Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Vol. 6 (24 page)

Tiona had been supplying the two of them with food and items for the past five days. It was thanks to her that Bell and Aiz could focus solely on training.

Bell couldn’t shake the feeling that he was building up quite a large debt to the always smiling, happy-go-lucky Amazonian girl Tiona. With the exception of Ushiwakamaru, he couldn’t count how many blades had snapped in half or been damaged beyond repair during their combat sessions.

“Well, I heard quite a bit around town. First off, the War Game is four days from now.”

“Four days…”

“Yep. It’s gonna happen outside of Orario, so we have to think about travel time…I’d say you’ve got maybe two more days left.”

Tiona continued to relay the information she had collected that day.

Her update complete, Bell looked out over the guardrail and across the beautiful cityscape.

“Exactly one week…Goddess.”

The five days of training plus two more would make one week. Bell said a quick thank-you to his goddess, who had managed to deliver on her promise.

Bell’s ruby-red eyes smiled; he knew that somewhere in this gorgeous city, Hestia was smiling back.

“Also, you’ll never guess what was posted on the Guild’s bulletin board.
Hestia Familia
has some new members.”

“Eh?!”

“Soma, Takemikazuchi, Hephaistos…Looks like all three of them transferred someone.”

Bell fought to contain his surprise and delight until Tiona was finished talking. The two girls watched as his face lit up and tears of happiness rolled down his face.

Hestia had saved Lilly, plus Welf and Mikoto were coming to help him. He didn’t need to know the details because he already understood. The black void that had been eating away at him finally lifted, a new warmth flooding his soul.

Bell stretched out his arms. He looked at Aiz and Tiona with renewed strength and willpower, feeling stronger than ever.

“Another round, please!”

The look in his eyes made Aiz and Tiona smile.

“Yes…”

“Try to keep up!”

The two girls went on the offensive beneath the red sky.

Three sets of legs dashed about with blinding speed.

Aiz, Tiona, and Bell mixed attack with counterattack in the very limited space on top of the city wall. Two daggers, one silver saber, and two insanely wide swords struck with jolting impacts, sparks lighting up the twilight sky.

“Ehsaa!”

Bell did everything he could to keep the attacks of two top-class adventurers at bay. All the while he couldn’t take his eyes off the massive blades in the Amazonian girl’s grasp. Despite learning how to defend against attacks from the side, knowing that another blade exactly like that edge of death was following right behind it sent shivers up his spine.

He knew immediately that the weapons were order made. Seeing her wield the thick, heavy blades as if they were nothing more than shortswords was the stuff of nightmares. The Amazonian girl smiled, practically laughing as she danced her way into every strike.

Rather than trying to defend against such an attack head-on, Bell chose to get out of the way.

Jumping back to avoid the first and to his right to dodge the second, the boy managed to get clear. However, Tiona charged forward even though her weapons weren’t poised to strike.

“Hup!” Spinning in midair, Tiona unleashed a kick right into Bell’s face.

“Geh?!”

The wheat-colored skin of her bare foot buried itself in his cheek, sending the boy flying backward. Hitting the stone floor and bouncing several times, Bell rolled to a merciful stop.

“Try not to use potions. If you take one after every hit, you’ll run out really quick. Better to kick the habit.”

“I-I’ll try…”

Tiona approached him with her swords over her shoulders, looking like wings from hell. Aiz wasn’t too far behind. Tiona gave him some advice as soon as she saw the boy’s hand reach for his leg holster.

“That’s the thing about being an adventurer. We still have to be able to move even after the crap’s been beaten out of us!”

Although she was holding back, the kick of a top-class adventurer to the face can inflict immense damage. Bell slowly nodded as feeling returned to his head. Just as she’d suggested, it would be a good idea to learn how to fight well when not at full strength. The lesson had literally been beaten into him.

Gritting his teeth, Bell climbed to his feet as Tiona looked on with a satisfied smile.

“My turn.”

“?!”

The session started back up. Bell was forced to use both knives in order to repel Aiz’s direct attack.

Not only that, Tiona circled around to his blind side and continued her assault. Two of the greatest sword wielders in Orario weren’t holding back any techniques on top of the city wall. Bell desperately intercepted each strike, deflecting the blades out of his ever-changing path. However, he hadn’t come here to learn how to defend. He had to find a window for counterattack.

Fighting off his own cowardice, Bell surprised both of them by charging forward.

“!”

Aiz’s posture slipped ever so slightly.

Her feet and shoulders weren’t on the same page, moving in different directions as Bell came in for his attack. Bell couldn’t believe his luck. The girl’s feminine frame was trying to retreat, leaving her side wide open. This was his chance and he didn’t hesitate.

A golden opportunity—score a hit on the Kenki.

Taking aim for her ribs, Bell took a quick step forward and thrust the dagger in his left hand toward his opponent.

“Hm.”

“—”

But Aiz spun her body around like a top, armor a blur.

Taking advantage of his outstretched position, Aiz easily dodged the weapon and traded places with Bell. Now directly behind him, she whipped her saber forward with less than her full strength and nailed the light armor protecting the boy’s back.

“BuuHA?!”

“You dove for the opening…” said Aiz as Bell landed flat on his chest on top of the stone floor.

Only then did Bell realize it was a trap. She had baited and set it for the rabbit as though to demonstrate the prowess of a skilled hunter. Bell’s head hit the stone surface in disappointment.

The boy pushed off the stone floor into a sitting position. Aiz crouched down in front of him and continued her lesson.

“Monsters and people fight differently…”

“Y-yes.”

“Monsters always attack head-on, aiming to kill…but people read each other, change their strategy.”

Unlike monsters that used their full power all the time, people used techniques and experience to gain the upper hand in a fight. This was especially true of the combatants of similar strength and skill.

“People become easier to read when they see a window. Just like now.”

“…!”

“Guard is lowest when the final blow is near…That’s what I was taught.”

People became overconfident when they saw victory within their grasp, which meant they neglected to cover their blind side.

That was especially true during a duel.

Bell looked up, making eye contact with Aiz as she finished her impassioned explanation.

“Your best opportunity lies in the moment you’ve been cornered. Don’t forget.”

Bell carved her words into his very soul.

Aiz held out her hand. Bell nodded and took it.

She pulled him to his feet.

“How about some more?”

“Yeah…”

“Yes!”

Both combatants nodded at Tiona’s invitation and their battle heated up once more.

Lessons of the top-class adventurers fresh in his mind, Bell continued his training long into the night.

In order to grasp victory or to rescue a friend.

Each of the people caught in the whirlpool was taking their own actions for their own reasons and coming together.

The city of Orario might appear calm on the surface, but excitement was building underneath its placid exterior.

The War Game was fast approaching. With each passing day, the average citizens of the city discussed it on the streets, at their workplaces, and over a jug of ale at their favorite bar. The number of adventurers going into the Dungeon fell dramatically, forcing disappointed shops to close early. No one seemed to want to do anything else. Even the children seemed to sense that something was different. Many of them gathered in city parks wielding toy swords and staging their own games.

Orario was quietly, but undoubtedly, boiling over with excitement. It grew more intense as the War Game drew nearer.

Most of all, the ones closest to the people caught in the whirlpool had their own reactions as they watched the preparations unfold.

The curtain of night fell over the city, revealing a star-filled sky.

The white tower in the middle of it all looked over the city as magic-stone lamps gradually lit up its surroundings.

“Lady Freya, it has been completed as ordered…Lady Freya?”

In the highest room of Babel Tower.

While Freya heard the words of her follower, Ottar, she didn’t respond in the slightest.

The man looked upon her in concerned confusion as she ran her fingers through her long, gorgeous silver hair. The goddess sat in her usual chair facing the window, watching something outside with so much intensity that Ottar was afraid the glass would melt.

“…Fu-fu.”

Her silver eyes were being drawn to a fierce battle taking place atop the city wall.

The blond-haired, golden-eyed knight along with the warrior wielding massive twin blades fought two-on-one against a white-haired boy. Two female, one male, three different spirits “glowed” as they clashed. Freya was enjoying every second of it.

She felt no pity for the boy whenever he was launched into the air by the Amazonian girl or cut down by the long-haired human.

This was because every time the boy got up, his soul shone brighter. It was as if this training ground was a forge and the girls were eliminating all impurities, like a smith prepping metal. They were drawing out his soul’s clear glow.

It was that glow that originally drew Freya to him and would hold her interest until the end of time. Every hit the boy took added a new sparkle. The goddess sat there, completely transfixed.

“…Are you certain that we can allow Apollo’s followers to go through with this?”

Ottar tried once again to draw her attention away from the city wall.

Her eyes stayed put, but she used one thin finger to pull a lock of her silver hair behind her ear and grinned.

“I thought about crushing them for trying something so stupid but…No.”

Her silver eyes narrowed as they followed the boy charging back into battle against the human girl and the Amazon.

“No goddess worthy of her divinity wouldn’t want to see how this turns out.”

Her cheeks pulled back into a full smile as she looked down from her spot among the stars.

Unable to rest, the stars twinkled brightly through the night.

Even at this late hour, the Guild headquarters was alive with activity. Clerks holding stacks of papers, receptionists carrying boxes upon boxes, and employees with no time to sit down were busily working in every corner of the Pantheon decorated with white pillars.

With the War Game only four days away, there was enough work to be done to make their eyes spin.

“No more! I’m gonna
die
right here!”

“Misha, you’re too heavy…”

The human receptionist Misha set yet another stack of papers down on her desk before drifting over to Eina and collapsing onto her back amid the commotion. The half-elf looked at her old friend with tired eyes as she spoke again.

“Eina, wha’cha doing…?”

“Making a plan to keep people away from the war zone…Advising, I guess.”

A small mountain range of paperwork encircled her desk, each pile bearing Eina’s handwriting.

“Do not enter” was written in big, bold letters—all referring to the Shreme Castle ruins located southeast of Orario.

“Shreme Castle…Didn’t that group of robbers decide to move in a while back?”

“Yes.
Ganesha Familia
accepted our request to remove them ahead of time. A few quests have also been issued to help them out…It’s a good opportunity to catch them while we can.”

Eina continued writing while she responded to Misha’s question.

Misha could hear the constrained energy in Eina’s voice despite her weak tone. The girl looked at the side of Eina’s face before standing up and bringing her chair next to her.

“Eina…are you worried about Bell?”

“…Worried? How could I not be worried…”

Her expression became cloudy as her emerald eyes trembled.

Her head drooped as she brought her hand to her chest. One of the adventurers assigned to her, practically a little brother at this point, was caught up in a battle between
Familias
. And now he’d been forced into a War Game in which it wasn’t uncommon for participants to die. Needles pierced her heart just by visualizing the boy’s innocent smile—would she never see it again?

If she could convince him to run away or maybe assist him, maybe she wouldn’t be in this much pain.

“But I’m an employee of the Guild…I can’t interfere in any way.”