That encounter left a bad taste in my mouth.
I really wanted to know what lay beyond that cavern. What truth was hidden there.
But still...
It had pleaded with me.
And well, suffice it to say, I wasn't enough of a bastard to ignore that and force my way in anyway.
Though, I already had an inkling as to who that cavern was connected to.
Ais Wallenstein.
I silently cursed myself for never reading Sword Oratoria.
I was almost certain it had something to do with her. After all, Sword Oratoria revolved around Ais, and everything about that place felt too important, to be unrelated.
If there was anyone that cavern was "meant for," as the elf had claimed, my money was on Ais.
Unfortunately, that was where my knowledge ended.
I had never gotten around to reading the novels, leaving me with little more than vague assumptions and educated guesses.
For once, my past self's procrastination had come back to haunt me.
Anyways, there was nothing I could do about it now.
That path was meant for Ais. And besides, she was part of the Familia now.
Thinking about it, I couldn't help but wonder how the future would unfold with so many changes already in place.
Ais Wallenstein joining the Hestia Familia alone had altered the course of events far more than most people could imagine.
It made me curious.
With everything changing, how would Bell become the hero destined to save the world?
Because despite all the deviations from the original story, despite all the chaos my presence had caused, there was one thing I had never doubted.
Bell Cranel would become that hero.
I had complete faith in him.
No matter how much the future changed, I couldn't imagine a world where Bell failed to become the person he was meant to be.
The hero who would save it all.
The only regret I had was that I probably wouldn't be around to see it.
In just a few weeks, I would be leaving this world.
And after that...
I had no idea when I would return.
Or if I would return at all.
I'd spent so much time here that Orario no longer felt like a place I was merely visiting.
Yet, no matter how attached I became, the truth remained unchanged.
This was not my world.
Soon, I would have to leave it behind.
And when the day finally came for Bell to stand at the center of the world as its hero...
I probably wouldn't be there to witness it.
For a moment, I found myself staring into the distance before letting out a small, self-deprecating chuckle.
I guess that's just how it is
I shook my head, quickly casting aside the distracting thoughts as I continued forward.
There was no point dwelling on the future right now.
I still had a Dungeon to explore.
The temperature continued to drop as I descended, the frozen air growing sharper with each passing floor.
Then—
A distant sound reached my ears.
A dull impact, followed by another then the unmistakable clash of weapons.
I stopped.
Fighting?
My brows furrowed.
That alone was surprising.
The deeper floors weren't exactly crowded with adventurers, and this far down, the list of people capable of operating safely could be counted on one hand.
Curious, I accelerated my pace.
Eventually, I reached the source.
And blinked.
"...What?"
Standing before me was a large expedition force engaged in battle against a horde of monsters.
A very familiar expedition force.
The Loki Familia.
I stared at them for a second.
Because as far as I knew, they weren't supposed to be here.
Well, not now, at least.
The last I knew, they should have still been somewhere around the 59th Floor, struggling to make progress beyond it.
The Loki Familia only pushed past the 60th Floor after obtaining information about the deeper levels from an outside source.
If I remembered correctly, in the lead-up to the Great Faction War, they had been offered intelligence regarding the 60th Floor and the floors beyond in exchange for remaining neutral and not participating in the upcoming conflict against the Freya Familia.
That information had been the catalyst that allowed them to continue their exploration of the Dungeon.
Which was why seeing them here now was so unexpected.
Unless...
That monster that kidnapped Ais.
It had resided around the 60th Floor. Its death had probably opened the way for further exploration, removing the greatest obstacle that had prevented anyone from advancing beyond this point.
...Huh.
So it was all thanks to me.
Well, good for them, I guess.
But...
As I watched the battle unfold, my expression gradually became more serious.
They weren't ready.
I could see it immediately, and the monster they were fighting wasn't even particularly impressive by the standards of the deep floors.
At least, not from my perspective.
Yet the Loki Familia was struggling.
And I knew exactly why.
They didn't have Ais anymore.
The absence of a single person shouldn't have made such a difference.
But it did.
Ais had been their spear.
Their strongest front-line attacker.
The one who could carve through enemies that the others struggled to put down.
Without her, the Familia's offensive power had taken a noticeable hit.
Bete was powerful, but he wasn't Ais.
Tiona and Tione were exceptional warriors, but neither specialized in delivering the kind of overwhelming cutting power that Ais brought to the battlefield.
Through Finn was still incredibly strong, of course.
But he was only one man.
As the commander, he couldn't be everywhere at once. He had to direct the expedition, maintain the formation, and make decisions while fighting. Every moment spent compensating for the missing firepower was a moment taken away from his actual role.
The rest of the expedition was built around a formation that had always assumed the presence of the Sword Princess.
And now that piece was gone.
Watching them now, the weakness was obvious.
They lacked a true melee damage dealer capable of decisively breaking through the enemy's defenses.
The gap she left behind hadn't been filled.
And on the deeper floors of the Dungeon, even a small weakness could become fatal.
Watching them struggle against a monster they would have dealt with far more easily, I couldn't help but think:
They had made it this far.
But the floors ahead were only going to get worse.
I sighed as a thought crossed my mind.
Well...
Somehow, I felt a little bad that Ais had left them for the Hestia Familia.
The front line was holding, but only barely.
More importantly, the situation was starting to deteriorate.
A few monsters had already slipped past the main engagement, bypassing the vanguard and making their way toward the rear.
The adventurers in the back immediately reacted, but I could already see the formation beginning to stretch.
I let out another sigh.
"...Okay, fine."
I already knew what was going to happen.
If I walked away and something went wrong, it would bother me later.
And frankly, I had enough regrets already.
Rolling my shoulders, I took a step forward.
Let's help them out a little.
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