After hearing Loki's description of Cid, Riveria had thought he might actually be able to keep Ais in line.
But when she recalled everything she'd been through up to this point, she also felt it was… unlikely.
When Riveria looked at Ais, it was like a Zen master looking at Kobe—at some point you just start thinking, This one can't be taught.
Riveria's expectations weren't high. If Cid could simply watch Ais for her now and then, take a bit of pressure off, and free up enough time for Riveria to handle the tasks Loki had assigned her, that would already be a win.
She never imagined that Cid would accomplish what she couldn't—so effortlessly—using nothing more than a completely made-up "dragon-slaying magic."
Seeing Ais this obedient, Riveria was genuinely stunned.
And she could already predict how things would go from here.
Cid only needed to use his "special" spell once, and he could pass it off as "dragon-slaying magic."
That spell was said to have no upper limit on its power. It was more than enough to impersonate some ultimate dragon-killing secret art.
At the very least, it would be enough to fool Ais.
Normally, an adventurer's abilities and magic were absolutely off-limits to outsiders. No one outside the familia had the right to ask.
But if Riveria was going to become Cid's instructor, she naturally had to know what she was working with.
Besides, this arrangement had the consent of both Astraea and Cid, so there was no problem.
What Riveria had never expected was that simply changing a name—using a method this simple—could "manage" Ais.
Thinking back on all the suffering she'd endured over this, Riveria couldn't help feeling both amused and exasperated.
Back then, this problem had given her headaches so intense she'd practically gone around begging people for advice on how to "raise a child."
Useful suggestions had been scarce.
In the end, she'd consulted her own "adventure advisor" and learned one small trick: she could calm Ais down by brushing her hair.
That little tyrant only ever seemed peaceful when someone was brushing her hair.
"…Dragon-slaying magic?" Riveria murmured, and only then did she realize something was off. "How did he know to pick that name?"
Riveria was no greenhorn. In an instant, she caught the inconsistency.
Cid didn't know Ais's background. He certainly didn't know the blood-deep hatred between Ais and the Black Dragon.
Even within Loki Familia, the next-generation prospects like Raul and Ankie still didn't know where Ais came from.
So how did Cid know to bait Ais with a name like that?
He had her completely hooked.
Had he… guessed Ais was special, just from one look?
All at once, Riveria remembered the critical intel Astraea Familia had passed along.
Now she had reason to suspect that "important information" might have come from Cid's own investigation.
Riveria glanced back.
Cid's not-particularly-tall figure now seemed draped in an unfathomable veil.
His combat talent wasn't outstanding—but in other areas, his capabilities felt almost frightening.
Riveria had never judged a person by "talent" alone.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have told Ais to learn from Cid, and she certainly wouldn't have agreed to make Raul one of the familia's key prospects.
Fortunately, Cid belonged to Astraea Familia, so there was no need to worry about his character or his allegiance.
Otherwise…
Meanwhile, Cid was chatting lively with the three members of Loki Familia.
Normally, when a newly formed party entered the Dungeon, they would first familiarize themselves with each other: confirm fighting styles, decide positions in the formation, and only then exchange casual talk like friends.
But these four did the opposite.
They bonded first, then started introducing themselves.
Marriage first, love later?
Still, when it came time to talk roles, the vibe immediately went sideways.
Ais: "I'm frontline."
Ankie: "Me too."
Raul: "I… can be backline?"
Cid: "So you're saying our party has four frontliners?"
Raul had lifted his bow, but his archery could only be described as "usable."
As for Cid—on the surface, he was even more limited. Just swordplay that was… passable.
And there was another strange point.
On paper, Cid, Raul, and Ankie were all Level 2. Group training made sense.
But Ais was Level 3.
Don't be fooled by "just one level." The difference in real combat ability was worlds apart.
A monster that would force Cid and Raul into a hard fight, Ais would likely cut down with ease.
It was like trying to have a first grader and a middle schooler study the same material.
So why were they being taught together?
"Cid, didn't you learn magic?" Raul urged, clearly wanting to see what it looked like. "You should take the backline."
He was certain it had to be earth-shaking—otherwise it wouldn't have drawn Riveria's attention at all.
"Heh. Before I enter my 'state,' my dragon-slaying magic can only be used once," Cid said.
Cid had already formed a plan for handling the new spell he'd obtained.
Wasn't his Purgatory Peerless Scorching Heat Wave Cannon supposedly limitless in power?
Then he'd simply pretend he could only use it once per day.
A spell with no upper limit… draining him completely in a single shot sounded perfectly reasonable, didn't it?
That way, what he could do was just one blast a day.
As a mob character, having only that much ability sounded very reasonable.
"Only once?" Raul's eyes shone with envy. "Then the power must be insane."
As expected—an extraordinary spell. Just hearing about it made it sound impressive.
And it gave Cid yet another "tag" people might remember.
Cid was one step closer to shrugging off the humiliating nickname "Mob."
It was so sour Raul could taste it.
Seeing your buddy struggle is hard to watch.
But seeing your buddy succeed is even harder to accept.
"…?"
Cid's face remained calm, but his mind was full of question marks.
A spell you could only cast once a day—maybe not completely useless, but it wasn't exactly something to brag about, either.
Why was Raul envying him?
Cid suddenly wanted to grab Raul by the shoulders and interrogate him properly.
Because clearly, one of them had a fundamentally wrong understanding of what it meant to be a "mob."
Otherwise… Cid wasn't going to sleep tonight.
"All right," Riveria said as they arrived at the Starting Path. She stopped and addressed them with a serious tone. "Today, I'm bringing you into the Dungeon not only for training, but also to search for traces of the Dark Faction."
To go in and out of the Dungeon within a single day and reach the twentieth floor was already an exceptional feat.
With Level 2 combat ability, as long as you didn't provoke the floor boss, you could generally stay safe within the first twenty floors.
Riveria wasn't here because she expected to find anything in the Dungeon itself.
Her real purpose—beyond teaching Cid magic—was to shake the grass and startle the snake.
After tracking the movement of firestones, Finn had uncovered a few leads.
Riveria's presence in the Dungeon was meant to draw attention away and help Finn work unseen.
As for finding actual traces of the Dark Faction down here… she didn't expect miracles.
If it were that easy to locate them inside the Dungeon, they wouldn't be suffering this much to begin with.
"This operation prioritizes searching. The upper floors' monsters shouldn't be able to harm you," Riveria instructed. "If you encounter monsters—or enemies—do not get drawn into prolonged fighting. Cid, stay close to me."
After laying out her rules, she led the four of them into the Dungeon.
When Cid obediently moved to her side, Riveria adopted the demeanor of a strict teacher.
"A mage who can only cast once per day is an unacceptable mage," she said coolly. "However, this is not a problem without a solution. Do you know my epithet?"
To forge a reliable successor for Orario, Riveria was prepared to reveal one of her most closely guarded techniques.
....
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