Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darou ka Gaiden – Sword Oratoria - Volume 9 - Chapter 2.1

CHAPTER 2 A BRIEF CALM 

“We’re returning to the city. Start getting ready.” 
This was the fifth day since the battle had begun. 
The conflict with Rakia was still ongoing when Finn gave that order. 
“It seems like Rakia just wants to drag out this war for some reason. They’ve been focusing on harrying us instead of committing to any decisive attacks. They want to keep Orario’s forces outside the walls.” 
According to him, the enemy’s real aim was inside the city. 
No one questioned the wise captain’s decision. It was imperative for some of the familias to return to the city in order to avoid playing into the enemy’s hand. When the Guild heard Finn’s analysis of the situation, they would understand. Surely they would call back some of their forces without delay. Loki Familia had their justification for the move. 
They had left a decisive-enough impact on the battlefront on the first day, so as long as Freya Familia and Ganesha Familia stayed, it would be more than enough to handle what was left. It was rather convenient how Loki’s plan ended up pushing all the annoying stuff onto Freya, who she was always quarrelling with, as well as her familia. 
Loki Familia quickly withdrew from the field, leaving behind their battle standard to convince the enemy they were still there. 
Later that evening, they reached Orario. 
“We can’t prepare for the Evils while fighting a war. If our operations against the Rakian forces drag on much longer, we won’t be able to find them.” 
They passed through the giant city walls at sunset, earning looks of surprise and suspicion from the populace. Finn gathered the familia in the plaza before the city gate to brief them on the plan going forward. 
“Riveria and I will take care of handling the spies Rakia has probably snuck into the city. The rest of you should continue the search for information about the key…but also rest up a bit. You’ve probably strained yourselves a bit participating in the war, since that’s not our usual job, and we haven’t had a break in half a month. Raul, gather all the requests for time off. I’ll take care of scheduling them.” 
“Got it!” 
After that, the various members dispersed to enjoy their brief respite. 
 
Far from the battlefield, and right before they got back to Orario. 
Gareth and a handful of people had separated from the main group and started inspecting the area surrounding the city. 
“Found it!” 
“Th-there really was one…” 
They were on a rocky outcropping over four kirlos away from the city. 
Stepping into an inconspicuous cave close enough to the coast to see the waves, the adventurers found a man-made passage hewn into the natural rock. 
“When I heard they were moving those man-eating flowers into Meren, I thought this might be the case. Small or even middling ones I could see, but getting big ones out via the city gate would be too suspicious. Even with the cooperation of Ishtar Familia and other mercantile groups.” 
Gareth’s group had taken a different path after they were released from dealing with Rakia. If they reentered the city, it would be an incredibly tedious process to get back out again, so in order to take care of the familia’s current objective of gathering information about Knossos, they intended to look from the outside for any underground passages out of the city. 
“They got Knossos’s man-eating flowers out from here…” The chienthrope Cruz was dumbfounded. 
“They can also bring in food and supplies. Not to mention all the resources to create the labyrinth…” 
“Another route in and out that could avoid inspection by the city, you mean?” 
“Aye. The Rakian spies Finn was suspicious of might be using it, too.” 
It was also possible that in the past, the Evils had used it to raise money, charging a high toll to let outlaws into the city. 
Raising a magic-stone lantern, the Level-4 Cruz stared down the man-made passage. 
“Still, it’s amazing we found it…Honestly, when I heard we were going to be searching every nook and cranny around the city, I got dizzy just thinking about it.” 
“It’s not like we’re just turning over any old rocks looking for it. Examining the ground’s a dwarf’s specialty. If nothing else, I’ve got experience!” 
Before he came to Orario, long before he met Loki and Finn and joined the familia, Gareth worked as a miner of coal and ore in his homeland. He had set out for dangerous volcanoes and found countless veins of precious metals. And of course, he had been involved in the construction of countless tunnels. Based on Knossos’s estimated scale, the size of Orario, and then the need for discretion, he had zeroed in on this location. 
“Let’s destroy this. Can any of you lads use explosive magic?” 
“Y-yes!” 
“Then torch it. This’ll cut off their main supply line. Since Knossos is connected to the city and the Dungeon, it’s just a minor setback for them, though…After we’re done here, we’re gonna make sure there aren’t any other routes in. North, south, east, and west, we’re goin’ over all of Orario’s surroundings with a fine-tooth comb.” 
“Gaaah…Understood.” 
While Loki Familia’s few male members began to chant, Cruz steeled himself unhappily. The Labyrinth City itself was huge; the area of its surroundings was immeasurable. 
Their break would have to wait for now. 
“Sorry, Bete Loga, but it isn’t here, eitheeer.” 
“Feh…A big waste of time, huh?” 
The curtain of night had fallen on Orario. In the moonlit southeast quarter of the city, people were going about their business in the restored part of the Pleasure Quarter. The night they had returned to the city, Bete and a group from Loki Familia were searching for the key. He had dragged Lena, formerly of Ishtar Familia, away from the war front to show him where the key was, as she had promised. They were in Belit Babili, Ishtar’s home. 
“Looks like the Evils got here first…But there’s no trail. I can’t smell those assholes at all.” 
“Yeah, there’s no signs of a struggle, either. Maybe Ishtar or another familia member who knew about it already took it?” 
They were inside a hidden room connected to Ishtar’s inner sanctum. There were golden crowns and gorgeous veils glittering with stardust adorning the shelves and wardrobes, but Daedalus’s Orb was nowhere to be found. The small box on top of the table that Lena had seen was empty. Aggravated at Lena, Bete tore the room up, looking high and low for it before turning to glare back at her. 
“Beeete, I searched that Tammuz guy’s room, but I couldn’t find it. Sheesh, I want some overtime.” 
“Overtime, my ass! You probably just did a half-assed check. Stupid Amazon.” 
“Like I’d do that!” 
“Aki and the animal-person kid helped out. We checked everywhere, but there wasn’t a hidden room or anything.” 
Tiona and Tione and the others had met up with them in the goddess’s sanctum. 
Bete scoffed as their report killed his last hope at a lead. 
“Back to the drawing board again. Would have been nice to get the key that Valletta what’s-her-face had.” 
“Bete blew them all away, though.” 
“…What, is it my fault, huh?” 
He hadn’t just blown them away; he’d incinerated them. He sullenly avoided eye contact. The reality was that even if they wanted to search for the key belonging to the commander of their newly resurfaced enemy, there were no leads to follow. 
They hadn’t witnessed it themselves, but knowing how enraged he was at the time, they wouldn’t be so insensitive as to blame him for not pressing Valletta Grede for the key’s location, but… 
“Quit it! Don’t blame Bete! It’s all my fault!” 
For some reason, Lena’s cheeks were flushed as she excitedly covered for Bete. 
“It’s just that when he thought they had killed me, he swore to get revenge for me but…Hee-hee-hee-hee…I guess that’s love. Love?! Proof Bete loves me!” 
“Shut your damn mouth or I’ll shut it for you!” 
“What?! My mouth…with Bete Loga’s mouth?! Yaaah! So bold! But if you say so, dear. Mmmm~.” 
Lena closed her eyes and pursed her lips only to be struck in the cheek by Bete’s clenched fist. 
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!” 
“I’ll kill you, you delusional twit.” 
“Could you quit acting so lovey-dovey? It’s an eyesore.” 
“Why are you getting jealous, Tione?!” 
Lena rolled on the ground, holding her cheek, while Bete seemed about ready to burst a vein. Tione seemed even more murderous than the werewolf as she watched her fellow Amazon flirt (that’s how it appeared from her perspective), while Tiona desperately pinned her older sister’s fists behind her back. 
As the room instantly descended into chaos, the catgirl Anakity and the others sighed. 
“Lefiya…Was it here?” 
“Yes, Miss Aiz…” 
The eighteenth floor of the Dungeon. Aiz, Lefiya, Narfi, and a few others were in the area just outside the great forest. 
The grove of blue crystals reminiscent of ancient stone circles sparked Lefiya’s memory. Around one and a half months ago, she had run into Bell by chance and gotten involved in a fight with a trap monster while chasing some Evils’ Remnants. At the time, she wasn’t able to catch them in the confusion, so she didn’t get any information, but now that they knew of the existence of Knossos, Loki Familia came back to reinvestigate. 
Standing at the edge of the forest, they saw a giant rock wall towering above them and marking the end of the floor. They began searching the area. 
“…” 
“Miss Aiz? 
“Here…They tried to cover it, but this patch of ground has been walked on a lot more than everywhere else.” 
Leaning over with her hand against the wall, the first-tier adventurer dug at the ground a bit and elaborated in her usual few words. As nervous as the rest of the group, Lefiya stepped forward and let loose an Arcs Ray. The rock wall’s face broke apart with ease, revealing an inner cavern. Beyond that stood a giant metal gate. 
“An orichalcum door!” 
“Yeah, we found it…” 
The others whispered among themselves as Aiz stared fixedly at it. 
They had found the once hypothetical route connecting Knossos and the Dungeon. Suddenly tense, they carefully began examining the cavern and the door blocking the passageway, on guard for a surprise attack from the enemy. 
“This is how the Evils’ Remnants brought the man-eating flowers aboveground, isn’t it…?” 
“Maybe? There might be other doors connecting to the Dungeon…” 
Aiz reminded Lefiya of the possibility of more routes between the Dungeon and Knossos. However, from this, they could confirm that Knossos at least went as far down as the eighteenth floor, the middle levels. They had confirmed Finn’s prediction. Lefiya and the others were once again awed by the ominous man-made labyrinth. 
“Miss Aiz, it looks like we won’t find the key. What shall we do? Leave a lookout to watch for anyone going in or out?” 
“…Mm, we probably shouldn’t. Most likely, they already know…that we came here…” 
After Narfi finished examining the door and delivered her report, Aiz shook her head. 
She looked at the things on either side of the gate: sculptures of devils. Their stone eyes hid a dim blue light. It was probably the same technology as the surveillance “eye” that had been used to operate the door from afar and separate Loki Familia when they had wandered into the man-made labyrinth before. 
Leaving a lookout here would not help them find anything, and haphazardly splitting their forces would just needlessly increase the risk of being attacked. The others grimaced and backed away from the door, understanding Aiz’s implication. The wall was quickly regenerating as they moved, and before long the entrance in the rock face was covered over again. 
“We should report this to Finn. But first, look around the area…a little…” 
“Yes, we should search to see if there is anything else first.” 
Despite Aiz’s clumsiness with words, which should have been a fatal flaw for one of a familia’s commanders, the group split up to carry out her order. The golden-haired, golden-eyed girl furrowed her brow apologetically, blushing a little bit as the others smiled. That was just one side of her they loved. 
In any case, they had at least accomplished something. They had not found the key that they needed to take it on, but Loki Familia was closing in on Knossos, slowly but surely. 
“Lefiya…There was a time…you ran into Bell, right?” 
“Y-yes, Miss Aiz. And after that, a masked adventurer saved us…” 
“Masked adventurer…” 
Searching together with Aiz, Lefiya paused to wipe off some sweat. 
They had spread out around the forest and the stone circle under the white crystal light shining down from the ceiling. Squinting slightly in the sunlight filtered through the trees, Lefiya stole a glance at Aiz as she looked around the area. 
I heard Lady Riveria’s story of Aiz’s past, but…Ahhhhh, I still cannot really believe it. A willful, childish Aiz… 
Lefiya mulled over the story she’d heard from Riveria that night at the camp. 
Mischievous, freer with her emotions than she was now, unreliable…It was an unimaginable story given the beautiful, awe-inspiring swordswoman standing before her now. She could not believe her ears when she heard it. 
Ahhh, but I would have liked to see a cute little seven-year-old Miss Aiz with a tooth missing! Oh, if I ask Loki, maybe she’ll let me see that baby tooth…Wait, what am I getting excited about?! I’m not some p-p-p-pervert…! 
“What is it…Lefiya?” 
“Ahhh?!” 
Lefiya frantically snapped back to reality when Aiz turned to check on her. She briefly feared that Aiz had figured out the daydream she was having, and she quickly tried to hide the truth. 
“Ah, um, that is…For some reason, Lady Riveria told me that I resembled how you used to be, so I was just looking at you a bit…Ah-ha-ha-ha!” 
Eh? Lefiya thought as Aiz stared intently at her. 
Holding her gaze, Aiz closed in until they were nearly nose-to-nose. 
“U-ummm…” 
“…” 
She examined the shocked elf’s face, then gently grabbed her left hand and examined that too, then caressed her silky golden-yellow hair. Aiz’s hand moved down, checking her clothes and staff and all her equipment, before she finally nodded. 
“Yeah…it’s fine.” 
“I-it’s fine…?” 
“You’re…taking much better care of yourself than I did.” 
“Eh?” 
“You’re nothing like how I was.” 
With that, Aiz smiled just a little bit. 
Lefiya was shocked—she had never seen the younger Aiz’s smile, but for some reason, she could imagine it looking like that. 
She was at a loss for words. 
The smile wasn’t particularly self-deprecating, but she felt like Aiz meant exactly what she said. But she could not understand why Aiz mentioned it, and that perplexed her. 
In the end, Lefiya couldn’t find any words to say before they left the floor along with everyone else. 
 
While her followers were running around, the patron goddess made some moves of her own. 
“That dumbass Ares should know how strong we are by now. Just quit it alreadyyy.” 
Swallowing a yawn, Loki took in the scenery with a bored look. 
Placing her arms on the armrest of her seat, the Goddess of Beauty next to her leaned forward slightly. 
“So, changin’ the topic a bit, Freya.” 
“Why so serious all of a sudden?” 
“…Ya know a child by the name’a Tammuz?” 
Wails echoed around the battlefield as Loki confronted Freya with a sharp question. 
Facing forward, the silver-haired goddess was silent for a moment before turning her silver eyes to meet Loki’s gaze. 
“…Did this child do something?” 
“Don’t dodge the question. Ya know ’im or not?” 
“I haven’t the slightest clue what you’re getting at, Loki. Without understanding your intent, all I can say is I don’t know.” 
The familia members guarding the pair instantly got nervous at the sudden frosty exchange. As both sides watched each other, on guard for attempts to harm their familia’s patron goddess, Loki responded as if she had expected Freya’s answer all along. 
“Because of that pain-in-the-ass fight you had with Ishtar, her vice captain went missing. I wanna know where he went.” 
“Why are you asking me?” 
“The day he disappeared, the ones tearin’ up the Pleasure District were your children. It’s normal to check if you had seen him, or had seen him get killed, or if you’re hiding him.” 
“Why are you after that child?” 
“I’m lookin’ for somethin’, ya see. A kinda creepy magic item, got weird symbols inscribed in it.” 
“…” 
“Ishtar had it, but now that she’s back in Heaven, I was wondering if her second-in-command might’ve taken it…Just covering my bases.” 
The location of Ishtar Familia’s vice captain, Tammuz Berrilli, and the whereabouts of the key to Knossos. 
Loki was using the impending war with Rakia to visit, intent on pinning those pieces of information down. It was all in order to corner the capricious Goddess of Beauty who always seemed to elude contact. 
Freya recognized that discussing the conflict with Rakia was not really the point, and that Loki had come here specifically for a chance to meet her in person. 
“Hypothetically, Loki…” She started speaking, maintaining her calm, composed demeanor. “Hypothetically, if that child you were talking about happened to suit my tastes…and I can’t imagine why, but if someone happened to be coming after him…” 
“…” 
“Do you think that I would carelessly reveal that child’s location?” 
Freya ruled over beauty and love. She would protect the children she favored no matter what, and regardless of the consequences, she wouldn’t allow anyone to take them away from her. 
That was the message hidden behind Freya’s smile. 
So that’s how it was. 
“But yes. If I find anything out, I’ll let you know…probably.” 
However, she could not flat-out reject Loki. As if announcing the end of the conversation, she turned away from the goddess who wielded the same status and military strength as she did. 
In response, Loki swung her legs up and rose to her feet. 
“Welp, guess that’s how it goes. Finding out he’s being shielded by the most annoying woman possible’s still something, at least.” 
“Oh-ho, what on Earth could you be referring to?” 
“But I should tell you, if you pull your usual queenly act, there won’t be any taking it back.” 
“Oh my. Is that a threat?” 
“Just the truth. Before you know it, your castle might get blown away…And if it does, I’ll be the one pointin’ and laughin’.” 
Loki snorted disgustedly before leaving with her guard. The trickster goddess departed quickly as Freya silently stared at her. 
That conversation had taken place on the first day of the war. 
“Loki is looking for Tammuz…” 
They were now in Freya Familia’s camp in the fields outside the city. Freya was inside her giant tent, reflecting on the events from a few days before. Sitting on her seat, she asked the person before her: 
“Tammuz, tell me again. What was Ishtar planning?” 
“Y-yes, my lady. Ishtar had reached out to Kali Familia and even the Evils’ Remnants in order to defeat you. She wanted to lure Warlord and the rest into Knossos to strike them down with the demi-spirits…” 
The kneeling dark-skinned, black-haired man answered the beautiful goddess as his cheeks flushed. 
As Freya listened to him, she fiddled with the metal orb inscribed with the symbol D in her right hand—Daedalus’s Orb. 
The day that her familia destroyed the Pleasure Quarter, she had charmed the defeated goddess’s favored child. She stole him away while Ishtar herself watched. Just as Loki suspected, Freya Familia was hiding him. 
At first it had been merely curiosity. She had brought him back to their home in order to find out why Ishtar was willing to use any method possible to take her down. But after a few days, someone had tried to kill him. A mysterious guest had invaded her castle in an assassination attempt. 
Strong, beautiful, and loyal, Tammuz had already piqued Freya’s interest and received her favor. There was no way the Goddess of Beauty would willingly hand over one of her children. To protect him, she had Ottar and a couple of others dispose of the assassins. Thoroughly, in order to prevent any more information leaking out. 
Freya had not revealed anything to Loki in order to protect her follower, but at the same time…she clearly understood why he was being targeted. 
It was because of the key he had taken with him when Ishtar Familia had been destroyed. 
“The Evils’ Remnants, Knossos, demi-spirits…” 
She examined the key glinting in the light of the magic-stone lamps, her full lips repeating the information Tammuz had given her. 
“It seems things have gotten interesting while I wasn’t paying attention.” 
“What shall we do, Freya?” 
Stationed beside her throne, the boaz warrior Ottar solemnly awaited his mistress’s commands. 

Despite receiving the keyword, she could not connect everything with only Tammuz’s information. She was silent for a moment before responding. 
“I would like to determine whether something is happening in Orario at the moment.” 
“Should I contact Loki Familia?” 
“No. If we exchange information with Loki, she will no doubt demand this key.” 
She smiled bewitchingly as Ottar looked up at her. 
“I suspect holding on to this for the moment will be better…That’s merely what my intuition is telling me, though.” 
Of course, the intuition she mentioned was the intuition of a divine being. She rose from her throne. 
“Call Allen for me. I’ll have him go back to the city.” 
“I’ve got a reward lined up, so find me that magic item.” 
The first words out of Loki’s mouth upon entering a certain familia’s home were directed at the god before her eyes. 
“That’s rather abrupt. We’ve formed an alliance, haven’t we? Could you tell me what it is?” 
Hermes grinned as he held up Finn’s sketch of Daedalus’s Orb. It fluttered in the air as he shook his hand questioningly. 
They were meeting in Hermes Familia’s home, the Traveler’s Lodge. The war was still raging outside the city, but Loki had returned to Orario and marched into Hermes’s base without even a bodyguard, causing a stir among Asfi, Lulune, and his other followers. 
“And this after you didn’t tell me about Daedalus Street. You investigated it like we discussed, right? When I asked Dionysus about it, he wouldn’t tell me anything.” 
“You were the one Dionysus said to watch out for, after all.” 
“Come on now. I’m Hermes! I‘ve got nothing to hide.” 
“You were the reason Freya wrecked Ishtar’s place, weren’t ya?” 
“…” 
Ignoring his jokes, Loki pressed harder. Hermes smiled, raising his hands as if surrendering, but he neither confirmed nor denied her accusation. 
“It’s a bit late for me to be gettin’ suspicious, but Dionysus ain’t the only one with doubts about you. What is Uranus hidin’? What’s he plannin’?” 
“Who knows? We get a lot of contracts from the Guild, but…it’s not like they totally trust us, either. Ouranos doesn’t tell me everything.” 
Not everything. 
Loki really wanted to smash her fist into the jaw of the god sitting across the desk from her. 
—Sheesh, they’re all damn foxes who won’t show their hands. 
“If you’re gonna play dumb, then we’ll keep quiet about what we’ve found as well.” 
“Well, that’s a problem, since I really don’t know anything.” 
“Yeah, yeah. But—if you happen to find this magic item, bring it to me, and I’ll share what I know.” 
Them’s the terms. 
Hermes Familia was a Dungeon-crawling familia, but they also made a living by working in several other industries like negotiations and information brokering. They were good at what they did and maintained their neutrality. If something needed to be found, there was no place better to send the job. 
Ouranos’s ulterior motives or the key’s whereabouts. One or the other. That was what Loki was demanding. 
Hermes looked down at the parchment sketch again. 
“If you’re calling it a commission, then we’ll take it, but…Got any leads to start with?” 
“Nope. It’s somewhere in the city.” 
“Come on now. That’s a bit much, don’t you think?” 
“Oh yeah. There might be a lead at Freya’s place. There ya go—somewhere to start. Deal with it.” 
“H-hey now. You sound like you’re just telling me to go die in a fire.” 
Hermes’s face actually twitched at that last comment. Loki stuck out her tongue as Hermes started to break into a sweat. 
“If ya want my trust, then ya gotta do that much, at least. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, but there’s more than one of those magic items. Anyway, I’m countin’ on you.” 
Finishing everything she had come to say, Loki quickly took her leave. 
The war tiger and the prum girl glanced around in confusion as she left their home. 
After Loki was gone, Hermes sighed slightly and turned to his followers standing behind him. 
“Oh boy…It’s rough being stuck between a rock and a hard place.” 
Now you say that? 
Asfi and Lulune merely snorted at the dandy god. 
 
Days passed. 
As the encirclement of Knossos steadily progressed, Loki Familia had a real sense that they were closing in on the creatures and remnants of the Evils holed up there. However, time mercilessly flowed on while they remained unable to open the way in. The passage of time was not merely beneficial to the enemy. If this went on too long, it would bring about the collapse of Orario itself. Lefiya and the others were getting impatient. They were one move away. If only they could just get one step further on this front. That was the kind of atmosphere that hung thick around Loki Familia. 
On the other hand, things with Rakia were rapidly headed for a conclusion. Thanks to Finn’s arrangements, they had received word that Ares Familia’s spies had been captured. He had shared the information with Hephaistos Familia and asked for assistance, so they ended up with the glory, but in Loki Familia, he was greeted by cheers of “That’s our captain!” with Tione leading the call. 
“But the people of the city have no clue about that.” 
Lefiya murmured to herself as she walked through the streets. It was late morning, and the sky was clear and blue. 
Because the Guild loathed unnecessary confusion, the existence of the spies was not made public. Apparently, there had been quite a few of them, and they had even brought in a certain legendary magic item—one of Crozzo’s Magic Swords. If there had been any mistake, an entire block might have gone up in flames, but there was no telling that from the peaceful hustle and bustle of the city. 
Rakia did not have any other cards left to play, so the war outside the city would be cleared up soon. That was what they believed, and then they would finally be able to seriously start dealing with the Evils. 
Currently she was out gathering information during her shopping trip for the familia. 
“Hey, did you hear? The Little Rookie beat a floor boss. Or at least I heard it was some kind of insane beast!” 
“I guess his victory in the War Game wasn’t a fluke.” 
“Yeah, we might be seeing the birth of another amazing adventurer.” 
“G-grrr…” 
Lefiya groaned a bit. Instead of the news about Rakian spies getting rounded up, the Little Rookie was the talk of the town. In the shops, in the markets, among passersby, all she heard was chatter about his feats. 
It had not even been a month since the War Game, and the excitement had not passed yet. Everyone was talking about the instantly famous super rookie and how they had high expectations for him. 
I’m here doing all I can, and he is just hopping around for attention…! 
For Lefiya, who was going through a lot of trial and error in her quest to become strong, his fame was practically taunting her. It wasn’t as though he had any bad intentions, but to her, it felt like while she was struggling up the slope, the person next to her was easily springing up by leaps and bounds like a rabbit. 
Lefiya felt her insides churning from a combination of regret and jealousy. 
…But I think I get it. 
Suddenly, a tinge of understanding appeared on her face. She knew why Aiz had started training him. She had wanted to understand the secret to his crazy rate of growth. 
The kind and serious girl instinctively thought that compensation for the training would be selfish and had sincerely answered the boy’s request for mentorship. 
Lefiya, after hearing she resembled how Aiz used to be, had a hunch that she might understand what Aiz had felt at the time. 
“It’s aggravating…really, really aggravating, but…I should try asking, too.” 
Right as she was saying that to herself— 
“Ah.” 
“Ah.” 
Turning the corner, she unexpectedly bumped into the boy himself. The white-haired, red-eyed boy, Bell Cranell. 
“Lefiya?” 
“Wh-wh-wh-why are you here?!” 
“Um, I just happened to be walking past, is all…” 
She was shaken by the sudden encounter, but when they were both in the same neighborhood, encountering each other in the street wasn’t that strange. 
Lefiya was at a loss for words, but Bell did not seem to mind as he soon asked a question. 
“Um, you wouldn’t happen to have seen the goddess—Hestia, would you?” 
“Hestia…you mean your patron deity?” 
“Yes, she left our home, so I was looking for her.” 
If he was asking someone who viewed him as a rival, then something must have happened. It was easy enough to guess from the light sweat on his face that he had been searching all over town. 
The goddess Hestia. Lefiya had not had any direct interactions with her, but Lefiya knew of her. Her patron goddess, Loki, was often bad-mouthing her. And Lefiya had also caught glimpses of her working at the Jyaga Maru Kun shop. 
“I haven’t seen her…Did something happen?” 
“Ah, no. That is…We just had a little fight, kind of.” 
Lefiya’s voice finally came back. Her curiosity was piqued as Bell’s gaze darted around in embarrassment. Lefiya blinked. 
“That’s unexpected…I thought you were bad with women. The sort of person who gets lovestruck and can’t stand his ground.” 
“Gah?!” 
He was almost pathetically taken aback, indicating her words had struck home. 
She remembered when they first met. When they bumped into each other then, as soon as he found out she was an elf, he turned to mush, unable to calm down as he flushed red. 
Now she held a grudge against him for various crimes related to Aiz, but at the time, she had thought he was modest and unsophisticated. A fight between him and a beautiful goddess was entirely unexpected. 
His rubellite eyes looked clouded over, as if with unspoken emotions, and his expression was dark. 
“…Was it really just a fight?” 
“H-how did you know?” 
What do you mean, how…? 
Lefiya dubiously raised an eyebrow as he struggled to find the words. Looking at him now, anyone could tell he was worried about something. That was how easy he was to read. 
Sighing slightly, Lefiya responded. 
“If I see Hestia, I’ll let you know.” 
“Eh?” 
“You are worried, right? I’m saying I will help you.” 
“Th-that’s…I couldn’t bother you. And besides, you…um, don’t really…” 
“I’m not sure what you think I am. While it is true that I dislike you, I have enough of a heart to help people who are in trouble! And you can be sure I’ll get my compensation from you later.” 
Yes, just like Aiz. 
She was not a saint. If she managed to help him find Hestia, then she could ask him for the secret to his growth. Lefiya would simply be helping Bell in order to create an excuse to learn that. 
“Th-thank you very much!” 
“…It’s not that big a deal.” 
Turning away from Bell as he thanked her, she felt a flush of heat rise in her cheeks from his straightforwardness. 
After he had bowed more times than she could count, Lefiya headed for the city’s western quarter to look for information about the key and maybe track down the goddess’s whereabouts. 
Searching for a magic item in the giant Labyrinth City and finding a single goddess were both difficult propositions. But for the latter, there was at least a chance someone might have seen her. Lefiya traveled along the high-traffic Main Street and asked around. 
Dark clouds…And it was clear before. It might rain. 
Inside the tall city walls, she could see a mass of gray clouds to the north. With the darkening sky urging her onward, she naturally sped up. 
A little while after she ran into the boy, she found out that the childish goddess had wandered to the north of the city. At that moment, Orario’s usual liveliness suddenly changed. 
“…? The city feels more panicked…?” 
Her elf ears reacted. There was something out of place among the sounds of the city’s usual bustling noise. An animal person ran through the market looking pale, grabbing people all the while to spread some piece of news. Human shopkeepers were huddled together, whispering and pointing in the same direction. Adventurers and Guild employees ran past without a sidelong glance. 
Lefiya looked where they were heading—to the north. 
“Did something…happen?” 
Feeling the city’s growing restlessness, Lefiya was about to head north herself when— 
“Lefiya!” 
“Miss Tione, Miss Tiona?!” 
“Lefiya, it’s big trouble!” 
She ran into the Amazons dashing from the side street. 
They had Urga and Zolas equipped. Lefiya finally realized that something really big was going on. 
“Did something happen?!” 
“Rakia’s last-ditch attack!” 
“For some reason, they appeared at the city’s north gate, and rumor has it they managed to kidnap a goddess.” 
Lefiya was horrified. 
The situation wasn’t exactly clear, either, because they had only just learned of the events themselves, but apparently all available Guild members and adventurers were assembling at the north gate. 
“Wh-which goddess was kidnapped?!” 
“It was little Argonaut’s goddess, they said…” 
“Wh…? Hestia?!” 
“Yes. And they’ve already dispatched an emergency rescue squad with—” 
Lefiya was dumbstruck by what was unfolding around her, but Tione continued without letting her get a word in edgewise. 
“E-EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!” 
And when she heard the last bit of news, she screamed. 
 
“…” 
Riveria’s gaze dropped to the book open before her. 
She was in Twilight Manor’s office. The members were in the middle of getting ready to leave, while she found herself looking over Loki Familia’s records that Finn maintained with great care. 
Ever since they had established themselves in Orario, he had kept track of the familia’s history, recording the people in their rosters and the depth they reached in the Dungeon, as well as details like their levels. Of course, secret things like magic and skills and the like were not recorded, but the growth and efforts of their comrades were described there. It was a vivid testament to Finn’s dedication to running the faction effectively. 
Among the many records, Riveria eventually reached one girl’s past. 
“Danger lurking.” “Needs company to enter the Dungeon.” “Something shines in her swordsmanship.” “Gareth and I may have trained her too well.” “Even if she had an escort, getting to floor 10 solo in half a year is amazing.” And on and on…She laughed slightly at the journal-like notes Finn had left in the margins of the records. 
It was not the first time she had taken several of the thick record books off the shelf and opened them on the desk. 
Abruptly, she took off the hair band pulling her hair back. 
She peered at the golden hair band in her hands as her long, pale jade hair flowed like a clear forest stream down her back. 
“Oh, Riveria. Ye were in here?” 
Gareth had been passing by the open door when he saw her and entered. 
“Gareth, you’re back? What is it?” 
“Do you have any Alb’s Pure Water? This stain’s stubborn. I’ve a feeling I won’t be able to get it out without it.” 
Gareth held a sheathed shortsword in his hand. Pulling it out revealed a nicked and battered blade. It was a rare piece with a visible wave running the length of the blade. It was noticeably dirty, giving it a sense of age, but it was clear from the luster that the blade’s edge had not dulled yet. 
“That sword…You were holding on to it, Gareth?” 
“I suppose. It was a special occasion, so I decided to take it. Finn said to take a break, but I’ve got nothing I want to do, and it was starting to get dark…Then all of a sudden, I remembered this.” 
Having just returned to Orario after going around destroying the entrances to Knossos outside the city, the dwarf lifted up the shortsword he had brought from his room. 
“For some reason, I got the urge to give it a good polish.” 
Gareth’s eyes turned warm as if he was remembering something as he examined the damaged sword. 
“What about you? You’re letting your hair down when you’re not going to bed. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you do that.” 
Gareth glanced up at her. Riveria was silent for a moment, staring at the hair band in her hand. 
“The other day…I told Lefiya a story from Aiz’s past.” 
“Oh?” 
“It’s not just that, though…I’ve found myself reflecting on what happened back then. It’s rather unlike me, but I’ve been feeling sentimental lately.” 
Hearing that much, Gareth stroked his beard, as if agreeing with her. 
“Ga-ha-ha! That’s just how it goes. I’m the same, after all. We probably think back on the past because the fighting is so intense now. If we die, we won’t be able to do that, either.” 
“Don’t say something so ominous, Gareth.” 
Riveria glanced down at him, but he just smiled back at her warning. 
“Perhaps we’re the ones who can’t let go of her.” 
“…” 
“Well, Aiz’s become a perfectly competent adventurer. She’s gradually stopped being such a handful for us—” 
Just as he said that, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the hallway, and someone rushed into the office. 
“Riveria! Gareth!” 
“Alicia? What is it?” 
They both turned to the ashen elf who had rushed into the room. 
The second-tier adventurer breathlessly delivered her report. 
“Aiz has left the city in order to track Rakia’s detached forces! It seems she’s headed toward the Beor Mountain Range with Little Rookie!” 
Their eyes filled with shock, and they both whirled around to look out the office’s window. The sky to the north was filled with dark clouds extending out to the mountain range—lightning struck in the distance, and the thunderclap rolled over Orario. 
“…The Beor Mountain Range…in poor weather…I’ve a bad feeling about this.” 
“Yes…At the very least, we can’t afford to make any assumptions about the situation…What a mess.” 
Riveria responded to the dwarf as they both furrowed their brows. 
They quickly set off. Bringing Alicia with them, they left the office. 
The two moved through the hall quickly in order to meet up with Finn, who had taken command of the operation. Riveria sighed slightly. 
“She’s still quite the handful.”