"Lefiya is still too young. Even if she herself wanted it, it is still far too early to be talking about marriage."
Riveria stated her thoughts with quiet firmness.
"That is true."
Finn nodded, then said thoughtfully,
"If that is the case, then the requirements for a marriage alliance become rather strict. She would need to be old enough for marriage, have a good relationship with Bell Cranel, be able to keep that harem in check, and possess a certain level of strength... Do we even have a woman like that in our Familia?"
At that, Gareth let out a snort of laughter.
Riveria, meanwhile, tightened her grip on her wand and shot the two of them a merciless glare.
"Enough, Finn."
"Sorry, sorry, hahahaha. As for Bell Cranel's reward, let us leave that for another time..."
Finn and Gareth both laughed so hard they could barely stop.
The three of them had spent years together in the Familia and already knew each other's temperaments inside and out.
Even if outsiders could not have noticed, Finn and Gareth were still able to pick up on a few clues.
There was no doubt about it. Bell Cranel had changed Riveria, if only a little.
That once headstrong princess had awakened again, and the sight of it immediately stirred up nostalgia, taking them back to the old days.
"You two, if you dare tell anyone..."
Riveria threatened them softly.
She had realized that no matter how hard she tried to hide it, the details were still far too easy to give away.
Riveria had never experienced this kind of strange affection before. Whenever Bell Cranel came up, she always found herself being influenced by him without meaning to.
It was not like a lovestruck girl blushing and losing control of her heartbeat, nor had it reached the point of romance.
But for someone like Riveria, who had begun as a blank page, even this faint affection, so different from what she felt toward her companions, was enough for the boy's color to begin staining her.
Maybe it was the way she occasionally drifted off in thought. Or maybe it was the little bits of unconscious favoritism.
Those details laid her feelings bare.
"Of course I will not say anything. I promise."
Finn gave his word.
"Same here."
Gareth agreed just as decisively.
"After all, he is exactly the kind of person you have been seeking."
Finn said it with quiet feeling.
The three of them had once made vows.
Gareth sought blazing battle.
Finn sought the revival of his people.
Riveria sought the unknown world.
Those three vows connected past and future and bound the three of them together.
And all of them could feel it. Bell Cranel was the embodiment of those three vows.
The bravery of a warrior was enough to set the blood boiling.
The strategy of a wise man could help restore what was lost.
And when those two were combined, he became a hero of the [Unknown].
Even setting Ais and the others aside, Riveria herself had always been seeking someone like the boy.
"So, just how far has it gone? Can you tell us?"
Finn let the teasing smile fade and asked softly.
"Sorry, but I do not wish to share that."
With that, the conversation ended as Riveria turned and walked away.
...
The roar of rushing water echoed by her ears.
Even Riveria herself found Finn's question difficult to answer.
If this had been happening to someone else, she might have calmly analyzed it.
But now that she was experiencing it herself, Riveria truly could not tell whether affection was something that could even be measured in clear terms.
At the very least, the unusual feelings she held toward the boy were steadily taking shape.
Even simply walking beside him and chatting together brought her an inexplicable sense of comfort.
And because she had never experienced anything like this before, Riveria was especially sensitive to it.
She buried those thoughts deep in her heart and said softly, "I have already gathered all the Drop Items I needed, but I have not seen any rare materials along the way."
The two of them had already crossed more than half the floor. Continuing any farther would not be a wise choice.
"Maybe we were just unlucky. Let us head back for now."
Bell did not seem too disappointed.
They had only come to try their luck in the first place. If they pushed ahead recklessly and put Riveria in danger, then they would be defeating the whole purpose.
"Riveria-san?"
Bell frowned and softly called her name.
The violent current rushed beside them, and every monster that attacked had already been cleanly dealt with by Riveria.
By all logic, there was no danger now, yet Riveria stood there without moving for a long time.
"Sorry, could you wait for me in a safe spot on the bank for a moment?"
Riveria asked softly.
"All right, but what are you going to do?"
Before Bell could finish his sentence, Riveria gripped her wand, rose onto her toes, and leapt into the current.
Like a playful little girl, she landed neatly on a rock in the rushing water.
Her emerald hair danced in the mist, and the deep blue crystals reflected a fairy tale-like beauty on her flawless face.
After two light, graceful steps, Riveria came to a stop.
She bent down, as if searching for something in a crack between the rocks.
At that very moment, a terrifying monster suddenly burst up from the river. With sharp fangs bared, it lunged at the unguarded emerald elf.
"Awaken."
Bell activated his magic without hesitation.
It was only a simple burst of speed, without the later effect of [Argo's Ship].
But from the distance involved, it was already enough to deal with the danger in front of him.
Bell shot forward like a bullet, closing the gap between them in an instant.
Everything happened in a flash.
Riveria's wand moved like a conjurer's trick and effortlessly destroyed the [Raider Fish] that had leapt from the water.
The monster shrieked as it fell back into the current.
But Bell, moving as fast as the wind, was already right in front of her.
"Eh?"
Riveria let out a rare sound of surprise.
Because of the shift in her posture, Bell slammed into her.
At that exact moment, Riveria had just picked something up and had not let go with her left hand.
...
With one coincidence piling on top of another, the two of them fell into the water together.
A short while later, under the light of the blue crystals, Bell was being scolded like a child by the emerald elf.
"Bell Cranel, do you know how worried I was just now?"
Riveria spoke urgently.
"I'm sorry. I misjudged the situation."
Bell apologized softly.
Riveria had seemed defenseless, but in truth she had been ready to counterattack at any time.
Bell had misread that, and in his panic, he rushed forward.
Fortunately, for a Level 6 like Riveria, the fierce current was not much of a threat.
The two of them had only been in the water for a few seconds before easily returning to shore.
"Bell Cranel, I understand that you were worried about me. I am not trying to blame you for your mistake."
Riveria let out a soft sigh and spoke gently. "But with things as they are now... could it be that you did this on purpose?"
"Absolutely not."
Bell answered truthfully.
The current had soaked both of them completely.
Riveria's dark green, simple mage outfit clung inward against her body, outlining her beautiful and alluring figure.
Droplets of water dotted her pale skin and slid down from her neck, stirring faint and hazy thoughts.
Even the black stockings below had lost their usual texture and were pressed tightly against her jade-like ankles.
"A, anyway..."
Noticing the boy's gaze, Riveria unexpectedly stumbled over her words.
"Let us find a safe place first and dry our clothes..."