To me, Bete Loga, that guy Al Cranel looked like a mirror reflecting my own past.
Four years ago, when Loki brought him in looking like a complete wreck, his eyes reminded me of myself—back when I was a raging mess because I couldn't protect what I cherished most and ended up the sole survivor.
He pursued strength with a ferocity that matched mine, perhaps even surpassed it. He paid no mind to the advice of "the old man" or Loki, diving into Dungeon floors far beyond his level and fighting with a style that showed zero regard for his own safety. He glared at everything with a gaze hiding a hunger like a starving beast, training until he pushed past his physical limits. It felt as though he was burning through his very lifespan day by day.
He never once returned from the Dungeon without injuries; every time, he came back gasping his final breaths. I don't know how many times he teetered between life and death, nor how much blood he coughed up or bled out. Yet, he never stopped.
Even when a group of failure Level 2 adventurers, nursing a grudge against the Loki Familia, cornered him, Al didn't give in. He fought them tooth and nail until the very end, managing to subdue those scumbags even while he was covered in wounds.
When I mocked his wretched appearance, he answered:
"The winner always resides within the essence of the defeated, and I will prove that to the world."
Faced with that aura, I couldn't utter a word. And he did it; he proved himself and achieved a Great Feat just as he promised.
Despite being a Level 1, he protected his Familia members from an "Enhanced Species" that even high-level adventurers couldn't defeat. He claimed victory while standing on the brink of death.
Scumbags claim that Al's leveling speed—the fastest in Orario's history—is due solely to his innate talent, but that is just nonsense spread by those who didn't witness that battle. After receiving the report from his teammates who had fled, I—a Level 4 at the time—headed out with the Amazon sisters, Finn, and Gareth to rescue him. I didn't think he'd still be alive, but the scene I saw there will never leave my memory.
I saw Al there, facing an Enhanced Species "Infant Dragon" alone to protect his comrades. That fight didn't resemble the noble stories of heroes; it was an ugly struggle, drenched in mud. He didn't overcome the level gap by a miracle; he used the weapons left behind by those who abandoned him, scratching away at the scales of a dragon twice his size over and over until he delivered the finishing blow. It was a surprise thrust where he used lightning magic as a trap, fully aware he would electrocute himself in the process.
It was a pathetic way to fight against an opponent that outclassed him in every way, but he didn't surrender. He poured everything his soul had to offer into defeating someone stronger, proving to everyone that he was indeed "the winner born from defeat."
The relationship between Al and Ais began to solidify when they reached Level 4 and Level 5, respectively, and his title changed from "Sword Ghoul" to "Sword Saint."
Watching the recklessly innocent Ais and the Al who saves her while committing his own follies felt painfully brilliant to me. It was like a film reel of my old memories with my childhood friend before the "King of the Plains" annihilated our village. The only difference is that Al, unlike me, managed to protect Ais even while coughing up blood.
As for me, I just kept losing everything—my sister, my childhood friend, my lover... I lost everyone who stood by me.
Half a year ago, during a break on the return path of an expedition, "Balor"—a Floor Boss sub-species—appeared as an irregular. Al fought the battle alone to clear a path for us to escape, and he ended up killing it. Yes, to Al, even I am someone who needs protection.
"Don't mess with me! Don't you dare mock me, you bastard!! I'm not so weak that someone like you needs to protect me!! The person you should be protecting isn't me or Finn—it's her! It's Ais!!"
Leave the others behind. No matter how strong you are, if you aren't there at the critical moment, you won't save anyone. So, never leave Ais's side.
You... you aren't trash, but you aren't a hero who can save everyone either. You're just a kid who gained power. So, for that very reason.
"You must become the hero for Ais alone... do it at any cost."
●○●○●
The sorrow isn't enough.
When was the last time I made someone drown in a sea of grief? Half a year ago? At this rate, I'll starve. Damn it, isn't there a suitable "Elf" somewhere?
The next event is... ah, the "Philia" festival, where monsters escape and "Viola" (Man-eating flowers) appear, right? I don't remember the details perfectly, but Bell is going to fight that escaped "Silverback," so I have to make sure I don't kill it. Oh, wait, I'll be in the Dungeon that day anyway—I have business with the "Xenos."
"Hey, you. Is that tomato-headed brat really your brother?"
"Tomato-head... you mean Bell? Yes, he is. What about it?"
It's Bete. He seemed drunk yesterday. Apparently, he mocked Bell quite a bit just like in the original story, but he doesn't use that harsh tone with me. This Bete.
You can be harsher with me, you know. The death of a "tsundere" who is unable to be honest with his feelings, leaving everyone drowning in sorrow, is quite delicious.
"Tch, nothing."
He walked away with his hands in his pockets. I wonder what he wanted.
●○●○●
"Stop right there, kid. You, yeah, the one with the white hair."
On the sixth floor of the Dungeon, Bete—who had dived into the labyrinth to sober up—ran into the boy he had mocked the day before: Bell Cranel. The boy looked ragged, but he didn't have any obvious wounds. Since he had dived alone into the sixth floor, where monsters difficult for beginners like "War Shadows" appear, he was doing fairly well.
(This kid... his movements are completely different from when he was running from the Minotaur. You can't achieve this kind of growth in a few days, no matter how you look at it.)
That momentary flash of dagger proficiency required specific basic abilities. Bete himself had the natural instinct to do that from the start, but the boy before him lacked that innate weapon talent. For an ordinary person to do what geniuses do, the only way is to raise their basic abilities—something that cannot be reached in just a few days.
Seeing those movements sparked a sense of déjà vu. The boy's image overlapped with that of the "Sword Ghoul" before he became the "Sword Saint"—the one who grew stronger at an accelerated pace every day despite being covered in wounds.
"You're the tomato-head who ran from Ais back then. What are you doing here, you piece of trash who doesn't even deserve the title of adventurer after cowardly fleeing from a Minotaur? This floor isn't a place for a rookie to wander alone."
Bete had seen plenty of trash die like dogs on floors that didn't suit them, simply because their blood boiled over someone's mockery. Was this kid just another hopeless piece of trash, or was he something else?
"You heard what I said at the pub, didn't you? Do you want me to repeat it? No matter how recklessly someone at your level tries, you'll never reach the level of the 'Sword Princess' Ais Wallenstein."
"I know that! I know that what I've built is completely different from what Ais-san and the others have built. My effort, my experience, my resolve... I lack everything. But even so, I can't just stand still!!"
"I want... I want to become strong! I can't forgive myself if I stay weak like this... I can't forgive the version of me that just waited for something to happen without doing anything!!"
He shouted right in my face. And again, his image overlapped with "that person" from four years ago. Normally, it's impossible for a mere rookie to raise his voice like that to a first-class, high-level adventurer like Bete Loga.
"That was quite a speech, but I've seen plenty of trash who are all talk. You're definitely one of them."
Bete delivered a kick to the boy's stomach. Although he held back his strength, it was still a kick from a Level 5. Since the boy couldn't even react and took it directly, his insides must have flared with agony. He was now suffering from a pain that prevented him from even standing.
Originally, Bete hadn't intended to interfere. No matter if this boy was "that person's" brother, he wasn't a member of his Familia, and he didn't care where the kid died like a dog.
But he had shouted—with the same eyes "that person" had back then. And even now, though he was writhing in pain on the floor, the light in his eyes hadn't gone out yet.
"Ugh... ah..."
He actually stood up. He endured pain that a rookie at the start of Level 1 shouldn't be able to bear, and he pointed his dagger at Bete with trembling hands.
"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!"
"Heh... fine. I'll acknowledge you as that guy's brother."
The boy swung his dagger with all his might as if he'd forgotten his opponent was human, but their shadows didn't cross. This time, Bete's kick was gentler to avoid causing injury, but it was a kick with Level 5 precision that caught his jaw, sending the boy down like a doll with its strings cut.
"If you really want to get strong, then get back up. I'll turn you into a real adventurer... Bell Cranel."
____________________________________________________________________________________
(Note: In this work, Bete Loga has become Bell's private instructor instead of Ais. Their combat styles are similar, and Bete is a better teacher than Ais. Also, Bete in this work does not harbor romantic feelings for Ais. And if Al dies, Bete will drown in a massive sea of sorrow).