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

"Actually, I just wanted you to lie down..."

Then she spoke her true feelings, and Bell blushed instantly upon hearing it.

"Miss Ais is a natural airhead, Miss Ais is a natural airhead, Miss Ais is a natural airhead...!?"

Upon hearing Ais's potentially misleading remarks, the boy seemed greatly shaken and lost his composure.

He held his head in his hands, muttering something to himself, as if admonishing himself.

Seeing the aura emanating from Bell that said "absolutely not to be misunderstood," Ais tilted her head slightly.

"You still... don't like it?"

“Eh!?”

Seeing that Bell was acting strangely, Ais asked him timidly, and he suddenly looked up.

Then his face turned even redder, and he stretched out his hands to vehemently deny it.

"I didn't dislike it!? On the contrary, I should say I benefited... Uh, no, no, no, I'm talking nonsense, that's not what I meant!? Um, I'm very happy, but! Uh, no, I didn't mean anything else...!?"

Bell's face turned as red as a ripe apple; he was panicked and babbled incoherently.

"So, you're willing to lie on my lap?"

"It's not so much that I'm willing, but that I really want to. It's so embarrassing, or rather, so shameful. I just couldn't resist when I fainted, so I had no choice but to accept it...!!"

"—So that means it's okay when you faint, right?"

"Huh?"

Aiss quickly stood up and raised her sword sheath.

Those golden eyes were fixed on Bell's head with longing.

Ais, with her competitive spirit, refused to succumb to Riveria's accusations. Most importantly, a desire stirred within her; she longed to have the white rabbit lie on her lap again. She wanted to be healed, to pet the fluffy white rabbit to her heart's content.

She approached step by step.

As the Sword Maiden (Ais) slowly closed the distance, exuding an unsettling atmosphere, Bell's lips twitched.

"Miss Ais, Miss Ais!? Your gaze seems a little strange!?"

You're overthinking it.

Startled, Bell raised his dagger and tried to back away, but his back was already pressed against a low wall, leaving him nowhere to escape.

Ais looked on with great interest, dismissed the boy's question with a single sentence, and the next instant, she pounced on him.

"Waaaah—" In less than two seconds, the screams reached the heavens.

A few minutes later.

On the city wall, Bell was seen unconscious, lying on Ais's lap.

Ais stroked the rabbit's bangs, and whether it was just her imagination or not, she seemed very happy and content.

Another few minutes passed.

The girl was so shocked to realize that she had completely misunderstood the purpose of the exercise that she swayed her shoulders.

After the boy regained consciousness, Ais kept bowing and apologizing to him.

◆

The test firing of "magic" or the artillery training of mages are usually carried out in dungeons.

Needless to say, this is because if someone dares to launch an attack spell in the city, it will harm the city and its citizens, and they will be arrested by the guild.

If it's in a monster-infested dungeon, or a battlefield, as long as it doesn't affect other people in the industry, you don't need to worry about being sued.

In order to prevent the effects of the "magic" and the content of the incantation from being leaked, the mages undergoing training will leave the regular routes of the dungeon and go to the edge of the floor.

"Please guide me, Miss Ais!"

Lefia was no exception, and she arrived at the "Cave Chamber" on the west side of the 5th floor of the dungeon.

It is morning six days before the "expedition".

As adventurers began to enter the labyrinth, the elven mage took the lead, occupying the outermost chamber. Ais, having finished her second day of training with the boy, stood before her.

The vast, square space they were in now had only one entrance and exit, and there was no one else in sight. There was no need to worry about the leakage of "magical" information, and it was also the most suitable place for test firing. In this kind of area suitable for mages to conduct artillery training, it was basically a case of "first come, first served"—the early bird catches the worm.

In order to earn income efficiently, novice adventurers often quarrel over monster hunting grounds, but mages are usually more rational and are less likely to start disputes over training grounds.

"However, I'm truly sorry, Miss Ais, but I would be grateful if you could accompany me during training..."

"No, it's okay."

Lefia apologized, holding her wand, while Ais, now lightly armed with a sword, shook her head.

Before the "expedition", Ais had already agreed to take care of the boy (Bell) in the morning and train Lefia from morning to evening.

After having breakfast together at headquarters, without letting Ais rest for a moment, she brought her to the dungeon. Although this made Lefia feel quite guilty, she was now full of energy and excitement to be face to face with Ais.

Even though Lefia was a little resentful about being ranked after the boy (Bell)—she could spend time alone with Ais from now until evening!

"See? Aren't you envious?!" Lefia shouted in her mind to the unknown young adventurer. The elven girl, burning with a fearless competitive spirit, was smugly proud to be with the girl she admired.

Fortunately, she had asked Ais to train her. Lefia was overjoyed and waited smugly for the training to begin.

"Alright, let's begin..."

"yes!"

"But what should I do...?"

"..."

Then, they encountered setbacks right at the beginning.

"I am a swordsman, so I don't know what I can teach Lefia, that..."

At this point, the two girls encountered the same fundamental problem.

Aside from adventurers' know-how, pure swordsmen have almost nothing to teach mages. The roles and combat methods of Lefia and her ilk, who delve into chanting techniques and artillery fire, are vastly different from those of Ais and her companions, who pursue melee combat and act as attackers.

"I've been thinking about what to do with Lefia since yesterday... but I still can't figure it out."

Ais lowered her head apologetically and spoke softly and weakly.

She had to think about this again, and for several days she had been thinking about the boy's (Bell's) instructions. Her head was about to explode.

Indeed, if one wants to improve their skills as a mage, it would be more helpful to continue seeking guidance from Rivera, who is also a mage, as before.

Lefia was so excited about training with Ais that she was completely blinded by joy. Now she felt ashamed of her short-sightedness and was sweating profusely.

Both the elves and humans gazed at the ground, sharing a heavy, deathly silence.

At this very moment, not even the distant howls of the monster could be heard.

"Um, what did you do with that human?"

Unable to bear the awkward atmosphere, Rafia asked the question without realizing it.

When asked this question, Ais recounted her training with the boy.

"I did a simulation exercise with that kid..."

Speaking of this——

Ais seemed to have a sudden inspiration and was thinking about something.

"...Lefia, has Riveria already taught you 'parallel chanting'?"

After a while, she asked her question in return. Rafia first looked surprised, and then nodded stiffly.

"Yes, I have. I've already learned the basics... uh, but it's not ideal..."

She blushed with shame and confessed to Ais.

Although I've learned the knowledge, I haven't been able to apply it in practice. At most, I can only chant while walking or jog.

Her master (Rivilia) determined that Lefia's "spirit and mind were not yet mature," and required her to engage in inner cultivation such as meditation. "Parallel chanting" remained a distant dream; for now, she could only focus on honing her chanting technique to complete spells quickly. Even shortening chanting time by just one second could reduce the burden on the party, and that one second was often crucial in dungeons. Chanting technique was the foundation and the mystery of mages.

Because Lefia has a soft heart—

The chief god (Loki) had said this to her before, but she didn't quite understand it.

In short, in order to absolutely avoid magical explosions (ignis fatuus) and remain calm in any situation, Lefia is learning what Riveria calls the "Heart of the Great Tree".

She blushed and spoke about her immaturity and the guidance she received, to which Ais nodded repeatedly.

"...Perhaps my actions will cause confusion with Riveria's statements and lead to undesirable consequences, but..."

Ais voiced her concerns while looking directly into Lefia's eyes.

"Would you like to practice 'parallel chanting' with me?"

—In the form of actual combat.

Ais said this to Lefia, who gasped in shock.

"If Lefia can learn this, she'll be able to fight alone...maybe."

Lefia swallowed hard.

That's practically a mobile artillery platform, the ideal target for a defensive mage.

If one can make good use of the teachings that Riveria has given them to thoroughly lay a solid foundation, and then have Ais hone their skills... combining Riveria's guidance with Ais's training, perhaps a breakthrough can be achieved.

At least something should change, Lefia thought with a hint of hope.

"I think Rivera probably wants to build Lefia's confidence first before teaching you 'parallel chanting'..."

"..."

"There must be nothing wrong with doing this... Maybe I'm just going to do something unnecessary."

What should be done? Ais left the final decision to Lefia.

Under the gaze of those golden eyes, Lefia lowered her head and gripped her wand tightly with both hands.

Ais is right. Riveria wants to first train her immature inner spirit, build self-esteem, and become a capable mage. This judgment must be correct.

But when will I be able to regain that self-respect?

When will I be able to have absolute confidence, to believe that I will no longer be a hindrance, standing beside Ais and Riveria, Tiona and Tione—those unattainable figures of my admiration?

one year later?

Five years later?

Decades later?

She couldn't wait—that would take too long.

Lefia must now disregard everything and strive for the top, otherwise she will not be able to stay by their side.

She recalled her helplessness during the Monster Philia and on the 24th floor, and thought that "if" she had learned "parallel chanting" back then, things might have been different.

I will definitely not hold Ais and the others back; at the very least, I can help them more.

Even if there are risks, she doesn't want to just look forward to the future, but to give her all in the present.

Lefia raised her head and looked into Ais's eyes.

"Please let me practice 'parallel chanting'! Please train me!!"

Then, she shouted with unwavering determination.

The goal is to learn "parallel chanting".

The goal is to make it a mobile turret.

Rafia held high her lofty goals, her eyes fixed resolutely on Ais. "I understand," she said, nodding in agreement.

They faced each other with serious expressions and determined the direction of the training.

"Then, try chanting while dodging my attacks?"

"yes!"

Ais pulled out the Sword of Despair, planted it in the ground, and raised the scabbard.

Lefia also raised her wand, recalling the basics of "parallel chanting" that Riveria had taught her, and how to pay attention to chanting and moving at the same time.

She grasped the reins of "magic," focusing first on the physical actions.