Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Vol. 9

by Fujino Omori

  “That’s what she meant…!” Welf said with a smile as he worked it out, too.

  “Let’s get going!”

  “A-and where are we going to?”

  Lilly had purposely omitted key pieces of information from her message to prevent others from finding their rendezvous point, which meant Haruhime was in the dark.

  Bell and the others left the confused throng behind, departing the scene as quickly as possible.

  “To our hidden home!”

  The sun has completely set, and now a pale-blue moon hovers above the city in the night sky.

  I can tell that much from the silver light filtering between cracks in the rubble.

  I take my eyes off the shoddy ceiling and look around at the goddess, Welf, and everyone else gathered here in the narrow underground room.

  We’re in Hestia Familia’s former home, a chamber hidden under a church.

  We came to this secret underground area per Lilly’s instructions when she had Wiene in tow.

  The church itself was destroyed by Apollo Familia during the lead-up to the War Game, and we were forced to move…but compared to the wreckage upstairs, the basement still resembles what it once was.

  “That was some good thinking, Supporter, using this room as a hiding place.”

  “Lilly heard about it from Mr. Welf, when he came back here to retrieve a drop item…”

  Welf and I came back here a while ago to retrieve the money and drop items, like Goliath’s Hide, that were still in here. It’s a good thing we didn’t bother putting the debris back over the entrance when we left, because the path came in handy. Thoughts of that day flit through my mind as I listen to the hushed conversation of Lilly and the goddess.

  There’s no way anyone could live here, but it’s more than good enough to serve as a meeting place in an emergency. There’s a pile of rubble directly overhead, so I guess this is now our hidden base.

  I wonder what’s going on outside…I bet the Guild has gotten involved by now.

  But we decided to stay here until the dust settles.

  “Sob, hic…sob…!”

  Soft weeping echoes throughout the underground room.

  The source is Wiene, who is currently latched onto me.

  Her new wing is folded up on top of her back, but it’s still big enough to cover half her body.

  Apparently, it sprouted when she tried to protect an unfamiliar child.

  The atmosphere is heavy. Everyone—from Lilly and Welf leaning against the wall to Mikoto and Haruhime lingering in the corner and the goddess sitting on the dusty bed—looks sullen. Wiene and I sit in the middle on the floor.

  …The reality of our situation has been made all too clear today.

  Wiene’s nature as a monster.

  As well as what Lilly and the goddess had warned us about.

  The aura of animosity around monsters and men, the overwhelming hatred.

  People can’t let monsters exist.

  Their fangs, their claws, and the wings that grant them flight, all inspire fear and make people want to avoid them at all costs.

  On the other hand, that reaction originates from a time when the surface races could do little to resist their invasions during the Ancient Times—a latent fear that holds to this day.

  Monsters are the enemy.

  That undeniable truth has struck all of us hard today.

  “Um…Bell.”

  Wiene looks up at me as everyone else stares at the floor.

  Small hands gripping my shirt, her light-blue cheeks streaked with tears, the girl struggles to string words together with trembling lips.

  “Can I…not be with Bell?”

  I can hear her clinging to faint hope in her voice.

  But I can’t say anything.

  I want to say it’ll be okay.

  I’ve said those few words so many times—only now they won’t come out.

  The truth is too much. Wiene looks at the pathetic expression on my face, her own contorting in sadness.

  All I can do is hold her.

  On the verge of tears myself, I hold her tiny body as close as I can.

  People and monsters aren’t meant to coexist.

  One look at the ominous dragon wing on her back tells me as much.

  The curtain of night fell, shrouding the city in darkness.

  Deep in a back alley, far from the noisy main streets…

  All was quiet around the ruins of a church that had collapsed on itself. A goddess’s statue, reduced to pieces in front of the rubble, lay peacefully silent.

  An owl peered at the debris, its silhouette illuminated by the tranquil moonlight.

  Vertical patterns ran through its white feathers. Alight on an iron guardrail on the roof of a nearby building, it curled its talons around the top rung.

  Just as one of its eyes gleamed in the night, it spread its wings and descended from its perch.

  Crossing beneath the ocean of stars that dotted the night sky, the bird suddenly descended and latched onto an outstretched arm—its master’s.

  “So it was no use after all…”

  A black-robed figure standing atop another roof retrieved the owl—its familiar—while muttering quietly to itself.

  Its gloves were covered with intricate designs. A blue crystal embedded among them glowed with the same light as the owl’s eye.

  A long sigh sounded beneath the dark fabric that completely concealed its wearer’s true identity.

  “I admit I had hope for them…but that day is still too far off.”

  The owl closed both of its eyes as if sympathizing with its master’s words.

  The black shadow stared off toward the north, where its familiar had flown in from, and spotted the church ruin.

  “We cannot delay any longer.”

  Its gaze traveled toward the moon.

  “The rest is up to you, Ouranos.”

  Then, it whispered to the white marble pillars of the Pantheon below its feet—Guild Headquarters.

  CHAPTER 4

  MISSION

  “A winged monster?”

  Freya repeated the news.

  “Yes, My Lady. It is said to have appeared during the early evening hours.”

  “Ah. I thought the city seemed much noisier than usual…So that’s what happened.”

  Freya seemed satisfied with the report of her boaz follower, Ottar.

  Countless stars twinkled in the darkened sky. In the middle of the night, Freya sat in an ornate chair on the highest floor of Babel Tower. Ottar patiently waited at her side.

  A glass of wine in one hand, she asked him a question:

  “What is the damage to the city?”

  “Beyond a few isolated bouts of panic, there has been none. Someone took the monster away before it attacked any citizens.”

  “Someone, you say…Any word from the Guild?”

  “None, My Lady. As they are currently gathering information, it is highly unlikely they will contact us at this time.”

  Out of everything taking place in the city, Ottar made sure only the most important information reached his goddess’s ears.

  However, Freya wasn’t the least bit interested in the rest of her follower’s polite and concise report.

  At least, not at the moment.

  “Shall I order a search?”

  “Well…that may be a good idea if the situation escalates, but don’t bother for now. Should worse come to worst, we can pay Hermes a visit. I’m sure he is more up-to-date on these developments than we are.”

  Ah-choo! A sneeze sounded somewhere around the base of Babel, but it was impossible for Freya and Ottar to hear it.

  The Goddess of Beauty sat back in her chair, substantial breasts shifting beneath her revealing black nightgown.

  “If this is the last we hear of it, then that’s all it amounts to. The Guild will contact us if something happens. That will mean they have work for us to do.”

  Freya Familia’s assault and complete eradication of I
shtar Familia had resulted in a penalty from the Guild. Now Freya had no choice but to listen to the powerful organization’s demands for a little while longer.

  While it was well within her ability to reject the penalty by force, it was necessary to maintain the image that the Guild was in control of Orario. Jealous goddesses weren’t shy about voicing their opinions. Besides, dealing with a perturbed Loki, who was her uneasy ally, was more trouble than it was worth.

  Freya wasn’t about to let anyone hold her back, but she also had no interest in becoming an arrogant ruler like Ishtar.

  “They may use us again, so please bear with it.”

  “By your will, My Lady.”

  Offering a gentle apology to her followers, who would be pressed into service should the Guild call, the goddess smiled.

  Then she swirled the wine before bringing the glass to her lips.

  “I wonder if this will be entertaining.”

  She whispered under her breath, a trace of expectation in her voice.

  “A humanoid…monster…?”

  Aiz asked for clarification after hearing the news.

  “Yep, yep! Word has it that it showed up in the western block.”

  “Not a large-category monster…?”

  “Doesn’t sound like it. The few lower-class adventurers who saw it called it a harpy or a siren. Probably doesn’t have anything to do with what happened during the Monsterphilia, though.”

  The Amazonian twins Tiona and Tione took turns answering Aiz’s questions while the blond human girl tilted her head in confusion.

  Chirping birds sang outside the windows bathed in morning light. Aiz’s friends told her what had happened the previous night as they strolled through the narrow hallways of Loki Familia’s home.

  Apparently, it was all the lower-rank adventurers in the familia were talking about.

  “I heard there was panic in the streets last night. Guild employees are all over the place asking people what went down.”

  “…Does Finn know?”

  “Of course. He’s asking anyone who’s free to join the investigation. I think he has his own theory.”

  Aiz turned to Tione after hearing what Tiona had to say.

  “Hmm.” The human girl raised her eyes to the ceiling.

  Their general had given the order despite their familia having little connection to the incident itself. That meant his love of the city and its citizens was strong enough that he was compelled to get involved.

  Most likely, it upset him to know that a monster was lurking somewhere in the city, terrorizing the townspeople.

  As an adventurer who called Orario home, Aiz took this news to heart.

  “What should we do if we find this monster?”

  “Finn said that capturing it alive would be best, but…”

  The younger Amazon paused, interlocking her fingers behind her head. Tione finished her sentence.

  “If it’s endangering lives—kill it on the spot.”

  Long blond hair flowing down her back, Aiz reached for the hilt of the saber hanging from her waist.

  “Understood.”

  She nodded.

  The Guild was in utter chaos.

  Reports had come in that an unidentified winged monster had suddenly appeared in Orario’s seventh district and attempted to attack a young boy the previous night. Citizens flooded the Guild in droves, demanding to know what had caused such a lapse in security. Some employees fielded questions on the front lines while others worked tirelessly to gather detailed information.

  Their first priority was to discover how a monster had been allowed out of the Dungeon and into the city. Not to mention that a certain adventurer had reported seeing a barbarian in an underground tunnel close to an orphanage in Daedalus Street just days prior.

  After everything that had happened at the Monsterphilia, their dignity as a governing body was on the line.

  What in the world was going on? Guild employees had to find an answer.

  “Ughhh. I just pulled an all-nighter, too!!”

  “We’re in a state of emergency. There’s no point in complaining.”

  The half-elf Eina Tulle was among the Guild employees putting in serious overtime.

  Along with her friend and tearful coworker, Misha Frot, she was constantly on the move.

  Relaying information from the reception counter to the head offices and visiting the scene of the disturbance to interview witnesses were just the tip of the iceberg. Work piled up faster than it could be completed. All the while, grinning deities got their kicks from the pandemonium and even went as far as providing false tips to make the show more interesting. The Guild employees were forced to authenticate each one before pursuing any leads.

  “But, but, but…it just showed up out of nowhere. All the tamed monsters are still in their cages, right?”

  “Yes. Ganesha Familia has confirmed that all monsters are accounted for.”

  Misha posed her question, practically bouncing around behind the half-elf as the two traveled through one of the Guild’s back passageways. Eina answered with a nod.

  The Guild kept strict tabs on all tamers living in Orario, but Ganesha Familia was the only organization allowed to keep live monsters in the city to help with training for the Monsterphilia.

  They also conducted many experiments on captive monsters and tested theories inside the walls of their expansive home in the name of “improving efficiency in the Dungeon.”

  “Don’t forget that all tamed monsters are fitted with tracking plates. They’d know the instant one of them escaped.”

  These plates were magic items designed to attach to a monster’s body, no matter its shape, and constantly broadcast its location to a receiver. A broken plate would immediately set off the receiver’s alarm, alerting Ganesha Familia to the situation. If one of their captives escaped, the familia would be the first to know.

  The creature sighted in the seventh district was said to resemble a human with wings. Witnesses described it as a harpy or siren.

  None of them mentioned seeing a tracking plate on its body.

  What bothers me is the reports saying the monster was wearing a robe…If it was trying to hide itself, that means it’s self-aware…

  That thought made Eina’s blood run cold.

  She rubbed her upper arms while the two continued their conversation.

  “Tulle.”

  “Chief? Is something wrong?”

  Eina and Misha stepped into the front office and were halfway to their desks when their animal-person boss spoke up.

  The slender chienthrope man wore glasses similar to Eina’s, along with a troubled expression…though perhaps “apologetic” would be a more apt term. He gave her another assignment.

  “The boss wants to speak with you. It’s urgent, so go to his office right away.”

  “Eh…?”

  Eina froze on the spot.

  “Oh no…” whispered Misha in a hollow voice and forced a weak smile.

  —Did I…do something wrong?

  Eina pushed her glasses back up her nose, dread in her veins.

  “…Excuse me, sir.”

  After ascending to the top floor of Guild Headquarters, Eina knocked on an oak door.

  “Get in here,” came a grouchy command from inside. Grasping both handles of the double doors, Eina pulled them open and went inside.

  The first thing she saw in the spacious room was a massive bookcase that covered an entire wall. Then her eyes fell to the ornate rug on the floor. Everything in this room, from the antique jars and paintings on the walls to the velvet upholstered sofa and alabaster magic-stone lamps, was of the highest quality. Deities residing in Orario were known for their love of luxury, but even they might feel a little underdressed in this chamber.

  Eina made a quick bow before walking to the middle of the room. Struggling to keep her nerves under control, she approached the one in charge.

  He was sitting in an elegantly designed chair, partially hidde
n behind the mountains of paperwork on his desk.

  “You’re late, Eina Tulle.”

  Looking up from his half-finished document, the man glared at Eina with green eyes.

  His pointed ears identified him as an elf. However, the rest of his form lacked the beauty and refinement of his kin.

  His suit, much higher quality than the average Guild employee’s, was under immense pressure to contain his gut. Saying that he had a spare tire for a belly would be an understatement, as his overall figure was difficult to describe. One receptionist had ironically referred to his stout build as orc-like, but she wasn’t far off the mark. All his limbs were short and pudgy, and he had an impressively flabby set of jowls.

  With high-quality garments adorning his body, he resembled a merchant basking in a lifetime of riches.

  This was the head of the Guild, Royman Mardeel.

  As the one with the right to make the final call on the Guild’s decisions, he had direct control over Orario’s day-to-day affairs.

  “Do you realize how much time has passed since I summoned you? You must think very highly of yourself to keep a man like me waiting.”

  “My apologies…”

  Despite his tirade, Eina chose to remain humble rather than retaliate.

  Elves were known for their long life spans, and Royman was no different, having served at the Guild for over a century. His lifestyle had changed to one of extravagance and debauchery once he reached his current position, resulting in his obese figure.

  His nickname was “the Guild’s Pig.”

  Every other elf in Orario despised him, preferring to pretend he didn’t exist.

  They saw him as a shameless glutton who had forgotten the pride of his race. His lust for money, plus his burgeoning waistline, had triggered his fall from grace and prompted harsh criticism.

  Being so thoroughly despised and yet so powerful, not even his inborn elfish respect for kin could prevent his arrogance. Only before the gods and goddesses of Orario did he ever show humility.

  And Eina was only a half-elf.

  She had a feeling thoughts of her “impurity” were crossing his mind at this very moment.

  Well, I knew this would happen from the moment he summoned me, but…