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

The boy's path, rather than being covered by numerous chaotic battlefields, is more accurately described as a declaration to adventurers to "die" if he wants to level up to Lv.3 in a short time. It's exactly the same as the Lv.2 report.

Feeling helpless and overwhelmed, Eina submitted Bell's activity log to her superior.

As expected, the release of information about the boy ‹Bell Crane› was rejected, and his role model ‹Model› was once again collected.

Sword Oratoria 2: A scene from the dormitory in the prologue.

Taiwanese version adapted from Angel Anime

Scanned image by: Yuuyu Murasaki

Entered by: Yuuyu Murasaki

Proofread by: Yuuyu Murasaki

This is a dark room.

The only light source was a small magic stone lamp hanging on the wall, casting shadows in the corners. A faint scent of stone wafted through the dim, damp room. The only decorations were various crystal ornaments made of silver and iron ore, which occasionally shimmered with a pale blue light.

The red carpet, the wooden baskets, the small shelves, and the roughly made bed were all illuminated by a dim, candlelight-like light.

Shortly after, two figures entered the room.

One person was wearing full-plate armor, while the other wore a somewhat dirty hooded robe that covered his head. They didn't exchange many words; after placing their backpacks and other belongings in the corner of the room, the two went directly to the wooden bed.

Removing the helmet covering his entire face, taking off the greaves that covered his toes, and even the shirt beneath his full-body armor, the muscular adventurer was instantly half-naked. He sat down on the edge of the bed, wearing only his trousers. Beside him, the person in the robe gradually revealed their full breasts and slender waist, which were clearly visible even through their outer garment.

"Hey, hurry up and take it off. We've come this far, so stop keeping me in suspense."

"Wait. Don't be in such a hurry."

Faced with the man's barely concealed excitement, she responded with a high-pitched, flat voice. Her slender fingers began to remove garments one by one from her long robe, finally untying her old hairband and letting her long hair fall loose down her back.

She was a stunningly beautiful woman.

Her body was outlined in alluring curves, enough to make any man want to pounce on her and kiss her. Her full breasts teased desire, and her smooth, shapely buttocks undeniably aroused lust. Her waist was high, and her supple limbs slender all the way to her fingertips. In stark contrast to her composed demeanor, her supple skin exuded an irresistible feminine charm.

The man sitting on the edge of the bed was already attracted by her sensual body language. The sight of her face revealed after she took off her hoodie made him gasp.

The magic light cast shadows on her beauty, causing the man to gurgle and the sound to echo throughout the room.

"Why would someone so beautiful cover their face?"

"This is to avoid being constantly bothered by men like you."

The man was already intoxicated by the moment, and even such a casual reply made him laugh. He then pulled the woman's naked waist towards him.

The man embraced her soft body and pressed her directly onto the bed.

The light cast two overlapping shadows, and the wood creaked.

"You mentioned you took on a commission halfway through our conversation?"

Just before they were about to get down to business, the woman spoke.

The man, who was about to kiss her as she lay on her back, stopped and uttered an "Oh," before pausing and whispering, "It's a strange request. I need to go to the 30th floor and bring back something inexplicable..."

The male adventurer seemed to be recalling something, his gaze fixed upwards.

The woman remained silent, gazing up at his robust physique, which was by no means tall.

"Oh dear, I forgot this is confidential. Please pretend you didn't hear me."

"yes……"

After the woman finished speaking, she locked eyes with the man and reached out to touch his cheek.

She first lightly touched the man's cheek with her fingertips, then smoothly slid her hand down his neck.

Then, clench your fist tightly in one go.

「!?」

Five fingers dug into the man's well-trained neck. The man, who had lowered his guard because she was naked and unarmed, was terrified; his expression changed drastically. Although he reached out and grabbed her fingers, the woman's slender arm remained completely still.

She ignored the fierce resistance; her astonishing grip made her neck crack. The man's eyes were bloodshot, and his lips moved, emitting hoarse sounds.

The woman watched the man struggle in pain without any emotion, and then—splat!

The man's neck was broken so easily.

"..."

The woman roughly tossed the male adventurer, who was slumped against her, aside. The lifeless body rolled to the ground with a dull thud. Letting the dim light caress her skin, she quietly rose, her long legs carrying her to the floor. Without even glancing at the corpse at her feet, she walked to a corner of the room.

The woman, naked, walked up to the man's bag and began rummaging through its contents without any hesitation.

After searching for a while, the woman suddenly stopped.

"……No."

After talking to herself, the woman who had stopped what she was doing clicked her tongue loudly.

She glared at the man's corpse through gritted teeth. Her eyes were filled with resentment, unable to conceal her inner turmoil, and then she stood up as if in a fit of rage.

The woman roughly approached the corpse, and then—

Gala.

The man's crushed head gushed blood, staining the room crimson.

Gaiden: Sword Oratoria 2, Chapter 1: Everyday Scenes

"Clang, clang," the sound of metal being struck rang out at the scene.

Sharp, clanging sounds echoed from all around. After the frantic, tumultuous noise, dazzling sparks flew in all directions, accompanied by flashes of light bursting forth in every direction.

The place, known as the forge, truly lived up to its name, as one could hear strong men, their sweat pouring down their faces, swinging their hammers and shouting. Along the walls of the spacious room, four large blacksmith's furnaces roared with fiery red flames, filling the room with a stifling heat.

Orc and dwarf craftsmen swung their hammers, while a dwarf girl (Palum) who seemed to be an apprentice busied herself running around with firewood and tools.

"Ughhhhhhh! Great Severance (Amazon), die aa ...

In a corner of a workshop, five large men were huddled together, hammering an enormous piece of super-hard metal (Dacron). They took turns raising and lowering the massive hammers, which seemed capable of crushing even the heads of large monsters, deforming the incredibly hard metal and gradually removing its impurities.

Having learned the "forging" ability, their hands and the edges of the giant hammers in their hands were covered with a thin layer of red light—somewhat like a visible light membrane—and through continuous movement, they infused the metal block in front of them with a sublimated aura, elevating it to a higher level of "weapon".

The high smith, respected and admired by everyone and addressed as "Master," had a fierce shout.

The roars he heard were directed at his young female friend, mixed with resentment from sleepless nights.

Ais, who was huddled up, was standing in front of a divine being.

"I never expected to be reimbursed after only five days..."

Upon hearing the heavy and helpless tone of the God of Forging, Ais's shoulders trembled.

Her short stature was reminiscent of a dwarf, but she was robust and appeared to be in her early twilight years. The god-like figure glanced at her face and then sighed.

The time was the morning after the Monster Festival ended.

To retrieve her beloved sword, the "Sword of Despair," which she had entrusted to someone for repair, Ais arrived at the "Three Hammer Forge," the headquarters of the Gubern Familia. This spacious bungalow also served as a workshop, and Ais and her companions stood in the center. Around them, the blacksmiths had been working diligently since early morning, some intently forging iron, some adjusting the furnace fire, and others checking weapon requests posted on the notice board—everyone was busy with their own tasks.

Surrounded by them bustling about, Ais took the Sword of Despair and at the same time returned the rapier, a substitute sword she had borrowed from Gubernau during the repairs.

However, the sword's blade had been tragically shattered and reduced to a mere fragment.

"You guys really know how to torture a blacksmith shop."

".…sorry."

Standing opposite Gubernius, Ais looked down at the object that had once been a rapier lying on the table, her head bowed in frustration. Hearing the gods compare her to her companion Tiona, who was notorious for breaking weapons, she could only apologize in a barely audible voice.

The substitute sword shattered during the monster festival while battling the fleeing monsters, and now lies scattered in countless fragments on the platform. Anyone who sees it can tell that this rapier, with only the hilt remaining as its original form, is beyond repair. A weapon unable to withstand the swordswoman's swordsmanship and "magic"—its fate is clear.

"Loki's Familia, here we are again." Ais felt a pang of guilt as she received weary glances from the surrounding craftsmen.

"...Um, how much will it cost?"

"About forty million fares."

—Bang! The words "forty million" slammed into Ais's head with a loud thud.

003

She rubbed her head, which was throbbing from the numbers, and thought that she would probably have to spend a while in the dungeon to earn money and pay off her debts.

Looking at Gubernius, who had his arms crossed and was uttering helpless words, Ais felt apologetic and frustrated, thinking:

It seems we'll have to wait a while longer before we can apologize to the white rabbit (the boy).

*

The sound of blades cutting through the air rang out.

The faint whistling sound of wind cutting through the air a beat after the strike testified to the speed and sharpness of the sword dance. A single military knife carved several silver trails in the biting morning air.

In the still-dark hours of the day, Ais was alone in the headquarters courtyard, conducting her daily sword-wielding training.

No one had told Ais about this morning's sword practice; she had started it herself nine years ago. Perhaps to refine her swordsmanship, she practiced repeatedly day after day, almost daily whenever she was at headquarters. Compared to the achievements she had made in the dungeon, this kind of technical dedication seemed insignificant, but she hadn't slacked off a single day. In fact, she couldn't afford to be lazy. Because like many others, Ais's greatest fear was stagnation, of being unable to move forward.

Vertical slashes, horizontal cuts, diagonal strikes—to correct the errors that arose when wielding the rapier, she stood in a corner of the lush green courtyard, continuously brandishing her beloved sword. Keeping her lower body movements to a minimum, like a conductor manipulating a baton, she played out the melody of flashing swords all by herself.

A moment later, the rising sun's red rays illuminated the gradually whitening eastern sky above the city.

Finally, Ais swung her sword upwards with a "whoosh," slicing a green leaf that had fallen from the tree in two, before sheathing it.

After finishing her workout, Ais noticed that someone was watching her.

Looking back, the elven girl Lefia stood near the entrance to the garden from the tower, her almond-shaped eyes wide open.

She seemed to be mesmerized by Ais's sword dance, standing motionless with a heavy book in her arms until Ais spotted her. Only then did she snap out of her reverie and clap her hands with a smile.

"That was absolutely amazing, Miss Ais! I was so engrossed in watching that I completely forgot to say hello!"

"Uh…thank you?"

Ais tilted her head slightly in response to the compliment. Being praised for her daily routine left her unsure how to react.

Lefia approached, her cheeks flushed with excitement. Her azure eyes sparkled as she looked at Ais with respect.

"You really started practicing your sword so early in the morning... That's why Miss Ais has such extraordinary skills... I need to learn from you!"

Lefia asserted that the long-term training she had witnessed firsthand was one of the main reasons that made Ais known as the "Sword Princess," and emphasized the end of her sentence, determined to improve herself.

Seeing the young girl's appearance, Ais smiled.

"Who taught Miss Ais her swordsmanship? Even I, a mage, can see that your swordplay is quite sharp..."

"...It should be, Dad."

Ais, her gaze darting around, pondered for a moment before softly answering her question.

"Your father... By the way, Miss Ais's parents are both alive now...?"

Just as Rafia was speaking, a voice called out to her from another direction.

"Lefia, why are you taking so long to get a book from the library?"

"Lady Rivera..."

The newcomer to the courtyard is Rivilia, a beautiful elf like Lefia.

Upon seeing Ais's sword, Pei Cui, whose pointed ears peeked out from under her long hair, immediately understood everything and sighed.

"I don't have time for you to get distracted by watching Ais train. You also have training classes to attend. I'm going to train with you until breakfast time. Ais, see you later."

"Miss Ais~..."

Lefia was dragged away by Riveria. Ais waved gently to her, who was clutching her book with a reluctant expression, and told her to keep up the good work.

It seems Lefia also has her own training courses, and is currently having Riveria teach her magic. Judging from their appearance, they probably haven't slept all night. Just a few years ago, Ais had been in a similar situation—receiving strict instruction in adventurer's know-how from a rigorous teacher—and knew that Riveria's guidance was quite strict. (Sparta)

She reminisced about the past with a touch of emotion, and silently encouraged Lefia once again.

Ais then returned to the tower from the courtyard with her sword.

After showering and washing away the sweat, Ais strolled down the narrow corridor of headquarters toward the main dining room.

Inside the restaurant, several members were already setting the breakfast dishes on the tables. The aroma wafting from the kitchen greatly stimulated Ais's stomach, which had been rumbling since early morning. Peeking inside, it seemed today's menu included a soup and salad brimming with vegetables, sandwiches with vegetables and salted meat, and omelets with vegetables. The large quantity of vegetables sent by the Demeter Familia a couple of days ago had proven remarkably effective. However, those vegetables were quite sweet, which Ais particularly enjoyed.

Worried that she wouldn't be able to finish the food, Ais joined the others and casually helped set the table.

She arranged the various tableware items in order on the rectangular dining table, however...

"Oh my! Miss Ais, when did you arrive!"

"Thank you for your help, but we can handle it ourselves!"