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

A dwarf boy (Osin) stood among the children of humans, canines, and half-elves, watching in stunned silence as Bell battled the monster. His expression suggested he didn't fully grasp the situation, but the disappointment in his eyes gradually faded.

The hostility toward Bell Crane gradually disappeared from the residents' eyes.

(A farce...)

The story revolves around a group of people under attack, a girl (the female protagonist) in danger, and a "hero" who protects them from monsters.

It was extremely dramatic.

It's utterly ridiculous.

The divine orchestration of the performance manipulated everyone involved.

Should we praise the god (Hermes) for his skillful manipulation, or should we look down on the easily manipulated people of the lower realm? Finn unfortunately discovers that a divine being is pulling the strings behind the scenes, and observes this "stage" with the eyes of someone who is the only one who is sober in a crowd.

Aside from Finn, perhaps only the gods could see through the structure of the "stage".

Finn thought this as he discovered that the Hestia Familia and their chief god had arrived at the plaza, but he stood there helplessly.

(If the boy's (Bell Crane's) actions five days ago were "foolish"... then this one could be called "purification.")

We might call it a "ritual" to reclaim the title of "hero".

It is the "return to the origin of heroes" designed by the gods.

Whether Hermes intended to elevate Bell to the throne of "hero" remains unclear; his intentions are ambiguous.

But at least that's how Finn appears to be.

(If it were me...)

What would Finn do in his place?

Would you say that this suits my taste perfectly and that I am willing to be manipulated?

Will they still be reluctant and refuse with a firm attitude?

But in the end—Finn felt he would prioritize ambition.

He believed he should follow God's will, endure hardship for the sake of his race, and try to reclaim his reputation as a "hero."

Finn had anticipated that he would do this, and couldn't help but laugh at himself.

He laughed at himself, realizing he was indeed a "man-made hero."

He is a "cunning hero" who weighs everything carefully before taking action.

"Loki... I'm sorry, there's nothing here that needs to be seen clearly."

This is a stage bought out by the gods; everything unfolds exactly as scripted. Nothing can be gleaned from it.

Finn passed this message on to the Lord God who had given him the advice.

(The monster is truly pathetic... It should have just wanted to return to the dungeon, but it was manipulated by the gods.)

Finn would never pity a monster.

But only for this moment did he cast a pitying glance at the gargoyle that was wreaking havoc.

"Commander, everything is ready!"

"Okay, send the signal."

The team members reported to him that the personnel deployment was complete.

Finn gave a brief instruction, then assumed the ready stance to throw the Spear of Fortia.

Finn not only doesn't intend to ruin Hermes' stage, but also plans to use it to suppress the monster and, incidentally, "clear the boy's name." After all, Finn doesn't want to ostracize the "rising star." As he told the orphans, Finn admires him.

—Or perhaps I want to see what judgment Bell Craney will make.

Would you be unable to make any decisions and simply be pierced by the sharp teeth and claws of a monster, committing the worst "foolish act"?

Or will he follow God's will, kill monsters, and enjoy the status of a "hero"?

This is a predetermined choice between two options.

Finn wondered which side he would choose, his blue eyes following the audience's eager anticipation of the show.

"The Loki Familia has arrived!!"

The surface troops stormed into the square.

The adventurers and residents around cheered, and the winged monsters roared their desperate cries.

"!!"

The ferocious gargoyle spread its wings wide and took flight.

It moved parallel to the ground and boldly launched its special attack.

The desperate attack left no room for the startled half-elf and Bell Crane to dodge or defend.

The stage is about to come to its finale.

"Draw the bow."

Finn ordered his crew to shoot down the winged monsters, while he prepared to pierce the gargoyles with his spear.

Finn, holding his spear, focused only on the boy and the monster.

People were screaming in agony.

The monster is roaring.

The thread called divine will was pulled along with the smile.

Just as the entire world, surrounded on all sides, was condensed into a single moment—the boy's eyes widened to the point of bursting.

Facing the monstrous claws that were about to pierce him...

Bell stared at it, and the action it took was...

Choose to believe.

"────"

Finn froze.

The boy opened his arms, waiting for the monster to come closer.

Seeing this completely unguarded posture, the monster's stone eyes widened in astonishment, and in the next instant...

The gargoyle stopped its attack halfway and flew away.

"Wait a minute!"

Above the plaza, Finn reacted faster than anyone else, shouting a halt to the order, much to the surprise of the group members.

His wide blue eyes were fixed on the gargoyle that had stopped attacking.

(It stopped? It gave up? The monster stopped attacking? It wasn't that the brainwashing was lifted—it was due to its own will!?)

Finn didn't miss the monster's actions and unfortunately realized that the gargoyle's sudden cessation of its attack wasn't due to a regaining of its rationality. He knew the gargoyle had seen Bell Craney's actions and then retracted its claws on its own initiative.

At the same time, Finn realized that his speculation was wrong.

—Was that monster never manipulated in the first place?

So, the monster originally intended to sacrifice itself for Bell Crane?

—In order to repay the boy who stood up to protect the dragon girl, he agreed to the conditions proposed by the gods?

--Would a "monster" do this for the sake of humanity!?

He repeatedly asked and answered himself within a second.

A flash of light and a shockwave shot through Finn's clear mind.

Even with its "rationality," it was unexpected that the genuine "monster" would protect humanity without any ulterior motives or schemes.

It responded to the boy's trust.

(Even more astonishing is—Bell Craney!)

Neither killing the monster nor letting the half-elf he was protecting die, he made the most foolish third move.

Contrary to Finn's prediction that there were only two options, they chose the "third option".

The boy shattered the "scales".

The boy tore through the absolute "divine will".

The boy kicked away the "hero's" throne that others had brought him and issued a rebellious cry to the "world".

To Finn, his posture...

It was unprecedentedly foolish, yet so dazzling it dazzled him—

"──────"

at this time……

Overwhelmed by a tidal wave of emotions, Finn's thumb throbbed with pain.

The pain was so intense that Finn had to stop thinking.

This was the ultimate warning bell, telling him that "something" was approaching.

Finn suddenly looked up, all alone, and the next instant...

"Roar!!"

The great roar that shattered all confusion, entanglement, and treacherous schemes reached the heavens.

*

"The Thousand Spirits!? How did you escape from the dungeon!?"

"Sorry, I'll talk to you later!"

She broke free from the guards of the Ganesha Familia and fled from the Tower of Babel.

Lefia is running.

After saying goodbye to Riveria and the others on the 12th floor, she ran through the underground city at an astonishing speed, just as she had said, "I will definitely be back within an hour." She rushed up the underground staircase of the skyscraper facility (Tower of Babel) and arrived at the surface.

"We need to get the commander and the others there quickly...!"

For Rivera and her companions, who were still venturing into the man-made labyrinth, Lefia rushed from the central square to Daedalus Road. She used jumps of over five meters to reach the rooftop platforms of shops, leaping from one rooftop to the next, heading straight to the southeast of the city.

To call for reinforcements, Lefia ran breathlessly and bravely, but...

"Roar!!"

「!?」

The roar that reached the moonlit night sky dampened the momentum of her rapid march.

"That roar just now... could it have been the black bull (Minotaur)!?"

Lefia was certain that the terrifying roar, comparable to the floor master's "howl," came from the "Black Bull," which Finn and Ais and the others were on high alert for.

The scream was so terrifying that Lefia instinctively guessed that not only she, but the entire city's inhabitants must be trembling with fear.

The residents were terrified and couldn't help but peek out of their windows from the upper floors of the building into the southeastern part of the city; Lefia stood there blankly for a moment, then her eyes turned fierce.

With a powerful kick that sent a section of the roof flying, she sped toward the maze street.

(Where on "Daedalus Road"!? The leader and the others have also rushed to the location where the Minotaur appeared!?)

Lefia tried to find the location of the "Black Bull" in the vast maze-like streets, but it turned out to be a waste of time.

This is because she went straight to the scene from the central square, and soon after she stepped into Daedalus Road, the outer area in the northwest of the maze street became a "battlefield".

"Aa ...

"Roar!!"

Because Bell Craney is fighting one-on-one with "Black Bull".

"Ugh—Ughh ...

Lefia, who landed in the square, immediately let out a deafening scream upon seeing the scene.

That was an angry roar.

—You were clearly protecting the "Armed Monster" and the Dragon Girl (Vivel) before!