Danmachi: My Adventure With a High Fairy Queen, Vol. 1

Prologue - Is It Wrong for a High Elf to fall in love in a Dungeon?

Disclaimer: Based on the characters created by Fujino Omori. This is NOT Omori's vision, nor is it canon in the Light Novels. This is a story built on the world developed by Omori, expanding it with my own ideas. I do NOT own the rights to Danmachi: I simply saw a perfect fit with this universe and my own ideas.

***

At the Hostess of Fertility in Orario, a fateful encounter set everything in motion. This meeting changed not only me, the vice-captain of Loki Familia, but also the course of the eternal struggle between good and evil.

As we stepped into the tavern, my Familia and I noticed a certain boy sitting by himself.

Bell Cranel.

"Hey, look, it's Argonaut-kun!" Tiona clamored, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Oh... Bell..." Aiz murmured, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush.

"Tch. That rabbit bastard again," Bete grumbled, his voice dripping with disdain.

"Hahahaha! That kid sure knows how to make a name for himself!" Gareth bellowed, his laughter echoing through the tavern.

Finn nudged me gently.

"Why don't you go and say hello, Riveria?" he suggested, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"What!? Me!?" I nearly stumbled over in surprise.

"Come on, don't be shy," Finn teased. "Everyone knows you're interested in Bell Cranel."

He wasn't wrong. Bell's name had captured my attention and piqued my curiosity. Mysterious, heroic, kind—his presence inspired those around him, especially a certain girl. Yet, it wasn't until I felt the warmth of his flame up close that my heart, encased in ice, began to thaw.

Finn and Gareth always called me "Ice Queen," a nickname I initially resented but eventually accepted. Watching Bell from across the tavern, I saw how my aloofness had built walls around me. My childhood, confined by royal duty, left me with only books and the Chamberlain Aina for company.

I never had time for romance. My head was always buried in books and a longing to see the world outside.

I was always the kind of elf who would instead study.

Ever since I arrived in this city, I diligently studied as many books as I could collect. I yearned to ascend as the most powerful mage in Orario, and ultimately, no rival endured.

For many years, I resisted change.

Then, a certain boy changed me forever.

It all began with one executive of my Familia making a scene at the tavern.

We gathered to celebrate our safe return from a perilous expedition deep into the Dungeon. Amid the revelry, Bete Loga, inebriated and belligerent, mocked a young fledgling adventurer he had encountered. Laughter echoed around the tavern, and shame welled up within me as I watched our Familia join in the ridicule.

And then, he caught my eye.

The fledgling adventurer stormed out, his face a mask of hurt after Bete's cruel jeers. His snowy white hair and warm rubellite eyes caught the light, but it was the raw pain in his expression that stirred my pity.

My motherly nature stirred. I yearned to hold him in my arms, comfort him, and assure him that all would be well.

Aiz raced after him, leaving me to sort out the mess and take care of an inebriated Bete Loga.