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

"Don't you need it?"

She was asking Ais why she didn't use "wind".

The woman questioned the girl who had unintentionally used the greatest weapon—magic (Wind Spirit Run).

"no need."

So Ais told her firmly.

She reflected on her previous battle, which relied on "magic," and decided to return to square one once again.

Ais challenged the woman solely based on the swordsmanship she had been trained in.

"Don't underestimate me."

In contrast, the woman unleashed a fiery rage.

Her expressionless beauty began to radiate murderous intent, and cracks appeared on the hilt of the longsword she gripped tightly.

The woman revealed emotions she had never shown before, and in the next instant, she kicked off the ground, shattering it.

Facing her opponent who had transformed into a bullet and was hurtling towards her, Ais raised her sword high and charged forward.

The silver blade and the red sword clashed with unstoppable force.

The two are in direct conflict.

Side Story: Sword Oratoria 3, Chapter 4: The White-Haired Demon

"Snipe, elven archer! Pierce through, arrow that never misses!"

The beautiful melody of the incantation resounded in all directions.

Lefia, weaving a short incantation, raises the magic wand "Forest Teardrop," a weapon specifically designed for mages. This wand is made from "White Sacred Stone," a special mineral used in magic, and is designed to enhance a mage's magical power. The magic gem at the top is crafted from the precious item "Millennium Tree Drop," which exhibits a high degree of compatibility with the magical power of certain races (elves).

Echoing the unfolding beneath their feet, the magic gem at the tip of the wand emitted a dazzling light.

"[Spirit Bow and Light Arrow]!" The powerful spell name summoned a light arrow.

With its exceptional "magic power" and the powerful [Fairy Pursuit (skill)], the single-shot magic was like a cannon blast, filling the entire narrow, straight passage. More than twenty monsters in the passage screamed in agony as they were engulfed by the flash of light and vanished into nothingness.

Following the trail of the flash, only a large amount of dust was left behind.

After confirming that the enemy had been eliminated, Lefia put down her wand.

"I see, so you're from the Visien Forest. The inhabitants of that forest possess exceptionally high 'magic power' among their kind... No wonder your magic is so powerful."

"No, no, that's all I'm good at..."

With the monster blocking their path like a wall gone, the three of them began to move forward again. Philvis seemed to suddenly realize something, looking at Lefia's profile.

This is the 24th floor of the dungeon. Lefia and the others, in their pursuit of Ais, plunged into the complex maze and arrived at this target floor.

She ran alongside Bert and Phil Weiss, their footsteps echoing through the tree maze.

Lefia and her companions' destination was the food warehouse on the north side of the floor. They had followed the established route where numerous monsters had been encountered, seeing countless "dropped items" and monster carcasses (dust) stretching northwards, likely left uncollected. These monsters were far beyond the capabilities of ordinary high-level adventurers, leading Lefia and her group to conclude that Ais and her friends must have defeated them.

They didn't want to waste time fighting the swarming monsters, so they bypassed the main passage and proceeded through a narrow path covered in tree bark. Though called narrow, the path was over five meters wide, enough for small teams to pass through easily.

Surrounded by glowing moss, Lefia beamed as she spoke to Philvies.

It wasn't just her praise; the slightly reduced distance between them brought Lefia even more joy.

"Enough with the nonsense, I'm here."

Bert, who was walking alongside the two, said without any interest that he ran ahead of them.

Bert immediately took action, instantly dealing with the monster that appeared in the distance. With acrobatic skill, he shot down several deadly wasps in mid-air, and then delivered a powerful uppercut that truly "crushed" the fat and ugly body of the "giant goblin" that was over two meters tall.

Just as Bert was clearing away obstacles without affecting the team's progress, a loud "splat" sound came from around Lefia and her group.

Tree bark fragments flew everywhere, and the sound of cracking walls could be heard as a large group of lizardmen and dark poisonous mushrooms emerged.

"!"

"Step back, Veridis!"

As soon as the two were surrounded by monsters that were breaking through the tree bark walls and falling to the ground, Phil Weiss immediately called out Lefia's surname and rushed out.

She drew her short sword and slashed down the monster beside Lefia. The lizardmen roared and pounced on Philvis, but she struck them precisely in their vitals with swift attacks that combined multiple thrusts and horizontal slashes. Philvis danced in her pure white battle suit, dodging the counterattacks of thick tails, and decapitating the lizard monsters as she passed them.

Before Lefia could join the battle, standing frozen in place, Philvis reduced the number of lizardmen in the blink of an eye, drawing a wooden wand from her waist.

"【The Holy Staff of Exorcism (Lightning), sweep away my enemies!】"

She fought the remaining two lizardmen while chanting incantations.

After the "parallel chanting" begins and two lizardmen are cut down,...

Philwiss aimed her short staff at the three dark poisonous mushrooms that had opened their caps and were making a dangerous move.

"【The Staff of Dionysus】!"

At the same time the poison spores spread, a very short chant-type spell was activated.

Accompanied by a sharp flash of lightning, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, burning the dark poisonous mushroom and its spores to ashes.

(Wow, that's amazing...)

The way Philwis defeated the monster team amazed Lefia.

Unlike Lefia, who is a pure defensive mage, she is a "magical swordswoman".

This is the highly valued and beloved high balancer class, extremely popular among adventurer parties. They can fight on the front lines themselves, possessing magical firepower unmatched by bows or throwing weapons. They are speed-oriented mages, and this is the battle style that Lefia greatly admires.

Among the "magic swordsmen" who primarily use attack magic with very short incantations, Philvis seems to be particularly adept at swift and agile combat tactics.

Philvis wields a sword and a wand with deft skill, attacking at both close and long range. Even in the heat of battle, she seems to perform [Parallel Incantation] effortlessly. Her swordplay, which repels enemies, and her subsequent magical burn-out, complement her dignified and beautiful appearance, creating a magnificent and dazzling spectacle.

Lefia stared at her, mesmerized, unable to look away... Suddenly, she too felt a sense of inferiority.

"If only you could at least be like her."

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

Bert came over and added insult to injury.

Basically, the back-guard mage (Lefia) always needs distance or a front-line wall; she can't fight well without the help of her teammates.

Compared to Phil Weiss, an all-around warrior who can skillfully fight alone, she is worlds apart.

Just as Lefia was feeling dejected, Phil Weiss came back to speak up for her.

"It's going too far to demand that mages specialize in firepower like that. In truly critical situations, the team needs the power of Veridis."

Phil Weiss emphasized that it was the squad's duty to protect Raphia's fortress.

Indeed, very few pure mages specializing in firepower can achieve the technique Bert demanded—"parallel chanting." To be honest, Lefia only knows of one mage of such skill: Riveria.

Philweis argued that high-ranking mages were the team's last trump card, while Bert glanced at Lefia and her, and snorted.

"You two elves have become best friends?"

Hearing his sarcastic remark about how drastically different they had been not long ago, Phil Weiss immediately fell silent. Rafia also blushed and became flustered.

Bert chuckled frivolously, then glanced at Rafia.

"Are you satisfied with this? You can't even protect yourself."

Bert stared at Rafia with his amber eyes and asked her.

The werewolf youth's glare was as contemptuous as ever, but he was also unsmiling, which made Lefia's shoulder sway.

"Those two idiotic Amazons seem to dote on you, but I don't play that game. As long as you still have the nerve to say that magic is your only strength, you'll be a burden for the rest of your life."

“!…”

"You're too naive."

Bert's words were utterly devoid of gentleness; his amber eyes looked down on Rafia, as if he wanted to push her off a cliff and insult her.

Bert's words were always incisive and dredged up old wounds.

This is one of the reasons why he is disliked by many people. He always speaks rudely and without restraint, tearing open other people's wounds and angering and provoking other adventurers.

Conversely, it also means that he hates people who dare not face their own wounds.

Lefia was completely speechless, her spirits plummeting, but this also allowed her to confront her own problems and realize that she truly needed to change. After all, the Monster Festival incident had just made her acutely aware of her shortcomings.

To stop holding back Ais and the others she admired, and to be worthy of standing beside them, Lefia couldn't be content with the status quo; she had to strive for something higher. She couldn't forget the tears she shed for her own powerlessness, or the yearning to catch up with those she admired. And it would be a lie to say that Bert's contempt for her didn't make her feel resentful.

Lefia felt Philweis watching her face with concern, and she gripped her wand tightly with both hands.

"...?"

Lefia, who had been looking down, suddenly raised her face.

After Bert finished speaking, he had already started moving. Although Philweis was concerned about Rafia, she had also begun walking forward.

When the two figures came into view from behind, Lefia felt a sense of unease.

("magic"……?)

She stood still, turned her head and looked around.

"Um, Mr. Bodai...?"

"what?"

She tried calling out to Bert.

But he turned around and asked, "How is it?" as if he hadn't noticed anything.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, no, that..."

Phil Weiss also asked Rafia what was wrong, but she hesitated and gave evasive answers.

Seeing that the two of them didn't seem to sense anything, "Am I overthinking it?" Lefia tilted her head.

"If there's nothing else, hurry up and go. We'll be at the grain depot soon."

"Don't waste my time," Bert said rudely as he strode forward again. Phil Weiss followed behind.

Lefia stared behind them on the road they had come from, then turned around after a while and hurried to catch up with Bert and the others.

Her thick golden hair bounced, and her figure grew smaller and smaller.

"..."

Then, a shadow was spying on her back.

A figure appeared from the corner of the passage where Lefia had just been watching.

A figure dressed in a purple hooded robe and a sinister mask silently followed behind them.

■

"Fiora, hey! Can't you hear me!?"

Lulu's screams came from between the monster's roars.

Forced to separate from Ais, the Hermes Familia, caught in a fierce battle against a swarm of man-eating flowers, is now under attack.

Facing the monsters that kept pouring out from the depths of the passage, they relentlessly thrust their swords and spears forward.

"What happened?! What should we do, Asphie?!"

"...If you have the energy to worry about her, worry about ourselves. As soon as we can find a way out, we'll get out of here!"

"That's so cold-hearted!"

"She's Fiora, after all!!"

Ais remained completely unresponsive on the other side of the blocked wall, causing Lulu to become extremely worried. However, Asphie decisively stated that worrying about a Level 1 adventurer was simply meddling. She decided to put aside the battle-hardened "Battle Maiden" for the time being and prioritize everyone else.

After all, the carnivorous plants surging from both the front and back were still attacking them from both sides.

"Monsters have appeared behind us! Five in total!"

"They're here too!"

Asphi quickly assessed the series of screams announcing the arrival of monster reinforcements.

"Sprinkle the 'magic stones'!"

Upon hearing the leader's instructions, the members acted in perfect unison.