Chapter 26: The Sword Princess's Adorably Awkward Visit

After returning to his room, Ryota casually tossed aside his backpack filled with Valis and immediately collapsed onto the bed.

Today's gains far surpassed his expectations. Exhausted both mentally and physically, he quickly drifted off into a deep sleep.

The night passed uneventfully.

The next morning, a refreshing breeze drifted in through the half-open window, carrying with it Orario's unique, sweet fragrance.

Rubbing his still groggy head and yawning, Ryota walked to the door.

Click—

The moment the door opened, a slender and graceful figure came into view.

A golden-haired girl, dressed in simple, casual clothing, stood there slightly tilting her head, staring intently at his door.

It was Ais Wallenstein.

"Uh…"

Ryota froze mid-step, several question marks popping over his head.

"Miss Ais? What are you doing standing in front of my door?"

Ais blinked, staring blankly at Ryota, seemingly at a loss for words.

Ryota paused to think and quickly understood.

Last night, after updating his status, his abilities had skyrocketed directly to D-rank. Such absurdly rapid growth had surely spread among the core members of the Loki Familia by now.

And the golden-haired Sword Princess standing before him was someone famously obsessed with gaining strength.

Currently, Ais had been stuck at Level 5 for quite some time. After every expedition, the attribute gains she brought back were usually just single-digit increments.

She was currently trapped in a subtle yet prolonged bottleneck.

Meanwhile, he, a rookie who had officially joined the Familia just yesterday, had casually gained several hundred points in his stats in a single day.

It would be stranger if she hadn't felt at least somewhat stimulated by this.

Of course, this was all Ryota's own speculation. Seeing the golden-haired girl still silently tilting her head, he was about to ask again when Ais finally spoke:

"I… want to know…"

"How can I… become stronger quickly… like you?"

Her voice was soft, but it made Ryota's head buzz loudly!

—Wait a minute?!

Ais Wallenstein, the genius of Orario, known as the Sword Princess, stuck at Level 5 and in a bottleneck for ages…

She had actually come to ask him—a rookie adventurer who'd just registered yesterday and hadn't even warmed up his Adventurer's Handbook yet—how to grow stronger?!

Wasn't there something seriously wrong with this scenario?!

The corner of Ryota's mouth twitched slightly. For a moment, he even wondered if he was still dreaming.

However, looking at the golden-haired girl's clear and utterly serious face—

Nope, this wasn't a dream.

This was reality.

Glancing out the window, noting it was still early, Ryota stepped aside to clear the doorway:

"Standing at the door talking… feels a bit awkward. Come on in."

Ais nodded once and walked in without hesitation or embarrassment.

Very naturally, she sat down on Ryota's bed, the very bed he had just slept on, still warm from his body heat.

Her golden eyes gazed at him intently. 

She sat upright, looking adorably obedient, exactly like an earnest elementary school student waiting for her teacher to impart some secret technique.

Ryota was momentarily at a loss for what expression to make.

After briefly considering, he decided to start from the basics and asked:

"Did Lady Loki mention my skill to you?"

Ais obediently nodded at first, but then quickly shook her head, replying earnestly:

"Loki said… I can't casually tell others."

Ryota couldn't help but laugh. This natural airheadedness was too obvious!

He sighed inwardly, though outwardly maintained a gentle smile.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and in the next instant—

Swish!

His pupils transformed into a deep, captivating crimson. Three black tomoe slowly spun within, mesmerizing like a whirlpool.

Ais's pupils shrank sharply, her body instinctively leaning backward slightly. Her golden eyes widened, filled with shock and disbelief.

Ryota calmly spoke:

"This is my All-Encompassing Divine Eye. You can think of it as a Visual Magic."

"Simply put, as long as I keep exploring the Dungeon and accumulating battle experience, this power will grow stronger and stronger over time."

Ryota wasn't making excuses—this was the genuine conclusion he'd reached after extensive experimentation and practice in the Trial Space.

The Sharingan was a power that could only truly evolve through constant usage and endless battles.

Though his rapid growth was partly due to the missions the system provided him, the bulk of his progress was still accumulated through repeated, solitary battles and relentless effort.

As for higher stages beyond the three-tomoe Sharingan, such as the Mangekyō Sharingan or even the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan…

Ryota had no clue about those right now.

He didn't want to give Ais false hopes, nor did he wish to deceive this earnest yet somewhat clumsy girl with uncertain fantasies.

Therefore, every word he spoke came from the bottom of his heart.

Ais stared at him blankly, as if seeing the boy before her clearly for the very first time. Even her breathing subconsciously quieted.

At this moment, Ryota could clearly see the faint yet unmistakable emotion rising within the girl's golden eyes—

Admiration.

Suddenly, Ais stood up.

Ryota was momentarily stunned, unable to react in time, when the golden-haired girl abruptly lunged toward him!

"W-wait, wait…?!"

Stiffly pressed back against the chair, Ryota found himself face-to-face with those clear golden eyes staring directly at him.

The distance between them was so close he could almost feel her breath mingling with his own.

He could even smell the faint, pleasant fragrance from the girl in front of him.

Wh-what was this supposed to be?

Was he being… kabedon'd?!

Ryota's eyebrows twitched uncontrollably. Just as he was about to say something, an ear-piercing scream sounded from the doorway:

"A-Ais!!!—"

The elf girl Lefiya stood at the door, covering her mouth, her face filled with horror as she stared at the scene inside—

A scene that was incredibly easy to misunderstand!

"What's going on what's going on what's going on aaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!"

Ryota: "..."

Ais paid no attention to Lefiya, still maintaining that extremely ambiguous distance with Ryota, and added very earnestly:

"I just wanted… to see more clearly."

Hearing those words, Lefiya clutched her chest, feeling as if the Ais she had admired for so long had suddenly become incredibly distant…!