Frog cries rang all around her as countless tongues turned into heavy clubs, stabbing toward the golden-yellow-haired elf in the center of the monsters.
"Proud warriors, marksmen of the forest."
Lefiya dodged the whipping tongues while weaving her beautiful song.
Light arrows alone were not enough. She had to unleash a dazzling barrage of Magic and show Bell Cranel just how powerful she was.
"Take up your bows to face the marauders. Answer the call of your kin, and nock your arrows."
Countless beads of sweat ran down her cheeks, mixing with the slime covering her body.
Lefiya could clearly feel the boy watching her.
Was he taking advantage of the situation to take in this embarrassing scene, or were his eyes fixed on her because he was genuinely worried about her safety?
Lefiya did not know the answer. All she knew was that burning shame had spread through her whole body, filling her with endless complaints and motivation.
"Bring forth the flames, torches of the forest. Release them, flaming arrows of the fairies."
Lefiya adjusted her stance through one failed attempt after another.
Because of the way she kept dodging, the front of her outfit had already torn open in several places. As slime dripped from the fabric, Lefiya's fair skin was exposed.
"Ugh..."
Fine. If you want to look, then I'll let you look all you want!
As the one responsible for this, you can take a Magic barrage, accept responsibility, and reflect properly!
"Fall like rain, burn the savages to ash."
This was no longer just about Concurrent Chanting.
Lefiya's desire to help Ais and the others had not changed, but without her realizing it, that feeling had grown a little dim compared to what she felt toward the boy.
It was not that Ais-san no longer mattered. Rather, a new emotion had begun to surge toward Bell Cranel, one that faintly outweighed the friendship she felt for Ais and the others.
She wanted the boy to see her in a new light.
She wanted to walk beside him.
Since he was looking at her with such passionate eyes, then he should keep looking at this way, at her, and not look at any other girls!
Idiot!
"Fusillade Fallarica!"
Lefiya completed the Concurrent Chanting.
She dodged the attack of the tongues, kept her body facing forward, and leaped high into the air.
A deep golden magic circle spread beneath Lefiya's feet. As if stepping on light itself, she raised the wand in her hand.
Lefiya's gaze was not on the frog monsters. Instead, she looked at the boy far behind them. Though dozens of monsters stood between them, their eyes met as if they were only inches apart.
In the next instant, along with the golden-yellow-haired elf's sweet smile, countless flaming arrows poured down. The barrage of Magic thundered like a storm, sweeping up every frog monster at once.
The boy was also within the range of the wide-area Magic attack, but Bell kicked off the ground and easily avoided the incoming fire arrows.
In the end, every monster's Magic Stone was destroyed without leaving a trace. Only sparks and smoke remained on the barren ground.
"Lefiya-san, it looks like you've gotten the hang of Concurrent Chanting. This is only a rushed, inferior version, so don't forget to keep practicing later."
Bell walked up to her as if nothing had happened, calm and unruffled.
"Ugh... I know."
Lefiya naturally knew the boy would be able to dodge the fire arrows, but actually seeing it still left her feeling a little dissatisfied.
She did not want him to get hurt by her Magic, yet she also wanted Bell to suffer a little. Even Lefiya herself could not understand this contradictory feeling.
"I'll listen to your warning and won't get arrogant. But before that, don't you have something you should say to me?"
Lefiya shyly lifted both hands and held them in front of her chest.
Because of the monsters' attacks, the front of her outfit could no longer preserve her modesty. Her chest was like the night sky, with the upper half hidden behind clouds and the lower half revealing a pure white half-moon.
"Mm... Thanks for the treat?"
Bell answered after a thoughtful pause.
"I knew it! You definitely saw it just now, didn't you?! Idiot, pervert, permanently horny rabbit!"
Lefiya accused him with a flushed face.
She wanted to swing her wand and bring down a punishing blow on the boy, but covering herself with both hands was already her limit. If she moved carelessly, she would only expose herself further.
"I'm not apologizing, you know. After all, this was also a way to motivate Lefiya-san."
Bell answered honestly.
From the moment they first met, he had already realized that shame could greatly bring out Lefiya's potential.
Bell did not know what exactly Lefiya had been fantasizing about, but the fact that it had produced this result was enough.
"You're the worst. I wore this outfit for our date... Ugh..."
Lefiya's voice cut off abruptly.
"Lefiya-san, just think of the outfit as the tuition fee for Concurrent Chanting. Next time, I'll go with you to buy a new one."
Bell comforted her, "I was also dragged into that Magic barrage because of someone's willfulness just now, so we're even."
To be honest, Bell had not expected Lefiya's outfit to be damaged this badly.
Perhaps the material had reacted with the monsters' slime, which was why so much of the front had been exposed.
To spare Lefiya's feelings, Bell did not explain that and instead treated the result as his own fault.
"Ugh..."
Lefiya did not actually want the boy to compensate her.
After all, this was her training, and she had already taken up Bell's time. Lefiya could not thank him enough, much less demand compensation.
But gratitude was one thing. Their current situation was another.
"Permanently horny rabbit, you-you have to take responsibility..."
Lefiya covered her chest and stammered.
"Hm? Does Lefiya-san's hometown have a custom where, if someone sees an important part of your body, you have no choice but to marry them?"
Bell found the golden-yellow-haired elf in this state rather cute, so he teased her softly.
"No! That's not what I mean by taking responsibility, you permanently horny rabbit!"
Lefiya's face turned bright red as she complained indignantly, "How am I supposed to go back like this?"
The two of them were currently deep in a hidden part of the Dungeon, so no outsiders came to disturb them. But once they returned to the main road, they would definitely run into other adventurers. On top of that, the Loki Familia's headquarters was a long way from the Tower of Babel. In Lefiya's current shameful state, there was no way she could take even half a step outside.
Bell looked over the golden-yellow-haired elf's condition.
Her deep golden hair hung down to her waist. The front of her outfit had melted away by more than half, exposing the skin of her well-shaped figure and filling her with a young girl's charm. Below that, her over-knee stockings had several large holes torn in them and were stained with a lot of white slime.
"I understand."
Although Bell had created this situation by accident, he still nodded and accepted responsibility.
Since he had not brought any spare clothes, the best solution would be for Bell to guard the entrance of the passage and ask an adventurer to buy new clothes when someone came by.
But that would put them in a passive position and waste too much time.
Bell considered a solution.
Just then, Lefiya pressed her lips together and spoke in a shy, delicate voice:
"Um... Y-You carry me back..."