—Haaah? You really think I give a rat’s ass about any of that?!
The scene played out in Aiz’s mind like some kind of romantic comedy, glittering eyes and all.
…She didn’t like that.
No, she didn’t like it one single bit.
In fact, Little Aiz inside her was currently balled up with her arms around her knees as she pouted in silence.
She didn’t want to see that. It was far too heartrending.
Which was why, in that moment, Aiz simply decided to play dumb.
“………………Over there somewhere,” she responded in what could only be referred to as a bald-faced lie, avoiding eye contact with Bete as she pointed in the completely wrong direction.
“Over here, huh?” Bete repeated to himself as he took off in said direction, clearly ready to pick a bone with someone.
It pained Aiz greatly to lie, but even despite the guilt tugging at the back of her mind, she’d have done the same thing over again if given the choice. Come to think of it, even Bete’s typical name for the boy had leveled up—no longer “tomato brat” but “rabbit brat.” Yes, she’d done the right thing, she thought to herself, gulping inwardly.
“…Hey. I need to fix up my friends’ weapons. Gimme a whetstone and some tools, would ya?”
“Hmph! Is that how you talk to someone when you’re askin’ for a favor, Welfy?”
“…Could I please…borrow some tools?”
“Whazzat? I didn’t heeeeeaaaaar you!”
“Damn you…!!”
All around her, preparations were reaching a climax. As lower-level members rushed back and forth wildly finishing things up, Tsubaki had her own hands full making life difficult for a certain young smith in the middle of the camp. It had been decided that the group would be split into two, and Tsubaki and the rest of Hephaistos Familia, along with Bell and his party, would be the second party to depart.
The vanguard, which would include Aiz, was already leaving the campsite behind—they were on their way to the south, toward the passageway that led to the next floor up. Others in Aiz’s group included Finn and Lefiya (already having returned from their search in the eastern forest), as well as Tiona, Tione, and the other elites, since they would need ample fighting power if they were to take down the seventeenth floor’s Monster Rex, Goliath—which Bete had successfully slipped by during his earlier antivenin run. Speaking of Bete, he, too, had (begrudgingly) joined the advanced group, never locating Bell after Aiz’s deception.
It was time to go.
She had everything equipped, from her breastplate to her waist guard. Trusted sword by her side, Aiz made her way to where Tiona and the others awaited, and from there, the party began their trek to the cave that would lead them to the next floor.
“M-Miss Aiz!”
When suddenly…
…a voice called out from behind her.
She could identify him from his voice alone, her eyes widening in soft surprise as she turned around from her spot at the back of the line.
The white-haired boy in question hesitated a moment before making his way toward her.
“You’re…going already?”
“Yes…I’m part of the advance party, after all.”
Bell was also decked out in his lightweight armor, readying himself for their return to the Dungeon proper.
He looked good. Recovered. The dark shadow of fatigue was gone from his eyes and face, and the energy was back in his arms and legs.
Aiz felt relief wash through her. Only then.
“I-I, uh…”
“?”
Bell’s eyes shifted back and forth as if he had something he wanted to say.
He looked doleful almost…and Aiz could only blink curiously as he struggled with whatever complex mixture of emotions was pulling at his thoughts.
Finally, however, his gaze rose, the turmoil gone from his eyes.
“Please…be careful.”
Shock washed over her like a tidal wave.
They were words the Sword Princess hadn’t heard in a long, long time, even from her own companions in Loki Familia.
While this was only proof that those around her had nothing but faith in her and her strength, there was something about hearing them now, after so long, that made her heart warm with affection.
“…You…be careful, too.”
Her lips had unknowingly turned into a soft smile.
“I’ll see you later.”
“…”
And with that, Aiz turned away, leaving the boy behind her.
It was actually very possible that they wouldn’t see each other again upon their return to the surface. Aiz would go back to her home, and Bell would go back to his.
When would their next meeting be?
It was this question that plagued Aiz’s mind as she walked away, her parting words still hanging in the air.
“What were you ’n’ Little Argonaut talkin’ about, hmmm, Aiz?”
“Just…good-byes.”
“You’re sure you didn’t ask him how he got all his abilities to S? Sure would’ve been nice if you had. I mean, if he was gonna tell anyone, it’d definitely be you!”
“I…don’t think that would work…”
Tiona and the others were as talkative as ever as they made their way through the forest.
Laughing along at their antics, Aiz glanced to where Lefiya was walking alongside her.
“Did you say your good-byes, Lefiya?” she asked, still under the assumption that the two had completely patched up their relationship.
“…” The elf’s face turned sour. “…I’ve already said everything I needed to say.”
“?”
I’m sorry. Thank you. But I still don’t forgive you.
Those were the three things she’d expressed last night. Was that really everything she had to say?
Aiz could only cock her head to the side in curiosity at the young elf’s expression, Tiona and the others still chatting idly about the boy behind her.
“All right, then. There’s something I’d like to confirm before we head to the seventeenth floor.” Finn brought the group to a stop once they were clear of the forest, gathered together in front of the cave along the southern wall.
He would be leading the vanguard on their trek to the surface, and Riveria and Gareth would do the same for the squad that would follow soon after. Scanning the group, his eyes passed from Tiona, Tione, Bete, Lefiya, and Aiz to the faces of Raul and the other lower-level Loki Familia members.
“The floor boss Goliath lurks in the hall above us. We will, of course, eliminate him. Normally, this would be a great opportunity for everyone, not just the elites, to gain some experience…However, these are no ordinary circumstances, and we’re still hurting greatly from encountering a string of Irregulars during our expedition. For this reason, I would like Aiz and the others to participate in the battle from the beginning. I don’t imagine…anyone will be against this, yes? All of us are quite anxious to see the sun again. And truthfully, even I’m itching to crawl back into my own bed for a good night’s sleep.”
The group erupted in laughter and smiles at the small captain’s words of jest.
“Why not sleep together with me!” Tione called out, completely misreading the moment and being held back only by her sister, draining the tension from the faces and shoulders of Raul and the others.
Finn waited for a moment before straightening out his expression.
“Tiona, Tione, Bete—you three will be on the front line. While I won’t say anything if you bring Goliath down entirely, focus first on simply containing him. Whatever you do, keep that magic stone of his under control.”
“Ooooookaaaaay!”
“Understood, sir!”
“Got it.”
“Aiz, you’re in the center. You’ll act as backup wherever it’s needed, offense or defense,” Finn continued.
“Understood.”
“Raul, you and the other lower-
level members will guard the back line. It’ll be your job to ensure that any overflow from that wall takes care of the surrounding monsters.”
“Roger!”
“Mages, begin casting the moment we enter the main hall. Once you’re ready, launch all you have at once. That should eliminate everything, Goliath included. You’ll give the signal, Lefiya.”
“I-I will?!”
Finn relayed his orders in turn.
He was calm, with a sort of all-knowing air, as though he didn’t even have to think about it.
“It should be over in three minutes. Let’s go—everyone, prepare for battle!”
Every hand readied a weapon in one coordinated movement.
They were ready—Orario’s top elites—and the only ones capable of taking down a Monster Rex in a matter of minutes.
Aiz let her eyes travel upward, peering into the darkness of the dim tunnel before them.
Grruuuuaaaaaaaaaoooooogh!!—Then they ran, the roar of the mighty beast beckoning them into its lair.
“…”
The torchlights flickered.
Darkness saturated the stone room, its construction not altogether unlike the ancient shrines of old, and it was silent save for the crackling of flame. They were in the Chamber of Prayers beneath Orario’s Guild Headquarters.
The venerable god Ouranos narrowed his brine-colored eyes from atop the throne at the room’s center, four torches illuminating him from every side.
“What is it, Ouranos?” The black-robed figure next to him spoke up as the aged god stared down at his feet.
“My voice no longer reaches the Dungeon,” Ouranos replied to the Magus Fels’s question.
Fels stiffened, jet-black robes shuddering from the sudden shout. “You don’t mean…the prayers have been cut off?!”
“Indeed. The Dungeon is…unstable,” Ouranos responded, visibly rattled. His eyes bored grimly into the floor below, toward the winding labyrinth under his feet. “I can only guess that another god has entered its halls, and the Dungeon has taken notice. Yet that would mean…” he began, motionless, before letting his own thought die.
A heavy silence weighed down on him, suffocating, almost as though the fears gripping his heart were simply too much to bear.
“Ouranos…could this mean…?”
“Yes…” The old god nodded. “With Zeus gone, it seems to be…mutating.” He turned his eyes toward the ceiling, shrouded in darkness, his gaze somewhere far, far away.
Then, finally, his eyelids fell in silence.
“…?”
A tremor underfoot caught Aiz’s attention, and she turned her gaze groundward.
“A quake…?”
“The Dungeon, is it…shaking?”
Soon, the entire vanguard—Tiona, Tione, Bete, Lefiya, and the others—was staring at their feet.
They’d made it to the Dungeon’s upper levels, the eighth floor.
Already free of the middle levels and feeling decidedly less tense as a result, they felt the sudden trembling of the earth below them, and it brought the group to a halt. Anything unexpected could be the harbinger of an Irregular, after all. As first-tier adventurers, they knew this well.
Even the monsters roaming about the floor scuttled away in fear.
Startled and confused, they could only throw one another looks of abject concern at the quake seemingly who knew how many floors beneath their feet.
“Captain…” Raul’s voice trembled slightly.
“…We keep moving. Reaching the surface is our top priority. Cruz, take Narfi, then go make sure Riveria and the others behind us are fine—just in case,” Finn responded calmly, in direct contrast to Raul’s open unease. The chienthrope Cruz nodded with a quick “Understood” before grabbing Narfi and heading back along the main route.
The rest of the group, as per Finn’s instructions, pushed ahead as planned.
They made it all the way to the Dungeon entrance, in fact, as the rumblings stopped almost as quickly as they’d started.
The party made their way up the great spiral steps and exited the enormous hole in the ground, emerging from Babel’s gate.
The breeze tickled their skin.
It was the surface.
“Ahhhhh, how I’ve missed this!!” Tiona exhaled in a grand show of emotion, still holding her Urga.
And, indeed, the warm sunlight, great blue sky, and rejuvenating breeze were enough to bring smiles to every face in Loki Familia’s expedition vanguard.
“The sun is setting…” Lefiya murmured, eyes unexpectedly wet with tears.
“It’s always so bright stepping out after an expedition,” Tione commented, squinting, unaccustomed to the light.
Before them, the city’s Central Park was awash in brilliant red crimson.
To the west, the sun was gradually sinking beneath the city’s walls.
It was a sight they’d seen so many times already, and yet at that moment, after having fought for their lives deep within the earth, it was the most beautiful thing they’d ever laid eyes upon, more precious than the most valuable of treasures.
They waited there for the rest of the group. It took about thirty minutes, the crew gathering considerable attention in their spot along the northern edge of the park, but finally, the other party appeared with Gareth and Riveria in the lead, carting large cargo packs laden with their equipment and items.
They broke into smiles as quickly as Tiona and the others had as they took in great gulps of fresh surface air.
“Those kids…they’re still on the eighteenth floor?” Aiz asked of Riveria as the two groups converged, free from casualties.
“Yes. It would seem they had some sort of minor business to attend to.”
While Aiz couldn’t help the worry that bubbled to the surface of her mind, she followed her companions home all the same.
“Well, that sure was fun! You folks get into any other business downstairs, you gimme a call, okay?”
“Thank you, Tsubaki.”
The two familias, sworn to Loki and Hephaistos, went their separate ways in the park.
Tsubaki and Finn, the former with her uncovered eye crinkling in mirth and the latter with a smile on his face, shook hands upon their parting, prompting the rest of their familias to do the same. The adventurers shook hands and knocked shoulders with the smiths.
Finally, the craftsmen and their hammers took their leave, and the two familias walked in opposite directions and back to their respective homes. First, out of Central Park, then down North Main Street, and finally, into the complex series of side streets and roads that would lead them home.
As the group lugged their heavy bags along in triumphant return, they were met with a grand welcome, the citizens of Orario offering them greetings and blessings from the sides of the street or the upper windows of their homes. The welcoming cheers of adults and adoring gazes of children were enough to instill a sort of pride within Loki Familia’s hearts, as well as the tiniest glimmer of embarrassment, as they made their way along the crimson, sun-drenched street.
It wasn’t long before the overlapping towers of their home appeared before them.
“We made it…” Tiona murmured beneath her breath.
It was a grand mansion, sitting along a winding road away from the main street to the north of town.
It stretched higher and wider than any of its surrounding buildings.
The members of Loki Familia all took a moment to look up at their home, Twilight Manor.
“We’ve returned. Open the gate,” Finn instructed the guards at the manor’s entrance, who responded respectfully with a pair of broad smiles.
Already, their numerous companions who’d stayed behind were cramming themselves into the narrow corridor just inside the gate.
Suddenly—
“Welcome baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!”
—a shadow raced forth from the mansion to greet them, almost as though she’d been lying in wait.
The crimson-haired go
ddess bolted straight past the men, not stopping until she’d reached Aiz and the other women.
And then, she leaped.
“How are ya?! Everyone okay? I’m so excited that you’re back! Ahhhhhhhh!” The womanizing goddess flew at them with her arms outstretched, same as always. First Aiz, then Tiona, then Tione quickly sidestepped her wriggling reach, same as always.
And, same as always, Lefiya alone was left at the end of the line—
“I…P-please don’t!!”
“Gwuuaagh?!”
Grabbing the incoming hands by the wrists, Lefiya threw Loki to the floor beside her.
Aiz and the other girls exchanged looks of admiration, applauding the elf’s magnificent performance.
“Gnnmph…You’ve…gotten stronger, Lefiya. Barely recognize ya…” Loki groaned as she writhed on the ground, beaming with approval despite the tears stinging her eyes.
“Please refrain from such perverse behavior!” the panting, red-faced elf shouted in response.
“We’ve returned with no casualties, Loki, and made some great gains. We have much to talk about…but perhaps you’d like to compose yourself first?” Finn approached with a smile.
Loki looked up at the prum from her spot on the ground before responding with a laugh of her own.
“Heh, ya make a good point! Right, then—first things first!” she proclaimed, springing to her feet before making a mad dash toward the manor.
She screeched to a halt in front of the other familia members who’d come out to greet the expedition party, then turned around to face them once more.
“We’ve got a real mess of problems on our side, but for the time bein’…”
Her eyes passed each of them in turn—Finn, Riveria, Gareth, Tiona, Tione, Bete, Lefiya, Raul and the other supporters, and finally, Aiz.
After she’d rounded the entire circle, her face broke out into a grin.
“Welcome home, everyone.”
Everyone behind her raised their hands in a simultaneous cheer.
Their family was welcoming them back, and the sight brought smiles to the whole party.
“We’re home.”
Far above them atop the central tower, the Trickster flag fluttered in the breeze, glittering with a crimson radiance.
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria, Vol. 5 Page 20
