The sounds of smacking wood echoed faintly in the morning air.
"Hyah!" Bell swung his wooden training dagger and clashed with Ryuu's wooden sword, feeling the strength of the woman's strike reverberate through his arm. He winced at the force before needing to fend off more strikes thrown by the elf, backing up to make space between them.
However, Ryuu pressed her initiative and rushed in, throwing a few more attacks he was forced to block until an opening caused him to be struck in the chest and sent flying back.
"Gak!" He tumbled along the ground before using his hand to acrobatically flip himself upright, landing on his feet with a brief skid.
"Sprint!"
Bell burst forward as a blur, momentarily surprising Ryuu with his increased speed before she held up her weapon and met his dagger again.
They danced in the open area right behind the pub, repeatedly clashing or dodging each others' attacks, with Bell, in particular, using his impressive mobility to flip, spin, and duck around Ryuu in an attempt to throw her off. Sadly, she blocked every one of his attacks with focused eyes until suddenly increasing her speed, landing another strike that sent him flying even farther than before.
"ACK!" Bell flew into the wall and bounced off, cracking the surface before falling onto his back.
"Ah," Ryuu winced at what she just did.
"Syr! Ryuu sent white-haired-kun flying again!" Anya's voice called from the window of the hostess.
"I'm okay!" Surprising them, Bell curled his legs inward before kicking into the air, the momentum springing him right back on his feet. He looked no worse for wear, just some dirt stains on his clothes and panting from exhaustion.
He opened his arms with a smile. "See? I'm fine."
Ryuu appeared both relieved and impressed as she approached him. She was the only one not in her usual outfit, instead wearing a white tank top and considerably slim jean shorts.
"I'm sorry, Mister Cranel. I must've unconsciously increased my abilities to meet yours." She gave him a curious once over. "You don't move like a normal level one."
"I'll take that as a compliment!" Bell beamed, sweat dripping down his handsome face. He pulled up his collar and wiped his face, unknowingly tugging his shirt enough to reveal his divine abs.
Ryuu stiffened, eyes locking on the sight for a few seconds before abruptly turning her head away with adorably red ears.
"Ryuu!" Syr's scolding cry came as she entered the space with a pout. "What did I tell you about going... too... far?"
The waitress's words trailed off as she saw Bell's exposed stomach, her cheeks reddening as she stared, mesmerized.
"Phew," Bell let go of his shirt and wiped his brow with his sleeve... only to find Ryuu refusing to look at him, Syr madly blushing in place, and the three other waitresses staring at him from the open window with varying expressions.
He blinked once. "...What?"
"I swear he's doing this on purpose!" Lunoire hissed.
"Looking good, white-haired-kun!" Anya laughed with a thumbs up.
"I wish he'd turn around..." Chloe sighed.
A perplexed question mark popped on Bell's head.
A loud bang then made everyone jump.
"ARE YOU STUPID GIRLS SLACKING OFF!?" Mia's booming voice followed.
"Mama's angry!" Chloe squeaked before she, Anya, and Lunoire vanished back inside.
That left Ryuu and Syr with Bell, the only male looking slightly guilty.
"Um, is me being here a problem after all?"
"N-No! Not at all!" Snapping out of her daze, Syr shook her head with her hands raised in a halting motion. "They're just being lazy as usual! They should know better."
"I don't believe you have any right to say that, Syr..." Ryuu sweatdropped. "You avoid your duties the most out of any of them."
Syr completely ignored her friend with an innocent smile.
"More importantly, are the two of you going to keep going?"
Ryuu looked up at the sun's position in the sky. "It's nearing the time for me to work, so we shall end it here for today, Mister Cranel."
"That's fine, thank you for the experience, Ryuu." Bell bowed.
Taking Ryuu's offer to train had worked wonders on getting his mind off his most recent frustrations: learning of Naaza's scams and realizing (finally accepting) Lili's intentions. It felt like he should be angry at them, yet all he felt was frustration at himself for not realizing it sooner... though there was also the disappointment that the two were resorting to bad things.
He honestly wasn't exactly sure what to do about either situation... Hestia would be both crushed and furious if she learned that Miach's only member could've gotten him killed with bad potions. She would one-hundred percent hold it against Naaza, especially with how scared she's been for his safety lately because of the system.
As for Lili, he'd like to believe that the girl was a good person deep down and that she was softening up around him. She hasn't even been looking at Rasaka's Fang as much as before; instead, he's caught her just looking much more... somber.
Ugh, all these things and needing to focus on that D-rank dungeon... When did his life get so complicated!?
Oh, since the fifth floor, duh.
"Are you going to head for the dungeon now?" Syr snapped him from his thoughts in a cutesy tone.
Bell shook his head. "No, I'm taking the day off."
She formed a big smile and motioned inside. "Then how about spending some time in the pub? You did promise Mama you'd eat here in the future."
"We would be glad to have you," Ryuu added.
"Well, I am a bit hungry after training," Bell admit, following the two inside. "But please don't make me spend so much money..."
"I don't know what you mean!" The minx chirped.
Ryuu changed into her uniform while Bell seated himself at the counter, and it wasn't long before Syr served him two plates of food and made small talk with him while he ate.
Several minutes went by before he realized something.
"Shouldn't you be working right now?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at the woman.
Syr just waved it off. "It's fine, we're not open yet, so there isn't too much to do. Or..." Her lip started wobbling as hurt reflected in her eyes.
"Do you not want me around, Bell?" She whimpered.
"...You shouldn't try to guilt trip me so I can be an accomplice to your laziness." He deadpanned.
Anya and Chloe nearly fell in the background.
"B-Bell!? How could you!?" Syr gasped, turning away with tears in her eyes... tears he could immediately see through. "You would dismiss a girl's feelings like that!?"
"If she's faking them, yes," He admit with no hesitation before casually taking another bite of steak. Even though he hadn't known her for long, his weird feelings around the girl had helped him figure her out rather quickly.
Syr turned red to her ears as her tears started looking more real.
"You-! You-!" Her cheeks puffed into an adorable pout before she stomped the ground. "You meanie!"
Bell didn't miss a beat. "Oh wow, genuine this time."
Chloe shakily covered her mouth as she held in a laugh, carrying some towels into the next room. Anya made no such attempt, instead laughing out loud as she headed for the kitchen.
"Nyahaha! He has you figured out, Syr!"
Bell only started feeling a little bad when he saw the genuine embarrassment in the girl's eyes. Thinking about it now, he never would've jabbed back against such a pretty girl before. And it wasn't even the first time he's done something similarly bold...
It's like he's changing in mind as much as his body, yet he couldn't notice when it was happening. He still felt the same as before, but... certain things just seemed more natural to him now.
Bell gently laughed as he eased Syr with apologies, taking a few attempts to get her to stop pouting and talk to him again. However, a soft feeling of... something drew the smallest part of his attention by instinct. In a moment of curiosity, Bell turned his head from the edge of the counter where he sat.
He found a unique white book placed under a cupboard on the wall beside him.
"Modern Magic That Even A Goblin Could Understand?" He muttered.
Syr glanced at the book before returning to him with a smile.
"Oh? Interested?" She walked over and picked up the book before turning to him. "One of the customers left it, so we put it there to make sure they could see it when they came back. So far no one has said anything though." She offered it forward, "Would you like to take it with you?"
"But it's someone else's..." Bell answered unsurely.
"It shouldn't be any trouble as long as you return it when you're done. Besides..." Syr looked down at the book with a cute frown. "It seems like Mama Mia doesn't want it in our shop."
"What? Why wouldn't she want it here?" Bell asked in confusion.
She shrugged. "Who knows? But for any reason, you'd be doing us a favor getting it out of here, so here you go!" The human girl cheerfully offered it again. "Think of it as an apology for what happened between us before."
"If it's okay..." Bell took the book into his hands and examined it.
[Item: Grimoire]
Item Class: S
Type: Consumable
A spellbook that grants the reader magic suited to their latent ability. Will lose all of its power once used.
Bell completely froze.
"Eh?"
He blinked once, then twice, then one more time to make sure he was reading that right.
"...This book does WHAT!? Books that just give magic exist!?"
It didn't take a genius to know just how absolutely valuable the book in his hand is! Just seeing the S-ranking in the item class told him enough. What's something like this doing left behind in a pub of all places!?
"Bell? What's wrong?" Syr cautiously asked, noticing how pale and clammed up he became.
He shakily looked up at her.
"S-Syr? D-Do you know what you just gave me?" He asked in a cold sweat.
She cutely tilted her head in puzzlement.
"A book on magic?"
Right... Of course she isn't aware of it! Not even he had known what this book was until the system told him!
"I can't take this!" Bell quickly handed the book back to Syr, making her eyes widen.
"Eh!? B-But why!?"
"Syr," Bell leaned forward and hurriedly whispered. "This isn't just a normal book! It's called a grimoire! It gives people magic!"
That brought pure shock in Syr's eyes, looking down at the book before back up at Bell.
"And... And you recognized it?" She dumbly asked.
Well, not recognized, but that didn't stop him from nodding. "We should leave it, or maybe tell Mia what it is!"
"Tell me what what is?"
Bell turned to see Mia Grand approach them with hands on her hips and a frown on her face.
"This! It's a magic book called a grimoire!" He admitted, getting the sharp turns of heads from the other waitresses.
"Nyah!? Really!?"
"Seriously!?"
While he wouldn't normally oust the book just like that, Mia is the strongest person he's met so far and the boss of the others here, so he might as well make the financially crippling book her problem. He wasn't gonna be held accountable for anything that happened to it!
The woman simply blinked, "Huh, I'm surprised you realized it."
Bell's panic paused, "You knew?"
"It's hard not to when you're as experienced as me." Mia took the grimoire from Syr's hands and held it up as Ryuu approached them. "It's definitely a grimoire, alright."
"That's really bad, though, isn't it? Someone lost something so valuable and it's here?" Bell shivered at the thought of losing something so priceless.
"People don't just 'lose' grimoires, Mister Cranel. It's astonishing that it even got left behind. No adventurer would lose something so valuable as easily as this." Ryuu answered.
"Yup," Mia stuck the book out to him. "So here you go."
"..."
Bell took a second to realize what she meant.
"Wait, you're not giving it to me, are you!?" He backed up from the item like an infection. "It isn't mine!"
Mia shrugged. "So? Fuck em."
His jaw dropped.
"Whoever would lose something like this is just an idiot who should've known exactly what would happen if they left it, yet still did anyway."
"B-But it's still here! That means there's still a chance for the owner to come and get it back!"
"It's already been days since we found the book. If they haven't come for it yet, then they most likely won't bother with it now."
"But..."
"Mister Cranel," Ryuu spoke up. "If you don't accept it here, then it's most likely that another customer will recognize the grimoire as it is and ask for it, and we wouldn't ever know if they're truly the owner. I would rather you take it to help with your efforts in the dungeon."
Bell reluctantly glanced at the item.
"Don't any of you want it?"
"Nya? We're waitresses, why would we need it?" Anya huffed.
Right... Although they're strong, they're not adventurers anymore. But still, to reject power so easily...
...
He really did want it.
Bell hesitantly reached out and gently held the book like a newborn baby.
"...I won't suddenly be kidnapped and forced to work until I pay it off, will I?"
Mia and Lunoire snorted while looks of horror grew on Ryuu and Syr. Anya and Chloe simultaneously winced, reminded of the time they had tried to 'bring' Bell to the hostess.
"We'll do no such thing! Or allow anyone else to do so!" Ryuu declared.
"What she said. Don't worry so much, kid. If anyone comes by and asks about it, then I'll just tell it to them straight: If it was here before, then it's long gone now because of their own stupidy." Mia reached over and ruffled his hair with a grin. "Think of it as an apology for the trouble my girls gave you. Besides, I think you deserve it. Most adventurers would've just kept quiet and taken it instead of being honest like you."
Bell looked down at the grimoire before looking at all the waitresses around him, none showing any desire for the item.
"I'll be really glad if you took it, Bell." Syr hesitantly spoke up with a lovely smile. "If it helps you keep coming back alive, then I'll be happy with that."
Bell was almost blinded by the light from this angel.
~{Hestia Familia Church}~
"I'm still not sure I should read this..."
Sitting on his couch in the basement, Bell nervously stared at the book lying on the nightstand he had moved in front of him, elbows on the surface and head in his hands.
"On the one hand, it's finally the magic I've been wanting!" He started excitedly, only to slump and let his forehead fall on the book. "On the other, if the owner ever finds out I used it, then I could be forced into debt... or worse."
...
"I should at least wait for Hestia to come back home, right?"
...
"She'll probably worry that it's a scam the waitresses want to drag me in... But by using something so valuable?"
...
Bell quickly looked left and right as if someone would jump out any moment before looking back down at the book with a gulp.
"...Hnnnnngh! I'm sorry, Hestia!"
Giving into the impulse, he excitedly slammed the book open with no chance to reconsider
Words appeared before him, yet they floated through his eyes as blurs.
Pages flipped continually, yet he couldn't feel his hands doing so.
He heard the sound of shuffling paper, yet it was a muffled warble.
Bell's vision distorted, black sinking into the colors of his vision. His body numbed as his breathing slowed; he leaned backward only to tumble into an endless void of white, descending lifelessly. He sank like a body in the ocean, exhaustion plaguing him with his hand faintly reaching upward at the bright lights above. The sudden weight of his eyelids made holding them open impossible as the emptiness below fogged and blended into black.
There was silence.
Then he opened his eyes into a pitch-black void.
The ground rippled under his feet, spreading through the entirety of nothingness.
Where... am I?
A dream? Thoughts he tried to have clouded as he stood in the dead silence of nothingness. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, he couldn't even blink, yet he felt no ounce of discomfort in the vast vacuum of darkness. Where is he? What happened? Why didn't he feel here? Everything looked like it was through the perspective of one without a body.
"How peculiar."
He looked, or he assumed he did, into another direction of the incomprehensible.
The darkness itself stared back at him.
A prominent figure blended with the void yet stood vibrant within it, its very existence distorting the fabric of its surroundings. Its presence warped Bell's vision to the point that it was unclear what he was even looking at.
A pitch-black body of jagged form.
Purple flames reeking of death itself.
A twilight cloak darker than night.
Glowing violet orbs vibrating with power.
"You should not be here," It spoke, ashy yet rumbling. "But I suppose this presents an opportunity."
What are you?
The figure moved, the sounds of shifting metal filling the darkness.
"That is not for you to know at this moment. For now, only listen."
At this moment?
The sinister figure raised a vague claw-shaped hand, pointing right at him.
"You doubt your power, not whether it'll ever be enough, but whether you can trust it."
Purple flames flickered in the darkness.
"Make no mistake, in the end, this power is to be yours."
Its outstretched hand clenched into a fist he then brought to its chest.
"As much as it is mine."
Yours?
"With it, you will become without equal, with strength upon unimaginable scale."
How strong?
A chuckle reverberated through the void.
"Right now, your shadow is merely connected to the darkness. As you grow in power, you will become as strong as your shadow's depth in the dark, until..."
Flames flared, casting a large shadow on the figure.
"You will become the darkness itself."
How? Why me? What darkness?
"The time isn't right for such an exchange. For now..."
The figure's hand reached into its blazing purple hair, flames bursting and swirling before it pulled a handful of fire into its palm. It then raised the clumped flames towards him.
"I believe you've been wanting this."
The flames roared in his direction, rushing forward and spreading over him. But instead of searing agonizing heat, he only felt a comforting warmth promising protection.
"You'll be needing it for your upcoming challenges. However, like the rest of my power, it will not suit someone as pure as you. And you'll think the same... especially when the time comes."
Time?
"Nonetheless, you will need them. So I must ask that when the moment arises... please accept them."
"Accept th-?"
The flames around him flared in intensity, flickering on and off in his sight like flies in his face.
"Never forget who you are, little hero."
Then they swallowed him whole.
Bell's eyes snapped open as he lurched forward, heaving air.
Someone yelped to the side as he doubled over on the ground, clutching his chest and his body trembling in a cold sweat as he struggled to breathe.
"BELL!" He didn't even react when a small missle slammed to his side and clutched him close. His vision was foggy, and his stomach felt like he would force his lunch up at any moment.
Where is he!?
Still in the darkness!?"
"Bell," A softer, kinder voice filled his ears as soft hands gently held his shoulders. "Listen to my voice, take deep breaths, and remember where you are."
Who?
Familiar...
"You're okay, you're awake. No one is here to hurt you. You're safe."
Bell's vision cleared, and he slowly caught his breath, mustering enough strength to look up at a pair of kind, familiar blue eyes.
"L... Lord... Miach?" He panted between breaths.
Miach gave him a relieved smile. "Welcome back, Bell. You gave us quite the scare."
"Wh... What...? B-Back...?" His blurry vision cleared, and he registered the feeling of a soft body on him. Turning his head, he found his goddess, who looked like an absolute mess. Her hair was frazzled, the collar of her mini-dress was damp, and her eyes were red and full of fearful tears flooding them as she kneeled by his side, clutching him for dear life.
"Bell, Bell!" Hestia clutched him tightly again, sobbing his name repeatedly.
"Hestia?" He muttered, feeling the two deities slightly pull him up before directing him to the couch to lie on. Then he noticed Miach wasn't the only visitor, for Naaza was standing just to the side, staring at him with frightened eyes of concern. "Naaza...?"
She looked away from him, biting her lip. "...Hi Bell."
His head throbbed, and his hand clutched it with a groan. "What happened...?"
"We were hoping to ask that you that, Bell. What is the last thing you remember?" Miach asked.
He rubbed his temple as he backtracked.
"I... opened a book to read? And then I think I fell asleep?"
"Ah yes, the grimoire." Miach frowned, glancing at the nightstand where he recognized the now-empty book. "We figured that you had used it, but to end up like that..."
"Like what?" Bell questioned, taking a moment to hug Hestia. "And why is Hestia crying!?" He grew panicked at realizing how distressed she was.
"Bell," Miach's gaze turned sympathetic. "When we showed up, we found you lying atop that grimoire-"
He paused, seemingly trying to choose his words before giving up with a sigh. He then looked him right in the eye with pursed lips.
"You showed the conditions of passing."
"...What?"
It took Bell a few seconds to register his words before absolute horror filled his eyes.
"You mean I DIED!?"
The other three winced at his outcry.
"I suppose it's more accurate to say you've been dead for... a while." Saying those very words evidently disturbed the man. "We don't know how long, but we've only been here for about twenty minutes and it's nearing nighttime."
Nighttime? He had opened that book only a little after lunch!
"I've been dead for hours!?" He paled.
"Hours?" Naaza's small voice cracked as she turned white as a sheet.
Hestia's crying grew louder, the sound twisting a knife in Bell's heart.
"I've never heard of anyone having a grimoire do that to them... Speaking of which, where did you obtain such a thing, Bell? Just one of them is as valuable as one of the Hephaestus's Familia's top-quality weapons." Miach asked curiously.
Hestia quieted down with a sniffle and looked up at Bell with anguished eyes, wishing to know the same.
"I... I went to a pub today and saw it. My friend Syr told me that it was left there."
"Left!?" Naaza looked ready to pass out at the thought of something so valuable casually left behind.
"I, um, saw what it was." The system had shown him, after all. "And I told the owner of the pub about it. But they said they didn't need it since they're not adventurers, so they gave it to me to apologize for a... misunderstanding that had happened between us before."
Rage flashed in Hestia's eyes as she opened her mouth.
"They didn't know, Hestia!" He stressed before she could blame them. "Do you think they would've known something like this would happen?"
Hestia closed her mouth, guilt mixing with anguish.
"Well, nonetheless," Miach spoke up. "I'm glad you've awoken, Bell. I'm unsure just what could've caused such a reaction from that grimoire, but I hope that you at least got something powerful from it."
"Thank you... Wait." Bell finally realized something. "What are you and Naaza, doing here, Miach?"
Naaza flinched while Miach's expression hardened in a way he'd never seen on the man.
"Right, the issue we came here for." He turned around and walked right next to a distressed Naaza, standing beside her.
He then firmly clasped a hand on her head as he forced her to bow with him at a ninety-degree angle.
"My apologies!"
"Eh?" Bell blinked.
"I had no idea that one of my own had been diluting your potions! I'm deeply sorry to you both! I'll make sure to return every vali that was taken from you, I swear on my name!"
Oh yeah, he had honestly forgotten about that because of... whatever the hell just happened to him.
"They showed up when I was ending my shift and fessed up before we came here," Hestia spat with venom in her tone. "I almost tore her apart right then and there."
Bell put a hand on her head and ran his fingers through his goddess's hair, calming her down just enough for him to take a moment to think of an answer.
"I'd usually say it's okay, but... it really isn't this time." He looked toward the girl who actually committed the crime, finding her shaking in place. "Please raise your heads."
They did, and Bell was able to see Naaza's expression. The guilt in the woman's eyes made her look even more tired than usual.
"You actually told him yourself?" He couldn't help but ask. He didn't think she'd actually rat herself out.
The girl couldn't look at him, her downward gaze avoiding direct contact. Her hands tightly clamped together below her. "A-After you left, the guilt kept eating me from the inside. I had expected you to tell Lord Miach or at least your goddess, to have you both storm in the same day but... you didn't."
"Naaza confessed her actions to me earlier today. I... I must admit that I am partially at fault for her decisions." Miach admitted with a cringe.
Bell raised an eyebrow. "You?"
He nodded. "When I confronted her, I assumed that she had done it out of some form of greed. But..." He looked away, shame on his features. "She has... enlightened me in that I may not have been helping with our Familia's financial situation."
"Because you've been giving away inventory for free, right?" Bell recalled.
"Yes." He sighed, looking as guilty as his child. "I had essentially forced her into a corner, leading to her choice to use you in order to support us. It doesn't excuse her actions, but..."
He bowed again, this time with Naaza joining him without being prompted.
"I hope you can forgive us! We'll make sure to properly compensate you in time!"
"Do you even have anything to pay us back with!?" Hestia huffed.
"Even if they did, doing so would practically destroy them." Bell frowned. They weren't in any sort of condition to pay back anything.
He wasn't even angry at Naaza. Disappointed, sure, but he hadn't needed to use any potions in the dungeon lately, thanks to his new abilities; he was honestly just glad she hadn't also diluted the high potion.
And looking at her situation now... he couldn't stop comparing it to what Lili must be experiencing. He wants to help Lili, so why wouldn't he want to help Naaza?
"You could've just asked me for help, you know?" He told them, voice barely above a whisper.
"We can't just ask you for charity, Bell! You haven't been an adventurer for even half a year!" Miach looked at him like he'd just offered an organ.
"But what if it isn't charity?" Bell calmly responded, oddly composed for a situation he usually wouldn't be sure what to do in. He tried standing up from the couch, only for Hestia to hold him down with a whimper. He just calmly turned to her with a reassuring smile, asking her to please let go. The goddess looked incredibly reluctant but hesitantly slipped her arms off, letting him get up.
"I've already been going through the seventh floor and know that Blue Papilos there produce a powder that can be used for potions. Even though they're supposed to be rare, I've killed a good number of them."
He walked to his bag and made a showing of reaching into it before pulling an item from his inventory.
"That is..." Naaza recognized.
[Item: Blue Papilo Wing]
Item Class: D
Type: Material
A large wing of a Blue Papilo. The powder created can be used as a component in potions.
Bell hadn't been sure if it was because of the system's influence, but the rate he managed to obtain monster drops was higher than he knew it should be for other adventurers. They contributed quite a bit to the amount of valis he and Lili made daily (even when he lets the girl 'secretly' store some when she thinks he isn't looking), but the Blue Papilo Wings were items he didn't sell just in case they could be used in tandem with the system for items in the future. But this was just as good of a use for them.
He went to Naaza and put one into her hand.
"If you have these, then you can make even better potions, right?"
Naaza stared at the item with bulging eyes.
"H-How does it still have that much fresh powder on it!? Wait, no, it's still producing powder!?"
"Hm? What about it?" Bell tilted his head.
Naaza placed the item on a rag and onto the floor before pulling out vials and syringes to extract the powder.
Miach looked similarly astonished but explained.
"You can make quite some high-quality potions depending on how fresh a Blue Papilo's powder is. The same applies to the powders from other monsters in the dungeon. It should be impossible to obtain powder so fresh even with the best storage conditions due to how much time it takes for adventurers to pass through the dungeon, and yet... yours is somehow fresh to the point that it's still producing powder as if it had just died."
He turned to Bell with stars in his eyes.
"How did you preserve it!?"
Wow, inventory coming in clutch.
"Sorry, it's a secret, not to mention it's only something I can do." Bell smiled. "But I do have at least ten more wings."
Miach gasped, looking down in analytical thought while Naaza capped multiple vials of powder.
"If the rest of the wings you have are in the same condition, then we could produce a larger number of potions with better quality than what an average wing would make!"
"I can give you the wings to help yourselves, and I'll also make sure to collect and bring you any items that could be used in potions or other medical items. But in return..." Bell's gaze abruptly turned serious. "First, I get priority to any commissions and items in your inventory, no matter what. I won't ask you to pay back what Naaza scammed from me-"
The girl flinched.
"-but, instead I'll be asking for discounts on any potions I buy from you in the future. Don't worry, it won't be too much. I'll be reasonable."
The other three of the room were wide-eyed by Bell's sudden negotiations, especially when they could tell just by his tone that this wasn't up for argument.
"And finally," He started, making them tense... only for Bell to smirk. "Not only will Naaza stop scamming me, or anyone else, but you'll stop giving away potions or any of your inventory for free, Lord Miach."
Naaza froze, a stunned look on her face. Miach had a similar look but with a slight bit more offense.
"Bell, I can't simply ignore-!"
"No." Bell sternly cut off a deity for the first time in his life. "You're kind, Lord Miach, one of the kindest people I've ever known. You've been incredibly generous to me, and the potions you've given me have been helpful. But if all you ever do is think about giving to other people, how will you ever help yourself?"
Miach's expression turned sour. "Are you saying I should stop being kind and giving to others?"
"Not at all," Bell didn't hesitate. "I'm saying that you should be thinking more about standing up on your own two feet before thinking to give to others what you need for yourselves to survive."
He took a more serious eye.
"I wouldn't say this if I thought you and Naaza were content with where you are, but you're not, are you? If you keep giving away potions, then you won't be able to support yourselves. You don't want to stay poor to the point of struggling to eat, do you? Is that what you want for yourself? For Naaza?"
Miach flinched, face ridden with guilt at the thought of starving the only person who had stayed with him in the end.
"So!" Bell chirped in sudden cheer. "Those are my conditions. Take it or leave it."
The god looked at Bell in a new light, not having expected something like this from who had been such an innocent but naive boy. He weakly turned to Naaza and found the woman staring at him with a quivering lip and tears in her eyes.
"I... I understand," He smiled sadly, turning back to him. "Thank you-"
"Bell!" Naaza suddenly dove with arms open, getting a squawk from Hestia as she wrapped him into a tight hug with her head on his chest, breaking into short breaths and cracking sobs. "I'm sorry! I didn't want you to get killed, honest! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry!"
Bell just calmly hugged her back as she spouted apologies over and over.
"I'll forgive you, but only when you show me that you'll never do it again." He whispered.
"I will! I promise I will! I'm so sorry!" Naaza wailed.
He spent the next few minutes letting the woman cry in his arms.
"Phew, glad that's over..."
Bell practically melted on the couch not long after Miach and Naaza left, taking all his Blue Palito wings with them and no doubt going to spend all night using them. He was glad he could work things out with them. Hopefully, Miach will keep to his word and be more considerate about Naaza and their situation in the future.
"Bell?"
He sluggishly turned his head to Hestia. She looked notably better than before, her hair somewhat fixed and her eyes barely red compared to a moment ago. A curious frown was on her face as she stared at him.
"You... didn't forgive her?"
He blinked. "Pardon?"
"You said that you'd only forgive Naaza when she shows you that she won't do anything bad anymore. But doesn't that mean that you haven't forgiven her yet?" Hestia didn't look disapproving at the prospect, just confused.
"Ah..."
He supposed he didn't say he forgives Naaza, but... maybe that's for the better? At the very least, it'll give her something to work towards if she had noticed it. But it isn't like he'll hold it against her as long as she's earnest in being better.
Being too nice can lead to being taken advantage of.
But that doesn't mean you have to be cruel.
Bell doesn't want to change who he is at heart. He wants to be kind, to always reach a hand to those who need it, to be the person that Hestia knows he is; a boy who wants to be a hero.
And yet... he understands that being a hero doesn't mean overlooking something just because it had only affected him. If something could affect other people, then it should be addressed.
He looked down with a sad smile. "I guess I didn't... I just want to see that Naaza means what she said."
Hestia continued to stare at him, seeming uncertain.
"Bell, you've been... different."
"You think so?" He sat forward on the couch, looking a little nervous. "Is it bad?"
"No, you've been more confident, more... mature." She smiled lovingly at him. "I like it."
Feeling his cheeks redden, Bell nervously chuckled while scratching his head. "Good to know. I'm just glad I was able to help them."
"Thank you for that, Bell. Even though I was angry about that girl scamming you... Miach still helped me a few times before, so I didn't want to hold it against him."
He brightened. "Of course, Hestia. You know I wouldn't want them to suffer."
A moment of silence fell between them, where Bell nervously looked down and fumbled with his hands.
"We should probably talk, about... you know?"
Hestia stiffened.
"I-I'm not mad at you for getting that grimoire or reading it!" She quickly said while looking him earnestly in the eyes. "Any adventurer with common sense would've taken the chance to get such an item, it's just..."
She sniffled, walking over and sitting beside him. She then hugged him tightly once more.
"I just-! I can't believe it killed you! G-Grimoire's aren't supposed to do that from what I know! Having you dead... it was like that day when you went to the fifth floor all over again!"
Bell returned the embrace and traced circles on his goddess's back.
"About that..." He frowned. "I think the reason has to do with meeting Kandiaru."
Hestia's head snapped up with shrunken eyes.
"What!?"
He told her about his most recent experience, the cryptic things that flaming figure had told him. It would only make sense if that had been Kandiaru himself.
"He somehow messed with the grimoire to meet you!?" Hestia paled. "But how!?"
"I don't know, but..." Bell reached into the nightstand drawer and grabbed a sheet of parchment, holding it between himself and Hestia. "We can look at what he gave me."
The parchment flashed purple as text bled into it.
Name: Bell Cranel
Level [1]
Job: None
Title: Wolf Slayer
HP: 2567
MP: 450
{STR}: SSS-1134
{VIT}: SS-1008
{DEX}: SS-1001
{AGI}: SSS-1256
{MAG}: SS-250
{SEN}: S-994
Remaining Points: 23
[Skills]
Longevity-All diseases, poisons, curses, and status effects are healed. Sleeping will explosively increase regeneration ability.
Sprint-Mana Cost 5(1/Minute). Activates to increase your movement speed by 30%. Costs 1 mana per minute to maintain. "Your running has strengthened your legs."
Unyielding Spirit-When below 30% HP, all damage received is reduced by 50%. "You have an unyielding spirit."
Rasaka's Armored Scales- Physical damage reduced by 20%.
[Magic]
Umbra Mortis- Mana Cost 10 (1/Minute). Able shape shadows to ones liking and use it as an extended intelligible form Costs 1 mana per minute to maintain form. Able to stop anyfrom of magic flow when hot by objects made by shadows and stop regeneration.
Brilliant Light: Able fire bolts of Light by thought by the caster
[Development Abilities]
()
Mortal and goddess found themselves in stunned silence.
Bell broke it first. "I'm sorry, I am able to shape shadows? How do you shape shadows and use it?"
"I don't know, but I already have a feeling it's completely absurd," Hestia dully answered with a twitching eye. "You somehow already got your stats above S-rank, but why is your sense only at !?"
"NO MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT WHAT IS WITH YOUR STATS!!!IT'S CRAZY!! ONLY THROUGH ONE DUNGEON!!!!"
"Calm down Hestia It's not necessarily bad the stronger I get the more chances I get to return home safely!"
Hestia fell on the couch with a resigned nod.
"Also going back to out topic Hestia"
"I don't get look around much," Bell answered absentmindedly, happy eyes unmoving from the page. "There's no chant either like the system said! Stopping regeneration, 'maintaining' the form!? This is amazing!"
He then paused, his smile dropping as he noticed something.
"Wait, Brilliant Light? That sounds... nice?." He said with intrigue.
"Well, Kandy guy did give you your magic, Bell." Hestia frowned. "He doesn't give the impression of a good deity from what you've told me about him. That magic seems to reflect that."
"I guess so, but..."
'You doubt your power, not whether it'll ever be enough, but whether you can trust it.'
'Make no mistake, in the end, this power is to be yours.'
"Even though I felt absolutely terrified, he didn't seem... malicious? It's confusing. Like, he warned me, but he put me through this mess in the first place." Bell sighed. "At the very least, he did say my magic would be useful for my next quest, so maybe I should go now?"
"Nope!" Hestia grabbed Bell's hand and pulled him to the bed with a large pout. "Did you not forget that you were dead not even an hour ago!? I'm not just forgetting about that, Bell!"
She clutched him close while looking up at him with teary doe eyes.
"I need you with me tonight... please?"
"ACK! MY HEART!"
He couldn't say no to that face.
"I-I..." He looked away with a blush but quickly calmed down with a breath. "Okay, I'll use tomorrow to try out my magic, but I'll be going into the D-rank dungeon at midnight on that day."
Hestia didn't object to his decision but looked slightly confused by it.
"Why so late at night?"
"There shouldn't be too many adventurers in the dungeon at that time." Bell scratched his chin in thought. "So there'll be less people to risk seeing me, especially in case something goes wrong."
"G-Goes wrong!?" Hestia gripped him hard. "Don't say that, Bell! Don't envision it, or it'll happen! What would you expect, anyway!?"
"To be fair, when I left the first instant dungeon I ended up in front of red-named monsters like the centipedes. And I still don't know how they got there..." Bell sweatdropped.
"Oh yeah."
~{The Next Day}~
Under the early morning sky at the central park just outside the dungeon, Bell patiently waited by the circular fountain he and Lili had designated as their meeting point.
"I thought she'd be here by now..."
He ignored the gazes he got from way too many of the female adventurers as he searched for a small girl with a set of dog ears. He's gotten used to their looks at this point, not to mention...
"E-Excuse me..." A cute girl in a mage outfit approached with a stutter. "Would you-?"
"I'm sorry! I'm waiting for someone already!"
"Oh..."
Bell didn't think he'd actually start being approached by these girls... nor would he have to start rejecting them because of more important things.
Grandpa must be crying blood from his grave... And even he's crying on the inside, considering his initial dream.
Ugh, maybe he should just hide somewhere and wait until Lili shows up-
Bell's eyes dilated as they locked onto a group of three men surrounding someone he recognized.
"Lili!?"
The men had their chests puffed out, all three smirking cruelly as they spoke while the small girl shook her head in denial.
Soma Familia?
Bell sped towards them with a worried gaze, but he didn't even make it two steps before his hand snapped up and grabbed the wrist of someone reaching for his shoulder. He sharply turned his head and found a male with black hair and a longsword on his back, a man Bell immediately recognized as the adventurer from his and Lili's first meeting.
"The fuck!?" The man was evidently caught off guard by his movement, yanking his arm from Bell's hand and stepping back.
"I'm sorry, I have somewhere to be." Bell turned back.
"Huh? Oi, wait-!"
He ignored the man's call and rushed over, not hesitating to slip between the men and stand in front of his friend.
"There you are, Lili!" Bell piped up, smiling as he completely ignored the men around them.
"Bell-sama!?" Lili's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets.
"Hah!? Who the fuck are you!?" The apparent leading adventurer, a raccoon man, snarled at him.
He turned to the man with an innocent smile.
"Oh! I'm just an adventurer who needs Lili's services! Don't mind me." He turned back to Lili and leaned down, taking her hand into his.
"B-B-Bell-sama!?" She darted at their joined hands, cheeks reddening quickly.
"I've been looking for you. We have to get going for the dungeon or we'll lose time." He gently pulled her along, intending to get her away.
"Hold it."
However, the raccoon man stepped in his way with a commanding look... which was quite the funny picture, seeing that Bell has more than a head over the short adventurer.
"I recognize you," He snapped his fingers with a large grin. "You're the one that this little brat has been partying with lately! That's around the time we've seen Liliruca getting heavier bags; I guess you've been her little golden goose?"
Lili flinched, but Bell gave her hand a comforting squeeze, his smile unchanging.
"Lili earns her valis with her work. I wouldn't be making as much as I am without her." And he meant it. Even with his inventory letting him store as much as he wants, he still would've needed to take the time to pick up everything dropped from the monsters in the dungeon, wasting time he could be using to descend deeper. But Lili had always been quick and efficient in getting monsters out of the way and looting them for their stones.
"What? That squirt?" The man scoffed. "You don't gotta lie, you're pretty good at making cash, right? Tell ya what, how about you leave her and start partying with us? We could earn a lot more change that way. Not to mention..." He gave him a smug grin. "We could introduce you to our captain and his goods?"
Bell immediately knew something horrible was wrong as he felt Lili's grip on his hand tighten. What sort of goods is he implying? Actually, no, it doesn't matter.
He'd never just dump Lili aside, after all.
"No thank you! I'm fine with just her." Bell cheerily rejected his offer, wiping the smirk off the man's face.
"Kid," The man glared, his eye twitching. "You don't know what you'd be missing out on-"
"Nope!" Bell peppily cut him off. "No thanks. I'm not suicidal enough to be anywhere near the dungeon with any of you. Unlike all of you, I actually trust Lili."
The girl looked up at him with raw emotion in her eyes.
The raccoon man growled, face gaining something feral to it.
"You'll regret it, kid. We were being nice, but you just threw away your shot to join something big."
Bell just chuckled. "Well, if it's anything as big as you guys, then it must be quite disappointing."
Lili choked before covering her mouth while absolute rage reflected in the group's eyes. Just by looks alone, Bell knew they wanted to jump him, but surprisingly, they had just enough self-control not to try it in the plaza.
"You're dead, brat! The both of ya! Mark my words!" The raccoon spat before marching off with the other men, all giving glares promising death at the boy.
Bell saw them pass by the other man who had tried grabbing his shoulder, the adventurer scowling at them before choosing to follow the group.
As they left a good enough distance away, Bell's smile dropped into a comedically blank gaze.
"What the hell did I just say?"
Lili blinked a few times in quick succession, bewildered by the sudden change.
"...Bell-sama?"
"I... I didn't think I had it in me to say something like that." Bell somehow seemed even more shocked at what he said than Lili. "Why did I say something so crude!? I shouldn't be saying stuff like that to people, even if they deserve it! Wait, but if they deserve it, does that make it okay?" Bell got lost in his stupor as he muttered unintelligible words, leaving Lili staring at him dumbly.
The girl slowly looked at her hand, the one Bell was holding.
"When will Bell-sama let go of Lili's hand?" She pleaded, turning away from Bell with a red face.
That snapped Bell from his thoughts, the boy looking down at their joint limbs before gasping and quickly letting go.
"Sorry, Lili!" He awkwardly shifted away a step and looked away with a blush of his own.
The two were left in awkward silence... at least until Bell's gaze hardened as he thought about what had just happened.
"Lili?" He cautiously turned back to her, voice just above a whisper. "Were those men part of your Familia?"
The girl tensed, unmoving for several seconds after his question.
"Lili?" He called out again.
"Why did Bell-sama do that?" Her voice came out barely above a whisper. Bell could practically hear her conflict, the hesitance and confusion fueling it. "Why did you step in for Lili?"
Bell's lips curled into a sad, compassionate smile.
"Why wouldn't I? My precious supporter was getting harassed."
'Precious supporter.'
Lili's hands tightly gripped the straps of her backpack.
"...Bell-sama needs to be careful. Mr. Canoe and others will be searching for you now."
"And what about you, Lili?" He asked without missing a beat.
"..."
She finally turned to him, and Bell could see through her forced smile clear as day.
"Bell-sama doesn't need to worry. Lili will get by as she always has."
He reached a hand to her. "But-"
"Now c'mon! We've already wasted enough time!" Without letting him get another word in, Lili quickened her pace forward toward the dungeon, leaving Bell heartbroken.
"Not enough, huh...?"
There was a notably uncomfortable atmosphere between the two as they made it through the first and second floors. Bell didn't know what to say now, as it was evident that Lili just didn't want to talk about her situation. In fact, she was even keeping her head down like she had during their first meetings together. He hid his disappointment as he followed her, feeling more than a little frustrated that she had just forced the subject aside. He couldn't exactly just push the girl into telling him her problems or to ask for help, it wasn't that simple. Lili was in a constant flight-or-flight mindset, where pushing her too far could scare her into never returning. But at the same time... keeping things as they were now, especially with what just happened, was just as problematic.
He genuinely didn't know what to do other than what he's been doing already. There had to be a deciding factor, a moment of truth.
But for now, he has to ensure that no backtracking has happened between him and Lili.
Taking a deep breath, his expression lit up as he rushed forward to his supporter's side. "Lili! I just remembered; I managed to get magic yesterday!"
That practically snapped the girl's head up at him, eyes wide open.
"Eh!? Bell-sama has magic!? But haven't you only been an adventurer for a few weeks!?"
"I know! It's shocking, right?" Bell beamed. "I almost didn't sleep last night because of how much I wanted to test it! I haven't even tried it yet!"
As if listening to them, the dungeon shook as cracks emerged on the walls ahead of them.
"Oo! I can test it now! Watch me!" Bell beamed, stepping in front of the girl and readying himself as snarling goblins started being birthed.
Bell pointed his palm forward as the goblins grouped up and started running towards him.
"Brilliant Light!"
(!)ALARM
[Magic: Brilliant Light] was activated.
While Light violently burst into existence.
Bell grunted as he was nearly pushed back by the unexpected force of the fire blasting out of his palm. It came out in a spiraling beam of white light that shot straight at the oncoming goblins, engulfing them all not even a second later.
The shot continued until it hit a wall, then exploded in a blast ofwhite light.
The impacted wall struck was scorched black, with vibrant whitsh dust flickering the ground around it. And as for the goblins that had been there moments before?
Gone, reduced to atoms.
Bell and Lili stood side by side with jaws dropped and wide eyes unblinking.
"That's..." Bell breathed out.
"Th-That's..." Lili stuttered.
"Amazing!/Terrifying!"
They turned to each other in similar bafflement.
"What!? You think it's scary, Lili!?"
"How do you not think so, Bell-sama!? There wasn't a chant and yet it did that!" She pointed at the wall and the batches of fire around it. "They didn't even leave their magic stones behind! You completely incinerated them!"
"..."
Bell looked away with a pout.
"I think it looks cool..." He grumbled.
-1 mana will be consumed every minute.
What?
He raised an eyebrow at the message before looking at the burning, scattered flames.
"Oh, right! Um... Cancel?"
The white light was extinguished so fast that Lili yelped at their sudden disappearance.
"Oh, I can control how long they burn!" Bell beamed.
"You can what!?"
Lili shivered at the thought of those flames continuing to burn a person even after surviving an initial blast. Even being a good distance away, she can just feel how unnatural they are. She put her face into her hands and released a long, tired sigh.
"...Bell-sama?"
Bell tilted his head to the side. "Yeah, Lili?"
She threw her hands in the air. "Why are you so weird!?"
He blinked. Then he giggled.
"I think we've had this discussion before, I'm just special! Now cmon," He took Lili's hand into his own. "I wanna see what my magic does on the ninth floor!"
"Eh!? Wait, what-!?" Lili found herself dragged behind the boy through the dungeon. "B-Bell-sama!?"
"Don't worry about it, Lili." Bell chirped, looking back at her with a handsome smile. "As long as you're with me, I promise to always protect you!"
Her face turned full red in an instant.
"H-How can you hold my hand and say that with such a straight face!? You pervert! Playboy! Manwhore! Enemy of women!"
Despite the list of expletives she sent, Bell just laughed as he led her down the early floors.
"That's right, Lili. I'm weird, but I'm special. You've seen it yourself."
He gave a blinding smile to the stammering girl.
"I hope you see I'm special enough to protect you too."
~{Later That Night}~
"You have everything?" Hestia uneasily watched Bell tap at the air before him. Even though she knew he was looking through his system, it didn't change how weird it looked when she couldn't see it.
"I should. I never store anything out of my inventory. I have a high potion, a few low-grade potions, and even mind potions from Naaza. And I still have my status recovery in case of emergencies." He said, vanishing the screen and turning to the goddess.
"Good, that's... good." She squirmed in place, looking crestfallen. "So now you'll be going to that dungeon... in the dungeon..."
Bell saw the woman's worries all over her face, to which he sighed through his nose in understanding and walked over, not hesitating to lean down and pull the goddess into a hug.
"I'll come back Hestia, I promise."
"..." She tightly returned it. "Please be careful."
"I will." They separated, and Bell gave her a pat on the shoulder. "See you in the morning, Hestia."
He turned around and ran.
"I'm off!"
Orario at night gave off quite a different vibe than it did in the morning. Whereas the streets would be bustling and loud during the day, the darkness of nighttime brought about a calmer, much more serene grace under the stars.
Bell left the church and made an immediate beeline for Babel, running through the near-empty streets with his sights on the tower and the tower alone. He didn't dare use swift and waste his mana for what he had no doubt would be another difficult challenge to him. Along the way, he ran past the Hostess Of Fertility, not even bothering to look inside as he did so.
("Hm?" Sweeping the ground inside the doorway, Syr caught sight of vibrant white hair and looked just in time to see the handsome boy. "Bell?"
She peeked outside and got a better look as he headed for Babel, only to gasp with her hands to her mouth, dropping her broom.
"It changed!?")
Bell didn't stop running all the to the dungeon at what he estimated to be right before midnight. He sped down the first four floors while avoiding any monsters on the way, ignoring the occasional cracking walls. Soon, he took the path down from the fourth floor and finally stopped at the familiar brown walls of the fifth floor.
"Okay, finally here." Bell breathed short pants as he glanced in all directions and listened for any sign of other adventurers. He reached into his inventory and pulled out the D-rank instant dungeon key.
[Item: Dungeon Key]
Item Class: C
Type: Key
A key that allows you to create an instant dungeon. You may use this at the center of the fifth floor of Orario's dungeon.
"Wait, the center of the fifth floor?" Bell realized after rereading the description. "Deeper within then."
Vanishing the key away, Bell summoned Rasaka's Fang and took off into the dungeon.
"Grah!"
"Excuse me!" Bell kicked aside a goblin that jumped at him without even glancing at it.
He followed the brown walls illuminated by blue lights until he reached a small, round clearing that split into multiple paths.
"I think this is it?" Bell muttered as he glanced all around him. "It looks about right-"
Crumble!* *Crack!* *Rumble!*
Bell's eyes narrowed as the walls around him cracked open, with over two dozen goblins and kobolds crawling out, growling and snarling.
"A monster party? Seriously?" Signing in annoyance, Bell flipped his weapon into his left hand. "I don't have time for this!"
He lifted his right hand with his palm open.
"Brilliant Light!"
Ais followed Riveria through an upward path on the sixth floor leading them up to the fifth. Although her armor was damaged and covered in dirt and dust, the Sword Princess was in full health, as was the woman in front of her.
"When we get back, everybody's going to be surprised that you defeated a floor boss all by yourself." As for Riveria, she looked as beautiful and radiant as ever without any damage to her equipment, but there was an obvious uplifted disposition to her usual composed mood.
"Leaving Bors with the Udaeus's sword was additionally quite kind of you," She carried on, the slightest hint of pride in her voice. "Not many adventurers would ever give up such a valuable item."
Ais absentmindedly stared down as she reminisced on her feat in silence. She knew she should be proud of herself for today, knowing she had done something hardly any level five adventurer could ever claim to have done.
And yet...
"What's wrong?"
Ais snapped out of her stupor and looked up to find that she had stopped walking, as Riveria was curiously looking down at her from a few steps ahead.
"I thought you'd be happy. You took down a Monster Rex all by yourself, did you not?" The high elf pointed out, confused at the girl's current mood.
"I am," Ais stated despite her doll-like face not showing it. She then looked down at the ground again. "It's just..."
Riveria looked pensive before her eyes flashed realization.
"Is this about that boy?"
Ais didn't say anything, but her silence may as well be an answer in itself.
Riveria couldn't help but form a small smile. In all her years of watching over Ais together with the rest of their executives, the girl had always made it seem like she belonged in the dungeon to slay monsters... and nothing else. And yet, one rookie adventurer was actually diverting the blond's attention to something outside of the dungeon for once, even if it was out of guilt more than anything... but its progress. It granted hope that the girl would one day find her own priorities and, more importantly, happiness that had nothing to do with monsters.
"To think, he's still on her mind. I've never seen her so troubled by anything like this."
"He won't be in trouble," Ais looked up at her with an evident uneasiness, "Will he?"
It was a sobering question that wiped Riveria's smile into a frown.
"If he hasn't done anything wrong, then he won't. But at the very least, he must know something about the events that have been transpiring recently."
It was a sudden development that changed Loki's initial curiosity about wanting to speak to the boy to being something that needs to be done. It had come about when their goddess had returned from an investigation they had done in Orario's sewers.
"Are you sure, Bete?"
The three level six executives of the Loki Familia stood beside their goddess at her desk, with additionally Bete on the couch and Ais herself standing to the side.
Bete scoffed and leaned back against the couch with arms crossed.
"Damn straight, it was his scent, no doubt about it."
Ais couldn't hide her surprise at the werewolf's claim; it was one thing to learn that they had found more of those plant monsters, violas, in the sewers of Daedelus Street, but it was another to know that the boy they had found in the dungeon, Bell, had been in those same sewers. Why was he there, especially with monsters that had given a first-class adventurer like herself trouble?
"You were able to tell his scent so clearly on a simple letter?" Riveria asked, surprised to hear that the boy their goddess wanted to meet on a whim had somehow gotten involved in recent events.
"I didn't recognize his scent when I got that letter; it just smelled familiar," Bete admitted with a huff. "It was inside that reservoir that I knew it was him."
"The reservoir where the violas were?" Finn clarified.
"Yup!" Loki answered for him, a large grin on her face. "Our little messenger didn't get out unscathed."
"What?" Riveria frowned.
"We found his blood on the floor, and good ol' Bete remembered it from the dungeon."
Ais felt her breath hitch. He had gotten hurt again? And she hadn't even spoken to him yet? Apologized to him?
"But... why was he in there in the first place?" She asked aloud.
"That's what we're hopin' to ask the lad," Gareth said before turning to their goddess. "So what's the plan, Loki? With this, we may have a case to ask the guild to hold him so he could speak with us."
"Nope," Loki immediately denied with a wave of her hand. "I had a talk with Dionysus and then Ouranos about the guild. They seem hell as suspicious. I wouldn't bet on them not having a mole or two there listening in, regardless of who they work for."
Riveria chimed in. "I see. The perpetrators behind the events of the Monster Feria must at least be considering that we're getting involved in the investigation. So if the boy is somehow connected, then asking the guild to hold a specific person so soon after recent events could end up putting their eyes on him, therefore endangering him."
"Ain't that assuming the brat ain't somehow directly involved in pulling this shit?" Bete spoke up with narrowed eyes.
Ais clenched her fists. The thought of such a young-looking rookie choosing to get involved in terrorism...
"Well, the possibility is always there, but I doubt it," Loki chuckled, putting an elbow on her desk and head in her hand. "Ignoring how he could've just not told anyone about those monsters in the sewer, he's the only child of itty-bitty, and there ain't no waaaaaaaay tits-for-brain is working for anyone messing with the city, no matter how desperate for cash she is."
Ais relaxed.
"So we do as before and just keep an open eye out for him?" Gareth asked.
"Mhm! Though, we're all gonna be busy with your next expedition coming up... We have much to prepare for since you'll have smiths from Phae-Phae coming along. They're gonna want a lot of certain materials from the dungeon if they're gonna make the weapons we want to bring." Loki informed them.
Ais didn't listen to the rest of the conversation, her thoughts instead focused on the boy.
The longer she couldn't find him, the more moody she found herself.
As Loki had said, their Familia hadn't been able to prioritize looking for a random level one adventurer over getting ready for their next upcoming expedition that was soon to arrive.
Preparing had involved herself, Riveria, Tiona, Tione, Lefiya, and Finn going into the dungeon just this morning for quick funds, intending to pass through the safe zone that is the eighteenth floor where an adventurer-made town, Rivira, was built. However, when they had arrived, they had discovered that a murder had taken place in the town's inn.
But the most shocking part hadn't even been the murder, but rather, that the victim had been level four.
Things had only gotten more complicated from there; learning that the Ganesha Familia must've been tasked to bring something from the dungeon to the surface, more Violas suddenly sprouting in Rivira, fighting that red-haired... woman who had brought them there, and then taking on the Monster Rex, the Udaeus, by herself, a lot had happened in quite a short amount of time.
And yet, even now, Ais found thoughts of that rabbit-like rookie plaguing her mind, especially considering how he could be involved in all of this.
"For now, we have our upcoming expedition to consider, but I promise you Ais that we will meet that boy again and properly apologize to him."
Judging by how she raised her head, it did seem to reassure the girl. She nodded before closing the distance between them and following behind Riveria as they moved again.
The two beautiful women continued upward in a quiet but comforting silence as they neared the fifth floor… only for it to be shattered by an echoing boom.
Ais and Riveria paused as a faint voice echoed.
"-ight!"
Another explosion echoed not far above them.
"nt- Light-!"
Another blast shook the area.
"That sound… magic?" The elf realized.
Ais tilted her head in similar interest, noting how impressively fast the explosions were coming out. A multi-blast magic chant?
Then, everything abruptly stopped.
Wondering if something had happened, Ais passed Riveria in a hurry, the elf vice-captain following her up. As they reached the top of the steps and entered the fifth floor side-by-side, they came upon a surprising sight.
Several open cracks in the walls were currently repairing themselves, indicating that at least two dozen monsters had spawned in quite a short time, and despite this, very few magic stones lay along the ground. But the baffling part about the small clearing before them was the luminous white dust littering the area. They burned vibrantly along the ground with no signs of snuffing out, with the rest of the floor scorched in an unnatural white color.
"What in Loki's name?" Riveria breathed out, her eyes drawn to the frankly unnatural light pulsing before glancing at the lone figure at the far end. "Is that...?"
Ais's wide eyes immediately locked on the same person. He had his back to them, new armor, and looked a little taller than she remembered, but there was no way she wouldn't recognize that pure snow-white hair that looked soft to the touch.
"It's him!"
The boy that her Familia was looking for, and more importantly, the boy she's wanted to meet for too many days now.
She took a step forward and-
"!?"
Gone.
All she did was blink, and he was gone.
Ais stood dumbfounded and aimlessly looked around like a confused puppy.
"What!?" Riveria stepped forward, eyes searching the area in unconcealed astonishment. It was a rare look on the usually calm and composed elf.
Riveria turned to her.
"That was him, wasn't it? Bell Cranel?"
Ais numbly nodded. At the very least, she hadn't imagined him, but still...
The high elf swerved back to where the boy had been, "Was that teleportation magic? But I didn't hear a chant, see any visual effects or even sense any magic being used! It's like he was there... and then just wasn't."
Her eyes turned sharp as she crouched beside the ominous flames still flickering. She could feel a menacing heat radiating from them, far different than normal flames, almost as if just looking at them would burn her.
"And then there's these flames... I can sense that they're made of magic like any other spell of an elemental nature, yet they haven't smothered out as they should've without flammable sources around. They must still be using Mind to keep themselves going, but how is it being provided at this state?"
The Sword Princess didn't think she'd see the maternal figure of the Loki Familia so ingrained in something, but she vaguely knew how interested elves are in magic overall.
"They have such a mystical aura of magic energy; I've never seen anything like them." Riveria cupped her chin in fascination. "Not to mention their smell..."
Ais blinked. That wasn't something she expected to hear. Magic can smell? But she doesn't smell anything... The flames weren't even producing any smoke for her to sniff. Wait, both of those are odd in themselves.
"I don't smell anything," She shared with a cute frown. "Do they smell bad?"
Riveria absentmindedly shook her head, gaze unmoving from the flames.
"No, in fact," She took a deep whiff, her emerald eyes turning glossy as they refracted the beautiful Brilliant white colors before her.
"They smell rather pleasant," She mumbled.
She said nothing afterward for nearly a minute and stared at the flames, making Ais curiously tilted her head.
"Riveria?"
*Fwoosh!*
Both women jumped as every white flame in the vicinity abruptly died out. Riveria stood, snapped out of her stupor, cheeks lightly pink as she realized she had gotten distracted.
"Extinguished together with no prior warning... just what was that magic? And how did that boy manifest it so soon?" Riveria whispered in intrigue.
The Nine Hells has a deep interest in magic like any other elf, and being one, she was also far more in tune with sensing magic and familiar with the different properties many spells can take. She always appreciated witnessing different magic performed firsthand but wouldn't usually get so overly curious about anyone's specific magic besides a moment of consideration since it's in poor taste to investigate it from those outside their Familia.
But those flames... she hadn't seen the proper spell they had come from, but she had still felt the rich magic emitting from them, a magic that felt far different from any before. It had felt almost... primordial, in a sense. Powerful yet dangerous, mysterious but alluring, a uniqueness that made it stand out too clearly, not to mention that rather unique scent her nose had picked up.
And then there was that entirely different matter of how that boy, Bell, suddenly vanished from the fifth floor without a trace. Compared to the magic she had felt from the flames, there had been simply nothing indicating any kind of magic activated to perform such a feat.
She knew better than to ask an adventurer from another Familia how their magic worked, but... that curiosity was still there.
"Riveria?" Ais hesitantly called out again, snapping the high elf from her deep thoughts.
"Ah, my apologies, Ais." She returned to her famously composed posture instantly, albeit with a furrowed brow. "This magic drew my attention far more than I had expected. But it's sad to say that Mister Cranel slipped from our fingers yet again."
The mage sighed with a shake of her head.
"And now there are even more mysteries to him. How convoluted."
She turned back to the swordswoman, only to pause at the sight of her expression.
She was pouting.
The Sword Princess was pouting with cheeks so puffed Riveria could compare them to a chipmunk, and both hands were clenched in evident frustration at missing the chance to meet that boy for the third time.
"Ais?" Riveria hesitantly called out.
"Next time..."
The blonde's eyes were as sharp as a hawk.
"Next time he won't get away."
In all her years helping raise Ais, Riveria quickly recognized the girl's disposition as making a choice she wouldn't back down from.
"Ais?"
The swordswoman simply marched for the surface. Riveria almost missed a step as she rushed after her.
"Ais!? Ais!"