A/N - Alright here we go with chapter 2. Right now I already have a timeline of all major events planned out and towards the end there will be a good amount of time skipping. In the end this story is going to be around 12 chapters with an epilouge so 13 total, but thats if I don't decide to add stuff or take stuff out at the last minute.

Then I do have a conversation part between Ottar and Freya at the start but to be honest I feel it could be better but I just couldn't really get their characters. If they feel stale, I'm sorry about that.

Anyways, now lets continue with the journey of Bell and Asfi.

-Babel Tower; 3rd POV-

The Goddess, Freya, stood atop her tower as she watched two adventurer's enter the dungeon. Her little rabbit and a child of Hermes. For some reason just seeing then together angered her.

"Ottar, what do you think would happen if I kill that woman?"

"If you're referring to the one that's been with Cranel the past few days, I'm sure that it would end up starting a war."

"Hm, now that would be entertaining."

Freya said with a sadistic laugh.

"My Goddess, I would have to advise you that it might not be the best option as of right now. We still have other matters to worry about."

"Yes, yes, I know. For now I'll bite my tongue."

Freya then snaps her fingers to summon one of her children.

"Yes, Lady Freya?"

Allen, one of the high ranking members of the Familia.

"Allen, I want you to watch the captain of the Hermes Familia and my little rabbit. Don't engage them just watch them. Do I make myself clear."

"But why Lady Freya? If I just got rid of them it would make everything so much easier for everyone."

"I said do I make myself clear, Allen?"

"Yes, Lady Freya."

The cat person then leaves the room as quickly as he entered.

"Lady Freya, are you sure that Allen is fit for something like that."

"I have my trust in him, even if he tends to do things his own way. If you feel something is wrong then I give you permission to go retrieve Allen, alright Ottar?"

"If that is what you wish Lady Freya."

-Floor 18-

The next morning, Miss Asfi and I woke up and packed up our camp. We made our way to Rivira. As we entered the town it still seemed run down but this was just how the town looked. It was a busy town with overpriced goods, nothing really changed since last time I was here.

Miss Asfi went into one of the many weapon shops while I waited outside. Is wasn't long until she returned. She walked out with a bag and a weapon case.

"So, did you get what you needed?"

I asked as I turned to face her.

"Yes, I did."

Miss Asfi opened up a small bag that had multiple materials in it ranging from many different monsters on different floors. She then showed off a small black box. She opened the box to reveal a knife with a blade so clear it looked like a mirror. The hilt was a mix of white with golden accents. It was beautiful. It was the complete opposite of the Hestia Knife.

"I also wanted to get you this as a thank you for all your help, Bell. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to collect all of the materials I have and to be honest it was nice forming a party with you."

I admired the beautiful knife as the light glistened off of the blade. I knew that if I tried to refuse that it would turn out just like all the other times when Miss Asfi tried to pay me, plus she already spent the money on the weapon, so I sort of had to accept it.

"Thank you, Miss Asfi, I don't know what to say. This should pair well with my Hestia Knife since Ushiwakamaru broke."

I then took the knife and performed a few test swings. It felt just like the Hestia Knife did. The same weight and everything.

"No problem, Bell. So what are you going to call it?"

Miss Asfi asked.

I thought for a minute. Before the Hestia knife was gifted to me by Goddess Hestia so I decided that maybe I should keep the tradition going.

"Miss Asfi, would it be okay if I named it after you? I mean you did give it to me."

I noticed that Miss Asfi blushed slightly at the request.

"Sure, I don't mind. Now, let's get going, I'm sure the path that lies ahead will be good practice for it."

With that final statement, we headed through the dungeon with our newly acquired items. I held the Hestia knife in my right hand and the Andromeda Blade in my left.

-Asfi POV-

As Bell and I exited the dungeon, we both said our farewells and went our separate ways. However, I wasn't in too much of a rush to head back to Traveler's Inn and decided I might as well stop by the Hostess of Fertility since it was about noon and I haven't eaten anything since the day before.

I walked into the familiar pub which usually Lord Hermes would drag me into and I would have to end up dragging him out.

A waitress, Syr, walked up and greeted me at the entrance.

"Good Afternoon, Miss Asfi, is it just you today?"

"Hello, Syr. Yes, it's just me today."

"So did you finally ditch Lord Hermes?"

"No, not yet anyways. I just came back from the dungeon and decided that I had some time to kill before I head back to Traveler's Inn."

"Ah I see. Well right this way."

I followed the ashen haired waitress over to the bar of the pub and took a seat. I placed my order and she left for just a few moments before returning.

"Alright, here is your drink."

"Than you, Syr."

"Miss Asfi, I know this is sudden but I saw you the other day with Bell heading to the dungeon. What was that about?"

"Oh that? Well I hired him to help me out in the dungeon. It was mostly to collect materials from monsters and it was a lot easier with him around."

"So what do you think of him?"

I almost choked on my drink when she said that.

"What do you mean Syr?"

"Exactly what I said. What do you think about Bell?"

"Well he's a brave adventurer despite how old he is. He's always willing to help, he even agreed to my request before I got the chance to tell him what we were doing exactly."

"It sounds like the two of you have gotten closer."

Syr's words made me blush slightly.

"I guess we have in a way. You have to put your full trust in each other in the dungeon after all."

In the kitchen a bell rang, getting Syr's attention.

"That must be your food. I'll be right back."

As Syr walked away, I heard her mumble something under her breath but I wasn't paying much attention to figure out exactly what she said. She returned and placed the plate of food in front of me. As I ate my mind wandered to thoughts of Bell since Syr asked so much about him.

What can I say, he is an adventurer worthy of respect. He always puts his friends before himself. I just hope one of Lord Hermes' plots won't get him hurt one day.

-Traveler's Inn-

I arrived back at Traveler's Inn and it was relatively quiet. I sat in the common area, resting after my journey. Once again, Bell crossed my thoughts, though it wasn't like last time. This time I was thinking of when Bell fell on top of me. As embarrassing as it was, everytime I thought about what happened I couldn't help but feel a little happy.

'He was the first man to ever see me like that.'

I then broke myself from my thoughts.

'Wait, what am I thinking? Am I falling for him? No that can't happen, after all we are both in different familia's so even if he were to feel the same, marriage would be close to impossible. But if that did happen problems would only branch off from there. First I would have to deal with Freya, I know that she also has eyes for Bell. Then, Not to mention there is an 8 year age gap between us, I don't want people to think I'm some kind of pervert.'

As I was zoned out in her own little world, I failed to notice that Lord Hermes was calling for me.

"Asfi, Asfi, Yoohoo Asfi?"

"Oh, Lord Hermes, I'm sorry I was just thinking."

I could tell this peaked Lord Hermes' curiosity.

"Oh? So what were you thinking so hard about? I was calling your name for a while."

I sighed as I knew that there was no way I could tell Lord Hermes that I was thinking about Bell. Then again I couldn't exactly lie to him either, no mortal could lie in the presence of a God. Finally, I came to the conclusion that I would tell Lord Hermes, but keep out as many details as possible. I took a deep breath before answering.

"Lord Hermes, how can you tell if your in love with someone?"

I asked as I lowered her head in embarrassment, knowing Lord Hermes probably wasn't the best person to talk to this about but I didn't have any other choice. He sat back on the couch that was across from me and I could tell he was actually thinking about my question.

"Well I'm probably not the best person for this topic, but I think that the definition of love is different for each person. Its not really something you can explain, but it's something that you know as soon as you feel it."

That was an answer I never would have expected to come from Lord Hermes.

"Did you feel that way when you tried asking out Syr?"

I asked with a cold expression since Lord Hermes was one to hit on almost any girl if they were cute.

"Are you still upset about that? I said I was sorry. Anyways, it's strange to hear you talk about love. You never did express much interest in the subject."

A smirk then crossed Lord Hermes' face.

"Did my little Asfi finally grow up and now someone caught her eye."

"N-no, it's nothing like that."

I started to blush slightly but looked away to try and hide it. But, I was too late, Lord Hermes already noticed. He then dropped his joyful, carefree tone.

"Asfi, we both know that's not the case. It's written all over your face."

Hermes' carefree tone quickly returned and he leaned forward with his chin in both of his hands.

"So tell me, what is he like?"

"Well, he is very kind, gentle and innocent. He always is looking out for his friends and is willing to help anyone in need. He is determined and follows his dreams and he fights for what he thinks is right."

Lord Hermes smiled and had a look like he knew who I was talking about but really there is only one person who matches my description.

"Well I hope that you find the answer that you're looking for one day. Just a little piece of advice, it's better to act sooner than later."

Lord Hermes then got up from his seat and left the room, but before he left he stopped in the doorway of the common area and spoke once more.

"Don't worry, I'll keep our little chat a secret."

-Bell POV-

After Miss Asfi and I returned to the surface I decided that I should head back home. I was originally planning to just go down to the dungeon for a few hours like usual but things didn't turn out that way.

I bet all of them are panicking since I didn't come home last night.

As soon as I walked through the doors of Hearth Manor I was expecting to be greeted by Haruhime, as usual, but instead I was bombarded by questions from Goddess Hestia and Lili.

"Bell! Where have you been? You went to the dungeon and didn't come home at all last night! We thought that you got seriously hurt!"

"Yeah, Master Bell, where did you go? You said you were only going to the dungeon for a little bit and next thing we know you're just now coming home! Care to explain what took you so long?"

Both of them scolded at the same time, making it hard to process what they said. I was cornered between them and the wall with no chances to escape.

With a sigh, I explained why I was absent from the Familia home. After all it was better just to tell them the truth instead of trying to hide it.

"Well I did go down to the dungeon, but I ran into Miss Asfi and she needed my help. We got down to the 18th floor but by the time we got there it was getting late so we decided to set up camp. Then we went to Rivira and she bought me this knife as a thank you for helping her."

I then pulled out the Andromeda Blade. For a moment Hestia and Lili broke their attention on me and turned around to talk in private, though with my level 4 hearing I was able to pick up every word.

"So he went down into the dungeon with some strange woman from Hermes Familia and they ended up spending the night together. What do you think about this Miss Supporter?"

"I think that she's dangerous. Think about it, the two spent the night together alone, and she even bought him a gift."

"You're right, Miss Supporter." Goddess Hestia then let out a sigh. "Great, I guess this means that we have more competition. Let's just observe the two of them for now until we get some concrete proof."

"Yes, Goddess."

"Bell, as your Goddess, I want you to be careful around that woman. She is a child of Hermes afterall."

That statement just confused me. Just because she was part of Lord Hermes' Familia didn't mean she was like him.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

I asked.

"Oh nothing, just forget I said anything."

Hestia laughed off. Then her and Lili left me standing in the doorway wondering what just happened.

In the end it all happened so fast that I had to take a moment to process it. For some reason what Goddess Hestia said about Miss Asfi really bothered me. I know Miss Asfi and she is a nice person and nothing like whatever Goddess Hestia has pictured in her head.

I brushed it off and went up to my room to rest.