Eina poured Bell a glass of water. There was already tea prepared in the lounge.
Thanks to a special heat-retaining magic item, the tea in the pot stayed at the perfect temperature. Holding the teacup, Eina took a small sip. The light fragrance of the tea gently filled her mouth, allowing her tense mind to finally relax a little.
"Bell, next ti you run into trouble in the Dungeon, make sure to tell ahead of ti. That way, I can be prepared."
Even when dealing with the Guild, they needed to be on the sa page beforehand. If she didn’t know anything, she wouldn’t be able to help at all.
Knowing that Miss Eina was genuinely trying to support him, Bell naturally nodded. Having soone in the Guild who truly had his back was a huge relief.
"I understand. From now on, I’ll tell Miss Eina everything that happens to in the Dungeon."
"Good."
Eina was glad to hear that. After interacting with him a few tis, she had a decent grasp of his personality.
From the beginning, he was soone who understood his place and chose the Familia that best suited him. Eina was almost certain sothing had happened in his past that made him grow up quickly.
Of course, such growth ca with its downsides. His overly rational mindset made him see adventurers in a very logical, and often pessimistic, light.
Eina didn’t know what he had gone through to beco this way, so she didn’t press the issue. Besides, his abilities really weren’t suited for dealing with unfamiliar adventurers—if he wasn’t careful, his skills could quickly beco known all over Orario.
"Bell, your skills are far too rare. If they get exposed, you’ll be facing a lot of trouble."
"But even if you want to keep them hidden, you can’t do that forever."
"So I suggest you avoid revealing your magic until you’ve gained enough strength."
Bell understood that well. There was no way he’d reveal his four-dinsional space magic in front of soone when his strength was still lacking.
"I actually have a question about that."
"But you don’t have to answer directly—just give a hint."
Since her next question might be a bit intrusive, Eina gave him a heads-up.
"How strong are you really?"
Bell paused for a mont. That question touched on his greatest secret—the fewer people who knew, the better.
Still, since Miss Eina had helped him keep it from the Guild and even offered him advice and intel, he figured she deserved to know at least a little.
"Miss Eina, how long did it take the fastest adventurer in Orario to reach Level 2?"
"Right now, the record for fastest promotion from Level 1 to Level 2 belongs to the ’Sword Princess,’ Ais Wallenstein of the Loki Familia. She reached Level 2 in just one year."
"So, I’m currently at about two-thirds of Ais Wallenstein’s level."
"!?"
Two-thirds?
He had only entered the Dungeon a few tis and was already two-thirds of the way to where the "Sword Princess" was when she reached Lv.2?
"Doesn’t that an...!?"
Miss Eina imdiately fell silent.
Bell gave a slight nod under her astonished gaze.
"If I’m lucky enough, I might be able to make significant progress in just about a month."
That would an cutting down the fastest record—set by the Sword Princess eight years ago—by a factor of twelve.
Keep in mind, Ais had grown up in Orario. She had been familiar with adventurers from a young age and began her training early.
But Bell? He was just a countryside kid who hadn’t even been an adventurer for half a month. Yet now, he might actually achieve sothing that most of Orario would find unbelievable: reaching Lv.2 in less than a month.
After her initial shock, Eina quickly regained her composure.
"Bell, there’s no need to rush your promotion."
"Even Ais spent a full year accumulating enough stats before she hit the limit and could level up."
"Leveling up too early will only waste your growth potential."
The implication was clear—Eina hoped Bell would remain at Lv.1 a while longer.
There was no need to chase the title of "fastest promotion." He could use the extra ti to improve his stats properly, rather than waste his talent for the sake of a record.
Of course, Bell understood Miss Eina’s point—and it was a reasonable stance when it ca to ordinary adventurers.
Still, he didn’t argue. He needed to discuss his promotion with her anyway, since when the ti ca, she would definitely have to help keep things under wraps.
"Miss Eina, actually... I’ll probably be staying at Lv.1 for a very long ti."
Eina blinked, then quickly caught on. She sat up straight, her expression turning serious.
"Bell, that’s perfectly normal for any adventurer."
"Orario has the highest number of Level 1 adventurers—it’s the sa wherever you go."
Falsifying levels was sothing Eina was well aware of. Many Familias underreported their mbers’ levels.
And it was always underreporting.
The number and levels of adventurers directly impacted a Familia’s rank. Once a Familia hit Rank D, they were forced to participate in long-range expeditions. They had to accomplish specific objectives to avoid failure—and failure carried severe consequences.
To avoid leveling up their Familia and being drafted into expeditions, many chose to suppress the reported levels of their mbers.
So did it simply to keep their strength hidden.
Technically, falsifying levels was a violation, but if done discreetly enough, it didn’t count—at least not officially.
Bell was relieved that Miss Eina was the one overseeing him. If it were anyone else, his secret would’ve been exposed long ago.
"I’ll be counting on you, Miss Eina."
"This is my job, Bell."
They exchanged a smile, then shifted the topic with unspoken understanding.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake
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