DREAMS OF BEASTS Part 3

A single magic-stone lamp lit the way.

Darkness shifted around him.

Pushing through the blackness that shrouded his path like a veil and nearly tripping

over his feet, he made it to the end of the short stone path and heard:

"—Bell!!"

The dragon girl was shackled to chains that hung from the ceiling.

"Wiene!!"

Bell's eyes went wide, and he rested his hand on the stone wall for balance.

There was nothing in this space other than the dried blood speckling the floor.

With her hands chained together, the girl looked as though she was about to be

sacrificed to an ancient god. Her legs were fettered, too, and her bruised and battered

torso resembled Bell's.

Her silver-blue hair shifting, broken scales flaking off her light- blue skin, Wiene

looked up at Bell with tear-filled amber eyes.

It was a long-awaited reunion. They had finally met again.

But this was wrong, completely wrong.

This place, this situation, this physical and mental suffering wasn't what they'd

wanted. They would never wish for this.

In that fleeting moment, a flood of countless emotions raged through Bell's heart.

And the one who caused them, the man in goggles, was standing right next to Wiene.

"Pop quiz, Little Rookie."

Dix grabbed a fistful of the vouivre's silver-blue hair with a faint grin on his lips.

"Ahh…!"

Wiene squealed in pain as he jerked her head and chin upward.

Furious, Bell was about to howl at him to let her go…

"What would happen if… I tore the jewel from its head?"

" ."

Bell's felt an icy hand around his heart as Dix brushed the garnet jewel on the girl's

forehead:

A Vouivre's Tear.

The reddish stone was said to be worth more than a man's wildest dreams. It was a

mystic jewel well worthy of the nickname "Prosperity Stone."

However, the vouivre would turn incredibly violent and vicious the moment it lost the

jewel…

"NO!!"

Bell shouted with every fiber of his being.

"N-no, stop! I… I won't be me anymore…!"

"Ha-ha! So you know, do you?"

The boy launched into a dead sprint.

His legs, driven by uncontainable rage, carried him toward her.

Toward the chained, frightened, shaking Wiene.

It was far—infinitely far. The distance between them felt endlessly, hopelessly vast.

Shouting Wiene's name, Bell reached for her.

Her teary amber gaze lifted, as if she were reaching out to him.

"Nice knowing you, beastie."

The man ripped off the garnet jewel with a forceful flick of the wrist.

" ."

For Bell, time skidded to a halt. Colors turned to black and white. The world stopped

turning.

A trail of light followed the garnet jewel after its violent removal, tracing an arc from

the girl's head.

"Aa ."

As the girl's lips formed a fractured cry, she bent backward and stared blankly at the

ceiling.

Her amber irises shrank; her delicate limbs trembled.

" Ah, agh."

Shudder.

One last convulsion surged through her body like a giant wave before she became

eerily still.

The chains binding her rattled as if in fear of what was to come. Then…

A powerful roar burst free from her throat.

" a, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!"

Bell froze in place, in awe of the incredible sound coming from the girl right in front of

him.

The chains rattled and screamed as her body started changing. A large lump appeared

in the girl's light-blue-skinned back before a massive wing burst free, following its

twin into existence.

But that wasn't all. The girl's arms and legs quivered, swelling with each pulse.

It wasn't stopping. Her transformation was not stopping.

Amid the eerie squelches of flesh, the girl——became a monster.

"...Wie… ne."

Her chains shattered under the strain, pieces of metal falling to the floor.

A cloud of dust filled the shaking chamber like smoke around Bell's broken voice.

"Keh-ha-ha! So that's what happens."

Dix chuckled, clutching the severed garnet jewel as he made a quick exit.

" aAA."

Bell looked up from his spot, still frozen in place, at the monstrous face looking down

at him.

The moment those emotionless amber eyes met the boy's gaze—it howled.

" !!"

And charged.

Two arms took hold of Bell and flung him like a rag doll back against the stone flooring.

As the walls zipped past him in a furious blur, he heard that massive body break

through the tunnel as he landed on the main chamber's stone floor.

"Wh-what the hell is that…?" mumbled Gran with his weapon held high, staring in awe

at the thing that appeared at the back of the chamber.

"It… couldn't be… Is that Wiene…?!" a voice whispered in disbelief.

Cornered by the attackers and now wearing black tatters, Fels leaned against the wall.

Caring little for their surroundings in their frenzy, the rampaging Xenos kept howling

as the new shadow slowly rose to its full height.

"…ah."

Bell, in considerable pain from the hard landing on his back, gazed up at the massive

body standing over him and froze once again.

It had to be more than seven meders from head to tail.

Her two legs had fused together to form a giant, snakelike lower body. A pair of

ominous ash-colored wings spread outward from a small upper body in an unsettling

asymmetry.

Her long, sickle-like dragon claws were sharp once again, and wickedly warped scales

covered patches of the creature's body. All that remained of the girl was her silverblue hair flowing down to the base of the wings and soft light-blue skin.

As for the head on top of its neck, it looked as though a dragon's face had been painted

over the girl's; its expression was frozen and its cheeks split. Those hollow eyes were

devoid of pupils, white and bloodshot as if to symbolize her savage transformation.

Only a blackened depression remained in the space that the garnet jewel, the third

eye, had once occupied.

Finally back on his feet, Bell was lost for words, staring up at Wiene towering three

meders over him.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Why do you look so surprised, Little Rookie? Everything's exactly

how it should be!!"

The man came back into the chamber a moment later, his laughter ringing in Bell's

ears.

He was right.

This was a vouivre.

It matched the lamia-esque type of dragon Bell knew from his studies.

A dragon—a monster.

"…A, A, A, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The dragon monster's long hair fluttered as it unleashed a shrill, earsplitting cry.

The sound made his skin crawl, and Bell could only absentmindedly stare at the

creature and try to keep his balance as its dragon tail slammed into the stone floor

again and again.

The Wiene he knew was gone.

Her innocent smile, her warmth, her tears were all buried beneath this monstrous

visage.

There was no denying it.

This was a monster, through and through.

"Can you look at this and repeat those pretty words, Little Rookie? No, no, Bell

Cranell!!"

Bell's face twisted as though it were about to split open.

Dix's words echoed in the boy's mind as though evil itself were speaking to him.

The creature's intimidating frame was nothing like a human's; its ferocious teeth

inspired visions of blood; its wild and savage howl rang in his ears.

It was inhuman.

It was abominable.

Revulsion and disgust, the emotions that drove people to fight, were indeed flooding

his body.

Dix was not incorrect.

There was nothing wrong with these emotions.

Faced with the dragon monster's true form, Bell was sickened—nauseous.

"…RUUuuuu… uUuuuuuuUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

"Gah!"

The dragon's tail whipped around, striking Bell as he cowered in fear before it.

It was like being nailed with a scaly tree trunk, and the boy skidded across the floor in

a trail of dust. The monster's appendage had caught him in the small of his back,

shattering the glass vials of his potions on impact. Precious healing liquid leaked from

the pouch at his waist.

When he finally came to a stop, Bell was facedown on the floor, coughing up blood and

writhing in pain.

"Now do you get it, Bell Cranell?!" Dix hollered at the boy once again.

Bell peeled his bleeding body off the floor as the droplets stained the stone surface

red. However, the man's verbal jab was followed by another.

"Look around! What's in front of you?! What's behind you?!"

In front of Bell…

A ferocious dragon with monstrous instincts.

Behind him…

A swarm of crazed monsters, howling like wild dogs.

He was trapped between violent monsters that would never see eye to eye with

people.

"The things have nearly killed you! Just now and before!"

The vouivre and the lizardman.

As their bloodcurdling howls sounded in his ears and their bloodthirsty glares stared

him down, he had been mere seconds away from death.

He had been on the receiving end of their strength and murderous intent.

"That's what these monsters are! That's what monsters are!" Dix mocked.

The truth in his words was irrefutable.

"Open your eyes, Bell Cranell!! Get your ass on the right side!"

The man's joyous laughter echoed from every corner of the chamber.

Bell's trembling eyes opened wide as the floor darkened with red blood.

"Ha-ha-ha! Really likes it rough, that Dix."

Watching the scene from a distance like Dix, Gran smiled with glee. He chose to watch

the drama unfold rather than finish off Fels once and for all.

"Bell Cranell…!" Fels called with agony, desperately trying to stand.

"…RUUUUuuuuu… UUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…!!"

The crazed monster howls, the vouivre's shrill screeches.

Everything sounded distant to Bell's ears.

His eyes shook. Nothing was in focus. He was drowning in nausea, and his mouth

tasted like iron.

Repulsion mixed with the burning pain.

He was surrounded by true monsters.

And Bell—heard a resounding heartbeat.

"Face it, you're only here because you came along for the ride! Own up to it!"

The man's voice battered Bell as his head drooped.

He was right; one thing had just led to another.

He'd found a strange girl, involved his familia, and gotten drawn in.

Everything, every single event had just led to the next.

Were all his choices meaningless?

He had gotten swept up in the course of events, unable to make his own decisions.

So, this was his punishment.

It was time to pay up.

It was time—to give his answer—.

Bell ground his molars, clenched his fists, and willed his body to stand.

"…UuuU…!"

Bell fixed his gaze—

—directly at the massive, rampaging, flailing vouivre.

"…Ruuu…!"

Normally, a charging vouivre had a one-track mind.

They became extremely aggressive in an attempt to recover the stolen Vouivre's Tear.

However, this monster showed no interest in the man holding the garnet jewel, Dix.

"…Bluuuuu…"

It was looking for something more important.

"BELuuuuuuuuuuu…!"

She was searching.

Despite her horrific form, she was searching for Bell.

Even as a monster, she longed for the boy.

Bell clenched his fists even tighter and strode forward.

"…i… ene."

Wiping the blood from his mouth, he forced his injured body to advance.

"Wiene…!"

He called her name in an unsteady voice.

" Aaa!"

The vouivre swung its massive tail at the boy as he approached.

As if she were crying out in fear of evil people, in a nightmare where all her friends

were killed.

The tail slammed into the boy.

"Hey, hey! You're gonna die if you don't do something!"

Dix's ridiculing laughter filled the air.

Bell climbed back to his feet and approached the vouivre.

"…Wie… ne."

He was hurled backward.

"Wie… ne."

Slammed to the floor.

"Wie… ne…!"

Even still, Bell approached the rampaging vouivre for a third time.

"AAAaaa!"

The monster swiped at the battered and bloodied human before it.

Long, sharp dragon claws flashed. Its left arm came down in a diagonal slash, colliding

with Bell's right shoulder.

" a."

Bell's body sank under the blow, the heavy weight forcing him down.

But his legs held strong. The stone flooring cracked beneath his boots.

The dragon claws that struck his shoulder, however, stopped.

Even though they dug into his shoulder muscles, they didn't penetrate any farther.

Crick, crick, crick! The claws shook; metallic echoes abounded.

Welf's armor had absorbed the blow, kept the dragon's claws at bay.

"…I'm… fine."

Bell looked up.

At the dragon monster looking down at him from directly above.

"…I'm… fine, see?"

Then, Bell smiled.

Bearing with the pain, his eyes tearing up, he smiled with all his heart.

Like he did when they met.

Just like he did on that day.

" ."

The dragon monster roared.

"I'm… right here…"

Ignoring the fresh wave of blood from his mouth, the boy reached up with his right

hand and embraced the hand digging into his shoulder.

He wrapped his fingers around her claw, stained with his blood.

"It's okay, Wiene..."

He pulled her rigid, strange body close.

He embraced the cold body and pressed the inhuman face against his chest.

" ."

Dix stood, stunned, watching the scene unfold. Gran swallowed, and Fels was lost for

words.

Even the monsters that happened to catch a glimpse of him froze, trembling for a brief

moment.

"It's all right…"

He had acknowledged and accepted his own repulsion and disgust, but then he

restrained them with a more powerful emotion.

His warm, resounding heartbeat reached the girl who had always wanted to hear it.

Bell had buried his lips in her silver-blue hair, eyes glistening with tears, and

whispered to her.

"Ah..."

A clear liquid welled in her pupil-less amber eyes, too.

One drop, two drops, and more. Both eyes were overflowing.

Monsters shouldn't know how to cry, and yet this one knew.

"aa… aaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The vouivre cried out in fear once again, throwing Bell off.

Her large body thrashed around like a raging storm, and the girl's spirit and the

monster's instincts fought for control amid flowing tears and lamentation.

"Wiene…!" Bell yelled from his seat on the floor, his face twisting in pain.

Just as he was about to rush to her side and comfort her once again…

"—Buzzkill."

A red spear attacked from behind.

"?!"

Bell practically threw his body out of its path, whirled around, and stood up to face the

spear-wielding man.

Dix glared at Bell with annoyance, eyes narrowing beneath his goggles.

"The hell are you doing, boy? Talk about a letdown. You should've carved that thing up

with that knife of yours."

Spraying spit with every word, Dix thrust his spear forward with one hand.

Bell gasped, drawing the Hestia Knife and deflecting the spearhead.

"Told you, didn't I? Monsters are monsters!"

"…!"

"What's the point in getting sappy over them?!"

An enraged Dix yelled from between spear strikes, his weapon a blur.

"What do you owe them? Where's the value in helping these things?!!"

That instant…

"!!"

Bell's eyes ignited from within.

His wide, rubellite irises locked onto the spear's wicked curves. What little strength

remained surged through him—and he severed the spearhead.

"Wha—?"

"Anyone is worth saving! Person, monster—it doesn't matter!!"

The cursed spearhead hit the stone floor with considerable backspin and rolled away

in a cacophony of high-pitched metallic clangs that faded into the darkness.

His eyes burning with conviction, Bell shouted back at the surprised Dix.

"They want help!!"

That reason was sufficient. The boy readied his divine blade and howled.

"That's more than enough!!"

Those words, and that will, were no one else's but his own.

The boy's answer and sentiments echoed throughout the chamber.

"Bell Cranell, you are…" Fels quietly whispered once the boy's cry reached him.

Something changed among the crazed Xenos at that instant.

For some of them, their shoulders shook; for others, their chests expanded and

contracted.

A certain gargoyle's stone eyes opened wide.

Drops fell from a certain lizardman's reptilian eyes.

"—Boy, you're a hypocrite!!" Dix responded to Bell's declaration. His mouth open wide

in a savage smile, Dix began his assault anew. "You're saying you'd save anyone, man

or beast? You'd save everyone and everything?"

"…!!"

"That's impossible! Even punk-ass kids know that! Makes me wanna puke," the man

added with scornful laughter.

Armed with his now curse-less spear and combat knife, he assailed the injured boy

with merciless abandon.

"Bell Cranell, you're no rabbit. You're like a bat!! You just flap around and never land

anywhere!"

"?!"

Striking Bell across the cheek with those words, the man flung a long leg out in a wide

arc. He nailed the boy in the chest, kicking him backward.

"Ugh…!"

"Ahh, so boring… You're just a kid with shit for brains, after all."

Dix stepped forward, smacking his own shoulder with the spear shaft as he

approached where Bell lay on the floor.

Voicing his complete and utter disappointment, he twirled the spear.

"Enough of this. Go to hell."

He aimed the beheaded yet still sharp spear point at Bell and brought it straight down.

But just as the spear was about to run him through…

"Thanks—"

A red-scaled tail flashed into view from behind Dix.

"—Bellucchi."

Lido, holding a longsword high above his head, his red eyes filled with bloodlust,

brought his weapon down with incredible strength.

"Wh—GAH!"

Dix noticed at the last moment and managed to avoid a direct hit, but blood still

splattered from his back.

The goggled man retreated like an injured beast, snarling in disbelief at what he saw.

"Y-you bastard!!"

He had been rescued by the lizardman—Bell looked up at Lido in shock.

Lido's eyes were tinted crimson, proof that he was still under the curse's influence.

However.

"Well, damn, I'm happy. Really happy… I feel strong and have no idea why!"

"…?!"

"Who knew people's words… could make you feel so… hot…!"

The burning determination in his heart had provided a solid foundation to brush aside

the curse and reclaim his mind.

Lido clenched his teeth together, nearly cracking them, and grasped the weapon's hilt

with all his might. A monstrous smile appeared through his tears.

A dam had broken, sending rivers down his reptilian cheeks.

"Sorry, Bellucchi… and thanks."

After apologizing for everything that had happened and offering words of gratitude,

Lido turned to face forward, glaring.

He then unleashed a curse-driven, bloodthirsty monster's roar directly at Dix.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

"!!"

Seeing Lido inspired a second wind for Bell. Drawing every bit of strength from his

muscles, he followed the lizardman into battle.

Human and monster viciously slashed at the evil hunter, side by side.

"The hell is this…?! How can you think straight, beast?!" Dix snapped in annoyance.

But he also wavered in fear.

In truth, he was at a great disadvantage.

Bell was badly injured from head to toe, and Lido was still feeling the effects of the

curse. Although neither could fight at full strength, it was still two against one. Even

without his refined sword techniques, the lizardman still possessed the strength of a

first-tier adventurer—the potential to match Dix blow for blow was still intact. His

Status was considerably weaker while Phobetor Daedalus was active, so Dix couldn't

contend with Lido in this state.

On the other hand, if he reclaimed his full power by dismissing the curse, all the crazed

Xenos would come back to themselves and immediately turn on Dix and the other

hunters.

The man's escape was barred by a foolish hypocrite and one single Irregular.

"Dix?!"

Gran called out in a panic upon seeing his chief losing ground.

His curse was the only advantage that Ikelos Familia had at this point. The large man

immediately took off toward the back of the chamber, leading a group of hunters to

assist their leader.

" GHAA!"

Just then, a powerful colorless shock wave slammed into the Amazon's defenseless

back.

"I won't let you…!"

"Y-you?!"

Gran and the others whipped around when their Amazonian ally slammed face-first

into the floor. A mage stood before them, left arm extended and black robe in

shambles.

Fuming, the hunters charged Fels all at once. Whoom, whoom, whoom! Fels's right arm

extended as both hands unleashed shock wave after shock wave.

"Damn it all! You guys, slaughter that mage! The rest of you lot, come with me to help

Dix!"

Gran didn't wait for a response, leaving an animal person and a dwarf in front of him

like a wall and sprinting off in the other direction. Along the way, he woke up the

hunters knocked out thanks to Fels's avalanche of shock waves with kicks and led the

group around the crazed monsters still trying to tear one another apart on the

battlefield.

However, a heartbeat later…

Shak! Half of Gran's vision went dark as a fleshy sound filled his ears.

"Ga… aah…?"

It took the large man a moment to realize the left half of his face had been gouged out

by an attack from the side.

Craning his neck and whispering in confusion, he turned his remaining eye and found

a gargoyle, its shoulders rising and falling with every breath.

"A-GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

"Wh-why—GYAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Xenos that should have been under the curse's power were coming after the hunters

in a frenzy.

Gros and the other Xenos who had found a way to resist the curse's effects, as Lido

had, were now descending with murderous purpose on Gran and the two hunters

desperately trying to finish off Fels.

"SHAAAA!!"

"FHH!!"

" !"

While the tide of battle turned in the chamber, Bell's and Lido's coordinated attacks

were overwhelming Dix.

The lizardman's twin swords swung from the right, and the boy's knife stabbed from

the left.

Seamlessly switching sides, the two alternated strikes and attacked in unison as the

man blocked with his spear shaft and intercepted with his knife. The screaming of

Gran and the other hunters in the background made Dix especially uneasy.

The first beads of sweat appeared on the man's ever-arrogant visage.

Then—he noticed.

" ."

Between Bell's left-handed strikes with the Hestia Knife and the lizardman's sweeping

longsword and scimitar—

—defending against three blades simultaneously, there was another sound.

Ring, ring.

"—Boy."

The swirling blades had masked a small chime-like melody.

The sound from Bell's fist was growing louder, loud enough to hear over the vicious

battle.

"—Hey!"

White specks of light passed by him, gathering together.

Dix watched the gleam reflected in his goggles—and screamed as loud as he could.

"—What're you doing, BOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!"

Argonaut.

And a Concurrent Charge during the heat of battle.

After first acquiring the skill in battle with Lido, Bell was now bringing it to bear while

fighting alongside him.

"GURAA!"

"?!"

The brief moment of confusion left Dix open to attack. Lido took advantage of it,

thrusting his scimitar forward.

Although the man dodged the blade by the slimmest of margins, he lost his balance as

Bell closed the distance in the blink of an eye.

SHWIP! Dix heard Bell's left leg move into point-blank range. The man's face froze.

After a twenty-second charge…

Bell drove his fist forward, roaring.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

BOOM!

" GAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A plasma blast like lightning exploded into Dix's armored chest.

The devastating blow sent the man careening into black cages in a far corner of the

chamber.

"Hah, gah…!"

Bell grabbed hold of his hand as intense, searing pain rushed through it the moment

Dix was knocked away.

Argonaut's charge had shattered weapons in the past, and with much less time. The

long charge had ruined Bell's fist.

Blood seeped from the torn skin, and with nearly every bone broken, Bell clenched his

teeth as he tried to flex his fingers.

"Ah ."

Meanwhile, the red tint faded from the eyes of Lido and the other Xenos.

"…Wh-what was I…"

"Gros…! Has the curse lifted?"

Fels looked upon the Xenos with relief as they were released from Phobetor

Daedalus's control.

Standing above the hunters they had wiped out in their involuntary frenzy, Gros and

the other monsters shook their heads back and forth, finally calming down.

"You did it, Bellucchi!"

"..."

No, I didn't.

Lido rejoiced as he came back to himself, but Bell was the only one who knew.

The curse hadn't broken because the caster was defeated.

Dix had dismissed it himself just before impact.

He had no choice but to lift the curse and restore his Status—return to Level 5 to

prevent the unavoidable blow from ending the battle, which gave him just enough

strength to weather Argonaut's power.

"GaHHH! Agh… That HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURTS…!"

Dix cried out in pain from beneath a pile of broken black cage bars. Bell was still on

high alert, and Lido realized it wasn't over. The two turned to face him.

Bell had put everything he had into the charged punch and inflicted a great deal of

damage, as Dix was in obvious pain. Curled up in a trembling ball, the man was

coughing up blood periodically as though the impact had broken every bone in his

chest. Colliding into the mountain of cages hadn't helped matters, and he was covered

in cuts. Blood poured from the open wounds.

"DAMN...! I'LL TEAR YOUR HEAD OFF…!"

Holding the spear shaft like a cane, Dix pried himself out from the tangle of metal bars,

his bloody eyes exposed beneath his cracked goggles, and roared with hatred as he

climbed to his feet.

"That's my line."

"?!"

Lido, who had already closed the gap between them, glared at Dix with a ferocious

aura and brought his weapon down with a mighty swing.

The man in goggles spun away before it could connect, but Lido mercilessly pursued

him.

"You will pay for everything you've done to my kind!!"

"G-get away from me! Back off!"

Dix had no choice but to jump backward, rolling this way and that to evade Lido's

vicious strikes. Bell spurred his body forward, fighting through pain and fatigue to

save the vouivre who was still suffering in his periphery.

"St-stop! I'll actually die if you keep this up!"

Dix fought tooth and nail, desperately blocking and evading Bell's and Lido's attacks.

His arrogant sneer dissipating, the man retreated, and his stature shrank with each

step back.

Slowly, he withdrew into a corner near a row of doors where Wiene was still howling

in pain and said:

"Back off now or—"

Dix suddenly looked up and stood tall, a grin growing on his lips.

"—I'll break it!"

The two were about to charge once again when the man held out a single garnet jewel.

""!""

Bell and Lido halted mid-swing.

Wiene's Vouivre's Tear. The one and only key that could put an end to her pain.

Dix sneered, taking advantage of their momentary lack of balance by knocking them

back with his spear shaft. As he watched them hit the floor, he hoisted the jewel high

above his head.

"Is this that important to you? Fine, then. You can have it!"

Then he flung it straight into the hole in the floor, the tunnel still under construction.

"!!"

"KEH!"

Bell's and Lido's eyes shot open an instant before they moved.

Lido caught up to the jewel in the blink of an eye, his physical prowess on display as

he flung himself into the hole without any hesitation.

As the lizardman grabbed hold of the jewel from behind, the slower Bell managed to

dig in his heels and grab hold of Lido's long tail at the last possible second.

"That worked even better than I hoped!"

Rather than watch the boy desperately try to pull the lizardman up from the edge of

the hole, Dix instead pointed his finger at the vouivre.

"Become lost in an endless nightmare."

An ominous wave of red light engulfed Wiene as soon as the short trigger spell was

complete.

"—AAAAAAA!"

"What?!"

The vouivre reeled backward, roaring. Fels, Gros, and the other Xenos had been

rushing to Bell's aid and saw everything that happened, eyes wide with shock.

"That ought to do it."

Lastly, Dix discarded his broken goggles and exposed the D marking the side of his left

eye.

As it resonated with the door at his side, the entrance jerked open.

"Go up to the sky."

" ?!"

The rioting vouivre charged through the door and bounded up the seemingly endless

stairwell behind it.

"You! What did you do?!"

"My curse can make people see things as long as it doesn't hit too many targets. Bell

Cranell, that vouivre is chasing 'you' right now! And that passage connects directly to

the surface!"

Dix directed the first half of his statement to Gros before turning his attention to Bell,

who had just pulled Lido safely out of the hole.

His lips curled into a grin as he imparted the last piece of information.

"If that monster makes it outside, it won't last long!"

"…?!"

Satisfied with the boy's gasp, Dix used his eye to open another door.

"Dix Perdix!!"

"Oh! Don't mind me, you've got a beast to catch! Hah! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!"

Deftly evading Fels's shock wave, Dix disappeared behind the portal as his laughter

echoed through the passage.

"KUH…!"

Gros took to the air, stone wings extended to their full length as he charged forward at

breakneck speed. But the door slammed shut just before he could cross the threshold.

With the orichalcum door sealed, pursuing Dix was now physically impossible.

"—Lido, the jewel!"

"Bellucchi?!"

Bell snatched the garnet jewel from Lido's outstretched hand and raced up the steep

stairwell after Wiene.

His body burning with scorching heat, he chased after the rampaging vouivre.

"This is bad… Lido, Gros, I leave the rest to you!"

Fearing the exposure of the Xenos, of what would happen if this monster appeared in

a city already in disarray, Fels took off in pursuit.

The mage raced after Bell and left the Xenos in charge.

"Lido, Gros!"

Rei, accompanied by the second group of Xenos, arrived at the chamber a moment

later.

The red-cap goblin Lett, the harpy Fia, and the others with Rei couldn't hide their

surprise upon seeing their freed comrades and the silent, motionless bodies of the

hunters.

"—! Rei, do you have a key?!"

"What?"

"The enemy leader has escaped deep into the labyrinth! That one is too dangerous to

leave alive!!"

Gros called out from the opposite end of the chamber. Unsure, Rei turned to face the

others.

The harpy and red-cap goblin who had led the siren here showed her the magic item.

"Rei, there is only one key. We cannot split up and comb the labyrinth however we

wish."

"…Then leave the key for the one yet to arrive."

After a quick exchange with Lett, Gros left the item in the small monster's possession.

After watching him disappear back down the path they came, Rei led the remaining

monsters to rendezvous with Lido and Gros.

"Rei, what of the adventurers?"

"We managed to outlast them. As for casualties… I believe there were none. What

about this side?"

"As you can see, our comrades have been freed… However, Wiene lost her jewel and

has gone berserk. Fels and… that boy are in pursuit."

The new arrivals fell silent upon hearing that Wiene was en route to the surface. The

three leaders quickly shared their thoughts.

"Our comrades who were captured are at their limit. They can't move and must rest in

a safe place."

"Then we must protect our kin and—"

"We'll chase after Wiene, too."

Gros, Rei, and Lido looked out over their exhausted comrades, the last of their strength

spent while under the effects of the curse, before eyeing the door to the stairwell that

Wiene and Bell had left through.

The golden siren and ash-stone gargoyle turned toward Lido after his declaration.

"Should we really leave everything to Bellucchi and Fels? Are you fine with just being

helped? Going to the surface might cause a huge commotion, but… it's our turn to help

Bellucchi and Wiene if they're in trouble. We need to."

Even with the worst possible outcome in sight, it was time for them to put their lives

on the line to help the boy and what he held dear.

Gros and Rei stayed silent in the face of Lido's determined gaze.

"…Plus, we'll get to see the surface we've longed for, won't we?"

"You fool. At a desperate time like this…"

"Nevertheless, you are going, yes?"

Gros scolded Lido for his attempt at humor, but Rei grinned beside him, aware of the

gargoyle's true feelings.

"I had little hope when I spotted Bell in the forest… Then, once I heard he rescued one

of our own… I'm now filled with joy."

Cheeks flushing pink and smiling, the golden siren Rei stumbled her way through the

language of the surface dwellers to express what she felt in her heart.

Other Xenos shared their feelings after hearing what their leaders had to say.

Roaring and hollering at the top of their lungs, they voiced their intent to follow.

Keeping his mouth shut, Gros spread his wings after a long pause.

"…Fels is one thing, but I cannot rely on that boy."

He quickly divided the Xenos into a group that would stay and a group that would go

based on their injuries. Then, a mighty flap of his wings carried Gros into the air and

toward the staircase.

Lido and Rei exchanged smiles before taking off after him.

"So, Gros? Seems there are trustworthy humans after all!"

"…Still no. Worse may yet come to worst…"

"There's just no pleasing you, is there?"

"Gargoyles like Gros are always stubborn as stone."

"Enough!"

Side by side, the three leaders guided the Xenos up the stairwell.

Elsewhere at that moment…

One man had managed to disappear during the massacre of Ikelos Familia.

After sliding across the stone floor to avoid the Xenos's attention, he had tumbled

down stone steps.

"Diiiix… Where'd you go? Save meee… Damn those monsters… They'll pay…"

He clutched a manufactured ingot in his right hand and a severed crimson spearhead

in his left.

The large human had lost the left half of his face, including his eye. Deliriously

mumbling to himself, the man crawled deeper into the labyrinth.

Red droplets hit the floor, echoing in the air.

One man made his way through Knossos's dark hallways, his path marked by

splotches of blood.

"Agh, burn in hell, ow…!"

His face contorting into a monstrous expression, Dix supported his bleeding body and

vented his anger and frustration by kicking at a painstakingly carved statue standing

at the end of the hallway.

Dix, able to travel anywhere in Knossos at will thanks to his "Daedalus Eye," had been

on the move ever since he escaped the main chamber. Having been forced to read the

blueprints drawn in the Daedalus Notebook until it made him sick, he knew these

complex hallways like the back of his hand.

Now he was making his way toward the familia's home, the underground base where

all sorts of healing items were waiting for him and he could rest.

"All those monsters and that punk-ass boy…! I'll kill them if it's the last thing I do…!"

Apart from him, Ikelos Familia had been wiped out. Every Xenos they captured had

been taken from them.

Vowing in angry whispers to pay them back tenfold for what they had done after he

found a way out of this mess, Dix glared with bloodshot eyes into the darkness.

"...?"

Dix came to a sudden halt.

Something seemed different about the labyrinth he had always called home.

It was as if the air was vibrating, as if the silent tranquility was trying to warn him, as

if he'd wandered into the real Dungeon. The magic-stone lamps were few and far

between, flickering like candles.

Having passed through several orichalcum doors, Dix had felt safe in the knowledge

that he could never be found. But now as he continued his escape, a cold chill ran down

his spine.

Impossible, it couldn't be, the doors are shut, there's no way—

A piercing gaze was boring right into his back. As his anxious heartbeat intensified,

Dix was running before he knew it.

The pain shooting through his limbs didn't matter. Gasping for breath, he tried to

escape the chill threatening to envelop him. However, he couldn't gain ground. That

was when he noticed the trail of blood behind him, but hiding it would make no

difference. Whatever was sending the chill through the labyrinth stayed close as

though it was following his scent.

As soon as Dix closed the next door behind him, he heard a different door open

somewhere in the distance. His invisible pursuer's shadow was drawing ever closer,

driving him into a corner.

"...?!"

Even though he was following the route etched into his memory, every corner and

every wall started looking the same. Fear and panic seeped in as reality and illusion

blended together, distorting his senses.

Daedalus's obsession, this chaotic world of an acclaimed architect, showed its true

face. This man-made labyrinth, capable of disorienting absolutely anyone, dragged the

man into a never-ending nightmare. Was the pursuer coming from behind or

approaching from the front? Dix couldn't tell anymore.

His confidence was gone.

The comfort of knowing that, no matter what stood in his way, his curse would allow

him to escape had been shattered. That was how much his situation—this everapproaching something—had rattled him. Blaring warning bells dyed his thoughts red.

Dix threw pride and dignity by the wayside and ran.

Then…

" ."

Dix came to a sudden stop.

What he saw directly in front of him, in the middle of a seemingly normal hallway,

wouldn't let him continue.

It was a frigid stone passage, so shrouded in darkness that it was impossible to see the

other side.

That darkness rippled.

What emerged made Dix's red eyes glaze over.

It was like a dungeon master who had been residing in the deepest halls of the

labyrinth, waiting for a sacrifice.

A pitch-black monster—a black bull—parted the darkness and appeared before Dix's

eyes.

"…C'mon… You've got to be shitting me."

Dix had made the mistake of getting so caught up in thoughts of hatred and revenge

that he had lost the ability to make calm, rational decisions.

Like forgetting that the enemy had a key of their own.

But even more than that, his gravest miscalculation was not learning of this thing's

existence.

Huff, huff. Rough breaths bashed against Dix's eardrums.

One step, then another. Stone cracked underfoot as the monster approached, but his

feet wouldn't budge.

Foreboding light reflected off the blood-splattered Labrys, clutched in the beast's

rocklike left hand.

"Where the hell'd you come from, MONSTEEEERRRRRR ?!"

A dark shadow fell over Dix as the man waved his arms and shrieked in terror.

A heartbeat later—thud!!

That was the end.

Unable to activate his curse, the oncoming guillotine claimed his life instantly.

The death of the wretched, violent man couldn't have come soon enough.

The monster walked past the splattered blood and lumps of crushed flesh, continuing

on its way.

It was hastening to join its kind.

As if it was starving for a good fight.

"Bell Cranell!"

A long, large staircase stretched upward as far as the eye could see. Just stone steps

climbing up and up, seemingly into infinity. Fels had caught up with Bell, black robe

flowing, as the boy raced up the equivalent of seventeen floors of Dungeon stairs.

"Your body is in no condition for this. You're beyond exhausted."

"F-Fels…"

Fels warned Bell, reminding him of the considerable damage he had suffered during

the battle in the large chamber below.

It was true. Since Bell was unable to move how he wanted, Fels had pulled even with

him despite his head start.

"You can keep running, but just wait for a minute."

Fels placed a gloved hand on Bell while the boy gasped for breath.

"Rod of Asclepius, Asclepius's motherly light. By the power regeneration, all shall be

healed."

The glove's intricate patterns shone like a magic user's staff as a white magic circle

appeared at their feet. It was a perfectly executed Concurrent Casting.

Bell watched in surprise as Fels intoned the spell.

"Dia Panacea."

Different-colored spheres of shining light enveloped Bell. He marveled as the wounds

that covered his body disappeared, his broken fist healed, and even his fatigue

vanished into thin air.

"What's this…?"

"Healing magic that alleviates all types of injuries and ailments, similar to an elixir."

The high-level magic had completely restored Bell's body.

"Thank you so much, Fels!"

Bell, filled with vitality once again, spoke a few words of gratitude to Fels and picked

up speed.

Fels was suddenly trailing behind as the boy hurtled up the stairwell eight steps at a

time like a rabbit.

"Seriously…?!"

At the boy's remarkable agility, the words of the gods and goddesses escaped Fels. "I

can't keep up…!" The mage moaned as Bell pumped his arms with reckless abandon.

"Wiene…!"

The crack of rock breaking sounded in the distance.

Light shone through from far above, signaling that the monster had reached the

surface.

The setting sun drew near the city wall in the west, telling the citizens of Orario that

night would be upon them in a few short hours.

Hestia Familia had reached the city's southeast block beneath the still-blue sky and

entered Daedalus Street.

"It's no use. There aren't any clues anywhere…"

"It may be aboveground, but this place is more dungeon-like than the real thing."

"M-Master Welf, I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about…"

While the group made their way through the blackened brick streets, Mikoto scanned

their surroundings, Welf scratched his head, and Haruhime began sweating beneath

her kimono as each spoke in turn.

"Supporter, looks like asking around is a lost cause. Even rumors that sound promising

end up contradicting each other."

"Lilly never thought this would go smoothly, but…"

Hestia and Lilly, who had done their best to gather information from the locals,

exchanged looks.

After parting from Soma Familia, they had come to Daedalus Street as Zanis had

suggested. The group had tried their best to follow even the faintest of monster

shadows, but instead they got lost in the slum's complicated, intertwining layout.

Stairwells led up and down, connecting to a jumble of houses and small buildings.

Built mostly from bricks, there was no rhyme or reason to the size or height of any of

the clustered structures. It was as though the familia were trapped in an optical

illusion, an infinite maze of roads and stairs within a bounded city.

"I'm sure Bell feels the same way… but I don't have many good memories of Daedalus

Street."

Looking up at the bricks as memories came flooding back, Hestia narrowed her blue

eyes.

Turning the corner onto a different road, the group referred to an ariadne sign in a red

brick wall to check their location before wandering on.

"—!"

"Hey… What was that?"

Mikoto and Welf were the first to notice something strange.

They turned sharply enough to startle Hestia, and Haruhime's renart ears stood on

end a moment later. Lilly gasped a second after that.

The goddess's mind raced, trying to figure out why her followers were suddenly on

edge—when a chorus of screams sounded again in the distance.

"!!"

"Let's move!"

"Yes!"

Just as Hestia figured out what was going on, Welf and Mikoto led the rest of Hestia

Familia in an all-out sprint. The group fought against the flow to reach the epicenter,

bumping shoulders with panicked, screaming residents as they went by.

Then, once they rounded another corner—

"Whoa…!"

"A monster?!"

A creature resembling a lamia was running amok.

Even in the Labyrinth City, this was unheard of. One of the buildings adjacent to the

wide street was missing a corner, and rubble was strewn on the ground. The monster's

scaly light-blue skin was littered with stone fragments, proof that it had already

destroyed several walls.

Many citizens had yet to escape from within the thick cloud blanketing the area.

Of course, the only familia or adventurers on the scene was Hestia Familia.

"So a monster escaped from the enemy base…? That'd make sense, wouldn't it?"

"…W-wait, please wait. That's…"

The monster on the ground was shuddering as Welf unsheathed his greatsword, while

Mikoto raised her long katana, Kotetsu, and spoke in a trembling voice.

She activated her skill, Yatano Black Crow, the instant she heard the uproar. So even

though she didn't get a good look at it, she told the group that they had encountered

the monster before.

Lilly froze once the monster's face finally appeared from deep within the smoke cloud,

whispering its name with her eyes glued on its body.

"…A vouivre."

" ?!"

Welf, Mikoto, Haruhime, and Hestia gasped in unison.

Then they saw it.

An unnatural hole—where the garnet jewel should be—in the forehead.

"It couldn't be…!"

The instant the group understood what had happened to the vouivre in their sight, the

monster made a move.

" !"

Unleashing a shrill howl, it charged right at them.

Welf's and Mikoto's reactions were instantaneous, crossing greatsword and katana to

make a wall and stop its advance. However…

"Ghwhoooo!"

"Uwah!"

They were knocked aside.

The rampaging vouivre's charge was so powerful that the Level 2 adventurers couldn't

hold it back with their blades. Although they did slow the monster down, Welf and

Mikoto crashed through the walls of nearby buildings, provoking louder screams from

the townspeople.

"Lady Hestia…!"

"Kh…?! Haruhime!"

Hestia, pushed to the side of the street by Lilly, cried out when she saw the renart

collapse right in front of the vouivre.

Though she'd been knocked off her feet by tremors in the ground and covered in

scrapes and scratches, the trembling Haruhime sat up, eyes open wide as she gazed

up at the monster.

"Lady… Wiene…?"

Although they were glowing red, its eyes were amber.

Having spent more time than anyone with the dragon girl, the renart whispered the

name.

Tears built up in her green eyes, seeing what had become of her friend.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The transformed dragon girl whipped its long body forward as if pursuing an

apparition.

Haruhime couldn't move as the dragon whipped its tail, thick as a dwarf's chest,

directly at her. "Lady Haruhime!" Mikoto screamed. The rest of the familia called out

to her, their voices echoing through the street, when suddenly…

"—Wiene!!"

Bell burst onto the scene like a gust of wind, his legs a blur.

"Bell!!"

Emerging from the hole Wiene had left behind, the boy threw himself onto the

dragon's tail and slammed his armored forearm into its side to alter the trajectory. The

tail swiped over Haruhime's head, hitting empty air.

The boy heard his familia's cries of surprise and delight as he stood with the renart at

his back.

"Master Bell…!"

"Miss Haruhime, please get back!"

Bell winced as though Haruhime's teary-eyed, sorrowful voice had physically cut him,

and he yelled back at her.

Mikoto came in to support the girl who couldn't move on her own and dragged her

back to the rest of the group.

I prevented the worst from happening, but…!

Bell had followed Wiene's path of destruction through the Labyrinth City after

emerging from one of Knossos's hidden entrances and caught up with her in the

dungeon town.

However, a great deal of people had already laid eyes on Wiene. His palms broke out

in a sweat at the sight of so many onlookers.

Now what? What should I do?

No—the garnet jewel had to be returned to her first. Stopping the rampage took

priority.

Wiene was regaining her stance, recovering from the sudden attack as Bell stood tall

in front of her.

—That was when it happened.

A gleam of light flashed down from the sky.

" ."

From behind, over Bell's head…

It appeared from the corner of his eye—a long spear tipped with a golden blade—

piercing Wiene's left hand like a lightning bolt.

"a AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The spear's incredible momentum sent her careening hand-first through a nearby

building.

Wiene cried out as the spear drove deep into the ground, effectively pinning her to the

spot.

The sudden change of events caught Bell off guard, and his mind went blank for an

instant.

He forgot to breathe as his brain processed what just happened.

More than likely, someone with incredible Strength had thrown that spear from

behind him.

"—So that's what's been causing all the noise, I take it?"

Bell heard it, a voice from far away.

Then cheers erupted.

" !!"

"YES, WE'RE SAVED!"

"ADVENTURERS!!"

Those voices, that elation, the excitement.

They all spoke of the ones who had appeared behind Bell.

Hestia and the rest of the familia's silence further implied what had arrived.

Bell heard his heart pounding.

Warning bells blared so hard in his ears that he couldn't see straight.

Dong! Dong!! DONG!! Bell slowly turned around as the increasingly insistent ringing

drowned out the world around him.

"..."

The first thing he saw was a blond-haired, golden-eyed knight with a saber in hand.

"It looks as though the residents have not sustained any casualties as of yet."

"What's this? Looks like somebody got here before us?"

"Wait a sec, isn't that…?"

"It's Argonaut!"

"That rabbit-kid again…"

The next people to enter his line of sight were a high elf carrying a long staff; a dwarf

with a large battle-ax over his shoulder; twin Amazons wielding Kukri knives and a

long, double-bladed sword; and a werewolf equipped with metal boots.

"A vouivre… Think there's any connection with the earlier sighting of that 'winged

monster'?"

The last was the one who had thrown the spear, a prum.

Standing atop a cluster of buildings and looking down over Bell and Wiene were

Orario's strongest adventurers.

"Braver" Finn Deimne.

"Nine Hell" Riveria Ljos Alf.

"Elgarm" Gareth Landrock.

"Amazon" Tiona Hyrute.

"Jormungand" Tione Hyrute.

"Vanargand" Bete Loga.

And "Sword Princess" Aiz Wallenstein.

After their latest expedition, every single one of the leaders had reached Level 6.

They had pulled even with their rival familia as heroes at the forefront ofthe Labyrinth

City who would be talked about for generations to come.

Orario's strongest familia, Loki Familia.

"Is that monster connected with what happened on the eighteenth floor? Those look

like shackles, but is there any armor?"

"I cannot be certain about that… but the Guild may have planned for this possibility

when ordering all familias to stand by."

"Tsk, a heads-up would've been nice."

For Bell, time froze as the conversation among one of the Amazons, the high elf, and

the werewolf passed through his ears.

It didn't make sense. They were too early.

This was Labyrinth City's Daedalus Street. Even if they raced here once the commotion

started, they would have needed more time. The fact that other adventurers had yet

to arrive proved it.

Could it be—they saw it coming?

They had watched the events unfold and analyzed the possibilities when they were

ordered to wait on the surface?

Bell locked his trembling gaze on the prum, who was calmly surveying the battlefield

from above.

"Captain, what about the monster…?"

"The stone in its forehead is missing. Dispose of it immediately."

There was only one reason why they'd be here.

To exterminate any monster that appeared in the city.

The streets were inundated with cheers as though their triumph had rescued the city

from the chaos befalling it.

Bell nearly staggered under the sound. The members of Hestia Familia turned pale as

the noise washed over them.

Those adventurers stood as beacons of hope for the townspeople, having always

admired their strength.

But for Bell, they looked like the apocalypse.

"Oh, come on. Why'd Loki's brats have to show up?"

On top of a brick tower, one of the highest points in Daedalus Street…

Ikelos and Hermes were quick to notice the disturbance from their vantage point

overlooking the dungeon town, and they watched the events unfold.

"Just when things were getting interesting… Well, that about wraps it up."

"…Sure does."

The two deities watched Loki Familia's second-tier and below adventurers file in

behind Aiz down on street level. Ikelos slumped, bored now that Orario's strongest

familia would put an end to this.

"Practically all my brats bit the dust… So much for loose ends."

Ikelos turned to Hermes, sarcastically congratulating him with a weak smile. However,

Hermes was silent, his cool gaze focused on the boy's face in profile.

—Miss… Aiz.

Amid the burning unease…

Bell looked up, meeting Aiz's gaze as she looked down on him.

The boy's idol was focused solely on him.

Her golden eyes were inquisitive, as if asking, Why are you there?

Uh, ahh…

A certain man's words came to life in the back of his mind.

Hypocrite.

Dix scornfully laughing at Bell's foolish decision.

That hollow laughter ringing in his ears asked another question:

"So, what are you going to do now, boy?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAaa…?!"

The vouivre screamed in pain.

The spear had penetrated deep into the ground, literally pinning the dragon girl down.

Bell's thoughts clouded, and his vision pulsed.

He stood in no-man's-land, directly between the two sides. Forward or backward?

Advance or retreat?

Idol and monster, allies and scales, hero and villain, grandfather and girl, apology and

repentance, promise and betrayal, genuine and fake, the fork in the road and the

choice. Decide, decide, decide.

The image burned in his heart: the girl's smile and tears.

Her outstretched hand, her warmth, that promise he made, swearing to protect her…

All his thoughts blended together harmoniously, stirring Bell's heart.

Eternity condensed into a single moment.

Bell.

Bell.

Bell—.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooo...?"

The townspeople's cheers began to die down.

Instead, a swirling vortex of confused anger took their place. Lower-ranking

adventurers craned their necks to see what was happening, and suspicion similarly

darkened their expressions.

An eerie silence had overwhelmed the ruckus in the dungeon town.

"Hah?"

The werewolf frowned at what he saw.

"Hey… What's with that?"

"Little Argonaut…?"

The Amazonian twins were stunned.

"Am I seeing that right?"

"Finn…"

"…What's he got in mind?"

The dwarf, high elf, and prum coldly narrowed their eyes.

" ."

As for the girl the boy idolized, her golden eyes shook with disbelief.

"...!!"

Bell was facing them.

His back was to the monster writhing in pain as he blocked the people trying to dispose

of it.

As if he was protecting the monster and defending it from the adventurers.

Beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks, his breathing was ragged, and his face was pale

as a ghost.

He raised his black knife in a reverse grip, prepared to stand in their way.

Don't be stupid…!

Lilly, Welf, Mikoto, and Haruhime were lost for words.

Hestia's eyes opened as wide as they would go.

"…!!"

The same was true for the gargoyle Gros, who was watching from a distance.

"What you think you're doing, Bellucchi…?"

Lido and the other Xenos had stayed out of sight by approaching through the

backstreets, and now they stood overlooking the standoff. Even Fels, who had reunited

with them, was in shock.

"—Hee, HEE-HEE! EEHEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE…!"

It was Ikelos.

Watching everything below, his shoulders convulsed with joyous glee.

"Would you look at that, Hermes?! This is hilarious!"

The deity roared with laughter, and his sparkling navy-blue hair swished back and

forth.

"I thought they were all cheeky brats nowadays… but it looks like there's still some

crazy ones left!"

Standing next to Ikelos, whose body was hunched over with nonstop laughter…

…Hermes's lips silently curved into a distant, almost lonely smile.

"You really are a foolish one…"

The townspeople, adventurers, monster, and deities all focused on one point.

The lone boy who had hurled himself into ruin.

Bell, who had challenged Loki Familia to save a monster girl.