Meanwhile, Hestia and the other women, who had gone to bathe in the lake, discovered someone was already there. With a visage and physique of haunting beauty, she was a woman Hestia knew all too well.
"Oh! Lupia, you were here as well!"
"...Hestia."
'Tsk, talk about impeccable timing...'
"Lupia-sama, were you an adventurer as well?!"
"I was active in the past, Arde."
Hestia and Lili, who were already acquainted with Alfia, recognized her immediately. Behind them followed Tione, Tiona, Ais, Yamato Mikoto, and Hitachi Chigusa, all of whom overheard the exchange.
"Who is she...?"
"...The Sword Princess?"
"Yes."
"I am Lupia. I look forward to working with you."
"...? Understood."
'Why does this presence feel so familiar...?'
Ais sensed an aura from the woman before her that she had encountered somewhere before. However, thanks to Alfia's perception-distorting necklace, she could not identify the woman as [Silence], one of the strongest beings she had ever witnessed.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Tiona! This is Tione!"
"Hoh... the [Amazon] and [Jormungand]?"
"Greetings. I am called Yamato Mikoto."
"...I see."
'So these are the ones who pulled the Pass Parade...'
"Well, it doesn't matter."
"What doesn't matter?"
"Nothing."
Looking at Mikoto and Chigusa, Alfia reflected on the Pass Parade incident. However, recalling Bell's resolve to forgive them—as Akumo had relayed—she decided not to dwell on it further.
BOOM—!!!!
"Bete! Watch your strength!"
"It's just a forest where no one comes anyway! What's the problem?!"
RAT-A-TAT—!!!!
"Don't blame me if you get scolded for the noise."
"Hah! Like I give a damn!"
As Akumo and Bete exchanged light blows in a high-speed spar, a flash of movement caught their peripheral vision. A tuft of white hair was particularly conspicuous amidst the lush greenery.
Rustle—!
"Hm?"
"What now?"
'Bell and... Hermes?'
""...""
Hermes, intrigued by the scene, abandoned his original plans and approached them with Bell in tow.
"Akumo-kun? Are you training with Bete-kun?"
"That's right. He said he felt something during the Floor 59 expedition and wants to get stronger!"
"Oho~ Does even the Fenris become a puppy before an adult like Akumo?"
"You damn brat!! What are you saying?! You shitty God!"
"Hahaha! Bete-kun is such a tsundere~"
'Tsundere... that's a word I heard Zeus use once...'
While Bete and Hermes bickered, Bell observed the sparring session with rapt attention. He could feel Bete's raw will to transcend his current limits—a determination very similar to his own when training with Ais.
"..."
"Huh? What are you staring at, rabbit?!"
"N-No! It's just..."
'Bete Loga of the Loki Familia... even though he's a towering Level 5 expert...'
"Do you spar with Akumo-san often?"
"Hmph! Only because our combat styles are similar."
"...Right? Akumo-san is incredibly strong!"
"...You..."
Bete saw it in Bell's eyes—absolute faith and admiration for Akumo. This wasn't the flighty crush he held for Ais or a rookie's fleeting hero worship; it was the deep, unshakeable trust born of long-standing bond.
Seeing that look, Bete wondered exactly what history lay between the two. He felt a strange sense of kinship with the boy; perhaps that was why Akumo cherished him so much.
"Regardless, rabbit. You've interrupted my training. You're going to compensate me for that, aren't you?"
"Ehh?!"
"Ohh~ A clash between the Little Rookie and Vanargand!"
"Hermes-sama?! Why are you escalating this?!"
"Why not? It'll be great experience. I heard you've been sparring with Ais lately."
"Well, yes, but that and this are different—"
"Shut up and get ready!"
"Y-Yes, sir!!"
Prompted by Bete's barked command, Bell found himself forced into a sparring match under Akumo's watchful eye.
CRASH—!!!!
"What was that?"
"What is that noise?"
THOOM—!!!
"Sounds like combat...?"
WHACK—!!!
"Don't tell me monsters have descended!"
The women, having finished their bath, were startled by the sounds of battle echoing from the forest. Even though it was a Safety Zone, monsters could still appear on the 18th floor; Rivira had been razed over two hundred times, after all. Wrapped hastily in towels and light garments, they hurried toward the noise.
KABOOM—!!!!
"Are you just going to dodge all day?!"
"Whoa!!? Wait a minute!"
CLANG—!!!
"Daggers without weight can't cut me!"
BANG—!!!!!!
They burst into the clearing to find Bell, daggers in hand, locked in a fierce exchange with Bete, who had one arm tied behind his back.
Bete's kick cut through the air toward Bell. The boy lowered his center of gravity, evading the strike and thrusting his daggers in a counter-offensive. Bete leapt backward with effortless grace, ensuring not even a thread of his clothing was grazed. The rhythmic sequence of offense and defense continued.
"Tch! Where'd you learn that dagger work?"
"How...!"
'That last stance should have been an opening!'
Bell focused on the flow of the combinations Akumo had drilled into him. Whenever Bete's movements showed a micro-flicker of a gap, Bell surged into the pocket with surgical intent. The watching women were stunned by his technical growth.
However, Bete had already parsed Bell's movements through his own countless duels with Akumo. Using the overwhelming physical stats of a Level 5, he easily manipulated the distance.
Whirr—!!!
"A dagger user shouldn't commit that early!"
THUD—!!
"Gah...?!"
The fundamental gap in experience and specs was eventually insurmountable. Bell was sent flying by a heavy kick. Even so, he rotated in mid-air, bleeding off the kinetic energy before rolling across the ground to a halt.
When Bell finally stopped rolling, he was right at the feet of the arriving women. Only then did the combatants realize they were no longer alone.
"Pant... pant...!!"
"Um... Bell?"
"Yes? ...Hestia-sama?!"
'Ais-san and the others...!!!'
"Hey, wait a minute! Your clothes...!!!?"
"Bete, close your eyes!!!!"
Seeing the state of the women's attire—or lack thereof—Akumo and Bete immediately shielded their eyes.
"Hoh..."
'Even Alfia...!'
"Oh! Well now, I didn't even have to come looking for you. You've come straight to us!"
"Cover your eyes too if you value your life!!!!"
Hermes, who failed to recognize the disguised Alfia, began a playful remark, but Akumo—sensing the genuine lethality in the air—instantly locked him in a headlock and forcibly covered his eyes as chaos erupted.
"Ugh!! You lecherous humans...!!"
"Wait! Lefiya, Bell was just standing there?!"
"Let go, Tiona-san! He trains with Ais-san every day, and now he's seeing us naked?!"
"We were wrapped in towels at least—"
"Eeeeek!!!!"
Lefiya's fury was a physical pressure as she screamed at Bell, while Bete was simultaneously forced into a submissive posture by the sheer weight of the collective indignation.
"Listen, I just—"
"Bete-san, be quiet!!!"
"...Tch..."
Bete tried to protest, but the combined aura of a livid Lefiya, a chilling Riveria, and that strange, unfamiliar woman was so menacing he decided silence was the better part of valor.
And Akumo, the object of Bete's concern, was currently...
"...Anything to say for yourself?"
"Please spare me."
"And this woman next to me?"
"...."
"Sigh... You are always hiding something, aren't you?"
Riveria exhaled a heavy sigh, looking down at the kneeling Akumo. Her eyes then shifted to the woman called Lupia, a sharp curiosity flickering within her.
"...."
"What is your relationship with Akumo?"
"[Nine Hell], I don't believe such aggressive questioning is necessary."
"I am his companion. I believe I have the right to ask who you are."
"Hoh..."
"Wait! Everyone...?"
""Stay silent!"""
'Oh, come on...!'
Akumo was utterly suppressed by their chilling pressure. While a part of him felt the unfairness of being forced into a dogeza, the weight of their combined glares made it impossible to voice an excuse.
RUMBLE—!!!!!!!!
Suddenly, a massive earthquake began to rock the entire floor.