Is it wrong for slimes to be in dungeons? (revised)

Chapter 23: Apollo's Attack

(Bell POV)

I was slowly walking up the dusty narrow stairway of the old rundown church I called home, on my way to enter the dungeon when it happened. Hestia was following after me on her way to the job she had gotten. A lot has happened recently.

It had been 8 days since I had finally left the dungeon with Welf, Lily, and Lord Takemikazuchi's familia. After Rimuru had saved us from the Goliath, which left me with a few questions, I had no time to worry about them because as soon as we left the dungeon the same afternoon something had happened.

A mysterious aura began to shake the city of Orario. To most people, the most they could say was it felt sinister, but to most adventurers, they recognized the feeling, a monster had made its way to the surface, and not just any monster, a strong one. But even they didn't have the full picture. Because as Hestia would later tell me, that aura was the same as the one she felt from Rimuru. As if things weren't confusing enough already. In the next three days, until the Loki familia returned claiming to have dealt with the issue, the town was on edge. We had to postpone celebrating our escape from the dungeon for a few days, which worked out because it means we got to rest more. But that time was over, I was finally ready to go back into the dungeon.

Or at least it would've been, but as it would turn out a situation occurred. Welf, Lily, and I had finally found the time to celebrate our survival of the 18th-floor incident at a new bar, but things quickly got out of hand and we ended up having a confrontation with the Apollo familia.

Normally I wouldn't get involved in that sort of thing, but they were the ones who picked a fight and went as far as to insult my goddess, Hestia.

And as fate would have it they weren't just doing this to get under our skin, apparently, Lord Apollo and Goddess Hestia had past history which resulted in the situation as it was now.

The next day we had been invited to a party of the gods of sorts. It was different from a normal one though because usually, these sorts of parties were for gods alone, but this time the gods were prompted to bring 1 child from their familia. Being the only member of the Hestia familia, I, of course, went with Hestia. I had thought about just not going, but considering what had happened at the pub that wasn't really an option, they were likely mad at us already, if we blew this off well...

So we attended, and things seemed fine at first, Although the goddess Freya at some point approached me and said some strange things about "giving sweet dreams," but Hestia stepped in.

I...also got a dance with Aiz which was...nice.

But that's beside the point. Mid-way through the party, Apollo interrupted it. He brought out one of his familia members who was in the fight the day before, but... they were far more injured than they should've been.

He was putting on a show so that he could try and force us into a war game with the stakes being that if they won they would take me away from Hestia and force me into their familia.

Hestia promptly refused and left, thankfully, I still remember the strange feeling I got when Lord Apollo looked at me. It felt as if ice was pressed against my back.

And that brought us to this morning. Hestia warned me about some of the things that Apollo might try to pull such as an ambush in the dungeon, or attacking when I'm alone, and advised me to stick close to it, however, we were unaware of just how determined Apollo was.

I reached the top of the stairwell and looked around the dilapidated church, filled with idols of worship and missing roof pieces where rays of the morning sun Shined down.

I walked forward a bit still in the shade provided by the church before stopping.

...Magic? I looked up at one of the buildings and there I could sense the slight distortions in the air that were caused when mages were casting spells right ahead of us.