Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

Or, even if they are not without affiliation, they are not bound by factions.

Only in this way can we teach other factions Bell how to fight.

(Although this person... doesn't benefit Miss Ryu at all, and only cares about his own convenience... if you really want to catch up with Miss Wallenstein, you can't care about saving face...! If you're just asking out of curiosity...!)

After all, the girl he admires actually replying, "Let me teach you?" Such a smooth development is simply impossible. Yes, impossible. Absolutely impossible.

So Bell took a quiet breath and made up her mind.

He was determined to repay her in any way he could, and his heart was pounding at her beautiful profile that made him think, "Elves are indeed very beautiful." He took a step forward, intending to lean out...

"Meow—! Ryu, help me!?"

"Plate, Plate's tower collapsed, meow!! The Tower of Babel has fallen! (The original text is 'バベルしちゃう', which is actually a verb form of the word 'Tower of Babel,' roughly referring to the mythical event of the Tower of Babel collapsing.)"

"Who made such a great comment?! Wait, oh no! Ryu, I'm so sorry, please come help me quickly!?"

"...Really."

The kitchen was filled with sounds like a black cat, screams from someone called a stupid cat, and the voice of a shop assistant who was good at hitting people.

Liu sighed softly, and a "thump" sound came from her feet.

He thought it would be just a light step, but he easily leaped over the long bar counter in one breath and hurriedly went to clean up the kitchen. He left Belle stunned, just managing to utter an "Ah."

The cat-man chef hurriedly followed behind, but when he fell again, only Bell and Hill were left in the shop.

"Ahaha... Sorry, I was in a panic."

"No, no, I didn't cause any trouble at all."

"Thank you very much. Because Ryu is very capable, everyone relies on her."

"Probably," Bell said frankly to himself.

Judging from the fact that she saved me in the alley, it seems that no matter what kind of barbaric behavior it is, as long as she is there, it can be resolved.

Even among the beautiful elves, Ryu's presence is quite strong.

"Um, Miss Hill. Miss Ryu, is she... an adventurer...?"

"Yes, it seems that was true before. But now... it has become independent from its original [familia]..."

Is she the same as the shop owner, Mia?

Bell recalled hearing Hill say that most of the waiters at this tavern were people with connections.

I recall it.

(Is there no... time left?)

I glanced at the old clock in the tavern against the wall and realized that my promise to Lily Luca was about to fall apart.

We're supposed to explore the dungeon together today. Being late wouldn't be good.

When Bell tried to hide his desire to talk to Ryu, Hill seemed to sense something and tilted his head slightly.

"What's wrong, Mr. Bell?"

"Ah, no, well... Miss Ryu seems really amazing, even as an adventurer she's stronger than me, she always gives off a senior vibe... If it were possible, could you teach me all sorts of things, uh, something..."

"..."

After Bell vaguely expressed his thoughts, Hill stared at him intently.

Stunned by those thin, dull-colored pupils that seemed to see right through him, and as Bell's actions became suspicious... Hill then gave a wry smile.

"Should I talk to Ryu and discuss it with her?"

"well!?"

"For various reasons, Ryu keeps her distance from adventurers, but I think she'd most likely listen if I asked. If it's not inconvenient for you, Mr. Bell, how about it?"

To be honest, I wavered.

Bell found this to be a very appealing proposal.

If Hill's words are true, there's probably no more effective way to get Ryu's promise. It was Bell who just said we couldn't worry about saving face anymore. We should pounce on him like a rabbit wagging its tail.

but.

"...Thank you very much. However, I still want to say it myself. Although I won't be so stubborn about saving face anymore... I feel that this kind of thing shouldn't be left to others."

"...I see. If that's what Mr. Bell says."

I'm sorry—I apologize for refusing her kind offer.

Nevertheless, Hill, looking back in this direction, still chose to forgive as if nothing had happened.

"Well then, I'll just tell Ryu about it, that Mr. Bell has something he wants to say to you. Is that alright?"

"Yes, yes. If that's all... Anyway, I'm so sorry, thank you so much. I'll take my leave now."

As Belle was about to leave, Hill picked up the basket that Liu had handed her.

"Mr. Bell, can you accept this today as well?"

"...I...I accept it."

With an embarrassed smile, he stretched out his hands and stammered as he accepted the basket that was handed to him.

Bell blushed and thanked them again before leaving the "harvest hostess".

"...That was a bit too much teasing. I really wanted that kid to get stronger."

Stepping outside the tavern, the girl with thin, dull-colored hair watched the boy's retreating figure disappear into the distance along the main road to the east, and muttered to herself.

If Bell accepts her offer, his path will change.

Even among fairies, Ryu Leon is the epitome of a clean freak.

She would only feel uncomfortable if someone tried to use her close friend's relationship to ask her for favors. Even if the other person was her friend's love interest, it wouldn't change that. At least given her current relationship with the boy, she would probably refuse.

The boy unintentionally chose the 'correct answer'.

Among the many forks in the road ahead, choose the first correct 'option'.

The boy who rescued the little girl received "time with fairies" as a result.

After rescuing Lilyluka from the swarm of "killer ants" and reuniting them as a true team.

On the night Hestia and Lilyluca met, Bell struggled with nervousness while preparing to ask Ryu about becoming her apprentice.

"I heard from Hill that you seem to have something you'd like to ask me for a favor."

"Yes, yes."

As arranged by Hill, Ryu, who had prior knowledge of Bell's visit, smoothly arranged a place for their conversation. However, this was merely a matter of taking Bell to the back of the shop during a break from work at the tavern.

Faced with Ryu's somewhat indifferent attitude but whose speech was as usual, Bell made up his mind to speak his mind.

Things I have goals for. Things I want to become stronger about.

I'd like to ask Leon about this.

Faced with those empty, blue eyes staring at him, Bell hesitated several times, but still managed to express everything in his own words.

Liu listened to him without interrupting, and her first reaction was a little confusion.

"I'm not an elf who can teach others... but why are you asking me for help? May I ask why?"

"Um, well, the reason is really simple... because Miss Ryu seems much better than me."

The reason was so simple and clear that Bell, who was already sweating profusely after saying it, couldn't help but want to squat down with his hands on his head right then and there.

Although there are some grammatical errors, Ryu is also Bell's favorite spirit.

After interacting with the approachable half-elf Eina, Bell almost forgot that, originally, these forest fairies were more arrogant than anyone else. Bell had also heard that they were mostly unfriendly to other races, and some even only allowed those they approved of to touch their skin.

Although Ryu appears to be a polite and enlightened elf who seems out of place with Bell's knowledge, she does possess a noble quality that is uniquely her own.

A short sword drawn from its sheath, quietly bathed in moonlight in the forest.

Such an image flashed through Bell's mind. Any words, actions, or postures that contradicted his beliefs would certainly be immediately discarded.

Therefore, facing those empty, blank eyes staring directly at him, Bell frantically struggled to add a few words. In short, he wanted to say something nice first, to get his mouth moving.

"Um! It's not that just anyone who's skilled can do it; rather, it's precisely because it's Ms. Ryu that she's making this request. In other words, someone with impressive mannerisms, someone who's truly like a whirlwind, something like that. Someone who's obviously very capable, someone who has many things I don't have! So… um…"

"..."

"...I wanted to ask Ms. Ryu for advice. Perhaps I should say that I can see my goal in Ms. Ryu's actions...?"

"..."

"...I'm sorry, and also...it was all for my own convenience."

Even things that couldn't be said in the end were frankly revealed.

For Bell, the situation is perfect now that the adventurer has become independent from the Familia. The "wild former adventurer" who is obviously out of the Familia's control is exactly what he wants (the original text is "渡りに船", which literally means "wanting to cross the boat").

Unable to hide his true feelings from Ryu's eyes, Bell blurted out things that no other adventurer would ever say.

He was also disheartened by his honest and straightforward self.

Realizing he had no hope left, Bell could only wait for Ryu's answer.

"Okay, I understand."

「… … ?」

"I mean, I accepted Mr. Crannie's request to be his teacher."

"well!?"

Bell looked up, a silly expression on his face.

His eyes widened, and he even wondered if he was hallucinating.

Despite Bell's stunned expression, Ryu remained unfazed and calmly delivered her words.

"You didn't hide anything from me, and you conveyed your true feelings. I don't want to let you down with your straightforward sincerity."

"Um, that...?"

Bell, struggling with confusion in order to figure out what was going on, stopped moving.

A faint, indeed very small smile bloomed on the fairy's originally indifferent lips.

"You are a respectable human being."

Be caught off guard.

So beautiful that it made those deep red (red tourmaline) eyes widen in surprise.

It was a faint smile, as if it had melted from the moonlight.

Her delicate eyebrows relaxed, and her small lips parted.

Faced with Liu's smile, as fresh as a white flower, Bell blushed instantly.

Despite having aspirations to achieve them, I became completely absorbed in watching.

"Because of my own unsightly appearance, my time as an adventurer has stopped... However, if it's someone like you, I won't hesitate to help. If I can, let me lend you a hand."

"........."

"Mr. Crannie, are you listening?"

"Huh!? Y-yes!"

"Your face is very red. Are you alright? As an adventurer, you must always pay attention to your health."

“I-I understand!”

Although the speculation about the reason for his blushing was completely wrong, he had immediately offered advice as a senior adventurer. Upon hearing this, Bell stood at attention and replied.

The overly serious elf nodded generously and explained her future plans. "I still have work at the tavern, so I'll stop here for tonight." After saying that, she returned to her work at the tavern as if nothing had happened.

Even after she left, Belle remained restless, and slowly exhaled to let the heat build up on her cheeks dissipate.

I personally experienced how dangerous the elf's smile could be.

In particular, the smile of the usually stern-faced elf is extremely dangerous.

It is a family heirloom sword that can bewitch a fool like Bell (the original text is "骨抜きにする", which means both to remove bone and to make people lose themselves, so it can be considered a pun).

That was an endearing smile that was only shown to the person she loved.