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

Lefiya remained silent, trembling all over.

She had been barely suppressing her emotions that were about to overflow, but she couldn't hold back any longer.

Lefia finally let her jealousy erupt, and with determination, she shouted:

"I...I have conditions!! If you don't agree, I...I'll tell everyone!?"

With her face flushed red, Lefia roared and actually made a tough demand for a trade from her idol.

Ais, faced with an unexpected act of defiance... or rather, resistance, seemed completely unprepared for Lefia to say such things to her.

"Boom—!" He was greatly shocked.

"Ugh!" Ais's expression broke Lefia's heart, but there was no turning back now. She continued:

"Please, please give me special training too, just like that human!?"

Just the two of us

Lefia's face turned even redder as she blurted out the words.

Hearing her request, Ais paused for a moment and blinked a few times.

After a long pause, she nodded gently.

"If you don't... mind it."

"Is it... possible?"

"Hmm...no problem?"

"That's wonderful!"

Upon hearing Ais's agreement, she clasped her hands together in front of her chest and jumped up on the spot.

Her long, thick golden hair flowed with her movements, and her delicate cheeks were slightly flushed.

Lefia even forgot about the boy who was just jealous, and expressed her joy with her whole body.

The girl, oblivious to her dreams, looked puzzled and spun around.

And so, Ais instructed Lefia to keep the training on the city wall a secret.

In exchange, they must take responsibility for mentoring a boy and a girl.

◆

"Expedition" six days ago.

It was also the second day of "exercise".

Just like yesterday morning, before the sun had even risen, Ais arrived early at the city wall and began playing a melody of the wind with the scabbard of her sword.

The white-haired boy, Bell, was exposed to the sharp sound of wind cutting and the high-speed flash of blades.

"Don't move around randomly; always consider your position to make clever use of the space."

"Okay, okay!?"

Ais swung her scabbard, using the tip to deflect Bell's hastily raised dagger along with her body, and offered her advice without hesitation.

The two engaged in fierce combat... no, it was a one-sided offensive, while moving swiftly and clashing swords.

After struggling for a while, Ais decided to use simulated battles as the training material after yesterday's first day of training.

I am not good with words and cannot guide him with words.

Unable to fully convey their tactical knowledge.

Ais experienced many failures from the first day, so she only suggested to the boy, "Let's have a match."

They fight with weapons against weapons, guess each other's moves, and absorb all the knowledge they can use.

Ais is telling Bell that he must engage in simulated battles with her to gain experience and learn from her.

Ais herself used the scabbard of her beloved sword (the sword of despair), but she made Bell use the weapon he used when exploring the dungeon, to make it as close to real combat as possible. Ais's power was enough to dispel the boy's unnecessary worries, and she repeatedly attacked Bell with the scabbard that wouldn't hurt anyone, leaving him with no way to fight back.

"We can't just defend haphazardly."

"Ugh!?"

Whether it's attacking or moving, when defending, you need to be able to connect to the next action.

Of course, she wouldn't leave everything to Bell to learn on his own.

During the simulation battles, Ais would offer suggestions whenever she noticed something, even as she swung her sword. Although she wasn't very eloquent, she still managed to incorporate minimal guidance into the training.

She brandished her sword sheath and spoke words that reminded the boy of most of the flaws or naive judgments he had revealed, making him remember them with his body.

(It still feels so unbelievable...)

The morning glow still lingered in the distant darkness as Ais watched Bell desperately fighting a defensive battle.

Nine years ago, he had been receiving combat training from Finn, Grace, and Riveria—constantly learning the attitude and knowledge that an adventurer should have. He never imagined that one day, he would be the one teaching others.

Ais felt a pang of emotion, and she superimposed the boy in front of her with her childhood self.

His panting yet courageous demeanor transformed into that of a stubborn, blonde-haired, golden-eyed little girl. Perhaps she herself is now like Finn, a man of both kindness and severity; like Grace, a man of bold words and deeds; and like Riveria, who administers strict (Spartan) education.

Ais continued to draw her sword, recalling the guidance Finn and the others had given her, especially the simulated battle.

It can't just be a fight.

Every step you take and every attack you launch should guide your opponent's movements, making them understand your intentions.

At least Finn and the others always taught him how to fight when he was young.

(I can't do that yet...)

I can't be like them; I simply can't reach that level.

Seeing that Bell's injuries were only increasing, just like yesterday, Ais felt very sorry.

Those predecessors of the [Family] were indeed great.

The three patiently taught her, whom she had only disliked as a child, offering earnest advice and guiding her growth. Now, Ais truly felt the depth of their magnanimity and re-realized her own immaturity.

Ais gave herself a mission: she needed to learn from Bell, and she also needed to learn from him through this training.

The sword sheath slashed through the darkness, clashing with the boy's short sword.

"Hmm...that was a very good shot."

"R-Really!?"

She used Finn's often-used method of combining kindness and severity to praise Bell for skillfully deflecting the attack.

The boy, already covered in wounds, seemed genuinely pleased to receive such praise from Ais, forgetting the pain of his injuries and beaming with joy.

He looked like a white rabbit happy to receive a carrot, and Ais found it adorable, chuckling softly.

However, as soon as Bell saw Ais's reaction, he blushed and made her turn her head away.

"Let's take a short break."

"Oh, okay."

Ais, seeing Bell's shoulders heaving as he panted, suggested putting down the scabbard she was holding in her right hand. He readily agreed, lowering the dagger he had raised.

Ais and Belle stood five steps apart on the wide city wall, facing each other, letting the cool air cool their burning bodies.

(Much better than yesterday...)

Ais stared intently at Bell, who was wiping the sweat from her face with her arm.

I don’t know if the reason is due to his original goal of “growth potential”, but compared to the first day, the boy’s skills are obviously much better—that might be an exaggeration, but in any case, he has changed a lot.

Looking at Bell's appearance, Ais sensed a kind of honest focus, as if he had taken what she had said home (to headquarters) and reviewed it several times.

To put it bluntly, he only follows Ais's instructions and cannot go beyond the teacher's ideas, but let's put that aside for now.

(The first thing this child should learn is defense... followed by skills and tactics.)

Yesterday... on the first day of training, Ais saw through the boy's current situation and shortcomings, and pointed them out directly.

Bell Craney is "timid".

Being timid isn't necessarily a bad thing; in fact, it can be a great advantage when exploring dungeons alone. However, once you enter combat, this timidity becomes a problem.

Just like his appearance, the boy was like a rabbit, afraid of his opponent's attacks, afraid of pain, and prone to dodging. In other words, his defense was far worse than his evasive maneuvers.

Ais believes her most important job is to guide and improve his defense methods.

If he could ask for more, Ais would also like to teach him the "technique" of parrying enemy attacks from the side to deflect their force.

The training period only lasted for seven days before the start of their own faction's (Loki Familia's) "expedition," a very short time. Ais, having become his teacher, envisioned the ultimate goal of training the boy: to use this period to teach his body as much as possible how to defend himself, as well as some techniques and tactics.

The areas where the boy lacks expertise, is not good at, and also his strengths.

Ais conducted her own investigation, compiling what she knew about Bell.

(He has very good legs...)

The boy's crisis avoidance ability is somewhat over-exaggerated, but even from Ais's perspective, it is still excellent.

Perhaps this is related to his "timid" personality, but it is indeed a great weapon for a young man.

Bale's tactics are basically hit and away.

In terms of temperament, physique, race, and weapon suitability, this approach is not wrong.

However—as long as the boy can gain the courage to stand up and fight.

Ais had a gut feeling that if it could be a complete transformation, it would be very interesting.

Her first thought was to launch a fierce and relentless attack to gain an advantage through speed and frequency.

If one can learn to use weapons with both hands and master dual-wielding, then one will be even more impeccable.

Engaging in high-speed head-on combat is precisely Ais's (Ais's) favorite tactic.

—Thinking of this, Ais was startled.

She realized she wanted to seduce the boy into the type she liked... to embody her own image. She shook her head violently, thinking: No, no, this is terrible.

The specific battle style must be decided by Bell himself.

Forcing someone else's ideals onto them will not yield good results. This is almost certain when it comes to combat tactics.

Ais strictly told herself that she could only teach the basics and could not lead him to make decisions.

(...However, perhaps...)

"I'm a little concerned," Ais murmured to herself.

She continued to observe Bell, whose breathing had finally calmed down, and then asked the question that had been bothering her since the simulation battle.

""timid"……"

Bell's shoulders jolted.

Seeing his excessive reaction, Ais knew that her guess was right.

"Does it bother you? What I said yesterday about being 'cowardly'..."

"Ah, no, um... yes."

His gaze darted left and right, and he paced busily on the ground for a while.

Bell, with her head bowed, finally admitted it in a barely audible voice, as if she felt very ashamed.

Seeing him like this, Ais lowered her eyebrows, feeling a sharp pang of her own defeat.

"You're a coward."

What are you still afraid of?

"I don't know what you're afraid of, but... I think when you're in that situation, you'll probably just run away."

These were the words Ais said to him before the simulation battle officially began yesterday.

Ais saw through Bell's inner conflict and told him these words.

He must know it himself.

Since the last simulated battle, Bell has refused to back down, and has even acted somewhat recklessly, only wanting to block Ais's attacks, as if to say that fearing attacks is a disgrace.

Ais's overly apt criticism stung him, filling him with indignation and shame that he still cannot forget.