Chapter 535 - 535: The Secret

The 50th Floor of the Dungeon.

After enduring countless hardships, the Elite Squad finally made it back to the Safe Zone Floor.

Unlike the high spirits they had set out with, crossing the entire Dragon's Vase in one stretch had left exhaustion written across everyone's faces.

"Bell Cranel, I didn't expect our return trip to go this smoothly. You really are lucky."

Finn spoke with quiet admiration.

By the time the group finished dealing with the Valgang Dragons on the 59th Floor, most of the Dungeon floor had already repaired itself.

Not only could the Elite Squad follow the normal route and climb the stairs from floor to floor, but they had also been fortunate in another respect. Because such a large portion of the Dungeon had been destroyed, the ground inside the cavern on the left had been restored first, while the walls had yet to regenerate.

As a result, the entire party had no need to navigate the twisting maze. They only had to avoid the Valgang Dragons' bombardment and deal with the relatively small number of enemies in their way.

Their return journey actually took less time than the trip down.

"I was only running for my life. I didn't do anything worth thanking me for."

Bell replied modestly.

In truth, the Valgang Dragons' relentless pillars of flame had occasionally forced the Elite Squad to split into two groups. On several occasions, Bell had directed the separated teams and allowed the adventurers to regroup without a single injury.

"Too much modesty is a bad habit. If it were me, I might put my achievements on display and brag about them everywhere."

Finn spoke with a self-deprecating smile.

Naturally, he understood the boy's reasoning.

The tallest tree caught the strongest wind. Bell's own strength had not yet reached the highest tier, and while these accomplishments would be great feats worth boasting about in the eyes of honorable people, Evilus would see them very differently.

If they came to regard the boy as an enemy who had to be eliminated, danger could fall upon the girls around him at any moment.

"Bell Cranel, I won't spread word of what you accomplished during this expedition, and I'll make sure the other members keep it secret as well."

Finn made the promise openly.

"If you ever run into trouble, the Loki Familia will do everything in its power to help you."

The boy had once saved Ais and the others.

If those incidents were personal debts of gratitude for the individuals involved to repay, then this time the entire Loki Familia owed Bell a debt so great that it was difficult to even measure.

Finn understood perfectly well that without Bell Cranel, everyone in the Elite Squad would most likely have died in the Dungeon.

Even if they had sacrificed some of their members and somehow survived the Juggernaut's attack, they still would not have been able to defeat the Demi Spirit. It had clearly gathered Magic Stones through the Viola plants and Virga, achieving astonishing growth comparable to an Enhanced Species.

Had the Loki Familia arrived here a month earlier, they might barely have been able to fight it.

But there were no such possibilities to rely on now.

Thanks to the boy's premonition and command, everyone had managed to withstand the deadly firestorm and seize a narrow chance at survival.

"Finn-san, what does the Loki Familia plan to do next?"

Bell went straight to the point without any pretense.

Both of them were intelligent people. Empty pleasantries would only be unnecessary.

A Spirit had been captured by the Dungeon's monsters and driven into a bloodthirsty frenzy, while its own strength could continue increasing through Magic Stones. That alone was already serious enough to shake the entire world.

More importantly, the existence of the [Jewel Fetus] allowed these extremely dangerous Demi Spirits to ignore the Dungeon's restrictions and appear on any floor.

Taken to the extreme, if Evilus could reach the surface of Orario as easily as they had during the Viola attack, a Demi Spirit might even appear inside the city and drag everyone into a terrifying war.

Bell naturally had no intention of letting the enemy act freely.

With everyone's current strength still limited, the best point of attack was the method used to transport the [Jewel Fetus].

As long as they could destroy it before a Demi Spirit reached the surface, they could buy enough time to grow stronger.

Finn's answer was exactly what Bell had expected.

"Solving the problem at its source, the Corrupted Spirit itself, is absolutely impossible in the short term. I intend to go back and discuss this with Loki, then investigate the Dungeon's second entrance as soon as possible so we can prevent a tragedy."

Finn revealed their next course of action without reservation.

He had already intended to investigate the seaport outside Orario, but after learning how the [Jewel Fetus] developed, Finn now felt there was no time to lose. The danger had to be eliminated as quickly as possible.

"I understand."

Bell thought of Haruhime and said nothing more.

By the time they returned to Orario, the night of the full moon would be close at hand.

Investigating the Dungeon's entrance to prevent a Demi Spirit from causing a disaster was important. Saving Haruhime was equally important.

Unless there was absolutely no other choice, Bell had no intention of interfering with the Loki Familia's plans.

Silent undercurrents were already moving beneath the surface of the entire Labyrinth City.

As long as the Loki Familia, with its top-tier combat strength, could act openly and draw Evilus's attention, Bell would have less to worry about and could devote all his energy to Haruhime.

Besides, they were still on the 50th Floor of the Dungeon. It would take them nearly a week to reach the surface.

Anything could happen along the way, and Haruhime's situation might also change. It was still too early to discuss the matter with the Loki Familia.

To guard against unexpected developments, Bell had warned Mikoto before leaving to watch for letters from the brothel's contact. If the situation became critical, she was to tell Hestia and Artemis everything and let the two goddesses decide what to do.

Finn noticed that the boy was holding something back and spoke.

"Bell Cranel, I'll say this again. I'll help you as much as I can, partly because of the alliance between our Familias and partly because I consider you a friend. But when it comes to your harem, that seems rather troublesome to me. I'm afraid you'll have to handle that yourself."

The two of them stood in an open area atop the enormous rock shelf, with the Gray Forest stretching out before them.

After celebrating the Elite Squad's safe return, the other members had immediately begun sorting through their spoils and remaining supplies, preparing to leave this dangerous place as soon as possible.

There was no one else near Bell and Finn, so Finn had no reason to hold back when talking about Bell's harem.

"Finn-san, thanks for the advice..."

Bell smiled helplessly.

When he had entered a romantic relationship with Artemis, the Moon Goddess had already caused quite a commotion.

As for Riveria, whose position was so unusual, even Bell could not predict what kind of sparks would fly when she interacted with the other girls.

The Elf Princess had an unexpectedly mischievous side. Bell was happy to discover a new side of someone he loved, but things would probably not be so simple for everyone else.

Although neither of them intended to make their relationship public, secretly meeting like this was far more twisted than an ordinary romance and could easily lead to trouble.

"Haha, Lefiya and Riveria have both been acting a little strangely around you. What exactly did you do while you were resting?"

Finn asked curiously.

"Who knows..."

Bell casually brushed the question aside.

He had kissed Riveria's delicate neck right in front of the other girls.

How could he possibly tell anyone about something like that...

Bell gazed into the hazy Gray Forest as his thoughts drifted back to the distant 59th Floor.

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