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

"You're the one asking me that! What nonsense are you spouting, you stinking Amazonian?!"

Seeing the first-level adventurers starting to argue, and Raul and the others rushing to mediate—seeing the usual scene of the Loki Familia—the members, who had been frowning all day, finally showed a hint of a smile on their faces.

Later, after a while...

After wrestling with Bert for a while and getting her hair all messed up, Tiona finally turned to a young girl and asked:

"What do you think, Rafia?"

"I……"

After distributing the light meals to everyone, Rafia, who was observing the discussion from a distance, revealed the sincere feelings that she had kept hidden in her heart until now.

"I'm still afraid of monsters... but I don't think those 'armed monsters' are like that."

"That's not it?"

"Compared to any monster we've encountered in the dungeon... they don't disgust me."

What she remembered was still the singing bird that had protected Alicia.

The things she saw during the retreat against the dark faction lingered in her mind.

The words she was about to say might alienate or condemn her from those around her; she fought against this fear and spoke clearly and plainly:

"I feel that those monsters... are like us elves, or all of you... have a 'heart' that cares for our fellow beings."

Rafia's voice echoed throughout the large restaurant.

The silence lasted only a moment.

Because Tiona immediately broke into a smile and hugged her.

"Yeah, I think so too! Those monsters are really considerate of their companions, right?"

"Miss Tiona...!"

Monsters are considerate of their companions.

This is an extremely strange statement, but there are indeed some signs that led them to have this idea.

The other members also seemed to recall the battle of the maze street and fell into deep thought.

The naive and carefree personality of Tiona, who never considers the occasion when she speaks, greatly eased the moods of Bert, who spat in disdain, Tione, who sighed, and Raul, who couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Tiona's innocent words and actions amused Lefia, and she couldn't help but feel relieved.

"..."

However, her face was immediately clouded with gloom.

In front of Lefia's line of sight—

After Finn and the others finished announcing what had happened, the first girl to leave the large dining room was a blonde with golden eyes; her seat was empty.

Illustration 51839

Moonlight streamed into the room.

The vast, dark night sky outside the window bathed the room, which was devoid of any lights, in a deep blue hue.

The grand dining room was still bustling with noise, but it was far away from her. The girl's room was so quiet that it seemed isolated from the world, unlike the mansion that shared the grand dining room.

"..."

Ais, dressed in a pure white loungewear dress, lay idly on the bed, hugging her legs.

She buried her face slightly between her knees, fluttering her long eyelashes as her gaze wandered across the sheets.

The moonlight, dreamlike and ethereal, dampened the girl's slender legs.

"Ais, I'm coming in."

A light knock sounded on the wooden door.

Even though Ais didn't respond, Rivera went into the room on her own.

She stood before the closed door, gazing at Ais's expression on the bed—the profile of a thoughtful girl, silent.

These past two days, the Loki Familia has been extremely busy cleaning up the mess caused by the "heretic" intrusion into the surface.

The aftermath of the devastation on Daedalus Road, which was turned into a battlefield, was particularly difficult, and emergency repairs are underway. The Loki Familia is also working tirelessly on the reconstruction efforts. They have no choice but to do so.

Not only that, but because the old god Uranus arranged for the management organization, the Guild, to officially announce that the "Armed Monsters" had been completely defeated by the Loki Familia, not only Finn, but also faction leaders such as Riveria and Grace were busy dealing with various matters. Riveria, in particular, was even busier as she also had to take care of the elves, including Alicia, who had been in contact with the "heretics."

They didn't even have time to listen to the troubles of this obviously strange girl in front of them.

"...Ais, what exactly happened to you on the day the incident occurred?"

From that day on, Ais remained silent.

She doesn't make contact with anyone; when Rafia or Tiona call her, she only gives a brief response.

She was simply trapped in a cage of frustration.

Unfortunately, Rivera could tell.

"..."

Ais did not answer the elven royal who was swaying her long emerald hair.

Instead, she asked in return:

"Rivia...Do heroes even exist?"

Ais raised this question.

Ais herself didn't understand why she would ask such a question.

"Everyone has their own hero... their own personal hero, right?"

"..."

This question is off-topic and has no answer.

In Ais's mind, the image of the boy standing in front of her to protect the monster girl flashed by.

Then came the dragon girl's tears, which overlapped with her childhood self.

The events of two days ago still leave her feeling extremely confused.

"...Those who blindly wait for heroes are doomed to perish, at least for most. Only a few can be saved by others."

Rivera reasoned with Ais, who seemed lost and seeking help.

This is a self-evident truth.

Ais, her expression ashen like a doll with her eyes lowered, began to murmur softly:

"I... failed to kill the monster."

"..."

"It's not because she spoke. It's not because she looks like a human... It's because she was crying."

"..."

"Just like I was back then..."

"..."

"I can't help but feel that...neither Bell nor that dragon girl did anything wrong."

"..."

"I... broke my promise to myself..."

This monologue was almost like a saintly woman reciting her sins.

Without any inflection or domineering tone, a clear and transparent voice rang out under the moonlight. The tone, almost like a confession, contained no self-blame, only despondency. Even Riveria had never seen Ais Wallenstein so unsettled.

Seeing Ais lower her head and hide her eyes, exuding an aura of loneliness, Riveria's face showed a sorrowful expression.

However, she immediately adopted the expression of a faction's vice-leader.

"Ais—if you are confused, I will not let you participate in the future man-made maze conquest operations."

"!"

Upon hearing these words, Ais suddenly raised her head.

Rivera stared at her sternly, almost declaring inhumanly:

"Now that we have the 'key,' the next battle will be a formal conquest, entering 'total war' with the dark faction. That strange man..."Her men will also be among the enemy forces. We don't have the resources to bring along someone who lacks the courage to wield a sword.

“B-But…”

"Indeed, without Sword Maiden <you>, the conquest operation will be much more difficult. But if a Level 1 adventurer <you> is defeated, the impact on the troops will be even greater."

"You might be a burden to everyone right now," Riveria made it clear to her.

Ais was completely speechless; she knew her situation better than anyone. Going into battle with this unstable mindset could indeed lead to the very situation that Riveria feared.

Ais lowered her head, as if swallowing her feelings of humiliation.

"...Ais, I'll tell you the truth."

Rivera, who was telling her the deputy commander's opinion, changed her tone at this point.

She adopted a tone of loving motherhood.

"From a personal standpoint... I'm happy to see your current confusion."

"...?"

"There isn't just one answer... You've started to have doubts about the black fire that possessed you. You don't necessarily have to follow the path you've already decided on."

At the same time, Riveria walked up to her.

He walked over to Ais, who was lying on the bed hugging her knees.

She received the golden gaze directed at her with her emerald eyes.

He then sat down beside Ais, gently combing her blonde hair with his hands, and offered her earnest advice:

"You should be confused, you should think. Until you suddenly see the light."

"..."

"And don't forget, you're not alone anymore. ...I can say it as many times as I want."

At that moment, Ais's eyes widened for the first time.

Rivera, who was always there to protect her, spoke words that clearly reached Ais's heart.

Embraced by her loving kindness, the stagnant and suffocating despair and anxiety were miraculously relieved.

"...I...I love you very much."

At that moment, Riveria suddenly said those words to her.

Ais was startled, even more surprised than before.

As for Rivera, she seemed to realize she had said something inappropriate, blushed, and averted her gaze in a completely unrelated direction. You would never normally see her with such an expression.

As if she were filled with resistance to what she was about to say, she hesitated for a long time before finally speaking:

"Although I can hardly be your hero... but I mean..."

When Rivilia got to this point, Ais knew what she wanted to say.

I sensed her genuine desire to become Ais's power.

At the same time, Rivera's shy appearance was so funny that Ais couldn't help but laugh.

She hasn't smiled in a long time.

"Thank you, Rivera..."

Words of gratitude flowed automatically from her lips.

She remained confused and had not found a solution.

However, my mood is completely different from not long ago.

The body, which could only stand still in the maze, is about to raise its head and move forward.

Seeing Ais smile just like she did when she was a child, Rivera, who had been at a loss, stopped what she was doing and a gentle smile appeared on her face.