With calamity looming, Cassandra clung to Bell's teachings.
[Prophetic Dreams] carried a peculiar side effect—perhaps a curse, or perhaps some other governing law. No matter how many times her prophecies came true, no one ever truly believed her. Not even Daphne, the one closest to her.
Cassandra had always been distressed by this, yet she had never calmly analyzed why it happened.
"Cassandra-san, almost no one will believe in Prophetic Dreams. You have to keep that firmly in mind."
That was what Bell had told her.
In his eyes, the way she handled her foresight was like that of an innocent, sheltered girl. From any angle, it was far too naïve.
"Your precognitive ability follows a special set of rules. The more you try to make others believe in your dreams, the more restricted your own actions will become."
Bell had given a simple example.
If disaster were about to strike somewhere and Cassandra warned people in the name of a Prophetic Dream, urging them to flee at once—
The result, under the influence of [Curse Power], would be that people saw her as exaggerating or spreading panic. Their guard would lower instead.
"H-how can that be? Then what am I supposed to do?"
Cassandra longed for trust. She had always wished for someone—anyone—to believe her.
After hearing Bell's explanation, she found herself at a loss. If all of it was dictated by some higher law, then was her struggle meaningless?
Other than him, who could she possibly confide in?
She didn't want things to remain that way. If the only person who believed her was dragged down by her sorrow and frustration, it might only widen the distance between them.
Bell seemed to see through her insecurity and smiled gently.
"Our promise still stands. I'll always stay by your side, Cassandra-san, and listen to every dream you have."
"Captain…"
Cassandra fought back the heat stinging her eyes and replied in a small voice, "I'm not very smart… I get discouraged easily… and I'm terribly timid. I'll definitely cause you a lot of trouble, Captain…"
Her alias was [Mirabilis - Pessimist].
Perhaps some God had seen her grieving in despair over her Prophetic Dreams and given her that name.
And in a way, it fit. Pessimism had long defined her attitude toward everything.
But after meeting Bell, she wanted to change.
She couldn't just accept things as they were and dump the burden of every prophecy onto him alone. More importantly, she didn't want their relationship to stop at this distance.
"So… please teach me how to persuade people! I'll work hard, I promise!"
Cassandra leaned forward, her long hair cascading down her back. On her beautiful face, her eyes shone with determination, green and vivid like fresh leaves.
Simply being someone who was believed was not enough. She wanted to forge a bond with him that nothing could shake.
"I was planning to do that anyway. The Dungeon is full of unknowns. If you have a Prophetic Dream, there might be times you can't tell me right away."
Bell paused to think before continuing.
"The first step to persuading someone is to never mention the dream itself."
He slowly laid out his reasoning.
No matter who the other person was, she had to keep the prophecy buried in her heart and achieve her goal through other means.
If she didn't want someone going somewhere, then she needed to grasp what motivated them and use something they cared about as leverage.
And before fully deciphering the prophecy, she should buy as much time as possible.
Cassandra committed every word to memory.
At the end of their conversation, Bell gently patted her head.
"Cassandra-san, your power isn't meant to bring disaster. It's an unknown force meant to save everything."
"I can guarantee that."
"So keep smiling. An optimistic smile suits you much better."
His voice sank deep into her heart.
The memory of that day felt like a delicate dessert, sweet and soothing, leaving her lightheaded in the most pleasant way.
She treasured the recollection and let her resolve rise to the surface.
Remembering his words, Cassandra quickly began analyzing the prophetic dream.
Judging by the sequence, Lili and the others on the eighteenth floor would be the first to be swallowed by calamity.
And [Pure White Blaze] could only refer to the Captain. From the earlier lines of the prophecy, it suggested that after everyone else had fallen, he would continue fighting alone until the very last moment.
Stay calm.
Don't let your emotions interfere.
The more critical the situation, the more she couldn't casually reveal a Prophetic Dream and lose everyone's trust.
Cassandra silently repeated Bell's teachings to herself.
What she needed to pay closest attention to now were Daphne and the others.
The moment she heard they planned to hunt on the eighteenth floor's grasslands, her heart nearly stopped.
She looked up toward the intended hunting ground.
Above it hung the white crystal that illuminated the entire floor. Below stretched an unobstructed sea of green grass.
[Perilous White]… [Despairing Green]…
Cassandra didn't know what exactly would appear there, but the warning from the prophecy rang in her ears like a persistent hum.
The calamity might arrive sooner than she imagined.
Bloody scenes of death flashed through her mind. Forcing down the pessimism and fear clawing at her, she tried to steady her thoughts. Bell's advice and her swirling panic tangled together in her mind, racing wildly.
She couldn't let them go to the grasslands.
She couldn't mention the dream.
She had to stall them somehow.
Use money to persuade Lili? Impossible. Hunting was precisely for the sake of earning money.
Daphne had already assessed the risks herself. She would never believe talk of disaster.
And Mikoto's determination to support everyone was far too strong. A flimsy excuse wouldn't move her.
So what…
What could possibly bind the three of them together and keep them from leaving?
Bell's face surfaced in her thoughts.
As if clutching at a single ray of hope, Cassandra suddenly called out,
"Wait!"
...
"Bell-sama would confess?! Ca—Cassandra-sama, what are you talking about?!"
Lili protested, yet her small feet had already carried her rushing back to Cassandra's side.
"I agree… Bell-dono isn't that kind of frivolous person. There's no way he'd confess just because of someone's cooking."
Mikoto spoke as she slowly made her way back toward the inn.
"You two… you're saying that, but you've already half believed it, haven't you?"
Daphne let out a soft sigh and turned back as well.
"Ah! Lili just remembered—we haven't prepared dinner yet. If we borrow the kitchen and cook ourselves, it'll be much cheaper than eating at the shops in town."
Like a squirrel spotting a pinecone, Lili hurried into the inn, her cherry-colored lips muttering nonstop.
"Omelet rice? Or fried potato balls? But we might not have enough ingredients…"
"Lili-dono, please leave such tasks to me!"
Before anyone realized it, Mikoto had already stepped ahead of Lili.
"What?! Mikoto-sama is usually so serious—don't tell me you're thinking the same thing?!"
"N-no! I merely wish for Bell-dono, after a long and tiring day, to enjoy a delicious meal and relieve his fatigue!"
"No matter how you put it, that sounds suspicious!"
"T-that's not true!"
Lili and Mikoto disappeared into the kitchen one after the other, their voices soon drowned out by the lively sizzling of cooking.
Time passed.
Just as Cassandra began to relax slightly and turned her focus to unraveling the rest of the prophecy—
The calamity descended.