Chapter 2

P/N let me know if there's any mistakes and I will try to fix them

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.

49

"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 upper-class 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.

54

"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…"

68

"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 twenty-fourth 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 twenty-fifth 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 twenty-seventh floor?"

The Water Capital began on the twenty-fifth floor and continued to

the twenty-seventh, 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."