other in garish yellow feathers; both shared the common trait of being more ugly than an old woman, their faces etched with deep wrinkles and furrows. Their body odor, resembling excrement and urine, was also frequently pungent, contrary to the description of the "Water City." Looking at them this way, it's clear that Miss Rey or Miss Fei'er, the "heretics," were indeed exceptionally unconventional.

Although both are female-headed bird-bodied monsters, the half-human, half-bird is better at flying, while the Songbird possesses a ranged weapon called "Strange Sonic Wave." In other words, the difference in their attacks lies in close-range versus long-range. While I was fending off the half-human, half-bird that was raising its claws to descend at me, I was also keeping an eye on the Songbird that was hovering above my head, releasing "Strange Sonic Wave."

"call!"

"Guye!?"

I dodged the bird's claws, causing the "Goddess's Blade" to flash past me. As the decapitated half-human, half-bird spat out blood and countless feathers, I unleashed "White Illusion" upon the remaining horde that charged at me.

When I, along with Fairy and Miss Ais, perished in the "Bio Mountains," I witnessed battles between half-human, half-bird creatures. Although their individual movements here are far faster than on the ground, knowing their attack methods beforehand gave me a significant advantage. Even though my body was exhausted from continuously slashing at the Flash Swallows, I wasn't out of breath against opponents of this caliber. As I experienced a newfound Lv.4 toughness, I kicked the last half-human, half-bird with my left toe, shattering its jaw.

"──────Ahhh!!"

The singing bird immediately unleashed a "strange sonic wave," which I dodged by leaping away. Water droplets sprayed up from the shallows where I landed, and a nearby crystal cluster was subjected to the ultrasonic wave, some of which cracked and crumbled into fragments. Although not as powerful as Miss Rey's, its power was still enough to pose a threat.

There were four singing birds in total. They were wary of me and avoided close combat, seemingly having no intention of landing from the sky.

That being the case...

"[Flame Lightning]!"

「!?」

I grabbed the outstretched right arm with my left hand and unceremoniously activated the "magic".

I still had plenty of mental energy. Although I missed several shots at the four singing birds flying freely in the air, I took this opportunity to fully utilize the characteristics of "speed magic".

Rapid fire, random shooting.

Powerful bolts of fire pierced the air several times. The singing birds couldn't even retaliate with their "strange sonic waves," desperately dodging and weaving. As soon as I saw their movements gradually falter, I immediately seized an opening and struck. The four corpses, pierced by the fire and lightning, fell into the waterfall pool—the center of the lake.

"call……"

I lowered my outstretched right arm.

Now all the enemies have been defeated, but... I think "she" probably won't be coming back. If I could, I would have thought about many things more clearly.

Just as I was looking around at the now tranquil waterside... there was a splashing sound, like something was being thrown out of the water.

I thought it was the mermaid from before returning. My shoulder swayed, and I snapped out of my pose and turned around to look.

"--Hehe."

Those who climbed onto the crystal near the shore were indeed mermaids with the lower bodies of fish. But...

(No—it's not the mermaid from before!)

It's a real monster!

Two figures climbed onto the crystal reef. Like withered plants, the half-human, half-fish monsters known as "mermaids" had dark, lifeless hair. They were among the rarer species in this area. While slightly more attractive than the half-human, half-bird creatures, their pale eyes and lifeless, bluish-white skin were still repulsive.

I inadvertently revealed my weakness, and the two "mermaids" smiled evilly and vibrated their throats.

"Laa ...

With their high-pitched voices, they weave eerie, destructive "songs" that seem capable of bewitching travelers.

(Oops!?)

I knew it was too late when the enemy had the upper hand, but I still covered my ears.

The only and most vicious weapon possessed by the "mermaids," who have almost no direct combat ability, is "charm," which is performed through their singing.

Of the many types of "abnormal effects," only "Charm" stands out, and it is also the most malevolent. Symptoms stemming from psychological factors cannot be dispelled by items, and even "abnormal resistance (development ability)" cannot withstand it. In other words, it is a "mental attack."

After bewitching adventurers with their songs, they sometimes lure them into the water, and sometimes drive them insane, causing divisions among their companions. The only way to prevent this, besides covering their ears, is to fight back with mental strength that rivals the destructive songs of merman monsters.

I inadvertently heard the mermaid's song clearly, and just as I was clenching my teeth—

"…………strangeness?"

--No abnormal status occurred.

I was not attracted, nor was I lured into the water in a daze; my mind remained completely unmoved.

The song of destruction continued to play, and I looked down at the hands that had released their ears, utterly perplexed.

The two monsters sitting on the reef were clearly shaken when they saw that "charm" had no effect on me.

"Uh... [Flame and Lightning]?"

"Bigaa ...

In short, I stretched out my right arm and shot a bolt of lightning, hitting the "mermaids" squarely, and they screamed and fled back into the water.

"What on earth happened...?"

I shouldn't have any expensive accessories or magic items that can nullify "Charm"...

Ah, but I've experienced the charm of the "Goddess of Beauty," and the "allure" of monsters is nothing compared to it... After that fight with the goddess Ishtar, perhaps I've unknowingly gained some resistance?

I was sweating profusely, and I touched my back with my fingers, which had been slightly warming up since earlier.

"...Are you alright?"

Just then, a beautiful, bell-like voice rang out, and I was truly taken aback this time.

Turning to the side, I saw "her" peeking out from the rock-like crystal on the shore, as if she were worried about me. Her lower body was still submerged in the water, and she hid her upper body, which had climbed ashore, looking trembling with fear.

I stood frozen in place for a moment, then slowly walked over so as not to frighten her.

Whether it was due to a lack of vigilance or strong curiosity, she seemed uneasy yet also watching me with great interest when I spoke to the monster (or beast).

She did speak human language just now.

Sure enough, it couldn't be wrong—

I approached her, who was hiding behind the crystal, knelt down on one knee, and asked:

"Are you... are you a 'heretic'?"

The moment she heard the word "heretic," Emerald's eyes widened.

The next instant—unexpectedly—she jumped out from behind the crystal where she was hiding and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Eeee!?"

Her upper body, which had been concealed, now revealed a deep, rounded cleavage that clearly filled my vision, almost causing me to lean back without thinking. But her arms were wrapped around my neck, preventing me from doing so.

Just as I was blushing like an idiot, the mermaid pressed her nose against the base of my neck and sniffed a few times.

"The smell of Lei and the others..."

The name "Rei," which was touched on my ear, surprised me and brought me back to my senses.

She met Miss Bird Lei, a singer who was also considered a "heretic".

"Uh, do you know any other 'heretics'? Like Mr. Reed, or Mr. Gross..."

"Yeah, I know. Reed is cute... Gross is shy, right?"

I grabbed her slender shoulders and peeled her away from the base of her neck. The mermaid tilted her head slightly and smiled at me.

Cute...shy...this doesn't quite match the lizardman and gargoyle I know...but judging from her reaction, it's probably true.

She is a fellow member of the "heretics." I would say I was very lucky to meet her here.

I finally managed to get her to loosen her arms from around my neck. Seeing her staring intently at me from such close range, I hesitated for a long time about where to begin my question before finally speaking:

"Um, my name is Bell. And you are?"

The first thing I did was tell her my name and ask her what her name was.

I spoke to her as if I were speaking to a human, and after hearing this, she shook her blue-green hair and tilted her head slightly again.