"..."
My eyes slowly open.
I can see a clear, blue sky.
Staring up at it, I can feel a light breeze on my skin. It must have come down
from up there.
My whole body hurts. What was I doing… ? Oh yeah—flashes of light, the
sudden impacts over and over again—all of them were her attacks.
Did I get owned again… ?
I've lost count at this point; if I could move my neck, it would be drooping.
This is my training with Aiz on the top of the city wall.
These sessions are getting more and more violent by the day, to the point
where me getting knocked out is not just normal, but expected. More than likely,
that's exactly what happened this time, and I'm sprawled out on the stone floor.
Just when I get around to trying to figure out how long I've been out, I notice
something soft supporting my head…just happened to be there.
Two golden eyes come into my line of sight, forehead first, as I lay on my
back.
"Are you okay?"
"…Waah?!"
That's Aiz's face! Suddenly wide-awake, I let out a strange grunt in surprise.
Rolling away from her, I put a little distance between us before climbing to
my feet. Sure enough, when I turn around, there she is. Aiz is just calmly sitting
on her feet, knees directly on the stone surface.
…My head was in her lap, again.
Ever since that incident in the Dungeon—the one where I used my Magic so
much that I passed out—Aiz has put my head in her lap whenever I get knocked
unconscious. I wonder if that day in the Dungeon is the reason why…
Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that she's doing this for me…But part of
me wants to die. It's just so pathetic in so many ways.
Aiz looks at me with confusion and pats her knees a few times. Tap tap tap.
It's an invitation to come back.
I shake my head no.
"Is your body feeling better?"
"…Yes."
She gestures for me to take a seat next to her. My face is always reddish when
we're together, but I feel my cheeks go slightly darker as I sit down at her side.
The rock is really cold on my rear end, but I try to relax and lean back into the
wall behind me.
Today turned into a full training day with Aiz.
As for why—I got a message from Lilly that she had to help out at the shop
she's living at today, so she couldn't go into the Dungeon with me.
So rather than go into the Dungeon by myself, I told Aiz about my
circumstances. I feel a little bad about training beyond our usual time, but here
we are, still working under the blue sky.
It's about break time now.
"Um, a-am I getting any better, at all?"
"…Why do you ask?"
"Well, you know, I'm getting knocked out a lot recently…"
I'm getting nervous just thinking about how close my shoulders are to hers,
so I start a conversation.
Aiz looks at the side of my face in silence; I don't have the guts to turn to face
her.
"You are, and very quickly…Enough to surprise me."
"Eh? B-but…"
"It's most likely my fault, that you keep passing out…I forget my own
strength."
"S-so that means—?!"
She then slowly closes her eyes about halfway. I've figured out that whenever
she does that, she's feeling sad.
Her shoulders sink as her mood falls. I try to cheer her up, but at the same
time, something feels strange.
She's the shooting star far beyond my reach.
That hasn't changed, but seeing her like this makes her seem much more
human. The person beside me doesn't look like the Kenki.
I can't put it into words…This doesn't feel real.
The lofty, sublime, and ever-beautiful Aiz Wallenstein has some strange
points, just like a normal girl…I only feel this way about her during our breaks.
I only started thinking about this after seeing her be depressed because she
couldn't hold herself back during training.
"…Can I ask you a question?"
"Huh?"
My train of thought had taken me far away when Aiz's voice brings me back
into the present.
Turning to face her directly, I find that she's hiding her sadness with a very
serious expression.
"How are you getting strong so quickly?"
"S-strong… ?"
Her choice of words made my eyes spin for a moment.
Strong—I didn't know someone could use that word when talking about me.
This has never happened before. How am I supposed to react?
All the most pathetic experiences I've ever had flash through my head. I just
want to curl up in a hole and bury myself right now. But that look in her eye
makes me stop and think for a moment.
How I got strong…No, why I've tried to become strong up until now…
"…You see, there's a person that I want to catch up to. I put all my effort into
chasing them, and now I'm like this…So…"
My brain's going a mile a minute; my words aren't coming out right.
Then again, the "person" I'm chasing is sitting right next to me, but I can't
say that directly to her! Way too embarrassing.
Feeling a bit disoriented, I manage to string a few more words together.
"…I think it's because there's a goal I have to reach, no matter what."
I think I see Aiz's eyes open a bit wider when she hears me.
She sits silently for a moment before leaning her head backward.
"I see."
She wraps her arms lightly around her knees and just looks up at the sky.
A slightly stronger breeze rolls through; Aiz's blond hair tickles my nose.
"…I know the feeling."
"Huh?" The sound jumps out of my throat in response to her sudden words.
"I, too…"
A strong burst of wind blew in, and took the rest of her words with it. I have
no idea what she said after that.
This wind is strong enough to make me shut my eyes.
It's a sudden cool breeze from the west. The wind sounds like a flute as it
passes through the wide avenues of the city.
When I finally reopen my eyes, there she is, sitting in exactly the same
position like nothing happened. Her eyes are still gazing skyward.
"E-er…"
"?"
"Ah, um, it's nothing."
She tilts her head, showing almost no emotion on her small face. I can't say
anything.
What's the point in asking her? I ask myself as I sit in front of this girl, with a
look in her eyes that I've never seen on her before. They've made so many
expressions—but not this one. It stops my thoughts in their tracks.
Our conversation stops there. Just when I was starting to feel restless.
A bell rings from Orario's eastern bell tower. It's noon.
I let the deep echoes of the bell fill my ears. It sounds a lot like church bells,
actually. But at the same time, I hear the sound of horses coming from outside
the city, beyond the wall. There must be some merchants trying to enter the city
gates, and the Guild is conducting an inspection of their cargo.
We're sitting on a wide stone path on the top of Orario's city wall. There's a
barrier about chest-high on both sides of the path. A gorgeous view of the city
spreads out on the inside of the wall. Looking the other way, I can see a large
mountain range surrounded by dense forests and wide plains going far into the
distance.
Listening to the unusual mix of bells and outside commotion, it hits me: the
weather is spectacular today.
My eyelids droop as I feel the bright warmth of the sun and gaze at the white,
puffy clouds in the distance.
"Haah…"
"... ?"
I turn my head to find the source of that sound, only to see Aiz with her hand
over her mouth.
Her small mouth is open, lips quivering slightly…she's yawning.
Bathed in the warmth of the sun, she puts her arm back around her knees like
nothing happened.
Shortly thereafter—
"Shall we practice napping?"
"Huh?"
My eyes shrink into little dots on my face as I consider her rather strange
suggestion.
Turning her head to face me, Aiz suddenly starts speaking with vigor.
"You have to be able to sleep anywhere at any time, while in the Dungeon,
after all."
"..."
"It's important to recover your strength quickly."
She might have a good point.
I usually spend the day prowling the Dungeon and go home at night, but if I
want to go deeper, I'll need to spend nights down there, too. That means that I'll
need to be able to sleep knowing that there are monsters in there, too, and
without a nice warm bed. It's a problem that I, as an adventurer, will have to face
sooner or later.
Aiz explains the importance of getting to sleep quickly, regardless of location,
with all seriousness.
But as for me, I can't even look at her without my face contorting into an
embarrassed smile.
"Are you…maybe…sleepy?"
"..."
She then slowly turns her whole body my way and says:
"This is training."
"R-right."
Her face is just a few celches away from mine. Sweating profusely, I nod
again and again until she backs away.
She looks a bit angry. Did I hit a nerve… ? But her cheeks…it's only just a
little, but they're turning pink.
I…I can't breathe…! What am I, an idiot… ?!
"W-well um…are we going to sleep here?"
"Yes."
She gives a quick nod as she slides away from the wall, before lying down on
the stone surface.
This goes without saying, but these stones are hard. To the builder's credit,
the path on top of the wall is very well constructed, but there are some uneven
places here and there.
But Aiz doesn't care about that. She lies right down and starts dozing. So this
is the true power (?) of a top-class adventurer.
For someone who has to be able to rest anywhere in the deepest parts of the
Dungeon, sleeping here—without any difficulty, I might add—might just be a
walk in the park.
"Are you not going to sleep?"
"Ah, um…No, I'll sleep."
Feeling really awkward as she stares up at me, I make a little space between
us before sitting down.
She's sprawled out on her side, completely defenseless. If I were to do
something impure—not that I would!—I'd have the opportunity…But then I see
the blade of her saber, glistening in the afternoon sunlight. That puts an end to
such thoughts rather quickly. Trying to pull a fast one on her all but guarantees
she'll mount my severed head on a wall somewhere.
And it's not like she isn't somewhat aware of what's going on around her.
Maybe this is another way for a master to test their student? It could be her own
style of a test.
…And this is training, after all.
"…Well, then…"
Cautiously inching my body forward, I lay down next to Aiz.
Yeah, I'm not sleepy, at all. My heart is beating too loud for me to even relax.
I take a quick glance at Aiz out of the corner of my eye. But the moment I see
her closed eyes, I immediately look away.
I squeeze my eyes closed so tight that I feel wrinkles pop up all over my
forehead.
Sleep, sleep, SLEEP! I command myself as I lay on my back.
"... ?"
I hear it a second later: light breathing.
I risk opening an eye and turning my head, only to find Aiz with her eyes
closed and out like a light.
That was…quick.
I know it's important to regain your strength in the Dungeon, but maybe she's
used to sleeping in places like this?
Or maybe she was just that tired… ?
"…ve, Bell."
…Wha?
"Make a move, Bell."
I know that voice. What's it doing in the back of my head?
There's no way I could mistake that for something else…That's Gramps's
voice. He raised me; I'll never forget the sound of his voice. And now it's
coming from inside my head, for some reason.
It's getting stronger by the moment. Am I being haunted? Or hallucinating…
?
…Hey, what's going on…?
Aiz is getting closer… ?
It has to be an illusion. I squint my eyes like I do when I get up in the
morning.
There should be enough room between us that one or two more people could
fit…so why is…
"Now's your chance, Bell!"
Now her face is really, really close!
?!
That's when I notice what's wrong.
We're lying face-to-face; the distance between us is gone.
Aiz is getting closer and closer to me…Wait, no! She hasn't moved a single
celch this whole time!
So…so that means…!
"Go, now!"
I'm getting closer to her?!
My heart had been beating like there's no tomorrow up until now, but it
almost stops on the stop. My body is suddenly drenched in a cold sweat.
It's really happening! My body, it's getting closer to Aiz!
WHY?! HOW?! Am I really about to do something like…that?!
She'll kill me!
"Take the opening!"
GAHHHH?!
Even closer.
Her face is getting bigger, big enough that I can see every detail of her
innocent, sleeping face.
Her smooth, pure white skin. The nape of her neck…soft, delicate pink lips.
My face turns an intense red as her pristine visage comes even closer.
Wait! Wait wait wait! I scream inwardly.
Almost as if I were being controlled by Gramps's "guidance," my body starts
to move into an even closer position. And skillfully enough to keep Aiz unaware
of my presence. What the hell is going on?!
Am I seriously going to…to her… ?!
"Give 'er a kiss!"
DAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!
"—No! Wait! Bell!!"
I can hear the Goddess Hestia's voice ringing in my ears, telling me just how
wrong this is.
"Do you seriously think I'd let you take advantage of a defenseless, sleeping
girl like this?! I don't remember raising you to be like that!"
A shiver suddenly runs down my whole body.
Now it feels like my body is being pulled by strings, like I'm a puppet. But I
feel…strangely normal.
Yes, the goddess is absolutely right…!
"If you try and kiss her like this, I'll never forgive you, Bell! Got that?
NEVER!"
She sounds awfully desperate, and that tone in her voice sends yet another
round of cold sweat out of every pore in my body. I try to put more space
between us.
My body shakes back and forth, my progress excruciatingly slow. It's like
two titans of will are fighting for control, and my body is their battlefield.
The "light" of the goddess and the "darkness" of Gramps clash over and over.
"Now, get away from her—"
"The real war starts now!"
"—Agh. Hey! What do you think you're—gahh!"
—The goddess lost!
Her voice falls silent after a wave of dark energy tipped the scale the other
way.
What space was left between Aiz and I quickly vanishes, our noses touching.
"...!"
She's so beautiful, sleeping peacefully with her eyes closed.
She's so close that my eyes can't focus on one spot. My mind and body are
burning just looking at her.
With Gramps's hearty laugh filling my head, I rotate my neck so that my lips
will touch hers.
"Wait—just—!"
"!!"
I have control over my body!
My head twitches backward, away from Aiz, as my body rolls away from her.
My heart is beating at an impossible rhythm; it feels like it's going to explode.
I'm practically lying in a pool of my own sweat.
My back to Aiz, I can hear Gramps's sigh of disappointment. Slowly, very
slowly, I look back over my shoulder at the girl.
"..."
She's still asleep.
Her eyes closed just like before, her breath so quiet and delicate that I have to
really focus to hear it.
All the tension suddenly drains out of me.
…wait?
With my heart still beating against my ribs, I catch a glimpse of Aiz's lips
mouthing something at me.
Not "stop"…but "wait."
That's what she's saying, I'm sure of it.
I start to think about the meaning of that word when a sudden surge of guilt
flows over me. I put my hands on each side of my head in agony. Just what the
hell was I about to do… ?!
AGGGGGHHHHH…I silently scream next to her, thinking about what I was
about to do in shame.
"…Haaa."
I lay there for a few more minutes, the shame and guilt radiating out of me.
I let out a long sigh before putting even more space between us. This won't
happen again. Rolling over onto my back, I stare up at the sky.
The events of the past few minutes on replay in my mind, I somehow manage
to cool off my burning face.
"..."
A steady, rhythmic breathing reaches my ears. I'm not even listening for it.
Should I? Should I not? Promising myself not to repeat what just happened, I
slowly turn my head to look at her, my cheek on the cold stone path.
"..."
Her face is close—just as close as I remember it from when was lying down
before our "practice."
The sound of her breath reaches my ears. One lock of her blond hair has
fallen over her cheek.
I've seen this somewhere in the Tales of Adventure…Which hero was it?
Oh yeah, the princess who was cursed to sleep for a hundred years.
She would only awaken when her hero found her, the princess trapped in
eternal sleep.
The character I read about so long ago and the girl in front of me have so
much in common, right down to their breathing rhythm.
"..."
I lie there, staring at her peaceful face for a moment before looking away
again.
Looking up at the azure sky, I lift up my left hand, pinch my cheek and give it
a little tug.
Yep, that's pain.
It feels like a dream…
Being next to her like this, spending time alone together like this.
I put my left hand back down and let myself be drawn in by the sky.
I let my emotions go, my heart feel like it has finally calmed down.
Here we are, just two people lying down on top of the city wall, bathed in
warm sunlight. I let my eyelids drop and fall into a deep slumber.
The Orario City Wall was not only strong, it was massive.
It surrounded the city like a ring. An uneven stone path sat on top of the ring
and went all the way around the city.
Citizens were forbidden to use it, so there was almost never anyone on the
path.
The purpose of the city wall wasn't to keep things out, but to keep things in.
So the inner guard wall of the path was high enough that the path couldn't be
seen from even the tallest buildings. It went without saying that it couldn't be
seen from the ground, either.
The chances of someone seeing the two of them together was next to nothing.
No one could spy on their training, let alone catch a glimpse of them.
It was safe to say that Aiz's plan to train Bell here, in order to avoid an issue
between their Familias, had gone very well up to this point.
"My goodness, you're in plain sight up here."
There was however, a place from where their training could be seen: the
highest room of the tallest tower in Orario—Babel.
Sitting in a fancy chair facing the glass wall of her own room, Freya watched
their training with interest.
Even with the high guard wall, Freya's room was high enough that she could
see over it, and watch to her heart's content.
"That girl's soul…the Kenki is blinding…"
Freya was on the fiftieth floor of Babel Tower, in the middle of the city. The
distance between her and the humans was much too far to see, but Freya's eyes
were different. She could clearly see their souls shining on top of the wall.
Her Acumen Eyes allowed her to see the quality of any person's soul by
color. She had those eyes on a clear, colorless, glowing spirit and an extremely
bright, golden pyre of a soul. There was no way her eyes could have missed
them.
She noticed them training beyond the early morning hours, and had been
watching their training session all day.
"And yet…things are getting interesting."
A small smile formed on her lips as Freya ran her fingers through her silver
hair and behind her ear.
As her disciple set the stage far below in the Dungeon, the star of the show
was receiving training from that female warrior, as her student.
It would be the monster trained by Ottar against the human boy trained by the
Kenki.
Freya's heart was alive with excitement as she thought about this turn of
events. It could turn out far more interesting than she had ever thought possible.
"..."
Her silver eyes fell on the two humans for a moment.
They were lying down, as if they'd fallen asleep. Freya watched their souls
glow with a smile on her face. Tap, tap, tap. Her fingers restlessly hit the armrest
of her chair over and over.
Then her other hand came up and started fiddling with her hair, wrapping it
around her fingers. That's when she suddenly stopped moving.
She'd finally noticed what she was doing. She grimaced and lightly laughed
at herself and whispered under her breath.
"Ahh, so now I'm jealous, of her…"
I can hardly believe this, she thought, as she had another laugh.
For a god such as her to feel that way about a child was absolutely absurd,
and she laughed at herself for it.
It was how she felt when Hestia and the boy were together. But this time, the
feeling was much stronger.
The fact that this golden pyre was shaping the clear light was a little—just a
little—off-putting for her.
A small bud of jealousy was starting to bloom in her substantial chest.
"…This is irritating," she whispered under her breath. She sat up in her chair
and looked out the top of her glass window into the clouds.
A few moments passed.
She closed her eyes before opening them just slightly…and filled the room
with her exquisite laugh.
"I wonder, just how strong are you now?"
Settling back into her chair, Freya's eyes once again fell on the boy.
Her gaze was filled with an urge to tease him—and something a bit more
vicious: jealousy.
Maybe it's time to have some more fun with him, she thought with a dark
smile gracing her lips.
A sadistic grin reflected off the inside of the long glass wall of her room in
Babel Tower.
Following the long corridors and steep stairwells inside Orario's City Wall, we
finally arrive at the door that leads to the city and open it.
The heavy wooden door creaks as it swings to the side, to reveal a back alley
cloaked in shadow.
The alleyway itself is strewn with dirty, wooden boxes, piles of old building
material, and scrap metal. It looks like someone was using this spot as a storage
area and forgot about it, as well as the door in the city wall. Aiz and I make our
way through the bric-a-brac and into the maze of backstreets.
We continued training after waking from a surprisingly refreshing nap, before
making our way down here in the late afternoon.
"A-Aiz, don't worry about it. It was an accident, anyway..."
"It's not a problem. My stomach is empty, too."
…In the middle of a flurry of swift attacks, you see, my eyes following only
the shadows of her movements, my stomach decided to…speak up.
Aiz saw me blush out of embarrassment and suggested getting a light snack.
That's why we're here now.
I know I only ate breakfast today, just still…ugh…
Holding back tears of shame, I follow Aiz with my shoulders down around
my ribs somewhere.
The unguarded door that Aiz found to the normally restricted city wall was on
the outer edge of northeastern Orario. After turning many tight corners in the
alleyway, we come out into one of the wider backstreets, close enough to Main
Street to hear people busily going about their business.
This spot is filled with houses and lined with fancy, pole-shaped magic-stone
lamps. This is all new to me. My head on a swivel, I take in as much as I can.
"Can I ask where we're going?"
"North Main. Tiona told me about a potato puffs stand over there."
That's her answer. Tiona…must be another member of Loki Familia.
Right now, Aiz and I are going through the backstreets because we can avoid
being seen. And while it's great that we're being so cautious, something else is
making me nervous being alone with Aiz right now.
Potato puffs…I know that from somewhere. Why do I have a bad feeling
about this?
My ears pick up on the hustle and bustle of Main Street. We're here.
The sun is still in the sky, but very close to setting. The sky is starting to turn
red. North Main is alive with elves, dwarves, and demi-humans of all races
heading home after work. We really stick out, being in armor and all…Wait, it's
not me. They're looking at Aiz. I try to make myself as small as possible as we
make our way through the gawking crowd.
Aiz isn't paying them any attention; her eyes are scanning the buildings. She
must have found what she was looking for because she suddenly turns into a side
street.
It's not too wide, maybe one of those horse-drawn taxis could fit through, but
that's about it. I take a few steps down the street, and there it is. A street stall
selling potato puffs.
—But my body freezes as it hits me.
"Welcome to our…stand?"
A clerk greets us as Aiz pulls back the cloth "door" to reveal…the goddess.
Time stands still.
The goddess's face is stuck somewhere between a welcoming smile and a
look of wide-eyed shock.
Reflected in her gaze are Aiz…and me, standing right next to her.
Suddenly, my face is blue.
"..."
"..."
"Two sweet-bean potato puffs, please."
Aiz happily orders potato puffs as the goddess and I stand like statues next to
her.
The "clerk" slowly starts to move, putting two fresh puffs with frosting on
them into a bag and saying, "That's eighty vals," as she holds out the bag. Aiz
sets the money on the counter, says, "Thank you," and takes the food out of the
goddess's frozen hand.
The clerk suddenly loses her composure, and all the muscles in her face
twitch as she runs out from behind the counter and in front of us.
Meanwhile, I'm experiencing an avalanche of cold sweat running down my
back.
"—WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOINGGGGGGG?!"
"S-S-S-SO-SO-SO-SORRY!"
In front of the goddess's blaze of emotion, all I can do is scream my apology
at the top of my lungs.
I never told her about my training sessions with Aiz.
By and large, it's not good to have connections with someone in another
Familia. I know that my goddess isn't on good terms with Aiz's goddess, Loki.
And then there's the fact that the goddess really doesn't like Aiz herself, either…
I knew that she wouldn't allow me to train with Aiz if I told her, so I accepted
the risk that something like this might happen, and kept it a secret.
"Walking around, alone, with the Kenki?! What's gotten into you, Bell?!"
"Th-there's a reason for this, s-so…!"
"No excuses! Spill it, now! …Get away from her! GET!!"
The goddess's voice shrieks as she practically dives between Aiz and me.
Aiz looks slightly troubled as she glances down at the goddess, who was
looking up at her like an enemy while creating a physical barrier.
"Explain! Why are you with the Kenki?!"
"Eh, um, you see, we just happened to bump into each other… ?!"
"…NO ONE CAN LIE TO A GOD!!"
She spins to face me, throwing up her arms and screaming, "UGAAAHH!!!"
I shrivel up into a little ball, tears leaking out of my eyes.
Her jet black twin ponytails seem to come alive, smacking me in the face as
the goddess shakes with anger.
She's passing judgment on me for my little white lie that was supposed to
comfort her!
"Um…I'm teaching him, how to fight."
Aiz, who had been silently watching this unfold, speaks for the first time.
It must have been really hard to watch. She tells the truth right away, trying to
protect me.
The goddess's neck snaps around, eyes blazing as she looks back at Aiz. The
moment she understands what the girl had said, the goddess's shoulders start
shaking violently.
"Bell, you haven't by any chance shown her your status, have you?"
"Of course I haven't. Why would there be any reason to?"
"So that means that your growth speed hasn't been noticed… ?!"
I couldn't really make out what she said there, but I can see her staring down
(or up, in this case) Aiz like she was her sworn enemy.
Without warning, the goddess wraps her arms around my chest.
Wha-what's going on here?!
"You're trying to claim my Bell for your own, aren't you! I won't let that
happen. I was with him first, no matter what you say!"
"G-Goddess, what are you doing?!"
"Wha…Waaaah?! B-Bell, why are you acting so bold?!"
ME?!
"Oh, Hestia darling, you're making a scene. I can't sell anything like this. If
you're going to quarrel, take it out back, would you please!"
"Ah! S-sorry, Gram! You two, you're coming with me!"
An older animal person scolds the goddess from behind the counter. The
goddess then glares at both Aiz and me in turn, before flicking her wrist and
pointing outside the stand.
I'm spent; I feel like a shell of my usual self. But the goddess grabs my wrist
and pulls my listless body out into the street. Aiz follows quietly without saying
anything.
The goddess guides us behind the stand and around a few corners to a narrow
backstreet. I don't think anyone has set foot back here in a while…
We stand in silence for a moment, the three of us in a loose circle.
"…Hmmm. First off, I want to know everything about what's been going on."
I'm so glad that she managed to cool off a bit. Gathering my thoughts, I
apologize again for keeping her out of the loop and tell her everything that's
happened, starting with our chance meeting at the Guild.
Every few sentences, I make sure to get an affirmative nod from Aiz before
continuing.
The goddess listens to my explanation with her arms folded across her chest,
before nodding her head a few times when I finish.
"…All right, I see. And it's time that the two of you call it quits."
"Wha… ?!"
"Is this bad… ?"
"Yes, Miss Wallensomething. Never come near my Bell again. You have your
own place, right? And considering your Familia's goddess, I think this is the
best—mmphmphfl?!"
I'm mentally on all fours, bowing down and begging for forgiveness, as I
reach out and cover the goddess's mouth with my hand.
"Please, Goddess. Just a little bit more. I beg you to let me continue training
with Aiz for just a little longer."
"... ?"
Aiz tilts her head as I turn the goddess away from her, and lean in close to
speak with her quietly.
"A little longer, why would you ask?…!"
"Just two more days! That's all! That's all that she said she'd work with me!"
I explain that she'll leave for an "expedition" with Loki Familia in three days
and bow my head over and over, hoping that she'll give me permission.
I tell her from the bottom of my heart that I need to learn as much as I can
from Aiz in this short amount of time.
"I won't waste a second of training time! This is to help me earn more money
in the dungeon! So please, Goddess…!"
"Gahh…!"
I've been asking her over and over again as if my life depended on it for a
few minutes by now, bundling words and promises together like there was no
tomorrow.
But the goddess just growls and glances at me before letting out a long sigh.
"You're too naïve; me, too…"
"Goddess..."
"…Really, just two more days. I'm serious here."
As soon as I hear those words, my body, mind, and soul all bow as far as they
can.
Repenting for all the trouble my selfishness is causing her, I'm extremely
thankful.
The goddess's only requirement is to make absolutely sure that no one else in
Loki Familia finds out about our activities. That's enough to receive her
approval for two days' worth of training with Aiz.
"I'll say this, though: The moment you do anything else with Bell, I will
unleash Hell. Got that?"
"Yes."
"And seducing him is right out…!"
"Yes… ?"
The goddess is giving Aiz a very strange warning. What's she talking about…
? I can't take it—I have to step in.
"Well, then, I'll be observing the rest of your training session today."
"Huh?!"
"What's with that face, Bell? It's my duty as your goddess and guardian to
make sure my precious child is okay?"
"Eh, um, w-what about your job… ?"
"I'm taking the rest of the day off."
She tells us to wait a moment before returning to the potato puffs stand. I
watch her go, scratching my cheek as beads of sweat roll down my face.
I look at Aiz, asking her with my eyes if this is okay. She smiles at me and
nods.
"She is a nice goddess, isn't she…"
"…Indeed."
We go back up to the city wall with the goddess in tow. Aiz and I set to work
immediately to make up for lost time.
I don't know if it was because I didn't want the goddess to see something
embarrassing, but I don't get knocked out the rest of the day. I get beaten to a
pulp, but I think I do pretty well.
By the time we reach a good stopping point, it's already night.
"Hey, Bell, look at yourself. You're a total mess. You should stop now—Aiz
Wallensomething is just using you as her personal punching bag."
"G-Goddess…"
We enter the long stone corridor leading out of the city wall, the goddess
taking potshots at my pride.
There are almost no windows in here, so it's extremely dark. She has a tight
hold of my hand as we go down a stairwell, but I'm on the verge of tears. She
seems to be in a great mood right now, though; I can see the outline of a big
smile on her face.
Is it that much fun to torment me?
But then again, after what nearly happened today, I need to grin and bear
this…
"We've arrived…"
Aiz is a few paces in front of us, holding a portable magic-stone lamp (she
said it was a necessity for adventurers to have one) in her hand.
Surrounded by the echoes of Aiz's boots on the stone floor, we reach the
bottom of the stair and out the exit door. Leaving the slightly damp air inside the
wall, a rush of cool, dry air envelops my body.
A golden moon and hundreds of twinkling stars fill the dark night sky.
"Um, Goddess? We made it outside, you don't have to hold my hand
anymore…"
"What are you talking about, Bell? This road isn't bright like Main Street; it's
really dark back here. You need to make sure I don't fall and hurt myself."
The burning sensation won't leave my face as she tightens her soft fingers
and smiles again.
But she has a point—it's much darker on this street than it is on one of the
larger Main Streets. That being said, the moon and stars provide plenty of light
to see where we're going…
The street gets wider as we make our way out of the backstreets.
What does Aiz think about this…?
I feel ashamed, walking hand in hand with the goddess all this way. Still, I
work up the guts to get a glimpse of Aiz's face.
She's wearing her normal emotionless expression. Kind of sad, now that I
think about it…
…Huh?
Looking at the face of the girl walking next to me, my thought process is a
little slow.
Her face is as beautiful as always, but her eyes look sharp, like they're
tracking something.
Whoosh.
My head spins around like it's been slapped.
There's a wide path that connects to this backstreet. It's completely shrouded
in darkness and so silent that it gives me chills. That kind of complete absence of
noise and light is unnatural.
Just as I start to get a bad feeling, my eye catches one of those fancy poleshaped magic-stone lamps.
…Someone broke it?
The pole part hangs from a wooden stand, but the broken light looks like it
was hit with something, hard.
"—"
"!"
"Wha—?!"
Aiz freezes in place.
Only she can sense something is wrong at first, but I stop right next to her.
The goddess nearly loses her balance in surprise.
Aiz's golden eyes don't try to hide how alert to danger she is right now. I
follow her line of sight with my own.
Sure enough, a large shadow emerges from a small space between two
buildings.
A cat person…?
The figure blends in with the darkness using black armor, dark clothes, and a
black visor over its face.
The visor is made of metal and hiding the top half of the person's face.
However, I can see cat ears sticking out of the top of his head. I'm pretty sure it's
a man.
Maybe he's the one responsible for the strange aura engulfing this street?
Many questions simmer in my mind as the cat-person adventurer, who stands
about a head shorter than me, continues to advance on our position.
There are about two meders left between us when he suddenly plants his foot
in the ground.
Thud! A light impact echoes off the stone surface before he vanishes into thin
air.
"—"
Less than a breath later, a shadow appears just in front of my face.
Extremely close quarters.
It only took him an instant. His Agility must be off the charts.
My eyes and body shake in response.
Light from the moon sharply reflecting off his metal visor, he silently brings a
spear down from above.
Time stops as my life flashes before my eyes.
"—?!"
"?!"
A saber flashes in front of my nose from the side and intercepts the spear just
a few celches above my head.
Sparks fly all around me as the thin silver saber pushes the spear back with
incredible speed.
Time comes back to me. A fresh wave of cold sweat covers my body, my
mind suddenly snaps into action, and I take a fighting stance.
The attacker jumps back to get out of range of Aiz's saber. But the blond girl
silently takes another step toward him.
Both of them charge an instant later, colliding in another explosion of sparks.
"W-what…what…what's going on?!"
The goddess's panicked screams mix with the sound of metal on metal. The
backstreet has turned into a war zone.
—They're too fast!
I'm seeing afterimages of spear arcs and saber slashes, only to hear an impact
in a completely different spot.
I can't keep up with them. It's impossible! I can't even follow their
movements!
The goddess and I stand to the side and watch as black and golden blurs clash
over and over.
"—"
That's when I see them.
Above Aiz's battle with the cat person, four shadows lurk in the darkness.
The shadows leap from the top of the houses, heading straight for the battle.
Sword, whip, spear, axe.
All of them have weapons drawn, glistening dangerously in the moonlight.
"AIZ?!"
Aiz's momentum changes at the same time I call out to her.
Thrusting the cat person away with a long slash, Aiz goes airborne, knocking
all the new assailants to the ground with one massive spinning swipe.
My eyes fall open in awe as the metallic echoes of their armor reverberate
around me.
"Damn…monster."
Standing at a safe distance from Aiz, the first attacker spits the words out like
poison.
"..."
Aiz's saber lightly whistles as she silently makes a few practice swings,
letting her sword do the talking.
The five attackers spread out around her, holding their weapons at the ready,
and come out of the shadows.
They look like prums. All of them are wearing the same type of armor and
visor as the cat person. No doubt about it now—they're working together.
Their trap set, all five of them mercilessly spring at Aiz from all sides.
"B-Bell, let's get out of here. This isn't our stage…"
While the goddess's choice of words sounds a bit like a joke, considering our
current situation, she couldn't be more right.
I could never measure up to any of these five attackers—not how I am now, at
least. All of them must be top-class adventurers. The speed and precision of their
attacks are more than enough evidence.
And in the middle of metallic echoes and sparking chaos stands one blondhaired girl, deflecting the attacks without missing a beat.
She has no room to dodge, but the subtle movements of her sword are
inspiring. One sword dances around her, blocking all attacks and finding
openings to counterattack. Her strikes find flesh more often than not.
That's the Kenki, the Sword Princess.
Even without being able to see everything in real time, her afterimages show
me just how truly powerful she is.
Our levels are too far apart.
…I-Idiot!
I know seeing Aiz in action is a bit shocking, but I've been just standing here
for far too long.
What am I doing, spacing out at a time like this! Isn't there something that I
need to be doing right now?!
If I've got time to stand and watch, I should help her…!
"Wha… ?! B-Bell?!"
"?!"
The moment I brace my body to charge into battle, the goddess grabs my
shoulder, shrieking at the top of her lungs.
I flip my head around to face her just in time to see four more shadows jump
from the rooftops and run to surround us.
Two men, two women. All of them are wearing the same armor and visors as
the others.
My eyes tremble.
—What do I do now?
All of the new shadows charge during my moment of indecisiveness.
"!!"
Take them on! I don't have a choice now!
I draw my dagger and the Divine Knife as I launch myself into the four.
"Goddess! Get behind me!"
I engage my first target before hearing an answer.
One of the female attackers is holding a dagger a lot like mine, and she closes
the distance in the blink of an eye.
Her visor is hiding her eyes, but I can still sense their aura. She wants to tear
me apart. Her blade is coming down!
—I can see it!
She's open on the opposite side of the blade! I quickly step into her space.
"Wh—"
"HA!"
The first blow is mine.
Taking aim at her chest plate, I swing my dagger forward.
Direct hit! My blade hits armor, but the force of the blow sends her flying
backward. I don't watch her land as I spin out of the next attack.
Catching the traumatized goddess in my right arm, we avoid a sudden
longsword strike. Rolling into the spot that the attack came from to get out of the
way, I land a kick to the swordsman's body.
Back on my feet, I use my movement to pivot on my left foot and nail the offbalance swordsman with another kick, before turning to face the other female
adventurer. A quick spinning slash and she, too, goes flying.
They're all Level One…!
I'm sure of it.
These guys are small fry compared to the group Aiz is battling right now.
They're on my level; the fact that I can see their movement is enough to know
that.
There shouldn't be much difference in our statuses at all.
This battle will be won by technique and skill, not power!
Shielding the goddess with my body, I look up to see a heavily armored
adventurer lumbering up to us and brace for combat.
"HYAA!!"
Belting out a fierce battle cry, the adventurer swings a thick cleaver down
over my head. I bring the Divine Knife up to defend.
Carving a purple arc in the darkness, the Divine Knife slams into the bulk of
the cleaver from the side of the blade, at full force.
"Whaa?!"
He sounds surprised. I guess he wasn't expecting me to be able to deflect his
attack with a short knife. I use the momentum from the deflection to spin and
jump with my right leg and launch a kick that lands square in his face. I'm
getting pretty good at this!
"GaaHRK!"
The mountain of metal stumbles backward, dropping the cleaver before
falling with a loud crash.
"Bell! The others!"
"!"
The goddess's voice shrieks over the metallic echoes.
They've spread out into a triangle, the goddess and me in the center, all
charging at once!
I almost forget to breathe as I make a split-second decision and reach out to
grab the cleaver from the street.
"GODDESS! GET DOWN!!"
Her head slides just under the heavy blade as I swing with all my might at the
oncoming attackers.
"GaHAA?!"
My first swing with a long, heavy weapon hits all three adventurers in unison,
sending them all to the ground with massive damage.
—I used it!
The hilt is uncomfortably large in my hands; my palms feel like they're on
fire trying to hold this thing.
"Oooohhh! Bell, that was so cool!! I love you again!"
"Please calm down, Goddess!"
In the midst of everything that is happening, I lose my composure for a
moment when the goddess jumps onto my chest and wraps her arms around me.
But I get my head back up almost immediately.
There is still another battle going on. Countless sparks fly in all directions as
Aiz continues her deadly dance of sword and metal.
I know it won't work. But that won't stop me from trying! I raise my right
arm and take aim.
Bracing the goddess against my body with my left arm, I watch my targets
between my fingers while focusing on my palm.
"AIZ!!"
I see her glance back at me after calling out to her. A swift nod later, she
jumps clear of the attackers.
"FIREBOLT!!"
Six blasts in succession.
In less time than it takes to blink, six separate streams of flaming plasma sear
the night air on their way toward the men in dark armor.
For a moment, the entire backstreet flashes scarlet.
They hit the targets head-on with a thunderclap, a new wave of sparks
erupting on the spot.
But there they are, the cat person and all four prums, standing in a sea of
scarlet flames, completely unfazed, before walking out of the fire.
"Magic with no spell…"
"This is worthy news. There is no doubt she will be pleased."
My head prickling and my arm numb after wasting mental energy on a
useless attack, the black figures start talking among themselves.
I knew it wouldn't work, but to be completely useless…I feel so small, like I
could break at any moment.
Taking quick, short breaths, I slowly lower my arm.
I have never seen the difference between me and top-class adventurers so
clearly. There's no comparison…
"Too flashy. This fire will draw too many eyes."
"I realize that...That's enough, withdraw!"
The cat person looked skyward for a moment before issuing that order. All of
the rest move at once.
The prums retrieve the adventurers I took down before disappearing once
again into the shadows.
All that is left are a few weakening spot fires in the street left over from my
Magic.
"Bell…"
"Ah! Excuse me, Goddess…"
I let go of the goddess—she was still pressed against my body by my left arm
—giving her a quick apology.
Rather than stepping away, she stays close to me and reaches up to my cheek.
"Are you hurt?"
"..."
Her eyes are full of anxiety as she asks me if I'm okay.
She can probably tell. That makes me even more depressed. More than likely
she can see that, too.
With the warmth of her soft fingers on the side of my face, I somehow
manage to force a smile.
"No injuries?"
"Ah, yes, I'm fine. What about Aiz… ?"
"I, too, am fine."
Aiz walks toward us without a scratch on her. Even her face is back to its
normal emotionless state.
She just now saved me—heck, she's always saving me. I bite my lip and
force my brain back to normal to ask a question.
"So who were they? Attacking us out of the blue like that…"
All of their faces were hidden, and I couldn't tell if there was a Familia
insignia on any of their armor.
Not only did they attack when we were alone, they destroyed the magic-stone
lamps as well. Given all that, this was clearly a planned attack with a specific
target.
Is there a reason someone would want to ambush us under the cover of
darkness… ?
"Ambushes happen, all the time."
"They do?!"
"Yes, however it's rare that they happen outside the Dungeon…"
So then this kind of thing is normal in the Dungeon. I'm speechless. I had no
idea at all.
And our attackers were at such a high level…They had to belong to an
extremely powerful Dungeon-crawling Familia.
Is it possible that they knew Aiz was apart from her Familia and used this
opportunity to attack her… ?
"There's something I can't understand. If they were after Wallensomething,
that's one thing. But they were after us—no, after you, Bell."
"Well…"
"On top of that, your attackers were about your level, like they were chosen
specifically for you."
…I must admit that the goddess has a very good point.
The ones who fought Aiz would have wiped the floor with me, and yet I
could fight and win against the others. Were they set up for me? If I didn't know
better, I'd say they were trying to measure me.
That's nothing more than a guess, though…
"Do you know of anyone who would attack you like this, Miss
Wallensomething?"
"…Quite the opposite. There are too many."
"Yeesh, Loki's got one dangerous operation going on over there."
"I apologize…"
"Uh…W-well, that doesn't matter. Let's get out of here right now. Someone
was bound to hear that explosion and see smoke."
Aiz and the goddess's conversation ends with us deciding to leave this street
behind. With everything that's happened, not only will townspeople come to
investigate, but some people from the Guild might descend on this spot at any
moment.
We need to put some space between us and getting caught up in a bad
situation. That's the plan for now.
The goddess takes off at a brisk pace through the thin backstreets. I follow
behind her.
That's when I feel it.
"—?!"
Zing! My whole body twitches.
It feels like a hawk snatches my heart out of my chest. But what is this
feeling? Am I being watched?
In my mind, I can feel a strange gaze, and a seductive smile.
I look up out of reflex, in the same direction that the cat person had just a
moment ago.
There it is: the massive white tower of Babel.
For some reason, my body trembles as the enormous structure looms over me.
"..."
The goddess is busy explaining something to Aiz while the blond girl tilts her
head in response. But I stop moving.
Something is coming, I'm sure of it. A black messenger is coming for me.
Beneath a sky of sparkling silver stars, I feel a mysterious rush of cold air
blowing from somewhere.