Twinkling stars and sparkling Spirits adorned their dance steps. The fairy princess's words about etiquette sank deep into the young man's heart.
"Riveria-san, did you teach Ais-san about etiquette?"
Bell shifted his dance steps and asked.
"...Why do you say that?"
Riveria seemed to recall a headache-inducing memory, her brow furrowing slightly.
"Because after the War Game ended the other day, Ais-san invited me to dance too. The result was a barrage of punches and kicks that left me gasping for breath."
Bell chuckled softly, recalling the airheaded girl's antics. Riveria had expected the boy to question her age or something similar, but instead, it was this amusing anecdote. The contrast between their personalities surfaced in her mind, drawing a rare, gentle smile to her dignified face.
"That is indeed something that child would do... Compared to before, she has changed quite a bit since meeting you."
In a way, it was Riveria who had been quietly fostering their relationship. From the very first knee pillow, she had sensed the boy could bring positive influence to Ais.
A flicker of tenderness crossed Riveria's expression. "What we seek lies within the dungeon, Bell Cranel. Do you believe in the [Unknown]?"
Ais harbored an unspoken sorrowful wish. Riveria, too, pursued the unknown medicine to help her dear friend relive her dream of travel. Both believed miracles existed within the dungeon's [Unknown].
"Riveria-san, I—"
Just as Bell began to speak, screams erupted around them.
"Fire!"
"Intruders!"
Blinding flames flickered in the distant forest. Bandits cheered as they charged in.
"The defenses are weakest during the ritual, as expected!"
"With the familia's aid, we've finally breached the defenses."
"Burn the forest to the ground! Search for the treasures the Elves hide! Kill any who resist!"
"Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!!"
Flames roared, devouring the trees amidst the Elves' screams.
"How... how could the thieves break the forest's barrier?!"
The elder trembled as he watched the chaos unfold.
"Likely aided by a Familia of Lv.2 or higher. For thieves, they possess some skill, but they chose the wrong moment."
As Riveria surveyed the battlefield, several elf maidens had already charged forward. Ryuu plunged alone into the enemy ranks, Alicia shielded the surrounding elves, while Lefiya chanted her cannon Magic. The thieves' wails echoed through the forest.
"Daring to defile the sacred Spirit Land—such atrocities shall be paid for with their lives."
Riveria left the fighting to the elven girls. Such aggressive tactics suggested the enemies held some hidden trump card. The outcome unfolded exactly as Riveria had anticipated.
"Gah!!"
A swarm of wyverns surged from behind the bandit group, charging straight toward the Sacred Tree.
"Firebolt!"
Bell aimed at the wyvern swarm and unleashed his Quick-Cast Magic. Before these living targets, bolts of fiery lightning struck the monsters' wings with pinpoint accuracy. The wyverns screeched in agony as they plummeted toward the ground.
Alicia's slender sword had been waiting patiently. A flash of cold steel, and the thieves' assault dissolved into nothingness.
"Wh—what? Even the Wyverns..."
"Bring out that thing!"
"Hey, that thing's completely out of control..."
"We're doomed either way. Might as well burn the forest to the ground and loot the treasures in the chaos!"
Amidst the thieves' savage grins, a fire dragon materialized upon the battlefield. Its entire body blazed crimson, its colossal form shrouded in an ominous aura.
"How about this? We captured it from [Dragon's Valley]. Kept it dormant all this time—finally got a chance to put it to use! Hahahaha—Guh?!"
The laughing thief was crushed under the dragon's foot. A deafening roar assaulted every ear.
"That dragon's gone berserk."
Riveria calmly assessed the situation. Just as she prepared to chant a Magic to end this farce, a sudden change occurred.
".....?!"
An invisible, crushing pressure surged like a tidal wave.
"The Spirits are enraged?!"
The elder's eyes widened in terror. With the temperament of children, the Spirits had been consumed by fury at the thieves' attack and the burning forest.
"There's no stopping it now... This forest is doomed..."
The elder sensed the raging fury and instantly understood: even if Riveria and the others quelled the bandits' revolt, this wrath could not be appeased.
"..."
A flicker of anxiety crossed Riveria's face. At that moment, Bell's roar echoed, unleashing the fire dragon's blaze and the flaming thunder simultaneously. The two collided, erupting into a dazzling burst of sparks in the sky.
"Riveria-san, I will hold off that dragon! I will not let it threaten the Sacred Tree! Please use this chance to deal with the Spirits!"
Bell shouted loudly, charging forward.
"Understood. Please don't push yourself too hard."
Riveria calmly accepted the youth's instructions. In terms of combat strength, this was indeed the most rational decision. The fire dragon had not only been captured but possessed flames comparable in power to Bell's—clearly an immature juvenile.
Though she worried for the youth's safety, the true challenge lay in the Spirits, who attacked friend and foe alike. Once, Solingen nearly faced annihilation by enraged Spirits due to excessive deforestation. The curse of the Crozzo clan also originated from Spirits.
This forest was no longer a peaceful paradise, but a perilous Monster Den. Intermediate Spirits possessed a potential level of Lv6, and with numerous lower-tier Spirits present, if they unleashed their fury, everyone would perish here.
"We're done for... The end has come..."
The elder, having never witnessed such an event, stared with eyes filled with utter despair. The other Elves huddled in corners, trembling in terror as they awaited death's arrival. The Spirit's rage spread through the forest, drenching all the Elves in despair.
Riveria glanced at the youth charging forward and spoke with icy resolve:
"Can you accept this outcome?"
"...."
"Of course not!"
"But there's nothing we can do now!"
The Elves buried their heads in their hands and wept. Riveria's expression remained utterly unmoved.
"Frankly, I despise your kind. Arrogant, conceited, and utterly self-absorbed."
"You mistake pride for arrogance, shunning others while wallowing in despair. This situation stems directly from your very nature."
Had they not rejected the adventurers, had they not been so proud, had they prepared defenses beyond the barrier beforehand, things would never have reached this worst possible outcome.
"The forest you cherished was consumed by flames, and your very lives were forsaken by Spirit—this is the fragile, ignorant pride of your kind."
Before that stern rebuke, the Elves bowed their heads, unable to argue.
Riveria gripped her wand tightly and spoke aloud:
"Raise your heads! Open your eyes!"
"Look at that youth!"
"What do your eyes behold? What pride do you pursue?"
The clash of thunder and flame, the standoff between man and dragon, was etched into every soul's vision.
"You ignorant fools surely don't know that just a month ago, he was branded the [Weakest Adventurer]."
"Could you have pressed on amidst the city's mockery? No, you would have cowered, lamenting that it was someone else's fault."
"Yet Bell Cranel did it."
Emerald-green hair danced in the air as the Elf Princess's words echoed through the sky.
"Look at that youth! Do not let Envy cloud your vision, nor Pride blind your eyes."
"He is but a passing traveler, yet he stands nobler than any present here."
"Ask yourselves, everyone—for whom does he fight?"
To the youth, this was but a fleeting vista along his journey.
Yet the Elves regarded this place as their final resting ground.
"Is the honor you seek to be found here, wallowing in self-abasement, begging shelter beneath a youth's protection?"
"Rise, my kin! If a shred of glory remains in your hearts, let that youth witness the true worth of what he swears to guard."
"Rally yourselves! Let Bell Cranel witness the indomitable tenacity and glory of the elves!"
Her stern words struck deep within each heart.
"Riveria-sama is right... If we fall here, all elves across the world will be mocked."
"How can we let that human save us...?"
"The pride of the Elves, the nobility of the Elves—we must protect it!"
"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!!"
The Elves rose to their feet, their fighting spirit soaring.
Before this momentum that pierced the heavens, the war began.
...
To quell the fury of the Spirits, what was needed was not devotion or prayer, but force.
They were like beasts plunged into madness; only by making them know the terror of violence could they be pacified.
Flames blazed, revealing countless Spirits.
In the firelight, their forms, resembling Unicorns, were utterly terrifying.
Ryuu charged alone toward the vanguard.
Her wooden sword clashed with a horn, the violent impact numbing her arm.
"Even Iv5 struggles to withstand this...?"
Ryuu frowned.
She understood Riveria's intent.
This battle could never be resolved by one person alone.
The Elves's combat strength was crucial. Yet even so, stemming the fury of the Spirit remained exceedingly difficult.
Riveria gazed at the youth, her heart beating faster.
"The royal power I usually despise—it's time to put it to use."
Riveria offered her blessing to the youth, then turned away, murmuring a chant.
The next instant, a vast magic circle materialized beneath their feet.
"Riveria-sama?!"
"Power is surging forth?!"
"Ooooohhh!!"
Feeling the surge of strength, the Elves chanted their spells in unison, repelling the Spirit's assaults.
[Alf Regina].
With this unique skill, any elf of the same kind within the magic circle would have their magic significantly enhanced.
"Fight! For the youth who stepped forward, and for all our kin. Let us dedicate victory to glory."
Riveria raised her wand, and dazzling magic blossomed throughout the forest.
…
"Did that magic circle... successfully fend off the Spirits' assault?"
Bell glanced at the battlefield. He had no time to spare for others. The terrifying flame dragon was fixated on the Sacred Tree. It seemed that upon awakening, the dragon's first sight was the Sacred Tree, mistaking it for an enemy. The flame dragon relentlessly unleashed searing fireballs at the Sacred Tree.
"Firebolt!"
Bell dispatched the remaining rogue thieves attempting a sneak attack with his dagger while simultaneously unleashing Firebolt.
Two fireballs of similar form collided once more, erupting in a thunderous roar amidst the pyrotechnics, like the beating of war drums. Bell had to protect the Sacred Tree. Not only for Riveria's quest for the fruit, but more crucially, if the Sacred Tree fell, the chaos among the Spirits would likely escalate once more.
Only through the combined efforts of the Elves and Riveria's group had the battle maintained a fragile balance. Should the number of enraged Spirits swell again, the front lines would collapse in an instant. Bell had already intercepted several fireballs in succession.
Suddenly, the Flame Dragon seemed to sense this and let out a furious roar. Its enormous, eerie eyes glared as it flapped its wings.
!
Bell instantly grasped its intent—it was charging straight ahead!
"Firebolt!"
The flame-charged bolt struck. It slammed into the crimson hide, leaving not even a scorch mark. As a fire dragon, its resistance to flames was simply too high. Perhaps due to the effect of [Luck], it hadn't regarded Bell as an enemy, continuously spewing fireballs to attack the Sacred Tree, preventing the situation from worsening. But now, things were vastly different. Its massive wings stirred up a gale as the fire dragon prepared to take flight. Bell acted decisively, charging straight toward this terrifying monster.
"Firebolt."
Amidst the gale, Bell unleashed a fire spell onto the ground behind him. Leveraging the accumulated [Power], he leapt high into the air. As the flame dragon soared upward, Bell successfully landed atop its head. Hestia Knife glowed with a violet-blue arc.
Just as he was about to thrust the knife down, Bell hesitated. The flame dragon had already gathered its fiery power! Ending its life now would trigger an explosion.
The Sacred Tree and Riveria below would be safe, but for Bell, standing mere inches away, the outcome would be entirely different. Furrowing his brow, he thrust the dagger toward the flame dragon's eyes.
A piercing wail echoed through the forest, yet the dragon's charge showed no sign of slowing. No, there was no way to stop it!
The moment of decision arrived. If he jumped now, the Sacred Tree would inevitably be destroyed. The flames would burn, the Spirit would rage, and Riveria, along with every Elf present, would lose their lives.
Flee this place, or bear the explosion alone.
Bell's mind had already reached its conclusion. Yet inevitably, he recalled Syr's words.
"Originally, I wanted to keep this secret forever, to give it to you as a surprise."
Those words, whispered while nestled in the boy's embrace, were filled with tenderness and longing.
"But one day, Bell, you'll surely risk your life for a girl."
"I feel that the Bell of today is worthy of entrusting the secret of that family heirloom to you."
"Truthfully, it's not merely a talisman. I had a god I know undergo an Appraisal—it can block one fatal blow for you."
"Bell, no matter what lies ahead, I will wait for your return. So... I entrust this to you."
Syr's words mingled with sweet memories. Amidst the howling winds in midair, Bell plunged the dagger, driven by trust in his girlfriend and resolve to protect everyone. The teardrop-shaped pendant shimmered brightly. The flame dragon roared, its agonized cries echoing. The next instant, an unprecedented explosion shook the heavens and earth.