Chapter 512 - 512: The Dispute

The Wyverns' shrill cries rang out incessantly. Razor-sharp claws and fangs closed in at terrifying speed, with fireballs following close behind.

Bell was currently suspended in midair.

More precisely, he was gripping Ais's shoulders as she carried him on her back, the two of them having leaped through an opening somewhere on the 57th Floor.

His vision shook constantly, and the gale swirling around them left him slightly dizzy.

"Try to draw the Wyverns' attention!"

Bell showed no fear as flames streaked past him.

He narrowed his eyes against the raging wind and surveyed their surroundings.

"Mm..."

A faint smile colored Ais's response.

The situation reminded her of when she had first met the boy. Back then, she had also summoned a gale and carried him on her back at high speed.

Bell had lost consciousness from the wind, and at Riveria's suggestion, Ais had even given him a lap pillow afterward.

The situation now was remarkably similar, but Bell could already keep his senses steady and remain by Ais's side beneath the protection of her wind.

Because of that, the little Ais inside her felt as though she had grown one step closer to the boy, and she was practically jumping for joy.

Unlike the delighted blonde girl, Bell was under considerable strain just enduring the force of the wind. As for why he and Ais had ended up together in the first place, that went back to the plan they had discussed earlier.

"Bell..."

The moment Ais heard the plan, she moved straight to the young man's side.

There were exactly six members in the party, and making multiple trips back and forth would be too risky. The best option was for each first-tier Adventurer to carry one person and leap down toward the 58th Floor.

Ais said nothing more. She simply fixed her golden eyes on the young man's face and softly called Bell's name.

To anyone else, it might have looked like childish pleading, a silent act of stubbornness meant to insist that she was the most suitable person to carry the boy down.

But to Bell, it almost seemed as though a small whirlwind was already gathering around Ais. If the discussion didn't end the way she wanted, she would probably do exactly what she had at the banquet of the Gods and use her superior speed to snatch him away before anyone else could react.

"I'll go down with Ais-san."

Bell met the blonde girl's gaze and gave his answer.

Although the party had already reached the 57th Floor, leaving them only one Floor away from their destination, the threat posed by the Wyverns still couldn't be underestimated. If something went wrong while they were in midair, the others wouldn't be able to provide immediate support.

So Bell proposed sending one pair ahead as the vanguard to draw the Wyverns' fire, giving the other two pairs an opening to descend to the 58th Floor.

The plan depended on the number of Wyverns having already dropped significantly. More importantly, Ais had to take the lead. She was the only one capable of using the wind to briefly "fly" through the air and deal with the Wyverns attacking them.

"That certainly is the safest approach. Once we find a suitable route, I can seal the passage behind us with Magic beforehand and keep the remaining members safe."

Riveria nodded and immediately began filling in the details of the plan.

She and Ryuu only needed to carry the Supporters on their backs, wait for Ais to draw the Wyverns away and create an opening, then leap down through the hole. For first-tier Adventurers, that was hardly a difficult task.

The only concern was that Ais's wind was extremely powerful and not particularly gentle on whoever happened to be riding on her back.

"Bell, are you sure you want to go with Ais? I think letting Lefiya or Alicia suffer through it might make for some useful training."

Riveria's voice carried the indulgence of a lover, but to the other two Elven girls, her suggestion sounded like an exceptionally cruel trial.

With Ais's abilities, the Supporter on her back would certainly be safe, but there was no avoiding the crushing pressure or the sickening sensation of weightlessness.

"Ugh..."

Lefiya immediately remembered something she'd rather forget.

In the past, she had fallen behind and needed Ais to rescue her. Lefiya had been completely unable to endure the dizziness caused by moving at such tremendous speed and had ended up vomiting. The wind had fortunately carried the mess away before it could reach Ais, but the experience had still left Lefiya deeply traumatized.

It was the greatest humiliation of Lefiya's life. She timidly took a step backward and moved closer to Ryuu.

"R-Riveria-sama, you're not planning to keep Bell Cranel all to yourself, are you?!"

Alicia knew perfectly well how terrifying Ais's wind could be. She also knew that Lefiya had spent nearly a month feeling miserable over that vomiting incident.

If the young man weren't here, Alicia could have maintained her image as the kind older sister and volunteered to sacrifice herself. But no girl wanted to humiliate herself like that in front of someone she had feelings for.

Driven by fear, Alicia did something extremely unusual and openly questioned the Elf Princess's motives.

"Nonsense! How could Riveria-sama possibly do something like that?!"

Ryuu frowned and immediately objected with complete conviction.

The fact that this blonde Elf would actually suspect the Elf Princess of harboring selfish romantic motives was utterly unreasonable.

Ryuu was certain Riveria must have had her own reasons for making that suggestion.

"Gale, how would you know? Could it be that you're saying that because you want Bell Cranel all to yourself?"

Alicia immediately turned the accusation on her.

At this point, all she wanted was to stir the argument up enough that the trouble wouldn't land on her.

Otherwise, if Riveria paired up with Bell, it was obvious how the remaining members would be divided.

Most Elves were extremely particular about physical contact, so Ryuu would naturally pair with Lefiya, whom she was more familiar with.

No matter what happened, Alicia absolutely did not want Bell to see her in such an embarrassing state.

"W-what?! I-I don't think that at all!!"

Ryuu answered with her face burning red.

The moment she noticed the young man's gaze, she instinctively turned away and squeezed the potion vial in her hand hard enough to crack it.

Fortunately, she had already finished the Magic Potion inside, so her careless action caused no real trouble.

Even so, everyone else heard the sound of cracking glass.

"..."

Alicia was momentarily speechless.

Was this fellow Elf really that hopeless?

She had completely exposed what she was thinking.

Alicia had always considered herself awkward enough when it came to dealing with romantic feelings, but she had never imagined someone could be this hopeless. She suddenly understood why Ryuu had always defended the Elf Princess so firmly, utterly convinced that Riveria would never act selfishly because of love...

Even after resting for some time, the discussion still hadn't gotten anywhere.

Bell looked at the women, each harboring thoughts of their own, and finally stepped in to end it.

"Then it's settled. I'll go down with Ais-san. It's only for this stretch of the journey. With so much of these Floors destroyed, we'll probably need everyone's help again on the way back."

"..."

Riveria considered his words for a moment.

The young man truly was remarkably good at handling trouble within his harem.

Not only had he resolved the argument with a practical reason, he had also reminded everyone that whatever awaited them on the unknown 59th Floor was only one part of their journey, easing the tension that had been weighing on them.

The corners of Riveria's lips rose slightly.

"Mm. Then it's decided. Let's go."

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