CHAPTER 1

AN IRREGULAR GIRL

It all started with a certain quest.

“Firebirds are overflowin’ on the nineteenth floor. Little Rookie, you’re gonna lend us a hand, too.”

We, Hestia Familia, had just arrived on the eighteenth floor when the adventurers of Rivira came to us unexpectedly with a request.

From time to time, there are unpredictable outbreaks of many monsters unique to the Dungeon. These erratic, unusual phenomena are referred to as Irregulars.

The specific species involved this time had been confirmed as firebirds, a rare kind of monster normally found on the nineteenth floor and below. Just like its name suggests, they have the appearance of birds and predominantly use flame-based attacks. This is a problem because the nineteenth floor is the start of the “Colossal Tree Labyrinth” in the Dungeon.

Apparently these firebirds can turn an entire area into a sea of flames if left unchecked. What’s worse, I’ve heard they sometimes come up to the eighteenth floor—which should be a safe point—and soar through the wide-open skies, putting even the lakeside town of Rivira in danger.

Upper-class adventurers who stage expeditions from Rivira weren’t about to let their base go up in flames, and we had arrived just as they were setting off to exterminate the monsters. The residents were seeking help in suppressing the outbreak and soliciting every upper-class adventurer who happened to be passing through.

The war against Rakia had ended three days ago. Having returned to our regular activities in the Dungeon, we had finally made it all the way to the safe point without relying on anyone else for the very first time. Lilly was quite unhappy when this quest was forced on us upon arrival, but given the handsome reward and the fact that a flock of firebirds in our way made it impossible to comfortably progress any farther, she grudgingly gave in.

The adventurers of Rivira provided robes made of burn-resistant salamander wool as an advance payment to all cooperating participants. Meanwhile, the organizers temporarily assigned me to a different party because of my high agility. They wanted to finish the monster subjugation as quickly as possible, so I was deployed in a group that stressed speed.

With my salamander-wool robe wrapped around my shoulders, I left Lilly, Welf, Mikoto, and Haruhime for the time being and followed my assigned group of burly adventurers through the entrance leading to the nineteenth floor.

Just when I thought things were going well, I realized I had ended up separated and alone.

The Colossal Tree Labyrinth was completely different from the other floors I’d seen before, and I had no experience with its structure and paths. Since we were chasing after and sometimes running away from firebirds in unfamiliar territory—not to mention my possibly detrimental position at the rear of the formation—the other adventurers totally left me behind.

I found myself in a deserted corner of the Dungeon, trying to get my bearings, when it happened.

I glimpsed something that resembled a human silhouette.

It dragged an injured leg along the ground and hid itself in the lush undergrowth of the Dungeon, suggesting it was attempting to evade pursuit.

At first, I thought it was an injured fellow adventurer and started running over in a panic, but then I suddenly felt as if something was off. With as much caution as possible, I approached.

Then—

“A monster…a vouivre?”

I’m shocked by what I see.

It’s a humanoid monster with delicate, slim limbs and bluish-white skin. When I spot the jewel in its forehead that could be mistaken for a third eye, I reach back into my memory and find a type of dragon called a vouivre.

“Vouivre.”

On par with the unicorn, it’s known for being the rarest of rare monsters even in the Dungeon.

I’ve heard it’s known to appear between the nineteenth and twenty-fourth floors, and its drop items, whether scales or claws, fetch tremendous sums on the market. However, these are nothing compared to the red gem set in their foreheads, known as “Vouivre’s Tear.” Its value promises such immense riches that adventurers often refer to it as the “Prosperity Stone.”

But extracting the jewel from a vouivre’s forehead causes it to go berserk—and slaying the dragon inevitably shatters the precious item. There are records of innumerable adventurers who have been cut to pieces trying to obtain one. Vouivres are a species of dragon, the greatest monsters in the Dungeon, and their combat strength is unmatched.

Usually, vouivres would have a humanoid upper body with a snakelike lower body, like lamias. Overall, they resemble women attached to a dragon tail, but…

…Is this really a monster?

The creature’s face seems surprisingly human, and there are tears leaking out of its breathtaking amber eyes.

It’s not wearing anything at all, just the bluish-white skin it was born in.

I notice it has thin legs where the dragon tail should be, and a pair of modest breasts sits on its chest.

Apart from its complexion and scales, it could very well be a girl about my age.

“…, …!”

The vouivre…is crying.

Arms wrapped tightly around its trembling body, it looks up at me from its spot on the floor.

Like it’s forgotten that it’s a monster, showing fear like a person.

I don’t believe it, comes a whisper from a corner of my mind.

I can’t even think clearly. My confusion is only building. Even seeing it with my own two eyes, I simply can’t understand.

I mean, monsters are our enemies, after all.

Monsters are born killers, baring their fangs at us and taking every chance they get to attack. They possess such atrocious destructive urges that there’s no room for reason or emotions to intervene.

Monsters are, well, monsters.

—At least they should be.

I don’t feel any of the hatred and disgust that a monster is supposed to summon within me.

These enemies unconditionally drive us to fight back, but I can’t sense even a fragment of the instinctual animosity I would expect.

Right now, it’s the exact opposite. I’m reluctant to thrust a sword at this humanoid figure before me.

I’ve never seen a monster like this.

“Uu, aah……!”

“!”

The vouivre’s eyes are glued to the tip of the Hestia Knife. I quickly hide it behind my back. The hell are you doing?! I scold myself. The tiny bit of relief passing over the monster’s face bewilders me even more.

Is this specific vouivre a subspecies?

A product of sudden mutation that could be considered an Irregular itself?

It’s hurt…No, it’s wounded.

There are several places on its body caked in dried blood. I can see spots on its shoulders where scales have been violently ripped or broken off.

Only weapons can make injuries like that. Likely, it was adventurers who attacked it. Whatever the case, the badly wounded vouivre is looking up at me in terror and desperately trying to put more distance between us. But its back is already up against a wall, and no amount of retreating will help.

I can’t move.

Monsters are the purveyors of death and destruction.

One should never befriend them, and certainly not extend a helping hand for any reason.

But I’m standing here, trapped in the vouivre’s gaze, peering into those amber eyes that definitely carry emotion. I can’t finish it off…Slowly, I back away.

At an impasse, I decide that acting like I never saw it is the best option and then run away pathetically.

Turning my back on the vouivre, I leave the place behind me.

“……?”

The human gone from her line of sight, the vouivre looked around with a mystified expression, tears still filling her eyes.

The Dungeon was eerily silent. Frightened by what she might see, the girl glanced at her surroundings before slowly standing up.

Placing both hands on the Dungeon wall to take some weight off her injured leg, she started hobbling along the passageway.

Suddenly, with a thud—

The sound of flapping wings descended behind the injured vouivre as a crimson bird appeared from a side tunnel branching off the passageway. The firebird was over two meders long from end to end, with narrow bloodshot eyes and a massive, gaping beak.

The vouivre girl froze as she felt heat closing in on her from behind. The airborne creature had found its latest victim.

As the firebird aimed at her a stream of fire more powerful than a hellhound could ever produce, she tried to kick off the ground with her slender legs, but it was too late.

The flames dancing in the back of the firebird’s beak lit up the vouivre girl’s face, about to spew forth—

“—Aghh!”

—I brandish my Hestia Knife.

I sprint and leap forward to attack, the blade carving a bright violet arc through the air before splitting the firebird in two.

The disrupted fire attack breaks apart in midair like fireworks. Its magic stone is cleaved apart, so the firebird crumbles into ash, and its remains are blown away.

The vouivre collapses to the ground beneath the cloud of sparks and smoldering soot as I land.

…Damn it.

Now I’ve done it.

Staring at my Hestia Knife, which I’m holding in a reverse grip, I hunch over in despair.

I couldn’t bring myself to take off after leaving this place behind, so I doubled back and watched the vouivre from a blind spot. Then I found myself dashing out of my hiding place once the firebird attacked.

The horror on the monster’s face—no, “her” face—spurred my legs to move on their own.

All alone in the heart of the Dungeon…

After being attacked by adventurers, it only makes sense that she’s afraid of us now.

But to be assaulted for no reason at all by her fellow monsters?

Yes, I know thinking like this will only cause problems. The rational, levelheaded part of me keeps telling me to not do something so stupid. But my hands already went ahead and did it anyway.

I grip my bangs with my free left hand, clenching my hair as I walk toward the stunned vouivre.

She’s in pretty much the same position as before, looking up at me.

Trembling with fear and confusion, she gazes my way as if clinging to the faintest ray of hope. I let go of my hair and slowly lower my hand with all sorts of thoughts running through my mind—and then I smile weakly at her.

I can’t do it.

No matter what happens.

I can’t kill her.

“—It’s okay. Don’t be scared.”

I kneel beside her so that our eyes are on the same level. Then I relax my face and smile again.

Her eyes open a little wider, almost as if she understands what I said.

Even tamers, who bend monsters to their will using a combination of strength and pain, would never do something this downright stupid. Growing increasingly reckless, I examine more closely the various injuries covering her body.

Her shoulders are in terrible shape, and her broken leg is hideous. I reach into my leg holster and take out a Dual Potion made by Miach Familia.

The vial containing unknown liquid in my hand must’ve startled her, because her whole body flinches when she sees it.

“Nothing to worry about. This is called a potion—”

“Po…tion…?”

—She spoke.

I don’t know how many times common sense has been obliterated today, but this one tops everything. Her voice is still ringing in my ears.

I was simply speaking to her about what I was doing to soothe her nerves, not expecting a response. Now I’m frozen in place, and a dry, empty laugh escapes from my mouth.

At any rate, I open the vial and wonder if potions have any effect on monsters at all as I pour it over her shoulders. Relief swells in my chest as I watch her open wounds begin closing beneath the dried blood. She, on the other hand, seems surprised.

High potions can mend a broken bone, but…apparently they can force it to heal at the wrong angle if it isn’t set properly. The same is true for other healing items and magic—they can cause permanent damage when used without proper preliminary treatment. While I have no idea how to deal with injuries the “right” way, I tear off a piece of salamander wool for a bandage and wrap it around her leg using my knife’s sheath as a splint.

“……”

“……”

I pour the remainder of the potion over the rest of her injured body while kneeling beside her. Now that the vial is empty, the two of us stare at each other in silence.

The long silver-blue-haired girl seems to be flustered. Holding her hands together in front of her chest, her surprisingly clear amber eyes quiver while her delicate mouth opens and closes every few moments.

As I do my best to ignore the heat building in my cheeks and keep my eyes off her completely exposed breasts, I know there’s something different about her.

I encountered harpies when I was stranded in the Beor Mountains not too long ago—they looked human, too, but also hideous. Those creatures were definitely monsters. But this girl—she looks so much like us, and the mysterious air around her is completely different from the harpies’.

A strange monster…A strange girl.

Something catches in my throat as I try to comprehend the being that’s somewhere between person and monster sitting in front of me.

“—Keep looking! It can’t have gotten far!”

Human voices.

Rough, angry shouts echo down the passageway toward us.

The vouivre girl shrinks in fear. The trembling that had all but stopped comes back with a vengeance.

Terror fills her eyes as the footsteps draw closer to us. I don’t say a word as I take off my salamander-wool robe and fling it over her shoulders.

I just finish hiding all her bluish-white skin beneath it as several heavily armed adventurers turn the corner.

“Hey, you there! Did you see a vouivre girl pass by?”

A group of four men and women rush up behind me with the leader yelling at the top of his lungs. I stay facing the Dungeon wall.

I’ve got a bad feeling about this.

It’s not difficult to guess their relationship with the vouivre girl. If I don’t protect her now, then…

I can tell they’re already suspiciously glaring at the girl hiding beneath my robe. Taking hold of the small, trembling hand beneath the red fabric, I desperately rack my brain for a solution.

Time slows to a crawl. I can hear the agitation in their voices and feel beads of sweat dripping down my face. Glancing down—I see the empty vial still clutched in my grasp. That’s it!

It’s risky. I just hope my acting skills are up for the task.

“Forget about that, do you have any potions on you? She’s been hit by a firebird and got burned bad, real bad!”

Fixing my gaze on the form against the wall, I put as much panic in my voice as I can.

The empty vial, the shaking body beneath salamander wool, the singed ground and foliage left over from the firebird explosion—everything here tells the story. Their eyes shift to me, narrowing.

My desperation must be doing the trick, because they sneer at me before turning on their heels. They don’t want to get involved with my problem and are much more interested in tracking down a rare monster. The adventurers sprint away.

Once I’m sure they’re gone for good…I let my shoulders relax.

“W-we should be okay now…”

I whisper to the trembling robed figure, and she timidly pokes her head out from the fabric.

I’m sure that never in her wildest dreams did she expect an adventurer to heal her rather than deliver the killing blow, let alone protect her from other adventurers.

I saved a monster—how would I react if I saw someone else do that?

…No, I don’t want to think about it.

I can’t help but sigh as the vouivre girl still shivers in fear of the adventurers, even though they’re gone.

“Um…Can you walk?”

I stand up and offer her my hand.

Staying here only puts her at risk of being found by…well, anything. Those adventurers could double back, and she’d die a pointless death.

She looks at my outstretched hand and then up to my eyes…then nods slightly.

Her trembling hand reaches out and comes to rest on my palm. It’s cold, surprisingly so. I curl my fingers around it and gently pull her to her feet.

She’s probably about 150 celch tall. After making sure she’s completely hidden by the salamander-wool robe, I pull her arm over my shoulder as we take our first steps.

Sounds like there’s a battle over there…Okay, we’ll head this way for now and figure out what to do next on the way…

Now that I’m separated from my assigned group, I have no idea how to get back to the entrance.

There’s no choice but to follow my ears back to what I hope are other adventurers on the same quest, fighting firebirds along the main route. After that, it’ll all be a matter of following the map that Lilly practically jammed into my pocket before I left. My only hope is to find the landmarks on the map, follow them out, and avoid being seen as much as possible.

Hoping that we don’t encounter any truly ferocious monsters on the way, I support my injured companion so she doesn’t have to put any weight on her broken leg. If worse comes to worst, I’ll pick her up with both arms and book it.

“…”

The strange girl-monster hunted by both man and beast watches silently as I ward off bugbears and mad beetles blocking our path with my Swift-Strike Magic, Firebolt.

Her moist eyes glisten. “Khaa…” She’s sobbing, I think.

She turns toward me a few moments later, burying her face between my neck and shoulder. A little nose presses against me, and I can feel her warm breath on my chest. I know I’m in the Dungeon and losing focus is a one-way ticket to the grave—but my cheeks are on fire.

So delicate…and soft.

Even if she does have the body of a normal girl, getting hot under the collar in a situation like this is a failure as a man and an adventurer.

Did I save the vouivre because she’s pretty? Was it her appearance that made me extend a helping hand? If that’s the case, I’m already beyond help.

What would Gramps, the one who always told me to save damsels in distress, say if he saw me now? Would he praise me?

…I have an inkling that this is the one time he’d groan.

I’ve gone far off the deep end, doing what I just did.

Saving a monster.

Then she whispers:

“……Thank you.”

Needing a moment to get over this new surprise, I look down at her. She gazes back up at me with tears in her eyes.

Her head is slightly tilted beneath the robe’s dark-red hood. In that moment, I feel something that can’t be put into words—a warmth that only people can share.

How do I respond? Should I respond? An endless string of thoughts races through my head as she watches me uneasily.

Her pure, childlike innocence makes all the contradictory feelings melt away. I force a smile.

“It’ll be okay.”

I give her another smile to try to put her at ease, and she returns the gesture with a tiny one of her own.

She closes her eyes and presses her body against me again, and I wrap my arms around her.

My mind is made up. I’ll protect this girl who can smile like the rest of us.

There’s only one problem…How am I going to explain this to Lilly and the others?

It took a while, but we found our way back to the main route on the nineteenth floor.

Guided by the simple map in my hand, we hid from adventurers and monsters at every turn until we spotted the light from the eighteenth floor’s crystal ceiling. At last, the exit.

“—It is true! A monster spoke to me!!”

“Why do you not believe us?!”

We follow the path that connects the eighteenth and nineteenth floors and come out at the base of the Central Tree located at the center of the area. Several adventurers, including the ones from Rivira, are standing around the roots.

Two elves, a man and a woman, are pleading their case to the group.

Their insistence does nothing to convince their skeptical audience. I glance to my side to check on the vouivre girl and see her grab at her shoulder. Her amber eyes lock onto the elves in fear.

“Yeah, yeah. Hey! You there, get these two a place to rest their heads. Dreamin’s fine when you do it on a pillow, so make sure they find one.”

“Bors, please believe me! That monster, it really did…!”

The unlikely story of a talking monster is raising more than a few eyebrows, but no one will take it seriously if Bors, the man at the top of Rivira’s hierarchy, can’t be convinced.

However, the elves’ pleading gives us a distraction. We quickly slip out from the tunnel entrance.

“Mr. Bell!”

“Are you unhurt?!”

“Damn, you know how to make a guy worry.”

“Hi, guys…”

Hardly anyone else spares us a glance as we make our exit, but as soon as we’re clear of the other adventurers, the rest of Hestia Familia spots me and comes toward us.

I can hear the relief in their voices as Lilly, Mikoto, and Welf reach us first. Maybe they heard I was separated from my group?

“……? Um, Master Bell, who might this be…?”

Haruhime catches up to them with a relieved smile, but then she points out the girl wrapped in salamander wool at my side.

Well, here goes. “Follow me…” I lead everyone away.

Rather than returning to Rivira, I head east, deeper into the forest. Lilly gives me a suspicious glance as we make our way among the crystals and dense trees that fill this area of the safe point.

I keep going until I’m absolutely sure the other adventurers are out of sight and earshot. We’ve come pretty deep into the forest by the time I turn to face everyone.

We form a circle in the middle of a small clearing that’s surrounded by the sparkle of rock formations.

“Now then, Mr. Bell, please inform us exactly who this is. Don’t tell Lilly that you’ve dragged us into a new mess by rescuing another girl!”

Her words are sharp as knives. She walks up to the girl at my side. I think she’s got the wrong idea here…Planting her feet, Lilly tries to get a glimpse under the robe’s hood.

“Ah.” A weak sound comes from beneath the cloth as the frightened girl steps back. Lilly takes another step forward, and the girl slips in an attempt to retreat farther.

The broken leg! I reach out and catch her—her hood falling away in the process.

“!!”

Time freezes.

The exposed bluish-white skin and the jewel on the vouivre girl’s forehead come into view. Lilly and the others are dumbstruck, but they’re ready for battle with weapons drawn in no time flat.

Lilly springs backward as Welf grabs hold of the greatsword strapped to his back and Mikoto wraps her fingers around the hilts of two blades hanging from her waist.

Haruhime’s green eyes open wide with shock as she covers her mouth with both hands.

Everyone is immediately on edge, and I’m too stunned to react. Beside me, the vouivre girl goes stiff as a board.

“…You’ve got some explaining to do, Bell.”

“Lady Haruhime, please come this way.”

Welf’s eyes never leave my new companion while he speaks. I’ve never heard him sound so intimidating. At the same time, Mikoto positions herself in front of Haruhime, hiding her from the vouivre girl.

Just as they’ve always been, my friends are extremely wary of monsters.

“W-wait! Everyone, please! This girl, she’s…!”

“Get away from it, Mr. Bell!! What’s going on in that head of yours?!”

Lilly cuts off my attempt to explain, practically screaming at me as she aims her bow gun. Her chestnut-colored eyes are brimming with reproach and confusion.

“Did Mr. Bell bring her along because she has a pretty face?!”

“N-no, it’s not like that…!”

“Lilly can’t be blamed for thinking this is a monster fetish!”

Monster fetish.

Just as the name suggests, the term monster fetish describes those who have an abnormal sexual attraction to anthropomorphic monsters like harpies and lamias. In the mortal realm we live in, it’s the ultimate insult.

This is how deeply the hatred for the Dungeon’s inhabitants runs in our hearts.

“Mr. Bell, monsters are monsters!! Even tamed ones aren’t worth that kind of attention! They’re—our enemies!!”

Sensing the panic in Lilly’s voice, plus Welf’s and Mikoto’s reactions, I can tell this isn’t going well.

Fiends and people can’t see eye to eye—that’s always been our relationship. I can’t blame my friends for this. It’s expected.

Monsters have been killing our ancestors since the Ancient Times. Caught in a spiral of death for millennia, they could never live peacefully with us.

Welf’s completely focused on the girl while Lilly presses me for answers in his stead.

“This is no dog or cat!! Mr. Bell, please get away from it!!”

“Bell.”

“Sir Bell.”

I step in front of the vouivre girl, shielding her from Welf, Mikoto, and Lilly’s bow gun. The three of them beg me to get out of the way. Only Haruhime, unaccustomed to direct confrontation, stays silent as she watches.

I’ve never been on this side of their blades before, and I’m at a loss. I can’t do anything, but I refuse to stand down. I will protect her.

The vouivre girl appears terrified of Lilly and the others, but a spark of light shines in her eyes as she looks up at me.

“…Bell?”

A chorus of gasps fills the air the moment that word leaves her lips.

“Ah, um, yes…That’s my name.”

“Name…?”

“Y-yes. I’m Bell.”

“Bell…Bell is name…Name is…Bell?”

My friends need a moment to process what just happened. They stare at the girl as she plays with the sound of my name.

The talking monster leaves everyone speechless.

Their intense focus now broken, the four of them watch her with blank astonishment.

“Bell, Bell.”

She squeezes my finger with one hand, repeating my name as if she’s figured out what the word meant.

Just “Bell, Bell,” over and over as though trying to burn it into her memory. The girl leans in closer to me, bluish-white skin pressed against my armor.

As if I’m the only thing she can count on in this world.

“The monster…spoke.”

“This has gotta be some bad joke.”

Mikoto and Welf whisper in disbelief.

At the same time, they begin to lower their weapons.

Confusion is setting in. The open display of weakness so uncharacteristic of other monsters would do that to anyone.

“Master Bell…what transpired between the two of you…?”

Voice unsteady, Haruhime has built up the courage to step forward and ask. I couldn’t be more grateful.

“I found her…on the nineteenth floor. She was hurt really bad…Adventurers and monsters both attacked her…She was trembling…crying.”

I explain my reasoning for bringing her with me as clearly as I can.

Her leg, limp and useless, dragging behind her. My emotional struggle in the face of those amber eyes.

Welf, Mikoto, and Haruhime consider the girl clinging to my side, now with a better understanding of what she’s been through.

“I…I’d like to help her.”

“…Should word get out that we’re harboring a monster, Hestia Familia is finished…”

Lilly, who’s been silently quivering all this time, feebly shakes her head after I disclose what I want to do.

Even though I know it puts the familia at risk—the one I’m the head of, no less—I apologize to everyone for my selfishness while sharing my true thoughts.

“Even so, I can’t just abandon her.”

As pitiful as I sound, I keep my eyes focused on Lilly. She bites her bottom lip.

A few moments pass. Lilly’s gaze starts to shift, almost as if she can see a shadow of her former self in the vouivre girl.

Memories of the day the goddess and I saved Lilly must be running through her head—and she slouches over.

“Just…do what you want…”

She lowers her right hand, pointing the bow gun at the ground.

Welf and Mikoto also relax, completely lowering their weapons. The tension subsides.

Finally able to breathe again, the girl apprehensively observes our group.

The threatening atmosphere might have lifted, but now no one knows what to do—least of all Haruhime, who’s in the middle of it. No one’s moving; there’s just lots of eye contact.

Putting aside the fact that I’ve dragged my own familia into uncharted territory and caused problems for everyone, I propose a plan of action.

“She’ll be vulnerable to adventurers and monsters if she stays in the Dungeon…I’d like to take her home. I also want to hear what our goddess has to say.”

Besides protecting the vouivre, I’m also interested in Lady Hestia’s opinion. And if she can tell me what exactly this girl is.

Welf, Mikoto, and Haruhime don’t object. They just give me absentminded smiles and reluctant nods, as if their necks are covered in rust.

Lastly, Lilly lets out a long sigh.

“If we are returning to the surface, it needs to be at night. That’ll ensure there are as few adventurers around as possible…We should aim to exit Babel at a time when no one will be watching.”

Whatever we do, we can’t let anyone else know that we’re sheltering a monster. With that in mind, it makes sense to resurface when adventurers are too busy drinking in bars to notice us. Lilly’s advice is a lifesaver.

I know she’s not happy about this, but even so, she’s doing everything in her power to help me. I don’t know what I’d do without her as my supporter.

“Sorry, Lilly. And thank you…”

“…Lilly’s given up. Yes, do whatever you want because no matter what you say or do, Lilly can’t bring herself to leave you to your own devices.”

She turns away, a bit red in the face. Is she sulking?

Even though I feel sorry for putting her in an uncomfortable position, I’m happier that my friends have sided with me.

I’m extremely grateful to Lilly for saying what she did.

Welf and Mikoto appeared a bit lost at first, but seeing Lilly’s reaction brings a smile to their faces.

“Surface…?”

“Yes. Let’s go to where we live.”

I smile at the nervous girl squeezing my finger amid my friends’ smiles and Lilly’s red-faced pouting. She stares at me for a few moments before a tiny smile appears on her lips.

Plop. She falls against my chest, burying her face in my neck.

Stumbling backward, I catch her small frame before raising my eyes to the ceiling far above.

I can see the countless blue and white crystals overhead among the leaves. With every passing moment, their glimmer weakens, signaling that night is falling.

The gigantic white tower was shrouded in darkness.

Situated in the very center of the Labyrinth City, Babel stretched high toward the heavens in the middle of Central Park as day became night. All over the city, a lively tumult developed around the bars as the multicolored illumination of magic-stone lamps replaced the sun.

The vibrant city’s energy never waned, even at night. The streets of the Shopping District were still full of people, and a lewd atmosphere was descending on the still active areas of the Pleasure Quarter, where some were trying their best to help the neighborhood recover. On the bar-lined outskirts of the main streets, drunken women danced with deities on the road as though they were at a ball. As always, the white tower watched over the nightlife underneath it.

Adventurers returning to the surface after a long day in the Dungeon went their separate ways to blow off steam at their favorite watering holes. One party watched group after group ascend the spiral stairwell before finally making the ascent themselves.

A white-haired human was at the center of this group of six. Swiftly climbing the sparsely populated staircase, they arrived at the Dungeon entrance located in Babel Tower’s basement.

Quickening their pace, the group passed beneath a beautiful mural depicting a clear sky on the ceiling.

Little did they know that hidden in a corner of the artful design was a small blue orb that twinkled as they went by.

“—We have a problem, Ouranos.”

A voice echoed through a dark stone chamber built to resemble the temples of old.

The only source of light was four burning torches in the center of the chamber. The dancing flames illuminated a blue crystal set atop a pedestal as well as the owner of the voice.

A black robe completely covered the mysterious figure. Absolutely no skin was exposed. This person wore black gloves decorated with intricate designs over both hands. It was as if a shadow had come to life.

Even its voice gave no hint as to whether a man or a woman was speaking. The hood of its robe hovered over the blue crystal as the figure continued to speak.

“An intelligent monster has encountered a party of adventurers. They are leaving Babel now.”

The blue crystal displayed an image: a view of the tower’s basement from the orb in the ceiling.

A white-haired boy was clearly visible beneath the crystal’s surface, as was a girl wrapped in salamander wool.

The black-robed figure knew immediately that the girl pressed up against the human was, in fact, a monster.

“Are they working with the monster?”

“I don’t believe so…From what I can see, they appear to be protecting it.”

A different, majestic voice echoed through the chamber from the vicinity of the four torches while the black-robed figure focused on the blue crystal.

The dancing flames cast flickering light on a towering stone throne-like altar in the darkness and highlighted the imposing, elderly deity sitting on it.

Well over two meders tall when standing, the deity, clad in a robe of his own, displayed no emotion as he continued asking questions.

“Fels, who are the adventurers?”

The black-robed figure—Fels—responded right away.

“Bell Cranell, member of Hestia Familia.”

In the crystal display was a familiar combination of white and red.

The elderly deity frowned at this revelation, his blue eyes narrowing.

“Little Rookie, now a household name in the city…And one of Hermes’s favorites.”

“What is your divine will, Ouranos?”

“…Wait and observe.”

The elderly deity quietly closed his eyes at the question and didn’t reopen them until he answered.

“Are you certain? For better or worse, Hestia Familia holds the attention of the populace. Should anything happen…”

“These are Hestia’s followers. There is no connection between them and the hunters we pursue. But most of all…”

The deity’s gaze fell on the blue crystal. He studied the human’s face for several moments.

“I want to know. Can Hestia’s followers become the catalyst for change…? Can they provide them with hope?”

A heavy silence followed. The figure’s hood shifted forward, indicating a nod.

“As you will, Ouranos. I shall follow.”

Crackle! A spark burst from one of the torches.

“Dispatch ‘eyes.’ Keep a close watch on Bell Cranell, his familia, and the monster.”

“Yes.”

Inside a peaceful chamber of stone…

…a black robe swished as it disappeared into the darkness.