Hey guys I'm back. Forgive me for the grammatical mistakes I made last chapter and this chapter. I'm writing on Pages, an IPad app, and it bugs me like hell. Don't have access to any computers where I'm currently at so I'm trying my best.
I can't wait for the next volume translation. Solitary translations have already finished the first two volumes and you can read the fifth volume in Chinese, Google translation possible but it's pretty crap.
Been also reading Mushoku Tensei but it's been getting really depressing lately. I don't really mind, but I don't like how the author changes the MC from happy-go-lucky to I'm-a-pitiful-sorry-loser so quickly, those kind of changes are meant to go nice and slow and the MC has been in a funk for like two volumes...that's way too long.
More info/terms for this fanfic:
The Dungeon will act like the Aincrad castle in SAO: there will be cities every floor, portals that will allow one to move around discovered floors etc... But each floor is huge.
Classification rankings for skills go like this from weakest to strongest, descending order:
-Novice-Beginners
-Apprentice
-Senior-Level 2 Adventurers
-Advanced-Level 4 Adventurers
-Seasoned-Tione, Bert Ryouga, Level 5 Adventurers
-Expert
-Champion-Aizu Wallenstein
-Sage-Riveria Rios
-King/Master-Roland, Arthurius, legendary mythological people like Merlin, Solomon etc...
-Emperor/Grandmaster-Bell Cranel, Lugh
-God/Demon-Literally for gods or demons of the 72 Pillars
Note there are more. Just not releasing their names...yet.
Types of skills/talents categories including sub-categories:
-Magic: Mage
-Close Combat/Martial Arts: Fighter
-Sword Combat: Swordsman/swords-woman
-Lance Combat: Knight
-Alchemy: Alchemist
-Medicine: Apothecary, Potions Master
-Music: Bard
-Smithing: Blacksmith, Miner
-Archery: Archer
-Holy Arts/Healing Arts: Cleric, Medic, Priest, Bishop
-Cooking: Chef
-Mercantile: Merchant
-Adventuring: Adventurer
-Tailoring: Tailor
-Farming: Farmer
-Carpentry: Carpenter
Note there are more skills but these are typically the most important.
Combine them you get stuff like: Sage-class Mage, Champion-class Swordsmen, Master-class Chef etc...
-Bell will be 14 by canon timeline, but he's as tall as a 16-17 year old teenager. He has a lean body yet his abs and muscles are very, very prominent.
Monsters, will obviously, be a lot stronger than what is depicted in the manga.
Dragons, for one, will be the huge motherfucking badasses we have all come to know and love. So quite literally they are one of the strongest spawns in the dungeon. Level 7 Standard Monsters by themselves and higher.
Alright let's get started...
XXXXX-Chapter 2: The Legendary Cleric-XXXXX
"…Mmmm."
The base of Hestia Familia was the average two-storey house I had previously arrived at.
Because it was built in the outer areas of the city, the sound of the morning birds chirping could be heard here. I confirmed that it was morning and woke up from my bed at the stated time.
Because my home country was at the countryside, I had developed a habit of doing farm work in the morning, so I already had this biological clock.
(…It should be just five o clock.)
Just in case, I stuck out my head from the sofa to confirm it with the clock hanging on the wall.
The "Magic Stone Lamp" that was developed from the magic stone technology, was shining dimly on the ceiling, so even if it was underground, the room was not completely surrounded by darkness. It had the effect of allowing the naked eye to observe the surroundings.
Kami-sama had also praised the human technology of this "Magic Stone Lamp" as "really handy and flexible." Just because it was an object that made even gods exclaim, you could realize the greatness of the magic stone products that once were known as the "Century's greatest invention".
Yesterday, after finishing the feast with Kami-sama, as usual, I gave the bed to Kami-sama and slept on the sofa. It was narrow, but I was already accustomed to it.
After I blinked a few times, I prepared to get up to wash my face…when I suddenly noticed.
Besides the blankets, there was a round object pressing onto my body. Very soft. Because I wasn't mistreated by it, I didn't't notice it earlier.
With a question mark inside my heart, my hand reached out towards the unknown round object…and I instantly understood. It was Kami-sama.
She had buried her head in my chest and was fast asleep. Although I was shocked, I immediately leaked out a wry smile.
Rather elastic and soft...7 out of 10!
Yeah, his standards for oppai were really high. The women he had met formerly were of high standard...and he had met...a lot of them...in a rather intimate way...on a comfy, warm rectangular furniture...naked.
Is that enough clues for you guys? Wait who was I referring to again?
I could only sigh and think that anything could happen in this world. Okay, now it's trouble, what should I do?
It was easy to escape from the sofa without waking up Kami-sama, but how I should say it, I didn't't want to let go of this warm and comfortable existence. It was simply beyond a high-class pillow and worthy of the name god-class pillow.
I completely understood that even Familia that hold powerful weapons or items didn't have anything that could surpass this pillow. Kami-sama is pretty amazing.
I was a bit hesitant, but I still put my hand around Kami-sama's back and gently hugged her. The feeling was very soft.
Should I stay like this? Or escape? What to choose? What to choose?
Once my face was facing towards Kami-sama who was filled with a fragrance, Kami-sama issued out an "Mmmmm…" sound, shifted her lower body and rubbed her cheeks on my chest like a baby.
Oh she was good, if this was any other teenager she was doing this to he would've fallen for her trap.
But nah he had encountered this scenario far too many times too fall for it any longer.
I moved swiftly. Replacing my body with a real pillow. Kami-sama was now hugging it in my place.
Hestia was a good kid, ironic since she's technically older than me, but she could be a bit clingy sometimes.
As I made my way downstairs towards the kitchen to cook a nice breakfast for both of them. When I had shut the door, I had briefly heard a mutter from Hestia.
"...Bell-kun, you idiot. Hmmmm."
I smiled, she was definitely pouting right about now. How cute!
It was time to put my Master-Class Cooking Skills to use.
Seriously, Kami-sama had no housewife skills at all.
It was a good thing that Cooking was something I enjoyed.
I had a distinct feeling that without me, she would probably be eating potato croquettes right now after receiving low pay from a job at the groceries store or cafe or something like that.
Yes, even Kami-sama was susceptible to manual labour in the Lower Realms.
Gods were forbidden by the Creator God himself to use their powers, though some of them did sneakily break that rule.
But apparently Heaven was just that boring...boring enough to make them come here, despite the restriction.
Most of them were successful even without their powers, often dabbling in Life Skills like Smithing, Potion-making, Tailoring or Cooking.
There were some Familia that preferred reputation by battling or adventuring in the front lines, like that Loki Familia I had heard about from Eina.
"...morning, Bell-kun." Looks like Kami-sama decided to join the table.
"Good Morning, Kami-sama! Did you sleep well?"
Her response was a cute pout.
"Muoooh, Bell-kun, you meanie!"
"Hehe sorry had to cook, I made lots of pancakes by the way, eat up." Yeah, Kami-sama absolutely loved pancakes...and meat...and rice...and a dozen of other recipes. She just really, really loved eating.
Her expression brightened up immediately at the mention of food. As expected of Kami-sama.
"Yay, you always cook delicious food. It's been a while since I've had your cooking."
Yep. It has been a while, hasn't it. I hadn't returned from the dungeon for 3 days straight.
This was a normal thing for me...to be gone from civilisation for several days in a row.
"So where did you go for last few days Bell-kun?" Ah the usual question.
"Secret~ Kami-sama, I didn't tell you last time, and I'm certainly not going to tell you this time." Responded with the usual reply.
"Muoooh!" And the same reaction from Kami-sama.
This was the usual routine every time I came back home.
It's not that we weren't close. Oh we had a very good relationship. It's just that I liked to keep my privacy.
The fact that rookie adventurers don't usually have a habit of disappearing notwithstanding.
Yep, Kami-sama still thought I was a 'rookie'.
But it was a reasonable assumption.
Old Age adventurers never had to sign up or make an ID at some adventurer's guild. Back in the day, people just went in, kicked ass and went back home...so much simpler. But nowadays people had to be sign up at the guild.
Most of the Old Age Adventurers ignored this rule and stayed independent. But they had to exchange magic stones for gold through the black market nowadays. Guild-financed businesses were off-limits to them, they couldn't participate in guild-hosted tournaments or events which granted huge prizes and all-in-all...it was just so freaking troublesome. Not to mention if an independent adventurer wanted to go down or up a floor they had to manually find the stairs that leads to a lower or upper floor instead of using the dimensional portal on each [Floor City].
The only good thing about being independent is that one could access all the discovered levels of the Dungeon without restriction, without being monitored by the guild.
It's why the guild had such a hard time keeping track of [Level 7 Adventurers and higher] simply because most of them were Old Age adventurers.
A few weeks ago I had signed up at the guild as a 'new' adventurer. Since no-one really saw my face under my former crimson-black helmet, it was just more convenient to build a new career.
Sure Kami-sama was worried for me the first few times I went out like this. But eventually, over the year, she got used to it. Though she did ask me what I was doing once in a while, she didn't pursue the matter as long as I didn't come back with any grave injuries.
"Bell-kun, one of these days!"
"Don't worry Kami-sama, I'm perfectly fine. You have nothing to worry about."
"But still..."
"I won't take you out for dinner~" In an instant, she understood the underlying message.
"Muoooh no fair, Bell-kun!"
"Hehe, never said I wouldn't play dirty."
"Just remember you promised."
"Yep, I'll definitely take you out for dinner tonight?"
She shook her head, I was confused.
"Is there something going on tonight?"
"Ah, no, I was invited to a friend's banquet for tomorrow night. I have to stay at a distant city for quite some time."
"Oh, well, have fun then."
"I wanted to pick out a dress for the banquet...I was hoping you could come with me to the shopping district." She asked shyly.
Huh, could it be?
The famous [Shopping Date] scenario! With a goddess no less!
Where the boy goes to a clothing shop with girls, the girl wears a huge assortment of dresses while blushing profoundly! Where the girl picks up a dress, hides behind it and asks her date to buy it with a profoundly adorable expression?
Oh, heck yeah!
He hadn't encountered this scenario in ages!
"Sure Kami-sama."
XXXXX-Shopping District-XXXXX
It's been a while since I've been here.
It's a rather crowded place, especially during the mornings.
"Bell-kun come on hurry, let's go buy some new clothes!" Of course Kami-sama, being her energetic self, ignored the bustling crowd on the main road.
But it was true, I really needed some new clothes. Most of my idle ones back in my wardrobe are really old or tattered due to extreme damage.
Kami-sama was getting too far ahead. I should catch up lest we get separated.
Taking a step forward, as soon as my outstretched limb was about to make contact with the floor an unpleasant feeling hit me.
My keen senses could detect an outburst of pure, unadulterated emotion directed straight towards me. From where, that is, was the question.
It wasn't a feeling that provoked a sense of danger, no, but it felt disturbing...like when a predator is looking at a delicious piece of meat dangling in front of it or when a stalker was staring at an idol in the dark alleyway.
Lust, hunger, arousal...all these adult-related feelings hit me instantly.
I turned. Where was that feeling coming from?
There were several maids serving customers in an open outdoor cafe,
A family of two adults and three children eating ice cream together.
A silver-haired woman looking onto the street from the second floor of a different cafe.
Wait a minute.
As I was about to move my head to look at another direction, I hastily turned back to the second floor of that cafe. Only this time...there was no silver-haired woman.
There was no mistake...that woman was staring at me before.
That feeling was coming from her, I knew...because only someone that had the same aura as Kami-sama could project such strong, unrestricted emotions.
I had no time to ponder however as someone distracted me from my thoughts.
"Bell-kun, is that you!?"
"!"
"My goodness, it is you!" The feeling of lust from before was gone now, immediately replaced by a soothing sensation from someone behind me.
I changed my posture once again,straightening myself, as I turned around to face whoever was talking to me.
I was shocked...a familiar face!?
It was a beautiful blonde-hair, long and wavy, 19-year old woman wearing a modified version of a church robe. There was no hood revealing a dazzling complexion enhanced by an equally dazzling smile. The robe was pure white in colour together with a few gold outlines, decorated by silver ornaments. There was a necklace with a sign of the cross between her ample bosom, one that surpassed even Kami-sama's. Looking lower, one could spot perfect hips followed by a pair of creamy thighs revealed by slits on both sides of the bottom part of her robes.
If one made a comparison, she would look similar to one of those elven princesses with long blonde hair and big breasts except without the pointing ears.
Only one woman remotely matched these exact high-quality, angelic features.
"...Gabriel?"
Her response was only a tilt of her head revealing her delicate-looking neck, a widening of her smile and her eyes closing. That posture was formidable...it's forbidden to be that simultaneously cute and sexy, Gabriel!
A/N: yes, if you get the reference, it's that Gabriel! It's obvious she's religious, it's kind of implied that's she beautiful beyond measure and she's wearing pure white and gold colours, heck the name by itself is a big indicator to what her true identity is. The word 'Angelic' is pun-intended.
As if she could understand my thoughts, her eyes opened to reveal a cheeky, knowing look.
"Took you long enough, Bell-kun." She teased.
I could only remain gawking.
"He-hey Gabriel...it's been a long time." Though she was a familiar person, it was still kind of hard to expect one of the Top 5 Hottest Women under the Heavens (Goddesses included) to talk to you due to a random meeting.
That being said...
"How is it that you're here without being noticed?" It was kind of hard for people to ignore the presence of one of the most beautiful women alive.
She pouted, of course.
"Meanie, is that the first thing you say when old-time friends reunite?"
"Haha sorry, just curious, it's not everyday when one meets one of the most popular/beautiful adventurers out in public without being swarmed by a bunch of her fans." I noticed the slight reddening of her cheeks for a moment before she covered it with one of her hands.
"Oh you flatterer, you!" She playfully pushed my chest away with her other hand.
"It's not flattery if its the truth." Now we were really getting off topic, how did our meeting even come to this corny exchange of words?
"Well, I guess you deserve to know then as a reward."
She bent her upper body forwards until her head was right, up close to mine.
"Magic."
True, now that she said that, it was kind of obvious that there was an unusual amount of mana scattered around the vicinity. Kind of surprising I hadn't figured it out sooner.
Magic and Seals/Runes solved a lot of things. Put them together and you could practically solve everything.
"So how has your career been?" I was so out of touch with the current quota that I had practically no idea who was famous and who was dangerous.
A prime example was the women before me.
In a nutshell, we used to form a party together for random yet enjoyable raids.
The last time they had met, she was primarily the healer of our party.
A high-tier Level 7 Sage-class Mage and Master-class Cleric at the age of 17 1/2!
But that was around a year ago, when she didn't have God's Grace. Who knows how far she's progressed now. She may even be part of a Familia now. It was hard to say.
"Very good thank you. Though it's not as fun compared to the old days." She had a look of longing as she stared at me. Yes, indeed, in the old days, things were so much more enjoyable, simple even.
But the Gods kind of ruined that fun with their interference and subtle-ish power plays.
"Are you still an adventurer, I haven't heard much news on the old gang."
"Yes, well not really. I've got obligations to my Familia now. Most of my Familia members are currently in Egypt now, we're trying to capture the Sphinx under request of The Pharaoh for healthier diplomatic relations."
Ah yes, divine politics.
It's either a battle between Familia or a Familia of one faction trying to appease an important God of another faction.
There are multiple factions out in the world. In this context, they are basically a bunch of Gods and their Familia grouped together and ruled by a singular God, typically the strongest.
Famous examples were...
The [Shinto] faction with Izunami and Izanagi, lovers, as the leaders.
The [Greek] faction with Zeus, Poseidon and Hades as the trinity leaders. Zeus being the top dog out of the three.
The [Norse] faction with Odin as the leader. Apparently Thor, Odin's son, was next in line.
The afore-mentioned factions were three of the more famous/strongest/important factions in the world. Sure there were a lot of other factions, but most of them fell under their leadership.
I had heard of Egypt before, it was really far away, overseas even.
"Your faction must be pretty high up there in the food chain if you're handling international affairs."
"Hehe...yes...quite high up there." I could detect an underlying tone of guilt.
Strange...
"Anyway I was hoping that-" "Bell-kun where are you?" Gabriel was quickly interrupted.
Kami-sama was heading towards us.
"Bell-kun there you are! I was worried when-" Kami-sama stopped talking when she laid eyes on Gabriel.
Her eyes narrowed considerably when she stared at the blonde woman across her.
"And just who are you?" Kami-sama asked rudely. I would've face palmed usually, but Gabriel was giggling next to me. Yep, that's what I liked about her, she rarely took offence to anything, so pure of heart.
"Kami-sama, this is Gabriel. Gabriel, this is Hestia."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Hestia-sama." Gabriel reached out for a handshake.
"Wait...Gabriel!? You mean The Gabriel? One of the most famous female adventurers of the Old Age? You don't look like her."
What? My confusion was answered quickly by Gabriel though.
"Oh my bad, I'm sorry, my magic prevents anyone from truly recognising my presence. Illusion magic to prevent anyone from thinking something like 'it's Gabriel-sama"! I am very sorry for affecting you too!" She bowed a little. He could feel the mana was no longer passing through Hestia, thus no longer affecting her.
It was kind of a unspoken law to never cast magic on a god. Even if it's a non-combat spell. Gods were very easily provoked, they were like spoiled children that way.
I was surprised though. Her magic was strong enough to bypass the mental barriers of a god!
His earlier suspicions were true. She had gotten a lot of stronger!
Illusion magic only works on those who have less mana then the mana put into the illusion spell. True, Hestia was a young goddess and had no experience whatsoever in the magic arts, but she was a goddess nonetheless.
Those of divine origins, with no exceptions, always had a powerful affinity for magic and thus a huge capacity of mana at their disposal even in birth. For Gabriel to affect Hestia with simply illusion magic was a testament to her current power.
This could only mean one thing...
Gabriel had probably reached Emperor-Class as a Mage or a level that surpasses even that!
That was a huge jump in power in just two years. From Sage-Class to Emperor-Class possibly higher was astounding progress.
I could tell Kami-sama was thinking the same thing if the shocked look on her face was any indication.
Gabriel was still smiling.
Kami-sama took a deep breath and reached her hand forward. The two women shook hands.
To see Kami-sama shake hands with a women so much taller than her with a serious expression was kind of funny.
Given that her serious expression was directed right towards Gabriel's bosom. He could definitely predict what she was thinking right now. Something along the lines...
Her breasts are bigger than mine!
Kami-sama was quite proud of her assets if nothing else. To see someone match them in size made her feel somewhat uncomfortable, especially when that said-someone was more beautiful than Kami-sama.
But he had only known two women in his life, Gabriel included, that could match Kami-sama in chest size and that was only because the tall heights of both women accentuated their chests.
"Gabriel-san, I can't believe I'm talking with such a legendary figure such as yourself. I'm a big fan of every member of the [CrimsonHart Crusaders]."
It's true. Kami-sama was a hardcore fan of the Old Age adventurers. Compared to today, when raids were usually operated by only those in the same Familia, raids in the past were operated by a [Party] which was the closest thing to a [Familia].
The most prominent [Party] was the [CrimsonHart Crusaders], a group of eight close friends led by the [Crimson Goddess] and the [Crimson Conqueror]. Yeah...we really needed to work on our naming back in the day.
We were that obsessed with crimson. It was just an awesome colour.
Back to Kami-sama. She was a diehard fan of them, their feats in the dungeon as well as their victories over multiple legendary creatures around the world was the stuff of awesomeness.
Apparently the Gods in Heaven, who were so bored, were watching TV one day and coincidentally came across one of their battles. Kami-sama said that the Gods favourite hobby back then, when the party still existed, was watching them in action ever since.
It's probably why the Gods were so obsessed with finding Old Age adventurers for their Familia.
"Thank you! It's wonderful to hear such admiration from a god even. But I must say..." Gabriel looked between me and Kami-sama.
Kami-sama became embarrassed on a random note.
"Oh sorry...I am the goddess of Bell-kun's Familia. I was so surprised that I forgot to introduce myself properly teehee." I smiled at that last comment.
But Gabriel was looking shocked. She muttered it out quietly but I heard her all the same.
"You're...his goddess?" The sad tone was not missed by me. She had put the obvious pieces together.
Gabriel looked at me. I looked away in shame. The message in that look was obvious.
What happened to her?
I couldn't bring myself to look back, not in front of Hestia.
"Yep, we formed a Familia a year ago." Hestia replied back cheerfully.
"...near the time of the [Burning of Falias]!" Gabriel whispered.
She's caught on...
Falias was the Irish equivalent to Heaven. It was the [Paradise City of Irish Gods], Macha's former homeland.
"Well, it was a pleasure meeting both of you. I must attend to some important business now."
"Um...can I request something of you."
"Yes?" Kami-sama looked shy and hesitant for some reason. Until she reached for something behind her.
It was an old group photo of the [CrimsonHart Crusaders].
I wasn't surprised that she was holding onto it. She used an entire cabinet to worship them.
"Can I please have your autograph?"
"Ufufufu, sure."
While she was scribbling down on the photo, I wanted to ask her something. But Kami-sama asked her for me.
"Oh yeah, what Familia are you a part of, Gabriel-san?"
She looked towards me bearing a wry smile.
"Secret!" She winked at both of us.
"Gabriel..."
"Shhhh...You don't have to say anything." She reassured him gently placing a finger on his lips as she handed the signed photo to Kami-sama, who was staring at them incredulously.
I was kind of surprised how restrained Kami-sama was during their interaction. Usually when I interact with another woman she gets really overprotective or becomes really pissed off.
My relief was cut short when Gabriel suddenly embraced me, lovingly so. I could see several veins pop out on Kami-sama's forehead.
Was Gabriel doing this intentionally?...Nah she's too kind-hearted to purposefully provoke someone.
Her warm breath softly reached my ear.
"Shall we catch up during dinner." She huskily asked.
So...so aggressive? Was this person hugging me really Gabriel? Because the innocent, naive, kind-hearted, mostly pacifistic Gabriel would never be one to initiate a date. Two years must've been a really long time.
"Su-Sure..." Kami-sama's mood shifted from angry to gloomy. It was really time to end this conversation.
"Alright I'll see you tonight then..." She called out. Also being able to read the situation.
At our former hangout place, [The Mistress of Abundance]? She telepathically said.
Sure... It would be nice to have dinner in the place they had all first met together.
Waving goodbye, someone grabbed my ear and yanked it. Kami-sama was really pissed.
Hahahaha I see. Even if she's a fan, absolutely no girl will touch her child. She was probably thinking something along those lines.
"Bell-kun!" She said sweetly, too sweetly. "You've got some explaining to do!"
"Ahahaha...ummm..." Kami-sama looked expectantly at me.
I was screwed.
XXXXX-some random shop-XXXXX
It's been around a few dozen minutes before we entered a shop.
You would think it would take only a few minutes walking from a house to a shop. But noooo! Kami-sama decided to spend more time to interrogate me.
After several dozen attempts at asking about my relation with Gabriel and several dozen failed attempts at feigning ignorance, Kami-sama finally gave up.
Though she was extremely moody after she stopped interrogating me. It was kind of cute actually.
"Welcome, customer."
A female staff greeted us.
But I wasn't really focusing on her. What I was most curious about was the wears behind her.
Glancing over the staff's shoulder. I saw a jet-black open jacket and pants dangling on a metal pole.
It appealed to me almost immediately.
So I ran towards it, ran to the counter and brought out some money in a flash.
"I want a 100 of these!"
Let it not be said that Bell only operated in crimson, black or sometimes in very, very, very, very dark red.
Hestia was well aware of Bell's fanatical obsession with these colours. So she face-palmed, while trying to hide her amused smile.
XXXXXXXXXX
Walking on this endless Main Street.
The surrounding scenery was completely different from what it was during morning.
It had completely put up its 'night-time appearance' so to speak.
The crowd was far less, yet there was a rowdy, good-natured atmosphere. One full of passion and joy. Even the Demi-humans were cheerful.
The hobbits and gnomes were dancing around, holding onto each other's shoulders, as they sang happily with drinks in hand. Mighty warriors forming circles around several campfires in the background as they celebrated a good day's hunt.
Since there were female beast-men with animal ears and tails wearing bold outfits attracting customers, and there were also Amazon, who were wearing outfits even more outrageous than theirs, constantly ignoring the surrounding gazes and walking with a faint smile. But cute maids and amazons weren't what I was looking forward to seeing...this time.
It was the chance to get reacquainted with a female friend, whose company I rather enjoyed.
I was kind of worried though.
I wasn't wearing anything fancy or formal. This was just a casual dinner, nothing too romantic, calm down. Besides my friends weren't ones for fancy, they preferred being ordinary in their downtime...hopefully that remained true over the years.
"It feels like yesterday...when we, all, last came here."
It really did feel like that. A flashback of the good old times.
Eight friends gathered around the table as they celebrated a good day's hunt just like the other adventurers nearby.
Macha, me, Gabriel, Arthurius, Roland, Merlin, Siegfried and Evangeline.
I miss them.
[The Mistress of Abundance] held a lot of memories for him.
I opened the door and walked in.
What I first saw was a well-developed female dwarf serving food at the counter — —It should be the boss —Then, I saw a little of the kitchen, where the female cat people with animal ears and tails were busy working and several waitress, of multiple races, taking orders with a smile.
Now where was...
"Bell-san!"
"Hmmm? Oh...Seal?"
A waitress had approached me.
She was wearing a white blouse and a leaf-colored knee-length long skirt. On top of this was also a slightly long half apron around her waist.
Her black hair was tied into a small knot, and a tail was hanging down below that knot. Looks like it was a type of ponytail. Her eyes, that had the same colour as her hair, were seemingly innocent and cute. Her milky white and smooth gentle face had a joyful expression.
"Bell-san it's been so long since you've last visited!"
"We've got a customer! It's Bell-san!" She shouted back to the kitchen. The cooks and the dwarf lady looked up towards the door. They had a look of recognition as they saw me, some of the staff, assumably the newer ones, had no idea what was going on, all the customers shared that thought.
The ones working in the bar or the kitchen looked extremely happy.
Did she really have to report that? I'm not some famous celebrity...to the public's knowledge that is.
"Come with me please. Gabriel-san is waiting for you, she's already ordered your favourite."
"Guess it can't be helped then." I sighed as she dragged me upstairs.
As I looked around, in the corner, there right next to the window. I saw Gabriel cheerfully waving at me. She wasn't wearing a robe and nobody was gawking at her beauty, illusion magic again eh?
Being a first-class beauty must be extremely tiresome.
I was relieved however. I was right in assuming that this was just a casual dinner. Gabriel was only wearing a simple white blouse and jeans, a white and golden handbag was resting next to her on the chair.
They both stared at each other. Unknown to the other, they were both assessing each other's choice of clothes.
Unknown to both of them, they thought the same thing. They were both wearing really, really simple clothing yet...
She's so sexy... I was mostly referring to her cleavage, which was emphasised by the tightness of her blouse, but then again...any clothing would emphasise it.
He's so handsome... She was staring right at his chest. That jet-black jacket was just brought, she could tell, but Bell was wearing nothing underneath. Instead the jacket was left unzipped as it revealed perfect abs for all to see. She was blushing madly at Bell's daring choice of clothing.
"Hey, Gabriel! Were you waiting long?"
"Uhhh...n-no..."
I sat down on the opposite side of the table. Seal followed closely behind.
"I already ordered your favourite, Bell-kun. Does stir-fry noodles sound good to you?"
"Yep!" Noodles were always good.
"And Seal, I'll be having lasagna, any drinks Bell-kun?"
"Mmmm, honey dew milk tea then."
"Okay then." She looked up towards Seal. "Can you also put two straws..."
Wait, what?
"...I'll leave dessert to your discretion." Seal bowed and departed, but looked back before she went back to the kitchen."it's good to see you again, Bell-san, Mia mama and the others have missed you."
"Hehe sorry, I'll be sure to come here frequently then." That earned a smile from the waitress. I had the feeling I had just forgotten something.
"Everyone would be delighted to see you here again." With that she ran back to the kitchen.
The huge dwarf lady, working at the bar, was Mia mama. When Seal came near, Mia mama was immediately talking to her probably discussing my sudden visit.
She was quite busy since [The Mistress of Abundance] was really popular, especially with their famous ale! Which was probably why the boss couldn't come up to our table and talk to us herself. We were her first customers after all, after we helped her build the business, when she retired from being an adventurer.
That being said it was nice to be back here. There were some unfamiliar faces but, all in all, the atmosphere was still the same. Cheery and welcoming.
That being said, there was an abundant amount of joy and happiness coming from the one in front of me.
It was one of his [Gifts] to sense emotion and strong presences to a higher degree than even most animals.
Sometimes it was inconvenient, but for times like these...it was the perfect ability.
"I've missed this place." Gabriel said longingly. Guess I wasn't the only one to reminisce about the good old times.
"I've been so busy with international relations and Dungeon expeditions that I rarely had the time to relax. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to be myself."
"Well, glad I could help I guess." But deep inside, I knew that I was the one who was more grateful. It was good to see her after so long.
"By the way, Gabriel, how long will you be staying?"
"Just for this month, I came here to supervise the joint effort of managing an upcoming event with the Ganesh Familia. The remaining time after that is free-time." I could feel a peg of guilt surging from her, but I paid it no mind.
"I see, that's good then." Smiling inwardly, I mentally fist-pumped. A month was a satisfactory amount of time to reconnect.
"I... I was hoping we could explore together like we used to." She suddenly asked with those puppy dog eyes. Damn I wasn't fast enough to avoid that mentally super-effective attack.
"That...that would be nice."
"It's a date then!" She said happily.
"But..."
"Let's form a [Party]!" She said before I could even finish my sentence.
"Uhhh there's no such thing anymore Gabriel. Anyway wouldn't your Familia get mad at you for exploring with someone who's not part of the Familia?" Familia are really protective with their members or plain secretive, anyone who's not part of the group is automatically seen as some kind of threat or spy.
"Don't worry, I'm one of the core members of my Familia so the members trust me."
"Still won't the male members kind of...you know, get jealous? I don't really want to cause trouble with any Familia if I can help it." You wouldn't expect adventurers to be that petty, but you would be wrong.
"Oh so long as no one recognises us , we'll be fine." She said nonchalantly.
"Here's your order!" Oh, Seal had just returned, with our meals in hand.
"One stir-fry noodles, one plate of lasagna and...one glass of honey dew milk tea...for the two of you."
Oh, that's what I had forgotten. I was kind of blushing by then...I just wasn't used to Gabriel being that aggressive.
"Ufufu, thank you Seal-san." One would expect that to be the cue for Seal to leave, but no. She took a circular chair from the side of the wall and sat on the outer side of the table.
"Uhhh don't you have to work Seal?"
"Nope! Mia mama gave me some time off. We have enough waitresses."
Gabriel wasn't bothered but I was...kind of. Oh well, the more the merrier.
So we chatted and chatted and chatted and chatted while we ate.
40 minutes later...
"Well guess I'll bring these plates back now. I'll be back with the dessert." Seal left, and Gabriel suddenly wore a serious look."
"Bell, there's a matter I want to discuss with you before we finish up."
"Yes?" This was it, this was probably the real reason why Gabriel invited me to dinner.
Gabriel took a deep breath.
"Bell-kun...will you join my Familia?"
I stopped breathing for a moment. That was certainly unexpected.
"W-what?"
"If someone like you were to join our ranks, my God would be extremely pleased. Not to mention..." She said the last part in a lower tone "...we would be together...forever."
I didn't hear the last part nor could I see the blush on her face.
"So how about it?"
"No. I'm sorry, but I have to refuse your offer. I'm already in a Familia."
"But why Bell-kun? You deserve so much more than that. With your skills, you would be welcomed into any Familia. Why does it have to be Hestia's which has no other members?"
"...I owe my life to her. Back then, she saved my life when I was on the brink of dying and for that, I will always be indebted to her."
"Then we can-"
We were interrupted when the bar broke into a commotion. We looked around and saw that everyone was looking at a group of ten people that had just entered.
They sat near the bar, directly opposite from the corner we were sitting at.
They had a strong presence, clearly strong adventurers...
Among them...
Aizu Wallenstein! Her aura was uncontrolled, wild even, but it had a radiance that surpassed her peers.
"...the [Sword Princess]! I didn't think I would see her here." Gabriel muttered out. It seems she was quite familiar with Aizu.
"You know her, Gabriel?"
"I've met her, when she was young, during my visits to Europe." What would she be doing in France? Gabriel noticed my confusion and answered promptly.
"Roland lives there now. He serves as the personal champion of Emperor Charlemagne. I would sometimes visit him in the palace. Two years ago, he took on an apprentice."
"Ah, so Aizu Wallenstein was taught by Roland huh. Interesting."
"Yes, I had thought you would catch on instantly, it's public knowledge by now. It's not everyday when the [Sword King] takes on an apprentice. It's where her nickname, [Sword Princess] comes from."
"Oh, makes sense." It was kind of funny. Just this morning and yesterday, when I was trying to search for info on Aizu nothing substantial came up other than that she started going into the dungeons with the Old Age adventurers at the age of 7. That was even younger than I was when I started, though apparently her role was more like a [Supporter].
"That sword she's carrying is called the Ex-Durandal, a gift from Roland. It's made from the same metal as Roland's Durandal except that it places more emphasis on speed rather than power."
True, Roland always did prefer power over speed. His favourite sword was the Durandal, a huge black great-sword with a golden cross on the blade. That didn't mean he was slow though, no he was still pretty fast but his destructive power...well it was certainly a sight to behold.
The sword Aizu was carrying around her waist was really thin with an unusual S-like guard wrapping itself around half the mithril hilt, it was so thin that it border-lined between a katana to a rapier.
I tried listening to my surroundings, I wondered what they thought.
Once the crowd realised the newcomers were the Loki Familia, the commotion grew louder.
Some of the male customers even whistled at the female members of the group.
"Isn't that...?" "Yeah they're the core members of the Loki Familia!"
"OMG! It's the legendary Sword Princess!"
Everyone was hustling up as if they were having a secret talk.
As for me, I couldn't care less anymore. Gabriel was far more important right now.
"Gabriel, I..."
"Alllrighttt, good work in the dungeon expedition everyone! Let's have a feast! Cheers!"
I could hear them from across the place. Earlier, everyone was busy bantering so we tuned them out. But now every customer spoke in a lower tone so that only the Loki Familia could be heard across the entire shop.
Afterwards, members of the Loki Familia began to party. Gachin!, they used the beer filled glasses to have a toast, then placed the food and wine into their mouths. Wallenstein is a small eater, she unhurriedly enjoyed her dinner. Once the Loki Familia entered into a festive atmosphere, the other customers also just remembered and continued to enjoy their food and drinks.
" The Loki Familia are regulars here. This is because this restaurant was liked by their goddess Loki-sama." Gabriel informed me. But she didn't forget about our discussion either, she held a arm up signalling me to wait. It seems we would be talking about this later.
...
"Right Aizu. Is it true about yesterday?"
"Yesterday...?"
"Didn't you hear, apparently some adventurer on the fifth floor saw a man tossing around a Minotaur...with his bare hand! With only one hand! That guy must have some insane STR stats."
"Pfffttt what a load of bull. Not even you could do that, and you're an Amazon for God's sake!" The beast man I had met yesterday yelled back to an Amazon who was sitting next to Aizu.
Yeah Amazons were one of the strongest Demi-human races in the world, they surpass even the Dwarves in strength despite their lean build. I had met several villages full of those insanely strong...hormonal women.
I shivered at the thought of them...I could remember running across an entire floor for gods sake...as a huge stampede of lustful women chased after me or more specifically 'Bell Jr.'.
It was nice at first, the long nights of awesome sex, but when several women come together, do whatever the hell girls do when they're together at night and hear rumours of a man who could outlast 13 Amazons, at the same time, in a orgy. Well, let it be known that Amazons were said to have the most stamina in all things physical, before they met me of course...and to be beaten for the first time, especially 13 at the same time, got them really excited.
"Owowowow!" As if she could see my perverted thoughts, Gabriel pulled on my cheeks while pouting.
"Pervert."
"Sorry!" I said cheekily.
"Was it that Minotaur that had escaped from us on the 17th Floor?"
"Maybe I don't know, we never saw it."
"Wow, that's a first. A monster actually got away from the Sword Princess?"
"I blame that pipsqueak supporter on the upper floor." Did that beast man just refer to me as a pipsqueak?
"Bert, he was probably shocked from seeing a Minotaur on the upper floors." The amazon had argued back. "Maybe he got the directions wrong due to panic."
"So? It's his fault for being a weakling. If that's all it takes to scare you, then that weakling shouldn't be in the dungeon in the first place!"
"Shut it, Bert." A blonde hair elf lady spoke while sipping on her glass of wine. "It's our fault. We were the ones who let it escape from the 17th floor. We should be the ones apologising to the boy for our mistake." Yeah! I mean seriously how do you let a Minotaur run across 12 floors? What a noob mistake.
Floors were big, and I mean REALLY big. It takes ages just to map out one floor. Even I hadn't taken the time to map out each floor entirely, we just went on raids and to the boss dungeon of every floor. To let a monster run up 12 floors was quite frankly humiliating.
Floors were like the size of a thousand cities put together. On each floor were dozens of sub-dungeons that people could raid. For each floor there is one special sub-dungeon called the boss dungeon where the strongest monster of the floor resides.
These terms applied for the first 49 floors. For the 50th floor and above, monsters start getting so impossibly large in number that it was practically insane to go solo on those floors. That is why those floors were classified as the front lines.
Sub-dungeons on the front lines were classified as expeditions due to their extremely long run times and hard difficulty.
But monsters were so frequent that adventurers spent most of their time there killing monsters rather than exploring.
"Bert..."
"Oh don't give me that scary look, Aizu, you know that it's true. The Dungeon isn't a place for the weak. That pipsqueak was even crying, how pathetic! Right Aizu, it was really disgusting, wasn't it?"
"Guys stop arguing, this is a celebration, your bickering is making the food go bad."
"..."
"It's because of supporters and all these rookies, that the appreciation for us real adventurers have fallen."
My eyes narrowed. Though my hair shadowed my face, I was beyond pissed. What right, did that arrogant bastard have to mock me? What right does a dog have to mock the resolve of thousands of adventurers out there, struggling to get past the upper floors?
Not to mention it was really fucking ironic that this dog was insulting the one who had built up the legendary status of the adventurers himself.
"..."
I was about to give that dog a piece of my mind. Surprisingly, Gabriel was the first to stand up.
"Gabriel?" Ignoring me, she strode off towards the Loki Familia. She wouldn't, would she? I could see Arthurius or Roland getting pissed off by such arrogance even if it wasn't directed to them. But Gabriel? Definitely not peace-loving Gabriel...oh fuck it, of course she could.
Shit was about to hit the fan. I highly doubted that, but my senses kept on telling me that.
Oy oy, this is Mia Mama's business. There's no way you're going to survive if you piss her off. Favourite customers or not.
But my worries were subdued by a sudden change. The atmosphere suddenly thickened in intensity, it was suddenly harder to move as if an invisible force was weighing me down.
Caught off guard, my knees bent a bit. I even had to use the chair for support.
The entire air was engulfed in insane amounts of mana. Was this Gabriel's doing?
I looked up. Gabriel was steadily approaching the group, coated in a thick amount of blue energy.
"What is this?" Some of the customers cried out. Others caught on quickly and looked towards Gabriel.
"Gabriel..." But I wasn't the one who whispered out her name. It was the tomboy that was leading the group into the shop before.
"Loki...I can't say its a pleasure to meet again...considering the circumstances." She eyed the beast man before looking back to the goddess.
"What the heck are you doing in a place like this?"
"I was having a good meal with my friend, until a certain pup had to ruin it with his disgusting mouth. It's about time you shut him up or I'll do it for you."
The looks of hostility exchanged between them was unnerving, but the members of the Loki Familia half stood up as they prepared themselves for an imminent fight. The one called Bert was, obviously enough, extremely offended by such a sudden threat.
"How dare you, you bit-grahhh!" The beast man was interrupted as the air around him distorted itself. Like earlier, except with a much higher intensity, Bert was forced to fall down onto the ground. Gabriel's hand was stretched out.
"Shut up." She said coldly. "Do you really want to die that bad?"
But her mana output was countered by another that matched it.
Loki stood between Gabriel and Bert. As did the other members of her Familia.
"You dare to harm one of my children? A child of a goddess, no less?"
"What if I am?"
"You forget your place, girl. My powers may be restricted in the Lower Real a, but it's enough to teach you your place."
A/N: I know the power of the gods are meant to be completely restricted, but I changed it so that gods could use 20% of their power.
"Oh really. Let's see if that's statement is true."
The two unleashed more of their power. Facing off as their mana output increased in power, neither of them backed off.
This standoff continued on for a while, despite the restriction placed on every god and goddess everyone thought that the flat-chest goddess would prevail in the end, after all no human was capable of beating a god they thought.
But to me, it was obvious who was winning. Despite the impressive immense of energy leaking out, Loki was actually exerting some effort in spiking her energy levels while Gabriel was looking down at Loki with a nonchalant expression.
It was definitely time to stop this!
I ran up and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Naturally she stopped at the unexpected contact. She suddenly couldn't control her mana as it dispersed randomly.
Mana Demolition!
A technique I had learnt, somehow, during one of my daily training sessions. It just came to me one day but there were no magic books that had details of this spell. Nonetheless, it was highly useful against magic practitioners, especially the stronger they are.
There are two variations: one was simply releasing a burst of concentrated mana at a person or mana-filled object and the mana inside said person or object would be blown away.
The other was one that required me to be somehow connected with the target, as long as I was I could disturb the target's control of his or her mana.
Obviously, I was using the second variant on Gabriel.
"Bell-kun?"
"That's enough, Gabriel. Stand down, this is a goddess you're addressing."
"...sorry."
"Hey! It's you, you asshole!" Oh the dog had recognised me.
"Sup!"
"Sup? That's all you can say, how dare you, you lowly supporter!" Gabriel was about to unleash her fury, but I stopped her. Loki also restrained Bert from approaching us.
"And just who are you?" Loki asked suspiciously. But it was obvious to anyone that she was still pissed from such a daring confrontation.
"Oh just an acquaintance of Gabriel's. I am deeply sorry for disturbing your meal." I bowed down, I saw the look of anguish on Gabriel's face at my gesture. Such an expression did not suit her beautiful face.
"Now just what is going on here?" Mia mama had just returned from the back. Oh shit.
"Uh hi, Mia...heheh!"
"That's all you can say, several months you haven't visited and that's all you can say, brat!? Why I should give you a spanking right now!"
"Eek! Forgive me." Squealing uncharacteristically, I backed away in the opposite direction. Mia was bloody scary, more so than a dragon, when she was pissed.
"Forgive us for disturbing the festivities, Mia-san. I lost my temper childishly." She bowed towards the owner who had somewhat lost her anger. Seal had just arrived with three bowls of ice cream but the mood was ruined. There would be no time for ice cream tonight, I guess.
"Gabriel-san, Bell-kun?"
"Hehe, sorry Seal-san, guess we won't be having that dessert after all."
"I...I see..."
"Bell-kun...let's go." Gabriel grabbed me by the arm and started dragging me.
"Don't worry I'll be back, I promise and I'll pay you back tomorrow for the damages Mia." I said quickly, I laughed as I saw Mia mama throwing a tantrum just before we exited.
We ran off in the distance. Gabriel was still pissed. I didn't know why though, it's not like that doggy boy's words had any substance.
"This is what happens..."
"Hmmm?"
"This is what would happen if you stay in a low-class Familia. If you join my Familia, you'll be famous again but not as the [Crimson Conqueror] but just as Bell." We arrived at a fountain before Gabriel turned around and started talking to me.
"Gabriel, I don't mind. It was just some ignorant pup yapping his mouth. You shouldn't pay any mind."
"But I do! You're so gifted. So strong. So kind. So charismatic. You deserve so much more than this."
"Gabriel..."
"It hurts me. To see you like this. Your heart, the last time I saw you, it was brimming with such purity, emotion, life. Your presence was my drug, Bell-kun. But now, your heart..." She placed a hand on my chest.
"...it's drowning in sorrow. I can ease your suffering..." She rested her head on my chest. "...all you have to do, is to let me in your heart." Oh god, was she...was she confessing?
Backing away. She walked slowly in the opposite direction.
"I'll...I'll see you tomorrow morning at this place?"
At first, before we were interrupted, I was about to refuse her offer. But I just couldn't bring myself to refuse now.
"...yeah."
"...Bell-kun, just think about my offer. You belong with us, with me."
With that, she walked off.
I had to go home. I needed to contemplate a lot of things today.
XXXXXXXXXX
"That was unusual, especially for her."
"I don't think I've ever seen her angry before." Gabriel was always happy! Pure of heart, skilled with the holy arts and a charismatic beauty, that was why she was the most favoured by our Familia's Kami-sama.
Even when people threatened or insulted her friends just a tad bit in the Familia, which was practically everyone (she was just that charismatic), not even she would get this angry.
This white-haired boy must be an extremely important person to her.
"Welcome back Gabriel..."
"Uriel...Michael..."
"How did the mission go?"
"He...doesn't want to join us...not yet."
"Mmmm shame, don't worry Gabriel you'll have another chance tomorrow." After all, she was the most enthusiastic about letting him join in on our ranks when we were discussing it with Kami-sama.
Now, for the secondary goal of this reconnaissance mission.
"So do you think its true?"
"Macha wasn't with him...they did everything together: shopping, eating, bathing...for her not to be together with Bell for an entire day...it...it must be true." She said that last bit with sadness...but he could sense...hope, love and shame, small amounts of it.
It was quite obvious to him. Gabriel was in love with Bell.
He didn't realise her feelings before. But her affections for Bell, the longer they were apart, grew to the point that she was unable to bear another moment without his company. It was why, Gabriel proposed to Kami-sama that they should induct him into the Familia.
But right now he was concerned with another interesting piece of news.
Approximately a year ago, Falias the home of Irish Gods was set on fire.
Macha was the only banished god from Falias and thus was the most likely suspect.
Nonetheless, the [Irish] Faction was in shambles ever since.
There were rumours amongst the gods that the disappearance of the Crimson Conqueror and the burning of Falias were linked events.
They had no idea how close were to the truth.
"Then it's true...Bell was there at the night of the burning."
"Yes..."
"But that could only mean..."
"That Bell-"
"Preposterous. It's impossible."
"Like it or not Uriel, Bell is the most likely suspect after Macha and everything fits."
"But, but..."
"Nuadha, the Irish God of Light, has been absent for all the meetings." He didn't say it, but they all understood the underlying message. Nuadha was killed.
"We have to accept the possibility..."
"...that for the first time in history, a human...has killed a god."
Such a notion, silenced the three of them. Such a notion, was terrifying.
XXXXXXXXXX
I was looking at a reflection of myself in the mirror.
I had just arrived home and the bed had never looked so comfortable before.
"I guess its time to go to sleep." He had turned his back on the mirror, which revealed a sacred text.
But that pattern was mostly hidden...by a scar.
Though most of the pattern was hidden there were a few bits and pieces that could be read, more specifically at the bottom.
A/N: ... Means cannot be read due to scar.
Bell Cranel
Lv 3
...
...
...
...
...
Skill
[Hero's Wish-{Gate of Babylon}]
[Single-Minded Pursuit]
[Satan's Devilry-{Master of 72 Pillars}]
[Satan's Devilry-{Prince of Darkness}]
[Hero's Wish-{Argonaut}]
...
[God's Authority-{Light's Judgement}]
Looking back towards the mirror to look at his broken sacred text. A voice resounded in his head.
"...Godslayer." That voice made me grit my teeth in anger,
I needed sleep.
My thoughts dragged back to Gabriel. I clenched my fists.
Never again...
"To think I would lose to a human."
I am strong...
"But it's too late."
I am the absolute best...
"She's gone..."
Never again, will I shed tears...
"Your beloved Macha is dead."
Never again, will I be helpless!
"You have failed!"
Never again, will my dreams be crushed!
"Dracula..."
Ooh boy, did that take me a while. I'll be sure to update soon. But anyway, hope you guys enjoyed it. This is a new series and I love it as well.
Hope you guys review and spread the word on the anime forum chats or something. It would be awesome to see this category get filled with other fanfic.
Cya, I'll be updating Pokemon next.
