Is It Wrong to be a Grail in search of some Entertainment?

by SpokesOfTime

With the ejection of a Holy Grail to a Universe where it does not belong, Heroic Spirits long since passed, come to life, purely, so the object in question, can enjoy its Vacation. A Dungeon remains to be conquered, and without a war to fight, the Servants will step up to the task, but the question remains, is that all that is happening?

5. Between Mishaps and Meetings

Chapter 5: Between Tranquility and Turbulence

Bell thought to himself as he munched on the breakfast that the Cailleach Familia Caterer had made today, that Hestia had left four days ago and she was still not back. It was certainly not lonely, as he indeed had the company of both the Servants, along with the occasional chats with the plump chef, a Level 2 Adventurer named Kruger, but indeed, without the goddess' presence, Bell felt that there was something missing.

Indeed, as he continued to bite and chew the pancakes that the cook had made, he looked at the spearman opposite himself, thinking as to how he had not had his Falna updated in the same duration.

While it might be true that his statuses remained as they were two days ago, his technique had certainly improved, with a burdened Saber continuing to teach him in the same, and had even begun some intermediate unarmed lessons for the young boy.

He shook his head, as he took his cleaned plate over to the large sink and began washing it. He thought, "Well, I suppose it's finally back to the Dungeon, though only with Lancer this time." as he placed the plate in the cupboard.

He went over to the side of the large hall, picking up his backpack and slipping it over his leather armour. His dagger was strapped to his lower back, and so he took a deep breath as he headed to the gate, the Lancer class Servant following him as well, wearing a hood he'd purchased yesterday.

Bell thought that the hood did well in hiding Lancer's features even if it wasn't a mask, as he opened up the first gate.

Before he could move to open the gate however, Lancer tutted softly and so Bell simply turned around sheepishly, stretching for a bit, before he turned around.

As he stared up while stretching, he caught sight of Saber staring down at him from his window, to which Bell smiled as he waved, to which the Saber class servant too responded in kind, before he turned around and sat at his desk again.

As he walked out of the second gate with Lancer, closing the first behind him, he thought, "Ah… I love how the morning feels…. makes me feel so fresh and ready! But we have a bit more to walk than usual I suppose." for indeed, the Hearth of Bravery was further west than the Abandoned Church, indeed, it was to the West of Orario as the Colosseum was to the East, and West Main was directly accessible from the same.

He decided that he should loosen up a bit before getting to the Dungeon and so he spoke up, "Hey… Lancer? You think we can jog for a bit?" to which the Raven King seemed mildly surprised as he responded, "Ho? Very well, young Master… I shall jog with you."

And so both Hestia Familia members began jogging, passing by many workers who were setting about opening their shops, as well as farmers bringing in their produce, along with other characters of all sorts.

Bell thought, "This morning looks a lot like the morning I met Syr…. the Sun is in the same place, people are going about their business in the same way… the only difference is Saber isn't here… should I start running faster?"

He looked forward, his red eyes twinkling like garnets, having spotted the Hostess of Fertility, and with it two cat-folk talking at its corner. Someone was setting up a small banner on the terrace, but he couldn't spot the proprietor. Lancer and Bell had almost passed the building when suddenly a soft female voice rang out, "Oi! Wait up nya, white-hair! Hooded spear-guy!"

"White-hair? Usually I'm called a rabbit so I suppose this isn't that bad…" before he turned, wondering where the voice came from. Indeed, it was a catgirl waitress, running over, her thin tail swishing, and her arms waving like a performer from a circus troupe.

Accompanying her was the green-haired elf he'd seen working on the terrace, who'd no doubt jumped down or something similar. He wondered as to why the two of them were approaching, being certain that he had indeed returned Syr's lunchbox to her when they had last visited the establishment. Lancer it would seem did not have anything to say, as he looked at Bell, no doubt waiting to see what the young boy would do.

Bell pointed at himself and mouthed, "Me?" To which the catgirl coming his way at full speed, nodded, before coming to a halt in front of him and speaking, "Good morning, nya! Sorry to suddenly call out to nyou like that, nya!" as she bowed in his direction.

He bowed in turn, along with Lancer who gave a curt nod but was no doubt as bemused as he was at receiving the well rehearsed, professional bow. Bell spoke up, confusion in his voice, "Ah… um… Good Morning… can I help you…?"

To which the cat-girl nodded as she responded, "Got a favor to ask nyou. Here, nya! Syr is nyour friend, white-head kid. So I want nyou to give this to her, nya!" as she offered a small object to me. It was a cloth coin purse with a metal clasp, a popular style that Bell had indeed seen before, though there was an unfamiliar Familia emblem engraved on the clasp.

Bell was clearly confused, he didn't understand… Give this to Syr? Why? What had happened? to which the Elf seemed to catch on to his confused look as she tutted at the catgirl and spoke, "Anya… you are not being clear. Mr. Cranell is clearly confused."

Bell was mildly surprised the elf knew his name, but before he could voice out anything, the cat-girl continued, "Ryuuu, nyou're stupid! Syr forgot her wallet, playing hooky from work to go to Monsterphilia, nya. She obviously nyeeds it, so I'm asking him to take it to her. Nyou knew that, right, white-head Cranel?"

Ryuu nodded as she looked at the boy, "That's how it is… Syr however did not play hooky, she doesn't reside at the establishment like we do, and besides, she took a vacation day today. But I must ask, are you sure it is okay to accept our request? The other employees and I are busy preparing for today…. and you surely had prior plans.."

It was Lancer who responded, hood still on, his dark blue cape fluttering in the wind "It is no issue… we shall go to your friend and return her purse." to which Bell nodded, before he placed a hand on his chin and spoke… "But what is Monster…philia?" to which the Elf seemed surprised as she spoke, "Do you not know? All residents of Orario know about this event, so I assumed you would as well."

Bell rubbed his head as he spoke, "I haven't really lived here very long… and Lancer's also new to the city…. Could you tell me about it?"

The catgirl who had a depressed visage on her face two seconds ago suddenly jumped in between the three of them, as she spoke rapidly, "-Nyay! Me will tell nyou about it, nya! Monsterphilia is an event put on once a year by Ganesha Familia, nya! They fill the stadium for a day and tame the monsters, nya!"

Bell was clearly befuddled, as he considered the idea of keeping vicious beasts like orcs and goblins as pets to which the cat-girl looked at his face, her ears twitching as she continued, "It's nyot really that strange, nya? Nyou're an adventurer, nya, aren't cha, Cranyal-san? Nyou have seen when a knocked out monster wakes up with a look in its eyes, no? The sweeties want to be our friend, nya!"

Bell tried to compose his face and failed, clearly in disbelief of the same, and looked at Lancer for support. The Lancer class Servant however was still silent, and any expression he had on his face was still hidden by his hood.

It was once again, the elf who explained, "Taming has been recognized as a skill. I am being brief, but a person proves him- or herself more powerful than a monster. In turn, the monster obeys that person's commands. Indeed, it is more common for above-ground monsters to be tamed… but Ganesha Familia's tamers are the best, and are capable of breaking the Dungeon-born monsters as well."

Bell nodded, his face now almost chiselled in stone, for if the… unique… giant statue from day before meant anything, it was that the Ganesha Familia, one of the largest in orario, could certainly do such a thing.

Lancer spoke, "I see… they utilise your Coliseum to tame the monsters in front of a giant crowd… fighting it until it submits… I suppose it would be quite a spectacle with a particularly vicious beast." to which the Elf and Cat-girl nodded.

Anya continued, ""We wanted to go, too, nya! But Mama Mia said nyo nyo... Syr said she'd buy us syomething, as she smiled and waved, walking away, nyano, but the careless girl forgot her wallet, honestly nya!"

Bell nodded, having understood that Syr could not buy souvenirs or the like without her wallet, and indeed he looked at Lancer who spoke to the Elf, "I believe we can entrust our backpacks to yourselves? We cannot possibly go to the Dungeon right now if we are to find your friend, and the bags would only get in the way of our search." to which the Elf, Ryuu nodded as she picked the two bags effortlessly and walked inside.

As they walked away, Anya spoke up, "Syr only just left, nyano! Head in the direction of the Coliseum, nya! You should catch her easily!"

Bell wondered as he walked, should he visit Monsterphilia as well?

====================XeX====================

East Main Street was truly alive now, filled with the raucous voices and sounds of the citizens of Orario. Lines of food-stalls, trinket-shops and the like filled the sides of the street, their confections temptingly waftingw over the ocean of humanity.

Flying above their heads was flags emblazoned with vicious monsters printed on them along with others possessing the emblem of Ganesha Familia. One could spot peoples of all sorts enjoying themselves.

A young chienthrope pulled his parent's arms as he plunged into the crowd. a gnome could be seen arguing with a pair of half-elf vendors over some food items. Dwarves could be seen peddling trinkets to Amazons, and a boaz was seen carrying a pallum on his shoulders.

Watching all this, were a pair of silver eyes from above the street… from the second floor of a café, to be exact. It was a laid-back restaurant, with a wooden interior, with the person in question being a woman seated at a table next to a balcony facing the street.

On her body was a navy blue cloak with a hood attached, hiding her face and snow-white skin from being skin, but even so, her refined movements and dainty fingers that popped up as she sipped from her cup of tea, still drew the held breaths of the other customers.

She turned slowly as she heard the floorboards creak at the arrival of a few customers, to which she greeted them. The person waving at her spoke up, "Yo! Sorry to keep ya waitin'!" to which she responded, her voice scarce an octave above a whisper, "Not at all… I just got here myself."

The newcomer's hair was not the bright flame of Hephaistos's, but a more subdued shade of red, the hue of an evening sky. It was tied back into a small ponytail.

Her shirt and pants, while not fancy, were still of good quality, even if she had unbuttoned the first button. The only sign that she was in-fact not male… was her large waist and slightly feminine… if still handsome face… it was Loki, the goddess of trickery.

Fighting back a yawn and with tears in her eyes, Loki smiled back at the cloaked figure.

"Haven't had breaky yet. Mind if I grab a bite?"

"Do as you please."

Loki pulled up a chair across from Freya and sat down. Freya continued to smile her usual smile, not reacting to Loki at all. The two of them had an air about them, like friends who had known each other for a very long time.

The person behind Loki however, Aiz Wallenstein… the Sword Princess, thought only one thing, that the silver-haired Freya's beauty transcended even her title of a Goddess of Beauty. Indeed, her perfectly symmetrical face, and seductive proportions had transfixed the stares of all patrons of the bar.

Aiz's own heart raced, for Freya's beauty transcended gender, and the goddess in question looked at her, her quicksilver-eyes coming into contact with Aiz's own golden ones. Freya spoke, a smile onher face, "Well… Loki… are you not going to introduce your child?"

Loki seemed mildly surprised as he spoke, "Ha? You need an introduction? This is my Aizuuu, I brought her along cause what better time than the fair for a date with her! Well that and she's finally back from an expedition… I thought my lovely over-worked child needs a break from the Dungeon! Someone needs to tell her to relax, otherwise she'll go right back in!"

Aiz was taken aback by her goddess' kind words, before letting her gaze fall to the floor when suddenly the atmosphere between the two deities became as heavy as Udaeus' strikes would be. Loki's eyes opened, as she cut through the small-talk, for even in her open-gaze she was nervous, as the goddess has not attended a banquet in eons, and there was surely something behind the change.

Indeed… while there might be some friendship between the two goddesses, the other would jump at the first opportunity to gain an advantage if one showed weakness. Loki was here to make sure that Freya knew there would be consequences should she bring trouble to the current state of peace… even if she had with her the King of Orario.

The patrons had all vacated the bar, no doubt wanting to avoid a confrontation between the two, with the only mortal left being Aiz herself. Loki barked out, her face much like a raptor's, "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 for information? Ya don't care about that, ya never have... What are ya scheming?"

The goddess of beauty giggled as she responded, "My… such a crass word… scheming?" as she locked her own gaze onto the crimson eyes of the goddess, that could have slain a level 10 adventurer if they had the ability to kill.

There was only silence for a dozen heartbeats before Loki appeared to have had an epiphany as she spoke, "Don't tell me… it's a man?" to which Freya gave neither a sign of affirmation or denial as she simply giggled.

Loki groaned out, "So… ya got an eye for a child in another familia? Geez…. woman, is that all you think about? Male adventurers, young, old, or middle-aged?"

Freya seemed mildly miffed as she responded, "How rude. I do have standards."

"Leaving out all the bumbling idiots on Tenkai you pull fast ones on?"

"They have their uses. I'm quite skilled at getting money out of them."

Loki cleared her throat. The witch was putting up all of her dirty laundry, to which Loki raised an eyebrow at her fellow goddess. Freya shrugged, but only just enough for the fabric on her cloak to bend ever so slightly.

Loki seemed mildly disappointed as she leaned back, while Aiz simply thought of the tales of Freya bewitching male adventurers to do her bidding. She then grumbled out, "Well… who's the guy? What child are ya after now? When'd ya find 'im? Spill it!"

Aiz internally knew what was happening, for Loki loved gossip, and all the details that came with it, Freya however had still not budged, as she sipped from her now-lukewarm tea, Loki continued, "I came all this way… changed my plans. I have the right to know!"

Freya spoke… her voice slow and calculated, "... He's not that strong. Weak if you compare him to the children in our Familias. Easily upset, he starts bawling at the simplest of problems... That kind of child. but… he's beautiful… pure… the colour of his soul…. I've never seen anything like it. Would you believe if I told you I found him by accident? He just happened to walk across my line of vision…

As she talked, Freya thought about every detail of the second she'd first laid eyes on him. She kept her eyes on the busy street, searching for him. This was how she'd found him last time. Maybe today would be the day. "It was just like this..." Early morning, brisk air, fresh sunlight, East Main.

He'd come from the other end of the street—just like right now. He ran into her line of sight, just like he had that morning. "..."Freya stopped breathing.

Her eyes had found a white-haired human boy in light adventurer's armor, and it was clear to her two companions that her mind had went blank, if her lack of breath and blinking indicated anything. Aiz quickly followed her eyes and came to see a white head of hair making its way through the crowd, assisted in his path by a much taller hooded man, who seemed to have noticed their stares as he gave a momentary look in their direction before continuing in their path through the ocean of humanity.

Aiz however, thought that the boy looked quite like a rabbit… bounding his way through the people… clearly heading towards the Coliseum.

Freya however, seemed to be delirious as she stood up, and spoke, "I apologize… something has come up. Let's do this again soon…" before she mumbled something as she was walking away that Aiz barely heard, something about the absence of an interloper.

Loki seemed annoyed as she spoke, "Eh? Eh! Freyaa!" before she grumbled and collapsed in her seat as she began to eat her sandwiches. Aiz had always been fond of Rabbits, and the boy looked enough like one that she considered how he must be, as she realised it was Lady Hestia's child Bell Cranel from day before. His companion's quick reaction and garb made her think he was the one who had drunk a large amount of ale and had still been unaffected.

Loki looked at her suspiciously, and spoke, "Is something wrong, Aizuu?" to which the blonde girl shook her head, "No…". The goddess however, did not seem satisfied at this explanation as she gave Aiz a suspicious look, before she led Aiz out onto the Main Street. Aiz however thought that she would quite like to meet the rabbit-boy, even if it was only out of a selfish infatuation with rabbits.

====================XeX====================

On the other side of the street however, ran a little goddess, who had just interacted with a silver-haired member of her species for direction as she continued to run towards East Main in the search of her favourite child.

She spent a moment huffing as she searched through the waves of people, before she immediately spotted Bell's snow-white hair to the side of the crowd, with what appeared to be a hooded Lancer with him. She shouted, "Heeeey! BELLL! Lancerrrrr!" as she continued to walk forward.

Before she could be washed away with the rest of the crowd, the hooded man walked over, easily cutting through everyone who passed, before lifting the goddess by holding her below her arms as if she were a child and taking her to Bell.

Hestia huffed at being treated so, though she was indeed thankful on the inside for Lancer's powerful hearing. Bell seemed surprised as he spoke, "Goddess?! What are you doing here?" to which Hestia stepped forward, her ample assets leading the way, "Huh! Don't be stupid Bell-kun! I wanted to see you, why else?"

Bell seemed confused as he smiled in response, "Oh! It's nice to see you too goddess… you should visit our new home! It's so big…. but right now Lancer and I are searching for someone to return their belongings to."

Hestia huffed, as she unconsciously kept the Hestia Knife behind her as she spoke, "Come now Bell, we can do that while we go on a date!" as she dragged away the little boy, trailed by a chuckling Lancer and his freshly re-acquired raven friend, perched on his shoulder, though he had indeed noticed the parcel on Hestia's back.

It was a dozen minutes of unsuccessful searching, and escapades of the Goddess eating a Jagamaru kun, that Bell spotted someone else he recognized, Eina Tulle! His advisor at the guild! She too had seemingly caught sight of their group as she waved, to which Bell excitedly responded.

Bell spoke up as she came in earshot, "Miss Eina! Hiii! Have you seen a waitresss! Wait… no she won't be wearing her uniform…. have you seen a human girl who doesn't have money?" to which Eina broke out in a chuckle, while Lancer gave Bell a flick on his forehead to which the small boy rubbed his head as he groaned, "Ow… Lancer what was that for?"

Lancer nodded at Eina who repeated the greeting before he spoke, "What my young friend here is trying to ask you… is if you've seen a grey haired human girl roughly five foot four in height, with a short haircut. We're searching for her as she's forgotten her purse, and to which Bell has been tasked with returning the same."

Eina nodded at the much-more satisfactory explanation, while she shook her head as she spoke, smiling, "I've not seen such a woman, Bell, but if I spot her later on I'll tell her to wait here, so you can return here if your search is a failure and give her wallet back."

Bell and Lancer continued to walk onwards while Hestia herself paused to have a conversation with the half-elf guild employee, which Lancer could overhear something about, "You're not going to abuse your status to get with Bell are you?" from Hestia's squeaky voice.

He chuckled at this, before his sharp ears picked up another conversation happening, about some monsters breaking free, and so he spoke to the young man, "Bell… I believe there might be some sort of monster-break, keep on your toes, I'll go and see what's happening."

Waiting momentarily for Bell's nod, Lancer stepped to the side of the street, and promptly disappeared from view, as he moved at super-sonic speed, and jumped on to the roof of the house which he deemed had the greatest tactical position.

He perched upon it, fully dematerialized so as to not draw undue attention, and so his eyes caught a blonde whirlwind whipping its way around the city. Intrigued at the Adventurer's speed, for it was no doubt a Level 5 of some sort, Lancer trailed behind.

She eviscerated a deer monster which had blades for antlers in a matter of seconds as she continued to eviscerate monsters around a local square. Lancer perched himself atop a roof as he observed what appeared to be a pair of… Amazon twins and an elf walk by, observing the blonde whirlwind themselves.

They did not seem to have hostile intent, and so Lancer mused them to be her fellow familia members, but something was nagging at the back of his mind, for indeed the cleanup of the monsters was taking place very rapidly…. even too rapidly.

And moreso, no one appeared to be injured or dead, and Lancer's experiences with his E-Rank Luck had told him enough that this was only the preliminary event to the real battle, and so… sure enough, the earth erupted in clouds of dust and stone, as a giant snake-like monster reared its head above the surface.

Lancer considered intervening, but he paused, deciding that the knowledge of how such high-level adventurers fought such a beast might be worth noting, and so he waited.

He watched, as the Amazon Twins used their high agility to pummel the creature with their fists, unarmed as they were. Indeed, they could not harm the creature, as it seemed to have skin harder than steel, but the creature could not counterattack effectively either, as the twins were too agile.

And in such a stalemate, Lancer considered whether he should be the balance-breaker with his intervention, when suddenly, the creature turned rapidly, in the direction of the elf who had clearly been casting some form of spell, to which's accumulating mana the creature must have noted.

The elf seemed to realise this, but before she could react, a tendril erupted at her feet, colliding with her like a truck, and sending her flying into a stall. It was clear this Elf was not on the same level as her companions, and Lancer cursed softly, for he did not particularly like the idea of letting innocents die.

Before he could make his move, the street erupted, and with it the monster's entire body convulsed, as it roaring as it's head soared towards the sky, with petals erupting from its head. It would seem this beast was a flower-monster, and with this realization the Amazons yelled in horror as several more tendrils exploded from the ground as the body of the creature slithered towards the downed elf.

Just as the creature raised her to devour her, Lancer had had enough, and so he leapt… moving at speeds the Hound of Chulainn would appreciate, in the direction of the monster,.

In the blitz of speed he had brought himself into, he landed thirty blows in the matter of a single second, the force of each blow annihilating the head of the creature, turning it from chunks of plant material to a mushy paste to ground dust in quick succession, with the force of his C+ rank strength enough to further damage the resilient body as he did so.

And just as quickly as he'd arrived, he continued onward, using his speed that not even the high-level adventurers could track to continue to the house opposite the one he had leaped from.

And just as he'd left, a very surprised human girl had landed, her sword striking empty space where it should have struck the flower. The elf however, seemed to take her arrival to mean that she indeed had been the saviour, to which the Amazons too rushed forward.

The girl in question however looked upwards, spotting the hooded form of Lancer for a split-second, as he disappeared from her view. She momentarily stiffened, wondering who exactly that could have been, for the number of people who could move as fast as that could be counted on two hands, and perhaps not even as fast as that, for she could indeed track her Captain Finn's movements, who was a level above her.

Before she could act out on this, the ground erupted yet again with three more flower-monsters, and so she cleared her mind of such thoughts and proceeded to fight the beast.

====================XeX====================

The fast person in question however, was cursing as he could feel his connection to his Master pulse, indicating that the person was in danger, and so he continued to jump over twisting buildings, outright lambasting the person who'd constructed this veritable labyrinth. He further cursed at Bell seemingly forgetting about the Command Seals that Saber had explained as he continued to dash forward.

And then, he heard it, a large roar, and so using all of his A+ grade Agility, the Hungarian Servant moved, moved far faster than he had when he'd saved the elf, and then mid-way through his blitzkrieg in the air, he was utterly confused, for the pulse that indicated danger had faded, and he soon learnt why, as the sight of his master, standing triumphant over the body of what the Grail informed him was a Silverback came into view.

He cursed again, for his path right now would send him hurtling directly into the crowd that had emerged around his Master, and so he did the only sensible thing, he dematerialized, and as he did so, he forced his motion to come to a stop.

He could not appear in front of Bell now, rematerializing next to his Master would draw unnecessary eyes onto their presence, and he did so inside a building, slipping past the inhabitants and the crowd outside as he came to his Master's side.

Bell and the Goddess seemed to have noticed him, and he lowered his head in apology as he whispered, "I'm sorry, Bell… I was not quick enough…. though I see you dealt with the beast on your own… though I wonder why you did not consider the usage of the Command Seal engraved on your hand."

The boy seemed to be mollified at this, the idea clearly having not had crossed his mind, but Hestia puffed her cheek in anger as she spoke, "And what were you doing Lancer?! I thought you'd watch Bell!"

Lancer looked away as he spoke, "I…. er… I saw some other people in danger, and so I decided to help them, though I immediately moved when the connection between us pulsed." The goddess seemed mildly placated by the explanation, but then her ponytails wrapped themselves around Lancer's hand, almost as if they had a mind of their own, as she began to lambast her Spirit Familia Member.

He was extremely mollified at this, but suddenly the goddess collapsed, clearly mentally exhausted. Bell was the one who caught her but Lancer's own eyes sharpened like the blade of the new knife on Bell's hip as he felt the presence of… something on the beast's body.

Indeed, he went over to the rapidly disintegrating creature, and as he did so… his analysis confirmed to him that something similar to a bewitchment was placed on the Silverback…. though his intuition told him the spell was closer to a Deity's authority.

He mused this tidbit as he parted the crowd, knowing very well that the Authority of this world's gods…. their Arcanum was sealed the moment they entered the Mortal Plane. Indeed, if he himself was to state what was on his mind, it would be investigation and then vengeance on the person of whichever goddess had attacked his master.

As he lead his Familia to their Familia home, the occupied Lancer did not note the curious gaze of a blonde adventurer upon the backs of both himself and his master.

====================XeX====================

It was back at their office that Roman Emperor opposite Matthias growled, "You are certain that you detected something similar to a goddess' authority?" to which Lancer nodded, his own expression hard as he spoke, "Yes… some manner of bewitchment was placed on the Silverback… though whether the target of the beast's ire was Hestia or Bell I cannot say."

Saber sat back down, his hand clutched upon the arms of the chair as he sighed, "A bewitchment? Well that narrows down our candidates then, Loki for one, a goddess of trickery that Hestia claims is more dangerous than we give her credit for; Dionysus, who we both learnt has a hidden side and could very well intoxicate and charm the beast with his wine if nothing else."

Lancer continued the line of thought, his own eyes serious enough to bore through steel, "Then comes the other options… a seduction is close enough to a bewitchment… and to that end we have Freya and Ishtar, though what reason they would have to assault what is a small Familia is beyond me."

Saber nodded, before he gutturally growled out, "When we find this god…. we should perhaps demonstrate what exactly a servant is capable of…" before chuckling out, "Perhaps we should consider the option of wiping all four Familias out? No I suppose that such a course of action is hardly justice. And besides… the demise of three of the strongest Familias would no doubt bring great investigation all the same."

Lancer snorted, "Besides the fact I know of quite a few Berserkers and Avengers who would approve of such a plan, your false anger is certainly amusing Emperor, and besides, the Guild would obviously find large craters caused by solar flares worthy of investigation. No, you and I both know the smartest thing we can do is keep a closer eye on our Master."

Saber nodded, lifting a sheet of paper to the level of his eye as he spoke, "Indeed…. but at the rate he's growing, I'd very much think he could tide such events over in as little as a year."

Lancer nodded, for indeed the growth of the boy whose status was on the paper was something else, something extraordinary.

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength: F389- E443

Defense: G250-F342

Dexterity: F350-E422

Agility: E480-D549

Magic: D580-C675

Lancer spoke up, "Whatever it is, I'll try to see if I can work out some form of an information network… It is regretful we do not have an Assassin or Archer for the same, and so it is upto me to bear the burden." to which Aurelian stood up and clasped his shoulder, "Soon perhaps we can count more among our number… It is not far-fetched that our master would level up soon no?" to which the Raven King nodded before laughing, "Will you not be a… 'Archer' soon enough, from 'Axer' to 'Archer', my… Saber, does your class-container constrain you so? Lady Hestia's purchased bow should satisfy you, no?"

Saber seemed miffed as he responded, "Having a bow does not make me an Archer, Lancer. Indeed, It is only due to my Blessing that I can use the bow well enough that it is not wasted on me. Besides, don't repeat that when Bell summons an Archer, who knows if the heroic spirit is particularly truculent."

Lancer chuckled, for he knew well enough that even so, that the Blessing was an incredibly powerful Skill, having seen Saber Rama's scary efficacy at using weapons his class did not include under its purview.

"Ho?" spoke Lancer, for he'd spotted the gates below them open, and the drained white-haired boy come running through them, clearly having completed his errand of returning the purse to his waitress friend. "Come then, a meal together should calm the boy's frayed nerves." to which the older man nodded as they walked down the stairs.

The next day, the party of two, Lancer and Bell, bid farewell to their little goddess as they headed to Babel, for Lancer was keen on purchasing better equipment for his master, for his last piece of armour had been shattered by the large-ape monster. After which, the two of them planned to head to the Dungeon.

Indeed, Saber did not accompany them purely because he had to bring Lady Hestia upto speed on various facets of their new home.

In a dozen minutes, the pair had reached the front gate of Babel Tower. And so they passed through the nearest arch, before ascending towards the third floor. Bell seemed momentarily taken aback by the several circular pedestals on the floor though Lancer seemed unfazed as he spoke, "I've seen something similar before." and saying so he stepped onto the circular pedestals with Bell, before reaching for a control panel.

Bell spoke out, clearly surprised, "Whoaaa!" as the pedestal ascended through the air, after which he realised that magic stones must be powering the pedestal's ascension. And so they reached the fifth floor of Babel in exceedingly little time.

Bell took in a breath, for the entire floor was filled with weapon and armour shops, and he continued to hold it in when he overheard an adventurer talking about how Hephaistos Familia was set up from the fourth floor beneath them to the eighth.

Lancer chuckled at Bell's expression as he looked at weapons that had price tags greater than that of their fortress, which by itself was in no way small, he gulped as he looked at Lancer who spoke, "Like I said… don't worry about the price… our earnings will be great all the same no matter what. Though if you find something of a lower cost interesting then by all means go for it. It is still too early in your life for me to recommend what path you should take… though indeed light armour would be the best if I were forced to respond."

Bell nodded, still gobsmacked as they passed dozens of stores, before he stopped in front of a shop whose sign was equipped with shield and armour, and looked inside. He was pleasantly surprised to see the price tags here were only between the four and five digits and so walked in, Lancer trailing behind him.

Indeed Bell wondered as he passed by several mannequins and back rows, Lancer was incredibly fast even with wearing full-plate armour, would he be even faster if he wore something similar to Bell's armour?

His train of thought stopped when his eye caught a box standing in the middle of the row at the back of the shop. It was almost as if his soul had been seduced by the box, for he walked over, unthinkingly and opened the box to behold the sight of a silver piece of armour with reddish hues.

Indeed, this breastplate did not have any fancy decorations, and with it in the box were knee, wrist, and elbow guards along with a plate that covered the back. Bell peaked it up, still in a state as if he had experienced a religious epiphany, and was surprised to see that it was much lighter than his Guild provision armour, and even felt sturdier.

He tried the breastplate on and realised that it was even exactly his size… were there any more portents needed to indicate that he should own it? Perhaps, but it was almost scary in its perfection for him. He flipped around the breastplate, and rubbed the rabbit sign momentarily as he read out the maker's name, "Welf Crozzo." Indeed, he would most definitely keep this smith's name to his heart whenever he needed new equipment.

Lancer seemed to approve of his choice as he gave a curt nod, to which Bell smiled as he took the box to the front of the store, and paid the relatively modest price of 9,900 valis for the same. As he turned to leave, Lancer called out to him, "Catch." to which the boy yelped as he turned to do so, and found a pair of silver vambraces arcing through the air in his direction.

He managed to catch it in a precarious fashion as the two arm-guards found them on top of his box of armour. Bell breathed out a sigh of relief as he observed the two-guards, and noticed that they were similar in design to his armour even if they weren't made by the same person.

Indeed, Lancer nodded at this, and told him ,"Go change in the room over there" as he pointed in the direction of a changing stall, to which the young red-eyed boy nodded in excitement as he went ahead to do so. As he came out, still extremely surprised by how well the armour fit him, he looked around for Lancer, and was surprised to see the man in question walk outside another shop from the one they had just exited.

He was holding aloft what appeared to be a pair of boots that seemed to be covered with a layer of some metal for protection, with spikes at their bottom for extra grip.

The servant smiled as he spoke, "You can't expect normal boots to be satisfactory in the Dungeon. If a particularly heavy monster steps on your feet what would you do? It would no doubt cripple your agility, so here, take it." to which Bell nodded and went over to take the boots, before yelping as the Servant had resoundingly clanked the pair together.

This action had caused two miniature blades to pop out the front of the shoes, to which Bell gave an inquisitive look at Lancer. The dark-haired man in question merely laughed as he spoke, "Come now, if you drop your blade, atleast you can kick them and still cause more damage than the force of your kicks alone. You will find that it is no heavier than your shoes either way."

And indeed, Bell found that this new pair, even with all its extra parts was not heavier than his shoes, and in fact, could even considered to be lighter and better fitting. Bell smiled at this, his rabbit like features accentuating the same as he spoke, "Now what do we do, Lancer?" to which the servant seemed to muse the question for a moment as they walked out of Babel before speaking, "Since we'll be going through all the floors again, with you fighting the monsters on your own now, I suppose we should hire a… what do you call it? Oh yes, a supporter to keep up with us and carve out stones."

Bell was very surprised at this thought as he spoke, "Umm… would that cut into our profits?" To which Lancer shook his head as he responded, "Indeed I'm of the mind it would do the exact opposite, one can carry more stones than normal with the aid of a supporter, and besides… well… err…" as he rubbed his neck before continuing, "I will err… use my agility to scout out some of the lower floors, and retrieve some stones from there as well. I'm of the mind that I should focus on gaining some status purely due to an…. academic curiosity so to speak."

Bell nodded, clearly surprised at Lancer's desire to grow even further as he smiled, before nodding, "Yes!" However, this happy look was quickly replaced by one of consternation as he mused, "Umm… Lancer? Do we go to the Guild and put up a quest for a Supporter? Or should we simply search around? I mean… do you think they walk around offering their services?"

Lancer mused this as he scratched his stubble as he spoke, "I see no reason that they shouldn't do so, I assume that it is not always that supporters have to tag along with the adventurers of their Familia, and would indeed have a steadier income if they offered their services to extra-Familia adventurers. Let us look around, perhaps we can find such a supporter."

Indeed Bell looked around, eager to find a supporter, and was mildly disappointed to see all such individuals carrying large backpacks already accompanying adventurers of various sorts, indeed he could even see a muscular adventurer wearing only a loincloth, carry the backpack as he accompanied a group of pallums, a sight that was very unnerving.

He huffed as he continued to scan the surroundings, and just before he almost gave up, he spotted what was quite literally…. a giant walking backpack. Lancer too seemed to have spotted the strange sight, as he beckoned Bell forward as they went towards the backpack.

Bell spoke, his voice filled with curiosity as he did so, "Backpack-kun… would you happen to be a Supporter?" to which the owner of the aforementioned backpack turned, her face set in a scowl as she spoke, "Who are you calling backpack-kun I suppose? Oh…." as she realised she'd said it out aloud.

The owner was a little chienthrope girl, scarce a meter tall, her chestnut hair barely visible from underneath her hood, who had a strange expression on her face at the very moment. Bell raised his hands in a placating fashion as he spoke, "Err… I meant no offense Miss … we were merely looking for the services of a Supporter… and seeing your large backpack we assumed you were so.. but if that's not the case…"

The girl shook her head, seemingly having fully processed the situation, as she raised her infant like hands upwards, "Oh yes, Adventurer-san, I am indeed a supporter… if you would be willing to take me on, I will gladly accompany you. I assure you Lily will not be a burden, Lily can carry more than most as you can see from my backpack. Oh.. I forgot to introduce myself, I am Lilliruca Arde."

Bell nodded as he bowed his head in response, "Oh um…. I'm Bell Cranel… my fellow Familia member here is called Lancer." to which the chienthrope girl seemed momentarily surprised as she nodded at the much taller man.

Lancer spoke, "Hmmm, hiring you seems like a good idea, Liliruca Arde… but I wonder, do you not have prior commitments with members of your own Familia? I would not like to think your absence could cause a fight to breakout between your god and our own goddess."

Lily shook her head as she spoke, "No mister Lancer, God Soma does not interact with other gods, so unless your own Goddess has a grudge against Soma, Lily doesn't think any such event would occur."

Her face crunched up as she continued, "And besides, Lily is called worthless by her Familia members for being a little girl. In-fact, Lily does not stay at the Familia Home due to… circumstances, I have to move from cheap-hotel to cheap-hotel to do so… and adventuring with you is necessary so Lily can stay at the same hotel tonight. So please, please, misters! Take me with you!"

Lancer seemed to be displeased at her circumstances, though Lily bit her upper lip, no doubt misunderstanding the expression on Lancer's face to be one of disgust. The black-haired man adjusted his greaves for a moment after which he spoke, "Very well. I shall lay out the terms of our contract. You shall receive a thousand valis as immediate employment recompense, and if your services are deemed to be of adequate nature, you shall receive a further bonus of a thousand valis. As for the value of the crystals themselves, you shall receive fifty percent of all profits. If you do not find such terms adequate you may find alternate employment."

The little girl however, seemed to be absolutely gobsmacked, as the tail beneath her robe ceased it's incessant movement. Lancer raised an eyebrow as he spoke, "I am sorry to say… little one… that the terms of the contract are non-negotiable."

Lili was awakened from her stupor by this as she stammered out, "M-mister… no, no… Lily does not think she needs to re-negotiate, indeed Mister Lancer's terms are very generous, and Lily is eager to earn the bonus as well!"

Lancer nodded, as he kneeled towards the child, offering ten coins of hundred valis each to Lili. She quickly accepted the same, but then Lancer whispered something out of Bell's earshot, "Child… let us say there is another term for this contract. I will not question why you have used illusionary magic to change your appearance, and you will not question any unexplainable circumstances that occur within the Dungeon. Do not worry, no harm will come to your body, but if you find this term unacceptable you are free to leave, with or without the bonus."

The little girl turned white as a sheet as she stuttered out, "H-how?" to which Lancer continued, "A skill… so-to-speak. I am highly resistant to… such magic." as he pulled away.

The prum-in-disguise gulped, but seeing as how the man's terms were exceedingly great in recompense even if he could see through her disguise, she nodded as she followed the pair.

As they walked through the entrance of the Dungeon, Lily stammered out to Bell, still keeping her distance from the grim-faced man who had seen clean through her disguise, "Umm… Mister Bell… which floors will we be going to?"

Bell turned with a sheepish smile on his face as he spoke, "Ummm…. I've been to the tenth floor before, but right now we'll be going from the seventh to the tenth slowly. As for Lancer… well he told me he'll err… visit a few of the floors below, but won't stray too far."

Lili was mildly surprised and so she brooked the question, "Umm… which Levels are the two of you then Mister Bell?" Bell seemed mildly surprised as a bead of sweat trailed down the back of his neck as he responded, "Err… I'm only Level 1… but Lancer's a… Level 3…".

At this, Lili was indeed impressed, for a party of only two to have a Level 3 was certainly unexpected, and so she asked, "Is he your Familia captain, mister Bell?" to which Bell shook his head as he responded, "Oh no… the Hestia Familia captain is Saber… but he didn't accompany us because we moved into a new house… and he has a lot of work handling documents and the like."

And so their conversation ended, and soon enough they were fighting amidst the green walls of the ninth, holding off Killer Ants and War Shadows. Well it was more like Bell was fighting the monsters in question as Lancer and Lily kept any stragglers from assaulting his weakpoints.

As they did so, Lancer called out advice to the young boy, such as "Use more than just your eyes, Bell, your ears and nose are powerful senses of their own right. Watch your back, and both above and below as well, the Dungeon does not care for standard direction."

Lily herself was befuddled at how the situation at hand allowed her to kill kobolds and raise her status without much threat to herself… even if she could not have the same updated. She spoke up, "Umm… Mister Lancer… will you not be attacking the monsters?" to which the person in question shook his head as he spoke, "They are not… adequate to provide any great amount of Status for myself… and besides… it is err… my prerogative as Bell's senior to ensure his growth is as fast as possible.

Lily nodded, though her own heart was mired with jealousy, for Soma Familia was nothing like the camaraderie between the two, indeed she despised that pit of vipers with all her heart… but still she could not leave. The Lancer servant then spoke up, "Move to the left." to which the little pallum girl complied, as the raven-haired man punched the head clean off a Killer Ant that had been born behind her.

"He doesn't even need to use his spear…"Lily thought, as she carved out the stones from the large amount of monsters that had been decimated by the little white whirlwind that was Bell. Indeed, Lancer spoke, "Come then, we shall head to the next floor." And as they did so, Lily was surprised to see that they had run into a group of Needle Rabbits with an Al-Miraj at the fore-front.

Lily giggled as she spoke, "Oh… Master Bell… It is surprising for Lily to see so many of your relatives here." to which the young boy in question groaned out, "I'm not a rabbit!" as his face was tinged red.

Indeed, at this joke, even the sombre Lancer had broken out in a grin, before speaking, "Indeed, Lily is right is she not Bell? If you want me to knock out your relatives you only need to give the word." to which the white haired boy turned a completely darker shade of red as he jumped in between the group of rabbits, shouting in denial as he committed a brutal genocide of his species.

Lily continued to giggle, her mind momentarily taken away from the circumstances of her life due to the ridiculousness of the scene before her. Once she'd composed herself she began to carve out the crystals from the rabbits.

She looked up as Bell and Lancer had turned to the right, and as she followed their sight she noted that there was a Hard Armoured barrelling towards them, despite the fact they should only be spawning a floor below.

It was Lancer who walked forward, muttering as he did so, "Something to do" and defying the common-sense all lower level adventurers used, punched clean through the thick armour of the monster-in question before extricating the stone from it and tossing it to Lily who caught it deftly.

He spoke, "Well, I believe it's now time for me to go a bit lower, I'll only be gone for five minutes… but if you find yourself in trouble Bell, don't hesitate to use the seals." And saying so, the tall man outright disappeared from Lily's sight.

Her jaw dropped, for indeed what she'd seen was clearly far beyond the capabilities of even a Level 3, unless the man had some sort of invisibility skill, but the large gust of wind clearly meant otherwise. She was about to say something but remembering the terms of their verbal contract she kept her mouth shut as she aided Bell in dispatching three orcs.

====================XeX====================

Lancer however, had already bypassed the 16th floor, something that should have taken normal adventurers a large amount of time, both due to his A+ Agility as well as the fact he had dematerialized. Indeed Lancer mused that these floors had a more complex layout than the ones above them, and there were large rock formations where before had been mossy walls.

Eventually, he arrived at a large room in the 17th floor, and he whistled as he noticed that within this extra-ordinary room that might just be able to bear host to Ozymandias' Sun-Boat, was a giant crystal that had inside it was a humanoid monster stretching seven meters in height with gray skin. It was the Monster Rex Goliath, a Monster a league beyond the standard ones.

However as he assessed the threat level of the beast through the crystal, he mused that it was weaker than the plant monster he had fought the day before. His thoughts were interrupted as the crystal shattered, and the monster within awoke with a giant roar.

Wasting no time, for indeed he had promised his master that he would return in five minutes, the Lancer-class Servant materialized, and with the use of all of his A+ Agility, annihilated the monster's body while avoiding it's magic crystal in a single second.

Indeed, within that single second, thirty strikes had struck the entirety of the body of the monster and before the brain of the creature could process the assault, it had already dissipated, leaving behind the rather large crystal.

Lancer huffed, as he carried the crystal, stuffing it inside the portal to the Bibliotheca Corviniana manually, for indeed, travelling with this thing on his shoulder would be rather annoying, not to mention it would draw the attention of other adventurers and having done so, he darted past a party of adventurers, having already dematerialized.

As he did so, he faintly over-heard the groans of the party, "NO! Don't tell me the King or Nine Hells came down and blasted this thing already on their way…. and to think we prepared so much! Ugh"

He chuckled at the sight, and within the allotted time frame had returned to the 10th floor, to the bemusing sight of Bell engaging in a fist-fight with another Al-Miraj. As Bell finished his brother off, he seemed to catch sight of Lancer who chuckled, and gestured towards the floor exit, and catching his meaning, the party of three went upwards, in the direction of the Guild.

As Lancer went ahead to the private exchange booth with Eina in tow, for the half-elf was one of the few in question who had an inkling of his prowess, Lily spoke up, "Wow! You are something else for a novice, Mister Bell! Lily can't believe you only started adventuring a few weeks back."

Bell rubbed the back of his neck, completely mollified, but before he could respond, Lancer came out, holding a singular, large bag of coins. He came over to the pair of children and tossed the bag to the reddish-brown haired pallum, before speaking in a low tone, "You will find ninety six thousand valis inside the bag. Even though you were not party to the killing of the Monster Rex Goliath, you have not reneged on the terms of the contract, and so you shall partake of fifty percent profits all the same. With the ninety five, is your bonus of a thousand."

Lily was utterly shellshocked, and it was a two dozen heartbeats later, that she found within herself the strength to talk, as she spoke, "N-n-n-ninety six thousand?E-e-eh?" to which the Lancer class servant responded, "Indeed, the drop-crystal from the Monster Rex itself was worth a hundred and fifty thousand. Yourself and Bell earned roughly forty thousand, and so you shall find that the math is correct."

Lily was still gobsmacked, for she did not fully comprehend what exactly had happened. For a fair deal to occur, even after the other party knew she was lying to them by her appearance was downright incomprehensible for her, especially after months of abuse by the hands of other adventurers.

As she walked out with the pair, under the red rays of the setting sun, and they rounded a street corner, she stammered out, "Umm…. Mister Bell… Mister Lancer… Lily would like to apologise for… apologise for deceiving you… Lily is not a chienthrope… Lily is a Pallum." as she dispelled the effects of Cinder Ella.

Indeed one would think that the girl was feeling guilt for her deception, but they would be wrong, for this was only a minor reason, for indeed the calculative girl believed that if she continued to party with these two, she could earn enough money for an audience with Soma, and in-turn a chance to leave her dreaded Familia.

Bell seemed mildly surprised, but he did not react in an ill fashion, while Lancer was nonchalant about the event. Bell spoke, "Oh… I see Miss Lily… that's fine, everyone has their own secrets I guess. If you want to work with us… come-by the Hearth of Bravery some-time, it's to the West of Orario like the Coliseum is to the East. It's hard to miss."

He then seemed to look up at the darkening sky with a conflicted expression on his face as he spoke, "If you want, Lily… we can escort you to your home." to which the little pallum shook her head as she responded, "That won't be necessary, Good Evening, Bell… Mister Lancer." as she walked off.

Indeed, the little boy looked conflicted, but the Lancer class Servant shook his head, and so the two began to head in the direction of their home, that is until Lancer caught the sight of three men trailing the little pallum. His eyes narrowed, and he muttered for Bell to follow him slowly to which the boy nodded, even if he hadn't fully understood the situation.

Soon enough, he found Lili cornered by the three men, who were holding aloft a smaller bag than the one Lancer had offered to her and were kicking her. Indeed, Lancer noted that they shared a similar Familia emblem with the pallum girl in question, that of the Soma Familia, and having noted enough, he stepped into action, his fist colliding with the three men hard enough to send them flying into the wall of the building opposite.

He spoke, "Ho? They live? I see… a reverse-Iskander…. if he could claim he was the son of Zeus and gain Divinity…. a god claiming them as children grants them something akin to an E- of the same." before offering an hand to the fallen girl who had the face of one who's entire worldview had fallen apart at the Servant lending her an helping hand.

As he retrieved the bag from the clutch of the knocked out racoon man, he spoke, "Well then… Liliruca Arde… why did your fellow Familia members attack you so?" to which the small girl's lip twitched as she spoke, "Lord Soma… doesn't care about his Familia members…. indeed, the only reason any adventurer of his… stays in the Familia" as she pointed at the knocked out, battered men, "Is because they have tasted the Soma Wine that Lord Soma always stirs and have become completely addicted."

It was at this moment that Bell caught up with them, and having seen her tattered clothes, rushed over to her side and began to enquire about her state, fussing over her, to which the dam finally broke, as Lily began to wail about her life to Bell, before sobbing, "… even when Lily tried to escape from this life… adventurers trashed the home of the old couple I lived with…. Lily truly is worthless…"

Bell looked up at his Servant as he spoke, "Lancer… we should do something about this… right? We can't just… let her suffer?"

It would seem Lancer found her earlier words more interesting as he spoke, ignoring his master's words for the moment "This… Soma Wine? What does it exactly do?" to which Lily spoke, "I-i-it supposedly intoxicates one's very soul… leaving them forever thirsting for the same…"

Lancer mused this, his face expressionless like he were carved from stone before speaking, "I see… very well Liliruca Arde… I would have exorcised the hive of villainy and filth that is your Familia and its buffoon of a god myself… even without you revealing the effects of the Soma Wine… as… well… I believe in the simple concept of Justice with all my soul… but now? Now… Hestia Familia has a vested interest in…. interrogating Lord Soma… and his… use of his wine. And so… you shall accompany us to our fortress for the day… for we need to inform our Captain of the same."

Lily shuddered at his words, for indeed, the way the tall man had spoken the word 'Lord' was enough to fill her with the foreboding that the god could very well find himself at the opposite end of Lancer's spear, even with the compulsion that was upon mortals to not harm deities.

She then processed what exactly had been said, and began crying into Bell's chest, as the boy tried to comfort her by patting her back. The boy it would seem had recalled something he had once heard, as he spoke, "Don't worry Lily… Heroes after all… exist to give girls hope."

She looked up, her eyes still wet when Lancer's voice cut through the air, and "Indeed… to be a hero is to give the people hope… but tomorrow… I will not be the Raven King…indeed… Soma Familia shall find out why exactly they called me Matthias the Just."

Lily did not understand the bit about the Raven King, but she stifled her tears as she got up, and walked along with the two to their home, still wondering if her circumstances could truly change.

I sincerely apologize for the lower quality of this chapter… atleast in my perception… I have some exams going on… and besides… I did not really know the best way of going through the latter half of the chapter. I hope you enjoy it all the same!

All constructive criticism is welcome, both on reviews as well as PM.

I'll be opening a poll for the Archers after Chapter 6, but until then these are the candidates for future servants.

Archer candidates: Arash, Proto-Gil, both of the former, Tristan, Chiron.

Rider: Iskander, Ushiwakamaru, Achilles, though Achilles is very unlikely simply because he'd make everything trivial.

Caster: Tamamo-No-Mae, Proto Merlin, EMIYA(S).

Assassin: Regend: Savior of France, Semiramis, Shouten Douji, EMIYA(K)

Berserker: Darius III.