The next morning at nine, Bell had already left the house.
Since he'd agreed to meet Ais the day before, he naturally couldn't afford to be late.
After a quick wash, Bell left Loki resting in the room and headed toward the Loki Familia.
Passing through the tunnel connected to Loki's chambers, he entered the interior of the Familia directly.
The atmosphere inside—energetic yet restrained—caught Bell slightly off guard.
'They got the situation under control this quickly?'
Three days ago, he could clearly sense the joy of newfound strength and the craving for greater power spreading throughout the Familia.
Yet in only three days, those desires had been reined in.
No—more accurately, they'd been organized. Not blocked, but redirected into a more constructive drive for progress.
'With that level of management… those three must have worked themselves to death.'
Bell didn't know the details, but he was certain the three of them had been run ragged these past few days.
Keeping their hard work in mind, Bell wasn't about to cause unnecessary trouble within the Loki Familia. After all, everything he came to discuss was solely between him and Ais.
He knew exactly where Ais's room was.
"Hm?"
"She's not in her own room?"
Expanding his aura search, he confirmed Ais's exact location. But what he sensed left him momentarily speechless.
Ais was in Riveria's room.
Having inspected it previously, Bell was sure of it—that was unmistakably Riveria's quarters.
The realization made Bell's expression twist slightly.
Well… girls sharing a room wasn't strange.
Riveria was High Elf royalty and had her particular habits, but Ais was the child she had raised from a young age. Rejection wouldn't be an issue.
Still, for a mother-daughter pair in name only to share a room at their age… wasn't their relationship a little too good?
Bell shook his head, driving off the unnecessary thoughts.
If it were only Ais inside, he could've simply warped in. With his senses sealed, nothing would have been inappropriate.
But if Riveria was there too, doing that would be beyond rude. She might immediately raise her staff and crack him over the skull the moment he appeared.
To avoid that outcome, Bell chose the civilized option—walk over and knock.
The path to Riveria's room wasn't complicated, just a straight corridor.
Upon arriving at the door, Bell lifted his hand and tapped lightly.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Inside, he heard the faint sound of someone getting up.
"Just a moment."
It was Riveria's voice.
Bell waited outside for a short while.
In truth, girls can wake up surprisingly fast. And sure enough, within five minutes, the door opened.
Riveria, fully dressed in her most proper attire, appeared before him.
Still, Bell noticed a few small details.
For example—some strands of Riveria's emerald hair were still sticking up.
For instance, there weren't many signs of thorough cleansing on her face—just a simple wipe-down. This was unlike her usual, meticulous appearance.
'Five minutes really was too rushed.'
Bell muttered this inwardly, though he politely shifted his gaze aside for the moment.
"Good morning, Vice Captain Riveria."
Seeing the boy before her, Riveria's emotions were complicated. Even so, she forced herself to maintain proper etiquette.
"Good morning, Bell."
"Vice Captain Riveria, I'm here today to see the 'Sword Princess'."
"I know."
Riveria was already aware of Bell's purpose. Ais had explained everything yesterday. And because of those conversations, Riveria had barely slept the entire night.
She took a deep breath, stepped forward, and lowered her voice.
"So… what you told Ais yesterday—is it true?"
Bell knew Riveria was a smart woman. Intelligent people understood more—and imagined more—than most. Naturally, she had grasped the deeper meaning in what he told the Sword Princess.
"It's just a form of stimulation. The specifics will only become clear once we actually see the Sword Princess's parents.
The degree of erosion caused by the dungeon isn't something I can simply guess at, but…"
"But what?"
Riveria couldn't help following the pace he set.
Bell's lips rose slightly.
"But judging from the state of their souls, the erosion shouldn't be too deep yet. The reason they left fragments of their souls with the Sword Princess was likely to ensure that—even under control—they could still hold back against her."
Hearing this, Riveria's heart eased considerably.
She had been led around by the topic earlier, but this answer was truly reassuring. And Bell's implication was clear: as long as the erosion hadn't reached a certain point, Aria and Albert's souls could still be saved.
"But…"
The sudden shift made Riveria tense up again.
"In the past, we could at least ensure that the Sword Princess's parents' souls stayed minimally eroded. But now that the soul fragments have returned to their original bodies, it's a race against time."
Riveria's breath hitched, her voice tightening with urgency.
"Then how long is left?"
"About a year. That's how long their souls can hold out before the erosion becomes irreversible."
Bell answered calmly and without hesitation.
"A year…"
The time was far too short, so short Riveria's expression visibly darkened.
"So if we can't save Aria and Albert's souls within a year… they'll truly die?"
Bell shook his head.
"They won't die. They'll become puppets of the dungeon instead, completely losing all reason. At that point, even if the Sword Princess stood before them, they likely wouldn't show her any mercy."
It was an answer as heavy as it was cruel.
Riveria instantly understood—this year was Ais's final chance. If she didn't seize it, she would lose her parents forever. But a year… for Ais to grow enough within a single year was nearly impossible.