Sunlight had washed away all traces of rain.
The road leading to the Dungeon, once shrouded in gloom, now glistened clean under the clear sky.
After updating his Status and saying farewell to Hestia, Bell set out to continue his exploration.
"Hey, you over there."
A light, feminine voice called out from behind him.
Bell didn't pay it any mind. The streets were full of people, and he didn't recognize anyone with a voice like that.
"You there—the white-haired boy. Did you not hear calling you?" The tone was gentle yet carried a cool sharpness.
"?" Bell turned around, following the sound.
Standing there was a petite human girl.
Her beauty was cold and refined—so perfect that at first glance, she looked like a delicate doll.
Her long silver-white hair swayed softly in the wind, and her dreamlike eyes, frad by long lashes, fixed intently on him.
Dressed in a blue-and-white outfit paired with white knee-high socks, her attire radiated a sacred aura that marked her unmistakably as a healer.
"What is it?" Bell asked as he stepped closer.
"Have you seen a small brown dog nearby?" the girl asked in a quiet, lodic voice.
"No. Any other details?" Though confused about why she'd approached him, Bell still answered earnestly.
"Hmm..." The girl blinked her violet eyes, seeming to both think and size him up at the sa ti.
"I rember now. About this tall, with a fierce glare. As for the chest... probably much smaller than mine."
She stood perfectly straight, her serious tone at odds with her absurd description of the "dog."
"That sounds like a human, not a dog," Bell muttered before he could stop himself.
Judging from where they were, he guessed the person she was looking for was probably Naaza from the potion shop.
"I'm looking for a Chienthrope," the girl clarified.
Her words confird his suspicion.
Just as Bell was trying to figure out how to ask about her connection to Naaza, a voice called from the side.
"Airmid, what are you doing here?"
The Chienthrope girl, Naaza, appeared by the roadside, carrying a large bag filled with empty glass test tubes.
"The debtor disappeared without a trace, so I'm asking around," the girl—Airmid—answered calmly.
"Huh. You, the so-called Dea Saint, resorting to such a clumsy way of finding soone?"
Naaza couldn't help but feel that Airmid must have had so other motive for approaching Bell.
She didn't say it aloud, though. After all, this mber of the Dian Cecht Familia was far too perfect—intelligent, beautiful, kind, and the very embodint of a healer's ideals.
The title "Dea Saint" wasn't just for her exceptional healing power, but also for her deeply compassionate heart.
If Bell had caught Airmid's attention, then perhaps that wasn't such a bad thing for him after all.
"So, calling a Chienthrope a 'dog' when eting a young man for the first ti—don't you think that's a bit rude?" Though she wasn't worried about the boy, Naaza, as the debtor, couldn't bring herself to speak kindly.
"Erisuis, I rely mimicked your tone," Airmid replied, her expression calm and unreadable.
She turned toward Bell and gave a graceful bow. "If I caused you any discomfort, please forgive my rudeness."
"No, there's no need to apologize to ." Her seriousness left Bell slightly flustered.
"Tsk, still pretending to be the perfect student?" Naaza shot her a cold look.
"Please take that back. I don't recall ever acting the part of a model student," Airmid replied softly.
"Then what about that annoying god of yours, the one who lives with the model student?"
Naaza's expression darkened as she recalled the arrogance of her creditor.
"I slipped out alone while Dian Cecht-sama wasn't paying attention."
Though Airmid spoke respectfully of her Familia's god, her expression was unexpectedly distant.
Bell caught the nuance and quietly noted the na of this troubleso god.
"Don't tell you ca here just to laugh at our Familia?"
Naaza knew Airmid would never deliberately do such a thing, yet the way Dian Cecht constantly mocked the Miach was sothing she'd seen far too many tis—and hated every one of them.
"No... today was the scheduled day for debt collection. I intended to handle it alone, but when I arrived, the shelves of Blue Pharmacy were already empty." Airmid's voice carried a trace of guilt.
"So it's that ti again? Sorry, but the Miach Familia had an incident this morning. Even if we wanted to pay in potions like usual, that'd be nothing short of a miracle."
Naaza's grip on the bag in her hand tightened, her expression filled with remorse and frustration. "Aside from this arm, I have nothing left to offer."
In truth, the Miach Familia had received enough compensation to easily cover the debt for the month. But if they were to rebuild the shop, every Valis counted.
For that reason, Naaza decided to make use of Airmid's kindness.
"I see…" The human girl murmured softly, her long lashes trembling as her eyes lowered in sorrow.
From his vantage point, Bell could tell Airmid's sadness was completely genuine.
It was as if she herself had lived through their ordeal when she finally said, "I'll keep this from Dian Cecht-sama. As for the debt, we'll postpone it until next month."
Airmid didn't have the authority to cancel the debt outright. The treatnt fees Naaza owed were the hard-earned results of every mber of their Familia.
All she could do was hide it from Dian Cecht to prevent him from cruelly rubbing salt into Miach Familia's wounds.
"That's more than enough. Thank you, Airmid." Naaza bowed her head in gratitude.
"How unusual, Erisuis. You actually thanked ." Airmid, long accustod to Naaza's sharp remarks, found the heartfelt gratitude strangely disarming.
"If it weren't for this young man risking his life to save , I wouldn't be standing here," Naaza said honestly. "I'm just a wet dog right now—what, did you expect to bite you?"
At that, Airmid froze. For the proud Chienthrope girl, who never let anyone off lightly, to speak so openly—what kind of hardship had she endured to change her so much?
"Excuse , I should return to help Miach-sama with potion brewing." Naaza bid the two farewell.
Before leaving, she paused, seemingly worried for Bell, and once again spoke of his courage and kindness—no doubt trying to earn him a few points in the Saint's eyes.
Naaza's figure slowly disappeared into the distance.
"If you want to be friends with her, you should be a little more straightforward, underachiever," Bell said with a small grin.
"Under...achiever?"
Airmid was about to retort but quickly understood what he ant. He'd used that word because she had shown her distaste for the term "model student."
Still, it was quite sothing to hear anyone call the Dea Saint an "underachiever."
"Tell , which part of that conversation made you think I wanted to be friends with Naaza Erisuis?"
Bell thought for a mont. "For starters, you sneaked out behind Dian Cecht-sama's back—probably because you didn't want to trouble the Miach Familia, right?"
"You figured that out? Seems Erisuis's praise of you wasn't exaggerated." Airmid didn't bother denying it.
"I noticed more than that," Bell continued, recalling Naaza's words. "You approached for a reason, didn't you? What was it?"
"Hmm... nothing serious. I just ca to heal your wounds."
Airmid's reply was honest.
And for the first ti, that doll-like, flawless face softened with a faint, genuine smile.
User Comments
0 comments from readers