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

Anachidi will be assisting Finn this time.

Finn gave instructions to her who brought the report.

The cat-man ran away, loudly relaying the orders to the surrounding members.

(According to the report from Kos and his team who were monitoring them, Bell Craney and others went out yesterday to buy equipment or items... Although no one contacted them, they should have made contact with the monsters.)

"Armed Monsters" has a "leader".

Regarding the person Grace mentioned in the report, Finn believed he was not a beast tamer, but a "mage." They later discovered that the giant metal block Diona destroyed—the "humanoid soldier"—was not a monster. Incredibly, it was a magical artifact. Finn had never heard of an automaton capable of autonomous combat.

A highly skilled "magician" is aiding the monsters. This person is likely a secret subordinate of the old god (Uranus)—that is, a private soldier.

They might be using magical artifacts, or perhaps the more primitive form of correspondence. Finn suspects that the "armed monsters" moving through the city's underground sewers and the Hestia Familia are in cahoots.

He also believes that monsters have already lurked in this "Daedalus Road".

Finn.

When the group members officially began their operation after a short rest, Ais came over alone.

"If that child comes to Daedalus Road...I will watch over him."

Finn stopped what he was doing and looked back at the girl's face.

Ais made a request, hoping that she could monitor Bell Crane.

Is this persistence, or "attachment"?

"Hmm...Are you alright, Ais? You've been too biased towards Bell Crane in many things. To be honest, I'm worried you're deliberately letting him do as he pleases."

Finn told Ais, who appeared calm on the surface but was inwardly conflicted, without any hesitation.

"Let me be frank, Ais. Even from an objective standpoint, Bell Crane is still a source of unease and danger for Orario. Based on this, we have two things to do: maintain the highest level of vigilance and, if necessary, stop his actions."

"..."

"Can you really do it?"

Ais lowered her gaze for a moment, then looked back into Finn's eyes and nodded.

"If that child does anything strange... I'll stop him. Rather than let someone else do it, I want to do it myself."

"..."

"As for monsters, if they appear... I'll defeat them."

These words sound like they came from a sense of duty, but also like personal feelings.

From that resolute expression, one can glimpse "something" that once happened between her and the boy (Bell).

To Finn, it looked like he was about to "settle things down".

"Alright. Bell Craney is yours."

"Thank you... Finn."

Finn frankly gave Ais a positive evaluation and granted her request.

He watched Ais's retreating figure for a while, then looked up at the sky.

"...The rain has stopped."

The rain that had been falling since yesterday has finally disappeared. The remaining clouds, with their fine, hair-like folds, let out a hazy moonlight.

Night was about to fall.

The vast darkness of night is about to engulf Orario.

*

The sky, which had long been obscured by clouds, was now covered with a sea of ​​stars.

In the vast, labyrinthine street seen from the sky, a figure quietly climbed onto an uninhabited building and, with a lightness of movement befitting its massive size, leaped onto a rooftop platform.

As if engraving the realization in his heart, after a moment, the figure looked up at the night sky like a wild beast.

Roar oh ...

The monster's distant howl shook the night.

The deep, continuous cries echoed through every corner of Daedalus Road, reaching the very edge of the city.

The adventurers all jerked their heads up. The residents were terrified. Everyone froze, knowing the moment had arrived.

Ahh ...

Then, resounding through the sky was a high-pitched voice, like that of a young girl.

It was the howling of monsters echoing through the air. Commands that neither humans nor gods could understand rose and fell in the night sky.

"What happened?!"

"You're coming, aren't you, those monsters!"

The many adventurers who remained in the maze street began to shout.

"It's about to begin~"

The goddess with crimson hair stopped and looked around from the high platform she had been standing on.

"Philwin, go and track the movements of the Loki Familia."

"Yes, Dionysus."

The blond god gave instructions to his elven follower, observing the battle that might become the "opportunity".

"Captain!"

"..."

As the group members immediately began to move, the dwarf warrior looked down with disdain at the darkness that stretched across his field of vision.

The declaration has been made through the cry of the "monster".

The war quietly began.

*

The enemy's "operation" began in the southern district.

"It's...it's appeared!?"

"It's a monster! In the back alley—!"

What appeared was a unicorn rabbit. It was wearing a loose blue battle jacket, with a broken pocket watch around its neck, and looked exactly like the "armed monsters" that the Loki Familia had fought. It was running around in the back alleys in the south of the labyrinth town.

The adventurers roared and charged at their prey.

"The 'Unicorn Rabbit' has appeared!"

"Over there, chase it into a dead end!"

Ignoring the intense noise reaching her ears, Ais stayed true to her original intention and did her "duty".

(Without hesitation, I need to keep a close eye on this child.)

She stood on the rooftop, with Bell Craney in front of her on the street below.

Ever since the boy arrived at Daedalus Road, Ais has been keeping an eye on him, maintaining a distance that allows her to catch him instantly should he make any suspicious moves or come into contact with a monster.

Bell glanced at Ais with a bitter expression, then let go of the half-elf guild member's hand and ran out in one breath.

The game of "you chase me, I run away" has begun.

"Hurry, don't lose them!"

Like Ais, the intuitive adventurer avoided the harassment tactics of the unicorn rabbit and instead chose to pursue Bell Crane. Ais ran along the rooftops, and in her field of vision came into view several high-level adventurers who were clearly quite powerful.

Bell did not slow down, continuing towards the southeast of the maze street.

Just as Ais's eyes were fixed on his retreating figure as he rushed across the street, he suddenly changed direction.

The boy turned the corner of the alley and disappeared into the shadows in an instant; his figure vanished without a trace.

「!?」

"Where did the rising star go!?"

As Ais was stunned, the adventurers also began to shout in confusion.

Seeing Bell vanish without a trace, everyone else stood frozen in silence. Even Ais stopped in her tracks.

Then came a burst of chaotic shouts.

"Found him, it's [Rookie]! He went into that house!"

"No, this way, on the way!"

"What!?"

"A monster! A monster has appeared!"

Shouts of "Spotting enemy activity!" echoed everywhere, leaving the adventurers utterly bewildered. Reports of monsters being discovered were one thing, but why was Bell Craney appearing everywhere? Of course, every single piece of news was false; everyone lost track of both the monster and the boy.

When I came to my senses, I realized that the surrounding area was in complete chaos.

"It's gone?"

Ignoring the adventurers' confused cries, Ais calmly surveyed her surroundings.

(—No, it's still there.)

Then, very quickly, she caught the "aura" of "the vanished Bell".

No matter how you try to eliminate your presence or scent, you cannot escape the perception range of a first-level adventurer, who can detect even the slightest footsteps or scent.

(No mistake, he's "invisible"! Was all this chaos caused by Bell and his crew?)

The battle-hardened Sword Maiden abandoned the other adventurers and chased after the boy's "aura" alone.

Was this chaotic situation caused by the enemy's "magic" or "magical artifacts"? Regardless, carelessness would fall into their trap. Ais completely dismissed the notion that Bell Crane... no, that the [Hestia Familia] was inferior to her.

She transforms into a hunter, continuing her pursuit of the boy.

however……

"【Fiora】".

"!"

Someone appeared and blocked her way.

The newcomer wore a hooded long cloak and long boots like Ais's, and was a masked adventurer who covered his face.

The figure blocking Ais drew a wooden sword from his waist.

"I would like to challenge you to a duel."

Ais stared at the other person in disbelief.

"Here... are we now?"

"I also lead a shameful life, and if it weren't for this situation, I wouldn't even be able to challenge you to a duel."

Many swordsmen would challenge the renowned Sword Maiden to a duel. Her dignified and unyielding voice sounded utterly genuine.

But is it really just a coincidence that this was chosen at this time?

(Bell's...companion?)

In other words, it's a delaying tactic.

As Ais reached for the sword strap, she glanced in the direction the boy's aura had disappeared.

"Excuse me, but please accept this."

The masked adventurer swung his sword sharply, aiming at Ais.

Wow, so fast!

Faced with a wooden sword that came at her with speed comparable to a first-class adventurer, Ais had no choice but to draw her own. The two weapons clashed with a crisp sound, and they leaped from the rooftop into the back alley.

Ais abandoned her pursuit of Bell and instead engaged the masked adventurers.

*

"A unicorn rabbit has been reported in the south! Multiple reports from the southeast region also indicate sightings of a monster!"