"Honestly… try to be a little more ladylike…"
Tione watched her younger sister hopping around, her expression full of helpless frustration.
"Tione-san, are you taking a break too?" Bell asked.
"Yeah. Because of the dungeon uprising, the original expedition was canceled. We're still getting things ready," Tione replied honestly.
"…Is it really okay to tell me that?"
Bell was a little surprised she would casually mention her familia's plans.
"You saved Ais, so it's fine."
Tione abruptly shifted topics and looked at the group. "Since you're playing detectives, could you help me find my true love?!"
"Nya?!" Chloe yelped in shock.
"..."
Bell hadn't expected such a bizarre request either.
Tione was usually fairly reserved, but her way of thinking was unconventional, sometimes flaring up like a raging fire.
"You mentioned back in Rivira Town that you wanted a strong man as your partner, right, Tione-san?" Bell asked.
"That's right. He absolutely has to be stronger than me," Tione admitted without hesitation.
"I think… with standards like that, only a handful of people in Orario would qualify, nya…" Chloe knew of Jormungand's reputation. That alone ruled out the vast majority of men.
"That won't work. I'm not interested in the Captain or the others at all, and rival familias are completely off the table."
Tione rubbed her long black braid in frustration.
"Any specific reasons, nya?"
As a tavern waitress, Kroi had a good impression of Tione.
Whenever Bete got drunk and caused trouble, this Amazoness was always the first to step in and put him down.
Chloe was curious as well. What exactly was this girl—whose outward demeanor was becoming more restrained while the violence in her heart constantly threatened to spill over—truly searching for?
"How should I put it… They're not the kind of strong I'm looking for. It has to be a complete, overwhelming kind of strength. The kind that makes you feel that no matter what happens, they'll always push through and climb all the way to the top."
Tione herself wasn't even sure what she was trying to say.
"Nya…?"
Chloe looked utterly confused.
"Tione-san, why are you suddenly so troubled by this?"
Bell didn't probe too deeply into her emotions, instead gently asking where this concern was coming from.
During their brief time together in the Dungeon, Bell had heard that Tione was using Riveria as her goal, working hard to become a refined and virtuous woman.
Back then, she hadn't been nearly as anxious as she was now.
"Why is that, I wonder…?"
Tione looked at the boy, but kept the thoughts in her heart to herself.
There was no denying it. She admired the girls she had seen in the War Game. That kind of strength was something even Tione, a Level 5, did not possess.
On top of that, every woman around her was constantly talking about the boy. It was only natural that her feelings became more and more tangled.
The strength she lacked. The strength she was chasing. Just what was it, really?
"Forget it. I was just talking nonsense. This is all Lefiya's fault for making me sentimental."
Tione pinned her confusion on the golden-haired elf.
If she thought about it calmly, the answer was simple. Amazoness women sought out the strong and wished to bear their children. And what counted as "strong" was something that constantly changed.
No one was born powerful. Even the top adventurers of today had once been weak, and the reverse was true as well.
Tione herself hadn't always been among the strongest. If strength were judged purely by level, she should have long ago given her heart to someone.
Seen that way, whether it was Tione, who pursued an unconventional kind of strength, or Tiona, who knew nothing about romance at all, both could be considered outliers among the Amazons.
Bell realized this quickly.
After thinking for a moment, he spoke.
"Tione-san, you've actually already found him. Your destined one."
"Eh? Really? Where?!"
Tione's eyes widened in shock.
Bell raised a finger and pointed at her chest.
"Right here."
Tione froze for a moment.
Then she tilted her head, unconsciously pushing out her proud chest.
"...In the chest?"
"Woo-wah… Young man, even I can't excuse that kind of harassment from you, nya…"
Faced with that absolute mountain range, Chloe looked as if she had taken a direct hit, her expression darkening in an instant.
"I'm talking about the heart."
Bell hurriedly explained himself.
"To pursue the strong, Tione-san, you've been constantly working hard, right? That means you've already ruled out all the other answers and are getting closer and closer to your destined partner."
"Tione-san, whether it's your doubts or your efforts, none of it will be wasted. You'll definitely meet a one-of-a-kind, perfect companion."
"Oh! Hearing you say that really fires me up!"
Tione's lips curved upward in a bright smile.
Her efforts now weren't just for herself, but also to welcome a powerful partner someday. Just thinking about it made her feel refreshed and lighthearted.
"Alright, then let's head back and keep at it! Bell Cranel, you really do get it. No wonder you drank everyone's bathwater and the Vice Captain didn't say a thing."
Laughing, Tione turned around and called over Tiona, who had been fooling around nearby.
"Goodbye, Argonaut-kun!"
Tiona waved happily as she left.
"What did you say to Argonaut-kun?"
"Nothing."
"Come on, tell me…"
"I said it was nothing! You're so annoying."
The Amazoness sisters bantered back and forth as their figures disappeared around the corner of the street.
Anya finished boasting in front of Tiona, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and struck a pose like a hero returning victorious.
"Alright, let's continue—nya?"
Her voice faltered.
Anya looked at Chloe with a slight tremble. A faint, deeply unsettling smile hung on Chloe's face.
It was as if Pandora's box had been opened. Black resentment coiled around Chloe's body.
"You drank… bathwater, nya? The Vice Captain of the Loki Familia, [Nine Hell] Riveria, nya… what a strange fetish, nya…"
Chloe muttered under her breath.
"Um, Chloe-san, things really aren't what you think."
Bell hadn't expected Tione to reveal the secret so casually.
"I know, nya. You come to the tavern to eat pretty often, right? I can prepare a special drink just for you, nya."
Chloe replied softly.
"That clearly means you don't know anything at all… It was really just a misunderstanding."
Bell tried to explain.
If it were other girls, that would be one thing, but if Chloe said something like that, she might genuinely go and prepare something with great care…
"Huh, nya? What are you talking about, nya?! Tell me too, nya!"
Anya couldn't make sense of what the two of them were talking about.
Just as she swayed left and right, trying to follow the conversation, an elf girl came running over at full speed.
Ryuu, dressed in the tavern's uniform, rushed straight toward them.
"Nya? Did the quest fail, nya?!"
Anya spun around in a panic.
"Looks like the detective game is over, nya…"
Chloe sounded a little reluctant.
"Ryuu-san, did something happen to Syr?"
Bell asked immediately.
Ryuu glanced at their matching outfits and frowned slightly.
Without thinking too deeply, she spoke in a firm, composed voice.
"Cranel-san, Syr and the others got into a 'fight.'"