Is it Wrong to Try to Stay the Farthest Away from the Dungeon?

by Serafeim

One day, the news spread like wildfire. "The Black Dragon is dead," they said. "The strongest Monster has been killed," they cheered. Yet, no one knew how it happened, nor who did the deed. At the same time, weird phenomena began happening in the Dungeon, plunging Orario into alarm. But that has nothing to do with the boy who's recently started to work at a certain Tavern... right?

3. Chapter 3 - Troublesome Situation

DISCLAIMER: I do not take credit from Danmachi and its characters.

Read the notes in the first chapter if you haven't done it already.

English is not my native language, so please bear with me. I'll try to correct eventual mistakes if you point them out to me.

Having said that, please enjoy.

---

Is it Wrong to Try to Stay the Farthest Away from the Dungeon?
-Chapter Three-

Troublesome Situation

Dungeon
Lower Floors - 27th Floor

(======)

Something had changed in the Dungeon. Something unexpected. Something that had never happened before, at least in the recent years and months. An anomaly so big that the influence of the being, the entity knows as "Dungeon" wavered instantly. And the more time passed, the more this odd feeling of solemn and eerie tension increased in every floor and every corner of the underground labyrinth. It grew and grew and grew, until every monster and every living being that inhabited the place could no longer ignore it.

Of course, the Xenos were no exception.

"So... what should we do about him?"

These words filled with confusion were the first thing that came out of a female monster's lips: a Harpy's with long red hair that fell below her shoulders and a young face. That question echoed in the darkness of the Dungeon for several seconds, with no answer. All the while, the gaze of the intelligent monsters next to the young Harpy remained fixed on the figure that lay unconscious on the rocky ground.

A young man lay motionless before them. A boy who couldn't be more than nineteen years old, dressed in what could only be described as a destroyed light armor and ruined black pants. A torn and burnt cloth of red enveloped his body, and his clothes were visibly ruined with cuts, burns and copious bloodstains on several places. He had ashen-white hair and a rather youthful face, marred only by a tense, frowning expression that remained on his features even as he was immersed in deep slumber.

The Xenos observed the young man warily. He wasn't dead, at least for now. Just unconscious and exhausted, but his tattered clothes clearly indicated that he had been through a lot before losing consciousness. To actually fall asleep here, in plain sight and on the hard, cold ground of the 27th Floor of the Dungeon… it was weird. Simply too weird to ignore. Especially since no one in their right mind would actually rest and leave themselves exposed to danger in the Dungeon without searching for a safe place first. No one would have fallen asleep in plain sight, where monsters and dangers could threaten their lives at every moment.

That left only one conclusion: he had fainted here. He had been through a lot, perhaps a battle of some sort, and then had had no choice but to lose consciousness in this spot, leaving himself exposed to monsters and dangers. There was no other explanation, no other way to comprehend his battered state. His ruined clothes and his pained expression left no room for doubts.

But the fact that there was an unconscious person here in the middle of nowhere was not what was worrying them. Not exactly. After all, it was pretty common to find some wounded Adventurers – and sometimes, even some dead ones too – inside this place. The Dungeon (their Mother, as the Xenos used to call it) was a cruel, harsh master to all of those who dared to set foot inside its domain. It had taken a lot of lives during the past, and it was going to continue to do so even in the future. Such was its nature, after all. Hence: founding a wounded, unconscious person here wasn't surprising at all.

No. What really worried them the most was the fact that this young man had been currently found unconscious in the Dungeon today, of all days.

Because today, the Dungeon was supposed to be absolutely devoid of people.

The Xenos stared at the boy with caution, unable to understand the situation.

"Is he an Adventurer?" a small Goblin asked out loud.

All the intelligent monsters nodded at his question, watching the fainted boy in front of them with narrowed eyes and suspicious faces.

"Of course he is, Let. Only an Adventurer could enter inside the Lower Floors," the same Harpy from before mused with sarcasm.

"Indeed. But… don't you guys think he looks familiar, somehow?" a Siren commented warily.

"So you've noticed it too, Ray?"

"Yes. I feel like I've seen him before…"

"I know!"

Someone suddenly cried those words out of the blue, grabbing everyone's attention while their expression shone with realization.

A pair of pointy, misshapen ears quivered while a dragon girl – a Vouivre called Wiene – fluttered her ashen eyelids to stare at the young man's sleeping face with unnerving intensity.

"Bell! He looks like Bell!" she exclaimed.

The Xenos exchanged a silent glance. They stepped closer to the fallen boy, watching him closely.

After a long while of silence, the leader of the group scratched his lizard head with a lost expression on his face. "Wiene is right… he looks like Bell-ucchi!" the Lizardman Lydo admitted.

"I know, right?" the little Vouivre exclaimed in wonder.

Even Ray was speechless. "The hair and face match… the resemblance is uncanny," she commented.

"He looks older, though," Let pointed out.

"Yeah, this is definitely not him."

A snort of derision suddenly grabbed everyone's attention. Lydo, Wiene and the Xenos teared their gazes away from the unconscious boy and glanced at the Gargoyle of the group.

"It doesn't matter who is he. His presence here is suspicious," Gros stated with a low tone. He stared at the unconscious boy too, but his face was marred with a powerful glare. "Why is he here? The Dungeon is supposed to be empty right now."

"He's right. No one from the outside is supposed to be here," Ray admitted.

"But how did an Adventurer manage to slip past the entrance?" Let mused out loud. "According to Fels, the Dungeon is supposed to be closed on the surface, and that includes the secret passages of Knossos."

Lydo crossed his arms as he stared at the boy. "I don't know… perhaps he wasn't able to leave the Dungeon when everyone was ordered to evacuate the Middle Floors," he pondered.

"So you're saying that he remained stuck here?" Gros was skeptical.

"It's a possibility," the Lizardman countered. "It has been a full day since the Adventurers left and the Dungeon was closed. Maybe this young man was stuck in the 27th floor and had no idea of what was going on the on the surface. Why else would he have fallen unconscious here, in the Lower Floors?"

The Gargoyle fell silent at that, crossing his arms with a grunt.

"Hey! You still haven't answered my question!" the Harpy – Fear – exclaimed at that point. Her annoyed pout shifted everyone's attention to her. "What should we do with him?"

For a long while, sheer silence was her only answer. Everyone shared a perplexed glance with each other.

On the other hand, there was no doubt inside Wiene's mind.

"Let's save him!" she declared, not an ounce of hesitation in her face and voice. "Please, Lydo! I don't want to leave him here!"

The Lizardman stared into her eyes, long and hard. He sighed. "…I agree with her. We shouldn't leave an unconscious boy here," Lydo admitted as he glanced around the walls.

The others immediately began to panic.

"Are you crazy?" Gros growled.

"He's an Adventurer! We cannot touch him!" Let exclaimed.

"He doesn't have a weapon on his body," Lydo pointed out, cutting them off with a resolute tone and pointing at the boy's battered body. "He won't be able to harm us, and if we leave him here he will most likely die. He has fallen unconscious in plain sight and in the middle of the floor… it's a miracle that the monsters haven't found him yet. If we leave him here, he's done for. We have to bring him close to the surface."

Gros snorted again. "That is not our problem. He's a human, Lydo. You know it won't end well."

"…we can't just let him die, Gros."

"If we help him, we might be discovered," the Gargoyle pressed with a growl. "What if he wakes up and he sees us? We can't risk it. No one in their right mind would risk―"

"Bell would!"

Everyone startled and fell silent upon hearing Wiene's declaration.

Lydo, Gros, Ray and the other Xenos turned to the youngest member of their group, only to find her amber eyes staring at each and every one of them with a resolute stare. There was a fire in her eyes, a steeled resolve that left them stunned and awe-struck for a moment. The small dragon girl was challenging them with her gaze alone.

"Bell would save him," the little Vouivre repeated, sounding absolute certain in her decision. "He risked his life and went through so much to help us, and he never asked for anything. I… I want to be like him! I want to save others like he does!"

Everyone was stunned by her steeled resolve. Lydo openly grinned at her determined face.

"She's right. What kind of friends would we be if we'd let an Adventurer die without trying to save him first?" he said, staring at his brothers and sisters with a serious stare. His eyes narrowed as he saw many of them begin to hesitate. "Come on, guys. Our dream is to be able to leave the Dungeon, is it not? To be free and find a way to coexist with humans. If we let him die here, then we're no different from the other monsters."

The Xenos's eyes fell at his words. They knew that he was right.

Lydo turned around, staring at the unconscious young man with a resolute face.

"We chose the path to freedom… perhaps it is time we make an attempt on our own."

Wiene nodded vigorously, beaming like an excited child.

The others shared a silent glance. They stared at each other long and hard.

Seconds passed, followed by minutes.

Until, after what seemed to be an eternity, everyone made up their minds and took a decision.

Gros openly sighed with a scoff. "If things go bad, it's on you, Lydo," he grumbled with irritation.

The Xenos shared an excited smile. Their decision was now made.

However, Fear's voice suddenly roused everyone from their thoughts.

"Uuh… guys?" the red Harpy called them with a surprised voice. "There's something's wrong with this human."

Lydo, Wiene and the others turned to her. The Harpy was kneeling next to the young man, observing his body carefully.

"What do you mean?" Ray demanded, stepping forward with confusion.

Fear turned her eyes on them, her face a mixture of wonder and stupor.

"His body doesn't have injuries," she revealed, her wings pointing at the unconscious boy and his ruined clothes.

Everyone examined him closely, and they soon felt their eyes widen on their own due to the shock. Their sister was right. The young man in front of them had not a single wound on his body, despite the ruined state of his armor and clothes and the stains of blood covering his frame. That realization made everyone pause, even Lydo. Whoever he was, it was blatantly obvious that this young man had been through a tough battle before losing consciousness, but to not sustain even a single injury despite that?

It was suspicious. Extremely so. His clothes and armor clearly showed signs of having endured a conflict, and his Undine Cloth was completely burned. The stains of blood were unmistakable too, and they covered him from head to toe. This could not go unnoticed. Especially since everyone could clearly see the exhausted expression he was wearing in his sleep. All the Xenos narrowed their eyes at the sight.

Something was fishy here. Extremely fishy.

"Lydo… what do we do?" Wiene asked him, her eyes still burning with hope and resolve.

The Lizardman took a deep breath. He had taken his decision.

"Everyone: contact Fels immediately," he ordered with a serious tone. "He needs to see this."

---

"No way…"

Meteria's legs suddenly gave out upon receiving the news. She fell on the bed, her face a mask of scared disbelief. Her body was feeling light and numb for some reason.

"It can't be… it's impossible!" she couldn't believe her hears. She simply couldn't. "H-H-He is a God! T-There's no way you could―"

"Silence! Do you think I do not know that, sister?!" Alfia hissed with a wounded voice, like a snake, her arms trembling in unrestrained rage while she clenched her fists. "This is precisely what I meant when I said it shouldn't have happened!"

The younger sister brought her hands on her face, her eyes wide and stunned.

Once more, silence fell between the two of them.

"…are you really sure?" she asked for the second time. Her voice was so low that it sounded like a whisper. "You're telling the truth, right?"

Despite her better judgment, Alfia smiled in self-mockery. It was a look that did not fit her at all, in Meteria's opinion.

"Of course. Except for him, I've never let anyone touch me. You know better than anyone in our Familia how much I loathe parenthood and… troublesome situations. I wanted to stay safe and avoid every risk," she explained with a disgusted scoff.

Her face twisted into an enraged scowl. "Well, so much for that now!" she spat in disgust.

For the first time in her whole life, Meteria stared at her sister with a horrified face.

---

Grey eyes snapped open in the darkness.

It was the most difficult thing in his whole life, to just open his eyes.

Well, for once, he forgave himself for thinking that way. After having battled and fought against the being knows as "absolute despair of the world" and having resigned himself to a most certain death, opening his eyes again only to discover that he wasn't dead yet was quite irritating, to be frank. He had clearly resigned himself to his eternal slumber during the battle, and yet... now he had been forced to live in spite of everything. Good grief, this was simply great.

That stupid Spirit has really done it, he cursed inside his head, realizing that this was her doing.

Arien swallowed a sigh, forcing his body to sit up straight. The first thing he noticed was the lack of pain in his body. He had expected to find himself covered in wounds and pain, since he had been burnt and cut several times during his previous battle and the bones in his arms and legs had been shattered by the fall. Instead, his body was perfectly fine, as if it had never been wounded in the first place. Except for the mild headache in his head and the heavy pressure building behind his eyes due to exhaustion, it appeared that he was fine.

Realization dawned upon him once more. That Spirit. She had really managed to heal his body before disappearing. He hated to admit it, but he was impressed. To be able to save a person who had been on the verge of death was not something many people could do, no matter how skilled and powerful they were. Whoever that woman was – Aria, the young man inwardly recalled her name – she was powerful without a doubt.

It seems that I'm in her debt, he mused with annoyance, observing his body and the completely sorry state of his clothes. Damn it. Even though I told her that I didn't want to be saved… I should have known. Spirits are like gods, always doing whatever they want no matter what other people say. What a pain, really.

Despite himself and his annoyed thoughts, a sad smile began to form on his lips.

Sorry, Auntie. It seems our reunion will have to wait.

No answer came to his silent apology. Even if he wasn't really expecting one.

Arien blinked a few times, observing his surroundings. "Where am I?" he mused.

Dark stone walls surrounded him. A ceiling of rock and stones could be seen above his head. The air was still and cold, the sky completely missing while the only form of light around him was provided by a small magic-stone lantern placed to his right. The young man turned his head in every direction, and for a moment, he honestly believed that he had found himself inside a cave or a tunnel of some sort. After all, he appeared to be inside a small ad empty cave room, with the only exit being a tunnel on his right. It was so dark here, and his nose and his trained senses could not smell fresh air no matter how long they searched.

However, upon blinking a few times, his eyes soon realized the cold, hard truth about his current location. And despite his inner disbelief, Arien could not truly mask the shock blossoming on his face.

It had been a long time since the last time he had been in this place – seven years, five months, and eighty-nine days; to be exact – but even after all this time, he could not mistake the darkness of the Labyrinth for any reason.

He did not like it.

"…fuck my life."

He did not like it one bit.

"I'm inside the Dungeon," he grunted with disbelief.

He pulled himself on his feet with a resigned sigh, stretching his legs and arms. It appeared that that troublesome Spirit had done something more than just stealing his body from death's clutches. She had literally sent him on the other side of the world. Inside the freaking Dungeon, moreover. How she had done it was beyond him, but Arien was not one to focus and stress on such futile details.

Yes, that woman was definitely powerful. No wonder she had managed to keep the Dragon at bay for so long.

But now the beast was dead. Arien almost doubled over and fell on his butt when that realization finally slammed on him fully. His eyes stared blankly at the darkness of the Dungeon surrounding him for what seemed like an eternity, that single thought and realization blossoming inside his mind like a sudden epiphany. He simply couldn't help it, for it was just too much to believe.

"I've… killed the One-Eyed Black Dragon," he whispered with an empty voice, unable to wrap his mind around that thought completely.

The very same beast that killed the Hero Albert. The monster that had slayed the Hera and Zeus Familias. The living apocalypse that his mother had fought and lost to more than fifteen years ago, and the very same being that had changed her completely due to that overwhelming defeat. He had fought against that monster himself, and he had defeated it thanks to pure luck.

And now… it was dead. The Dragon was no more.

I've killed the King of Monsters…

And that meant―

The young man with ashen-white hair paled in disbelief.

He had done it. He had really done it. He had freed the world from the last living apocalypse, and managed to slay the threat that loomed over all the races of the globe.

That… was something he was struggling to accept even now.

But it wasn't over. Because by killing that beast, not only he had freed the world from a terrible calamity, but he had also avenged his mother.

Yes, he had avenged his mother. Her had avenged the Zeus and Hera Familias. He had avenged the old hag, her perverted husband, and all of their children and followers thanks to a stroke of luck. He had put an end to the beast that had brought ruin and pain over countless people.

He had avenged all of them and all of that thanks to a single stroke of luck.

And as soon as he realized that, the young man's mind did the only thing it could.

Arien Cranel fell on his knees, and his lips began to laugh.

No one must know, he swore inside of his head amid the incredulous laughter. They must never find out. I will keep this secret to the grave.

There wasn't a single moment of hesitation about that thought. He didn't even need to think twice about that, for as soon as that realization dawned upon him fully, his mind had already taken the decision on its own.

He would never tell the world of his feat. He would never reveal the truth.

On the contrary, he would take that secret to the grave; no matter what the world and the people would choose to believe.

Arien knew it as a fact, as a foregone conclusion. There was no need to ponder, no need to reflect; for his mind was already made up. He was NOT going to reveal his deed to the world. He was NOT going to be celebrated and exposed. And more importantly, he was NOT going to take honor and pride thanks to his accomplishment, no matter how stupid and illogical that decision could be. He may have killed the beast, but he would rather die than reveal this secret to the world.

Why, would you ask? Simple: because he would rather DIE than become the Hero that his accursed mother had wanted. He would NEVER become the Hero that that woman had wished for during her life. He was NOT going to become the thing for which his mother and Zald had killed countless people seven years ago.

He would not give that witch any satisfaction, even if she was long dead by now.

Because of him.

Arien took his decision as the laughter finally stopped, glaring at the stone ceiling of the Dungeon with a mocking smile.

"It seems that you've failed completely now, you old witch," he whispered with a scornful tone. "I did what you wanted in the end, but I will never become what you dreamed of. The world shall keep its freedom, but I shall keep your dream unfulfilled."

Because the Dragon was dead, and there was no Hero to claim its head.

The young man laughed again, shaking his head in mad amusement.

Yes, there really was no Hero in this world.

For it hadn't been a Hero the one who slayed the best. It had been him.

I am no Hero, he spat with derision.

And the world would never find out, no matter what.

Arien raised himself from the ground, his face twisted into a feral grin.

The age of Heroes will never begin.

"Hey guys! I heard something!"

A loud and unfamiliar voice grabbed his attention all of a sudden. Arien spun around immediately, his head snapping in direction of the voice coming from the tunnel that dug into the stone wall to his right. His hand immediately stretched to summon his sword Gurthang, but he held himself back at the last second. If he could hear voices, it meant that other people had found him. And if they hadn't kill him yet while being in the Dungeon, they were probably the ones who had found and carried him here.

"Wait, guys!" another voice exclaimed from the other side of the tunnel. "You stay here. I'll go check on him."

The young man tensed upon hearing that. He narrowed his eyes when he began to glimpse the light of a second magic-stone lantern coming from the tunnel, followed by the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer. He didn't like his current situation, but whoever they were, he would give these people the benefit of the doubt before deciding what to do, since they had apparently taken care of his body so far. To be summoned in the Dungeon without notice could have been a death sentence. He had been lucky that no monster had found him yet.

――――or so he thought.

His grey eyes widened out of human proportions when a certain figure stepped inside the small chamber.

A hooded figure clad in black clothes greeted his sight, covered from head to toe by a dark robe and a hood that concealed his face. But Arien had no need to see his face, because his Divine powers had already allowed him to discern a lot of things about that 'man' as soon as his eyes landed on him. First and foremost: the man before him was not human. He was no elf, no dwarf, no demi-human… he wasn't even alive, in a certain sense; despite being still living and kicking, obviously.

Arien was sure of it. His double-nature as a man and a Divine being allowed him to see things that mortals could not see. Just as gods could easily read and discover a lot of things about mortals with just a single glance, he had been blessed – if his accursed status could be counted as a blessing – with something similar due to his birth, allowing him to see things mortals were not meant to notice. Such as: the ability to see through lies, and to recognize the race and details of those who stood before him.

But even if he hadn't been blessed with his Divine abilities, Arien would still have recognized the man before him with a single glance. He had heard a lot of things about this figure from the old hag and her husband when he was a child; and more importantly ― the two of them had already met once.

But that had happened a long time ago.

"Ah, it appears that you've woken up," the hooded figure spoke, his voice gentle in spite of his odd appearance. "You gave my friends quite a scare, when they found your unconscious body on the 27th Floor. If we hadn't found you first, you could have been killed by monsters."

Arien eyed him warily, but he could already tell that nothing that figure had said was a lie.

"I… thank you, for saving me during my moment of weakness," he said in the end with a neutral tone, deciding to test the waters and try to find out where he was and how he ended up here. "I would say that I'm sorry for being reckless… but I don't really remember what happened to me. My memory has been a jumble since I woke up."

The hooded figure shifted imperceptibly. "Hm? So you're saying that you don't recall how you ended up unconscious?" he asked for clarification.

The young man could sense and feel the suspicion in his tone, but his lie was the best thing he could come up with. There was no way he could tell this figure that he had been summoned here against his will by a Spirit after defeating the Black Dragon itself. Even if he did, he doubted he would believe him.

So, he opted for a half-truth.

"Not entirely," he answered with ease, his mind quickly moving to create a credible lie. "I remember entering the Dungeon two days ago and exploring the Middle Floors. But then I went to the Lower ones, and that's when my memory seems to have trouble recalling the events."

The hooded man stared at him for a few seconds of silence. "I see. That's unfortunate," was all he said after a while.

Arien nodded with an emotionless smile. He could at least see that this figure was finding his story credible, even if his suspicion had not diminished yet. Not that he was surprised, however. Keeping a low profile and lying to his advantage were things he was extremely used to thanks to his previous… jobs. The old hag had been an annoying pain in the neck for years, but her lessons had taught him a thing or two about handling this kind of situations.

Eventually, the hooded figure stepped a bit further and raised his lantern to light the cave a bit more. "I apologize for not showing my face, but I have―"

"There's no need. I already know who you are," the young man waved him off, suddenly but gently.

He saw the figure tense under his black cloth. His head tilted slightly to the side. "Is that so?"

"Yes. You are the Foolish Sage, a famous mage who's said to have lived for eight hundred years and who's currently working under Ouranos. I know this because we've already met in the past, even if it was a long time ago," he answered with ease, and for once, he was completely honest with his words.

That seemed to confuse him a lot. He could literally feel the mage's nervousness as soon as he had revealed to know his identity. "…I must apologize, but I do not recall such an event," he said with a questioning tone, urging him to continue.

Arien smiled. "I wouldn't expect you to. It happened seven years ago," he explained. "Back then, I used to cover my whole face with a white mask, dressing up with black clothes and a cloak. Does that ring a bell, Fels?" he asked with a sarcastic tone.

For a second, the hooded mage – Fels – seemed taken aback by his words. But then, after a few moments, he startled with his whole body. "Y-You mean… you are the masked Adventurer from Orario's Dark Age?" he asked, disbelief coating his words. "The one who helped the Guild and the major Familias to fight Evilus from the shadows?"

Arien grinned, his head tilted slightly to the side. "Glad to see that I haven't been forgotten, Sage Fels."

The figure stared at him for what seemed to be an eternity. Then, slowly but surely, he reached up to pull back his hood, revealing a skeletal face and body. The young man remained completely unimpressed.

"I can't believe it. I thought you disappeared seven years ago," the black-clad mage asked, confused.

Arien nodded. That was also true. "I did, but I came back a few days ago," he replied, lying without a single trace of difficulty. "Not by choice, mind you, but I've been asked to find a person and deliver a message; so I decided to return to Orario briefly. Then I went to explore the Dungeon, somehow lost consciousness while exploring the Lower Floors, and then woke up here. That basically summarizes everything."

"I see… I must say, this is not what I was expecting when my friends told me they had found an unconscious person inside the Dungeon," Fels admitted with a curious tone. Even without eyes, his faceless skull seemed to stare at him with a great deal of intensity. "I know we've met briefly during those dark days and that you're already familiar with me, but I don't ever recall learning your name. Everyone just called you Faceless back then."

Arien smiled with a rueful expression. Oh boy, Faceless… he hadn't heard that nickname in a long while. He still hated it, though.

"You're right. I never revealed my identity during those days. I was afraid of being discovered and endangering my Familia," he replied, once again mixing a bit of truth and lies to sound more believable. Then he shook his head, and offered a hand to the ancient mage with a neutral smile. "My name is Arien, by the way. It is a pleasure to meet you… officially, shall we say."

The mage grasped it with his own skeletal one. "Just Arien? No surname?" he questioned, suspicious.

The young man smiled bitterly. "None that I am proud of, unfortunately."

He did not speak further, and Fels realized that he would not say anything on that matter. Not that it mattered much, honestly. Just by this brief interaction and meeting, he had already learned a lot more than what he was previously expecting; and he could see that the young man in front of him didn't seem dangerous. He was still a bit suspicious, of course, since his lack of memories could be a bit troublesome to explain to Ouranos… but there was no doubt in his mind that this boy was who he claimed to be.

After all, only a fool or a madman would claim to be the notorious Faceless, the masked Adventurer that fought against Evilus along with the Freya, Loki and Astraea Familias back in the days. And the fact that the two of them had met briefly back then was also true… so he had no reason to think that he was lying. At least not entirely.

He had to report this to Ouranos as soon as possible.

"By the way, you said that some friends of yours found me," Arien suddenly said with a calm tone of voice, smiling in direction of the tunnel. "Are they here as well? I would like to thank them for saving me. I don't consider myself an honorable person, but I know how to show gratefulness when it is due."

Once again, he wasn't lying with his statement.

Much to the young man confusion, however, Fels seemed to hesitate for a moment.

"That is correct," he eventually revealed. "However, before that, there are some… matters we must discuss. Without dealing with them first, I'm afraid that I cannot allow you to meet my friends."

Arien narrowed his eyes slightly. Allow you to meet them? What the hell did he mean by that?

"I'm listening," he grunted.

Fels covered his face once again. He shifted a little on his legs. "First of all, let's begin with the basic stuff," he began to say, deadly serious. "We are currently located within a safe zone hidden inside the 30th Floor. It's a place unknown to Adventurers, an unexplored area, basically. There are many places like this scattered throughout many floors of the labyrinth, and my friends use them as refuges to live and hide inside the Dungeon. They called them Hidden Villages."

The young man stared at the black-clad mage with narrowed eyes. Despite his disbelief, he could see and feel that he was telling the truth… and that made him pause for a moment.

People hiding in the Dungeon? Who the hell would ever do such a stupid thing? There was only one town inside the labyrinth – the city of Rivira on the 18th Floor – so if someone had to remain in the Dungeon, why not go there instead of using these… hidden villages? It made no sense.

Fels didn't give him time to voice his doubts. "I apologize for being so direct with you, but my friends are in a very precarious situation. I cannot allow you to meet them until I'm certain that you have no intention of bringing harm to them," he stated, completely serious.

Arien raised a brow in complete confusion. "Why the hell would I bring harm to them? They've saved me, haven't they? I'm certainly in no position to attack someone," he replied, suspicious. "I don't remember picking a fight with anyone here. Unless they have a problem with me, I have no intention of harming them."

That was true.

The hooded mage nodded. "You must understand… my friends' position is a delicate one," he explained. "Were this any other circumstance, I would not allow you to meet them face to face. However, they insisted a lot so that they could meet you. Apparently, they decided to help you because you piqued their interest… and I wasn't able to say no to their pleadings."

Ok, now he was seriously lost. Arien had no idea what this guy was implying, but judging by the way he spoke of them, these so-called friends of his seemed to be some kind of huge deal. He was honestly curious to meet them himself, now.

"I swear I won't lay a finger on them, if that's what you wanted me to say," the dragon-slayer cut him off with a weary sigh, shaking his head in irritation. "Now can you please move on and explain who they are? I grow tired of this excessive secrecy."

Fels stared at him long and hard. "…I really hope you'll remain true to your words," he muttered sarcastically.

Arien raised a brow at the ancient mange.

While the dark hood of the foolish sage remained fixed on him with unnerving intensity.

"Tell me… have you ever heard of the Xenos?"

---

"You can't do this!"

Meteria was openly weeping as she cried out those words.

Alfia felt bad for her sister. She really did. Their sickness wasn't kind to Meteria – nor to her, for that matter, but to her sister especially – and despite what many in her Familia used to say, she never enjoyed to cause pain to others. She wasn't that kind of person. Most of the time, at least.

Now? It was definitely not the time.

"Enough already, sister. I have taken my decision," she spoke with a cold tone of voice, moving to leave the room. "Now leave me be. I cannot stand all the noise you're making."

Next to Meteria, the goddess Hera suddenly rounded on her with an enraged scowl. "Stop being so self-centered for once, Alfia! You cannot be this cruel to your sister!" she bellowed.

"Me? Self-centered? Look who's talking," she mocked her, not caring one single bit about the fact the she was her goddess. Hera openly bristled at her impassive face. "What is cruel is the fact that she's asking this now. I've made up my mind, so stop being annoying and get over it."

"IT'S YOUR CHILD! HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO YOUR OWN CHILD?!"

Her sister's desperate cry echoed inside the room. Even Hera turned to her with a sad, incredulous face.

And despite her better judgment, Alfia stopped in her tracks.

Blood was openly dripping from her clenched fists.

---

The more he listened to Fels, the more Arien felt like his heart would explode in anxiety.

With each passing moment, the young man's knuckles turned more and more pale and his breathing got heavier by the second while the black-clad mage revealed to him the secret that few – if not very few – in the entirety of Orario were aware of. To his credit, Arien remained silent throughout the whole discussion, listening to Fels' words with rapt interest despite his disbelief and shock. Because he knew that the ancient mage wasn't lying with his words, for his Divine abilities could not detect anything but the truth during that whole explanation.

Finally, when his heart felt like it would burst from his chest and he would drown in his own sweat, Fels finished and fell silent.

"So…" Arien began. "There are... intelligent... monsters?"

The foolish sage did not fail to notice how increasingly uneasy Arien had become over the explanation. For some reason, it was clear that the news he had received had stunned him on a deep level. Fels knew it was to be expected, in a way.

"Yes," the hooded mage answered.

"And you've... befriended them?" he pressed on, his nails now biting into his skin.

"Correct. Me, Ouranos, and even some Familias on the surface have met and befriended them," he stated.

The cave room fell silent for a while.

Arien's heart was thundering in his chests. His face was sweating a little.

So the Dragon was not the only one… he thought with clear uneasiness.

Seeing his hesitance, Fels stepped forward. "I understand your disbelief and concerns, but I assure you the Xenos are by no means monsters," he spoke with utmost confidence. "They think and talk and dream; just like the rest of us. More importantly, they do not want to oppose the people of the surface, but wish to coexist with the other races instead. Their dream is to leave the Dungeon one day, in order to walk freely on the earth with their friends on the surface."

Arien looked up, his eyes boring holes on Fels' frame.

He did not see a single lie in his words.

"I know this must be shocking, but I swear they're good people," the mage continued, unfazed. "The only reason I'm telling you this is because they personally asked me to meet you, and because Ouranos agreed with their request. They wish to grow and create a friendly relationship with the people from the surface, and this was a perfect opportunity. A chance to see if their dreams and hopes can be allowed to grow. Please understand that."

There was only truth in that explanation. Fels really believed in what he was saying.

But Arien's shock and disbelief were still too overwhelming to be ignored. He stared at the skeletal man for what seemed like an eternity; Fels pushing forward all his hope and truth while Arien tried to find even a hint of falsity and deceit in his aura and frame.

Once more, he found none.

The dragon-slayer exhaled a long, weary sigh.

"…I cannot say I'm comfortable with this new information," he said with a neutral tone, and Fels seemed to grow concerned for a moment. "However… I believe you. I don't know why, but I do."

The foolish sage nodded in silence, urging him to continue. The light of the stone-magic lanterns flickered for a moment inside the cave.

Arien clenched his fists, trying not to think about the Dragon. He forced himself to try and focus on the mage's words before he could do or say something drastic. He knew he was trading on a very dangerous ground here, but he had to see the whole picture before deciding what to believe.

"If they really saved my life… then I want to meet them," he decided, looking straight into the sage's hood. "I want to see what they are… with my own eyes," he spoke with utmost decision.

And more importantly, I want to see if they're being honest, or if they're just deceiving you.

Fels nodded with a solemn gesture. "Very well. Then follow me," he urged, turning away and walking along the tunnel.

Arien grabbed the lantern, following the hooded mage with narrowed eyes and a hectic heart.

Ever since the events on the surface, the new hidden village of the Xenos had been moved deeper into the Dungeon, forcing them to hide here on the 30th Floor. It had been an inevitable choice, and the only move that could keep them safe from the other Adventurers. Fels had roughly explained to Arien the events that had happened during the recent "Xenos incident", and he now understood they their situation was indeed a very peculiar one. Not to say precarious, as well.

Humans and monsters were not meant to coexist, after all. Too much hatred and bad blood ran between their races. It was simply impossible for humans and the other people from the outside to accept them completely. The hatred between humanity and monsters had been going on for centuries. For millennia. It was simply too engraved within their souls to be ignored.

That is why he had to make sure. He had to see them for himself before he could take a decision.

Arien proceeded slowly along the tunnel, just to make sure that he didn't startle anyone on the other side. Even if they knew he was coming, as Fels said, he didn't want anyone frightened unnecessarily.

Finally, the two of them exited the tunnel, and the young man found himself entering a dark space. A room, and a big one too. They were literally inside an inner cave carved inside the Dungeon's labyrinth, but it was so dark that he could not see anything no matter how long he tried even with the light of the lanterns. However, even if he couldn't see amid the dark, there was something he could feel all the same. This feeling was extremely familiar, after all.

The feeling of countless eyes observing him from afar, fixed on his body with unnerving intensity.

Fels stepped forward, rising his magic-stone lantern. "Guys, it's fine. Turn on the lights," he spoke out loud, addressing the figures hiding in the shadows.

Arien blinked. Then, he suddenly found himself blinded as light filled the room. And when his eyes adjusted to the light, the young man stiffened and tensed all of a sudden.

Everywhere he looked, he saw monsters. Big ones. Small ones. Weird ones. The entire room was filled with monsters, all different from each other and belonging to different races. There were at least thirty of them, perhaps even more. Some he could tell were weak, and others he could tell were stronger than the vast majority of Adventurers. Among them, he saw a lot of monsters that could usually be found in the Dungeon: a Lizardman, a Gargoyle, a Vouivre, a Siren, a Goblin, a Harpy… even a Green Dragon towered in the distance next to a small pool of water, along with a Mermaid. But the one thing all of them had in common was the fact that they were staring at him intently from the edges of the cave, fixing him with wide, curious eyes that gleamed in the dark and shone with an unnerving glow.

Arien tensed and narrowed his eyes, a fact that was not missed by anyone.

However, Fels placed a skeletal hand on his shoulder, and urged him to take a step forward. Perhaps afraid that things could suddenly turn to the worse, he quickly coughed and grabbed everyone's attention.

"Do not be afraid, you guys. He will not harm you," he spoke with a resolute tone. It was a warning, both for them and for him; and Arien realized it immediately. The ancient mage continued to speak. "This is Arien. He has agreed to meet you as requested, and he would like to thank you for saving his life… right?"

The young man felt his eyebrow twitch, but he swallowed his pride and nodded his head.

Slowly, all the monsters began to step closer to them. Arien observed them with narrowed eyes all the while, torn between being shocked or wary. He glanced at all of them with his eyes, and he did not fail to see that some of the Xenos appeared to be wary of him as well, especially the Gargoyle. The distrust and tension in his face was blatantly obvious.

"Arien, allow me to do the honors," Fels spoke as he pointed at the monsters. "This is Lydo, the leader of the pack. Then we have Ray, and Fear, and Gros. I mentioned them to you before, since they're the ones who carried you here," he said as he pointed towards the four, the last of who glared and bared his teeth when Arien's eyes moved towards him. The young man did not fail to miss that, but pretended not to see it and turned to the mage instead, before things could turn out the wrong way.

"And this," Fels put on the best smiling voice he could manage, even if he had no face at all. "Is Wiene. She's the one who begged us to meet you."

The young man turned and instantly froze.

A small Vouivre had run in front of him with a huge smile on her lips. She had long blue hair and round amber eyes, with a childish and cheerful aura around her which was only accentuated by her small frame.

"Hi! My name is Wiene! It's nice to meet you!" she exclaimed with a childish tone, albeit a bit shyly; staring at him with her wide, curious eyes filled with wonder.

For a moment, he didn't know what to say. Arien looked down upon the little monster, his eyes boring into her own, and remained still. Everyone stared at him in confusion, and some Xenos even narrowed their eyes in tension.

Until, after what seemed to be an eternity, the young man with ashen-white hair finally managed to speak.

"Well," Arien said, taking in the sight before him. "Can't say I was expecting this."

Wiene tilted her head to the side, watching him in wonder and confusion.

"You're taking it better than most," Fels noted from the side, impressed by his ability to remain calm in front of so many monsters.

The young man inwardly sweat-dropped at his words. No shit. I've just dealt with another one of their kind. One that was much bigger, scarier and uglier. Compared to that, this little Vouivre is like a small child, he thought with a deadpan. Not that he would ever say that out loud, of course.

In the end, having been unable to find any form of malice and malevolence inside the little monster's eyes, he tentatively took a step forward and forced himself to stay focused.

"Ok. This is awkward, but whatever," Arien muttered to himself, before shaking his head and offering the best smile he could muster to the small Vouivre in front of him. "Hi, my name is Arien. It's… nice to meet you too."

Wiene's eyes widened, and a beaming smile blossomed on her face.

Just like that, slowly but surely, the tension began to disappear. All the fear and anxiety evaporated from the cave as Wiene's radiant smile glowed brightly up at Arien, who could do nothing but chuckle nervously when she suddenly grabbed his hand, shaking it in a childish – and surprisingly cute – gesture. The young man stared at her with wonder as she laughed and smiled. He was still a bit wary of her, but he could not fathom how such a gentle and delicate face could belong to a monster.

This… is completely different from the Dragon, he thought to himself in stupor, glancing at Wiene and the Xenos who were approaching him. I can't detect any rage and bloodlust from them. None of these monsters have the malice I've felt while fighting the beast. What the hell is going on here?

Ray, Lydo, Let and most of the other Xenos smiled and surrounded him upon realizing that he wasn't hostile. One by one, they began to approach and introduce themselves to him, which shocked the young man quite a lot, since these Xenos were really behaving like human beings despite being… well, monsters. Witnessing such a sight was not something he had ever expected… which was surprising, coming from him. Arien was young, but had seen a lot of shit in his life. And I do mean a lot.

Lydo and a few others even offered him a hand to shake, which he reluctantly did with no small amount of nervousness. But the more he watched them, the more he realized that there was no sign of malice in them, and that left him baffled on the inside. Really, he would have never believed to witness such a scene before this day. First he had dealt with the Black Dragon and barely managed to escape death, and now this… his life had really decided to take an unexpected turn, it seemed.

But still, he had no idea how to digest what was happening.

Once introductions were over, everyone began to pull him and led him to the center of the hidden cave-room. There, the Xenos lit a bonfire with their powers and sat around the flames, inviting him to do the same. Next thing he knew, Arien found himself seated on the ground while everyone was now sitting or laying around the bonfire as they continued to chat and watch their newest guest with interest. Wiene was practically bouncing around him in excitement.

"But still, this is a surprise," Lydo admitted while handing a mug of beer to the young man. "It's rare to meet an Adventurer who doesn't scream and pass out upon meeting us. This is a first, even for us," he exclaimed with amusement, grinning with his lizard face and showing his fangs.

Apart from Bell-ucchi and his friends, but they had already met Wiene back then, he mused to himself. He would not mention them to Arien, however. They still needed to see if they could trust him.

The young man sweat-dropped as he accepted the drink. Where did they even took this beer, anyway? Whatever. Even he was keeping his own secrets right now. It's because you lot are not the first Xenos I've met, he thought with a deadpan while he assumed a strained smile on the outside.

"Well… I've had time to digest the news thanks to Fels," he admitted while sparing a glance to the mage seated next to him. "Besides, I wanted to thank you. I heard you guys found my unconscious body and brought me here to safety. I couldn't simply ignore that, no matter what… who, you are," he said, deciding to be honest and tell the truth for once.

"Oh, it's fine. Think nothing of it," Let reassured him with a sheepish laugh.

The Siren, Ray, turned to him with a serious face at that moment. "May I ask you something? What were you doing here in the Lower Floors?" she questioned him in all seriousness. The air suddenly grew quiet when all the Xenos fell silent at her question. Even they wanted to hear the answer to that question. "Your body was fine, but you were completely passed out and covered in blood. We almost thought you were dead at a first glance."

"Indeed. Your armor and clothes are completely ruined," Gros spoke from the other side of the bonfire, glaring at him with his dark eyes. If Arien had not been a well-trained warrior, he would have stiffened in tension under his stare and suspicious tone. "What in the world were you doing to be reduced in such a state?"

The young man remained quiet. He could clearly feel the eyes of every monster – as well as the gaze of the ancient mage next to him – fall on his face with silent wonder. It was honestly unnerving, but not nearly enough to scare him or put him off. He had dealt with a lot of troublesome situations in the past, with the Dragon being the most recent one. He was used to this.

He merely sighed under their suspicious stare. "I wish I could tell you, but my memory is a jumble right now," he answered swiftly, continuing to lie with a calm, collected tone. "I remember entering the Dungeon and exploring a bit, but that's all I can recall right now. However, seeing the ruined state of my armor and clothes, I assume that I must have gone through a rough fight with some monsters."

"But we found no wounds on your body when we examined you," Ray pointed out, again.

The young man smiled. He was expecting this. "You wouldn't have. I possess a Healing magic that takes care of those for me," he replied, completely unfazed. And this time, he had said the truth.

That seemed to surprise everyone, including Fels. "I didn't take you for a mage," he admitted, looking at him in a new light.

"I'm not, but I have a few skills up my sleeves," he sighed, closing his eyes with a weary expression. He did not enjoy this farce, but it was too late to admit the truth. He had to keep going until he was able to leave. "There are some side effects, however. Using my Healing magic greatly consumes my mental strength. Perhaps I fainted because of that. No… knowing me, I'm willing to bet that's what happened. I'm sure of it."

"I see. Mind Down," Lydo mused to himself, remembering the terms used by some Adventurers in the Dungeon. "That is pretty common among Adventurers, from what I've heard."

Arien smiled a bitter smile. "Indeed. However, I'll have to correct you there. I am not an Adventurer. I never was," he revealed.

Perhaps the sincerest thing he'd said today.

Everyone looked surprised at his words. Even shocked.

"Really? You're not?" Wiene asked with wide eyes, seated in front of him with a curious expression.

The young man shook his head. "I'm not, and I never planned to become one. I came into the Dungeon not by my own volition," he admitted, even if he could not reveal the real truth behind his words.

Fels turned to him in full. "You mentioned before that you've been tasked with a request. To deliver a message to someone," he recalled from their previous discussion, watching him with a serious stare under his hood. "Is that the reason why you went into the Dungeon?"

He nodded. "That's right. But who I'm looking for and the reason behind my quest are only for me to know. Please try to understand that," he said with a quiet tone, unwilling to reveal more about that… particular topic.

Curse you, Aria. I will get back at you for this.

"Don't worry, we understand," Lydo reassured him with a pat on his shoulder. A very strong one. The young man nearly spat out his beer under the force of the pat. "We can see that you have no ill intention against us. And if you've already met Fels in the past… I think we can trust you."

Arien didn't show it on the outside, but he was inwardly surprised by the Lizardman's words and understanding. Despite his menacing appearance, he seemed to be an honest, trustworthy fellow. He could work with that, even if he still had to fully digest the idea that intelligent monster really existed.

"By the way… I just can't get this question out of my head," he admitted out of the blue. He looked at Wiene, searching her face with a narrowed gaze filled with wonder. "Just… what are you guys? What does it mean to be a Xenos? I've been to Orario seven years ago, and even then no one seemed to be aware of your presence."

In response, Wiene just tilted her head in confusion, leaving the young man baffled for a moment.

Fels almost chuckled at his stunned face. Almost. "Let me explain. The Xenos are a highly secret topic among those who know of their existence," the black-clad mage began to explain. "Leaving the recent incident aside, very few are aware of them since no one has concrete proof of their presence."

"Except for you and Ouranos," Arien mused, glancing at him.

Fels nodded. "Correct. Me, Ouranos and a few selected Familias know of their existence. As you can clearly see, due to my circumstances, I can't live as most people would. For this reason, I chose to serve Ouranos who has seen fit to bring me into his service. I have been serving as the point of contact between him and the Xenos since they were first discovered fifteen years ago. Together with him, we created an organization to shelter their kin, and we allow them to leave together in these hidden safety points of the Dungeon, occasionally offering food and weapons to them as well."

Arien perked up at that. "You discovered them fifteen years ago?" he asked.

"Yes."

"You're sure?"

"Completely. I have been exploring the Dungeon for many years, and I first made contact with them fifteen years ago," Fels confirmed with utmost confidence.

"Me, Ray and Gros are the oldest Xenos here," Lydo cut in the discussion as well, nodding towards his fellow brothers. "The three of us were born exactly twenty years ago. Most of the others were born much later. Wiene is the youngest among our group, and she came to us very recently."

Arien mulled the information to himself. "I see…" was all he could say.

Lydo sighed as he lowered his eyes. "We know that we're not supposed to exist," he said with a serious tone. "We're outcasts, meant to live in the shade. We're not either humans nor monsters, hated and hunted by both races. And yet, here we are." He chuckled a little in self-mockery, patting Wiene's head when she lowered her eyes with a sad face. "But still, our Mother has prepared these Hidden Villages for us. Here we can live and hide, until our fate will be decided in the future."

"Mother?" Arien repeated, confused by that word.

Ray closed her eyes. "The Dungeon which gave birth to us, that's how we call her," she explained, with a solemn expression on her face. "We were attacked by our own kind, and our lives targeted by humans. But at the same time, our existence is permitted by our Mother, the labyrinth. That is what we believe."

Arien nodded, then turned to Fels. "Is the Guild aware of their existence?" he asked.

The hooded mage shook his head. "Apart from me and Ouranos, those who know of their presence are the God Ganesha and the Hestia Familia," he answered with a blank tone. "The Hermes Familia as well, but we recently had some… problems, with them. Apart from those, no one knows… at least not directly."

Lydo nodded with an enthusiastic face. "So you see... that's why we are happy when we're able to meet people like you," he explained in a slightly embarrassed voice, scratching his neck. "The fact that there are some people who can accept us… is somehow encouraging. It gives us hope."

Arien stared at him after that declaration, long and hard. Then, he glanced at Wiene and her sad face, and his mind shut off for a moment. The realization darted inside his head like a silent arrow.

Perhaps… Fels was right. These monsters in front of him were completely different from the One-Eyed Black Dragon. They were not the same. Not even close.

Indeed, they were not the same. They lacked hatred, and bloodlust, and rage. They lacked the will to kill and the oppressive lust for death that the King of Monsters possessed in overwhelming quantity.

Yeah, some of them seemed to be wary and troublesome. A few looked like complete assholes (Gros especially), but still… they didn't look evil at all. Not really. The more he looked at them, the more Arien could begin to see the similarities between them, rather than the differences. Leaving their appearances aside, some of them actually seemed nice and easy to get along with. They were not scary at all, regardless of how absurd that thought seemed in his own mind. He was not scared of them, despite the disbelief.

And as soon as he realized that truth, Arien took his decision.

No matter how absurd it was.

"…I understand," he spoke with a low voice. He glanced around the cave, smiling a little when he saw Wiene, and Lydo, and all the Xenos staring at him intently with glowing eyes. "It seems that Fels was right. You guys are not monsters. Not to me, at least," he stated with a resolute tone.

Ray, Wiene and the others widened their eyes.

The young man offered them a small smile. "I hope that you'll be able to fulfill your dream, one day," he said with a sincere tone. "I know it sounds absurd, even in my own mind; but I don't think you guys are dangerous. You saved my life… so in regards to that, I will keep your existence a secret. I give you my word on this."

For a long time, no one was able to move or speak.

Until, the Xenos reacted as one.

Arien widened his eyes, watching in confusion as all the monsters around him raised their heads towards the above and began cheering with powerful roars, expressing their relief and joy through their cries.

But at the same time, Wiene surprised him as well. The small Vouivre's eyes widened at his words, so overcome with relief and joy that she almost shed tears from them. Then, before Arien could react, she instantly surprised the young man by throwing herself at him and wrapping her arms around him.

"I knew it! You're just like him!" she cheered with a huge smile on her lips, leaving him extremely confused. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!"

Arien stared at her in loss, completely unable to understand what she meant with those words. At the same time, the Xenos continued to cheer and roar their approval, while Lydo grinned at Arien's slightly baffled face.

I was right, he really does resemble Bell-ucchi, he thought with a smile. And not just on the outside. Even his scent is similar. It was a good idea to help him.

When the young man finally managed to break free from Wiene's hug, Fels nodded to him in approval.

"Then it's settled," he said with relief. "We will let you stay here for a while, and then we'll help you return to the surface when things have calmed down."

That caught Arien's attention. Immediately.

"Calmed down?" he repeated as he struggled to keep Wiene at bay, puzzled. "Why? What is happening on the surface?" he asked.

The roars and cheering suddenly stopped. Everyone turned to him with wide eyes ― except Fels, who didn't have those.

Even Wiene had assumed a shocked expression. "Y-You don't know?" she asked, surprised.

His only reaction was a blank stare.

Let openly sighed when he saw his eyes shine with confusion. "Well, he has been unconscious and stuck inside the Dungeon this whole time. It's no wonder he doesn't know yet," he muttered.

The young man fought hard to keep his smirk to a minimum. He already had a vague idea of what they meant, but it was best to act as if he didn't know. Hence, he waited until the others exhaled a heavy sigh and exchanged a silent glance with each other.

"Well, let's just say… a certain news has reached Orario yesterday," Fels began to explain seriously, turning his dark hood towards the only human amid the group while the Xenos assumed solemn expressions. "Ever since the earthquakes began, the Dungeon has been closed and the entrance is being guarded by the Guild. Do you have any recollection of that?"

Arien shook his head. He honestly had no idea about that.

Fels sighed. "So you were already passed out then… no matter. The thing is, the earthquakes suddenly stopped. Ouranos ordered that everyone had to evacuate from the Dungeon, and had the Guild guard the entrance. Right now, it is impossible to get in or out, even if the danger seems to be over… for the moment."

The young man narrowed his eyes. "You mentioned a news… what happened?" he demanded.

Once again, the foolish sage nodded. "That's right. Last night, right after the end of the earthquakes, the guards stationed to the city gates received a letter. Its content had shaken the entire population to their very core, and the city is still struggling to understand and process the info even today. According to Ouranos, that news was something that even he would have never expected to hear."

Arien raised a brow. "That being?"

Fels moved to answer, but someone suddenly beat him to the punch.

"That the One-Eyed Black Dragon is dead," Gros replied matter-of-factly, crossing his arms with a snort. "That's what they said, apparently."

Sheer silence followed his declaration.

The dragon-slayer did his very best to make a reaction that would match the one an ignorant person would have upon receiving such news.

He stared at the Xenos with mouth agape. "…you're fucking with me."

Everyone turned to him with wide eyes.

"Hey! Mind your words!" Ray scolded him with a glare, pointing one of her wings towards Wiene who was looking at them in confusion. "There are children here!"

Arien struggled to hold back a laugh. "Sorry, sorry, my bad. What I meant is: I don't believe it."

"It is the truth, Arien," Lydo nodded with a serious tone, staring at him with his reptilian eyes.

Obviously, he already knew that. But the dragon-slayer did the best impression of a surprised human he could muster. "S-So you're serious?" he demanded with an incredulous voice, staring at everyone with wide eyes. "The Dragon… is dead? You're not messing with me, right?"

"We speak the truth, Arien," Fels confirmed with a nod, unfazed. "The Dragon is dead. The news has already been proved true, according to several eye-witnesses."

Arien donned a hand over his face to hide a grin. "…I can't believe it," he whispered.

"You don't have to," Lydo shrugged with a grin. "Just go back to the surface in a week and see it to yourself."

The young man really fought hard to hold back a smile from his lips. Oh man, I'm gonna enjoy this.

But then, he bilked again and frowned upon realizing something.

"Wait, what? In a week? What do you mean?" he demanded, suddenly growing cautious as he glanced around the cave. He did not like the compassionate smile that Lydo and the Xenos were giving him.

The black-clad mage shrugged. "The city is celebrating," he answered with an amused tone. "A great festival has been organized by all major Familias, and it will last for an entire week. Consequently, the Guild has decided to close the Dungeon until the celebration is over; completely. Even Rivira has been momentarily abandoned." The foolish sage openly ignored Arien's shock, whose expression was growing more and more horrified by the second. "So I'm afraid that leaving the Labyrinth right now is impossible. If we were to bring you back to the surface, you would find the stairs leading to Babel closed; and even if you'd manage to break through those, the guards at the entrance would still see you, and you would inevitably end up bringing a lot of suspicion on yourself."

Arien felt his eyebrow starting to witch. Sheer horror and annoyance began blossoming in his mind. The sympathetic smiles around him were growing by the second.

"…so what you're saying is…"

Fels nodded, definitely amused by the expression he was making. The slight shaking of his shoulders only made his amusement even more clear.

"Correct. I'm afraid that you'll be stuck here for a week," he stated matter-of-factly, ignoring his twitching brow. "You've fallen asleep inside the Dungeon at the worst possible time, young man, and now you'll have to stay hidden with us until things have quieted down and the Dungeon is opened again."

Arien remained completely still, his eyes shadowed by his ashen-white hair.

So let me get this straight… not only I had to defeat that over-sized lizard that threatened to destroy a whole city… not only I was denied my final rest and forced to live because of a stupid Spirit's selfish request… but NOW I'll also have to stay here in the freaking DUNGEON… for a whole, fucking week?!

The unknown hero who had slayed the dragon clenched a fist.

You are lucky to be gone, Aria…

His body began to tremble in rage.

Because if you weren't, I would have killed you with my own hands.

Fels and the Xenos stared at him in sympathy. Even Wiene wore a strained smile on her face when she saw his enraged expression, and from the other side of the bonfire, Gros snorted in mild amusement at the sight. He really was an asshole.

Lydo openly began to panic when he saw his murderous gaze. "I-I know it's unfortunate, but at least you're not alone… right?" he stuttered in a sheepish voice, trying to lift his mood.

"Yeah! We'll be here to keep you company!" the small Vouivre exclaimed as well while she hugged him, trying – and failing – to cheer him up with her childish innocence. "You won't be alone for a whole week! We'll get to know each other a lot!"

His only reaction was an eerie silence. Until―

"…Wiene."

The dragon girl raised her head from his chest, staring at his shadowed expression with a sweating face.

"Cover your ears," he ordered.

Ray immediately intervened.

"Ok, no!" she commanded sternly, pulling the small Vouivre away from him and fixing him with a flat stare. "If you want to swear, do so when the younglings will go to sleep. I won't let Wiene and Arles listen to it."

Arien fought the urge to pounce and kill each and every one of them. Every form of life unfortunate enough to be standing in front of him was in serious danger right now.

In the end, luckily for everyone, he managed to quell his anger. He exhaled a long sigh and finally allowed his face to relax.

"…damn it. What a torture," he whispered in irritation. "My life has been nothing but torture so far."

The Xenos exchanged a tense glance with Fels.

Lydo scratched his neck as he eyes him warily. "Perhaps I was wrong… he's way too scarier compared to Bell-ucchi," he mused with a sweat-drop.

Arien's eyes snapped to him in confusion. "Huh?"

The Lizardman blinked under his inquisitive eyes. "Hm? Did I say that out loud?" he realized, laughing a little with a sheepish expression. He waved his hands in a placating gesture while the others sighed in resignation. "It's nothing, it's nothing. I was just talking to myself… you see, your appearance and looks reminded me of a friend, and I couldn't help but subconsciously compare you to him. I apologize."

The young man furrowed his brows, confused by his statement. "Is that so?" he mused with suspicion. "How?"

"You're the spitting image of a certain Adventurer we know," Fels decided to explain with a sigh, seeing that Lydo had already spilled the beans. He openly nodded when Arien turned his head to him with a confused stare. "White-ashen hair and delicate features. If it weren't for your different eyes and age, we would have thought you his clone. Even I was surprised when I first saw you."

"That's right! You two look almost alike!" Let snickered.

Even Ray couldn't help but agree. "Indeed. That boy looks just like you," she confirmed.

Arien fell quiet upon hearing their amused words, taken aback by what they were saying.

There is someone who looks like me here in Orario? What the fuck?

He couldn't help but ask.

"Really?" he said, looking genuinely curious about that matter.

Fels and everyone else nodded, but it was Wiene the one who answered.

"It's Bell! It's Bell!" she exclaimed with a huge, adoring smile on her face. "Arien looks like Bell!"

His mind froze instantly. His lips twitched slightly.

―Bell…?

"That's right," Fels nodded at his surprised face, as if he had been reading his mind. "He's a member of the Hestia Familia, and one of the few Adventurers who befriended the Xenos. His name is Bell."

Arien widened his eyes.

"Bell Cranel."

Just like that, everything quieted.

Arien stopped to breathe. The world around him ceased to exist.

Hearing that name suddenly froze the very blood in his veins.

His eyes widened imperceptibly. His mouth hung open slightly.

And for the first time in a long, long while…

No― it can't be!

…Arien was glad he hadn't used his surname.

Bell… Cranel…

The boy with ashen-white hair cursed out loud.

And he did not care of the Xenos' outraged protests.

---

Alfia growled through gritted teeth. "You know I cannot do this."

"You don't know that!" Meteria promptly countered, her grey eyes glaring at her while Hera remained silent. "Stop giving up before making an attempt! You're not even willing to try!"

"It won't work, Meteria. Our sickness is incurable, and you know better than me that I'm not suited for this. I'm not going to―"

"So what? You're going to give up just because you're scared?!" Right now, her kind, gentle and understanding sister was gone, replaced by a wrathful and unforgiving woman. Even those grey eyes of hers, those eyes that would always gaze at anyone with love and understanding, were now openly glaring at her like a vengeful goddess descended from Heaven. "You've been hesitating all this time! If you wanted to give up, you could have done it in the beginning! Not now, when you're eight-months pregnant!"

Alfia stared at her round belly, her face a mask of regret and pain. Tears were already welling in the corner of her eyes, no matter how long and hard she tried to force them back.

The sound of her gritted teeth resounded for an entire minute. "…you have NO IDEA how hard this is for me!" she spat.

"The child doesn't deserve this, Alfia!" her sister screamed with anguish.

When Meteria fell on the ground and sobbed, Hera kneeled next to her. The goddess fixed Alfia with a stare while she attempted to raise the woman back on her feet.

"Meteria is right, Alfia," Hera declared. "It doesn't matter who the father is. I don't even care about that anymore. The child belongs to the Hera bloodline, and as such he deserves to―"

"For Heaven's sake, stop talking as if I'm having an abortion!" the woman with ashen-white hair exploded, rounding on them with wide eyes and a tear-stained face. "I'm just going to give him up to adoption! I'll send him to someone who can actually CARE for him!"

"No."

Alfia physically jumped at her sister's sudden statement, startling with her body as if a shiver had run across her back. Her heterochromatic eyes widened out of human proportions even as tears continued to flow on her face. For once, even the proud and unbending Adventurer known as 'Alfia of Silence' was rendered speechless by the resolve inside her sick sister's tone.

And the older sister could do nothing but gape and stare in fear as Meteria rose to her feet, sending her the coldest and scariest glare she had ever received in her whole life.

"If you're willing to give him up… then give him to me," the woman declared with a quiet tone. An eerily quiet tone. "I will raise and care for him for as long as I can. He deserves this. I will not allow you to give him to someone else, so that he'll grow up without knowing the truth."

Silence descended upon the room. The temperature dropped several degrees.

Alfia shook her head, her face a mask of distress and fear.

"Y-You can't be serious. Your condition―"

"It wasn't a question, Alfia."

For the second time in less than a minute, the woman jumped in fear. Even Hera was visibly cowering in the corner of the room by now, glancing at the other woman with wide eyes filled with terror.

But Meteria kept glaring at her sister with a vengeful wrath, her face a mask of ice and her eyes colder than the sharpest metal.

"Give him to me, Alfia," she ordered with a solemn tone. "Give your child to me."

---

Labyrinth City of Orario
Central Park

(======)

The entire city was celebrating.

Clear blue as far as the eye could see. There were a number of white clouds floating here and there like the seeds dotting a fruit. Compared to the summertime, the clouds were higher up and much, much smaller to the eye. A cool breeze blew through the wide-open sky.

The incoming fall weather was pleasant. Perfect weather for a festival.

"Rejoice, people of Orario! We've been blessed with a wonderful news! It looks like even the fickle gods of weather are in a good mood today!"

A god's gentle voice was projected by a magic-stone amplifier, reaching every corner of Orario. The source was at the heart of the city, in Central Park at the foot of the chalk-white tower. It was the place where all eight arteries of the city converged, a place where tens of thousands of people could comfortably gather.

Today, however, the plaza looked different from usual. There were pagoda-like stone towers with altars at their bases erected in the north, south, east and west around Babel ― places of worship.

"At last, at long last, after more than a thousand years in which it has inflicted terror and death over the world, the One-Eyed Black Dragon has perished! The long-awaited fulfillment of the Three Great Quests has finally been completed! Its fangs and fire shall threaten humanity no more!" Hermes's voice carried across the city, while the people of Orario cheered and clapped in joy. "Ganesha, what do you think of it?"

"I AM GANESHA!"

The four tall altars were crowded by countless humans, demi-humans, elves and members of all races, all of them gazing up at the gods and goddesses placed atop each towering structure. Hermes, Ganesha, Demeter, Hephaestus, Freya, Loki, Damia, Hathor, and countless other deities who resided in the Labyrinth City stared down at the crowd with joyous, excited faces and gleaming eyes filled with relief and glee. Each and every one of them wore an expression of pleased satisfaction, dressed in brightly colored clothes and attracting the attention and gazes of all citizens.

Suddenly, Demeter lowered her gaze and took the floor. "A great many things came to pass this past year… many of them frightening, and many of them sad. A year is but an instant for us deities, but I will surely never forget these few shorts months."

There was a desolate tone in her voice. The dregs of grief from all the dark and terrible events that had happened during the previous months and days. Around the city, people's thoughts turned to the uproar at Monsterphilia, the destruction of the red-light district, the armed monsters that appeared on the surface, and various other incidents that had occurred in such a short amount of time. There was no way to deny that it had been a hectic period for Orario; one comparable to the events of the Dark Age from seven years prior.

A momentary hush fell over the entire city. Then, the goddess Freya broke into a smile. She raised her head to look out from the altar, regarding the children staring up at her with an amused smile and a beautiful face.

"And that is all the more reason why we should appreciate this moment," she declared with a seductive voice. "Now, at long last, the Dragon will no longer threaten the world. Humanity is one step closer to the path of glory, leaving only the quest of the Dungeon to be fulfilled before humanity can truly achieve freedom… and peace."

"And that means… that we should all celebrate this moment!" Hermes cut in swiftly, grinning like an excited child as the crowed continued to cheer and cry in joy. "Go forth now, people of Orario! Celebrate this victory with hearts filled with gratitude!"

Ganesha roared his approval with a bellowing cry. "I! AM! GANESHA!"

Excitement bloomed on every face in the listening crowd.

Hephaestus's crimson-colored hair fluttered as she opened her arms wide. "We offer our thanks for the joyous news… and from this moment forward, we declare the opening of the Victory Festival!"

Wooooooooooh!

Cheers rose throughout the city. What sounded like thunderous applause at first turned out to be fireworks set off by the Guild. And judging by the tricolor bursts of flames, ice and lightning blooming overhead, spellcasters from some Familia or another had decided to help out. Tendrils of white smoke rose up into the sky as the roaring display went on. With all the children letting their pent-up excitement come out, Orario was filled with sounds of celebration as the opening ceremony drew to a close. Energy thrummed in the Trading Post and the commercial district, and even in the rebuilt slums of Daedalus Street.

The festival began with a proclamation from all gods and goddesses, and after seven days of celebrations, it would end with one as well. From this moment forward, this day and month would forever be remembered in Orario and in every corner of the globe. For today was a day for celebrations and joy. Today was the day in which the Black Dragon had been bested, and humanity had regained its dominion over the world's surface. Today was a day that would go down in history, no matter how much time would pass and what would happen in the future. Because the Dragon was dead, the beast had been slayed; and after fifteen years of uncertainty and hesitation, humanity had finally completed the legendary Three Great Quests.

Even if the one who made it possible would never be remembered; even if the Hero who had killed the beast would never be discovered… the world would move forward, and never forget the miracle that happened today. But from this day forward, Orario and the world were surely going to prosper.

And today was a day for all to laugh and play.

This was the beginning of the Victory Festival.

Bell Cranel and his companions stared at the scene with wide eyes. "Amazing…" the Rabbit Foot whispered.

The cheers erupting all around the city could easily be heard from every corner of Orario.

Hestia and her Familia walked around the streets while the city was celebrating. "I can't believe it… so this is what a Victory Festival looks like," the goddess exclaimed with a huge smile on her face, observing the streets rejoicing and the people cheering and singing. "This is the first one I've ever seen!"

"Well, there hasn't been a festival like this ever since the Behemoth and Leviathan were defeated more than fifteen years ago," Welf mused to himself, clearly excited by the celebrations happening all around them.

"That's right! Lily would be lying if she said she wasn't excited as well!" the small prum of the group exclaimed as well. For once, everyone shared her excitement right now, even Mikoto and Haruhime. The thought of a huge festival being held in the city known as the Center of the World was no small deal, after all. Especially for such a special occasion.

Bell watched, wide-eyed, as every citizen and every street began feasting and celebrating around him. People began dancing and singing. Children began running and playing. Even bards conjured pleasant melodies on strings and pipes, urging passersby to make the most of the festival and not waste any time. It was like the whole city had suddenly forgotten the previous tension and alarm ever since learning of the Dragon's demise. Not that he couldn't understand the feeling, though. The One-Eyed Black Dragon's death was no small feat, after all. The excitement and joy erupting around him was completely understandable.

"For once, I'd love to enjoy this festival too, Hestia-sama," Mikoto said to their small goddess, glancing around the streets with a gleaming face.

Hestia grinned. "Of course! I give you all full permission to enjoy the celebrations to your heart's content!" she declared, making her children's faces lit up in excitement. "We've been through a lot during the last few days, so it's only fair to relax and enjoy the moment. What kind of goddess would I be if I can't even allow my cute children to enjoy Orario's greatest festival?"

Haruhime's face glowed in sheer joy. "Thank you very much, Hestia-sama!" she said with a bright mood. Then, the blonde Renard turned to a certain white-haired boy while her cheeks flushed a little pink. "W-What do you say, Bell-sama? What do you plan to do?"

The young Adventurer eyed the city with a lost face. He truly had no idea of what to do right now.

From the moment the deities had declared the start of festivities, Orario's enthusiasm could not be contained. This was the long-awaited Victory Festival, after all. The eddies of noise were louder than ever, but they were not harsh on the ears: the pleasant footsteps pattering across the streets; playful, overwrought praise of the bounty of the earth; full bands appearing out of nowhere, trumpets and flutes blaring, drums thumping; dwarves dressed in formal attire singing with booming voices coming from such small frames, drawing laughs and cheers in equal measure from the crowd… it was too much. It was simply too much for him to decide.

Beneath the clear blue sky, everyone had the right to enjoy the festival. The city had already come alive again with the sound of celebration.

The Rabbit Foot watched the city with crimson eyes filled with wonder. "I… I just―"

"Oh no, you don't!" Hestia suddenly exclaimed with an annoyed tone. Before Bell could fully understand what was happening, he found himself grabbed by the arm and pushed against the goddess chest, causing his face to flare up in embarrassment while Hestia openly glared at Haruhime. "Don't you even think about it, you sly fox! Bell is going to stay with me! I have a very special date planned with him while the rest of you go enjoy the festival."

The poor boy's face couldn't get redder than that. "D-D-Date?! Kami-sama?!"

"Huuuh?! What are you talking about, Hestia-sama! What right do you have to keep Bell-sama for yourself?" Lily demanded angrily, desperately trying to pull away the boy from the goddess's grip. Unfortunately for her, she was failing miserably.

Even Haruhime's face had become a bright red color. The blonde Renard, having been filled with forbidden knowledge by Aisha, had immediately began to panic and slip into a pink haze of delusions at the mere thought of Bell and Hestia having a date. A-A-An Illicit tryst during the festival, nestling together from noon to night, whispering sweet nothings to each other, before ending up in bed together― Aaaaaaaaaah! Bell-sama! Her poor mind couldn't handle so many delusions.

Meanwhile, Welf and Mikoto looked down in deep thought and crossed their arms. Hestia's words had spurred them to think about the deities they loved, making completely oblivious to the goddess and the girls muttering and trembling nearby.

Perhaps I should reach out to Takemikazuchi-dono…! Mikoto mused.

Maybe I should ask Hephaistos on a date too…! Welf pondered.

And all the while, Bell desperately tried to break free from his goddess' chest. Help me! Someone please help me!

Luckily for him, his panicked cries were heard by the heavens.

"Hey! It's Argonaut-kun!"

Everyone turned around upon hearing that cheerful voice, blinking in confusion. Their eyes widened a little upon seeing Tiona and Tione – the Hiryute Sisters from Loki Familia – strolling down the main road with their hands full of bags filled to the brim with Jagamarukun snacks. They had wide smiles on their faces and a look of excited surprise upon seeing the white-haired boy.

Bell's eyes widened as he finally managed to break free from Hestia's grip. "Tiona-san! Tione-san!" he greeted them with a polite bow of the head, surprised as well.

"Fancy meeting you here, Argonaut-kun! Are you enjoying the festival?" Tiona asked him with a sly smile, noticing all too well the flushed expressions that Hestia, Lily and Haruhime were wearing behind the boy's frame.

He paid no mind to her question. Instead, his eyes were instinctively drawn to the bags filled with Jagamarukun snacks as a single thought entered his mind. He was extremely familiar with those snacks, after all, and seeing them right now couldn't help but remind him of a certain person who could never truly leave his mind ever since he had become an Adventurer.

"…that's a lot of snacks you're carrying there," Welf noted with a raised brow, voicing Bell's thoughts for him.

Even Hestia was slightly baffled by the sight. And coming from her, who used to work occasionally at the stand that sold those snacks, it meant something. "Are you seriously going to eat all of those?" she asked, astonished.

The entirety of Hestia Familia narrowed their eyes when they say the two Amazoness flinch at their question. Their smiles twitched for a moment, and a look of sadness and hopelessness came to Tiona and Tione's face all of a sudden, making their previous cheerfulness disappear completely. Bell widened his eyes in concern at their sad expression.

"No," Tione answered with a low tone of voice, her eyes dropping to the ground. "These are for Aiz..."

Bell immediately perked up. "Aiz-san? Is she here as well?" he quickly asked, glancing around the streets with his eyes.

However, much to his shock, every bit of excitement and hope disappeared from his face not even a moment later. After all, no matter how dense he was, there was no way he could miss the way in which the two sisters wouldn't dare to meet his eyes. Even Hestia, Welf and the others couldn't help but frown a bit.

"She's… not here," Tiona muttered with a sad tone, unable to speak further for some reason.

Bell widened his eyes. His very own heart began to clench in worry and concern.

The Hiryute sisters exchanged a defeated glance, their eyes shining with a great amount of pain and sadness.

In the end, Tione spilled the beans. And Bell didn't like what he heard.

"Aiz… is not feeling well right now."

He didn't like it one bit.

---

NOTES

Despite what this chapter showed, Arien is NOT similar to Bell, nor he will be. At least on the inside. I'm not planning to create a second Hero and replace Bell's role, and I've already hinted this matter in the chapter and in the title of this story. We will clearly see the differences between the two of them in the future. As for his physical appearance, instead, he does look like him in a lot of ways. You can check the cover of the story: that is him, basically. The resemblance with Bell is uncanny.

Also, do not make Meteria angry. Ever. It won't end well.

Thank you for reading. Comments and criticism are always appreciated, and I will always answer to those who'll let me know their opinion.