Once upon a time, Ais often had the same dream.
In it, she was just an ordinary girl, laughing and playing, sometimes crying and acting spoiled. A faint, gentle smile always curved her lips.
And within that warm dream, there was a beautiful blonde woman.
The girl called her "Mama."
The woman would smile softly and tell her a story in an unhurried voice.
In endless darkness, a princess lay asleep.
Her time was frozen, her heart sealed away. Deep within the forest, she would never awaken.
Until a young man came to save her.
When the princess finally opened her eyes, the ice encasing her melted into love, and she lived happily ever after with the young man.
And that was where the story ended.
The woman would gently close the book and offer the girl her blessing.
"May you one day meet the one from your own story."
The young girl did not understand those words. She didn't even notice the sincerity in her mother's smile.
She only felt warmth. She only wanted to remain in that embrace forever.
But dreams never follow the path one hopes for.
By the time the girl realized something was wrong, she was already lying on the ground.
Cold seeped up from the floor into her bones. Ruthless walls stretched endlessly around her.
It was like a labyrinth.
Or perhaps an inescapable prison.
In the suffocating darkness, the roar of monsters echoed without end.
She tried to move her legs, tried to stand, but no matter how hard she struggled, her body would not obey.
Tears streamed down her face.
Just as the monster's claws were about to strike, a figure stepped in front of her.
A flash of silver.
The monster collapsed.
What followed was a warm embrace, and gentle reassurance.
But the rest of the dream was nothing like the story.
The young man was not the hero from the tale.
He already belonged to the girl's mother.
"I hope that one day, you will meet a hero who belongs to you."
Like her mother, the young man gently stroked her hair and offered a quiet blessing.
And then the dream ended.
Ever since Ais became "strong," she had never dreamed of that hazy past again.
Even when she deliberately tried to remember, she couldn't grasp a single fragment.
Not until she met Bell.
Was it because the boy had saved her life, just like in the story, that those memories resurfaced?
Ais didn't know what love was.
But in the instant Bell turned and walked away, something stirred in the heart of the seemingly unfeeling girl.
She was sitting on the ground, powerless.
He stood before the monster, his back straight and unwavering.
It was exactly the same as in her dream.
All kinds of emotions welled up inside Ais. Without her realizing it, the bud of affection had already begun to sprout.
Silent and unseen.
Yet like the [wind] that coiled around Bell, it carried with it an irresistible blessing and protection.
...
The second round of battle had yet to begin.
Worry and urgency clouded Cassandra's beautiful face.
At the edge of her vision, the boy had only just turned away when the crimson dagger in his hand shattered into pieces.
The storm was both a blessing and an uncontrollable blade.
The scarlet fragments were mercilessly swept away by the wind, drawing a frown from Welf.
It only took a moment's thought to understand. Back when Ais was Level 5, she could already stand among top-tier adventurers by relying on that magic.
The price of [Ariel] was never something Welf's forged [Ushiwakamaru] could withstand.
The same was likely true for Bell's body.
"Greatsword… Greatsword…"
Cassandra was frantic.
She hated her dreams. No matter how she struggled, they always brought disaster to others, just like the name of the Skill Hestia had told her.
[Five Dimension Troia].
Because of that Skill, Cassandra had once feared sleep itself.
As long as she closed her eyes, calamity might be born.
She had lost count of the nights she forced herself to stay awake.
But ever since she met Bell, everything had changed.
Simply because of a promise with the boy, the nights that once felt like monstrous darkness became, in Cassandra's eyes, her only connection to Bell Cranel.
As long as she dreamed, she could approach him without pretense. She could stand before him and feel that flutter in her chest, that warmth.
Only within dreams did she share a secret with him.
Throughout this single day, she had done everything she could to interpret the prophecy. She avoided the Central Crystal, guided everyone to the passage on the nineteenth floor, and made sure Lili kept the antidote safe.
Now the Phoenix Fire was burning, and the Sword Princess's tempest rose for the boy.
Only the greatsword was nowhere to be found.
"Is there a greatsword here?!"
Leaning on her staff, Cassandra hurried among the fallen adventurers.
"Another strange dream? Stop running around. Recover your stamina and Mind. That's the only way you can help the Captain."
Daphne sat on the ground, blood staining her body.
Earlier, her friend had tried to sacrifice herself, only for Bell to take the crushing blow instead.
Daphne's thoughts were in chaos. She forced herself to put on the iron mask of a commander and stay calm.
"No, the Captain's weapon shattered! And that dagger won't be able to deal a fatal blow to a giant!"
Cassandra explained quickly, never mentioning her dream.
Daphne nodded after a moment. "I'll help you look…"
At that moment, Bors overheard them.
"Now that you mention it, the Sword Princess left a black greatsword with me for safekeeping. It's still in the warehouse at Rivira Town."
It was a Drop Item from the Floor Boss of the thirty-seventh floor.
On the way back, Ais had run into Bell and the others. The boy's battle with the Minotaur had been so overwhelming that she completely forgot about the black greatsword.
"Really?! Could you bring it here?"
Cassandra rushed over.
"Look at me. I can barely walk. It's in the shop, not even locked. Just go in and you'll see it. Go get it yourselves."
As a Level 3, Bors was one of the few who had fought until the very end. His body was covered in wounds. He had no strength left to move.
"…"
Cassandra frowned.
With her speed and stamina, if she hobbled all the way to Rivira Town with her staff, Bell's battle with the Floor Boss would probably be over by the time she returned.
"Lili will go!"
Lili suddenly stepped forward.
Out of everyone present, only the supporter still had the stamina to run.
"There might be stray monsters left…"
Daphne calmly pointed out.
"It's fine! Lili will definitely bring the greatsword back!"
There was no hesitation in her voice.
She threw off her cumbersome backpack and sprinted away.
...
Cinderella was never meant to have a happy dream.
In fairy tales, beautiful dresses, warm embraces, dazzling balls… those dreams all came true.
Lili had once thought the story ridiculous.
No prince would fall in love with a lowly Cinderella.
The ending was surely nothing more than the heroine's own fantasy.
All Cinderella could truly have was dust filling her lungs, freezing scraps of food, and a cruel reality that dragged her further and further down.
Just like herself.
And yet, Lili met her own prince, Bell.
In his eyes, she was not the version she became through transformation, but the pitiful girl who had struggled for years, exactly as she was.
There was no pity. No indulgence.
He simply took her hand and led her onto a brighter path.
Everything about him shone.
Lili could swear it to anyone.
She liked him.
No.
She loved Prince Bell.
Her feelings were far stronger than any love written in fairy tales.
And so she ran.
A supporter could only do so much. Lili had never found the chance to confess her feelings.
He was too dazzling.
So she set a goal for her weak self. If she could help Bell in three separate incidents, she would confess to him.
Like Cinderella making a wish, that promise pushed her forward.
The wind roared past her ears. The forest blurred before her eyes.
Just as she was about to reach Rivira Town, a monster blocked her path.
"Your wound is mine. My wound is mine."
Short magic wove itself into being.
Lili didn't slow down for even a second.
She transformed into her [Almiraj] form and dashed straight past the monster.
There was no time to waste. Every second concerned the boy's safety.
Carrying both her worry for him and her longing for that dream, Lili cast aside her fear and ran along the shortest path.
From the corner of her vision—
The boy and the Floor Boss were locked in fierce combat.