Stare—!
Hyacine and Barbara were clearly just taking a stroll on the street, but the gaze coming from behind kept distracting them because that gaze was simply too powerful.
'She seems to still be watching...'
'She's been following us for so long, why doesn't she come out?'
Stare—!
Hyacine and Barbara turned their heads back to look at the blonde girl who had been following them, their faces carrying a hint of tension.
"Um... Ai-bao?"
"Since you're going to follow us, why not just come over? Why stay... so far away?"
Ever since Hyacine and Barbara entered the Dungeon behind the backs of everyone in the Loki Familia yesterday, even though they later promised not to be so reckless, Finn, Riveria, and the others were unwilling to trust them.
So, just to be safe, they planned to arrange for a Familia member to follow Hyacine and Barbara to prevent them from sneaking into the Dungeon again like before.
Low-level members were naturally out of the question; from the perspective of Strength, they lacked the ability to stop the two Messiahs and might not even be able to catch their dust.
Therefore, they had to send out at least one core member of Level 5 or above.
But not just any core member would do...
Finn, Gareth, and Riveria, as the captain and vice-captains, had official business to attend to every day and simply didn't have the time for this.
As for Bete, although he was a decent guy, his mouth was far too foul and might even provoke resentment from the two girls, so he was not considered.
Tione and Tiona—it wasn't that there was a problem with them, but from the perspective of attire, Hyacine and Barbara were considered conservatives; Riveria also worried the two Amazons might lead them astray, so she temporarily gave up on that.
Thus, only one suitable candidate remained...
The Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein!
Although this child had many issues of her own, if it was just a mission to prevent people from entering the Dungeon, she should be able to complete it. Moreover, "Mama" Riveria intended to let Ais get some exercise.
Regardless, it was decided: Ais!
That was how the current situation came to be...
Hyacine and Barbara were merely walking on the streets of Orario when a figure followed them at extreme speed, yet she did not approach the two girls, maintaining a distance of about eight meters.
No matter where Hyacine and Barbara went, Ais kept that exact distance. When they tried to approach her, she avoided them; they had no idea how to communicate.
Despite having the appearance of a beautiful teenage girl, from the perspective of the original story, Ais had always been a child who hadn't grown up.
Moreover, she was very withdrawn...
Her communication skills were very poor...
Her self-care abilities were also poor...
Wasn't she just a problem child?
Communicating with such a child was bound to be an incredibly difficult task, but Hyacine and Barbara weren't worried at all.
Giving warmth to such a child was the responsibility of a Healer!
After all, Riveria's arrangement for Ais to come over wasn't just to look after them; she probably also intended for them to save Ais... right?
Never mind the details; at the very least, I'm determined to save this person!
"Ai-bao?"
Seeing that the blonde girl gave no reaction, Hyacine and Barbara took a step toward Ais. However, it was precisely this step that made Ais start to back away.
As expected, Ais still felt a sense of distance from us. Because of our title as the Messiah, she didn't quite dare to communicate with us. In that case...
"Ais, do you see Babel?"
For some reason, Hyacine suddenly pointed toward the distant Babel, making Ais grow tense.
"Riveria said you cannot go down."
Though her tone was flat, Ais's gaze betrayed an intent that brooked no refusal. After all, yesterday's scene was still fresh in her mind; Ais did not want to see her future companions besieged by a monster swarm again.
"But can you stop us?"
Little Ica—!
Lord Barbatos—!
In an instant, bursts of breeze emerged from the two girls' bodies, making Ais's eyes widen involuntarily.
Although called the Sword Princess, Ais was actually not a pure swordsman, but a magic swordsman—or a melee Mage.
Ariel, as Ais's only Magic, was not an offensive spell but a status-buffing spell that wrapped wind around her body to enhance her attack, defense, and speed, even allowing for brief flight.
In the face of Hyacine and Barbara's 'provocation,' Ais merely pouted to express her dissatisfaction, and then...
"Awaken."
At Ais's call, the wind belonging to her appeared.
Fortunately, there were few people or shops nearby, otherwise the three of them would surely have to pay a large sum in compensation and even apologize house to house.
Three completely different breezes appeared within Orario. Although the impact on the outside world wasn't massive, it still attracted a lot of attention.
Ais's Ariel.
Hyacine's Demigod power.
Barbara's plea to Barbatos.
They intertwined just like that, forming a spectacle within Orario.
Wind... is this wind?
Ais's gaze became somewhat blurry. She completely cleared her mind to feel everything within the wind.
Completely different from her own wind, the breeze surrounding Hyacine seemed peaceful, yet it hid a massive amount of energy within, as if it would explode the next second and bring Destruction to everything around it.
As for Barbara's wind... how to put it? It was as if it drifted over from a tavern? Why did she have such a delusion?
While Ais was sensing it carefully, the girls' voices came from directly ahead, instantly snapping her back to her senses.
"Let's make a bet, Ai-bao~"
"If we reach Babel before you, you come into the Dungeon with us."
"If you arrive first, we are willing to listen to anything you say. How about it?"
There was almost no relationship between Hyacine, Barbara, and Ais, and they even found it difficult to communicate. Therefore, to break this barrier, they had to establish a connection first, even if it was as "rivals."
After all, once there is a connection, feelings will grow~
"I will not lose!"
As one of the top Adventurers in Orario, Ais's perception of the wind was extremely strong, so she had considerable confidence in her speed. She agreed without hesitation.
She completely threw Riveria's instructions to the back of her mind...
Ais wasn't very familiar with these two newly joined members, but she wanted to understand them, wanted to feel the wind.
Because whether it was Hyacine or Barbara, even if their winds were completely different, one thing remained unchanged...
That was a tenderness like that of a mother!