Ais had just returned to Twilight Manor when Riveria approached her first.
"Ais, about that... um..."
She coughed lightly.
Even though she had already come over, she felt somewhat embarrassed to speak up.
The Elf woman didn't know what was wrong with herself. She wanted to ask when Isagi was coming over so they could enter that place called the [Dark Hall] again, and then continue...
Fighting!
Riveria actually wasn't that battle-hungry, nor did she hold some deep-seated hatred toward Monsters like Ais did, which usually drove the desire to become stronger.
But undeniably, ever since the battle with the [Tiger Vanguard] ended, what lingered in her mind for a long time was the process of fighting a completely unknown, powerful, and mysterious entity.
Exploring a brand-new world.
What exactly was that "Tiger Vanguard"? What kind of guy was he? Why did he appear there? What stories were related to him...?
Riveria was very curious.
More unknowns, more things she didn't know.
However, she felt too shy to actively seek out the young boy. After all, he was younger than her... no, he was a child a whole generation younger than her!
So, she could only beat around the bush.
That being said, now that she had stopped little Ais, Riveria hemmed and hawed for a long time, still not knowing how to start.
Instead, it was the young girl who raised her question first.
"Just now, I was over at Isagi's place..."
Softly, she spoke about the "brand new weapon" the boy had just prepared for her, and more importantly, her confusion about how to return the favor.
[How to repay a boy?]
Instantly, what popped into Riveria's mind was surprisingly a giant gift box. When Isagi opened it, lying inside was a soft, golden-haired beautiful girl who had tied herself up with colorful ribbons as a "gift."
She hurriedly shook her head!
It was all the fault of those impure reading materials and drawings Alicia had confiscated!!
How could she think of such shameful things?!
However...
Using special Dungeon materials—unique, precious materials that almost no one else but the boy himself could obtain—forged by a blacksmith about to possess the [Mystery] Development Ability, and possibly containing even more miraculous unknown powers.
Listening to Ais describe the Tachi she was currently holding in her arms, as well as the "Greatsword" she had just used, Riveria's head was spinning.
This couldn't be measured by money at all!
Clearly.
Even Riveria, a Royal of the Elf race, fell into confusion. Because no matter how she thought about it, it was difficult to give an equivalent "repayment."
Could it be that Ais really had to become the gift herself?!
To be honest.
Actually, thinking about it seriously, it wasn't impossible.
But didn't Tiona say before that Isagi and two Goddesses had already confirmed their relationship?
Could it be that having two means the boy plans to have three, four, five, six, seven, eight later on... Looking at Ais's flushed little face, Riveria inexplicably felt this was very possible!
[That's not okay, right?! How can a boy—]
[Don't worry so much about young people's affairs! Besides, little Ais likes it herself, so what can be done.]
[Even so, as a "mother" I should—]
[If Ais and the boy are together, isn't it more convenient? Whether it's wanting to... or... it's all... yes!]
[That's right, it's all good things!!]
The classic battle between the "Angel" and "Devil" in her heart ended with the victory of the latter.
—Indeed.
If Ais herself had those kinds of thoughts about the boy, wouldn't it be wrong for her to forcibly interfere?
Children have their own freedom; the most important thing is that she likes it.
And just as the Elf woman was thinking this, on the other side, Ais seemed to have thought of something as well, nodding to herself...
...
Would introducing Mama Riveria to Isagi count as repayment?
The young girl was thinking about this question very seriously!
Because it seemed that Isagi preferred mature women, just like Goddess Astrea and Goddess Demeter.
Moreover.
Mama Riveria seemed very interested in Isagi too.
She had keenly perceived this!
Speaking of which, although the party already had Lefiya as a Mage, having one more Mage would be quite good, right?!
Ais also liked adventuring with Riveria.
Including the time they fought the [Tiger Vanguard] together in the boy's dream before.
She didn't feel angry or anything just because it was the Elf woman who defeated the opponent in the end. Instead, Ais found it very interesting. She discovered that watching a battle against a Monster from the sidelines was also quite effective learning.
Calmness, observation, thinking.
The young girl seemed to have understood something more.
Combat wasn't about rushing blindly, nor could one rely solely on intuition. One had to use their brain and think more: "What would I do if it were me?"
Whenever she thought about this question.
Inexplicably, the figure of her father practicing with his sword in the courtyard under the azure sky would even surface before Ais's eyes.
[If it were Father, what would he do?]
When this question first popped into her mind, the girl was almost startled, because she had never thought this way before.
Ais realized what she had been lacking the most all along.
That was "Thinking."
The young girl, who had been fighting based on instinct and intuition for a long time, finally stopped. She began to stand still and seriously put her little brain to work.
Although she wasn't moving forward at all, she didn't feel anxious in the slightest.
On the contrary, Ais understood that the clearer and more thoroughly she thought through the problems, the faster she would be able to run in the future.
It hadn't been long since she started adventuring with the boy, but Ais surprisingly felt her own growth!
For such a good thing, she really should call Mama Riveria along too.
Then everyone could adventure happily together.
And become stronger!
What Isagi didn't know at all was that, actually, a certain golden-haired girl was already completely inseparable from him. She was even thinking about how to pull her "Mama" in too, and then everyone could... together...
Several days passed in succession.
The general offensive on the Artificial Labyrinth had been confirmed for next week. Thus, taking advantage of this time, Isagi called Ais and Tiona over, preparing to head into the Dungeon to acquire [Excelia] beforehand, allowing the Amazon girl to upgrade to Lv.5 first.
He intended to make it a quick trip.
But he absolutely didn't expect that Ais would call Miss Riveria along as well.
However, the Elf woman said she was just coming along to "watch" and wouldn't participate in the actual combat. Otherwise, with the strength of a Lv.6 Mage, if she really fired off a key spell, Tiona probably wouldn't get much [Excelia].
Isagi had no objections to this.
He figured Miss Riveria was probably just curious about the Dungeon that had mutated due to his skill, so she wanted to come and see. That was very normal.
Besides, it was a good thing.
Because the Elf woman wasn't just a "Magic Turret"; she could also use Defensive Magic and Healing Magic. In a critical moment, if they really encountered any danger, she could act as a safety net.
Thus, still in the deep of night, the four of them entered the Dungeon's interior directly, traveling light.
They didn't bring Ryuu-senpai, Lefiya, or the others.
It wasn't that Isagi felt three people were enough to subjugate the "First Miracle in its Prime." According to previous speculations, it was probably around the level of Lv.5, similar to the [Pale King].
Mainly, he thought that having two people might split Tiona's [Excelia].
If they couldn't beat it, they would just run first. If all else failed, they could come back, gather people, and go fight it again.
So.
Very quickly and familiarly, they arrived at the [Border Fortress] on the 4th Floor. Passing the elevator under the pit, they soon arrived before the pale city surrounded by magma.
The core of the [Goblin Kingdom].
An inexplicable sense of nostalgia washed over him. Isagi looked at the town before him, which was still filled with smoke and soaring flames, feeling somewhat emotional for a moment.
Crossing that long bridge covered with scorched Goblin corpses.
As they walked along the path.
Riveria looked at this special Dungeon before her, which was completely "not the Dungeon," and also felt why Gareth and the others had said, "You have to go see it yourself to know."
This shock was indeed difficult to describe in words.
After walking into the city gate and clearing two waves of Monsters that attacked the three of them, Isagi took out the Divine Wine from the pitch-black cloak he carried with him, preparing to summon the BOSS.
Ais and Tiona were already prepared. The two girls were fully armed, holding their weapons, having long entered a combat state.
As the wine jar fell from his hand and shattered with a crash, sure enough, the Dungeon trembled again.
So sensitive!
Isagi inexplicably had the illusion that he seemed to be teasing the Dungeon.
However, very quickly, above the burning town, a certain suffocating aura was rapidly condensing and gathering, and subsequently—
It was birthed!
Isagi saw the original Monsters in the city fleeing in all directions.
Those Goblins and Hard Armored beasts hiding in abandoned houses or at the corners of long streets fled frantically into the distance.
They obviously realized that some terror was about to descend here, or even...
"Holy crap?"
Flames descended from the heavens.
It wasn't the fierce fire originally burning in the town, but a Dragon Flame that was purer and terrifying to the extreme!
A scorching jet stream fell from the sky, like crimson flowing colors crashing down from the highest heavens. In the blink of an eye, the originally incomparably tall pale city walls were turned into scorched, scattered crystals and flying debris.
Gone.
The city wall disappeared directly from their sight, as if a part of it had been erased.
Good lord, Isagi exclaimed 'good lord'!
The colossal body of the Great Dragon crashed down following it, almost shrouding everything before their eyes. Dots of Dragon Flame were still held in its mouth, dripping occasionally, melting large and small pits into the street.
[First Miracle].
It wasn't the remnant guy with only a head left; nor was it the guy killed by adventurers with only a corpse remaining.
What appeared before their eyes was a genuine Great Dragon.
Its golden, treacherous eyes bulged, and what seeped out from within was some indescribable "majesty."
This is a "Dragon"?!
For the first time, Isagi truly felt its difference from ordinary Monsters.
And in the next second.
The First Miracle opened its great mouth. As an "Infant Dragon," it once again used that crimson Dragon Flame to cover everything before the boy and girls' eyes—
Too slow.
"Shut up, you're so noisy!"
A steel fist erupting with surging blood energy landed heavily on the Infant Dragon's nose from above!
The Amazon girl's hands were encased inside incomparably heavy gauntlets. With just one punch, she brought its original surprise attack to an abrupt halt and made it howl.
At the same time.
A splash of blood shot out from its golden eye. It was the golden-haired girl holding a Tachi, who, almost instinctively, wanted to pierce it with the sharp blade!
However, it seemed the Infant Dragon sensed the danger at the final critical moment and tilted its massive head, causing her to miss.
"Tsk."
Ais, flying in the sky, seemed somewhat dissatisfied.
And unbeknownst to when, Isagi had already arrived on the Infant Dragon's back, wearing his [Wolf's Repast] and transforming into a steel behemoth. Holding a Greatsword, he issued the next most important instruction.
"Cut the tail first... No, let's chop the wings off first."
Although cutting the tail was important.
He hadn't forgotten that this guy could fly!
So, cut the wings first so it couldn't fly up. Otherwise, he would have to let Ais 1v1 it while he and Tiona could only watch.
"Understood!"
"Okay."
With the goal clear.
Next.
Isagi's first Dragon Slaying operation officially began—
____
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