Alfia, having sent Akumo off on the expedition, was resting at home alone, listening to the reports regarding Bell's progress.
"Level 2..."
"I suppose it is only natural, given he brought down a Minotaur single-handedly."
'It was an enhanced variant, to boot. A child trained by Akumo and myself would not have struggled so much against a common Minotaur.'
"In that case... he will likely receive a title at the Denatus soon."
'I expect they will burden him with something absurd.'
"...Should I send word to Loki?"
Alfia pondered this with genuine concern. Even if it meant risking exposure, she wondered if she should follow Akumo's suggestion and ask Loki to ensure Bell received a respectable name.
"No... I should not worry. If Hestia is involved, surely something modest..."
'...Then again, the other Gods are unlikely to cooperate.'
Her worries were eventually laid to rest when Bell officially received the epithet [Little Rookie].
Once the Denatus concluded and Bell's rank-up was publicly announced, Alfia set out to find him to offer her congratulations—not forgetting to wear her perception-obstructing robe.
"Why such a long face?"
"It's just... I was hoping for something a bit more gallant..."
"Gallant, such as?"
"Maybe Fire Blizzard, or Tornado Typhoon, or Burning Fighting Fi—"
"That is quite enough."
'He is still very much a child...'
Alfia was momentarily stunned by Bell's catastrophic naming sense. Beside them, Lili didn't seem particularly bothered, but had such a title actually been chosen, Alfia would have surely revealed her identity just to lodge a formal protest.
"Order whatever you wish for now. I will handle the coin."
"...."
Stare—
"Lili? Why are you looking at me so intently all of a sudden?"
"It was Lupia-sama... right?"
"It is."
"And you're someone like a mother to Bell-sama!"
"Indeed."
"In that case!"
Lili whispered as if confirming a vital piece of information. Her eyes sparkled, appearing as though she were about to ask Akumo for some kind of permission, when—
"I quite like it, you know? [Little Rookie]."
"Congratulations on your rank-up, Cranel-san."
"Please, eat your fill today! It's your celebration party, Bell-san!"
At the most opportune moment, Syr Flover and Ryu Lion appeared to celebrate Bell's advancement, taking seats beside them.
"Is it acceptable for you two to sit here?"
"'I'll loan them to you, so laugh and drink to your heart's content.' Those were Mama Mia's words."
"...Essentially an order to spend money, then."
"You understand her well."
Alfia let out a faint chuckle at Mia's predictable temperament and ordered several dishes for the group. Ryu Lion looked satisfied, offering a cup as she began to advise Bell regarding his transition to the Middle Floors.
"Forgive me if this seems presumptuous, but you should refrain from descending past the 13th Floor for the time being."
"Are you saying Bell-sama and Lili can't handle the Middle Floors?!"
"I wouldn't go that far, but the transition from the Upper Floors to the Middle Floors is not a question of ability—it is a matter of numbers."
"Indeed, Ryu is correct. You need to expand your party."
'Bell is a speed-oriented combatant more accustomed to dagger-work than a standard front-liner, and Lilliluka is a Supporter to begin with.'
Bell pondered the advice from Ryu and Alfia, but he was at a loss; he couldn't think of anyone suitable to recruit. In the midst of his dilemma—
"Haha!! Having trouble with your party, [Little Rookie]?"
"Huh?"
"If you need comrades, we can let you into our party. We're all Level 2s, so the Middle Floors are a breeze, yeah?"
"Oh..."
A man sitting at the neighboring table approached and began pitching a party invite to Bell.
However, it was plain to any observer that his intentions were far from pure. The words that followed were enough to make Alfia and Ryu scoff in disbelief.
"In exchange, how about lending us these pretty Elven ladies? Comrades share everything, don't they?"
'These fools... So this was their aim all along.'
"...Excuse me!"
"Begone. You are not fit to stand beside him."
"Get out of my sight. I have no desire to even exchange words with the likes of you."
Before Bell could even speak, Ryu and Alfia's cold rejection struck first. The man was taken aback, but he quickly recovered, spewing more bile in his frustration.
"Now listen here, little Elf miss and lady in the robe? We could treat you far better than some trashy brat—"
CRUNCH!!
"Say... what do you think you're doing right now?"
"Gah...!? Who the hell are you—"
"What was that?"
"Hic...!! S-[Scarlet Harnel]?!"
Just as the man reached out for Ryu, a red-haired woman, Alise Lovell, caught his hand and twisted it ruthlessly. Standing beside her was another woman with gray hair.
"[Scarlet Harnel] and [Vrausa], I see."
"Yup! We're on patrol and decided to drop by to see Ryu's face~"
"It's been a while, Lupia-san!"
"Indeed it has."
"Oho~ So this kid sitting here is the [Little Rookie]?"
"Hi! I'm the ultra-stunning beauty of the Astraea Familia, Alise Lovell!"
"And I'm Ardee Varma of the Ganesha Familia."
Alfia greeted Alise and Ardee warmly and introduced Bell to them. As was their nature, they introduced themselves cheerfully and began scrutinizing Bell with curiosity.
"Reaching Level 2 in just a month and a half! That's impressive!"
"Ahaha..."
"I never expected the record holder to be updated so soon after the Sword Princess!"
Alise chirped brightly, showering Bell with praise. Bell was bashful but couldn't help feeling a surge of pride from her compliments—until the mood was broken.
"Gah!! Let go of me already!"
"Oh, I forgot I was holding you."
"ARGHH!?"
"Anyway, to lay hands on a waitress of the Hostess of Fertility... I assume you're prepared to be slaughtered by Mama Mia?"
"Eeeek...!!?"
At those words, the men scrambled to flee. Attempting to leave without paying, they were met with Mia's thunderous roar: "NO TABS!!!!" Utterly terrified, they slammed their coin pouches onto the counter and sprinted out the door.
"That those types still exist..."
"I know... perhaps because we've had a bit of a quiet period lately?"
Slide—
"Rather than a quiet period, isn't it more that we've been focused on growth like any other Familia?"
".....Oh?"
'That phrasing... Akumo said something similar before...'
"And it is all for the sake of justice, right? Lupia-san."
"....Correct."
Having chased the men off, Alise and Ardee naturally pulled up chairs to join the table. However, as they watched Alfia, whose speech patterns had begun to mimic Akumo's after so much time together, their eyes narrowed slightly.
Alise sensed a lingering prickle of familiarity while observing Alfia. Ardee continued to speak kindly and without apparent guard, but her eyes, along with Ryu's, momentarily sharpened with a piercing glint.
"""....."""
Stare—
"Um... everyone? Why the sudden looks...?"
Only Bell and Lili, oblivious to the underlying tension, could only watch in awkward confusion.
Floor 18, Under Resort.
There, Akumo and the Loki Familia were resting after successfully concluding their expedition.
"Phew.... At least we made it back up in one piece."
"Though the fact that most of the members were poisoned is a bit of an issue."
"If needed, shall I provide some healing magic?"
"It's fine. Bete is already securing the necessary antitoxins... and more importantly, I would feel quite guilty being further in your debt."
Finn seemed weighed down by guilt, as the accident on the 59th Floor had occurred immediately after he had specifically requested Akumo's presence for the expedition.
However, Akumo merely smiled at Finn's display, telling him it was fine and that he should focus on the wellbeing of the other children first.
"By the way... those things on the 59th Floor... what on earth were they?"
"If the female type was essentially a Spirit, then that black giant..."
"....."
'Why did they feel so strangely familiar...? Was it merely my imagination?'
"Well, they were certainly troublesome to put down due to their regeneration, but their sheer power wasn't something we couldn't overcome."
"Even so, more than five of them appeared at once. If they had focused their full attention on us..."
From Finn's words, Akumo realized he would need to catalog the traits of these new species that had been appearing lately. At the same time, Akumo's mind was consumed by the enigma of the black monsters.
'The Juggernaut we encountered with the Astraea Familia, the Nightmares met this time... even the Black Dragon...'
"It is rather strange how they are all, without exception, pitch-black."