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CHAPTER 3 FROM THE NORTH MOUNTAINS 

Well this is a problem…Aiz thought. 
A fireplace crackled. The room’s warmth penetrated the chill that had gotten into her bones from the rain. Aiz had stripped off her battle gear and underwear, leaving her naked as she wiped down her supple, smooth arms. She glanced to the side. 
“Ah, you’re really pretty, Miss Aiz…I’m sorry all I have to offer is my tacky clothes. I’ll at least pick out the cutest outfit I have for you!” 
Seeing Aiz’s gorgeous figure, which most adventurers couldn’t possibly ignore, the good-natured village girl enthusiastically prepared an armful of clothes. The way her eyes sparkled in excitement reminded Aiz of Lefiya, so Aiz could guess what was about to happen to her. 
Though she was certainly somewhat concerned about being used as a doll for dress-up, the bigger issue was the situation they had landed in. 
Rakia had somehow managed to kidnap a goddess. 
Upon hearing the news, many gods and goddesses as well as representatives from various familias gathered at the north gate. Amid that confusion, Aiz had volunteered to rescue Hestia. 
Bell from Hestia Familia had volunteered as well. Loki and Finn, who had taken over as commanders of the Orario forces, had approved it, so she and Bell formed an emergency two-man rescue party. 
Directly after setting out from Orario, they caught up to the Rakian army in the Beor Mountain Range that lay due north of the city, but in the ensuing skirmish, the captive goddess, Hestia, had been knocked off a cliff into a valley. Bell jumped from the mountain path down the cliff face before anyone else could move and Aiz followed after—that was how disaster struck. 
The Beor Mountain Range was a collection of peaks that formed a natural fortress. There were extant monster species that had first emerged back during the Ancient Times, and the Devil Mountains’ extreme inclines and poor trails made it easy to get lost, even for an adventurer used to exploring the Dungeon. Heading out in the current torrential rain was simply asking for trouble. 
In the midst of all that, the ones who lent them a helping hand were the residents of Edas Village. 
“All right, perfect! You look way better than I ever did in it!” 
“Thank you…” 
Her time as the village girl’s dress-up doll was shorter than expected. Aiz had donned a long red skirt with colorful embroidery, a white blouse, and a multicolored button-up vest. She looked like an average village girl, but it was much cuter than her standard adventurer’s battle clothes and equipment. Plus, she wasn’t used to dressing in this style of clothing. Aiz blushed ever so slightly. Rina, the human girl standing before her, broke into a smile. 
After falling into the valley, they had been attacked by monsters. The residents of Edas Village had found them after hearing the cries of the monsters and guided them back to here. They were shown to the largest residence, which belonged to the village elder. 
Rina was the elder’s daughter. 
“Oh, Miss Adventurer…Have you finished changing?” 
“Yes. Thank you for everything.” 
After leaving Rina’s room and going into the hallway, she ran into the village elder himself. 
His name was Kam. With dull white hair and a small beard, he was well into his twilight years and walked with a cane. He was a human like his daughter, Rina, but he was paler. Aiz could tell he was afflicted by some kind of sickness. 
She smiled pleasantly in her new outfit for the kind old man who was making such an effort to care for them despite his condition. 
“It really suits you. You almost look like a goddess.” 
“…Thank you very much.” 
Blushing, Aiz could only repeat her thanks. 
Kam smiled slightly, and he seemed almost nostalgic as he admired her long golden hair and beauty that could rival the gods themselves. Shaking his head slightly, he spoke again. 
“The goddess…Lady Hestia’s condition doesn’t seem critical. Bell is in the inner room taking care of her.” 
“Okay…” 
“I told Bell the same, but please make yourself at home here. If there are any problems, feel free to ask Rina or someone else. Ask for anything at all.” 
Rina smiled in agreement. Aiz lowered her head in thanks for their incredible hospitality. 
“Ah…Aiz.” 
“Everything okay?” 
“Fine. She’s just sleeping now…” 
Hestia was sleeping on the bed and Bell sat right beside her, watching over her rest as a fire crackled in the hearth. Aiz had actually been asking about Bell, who was clearly worn out, but all he could think of at the moment was Hestia. 
Unlike the two adventurers, Hestia was as weak as the average person when her Arcanum was sealed. Thanks to Bell shielding her, she wasn’t terribly injured, but in addition to falling into the valley, she had been drenched in the downpour. 
Mm-hmm…This is…problematic. 
Until Hestia recovered, they couldn’t leave this village. 
Even though they had been in an accident, it wouldn’t be that difficult for Aiz to return to Orario by herself. All she had to do was head for a place where she could get a clear view, then set a course to the city. Even if she had to blaze her own path, she could make it down the mountain without issue. However, the Rakians were still in the area. 
They wouldn’t stop Aiz, but they had more than enough to surround and defeat a second-tier adventurer like Bell. If Hestia was kidnapped again while Aiz was busy getting help from Orario, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself. 
After they’d carried Hestia to this residence, Aiz had gone out again searching for the path they had fought on earlier, but she couldn’t find a trace of the enemy. It was hard to imagine they had noticed Edas Village, at least…But the best option was for all three of them to move together. After talking it over with Bell earlier, she had agreed to this plan. 
“Aiz, I’m really sorry…for causing so much trouble.” 
“It’s fine…Besides…it’s not your fault.” 
This was the third time Bell had apologized for getting her involved, but she only shook her head. 
He looked up apologetically and reacted with surprise when he finally noticed her village-girl outfit. Then, as if realizing he was blushing, he quickly turned away. 
Aiz tilted her head in confusion, not sure why he was the one getting embarrassed. Eventually, she peered out the window 
The rain was still pouring in the dark night. 
Are Tione, Tiona, and Lefiya worried…? It’s probably a problem for Finn and Loki, too… 
Their familia was trying to deal with the Evils that were rearing their head. This wasn’t the time for one of the core members of Loki Familia to be somewhere far away from Orario, but… 
Aiz imagined her comrades’ faces as she said a silent apology to each of them, with the high elf last of all. 
Riveria…will probably get mad at me. 
Outside the city—far from her home—that thought suddenly came to mind. 
Along with it was the unfamiliar feeling of a child being scolded by her mother for coming home late. 
 
Harsh weather persistently hung over the Beor Mountain Range. 
It was their second day staying in the village. Aiz watched the rain continue to fall from the windowsill. 
Another search-and-rescue squad would probably be forming up in Orario around now. But in this weather, the risk of another accident was high, so they wouldn’t range out too far afield looking for them. 
Because of the rain, Aiz couldn’t leave the house, either. She was disappointed she couldn’t do her daily practice, but she couldn’t bring herself to swing a sword inside a house they were borrowing. 
Looking around, she could see a few people out walking around in rain gear. They seemed to be preparing for something, carrying what looked to be ritual tools. 
“I’m sorry for asking you to help me with the chores.” 
“No problem…You’re letting us stay here, after all.” 
Aiz snapped back to her senses as the girl next to her spoke up. 
Rina was smiling as she shook her black hair back and forth. Aiz was standing in the washing area. 
Unlike Orario, this village far up in the mountains didn’t have magic-stone technology everywhere. Apparently, they usually pulled water from a nearby spring, but at the moment, they were using a bucket filled with rainwater. 
“I’d heard stories before, but adventurers from Orario are really amazing. Falling into the valley without getting hurt and even clearing out a horde of monsters, all without breaking a sweat.” 
“Hmm? I guess I’m used to it?” 
“Ah-ha-ha. So I guess there are a lot of adventurers like you in Orario.” 
“Have you ever been…?” 
“I’ve never gone. I haven’t left the village much. I’m interested, but I have to take care of my dad.” 
Rina was a good-natured, caring girl. A total sweetheart. 
Aiz thought she was far more attractive than herself, a woman of few words and muted expression. 
From listening to her talk, she gathered they were around the same age. However, despite being her father, Kam was old enough to be her grandfather. Aiz was curious about that, but she kept it to herself. 
“Has this village always been here?” 
“Yes. They say its history goes back to the Ancient Times. It used to be an elf village.” 
Aiz was surprised to hear that, but it made sense. Deep inside the harsh mountaintops, surrounded by precipitous rock faces, this was the perfect place for a hidden settlement. 
Edas Village was apparently a gathering of people who had abandoned the world. 
Humans who had fallen into despair at their situation and demi-humans who had gotten into trouble, people who had fallen in love with someone from another race—anyone who had lost their place in the world. The residents of this village had welcomed those who wandered into the Beor Mountain Range since long ago. There were even some stray adventurers who had been chased out of Orario. More than half the villagers were descendants of those wanderers for one reason or another. Because of their background, they were tolerant of outsiders and people who had run into trouble like Aiz’s group. 
It wasn’t marked on any map, a village for drifters who had nowhere else to go. 
A world I didn’t know existed… 
For Aiz, who had spent all her time swinging her sword deep in Orario’s Dungeon, it was a world she had never encountered before. Aiz was woefully ignorant and inexperienced with anything that didn’t relate directly to fighting and the Dungeon. That was exactly why Riveria and the others had tried to expose her to various different things when she was younger. 
There was one time Riveria had invited her out. 
“Why don’t you try traveling outside Orario once?” 
At the time, Aiz was desperate to obtain more power as soon as possible, so she had refused the offer, but she thought she understood now what Riveria had wanted to convey to her. 
She didn’t know anything. About this Earth—about the world as it was now. 
“Thank you very much. That’s everything.” 
“If you need help with anything else…” 
“In that case, could you go check on the goddess for me? With this rain, there are so many things I have to get done…” 
Rina looked a little embarrassed as she accepted Aiz’s offer to continue helping. 
With a fresh towel and a bucket of water, Aiz headed to the room where Hestia was resting. 
“Ah…I’m sorry for asking you to get supplies.” 
“No need…Here.” 
Bell turned around when Aiz entered the room. He was still sitting in the chair next to the bed like he had been the day before. 
After exchanging a couple of words with him, she handed over the simple bucket. The boy wet a towel in the water and wrung it out before replacing the cloth lying across the goddess’s forehead. He also refilled the water pitcher absentmindedly. Aiz couldn’t exactly take care of a different familia’s patron deity, so she simply watched, leaving it to the goddess’s follower. Bell’s motions seemed well practiced. 
It was like she was peeking into the very beginnings of the tiny familia that had consisted of just the two of them until recently. Or perhaps it was simply his upbringing. Either way, Aiz felt like she was getting a glimpse of another side of him she hadn’t seen before. He had probably tended to someone before Hestia, perhaps a family member. 
“Uuunnn…” 
“Ah. Goddess. Are you okay? Do you need anything?” 
At that point, Hestia’s eyes opened. 
As Bell leaned in, she said, “I’m fine, thank you…” before turning her blue-tinted eyes toward Aiz. 
“I’m sorry, Wallensomething…I caused…you a lot of trouble.” 
“No…” 
“Also…thank you. For helping Bell…and me.” 
The goddess offered a sincere apology and gratitude. Though she was still suffering from a fever, she managed to smile. 
Aiz felt like whenever they met, Hestia was always giving her warnings or advice, but the goddess had a genuine divinity about her, too. She and that simple boy made a good familia. 
“I’m sorry, Bell…Is it okay if I go back to sleep?” 
“Yes, of course. Take your time and rest.” 
Hestia lowered her eyes apologetically, her voice tinged with fatigue. Bell nodded kindly and adjusted her blanket. 
Watching him provide such tender care and attention, Aiz suddenly thought of Riveria. 
She couldn’t remember anymore, but they had probably played out this scenario themselves. 
“She’s…much better…” 
“Yes…Thanks to Kam and the others…and you.” 
There was an empty plate atop a small table in the room. Hestia had eaten the porridge set out this morning, apparently. Her voice had regained much of its strength as well. She wasn’t fully recovered, but her condition had improved greatly after a day’s rest. 
Hestia was lightly sweating, but Aiz decided it would be better for her or Rina to towel her off later. She shifted her gaze to Bell. 
“Did you…get any rest?” 
He was still in the exact same spot as the day before, continuing to take care of the goddess. 
Bell had scarcely left the room. The boy didn’t appear too tired on the outside, but she could tell that he had stayed up all night. 
“It’s nothing. I may look like a mess, but I am a Level Three, after all.” 
It was true that adventurers who had leveled up were significantly tougher than the average person. It might have been a different story in the Dungeon, where just standing inside could be draining, but one or two all-nighters here wouldn’t be the end of the world…But that was no excuse to force things, either. 
As Bell tried to laugh it off, Aiz countered quietly. 
“You need to rest. You were…running around the mountain yesterday.” 
“…” 
“Hestia…wouldn’t want this, either…I think.” 
Gnawing her lip as she struggled to find the words, Aiz somehow managed to speak her thoughts. She spoke quietly so that their conversation wouldn’t find its way into the goddess’s dreams. 
Bell’s smile withered, and he looked down. 
“But it’s my fault…I caused so many problems for the goddess and you…” 
He closed his rubellite eyes once, then shifted his gaze to the goddess as his sentence trailed off. Aiz thought that Bell’s kindness and modesty were virtues, but they were also a source of his painful tendency to be self-deprecating. She had already told him last night that none of this was his fault, but he still blamed himself. 
“All this happened because the goddess and I got into a fight…If it wasn’t for that, she wouldn’t have gotten kidnapped…” 
The boy had suddenly taken things in a totally unexpected direction. 
“A fight…? You…and Hestia?” 
“Ah, no…Not really a fight per se, but…Anyway, it’s complicated…” 
Aiz was genuinely surprised as he struggled to correct himself before trailing off into silence once more. She couldn’t imagine the gentle boy before her getting into a fight with anyone, let alone his goddess. Even Aiz, who was generally blind to people’s unspoken thoughts, could tell that something had happened. 
As she stared at him, Bell looked even more uncomfortable than before. Making up her mind, she pulled a chair next to the boy and sat down. 
“A-Aiz…?” 
“…” 
“Uh, um…” 
“…Talk.” 
“Eh?” 

“Let’s…talk.” 
Bell was startled as Aiz struggled to convey her intent despite her clumsy command of language. 
“If something is bothering you…I’ll listen…” 
In the end, she finally initiated conversation with Bell. Normally, Aiz wouldn’t have been able to bring herself to do it, but perhaps she managed this time because she had remembered how she had been in the past. She wanted to try to guide him like Riveria, Gareth, and Finn had guided her. At the very least, he was a student she had schooled in her fighting style. 
And even if she believed she wasn’t cute at all, she was still a woman like Hestia. She should have a way to help him somehow. The young Aiz in her heart had suddenly grown eager, like she was sliding on a pair of glasses to show she was getting serious. 
Doing her best to hide those feelings, she tried to look attentive—but Bell seemed uneasy and hesitant to respond. 
“No, um…About what happened, I don’t really want to talk…about it…Um…” 
Aiz felt a little bit offended. 
It was obviously hard to say, or at least hard to bring up in discussion. But when she saw his eyes darting back and forth, she sensed something else. The topic is difficult and delicate, so talking about it with you isn’t exactly…was the feeling she got from him. There was no way to know, but she suspected if one of the gods was here instead of her, Bell would probably talk about it. 
—That means I’m not good enough! 
Aiz’s self-esteem took a bit of a beating. 
In fact, the boy in front of her was the one person she didn’t want to treat her that way. Aiz couldn’t stand it. She wanted to seem more reliable to him. Perhaps it was because she was older than he was. The bespectacled little girl in her heart was yelling and waving both arms. 
Her doll-like face donned a stubborn expression. 
“…Bell.” 
“Y-yes?” 
“I taught you how to fight.” 
“Y-yes.” 
“That means…I’m…like……your master.” 
Brushing away the intense feelings of hesitation and embarrassment, Aiz somehow managed to put her thoughts into words. 
She understood better than anyone that she wasn’t really suited to being a teacher, but just this one time, with this one boy, she wanted to wear that mantle. She wanted to be what her teachers had been for her. 
Memories of Riveria, Finn, and Gareth all trying to persuade her crossed her mind. 
As her cheeks grew a bit hotter, Aiz tried her best to speak with authority. 
However. 
“Master…?” 
The boy looked like he had laid eyes on something impossible to even fathom. 
Her cheeks twitched, and Aiz—snapped. 
“…What?” 
“Ah…N-nothing…” 
“If you have something you want to say…say it.” 
“A-are you…mad—?” 
“I’m not mad.” 
That was a lie. 
She was furious. 
She had not noticed that her eyebrows were scrunched up and her cheeks were on the verge of puffing into a grumpy pout. 
Getting out of her seat, she approached Bell. 
“Talk to me.” 
“Eh, um, but…?!” 
“Talk to me.” 
“I…I can’t!” 
“Why?” 
“There’s no way I can when you’re like this!” 
A dangerous blaze was growing behind her golden eyes as Bell finally shouted. 
This little—What a terrible student! 
At that point, Aiz finally had a small taste of Riveria’s past struggle. She felt like she could sympathize with the elf from nine years ago. 
Is this what it’s like trying to teach a problem child?! 
“Talk to me.” 
“Aiz! Aiz?!” 
“Talk to me.” 
“Too close, too close, too close!” 
“Talk. To. Me.” 
“S-someone?! Help me!!!” 
Turning red, Bell desperately pleaded for help as Aiz moved close enough for their noses to touch. 
Aiz quickly grabbed his shoulders. There was no escaping the first-tier adventurer. 
Bell could hold out no longer and blushed a beet red. 
“Ugh, you’re so loud—Wait, what are you doing?!!!!!” 
As Hestia struggled to open her eyes, she screamed when she saw the assault unfolding before her. 
“Wh-what are you guys doing?! Wallensomething! Get away from Beeell!!” 
Seeing their faces that close, Hestia instantly assumed they were about to kiss. She was like a wife who had caught her husband cheating on her. 
The agitated goddess tried to jump out of bed, momentarily forgetting all about recovering from her sickness. 
But as Bell desperately tried to resist, he turned his body awkwardly, and his foot slipped. 
““Oh.”” 
Aiz and Bell spoke at the same time. As Hestia tried to leap out of bed, it looked like Aiz was trying to push Bell down, and the pair tumbled into the goddess. 
“Guaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!” 
“G-Goddessssssss?!” 
Bell and Aiz’s scuffle landed a blow right to Hestia’s gut. 
The goddess’s scream echoed through the village elder’s home. 
 
“Bell, Aiz…Please try to treat the goddess with a little more care…” 
Kam spoke their names gravely before giving his request rather awkwardly. 
The two shrank back, ashamed of themselves. 
It was time for dinner. After what had happened earlier, the pair headed to the dining room. If they stayed in the room with the goddess, it wouldn’t have been good for her peace of mind. 
At first, a near-crazed Hestia had been screaming, “Bring me Wallensomething!” but naturally, it was impossible for her to maintain that level of energy, and she eventually wore herself out. Still panting from the effort, she obediently slipped back into bed, exhausted. 
“Dad, they seem like they’re sorry already, so that’s enough. Let’s have dinner.” 
They began eating supper at Rina’s suggestion. Foraged plants from the mountain and fish caught from the river made up most of the food. 
There were seven people around the table, including Aiz and Bell and Kam and Rina. Besides Rina, Kam had three sons who lived at the residence. They were all older than her and all half-breeds, crosses with elves and animal people. 
They were as polite and cheerful as Rina, so warm conversation developed around the table. 
“Aiz, about earlier…” 
Sitting to her left, Bell trembled as he looked like he was about to apologize, but Aiz was being difficult and looked away from him in a pout. Complete despair crossed his face. Watching the two of them, Rina and Kam chuckled. 
“I thought you looked like a doll at first, but…Bell can get that expression out of you.” 
“…?” 
Across from Aiz, sitting next to Kam, Rina smiled. 
What expression? Aiz just cocked her head in confusion, not sure what the girl was trying to say. 
Hanging his head from the shock, Bell didn’t register what she had said at all. 
“How about one drink, Bell? I brought some special alcohol from the storehouse that’s just right for occasions like this.” 
“Ah…Um, I’m not really one for—” 
“Come on, brother. Can’t you see Bell’s uncomfortable?” 
The animal person sitting to Aiz’s right had been offering the wooden mug of alcohol he had poured for Bell. He just shrugged and looked wistfully at the untouched drink, then set it back in front of himself when Rina scolded him… 
Watching the back-and-forth going on around her, Aiz glanced at the boy. 
What should I do? I was probably being immature, and I want to make up with him, but I’m still kind of mad at him…She cycled through those thoughts in her mind. The young Aiz in her heart raged like a minotaur. 
She knew that Bell was discreetly peeking over at her, too. Feeling extremely awkward as her mind raced over what to do, she reached out for the mug next to her. 
The one she picked up wasn’t hers, though. It was the one set aside by Kam’s son. 
And the second it touched her lips— 
—Aiz blacked out. 
Immediately after that—splash! 
“Hgn?” 
She was confused as she felt water hitting her face. 
Unsure what had just happened, Aiz realized that her face and clothes were drenched and finally together that someone had thrown a lot of water at her. Rina was standing in front of her, shoulders heaving as she took ragged breaths, an empty pail in her hands. 
…I was splashed with water? Why? 
She was still confused about that point, but that doubt changed into shock. 
“Wh…? Bell?!” 
For some reason, the boy had been beaten half to death and was collapsed on the floor, barely breathing. 
Not just Bell. The table and chairs had been strewn around the room to create a spectacular mess. It looked like a storm had torn through. Aiz was totally confused. 
What the hell? 
It was just a second! 
What happened?! 
Kam’s sons were pale, standing up against the wall holding the plates of food. Kam himself was sitting on the floor with his mouth half-open. It almost looked like his spirit was about to escape through his mouth and seek refuge in heaven as one of his sons approached him, crying, “Dad! Daaaaaaad?!” It was a catastrophe. 
Could it be…? 
“An enemy attack?!” 
I didn’t sense…anything…But that’s impossible! 
Aiz shuddered as she immediately prepared herself. For some reason, there was a bloody wooden club in her right hand, so she readied it, constantly wheeling around looking for the assailant. 
“A-Aiz…Agh.” 
Bell managed to squeeze out a few syllables, sounding like a rabbit squashed at Aiz’s feet. She looked deadly serious as a bead of sweat dripped down her cheek. His right hand was clinging to a jet-black knife. He had clearly struggled valiantly against the attacker. However, the enemy had shown no hesitation in beating him black and blue. 
The callous brutality of it enraged Aiz. 
The assailant was someone who could do all that to a second-tier adventurer like Bell…! 
Her caution level skyrocketed. For some reason, the enemy hadn’t attacked her, perhaps out of fear, but she couldn’t let her guard down. Her piercing gaze patrolled the painfully silent dining room. 
Because she was busy standing guard for potential enemies, she didn’t realize. 
The contents of the wooden mug had spilled across the floor in the chaos. The smell rising from the mug she had mistakenly sipped from was the scent of alcohol. 
She didn’t notice that the people trembling around the room were all staring at her. 
“…Miss Aiz, please look after Mr. Bell.” 
“But the enemy…!” 
Rina’s shoulders heaved as if a sudden wave of exhaustion had hit her. 
Glancing pitifully at Bell, she limply shook her head. 
“No, it’s fine. Also, I’m begging you—please don’t do anything weird. In particular, please don’t touch the alcohol spilled on the floor.” 
“But—” 
“I. Said. It. Is. Fine.” 
“O-okay.” 
Aiz tried to persist, but the pressure of Rina’s intense gaze convinced Aiz to back down. She nodded her assent. 
Rina and the boys looked like they had witnessed a tragedy as they started cleaning up. Aiz felt uneasy, but the attackers she was wary of never appeared. Kam gasped as he opened his eyes, so it all ended without incident. 
For some reason, Aiz started feeling embarrassed, so she did as she was told and tended to Bell. Seeing his current state, her childish irritation was barely worth considering. It was all water under the bridge now. After treating his wounds with a potion, she felt lonely for some reason, so she rested his head on her lap. 
She stroked his white hair. 
She wasn’t sure what the cause was, but all Bell could manage now was to groan in pain. 
There might be an enemy we can’t see…I have to protect Bell and the others! 
Tightening her grip on the wooden bludgeon, she was brimming with resolve. 
From that day onward, even after the rain stopped, she didn’t take a single step outside the house, focusing solely on protecting them. 
And Rina and her family, for some reason, wouldn’t let Aiz anywhere near any alcoholic drinks. 
 



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