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

"Huh!? What are you doing here, you woman?!"

"War marches always involve prostitutes! So, I came along with Aisha and the others who were looking for women. I asked [Superhuman], and he let me in—"

"Raul!? You bastard! Don't let this guy into the camp!!"

"I'm sorry, after all, she helped me with the 'key' thing, and I felt bad about neglecting her..."

"Aisha and the others have gone to savor the knights of the kingdom (Lachia), but don't worry! I only love Bert Roca! If you're burning with lust on the battlefield, make sure Lina keeps you company through the long nights…!"

"Get out of here!!"

"Hugh!?" The girl (Lina) cried out with a hint of smugness, making Lefia's dry laugh disappear.

Seeing the men's side turn into a chaotic brawl, Tione and the others forgot about their original conversation, shrugged at each other, and finished their dinner one by one. They stood up to clear the dishes, with Lefia, who was the last to finish, following behind.

(...But what if I had greater power...)

Lefia walked behind Tione and the others, who were chatting and laughing, while pondering the follow-up to their earlier conversation.

(Maybe some people wouldn't have had to die... Linne and the others might still be here with us.)

She knew that thinking about these things was useless, and she also understood that it was an overestimation of her abilities.

However, Lefia couldn't help but think about it. No, the other members must have thought the same thing. Having witnessed the werewolves' true intention to not tolerate the existence of the "weak," they must have felt it even more deeply. Their exceptional abilities might simply have been cleverly switching their consciousness to cooperate with the kingdom's (Lachia's) invasion.

At this moment, Lefia, who was still focused on her ambition, failed to notice one thing.

She didn't realize that the overreaction, timidity, and cowardice she once felt towards the title of "successor of the city's strongest mage" was gone. Nor did she notice that her azure eyes were now fixed on a higher realm.

As night deepened, Lefia looked up at the sky.

The sky, densely covered with stars, was vast and boundless. It was a beautiful yet distant celestial radiance.

"...I really want to become stronger."

She murmured this softly.

The campsite was quiet and deserted late at night, with guards left behind.

The scent of grasslands, which is absent in Orario, wafted in, a cold wind swept through, and the vast darkness filled the entire space.

Among these, the magic stone light leaked from one of the several tents that had been set up.

"Lefia...aren't you asleep yet?"

Roommate Elfie rustled her clothes as she turned her face toward Lefia.

Lefia, who was lying on the side with her book open, panicked as she looked at the magic stone lamp placed next to her.

"I'm so sorry, Elfie, and everyone else. Did I keep you up at night?"

"No, I can sleep perfectly well even with the nightlight on, so it's no problem, but..."

Lefia was opening a book about "magic." Seeing Lefia adjust the device, turning the already dim light even dimmer, not only Elfie, but also the humebunny Lakta and the other girls sleeping close together all had their mouths agape in strange expressions.

There's no need to come to a place like this and then try to improve your skills, is there?

Lefia was very clear about what Elfie and the others were thinking.

Their thinking is correct. Studying hard in a place like this yields limited results. It's better to go to bed early and conserve energy for tomorrow.

However, wasting time would make Lefia unbearably anxious.

The Loki Familia shouldn't have had time to come outside the city and fight foreign powers. They should be devising strategies to counter the forces attempting to destroy the city, or perhaps honing their skills. Lefia, however, felt a near-obsessive urge to act.

This would still cause trouble for Elfie and the others. Thinking this, Lefie told a lie that wasn't even a proper lie, saying, "I can't sleep a bit, I'm going outside for some evening breeze." She forced a smile and walked out of the tent, still carrying that thick book in her hand.

As Lefia brushed past the guards, she said "Thank you for your hard work" and sat down on a tree stump at the edge of the campsite, a perfect spot to use as a chair. The nearest guards were some distance away, so it seemed they wouldn't be persuaded to leave anytime soon.

Lefia lit the portable magic stone lamp she had borrowed along the way and turned her consciousness back to the text in the book.

"Ah... Miss Ais."

A while later, just as a gust of wind blew by.

Lefia pressed her long hair down and glanced unintentionally in the direction the wind was blowing, where she saw a blonde, golden-eyed girl standing in the distance.

Ais said she had barely accomplished anything today, so she volunteered to take over the guard duty. The Lv.1 or Lv.2 members hurriedly said, "How can you let a faction leader do this kind of thing?", but couldn't resist the first-level adventurer's plea. She must have noticed that the junior members seemed unconsciously more tense than usual during dungeon explorations. Finn granted her request.

"..."

Ais gazed at the vast plain in the distance, in the direction of the Kingdom (Lachia) army camp.

However, Lefia knew that she wasn't looking at the enemy before her. No, long ago, Ais had been gazing at something far away.

Now, Rafia can empathize with her feelings.

Normally, Lefia would greet her, but this time Lefia lowered her gaze and tried to concentrate on absorbing knowledge again.

"What are you doing, Lefia?"

“Ahh!?”

However, a voice called out to Lefia from behind, making her shoulder jump.

Lefia didn't notice anyone approaching, so she quickly turned around and saw that the newcomer was Riveria, whose long emerald hair shone brightly in the darkness.

"Lady Riveria!? What are you doing here...?"

"Just now, Elfy came to me and said you've become a bookworm."

“Ah…”

Reproached by Rivera's closed eye, Lefia shrank back like a child caught doing something wrong. She also felt apologetic for causing Elfie and the others unnecessary worry.

"Rest now. You've worked harder than anyone else today. It wouldn't be right if your energy wasn't fully restored by tomorrow."

"No, I'm so sorry... but..."

"What's wrong?"

"I feel like this can't go on... I feel like if I don't increase my power as a mage, I'm afraid I'll lose something else..."

"..."

"This makes me very uneasy."

Lefia confessed her true feelings.

Just as Rivera watched her like this, remaining silent...

"—Lefia is really serious~, even though her breasts are so wicked~"

"Alas!?"

Suddenly, someone grabbed Lefia's breasts from behind.

It was Loki. She chuckled, breathing heavily through her nose as she kneaded her breasts until they were deformed. Caught off guard by the lack of sexual harassment in a long time, Lefia retaliated without hesitation—using an over-the-shoulder throw.

"Ugh!?" A groan, like a frog being crushed, erupted. The guards, including Ais, were about to react, but upon realizing the voice came from Loki, they continued standing guard as if nothing had happened.

"Hoo, hoo hoo hoo hoo... Lefia, you've really grown so much! You managed to escape my boobs restraints in a second..."

Why are you suddenly like this?!

"Loki, don't suddenly barge in and do anything weird, it's too unsightly."

"Who told me I'm so bored? -- I just can't stand it without giving Lefia and your boobs a little squeeze --"

Even as Lefia and Riveria glared at him, Loki, who had been thrown to the ground, showed no remorse. He writhed and twisted in mid-air like an insect.

Just as Lefia was covering her chest, her face flushed, the goddess stood up with a "hey!" and picked up the book that had been knocked over when she was thrown.

"Studying in a place like this... Haha! It reminds me of my old friend Ais."

“Eh…?”

"I know Lefia has always worked hard, but this is the first time I've seen you this 'stubborn' side. And this is something about you that's a lot like Ais used to be. Isn't that right, Riveria?"

"...Yes, perhaps that is indeed the case."

Upon hearing these unexpected words, Lefia stopped what she was doing.

She never expected that someone would say she resembled someone she admired, which made her heart pound.

"Others might not be able to tell... but don't let Ais's appearance fool you, she's changed a lot. She used to be such a disobedient child, never listening to us, always causing trouble..."

Lefia wondered if she had misheard. Ais did occasionally show a stubborn side and sometimes act on her own, but she generally obeyed the instructions of Riveria or Loki. Lefia couldn't imagine Ais repeatedly disobeying orders.

She couldn't help but glance at the imposing, golden-haired, golden-eyed female swordswoman in the distance.

"She used to be really hard to manage, didn't she, Mommy Rivera?"

"Enough, Loki, don't make fun of me. ... In short, that girl, like you now, has suffered many disastrous failures because of her impatience. So don't rush things, Lefia. Diligence is good, but never misunderstand the meaning of diligence."

Loki peered down at Riveria's face; Riveria told Lefia this as she frowned at his smiling face.

Lefia was initially flustered, but then she made up her mind and leaned forward.

"Um, well... could you tell me something about Miss Ais's past?"

"?"

"Um! I meant that listening to Miss Ais's past experiences might teach me a valuable lesson! It's definitely not just pure interest! Uh, no, actually it's also a bit of curiosity, but I just...!"

She spoke incoherently.

Lefia longs to connect the current version of herself, the Ais everyone knows, with the past version of herself, the Ais no one knows. While she can't deny that a large part of it stems from a desire to learn more about her idol, Lefia primarily feels that understanding the origins of the "Sword Maiden" might offer some valuable insights.

Rivera initially looked quite troubled by this request, but—

"Tell her it's okay, just think of it as singing a lullaby. It'll help you sleep better, right, Lefia?"

"I...I will!"

Loki spoke up for Lefia.

As the main god sat down on the tree stump he had just been sitting on, he smiled at Riveria, while the vice-captain of the elven royal family sighed.

"I'll only talk about the key points, because Ais herself probably doesn't want everyone to know about her naked past. At the same time, there are some parts that I can't talk about. If you can accept that, I'll tell you."

"Please, please!"

Having unexpectedly gained the opportunity to get to know the person she admires, Lefia is not about to let it slip by.

Rivera glanced at Ais, who was standing guard, and said, "Let's move to another spot. If that kid hears us, he might just swat us with his sword." Whether she was serious or joking, she started moving. Lefia and Loki followed behind.

She was led into the deputy commander's private tent.

Rivera glanced at Loki, who immediately began to relax, and began to speak in a gentle, detailed manner under the illumination of the magic stone lamp.

Lefia listened intently, her face tense.

"We met nine years ago... That winter, for various reasons, we took Ais in."

Side Story: Sword Oratoria 9 - A Chapter of Recollection: The Origin of a Girl

"Are you really going to do this?"

"The goddess asked."

Facing that tiny back.

Her skin was remarkably delicate and fair.

It has absolutely nothing to do with violence; it's almost as if it's at the opposite extreme from disputes and fights.

"Once you carve this, there's no going back, okay?"

The goddess asked the little girl who had taken off her clothes and exposed her back again.

She tossed her crimson hair, letting the blood seep from her cut fingers, and asked as if giving a final proclamation.

"This is what it means to be a member of God's family."

The little girl's answer was only one sentence:

"hurry up."

His tone was unwavering, possessing a will as sharp as a sword.

That could also be called enlightenment. The same was true of the golden eyes fixed on her, which held a cold, sharp glint like a drawn blade. For a girl not yet ten years old to carry such a burden was far too precipitous; to the goddess, it only appeared precarious.

The goddess closed her eyes for a moment and gently placed her fingers on her back.

The slow, flowing strokes of blood depict the words of God.

Those were rows of text resembling inscriptions, a vermilion hue like that of twilight [hieroglyph].