The giant howled and the earth trembled. The air burned with the scorching heat of erupting flame and thunder.
"He actually won..."
Asfi was stunned. Her trump card, the winged sandals, wobbled beneath her as she trembled in shock. According to their intel, Bell Cranel had only been in Orario for barely half a month. Yet this Minotaur, classified as Lv2, had been defeated just like that.
There was no doubt the boy had already reached the threshold of Lv2. His accumulated Excelia and experience far outstripped anyone else's, and he had probably already brushed against the limit of what a human could achieve.
His pace of growth was several times faster than the Sword Princess, a prodigy in her own right. And despite such unbelievable speed, his Status was building on an incredibly solid foundation. How many life-or-death battles had he fought through? How many monsters had he cut down? Asfi couldn't even begin to imagine.
But witnessing this life-or-death struggle, she suddenly remembered something her Familia God, Hermes, had once said. After visiting an old friend, the smiling god had left her with a line full of meaning:
"The heroes have gathered. The era will move forward. Let us witness, with our own eyes, the one who will lead it all—the Last Hero."
The Last Hero...
Asfi didn't want to let her thoughts wander too far; that would only invite trouble. Yet before she realized it, Hermes-sama's words had already overlapped with the boy's silhouette in her mind. The giant reached out with its right hand, swinging toward the momentarily stunned Asfi.
Ryuu fired her Magic without hesitation to cover her.
She couldn't make sense of the emotions surging through her. Her heart churned violently, as if she had just clawed her way out of an endless abyss. She should have felt happy, yet a strange loneliness clung to her. The moment the giant's axe struck the boy, Ryuu felt as though she herself had been slashed. The pain tore through her chest and ripped at her heart.
Without thinking, she shouted his name.
No restraint, no distance—just the desperate need for her voice to reach his ears. Watching him drink the potion and throw himself back into the fight, Ryuu's heart twisted with worry, hope, fear, yearning... all tangled together. The boy's unwavering sense of justice shone far too brightly. Standing there, Ryuu felt as though she were right beside him, hearing the wings of justice take flight.
Ryuu knew the truth. Ever since that battle with the mercenary, she had been drawn to that radiance. What rose within her wasn't simple watchfulness, but the impulse to walk at his side. Everything she had once abandoned, everything she had pursued through a life of tragedy—she saw all of it reflected in this boy.
When she saw the flame pillar erupt, joy welled up within her from the very bottom of her heart. But immediately afterward came a loneliness—the sense that she stood far, far away from that shining figure.
She respected the boy's convictions, but she absolutely refused to acknowledge his harem declaration. If not for Syr, Ryuu would have long since lectured the boy properly, corrected his thinking, and made Bell understand what genuine affection truly was.
But that thought was fading. Anyone could see the boy was serious. It wasn't childishness or empty bravado—it was staking everything he had on making that seemingly impossible declaration real. Caught between clashing values, beneath that battle-forged, awe-inspiring back, Ryuu was lost.
If the boy truly kept his heart pure, and if the girls all felt as Syr did—willing to accept that outcome—then maybe that absurd declaration wasn't entirely impossible. The deeper she fell into those thoughts, the more muddled her heart became.
In terms of identity, she was merely a friend to Syr, and there would always be a girl standing between her and the young man. There was no need to think too deeply—she only needed to offer her blessings to Syr and the boy, nothing more.
Yet whenever she pictured the two of them walking side by side, an inexplicable sting would pierce Ryuu's heart. Ryuu didn't dare think any further. This feeling must be because she was Syr's friend, simply empathizing with her…
Ryuu didn't dig into the source of that emotion. As if deceiving herself, she hastily settled on that conclusion. She swung her wooden sword, as though trying to cut through the knots tangled inside her chest.
The Floor Boss continued to endure their attacks, yet its wounds kept healing at a startling pace. Ais was already exhausted. Accompanied by Riveria, she had single-handedly hunted down the 37th Floor's Floor Boss. On the way back, unable to contain the emotions roiling inside her, Ais had vented by slaughtering every monster they encountered. She was like a blade that had gone far too long without sharpening or maintenance.
When the boy had been struck by the giant's axe, the stunned Ais had also taken a heavy blow from the giant. Her condition had plunged into a miserable state. Exhaustion and fragility gnawed away at her heart. For a moment, Ais truly feared the boy would die.
But she had heard his roar. She had caught sight of that blazing pillar of flame. Every inch of her skin felt the scorching heat. Pure effort. Pushing past limits, wagering everything, stepping into true adventure. Beneath that miracle stood the form of a true hero.
Inside her heart, the little girl she once was seemed to shout with joy: Bell is just like the father I used to dream of… Too dazzling… Too warm…
The hot wind the boy brought with him felt like a sword sheath, wrapping Ais in endless warmth. A distant dream seemed to take shape before her eyes. Even the black flames in her heart were soothed a little. Beyond the romance between her savior and her friend… Today… Ais had gained one more reason to remember Bell Cranel.
...
The crystal canopy of the Eighteenth Floor glimmered with a faint blue-white light. Night had just fallen over Rivira Town.
Exhausted, Asfi scolded Laurier.
"Do you have any idea how worried I was?! Coming all the way down to the 18th floor, and then getting dragged into a fight with the Floor Boss…"
Thanks to the Sword Princess and the Nine Hell who arrived shortly afterward, Asfi had managed to escape unscathed. Both the giant and the Minotaur that had fought the boy were clearly mutated specimens. This rescue operation had gone far beyond anything Asfi expected.
"I'm sorry… but I'm truly grateful the Captain saved Bell!"
Laurier expressed her thanks earnestly. Having lived outside the city for so long, she hadn't realized Riveria was the famed Nine Hell. Only after witnessing her magic did the realization finally strike. But even that shock was nothing compared to what the boy had shown them.
When Laurier and Riveria arrived, the horde of Minotaurs had already vanished, replaced by the Floor Boss's continuous howls. Laurier clearly saw the boy's condition. Though his wounds had been healed by potions, the traces remained. His inner clothes were shredded as if torn apart by countless strikes. The protective light armor had a massive, terrifying axe gash running straight from top to bottom. Blood was smeared across both sides without a single gap. Those dark red marks, recording the boy's pain, made Laurier's eyes widen.
On the way here, she had made up her mind. Bell had shattered despair and saved her like a hero. Laurier should have greeted him with a smile. But the moment she saw him after that deadly battle, she couldn't help but cry. Tears burst from her eyes, dragging out every tremor and worry in her heart. Her heart pounded wildly. Laurier couldn't understand this emotion.
"Bell… Bell!"
Following the impulse of her body, she rushed forward, calling his name as she embraced him. Crystal-clear tears shimmered, reflecting her beautiful golden-haired face.
From a distance, Ryuu looked at the golden-haired elf nestled in the boy's arms. Her willow-shaped brows tightened ever so slightly.