Prologue: Adventurers’ Rest

"Bell, you're…!"

"Mr. Bell, that looks like…!"

Welf and Lilly cried out, grief-stricken.

"Oh no, Master Bell, it's…"

"Sir Bell, could your left arm really be…?!"

Haruhime and Mikoto likewise averted their eyes from the sight.

Standing before his assembled comrades, Bell solemnly prepared to speak.

"It sort of just happened…"

Bell's arm was immobilized. More specifically, his armor-clad left arm was cradled in a

sling. It was unmistakably set in a medical cast. His hollow laughter rang out underneath

a clear blue sky.

"Li'l E and I were talking about how that was seeming kinda long for a follow-up

appointment. Was Dea Saint in a bad mood, then?"

"Yes, very. I didn't realize Amid could get that mad."

They were on a street in the northwest street of the city known as Adventurers Way.

Bell had just emerged onto the broad avenue from the white stone building that was

Dian Cecht Familia 's infirmary and was greeted by members of Hestia Familia , Miach

Familia , and even Takemikazuchi Familia.

"I heard you had a high-spec supporter item equipped, but this seems…"

"I did, but… it turns out I really wasn't supposed to move around too much, so…" Bell

rubbed the back of his head sheepishly with his empty right hand in response to the

exasperated look he received from Ouka.

It had been two weeks since the conclusion of the joint-expedition—which included

the encounter with the moss huge, Jura Harma's atrocities, and the desperate march

through the deep levels.

Bell had badly injured his left arm in his fight against the Juggernaut, and although

he'd equipped a supporter as a protective measure, he'd ended up overtaxing his arm

anyway. That inevitably earned him a thorough scolding from Amid during his followup appointment earlier that day.

The terrifying tongue-lashing he'd received from Dea Saint—a girl often likened to an

exquisite porcelain doll, and famous for her calm, collected demeanor as much as she

was for her skill—had been harsh enough to singe Bell's white hair.

"So now you're in a cast to stop you from wrenching it around anymore…" Lilly sighed.

The cast was made not of bandages and plaster but dir adamantite. Despite the light

weight of the refined metal, it hammered home the healer's intent, which was: Thou

shalt not move.

When Bell arrived for his checkup, Amid's fury had been evident. "She said that if I

didn't listen to her, the next time she sees me, she'll tie me to the infirmary bed," said

Bell, shivering at the memory of what he'd endured a few minutes earlier.

Amid lived up to her reputation as a kind, professional healer who never, ever turned

her back on a patient, but for Bell, that guarantee was now as terrifying as any dragon's

flaming breath. He'd learned his lesson that there was nothing so fearsome as the rage

of a beautiful woman—especially one who was normally gentle.

"Dian Cecht Familia 's a bunch of quacks… Bell, it's still not too late! Leave it to me—

some ultra-special medicine and a custom therapeutic diet will have you back in action

in no time." The sleepy-eyed chienthrope Nahza patted Bell heartily on the shoulder.

"That medicine and food sound extremely expensive, so we'll pass."

Miach Familia and Dian Cecht Familia were business rivals, and Nazha and her

comrades in Miach Familia were friendly with Hestia Familia. This time, though, they

had referred their regular to Amid. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say they had

entrusted him to her, believing that her renowned skills could heal him, just like when

Dian Cecht Familia provided Nahza with a prosthetic arm after she had lost her own

limb in the past.

While her patron god Miach was relatively forthcoming, Nahza seemed determined to

deny that Bell was in good hands, even though her grumbling was ultimately in jest.

"That's a shame… If you came by our place, I thought maybe Cassandra could get that

talk she's been wanting to have with you and finally get rid of some, shall we say,

frustrations…?" Nahza added a mischievous laugh and a sly grin at the end.

"Wha—?!" Cassandra cried out hysterically, her face turning red as a berry.

"Cassandra's been frustrated recently…? Does she need someone to hear her out or

something?" asked Bell, confused, at which point, Cassandra immediately lost all

semblance of composure.

"N-no! I was just anxious about whether I should go see you ! But since you were

injured, I was worried that maybe I'd just be imposing on you! So, um, that's why…

um... anyway, it's nothing to worry about! Right? Isn't that right, Daphne?"

"Don't drag me into this…"

Cassandra's words had only become increasingly incoherent as she received a

withering look from Daphne next to her.

"Oh, but I did promise that we'd have a nice long chat once the expedition ended, didn't

I? Let's do that next time I visit the shop," said Bell.

"Ah, you remembered!… Waaaah! Daphneeeeee!"

"Why are you clinging to me ?!" Daphne finally raised her voice at her friend, who had

fallen to pieces the moment she saw Bell's friendly smile and was currently attempting

to hide behind her.

As Bell watched the scene unfold with somewhat perplexed bemusement, Welf spoke

up. "That reminds me, Bell, what about that elf girl from the tavern? Are you expecting

her to swing by?"

"Lyu? Mia's place is so busy that I don't think she'd have time to come," said Bell. "Also,

it kind of feels like she's reluctant to meet up lately… almost like she's avoiding me,"

he added vaguely.

In front of Dian Cecht Familia 's infirmary were gathered representatives of every

familia that had participated in the alliance. As all of them had endured the grueling

expedition together, they had assembled to greet Bell, whose injuries had been the

most serious.

The only one absent—aside from Aisha, who'd grumbled about being summoned by

her patron deity—was Lyu.

As Bell worriedly contemplated the possibility that he'd somehow unknowingly

offended Lyu (elves were a notably meticulous race, after all), Lilly's expression shifted

as she put the pieces together.

But she said nothing. There was nothing to say. She merely grumbled. "First Miss

Cassandra and now Miss Lyu…? No, it can't be. It simply cannot."

Haruhime cocked her head curiously.

Cassandra, her face still burning from embarrassment, peeked out from behind the

frustrated Daphne. "So, er… Bell? With your arm in this condition, will going into the

Dungeon be…?" she asked tentatively.

Bell nodded with a smile. "Yes. With the expedition now over… I think I'll take it easy

for a while." He peered up at the endless blue sky. There wasn't a single cloud, as though

nature had deigned to grant a moment's reprieve to a group of adventurers who'd

overcome terrible hardship.

"After all, my goddess once told me that resting is part of an adventurer's job."

Bell Cranell

Level 4

Strength: I0 -> C676 Defense: I0 -> B701 Dexterity: I0 -> B724 Agility: I0 -> B718

Magic: I0 -> C55 Luck: G -> F Immunity: H -> G Escape: I

Magic

Firebolt

• Swift-strike magic

Skills

Liaris Freese

• Rapid growth

• Continued desire results in continued growth

• Stronger desire results in stronger growth

Argonaut

• Charges automatically with active action

Ox Slayer

• When fighting minotaurs, all abilities are exponentially enhanced

"Bell, what did you do?" were the first words out of Hestia's mouth as she updated

Bell's Status. She wore a severe expression as she regarded the boy's back, but her

question came out in a baffled monotone.

Because he was still wearing the cast, Bell was forced to sit in an uncomfortable

posture and winced awkwardly as he underwent the Status update.

They were in an unoccupied room on the first floor of Hearthstone Manor, the home

of Hestia Familia. There had been much to do since their safe return from the expedition,

and Hestia was only now administering an overdue Status update. Or more accurately,

she had been.

Since the Status update required the follower to be shirtless, the two of them were

alone together in the room. Hestia paused her work and laid her hands on her knees.

Hestia was tempted to throw on her usual cheerful smile and make a show of wiping

her forehead like she usually did after a Status update. However, that would have been

nothing more than refusing to come to grips with reality.

Bell's ability score total was over 3400.

That was unmistakably a personal best for the boy. It might even have broken a public

record.

If some god's follower had wanted to—say, by saving up a bunch of excelia over time

by forgoing regular Status updates and then cashing in on a really big one—in that

kind of scenario, it wasn't impossible to hit similar numbers, so it had probably been

done at some point… But there wasn't any point in making that comparison because

with such a dramatic number, saying "Check out how much my follower grew in a

single adventure" didn't even count as a brag.

Why? Because the amount was proof that the adventurer in question had survived a

series of utterly brutal encounters, and if any of them had gone badly, they wouldn't

even be around anymore.

"Uh…" said Bell, accepting the Status update paper with a tremendously awkward

expression. "…I almost died like eight times."

I figured as much.

Hestia had heard all about the expedition. The moss huge alone would have been bad

enough, but they'd faced other exceptional opponents like the lambton and the

Juggernaut, not to mention how they ended up being chased into the deep levels and

nearly dying in the process of wandering around down there. Just hearing about it

made her nearly pass out. Actually, she had passed out.

And now, as she looked at the numbers on Bell's Status that corroborated that

harrowing story, she couldn't help but cradle her head.

"…Bell, would you tell everyone else that I'll update their Statuses another day? I'm

sorry, but I'm seriously tired today…"

Hearing Hestia speak in such a lifeless tone, Bell immediately looked very apologetic.

"Oh, sure… I-I'm sorry…"

When Bell's Guild adviser eventually heard about this, she'd probably slam her head

into the table, Hestia thought. I sure sympathize with that , she thought. Next time she

checks on Bell, the two of us oughtta go drinking. Hestia stared into space, distracted

by the daydream.

The truth was that Bell seemed on the verge of leveling up, but Hestia kept that to

herself.

It was just a hunch of hers, after all.

Maybe she was wrong.

He'd only just hit Level 4, and it hadn't been long since the last Denatus, and if she

were to conveniently omit the fact that Bell was ready to level up again after such a

short period of time, it certainly wasn't because she was worried the other gods would

go into utter robe-wetting convulsions at such an unheard of revelation. It wasn't,

honest! Honest!

As Hestia argued with herself internally, she heaved a long, deep sigh. "…You've really

grown, haven't you, Bell?" Then, summoning her confidence, she continued. "From the

time we met until now, you really have grown so much."

The boy only blinked in response as she smiled at him, the very first person to ever

join her familia.

"I'll be back soon."

Having finished my Status update with Hestia, I head out from the manor. My plan

today is to take it easy and go on a walk to nowhere in particular. It's true that I need

to rest, but before anything else, I want to deal with this reaction to being on the

surface after wandering the deep levels for so long. It feels like my body's saying it

wants to bask in the sunshine.

Given my immobilized left arm, I probably shouldn't move around too much, but I

figure it'll be all right as long as I don't push it.

Plus, this is my chance to take a leisurely stroll around town.

"Man, feels like it's been a while since I've walked around town with you like this, Bell."

"Yeah, I don't think we've done much of anything with just the two of us in a long time."

Welf's taken it upon himself to watch over me while my arm's in a cast. He came along

even though he only just finished repairing both my weapons and Mikoto's. Lilly

wanted to come along, too, but since the deadline to submit the report detailing our

expedition is coming up, she's gone to the Guild instead.

Given the list of Irregulars we'd faced, and the fact that we'd ventured into the deep

levels, Lilly had strongly resisted being the one to deliver the report to the Guild. Her

reasoning:

"If it becomes public knowledge that we made it to the deep levels, it's quite possible

that our familia rank will go up. And if that happens, don't you suppose our Guild dues

will rise accordingly? Because they will, you know. And what if the Guild is like, 'Okay,

your next goal is the thirty-eighth floor!' Huh? The most obvious goal for our next

expedition mission will be 'reach a deeper level,' which will only be even harder, and

Lilly's not Mr. Welf, but it's still tempting to say 'You gotta be kidding me!' Even the

lower floors are still dangerous for us without Aisha or Lyu supporting our party.

Forget about the deeper floors! But it's possible that we'll get stuck with a truly

punishing mission or quest, so the clearly, obviously, and unmistakably superior

choice is to hide the fact that we ever reached it in the first place!… Also, we're still

totally in the red after the forced march of the expedition we just finished."

—is what she said in so many words.

No one, not even a god, would casually dismiss the words of a trusted adviser who said

that much without taking a single breath from start to finish.

I also noticed that when she got to the part about being "in the red," a darkness deeper

than the thirty-seventh floor filled her eyes. Haruhime and I could only shiver in fear

at her outburst. Welf and Mikoto didn't seem to have anything to say back to her, either.

Although to be honest, since Ouranos and Fels knew about what had happened, my

guess was that she didn't need to be quite so worried about reporting to the Guild

what happened…

In any case, we ultimately decided that Lilly would go and say that our expedition

ended in failure and that Hestia Familia would accept the according penalty, keeping

us a middle-tier faction in the eyes of the city for a little while longer.

The truth was, there hadn't been time for us to collect the required drop item after our

encounter with the moss huge, so we technically did fail our mission. If I close my eyes,

I can still see Lilly's grumbling form as she set off for the Guild headquarters, carrying

a purse holding the not-insignificant amount of money we owed them. As a side note,

she also forced Haruhime to go with her so she could at least familiarize herself with

Guild processes.

In the meantime, Mikoto's minding the manor with Ouka and the others from

Takemikazuchi Familia , who came by to check in on how we're doing. Hestia's at her

part-time job.

"Hey, Bell. Ever since we've been back, you've been jumping out of bed in the middle

of the night, yeah?"

"…How did you know?"

"I mean, my room's right next to yours. So… is it because of how long you spent in the

deep levels?"

"Yeah… We couldn't rest for more than five minutes at a time down there, and we never

knew when monsters might attack. I think my body's still sensitive, even though we're

back on the surface," I explain to Welf as we walk side by side down the street.

Welf shoots me a sympathetic look, probably worried about whether suddenly getting

thrown into the deep levels has left me with some kind of deep-seated trauma.

"That's rough, buddy. Does that mean you're not getting any decent sleep?"

"I-I'm fine! Really, it's nothing! Anyway, I guess Haruhime must have noticed because

whenever I wake up, she's been coming to my room to check on me."

"…Hmm?"

"I mean it's probably also because she's an animal person, but apparently in the Night

District, they're taught to be very sensitive to whether a client isn't sleeping well, so…!"

"…Hmmm?"

"So she'll hold my hand until I can fall back asleep, or we'll read heroic epics together…

It's sorta like what I imagine it would've been like to have an older sister, I guess? It's

really nice… er, I mean… Well, anyway! I'm fine, so don't worry about me!" My face is

burning after I reveal that Haruhime's been visiting my room at night. I only brought

it up to keep Welf from worrying too much, but his expression has become unreadable.

Wait, why's he making that face?

"…You better never, ever let Hestia or Li'l E hear about that."

—We've been fighting so much recently. It'd be nice to release some of the tension

that's been building up for a while now.

That was my thought process.

This is just my guess, but I bet that top-class adventurers like Aiz make it a priority to

spend some time on the surface without a specific goal or destination whenever they

get back from an expedition. Wandering around just like I am right now, staring up at

the sky, mingling with the crowds.

Maybe it's a kind of ritual to reclaim your sense of self… Somehow, after being in the

Dungeon for too long, the surface becomes a harrowing place. What should be a

relaxing time becomes tense and stressful. It's like everything just feels off.

I guess the best example is how I've been overreacting to even the slightest sound by

leaping out of bed. You could call it an occupational hazard: Dungeon Sickness.

If you can't get used to feeling safe, can't convince your body and mind to relax, then

even restful things provide no rest.

That's why I think times like this are important for adventurers.

"Hey, isn't that Little Rookie…? I mean, Rabbit Foot?"

"Ignis is here, too."

"Hey there, boy! Not headed to the Dungeon today?"

"Got some fresh fruit in today. How about taking some home?"

"Hey, bro with the white hair! What happened to your arm?"

"Get hurt in the Dungeon?"

"Wow, that's gotta hurt!"

I'm drawing attention as I walk through the town with Welf. A couple of humans—also

adventurers—regard us from a distance. An older dwarf man and animal-person lady

minding the front of their produce store call out to us. A couple of demi-human

children innocently bump into us, too.

Is this the proof that I've reached Level 4 and become a second-tier adventurer?

Hestia's well-liked so that probably has something to do with it, but I'm hearing

encouragement like "hang in there!" from people I don't even recognize now.

We pass two gods, and I happen to overhear their conversation. "If only I'd let him into

my familia way back when!" "Salivating over Bell, eh?" "Argh, I wanna rewind time!"

I have no idea how I should feel about that.

"You're a bit of a celebrity… no, a full-fledged man-about-town! How's it feel?" Welf

teases.

"I—I mean, I'm happy, but… also confused," I answer honestly, embarrassed.

I think back to Wiene, and everything that happened with the Xenos. Back then, I was

the focus of the city's despair and malice. To go from that to where I am now, with the

townspeople looking at me with smiles on their faces, makes me realize how much

I've been through.

That's right.

So much has happened.

Then, just as I indulge in some sentimentality for once—I hear a surprised voice from

in front of me. "Ah…"

When I look, I freeze in my tracks. It's a human man wearing slightly shabby clothes.

He looks to be maybe twice my age. His black hair is long enough in front that it almost

reaches his eyes.

As the two of us study each other, unmoving, Welf's face becomes wary. This

encounter's so sudden that my mind has completely blanked out, and I can't explain

why.

The man looks like someone you might run into on any street corner. He makes a

terribly awkward expression, then turns on his heel and tries to escape.

"E-er!" I quickly exclaim to his back. "Thank you for the rye bread!" I cry out and give

a hearty bow.

I immediately sense his surprise. When I look back up, I see him turn around, wideeyed. As I straighten, we stare at each other for another moment.

Then he finally exhales and smiles at me. "Look at you… You've really gone and turned

into an upper-class adventurer. And you're just the same as ever."

"…"

"Far as I can tell anyway." The man scratches his nose, then narrows his eyes as though

something's occurred to him. "Ah, listen… you might not want to hear this from me,

but…" He casts his gaze downward and scratches his head, seemingly having trouble

finding his words. Eventually, he decides on "You hang in there, lad."

"…I will!" I immediately reply with a huge smile.

I'm so happy.

I have no idea how many people have seen me and given me words of encouragement

today, but the support of this one person makes me unreasonably happy.

The man seems a bit flustered at my smile, and this time he succeeds in escaping.

"You know that guy, Bell?" Welf finally asks, after having silently watched the exchange.

I search for an answer to give to my friend, now wearing a curious expression as he

wondered about the unfamiliar individual.

"Yeah… he did me a favor a long time ago."

It's true.

Before I met Lilly or Welf, or even Hestia. Back when I'd just arrived in Orario and didn't

know up from down. Back when I was trapped between my own hopes and fears.

Back then, could I have even imagined the person I am now? Someone who's met so

many people, gone on so many adventures, and surrounded himself with such a familia

—such a family?

…There's no way.

Like most people, I'm sure my past self could never have predicted this future.

It's because I can't see the future that I push forward with everything I have as the

present steadily becomes past.

I look up.

Overhead stretches a beautiful blue sky.

Orario's sky, too, seems changeless even as it changes.

Back then, when I still had so much to learn, the spring sky was warmer than it is now.

In the present, the weather makes it clear autumn is just around the corner. A pleasant

breeze ruffles my hair as my thoughts are drawn toward the boundless sky.

I let myself fall into the memory of that first day.