“…away again.”
“What?”
“He…ran away again…”
“…Keh!”
Riveria’s shoulders had clearly been shaking. Thump! Aiz had pushed her away, thrusting both hands forward.
The high elf’s face had flushed redder by the moment, until she couldn’t contain the laughter any longer. Stunned, Lefiya and the other elves had watched the normally reserved and noble high elf laugh as though she couldn’t help herself. It was likely the first time they had seen such a thing. It was a first for Aiz as well.
This is Riveria’s fault…
Sniffle. Although Aiz didn’t show it, she was on the verge of tears.
There was no doubt in her mind that the boy had fled because he had woken up with his head in her lap. It was the astonishment of waking up that way with a stranger that had sent the rabbit into a confused panic.
That was it. It has to be. It’s all Riveria’s fault. Those words repeated over and over inside her heart as Aiz’s inner child threw her arms up and tearfully shouted. As she hugged her knees, Aiz regressed into that childlike state and pouted.
…Am I…scary?
Maybe, just maybe…Once that train of thought started, there was no stopping it. No matter how desperately she tried to avert her thoughts from that possibility, it always came back.
It was almost frightening how the public famously called her the “War Princess.” Perhaps seeing her dismember a Minotaur right before his eyes had made the boy tremble with fear. She couldn’t help but feel it was also her fault the boy had been drenched in blood during the incident.
Helplessly recalling the events, Aiz fell into a downward spiral. Deep in her heart, she painted the tragic mental picture of a charming, soft white rabbit fleeing from tiny child Aiz.
—He’s…afraid of me!!
Aiz squeezed her body so hard the others could hear her shrivel up.
As the goddess Loki got to her feet, she called, “Hey, Aizuu. How long ya goin’ to beat yerself up?”
Her conversation with the guest must have ended because the deity was making her way toward the armchair where Aiz pouted. “Must be serious,” muttered Loki as she smiled drily at the girl whose golden hair had somehow lost its luster.
“’Kay, then, how ’bout updatin’ yer Status? Haven’t done it since ya been back, yeah?”
“…Understood.”
It seemed like Loki made the suggestion because she couldn’t leave the young girl in such a state, and Aiz sluggishly nodded. She climbed back up and resigned herself to go along with Loki’s idea, heart still heavy.
“Heh-heh-heh, it’s been too long since I had a chance to enjoy touchin’ yer soft skin…!”
“I’ll cut you if you do something weird.”
“Y-ya serious?”
It had become a reflex for Aiz to warn the goddess about her antics due to her taste in women—but her monotone made Loki shrink back in fright. With that, Aiz left the reception room. She turned and gave Riveria and the half-elf a short bow on her way out.
They didn’t have to go far to reach an unoccupied room. Unused tables and chairs filled the space; even spare weapons and items left over from their last expedition had been stuffed in there. That didn’t leave much room for the two of them, but Loki managed to pull a seat out from this incredibly cramped makeshift storage unit.
Aiz turned her back to the goddess and took a seat while undoing the buttons on the back of her dress. She exposed her bare back to the deity a moment later.
“So, ain’t in the mood fer jokes today, eh, Aizuu? Really, what happened?”
“…It’s nothing…I’m…fine.”
Loki set to work, spreading her ichor over Aiz’s exposed white skin.
Aiz glanced slightly off to the side and dodged the question. Riveria had already had quite the laugh at her expense, and she wasn’t in the mood to open up to anyone at the moment.
The boy—Bell…She couldn’t get his face out of her head. All the skin from his neck to his ears had turned bright red so fast, it was almost as though he’d come down with an incurable disease. For his expression to change like that, the boy had to be incredibly wary of her…maybe.
Loki’s fingers running up and down Aiz’s spine might as well have been on the other side of the world. Her gloomy thoughts dragged through her mind.
“…?”
Aiz felt the fingers stop in the middle of her back. Glancing over her shoulder to see what was wrong, she saw Loki was trembling. She was on the verge of asking what the problem was—when the goddess suddenly raised her head and shouted at the top of her lungs.
“AIZUU’S LEVEL SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIX!!”
Her excitement getting the best of her, Loki let out a great yell. As the goddess’s cheers reached the other inhabitants, a confused noise began to rise from every corner of the mansion, as though a landmark had been reached.
As her deity let out a whoop and danced like a child, Aiz turned to face her.
She had been so caught up in thinking about the boy that she could only stare in puzzlement.
Aiz Wallenstein
LEVEL 5
Strength: D 555 → 564 Defense: D 547 → 553 Dexterity: A 825 → 827 Agility: A 822 → 824 Magic: A 899 → S 900 Hunter: G Immunity: G Knight: I → H
“Here ya are! Yer last Level Five Status!”
Loki quickly scribbled down the updated details in Koine onto a sheet of paper and held it out to Aiz with a flick of her wrist.
While all her Basic Abilities were well above average, her Magic stood out from the pack. When adventurers leveled up, their last Status update ordinarily showed Cs or Ds. If they were accomplished, it often settled at Bs. Virtually no one ever achieved the highest S rating, and it was indeed worth celebrating.
Aiz blankly stared at the information on the piece of paper in her hands.
“Would ya look at that! Ye’re gettin’ an Advanced Ability this time! Ain’t that great, Aizuu? You didn’t get a siiiingle one when you got to Level Five!”
“…What ability is it?”
“Regen! The one that only Riveria’s got! There’s nothin’ else to choose from, so I can just go ahead an’ give it to ya, can’t I?!”
The excitement in Loki’s voice was palpable. Aiz gazed at her with the same aloof expression before finally nodding her head.
As Aiz gave her goddess the go-ahead to raise her Status, ripples began to intermittently radiate from the center. The cinnabar-red characters—hieroglyphs—undulated in a steady rhythm and silently glowed with a strong light.
The Status awaited Loki’s instructions, and she sent her fingers running across it in an instant. The goddess was almost bubbling over with joy at her follower’s level-up, but it hadn’t sunk in yet for Aiz.
Aiz Wallenstein
LEVEL 6
Strength: I 0 Defense: I 0 Dexterity: I 0 Agility: I 0 Magic: I 0 Hunter: G Immunity: G Knight: H Regen: I
Barely a few moments had passed after her level-up was completed when Aiz looked toward a full-length mirror propped up in the corner of the room. Rather than wait for Loki to translate it for her, Aiz went ahead and peered over her shoulder to read her Status in her reflection. She quickly deciphered the reversed hieroglyphs.
Indeed, her Level had gone up by one, while the accumulated points had been added to her Basic Abilities and the counters reset again. Finally, she spotted the slot that held her new Skill.
The Advanced Ability Regen allowed her Mind to constantly recover. Even without taking an extensive rest, her magic energy would regenerate little by little after expending it. Basically, magic potions were now unnecessary for her as long as she had time. It was so rare an ability that magic users, who burned through Mind during battle, would cry tears of joy upon acquiring it. Aiz didn’t know of anyone other than Riveria with the ability.
Most likely, it became available because she had constantly used Airiel over the years.
Her consistent effor
ts had borne fruit, including her Basic Abilities’ performance as well as all the excelia she had accumulated.
“So ya took down Udaeus all by yer lonesome. Doin’ that would level up just ’bout anyone.”
Loki must not have known about Aiz’s “great exploit.” If Riveria had not told her directly, then it made sense for Loki not to know. Aiz hadn’t been in the mood to talk since she returned.
“You’re always so reckless,” said Loki as she happily poked Aiz’s cheeks. But soon after, she offered genuine praise. “Congratulations, Aiz.”
After Aiz put her dress back on, she nodded as she responded with an “…Mhm.” Even a stranger could tell her heart wasn’t in it.
“…It ain’t every day that ya level up, so why the long face?”
Loki tilted her head as she pointed that out. Only then did Aiz notice. She had finally advanced to the next level, but it didn’t make her feel much of anything.
Even though it had been her greatest wish to become stronger. Even though she had waited eagerly all this time.
Now, her longing for it wavered. In this moment alone, Aiz had forgotten her obsession with strength.
Why? she thought curiously. But all she could see in the back of her mind was that boy running away from her in a terrified panic.
Her heart ached again.
“…There’s somethin’ more important to ya now, ain’t there, Aiz?”
Loki smiled fondly as she watched the girl’s dejected profile. Aiz looked up once at her smiling goddess and contemplated.
…I might not be able to deny it.
Ever since they had met, Aiz felt as though she had been thinking of that boy every free moment she had. Even now, just coming into contact with him had made her happy one moment and absolutely depressed the next.
What’s happening? She placed a hand over her beating heart. The question was born not from confusion but an innocent desire to understand.
“—Wha?!”
Loki had been watching Aiz with a happy gleam in her eyes when suddenly her shoulders lurched. “It c-c-can’t be! You’re lovesick?! Aizuu, is it a man?!”
“…?”
Aiz tilted her head. She had no idea what Loki was saying or why her expression had changed suddenly. Since she couldn’t connect the dots, she arrived at the conclusion that this was one of her goddess’s “fits.” The womanizing deity often said things Aiz could not understand. Loki’s words flowed in one ear and out the other.
So…what do I do now?
Regardless, Aiz was still feeling very down.
Would there come a day when she would be able to properly apologize to the boy?
Aiz turned her back to the goddess, who continued to ramble one-sidedly. The white rabbit’s face just before he took off popped back into her mind, and she grew despondent once more.
Word of Aiz reaching Level Six spread throughout Loki Familia with such speed that by the next morning, it was all anyone could talk about.
The familia’s lower-ranking members were in awe of their captain’s achievement, and many of them talked about it until they were blue in the face. Aiz herself was more distant than usual, wearing a blank expression all morning. At breakfast, she responded with as few words as possible and finished before anyone else, wandering off soon after. However, the fact that she was no longer in the dining room did nothing to change the topic of conversation. The lower-ranking members, mostly female, practically talked one another’s ears off. Even the men couldn’t contain their excitement. The Sword Princess’s beauty and strength were fast becoming a greater source of pride for Loki Familia than ever before.
On the other hand, those closest to Aiz felt more frustration than anything else. A certain werewolf angrily sank his teeth into a slab of meat and sent Raul flying when the young man came to speak with him. The younger Amazonian twin wailed in frustration, “She’s gone ahead without me!” and her older sister wearily told her to hush. Their elf junior stood next to them, her ultramarine eyes trembling as mixed emotions swirled inside her.
The heads of the familia paid little attention to the morning’s unending commotion. Instead, they gathered at the general’s private quarters, which doubled as his office.
“So then, Aiz is Level Six now, eh?”
“With that as motivation, Tiona and Tione will catch up to her soon, no doubt…One can only hope they do not attempt something as reckless as Aiz did.”
“Ha-ha, true. But everyone’s morale is through the roof now, and that’s a good thing.”
The dwarf Gareth, the elf Riveria, and the prum Finn all voiced their respective thoughts.
Loki Familia made their home in a collection of towering spires, with Finn’s office located in the northernmost one. The room was lined with bookshelves and a large fireplace in the corner. The prum sat behind his desk, while Riveria situated herself near the wall and Gareth sat on a round wooden stool.
“Looks like y’all need to stay on yer toes. Wouldn’t want the senior adventurers to lose face, now would we?”
And there was one more in the room.
The goddess glanced around the room with her vermilion-red eyes with a playful grin on her lips. Ignoring common etiquette, Loki sat on top of Finn’s ebony desk, taking in the exasperated reactions of her followers. She wore the smile of the fool, matching the emblem of the trickster that adorned the wall directly behind her.
“Now then, how ’bout gettin’ down to business and talkin’ ’bout those extra-colorful magic stones? They’re causin’ quite a ruckus recently, so gimme all the details,” Loki instructed, still positioned on the desk in a rather unladylike way.
Just as she said, the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the incidents their familia had found themselves involved in over the past few weeks—specifically to share information about the carnivorous plant monsters. As the events continued to cast larger shadows over Orario, it was becoming more difficult to dismiss them as isolated incidents.
Considering how members of her familia had been directly affected by the sudden appearance of these unusual monsters, Loki started to take them more seriously.
“Magic stones with an intense color…That’d be the new species on floor fifty an’ the ones that popped outta the ground at the Monsterphilia—those man-eatin’ flowers, yeah?”
“Putting that connection aside for a moment…What happened in the sewers, Loki? You went there with Bete, no?”
Finn followed up Gareth’s comment with his question.
Loki leaned back to look over her shoulder at the prum sitting behind her and answered. “Monsters showed up and everythin’, but there wasn’t even a scrap of a clue. Then this shady god pushed his pain-in-the-butt job on me…”
She went on about the evidence they found in the old network of sewer tunnels, the massive reservoir where the monsters appeared, and then about the encounter with Dionysus, who was following up on his own investigation, as well as the information he had shared.
This journey into the sewers with Bete had transpired ten days ago.
She recounted that, in the end, she broke into the Guild to speak with Ouranos directly.
“Is it wise to believe the Guild is innocent?”
Someone was bringing these new monsters to the surface, including the ones that had turned up at the Monsterphilia. While she could not conceive how this was being done, Riveria questioned if Loki really thought the Guild was completely uninvolved.
“Pretty sure they’re hidin’ somethin’, but I got a feelin’ they’re not directly connected to this mess…”
She added that it was just a baseless hunch, her divine intuition.
“If Loki thinks so, then it’s probably true.” The goddess’s three subordinates had been with her a long time. The confidence born of that relationship made itself evident as they acknowledged her assessment.
“How was your little jaunt with the others, Finn?”
Now it was Finn and Riveria’s turn to share their story—specific
ally, the murder that had taken place in the eighteenth-floor town of Rivira and the ensuing swarm of carnivorous flowers that had descended on the town.
They had determined that the mastermind behind both incidents was a red-haired female tamer. Her strength was well in the league of top-class adventurers, evident from Hashana’s murder and Aiz’s defeat. She was also the one who had led the monsters into Rivira.
She had been after an orb containing an eerie “fetus” that a mysterious client had hired Hashana to carry out of the Dungeon.
Gareth stroked his beard. “Makin’ monsters mutate, ya say…Kinda hard to believe. That means one o’ them orbs made that woman-lookin’ monster on the fiftieth floor, too?”
“Most likely, though only Aiz and Lefiya have seen the orb with their own eyes…” Riveria responded.
“That lady tamer’s kinda botherin’ me. Holdin’ her own against Finn an’ Riveria at the same time an’ barely losin’…? This ain’t Freya’s Ottar we’re dealin’ with. Think ya could win if ya gave it your all, Finn?” asked Loki.
“I have no intention of losing…is what I’d like to say, but honestly, she’s someone I’d rather avoid fighting one-on-one.”
Several of the flower monsters hosting the parasite had mutated into behemoths nearly identical to the spore-producing, corrosive-liquid-spewing, woman-shaped abomination they had encountered on the fiftieth floor. The only information they possessed about the orb was that Hashana had acquired it on the thirtieth floor before being killed.
Loki frowned as she listened to Finn describe the appearance of the attacker. The unknown woman could fight on par with Finn and Riveria, both Level Six. There was a high possibility that the tamer was also one of Orario’s elite Level Six adventurers.
Loki mumbled under her breath, wondering about the completely unknown woman and to what familia she belonged.
Riveria broke the heavy silence. “…I heard this from Aiz just the other day, but…” The high elf began by explaining that Aiz had told her this only after defeating Udaeus, then said, “Apparently, the tamer woman referred to that child as ‘Aria.’”
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria, Vol. 3 Page 2
