Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Vol. 6 (12 page)

“Going!”

The last remaining member of Daphne’s team stepped forward. Cassandra raised her staff.

With a quick trigger spell, suddenly healing magic had been cast.

“?!”

The adventurers reeling in pain from their burns were surrounded in a soft blue light. Their injuries were healed right before Bell’s eyes. Mere seconds later, the three climbed to their feet with anger in their eyes.

Cassandra—the presence of a healer added to Bell’s frustration as he stared her down.

A healer made a battle party complete. Their teamwork was exactly how a
Familia
should fight.

Realizing he was outclassed and outmatched, Bell felt his blood run cold.

“Ugh—?!”

Even more figures appeared on the rooftops around him in addition to Daphne’s team.

The next round of arrows and throwing knives forced him to jump back down to the street.

“Quite the escape artist…but this is all pointless. He should give up,” said Daphne under her breath as she watched Bell run from her vantage point on the roof of the house. She looked more sympathetic than angry as the boy’s white head disappeared around the corner.

She was not like Hyacinthus and the others who cherished their leader. Daphne had a much less favorable opinion of Apollo due to having been forcefully conscripted into
Apollo Familia
. However, he was her family now and treated her well. She would follow his orders; she felt it was her duty. At the same time, he was much friendlier toward the ones he favored—and her god tended to favor young men.

Now that very same god wanted Bell. Although she pitied him, she would not turn her back on her god’s wishes.

“Um, Daph, don’t you think we should stop…That might be better.”

A voice came from behind her. Cassandra, the only one left on the rooftop other than her, cautiously got her attention.

Cassandra shared a similar fate as hers. The two of them had stood by each other for a long time because of this connection. Daphne’s friend was standing still, fidgeting with her waist-length hair and looking up at her.

“Stop what?”

“Chasing after that boy…We mustn’t trap the rabbit.”

Daphne sighed at Cassandra’s mysterious warning.

“Another dream?”

Daphne asked even though she knew the answer. Cassandra’s eyes grew wider as she vigorously nodded up and down.

The long-haired girl was gifted with prophetic dreams. Unfortunately for her, no one ever took them seriously. That included Daphne.

Daphne believed that Cassandra’s almost random and thoughtless words were the result of her upper-class upbringing in the days before Apollo.

After all, all sheltered girls had dreams of their own as well as time to be lost in the curse of their “magical allure.” It was almost laughable.

“Cut the crap and let’s get moving.”

“Wh-why, why won’t you
believe
me?”

Daphne frowned. She didn’t want to put up with this now. But she knew if she didn’t at least ask, the girl would get even more annoying. Daphne cocked an eyebrow and looked at Cassandra.

“Fine. What did you see?”

“Errumm…A bloody rabbit jumped over the moon and swallowed the sun…”

Daphne laughed through her nose.

“Indeed. Dreams need to have a certain level of absurdity.”

“
Daph!
”

“Enough. After him.”

Daphne ran in the direction in which Bell had disappeared, with the still-muttering Cassandra close behind.

Central Park was located where all eight main streets met in the center of the city.

Welf, a brand-new greatsword over his shoulder, and Lilly, disguised in her werewolf form, stood beneath the imposing shadow of the white tower, Babel.

“…Isn’t he running a little late?”

“Yes, Lilly thinks so, too…Mr. Bell has never been this late, and would send a message if it were to happen.”

Welf and Lilly were fully prepared to reenter the Dungeon. Weapons sharpened and backpack full, they were waiting for Bell’s arrival.

Many parties of adventurers made their way through Central Park around them.

“Those weird blasts are still going off…Am I the only one with a bad feeling about this?” The man voiced his concerns as he tightened his grip.

“…”

Bell’s new knife was wrapped in a white cloth in Welf’s hands. Lilly remained silent.

They were waiting for Bell at Babel’s west gate, which directly faced West Main. The first explosion happened several minutes ago and had yet to stop. The sounds were unnatural, very similar to those created by Magic. Citizens and adventurers alike poured into Central Park from the main roads. The usually quiet and mundane park was coming alive with fear and panic. Lilly anxiously watched all of the people pouring in from West Main.

The crowd of people had grown to the point where they could hear snippets of conversations.

“Apollo’s men! They’re attacking someone, starting a war!”

“They’re after
Hestia Familia
—chasing after the Little Rookie!”

Lilly and Welf instantly locked eyes.

“Let’s move!”

“Right!”

The two didn’t stop to pick up more information from the traumatized citizens about the battle that had been raging since midmorning as they made their way through the crowd.

A moment later, they knew where they had to go when a flash of violet lightning appeared over the seventh block of the city.

“Has Lady Freya made a move?”

Two figures looked down from the roof of the tallest building situated close to North West Main, a little ways removed from the destructive game of cat and mouse.

Hermes surveyed the battlefield with great interest. He turned to face Asfi as soon as she joined him and she asked her question.

“No,
Freya Familia
is only observing the situation.”

“Is Lady Freya planning to stay out of this one?” Asfi adjusted her white cape as she spoke. Hermes brought his hand to his chin, muttering to himself in a soft voice.

The odds were stacked heavily against Bell. The boy was tasked with trying to escape as well as protect his goddess in the face of an all-out assault—he was outnumbered more than one hundred to one.

Whether Freya had a reason for staying put or she considered this some kind of a test for Bell, Hermes did not know.

His best guess was that she derived some kind of pleasure watching the ever-changing boy react to a challenging environment. She had done the same thing less than a week ago; he was there.

It wasn’t hard to picture Freya rejoicing in the boy’s “glow,” which was no doubt growing at this very moment.

“How should we proceed?”

“By taking it easy.”

Hermes’s eyes were back on the chase. He responded to Asfi’s question without looking at her.

“I’m the one and only Hermes, you know? I am and always will be an observer.”

He wanted to see Bell’s story unfold and follow it to the very end with his own eyes. The charming god looked back over his shoulder and grinned at his follower.

Asfi didn’t say anything, only sighed as she pictured the many problems she would have to solve in the near future.

“I need a better view. Asfi, help me out.”

“Yes, sir…”

The two of them jumped to the next rooftop, following the sounds of battle.

“Argonaut is on the run!”

Meanwhile, at
Loki Familia
’s home on the northern edge of the city…

Tiona had just returned from gathering information on the streets. Other members of the
Familia
gathered in the common room to listen to her report.

“Tiona, is that true…?”

“No doubt,
Apollo Familia
is running around in circles, trying to corner him!”

Aiz arrived in the room in time to hear the Amazonian girl’s first report. In turn, the girl relayed all the information she’d picked up in town.

The blond girl’s face was blank, but a small anxious twinge of worry filled her eyes as she looked off into the distance.

The dwarf, Gareth, and the elf, Reveria, sat on a sofa in the room and dissected the situation.

“Been a long time since this many people were fighting in the city.”

“
Apollo Familia
doesn’t appear to be concerned with the Guild’s punishment for their actions.”

The sound of footsteps belonging to other members of their
Familia
rained down from overhead. Everyone knew something big was happening outside.

“Speaking of which, where is Loki? Wasn’t she just here?”

Tiona’s twin sister, Tione, posed a new question for the group. Bete answered her with a very disinterested tone.

“Said there was somethin’ worth watchin’, already gone, the dunce…”

“…All gods have their vices.” She responded in kind.

“Aiz, don’t get any strange ideas.”

“Finn…”

Aiz had ignored the conversation going on around her and anxiously stood up from the sofa. Finn noticed and immediately stepped in front of her.

“The situation is completely different from the eighteenth floor. Please, do not try to aid
Hestia Familia
.”

The commander of
Loki Familia
stopped Aiz’s train of thought in its tracks.

Aiz was a high-ranking member of the
Familia
. She couldn’t strike out on her own.
Loki Familia
had no reason to assist Bell.

Worse, an attempt to do so would cause an even bigger problem. Should an influential group like
Loki Familia
become involved in the scuffle, the consequences could be catastrophic.

“I know this is difficult, but Loki forbade us from interfering. We need to let things play out for now.”

“Okay…I understand.”

Finn’s penetrating gaze overtaking her from below, she lightly nodded at the prum.

Aiz walked over to the window as the commander issued more orders to other members of their group.

Looking past her reflection in the glass, Aiz watched the ominous black cloud spread over the city.

Bell ran as fast as he could.

Hestia firmly in his arms, he weaved his way through the backstreets in a desperate attempt to escape the net his enemies had set for him.

“Sorry!” he yelled as he jumped over a group of townspeople who hadn’t evacuated in time.

“Th-there’s more…?!”

Bell focused forward as soon as Hestia’s warning reached his ears.

Two of them stood at the end of the street—no detours, no escape.

Bell slowed down only enough to let the goddess safely out of his arms and onto the ground before drawing both knives and picking up speed again.

“?!”

“Uwah?!”

The two adventurers weren’t expecting Bell to attack. However, the boy charged at them with both blades flashing menacingly in his hands. He was on top of them before the adventurers could defend themselves. Targeting the joints and their armor, Bell made quick work of the would-be hunters.

Memories of his battles with well-armored killer ants in the Dungeon flashing through his mind, Bell reached out and took Hestia’s hand. The deity had done her best to keep up.

“I’m so sorry for…slowing you down…like this…Bell…!”

The young goddess was out of breath but forced an apology out of her throat. Bell squeezed Hestia’s hand as they ran together in an attempt to reassure her.

“This isn’t your fault, Goddess!”

One of the absolute laws of the land was that a mortal cannot kill a god. Only other gods had that ability.

Should the deity receive a life-threatening injury, their divine power would instantly activate and heal them completely. Unfortunately, activating Arcanum was against the rules of the gods themselves. They would be sent back to Tenkai as punishment.

Should Apollo capture Hestia and kill her, Bell would be left behind as a “free” adventurer, able to join any other
Familia
. If both of them were captured, Apollo would be able to use Hestia as a bargaining chip. Choose to join
Apollo Familia
and Hestia can remain on Earth; refuse and she’d be sent back to Tenkai and he’d be forced to join.

In any case, Bell could not let the hunters capture Hestia. He had to protect her and keep moving.