The Young Girl Wants to Bear Witness

A few minutes later, Leo left Loki's Divine Room.

Loki finally relented.

However, she made one condition.

"Let Ais go with you."

She didn't send Ais to help Leo defeat the floor master; instead, she sent Ais to act as Leo's insurance.

If Leo encounters real mortal danger and is unable to defeat the floor master, Ais, with her strength, is fully capable of rescuing Leo from the floor master's clutches, bringing him back to the surface, and ensuring his safety.

Leo naturally had no reason to refuse, nor would he refuse.

He did want to challenge Goliath, but he wasn't truly fearless, much less did he want to die.

Challenging a level 4 floor master with only a level 2 ability is far too risky; even he himself wasn't confident he could succeed.

Even if his current magical power is comparable to Lv.4, or even could be upgraded to Lv.5, so what?

In the original story, Lefiya Viridis had already reached Level 4, possessed firepower exceeding that of Level 5. Yet, she was nearly driven to self-destruction when facing Goliath, only managing to defeat him with the help of several juniors. Leo is currently even weaker than Lefiya Viridis at that level; what are his chances of successfully taking on Goliath one-on-one?

That's ridiculously low.

Therefore, his original intention was to invite Ais to go with him.

Ais doesn't need to intervene; just having her there to protect him and save his life if he fails is enough.

Even if you fail, you'll only suffer a little hardship, but there will be no other loss. You can start over, continue the challenge, or change your target—it's all fine.

Loki's request was exactly what Leo wanted.

So Leo left the Central Tower, passed through the atrium, and headed towards one of the four towers reserved for female members.

He walked up the spiral staircase to one of the floors and entered a dimly lit corridor.

Outside the corridor, light and faint sounds of laughter poured from the windows of the towers, causing Leo to pause for a moment before continuing on his way.

To be honest, at this hour, it's rather conspicuous for a man to be walking around in a women-only tower.

However, perhaps because of the upcoming expedition, the team members were still busy, or perhaps they had already gone back to their rooms and fallen asleep as soon as they finished, which resulted in Leo not encountering a single person along the way.

Leo felt somewhat relieved, at least he didn't have to explain anything unnecessary.

And so, following the memories in his mind, Leo arrived at a room.

He had been here a few times before, so while he wasn't exactly an expert, he wouldn't mistake the room for his own.

"It should be there, right?"

Leo muttered something to himself, then reached out and knocked on the door.

He didn't speak, and there was no sound from inside the room.

But the next second, the door opened.

"---- Leo?"

A familiar, indifferent voice rang out, carrying a subtle hint of doubt and surprise that was difficult for anyone to detect.

The room's owner then appeared silently, wearing a casual dress with safety shorts that extended beyond the dress, covering her thighs and concealing all her allure.

The blonde, golden-eyed girl looked at Leo outside the door, seemingly surprised that he would come to find her at this time; her clear eyes held a hint of astonishment.

Did I disturb you?

Leo smiled at the girl, his tone unconsciously softening.

Ais shook her head.

She was just sitting on the bed lost in thought, how could she be disturbed?

"You... you need something from me?"

Ais tilted her head and asked.

The movements were quite cute, and the girl had also shed her usual armor and was wearing casual clothes. No one would guess that she was a female swordswoman who could ruthlessly slay countless monsters with a casual swing of her sword; they would only think of her as a princess from the deep palace taking a night stroll.

"Yes, I need to talk to you about something."

Leo never beats around the bush when he talks to Ais; he says what he means and gets straight to the point.

Ais was the same way; she didn't understand the meaning of beating around the bush, and even her words were as brief as possible.

"Come in."

Ais looked at Leo thoughtfully, then stepped aside and invited Leo into her room.

Leo didn't feel embarrassed at all and went straight in.

He still harbored some curiosity about Ais's room.

Although I had come here a few times before, those were only because I wanted to find Ais. My main purpose was to call her out of the house, and I never had the chance to enter Ais's room.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that not a single male member of the entire Loki Familia had the opportunity to enter the Princess's room.

Therefore, Leo has accomplished another great feat.

If this gets out, regardless of whether the male members riot, a certain yuri fairy will definitely explode.

But—who cares about her?

A mere loser elf like her can only hide in a corner and chew on her handkerchief.

Leo entered Ais's room and glanced around, finally understanding what kind of place this Doll Princess lived in.

This was a very quiet room. There was only a table, a bed, and curtains. There was very little furniture and no decoration. It didn't look like a girl's room at all; it looked more like the shabby room of a hermit.

A sword leaned against the window in the room, and Ais's light armor, which she usually wore, was scattered in the corner. A few pieces of clothing were folded at the foot of the bed, and a few elixirs and a purse of coins were on the table. Other than that, there was nothing else.

"Sorry, there's nothing here."

Ais herself seemed to realize her embarrassment belatedly, her pretty face turning slightly red, a rare sight. She couldn't even move a chair for Leo to sit on, making her look somewhat at a loss. It was clear that she rarely hosted anyone in her room.

"It's alright, my room isn't much better than yours."

Leo chuckled as he said this to Ais, though it was clearly meant to comfort her.

His room wasn't particularly luxurious. After all, in the year before he became an adventurer, he had virtually no source of income and couldn't afford to buy any decent furniture or make any decent decorations. But working in the logistics area, Leo not only inherited some equipment that his predecessors had discarded, but he also managed to find some furniture that had been replaced.

Besides a table, bed, and curtains, his room also had a wardrobe, a full-length mirror, two chairs, some scattered decorations, and even a rug that Loki had thrown away six months ago, covering the entire floor. The furnishings weren't luxurious, but they were definitely much better Ais's cold and austere room.

However, he wouldn't say that out loud.

After all, he knew better than anyone that the seemingly aloof blonde girl actually had a rich inner world. If he showed even the slightest hint of disdain, she might still have a blank expression on her face, but she would definitely be extremely frustrated inside.

Therefore, Leo could only pretend to be nonchalant and sit down by Ais's bedside.

Hmm----Being able to sit on [Sword Princess's ] bed is another great achievement.

Seeing this, Ais became a little hesitant, but still sat down next to Leo.

The distance between the two was not far, in fact, it could be said to be very close; their arms were almost touching. This shows that in Ais's heart, Leo was someone she could get close to.

This is a subconscious behavior; the person involved may not even be aware of it.

Leo naturally wouldn't reveal the truth, but he did mention to Ais why he had come to find her.

"----You want to challenge Goliath?"

Ais remained silent for a long while before speaking.

"Right."

Leo nodded calmly, completely unaware of how astonishing his words were.

Ais was somewhat surprised, but she was more concerned about something else.

"So—your stats have reached their limit, and you absolutely must consider upgrading?"

Ais said this in a low voice.

"----Um.

Leo probably sensed Ais's thoughts and said nothing more, only responding softly.

Ais indeed stopped talking.

She stared blankly at Leo, her eyes flickering slightly, her heart filled with complex emotions.

Too fast----

That's so fast.

How long has it been?

It's been no more than half a month at most, right?

In just half a month, this man, who once needed to be guided by others to get out of the 18th Floor, has now grown from just reaching Lv.2 to the limit of his current level. It seems he has to consider leveling up.

Moreover, he even plans to challenge the floor owner to achieve great feats?

That's the floor owner!

Even though he's only a level 4 floor owner, it would still take some effort for him to defeat him, right?

This was only possible because I was only level 5 and could only achieve this through sheer superior level.

And what about Leo?

He's only level 2!

If he succeeds, it won't be as simple as just reaching Lv.3.

If Leo could successfully defeat an opponent that required considerable effort to defeat himself at level 2, what does that signify?

This shows that the man's strength has already reached a point where he is not far from matching his own.

Thinking of this, Ais felt a tremor in her heart.

Are you alright?

As if reading the girl's mind, Leo spoke at just the right moment.

Ais snapped out of her daze, suppressed the complex emotions in her heart, shook her head, and said something.

"Are we really going to challenge Goliath?"

Only now did Ais's tone reveal a hint of worry.

"Yes, it's decided. Loki knows and has given his permission." Leo looked directly at Ais and said, "However, she asked me to take you with me."

Why bring Ais along? Leo doesn't need to explain; Ais will understand anyway.

As expected, Ais agreed without hesitation.

"I'll go with you."

It wasn't just to protect Leo, but also to witness firsthand how this man, who was growing at a speed that she envied, would fight the floor master.

The girl wanted to witness that battle.

She wanted to know just how strong Leo would be if he fought with all his might.