*Notice: For those who read Chapters 2 to 5 before 2020-12-18 (December 18), then there has been a MAJOR change to the storyline. Instead of falling in love with Aiz, Bell falls in love with Shalltear. Their interactions change, but it's only Bell who's head over heals in love for now.
*I thought that Aiz's role was just in the way of the story and should be moved to that of secondary character. Sorry fans of Aiz.
I do not own Overlord nor Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darou ka
x-X-x-X-x
Chapter 6 – Blue Papillon
A very irritated red-haired goddess sat behind a desk on the third floor of her shop.
Hephaistos, dressed in her familia's uniform, has had enough. Her frustration poured into every syllable of her words.
The source of her annoyance was on the other side of the desk. A goddess on her hands and knees with her face pressed onto the floor.
It was none other than the goddess of heart, Hestia.
They were on the third floor of Hephaistos familia's main store located on the Northwest Main Street. The store was the base of operations for her familia's world-famous brand.
The third floor was devoted to management and currently packed with tension.
"You realize I'm very busy?"
"..."
"You may be very quiet, but I can't concentrate on paperwork with you there. Don't you get it?"
"..."
"Hestia?"
"..."
"...haa..."
Hephaistos could only sigh at the lump of a goddess on the floor, at her friend who had not moved from that position. For an entire day. That's how long Hestia had kept her head down, plastered to the floorboards.
On the night of the Banquet of The Gods, Hestia had asked her to have her familia make a weapon for one of her members.
Hephaestus dismissed it immediately. Even though she didn't brag about it, the smiths of Hephaestus familia were known as the best in the business. She had a reputation to uphold. Run-of-the-mill adventurers and familias didn't have the resources to buy her weapons.
To have her smiths make a weapon just for a friend was out of the question. Hephaestus told Hestia many times, and as directly as possible, to come back with some money if she wanted to make a custom order.
However, Hestia hadn't given up and kept on asking. Every time she asked, her head bowed lower and lower. She'd been persistent ever since the start of the celebration, and this morning, Hephaestus was at her limit.
She'd been planning to ignore Hestia until she gave up. She was bound to get hungry and go home at some point.
That was last night, and Hestia was still pleading.
'Why is she still doing this?' Hephaestus looked down on her with a questioning eye.
She couldn't understand what drove Hestia to keep that pose for hours, even while Hephaestus was trying to sleep. It was quite a shock when she woke up. She nearly fell out of her bed.
She'd asked for many things before, but something was different this time. Hestia's strong will, her obsession, was shining through.
'I can't take this anymore...' Hephaestus sighed. She couldn't focus on her paperwork. So, she set her pen on the side of the desk and piled up the papers that still needed her signature.
Hephaestus straightened her posture and took a deep breath. "Hestia, why are you going this far?"
"Because I want to help him!" Hestia didn't look up. She only raised her voice loud enough to be clearly understood.
"He's changing quickly. Bell has a goal and he's chosen the hardest path to follow. It's a dangerous path, so that's why I want to help! I want to give him the strength he needs! A weapon that will clear a path for him!"
Hestia felt terrible. Especially upon realizing that the little girl might snatch her Bell away. That skill on his falna sheet said as long as his feelings for an unknown person remained, the process of his overall growth will keep on speeding up. Not only does it tell her that he has feelings for someone else, but it appeared at the same time as when the silver-haired girl tagged along. That unknown person is obviously her.
Hestia had to do something for Bell. Something that will help him in his endeavors or else she'd be completely forgotten. She couldn't let that happen; only her would sincerely care for him.
Her whole body tensed as she squeezed out her next words: "He's done so much for me, but I haven't done anything godlike for him and I think he might start to avoid me... I hate being useless."
'So you're trying to redeem yourself, huh. At least, it's not for a selfish reason.' Seeing the sincerity in her voice, Hephaestus couldn't help but sigh at the desolate state of her friend. "All right... A weapon will be made for this boy."
Hearing those words, Hestia bounced in the air excitedly. "Yay! Thank you, Hephaestus!"
"But let me say this: you will pay back every single valis, understood? I don't care how many centuries it will take, but you will repay me." She carefully explained with emphasis on each word as to make sure Hestia would understand this part of the agreement.
"Yes, I know." Hestia nodded with conviction.
Hoping Hestia really did understand what she had just told her, Hephaestus went to a workbench and picked up her hammer.
Seeing the red-haired goddess moving to her own work post, Hestia's eyes lit up. "Hephaestus, are you going to make the weapon yourself?"
"Of course. I wouldn't involve my familia in a private matter between you and I."
Hestia's eyes brimmed with admiration. "Wow. A smith goddess is going to make it for me personally!"
Ignoring the praises coming from the other end, Hephaestus took a special ore and turned back to Hestia.
"Yea, yea, moving on, is there a specific weapon your child uses?"
Hestia seemed hesitant. "He uses a knife… Although he's been practicing with the lance nowadays so…"
"So a lance it is." Hephaestus cut in. A knife had many advantages over other weapons in terms of its many uses, but when it came to fighting, its short range made it inconvenient to strike at the enemy. A lance's reach would be far less dangerous, which would in turn satisfy Hestia's concerns for her child's safety.
Hestia was filled with joy as she began bowing to Hephaestus. Now, Bell wouldn't need to thank that girl for letting borrow her strange weapons. Instead, he'll be forever grateful towards Hestia for giving him a lance of far superior quality. After all, it would be crafted by a goddess of the forge.
Seeing her friend bowing endlessly with even more praises, Hephaestus couldn't help getting a little irritated. "Stop doing that and come over here. I'll need your assistance."
"Sure, leave it to me!"
The goddess of the heart was smiling just by thinking about how jealous the little girl would be of Bell's new weapon. Overflowing with confidence, she walked over to her friend's work bench, with the resolution of helping out as much as she could.
x-X-x-X-x
Main Street in the morning was very different from the cluster of annoyingness in the afternoon. The streets felt so much wider at sunrise - no people, no noise. Every one of the two-story shops had their shutters closed. The shops looked like a long stone wall all lined up in a row.
The eastern sky was getting brighter. The early morning did not mean they were alone on the streets. A few merchants were setting up their store here, and a group of dwarves were talking over there. By the looks of them, they were all adventurers.
"T-today was rough..."
"Oh, was it~?"
Bell took in the view while willing his wobbly knees forward, as he and his only other party member made their way to Miach's Blue Pharmacy.
"Shouldn't we stock up on potions instead of always taking refills each day?" Bell asked, feeling a little embarrassed at the mocking laughs he received from the few people gathered outside.
"You'd just spill them~." The silver-haired beauty replied with no care.
'At least take some before coming over to the church…' Bell whined in his head but was too scared to voice it out. Further beating coming from his so-called 'party leader' might lead to his death.
They really needed a supporter… Bell couldn't transport all of their stuff including magic stones and drop items on his own. The beautiful girl walking alongside him refused to carry anything with her. She looked around his age, perhaps a bit younger, and has been teaching him how to fight for the past few days.
They started training in the abandoned church's backyard in the darkness before sunrise, which meant his body was being beaten to a pulp before going into the dungeon. Bell thought he had taken more damage from her than all the monsters he encountered down there combined.
Her strength was on a whole other level. Meanwhile, it was taking him all he had to keep putting one foot in front of the other on the stone road.
He understood that this was also part of the training. This was all so he could get stronger. So that he could catch up to her, his instructor and the girl he will one day save, just like in grandpa's stories.
He kept telling himself those words over and over and ignored his aching joints as he made his way to the potion shop.
"It seems we've arrived~." Shalltear stated coldly.
After what felt like an eternity of suffering, Bell realized he was standing in front of Miach's blue pharmacy. He breathed a sigh of relief. The pain would finally cease. At least, for a few hours before she throws him into some herd of poisonous ants.
Upon ringing the bell, Shalltear was met by a sleepy Naaza. Her expression unchanging, her lips start to form words. "I was waiting for you two. I wondered if you would pass by…"
Ignoring the curious expressions of the two teenagers, she pulled a rolled-up piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Shalltear.
"This is a quest. That should be enough to repay what you owe us." She said before covering her mouth with her hand as she yawned.
"Qu—est?" Bell wondered out loud. Moreover, he didn't know Shalltear owed something to the Miach familia. Was that the reason why she lived with them?
Naaza took a glance at the beaten-up Bell. "Of course, it'd be appreciated if you'd help Aura with this job. Is it possible for the two of you to bring me what's written on this sheet?"
Shalltear and Bell lock eyes for a moment before the former looks down at the piece of paper in her hands.
Wanting to help his party member from whatever debt she owed, Bell agreed. "S-Sure… So c-can I get a h-healing potion?" He pleaded, almost failing to stand straight.
Naaza nodded as she handed a few potions to Bell. "There is no time limit, but the earlier it is done, the better... Oh, you don't need to pay for these potions, Bell. Consider it your reward for helping out with this job."
"If that's the case, then thank you." He lowered his head for a split-second and gave her a bright smile before gulping down a full flask.
The effect was immediate. Bell was completely healed up and started bouncing up and down, glad that the pain was over. He now has the energy to go on with today's expedition.
"*Swish-swish!* Then go for it." Showing more energy than she had up until now, Naaza waved them away from the shop's entrance.
It took all the self-control Shalltear possessed to not burst out in anger and kill everyone in close proximity as a result. She knew losing herself to her temperament might cause her troubles later on, so she had to take the wisest choices possible as to not screw up anything.
"I-Is there something wrong, miss Fiora?" Bell anxiously inquired as they walked away from the building.
She glanced at the curious Bell before looking back in front of her. "N-No… It's nothing~."
x-X-x-X-x
In the square in front of Babel Tower, Bell and Shalltear reviewed the parchment with the quest Naaza had given them.
"Blue papillon wings from blue papillons…" Bell didn't know anything about those monsters and looked at Shalltear to see if she had any idea. She scrutinized the paper in search for more information.
"It doesn't say how to get the blue pests~." She whined, handing back the quest parchment.
Bell frowned. So, they both had no clue as to what these were… Even less on where and how to find them…
Unexpectedly, a voice from behind caught them by surprise. "If you need help setting up a trap for monsters, Lili could be of help to miss and mister adventurers."
They saw a tiny girl, barely a meter tall, holding a massive backpack almost three times her size. She was wearing a red cloak that covered her entire body, but Bell and Shalltear could spot two bumps poking up from her hood, telling them that she was one of the animal people.
Taking their silence as a permission to go on, she greeted them. "Good morning miss and mister adventurers. Lili overheard the subject of your quest. If miss and mister adventurers want it, Lili can be your supporter."
"Oh," Bell replied. "Aren't you the girl from yesterday?"
"I don't see what you mean." Lili said.
Bell looks at Shalltear who just shrugs her shoulders indifferently. Bell made a wry smile. Of course, she wouldn't bother remembering the appearance of others.
Putting the matter aside as something non-important, Bell instead asked a question. "Are you part of a Familia, Lili?"
"… Yes. Lili is part of the Soma familia but Lili can Support other Familias if need be." Lili replied with a nod.
Bell turned to Shalltear. "Is it alright if we hire her?"
"Preferably not~…"
"Okay." Bell smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head before turning back to Lili. "She meant to say yes."
To Bell, Shalltear seemed to look a bit upset at the prospect of having someone else tag along. He reckoned that even though she might've warmed up to him, she still remains cold to other strangers.
While in reality, Shalltear was just getting irritated at the prospect of having another worm following her.
"If you tag along, then carry our stuff~." Shalltear ordered sharply.
Lili looked surprised at the statement. "Naturally, picking up magic stones and carrying the employer's items is part of a supporter's job."
Seeing her intimidation didn't work, Shalltear pressed on. "-And I will not allow you to burden us any further than what you've already done~. Am I clear~?"
'What has she done now? Does she mean that Lili took two minutes of our time?' Bell winced at how rude his captain was, but it seemed that Lili did not mind being treated that way.
"Uhh…Lili will do her best!" Lili said, regaining her composure. "Will we be going down now?"
"We are~." Shalltear turned and started walking towards Babel Tower, leaving all the stuff behind for Bell and Lili to pick up.
"Aha, excuse her. She's like this with every person she meets." Bell apologized as he reached to pick up a bag filled with healing potions.
"Lili does not mind it. Being a supporter, Lili often gets this kind of treatment from her employers, so this is not new to her. Also, may you leave your bag to Lili?"
"… But your backpack is already…"
"Think nothing of it, mister adventurer. Lili possesses a skill that helps compensate for her abilities when she's carrying a certain amount of weight, making it easier for her to carry heavy loads." She said as she jumped and landed on her feet with her gigantic backpack to prove her point.
Suddenly, a cold voice called out to them. "Hurry up and come already~."
"Yeah, let's go." Bell nodded before heading toward the tower. He gestured for Lili to follow him with a simple wave of the hand and a smile.
x-X-x-X-x
Once they were inside the dungeon, Shalltear stood by Lili as she carved out the magic stones from the monster corpses while Bell handled the monsters on his own.
The silver-haired girl did not lift a finger to fight any of the monsters even once as they traveled through the Dungeon and eventually hit the Seventh Floor.
"Umm… Miss Fiora, are you not going to help mister Bell?" Lili asked, looking up at her.
"Why would I~?" She asked. "He's doing fine on his own, and I'd rather not dirty my hands for no reason, you see~."
"Ah. Makes sense?" Lili responded, unsure if Shalltear's reasoning was good at all.
After Bell finished taking care of a group of giant ants, he laid down saying he needed to take a break and eat something. It's has already been a few hours since they entered the dungeon. Lili took out the lunch boxes.
"Won't you eat anything, miss Fiora?" Lili asked, seeing the silver-haired girl leaning on a dungeon wall with her arms crossed.
"I don't need to~."
"Of course, you do miss! Neglecting your stomach is a dangerous thing to do in the dungeon. I you wish, I can share some of my food with you-"
"I said I didn't need it~." Shalltear said furiously, unintentionally leaking small amounts of her aura.
"But-"
Bell raised his hands frantically. "It's alright Lili. Miss Fiora doesn't want to eat. You won't convince her otherwise... Unfortunately."
Defeated, Lili took a glance at Shalltear whom simply ignored her, before going back to her sandwich. "I guess it's up to the mistress in the end… No wonder her skin is so pale…" She muttered that last part.
Munching on his sandwich, Bell turned to Lili to change the topic of conversation. "You said that you could help us find these blue papillon wings… Could you tell us what they are, exactly?"
The little girl was surprised of being addressed in such a mindful manner. "O-Of course, Lili can!"
"Then stop doing whatever you were just doing and tell us~." Shalltear interjected impatiently, still leaning on a wall distant to the others.
The confusion between friendly Bell and cold Shalltear put a lot of unnecessary pressure on Lili. "Ehm… T-The item blue papillon wings come from blue papillons. It's a butterfly monster said to appear on the lower seventh floor." She took a breath before continuing, much more relaxed."Its light blue wings are so thin that light can pass through them and tiny scales fall off of them as it flies, leaving a beautiful sparkling trail in its wake. They are extremely hard to find, but I've heard they're so beautiful that even the most hardened adventurers will stop to admire them." She said, her anxiousness suddenly replaced with eyes brimming with wonder.
"So, you haven't seen any? Sounds like they're very charming. I want to see them too." Bell said, a bit excited by her description of the blue papillons.
"Yes… They are indeed one of the dungeon's beauties. The sparkling trail from their wings is said to heal the bodies of adventurers."
"Ah, no wonder Naaza wanted us to collect their wings." Bell said, looking pensive.
Lili looked sadly to the ground. "… It is unfortunate that they are in an area of the seventh floor where only those who lost themselves would go to. As a supporter, Lili has never really gone to places she wishes to see."
Bell stood up and patted Lili on the back, making her jump in surprise. "Luckily, you'll get to see them today. That's great, isn't it?"
Lili's lips curled upwards. It was a genuine smile. "Yes, Lili is glad that she gets to see them with her own eyes."
They shared a laugh and discussed about more wonders of the dungeon as Lili knew a lot about them. While they were finishing eating, a certain somebody cut the moment short.
"Ahem~. Enemies are coming in groups~." Shalltear informed them calmly.
Bell put on a grimmer expression. "Right." And he then recovered his spear.
Steps grew louder and louder accompanied with the clinging of metal. Then, what emerged from the corridor were…
"Adventurers?" Bell and Lili spoke out incredulously.
They didn't lower their guard. There still was something off-putting about them. The adventurers were stumbling and staggering towards the group. Their skin was snow white and their crazy, diseased crimson glowing eyes paralyzed Bell and Lili with fear.
A putrid smell filled the corridor. One Shalltear was familiar to.
"No. Those are not adventurers, but monsters." Shalltear affirmed, baffled. As undead, she could recognize other undead. Those were zombies, but… Why were they wearing armor and weapons?
"A-Are you sure, miss Fiora? T-They l-look like a-adventurers to m-me." Bell shivered as the zombies slowly staggered their way.
'Did my blood frenzy contaminate the victim's bodies?' Shalltear wondered. As far as she knew, zombies did not exist in this world. Having victims rise up unintentionally may not be too uncommon, but once they were, a plague would start. They seemed to have no significant injuries whatsoever. However, one of these adventurers must've got bitten by a zombie and then turned on their teammates.
'I wonder how many adventurers got infected by the plague...' She glanced at Bell, who stood in front of Lili with his spear out. Even in the most frightening situation, he acted like a hero. However, a swarm of zombies may be troublesome for him… She also didn't wish to waste magic on restoring him.
"Move aside~." The vampire ordered the two. She'll get rid of them for now as they still needed to fetch these insects' wings. She extended her arm towards the swarm, "[Brilliant Radiance]!".
A beam of holy light came out from Shalltear's palm and encircled the zombies. In an instant, they disintegrated from the beam's overwhelming purifying strength.
Both Bell and Lili were shocked by this show of power.
"A-Amazing" Bell exclaimed, wiping the sweat on his forehead.
"That was… indeed quite impressive… I see why miss Fiora doesn't feel the need to fight." Lili concluded, steadily getting back on her feet. "Even so… What was that? They looked just like adventurers."
"No idea~." Shalltear lied, covering her mouth as she yawned. "Anyways~! Let's not forget why we came down here, okay~?"
x-X-x-X-x
"We're pretty far out, aren't we?"
"Yes. We'll be in the southern corner very soon."
They were still on the seventh floor in search of blue papillon wings.
Following Lili's instructions, the group made their way through a very thin corridor.
They have been on this floor for over two hours. Rather than staying on the path that led to the lower levels, they took one heck of a detour and are headed to the deepest corner of the lower seventh.
Lili had gone deeper into the dungeon than this, but she had not explored the outer rim of any of the levels.
This unfamiliar terrain got the pallum girl's blood pumping with excitement as she watched Bell quickly dispatch all the monsters that appeared in front of them with the strange-looking lance.
Lili quickly withdrew a magic stone from the killer ant Bell just took down while Shalltear walked without a care, slaying with her hand anything that tried to jump at her.
"Lili, what's waiting for us at the end of this path?" The human boy asked, his gaze stuck on the bright light at the end of the tunnel.
"The dungeon's pantry." She answered without bothering to explain further.
"Pantry?" The moment Bell echoed Lili's words the path in front of the group began to change.
The pale green walls, the lights in the ceiling, the path under their feet — everything started to get uneven. The farther they walked, the less their surroundings looked like the dungeon they had seen so far. It almost felt like they were lost in the belly of a cave.
Suddenly, the luminescent spots on the ceiling started to go dim. Bell's heart pounded in his chest as a shroud of darkness descended around him.
That light...
There was a soft greenish glow coming from around the rocky corner ahead.
Bell stopped for a moment and turned to face the two girls. They both didn't say anything, but instead Lili gave him a silent nod. He took a deep breath, faced forward, and turned the corner.
His heart was pounding so fast that he could feel it in his lungs.
He had gotten used to crawling the dungeon, so it had been a long time since he felt like this. Going someplace new, facing the unknown. It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. His inner adventurer felt so alive!
They followed the glow through a few more turns in the cave. The source of the glow was waiting for them at the end of the path.
He was filled with awe the moment he emerged from the rocky path.
It was a very, very big area.
Neither Bell nor Lili had seen a space this big, even in the levels further down in the dungeon. Shalltear scoffed at their surprise. She had already seen the jungle on the sixth floor of Nazarick, which was leagues above this place.
Bell's eyes instantly locked onto a towering pillar of quartz in the back of the room.
The massive column of powdery green rock stretched from the floor all the way up to the ceiling. The whole thing was jutting out of the back wall. But the surface wasn't smooth, bits and pieces stuck out like tree bark. This whole thing might as well be a tree made of quartz.
A clear white sap drips out from between the breaks in the rock, enough to make a large pool at the base of the 'tree'. Killer ants and purple moths dotting the surface of the tree and a needle rabbit dipping its tongue into the pool. They were all drinking the sap.
"Is Mr. Bell surprised?" Lili asked with a proud smile.
"Lili, what exactly is this place?"
"This is a pantry, a place the dungeon stores food for monsters to eat." Clearly enjoying the awed look on Bell's face, and ignoring the indifference on Shalltear's, Lili strikes up a conversation and explains what's going on.
Monsters born from the dungeon walls were alive, so it made sense they would get hungry. While they could feast on stray adventurers or other monsters, most of them got their subsistence from their 'mother', the dungeon itself.
This wide area was a source of nutrients for the dungeon's monsters.
"I can see why it's called the dungeon's pantry!" Bell exclaimed in wonder.
"Too long, did not listen~. All we need you to tell us is if we can find the pests here~."
Lili looked struck by Shalltear's apathy but kept her composure. "… Well, that's where Lili was getting at… Rather than bumbling around in the dungeon for who knows how long, Lili thinks our chances of finding blue papillons are better if we wait here."
"I agree." Bell nodded.
Lili then went on to explain that there are two or three pantries on every level of the dungeon except for the first two. As long as they stake out one of them and keep their eyes open, a hungry blue papillon should show up sooner or later. After that, they could make their move.
Set up a trap and ambush their prey.
"Don't just stand there, mister and miss adventurers. We must hide ourselves. Lili doesn't want to think about what will happen if the monsters see us."
Shalltear smirked. "I'd like to see them try~."
"Ah... Yes, let's hide." Bell smiled sheepishly, dragging Shalltear out of the entrance and off toward one of the sides.
Taking another look around the room, there were many entrances to the pantry.
Even now, monsters were streaming in from ten, twenty in other places. Bell knew that if even one of them realized they were here, either Shalltear would force Bell to fight every last one of them despite not being able to or she'd blow up the place, scaring off the blue papillons they were after. Bell didn't want to think about that.
The three adventurers made their way into a corner of the room.
"Well, then, excuse me." Lili set her backpack down and withdrew a large piece of cloth from it.
The whole thing was a mossy green color and matched the dungeon walls on this floor almost exactly.
Lili whips the fabric around through the air like a massive cape and wraps the three of them from head to toe in a green cocoon.
"So that's why you bought this... You were very prepared." Bell whispered in astonishment.
"That's right. None of the monsters on the lower seventh has a good sense of smell, so as long as we're quiet and stay out of sight, we will be fine."
Their camouflage seemed to be working. None of the monsters had noticed them; even the ones that looked in their direction thought they were simply part of the dungeon's wall and went back to their meal.
"W-w-wait a second. Aren't we a bit close to each other?" Bell whispered to Shalltear, face red in embarrassment.
"But this cloth can only hide so much~. We have no choice but to stick closer~." She breathed, her lips brushing against his ears. Lili, in front of the group, was oblivious to what was going on due to her huge backpack separating her from the others in the back.
Bell could feel his captain's body up against his, making him flinch.
Shalltear snuck around bell's right arm and squeezed. A soft pressure brushes against his ribs through his inner shirt. Bell's face felt like it was on fire.
He understood that she had to stick to him because the cloth was too small... But if he didn't know better, he would've thought his captain had been enjoying this. It had to be his imagination; she was too cold hearted for this sort of stuff.
Unbeknownst to him, Shalltear was having fun getting a reaction out of him.
They walked until they reach a corner, sitting down in a comfortable position.
"H-hey, I have a question. You know how there are items that can draw in monsters, right? If there's a place like this where they can eat as much as they want, why do those items work...?" He started a conversation to get his mind off Shalltear's body comfortably rubbing against his.
Keeping her gaze on the cavern's many entrances, Lili answered his question right away. "Isn't it boring to eat the same food all the time, Mr. Bell?" She then quietly giggled. "That's why. Monsters like a little variety, too."
Bell kept on becoming a little bit smarter every time he asked Lili about something that didn't make sense. So, he kept the questions coming while they were waiting for their prey to show up.
First, he asked her why adventurers completely ignored this really good hunting spot. She explained that this place is too far out of the main path. In fact, every single dungeon pantry is so far removed from the usual route that it would take hours to get to one of them. Even if you managed to find one—and are strong enough to survive fighting everything in here at once—it's more efficient to collect the magic stones that are worth more from monsters farther down.
But the most important reason is that if you made even one mistake, the danger of being overwhelmed by sheer numbers was very real.
These were the reasons why most adventurers tried to avoid turning these places into their battlefield. It could also be that they didn't want to ruin such a beautiful place.
At least that's how he felt, looking out across this tranquil scenery from under our camouflaged cloth.
A wide cavern bathed in soft green light. The clear crystals emerging from the tree were absolutely breathtaking. Light reflected off the pond beneath it like the moon off a still lake at night. The pond's white flowers with blue stems were blooming in bunches all around the lake.
Every so often a needle rabbit poked its head out from between them. Purple moths flew through the flowers and landed on the crystals above, resting their wings.
Soft splashes filled the air as a small group of killer ants made their way through the pond toward the quartz tree on the back wall.
The green light made everything look calm, almost gentle. It wasn't hard to believe that monsters that should be violent and horrifying could look this beautiful.
Looking across the cavern, taking in the light, the monsters, everything… Bell couldn't help but feel excited by the natural vista before his eyes despite his captain making his blood pressure boil.
"Mister and miss adventurers!" Lili stiffened as she points somewhere in front of us.
Bell's mind comes back to his body as both he and Shalltear sat up and followed Lilly's eyes to the pond at the base of the tree. They saw them immediately.
Butterflies with blue wings fluttering gracefully among the flowers. A group of four blue papillon, the target of their quest, it has appeared in the pantry.
"Finally~!" The captain yawned.
"It was worth coming all the way down here." Bell smiled in excitement.
"Y-yes." Lili admitted, her gaze stuck on the blue papillons in wonder.
They all got up, preparing to leave at any moment.
The butterflies' elegance and refinement matched the cavern perfectly. Each one of their bodies were much more delicate than a purple moth's, their two sets of wings flowing like water. The light blue trails they left behind were beautiful.
While the blue papillon posed no threat in combat, the scales that flaked off their wings healed the injured monsters around them. The reason that Naaza wanted blue papillon drop items must've been because they would make an excellent ingredient for healing potions.
"We mustn't make a scene in here. Let's watch them and then follow them out of the pantry." Lili warned the two adventurers, making sure they wouldn't rush at them and get their group in trouble.
"Okay, got it." Bell gave a nod before going back to question mode with Lili. He was still trying to ignore his captain's tickling on his body.
The three waited for a chance to spring their trap.
x-X-x-X-x
Closing one eye to shield it from the gentle wind, Bell emerged with his two companions from the base of Babel Tower with a big smile on his face. The red evening sun shines on the buildings and paved streets, causing a red hue.
"That went very well."
"Yes, to get this many drop items at once is very lucky." Lili affirmed, a big smile on her face as well.
Their plan had worked without a hitch. Follow the group of blue papillon, take them down, collect the drop items, and return to the surface. Just as Lili said, all of the blue papillon left behind drop items. They couldn't be happier that they finished this quest so quickly, Shalltear included.
Five wings altogether. There's no doubt Naaza will be more than happy with this haul.
"If mister Bell took these to the Guild, they're worth at least nine thousand valis. The fact that they're in good shape might make them worth even more..."
"But we are going to trade them for miss Fiora's debt." Bell reminded, slightly glancing at his captain.
"I see… That's too bad." It sounded like Lili was only excited because these drop items came from a rare monster specie.
After Lili reluctantly accepted to get her fair share of magic stones, a third, they said goodbye and went their own way.
Bell forces a smile at his unusually calm partner as they made their way through central park and toward west main street. That was just what he needed to cheer himself up... That amazing scenery put his mind at ease, and… He was also glad he could be of help to his captain.
"Good afternoon! Anyone here... You two!?"
They entered Miach Familia's home, the blue pharmacy. Naaza watched them come through the door from her chair behind the counter, her drowsy eyes opening just enough for them to notice.
"Don't tell me, you've already finished the quest?"
"Yes. We've dropped by to finish up." Bell told her excitedly.
He took a box roughly the size of a shield out from under his arm and opened it to show her the contents.
A rare, energetic expression runs across Naaza's face the moment that she sees the beautiful blue hue of the blue papillon wings. A smile is on her face in the blink of an eye. The fluffy dog tail beneath her long skirt was happily swishing back and forth.
"Thank you, Aura, and Bell. It was really nice of you to help her out on this quest." She patted both teenagers on the head. Shalltear flinched but nonetheless kept her cool.
"I-it's nothing." Bell shook his head, scratching the back of my neck.
Then Miach entered from the front door.
"Hm? I thought you two would be camping in the dungeon tonight. Are you afraid to go down this far?"
"Lord Miach…" Naaza began.
"I understand… It was a foolish idea to hand out such a demanding quest."
"Actually…"
"But that's not a reason to feel bad about yourselves. I'm sure you'll eventually get there." He smiled and gave a thumbs up.
"They brought back five blue papillon wings…"
"Uh…" Miach was processing Naaza's words for a second. "Already!?"
"That's right." Naaza nodded.
Miach wiped a small tear on his cheek. "Aura thank you. You as well Bell."
They heard Naaza return with a wooden case in her hands.
"Here's your reward: two dozen potions."
"T-two dozen?!" Bell exclaimed. He was overwhelmed with gratitude for this very generous reward. In that moment—
"FU-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA, I'm coming in!"
The room shakes with a roar of laughter, and the door gets kicked off its hinges.
"You got my money for this month, Mii-ahh-chhh?"
A middle-aged god with graying hair and a beard appeared in the doorway.
His cheeks peeled back in a sickening grin as he looked around the room like he owned the place. He was wearing an extravagant gold robe with intricate embroidery. One would think he choose his wardrobe today just to rub it in Miach's face.
"Dian…"
"I dragged myself all the way out here 'cause you never showed up. Be grateful, you ruined beggar, bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" He laughed on for a while. "I see your shop is just as dusty as always! Gotta make this a quick visit, being here too long's going to make me sick. Oh, I see misery loves company! Hosting some more beggars so you won't get lonely?"
Naaza's eyes were burning like this god was her sworn enemy. Miach turned to face the intruder with a very sour look on his face.
"Who is he?" Bell was confused. Shalltear seemed surprised as well, although remaining stoic.
"He's Lord Dian Cecht. He's the head of a Familia that is well respected by adventurers and makes healing items and medicine. Since Miach also sells healing potions... we're business rivals." Naaza explains.
That explains Miach's and Naaza's reactions, as well as Dian Cecht's taunting tone. There had to be a deep connection between these two, and it was not a friendly one.
"Well, Miach, where's my money?"
"Well, it's..."
"Fu-fu-fu, do you have it or do you not have it? Gu-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!"
—chit chit chit. They could hear Miach's and Nahza's teeth rattling from over here.
Dian Cecht was laughing so hard that spit flies everywhere.
"FU-HA-HA-HA-HA! We're leaving, Amid!"
"Yes, sir."
A little girl standing behind Lord Dian Cecht moved out of the way as her god headed for the door. She must've been standing behind him the whole time.
The girl was rather short and looked more like a doll than a person. Amid bowed to us as her god walked briskly through the broken door. She turned and rushed to keep up with him.
The storm having blown through, the four of them sat in silence.
"Dian Cecht and I have never seen eye to eye, even in Tenkai..." Miach begins to tell his life story bit by bit. "Once we came down to this world, we butted heads at every turn. Our rivalry extended to the children we took under our wing when we got into the same business..."
"I broke that cycle to pieces." Naaza jumps into Miach's story when his words began trailing off. "I used to be an adventurer… I used to crawl the dungeon, saving up money... But one day, I screwed everything up. Got thoroughly wrecked by a monster, and it ate my right arm." She told the two teenagers.
Naaza looked down at her strangely uneven-sleeved shirt and started rolling up the wrist-length right sleeve.
"A silver arm...?!" Bell blurted out.
This arm was completely made out of silver. It was as smooth and shiny as a freshly polished sword. While looking almost exactly like a human arm, it's easy to see the gems embedded in the joints of the appendage. Shalltear recalled having seen her use that arm but did not pay any attention to it.
"Lord Miach got it for me after I lost my real one... It's from the Dian Cecht Familia. He practically begged them."
"Dian Cecht Familia makes medicines and other things. Besides selling potions, they also take custom orders from adventurers and make special items to suit. This airgetläm, or 'silver arm,' is one of them."
Click click. Naaza extends and flexes her arm, showing them how it worked.
"Lord Miach took out a loan so he could buy this arm for me. The other members of our Familia turned their backs on Lord Miach when they found out and left."
She told them that the Miach Familia used to be in the middle of the pack in terms of rank. At that time, it was strong enough to compete with Dian Cecht Familia on the open market selling potions.
Then after Naaza's accident, everything fell to pieces almost overnight.
"The way I am now, fighting monsters is impossible. I was able to change jobs and become a chemist only because my former compatriots taught me the tricks of the trade... But I can't make enough money to make a dent in the loan. I'm utterly useless."
"Naaza. "
"I'm the reason we have to pay anything to that abomination. It's all my fault."
"Naaza, that's enough. Stop there."
Naaza looked like she wanted to say something more on the subject, but Miach convinced her to close her mouth with his quiet voice.
A heavy silence descended over all of them.
"Well, then, what are you going to do~?" Surprisingly, it was Shalltear that spoke up. She seemed quite irritated by this whole ordeal.
Naaza met Miach's gaze for a moment and slowly nods.
"There is one way…" Naaza's voice is so soft, it's like it could be snuffed out at any moment. "But with just me and Lord Miach, it's impossible."
The last of the evening light comes through the window glass, making the room glow red. They were a good distance from west main street, but they could still hear the din of many voices and footsteps mixing together on the stone road.
"We'd be glad to help out with more quests!" Bell said cheerfully without asking Shalltear what she thought about it.
"Thanks a lot." Miach bowed, unable to suppress his tears.
Naaza's eyes opened in disbelief for a moment before she hid her face. "Thank you." Her last words barely louder than a whisper, she jerks her head down in what is an unmistakable bow.
x-X-x-X-x
'Helping out, huh.' Shalltear did not like these two words.
The vampire was wearing a soft black evening dress with a big heavy skirt. Her upper body was dressed in a lace embellished ribbon and a short, tailored jacket. Her hands were also donned with long lace gloves, not exposing any bit of skin exterior. That was a sacred attire bestowed upon her by Lord Peroroncino. The one she usually wore while patrolling her floors in Nazarick.
She cackled evilly. Tomorrow, she'll use the commotion to end this god's miserable life. She had two main reasons for planning this evil scheme. The first being that this would be a fun activity and the second being that she absolutely did not want to keep doing quests like Bell suggested.
Her years serving as guardian of Nazarick taught her that the easiest way to glory is to suppress the opposition. Therefore, getting rid of this puny god is a more efficient way for the Miach Familia to rise in ranks.
However, despite how much the vampire looked forward to it, she couldn't help but feel like her cover would be blown… She couldn't let that happen as it would mean living the life of a fugitive as long as she didn't have a strong party backing her up. By strong party, she meant Nazarick, of course.
That is why she was walking around aimlessly, or to be more exact, looking for trouble. Her encounter with zombies in the dungeon reinforced the idea that she should be contributing to the mayhem of tomorrow's Monster Festival.
The sky was pitch dark and Orario was sleeping. The somber streets were sometimes illuminated by a few magic stone streetlamps here and there, but not much else. Everyone must be sleeping to be in good shape tomorrow.
As she walked, her lips curled upwards as she felt something peering her back. A small group followed her for quite some time already. There were exactly four people trailing her.
Shalltear was overfilled with joy. All those measly lower-life forms willingly giving up their lives to her is simply wonderful. Satisfied with the number of men trailing her, she came to a halt in an obscure alley, away from the night lamps.
"You may come out now~." She called out cheerfully, yet no one answered. Still, she could hear a few snickers as well as rustle behind the corner, and above her. Their steps were soft when moving on the rooftops, but they couldn't hide from her heightened vampiric senses. Without the use of powerful camouflage spells or items, playing hide and seek with Shalltear was pointless.
"Must I force you to come out~?"
"Ku-ku-ku…" At that moment, a tall figure stepped out from the shadows. There were tattoos covering his whole body.
"It is frightful to see such a young lady walking on her own at night." The man had an open smile, revealing a few broken teeth.
"Uhm~? How so~?" Shalltear replied playfully. She was enjoying this exchange as this man clearly didn't know what his fate held.
"Well, you know, there could be a lot of bad men walking around. Judging from your clothes, I assume your noble parents don't often bring you here, so I won't blame you for not knowing." The man explained as three snickering shadows appeared around him.
"That's right, we must educate you." Another shadow added.
"There is no way-out little girl. You see, I'm a level three and these guys are close to level two." The man from earlier declared as he took a step forward, his hand stretching out to touch Shalltear's little body. "Oh, you seem to understand there's no running away. Good girl – guah!"
The man gushed out blood. The other shadows were taking glances to see what happened when the little girl slowly pulled out a heart, the man's heart.
"Boss is gone!" "She's crazy!" "We're outta here!" The shadows cried out as they dispersed quickly, running for their lives.
"[Animate Dead]" They could hear the girl chant something, then an imposing figure moved in their trajectory.
"What?!" *Splash* "Is that?!" *Splash* "Boss?! No!" *Splash*
Their bodies went limp and smacked the ground as blood rained out all over the alleyway.
"Well done, my dear servant~." She praised the same man from earlier. The only thing was that his face had been distorted as if all the moisture in his body had evaporated. He looked sickly pale and at the tip of his hands sprouted sharp claws. A crimson red light, much like those belonging to a vampire, glowed in his empty eye sockets.
He bowed. "iT iS mY pleAsURe, MiStrEss ShALlteAr." Within his half-opened mouth, razor-sharp canines gleamed.
Shalltear was delighted to see her spell had worked as intended. It seemed that the body of a level three along with her magic powers was enough to create a Lesser Vampire. In terms of abilities, she considered it very weak, but it would be good enough for the humans of this world.
Although she hasn't seen any top adventurers in action yet, at the very least, it would stall for time while she paid a visit to this puny deity.
She smiled gently. "I am overjoyed by your enthusiasm~. You know what to do tomorrow, right~?"
"oF coURsE, MiLaDY! HiDe, tHen BEgiN tHE plAGue whEn PLant mOnsTeRS apPEaR."
"You got it all~? How wonderful!" She smiled and winked at the Lesser Vampire, making him bow even more. "So, if you understand, I will be on my way, okay~?"
The Lesser Vampire nodded. "ThAT gOEs WIthOuT sAYiNg, MiSTrESs ShALlteAr. No nEeD To MInD tHIs oNe'S FeELinGs. I aM foREveR aT YouR cOMmaNd."
"Thanks~!" Shalltear said before teleporting away on a rooftop, satisfied. She only acted friendly in front of this Lesser Vampire to gain his complete support. Although she doubted it judging from his character earlier, there was still the chance that some humanity left in him would jeopardize everything.
She giggled wickedly as she looked at the peaceful night scenery in Orario. She assumed most people were asleep, getting ready for the busy day tomorrow. Shalltear could understand how they felt. After all, she was looking forward to it as well…
x-X-x-X-x
Written By: JSNachos
Note: I will make the Lesser Vampire around level 6, so you'll see a nice fight with the level 5 Loki Familia executives during their battle in Monsterphilia.
I'm sorry this took so long to come out. With school, I simply felt like I had no time to write. I can't say when Chapter 7 & 8 will be ready, but I can guarantee you won't have to wait for half a year between chapters from now on due to SUMMER BREAK!