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

For a moment she was speechless, then she suddenly stood up.

The sudden turn of events left those around them bewildered. Ignoring them, Ais ran outside herself.

(He was from that time...)

White hair like the first snow, and water droplets... deep red eyes glistening with regretful tears.

He heard everything.

The boy Ais rescued heard it.

She stepped out of the shop and looked around the street. Ais saw the young shop assistant running towards the city center on her right, which led to the underground city, but she couldn't move her feet.

She couldn't keep up with them.

— Bell.

She softly murmured the name the young shop assistant had called out, savoring the memory.

The name of the adventurer Ais rescued yesterday. The name of the boy Ais hurt today.

Send Ais a dream that reminds her of the white rabbit in that dream.

"..."

She heard her bandmates calling her name from behind, but she just stood there without moving.

If it were my younger self, I would definitely have bravely chased after him.

There must be a way to catch up with that boy who is probably heading towards the underground city, that cave in the earth.

However, I can no longer catch up with that time.

Ais can no longer chase the White Rabbit.

Gaiden: Sword Oratoria Chapter 4: Between Calm and Passion

The rising sun shines on the eastern sky, illuminating the vast streets and markets.

As dawn broke, the city walls of Orario gradually came into view.

Cool air surrounded the entire city.

"Ais, you don't seem to be feeling well today either..."

Loki leaned against the low wall and said softly.

This is the headquarters' sky bridge. The stone walkway connecting the two towers offers a panoramic view of the atrium.

In Loki's line of sight, in a space with a few garden trees and some grass, a blonde girl sat alone on a bench.

"She's been like that all day yesterday..."

"It's not surprising that Ais is doing nothing, it's unbelievable."

"Exactly..."

Besides Loki, there was another demi-human quietly watching Ais in the corridor.

Her long, flowing emerald-green hair matched her eyes. Her slender figure gave her a graceful silhouette, revealing the delicate curves unique to elves. Her fair skin even appeared translucent.

The beautiful Riveria, exuding a clever and heroic quality, talks to Loki, who is leaning on the low wall with his elbows on.

"Normally, even if an expedition has just ended, she would immediately rush into the dungeon and wouldn't listen to anyone who tried to persuade her... Well, I'm more at ease knowing she can stay where I can see her."

"I agree with that, but..."

With her back to the low wall, Rivera, whose beauty and elegance surpassed even Loki's, revealed a faint, bitter smile.

If Ais's beauty could rival that of a goddess, then Veria's beauty would surely put the goddess to shame. In fact, her stunning beauty had unknowingly aroused the jealousy of many goddesses in the past.

She was not only a beautiful elf, but also a member of the royal family with noble blood.

She was supposed to spend her life in the elven village hidden deep in the forest, a place even the gods were unwilling to approach, but due to a roundabout journey, she ended up in this labyrinthine city.

The royal family is an object of awe for their own kind, so all the elves, including Lefia, respectfully address her as "Your Majesty," though she herself feels very unhappy about it.

"Her sullen mood must be due to what happened at the tavern."

"Being sexually harassed by Bert must have made her really unhappy. Oh, and by the way, Bert is also very depressed right now."

"Who cares about him? He deserves it."

The expedition celebration held at the tavern was two days ago.

After Ais ran out of the store alone, Tiona and the others swarmed around Bert and began their revenge. They treated Bert as the root of all evil, blaming him for "displeasing a young woman and causing her to leave the party," and tied him up with ropes, then hung him outside the store entrance. To avenge Ais, Rivera also—and because Bert dared to call her an old woman—stomped on his head.

When Bert sobered up and heard the whole story, he felt nothing but regret and shame. He was so ashamed that he couldn't even lift his head and was stopped by Tiona and the others, not even allowed to get close to Ais.

"Perfect timing to teach that werewolf a lesson," Rivera said with a sigh of relief.

"But Ais isn't so delicate as to get depressed because of that kind of conversation..."

"So there must be other reasons."

"Probably 80%. And only Miss Ais knows for sure."

Rivera tilted her head and glanced at Ais, who was staring blankly in the courtyard.

Thinking back to the time in the tavern, there was the clerk who ran outside before Ais, and a customer whose figure she couldn't quite make out. Because things started and ended so quickly, Rivera hadn't had time to grasp the situation, but for Ais, there must have been something she couldn't ignore.

As Loki said, they had no way of knowing what she was thinking or why she was so melancholy because of that incident.

"What should we do? Just leave it alone?"

"Well, if she recovers and then goes back to the dungeon with renewed vigor, that would be a real headache for me."

"Hmm—" Loki made a dragging sound, finally letting out a soft "Hmm!" as he stood up from the low wall.

Please.

"……What?"

"I'll leave it to Riveria. It's probably better this way than me meddling."

"And also," Loki interrupted before Riveria could say anything:

"You never intended to abandon her, so how can you act like it's none of your business, saying 'Just leave her be?' You really want to know what happened to her, don't you?"

"..."

Loki chuckled and tried to imitate her own speech—which was nothing like her at all—though it annoyed her a little.

But the fact that her true thoughts had been seen through caused Riveria to furrow her beautiful brows.

"Okay, I'll leave the rest to you, Mom."

As Loki walked past her, he patted Rivera on the shoulder and left the corridor. Rivera silently watched the god's retreating figure, his hands clasped behind his head.

In the Loki Familia, Riveria Lyos Alfre is the most senior member.

Loki, needless to say, had known Ais for several years and they were quite close.

"...Who is the mother now?"

She complained verbally, but she didn't feel any resentment in her heart.

Faced with this version of herself, Rivera sighed helplessly and walked towards the courtyard.

▲

"Ais".

The atrium appears to surround the central tower in a circular pattern.

There are several towers standing side by side around, and the lighting is not very good, but the flowers and plants that the group members take good care of are growing well, and a small fountain and magic stone lampposts have been set up.

As Rivera descended the stairs and entered the courtyard, she called out to Ais as she walked across the lawn.

"Rivia..."

"You're still up very early, aren't you? But I didn't see you practicing your sword."

Ais sat on a bench under the shade of a tree.

The slender sword stood leaning against the tree roots; it wasn't her original beloved sword. She probably came here intending to practice her swordsmanship daily, but she wasn't in the mood, so she just left it there.

After her eyes met those of Rivera, her golden gaze quietly focused on the lawn.

"..."

"..."

There was a brief silence between them.

Riveria hesitated for a moment about how to start the conversation, but then immediately felt there was no need to be nervous, so she abandoned the idea.

Don't beat around the bush.

This is a routine between her and me.

"What happened?"

Ais raised her head, her gaze shifting slightly.

Rivera could see the inner turmoil in her heart, so she stood still for the time being.

After a while, Ais began to slowly reveal her secrets.

"They mentioned the Minotaur at the tavern..."

"Um."

"I saved a boy... an adventurer..."

Rivera listened to what she had to say, and as she gradually understood, she also felt a headache coming on.

Unexpectedly, the person being ridiculed was actually inside the tavern.

Compared to the situation two days ago, she finally understood what had happened. She immediately regretted her actions and realized she should have stopped that conversation right away.

Ais had told her everything, and the question was temporarily answered. Rivera discreetly observed her face. Her expression seemed unchanged as usual, but it was rather gloomy. Ais was frustrated, and Rivera knew that very well.

Although she didn't directly harm the boy, the fact that she indirectly contributed to it seemed to make her quite sad.

It was rare to see her mood affected by anything other than the dungeon and training. Riveria didn't know whether to be happy or not, so she asked the dejected Ais again:

"What do you want to do?"

She only asked this question to Ais, who had her head slightly lowered, and said nothing more.

Riveria didn't force her to make a decision, but waited for her to find the answer in her heart.

"...I don't know, but..."

At last.

"I think I should apologize..."

She answered in a low voice.

"yes……"

"..."

The conversation was interrupted, as if it had been planned beforehand, and at that moment the bells rang out, their sound echoing throughout the entire mansion.

This is a signal that it's time for breakfast.

"If you lack confidence, keep thinking hard. As long as you're willing to talk to me, I'll give you some ideas."

"Um……"

"It's breakfast time. Let's go."

After the two looked up at the tower from which the bells were ringing, Rivera said this and then turned away.

The general direction has already been given.

She shouldn't say anything more after that. Despite her clumsiness, she hoped that she could slowly figure out what she wanted to do. Riveria held this hope.

They did this for the good of this blind girl; it came from the heart of her parents.

"Rivia..."

"?"

"……Thanks."