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

"!"

Ais made up her mind, called out to the boy, and handed him the protective gear.

The boy turned around, took the protective gear without hesitation, and then became as stiff as a stone.

Ais watched intently as the boy's face turned red and he became flustered again, her heart filled with a mix of emotions including nervousness—and finally made up her mind to apologize.

"sorry."

"Huh...?"

"It's all because I failed to defeat that Minotaur that I caused you so much trouble and hurt you so much. I've always wanted to apologize to you. I'm sorry."

Out of guilt, she lowered her gaze; at that moment, she felt as if the boy had gasped.

Ais looked up and saw that the boy seemed to have forgotten his earlier hesitation, and said a series of words:

"No, no, that's not it! I shouldn't have gone down to the lower level so carelessly. Miss Wallenstein did absolutely nothing wrong! On the contrary, I should thank you; you're my savior! Actually, I should be the one apologizing. I haven't thanked you properly; I've only been thinking about running away every time... I'm so sorry!"

Ais was startled to see the boy talking nonstop like a dam breaking and even apologizing to her.

The boy's face turned even redder. "Um, well, so..." His desperate search for words evoked a strange feeling in Ais, one that she couldn't quite describe.

(So ​​that's how he talks...)

Ais rarely had the chance to hear the boy's voice, and she was surprised to find that it was quite loud.

His eagerness to speak was even more genuine than Ais had imagined, like a little rabbit, which was quite amusing.

It felt like a character from a fairy tale had stepped out of the book and appeared before my eyes. His appearance and voice had come alive with color, revealing many expressions that Ais was unaware of.

Just as Ais was forgetting where she was, basking in the clear emotions that warmed her heart.

After speaking for a while, the boy suddenly lowered his head.

"You saved me so many times... I really thank you!"

His thanks reached Ais's ears.

After bowing for a while, the boy cautiously returned to his original posture.

Ais seemed to hear the sounds of countless misunderstandings being resolved. At least the boy wasn't afraid of Ais at all, and he also had something he wanted to tell her.

Why am I so happy?

Ais stared wide-eyed for a moment, then slowly broke into a smile.

The misunderstanding was cleared up, and the joy and happiness were mixed, forming a small smile.

However, seeing Ais's involuntary smile, the boy blushed deeply again.

"..."

"..."

The task was completed, and the words were spoken; the conversation ended there.

Ais stood at a distance where she could touch hands with the boy, the blue sky looking down on the two of them, and only the quiet time kept passing by.

The boy just stood there, occasionally shifting as if remembering something, and then quickly looking away when his eyes met Ais's.

Ais longed to talk to him again, to hear his voice, but she knew she didn't have much to say. Unfortunately, without common topics, Ais could barely exchange a few words with him; she couldn't chat as freely as Tiona and the others.

At that moment, Ais inadvertently remembered something.

"...You're exploring the dungeon quite thoroughly, aren't you?"

"Y-yes!?"

The boy reacted strongly when he heard Ais call his name.

At this moment, Ais asked a question that had been bothering her for a long time.

"I heard you've already reached the 10th floor... That's amazing!"

When Ais received the commission and searched for him all over the dungeon, she felt a sense of unease.

Moreover, I've started to get interested.

The boy in front of her had rapidly grown from a novice adventurer to someone capable of dealing with monsters on the 10th floor, which caught Ais's attention.

"Sigh, no, that's because many people are helping me. I... I'm still far from it! I'm still a long way from my goal...!"

Ais watched the boy, who seemed to be trying to hide his embarrassment and was acting flustered and modest.

At the same time, she couldn't help but have an idea.

If there were a secret to growing up as fast as a teenager.

(I can be even better than I am now...)

What flashed through my mind was the battle with the red-haired woman, Revis.

The attack on the 59th floor of the unreached area is just a few days away.

Many peaks lie ahead, waiting to be challenged. This is not a prediction, but a certainty.

Ais will likely find herself in a more intense battle, which will also affect her fellow members of the Familia. She needs greater power than she has yet.

Most importantly, she absolutely did not want to regret it.

We cannot lose anything.

She wants to reach even greater heights.

Even after reaching Lv.6, the incident on the 24th floor solidified Ais's belief in this idea.

"As for fighting style, I'm self-taught. I'm a complete novice and often do strange things, almost getting killed by monsters. I know I need to become stronger, but I'm just completely useless, utterly incompetent. I mean—...!?"

Ais wanted to know why.

I know the secret to his success.

Knowing the possibility of reaching the summit.

We know what power enabled the boy to grow so rapidly in such a short period of time.

Faced with the blushing, rapid-fire boy, Ais fell into deep thought.

She was troubled for a long time, weighing all sorts of things on a scale, and re-examining her inner self.

Finally, Ais was filled with trepidation.

A proposal was made to the boy.

"Then...would you like me to teach you?"

“…Huh?”

—Combat style.

that's it,

Ais became the boy's teacher.

Side Story: Sword Oratoria 3 Afterword

This third volume of the spin-off was written concurrently with the sixth volume of the main story, which was released two months later.

The main story has absolutely no dungeon content, while this other story seems to replace it, almost entirely revolving around dungeons. The author dreads hearing complaints every day: "Which one is the main story anyway?"

In the fantasy world, my love for the elves is no less than my love for the dwarves. These handsome men and beautiful women with long ears are exciting enough just to appear on screen. In fact, among the five races of demi-humans in this work, the elves have probably been the race with the most character development (up to the sixth volume of the main series and the third volume of the side story so far). The elves themselves are a very prominent character design, so when designing characters, I often easily choose elves if I hesitate.

The elves appearing in the work are shaped by the author's prejudices or personal wishes.

Their pride and sense of kinship (companionship) are exceptionally high; they are fastidious, allowing only those they trust to touch their skin; they are immortal; they possess outstanding magical potential… and so on. These inherent characteristics, often seen in various works, are all mixed in and become part of the elves in this book. I believe that because they demand that their hearts and appearances be more beautiful than others, they suffer more when they stop or are hurt. In this side story, where the unapproachable heroine of the main story carries the weight of the plot, it is perhaps inevitable that her junior is an elf girl.

In this third episode, a new assassin (an elf) appears.

While feeling sorry for the Amazon sisters who lost much of their screen time due to her appearance, we also hope that this new character will continue to enhance the work in the future.

Now, please allow me to proceed to the thank-you section.

This volume also has a limited edition, for which we owe a great deal of gratitude to editors Kotaki and Takahashi, as well as many other people. To Haimura Kiyotaka, who drew two beautiful covers for the regular and limited editions, I even seriously discussed with my editor which one to use for the regular edition cover when I saw the incredibly impressive limited edition cover sketch. To Takashi Yagi, who created the spin-off manga for *Monthly Gangan Joker* (published by Square Enix), thank you for your special travel manga; it's truly wonderful. And to all the readers who have graciously purchased this book, I extend my sincerest gratitude.

Please continue to offer your guidance in the future. Goodbye.

大森藤ノ

Side Story: Sword Oratoria 3 Illustration

Sword Oratoria 4 Gaiden: The Morning of Making a Decision...?

Taiwanese version adapted from Angel Anime

Image source: Yuuyu Murasaki

Scanned image by: Yuuyu Murasaki

Input: Dirty Donkey

Proofread by: Yuuyu Murasaki

The sky was shrouded in darkness.

Dawn was still far off in the east, and the west, north, south, and overhead were all still pitch black.

Although some time has passed since the start of a new day, it is not yet time to call it morning.

Ais got up much earlier than usual and came to the city wall—the huge city wall surrounding the labyrinthine city.

"...So sleepy."

She seemed a little sleepy. She spoke softly, dressed in light armor for exploring the labyrinth, with her beloved sword, the Sword of Despair, by her side.

The blonde, golden-eyed girl, dressed in silver armor and carrying a silver sword, looked somewhat sleepy.

Ahead of her gaze, the massive city walls overlooked the vast expanse of Orario. Most of the magic stone lights, scattered like a sea of ​​stars, had been extinguished, bringing a sense of tranquility to the area. Only South Street remained brightly lit—the bustling downtown area with its theater and casino, the adjacent red-light district to the east, and the northeastern district, an industrial zone that operated day and night, producing magic stone products.

Ais gazed casually at the magnificent view of the labyrinthine city where several more lights had gone out.

"..."

She closed her eyes, as if surrendering herself to the cool night air, trying to dispel sleepiness. At the same time, beneath her eyelids, the cause and effect of her current position on the city wall surfaced.

Just yesterday, Ais finally succeeded in apologizing to the white-haired boy, Bell Crane. She expressed her remorse towards the boy since the commotion at the Minotaur. Although it can't be called a reconciliation, the misunderstanding was cleared up, and the somewhat pointless chase between her and the rabbit finally came to an end.

However, Ais's relationship with the boy did not end there.

Bell says he wants to become stronger in order to achieve his goal, and that's how Ais becomes his teacher.

He was currently the sole member of a small [Family], and no experienced adventurer could teach him how to fight. The boy's face was flushed, and he stammered that he had entered the dungeon and was completely out of his element, or to put it bluntly, a complete novice.

Ais felt she couldn't stand idly by, so she offered to teach him combat techniques.

Your sincerity resonated with me and touched me deeply.

Ais used this explanation to tell the boy why she intentionally helped members of other factions.

That's not wrong—but it's not the truth either.

Ais offered to be Bell Craney's teacher in order to learn his astonishing secrets to "growth".

Bell had only been an adventurer for a month, yet his growth rate was remarkable. He had indeed achieved results and victories, enough to attract Ais's keen attention. Ais was determined to find out how he had rapidly reached the depths of the "upper level" of the dungeon.

In preparation for the attack on the "deep" 59th floor, which will begin in a week.

In order not to be defeated by the threat of the "hybrid" creature, Revis, who has revealed her true nature as a human and a monster.

Also for his own long-cherished wish.

Ais greedily pursues greater power and wants to understand Bell Crane's growth (everything) in order to leap to a higher realm.

(But, in that case...)

At the same time, this was also Ais's cunning, even ugly, wishful thinking.

The boy believed that Ais was teaching him fighting skills out of pure goodwill and had no doubts, but Ais did not tell the truth and deceived him.

A sense of guilt welled up inside her.

Returning to reality from her memories, Ais opened her eyelids, her golden eyes lowering slightly.

A sharp pain throbbed in her chest, which was encased in silver armor—she seemed to be making excuses, but she genuinely felt that she had to at least do something in return.

Driven by his long-cherished wish, he couldn't help but try to uncover the boy's "secret."