Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up A Harem In A Dungeon?

by Quoka

Bell Cranel arrives in Orario, however when he is unable to find himself a Familia he takes a risk and enters the dungeon alone with no blessing to his name. Will he survive his trials? Will he find himself a Familia? Who really knows...only time shall tell. One thing is for certain though, he will be become quite the ladies man along with way. (Lemons included and clearly marked.)

11. Pub Presence-Chapter Eleven

Heyo,

I have returned with yet another chapter, hopefully you all enjoy and have an excellent day! Of course this chapter could not have been possible without the help of both my Beta Reader and also my close friend Konahrik3115, so massive thanks and praise goes to them for helping make this story as amazing as it is, cant imagine how it would be without their help. I have just a few quick things of note to talk about before the chapter.

The first, which some keen eyed people may have noticed is that I changed the photo for the fic. I simply liked this pic a lot more than the other one and decided to switch it, so just wanted to mention that briefly.

The second thing was in relation to a question that I had asked on the previous chapter about other relationships with other characters that do not involve Bell. Which actually got a few reviews saying that they do not want to see any other relationships with any other people that does not involve Bell, it surprised me a little bit at first but upon reflection it does make sense and I can see why someone would feel that way. The fic is about Bell mainly, Bell and his harem so throwing in other couples would only being pulling in more directions. So, what I am going to do is still have a couple of small relationships and simply make mention of them in passing every now and then of give them a small scene but nothing major. Additionally I just wanted to say and make clear that those couples, they would never be people that I pair with the white haired boy anyway. take the tried and true Welf and Hephaestus example, I would not ever be pairing Bell with Hephaestus anyway so it only makes sense to pair her up with someone else in my mind at least. So, what I purpose is another idea I came up with a few days ago, a side fic. Which would be a seperate fic on this site that if directly related to this one and set in the same universe I suppose, it would just be a series of shorter chapters with different couples for those people that want to see such a thing and for those that dont they can simply ignore it. So I want some opinions on what people think of that idea, if they would want to see it or just have this main fic continue solely?

Now onto the couples themselves, just kinda like last time I am going to pick out a few I found interesting and might think of doing at some point or another in the future for the side fic.

Asfi x Hermes, I will not lie this is one of my favorite pairings. I think that the two have a lot of chemistry together and make a really good couple, I truly believe that there are some feelings there by Asfi for her God because if not she would have just left his ass a long time ago for all of his shit that she has to put up with constantly. So this would be one that I might think of doing, which should be fun if I ever do get to it.

Mikoto and Take, another mortal and God relationship though I do not like this one nearly as much as I find Take and hsi etire familia beyond Mikoto just kinda...plain. I mean I understand that not every familia needs to be special or out there with eccentric individuals but there is something that could have been done to spice there familia up at least a little bit. Say for example if while down in the dungeon the time they tried to perform the pass parade on Bells group one of the at least unnamed ones tripped and died, maybe thats just my messed up head but that would make for some good drama as the other members of the familia cope with the death. One thing, it annoys me that I can not remember who said it during a small speech about writing, but they said something along the lines of 'Take a situation you find your characters in and think up the worst possible thing that could possibly happen, then write that. It keeps readers excited and on there toes about what will happen instead of letting them grow lazy and complacient. Believing that no matter what there characters will be safe in the end, that makes for a boring read.'. Anyway the point is that I don't really like the couple and probably will not be doing it plain and simple. Far better people for Miloto to be matched up with instead.

Finally, Bete and Lena, now this one is rather far down the line though I still do rather enjoy the two together so it will be a possibility that it may happen, it will all depend when the time comes and I actually get to writing that bit.

Anyway, thats all from me for now and I hope that you all enjoy the chapter and have a great day! Stay safe and healthy, its a dangerous world out there. If you feel so inclined after you finish up the chapter drop me a review!

The white haired boy had been having a pretty good day ,it had been only a couple of days since the Minotaur madness that took place on the fifth floor. The former village boy had opted to take a day off from visiting the dungeons depths and just actually slept during the night and not the day, it was a rather nice change of pace. Though that could not last forever and the boy would get no farther in life without getting up and going to the dungeon, so after just a one day break it was back to the grind of slaying monsters and harvesting their magic stones.

Though that was not everything that Bell had managed to collect on that trip to the dungeon, the aspiring adventurer actually had a brand new first on that trip, earning a drop item from one of the monsters which was a big boost to his mood. The boy could not really restrain himself and wanted to sell the item as quickly as possible, despite the fact that he had only met with Lulune a few days prior the teen toured around a few bars that they had been too together and searched for the Chienthrope. It took a few hours but eventually upon entering the final bar that came to mind came face to face with the black haired young woman.

Bell handed over the drop item and that took Lulune for a bit of a shock, though that surprise only lasted for a minute or so before she regained her casual carefree attitude and simply gave the boy a small smile and a hefty bag of coins. Their meeting would have typically been over at that point however the Chienthrope made Bell a rather kind offer, with the bit of money that the boy had managed to build up the black haired thief suggested that it may be time to think about buying some new gear. At the very least a new knife, which was something that the boy could admit was something that had been on his mind.

While the kitchen knife had been working well enough for being a gift, it was treasured a lot by the white haired boy and meant more to him then he could possibly put into words. But, if he was being a realist it would not fair that well for much longer. The dungeon was a tough and rough place, a simple kitchen knife would really not last much farther and it was probably long past time to get an upgrade.

So the Chienthrope offered to take the boy around some small discount second hand weapon and armour shops to get a new knife, along with her bartering skills and sharp eyes it would go far better then the last time the boy purchased an item from such a shop. So the two set out for the day and had a rather pleasurable time, they chatted and wandered around from store to store in search of something that would be just right. Bell was actually rather pleased with the day as a whole, it was a great way to kill a few hours in the city that never stopped working.

Finally the two found a rather nice knife for its price, it was a simple blade that was just a bit longer than the kitchen knife. However the biggest difference was that it was sharpened on both sides which was a positive, it was also made with the intention of actually killing monsters and not just vegetables like the kitchen knife had been crafted with the intention of. So, using a bit of the money Bell had built up he made an investment and purchased the knife and tucked it inside his jacket and stored it in one of the inner pockets.

After finishing up the Chienthrope and Bell spent a few minutes talking with each other before she excused herself and left to go and relax for the rest of the night and snuggle up with a mug somewhere, someplace.

Bell made his way back to the only real place In Orario that he could somewhat call 'home', the Hostess of Fertility. By the time that he arrived at the pub it was packed with people and walking in the front doors it was bustling with adventurers and citizens all the like. Most of the waitresses were busy as they quickly walked around the tables, taking orders and dropping off food and drinks to the tables.

Despite being rather busy upon seeing the boy enter the black haired Cat Person all dressed up in the usual Hostess uniform gave the boy a small wave and a wink, a small sentiment that earned the boy some glares from some of the other people scattered around the room.

Though Chloe was not the only waitress in the pub that had noticed Bell's entrance into the building. ''Bell!'' the boy heard a sweet voice that sung out his name softly as she lightly ran over and stopped just a foot away in front of the teen. Syr wore a rather bright smile on her ever so slightly blushing face, a smile that felt as though it could brighten up even someone's darkest of days. Bell did not think it possible that there was a person in the world that could come face to face with the young woman and not crack at the very least a small smile because of her presence alone.

''How was your day Bell, any luck finding a familia to join?'' Syr said with clear excitement in her voice, Bell had told Syr and the other waitresses that he was going to go around Orario and check in at some of the familias that he had applied to what felt like forever ago. Though the boy did have some intention on doing just that, buying the knife had been unexpected and took quite a while so after that there was not really much time to go and check several familias. But it did not really matter, Bell was pretty positive that he would have only received the same old answer at every familia he visited.

Bell raised up his right hand and scratched at the back of his head and ruffled some of his white hair for a few moments before finally speaking softly ''Well….I visited a few and...nothing really panned out today…..I did not have much success…'' the boy admitted with a bit of shame in his voice. He lowered his gaze towards the floor and just stood there a bit awkwardly for a few seconds before Syr made a move towards the boy.

She leaned forward slightly with an almost black expression, her smile had faded slightly though it still remained faintly on her face. ''It is alright Bell, you will definitely get into one real soon! I can just feel it!'' she said with a growing smile as she spoke joyfully, with a slight tilt of her head to the side.

''Thanks S-'' the boy was cut off from his sentence as the waitress took a small step to the side and spun around, wrapping her arms around Bell's right arm and rested her head on his shoulder as she started to walk forward and drag the poor boy along with him. ''S-syr...l-let go please...people are staring...at us…'' the boy said softly under his breath, just loud enough so that she could hear. The glares from various people around the room almost felt as though they were directed his way with the intention of killing him, though the boy could have already died of embarrassment as his face was nearly as bright red as his eyes themselves. Though the waitress did not seem to care as she simply continued walking forward and even gave the boy a small tender squeeze.

''Nope~! Let them stare all they want Bell I really couldn't care what they think~'' Syr said in a sweet voice as she walked Bell all the way across the length of the room to the bar, though it was in all regards not that far of a distance the glares and scoffs of several people mad it feel as though it was a million miles. They arrived together at the bar and Syr pulled out one of the stools at the end of the bar and gestured for Bell to take a seat.

The boy was so flustered and still a bit surprised that almost out of simple reflex alone the boy performed the motion and sat down in the seat, Syr took a tiny step backwards and held up her small notepad she used to take down orders. ''Alright, what can I get you Bell?'' she asked in a surprisingly professional tone.

''Syr...you know that I really don't have the money to b-''

''Don't even talk like that Bell.'' Syr said bluntly as she interrupted the boy with a small tilt of her head to the side with an almost saddened expression on her face. ''I will flip the bill for whatever you order, so get whatever you want and eat up! I will not hear any if, ands or buts about it so don't even bother wasting your breath, Bell.'' she said in a rather stern voice, which ended up making the statement to sound less like an offer and more of a demand.

Bell sighed heavily and as the boy always did when faced with the grey haired waitress, he gave into her wishes and decided that it would be far easier to just go with the flow and not try and fight a losing battle. So after a minute of thought Bell decided to order just a plate of spaghetti, it was the cheapest thing on the menu so at least the boy could mitigate the damage to Syrs coin purse. Along with the pasta he asked for just a glass of water, it was the only thing in the pub that was offered for free and again was just another way to help lessen the impact that Bell would have on Syrs pockets.

Syr, while rather hesitant, wrote down Bell's rather plain and simple order and returned to the back room for a few minutes, while she was away the continued glares and stares felt even worse as the grey haired damsel was not next to his side to help keep him distracted.

Eventually she walked out of the back room with a small wooden tray with a plate of spaghetti and a simple glass of water, Syr set down the food and drink in front of Bell and the boy expected for her to say a few words and return to work and despite that much to his surprise she pulled up a stall and sat down next to the boy. She sat rather close, rubbing shoulders with the boy a bit as she sat there with her hands resting in her lap with a gentle smile on her face.

She sat there for a moment without speaking before she tilted her head to the side with a more curious expression ''Is something wrong Bell? You don't mind if I sit with you while you eat….do you?'' she asked in a soft adorable tone that yanked on the boys heartstrings, stripping away even the slightest possibility of telling her to leave him alone while he dined.

''N-no! Not at all...just, don't you have work to do..? I mean it does seem to still be rather busy...Mama Mia wouldn't be happy if-''

''You worry too much Bell! I already asked Mama Mia if I could use my break and sit with you while you ate, she said that it would be fine so you do not have to stress. Speaking of eating, you better start before it gets cold.'' Syr reached out and picked up the wooden fork and spun it around several times with her fingers, after several seconds there was a fair amount of spaghetti coiled around the fork and she raised it up away from the bowl and held it just a few inches away from Bell's face.

''Open up Bell!'' the waitress said with a smile as though there was nothing wrong with the action that she was performing with close to no shame, at least none that could be seen. The boy wanted to speak out and say that he could quite easily feed himself and that he was not a child in need of feeding. However, for whatever reason as though he was an obedient dog trained to perform a simple trick for a treat, the boy opened his mouth. Syr carefully and rather gently moved her arm forward and the fork entered the white haired boy's mouth, a few seconds later she retracted her hand holding an empty fork.

So the two sat there for a short while, Syr would wind-up some spaghetti on the fork and would feed Bell, give the boy a chance to have a drink of water and exchange a few words before continuing with the next mouthful of spaghetti. It was actually rather nice, ignoring the scowls from various other paterons was difficult at first at least but it truly did not seem to bother the waitress even slightly so it was all well and good in the end.

Though those judging glances were about to be gone as the attention in the room shifted towards another unfolding event, a fairly sized group of people walked through the front doors and began to sit around a circular table positioned in the center of the room. Both Chloe and Anya walked around the table and took the orders of the people that had just arrived, they had not even needed to take a glance at the menu meaning that they were quite possibly regulars at the pub.

''That's the Sword Princess….meaning that's the Loki familia I bet…'' Bell said under his breath as he leaned forward a little bit and looked past Syr towards the table. The only person at the actual table that really had his attention was the Sword Princess herself, she had her back to the boy but even still she radiated an aura of natural beauty.

The grey haired waitress made a small frown as Bell's attention had been stolen away and she leaned forward, blocking the view of the table and smiling slightly. ''Did you like the food Bell?'' she asked with a small smile, diverting the conversation back towards herself in a roundabout way.

''W-what? Oh, uh….yes it was great Syr thank you…'' Bell said in a rather flat tone as he sat up in his seat slightly to try and look around the waitress and see the table the Loki familia was seated around, one person from the table pushed their chair out and walked over to the bar and started up a small conversation with the Dwarf Mama Mia.

She was tomboyish in appearance, with vibrant light red orangish hair tied back into a short ponytail. She wore pitch black short shorts with a blue belt and silver buckle and black thigh highs with blue heel boots. There was a wraparound for her chest the same color as her boots, and the clothing she wore that acted as a hood and sleeves was entirely separate. She was lithe and acrobatic, with a friendly but bashful look about her as she started to drink the second she was handed alcohol.

Though that person only held Bell's attention for a mere moment before she was already wiped from memory and replaced by thoughts of the Sword Princess that clouded the boy's mind and made everything else around him drift into obscurity.

'Wha-what should I do…? Should I walk up and thank her for saving my life in the dungeon….? No, thats stupid….I would just end up embarissing myself like I did in the dungeon when I took off….I probably hurt her feelings…..but at the same time would she even remember me? I mean…..she is a pretty popular person it seems so I am sure she meets with a lot of people….probably a lot of stronger people….why would she even remember some random person she saved that ended up just running away petrified….' the white haired boy was lost in thought, there was a strange burning in his chest. It was a new sensation that was the same when he had first seen her in the dungeon, it was a warm sensation that wrapped around his body and squeezed his very heart and soul. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and his legs feel tingly.

Eventually the boy decided that it would be better to sit and wait, watch from the sidelines for a while and wait until an appropriate moment to go up and talk with the Sword Princess for just a quick second of her time. Syr again made a move to grab the boys attention and waved her hands in front of Bells face and called out his name a few times getting progressively louder with each call of his name.

''Bell….Belllll…..earth to Bellllllll!'' she said as though growing impatient, a child that was ignored and left alone to play that grew annoyed and whinny by the lack of attention. Bell blinked a few times and muttered out a soft apology to the waitress for ignoring her and Syr could not help but feel a bit bad herself for her greed in the moment, it was not nice seeing Bell in such an apologetic state so Syr just hugged his arm and told him that it was fine.

''So….are you curious about the Loki familia? They are regulars here and pretty loyal customers, Mama Mia is always in a good mood after they visit because they can get kinda loose with valis at times….'' Syr said with a small childish giggle as she raised her one hand and covered her mouth to try and act at least slightly ladylike.

''Y-yeah….they seem to be a rather colourful bunch….'' Bell said as he noted the several races of people that were sat around the table, even from a distance Bell was able to notice a set of Elven ears on one woman that had rather eye catching long emerald green hair.

The other noticeable ones were the Amazons that were sat around the table, the two seemed to be rather cheery and were drinking quite a bit as both had already finished several mugs in the short time they had inhabited the table. One of the Amazons sat next to the Sword Princess and seemed to be talking with her a fair bit, maybe she was a friend of Ais to some degree. Though Bell had no way of really knowing, just another question that he filed away to ask Lulune the next time that he saw the Chienthrope. The second Amazon was also drinking a fair amount and snuggled up near a person that looked to be a child, though Bell decided that for the ease of his own conscious that it was actually a Prum and not a child. Either way the blonde haired short boy or man seemed to be a bit uncomfortable and was sporting a weary smile as the Amazon continued to pour him drinks and scoot closer towards his side.

There was a Dwarf that sat at the table, though in comparison to Mama Mia the man was rather short. Though Mama Mia was probably the weird one given that most Dwarves were shorter than most people, only beating out Prums by a small margin.

''Hey Ais! Why don't you share with everyone what happened down in the dungeon just the other day!'' the final man at the table barked out as he slammed his mug down onto the table, which caused a quitting of everyone else in the room as the other smaller conversations were put on pause to hear what was being said.

He appeared to be drunk with just a quick glance and even someone that had never seen a drunk person could probably put together that the man was intoxicated, lips pulled back in a permanent snarl and exposing a sharp set of canines. His muscular form was complemented by the snow-white jacket he wore, which showed off his midriff to the world for all to view. On his forearms and shins he wore silvery, plated armor, custom fitted and heavily reinforced, similar to Ais Wallenstien's sword that he saw before it was clear they were a custom order no doubt very expensive with just the sight alone. He wore black pants and a black top that left his chest open to the air, with a furry collar on the jacket. His tail, hair, and ears were all the same hue of frost, giving him a fearsome, canid appearance. Trailing across his left cheek was a curious, zig-zag blue tattoo that came from his left eye and ended directly at his chin.

''I am afraid you need to be a bit more specific.'' Ais simply said in response as she tilted her gaze back down towards the table and took a small sip of water. She did not really partake in the sport and pleasure of drinking to the same degree as the rest of the members of her familia or even adventurers as a whole. She preferred just water or tea instead; it suited the same purpose of hydration and tasted fine.

''Come onnnn, you know how the other day those Minotaurs decided to do a little roaming and ventured up a few floors, you killed the last one of the fifth floor, riggggght?'' the man continued on with a deeper explanation of what he was referencing with an almost amused tone.

'H-he isn't talking about….' Bell started his thought with a small shrinking of his pupils and a slight shudder of his shoulders.

''I am talking about that scrawny little shit that was getting all buddy buddy with that ugly cow! Don't tell me that you have already forgotten about him already, though I wouldn't blame you if you did though that kid is no different from any other low leveled brat.'' the adventurer continued with a growing smile with each word, almost having to stop at several points and prevent himself from finishing speaking before bursting out laughing.

'He is talking about me….' Bell finished his thought just as the young boy started to feel unnaturally warm and had the strong urge to take his jacket off, though at the same time a cold sweat rolled down his back.

''Ohhhh man, by the Gods I wish that you were all there to see it! It was the best thing I have seen in a long while, let me paint a picture for you!'' the person said loudly as he stood up, spun around and planted his right foot on the chair and rested his arms on his right knee as he leaned forward with a smirk. He opened his mouth to speak but before a word came he was stopped by the green haired Elf that coughed lightly into a closed fist to gain the man's attention. It seemed to work as the man relaxed his shoulders slightly and raised an eyebrow and simply asked ''What?'' in a rather flat tone.

''Bete….you are making a scene, sit back down an-''

''Step off you old hag, it's none of your damn business! Besides, I think that these people want to hear about this, it's pure gold!'' the man said rather loudly, which was only reinforced by several people leaning forward in their seats and handing over their attention, which was far more than enough to encourage the man to continue, though he would have carried on even if no one was listening.

''Alright, so as I was saying before I was so rudeeeely interrupted, those Minotaurs took off and started charging to the upper floors. Fuckers were actually pretty quick and making some good time too for just some boring beasts, anyway, they start spreading out and running all over so we have to start splitting up to track and kill them all because those helpless bastards on the upper floors couldn't fight off a slight cough let alone a Minotaur. So eventually the last one makes it alllll the way to floor five and...well I will let Ais take this part because I didn't actually see it happening sadly. I only got to witness the bloody aftermath, so go ahead Ais...it's your turn to share your side of the story!''

''Yeah, what happened Ais? You killed it I thought, or did something else happen?'' the one Amazon that was sat next to Ais asked as she leaned forward a bit and tilted her head to the side to try and slip into the blondes line of sight as she refused to look up from the table.

''You bet something went down! Go ahead Ais, give the people what they want!'' the light haired man said with a smirk as he stared directly at the woman, making it quite clear that he was doing so with the full intention of making her speak up.

''I refuse.'' Ais simply said as she raised her hands up from her lap and took another small sip from her glass before setting it back down on the table and placing her hands back in her lap.

''What!?'' the man said as he banged the table a few times with his hand ''Spit out what went down already, did that kid even say a word to you? Anything at all, or did he just take off like the scared petulant child that he is, huh?''

''No. I simply refuse, it's not nice.'' Ais said as softly as she refused to look up at anyone else sitting around the table, it just was not fair to talk about the situation that in no way shape or form was even the boy's fault. It was her fault for letting those Minotaurs escape, by some miracle no third class adventurers had died because of their mistake but it very easily could have happened in a split second. People died all the time in the dungeon, but those people knew what they were doing and getting into for the most part and for a level one adventurer to face a Minotaur on floor five, that was not fair. Though the world at times was unfair, it was just a bad unfortunate series of events for everyone involved.

''Fine, be that way about it….I will just share the rest and people can piece it together! So I come around the corner after finishing off my Minotaur and catch up to Ais, she killed that beast with ease of course and saved this random kid that was backed into a deadend. When Ais killed the thing it must have spewed out blood, because the kid was...and I am not even exaggerating here covered head to toe in the cow's blood! I mean, he was redder than this tomato right here!'' the man said as he reached down and plucked a slice of tomato from his plate and waved it around, earning some chuckles and slight laughs from a few people in the pub before he tossed it back down onto his plate.

''What happened next?'' the same Amazon that was sat next to Ais asked, it seemed that she herself was getting rather invested in the little story and was leaning forward in her wooden chair slightly.

''The little brat turned tail and ran away screaming! He actually stood up the Sword Princess after she just saved his pathetic life, Ais was dumped by a level one! A level one ran away from her screaming his head off and covered in filth, it seems that the Sword Princess doesn't just strike fear into monsters but fellow adventurers too! ! It was fucking hilarious! G-get this too, he was covered in so much of the that creatures blood that he left behind a bloody trail as he ran away!'' the man had to take a break for a second and catch his breath as he had started to laugh quite hard at the mere thought of the sight.

The Amazon sat next to the blonde woman was slightly giggling and for the first time Ais actually looked up and over to the Amazon with a rather saddened look on her normally expressionless face. She wore an appearance as though she had just been betrayed, ''I-I am sorry Ais...but I really couldn't hold myself back….that story is just too good….!'' she said with a small chuckle as she scratched the back of her head.

'He didn't scream though….he even thanked me and apologized…..' Ais thought as she simply sat in her seat and fidgeted with her thumbs, she wanted to speak up in defence of the boy but could not articulate the words she desired.

The man finally stopped standing and sat back down in his seat and rested his arms on the table as he sat back with an ever present smirk painting his face ''But seriously, it was so pathetic….people like him shouldn't become adventurers and get a job cleaning or cooking or some shit. Makes us all look bad having weak snot nosed crying brats running around playing at being an adventurer. He really pissed me off, you know what I mean?''

''Enough Bete. It was our carelessness that allowed those Minotaurs to even escape from the seventeenth floor, you know that you have no right to mock the boy over drinks while it was not even remotely his fault. He does not deserve to be insulted, if anything he deserves a sincere apology for our blight.'' the green haired Elf as she again stepped into the conversation, having seen enough and not wanting the insults to continue. It was not difficult to see that Ais was not pleased with the direction of the conversation and it needed to stop before it got any more out of hand.

'An apology…..yes that is right the boy deserves an apology….but, I didn't even catch his name or familia so I have no way of finding him to apologize….I could wait at the Guild. But what if he quit being an adventurer….? I couldn't blame someone if they decided to quit after going through what he did….it must have been traumatic.' Ais thought to herself as she tried her best to ignore the conversation and just try to move on with the night.

''Be quiet, you dried up old pointy eared princess, you didn't see what I saw and that was telling enough, that kid is never going to be anything! Just a hopeless cause that a few people will look towards and pass some sympathy towards before moving on with their lives, I give that kid three weeks tops before he either quits or…..bites off more than he can chew again and dies a worthless death. Besides, what's wrong with calling it the way it is, that kid was over his head and he damn well knew it and nearly paid the price for it if it wasn't for our little Princess.''

''Bete, you are killing my good buzz so quit it. You are going to upset our lovely host…'' the Goddess finally chimed in as she was still sat at the bar and leaning against it with a drink in her hand, she had been drinking and trying to let her children sort it out amongst themselves but like an actual parent it seemed she needed to step in and intervene. Additionally Mama Mia did not look too pleased, though the Loki familia were good paying customers that wouldn't simply excuse every action. Though besides tossing around a few rude comments and being a bit loud, the man really had not done anything annoying enough to trigger the pubs owner to intervene in the situation.

The man drew in a sharp breath through his gritted teeth that made a sharp 'tsk' sound as he turned his head to side and frowned a bit ''Well, I have their opinions on the matter….but what about you Ais? Hmmm, what do you think? That pathetic little boy was sitting at your feet and shaking with fear in front of your very eyes, that's not even mentioning that after saving his life he ran away with his tail tucked between his legs. Do you really not think anything about all of that, or are you just going to sit there silently? If so, just say so I can stop wasting my time.''

''...I don't think that-''

''Why are you even bothering playing the good girl Ais? Fine, let me rephrase the question. Who would you rather spend a night tossing and turning in the sheets with a real man…'' the Werewolf paused as he placed one of his hands on his chest and sat back in his seat ''...orrr, would you rather sleep with that little rookie that stuck you up in the dungeon?'' the man said with a growing smirk as he folded his arms and waited for a response.

''Bete, are you drunk? Maybe you should quit while you are ah-''

''Shut your trap you flat chested Amazon, I want to hear what Ais thinks not you! So Ais, what's it gonna be? Me or that brat?''

''Bete…'' Ais started as she searched for the right words to use in response.

'Here it comes….' Bell thought to himself in the corner of the pub as he tightened his hands into closed fits, an action that did not go unnoticed by the grey haired waitress sat by his side. She had tried to get his attention but nothing she did was working and she did not want to raise her voice further, so she just lightly shook Bell's shoulders and tried to get him to pay her some attention.

''I...I have no reason to answer that question...especially to you, Bete...'' the blonde haired woman said rather bluntly with a mostly black expression and a slight squint of her eyes as she kept her gaze fixed downwards and turned her head to the side slightly.

''Oooooooh~! Bete got rejected~Bete got rejected~Bete got rejected~!'' the one Amazon with the flat chest repeated over and over as she sat back in her seat with an amused smile on her face while pointing and laughing at the upset Werewolf.

''I told you to be quiet! So….then what? You're telling me that if that kid comes up to one day and blabbers out 'I love you!' or 'Please date me!' that you would really take him seriously?'' the man said with a growing smirk again and upon receiving no response continued with his rant. ''See, my point exactly! You wouldn't even say anything and just turn the other cheek, a wimp that is way weaker and meeker than you. Beyond any possible hope of redemption, a person like him doesn't deserve to stand by your side or even occupy the same room. You Ais, you of all people couldn't possibly accept someone like that to be your partner.''

Bell sat in place for a minute, the Sword Princess did not say a word as a heavy tension hung in the air while the Werewolf and woman stared each other down. What would be said next did not matter, the white haired boy had heard enough and with a shaky voice started to speak for the first time in minutes, his throat and lips a bit dry.

''Syr…..I...I-I think…..I need some fresh air.'' Bell muttered under his breath softly, barely loud enough that the waitress could just make out his words.

''But Bell….you haven't even finished your food and you were gone all day long...it's dark outside and it can be dangerous at n-''

''I…..I'm sorry…'' Bell said quickly and cut off the waitress, it may have very well been the first time that he had cut off the grey haired young woman and not the other way around. Deciding it best to not give the woman any further opportunity to try and convince him to stay or stop him, Bell pushed against the bar and stood up from his seat. The boy sidestepped the rather stunned looking waitress and took off in the direction of the doorway, he heard the waitress call out his name a few times though the words simple went in one ear and out the other.

''Bell! Bell! Wait please!''

It was the time at the Guild all over again, for a reason that the boy could not hope to explain his legs were acting as though they had a mind of their own and carried him across the length of the room as quickly as they physically could. Bell started to run down the street, again he heard the waitress calling his name but the boy could not answer her call as he closed his eyes with small tears wheeling up and obscuring his vision.

Syr had chased after Bell, at least for a few seconds anyway before she rather quickly fell behind the boy and was unable to keep up. She stopped just a block away from the Hostess and stood there silently with a worried expression on her face as she held her hands to her chest ''Oh, Bell…...please come back….'' she softly muttered just as she saw the boys white hair finally fade out of view. With nothing else to do the grey haired waitress turned around and saw something that caught her attention enough to make her blink a few times.

In the street just a few feet from behind where she had been standing was Ais Wallenstein, she still wore a rather blank expression but the fact that she was simply standing there and staring off in the direction that Bell had taken off was enough to draw the curiosity of the young woman.

The blonde haired adventurer stood there for only a few extra seconds after seeing the white blur duck just out of eyesight before she turned around and returned to the pub slowly. As she walked up the few steps she turned her gaze from the stone steps to the inside of the pub and witnessed the progressing scene.

Inside of the pub was more or less chaotic, several people had made mention that the person was rather bold to perform a dine and dash in the Dwarf Mama Mia's place of business, though that lasted only for a few moments as another scene took place and stole the attention of everyone in the room.

As Anya was walking past the Loki familia table, she 'accidently' raised up her right foot and stomped on the adventurer's tail that had caused the ruckus in the first place. Bete let out a rather loud howling scream and brought his tail around to his front and held it in arms with a few soft whimpers, the pain only lasted for a few seconds before that sensation was replaced with anger as directed his gaze towards the Cat Person that had crushed his tail beneath her foot.

''What was that for?!'' the man said with a sneer and a pissed off expression as several of the other Loki familia members around the table prepared to hold the man back from doing anything that he may regret upon sobering up.

''Nothing~nyah….just an accident!'' the brown haired waitress said in a clearly sarcastic tone as she smiled brightly and turned around to walk away, ending the conversation right then and there.

Though the Werewolf was not going to simply let the waitress get away with the abuse of his tail without paying for such an action, he stood up rather quickly and knocked over his chair and reached to grab the waitress by the arm while muttering ''You little shi-''. Before his hand was even close to touching her there was a large crash near the bar that snatched away everyone's attention and silenced the wolf.

''Listen hear you manginly mutt, this is a place for eating and drinking not fighting. If you want to do that take it outside, now quit your barking and be a good dog and sit down and try to sober up. Also….'' the pubs owner paused for a moment as she closed her right hand into a fist and cracked her knuckles with her left hand. ''...if you so much as lay a finger on any of my girls, the next meal you eat will be through a straw. So I advise not doing that if you know what is good for you…''

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds before the man scoffed and picked up his chair and sat back down and slouched forward slightly. The ears on top of his head laying flat against his hair as though he was a puppy that had just been kicked.

''Would you look at that….you really can teach old dogs new tricks, and Anya…'' the pubs owner said in a deeper voice then she typically used as she turned towards the brown haired Cat Person that shivered slightly hearing the clearly upset Mama Mia speak her name.

''Y-yes...Mama Mia?'' she softly spoke out as if waiting to be screamed at for her behaviour.

''Go downstairs and get another bottle of raspberry wine, Loki has grown rather fond of it and finished off the open bottle.'' the Dwarf said a bit softer as the Goddess that had not really gotten involved in all the commission beyond one sentence was cuddled up with an empty bottle and nuzzling her face against it with a drunken blush and smile on her face.

''Yes Mama Mia, right away~nyah!'' the Cat Person said as she took off towards the backroom as though she could not escape the dining area any faster. Returning a minute later with a fresh bottle of wine for the redheaded Goddess while the green haired Elf still sat at the table started to feel a slightly growing headache at the thought of the bill, Mama Mia was not know to be the cheapest place in Orario to dine and the drinks and ruckus caused would only make their pockets hurt further.

While that was taking place Bell was busy running down the streets of Orario with no real destination in mind, the Hostess was the equivalent of his home and there really no other place he could go to spend the night. Though as Bell was aimlessly running down the street he did spot a place that could be considered a second home and was a place he had spent several nights.

The dungeon.

'Dammit, dammit, dammit gods dammit!' Bell mentally screamed to himself as he made his way to his new destination, that was quite possibly one of the most shameful moments of his entire life and it was retold in a pub filled with people.

Despite the fact that Bell wanted to refuse and protest everything that had been said there were some fair points that had been made and that was what really cut deep, the boy had no right to stand by the side of a person far stronger and way out of his league. The white haired boy ran away and could barely even manage to mutter out a few words while in the presence of the blonde beauty.

Though it did not have to be that way, there was a simple enough way that Bell could change everything, prove that man in the bar wrong and also get the girl in the end. It was not a complex plan in reality, just get stronger. Head to the dungeon, slay monsters and get stronger.

His grandfather had always said that women flocked towards strong men, Bell had imagined that was a bit of an exaggeration or bending of reality but it seemed that his grandfather was right in that case.

Those were all things that Bell could worry about in the future, in the moment all the white haired boy wanted to do was find some distraction to put his mind at ease. Some vice that could help him cope with the pain he felt, as though there was a searing burning sensation in his very chest. The young white haired boy ran into the dungeon in search of something, anything to take his mind of the night's happenings, the embarrassment and humiliation that he had faced in the pub.

Upon descending a few floors Bell eventually calmed down enough to realize the gravity of his situation, just a few days ago the boy had nearly died on the fifth floor and his spout of being upset had completely passed by the floor and was in a whole new floor. He had barely explored the fifth floor let alone ever stepped foot on the sixth floor, at least until the very moment in time.

Worst of all, Bell did not have much of his equipment on him, his backpack was still in the attic with his potions and paint grenades. But, it could have been worse.

The boy heard a sound coming from around the corner and a few monsters came around the corner, ''It just got worse…..'' Bell said under his breath as he pulled out the knife from his sheath and got ready for a fight. As the creature waddled its way down the dungeons tunnel and rounding the corner it's one beaming bright yellow eye focused in on the boy and in a split second its gaze twisted in murderous intent.

''So...that is a Frog Shooter…'' Bell uttered out softly as his body tensed up a little bit and crouched down slightly, getting prepared for the coming battle.

The frog was a colossal, a heaping mass of slime and amphibian muscle, a light neon green in color with accents of red and yellow around its single, bulbous eye. It's limbs were spindly but powerful enough to make it leap great distances, and crush unprepared adventurers underfoot. Small strands of skin dangled from the back of its head, looking more like skin flaps at first. It's eye displayed no other emotion than raw primal hunger, with a prehensile tongue to enact its will and inflict great pain.

The frog took a few small leaps forward while keeping a bit of a distance, eventually the creature gave into its natural desires and made the first move towards the boy by shooting its long tongue out of its mouth and coiling it around his left wrist. Despite the fact that the creature's tongue was practically dripping with drool it still managed to hold a rather tight grip. For several seconds Bell tried to fight against the frog as its tongue slowly was pulled back into its mouth dragging the white haired boy with each passing second.

So, Bell in that moment decided to give the creature what it wanted and instead of using up his energy trying to get away he would use it to charge straight towards the frog. Its main form of attack was its tongue and with it still tied up around Bell's wrist it left the monster defenceless. The former village boy pulled his right arm back and got ready to stab the creature in the oversized eye but right as the tip of the knife was about to be inserted into the eyeball it was suddenly yanked from his grasp.

Bell was able to turn her head and look backwards just in time to see a second Frog Shooter, instead of holding onto his wrist it had latched onto the knife and yoinked it out of his very fingers. The frog brought the knife into its mouth and in a second with a little bit of struggle it gulped, ribbited and swallowed the kitchen knife whole.

That left the white haired boy in a rather poor position, stuck on floor six with no weapon or items to help defend himself with a few monsters closing in on him and without anyone to save him like the last time. While Bell was distracted for a moment the other frog had taken advantage of the fault of the boy and tugged roughly on the boys arm to the point that the frog swallowed his left arm up to the shoulder.

For a moment the boy really did believe that the last bell had been rung and that it was all over, Ais Wallenstein was not going to save the boy for a second time in just a couple of days so the reality and gravity of the situation slowly settled in and a grave air surrounded the boy.

'But…..why should Ais Wallenstein be the one to save me…? If I can't even save myself….how can I possibly even think of saving anyone else…? How can I dream of standing next to her side if I do not make a name for myself and carve out my own path! I-I don't want to die...no...I refuse to die to some shitty frogs in this shitty dungeon! I will grow stronger, I need to grow stronger and there is no gain without pain...so...that leaves me with only one option….push forward...take the hits in stride and carry on…' Bell thought as he laid there on the ground on his back, the one frog slobbering on his arm and trying to get its fat lips around Bells shoulder and head.

The second frog that had swallowed his knife was approaching and that was only going to make the situation worse, the boy pondered over some way to get his knife back to stand at least a slight chance. He could simply force his arm down the things throat and try to fish out the knife, but that could be both dangerous and very well the last mistake that he ever made.

'I just need a knife and I would stand a chanc-wait a second…..I have a knife!' Bell realized in that moment that the kitchen knife was not the only weapon on his person, the knife he had bought earlier was still in his coat and if he could just get it out and stab the frog it would be as easy as cutting a piece of pie. The boy reached into his open jacket and pulled out the knife and sheath, though as he did the frog that still had the boys arm in its mouth tilted its head all the way back so that it was looking up at the ceiling and with it picked Bell up off the ground a bit before slamming him back down into the rough rock of the dungeon floor.

The frog repeatedly slammed Bell into the ground for a short while, until eventually his mind and strength buckled for a moment and the brand new knife in his hands slipped out of his grasp and landed on the floor with a soft 'clang' a few feet away. That left Bell with no real weapon to defend himself, though in a short flash of recollection the white haired boy remembered two lessons that had been taught to him by both Chloe and Lunoire.

'If possible, always aim for the eyes~they are a weak point on a lot of monsters and even people! It can be a really good way to get ahead in a fight, making your opponent rely on their other senses!' Chloe had told him one early morning before she went on to teach him a few other valuable tactics about combat.

'Even in your darkest moments, no matter how bleak things may seem to be you can always take comfort in your two best friends in the world.' Lunoire had told him with a small smirk one cloudy and cold morning. At the time he was foolish enough to ask what exactly the waitress had meant and she simply responded by raising her closed fists and smirking. 'These are the real weapons, something that was given to every single person by the Gods and it is their responsibility to train and hone their skills with'em.'

So, in an odd combination of the two Bell ripped pages from both of their teaching books and closed his free right hand in a tight fist and used his entire weight to send his fist flying forward with as much force as he could muster. Punching the frog's bulging eye with such force that the boy actually managed to break the membranous layer and embedded his fist deep into the creature's single eyeball.

The creature closed its eyelid tightly around Bell's wrist and opened up its mouth to let out a gurgling screech of pain at the loss of its sight. With his arm freed Bell rolled several feet away after ripping his right hand back out of the creature's eye, taking a fairly sized chunk of eyeball goo with it. The white haired boy pushed himself up to his knees and scrambled over and picked up the sheath and knife, in a second the knife was pulled out from its cover and showed the dim light of the dungeon.

Bell turned his attention away from the critically injured frog and towards the other one, weirdly enough it seemed almost intimidated after viewing what had happened to a member of the same species. Though there would be no hope for escape for the monster as it had something inside of it that meant a lot to the white haired boy, the simple kitchen knife.

The boy gritted and grinded his teeth against each other roughly as he stood up on his feet and started rushing towards the frog, it shot out its tongue and it grazed Bells shoulder as though it was a punch. Despite pushing forward the white haired teen was able to assume purely based on the impact that it would be sore in the morning and leaving a clear bruise. However that was not enough and Bell ceased the rare opportunity that had been given up, a free shot.

Before the frog could retract its tongue all the way back inside of its mouth Bell pivoted and with an upward slash cut off a fair amount of the amphibian's tongue. It dropped to the ground with a wet 'thud' that echoed through the dungeon tunnels, that was not the only audible sound as the frog wriggled and whined in pain and let out several slobbery screams that sounded as though they were coming from someone that had their tongue removed. Which had actually been the case mere seconds prior.

Bell pushed forward not wanting to give the monster any room to get itself together and retaliate, the boy slammed into the green blob of a creature and used his free hand to hold back the monsters mouth the best he could, finding it a bit challenging with the almost ludicrous amount of drool sloshing out of its agape mouth. The white haired boy stabbed it repeatedly with the knife over and over and over again, until eventually the creature rolled over and died.

The newbie adventurer placed both hands on the creature's right side and rolled it over onto its left side and took a deep breath, while the green mound of froggie flesh had been heavy while it was still alive it seemed to weigh three times more after it had finally perished. Bell took his knife in both hands and used all the force possible to plunge it deep into the right side of the creature, the blade would have gone deeper if it was not for the crossguard that prevented any further insertion.

The boy used all the weight and leverage at his disposal to pull the blade down and carved a rather large gash in the dead creatures corpse, the teen took a second to tuck the knife into his jacket before digging his hands into the deceased Frog Shooter and started to feel around for the heart of the monster. Eventually after much searching Bell was able to find the magic crystal inside the green frog's corpse and ripped it out. The corpse vanished without a trace beyond a puff of black dust. The simple blade from tip to pommel was drenched in blood and it was difficult to hold onto without it slipping out of his hand.

Though it was not in the best condition or cleanliness it was still a massive relief to have the blade back in his grasp, the boy was able to take comfort in the wooden handle in his hands as he gave it a small squeeze. Losing the knife would be similar to losing a piece of Syr and that was something that Bell couldn't live with, additionally the boy did not want to ever see her reaction if she found out that he had lost it. Especially to something so stupid as a frog.

Finally after waving around the knife a bit to rid as much of the blood and other bodily juices as possible the boy tucked it back into the sheath strapped to his thigh and pulled out his knife from his jacket for a second time. In that moment upon being blinded by the glint of the blade Bell was able to reason enough to remind himself to thank Lulune the next time that he saw her.

With the one Frog Shooter dead the boy turned his attention back towards the other frog, it was still heavily injured and blind. It was hopping around in circles several meters away and had restored to simply shooting its tongue out in random directions in hopes to find and hit the boy. With it blind it really did not have any other option, beyond relying on its other sense in hopes of survival.

Seeing the creature in such a sorry state was almost sad in an odd way, Bell could not imagine what the creature was going through in terms of agony if monsters even felt pain to begin with, though based off of several reactions the boy assumed that the dungeons spawns did indeed feel pain.

The boy reached down and picked up a small pebble and retracted his arm back and threw it across the tunnel and let it bounce off the wall. Near immediately the creature turned and started to fire its tongue out repeatedly in that direction and Bell started to approach the monster from behind as slowly and quietly as possible. Once close enough the boy leaped up into the air with his knife raised above his head and plunged it into the back of the beast, it let out a bellowy scream and started to shake widely to try and throw Bell off of its back.

The white haired adventurer held onto the knife with his left hand as tightly as possible to the point that his knuckles were turning white from strain, he reached down with his free hand and fumbled around for several seconds before finding the familiar handle of his second blade. The boy pulled the weapon from its sheath and jabbed it into the back on the monster along with the other knife and started to go back and forth with the knifes, pulling the left one out and keeping the right in to hold on before pulling out the right one while jamming in the left one once more.

After a while the monster finally died to a death by countless cuts and stabs and flopped down limply, the boy sighed and breathed heavily for several minutes while just laying on top of the dead creature. It took a great amount of effort to push off of the dead monster and stand on two feet, the boy made quick work cutting out the magic crystal of the second dead creature and carried on with no real destination in mind in the dungeon.

Beyond finding something else to fight, to find something else to grow stronger.

Eventually Bell finally took a wrong turn and ended up in a deadend, as the boy turned around to walk out of the slightly more open room there was a crumbling sound of rock near the bottleneck of the room and passage just beyond. Two creatures emerged from the wall and a third even walked around the corner and lombarded forward with long steps.

It's body was completely pitch black as shadows, a slender and sturdy torso with equally slim limbs that ended in three fingered claws. It's head held a single white circle in the direct center, the almost orb style eye was slightly shiny and lacked even a pupil, and the three points of a star jutting out. The circle on its head was devoid of any markings or even the vaguest hints of facial structure. It was a barren creature, a void in the hold of reality that sucked in all light and emitted only an alabaster beacon in its cranium. A true creature of darkness and death that would be the cause of many deaths for adventurers without sharp eyes watching the shadows.

''W-war Shadow…'' Bell softly muttered as he tightened his grip on the handles of his knives, War Shadows were the strongest monsters on the sixth floor. They were responsible for the deaths of many young and reckless adventurers and while Bell was both of those things the boy had no intentions of dying to the creatures, instead the monsters would simply be another stepping stone to help close the gap between the young teen and the Sword Princess.

With each monster killed he grew closer, it was not much in the grand scheme of things but eventually with enough blood, sweat and tears spilled the boy would hopefully be able to stand by her side with his head held high. Until that day though the boy needed to focus simply on keeping his head down and staying realistic and focused in the moment, it wasn't a time to be day dreaming.

'It is a two on one…..I should run away….but if I do...run away again, will I ever stop running away…? I ran away from the Sword Princess…..away from the bar and Syr….away...from my fears….no more. I won't ever get anywhere by always just running away from the things, I need to take a hard stance and fight!' Bell grit his teeth and took in a deep breath through his clenched teeth and sighed heavily, the monsters took another step closer and were getting ready to launch their attacks on the boy.

''Lets go….'' Bell muttered softly as he flicked his eyes down for a second at the knives he held in his hands and smiled, though his time had not been the best in Orario it was only the beginning and with such a kind person such as Syr watching over him and a good friend in Lulune the boy had nothing to worry about, it would all work out in the end.

That in the heat of the moment was the one thing that Bell was certain of, it would all work out in the end.

While Bell continued to run rampant through the dungeon, slaying monsters left and right directly above the dungeon in the highest place in the entire city of Orario was the Goddess Freya, she sat in her throne with a slight frown on her face as she swirled her right hand around in tiny circles. She brought her right hand and the wine glass it held to her lips and took a rather long sip of wine, she had already managed to drink her way through two entire bottles of wine.

For a moment the Goddess thought about another Goddess inhabiting Orario, the one named Loki. Just for a moment at least the grey haired woman debated over which of the two would be drinking more that night, it only took a second to come up with an answer. Between the two Goddess there was not a shred of doubt in Freya's mind that she would be the one more tipsy come sunrise.

She had already nearly finished the bottle that her Captain held in his hands, as she stuck out her one arm and raised her empty wine glass slightly to signal for a refill of her glass. The towering man stepped forward and poured another full glass and finished off the bottle, she did not even wait for the man to step back to his spot before she started drinking.

''Ottar, fetch another bottle…'' the Goddess muttered softly as she rested her chin on her left palm and brought the wine glass in front of her face and swirled it around and around and watched the crimson liquid splash around inside the glass.

The Captain of her familia did a small bow before speaking flatly ''Yes Lady Freya...I shall return shortly.''. With the simple words said the man turned and walked away, empty wine bottle in hand to drop it off and collect a fresh one for his Goddess.

'Finally….' The Goddess thought as she sighed and let her lightly tensed shoulders fall, she rubbed her temple with her left hand and closed her eyes. Finally she was left alone, since she arrived at the Tower of Babel the Captain had not left her side and she simply could have ordered him to leave. But having someone there for a little while was not the worst thing in the world, there were bigger nuisances that clouded her mind.

She felt drained, the night was only beginning and despite that it felt as though the sun should be rising in mere moments with how tired she had become in the last short time.

The main thing that plagued her mind was what the Werewolf had been spouting out inside of the Hostess of Fertility. It did not take a detective to put the dots together that the poor boy in that story was her Bell, the boy had actually managed to survive a Minotaur attack despite being only a level one. While that was normally something to be celebrated Freya was in no mood to celebrate, her evening had already been spoiled and there was little that could be done to fix it.

Even the idea of updating Bell's status or far more physical fantasies evolving the boy did next to nothing to quell her rage or distract her for more than a second.

What really was on her mind was an odd coincidence, the day that the Loki familia returned from their expedition was just a couple of days ago. Almost everyone in Orario knew that fact as it was rather big news anytime the Loki familia returned from one of the expedition to the lower floors. But the thing that had been irking Freya was that it was the exact same day that Bell had developed the Liaris Freese skill.

So that begged the question, who had really been the cause of that skill developing. The Goddess wished that the skill stated who those feelings were towards, it would have managed to make everything so much easier. Either they belonged to Syr, or they belonged to the Sword Princess.

There was no real way to know for certain either way and all that Freya could do is sit and ponder the probability of who had really been the cause of the skill. There was no denying the fact that the skill only did develop at the very least sometime between the last status update she had performed on the boy and the one she did that night. That left only a short time frame, either the skill had developed because of the waitress or because of the adventurer.

On one hand, Syr had been the key reason that the boy had managed to survive in the city for as long as he has, without her Bell would have been living on the street and begging for a living. She had given the boy so much, food, water, a bed to sleep in and a roof over his head, items such as his knife and paint grenades and most of all she offered the white haired boy company. It only made sense that the boy would grow to develop a skill that would directly assist him in growing stronger to pay back the waitress for all she had done for him.

The opposite side of the coin was Ais Wallenstien, a level five adventurer of the Loki familia. Freya could never hold a single conversation with the flat chested Goddess without the topic of her pride and joy, Ais coming up at least one time. Freya compared the situation to that of tales in books, whenever a man saved a woman from certain death the woman would fall madly in love with the man. So following that logic a young boy saved from certain death by a woman would fall madly in love with the woman. But, those were just stories and Bell was not the average individual, there was not a chance in the world that he would fall so easily in love with a person he had just met.

'Could he really have….?' Freya could not even finish her thought as it cut too deep into her heart, she sat in place and took another sip from her glass, perhaps she was just trying to convince herself that Syr was the reason for Liaris Freese and not the Sword Princess. Though that was a saddening thought, even if that was the case that battle would simply go to the Sword Princess and not the entire war. With just a wink and a small smile Freya could use her charm and all of those feelings and thoughts about the blonde would vanish into nothingness and be replaced with the Goddess. Though that would be a last resort, it took all of the enjoyment out of playing with the boy to begin with in the first place.

The Goddess let out another sigh, thinking about it did her no good and just caused her undesired stress. There was no way to know and that was just the reality of the situation, if only the skill just said it she could have avoided all the compilation and constant back and forth of her emotions. She wanted it to say who those feelings really belonged too even if it did say the Sword Princess, at least that way she knew for certain and would not have to devote any more thought to the matter.

Instead her attention was stolen as the Captain of her familia entered the room through the set of double doors and walked over, in reaction the Goddess finished off the last of her wine and held out the empty glass. The man filled it up again to the brim just as Freya's mind wandered to another annoyance of the night, the Werewolf that had spoiled her evening. It was not just the retelling of the story that she was upset by but also the way that the dog barked on and on about Bell in such a disgusting way. If it would not cause an entire war with an incalculable number of casualties she would have had the Werewolf assassinated that very night. The thought was actually rather appealing, but it was not something she was prepared to do just yet.

At the mere thought of the Loki familia member insulting her beloved Bell so harshly Freya squeezed her hand tightly to the point that she shattered the wine glass she held in her right hand.

''Lady Freya!'' Ottar the man said with a sound of genuine sorrow in his voice as he broke away from his designated spot and kneeled down at her side and observed her hand. Several shards of glass had indebted themselves into her flesh and a fair amount of blood leaked from her palm and dripped down and collected in a small crimson puddle on the floor, mixing with the wine that had occupied the glass.

The Goddess had not noticed the pain for a moment and for the first time since she had seated herself she turned her gaze away from the overview of the cityscape and down towards her hand, it was not a particularly pleasant sight. Though for some strange reason the Goddess found the stinging and sharp pain that made her take several deep breaths oddly soothing. It was a strange and unexpected comfort, however, it did not last long as the man by her side was quick to get a few high quality healing potions.

The first thing that needed to be done was remove the glass from her hand of course, a procedure that the man performed with nearly surgical levels of prositiion though that did not take away from the fact that with each piece of glass he pulled out he muttered soft apologies for the pain. Freya did not respond to the muttered words of pleas for forgiveness, she did not see the point in speaking.

Eventually after the last piece of glass had been pulled and dropped to the ground with the rest of the shattered pieces the man asked to remove her arm length glove, the Goddess only performed the bare minimum to answer as she ever so slightly nodded her head in response to the man's request. He slipped off the article of clothing and too dropped it to the floor along to join the shards of glass and puddle of blood and wine.

The man cupped the Goddesses hand and poured the elixir over her hand, in comparison to his own the grey haired womans hands were tiny, delicate and soft. They were a pair of hands that had not and would never work a day in her life, she had countless children that could perform whatever miniscule or herculine task she ordered completed. Seeing the Goddess hurt deeply troubled the Captain and it troubled the man even deeper that she seemed to almost not care and just ignore the pain, to the point that he questioned if she would have even done anything if he had not spoken up and acted out.

As the man poured the potion over her hand and the excess dripped from her fingertips and mixed with the blood and wine accumulating next to her throne she felt the pain dulling and fading away. Despite her hand being returned to the same condition before the shattering of the glass, the pain still was lingering faintly noticeable and it was something that Freya actually did not mind the presence of, it was a good distraction.

A distraction from her real pain.

''Ottar, bring me a new drink. Something stronger.'' the Goddess plainly said as she held her freshly healed right hand out and waited for the wine glass to be placed in her grasp. After a brief moment the glass was in her hand and filled to the brim with a dark purple wine, of which she drank over half of with one sip. While she usually was more elegant in her drinking, she did not really care in the moment and the only person present to see her drinking in such a way was Ottar. Her Captain would never speak a word of the scene to anyone, that was one thing that she knew for certain so it was fine to act in such a way for as long as she desired.

Before the evening was finished the Goddess had gone through several entire bottles of wine and despite the hefty amount of alcohol it did little to relieve her pounding headache, all she could do was sit and ponder while far below her in the dungeon her Bell was running around no doubt slaying whatever unfortunate monster crossed paths with the boy.

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