The Prophetess of Tragedy

A great calamity draws near.

The one who must not be approached is catastrophe incarnate. The one who must not

be touched is the oracle of certain death.

A mother's lament shall call forth disaster, and despair shall let out its newborn cry.

The road of viscera shall be paved with the countless wails of the sacrificed.

The azure current shall run red with blood, and the grotesque horde shall rejoice.

The depths of hell shall overflow with corpses, returning all to the mother.

The squirrel shall bloom into flowers of flesh.

The fox shall be swiftly torn asunder.

The hammer shall be shattered.

The lives of the foreign warriors shall be as playthings.

The bloodied temptress shall abscond with a keepsake of the fox, but shall be mourned

upon her defilement by countless fangs and claws.

A friend shall impart sorrow.

The fairy fated to guide all to ruin, compelling the roaring white flames, shall spin a cruel

fate.

And so the cage of despair shall become a coffin, tormenting thyself.

Do not forget. Seek naught but the light of the reviving sun.

Gather the fragments, consecrate the flame, beseech the sun's light.

Take heed. Such is the banquet of calamity…

The dream was nothing special.

The mere product of the sleeping girl's fancy.

In short, it was simply a horrible nightmare, worse than any she had ever had before,

so awful it made her physically ill. For the first time, the girl faced a divine message

that was both undeniable and inescapable.

"————————————————————?!"

Cassandra jerked up in bed with a silent scream.

Straining so hard it seemed her vocal chords would burst, she felt enormous tears

gathering at the corners of her panicked eyes.

"Huff… puff… huff…"

Her own ragged breaths reached her ears.

Her clothes were sopping with sweat, and she felt incredibly ill.

She stared ahead in a daze as if her eyes were glued in place, still heaving shallow

breaths.

"What… just… happened?"

For a moment, confusion reigned.

In front of her, she saw bare stone walls. She was in Rivira, the traveler's town on the

eighteenth floor. Outside, she could hear the bustle of adventurers like rippling waves.

The wrinkled sheet spread around her belonged to a bed in a rented room.

As her consciousness returned, memories began to rise one after another.

Right… I laid down to rest before joining the hunting party…

Cassandra always took a nap before any big event.

Like a fortune-teller, the reason she did this was to dream.

Cassandra was endowed with the ability to have precognitive dreams.

In these dreams, vague images were accompanied by prophetic verses. Invariably,

they hinted at impending disasters, and to Cassandra, they were as good as the future

that awaited her. Although it was not a very pleasant experience, she made a point of

always dreaming before any major event, because the import of her prophecies was

so enormous. She'd done the same before Apollo Familia went on expeditions and

before the War Game.

After Bell and the others decided to make contact with Gale Wind, Cassandra had

obeyed the instinct throbbing in a corner of her brain and received permission to take

a rest. She'd come alone to this room and lain down on the bed.

Judging by the hourglass in the room, less than an hour had passed since she'd lain down.

Next to the pillow lay several leaves of Argelica, an herb Cassandra always kept with

her to ensure sound sleep.

"…What is going on…?"

Her head hurt, and she felt dizzy. Her lips would not stop trembling.

She had seen a nightmare. It had been absolutely terrible, incomparably worse than

any dreams she had ever had on the surface.

It had been composed of seventeen prophecies accompanied by vivid, horrible scenes.

A blackness embodying despair had crushed everything.

Crimson had gushed, intestines had spilled, and corpses had rolled.

Among them had been the bodies of Lilly, Haruhime, Welf, Mikoto, Chigusa, Ouka,

Aisha, and also her friend Daphne.

The moment after she recalled the scene, a powerful nausea crawled up from her

stomach.

"Blehhh!!"

She struggled to keep down the vomit rising in her throat. Failing in her attempt, she

rolled off the bed and sprinted out of the room into the depths of the cave that had

been turned into an inn. She forgot all about external appearances as she retched again

and again into a pit carved in one of the walls. The taste of acid filled her throat.

When the nausea finally subsided, she reached her trembling hand out to the bucket

beside her. Scooping up the pure water of the Under Resort that the innkeeper had

hauled in, she rinsed her mouth repeatedly, then took several deep draughts.

I'm so cold… and so afraid…!

She thought back to when she had been very young, before she had joined Apollo

Familia. Every time she had a scary dream back home, she would jump into her

mother's bed, sobbing. She was filled with the desire to once again drown herself in

the warm feeling of her mother's hands stroking her head and back. But her mother

was not here. And even if she had been, the prophecies of the dream would not have

disappeared.

That was because for Cassandra, they represented the waiting future.

"This is no good. Calm down… You have to think… If you don't think, the dream will

come true…!"

Dream and reality raced through her mind, still entwined. She mulled over the visions.

The "fairy fated to guide all to ruin"…an elf? Gale Wind? The adventurers… Us… Will we

be led by Gale Wind?… No, by chasing her, will we make the dream come true?

Gale Wind was an elf.

Cassandra knew that to be true based on information that had been shared five years

ago when a bounty was placed on her head.

But she also seemed to be an acquaintance of Bell's and the others. More to the point,

she was the masked adventurer who had taken part in the War Game against Apollo

Familia.

And we're about to chase after Gale Wind to find out what really happened to the murdered

adventurer…

That was their goal; that was the big picture.

But…

Is that the whole story…?

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

Is this really a straightforward murder investigation?

Just a story of helping out Bell's acquaintance?

Cassandra turned white as the memory of her prophetic dream assaulted her once

again. Just then, she heard a voice nearby.

"Shit, that damn Bors, dazzled by money. Honestly, a hunting party to go after Gale

Wind?… Huh? Hey, you, what are you doing over there?!"

Willy, the animal-person owner of the inn, had stumbled on Cassandra as he was

carrying some packages into the back of the inn. And now that he had discovered her,

he couldn't take his eyes off her.

Thanks to the sweat, her clothes were clinging to her body, outlining her womanly

curves. The sight of a beautiful girl standing there exhausted and miserable stirred up

the innkeeper's lust for conquest.

He gulped at this sexy view, but the next moment, he noticed the awful color of her

face.

"Hey now, are you okay…? You look really pale…!"

"…I'm… fine."

Evading the man's concern, which bordered on panic, Cassandra stood up. Tottering

like a baby, she walked forward and then broke into a run.

In an attempt to somehow distance herself from the scenes of her dream, she hurried

toward Daphne and the others.

What I dreamed is not a future set in stone…!

Depending on Cassandra's actions, the future she foresaw could sometimes be avoided.

The party can still be saved!

She burst out of the cave, obsessed with that single, fervent desire.

"Mr. Welf, is the equipment all ready?" Lilly asked.

"Yes, and I've prepared the weapons for Bell and the rest as well. Some of the magic

blades are still left, too. We can push into the lower levels once or twice more yet!" he

answered.

"Since we need to get ahead of the other adventurers… our enemies won't necessarily

just be monsters. We may have to fight other people as well. Don't forget that," Aisha

added.

The party was already assembled in front of the inn. It was still night in the Dungeon,

which explained why the light of white crystals illuminating their surroundings

seemed to emit moonlight.

Lilly and Aisha were leading the group's final briefing.

"Hey, Cassandra! Where have you been? We're about to leave!!" Daphne shouted. Not

only she but the rest of the party as well had noticed the girl had reappeared.

"Everyone!" she blurted out at the top of her lungs. As they fixed their eyes on her, she

continued her entreaty. "About the hunting party… Is there any chance we can give up

on it?"

"…Huh?"

"Something terrifying is going to happen… so… let's just not go…!"

Her voice was shaking. Welf and Lilly stared in disbelief at her crazy request. It was

Daphne, of course, who rushed over to her first.

"Cassandra! Are you going to babble on again about some dream you had? Haven't I

told you to get ahold of yourself?"

"…!"

Cassandra's old friend, whom she had known since their time together in Apollo

Familia, was turning a deaf ear to her pleas. Daphne never believed in her prophetic

dreams. But it wasn't just Daphne. She couldn't get anyone to believe in them. It was

like she was cursed. The exact same thing had happened during the War Game.

Lilly looked puzzled, and no one else seemed to believe her warning about "something

terrifying" happening, either. Mikoto, Haruhime, and Chigusa looked confused, while

Ouka had a dubious expression on his face, and Aisha seemed about to tell her that

danger was just part of the package in the Dungeon.

In the past, no one believed me… but this time…!

Cassandra turned her desperate eyes from Daphne toward the white-haired boy.

"B-B-Bell…!"

There was one person who might believe her when no one else did.

The boy standing right in front of her, Bell Cranell.

Yes, she was sure of it; he was blessed with some kind of divine protection, something

she might even call fate. Something strong enough to push aside Cassandra's curse.

Ever since the day she had come to Apollo Familia's former home in search of her lost

pillow, this boy who believed what she said had been special to Cassandra.

He was also the party's leader, and now she turned her pleading eyes toward him.

A troubled look on his face, he slowly opened his mouth.

"I'm very sorry, Miss Cassandra… I can't."

Despair darkened her face.

"We have to meet up with Miss Lyu… I want to help her," he went on.

As he spoke, Cassandra caught the glint of his rubellite eyes, and she knew he meant

what he said.

Aaah… It's no good. He's not going to give it up…!

Even if he did believe her warning, he was so overly kind that he would head toward

the appointed place she had seen in her prophetic dream for the sake of the person he

cared about.

For the first time, Cassandra understood that a firm will was synonymous with a

strong destiny.

No matter what, she would not be able to stop the group.

The moment she realized this, the strength drained from her knees and she collapsed

to the ground.

"Uh… Cassandra?"

As Lilly and the others gathered around in a panic, Daphne quickly supported her

friend's limp form. She was about to ask if Cassandra was all right when she noticed

just how pale her face was. From Daphne's perspective, Cassandra was always saying

or doing something odd, and her appearance couldn't be called hearty even at its best,

but she had never before seen her companion looking quite so haggard.

"…I'm sorry. I was planning to help search for Gale Wind…" Daphne said, still

supporting Cassandra and looking around uncomfortably at the group. "But this girl

seems to be feeling ill… Would you mind letting her rest a bit? I hate to ask this, but I'd

like to stay here with her in Rivira—"

Just then, the slumping Cassandra opened her eyes wide.

"No!!"

"?!"

"No! Not that! Anything but that…!"

Lifting her face, Cassandra repeated her denial over and over as if she'd lost her mind.

Not only Bell and the others but Daphne, too, was shocked. Gradually their surprise

turned to deep confusion, and then they began to watch her as if she was a madwoman.

With both hands pressed to her head and her long hair disheveled, she felt her thin

body shiver. Faced with her friends' failure to understand her message, she was the

very picture of a prophetess of tragedy.

No matter what, I can't let myself be separated from them…!

Even if the general outline of her prophecy was inescapable, they could still avoid total

destruction by stepping off the foretold path. And it was only Cassandra, who knew

the content of the dream, who could help them to swerve from that path and onto

another.

In other words, if Cassandra didn't go along with the party, the terrible calamity

foretold in her dream was certain to befall them.

I can't; I can't…! There's no way I can abandon them now!

If Cassandra and Daphne stayed in town, they would definitely be safe. And not long

ago, Cassandra would have chosen her own safety and that of her close friend over the

group.

But it was too late. She'd been on an adventure with them, and she knew what kind of

people they were.

Lilly was stingy when it came to money, but she was a prum who cared about her

friends. Welf was a coolheaded metalsmith who not only took charge of their weapons

but also took the lead in protecting the party. Ouka, Chigusa, and Mikoto were people

she could respect for their strong sense of duty, characteristic of people from the Far

East. Haruhime was kind and, in a way, similar to Cassandra herself; they had become

close friends. Aisha she felt more awkward around, but she could still trust her as a

steadfast older-sister figure.

And then there was Bell… who was special to her in so many ways.

"Miss Cassandra… Are you all right?"

Cassandra was aware that as he grew stronger and changed, she was gradually

starting to see him differently. She was on the verge of tears knowing that even at this

very moment, he was worrying about her.

There was no way she could abandon them now.

It's too late…

She looked around at Daphne and the others with a tired gaze. Last of all, her eyes

rested on the white-haired boy.

"…I'm sorry I acted so selfishly… I'm going with you."

With that, the party—its enthusiasm temporarily dampened—regained its fighting

spirit, albeit tinged with lingering suspicion. After a final check to make sure

everything was ready, they headed out of town to meet up with the other adventurers

in the hunting party.

As Cassandra joined the file, she privately reaffirmed her grim determination. She

would save the party from the worst of fates as it marched toward ruin.

The rebellion of the unheeded prophetess had begun.

She alone would oppose the impeding ruin.

Nearly three hours had passed since the decision was made to form a hunting party

and pursue Gale Wind. The adventurers had finished their preparations and were

about to depart the eighteenth floor.

About half the party was made up of residents of Rivira and the remainder of

adventurers who happened to be passing through at the time. Few had joined out of a

sense of justice; the majority were hot-blooded fame seekers hoping to make a name

for themselves by bringing down Gale Wind, the elf with a bounty on her head.

"If the information we have is accurate, Gale Wind is Level Four! And not just any Level

Four, a top-class one! Rabbit Foot, Antianeira, I'm counting on you for this one, since

you're the same level as she is. With you two, we should definitely be able to get this

rebel under control," Bors said, bursting with confidence. They were gathered by the

Central Tree, which led to the nineteenth floor.

Given his attitude, Hestia Familia was practically being forced to participate in the

hunting party.

"Uh… yeah," Bell answered, breaking out in a sweat.

"Trust Bors to leave the work up to someone else," Lilly muttered, narrowing her eyes.

In reality, though, the situation was to their advantage. If they wanted to reach Lyu

before anyone else, it would be easiest to obtain information from a position within

the party's inner circle.

Luvis, Dormul, and the other members of Modi Familia and Magni Familia would stay

behind in Rivira. They'd been in the lower levels far longer than Hestia Familia, and

the extent of their exhaustion from prolonged torment at the hands of the enhanced

moss huge was far greater than that of Bell and his companions. That went for their

mental as well as their physical state. Staying behind was the natural decision.

Of course, it wouldn't have been surprising if Dormul's party of Magni Familia dwarfs

had insisted on coming, given they'd boasted that "a little excursion like this is nothing

for us."

But searching for and capturing anyone—not just Gale Wind—in the sprawling

Dungeon was a tall order indeed. And compared to the floors of the upper levels, those

below the nineteenth floor were truly enormous. The fact that parties sent on quests

for missing adventurers typically failed to find even a single trace, let alone their actual

remains, only showed how difficult any search would be. And this time, neither the

goal nor the destination of the missing individual was known. The hunting expedition

was expected to last quite a few days. Copious amounts of food had been taken from

the town's stocks and packed for the large party.

"Keep your eyes peeled for any sign of the fugitive! If you meet with other adventurers,

ask them for information! Animal people, this is your chance to show off those noses

you're so proud of!"

Bors had ordered the party to search each floor as thoroughly as possible and, when

they were done, to post sentries at the passageways that connected one floor to the

next. So long as they occupied the lone route leading to the upper floors, their prey

was sure to fall into their net eventually. And so the hunting party set forth, leaving

behind a guard ample enough that even a Level 4 adventurer could not easily defeat

it, and headed toward the lower levels with many second-tier adventurers.

"So after we search every corner of each floor, we post guards at the entrances and

exits… Sounds to me like the standard formula for searching this insanely huge

Dungeon," Aisha said.

The group had made it to the Colossal Tree Labyrinth on the twenty-first floor. As the

adventurers rested in a large room, she, Lilly, and Ouka were chatting and checking

their weapons and items.

"It's the kind of strategy that relies completely on manpower. I wonder if Bors is wrong

in choosing it," Lilly said.

"In other words, you think the head of Rogue Town might just be grandstanding," Ouka

replied.

The party led by Hestia Familia was sitting together in a field of flowers near the center

of the room, where it would be harder for monsters to catch them by surprise.

"Even if the method itself isn't bad, do you really think we're going to find Gale Wind

by moving around in such a big group? Usually in searches, people split up into smaller

groups… I'm betting that before we have a chance to slip away, this big pack is going

to disintegrate."

The more adventurers in a party, the more frequent their encounters with monsters.

Acquaintances might help one another, but predictably, the proudly confident upperclass adventurers had so far been fighting independently, without much care for

cooperation. The members of the party were constantly cursing and yelling at one

another, and even the supporters could be seen pulling spare weapons from their

packs to sell in exchange for magic stones and drop items.

Twirling her baton-like dagger, Daphne watched from a distance as several adventurers

fought over the spring water bubbling from another corner of the room. She sighed.

"Well, if that makes things easier for us, there's no harm in it. Still… I wonder how deep

that tavern elf has burrowed," Welf said.

"So far, we haven't seen the slightest trace of Lady Lyu…" Mikoto answered.

"She seems to have been chasing someone… And given that she's Level Four, she'll

have no problem delving into the lower levels…" Chigusa added.

Already, half a day had passed since the hunting party set out. Lilly checked the broken

watch around her neck.

"For future reference, let's not take on any search quests. They just don't make financial

sense," she murmured, shrugging her narrow shoulders. Haruhime and Bell smiled

wryly.

"…"

Of the group, only Cassandra had a strained expression on her face. She was lost in

thought, failing completely to take advantage of the precious rest time to relax.

That dream represents the worst possible outcome… If the prophecy comes true, then

this party is done for. In order to avoid that, I have to decipher this oracle…!

She was turning the words of her dream over and over in her mind, trying to guess

what they might mean.

In the past, when people hadn't listened to her prophecies, she had either given up or

just kept muttering about the inevitable future. Now she was desperately searching

for a way out.

"A great calamity"…"catastrophe incarnate"…"a mother's lament shall call forth

disaster"…I'm guessing that calamity, catastrophe incarnate, and disaster are supposed

to be synonyms…

Most of the time, the first part of Cassandra's prophetic dreams gave an outline of the

future. And inevitably, that future was something inevitable that Cassandra could not

interfere with.

I'm sure "mother" must refer to the Dungeon. The Dungeon is the mother of monsters,

as they say in Orario. If that's the case, then considering the phrase "newborn cry"…the

disaster the mother will call forth must be a monster or monsters that will be spawned.

Cassandra hugged her chest tightly through her battle clothes.

The bloodshed will begin when despair lets out its newborn cry. "Countless wails of the

sacrificed," "the road of viscera," "the azure current shall run red with blood"…Going by

my past prophetic dreams, these vivid words almost certainly hint at death… but is it us

adventurers chasing after "the fairy fated to guide all to ruin" who will die?

In other words, did the prophecy mean that the Dungeon would spawn one or more

powerful monsters that would claim many victims? That interpretation was probably

the most accurate. Up to this point, the reasoning was straightforward.

But what will the powerful monsters be like? Will something even worse than that

enhanced moss huge appear in the Dungeon? Something strong enough to kill us all—

even Aisha, who's second-tier?

"The squirrel shall bloom into flowers of flesh"…In her dream, Lilly had died with her

guts spilled everywhere.

"The fox shall be swiftly torn asunder"…Haruhime had been drowning in a sea of blood,

torn to pieces.

"The hammer shall be shattered"…Welf had lost his arms and legs, a cruel vision.

"The lives of the foreign warriors shall be as playthings"…The bodies of Mikoto, Chigusa,

and Ouka had been piled atop one another.

"The bloodied temptress shall abscond with a keepsake of the fox, but shall be mourned

upon her defilement by countless fangs and claws"…Aisha, carrying the body of the

renart, had lagged with exhaustion before eventually getting swarmed and then

devoured by hordes of monsters.

"Urgh…?!"

As the words and images of each line of the prophecy rose before her mind's eye,

Cassandra hurriedly pressed a hand to her mouth.

Although the images were hazy, like those of a daydream, the visions of her

companions being cruelly murdered were nevertheless overwhelmingly gruesome

and horrifying. She still could not shake off the shock of seeing them.

Least of all…

Daphne!

"A friend shall impart sorrow." In her dream, a blood-drenched, hollow-eyed Daphne

drew her last breath before Cassandra's eyes.

Cassandra felt the tears coming, but she desperately held them back. That wasn't

reality. She needed to fight now to ensure that this tragedy did not befall Daphne and

the others.

Calm down; calm down!

She had no time to cry or despair. She scolded herself angrily.

As long as you're sitting around dreaming, Aisha and everyone else are going to be

slaughtered. But what monster could do something like that?… A floor boss?

Regaining control of her emotions, Cassandra surveyed the large room once again. It

was full of well-armed upper-class adventurers. At a glance, she guessed there must

be around seventy of them. The only monster she could imagine massacring a group

like this was a Monster Rex.

"…Uh, Miss Lilly? Do you think the floor boss, um… is going to spawn soon?"

"You mean the Amphisbaena? Don't underestimate me, Miss Cassandra! I went to the

Guild and researched when it appears specifically to make sure we wouldn't bump

into it on this expedition. One was most recently taken down just about two weeks

ago, so we still have another two weeks before it appears again!"

"R-right…" Cassandra said, lowering her head in embarrassment as Lilly scolded her

angrily; after all, fighting a floor boss on one's first expedition was no joke.

"The Amphisbaena is a lower-level floor boss, right? I'm sure I heard that it appears

on the twenty-seventh floor," Welf said.

"Lady Aisha, did you ever fight one when you were with Ishtar Familia?" Mikoto asked.

"Yeah. They're stronger than Goliath for sure. The Guild rates them at Level Six because

they live in the water, but their raw ability is closer to a Five. If we encountered one with

this many upper-class adventurers in our group, we'd be able to take it down," she

answered.

As Cassandra listened in on their conversation, she found herself worrying once again.

So Aisha's already fought a lower-level Monster Rex… If what she says is true, then a

Monster Rex definitely wouldn't be able to cause the kind of massacre I saw in my

dream…

With this thought, she grew less and less sure of what the coming calamity would be.

Her head began to ache.

Are there going to be multiple monsters? A huge monster party or something like that…?

It was possible. Still, she felt that wasn't quite right.

After thinking for a long while, she shook her head. She wasn't getting anywhere trying

to figure out what the exact nature of the calamity would be. Resigning herself to the

fact that further guessing would be futile, she moved on to thinking about another

verse of the prophecy.

The only warning in this dream was in the line about the "reviving sun"…But what does

"the sun" mean…?

Sometimes, Cassandra's dreams contained warnings about how to avoid the prophecy.

Usually, they were abstract or allegorical and therefore hard to interpret. As a result,

Cassandra typically was unable to avoid mishap.

What is the sun a symbol or allegory for? Maybe Apollo? Will something connected with

him save "thyself"—me—when I get shut up in the "coffin"? Or is the sun a reference to

time? Will something happen during the daytime? But time in the Dungeon is different

from time on the surface… Argh! This is going nowhere!

She banged her head with her fist, then sank into depression. Haruhime and Chigusa

drew back in surprise. Meanwhile, Daphne—who had known Cassandra long enough

to grow used to her moods—seemed fed up.

"Gather the fragments, consecrate the flame, beseech the sun's light"…It seems like this

line is connected to the one about the "sun," but I don't know how it connects to what

comes before or after…

Cassandra tightened the hand resting on her knee into a fist.

I have a feeling I know where the massacre is going to take place… If we can just avoid

winding up there at the appointed time, we should be able to avoid the "banquet of

calamity"…

Cassandra breathed in the distinctive scent released by the Dungeon flowers as she

mulled over this conclusion, thinking of what she could do.

"Uh, Miss Cassandra?"

She hadn't even noticed that the white-haired boy was kneeling in front of her, peering

into her face.

"Oh! Ack! Mr. Bell!"

Bell smiled wryly at her as she squealed in surprise. He hesitated for a moment, then

slowly opened his mouth.

"Um… If something is worrying you, please tell me."

"Huh?"

"I know we're from different familias, but we're in this party together, and… Well, if

there's anything I can do, I'd like to help. I mean, it doesn't have to be me; it could be

Miss Daphne or Miss Haruhime…"

He handed her a cool water bottle. It seemed he'd braved the quarrelling adventurers

to draw fresh water from the spring. He'd noticed Cassandra's troubled face and

wanted to do something for her.

Most likely, he had noticed she was disturbed by the prophetic dream even before they

left Rivira.

Cassandra blinked in surprise and blushed.

He's really… changed…

Not long ago, he'd blushed all the time and gotten into a fluster whenever something

happened. Just like Cassandra herself.

During the expedition, Mikoto had taught her a proverb from the Far East, using Bell

as an example: "If you haven't seen a man for three days, watch closely when you

meet." It really was true—his skills seemed to grow day by day. He'd become a true

leader for the party.

Of course, he still wasn't what she'd call "dignified," but whenever he noticed

something was wrong, he thought about what he could do to help, then acted on it.

That was true with the moss huge, when she'd been unsure what to do as a healer

about the parasitic vines plaguing the party. He'd sat beside her and held her hand,

encouraging her.

It seemed she could still feel the warmth of his grip.

When she thought about the fact that he was younger than her on top of it all, she

wanted to cry.

"Thank… you…" she said softly, taking the bottle and bringing it to her lips for a noisy

gulp.

He scratched his cheek and smiled shyly.

Cassandra didn't know what had happened to make him change so much. But she felt

like she could drown in his kindness.

"Uh, um…"

She had just opened her mouth to say something, still unsure what that something

would be, when an uproar arose over by the door to the room.

"Bors! It's a herd of mammoth fools!" an adventurer shouted.

Although the size of the creatures varied by individual, all measured between six and

seven meders at the withers and were imposing even at a distance. Their gently

curving, upturned tusks were as long as spears, and their fur was as red as blood.

Mammoth fools were a rare instance of a monster in the Colossal Tree Labyrinth

whose danger came simply from brute strength; most others had special abilities like

irregular attacks or hard insect-like carapaces. The mammoths were also the largest

of the ordinary middle-level monsters.

"A bunch of large-category guys, eh? Get ready for a fight, you lot! Rabbit Foot, you too!"

Called out by name by the ax-wielding Bors, Bell hopped to like a veritable rabbit. By

the time Cassandra let out a sigh, he was already far away, leading the charge toward

the herd of monsters.

"…"

Aisha and Ouka rushed to join the battle against the four mammoth fools, whom they

seemed to view as a mere hassle, and Chigusa ran off to support them. Cassandra

gazed sadly at Bell as he fought.

He'd received a broadsword from Bors and was slicing the beasts around their legs,

bringing them to the ground with a deafening crash. As he wielded his magical flames,

the courageous boy looked to Cassandra just like a fairy-tale hero.

He was the only one who wasn't clearly marked for death in my dream…

"The fairy fated to guide all to ruin, compelling the roaring white flames, shall spin a

cruel fate."

The "roaring white flames" were the only words that seemed to refer to Bell.

Cassandra was sure "the fated fairy" was Lyu. It was unavoidable destiny that these

two would cross paths. The sinister part was how the fairy had been compelling the

flames. It seemed to be a prophecy of a different type from that foretold for Aisha and

the others.

She had seen a small fairy flapping her wings as roaring white flames surrounded her.

The vision had ended just before she was engulfed by some kind of jet-black

catastrophe.

If anyone was going to overturn this horrible prophecy—wouldn't it be him?

Cassandra pursed her lips. Mikoto, Daphne, and Welf had stayed behind to protect the

supporters and watch for other monsters; now, taking the first step toward

combatting the prophecy, Cassandra approached Welf.

"Um, Mr. Crozzo."

The young smith had been watching the battle and was about to join in.

"Stop calling me by my family name, would you? Welf is fine," he said, looking

disappointed to have been interrupted on his way to fight.

At the same time, he was slightly surprised that Cassandra had called out to him. She

apologized in a fluster and steeled herself to bring up the topic at hand. She had

decided to ask the High Smith—whose skills had been steadily improving—for a favor.

When she did, he answered frankly, as was his nature as a craftsman.

"…I can do it, but why are you asking me all of a sudden?"

"Uh, um…"

"Honestly, I can't say I'm eager to do it. We've decided that he'll only carry weapons

I've forged myself."

The naturally shy Cassandra seemed on the verge of retreating in response to his

words, but then she pursed her lips again.

"He… Mr. Bell can be reckless for the sake of other people… That's the kind of person

he is. I want to help him…" she said, looking the smith in the eye.

She didn't mention her dream. She knew he wouldn't believe her if she did. But he just

might believe an admission of her honest feelings.

Like Bell, Cassandra had changed and grown. Welf listened silently as she spoke, a

fierce glint in her timid downward-slanting eyes. He paused for a moment, then turned

up the corners of his mouth.

"Okay. I'll do it."

"R-r-really?"

"Yup. Never mind the ramblings of a prideful smith. It's just like with the magic

blades… I've decided to stop weighing my pride against my friends," he said, smiling

as if he'd put the past behind him.

Somehow, Cassandra could tell that his smile was the result of a long inner struggle.

She was so envious of him that she was momentarily speechless, and at the same time

she sympathized with that struggle.

"Plus, something about this current business seems fishy to me. I agree with you that

Bell seems likely to do something reckless. I wouldn't be surprised if he turned every

adventurer in this room against him in order to protect that elf… After all, my partner

in crime has a record of doing stuff like that."

He'd been thinking about the time with the Xenos, a serious expression on his face,

but to hide his true thoughts, he ended on a joke. Cassandra bobbed her head

energetically.

"Th-th-thank you so much!"

For the first time, she felt as if her actions would have some impact on the future.

Nothing whatsoever had changed with regard to the outcome of her dream, but still,

she felt extremely happy.

"Li'l E, bring me that portable forge I brought along. And lend me that thing of yours

while you're at it. It's probably dragging on the ground because it's too long."

"But Mr. Welf, you took the measurements yourself!"

Welf retrieved the tools from Lilly, whose temper had flared once again. Setting the

box-shaped forge in front of him, he began constructing a miniature workshop in one

corner of the Dungeon.

"You girls, give me a hand already. Monsters are gathering, and it seems like Bell and

the others are going to be a while. I'd like to get this done before they finish."

"Yes, sir!"

Mikoto, Haruhime, and Daphne gathered beside the smith to help. The other

adventurers who had remained in the rear guard drew around, too, craning their necks

as the work began.

As the cries of the fighting adventurers and monsters echoed in the background,

Cassandra realized she was feeling excited.

"Ahhh…"

Hestia let out a relaxed sigh and lay her chest against the table, squashing her ample

breasts.

She was in the Hestia Familia home, Hearthstone Manor, lazing around the living room.

"You seem pretty sluggish today. Do you have the day off work?" Miach asked. He'd

come over with some packages.

"Yeah. By some miracle, I'm off from Hephaistos's place and Jyaga Maru Kun, too. But

I hate to waste a day off when Bell and the others aren't around!" Hestia replied.

With the multi-familia-faction alliance off on the expedition and the entirety of Hestia

Familia taking part, their home was left defenseless. To compensate, several deities

Hestia was close with were taking turns dispatching familia members to Hearthstone

Manor. Today was Miach Familia's turn. Miach himself had come along, and as he

chatted with Hestia, the chienthrope Nahza opened the door and walked in.

"Lady Hestia, I cleaned up a bit…"

"Oh wow, you did, really? Thanks so much!"

"It's no trouble… After all, you're making dinner for me and letting me take a bath here,

too."

"Well, that's sweet of you to put it that way," Hestia said.

Nahza smiled, her eyelids drooping so that at first glance she looked sleepy. The tail

swooping down from her waist was swinging back and forth, too, as if she was looking

forward to the evening.

"By the way, Hestia, what's that racket out in the backyard?" Miach asked.

"Oh, that… Hephaistos sent over one of her young smiths as a guard, but he's an odd

one. He asked to have a look at Welf's workshop, given they used to be in the same

familia… and when I said it was okay, he ransacked the place, and now he seems to

have started making a weapon of some sort…"

"Well in that case, I'd like to have a look around Lilliluka's room… I bet she has some

unusual items and medicines hidden in there… Is that all right with you?" Nahza asked.

"Give me a break! She would be furious with me!"

Miach smiled wryly at Hestia's evident low position, despite the fact that she was a

goddess.

"Are you feeling nervous with Bell and the others gone?"

"Yeah, of course I am. But I still have to be ready to give them a proper welcome when

they come back, like I'm happy about it all," Hestia replied before asking Miach a

question in return. "What about you? It was Daphne and Cassandra who went on the

expedition, right?"

"It goes without saying that I can't stop worrying and I'm lonely… But up till recently,

it's always been just Nahza and me. It's weird to say that things are back to how they

were, but I'm treating it like a little reward for myself and having a rather peaceful

interlude."

"…"

"We've known each other for so long. I feel the most at ease with Nahza by my side,"

Miach said pleasantly, a handsome god's smile on his face.

A loud clatter came from the shelf that Nahza had been tidying up, her back to the two

deities. Her tail was wagging furiously.

Hestia had no idea what the backstory was behind Miach's affectionate words, but for

some reason it made her chest burn, so she forcefully changed the subject.

"Anyway, Miach… I wanted to ask you about Cassandra," she said, her face and tone

docile. "I've been thinking this since she was with Apollo, but…"

"Yes… She can see things. Things even we deities can't see."

Nahza turned toward the two deities, who were nodding at each other, and tilted her

head quizzically.

"I don't know what Apollo was up to by keeping her in his familia… but she seems to

carry the mysteries of the mortal realm within her."

"Mysteries that are beyond even us… I do understand why the deities have been so

fascinated by the mortal plane ever since their first descent from the heavens," Hestia

said, leaning her weight against the back of the chair. For a moment, she stared up

toward the ceiling, as if she was reflecting on the very nature of the mortal plane.

"I haven't talked with her much myself. What kind of a girl is she anyway?" she asked,

as if the question had just occurred to her.

"Cassandra is a strange one…" Nahza replied, taking a teakettle from the shelf. As she

talked, she went about preparing some black tea for the group. "At first she was like

Bell—No, even more timid and nervous than he is… Lately I think she's become

attached to us… But she's always waxing philosophical about things…"

"Philosophical?" Hestia asked.

"I can't really explain it… But I think it has to do with destiny or something like that…"

"Ah, destiny…"

"She says things that are obviously lies, and sometimes I really don't get her… Like

when my favorite cup broke, for some reason she was more upset than anyone…"

As Nahza and Hestia talked, Miach stood to the side, listening quietly.

"That's what I mean about her being an odd one. It's like she's living in a different

world from the rest of us…" Nahza said.

"…"

"And Daphne being Daphne, she says exactly what she's thinking, and that makes

Cassandra even less confident and more timid than ever…"

Nahza sniffed at the steam rising from the kettle before continuing with a smile.

"Still, I like them. They're what the gods might call an 'odd couple.' She's always

worrying about something, always looking gloomy…"

"I did notice that she seemed a bit on the dismal side… But what's your takeaway, Nahza?"

"She does cheer up when she sees Bell…"

"Wh-wh-what?! No way! Don't tell me even that girl is scheming after him?!" Hestia

said, leaping up with a clatter in response to Nahza's expression of what she had

sensed with her female instincts.

"I don't think that's the case," the chienthrope said as she set three cups of tea on the

table. "I'm surprised that she's continued as an adventurer this far."

"Despite her appearance, she seems to have strength at her core. Sometimes when she

smiles, she looks so full of light even I can't take my eyes off her," Miach said.

"…"

"Ouch, Nahza! What are you pinching me for? That hurts…!"

"I don't think you should be talking about 'not being able to take your eyes off' anyone!"

As this comic dialogue between members of Miach Familia unfolded, Hestia munched

absently on the pieces of Jyaga Maru Kun she'd brought out to go with the tea, looking

completely uninterested.

"…Oh, is someone at the door?"

The sound of the doorbell echoed through the room.

"I'll get it," Nahza said, standing up.

She returned a moment later with a letter in her hand.

"It seems to be a letter from Lilliluka… She says they've been asked to do something

on the eighteenth floor…"

"A letter from my supporter? It's hard to believe that little miser would spend the

money to send me something…"

Usually, if someone was asked by fellow adventurers to take on a quest while already

in the Dungeon, they requested compensation above the market rate. In other words,

they took advantage of the situation. That was all the truer of upper-class adventurers

with the ability to make it as far as a safety point. Hestia had spoken jokingly, but the

fact that Lilly—who was a notoriously strict financial manager—had gone as far as

using the familia emblem and writing up a signed and sealed deed, and moreover that

she had sent a messenger from the eighteenth floor when Bell could have made the

trip himself, gave her a bad feeling.

"…A hunting party has formed to chase down that tavern elf?! And in order to do

something about it, they're joining the hunting party?!"

"Hestia, what's going on?" Miach asked.

"I—I—I have no clue…"

Hestia was in shock over the unexpected news in the letter. It was written cryptically

so that nothing would be given away if it was intercepted by someone outside the

familia, but it mentioned their encounter with the enhanced species and their decision

to end the expedition.

Hestia reread the letter two or three times, then handed it to Miach, dumbfounded.

"What in the world is going on down in the Dungeon…?"

All Hestia could do was sigh at the last line, in which Lilly requested that she send

support troops into the Dungeon in case something happened—in case Lyu was

caught—in order to free her.

Despite the attack by the mammoth fools while they rested, the hunting party for Gale

Wind moved on without incident. As Bors instructed, they searched each floor, then

posted guards at the inter-floor passageways. Soon they had arrived at the twentyfourth floor.

A day had passed, and even the adventurers who had been most enthusiastic about

chasing down the famed fugitive were now beginning to lag.

"Hey, stop crawling along! Let's hurry it up! Gale Wind could commit another crime!"

"Calm down, Turk. It's way stupider to rush forward and miss clues on the way. I can't

deny I'm feeling slow, though…"

In the distance, Cassandra could hear adventurers squabbling over how to proceed.

She turned to Lilly.

"Um, Miss Lilly… Can you lend me the floor map?"

"What, again?"

"Yes, I'd like to see the one for a different floor this time… Sorry."

Lilly narrowed her round chestnut-brown eyes suspiciously but nevertheless withdrew

the floor map from her backpack.

Cassandra, who was already holding the other one, took it from her.

"Whatever could Lady Cassandra be up to…?"

"Y-y-yes, what could it be? She keeps on looking at the Dungeon maps…"

Haruhime and Chigusa whispered to each other as Cassandra tucked her healer's

wand under one arm and peered at the unfurled parchment. Cassandra didn't notice

them; she was completely absorbed in the map. A drop of sweat fell from her tense

face.

"Watch out, Cassandra; you're going to trip," Daphne said, scanning the path ahead of

them.

Cassandra had tried to stop Bors and his companions from moving ahead with the

hunting expedition, but she had failed, as she had expected. Resigned to the fact that

she would have to do something herself, she was now completely fixated on

preventing the prophecy from unfolding. In order to do so, she was attempting to

memorize as much information about each floor as she could.

Staring down at the map in her hands so hard she practically burned a hole through

it, she racked her brain for some new idea.

"I knew this would be a long process, but the search is really taking time, isn't it…?"

"We're almost done with the middle levels, though. If Lady Lyu is in the Colossal Tree

Labyrinth, you'd think we'd find at least one or two signs fairly soon…"

Cassandra listened as Mikoto and Lilly chatted, and in her heart, she shook her head.

No… That's not right.

Gale Wind wasn't in this part of the Dungeon.

This was not where "fairy" was fated to guide her pursuers to ruin. The prophetess of

tragedy knew in her heart that the Colossal Tree Labyrinth was not the appointed

place of catastrophe.

The nightmarish prophetic dream had murmured as much to her.

"The azure current shall run red with blood, and the grotesque horde shall rejoice.

"The depths of hell shall overflow with corpses, returning all to the mother."

Three out of the prophecy's seventeen verses mention places, and the fifth and sixth

verses of the first half mention specific locations…!

"The azure current."

"The depths of hell."

In the context of what was going on, there was only one place these lines could be

referring to.

Yes! In other words—

"Huh? An explosion?!"

"The shock waves are coming from below… From the lower levels?!"

—It could only be the Water Capital.

The trembling ground and sound of something cracking threw the adventurers into

disarray.

The map of the lower levels that Cassandra still gripped trembled as she held her breath.

She knew that "the time" had come.

The starting whistle had blown, and now the prophecy would begin to unfold.

Her lips trembled silently.

"Get going!"

At Bors's command, everyone began to run. The adventurers licking their chops in

anticipation and Bell's tension-riddled party alike were drawn forward by the

intermittent sounds of explosions. Cassandra, running at the back of the group, was

tormented by an anxiety unlike any she had ever experienced. Desperately, she tried

to calm her thumping heart.

As they rushed through the passageway connecting the twenty-fourth and twentyfifth floors, countless footsteps echoed down the crystal-encrusted cave. Reaching the

end of the long slope, they leaped toward the mouth of the cave, which was flooded

with blue light.

Before them flowed the gorgeous emerald-blue water of the Great Falls and the

yawning crystalline cavern.

For the second time, Bell and the rest of his party found themselves gazing out at the

magnificent scene of the New World.

"Whoa… Another explosion!"

"Is Gale Wind on a rampage?"

"The shock waves are coming from farther below… Could the source be the twentyseventh floor?"

The Water Capital began on the twenty-fifth floor and continued to the twentyseventh, with the Great Falls connecting all three floors. On each of these floors, a

massive cavern contained the falls and a plunge pool as huge as a lake. Far, far below

the cliff's edge where they stood now was the end point on the twenty-seventh floor.

Surrounded by adventurers, Bors squinted down at it with his right eye, the one

without the patch.

Gray smoke distinct from the waterfall's mist drifted upward as a crystal column sank

into the plunge pool like a calved iceberg, broken off by the shock waves. He could just

make it out through the masses of spray that billowed up in a white mist from the falls.

"Those explosions don't sound like they were made by monsters! Ten to one, this is

the work of an adventurer—or to put more of a point on it, Gale Wind! I'm going to

choose the best of you to go down to the twenty-seventh floor! The rest of you, stay

here and guard the passageway!"

"Yaaaaaah!"

In response to Bors's words, the adventurers enthusiastically thrust their swords,

spears, and axes into the air. Their lethargy now vanished, the mercenary bunch of

rogues shouted spirited battle cries as the hunt for Gale Wind finally began.

Meanwhile, Bell's party swiftly formed a circle a few steps away and began discussing

their strategy.

"This is where things get critical. We've got to find Lyu before the other adventurers,"

Lilly said.

"Yeah. We'll need to get information from them about what's happening, too," Bell added.

"Clearly… But what were those explosions? They felt strong. Do you really think the elf

is using her magic or something?" Welf asked.

Cassandra had been ignoring their conversation and instead glancing nervously back

toward the passage to the twenty-fourth floor, but now she shook her head. It was time

to sever ties with the part of her that still wanted to turn back.

Even within her eighteen short years, she had had enough painful experiences to know

that a weak impulse like that would do nothing to avert her prophetic dream.

Now was when it all began.

From here on, she could make no mistakes if she was going to avert the prophecy. That

was what she told herself, trying to gain courage even as her pounding heart made her

feel like vomiting again.

"So, moving on… Lilly has a funny feeling about the twenty-seventh floor. We somehow

need to join the special party and make contact with Ly—"

"Uh, wait!"

Cassandra interrupted the party's prum leader mid-sentence.

"I don't think we need to go to the twenty-seventh floor, do we…? It would be hard to

move around in such a large group…"

There was much she didn't understand about her prophetic dream, but at least she

had a good idea of the location.

"The depths of hell shall overflow with corpses, returning all to the mother."

Cassandra had deduced that "the depths of hell" referred to the end point of the Great

Falls on the twenty-seventh floor, which was the lowest level of the Water Capital. In

other words, that was where the catastrophe was going to happen.

If only they could stay off the twenty-seventh floor, Lilly and the others should be able

to avoid the foretold death. For Cassandra, who had wrestled with the meaning of

many nonsensical dreams in the past, that one point seemed certain. As she inwardly

reproached herself for speaking so incoherently, Daphne spoke up next to her.

"I agree with Cassandra. Even if we've fought on this floor before, we've only explored

it once. Don't you think we're most likely to slip up in a place we're totally unfamiliar

with?"

"D-D-Daphne…"

"Even if we rely on Rabbit Foot and Antianeira for protection, I doubt we'll be able to

find her faster than the other adventurers."

Daphne's reasoning was totally unconnected to what Cassandra was concerned

about—avoiding the prophecy. But Daphne had been pushed into the role of

commander in Apollo Familia, and she wasn't about to give up her cautious attitude

toward a risky area like the lower levels.

"Anyway, I personally don't want to risk my life for someone I barely know," she

concluded jokingly.

"…I see. You're right that speed is inversely related to the size of the party, and this

time we need to move fast. Therefore, let's not send everyone to the twenty-seventh

floor," Lilly said, taking her mentor's words into consideration.

Cassandra felt incredibly relieved. She was sure they had avoided the worst scenario.

She let the tension drain from her shoulders and sighed.

"So in addition to Mr. Bell and Miss Aisha, who should go?"

Instantly, Cassandra's body seized up again.

"Aaaaaah, ummmm?!"

She interrupted Lilly again, raising her right hand. Aisha, whose death had been clearly

foretold in the prophecy, must not be allowed to go to the twenty-seventh floor. She

had to stop her!

Lilly looked fed up at yet another interruption, while Aisha glanced at her suspiciously.

Cassandra, who had not thought in advance about what she was going to say, moved

her mouth silently, then finally squeezed out a few words.

"M-M-Miss Aisha should stay on the twenty-fifth floor with everyone else…"

"Why?"

"Uh… The other day when Haruhime suffered a Mind Down and I had to carry her to

the eighteenth floor… she was actually really heavy…!"

"Huh?!"

It was a lie.

She was extremely light.

The Goliath Robe felt heavier than Haruhime. In fact, although her chest was large, her

hips were so slight it made Cassandra feel hopeless about her own form. She flinched

and blushed as the renart yelped defensively at the false claims.

"In case we have to escape and she has to be carried again, I just, um, have a feeling

that Lilly and I might not be able to do it by ourselves… O-o-of course everyone else

will protect us, too, but without Aisha here, what will we do about Miss Haruhime,

since she's so heavy…?"

As Cassandra frantically repeated the word heavy, Daphne gave her a look that said,

Do you have a grudge against her or something?

Meanwhile, tears were welling in Haruhime's eyes as the others talked about her like

a piece of luggage. She kept glancing at Bell, who seemed not to know what expression

to arrange his face into and looked on the verge of fainting from embarrassment.

"…Well, it's true that she's grown a lot since we were in the Far East. Especially her

chest," Ouka mumbled.

"Really?" Welf answered with a bit too much curiosity.

"Honestly, Ouka!! And Welf, too!" Chigusa snapped, spreading the chaos still further

through the group. Mikoto, who had been standing by, nervous and unsure what to do,

rubbed Haruhime's shoulder comfortingly.

The renart's sniffles disappeared into the thundering of the Great Falls.

"Who cares if this silly fox is light or heavy? All she has to do is stand here by the

passageway. There are plenty of other adventurers around, and if things get really

dangerous, she can always use her magic," Aisha said.

"Uh…"

"You guys really demand a lot of care. To tell you the truth, if you don't learn to fend

for yourselves when I'm not around, I don't know what I'm going to do. That goes for

Hestia Familia as well."

Cassandra didn't know how to respond to Aisha's extremely straightforward words.

At the same time, seeing Aisha's genuine concern for her "little sister," Cassandra felt

ashamed at her thoughtless attempt to use Haruhime for her own ends.

Still, she had to find some way of preventing Aisha from going to the twenty-seventh

floor. She was growing more and more distressed.

"…Um, Miss Aisha."

Bell had been staring at Aisha's face, and finally he spoke up.

"Would you mind doing as Cassandra asked and staying on the twenty-fifth floor?"

"Huh…?" Cassandra gasped. She watched in surprise as Bell continued.

"What are you talking about, kid? Don't tell me you're going to ask me to watch over

that dumb fox, too?"

"I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of it… But there's someone else I want you to keep

an eye on."

"Someone you want me to keep an eye on?" Aisha echoed doubtfully.

Bell leaned in closer to the group and pointed at one of the other adventurers.

"That werewolf who's been insisting it was Lyu… Gale Wind… who committed the

murder. He kept repeating it over and over, like he was trying to fire everyone up."

"…Now that you mention it, he was urging everyone to hurry the whole way here.

When I think about it, it does seem a bit unnatural," Lilly said.

"Exactly. I think that guy is… lying."

Lilly and the others glanced furtively toward the group of adventurers, where they

could glimpse the werewolf talking and linking arms with the others.

Bell watched him for a moment, then looked back at Aisha.

"If Lyu is innocent, then that guy is up to no good."

"…"

"If he does anything fishy, I want you to stop him… Or am I off the mark?"

Although Bell had been sharing his thoughts without hesitation up to this point, he

ended on a less-than-confident note.

Instead of directly answering his question as to whether his assessment was off, Aisha

let out a long sigh.

"There may be some truth to what you say. Just to be safe, you and I should split up,"

she said.

"All right then, Miss Aisha, I'm counting on you."

"But. If my sense of things is right… that elf will be too much for you to handle on your

own," Aisha said, looking Bell over sharply. She seemed to know something the others

didn't.

Bell recoiled for an instant, but then his face took on a resolute expression.

"I believe in Miss Lyu."

"…Do as you like, then." Aisha sighed, narrowing her eyes and tacitly accepting that she

would stay behind on the twenty-fifth floor.

Cassandra watched in shock as Bell thanked the Amazon. His rubellite eyes met hers

for a moment, and his mouth curved into a faintly wry smile.

Aha…

She realized that Bell had seen her desperately trying to keep Aisha on this floor and

had extended a helping hand. Of course, he had his own reasons as well… But still, he

had respected her will when she had been struggling alone and no one else would

believe in her.

Once again, she felt a hot, throbbing glow deep in her chest.

"But is it really okay to let Bell Cranell go on his own?" Ouka asked, clearly concerned.

"You're right that it will be difficult, but the fact that Mr. Bell will be able to maneuver

much more easily on his own far outweighs the risk. I think this is the best way for

him to get ahead of the other adventurers and make contact with Miss Lyu," Lilly

answered.

Plus, she pointed out, the rest of the party members would have a hard time making

their way even through this floor alone, whereas Bell could get around as a solo player

even in the lower levels.

"Anyway, Welf has just finished making him some extra-tough protective gear," she

said, glancing at the smith.

"Bell, take this."

"Welf… what is this?"

"It's a Goliath Scarf. I made it from a piece of Li'l E's robe."

Bell stared at the jet-black cloth that Welf was holding out. It was a section of the

Goliath Robe, which offered a protective power equal to an iron wall. Although it

wouldn't cover as much area as the robe, the giant's defensive gear was as strong and

durable as anything available.

"I made it on the sly while you guys were fighting on the twenty-first floor. It wasn't

easy; believe me! I didn't have a proper setup, so I had to use a magic blade to cut it

off."

"Uh, Welf… are you sure it's okay?" Bell asked, looking up at his friend.

As Bell well knew, the smith was reluctant to let his contracted partner use an

unimproved drop item from a monster. But despite his craftsman's pride, Welf nodded.

"Yeah. To be honest, I'd prefer you to get by with only the armor I've made for you…

But if something was to happen to you, I'd never forgive myself. After all, I said I'd stop

weighing my pride against our friendship, didn't I?"

He smiled as he handed Bell the Goliath Scarf.

"Sorry, man—it's not very stylish."

"No worries. But I bet this thing will give me a sore neck!" Bell joked, wrapping the

scarf around his neck. The price of the drop item's incredible defensive power was its

equally incredible weight.

As the two laughed and joked like brothers, Welf seemed to suddenly remember

something, and he leaned over to whisper in Bell's ear.

"When I was making this, our prophetic Mirabilis helped me out. Actually, she was the

one who suggested I make it."

"Really?"

Bell stopped moving at the mention of Cassandra's nickname and looked in her

direction. Her cheeks grew hot and she dropped her eyes.

"Um… Thank you, Miss Cassandra."

"…"

As Lilly and the others watched, Cassandra looked up at Bell, who had walked over to

her. She was happy that he had thanked her and happy to see the boyish smile on his

face.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to her.

Even though her prophecy had made no direct reference to Bell's death, was it okay

for him to go all alone? If she let him go, something bad was sure to happen to him.

She just knew it.

She'd gotten this far. Couldn't she ask for a little more?

…No, it's impossible. There's no way I can stop him.

As she looked into Bell's eyes, she gave up on the fleeting hope that had crossed her

mind. No matter how much she pleaded, she knew she could not stop him. After all,

hadn't she just the other day realized that a firm will was synonymous with a strong

destiny?

Even if he believes in my dream, would he…?

She had wondered many times if she should tell Bell the whole truth about her

prophecy, since he was the only one who believed her. But every time, she had held

back.

Assuming he believed everything she told him, what would he do when he realized

that such a cruel fate awaited Lyu? She knew the answer without even thinking about

it. He would fly to her, knowing he was rushing toward the jaws of death.

If that was the case, she concluded it would be better not to tell him.

She herself did not understand everything. She didn't want to cloud his judgment by

sharing her nonsensical dream with him.

"…Mr. Bell."

Cassandra felt that her prophetic dreams were a curse.

No one believed her.

No one took her seriously.

She didn't know if even the deities realized what was coming.

But one person… this boy… believed in her. His trust had saved her.

She didn't want to let him go. She didn't want to leave him. She didn't want to lose him.

If it meant being able to keep him by her side, she would even become his lover. His

partner for life.

But this calculating emotion, more desire to be saved than true yearning for him, was

warped. Even if she felt suddenly attracted to him, it wasn't the boy himself she was

drawn to but simply the illusion that he was the only one who believed in her dreams.

That was all she thought it was, at least.

Therefore, she was definitely not the right woman for him.

But she wanted him to live… at the very least. It was okay to want that, wasn't it?

"Please come back alive," she said, her voice full of emotion. If the others had heard

her, she knew they would think she was being overly dramatic.

"When we're back on the surface together… there are many things I'd like to… tell you,"

she added.

All she could do was entrust everything to this boy.

To the white light whose end she had not been able to foresee even in her dream.

As the prophetess looked up at him with wavering eyes, Bell smiled brightly, as if to

sweep away tragedy.

"Yes, I promise. I'll come back."