Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Vol. 6 (7 page)

Lady Hestia’s face emerges from the table, takes one look at Lady Freya, and then glances at me with wide eyes.

As if understanding everything in a flash, she jumps toward my shoulder.

“Don’t you dare look at Freya, Bell!”

“Bwuh?!”

“Any child who sees a Goddess of Beauty will get brainwashed by her charm!”

Coming in directly from my side, she almost knocks me off my feet.

I somehow manage to regain my balance with the goddess draped around my neck, forcing me to look away.

A Goddess of Beauty—it’s common knowledge.

A deity who is beauty incarnate, with the ability to entrance gods and mortals alike.

It looks like the goddess wasn’t kidding. Almost everyone around me is slack-jawed, staring at her. Man, woman, it doesn’t matter. They’re just standing there, as if their spirits have left their bodies.

Mikoto and Nahza are fighting hard against Lady Freya’s influence. Nahza’s eyes are clenched shut as she shakes her head back and forth. Mikoto has turned the other way, but her entire face is blushing. Only Asfi seems to be holding her own. She’s looking out in the middle of nowhere, like a daydreaming kid.

“First Ganesha’s Celebration, and now this one…Freya never comes out in the public this much.”

“H-how do you mean?”

I hear Lady Hephaistos whispering as I struggle to free myself from Lady Hestia’s grasp and ask for clarification. It’s Hermes who clears things up.

“Lady Freya usually stays in her room on the highest level of Babel Tower, rarely showing her face in public. Many of the gods here come to Celebrations just for a chance to see her with their own eyes.”

She doesn’t show her face in public…Well, yes, it’d be difficult to go anywhere if you get that much attention just by stepping outside. Lady Freya might like to be among us, but I’m sure utter chaos happens every time she tries.

Looking at how people react to her now, I don’t blame her for staying up in the tower.

“—”

That’s when her silver gaze falls upon me.

She stops walking and turns in my direction…and smiles.

Ker-tap, ker-tap.
The heels on her shoes echo as she approaches. Everyone in her path makes way, backing out as if pushed by some unseen force. Lady Hestia stops struggling for a moment and watches the silver-haired goddess and her massive attendant walk right up to us.

“So you’re here, Hestia. Hephaistos as well. First time since Denatus, I believe?”

“…Freya, what are you doing here?”

Lady Hestia lets go of me and squares her shoulders directly in front of Lady Freya the moment the other goddess extends a friendly greeting.

“I’m glad to see you are looking well,” says Lady Hephaistos next to my goddess. Lady Hestia looks like she’s trying to hold back a torrent with a cork.

“I merely came to say hello. It’s a rare chance to see so many familiar faces at once, so how could I not make my way here?”

The words roll off Lady Freya’s tongue as she glances toward the small mob of male gods that have assembled around her.

All of them seem to melt as her silver eyes pass by. Lord Hermes is weak-kneed, a dumbstruck look on his face. Lord Takemikazuchi is blushing a light shade of pink and clears his throat with an “ahem.” Lord Miach bows and compliments her by saying, “You are quite beautiful this evening.”

Not a heartbeat later, the heels of the expensive shoes that belong to their female followers find their way to the toes of the male deities. “Gah?!” “Uwoh?!” “Nuah?!” come their yelps of pain. I take a step back.

Once again, her silver eyes alight on me.

Air leaks out of my mouth as those silver spheres draw me in. Lady Freya’s cheeks pull back into an even deeper smile.

She leans forward, extending her arm, and strokes the side of my face.

“—Tonight, will you make a dream of mine come true?”

“—Dream on!” Lady Hestia roars at Lady Freya right in front of me. She slaps Lady Freya’s hand away, her eyes burning with rage. “What are you getting excited for, Bell?!”

“S-s-sorry!”

“Listen up! That goddess is nothing more than a dragon that devours every man within reach! A rabbit like you wouldn’t last two seconds!”

“Yes…!!”

The goddess is overwhelming. My body shrinks away from her without even thinking. It’s almost like she’s unleashing round after round of Swift-Strike Magic, forcing me back.

Her twin ponytails are sweeping out behind her like they’re trying to express just how dangerous the other goddess truly is.

But Lady Freya is laughing to herself. “My, my, how disappointing.”

I think she’s enjoying my goddess’s reaction…Then she steps away and says, “I seem to have upset Hestia, so I’ll take my leave. Until next time.”

She turns her back on the still-infuriated Lady Hestia. “Ottar,” she calls to the animal person beside her and starts walking. I stand in awe of her follower—a boar man standing more than two meders tall—as the two of them make their way into the crowd. I watch them go, my eyes following the fluid motions of Lady Freya’s hips.

My body cools down the farther away she gets. Finally, the last lock of her silver hair disappears.

“—Not here two seconds, and that vixen’s already showin’ me up.”

The storm has passed. A new voice cuts through the calm.

It’s coming from the other direction.

It catches me off guard. I spin around and—receive the biggest surprise of the night.

“Loki?!”

“Yo! Itty-Bitty! See ya learned how t’wear a dress. You’re actin’ so grown-up, I could bust a gut!”

Lady Hestia yells at a goddess with vermilion red hair who’s dressed in a man’s suit.

And standing beside her…

A radiant girl with blond hair and golden eyes, wearing an elegant dress.

“…?!”

My eyes go wide and my face burns.

Her dress a light green, Aiz looks slightly embarrassed standing just a little ways in front of me.

“Just when did you get here?! You’re not the type to sneak in!” demands Lady Hestia.

“Shut up, idiot!! Two floppin’ boobies stole my entrance, got that?!”

It sounds like Aiz and her goddess Loki only just arrived. Everyone was so preoccupied with Lady Freya that no one noticed.

Lady Loki is in a sharp man’s suit, and Aiz wears a form-fitting dress. It almost looks like some high-ranking nobleman’s daughter with her bodyguard, which is the complete opposite of reality.

My body feels hot again, but it’s not going away this time.

I can’t take my eyes off her. A princess from one of my old picture books has come to life in front of my very eyes.

Her pale green dress is open in the front and in the back, completely exposing her delicate, feminine shoulders. Sparkling beads and various other decorations are sown in as accents in several places on the dress. I have no doubt that her goddess was in charge of the design and Lady Loki had no problem spending a large amount of money to show her affection for Aiz. The finishing touch is the long, silky gloves that extend all the way past her elbows.

Part of her golden hair is tied with a ribbon behind her head. The rest of it is flowing gracefully down her back.

Her angelic face and thin neck, supple breasts making just the right amount of cleavage, thin waist and fluttering dress…

This is not the adventurer, the knight Aiz Wallenstein that I know.

The heat overtaking me right now is different from before—my heart didn’t sing when I was taken in by Lady Freya.

My body is throbbing, refusing to move.

“Ah…”

“…!”

Aiz lifts her face and we make eye contact. Neither of us can say a word.

I feel my face blush as she quickly looks to the floor, her hands together in front of her stomach as her shoulders lightly twitch up and down.

Shff,
her body swishes back and forth under Lady Loki’s shadow.

S-so cute…!

“…Ehh?”

“Ouch?!”

My goddess buries the toe of her shoe deep into the side of my shin. Is it that obvious how I’m feeling? Does my face betray me?

“Ohh, so this is Itty-Bitty’s kid…”

I grab my leg and fight back the tears when suddenly I feel Lady Loki’s eyes on me.

Her vermilion eyes carve right through me. Every single muscle in my mouth and throat tenses up. She doesn’t even blink. Is that a hint of annoyance? Well, whatever it is, it’s making me uncomfortable.

After a few moments…

“Nah, this kiddo does nothin’ for me. My Aiz is so much better it’s like comparin’ heaven ’n’ earth!”

Her words crack like a whip.

I know that Aiz is out of my league, but that hurts a lot.

I almost lose my balance, feeling light-headed, when I catch a glimpse of my goddess’s face. Her cheeks are trembling.

Suddenly, she turns to face Lady Loki head-on.

“Just like before, you know you can’t win in an argument, so you have to brag about your child this time?! So predictable, it’s painful to watch!”

“—Oh yeah?!” A vein suddenly pops out of Lady Loki’s head.

“Anyone can see that my Bell is much cuter than your Wallensomething! So charming, just like an adorable little rabbit!!”

“Ya hit yer head, moron?! My Aiz is a hundred times cooler than that puny bunny!!”

An angry bragging contest breaks out.

The two goddesses trade verbal blows with reckless abandon. Lady Hephaistos sighs to herself, whispering, “Here we go again…” Lord Miach has an empty smile on his face. Nahza and the rest just watch, their mouths slightly open.

As for me, I’m absolutely horrified. They hate each other. All of the warmth in my body suddenly fizzles out, plunging me into despair.

The insurmountable barrier between men and women in different
Familias
…There can be no better example than this.

The two of them are practically growling at each other, and other deities are starting to take notice. “Hey, look, it’s round two!” “Now this is entertainment.” “Check that out.” Gods and goddesses are gathering around us. Aiz and I have reached our limit. Both of us step forward and try to calm our goddesses down.

Both of them are breathing heavily, eyes filled with flames of rage. Luckily, Lord Hermes steps in and we finally get them under control.

“…Humph. Itty-Bitty just spoiled my good mood!”

“That’s my line!!”

“Ohh? Aiz, we’re leaving!”

“Bell, so are we!”

Lady Loki grabs Aiz’s wrist as Lady Hestia takes hold of my hand. Both goddesses storm off in different directions, pulling us with them.

I take a quick look over my shoulder. Aiz is looking back at me. Our eyes meet for a brief moment.

If only I’d said something, if only I’d heard her voice…As I watch her get farther and farther away, I can’t help but feel I’ve lost my chance.

How pathetic. I have neither the guts to break away from the goddess’s grasp, nor the courage to approach Lady Loki. Aiz turns away, her delicate shoulder blades flashing for a moment from beneath her hair. She’s so distant now—is this how things are going to be from now on? Once again, reality has made itself clear. The amount of time I was able to spend that close to her on the eighteenth floor was really special.

More and more people are gathering around Lady Loki every second. Finally, I tear my eyes away from her as the painful reality of my mediocrity sinks in.

I give up hope of getting a chance to speak with her and join my goddess as she moves to another side of the ballroom.

After that, Lady Hestia introduced me to her divine friends and acquaintances as we walked several circuits around the party. It’s not easy to introduce yourself to a god, but somehow I’m able to overcome my nerves and string words together.

Two hours have passed since we arrived at the party, and I need a break.

I move away from the group of people, alone, find a quiet spot, and lean against the wall to avoid bothering anyone.

“Whew…” A tired sigh escapes my lips.

I’m absolutely exhausted.

I take a look out over the party. The bright chandeliers hanging from the ceiling light everything up like a work of art.

The attendants are hard at work carrying even more extravagant food out to the tables and passing out richly colored wine. Elegant music starts to play, but I can’t tell where it’s coming from. Almost as if on cue, the middle of the ballroom floor opens up for dancers, but I can still see Lady Hestia and Lady Loki arguing in the other corner of the room.

It still feels weird being here…

I can’t help but feel that way watching these beautiful men and women partner up and start dancing.

This is a sparkling world of beauty and status. Completely different from the world I was in yesterday.

Maybe it’s because I’m alone, but I feel more and more like I don’t belong, like I’m sticking out. The unfamiliar environment keeps me feeling uneasy.

It’s pretty close to how I felt when I first started crawling the Dungeon.

If I have a few more chances like this in the future, maybe I’ll get used to this world, too.

But I can’t picture that happening.

“…”

I leave my spot against the wall and try to find an escape.