Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darou ka Gaiden – Sword Oratoria - Volume 1 - Chapter Ep

EPILOGUE UNDER THE SKY 

The sky spread out like a big blue dome over the city. 
Just blue as far as the eye could see. 
Gentle sunlight shone through puffy white clouds as Aiz made her way to the Dungeon once again. 
The city was as lively as always. 
The sound of hundreds of shoes on the stone pavement mixed with the voices of vendors selling their wares. 
Horse-drawn taxis made their rounds. Aiz could hear the animals grunt and snort as their masters guided them through the crowd. Every passerby seemed to be in a good mood. Brilliant smiles decorated their faces as they clutched shopping bags in their hands. 
Aiz weaved her way through the mass of humanity and passed several demi-humans along the way. 
She spotted more and more adventurers in full body armor the closer she got to the Dungeon. It went without saying that they noticed her, too. Her ears happened to capture their hushed voices as she walked by. 
One, “The most powerful female adventurer.” 
One, “The immortal knight.” 
One, “The queen of all trades—there’s nothing she can’t do.” 
Her reputation was well known. 
Most people were filled with a mixture of awe and fear at just the sound of her name. Aiz was in a league of her own. 
Aiz avoided eye contact and pretended not to hear any of their words. In the process of avoiding their gazes, she happened to notice something strange out of the corner of her eye. 
A little girl was all alone. 
Scared and trembling, the young human had found a hiding place just off the main street. No one else seemed to notice she was there. 
Aiz came to a stop in the middle of the street, wondering what she should do. She made up her mind and walked over to the girl a few moments later. 
“What’s wrong…?” 
“…Waahhhhhh.” 
Aiz stood over her and spoke in a quiet voice. The little girl looked up, eyes moistening by the second. Then the floodgates opened. She started sobbing like there was no tomorrow. 
A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Aiz’s face. She wanted to help the girl but didn’t have the slightest idea how. Even her words got stuck in her throat. 
Her mind desperately searched for a way to comfort the crying child. Aiz stood like a statue, unable to move left or right. 
It would have been quite comical if anyone were there to see it. 
The queen of all trades, stumped by something like this. 
The ever-refined and elegant Kenki had a flawless image. Who would’ve guessed that the Sword Princess, Aiz Wallenstein, would get flustered by something so trivial. 
She could stand up to the most ferocious monsters in the Dungeon, but that didn’t mean she could do anything for this girl. 
Quite the opposite, there were more things she couldn’t do. 
“…Can you wait a minute?” 
Aiz took a few steps back from the wailing child. Then she turned and ran as if trying to escape. 
She reasoned that the little girl must’ve gotten lost. The best option for Aiz right now was to search the area for Guild employees and ask one of them to help. 
It took her longer than she would have liked, but she succeeded in her mission. Aiz quickly led the surprised Guild employee back to the girl’s hiding place. 

However, the girl was gone by the time they arrived. 
“…!” 
The Guild employee gave her a very confused look. Aiz knew instantly she had to see this through to the end. Putting Dungeon crawling on hold, she desperately searched the area for any clues to the girl’s whereabouts. 
She walked out to the middle of the street with her head on a swivel, looking for the little girl. 
Storefronts. Rest areas. Entrances to the backstreets. 
She checked every area that she thought a little girl might go looking for help. She nearly bumped into a lot of people in her haste. 
The big hand of the large clock at Central Park traveled halfway around. 
At long last, she found her. 
The little girl was in the arms of a motherly woman. 
“Oh, hi, lady!” 
Relief flooded through Aiz’s body when the little girl noticed her and waved. 
The bawling little girl seemed like a distant memory compared to this smiling child. Aiz couldn’t help but smile. 
“Did your mother find you?” 
Aiz walked over to them and asked a question. The little girl innocently shook her head from side to side. 
Then came her answer. 
“A boy with white hair found me!” 
Aiz was stunned. 
A few moments passed before Aiz could speak again. 
“Did he have red eyes?” 
“Yep! Looked like a cute bunny!” 
The little girl flashed a happy, toothy grin. 
“…I see.” 
Aiz spoke quietly under her breath. Then she said good-bye and turned to leave. 
The girl’s mother bowed while the girl’s little hand flicked back and forth as they watched the blond girl leave. Aiz took one last look over her shoulder before she disappeared into the crowd. Mingling, she looked up at the blue sky. 
Fluffy white clouds were making their journey across the heavens. 
Her mind started drifting along with the beautiful free-flowing white puffs in the sky. 

It was a strange feeling, knowing that he could do something so easily when she could not. 
Aiz came to a stop in the middle of the street. The flow of people maneuvered around her. 
She had just missed him. And now footsteps she had never heard were getting farther away. 
The clouds shifted in the wind. 
Today’s sky over Orario was blue once again.