"Is that… Ais-san?!"
Lefiya heard the clear clash of steel and asked excitedly.
"Judging by the sound of the fight, it's her."
Bell had spent a long time fighting alongside Ais and was intimately familiar with her style.
Intense exchanges. Relentless pressure without a moment's pause. That storm-like assault was unmistakably Ais's personal signature.
"Let's get to her right now!"
Lefiya raised her wand, battle intent surging.
"Wait. The sound is coming through a wall. With our firepower, breaking straight through would be difficult."
Bell stared into the darkness ahead and added, "And casting large-scale Magic here is too dangerous. We'll circle around through the hollow space near the Pantry."
Green, fleshy walls were fused with the labyrinth's stone. Ordinary Magic wouldn't pierce them.
Acting rashly would only expose their current position.
"Cranel-san, the large hollow in the center may contain unknown monsters."
Ryuu spoke quietly.
She had experienced the battle with [Antares] before and knew that abnormalities in the walls were tied to some kind of creature.
"Mm. Look at it another way, Ais-san is currently holding back the enemy's main force for us."
Bell laid out his plan. "Since we can't reach her quickly, we'll advance steadily and make sure she notices our presence."
"I understand."
Ryuu nodded.
What the boy proposed was an extremely cautious approach. Even if they encountered an enemy they couldn't defeat, they could keep their formation and retreat at once.
Seeing the worry on Lefiya's face, Bell added,
"From the sound of it, Ais-san has the upper hand right now. She hasn't used [Ariel], probably because of the jewel's influence. If we can deal with that, she'll be able to fight at full strength."
"Mm…"
Lefiya puffed out her cheeks slightly.
Just knowing that Ais was safe already made her happy. The one she was truly worried about was the boy who always charged in first.
"I know… but please be careful."
Lefiya still remembered Bell rushing toward the red-haired woman, clutching Ais as he leapt off the cliff.
She never wanted to relive that nightmare.
"Don't worry—"
Before Bell could finish, his expression hardened.
"They're coming."
From the darkness, a large swarm of Violas slid forward in trails of slime, gaping maws wide open as they charged straight at them.
...
"Firebolt!"
The dim passageway was lit up by the ferocity of the battle. Flames flared as thunder roared through the corridor.
The moment Bell identified the monsters, he released Quick-Cast Magic without hesitation.
"Viola react to magic. Don't chant spells!"
Bell rushed forward, deliberately putting some distance between himself and Lefiya's group. The Viola monsters immediately shifted course, turning their hostility toward the source of the Firebolt.
"They're tough against blunt force, but weak to slashing. Their Magic Stones are deep inside their mouths."
While drawing their attention, Bell calmly relayed the Viola flowers' weaknesses to Filvis and the others.
"Cranel-san, focus on evading. I'll deal with them from behind."
There was hardly any verbal exchange between Ryuu and Bell. As if they shared the same thought, she tightened her grip on her sharp dagger and sprinted toward the Viola's rear.
"I'll take care of anything that slips through."
Filvis stepped in front of Lefiya and drew her short sword with composed determination.
"Um… resistant to impact, so staff strikes won't work… reacts to magic too, so I can't chant… then what am I supposed to do…?"
Lefiya clutched her wand, staring blankly at the boy.
"Hmm… let me think. Lefiya-san, could you keep watch for anything suspicious nearby?"
Bell replied loudly.
"Why did you pause for that long?! You're totally just brushing me off, aren't you?!"
Lefiya stood there in despair, accepting the painful truth that she had no role to play in this fight.
"I'll cheer for you, Bell Cranel! Please be careful!"
Amid the encouragement of the amber-haired elf, the battle fully erupted.
Massive yellow-green tentacles lashed out wildly. Bell had seen this kind of attack countless times before. These whiplike strikes had once put his life in danger. Now, they felt no more threatening than flimsy cords.
Bell deftly wove between the Viola's tentacles, slashing out with Hestia's Knife whenever an opening appeared. The divine weapon that had grown alongside its wielder seemed to cry out, proclaiming how far they had come.
The dagger carved arcs through the air, cleanly severing the incoming tentacles. Shrill screams rang out one after another.
Ryuu placed complete trust in Bell. She didn't spare a thought for his situation, instead suppressing her killing intent and moving like a true assassin.
She slipped along the Viola's back, driving her blade deep toward the Magic Stone hidden within its maw. Lv5 [Strength] pierced the monster's hardened shell and crushed the Magic Stone outright.
Black mist rose endlessly, like a reaper answering its call.
"Cranel…"
Filvis silently offered her blessing. Noticing a monster that had slipped past, she tightened her grip and charged forward.
Thrusts and slashing arcs overlapped as her pure white outfit fluttered with her movements. Even without chanting spells, the elegant prowess of a magic swordsman was more than enough to handle the remaining monsters.
"Filvis-san is so cool… I want to be like her someday…"
Lefiya kept watch over the shadows, occasionally stealing glances at the intense battle. Beyond the magic swordsman she admired, Bell's figure was reflected clearly in her gem-like blue eyes.
"He's amazing…"
She murmured softly.
Not long ago, Bell had been completely helpless against monsters like these. Yet in just over a month, everything had changed.
With overwhelming [Agility] and [Dexterity], Bell continued his relentless sword dance. Evade. Counterattack.
Each movement held Lefiya's gaze captive. Blue-violet light shimmered as it moved in step with his white hair.
Facing dozens of Viola flowers, the boy stood at the center of the battlefield, orchestrating a dazzling symphony of combat.
Black mist surged upward.
Lefiya was utterly entranced.
Only when the battle ended and Bell walked over to her did she finally snap back to her senses.
"Bell Cranel, you… you're way too incredible, aren't you?!"
Having witnessed such a thrilling and spectacular scene firsthand, Lefiya spoke with unguarded honesty.
"Well, I did level up. And these Viola plants don't have particularly high potential."
Bell accepted the praise modestly, then steered the conversation back on track.
"I've noticed that the individual differences among these Viola are extreme."
He calmly explained his observations.
During the earlier incident, the Viola had been far more troublesome than these ones. It wasn't a matter of species, but a vast disparity in individual strength.
Bell speculated that these Viola had not fully matured, and that what they fed on—Magic Stones—was what strengthened them.
"Enhanced variants," Filvis said, giving the phenomenon its proper name.
"Aren't enhanced variants supposed to arise from monster mutations? You're saying they can be mass-produced…?"
Lefiya reacted in shock.
If a monster happened to discover the taste of Magic Stones and began preying on its own kind, it would continue to grow stronger, eventually becoming a fearsome enhanced variant. That was supposed to be an extremely rare coincidence.
Lefiya had never heard of enhanced variants being artificially created in large numbers.
"It's only a reasonable hypothesis, but—"
Bell lifted his head, his eyes reflecting the restless darkness ahead.
"The answer is right in front of us."