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

Regarding Finn's question.

Ais, with her head bowed, slowly nodded.

Now that Ais has experienced the difference between them in real-life simulation battles, she can understand the weight of Finn's words.

I realized how rash and impulsive I had been, and how narrow-minded I had been.

I realized how vast the world is.

She deeply understood these things.

"I can't allow you to explore the dungeon for now, but for physical training like today's, either Grace or I can practice with you when we have time."

"!"

"As you requested, we will teach you how to fight. So you will also have to listen to Rivera's lectures; I hope you will become strong both mentally and physically."

Finn smiled at Ais, then looked up at Riveria beside him.

"Alright, Rivera. As an elder who should be respected by her juniors, is there anything you'd like to clarify with Ais first?"

"..."

Rivera seemed to have something on her mind as well. After a long silence, she spoke to Ais:

"Ais... I think I was a little too enthusiastic. I'm sorry, I still need to improve."

Upon hearing this, Ais showed surprise.

Because her eyes and words conveyed genuine apology, confusion as she explored unfamiliar things, and the care her parents showed for her.

Ais was only slightly... truly only slightly moved; all she could do was shake her little head.

"I also want to say, I'm sorry..."

For some reason, Ais couldn't look up at her face, keeping her eyes fixed on the lawn as she spoke softly.

"Please... teach me to read."

Ais bowed her head and pleaded.

Seeing her like this, Rivera opened her eyes wide and a smile appeared on her face.

"Okay, let's work together."

*

In the early morning hours before sunrise.

Ais took her sword and went downstairs to the courtyard.

The mansion was shrouded in the darkness before dawn, utterly silent. Ais let the chilly air caress her skin, gazing up at the still vast sky.

Ais felt that she had learned a little about the secret behind Riveria and the others' formidable strength.

They are like water that has accumulated into a deep pool, and they have achieved what they have today through countless accumulations.

It's not just them.

The father who has always protected me, and all those brave people, must be the same.

"..."

Ais harbored a deep sense of loneliness within her, then her gaze hardened.

She drew the sword that Finn and the others had given her.

"You must strengthen yourself honestly, patiently, and steadily."

Ais made a decision after hearing Riveria's words.

In order to fulfill my long-cherished wish, I must work harder and be more determined than them.

The little girl kept her strong will hidden in her heart and began to practice swordsmanship on her own.

It began a persistent effort that will continue into the distant future without interruption.

Sword Oratorio 9 Side Story Chapter 2: A Brief Period of Calm

"Prepare to return to the city; expedite the preparations."

It was the fifth day after the start of the war.

Finn gave this order while the battle with the Kingdom (Lachia) army was still raging.

"The kingdom (Lachia) is only suffering casualties without launching an offensive, seemingly trying to prolong the war. Their goal is to keep Orario's forces outside the city."

His explanation was that the enemy's objective was within Orario.

No one objected to the brilliant guild leader's decision. To prevent the kingdom (Lachia) from succeeding, it was necessary to send some of the [Familia] back to the city—once Finn's "speculation" was heard, the governing body (guild) would surely accept the reason for their return. Within a day, some of their fighting force should have been recalled. The legitimate reason was now in place.

The outcome of the war was largely predetermined from the very beginning; leaving only the Freya Familia and the Ganesha Familia would be sufficient to handle it. However, under Loki's wicked scheme, this task was pushed onto the Freya faction, who were sworn enemies of theirs.

The Loki Familia quickly departed from the Great Plains, leaving only their banner behind to prevent their retreat from being detected.

Then, they arrived in Orario that evening.

"We must not provoke conflict with the dark factions during the war. If we end up having to deal with the kingdom (Lachia) at the same time, the consequences would be unimaginable."

As the group passed through the massive city walls, which were dyed the color of the setting sun, Finn, while drawing surprise and questions from the crowd, informed all members of the [Family] of the future plans in the square in front of the city gate.

"Regarding the spies from the Kingdom (Lachia) that have presumably been sent into the city, Riveria and I will handle them. The others will gather intelligence and continue searching for the 'key'... Then, we need to allow everyone some rest and recuperation. I think everyone is not used to fighting, their nerves have been constantly on edge, and they haven't had a day off in the past two weeks. Raul, please collect your leave applications and give them to me; I'll adjust the dates accordingly."

"OK!"

From that day on, the members of the Loki Familia went their separate ways and entered a short vacation.

*

Just before the group was about to leave the battlefield with the Kingdom (Lachia) and return to Orario.

Grace and several of his entourage split up with Finn and his main team to thoroughly investigate the area surrounding the city.

"Found it."

"Wow, it actually exists..."

There is a rocky area four kilometers south of Orario.

In a location with a view of the coastline, a cave quietly opened its entrance; adventurers stepped inside and discovered a passageway where the natural rock surface had been transformed into artificial stone.

"I suspected it the moment I heard those people were transporting man-eating plants into the port city (Melon). Even with the help of trading companies or the Ishtar Familia, small or medium-sized ones are one thing, but transporting large monsters out of the city gates will inevitably arouse suspicion no matter what."

Once liberated from the war in the kingdom (Lachia), Grace and her companions immediately began operations as a special forces unit. Their objective was to complete the Loki Familia's current task: to gather intelligence on the man-made labyrinth (Knossos).

Once inside Orario, leaving the city requires going through a complicated process. Grace, unwilling to waste time, used the war as an excuse to investigate the underground passage leading out of the city.

"The carnivorous plants in the man-made maze were transported out from here..."

"The food and the large amount of supplies needed to build the labyrinth must have been transported from here."

"You mean this is another exit that allows us to bypass city checkpoints?"

"Hmm. It's possible that Finn is using this secret passage with those spies he suspects from the kingdom (Lachia).

Grace responded to the silent chienthrope, Kos, and the male members of the group. She also considered that in the past, the dark faction might have levied exorbitant tolls to raise funds, thus allowing some outlaws to infiltrate the city.

Level 4 Koss held up the magic stone lamp, his eyes fixed on the man-made passage.

"But then again, it's a wonder we found this secret passage... To be honest, when I heard we had to search every corner around the city, I felt a little dizzy."

"I didn't just randomly pick one. Playing with mud is a dwarf's specialty; everything depends on experience, experience."

Before arriving in Orario… going back further, before meeting Loki and Finn and joining the Guild, Grace had worked as a laborer in the mines and pits of his hometown. He had worked on dangerous volcanoes and excavated many silver deposits. He had also participated in the construction of underground tunnels. Based on the assumed scale of the man-made labyrinth (Knossos) and the land area of ​​the labyrinth city (Orario), coupled with the need for an inconspicuous location, these conditions led Grace to this place.

"Let's destroy this place first. Are all the guys who know explosive 'magic' here?"

"They're all here!"

"We need to blow this place up so it completely collapses, cutting off the main supply route. Even though the man-made maze connects the city and the underground city, this will only cause chaos... Once we've dealt with this, we'll look for other secret passages. We need to search every corner of Orario, in all directions, and all around here."

"My God... I understand."

As the few male members of the Loki Familia began chanting the incantation, Koss, following instructions from Grace, groaned and braced himself. The labyrinthine city alone was vast enough; if the surrounding area were included, its extent was immeasurable.

They'll have to wait a while longer before they get their holiday.

"Sorry, Bert Roca, I still can't find it."

"Tsk...did I make a wasted trip?"

Night fell over Orario. In the southeastern part of the city, bathed in moonlight, a group of people moved about in the rebuilt area of ​​the pleasure quarters. It was Bert and his Loki Familia, along with Rena, formerly of the Ishtar Familia.

That very night, Bert brought Lina back from the battlefield, as agreed, and asked her to lead the way to find the "key." They arrived at the "Palace of the Goddess (Bélit-Babili)," the residence of the goddess Ishtar.

"Is it possible that the dark faction arrived before us...? Impossible. We don't smell like them."

"Hmm, there were no signs of it being ransacked. It must have been taken away by Goddess Ishtar or a member of the group who knew the truth."

Bert and the others remained in a hidden door deep within Ishtar's chamber (bedroom). While shelves and coat racks displayed discarded pure gold crowns and beautiful veils resembling stardust, the "key" to the artificial labyrinth they sought—the "Orb of Daedalus"—was nowhere to be seen. The small box on the table that Lina had mentioned seeing earlier was now empty.

While being scolded by Lina, Bert rudely ransacked the secret room, then angrily looked around.

"Bert—, I went to look for Tamuz's room, the one you mentioned, but I couldn't find it—. What a waste of time, ugh~"

"It's a waste of time, you idiot. You're not just going to find someone to get by, are you, you moron Amazon?"

"I would never do that, okay?!"

"We also asked Angie and the orc girl for help, but there wasn't even a secret room or anything. We even searched the ceiling."

Tiona, Tione, and the other members of the group all came to the shrine to join everyone.

After hearing their report, Bert knew that his last hope had also vanished, and he clicked his tongue.

"Now we're back to square one. The only hope left is that 'key' that Valetta originally possessed, but..."

"Bert, you beat them all to a pulp, didn't you?"

"...Is that not allowed?"

They weren't just beaten flat, they were completely burned to ashes, but Bert turned his face away unhappily, refusing to look at Tiony and Tiona. Even if they wanted to find the "key" from the enemy officers who came to the surface, there were currently no clues.

Although it was only a retelling, Tiona and the others knew that Bert was consumed by rage at the time, and they didn't tactlessly pursue the matter of Bert not asking Valetta Greider and the others about the whereabouts of the "key." However...

"Don't do this! Don't blame Bert Roca! It's all my fault!"

For some reason, Lina blushed and playfully defended Bert.

"Bert Roca thought I had been brutally murdered, and he actually swore to take revenge... Hehehehehe... That's love, isn't it! It's proof that Bert Roca loved me to death!"

"So you're going to force me to shut you up, you brat!?"

"Huh!? You're going to gag me with Bert Roca's mouth!? Ugh, in front of so many people, aren't you ashamed! But just say the word—um~"

Lena closed her eyes, wanting to offer a kiss, but Bert's iron fist slammed hard into her forehead.

"Ewh ...

"I really will send you to the Western Paradise, you delusional brat...!"

"Excuse me, don't show off your favors there? I really don't know whether to say it's an eyesore or... believe it or not, I'll beat you to death?"

"What exactly are you jealous of, Dione?!"

Lina rolled on the ground, clutching her forehead, while Bert's veins bulged. Tiony was forced to witness her fellow Amazons' passionate love (showing affection) (from my perspective) and her murderous intent surpassed that of a werewolf. Tiony desperately held her sister, who was clenching her fists, from behind.

Seeing the chaotic scene that had instantly turned the room into a mess, the cat-woman Annakiti and the other members of the group all sighed.

"Lefia...is this the place?"

"Yes, Miss Ais..."

At the easternmost end of the 18th floor of the dungeon—the safety point—Ais, Lefia, Navi, and the other members of the group were in the space after passing through the great forest.

The blue crystal forest, resembling a stone circle, stirs Lefia's memories. About a month and a half ago, she was tracking remnants of the dark faction here, dragging a chance encounter with a boy (Bell) into the fray, and engaging in a battle with the underground gatekeepers (trap monsters). At that time, Lefia ultimately failed to capture the remnants and gained no clues. However, now that everyone knows of the existence of the man-made labyrinth, the Loki Familia has returned to investigate.

Lefia and the others stood in a clearing in the forest, with the outermost edge of the building—a colossal rock wall—standing before them. Centered on Ais, the group members began searching in all directions.

"..."

"Miss Ais?"

"Here... although it's been concealed, the ground feels more compact than elsewhere."

Not long after the investigation began, the first-level adventurer leaned against the giant wall and said briefly, "Let's dig a little." Lefia and the other members of the group tensed up and stepped forward to bombard the wall with artillery spells (spirit bow light arrows).

The surface of the rock wall was easily blasted apart, revealing the hollow inside and the huge metal door leading forward.