"They did it!!!"
Loki sprang up from the sofa, bursting with excitement.
"I can't believe it actually worked!"
Sure, that kid probably held back a little—but even if the Spirit wasn't using its full Lv. 8 strength, defeating it still proved just how strong her children were.
"I didn't expect your children to actually pull it off," Hestia said, a bit surprised.
Earlier, Loki Familia had managed to suppress the Spirit's power, but it was obvious to Hestia that the suppression was only temporary. Once the magic's effect faded, Loki's kids would have quickly fallen into a disadvantage.
What she hadn't expected was that they would settle the fight in under five minutes.
"Of course!" Loki said, puffing out her chest proudly. Her children's brilliant performance gave her every reason to stand tall in front of the little runt.
"My kids have always been excellent. Even when they're at a disadvantage, they know how to make up for it."
"They really are impressive," Hestia admitted. Though not quite as outstanding as her Bell, it was hard to find others on their level in all of Orario.
"I do wonder how much power Bell-kun actually used, and how much of the Spirit's true strength was shown."
"...Yeah."
As one of the observing gods, Loki didn't have an answer to that. But soon, Bell's voice came through the screen.
"Don't worry, Loki-sama."
"Although I did limit the Spirit's output, it still fought at the peak of Lv. 7. I think this will be enough for Captain Finn and the others to earn a significant upgrade."
"Lv. 7, huh… Emmm. It's still not quite there, but yeah, it's probably the best outcome for Finn and the others."
It was a bit disappointing that their opponent hadn't been a full Lv. 8, but Loki pushed that thought aside.
Her children had gone all in—even staking their lives—to win. That was what made this chance possible.
If they had faced a Spirit truly at Lv. 8 strength, they might not have even gotten that chance.
Even now, there had been an element of luck involved, and Loki could admit that to herself.
As for a Lv. 8 Spirit—that could wait until her children were fully upgraded to Lv. 7.
"Yeah, it really was the best outcome," Hephaestus agreed.
"Honestly, your kids were already at their limit back there. If you had expected them to defeat a true Lv. 8 Spirit, don't you think they would've been wiped out by the very first spell?"
Loki had no response to that.
Maybe it was just a one-level difference between Lv. 7 and Lv. 8—but that one level could be fatal.
The gap in power between adventurers and monsters couldn't be brushed aside. Even a single level's difference could mean life or death for either side.
...
"Agh… cough…"
Bete lay collapsed on the ground, completely drained. Even breathing now made him feel like he was being scorched from the inside.
The spell he'd cast had gone far beyond what his body could handle. Even though he managed to kick it out with everything he had, the backlash left serious damage.
The recoil of the magic had scorched him inside and out—there wasn't a single spot left untouched.
"Mr. Bete!"
At the sound of the voice, Bete barely managed to open his eyes. He saw the shy elf, tears streaming down her face as she looked at him.
His throat burned too badly to speak. All he could do was rasp out a hoarse "Ah…"
Only then did Lefiya remember the Elixir. She quickly dug into her spatial waist pouch, pulled it out, and helped Bete rest his head on her lap before carefully uncapping the bottle and bringing it to his lips.
"Gulp… gulp…"
The moment the Elixir entered his mouth, its potent energy surged through Bete's body. The most immediate effect was on his throat.
Just seconds ago it had been burning from magical backlash, but now it was beginning to recover.
"Ahem..."
His voice was still raspy, but Bete's complexion had noticeably improved.
"Where's Finn?"
"The captain's fine. Tione's over there taking care of him."
At those words, Lefiya quickly looked over and spotted Tione holding Finn, fussing over him. She finally breathed a small sigh of relief.
The captain being cradled by an Amazoness?
Even without looking, Bete could picture the scene perfectly.
"That Amazon woman must be absolutely over the moon right now."
"Huh?"
Lefiya didn't follow at first, but when she glanced at Tione, the woman looked ecstatic—her eyes practically sparkling with hearts.
"You dumb elf, did you forget? Finn accepted that woman's marriage proposal."
"Ah!"
It hit Lefiya—Finn had agreed to marry Tione.
"Wait, does that mean... Captain and Tione are really going to get married?"
Her eyes went wide in shock.
Finn had only accepted the proposal thinking they might not make it back this time, but they'd actually survived the trial. Didn't that mean they'd really go through with it once the expedition ended?
Bete certainly didn't think the Amazon would let this chance slip by.
"She'll definitely cling to Finn and hold him to his word. You know how shameless she can be."
Lefiya was momentarily at a loss for words.
It might be a little rude to say, but part of her couldn't help thinking... if she had Tione's level of shamelessness, maybe she and Ais could've... Ahem.
Flushed, Lefiya quickly banished the thought. Definitely not the time.
While they talked, the Elixir had already begun to take effect in Bete's body. The burning sensation slowly faded, and even the charred skin on his leg was returning to a normal tone—but his right leg remained gone.
After absorbing the Spirit's magic, the backlash had completely ravaged his body. That final kick had cost him the use of his right leg—it had turned entirely to charcoal and couldn't be healed, even with an Elixir.
"Mr. Bete, your leg..."
Lefiya couldn't bring herself to look directly.
"Hmph. It's just a leg."
Bete scoffed like it was nothing.
"You dumb elf, did you forget? That guy's Rune Stone."
"...Ah!"
Lefiya froze for half a second before she remembered—that person's Rune Stone had regenerative powers, even for lost limbs.
"Bete."
Just then, Ais approached him.
Having just finished her battle with the Spirit, she no longer had the power boost from her skill. With her magic depleted and her strength fading, she looked visibly worn down.
Bete glanced over and saw a faint expression of gratitude on her usually doll-like face. The corner of his mouth curled upward.
"You finally made it, Ais."
He had always yearned for reliable comrades—ones he wouldn't have to lose again. But this time, he didn't need to worry.
His companions weren't weak. At the very least, they were strong enough to keep moving forward without leaving anyone behind.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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