This was a dim, chilly tavern.
Bell followed Lili inside, his expression showing a hint of unease.
"Lili… maybe we should find another place after all?"
He glanced around. Most of the patrons were crudely downing cheap liquor.
He chose an empty table, settling beside a Pallum and several human men. Unshaven and shabby, they spoke openly and crudely about money.
When these men noticed Lili, an eerie gleam flashed across every one of their eyes.
Bell caught it instantly.
These members of the Soma Familia were the very targets of their plan.
Bell feigned timidity and spoke softly.
"Lili… this atmosphere… feels off somehow."
Lili frowned and ordered some food from the waiter.
"Bell-sama, you said you didn't want acquaintances to see us. That's why we came to such a remote place to eat, isn't it?"
"Hmm…"
Bell found himself momentarily at a loss for words.
Lili cleared her throat.
"Back to the point, Bell-sama. What exactly do you wish to say?"
Amid the tavern's loud laughter and angry shouts, Bell leaned forward, scanning the area before whispering:
"Actually…"
"I can't hear you like that, Bell-sama!" Lili reminded him.
Bell raised his voice.
"Well… actually, I received an incredibly valuable gift from the Familia God, and I've been troubled over how to repay such a favor…"
The men at the neighboring table clearly found the topic interesting.
They traded glances, shrugged, then quieted down—drinking while openly eavesdropping.
"Bell-sama, could the gift be referring to that dagger?" Lili asked.
"Yes. It bears Hephaestus's markings. I had it appraised, and the expert said its value is…"
Bell hesitated, looking as though he struggled to speak the words.
"How much?" Lili pressed urgently.
"He said it was priceless… but worth at least several houses…"
"..."
The tavern remained noisy, yet the two corner tables were wrapped in a peculiar silence.
Bell's voice was just the right volume—quiet, but perfectly audible to those eavesdropping nearby.
They tore into their jerky with rough hands, sinister smiles forming as though they were already dividing up a plump, helpless lamb.
"Bell-sama, you… you're serious?" Lili asked in disbelief.
"Absolutely. That's exactly why I'm troubled—such a valuable gift… I don't know how to repay it."
Bell didn't touch the food before him, wary of any mischief.
"Lili still can't believe it. Bell-sama is just a new adventurer. How could the god give you such an incredibly expensive weapon…"
Lili delivered the prepared line smoothly.
"Then how can you possibly trust me?" Bell asked in return.
"Go to the Dungeon—right now!"
Lili stood up, her expression full of eagerness.
"But it's almost nightfall. Isn't that a little dangerous?"
"We don't have to go deep. Just head to the seventh floor and find a Killer Ant to test the weapon. With Lili here as your supporter, Bell-sama, there's nothing to worry about."
Lili pushed Bell toward the Dungeon.
"But I feel like…"
Seeing his hesitation, Lili added quickly, "Bell-sama wants to repay the Familia God, right? Then we shouldn't waste time here—put that dagger to good use."
"…You're right. Let's head to the seventh floor and give it our all."
Bell deliberately emphasized the words "seventh floor."
"Oh!"
Lili pumped her fist and led Bell toward the counter.
The Soma Familia men exchanged glances, a sly grin creeping across each of their faces.
"Look at that walking gold mine. Can't wait to get started, huh?"
"As her elder in the familia, I should give her a proper lesson."
"The seventh floor… I remember some brat died there last time."
"At least that guy was kin to me. Don't make me remember how he begged for help…"
"You're enjoying this, you scumbag."
"Oh? You noticed? Hahaha."
Once Bell and Lili stepped outside, the men stopped whispering. In unison, they got up and quietly followed.
Night fell. Sickly foam clung to the rims of the cups holding cheap wine.
The food they'd ordered had been completely devoured—not even a bone remained on the table.
...
Seventh Floor of the Dungeon.
"Bell-sama… are you really a new adventurer?!"
Lili stared in shock at the scene before her.
Bell slipped past the Killer Ant's attacks with ease, then reversed his grip and drove the dagger straight through its exoskeleton.
This had nothing to do with the weapon's performance—the boy's technique was simply overwhelming.
The Hephaestus-forged dagger was just icing on the cake.
"Didn't I tell you earlier today? Why are you so surprised?"
Bell handled the simultaneous attacks of two monsters as casually as if he were taking a stroll.
"I suspected it… but I didn't expect this level…"
Lili had heard rumors about the "weakest adventurer."
But Bell had only become an adventurer recently. At this pace, his growth might even surpass the Sword Princess, hailed as a prodigy.
Exceptional strategy, explosive growth, courage, gentleness…
Only now did Lili realize just how extraordinary the person she'd met truly was.
"Bell-sama, if they catch up and try to forcefully take it… are we going to fight them here?"
"What, you're reluctant?" Bell asked.
"Absolutely not! If they really rush in, I'll shoot them with my hand crossbow!"
Lili stated firmly. "I'm just worried… there are so many of them…"
"Don't worry—they won't show up in front of me," Bell reassured her.
"Why…?"
"Because that's how they operate."
Those cowards didn't have the courage for a frontal confrontation. They would set traps and target someone weak—someone like Lili.
Considering the Dungeon's layout and the risk of being seen, they were most likely waiting near the chamber entrance on the seventh floor, ready to strike the moment Lili grabbed her loot.
Zero risk of failure, zero chance of exposure—just exploitation of the weak.
Their style was completely different from the Evilus. And with a Familia God who could detect lies choosing to do nothing, and the Guild being too busy to look deeply into anything, there was little chance the truth would ever come to light.
This is how they operated.
Utterly revolting.
Bell forced down the fury rising inside him. He needed to witness with his own eyes exactly what kinds of vile acts these people were capable of.
Heroes weren't supposed to turn their blades against other humans.
But Bell had already decided—if such a hero had never existed, then he would become the first.
A different kind of hero.
...
Bathed in pale green phosphorescence, Lili ran alone through the passageway.
She sprinted down the narrow corridor and burst into the chamber.
The moment she crossed the threshold, a man thrust out his right foot and kicked her to the ground without mercy.
"Just as expected…"
The Soma Familia men from the tavern emerged one after another. Their shadows stretched long under the glow of the phosphorescent moss.
None of them noticed that at the far end of those shadows, a white-haired boy stood silently, watching.
And his gaze seemed to declare:
Judgment had come.