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

"Honestly, he shouldn't have told me sooner if he was still alive! What a fool!"

"it hurts--!?"

Thud! Lina took a heavy punch to the head from Aisha, and her tied-up hair jumped.

"I... I had no choice! Nine Hell sealed my mouth and told me not to tell anyone! Besides, we've been locked up deep inside the clinic the whole time!?"

The girl tearfully explained that Riveria, fearing the assassins would strike again, had instructed her to hide until the commotion subsided. She loudly proclaimed that she was forced to participate in a plan where "to deceive the enemy, one must first deceive oneself."

Besides her, there were other battle prostitutes who had their lives saved by the secret medicine concocted by Amid, forming a long line. These Amazons had all given false reports, saying that the bodies had been transported to the cemetery.

"Samira cried terribly, and was even in a hurry to prepare a grave..."

"Sister, what can I do?! Hearing that so many of my comrades died, I thought I should at least offer some condolences, before...!"

"I'm sorry, Samira, I made you worry... But, as expected of the former Noble of the Sacrificial Utensils! You're so quick at making the grave!"

"You'd better act even more apologetic!"

"It hurts so much—!?"

Even the gray-haired Amazonian blushed and punched Lina in the head, causing her to scream in pain.

Aisha and her companions made their way through the unusually noisy atmosphere of a cemetery, each carrying large tools such as shovels or pickaxes. While it was beyond their control, their companions had already hastily prepared graves for themselves, and the purpose of their trip was to dismantle them all. Leaving behind graves they had made to feign death would inevitably lead to misunderstandings and bring bad luck. "We wasted all that money on tombstones!" Samira said angrily. The Amazonian group comforted her as they walked, and soon they arrived at their destination.

That was a piece of land that the faction bought before it collapsed.

That is the cemetery of the Ishtar Familia, where those who perished in the dungeon are buried.

"...Feluse and the others...are really...dead."

"Yes...the body has already been buried."

While Amid's magical artifacts saved many Amazonian lives, some succumbed to their wounds, such as those assassinated in the middle of the night or those discovered too late. Other lives were lost because the overall quantity of the rare elixir was insufficient to save everyone. Lina and her companions were rescued simply by luck.

Lina knelt before the newly built grave and solemnly closed her eyes.

She offered a few words of eulogy in prayer for her compatriots whom she could never see again.

I hope that one day I will be reincarnated and we can meet again under this sun.

"...Alright, tear down these extra graves! If these things keep sitting here, the deceased will definitely complain!"

Aisha dispelled the somber atmosphere that enveloped the people of the Amazon with a joking tone.

Lina and the others smiled back at her and planned to start dismantling the grave immediately.

However, at this moment...

"Um?"

"...Aisha?"

Lina was searching for her own tombstone among the rows of graves when Aisha suddenly stopped in front of her.

Lina tilted her head, puzzled. As the other Amazons' gazes also focused on this leader, her shoulders suddenly twitched, and then…

"Heh!... Haha! Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

She suddenly burst into laughter.

"W-What's wrong? What happened? Why did you suddenly start laughing?"

Aisha's eyes were filled with tears, and she clutched her stomach, responding only with laughter.

Seeing her burst into laughter and unable to reply, Lina puffed out her cheeks and peered out to see what it was.

"--ah."

At this moment, Lina was stunned.

Her grave is before me.

The white tombstone indicates that it is newly built.

There was something placed in front of the grave with the girl's name engraved on it.

Lina couldn't believe what she was seeing. Slowly and timidly, she reached out and picked up "that".

"Lina... the man you fell in love with really is hopeless."

Aisha wiped her eyes and spoke to Lina's retreating figure as she embraced "that."

"That" is something Lina particularly likes.

Besides Aisha, who heard about it, Lina only told one other person about "that".

Therefore, only one person would offer this at her grave.

"That guy is really picky."

Lina heard Aisha laugh and knew that her whole cheeks were burning.

A warm feeling gripped her chest.

As a female warrior (Amazon), she felt a surge of joy and love that she had never experienced before, no matter how much she fought.

With tears welling in her eyes, Lina hugged the object tightly, a smile blooming on her face as she called out to the bright blue sky, "Bert Roca—I love you—!!"

In the girl's arms, a bouquet of light blue (Don't forget-me-nots) flowers swayed as if smiling.

Side Story: Sword Oratoria 8 Afterword

The werewolf, who has never appeared before, has finally made it onto the cover.

The poor character who was beaten to it by the Amazon sisters in the sixth episode of the spin-off finally gets to unleash his fury and show his power. That's what the eighth episode is about.

When I was writing what is equivalent to the first volume of the main story, among the strongest faction members, only the sword-wielding heroine and the dwarf hero had clearly defined backgrounds. The settings for the other characters were still undetermined. I remember when I heard that GA Bunko intended to publish a spin-off series, I felt a sense of foreboding and panicked. The werewolf protagonist of this volume is one of them.

Whether within the work itself or among those involved, one often hears comments like "Bert is so annoying," "Hurry up and make Bert suffer," "Bert in the first episode was really annoying," and "The amazing thing about Mr. Oben's voice acting for Bert in the anime is that he's really annoying enough," a veritable chorus of criticism. However, the author didn't want to casually categorize him as a so-called "cannon fodder." Because I've always believed that this character, who creates the opportunity for the protagonist of the main story to truly begin his struggle, should possess the arrogance or pride of a strong person, or perhaps a certain aesthetic.

People are only truly broken when they are inspired by outstanding individuals. Without their guidance, it's difficult for them or their surroundings to change, even if they desperately try. Coupled with frustration and longing, the author feels that this is the essence of the story.

Now this character has the keyword "the roar of the weak" as its core, but even so, I still hope that in the future this character can gradually become something that cannot be described simply as "tsundere".

Now, allow me to move on to the acknowledgments section (the following contains major spoilers for this episode, so please be aware).

To editors Kotaki-sama, Takahashi-sama, and everyone at GA Bunko, I am truly grateful for your support once again. Especially during the discussion of the plot outline, Editor-in-Chief Kitamura strongly persuaded the author: "You absolutely cannot kill Rena!" Now that I have finished the final chapter, I am incredibly grateful to the editor-in-chief. Then, to Haimura Kyotaka-sensei, who created so many beautiful illustrations for this book amidst a chaotic schedule, please allow me to bow down in apology and express my deepest gratitude. Also, thank you to the staff, voice actors, and everyone involved in the production of the eighth volume limited edition CD drama. Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all the readers who have graciously purchased this book.

Although this is a bit long, please allow me to report one more thing.

It has been decided that the anime adaptation of the spin-off series *Sword Oratoria* will begin airing in April 2017. Following the main series, I want to thank everyone for their support in making this spin-off an anime adaptation possible. Thank you so much. To ensure the anime is as good as the one produced by the stellar staff and voice actors, the original creators will also work even harder.

I hope to have the opportunity to see you all again in the next episode. Thank you everyone.

Goodbye.

大森藤ノ

Side Story: Sword Oratoria 8 Illustration

The bonus features for the spin-off saga of Sword Oratoria 8 are sinful!!

"It took a lot of time to gather information... I wonder if Elfie and the others have already gathered?"

After asking the Amazons her questions, Lefia ran through the city streets.

Around noon, the entire faction went out into the streets to gather clues about the man-made labyrinth (Knossos). Lefia wanted to meet up with the other members who were gathering intelligence separately, and was on her way to the agreed-upon location when—"Hmm!?" she exclaimed.

From the corner of Lefia's field of vision, she unfortunately caught a glimpse of the white-haired boy and the blonde girl walking side by side.

(That human, and... Miss Ai, Miss Ais!? They're from another faction, yet they've shown up again...!)

Lefia slammed on the brakes, speechless for a moment, then turned bright red with anger.

She completely forgot her initial purpose and shouted, "Stop right there—!" as she rushed toward the boy Bell.

"Whoa!? Miss Reifia!?"

"Why can't you ever learn your lesson! What are you doing with Miss Ais again...? Wait, that's strange?"

The blonde girl who startled Bell was not Ais, but a renart girl.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that she was dressed as a maid. They were probably out shopping, as both of them were carrying bags.

"Miss Ai...? No, she's a newcomer to our [Family]..."

"Nice to meet you!" The fox-girl bowed her head in greeting, and Lefia, facing her, blushed with embarrassment.

Because Lefia had already constructed a relationship diagram in her mind of [white hair + blonde hair = Bell and Ais], she acted rashly... or rather, she made a serious misjudgment. Lefia's mistake this time was far too blatant.

(Ugh~ I made a fool of myself~ But what can I do when their backs look a bit alike! There's nothing I can do about it...)

The girl is so beautiful. Uh, no, of course Ais is prettier, right? No, no, they're different types, they can't be compared at all, but... anyway, the girl is so lovable and beautiful that even Lefia is stunned.

With long, golden hair somewhat resembling Ais's and beauty that rivals hers, the rude guy (Bell Crane) and this girl are walking together in harmony... cheating (guilty)?

Lefia lost control and had a brain fart, then unleashed her loud voice in the next moment:

"You...you...you already have Miss Ais! Are you cheating on me!?"

"Cheating?! Wait a minute! To be honest, I've never dated Miss Ais at all...!?"

"Is that even a question?! What nonsense are you spouting?! I'm simply saying that I can't forgive you for leaving Miss Ais out and walking with other girls!"

"That's so unreasonable—!?"

"They...they actually said I have an intimate relationship with Lord Bell...! Ahh, Haruhime can't take it anymore...!"

The elves and humans were arguing loudly in the middle of the road, and a shy fox-person with her hand pressed to her cheek became the focus of attention for passersby.

Side Story: Sword Oratoria 8 Special Edition includes a drama CD Episode 0: The Night Before the Expedition

The online translation is from the Kingdom of Light

Sound source: Zhujiu

Translated by: Zhu Jiu

Lefia: "Hey, is this all? High-grade recovery potions and mental energy recovery potions are ready, and the antidote is also prepared, plus a spare cloak. Hmm... I seem to have bought too much; my wallet is already..."

Elfi: "Re~Fi~A~!"

Lefia: "That voice... is it Elfi?"

"That's right~ It's Elfi Colette, Lefia's roommate! Hehehe, she's back home now!"

Lefia: "Seriously, don't suddenly hug me from behind... and this smell, have you been drinking?"

Elfi: "What's wrong with that? It's just indulging a little. It'll be a while since I'll be able to eat delicious food and drink fine wine, and I won't even have any snacks... We're going on an expedition starting tomorrow."

Lefia (That's right, the expedition starts tomorrow. Together with a large group of her fellow members, she'll venture into uncharted territories of the dungeon to challenge the unknown. The adventure is about to begin.)

(Announcer)

Lefia's "Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Side Story: Sword Oratoria - Episode 0: The Eve of the Expedition"

(Transition)

Lefia: "Seriously, while it's true that you'll be holed up in the dungeon for half a month, I understand how you feel... but have you made all the preparations for tomorrow?"

Elfi: "Hmm, no problem! Because I'll have Lefia help me, right?"

Lefia: "This is completely poorly done! Elfia, really..."

Elfi: "Hahaha, sorry, sorry! I'll do it, I'll do it right now. Hmm... so, has Lefia already packed her bags?"

Lefia: "Yes, the spare equipment and items are all packed in the spare supplies backpack. Ah, but I might have forgotten something... Let me double-check, ahhh..."

Elfie: "Hmm, she's getting all neurotic. But what can I do? After all, Lefia is a super rookie in the Familia~"

Lefia: "Super rookie...what's that?"

Elphi possesses extraordinary magical power and powerful skills, the most crucial being the overpowered "Summon Burst" spell. Not only within the Loki Familia, but among all mages in Orario, you are a super promising talent!

Lefia thought, "It...it can't possibly get to that point..."

Elphi: "Do you know what the gods are saying about you? 'You're cheating! You're cheating! You're a cheating fairy!' Ah... although I don't really understand what they mean by that."

Lefia felt like they were mocking her.

"After all, she's left us mages far behind since joining the group. As expected of the district's top student, she's really something else~" Elfi thought.

Lefia: "Do I feel... like you're mocking me?"

"I'm just being sarcastic! I'm so envious and jealous! Honestly, you should be more self-satisfied! Like, 'I am the elite mage, Lady Lefia!'"