Bell POV
I burst out of the tent. There was no time to care about how this place looked, nothing about it felt like a dungeon anymore.
I had been blasted away by Goliath on the 17th floor and somehow made it to the 18th. When I opened my eyes, there was Ais, and I realized she had saved me again.
At first, I was overjoyed just to see Ais again. But then, a single sentence from her stabbed at my heart like a knife.
"Both of you are okay?"
Both? But there were four of us in total. I cautiously asked,
"Um, where's Toki?"
Ais tilted her head and replied,
"There were only three of you."
Three. That meant Toki wasn't here.
When I realized that, I didn't even care that my body barely moved, I forced myself to stand. I pressed Ais for the location of the passageway back to the 17th floor and ran toward it.
The worst image came to mind: Toki collapsed, blood spreading from his body like a pool.
I shook my head desperately, trying to shake off the vision. But it clung to me like a stain.
Impossible. There's no way Toki, stronger and smarter than me, could be dead!
Gritting my teeth, I moved my heavy body forward.
Finally, I reached the passageway and sprinted up it. My whole body burned, but I didn't stop.
The corridor seemed endless.
At last, I made it to the top. Blocking the entrance to a vast room stood a towering ice wall, at least 15 meters high. I looked down.
There he was. Toki.
Covered in what looked like ash from a monster's corpse, he lay face down, utterly drained. The worst image flashed back vividly.
"Toki!"
I stumbled but ran to him. I flipped him over and pressed my ear to his chest, trying to hear his heartbeat.
Thump. Thump.
I heard it. Weak, but there.
Ignoring the pain, I lifted him up. His entire weight collapsed onto me, but I didn't care.
I hurried back the way I'd come. As I descended the passage, I ran into Ais, who had probably come after me.
"Ais! Please, help Toki!"
She saw my desperate face and the limp body I carried, and her eyes widened for a moment.
"Take him to the tent. I'll call Riveria and the others."
With that, she ran off.
Following her instructions, I carried Toki to the tent and laid him down on the futon where I had been sleeping.
Just then, Ais returned with an elf woman with jade-colored hair, who immediately began examining Toki.
"His worst injury is a broken right leg. Both arms are sprained, several bruises, and on top of that, severe mental fatigue, mind down."
The elf's grim report shocked me. At the same time, guilt weighed heavily, though it wasn't intentional, I had abandoned Toki.
The elf softly chanted and her hands glowed with emerald light as she began healing him.
"Ais, is it true Toki was brought here?"
At that moment, an elf girl with golden hair tied in a ponytail, Lefiya, entered the tent. She was at a loss for words when she saw Toki lying there, then rushed over to help with his treatment.
"Bell."
Ais called my name beside me. Normally hearing her say it would make me leap with joy, but now I felt nothing.
"Fin… our guild leader wants to contact you. Come with me for a moment."
"But, "
"And besides, staying here will only get in Riveria and the others' way."
Reluctantly, I stood and followed her out of the tent.
For the first time, I really looked around the 18th floor. But even though the view should have moved me, I felt numb.
Later, even meeting Finn, the leader of the Loki Familia, or being approached by the first-class adventurer Hiryute sisters didn't ease my tension or lift my spirits.
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The countless crystals in the ceiling dimmed as night fell.
According to Ais, the light from these crystals governs the day and night cycle on this floor.
Still, I never left my comrades' side.
Toki's treatment had finished a while ago. Luckily, his life wasn't in danger, but his injuries were severe, and his mental fatigue was so intense he might not wake for several days.
Afterward, I apologized to Lefiya.
"You don't need to apologize. Toki took the risk himself. He wouldn't blame you."
She said this with tears in her eyes and stayed in the tent.
Honestly, I wished someone would scold me. If only I'd been stronger. If only I'd gone with Toki to help Lili. Regret gnawed at me.
"Ugh…"
At that moment, Welf groaned. I heard him move.
"...Where am I?"
"Bell-sama...?"
They had woken up. I felt a small weight lift from my chest.
"Lili, Welf, are you okay? Do you remember me?"
"Lili could never forget your face, Bell-sama."
"Ah... if I hear Lili's usual sharp tongue again, I'm fine too. Hey, Bell."
I explained everything to the two who'd just woken up, then glanced toward Toki, still unconscious.
Lili looked ready to cry, guilt heavy on her. But when Lefiya said the same words she said to me, Lili lowered her gaze.
"...The meal's ready. Are you all right?"
Ais entered the tent, and I hurriedly stood to thank her.
Though I worried about Toki, I hesitated to refuse the meal since they were helping us.
"You two should eat. I'll watch Toki." Lefiya said firmly.
Reluctantly, I left the tent. As I stepped outside, I saw her tearful profile.
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Once my nerves settled, eating didn't feel so depressing. The sweet taste of the fruit made me a little queasy, but I promised Ais we'd visit the town tomorrow.
It was fun, but a part of me still felt distant.
Then,
"Someone! Does anyone know Bell-kun!?"
A voice I shouldn't have heard came out of nowhere. I exchanged looks with Lili, told Ais and the others, and ran toward the sound.
There was a person here who shouldn't be, God.
He spotted me and ran over, headbutting my stomach.
"Bell-kun!!"
"Ugh!?"
I quickly lifted a leg and caught him. Training with Toki had come in handy.
The god poked my body and pulled my cheeks, worry all over his face. When he saw I was unharmed, he relaxed and smiled.
God hugged me, but Lili pulled him off. With the status difference, Lili was stronger, like a little girl dragging another little girl, even though they were both older than me.
"Cranel-san, you're safe?"
"Uh... Ryuu, Ryuu-san!? Why are you here too...?"
"A certain god has requested an adventurer's quest. He wants you to join your search party."
She shifted her gaze to where a male god stood. Noticing us, he slowly approached.
"Are you Bell Cranel?"
"Y-yes."
"Ah... I've been wanting to meet you."
There was something in his voice, something layered, though I couldn't quite place it.
"My name is Hermes. Please, remember me."
"Hermes-sama...!"
I knew that name. The god standing before me was the chief deity of Toki. He must have come all this way looking for him. Thinking that made my chest tighten again.
"So, where is Toki?"
We led the gods to the tent where we were using them. Inside, Toki was asleep, with Lefiya by his side.
Hermes entered, checked on Toki, and let out a relieved sigh.
"Um, who are you?"
"Oh, I'm Hermes. Are you Lefiya-chan?"
"Y-yes."
"I see. Thank you for always taking care of Toki."
"N-no, it's actually the other way around. Toki causes us so much trouble…"
"Is that so? Toki always talks about you with such joy."
...Maybe it was good that Toki was asleep now. If it were me, I'd want to die of embarrassment.
"Well then, I'll wake Toki up now. Please step back."
Hermes suddenly said that.
"But he's not supposed to wake up for several days..."
"Ah, it's fine. I know a way to wake him up in one go. Asfi, please."
At his call, a female adventurer in a pure white cloak and glasses stepped forward. She sighed and glared at the sleeping Toki.
In an instant, Toki sprang up like he'd been shot out of a cannon, brandishing a knife he somehow pulled out, aiming it at her. But she calmly grabbed his wrist holding the knife.
"Good morning, Toki."
As the two struggled, Hermes spoke from the side.
Toki blinked a few times, turned his face away, then looked over at Hermes.
"...Good morning, Hermes-sama."
He turned back and looked at Asfi.
"...Good morning, Asfi-san."
"Good morning. For now, please lower your arm."
"...Understood."
Still half-dazed from sleep, he lowered his arm. Then, looking around, his eyes suddenly snapped open wide as his mind fully awakened, and he turned toward Hermes.
"Why on earth is Hermes-sama in the dungeon, ugh!"
Before finishing his sentence, he collapsed.
"W-what is this? My whole body hurts!"
...He looked surprisingly energetic.
Once Toki settled down, we explained the current situation and apologized.
"Sorry, Toki. We ended up abandoning you like that."
"I'm sorry too. I did that to save Lili..."
"I couldn't save her when it counted. I'm sorry."
"No, I don't blame you."
Toki replied to our apologies as if it were nothing.
"That was my own doing. It's not something you should worry about."
"But..."
"If you're really worried, work twice as hard for me when we return to the surface. Considering my condition."
His smile drained all the tension from me.
After Lefiya cried for a while, Hermes said he would talk to Finn and left the tent. The people who came in next were the adventurers we'd seen on the 13th floor.
"We're truly sorry."
A girl knelt and apologized before us, the gods, and a still-supporting Toki. We shuddered. This was the genuine, heartfelt apology of the Takemikazuchi Familia!
"No matter how many times you apologize, it's not so easy to forgive you. Lili and the others nearly died."
"Well, yeah, that's not something you can just brush off."
Seeing this, Lili and Welf glared fiercely at the three members of Takemikazuchi Familia, though they looked intimidated.
We had the kneeling girl, Mikoto-san, stand up and continue the conversation.
"Um, well... we're really sorry."
Chigusa, the girl hiding her eyes behind her bangs, apologized nervously, and Mikoto-san expressed her remorse firmly.
"That was my order to give. And even now, I don't think that order was wrong."
Then a burly man, Ouka-san, stepped forward.
"...How can you say that in front of us, big guy?"
Welf glared at Ouka-san sharply. Tension was about to explode. I quickly looked at Toki, and an idea struck me.
"Th-then, why don't we have Toki decide your sentence?"
"Hey, why are you putting that on me?"
"Toki is the one with the worst injuries among us and, in a way, the biggest victim. Plus, he's our party leader."
Besides, I was sure Toki would find a fair solution...!
Lili and Welf nodded to my suggestion. Everyone's eyes turned to Toki.
"Sigh... well, okay. If you want my personal opinion, I don't think Ouka-san's orders were wrong. From a party management standpoint, it was the best course."
Pausing briefly, Toki continued.
"But I know that won't satisfy Lili and the others, and Mikoto-san and her group won't accept it. So, we'll call this incident a favor owed to Takemikazuchi Familia."
"A favor?"
"Not just any favor. A big one. If we ask, they'll work like horses, risking their lives. Is that acceptable?"
"...If Toki-sama says so..."
"I'll do it, but I won't forgive you."
"Yeah... that's fair."
Yeah, that's Toki for you, always dependable in moments like this.
"Hey, we're back. We settled things with Loki Familia."
Just then, Hermes and Asfi returned.
"Oh, welcome back, both of you. We just finished here too."
"Good. Let's discuss our next plans!"
According to Asfi, Loki Familia planned to leave this 18th floor in two days.
Since we'd had a day off, we decided to tour the 18th floor... though Toki would stay behind because of his injuries.
When I mentioned this, Toki said with a shy smile,
"Then I'll spend the day flirting with Lefiya."
Hearing that, Lefiya blushed deeply. ...If you two are going to get embarrassed, you shouldn't say things like that.
The meeting went smoothly, and as we were about to disband, a question I'd had on my mind finally came up.
"Hey, Toki, what happened to Goliath? He wasn't there when I found you."
What happened next, I decided not to say, for Toki's sake. Suffice it to say, Toki got scolded hard by both Lefiya and Asfi, leaving him utterly exhausted in body and mind.
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