Frost froze both the monsters and the walls, creating a barrier of extreme cold beside the huge hole.
Under the watchful eyes of Riveria and the others, Ais summoned a gale and leaped down with the boy on her back.
"Bell... are you okay?"
Ais planted one foot on a Wyvern and used it as a stepping stone, slashing apart a fireball coming from the side.
To fulfill her mission of drawing the monsters' attention, Ais did not descend straight down. Instead, she tore through the airborne Wyverns like a high-speed projectile.
The Wyverns beat their wings, lunging with claws and fangs while firing small fireballs.
"Yeah, I'm fine. The view from up here is great, too. Firebolt!"
Bell seized an opening and unleashed Firebolt, drawing the attention of even more monsters nearby.
Quick-Cast Magic was generally not powerful enough to take down the Wyverns of the Dragon's Vase, but when it came to drawing aggro, there was hardly anything better.
Compared to thrown items or other people's Magic, Bell's Firebolt required no incantation at all, allowing him to seize the exact right moment and target specific monsters.
If there was one problem with the situation, it was that Bell, a young boy, was letting a girl carry him on her back and relying on her to move and evade attacks. If anyone else saw them like this, they might very well laugh at him.
But Bell understood one simple truth. When you had the chance to live off a woman, you took it.
Besides, this was the blonde girl's way of showing her trust and affection. As a man, how could he refuse?
"That's not what I meant..."
Ais tightened her grip on the Desperate Sword and maintained her high-speed movement.
She knew this would not hurt the boy's pride. And if anyone dared mock Bell simply because she had carried him, Ais would not hesitate to draw her sword and make whoever spread such gossip pay for it.
What worried the blonde girl was the possibility of repeating what had happened with Lefiya.
Ais had clearly been helping the golden-haired elf and had even received her sincere thanks, but because the wind had made Lefiya vomit, she had been unable to properly face Ais for nearly a month.
Remembering that depressing experience, the little Ais inside her curled up into a ball. She was afraid Bell might follow in Lefiya's footsteps and start avoiding her too.
"Ais-san, don't worry. I've been through similar training before. As long as I don't pass out, you can move however you want."
Bell frankly explained his condition while firing another Firebolt.
The fireball slipped neatly past a flame projectile launched by a monster and struck a Wyvern near the ceiling.
The Wyvern roared and charged. Before its fireball could reach Bell, Ais shifted her position, letting her Wind Armor and Emerald Shield absorb the attack.
Agonized cries rang out as several more Wyverns were sliced cleanly in half by her rapier.
"Bell has done that kind of strange training before?"
Ais asked curiously.
An adventurer's training normally focused on how to defeat monsters.
Training specifically to withstand dizziness had almost no chance of ever being useful, unless one day a monster grabbed someone by the ankles and violently swung them around in midair...
"Yeah. It was just training for emergencies. Ais-san, when I was little, I heard that if you wanted to become a hero, you first had to transcend life and death three hundred times."
Bell kept talking to ease the blonde girl's worries.
Ais was a top-tier Level 6 Adventurer. A little conversation would not interfere with her fighting. In fact, the opposite was true. Because Ais was so naturally airheaded, clearing away the anxious thoughts weighing on her mind actually helped her fight better.
"Bell... were you abused? I'll go deal with whoever did it..."
Ais calmly voiced an alarmingly extreme suggestion.
Telling someone they had to transcend life and death hundreds of times was definitely not something a normal person would say.
The little Ais inside her mind had already pulled out a notebook and written the statement down. Once she had the time, she intended to track down this unreasonable bully and settle the score.
"No... it was just training. Besides, I don't even remember who said that to me anymore."
Sensing the heavy pressure coming from Ais, Bell hurriedly explained.
If those words had really been true, perhaps he would actually have to experience death hundreds of times before recovering his missing memories and rediscovering the origin of his determination to become a hero...
Bell smiled faintly and shook off the pointless melancholy.
Whether it was training or battles fought on the edge of death, no matter what waited on the road ahead, what Bell Cranel had to do would never change.
Protect those smiles. Become a hero.
That was all.
"Bell... you really are strong..."
Ais's words carried both admiration and affection.
How long had it been since they first met? In that brief time, Bell had steadily climbed all the way to where he stood now.
Ais herself had once been unable to move forward. It was partly because of the boy's influence that she had managed to cross the threshold of Level 6 and continue advancing.
"Ais-san is strong too. You've been dancing through a battle this intense the whole time, and I haven't had to worry even once about a monster reaching me."
Bell praised her openly.
Claws, fangs, fireballs. Ais kept every one of them away, preventing even the slightest threat from reaching the boy.
"No... I couldn't beat that monster..."
Ais sounded noticeably dejected.
If she had only been a little stronger, everyone would not have been driven into such danger, and Bell would never have brushed so close to death.
Ais knew very well that she could not truly call herself strong.
"If Ais-san hadn't bought us time, we would've died under Juggernaut's claws long ago. No matter how strong you become, there will always be obstacles you can't overcome alone... Ais-san, companions are an important part of becoming stronger."
Bell gently tried to guide the naturally innocent girl.
He understood what Ais was thinking. The more someone obsessed over strength and weakness, the easier it became to overlook what mattered most.
"Mm..."
Warmth spread through Ais's heart, and she felt as though she was beginning to understand what the boy meant.
She drove her sword through a Wyvern's wing, then added:
"And... unlike Riveria, I can't stay with you and help you deal with monsters..."
Throughout the expedition, Riveria had remained by the boy's side, accompanying him as he dealt with monsters.
For the sake of the expedition's safety, Bell had not taken risks to obtain [Great Feats], but he had not fallen behind in [Excelia]. Apart from certain areas of the Upper Floors, Middle Floors, and Lower Floors, Bell had even served in a supporting role during battles on the Deep Floors and earned a share of the Excelia there.
Of course, that style of fighting would have been impossible without Riveria's efforts. Compared to her, Ais could only kill monsters. She could not help the boy grow.
Ais felt that, in the end, she was nothing more than a sword.
"..."
Bell understood what was troubling her.
When Ais killed Wyverns like this, Bell could not gain any Excelia from them. But would simply leaving the final blow to him truly make him grow faster?
The answer was no. Falna was not that simple.
Unlike Riveria, Ais could not find just the right balance that allowed Bell to participate in battle and gain Excelia.
Bell could feel the affection behind the blonde girl's desire to help him. He answered softly:
"I think this is fine. Ais-san is Ais-san, not anyone else. You're straightforward and sharp like a sword, clear and swift like the wind. I like Ais-san just the way you are, so you don't need to force yourself to become someone else."
His words rode the warm breeze into Ais's heart.
Her cheeks flushed red from the warmth they carried.
"Mm..."
"Bell is Bell... and I like you just the way you are too..."