Breaking through the constraints of space, Bell stepped out of the rift and into Ais's room.
The room was pitch dark, and the barrier he had set beforehand ensured no one could enter.
Carrying Ais in his arms, Bell walked inside and gently laid her down on the bed.
"Sword Princess," he said, "rest here for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, go to Loki-sama and confirm the results of today's mission."
He knew she was anxious, but there was no need to rush.
"Mhm."
Feeling the weakness in her body, Ais obediently complied. Perhaps only in times like this could she act as meekly as a child.
"Today's task isn't a secret. Just make sure it doesn't spread beyond these walls. As for the three who usually look after you, it's fine to tell them if necessary."
"Hmm... why do you say that?"
Confusion showed clearly on Ais's face, but Bell only smiled faintly.
"When I set up the barrier, it wasn't just to keep others from entering. It was also meant to alert anyone inside once I left."
With that, Bell stepped into the spatial rift behind him.
The moment he disappeared, the barrier in the room shattered.
Right then, the three people who had been waiting outside entered immediately.
"So it really was you, Ais."
Finn pressed a hand to his forehead, clearly exasperated.
The instant he sensed the appearance of a barrier, he had grabbed his weapon and rushed to its location—straight to Ais's room.
"I said it before—what kind of thief sets up a barrier so openly inside someone else's familia?"
He had dashed out the moment he felt the disturbance, not even bothering to change out of his nightclothes.
"Eh..."
Now, seeing the situation, Finn let out a sigh of relief—but there was also a hint of resignation in his tone.
It seemed like every strange event happening within the familia somehow involved Bell, and whatever was behind this probably wasn't simple either.
"Ais, what exactly happened this time?"
There was no way to question Bell directly, so if they wanted answers, they would have to hear them from Ais.
But before she could respond, Finn's brows furrowed slightly, and he immediately moved to her bedside.
"Finn."
Gareth called out, stopping him. This didn't seem like a situation where they should get too close.
"Wait a moment, Gareth," said Riveria instead.
"Ais doesn't seem able to move."
"!?"
Gareth's pupils shrank slightly, and he fell silent, watching Finn carefully examine her.
Finn reached the bed and conducted only a brief check before letting out a quiet breath.
"It's just that her stamina is completely exhausted. Riveria, come take a look."
"Mm."
Finn stepped aside, and Riveria immediately moved to Ais's bedside.
With her heightened sensitivity to magic, she could clearly feel a terrifying magical aura lingering on Ais's body—a power so strong it made her heart tremble.
It carried an intense devouring nature, as if it wanted to consume everything around it.
Fortunately, it was only a faint trace of residual magic, not one that directly affected Ais.
'So, what exactly did Bell and Ais go out to deal with?'
As for Ais herself, the magic within her body had been completely drained. Her current condition was simply the result of total physical and magical exhaustion.
"Her magic's completely depleted," Riveria said. "Every bit of it has been wrung dry. Her inability to move is caused by that severe drain."
"But what worries me more is this trace of magic clinging to her."
"That magic has an incredibly strong devouring property. Thankfully, it didn't directly act on her. Otherwise, I'd suspect Ais's magic was consumed by it—and if that were true, her situation would be much more dangerous."
Luckily, that wasn't the case. If it had been, Riveria would've had to summon the 'Dea Saint' in the middle of the night.
Finn and Gareth nearly jumped in alarm. If Riveria hadn't remained calm, they probably would've started moving already.
"Phew... what a way to spend the night. How's anyone supposed to sleep after this?"
After those two shocks, Finn's mind was now fully awake.
When he first sensed the barrier, he'd even wondered if his perception was malfunctioning—how could he detect something like that inside his own home? At first, he hadn't even considered Bell, because if Bell had set a barrier within Loki Familia's grounds, Finn was certain he wouldn't have been able to sense it.
Finn knew Bell well enough to understand that he was always cautious, never leaving traces of his actions.
That was why he had rushed over immediately, only to bump into Riveria and Gareth—both here for the exact same reason. But realizing that, Finn quickly caught on. This was a deliberate way of notifying them.
And among the Loki Familia, who else could have done such a thing? It had to be Bell.
No one else would dare to place such a barrier within the Familia, and certainly not with that level of finesse.
"So, Ais," Riveria finally asked, "what exactly did you go out to do?"
With Ais's safety confirmed, curiosity now took over. Finn and Gareth were just as intrigued.
For Bell to go to such lengths, there had to be a serious reason behind it—and that only made them more eager to know.
Though thinking quickly wasn't her strength, Ais's mind was working hard. Remembering that Bell had said some things could be shared, she tried to summarize it in a way the others could understand.
Then she said something that nearly made all three of them freeze in shock.
"A god was devoured by a Monster. He took me with him to deal with the Monster that had eaten the god."
In that instant, the three veteran adventurers—who had faced countless crises before—stiffened completely, unable to utter a single word.
...