Being compared to Orario's strongest active adventurer, "The King Ottar," was the highest praise any adventurer could ever receive.
After all, "The King" was the only adventurer to reach Level 7 since the end of the Heroic Era. Unlike Finn and the others, his power wasn't fleeting—he developed evenly across nearly every aspect except magic.
At each level, he refined his stats to their absolute limit, leaving no weaknesses by the time he reached Level 7.
It was precisely because Ottar had no clear flaws—his stats, magic, and skills all working together—that he possessed a trait once seen only among the heroes of the past: the ability to "surpass levels."
When fighting at full power, he could defeat opponents at Level 8.
Unfortunately, the current Orario lacked the conditions necessary to accumulate the Excelia required for a Level 8 advancement. Perhaps in the deeper floors of the Dungeon such opportunities existed—but those places weren't ones a single person could explore freely. Thus, "The King" remained halted at the peak of Level 7.
And now, that same "king" was being compared to Bell by his own Familia God—Freya.
She even claimed that Bell's current strength was already approaching Ottar's—without using any magic, skills, or Authority.
Considering Bell had only just stepped into Level 6, nearly two full levels below Ottar, Freya's statement was staggering.
Yet Bell, the subject of this comparison, remained calm. He even shook his head slightly in denial.
"Freya, I appreciate the compliment, but there's still a large gap between me and 'The King.'"
If Bell used every trump card available to him, he could fight Ottar evenly—perhaps even gain a nine-to-one advantage.
But that would be only if he fought at full strength.
Unfortunately, Bell had never been the type to reveal his full power to anyone.
"In my current state, I'd say my odds against 'The King' are only four in ten. If I factor in his combat experience, that drops to three."
"That's not 'close'—a two-level gap is still far too wide."
Even though Bell believed that in a real fight his odds might be better, he knew that by raw numbers alone, he still lagged behind Ottar.
And those hard numbers remained the basis of his own self-assessment.
"Ahh..."
Freya sighed. The moment Bell spoke, she already knew what he was going to say. His words weren't untrue—but it was clear he was deliberately downplaying himself.
"That habit of yours really is carved into your bones."
"That's just how he is..."
"Yeah, he's always been like that."
Hestia and Hephaestus both understood his mindset immediately.
It wasn't intentional deception—just his natural tendency at work.
On this point, they wholeheartedly agreed with Freya.
"Bell's perfect in every other way, but when it comes to this, he just can't stop holding back."
'Hestia, that's just to keep myself hidden. When facing an enemy, having the initiative is what keeps me from being forced into a corner.'
Bell felt the need to defend his cautious nature. Maybe he was overly careful—but he always had a reason for it.
Hestia, however, just rolled her eyes.
"Bell, you can keep pretending in front of everyone else, but not with us."
Her words made Bell's expression turn serious at once.
"This is absolutely not okay!"
"Caution has to start as a daily habit. If you don't train yourself to be careful normally, how can you expect to stay sharp when it actually matters?"
You're hopeless, Bell.
Hestia let out a helpless sigh, already convinced this was a "terminal condition" no one could cure.
…
That night, the Hostess of Fertility stayed open as usual until late. Only after all the customers were gone did the staff finally have time to look after the still-unconscious Ryuu.
"Even after drinking a bottle of Elixir, her condition's still bad."
An Elixir was indeed a powerful lifesaving potion—but not a miracle cure. At best, it could pull someone back from the brink in critical moments. Ryuu's injuries, however, were far beyond what a single Elixir could fully heal.
"If only we could call Airmid over… Her healing magic could probably save Ryuu, meow."
Anya truly wanted to fetch the Dea Saint, but the tavern had closed too late. It was already deep into the night—who could they possibly ask for help now?
At this hour, waking someone up wouldn't just cost money—it would cost a far more precious favor.
Syr understood this clearly, which was why she said nothing.
She didn't have the standing to summon the "Battlefield Saintess." Only Freya could do that. But Ryuu wasn't at death's door yet, and it wasn't serious enough to justify such a call.
Besides, after drinking the Elixir, most of her external wounds had already healed. Her body simply hadn't recovered its full strength yet.
...
"Let's wait until tomorrow."
Syr decided against inviting the Dea Saint for now.
Looking at Ryuu lying in bed, she wasn't as worried as before.
Ryuu's situation in the Dungeon had clearly been dangerous—especially given that final message left behind. It was obvious she'd ended up like this because of Evilus.
"What a foolish daughter!"
Mia scolded her, voice filled with both anger and frustration.
She wasn't angry that her foolish daughter had been carried back unconscious, but that she'd knowingly stepped into a trap.
Just how stupid do you have to be to walk straight into someone's snare?
"Anya, Syr. Go back to your rooms and rest."
"Let tonight's incident be a lesson for this foolish girl. Maybe next time she'll use her head and not let the enemy bait her so easily."
Mia wasn't being cruel—she genuinely thought the girl needed to learn her lesson.
Running headlong into trouble without asking for help, thinking she could handle everything alone? Did this idiot really think she was invincible?
From her experience dealing with all her other foolish daughters, Mia knew this stubborn Elf was the most hardheaded of them all. Only a proper "lesson" could hammer some sense into her.
So, she decided: once this foolish girl woke up, Mia would make her taste her iron fist—starting by knocking some sense back into her dream-walking head.