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

What's infuriating is that the weak girl (Ais) actually wants to turn her parents into memories, abandon the past, and rely on the "present".

A surge of emotions, a blend of impulsiveness, anger, and fear, erupted.

"Ais, I see you as—"

"Stop talking!!"

Ais screamed.

"No! You're not! Don't say strange things! Don't try to mislead me!"

Ais kept shouting "No, no," and shaking her head repeatedly.

The doll's mask peels off, revealing a girl as young as herself, her hair disheveled, being manipulated by the emotional impulses that assault her.

Ais refused and struggled. She turned away from the memories of Riveria that were resurfacing in her mind and fled towards her own mission, which was engulfed in black flames.

"You're not..."

Ais glared at the woman standing there dumbfounded.

She forced open her trembling lips and uttered the decisive sentence:

"You're not my mother!"

The moment she so vehemently rejected him, time seemed to stand still, and all sounds vanished from their world.

The screams echoed through the city, only to be gradually drowned out by the sound of rain.

The silence, dampened by the rain, pierced her eardrums. Ais's shoulders heaved as she gasped for breath, desperately trying to suppress a sob.

For some reason, it was Ais who said the words, but it was also Ais who got hurt.

When Ais saw Riveria standing there, frozen in place, she felt an overwhelming sense of regret for some reason.

The incessant rain was making her vision blurry.

"..."

The woman's face reflected in the golden eyes was veiled in a mask-like "emptiness".

Rivera, expressionless, answered quietly:

"Yes... I am not your mother."

"!!"

Your mother is no longer here.

The moment she received affirmation, Ais rushed out.

With her back to Riveria, she picked up the sword that had fallen to the ground and kicked the ground so hard that she almost broke it.

Unlike raindrops, water droplets overflowed from the corners of her eyes. Ais let the clear water droplets splash backward, repeatedly wiping her eyes with one arm.

Nothing will change. Nothing has changed.

She had known all along that she was alone.

The people Ais loved deeply abandoned her and disappeared. Those happy years have now become remnants of the past, turning into shattered memories that wound Ais.

There is no such thing as eternity. Everything is fleeting. The permanent pain that endures in place of eternity can never be healed. This applies to Loki and his allies, as well as Riveria.

Yes, Ais is lonely.

This is true now, and it will be true in the future, and it always will be.

Ais is scornfully called a "doll" and continues to kill monsters despite all advice. No one loves her, and no one understands her.

She thought she understood this, and that her tears should have dried up long ago, but the feelings that made her teary-eyed refused to disappear.

Ais screamed and ran recklessly through the dark city to cover everything up.

"..."

Riveria remained motionless until the little girl disappeared behind the rain.

For several minutes or even hours.

She couldn't even chase after that small, thin figure; she just let the rain lash her.

"Rivia!"

"Where's Ais!? Has she been here before?!"

Rivera, who was being battered by the rain, heard some sounds.

It's Finn and Grace.

Neither of them had brought rain gear, and they ran to Rivera, who was standing still.

Finn and the others, who were also searching for the little girl like Riveria, only then noticed her expression.

After a moment of silence, the elven royalty let his lips tremble:

"Finn, Grace... what should I do?"

Riveria, who never lets others make decisions for her, said something discouraging.

She didn't know how to face herself for hurting the little girl with sharp words, and how to vent her regret and distress.

Her comrades from other races, who had fought alongside her until now, seemed to understand everything just by looking at her profile, and remained silent.

It's been a long time since we've seen Rivera show such vulnerability.

No, perhaps this is the first time.

"what do I do?"

Just as Finn silently looked up at Riveria's sorrowful profile.

Grace, standing beside him, frowned deeply.

Then, he became furious.

He used brute force to grab Riveria, who was taller than him, by the collar, drawing her gaze, along with her astonishment, toward himself.

"Get your act together, you idiot!!"

Riveria was greatly surprised to hear Grace's heartfelt roar of anger.

"I told you eight million years ago that you elves are all about wild imaginations! I thought you were much better than before, but you haven't changed at all!"

"What did you say……!?"

"If you want to act like a teacher or a mother, then put on a more rock-solid air!"

Riveria instantly turned red with anger and slapped Grace's hand away.

Even when faced with her fiery glare, the dwarf remained unfazed and dismissive.

"What's with that expression?"

"What do you know, you dwarf...! I'm just as confused..."

"Confused? Ha! Stop talking nonsense!"

He cursed repeatedly.

"Compared to you, that kid is the one who's truly lost his way!"

"!!"

The loud shout made Riveria's eyes widen.

"I bet you're afraid of Ais! You speak so cautiously, afraid of hurting her, coming up with a bunch of plausible excuses, but you're afraid to speak your mind!"

"..."

"Those sweet, affected words from the elf won't reach anyone's heart! If you're so lost you can't even speak, just pull her close and hug her!"

No one responded to Grace's loud voice.

Riveria was speechless and could only clench her fists.

"Grace, you've gone too far."

"...Yeah, sorry. I got a little too excited too."

Finn's implication was, "It's not Riveria's fault. We all failed to notice Ais's condition. It's all our fault." Grace breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

"Rivia, let's go find Ais again. Finding her won't help if you're not here."

"...But now that I've been rejected by that child, how can I have the right to..."

"Rivia".

This time, Finn spoke to her calmly, but in a firm tone.

"Don't spout nonsense about qualifications. Saying things like that is insulting yourself for all the time you've spent with Ais. Or are you saying that everything up to this day has been a lie?"

This time, Rivera finally lowered her head in shame.

"I thought you guys would have matured a bit, but you're still the same as always."

Just then, perhaps hearing the arguing, the chief god came and joined them.

Ignoring his soaking wet body, Loki laughed happily and said: You two are truly a classic case of "enemies meeting by chance".

"Rivia, lift your head."

"What Ais needs right now is not our voice."

"It is your hands that are closest to her and have been by her side for a long time."

Urged on by Loki, asserted by Finn, and persuaded by Grace.

Rivera looked up and looked back at them.

"In the end, it's always the mother (mom) who has to go and pick up the daughter who runs away from home."

This kind of teasing way of speaking from the main deity...

Riveria wanted to retort, but failed, and a helpless smile appeared on her face.

*

Just before Riveria met up with Finn and the others.

The little girl ran through the rain, sword in hand.

A pair of deep purple eyes stared at her.

Inside a building shrouded in darkness, the divine being (figure) laughed.

"Hey, Valetta, do you know 'The Doll Princess'?"

"What's wrong with you, another god (Sanatos)? Of course I know her, okay? She's the little girl Finn and his crew are raising. Getting stronger at a terrifying speed, a cocky newbie adventurer (rookie)... Seriously, I hate her."

Hidden in the darkness are the chief gods and leaders of the dark faction. Including the [Sanatos Familia], other factions claiming to be apostles of the evil god are also operating in secret today, attempting to bring destruction and chaos to the city.

"What's wrong with this 'doll princess'?"

"Ever since I happened to see that little girl, I've been really bothered by her. It's that purplish-black flame that you can see burning in her eyes from afar..."

Beneath the hood of the tattered black robe, the god's eyes followed the little girl.

He squinted as he watched the figure running down the street below.

"She has a scent of death. That scent is so strong, so very strong... so strong that even Death (me) cannot ignore it."

The heartthrob, Sanato, laughed as he created an atmosphere of decadence.

"Hey, Valetta, how about we change today's plans?"

"What?"

"Go and cause a big commotion. Make sure the Loki Familia... no, make sure those people in the way can't get near the dungeon for a while."

Death made this suggestion while gazing at the place the blonde, golden-eyed little girl was running across the road toward—the Tower of Babel in the heart of the city.

"Don't try to boss me around, other factions of gods. If you want to change your plans, you first need the other gods' approval—"

"Maybe we can give the 'Braver' of the 'Loki Familia' a good beating?"

"────…………"

Upon hearing the term "hero," Valetta Grede, a member of the dark faction, fell silent.