by Fujino Omori
Gray smoke distinct from the waterfall’s mist drifted upward as a crystal column sank into the plunge pool like a calved iceberg, broken off by the shock waves. He could just make it out through the masses of spray that billowed up in a white mist from the falls.
“Those explosions don’t sound like they were made by monsters! Ten to one, this is the work of an adventurer—or to put more of a point on it, Gale Wind! I’m going to choose the best of you to go down to the twenty-seventh floor! The rest of you, stay here and guard the passageway!”
“Yaaaaaah!”
In response to Bors’s words, the adventurers enthusiastically thrust their swords, spears, and axes into the air. Their lethargy now vanished, the mercenary bunch of rogues shouted spirited battle cries as the hunt for Gale Wind finally began.
Meanwhile, Bell’s party swiftly formed a circle a few steps away and began discussing their strategy.
“This is where things get critical. We’ve got to find Lyu before the other adventurers,” Lilly said.
“Yeah. We’ll need to get information from them about what’s happening, too,” Bell added.
“Clearly…But what were those explosions? They felt strong. Do you really think the elf is using her magic or something?” Welf asked.
Cassandra had been ignoring their conversation and instead glancing nervously back toward the passage to the twenty-fourth floor, but now she shook her head. It was time to sever ties with the part of her that still wanted to turn back.
Even within her eighteen short years, she had had enough painful experiences to know that a weak impulse like that would do nothing to avert her prophetic dream.
Now was when it all began.
From here on, she could make no mistakes if she was going to avert the prophecy. That was what she told herself, trying to gain courage even as her pounding heart made her feel like vomiting again.
“So, moving on…Lilly has a funny feeling about the twenty-seventh floor. We somehow need to join the special party and make contact with Ly—”
“Uh, wait!”
Cassandra interrupted the party’s prum leader mid-sentence.
“I don’t think we need to go to the twenty-seventh floor, do we…? It would be hard to move around in such a large group…”
There was much she didn’t understand about her prophetic dream, but at least she had a good idea of the location.
“The depths of hell shall overflow with corpses, returning all to the mother.”
Cassandra had deduced that “the depths of hell” referred to the end point of the Great Falls on the twenty-seventh floor, which was the lowest level of the Water Capital. In other words, that was where the catastrophe was going to happen.
If only they could stay off the twenty-seventh floor, Lilly and the others should be able to avoid the foretold death. For Cassandra, who had wrestled with the meaning of many nonsensical dreams in the past, that one point seemed certain. As she inwardly reproached herself for speaking so incoherently, Daphne spoke up next to her.
“I agree with Cassandra. Even if we’ve fought on this floor before, we’ve only explored it once. Don’t you think we’re most likely to slip up in a place we’re totally unfamiliar with?”
“D-D-Daphne…”
“Even if we rely on Rabbit Foot and Antianeira for protection, I doubt we’ll be able to find her faster than the other adventurers.”
Daphne’s reasoning was totally unconnected to what Cassandra was concerned about—avoiding the prophecy. But Daphne had been pushed into the role of commander in Apollo Familia, and she wasn’t about to give up her cautious attitude toward a risky area like the lower levels.
“Anyway, I personally don’t want to risk my life for someone I barely know,” she concluded jokingly.
“…I see. You’re right that speed is inversely related to the size of the party, and this time we need to move fast. Therefore, let’s not send everyone to the twenty-seventh floor,” Lilly said, taking her mentor’s words into consideration.
Cassandra felt incredibly relieved. She was sure they had avoided the worst scenario. She let the tension drain from her shoulders and sighed.
“So in addition to Mr. Bell and Miss Aisha, who should go?”
Instantly, Cassandra’s body seized up again.
“Aaaaaah, ummmm?!”
She interrupted Lilly again, raising her right hand. Aisha, whose death had been clearly foretold in the prophecy, must not be allowed to go to the twenty-seventh floor. She had to stop her!
Lilly looked fed up at yet another interruption, while Aisha glanced at her suspiciously. Cassandra, who had not thought in advance about what she was going to say, moved her mouth silently, then finally squeezed out a few words.
“M-M-Miss Aisha should stay on the twenty-fifth floor with everyone else…”
“Why?”
“Uh…The other day when Haruhime suffered a Mind Down and I had to carry her to the eighteenth floor…she was actually really heavy…!”
“Huh?!”
It was a lie.
She was extremely light.
The Goliath Robe felt heavier than Haruhime. In fact, although her chest was large, her hips were so slight it made Cassandra feel hopeless about her own form. She flinched and blushed as the renart yelped defensively at the false claims.
“In case we have to escape and she has to be carried again, I just, um, have a feeling that Lilly and I might not be able to do it by ourselves…O-o-of course everyone else will protect us, too, but without Aisha here, what will we do about Miss Haruhime, since she’s so heavy…?”
As Cassandra frantically repeated the word heavy, Daphne gave her a look that said, Do you have a grudge against her or something?
Meanwhile, tears were welling in Haruhime’s eyes as the others talked about her like a piece of luggage. She kept glancing at Bell, who seemed not to know what expression to arrange his face into and looked on the verge of fainting from embarrassment.
“…Well, it’s true that she’s grown a lot since we were in the Far East. Especially her chest,” Ouka mumbled.
“Really?” Welf answered with a bit too much curiosity.
“Honestly, Ouka!! And Welf, too!” Chigusa snapped, spreading the chaos still further through the group. Mikoto, who had been standing by, nervous and unsure what to do, rubbed Haruhime’s shoulder comfortingly.
The renart’s sniffles disappeared into the thundering of the Great Falls.
“Who cares if this silly fox is light or heavy? All she has to do is stand here by the passageway. There are plenty of other adventurers around, and if things get really dangerous, she can always use her magic,” Aisha said.
“Uh…”
“You guys really demand a lot of care. To tell you the truth, if you don’t learn to fend for yourselves when I’m not around, I don’t know what I’m going to do. That goes for Hestia Familia as well.”
Cassandra didn’t know how to respond to Aisha’s extremely straightforward words. At the same time, seeing Aisha’s genuine concern for her “little sister,” Cassandra felt ashamed at her thoughtless attempt to use Haruhime for her own ends.
Still, she had to find some way of preventing Aisha from going to the twenty-seventh floor. She was growing more and more distressed.
“…Um, Miss Aisha.”
Bell had been staring at Aisha’s face, and finally he spoke up.
“Would you mind doing as Cassandra asked and staying on the twenty-fifth floor?”
“Huh…?” Cassandra gasped. She watched in surprise as Bell continued.
“What are you talking about, kid? Don’t tell me you’re going to ask me to watch over that dumb fox, too?”
“I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t part of it…But there’s someone else I want you to keep an eye on.”
“Someone you want me to keep an eye on?” Aisha echoed doubtfully.
Bell leaned in closer to the group and pointed at one of the other adventurers.
“Th
at werewolf who’s been insisting it was Lyu…Gale Wind…who committed the murder. He kept repeating it over and over, like he was trying to fire everyone up.”
“…Now that you mention it, he was urging everyone to hurry the whole way here. When I think about it, it does seem a bit unnatural,” Lilly said.
“Exactly. I think that guy is…lying.”
Lilly and the others glanced furtively toward the group of adventurers, where they could glimpse the werewolf talking and linking arms with the others.
Bell watched him for a moment, then looked back at Aisha.
“If Lyu is innocent, then that guy is up to no good.”
“…”
“If he does anything fishy, I want you to stop him…Or am I off the mark?”
Although Bell had been sharing his thoughts without hesitation up to this point, he ended on a less-than-confident note.
Instead of directly answering his question as to whether his assessment was off, Aisha let out a long sigh.
“There may be some truth to what you say. Just to be safe, you and I should split up,” she said.
“All right then, Miss Aisha, I’m counting on you.”
“But. If my sense of things is right…that elf will be too much for you to handle on your own,” Aisha said, looking Bell over sharply. She seemed to know something the others didn’t.
Bell recoiled for an instant, but then his face took on a resolute expression.
“I believe in Miss Lyu.”
“…Do as you like, then.” Aisha sighed, narrowing her eyes and tacitly accepting that she would stay behind on the twenty-fifth floor.
Cassandra watched in shock as Bell thanked the Amazon. His rubellite eyes met hers for a moment, and his mouth curved into a faintly wry smile.
Aha…
She realized that Bell had seen her desperately trying to keep Aisha on this floor and had extended a helping hand. Of course, he had his own reasons as well…But still, he had respected her will when she had been struggling alone and no one else would believe in her.
Once again, she felt a hot, throbbing glow deep in her chest.
“But is it really okay to let Bell Cranell go on his own?” Ouka asked, clearly concerned.
“You’re right that it will be difficult, but the fact that Mr. Bell will be able to maneuver much more easily on his own far outweighs the risk. I think this is the best way for him to get ahead of the other adventurers and make contact with Miss Lyu,” Lilly answered.
Plus, she pointed out, the rest of the party members would have a hard time making their way even through this floor alone, whereas Bell could get around as a solo player even in the lower levels.
“Anyway, Welf has just finished making him some extra-tough protective gear,” she said, glancing at the smith.
“Bell, take this.”
“Welf…what is this?”
“It’s a Goliath Scarf. I made it from a piece of Li’l E’s robe.”
Bell stared at the jet-black cloth that Welf was holding out. It was a section of the Goliath Robe, which offered a protective power equal to an iron wall. Although it wouldn’t cover as much area as the robe, the giant’s defensive gear was as strong and durable as anything available.
“I made it on the sly while you guys were fighting on the twenty-first floor. It wasn’t easy; believe me! I didn’t have a proper setup, so I had to use a magic blade to cut it off.”
“Uh, Welf…are you sure it’s okay?” Bell asked, looking up at his friend.
As Bell well knew, the smith was reluctant to let his contracted partner use an unimproved drop item from a monster. But despite his craftsman’s pride, Welf nodded.
“Yeah. To be honest, I’d prefer you to get by with only the armor I’ve made for you…But if something was to happen to you, I’d never forgive myself. After all, I said I’d stop weighing my pride against our friendship, didn’t I?”
He smiled as he handed Bell the Goliath Scarf.
“Sorry, man—it’s not very stylish.”
“No worries. But I bet this thing will give me a sore neck!” Bell joked, wrapping the scarf around his neck. The price of the drop item’s incredible defensive power was its equally incredible weight.
As the two laughed and joked like brothers, Welf seemed to suddenly remember something, and he leaned over to whisper in Bell’s ear.
“When I was making this, our prophetic Mirabilis helped me out. Actually, she was the one who suggested I make it.”
“Really?”
Bell stopped moving at the mention of Cassandra’s nickname and looked in her direction. Her cheeks grew hot and she dropped her eyes.
“Um…Thank you, Miss Cassandra.”
“…”
As Lilly and the others watched, Cassandra looked up at Bell, who had walked over to her. She was happy that he had thanked her and happy to see the boyish smile on his face.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to her.
Even though her prophecy had made no direct reference to Bell’s death, was it okay for him to go all alone? If she let him go, something bad was sure to happen to him. She just knew it.
She’d gotten this far. Couldn’t she ask for a little more?
…No, it’s impossible. There’s no way I can stop him.
As she looked into Bell’s eyes, she gave up on the fleeting hope that had crossed her mind. No matter how much she pleaded, she knew she could not stop him. After all, hadn’t she just the other day realized that a firm will was synonymous with a strong destiny?
Even if he believes in my dream, would he…?
She had wondered many times if she should tell Bell the whole truth about her prophecy, since he was the only one who believed her. But every time, she had held back.
Assuming he believed everything she told him, what would he do when he realized that such a cruel fate awaited Lyu? She knew the answer without even thinking about it. He would fly to her, knowing he was rushing toward the jaws of death.
If that was the case, she concluded it would be better not to tell him.
She herself did not understand everything. She didn’t want to cloud his judgment by sharing her nonsensical dream with him.
“…Mr. Bell.”
Cassandra felt that her prophetic dreams were a curse.
No one believed her.
No one took her seriously.
She didn’t know if even the deities realized what was coming.
But one person…this boy…believed in her. His trust had saved her.
She didn’t want to let him go. She didn’t want to leave him. She didn’t want to lose him.
If it meant being able to keep him by her side, she would even become his lover. His partner for life.
But this calculating emotion, more desire to be saved than true yearning for him, was warped. Even if she felt suddenly attracted to him, it wasn’t the boy himself she was drawn to but simply the illusion that he was the only one who believed in her dreams. That was all she thought it was, at least.
Therefore, she was definitely not the right woman for him.
But she wanted him to live…at the very least. It was okay to want that, wasn’t it?
“Please come back alive,” she said, her voice full of emotion. If the others had heard her, she knew they would think she was being overly dramatic.
“When we’re back on the surface together…there are many things I’d like to…tell you,” she added.
All she could do was entrust everything to this boy.
To the white light whose end she had not been able to foresee even in her dream.
As the prophetess looked up at him with wavering eyes, Bell smiled brightly, as if to sweep away tragedy.
“Yes, I promise. I’ll come back.”
CHAPTER 3
THE TRUE INTENTIONS OF GALE WIND
Flames of rage.
That was the only way to describe the impulse that seared her heart.
The feeling that overtook her when she saw him f
rom behind.
The instant she glimpsed his profile.
The moment her eyes met his.
The emotion in the depths of her heart surged upward.
He’s alive!
He’s alive!
He’s alive!
It’s him—that man!
Who could snuff out the flames of rage that flared within her the moment she realized?
The hand that gripped her wooden sword shook, and the weapon itself let out an indistinct cry of rage.
That was the spark. She shrugged off the cloak of justice and became no more than a beast chasing after the group of men as they screamed in terror.
She did not know how many times silver flashed.
She could not remember how much blood spurted into the air.
She was spurred by righteous indignation from the instant she realized.
No, righteous indignation was just a front. In truth, she may simply have wanted to hurl her wildly raging emotions against them. Already, she had lost sight of which was her true self.
All she knew was that she was being driven forward. Driven by the flames of rage. By the black emotions.
She told herself, conveniently, that it was “a sense of mission.”
This time. This time I will be sure.
Her blade was ravenous, and her heart was raging.
Her memories of the past screamed for her to settle things, once and for all.
As she sped through the Dungeon as quick as the wind, a thought occurred to her.
Her first friend seemed to have said something to her hotheaded self.
Her second friend seemed to have forgiven her despite her mistakes.
Her third friend, the boy…What would he think if he saw her now?
That was her one lingering concern as fiery resentment burned fiercely in the back of her mind and the pit of her stomach.
And there was something else.