It was near sunset when Bell emerged from the Dungeon, timing it almost perfectly with the setting sun.
Blending in with the crowd streaming out of the entrance, he made his way to the Guild first.
Since today's haul from the Dungeon wasn't particularly significant, he figured he could handle the materials at the Guild. He didn't feel right troubling Hephaestus-sama with low-tier drops and Magic Stones.
By evening, the Guild had gotten noticeably busier. Many receptionists were tied up with the adventurers they managed.
As it happened, Eina was also busy handling issues for some of the adventurers she was responsible for.
Receptionists weren't assigned to just one person. Typically, each one handled several adventurers.
And as the most popular receptionist in the Guild, Eina Tulle was constantly sought after. Many adventurers vied to have her as their consultant.
Unfortunately for them, the Guild assigned receptionists at random, making it quite difficult to be placed under Eina's care.
Of course, that didn't apply to Bell—he was already one of Eina's assigned adventurers.
As the adventurer in front of her left, Bell stepped forward.
"Miss Eina."
"Bell-kun."
Eina barely had time to catch her breath when she heard the familiar voice. Looking up, she saw the child she'd been worried about all this time.
Her eyes scanned him quickly. Seeing he was unharmed, she finally felt the weight of her recent worry lift from her chest.
She was just about to speak when she stopped herself.
She hadn't forgotten all the secrets this child carried. Some things just weren't appropriate to discuss out here.
Even the Guild's secret trading room wasn't suitable. Too many eyes were watching—if anything unusual caught someone's attention, things could get messy fast.
Eina looked at Bell and couldn't help but smile.
"Bell-kun, even after all this time as an adventurer, you're still the same, huh?"
Bell was a little puzzled by the comment at first, but as soon as he saw the expression in Eina's eyes, he understood right away.
He nodded slightly, a bit sheepish.
"I... I'm not very good at situations like this."
Eina sighed and pushed herself up from the table with both hands.
"You really should try to get used to it. As an adventurer, you'll be dealing with a lot of people. Saying you 'don't like these situations' isn't going to help."
But looking at the boy in front of her, she sighed again.
"You just got back from the Dungeon. Let's go to the lounge."
Bell didn't say anything—just gave a quiet nod and followed Miss Eina to a nearby room next to the Guild's secret trading chamber, one meant for resting or casual conversations. It was a space often used by receptionists and adventurers alike.
These rooms were designed for private chats, for helping adventurers decompress, or for providing key information.
Usually, only two people were allowed inside at a time. When in use, a sign reading "In Use" was hung outside. As long as the sign was up, others knew not to enter.
There were quite a few of these lounges throughout the Guild's exchange area. They were created for convenience, so naturally, there wasn't just one.
Of course, these rooms didn't offer the same level of confidentiality as secret trading rooms. But unless someone was actively monitoring them, nobody would go out of their way to eavesdrop on one.
Eina led Bell into one of the more tucked-away lounges and hung the "In Use" sign on the handle outside.
Once inside, they took seats on opposite sofas.
Though Bell still wore his hood, hiding any visible emotion, his voice didn't carry the same distant tone it had when they were outside.
"Miss Eina, your acting was so good, I almost didn't catch on."
Eina, flattered by the praise, beamed with a bright smile.
"How do you think I got this good?"
"At the Guild, I deal with all kinds of adventurers, and I need to adjust my attitude accordingly. Otherwise, how would I have become the Guild's top receptionist?"
'Speak differently depending on who you're dealing with'—that's the core professional skill every Guild receptionist needs to master.
You can't treat everyone the same way, even if the differences are subtle.
Eina had always put her work first, and naturally, she had long since perfected this fundamental skill.
Of course, putting on a fake face wasn't the goal. Her approach was grounded in responsibility and duty—meeting each adventurer with a fitting attitude was exactly why Eina Tulle had become the Guild's ace.
Without changing her expression, Eina suddenly brought up a much more serious topic.
"Bell-kun, those ten incidents yesterday... that was you, wasn't it?"
"…You could say that."
Bell didn't deny it.
"My Skill gives me certain advantages, but it also brings bad luck. That's what triggered the riot in the Dungeon."
"But I've already tried my best to keep things under control today."
Eina clearly looked relieved, but she still felt the need to give Bell a warning.
"Keeping it under control is absolutely necessary. Do you know the Guild has already started taking action because of yesterday's disturbance?"
"They haven't pinpointed the cause yet, but if you keep triggering that kind of chaos, it won't take long before they trace it back to you."
"And from what I've heard, it's not just the Guild that's looking into this—the entire Orario is investigating the cause of the Dungeon unrest."
"So you understand, right? You really need to keep that urge buried for now. At least for the time being, don't do it again."
Honestly, the fact that Eina was covering for Bell at all was already the biggest help she could offer.
Even though she knew the true cause of the Dungeon's riot, she had to keep it hidden. Otherwise, this child would immediately become a target for the gods.
"Good thing I know you're not part of Evilus—otherwise, I'd have turned you in myself."
Bell looked a little ashamed. The truth was, what Eina was doing bordered on aiding and abetting. If the truth ever came to light, she would be held accountable too.
He felt incredibly fortunate to have Miss Eina's help. If it had been anyone else, the Guild probably would've already found out.
"And one more thing, Bell-kun—you need to be cautious of the Evilus. Even now, those people are still lurking in Orario. If they find out you can influence the Dungeon, you'll definitely become their target."
"I don't think you need to worry too much, Miss Eina. I know how dangerous this is. I've been doing everything I can to keep it under control."
Bell was still taken aback when Eina mentioned the "Evilus."
But considering her position in the Guild and the fact that the Dungeon had previously been thrown into turmoil by their actions, her concern wasn't unwarranted.
As for how Eina knew Evilus was still hiding in Orario—maybe that was just a not-so-secret secret.