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

She figured that since things had come to this, she had no choice but to make a decision, so she mustered her courage and tied her long golden hair back around her head.

Ais noticed out of the corner of her eye that the other members were also watching curiously from afar. She timidly walked to the water's edge and immersed herself in the lake from the waist down.

"You can float on your back, right? Try it."

"..."

"Oh—it floats! It floats!"

"As expected of Miss Ais!"

"Oh, looks easy. Then put your face in the water, and then splash some water—"

"———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— (Pugu pugu pugu pugu pugu!?)"

Ais let out a mournful cry and fell silent.

"Eee ...

"Disappeared incredibly fast—!?"

"Tiona! Help!"

Lefia and Tiona screamed, and Tione nearly screamed as she gave instructions for rescue.

Even the other members of the group were startled; Ais—!? Miss Ais—!? Lefia and Tiona also rushed over and jumped into the lake.

"No, I think it's Rivera's special training that has caused deep psychological trauma to Ais-chan...!"

"What on earth did Riveria do?!"

Tiony, spittle flying, rants at Loki, who has been resurrected with a maple leaf mark on his face.

As for the elven royal family involved, they turned into a statue behind the rock.

"Ais, are you alright!?" "Are you okay!?"

"I'm sorry."

With Tiona and Lefia's help, Ais was rescued and brought ashore.

The girl saw her mother waving and smiling in a lantern-like display; her shoulders heaved as she gasped for breath.

The other members, who had never seen [Sword Princess] like this before, understood the seriousness of the situation and grunted in disbelief. Later, after Ais recovered, they tried various swimming styles, such as backstroke, but to no avail. Whenever Ais moved her feet, her body sank like a mud boat.

"It's worse than I thought..."

"But that's all we can do now, practice."

"It's not so much that I'm afraid of water... it's more that I get too nervous and strain too much when I think about swimming..."

"So it's a conditioned reflex? Seriously, what on earth did Rivera do...?"

Tiony and Tiona looked bitter, while Lefia gently patted Ais's back.

Ais's legs went weak, and she braced herself on the sand with her hands; in her mind, little Ais could no longer see people, but was just blowing a bunch of bubbles on the surface of the water.

The other members who had been secretly observing the situation also gathered around Ais and the others.

"Hmm~, then why don't you practice with me, Ais? I'll hold your hand."

"Tiona... um."

Seeing her companion's sacrifice for her, Ais felt an unprecedented sense of guilt and took Tiona's outstretched hand. The two then walked towards the lake.

Tiona walked backwards underwater, with Ais holding both of her hands for support.

Ais refused to let her face touch the water, her slender legs flailing like a small animal, her only thought being not to sink.

"Ais, relax a little more? Hmm, that's good. You'll definitely be able to swim like that."

"Really?"

"Then I'll give it a try—"

「!?」

"One, two..."

"Wait, wait, wait, Diona—"

"Okay, I'm letting go—"

"~ ...

The moment Tiona let go and struck a pose of celebration, Ais struggled desperately like a panicked rabbit. She let out a pitiful "Glug glug glug glug!?" sound, sinking into emptiness.

The distraught girl desperately reached out and managed to grab Tiona's body with both hands.

She buried her face in her best friend's chest, trembling like a toddler.

(So ​​cute.)

Seeing Ais like this, Tiona smiled softly.

"So cute."

"So cute."

"So cute."

"This Ais isn't bad at all—the contrast is adorable—"

Tiony, Loki, and the others who were looking at this scene from the shore all expressed the same sentiment.

The group members all exclaimed how cute she was, but Lefia stared at Tiona, who was being held by Ais, and let out a soft moan.

✉

In the end, Ais was still unable to overcome her fear of water, and the lake bath ended just like that.

After having a good time, it was time to get to the original purpose—the investigation.

"Since we're going to investigate the underwater caves... well, so diving is the only option, right?"

"I suppose so. Do you know the location of the cave, Loki?"

Lefia hesitated, glancing at Ais.

The implication was that "you can't become a fighting force," which made [Sword Girl] feel frustrated; Catwoman Angie asked Loki.

"I've done my research beforehand—. It's a little further south from here, near the lake gorge. Tiona, Tione—, please help me—"

"knew--!"

"Hurry up and get it done."

Thinking that investigating the "cave" would inevitably involve an unfamiliar water battle, Lefia and the others were tense, thinking that the entire group would have to go out. However, when they heard Loki entrust everything to Tiona and Tione, they all blinked repeatedly.

Seeing the Amazon sisters walk forward, Ais suddenly looked up.

"Tiona, Tione... is that swimsuit of yours some kind of 'water crystal fabric'?"

Ais was too shy and drowning to notice Tiona and the others' swimsuits until now.

They wore dark blue robes. Even though the fabric was minimal, it was undoubtedly a protective "divine cloth."

"You guessed right—it's for the two of us. It's indispensable when dealing with water-related adventurer quests," Loki answered proudly on behalf of Tiony and the others.

The undine cloth, woven with magical essence, boasts enhanced attributes, making it even superior to armor crafted by high smiths. It offers resistance to water attacks and protection against heat waves, making it a favorite among adventurers.

However, this protective gear only truly shines in water.

Even for adventurers, movement in water is significantly slower than on land; however, equipping a Water Sprite Cloth allows for faster swimming and expands the range of motion. It also increases resistance to water resistance and pressure.

Although the price is relatively high, it can be considered one of the essential pieces of equipment when carrying out activities such as eliminating water monsters.

Loki, while being scolded by Lefia and the others for "turning 'Fairy Essence Protector' into a swimsuit...", continued:

"Furthermore, Tiona and the others possess the ability to 'dive,' allowing them to swim faster than fish in the water. Once equipped with the Water Sprite Protector, it's like adding wings to a tiger... no, it's like adding halberds to female warriors (Amazons)!"

"What kind of metaphor is this?"

Tiony stared at Loki, who was inventing strange proverbs using Far Eastern idioms.

The "Diving" ability, which can be gained upon upgrade, has almost the same effect as the Water Sprite Cloth. The difference is that "Diving" also provides bonuses to attack power and other attributes, making it more effective in "naval combat".

It is said that this is an essential ability for members of the major sea god faction (the Sea God's Familia) who operate in the ocean.

"I remember 'diving' was a very rare skill..."

"I've heard that the familiar, who live at sea, are more likely to develop this ability..."

Lefia and Angie whispered among themselves, discussing the abilities that Tiona and the others had acquired.

"How did they acquire that ability...?" "How did they learn it...?" To these questions from the group members, Tiona and Tione answered:

"Before coming to the city (Orario), we often took on quests in fishing villages or island nations to defeat monsters and earn a living."

"Yes, yes, yes! I couldn't fight well in the water no matter what I did~. I got so frustrated that I fought a bunch of them, and as a result, I became good at water combat~"

The rivalry between these two sisters, who refused to admit defeat, fueled this phenomenon by competing to see who could defeat the most enemies.

As Lefia and the others chuckled awkwardly at their words, Loki rummaged through his backpack and tossed something to Tiona and Tione. "Here, this is for you. If the carnivorous plants appear, use this to kill them—"

"This is?"

"The naval weapon (the Blade of Kerber) that Guberneau and the others used to make from undercoral and the tusks of walruses. I dug it out of the mansion's warehouse."

The short sword was about the same length as Tione's main weapon, the kukri knife. Its transparent, marine blue blade, resembling a crystal of water, was surprisingly light. Tiona and Tione accepted the two anti-water combat weapons. After a few quick swings, they said, "We'll be right back," and nimbly ran off.

The two walked to the end of the lake shore and jumped into the lake in unison.

"...Well, it might be too late to say this now, but if Miss Tiona and the others go into the water, it seems like we don't need to change into our swimsuits..."

After watching Tiona and the others enter the water, Lefia, dressed in her swimsuit, murmured a sentence softly; Loki, with an indifferent face, offered a fake cheer, "Whoa—, go for it—, good luck—!"

Lake Rolog is a deep blue and clear, comparable to the sea in the south.

Thanks to the purification devices made of magic stones, the drainage of the city (Orario) or port city (Melon) is kept clean at all times, and the lake bottom is clear and transparent, providing a very clear view. In the blink of an eye, Tiona and Tione were far away from the lagoon where Ais and the others were, swimming forward with the [Kobell Blade] in one hand.

"Wow, Beibao is so pretty!"

(I don't understand what you're saying.)

Tiona spoke while exhaling a lot of bubbles, and Tione gave her a look that indicated he couldn't stand her.

The underwater world was enveloped in a tranquility unlike anything found on land. Beautiful little fish, green, blue, or gray, swam past Tiona and her companions frequently. Seaweed grew steadily on the lakebed, where rocks and stones were scattered.

But looking elsewhere, driftwood or broken wreckage of ships would come into view. A school of giant black fish darted past Tiona and her companion as the two silently gazed down at the sunken ship whose hull had been torn open.

"!"

Suddenly, Tiona's eyes caught a chilling glint of light.

Behind the shipwreck, deep in the shadowy space.

A flash of crimson light appeared, and then a monstrous fish, as large as Tiona and the others, materialized terrifyingly.

It's easy to imagine that the cause of the shipwreck was this monster—the "Ambush Fish".

The fish monster, its blood-red eyes bulging, left its lair at the bottom of the lake and charged toward its prey.

"Roar!"

Facing the enemies charging like cannonballs, Tiona raised her unarmed right hand overhead.

"!"

"Pfft!?"

With a move no less powerful than when she was on the ground, she punched the strange fish hard.

The undiminished power of the iron fist shattered the monster's face. The "Ambush Fish," battered by the counterattack, slammed violently into the lakebed with astonishing force, raising a cloud of dust.

(It's been a long time since I've gone diving, and I feel incredibly agile when I move around—)

(It must be the power of the protective cloth.)

Tiona twirled her right arm several times, and Tione shrugged at her.

The twin sisters, who exchanged glances and understood each other perfectly, actually experienced the effects of "diving" combined with the water-based protective cloth.

(Tione, how long can you stay underwater?)

(About an hour is no problem.)

Tiona and Tione advance with the help of Loki's intelligence.