A cool breeze gently stirred the girls' beautiful hair.
They stood on an open stretch of grass in the rear courtyard of Twilight Manor.
"A-a mock battle?"
Line nervously tightened her grip on her wand.
Although she was only Level 2, she was still a Healer, so she accompanied the faction members on expeditions.
Because of her role, Line rarely took part in mock battles. After all, whether or not a Healer was present made a world of difference in an Adventurer's fight.
"I-I'd rather not join in, if that's all right?"
Line spoke cautiously.
If a Healer took part, it could easily change the nature of the fight, turning the mock battle into a siege against Bell Cranel.
"No. You have to stay."
Riveria's reply was firm.
Her tone hovered somewhere between gentle and cold, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.
"But... Big Brother Bete only just did something awful to the Little Rookie. I can't cause any more trouble..."
Line adjusted her glasses, turned toward the boy, and added,
"Big Brother Bete may talk like that, but he's actually very kind. Please don't hold a grudge against him..."
At that, the other girls all looked speechless.
The fact that none of them said, "What exactly is good about someone like Bete?" was already the last bit of kindness they could offer.
Bell had already seen through Bete's true nature. Since Line was this partial to the Werewolf, he must have looked after her before.
To be honest, Bell did not dislike Bete.
If this world had no monsters and everyone could live in peace and happiness, then what Bete did would be nothing but wrongdoing and bullying.
But people were plagued by monsters, and being an Adventurer required a strong heart. Compared to being ravaged by monsters and stained by tragedy, going through the baptism of ridicule was actually one of the more appropriate trials.
"Don't worry. I don't hold any grudge against Bete-san. As for him getting beaten up, you'll have to blame a certain spoiled young lady."
Bell answered brightly.
He deliberately used the words "young lady" partly to show the image of Riveria he held in his heart, and partly to hide the truth of what had happened.
"Adventurers must not take risks." That was something Eina often said. To some people, it might sound like kindness and concern, but to Adventurers who had weathered real hardship, it was an outright fallacy.
Leveling up required Excelia. An Adventurer who stopped moving forward would only meet death in the end. From that perspective, someone like Bete could instead crush the fighting spirit of many people before it led them to their deaths.
Fame, wealth, power. Adventurers blinded by such things needed someone to knock them down, so death would not come for them first.
Judging from Bete's words and actions, his starting point was different from that of other rough Adventurers. He really was acting out of goodwill.
Perhaps that Werewolf had gone through something himself.
"A-Ais-san didn't do anything wrong. Big Brother Bete was the one at fault..."
Just as Bell had expected, Line misunderstood what he meant.
"..."
Riveria listened to their conversation from the side. She alone knew who the spoiled young lady in Bell's words actually referred to.
That shared, unspoken secret stirred her heart.
In the eyes of Anakitty and the others, Riveria was the elegant and noble Nine Hell, but in the boy's eyes, she was merely a willful young lady.
Riveria had seen through Bell's lie in the Dungeon, yet she had still guided Ais into giving Bete a vicious beating.
What she had not expected was that the boy, despite being the victim, could see through Bete's true nature. Many members had been in the Loki Familia for years without ever touching the core of who Bete was.
Once again, Riveria realized just how extraordinary the person she liked truly was.
She hid the smile rising within her and said softly,
"Line, the mock battle has already been decided. You must participate. And Bell Cranel, how dare you speak ill of Ais right in front of me. Don't do it again."
"I-I understand..."
Line slowly stepped back. After learning that the boy did not resent Bete, the tension in her expression eased considerably.
With her departure, there was no longer anything between Bell and Riveria.
"Ais-san may seem very strong on the surface, but deep down, she's a lovely and charming young lady. I don't think anything I just said was biased."
Bell picked up the conversation.
Among the girls present, only one knew that the Ais in the boy's words was actually Riveria.
And that one person quickly refuted him.
"I don't know what special feelings you have for Ais, but she swings swords and spears around and sweeps through monsters. She is a complete tomboy. When you call her lovely, aren't you just talking about her looks?"
Riveria replied calmly.
Her emerald eyes stared straight at the boy, as if probing for his true intentions.
"Huh...? Why did they suddenly start arguing?"
Line stood a short distance away and quietly asked the women beside her.
"Because of Ais-san? But I don't really understand what side either of them is taking..."
Alicia replied softly.
If the topic had been Riveria, she would have rushed forward long ago to "sacrifice" herself and stop Bell Cranel from continuing his conversation with Riveria.
"C-could it be that White Rabbit Boy has feelings for Ais-san too?! No wonder Lefiya ended up like that... This is jealousy!"
Elfy spoke as if she had suddenly seen the light.
Lefiya used to always talk about working hard so she could be useful to Ais-san.
But over the past two months, she had barely said those things anymore.
So that was it. Her relationship with Ais had turned into one of romantic rivals locked against each other. Whenever the boy looked at Ais, Lefiya's heart must have twisted painfully...
And on top of that, Riveria-sama also had feelings for the boy...
Just imagining it made Elfy tremble with excitement.
"..."
Unlike the others, Anakitty narrowed her eyes and silently watched the two people ahead of them.
Riveria and the boy's "argument" was still going.
"Appearance is only one part of what makes Ais-san lovely."
Bell answered firmly.
"Is that so? That sounds like nothing more than a line meant to please her."
Riveria shot back at once.
"I could say it in front of the Gods."
"I don't know what sort of feelings you have for Ais, but the two of you can't go any further."
"Why?"
Riveria brushed back a strand of hair and answered, "Because Loki and Hestia don't get along."
"I'll convince Loki-sama."
"Because your ages don't match."
"In my eyes, Ais-san will always be a beautiful and charming young lady."
"Because the people around you won't allow it."
"Would someone as unreasonable as Ais-san care what other people think?"
"Because the gap in your strength is too great."
"I'll keep chasing after her without stopping for even a moment."
"Because Ais has a special status."
"No matter how difficult it is, I'll handle everything."
Riveria hesitated for an instant before speaking.
"Bell Cranel... why would you go that far?"
Bell gazed into her beautiful emerald eyes and spoke his mind.
"It's simple. Because I like Ais-san. That's all."
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