by Fujino Omori
In my case, though, I have an overwhelming lack of experience…and the middle levels—a place one enters fully prepared to die—had given me a complicated kind of trauma. At the very least, I don’t particularly want to go any farther into there.
“Aghh…”
I know Welf and I have leveled-up since our first attempts to venture so far down, but we can’t let our guard down. Not to mention that we want to get to the nineteenth floor as quickly as possible.
I take in the vast blue sky overhead and try to come up with a good idea…and then the face of a certain adventurer pops into my mind.
Of course she could…
“Is there something on my face?”
“Ah, n-no!”
We’ve come to the always busy West Main Street.
I purposely try to avoid meeting a pair of sky-blue eyes, instead peering at the constant flow of horse-drawn carriages and adventurers passing by.
“Is something wrong, Bell? You’ve been glancing at Lyu ever since you got here.”
“N-no, nothing’s wrong…”
We’re in front of The Benevolent Mistress.
Syr made lunch for me again today, so I’m swinging by to collect it.
She prepares a meal for me every day, including days we don’t go into the Dungeon. On those days she feeds it to the other staff members and asks for feedback…or so I hear. Humbly giving my thanks, I receive the lunch basket from her, but she points out that my gaze keeps wandering toward the elf woman.
It seems my thoughts are showing in my behavior.
Basically, Is it possible to ask Lyu for help on this trip…? Or something like that.
Having a former adventurer with amazing skills like hers in our party would all but guarantee us reaching our destination in no time.
But asking her to come just because it would be convenient for us…? I think that’s pushing it a bit too far. We couldn’t have won the War Game without her, and she’s come to our rescue so many times that taking advantage of her like this would be rude.
I force a smile for Syr and Lyu, trying to gloss things over, but…
“Mr. Bell, we have nothing to lose, so please ask Miss Lyu to assist us.”
“Huh? Wait a sec—Lilly?”
“We cannot afford to be picky about our methods. We have no choice but to make this request.”
…However, Lilly tugs at the back of my shirt and whispers her thoughts.
She’s right. It’s already pretty late in the morning, so I bet other people like Ouka or Daphne have already led their parties into the Dungeon. It’s too late to ask them to accompany us, but still…
I turn around in an effort to dissuade her as quietly as possible, but I give up as soon as Lilly brings up Wiene. There’s nothing I can say.
Still indecisive, I face Lyu and Syr again before trying to negotiate.
“…You are attempting to reach the safe point?”
“Y-yes…Is that…too much to ask…after all?”
Leaving out our true destination on the nineteenth floor, I claim that we’re trying to reach Rivira instead.
At Lyu’s response, my voice and body both get smaller as I watch her standing still, holding one of the bar’s trays.
“Bell, why do you want to go all the way there?”
“W-well, you see, there’s something we have to do today, kind of like a quest…”
Syr tilts her head, displaying her confusion as I try to sound as convincing as possible…but her expression never changes, and her sky-blue eyes unblinkingly stare at me. I can’t meet her gaze, so I let mine wander.
I feel guilty for hiding something in the face of such sincerity.
Lilly and Welf sigh at my suspicious behavior, or rather my inability to lie.
“…Mr. Cranell, I must apologize, but I have much work to attend to at the moment…”
Those were the exact words that I expected, the inevitable rejection—when out of the blue…
“Bell Cranell!”
An assertive voice comes up from behind me.
All of us spin around to find a beautiful, wild woman with one hand resting on her curvy waist.
“A-Aisha?”
My eyes land on Aisha Belka, who’s wearing clothing fit for a dancer.
Formerly a high-ranking member of Ishtar Familia, she’s a second-tier adventurer and a passionate Amazon. She was also one of Haruhime’s few allies when she was forced to work as a prostitute.
She has beautiful, long legs; tanned bronze skin, as displayed by her exposed stomach; and most of all, an intense allure emanating from her entire body. Every man on the street is craning his neck for a better look at her.
“Wh-what are you doing here…?”
“Wanted to check up on that scrawny fox and maybe see your face, so I dropped by your home, only to hear that you left for the Dungeon. I was gonna head back without any more fuss, but here you are. Aren’t I lucky?”
As Aisha draws closer, her reply sounds convincing.
This isn’t the first time that she’s paid us a visit to see if Haruhime is doing okay. Welf and Lilly have interacted with her on occasion as well.
Today didn’t go as she planned, but she happened to bump into us in the end.
“If you don’t mind my asking, what are you all doing hanging out outside a bar?”
Aisha looks back and forth between our groups and asks a question of her own after I quickly introduce her to Lyu and Syr.
I hesitate a little, but then I explain the situation without saying much about Lyu.
“Oh? So you need an escort? I’ll take you up on that.”
“Huh?!”
“You’re just going down to the safe point and coming right back up, yes? Piece of cake.”
Everyone is stunned by Aisha’s response, including Welf and Lilly—and so are Syr and Lyu.
“A-are you sure…?”
“It’s a quest like any other. As long as there’s a reward, I got no reason to say no. Plus, I’ve always wanted to try heading into the Dungeon with you.”
The first part was very matter-of-fact, but she said the second bit with a bewitching smile while crossing her arms.
Her clothes are so revealing they could easily be mistaken for underwear, and she’s pushing up her ample cleavage, on par with Lady Hestia’s. I know Aisha’s considerably sultry demeanor has set my cheeks on fire.
…I’m aware that I have trouble interacting with this quintessential Amazon.
Her bold personality is part of it, but the constant sight of her vibrant dark skin along with her provocative cleavage makes me blush furiously. Meanwhile, Lilly’s glare and Syr’s wide grin are really scaring me.
Sweat drips from my forehead…but honestly, having a second-tier adventurer like her come with us would be a great help. That way, I wouldn’t have to drag Lyu into this.
Aisha narrows her eyes the moment that thought crosses my mind.
“But just warning you—I ain’t cheap.”
“Eek…?!”
Her arms slither around my shoulders like a snake and pull me in close.
I’m terrified even before I feel Aisha’s soft body pressed up against mine. Mostly because she’s licking her lips right in front of my face.
The scene startles Lilly and Syr, while Welf lets out an exasperated sigh.
Even Lyu, who hasn’t said a word, frowns.
“Wh-what’s the reward…?!”
“Oh, you remember, right? Since the last time I missed out on my chance to indulge.”
Nightmarish memories of being hunted in the Pleasure Quarter flash before my eyes. Aisha’s musky perfume and wheat-colored skin bring back the terror I endured that night.
At the carnivorous smile on her lips, all the blood drains from my face, turning me pale as a ghost—
“—Hands off him.”
Like a sword flashing by, a wooden tray tears through the air with terrifying speed.
Aisha sidesteps the vertical slash at the last p
ossible moment.
Finally free, I shift my trembling eyes in the direction of the tray-bearer. A cold stare the likes of which I’ve never seen before is emanating from Lyu’s sky-blue eyes.
“Stand back, Amazon. I will not allow you to perform obscene acts on him.”
The Amazon warrior isn’t fazed by the arctic glare. Instead, she looks excited for a fight, lips curling upward.
“Oh? What’s this? Sayin’ you got dibs on this male?”
“…Do not misunderstand me. He has already been engaged to his promised partner.”
What is she saying?!
“Well, isn’t that interesting? I was planning on entrusting him to a little sister of mine.”
“Please refrain from saying such ridiculous nonsense. You will only cause trouble for Mr. Cranell.”
“Fine, I get it, I get it. We’ll have our taste first, and then you and that friend of yours can start off by holding his hands like a bunch of elves.”
“I refuse to trust him to someone of such poor character. I advise you and your sister to withdraw.”
A fierce argument unfolds right in front of my widened eyes.
Aisha glares down at Lyu with her height advantage, but the elf isn’t backing down. I can almost see sparks flying right now. Facts and hypotheticals fly between the two women and—I have no idea what’s going on.
…The fastidious elves might have about as much trouble seeing eye to eye with the uninhibited Amazons as they do with dwarves, if their relationship isn’t actually worse.
Thinking this, I start sweating bullets as Lyu’s menacing eyes meet Aisha’s provocative grin.
“Syr, my apologies. I will be absent for half the day. Please inform Mama Mia.”
“L-Lyu?”
“This woman is dangerous and cannot be left to her own devices. I will participate in this quest to protect Mr. Cranell’s chastity. I shall return by evening. You have my word.”
Ch-chastity…?
Lyu didn’t take her eyes off Aisha as she spoke. Even Syr is bewildered.
She’s absolutely serious about protecting me from Aisha’s “evil influence”…
Either she puts this amount of effort into everything she does, or a strong sense of loyalty and courage is motivating her. This is no joke.
“…Well, it appears we’ve happened to acquire two valuable allies for this journey, and that is a good thing.”
“…Must be tough being a famous adventurer, with people keeping an eye on you all the time…”
Lyu is standing between Aisha and me like a knight. I blankly stare at the two of them as Lilly’s and Welf’s comments reach my ears.
But I think it was the pity in Welf’s voice that stung the most.
With Lyu’s and Aisha’s pledged support, Syr saw us off as we made our way toward the Dungeon.
They were nice enough to adjust to our tight schedule, and rather than going to retrieve their own equipment, the two of them bought weapons and armor at the assorted shops on the way to Babel Tower to save time.
Then, with the assistance of two second-tier adventurers in our temporary party, we breezed through the upper levels in no time flat.
“HAAAAAAAA!!”
Her voice rips through the air with a ferocity worthy of the large weapon in her grip, and she lays waste to several hellhounds in one attack.
We’ve made it to the rocky cave-like halls of the fourteenth floor. Aisha looks right in her element, grinning from ear to ear as the attacker in our formation. She makes quick work of any monsters in our path.
She purchased an unusually large greatsword at a weapon shop before we entered the Dungeon. It’s much sharper and heavier than her usual wooden sword, but she still swings it around like a feather. No monsters can get close. Her handiwork is eliciting some complaints from our longsword user, Welf.
Aisha was momentarily free after the destruction of Ishtar Familia, but she’s already undergone Conversion.
As for where she belongs now, I once asked her when she was visiting Haruhime, but…
“That’s a secret.”
She laughed and dropped the subject.
I’m sure I could find out by perusing the public records on file at the Guild…
“…Lady Aisha? Have you reached Level Four?”
“Sure have, eagle eyes!”
Lilly’s ranged support was completely unnecessary with our overwhelmingly powerful front line, so her naturally superior vision allowed her to pick up on some telltale signs and led her to ask. Aisha affirms it without a second thought.
She went from Level 3 to Level 4. In other words, a level-up—reaching a higher plane.
I got the same impression as Lilly when her move turned out to be so much faster than when we fought, but…I can’t hide my surprise after hearing it for myself. Aisha looks my way for a moment before charging into another pack of monsters and tearing them to shreds.
“It’s because I had to deal with some rough things. I shut myself up in the Dungeon for a while to toughen up a bit.”
Apparently, she’s been on more than a few of her own adventures since our battle in the Pleasure Quarter.
She was already at the very peak of Level 3 adventurers back when she led the Berbera. It’s already been a month since that fight, so the prospect of her leveling up isn’t actually that strange.
I can feel it when Aisha grins back at me with lust for battle: She’s moved up.
Combining ground-shattering kicks with slashes of her greatsword, she smashes in the heads of monster after monster. She flows through the battlefield like a lethal, bladed torrent that leaves gruesome fragments in its wake.
The loose fabric of her revealing outfit shifts along with her hair as the Amazon’s momentum guides her away from spurts of blood. Not a drop touches her during the dance of death.
“Antianeira…I see. So this is her.”
Lyu whispers Aisha’s title to herself from her spot a few steps back from the front line. At almost the same moment, the Dungeon wall cracks open behind the Amazon. I don’t even have time to count the creatures pouring out before Lyu cuts them all down with her two shortswords in the blink of an eye.
“Heh, not bad.”
“You, too.”
Aisha pays Lyu a genuine compliment after watching her wipe out the horde.
Instead of purchasing weapons on our way here, Lyu bought a battle cloth resembling traveler’s garb. Combining it with her hooded robe, she’s hiding her identity as usual. Dressing the same way she did during the War Game would only attract unwanted attention, so she’s settled into a plain outfit. The only weapons she has on her are the two shortswords she apparently carries at all times.
Aisha might have caught on to who she is.
But she doesn’t say anything.
She must’ve considered it a minor detail in light of the current battle and only hacks her way through the waves of monsters alongside the hooded warrior from the War Game.
“—KIIIH!!”
“!”
The devastating power of our front line blazes a path through the Dungeon.
Welf and I, who are on standby in the middle ranks, suddenly come under attack from monsters emerging from an adjacent passageway.
It’s a swarm of rabbit monsters, al-miraj. Welf engages the first wave, slicing down several with a swing of his greatsword. I’m slow to react beside him, and they launch a flood of nature weapons—stone tomahawks—right at me.
I knock each of the incoming tomahawks away with the Hestia Knife and Ushiwakamaru-Nishiki. The disarmed al-miraj give in to their monster instincts and charge directly at us, the horns on their heads leading the way.
Weaving in and out of their attacks, I block one head-on, knock it off balance, and line up the counterstrike—
“—!”
My body slows down just before making contact.
“Bell!”
“Mr. Bell!”
Something about seeing my reflection in its big re
d eyes causes me to hesitate.
In fact, I’ve come to a complete stop. Welf’s and Lilly’s yells ring in my ears as the al-miraj’s red irises narrow. It jumps directly for my breastplate.
It hits me dead center, and the impact knocks me off balance.
Crap—!
Landing flat on my back, more al-miraj converge on me.
This is ba—!
Just as I try to raise a blade that will never make it in time—a wind passes over me.
“KIH—?!”
A hooded robe flutters; four monsters succumb to flashes of silver light.
More accurately, they crumble into ash moments later, their magic stones shattered.
The shadow that saved my life makes quick work of the remaining monsters.
“…Th-thanks, Lyu.”
Dropping back from the front lines, Lyu wiped out all the enemies in an instant.
She offers me her hand, which I take, staggering to my feet.
“Seriously, that was pathetic. What a letdown, Bell Cranell.”
The battle over, Aisha walks up to us, tapping the blunt edge of her greatsword against her shoulder with extreme disappointment. After all, I’m Level 3, and a middle-level monster just got the best of me. It is a letdown.
The censuring look in her eyes says, You are a man who defeated me in battle.
There’s no way I can respond after that embarrassment.
“Mr. Cranell, that was not like you.”
Lyu watches me from beneath her hood as she approaches.
“Has something happened?”
“……”
Her tone is soft, as if trying to protect my feelings, but all I can do is stare at the floor.
Spending so much time with Wiene has affected me more than I thought.
Will other monsters we encounter start talking, the way she did?
Are they all capable of the same thoughts and feelings that we are? Can they all cry?
I haven’t done anything since we came into the Dungeon, letting everyone else deal with the monsters.
This has never happened before.
Welf and Lilly silently watch me with knowing expressions.
I can’t keep going like this…
It won’t end well.
I have to flip the switch. This is just wasting Lyu’s and Aisha’s time.
I tell myself that over and over while looking at my clenched fist.