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

"Hmm... that child also took a 'risk'."

She gazed there, as if directing her gaze toward the chrysanthemum-shaped clusters of crystals forming on the zenith above the forest canopy, or even to an even higher level.

"That child... is just as amazing as Lefia."

Ais spoke these words from the bottom of her heart, her lips moving naturally.

Upon hearing this, Lefia gripped her wands tightly in both hands.

(And that child, too, has changed.)

Ais, oblivious to the girl's expression, fell into deep thought.

Compared to Lefia—compared to Lefia's achievements, the boy's "adventures" inevitably pale in comparison.

However, that "adventure" was the starting point for Ais and other adventurers.

The weak can defeat the strong single-handedly.

This is one of the simplest, yet most difficult, "great achievements".

It was precisely because he pushed his limits and risked everything that Ais and the others were so captivated by him.

The initial "great achievement" will significantly influence the life of the person involved.

The first "adventure" was of great significance.

The boy will definitely continue to change in the future. Ais had this feeling.

Will they achieve great things, or become someone who only knows how to risk their life? Or will they become something beyond imagination?

Having earned the qualification to become a "hero," will you use it to begin climbing distant and treacherous peaks?

What is that child doing now?

"..."

Looking at the pure white crystal ceiling that resembled blooming flowers, Ais narrowed her eyes.

The elven girl followed her gaze, and Ais stared at the white light for quite a while.

✿

The 18th floor is visited at night.

The crystal clusters covering the entire ceiling of the building feature a white crystal at the center reminiscent of the sun, surrounded by blue crystals that resemble the sky, creating a landscape that looks just like the sky above the earth.

As time passes, the light will fade, and the building will be shrouded in darkness.

On the night Ais and the others began to be self-sufficient, the Loki Familia left some guards behind while everyone else ate around a portable magic stone lamp.

The meal included fruit and a little bread gathered by Ais and her companions, as well as a whole giant mushroom that Tsubaki had collected from the "Great Tree Labyrinth," which she roasted. She abused her guest status, roaming freely during the day—leaving her fellow blacksmiths to others to look after—and even taking the spoils of killing monsters to town (Rivera) to exchange for alcohol. Although they were allied factions, this behavior was truly unacceptable; however, since the "Expedition" was practically over, the leader (Finn) and others reluctantly let it slide.

Of course, in order to strictly adhere to the rules, they would never allow members of their own faction to act so willfully.

"Miss Tsubaki, is this mushroom edible...? I don't think there's any confirmation that it's safe to eat...!"

"As long as you have the ability to 'resist abnormalities,' there won't be any problems!"

"In the end, it's just a poisonous mushroom!?"

"Don't say that! It tastes quite unusual, but it's not bad at all! Here, try some Thousand Elf!"

"I don't want it, I won't eat it!?"

"Ah, then, I'll eat!"

Seeing Tsubaki, slightly tipsy, start a fire and roast a huge, seemingly poisonous purple mushroom over it, Raul broke out in a sweat, while Lefia screamed in agony.

The elven girl refused to eat the mushrooms that Chun offered her, but Tiona raised her hand to volunteer with ease, making the group members burst into laughter, and Ais couldn't help but smile.

After the lively dinner time ended, we immediately prepared for bed.

The guards operated on a shift system, but Ais and the other officers, of course, didn't have to take turns. They stayed in their assigned tents with Tiona, Tione, Lefia, and the other female members, closing their eyes in the same way. This arrangement was because there weren't enough tents for the wounded to rest in.

Ais sensed that the elven girl, a second-level adventurer, had taken her turn guarding the area, and she focused on recovering her strength.

Then, it was "morning".

"..."

As light returned to the rooftop and the campsite became as bright as a forest in the early morning, Ais slipped out of the tent.

She is sober.

It's always like this in the dungeon.

In this underground labyrinth, no matter how tired she was, she could never truly fall asleep.

(The time difference with the surface world is huge...)

The amount of light in the crystal on the 18th layer varies with time of day and also differs from that on the ground, often resulting in significant differences.

She checked the time with Lefia's pocket watch by her pillow; only a few hours had passed since the start of the new day. It was late at night on Earth, and she could imagine a vast, moonlit night in the sky.

Looking up at the artificial sky formed by the crystal clusters underground, Ais missed the sunlight and tranquil moonlight she hadn't seen for about two weeks.

Ais slung her beloved sword, the Sword of Despair, at her waist, told her comrades, and left the campsite for a aimless stroll. Since she was already up, she figured she might as well wander around. She hadn't practiced her swordplay since entering the dungeon; perhaps a little practice wouldn't hurt.

As she stomped her boots on the grass, she thought to herself—it's just a second from now.

'————————Ooh ooh ooh ooh…'

"!"

A giant's roar, like the rumbling of the earth, echoed all around.

Then came a loud rumbling sound.

As a first-class adventurer, Ais immediately sensed what was happening. Directly above the 18th floor, in the deepest part of the 17th floor, which connects to the passageway, the floor master "Goliath" was causing a ruckus.

Ais rushed out.

Since nothing like this had happened until last night, it was clear that the "Monster Rex" had only recently been created and had attacked the adventurers who had invaded the Great Chamber. The intense tremors and impacts that reached this safe floor led her to suspect that it was the power of a giant's hammer-like fist unleashed in the passageway.

The campsite set up by the Loki Familia is located at the southern end of the building, close to the cave leading to the 17th floor.

Ais, worried about the safety of her fellow travelers, rushed to the cave faster than anyone else.

She ran swiftly through the trees, leaped over entire crystal formations, and dashed out of the dark forest's entrance.

Then--

(—Huh?)

She saw the adventurers lying on the green carpet of grass.

On the open grassy field in front of the cave.

The team consists of two human men and a dwarf girl.

Everyone was covered in wounds. The little girl, her face abrasions and covered in dust, was completely unconscious. The red-haired youth, also unconscious, seemed to have a broken left leg, a severe injury. It was as if they had made a desperate escape into this floor.

However, Ais's eyes were fixed on the remaining adventurer.

White hair soiled by sand and dust.

The lightly dressed, tattered clothes, and some torn shirt-shaped protective cloth.

He lay on the ground, not moving an inch.

There was a lot of bleeding from his forehead, and his face, turned to the side, was stained red with blood.

——No way.

Stunned and frozen, Ais unconsciously moved forward from the forest entrance.

As if drawn by something, he walked straight toward the white-haired adventurer—the boy.

The sounds around me drifted away, my thoughts became sluggish, and shock and disbelief gradually left my mind blank.

Shh, shh... Ais quietly treads on the green grass, approaching the boy.

Ais stopped in front of him, casting her shadow over her slender body, and looked down at him.

"No mistake"—Ais gasped, the next moment of certainty forming in her mind.

The boy's hand moved.

"!!"

Grab it.

He grabbed Ais's left foot, who was startled.

His trembling fingers dug into his boots, his face covered in blood, and he looked up at Ais's face, who was cowering in fear.

He seemed to muster all his strength to open his lips and say:

"Please save my companion...!"

What was squeezed out was a plea.

He didn't seem to recognize Ais; his deep red eyes were dazed and lifeless as he pleaded with Ais to save his two companions.

Then, seemingly having finally exhausted all his strength, he loosened his grip on the boot and the boy lost consciousness.

Ais, who had been frozen, bent her knees and ran her fingers over her blood-soaked bangs and forehead.

"Bell...?"

The soft sound Ais made failed to awaken the boy's tightly closed eyelids.

Only two weeks have passed since the boy's "adventure" with the bull began.

In the labyrinthine paradise where nature and crystals are inextricably linked—the middle level of the underground city.

Ais and the boy unexpectedly reunited.

Gaiden: Sword Oratoria 5 Interlude - The Other Side of the Comedy

The timeline is significantly pushed back from the date when Ais and the others reached the safe floor.

On the fourth day after the Loki Familia set off on their "expedition," the meeting was held.

"Yahaha—! The Assembly of the Gods—!!"

The towering white-walled tower, known as the Tower of Babel, stands in the center of the vast labyrinthine city of Orario.

The myriad gods visited its hall on the thirtieth floor.

This is the "Assembly of the Gods," a gathering of the gods held every three months.

Although the meetings are almost entirely nominal, they are still considered by the management organization (guild) to be a recognized advisory body to the gods. Even though the discussions that take place in the meetings seem to reflect the gods' laissez-faire attitude, and the content is mostly nonsense and rambling, they are also "naming ceremonies" that bestow titles that affect an adventurer's entire life, as well as meetings to propose and investigate "events" to be held in the city. Therefore, the gods are sometimes summoned on short notice.

The requirement for participation is that the [Family] must have at least one member capable of rivaling a high-level adventurer. In other words, it depends on whether the party has a Lv.2 member. [Upgrading] – Familiars whose "capacity" is elevated – are also directly related to a certain status in the lower realm for the gods who compete with each other from different factions.

Leveling up is even described as "getting closer to God." The degree of level increase or the number of members who "level up" will be recognized by other gods as an achievement of the main god.

"Ah, Miss Freya has arrived—!?"

"Yay!!"

"Miss Ishtar is here too—!"

"What a feast for the eyes...!"

The hall occupied the entire floor and was enormous, with several long pillars supporting the towering ceiling overhead. Surrounded by a blue sky thirty stories high, it resembled a temple in the sky. The gods appeared through the only entrance for people and gradually gathered around the round table placed in the center of the hall.

A stern-faced, round-haired deity; an elephant-masked deity vehemently proclaiming, "I am Ganesha!"; two goddesses of beauty, one with silver hair and the other with purple hair; male gods bowing down to them; and numerous goddesses casting disdainful glances at these male gods. One by one, the gods, men, women, young and old, took their seats at the round table.

Many gods revealed malicious smiles, and the gods sitting next to each other chatted for a while.

A god, seeing that the time was almost up, stood up.

"Alright, is everyone here? Let's begin—"

The goddess Loki, with her crimson hair swaying, curved her squinty eyes into a smiling shape.

She announced in the momentarily silent hall:

"The Great Assembly of the Gods, thousands of times, officially begins! I, Loki, am the master of ceremonies! Please take good care of me—"

"yeah--!!"

The next moment, the gods, eager to join in the cheering, plunged the round table into a burst of applause.

As they applauded, Loki raised one hand in response.