On the 59th floor, the elite squad maintained its formation as they retreated toward the entrance to the passageway.
The once towering forest had been reduced to a wasteland by the firestorm, and the air was thick with the stench of charred wood.
The ash-covered ground had also been battered by the meteorite Magic, leaving it riddled with craters.
As if the terrible terrain weren't enough, the Dungeon itself seemed intent on pouring its malice upon them.
"Where are all these things coming from? We already killed so many of them in the Dragon's Vase..."
Tsubaki frowned as she watched the Viola and Virga monsters relentlessly surge toward them.
"These new types of monsters are probably remnants from the Dragon's Vase. They were drawn here by the enormous surge of Magic Power earlier, so they ignored the boundaries between floors and reached this place through the passageway. Still, we're actually quite fortunate. If they'd been mixed in with the other monsters in the Dragon's Vase, dealing with them would have been much more difficult."
Finn laid out the situation, reassuring the exhausted members of the squad.
This wasn't something they needed to be overly concerned about. In fact, luck was on their side.
Compared to the treacherous terrain of the Dragon's Vase, fighting monsters like the Viola out here in the vast, open wasteland gave them a clear field of vision, left little room for ambushes, and limited the variety of monsters they had to deal with.
For a party already exhausted in both body and mind, this was about as manageable a situation as they could hope for.
"Falling behind already? Even Bell Cranel is moving faster than you."
Gareth turned toward the Werewolf beside him with a hearty grin and taunted him.
Two Viola charged straight at him. Despite being covered in blood, Gareth showed no intention of dodging. He swung his Durandal Great Axe, and a fierce flash of silver cleaved both monsters in half.
"You've got to be kidding me. A pathetic bunch like this aren't even good enough to use as stepping stones!"
Bete charged forward ferociously and crashed headfirst into the wall formed by a mass of Virga packed together.
The two of them served as the vanguard during the retreat. Although Bete had suffered the worst injuries, the Elixir had already healed most of his wounds. Their Mind recovery potions had been used up, and since neither Bete nor Gareth had used any Magic, they naturally became the main force responsible for sweeping away the monsters.
Silver flashes tore through the battlefield as the monsters' shrill screams rang out one after another.
Now that Finn had regained his senses, Bell returned command of the party to him. Even so, the stirring toll of that bell had already been engraved in everyone's hearts.
Bete and Gareth were covered from head to toe in blood, yet both wore savage grins, almost as though they were competing to see who could kill more monsters. Not the slightest trace of fear could be seen in either of them.
"There aren't any monsters on the flanks at all."
Tiona couldn't help complaining.
She and her twin sister were stationed on opposite sides of the formation to guard against attacks from the flanks, but all the new monsters were pouring in through the entrance to the 59th-floor passageway. With Bete and Gareth rampaging at the front, hardly any managed to slip past them.
Ryuu, who had been assigned to the rear guard, found herself in much the same situation.
"..."
Ryuu did her best to maintain her usual dignified composure and keep her imagination from running wild.
This was a battlefield, definitely not a place for flirting. The atmosphere around Cranel-san might feel a little strange, but that had to be her imagination.
Yes. This was simply an unavoidable way of moving around. She absolutely couldn't let herself think about it too much.
Ryuu desperately restrained her wandering thoughts and focused on watching for monster attacks, but another girl casually brought up the very subject she was trying not to think about.
"Captain, why is Argonaut-kun holding the Vice Captain like that?"
Tiona blinked in confusion.
"..."
Finn had intended to ignore the question. He remained silent for a moment, but the innocent look on the Amazoness girl's face made it obvious that she wouldn't let the matter drop.
"Elves are particular about cleanliness. Among the people still able to move freely, Bell Cranel is the most suitable choice."
Finn repeated the same explanation as before.
"Hmm... But if the Vice Captain is that particular about cleanliness, wouldn't it make more sense for Alicia to carry her? Or are the Vice Captain and Argonaut-kun already close enough that hugging each other doesn't matter?"
Tiona had spotted the flaw in his explanation.
Being particular about cleanliness should apply equally to everyone. Singling out the boy for special treatment didn't make much sense no matter how she looked at it.
"..."
Finn hadn't expected Tiona, who had never exactly been known for her sharp mind, to notice something like that.
He cleared his throat and explained, "When Riveria first met Bell Cranel, she personally carried him while he was injured. Given how urgent the situation is now, there's nothing strange about him returning the favor."
In truth, there was hardly any logical connection between those two things. Finn simply knew his companions well enough to deliberately frame it as repayment of an old favor, even if the explanation didn't really hold up.
"She carried him before... so now it's fine for him to hold her? Huh? I still don't get it."
Tiona couldn't follow the logic at all. If anything, she only became more confused.
"Idiot, why do you care so much? Just watch the left flank and make sure Bell Cranel and the Vice Captain don't get hurt."
Tione glanced toward the boy near the rear center of the formation and put an end to her younger sister's curiosity.
"Hmm... I just thought it was kind of strange. Oh well. As long as everyone's safe, that's what matters~"
Tiona stopped dwelling on it.
She looked toward the boy and thoughtfully suggested, "Argonaut-kun, you could have Alicia help carry Lefiya."
Before Bell could answer, an extremely reluctant question slipped from Lefiya's lips.
"Huh? No?"
Only after the words left her mouth did Lefiya realize how rude she had sounded.
She hurriedly tried to explain herself. "I definitely don't dislike Alicia-san! It's just... um, th-there's no need to go to all that trouble, haha..."
"Huh? But isn't it a little too heavy for Argonaut-kun to carry one person on his back while holding another?"
Tiona dropped a bombshell.
In an instant, all the elf girls erupted at once.
"I-I'm not heavy at all?! I've only gained a tiny bit of weight... No... that's not it! My chest has just developed a little more. My weight hasn't gone up at all!"
Lefiya protested, her face bright red.
"To call Riveria-sama heavy is beyond unreasonable!"
"Exactly! Riveria-sama is perfect in every way, from her height to her figure!"
Ryuu and Alicia immediately fired back in Riveria's defense.
"I-I get it..."
Tiona felt thoroughly defeated.
Generally speaking, elf women tended to have slender figures, while Amazonesses like Tione were known for their impressive chests.
Yet the elves gathered around the boy all surpassed Tiona in that particular area.
"..."
Ais glanced down at her own chest.
They had been talking about weight, so why did it suddenly feel as though the conversation had shifted to something else?
Was the size of this really that important?
Ais hesitated for a moment.
And in the very instant her gaze left the boy, Riveria stirred in Bell's arms.
***
...
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
[email protected]/PinkSnake (70 Chapters Ahead).
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.
***