CHAPTER 2
HOW MANY MEDERS TO A SAFE RETURN?
A small figure ran into the Pantheon—the Guild headquarters.
With twin black ponytails dancing behind her, the figure made her way into the white marble lobby and through a crowd of adventurers almost twice her size.
Hestia didn’t care that her skin was covered in sweat or that her breathing was ragged as she darted for the counter in the corner of the lobby.
“Ms. Adviser!”
“G-Goddess Hestia?”
Eina’s eyes widened as the small goddess practically tackled the reception desk.
Hestia didn’t wait for the half-elf to respond and got straight to the point in a desperate voice.
“Did Bell come here yesterday?!”
“J-just in the morning before going into the Dungeon. I haven’t seen him since then…”
Hestia’s face contorted as if in pain after hearing her answer.
Seeing a look of confusion on Eina’s face, the young goddess immediately started explaining.
“Bell never came home last night.”
“!”
“I don’t know where his supporter and the other boy are, either. Most likely, all of them are still in the Dungeon.”
Welf was a member of Hephaistos Familia. Lilly lived at a gnome antique shop.
Hestia had visited both places earlier this morning in hopes of getting information about Bell and the others—just like her, nobody had seen them since early the previous morning.
Eina’s face turned a few shades lighter, her emerald eyes wide open as she listened.
Asking the goddess to wait a moment, Eina disappeared from the reception desk like an arrow released from its bow, only to return a minute later.
“I just spoke with the Exchange. No one matching Bell’s description went there yesterday.”
“…!”
Hestia’s blood ran cold.
It was likelier than ever that the entire party never left the Dungeon.
Although, she couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that they got mixed up in some incident after they came out. More than anything, she wanted to believe that that was the case.
Especially because yesterday was the day that Bell was planning to crawl the middle levels of the Dungeon for the first time.
Indeed, Bell had said, “I’ll tell you what the middle levels are like when I get back!” before leaving yesterday morning.
Hestia had made him promise that whenever he went to a new floor he would contact her immediately once he got back. Yesterday was the first time that he had ever failed to do so.
Hestia was smart enough to realize what this meant, and had been unable to rest the entire night.
Bell and his party had failed to get out of the middle levels.
Her divine intuition only further confirmed her conclusion. The feeling that she was right was driving her mad.
“…Ms. Adviser, please, can you find out if anyone has seen him?”
“Yes, I give you my word. I will ask as many adventurers as possible for information.”
Hestia’s racing heart seemed to calm down for a moment after making her request. All she could do was sigh and put her next words together in her head.
The goddess was thankful for Eina’s cooperation, but she needed more than a promise.
“Also, I’d like to issue a quest. The goal is simple: find Bell.”
She didn’t have enough time to be picky, so this was the fastest and most effective way to have other adventurers participate.
Eina understood immediately and returned to her desk with a quick nod and came back to the counter with a sheet of paper. She started filling out the registration form with a few quick strokes of a feather pen.
“What do you propose for the reward?”
“Four hundred thousand vals. My Familia’s entire savings.”
That was the largest amount of money she could prepare right away. Answering a few more of Eina’s questions, the two of them worked out the rest of the details.
Lastly, Hestia snatched the pen out of Eina’s outstretched hand and practically threw her signature onto the bottom of the form. The registration was complete.
“I need approval from upstairs to post this. Please understand the process will take about an hour. I’ll have the quest posted as soon as possible.”
“Thanks. I’m counting on you.”
Eina gave another quick bow before getting up and making her way to the stairs. Hestia turned away from the counter and headed toward the door.
The goddess went through the doors and onto the Guild headquarters’ front lawn. Many adventurers made their way past her, walking by a row of beautiful marble statues. The sky was clear and the streets were relatively quiet, completely unlike the storm that was raging in Hestia’s heart.
Miach and Nahza stood next to a beautifully carved monument in the center of the headquarters’ front lawn.
“What did you learn, Hestia?”
“Nothing. Looks like they really didn’t make it out of the Dungeon.”
Miach and Nahza stood in silence as Hestia shook her head from side to side.
Having already heard all the details from Hestia, the two of them knew how serious the situation had become.
The image of the entire party wiped out flashed into the back of her mind.
Hestia suddenly screamed as loud as she could to try to flush it from her head.
“Bell is still alive! My Blessing is still with him!”
He was the only person on Earth to receive her Falna. She could still feel the ichor from her blood edged into Bell’s Status on his back—their bond had not been broken.
The other two were surprised by Hestia’s sudden outburst. Cautiously lowering her arm, it was Nahza who started the conversation about what to do next.
“Lady Hestia, have you already applied for a quest…?”
“Yes, thanks for your advice, Nahza. It should be up soon.”
Miach and Nahza were the reason that Hestia had decided to register one in the first place, despite having almost no information on Bell’s whereabouts.
If he turned up out of the blue, then they could all laugh about this later. However, Miach Familia had once nearly lost Nahza in the Dungeon in a very similar situation. Hestia needed to exhaust every option before it was too late.
“In that case, I suggest we pay Hephaistos and Takemikazuchi a visit. We need as much help as possible.”
“What are we waiting for?!”
Hestia was quick to agree with Miach’s suggestion.
They left the Guild headquarters behind and headed out onto the street.
One hour later.
Just as Eina had promised, Hestia’s quest was posted on the bulletin board at Guild headquarters.
Amid all of the adventurers looking for a quest to undertake, one in particular found the newly posted quest and leaned in for a closer look.
Without warning—rip! She tore the post from the bulletin board.
“Something very bad has happened…Lord Hermes.”
Twelve hours earlier.
The Dungeon was silent. With no monsters around, only the moldy smell of the damp air and ash-colored rocks was there to provide atmosphere.
The tunnel was very dim. The only light came down from far above, spots on the ceiling flickering like distant campfires. Only the sounds of heavy footsteps on gravel reverberated through the darkness.
Bell silently made his way one step at a time through the tunnel, his face softly illuminated by the lights above.
A bead of sweat worked its way down his brown, dust-covered face and fell off his narrow chin. It landed quietly at his feet. The cuts covering his head had finally closed, and rivers of dried blood covered his cheeks.
“Hunh…Hunh…” His deep breaths pierced the silence as he adjusted the arm draped over his shoulder.
“Sorry, man…”
“Don’t…worry…”
Bell managed to get the words out between breaths, in response to the weak voice in his ear.
Welf wore a very pained expression, his face coated with sweat as Bell helped him to move forward. Bell looked out of the corner of his eye behind Welf and saw Lilly, looking just as ragged as they did, not too far behind. She noticed his gaze and flashed a shaky smile as if to say, “Lilly’s okay.”
The three of them had managed to survive the hellhounds’ volley of fire, although it had been a near thing.
The attack had come from a rather large pack of the monsters. They made their move to escape before the smoke cleared, and their mad dash to safety had been successful.
But they had paid a high price to win their improbable survival. One of Welf’s legs had been crushed in the rock slide on level thirteen. It was impossible for him to walk on his own. While Lilly didn’t have many visible injuries, Bell could tell by the look on her face that the weakest member of their party had had the most difficult time during their escape. Also, her backpack was in tatters. There was no doubt they had lost a large number of potions and other items.
Bell looked down to assess his own condition after checking up on his allies.
We’d have been wiped out without the salamander wool…
The red fabric still sparkled under what was left of his armor. A fresh bead of cold sweat ran down the back of his neck as Bell thought about what would’ve happened without it. All of them would be a smoldering pile of ash at this point.
The magical protection that resided within the fairy-made cloth was the only reason that they’d survived at all. The salamander wool had protected their bodies from the intense heat.
Looking at the light burns on his hands, Bell inwardly thanked his adviser over and over.
Eina had saved all their lives.
“Lilly, what items do we have left…?”
“Four potions and two antidotes; no high potions made it…”
Lilly’s response made Bell realize just how much danger they were in. Just getting out of the middle levels was going to be extremely difficult.
He tried to do the math in his head—how much distance they had to cover with their current stock of items. All adventurers knew that weapons could break and that healing items were extremely important in the middle levels. The fact that Bell and Lilly didn’t have much physical strength left made Welf’s condition even more of a dilemma.
Normal potions were designed to restore physical strength. Only high potions and elixirs could clot blood and save someone with deep gashes, broken bones, and other severe injuries. Welf’s lower left leg—everything below the knee—was coated in a mixture of dark red and black colors, the bone obviously broken in many places. It was impossible for Bell or Lilly to treat such an injury with the items they still had on hand.
Their formation had lost its only frontline fighter. Surviving in the middle levels had just became a lot more difficult.
And we also…fell.
Bell took a look up toward the lights and could just make out holes in the ceiling as the group pressed forward.
They were on the fourteenth floor.
All of them had fallen through one of those holes. It happened during their mad dash after the rockslide on level thirteen while trying to get away from the hellhounds. No one saw the hole in time, and they’d fallen to the floor below.
They were indeed trapdoors. The shock of falling all that way made standing up again extremely painful for Bell and his party.
All of the holes above them were lined up in a neat little row. However, the walls leading up to them were too high and smooth to climb. Then there was the hole itself; they would slip and fall back down here long before they could reach the floor above. The Dungeon was merciless.
This was the worst possible situation that they could have been in. The group had fallen victim to a “Dungeon Gimmick.”
“Bell, Li’l E…If it comes to it, you gotta leave me behind…”
“What does Mr. Welf think he’s saying…?”
“No, absolutely not.”
They exchanged feeble conversation. Bell readjusted the shoulder that supported Welf after the blacksmith’s unnecessary attempt to tell them to save themselves.
They had yet to encounter a monster in the quiet darkness. The only sounds to come through the shadows were made by Bell, Lilly, or Welf. The lights above were only strong enough to illuminate their silhouettes, adding to the feeling of despair that surrounded them.
The sound of the gravel crunching beneath their feet was deafening.
With each step he took, Bell wondered if it would be the one to reveal their position to any nearby monsters.
They had fallen to this floor. Of course the monsters down here would be stronger than the ones they had been fighting on the thirteenth. More of the trapdoors lined this tunnel on both sides. Careful to stay in the middle of the tunnel, every echo sounded like the first warning of a monster’s approach. Bell couldn’t tell the difference between sounds anymore, his mind completely on edge. Only now did he realize his mouth was bone dry and desperate for some water.
Their path started to curve up toward an intersection. First they turned left, then right.
Plop-plop. All three adventurers’ eyes shot toward the source of the sound in unison. It was only a few small pebbles falling from the ceiling. It took all the willpower they had left to slow their racing hearts.
The sound of their own breathing filled their ears. They were tired, but that wasn’t the only reason for their shallow, ragged gasps.
It was fear, plain and simple.
Fear of the darkness, fear of what the Dungeon had in store.
Bell thought about how proud he’d felt when he leveled up and became an upper-class adventurer, his name spreading around Orario. He scornfully laughed at himself. Wasn’t it Eina who told him adventurers were in the most danger when they thought things were going smoothly?
They were in the deepest pits of hell, all because of one little hole.
Each of them was on the verge of being overwhelmed in a place so deep it had never seen sunlight.
“…A dead end.”
Bell managed to stop himself from saying “another.”
They were completely lost. Of all the dangers that lurked in the Dungeon, getting lost was the one thing that you needed to avoid at all costs.
The only road markers available to adventurers in the Dungeon were the staircases that linked each level together. However, Bell and the others had fallen through a hole. There were no landmarks or staircases to help them get their bearings. In addition, compasses and other magnetic field–based navigation equipment were completely useless in the Dungeon due to the presence of metals like adamantite in the Dungeon walls.
Without even a map to go by, Bell had no idea which direction would lead them out.
Bell’s and Welf’s eyes narrowed in frustration as they encountered yet another road block.
“Let’s take a rest for a moment.”
Lilly took a deep breath and made a proposal as the two young men stood, staring at the solid wall in front of them. They turned to face her and saw that she was soaked with sweat but was somehow forcing herself to remain calm.
By the same token, Lilly’s composed brown eyes had a calming effect on Bell and Welf. They were beginning to become desperate, and yet here was this small prum, barely half their size, who could keep a cool head. They both nodded and lowered their bodies to the ground.
Just as Lilly had proposed, the three of them stopped to catch their breath and started trying to figure out what to do from here.
“First, how many healing items do we have? Lilly has four potions and two antidotes. What about Mr. Bell? Mr. Welf?”
“I got nothing.”
“I still have a few potions in my leg holster.”
Lilly took the potions out of her backpack and passed them to the others. She kept only one for herself. Thinking of the road ahead, Welf was in the greatest need of the healing liquid.
“What about weapons? Lilly lost her bow gun during the fall. Mr. Welf’s sword is okay…”
“Bell, did you lose the shortsword, the buckler, and the broadsword?”
“Y-yeah.”
Bell was getting more and more anxious as their conversation continued.
The three of them were sitting in a small triangle at the end of the tunnel with only one exit. There was nowhere to run if the monsters found them. On top of that, they had no idea if or when monsters could be born out of the walls surrounding them. Bell did everything he could not to express the fear gripping his chest. Welf and Lilly were no doubt doing the same.
They kept their voices low to avoid attracting attention. Bell reached behind his back and felt for the sheaths of his two weapons, the Hestia Knife and Ushiwakamaru.
“But both my knives are here.”
“And the salamander wool is still kickin’.”
“Okay…Taking all of this information into account, Lilly believes that our best chance of making it back to the surface alive is to avoid combat with monsters if possible. Only engage if we don’t have a choice.”
Bell was kneeling on the ground while Welf had his rear end firmly planted on the cold gravel, sticking his injured leg straight out. A fresh wave of sweat rolled down his face as Bell supported him, but he nodded in agreement.
Sitting in front of them, Lilly took another deep breath and worked up the courage to say what had been bothering her all this time.
“Mr. Bell, Mr. Welf, please listen closely. This is just Lilly’s gut feeling but…this could very well be the fifteenth floor.”
““…!””
Their jaws went slack as Lilly continued her explanation.
“Taking into account how long we were falling, it’s very possible we went down two floors. Judging by the color of the walls, the width of the tunnels, lack of light, and complexity of the Dungeon layout, this area looks more like the fifteenth rather than the fourteenth or thirteenth.”
Bell remembered being surprised by how long the fall took as well. That was more than enough to convince him that she was right.
That would mean that the road to the surface just became staggeringly long. This was already a hopeless situation had they been on the fourteenth floor, but now they would have to wander around the Dungeon and hope to find the correct path through the fifteenth, fourteenth, and thirteenth floors in order to reach the upper levels. In their condition, that was impossible. They had to contend with strong monsters and complex terrain while dealing with a great deal of physical pain and exhaustion.
That’s checkmate. The words came from the back of Bell’s mind, a wave of cold dread washing over his body.
Lilly took another breath and kept going.
“This is the important part. It is true that our chances of survival going up are very bleak. However, we do have another option beneath us…We can take cover on the eighteenth floor.”
Bell didn’t quite understand what she said at first.
Lilly continued her explanation.
“Level eighteen is one of the few floors in the Dungeon where monsters cannot be born—a safe point. It is used as a staging area for expeditions going to the lower levels and beyond. Lilly believes we’ll be safe if we can get there.”
In a Dungeon infested with monsters, there were very few areas that could be considered “safe.” Adventurers had learned over the years that no monsters came out of the walls on the eighteenth floor, and so they used it as a rest area.
The eighteenth floor was the first safe point in the Dungeon after entering the first floor, so it was highly likely that adventurers much stronger than they were there right now. If they could somehow join a group that was heading back to the surface, that would guarantee them safe passage home.
“L-Lilly, wait a second. We have no idea if we can make it out of this floor. If we went farther down…”
“We’ll use the holes. There are hundreds of them, and they all lead down. With good luck we can reach our destination quickly. We’re lost. Lilly thinks we have a much better chance to find one of the holes than a staircase leading up.”
Lilly’s logic made sense. Bell had no counterargument and cleared his throat.
Welf fought back the pain in his leg long enough to open his eyes just enough to meet Lilly’s gaze and asked a question of his own.
“What do we do about the floor boss? Isn’t that massive son of a bitch on level seventeen?”
Even when faced with a thought of one of the most powerful monsters in the Dungeon, Lilly had an answer ready.
“On the day that Mr. Bell slew the Minotaur…Two weeks ago, Loki Familia started an expedition. In order to protect a group that large, they would have defeated the monster head-on rather than try to avoid it.”
“H-how do you know?”
“Lilly’s heard that level seventeen’s floor boss, Goliath, is located in front of the entrance to the eighteenth floor. Many powerful adventurers belong to Loki Familia. It would be easier for them as a group with the floor boss out of the way.”
Lilly went on to explain that leaving the Monster Rex untouched actually put the lower-level adventurers in their group in danger.
“Goliath respawns about every two weeks…There is a chance that we can make it to the eighteenth floor just before it emerges.”
There still might be time to pass through a boss-less level seventeen if they moved quickly.
That’s what Lilly was implying.
“You’re serious…?”
Not up, but down.
That would mean putting themselves in more danger in order to get home safely.
Welf was at a loss for words at the serious look on Lilly’s face.
He looked at her with a mixture of shock and awe that she was able to come up with such a daring strategy under the circumstances.
Bell, too, looked at her and wondered how so much courage and spirit could fit in such a small frame.
“…This is only an option. As Mr. Bell and Mr. Welf have said, trying to find a way up is the safer route. There is a chance that we could find another battle party just by walking around.”
However, that was completely up to chance.
While it was easy to find lower-level adventurers in the upper levels, the upper-class adventurers strong enough to prowl the middle levels were few and far between. To make matters worse, the layout of the middle levels included intertwining upper and lower tunnels while the higher floors were just one flat, circular maze. It would take a considerable amount of luck to find anyone. That was why Lilly had mentioned that high-level adventurers gather on the eighteenth floor.
Lilly fell silent for a moment before looking up at Bell with unwavering resolve.
“Mr. Bell is the leader of this party. Lilly leaves the final decision up to you.”
All of the air suddenly left Bell’s lungs.
Her words ignited a fire within his belly that was hotter than anything he’d felt that day.
Every pore in his skin opened; cold sweat poured down his face.
Bell looked over at Welf. The young man was grimacing in pain but met his gaze and flashed a smile.
“It’s up to you. Whatever you choose, I won’t hold it against you.”
Those words showed just how deep their bond of trust ran.
And at the same time, they closed off any means of escape Bell had from making this decision.
His heart rate quickened.
Party leader…He was the only one who could fill that role.
Lilly the supporter and Welf the smith were lending their talents and abilities to Bell the adventurer. He was the leader, without a doubt.
He had no choice but to rise to this challenge.
…!!
His heart kept speeding up. It felt as though it would tear itself apart at this rate.
This decision would determine his party’s fate. He’d never felt such pressure before. His next words would determine whether his friends lived or died.
Fear of losing them made his knees shake. He wanted to cry, to run away, to beg for forgiveness, and to hide from the responsibility.
However—behind all this fear and anxiety, he understood that it was the party leader’s job to make decisions like this.
A solo adventurer never felt this much pressure. Every member of a battle party had to trust the leader with their lives.
The opposite was also true. Bell had to trust Lilly and Welf with his life. They were the ones who protected his blind side, the ones who covered his back. He had to have the utmost faith in them.
They chose him and believed in him. It would be sacrilege to abandon allies who held him in such high esteem. If there was a time to prove to them that he was worthy of their trust, this was it.
Bell clamped his jaws together and clenched his fists. He breathed in as deep as he could to steady himself.
He built up the courage. Now all that was left was to make the decision.
Go back or press forward.
Depend on luck or blaze their own path.
To go on an adventure or not.
Bell closed his eyes for a moment—opened them.
He looked at each of his party members in turn with confidence and said:
“Let’s push on.”
The clock on the wall showed that it was early evening.
Hestia was standing inside the Azure Pharmacy, Miach Familia’s home.
They sold potions and other healing items in this wooden building. Since many adventurers came here anyway, it worked well for a gathering spot to begin the quest. The preparations for rescuing Bell’s battle party had begun.
Along with Hestia, Miach, and Nahza, the crimson-haired goddess Hephaistos was also present.
Across from them stood Takemikazuchi, his long hair tied regally up in three places: on the sides of his head and at the back. The rest of his Familia was standing behind him, including Mikoto.
“My apologies, Hestia. It is very possible that my children are part of the reason that yours has not come back.”
“…”
Hestia crossed her arms, shut her eyes, and looked away. Mikoto and the others stood behind him, silently staring at the floor as if repenting.
Takemikazuchi Familia’s pass-parade maneuver on the thirteenth floor.
Mikoto and the other adventurers had safely returned to their home by the time Hestia came looking for information about Bell. They heard everything—how Bell and his allies were dressed, their features, their formation—and realized what had happened. They hid nothing from their god and told him everything, their faces pale.
Takemikazuchi understood that they had been in a desperate situation, but he had no choice but to apologize for what his followers had done. Hestia’s silence was deafening as she realized that they were more than likely the cause of Bell’s disappearance.
At long last, Hestia opened her blue eyes and made eye contact with the children on the other side of the room. Miach and Hephaistos stood at her side.
“If Bell never makes it back, I’ll hold a grudge against all of you like you’d never believe. But I will not hate you. I promise.”
Mikoto gawked at Hestia’s words.
Takemikazuchi Familia’s hearts were moved by this goddess who, despite her anguish, was able to look at them with resolute eyes and show tolerance. This was the first time anyone other than their own god had had such an impact on them.
Hestia forgave them and made a request.
“As for right now, would you be willing to help me?”
““—On our honor.””
All six of Takemikazuchi Familia’s members took a knee in one swift motion before lowering their heads toward her.
Takemikazuchi and Miach were taken aback by this group of children’s resolve, led by their leader, Ouka, to repay the kindness that Hestia had shown them.
Meanwhile, Hephaistos smiled as her friend gave these children an opportunity to make amends for their mistake.
“Shall we proceed? Time is of the essence.”
Miach took a step forward as he spoke. Hestia nodded in response.
“This is a search party, yes? And we know that Hestia’s boy’s still alive?”
“Yes, he is. Hephaistos, what about yours, Welf?”
This time it was Takemikazuchi who asked the question. Hestia responded and then turned to Hephaistos. The goddess closed her non-bandaged eye and scratched her chin for a moment before answering. Since using her divine power, Arcanum, wasn’t an option, she chose to look at the total number of “contracts” that were active, rather than find a specific one, to save time.
“Wait just a moment. Many children have my Blessing, so sensing a single one is rather difficult…Yes, he’s probably alive. The number of bonds I have with my children hasn’t decreased.”
Now Miach had a question for her.
“Can any of your children help us, Hephaistos?”
“Most of mine are currently helping Loki Familia’s expedition…Everyone who could make it that far down is there right now. The ones who are available at the moment wouldn’t last long in the middle levels, I’m afraid.”
Hephaistos turned to Hestia and apologized, but Hestia shook her head to tell her it was okay.
“Looks like we’ll have to count on Také’s group after all.”
“That’s fine with me…Ouka and Mikoto will go for sure…Chigusa, can you accompany them as a supporter?”
“Y-yes.” A girl whose eyes were covered by her bangs nodded at her god’s request.
Ouka and Mikoto were Takemikazuchi Familia’s only upper-class adventurers—the only ones who’d reached Level 2. The girl named Chigusa was still Level 1, so she would be deployed as a supporter to supply the others with weapons and potions.
They were the best that the Familia had to offer, so they were selected to form the search party.
“Ouka is the only one I’ve got who can hold his own against anything in the middle levels. The others would just fall behind.”
“I think the most important thing for a search party is speed…”
“I agree with Nahza. If we sacrifice speed and maneuverability by increasing numbers for strength, it’ll be too late.”
“So that means we’re depending on these three…?”
Nahza, who had nearly died in the middle levels herself, added her opinion and was supported by Hephaistos. Words spilled out of Hestia’s mouth as she again crossed her arms in front of her bulging chest.
That’s when they arrived.
“—I’ll join you, Hestia!”
The front door was flung open to reveal a charming god standing in the doorway.
“Hermes?! What are you doing here?!”
“Quite the greeting, Takemikazuchi. Of course, I’m here to help my friend out of a pinch.”
Hermes glided his way to the middle of the room under the watchful eyes of Miach and Nahza, and smiled at Takemikazuchi. His follower Asfi quietly walked in behind him.
“Hey there, Hestia. Nice to see you!”
“Hermes…Why are you here?”
Hestia wore the same expression of confusion as everyone around her. Hermes walked right up to her with that same dandy smile on his face.
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a sheet of paper—a quest form from the Guild.
“You’re in trouble, aren’t you?”
“…”
Hermes softly waved the sheet in front of her. The words FIND BELL flashed before her eyes.
Hestia tried to respond, but no words would come out.
“Why would you want to help Bell Cranell, Hermes? Out with it.”
“Hey, hey, Takemikazuchi. I’m the one and only Hermes, you know? When one of my buddies is in need, I’ll pull out all the stops to help them out.”
“Hermes, this is the first time you’ve seen Hestia since she came to this world, is it not?”
“Some friend you’ve been.”
“Ha-ha, Hephaistos, Miach, aren’t you two being a little harsh?”
In addition to Takemikazuchi’s watchful eyes, Hermes was now acknowledged by the other two deities in the room. They weren’t fooled by his charm. Nahza, Mikoto, and the other humans were completely ignored as the drama unfolded in front of them.
Hermes dropped his jolly bluster for a moment and spoke in a serious voice for the first time since he arrived.
“But my desire to help Hestia is real. I want to save Bell.”
He opened his arms and smiled earnestly at each of them in turn.
“How about it, Hestia?”
“…”
Hermes turned to face Hestia last. Smiling with his narrow eyes, the charming deity met her gaze straight-on.
She stared at his orange eyes for a few moments before letting a small “hmph” out of her nose.
“Fine…I’ll accept your help, Hermes.”
“Great! You can count on me!”
Hermes’s charming smile returned after Hestia accepted his offer.
Back to his usual self, he walked over to Miach, who was glaring at him out of one eye, and patted him a few times on the shoulder.
“Are you sure, Hestia?”
“Rescuing Bell and his party is our first priority. The fact is, we need more people.”
“…Okay, if you say so.”
Takemikazuchi, keeping his eyes locked on Hermes, leaned close to Hestia and whispered into her ear. She responded as quietly as possible.
He decided to keep his mouth shut for the time being, and to do his best to work with Hermes.
“This means that Hermes’s followers can join us…Will that be enough?”
“Aren’t most of the children in your Familia at Level Two, Hermes?”
“Yeah, what about it, Hermes.”
“It’s just like you said, Hephaistos. Unfortunately most of them are out of town on business—that’s why I’m bringing Asfi with me! She’s my ace; there’s nothing to fear!”
Hermes Familia was registered as a Dungeon-type Familia. At the same time, many of its members were involved in other types of business as well. They were famous as a jack-of-all-trades Familia. The Guild assigned them an F ranking.
Choosing to believe Hermes’s assertion that Asfi’s Dungeon range included the nineteenth floor, Miach and the other gods decided to let her join the search party.
The girl breathed a heavy sigh, realizing that her god had just signed her up for the group.
“We’ll leave as soon as preparations are complete. Sometime later tonight?”
“Indeed, that will be best.”
“Ouka, Mikoto, Chigusa. Make sure you’re ready.”
“““Yes, my lord!”””
Something occurred to Asfi while Hephaistos and the other gods were speaking.
She made her way to Hermes’s side and said in a low voice:
“Lord Hermes…Just now you said you were taking me along. Don’t tell me you’re planning to…”
“Of course. I’m coming with you.”
Asfi’s silver glasses slid to the end of her nose. She quickly pushed them back up with her finger.
“Isn’t it forbidden for gods to enter the Dungeon?”
“That just means we can’t make our presence known, right? What’s the big deal? Go in and get out before the Guild even knows I’m there. I said it before, didn’t I? I want to save Bell.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve been planning this all along…!”
“Ha-ha-ha! I’m going to need your protection, Asfi.”
Asfi’s eyebrows arched, and she sucked in her cheeks in frustration as Hermes turned on the charm again with a toothy grin. Suddenly—whap!
Hestia just happened to be in earshot of their conversation. Her head whipped around so fast that everyone in the room could hear it.
Her twin ponytails came to life as if guided by their master and wrapped themselves around Hermes’s neck.
“Gaoh?!”
“—Bring me with you, Hermes.”
The deity bent over backward as Hestia’s hair pulled at him from behind. Asfi jumped back in surprise.
Hestia stepped up to his face, her hair not letting him say a thing.
“I’m going to save Bell. I can’t just sit here and do nothing while others are out there looking for him.”
“W-wait just a moment, Hestia! Calm down!”
Hermes had managed to free himself from enough of the hair to get words out. He flipped his body around to face her.
He made eye contact with her once again and tried to convince her to stay behind.
“The Dungeon is very dangerous. Without our power, one hit from the monster and we’re done. But most of all—what would happen if you’re found out?”
“You think I don’t know that?” responded Hestia curtly.
“You’re going in after saying all that, aren’t you? Another god or two isn’t going to make that much difference.”
“Ummm…”
“I’m going, got that?”
Hestia’s strong tone left Hermes speechless.
A defeated look emerged on Hermes’s face as he came to grips with the fact she wouldn’t be swayed.
“Somehow I’m not surprised…”
“Don’t do anything reckless, okay?”
Just like Hermes, Hephaistos and Takemikazuchi were shocked by Hestia’s declaration and could only grimace. “I’m fine!” she said, completely ignoring her friends’ concern. The goddess was on fire from within; she was going to save Bell herself.
Miach was about to voice his opinion as well, but it was Nahza who stepped forward.
“What is it, Nahza?”
“Lady Hestia, here…”
She handed her a pouch full of vials, a large amount of potions.
Hestia’s expression softened as she looked at the tubes of the red, blue, and green liquids.
“This is all I can do…Sorry I can’t join you…”
“This is more than enough. Thank you, Nahza.”
Acknowledging the trauma that the chienthrope girl had regarding monsters, Hestia accepted the pouch. Nahza’s gaze fell as she apologized, but Hestia just smiled back at her.
“I, too, have something for you.”
“Oh? Ohhh?!”
Hephaistos held out a long, thin package wrapped in white cloth. It had a surprising amount of heft to it—so much so that Hestia almost lost her balance when she held out her hands to take it.
Part of the cloth fell away as Hestia shuffled her feet to stay upright. A piece of a dark red blade came into view. Although the blade itself was thick, it didn’t look sharp enough to cut anything.
“Hephaistos, what is this…?”
“That boy, Welf, made it. I’ve been holding on to it for him.”
The crimson-haired Goddess of the Forge watched as Hestia took a closer look at the weapon.
“You can use it if you need to…Please give it to Welf once you find him. Also, tell him to stop compromising his allies for his pride’s sake.”
Hestia slowly nodded at Hephaistos’s meaningful words.
In any case, Hestia was grateful for the support from her friends. The other gods in the room smiled and nodded at her.
Meanwhile.
“Well, this complicates things…” Hermes muttered to himself on the outside of Hestia’s support circle.
Watching all the good feelings going around, Hermes leaned toward his follower standing next to him and asked a question.
“Asfi, do you think you can protect both of us?”
“Takemikazuchi’s battle party will be there as well, but…I can’t make any guarantees if they can’t keep up.”
Asfi told him with the utmost sincerity that she would be able to protect him but couldn’t be held responsible for Hestia’s well-being. The search party wasn’t strong enough.
Hermes mulled over her words for a moment before exhaling out of his nose for much longer than necessary.
“Maybe I should find some more help.”
The sun was setting in the west, tinting the sky with red light.
It was around this hour that adventurers called it a day and came out of the Dungeon. Like many of the other bars in the area, the staff of The Benevolent Mistress was hard at work preparing for that evening’s customers.
Cat people and humans were dashing all around the establishment, cleaning and organizing everything behind a wooden door with the CLOSED sign hanging out front. Some of them were carrying round tables and chairs; others were out buying ingredients to stock the kitchen. It was a battlefield in its own right.
A certain elf’s long, pointy ears were illuminated by red light coming in from the window as she ran a cloth across the surface of the bar counter.
Lyu’s ears jumped when she heard a light jingle behind her. Someone had just opened the front door.
“Sorry, I’m coming in.”
A lean deity entered the bar.
The reddish light from outside mixed with his orange hair and created a rusty glow around him in the early evening hours.
Hermes grinned from ear to ear as he walked into the building, Asfi in tow.
“I’m so sorry, Lord Hermes. We’re not open yet. Can you come back in a little while?”
“Sorry for getting in the way, Runoa. I’ll make this quick.”
Hermes walked right past the human girl Runoa’s objections and right to his intended target.
The other waitresses stopped what they were doing and followed him.
Hermes finally came to a stop in the middle of the bar, directly in front of Lyu.
“…You want to talk to me?”
“Very much so. I need a favor, Lyu.”
Asfi came to a halt at his side as Hermes opened his eyes wider than usual.
“There’s a quest I’d like you to accept—I need ‘Lyon of the Gale Wind.’”
That had been Lyu’s alias during her time as an adventurer. It had a savage reputation.
The tension in the bar instantly rose.
The deity and his follower were instantly surrounded by an ominous hiss. The catgirls Ahnya and Chloe, as well as Runoa and the other waitresses, were glaring daggers at them.
There was no escape. Asfi’s palms were instantly sweaty from the terrible pressure of all the eyes pointed in their direction. The entire staff of The Benevolent Mistress now saw them as enemies who needed to be eliminated.
The red glow from the windows intensified their perilous atmosphere.
“Are you threatening me?”
Lyu’s thin eyebrows curved downward as her eyes bored into the god standing in front of her.
Very few people knew her history, and threatening to make it public served as very good blackmail. She had to know.
Hermes raised both of his hands saying, “No, no, that was not my intention,” at the elf as she came right up to his face.
“There’s a boy…Bell Cranell, who needs saving.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
Hermes explained Bell’s situation, and that he wanted her to join the search party.
Lyu’s light-blue eyes softened for a moment as she listened, but then suddenly sharpened again.
“Why did you come to me?”
“We’re taking some ‘baggage’ that needs to be protected and we can’t count on other gods to provide it. So, I need someone strong but not bound by the rules of a Familia. You were the only one I could think of…And then…”
Hermes broke off eye contact with her and looked toward the corner of the room.
“You’re a friend of Syr’s, right?”
A silver-haired girl stood, dumbstruck, in the doorway leading to the kitchen behind the bar.
She’d arrived just in time to hear what was going on with Bell. Lyu’s expression contorted when she saw the look on her friend’s face.
The ends of Hermes’s lips curved upward. He knew that that last line was far more convincing than anything else thus far. He’d won.
“We leave at eight. Join us; we’re waiting for you.”
Hermes leaned down to her ear and whispered those words just before leaving.
The god turned around and walked toward the door, escorted by a series of murderous glares as he made his way out of the bar with Asfi close behind.
“Lyu.”
“Syr…”
Lyu watched Hermes go, an expression of pure loathing on her face. She only looked away when her friend came up to her side. Syr looked physically ill as she made eye contact with the elf.
A moment of silence passed.
“I’m sorry, Lyu. Save him. Save Bell.”
Lyu gazed deep into the silver pools of Syr’s eyes.
Lyu could clearly see the fear of losing someone special, as well as a great deal of helplessness. She was particularly sensitive to human emotions. Syr was shivering, practically begging her to go. Lyu forced a smile.
“I am in your debt, Syr. I cannot refuse your request. Nor do I,” Lyu continued, “wish for the death of Bell Cranell.”
Her voice was clear and steady.
Syr bowed over and over, apologizing many times and, at last, offered her heartfelt thanks.
The other waitresses who had watched everything unfold gathered around Lyu. Ahnya and the others gave their own words of support.
“Leave the bar to us, meow! We’ll tell Mama that Lyu had a tummyache and can’t work, meow!”
“It’s irritating that Lord Hermes can push us around like this…but it can’t be helped.”
“Mya-ha-ha, Lyu! Save him tonight and he’ll owe you forever, meow!”
The airheaded catgirl Ahnya, the smiling Runoa, the scheming Chloe, and all of the other staff members said their piece in turn.
Even the cooks poked their heads out of the kitchen to offer words of encouragement.
Lyu looked at each of them, overwhelmed by their support. Lastly, she smiled and weakly nodded at Syr. Her voice quivered as she said:
“My apologies. Please cover for me.”
Lyu sped toward the door, untying the ribbon on her uniform along the way.
Sweat keeps rolling down my face and off my chin.
I think part of it has to do with the stuffy air down here in the middle levels. Of course, I have no idea if I’ll get out of this alive, but this humidity is killing me.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any choice but to fight my way through it as we press forward.
I’m still lending my shoulder to Welf. Physically, my eyes and ears are on high alert. But mentally, I’m praying my heart out—almost pitifully so—that no monsters show up. Lilly’s walking just a few steps back, making sure nothing comes up from behind.
We’ve covered a lot of distance since deciding to go to level eighteen. Unfortunately, we haven’t found a single one of the holes leading down.
I do my best to keep calm and stave off the rumblings of my hungry stomach.
We’re alone in this dark tunnel—the one thing that we can’t do is start panicking. All of us are on edge, but the moment we give in to the fear will be the beginning of the end for us.
We come to a fork in the tunnel, one path leading left and one path right. At the end of our meeting I told everyone that we should go right whenever we have to make a decision. Just as we agreed, we all go right.
Haa…haa…Lilly’s small breaths sound painful behind me. I bet she’s really tired. Welf’s body is pressed right up against mine. It’s really hot. But we can’t slow down, no matter how much pain we’re in.
“…Li’l E, can’t you do something about that smell?”
Welf tilts his head and looks at Lilly out of the corner of his eye.
I take a look over my opposite shoulder. Lilly’s eyes glaze over at Welf’s question—maybe she’s lost the will to argue.
“Please put up with it…Lilly’s just saying, but the smell is much worse back here.”
The “smell” they’re talking about is coming from a pouch hanging from Lilly’s neck.
It’s so putrid that I want to rip my nose off my face. It’s amazing I can hold back the tears welling up behind my eyes.
“This stink bothers us, but it’s like breathing poison to monsters. As long as nothing drastic happens, the smell will protect us for as long as it lasts.”
Just as Lilly explained, this stink pouch called a “malboro” is the main reason why we haven’t encountered any monsters for a while.
The thing really works; I’m seeing the effects with my own eyes.
No matter how powerful the monsters in the middle levels are, none of them wants anything to do with this stench.
“You got that from Nahza, if I remember right…”
“Yes, Lilly asked for her help while we were still working in the upper levels…”
Lilly had tried many times to make an item that would repel monsters but failed. So she asked for Nahza’s assistance.
Nahza is very familiar with ingredients found outside of Orario. While mixing them with items from the Dungeon, she accidentally created it. Or so I heard.
“By the way, Nahza fell to the floor and rolled around after taking a test sniff.”
…Apparently the smell was so bad that poor Nahza was rubbing her nose against everything, desperately trying to get the smell out. I feel sorry for her, just thinking about it—actually seeing it would have been excruciating.
At any rate, the pouch on Lilly’s neck has allowed us to avoid any monster encounters. Considering our limited supplies and physical condition, I’m happy to put up with the stench.
Sure, we heard a few howls coming from farther down the tunnel a few times, but they got out of the way as soon as they were close enough to smell us.
“…!”
Ahead of us.
The lights of several glowing red eyes pierce the darkness directly in our path.
The monsters—hellhounds—have us in their sights. I can see three of them, their eyes pulsing with anticipation.
They come to a stop just out of range of the smell, about thirty meders away. I can see them thrashing their heads about, slamming their feet into the ground. They’re getting ready to launch their fire attack.
Shit! I brace myself.
If we take the full brunt of their fireballs like this, we’re done for. I hear Lilly’s body stiffen behind me.
Risk further injury with a head-on attack? Or hit them with the Firebolt first?
Thirty meders…Can I make it up there in time? Can the hellhounds hit us at full power at this range? I don’t know what to do! Suddenly—
“Looks like I gotta try…I got this.”
Welf’s voice came into my ears.
Huh? His right arm shoots forward the moment I look at him in confusion.
The red fabric on the sleeve of his jacket makes a loud “snap” as he extends the palm of his hand toward the hellhounds crouching in the distance.
He utters a short incantation: “Blasphemous Burn.”
The air in front of Welf’s hand instantly ripples, shock waves visible as they boom forward.
A raging torrent of flame—yet somehow silent—rushes to engulf the hellhounds that were mere seconds away from launching their own attack.
“Will-o’-the-Wisp.”
Three explosions in the blink of an eye—as the hellhounds’ own fire consumes them.
“Ignis Fatuus?!”
Lilly’s shocked voice echoes through the tunnel.
I, too, saw the flames the monsters were about to spit at us—and the sudden explosion that followed. I’m just as wide-eyed as she is. The smoke starts to clear. All of the hellhounds are on the ground, their eyes blank.
Ignis Fatuus.
A name for an explosion that results from the inability to control your own magic.
In the Old Age before the gods came to Earth, elves and other magic users created their own spells and tried their own hands at casting Magic.
However, their bodies were at risk until their magic took physical form. It could literally blow up in their faces if they tried to force it out—something very similar to what just happened to those hellhounds.
Thanks to the gods and their Falna, people have a better chance of finding Magic that suits their ability, as well as control it, today than they did in those days. Ignis Fatuus almost never happens anymore.
The possibility of that happening to a monster is next to nothing.
“How about that, it worked…”
“W-Welf, what just happened?”
“My Magic is kind of specialized. From what I’ve seen, it reacts to magic power and makes it explode.”
Will-o’-the-Wisp—anti-magic Magic.
When timed correctly, it can be used against Magic or elemental attacks that use magical power as a counterattack by triggering an Ignis Fatuus. The stronger the magic attack or higher the user’s Magic power, the larger the explosion. It could, in a sense, seal Magic power.
As a smith who fights with weapons in close-quarters combat, this type of Magic is a perfect fit for Welf. I can see why he would want it.
“Hadn’t tried it on a monster before, but…Worked by the skin of my teeth.”
He looks at the surprise on my face and flashes a pained smile.
Apparently he wasn’t kidding when he said this was his first time using it on a monster. There aren’t any monsters on the upper levels that can breathe fire like the hellhounds. Heck, there aren’t any monsters up there that can do anything close to Magic.
Then on the thirteenth floor, when we were about to get roasted, he wouldn’t have known the timing for his own Magic. Better late than never.
The spell is very short, but he needs some time to prepare. I guess Welf’s Magic isn’t perfect.
“Wait, you said ‘on a monster’…Does that mean you’ve used it on people?”
“Yeah. I asked one of the guys in my Familia to help me out. Turned into quite the show.”
“…Mr. Welf, that’s…”
“I know I shouldn’t have tried it, but I just had to know what it did. And he knew that there was a bit of a risk, not knowing what would happen…But yeah, it was completely my fault.”
Lilly’s face became scarier and scarier during Welf’s explanation until he finally grimaced and admitted his wrongdoing.
Just maybe, there is a reason that his fellow members of Hephaistos Familia don’t like him other than his Crozzo blood…
But our path is clear thanks to him. We have another way to keep hellhounds at bay. That’s big.
We make our way past their bodies, the monsters dying in front of us. I can hear their faint breathing, but they make no move to pursue us.
We do the same thing to the next monsters we come across.
We avoid all attacks while doing our best to endure with the smell of the pouch around Lilly’s neck. I use Firebolt on anything that gets too close for comfort.
Welf takes care of the hellhounds. Now that he knows the timing and distance, any of the monsters that try to use their flaming attack become victims of his anti-magic Magic.
“Welf, here…”
“What’s this? A potion?”
I pull a vial filled with a thick red liquid out of my leg holster and hand it to him.
He drinks about half before his eyes open in surprise.
“This is no magic potion. I feel lighter.”
I gave him a double potion. It’s another of Nahza’s creations.
After walking all this way on basically one leg and casting that many spells, he had to have been hurting, but it looks like the potion does the trick.
I breathe a sigh of relief and explain it to him. A genuine smile grows on his lips for the first time in a long time.
“This is good stuff. You have to tell me where I can get more.”
“Once we get back, I’ll take you there as often as you like…”
I smile back at him as he gives me the rest of the potion. I down it in two gulps.
A new wave of energy passes through my body. My mind and physical strength aren’t back up to full, but they’re much better than before.
“…Mr. Bell, how about sharing some with Lilly?”
“Eh? We just finished it, didn’t we? Don’t want to waste any.”
“No fair, no fair! It’s no fair that only Mr. Welf got some!”
“What’re you talking about?”
Finally, a relaxed conversation among party members. A little bit of the tension is gone. Being careful not to let our guard down, we let ourselves relax a bit.
Our Dungeon journey continues, me lending a shoulder to Welf and Lilly watching our backs.
We have hope as we put one foot in front of the other, until—
“There’s one…”
I see a hole in the Dungeon floor as I turn a corner. It’s right in the middle of the path in this tunnel.
It’s almost like it was set apart from the other paths we could’ve taken. It’s a weird-looking, uneven hole, too.
I help Welf over to the hole and we both look down. Lilly isn’t far behind and confirms what both of us were thinking—it’s connected to a lower floor.
Judging from its depth…probably the sixteenth floor.
We look away from the dark void and exchange glances before nodding to one another.
I put my right arm firmly around Welf’s waist and my left around Lilly’s backpack.
All of us take a deep breath and jump in.
A golden moon hung in the sky.
The sun completely set, a beautiful night sky spread out over Orario. Magic-stone lamps dotted the city like precious jewels glinting in the night.
The streets were filled with people enjoying one another’s company, thousands of dots of light around them. And in the center of the city, a building loomed over Central Park.
A tower stood over the entrance to the Dungeon. Babel.
A certain goddess looked away from it all from the highest floor of the white tower and moved toward a door.
Tup, tup. Her shoes hit the floor as she walked. She tossed her silver hair back over her shoulders with both hands as she went. “Did I keep you waiting?”
She opened a large wooden door after traversing the long hallway. The Goddess of Beauty—Freya—was the first to offer a greeting.
The room was adorned with long bookshelves filled with many expensive and luxurious items. Her favorite attendant, Ottar, and one other god with one of his followers gathered here.
“No, not at all. Sorry for taking up your time, Lady Freya.”
Hermes was sitting at a rather strange table designed to resemble an apple. He greeted her with a smile and a jubilant voice. Asfi, however, couldn’t hide her nervousness.
Freya glanced at both of them before taking a seat at the table with Ottar at her side.
Each of her movements was graceful and captivating. Her black dress revealed an enormous amount of cleavage as she slid into the chair, her sizable bust swaying. The chair lightly squeaked as she leaned back, silver hair brushing against her white necklace.
Asfi was captivated by her and blushed scarlet red before averting her eyes. Although his follower had been completely taken in by the goddess’s beauty, Hermes just kept on smiling in his own charming way.
The two deities sat at either side of the table with their followers standing behind them.
“So, what is it?”
Freya chose to bypass any idle chatter and get straight to the point.
She sat with her shoulders square to him, legs uncrossed with a very confident smile on her lips. Hermes’s narrowed eyes opened very wide.
“As I’m sure you’re already aware, Bell Cranell has yet to return from the Dungeon. Hestia and I are on our way to help him, Lady Freya.”
“And?”
“So, I came here to make a request.”
“Why would you bother to come to me?”
Freya’s expression didn’t change. Both of the gods exchanged glances and smiles.
“You protected him, Lady Freya. At the last Denatus, you protected Bell.”
“…”
“He’s someone worthy of the attention of someone as beautiful as yourself. So you can’t blame me for being interested.”
Ten days ago in this very building during the gods’ Denatus meeting, Freya had indeed stuck her neck out to protect Bell. More specifically, she stopped Loki from trying to figure out why he’d grown so fast, by pointing out to the others that it was forbidden for them to investigate personal affairs.
Freya had all of the male gods present at Denatus under her spell from the beginning. Her beauty was powerful enough to keep them in a trance and doing her bidding without thinking about her motivations.
Hermes should have been one of them.
“Lady Freya, I’m crazy about you. However, I’m not so far gone that I don’t notice something right under my nose.”
…In other words, he had been acting.
The other male deities around him were practically falling over themselves with one look at her. All he had to do was blend in.
“Well played,” she whispered as she remembered the charming god’s performance.
“You’re going about this much differently than usual, but I doubt anyone else has noticed.”
Freya’s “recruiting style” was very well known. Once she’d scouted someone she wanted, she’d make her move immediately.
Despite her usual straightforward hands-on approach, she had yet to do the same thing with Bell. The Freya that Hermes knew wouldn’t have wasted time jumping through hoops.
Most likely, the other gods who had been taken in by Freya’s beauty wouldn’t have noticed that the boy was at the center of her sudden change in strategy.
“Fine, then,” said Freya. It was pointless to try and keep up appearances given how much Hermes already knew.
She stopped trying to hide the fact that she was interested in the boy and cast her silver gaze on the deity across from her. It was her way of saying get to the point.
“I have no interest in playing with your toy. I just want to see with my own eyes what he can do.”
Hermes assumed a serious expression as he spelled it out.
In the blink of an eye, his face changed to that of a beggar on the street.
“So please—please leave my Familia alone, Lady Freya?!”
“…”
Genuinely surprised by Hermes’s request, Freya sat quietly for a moment before looking down on him like a pathetic worm unworthy of the dirt it was living in. She kept that expression for a long time, and it had Hermes on the verge of tears.
The two strongest Familias in Orario belonged to Loki and Freya. If Freya seriously decided to come after them, Hermes Familia would be wiped out in no time flat.
That was why Hermes was here—for insurance. Hermes was apparently very fond of his own Familia.
At the same time, he wasn’t lying—but he wasn’t telling the truth, either.
Freya could see it. She knew he wanted to more than just test the boy’s power. Her eyes narrowed, her glare getting sharper and sharper…But she stopped.
This is foolish, she sighed to herself.
She realized that trying to shut Hermes down would be a waste of time.
“All right, as you wish.”
Freya decided to acquiesce to his request but keep an even closer eye on him.
It was clear to her that Hermes meant no harm toward Bell.
Relief coursed through Hermes’s suddenly round eyes as he sank back into his chair. “You have my thanks, Lady Freya! I owe you! If you ever need something, don’t hesitate to ask! I’ll stop at nothing to—”
“However.”
Freya stood up, interrupting Hermes mid-sentence.
Stopping his charm in its tracks, she put her hand on his shoulder and leaned in close.
“It would be wise to remember this: The only one allowed to play with him is me.”
Her enchanting voice filled his ears.
Time stood still. A wave of goose bumps overtook Hermes’s skin as every hair stood on end. He pulled his mouth into another smile as soon as his senses came back to him.
“Of…of course. I swear to you—”
“That’s good. Be sure you do.”
Hermes’s face glistened with sweat as Freya stood back up with her own charming smile on her lips. She gestured toward the door with one hand and gave a short nod, as if to say, “You may leave.”
Hermes cut the good-byes short and took her up on the offer. Freya watched him and his follower go out the door. Asfi had been so intimidated by Ottar’s presence that she didn’t speak a word as they left. Hermes, however, was laughing at himself, muttering, “Thought I was dead for a moment there…”
Clunk. The doors shut behind them.
“Is this acceptable to you?” Ottar turned to Freya once the other two were out of the room and spoke. “Despite everything he said, things may be in motion that we cannot see. This is just my opinion, but…that god is very suspicious.”
Freya giggled softly to herself at Ottar’s straightforward warning. “I’ll deal with that when the time comes.”
She left the table at the middle of the room and walked toward a massive window.
The long, rectangular glass took up most of the wall on that side. She could see the entire nightscape of the city, her feet bathed in moonlight.
“Ishtar has been keeping a close eye on me recently. I’d like to avoid any petty inquiries…If Hermes wants to do something, that’s fine.”
Ishtar was another goddess of beauty who had attended the last Denatus. Freya remembered their little argument as she spoke to Ottar.
As long as she knew that Hermes wasn’t going to hurt Bell, that was enough for now.
Freya took another step toward the window and looked down.
Every detail of the magnificent city sprawled out beneath her. She could see all the citizens going about their business, nothing more than grains of sand at this height. The many lights that lined the streets intermingled together like brilliant stars in the night sky.
She pulled her head back as something caught her eye.
People were gathering in Central Park.
Freya laughed to herself as she recognized the group right outside Babel’s front gate.
“You’re late, Hermes!”
Hestia scolded him angrily as he emerged from Babel Tower.
They had gathered in front of the tower’s west gate. The curtain of night had fallen over Central Park. The place was very lively during the day, but there was almost no one here now. The pure openness of the park was terribly quiet, and what trees were there were motionless in the night air.
The search party’s preparations were complete. Hestia concealed the fact that she was a deity by using a long traveler’s robe and a small supporter’s backpack strapped over her shoulders. In fact, she looked remarkably like the supporter Lilly. Mikoto and the rest of Takemikazuchi Familia were assembled and ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
Hestia was tired of waiting. Hermes walked down the front steps with Asfi at his side and a grimace on his face.
“You see, I had a rather loose end that needed tying up…Was easier said than done.”
His expression went blank for a moment as he looked at the tallest point of Babel Tower. Coming back to himself, he turned to Hestia and earnestly apologized for being late.
Hestia knew time was of the essence and was just about to give the order to go in.
“…Lady Hestia.”
“!”
Mikoto stepped up to her side. Now Hestia noticed, too.
A mysterious person had emerged from the darkness and was walking toward the girls.
The figure was wearing a hooded cape that extended to her lower back. The front of the hood concealed a great deal of the wearer’s face; only the lips were visible. Judging by the shorts, knee-high boots, and delicately feminine legs, this person was female.
A long, wooden sword was attached to a belt just under her fluttering cape. Two smaller blades ran down the sides of her thighs.
The female, equipped with adventurers’ battle clothes, didn’t say a word before coming to a stop in front of the group.
Mikoto moved to protect Hestia, one hand on her katana. Hermes just laughed.
“She’s on our side. Strong, too. No need to worry.”
Hestia sent a piercing glare in Hermes’s direction before taking a look at their new supposed “ally.”
A pair of sky-blue eyes emerged from beneath the hood.
With the hooded adventurer joining their search party, the group made their way into the tower.
To save Bell, Hestia and her party entered the Dungeon.
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