The soft scraping of weapons being maintained echoed through the silence as the members of the elite squad made their final preparations.
Using her tools and Magic Power, Tsubaki carefully adjusted the condition of the Durandal Weapons. Lefiya and the other supporters kept watch over the open area to the south, alert for any monsters that might spawn, while the First-Class Adventurers rested against the ground and took a brief nap.
The battle ahead was completely unknown, so everyone needed to face it in the best condition possible.
Physical stamina and Mind could be restored, but the fatigue accumulated from continuous fighting could only be driven away through rest. Much like the sleep training Ais had once done with Bell, they were capable of shaking off the effects of exhaustion during even a short period of sleep.
"Finn-san, aren't you going to rest?"
Bell asked softly.
Not far from him, Riveria and Ais leaned against one another. Emerald-green hair mingled with long golden locks as the two wore peaceful, adorable expressions in their sleep.
Bell watched them enjoy their brief dreams and kept his voice low so as not to disturb their rest.
"The group below has been taking turns resting. I'm still in good condition."
Finn answered quietly.
Just as he said, Gareth was standing near the supporters, ready to immediately engage any monsters that might emerge from the walls. He had clearly already rested and showed no signs of fatigue.
Bete was sprawled casually on the ground, while Tiona and Tione leaned against each other and took a short rest.
As for Ryuu, Lefiya, and the others who had been constantly running around, they had already rested together with Bell when the two groups reunited.
There had been a small incident surrounding that decision.
"Isn't it a little heartless to make Bell Cranel lie on the ground all by himself?"
Alicia pointed out the problem.
The boy had saved all of them when the Calamity appeared. That was hardly the treatment a hero deserved.
"Um... in that case, I-I suppose I could lie down with him..."
Lefiya replied awkwardly.
"..."
Ryuu stared at the boy as he prepared to rest, her face bright red and not a single word leaving her lips.
"You girls, there's no time to stand around hesitating. Hurry up and go rest with Bell Cranel."
During a break between casting spells, Riveria urged the elf girls to act.
Only after the First-Class Adventurers had regrouped and begun clearing out the monsters on the 58th Floor did the supporters finally have a chance to rest. They could not afford to waste even a second.
"Riveria-sama, I-I'll just lie down here for a little while..."
Ryuu replied with her head lowered.
"Go. Whether it's the warmth of your skin or the softness of your bodies, make yourselves useful. Do you really intend to leave the boy who saved you lying alone on the cold ground?"
It was rare for Riveria to speak to her fellow elves in such a commanding tone.
"B-but..."
Ryuu was still hesitant.
Setting aside their accidental moments of intimacy, she had held the boy's hand before and had even sat extremely close to him. But deliberately initiating physical contact and falling asleep together was, in Ryuu's eyes, practically indecent.
"..."
Riveria looked over the flushed faces of the elf girls and sighed softly.
"If I didn't have to deal with the Wyverns, you wouldn't even be getting this opportunity."
"Huh?"
Lefiya and Alicia blinked in surprise.
"Um..."
Ryuu could not understand what the elf princess meant at all.
"Go. I don't want to say it a third time."
Riveria tightened her grip on her staff. Her dignified expression now carried a faint hint of both threat and willfulness.
"Riveria-sama, understood!"
"Ah, Alicia-san, wait for me!"
Alicia and Lefiya hurried over to Bell one after the other. In the blink of an eye, they had claimed the spaces beside him.
"..."
Riveria silently glanced at Ryuu.
"T-there's no room left over there, so I'll just find somewhere else to lie down..."
Ryuu sighed in relief, as though she had narrowly escaped disaster.
"Lie down on his lap."
Riveria gave the order calmly.
"Huh? N-no, I can't?!!"
Ryuu's embarrassment overwhelmed her obedience, and she instinctively protested.
"Gale, where is your pride as an elf? Someone risked his life to save you, yet you refuse to share even a little warmth with him? Look at those two elf girls. Do you believe your embarrassment is somehow more important than theirs?"
Riveria questioned her with impeccable logic.
Each of her words struck Ryuu's heart like a spear, landing one Critical Hit after another.
"Um... Riveria-sama, I understand..."
Ryuu pressed her lips together and walked toward the boy.
"C-Cranel-san, please excuse me..."
Like a little kitten, Ryuu lay directly across Bell's lap.
And so, at Riveria's urging, Bell spent a peaceful, warm period of rest together with several elf girls.
Since his light armor had been completely warped, Bell had already placed it inside the enormous backpack, leaving him able to clearly feel the girls' soft bodies.
A pleasant fragrance surrounded him. Their gentle breathing rose and fell like the surface of calm water, soothing Bell while stirring faint ripples in his heart.
Whether it was the sweet atmosphere or the blushes coloring the girls' faces when they woke, Bell committed every detail to memory.
As a result, while the First-Class Adventurers were resting, Ryuu could not bring herself to look Bell in the eye at all and stood as far away from him as possible, on the opposite side of the group.
"..."
Bell noticed the shy glances coming from the elf girls and quickly guessed who had pushed them into doing it.
Just what was that elf princess thinking?
Bell did not dwell on the question. Instead, he turned his attention toward the entrance of the southern passage.
"Not even the slightest chill is coming from there..."
Bell frowned and murmured quietly.
Finn had already shared the information known to the Loki Familia. According to records left behind by the Zeus Familia, the 59th Floor was supposed to be an extremely cold region ravaged by frost, with even its lakes completely frozen over. Dealing with the cold was said to be one of its greatest difficulties.
The Loki Familia had brought plenty of Salamander Wool in preparation, yet Bell was standing near the staircase and could not feel even the slightest trace of cold.
"The Zeus Familia would never leave behind false information to mislead those who came after them. Bell Cranel, what do you make of this?"
Finn narrowed his eyes as he stared into the depths of the passage.
"I learned through a certain channel that even the Guild may be curious about what's on the 59th Floor."
Bell answered quietly without explaining further.
"..."
Finn immediately understood what the boy was implying.
In present-day Orario, the Guild possessed a tremendous amount of information about the Dungeon. If even they did not know what lay below, then it meant the Dungeon itself was changing.
And there was a very real possibility that those changes were the beginning of a violent upheaval capable of overturning the entire city.
Finn licked his finger, and the sharp pain made him frown.
"Whatever the case, we'll have to see it with our own eyes before we can learn the enemy's true nature."
"Rest time is over. Everyone, prepare to move out."
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