Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darou ka - Volume 9 CHAPTER 3 THE WORLD AND REALITY AND MONSTERS

“There’s a big difference between hearing about it and seeing it with my own
eyes. It’s a real shock.”
Lady Hephaistos says this as she scratches at the patch covering her right
eye while inspecting Wiene.
Hearthstone Manor’s living room is bathed in morning light. Three deities
have come to our home: Lord Takemikazuchi, Lord Miach, and Lady
Hephaistos. Their stunned gazes are focused on the vouivre girl hiding
behind my back.
“A monster that doesn’t attack people…and is capable of
communicating.”
“This could rewrite our understanding of the mortal world, perhaps even
change what we once considered to be common sense.”
“I don’t think we can neatly sweep this under a rug by just calling it
‘Irregular’…”
The gods don troubled expressions as we, Hestia Familia, observe from
the sidelines.
“So none of you have any experience with this, I take it?” Lady Hestia
takes a step closer to her friends and asks one more time, but Lady
Hephaistos just shakes her head from side to side.
To disturb even the gods…Wiene’s very existence must be extraordinary.
“If anyone were to have any information…wouldn’t it be the Guild, I
wonder?”
Their conversation continues until Lady Hephaistos’s suggestion sends
chills up everyone’s spines.
Even I react after she brings up the Guild.

“…You may be right. There is a possibility they know more than we do
now.”
“But do be warned, going to the Guild for information is dangerous.”
The Guild acts like the governing body of Orario in addition to its role in
managing all Dungeon-related activity. Chances are good that they’re more
knowledgeable about the current condition of the Dungeon than our lone
familia. On the other hand, there’s a good chance they’ll withhold proprietary
knowledge. Low-ranking employees like Eina and others don’t know about a
lot of things—for example, the top-secret information about our fight with
the Black Goliath.
But then again, we’d be in a bad spot if they find out about Wiene. Our
familia would obviously be in an incredibly dangerous position if word gets
out that we’re harboring a monster. Especially Wiene, the epitome of
Irregulars. In the worst-case scenario, she could be taken away for
experimentation or who knows what…
With all these frightening ideas running through my head, I can’t help but
agree with Lord Miach and Lord Takemikazuchi’s assessment that it’s too
risky to consult the Guild. My goddess crosses her arms, a sour look on her
face.
In the end, Lady Hephaistos says she can’t make any promises, but she’ll
look into this herself and inform us if she comes across anything important.
“As for what we do from here…I’d like for Bell and the others to take a
trip to the Dungeon.”
After the other deities leave, our goddess faces us as she broaches the
topic.
“It’s painfully obvious that there’s a limit to how much we can learn on
the surface. The only option now is to expand our investigation into the
Dungeon.”
Six days have passed since I met Wiene.
Reviewing all we’ve learned over those days, the goddess asks us to
return to the spot on the nineteenth floor where I found Wiene and search for
clues.
“As Lilly mentioned before, we’re not the only ones investigating talking
monsters. The situation could change at any moment…If we want to make a
move, the sooner the better.”
“…Yeah. We gotta go.”

Mikoto and Haruhime tense up when Lilly reminds them of her first day
searching around the city. Welf voices his agreement.
We’re just standing around right now. At this rate, the situation might get
away from us.
Exchanging nods, we decide to expand our search into the Dungeon.
“Sorry about this, everyone…I want to know what’s happening, too. I’m
counting on you all.”
The goddess looks at all of us in turn.
Remembering the shock of Lady Hephaistos and the other deities after our
goddess’s earnest intent, I realize all over again that we’re entering unknown
territory, where even the gods don’t know what’s happening. My skin is
crawling.
“Bell…”
“…It’s all right. I’ll be back before you know it.”
Wiene anxiously glances up at me. I say the usual reassuring words and
do my best to smile.

“It’s been a while since just the three of us roamed the Dungeon.”
“That’s because we haven’t been shorthanded recently.”
I walk out the manor’s front gate with Welf, greatsword over his shoulder,
and Lilly, backpack strapped behind her.
The ones heading to the Dungeon are Lilly, Welf, and myself. Mikoto and
Haruhime are staying behind to take care of Wiene and look after our home.
It’s our original three-man cell. How nostalgic. I share a smile with my
two friends who’ve fought alongside me since before they joined my familia.
“Bear in mind that our destination is the nineteenth floor…Honestly, Lilly
is concerned about the three of us going on our own. The journey to and from
the site plus our investigation might take well over one day.”
“Good point. I don’t want to be away from home any longer than we have
to be.”
“Yeah…True…”
Lilly voices her concerns as we head to our home’s closest city avenue,
Southwest Main Street.

We made it down to the eighteenth floor the other day, but that was as a
five-member party. Not to mention Mikoto and Welf had the benefit of
Haruhime’s Level Boost.
Having traveled to the safe point a few times already, we’re quite familiar
with the Dungeon layout as well as how to deal with the monsters that spawn
on the intervening floors. Getting down there as a three-man party shouldn’t
be too much of a problem. The only worry is that it might take us a fair bit of
time to do it.
Without Mikoto and Haruhime, it’s only natural that the danger increases
—and relying too heavily on Welf’s magic swords and Lilly’s stink bombs,
which both have a limited number of uses, would be a pretty terrible plan—
so we’ll have to be more careful and slow down.
And a sappier reason is that I don’t want to be away from home for a long
time, since we left Wiene and the others there.
Though before I met everybody, I used to go into the Dungeon alone all
the time, so I’m fortunate to have these worries at all, but…
As a side note, whenever I visit Rivira, I often hear about solo specialist
upper-class adventurers who regularly travel to and from the safe point floor
all alone, especially those who are Level 3 like me.
In my case, though, I have an overwhelming lack of experience…and the
middle levels—a place one enters fully prepared to die—had given me a
complicated kind of trauma. At the very least, I don’t particularly want to go
any farther into there.
“Aghh…”
I know Welf and I have leveled-up since our first attempts to venture so
far down, but we can’t let our guard down. Not to mention that we want to
get to the nineteenth floor as quickly as possible.
I take in the vast blue sky overhead and try to come up with a good idea…
and then the face of a certain adventurer pops into my mind.
Of course she could…

“Is there something on my face?”
“Ah, n-no!”
We’ve come to the always busy West Main Street.
I purposely try to avoid meeting a pair of sky-blue eyes, instead peering at

the constant flow of horse-drawn carriages and adventurers passing by.
“Is something wrong, Bell? You’ve been glancing at Lyu ever since you
got here.”
“N-no, nothing’s wrong…”
We’re in front of The Benevolent Mistress.
Syr made lunch for me again today, so I’m swinging by to collect it.
She prepares a meal for me every day, including days we don’t go into the
Dungeon. On those days she feeds it to the other staff members and asks for
feedback…or so I hear. Humbly giving my thanks, I receive the lunch basket
from her, but she points out that my gaze keeps wandering toward the elf
woman.
It seems my thoughts are showing in my behavior.
Basically, Is it possible to ask Lyu for help on this trip…? Or something
like that.
Having a former adventurer with amazing skills like hers in our party
would all but guarantee us reaching our destination in no time.
But asking her to come just because it would be convenient for us…? I
think that’s pushing it a bit too far. We couldn’t have won the War Game
without her, and she’s come to our rescue so many times that taking
advantage of her like this would be rude.
I force a smile for Syr and Lyu, trying to gloss things over, but…
“Mr. Bell, we have nothing to lose, so please ask Miss Lyu to assist us.”
“Huh? Wait a sec—Lilly?”
“We cannot afford to be picky about our methods. We have no choice but
to make this request.”
…However, Lilly tugs at the back of my shirt and whispers her thoughts.
She’s right. It’s already pretty late in the morning, so I bet other people
like Ouka or Daphne have already led their parties into the Dungeon. It’s too
late to ask them to accompany us, but still…
I turn around in an effort to dissuade her as quietly as possible, but I give
up as soon as Lilly brings up Wiene. There’s nothing I can say.
Still indecisive, I face Lyu and Syr again before trying to negotiate.
“…You are attempting to reach the safe point?”
“Y-yes…Is that…too much to ask…after all?”
Leaving out our true destination on the nineteenth floor, I claim that we’re
trying to reach Rivira instead.

At Lyu’s response, my voice and body both get smaller as I watch her
standing still, holding one of the bar’s trays.
“Bell, why do you want to go all the way there?”
“W-well, you see, there’s something we have to do today, kind of like a
quest…”
Syr tilts her head, displaying her confusion as I try to sound as convincing
as possible…but her expression never changes, and her sky-blue eyes
unblinkingly stare at me. I can’t meet her gaze, so I let mine wander.
I feel guilty for hiding something in the face of such sincerity.
Lilly and Welf sigh at my suspicious behavior, or rather my inability to
lie.
“…Mr. Cranell, I must apologize, but I have much work to attend to at the
moment…”
Those were the exact words that I expected, the inevitable rejection—
when out of the blue…
“Bell Cranell!”
An assertive voice comes up from behind me.
All of us spin around to find a beautiful, wild woman with one hand
resting on her curvy waist.
“A-Aisha?”
My eyes land on Aisha Belka, who’s wearing clothing fit for a dancer.
Formerly a high-ranking member of Ishtar Familia, she’s a second-tier
adventurer and a passionate Amazon. She was also one of Haruhime’s few
allies when she was forced to work as a prostitute.
She has beautiful, long legs; tanned bronze skin, as displayed by her
exposed stomach; and most of all, an intense allure emanating from her entire
body. Every man on the street is craning his neck for a better look at her.
“Wh-what are you doing here…?”
“Wanted to check up on that scrawny fox and maybe see your face, so I
dropped by your home, only to hear that you left for the Dungeon. I was
gonna head back without any more fuss, but here you are. Aren’t I lucky?”
As Aisha draws closer, her reply sounds convincing.
This isn’t the first time that she’s paid us a visit to see if Haruhime is
doing okay. Welf and Lilly have interacted with her on occasion as well.
Today didn’t go as she planned, but she happened to bump into us in the
end.

“If you don’t mind my asking, what are you all doing hanging out outside
a bar?”
Aisha looks back and forth between our groups and asks a question of her
own after I quickly introduce her to Lyu and Syr.
I hesitate a little, but then I explain the situation without saying much
about Lyu.
“Oh? So you need an escort? I’ll take you up on that.”
“Huh?!”
“You’re just going down to the safe point and coming right back up, yes?
Piece of cake.”
Everyone is stunned by Aisha’s response, including Welf and Lilly—and
so are Syr and Lyu.
“A-are you sure…?”
“It’s a quest like any other. As long as there’s a reward, I got no reason to
say no. Plus, I’ve always wanted to try heading into the Dungeon with you.”
The first part was very matter-of-fact, but she said the second bit with a
bewitching smile while crossing her arms.
Her clothes are so revealing they could easily be mistaken for underwear,
and she’s pushing up her ample cleavage, on par with Lady Hestia’s. I know
Aisha’s considerably sultry demeanor has set my cheeks on fire.
…I’m aware that I have trouble interacting with this quintessential
Amazon.
Her bold personality is part of it, but the constant sight of her vibrant dark
skin along with her provocative cleavage makes me blush furiously.
Meanwhile, Lilly’s glare and Syr’s wide grin are really scaring me.
Sweat drips from my forehead…but honestly, having a second-tier
adventurer like her come with us would be a great help. That way, I wouldn’t
have to drag Lyu into this.
Aisha narrows her eyes the moment that thought crosses my mind.
“But just warning you—I ain’t cheap.”
“Eek…?!”
Her arms slither around my shoulders like a snake and pull me in close.
I’m terrified even before I feel Aisha’s soft body pressed up against mine.
Mostly because she’s licking her lips right in front of my face.
The scene startles Lilly and Syr, while Welf lets out an exasperated sigh.
Even Lyu, who hasn’t said a word, frowns.

“Wh-what’s the reward…?!”
“Oh, you remember, right? Since the last time I missed out on my chance
to indulge.”
Nightmarish memories of being hunted in the Pleasure Quarter flash
before my eyes. Aisha’s musky perfume and wheat-colored skin bring back
the terror I endured that night.
At the carnivorous smile on her lips, all the blood drains from my face,
turning me pale as a ghost—
“—Hands off him.”
Like a sword flashing by, a wooden tray tears through the air with
terrifying speed.
Aisha sidesteps the vertical slash at the last possible moment.
Finally free, I shift my trembling eyes in the direction of the tray-bearer.
A cold stare the likes of which I’ve never seen before is emanating from
Lyu’s sky-blue eyes.
“Stand back, Amazon. I will not allow you to perform obscene acts on
him.”
The Amazon warrior isn’t fazed by the arctic glare. Instead, she looks
excited for a fight, lips curling upward.
“Oh? What’s this? Sayin’ you got dibs on this male?”
“…Do not misunderstand me. He has already been engaged to his
promised partner.”
What is she saying?!
“Well, isn’t that interesting? I was planning on entrusting him to a little
sister of mine.”
“Please refrain from saying such ridiculous nonsense. You will only cause
trouble for Mr. Cranell.”
“Fine, I get it, I get it. We’ll have our taste first, and then you and that
friend of yours can start off by holding his hands like a bunch of elves.”
“I refuse to trust him to someone of such poor character. I advise you and
your sister to withdraw.”
A fierce argument unfolds right in front of my widened eyes.
Aisha glares down at Lyu with her height advantage, but the elf isn’t
backing down. I can almost see sparks flying right now. Facts and
hypotheticals fly between the two women and—I have no idea what’s going
on.

…The fastidious elves might have about as much trouble seeing eye to
eye with the uninhibited Amazons as they do with dwarves, if their
relationship isn’t actually worse.
Thinking this, I start sweating bullets as Lyu’s menacing eyes meet
Aisha’s provocative grin.
“Syr, my apologies. I will be absent for half the day. Please inform Mama
Mia.”
“L-Lyu?”
“This woman is dangerous and cannot be left to her own devices. I will
participate in this quest to protect Mr. Cranell’s chastity. I shall return by
evening. You have my word.”
Ch-chastity…?
Lyu didn’t take her eyes off Aisha as she spoke. Even Syr is bewildered.
She’s absolutely serious about protecting me from Aisha’s “evil
influence”…
Either she puts this amount of effort into everything she does, or a strong
sense of loyalty and courage is motivating her. This is no joke.
“…Well, it appears we’ve happened to acquire two valuable allies for this
journey, and that is a good thing.”
“…Must be tough being a famous adventurer, with people keeping an eye
on you all the time…”
Lyu is standing between Aisha and me like a knight. I blankly stare at the
two of them as Lilly’s and Welf’s comments reach my ears.
But I think it was the pity in Welf’s voice that stung the most.

With Lyu’s and Aisha’s pledged support, Syr saw us off as we made our way
toward the Dungeon.
They were nice enough to adjust to our tight schedule, and rather than
going to retrieve their own equipment, the two of them bought weapons and
armor at the assorted shops on the way to Babel Tower to save time.
Then, with the assistance of two second-tier adventurers in our temporary
party, we breezed through the upper levels in no time flat.

“HAAAAAAAA!!”
Her voice rips through the air with a ferocity worthy of the large weapon
in her grip, and she lays waste to several hellhounds in one attack.
We’ve made it to the rocky cave-like halls of the fourteenth floor. Aisha
looks right in her element, grinning from ear to ear as the attacker in our
formation. She makes quick work of any monsters in our path.
She purchased an unusually large greatsword at a weapon shop before we
entered the Dungeon. It’s much sharper and heavier than her usual wooden
sword, but she still swings it around like a feather. No monsters can get close.
Her handiwork is eliciting some complaints from our longsword user, Welf.
Aisha was momentarily free after the destruction of Ishtar Familia, but
she’s already undergone Conversion.
As for where she belongs now, I once asked her when she was visiting
Haruhime, but…
“That’s a secret.”
She laughed and dropped the subject.
I’m sure I could find out by perusing the public records on file at the
Guild…
“…Lady Aisha? Have you reached Level Four?”
“Sure have, eagle eyes!”
Lilly’s ranged support was completely unnecessary with our
overwhelmingly powerful front line, so her naturally superior vision allowed
her to pick up on some telltale signs and led her to ask. Aisha affirms it
without a second thought.
She went from Level 3 to Level 4. In other words, a level-up—reaching a
higher plane.
I got the same impression as Lilly when her move turned out to be so
much faster than when we fought, but…I can’t hide my surprise after hearing
it for myself. Aisha looks my way for a moment before charging into another
pack of monsters and tearing them to shreds.
“It’s because I had to deal with some rough things. I shut myself up in the
Dungeon for a while to toughen up a bit.”
Apparently, she’s been on more than a few of her own adventures since
our battle in the Pleasure Quarter.
She was already at the very peak of Level 3 adventurers back when she
led the Berbera. It’s already been a month since that fight, so the prospect of

her leveling up isn’t actually that strange.
I can feel it when Aisha grins back at me with lust for battle: She’s moved
up.
Combining ground-shattering kicks with slashes of her greatsword, she
smashes in the heads of monster after monster. She flows through the
battlefield like a lethal, bladed torrent that leaves gruesome fragments in its
wake.
The loose fabric of her revealing outfit shifts along with her hair as the
Amazon’s momentum guides her away from spurts of blood. Not a drop
touches her during the dance of death.
“Antianeira…I see. So this is her.”
Lyu whispers Aisha’s title to herself from her spot a few steps back from
the front line. At almost the same moment, the Dungeon wall cracks open
behind the Amazon. I don’t even have time to count the creatures pouring out
before Lyu cuts them all down with her two shortswords in the blink of an
eye.
“Heh, not bad.”
“You, too.”
Aisha pays Lyu a genuine compliment after watching her wipe out the
horde.
Instead of purchasing weapons on our way here, Lyu bought a battle cloth
resembling traveler’s garb. Combining it with her hooded robe, she’s hiding
her identity as usual. Dressing the same way she did during the War Game
would only attract unwanted attention, so she’s settled into a plain outfit. The
only weapons she has on her are the two shortswords she apparently carries at
all times.
Aisha might have caught on to who she is.
But she doesn’t say anything.
She must’ve considered it a minor detail in light of the current battle and
only hacks her way through the waves of monsters alongside the hooded
warrior from the War Game.
“—KIIIH!!”
“!”
The devastating power of our front line blazes a path through the
Dungeon.
Welf and I, who are on standby in the middle ranks, suddenly come under

attack from monsters emerging from an adjacent passageway.
It’s a swarm of rabbit monsters, al-miraj. Welf engages the first wave,
slicing down several with a swing of his greatsword. I’m slow to react beside
him, and they launch a flood of nature weapons—stone tomahawks—right at
me.
I knock each of the incoming tomahawks away with the Hestia Knife and
Ushiwakamaru-Nishiki. The disarmed al-miraj give in to their monster
instincts and charge directly at us, the horns on their heads leading the way.
Weaving in and out of their attacks, I block one head-on, knock it off
balance, and line up the counterstrike—
“—!”
My body slows down just before making contact.
“Bell!”
“Mr. Bell!”
Something about seeing my reflection in its big red eyes causes me to
hesitate.
In fact, I’ve come to a complete stop. Welf’s and Lilly’s yells ring in my
ears as the al-miraj’s red irises narrow. It jumps directly for my breastplate.
It hits me dead center, and the impact knocks me off balance.
Crap—!
Landing flat on my back, more al-miraj converge on me.
This is ba—!
Just as I try to raise a blade that will never make it in time—a wind passes
over me.
“KIH—?!”
A hooded robe flutters; four monsters succumb to flashes of silver light.
More accurately, they crumble into ash moments later, their magic stones
shattered.
The shadow that saved my life makes quick work of the remaining
monsters.
“…Th-thanks, Lyu.”
Dropping back from the front lines, Lyu wiped out all the enemies in an
instant.
She offers me her hand, which I take, staggering to my feet.
“Seriously, that was pathetic. What a letdown, Bell Cranell.”
The battle over, Aisha walks up to us, tapping the blunt edge of her

greatsword against her shoulder with extreme disappointment. After all, I’m
Level 3, and a middle-level monster just got the best of me. It is a letdown.
The censuring look in her eyes says, You are a man who defeated me in
battle.
There’s no way I can respond after that embarrassment.
“Mr. Cranell, that was not like you.”
Lyu watches me from beneath her hood as she approaches.
“Has something happened?”
“……”
Her tone is soft, as if trying to protect my feelings, but all I can do is stare
at the floor.
Spending so much time with Wiene has affected me more than I thought.
Will other monsters we encounter start talking, the way she did?
Are they all capable of the same thoughts and feelings that we are? Can
they all cry?
I haven’t done anything since we came into the Dungeon, letting everyone
else deal with the monsters.
This has never happened before.
Welf and Lilly silently watch me with knowing expressions.
I can’t keep going like this…
It won’t end well.
I have to flip the switch. This is just wasting Lyu’s and Aisha’s time.
I tell myself that over and over while looking at my clenched fist.
The party presses forward again after I say a quick apology.
But even so…
I can’t get Wiene’s face out of my head, and there’s no silencing the doubt
in my heart.

Bell’s party arrived at the eighteenth floor.
Thanks in large part to the exploits of Lyu and Aisha—and to the fact that
other adventurers had already exterminated the floor boss on the seventeenth
floor, Goliath—it took them only three hours.

They passed beneath the “afternoon” light shining down from the crystals
far above. The brightest of them all was a mum-shaped formation that grew
out from the ceiling’s center like an upside-down blossom. The adventurers
formed a loose line as they journeyed toward Rivira, the settlement that had
been built on a rocky island in the middle of the lake on the west side of the
floor.
As always, it was bustling with upper-class adventurers looking to rest
and restock in the relay town.
“—So when are the boys coming back?”
“How should Lilly know? Boys will be boys, and there are things that
only they can attend to, yes?”
Aisha spoke up amid the tents filled with weapons and items for sale and
sparkling crystals lining the street.
She turned around at a particularly large crystal column at a corner. Lilly
casually answered while adjusting the straps of her bulging backpack, as the
Amazon glanced at the heavily armored adventurers walking by.
Only Lilly, Aisha, and Lyu were at the street corner.
“You played me good. Never thought the two of them would leave you
behind and head off on their own.”
Bell and Welf had excused themselves by saying, “We’ll sell off some
drop items and be right back,” and left the group.
The girls hadn’t caught a single glimpse of the pair since then.
“You said you had business on this floor? Are we not allowed to know?”
“Miss Aisha, what are you talking about? Lilly doesn’t understand.”
Refusing to give in, Lilly kept up the facade with a satisfied smile.
“Cheeky runt,” Aisha muttered through a mirthless grin.
Beside them, a long sigh escaped Lyu’s hood.

“Should we have said something to Lyu and Aisha before we left…?”
“You know as well as I do we can’t have them with us while we look
around. Let Li’l E handle it.”
Welf and I walk shoulder to shoulder through the labyrinth of trees.
Lyu and Aisha got us to the safe point, but we came down to the

nineteenth floor, the Colossal Tree Labyrinth, on our own. The two of us set
foot onto the floor where I met Wiene.
“Don’t forget, those two are adventurers, too. They agreed to this ‘quest,’
so there’s no need to tell them anything else.”
Adventurers need to understand only what their mission is and how to
carry it out—nothing more, nothing less. Unnecessary details just get in the
way. Welf flashes a grin as he explains this unwritten rule among
adventurers.
I still feel bad for leaving Lyu and Aisha in the dark…but it’s just as Welf
says. Our top priority is keeping Wiene a secret. We had no choice but to
split up.
Somehow, I manage to smile back and change my focus to the task at
hand.
“I know we just got here and all…but this level is completely different
from what we’ve seen so far.”
On high alert, Welf makes his passing comment as we head through the
particularly wide passageway.
Tree bark covers every bit of the Dungeon walls here, making it look and
feel as though we’re exploring the inside of the giant tree. As it occurs to me
that the route is as complex as a mess of intertwining branches itself, we spot
a narrow path at least ten meders above our heads. A long series of bumpy
tree roots come together there, forming a staircase. There’s something around
every turn that goes to show the nineteenth floor is much bigger than I
thought.
I’m used to bright spots on the ceiling providing light, but not here.
Instead, the darkness is kept at bay by bioluminescent moss growing thickly
along the ceiling, walls, and floor, sparkling like stars in a night sky. Their
beautiful blue radiance is so fascinating that I have to remind myself I’m in
the Dungeon.
Welf is right: This floor is completely different from any other area we’ve
explored.
I’m used to the many crystals and various biomes of the Under Resort, but
the true meaning of the word uncharted is striking me anew.
“I bet Miach Familia’s going to start sending us down here on quests a lot
more from now on.”
“Ah-ha-ha…”

All the plants in here have distinctive smells, including some sweet,
flowerlike aromas with potential to beguile adventurers.
There’s a far greater variety of flora in the Colossal Tree Labyrinth than
just trees and moss. White flowers are blooming from the crease where wall
meets ceiling overhead. A cluster of giant mushrooms comes into view after
we round a corner. A lot of these are the main ingredients for potions and
other items. It’s amazing. We could take some back with us right now.
Strangely colored grasses in various shades, a wall covered in thorny
vines, small golden flowers that blossom where the path forks, blue liquid
dripping from the ceiling to form a puddle on the floor…There are so many
rarities around us that chemists would love to get their hands on. The things
they wish for literally grow on trees down here.
“Bell, I’ll lead the way. This is a good chance for me to get some excelia.”
Still as alert as ever, Welf has been nice enough to keep talking to me like
we’re chatting back at home.
I’m sure he’s trying to keep my spirits high, since I can’t put up a decent
fight right now.
Having never been here before, both of us are really on edge. We’re
beyond the safe point of the eighteenth floor. Many people call the thirteenth
floor the “First Line” because it’s the start of the Cave Labyrinth. Even
though it’s still part of the middle levels, you’d be better off considering
everything beyond as a completely different world.
Not only do adventurers have to contend with the fearsome potential of
bugbears and mad beetles and the ranged attacks of gun libellulas and
firebirds, but monsters in this area are particularly good at inflicting Status
effects. Having a large supply of antidotes helps, but possessing the
Advanced Ability Immunity is considered to be the key to clearing floors in
the Colossal Tree Labyrinth.

The middle levels end at the twenty-third floor. Advancing to the twenty-
fourth floor requires a Status above Level 2 as well as a party you can trust…

I wonder if our two-man cell, with me at Level 3 and Welf at Level 2, is
strong enough for the nineteenth floor. If we don’t take everything head-on
and avoid battle as much as possible, I think we should do okay.
Lilly equipped me with a dagger-size Crozzo Magic Sword and a couple
of Malboro stink bombs in case things get dicey.
I think the main source of my anxiety is that we’re not used to this floor

yet.
“Tsk…mad beetles and gun libellulas.”
“They’re blocking the way forward…Let’s go!”
A swarm of mad beetles blocks our advance while a few of the dragonfly
monsters known as gun libellulas zip around through the air. Welf’s black
robe flies out behind him as he charges toward the group of insect monsters,
our first encounter on the nineteenth floor.
He’s wearing Lilly’s Goliath Robe over his usual workman’s jacket.
It’s a protective item capable of repelling everything from monster claws
to flames. Lilly insisted Welf take it with him when she found out we’d be
moving ahead as a two-man cell.
Its performance is great in the Colossal Tree Labyrinth. Not only does it
repel the mad beetles’ hooked pincers, but it even deflects the ranged attacks
from the gun libellulas’ spear-like abdomens.
With hardly a scratch on him thanks to the robe, Welf drives into the mad
beetles with a complicated expression.
…I can’t af ord to hesitate!
I clench my fist while watching Welf make headway against the swarm.
If I become a burden, we’ll end up in a situation we can’t recover from.
Welf can fight alone for only so long before his equipment and items can’t
take any more.
Silencing my unresolved doubts, I launch several Firebolts in quick
succession and shoot down the gun libellula flying above us, sweeping the
skies clean.
The Hestia Knife pulses with violet light, as if responding to the latest
Status I received from my goddess. I drive the blade into every creature that
comes into range, and their dying cries fill the passageway as Welf and I
advance.
Then, a short while after deviating from the main path leading to the next
floor…
“We getting close?”
“Yes…I found Wiene around here.”
Careful not to let my guard down, I’ve been checking the simple map
stuffed into a pouch on my belt over and over, holding it up to the light to
confirm where we are until I recognize our position.
We’re in a tree-lined path where many passageways meet. The ceiling is

high overhead, and there’s a large hill in the distance covered in tree roots.
From here, it almost looks like the base of a mountain.
I’d bet that’s how Wiene hurt her leg, falling down that hill.
“Didn’t see anything all that useful on the way here…”
“Wish I knew what ‘useful’ meant…” Welf adds with a sigh as we make
our way toward the steep incline.
We come to a stop in front of a lone tree surrounded by thick underbrush.
It’s the place where Wiene hid after hurting her leg—and the place we
first met.
…Should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy.
No matter how many leaves we push aside, no clues present themselves.
I check our location again; we’re on the west side of the map. There’s a
pantry farther west. It’s a good distance away, but if Wiene came from that
direction and fell down the slope, that would mean she was born somewhere
over there.
We might need to press even farther in…Just as that thought crosses my
mind—
…An adventurer?
—a humanoid figure appears from another passageway.
A hooded robe shrouds their tall frame. The person must be wearing chest
armor, because their torso is much thicker than their lower body. Their height
is about the same as Welf’s. While I can’t really tell their race or gender
thanks to the cloak, for some reason, I get the impression they’re female.
The hooded figure seems to be searching for something, their head turning
this way and that.
Following the same path that Welf and I took, the stranger approaches.
Welf and I, having chosen a suspicious place to stop, exchange abrupt
glances and immediately pretend like we’ve been collecting raw ingredients
for an item.
After a bit, we stand up. For the moment, we head back the way we came,
passing by the hooded figure moving in the opposite direction.
“—You…smell like my kind.”

In that instant…

…a penetratingly cold voice enters my ear as the robed figure’s head
swivels toward us as we pass.
Shiver.
Chills running up our spines, Welf and I leap backward.
Every fiber of my being screams at me to put some distance between us,
and my body quickly responds.
Feet firmly planted on the ground, the figure slowly turns in our direction,
shoulders squared.
“…What was that?”
The words that brushed my ears in that moment were clumsily formed;
however, the pressure emanating from the figure increased tenfold.
Welf whispers to himself in shock beside me while my heart races.
“……”
The stranger has fixed an unmoving stare on us.
Within the depths of the hood, the narrow silhouette of a feminine face
appears.
But those blue eyes, zeroing in on Welf and me like those of a bird of
prey, call to mind the ocean or perhaps the sky.
“The ones who kidnapped my comrades—was it you?”
“—?!”
They exude bloodlust beyond reason.
It’s incredibly ferocious, like that of an animal.
Like that of a monster.
An aura that mere people could never hope to replicate: an instinctual urge
to kill.
Those blue irises under the hood shift—becoming vertical slits.
—No way.
The pronunciation of a child, a hostile gaze, and, most of all, an extreme
case of déjà vu—Wiene’s face flashes through my mind.
Welf and I struggle against our shock while speculating about the true
identity of the stranger.
“…No, it can’t be. You don’t smell like blood.”
We’re frozen in place. But as soon as the wave of hostility hits us, the
figure’s high-bridged nose twitches slightly. The killing aura suddenly
vanishes.
The slit pupils return to normal. Now the beautiful eyes reflect calm

rationality while studying us.
“Perhaps you are the ones that Fels mentioned?”
“Fels…?”
“What the hell are you talking about?!”
I can only mumble in confusion as Welf pushes through his own
disorientation to deliver an angry shout.
I can’t discern what the stranger’s statement is supposed to mean, but they
said what sounded like a person’s name.
There’s something beguiling about the crystal-clear tone and rhythm of
that voice. Regardless, I’m totally lost.
Being this speechless isn’t just pathetic; it’s painful. I can’t even think.
This turn of events has shocked me so badly that my throat has gone bone
dry.
“……”
The mysterious person—no, “she” stays silent.
This is awkward. Monsters are howling somewhere off in the distance, but
my ears hardly register the sound. It’s like we’re in our own little bubble deep
in the Dungeon.
There are about five meders between us. She’s facing this way with her
back to the hill and not budging.
Time grinds to a complete stop. After what feels like an eternity, she
opens her mouth to speak again.
“I have a question for you two. Can we all coexist?”
“Wha…”
What does that have to do with anything? Her question came from so far
out of the blue that words abandon us.
“Do you think we can hold each other’s hands?”
“What are you…?”
“Your kind kills us. And we kill your kind in turn…Is this our destiny? Is it
impossible for us to understand each other?”
The questions continue unabated, but there’s a common thread through all
of them: a refusal to give up hope.
The blue eyes peering out from underneath the hood are half-lidded and
weary.
“I…want to bathe in the sunlight. Instead of this closed, dark hell, I want to
spread my wings in the world of light.”

She looks toward the ceiling, the hem of the robe swishing around her
feet.
Her hood shifts just enough for me to catch a glimpse of her face. Like
Wiene’s, it’s stunningly human.
“There’s something…different about you two…Maybe I can hope, just a little.”
After that, she crouches low—and then she flies off.
““!!””
Still facing forward, she arcs through the air away from us.
Even an adventurer blessed with a Status couldn’t possibly imitate this.
Light as a bird, she clears the hill in the blink of an eye and is gone a moment
later.
Welf and I are in shock…Only then do we notice that several golden
feathers have fallen from beneath her robe. They slowly spiral to the floor
where she once stood.
“You gotta be kidding me…There’s no way…She’s…”
Welf whispers in spite of himself as though lost in a daydream.
Standing motionless next to him, I can’t agree more.
“The same as…Wiene…”
I can’t give voice to anything more than that.

After our shocking meeting.
Welf and I stand there for a short while, but it isn’t long before a herd of
monsters finds us. We haven’t had a chance to collect our thoughts, but we
need to start moving again.
We face the monsters and shake them off before retracing our steps back
to the main route that will lead us out. Both of us agree that we’re too dazed
to collect any more information. The truth is, during the attack, things got a
little dicey thanks to my inability to focus.
“……”
“……”
Neither of us speaks on the way back.
We still haven’t been able to get over the shock of what happened. We’re
afraid to bring it up—like if we talk now, it’ll shatter some weird equilibrium.

With stony faces, we travel through the labyrinth.
“……”
One way or another, we manage to break past every monster we encounter
and reach the passageway connecting to the eighteenth floor.
A party of five adventurers appears on the path in front of us. A male
human wearing goggles and carrying a peculiar red spear catches my eye.
It’s not particularly strange to see our fellow adventurers, though
something in my memory is pulling at me. Then I suddenly realize:
The four demi-humans behind the goggled adventurer are the same men
and women who chased after Wiene, and the ones who I had managed to slip
by with my acting.
I hide my face as quickly as I can. Welf must’ve noticed something was
up, because he subtly changes his path, shielding me from their line of sight.
Then, once we pass each other, I get a strange sense that the man wearing
goggles is watching me.
“……”
Moving as little as possible, I glance at them out of the corner of my eye.
Sure enough, all of them are staring at us.
“Hestia Familia…Little Rookie, eh?”
“Yeah…that’s him, all right. That punk was recruited for Rivira’s quest!”
“Was he now?” said the goggled man with a sneer as the boy disappeared
up the tunnel leading to the eighteenth floor.
“What do you think he was doing, sneaking around down here with hardly
anyone else with him?”
“…Yo, Dix, you can’t mean…?”
“Yeah, something’s off. It’s time for our god to get serious and do some
probing, don’t you think?”

After returning to the safe point in one piece, we rendezvous with Lilly and
the others.
Aisha starts complaining about us going off on our own, but when we
don’t respond, she notices our odd behavior and decides to not criticize us

any further. Lyu also remains silent, not asking any questions, either.
While I feel guilty about what we did, I’m too rattled to be concerned
about it right now. We head for the surface right away.
“Don’t worry about a reward. Let’s leave it as a favor you owe me,”
Aisha says with a smile before parting ways with us.
I doubt she’d ever admit to it, but I’m really grateful for her
thoughtfulness.

“Mr. Cranell, please consult me should you find yourself in any hardship.
I am not very capable, but I will do what I can.”
With those considerate words, Lyu returns to her workplace.
“……”
I wind my way through the city streets alone.
As soon as we exit Babel Tower, I go off on my own without Lilly or
Welf.
Sometimes I need to be by myself to get my thoughts in order.
It’s still early evening. The sun might be on its way down in the west, but
the sky above me is still mostly blue. Bringing Lyu and Aisha along turned
our fact-finding mission into a day trip.
My feet take me around the city, away from the main street crowd and
noise.
“Ohhh? Is it my lucky day or what? Hey there, Little Rookie.”
“……?”
After idly walking about, just as I start thinking about finally heading
home, I hear it.
Along my route back to Hearthstone Manor, on Southwest Main Street, a
certain deity calls out to me.
I don’t recognize him…It’s probably the first time we’ve spoken.
He has deep-blue eyes and hair, as well as darkly tanned skin. He’s of
average height, and his clothes are mostly black. I think about how he
reminds me of a god—or more precisely, has a god’s frivolous smile on his
face—and he sociably approaches.
After he calls me by my title, I come to a stop and readjust my posture.
“Um…Is there something I can do for you?”
“Hee-hee, no need to be so guarded—though I guess that’s impossible,
huh? We gods do warrant caution, after all, right?”
Ever since I received my first level-up, unfamiliar deities have made

passes at me, and if not a pass then something else. Anyway, since then, the
number of messes I’ve gotten into in this town has increased dramatically. I
can’t even count how many at this point.
It’s rude, but I slouch slightly in reluctance while the god laughs again.
“Hee-hee! The name’s Ikelos. Good meeting you.”
“Lord…Ikelos? So, what do you need from—?”
“Just listen. Those arrogant kids of mine are pushing me around at the
moment.”
After instructing me to listen, he starts listing complaints about his
followers while continuously circling around me, sometimes peering at my
face, other times patting my shoulder like we’ve known each other forever.
Lord Ikelos’s behavior has gone past excessive friendliness to just mockery,
leaving me absolutely bewildered.
Confronted with this incomprehensible conversation, I suddenly recall
Lady Hestia’s advice: If some weird god seems like they’re going to catch
you, hurry up and run away! I start wondering whether it would be better to
forgo etiquette in a situation like this while sweat rolls down my face and—
“Know anything about a talking vouivre?”
“……………”
Lord Ikelos comes up from behind me and whispers those words without
any warning. It feels like something has my heart in a death grip.
“I hear she’s got a daaamn fine face…Came from the nineteenth floor
apparently. Maaan, I’d love to get just one look.”
He’s trying to get information out of me, I realize.
Lord Ikelos’s syrupy voice fills my ears, along with the sound of my
rapidly increasing pulse.
It feels like every vein in my body is quivering, and my palms get
clammy.
Unable to answer, I sluggishly turn to face him as though all my joints
have rusted over.
His lips quirk upward, a little too close for comfort.
Those dark-blue eyes sharpen as if they can see into my heart.
“Sooo if you happen to know—”
“Bell.”
A new voice interrupts while I stand like a frozen statue.
This newcomer cuts off Lord Ikelos in midsentence.

“L-Lord Hermes…?”
“Well, well. What a coincidence, meeting you here.”
Lord Ikelos and I turn toward the speaker: Lord Hermes sporting his usual
feathered hat and dandy’s smile.
He raises a hand at us as he walks closer.
“Bell, you can go now.”
“Huh…?”
“A deity is giving you trouble, right? I don’t need the whole story to
notice that.”
Lord Hermes chuckles at my stunned silence before shifting his attention
away from me.

As though we had changed places, he casts a sideways glance at the ever-
grinning Lord Ikelos.

“Besides, Ikelos and I need to have a little chat.”
Running his finger along the brim of his hat, Hermes puts on a thin smile.
“Move along, Bell.”
“S-sorry…Excuse me.”
At Lord Hermes’s insistence, I don’t even say a proper farewell as I turn
my back to them.
I quicken my pace without so much as a glance in Lord Ikelos’s direction.
“What gives, Hermes? Couldn’t you see I was in the middle of talking
with the Little Rookie?”
“Well, I just couldn’t stand to watch a god sink his poisonous fangs into
such a sweet child, now could I?”
“Hee-hee, what a terrible thing to say.”
Hermes and Ikelos exchanged quips without making direct eye contact
after Bell left.
The two then left the main avenue and exited into a small plaza furnished
with a water fountain, as though they had planned this all along. There wasn’t
a single person around, making their conversation feel like a clandestine
meeting.
“I paid your home a visit, only to find it empty…It took quite a bit of
effort to track you down.”
“Ah, my bad, my bad. The place just didn’t feel like home anymore, so I

guess I moved.”
“It might be a good idea to give the Guild a heads-up when you do that,
Ikelos.”
Hermes and Ikelos conversed smoothly. Both seemed to know a great deal
about the other, hinting at a long relationship.
At any rate, both gods appeared more interested in probing each other for
information rather than catching up on old times.
“So? What’s this ‘chat’ we need to have, Hermes?”
“Oh, nothing major. There’s something I want to ask you…A little bird
told me that Ikelos Familia was involved in an Orario smuggling ring.”
“Hey, hey, where’d you hear that? How can you be sure it’s legit?”
“Let me see…I think it was Elurian royalty?”
“…Hee-hee. A ‘little’ bird, you say? You’ve been venturing out pretty far
to dig up dirt on this.”
Ikelos seemed to quickly realize Hermes’s information was too good. His
grin deepened.
“Am I a suspect, Hermes?”
“As much as it pains me to investigate an old friend from our days back in
the heavenly realm…Ikelos, in the past your familia was on the list of
candidates aiming to join the Evils.”
“Ugh, how many times do I have to tell you those charges were bullshit?
At the very least, I never claimed to be an evil god.”
Agitated by the accusation, Ikelos deftly denied it and evaded his
question.
All the while, Hermes kept a constant eye on him from beneath the brim
of his hat, his characteristic smile still on his lips.
“I also have some interesting news.”
“Oh? Do tell.”
“Monsters, normal and otherwise, are being taken out of Orario and sold
around the world. It’s almost like someone’s interested in spreading chaos.”
It was at that very moment…
Ikelos’s dark-blue eyes opened wide as Hermes struck straight to the heart
of the matter. The edges of his mouth seemed about to split open with his
grin.
“Hee! Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee…!! Are you saying that’s what I
want, Hermes? That I have the dream of beasts—to strew nightmares across

the mortal realm?! Now that’s interesting!!”
Ikelos burst into laughter as if the idea thrilled him to no end.
Hermes stayed quiet, watching the other god clutch his stomach in the
throes of mirth.
Once the echoes had faded into the darkening sky, Ikelos straightened
with a smile on his face.
“Sorry to say it, but that’s got nothing to do with me. I didn’t give those
orders. My brats are the ones going wild.”
Ikelos laid it out plain and simple, uninterested in hiding anything.
“I gotta tell you, though, there’s way fewer idiots in my familia these
days; just a lot more arrogant wise guys. They don’t show the divine any
respect whatsoever. Use me to run some stupid errands.”
“……”
“But…everything they do is ridiculous crap. It’s hilarious.”
Only a deity who was desperately trying to contain their bliss would show
a smile like his.
From a god’s perspective, it was men’s folly that made them interesting—
that made a front-row seat to the show so enticing.
“It’s the god’s responsibility to rein in his familia.”
“You can’t seriously believe that, Hermes. The brats may be able to put
up with hardship, but they can’t resist pleasure. Are we gods not the same? I
can relate, painfully so. And that’s why,” Ikelos continued, “as long as they
keep me entertained, I won’t get in their way.”

Ikelos leaned in close to Hermes’s face and declared his opinion point-
blank.

“You can smash my head in if you like. Give me a one-way trip back to
the upper world. But that’s not gonna stop my brats now, will it? It might
give ’em a little trouble, but it’s only a matter of time before they sign up
with someone else.”
“I figured.”
“Ehh, have a look for yourself. Use all the little brats of yours hiding
around here to give me and mine a once-over. I couldn’t care less. Have at it.
More interesting that way.”
At the risk of ruining himself and his followers—perhaps even looking
forward to the demise of his own familia—Ikelos let those words hang in the
air.

Thin smile still on his face, the god left the small plaza.
Hermes watched him go and sighed as soon as Ikelos was out of sight.
“My, my. Nothing nastier than a god desperate for some entertainment.”
“Look who’s talking.”
Hermes’s followers heckled their god from their hiding places around
him.

The last rays of sunlight that still reached over the city wall illuminated
Hestia Familia’s home.
Four people were currently inside while Bell’s party was out gathering
information: Mikoto, Haruhime, Wiene, and the goddess Hestia. After asking
Hephaistos for the day off earlier in the morning, the deity awaited Bell’s
return along with her followers.
Each of the women stayed busy.
Hestia spent the day poring over her collection of books in search of
information about everything from monsters to Orario’s history.
Meanwhile, Mikoto patrolled the passageways, ever vigilant.
Taking care of Wiene fell to Haruhime.
“Haruhime, found you!”
“Hee-hee, indeed you have.”
Wiene dived into a shadow cast by one of the inner walls and wrapped her
arms around Haruhime in her maid’s attire.
The two were playing hide-and-seek. It was one of the games that Bell
and Haruhime had taught Wiene when the two of them were in charge of
looking after her.
Today, after making Wiene promise to never go outside and only play in
the inner garden, the two girls took turns.
“Now you’re ‘it,’ Haruhime!”
“Yes. I am going to count now.
“Ooone, twooo,” Haruhime called as she turned to face the wall of the
inner garden.
Wiene quietly snuck away, running with a grin on her face.
Robe swaying at her feet, she looked for a suitable hiding place.

…I wonder when Bell will come home.
Right as she was about to crouch behind a planter full of flowers…
Wiene’s expression clouded over as thoughts of the absent Bell crossed
her mind.
He had always been right by her side, until now. Haruhime was with her,
as usual, but it just wasn’t the same without him.
That twinge of loneliness was making her anxious.
In a dark world where everyone and everything tried to hurt her, that
boy’s smile had become the beacon of light that saved her from isolation.
Like a child yearning for a parent’s warmth, the young vouivre girl
couldn’t help but long for him.
“……”
Wiene glanced up to the third floor of the manor before her gaze fell on
the renart, who was still facing the wall.
After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to break her promise and leave
the inner garden.
The urge to visit Bell’s room on the third floor drew her through the
passageways like a magnet.
She found her way to an unlocked door. Creak. The hinges groaned as
Wiene pushed it open and cautiously peeked inside.
The room’s owner nowhere to be found, the girl quietly made her way
toward the pile of folded blankets on top of his bed.
Wrapping one around her shoulders, she slowly rubbed her cheek against
it.
“Bell’s…smell…”
Taking in as much as she could with one long whiff, Wiene buried her
face in the sheets.
She curled up into a ball as her mind filled with memories of the boy who
had always slept right next to her.
“…?”
Without warning—
People approached along the hallway.
Four in all.
Proceeding from the other end of the long passageway, their footsteps
entered the room right next door, one not in use.
Thinking it a little strange, Wiene felt her heart skip a beat, believing

she’d get a lecture if discovered. She held her breath in an effort to escape
detection—
“Another monster, not just Wiene?”
—Voices from the other room reached her ears.
Amber eyes went wide.
Silver-blue hair rustled.
Ears, sharper and longer that an elf’s, twitched back and forth. They
originally allowed her to detect intruders from far away in the vast Dungeon,
but now they allowed her to pick up the details of the discussion on the other
side of the wall.
Wiene soundlessly sat up in bed before she realized what she was doing.
She quietly placed her ear to the wall.
“Are you sure, Welf?”
“Absolutely. It was at the same place Bell met Wiene on the nineteenth
floor…”
Welf nodded. His face stayed eerily still despite Hestia’s surprise.
Welf and Lilly had come directly home after Bell went off on his own.
Hestia and Mikoto had convinced them to meet secretly on the third floor.
To make sure Wiene—and Haruhime, who had grown close to her—
didn’t overhear.
“We talked. It said that we ‘smelled like her kind’…It was probably
talking about Wiene.”
“Another being similar to Lady Wiene…I never thought there could be
more…”
Mikoto couldn’t hide her shock as Welf went into detail about their
encounter. As she fell silent, so did Lilly next to her
“…Welf, what was your impression of it?” Hestia asked.
“At the very least, it seemed to be more experienced than Wiene. Its
pronunciation was a bit odd, but it hid itself with a robe, pretended to be an
adventurer…That, and I think it knew something.”
A small noise escaped Hestia’s throat at Welf’s answer. Mikoto gulped as
well.
The atmosphere suddenly became much heavier. Lilly, who had been
silent up to that point, opened her mouth to speak.

“Lilly thinks we should stop harboring Miss Wiene.”
“!!”
All eyes turned to Lilly.
The first one to recover was Mikoto.
“Lady Lilly, what are you saying?!”
“Lilly will be blunt. We are on the cusp of a very serious situation. An
Irregular that not even the gods can comprehend, other groups on the prowl
for information about talking monsters…Now that we’ve discovered other
monsters able to speak, we can no longer afford to wait.”
Her point was that these Irregulars were at the heart of a major
disturbance, and they were getting sucked in.
Using information she had gathered at different bars and other hubs over
the past week, Lilly painted an objective picture of the situation.
“However, if we stop protecting her…then what will happen to Lady
Wiene? Should we abandon her, she’ll…!”
“…It may be difficult, but there’s a chance for her outside the city wall.
She’s a vouivre. Familias outside Orario and monsters living on the surface
would pose little threat to her.”
Born in the middle levels, she hailed from the most powerful type of
monsters: dragons.
Lilly maintained a neutral expression and explained that the vouivre girl’s
potential strength would be all the protection she needed.
“She can live out her life hidden in the Deep Forest Seoro.”
“Lady Lilly…!!”
Mikoto, ever loyal to her friend Haruhime, raised her eyebrows in anger.
Lilly watched her ally’s impassioned plea coldly.
“Then tell me this: What will happen if that girl stays here?”
“!”
“Is it possible to keep her hidden from everyone indefinitely just as things
are now? Once certain things are set in motion, the situation won’t allow the
status quo to continue. At present, Hermes Familia is actively moving at
someone’s or something’s request.”
Lilly was so devoid of emotion that her face reminded Mikoto of
traditional masks from her homeland in the Far East.
“Will people believe that this completely unrestrained monster has been
tamed? Not likely. Our familia has no officially recognized tamers registered

with the Guild. What’s worse, anyone who sees her beauty will suspect
something else is taking place.”
“……”
“Should other deities catch wind of the situation, they will surely descend
on us like wolves to watch the slaughter. Our familia is on thin ice as it is.
Should this come to pass, Lilly anticipates nothing but more difficulty paying
off our debts.”
She explained with an uncharacteristically long lecture—still in a
deadpan, matter-of-fact tone.
The overwhelming force of her argument left Mikoto with nothing to say
in response.
Neither Hestia nor Welf had anything to add, standing with their mouths
closed in the oppressive atmosphere. It was just as Lilly said. Right now, they
were trapped in a maze with no exit.
“The girl is, in a figurative sense, a bomb. Even if all is fine now, there is
no doubt she will put our familia in danger sooner or later…Mr. Bell is too
kindhearted to see reason. It is up to us to make the decision to protect him,
even if he hates us for it.”
Lilly lowered her head. She had to hide her contorting face from her allies
and will her voice to remain steady as she formed her next words.
“She cannot stay with us…She is…a monster.”
The prum weighed the familia’s future against the girl and stated her
conclusion in no uncertain terms.
Her declaration reached the other side of the wall.
“…It’s still too early to think that way, Supporter. You should calm
down.”
“…Lilly is…sorry.”
Hestia stepped in to mitigate the situation.
She first turned to Lilly, who was speaking out of concern for the familia
and Bell’s safety.
The prum fell to her knees and squeezed out an apology. Welf and Mikoto
stood quietly, tight-lipped.
“…?”
Among the motionless group, the first one to notice was Mikoto.
A sound coming from the next room—something moving.
The room’s suffocating atmosphere made it difficult for her to connect the

dots, almost fatally so.
Tap, tap, tap. Thumping in quick succession. As soon as it clicked, she
rushed to the door and jumped into the passageway.
Frantically scanning the hall, she couldn’t see anyone.
Welf and the others followed her, just as shocked.
“It couldn’t be…”
Heart racing and nerves wound tight—Mikoto realized she wasn’t in peak
condition.
Despite activating her Skill many times, its hampered range couldn’t
detect anything in their vicinity.

“Haah…haah…”
Wiene ran.
She dashed through the corridor, down the stairs, out the door.
I…I…!
The words she had overheard during the secret meeting.
—It is up to us to make the decision to protect him.
—She cannot stay with us.
—She is…a monster.
The prum girl’s voice haunted her like a curse, stabbing at her heart.
Despite being a monster, she also possessed a heart sensitive to pain. Each
syllable of Lilly’s words cut deep into her, just like those terrifying swords
through her skin.
I can’t be together with everyone…? I can’t be…with Bell?
Her beautiful silver-blue hair fluttered behind her. The garnet jewel on her
forehead pulsed as if screaming into the sky.
Translucent tears fell from her amber eyes.
Bell. Bell! Where’s Bell?
She wanted him to say it.
That it wasn’t true.
She longed to hear those words just one more time.
“It’ll be okay.”

She yearned to see his flustered but kind smile, to feel his arms around
her. She wanted him to hold her and run his fingers through her hair.
To deny it all.
Please…!
Wiene desperately searched for the boy through teary eyes.
That one desire to see him drove her to flee from the only haven she’d
ever known.
Frightened by the presence of people at every turn, she doubled back
many times through the backstreets and hid her face beneath her robe’s hood.
She rushed headlong into the unknown on a frantic search for the bright
smile that had burned its way into her memory.

“Wiene’s not here?!” yelled Bell the moment he heard.
It was just before dusk. The boy’s mind had been racing nonstop since his
encounter with the god Ikelos. After he hurried home, his fears had come to
fruition, as if to mock him.
Every member of the familia had convened in the front passageway, ready
to depart at a moment’s notice.
Bell froze like a statue. Haruhime threw herself into a deep bow in
apology.
“I have no excuse! It was because she left my sight…!”
“I’ve searched with my Skill, but I’m not getting anything…”
Tears flowed down Haruhime’s cheeks. Mikoto stood next to her,
downtrodden and frowning.
Her Skill, Yatano Black Crow, allowed her to sense nearby monsters that
she had encountered before—but Wiene was not in the manor.
At the news that the ace in the hole provided by Mikoto’s Status was no
use, Bell could feel the blood draining from his face.
All thoughts of Ikelos were gone from his mind.
“……!”
After explaining their secret meeting that had ended abruptly only a few
minutes earlier, Lilly gritted her teeth and clenched her small hand into a fist.
“—We’ll search!! Mikoto, come with me!!” Bell took off without missing

a beat.
“Yes!” Mikoto set off after him as she responded.
“We’re coming, too!”
“I-I as well!”
“She can’t have gotten far! Spread out and find her!”
Welf’s, Haruhime’s, and Hestia’s voices echoed through the entrance.
Lilly, however, was out the door without a word.
Leaving their home completely empty, all of Hestia Familia charged out
into the night to pursue the vouivre girl.

Nightlife had completely enveloped the city.
After twilight descended, the streets grew more crowded every moment.
Adventurers back from the Dungeon and everyday citizens looking to relax
after a hard day’s work made their way to the bars.
With the evening rush well under way, each establishment had its doors
wide open to invite customers inside. The aroma of meat grilling over
charcoal and pungent brandy wafted out onto the streets as bards delighted
the masses with beautiful melodies from their harps and lively flute
performances.
It was a feast of entertainment for the nose and ears.
Even the quieter corners of the city were coming to life.
“……!”
Wiene watched it all from beneath her hood as she navigated one such
street.
For her, seeing so many new things alongside the sheer number of humans
and demi-humans in the area was overwhelming. Yet curiosity was the
furthest thing from her mind. The music from behind unseen corners, the
constant horse-carriage traffic, even the innocent laughter of children playing
tag in the street sent shots of adrenaline through her veins. The street’s stone
surface was cold beneath her bare feet.
Hiding herself entirely with the robe, she was in constant fear that any one
of these people would pull a sword on her at any time. She stayed out of

sight, keeping to the edge of the streets.
Bell…
Amber eyes sifted through the crowd from deep within her hood,
searching for the boy’s white hair.
Compared to the main thoroughfares, this street was rather narrow. Her
gaze first passed over the throng, then went to the alleyways, and finally
shifted all the way to the residential area at the end.
Then, as she was scanning her immediate vicinity…
…she saw it happen.
—Ah.
A horse-drawn cart came to a stop in front of the store at the corner.
She saw something sway as the horse’s whinny filled her ears.
A tall pile of boxes was about to collapse like a house of toy blocks.
One of the restraints must have come loose; she couldn’t tell. But that
didn’t change the fact that the load was going to fall. One of the children
playing in the street, a completely unaware chienthrope, was directly in its
path.
Wiene’s eyes flared open.
The others around her who noticed watched with bated breath, many
about to shout a warning.
Several wooden boxes were about to come down on top of the boy.
—Hurt.
That would surely bring him pain.
A lot of pain.
Enough to make the child cry. Just like what all those claws and blades
had done to her.
No sooner had that thought passed through her mind than her body
moved.
“!”
Thud! Wiene kicked off the ground and shot toward the boy like an arrow.
She rushed to the youth’s side so quickly she could have teleported to the
spot.
When she saw the expression of horror on the boy’s face as he became
suddenly aware of his precarious situation, she saw herself in front of the
firebird’s raging flames. Memories of the boy who had saved her flashed
before her eyes.

—I have to help.
That thought set off a chain reaction.
Wiene’s body changed.
Something grew from her back.

Disturbing fleshy sounds erupted from beneath her robe, and her light-
blue skin ripped open along with it—and a wing extended.

“—Huh?”
A deafening crash drowned out the child’s whisper as the boxes came
tumbling down.
Several of them broke open as they struck the stone pavement.

Once the splintering echoes filling the street had faded, frightened demi-
human onlookers who hadn’t budged began to yell, drawing even more

attention.
The broken cartons and their contents lay strewn all over the street. Beer
bottles and other trash rolled through the scene as the crowd spotted a child
huddled in fear beneath a figure expanding like a predator’s widening maw.
Large enough to swallow a man whole.
A single wing, with a light-blue frame and ash-gray skin.
The distinctive wing of the king of monsters—a dragon.
The street that had been bustling just moments ago fell silent.
“……”
Wiene held her wing in a protective arc and looked down at her feet.
The boy didn’t have a scratch thanks to her shield. Immense relief flooded
through her veins as she made eye contact with the scared child and moved
her lips.
“Are you all right?”
However…

“Uu—waaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Wiene’s voice was lost in the boy’s scream.
All the terrified boy could see were piercing amber eyes and a monstrous
wing that did not belong on a person’s body.

The panicked demi-human child jumped to his feet and ran, leaving
Wiene in stunned confusion.
“Mo—”
“A MONSTERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!”
Shrieks tore through the air one after the other.
The child’s scream was the spark that ignited the chaos in the quiet street.
Like the retreating tide, the throng tried to put as much distance between
Wiene and themselves as possible. Even the horse still attached to the cart
took off at full speed. Human mothers pulled their children away; a young
werewolf shielded his unconscious lover with his body. A pudgy prum
merchant fell to the ground in shock.
A cacophony of footfalls accompanied a chorus of rising screams. The
onlookers were on the verge of panic.
The twilit street corner became engulfed in a vortex of terror.
Wiene, at a complete loss for words, stood at the center of this massive
semicircle of people.
“A harpy—no, a siren!”
“What’s it doing here?!”
The nearby lower-class adventurers drew their weapons, flashing silver.
Wiene gasped and recoiled in fear at the sharp metal surrounding her
while the eyes trained on her filled with anger and fear.
The last rays of red sunlight illuminated the mysterious monster wearing a
torn robe.
The only parts of the monster’s face visible to the bystanders were the two
sharp amber eyes lurking in the darkness beneath its hood and her jewel’s
crimson, bloody glow. Without knowing what she was, they saw only a
horrifying three-eyed monster.
The crowd’s terror escalated to hate and disgust directed at the cornered
one-winged monster.
“M-monster!!”
An instant later, an elf woman threw a stone.
“Ah!”
It hit Wiene square in the head, and the hood did nothing to stop the blow.
That was the trigger.
The panic and fury reached a crescendo. Enraged bystanders picked up
projectiles at their feet and flung them at her.

The monster trembled in fright as a rain of stones and rocks descended
upon her.
“Begone, monster!!”
“This is our home!”
“Go back to your filthy Dungeon!”
Missiles arced through the air as the ones pelting the small monster laced
their words with hatred.
“The hell are you doing? Stop!” “Don’t make it angry!” Despite being
lower class, the adventurers in the crowd knew what winged monsters could
do and desperately tried to intervene. However, the mob couldn’t be stopped.
An avalanche of angry insults poured onto the monster that dared to set foot
in their territory. Hatred flooded toward their age-old enemy.
“Ooph…”
“Whoa. Damn.”
Elsewhere, a few deities noticed the commotion.
Climbing nearby buildings for a better view, they watched the scene
unfold.
One grimaced, while another was concerned for his safety. The last
grinned while taking in the spectacle.
A miniature version of the eternal struggle between men and monsters of
the mortal realm was playing out right before their eyes.
“O-ow…That hurts!”
The besieged monster’s soft cry went unheard among the mob’s relentless
shouting.
Although her newly sprouted wing could protect her from the stones, it
could do nothing to shield her from the intense loathing.
Her heart wept, and the incessant vitriol of their words gouged deep into
her soul.
Tears surfaced in her eyes as she shrank in on herself.
“B-Beeeell…!”

“A monster, here?!”
“Yeah, just a few blocks over!”
The instant he heard those words…
Bell launched himself off the stone pavement and tore through the streets.

“Sir Bell!”
He and Mikoto had been searching as a team up to that point, but he soon
left her behind.
Wind whistled by his ears, and his eyes teared up. “Faster!!” he yelled at
himself, driving his legs as hard as he could.
Wiene!!
As nightfall quickly descended over the city streets, Bell’s heart pounded
behind his ribs; blood burned in his veins.
He sprinted through the streets, following the directions he had heard, as
well as the increasing commotion, toward the girl’s location.
Then—
“!!”
There she was, protecting herself from a hail of stones with a large wing
he had never seen before.
In Orario’s seventh district, on a corner of the west-northwest edge of the
city far from Central Park, Wiene was alone, trapped in the center of a storm
of antipathy strong enough to intimidate even the boy himself.
“Master Bell!”
“Bell!”
Haruhime and Hestia arrived at the scene at almost the same moment,
closely followed by Welf and a winded Mikoto. They stood still for only a
few heartbeats.
As for Bell, the sight of tears falling from beneath her hood set his spirit
alight.
—She’s crying.
—Wiene is crying for help!
He charged forward.
“Hold up, Bell!”
Welf called out to the boy weaving his way through the mob.
Bell was planning on protecting the monster—in front of this crowd, in
front of deities.
There would be no going back if he made it to her. He would become just
as hated and feared as the fantastical girl.
Even so, he didn’t heed his allies’ pleas.
He wouldn’t stop. He couldn’t abandon her.
Bell closed in, just a few steps away from the tearful Wiene.

However…
A shadow made it through the mob just before the boy.
“?!”
Paying no heed to the stones, the small, robed figure rushed to Wiene’s
side.
It was a beautiful young elf, long golden hair running down her back.
No one had expected to see a child-size demi-human burst onto the scene,
and the crowd stayed their hands in surprise. Now that there were no painful
stones raining down on them, the mysterious 120-celch-tall figure used the
reprieve to grab Wiene’s hand.
Members of Hestia Familia were just as shocked as the rest of the crowd
to see her guide the monster toward an adjacent alleyway. Bell was no
different, eyes going wide as the elf girl met his gaze—with chestnut-colored
eyes. Everything clicked.
—Lilly!
She had disguised herself with her magic skill, Cinder Ella.
The prum’s agility allowed her to reach the vouivre girl before anyone
else.
As she dragged the flabbergasted girl behind her, the veiled Lilly yelled
directly at Bell:
“To the underground room!!”
Leaving him with that message, Lilly and Wiene disappeared into the
alley’s dark shadows.
Bell, who had cleared the mob, had an epiphany while the crowd was
having a fit trying to process what just happened.
Now I get it!
Remembering where they were, Bell understood the true meaning of
Lilly’s message.
He sent Hestia a look over his shoulder, and she confirmed her
understanding with a strong nod.
“That’s what she meant…!” Welf said with a smile as he worked it out,
too.
“Let’s get going!”
“A-and where are we going to?”
Lilly had purposely omitted key pieces of information from her message
to prevent others from finding their rendezvous point, which meant Haruhime

was in the dark.
Bell and the others left the confused throng behind, departing the scene as
quickly as possible.
“To our hidden home!”

The sun has completely set, and now a pale-blue moon hovers above the city
in the night sky.
I can tell that much from the silver light filtering between cracks in the
rubble.
I take my eyes off the shoddy ceiling and look around at the goddess,
Welf, and everyone else gathered here in the narrow underground room.
We’re in Hestia Familia’s former home, a chamber hidden under a
church.
We came to this secret underground area per Lilly’s instructions when she
had Wiene in tow.
The church itself was destroyed by Apollo Familia during the lead-up to
the War Game, and we were forced to move…but compared to the wreckage
upstairs, the basement still resembles what it once was.
“That was some good thinking, Supporter, using this room as a hiding
place.”
“Lilly heard about it from Mr. Welf, when he came back here to retrieve a
drop item…”
Welf and I came back here a while ago to retrieve the money and drop
items, like Goliath’s Hide, that were still in here. It’s a good thing we didn’t
bother putting the debris back over the entrance when we left, because the
path came in handy. Thoughts of that day flit through my mind as I listen to
the hushed conversation of Lilly and the goddess.
There’s no way anyone could live here, but it’s more than good enough to
serve as a meeting place in an emergency. There’s a pile of rubble directly
overhead, so I guess this is now our hidden base.
I wonder what’s going on outside…I bet the Guild has gotten involved by
now.
But we decided to stay here until the dust settles.

“Sob, hic…sob…!”
Soft weeping echoes throughout the underground room.
The source is Wiene, who is currently latched onto me.
Her new wing is folded up on top of her back, but it’s still big enough to
cover half her body.
Apparently, it sprouted when she tried to protect an unfamiliar child.
The atmosphere is heavy. Everyone—from Lilly and Welf leaning against
the wall to Mikoto and Haruhime lingering in the corner and the goddess
sitting on the dusty bed—looks sullen. Wiene and I sit in the middle on the
floor.
…The reality of our situation has been made all too clear today.
Wiene’s nature as a monster.
As well as what Lilly and the goddess had warned us about.
The aura of animosity around monsters and men, the overwhelming
hatred.
People can’t let monsters exist.
Their fangs, their claws, and the wings that grant them flight, all inspire
fear and make people want to avoid them at all costs.
On the other hand, that reaction originates from a time when the surface
races could do little to resist their invasions during the Ancient Times—a
latent fear that holds to this day.
Monsters are the enemy.
That undeniable truth has struck all of us hard today.
“Um…Bell.”
Wiene looks up at me as everyone else stares at the floor.
Small hands gripping my shirt, her light-blue cheeks streaked with tears,
the girl struggles to string words together with trembling lips.
“Can I…not be with Bell?”
I can hear her clinging to faint hope in her voice.
But I can’t say anything.
I want to say it’ll be okay.
I’ve said those few words so many times—only now they won’t come out.
The truth is too much. Wiene looks at the pathetic expression on my face,
her own contorting in sadness.
All I can do is hold her.
On the verge of tears myself, I hold her tiny body as close as I can.

People and monsters aren’t meant to coexist.
One look at the ominous dragon wing on her back tells me as much.

The curtain of night fell, shrouding the city in darkness.
Deep in a back alley, far from the noisy main streets…
All was quiet around the ruins of a church that had collapsed on itself. A
goddess’s statue, reduced to pieces in front of the rubble, lay peacefully
silent.
An owl peered at the debris, its silhouette illuminated by the tranquil
moonlight.
Vertical patterns ran through its white feathers. Alight on an iron guardrail
on the roof of a nearby building, it curled its talons around the top rung.
Just as one of its eyes gleamed in the night, it spread its wings and
descended from its perch.
Crossing beneath the ocean of stars that dotted the night sky, the bird
suddenly descended and latched onto an outstretched arm—its master’s.
“So it was no use after all…”
A black-robed figure standing atop another roof retrieved the owl—its
familiar—while muttering quietly to itself.
Its gloves were covered with intricate designs. A blue crystal embedded
among them glowed with the same light as the owl’s eye.
A long sigh sounded beneath the dark fabric that completely concealed its
wearer’s true identity.
“I admit I had hope for them…but that day is still too far off.”
The owl closed both of its eyes as if sympathizing with its master’s words.
The black shadow stared off toward the north, where its familiar had
flown in from, and spotted the church ruin.
“We cannot delay any longer.”
Its gaze traveled toward the moon.
“The rest is up to you, Ouranos.”
Then, it whispered to the white marble pillars of the Pantheon below its
feet—Guild Headquarters.