The scenery on Floor 51 was unnaturally dim. Everything in the distance seemed covered in a layer of gray, making it impossible to tell day from night.
Only the soft ticking of a pocket watch and the determined eyes of the members announced that morning had arrived.
The members of Loki Familia and Hephaestus Familia all stood in front of the camp, watching the elite unit about to set out.
Unreached territory, Floor 59.
What awaited Bell and the others was the complete unknown.
"Move out."
Finn gave the order in a few short words.
Amid everyone's cheers and shouts of encouragement, Bell followed Ais and the others as they jumped down from the massive rock slab and landed in the Gray Forest.
Once, when he had still been a Level 1 boy, he had faced this same height and leapt down without hesitation to save Ais, suffering terrible injuries in the process. Now, he stood on the same battlefield as them.
Ais and Lefiya remembered that at the same time. They tightened their grips on their weapons and silently told themselves that they had to protect Bell Cranel.
The Gray Forest was different from how it had looked during observation. The trees towered high, dust drifted through the air, and every corner was shrouded in an eerie atmosphere.
"Bete, you seem to be in a pretty good mood. Who were you chatting with last night?"
Gareth carried his giant axe on his shoulder and gave a hearty smile.
"Shut it."
Bete strode forward in his silver boots, his expression as fierce as ever.
The two of them served as the elite squad's vanguard. Traditional formations had lost their meaning in the exploration ahead, so Finn had refined their setup, assigning a supporter to each position.
They were responsible for carrying spare weapons, armor, and various items. The supporter at the very front was Tsubaki, the Level 5 High Smith.
"Argonaut-kun, where did you go last night? When I woke up, you were gone."
Tiona asked in confusion.
"Do you really have to bring that up now? Idiot Tiona."
Tione rolled her eyes at her younger sister.
Everyone was moving through the Gray Forest together. Aside from Ais and the others who had slept in the same tent last night, there were also men like Finn and Gareth present.
No matter how dense she was, she should at least read the mood and not put girls like Ais and Lefiya on the spot.
"What? You're the idiot!"
Tiona glanced at her sister's impressive chest, and her resentment instantly grew heavier.
"You two, absolutely do not start fighting here."
Finn reminded them.
He and the Amazoness sisters were serving as the middle guard. The two sisters focused on combat, while Finn placed his attention on command.
"..."
Alicia thought back to what had happened last night and found it a little strange as well.
She did not look too deeply into it. Instead, as a supporter, she carried a huge backpack and followed behind Tiona and the others.
"I see. So Bell Cranel entered the women's tent last night. In that case… who did he sleep with?"
Riveria spoke softly.
To others, her words sounded faintly reproachful, but the boy understood the teasing meaning behind them.
After all, the one who had slept with Bell for the night was Riveria herself. She had even taken the initiative to cover for Bell and send him back to the other side of the camp before the girls woke up.
Although the two had not done anything physical, not even touching through their clothes, the fact that they had spent the night in the same tent would not change.
"Mm…"
Ais glanced at the boy beside her, unsure what to say.
In the end, when exactly had Bell left?
The little Ais was not too discouraged. Bell had said that if he slept with her, he would not be able to resist doing embarrassing things, but in the end, nothing had happened. That meant Bell had surely overcome his inner demons and cared deeply about her…
Ais walked beside Riveria, her steps rather light.
The two of them were serving as the rear guard. Because of the new type of monster, every position needed someone suited for close combat.
At a distance, Riveria could use magic to drive back those monsters with corrosive traits, but once they closed in, her staff did not have the Indestructible attribute, so she still needed someone else to cover her.
Three supporters were also following beside them.
"What exactly happened last night…"
Lefiya murmured softly.
She was rather upset with herself for having slept so soundly. Just because she had slept in the same tent as Bell Cranel, why had she felt so at ease?
There had clearly been other girls around too…
If only it had just been her…
"Hehe…"
The moment Lefiya realized she had let that lovestruck look show on her face, her cheeks turned bright red.
"..."
Ryuu looked at the honey-blonde Elf in speechless silence.
As a fellow Elf, she somehow felt that Lefiya had just been thinking about something extremely indecent.
After speaking with Elfy, Ryuu seemed to understand why Lefiya so often wore that daydreaming expression. In fact, after following Elfy's advice, Ryuu herself had unconsciously imagined what might happen if she slept together with the boy after fleeing from Ais and Bell last night.
Thanks to that, Ryuu had managed to endure her embarrassment, convince herself that it was merely a way to fight against her fastidiousness, and slip into the tent where the boy was sleeping.
When she woke up that morning and found the boy gone, she could not help breathing a sigh of relief.
If she had opened her eyes and seen the boy's crimson eyes, Ryuu was certain she would never have been able to look him in the face again.
"Ryuu-san, Lefiya-san, let's all do our best together."
Bell walked between the two of them and changed the subject.
Digging into what happened last night would only put him in a bad position. If everyone found out that he had shared a bed with Riveria, the ending would definitely be too horrible to look at.
Riveria had brought it up on purpose not because she was enjoying the thrill of treading on thin ice, but because she had some other consideration… right?
Bell did not think any further and turned his mind back to the expedition.
The three supporters being in the rear was not due to whim or coincidence. It was the result of Finn's careful consideration.
Ryuu's weapon could not deal with the new type of monster, and aside from Ais, she was not familiar with the other members of Loki Familia. Having Ryuu stay by the boy's side as insurance was the best decision.
On the other hand, the reason Finn had brought Lefiya along was because he valued her magical firepower. It would still be somewhat difficult for a Level 3 Mage to set foot on the deeper floors, so he had placed Lefiya beside the boy. With the Skill [Requited Love Bond], having Lefiya stay with the boy would reduce the pressure by a great deal. Of course, Finn had not explained that part to Bell in detail.
The entire party advanced steadily through the Gray Forest.
"Monster!"
Tiona shouted a warning as she looked at the rhinoceros-like monster charging in from the right.
"It's yours."
Finn immediately gave the order.
"Mm!"
Tiona lifted her huge double-bladed sword and charged toward the monster with a smile.
What puzzled her was that the weapon in her hands seemed just a little lighter than before.