Chapter 31. Silly Dreams

[Arc3] - 31. Silly Dreams

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"Will Welf come?" Bell stood on his toes, looking around anxiously.

He still remembered the look on Welf's face before he left—his eyes filled with confusion, yet something seemed to be sprouting inside him.

"He will come. Don't underestimate a man who's made up his mind," Cyd reassured him, placing a hand on Bell's head.

"Cyd-sama, Lili has also made up her mind!" Lili exclaimed, waving her hands in determination.

"Hmm, hmm," Cyd said, placing his other hand on Lili's head as well.

"Welf? That blacksmith who refuses to make magic swords?" Ryuu raised an eyebrow.

"Who knows~ Maybe today... Ah, there he is," Cyd's eyes lit up as she patted Bell on the back. "Your companion is here."

"Really? Welf...?" Bell initially jumped up in excitement, but then hesitated when he saw Welf. "What happened to you?"

Welf had dark circles under his eyes, dry skin, and his red hair looked dull. He also had a strong scent of fire lingering around him.

"Yo..." Welf forced a smile. "I was so excited about exploring the Dungeon with you for the first time that I couldn't sleep. I thought I'd make something to pass the time, but the more I worked, the more excited I got, so…"

Cyd glanced at the equipment Welf was wearing. He had a giant sword wrapped in white cloth on his back, along with a large bundle that was almost as big as Lili. From the marks on it...

"Are you sure you're okay?" Bell asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," Welf replied, pulling out a bottle of healing potion. "Glug glug glug... There, all better!"

"Um... Team is assembled! Let's head to the Dungeon!" Bell raised his fist high, smiling broadly.

As Bell walked ahead in excitement, Cyd quietly moved to Welf's side, catching him just as he nearly stumbled.

"Don't tell me..." Cyd whispered, "You spent the entire night forging."

"Yeah, just like you said, maybe I was too stubborn," Welf admitted, scratching his face. "Magic swords are powerful but make people lazy. They're fragile and will eventually abandon their users. But if it's for Bell, the magic swords I make... they'll have meaning. They... will give everything for their master! So…"

"So?" Cyd tilted her head.

"So, I spent the entire night making magic swords," Welf shrugged. "Skills sure are convenient. I haven't made this many magic swords in ages."

Cyd's eyebrow twitched as she looked at the large bundle on Welf's back. Now, this oversized pack was filled with magic swords.

Ryuu, who stood nearby, couldn't help but twitch her mouth.

This was undoubtedly the most luxurious beginner exploration party ever.

…

"Roooar—" The Minotaur bellowed, tearing a large boulder from the rock wall and hurling it at Bell.

"Lili!" Bell shouted, gripping his dagger and leaping towards the rock.

"On it, Bell-sama!" Lili raised her small crossbow.

"Bang—" The dark bolt easily shattered the boulder and shot toward the Minotaur's chest.

"Roar—" The Minotaur flexed its muscles, stopping the bolt against its chest.

As it roared in defiance, a flash of white cut through the smoke from the shattered rock. In the Minotaur's fiery red eyes, it saw nothing but a blaze before feeling a sharp coldness at its neck.

"Bang—" Bell cleanly slashed the Minotaur's throat, leaving it no chance to scream before it turned into black smoke, dropping a crystal to the ground.

"That was amazing, Bell-sama!" Lili cheered, raising her hand.

"Yeah, it's all thanks to you, Lili," Bell replied, scratching his head as he bent down to pick up the Minotaur's crystal and handed it to Lili.

"That sword... It's incredible. It sliced through the Minotaur's neck so easily," Welf muttered, deep in thought.

Even though he had only caught a glimpse, his professional judgment was enough to conclude that...

That weapon was something he couldn't possibly create at his current level!

Moreover, it seemed he didn't even have the ability to maintain such a sword.

Damn it!

"We can't let our guard down yet," Cyd warned softly.

"Crack—" A fissure appeared on the rock wall behind Lili.

"Boom—" The crack spread rapidly, and a massive figure squeezed halfway out of the wall, its thick arm reaching out to grab Lili's head.

Bell's eyes slowly widened.

No... At this distance, he couldn't kill the Minotaur in one strike.

"Bell, use this!!" Welf shouted, tossing a short sword to Bell.

Bell gritted his teeth, using his left hand to push Lili away. At the same time, the Minotaur grabbed his left arm, and with a crisp crack, his arm broke. But Bell caught the short sword Welf had thrown.

Despite his shattered left arm, Bell fearlessly stared into the Minotaur's blood-red eyes, plunging the short sword straight into its mouth.

"I won't let you... hurt Lili!"

In an instant, a storm of lightning exploded in the Minotaur's mouth, arcs of electricity surging across its body. The Minotaur convulsed violently, like a balloon swelling up.

"Boom—" The half-emerged Minotaur finally exploded under the onslaught of lightning and wind, leaving a crystal shard at Bell's feet.

"Phew... That was close," Bell sighed in relief, plopping down onto the ground—only to sit right on the crystal shard. "Ow ow ow! That hurts!!"

Bell shot up like a spring, tears welling up in his eyes as he ran to Cyd. "Teacher! I can't take it anymore! Healing potion, please!"

"I mean, can't you keep up the cool act a little longer?" Cyd said, exasperated, as she pulled out a healing potion and shoved the bottle into Bell's mouth.

"Glug glug glug... Pah!" Bell spat out the empty bottle, awkwardly scratching his face. "Ahaha, that was an accident, Teacher, just an accident!"

"Bell-sama, are you okay?" Lili asked, tearfully throwing herself at Bell.

"I'm fine, thanks to Welf's..." Bell began, then paused as he stared at his empty right hand. "It's gone!!"

"I'm sorry! I lost such a valuable item!" Bell bowed deeply to Welf. "I'll go look for it right now!"

With that, Bell began walking toward the spot where he had defeated the Minotaur.

"It's okay, that kind of thing is meant to be used up," Welf said, stopping Bell.

"But doesn't that make it even more valuable?" Bell replied, his face filled with concern.

Welf patted the large bundle on his back.

Yeah, I've got plenty…

"I'm your exclusive blacksmith and companion," Welf said, giving a thumbs-up. "To give everything for a companion—it's an honor for me that it ended like this."

"But... I still want my companions to stay with me for as long as possible," Bell said, scratching his head. "I really need to get stronger, strong enough that we can move forward without anyone having to sacrifice themselves."

Welf's eyes slowly widened.

You're... too naive...

Cyd placed a hand on Welf's shoulder.

"So it's a bit of a challenge, but please help this foolish kid achieve his silly dream."