Ais (剣姫) is the first chapter of the Sword Oratoria manga.
Summary
On the 5th floor of the dungeon, Ais Wallenstein and Bete Loga rushed to save a rookie adventurer from being killed by a minotaur. Ais rushed ahead and killed the minotaur though she accidentally covered him in blood. She asked the adventurer if he was okay. To her surprise, Bell ran off out of embarrassment. Bete laughed at her for scaring him away.
A few days earlier, the Loki Familia was on an expedition on the lower floors of the dungeon. They fought a horde of Fomoires on the 49th floor at the Moytura. After the battle, Finn Deimne called Ais to the head tent to discuss her actions during the battle with Riveria Ljos Alf and Gareth Landrock. Finn asked her if her current position was too restrictive and she answered that it wasn't. Riveria and Gareth also admitted their faults during the battle to support Ais. As Ais left, Finn and Riveria worried about her, causing Gareth to call them old despite their looks.
After leaving, Ais met Lefiya Viridis, Tiona Hiryute, and Tione Hiryute. The three talked for a while until Bete arrived. Tiona knew that he came for Ais and teased him about it. He insulted Tione and was defeated. The four girls decided to have a cooking battle and stepped on Bete on the way to the cooking area. Tiona, Tione, Lefiya, and Ais took turns making food. In the end, Tiona won and gave Ais the food she made while asking her why she did what she did during the battle. Ais apologized for her actions but told them that she wanted to get stronger. The others agreed and promised that they would all become stronger. Finn, Riveria, and Gareth had been watching them and remarked that they'd already cheered up.
The members of the Loki Familia later gathered to discuss their situation. Finn noted that their main goal was to reach a floor that they've never reached, but also to fulfill the quest they were given. Tione remembered that the quest was from the Dian Cecht Familia and included retrieving water from the Cadmus' Spring. Finn divided himself, Gareth, Bete, Raul Nord, Ais, Tione, Tiona, and Lefiya into two groups to fulfill the quest. He warned them of the Cadmus and told them all to be careful. Unknown to them on the 51st floor, a group of monsters already killed the Cadmus.
Characters
- Ais Wallenstein
- Bete Loga
- Bell Cranel
- Finn Deimne
- Raul Nord
- Tiona Hiryute
- Tione Hiryute
- Riveria Ljos Alf
- Lefiya Viridis
- Gareth Landrock