Bell hated nothing more than last-minute scrambling—something that only happened when a person was cornered with no other choice. The ideal way was to prepare every necessary condition before stepping into a battle, allowing oneself to fully absorb the experience.
A sudden burst of strength might come once or twice, but one could never rely on such miracles forever.
To an adventurer, sudden outbursts meant unpredictability.
And an adventurer should never allow themselves to fall into danger. This very "uncontrollable" state was precisely what they had to avoid at all costs.
So when Bell chose Ais's parents as the final "key" toward his own advancement, he had already prepared everything in advance.
To save her parents from certain death, Ais also needed to fulfill the necessary requirements—only then could she truly stand as a challenger.
That was why Bell had long paved the only road Ais could take—a road she was destined to walk.
Behind Ais, Riveria saw the truth most clearly.
'This road was laid out long ago, waiting for Ais to take each step onto it.'
'From the beginning, Ais never had the right to choose.'
'Then… just how early did this plan start?'
The earliest point Riveria could imagine was the day they left the Dungeon.
Most likely the day Ais challenged Udaeus—the same day Bell summoned the soul projections of Aria and Albert.
But… wasn't that far too early?
Riveria couldn't help but marvel at Bell's foresight. The greatest difficulty in preparing for this day must have been helping Ais obtain the Excelia needed to ascend to Level 7.
And that was what shocked Riveria most.
Bell had actually used the incident involving the goddess Artemis to create an opportunity for Ais to earn the feat necessary for her level-up.
But what moved Riveria even more was that Bell hadn't taken that opportunity for himself. Instead, he had given it to Ais.
'He went this far just to build a path for Ais?'
That was an Excelia worthy of a Level 7 ascension—something others would guard jealously. Yet he'd handed it over without a moment's hesitation, completely disregarding what it could have done for him.
And because Bell so casually gave up Excelia that was already within reach, Riveria finally understood just how confident he was in his own strength.
Only those absolutely certain in their future ability—those who believed they would have countless chances to gain Excelia—could afford to show such generosity. Otherwise, hoarding such achievements was the logical choice.
"Bell, I have a personal question~."
"No problem. Ask."
Riveria's sudden curiosity caught Bell by surprise. Still, it was just a personal question, and if it became too personal, he had every right not to answer.
"Are you currently Lv.6 or Lv.7?"
Bell gave Riveria a slightly surprised look. He hadn't expected the Vice Captain to be so fixated on his strength—to the extent of asking something like this at a moment like this.
"Is that kind of knowledge valuable?"
Bell didn't reject her outright. Instead, he asked about its "value."
"Yes."
Riveria answered without a moment's hesitation.
Bell looked at her and had a vague sense that she was asking all this because of Ais.
So the instinctive urge he had to hide things paused for a moment.
Since Ais would now be acting according to his arrangements, she needed some degree of awareness. And at this point, Bell had already realized that keeping his level hidden didn't do much anymore, especially in front of someone who knew him so well.
"Alright. I'm currently Lv.7."
Lv.7. She'd prepared herself, but even so… Riveria hadn't expected that in less than a year, Bell had crossed into a realm the three of them had hesitated to reach for decades.
Even with all her mental preparation, hearing it stated so plainly still sent a strong jolt through her chest.
Bell was already ahead of Ais, and the gap would only grow wider with time.
But the stronger Bell was right now, the safer things were for Ais.
Some of the weight on Riveria's heart eased.
"So what about the plan going forward?"
Riveria didn't pursue the secrets he had clearly chosen not to reveal. Instead, she asked the question that mattered most to her.
The plan for the future.
Bell wanted Ais to grow, which meant the path ahead would be about her development.
To be honest, Riveria wasn't optimistic about Ais growing significantly within a year.
She believed wholeheartedly in Ais's talent. Given a few more years, Ais could definitely reach the peak of Lv.7. But a single year was far too short. Growing that much in so little time was extremely difficult.
As for future plans, Bell truly couldn't lay out anything detailed.
For Ais, continuing to grow was the most important thing right now, and there were no shortcuts for that. At most, he could help her sort out her thoughts and then train with her in the Dungeon.
Bell couldn't hide this part anyway—it was the foundation of their entire plan for the next year.
"Unfortunately, Riveria, if you're hoping I can give you something highly constructive, you can abandon that hope.
What the 'Sword Princess' needs now is to adjust her mindset and keep moving forward on the path she's already walked. Some of her old thoughts have been holding her back, and right now, the most I can do is help her with that."
Hearing that, Riveria understood enough. Ais's growth problem was truly a troublesome matter.
It wasn't that Ais lacked talent; it was that her fixation on revenge easily threw her entire mentality off balance.
And her slow growth during expeditions was because she was far better suited for individual combat than group battles.
In that sense, Bell and Ais were exactly the same type. Riveria believed Bell's experience would guide Ais toward the correct path.
It was just that this path would certainly be different from the one she had originally hoped Ais would take.
Given Ais's current situation, the collective strength of the group couldn't help her much anymore. She could only pursue rapid growth through her own abilities. So Riveria had nothing more to say—she could only hope Ais would grow smoothly.
...