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

The terrifying voice of the Elven royal family came from a branch tower in the main camp. Ais avoided the sound, stealthily creating some distance. Fortunately, she didn't brush past any of her teammates in the corridors or on the stairs, so she didn't have to worry about her location being reported.

There were almost no members left in the "Twilight Pavilion". Ais didn't know the details, but she heard that Orario was in a state of disorder and the members had all been sent to handle adventurer requests or mandatory quests.

In Ais's mind, Riveria had already been identified as the Queen of Terror.

She really couldn't understand the elf. Although Ais wasn't good at studying to begin with, she still felt the academic standards were ridiculously high. There were just too many books; how could anyone possibly memorize them all? Yesterday's harsh (Spartan) lesson still gave her a headache.

Even Loki, who is usually carefree, tried to persuade her with a stiff smile: "Okay, okay, Rivera~, it's only the first day, go easy on her a little..."

(I don't want to study anymore... I hate studying...)

As Ais made her way up and down the sky bridge connecting the two towers, she grumbled inwardly. In her mind, the heavy dictionary had become an allergen that triggered a resistance reaction.

Her expression was as if she had eaten something she didn't like, and the memory of the devilish teacher's various behaviors made her tremble all over.

(Studying is pointless; I don't have time for that kind of thing!)

At the same time, she felt a heightened anxiety, just as intense as her dissatisfaction.

She has other things she has to do, and other things she wants.

Ais desires the power to fulfill her long-held wish, a weapon capable of slaying monsters. What Ais wants can only be obtained on the battlefield.

Ais invaded the deserted library, sat down in a small gap between the corner of the room and the bookshelves, and rested her forehead on her knees.

(I absolutely have to become stronger...)

Ais, clutching an excessive desire that shouldn't be in her small chest, didn't know how to express it, so she tightly closed her eyes.

"...?"

Just then, Ais suddenly felt that something was wrong.

That was the message from her adventurer's intuition, which she had gained from personally venturing into dungeons and battling monsters.

Ais sensed something, lifted her head from her knees, and looked down...

"Hi."

A little human boy was standing right in front of her, smiling at her.

"Hoo-hoo!?"

"Oh dear, are you alright?"

Ais was startled and tried to back away, but the back of her head slammed hard against the wall.

When she saw stars, the person who was half-squatting spoke up to comfort her.

How did he know I was here? No, wait, when did he appear? Ais had no idea someone was approaching.

Finn, the dwarf leader who always wore a smile, startled Ais, who stared wide-eyed.

"How did you know I was here...?"

"Hmm—because you seem only focused on escaping from Riveria. For me, who's in the office (or elsewhere), it's easy to keep track of your presence."

Seeing Finn's beaming reply, Ais wondered, "He wouldn't have already told that elven royal about me being here, would he?" Just as Ais was starting to feel a sense of crisis, Finn replied, "I didn't tell Riveria." As if reading her mind, Finn answered her in this way.

"Riveria is a rather rigid person, so I had been thinking that you might run away one day... but I never expected that you wouldn't even last two days."

Ais saw Finn's wry smile, partly because she had nowhere to escape and felt embarrassed.

Ais didn't know much about this little human named Finn.

Even though people had told her that Finn was the leader of the organization, she just didn't really get the feel for it; she always felt that he had a gentle smile on his face. She just vaguely felt that he seemed easier to talk to than the elf Riveria.

The little man, whose height was similar to Ais's, looked up at Ais and asked her:

"Is Rivera's course very rigorous? Don't you want to go to class anymore?"

Finn looks like a teenager at first glance, but speaks with a mature tone; Ais finds the two incongruous and raises her eyebrows in disapproval. Since he is the leader of the Familia, it means he is also involved in this matter.

"I must become stronger! Let me fight! I don't have time to study!"

Aiss truthfully vented the dissatisfaction that had been building up in her heart.

"Studying is completely pointless!"

The little girl's voice echoed through the library.

Finn listened silently to Ais's plea, then calmly stood up.

"Okay. Then let's go outside."

"what?"

"You want to fight? Then I'll be your opponent."

Seeing Ais standing there dumbfounded, Finn revealed the same smile he had shown at the beginning.

"Let's have a practical demonstration."

Ais was taken by Finn to the central courtyard of the main camp, which was surrounded by several towers.

Since the area was visible from anywhere in the mansion, Ais was worried about being discovered by Riveria and kept looking around; however, Finn told her, "Even if Riveria comes, I will persuade her. I promise you."

The two are about to engage in a simulated battle.

Ais will fight Finn as her hypothetical opponent.

The short sword Ais is holding now is for training. Although the blade has been carefully dulled, it is still made of metal and remains quite powerful as a blunt weapon. If she were hit, the injury would likely be severe.

In contrast, Finn was only holding the stick he had pulled from the mop.

Finn lightly swung the wooden stick a few times to check its feel, then turned to face Ais.

"Well……"

"Hmm? What's up?"

"Um... is it alright?"

"Oh, you mean weapons? Don't worry, I don't need you to worry about that."

The little people responded with smiles.

Finn's manner of speaking revealed his bold and fearless confidence, which annoyed Ais.

Although Ais's personality has changed now, she used to be a naughty and competitive girl.

"Come on, let's begin. You can attack from wherever you want."

You don't need to tell me.

Ais raised her short sword and assumed a fighting stance, then pounced at the opportune moment.

"A frontal assault. Hmm—easy to understand."

「!?」

Finn, who was standing right in front of her, had disappeared. Ais staggered forward a few steps because her slash had missed its target.

She hurriedly turned around to look behind her, only to see that her opponent hadn't done anything, standing there calmly with an unchanged smile on his face.

Enraged, Ais raised her sword high above her head once more and approached her opponent.

"While her actions were decisive and her swordsmanship was sharp, she certainly had some impressive qualities..."

“Ouch!”

"Unfortunately, his combat skills are just too terrible."

Finn, displaying an air of nonchalant wit, deflected Ais's wild sword strikes one by one.

Although she was only seven years old, she had received [ability points], and her slashes possessed power and speed. However, attacks effective against monsters were completely ineffective against the adventurers before her.

Finn didn't make any special moves. He didn't retaliate, he just dodged with the agility of a swallow.

He wasn't particularly fast, nor did he display any flashy marksmanship.

He simply circled around Ais, calmly moving his position.

"...!?"

You can't hit it. You can't hit it at all. You can't even get a swipe.

When Ais came to her senses, she realized that she had clenched her teeth and was using all her strength to swing the short sword.

"Your 'skill' won't activate on me."

However, Finn easily dodged this attack.

Ais tried to unleash a powerful attack using her entire body, but all she managed to do was make loud, empty swinging noises. Each time this happened, beads of sweat would appear on Ais's face, and she would become increasingly breathless.

Just as the attack was dodged exactly fifty times, Ais was tripped by Finn as she brushed past him and easily fell onto the lawn in the courtyard.

"Is it over?"

"Ugh... Ughhhhhh!"

Ais stood up and roared, wildly swinging her sword around.

She didn't even notice that someone was quietly watching from the outside; she slashed at Finn, only to be slammed to the ground again and again.

Soon, Finn began his counterattack.

He thrust the end of the stick out, as if pointing out Ais's mistake, and lightly poked her waist or arm. Even though he didn't use much force, Ais's body simply slumped to the ground.

"Hmm, very weak."

"Ugh—!?"

Then, an exceptionally powerful impact struck Ais's body.

She was thrown into the air and landed face down on the lawn. The training sword fell beside her with a dull thud.

Ais could no longer move; she stared blankly up at the blue sky.

The little man, his golden hair swaying, came to her side and leisurely looked down at her.

"Your fighting style relies entirely on [ability values]... the power of 'skills'. Once the gilding peels off, this is what will happen."

"...!"

Ais's cheeks were flushed crimson.

It was a reaction caused by a combination of feelings of resentment towards the opponent in front of him and shame for his own humiliation.

She struggled to sit up, and Finn continued speaking to her:

"As first-level adventurers (we) often say, many adventurers are manipulated by their [ability stats]."

“Eh…”

"Many people rely too much on 'favors'. Ability and skill are two different things."

You are the same now. These words of comfort resonated in Ais's ears.

"What you lack is skill and tactics. And then there's a serious lack of knowledge."

"!"

"Forget about knowing how to maintain distance between enemies, you don't even understand the characteristics of weapons. You're just a child. Even if you go to the dungeon like this, you'll easily lose your life one day. I'm sure of it."

Facing those wide, golden eyes, Finn smiled gently and told her:

"Ais, we weren't always this strong either. We went through a lot of training, adventures, and learning. --Right, Rivera?"

"……yes."

Ais turned her head abruptly and saw Riveria standing at the entrance to the atrium leading to the tower.

She had been watching Finn and Ais's mock battle from the sidelines, and now she stepped down onto the lawn and walked over to them.

"There are so many things waiting for us to learn. There's also a mountain of knowledge waiting for us to integrate. Whenever I encounter a world I don't know, I hope to learn about more different things..."

"..."

"To achieve my own ambitions."

After hesitating for a moment, Riveria reached out her hand.

Ais looked at her face and hands, and although she hesitated for a moment, she still timidly took the hand.

A slightly cool, delicate hand gently pulled Ais up to her feet.

"Ais, your long-cherished wish...is more fraught with obstacles than our ambitions or goals. If you are to fulfill your wish, you must work even harder than we have ever done. Do you understand?"