Chapter 531 - 531: A Unique Love

Across the uneven ground, the elite squad maintained their formation as they retreated together.

Unlike the front line, where anguished cries rang out without pause, the girls' casual chatter near the center-rear eased some of the tension. Amid it all, the atmosphere around Bell had taken on an indescribably peculiar quality.

At first, it was a silent battle.

Emerald-green hair rested against Bell's chest, while long, rich golden hair spilled down over his other shoulder.

Riveria and Lefiya neither looked at nor spoke to each other, yet both pressed close against the young man, competing for his warmth.

After everything they had been through, both of them were now able to honestly accept the love in their hearts.

Lefiya wanted to nestle into the boy's warmth and simply enjoy the situation as it was.

After all, the only reason she was able to stay like this now was because of the harrowing battle they had just endured. Doing something like this in private was unimaginable. Unless some accident forced her into it, like when she had been practicing Concurrent Chanting, Lefiya simply could not imagine overcoming her embarrassment enough to make such an intimate request herself.

Lefiya did not know what would become of the two of them in the future, nor did she know how she was supposed to grow closer to him. When it came to the love in her heart, all she wanted was to remain behind the boy for as long as possible and preserve this restless, ticklish feeling in her heart as a precious memory.

Riveria's thoughts, however, were entirely different from those of the golden-haired elf.

The warmth she had now was certainly important, but Riveria took a much longer view when it came to romance.

Spurred on by Lefiya, Riveria had already decided to take the initiative. Even if that meant crossing the final line before marriage, her resolve would not waver.

Thus, aside from her royal status, the greatest obstacle standing between Riveria and the boy was her own sense of shame.

"P-please be gentle..."

Say something that embarrassing in private?

Riveria was experienced enough to understand the ways of love. She was no innocent little girl ignorant of such things, and precisely because of that, there was absolutely no way she could bring herself to utter such a bashful line.

At least, that was what Riveria believed right now.

So how could she overcome her embarrassment and gradually close the distance between herself and the boy?

Riveria's answer was very simple.

She merely had to do it openly.

She was, after all, a willful and spoiled princess. That unreasonable side of her personality was surprisingly useful when it came to overcoming embarrassment.

A simple example was what had happened in Lefiya's room. Riveria had seen through the fact that Bell was hiding beneath the bed, then taken advantage of their different lines of sight to rub her foot against the boy's leg right in front of Lefiya.

That had also been a rather embarrassing thing to do. Had Riveria been alone with him, she never would have managed it. But with Lefiya in the room, it was completely different from being alone together. The thrill of doing something so willful overpowered everything else, allowing the Elf princess to tease the boy without hesitation.

This was Riveria's method of confronting her embarrassment. She would keep doing things like this, gradually building up her tolerance. Eventually, she would naturally be able to cast aside her shyness even when the two of them were alone.

It was a way of thinking that was both rational and willful, utterly unlike that of the other girls. This was the love song belonging to Riveria Ljos Alf alone.

"..."

Riveria put her idea into practice. Although her Mind had already recovered somewhat, she continued pretending that she had no strength at all, pressing herself tightly against the boy's chest.

Her pointed ears, delicate as fresh leaves, were tinged faintly red. Listening to the boy's heartbeat, Riveria suddenly came up with a mischievous idea.

With Ais watching, she did not act on it immediately. Instead, she remained nestled against the boy and quietly waited for her chance.

"I'm not saying Lefiya and the Vice Captain are heavy or anything, but isn't carrying them like that really inconvenient? Lefiya, has your Mind recovered yet?"

Tiona looked at the three of them pressed so closely together and voiced her confusion.

"Um..."

Lefiya was momentarily speechless.

Although Bell had done everything he could to adjust their positions so that neither Riveria nor Lefiya felt uncomfortable, carrying one person in a princess carry while another clung to his back were fundamentally incompatible ways of carrying people.

To keep Riveria from slipping downward, Bell had to use both hands. His right hand supported the back of her thigh, while his left arm wrapped around her back to keep her securely balanced.

It was no exaggeration to say that Lefiya was clinging to the boy entirely by herself. The moment she let go, she would fall straight off Bell's back.

Adventurers possessed excellent balance, and their arm strength and bodily coordination far surpassed those of ordinary people, so carrying someone this way was not particularly unusual. The problem was that Lefiya was already in good enough condition that she did not need to be carried at all, and Tiona had just exposed that fact.

"Haha... well..."

Lefiya laughed awkwardly, unsure how to answer.

She could only repeat what she had done earlier, rubbing herself lightly against the boy and hoping he would understand what she wanted and come to her rescue.

Bell answered the golden-haired elf's plea with perfect righteousness.

"Tiona-san, you're worrying too much. I've gone through special training before. Carrying one person on my back while holding another in my arms is no problem for me at all."

"Huh...? You actually trained for something like this? Amazing! As expected of Argonaut-kun!"

Tiona thought about it for a moment before her face lit up with admiration.

To think he had anticipated a situation like this and trained thoroughly for it beforehand. It was truly impressive.

"Um... who did you train with...?"

Lefiya did not think the boy was lying, so she asked out of curiosity.

He had understood her hint and smoothly changed the subject for her, making the blush on Lefiya's cheeks deepen another shade. At the same time, she desperately wanted to know when exactly the boy had undergone such embarrassing training, and which two girls had done it with him.

Unless they were extremely close to him, girls probably would not agree to do something like that...

"Hmm... I can't really remember?"

Bell answered honestly.

"R-really?"

Lefiya relaxed slightly.

Since the boy could not remember them at all, they were probably nobody important.

Wait... why am I relieved? It's not like we're lovers. I'm acting as though I want Bell Cranel all to myself...

Realizing how her feelings had changed, Lefiya's beautiful cheeks turned bright red.

Meanwhile, the monsters' roars and agonized cries at the front of the group still had not stopped. Behind them, however, Tione's intervention somehow caused the conversation to shift toward body types.

"With a body like yours, idiot, I wouldn't even notice the weight if I carried you on my back, so stop making trouble."

"Hah?! What the hell did you just say?!"

The older Amazoness sister struck precisely at her younger sister's sore spot, conveniently drawing the trouble away from Bell.

"..."

Ais lowered her gaze to her own chest.

At that very instant, Riveria seized her opportunity.

She raised her head and pressed her cherry-red lips against the boy's neck.