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

He is a mysterious figure wearing a mask with terrifying patterns.

"These remnants of dark factions...useless trash who only hold others back."

Hearing the various noises overlapping and making him uncomfortable, the masked adventurer was about to ask who he was when...

Wearing a metal glove on his right arm, he took out a scarlet "demon sword" from his bosom.

“——”

The short sword-shaped blade caused time to stand still for the masked adventurer.

The masked man wouldn't allow her to take any further action and immediately swung the "Demon Sword".

The fireballs spewed from the sword engulfed the dying remnants of the dark faction.

"Ugh—!?"

She flung off her cloak and made a hasty escape, immediately triggering a violent explosion at the scene.

The man ignited the "Flame Stone," forcibly detonating it with external force.

The masked adventurer, though struck by the blast wave, barely escaped with her life. Looking up, the horrific scene before her made her squint. A crater had been dug in the ground, vegetation was ablaze, and what had once been human bodies were now charred fragments, the stench of burnt human flesh filling the air.

Looking up at the top of the pillar, the masked adventurer saw that the masked man had vanished without a trace.

"..."

Killing them to silence them means we won't get any more information.

The elven woman's face was contorted beneath her hooded dress; she knew she had been tricked by the enemy, and there was nothing she could do about it.

She sighed and looked around. Fortunately, the fire was being contained by the massive crystals surrounding them, so there was no need to worry about it spreading further. Amidst the drifting black smoke and sparks, the masked adventurer silently approached the epicenter of the explosion.

It was no longer possible to check the men's belongings; the explosion of the concentrated "Flame Stones" had blown everything away.

The meat was on fire and shattered into pieces, making it impossible to tell which part it came from.

The masked adventurer lowered his gaze mournfully as he prepared to leave the scene.

"...?"

Unintentionally, a ray of light flashed across their field of vision, causing the masked adventurer to stop in his tracks.

She approached the light source hidden in the shadows of the bushes and picked it up.

"This is……"

Is it in the possession of remnants of the dark faction? If so, it's incredibly resilient. Was it blown here by the blast wave?

Although it bears some traces of being melted by the high temperature of the flame, it still retains its original spherical shape.

It is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and is made of handcrafted, refined metal (ingot).

Buried inside is a crimson sphere—an object resembling an eyeball.

The surface is engraved with a "D" shaped symbol that is neither koine nor sacred script.

"...A magic item?"

A surprised murmur escaped from her small lips.

Soon after, the masked adventurer pocketed the sphere he had obtained and quickly left the scene.

✿

"It seems we haven't found anything yet, Lefia."

Crystal-white light shone down on the 18th floor in the morning.

When the Loki Familia members split up to search the forest, Finn's words stunned Lefia.

“How could this be…”

The night was spent fighting yesterday.

Based on the information brought by Lefia, Finn had his team investigate the area near the eastern end of the great forest. Lefia said that the dark faction had set up "Forest Guardians" as underground gatekeepers to protect or hide something, and Finn believed her explanation.

However, the outcome was exactly as Finn had told her at that moment.

From last night until now, they have expanded their investigation to various locations, but have not found any suspicious items or traces.

The floor greeted "morning." Lefia, having recovered from her battle fatigue after a rest, rushed back and looked around at the surrounding forest and her exhausted comrades, feeling utterly bewildered.

"B-But...Captain! We did indeed fight a brightly colored monster!"

"I'm not doubting you, and I think your guess is correct. Besides, seeing such a big hole, you can't help but believe it."

The leader of the little people looked in one direction and saw the marks left by Lefia and Bell's artillery fire on the ground. The rock face looked as if it had been cracked and collapsed after an earthquake, becoming a chaotic mess.

The surrounding area was littered with fallen crystal pillars, but a new crystal forest, resembling a giant stone circle, had already grown from the ground and was gradually recovering, indicating that the underground city in this area was being repaired very quickly.

Holding the Durandal-grade spear, Finn narrowed his lake-like blue eyes.

What once stood here... or what remains?

"..."

"If it's the latter, it seems to be something we can't find right now."

Finn licked the pad of his thumb and whispered as if to confirm:

"Continuing the search is probably pointless, though that's just my gut feeling."

"Then, so..."

"Yes, we're retreating. Grace and the others who are staying at the camp should be packing their bags soon."

At the campsite, Ais and the others, Riveria and Grace are preparing to return home.

The expedition was plagued by accidents, which brought the team members to the brink of exhaustion, making it impossible to delay the departure date.

Furthermore, they also need to meet Loki and share the intelligence they have gathered as soon as possible.

Lefia dared not comment on Finn's judgment.

"In any case, this area is highly suspicious. We will regroup and conduct further investigation."

"……I see."

"Then let's go back. — Raul, retreat! Gather everyone!"

"Yes!"

At Finn's command, the members who had been scattered around began to assemble.

Lefia gripped her wand, gazing at the battlefield where she had fought the underground gatekeepers.

The group had no way of knowing that the masked adventurers had made contact with the dark faction, and the Loki Familia withdrew from the east end of the floor.

Sword Oratoria 5: The Final Chapter - Return to Home

"What do you mean that brat came here?! I didn't hear about it!?"

"That's why we didn't explain to you—because Bert is noisy. Okay, okay, let's go—"

"Hey, wait a minute! You stupid Amazon!?"

The day the Loki Family expedition returned.

When the "morning" hours arrive on the floor, the campsite becomes noisy.

Everyone was busy preparing to depart. Around Ais, numerous group members were folding tents and stuffing supplies into transport crates. Amidst this, the werewolf Bert, having heard that Bell had lingered at the campsite, gruffly questioned Tiona and Tione.

Bert, who had been traveling between the surface and the labyrinth to deliver the antidote, must have been greatly shocked to hear this news. After returning last night, having not slept for several days, he hadn't seen Bell and the others and had gone to sleep.

However, Tiona and the others probably thought it would be easier to keep things simple, so they deliberately didn't tell him.

"Hey! Ais! Did that brat really come here!?"

"Yes... really."

Bert, veins bulging, called out to Ais after being casually dealt with by Tiona and the others.

Ais nodded honestly, and he clicked his tongue and said, "So what is it?"...then slowly pursed his lips.

Soon after, his behavior became unusually strange.

As Ais tilted her head in confusion, Bert leaned closer and asked her in a low voice:

"Uh, I mean, Ais... so that thing is true too?"

"That matter...?"

"That one! That one! The one... Ah~! The one where he said he was spying on you while you were taking a cold shower!"

It was probably the Sword Maiden's personal guard... Correction, it was the members who snitched on Bert, mentioning the cold shower to Ais. Her expressionless face suddenly widened, her cheeks flushing a cherry blossom pink.

Just like last night, Ais fidgeted with her hands, her gaze fixed on her feet, and silently nodded, not bothering to hide her embarrassment.

Bert was deeply shocked when he saw the girl confirm that the incident had indeed occurred.

"That...that bastard...how could he so easily do something even I wouldn't dare to do?"

Bert, trembling all over, seemed genuinely shocked and probably had misunderstood something.

"...Ais."

Ais was about to add that the commotion was caused by divine instigation, but Bert's attitude changed, the previous atmosphere vanished, and his expression became extremely serious.

His amber eyes held a savage glint as he asked Ais:

"The brat appearing in the mid-level area (here) means... he's leveled up to Lv.2?"

Seeing the young man's eyes, Ais nodded again in affirmation.

"That bastard..."

Bert clicked his tongue and made a "tsk!" sound.

"Ais, where's that brat?"

"..."

Then he asked Ais where Bell was.

In contrast, Ais looked worried—to others, she appeared as expressionless as usual—and remained silent.

If you ask where he is, he's obviously in the tent you lent him. Ais just saw him go into the tent with the goddess (Hestia).

But Ais didn't want to tell Bert, or rather, she didn't want Bert to meet Bell.

Rewind to about two weeks ago, on the first day of the "Expedition." While moving to the 7th floor, Ais, for some reason, was struck by a profound shock and thought of the boy's idol… or rather, the object of his admiration might be the young man (Bert). To be honest, she still hadn't been able to shake off this doubt, and even today, despite having had several opportunities, she hadn't dared to ask the boy directly.

What if she guesses correctly?

—Mr. Bert, I have tried my best to earn your praise!

—Huh? Don't be so smug about something that little!

This dialogue played out in Ais's mind, and the boy in her mind had sparkling eyes.

...How annoying.

I find it really annoying.

Specifically, it was so disliked that the young Ais in her heart hugged her knees and frowned.

She really didn't want to see that scene, and she was very sad.

So, Ais was just pretending.

"…………there."

Ais lied through her teeth, quickly averting her eyes to point in the completely wrong direction. "Over there, isn't it?" Bert said, recklessly walking towards a corner of the campsite.

Lying made Ais feel incredibly guilty, but she just couldn't help it. And she noticed Bert was the same; his nickname had changed from "Tomato Boy" to "Bunny." ...Danger was definitely brewing, *gulp*.

"...Hey, I need to repair my comrade's weapon. Can you lend me a whetstone and other tools?"

"Hmm...? Is this the attitude of someone asking for a favor, little brother Will?"

"...Please give me some tools, please."

"Hmm? I can't hear you?"

"That bastard...!?"

As they talked, the preparations for departure gradually became more focused. The lower-ranking members were busy going in and out, while Tsubaki, in the center of the campsite, grinned mischievously, teasing the young blacksmith. For various reasons, the Hephaestus Familia and Bell's group would be following the rear guard, which had split into two groups, and would be led forward by the main force.