Chapter 80 – A Change Within the Heart
For some reason, a strange sense of unease stirred in Ais's chest as she watched Bell standing beside Shin Akira.
Why was that boy allowed to stay so close to Akira, receiving his personal guidance, while she—despite having fought by his side—barely exchanged more than a few words with him?
The difference planted an uncomfortable knot in her heart. Something felt unfair.
It wasn't something she fully understood yet, but what had begun as quiet confusion now took root as a subtle twinge of dissatisfaction. Something she'd always wanted… now so easily obtained by someone else.
Without realizing it, Ais Wallenstein was feeling envy. No—perhaps even jealousy.
"Bell isn't a member of our Familia," Akira explained calmly. "He's a rookie from Hestia Familia."
"Hestia Familia?" Ais blinked, visibly confused.
She'd never heard of such a Familia in all of Orario, and even the name of its goddess didn't ring any bells.
"Hestia is a close friend of our goddess. She just descended to the Lower World about a month ago. Bell's her first member, and she asked me to guide him personally."
"I see…"
Ais glanced toward Bell, who stood stiffly by Akira's side, nervously fidgeting as if terrified of upsetting her.
Despite herself, Ais softened a little. Bell resembled a frightened rabbit, and even someone like her found it hard to stay cold.
There really was truth in the saying—appearances matter more than we admit.
"Hello. I'm Ais Wallenstein."
"N-Nice to meet you! I'm Bell Cranel...!"
And with that, the male and female leads of this story finally met face to face.
But unlike the original tale, the thread of romantic fate between them had already been severed—before it even began.
All because of Shin Akira's presence.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor behind them.
Several people emerged—familiar faces from Loki Familia: Bete Loga and Tiona Hiryute.
"Ais, you done here?" Bete asked bluntly, as soon as he caught sight of her.
"Yes. It's over," Ais replied with a short nod.
The two then noticed Akira standing nearby. Their reactions were of mild surprise, but not confusion.
After all, compared to a solo expedition, their group expedition naturally took more time. It wasn't strange at all for someone like Shin Akira to have returned ahead of them.
"Ah! Shin Akira-san! It's great to see you again~" Tiona beamed as she approached cheerfully. Her upbeat and friendly personality was already well-known across Orario.
"Hello, Tiona," Akira greeted her with a polite nod.
Bete, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes at Bell, sizing him up without hesitation.
A scrawny build. A nervous look. Weak.
That was the conclusion Bete arrived at instantly.
Bell, feeling the pressure of the werewolf's sharp gaze, shrank back behind Akira, head lowered.
"Bete, you're scaring him. Back off!" Tiona snapped, stepping between them and pushing Bete aside with a huff.
Boys like Bell—gentle, innocent, fragile—often awakened a protective instinct in girls like her.
Even in the original story, Bell unknowingly attracted countless girls with that very charm.
"Hi~ I'm Tiona! What's your name?"
"B-Bell. Bell Cranel."
"Bell, huh? That's such a cute name!"
Tiona flashed him a bright, cheerful smile, and Bell was instantly dazzled.
A beautiful girl from the Dungeon…
"Tch. Damn Amazon's in heat," Bete muttered under his breath.
"Excuse me?! What did you just say, you flea-ridden mutt?! You wanna go?!"
"You think I'm scared of you?"
"Then bring it on!"
"Let's settle this!"
The tension between them flared instantly. What had been a calm atmosphere just moments ago now sizzled with fiery sparks.
Akira and Ais could only watch with bewildered expressions.
These two were always like this—one careless comment was all it took to ignite chaos.
Meanwhile, Bell's face had turned completely red. Even if he was innocent, he wasn't clueless.
Wait, does that big sister… like me?
Is this… fate?
Inside the mind of the little rabbit, wild thoughts began racing at full speed.
(Author's Note: Well, he is the protagonist—he's gotta have at least one or two girls interested in him~)
"That's enough, Tiona, Bete. Stop fighting," Ais said at last, stepping in to calm things down.
This kind of situation was far too common in Loki Familia. She'd seen it all before.
"Hmph."
"Tch."
Grumbling but obedient, both backed down out of respect for Ais.
Akira, meanwhile, glanced at Bell's flushed face, eyes narrowing slightly.
'What's with that look…? Don't tell me he's falling for Ais, just like in the original story?'
'But… didn't they just meet? And there wasn't much chemistry at all just now.'
Suddenly, something shifted around them.
From the crevices of the Dungeon walls, monsters began to emerge—one after another.
Large, boar-headed creatures with thick muscles and jagged tusks stepped into the light, their brutish bodies emanating a threatening aura.
"Ugh. Trash," Bete sneered.
"You wanna take 'em or should I?" Tiona asked, already cracking her knuckles.
"I'm not wasting my time on garbage."
"Then I'll handle it~"
With a cheerful tone, Tiona stepped forward. These low-tier monsters from the fifth floor were no match for either of them.
It was like sending a max-level adventurer to a beginner's village—this was going to be a massacre.
"Be careful!"
Bell shouted instinctively, voice filled with concern.
Everyone else already knew these enemies were nothing. But Bell didn't. He didn't know how strong Tiona truly was.
To him, those Orcs looked terrifying.
So he gripped his dagger tightly, ready to jump in.
Watching from the side, Bete raised an eyebrow, just slightly.
Even in fear… this kid didn't run. He stood his ground. That showed at least a spark of courage.
"I can't let Bell-kun worry, can I~?"
With a gentle spin, Tiona leapt into action.
She swung her arm with effortless strength, smacking one Orc's head with a slap so hard it sent the monster flying. The beast burst into black mist, leaving behind a single Magic Stone.
The rest of the Orcs didn't even last a few seconds.
Within moments, all of them had been completely wiped out.
"Done."
It was total domination—overwhelming, one-sided, and swift.
Bell stood frozen, mouth agape.
And in that moment, he realized one very important truth—
He was still... incredibly weak.
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