Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darou ka Gaiden – Sword Oratoria - Volume 4 - Chapter 2.1

LAST CHAPTER TO ADVENTURE 

It was noisy as they set up camp. 
Voices called out orders here and there, and boots hastily clomped about to fulfill those orders. Iron stakes were thrust into the ground and laced with rope as tents popped up one after another. 
They’d made it to the Dungeon’s fiftieth floor. 
Loki Familia was busy setting up their camp at a monster-free safe point—a large-scale respite between the legs of their expedition. 
As planned, the two parties had reconvened on the eighteenth floor before making their way to the depths—this fiftieth floor included—together. 
The vast forest around them was dyed gray as though covered in the volcanic ash of a recent eruption. Clear, branching streams of green like veins on a leaf flowed among its mighty trees, and high above them, dozens of meders or so, an abundance of great stone pillars like stalactites shone down on them with a soft phosphorescence. 
The spot Loki Familia had chosen for their base camp was atop a giant boulder looking down on the ashen forest. 
From within that dim twilight, as magic-stone lanterns swayed atop tents and stacks of cargo, a commotion far different from the usual hustle and bustle of work was brewing. 
“What is up with Bete and the others?” 
“That’s what I wanna know…” 
“They’re even more intense than normal…” 
Raul, Aki, Leene, and the other second-tier members could be seen with their heads low, furtive whispers passing among them. In their sights were the Amazonian twins, the werewolf, and the others in the collection of first-tiers. 
Tiona was pacing back and forth, Urga in her hand as she let out one frustrated moan after another. Tione, too, was silently spinning her Kukri knives around and around and around. And Bete was busy terrifying Hephaistos Familia’s High Smiths with his menacing expression. 
All of them were on edge, no one saying a word as they simply paced about the perimeter, which, in turn, was making the lower-ranking members restless. Finn and the others, currently issuing orders just outside the headquarters, heaved weary sighs at the young first-tiers. 
Even Lefiya, busy hauling cloth for the tents, threw a worried glance at them—and Aiz. 
“…” 
Aiz paid her no heed, gazing down at the scenery below from her spot atop the boulder a short way from camp. 
As her eyes took in the vast forest, her mind was somewhere far different—lost in memories of the event she’d witnessed up on the ninth floor. 
—The minotaur was defeated. 
The boy Bell had fought the great bull on the ninth floor. 
That accomplishment, performed by a lower-level adventurer, left everyone in silence. Nobody moved. Nobody could look away. And Aiz’s eyes were glued to his back. 
The boy had spent his entire self and had fainted right then and there, yet remained standing. 
As he stood, frozen like a statue, his bare back revealed his Status. 
Through his tattered linens, through the blood and dirt, the Falna revealed something extraordinary. Aiz’s eyes sharpened like swords. 
Every single one of his abilities had reached S. 
It was a Status that defied every rule in the book. 
The lingering vibrations of the shocking truth of hieroglyphs refused to dissipate. He had broken past all limits. As the reality struck home, the pounding of her heart and rush of her blood buzzed in her ears. 
Not even realizing it, she took a step toward the boy. 
She took one step, then another. The grass folded beneath her feet. Her breathing stopped. The Dungeon’s phosphorescent light washed over her face. The boy’s back grew larger and larger in her field of vision. 
Finally, she came to a stop. 
Next to the boy, the young prum girl had collapsed onto the ground, her strength depleted from loss of blood. But Aiz paid her no mind, her golden eyes focused on the spectacle in front of her. 
At the ability and skill slots of his Status, hidden by blood, dirt, and bits of torn undergarments. 
She wanted to know. 
Her one true wish drove her to learn about the secret to his growth, and she raised her arm. 
Ever so slowly, Aiz extended her hand toward the frozen boy’s back. 
“—Don’t. To go any further would be improper.” 
“!” 
Riveria appeared next to her, grabbing her wrist. 
Aiz’s shoulders gave a start. She’d been so absorbed in those hieroglyphics, she hadn’t even noticed the elf draw near. 
She turned her head to meet Riveria’s jade-colored gaze. 
Eyes moving back and forth like a lost child’s, she finally hung her head. 
“…I’m sorry.” 
“…” 
Relaxing her arm, she let it drop, and Riveria released her wrist. 
Tiona, Tione, Bete, and Finn simply watched in silence as the two women hid the boy’s secret from view. 
Riveria immediately began tending to the boy, and Aiz did whatever she could to help. She covered his bare shoulders with a light tunic, averting her gaze from his cut and bruised features behind his bangs, as if in apology. 
Soon, Aiz had him on her back, while Riveria carried the prum girl in her arms. 
They went to Finn, asking if they couldn’t transport the two wounded to Babel’s infirmary. 
Upon receiving his permission, they started for the surface, and Finn and the others headed back to the main route to meet up with the others. 
Aiz said nothing as they made their way to the infirmary, concentrating on nothing but the weight of the boy on her back. 
Once there, they laid the two of them on a pair of infirmary beds before leaving them in the charge of the clerk. Then they instructed the messenger sent from the manor to relay the information about the minotaur’s appearance in the upper levels and accompanying details to the Guild. 
Just as the messenger was leaving with Riveria’s report, a certain young goddess came barreling into the infirmary. 
“Where’s Bell?!” 
Struggling to breathe and completely exhausted, Hestia looked back and forth between the two beds containing Bell and the prum girl. 
She must have heard he’d been carried out of the Dungeon, because she was still dressed in her shop uniform. With giant, sloppy tears she clutched the boy’s peacefully sleeping face to her chest. 
Aiz and Riveria were already at the door, ready to leave, but they turned to the newly arrived goddess and explained the situation. 
“…Thank you. Both of you,” she said after listening quietly. 
Then the two of them left her in peace. 
It hadn’t taken them long to reconvene with Finn and the others down in the Dungeon, now accompanied by Gareth and the rest of the rearguard troops. 
After reorganizing their expedition party on the eighteenth floor, they had departed for the depths. 
Witnessing Bell’s adventure had lit a fire in the bellies of the first-tiers—Tiona, Tione, Bete—and they’d practically launched themselves on every monster they’d come across. As a result, they’d progressed much faster than anticipated, reaching the fiftieth floor in only around six days. This intensity and complete disregard for the lower-ranking members baffled Raul and the others—they knew nothing about what had happened on the ninth floor. 
I… 
The ceaseless soliloquy had dominated Aiz’s mind since that day. 
The boy’s gallant figure. His driven heart, burning bright. 
That back the same as her father’s from her memories. 
His Status that defied limitations—and the possibilities it entailed. 
Aiz’s heart swirled with emotion as the scenes raced through her head. 
 
Once they were finished setting up camp, everyone in Loki Familia settled down for dinner. 
Making a large circle around the campfire in the middle of the tents, they helped themselves to their meal as they’d done many times already throughout the expedition. The food was lavish—a show of appreciation and a morale boost to the members who’d made it all the way to the fiftieth floor that included such luxuries as mruit and other Dungeon-grown fruits and dried meats, as well as soup from a giant pot. 
Even Hephaistos Familia’s High Smiths had joined the circle of boisterous eating and drinking. 
“Why’s everyone been so weird for the past fifty floors?” 
As a few guards patrolled the environs, Tsubaki sat herself down with a thud in front of Aiz and the others, jerky hanging from her mouth and bowl of soup in her hand. 
It turned out that the High Smiths under her command were plenty strong enough and had no need for protection. As they deftly dodged the occasional surprise attack with a variety of martial arts, they always calmly followed Loki Familia’s commands, and not even Irregulars could throw them off guard. Tsubaki would sometimes even stray from the group upon catching sight of rare monsters in hopes of snagging their drop items and had no trouble bashing the poor creatures to smithereens with her tachi. Eventually she did stop, but only after ignoring so many warnings that Riveria finally gave her a wallop with her staff. At any rate, despite everything, the whole group managed to make it to the fiftieth floor without losing a single person, High Smiths included. 
In response to the unabashed question from the half-dwarf in black, Tiona paused between greedy gulps of food to open her mouth. 
“We saw this amazing adventurer on our way to the eighteenth floor. Haven’t been able to sit still since!” 
“That so? Who was it?” 
“Uhh…Crell Banell?” 
“Ho-ho…I’ll make a note of that one.” 
The weapons master jotted down the “amazing adventurer’s” name at Tiona’s half-baked response. All the while, Aiz simply sat next to them, silently replenishing her nutrients. 
Still deep in thought, she ate nothing but one of the ration blocks Lulune had given her. 
“Let’s begin our final meeting, then, shall we?” Finn said, and the group, now finished with their meal, started making their final checks. 
Everyone in the circle cleaned up their utensils, ears keen. 
“As was communicated previously, only a select few will be continuing on past the fifty-first floor. Everyone else, Hephaistos Familia included, will remain here to guard the camp.” 
They wouldn’t be able to take anyone below a certain level of ability, not even supporters. The larger the group, the more time and energy it would take to dole out orders. They needed a party that would be light and agile, which was why only the familia elites would be making the trek to the untraversed depths. 
The rest of the crew would stay back to protect the base camp, which would serve as a sort of depot for the departing party. 
“The party will include Riveria, Gareth…” 
They wouldn’t set out until tomorrow, once they had gotten plenty of rest. 
After Finn finished listing the seven names of those who’d take part—the familia heads and elites, all of them first-tiers—the supporting members were called forth. 
“As for support members, those joining include Raul, Narfi, Alicia, Cruz, and Lefiya…” 
Lefiya had already known she’d be joining, but somehow, hearing her name made her throat buzz with an inaudible scream. 
In a lineup of Level 4 supporters, the Level 3 elven magic user couldn’t help the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. 
“For those remaining in the camp, should any of those new species of monster spawn nearby, fend them off from afar via magic swords and spells. Do not let them close to the camp. I’m leaving you in charge, Aki.” 
“Yes, sir!” 
They would need to be on the watch for the caterpillar monsters and their acidic venom, Finn continued. 
The catgirl, who had been assigned to a position of leadership as opposed to support like Raul, rose to her feet in acknowledgment. 
“Tsubaki will also be joining the party to tend to our weapons.” 
“Leave it to me, boss!” Tsubaki replied with a smile and a nod. Rather than fearing the unknown, the Level 5 smith’s heart appeared to ache with excitement at the opportunity to explore the Dungeon’s unexplored depths. 
Once all the directives had been issued, Tsubaki rose from her cross-legged position on the ground with a burst of energy. 
“Well, then! Shall we go ahead and hand things out?” she proclaimed abruptly to Finn and the others, her eyes directed at the baggage of her fellow High Smiths. The group began pulling out cloth-wrapped weapons and handing them to their respective owners. 
There were five of them. One for each of the first-tier adventurers, excluding Aiz and Riveria. 
“As requested…your Durandals.” 
Finn, Gareth, Bete, Tiona, and Tione each took hold of a bundle, pulling away the cloth to reveal the weapons underneath. 
They were met with the glimmer of finely honed silver. 
“I call it the Roland series. Each one of them comes exactly as ordered.” 
None of the first-tier adventurers could tear their eyes away from their weapons. 
Finn with his long spear, Gareth with his mighty ax, Bete with his twin blades, Tiona with her giant sword, and Tione with her halberd. 
It was a set of gleaming, indestructible armaments that only a master smith like Tsubaki could ever hope to create. Five beautiful works of art, their blades imbued with hidden power and durability. 
As the weapons’ owners tried out the feel of the Roland series in their hands, those around them let out sighs of wonder at the beautifully crafted Superiors. 
“Thank you, Tsubaki. These are exactly according to specification.” Finn shouldered his long spear with a smile. 
“Durandal, huh? A lot lighter than I expected!” Gareth exclaimed as he held his giant ax aloft with one hand. 
“What, you didn’t request something like that other stupid thing you call a weapon?” Bete mused, sheathing his twin blades as his thoughts went to Tiona’s oversize (and nonstandard) weapon, Urga. 
“Didn’t have much of a choice! Got told she wouldn’t be able to finish everyone’s stuff on time for the expedition if she had to make something like my Urga,” Tiona responded with a frown as she swung her large Durandal sword through the air. 
“A-a halberd, Miss Tione? Really?” Raul eyed Tione’s two-meder-plus weapon as beads of sweat formed along his hairline. 
“Well. You know. Figured something like this’d be better against the critters we’ll be up against past the fiftieth floor,” Tione replied, nonchalantly giving the mighty weapon a test slash. It cut through the air with a crisp slice. “It really is light,” she murmured, eyes narrowed. 
“I used only the best materials! And took care to make each one as powerful as could be. There’s a few differences here and there depending on the shape, but I can guarantee at least second-tier attack power outta each one of ’em,” Tsubaki said with a satisfied nod, watching them hold her weapons. 
While Durandal weapons could maintain their sharpness after countless violent battles, their attack power wasn’t as high, which was the reason she’d waited until right before their main mission—their advance to the fifty-first floor and beyond—to pass them out. 
While their new weapons were still attracting lingering excitement from the other familia members, Finn finally opened his mouth. 
“Very well. We should adjourn to make final preparations for tomorrow. We’ll set out during the guard change at four AM.” 
At the prum’s orders, the group began to disperse. 
Some of them left for their assigned tents, some went to check on the status of the guards, and still others made their way to the High Smiths for a bit of discourse. 
Aiz, too, got to her feet, fully prepared to vacate the premises. Until. 
“Sword Princess,” Tsubaki called out before walking over to her. Her finger was pointed at Aiz’s waist, the uncovered red eye honing in on what dangled there. 
“Lemme take a look at that weapon of yers. It could use a bit of servicin’,” she said, referring to Desperate, Aiz’s weapon of choice for the past fifty floors. While the Dungeon’s monsters had done their fair share of work on it, it was the fight with Ottar that had really worn the blade down. A craftsman like Tsubaki could tell with a single glance that it needed repairs. 
“…Thank you,” Aiz responded with an obedient nod. 
With the meeting adjourned, the middle of the camp was empty. 
Surrounded by tents, Tsubaki procured her portable furnace and whetstone before taking Desperate from Aiz. She first stripped from her armor—down to nothing but her usual hakama and chest wrap—then got to work, ample cleavage and tanned skin bare. 
Aiz found a small pedestal and sat herself down in front of the weapons master. 
“So that little girl’s all grown up and representin’ the city, huh?” 
Around them, others were starting to do the same. Groups of adventurers came to the High Smith in hopes of sharpening their weapons, watching over her as she did her work. 
Among this assemblage of weapon-fussy adventurers, Tsubaki started up a conversation. 
“I shoulda called dibs on ya, yeah? What a waste,” she said with a laugh, busying herself with the blade. She explained that she’d never been able to get herself a skilled customer like Aiz, even outside her normal contracts. Despite the words of remorse, she didn’t seem particularly regretful. 
The craftsman who’d made a name for herself long before Aiz had even joined Loki Familia seemed to be in a rather nostalgic mood. 
“Ten years ago—wait, was it nine? Anyway, back then you were like a naked sword.” 
“…” 
“Fighting, fighting, fighting no matter how much damage your blade took. I remember thinking to myself, That girl’s gonna get herself killed! Such a little tyke, you were…” 
Aiz listened in silence as Tsubaki talked. 
“I’m gonna be frank with ya, Sword Princess. Back then, I would never have imagined wantin’ to craft a weapon for you,” Tsubaki confessed, looking down at the dulled sword in her hand. “Most adventurers of character’d be champin’ at the bit for a smith the moment they found somethin’ glittery to make it from, but not you, Aiz,” she continued as she honed Desperate’s blade. “Which is only natural! Haven’t you ever wondered why those folks who’ve never handled more than one sword don’t make themselves new ones?” 
“I…” 
“I’ll tell ya why! ’Cause those folks don’t think of themselves as weapon users. They themselves are the weapons under construction!” Tsubaki continued before Aiz could finish her hesitant thought. “You know, all the gods found it very ironic when they gave you that alias, ‘Sword Princess.’” 
“…” 
“They just wanted to see when you’d finally break,” Tsubaki said with a rather malicious grin, glancing up from the sword to the girl. 
The girl who, until only a few years ago, had kept fighting and fighting with that worn-down, chipped sword. 
All of a sudden, the words Loki had instilled in her rose from the back of Aiz’s mind. 
“Those who push while runnin’ full-out will always trip.” 
The memory of her goddess’s advice playing in her head, she glanced up at the woman in front of her now, her gaze meeting Tsubaki’s right eye. 
“But you’ve changed now.” Tsubaki laughed softly. 
“Huh…?” 
“You’ve mellowed out. People who don’t know you might still say you look like a doll, but your face really is softer.” Tsubaki’s eye narrowed as though she were some sort of all-seeing oracle. 
Aiz’s expression, on the other hand, clouded at the smith’s words. 
Even Aiz had come to realize it—the fact that she, herself, was no longer a sword. 
Hearing from someone else that she’d “changed” was more evidence than any that the girl she’d once been, who’d fought and fought and fought without looking back in order to achieve her heart’s desire, was somewhere in the past. 
She couldn’t help the anxiety bubbling in her belly. Her attachment to her dream was waning, though she’d once have done anything to achieve it. 
Her thoughts drifted back to her fight with Ottar, to the boy’s limit break, and, finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. 
“Do you think I’ve grown…weak?” she asked Tsubaki. 

If she wasn’t a naked sword any longer, did that make her nothing but a beast with broken fangs? 
“You’ve gotten stronger, haven’t ya? Just look at yer level! Up and up and up.” The half-dwarf guffawed. 
“That’s not what I mean,” Aiz responded, her voice unusually hard. 
That expressionless exterior referred to as a “doll” by so many was cracking. 
I… 
—I wonder if I’m paying for my past. 
She thought back to her father, how she’d seen him along with the boy’s back, and how happy that made her. Is this enough? Is this truly all you can do? asked the impatient voice in her head. 
As Aiz’s gaze turned downward, Tsubaki just smiled, eyes closed as she continued sharpening the girl’s sword. 
“Well, you’re plenty sharp enough now, I’d say. I think it’s just that you found your scabbard.” Tsubaki continued with a smile as Aiz raised her head. “When you’re safe in your sheath, you don’t need to stay as sharp as a tack. Then, whenever you cross an enemy to kill, you can flash right out at ’em.” 
A scabbard. A place to store a blade. A place of rest for a sword like Aiz. 
Tsubaki’s eyes bored into her as she spoke. 
“What it all comes down to is yer friends.” 
Loud noises clashed against the Dungeon ambience. 
Grunts accompanied the whp, whp of a large silver blade sweeping through the air. The copper-skinned girl’s long pareu fluttering, she practiced her dance of swords beneath the starlike phosphorescence of the Dungeon’s domed ceiling. 
“Grrr…It’s just not right! This isn’t Urga!” Tiona grumbled, the large Durandal sword, Roland Blade, in her hand and her head tilted in displeasure. 
She was training by herself atop the flat rock overlooking the underground woods along the camp’s eastern border, forcing her muscles to adjust to the new weapon she’d be using against the caterpillar monsters. 
Each of her lightning-fast test slashes left afterimages hanging in the air. 
Blood rushed to her tanned limbs with the effort, tinting them a faint pink, and the muscles of her abdomen tensed as sweat tickled her belly button. Finally, with a breathy sigh, she brought an arm up to wipe at her face. 
“Didn’t I tell ya to get some rest, Missy?” a dwarf asked, exasperation evident on his face. 
“Huh? Oh, Gareth.” Tiona glanced over, resting her sword on her shoulder. “But I can’t help it! I’m all wound up. Can’t sit still.” 
“…’Cause of that lad you saw, hmm?” 
“Yeah!” she responded with a happy nod. 
Gareth hadn’t been with the vanguard group at the time, but he’d heard about what happened from Finn. He could only sigh at the girl in front of him overflowing with even more energy than usual. 
Though Gareth had no idea who this mysterious adventurer could be who Finn and the others kept talking about, he had a couple of choice words he’d like to share with him. Mostly in regard to what he’d done to his companions. 
“I mean, it was just so amazing! Like a hero straight out of legend!” Tiona continued boisterously, unaware of the dwarf’s inner grumblings. “He went up against that big thing even knowing he was no match! And, and guess what? He beat ’im!” Her cheeks red and her face alight, almost as if she’d been the one to perform the feat herself, she laughed skyward. 
Beyond the mass of phosphorescent columns lining the domed ceiling. 
Toward that floor high, high above them where the boy had proved victorious. 
“No matter what happens tomorrow, no matter what enemies we come across, I’m gonna fight—just like that boy!…And I’m gonna protect them. Aiz. Lefiya. Everyone.” 
Her eyes narrowed as she gazed up at the stardust radiance. 
Defeat wasn’t an option in her mind. They would return to the surface. Every single one of them. 
As Gareth looked at her, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Seems I’m just worryin’ for nothin’, huh?” he muttered with a wry smile, hand going to the ax on his back. 
As he readied the mighty Durandal weapon in his grip, Tiona looked at him curiously. 
“Shall we have a go, then, eh? Come!” 
“Really?!” 
“Only if you promise to cool off afterward and get some sleep.” Gareth chortled lightheartedly, to which Tiona responded with a wide grin. 
“Okay!” 
With a mighty swing of her sword, she was off, and the practice bout between Amazon and dwarf began in an instant. 
It wouldn’t be a lullaby that rocked her to sleep that night but the violent clashing of weapon on weapon. 
“I will not slow down Aiz and the others…I cannot slow them down…” 
Mumble, mumble. 
Lefiya was alone in her tent, talking to herself. 
She’d been chosen. She would accompany them on their trek to the unknown. The unexplored depths where nothing but danger awaited, and where she’d have to provide protection for Aiz and the others. 
Again and again she mumbled the words to herself, like a mantra, her eyes closed in meditation. She would need to be able to put everything she had on the line tomorrow. She needed to be perfect. 
“…I cannot fail…I simply cannot fail…Not tomorrow…” Her concentration had already derailed, the curse-like words spilling from her mouth only building the pressure inside her. 
Her every muscle had locked itself in place. Her heart felt liable to burst from her chest. Anxiety flooded her entire being. 
“A little tense, are we?” 
Lefiya let out an “Eep!” as two hands came down on her shoulders. 
She sprang to her feet, whirling around in a flurry of surprise. 
“Miss Tione! When…When did you get here?!” 
“I’ve been here a little while now…” Tione responded, somewhat bewildered at Lefiya’s reaction. 
“W-well, uh…Why are you…here?” 
“Mmn, was feeling antsy. Thought I might go swing the iron a bit like that idiot sister of mine, but, well…the captain needs me,” she replied, fingers threading through her long black hair. 
When Lefiya shot her a puzzled look, Tione peered back at the elf in an equally inquisitive manner. 
“So…what were you doing, hmm?” 
“Me? I, well…I was…meditating…to ensure I do not fail tomorrow…” she responded somewhat vaguely, head pointed toward the ground. Realizing her abilities might not be equal to those deep floors, her voice grew smaller and smaller, trailing off into nothingness in front of her first-tier companion. 
Tione could only sigh at her worked-up subordinate. Drawing close, she took Lefiya’s cheeks in her hands. 
“Huh…?” 
“Lefiya.” 
“Wh-what is it?” 
Lefiya’s face reddened at the sudden touch. Tione’s fingers curled softly against her skin. 
“Remember what Aiz said back on the fifty-first floor? That we’ll protect you, so you can just lie back and take things easy.” 
Lefiya found herself gazing up in wonder at the other girl, the warmth from her hands filling up her cheeks. 
Tione’s words were like a gentle whisper, an older sister’s admonition. 
“And what is it that’ll save us?” 
“…My magic,” Lefiya replied, bringing a smile to Tione’s lips. 
Soon, Lefiya was reaching for her in an embrace considerably more restrained than Tione’s, to which Tione responded by running her hands through the girl’s hair with a gentle coo. Despite her embarrassment, the tension left Lefiya’s shoulders at the Amazon’s words, at the warmth radiating from her skin. 
The contact between them was like that of close sisters. “Th-that tickles!” Lefiya giggled, leaning backward, before both of them went tumbling to the ground with flustered eeps. 
Golden hair mixed with black atop the cloth of the tent floor, their gazes turned skyward, and mirth lit up their eyes. 
“If you’re feeling nervous, I could sleep here with you?” 
“I…That is…are you sure?” 
“Of course! I can never get any sleep in that tent with Tiona talking the way she does and moving around in her sleep.” 
Tione brought her forehead to Lefiya’s with a little clunk, returning the flush to Lefiya’s face and eliciting a smile. 
Perhaps, for just a moment, she could forget about tomorrow and the journey into those uncharted depths. 
And then she’d fulfill her role in hopes that she’d be able to play and laugh and joke just like this once more. 
“If you want, we can sneak into the captain’s tent. I’d definitely be able to fight my best tomorrow after a night with him in my arms.” 
“I am not so sure that’s a good idea…” 
“Not good…This is not good!” 
Frantic muttering came from within one of the camp’s large shelters. 
It was a group tent for the familia’s male members, and one of them, Raul, was currently fretting even more than a certain elven magic user. 
He was off in a corner by himself, legs trembling as he sat in a chair. The mix of men and women in the tent, currently taking a break with a card game, threw him occasional looks of concern. Raul was currently the only person in the tent who wasn’t part of the defense party that would stay behind to guard the campsite. 
Indeed, he was the only one of them who’d accompany Finn and the others into the uncharted depths. 
“Take it easy, Raul! Pull yourself together!” 
“A-Aki…” 
The catgirl had been inspecting her one-handed sword and round buckler when she’d taken notice of Raul’s pathetic visage, and the sight prompted her to approach her male companion. Her slender hand gripped his shoulder, drawing his glance upward. 
Raul’s face was pale, almost ghostly. Aki’s brow furrowed. 
“This isn’t the first time you’ve gone past the fifty-first floor, yeah? And you came back alive, didn’t you? Have a little faith in yourself!” 
Raul could only hang his head at the black catgirl’s forceful words of encouragement. 
“I’m a mess…” came his choked reply. 
Anakity Autumn. 
She was a Level 4, second-tier adventurer of Loki Familia, the same as Raul, and known by her friends as Aki on account of her name being hard to pronounce. 
Her shoulder-length black hair matched the alluring black fur of her ears and tail. Her slender elegance was enough that the womanizing goddess Loki had scouted her personally. Highly capable, with the Status to prove it, she’d been tasked by Finn to lead the party that would remain in the camp. 
Raul had always thought her a far superior adventurer to himself. Calm, cool, and collected, with guts like iron, and always available for a little advice and encouragement, even now—it was easy to see why she’d been put in charge while the first-tiers were away. 
“But…but last time one of those new species almost killed me! What if…What if this time they finish the job? Aki…If I don’t come back, would you…send the money I’ve been saving in my room to my family back home…?” 
“Not this again!” 
Having been inducted into the familia at around the same ages, Raul and Aki made up what was known as the “second team,” which supported and sustained Aiz and the others in the main party. They’d been called upon their fair share of times to accompany the first-tiers on whatever venture they were planning. 
Overhearing their conversation, another girl in the tent timidly raised her hand. 
“Is…Is it really so dangerous down there? Past the fifty-first floor?” 
Leene raised the question, her braided pigtails dangling behind her. 
Her inquiry sparked another series of tremors all across Raul’s body. 
“It doesn’t matter how many lives you have, it’s never enough,” he replied, voice trembling. “Descending into the fifty-second floor is like descending into hell itself. Everything you thought you knew about the Dungeon is rendered completely moot.” 
There was gravitas in his voice that plunged the entire tent into silence. 
Every one of the lower-ranking members had shut their mouths. Even Aki had zipped her lips, saying nothing. 
It was so quiet, you could hear someone gulping toward the back. 
“—Raul, you shouldn’t scare them like that. It’s your duty as their superior to encourage, not start a panic.” 
“M-Miss Riveria! I’m…I’m sorry…” 
The high elf pushed open the flap of the tent before entering. 
Every elf in the tent snapped to attention as the vice-captain’s eyes scanned the room. Raul just hung his head apologetically. 
“You have nothing to fear, I assure you. Even if one of those new species were to appear, you’ll be able to pick them off from afar before they can draw near. Or are you saying you won’t be able to handle that?” she asked provokingly, staff in her hand and jade-colored hair swaying. “All you need do is wait patiently for us to return. In fact, you should be excited, I would think. We’ll be bringing back souvenirs from the fifty-ninth floor, after all,” she added as a playful aside quite removed from her usual demeanor. 
The tent was silent for another moment. Then its occupants burst into laughter. 
“We’ll be looking forward to it, Miss Riveria!” 
“Yeah! Bring me back a giant bone, please!” 
“You nitwit! How are they gonna carry that back?” 
The bustle returned to the tent in an instant. Riveria just smiled at the boisterous group. 
It appeared the vice-captain had come specifically to ease the tensions of her fellow colleagues. She’d known the unease would be even greater than normal among the lower-ranking members, what with the Irregulars looming over their heads—the caterpillar monsters they’d encountered on the last expedition especially. 
No doubt Finn and Gareth were also making their rounds, offering advice and calming words to the other members and younger first-tiers. 
At least that was what Raul presumed, and considering how long he’d known the trio, he was probably correct. 
Next to him, Aki nodded, probably thinking the same exact thing. 
And then there’s me…Raul thought. He’d never be able to do something like that. 
He had no backbone. No ambition. But even as that unshakable sense of inferiority permeated his very being, as he looked up at Riveria, something changed. He could be like that. He would be like that. Like the great leaders of their familia. 
Curling his hand into a little fist, he mouthed a silent “I can do it.” 
Then he rose to his feet with a sudden burst of energy. “We’re starting a card tournament to celebrate the eve of the raid! Everyone, place your bets—you might go home with the jackpot!” 
Taking advantage of Riveria’s encouragement, he took control with a surefire strategy—no one could resist a bit of morale-boosting gambling. 
And it worked. All around him came cries of affirmation as his fellow colleagues latched on to the idea. 
“Don’t get carried away!” 
“Nngah!” 
The high elf’s staff came down sharply on the crown of the misguided youth’s head. 
“I-I’m sorry!” The pathetic apology was followed by peals of laughter. 
“…” 
Bete was glaring at the scenery in silence. 
He was standing along the western edge of the large, flat boulder that formed the foundation of their campsite. Standing alone, perpendicular to the cliff face, he gazed at the landscape below. 
Reflected in those amber eyes was the mighty opening in the Dungeon’s western wall. 
“If you’re here to gimme a pep talk, don’t even bother,” he suddenly spoke upon sensing the nearing presence behind him; he didn’t even turn around. 
Finn’s small shoulders hunched slightly in the ceiling’s dim light. 
The young werewolf could already sense the prum’s intentions, cutting him off before he could think of offering him a word of advice or encouragement. 
“What are you looking at?” 
“You can’t tell? Where we’re headin’ tomorrow—the nest of those filthy, disgusting monsters.” 
Bete continued to stare at the passageway leading to the fifty-first floor, not even glancing his way, so Finn changed his line of questioning. 
“Where have you been looking these past six days?” 
—Bete’s fist clenched with an almost audible choke. 
Six days ago. The day of the incident on the ninth floor. 
It was the back of that boy, the boy who’d overcome adventure, that was seared into Bete’s amber eyes. 
Both his fists were clenched. A fierce light bloomed in his gaze, directed at that opening. 
“I wanna be on the front line tomorrow, Finn.” 
What with his quick speed, Bete was usually placed on the midline as a sort of shortstop. 
The front line was reserved for Aiz and Tiona. Bete’s request meant one of them would have to switch. 
“I wanna be able to let loose. I wanna plow through them with everything I’ve got and not have to hold back and lead the way. And if any of those new species or that creature-lady shows up? Hah! I’ll kill ’em. I’ll kill ’em all!” He followed up with an almost bestial laugh. 
Finn just nodded. “All right.” 
They stood there, the two of them, gazing off into the eternal blackness of that looming passage. 
That great tunnel to the unknown was quiet, like the calm before the storm. 
“…” 
Aiz glanced about at her companions and fellow familia members, before returning her gaze to Tsubaki in front of her. 
“It’s not that you’ve gotten any weaker, per se. You’ve just got more to protect now. And you don’t like bein’ protected yerself,” Tsubaki continued with a smile, finally putting down her portable furnace and whetstone as she finished up her maintenance work. 
Aiz took the proffered sword from the smith. 
“…” 
She looked down at her hands, then at the newly sharpened blade and its restored luster. 
Then, silently, she slid the gleaming silver sword back into its scabbard.