"Pop!"
As the light cocoon encasing the goddess Artemis was torn free from the monster's flesh, the ground shook even more violently.
I can't hold it much longer.
Bell carefully tore away the last layer of flesh clinging to the cocoon, then froze time within it before opening a spatial rift. Supporting both the cocoon and Ais, he stepped through and left the underground chamber behind.
Emerging from the spatial crack, Bell appeared once more before the stone bridge leading to the lake island, carrying Ais and the light cocoon.
"Boom!"
The ruins atop the island trembled as thick clouds of dust burst from the center, spreading outward until the entire area was shrouded in smoke and debris.
One glance was enough for Bell to understand what had happened, and a faint smile crossed his covered face.
"Trying to escape, are you? Unfortunately, I'm not in the habit of leaving things unfinished."
When he had set up the barrier earlier, it hadn't only covered the surface of the lake island—it extended beneath the waters, forming a circular barrier that included the underground space as well.
He had designed it that way specifically to prevent the monsters inside from escaping his reach.
It also served as the next stage of his plan—once the rescue was complete, it was time to wipe out whatever remained within.
"Clean it up."
"Snap!"
With a single flick of his fingers, the once-invisible barrier became visible to the naked eye.
A vast, translucent dome appeared, spanning almost the entire lake, and sixteen unique runic symbols glowed upon its surface.
Their emergence marked the start of the purge.
The sixteen symbols emitted an ominous, otherworldly light.
There was no blinding flash, no deafening noise—everything unfolded as if sealed within a world cut off from all outside interference.
Space distorted in an instant, twisting the very fabric of light. For a moment, even the inside of the barrier was swallowed by total darkness.
It lasted only a second. Then, as space returned to normal, the island that once stood in the lake was gone—replaced by a vast, hollow crater, as though a colossal spoon had simply scooped it away.
"!?"
Ais's eyes went wide. The sheer destructive force before her defied belief—it was enough to alter the very landscape. In the blink of an eye, the lake island they had just explored had been wiped from existence.
Could this have destroyed the monster from the start?
The thought crossed Ais's mind before she could stop it.
"Sword Princess, that was barrier magic," Bell explained calmly. "And as I said earlier, my mana alone wasn't enough to keep it stable, so I wove in an energy absorption array. The explosion I triggered wasn't powered by my magic—it was caused by the accumulated energy the barrier had absorbed."
"So, I don't personally possess such large-scale destructive means. Understand?"
Ais fell silent, staring at Bell with a complex expression.
"How did you know what I was thinking?"
"...Your expression was written all over your face. Someone like me, who started in business, learns to read people. With emotions shifting that visibly, how could I not guess what was on your mind?"
Ais noticed the helpless look on Bell's face—it was the same one Finn and Riveria often showed when dealing with her mistakes. It made her wonder if her expressions were really that easy to read.
"Besides, that monster wasn't something that could be taken down so easily. If it weren't for you, 'Sword Princess,' crippling it, shattering its evolving core crystal, and rescuing the goddess Artemis, that beast might've been able to regenerate even from complete destruction."
Ais's eyes widened, clearly startled that such a creature could possibly regenerate after an attack like that.
"It could survive something like that?"
"Hmm... I'm not sure. I've never actually tried detonating a barrier explosion directly on a monster of that level."
That uncertainty left Ais slightly disappointed. Still, it would be strange if such monsters were common—never seeing one was only natural.
Yet doubt lingered in her mind.
"Did I really win?"
"You mean that fight didn't make it clear you did?"
"Yes, I won, but…"
The thought left Ais conflicted. Technically, she had won—but it didn't feel like her victory. It was as if she'd been pushed into winning rather than claiming it herself.
She had won, but something felt missing.
Bell could tell what she was thinking even without words. "Maybe the outcome wasn't decided by you alone, but you stood before that monster and used everything you had to defeat it."
"You might think I played a big part in that battle, but honestly, this is just what any adventurer should do. When you know your opponent's far stronger, wouldn't you try to weaken them first?"
"...."
Ais didn't know how to respond. She couldn't recall ever using poison or similar tactics to weaken an enemy.
"Hah…"
Bell sighed, exasperated. He finally understood how sheltered the 'Sword Princess' truly was. If Finn, Riveria, and Gareth hadn't protected her so much, she probably wouldn't insist on fighting everything head-on.
"Think about your expeditions with Captain Finn and the others. When you face monsters you can't handle alone, don't your teammates help you?"
"Working together to weaken an enemy—it's no different from clearing a dungeon floor as a team, right?"
"...Ah."
When put that way, Ais finally understood. Like a delayed machine, she slowly nodded in agreement.
"Yeah... the same thing."
No wonder she was called the "Doll Princess." The nickname suddenly made perfect sense.
Bell decided to stop explaining—there was no point trying to reason further with someone this innocent.
The spatial rift opened once again.
"I'll send you back first."
Artemis's condition had stabilized, and Bell had no intention of bringing the "Sword Princess" into his Familia. The next step was saving the goddess—and that wasn't something Ais needed to see.