My note is up here this time.

I can't believe it...it has been one year since I started this story, approximately three hours ish before the first chapter was released, or saved to my laptop. And to think that it started with the question of "What if Ais had a brother?" Truthfully, I didn't think this story would get this much traction. In comparison to my other stories, this one is at the top. I want to thank those on FF and AO3 who have either followed/subscribed, commented/reviewed, and favorited/kudos'd on this. Seriously, this was supposed to be just a little funny story but then it started getting interesting.

Now, despite all this, let's focus on the here and now. This chapter, I think, is the longest by far. According to Docs, 8532. Which, doesn't sound like much, for me, that's a healthy balance. I love long chapters but even I have limits.

So, this chapter may feel like a filler but it's more of a relaxation/holy shit what the fuck just happened chapter. I will say, there is a bit of fanservice in this. I know the scene—which you'll recognize when you see it—would happen later but it allowed me to just have a bit of fun.

I will say that one of the pairings will have some moments in the very near future. This is only part of the buildup. With that being said, I finally got to use the comment for Ais since like the early chapters (somewhere before chapter 5) and I was happy. I remembered it after a year! So, thank you once more.

To another year of Royalty! Enjoy the chapter.

...

Ascending through the Dungeon was far easier than descending into it. After the battle on the fifty-ninth floor, Loki Familia plus Tsubaki were all heading back to the fiftieth floor where their main force was. As it stood, Dino and Jericho were carrying Axton on a handmade stretcher.

The boy has been knocked out since the defeat of the Demi-Spirit. Not to mention that he asked out one elven maiden known as Lefiya Viridis. She didn't answer him because of the aforementioned reason. All the adventurers understood why he did it too; he thought he was going to die.

Live with no regrets.

As such, the words he said previously on the fiftieth floor came back to them. He was more than willing to lay down his life for them, some would say almost eagerly so. Of course, that did worry more than one person. One of those people was Ais. His older sister. Ais was literally at his side and never left it. Everyone was booking it as fast as the slowest person.

"Is he going to be alright?" Ais's concern was concerning everyone else. Never before has anyone seen such emotion from their beloved Sword Princess. The Sword Prince's face was set in a smile, as his last words were that of his confession. His chest rose and fell every second or two; his breathing was regular. He was situated on his side because of his internal wounds, and the small trickle of blood coming out of his mouth. The potion that was given to him helped heal those wounds, so there must have been one leftover or the wound reopened.

Dino grimaced, "Well, considering he was pushing his limits from the get-go, I give it 75-25, realistically speaking." When Ais looked at the dark elf, he continued, "Don't give me that look, I'm a realist. He messed up his body pretty badly and considering the amount of magic he released, he's lucky he's not in a Mind Zero."

Jericho joined in on the conversation, "And Lefiya, please stop looking at him like that. Once we hit the safe zone, we'll be able to take a better look at his injuries."

Sadly, Riveria could not heal everyone's wounds just yet. Until they hit the safe floor, they were most definitely not safe. The Dungeon lives to mess with adventurers. The trio of top executives were having a separate conversation "So, no one's going to bring up his magic?" Tiona asked.

Ais looked slightly away at that. She didn't want to bring that up now. Alicia herself was wondering that too but upon seeing Ais's hesitant expression, she chose to say, "I don't think that's a good idea to bring up, Tiona?"

"Why not?" the amazon countered. "The way Princey brought up that wind barrier and from what everyone else said, he threw his sword like a spear coated in wind."

"And there's an answer to that…one neither of us is going to say right now…" Ais whispered. She hoped the conversation would stop there. Glancing up from her brother, Lefiya was just looking at Axton. She wasn't responding to anything, barely moving her feet forward enough to keep pace.

Thankfully, the conversation between the adventurers fell silent as they pushed past the deep floors all the way to the first of two safe zones. Never has the base camp team been so confused why everyone was silent. At first, they thought someone died.

With Dino and Jericho laying Axton down, the pair began taking off his armor, or what was left of it. Compared to when he started in full armor, his right gauntlet, left hand, and large portions of his leg armor were damaged. Realistically, the pieces were just severely dented and that meant they were salvageable. The chest plate had a few dents in it, making it harder to breathe but thankfully, they were easily removed.

Thankfully, his shirt was still intact; there were no visible burns from the Spirit's fire attack. Just the thought of facing that again was something that no one wanted to entertain. However, instead of there being burns, there were bruises. They weren't small either. Riveria looked over and held her tongue. That bruise took a solid portion of his lower torso. If he was awake, the pain must be more than just a nuisance.

The High Elf turned, "I need anyone with healing magic. I myself am occupied. If you are in the process of healing someone, finish with them first and come here." Three members showed up, one of them being Line Arshe.

Once Line saw the bruise, she immediately started chanting her magic. Riveria cast Veil Breath across the party as the magic does heal the target slightly. Aki had come over and helped clean off the blood from Axton's body.

Still within sight was his sister and his…preferred…since there isn't an official title for the pair yet. Obviously, they held back so the healers could do their job. Axton's smile from before had vanished in place for a peaceful expression.

"How is he, Riveria?" Finn asked once the magic was over. The Pallum wanted to know when they could move out. The less time they spend here, the better.

Riveria sighed, "Well, physically, he's healed. As for his Mind Down, I am unsure." She sent her Captain a look that signified that it couldn't be discussed publicly here.

He easily understood, "Ais stay here, everyone else, we leave tomorrow. If someone could start preparing dinner, that would be helpful."

"Hai!" Came the group response. Tione came over and gently guided Lefiya away, whose previous vacant expression turned to a thoughtful one. She had her answer and was almost ready to confront him.

Ais gently raised her brother's head onto her lap. It was one more thing keeping her grounded. Gareth eventually came over, bandages wrapped securely around his torso since, you know, he got impaled by the Corrupted Spirit's barrier defense mechanism.

The small things.

"So, Ais…what happened to him?"

The girl looked up and shrugged, "I…don't know all the details…but his skill, Guardian…only works when one of us is in danger?"

"That's correct," Finn nodded to her. I can already see where this is going.

"Well…during the fight, he passed out. You were occupied with the barrier…" Ais looked to Riveria at that statement. "He wanted to protect us all," she explained, "and he passed out when it became too much. I think his body couldn't hold the strain of all of us in danger…and it preserved itself to protect him." She recalls reading his status from Loki a while back, so the information was in her head. It only took a moment for her to bring it to the surface of her mind.

"I see…and what about your wind, lass?" Gareth inquired. After seeing the performance of the Prince and how the Spirit seemed fixated on Royalty, he was no doubt curious as to why.

"I think…the Dungeon reacted to us…as she kept referring to us by our mother's name. She…she sounded like she knew her…but he and I never met another Spirit…and even we know we shouldn't exist because Spirits cannot have children…but…here we are."

The downtrodden note in her voice caused the trio to share a look. This is bad. If the Dungeon was reacting to the spiritual powers of Royalty, then that could spell problems later down the line, making expeditions even more deadly. They turned back to see Ais running her hand through Axton's hair, her other hand resting over his heart, feeling his pulse on her fingertips. "Anything else you can tell us, Ais?"

The blonde was about to shake her head but looked up, "What did Tiona mean by Axton finally asking Lefiya out? I know he likes her but what does that actually mean?"

Bless her little, naive heart. The question was so innocent that Gareth and Finn had to disguise their chuckles by biting on their knuckles. Riveria glared at the two before turning to Ais who had her expressionless look but she tilted her head wanting to know the answer. "One day, I'll explain…or maybe your brother will when and if he even remembers asking. There is a possibility that he's Dungeon Drunk."

Ais knew Riveria was being evasive but she chose not to press the issue. She turned her attention back onto her brother. That was when she noticed his eyelids moving rapidly. Then, he twitched and slowly started to move his arms and legs, fists clenching.

The subtle shifting of the earth beneath them alerted the trio to his motions. Ais continued to stroke his hair, but her mouth remained open, not exactly knowing what to say. It sparked a memory within the blonde swordswoman. A memory of the time—one of many—that she would blank out in the Dungeon and then come to with her brother's hand in her hair, inside Twilight Manor, gently petting her long blonde locks. There were times she stayed 'asleep' longer to enjoy the feeling. Years later, Ais had a feeling that he knew she was awake the entire time but never said anything.

She never would get an answer no matter how many times she would ask.

"Guuhh…" Axton sucked in a deep breath, eyes still closed. He felt as if he was in a nightmare…one where he didn't escape the twenty-fourth floor, where Revis was still mercilessly beating on him. "S-Stop…no more…" he murmured. "I…prom…ised…"

"Axton!" Ais felt her heart fall at that. "You fulfilled your promise…now please…wake up."

Riveria, Finn, and Gareth all wanted to help, as did the rest of the Familia but they waved them off. "Come see us when you're ready."

"...Okay," Ais whispered, cuddling her brother close. She vaguely heard them saying to give Royalty space and to not eavesdrop. The resulting glare from Riveria when no one moved forced everyone to move. Even Ais shivered once, and it wasn't even directed at her.

His fists continued to clench, so Ais offered her free hand to squeeze and he did so, unconsciously. The blonde felt her mouth twitch slightly at the force. She knew his strength stat was above her own, marginally, but the gap must be higher than she originally thought. She knew for a fact his Endurance was higher than hers. After he explained getting Strong Body…it was obvious where that came from.

He says he doesn't remember but Ais—for all her airheadedness and being as dense as a neutron star—knew a bit about what's going on. The same reason why he was scared of being touched. Post-traumatic stress, also known as PTS—or PTSD, D for Disorder.

There are cases monthly, mostly weekly, of one adventurer or another being so traumatized they are either severely injured, have survivor's guilt, and never go into the Dungeon again. Axton definitely is suffering from it but chose to face it. It only made her respect his strength and hope it would one day rub off on her. He thought he would be safe during the day, when his guard was up. However, when he went to sleep, his guard went down…

…that was when it struck. It could be compared to a viper, stalking its prey. The viper waits until they leave an opening and leap for the opportunity to sink their fangs into the inviting flesh and blood.

In this case, that woman…Revis…was the viper and the target was Axton. The poison from the viper still lingered. He could ignore it for as long as he wanted but the simple and undeniable truth was that it still existed and it would never go away, at least not fully. He could overcome that and become stronger than before. "Have I really failed at being your older sibling? All this time…I've had you to rely on but who did you have?"

It's like he's created a shell around himself that slowly eroded over time and it was just now that Ais was seeing the true extent. How long have you hidden this? How long have you put yourself through the pain? How long were you reaching out for help and I ignored you? Why could I never see it?

She already knew why. She was so focused on getting stronger that she failed to examine her surroundings. A tear escaped her eye before she could stop it. Drip. she could almost hear it falling. Ploop. The Sword Princess, known for being stoic, airheaded, and generally unapproachable—unless armed with a Jagamarukun—shed tears and expressed another emotion that day: Guilt.

The overbearing guilt of not noticing, not being there, and not once has he ever asked for help. Ais understood happiness, sadness, concern, worry, guilt, and many more in recent days. Emotions are certainly fickle. "Wake up…please," she cooed even as she was close to choking on her own words. A lump in her throat passed, making her hiccup. "Come on, Axton…please…"

The eyelids of the Sword Prince flickered once more before his breathing slowed down to a normal pace. His hand reached up and stroked his sister's cheek, "Looks like I broke my promise…"

"Axton!" she shouted, getting everyone's attention. They were minding their own business but Ais's shout brought all of the attention to them. "W-What are you talking about?"

His voice was low, and his golden-onyx eyes opened slightly, "The promise I made you when we were ten, don't you remember?"

Ais gasped as the memory came flooding back…

The two ten-year-olds were sitting in the garden, after having been scolded by Riveria for going into the Dungeon after being told they couldn't. Axton did not bother trying to correct her but it was what she said that hurt more, "You should be protecting each other, not risking your own lives!"

He was protecting her, after getting a scratch from a Kobold that had snuck up on him while carrying Ais. It wasn't deep but the scratches would heal in a couple days.

It made him silent for the next two days. It was during that time that he increased his training with his sword tenfold. He pushed himself harder at the peak of level two. It took him about thirteen months to reach level two, a month after Ais did. He vowed to be better for her.

She was still so focused on revenge that she never took consideration for him. He pushed down that feeling, only wanting to help her get stronger. In order to do that, he himself had to get stronger.

Ais, as a ten-year-old, was not very talkative. The only one who could actually approach her was her brother. Loki was barely able to update her status without an issue. The girl only focused on getting stronger. She was at least considerate enough to have asked to bring her brother into the Familia.

He was six at the time, turning seven in a mere few days.

One day, he approached her before she had snuck off again, "I want you to promise me something."

She turned her eyes to his, meeting his stare and she was almost taken back by the serious nature within him. Normally, her brother was all smiles and had the most easy-going attitude, which contrasts with her scowl, frowns, and generally prickly attitude. Sword Royalty couldn't be any different.

"Don't cry while I'm around. No one can make you cry, not even me. This I promise you." Axton said to Ais, the day before they both hit level three. That was the first time Ais cheered for both of them.

"I promise," Ais said but she didn't know what lengths he would cross to make sure it never happened.

"I remember…" Ais said, now holding Axton's hand to her cheek as if it would slip away from her.

"Looks like I failed…so…" he asked, looking as far up as he could, "where are we?"

"Axton!" Came the cheer from the Familia.

"You gave us quite the scare, lad," Gareth was the first to address him. "After that show, the Saint will need to put a tracker on you." The dwarf thought that was funny, and even more so after Axton lost color on his face.

Riveria kneeled down to be at Ais's level. Her hand rested on his forehead, and he tensed, not knowing what the High Elf was going to do. She can be plenty scary if triggered. "Don't ever worry me like that again."

"I'll do my best…no promises though…since I can't seem to keep them…" Axton grumbled as he noticed more tears coming from Ais. You shouldn't cry…I thought I did that enough for both of us. "Please stop crying, you're making me feel bad…"

"You should," Riveria scolded. "Do you realize what you did?"

"If by 'what I did' means 'helping distract the giant Spirit while Ais cleaves it in half' then yes."

"That is not what I'm referring to," Riveria said, narrowing her eyes at him, and dropped her hand.

The boy attempted to sit up but groaned at the feeling in his ribs. They were sore, yes, but damn is he stiff as a board. He eventually sat on the ground, Ais sat close to him in case he felt light-headed or still had lingering injuries. The latter was less likely considering the amount of healing magic bestowed upon him.

A moment before Axton realized what she meant… "Oh…"

Riveria simply raised an eyebrow

"Raincheck on this conversation?" Axton asked, wanting nothing more than to curl in on himself but restrained from doing that physically. He looked around and locked eyes with Lefiya who was, at first, overjoyed. Then, once she remembered what he asked, she flushed a very bright cherry red. Axton noted that it was the biggest blush that she's ever had before.

An odd detail for him to make note of.

Finn and Gareth shared a nod to Riveria. "Fine but first, do you remember what happened before you passed out?"

Axton frowned, thinking. "I…remember seeing Lefiya…" at the mention of her name, she wanted to shut him up at that moment… "I said something embarrassing, didn't I?" He locked eyes with Jericho, who shifted his eyes to Dino, who was pretty much glaring at Axton. "Oh…OH! I screwed up, didn't I?"

Dino just nodded once.

"Welp, knock me out and don't wake me until we get to the surface because embarrassment sounds pretty good right now…of all the things I said…" Axton whispered the last part in elvish.

Riveria, of course, heard him, "I see you took those lessons to heart." He just nodded.

Finn clapped his hands together, "Now that he's awake, we can prepare for tomorrow!"

With that, everyone dispersed, except for Royalty and Dino. Jericho was pulled away by Raul to assist. Dino walked up to Axton, who was looking pretty sheepish right now.

He felt like he was thirteen again.

"Do you know what you asked her?" Dino inquired gently, despite the hard look in his eyes. The Dark Elf did hold tradition in somewhat high regard. Not as much as Alicia, for example. "Axton, listen, I get it. Given the circumstances, you were basically a walking corpse. But seriously, ask her properly…"

Mortification washed over him as his worst fear was confirmed. Ais, who hadn't moved from her spot, was shocked to see her brother's head back on her lap. Dino walked away, not feeling one bit of satisfaction from revealing that. The Dark Elf would have to talk to Lefiya before they leave the fiftieth floor.

"A-Axton?" Ais hesitantly spoke up.

"Just…" his voice sounded defeated, "let me lay here for a few minutes longer."

The Sword Princess looked up so she couldn't see him cry…something about it hurt her to see, "Okay. I'll be by your side."

"Thank you."


Safe to say, Axton didn't sit around at dinnertime. He grabbed his meal, thanked the cooks, and left to wallow in shame before they left for the eighteenth floor. As of now, he figured that Lefiya was going to avoid him. He ate but he didn't taste much of it. How he wanted to scream…oh how he wanted to literally erase the past and never opened his mouth.

How the hell do I let that slip out? Guardian pushed a feeling of reassurance and calming into the boy's mind. He felt his breathing slow…was I hyperventilating? His chest felt tight…a panic attack?

He looked up towards the ceiling, finding the twinkling crystals soothing for the time being. Tomorrow, they would ascend, and tomorrow, he would have to face Lefiya if she was assigned to him. Finn wouldn't be that cruel, right?

"I thought you might be out here," a smug voice said.

Axton didn't turn around but he froze in place. It most definitely wasn't Ais. Tione wouldn't be trying to give a pep talk. Tiona would have just crashed into his back, hugging him. Alicia and Axton haven't interacted as much. Raul was busy. Dino seemed likely but the voice was female. Jericho was in the same boat as Dino. Narfi was the chef, probably cleaning up from dinner. Lefiya would be the last person to approach him right now, if she did, then it would be a little cruel. Bete barely gives a rat's ass about him—which is subjective as of late.

By process of elimination, Axton figured it was the Mother of Loki Familia. "...yeah…"

"Are you going to be ready tomorrow?"

"Please don't beat around the bush," Axton replied. "Ask me what you really want to ask."

A sigh, "Did you mean it?"

'It' being his proposal to Lefiya, "Yeah…I admit it. I like her, romantically. I was going to wait until after this expedition to ask her properly…in elvish too…"

"Oh? Going that extra kilomeder?" the voice said. Axton turned, finally, to see Riveria, arms crossed, brow raised.

Axton glared but the flush on his face lessened that look. "For her, she deserves a lot more…"

"My my, you've really fallen for her," Riveria said plainly. Axton couldn't exactly refute that.

The boy looked back over the forested floor, "Are you here to tell me I c-can't?" Not now…please. For some reason, it hurt to say that. Axton didn't actually know what this feeling was. His hand rested over his heart like he was just stabbed.

He heard her breathe in deeply before exhaling her answer, "No. I'm here to tell you that I'm not Lefiya's keeper. She can make her own decision on this. However, do not break her heart, as she will give hers in exchange."

Wait…am I hearing that right? Or am I hearing what I want to hear? The boy thought. "I…"

"Don't answer but at least finish your food, and Axton?" Riveria called for the boy's attention. "Are you and Ais going to tell anyone?"

His answer was immediate unlike the others, "Only if we agree and they agree to secrecy."

"I see."

The night passed without much more conversation.


When the group left the fiftieth floor, Axton was stoic. He didn't allow for any emotion to show on his face yet underneath that fragile mask, was a distraught young man. He stood at the forefront of the entire group, feeling some stares. He almost wanted to turn around and stare back to get them to stop.

Axton was pretty positive that his business should stay his business but when the entire group heard it, it really isn't just his business anymore. Finn was not sadistic enough to have assigned Lefiya to his group.

It didn't really help the boy's case when he had returned to camp with a blank face. In the back of the pack, Riveria sighed.

"What's wrong, Lady Riveria?" Alicia asked. The blonde elf turned to her Highness and superior.

Riveria didn't bother rebuking Alicia for the formal address, "He's hiding behind a mask."

Alicia understood immediately, "I would too if my theoretical crush was ousted."

"So there is someone?" Riveria teased before getting serious again, "but unfortunately, there is nothing we can do for him until we reach the surface."

"But you can't say you're not worried, can you?" Alicia countered.

"…no," Riveria eventually sighed out.

"Oh shit! Poison Vermis!" Someone shouted and from there, everyone scrambled.

Finn immediately took control, "Everyone move as fast as possible, if someone is down, do not leave them behind."

Poison Vermis were a type of creature that resided on the middle floors, and if an adventurer didn't have Abnormal Resistance, then that poor adventurer was dying a slow, painful death. There wasn't any way to sugarcoat it. If one did possess Abnormal Resistance, then you would be very sick afterward. You'd live but in a poison-induced agony.

Their appearance was akin to that of a butterfly, purple scales, purple antenna, and barely visible red eyes. One alone is no problem. Having a monster party full of them was a major problem.

The Sword Prince immediately began conjuring his wind in such a manner to blow off the incoming poison. However, even that was not enough.

The Sword Princess also used her wind in a similar way to her brother. She instead managed to blow the poison all behind them. It avoided them all, and they were not prepared for the second wave.

A whole other batch of Vermis blindsided the returning expedition group. Neither Ais or Axton were caught up in the mist. The top trio, Tione, Tiona, and Bete weren't either. Axton made a beeline for Lefiya, pulling her away from the mist. As soon as he turned back to go help more, the mist had already gotten multiple people.

Those who were level three and below were not so lucky. If they did have Abnormal Resistance, it was most likely at rank I. For others, it might just be at rank F or G and it was enough to stave off most of the effects.

Some members collapsed upon ingesting some of the fumes.

Axton's blood boiled when it came down on Dino. He gently pushed Lefiya away and drew Requiem. Using his wind as a pseudo-armor, he charged through, thickening his wind in case. Never know what could happen.

Dino coughed and knew that he was going to be feeling it. He looked around the poison cloud and saw that the people affected by it were out. Good. Dying like this would suck but hey, I think they'll be alright.

Quite the pessimistic way of thinking, no?

That was until Dino felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder. The slate-red eyes widened when he saw gold-onyx looking directly at him. One of them was in the form of a shield, the other was worried. The wind that encompassed Axton slowly flew over Dino's form.

Then the Dark Elf suddenly felt himself get put over a shoulder and then moved, fast. Axton burst out of the poison mist before dispelling the wind. He groaned as he felt a headache coming on. It wasn't that long ago he passed out, so him pushing himself so soon was not a good thing for him.

"You're welcome…" Axton said shortly as he set Dino down, to then rub his temples. "Can we move to the eighteenth now?"

They did but not before giving Axton a scolding for being reckless. That and he was hit on the head by Ais. The word she kept repeating was 'Baka' and Axton smiled slightly at her.

At least she's expressing herself. Watch out Bell, you'll be swept off your feet if you're not careful.

Lefiya saw this expression and her resolve increased even more. She knew she had to admit it. She can't hide this anymore. She needed to confess. "Soon…" she whispered to herself.

Little did she know, he was thinking the exact same thing. He really needed to confess to her properly. Asking her out, in her culture, was the equivalent of asking for her hand in marriage.


Once they arrived on the eighteenth floor, Bors was quick to greet them. Then he proceeded to wonder what the hell they fought down there. Once he got a look at how Royalty was, he understood that whatever was down there didn't survive.

After all, you can't fight the good fight if you come out unscathed. There needs to be battle scars. Finn immediately set Bete off to the surface to head to Dian Cecht's and get the antidote. Thankfully, Amid had this readily available for adventurers who survive long enough from being poisoned. There's even tiers of antidote, depending on how severe their condition was. Ain't that just so thoughtful?

With everything that's happened, and the camp now set up, the ladies decided to go take a bath in the various lakes and ponds around the floor. Axton, despite his hopefully temporary stoicness, was offering to guard from potential peeping toms. As an explanation, he said that he has no desire to see his sister naked and because if someone other her fellow women do, they will not live.

The young elven maiden blushed considerably hearing the noble yet horrifying reason. He was protecting his sister's virtue in a way. Then she turned and screamed into her arms.

She was bright red as she got into the spring, wary that Axton would peek but she shunned the possibility…and her filthy mind. She was really thinking about if Axton walked in and saw her naked…she covered her face with her hands…

To anyone else, they would see a cloud of emotion hovering above her head. "Woah, she's…"

"Probably fantasizing about taking the Prince's sword into her sheath," another member of the Loki Familia said. The resounding 'meep!' from Lefiya was almost too much.

"Aika, knock it off, please. You know that's not something to be openly discussed, especially when he probably heard you," Alicia said, letting herself relax just this once. Her larger than average breasts floated above the water.

Aika was…like Loki. Almost too much. She was perverted to a point of almost crossing a line. Being level three, she has gotten a skill not related to her Falna. She could…examine…swords without having to see them.

Size, girth…you get the idea. Loki had almost demanded to let her into the Familia. She was no slouch in combat either. If it was possible, Loki would have adopted the girl given the chance. They often conspire together to cop a feel. Normally, the girl wears glasses but they were off to her left as she wished to enjoy the spring without having water or fog on her lenses.

However, the one boon was that Aika at least knew restraint but…

"I'd definitely take the Prince for a spin," Aika declared loudly, loud enough for the person in question to hear and shiver. "He could rock my world anytime of the week." She lowered her voice as quietly as she could, "I'd even let him take me for a whole day without pause, even if I passed out."

…today was not that day.

If anyone was disturbed by Aika's antics, they didn't show it. That was because they were used to the things she spouts. She's not an Amazon but damn does she almost have the sex drive and lust they do, and considering that two Amazonian women were present…yeah.

"I don't know, if I wasn't hung up on the Captain…maybe with Ais's permission?" Tione said, thinking of the parallel possibility but paused when Ais entered the area and she looked…angry?

"The subject. Change it," she demanded in her soft voice as she entered the spring. She was not that dense to know that this wasn't a subject to talk about, especially since he likes Lefiya. She didn't know the whole thing about swords in sheath thing but given that Aika looked like she was about to have a nosebleed showed that Ais was better off not asking.

Still though, the grace that Ais carried herself with drew many eyes of her fellow females. Aika did run her eyes up and down her flawless form. "However, a night with you, Miss Sword Princess, would be just as lovely. Make Loki jealous."

While no one rebuked Aika for that, it was a sentiment that was passed around, minus the last sentence. Anyone lucky to have Ais in their bed would be…there aren't actually any words to describe it.

Ais was beautiful, no denying it. Her lithe, yet soft curves drew the eyes of many, her golden eyes and equally golden blonde hair…she was a recipe for a sweet honey pie. However, she isn't the Breaker of a Thousand Hearts for nothing.

When she finally submerged herself into the water, the tense atmosphere was broken.

Lefiya was almost tempted to stand up and leave but that also ran the chance of running into Axton or worse, a peeping tom, and she rooted herself to that spot. If she had to endure this talk, it would be worth the embarrassment. Trading one for another, Lefiya surmised.

"Now, I need to know," Alicia said, "How many were affected by the poison?"

"Fifteen," Ais supplied. "Dino was the only one level four who was caught in it. Even with his high resistance, he was deep within the mist."

Tione added in her two valis, purposefully missing the slight tension in Alicia's posture once the resident Dark Elf was mentioned, "What about your brother? He jumped right in without a care?"

The blonde beauty sighed. This wasn't an answer she could give without them prying any further. It was getting harder to conceal the truth. A knot formed in her stomach as she thought about how she was lying to everyone for the past nine years. "He used his wind to push the mist away. It formed around him like I can do."

Her tone expressed that was all she was going to say about it. Tione accepted this explanation easily, as did everyone else. Lefiya was the only one who was still curious but chose to not ruin the mood that finally settled in.

The springs provided a sense of privacy and serenity. The trees and vines were easily out of a fairy tale. It was almost hard to remember that they were inside the most dangerous place on the planet. The Dungeon. How such a beautiful area exists in such a terrifying place was beyond any mortal and deities' comprehension.

The girls quickly washed up and were now talking about light-hearted topics. At least until Ais felt a major shift in the wind, then a voice, "You best have a good damn excuse because if you don't…" the voice, recognizable as Axton's, boomed lowly.

The shrieks of men were heard across the eighteenth floor. Ais smiled slightly, knowing her brother was being protective but the smile was fragile. She knew that it was something deeper.

"Wow, such a dominant voice…I wonder if I can get him to call me his pet…" she shivered for two different reasons.

Aika Kiryuu, ladies and gentlemen, also known as Kinkster. For once, that name wasn't suggested by Loki.


Once that was all sorted, Axton settled down near the entrance to the Eighteenth floor. He was still distancing himself but that was because he was building up the courage to finally confess, properly this time. He did have to drive off those perverts, so he was in a less than stellar mood.

He stared up at the entrance, and remembered the last time he had to crawl up that slope. That was when he heard…something. He tensed. He knew what it was.

The Goliath.

It respawned. "So, it must have been two weeks. Time flies in this place," Axton mused to himself. The time he fought that Irregular Goliath seemed so long ago as well. He barely managed to squeeze out that victory.

He knew he was acting a bit different than his usual self but that was because he was basically ousted on something personal. Maybe it was because he was served humble pie recently but it was because he knew it would be gossip when he returned to the surface and someone blabbed about it.

Is he being unfair? Yes. Does he have the right to be? Debatable. Will he be alright? Is there another word for debatable? Cause it's that, whatever it is.

He then heard footsteps, "There you are." He half-turned to see Ais, looking quite worried, even if her expression showed otherwise. "Finn told me where to find you."

"Yeah…" he sighed, "Listen, Ais, I-"

"I understand."

Curious, he turned to her fully, "Really? And what do you understand?" It wasn't meant to sound so rude but Ais didn't perceive it that way. He was wondering what she meant.

"I get why you're being distant."

"Do you?" Axton questioned..

She nodded, "You should tell her that you like her."

Not the full direction I thought she was going. "I will…just not now. Not yet. I'm…still building up the courage."

"So why do you like Lefiya?" Ais then questioned.

Axton was willing to oblige his sister because maybe he could use this to get her to look at Bell. He was on the rabbit's side. "She's got this…spark around her. At first, I noticed how she would get excited about certain things and her ears would twitch. Then I noticed how she would concentrate really hard on her studies, spending a lot of time making sure she was ready, and how she just looks adorable all the time. There's many more but we'd be here all day."

Ais was surprised at how quick he went into detail. She honestly expected him to not want to talk about it. At least, he wanted to until they heard some tumbling coming from the entrance. What greeted Royalty was a trio of adventurers. One red-head, one wrapped in a cloak—a chienthrope, and one head of white hair.

Axton hopped off the rock on which he sat and approached. Ais followed and both of them were surprised to see a familiar set of ruby eyes. "Please…save them."

And then he passed out.

"This will certainly be a great story for the wedding," Axton murmured. Ais tilted her head confused at her brother's rambling. What does he mean by that? Whose wedding was he talking about?

Ignoring that, Ais bent down to pick up Bell but her brother beat her to it. "I know you want to carry him but someone has to protect his chastity. Grab the chienthrope, and bring her to camp. I can't just let them bleed here."

Ais pouted but accepted his word. She gently scooped up the young girl and cradled her. Axton quickly brought the redhead over his shoulder and Bell was quickly given the same treatment. "Don't look at me like that, you can stay with him once he's on the mend."

Ais smiled, pleased that she eventually got her way.

So, within the next fifteen minutes, the trio of low leveled adventures were given a tent and medical help, thanks to Riveria. Axton sat outside of the tent while Ais was inside staring at Bell.

It would be creepy but that's how Ais is. If she finds something of interest, unbeknownst to herself, she will stare at it or them for…a time.

Time is subjective.

"So, you're picking up bunnies in the Dungeon now?" Jericho's voice floated in Axton's ears.

The raccoon looked tired, if the bags under his eyes meant anything. "How is he?"

The smirk he had fell and his tail stilled, "He's alive, and still holding on. He ingested a lot of poison, had you not pulled him out…"

"You know I would do it for anyone," Axton said softly, his facial features relaxing into what he normally would be.

"But still, thank you," Jericho said, his hand forming a fist.

Axton smiled and bumped fists with the elder raccoon, "No problem."

Not much else happened until the next day.

Axton stayed up all night to make sure no one would try anything. So the bags he had under his eyes mirrored Jericho's. There's a joke about being brothers in there somewhere.

"Ehhhh?!"

"Saved by the Bell…" Axton murmured, getting up and stretching, popping stiff joints and regaining his flexibility.

He entered the tent to see Bell's face directly in his sister's chest. Blinking owlishly, he schooled his expression, "Should I come back at another time?"

If Bell had an HP bar, Axton was sure that it just dropped to one. The expression of horror that Bell adopted would be hilarious if it was the right situation. "Mister-"

"I told you before, call me Axton, understand?" He said plainly before turning to his sister who just stared at him. Wait, was that annoyance?

"R-Right…" Bell uttered before having an epiphany, "...what about Lili and Welf?"

Ais turned to the boy looking up between her chest, "They are safe, currently asleep." She gestured to his right to see both of them sleeping, "The one you call Welf has a broken leg. The girl seems to be exhausted."

"Well, with that settled," Axton drawled, "I'm going to my tent and taking a nap…" he yawned. "Had to make sure no one came in and saw the wrong thing…"

Ais looked at Axton with concern in her eyes. She gently made Bell sit on his haunches, stood up, and made her way in front of her brother. Did he get taller?

They were almost the same height now, and pretty soon, he would be taller than her. Wait, was he already taller? "Please rest, and don't think about doing anything dumb."

Axton smiled, eyes half-closed, "Sure."

He turned and left the tent and paused as someone was approaching. That someone? Lefiya.

The two made eye contact and paused. Axton suddenly didn't feel tired anymore. Lefiya was only expecting Miss Ais. "A-Axton."

"L-Lefiya…"

Awkward, they both thought.

To keep the conversation from completely going stagnant, "She's inside, Bell's awake, so uhm…please don't flip out," he then pointed towards the camp, "I'm going to pass out from being up all night."

A flash of concern passed Lefiya's eyes, "You should have gone to sleep last night, what were you doing?"

Axton gave a wry smile, "Had to defend my sister from rambunctious Familia members that may try to kill the adventurers we saved…but thank you for your concern." He meant it too. Add another reason to the docket.

He slowly walked by her, just far enough away to be able to reach out but not close enough to be right in her personal space…"and when we get back to the surface…there's something I want to tell you, okay?"

Lefiya's heart soared, "I do too, we can tell each other at the same time…" She put on a wobbly smile, "Okay?"

"Okay."

Once Lefiya watched Axton stumble to his tent, she turned back around and fixed her facial expression. She stepped towards the tent and opened the flap, "Mister Cranel…"

Bell, hearing that name, turned and gulped when he saw her expression, "H-Hi, M-Miss Lefiya."

"Lefiya…" Ais said. Her eyes looked past the tent flap and back to her. A very subtle head shake told Ais most of what she needed to know.

"Now that you're up, the Captain would like to speak with you," Lefiya ordered. "Miss Ais, Lady Riveria would also like you to be there. She wanted Royalty together but he's too tired."

The trio of adventurers then went to the executive's tent, and we know what happens.


Axton groggily opened his eyes and felt something was off. He didn't know how long he slept but something was triggering his instincts. He never denied those. Whispering under his breath, he sent a gust of wind to 'feel' for every member here. When it came back more than he knew, he decided to investigate. However, he noted that both Bell and Lefiya were missing. How he knew that was something even Axton didn't know.

Now, he could easily jump to a conclusion and rush out there and stop him from doing something nefarious but Bell seems like the type of guy who would flush at the first sign of a woman who was into him. Axton puffed his cheeks, sitting up. He had to leave the tent and not be noticed.

He looked to his left to find a glass—more like a cup—of water waiting for him. He grabbed the glass and found it was still cold. As thirsty as he was, he set it down back where it was before grabbing Requiem and heading out.

Sneaking out of the camp was easy as the night shift people were level three or below. Axton, being a level six, could easily slip by everyone before they even knew he was gone. So, that's what he did.

Using Ariel, he continued to search for the missing members and when he heard a roar, he was already moving. He came across a section of the eighteenth floor that was rarely used as it was so far off the beaten path, that it honestly should have been removed entirely. Obviously, that wasn't the case because something was going on here. "I swear if something happened when he was supposed to be resting, I'll be the one to give him a reason to rest…" Axton muttered to himself.

What he saw was a large open gap with a few monsters, those fucking plants, and two figures crawling out of the ground. These two figures were the people he was looking for. The Sword Prince sighed and just as he was about to charge in, he saw magic.

Quite literally.

It was a familiar spell to Axton. He's heard it enough to recognize it on sight. Arcs Ray. Lefiya's magic. Then another spell, and the scent of something burning. Bell and Lefiya were fighting monsters that outclass them, and…wait, are their clothes melting?!

Axton glanced at Lefiya to confirm and they were. He quickly averted his eyes with a blush creeping up his cheeks. Now is not the time to ogle. "Shall I get you two a room?" Axton said as an entrance, looking away.

He heard the shuffling of clothing and turned back to see Lefiya covered in the remains of Bell's shirt, which was just rags at this point. Lefiya was also not looking at Axton. He gazed at Bell and raised an eyebrow, "Can I have context?"

So, Bell explained everything in a ramble of how Lefiya started chasing him—with her trying to refute that—how they got lost, and how they fell into the pit. It led to this exact situation. Axton used his wind to check the area and felt someone else lingering but paid it no heed. They weren't hostile, and if they were…they were in for it. Axton rubbed his temples and looked up into the crystal roof of the floor. The brightness was slowly increasing, which meant a new day was coming. "Take the path directly behind me. You'll see Rivira before you actually enter it. Please make haste, and you didn't see me. I was scouting."

"Are you asking me to lie?" Lefiya accused.

Axton took it in stride, "No, merely giving you the truth, I noticed we had more arrivals but I must have slept longer than I wanted. Catch me up on what happened when I return." With that, he sent them on their way.

Once they left, he leaned against a tree. He pursed his lips. "Are you going to stand there or do I have to chase you?"

A set of footfalls hit the ground and the person who rounded the tree was one Axton couldn't forget if he tried. In truth, he froze minutely before looking directly into their eyes.

"Sword Prince, I did not expect you out here." The voice was calm, cool, and female.

Blonde hair could be seen under the hood, blue eyes that spoke of hardship, and a green mask that covered her mouth. A flowing green cloak that wrapped around her person, the edge of a sword can be seen poking out. "It happens when a member of your Familia is missing, along with a guest. We would be horrible hosts if we lost them. So, why are you out here, Gale?"

The mention of her name made her freeze and slowly reach for her sword.

"I have no intention to fight you, so stop," Axton drawled. Requiem remained in its sheath, his hands interlocked behind his head now. "Nor do I have any intention to alert anyone of your presence."

"So what is your purpose?"

Purpose being, in this case, why he wished to converse. The blond swordsman breathed in, looking directly into her eyes, "Do you remember seven to eight years ago, when Evilus attacked?"

Her voice dropped to an icy tone, "I do…" her fists, covered by elbow-length gloves, clenched. No doubt her knuckles were white. "Why?"

Axton huffed, "Because thanks to someone, actually two people, I was spared that day. Would have been blown up, mutilated, and/or auctioned off if it wasn't for these people. Same goes for my sister. The thing was…I was saved by someone wearing a cloak somewhat similar to yours, actually. I was curious to see if you knew them."

Gale unclenched her fists, her eyes no longer filled with rage, anger, and distaste. A sigh, "I do."

"Hmm," he hummed. "I guess I should thank you then."

"What?"

Axton took one step towards Gale and she took one back in sync. He took two, she followed suit. It was almost like a dance. Or a game of tag; either works. "I never forgot who saved me because without them…without you, Gale, I would not be standing here. Back then, I was weak. Then, I got an example of what I should be. So, thank you Gale, and while you may hide your face, I can still recall that look of worry you sent me."

"H-How?"

"I never really forgot but I never brought it up, and I could never thank you without exposing you…so despite you being blacklisted, I did my research. Once I started getting serious about adventuring and protecting Ais, I read through Orario's recent history." There was more to this…and it had to do with Axton's origin. The research was necessary. "Deny it all you want, but you saved my life, and for that, I'm grateful. Do me this favor though, watch over Bell because I feel like that kid might get into situations that will make Orario spin on its axis."

Despite the heavy topic, Axton had a feeling that Gale was faintly smiling at his remark, having diffused the tension, "Mister Cranel has a way of doing such things."

Axton turned and started walking away, "Yeah…that he does. And please, take care of yourself…and if it wouldn't be too much trouble…could I pay my respects?"

Gale already knew who he was referring to, "Another time, Sword Prince."

He agreed and entered the treeline. On his way, he already had a feeling that someone was very angry with him.

It was anyone's game as to who it was.

...

Yep, Aika from DxD. Yes, that was her name. I regret nothing. I needed to have this moment. If I didn't, wasted opportunity.

Yeah, our little Gale has something to do with Axton's past. Bluntly stating, it's me giving you an obvious thread. It's on purpose. I plan to expand upon this later.