Isekai Adventure in the Dimensional Cube

Due to the dangerous nature of this skill, Finn and the others have strictly forbidden her from using it in principle.

Thanks to this, Ais has never used this skill in front of Reiger up until now, not even when facing the floor master Udaeus or the spirit avatar.

This is all that Reiger knows, no more.

Of course, compared to the rest of the clan, Reiger knows a bit more.

It must be noted that Ais's background is unknown even to long-serving members like Raul and Angel. Everyone in the clan believes Ais is without parents, but who would have thought that this golden-haired, golden-eyed doll-like girl would have such an harsh and strange background?

As someone who knows a little about this, Reiger had no intention of digging into Ais's secrets.

This is the pain hidden deep in the girl's heart.

If unearthed, the girl might become full of scars.

Seemingly indifferent and callous on the surface, this girl who is actually quite naïve deep down is actually more fragile than anyone else.

Others only see the "Sword Princess," the mighty female swordsman, but cannot see that deep inside this swordsman's heart there has always been a little self, crying continuously in the dark.

If possible, the girl sincerely wishes she could live freely without wielding a sword, just like when she was a child.

No matter if she encounters monsters, difficulties, dangers, and setbacks, instead of drawing her sword and cutting them down directly, she would loudly call out someone's name to rescue her, protect her, and be her hero.

Unfortunately, no one rescued her, and no one became her hero, so after tears ran dry, she grasped the hilt of the sharp sword with a heart full of hatred and a desire for revenge.

This, is Ais's most true side.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore."

Thinking of this, Reiger sighed imperceptibly and decided to end the topic.

"Since the captain and the others haven't mentioned this, and Ais herself is unwilling to speak more about it, we shouldn't worry unnecessarily."

"All we need to know is who the enemy is, and who might harm Ais, that's enough."

"The rest doesn't matter at all."

Hearing this, Theona, Theone, and Angel exchanged glances and gave a smile.

"Of course!" Theona no longer maintained a troubled thoughtful look and cheerfully said, "Ais is our friend, our family, whether she's a spirit or human, that won't change!"

"That's right." Theone cracked her knuckles and said with a somewhat fierce smile, "No matter what those so-called strange people and polluted immortal spirits want to do, if they want to harm members of our clan, they'll have to get past me first."

"Though I'm not sure how much I can do, if anyone wants to harm my companions, that's equivalent to wanting to harm me," Angel said rather seriously, "Such people, regardless of their nature, won't be forgiven."

Reiger smiled faintly, nodding in affirmation to the women's words.

Only then did the women conclude the topic and disperse and leave.

Reiger watched the three women's departure and after a while, he turned and walked forward.

As he passed a corner, Reiger stopped in his tracks.

"You heard, right?"

Without any apparent cause, Reiger uttered.

"You're not alone."

Leaving these words behind, Reiger then left on his own.

After some time had passed, a figure with fluttering golden hair suddenly appeared at that corner.

The golden-haired, golden-eyed girl gazed at Reiger's back in a daze for a long time, her transparent golden pupils rippling with waves.

"... Thank you."

Much later, the girl whispered softly, her face, usually devoid of emotion, showing a very rare smile.

Outside the corridor, in the night sky, the round moon silently sprinkled silver frost, illuminating not only the Hall of Dusk but also lighting up a girl's darkened heart.

...

The next day, early morning.

Today, the Loki Clan finally started handling the loot brought back from the expedition.

Raul and Angel took all the magic stones to the guild headquarters' exchange office to cash them in, while Grace and Bert took the deep level drop items to the Hephaestos Clan for delivery, and incidentally, also asked Chun to repair Bert's metal boots damaged in the fight against the spirit avatar.

Revilia and Rephia, along with Alicia and other elves, went to appraise the ores, herbs, and other materials brought back from the 59th floor. Ais, Theona, and Theone grouped together to pay a visit to the Dianket Clan to replenish the essential spiritual medicine consumed in the underground city.

As for Finn and Reiger, the two of them went to the underground city.

"I discovered an unknown treasure in the underground city, which might help fill the clan's financial gap."

Because of this remark from Reiger, Finn, who was troubled by the clan's financial situation, was overjoyed and quickly went with Reiger to the underground city, to the 18th floor, where they unearthed a chest full of gold and silver treasures.

Naturally, this treasure chest was Reiger's handiwork.

He wanted to contribute to the clan but found it hard to explain where he acquired so much gold and silver, so he could only claim it was an accidental treasure discovery, possibly relics left by an adventuring clan or ancient heroes on the 18th floor, to cover up the issue.

The result went smoothly. Although Finn was curious and attentive about the treasure's origins, he didn't really doubt Reiger's words.

Reiger had even deliberately made the treasure chest and those treasures seem old, indicating they had been buried underground for a long time, dispelling Finn's doubts.

As for how he did it, one can only say that magic is indeed versatile.

Making the treasure appear old was accomplished with ranking magic, and filling the chest with gold and silver treasures was done using the construction magic of the Akasha continent.

Thanks to this, the clan not only overcame an economic crisis but also earned a considerable amount, causing Loki to jump up in excitement when hearing about it at the time.

"Great! We don't need to save money on buying wine!"

The excited trickster god was later banned from drinking, causing her some grievance.

The Loki Clan spent a day dealing with the aftermath business of their expedition, and after everything was processed, the next day, Finn led a large force to East Avenue, where the Monster Festival was previously held.

"Here, right?"

Finn turned his head, looking at Reiger, Ais, Theona, Theone, and Rephia, inquiring the five.

At this time, they were in a district not far from the circular arena.

The foot traffic here was fairly sparse, unlike during the Monster Festival when it was bustling to the extreme.

The reason is simple; this nearby area has been temporarily sealed off by the guild, with only guild staff and members of the Kanisa Clan having access, along with some unattached constructors carrying a lot of tools, transporting soil and stones here.

Upon careful inspection, one could see on this somewhat derelict street a large hole that leads directly underground.

It was conspicuously the large pit Reiger had created by collapsing the street with the Arc-shaped Beam.

A little over a month ago, Reiger and others engaged in battle with man-eating plant monsters here, causing significant damage to this area.

Now, over a month later, the street that had become uneven due to the battle has been nearly repaired; only the large pit remains untouched, temporarily shelved.

"Yes, here."

Reiger nodded, responding to Finn's question.

"Those man-eating plants appeared right here."

"They burrowed out from the ground like worms."

"Even the surrounding buildings were damaged."

"...Yes, this is the place."

Theone, Theona, Rephia, and Ais spoke one after another, agreeing with Reiger.

"Good."

Confirming this, Finn immediately issued orders.

"Begin investigating the area now. One team stays above ground, the other goes underground. Make sure to find the movement traces of those man-eating plants, don't miss a single clue."

"Yes!"

Everyone responsively answered and began their operations.