"Help you?"
Now Bell finally saw just how ambitious the Sword Princess really was.
"You want an adventurer with no rank to help you take down the Black Dragon?"
"Sword Princess, I think you might be seriously delusional."
But Ais wasn’t fazed by the teasing in his words. Her eyes stayed fixed on Bell Cranel, burning with intensity.
"You’re strong. I can feel it. You might even be stronger than ."
Bell couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
"Co on, don’t joke like that. Most of my strength cos from Magic. I’m not as strong as you think."
Unless it’s a sneak attack.
He silently added the thought.
Against Level 6 or Level 7 adventurers, he had to be extra cautious.
Bell admitted that his growth at each level was about 1.5 to 2 tis faster than a typical adventurer’s, but once you crossed levels, the raw gap in Excelia made it hard to asure.
Sure, with Lightning Command or Runes, he could probably outmatch a typical Level 6 in a one-on-one—but his basic stats were still lacking.
Unless he got the jump on them, Bell wasn’t confident he could take out a Level 6 in a single hit.
Even with his strength now at Level 4, he only considered himself capable of holding his own.
Most of his edge ca from abilities and magic that helped close the gap, not raw stats.
But Ais wasn’t about to give up. She took a step closer, eyes locked onto Bell without hesitation.
"I know you’re strong."
"Last ti, that woman—she was stronger than . But you forced her back with a single strike, even took one of her arms."
Bell stepped back, a little flustered—she was standing way too close when she said that.
"That only worked because it was a sneak attack."
"If I had the strength to take on soone like her head-on, I wouldn’t have needed to use it."
...Though even now, I’d still go for a sneak attack.
Yes, even with all the ti that had passed and his growth since then, Bell would still choose what he liked to call a "righteous sneak attack."
It just made sense.
Why fight fair when you can end the battle before it begins?
Bell didn’t see himself as so berserker who lived for battle. He viewed himself more as a magician with practical tactics.
That magician stereotype—fragile and cautious—actually worked in his favor. It gave him chances to strike when people dropped their guard.
"And you want soone who relies on sneak attacks to help you slay the Black Dragon?"
"Are you making a joke? Or do you just think your joke is really clever?"
His aning was obvious—he was refusing her outright.
But Ais didn’t accept that. Sothing about his words didn’t sit right with her.
She kept staring at him, searching for the slightest crack in his expression.
Unfortunately for her, Bell was excellent at concealing his presence. Hiding his emotions was just part of that skillset.
There was no way he’d let the Sword Princess see through him when he knew she was trying.
In the end, Ais had no choice but to look away in disappointnt. She couldn’t find a single hint of insincerity on Bell’s face.
But deep down... she still felt he was lying.
"Then why did you say your goal was the Black Dragon?"
Ais tried to find a flaw in his logic—and suddenly latched onto sothing Bell had said earlier.
But Bell stayed perfectly calm. His response left no room for argunt.
"The Three Great Quests were issued to all adventurers. Whether we choose to accept them or not, they’re challenges every adventurer has to face eventually."
"I’ve set the Black Dragon as my goal. Is there sothing wrong with that?"
"Uh..."
That completely shut Ais down.
She couldn’t refute it. Even if she wanted to argue, she had no ground to stand on.
After all, the Black Dragon really was one of the Three Great Quests. It wasn’t a selective mission—it was a final task open to every adventurer, sothing anyone could choose to pursue.
No matter how strong or weak you were, if you had the resolve, you could accept it and strive toward it.
So Bell saying the Black Dragon was his goal didn’t an much—it wasn’t so hidden statent. It was a goal anyone could declare.
Bell saw the frustration on her face.
She looked just a little pouty, a mix of annoyance and helplessness. But there was nothing she could say.
Honestly, in that mont, the Sword Princess looked unexpectedly... feminine.
Too bad Bell wasn’t swayed by it.
Co on—her invitation was nothing but trouble.
Even if he chose to slowly reveal his strength after the expedition, Bell had no plans to get involved with the Sword Princess. That would make him way too high-profile.
What would happen if a no-na adventurer like him suddenly gained attention and started hanging around her all the ti?
Even Bell’s modest brain could work that out.
It would put a massive target on his back—a dangerous one.
Still, he didn’t push her any further. Ais’s straightforward mindset probably couldn’t handle too much teasing before it broke.
"Sword Princess, instead of focusing on , maybe think about how to help the rest of your Familia get stronger."
"Rember—even when Zeus Familia and Hera Familia were at their peak, they still couldn’t defeat the Black Dragon. In the end, they were nearly wiped out."
That wasn’t sothing you could just ignore. It was a brutal reality.
If you were aiming for the Black Dragon, you couldn’t rely on just the Loki Familia. You needed power far beyond that.
Bell laid it all out plainly.
"Zeus Familia’s top fighter was Level 8. Hera Familia’s was Level 9. And Loki Familia?"
"Your strongest mber is only Level 6. You’re nowhere near the ceiling of those two."
"And those two legendary Familia still ended up as footnotes in history. If you ask , your dream’s way too big."
The words hit Ais hard.
The gap in strength wasn’t sothing she could close in a matter of days—or even years.
And she knew Bell was right.
The strongest Familia in the world had fallen trying to bring down the Black Dragon. If they wanted to stand a chance, wouldn’t they at least need to match the strength of Zeus and Hera’s Familia?
For soone like Ais, who had no head for strategy or leadership, that was an overwhelming challenge.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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