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

She was reminding me that there should never be a day when I couldn't come to collect my lunch.

Miss Seele, dressed as a waitress, gave an elegant bow, a smile on her face, and went back into the shop.

"..."

Warm, orange-yellow light and lively laughter poured out of the tavern. I stood there, looking up at the sky.

It felt like two paths were laid out before me.

The long road Miss Ryu pointed out, and the single road that Miss Seele and Miss Eina beckoned to me.

"You are an adventurer."

— "Adventurers cannot take risks."

The two sentences, "I'm afraid," "probably," and "definitely," carry two opposing meanings.

I emptied my mind and quietly ruminated on their overlapping voices.

At this moment, I am still hesitant and undecided at the crossroads pointed out by others, constantly looking up at the night sky.

◇

The first rays of dawn pierced the sky, faintly illuminating the outskirts of the city.

The dazzling light slowly embroidered a golden edge on the mountain's ridgeline, scorching its profile.

The end is approaching.

I realized this while fiercely exchanging weapons with my opponents on the city walls.

With her blonde hair flying wildly, she unleashed a fierce attack.

As the sword sheath swept across my body, I reflected the end of the training she had assigned me in my movements, marking the culmination of this training.

The scabbard attacked, but I blocked it.

For attacks launched with slightly widened eyes, I steadily increase the number of times I defend.

I've seen this person's astute defensive tactics several times now.

Instead of deflecting the opponent's weapon head-on, strike from the side or diagonally to deflect the attack and neutralize the offensive.

I've tried this move several times now, trying to learn it so that I can show it to her on the last day when all of this is coming to an end.

"——!"

I suppressed the urge to easily dodge and mustered the courage to defend myself.

He deflected every attack, sometimes his body was sliced ​​by the scabbard, but he fought back with the short sword he held in his hand.

then.

I broke through her defenses and launched my first counterattack.

"...!"

The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out.

My attack was easily blocked. But I did hit it.

My arm, along with the deflected dagger, hung limply at my sides. My breathing was completely disordered, and Miss Ais stared at me silently. Suddenly, the brilliance of the rising sun flickered like a ray of light. The even stronger light almost dazzled me.

At that very moment, on the other side of the light, I felt that person seemed to be smiling happily.

"That's it..."

Miss Ais said softly.

Looking out from the top of the city wall, part of the sun could already be clearly seen in the eastern sky. This was a signal that the week's training had come to an end.

I turned my face to the side and gazed at the scene for a long time, then our eyes met, and I bowed my head to thank her.

"Thank you for your guidance up to today."

I stared at the stone pavement, maintaining my bowed posture for a long while.

Looking back on this week that has flown by in the blink of an eye, I feel like I'm in a dream.

Soon, I sat up and saw Miss Ais, with an emotionless face but soft lines at the corners of her eyes, speaking softly in a gentle voice:

"I also want to thank you. ...I'm very happy."

The beautiful golden sunrise cast a halo around her face and her gentle smile.

In the end, she made me blush again, and after opening and closing my mouth for a long time, I could only lower my head slightly.

"...Well then, good luck!"

"……yes."

After exchanging a few words, the person turned away from me and gradually walked away.

Watching her figure disappear into the dazzling light, I wondered: Can I catch up with her?

Could I use these hands to reach that person again, just like I did a moment ago? I wondered to myself.

Within this week, I could vaguely see that figure, but the road ahead is still long.

It was so long that it almost left me rooted to the spot, and I could even say it made me despair.

Can I really catch up with that figure?

"..."

Even so, it's still imperative to pursue it.

You'll never catch up with anything if you don't try. You'll never get started.

In order to be able to stand by her side and catch up with her.

I must reach out again, toward that figure...to that high place.

Even with a still weak and dejected heart, I still swear to this clear morning.

I turned my back to her as she walked away and ran off in the opposite direction.

◇

Eina tidied up the reports scattered on her desk and let out a sigh of relief.

Colleagues who had finished their work were gradually preparing to go home.

The clock hanging on the wall near the ceiling had just passed eight o'clock in the evening. The office, separated by the window from the guild lobby, was almost empty, with only a few staff members working overtime remaining.

Eina looked around, intending to get a drink, when her friend, who was also a service counter attendant, started shouting from deep inside the room.

"Waaah—, Eina, please help me—! There's so much to do, I could never finish it even by tomorrow—!"

"...You brought this on yourself. It's all Missia's fault for dragging it out until today."

She sighed and ruthlessly rejected her human friend's pleas.

On the desk of the baby-faced female employee named Missia, a huge pile of documents was stacked as high as a mountain.

These are all the application materials for the gods from various clans, quietly accumulated by me while I was trying to muddy the waters.

"Why are so many people upgrading this time?! Another upgrade wave at this crucial moment is too much! This must be someone's conspiracy!"

"Hey, you can't talk about the adventurers' hard-earned achievements like that. If you had dealt with it step by step from the beginning, things wouldn't have turned out like this!"

"Yes, I am reflecting on my actions, I really am, so... Eina, save me—!"

"don't want."

She turned her back to Missia, indicating that she had nothing more to say. "Cold-blooded animal—!" The unexpected complaint made Eina sigh again, and she decided to bring her a cup of coffee later.

"..."

As if still basking in the afterglow of work fatigue, Eina rested her slender chin on her hands, which were propped up on her elbows, and looked at the paper she had just finished writing on.

The paper labeled "Application Form" contains advice advising the Soma Kinkaku (family of members) to operate with caution.

This is a report she wrote herself after listening to what Loki and Bell said.

Eina had no intention of punishing the Soma Familia. Of course, she had her grievances, but she had absolutely no intention of impeaching the Familia for its lax management.

Furthermore, if we're talking about a verdict, Lily, whom Bell mentioned, must also be punished from a fair standpoint. Regardless of whether discretionary sentencing is possible, bringing her to justice is inevitable.

Eina had no intention of playing the role of a goddess of justice, taking up the sword and the scales.

At least, she believed that it was not an area she should intrude upon.

But she had to say it.

If an improvement in a situation could bring a glimmer of hope to the environment for adventurers and supporters, she would be willing to meddle even if it meant taking on extra work.

Eina's biggest wish is for adventurers to return safely from the dungeon, so she can't help but meddle a little.

(By doing this, I'm essentially showing favoritism towards a specific "family," and I can't find an excuse for it...)

These reports, which resembled whistleblowing, were largely driven by personal motives, and Eina was aware of this.

The specific "familia"... is Bell and his group.

In the end, it seems that Eina used her concern for the boy as an excuse to infiltrate the Loki Familia and deliberately frame the Soma Familia.

This is highly undesirable behavior for a guild that outwardly claims neutrality. It's completely different from her listening to Belle's troubles and offering objective advice.

Abuse of power. As a member of the guild, this can be considered dereliction of duty.

however.

(...But it would be even more wrong if I ignored it.)

Even if this was behavior unbecoming of a guild employee, Eina didn't want to betray herself as Eina Zul. Even if it was just sophistry, she had made up her mind.

She knew that the same noble blood flowed in her veins as Riveria's. Even if it was just a trivial pride for a half-elf, Eina didn't want to betray herself; this was the thought deep in her heart.

(If I get expelled... I'll just ask them to let me join the Hestia Familia.)

Let them take responsibility for me, she thought half-jokingly about where she could find a second job.

Eina tossed her medium-length brown hair and gave a wry smile at her own delusions.

"What's wrong, Eina? Why are you all smiles over there all of a sudden?"

"I wasn't smiling at all. Don't talk nonsense!"

"What does it have to do with anything? What happened? I really want to know—"

"No... I was just thinking about finding a second job..."

"You mean, a second job... No way! Eina, you're quitting the guild?!"

Missia shouted, "Thump!" and all the other employees stood up from their chairs. They were all men.

The perfectly synchronized scene startled Eina, who stared at them while quickly correcting her friend's misunderstanding.

"No, no, no. I was just thinking about what I would do if I got kicked out of the guild. I wasn't planning on quitting."

"What? Don't scare me... The boss would never fire Eina."

Hearing her friend say that, Eina smiled bitterly to herself. (It's hard to say.)

As for the group of boys who stood up, they seemed relieved, let out a sigh of relief, and sat back down in their seats.

(Okay, anyway...)

If this report is approved, at the very least, the higher-ups will bring up the issue of the god Soma's management of the [Family] for review.

Ultimately, while the faction itself is not problematic, the adventurers among its members consistently skirt the edge of the law in their activities outside headquarters. Adding to this the civilian murder reports corroborated by Bell's testimony, it's almost certain that the Familia will face some form of punishment.

If they ignore the warnings, they can be forced to leave Orario, and the Familia will face an existential crisis.

No matter how focused Soma is on his own interests, he should seriously consider his operational strategy.

(Besides, Miss Erd doesn't seem to be a too-bad little person (Palum)...)

She once visited a flower shop that had been affected by the dispute between Lily and the "Family," and the elderly couple embarrassedly told her everything.

They said that ever since they kicked the girl out of the store, people have started leaving money at the store entrance without their knowledge. Therefore, they felt it inappropriate to report the matter to the guild.

They asked Eina to apologize to the girl on their behalf, but Eina refused. Such things should be conveyed by the girl herself.

(...the blood and sweat of adventurers, isn't it?)

Eina quietly repeated what she had just said.