“Ganesha! Ganesha! We have a major problem! Emergency!!”
Commotion erupted in a corner of the sunlit stadium.
Monsterphilia was still in progress. A tamer was currently riding a small, long-necked dragon like a bull at a rodeo on the main stage. The audience was too involved in the action below to notice what was going on above them.
“—What you hiding? I am Ganesha!”
“I know that, sir! Why are you introducing yourself now?!?”Ganesha watched the fair from a great spot on the rim of the upper deck where he could see everything at once. When a member of his Familia rushed up to him, he thrust out his elephant mask and struck a bizarre pose.
Trying very hard to ignore his painfully awkward god, the man quickly spelled out what had happened below the stadium floor.
“Monsters have escaped! There are open cages in the holding room!”
“… Huh? That is a problem…”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!”
Ganesha straightened up so fast that spit flew out of his subordinate’s mouth. The man continued to give his report. This time he had Ganesha’s full attention.
He explained that all of the guards, including Guild employees, were incapacitated in the holding room. All theories pointed to someone outside the Guild as the perpetrator.Ganesha listened to the tidings with a very calm face and waited until the man had finished before asking his own questions in a controlled, low voice.
“How many monsters escaped… were released?”
“N-nine, sir! Including some that are particularly dangerous…”
Ganesha grunted, slowly nodding his head. His elephant mask shifted along with him.
High-pitched voices rose up from the main stage. The tamer opened his palm in front of the dragon’s eyes, a signal to stop in place. A deep growl bellowed out from the dragon’s gut, but it obeyed. Plopping its body to the ground, it licked the tamer’s hand.
The crowd drew a collective breath. Turning to face the audience, the tamer waved to them. Moments later, he received a chorus of cheers and thunderous applause.
“All right, pursue the monsters at large! Also, contact other Familias! Ask all of the gods in the stadium for their cooperation!”
“Wait a minute, sir! It’s our fault the monsters escaped! If we ask for help, our reputation will be compromised! Other groups might see this as an opportunity…”
“I am Ganesha, God of the Masses! I cannot allow any of the citizens to be harmed! Our treasure is the children’s smiles. Throw away your ambition!”
“Y-yes, sir! My apologies!”
“Continue the fair as planned! Don’t tell anyone else about this, and don’t let the audience leave the stands! There will be panic if word gets out!”
“Understood! What about the perpetrator?”
“Let him go. He didn’t release all of the monsters, so he was most likely trying to cause problems. He was after something. This could be a diversion, or perhaps he wanted to see the fair turn to chaos… I hate to say it, but I have to play along with his game. Our first priority is the safety of the people. Priority number one, understood? Now go!”
The man nodded and dashed off to spread the instructions.
Ganesha Familia sprung into action only five minutes after the incident was discovered.
“Monsters escaped?!”
At about the same time Ganesha was being informed of the situation, word got around to Eina and her group outside the stadium.
“Yeah… The west team manager saw them come out of the stadium’s west gate. Ganesha Familia is running around in a frenzy… Eina, what do we do…?”
Eina got over the shock of this information quickly, switching into high gear.
“Get ahold of any Familias in the area, I don’t care which ones!”
“Can we do something like that? The bosses will get angry if we go over their heads…”
Every Guild employee with decision-making power left their post to investigate the west gate when trouble was first reported. Only basic secretaries, like Eina, and assistants were still there.
Eina looked around at the group. All of them had reservations about overstepping their bounds. She could see it in their eyes.
“That’s better than someone getting hurt! On top of that, Ganesha has put safety as the top priority. He shouldn’t get angry if other Familias are involved. We have to act now before the injuries start piling up!”
“You’re right. I couldn’t live with myself knowing I could have done more…”
Eina coaxed the rest of her coworkers into action by drawing on Ganesha’s wishes to make people happy. He and his Familia had spared no expense to help the Guild set up Monsterphilia.
The Guild employees looked at one another. Eina’s words had moved them. They all nodded in agreement and started to discuss who would do what to get the word out.
Suddenly, a voice. “… Excuse me. Did something happen?”
Suddenly, a voice.
Someone was walking up to the group of guild employees.
Each of them lost his or her voice on seeing who was approaching them.
“A-Aiz Wallenstein…”
Eina herself was taken aback. Her eyes widened in amazement as the girl came up to them.
Aiz’s supple thighs were only half hidden by a miniskirt. Her midriff was revealed by a short top. Despite not having any armor, her sword hung from her waist in its sheath.
A member of Orario’s top-class adventurers stood before the bewildered Guild members. She was exactly what they had been praying for.
The man closest to her quickly explained what had happened.
The moment she understood the situation, she spun on her heel to face the person behind her.
“Loki.”
“Yeah, I heard. Can’t be datin’ at a time like this. I’ll let Ganesha borrow ya for a bit.”
The Guild members saw Loki smile. Their prayers had been answered.
Eina and the others let out a collective sigh of relief, but she couldn’t relax just yet.
“Any idea where the monsters are at?”
“Y-yes! A group of them was seen heading toward East Main!”
Eina’s heart jumped. East Main. That’s where Bell was looking for that girl.
He could be caught up in the worst of it.
“Misha, what species of monsters escaped?”
“Eh? Ummm. I think a swordstag, a troll, a silverback… maybe some others…”
Silverbacks appeared on the lower eleventh. Swordstags and trolls were born on Level Twenty and below.
Bell wouldn’t stand a chance against any of them. He’d nearly died on the lower fifth…
Please, Bell, get out of there alive, okay?
Eina looked in the direction of East Main.
She had one more prayer, for Bell’s safety.
My ears are ringing from all the commotion.
“Ruguguu…!”
The sun is shining through all the flags on East Main. They look so out of place in this chaos.
I feel like an island in this torrent of panicked screams.
Now that I got a better look at the howling monster, it doesn’t have a tail. It’s just a thick stripe of long silver hair on its back. Chains are still shackled to its wrists, but they look like they were torn apart. Metal being dragged across stone—I hate that sound.
Silverback…
Eina has told me about many types of monsters. This is one of them for sure.
She also told me it’s born far below the lower fifth—way out of my league.
It really is the Minotaur all over again. I won’t be able to lay a finger on this thing!
Warning bells are going off in my head. It’s time to go.
“Gyaa…!”
It’s moving again!
It bends its knees, turning its body right toward me and the goddess!
—It’s coming!
Here comes a massive fist! I have to move!
“!!”
“Uwaaaa!!!”
Dive to the side! Grab the goddess and launch!
I got her, but there’s no time to make sure she’s safely tucked in my arms. I feel her screams against my chest. Bam! My shoulder into the stone road. Roll, now!
Two, three rolls and stop! That should be far enough, the monster already flew by. Get up and protect the goddess, now!
Okay, she’s behind me. The beast has to go through me if it wants her.
“Urrrrnnnn…!”
It’s back up and coming this way!
Its eyes are fixed on me! Here comes another charge!
Why?!?
It didn’t even hesitate! Just found me again and charged! The goddess will get trampled! I yank her hard to the right and out of the beast’s path.
Huh? It changed direction?! In mid-charge?!?! So the silverback isn’t locked onto me…
Oh shit…
It’s after the goddess! And now it’s airborne!
My legs move on their own. I have to get in its way, since the goddess is helpless. Before I know it, I’m between the two of them, but the monster doesn’t even glance my way.
It does, however, send an arm.
“—Gwahhhh?!”
“Gugooooooo!!!”
I succeed in getting the goddess out of the way of a wrecking ball. Unfortunately, I take that wrecking ball square in the ribs.
It hits my armor, but it isn’t strong enough to stop the crushing blow from coursing through my body. I… I can’t breathe!
Oh, the punch sent me flying… That’s why everything’s upside down and blurry…
… Ah!
I fly through a food stall! Shattering a hole in it on impact, by the looks of things; splinters of wood are all over the place.
Oh wow… Here comes the pain… Come on, body, I need you. Okay, legs are still outside the stall, get on your elbow… Dah! Ribs… Slow and steady. That’s got it…
“Ekkkkkkkk!!!!”
East Main has fallen into pandemonium.
I hear people screaming. I see blurs of them running away.
It kind of looks like that time all those spiders hatched at once, all scurrying away. The fairgoers are all disappearing into buildings and down side roads.
Why is no one helping the goddess??
“…!”
“Fhaa… haaa…!”
There she is, standing frozen in front of the monster.
She’s cornered!!!
“Gh…! NOOOOO!!!!”
I ignore the pain pulsing through my body and charge straight for the silverback with tears pouring out of my eyes.
The chains! If I can just grab onto the chains!
“Gahh!”
The metal pulls taut as I grab the end, stopping the beast in its tracks.
The monster looks back with its sharp eyes and pulls its arm forward.
I can’t hold it long! My arms are numb, fingers are on fire!
“Ugh…!”
“Gigyaaa!!!”
This isn’t even a contest. I may as well not even be pulling; it’s too strong.
But I have to try! Every ounce of strength—! Lost it!
“Gyaaahhh!!!”
Its arm shoots backward, the chain flying over its head! Now’s my chance!
His back is turned to the goddess!! Run! Got her hand!
“This way!”
—We are sitting ducks on the main street!
I pull the goddess behind me and make a break for the back roads.
It’s coming after us! I can hear its howls!
Here comes another long chase… When will this end?!?
“Why is it after you!?!”
“You think I know?!?! Never seen it before, ever! I haven’t done anything!”
I have a strong grip on her thin little hand. We’re yelling and running through narrow streets as fast as we can. She wants to know the answer to my question even more than I do, by the sound of her voice. She’s grabbing onto my hand, too…
I can still feel the presence of that monstrosity behind us. It’s not going away.
It’s set its sights on the goddess, and it’s not giving up.
I’ve never seen a monster act like this, endlessly pursuing one target. It’s like it’s being manipulated by something smarter…
What the hell is going on?!?
I lead the goddess on a sprint through the back roads with all these thoughts running through my head.
These narrow, dark backstreets are doing nothing to calm my nerves. I can see the sky among the tall buildings around us, but there’s no light down here.
We ran south from East Main when the silverback attacked. We’re running in circles through the side streets between East and Southeast Main.
I have no idea where we are. There was no time to remember the route.
I take a glance behind me to check on the goddess. She doesn’t look good. She’s definitely in a good deal of pain. I can’t see the monster behind her in the maze of dark streets.
But I know it’s here.
It’s following us, I can feel it.
Speed up! That’s the only way to lose it!
Eyes front! Left, right, right again! We need to get away!
“…! Bell, no! Not this way…!”
“Eh?!”
The goddess’s voice brings me back into the moment.
We just rounded a big corner. Now I know what she meant…
“—”
The narrow roads have ended, but a total mess stands before us.
The roads twist, overlapping and intersecting who knows how many times. Pieces of buildings randomly stick out into the street, stairwells snake through the entire block. It looks like a mass of rooms got mixed together and dumped onto this spot.
It’s a dungeon, built by human hands above the ground. A labyrinth town.
“Daidaros Street…!”
It’s a dirt-poor residential part of town where nothing makes sense.
I heard that the streets are so complicated that once you get lost in there, you’ll never find your way out. Daidaros Street was named after the architect who designed this jungle. In terms of losing your way, it is very much a dungeon.
The artificial labyrinth spreads out below me, all the way to the city wall. The goddess and I stop at the top of the road that leads down to the entrance.
This is insane! If we go in there, we’ll be fighting a dungeon and a monster at the same time!
The goddess is out of breath, her hands on her knees, shoulders heaving. We lock eyes for a moment, we’re in tough shape. She knows it, I know it. Her eyes are shaking…
“GAAAAHHHHHH!!!!”
“!!”
The monster is behind us!
We have no choice now. I grab the goddess’s hand and run downhill, straight into Daidaros Street.
The street becomes a wide stairwell. A dark brick jungle looms ahead.
We rush in. The thick, humid air weighs us down almost immediately.
Several shabby stone shacks litter the main entrance of the residential… no, labyrinth town. Many magic stone lamps dot the sides of houses, weakly spitting light onto the street. There are people out walking around above and below us. They look like they know their way around these impossible pathways.
That woman sees us! Maybe she’ll help… or not. As soon as she sees the silverback, her eyes triple in size before she runs away. Others are doing the same. Why is no one helping us?!
“Guugaahhh!”
“…!”
It’s catching up. How long can the goddess keep this up? She doesn’t have Falna, like me.
Actually, she has kept up very well. But we have to keep moving, and she’s falling behind. Even now the beast is reaching for her!
“Goddess, this way!”
“O-okay…!”
We take a quick turn off the main road, in a completely different direction. This one goes up at a steep angle, but it also has branches. I pull the goddess into the closest turn. We’ve changed directions again! Change again and again, how many times now?
Did we lose it…?
We keep changing direction. Maybe it took a wrong turn and got lost?
I take a look over my shoulder, past the goddess. It’s not there. Maybe now I can finally catch my breath…
“—”
Something doesn’t feel right.
Small vibrations are traveling through the walls. I hear bricks cracking…
They are still a long ways off… a shadow?
Son of a bitch!
I can see a blotch of white on top of a building in front of the sliver of blue sky. That’s not a cloud…
It climbed to the top! It must have ignored the roads altogether and jumped from rooftop to rooftop like a wild animal swinging through trees! It’s coming after us from above!
It dives straight down like a bullet.
“Gyaaaaahhhhh!!!”
“!”
“Ah!”
A sneak attack from above! It’s going to land right on top of us! I have to let go of the goddess! It’ll crush us both!
It hits the ground with a bang, debris flying in its wake. The goddess and I get out of the way, but the beast is between us!
It’s facing me, and the goddess is backing up! Quick, before he turns around, I have to do something!
“Uhhhaaaooooooorrrrrrrr!!!!”
I take that blast of air and monster spit to the face. Nice teeth…
“—Hyaiiii!!!”
It’s not attacking… Was that a warning? Trying to scare me?!
Well, it worked. I can’t move a muscle. Everything is clamped down. The beast’s feral roar did what it was supposed to:
Scared the absolute shit out of me.
“Ragyaaa!!!!”
That thing isn’t fooling around. This feels like…
The lower fifth, below another beast, roaring in my face. The Minotaur… standing over me, drooling.
I can hear that mad cow’s howl… I just want to curl up, make it all go away.
“—Uuhhmm… aaaahhh!”
I’m standing at a fork in the road.
An enemy is in front of me. An enemy I’m not strong enough to cut. In the shadow of despair, the Minotaur. I want to get away.
There is a person over there. A very special person only I can protect. I can still feel her soft hand in mine, but it’s gone. I have to save her.
I’m scared—
Fear and duty. Cowardice and purpose. Instincts and emotion in opposition, unite.
I’m scared—
An undeniable impulse reaches out to a sense of responsibility.
I’m scared, but—
Even in the face of all of this…
—I’m a man, aren’t I?!?
… even the smallest part of a man’s resolve will not allow him to retreat.
Go!
Go!!
GO NOW!!
YOU HAVE TO!!!
DO NOT LEAVE “HER” BEHIND!!!!!!!!!!!!
“YAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!”
You listen to me, beastie. I’m not going anywhere!
I have no fear. I feel only courage in my veins. Forward!
Here I come, silverback!!!
“Gyaahhhhh!!!”
It’s moving to counter.
Its tree-trunk-size arm whips forward, the chain still latched to its wrist like a whip. My body twists on instinct, dodging the blow. I thrust my head down. Its sweeping right fist goes just over my neck.
I draw my blade. This is my chance.
A clear shot at the ribs under its arm. Thrust with everything you’ve got!!!
“Uhaha?!”
But…
Kishnnnn. My metal blade screams in pain.
The shock of impact shoots up my sword arm, my right wrist jammed.
My blade was rejected. It couldn’t pierce the beast’s white fur. For some reason, silver specks are sparkling where my blade hit.
—The blade! It’s broken?!
That realization hits me like a bolt of lightning. My blade is in pieces, floating away. The back of my throat is twitching…
I can’t hurt it! My attacks aren’t strong enough!
That moment seems to last forever, just me watching shards from my blade fall. Next thing I know, I’m in the air.
“Dahhh!”
The beast grabbed me with both of its hulking hands and pinned me against the wall.
All the air in my lungs leaves on impact. Eyes open as wide as they can go.
“Guruuuu…!”
The silverback’s malicious face is just inches away from mine.
It bares its fangs before I wrap my head around the situation. Its mouth is big enough to take my head off in one bite. Sheer terror floods my face.
“Beeelllll!!!!”
Is it going to end like this?
Me squirming around and the goddess’s voice screaming in my ear? I twist my body over and over, thrashing my arms to break its grip.
—My hand hits something!
There’s a magic stone lamp just below me!
No time to think. I yank the lamp out of the wall with one hand. I know the brightness control is on the back. Now if I can just reach the dial… There! Up to max output!
The palm of my hand suddenly becomes as bright as the sun. I can’t even keep my own eyes open. I shove the blazing lamp into the beast’s eye.
“GYIIGAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!”
The silverback roars in pain, letting me go to clutch its eyes. The monster staggers a few steps backward.
I fall to the street with a thud, finally free of the thick fingers crushing my shoulders.
My entire body is in pain, but that doesn’t matter right now. The goddess runs up to me with tears in her eyes. Before she can say anything, I grab her hand and take off running again.
“Bell…?”
“…!”
A pain that I can’t describe surges through me.
I can’t protect the goddess, no matter how much courage I muster.
I’m too weak to protect her…
Tiny, weak, feeble, delicate, soft, piece of trash, little punk, disgusting, nauseating.
I thought I had gotten over that night, but those words still haunt me.
I can still hear that animal guy’s voice ridiculing me in front of Ms. Wallenstein. Over and over and over.
It’s exactly the same.
I was too weak then; I’m too weak now. This is too painful to take.
“Uwwwwaaaarrrrrr!!!”
“!”
The beast howls in the distance.
The very walls of Daidaros Street are shaking. The beast is angry.
It’s still coming.
At this rate…
It’ll find us for the third time. There will be no escape.
What do I do…? What the hell can I do?!?!
How can I help the goddess? How can I protect her? How…?
“—”
Then, the answer comes to me. So simple.
A simple thought shows me the way. Something even a weakling like me can do.
Just as long as the goddess gets away, that’s all that matters.
“Hey, Bell, what’s with that look…?”
The goddess manages to ask me a question through her ragged breaths. I have a plan; I’ll see this through. The look on my face must have made her nervous. I heard it in her voice.
But I don’t answer her, just turn right at the next intersection.
This road has a gentle downward slope. A new path framed in black stones opens next to it, a long tunnel that leads underground. It must be a drain. I can see a light at the other end, which means that this tunnel opens at the end of the block. It’s an escape route.
I silently pull the goddess ahead of me and push her into the tunnel. She looks back over her shoulders, surprised to be ahead of me.
I give her one last push before stepping back to the tunnel entrance and sliding the iron gate shut.
“BELL?!?”
“Goddess… I’m sorry.”
The bars create a cold world between us.
My face looks grave. It takes every fiber of my being to squeeze out my next apologetic words.
“Goddess, please go on without me.”
“I… Wait, what are you going to do?!”
“… I’ll draw the monster away, buy you some time.”
There is only one way for someone as weak as I am to protect her.
I’ll be a decoy.
I’ll lure it away from here, giving the goddess enough time to escape to safety.
I don’t think she understands my plan… She’s just standing there with a startled look on her face.
“What are you saying, you idiot?”
“Please, Goddess. This may be the last time I see you, so please listen to me.”
“No! Absolutely not! I forbid you! Open this gate now, Bell!!”
“Goddess…”
She furiously shakes her head from side to side. She won’t go willingly…
She’s trying to squeeze her small body between the bars and frantically calls my name.
I’m so happy she cares about me this much… and sad at the same time.
There’s no time. I get down on my knees and look her in the eyes. I have to make her understand.
“Goddess… I… can’t lose my family again.”
“…!”
I bare my heart to her, everything.
It was before I came to Orario, before I met the goddess.
I lost my grandfather, my only family.
He was killed by a monster. He was attacked when he left the village on an errand.
I wasn’t there, I couldn’t do anything. One of my neighbors told me what happened.
I still feel the void left by his death. Even now I have a painful hole in my heart that he used to fill.
My heart has probably been craving a family since then.
“I’m scared of losing my family… not being able to protect anyone.”
I came to Orario to meet the girl of my dreams, the one I was fated to be with. That is not a lie. But it was my bond with my grandfather that pushed me this far. I came here to honor it, preserve it.
But, secretly even more than that, I wanted something else. To feel the warmth of a family.
The goddess gave me a new bond and family, a Familia.
I wanted a family.
“So please, Goddess. Let me protect you, my family!”
I can’t protect her, but I said that anyway. No, I said it because I can’t.
The goddess stands and listens, a look of pure agony on her face.
“… Please, get out of here quickly. Find help.”
“B…… Bell!!!”
I’ve said my piece. I stand up.
The goddess’s eyes are filled with tears, her face twisted. She looks at me, about to break down.
“… It will be okay. You know how good my Agility is. I’m an expert at running away.”
It takes all I have to force a reassuring smile to my lips.
I take one step back, spin, and sprint back up the street.
She cries out over and over, but I don’t look back.
I yell, “I’m sorry!” back to her. I’m sorry for being a useless weakling…
“……!”
I rub the tears out of my eyes with my arm as I run back up the sloping road.
I’m back to the intersection. The monster isn’t here, but I back off into the shadow of a wall. Keeping an eye on the rooftops, I reach into my leg holster and pull out a tube of one of Miaha Familia’s marlin-blue potions and down it in one gulp.
The pain melts away. Strength once again fills my body.
I’m calm, focused, ready.
“Ruaaaa!”
Here it comes from the other side of the block.
I jump into the middle of the intersection, make sure it sees me run to the other side.
“Uuhh…?”
“Hey! Over here!!”
It looks in all directions. The goddess is nowhere in sight. I yell even louder to get its attention.
The silverback stops in the intersection for a moment, looking down all three of the roads. It pauses, looking down the path toward the goddess. I hold my breath.
“… Gyaaaaaaa!!!”
It worked!
It’s coming after me. Time to get out of here!
Daidaros Street really is a maze. Everything looks the same: roads go in every direction, sudden staircases. It’s enough to make me wonder if I’ve already come through here. I can’t even tell which way is north.
While running this way, I noticed a few red arrows painted on the walls. They’re ariadne—street signposts, probably painted by the locals. They must lead to the entrance of the labyrinth block. The goddess should be able to get out of here easily if she can find one.
On the other hand, they might lead to the core of the maze. Either one is safer than being around me.
I decide to follow the ariadne for a while. It’s better than running around with no idea where I’m going.
“……”
We’re being watched.
There are people hiding in the shadows, watching from windows of their homes. All their eyes are following the monster and me as we tear through the streets. They’re scared.
Just who the hell is that…?
One set of eyes is boring into me. I can’t ignore it. It’s completely different from the rest; this person isn’t afraid.
They’ve been watching me since the beginning of the chase. It’s making my skin crawl. I can’t shake it.
It’s almost like they’re observing me…
I can’t describe this cold feeling flooding into my throat. I cover my mouth to cough.
“Gyaruuu!!”
“Gahh?!”
The silverback caught up to me before I could make it to the next intersection. I couldn’t dodge his ambush from above and went rolling down the street. Rolling, rolling, rolling. I emerge from the road into a large open space when I finally stop.
It must be some kind of a park. A lot of roads and stairwells lead to this spot. There’s even a shabby-looking fountain in the center spewing water into the air.
“Gyaraaaaa!!”
“?!”
The silverback bursts through the road I rolled out of. It’s even angrier than before—losing the goddess must have enraged the beast further still. And it’s coming right for me!
Somehow, it’s figured out how to swing the chains on its wrists around like metallic whips. Dodge left, right, dodge dodge dodge!!!
The combination of its incredibly powerful arms with the metal chains is absolutely brutal.
“—?!”
After all of that, it gets me.
The blow was aimed at my head but strikes me square in the chest. A shriek of pain shoots out of my lungs.
I succeed in blocking the chain with what’s left of my dagger, but the shock of the impact radiates through my body.
Red sparks fly from my blade as the beast pulls back the chain. The next moment, I’m spun to the ground like a rag doll.
“AH, gyhhhh?!”
I peel my torso off the ground with shaking arms. My body won’t listen to me. I can’t move forward.
This is hopeless; I can’t touch the monster. Not even close.
I’m just staring at the stones in the road, in pain both physically and mentally.
I slowly force my neck upward to find the silverback. It’s standing next to the fountain, growling and holding a chain in one hand. It’s spinning. I can hear the chain whistling through the air. Here comes the final blow…
I don’t want to die. I’m not ready to die. But this is hopeless. Part of me has already given up.
My strength is gone, my will almost broken. My neck feels like it could snap.
I wonder if the goddess got away… That’s the only thing on my mind now.
It was like this then, too…
Just like this.
When that person came.
When Aiz Wallenstein saved my life.
But she won’t save me this time. I would have liked seeing her face one last time. On the other hand, I’m glad she’s not here.
She won’t see me in this pitiful position again.
Thinking about that moment just made me more depressed. I drop my head back onto the street in shame.
“Bell!!”
“—”
Time freezes.
A voice pierces the fog in my head and grabs hold of my heart.
I raise my head. I can see clearly again. What I see makes my blood run cold.
Someone has come to help me. It wasn’t “her,” but it’s someone very important to me.
Hestia looks down at me, struggling to catch her breath.
Why? Why did you come back?
That question resonates over and over in my head. I can’t express the feelings that swell up in my chest.
“Ugyaruuu…”
“—”
Then, things go from bad to worse.
The silverback has found what it was looking for. Its eyes shift from me to its new target: Hestia.
And then those wide eyes focus on her.
The goddess is hunched over, trying to catch her breath. She’s an easy target for the silverback. It springs into motion a heartbeat later.
“Goddess!!”
I run.
Breaking all of my limits, I run.
I force my beaten and battered body up, closing the distance to the goddess in less than a second.
I pluck her thin frame from the clutches of the beast and hold her tight.
“…!”
Its meaty hand grazes through my field of vision as I half carry the goddess into the closest road leading away from the park.
At least, I thought it was a road. We dive into a sharp stairwell at full speed and tumble down the stone steps.
The world spins again and again, screams stuck in my throat.
“G-Goddess?! Are you okay?”
“Yes… I’m fine.”
We land on a particularly wide step with a thud. Fighting back the pain in my own body, I make sure she isn’t hurt. She looks dizzy, her head is flopping around, but her voice is clear.
I’m relieved for an instant, and then I let her have it.
“Why are you here?! I told you to run away, far away! Now luring it away was meaningless…!!”
The goddess’s clothes are soaked with sweat. She must have run all around Daidaros Street looking for me.
Either she predicted that I would follow the ariadne, or she followed the eyes of the onlookers and the howls of the silverback to find me.
Why did she come back?! All of my emotions are mixed, turning my voice inside out as I speak.
“… You really have no clue, do you?”
That’s what she says to me.
She wipes her dirty face with her arm and gives me a nice smile.
“I can’t just run away and leave you behind, now can I?”
“…!”
“You want to protect me? Right back at you.”
She doesn’t stop there. She silently mouths the words:
“You made a promise, right?”
“—Ah.”
I remember.
A promise that I should never have forgotten.
I made her a promise on that day. I swore to her.
—“Please don’t leave me alone.”—
I broke my promise when I gave up.
I was about to leave her on her own.
“… But, like this, both of us will…”
My face may have relaxed, but those words nearly tear me apart.
Sensing that I can’t finish that sentence, the goddess puts on a strong face and says in an equally strong voice, “It’s too early to give up, Bell.”
“Eh?”
“I have an idea.”
She reaches into the back of her robe and pulls out a small case.
She beams a triumphant smile when I look at the case. She starts to open it.
“Ah!”
“Huh?”
She freezes with her hand over the lid.
She looks up behind me, her mouth half open.
I follow her eyes to the top of the stairwell. A wild silhouette is diving right for us!
We lock eyes for a moment, our faces instantly pale.
“GYAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”
“AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!”
I grab what I can of her and jump.
The silverback lands hard, turning the spot we’d just inhabited into a crater. The goddess and I run as fast as we can down the last part of the stairwell.
She overtook me? When did the goddess get this fast?
Did she just say she wanted to protect me?!?
“Kyaaaa!!”
“G-GODDESS!!!”
The goddess yells as she trips over a stone in the road.
Time slows. Her hands are straight up, falling forward. I burst forward to catch her before she crashes to the ground. The silverback is right behind us.
“Sorry to be rude, Goddess!”
“Wahh?”
No time for complaints.
I hold her in my arms, completely violating all manners. My arms are wrapped under her shoulders and knees as I pick up speed.
I’m carrying her like the heroes carried the princesses in those stories. Her face is bright red against my chest.
“Sorry, Bell. I know this is hardly the time, but I’m sooooo happy right now!”
“What the heck are you saying, Goddess?!?!”
We’re inches from death and she’s happy?!? I don’t understand at all.
I keep running. I have to ignore my confusion to survive this incident. The goddess swings her arms around my neck, and I tighten my grip on her. I summon every ounce of energy I have left to keep running. It helps that the goddess’s body is unbelievably light. I make my way through the labyrinth at a full sprint and somehow manage to pull away from the monster.
But.
Luck abandons us at the last moment.
“A… dead end…”
Three tall houses surround us, the long road having ended in a cul-de-sac. There is only one road in here, and there’s no point turning back. The monster has us cornered.
I set the goddess down before taking a quick look around. Several of the residents are looking down at us. They quickly hide when they notice I can see them.
Monsters are scary. I know that they aren’t helping us because they’ll get dragged into this situation and possibly eaten. I don’t blame them for hiding.
After all that running, we can’t get away.
The goddess scratches her chin, like she’s thinking of something. I drop my head in despair.
“… No, this is good.”
“EH?!”
She only whispered those words, but I do a double take when they reach my ears.
She looks up at me with a confident smile, diminutive stature and all.
“Bell, you will slay that monster.”
“… uh?!”
“I will update your status right now. You will use up that power to take it down.”
Sure, she could update my status, and I would stand a better chance in a fight than before.
However… it won’t be enough.
The silverback is a lower-eleventh monster. I only just got out of the sixth alive. That’s five floors’ difference. An adventurer’s strength can be measured by the number of floors they’ve conquered. By the same token, a monster’s strength can be measured by the floor on which they are born. The difference in floor is the difference in power. Even if I got a little stronger from a status update, I obviously still have a long way to go to be on par with the silverback.
I wouldn’t measure up in a fight. And on top of that…
“… I can’t, Goddess. You saw it, too, right? I can’t scratch that monster. Even if I got a little stronger, I wouldn’t be able to land a killing blow on the silverback.”
The problem is with my basic attack strength.
When I put all of the Strength of my current status into what was supposed to be a killing blow before coming into Daidaros Street, it was blocked by the silverback’s fur.
Even with a stronger status backing up the weapon in my hand, I don’t think it can penetrate the beast’s defense.
“I… can’t slay it.”
My head falls as I mutter those words. I’m so pathetic.
All of those abusive things that animal guy said. All the other customers trying not to laugh and failing. I can see everything in my head so clearly, and all of it is telling me just how weak I am.
I can’t hurt the silverback, let alone slay it. I just can’t.
To top it all off, I have no confidence whatsoever.
“What if your attacks get stronger?”
“—Eh?”
“Could you slay it if you could do damage?”
She asks before opening the case in her hands. She removes the contents and holds it out for me.
A black knife encased in a black sheath rests in her palm.
I slowly reach out to take the weapon from her. I stand there almost in shock as I take the blade from its protective cover. The handle and sheath are black; the blade is no exception.
The black knife doesn’t curve like a claw. It’s straight as an arrow.
Plus, a series of complicated markings decorates the edges.
It starts glowing a deep purple in my hand, almost as if the “god knife” is responding to my touch.
I stand there, admiring the weapon and its beauty. It feels sacred, as if it was created by the gods themselves.
I look back up at the goddess. Her crystal-clear eyes meet mine.
“Bell, what happened to the boy I know? Didn’t you go deep into the Dungeon looking to pick up girls just a few days ago? What happened to the Bell who swore to get stronger, to never give up on his dreams? Where did he go?”
The goddess pulls her shoulders back and keeps talking like we were back at home.
“I believe in you. I realize I’m not part of that ‘adventure.’ I know that. If adventurer Bell Cranell is really after a monster of a woman, Wallensomething or other, then a monster like this shouldn’t be a problem.”
Her face is dead serious.
“I’ll help you win. I’ll make you win.”
“……”
“You might not believe in yourself right now. How about believing in me? And I believe you can do this.”
I feel like I’m about to burst into tears. The tip of my nose is numb. Waterfalls might be building up in my eyes.
She’s smiling back at me. I wipe the tears from my eyes with my sleeve and nod a “Yes” in reply.
The sun was brightly shining overhead.
The large ring of light in the sky cast many deep shadows over the roads of Daidaros Street and the many races of inhabitants living there.
The sun’s rays were particularly strong on a long, dead-end road.
Faster, faster, faster! Hurry!
Hestia’s fingers were a blur as she muttered under her breath.
She sat behind a kneeling Bell, working furiously to update his status.
Bell had removed his badly damaged light armor, leaving behind only a black undershirt. Hestia placed a drop of her blood onto the back of his shirt; one layer of fabric was not thick enough to keep her from writing hieroglyphs into his skin. Her hands did not slow down.
It was unnecessary to follow them with her eyes. All she had to do was find the excelia within him and draw it out to change his status. As long as she could locate his excelia, one inner shirt wasn’t going to get in the way.
Listen up, Hestia, this is important.
Hesita’s nerves were on ice. The monster could come at any moment. Hephaistos’s voice ran though her head.
This knife has your hieroglyphs, your blessing. This weapon is alive.
The “Hestia Knife” was forged from Hephaistos’s mythril and engraved with Hestia’s blessing. It was a blade with its own status.
There were so many hieroglyphs on it that the entire weapon turned black.
It is the same as a child who received Falna. The weapon will grow stronger using the wielder’s excelia along with him.
The knife was engraved with Hestia’s hieroglyphs—only someone with her blessing could wield it. This made it unsalable and useless as a weapon. Hephaistos told her one more thing:
If the wielder gets stronger, so will it. As an adventurer gets stronger, he will unlock more and more of this blade’s potential.
It was the perfect “high-quality blade for newbie adventurers.”
An ever-growing partner, it would never be too strong or too weak for its user.
Right now, this weapon is about as powerful as tissue paper. However, it will take its first breath when it reaches the boy Bell Cranell’s hands and grow from there.
If the blade’s user stayed weak, so would it.
But if the user became the “most powerful” adventurer, it would become the “most powerful” weapon.
A weapon that can instantly become the best is bad for business. It’ll put us smiths out of a job. I won’t be making another one of these, ever.
She might have complained throughout the entire process, but Hephaistos had made her wish into reality. Hestia thanked her many times over.
Now, the “Hestia Knife” was growing alongside Bell.
She was making it into a weapon that could slay the silverback.
The only problem is…
Bell’s skill, Realis Phrase. How much would he grow, and how much stronger would the weapon become?
“Goddess! It’s here!”
“!”
It rounded the corner of the long road, spotting them immediately. Hestia’s heartbeat shot through the roof.
At the same time, she finished the last stroke. Bell’s status update was complete.
Bell Cranell
Level One
Strength: G-221 → E-403 Defense: H-101 → H-199
Utility: G-232 → E-412 Agility: F-313 → D-521 Magic: I-0
