A Chance Encounter

In the corner of the bar counter, there was a boy and a girl.

The girl was the one who had just guided everyone from the Loki Familia, a girl named Syr.

She stood beside the boy, chatting away while sneakily glancing over to the Loki Familia's direction—or more precisely, toward Riezel's direction.

It wasn't until she caught Riezel's gaze that her face turned a little red. She awkwardly lowered her head, resembling a shy little girl caught peeking at her crush.

The boy talking to Syr, on the other hand, was shooting looks at Riezel that were filled with envy, admiration, and longing.

With white hair, red eyes, and a somewhat youthful face, he looked around thirteen to fourteen years old. Overall, he gave off a harmless vibe, like a naive boy.

Riezel recognized this boy.

On the day of the expedition, this boy had also cast similar glances at him and the others from the crowd.

'He's here too, huh?' Riezel said inwardly, quickly recalling the original work.

He remembered that in the original work when the Loki Familia returned from their expedition, they disturbed a group of Minotaur residing on the 17th Floor. These Level 2 monsters scattered and fled, making their way to the 5th Floor.

In the end, one of them targeted this boy. It was only thanks to Ais's intervention that he didn't meet his end on the 5th Floor.

However, perhaps due to Riezel's presence, this expedition had some differences from the original work.

Despite encountering the worm monsters mentioned in the original work, they didn't come across any Minotaur on the 17th Floor, and no commotion sent them running to other floors.

As a result—

'We didn't meet in the dungeon, but here we are.'

Honestly, Riezel felt tempted to approach and get to know the boy better. After all, as far as he knew, this boy was the only one in this world who could compete with him in growth potential.

The boy seemed weak right now since Riezel could tell he was a Level 1 rookie who had recently received a blessing. Yet, given three months, maybe this boy could reach Riezel's current position.

Even though some of the original plots had changed, Riezel didn't believe it would affect the boy's growth. After all, this boy was this world's protagonist, this world's main character with limitless potential. Given the right opportunity, this potential would explode sooner or later.

Furthermore, this opportunity could be anything.

At least, looking into the boy's red eyes, Riezel had a feeling that this boy would absolutely make strides toward his side.

'Too bad...' Riezel shifted his gaze away.

He couldn't go over there because there was someone next to the boy.

Moreover, it happened to be someone he didn't want to get involved with, someone he didn't want to touch for the time being.

"Mr. Riezel?"

While Riezel was pondering such things, a soft voice from the elf girl next to him, awakened him from his reverie.

"What are you looking at?"

Lefiya looked in the direction he had just been watching, puzzled.

Ais also glanced in the same direction, coincidentally locking eyes with Syr, who gave her a slight smile. Ais responded with a slightly awkward nod.

"Nothing..." Riezel withdrew his scattered thoughts, holding his drink, and laughed. "Just happened to see an interesting guy."

"Interesting guy?" Lefiya asked curiously. "Who?"

"A little guy." Riezel said to Lefiya. "If you're interested, I'll introduce you next time."

He was just saying it casually, but her reaction was much bigger than he had imagined.

"I-I'm not interested in men at all!"

Panicked, Lefiya blurted out that statement without thinking.

"..."

A hush fell over the entire room.

"Eh?"

Lefiya was first stunned, then suddenly realized what she had just said, realizing how dreadful it sounded.

Everyone in the pub, including the people at the neighboring table, stared at her with strange and awkward expressions.

"I mean, Lefiya..." Tione looked at Lefiya as if she were looking at a warrior. "This kind of thing is better discussed privately y'know... Why shout it out in public?"

"Heh~ So, Lefiya is someone like that, huh~?" Tiona blinked and said in a teasing tone. "No wonder... I always felt your gaze toward Ais was a bit off."

"Looking at me?" Ais looked genuinely confused.

"Lefiya..." Riveria squinted her eyes, the cold gleam in her eyes looking at her disciple making it somewhat intimidating.

As for Finn and Gareth, they seemed to be pretending not to hear, while the rest either gave Lefiya teasing glances or pretended not to hear.

In the end, Loki, who was already a bit tipsy, held her drink and laughed loudly.

"Mwahahaha! Lefiya, that's bold of you, but you're right. Who likes stinky men anyway? If you're gonna like someone, it better be a cute and pretty girl!"

That was a lethal blow!

"N-No... I... I mean I didn't—?!"

Lefiya's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, desperately trying to explain something but failing to find the right words.

Especially when she saw Riezel suddenly fall silent, wearing a face of embarrassment and not daring to speak, while Ais still looked confused, completely clueless about what was happening.

"Hiks... Wuaaaaah...!"

Lefiya burst into tears and rushed out.

"Lefiya?!"

"Where are you going?!"

"Calm down!"

Everyone cried out in surprise.

Even Riezel and Ais couldn't stay seated as they watched Lefiya shedding tears and preparing to run out of the pub. They quickly chased after her in succession.

What followed was a chaotic scene.

To catch the elf who tried to escape in embarrassment and almost jumped into the river, everyone put forth a great effort.

"Please let me disappear and vanish from this world!"

Lefiya's shout echoed in various corners of the pub, causing quite a commotion.

""Hahahaha!""

In the beginning, the people in the pub looked at the Loki Familia with awe. However, after witnessing this farce, they all burst into laughter.

"Hmph!"

The robust proprietress, referred to as Mama Mia by Loki, watched the commotion with a couple of snorts, but a smile lingered on her face.

The pub waitress rushed forward to help, turning the entire pub into a lively scene. Even the familia members on the outdoor seats were drawn into the spectacle.

"Hahhh... It's turned into quite a mess..." Syr remarked while wearing a cheerful smile.

The white-haired boy sitting next to Syr, as seen in his eyes, became even more envious and fascinated as he saw this scene.

"Is this Loki Familia...?"

The white-haired boy stared at the chaotic scene of Loki Familia with his red eyes as if witnessing something dazzling.

"Does Mr. Bell really like Loki Familia?" Syr, noticing his expression, asked with some interest.

"Well... Uhh, I only admire their atmosphere..."

The white-haired boy, known as Bell, seemed a bit embarrassed.

"I'm just drawn to the lively atmosphere of Loki Familia, that's all..." Bell added softly. "Because my familia members consist only of me, I yearn for that kind of feeling where everyone is together, having companions... Isn't that where heroes belong?"

He gazed into the distance with a longing expression.

"Someday, I also want to..."

In the unnoticed hidden corner inside the pub, a white-haired boy quietly made a wish that no one believed in but had the ability to influence the future.

The only witness to this scene was Syr.

She observed Bell, with a gaze containing an unnoticed and subtle fascination.

This fascination persisted until she shifted her gaze toward the Loki Familia's side. Her attention was fixated on a specific person within the familia, her lips curving into a barely noticeable smile.

===

A feast that lasted until late at night was finally declared over.

Most of the guests in the pub had left, leaving only a few drunkards sprawled on the tables.

"I want to die..."

Lefiya, drunk and with rosy cheeks, seemed intentionally avoiding something as she lay on Ais's back, mumbling words of despair.

"It's okay, Lefiya, let's go back." Ais, unusually gentle, said softly to Lefiya.

"Hiks... Miss Ais..."

Lefiya, whether moved or something else, had eyes brimming with tears and blush, looking unusually cute.

"Mwhahahahaha!"

Completely drunk, Loki laughed uproariously while being carried on Riveria's back, who wore a disdainful expression.

"Alright, let's go back." Finn signaled to the familia members and set off on the way home.

"Let's go, let's go!"

"That dumb wolf, didn't come back in the end, huh?"

Tiona and Tione, still sober, chatted with everyone as they walked back home. Almost everyone was drunk, guided by the few who managed to stay sober, heading back toward the Twilight Manor.

Meanwhile, only Riezel still remained at the pub.

"Thanks for everything."

After expressing his gratitude and handing a bag of coins to Mia, Riezel prepared to leave.

At the entrance of the pub, Syr, who happened to be cleaning a table, saw this scene. After a moment of hesitation, she gathered her courage to approach him.

"Umm..."

With a hesitant look, she had her cheeks slightly blushing.

"..."

Riezel looked at the girl quietly, and after being silent for a while, asked.

"Do you need something?" 

"No-Nothing!" Syr waved her hand, a bit nervously. "I just wanted to wish you good luck."

Her hesitant and slightly blushing look really resembled a fan seeing her idol.

Riezel gazed at her face for a while before showing a faint smile.

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

Immediately after, he turned and left without any lingering feelings.

Syr kept watching his back until his figure disappeared from her sight.

"Syr! Come help!"

Someone inside the pub suddenly called.

"Coming!"

After answering the call, Syr immediately smiled and bounced back inside the pub.

It was evident that this girl was in a very good mood.