"I've found it."
Sensing a sudden, brief shift in Wiene's position, Bell pinpointed the hidden location deep within the Dungeon.
It was indeed an extremely well-concealed spot.
"They used special materials to block detection around it. Finding a place like this… really isn't easy."
What truly caught Bell off guard, however, was that the hideout was located in the gap between two floors.
He had never imagined someone could carve out a space in such a place.
Did the Dungeon itself have no objections to this?
"Found it? Where exactly?" Loki asked.
"It's the kind of place you'd never think of. Even if you knew it existed, no one would consider hiding a secret space there."
"Oh?"
Bell's words only deepened Loki's curiosity.
"Between the floors—inside the gap."
"The gap? You can actually open a space there?"
"Under normal circumstances, it should be nearly impossible."
Bell had never personally explored the special areas between floors, but he was certain it was no easy feat.
"The Dungeon may look like a stack of separate floors, but in truth, they're all connected. Each floor is its own independent space. That means there are spatial gaps between them."
"Of course, that's just my own understanding of spatial structure. When I moved our Familia's home outside the world, I was working off the same principle. Still, I never thought someone in the Dungeon would manage to pull this off."
In the past, Bell would never have believed an architect—like Daedalus—could reach this level. This time, he had to admit it opened his eyes.
Construction techniques could apparently be applied to space itself.
What amazed him even more was that there really was a builder capable of creating such a place—nestled in the gap between floors, reinforced with special materials to shape it into a hidden chamber.
"They can really do something like that?"
Loki's voice was thick with disbelief, but Bell understood her reaction. Even when he'd locked onto the exact spot, it had been hard for him to imagine anyone constructing such a space between the Dungeon's floors.
"Theoretically, it's possible. But I've never tried it myself, so I can't say for certain construction techniques alone could reach that level."
Bell admitted he wasn't familiar with construction work.
His expertise lay in combat, and all his skills were invested in fighting and magic. Something as specialized as this—creating livable space through pure building techniques—was the kind of hard technical work he figured only someone with a tool-making ability like Hephaestus could truly excel at.
If someone could create a habitable space between two Dungeon floors purely through construction, Bell could only respect that craftsmanship.
"Then hurry up and warn Finn and the others!"
"No, there's no need to rush yet."
Though Bell felt a pang of impatience, his expression stayed calm.
"She's being used as bait to draw out more Xenos, not to kill her."
"That secret base of theirs isn't safe. They'll have to seal it up inside, but they're bound to escape through hidden passages."
Even with his agitation, Bell knew exactly what had to be done.
"I need to get into that base first, seal every hidden passage, shut down all the traps. That's the only way to avoid walking straight into a cage."
"Loki-sama, you should have Finn and the others prepare. That goggle-wearing guy has magic that can drive people into a frenzy. Without precautions, our own allies could turn into obstacles."
Loki had seen the magic herself—how it made Xenos who were fighting side by side suddenly turn on each other. If Finn's group wasn't careful, they could be caught in it.
And if even one of them got hit, they'd suddenly be facing an extra Level 7 enemy—one of their own. They couldn't exactly strike to kill.
"I'll warn Finn and the others before we move."
Now that she knew what that magic could do, Loki had no intention of letting them stumble into it.
"Then… let's begin."
The spatial coordinates were already locked. That "secret" base was no longer secret to Bell.
With the location pinpointed, Bell linked directly to its position.
He put on a white cloak that hid his face and rose from the sofa.
His figure vanished in an instant—along with the carved-out space.
"Bell-kun seems impatient," Hestia murmured, a little taken aback. She rarely saw him like this.
"Well, it's been obvious for a while now—he's softer toward the Xenos than toward normal Adventurers. He's always wary around Adventurers, but with those Xenos kids, he's far less guarded."
Loki finished her drink, the chilled fruit wine flooding her senses with rich fragrance and a faint bite of alcohol, cooling her body and sharpening her focus.
There was still plenty of follow-up work to do, and she had to make sure her own children avoided any nasty traps.
Just before leaving, Loki turned her gaze toward Hephaestus.
"By the way, was it that kid who told you not to get involved with the Guild's business?"
Hephaestus nodded without denying it.
"I'm just a production Familia. My children aren't like yours—skilled and fierce in battle. They're better at the forge than on the front lines. And for a production Familia like mine, staying neutral is best."
As expected.
Loki wasn't surprised by the answer.
Hephaestus was right—neutrality suited a production Familia best. These days, her Familia didn't just handle smithing; they also sold Rune Stones.
Neither the major Familias nor Evilus wanted that trade cut off. Even if the number of Rune Stone varieties on the market was small, they were still valuable reinforcements for Evilus.
Unless it was absolutely unavoidable, Evilus wouldn't want the Hephaestus Familia dragged into a war with the gods on the surface.
As long as Hephaestus's Familia remained, they could always buy Rune Stones in bulk under another name—an indispensable resource for reaching their goals.
...
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