Bell conducted a series of simple examinations on the couple, mainly checking whether their bodies and souls exhibited any rejection reactions.
"Hm, no rejection reaction."
Rejection between soul and body is often the most problematic.
As long as there's no rejection, it means there are no issues between the soul and the body. This means that even rejoining a Familia later on wouldn't be a problem, nor would leveling up.
There was only one issue that required attention, and Bell specifically pointed it out.
"The body has only just started to bear the soul. To improve control over the body, some basic physical training is needed. It's like how patients recovering from serious illnesses need exercise during their recovery—this is an unavoidable phase."
After saying this, Bell paused for a moment, thinking that his words might lead Ais to develop some misconceptions. So, he quickly added another sentence.
"Ais, your parents' training intensity doesn't need to be too high. Just follow their adaptation levels."
"Mhm."
Ais naturally took these words to heart. After all, this was directly related to her parents' new life.
Beyond the compatibility between body and soul, there were no significant problems.
This couple had done a great job protecting their souls, almost completely untouched by the Dungeon's corruption. This meant their souls didn't require any additional processing, saving a lot of unnecessary time.
Under normal circumstances, Bell wouldn't hesitate to invest that time.
But not now.
Of course, the couple had no such issues, which saved Bell a considerable amount of time.
"All clear."
After the thorough inspection, Bell detected no issues between the soul and body.
The Dungeon didn't have the ability to tamper with their souls under his scrutiny. This check confirmed that the couple was problem-free.
"Ais, did you bring clothes?"
"I did. It's just... Dad's side..."
Ais always carried a variety of clothes with her. Her battle attire suffered excessive wear and tear during combat. To avoid the situation of running out of clothes in the middle of a fight, she'd learned to carry a large supply.
In this situation, her mother could wear her clothes. After all, judging by their figures, her mother and Ais weren't too different in size—she should fit.
The problem was more significant for her father.
She only carried clothes that suited her, and none of them would fit him.
Her father was much taller and broader than she was. Even her tight-fitting garments wouldn't accommodate him. She couldn't very well have her dad go out with her clothes wrapped around his waist, could she?
Ais looked at her teacher with some distress.
Bell wasn't surprised at all. He hadn't prepared any of Ais's mother's clothes from the start.
Though he had essentially cultivated her body from the cellular level, making him intimately familiar with its inner and outer workings, there were still some things that had to be respected.
Ais's figure wasn't too different from her mother's.
Bell had always brought Ais along on dungeon expeditions, and he knew she usually carried spare clothes of the same type. So, Ais could handle her mother's clothes herself.
It was her father's clothes that needed his attention.
Of course, the clothes for Ais's father weren't his own. He certainly didn't have the habit of giving away his personal garments.
Bell went out and got a simple set of clothes—standard adventurer gear.
It wasn't particularly stylish, but it was warm.
Soon after, Bell brought out the clothes he'd prepared earlier.
"These are for your father."
"Thank you, Teacher."
Ais immediately took the clothes.
She had known her teacher would prepare something. After hearing his earlier reminder, she understood.
Bell sighed helplessly. His feelings toward Ais were complicated. It felt strange to be taking care of a fourteen-year-old who seemed like his own daughter.
"If you really want to thank me, stop dragging me out of bed this early in the morning."
"You ruined my rare day off."
With that, Bell flicked Ais lightly on the forehead.
This was Bell's only day off in three months. The next two months would offer no such respite.
To maximize his Status in that time, he needed to dedicate every waking hour to the Dungeon.
For the next two months, there would be almost no rest—except for the very last day. Bell simply couldn't afford to waste time relaxing.
Still, Bell didn't intend to keep complaining.
This rugged path was a choice he had made himself. Whatever challenges arose along the way were merely trials to be endured.
Ais clutched her stinging, reddened forehead.
Suddenly, she remembered something and blurted out,
"Teacher, what are you going to do next?"
"Me? Of course, I'm going to focus on enhancing my current abilities first."
"Then, Teacher, can I train alongside you?"
Hearing Bell's intention to continue improving himself, Ais instinctively proposed continuing their training together. However, this time, Bell refused.
"Not this time."
"You've finally succeeded in challenging your parents. Shouldn't you rest for a while?"
"It's been over ten years since you last saw them. Don't you want to spend time with them?"
Bell's refusal made Ais's heart momentarily stop.
But the questions that followed slowed her thoughts to a crawl.
Yes, it had been over ten years since she had seen her parents. Naturally, Ais longed for them to return to her side. She had already started picturing what life would be like living with them again.
But Ais was a greedy child. Besides thinking about her parents, she also longed for her teacher.
This left her deeply conflicted.
She wanted to live with her parents for a while, to properly celebrate their return from the dead. To make up for the maternal and paternal love she had lost since childhood.
Yet she also wanted to continue her journey of growth with her teacher.
The past six months of guidance had taught her one thing: she wanted to keep growing alongside him.
"Hmm…"
Ais, her face twisted in conflict, momentarily froze.
"Don't overthink it, Ais."
Watching Ais's brain almost overheat, Bell found it quite amusing.
But some things were better left unpondered. So Bell stopped her from continuing to think about these complicated questions.
"Truthfully, I'm a bit pressed for time myself right now."
"I have a goal to achieve in the next two months. During this period, I won't have the time to focus on others. So, this time... it's not possible."
"...Understood."
Hearing her teacher's firm refusal, the joy that had been on Ais's face moments ago quickly faded into confusion.