The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the rhythmic splashing of rain against the broad jungle leaves.
The Rain Serpent gave one last, pathetic quiver before its life faded completely, its dark blood mixing with the muddy puddles swirling around Theo's boots.
Theo didn't move for a long moment. He kept his weight pressed firmly against the shaft of his spear, his back turned to Tizmilly.
"Mister Roost..." Tizmilly's voice was a broken, trembling whisper.
She desperately tried to wipe the blood from her chin, but her hands refused to stop shaking. "I... I almost had it."
Theo finally exhaled, a thick cloud of mist escaping his lips into the freezing air.
With a wet, sickening squelch, he wrenched his spear free from the carcass and turned around. His expression wasn't one of praise. It was stern—the unmistakable countenance of a veteran Diver who had witnessed far too many rookies throw their lives away over the exact same blunder.
He walked toward her and knelt in the mud, completely ignoring how the grime stained his trousers.
"You got greedy, Tizmilly," he said flatly.
Tizmilly flinched as if his words carried a physical blow. "I—I just wanted to end it! I saw an opening!"
"An opening the serpent intentionally gave you," Theo countered. His voice softened by a fraction as he reached into his leather pouch, pulling out a small glass vial filled with a glowing green liquid—a low-grade healing potion.
"Monsters in this Dungeon are entirely different from the low-level creatures you trained against at the Academy. They don't fight fair. That snake knew you were hyper-focused on its head, so it deliberately utilized its own body as a lure. You fell for the oldest trick in the book."
He uncorked the vial and held it directly to her lips. Tizmilly hesitated, her scarlet eyes shimmering with unshed tears of raw frustration, before she leaned forward and drank. The magical draught felt like warm honey sliding down her throat, instantly dulling the sharp, agonizing ache in her ribs and halting the internal bleeding.
"I'm sorry," she murmured, her gaze anchoring to her muddy boots. "I just wanted to show you that I... that I'm not useless."
Theo watched her downcast expression for a beat. Then, he did something entirely unexpected. He reached out and vigorously ruffled her wet hair, completely ruining the elegant style she so meticulously maintained.
"Who on earth said you were useless?" Theo asked, a small, tired grin finally tugging at the corners of his lips. "You managed to land two solid, damaging hits on a Boss-class monster on your very first run with an unfamiliar sword. Most students back at the Academy would still be weeping for their mothers if they were placed in your shoes. And you accomplished all of that without even wielding a Gemgun."
He stood up, brushing the dirt from his knee, and extended his hand down to her.
"The fact that you feel this frustrated means you possess the true spirit of a Diver. But remember, Miss Villainess—you wanted this fight to prove yourself. The result might not be the ideal scenario you envisioned, but you have to accept your own inexperience before you can grow stronger. Don't worry, I'll help you get there."
Tizmilly stared at his outstretched hand, then slowly looked up at his face. The cold fear that had gripped her heart began to thaw, replaced by a strange, fluttering warmth that had absolutely nothing to do with the healing potion.
"What do you mean, 'Miss Villainess'?" She pursed her lips, glaring slightly.
"Err..." Theo's face instantly turned awkward. He had accidentally let his internal thoughts slip out loud. Before he could scramble to invent a coherent excuse, Tizmilly firmly grasped his hand and pulled herself to her feet.
"Next time," she said, her voice rapidly regaining a hint of its former, unyielding steel. "I won't need you to jump in."
Theo blinked in surprise, then chuckled softly, slinging his spear over his shoulder. "I'll hold you to that. Now, let's harvest that gem and get out of here. My mother is going to skin us both alive if we're late for dinner."
They waited for roughly ten minutes as the Rain Serpent's massive form dissolved into glittering mana particles. After collecting the pristine drop-gem and exiting the labyrinth, they made their way back to the Dungeon Post to appraise and exchange their loot, splitting the monetary reward evenly between them.
On their trek back through the city streets, Theo suddenly halted. Tizmilly stopped beside him, tilting her head with curiosity.
"Tizmilly," he called out, extending his hand toward her once more. "Look up. You've spent the entire afternoon crawling through the mud; how about we go see the world from a place where the dirt can't reach us?"
"I-I was not crawling in the mud!" she protested, her lips forming a sharp pout.
Tizmilly knew Theo was merely teasing her, so there was no real malice in her reaction. She cast a curious glance toward the sky before looking back at him.
"Are we going to fly?" she inquired.
Theo nodded with a grin.
Though visibly hesitant, she reached out and took his hand. She had witnessed Theo utilize his flight magic several times today, and she couldn't entirely suppress her own growing curiosity.
"Hold on tight. We're going high," Theo warned. With a focused thought, he cast Levitation on both of them.
With a gentle push from the soles of his boots, they disconnected from the cobblestone ground, suddenly becoming as weightless as drifting cotton.
"U-uwah?!" Tizmilly squeaked. Her complexion turned stark white as they rapidly drifted higher into the atmosphere. She tightened her grip on his hand until her knuckles were completely white. "M-Mister Roost, d-don't you dare—EVER—let go!"
The stark contrast between her terrified expression and the aloof, untouchable noblewoman she usually portrayed was simply too much for Theo to handle. He burst into unbridled laughter.
"D-don't you dare laugh!" Tizmilly hissed, her face instantly turning as red as a ripe tomato.
"Sorry, sorry," Theo apologized, though a wide smirk remained plastered on his face. "Just relax. Shift your center of gravity slightly to control the direction. If you struggle against the magic, you'll just drift randomly."
She took a deep, shuddering breath, nodding stiffly as she attempted to stabilize her posture.
"Yes, exactly like that. Now, swing your legs downward..." Theo instructed gently. As she followed his guidance, their upward momentum slowed, calming her erratic heartbeat.
She peeked down at the sprawling city below; the pedestrians had been reduced to the size of tiny ants, and their upward stares made her cheeks burn. "I... I don't think I like this very much. Everyone is staring."
"I see," Theo grinned mischievously, an evil glint in his eyes. "Then let's go even higher!"
"E-eh?! Wait—!"
Before she could voice her protest, Theo surged violently upward. Tizmilly's panicked screams echoed through the open air, chased closely by Theo's delighted laughter.
Finally, they reached their destination: one of the four colossal anchoring chains. It was a massive structure, thick as a multi-story mansion and spanning twenty kilometers in length, securing the floating metropolis high above.
"Here we are! Atop the Dungeon City!" Theo announced proudly. He stepped onto the cold, solid metal of the link and turned to face her, but Tizmilly still had her eyes squeezed shut, her body trembling like a leaf.
"H-hee... b-beautiful..." she muttered with heavy sarcasm.
Theo let out a soft sigh. "It's really not that terrifying. Open your eyes."
"E-even if you say so..."
Theo felt a small pang of guilt seeing her shake so violently, but he knew she desperately needed to witness the view. He decided to employ a harmless white lie. "Ah! Look! The floating city! It's falling!"
"W-what?! How could the mighty City of Sky—!!"
She snapped her eyes open instantly, looking around frantically only to realize the sky was perfectly serene, and the grand metropolis floating above remained completely stationary. She glared at him with pure venom. "Mister Roost!!!"
"Ahaha, my bad! You wouldn't open your eyes otherwise!"
Tizmilly opened her mouth to berate him, but the words died instantly in her throat. Her eyes widened in sheer awe.
The entire Dungeon City stretched out infinitely beneath them, completely bathed in the majestic orange and crimson glow of a sinking sun. The fading light shimmered against the distant horizon like a parting gift from the heavens. For the very first time since her downfall, Tizmilly felt entirely disconnected from the suffocating noise of her tragic life. Up here, it felt like absolute freedom.
"How is it? Beautiful, right?" Theo asked softly, his tone turning gentle.
Tizmilly smiled warmly, her eyes reflecting the twilight. "Yes. It's mesmerizing. I envy your luck in discovering such a spot, Mister Roost."
Theo shifted his gaze upward toward the floating city above—toward the prestigious Academy nestled within it. That was the breeding ground where twisted plots and scripted "events" were currently brewing. He wanted absolutely no part in those troublesome narratives, but he knew he had to be prepared for the fallout.
"Tizmilly," he spoke up, his tone suddenly turning incredibly serious. "What would you do if you knew for an absolute fact that the world was ending, but you were completely powerless to stop it?"
"That topic again?" Tizmilly looked at him strangely, but she still took the time to genuinely ponder the weight of the question. "...If I were truly powerless? I am not entirely certain. I believe I would ultimately succumb to despair. I would likely shut myself away from the world until the inevitable end arrived."
"I see," Theo replied quietly.
"Why do you keep asking me these things?"
He offered her a faint smile. "I was just curious what you would do with that kind of knowledge. If it were me... I'd chase my own selfish dreams until the very final second. Regardless of success or failure, I'd want to see the end result through my own eyes."
...
By the time they finally touch downed near Theo's house, the sun had already been completely swallowed by the horizon. Tizmilly looked absolutely nothing like the immaculate, proud noblewoman who used to command the Academy's podium; she was covered in dried mud and streaks of monster blood, her hair a chaotic, tangled mess. Yet, beneath the grime, there was a brand-new, unyielding spark burning in her eyes.
"Hide the weapons behind the door," Theo whispered conspiratorially as they approached the porch. "If Mom catches sight of the blood, we're going to get a mandatory one-hour lecture on safety before we're even allowed to smell the stew."
Tizmilly let out a tired, amused huff. "I highly doubt she'll notice the weapons first, Mister Roost. Look at my clothes."
"Fair point."
The moment they pushed the door open, the rich, intoxicating scent of roasted spices and simmering onions enveloped them. Theo's mother turned away from her cooking pot, a large wooden spoon gripped in her hand.
"Oh, my heavens!" she gasped, her eyes widening as she rushed over to them. "Tizmilly! Sweetheart, did you fall directly into a swamp?! Is that... is that blood?!"
"Just a minor serpent, Mom," Theo interjected, casually slumping into a nearby chair. "Nothing we couldn't handle."
His mother ignored his existence entirely, pulling a clean towel from the rack and gently wiping a smudge of dark dirt from Tizmilly's cheek. "You poor thing! Theo, you are an absolutely terrible influence. Dragging a refined lady into a hazardous place like that... Go, both of you. Wash up immediately. Dinner is almost served."
"Alright, alright..." Theo grumbled, reluctantly pushing himself out of the comfortable chair.
Tizmilly watched the domestic exchange unfold before her. A genuine, radiant smile—perhaps the most beautiful one she had ever expressed—formed naturally on her lips.
"But Tizmilly gets to use the bath first!" his mother commanded authoritatively.
"Eh..." Theo shrugged, completely powerless against the undisputed, true final boss of the household.