CHAPTER 4
MISSION
“A winged monster?”
Freya repeated the news.
“Yes, My Lady. It is said to have appeared during the early evening hours.”
“Ah. I thought the city seemed much noisier than usual…So that’s what happened.”
Freya seemed satisfied with the report of her boaz follower, Ottar.
Countless stars twinkled in the darkened sky. In the middle of the night, Freya sat in an ornate chair on the highest floor of Babel Tower. Ottar patiently waited at her side.
A glass of wine in one hand, she asked him a question:
“What is the damage to the city?”
“Beyond a few isolated bouts of panic, there has been none. Someone took the monster away before it attacked any citizens.”
“Someone, you say…Any word from the Guild?”
“None, My Lady. As they are currently gathering information, it is highly unlikely they will contact us at this time.”
Out of everything taking place in the city, Ottar made sure only the most important information reached his goddess’s ears.
However, Freya wasn’t the least bit interested in the rest of her follower’s polite and concise report.
At least, not at the moment.
“Shall I order a search?”
“Well…that may be a good idea if the situation escalates, but don’t bother for now. Should worse come to worst, we can pay Hermes a visit. I’m sure he is more up-to-date on these developments than we are.”
Ah-choo! A sneeze sounded somewhere around the base of Babel, but it was impossible for Freya and Ottar to hear it.
The Goddess of Beauty sat back in her chair, substantial breasts shifting beneath her revealing black nightgown.
“If this is the last we hear of it, then that’s all it amounts to. The Guild will contact us if something happens. That will mean they have work for us to do.”
Freya Familia ’s assault and complete eradication of Ishtar Familia had resulted in a penalty from the Guild. Now Freya had no choice but to listen to the powerful organization’s demands for a little while longer.
While it was well within her ability to reject the penalty by force, it was necessary to maintain the image that the Guild was in control of Orario. Jealous goddesses weren’t shy about voicing their opinions. Besides, dealing with a perturbed Loki, who was her uneasy ally, was more trouble than it was worth.
Freya wasn’t about to let anyone hold her back, but she also had no interest in becoming an arrogant ruler like Ishtar.
“They may use us again, so please bear with it.”
“By your will, My Lady.”
Offering a gentle apology to her followers, who would be pressed into service should the Guild call, the goddess smiled.
Then she swirled the wine before bringing the glass to her lips.
“I wonder if this will be entertaining.”
She whispered under her breath, a trace of expectation in her voice.
“A humanoid…monster…?”
Aiz asked for clarification after hearing the news.
“Yep, yep! Word has it that it showed up in the western block.”
“Not a large-category monster…?”
“Doesn’t sound like it. The few lower-class adventurers who saw it called it a harpy or a siren. Probably doesn’t have anything to do with what happened during the Monsterphilia, though.”
The Amazonian twins Tiona and Tione took turns answering Aiz’s questions while the blond human girl tilted her head in confusion.
Chirping birds sang outside the windows bathed in morning light. Aiz’s friends told her what had happened the previous night as they strolled through the narrow hallways of Loki Familia ’s home.
Apparently, it was all the lower-rank adventurers in the familia were talking about.
“I heard there was panic in the streets last night. Guild employees are all over the place asking people what went down.”
“…Does Finn know?”
“Of course. He’s asking anyone who’s free to join the investigation. I think he has his own theory.”
Aiz turned to Tione after hearing what Tiona had to say.
“Hmm.” The human girl raised her eyes to the ceiling.
Their general had given the order despite their familia having little connection to the incident itself. That meant his love of the city and its citizens was strong enough that he was compelled to get involved.
Most likely, it upset him to know that a monster was lurking somewhere in the city, terrorizing the townspeople.
As an adventurer who called Orario home, Aiz took this news to heart.
“What should we do if we find this monster?”
“Finn said that capturing it alive would be best, but…”
The younger Amazon paused, interlocking her fingers behind her head. Tione finished her sentence.
“If it’s endangering lives—kill it on the spot.”
Long blond hair flowing down her back, Aiz reached for the hilt of the saber hanging from her waist.
“Understood.”
She nodded.
The Guild was in utter chaos.
Reports had come in that an unidentified winged monster had suddenly appeared in Orario’s seventh district and attempted to attack a young boy the previous night. Citizens flooded the Guild in droves, demanding to know what had caused such a lapse in security. Some employees fielded questions on the front lines while others worked tirelessly to gather detailed information.
Their first priority was to discover how a monster had been allowed out of the Dungeon and into the city. Not to mention that a certain adventurer had reported seeing a barbarian in an underground tunnel close to an orphanage in Daedalus Street just days prior.
After everything that had happened at the Monsterphilia, their dignity as a governing body was on the line.
What in the world was going on? Guild employees had to find an answer.
“Ughhh. I just pulled an all-nighter, too!!”
“We’re in a state of emergency. There’s no point in complaining.”
The half-elf Eina Tulle was among the Guild employees putting in serious overtime.
Along with her friend and tearful coworker, Misha Frot, she was constantly on the move.
Relaying information from the reception counter to the head offices and visiting the scene of the disturbance to interview witnesses were just the tip of the iceberg. Work piled up faster than it could be completed. All the while, grinning deities got their kicks from the pandemonium and even went as far as providing false tips to make the show more interesting. The Guild employees were forced to authenticate each one before pursuing any leads.
“But, but, but…it just showed up out of nowhere. All the tamed monsters are still in their cages, right?”
“Yes. Ganesha Familia has confirmed that all monsters are accounted for.”
Misha posed her question, practically bouncing around behind the half-elf as the two traveled through one of the Guild’s back passageways. Eina answered with a nod.
The Guild kept strict tabs on all tamers living in Orario, but Ganesha Familia was the only organization allowed to keep live monsters in the city to help with training for the Monsterphilia.
They also conducted many experiments on captive monsters and tested theories inside the walls of their expansive home in the name of “improving efficiency in the Dungeon.”
“Don’t forget that all tamed monsters are fitted with tracking plates. They’d know the instant one of them escaped.”
These plates were magic items designed to attach to a monster’s body, no matter its shape, and constantly broadcast its location to a receiver. A broken plate would immediately set off the receiver’s alarm, alerting Ganesha Familia to the situation. If one of their captives escaped, the familia would be the first to know.
The creature sighted in the seventh district was said to resemble a human with wings. Witnesses described it as a harpy or siren.
None of them mentioned seeing a tracking plate on its body.
What bothers me is the reports saying the monster was wearing a robe…If it was trying to hide itself, that means it’s self-aware…
That thought made Eina’s blood run cold.
She rubbed her upper arms while the two continued their conversation.
“Tulle.”
“Chief? Is something wrong?”
Eina and Misha stepped into the front office and were halfway to their desks when their animal-person boss spoke up.
The slender chienthrope man wore glasses similar to Eina’s, along with a troubled expression…though perhaps “apologetic” would be a more apt term. He gave her another assignment.
“The boss wants to speak with you. It’s urgent, so go to his office right away.”
“Eh…?”
Eina froze on the spot.
“Oh no…” whispered Misha in a hollow voice and forced a weak smile.
—Did I…do something wrong?
Eina pushed her glasses back up her nose, dread in her veins.
“…Excuse me, sir.”
After ascending to the top floor of Guild Headquarters, Eina knocked on an oak door.
“Get in here,” came a grouchy command from inside. Grasping both handles of the double doors, Eina pulled them open and went inside.
The first thing she saw in the spacious room was a massive bookcase that covered an entire wall. Then her eyes fell to the ornate rug on the floor. Everything in this room, from the antique jars and paintings on the walls to the velvet upholstered sofa and alabaster magic-stone lamps, was of the highest quality. Deities residing in Orario were known for their love of luxury, but even they might feel a little underdressed in this chamber.
Eina made a quick bow before walking to the middle of the room. Struggling to keep her nerves under control, she approached the one in charge.
He was sitting in an elegantly designed chair, partially hidden behind the mountains of paperwork on his desk.
“You’re late, Eina Tulle.”
Looking up from his half-finished document, the man glared at Eina with green eyes.
His pointed ears identified him as an elf. However, the rest of his form lacked the beauty and refinement of his kin.
His suit, much higher quality than the average Guild employee’s, was under immense pressure to contain his gut. Saying that he had a spare tire for a belly would be an understatement, as his overall figure was difficult to describe. One receptionist had ironically referred to his stout build as orc-like, but she wasn’t far off the mark. All his limbs were short and pudgy, and he had an impressively flabby set of jowls.
With high-quality garments adorning his body, he resembled a merchant basking in a lifetime of riches.
This was the head of the Guild, Royman Mardeel.
As the one with the right to make the final call on the Guild’s decisions, he had direct control over Orario’s day-to-day affairs.
“Do you realize how much time has passed since I summoned you? You must think very highly of yourself to keep a man like me waiting.”
“My apologies…”
Despite his tirade, Eina chose to remain humble rather than retaliate.
Elves were known for their long life spans, and Royman was no different, having served at the Guild for over a century. His lifestyle had changed to one of extravagance and debauchery once he reached his current position, resulting in his obese figure.
His nickname was “the Guild’s Pig.”
Every other elf in Orario despised him, preferring to pretend he didn’t exist.
They saw him as a shameless glutton who had forgotten the pride of his race. His lust for money, plus his burgeoning waistline, had triggered his fall from grace and prompted harsh criticism.
Being so thoroughly despised and yet so powerful, not even his inborn elfish respect for kin could prevent his arrogance. Only before the gods and goddesses of Orario did he ever show humility.
And Eina was only a half-elf.
She had a feeling thoughts of her “impurity” were crossing his mind at this very moment.
Well, I knew this would happen from the moment he summoned me, but…
Eina wasn’t fond of Royman.
She was sure Guild employees who didn’t have issues with him were in the minority.
But the fact remained that, no matter how much he spoiled himself, he held authority.
Working at the Guild for over 100 years wasn’t just for show. While his lavish tastes might have rubbed some people the wrong way, he made many contributions to the Guild on the whole.
If he hadn’t, those around him—especially the Guild’s “true leader”—would never have granted him permission to rise so far in the first place.
He must be exhausted…
Everything that bothered her about him, all the complaints eating away at her even now, could be attributed to the stress of being at the mercy of the deities’ every whim…Thinking about it in those terms made it possible to sympathize with him.
Eina repeated that to herself over and over, clinging to her faith that everyone was good deep down. She maintained perfect posture in his presence.
“Hmph, so you’re the one using her feminine wiles to ensnare adventurers. Oh yes, I know. You used that body of yours to sweet-talk your way into the laps of two upper-class adventurers, the ones making money for our city. Your promiscuity is causing the rest of us a lot of problems.”
Royman’s eyes traced the curves firmly held in place by her suit, and Eina felt naked under his intense stare. She wanted to flinch, but she suppressed the knee-jerk reaction and held her ground.
This was an attempt to get under her skin.
In his case, it wasn’t so much sexual harassment as an insult. She could put up with that.
“…That’s a misunderstanding, sir. Nothing that you have insinuated has taken place.”
“Shut your mouth! Use what little elvish blood you have to feel proper shame.”
Royman didn’t appreciate being contradicted about the incident a few days ago involving the dwarf Dormul and the elf Luvis, and his face flushed red as he growled.
Eina swallowed a sigh—and Royman’s eyes flashed, glaring at her.
“But worst of all, you’ve been keeping information about Bell Cranell from us, haven’t you?”
Ah…
He didn’t miss a thing.
Eina hadn’t reported on Bell’s Advanced Ability, Luck, or on his magic attack, Firebolt—the first of its kind that didn’t require a trigger spell. The latter had already been revealed during the War Game, but it was his astounding rate of growth that had propelled the Guild to investigate. More than likely, Royman was trying to force her to divulge any information she had. To make matters worse, Eina had never submitted Bell’s level-up model. This was a document detailing how he had leveled up and was, at that very moment, still buried deep within her desk. A scolding like this was inevitable, but it was too late to worry about it now.
She had, however, submitted reports along the guidelines set in place to protect adventurers under her counsel like Bell and their familias…Royman must have thought she’d left a few things out after seeing the reports.
Once again, Eina had to prevent her shoulders from flinching under the pressure of Royman’s astute observation.
“You’re deliberately withholding information to keep him from becoming some god’s new toy, aren’t you?”
“N-no, it’s not like that…!”
“Do not lie to me! You’ve sided with adventurers ever since the day you got here, have you not? As his adviser, failing to divulge the secret to Bell Cranell’s growth is costing us far more than you can imagine!”
Slamming his fist onto the desk and grunting like a pig, Royman maintained his verbal assault. Eina could only try to bear the storm of criticism and wait for it to pass.
Royman did eventually calm down.
Forehead and saggy chin soaked with sweat, Royman took a deep breath.
“…As to why you’re here.”
Eina tensed again as the leader of the Guild wiped his face on a cloth and reached for something on his desk.
“See to it this reaches Hestia Familia …Give it to Bell Cranell.”
“Eh?”
He thrust a sealed letter out to her from between two towering piles of paperwork.
Stunned, Eina reached for the document with trembling hands only after Royman’s gaze became too intense to bear.
“Um, sir, what is…?”
Sealed with the Guild’s official stamp, it appeared to be some sort of notification.
Perhaps a quest?
Royman spoke up, answering Eina’s question before she could ask.
“I should tell you that it’s no quest but a mission.”
“!”
Eina’s eyes widened in that moment.
“A secret one at that. Hestia Familia is the only group allowed to know, and no Guild personnel have clearance. Take extra care when you give it to him…I don’t think I have to say it, but you are forbidden to pursue this matter any further.”
A mission.
A direct order from the Guild that no one could refuse. All familias and adventurers residing in Orario were required to obey it.
What’s more, this one was top secret. Eina couldn’t understand why Bell, an adventurer under her counsel, would be tasked with something this important.
“You are his adviser. This is your job.”
Royman delivering the order himself would attract too much attention, given his position.
He explained the situation as he reclined back in his chair before an astonished Eina.
“Give it to him, clear? I won’t allow you to say no.”
“S-sir, what is upper management thinking—?”
“An underling like you doesn’t need to know. Now get out of here. I’m busy.”
Royman spat out his retort.
Then he unleashed another verbal barrage, reminding Eina—so many times she couldn’t get his voice out of her head—to make sure that the goddess Hestia also saw the mission. With nothing more to say, Royman demanded that she leave his office.
A secret mission…But why…?
Closing the doors behind her, Eina stood in the middle of the passageway.
Her emerald-green eyes quivered as she looked at the seal on the document in her hand.
Upper management’s decision? But in that case, why would Royman see to it personally…? Was it his preference?
No. She shook her head once she reached that conclusion.
What if he was ordered to —?
—It couldn’t be.
A gut feeling shook her to the very core.
The organization known as the Guild had a true “leader” that outranked upper management.
Something was happening behind closed doors.
Suddenly anxious, Eina felt her heart lurch in her chest.
We made it back home during the night.
Somehow, we managed to keep Wiene and her new wing out of sight along the way.
Night might be over, but there’s nothing we can do to stave off the stifling gloom descending on the manor. Everyone—except for Lilly, who forced herself to go back out into the city to gather information—has stayed inside ever since we returned. We’re lying low, staying as far away as possible from the commotion in the streets.
Except for one thing.
I’ve been summoned to Guild Headquarters. Just me.
“I’m sorry for asking you to come here on such short notice.”
“I-it’s fine.”
We’re in the consultation box.
Eina is standing right in front of me, and it takes every ounce of willpower I have to keep my body from shaking.
A messenger from the Guild arrived with the summons, complete with Eina’s signature, at around noon. The letter said it was urgent, so I hurried to the Guild as fast as I could.
My nerves won’t calm down.
Why’d it have to be today of all days?
Am I a suspect on their list for what happened last night?
Then again, Eina sent me the message. She’s my adviser, so I doubt she’d be the one to contact me if that is what’s happening.
Wiene did finally fall asleep after a long night before I left, but I’m still worried about her.
Neither Eina nor I take a seat in the soundproof room. She seems unusually stiff as we stand face-to-face.
“…This is for you.”
“Huh?”
Suddenly even more nervous, I glance down at the sealed document in her outstretched hand.
“Miss Eina, what…?”
Not sure what to think, I take it from her. She pauses for a long moment before telling me.
“It’s a secret mission. I was instructed to give it to you personally.”
Well, that’s…surprising.
A mission from the Guild? A secret one, at that?
It’s a direct order from the top. Usually they involve taking care of an Irregular in the Dungeon or exterminating a particularly strong monster, or maybe dealing with something outside the city wall. Sure, Hestia Familia has been in the spotlight recently, but we barely qualify as average. Why would we be chosen for such a mission?
If something is so important that it needs to be done in secret, then wouldn’t one of Orario’s strongest familias or adventurers get the call…?
I look down at the paper in my hands in disbelief.
“May I…open it here?”
“Yes. But don’t show it to me…I’m not allowed to know.”
Our conversation is stilted and awkward.
I slowly pull back the seal as Eina watches, her mouth slightly agape.
Hands moving at the speed of molasses thanks to my nerves, I slowly unroll the piece of parchment.
“Each member of the familia, including the vouivre girl, is hereby ordered to proceed to the Dungeon’s twentieth floor.”
“……………”
Time freezes.
My body goes ice cold. I can’t even feel my hands and feet anymore.
The simple Koine letters, those swashes of ink dancing across the page, almost triggered a panic attack.
“Please make sure Goddess Hestia sees this as well…Bell? What’s wrong?”
I hear sounds, not words.
I can’t even blink, reading the message over and over as I struggle to breathe. The letters keep going in and out of focus.
But how…? Since when—?
So many questions flare up in my head that none of them can finish before the next one begins.
“Vouivre girl.” That’s Wiene for sure. Someone knows that Hestia Familia is protecting her?
The Guild knows everything?
Is this a threat?
If that’s true—
What’s the point of this mission?
What is the Guild trying to do?
How can I figure this out with my brain going in every direction at once?
“Bell! Bell?!”
Eina calls my name again and again as I start coming back to myself.
Her voice pulls my gaze away from the parchment. I stare up at her, white as a ghost.
“Miss Eina, what does the Guild—?”
My throat stops moving; the words are stuck.
I can’t ask.
I can’t ask her what the Guild knows.
If they’re friend or foe.
I don’t know who I can trust anymore.
I can almost hear Eina’s face twisting.
Is it possible that even she—?
— No, that can’t be true!
I shake my head free of those thoughts before they get out of control.
This person would never investigate me. She’s not watching my reaction looking for clues.
Eina is just an employee at the very bottom of the Guild’s hierarchy.
She said it herself: She wasn’t “allowed to know.”
I can’t let this situation make me doubt someone who’s always been there for me.
That’s it. This right here is—
A mission assigned by the Guild’s higher-ups.
I gulp down the air in my throat.
A powerful force is at work, and we’re about to get swept up in its wake.
“—Please, Bell, talk to me.”
“!”
Eina takes a step closer as I struggle with our predicament.
I raise my head to meet her imploring, straightforward gaze.
“If something is troubling you, please tell me. You have my word I will not tell a soul. I can’t just sit back and watch you be in pain.”
Her eyes quiver as she bears her heart.
“Even if I fail as an adviser in the eyes of the Guild, I want to do everything I can to help adventurers like you.”
My eyes are trembling, too.
“This is all I can do, to listen to what you have to say. So please—”
— Trust me.
Her plea cuts deep.
She doesn’t know anything.
But if I tell her what’s going on right now, if I give in to her kindness, then she’ll get dragged into this mess, too. She’ll be stuck in this dark quandary because of me.
I…I can’t let that happen.
“—It’s…nothing…Please don’t worry.”
It took everything I had to form those words.
Eina hunches over as if collapsing on the inside. She looks despondent.
I can’t meet her eyes.
Even staring at the floor at her feet, I can tell she’s looking away.
A barrier stands between us. I can almost hear it rising.
Leaving Eina behind, I make a quick exit from the box as if to flee.
“A mission…”
Resisting the invisible force pulling me back toward the Guild, I return home.
Not wasting any time, I go straight to the living room where everyone is waiting. Welf whispers to himself in disbelief with the parchment in his hands.
“So they know? Because of what happened yesterday?”
“It’s too sudden for that. The vouivre girl…Miss Wiene kept her face and body well hidden, and yet they know what type of monster she is…The only explanation is that they’ve known for some time.”
Wrinkles form on Welf’s brow as he forces himself to remain calm while listening to Lilly’s terse explanation. Mikoto and Haruhime are standing like statues off to the side. The goddess is reading the document herself right now, deep in thought and silent as the grave. Wiene isn’t here.
No one in the room is sitting down.
As we exchange glances, I see I’m not the only one thrown for a loop.
“Lilly is more concerned about what this mission entails…”
She takes the document from our goddess and reads it herself.
I’m not used to seeing so much uncertainty on her face as her chestnut-colored eyes work their way across the page.
“Lilly can’t understand what the Guild is trying to accomplish. This is not a warrant for our arrest, nor is it a demand to surrender Miss Wiene into their custody…Why send us to the Dungeon?”
In addition to the mission document decorated with a vine-like pattern, there’s another sheet with detailed instructions.
Written in red ink, there’s a big circle on a map of the twentieth floor. Our destination is in the deepest part of the floor, way off the main route.
It even tells us what time to leave:
Tonight at midnight, when it’s darkest out.
“So the Guild doesn’t intend to arrest us…?”
“For the time being, at least.”
“We are to escort Lady Wiene back into the Dungeon…Whatever for?”
“Beats me. Maybe she’s part of a plan to start something in the Dungeon…and we’re making a delivery?”
Lilly answers Mikoto’s question, prompting Haruhime and Welf to share their thoughts.
Welf takes the documents from Lilly while everyone is talking, his frown deepening by the second as he reads through the mission a second time.
“Can we even make it there? Us? Down to the twentieth floor? We’re only going to get one crack at this.”
“…Continuous use of Miss Haruhime’s magic will provide us with the strength of two Level Threes, including Mr. Bell, and one Level Two. The twentieth floor is still in the Dungeon’s middle levels, so our party should be okay—theoretically. The problem is our frightening lack of experience on that floor.”
Adventurers usually take their time on each floor, learning the lay of the land and how to deal with monsters before pressing forward, for safety reasons.
But we have to skip all that and go straight to the heart of the twentieth floor, a place we’ve never been…One thing’s for sure: We’ll be venturing directly into the “unknown.”
As Lilly pointed out in her answer to Welf’s question, we have to endure the uncertainty and fear that accompany a new area, unfamiliar surroundings, and new monsters.
“…What’s our course of action?”
After our discussion comes to a stop—
—Mikoto’s voice fills the quiet living room.
“I don’t think we have any choice but to go…”
“This is a mission. We don’t have the right to refuse.”
Welf and Lilly speak up, sounding weighed down by the circumstances.
The Guild, in charge of everything that happens in Orario, is aware of what we’ve been doing. That alone puts us between a rock and a hard place. If we try to resist—for example, make an attempt to flee the city—they’d shut us down before we could even get past the wall.
All they have to do to destroy Hestia Familia is tell the world that we’ve been harboring a monster in our home.
What’s going to happen to Wiene…?
There’s no point in guessing without knowing what the Guild is trying to accomplish. I understand that.
I know that we don’t have a choice, just as Lilly pointed out.
It’s just—I can’t help but wonder what will happen if we do manage to pull this off…That’s the one thing I can’t stop worrying about.
Then again…I doubt the Guild would send us to the twentieth floor without knowing something that we don’t.
There’s the Dungeon, where Wiene was born.
And that monster, the one that called the vouivre girl “one of its kind.”
I have no clue how this mission will play out.
But there’s one thing I do know: It’s entirely possible that the Guild knows something important about Wiene and has a plan for her.
Our path will become clear once we figure out what that is.
Adventurers…No, explorers?
At some point long ago in the Ancient Times, insanely brave people who ventured into the Dungeon, coming face-to-face with the “unknown,” started being called adventurers.
Now we, too, are entering the Dungeon to make a new discovery. There’s no choice but to follow in our forebears’ footsteps.
“……”
All of us look to our goddess, Lady Hestia.
She hasn’t said a word all this time. Returning our gazes, she slowly nods, telling us to go.
We nod, accepting her divine will. It’s official. We’ll do the mission.
“Everyone, I’m so sorry…This is all my fault.”
After a few heavy moments…
Although I can’t look at my friends, I apologize to them.
I know rescuing Wiene was the right decision. I won’t let myself think otherwise. She’s still hiding here, and I know in my heart protecting her was the right decision.
However, as a member of this familia, as their leader, I have to apologize.
They have to bear this weight on their shoulders now because of me. Lilly warned us this could happen, and she hit the nail right on the head.
I put everyone in danger.
That’s exactly what a leader is supposed to avoid. I failed.
I guess I wasn’t cut out for this position, after all.
It’s that endless guilt that’s preventing me from looking everyone in the eyes.
My trembling hands form fists on their own.
“Master Bell.”
Just then…
Haruhime, who was standing close by, reaches out to hold my hand even though my eyes are still glued to the floor.
“I beg of you. Please do not regret coming to Lady Wiene’s aid.”
My head snaps up with a start. She’s pleading to me with her eyes.
Taking my fist in both hands, she lifts it to chest height and squeezes.
“I would not be here today were it not for my rescue by you and Miss Mikoto—thanks to everyone, I am happy once again. Lady Wiene is no different. We rescued her, so that’s why…!”
Her dazzling green eyes glisten with tears; her voice overflows with passion.
Her message is clear: Don’t deny the good things that have happened, no matter how dire our situation is now.
I feel my eyes widening as the first tears fall from hers.
A few heartbeats pass until Haruhime realizes she’s still holding my hand and jumps, blushing on the spot.
Lilly walks up behind Haruhime with a half-lidded glare and gives her fox tail a hard yank.
“Wha—!” she squeals.
“You’ve got nothing to apologize for.”
I break out in a cold sweat as Haruhime disappears from my line of sight and Welf speaks up.
“This is what familias do, right? Support one another,” he says. “Or have you already forgotten what I put you and Hestia through during Rakia’s invasion?”
He shrugs, grinning at his own lighthearted comment.
“Stir up all the trouble you want. I’ve got no room to complain.”
“Welf…”
I can’t say another word. Suddenly, I see Mikoto smiling at me.
“We appear to be in the same boat.”
She says this with the conviction of a Far Eastern warrior adhering to a strong sense of justice.
Her violet eyes soften in a tender expression, too. I meet her gaze for a few moments before glancing over at Lilly.
Haruhime is next to her, whimpering and stroking her tail. As for the prum, she’s also wearing a relaxed smile.
“Lilly will go anywhere with you, Mr. Bell. She is, after all, your supporter.”
The whole familia is smiling at me.
My trembling fists start to relax in the calming warmth.
“…Thanks.”
Rather than apologize…
I tell them I’m grateful.
“……”
Hestia watched her familia’s conversation from a step outside their circle, unable to contain the smile growing on her lips as their bonds strengthened right before her eyes.
It was short-lived, however. Her gaze once again fell onto the mission document.
Her eyes first skimmed the characters spelling out the order to go to the twentieth floor. Then they passed over the vine-like patterns that covered the page.
The shapes looked like a mere decoration at first glance, but they were much more.
The design was a second message hiding in plain sight, written in characters that Hestia knew very well—hieroglyphs.
C OME TO THE FOURTH BLOCK OF THE CITY’S SEVENTH DISTRICT ONCE YOUR FAMILIA HAS GONE. N O HARM WILL COME TO YOU.
That was the divine scripture’s message.
Hestia heard that when Bell received the parchment from Eina, she told him to make sure that his goddess saw the document as well.
One purpose of this mission was to separate her from her familia before making contact.
The goddess narrowed her blue eyes.
Could it be the one pulling the strings behind the scenes is…?
Hestia tensed as she reread the message that was intended for her alone.
I ascend a flight of stairs cast in red light by the setting sun.
Looking out the window, the sun has almost disappeared. The whole sky is burning crimson in the early evening twilight. As for me, I’m putting one foot in front of the other, ascending one step at a time.
We decided to accept tonight’s mission after a long discussion, and everyone has gone their separate ways to prepare.
Lilly went into the city to replenish our stock of items for the middle levels. Welf collected all our armor and weapons before shutting himself up in his workshop to make sure everything is in peak condition. Mikoto and Haruhime were put in charge of preparing food and water for the journey and left a little while ago. Even the goddess said she had something to take care of and went out. With Welf in his shop, the only ones inside the manor are me…and Wiene.
I reach the third floor of our home and walk straight down the passageway.
Arriving outside my own door, I quietly push it open.
The girl with bluish-white skin is lying on my bed in the corner of the room.
She’s still wearing the same robe as yesterday, and her cheeks are streaked with tears as she lies curled up into a little ball like a child.
It’s just as Haruhime and Mikoto, who’s been using her Skill nonstop, told me. She cried herself to sleep and hasn’t set foot out of this room since.
Almost as if she’s afraid of the outside world.
“……”
I walk up to the bed, careful not to make a sound.
Doing my best not to disturb her, I take a seat next to Wiene.
It’s quiet in here. Time flows peacefully, uninterrupted by the noise and commotion outside, and she’s far away from those who wish to hurt her. Only her quiet breathing reaches my ears.
Given that we’re nearing summer, it’s still warm during the evening hours. But I don’t want to open a window. It would only disturb this space, interrupt our time together.
This might be my room, but her scent is mixing with mine.
It’s been only one week, but so much has happened. Her smell triggers so many memories that I see flashes of them every time I close my eyes.
“……”
There were a lot of problems.
I’m pretty sure I cried out every day.
Even so, I wouldn’t trade this past week for anything.
My lips curl into a smile of warm reminiscence.
I reach out with my left hand and gently stroke Wiene’s hair.
The silver-blue strands are firm and yet smooth as silk.
It feels so foreign to me as I softly run my fingers through it, just as I have every day since we brought her here.
“…Ah, umm.”
Her blue eyelashes flutter as her eyelids twitch.
Her amber irises slowly peek out from underneath. They flit around in a groggy daze until they find me. A smile blooms on her lips.
“Bell…”
“It’s me…Sorry to wake you.”
She lightly shakes her head at my apology, saying it’s okay.
Her wing, folded up over the torn robe on her back, moves right along with it.
Keeping her head on the pillow, she takes my hand from her hair and places it on her cheek.
Her skin is chilly, like a crisp breeze.
Still not fully awake, the vouivre girl looks at me happily.
“Wiene, I have something important to tell you, so please listen.”
“…Okay.”
She slowly sits up.
We make eye contact, sitting side by side on top of the bedsheet.
Our shadows stretch across the room, two silhouettes facing each other.
“Tonight…?”
“Yes. Together with Haruhime.”
I tell Wiene about the decision we made with the goddess.
Of course, I leave out a few details.
I explain to her that all of us are going to the place where she was born. That’s the story.
“……”
“…You don’t want to go?” I ask as she droops her head.
I can’t blame her for reacting this way. I haven’t told her anything about why we’re going into the Dungeon. This has to come as a surprise.
The idea can’t be easy for Wiene to swallow. After all, the Dungeon is filled with scary things that tried to kill her.
The problem now is how to convince her to go. I rack my brain for ideas, when—
“No, no…I’ll go.”
She didn’t look up, but Wiene couldn’t have made herself any clearer.
I’m still struggling with disbelief when she raises her head.
“Bell…Haruhime. Everyone is trying to help me, aren’t they?”
My eyes go wide.
The red jewel in front of my eyes twinkles in the last of the sunlight.
“Everyone has always helped me before.”
“Wiene…”
“It’s scary…but not if Bell and everyone else is with me.”
The last sliver of sun sinks behind Wiene’s head, but I can tell her whole body is trembling.
The innocent, outlandish girl who only wants to be kind is putting on a brave face.
She’s trusting us.
“Sorry for crying so much…Thank you for protecting me.”
Teardrops threaten to spill forth from her glistening amber eyes, but still she smiles from ear to ear.
Then she leans forward a little before burying her face in my chest.
“I love…Bell.”
…No matter what.
I must protect this girl.
No matter what is waiting for us, I will protect Wiene.
I won’t let her be alone. I won’t let her die.
I swear on my soul.
Now it’s my turn to hold back tears. Keeping my tear ducts in check, I wrap my arms around her.
Making sure to include her trembling dragon wing, I pull her into a big hug.
I hear light sobs from under my chin.
The sun has set; the last of its rays coming in through the window cast my room in a golden red light.
“A humanoid monster…That’s the one.”
Dix adjusted his goggles; the corner of his mouth curled into a sneer.
“Don’t remember anything about wings, though…The beast didn’t have any when you guys saw it, did it?”
“That’s right. Just arms and legs like a person. Then again, vouivres are supposed to have snake bodies with wings anyway…”
“True that…A beast is a beast whether it’s got claws or wings.”
Thump, thump. Dix tapped the shaft of his red spear against his shoulder while listening to his underlings.
They were in a dark room with no windows. Surrounded by the iron bars of cages, the men talked among themselves without fear of being overheard.
“But you know all this went down on the day that god of ours went to pay him a visit…Is this what they call a Blessing? Perhaps our Lord isn’t as stupid as we thought.”
The praise for their absent temperamental deity rang hollow.
Dix chuckled at the thought.
“You thinking what I’m thinking, Dix?”
“Yeah.”
His mind was made up.
His red eyes narrowed behind the smoky quartz lenses of his goggles.
“Keep an eye on Hestia Familia .”
Dusk fell over Orario before finally shifting to night.
The city was far from asleep. The exception was Central Park, which was filled with a tranquil silence.
Hardly a soul passed through the area directly beneath Babel Tower. Lights from restaurants and bars formed a ring around the park, but few sounds reached the base of the white tower.
It was near midnight. The clocks would mark the beginning of a new day at any moment.
Bell led his familia to Babel Tower’s west entrance.
He, Welf, and Mikoto wore salamander-wool cloaks over their armor. Lilly and Haruhime were equipped with Goliath Robes. Lastly, Wiene donned salamander wool as well but also had a slightly customized backpack strapped to her shoulders. The backpack had a hole in the inside lining to hide Wiene’s wing and disguise her as an ordinary supporter to any passersby.
The vouivre kept looking over her shoulder at this strange apparatus hanging off her back as she walked. The party of adventurers surrounding her carried all sorts of weapons, and they strode forward with purpose. Their arsenal included a large shield, spare weapons of every kind, and even magic swords. The party had never looked so complete, and it was all thanks to Welf’s hard work.
Pre-mission nerves were beginning to set in. Haruhime, Mikoto, and Lilly looked particularly anxious.
“……”
“Something wrong, Bell?”
The party stood in front of Babel’s open doors, partially illuminated by the light pouring out from inside, when Bell suddenly turned around.
Greatsword over his shoulder, Welf called out to him as the boy scanned their surroundings.
We’re being watched…
And there was more than one observer.
Bell could feel their gazes originating from somewhere around the deserted park. They weren’t all that close, but they were definitely there, spread out all over.
Either the Guild had dispatched people to keep watch on them, or—
Bell’s stomach churned as that thought dredged up memories of Ikelos’s unnerving smile in the back of his mind.
Turning around, his gaze fell on the girl hiding her true identity beneath a robe: Wiene.
“Bell…”
Anxious amber eyes peered up at him from deep underneath her hood.
Bell took several light breaths, the two staring at each other in silence.
Setting aside his own concerns, he smiled to put her at ease as much as possible.
“It’s all right.”
Placing his hand on top of her hood, Bell mentally prepared himself for what lay ahead.
“—It’s time.”
Snap. Lilly made the announcement as she closed the lid on her broken pocket watch.
All eyes gathered on Bell. He nodded.
“Goddess, we’re going in.”
“Right. Just make sure everyone comes back.”
Hestia had wanted to see them off and came this far to do so. Bell said a quick good-bye.
The deity gazed at her followers, waiting for a moment before turning to Bell and opening her mouth to speak.
“Bell…”
“Yes, Goddess?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
See you when you get back , Hestia conveyed with her eyes, tilting her head to the side. The boy nodded again before entering Babel.
Their mission had officially begun.
The party set off for the twentieth floor.
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