Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darou ka

There was a flash of silver light.

“Grrooaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!”

The light carved a line from the head of the skeleton monster—the spartoi—straight through its body. The monster let out one last dying cry.

Spartois looked like human skeletons, with the exception of pieces of armor attached to different places all over their bodies. They were truly fearsome beasts. With sharp angles at every corner of their frame and wielding white bones as weapons, they were every inch the cursed, skeletal warriors they appeared to be.

This beast was categorized at level four, and it guarded its territory in the deep levels of the Dungeon very well. This time, however, it was slain in the blink of an eye.

“……”

The warrior whipped her sword to the ground, the overwhelming power of her attack causing everyone around her to break out in a cold sweat.

Bones, bones, bones, bones.

Bones littered the ground as far as the eye could see. These white fragments of their former forms were all that remained of a group of at least ten spartois that met their demise at this spot.

Blond hair, golden eyes.

A girl with beauty to rival the gods stood in the middle of this gruesome graveyard.

“…And she did it all herself.”

“She’d be a lot cuter if she pretended to be in trouble every now and then…”

In the time it took for her allies to speak those words, the blond girl—Aiz Wallenstein—silently sheathed her narrow sword and turned to join them.

“Nice, nice! Good work, Aiz! Need a potion? Or an elixir? How about one of your favorite sweet-bean-flavored potato puffs?”

“I’m fine, Tiona, thanks…But I want the last one.”

“Why would she need a potion anyway? There isn’t a scratch on her.”

“In any case, the monsters have been taken care of…What should we do now, Fynn?”

“Hmm, should we head home? We came here for fun, so it would be a real buzzkill if we ran out of food and had to go back hungry. What’re your thoughts, Reveria?”

They were standing in the thirty-seventh level of the Dungeon. Members of Loki Familia had journeyed down to the level known as the “Lower Fortress.” The party was very small, only seven members including their supporters. Aiz Wallenstein led the group of only five top-class adventurers.

This time was indeed just for fun. Unlike their earlier expedition, a few Loki Familia members with some free time on their hands had gathered together to do a little dungeon prowling.

Why were they here? They were bored.

Countless adventurers make it this deep into the Dungeon only to lose lives. The fact that any of them could say this was “for fun” spoke volumes about their true power.

“I’ll go with the leader’s decision…Hey, you two, we’re packing up!”

The normally aloof elf, Reveria, raised her voice.

Tiona and Tione, two Amazonian sisters with skin the color of wheat, nodded in acknowledgment. Aiz, holding a potato puff in both hands, slumped her shoulders in disappointment.

Food provisions were a common problem whenever a party of adventurers journeyed this deep into the Dungeon.

“But ya know, if Bete were here he’d be putting up quite a fuss right about now. He always tries to act like a big shot in front of Aiz. It pisses me off, seriously.”

“After that night at the bar, when we told him after he sobered up that Aiz flat-out rejected him, he almost cried! So depressed!”

“Ohhh?! I really wanted to see that! Why didn’t you tell me, Tione?!”

There wasn’t much for them to do in terms of getting ready to leave. This was because collecting magic stones was the supporters’ job, and Aiz had already annihilated all the monsters in the area. The sisters created a very relaxed atmosphere as the two supporters, who just ranked up to Level Three, went to work on the remains of the spartois.

Aiz looked up from her potato puff to voice her own opinion.

“Fynn, Reveria. I would like to stay behind, alone.”

The two people she named had very different reactions to her request. Fynn’s eyes opened a little wider; Reveria’s expression remained unchanged, save for her closing one eye.

Ignoring the stunned Tiona and Tione, Aiz expanded on her request.

“You don’t have to leave any food for me. I don’t want to cause any problems for anyone. Please.”

“W-wait—! You’re causing us problems just by saying that! If we left you behind, we’d be too worried to think straight!”

“I agree with Tiona. No matter how low the monsters’ levels are, I can’t abandon an ally this deep in the Dungeon. It’s much too dangerous.”

Aiz looked sad, facing Tiona, who stood with her hands on her hips and leaned in to within inches of Aiz’s nose. She couldn’t refute Tione’s opinion, either.

She knew what the girls were saying was unquestionably right.

“Why do you want to fight that much? It’s such a waste, Aiz! You’re so lovely! You should act more like a lady! How can you be losing to me, an Amazon, in fashion sense?”

“I…don’t care about that…”

“Why not? Don’t you want a good strong male…or some fellow you favor, at least? Is that pretty face just a decoration?”

“Stop telling others to do things you wouldn’t do yourself.”

Reveria took in a deep breath, standing one step away from the silent, slouching Aiz.

Turning to Fynn, the elf opened her mouth to speak.

“I will ask on her behalf as well. Please respect Aiz’s wishes.”

“Reveria?!”

“Hmm?”

The shortest of the group, a prum, looked up at Reveria as if trying to figure out her intention.

“This one doesn’t often make selfish statements. I want you to listen.”

“You can’t treat her like a parent looking after a child, Reveria. Tiona and Tione are in the right. As long as it’s my responsibility that everyone gets back safely, I can’t approve of this.”

“I’m aware that I’m spoiling her…So.”

Reveria let out a second sigh and looked in Aiz’s direction.

Looking at the sad eyes of the girl who normally didn’t show emotion, the elf laughed a bit inside at herself.

She then locked eyes with Fynn.

“I shall remain as well.”

She declared her intention to support Aiz.

Fynn looked back into the elf’s eyes, her hand on her chin. She slowly nodded, as if this decision was extremely important.

“Okay, go ahead.”

“Huh? Fynn, talk some sense into them!”

“As long as Reveria is with her, I doubt the worst will happen. On the other hand, we might run into trouble on the way back.”

“Because I can’t attack or heal anyone, right, Captain?”

Things happened quickly after the leader made up his mind.

Fynn’s group with the supporters said their good-byes to the two staying behind and left.

Standing in the only entrance to the room, Tiona turned around and gave a big wave to Aiz and Reveria.

“Thanks, Reveria.”

“While I would like you to stop, it’s too late now. I will say this, though: I better not have to fight.”

“…Sorry.”

The two girls didn’t look at each other, but there was a great deal of trust within their words.

The thirty-seventh level was different from the upper floors in that it was almost completely dark. The ceiling was so high that it couldn’t be seen with the naked eye. A black abyss hung over the heads of adventurers who passed through these halls.

Small spots of phosphorescence, flickering at equal intervals like candles along the milky white dungeon walls, were the only visual cues.

The two of them stayed at that spot in silence as a questioning look grew on Reveria’s face.

Sensing something, Aiz withdrew her sword.

“It’s here.”

“What’s here?”

Aiz’s eyes squinted, ready for battle. She was going to respond to the elf’s question, but there was no need—Reveria quickly realized what was happening.

The floor beneath them was starting to crack.

“Can it be…”

Reveria’s whisper reached Aiz just as the blond girl’s golden eyes fixed on a point in the middle of the massive room.

She blinked and the ground split open.

Dirt and gravel were pushed aside as a giant stuck its head out of the floor.

Crack, crack, crack. The horrible sound of the earth being torn apart echoed through the chamber. Pieces of the floor that were lifted up by the thing’s massive frame fell to the dungeon floor like a landslide, a deafening roar growing louder by the second.

A skull, then collarbones, ribs, and a pelvis appeared. A black skeleton was being born from the dungeon floor.

Every movement it made sent a shock wave through the room. The entire thirty-seventh level was shaking.

It was as if the Dungeon were howling in celebration of the birth of its favorite son.

“NGOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!”

The two adventurers stood below as the giant monster let out an awful groan of a birth-cry.

The gargantuan monster howled at the ceiling. It stood more than ten meters tall.

It was black from head to toe—a giant skeleton from hell. Most of its lower body was still within the dungeon floor, and two large projections emerged from the top of its skull. It was like a spartoi had just kept on growing.

Two bloodred sparks flickered to life deep within the skull’s eye sockets.

The creature’s magic stone hovered weightlessly inside the chest, protected by a cage of bones.

“So then, three months have passed…”

As a general rule, the number and type of monsters on each floor didn’t change.

A single type of monster couldn’t overrun a floor, and new monsters were born to replace those slain by adventurers. While there was some difference in time required for new monsters to spawn on each floor, it never took more than one day.

In the middle of all that, there was a type of monster that did not revive immediately after being slain. Its interval of rebirth was much longer.

Also, there was only one of this kind of monster on each floor at a time.

Perhaps because they were too strong or too big, the Dungeon only allowed one of them on a floor, and never more than that.

The Guild had known about these special monsters from ancient times, and had a name for them.

“A Monster Rex.”

“Reveria, leave it to me.”

All varieties of Monster Rex look different but have two things in common: They had a long revival interval and were extremely powerful.

It had been said that each one was fully two levels above the rest of the monsters on their floor.

Even the highest-level adventurers respected and feared them, calling them “floor bosses.” Usually many adventurers had to work together to bring one of them down.

“Aiz, do you really intend to fight alone?”

A worried Reveria looked at the girl with severe eyes.

Aiz raised her sword and walked calmly toward Udaios, the Monster Rex threateningly roaring in her direction.

“Not a problem.”

The gods sung the praises of this, their “boss character, second class.” But the girl now faced it down alone.

“I’ll be done in a moment.”

A week later, rumors of a Level Six kenki would spread throughout Orario.

“……?”

Bell came to a halt.

He turned his neck to look back over his shoulder, down the stairway connecting the lower first and second floors.

“What’s the matter, Mr. Bell?”

“…Did the Dungeon just shake?”

Lilly looked up at Bell as he tried his best to look deep into the second level—no, even farther into the Dungeon.

“Shake? Lilly didn’t feel a thing.”

“…Was it just me?”

Bell’s senses were on full alert. Even waiting for a few moments didn’t calm him down. Craning his neck and cocking an eyebrow, he decided that it really just was his imagination.

“It was a long day today.”

“Yes, it was. But not just a long day, a very long day! It’s already twelve o’clock at night.”

“Huh? Really?!”

She nodded yes, her golden watch necklace clasped in her hand.

The big and small hands on the clock face were very close to overlapping.

“Whoa, I had no clue…”

“Because the monsters kept coming at the end.”

Lilly said that there was no time to look at her watch, her bulging backpack shaking with every word. They had picked up many drop items that day, and there was no room left in her oversized backpack.

Several days had passed since they signed their contract.

With Lilly’s help, Bell had had some very productive days in the Dungeon. Perhaps he had adjusted to the life of an adventurer. His daily kill count was increasing by leaps and bounds, far greater than it had been when he worked solo. Now he was going full speed toward his own goal.

Bell was continuously surprised by how much difference the presence of one supporter could make.

Meanwhile, Lilly was confounded by the freakishly high kill count of this supposed newbie adventurer every day.

“So then, fifty-fifty on today’s loot?”

“…Mr. Bell, I think you need to learn about the value of money and common sense. It may not be Lilly’s place to say, because Lilly is very grateful…but Mr. Bell is too generous.”

“But you need money now, right, Lilly?”

“That’s true…But it’s like Lilly can’t stand to see you vulnerable, like Lilly’s taking care of someone else’s pet rabbit and is worried about every little thing…Lilly feels like she’s being poisoned.”

She’s been giving me a lot of these lectures recently, Bell thought to himself.

Their relationship had been like an ordinary person working with an aristocrat until a short while ago. But the etiquette and protocol for interacting with strangers had been long-since discarded. Bell felt as though the gap between them had been bridged—like he and Lilly were becoming friends.

Bell and Lilly traveled through level one, tossing any goblins that appeared in their path aside like tissue paper, and left the Dungeon. After a quick shower and a trip to Babel’s Exchange, the two of them left the front gate.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding! It’s very late…”

Central Park, the open area around Babel Tower, was covered by a curtain of darkness.

Amid the lights of the magic-stone lamps embedded in the walls of the city, there was a silence that was completely different from the afternoon.

On the other hand, all the bars in the distance looked as lively as ever even at this hour.

“…It really is huge.”

Bell’s eyes did a circuit around Central Park until his gaze finally landed on the tower itself.

It pierced the evening sky. Babel stood calmly, looking down over them.

Even though it was impossible to see at this time of night, Bell knew that there were meticulous designs carved into the tower from corner to corner.

The outside was almost a work of art; it didn’t match the practical facilities on the inside. Bell took a deep breath, staring at the tower that embodied the extravagance and dignity of the gods themselves.

“I wonder, why is Babel Tower so tall? It’s great that the Guild rents out spaces to tenants, but hauling things all the way up to the fiftieth floor seems like more trouble than it’s worth…”

“Mr. Bell, the Guild’s tenants only go to the twentieth floor, you know?”

“Um…is that right?”

Lilly lips twitched ever so slightly at the look of cluelessness in Bell’s eyes.

Slightly embarrassed, Bell decided to ask her directly.

“If it’s not filled with stores, then what the heck is above the twentieth floor?”

“Gods and goddesses reside on those floors, Mr. Bell.”

“…The gods?”

“Yes. Just the heads of the many Familias in Orario are allowed to live there, but their rooms go up to the top.”

It seemed only natural that gods, who had a taste for the extravagant, would want to live in Babel Tower, the symbol of the Labyrinth City Orario. Each room was equipped with the most advanced and elegant amenities, but the real draw was the view. No other buildings were allowed to climb that high, so the gods could see the entire city from out their window.

Gods paid a very high rent to the Guild in order to live there. However, if they had enough money to ignore that detail, then they could inhabit the highest-class dwelling in all of Orario.

In other words, only the richest, most powerful gods and goddesses could live there.

“Ohh…So there are gods who don’t live at home but choose to live apart from their Familias.”

“Think of it like a private room, Mr. Bell. While there are gods who like to talk and interact with us, there are other gods who like their privacy. That’s how their image has been since ancient times.”

Bell nodded in understanding.

“Lilly has heard that Babel Tower wasn’t always this high. It used to be the lid over the Dungeon, but it wasn’t any bigger than the other buildings around it.”

“Well, then why is it so big now?”

“When the first gods came down, the tower was destroyed…They came down like shooting stars and hit the tower.”

Like they did it on purpose.

Those gods completely destroyed the finished tower and laughed at the crying faces of the ancient people of Orario. In his mind, Bell could see the citizens’ faces, mouths half open, tears rolling down their cheeks, as well as the cackling gods trying to apologize. He let out a dry chuckle.

“Since then, it’s been known as Babel the Falling Tower. That could be another reason why gods live here now.”

Lilly continued by saying that the gods apologized by contributing to the rebuilding effort…and by deterring the Dungeon monsters. Their method: Falna.

The people of the time revered the blessings of strength they received from the gods and allowed them to live in Babel as a way of showing their appreciation.

Soon, many gods and goddesses began appearing on Gekai—the lower world, to them—and created the groups known as Familias in many places around the world. Their worshipper–worshippee relationship continued as Babel was built higher and higher to represent the gods’ influence on Gekai.

Babel Tower grew to its current height as a result, as well as gained the image of a shrine to the power of the gods.

“I think I understand…Whenever I hear stories about the gods, I can’t help but wonder just how boring their world is. They’d have to be bored enough to want to leave the heavens and come down here, right?”

“Maybe they hated their jobs enough to run away?”

Bell had been looking at the tower during their conversation, but these words got his attention and he turned to face Lilly.

“Lilly’s heard that the gods had many responsibilities in Tenkai—the upper world. Their most important one is taking care of us, their children, when we go to eternal sleep.”

“Isn’t that…?”

“Yes. They’re in charge of guiding people after they die.”

Hearing those words, Bell felt his heart speed up a little.

That was not the typical reaction to this topic, but he sensed his destiny in Lilly’s voice.

Lilly’s point, in short, was that the gods would decide what happened to mortals after death.

To put it another way, they judged everyone’s souls.

The treatment of a soul could vary wildly, depending on the god responsible for it. It might be allowed to live on in Tenkai, or it could suffer unimaginable pain, or be forced into endless, meaningless hard labor…If one were to begin listing the possibilities, the list would never end.

The fate of all the souls released from the bonds of Gekai hinged on the caprices of the gods. The concept of being a good or bad person during life didn’t enter into it.

The gods either liked you or they didn’t. Their mood determined heaven or hell.

A “judgment” free of rules and regulations, instead based on whims and opinions, awaited them.

“Then again, most souls just get reincarnated anyway…Since there is all this work to be done, the gods still up in Tenkai have to pick up the slack left behind by the gods living down here. They’re overworked with no time to rest. They’d be angry, wouldn’t they? The next ones to come here will have a very intense ‘discussion’ to determine the order they leave.”

I don’t wanna go there…I don’t wanna die…Bell was deep in thought.

If he were to go up there now, they’d put him through to hell. For fun.

As if she could see where Bell thoughts were taking him, Lilly reached up and shook his shoulder.

He snapped out of it and gave her an embarrassed smile.

Something was off.

“…But there was a time when Lilly longed for death.”

That was it.

Those words were like a punch in the gut.

“…eh?”

“If Lilly went before the gods…if Lilly could be reborn…the new Lilly would surely be better than the current one…”

Lilly stared at the top of Babel—no, farther out into the heavens as she spoke.

Her hood folded back as she looked up, exposing her chestnut hair and big, round eyes. They were blank.

It seemed like she was looking into the sky, yearning to go home.

“L-Lilly!!”

Bell suddenly yelled.

He felt like if he didn’t, Lilly might just disappear.

Lilly slowly closed her eyes, breaking off her staring contest with the stars, and looked up at Bell with her eyes hidden behind her bangs.

“Sorry for saying such an odd thing.”

“……”

“That was a long time ago. Please don’t take Lilly seriously. Lilly’s stronger now. Lilly doesn’t have those thoughts anymore.”

Bell couldn’t say anything.

She had to be telling the truth. Lilly puffed out her chest with a small grunt, and there was no sadness in her body language whatsoever. She must have recovered from something in her past.

That was yet another reason Bell couldn’t put his emotions into words or action.

“Well, it’s already very late, Mr. Bell. Let’s hurry on home. Lilly has to go back to her Familia tonight, too.”

A bright and cheerful Lilly turned her back to the tower. She moved away from it, taking little steps.

Bell glanced down at her shoulders, shoulders that were much too small to be carrying that much weight.

He watched her carry that backpack, unnaturally large on the girl’s tiny frame, with a heavy heart. A moment later, he ran after her.

“So, you’ve gotten even stronger.”

A voice from above whispered.

Below, a white shadow, running after another shadow and getting farther away.

A woman’s excited eyes followed this shadow with the utmost intensity.

Clouds in the night sky shifted, flooding the woman’s room with moonlight.

The entire outer wall of the room was made of glass. The woman standing next to the glass wall was so clearly illuminated it was as though the moon were casting a spotlight on her.

Her thin yet luscious body was wrapped in a sheer black nightgown.

Her fair, light skin gave off a mysterious air as it was bathed in the lunar glow.

Silver hair reaching almost to her waist sparkled as if made of ice.

“That’s wonderful. You must shine even more…”

Clap. The woman—Freya—put her hands together, her outrageously beautiful figure reflecting off the glass.

It was the highest floor of Babel Tower.

Freya resided in the highest, most glamorous room in the whole building. She watched Bell from her window wall.

“More, more, shine even brighter, child. It’s your duty, now that you have my attention.”

A deep love was in her eyes, along with the absolute authority of rank.

Freya was obsessed with the boy, with Bell.

Obsessed enough to ignore other trifling things and to be caught up in a burning passion of love. The goddess of beauty was entranced by him.

Freya possessed the Eyes of Insight, an ability that allowed her to see the truth inside the souls of the people of the mortal world.

This was a natural gift of hers, not one of the abilities known as Arkanam. The gods had an agreement forbidding the use of these powers on Gekai, but Freya’s Eyes of Insight weren’t affected. She had once used those eyes to judge souls of dead people that came to her temple in Tenkai, especially the souls of warriors who fell in battle, and to transport them.

Into her collection, that is.

Freya could determine the nature of a soul faster than any other god, and she quickly embraced her favorites.

Souls who received her judgment after death were the lucky ones.

Those who caught her eye as they were dying were extremely fortunate.

This is because they would be loved by the goddess of beauty for all eternity.

Even if they were forever restrained and denied their freedom.

Freya controlled both love and beauty.

For better or worse, she was a wild and cruel goddess.

“Grow stronger, grow more befitting of me…That is your task.”

Like many other gods, Freya had left her temple and Tenkai itself to come down to Gekai, but that didn’t mean her “hobbies” had changed. She used her eyes to see the true colors of the children and to add the most talented, brightest souls to her own Familia.

No one refused her. No one could refuse her.

No one had ever been able to resist the magic that was her beauty.

For that reason, members of Freya Familia had strength and power completely separate from those around them. Even among the powerful Familias of the Labyrinth City, Freya Familia stood apart in its might.

The goddess Loki knew perfectly well about Freya’s eyes, and called it the “rot in hell, you lousy cheater” power.

“I just happen to like strong men.”

She had discovered Bell by coincidence.

It was early one morning. Her silver eyes spotted him walking down West Main.

—I want that.

That emotion went through her at first sight.

It had been a long time since she felt like that. Her whole body lightly shook in anticipation; her stomach jumped; a breath of euphoria escaped her lips. Just as it had always happened with her, she became no better than a child who’d found a new toy in a toy store. A pure but ugly urge to possess him consumed her.

Bell’s soul was a color that Freya’s eyes had never seen before: clear.

What color would he become? Or would he stay clear? Anything with an element of uncertainty could keep a god interested indefinitely.

That’s why she couldn’t stop.

So she decided to wait and watch. It would be fun to turn him into her own color, but she felt as though there would be plenty of time to do that later.

“I can’t wait. How strong will you get? How bright will you shine? What color will you become?”

There was indeed love in her silver eyes as she watched the boy from her room, but it was a corrupt love.

She placed a finger on her full lips and playfully bit the tip.

For a moment, a provocative scent filled the room.

“What’s this…? …Ha-ha-ha, noticed again, did you?”

The boy was already quite small in the distance, but he had come to a complete stop and was looking around.

It was as though he’d lost something and was frantically searching the area to find it. Freya’s eyes closed slightly as a large grin enveloped her face.

He’d done the same thing the first time she saw him on West Main. He noticed her gaze when she focused on him with all the excitement built up in her body. His perception was better than she thought.

Almost as if her gaze had been too strong.

He doesn’t have the talents of other children before him…Why, then? Could everything be due to his growth? Mmm…very intriguing.

Looking back on that moment, she should have made her move.

She felt like she could have easily controlled him like a puppet as she’d watched him speak with some familiarity to a girl on the street. Even though he had another god’s blessing, she had no doubt she could have persuaded him.

She restrained herself because she didn’t know which Familia he belonged to—which god would move to protect him. She didn’t want to quarrel with someone like Loki and her Familia. That, and—

After seeing his innocent smile, her urges waned, and she didn’t feel like it.

I’ll have to remove Hestia from the picture…but that boy is mine.

But for now, changing the plan and watching him from the shadows wasn’t such a bad thing. Freya nodded to herself.

One would tire of always having a cat in one’s lap. It was good to let it play to its heart’s content outside in the garden from time to time.

After all, it was her garden.

She could retrieve him at any time.

“I will wait for a while before I make you mine…It’s strange, part of me doesn’t want you to come. Now might be the time when thoughts of you dance in my mind the most.”

Just like everyone before him, once he became hers, she would lose interest over time. He would become a favorite toy on a shelf, one of the dolls sitting in a row. Occasionally she would remember him, take him off the shelf to play, and then put him back.

The hope and excitement of the first moments would always fade away. Emotion deteriorated.

The same was true of love. Once it hits its peak, it was fated to crumble. No one longed for a love that had gone cold.

However, Freya didn’t feel that it was pointless.

That was simply the nature of love, and she was the goddess of love.

She felt that having a collection on the shelf that was a little too big was somehow just right.

She hooked a few strands of hair that had fallen to her cheek with her finger, and pulled them back behind her ear.

Her bare shoulders were showered in moonlight.

Looking like a girl falling in love for the first time, she continued watching Bell with loving eyes.

“…However, yes. It might be about time for you to learn magic.”

Tap. She hit her finger on her chin as she thought out loud.

After tilting her neck, deep in thought, something came to mind. She took her eyes off the boy far below and walked away from the window.

Freya’s Eyes of Insight couldn’t decipher statuses given by other gods or goddesses, but she could infer their strengths and abilities by their color and brightness.

She could tell by looking at Bell that he had no magic. Freya felt this was a flaw.

She decided to act, and quickly.

“I wonder if this will do?”

A heavily adorned bookcase stood in the corner of her room. It was very wide and tall, so much so that it would cover her body if it fell over.

Her thin finger reached for the middle shelf and pulled out a thick book by the spine. It fell into her waiting arm with a thud.

Thumbing through the pages, Freya made a satisfied nod.

“Ottar.”

“Ma’am.”

A rigid voice responded to Freya’s call.

A person had either been standing inside the room the entire time or was just outside the main door.

Boar-like ears stood out above short, rust-colored hair. This male animal person stood more than two meters tall and had a body as solid as a rock.

He stood like a statue next to Freya, a guard dog waiting for his master’s commands.

“I want you to take this book…”

She was about to hold out the book when her words trailed off.

Closing her mouth, she looked down at the book in her arms.

“Does something trouble you?”

“Hee-hee, no, it’s nothing. Please forget it.”

“Ma’am.”

Ottar gave a short nod and took a step back as Freya smiled at the book.

That’s right. It wasn’t necessary for her treasured servant to deliver the book directly.

Plus, if this behemoth were to show up silently in front of Bell and attempt to give him a book, the boy would be terrified. While entertaining to think about, it wouldn’t do.

There was no need to place it in his hands. He merely had to take it.

She knew just where to leave it.

It would be right where she first saw him, on the big street where they’d “met.”

There was a certain bar very close.

If the book were there, it would end up in his hands for sure.

In the dark stillness of the room, her servant watched as Freya turned to the window wall, laughing quietly to herself.

“Ah-choo!”

Syr let out a cute little sneeze.

She blushed behind her hands, covering her mouth. All of the staff in the bar around her stopped what they were doing to look her way. Syr’s face got even redder, and she looked at the floor.

“Syr, have you caught a cold?”

“N-no. I’m fine. Nothing to worry about.”

Syr forced a smile through her rosy cheeks in response to the elf Lyu’s question.

Syr’s blue-gray hair was tied into its usual style, a bun with a ponytail in the middle. Her ponytail shook as she waved her hands, trying to convince the elf she was okay.

“Maybe someone’s talking about you?”

“The answer’s obvious! Mya-ha-ha, it’s that adventurer boy, meow!”

“You’re going to make me angry, Chloe.”

Syr hung her shoulders, glaring at the catgirl who wore a very feline grin on her face.

The girl named Chloe did nothing in response, simply staring back with that same smile. Moreover, she was moving one of the bar’s tables and playfully whipping her tail back and forth under her skirt.

Syr let out a heavy sigh.

“But that adventurer didn’t come in last night!”

“Even though he always returns the empty basket after eating Syr’s lovey-dovey lunch, meow!”

“Syr even opened early and looked for him, meow!”

“I didn’t go looking for him!”

All of the staff was setting up tables to prepare for the day, but they took turns teasing the human girl from all sides. Syr yelled at them from the middle of the bar, but the girls showed no signs of learning their lesson. They continued circling her like cockroaches, the same grin on their faces.

“Do not worry, Syr. Mr. Cranell is not the type of man who would neglect your feelings for him. I’m positive he was just late coming out of the Dungeon and didn’t have time last night.”

“If that’s supposed to make me feel better, Lyu…No, never mind, I give up.”

The elf watched in confusion as Syr got frustrated. “It’s just a misunderstanding,” said Syr, but the always serious Lyu didn’t seem to understand.

Syr had been making lunch for Bell every day since she first gave him her own lunch. She didn’t really know why, but everyone around her had come to this conclusion.

Bell usually returned the basket at night after eating the lunch in the Dungeon. However, he hadn’t shown up the previous night. And now this morning she was getting teased by her coworkers.

“You don’t think he bit the dust, do you, meow?”

“You shouldn’t say that, Ahnya. You’re being imprudent. That adventurer would never leave Syr behind!”

“I’m tired of this…”

“Syr, hold yourself together. I’m sure Mr. Cranell is fine.”

“No, Lyu, that’s not what I meant…”

“What Lyu said, meow! That boy’s too strong to die! If he did, my heart will be torn apart…”

Suddenly all the girls started talking at once.

“No way…” “Chloe, too…?” and other phrases of disbelief were muttered in every corner of the bar.

A very frustrated and confused Syr turned left and right saying, “Eh? What?”

“He is irreplaceable, meow! You couldn’t find another like him anywhere.”

“Chloe…? What are you saying?”

The catgirl looked to the sky as she spoke. Now Syr really had no clue.

The catgirl took her eyes off the ceiling and planted them firmly on Syr.

“Syr, I need to make a confession…”

“A-and that is…?”

“I…sure do like his tight li’l bod! His booty turns meow on…!”

“……”

“When I think about the ripe fruit inside his thin pants…mya-ha-ha! Ah, all the dirty things I would do…! I want—Oww! Ouch—!”

“……”

“A…wait—Oww, s-sorry! I give up! Uncle!”

All the other employees stopped what they were doing and rushed to stop Syr.

The Benevolent Mistress had been filled with an unusual amount of noise this morning.

“Oi! You dim-witted lasses! Quit playin’! Back t’ workin’!”

The owner Mia’s voice boomed from the backroom door as she looked over the girls’ lack of progress.

The “dim-witted lasses” jumped in surprise before hurriedly returning to their duties. “Of all the…” the dwarf woman started to say as she shrugged her shoulders.

“……Hmm? Syr, what’s that?”

“Huh?”

Syr’s human coworker pointed behind her, and she spun around to look.

It was at the counter, right where Syr had prepared a special place for Bell the first time he’d visited The Benevolent Mistress.

On the chair where Bell had sat that night was a book.

“What’s this…?”

“Someone dropped it?” “What’s that, meow?” “Something wrong, meow?”

Syr picked up the book with both hands, her coworkers peering over her shoulders to get a look for themselves.

“I’m not clever enough to read, meow.” “Me too, meow.”

“Yes, I know, so shut up.”

“Why I oughta—”

“Syr, what is it?”

“There’s a book here…It’s not one of ours. Maybe a customer left it behind?”

“Ohh…? It wasn’t there last night…”

“Right, right! Runoa’s mistake, mistake, meow! If it’s not a customer’s book, what would that mean, meow? Somebody snuck into the bar and left it there, meow? The idea’s so full of holes, me feels sick…”

“As always, the idiot with useless knowledge, meow…”

“What?! I’ll cut you!”

Ignoring the commotion behind them, Lyu and Syr took a closer look at the book. Completely white and very thick, it smelled like old paper.

It was lined with many undecipherable figures and patterns. There was no title.

“…Wait a moment. This—”

Lyu realized something, but before she could get it into words, Mama Mia’s roar of anger filled the room.

“How many times ya gonna make me say somethin’?! Words not good enough for ya?! Time for this dwarfess t’ beat some discipline into y’all!”

Everyone froze with fear.

“W-wait, Mama, meow! We found something suspicious, meow!”

“This! This here!”

“Syr, hurry up and show her already!”

“Huh? Somethin’ suspicious?”

Ushered on by peer pressure, Syr gave an “Um, okay…” and stepped a few paces forward, the rest of the girls behind her. Syr’s blue-gray hair shaking, she showed a very serious-looking Mia the book in her hands.

“Mama Mia, it looks like someone left this book behind by accident. What should we do about it?”

“…Whaaa?”

The entire staff watched with bated breath as Mia thoroughly looked over both Syr and the book with a deep scowl on her face.

…?

Lyu couldn’t understand why Mia would have that look on her face. It was because the dwarfess had once been an adventurer herself and could still run with the best of them. But Lyu had never seen Mia wear this expression before.

As the elf tried to make sense of it all, Mia’s sharp eyes hadn’t left the book. She then gave instructions to Syr in a voice so gruff it was more suitable for a battlefield than a peaceful café.

“…Put it somewhere it can be seen. If the owner’s not an idiot, they’ll realize it’s gone and come lookin’ for it.”

“Yes, understood.”

After Syr lowered her head in a polite bow, the staff scattered.

The fear of this new kind of anger in Mama Mia’s eyes drove them to work harder than ever.

Lyu stopped for a moment when she happened to see two of her coworkers having a friendly chat, but sighed and got back to work by herself.

“Mr. Bell! Look out! Your feet!”

“Huh?”

Lilly’s scream hits my ears.

We’re currently on the seventh level. I was about to dive into a killer ant with the Divine Knife in my hand, so my reply was a little clumsy.

I’ve slain so many monsters on this level that it’s basically become my playground. I was so confident that I didn’t realize what was happening.

“—Kiihiii!!!!!”

“?!”

I knew what she was talking about right away.

A needle rabbit.

The rabbitlike monster with tusks growing out of its cheeks crept up to me in my blind spot. The tusks often become very valuable drop items used to make weapons, but if those bloodred protrusions hit me, I’ll be lucky to escape with my life.

It’s making a beeline for my left leg, its eyes glaring red.

“Keh!”

I just planted that foot so I can’t dodge! Being in the middle of an all-out run, my right leg’s safe from the monster’s attack but swimming uselessly in the air.

I quickly bend my left knee.

The only armor plates on my lower body are protecting my knees. It’s a last-ditch effort to block the needle rabbit’s attack. Just as I had hoped, the monster’s tusk hits the plate and bounces off.

SHING! The sound of bone on metal reverberates in my ears as pain shoots through my body.

The rabbit passes by with a high-pitched metallic clang, but my balance is completely broken.

“Gyaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

Great timing…like it saw that coming.

My original target sees the opening and is charging me along with his friend.

I’ve slain dozens of these killer ants in the past few days. I took on four of them at once at one point.

When it was just one, I didn’t think much of my enemy. Now there are two.

As a result, now there are four sets of merciless claws heading right for my eyes.

“Keehhh!”

Guard! I snap my left arm, equipped with my green vambrace, in front of my face just in time to block the attack.

The protector is very durable, and there’s not a scratch on it. But the impact of the blow not only shoots waves of pain through my arm, my whole body shoots off to the side.

I don’t spin at all. Landing gracefully on the balls of my feet, I slide straight back, my protector still in front of my face.

It’s the other killer ant’s turn now, and it’s charging!

Oh, shi—

I’ll be pinned down!

Once it plows into me at full force, holds my limbs down with four of its legs, and skewers me with its claws, there’ll be no hope of escape. The killer ant’s body is like armor, and just as heavy.

Eina warned me about this.

With my thin body type, getting pinned is the same as defeat.

—Ah.

This is the second time.

This feeling of an unavoidable death, the same as when I fought the Minotaur.

Body shivering, cowering in fear. Can’t breathe. Time standing still.

The killer ant’s hideous mouth suddenly opens.

I can see sickening rows of teeth, all dripping with saliva.

My mind goes blank. All that’s left is to absorb the incoming blow, and I brace myself for impact.

“NO—!”

The next moment, Lilly’s high-pitched yell and a ball of flame fly in from beside me.

“Huh?!”

“Degggyaaaaaa!!!!”

“Mr. Bell!”

Time comes back to me as the fireball hits the killer ant’s head, and it lets out a scream of anguish.

The Divine Knife in my right hand flickers to life as if responding to Lilly’s call.

“Gyuu?”

“Yeeeaaahhhhhhhhh!”

Slash! The killer ant’s flaming head flies off with a very satisfying sound. I roll forward to engage the other one, aiming for a one-hit kill.

My blade pierces its armor, splitting it in two. But I don’t have time to watch it pop, because the needle rabbit is coming in from behind. Drawing my second blade, I counter the advance with a strike to its head.

“Gii. Gaah…”

“…Hah-haaaaaa!”

I exhale the breath that’s been stuck in my throat, now that all monsters in the room lay slain on the ground.

Breaking out in a cold sweat that’s much too late, I hunch over and wipe my face.

I almost bit the dust there.

My heart’s beating like mad inside my ribs. I try to smooth out my staggered breathing with the pulse beating in my ears.

“Mr. Bell! Are you hurt?”

“…Lil-ly. Thank you, you saved my life…”

The tension in my body leaves as I see her running up to me. Once she reaches me, I plop my butt down on the floor.

“That was careless! It was a dangerous situation, but Mr. Bell made it worse!”

“Sorry…”

I have no words to defend myself.

I got too comfortable, and it made me overconfident.

I thought I could take out the two of them in one shot, and I underestimated them.

Just like the books—and Eina—said. As long as I took them one at a time, it wouldn’t matter if a needle rabbit suddenly jumped in. This wouldn’t have happened.

Now I know the real terror of the Dungeon: Nothing is certain.

If I had made one wrong move, or if Lilly hadn’t been there, I’d be dead right now.

A shiver rolls down my spine with that thought, making my whole body shake. I’m burning this feeling into my memory. Careless decisions lead to deadly consequences.

I only half hear Lilly’s latest lecture and let out a long sigh.

“Are you listening, Mr. Bell?”

“Ahh, yes, sorry…I’m reflecting on my decisions. I’ll never do that again…”

“Mr. Bell does look like he regrets his actions. In that case, Lilly will keep her mouth shut. It’ll be Mr. Bell’s responsibility if he doesn’t learn anything from this.”

I make one big nod, promising her I’ll remember, and stand up.

I’m about to thank her one more time for saving me when I remember something important.

“Lilly, you used magic just now, right?”

“…eh?”

Lilly flinched when I pointed that out.

“Was that by any chance a magic sword? So that’s how you saved me…Really, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I feel so happy right now.”

“…! L-Lilly didn’t save Mr. Bell because she wanted to! Without Mr. Bell, Lilly wouldn’t get any money and she’d have to find a new contract! Don’t get the wrong idea!”

“…What are you talking about, Lilly?”

How am I supposed to respond to something like that? Lilly’s eyes widen when she sees the look of confusion on my face. “What is Lilly saying…?” she mutters under her breath as she pulls her hood forward, grabbing her head. Yep, she’s lost me…

“Umm…You have a magic sword, Lilly?”

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, one thing led to another and it just sort of fell into Lilly’s lap, you see…”

“I see. But don’t magic swords break if you use them too much?”

“Yes, they do. So Lilly only uses it at times like this. But Lilly will use its full power to save Mr. Bell!”

That’s the exact opposite of what she said before, but oh, well. No matter.

With that, we decide to eat lunch, as both of us are hungry.

After Lilly cleans up all the slain monsters, we take up a spot in the middle of the room. When resting inside the Dungeon, we usually find a place out in the open to avoid any surprises being born from the walls.

Plus, this room is so big that even if an enemy walked right through the entrance, we’d see it coming.

Come to think of it, I haven’t returned Syr’s basket yet…

As I stuff my face with some plain food, thoughts of the lunch Syr gave me yesterday flood my mind.

I was late leaving the Dungeon last night, and I’d overslept this morning, so I haven’t had any time to swing by The Benevolent Mistress. I’ll feel bad if I don’t return the basket today.

Lilly and I start up a conversation.

The Dungeon is quiet; I don’t feel the presence of any monsters at all.

Lilly looks like she’s in a good mood. She’s laughing and everything. I think this might be a good chance to ask her about something that’s been on my mind.

“By the way, Lilly, you said you had to go to your Familia last night. Did something happen?”

I mean to ask the question as casually as possible, but Lilly’s face freezes on the spot.

It only takes a second for her usual smile to return, but it looks clumsy somehow.

Maybe I shouldn’t have asked after all…

“Why do you ask, Mr. Bell?”

“I know that your relationship with members of your Familia isn’t very good, so I was kind of…worried. Sorry.”

The impact of when Lilly told me she was living separately from her Familia is still fresh in my memory. Enough to make me worried about her well-being when she told me she was going there last night.

I quickly apologize, out of reflex. She relaxes her shoulders and smiles.

“Thank you for your concern, Mr. Bell. But everything is okay; nothing like what you are worried about happened.”

“Really?”

“Yes, it’s true. Last night was Soma Familia’s monthly meeting.”

“A meeting…?”

“…The details will get long, but the main thing is to announce how much money to make in the next month. Everyone combined has to make a certain amount and work hard to make the quota.”

It must be the Familia’s operational expenses.

It seems only natural that members would have to contribute a fraction of their income—it’s a lot like the money I pay to support the goddess at home. So there is nothing strange going on at all.

And the reason that Lilly has to sell her services as a supporter is probably to make this quota on her own. She’s left out of parties by her own Familia, after all.

“But that’s gotta be rough, having a personal quota you have to meet every month, especially for those members who can’t save up much money.”

“Lilly thinks so, too. Especially for supporters, or adventurers without much bite…”

AH! My eyes pop open for a moment.

I wouldn’t call it a breakthrough, but I think I’ve finally figured something out.

Before, when Lilly made a slightly ironic comment about needing money…?

Perhaps the reason that her relationship with her Familia is so rocky is because of money.

A twinge of dread fills my mind; I have to ask now. “What happens to the members who don’t reach their quota?”

Almost as if she can see right through me, Lilly smiles and answers, “Nothing at all, really.”

So there’s no penalty…I relax a bit too much, like an idiot. But the fact that a small animal child like Lilly has to work alone to fill her quota makes me think that something is amiss within Soma Familia.

I’m thinking so hard about it that my forehead wrinkles up. Lilly looks at me and pulls her hood down with a pitiful look on her face. Why a pitiful look…?

“Um, one other thing I wanted to ask. Soma Familia is in the wine business, isn’t it?”

I want to clear the air a bit, so I change the subject.

I force my face into a smile. Not a very good one, either.

“Ahh…That’s the rejected stuff.”

“Re…jected?…Wait, what?”

“That’s right. It leaks out of the container while it’s being brewed. So it’s collected and sold to stores. It would be a waste to throw it away.”

Now just hold on a second.

If I remember right, Eina said that their wine was extremely good and was always in high demand…The wine’s cult following has been seeking…a reject?

How could something like that be a reject?

Lilly looks at my confused face with a clouded smile.

“It means the wine is so delicious that even the failures are that good.”

The word “failure” doesn’t apply here, or at least it shouldn’t. I sit there in disbelief, rubbing the back of my neck with my hand.

But wait, that would make the “successes”…

“Lilly’s god, Soma, completely neglects other gods and isn’t interested in anything…except one. And that’s making wine.”

“……”

“It’s not going too far to say that the only reason he made Soma Familia, our one and only purpose, is to assist him in his one and only hobby.”

So then the reason that he gives members of his Familia a quota to fill is to cover the expenses of making large amounts of wine.

I don’t think it’s that rare for a god or goddess to use their Familia to pursue their own interests. It’s understandable that gods, who came to this world for entertainment, would need more money than what was required to just live here, like rent and food. It has to take a good deal of curiosity on the god’s part to want to dive into an industry.

But…I still can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong with Soma Familia.

It could just be everything I know about Lilly’s situation is making me suspicious, but I can’t help but see Soma Familia as the bad guy.

—“Fighting amongst one another”—“Live fast, die young”—“Frantic”—

I still remember Eina’s face when she spoke those words not too long ago.

“A-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha…If the stuff’s that good, maybe I should have a taste…?”

I can feel my face changing to a frown, so I decide to lighten my mood by joking around a bit.

Lilly gazes at me with a blank stare and makes a little laugh that vanishes in a heartbeat.

“Lilly doesn’t think that’s such a good idea…”

“……”

Our conversation ends with her muttered words.

I’m about to strike up a new one when monsters appear in our room. We don’t have much choice but to engage them head-on. Lilly is soon back to her usual self, and I guess I respond to that.

There’s still a gap between us.

I don’t know if it can ever be filled in.

I get that kind of strong feeling from her.

It feels like any manliness I ever had is gone, and my weak, useless self is exposed once again.

Two days have passed.

It’s been a full day since I went into the Dungeon with Lilly.

Yesterday morning, Lilly told me that she had something to take care of and wouldn’t be able to go. I don’t know if it had something to do with her Familia, but I clearly remember the apologetic look on her face.

After seeing that, I just couldn’t bring myself to prowl the Dungeon solo.

I keep telling myself a long break is a good idea, since I’ve been spending so much time in the Dungeon…but what is this feeling?

Whenever I think about Miss Wallenstein, a little voice in my head says, “There’s no time to just be sitting around!” Even still, I don’t feel like getting up. I’m a balloon without any air.

“…Ahhhh, this isn’t good.”

I pull my body up from the sofa, roughly fixing my hair.

Forcing out a deep breath, hoping to get this pent-up feeling out of my body at the same time.

I just need to move. What can I do? I’ll get rusty if I just lay here.

If I can’t clear my head, I can at least change my focus. I need to stop worrying about Lilly for now.

Been a while since I’ve done any cleaning…

Since the time I spend here has gone down dramatically, I feel like I haven’t done any chores recently.

I shouldn’t leave it all up to the goddess, seems unfair. I force my legs off the sofa and onto the floor…only to catch a glimpse of Syr’s basket, still sitting on the shelf.

“…Oh.”

I’m such an idiot.

“I’m so, so sorry!”

“Ah-ha-ha-ha…”

Clap! I bring my hands together and lower my head as far as it will go.

I raced over to The Benevolent Mistress under the daytime sun, and am now apologizing directly to Syr. There’s nothing I can do to rationalize forgetting to return the basket for days.

“Please raise your head, Bell. I don’t mind.”

“Yeah, but…”

“If that’s how you feel, be more careful from now on, okay? What’s done is done, and nothing can change that. So concentrate on what you can do from now on.”

She’s absolutely right. I timidly raise my eyes before slowly standing back up.

Syr looks at me kindly, a soft smile on her face.

It’s times like this that make me realize she’s older than me.

“But, yes. Without any news, I was starting to get worried about you. So worried that I was making mistakes at work.”

“I’m really sorry about that…”

“…Do you know how much they teased me?”

She suddenly has a twinge of resentment in her eyes. Huh? My eyes open wide in confusion. She blushes, turning her cheeks a pinkish red before she does one of her very obvious coughs. I hope that means she’ll cut me some slack.

Still having no idea what she meant, I return the basket and pick up a menu.

Saying good-bye right after returning the basket after all of this would just be wrong. It wasn’t exactly a way of apologizing for forgetting about the basket for so long, but ordering something simple still seems like the right thing to do.

Most of the other patrons at the bar right now are women. Seeing animal-person mothers and their children makes me smile. Their plates are overflowing with fruit—that is, until the kids dig in with fang-filled grins.

“Hey, was that decoration there before?”

I sit at a counter seat in the corner and am looking around the place, when a big white book catches my eye.

It’s leaned up against the wall behind me. It doesn’t match the interior very well.

“Hee-hee, well, that’s…”

I ask Syr about it when she comes to take my order. Her words cut off for a moment, but she continues before I can wonder why.

“I believe it was left behind by one of our customers. We wanted to make sure they could see it when they came back for it, so we put it there.”

“Oh,” I respond in a weak voice. So there really are people who can forget something like that when at a bar.

Syr comes back with my cake and tea a moment later. She stays at my seat and we have a small conversation. A cat-person waitress comes over by herself and seems to offer Syr a break. I wonder if everything’s all right.

The catgirl is grinning, too, for some reason.

“Well then, are you convalescing here for a while?”

“Nothing all that fancy…”

I decide to bring up Lilly, and the fact that I had no motivation to do anything.

It wasn’t by accident. I just want someone to listen to my problems, I guess.

Maybe I have some kind of shameless hope that she’ll give me a bit of helpful advice.

After lending an ear and staring at me as she listened, Syr smiles.

“Why don’t you try some literature?”

“Literature?”

“Yes. You don’t read books very often, right, Bell? Why don’t you take a chance and read?”

She tells me that books might provide the stimulation I need right now.

Literature…The thought has never crossed my mind. But she has a point. It could be just the medicine I’m looking for.

I need to get back to the feeling I had whenever I read about the heroes in tales of adventure; I never could sit still.

Who knows? Going into a book’s world might just get my heart racing and cure my couch potato syndrome.

“Yeah, I think I will. Thanks for the idea, Syr. I’ll read a book.”

“I’m happy to be of service.”

I’m glad I asked her and I’ll take her advice.

Seeing that I was open to her advice rather than just thinking things over by myself, Syr followed that up with a question of her own:

“Do you have a book in mind?”

“Not really. My goddess has plenty of books at home. I’ll probably borrow one of them…”

Going to the bookstore is also an option. As soon as those words leave my mouth, I hear Syr say, “In that case…” She reaches over and picks up the white book.

“Why don’t you try reading this?”

“Huh? But this book, it’s someone else’s, right? They forgot it here.”

“As long as you bring it back, there shouldn’t be a problem. Books don’t disappear after someone reads them. Plus, I think it belongs to an adventurer, so there might be something useful for you in here.”

Many adventurers come to this bar; more than likely the owner of this book is one, too.

Because it’s a personal possession of an adventurer, it might stimulate my mind. At least, I think that’s what she’s saying.

It’s a rare book that I’ve never seen before, that’s for sure. This might be my only chance to read something like it.

Then again, I’d be getting my fingerprints all over someone else’s book…

“Nothing to worry about. Honestly, Mama Mia doesn’t really like having it here, so if you take it, you’d be doing us a favor. And…”

Syr suddenly looks shy.

“…I want to help you any way I can, Bell.”

“……”

“But this is all I can do for you, so please, take it. For me.”

Didn’t she say something a lot like that not too long ago? I grimace when that thought hits me.

Well, if she’s going to go that far, I may as well let her spoil me.

It would be rather cruel of me to refuse her goodwill, and her embarrassed face. So I take the book from her.

But when I reach up to take it, my hands accidentally sweep across hers. The feeling of her soft skin makes my heart skip a beat.

“T-thanks. Umm…well then, I’ll see you later?”

“Yes, thank you for coming today.”

I’m flustered, but I do my best to hide it as I stand up to leave.

After a quick “The cake was delicious,” I leave the bar.

It was the same with Eina…I can’t help but get nervous when I touch a girl’s skin. I blush like there’s no tomorrow. Just how innocent am I?!

“Syr, you gave him that book…?”

“Yep, I did.”

“For someone as straightforward and honest as you to give out the bar’s property like that…Never thought it would happen.”

“Don’t you two know love is blind, meow? Syr, you should let your hair down more often, meow!”

Still flustered from the feeling of Syr’s warm hands, I hurry home.

I open the book the moment I get home.

Since the goddess isn’t home yet, I set the book down on the table with one hand.

Getting a little anxious, I pull out a chair, sit down, and look over the title page without a title.

Mirror, Mirror: The Fairest Witch in the Land Is ME: An Autobiography (With Appendix: Awaken Your Magic!)

Right off the bat, it sounds childish…

Chapter 1: Modern Magic Even Goblins Can Understand!

Teaching magic to goblins. No one should do that…

I want to close the book right now, but I decide to bear with it. I can’t let Syr’s good intentions go to waste. I force my eyes across the characters on the page with all the endurance I can muster.

The top parts are painful, but the content actually isn’t that bad.

Just like the words on the title page said, this book seems to be about magic.

“Ooohhh!” My eyes light up with sudden anticipation and I dive back into the pages.

There are two types of Magic: innate and acquired. As the term “innate” suggests, this type of magic can be used by various races based on genetics. From ancient times, these races have had the potential to become magic users within them and are trained in magic at a young age through rituals. While the types of magic they can use are rather limited, the strength and scale of these spells are often very high.

It’s written in Koine, the common language, so even I can understand it, with some effort.

But what are these characters between the lines…?

Not wording…maybe some kind of equation?

Next page.

Acquired magic refers to the possibility of Magic given to those people who receive “Falna,” and appears on its own. With almost no restrictions, this kind of magic takes many different forms. The effect of the Magic depends heavily on excelia.

This is different from hieroglyphs, and different from any language of the races of people.

Nothing in common with itself, just a strange grouping of marks.

The passage…the sea of characters is pulling me in.

Next page.

Magic is interest. This is a vital factor for all acquired magic. What holds your interest—what do you accept, hate, want, grieve for, worship, swear to, long for? The trigger is already within you. Your Falna will carve your soul into a blazing sun.

A picture has appeared.

It’s a head. It has eyes. It has a nose. It has a mouth. It has ears. It’s a person’s face.

A human face with closed eyes is drawn out in black. A picture made from the words of the passage.

Next page.

If you desire it, answer. If you desire it, break. If you desire it, focus! A terrible mirror of truth lies before you.

No. That’s my face. My face, with nothing above the forehead.

No—it’s a mask. It’s another face of me. A me that I didn’t know, another me.

Next page.

Now, let’s begin.

The eyes open. It speaks with my voice.

The ruby-red letters that spell out the eyes shoot through me. Short passages that make up the small lips spin words.

Next page.

What is magic to me?

I don’t know.

But it’s something great and mysterious.

A finishing move to slay monsters. A mysterious power used by heroes to come back from near death.

Strong, fierce, merciless, overwhelming.

What I’ve always wanted to have, just once. What I’ve been yearning for.

Next page.

What is magic to me?

Power.

Great power.

A big weapon that will defeat my weak self.

A grand weapon that will inspire my weak self.

Not a noble shield to protect my allies, nor anything so elegant as a healing hand.

A heroic power to clear away the obstacles in my path.

Next page.

What kind of a thing is magic to me?

Thing?

What kind of thing?

Fire.

Magic has to be fire. It’s the first thing I think of when I hear the word “magic.”

Strong, ferocious, hot.

Burn the plains, scatter the ash, scorch the air, envelop everything in waves of flame and heat haze, crimson tongues of flame nothing like my normal weakness.

Hotter than anything else, never going out…immortal flame.

I want to become flame.

What do you seek in magic?

To become stronger, like her.

To become faster, like her.

Like light breaking through the clouds.

Like lightning racing across the sky.

More than anyone, more than anyone, more than anyone.

Faster than anyone.

Like her.

To be in her sight.

That’s all?

If I can. If I can. If I can.

I want to become a hero.

I have always wanted to be a hero, and like a fool I’ve pursued that dream.

Just like the ones in the tales. A hero praised and loved by all.

No matter how pathetic a fantasy, how vain and indignant, how miserably unsuited I am for it.

I want to become enough of a hero for her to notice me.

You’re such a child.

…Sorry.

But that’s me, too.

The me inside the book smiles.

Then everything goes black.

“…ll…ell—”

I hear a voice.

My mind comes out of the darkness as a pretty voice echoes in my ears.

Light shines itchily into the darkness.

“Bell!”

The next moment, my eyes are open.

“Ah…G-Goddess?”

“Yes, Bell, it’s me. What’s wrong with you, falling asleep at the table? There are much better places to sleep.”

I rub my eyes until the goddess’s face comes into focus next to me. Raising my head, I take a look around.

I’m at home, in the hidden room under the old church. The time is…seven at night. It’s already evening.

Even before I finish scanning the room, the goddess starts asking for details.

“Were you reading a book? Ah-hah! Maybe I just happened to walk in as your drowsiness finally got the best of you—not used to reading, eh?”

“Um…ah, yes……I think so?”

…I fell asleep?

The white book I borrowed from Syr is still wide open on the table.

Apparently I was out cold and used it as a pillow.

I finished it…?

I hold down my temples. My head feels odd, like it’s been spun in all directions.

There are some very strange memories in the back of my mind. They feel unreal, like daydreams.

Was I talking with someone? Did they ask me something? Or are all these memories just leftovers from a dream?

It’s no use. I can’t figure it out…

“Hee-hee, so cute. I’m usually really tired after work, but thanks to your playfulness, I feel like my usual self!”

“P-playfulness…?”

“Hee-hee! Now, let’s eat some dinner.”

With those words, my ears turn red and my head drops. But the goddess is smiling as she goes to her closet.

I step outside the front door for a moment, waiting until the goddess pokes her childish face out the door and says “All done!” before I join her in the kitchen. I feel bad that I was the first one home and haven’t prepared anything at all. On the other hand, the goddess’s cheeks are a rosy pink; she must be happy to be working next to me. That makes me smile, too.

“Bell, what were you doing with that thick book? You don’t seem like the type of person who would buy something like that.”

“Kind of sad that you put it like that…but yes. I borrowed it from a friend of mine.”

“Ah, can I see it when you’re done? I haven’t seen many books that are that old. Got a bit of an itch to read it, you know.”

“You really love books, don’t you?”

After cleaning up after a modest dinner, we take turns in the shower before deciding to update my status. It’s been growing faster these days.

The goddess must have finally gotten used to her job working for Hephaistos Familia; she has enough time and energy to do this now.

I take off my shirt and lay facedown on the bed while the goddess pricks her finger on a needle to draw out ikoru—the power in her blood.

“Huh…hmmm?…Tsk!”

“G-Goddess…Is my status still growing like before?”

“…Yep, no change at all. Full speed ahead, no other way to put it.”

Her voice sounds a bit scary, so I have to muster up some courage to ask her. Sure enough, a very moody response came from behind my head.

She’s still angry…No, she’s angry again.

She seems to get angry every time she updates my status recently…

“Yes, that’s right, you’re a stubborn one. I know, I know, your feelings don’t exactly change overnight.”

I have no idea how to respond to those irritated whispers.

There’s nothing I can do to clear the air but keep my mouth shut and hope the storm blows through on its own.

Suddenly, two sharp pinches drill into my back. It feels like I’m being pricked with a needle.

Hey, wait a second—it hurts!

“Goddess! That hurts! You’re doing that on purpose?!”

“Hmmm?”

“What are you hmmm-ing for?!”

My pleas and tearful eyes don’t have any effect on her. And as though she were saying “No backtalk,” she sticks the needle into the back of my head. Direct hit.

Unable to fight back, I can only wipe my tears on the pillow, completely defenseless.

I’ll make sure she doesn’t sleep well tonight…

“…Well, with the exception of your Defense, all of your basic stats are almost an S rank, so of course your growth is slowing down a little bit.”

“…Ah, I see.”

“Still, this isn’t normal…”

The maximum rank for all basic stats in a status is S. As each stat gets closer to the top, it takes more experience to improve. As a result, growth slows way down. I’ve heard in some cases, an adventurer could slay hundreds of monsters and not go up a single point.

Now in my case, the fact that my growth has slowed down might be due to this growth barrier, but the fact I’m still growing at all must mean that I’m still going strong.

But as the goddess said, there could be too much of a good thing.

“………”

“…Goddess?”

Seems strange that both her hands and her mouth aren’t moving.

Even after calling out to her, she just sits there silently until…

“……Magic.”

“Eh?”

“Magic has appeared in your status.”

That was the last thing I was expecting to hear.

“Whaaaaaa?!”

“Eeek!”

Astonishment wells up inside me.

I rear my back up like a startled horse.

As a result, the goddess, who was sitting on my lower back, flies off the bed and onto the floor—headfirst with a loud thunk, no less.

Wait, crap!!

“G-Goddess!! I’m so sorry! Are you hurt?”

“Didn’t think you’d be getting revenge like that…You’re something else, Bell.”

She’s at the foot of the bed, stuck halfway through a somersault cut tragically short. Her eyes are shiny with tears, her body shaking ever so slightly.

And…her boobs are hitting her chin…?! No, focus, you idiot!

I reach out to help her, doing my best to keep my eyes off her cleavage, my hands trembling with fear. Soon after that, the whole of Hestia Familiar is doing dogeza—the submissive pose on all fours with forehead on the ground, apologizing like mad.

It is quite some time before I see the details of my new status.

“…!!”

I really have to fight the urge to scream at the top of my lungs.

I hold the paper the goddess wrote my status on, my jaws clenched and my hands shaking.

My eyes sparkle with pure joy. Even though I can’t see my mouth, I know I’m smiling from ear to ear.

“I can’t believe Magic appeared…Could it be related to that Skill…? I can’t tell.”

The goddess mumbles something, her eyebrows down as she holds her chin like she’s deep in thought. Completely different from my reaction.

She keeps looking at my back and then my face and back again, but I don’t care.

“G-Goddess…Magic, I have Magic! I’ve become a magic user…!”

“Yes, I see that. Congratulations, Bell.”

I’m happy, plain and simple.

Joy rushes through my body. I feel like I’m on fire.

At the same time, I can feel tears welling up in my eyes. This is a dream come true. My whole body is shaking in excitement.

I crumple up the paper in my hand and squat down to the floor. I get the feeling that the goddess is beside me, grimacing.

I’m happy—so, so happy! I can finally use magic!

Not just any magic, that Magic! The same one that the heroes used as a trump card in the tales of adventure, that one!

“I hate to throw water on your blaze of joy, but we need to talk about your Magic. There’s something that’s bugging me.”

“Yes, Goddess!”

I stand back up and yell my response.

I really need to calm down. I tell myself that over and over as I take some deep breaths and try to make my tense body relax.

“Are you listening? This is just a summary, but Magic requires the user to speak an incantation for it to work. You already knew this much, right?”

I answer her question with a quick nod.

Every type of magic has many different attributes that can be manipulated by the user through a spell that is spoken aloud by the caster.

The incantation creates a launchpad for the magic so that when the spell is complete, it goes in the desired direction. Think of it this way: The longer the launchpad takes to create—the longer the incantation—the bigger and more powerful the magic will be.

On the other hand, the shorter the spell, the smaller the launchpad, therefore the weaker the magic will be. On the plus side, a shorter incantation can be said quickly. It’s convenient because it can be conjured almost instantly.

“Then I’ll get to my point. My friends have told me that when a person learns Magic, it shows up in their status. Said person learns their incantation by looking at their status. It’s the trigger.”

“Really? But there’s no spell written on the status sheet you gave me…”

“Yes, that’s right. Don’t start thinking that I forgot to write it down, got that?”

“Firebolt” is written in my Magic slot, but there’s nothing here that looks like an incantation. Without one, I won’t be able to trigger my magic at all.

Just as my neck starts leaning to the side, the goddess tells me her theory.

“This is just my hunch, a complete guess. Judging by what was written in your status…your magic might not need an incantation to be triggered, Bell.”

I freeze. Willing my body to move, I unfold the status sheet in my hand and take another look at it.

Sure enough, there is no incantation. The only description given is the words “Swift-Strike Magic.”

…I think the goddess’s hunch is spot-on. Heck, I can’t think of anything else those words could mean.

“I don’t know how powerful it will be, but it has zero conjuring time…‘Swift-Strike Magic.’ I don’t think I’m wrong.”

“So, then, this Fireb—Gholg!”

Both of the goddess’s soft hands cover my mouth.

She’s standing on her tiptoes, eyes locked on mine.

“I would advise not saying its name willy-nilly.”

“Muhegeh?”

“I don’t know what the trigger is, but it might conjure just by you saying ‘Firebolt.’”

Ffffft. My face is turning blue. I still have no clue what this magic can do, but if I release it here by accident, I might blow our home to smithereens.

“Understand?” the goddess asks. I nod and she takes her hands down.

“The bottom line is that this is all a guess. We won’t know for sure until you try it out…Use it in the Dungeon tomorrow. Then you will know for sure how your magic works.”

“Eh? Tomorrow…?”

“Don’t tell me you want to go now? You just took a shower, right? Your magic isn’t about to disappear!”

“Ah, yes…you’re right.”

The goddess chuckles at me as I slowly nod in acceptance.

It’s already late. The goddess is very tired from work, hiding a yawn with her hand and everything, so we decide to go straight to bed.

After brushing her teeth, the goddess jumps into bed before turning out the light.

I too feel a little sleepy and lay down on the sofa…

Sorry, Goddess.

…for a moment.

My eyes are wide open. Who could actually sleep at a time like this?

I jump up from the sofa. Listening to her breathing and being careful not to wake her, I grab my backpack, already prepped, and leave the room.

Throwing on my armor at all speed, I set my pack on the church stairwell before heading out.

I want to use it right now!

The moon and stars are shining brightly over Main Street. Light spilling out of shops’ and bars’ windows light up their patrons’ faces. The drunken, noisy voices of demi-humans have a very nice rhythm; my feet tap right along with it as I pass by.

Orario still hasn’t gone to sleep. And neither have I.

The white tower grows in front of me as I get closer. I lift the gear on the front gate with a grin on my face.

Once I’m into the first floor of Babel, I head straight down.

I reach the Dungeon entrance hole cover in the basement floor. Through the big hole I go, then down the spiral staircase as if I were on wheels. It’s still not fast enough for me, so I put my hand on the railing halfway down and jump up and over the side into the middle of the hole.

I tear through the air and land with a solid thud. The impact feels so good it makes my eyes water, and my feet shake with excitement.

I’m now officially on level one of the Dungeon.

“……!!”

Crunch. I come to a halt.

It’s a wide hallway. A short, fat green shadow has popped up in the middle of my line of sight.

A goblin.

This looks good…

The enemy’s size, the distance between us—everything looks good.

I swallow all the spit in my mouth and wipe my sweaty palms on my inner shirt.

It sees me. Yelling at the top of its lungs, it slams its feet against the ground as it charges right at me.

I clench my right fist before thrusting my arm straight out and spread my fingers in front of the oncoming monster.

“……”

My heart pounds away in my ears.

I focus all of my built-up nerves, anxiety, and excitement into my right shoulder.

Short breath.

Raising my eyebrows as high as they would go, I release a roar of my own:

“FIREBOLT!!”

A scarlet light floods my vision a moment later.

“?!”

Scarlet lightning flashes through the hallway.

No, not quite. Electric flames.

The bolts carve sharp, random lines through the air before piercing the goblin.

That’s all that I can see.

An explosive flash of light blinds me the instant the electric flame reaches the goblin’s body.

An orange flower blooms.

“…ah.”

The goblin stands there for a moment, covered in burns, its body smoking. Its eyes go white as it flops onto the floor. The last utterance of the monster echoes through the hallway.

“…No way.”

It works. It really works.

My magic works.

I pull my arm down and take a long, hard look at the palm of my right hand in stunned silence. All those times I’ve tried that pose while working in the fields, and now it’s here.

It’s the hand I see every day. Nothing’s changed.

But now it works.

Magic came from this hand.

“…H…haa-haa-haa!”

I know it works, but I’m not satisfied yet.

My entire body is sizzling. I close the open hand in front of my face into a tight fist.

Yes…!

Real results. Real progress.

This is something that I can see with my own eyes, not just my status on a sheet of paper. I’m finally getting closer to Miss Wallenstein—I can feel it!

Firebolt. Electric flame.

Conjured in an instant, it strikes at the speed of light with the power of fire.

Fire magic faster than anyone.

Magic just for me.

“!”

A new wave of joy envelops me.

I accidentally bite my lip while fist pumping over and over again. It hurts. I don’t care.

I’m in the zone, my face flush with excitement.

My eyes haven’t sparkled this much since the moment I registered for the Guild. Pure, naïve glimmering.

The emotion and excitement go straight to my head.

I sprint into the Dungeon, looking for my next target.

“FIREBOLT!”

“Gyuaaaaaaa!!!!”

I find a monster, then thrust out my arm.

“FIREBOLLLTTTT!!!”

“Ebbbsshhiiii!”

I feel like a small child, running around yelling as loud as he can.

“FFFIIIRRREEEBBBOOOLLLTTT!!!!!!”

“BGYAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Explosion on sight.

“FIREBOLT!” “FIREBOLT!” “FIREBOLT!” “FIREBOLT!” “FIREBOLT!” “FIREBOLT!” “FIREBOLT!” “FIREBOLT!” “FIREBOLT!” “FIREBOLTTT!!!!”

“GYAAHH!!!”

“Whoops. I’m on the fifth level…”

I’ve gone too far in. I laugh to myself, looking around the room with a very satisfied smile.

The fact that the pale blue walls have turned light green is all the proof I need.

I was having too much fun, I reflect to myself as I make a quick U-turn.

’Bout time to go home, I say to myself, humming a tune when…

“—Whuh?”

Something feels…off.

Heartbeat in my ears, I can hear it.

“Uh……?”

It happens quickly.

I’ve never drunk alcohol before, but this must be what a drunk person feels like.

My legs are unsteady. I’m not even sure they’re touching the ground.

My vision spins. I glimpse the rapidly approaching floor, and pass out right then and there.

“……?”

“What’s wrong, Aiz?”

Two adventurers entered the fifth-level floor.

However, they didn’t come from above. They arrived from below.

Standing firm without a scratch on them, Aiz and Reveria had spent three days climbing up from the Lower Fortress, level thirty-seven. Even though they’d been fighting off monsters for the past forty-six hours straight on their journey to the surface, neither of them looked all that tired.

Now their journey’s end was right in front of them, but Aiz, who was walking a few paces in front of Reveria, stopped in her tracks.

The elf looked at Aiz’s long blond hair as she asked what was wrong.

“A person is on the ground.”

“Done in by a monster?”

Sure enough, alone in the middle of the room was the body of an adventurer.

He lay facedown on the dungeon floor, like he had tripped and not gotten back on his feet. The two girls approached him.

“No visible wounds, healing and detox appear to be unnecessary…Looks like a classic case of Mind Down.”

Reveria continued her diagnosis in a matter-of-fact tone, saying that he’d probably used magic without thinking about the consequences.

Using magic was not free. It required energy. Magic uses mental energy, the opposite of physical strength, to activate. Of course, just as the body has its limit, the mind can only take so much.

Reveria was amazed that this boy had been able to keep using magic to the point of losing consciousness.

Meanwhile, Aiz crouched down over the adventurer with her hands on her knees, staring at his white hair.

“This boy…”

“What’s that? Do you know him, Aiz?”

“Not really. We’ve never spoken directly…He’s, um, the boy I told you about. The Minotaur…”

“…I see. He’s the boy that idiot insulted.”

She had heard many things about this boy, Bell, from Aiz. First, he was the coward who was chased around by the Minotaur. He’d also run out of a bar they’d been drinking at after he was slandered by Bete.

Even though Reveria had warned their party member and defended the boy, she hadn’t realized that he had actually been there. She regretted not stopping the conversation sooner. She knew they had hurt him.

Even worse, Aiz had been dragged into the middle of that exchange.

“Reveria, I want to compensate this boy.”

“…There are other ways of saying that.”

Reveria let out a long sigh in response to Aiz’s choice of words. Aiz looked up at her with pleading, sparkling eyes and blinked two, three times.

Realizing that Aiz didn’t understand, Reveria gave up and decided not to say anything.

“Well, helping someone at a time like this is common courtesy…”

Aiz nodded twice, her clothing swishing with her head. Reveria leaned forward for a closer look at Bell.

Seeing that the boy showed no signs of waking up anytime soon, Reveria shifted her gaze onto Aiz.

“…Aiz, do for this boy exactly what I’m about to tell you. If you’re going to compensate him, that should be enough.”

“What?”

Reveria gave her a look to convey her real message.

“…Is it okay just to do that?”

“I’m not certain. But you will protect this spot. You don’t have to do anything above and beyond that. Besides, any man would be happy because it’s you.”

“I don’t…understand.”

You don’t have to understand, Reveria chuckled to herself.

The elf looked down at Aiz for a moment, like a mother watching her child grow up, before returning her expression to its usual refined, dignified state.

Her face back to normal, Reveria stood up.

“I’m returning to the surface. I’ll just get in your way if I stay here. You two have to be alone to understand each other.”

“Yes, thank you, Reveria.”

The elf nodded with an affirmative “Ah” before leaving them behind.

She wasn’t the least bit worried about monsters attacking them.

As far as guardians went, the boy had the best one on the planet to protect him.

A deep slumber envelops me.

A fragrance like a serene wind, warmed from the heat of the sun.

All the sensation my skin transmits is soft and pleasant.

I’m drowsy.

I’m so comfortable I don’t want to move…

……?

Something is stroking my hair. Thin fingers run down my cheek.

So gentle, so reassuring.

My eyelids open slowly.

…Mother?

I call out to the person I’ve never met, don’t even know her face.

The fuzzy outline filling my vision stops moving.

“Sorry. I’m not your mother…”

……Huh?

The person responds in a voice that goes right through me.

I blink to clear my clouded eyes.

As I do, the fuzzy shapes come into focus.

The first thing I can make out is shiny blond hair. Then a beautiful face.

Finally, golden eyes that match her hair.

“……”

“Are you awake…?”

My eyes are open. My head is awake.

But time isn’t moving.

My mind still empty, I stare at the face looking down on me.

The back of my head is warm. Something soft is under it.

I think I know what’s going on. My head is, probably, in her lap.

This person, Aiz Wallenstein, strokes my hair again.

She touches my eyelids, warm.

“……”

I clumsily raise my upper body.

I know it’s a waste of warm comfort, but still I sit up.

She leaves my line of sight. In her place is a massacre of slain monsters and random bones. I pretend not to see anything and turn back to Miss Wallenstein. She’s still there.

“…An illusion?”

“Not an illusion.”

Miss Wallenstein’s expression suddenly changes. The line of her eyebrows slants.

We exchange glances for an eternal moment.

Gold and ruby-red eyes. It looks like the silence is getting to her. My face is turning redder with each passing heartbeat. By the time Miss Wallenstein realizes it, my head is red enough that it might as well be an overripe apple sitting on my shoulders.

My eyes are out of focus, fluttering and quivering like lake-worms.

I scramble to my feet.

“GAAAAAAAH!!!”

I run away as fast as my legs can carry me.

“…Why do you always…run away?”

If someone had been there to hear her words, they would have heard a hint of loneliness in Aiz’s voice.