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

This is the "Traveler's Inn," the headquarters of the Hermes Familia. War is still raging outside the city, and Loki, having returned to Orario, barged in alone without any guards, causing a commotion among the Hermes Familia members, including Asphie and Lulune.

"And about Daedalus, you haven't told me anything. Didn't you investigate there as we discussed? I asked Dionysus, but he wouldn't tell me anything."

"Because it was Dionysus himself who told me to be wary of you."

"Hey, hey, I'm Hermes! I've never done anything wrong."

"You were the one who instigated Freya to destroy Ishtar's territory, weren't you?"

"..."

After Loki finished speaking, ignoring the other party's feigned ignorance, Hermes neither confirmed nor denied it, but raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and smiled at her.

"Alright, your suspicious behavior isn't new. But, putting Dionysus aside, I also have some doubts about you. —What is Uranus hiding, and what are his intentions?"

"Well, I don't know either. We often receive requests from the guild... but they don't completely trust us. Uranus won't tell me everything."

All of them, right?

Loki desperately wanted to punch the god across the table in the shrine in the chin.

—Enough already, every single one of them is a cunning old fox who never tells the truth.

Loki did not reflect on his own actions; he simply felt he had had enough of the existence of gods.

"If you're going to play dumb, we won't tell you anything about the 'findings' we've made."

"This is a real headache, I really know nothing about it."

"Keep pretending. But—if you find that magical item and bring it to me, I'll share the information with you."

"That's the condition of the exchange," Loki told Hermes.

The Hermes Familia, while claiming to be an exploration (dungeon) clan, also acts as an information broker and negotiator, making them an active faction in various fields. Their claim of neutrality is not unfounded; they are quite shrewd. If you're looking for something, no one is more suitable than them.

Loki forced Hermes to either reveal the old god's (Uranus') conspiracy or find the whereabouts of the "key." He demanded that Hermes hand over one of the options.

Hermes looked again at the sketch on the parchment.

"If it's a commission, I'd be willing to take it... but do you have any leads?"

"No, it's somewhere in this city."

"Hey, isn't this like looking for a needle in a haystack?"

"I've got it! One possibility is with Freya. Here, take this clue. Go in and investigate."

"Please, please, isn't this like asking me to die...?"

When Loki gave his last perfunctory answer, Hermes' smile truly froze.

Seeing him covered in sweat, Loki irresponsibly stuck out his tongue.

"If you want my trust, you should at least do this little thing. Oh, I forgot to tell you, there's more than one of those magical items. So, I'm counting on you."

After Loki finished explaining what needed to be explained, he packed his bags and left.

She left the mansion, drawing the disheveled gazes of the weretiger and the dwarf girl.

After Loki left, Hermes sighed softly and looked back at his retinue waiting behind him.

"This is a real headache... I'm caught in the middle, it's so difficult!"

You're only finding out now?

The handsome god was met with a snort from Asphie, Lulu, and the others.

*

The days passed by.

The artificial labyrinth's encirclement was gradually completed, and the Loki Familia could feel that they had cornered the creatures and remnants of the dark faction who were clinging to their territory. The problem was that they couldn't find a way to break through the current situation; only time was passing in vain. The passage of time was advantageous to the enemy, which would indirectly lead to the collapse of the labyrinth city (Orario). Lefia and the others were extremely anxious about this situation. They were still missing "one move." They lacked "one move" to influence this situation. The Loki Familia strongly felt this.

As for the matter in the kingdom (Lachia), things were gradually calming down. They received news that, under Finn's arrangement, the Ares Familia's spies had been arrested. It was said that the credit went to the Hephaestus Familia, who had shared intelligence and requested assistance, but the Loki Familia members, led by Tione, were all cheering loudly: "As expected of the captain!"

"But the townspeople probably don't know any of this."

During the clear blue morning hours, Lefia walked along the city streets, muttering to herself.

The governing body (guild), unwilling to cause unnecessary chaos, did not disclose the infiltration of its spies into the city. It was rumored that a considerable number of infiltrators had been brought in, including the legendary weapon "Krozo's Demon Sword." One wrong step could plunge parts of the city into flames; yet the town remained peaceful and oblivious to the impending attack.

The kingdom (Lachia) had no other options, and the war outside the city would soon subside. Lefia and the others believed this, and thus could finally focus on devising a strategy to deal with the dark faction.

At this time, she came out to help the [Family] with purchasing, and at the same time, she gathered information.

"Hey, did you hear? The 'newcomer'...I think his name is 'Floor Master'? Anyway, I heard he defeated a super scary monster!"

"It seems their performance in wargames wasn't just a coincidence after all."

"Seriously, another formidable adventurer might be about to be born."

"Mmm, mmm mmm..."

The news of the Kingdom's (Lachia) spies didn't spread; instead, everyone heard about the "rising star's" reputation. Conversations between shopkeepers, passersby, and roadside stall owners—everywhere in the neighborhood was talking about the boy. Even Lefia, unwilling to listen, would overhear, and couldn't help but let out an unhappy groan.

The war game had only ended a month ago, and the public's fervor hadn't cooled down yet. Everyone was praising the overnight sensation, the super rookie, and expressing high hopes for him.

(I'm desperately climbing up here, while that person is swaggering around, jumping and skipping...!)

The boy's reputation seemed to be deliberately provoking Lefia, who was learning through mistakes in her pursuit of strength. The boy meant no harm, yet Lefia felt as if she were panting as she climbed a slope, only to witness a rabbit easily hopping past her.

"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle!" Lefia couldn't help but growl out of frustration and jealousy.

(...However, I think I understand.)

However, her expression slowly began to show understanding.

She now understood why Ais had agreed to train the boy.

Ais must want to know the secret to the boy's "growth" that allowed him to become stronger at an astonishing speed.

With her earnest yet gentle personality, she probably didn't see this as a reward for her training, but rather as an attempt, and therefore sincerely responded to the boy's request for guidance.

Lefia seemed to understand Ais's feelings at that time.

Now, Rafia, who has been told that she "looks a lot like her in the past," can understand.

"Although I'm very reluctant...although I'm a hundred times reluctant...I'll go ask anyway."

Just as Lefia was whispering these words...

"ah."

"ah."

Lefia unexpectedly ran into the person involved on the street corner.

That's the white-haired, red-eyed boy—Bell Crane.

"Miss Lefia...?"

"You, you, you, you! How did you get here?!"

"Well, I just happened to be passing by..."

The unexpected situation startled Lefia, but the other person was right. Since they lived in the same town, it wasn't strange to bump into each other on the street.

"Ugh..." Lefia was speechless, but Bell didn't mind and asked her:

"Excuse me, have you seen any goddesses... like Hestia?"

"Goddess Hestia...you mean your chief deity?"

"Yes! She escaped from headquarters... I'm looking for her."

The fact that the young man (Bell) is asking Lefia, who often sees him as a thorn in her side, shows that something must have happened. Looking at his slightly sweaty forehead, it's easy to guess that he must have been running around the streets looking for someone.

The goddess Hestia. Although they had never interacted directly, Lefia knew of her because Loki, the chief god, often spoke ill of her. Lefia had also seen her working as a vendor at a fries shop.

"I don't see her... Did something happen?"

"Ah, no, well... I accidentally... I guess you could say we had a fight."

Rafia couldn't help but ask curiously, and Bell seemed embarrassed, his gaze shifting left and right.

Upon hearing this answer, Lefia couldn't help but blink.

"That's surprising... I thought you were just helpless with women or something... like you'd lecherously drool over girls and couldn't lift your head..."

"Ugh...!?"

Perhaps Lefia was right, because Bell leaned back slightly, revealing a humiliated expression.

Lefia recalled their first meeting. It was the same when they bumped into each other the moment they met; as soon as Bell realized Lefia was an elf, he immediately became incoherent, his face flushed, and he lost all composure.

Lefia now harbors resentment towards Bell because of Ais's situation, yet she once thought he was humble and seemed very innocent. She was quite surprised that such a young man would argue with the beautiful and charming goddess.

As Lefia pondered these things, she suddenly realized something.

Bell's deep red eyes were clouded with gloom. His face looked troubled and unhappy, as if he were burdened with worries.

"...Was it really just an argument?"

"Why...why do you ask that?"

They even asked me why...

Seeing Bell speechless, Lefia couldn't help but furrow one eyebrow. It was obvious to anyone that Bell was troubled. The boy before her was just that easy to understand.

Lefia sighed softly and began to speak:

"If I see the goddess Hestia, I will tell you."

"what?"

"Aren't you having a headache? I mean, since that's the case, I'm willing to help."

"Oh, this is too much trouble. Besides, Miss Lefia... uh, about me... well—..."

"What kind of person do you take me for? It's true I dislike you, but I'm not so narrow-minded as to refuse to help those in need! Besides, I do accept a thank-you gift!"

That's right, Lefia did the same thing as Ais.

This wasn't just pure goodwill; it had ulterior motives. If she could find Hestia and tell the boy, she would ask him for the secret to his growth. Lefia reluctantly made up an excuse and decided to help Bell.

"Thank you so much!"

"...Anyway, it wasn't like it was of much help."

Lefia turned her head away from Bell's thanks. At the same time, she felt her cheeks burning from the straightforward gratitude.

After bowing repeatedly in thanks, the boy headed towards the western part of the city. Lefia, on the other hand, searched for information about the "key" while also tracking down the goddess's whereabouts.

In the vast labyrinthine city, finding either a magical artifact or a deity is a difficult task. Perhaps, however, someone else might have seen her. Lefia focused her search on the bustling main streets, inquiring everywhere.

(Those clouds are so thick... The weather was so sunny before, it might rain now.)

Behind the towering city walls, Lefia saw gray clouds to the north. Seeing the low-hanging dark clouds in the distance, Lefia naturally quickened her pace.

Then, some time after her chance encounter with the boy, Lefia finally learned that the young goddess was wandering in the north of the city; but just then...

The clamor in Orario suddenly changed.

"...? I feel like the atmosphere in town has become a bit tense...?"

The elf's long, thin ears reacted.

The usual vibrant sounds of the city were now mingled with strange noises. Orcs, their faces contorted in shock, stormed in and grabbed people in the shopping street, shouting incoherently. Human merchants whispered amongst themselves, all pointing in the same direction. Adventurers and guild members alike rushed off without looking back.

Lefia glanced at the direction the adventurers were heading—north.

"What happened...?"

She sensed the city's atmosphere becoming restless and uneasy, and just as her feet were about to head north...

"Lefia!"

"Miss Tione, Miss Tiona!?"

"Lefia, something terrible has happened! Something's happened!"

She encountered Tiona and Tione, who were rushing out of the street.

The two equipped themselves with a large double-edged sword (Ulga) and a recurve sword (Zoas). Lefia felt even more strongly that something was wrong.

"What happened!?"

"I heard the kingdom (Lachia) has launched a special offensive!"