Miasma coiled through the air as the flames of anger and jealousy burned in Lefiya's eyes.
Stealing a friend away, flaunting blatant infidelity.
Faced with these facts, Lefiya knew she had no standing to interfere, yet her heart was still drowning in fury.
She kept muttering "eternally horny rabbit," her wand creaking ominously in her grip.
Just as she was about to completely explode, Bell doused all that rage with a single sentence.
"Lefiya-san, you and Filvis came to the Dungeon together. You must have something important to do, right?"
Bell played his trump card.
Their earlier exchange had lasted only a few minutes, yet the party had already dealt with a large number of Minotaurs on the seventeenth floor.
Compared to that, Bell had effectively saved them even more time that would have been spent fighting monsters.
But if Lefiya kept pressing the issue and started swinging her staff here, that would be a different matter entirely.
Filvis covered her mouth with a light laugh and echoed Bell's words.
"Viridis, the situation is urgent. There's no time to keep fooling around."
"Wha—?!"
It was like having a bucket of icy water poured over her head. Lefiya's anger instantly evaporated.
She desperately wanted to shout back. Whether it was Filvis's sudden confession or Bell Cranel flirting in the middle of the Dungeon, it was clearly those two at fault. So why was she the one being called out for causing trouble?
But in the end, Lefiya swallowed her resentment.
No matter what, Ais's situation was more important. They couldn't afford to waste time here.
Bell seemed to see through her thoughts and spoke softly.
"The next area is a safe floor. If your goal is to keep going down, could you leave Filvis and me alone for a little while?"
Lefiya frowned.
"Y-you… what are you planning to do to Filvis-san? There's no way I'd allow something like that—"
Before she could finish, Filvis answered decisively.
"That's fine. I was thinking the same thing."
"Filvis-san…?"
Lefiya froze in shock.
They hadn't been together long, but this was absolutely not the noble, reserved girl she thought she knew.
"It's just lovers spending some time alone. That should be perfectly normal, shouldn't it?" Filvis replied calmly.
"Besides, we still need to go to Rivira Town to gather information. Leaving that task to Cranel's companions will save time as well."
Before heading deeper, most adventurers stopped in Rivira Town to rest and prepare.
If they wanted to catch up to Ais and avoid missing her, gathering information was essential.
"…Fine, I understand…"
Lefiya puffed out her cheeks, sulking as she reluctantly accepted the proposal.
...
Crystalline light shimmered across the sky of the Eighteenth Floor.
The pale blue crystals beside Bell reflected one another like a field of stars.
Looking at the beautiful girl before him, he spoke softly.
"Filvis, tell me what your objective is."
Surrounded by crystals, the two of them were completely alone.
Bell remembered the patterns on Filvis's legs.
During the Evilus ambush with cursed weapons, he had defeated the attackers but was struck by the curse himself, bleeding heavily.
Just before losing consciousness, the white stockings he saw were exactly like the ones Filvis was wearing now.
Piecing together the information he later gathered, it was Filvis who had rescued him and carried him all the way to the Dungeon entrance.
Bell had visited clothing shops afterward, yet never found the same design.
Those white stockings were custom-made to match her outfit, crafted specifically for Filvis alone.
Once he realized that, he had accepted her confession without hesitation.
Saving him and leaving without giving her name, then delivering such an abrupt confession at their first meeting…
There was clearly more behind it.
"The Thousand Elf and I are heading to the 24th floor to search for the Sword Princess."
Filvis lowered her head, as if weighing a painful decision.
"Cranel, I want you to come with us…"
"Alright. No problem."
Bell answered immediately.
"..."
Filvis froze.
She lifted her head, her pale face filled with surprise.
"Cranel… you're not going to ask why?"
"Lili and the others have already reached Rivira Town, so there's no need to worry about their safety. We can just head back together after we're done."
Bell replied calmly.
If Filvis had asked for the entire party to go to the 24th floor, he would have needed time to think.
But if it was just him, then considering the debt of saving his life and the lack of hostility, there was no reason to refuse.
"That's… not what I meant…"
Filvis hesitated, unsure how to continue.
As someone who had "coincidentally" crossed paths with him many times, she knew how perceptive he was.
She had always been careful not to let him notice her presence.
Although this outcome matched her original intent, Bell's decisiveness made her think:
Did he remember me from that attack…?
If that's the case, I should stay away from Cranel…
Her face drained of color.
As if sensing her thoughts, Bell let out a light chuckle.
"What's wrong? Aren't we lovers now? We're just going to the 24th floor to help out. You can rely on me."
Bell deliberately avoided bringing up the past.
If he did, it could easily lead to matters involving Evilus.
The attack site had been extremely remote. Her rescue could not be dismissed as mere coincidence.
From that angle, even Filvis herself might have some connection to Evilus.
Bell chose to trust her.
The kindness that saved him was real. Of that, he was certain.
Whatever burden Filvis carried, pressing her now would only push her away and cost him the chance to understand everything.
"Even if it makes the other girls jealous, I'll be honest—I fell for the beautiful Filvis at first sight too."
Bell leaned into their earlier topic, presenting himself as someone captivated by her beauty.
"B-beautiful…?"
Filvis's doubts melted away.
She raised a hand to cover her cheeks, though a faint blush still slipped through her fingers.
There was no scheming or calculation here. Only a girl experiencing her first stirrings of love, and a boy drawn in by her appearance.
"Anyway, let's get going."
Bell extended his right hand politely, offering to hold hands like a lover.
"Um…"
Filvis stared at his hand, her eyes wavering.
"Cranel… if possible, please don't touch me…"
Realizing how unreasonable it sounded, she hurriedly added:
"I'm willing to offer everything. The dagger in my hand, the magic I chant, all of it can be used for you…"
"But please… don't touch this filthy body…"
She forced the words out.
Her beautiful face showed nothing of shyness, only pain, as if every word scraped against her chest.
"Cranel… I don't want to stain you…"