EPILOGUE HOMEWARD BOUND
“What the hell is all this about that rabbit brat bein’ here, huh? Why does no one tell me anything?!”
“’Cause we knew you’d throw a fit, just like you’re doin’ now! Come on, already! Get ready to go!”
“I’ll show you a fit, you stupid Amazon!”
The day had finally arrived for Loki Familia’s expedition party to return to the surface.
And the camp was already abuzz with morning activity.
Everyone was preparing for the departure. All around Aiz, her companions were folding up their tents and packing everything away in large cargo bins for easy transport. It had been in the midst of all this bustling activity that Bete had first been made aware of Bell’s presence in the camp, a fact he didn’t take to calmly, and about which he was currently interrogating Tiona and Tione.
Indeed, given the werewolf’s recent trip up to the surface, everything that had happened with Bell would come as a great surprise. Even last night, when Bete had finally returned, he’d been too tired to even notice the additional guests they’d picked up, having gone straight into the nearest tent and promptly passed out.
Tiona and Tione had known all too well what effect the news would have on Bete, so they’d done what they always did and simply told him nothing.
“Hey! Aiz! Is it true? About the rabbit brat?” Bete turned toward Aiz, clearly not trusting anything the two Amazonian sisters might have told him, as a very obvious vein started to bulge atop his forehead.
“It’s…true, yes,” she responded frankly, nodding.
“The hell!” Bete stuck out his tongue in disgust…before slowly clamping his mouth shut.
All of a sudden, a very strange, awkward silence washed over him.
Aiz cocked her head to the side in confusion before Bete leaned forward, his voice no more than a hissed whisper.
“Th-then…then is it true?”
“Is what true…?”
“You know. That! That, uh…you know…about him peekin’ in on all you girls durin’ a bath!”
And here the Sword Princess Protection Unit had sworn everyone to secrecy! The normally impassive Aiz felt a flush rise to her cheeks as her eyes widened in surprise.
Her gaze dropped to her feet as she began rubbing her hands together, the same way she had last night, before finally, not saying a word, she nodded. There was no way to hide her embarrassment.
Bete stopped short in shock upon the confirmation of his fears.
“That…that bastard! So easily accomplishing what I never could!” His entire body trembled with unadulterated rage at the (albeit misunderstood) image in his head.
“…Aiz.”
Just as Aiz was about to explain that Hermes had lured Bell in, Bete pulled an about-face, suddenly impossible to read, almost as though his earlier outburst had never happened.
His amber eyes stared at her with a kind of wild glint.
“If he made it here…to the middle levels…then that means he’s a Level Two now?”
Aiz nodded a second time.
“That bastard…” Bete repeated with a curse. “Where is he, huh?”
“…”
It was the question she’d been dreading.
Aiz’s expression hardened—looking not altogether dissimilar to her normal expression—as her mouth clamped shut.
Where was Bell? In his tent, no doubt. She’d seen him and Hestia slip inside there not more than a short while ago.
But Aiz wasn’t about to tell Bete this. In fact, Aiz was hoping to keep Bell and Bete from meeting altogether.
It had happened almost two weeks ago now—on the first day of their expedition. They’d been winding through the seventh floor when, for whatever reason, Aiz had incurred the greatest shock of all time—the realization that the goal Bell aspired to might be none other than Bete. Even now, she hadn’t quite been able to shake away this thought. And though she’d had many chances to ask him about it now, she’d gotten cold feet every time.
What if it was true, and it was actually Bete who was spurring the boy on?
—Mister Bete! All of this has been for you! I’d do anything for you to accept me!
—Haaah? You really think I give a rat’s ass about any of that?!
The scene played out in Aiz’s mind like some kind of romantic comedy, glittering eyes and all.
…She didn’t like that.
No, she didn’t like it one single bit.
In fact, Little Aiz inside her was currently balled up with her arms around her knees as she pouted in silence.
She didn’t want to see that. It was far too heartrending.
Which was why, in that moment, Aiz simply decided to play dumb.
“………………Over there somewhere,” she responded in what could only be referred to as a bald-faced lie, avoiding eye contact with Bete as she pointed in the completely wrong direction.
“Over here, huh?” Bete repeated to himself as he took off in said direction, clearly ready to pick a bone with someone.
It pained Aiz greatly to lie, but even despite the guilt tugging at the back of her mind, she’d have done the same thing over again if given the choice. Come to think of it, even Bete’s typical name for the boy had leveled up—no longer “tomato brat” but “rabbit brat.” Yes, she’d done the right thing, she thought to herself, gulping inwardly.
“…Hey. I need to fix up my friends’ weapons. Gimme a whetstone and some tools, would ya?”
“Hmph! Is that how you talk to someone when you’re askin’ for a favor, Welfy?”
“…Could I please…borrow some tools?”
“Whazzat? I didn’t heeeeeaaaaar you!”
“Damn you…!!”
All around her, preparations were reaching a climax. As lower-level members rushed back and forth wildly finishing things up, Tsubaki had her own hands full making life difficult for a certain young smith in the middle of the camp. It had been decided that the group would be split into two, and Tsubaki and the rest of Hephaistos Familia, along with Bell and his party, would be the second party to depart.
The vanguard, which would include Aiz, was already leaving the campsite behind—they were on their way to the south, toward the passageway that led to the next floor up. Others in Aiz’s group included Finn and Lefiya (already having returned from their search in the eastern forest), as well as Tiona, Tione, and the other elites, since they would need ample fighting power if they were to take down the seventeenth floor’s Monster Rex, Goliath—which Bete had successfully slipped by during his earlier antivenin run. Speaking of Bete, he, too, had (begrudgingly) joined the advanced group, never locating Bell after Aiz’s deception.
It was time to go.
She had everything equipped, from her breastplate to her waist guard. Trusted sword by her side, Aiz made her way to where Tiona and the others awaited, and from there, the party began their trek to the cave that would lead them to the next floor.
“M-Miss Aiz!”
When suddenly…
…a voice called out from behind her.
She could identify him from his voice alone, her eyes widening in soft surprise as she turned around from her spot at the back of the line.
The white-haired boy in question hesitated a moment before making his way toward her.
“You’re…going already?”
“Yes…I’m part of the advance party, after all.”
Bell was also decked out in his lightweight armor, readying himself for their return to the Dungeon proper.
He looked good. Recovered. The dark shadow of fatigue was gone from his eyes and face, and the energy was back in his arms and legs.
Aiz felt relief wash through her. Only then.
“I-I, uh…”
“?”
Bell’s eyes shifted back and forth as if he had something he wanted to say.
He looked doleful almost…and Aiz could only blink curiously as he struggled with whatever complex mixture of emotions was pulling at his thoughts.
Finally, however, his gaze rose, the turmoil gone from his eyes.
“Please…be careful.”
Shock washed over her like a tidal wave.
They were words the Sword Princess hadn’t heard in a long, long time, even from her own companions in Loki Familia.
While this was only proof that those around her had nothing but faith in her and her strength, there was something about hearing them now, after so long, that made her heart warm with affection.
“…You…be careful, too.”
Her lips had unknowingly turned into a soft smile.
“I’ll see you later.”
“…”
And with that, Aiz turned away, leaving the boy behind her.
It was actually very possible that they wouldn’t see each other again upon their return to the surface. Aiz would go back to her home, and Bell would go back to his.
When would their next meeting be?
It was this question that plagued Aiz’s mind as she walked away, her parting words still hanging in the air.
“What were you ’n’ Little Argonaut talkin’ about, hmmm, Aiz?”
“Just…good-byes.”
“You’re sure you didn’t ask him how he got all his abilities to S? Sure would’ve been nice if you had. I mean, if he was gonna tell anyone, it’d definitely be you!”
“I…don’t think that would work…”
Tiona and the others were as talkative as ever as they made their way through the forest.
Laughing along at their antics, Aiz glanced to where Lefiya was walking alongside her.
“Did you say your good-byes, Lefiya?” she asked, still under the assumption that the two had completely patched up their relationship.
“…” The elf’s face turned sour. “…I’ve already said everything I needed to say.”
“?”
I’m sorry. Thank you. But I still don’t forgive you.
Those were the three things she’d expressed last night. Was that really everything she had to say?
Aiz could only cock her head to the side in curiosity at the young elf’s expression, Tiona and the others still chatting idly about the boy behind her.
“All right, then. There’s something I’d like to confirm before we head to the seventeenth floor.” Finn brought the group to a stop once they were clear of the forest, gathered together in front of the cave along the southern wall.
He would be leading the vanguard on their trek to the surface, and Riveria and Gareth would do the same for the squad that would follow soon after. Scanning the group, his eyes passed from Tiona, Tione, Bete, Lefiya, and Aiz to the faces of Raul and the other lower-level Loki Familia members.
“The floor boss Goliath lurks in the hall above us. We will, of course, eliminate him. Normally, this would be a great opportunity for everyone, not just the elites, to gain some experience…However, these are no ordinary circumstances, and we’re still hurting greatly from encountering a string of Irregulars during our expedition. For this reason, I would like Aiz and the others to participate in the battle from the beginning. I don’t imagine…anyone will be against this, yes? All of us are quite anxious to see the sun again. And truthfully, even I’m itching to crawl back into my own bed for a good night’s sleep.”
The group erupted in laughter and smiles at the small captain’s words of jest.
“Why not sleep together with me!” Tione called out, completely misreading the moment and being held back only by her sister, draining the tension from the faces and shoulders of Raul and the others.
Finn waited for a moment before straightening out his expression.
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