Okay! I'm back with the next chapter! It's Monsterphilia time, and Bell has his showdown. I'm also revealing the goddess in this chapter, because it's pretty obvious already.
Also, if you like this, leave favs and follows. I like seeing how many people like my stories, as slow as I am.
On to the story!
Chapter 2: Hugrekki (Courage)
The Loki Familia home, Twilight Manor. Residing within it's library was the high elf Riveria Ljos Alf. She was currently studying a translation book pertaining to a certain boy that had caught Ais attention, one with the name Sakleysi.
"Whatcha up to, mama?" Loki asked as she walked over to the table.
"Don't call me that," Riveria responded.
"Right, right, but jokes and tricks aside, seriously, what is this?"
"Ais wanted to know about the name. However, Sakleysi appears to be a mix between the language of Tenkai and Koine."
"Ah, that sounds like a pain, even though that's my own language."
"Thankfully, it's not that complicated of a name. I should have it translated by lunchtime."
"Well, good luck with that."
Loki had wrapped an arm around Riveria's shoulder, and was starting to reach down- And suddenly, Loki was on the ground with a bump on her head. Riveria had her staff out, having knocked Loki out cold. She turned back to her book and pondered for a while longer.
'Still, who would think of a name like this...'
Bell's dagger clashed against Arden's axe before both pulled back and made space. Bell waited cautiously for Arden's next move, and noticed his foot dragging against the floor before lunging straight for him. Bell quickly spun out of the way before attempting to land a hit on Arden with his elbow, missing by a few centimeters. He followed up with a slash of his dagger, which Arden deflected with the flat side of his axe. Arden then retaliated by sending a throwing knife at Bell, which was deflected by his arming sword. He then swung down his axe, and Bell moved to block the attack with his dagger.
They now stood looking at the hilt of Bell's dagger, the blade having been broken off and now resting on the floor of the Dungeon.
"That was unexpected," Arden said.
"My dagger..." Bell looked dejected as he said that.
"Well, it's not the first weapon you broke. And it's about time you got a better dagger anyway. That dull blade was meant for training, not combat."
"... ... ... What?"
"Get a better dagger-"
"No, the thing after that, you just said I was using a dull training dagger?"
"Yes?"
"You're telling me, that this entire time, in these two to three weeks of fighting in the dungeon, I was using a dull training dagger?!"
"Yes." Arden bluntly answered. "Your sword is a genuine combat weapon, though."
"This is so embarrassing..."
"I'm pretty sure the Familia would actually be impressed. Well, at least you're not bleeding anywhere thanks to your Abnormal Resistance and Strong Body development abilities. Pretty sure if you didn't have either of those, the blade would've been lodged in your arm instead of bouncing off and landing on the ground."
'Mainly because he was getting the crap beaten out of him by every living thing throughout his training to reach Lv.2...' Arden thought.
Bell was about to retort before they heard the sound of chains above them. They turned to look and saw a cage with a monster within, a kobold. The cage was being hoisted up by chain through the Dungeon entrance in the ceiling.
'That reminds me, Monsterphilia is happening in a few days...' Bell thought.
"Hey Arden..." Bell turned and saw Arden looking at a magic orb for communication. He nodded and put the magic orb away before turning to face Bell.
"What is it?" Arden asked, slightly irritated. Bell figured it had something to do from the Familia executives.
"Do we have anything to do during Monsterphilia?"
"They didn't mention anything about Monsterphilia, but they did inform all lower ranks to guard headquarters starting at 6:00 in the evening. Our goddess is attending the God's Banquet tonight and the executives will be guarding her discreetly."
"Don't we have actual guards for the house?"
"We do, but..." Arden pinched his chin between his thumb and index finger. "They're being relocated to the banquet as well."
"Just how much of a guard detail is needed?!" Bell exclaimed.
"Don't ask me."
The two adventurers made their way up the spiral staircase that lined the walls of the entrance to the Dungeon. They found more caged monsters as they reached the surface, where guards stood at their posts and adventurers made their way throughout. One of the caged monsters, a battle boar, jumped at the bars of its cage, making a deafening rattle as it made impact and bounced off the bars. Making their way out of Babel, Bell squinted and raised his hand, his eyes adjusting to the midday sunlight.
"Here's your payment." The receptionist gave the pay for today's collection of stone gems.
Arden had already made his way back home, so Bell found himself alone with some free time to explore the street and see if there was anything new. Not much, but there was one thing he felt about doing before heading home himself. Looking to his left, Bell found himself at the entrance to the Benevolent Mistress. Syr had been waiting for him outside.
"Bell, you're here to have lunch?"
"Well, I don't have anything else to do."
"Come on in."
Bell walked in, following behind Syr, and sat down at the same seat he was at on the night before, and ordered a sandwich. He noticed that there were less people during the day, mostly citizens, merchants, and visitors from the outside. It was completely different from nighttime, peacefully quiet conversations in contrast to the noisiness of boasting and singing of adventurers. He observed all this as he ate his sandwich.
"Anything interesting happening with your Familia, Bell?" Syr asked.
"Nothing much. Goddess is attending the God's Banquet and I'm supposed to be on guard duty back home tonight, but that's about it."
"I see. Well, if you're free, would you like to go to the Monsterphilia with me?"
"... Eh? That's in a few days... I think I should be free..."
"You don't have to answer now. Just let me know." She put her hand to her lip. "Is that not okay?"
'Are you seriously trying to make me say yes?!'
"I'll let you know if I'm available."
"Yay! It's a date then!"
'Did I hear that last sentence correctly?' Bell thought.
That night, while Bell and others in the Familia guarded their home while the Executives were away, gods and goddesses gathered at the banquet at the Ganesha Familia home. Various conversations spread throughout and top quality food was served. Ganesha was hosting the Celebration of the Gods, and while it was for good public appearance, it was more simply because he wanted to.
"Everyone! Thank you for coming today!" Ganesha announced, wearing his signature elephant mask. "I am Ganesha! I am overjoyed at the attendance of this celebration! I love you all! I do have one small announcement to make: The yearly festival put on by my Familia is only three days away! Please encourage your Familias to attend! Once again, I am Ganesha!" Knowing he was as bombastic as always, the gods and goddesses continued with their conversations as if nothing happened.
At one of the standing buffet tables, a small, young goddess with an endearing bust was gathering all kinds of food onto her plate. This goddess is Hestia, the poorest of the poor and was apparently having to work at a jagamarukun stand to make a living. Among the gods and goddesses wearing extravagant clothing, she was the only one dressing casually.
"Hey isn't that Loli Big Boobs?"
"She's still alive?"
"That's our Loli Lady!"
She gave a pout as she continued to gather food, unknowing of the goddess approaching her.
"What are you doing, Hestia?"
"Hmm!"
"Hephaestus!" Hestia swallowed the pastry in her mouth and turned to greet the Goddess of Smithing.
"I'm happy to see you too, Hestia... though it would've been better if you wore something more appropriate."
"That's kinda hard to buy such things when I only have a minimum wage job and no children in my Familia."
"If you didn't slack off so much, you would have at the very least some recognition."
"Uuh... I can't argue with that."
The gods and goddesses started looking over in a certain direction, the clacking of heels notable among most.
"Hey look! She's coming!"
"The Goddess of Beauty!"
"Freya!" All the gods said at once. Freya made her way over to Hestia and Hephaestus.
"Good evening, Hestia," Freya greeted.
"Freya..."
"Am I interrupting something?"
"No, I just don't like dealing with you, that's all."
Freya chuckled lightly before responding, "And that's what I like about you."
"Well, at least you're more tolerable than..." Hestia looked over to the stairway entrance towards a far more annoying goddess in her opinion.
"Oyyy! Freya! Itty-Bitty!" Loki rushed down the stairs and towards the group of goddesses at breakneck speeds, somehow preventing anything from toppling over in the process. She had wrapped her hair into a bun and wore a fancy black dress for the occasion.
"Oh, Loki."
"Grr..." Hestia growled at Loki for no reason in particular.
"Ooh, you're making a scary face Hestia. Did I strike a nerve?" Loki quickly noticed Hestia wasn't going to answer, and turned to Freya. "And Freya, I honestly wasn't expecting to see you here. Normally you'd skip out on these events and throw your own if you felt like it."
"Normally I would, but I'm here to speak to someone."
"Oh, have your adventurers been picking up lately?"
"You could say that."
"Ooh, ooh, you don't mind if I brag a little about Ais-tan?"
"What, did Wallenwhatsit or whoever get a boyfriend?"
"Oi, she's my favorite. I ain't giving her to anyone, you hear? Eh? Freya, you look oddly satisfied..."
"Don't mind me. I'll be speaking to Hephaestus ."
While Hestia and Loki continued to bicker, Freya turned around to face Hephaestus , who started to become nervous under Freya's gaze. Such a gaze was both alluring and intimidating at the same time, fitting for a goddess for which two of her titles were beauty and war.
"Is there something you need, Freya? You wouldn't personally approach me otherwise."
"Yes, I need you to make a particular weapon..."
"Hm... is this about your new batch of children you picked off the street rising up and pushing the rest of your Familia to do the same?"
"Indeed, there is one in particular..." Freya put her hand to her cheek and sighed. "But enough about that. I'll end up being lost in conversation about my children if I continue any further."
'Rats. I was sort of hoping she'd get lost in thought.' Hephaestus thought to herself.
"Now, about the weapon I want you to make..."
As the two conversed quietly, Hestia and Loki were raising their voices as they bickered.
"I know it's a bit late, but it feels strange to see you in a dress, Loki," Hestia said, "Don't you usually wear men's clothes?"
"Well, I heard a little Itty-Bitty would be in attendance, and I heard she was too poor to wear a dress, so I thought I'd get the first laugh."
"Funny, coming from someone without any boobs." Hestia retorted.
Loki began to scowl, and Hestia scowled back. Freya and Hephaestus had just finished their brief conversation, and began to watch. Eventually, the tension snapped Loki lunged at Hestia.
"That's not funny at all, you hag!"
"Kiyaaa!"
She grabbed Hestia's cheeks and pulled as hard as she could, with Hestia's smaller frame unable to reach and retaliate. Both were spilling tears down their cheeks, Loki due to her being unable to take the insult about her chest, and Hestia due to the pain she was feeling of having her face being torn in two.
"We got a showoff between Loli Big Boobs and Loki No Boobs!"
"Who's gonna win this time?!"
"I'm betting 100 valis on Loki!"
"I'll pay 1,000 valis to comfort her!"
"Make a real bet, moron!"
Soon enough, over half of the gods had gathered around and watched as the two goddesses brawled and made a mess of the immediate area. Hephaestus rubbed the good side of her face with her hand while Freya chuckled lightly at the scene. At this point, Loki was swinging Hestia in different directions by her cheeks. It went on for a good five to ten minutes, no one bothered to count. Eventually, Loki dropped Hestia to the floor and walked off while yelling.
"I'll do ya in next time, ya hear?! Next time!"
Hestia just groaned on the floor in response. Eventually Hephaestus came over and helped Hestia up.
"Hey, Freya, you were talking about your Familia with Hephaestus earlier, right?" Hestia asked. "If you don't mind my curiosity, I hear you started looking for a new batch to add to your children?"
"Well, I already found enough to spur a change in my them. The young ones and their determination have spurred their older siblings into taking things seriously once again."
"Oh? Mind giving a little detail?"
"I don't want to spoil. I'll tell you later on. Right now I believe I need to update their status, lest they become restless wondering how much stronger they've become. That... and I've gotten bored of all the men here."
Upon hearing those words, all the men that wanted to greet the Goddess of Beauty immediately left downtrodden. Hestia and Hephaestus stared on silently as Freya made her way out, joining up with her guard detachment, all of which had the signature obsidian black armor. Eventually, the two chuckled.
"I'm pretty sure she got those recruits by smiling," Hephaestus remarked. "Though, considering many of her children had tragic pasts..."
"Huh? Did you say something, Hephaestus ?" Hestia asked.
"Uh, nothing," she responded. "Care for a drink?"
Bell dashed through the cavern, quickly killing three Almiraj as he passed by them.
"Hellhound in the second tunnel to your right!" Orlara called out. Bell moved in and threw his arming sword like a spear, killing the hellhound that was hoping to make an ambush. He noticed a glow further down, and soon a fireball was moving toward him. He quickly grabbed his cloak and shielded himself, feeling the impact and pressure, but not the heat.
'Even though they said it was just a hand-me-down, this cloak does wonders to keep me in one piece!' Bell thought. He sprinted, grabbing his arming sword on the way, and killed the second hellhound. Turning around, he saw several Almiraj spawn behind him. A few more showed up from further in the cave.
'A pincer attack?'
The first almiraj jumped and Bell sliced it before it could descend. He turned and cleaved apart the second one attempting to backstab him, kicking outward and knocking away a third. A fourth leapt to the wall and jumped for his face before it was suddenly struck by an arrow. The group that was blocking the exit was suddenly blown away in a blast of dust, and Arden walked out.
"Didn't we tell you to stick close to us, you little brat?" Arden said harshly before bringing out a throwing knife and killing an almiraj sneaking up on Bell.
"I'm sorry." Bell turned around and stabbed the last almiraj, reducing it to black essence.
The 15th floor was harder than he thought it would be. This was the third time that Arden had to get him out of a bad spot. As punishment, he now had to pick up all the magic stones while Orlara and Arden kept watch. Moving to get the fortieth magic stone, he heard the growl of a hellhound, quickly followed by the whistling of an arrow and the piercing of flesh, and the whining before it dissolved. He wondered about how far the rest of his Familia has gotten, and how far he has to go to catch up to them.
'Do they even need me here...?' Bell thought.
"Are you doubting yourself again?" Orlara asked.
"Uh, no-"
"Don't lie. I can see that look on your face."
"Ugh... I'm sorry. I'm holding you all back, aren't I?"
"Haah... dummy, it's because of you that everyone's gotten riled up to stay ahead. You broke the record for reaching Lv.2 and now you've gotten everyone else in the Familia trying to figure out how to do the same. Leveling up that quickly is a massive achievement. As long as you strive to keep growing, I'm sure you'll hit Lv.3 in a month too. So don't depreciate yourself. I don't like it when you start calling yourself weak."
"Okay..."
"Now, on your feet. Let's finish up here, then we head back."
"Right!"
Making their way back to the surface, Bell noticed that the last of the caged monsters were being hoisted up through the entrance at the top. It appeared that the Ganesha Familia had finished the last of their capturing for the Monsterphilia. They should be starting their preparations at the Colosseum tomorrow. As for the current situation... stairs. Spiraling all the way up to the entrance at the top. And Bell was exhausted from a day's work. The next chance he got, he was going to hire a supporter to at least split the weight with. Keeping up with Arden and Orlara, he stumbled his way up the stairs behind them, and collapsed onto the nearest bench when he reached the ground floor of Babel. He had a feeling he would have sore muscles for a while.
After making his exchange at the Guild, Bell made his way home, having avoided giving a progress report since he heard that Eina was busy managing the storage of the Colosseum with the Guild. As he passed by weapon shops, he remembered that he needed a new dagger, and started analyzing the displays.
"A lot of these are expensive... I know my Familia has funds to buy equipment like this, but I don't want to burden them just because I couldn't pay with my own money..."
"What are you thinking about Bell?" Someone approached. Bell recognized him as Miach, the god and head of the Miach Familia, and owner of the Blue Pharmacy where Bell was able to stock up on low price potions at the start of his career as an adventurer. He ought to thank his goddess next time he saw her for pointing out the place among other stores. He didn't have the money to buy at Dian Cecht's.
"Ah, Miach. Good evening," Bell greeted the god. "What brings you here?"
"I was buying supplies to make more potions, as well as some dinner for tonight. I happened to spot you on my way back."
"Ah, I see."
"So, as I asked before, what's on your mind?" Bell glanced back at the display of weapons, and Miach seemed to get the idea.
"Ah, well my dagger broke..."
"So you've been looking for a replacement?"
"Yep. The daggers here are pretty expensive though... I don't I have enough valis in my own wallet to go buy any of them, but I don't want to burden my Familia with the bill..."
"He-he, you're a good kid at heart, Bell. Tell you what, while you're thinking about it, I have something to give you. It's a sample of something I've been working on the other night." Miach pulled out two test tubes filled with a dark blue liquid, and hands them over to Bell.
"A-Are you sure I can have this? Is this really okay?"
"What's wrong with giving a neighbor a cup of sugar? It's no problem." Miach lets out a laugh as he finishes. Bell chuckled lightly as well while placing the two potions in his leg holster.
"I wouldn't say we're neighbors, we're an entire main street or two apart."
"True. But it's good to make friends where you can, regardless of how far they are distance-wise. Well, I need to get back. Hope to see you soon again, Bell."
Miach waved goodbye and continued on his way home in the western parts of the city. Bell made his way home as well, hoping to get some rest. And hope that he isn't woken up by a drowsy Arden in his drill sergeant mood. Soon came the day of Monsterphilia.
"OY! WAKE UP BRATS! IT'S TIME FOR YOUR MORNING TRAINING!" an irritated and drowsy Arden yelled from the hallway at the bedroom section of Lv.2 adventurers, Bell included. Bell's hopes about Arden were pounded by war hammers, crushed by immense strength, and incinerated by fire magic. "I EXPECT DOUBLE THE RESULTS TODAY OR SO HELP ME I WILL KICK YOUR ARSES UNTIL YOU SHOW YOUR WORTH! YOU WILL TRAIN YOURSELVES FOR OUR GODDESS WITH ALL HONOR, GLORY, AND DIGNITY-" Orlara came up behind him and knocked him out with a chop to the neck.
"My apologies for the disturbance. Enjoy your breakfast," Orlara said before dragging Arden down the hall. Bell looked over to the room on his left, where another of the Familia stared down the hall with a confused look.
"Well, that was eventful," Bell said. The other member simply grunted and went back in to get dressed.
An hour later, Bell was on his way to West Main, checking his list see if he needed to repair or resupply anything. Thankfully the list was very short. His arming sword needed to be repaired and he needed a stamina potion or two, but that was it. He had been taught to clean and polish his own armor.
'Oh, right, nearly forgot. I'm meeting with Syr. If all goes well, I should be able to take a look around and see the Monsterphilia event at the Colosseum.'
"Oy." Arden called out from behind.
'Or not.'
"Yes, Arden?" Bell responded.
"We were told to take the day off and enjoy the festival. Can't help but find it strange, though."
"Why?"
"Just a hunch. But I'm not about to refuse an order. Orlara made it my punishment to inform everyone in the lower ranks for yelling at you all this morning."
"You don't need to apologize, you were in your drowsy mood-"
"WHAT THE HELL IS WITH EVERYONE IN THE FAMILIA TALKING ABOUT MY MOOD?! WHAT IS SO INTERESTING?!"
"Whoa! Arden, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't ask about it ever again!" Arden calmed down after a few minutes of punching all of his anger onto a wall.
"You okay?" Bell asked cautiously. Arden turned around and faced Bell with a tired face.
"I'm fine. So as things are, we all have the day off. What are you doing?"
"I was gonna take a jog and get my arming sword repaired afterwards. Then go see the event at the Colusseum-"
"Hey, wait up-nya, white-haired kid!" Someone called out."
'White hair? Never heard anyone call me by that before,' Bell thought. He looked to the source of the voice, a catgirl waitress at the entrance to the Benevolent Mistress, now running over with her tail swishing, and waving her arms.
"Uh... me?" Bell questioned while hesitantly pointing at himself.
"Good morning, nya! Sorry to call nyou out like that, nya!" the catgirl greeted.
"Ah, hi, can I help you?" Bell asked.
"Got a favor to ask nyou. Here, nya!" The catgirl handed Bell a cloth coin purse that he easily recognized. He gave this to Syr as a present when she first left to find work.
"Syr forgot her wallet, nya. So I want nyou to give this to her, nya!"
"Anya, don't be rude to Cranel-san," an elfess made her way around the corner.
'At least the elfess remembers my name.' Bell thought. He watched as the elfess shooed the catgirl back into the pub.
"I apologize for her behavior, Cranel-san. I'm Ryuu Lion. As she said, Syr forgot her wallet. She told me you were taking her on a date at the Monsterphilia event, so can you give her wallet when you find her?"
'I DID hear that last sentence correctly!' Bell screamed in his mind when he remembered about Syr calling it a date. 'Goddess might kill me for this... but it's Syr. She'll approve, right?!'
"Cranel-san?" Ryuu asked once more. Bell realized he had gotten lost on his own thoughts, and shook his head.
"Y-Yeah, I can do that!" Bell answered, a bit flustered. Ryuu gave one last bow and made her way inside the Benevolent Mistress. Bell looked at the pouch in his hand, and turned around, making his way to East Main Street. He noticed more and more people gathering as he traveled through the main street, all crowding around at the base of the Colosseum and various shopping stands in the surrounding plaza. Bell stopped in the middle of the plaza facing the main entrance to the Colosseum and started looking around.
"Now where is Syr..." Bell wondered.
"I'm still here, you know," Arden said from behind.
"A-Arden!" Bell exclaimed. "I didn't realize..."
"I must be using my stealth technique correctly then."
"What stealth technique?"
"Something you wouldn't be able to learn in a hundred years. I'm going." Arden simply walked off, leaving a confused Bell in the plaza to search through the crowds and stands to find Syr.
He made his way back down the street to find her. Weaving through crowds, asking sellers and receptionists, he got some idea of where she might be. He was once again weaving through another crowd, looking up at balconies just in case she may have went up to make herself easy to spot. Two men drinking beer, several women with flowers to drop on a parade, civilians chatting, two women chatting, and... wait. Looking back, he thought he saw his goddess somewhere. He thought it strange. She should already be seated at the Colosseum, considering the taming event started in several minutes.
"Bell!" He recognized Syr calling out to him. She was on a balcony just a couple buildings ahead.
"Hang on, I'll be right over!" Bell shouted in response.
The goddess Freya sat at a table wearing her cloak, looking over the balcony to the crowded streets below. An interesting person here, a few of her children there, but not much else. Eventually, the goddess she was waiting for arrived. Loki entered the balcony in her usual attire, followed by the Sword Princess in a white sleeveless blouse and a pink skirt. She had her sword sheathed and clutched in her hand.
"Yo! Sorry to keep you waitin!" Loki greeted. "Haven't had a breaky yet. Mind if I have a bite?"
"Do as you please," Freya responded.
Loki sat down opposite of Freya and stretched, letting out a yawn.
"Are you going to introduce the person behind you?"
"Eh? You need introducin'?"
"It's the first time I've met this girl face to face."
"O...kay then, this is my Ais. That enough for ya? Ais, this is a goddess, you should at least say 'hello.'"
"... Nice to meet you," Ais spoke after a pause, still standing at Loki's side.
"Ya can sit, ya know," Loki said, Ais nodding in response and pulling a chair and sitting down by the wooden railing.
"She's rather cute. I can see why you've taken a liking to her. Might I ask why you brought the Sword Princess with you?"
"Come on, what better time for me to have a date with my Ais-tan?"
"Hmm."
A waiter came by and asked for their orders. Loki ordered for a strong drink while Freya settled with wine.
"I've been wonderin'..." Loki started. "As of recently, you've been growing yer Familia in both size and strength recently. I'm a bit curious..."
"Something the matter that has you concerned, Loki?"
"Ya been strange recently. Ya claim not to be interested in the Celebration, but poke yer head in at the last minute. Say yer there simply asking Hephaestus for a little favor? Ya not that simple, ya never have been... What are ya scheming?"
"Scheming...? There's just a little test waiting for some of my children. Why do you make it sound so evil?"
"Because ya wouldn' just call me here for a nice chat. Ya never call me for that reason. In fact, strange things always happen when ya call for a chat. If something happens that gets out of hand, I'm ending it."
Freya and Loki started staring intensely at each other. Loki's gaze could've killed a serpent, but Freya seemed completely unaffected as she gave a gaze of her own. Aiz was starting to become uncomfortable from the tension. Eventually, Loki gave in, and the tension instantly evaporated, Loki taking a relaxed position in her seat.
"Aight. I'll entertain ya and give my side of the story. Ais-tan met an adventurer that piqued her curiosity. Interestin' nickname too."
Freya smiled and closed her eyes. Loki confirmed her own thoughts. All of the gods and goddesses knew about Freya's "habits" when it came to men. Once a male in Gekai caught her eye, she made a move. Her beauty was powerful enough to make her target her own. Exactly how many men had fallen, nobody knew. But how did Sakleysi fit in to all this? Just taken by brute force? Charmed? Picked up off the street like Ottar? Was he even taken yet?
"You're after him, aren't you? Or could it be..."
"I don't want to spoil the surprise, but I'll give you a few hints, let your children figure it out. If you're patient enough and I'm in a good mood, I'll point him out at the Denatus. I hardly find a chance to see him as it is..."
"Aw, that's no fun. I don' even know what the boy looks like. C'mon, at least tell me a few hints. I came all this way, changed my plans. I have the right to know."
"I was getting to it. be patient, my dear Loki."
Loki focused closely as Freya's hood lifted slightly, just enough for the latter's silver eyes go clear, as if thinking about the past.
"... He's not that strong. Weak if you compare him to the children of our Familias. Easily upset, and he cries at the slightest provocation... he's that kind of child." Loki could tell there was a "but" to this.
"He was beautiful. Pure. Innocent. I've never seen anything like him. I found him by accident. He just happened to cross my line of vision."
Freya thought through every second when she first laid eyes on him. She kept her eyes busy on the street, searching for him. Maybe today, she would pay him a visit.
"It was on a dark and cold night..."
She had a feeling he would show up here. And indeed he did. Out from the casting shadows of the adjacent buildings, Bell showed up in pants and a brown coat.
"..."
She stopped breathing. There he was, jogging, jumping between people, and jogging again. He had been doing this whenever he had crossed her vision. Freya watched him for a moment, then showed a smile. One that Ais took notice of after her own observation of Bell. She didn't like it.
"I apologize. Something has come up."
"Eh?" In her sudden confusion, Loki lost balance and collapsed from the table onto the floor.
"Let's do this again soon."
Freya was already out of her chair and striding down the stairs and towards the exit, her cloak mystically flowing behind her as it straightened out. Only Loki and Ais were left in the café. Loki sat there for the next several minutes and thought to herself, her eye twitching.
"What kinda person just leaves ya hangin' like that...?"
"Hmm..." Ais had turned back to the railing and gazed down at the street.
"What's up Ais? Something wrong?"
"... No. It's nothing." She spotted the white haired boy, who was now meeting up with a gray haired girl. For some reason, she didn't like that either.
The sound of a set of footsteps regained Loki's attention as an elf with long green hair showed up.
"Riveria! So, ya finish yer little pet project?" Riveria thwacked Loki across the head with her staff.
"I finished my translation of the name that Ais was curious about. Though..." Riveria looked over to Ais, and Ais turned around with a look of confusion. "Why exactly are you curious about it? Does it belong to the boy you like?"
"Eh? No, it's not like that..." Ais turned away and pouted. "He just seems... different, he reminds me of the time I was a kid, and my parents were around..."
"Funny you say that. The name Sakleysi, belonging to the boy you met, is a mix of Tenkai and Koine, and roughly translates to Innocence."
Ais' eyes widened. She seemed to have a realization of some sort, not noticing the slight color on her face. She never got to think on it, though. A guard of the Ganesha Familia had rushed up the stairs and called out to them.
"We need your help! Several monsters broke out of the Colosseum!"
'Don't tell me...' Loki thought, 'THAT'S what she meant by a test?!'
10 Minutes Earlier...
"So, how have you been?" Syr asked.
"Eh? Uh... mostly good, aside from Arden waking up in a bad mood and yelling at everyone to get up," Bell responded. He placed his hands in his pockets and suddenly felt the coin purse that he was meant to give to her. He pulled out the purse and handed it over. "Ah, right. Here's your purse. Ryuu-san told me that you forgot to bring it with you for the Monsterphilia."
Syr smiled and gladly took her purse from his hands.
"Thank you, Bell. Now, let's go on our date!"
"Date?!"
"Yes, a date! I wasn't joking. Just look around! Everything looks so fun! We'll have a great time!"
Syr dragged bell along with her without giving him a chance to respond. Bell could feel his cheeks heating up, and already knew he was blushing hard. She pulled him through the street, trying out food at vendors such as kebabs, cookies, and even caught a glance of a popular snack called jagamarukun. Then the souvenirs, accessories, figurines and other collectibles. And then... are those actual weapons!?
"Bell, look over there, they have crepes!" Syr said excitedly.
"Wait up, Syr, you're pulling too hard!" Bell exclaimed.
"Hello, Mister! Two of those crepes, please!"
'She really seems excited... It's like she's been waiting to do this with me for years.' Bell thought. The vendor brought out two crepes and Syr paid for them without letting Bell notice. She knew well how Bell would try to convince her to let him pay his own. But she wanted to pay for both and let him enjoy the day. Then, she had an idea.
"Bell~" Syr called. "Say ahh~"
Bell found Syr holding out her crepe towards his mouth, showing a glowing grin on her face that was telling him to take a bite.
"A-Are you sure?" Bell asked.
"I always wanted to try this."
"I..."
"What, is it because I took a bite first? I don't mind."
"It's not that, just..."
"Just do it," She said with a dangerous smile.
"... Okay... ahh..." He took a bite out of Syr's crepe. The vanilla ice cream within mixed well with the strawberry slices, sweetened a little extra by the powdered sugar on top. Meanwhile, Syr's own lips jump foward and she takes a bite out of Bell's crepe. He could feel himself blushing at the sight.
'NO! Bad Bell! No weird thoughts!'
Like the mischievous girl she has been known to be, Syr smiles and suddenly takes a bigger bite out of the crepe before Bell can react. She pulls back, enjoying the portion of Bell's crepe that she had taken for herself. He noticed a spot of cream on her cheek and wiped it off with his finger. It was only afterwards that his mind caught up and he realized what he did.
"A-Ah! I didn't mean-"
Syr ignored him and playfully bit down on his finger, removing the sweet topping. This only served to make Bell turn as red as a tomato and produce steam from his ears. Seeing the jagamarukun stand having fewer people lined up at it, Syr took the opportunity and dragged Bell along to the stand.
"Come on! Let's get some jagamarukun!"
"We're still going to eat more?"
"When was the last time we got to enjoy something like this together?"
Come to think of it, Bell realized the last time they did something together was two to three years ago. He decided to put his insecurities aside for once and enjoy his time with her, even if he looked out of place. Nothing could go wrong... right?
Beneath the Colosseum, in a room illuminated by a single magic stone lamp that hung from the ceiling, several boxes filled with weapons were stacked, and the cages containing the monsters for the Monsterphilia event. Some of them had already been delivered up for the first main show. Sounds of chains rattling echoed throughout as the monsters growled and stuck their snouts between the lattices. Footsteps were heard as a female member of the Ganesha Familia entered and made her way through.
"What are you doing? We're ready for the next one! Why haven't you raised the platform already?!"
She made her way further, not noticing two slumped bodies in the shadows.
"I swear, if you all are slacking off, I will personally-" She cut off her rant when she saw her team members sitting or laying down with absent, blank looks on their faces. "H-Hey, are you alright?" She asked. The other members were breathing, and showed no injuries. They were alive. The problem was that they were unmoving like dolls. It didn't match any effects of the monster poisons she studied.
'What happened here...?'
She carefully checked her surroundings, watching cautiously for any intruders. Scanning the room, nothing seemed out of place. Cages were all locked, no unusual spills or fumes-
There was someone behind her.
"Please stand still?" The voice asked. The Ganesha Familia member suddenly couldn't see as a hand covered her eyes. She couldn't move either, paralyzed by what she was feeling, comfort that she didn't want to resist.
"Where is the key?" The voice asked.
"... Eh?"
"The key to the cages - where is it?"
She felt the keys on her waist, and moved her unsteady arm to grab them, lifting them up over her shoulder, caring not what the voice would do with them. Once the keys were taken from her hand, the presence withdrew, and the girl collapsed, unconscious.
"My apologies."
Freya left the girl behind and went further into the room. She looked around, searching for something. She stopped in the middle of the room, the monsters in their cages suddenly becoming passive under the goddess' presence. She spotted several monsters that would be fitting for her little test. An irregular silverback, a bugbear, a battle boar, and surprisingly, even a lygerfang. She thought of choosing one, but considering the growth of one child in particular had begun to stagnate a little, one would not be enough. Well, a small change of plans was of no concern. It would be easy enough to keep them in the plaza.
"... You all will do well."
She unlocked the cages, and promptly gave her command, "Come out." And move out they did. The monsters huddled around her, and she lifted her hand to one of the monster's snouts. Something like this was dangerous, but she didn't care. All that mattered to her was Bell and bringing his potential to it's peak to surpass all others.
'I wanted to watch him grow a little while longer...' she thought, 'But I want to play with him.'
She watched him grow ever since his soul began to shine as a young boy. She loved him, and wanted everything about him. To see his smiles, the tears when he cried, the comfort he sought when he was engulfed in fear, but most outstandingly, his aura when he had courage, to stand up to a foe greater than him, and overcome it. His first goblin, his first kobold, his first minotaur. And if he died here, she would follow him to Tenkai. Putting her thoughts aside, she turned to the hidden figure at the doors to the room and nodded, the figure nodding back in response and exiting the room to deliver the package.
'Now...' She turned back to the monsters and blew a kiss, entrancing them further. 'Let's see your courage.'
The monsters' roars could be heard from the storage room, and they broke out.
Freya was nowhere to be found.
Bell was making his way through East Main, having finished the quick task that a merchant had asked of him. He had told Syr to go on ahead and that he'll catch up. All that was left was to head to the front plaza of the Colosseum-
"AAAAHHH!"
"Monsters!"
A guard wearing the Ganesha Familia uniform rushed up to him and a few nearby adventurers.
"Monsters have broken out of the storage room! We need all able adventurers to contain them before they cause damage beyond the plaza!"
Bell nodded and Arden conveniently appeared from the rooftops, tossing Bell his equipment. Armor, cloak, arming sword, and one of his spare daggers. No Zweihänder this time; speed was of the essence and it would only be dead weight in what should be an easy containment mission against a few middle floor monsters. Quickly strapping his armor and cloak on with precision, he and Arden immediately rushed to the plaza, immediately coming face to face with a hard armored. It started rolling towards the two, only for Arden to knock it away with his axe, sending two throwing knives into it's belly and killing it as it was sent airborne. Bell instinctively brought out his dagger and stabbed a mad beetle, killing it instantly and reducing it to black dust, and Bell picked up the magic stone that remained. He had the faintest self-reminder to again find a supporter the next time he went into the dungeon.
He had reached the plaza. There, several adventurers ran to either side as a silverback barreled it's way through the stands, tossing wagons, items and small carts in every direction before stopping in the middle of the now ruined plaza. Bell unsheathed his arming sword and got ready to strike. Arden had made him defend against groups of minotaurs, he could handle a single silverback. Strangely, Bell observed that the silverback was sniffing for something. Then it stopped at Bell, and roared. As it lunged forward, so did Bell, and before the silverback could send out a punch, Bell had plunged his sword into it's chest and through it's magic crystal. He jumped out of the way as the silverback fell and disintegrated.
And straight through it's essence came a battle boar. Bell rolled out of the way and it continued charging towards Arden, who continued to stand in his spot. Unexpectedly, Arden lifted his arms and caught the boar by its tusks, using leverage to swing it around and throw it back towards the Colosseum, where there were more adventurers fully prepared, immediately surrounding it while a second-class adventurer from the Ganesha Familia confronted it directly. Bell picked up the magic stone of the silverback from the ground, this time uninterrupted. He looked up to find his dungeon advisor, Eina, running towards him.
"Bell-kun!" She called out.
"Eina-san, are you all okay?"
"Yes, the citizens and I are fine. But other adventurers and guards are struggling with the monsters at the entrance."
"I'll head over immediately. Can you take care of the citizens here?"
"That's my job."
Eina smiled as Bell left for the Colosseum further ahead with Arden. When the pair arrived, they saw an adventurer get swiped away onto the side of the street by a lygerfang, seemingly because the lygerfang was merely annoyed at someone poking it with a spear, the adventurer only showing a couple harmless scuff marks on his skin could attest. It was also sniffing around, as if searching for something, and roared at Bell upon finding him.
'Are they specifically after me?' Bell thought.
"They're after you, Bell," Arden said.
"... Are you a mind reader?" Bell asked.
"Focus."
Bell turned back and immediately raised his arms up in defense as the lygerfang moved to pounce him. The hit knocked back Bell several feet, and he got into a defensive stance, ready to stab the lygerfang before him at the next move. As soon as the lygerfang jumped, Bell rolled under and stabbed his dagger through it's chest. The lygerfang fell over and tried to get back up, but Bell quickly moved and decapitated it with his sword.
'Strike fast and efficiently. Don't waste energy on fancy maneuvers when you dodge. Conserve stamina, but don't loosen your effort against the enemy.'
He remembered his lessons from his executives as he moved further where he saw several guards surrounding a bugbear while Orlara took a position on a rooftop and drew back an arrow, chanting her spell. As he expected, the bugbear sniffed out Bell and roared at him.
"Orlara!" Bell called out. She didn't answer, but he knew she was listening. "I'll lure it into the open! Everyone else, clear the area!"
The bugbear charged at Bell and swiped with shocking speed. Barely managing to dodge, the bugbear's claws made a few tears on the cloak that Bell wore. Thankfully, mostly intact. Studying it, it had a rather strong hide, and the fur might interfere with his sword's cutting power, even possibly break it, considering it still had cracks and needed repairs. He would stick to his dagger.
The bugbear charged again, and Bell, being prepared this time, jumped toward the wall and leapt across balconies, letting the bugbear give chase and isolate itself from everyone else. He jumped down on top of the bugbear, flipping the dagger in his hand and stabbing it in the neck, too shallow to disable it, but deep enough to keep a hold. He then used his sword and sliced just above the bugbear's snout, successfully blinding it. Bell removed his dagger and the bugbear thrashed around, throwing him off to which he used his momentum to roll away from the bugbear. Quickly looking back, he noticed Orlara finishing her chant, and covered himself with the most intact part of his cloak.
"Hellfire Arrow!" Orlara yelled, launching a glowing arrow trailed by red flames. The arrow struck the bugbear and incinerated it in a moderate explosion, turning it to ash and leaving only the magic stone intact. Bell picked it up and noticed a kobold charging towards him, which he easily killed with a quick stab to the neck.
"That should be all of them..." Bell said. "Arden, you hear anything?"
"I'm still hearing screams... do they still not have the situation under control?"
"Violas!" A guard yelled.
"We need the veterans!"
"Where's Loki Familia?!"
"Hang on just a couple more minutes, they just finished off a group on the other side and are heading here now!"
"... Well, can't say I blame them," Arden said. "Those things can be a real pain."
"Lets go!" Bell exclaimed, running to the direction of veteran adventurers and the noticeable "heads" of the violas. Arden could only sigh.
"Dammit, kid, you're too kind." Arden chased after him. Above, a cloaked figure watched the battle with a box in hand.
Adventurers parted for the Lv.2 Bell to make his way in and start with one of the weaker violas. It had already been wounded in a few places, something he could exploit to end the fight quickly. But he remained cautious. He had never fought a viola before, but according to what the higher-ups taught him, they struck similar in manner to a snake. He considered that in his attack plan. He did not consider how fast they could strike. The flytrap-like mouth was right in front of his face in a flash, and Bell had barely enough time, space, and movement to deflect it from the bottom with his bracer. It still nicked the skin of his cheek. Then he took the full brunt of the outer leaf, sending him crashing into the nearest wall. When he got up, he noticed that he only had his sword, realizing that he must have dropped his dagger somewhere due to the impact. He brought his sword up to guard for the next strike. The Viola snapped forward, and Bell deflected it's strike with the flat of his blade, audible strain sounding out as the cracks on the damaged sword spread. It wouldn't be able to take another attack like that. Bell noticed the body of the viola coil and he grabbed onto one of the outer leaves as it reared back, pulling him along with it. He felt his muscles strain as he kept his grip with his left hand, and brought up his sword, aiming for the area between the base of the leaf and the mouth, and brought it down, stabbing in the intended area.
The sword broke. The pieces scattered, leaving a mere gash on the viola's fibers. The viola threw him off, and he landed with a hard thud, notably feeling his bones complain from the impact. He stumbled in his attempt to get up, and only managed to survive the viola's next attempt to strike because a few other adventurers distracted it. Seeing it's strength, speed, appearance and other aspects, Bell couldn't help but feel scared and hesitant.
'It's too strong, and both of my weapons are gone... How am I supposed to win when nothing works?'
The cloaked figure on the rooftop moved, bringing out the box.
'If you are to be a hero, you must be able to use your skill in tandem with your courage. If you lose your courage, you lose your skill.' The words of his mentor rung in his head.
'If I fail here without fulfilling my wish, my efforts to be recognized by my Familia will be for naught.'
Bell stood up and wiped the sweat off of his forehead, facing the viola in front of him, his fear buried. The cloaked figure tossed the box over, and left unnoticed.
'I have the courage to face what is before me and overcome it. An adventurer is supposed to have an adventure after all.'
He instinctively caught the box and opened it, revealing a pair of one-edged daggers, pitch black in color with silver runes lining the blades from tip to hilt. Upon grabbing one, a purple glow ran across the blade, and he could feel the strength and cutting power emanating from them, acting as an extension of his will. Attaching the sheathes for the blades to his waist and facing the viola once more, he lunged forward, testing his blades on one of the outer leaves as the viola counterattacked. Unlike his previous weapons, the daggers cut through the viola's protective covering as naturally as they would through air. He looked back to see one of the outer leaves fall away as the viola screeched. He turned and prepared to do the same grappling move, taking into account the viola's speed this time and sheathing his left dagger. As it lunged, he grabbed on, ignoring the complaints of his arm, and plunged the second dagger in his right hand at the same gash that his sword had left before. This time, it went through, but not all the way. He kept a hardened steel-like grip as he brought out the second dagger and stabbed at the other side of the base, and tore through, decapitating the viola and dissolving it to nothing, leaving a uniquely colored magic stone. He looked at his daggers as the glow dimmed, showing the emblem of his Familia custom etched on the base. He smiled at the sight of it. His motherly goddess always had the best gifts to help him at the most convenient times.
"Thank you, goddess," Bell said softly. He could hear civilians and adventurers cheering his victory from their windows and makeshift barriers.
And then he was slapped in the back of the head.
"Focus! We're still surrounded!" Arden yelled at him before chopping off the entire flower segment of another viola. Now that he looked at his surroundings, Bell noticed there were still seven more violas, all of them slightly bigger than the one he just fought. But he refused to look weak when his Familia was watching him. The fact that he now had these new daggers was proof enough. If they could beat these, so could he. He just needed a plan-
A silver spear flashed through the air and instantly dug a hole through three of the violas and embedded itself in the wall, just barely missing Bell's hair. It was so sudden that everyone gave pause. Even the remaining four violas went still. Slowly, everyone turned their heads to where it was thrown from. A cat person walked out, wearing a black sleeveless shirt, black pants, and a single shoulder pauldron held by a belt that connected to the second belt at the waist. There was no doubting his identity.
Allen Fromel | Race: Cat Person | Level 6 | Freya Familia | Alias: Vana Freya
He looked around, first at the four violas, then the adventurers surrounding the violas but staring at him.
"The hell are you staring at me for, weaklings?" Allen said. Everyone resumed their task of subduing or killing the violas as he walked over to Bell. Bell looked up, eyes wide from shock, and Allen remained silent, his own eyes analyzing Bell before giving a slight recognition.
"Move."
"Ah, right! Sorry!" Bell immediately moved over and sprinted to the other adventurers, allowing Allen to retrieve his spear from the wall before turning around, leaning on the wall and observing the fight.
"Tch... what is a rabbit doing here surrounded by predators...?"
Bell dodged out of the way of another viola, and striking it with his daggers before backing away.
'Get your attacks in where you can. Monsters will always have openings. Be patient, and let them give away their weak point.'
The viola reared back from several spear jabs from other adventurers, and the outer leaves pulled back to reveal the connection between the main body and the flytrap head.
'There!'
He lunged forward, and thrust his daggers at the viola's weakpoint. He felt something jerk him away before he could properly cut all the way through. Bell found that a second viola had caught his cloak, and let go of the dagger lodged in the other viola, twisting around and cutting away at the base, eventually killing it. He quickly checked the remaining three, and found the one with his dagger lodged. Loki Familia had just arrived as well. Focusing back on the viola, he took note of his cloak, seeing that it had patterned tears matching the bite of the viola that pulled him away earlier.
"I'm not fighting anything that can breathe fire right now, so this is just holding me back."
He unclipped the cloak and tossed it aside, his black armor in full view. A green haired high elf took notice of this. Lunging back into the offensive, he grabbed onto his lodged dagger, and pulled it through, leaving a deep gash on the viola. It began thrashing around, knocking adventurers around with far more force than what he observed in the previous monsters. He ran over to climb onto the center of mass, where there was least movement, and slowly climbed his way towards the violently thrashing head. It slammed into a wall, but Bell hung on, much to the complaint of his shoulders that took the brunt of the impact. Loki Familia had already finished the other two violas, leaving only the viola that Bell was climbing towards. Ais had noticed him from before, and was about to step in when someone stopped her, and simply gave the notion to observe. Bell brought out his daggers and stabbed into the body of the viola, improving his climbing as he crawled up the neck, and began cutting away the outer leaf on top with one of his daggers, still holding on in a situation where the average adventurer would have lost consciousness from being tossed around like a ragdoll. Eventually, he saw the gash he left before as he finished cutting away the leaf, and stabbed into it, tearing through plant fibers and finally decapitating it, jumping away as it dissolved. Immediately looking around for Arden and Orlara, he found the former putting away his axe and the latter easing the arrow off her bow. And both were completely unscathed. Unlike himself. He was definitely sure he at least had a few bruises with how sore his body felt, but nothing a couple of health potions couldn't fix. Quickly drinking down one of the potions that Miach had gave him, he smiled at his victory and the people cheering for him. Ais also smiled slightly and clapped softly, along with several others in her Familia.
"... Congrats," she whispered, then realized she still needed to apologize to him about having to make him take down a herd of minotaurs, as well as embarrassing him. But before she could go over to him, he was suddenly tackled by a gray haired girl, and at the same time, could tell Loki was about to grope her butt from behind, and promptly karate chopped her. When she turned back around, Bell was out of sight.
"You did it, Bell!" Syr said. She tugged Bell along towards Arden and Orlara, who were waiting for him.
"Hey, Arden-san, Orlara-nee, how did I do?" Bell asked, and Orlara smiled slightly in response while Arden turned his head away.
"... Not bad," Arden responded. Orlara then elbowed him over his lackluster response.
"You did great, Bell," She gave her own response.
"Everyone... thank you."
The hooded figure watched for a little while longer before turning around and making his way down. Reaching the balcony, he pulled back his hood, revealing his boar ears and rust colored hair. In front of him was his goddess, Freya, in her own hooded cloak.
"How did he do, Ottar?"
"He has performed well above my expectations, Freya-sama. There were additional monsters unaccounted for, but he was able to adapt and defeat them accordingly with support."
"Well, he did learn from the best. Isn't that right, Ottar?"
"It is as you say."
"He's never excited me like this before. Perhaps I was wrong to keep him locked up and isolated for so long. It's quite possible that if he started at a young age, he would at least be on par with the Sword Princess. Unfortunately, those were dangerous times, and people wouldn't take kindly to him at the time due to his... relations. But no matter. His limitless potential will close that gap soon enough. Ottar, there's a little expense I need to pay to Hephaestus, so I'll need you to deliver the Valis."
"As you wish, Freya-sama."
Ottar left and Freya turned back to look at the Colosseum, where Bell was being led by Syr through the streets towards Babel. A couple more tests were in order, but those could wait.
"Bell, my dear son, it's about time I gave you a reward."
She looked down at a sheet of paper detailing his last given stats.
Bell Cranel
Level 2
Freya Familia
Strength: F 371 - D 522 Defense: F 388 - D 511
Dexterity: G 299 - E 421 Agility: F 374 - C 604 Magic: I 0
Skills
Liaris Freese - Fast growth as long as feelings last. The strength of the effects corresponds with the level of the user's feelings. As a side effect it makes the user immune to charms.
Grace of the Ziz - Allows a 25% increase in growth in active Familia members and a 50% increase when directly assisting the user.
Azrael's Blessing - Allows the user to wield the Azrael Zweihänder in times of great crisis. (Inactive)
Development Abilities
Abnormal Resistance H- Negates the effects of abnormalities such as poison. Obtained immediately after blessing.
Strong Body H- Obtained through rigorous training from a young age and blessing.
Multi-Weapon Mastery I- Allows the user to proficiently wield any combination of two weapons. Obtained after reaching Lv.2.
The sun was setting on the walls of Orario. Within the Benevolent Mistress, Bell was sitting down in the corner stool with another massive buffet in front of him. The joy he was carrying before was now replaced with comical sadness as he watched his Valis disappear like water down a drain.
"How are you doing, Bell?" Syr asked. "I was told that you had been injured."
"Oh, I'll be fine. Miach had given me a couple potions, and they came in handy. My wallet however... not so well."
After the incident at Monsterphilia, everyone had calmed down considerably. With the intervention of Ganesha Familia, Loki Familia and the Guild, damage was kept to a minimum. Despite Allen of the Freya Familia being involved, he refused any credit.
"Hey, Syr... did I worry you?"
"Of course you did."
"I'm sorry."
"You don't need to apologize. You and your overly kind soul just wanted to help a merchant, and you didn't know that monsters had broken out."
Bell sighed as Syr reassured him.
"But today, everyone has been talking about you. How brave that adventurer, how brave you were. Even some adventurers from Loki Familia were cheering for you."
"Ehhh... you really think so?"
"Of course. I actually saw you fighting various monsters on Main Street and the Plaza from the Colosseum. Most would be too scared to approach, much less attack something as vicious as a viola."
"I didn't do that much."
"Even so, you looked really good. You fought monsters and saved people..."
She leaned in close to Bell's ear.
"... and I fell for you."
Bell's eyes shot open and his face started turning red upon hearing those words. Looking towards her, she had her own tint of red on her cheeks as she smiled.
"Well, break time's over. I'll excuse myself now. Until next time, Bell."
"Sure... later."
Bell watched as she made her way towards the kitchen.
'I would think she was teasing me, but my goddess had taught me otherwise. By her appearance, she might actually be in love with me. But would my goddess approve? I mean, it's Syr we're talking about, she'll definitely approve... I think.'
"Cranel-san."
"Eep!"
"I apologize for surprising you." Ryuu said. "Someone is waiting for you outside."
Bell had a sudden bad feeling.
"Uh... what does he look like?"
"He's a high elf, wears white, carries a rhomphaia... Cranel-san?"
Bell had completely lost focus. He recognized that description from the first four words alone. Bell dreaded him. Where his goddess and sometimes his mentor was approving, he was not. Many times he had been deemed "unworthy" of dating Syr by his standards and near lethal training. And he made a grave error forgetting about him when he accepted Syr's date. Only one thought ran through his mind before he payed for the food and subconsciously made his way to the door to face whatever horrifying punishment was waiting for him:
'I am so dead.'