Blades danced as phosphorescent light flashed.
Clang!
Bell blocked the Minotaur's stone axe with his dagger. Faced with his vastly improved [Strength] and [Speed], the raging bull had no room to fight back.
Several monsters roared as they rushed in.
They failed to break through the crimson and bluish-purple storm of slashes, collapsing to the ground with agonized cries.
One Minotaur abruptly switched targets, charging toward Lili and the others in the rear.
"Firebolt!"
Flames crackled like lightning, tearing into the monster's leg.
"Bell-dono, thank you!"
Mikoto had already been poised to strike.
Lili loosed an arrow, hitting the Minotaur squarely in the eye.
Amid the monster's furious bellow, Mikoto kicked off the ground and leapt high.
Her longsword fell straight down with the weight of momentum behind it, piercing cleanly through the Minotaur's neck.
With Mikoto joining the front line, the party's vanguard grew stronger once again.
Even without counting Bell's overwhelming combat power, this team could still manage mid-level monsters.
"Good work, Bell-sama, Mikoto-sama."
Lili handed water flasks to the two of them, then turned to deal with the monster's corpse.
She carefully cut open the Minotaur's chest with a small knife.
After extracting the Magic Stone, she picked up the fallen horns as well.
"Lili has noticed something. Every time we explore with Bell-sama, the Drop Items are especially plentiful."
She paused, then quickly added, "Bell-sama, Lili isn't complaining at all. It just feels like our luck is really good..."
It wasn't just the quantity. Even the quality of the drops was noticeably higher.
"When you went out exploring before, what was it like?"
Bell was also curious about the effects of [Luck] and asked quietly.
"Um... when Lili explored together with Daphne and the others, it was just like a normal party..."
Lili recalled their past results.
By her estimates, once Bell joined them, the yield of Magic Stones and Drop Items increased by at least three times.
And that was only comparing gains on the same floors.
Bell's exploration efficiency was remarkably high.
He never needed to double-check maps, and his routes were always optimal.
Most monsters defeated by the boy didn't even require extra steps to process the corpses or dig out Magic Stones.
Bell distributed the team's combat roles perfectly, taking on large groups of monsters by himself while still giving Lili and the others plenty of chances to contribute.
On top of that was Bell's own exceptional combat strength.
With all these factors combined, their daily exploration gains were far beyond what anyone expected.
"Lili thinks that with Bell-sama around, our earnings are probably more than ten times higher than familias with similar strength."
Lili reached a conclusion that even she found hard to believe.
"S-Seriously? That much?"
Cassandra stared in shock.
"As expected of the captain..."
Even the usually composed Daphne was taken aback by the number.
The two of them had once crossed blades with Bell during the War Game. Even though it had been forced by circumstance, they still carried some lingering guilt.
As a way to make amends, Daphne and Cassandra had promised to hand over their recent exploration earnings to the boy, so they hadn't known the exact figures.
Thinking about it now, just two days of their exploration matched a full month's worth of effort from other familias.
The difference was truly staggering.
"Mm..."
Mikoto blinked, her bluish-violet eyes seeming to sparkle with the glitter of money.
"With earnings this high, Mikoto-sama won't need to worry so much about things back in her hometown."
Lili smiled as she tried to reassure her.
The party was clearly on the rise now, and these profits would only continue to grow.
For Mikoto, who had long been troubled by money, this was nothing short of a cool spring in the middle of a desert.
"N-no, Lili said the wrong thing again... Lili absolutely didn't mean that Mikoto-sama joined for money or anything. Lili knows how noble your worries about the shrine are..."
Lili's tongue started to stumble.
Her frantic explanation only made Mikoto sound even more like a money-grubber.
"I-it's just... um..."
Seeing Lili panic like that, everyone couldn't help but smile knowingly.
"Lilisqueak, if anyone here's greedy, it's you. Don't go pinning it on someone else," Welf said with a grin.
"Huh?! Lili's money is all being saved for Bell-sama!" Lili clenched her fists and shot back loudly.
"Lili-dono, please don't worry. I haven't misunderstood you."
Mikoto spoke calmly as she handed the water flask back.
Bell hadn't told Lili and the others about Haruhime.
The more people who knew, the greater the risk of it coming to light.
Mikoto explained that the shrine's living expenses were insufficient, and that she had transferred over in order to help support the starving orphans.
"If you just wanted to explore together, you didn't need to transfer, though," Daphne pointed out.
Faced with that reasonable objection, Mikoto quietly pulled Daphne aside.
She glanced toward Bell from time to time, her face flushed red as she whispered a few words.
When she returned, Daphne accepted Mikoto's presence without further question.
On the other side, after hearing about the shrine, Cassandra and the others offered to donate some money.
Mikoto firmly refused.
She thanked them sincerely, but emphasized that this was her own responsibility and that she couldn't trouble the other members of the Hestia Familia.
If things truly reached a dead end, she would ask Bell and the others for help herself.
That said, judging by their current earnings, Mikoto no longer needed to worry about money.
"Bell-dono, I am truly grateful from the bottom of my heart."
Mikoto spoke honestly.
Bell had done far too much for her.
He had reached out to save her when she was trapped in despair.
He had even built a bathhouse just for her to use.
He provided generous compensation during their explorations.
He patiently taught her all kinds of things.
And beyond all that, Bell was still working tirelessly to save her childhood friend, doing everything he could to help.
With all those debts of gratitude piling up, Mikoto no longer knew how she could ever repay him.
"These rewards are simply what Mikoto deserves. You don't need to be so formal."
Bell laughed easily.
This warrior-like girl always gave him a strange feeling, as if the slightest misstep might make her kneel down and swear lifelong loyalty.
Bell knew that Mikoto held special feelings toward him.
But whether that was gratitude or something more, he couldn't yet say.
"Let's keep moving..."
He decided not to dwell on it.
Just then, an unexpected visitor appeared.
"A monster ambush?!" Daphne immediately drew her short blade.
"No. There's no monster behind her, and I don't sense any hostility."
Bell made a quick judgment.
"You all fall back. I'll handle this on my own."
"Understood, Bell-sama. Please be careful."
Lili hoisted her oversized pack and retreated with Cassandra and the others to a safe distance.
Bell turned his attention to the elf girl approaching them.
She had glossy black hair and crimson eyes, her beautiful features carrying a sharp, dignified air.
At a glance, she gave off an impression of purity and flawlessness.
Unexpectedly, the words carried by her bell-like voice left him completely at a loss.
"Bell Cranel, I like you."