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

"Lefia!"

"Miss Ais!?"

Ais landed with a "thud!" some distance away from the three of them, causing Lefia to turn her head to look.

Seeing that the surprised Lefia and Bell were unharmed, Ais breathed a sigh of relief, then noticed the presence of the masked adventurer.

"【Fiora】..."

The masked adventurer whispered Ais's nickname, covering his face with his hoodie.

She seemed to notice the aura that had followed Ais in this direction, and kicked the grass as she backed away, leaving behind Lefia and the others who had let out an "Ah!"

"As long as she's here, there shouldn't be any problems. I still have a few things I want to confirm, so I'll take my leave now."

The masked adventurer said to the two of them, then said "Excuse me," and left in the opposite direction from where Ais had come from.

Lefia, Bell, and Ais watched her disappear into the forest in silence.

"Are you both alright? What happened... right?"

Soon, Ais walked up to the two of them and, seeing their tattered clothes, asked them with concern.

That's right! Just as Rafia was about to explain what they had seen and heard here.

"Rivia, they're here!"

"Argonaut Argonauts are here too—!"

Tiony and Tiona arrived at the scene.

They leaped down from the tree like Ais, and Lefia recounted what had happened and her speculations to the three. Of course, they asked Bell to stay away so that he, as an outsider, wouldn't overhear.

When Riveria arrived that evening, Ais and the others had already heard the whole story and were looking serious.

"...I understand. We'll handle the investigation with Riveria. Lefia, you two go back to camp first. Ais, you take them both back."

"Eh... wait a minute, Miss Tione!?"

Lefia was about to say that she had witnessed everything firsthand and volunteered to join the investigation, but Tione stopped her from continuing.

"Be a good girl. Only you can explain the detailed information to the commander who stayed at the camp. Right, Rivera?"

"Yes, according to the intelligence, Finn will send other members. The sooner we can inform him, the better."

“Ugh…”

Riveria, who came with a silver staff, also earnestly advised Lefia, who had no way to refute her.

As if about to deliver one last blow, Diona, wielding her twin blades, smiled and said:

"Besides, Lefia and Argo are both dressed in tattered clothes. Don't push yourselves. You should go and rest."

"That makes Argo, the little hero, so pitiful." These words jolted Lefia back to reality, and she turned to look.

Bell, standing some distance away, could not hide his exhaustion, though his wounds had healed. From his pained expression, one could vaguely see the aftereffects of a battle that neither healing magic nor elixirs could cure—probably the aftereffects of that final artillery barrage.

To drag the boy into this and then leave saying "I have other things to do"... that's really a bit much. It's not a matter of rationality, but rather a matter of the character of an elf.

Feeling embarrassed, Rafia nodded honestly, "Yes..."

"Ais, please."

"understood."

Ais took the portable magic lamp from Riveria and became their bodyguard.

After waving goodbye to Tiona and the others, Lefia and the others headed towards the campsite.

"...Are you alright?"

"Haha... I'm fine, they treated me."

The three walked through the forest at night, and Ais asked them with the same concern as before.

Bell forced a smile, trying to muster his spirits, but slowly looked down at his feet.

"However, the shoes are all worn out..."

The magic stone lamp in Ais's hand illuminated the boots that had lost their original form.

Both Lefia's and Bell's battle suits showed signs of dissolution in several places.

The toes, which were constantly soaked in the dissolving solution, were the most severely affected. Just like the skin had been, the shoes and boots were riddled with holes, as if they had been gnawed by insects.

Bell mumbled, "There are greaves lying around at the campsite..." Lefia glanced at him a few times, trying to keep her tone as indifferent as possible:

"I'll give you a change of boots when we get back to camp. If we don't have any, I'll go to town (Rivera) to buy some."

"Huh... Is it... okay?"

"Okay!"

Seeing Bell turn around, Rafia once again gave an indifferent reply.

"Please don't misunderstand... It's because I'm the one who dragged you into this."

That's all!

She spoke to the boy in an aggressive tone.

Bell blinked several times, and after a while, he gave a wry smile that seemed a little embarrassed.

Rafia turned her face away, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"..."

Ais stared intently at the two of them and said:

"You two...your relationship has improved?"

“Eh!?”

Lefia let out a strange cry and suddenly turned to Ais.

"No, no, Miss Ais, you've misunderstood! There's absolutely no way that could happen, or rather, there will never be such a day...!"

"Hahaha……"

"Hey! You need to clear up Miss Ais's misunderstanding!! Why are you smiling like that?!"

"It's really gotten better..."

"No, no! Miss Ais~~~~~~!?"

The girl's accusation of missing the point made Bell Crane laugh awkwardly with an indescribable expression, Ais nodded repeatedly in sudden realization, while Lefia cried and screamed.

Under the gaze of the crystal-clear night sky, the boy and girl, the three of them, embarked on their journey home side by side.

The Back of the Stage in Sword Oratoria 5 Interlude

The blue crystals that grew from the ground emitted a faint, even somewhat eerie, glow.

In a corner of a deep forest, far from the eastern end of the building.

Painful groans echoed from the place, which was surrounded by enormous crystals on all sides.

Two people were breathing heavily. Facing the source of these sounds, a figure in a long cloak swaying in the dim light swung a small katana in his hand.

The blood clinging to it flew off the silver blade.

"Alright, I have a lot of questions for you."

The masked adventurer, his hood pulled low, looked down at the two people on the ground in a low voice.

The two men were lying on the ground.

They were the remnants of that dark faction who instigated the carnivorous plant swarm to attack Lefia and her group.

The tall human and the elven youth, whose headbands and turbans had been removed, showed fear in their expressions as they faced the cold, sky-blue eyes looking down at them.

"Did you release those new monsters? If so, what do you plan to do here?"

The masked adventurer spoke coldly, unlike the person who had used "magic" to heal his fellow girl and white-haired boy.

The surrounding bushes and crystals were covered in splattered blood, and the men's limbs had been mercilessly severed, leaving them unable to move.

After parting ways with Lefia and the others, the masked adventurer went after the two men who had attacked them, simply because the existence of the new monster made her worried and anxious.

This great forest is her garden, the garden of this fairy.

This place is a cemetery where her friends' belongings stand; she knows it all too well, from the tree roots where small white flowers bloom before the graves to the spots where fruit ripens. If she sets out to track them down, the men will have no chance of escape.

"Ugh...!?"

The men lying on their backs had their robes spread open, and beneath the open fabric, their bodies were wrapped in countless bright red spheres, which were the "fire stones" used to commit suicide.

They didn't hide poison in their teeth because if they were to commit suicide, they would have to do so by burning their own skin in an explosion. Otherwise, the "hireoglyph" inscription on their backs—the "pharna" bearing their own names and the name of the supreme god—would be exposed by the "status thief."

Knowing this, the masked adventurer did not try to silence the men.

The elven woman, who held the power of life and death over them, continued coldly and ruthlessly:

"Also, I've seen this kind of suicide equipment before."

"This very equipment took a friend's life," she said.

She spoke dismissively in a more somber tone, her eyes wide open.

"Are you survivors of that faction—remnants of the Dark Faction?"

She unleashed an immense killing intent.

It was no longer hatred, but an extremely pure and intense killing intent that made the remnants of the dark faction tremble.

The two were terrified and had nowhere to hide. They were sweating profusely, and the tall human even lost control of his bladder.

"If you refuse to say anything, I will humiliate your backs and expose your origins. After that, I will surely crush those who collude with evil gods."

"Stop, stop!? Don't do this!?"

The human man couldn't help but scream in agony.

He tried desperately to distance himself from the evil spirit in elven clothing who was looking down at him, but he couldn't.

As the man struggled and shook his body repeatedly... the elven youth's face twitched, and he laughed.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

"What's so funny?"

"I...I know that those eyes...are the eyes of someone who swore revenge and fulfilled their long-cherished wish."

Just like me. The elven youth sneered.

Pity and mockery. The masked adventurer narrowed his eyes in a chilling way as the other person looked up at him with these emotions.

"My unknown compatriot, don't you want to see your loved ones again... and those who have died?"

The dead will not come back to life.

"But we will meet again."

"What are you talking about?"

The young man gasped for breath several times, almost succumbing to hyperventilation, his handsome features contorted as he continued to laugh. His human companions stared at his profile with horrified eyes, as if they had seen something incredulous.

Like a pitiful fellow countryman with a similar background—as if breaking a taboo, the elven youth murmured in a trembling voice:

"Swear allegiance to our Lord, and in doing so, you too—"

at this time.

A sharp silver light flew overhead.

The masked adventurer dodged the murderous blade thrown at him with astonishing speed, and at the same time, a dart pierced the neck of both the human and the elven youth.

"Gah, ah...?"

"How……!"

The masked adventurer was greatly shocked to see the remnants of the dark faction spitting out blood.

The hidden weapon was thrown in succession. The first flying blade was used to distance herself from the men, and then the second shot, launched when she was unable to protect them, was meant to be truly deadly.

Bright red blood gushed from the holes in their throats, rendering the men unable to speak. The masked adventurer whirled around, looking in the direction from which the blade had come.

A bluish-purple hooded robe swayed on the tree branch.