Even after Stella returned home, she couldn't figure out what sort of companions Sid had found for her.
Could it be the Raid Team? But she'd heard they'd suffered plenty of setbacks in the dungeon as well. What difference would adding her make?
As for others… she did know a few silver-ranked adventurers who could be called elites, but they had all taken long-distance commissions and weren't in the city.
Adventurers made their living through commissions, and those came in every form imaginable. Not all of them involved dungeon crawling, and not everyone had the talent for it.
Adventurers like Stella, who practically lived inside the dungeon day after day, were actually the minority.
Before stumbling into the Sein Dungeon, her main line of work had been hunting boss-class monsters across the regions and clearing out monster nests.
And then—she found Sein, and it ruined her life.
Fortunately, with the development of the Gourmet Zone, the number of dungeon-related commissions had skyrocketed. By casually picking up a few moderately difficult ones, she could at least scrape together a living.
Her current teammates, Gibbs and the others, were still busy pushing forward with Gourmet Zone exploration. Stella wasn't interested in that—her heart and mind were fully invested in being the Warrior of Sunlight.
"Who cares who it is?" Stella flopped onto her bed, long, slender legs swinging lazily as she kicked off her boots.
"Sleep first. No matter who it is, it won't surprise me. At worst, it'll just be the Raid Team."
.
..
...
After a few days of rest—
When Stella arrived at the predetermined meeting spot near the Sein Dungeon's portal, several figures were already waiting.
From a distance, she spotted a blond young man, a girl who looked somewhere between child and maiden, a dwarf mage, and a hulking giant.
"As expected, it's them." She pulled a face that screamed, Figures. Guessed right. How boring. She stepped forward, raising a hand in casual greeting.
Just then, Terl bent down to pick something up. A slim figure, previously hidden behind his massive frame, came into Stella's view.
Her whole body froze.
Why is it her? Why is she here!? I didn't invite her in the letter!
It was a female elf who resembled Stella by seventy to eighty percent. But in both aura and figure, she was far more mature. Soft light-green hair tied into a high ponytail, leather armor that emphasized her curvaceous body, and a silver-white staff-like weapon strapped across her back—she was every inch a seasoned adventurer.
At that moment, she was happily chatting with Leon, laughing into her hand with refined grace.
Her casual charm nearly entranced Terl. Drew, disgusted by his teammate's lecherous look, promptly cast a super-powerful calming spell on him.
Terl instantly shifted into monk mode—worldly desires fading like passing illusions.
Stella froze in place, struggling with whether to bolt. What excuse could I use? Maybe say I overslept? No, that's way too lame!
As she wavered, the elf suddenly turned her head, locking eyes with her. Stella shivered from head to toe.
A fragrant breeze swept over. The elf's hand landed on her shoulder, pulling her into an intimate embrace.
"Long time no see, my dear sister," she whispered into Stella's sensitive ear, her breath warm against it.
"Hsss—!"
Goosebumps shot up all over Stella's body. She shoved the woman away, flustered and furious, jabbing a finger at her.
"Y-you! What are you doing here, Melga!?"
So that was her name—Melga.
"Of course I came because I heard you were here." Melga reached for her again, but Stella quickly backed off.
Seeing this, Melga only smiled serenely. "You've been avoiding your sister for so long. Isn't it about time we met? Do you know how hard I worked to find you? I even died several times in this dungeon."
"Who asked you to come looking for me, you damn cow!? I'll never go with you! Never, even if I die!"
"Cow?"
Melga's smile didn't falter, but her face darkened—veins bulging on her forehead.
Meanwhile, Stella was sweating bullets.
Just as the atmosphere grew thick, a refreshing voice cut in from behind Melga.
"Huh? You two know each other?" Leon turned to Stella, flashing a bright smile straight out of a light novel protagonist's playbook. "You must be Stella. I've heard so much about you—it's an honor to finally meet."
"Hello…"
Seizing the chance, Stella immediately ducked behind Terl—still in monk mode—peeking cautiously over his broad shoulder while glaring daggers at Melga.
Leon, my savior!
"Nothing special," Melga said smoothly, resting her hand against her forehead with a sigh. "Stella is my little sister. Mm… my fourth sister. But sadly, she's still in her rebellious phase. We quarreled a bit, and she refuses to make peace."
Leon's gaze flicked between the two of them. He wasn't an idiot—he could clearly sense the tension. But what could he do?
He could only laugh it off.
"Haha, what a coincidence! Meeting not one but two beautiful elven ladies on the same day… surely this adventure will be blessed with good luck. Let's wait a little longer. Once everyone's here, we'll set out."
"The one thing I admire most about our leader," Maru muttered, "is how he can say polite words in the most awkward situations."
"Don't ruin the mood," Drew scolded, smacking her lightly on the head. She pouted but held her tongue.
Thanks to Stella and Melga's antagonism, the air grew heavy. Only Leon was sweating from the effort of keeping conversation alive.
After a while, the last four members finally arrived. Their identities were unusual: two mages from the Magic Association, a Holy Light Knight from the Holy Light Church, and a Flame Acolyte from the Church of Fire.
The Church of Fire worshiped the fire god, Fire. In this age, however, worship of that god had declined, leaving the Church of Fire teetering on the brink of collapse.
Where did Sid find such rare characters? Stella couldn't help but wonder.
The two Association mages exchanged warm greetings with Drew.
The Holy Light Knight wore a stiff expression, as if he suspected heresy lurking around every corner of Sein Dungeon.
With Leon making introductions, everyone quickly became acquainted. After confirming their preparations, the group headed for the portal.
But today, something was wrong.
Maru narrowed her eyes. "Why are there so many guards here? What are they shouting about?"
Drew stroked his beard. "I have a bad feeling about this."
"Everyone back! Step back at once!" the guard captain bellowed. "New order from the lord of the city—workers of the Bedford family must enter first! All others step aside!"
Naturally, the adventurers erupted in protest.
"We've been lining up since midnight! Why should we step back just because you said so!?"
On normal days, adventurers might show some restraint before noble authority. But today was different.
Because the Bedford workers numbered five to six hundred. If they went in first, everyone else would lose at least one to two hours.
"The dungeon doesn't belong to the nobles! This isn't even their territory! Why should they go first!?"
"Why?"
The guard captain sneered, raising a document high for all to see.
"By decree of His Majesty the King, the Sein Dungeon is now under the jurisdiction of the Bedford family! From this day forth, anyone entering or leaving must follow Lord Philip's rules!
"Anyone who refuses—will be forbidden from entering the dungeon!"