Orion and the Return of the Age of Heroes

by Affinity7208

Bell was raised by Alfia and Zeus so that he might return the world to the Age of Heros. After finding a Worthy deity to serve in Artemis, His journey with his “mother” begins as they move to Orario. This is just a story that has been on my mind. If you want something that follows canon, this is not it. Characters will at times be OOC in varying degrees. (BellxArtemis story)

1. Welcome to Your New Home

A/N: This is a story that I have been wanting to write. I always wondered what would happen if Bell arrived in Orario already stupidly strong, and with a family. I liked to picture how his interactions with various people would change and how events would turn out. So, I decided to write this story. I will tell you right now that some of these characters will be OOC from canon seeing as I am altering events and the story. I will also be taking some liberties with a few characters, but it is what it is. As for the main ship, I have no idea yet, but I do know that it won't be Freya or Alfia, and that this isn't going to be a harem story.

Anyway, while this story is just my imagination running wild with Bell being OP as hell, I do plan on trying to write a decent story and I hope you all enjoy.

Affinity7208

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Welcome to Your New Home

"I will not leave my dearest sister's child, my nephew, to be raised by a pervert like you," Alfia stated, not attempting to hide her disgust at the mere notion.

"Meteria left Bell in my care. You can rest assured that he will be taken care of." Zeus replied as he dismissively waved his hand at the silver haired woman's comment.

Scoffing at the old gods remark: "That's not what worries me. I won't allow my only living family to be corrupted by a pervert."

"He is the last hope of our Familia's to return to the age of Heroes," she voiced in a serious manner unlike the half-hearted tone she had previously.

"Do you think I don't know that!?" Zeus boomed but quickly reeled in his frustration, however it was too late. From inside Zeus's modest house, the sound an screaming child could be heard. "If you want to stay by his side, you're welcome to stay here and raise him. However, he is staying here under my protection until he is old enough to join a Familia. And not one of those jokes of a Familia that they have in Orario. They had their chance." He said as he they both quickly went inside to calm down the infant Bell.

Zeus had heard about Erebus and his schemes. Zard had told him about it when he decided to join forces with them. Zeus didn't stop him from going because if there was even the slightest chance of a hero emerging from that lousy bunch, they would need a strong opponent, but he didn't have high hopes.

"Fine, but if I catch you trying to do anything perverted towards me, I won't hesitate to send you back to Heaven and take Bell with me back to Hera." Alfia warned, but only got a grunt in reply.

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As soon as Bell turned five, Alfia and Zeus had encouraged him to spend most of his time outside playing and running around. While this is common for the children in the small mountain village where they lived, they wanted Bell to be in the best condition as possible and for him to get used to getting hurt. If he was truly going to the hero to return the world to the age of heroes, Bell was going to need to be both strong and tough.

While both Alfia and Zeus wanted Bell to be strong, and were incredibly strict in his upbringing, they couldn't help but also let him be a child. This was especially difficult for Alfia for many reasons, but namely because his first words were "mama." As he got older, despite her explaining that she is his aunt, he still always called her "mom" or "mother," saying that he is the only one that he has known, and she will always be his mother. This left her with mixed emotions, due to the loss and the sadness that she felt when Bell called her mother instead of her late sister. At the same time, this was something that she hadn't expected to hear, and the love she felt for the boy brought her great happiness.

Zeus was always referred to as "grandpa," but he didn't mind. Instead, he did what a lot of grandfathers would do – at least what they would do in his mind – he read him tales from the book of heroes: Dungeon Oratoria at night before putting Bell down for bed.

Since Alfia hadn't really needed to exert herself fighting anything more than random packs of goblins, which she could easily dispatch by walking around and kicking them like one might kick a ball, her disease hadn't really affected her as badly. This was also in part thanks to Zeus who managed to get her some roots of a holy tree on occasion. Though she had a hard time thanking him because it was usually his way of trying to smooth things over with her after he was caught trying to peep on her while she was bathing or changing. Thanks to her status as a level seven, he never succeeded in seeing her naked as she could always hear him when he got close.

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On the day of Bell's eighth birthday, Zeus and Alfia through a party for Bell. They had invited the entire village, though it was only about twenty people, not including the 5 other children. They wanted Bell to enjoy this afternoon as it might be the last one that he got to spend as a child. He didn't know it, but now that he was old enough to understand, they were going to tell them everything. They would explain who Zeus was, what had happened to his parents, and what they had planned for him. If he was strong enough to accept what they had told him, Zeus would give him his falna and they would begin his rigorous training to shape him into a future hero.

That night, Bell sat quietly as he listened to his mother and grandfather tell them the tale of the former two great houses of Orario. Though he listened quietly and didn't interrupt either of them, he had tears running down his face. Hearing how much the two Familias had accomplished, and what they lost after their defeat by the One-Eyed Black Dragon, as well as the stories about his parents and their deaths was a lot to take in. It sounded a lot like the stories that his grandfather read to him at night as a child.

After they finished telling Bell everything, they waited for him to dry his eyes and for him to digest everything that he had been told. After a few minutes, Bell stood and walked over to his mother and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Surprised by Bell's actions, Alfia could only stare in disbelief. She had grown to think of him as her own son, it was only natural since she had raised him from infancy, but she was sure that once he had heard the truth, he would stop thinking of her as his mother.

"Thank you, Mother and Lord Zeus. You may not be my birth mother, or my real grandfather, but you are the only ones that I have ever known, and I love you both as if you were my mom and grandfather." Bell gave them a warm, earnest smile so that they would see his honestly.

"Ha, no need to start calling an old man like me 'Lord Zeus' all of a sudden, grandpa works for me seeing as I helped make you." Zeus said as he gave a hearty laugh. Though he might have wished he kept that last part to himself.

"What do you mean you helped make him!?" Alfia furiously shouted. She knew just how perverted Zeus could be, and she immediately thought that he had done something indecent to her younger twin.

"Oh, eh, don't worry about it. I didn't do what you think I did!" Zeus quickly tried to explain. He knew just how terrifying Alfia could be if she was angry.

"Explain!" Again, Alfia shouted. Bell had never seen his mom this angry before, and it honestly scared him a little. Not that he was scared for his own well-being, but for his surrogate grandfathers.

"Your sister and her husband wanted to conceive a child, but they never could. It wasn't their fate to have a child thanks to the illness that both you and your sister carry. So, I helped them out. I used some of my divine energy and helped them conceive Bell." Again, Zeus put his foot in his mouth as he reveled another secret.

Both Zeus and Alfia left out the part about Meteria and Alfia having an illness from their earlier explanation, and when Bell heard it, he couldn't help but panic.

"What illness? You're fine right Mother?" Tears began to well up in Bell's eyes again. He didn't want to lose the last living relative that he had, especially since she was his mother as far as he was concerned.

Shooting Zeus another death glare that sent shivers down his spine, Alfia rushed over and hugged her son.

"It's alright Bell, I'm not going anywhere yet. Yes, I have a disease that will eventually take me, but we haven't stopped searching for a cure. Even now, the roots of a Holy Tree aid in slowing down the disease, so don't worry. I promise you that I will be there to witness your ascension to being a true hero."

As Alfia stroked the back of Bell's head, he began to calm down. He now had two goals that he would achieve no matter how difficult it would be. First, he would become the hero that his mother and Zeus wanted him to become. Second, and most importantly, he would find a cure to save his mother.

"I promise, I will become a hero. I don't care how hard it is. I will need your help though Mother, Grandpa. And I also promise to find a cure for you mother, I won't let this disease beat us and take you away." Bell looked at both of them with a resolute face and spoke with such determination that if you hadn't seen it come from his mouth, you wouldn't believe that it had come from a child who was barely eight years old.

Alfia for the second time tonight, couldn't help but be bewildered. Not only by what Bell had just promised them but hearing such a powerful will come from such an innocent child was surprising.

Zeus let out another hearty laugh as he got excited for what the future will hold. He told bell to take off his shirt and to turn around, and that he was about to give him his blessing. He also explained that this was only temporary until they found a worthy god or goddess for him to join.

Hearing this Bell gave his grandfather a questioning look the said that he didn't understand. Zeus explained that since he was kicked out of Orario after their defeat, he wasn't allowed to go back to the city. He continued by saying that you can get strong outside of the city, but if you want to be a hero, Orario is the only place you can do that, so he will need to find a deity that would be willing to go there.

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The next couple of years were spent in the same tiny mountain village, but instead of playing with the other children, or working in the field with his grandfather, he was undergoing training with his mother, as well as fighting monsters from the surrounding area. No matter how tired he was, how much he hurt, or how difficult the training got, Bell would always remember the promises that he made to both his mother and to Zeus, and that allowed him to push through his exhaustion and pain. He would fulfill his promises no matter the cost.

It didn't take long for Bell to develop a skill. A skill that even Alfia was envious of. Liaris Freese – Increased growth based on the strength of desire. With the help of his mother and grandfather who pushed him to the extremes, Bell would quickly grow, and he would grow much faster than anyone could have imagined.

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It had been six years since Bell had gotten his falna and began training with his mother. The three of them had left their home in the mountain village two years ago. They left so that they could hunt down stronger opponents to help Bell continue to grow. Both Zeus and Alfia were positive that if Bell went to Orario now, any Familia would be fighting over him as he would undoubtedly be among the strongest adventurers in the city, especially after seeing how high his status had been before each level up. However, they still needed to find a suitable deity, which is another reason they had left the small village.

Now that Bell was fourteen and was strong enough to wield a real weapon, Zeus had gifted his grandson the one item that he was able to take with him when he was kicked out of Orario, and his assets were frozen. He gave him a sword, but not just any sword. This was a first-class weapon made of mithril and orichalcum and was unbreakable. When Bell asked why he had this sword and if he really wanted to give it to him, Zeus explained that he knew the day when a hero would be born would come eventually, and when that day came, the hero would need a grand weapon. Patting Bell on the back, Zeus told Bell to strive every day to be worthy of such a weapon.

When Bell began fighting monsters, Alfia hadn't helped bell fight at all unless he was about to take a fatal blow. At first that happened a lot more that Bell would like to admit as he got overly excited and forgot to pay attention to his surroundings and other monsters that were near him, but after a few harsh scolding's and some intense remedial lessons from his mother, Bell quickly learned to stay focused. Since then, he hasn't really needed her help, and even when he did, he would often refuse her aid regardless because he knew the heavy toll it took on her due to her illness.

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The three were walking through a forest along a riverbank when they heard screams of pain coming from just around the next bend.

Bell quickly looked to his mother and they both nodded before darting off in the direction of the screams. As they rounded the bend in the river, they saw a large stone temple surrounded by water with a bridge that led to the riverbank. But what was strange was that the vegetation in the area around the temple had begun to die and decay.

Looking around they saw a blue-haired woman with a bow screaming in anger as she loosed arrow after arrow across the bridge.

Following her arrows, they saw a large scorpion looking thing fighting- slaughtering a group of what looked to be adventurers who were trying to take down the beast.

Bell quickly shouted that he was going to go help the adventurers to his mother and that she should go protect the archer. Before Alfia could say anything, Bell charged full boar as he drew his sword and shouted, "Storm of Jupiter!"

As soon as Bell finished calling out his spell his sword was enveloped by several powerful arcs of electricity and the blade began to glow a bright blueish white.

Bell was only about 50 meters away when he saw the devastation that this monstrous creature had caused. Nearly all of the fifteen adventurers were dead or dying.

"Get back now!" Bell shouted at the two remaining adventurers who were still standing.

Hearing the unfamiliar voice shouting at the caught their attention, but they didn't move until they saw a white blur and felt a huge amount of electricity surging towards them causing them to jump away.

Alfia had just reached the blue-haired archer, and quickly asked what this creature was, but she never got a response, as she was enraged and continued to loose arrow after arrow. Grabbing the woman's shoulders, Alfia squeezed just hard enough to get her attention. When the woman finally noticed her presence, she gave her a confused look.

Again, Alfia urgently asked her what this creature was, and what she got in response stunned her. Antares. While it wasn't one of the monsters for the three great quests, she had heard of this terrifying monster that took the strength of the great spirits of ancient times just seal it away.

A bright flash of light and what sounded like a thunder drew their attention back to the creature.

Close enough now, Bell leaped forward and brought his sword down with all of his might, and when his blade met the creature, a bolt of lightning burst out from where he had struck straight into the sky.

Bell had managed leave a massive cut that went deep into the monster's flesh even through its thick shell, and the lighting magic had seriously managed to burn the surrounding tissue, but it was still alive.

Quickly withdrawing his sword from the monster, her quickly moved to dodge a strike from the one of the monster's massive pincer like claws. As he dodged, Bell saw a part of the monster's arm that seemed to be a joint as it wasn't covered by the thick armor. With his sword still sheathed in lighting, he quickly brought the sword up and back down as he aimed for the vulnerable portion of its arm.

His strike hit true, but it wasn't enough to completely sever it, instead the monster recoiled and shrieked in pain making Bell, who was right next to the creature to stop and cover his ears, or risk losing consciousness from how loud it was. When it recoiled, the massive, mangled arm whipped around and hit Bell square in the body, sending him flying back across the bridge and landing in the water near the riverbank. Since he still didn't have any armor, he didn't have any protection, and he immediately lost consciousness.

"Who are you?" the archer asked in disbelief at what she was seeing. Her entire Familia was unable to scratch this creature, but here was one person who looked like a cute rabbit taking chunks out of the beast.

"That's my son," Alfia exclaimed proudly as Bell nearly severed Antares arm.

Before the archer could say anything, the monster shrieked out in pain. It was so loud that even at their distance, the needed to cover their ears. In the moment, that they covered their ears and squeezed their eyes shut from the pain of such a loud noise, Bell had been hit and landed in the water.

As soon as the shriek stopped, the two women looked back up again towards the monster, but Bell wasn't there. Alfia's motherly side was panicking and trying to figure out what happened to her son, but her adventurer side told her not to take her eyes off of the monster.

As they gazed at the creature, it let out another roar as its body was enveloped by energy and its wounds began to heal.

The two women cursed again, and the archer readied her bow again, knowing that it was useless, but refusing to admit defeat. As she was about the loose another arrow, her two surviving Familia members practically collapsed at her feet.

"Please, Lady Artemis, you must flee! You must survive!"

"Absolut-" The sound of hundreds of small screeches and clicking sounds stopped Artemis from finishing what she was saying.

Seeing Antares regenerating its limb and healing the massive wound in its chest, along with the hundreds of small scorpion like monsters pouring out from inside of the temple, Alfia prepared herself for battle when she noticed a bright light suddenly pierce down from the sky about 20 meters in front of them followed by a small explosion.

Once the dust settled, she saw a small spear sticking out of the ground, and Artemis was about to run up to it when the swarm of scorpion creatures started to rush forward and charged at the four women standing there.

Alfia didn't wait, she had to find Bell, but she couldn't just leave those three to face this on their own either. She trusted that Bell was still alive, so instead of looking for him, she charged forward towards the spear. Kicking and punching and slicing her way through, she wanted to avoid using her magic, if possible, else she wouldn't last through the fight, she was already pushing it as it was.

When she reached the spear, she tried to pull it out of the ground, but it didn't budge. Kicking a few more monsters away to give herself some time, she again tried to pull out the spear with all her strength. The spear still didn't budge, and she heard the woman named Artemis shout out telling her that she won't be able to get it out.

Alfia was about to ask why not when more monsters closed in around her. She was in too deep, and her gamble to grab the mysterious spear backfired.

'I will not die until I see Bell fulfill his promise of becoming a hero! Damnit!' Alfia cursed as she quickly dodged out of the way of a claw and a stinger at the end of a tail. Out of immediate striking distance, she cast her short chant magic 'Satanas Verion' and started to strike out at the monsters with sound and shockwaves and decimated any of the monsters that got too close.

Artemis and her Familia began to launch volleys of arrows into the swarm after they got over their initial shock at seeing how powerful Alfia's magic was, but it didn't seem to be enough. Soon, Alfia would be overrun no matter how powerful her magic might be.

Bell shot up out of the water gasping for air. The hit had knocked the wind out of him, and he felt like he had lost consciousness after the shriek that monster let off. Fishing for his sword, he quickly found it and was eager to get back to the fight unaware how the situation had changed.

As he made his way to the shore, he began to hear the familiar sounds of his mother's magic along with hundreds of screeching noises and the click-clack of claws digging into the ground.

Hearing this, Bell began to panic and climbed to shore as fast as he could, when he got there, he saw Alfia nearly being overrun by dozens of small scorpion looking creatures. He also noticed a small spear sticking out of the ground.

Not wasting another second, he sheathed his sword and dashed towards his mother, and the spear. As he rushed towards them, he jumped up and landed on the "head" of one of the scorpions and crushed it under his boot with all his strength as he pushed off again towards his mother.

As he reached her, he quickly swooped her up into a princess carry. As he picked her up, she yelped in surprise. Reaching out the hand to grab the spear, he heard his mother tell him don't, but it was too late, Bell had grabbed the spear and pulled it from the ground as he rushed back towards the archer and two adventurers.

When he got close to them, all he could see was shock and surprise on their faces as well as his mothers, but he didn't pay it much attention. He quickly set Alfia down and immediately turned back towards the swarm of monsters that had given chase.

He moved the spear he pulled from the ground to his left hand and drew is sword with his right. Immediately he recast his lightning weapon enchantment on both weapons and began to slash his way from monster to monster.

Slash to the left, one monster down, spear thrust right, another monster down, continue to swing the sword around, three more monsters down, jump to avoid claws and thrust the spear down.

Bell continued his dance of death with the monsters as he easily carved is way through the swarm and quickly thinned out their numbers.

Alfia, Artemis, and the others could only watch the beautiful display of skill that Bell was showing them.

"Orion… I have found my Orion…" Artemis softly said as if she almost didn't believe that it was possible.

"Your Orion? What do you mean your Orion?" Alfia asked in slightly hostile voice, no longer caring about the fight before her. She had just heard something far more terrifying. An unknown woman was making claims on her son without proving her worthiness.

"Only someone who is pure, and innocent can hope to wield that arrow. Only someone who meets those criteria can be called Orion." Artemis absentmindedly answered as she was still in disbelief at what she was seeing, not noticing the aura of hostility surrounding the mother of the boy she was staring at.

Alfia turned her attention back to the fight, figuring she would deal with this later, and saw that most of the smaller monsters were dead.

"You two are coming with me. If we want to defeat this beast, he need to give Bell a couple of minutes to prepare. I'll keep the big guy busy, you two deal with the small ones. And you, Miss lovestruck, keep shooting."

'Lovestruck? Who does this impertinent child think she is talking to?' Artemis thought to herself.

The two adventurers looked to Artemis who nodded before they agreed.

"Tell Orion to throw the arrow when he is ready." She said as she gave the rude woman a stare to tell her not to argue and to just do it.

Sighing, Alfia nodded her head before turning and running towards her son and calling out his name to get his attention.

"Time to use your skill and be a hero. That lady over there told you to use the spear and throw it at the beast. I don't know why but I think we should trust her." Alfia explained but was unable to hide her annoyance.

Bell nodded, he didn't know why Alfia disliked the archer, but now wasn't the time to ask.

"Please be careful and don't overdo it mother." She gave him a warm smile over her shoulder before she started walking towards Antares. Compared to the Leviathan, this is nothing, but still, she wouldn't need to defeat it, only buy some time. Alfia is sure that she could kill if it she wanted to, but that wouldn't help Bell grow. No, he needed challenges like this, and he needed to overcome them with his own strength. She would only support him the best that she could.

Stepping back and sheathing his sword, he began to focus on charging his skill called "Argonaut" while his mother and the two adventurers dealt with distracting the monsters. He got this skill a month after he got Liaris Freese, when he was forced to fight against a couple of wild Minotaurs. The fight was enough to level him up to two when he was still only a couple of months into his eighth year.

Soon the air was filled with the sounds of small bells, which eventually grew louder and grander. After about three minutes had passed, he was glowing white. He could charge much longer, but he knew that this would be more than enough.

Antares had heard the bells ringing and had been trying to get to the source and kill it, but Alfia had been keeping it distracted, and with her level seven strength, she was able to take out one of its legs whenever it tried to get past her.

Bell called out and told every to move out of the way. He took all the power that he had been charging up and began pushing it into the spear, which seemed to react to his power and come alive.

As soon as Bell and pushed everything he had charged up into the spear, he threw it with all his strength.

Sensing the danger that it was in; Antares immediately crossed its pincers in front of its chest to protect itself and its magic stone.

As the spear flew towards Antares, the pure white glow that had filled it began to give way to a golden glow and a magic circle appeared around the blade.

Slamming into Antares claws, it stopped against the hard armor, but it didn't fall. Instead, as if some magical force was pushing it, it continued to inch forward as the magic circles grew in size and began to spin faster. One of the magic circles shot forward and expanded around Antares as it moved forward before shrinking down to a small dot on the far side.

As soon as the magic circle shrunk down, the spear launched forward with such immense pressure and power that the pincer-like claws blocking it shattered and broke into a bloody mess as the spear pierced them and pierced through the monster's chest.

Antares collapsed, but its magic stone was mostly intact. Drawing his sword, Bell walked up to the monster and climbed up onto it. Pulling back his sword he then thrust it forward piercing the stone before twisting it and causing it to shatter and the body of Antares to burst into a cloud of ash along with the bodies of the smaller creatures.

Artemis watched as the young rabbit looking boy, Bell, began to glow white and push his power into her arrow. The fact that her heavenly weapon reacted to his power only added to her surprise. She still couldn't believe that the boy pulled it from the earth like it was nothing. Then seeing how much power was used to fuel that final strike showed just how powerful her Orion was.

But she would wait to talk to him. Now… for now, she had the bodies of her fallen Familia members to bury.

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Off in the tree line, Zeus had watched the battle, but he was most focused on was the blue-haired goddess, and for once it wasn't in a perverted sense. He had found a worthy goddess for his grandson.

The fact that she was one of the three Virgin Goddesses, and the fact she was the only one he hadn't seen naked played no part in his decision.

Bell helped Artemis and her two remaining Familia members gather their fallen so that a prayer could be said for them while he made his mother rest. Apparently the female wolf-person was named Luna, and she had light brown hair and brown eyes, and was roughly the same height as him. She also had a very feminine figure but was dressed modestly. The male human was Enrich, he was tall with a slender build, blonde hair, and green eyes.

As soon as they finished with their prayer, Bell walked over and bowed deeply to the three adventurers.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save the rest of your party." Bell's tone conveyed just how much he regretted not being able to do more. This surprised both Luna and Enrich, but not the archer.

"Lift your head Orion. You did more than was necessary to help save strangers from a terrible beast. Without your aid, my Familia would have been wiped out and I would have been sent back to heaven, or worse, trapped within that monster." Smiling, she did something that was strange and out of character for her, she reached out and stroked his cheek.

"Eh!? Heaven?" His confusion was clearly evident on his face when he looked up. Alfia was just as confused, but she was able to contain her confusion.

"Yes, I'm Artemis. The Goddess of the Hunt. I also hold domain over chastity and purity." She said with a surprisingly proud smile.

"Fueh?" Bell was stunned. A goddess was fighting along with her Familia? That sounded way to dangerous. But seeing her beaming smile, he couldn't help but think that she was easily one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen.

"Haha, oh thank the gods." Alfia couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when she heard what Artemis held domain over.

"Orion?" Bell asked after glancing over at Alfia.

"That can wait for later, we should bury the dead first. There is much that we need to discuss." Zeus bellowed as he slowly made his way over to the small group.

Artemis's soft gaze turned ice cold as her eyes narrowed at the sound of the man's voice.

"Zeus…"

Quickly waving his hands in front of him, Zeus placated the angry goddess before him, telling her that taking care of her Familia members was more important now.

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Finished with burying the dead, Bell quickly walked over the goddess Artemis. Again, he bowed, but this time he also held the spear out in front of him and offered it back to her.

"Again, I apologize that I couldn't save more of your Familia, and I need to return your weapon."

Taking the spear from his hands: "Orion, as I said before, you saved us. If you would consider joining my Familia, the spear would be yours to keep if you decide to join. You are the only mortal capable of wielding it."

Bell was still confused. He didn't understand why she kept referring to him as Orion, and now she asked him to join her Familia. Sure, one of the reasons they left his village was to find a deity for him to join, but it was all so sudden.

Alfia and Zeus both spoke up before Bell could say anything though.

"Before you offer him a spot in your Familia, as his mother, he and I need to have a talk."

"I think it's a great Idea!" Zeus happily exclaimed, but his voice quickly grew serious. "Before that though, he has my Falna and if I am going to let him transfer to your Familia, we need to come to an agreement." Giving Artemis a stern and serious stare, he had surprised her. She knew him as the greatest threat to chastity and purity, but his look told her that he was so much more.

Alfia had pulled Bell away from the rest of the group. She wanted to talk with her son and see how he felt about having Artemis as his goddess. Bell told her that he didn't mind, but he didn't feel worthy after being unable to save so many of her fallen Familia members.

Reaching out, she placed her hand on his cheek: "Even heroes cannot save everyone one. All you can do is save the ones who can be saved."

Bell nodded in understanding, but still felt terrible about so many people met their ends when facing that creature.

"Why does she keep calling me Orion?" Bell asked curiously, also wanting to change the subject.

"I'm not sure. I tried to free the spear from the ground, but it wouldn't budge, that's how I ended up in the unfortunate position where you found me." Alfia looked away from Bell as she cursed herself for needing to be rescued. "By the way, you should save the princess carry for the girl who wins your heart." She said teasingly.

Embarrassed, he decided to tease his mother back: "Mother, for now, you are the only woman who has any love from me." Flashing her his brightest smile, she couldn't keep herself from laughing. Over the years, she couldn't help but be thankful to her sister. Of course, she wished that her sister was here and could raise her son, but she was happy that she had the opportunity to raise Bell as if he were her own, and the amount of happiness that brought her was immeasurable.

"But as to why she calls you Orion, I do not know. As soon as you dropped me off next to her, she kept muttering something about Orion, and how she had found her Orion. I don't get it, but I will be keeping a close eye on her even if she holds dominion over chastity and purity," Alfia scoffed as she glanced over to where Zeus and Artemis were talking.

On the other side of the clearing by the riverbank, Artemis was confused. Bell, her Orion was a member of Zeus's Familia, and what's more, he was his grandson. What really surprised her was that Bell is still pure enough to wield the Arrow of Orion, even though he had been raised by the perverted god. She figured it must be thanks to his aunt, who had helped raise him, that he could remain as such. Zeus had explained everything to Artemis, and he had told her about Bell's destiny and his desire to become the hero that brought back the age of heroes.

"The only way that I will let him join your Familia is if you take him to Orario. Set up your Familia there and aid him on his journey. As you can see, he was able to get strong out here, but in order to attain his goals, he must be in Orario." Zeus eyed the goddess to gauge her reaction.

Artemis was deep in thought after hearing Zeus's conditions. She was the goddess of the hunt, something that she couldn't really do in Orario, but at the same time, she had found her champion.

After a few moments, Artemis made up her mind. She would help her champion attain his goals. It would also give her a chance to catch up with a few of her friends.

"Very well, you have a deal." Smiling, she wouldn't say it, but she was looking forward to this new adventure. Little did she know, the Orario she had heard about from years ago no longer existed, and many of her friends had changed or were gone.

That night, everyone had gathered at a large cabin in the woods. It was where Artemis and her Familia would rest when they went on hunts. It was one of many that were spread throughout the forest.

As they ate dinner, Zeus and Artemis had announced that Bell would be joining her Familia, and that they would be moving to Orario. The last part came as a surprise to the rest of her Familia as she had always been adamant about never wanting to go there.

When Luna asked why she planned on traveling to the Labyrinth City all of a sudden, Artemis explained that now that she had found her champion, Orion, she would need to help him grow, something that could only happen in that city because it had the Dungeon.

Again, Bell asked why she keeps referring to him as Orion. With a proud smile, she explained that the "spear" that he picked up was actually an arrow, a heavenly weapon called the "Arrow of Orion" and that only a person with a pure spirit would even be able to lift it, much less use it.

While Bell was a stuttering mess at his soon to be goddesses claims of him being pure of spirit, Alfia chimed in.

"I will be joining your Familia as well. I will not leave my son to face this journey alone. When I left Lady Hera, she left my falna unlocked as parting gift, a thanks for my years of service to her, so there should be no issues with me joining your Familia." She said in a matter-of-fact tone that left no room for argument.

Artemis looked at Alfia, and though she had been rude to her at first, she knew that Alfia didn't know that she was a goddess when they first met. Plus, she was incredibly strong, and having another strong adventurer would surely come in handy in Orario, she didn't have any serious objections.

Artemis nodded in agreement. Standing, she called Alfia into a spare room. She would give Bell's mother her falna first.

A couple of minutes later the group could hear Artemis gasp in surprise, she had just seen Alfia's level and status. Her Familia had all been around level two or three. Now though, she had a level seven in her Familia.

After she got over her shock, Alfia called in Bell, but didn't leave. She wanted to see Artemis's reaction to Bell's status.

Another minute later, Artemis gasped in horror, Bell was covered in scars. Scars that he had gotten over the years and had kept as proof of his struggles and his determination to reach his goals no matter what.

Artemis screamed out again, this time in a mixture of shock and disbelief: "EEEEHH!? Level Seven!? And you can level up!"

In the other room, Luna and Enrich could only stare at the closed door in shock while Zeus was laughing his ass off and slapping his leg.

Bell Cranel

Level 7

Race: Human

Familia: Artemis

Strength: SSS 1375

Endurance: SSS 1304

Dexterity: SSS 1387

Agility: SSS 1381

Magic: SSSS 1499

Development Abilities:

Luck: DAbnormal Resistance: F Strong Body: F

Mage: C Swordsman: D Dragon Slayer: H

Magic:

Jupiter's Blessing: Short chant magic that enchants weapons with the lighting attribute

(Chant: Storm of Jupiter)

Skills:

Liaris Freese: Fast growth as long as feelings last. The strength of the effects corresponds with the level of the user's feelings. As a side effect, it makes the user immune to charms.

Argonaut: Allows a charge for a counterattack. It requires one minute per level for a full charge and can either sound like a small chime or a grand bell depending on the power needed. It can be used for any type of attack but the effects will dissipate when the user is attacked or they lose focus.

Copy: Allows users to quickly copy any fighting style

(Passive)

Seeing Bell's status, she quickly realized just how rare of a person he was. Not only had he already achieved great heights by being level seven, soon to be eight, but his basic stats all went way past what she thought was the limit of 999. She also found it curious, but not all that surprising that Bell had the same skill as his aunt. Copy, it was a rare ability, but she guessed that it had been passed down through their family's bloodline.

Bell was excited, he had been so close to leveling up to level eight for a while now, but nothing seemed to push him over the edge. He was surprised though, Antares didn't really seem all that difficult, but then again, it was a powerful creature from ancient times, and it did take a heavenly weapon to finally injure it enough to kill it with his sword.

"You have to two options for development abilities: Savior and Might. Savior seems to boost your stats when trying to save someone in peril, while Might seems to passively boost your strength in combat." Artemis finally said as she had finally recovered from her shock.

"I'll take Savior. If I can save people with this ability, it will be worth it." Bell said without hesitation.

With a warm smile, she looked down at Bell with pride. Her newest Familia member, and champion, had chosen a skill that was only meant for saving people instead of choosing a skill that would further increase is already immense strength.

While she worked to update Bell's status and push his level up through, she couldn't help but ask about something she had noticed about this incredibly strong pair.

"You both are high level adventurers, but when we first met, and even now, neither of you give off the presence one might expect of someone at your levels. Why is that?"

Bell was the first to respond.

"We reel in our auras, if we didn't, we would never find any monsters to fight."

"That, and Bell is extremely kind and innocent despite what he has been through, even when he does let out his aura, it seems more like standing in the presence of a kind god than a terrifying adventurer." Alfia added.

Blushing from his mother's embarrassing comment, Bell could help but cry out, "Mother! Stooop!" which earned him a laugh from both of the women.

Finished with giving the two new Familia members their new falna, Artemis opened the door and officially welcomed them to the Familia.

Standing in line to enter Orario, Bell couldn't help but look up at the towering city wall in awe. His grandfather had told him many stories of the city, but they didn't do the scale of everything that he could see any justice.

Artemis had needed time to gather her and her children's things, and Alfia still needed time to recover from having to use her magic in the fight against Antares. Zeus had explained Alfia's illness to Artemis, who quickly told them that she had a good relationship with a neighboring group of elves who guarded a sacred tree. She offered to ask them for some roots to help aid in Alfia recovery, which both Zeus and Alfia happily accepted.

With everything that was going on, Artemis had sent Bell ahead of the rest to get the Familia registered and to find them a place to live. Alfia forbid him from entering the Dungeon until they had all arrived though.

"Next!" the guard shouted, looking at Bell.

Nervously, Bell walked forward. He was comfortable in the wilderness and small towns, but being surrounded by so many people, he couldn't help but feel anxious.

"What brings you to the city?" the guard asked in an almost bored tone.

"My goddess and Familia are moving to the city, and I was sent ahead to get them registered and set up our Familia's home." Bell replied.

"Who's your goddess?" the guard asked. He had perked up and was curious after hearing that a new god would be entering the city.

Bell gulped, "Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt." He replied.

"Hmm, never heard of her. Anyway, welcome to the city, just keep going straight down this road and you will see the Guild office at the end on the left just before Babel tower."

Giving a quick bow, Bell took his leave and made his way into the city. Anyone who saw him would have picked him out instantly as a tourist or a rookie adventurer as he stared at everything with wide eyes and awe. There was also the fact that he was only fourteen years old, and he looked like it. First thing on his agenda was to register himself and his Familia at the guild.

With such grand sights present in the city, and beautiful women everywhere, Bell had to consciously pull is attention back to his task at hand, otherwise he might get distracted.

Walking into the Guild building again took his breath away. The outside of the building looked formidable, but when he walked in, he couldn't contain the awe that he felt as he looked around the bustling reception area. There seemed to be adventurers talking with the ladies behind the counter, and he couldn't help but notice that they were all beautiful. Not knowing where to go, or who to talk to, he got in line and patiently waited for the next available receptionist.

He didn't have to wait long to be called over.

"How can I help you today?" a beautiful half-elf asked as Bell nervously walked up to her counter.

"Hi, um, I-I need to register as an adventurer, and I also need to register my Familia who will be moving to Orario in the next day or two." Bell anxiously stated. He was going to need more time to get used to such a large and busy city.

Smiling, and with a nod, the receptionist asked the young adventurer hopeful to wait in one of the soundproof conference rooms while she gathered the necessary paperwork. When he nodded and turned to walk towards the room, she couldn't help but let out a small sigh. She could sense the soft, kind presence that he gave off, and felt that he probably wasn't cut out to be an adventurer. Yet, here he was, a member of a Familia of a goddess that was from outside the city, looking to challenge the Dungeon.

Bell sat on one of the couches in the conference room while he patiently waited for the receptionist.

A small, quick knock on the door caught drew Bell's attention before the door opened and the receptionist entered.

"Ok, let's get started." She said as she sat down on a chair across from Bell and set down a stack of paperwork on the desk in between them. "My name is Eina, and I will be your Guild Advisor. What's your name?"

"Bell Cranel. It's nice to meet you." Bell beamed. He was excited to get started.

"Ok first, who is your deity, how many members are in your Familia, and will you be an exploration or a merchant Familia?"

"My goddess is Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt. There are four Familia members, including my mother." Bell trailed off. Though he knew that he couldn't save everyone, he still felt bad that his goddess had lost so many.

'Ah, he is in the same Familia as his mother. They must be really small indeed.' Eina thought to herself while Bell continued.

"We will be an exploration Familia." Eina just nodded along and filled out a bunch of paperwork.

"Alright, well we wont officially announce your Familia's move until she arrives and gives her seal on the paperwork, but until then, I can at least get you registered as an adventurer." Handing Bell a form, she asked him to fill it out.

Finished, Bell handed her back the piece of paper. Looking over it, the smile that she had been wearing, slowly faded away the more she read while her face began to show her annoyance.

"Bell, jokes like these aren't funny, and a waste of time." She said sternly as she gave him a glare. "At least try to make it believable next time." Quickly handing him another sheet of paper.

"Eh? What do you mean?" Bell panicked; he didn't understand why she thought he was lying.

"Putting yourself as a level eight, ridiculous!" Eina scoffed as she looked away from him.

"I am level eight, I leveled up a nine days ago after killing Antares."

Hearing what he said, Eina quickly snapped back to looking at Bell who continued to tell her about what had happened. Once he had finished telling her the story, she could only stare at him in silence. She didn't get the feeling that he was lying, but being level eight, that was just too big of a pill to swallow. Especially since the boy in front of her looked to be no older that fourteen or fifteen, while also being completely innocent looking.

"Can you show me you falna?" Eina nervously asked before continuing. "I'm having a hard time believing you, but if I can see it for myself…"

"My mother told me to never show anyone my falna, so I am sorry, but I will have to decline. We can wait for my goddess to arrive, and you can ask her for yourself."

Eina understood, it was highly unethical for her to even ask, and would be unorthodox for an adventure to willingly share their secrets, but it was worth a shot.

"Very well, I won't be able to post your registration until I can get confirmation, but when that does happen, you will be able to enter the dungeon." Standing, and about to leave to file the paperwork, Bell said her name.

"Miss Eina, I also have this letter for you from my goddess." Bell said as he held out a sealed envelope.

Setting the stack of papers in her arms down again, she took the envelope, and looked at it. She saw that it was sealed with an unfamiliar crest but assumed it to be Bell's goddess's emblem. Opening it, her mouth fell open in surprise.

Inside was a letter from Artemis who explained that she had sent her Familia's Captain, and Champion, Bell Cranel, level 8, there to secure their new home and prepare for their arrival. Reading this, she looked down at Bell, who truly was level eight, the strongest adventurer in the city.

She noticed a second sheet of paper; on it was a letter from Zeus granting the Artemis Familia his property within the city and the entirety of the funds that his Familia had stored in the vaults of the Guild. At the bottom of the letter, Zeus's own emblem was stamped onto the sheet of paper with the words "HAHA surprised aren't you" written next to it.

"I-It seems that you were being truthful with me. My apologies, I will need to pass all of this along, while the guild decides what to do. For now, follow me and I will get the keys to the property."

Bell did as she asked, and once he left, she went into a panic and rushed straight to her manager, who then brought her to the Guild Chief. Needless to say the guild was in a panic, and didn't know what to do. A new Familia was joining to the city, they had been gifted Zeus's home and money, but what's more, their captain was level eight. The guild decided to hold off on posting this information until they could speak with Ouranos and hear his decision.

.

.

Bell had left the guild and put the keys to his Familia's new home in the pack he wore on his back. Now, he needed to find the Astrea Familia. Apparently, Artemis and she were friends back in heaven, and she wanted to reunite with her friend who was in the city.

As he left, he was absorbing the sights and sounds of the city, mostly the tower just ahead of him, he wondered where he could find them. Distracted by the sights and sounds, he accidently stepped on a woman's foot, causing her shriek out in pain, and fall to the ground.

Freya was in a terrible mood, she wasn't angry, just bored and tired. Tired of searching for her Odr. Now she had been summoned to the guild, probably for some boring mission that her children must complete.

Lost in thought as she tried to figure a way out of whatever mundane task that Ouranos had deemed large enough to trouble her Familia, she walked through the streets of Orario. Of course, she had Ottar and Allan guarding her, but she didn't like being suffocated in their protection, and she disliked how everyone looked in her direction with fear when they were close to her. She is the Goddess of Beauty, and she loved having people stare at her with admiration.

Walking, suddenly a bright, clear light caught her attention, but she didn't get a chance to look at it before the sudden feeling of pain filled her mind as someone had just stepped on her foot.

Screaming, she fell to the ground, clutching her foot.

'The gods won't save this fool for stepping on me. My children will crush him.' She thought as she laid on the ground knowing that her children would act immediately.

Aiz and her party were exiting the dungeon after a trip to blow off some steam and recoup some of the money that their Familia had lost due to their failed expedition thanks to running into a swarm of bug-like creatures.

"Stupid bugs melted my Urga! Now I'm in a tone of debt again." Tiona cried.

"Mmm, I am too…" Aiz said in a flat, but slightly depressed tone. She had taken her sword in for repairs, and was given a loaner, but she broke that when she had to fight some plant looking snake monsters that appeared during Monsterphelia and was now forty million Valis in debt.

The group of girls who were depressed due to mountains of debt were making their way to the guild to turn in the magic stones they had collected along with several items for the quests that they had taken.

"Ahhh!" a woman shrieked out in pain, causing the girls to turn their heads in the direction of the scream. The immediate recognized the screaming woman as the goddess Freya, but what caught their attention was a white-haired boy who was reaching out to help the woman he had presumably stepped on, and the two blurs rushing towards him.

As soon as Bell felt something under his heel, and heard a woman cry out in pain, he immediately moved his foot and reached out to help the woman that he had accidentally stepped on.

Before the woman even had time to take his hand, a silver spear flew towards him. Bell easily dodged the income spear and found the person who threw it at him. The pissed off cat-person leapt forward to punch him, but he was too slow. Simply stepping to the side, the cat-person flew past him when a hulk of a man with ears like a boar swung at him. Again, this person was far too slow, and Bell simply stepped to the side again.

Bell could do this all day, but he was confused as to why he was being attacked, and was getting annoyed.

As he continued to move and dodge the giant Boaz, who was not only visibly shocked that he missed, but also getting frustrated, the cat-person had retrieved his spear and was charging at him again.

Not wanting to get skewered on his first day in the city, Bell defended himself.

The cat-person thrust his spear towards Bell's side that he had purposefully left open to attack, and with a quick backstep, the spear harmlessly passed in front of him. Reaching out, Bell grabbed the spear with his left hand and yanked it from its owners grasp while his right hand connected with the side of the cat-persons face with a punch and knocked him unconscious.

The Boaz hadn't stopped his attack, even when the spear was charging at him, but he was unable to connect after Bell had taken a step back. Frustrated that he couldn't seem to hit this unknown assailant of his goddess, he rushed forward and wrapped him in a bone crushing bearhug.

It had been a long time since Ottar had feared another adventurer, but when he looked down at the boy in his grasp, he didn't see pain or fear, he only saw confusion and annoyance.

As the Boaz tried to squeeze Bell tighter and crush him, he began to push back with his own arms, and eventually the giant Boaz's arms gave out and Bell fell free of his grip. The giant was stunned for a second by what had just happened, and Bell took advantage of that fact.

Leaping into the air, Bell punched the Boaz in the face. Not as a hard as he could, as he didn't want to kill the man, but hard enough to end the fight. When his fist connected with the Boaz's face, the sickening sound of bones breaking filled the air. Bell's hand was fine, but the man's jaw was definitely broken as he collapsed onto the ground as a heap of muscle with blood pouring from his mouth and nose.

Turning back to the woman who was staring up at him with a mixture of shock, horror, and fascination, he again reached out his hand.

"I am sorry for stepping on you and causing you pain. I'm not sure why they attacked me, but do you know where I can find the Astrea Familia?"

Taking Bell's hand, the woman slowly got to her feet. Her mind was a torrent of thoughts and emotions, but what had her so flustered was this boy's soul. It was bright, and clear, and very powerful. She was so enamored that she absentmindedly told the boy to go down the street to a pub called the Hostess of Fertility and ask for Ryu.

Bowing, Bell apologized once more before thanking her and taking off down the street.

'Who is that boy? He is wonderful, and his soul… oh his soul is so beautiful. I must have him.' That was the only though she had as she watched the boy rush off down the street.

Turning her attention to her two children, both severely injured, Ottar more so that Allen, and both still lay unconscious on the ground. Shortly after the fight, guards of the Ganesha Familia arrived and were stunned the moment they saw both Allan and the 'King' unconscious and badly injured.

Freya quickly asked them to help get them to the hospital so that they could be healed.

Not even stopping to question what had happened after hearing a worried Freya, they quickly gathered a couple of guards to carry Ottar and one to carry Allan.

Following her injured children, Freya didn't even notice the slight pain in her foot as she walked, only stopping for a moment to watch the clear shining soul enter a familiar pub.

Aiz, Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya all stood there in disbelief. None of them were expecting to see something that would rock the whole of Orario like they just had. The fight lasted less than a minute, and it didn't end with the white-haired boy getting murdered, instead he took out two of Orario's strongest like it was nothing.

"Aizu! Did you see that?! That was awesome!" Tiona shouted as she jumped up and down from excitement.

"Amazing…" Aiz was wide-eyed and couldn't believe what she had just witnessed.

Lefiya couldn't say anything, the amount of strength she just saw from that young boy was beyond her comprehension.

Tione, was the first to snap back to reality and to think clearly. She knew that what they just saw would have lasting effects and would likely affect her Familia as well. Grabbing her sister, she told the others that they need to get home and tell their captain.

Nodding in agreement, the girls rushed off towards the Twilight Manor.

Bell had quickly found the Hostess of Fertility, and seeing as it wasn't even noon yet, it wasn't a surprise to see it was still closed.

Still, he knocked on the door and was immediately answered with a "We're closed nya" through the door.

"I need to speak with someone who works here, someone named Ryu. It's important." Bell shouted through the door, trying his best to convey his need to speak with this Ryu person.

A few seconds later the door opened, and a black-haired cat-girl looked him up and down.

"Nya, you're pretty cute Mr. White-Hair. So, what do you want with Ryu?" she asked as she continued to look Bell up and down with a slightly naughty look in her eyes.

"I need to speak with her if possible. It's a private matter."

"Oh, you're trying to steal away our little elf huh? Too bad, she's ours nya."

"Elf?" Bell asked, this was news to him.

Ryu had overheard the conversation Chloe was having with the young boy, and after hearing her response, she walked over and pulled her back by the collar of her shirt.

"I'm Ryu. What can I do for you? You said it was personal, but I don't believe that we have ever met." Ryu was curious, but she was also cautious. She had a past, and she didn't want to bring it to her home.

Noticing her cautiously eye him, he tried to ease her fear. "We haven't, but could we speak privately? I mean you no harm."

Standing to the side, she let Bell in and closed the door behind him. She told him that if he wished to speak with her, he could do it here in front of the others.

"I am looking for the Astrea Familia, and a woman told me to talk to you." Bell said as he walked up to her, but as soon as he finished, her reaction made his stomach fall.

Ryu stiffened up, and a look of sadness and regret washed over her face. She didn't know if he was doing this out of spite, or just had a death wish, but she didn't want to deal with it. Turning around, she told him to leave, and that she had work to do.

Felling like he did something wrong; Bell quickly reached forward and grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Please, I don't mean any offense! My goddess, Artemis said that her and Lady Astrea are friends. Our Familia is moving to the city, and she would very much like to reconnect with Lady Astrea." Bell said before noticing that his hands were holding one of Ryu's, who is an elf, after he followed her gaze down to their hands.

Quickly letting go, he began to apologize profusely for touching her, saying that he really only wanted to fulfil is goddess's wish.

Ryu was surprised, she hadn't heard what the boy who had grabbed her hand had said, but she couldn't figure out why she didn't immediately throw him off her when he held her hand.

Coming back to reality once he had removed his hand, she looked at him while he was vomiting out apologies.

Ryu turned her head so that she was facing the door to the kitchen, "Mama Mia, may I take a quick break so that I might speak with him in private?"

Bell turned his head and saw a large dwarven woman standing in the doorway to the kitchen holding a knife while eyeing him.

"Agh, make it quick. I don't pay you to socialize."

Ryu turned back to Bell and told him to follow her. She had led him upstairs and to her room. Once he was inside, she walked in behind him a closed the door before turning to him and staring at him intensely.

"You are only the third person in my life that has taken my hand and not been forcefully kicked away."

Bell didn't know what to say, so he remained quiet and let her continue.

"Why do you seek the Astrea Familia?" She asked while curiously eyeing him.

"My goddess is Artemis. She had told me that she and Lady Astrea are old friends, and since my Familia is moving to the city, she was hoping to set up a meeting and reconnect with Lady Astrea."

"Lady Artemis? You're a member of her Familia?" Bell nodded and was about to say more, but Ryu spoke up again.

"I am the last living member of the Astrea Familia," hearing this, Bell's heart sank. Were such losses in a Familia this common? First goddess Artemis, and now Lady Astrea.

Ryu continued to tell him about how her Familia had been lured into a trap and the rest of her Familia were murdered. She left out many details, especially about what had killed her Familia, and what she had done after that out of a need for revenge. But she explained that Lady Astrea was no longer living in the city.

Bell listened intently, and he didn't interrupt her, even though he could tell that she was leaving parts out. But he saw how much this all troubled the elf standing before him. Instead, he waited for her to finish, and once she was done, he thanked her, and apologized for his ignorance and making her relive those memories.

"If you ever need anything, I am sure my goddess wouldn't mind helping a member of her friends Familia. Just stop by the old Zeus Familia home." Bell said softly as he made his way to the door.

"Zeus's Familia home?" Ryu asked with a puzzled expression.

"Yeah, he is my grandfather. Heh, well, he raised me as such with my mother." Bell said with a chuckle, now that he thought about it, his family was complicated.

"You were raised by Zeus and your mother?" Ryu was now curious so she quickly followed him as he left the room.

"Yes, but my mother isn't actually my mother, she is my aunt. But since my actual parents died, she raised me. Her name is Alfia, and she was a part of the Hera Familia, but now she is with me in the Artemis Familia." Bell explained as the two made their way down the stairs.

Ryu was taken by surprise at what she had just heard. She had heard of Alfia, and to think that Bell is her nephew, and was also raised by Zeus. It was all a lot to take in.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, a brown-haired cat girl popped up next to them and began to circle them.

"Hmm, what were you two doing alone up there nya? Are you an-" She had stopped mid-sentence when she recognized a smell and began sniffing him.

"Anya, what are you doing sniffing Mr. ?" Ryu stopped when she realized she did know his name.

"Oh sorry, my name is Bell Cranel." He nervously said as he tried to get way from Anya.

"Why is my brother's scent on you?" She asked in a stern and serious tone.

""Huh?"" both Bell and Ryu said in unison.

"I know my brother's smell nya, I can smell it on you. Do you know him? He's tall, with black and gray hair, and a silver spear."

Nothing really clicked for Bell until he heard the part about the spear.

"Oh, umm…" Bell nervously said which only caused Anya to grow more suspicious.

"Well, this morning after I left the guild, I was distracted by the sight of Babel, and well… I accidently stepped on a lady's foot. When I turned around to help her up and and apologize, he threw his spear at me and began trying to fight me. It wasn't just him, some big Boaz also attacked me." Bell paused as he saw confused looks on their faces.

"I didn't feel like getting skewered on my first day in Orario so when he charged me with his spear again, I took it from him and punched him in the face. I only knocked him out though, I didn't hurt him too badly. The Boaz though, he tried to crush me, but when I worked my way free, I broke his jaw. Maybe you can ask them why they attacked me out of nowhere."

The waitresses all stared at him in disbelief. When Bell looked to Anya, he expected to see her furious, but instead she looked sort of amused. Looking back at Ryu she had a slightly terrified look on her face.

"You not only knocked out Allen Fromel, Orario's fastest, but you broke Ottar the 'King's' jaw? What did the lady you stepped on look like?"

Placing his finger on his cheek he thought back. "She was beautiful, but not what I'm attracted to. She had this weird black and red dress / pantsuit on. Silver hair and purple eyes."

Looking back around the group, they were all horrified.

"You stepped on Lady Freya, the Goddess of Beauty… and War. Then you beat both Ottar and Allen…" Ryu was in shock, this innocent looking boy was strong enough to take out two of the strongest adventurers in the city without realizing it.

"What level are you?" a human waitress with light brown hair asked.

"Level eight." Bell said plainly.

Ryu got dizzy and almost passed out after hearing this, while Anya laughed. The rest all seemed to be too dazed by this revelation that they couldn't help but giggle uncontrollably.

"Right… Well, you girls have fun, I need to get my Familia's new home ready." Turning to Ryu, "Thank you again, and please, feel free to stop by whenever if you wish to talk with my Goddess." With that he said farewell and made his way to the door.

He didn't know it, but he gained a few admirers just now.

Atop Bebel, Freya had been watching this powerful and clear soul make his way through the city. She had made sure that both Allen and Ottar were seen to by the 'Dea Saint' herself and was confident of their full recovery. Well at least physically, their defeat at the hands of a what looked like an ordinary child may have damaged their pride. However, this concerned her very little. She found something that she really wanted, or rather something that she desperately needed.

"Now then, let's see who is unlucky enough to be his god." She whispered to herself before giggling in excitement.

Her excitement didn't last long though, as soon as she saw Bell stop in front of a specific house before heading to the door, she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Impossible! He isn't even allowed back into the city!" She shouted at her panoramic window as she saw Bell entering the old Familia home of Zeus.

Calming herself down, she took a sip of wine and realized that his deity might have just purchased the home, there was no way one of Zeus's Familia members or the god himself could get back into the city.

Tomorrow, she would go to work at the Hostess of Fertility as Syr, and she would find out everything she could about the boy from her friends there. She had plenty of time, and once she figured out who his goddess was, she could make her move. Though this time, unless his Familia was small and much weaker than he was, she wouldn't be able to use the overwhelming strength of her Familia like she would normally do. This time, she would have to rely on her own strength as a woman to try and lure him away. A challenge she hasn't had in a long time, and this made her pursuit of the boy all the more exciting for her.

Starting tonight, she would keep a close eye on the boy and watch him from her room at the top of Babel. She couldn't keep the events of this morning from replaying in her mind. Not only seeing his soul and taking his hand after he offered to help her off the ground, but the sight of even the strongest warrior in the city being taken down as if he were a mild annoyance. This wasn't something that had happened since the time of Zeus and Hera Familias reigned supreme.

Aiz and her party rushed through the gates of their home and didn't even stop to say hello to the guards. Aiz went to find Riveria, and Tiona went to find Gareth, while Tione rushed ahead to Finn's office to inform him that they needed to have an emergency meeting. As soon as she burst through the door, and informed him of the meeting, he sent her to get Loki as well.

Finn's thumb began to throb as soon as Tione showed up in a panic, which is what prompted him to call on Loki as well. While he anxiously waited for everyone to show up, he started pulling out old battle plans and maps of the city. From the way Tione was acting, he wouldn't be surprised if a war was about to break out.

However, his preparation didn't seem to be needed when Garth and Tiona showed up and the young Amazon was bouncing up and down excitedly. It only took another minute for Aiz, Lefiya and Riveria to show up with Loki and Tione hot on their heels.

"So, what's with all the excitement? Did Aiz finally agree to let me see her naked?" Loki asked in a playful mood.

"Nope! Something better!" Tiona blurted out, no longer able to hold back.

"Better than seeing Aiz naked? I doubt it." Loki mumbled before Riveria slapped her on the back of the head.

"Ottar and Allen were defeated" Aiz said causing Loki and her executives to stop messing around and give her a grave look.

"What do you mean they were defeated? By what?" Finn asked as he leaned forward on his desk.

"Not a what, but a who." Tiona said before pausing after seeing her captain's eyes go wide along with Riveria and Gareth.

"We don't know his name. None of us have seen him before, but the fight lasted less than a minute, and he beat them both with a single punch!" Tione finished.

Finn fell back in his chair. The king was defeated by a single adventurer with a single punch? This was unbelievable, even for him.

Lefiya started telling them to story from the beginning, how they heard a pain filled scream from Freya, and how the adventurer had tried to help her up only to be attacked but dodged every blow as if Ottar and Allan were standing still, to how he disarmed Allan and punched him.

Aiz stepped in and told them how Ottar got frustrated by not being able to strike his foe, so he grabbed him and tried to crush him, but was over powered and the boy broke free before jumping up and breaking his jaw and knocking the boaz unconscious.

Hearing this, Riveria fell back into a chair, while Finn's sighed out his many thoughts. Gareth chuckled as he thought about how strong the guy must be to force Ottar to let go. Each of the three had their own mental image of what this mystery adventurer might look like, but they were all completely off.

Loki, who had been sitting quietly with an evil grin on her face.

'Finally, that bimbo got a taste of her own medicine.' She thought to herself before finally speaking up.

"What did this adventurer look like?"

"He looks like a rabbit," Aiz said with a slight smile on her face as she remembered his appearance and the way he seemed to bounce around before attacking.

"I think he looked around my age with white hair and read eyes. And he was probably close to the same height as Aiz." Lefiya said as she recalled what she saw. She was captivated by the power of someone who looked the same age as her.

""Huh?"" The three Loki Familia executives said in unison as their mental images of a tall, muscular brute of a man shattered.

"She's telling the truth, I swear!" Tiona shouted in Lefiya's defense.

"Interesting. Tomorrow, I want you four to find out whatever you can about this boy. See if he would be willing to join our Familia. But don't challenge or threaten him. If he can take out the 'King' as easily as you say he did, even with all of us, I doubt we could beat him." Finn said, though he doubted that he could get this new adventurer to join their Familia, but maybe it could lead to a friendly relationship.

Nodding in understanding, the girls were dismissed while the executives and Loki stayed to discuss what they had just heard.

The next two days flew by in a blur for everyone. Allan and Ottar returned to Freya's home atop Babel the day after their run-in with Bell, and despite returning home with the shame of being beaten, they were greeted with love from their goddess. Allan was disappointed though when she told them that there would be no retaliation against the boy who had done this. Ottar, her being her most loyal follower, had no objections, but Allan had a much shorter temper. When he asked why she was letting him go free, she simply told him that this was all caused by an accident and their overreaction. Though she remembered thinking that the boy should be punished when it happened, but she would tell them that.

She continued by saying that this boy and singlehandedly defeated them both and left them in crumpled heaps without breaking a sweat. She instead suggested that if they do run into this boy again, that they should find out everything that they can and see if he would be willing to meet with her.

Later that afternoon, Freya had gone to work at the Hostess of Fertility as Syr like she usually does, and she expected to hear everything about the strange boy who had come to visit Ryu. And while she did indeed hear about his visit, she couldn't get any information out of any of them beyond his name.

When she asked Ryu what they had discussed, she blushed and told her that they discussed what happened to the Astrea Familia, but when she tried to get more information out of Ryu, her blush intensified, and puffs of steam came off the top of her head before she turned around and went back to work. This all confused and frustrated Syr, giving up for now, she figured the girls would tell her eventually.

.

.

The girls from the Loki Familia spent the previous day walking around town with the hope of running into the mysterious boy again. But as of yet, they still had no such luck, but that would change soon enough.

Today, they would spend another day wandering around the city, but this time they would split up. Of course, Lefiya instantly asked Aiz to join her, who agreed, and the two made their way towards the guild.

.

.

Bell had spent his first night in the mansion cleaning up his new home and looking around. This place was massive. The walls were covered in white paint, and the trim was entirely made of gold. Honestly, Bell was surprised that nobody had tried to rob this place since it had been vacated.

He didn't have much to do once he finished cleaning up the main areas of the mansion, but he did pick out his room. He cleaned up five of the rooms when he first got there, and he took one of the more standard rooms, leaving what he had guessed was Zeus's and his former captain's rooms open for Artemis and his mother.

Waking up early the next morning, a habit that he had formed from always traveling, he went to the market and placed orders for enough food and supplies to ensure that his Familia would have plenty waiting for them when they arrived. After that he walked around and familiarized himself with the basic layout of the city, and with the help of random shop owners and a couple of passing Adventurers, he learned where some of the important stores were. Dian Cecht's Familia ran the best pharmacy in the city, and was on the same street as the guild, The Hostess of Fertility was the best pub in town, and he remembered it was on the next street over from the Guild Building, and more importantly, Babel was home to many of the Hephaestus Familia shops. Even being from outside Orario, Bell had heard about of the famed Hephaestus Familia, and made a mental note to stop by there after his Familia arrived.

One thing he did notice was that most adventurers seemed to avoid him when he walked through the streets and would quickly get out of his way when they saw him approaching.

'I guess I made a bad first impression…' Bell thought as he hung his head.

Continuing onward, he made his way towards Dian Cecht's pharmacy. There was someone there he wished to speak with.

Opening the door, he was met with the sound of a small bell ringing, and he couldn't help but feel as though this was truly a place for healing, which immediately reinforced his decision to come here, though he could feel that this place was going to be expensive after seeing how clean, shiny, and well stocked this place seemed to be.

Walking over to the counter, he was greeted by yet another beautiful young woman. She had long, flowing silver hair with purple eyes, much like the Goddess that he had accidentally stepped on, but this woman was wearing a uniform and a nurses cap.

"Welcome, how may I assist you?" The woman asked in a calm, almost monotone voice.

"Hello, I was hoping to speak with a healer, someone with a lot of experience." Bell said, unaware of who the woman in front of him was.

"I am Amid Teasanare, and I can assure you, as the Captain of the Dian Cecht Familia, and head healer, I am more than qualified to aid you." She didn't feel any annoyance at the boy's ignorance, as it was common for people outside of the city, or new residents to not know who she was. Instead, she continued speaking with the same kind tone that she used for everybody.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Bell quickly said, which Amid simply gave a slight nod to. "My mother has an illness, one that saps her of strength when she is forced to fight. So far, nobody has been able to cure her of her ailment. I was hoping that there is something that you might be able to do."

"Hmm," Amid gave thought for a moment. This illness sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. "I would need to see her in order to make a diagnosis, but if you bring her here, I will see what I can do." Bell, wasn't sure what he was expecting, but he did have high hopes that being from Orario, Amid would have been able to cure his mother.

"Alright, she is set to arrive tomorrow morning, and once she gets settled in, I will bring her here. Thank you!" Bell said with a smile before turning around and heading home.

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The following morning, he waited for his mother, goddess, and Familia to arrive. Standing at the gate, he anxiously paced back and forth. He knew that his mother had spent time here as an adventurer, but he was curious to see if the others would have the same reaction that he had. He also wanted to take his mother to visit Amid as soon as he could.

As he paced, he was so lost in thought about whether Amid would be able to save his mother, that he hadn't noticed that she had called out his name.

"Bell Cranel!" Alfia shouted once again, finally get his attention.

Bell immediately stopped pacing and raced over to everyone as they made their way through the gate.

"You all made it!" Bell excitedly said as he stopped in front of them before turning to face his new goddess. "How was your journey Lady Artemis?"

"It was long, but the sights here seem to make the long trek worthwhile." Artemis said as she looked around at the bustling city.

Like Bell, Artemis, Luna, and Enrich all seemed to be a little anxious as they looked around the busy city and its imposing scale.

Alfia walked over to Bell and gave him a mock pout. "What, a couple of days in the city and you no longer worry about your mother?"

"Of course not! There is somewhere we need to go as soon as you finish settling in at home." Bell said before addressing the group. "We should make our way to our home, then we need to visit the guild. The rest of you still need to register as adventurers, and they require your seal on some paperwork Lady Artemis." Bell said as he began to usher his Familia towards their home.

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.

"Welcome to your new home!" Bell declared as they walked up to their new home.

Luna and Enrich stood in front of their new home and dropped everything that they were carrying as their mouths dropped. Much like the rest of the city, this place was far larger, and nicer than anything they had seen before.

"C'mon guys, it's even better inside." Bell said as he waved his Familia members inside. He hadn't known them long enough to call them friends, especially since he only spent a day and a half with them before being sent ahead to Orario, but they all shared respect for each other. For bell, he respected them for fighting Antares and not giving into despair and giving up, while Luna and Enrich respected their new captain for his strength and modesty since he didn't look down on those weaker than him.

Bell showed Artemis and Alfia to their rooms, and while Alfia didn't protest having such a nice room again, Artemis was hesitant at first, but her hesitation disappeared as soon as she sat down on the bed and laid back.

'Ah this feels so good. I guess even a pervert needed a comfortable bed to rest on.'

Bell showed Luna and Enrich to their rooms which were next to his. While they were less extravagant than that of Alfia's or Artemis's rooms, they were still far nicer, and more spacious than anything they have had previously.

The group rested for a while after getting settled into their rooms, they had just gotten here after a weeklong journey. While they rested, Bell went to the kitchen and made lunch for everyone. It wasn't much, but he figured a salad and a sandwich for everyone would hold them over until they were finished at the guild, then he would take them to the Hostess for dinner.

While they ate, Alfia asked Artemis what they were going to call their new home since every Familia home had a name.

Artemis didn't say anything; she just looked at Alfia curiously as if asking "what do you mean?"

"For example, your friend Astrea's home is called the 'Stardust Gardens'."

"Oh, I see. Well hunters often hunt by moonlight, so how about the Moonlit Mansion?" Everyone liked that name and was in agreement. Their home would be known as the 'Moonlit Mansion'.

"Oh, by the way Orion, did you ever set up a meeting with Astrea for me?" She asked as she turned towards Bell, only to notice a sad expression on his face that caused her to worry.

"I tried, Lady Artemis. Unfortunately, Orario experienced a dark period several years ago, and Astrea's Familia members were all killed, except for single elf. After that, Lady Astrea left the city and her whereabouts are unknown."

"I see…" Artemis's expression clearly showing her sadness. "I would very much like to speak with her surviving child, if possible."

"I believe that you can. She works at the pub that I was going to take you all to tonight once we finished at the guild."

Artemis gave Bell a soft smile and nodded in appreciation.

Aiz and Lefiya had been slowly making their way towards the guild as they walked through the town, hoping to stumble across the white-haired boy.

"What do you suppose he is like?" Lefiya asked as she tried to come up with something to talk about with her idol.

"I'm… not sure. I hope he isn't like Bete." Aiz responded as she continued to look around.

"Yeah, that would be awful. I hope he is frien-" Her voice stopped mid-sentence when she noticed white hair walking with a small group of people towards the guild.

Quickly, she pointed him out to Aiz. "Look there he is! But, he is with other people. Do you think that's his Familia?"

Aiz nodded her agreement. "Go get Finn and Riveria, I'll follow them and try to find out what I can."

Lefiya didn't like the idea, as she didn't want to leave Aiz alone, but she understood that this was important, so she rushed back to the Twilight Manor as quickly as she could.

She quickly arrived home and hastily made her way to the library to get Riveria. Much to the high elf's chagrin, she was forced to follow her excitable apprentice. The two elves made their way to Finn's office, and upon entering, Riveria finally asked why she was dragged along.

Lefiya explained that they had found the white-haired boy that they had been looking for, and that he seemed to be with his Familia. Hearing this the two quickly gathered their weapons. They rarely left their home unarmed, as one never knew when they might be needed. Though, the didn't plan on fighting against the white-haired boy or his Familia as they knew that they wouldn't stand a chance.

.

.

Meanwhile, atop Babel. Freya had been watching the boy that had caught her attention all morning. When she saw who he was waiting for walk through the gates, she couldn't help but laugh.

'Heh, Artemis is your goddess? This might be easier than I expected. However, what is she doing back here? I thought we got rid of both the Zeus and Hera Familias.' She thought to herself.

It took longer than expected to get everyone registered at the guild, and Artemis had to put her seal on several documents before they could finish. But once they did, the four went outside and talked while they waited for Alfia to finish her registration. Apparently since she was a part of the Hera Familia, who had been exiled from the city, she had to undergo a much more scrutinous registration.

As they were talking, they didn't notice that four members of one of the strongest Familia's in the city were quickly approaching them. Well, Bell noticed them approaching, but he didn't know who they were, so he didn't pay too much attention to them, but kept his guard up just in case he was attacked again.

"Excuse me, do you have a moment to talk?" Finn asked in a non-threatening manner.

Turning around, he saw a cute blonde-haired girl, a tall, green-haired elf, and looking down, he saw the male prum who had spoken.

"Um, sure?" Bell said with a puzzled expression. These were the first adventurers who had willingly come up to speak with him since his arrival in the city, and his fight.

As Bell looked at the three individuals, he noticed that none of them seemed to have a threatening aura, in fact, the blonde girl was staring at him with a small smile one might see when looking at a cute animal, which he found strange but ignored it.

"I am Finn Deimne, Captain of the Loki Familia." He said before pointing to three girls with him, "And this is my Vice-Captain Riveria Ljos Alf, Executive Aiz Wallenstein and Lefiya Virdis." The three girls nodded when they were introduced, and Bell gave them each a polite smile.

Before Finn could continue, Alfia exited the Guild building and had joined the others. Finn and Riveria both immediately recognized her and jumped back a short distance and readied their weapons in defense. The Loki Familia was one of the Familias responsible for exiling the Zeus and Hera Familia's, and as such, the feared she might try and take retribution at the sight of them.

Of course, seeing the group draw their weapons and get defensive, Bell immediately stood in front of Artemis to protect her as he drew his own sword, though he left the Arrow of Orion strapped to his back. Alfia quickly prepared herself as well standing next to Bell while keeping Luna and Enrich behind her. She too immediately recognized the Loki Familia and knew that neither of the two behind her were a match for the Loki Familia.

"What are you doing here? Hera Familia is no longer welcome in this city." Riveria shouted as she demanded to know why Alfia had returned.

"Is that all?" Alfia asked as she relaxed and lowered her guard. She didn't fear those standing before her.

"I am no longer with the Hera Familia. I have joined the Artemis Familia with my son. I just received the Guild's approval." She said with a small grin. "Lower your weapons, unless you really wish to perish right here and now." Alfia said in a deadly serious tone. She didn't harbor any resentment towards the Loki Familia, but she wouldn't tolerate being threatened.

Finn grimaced at the threat, and as much as he hated to admit it, he knew how strong Alfia was, and the thought of fighting her and her son wasn't the least bit favorable for him. He also noticed that a large crowed had circled around them and he could hear whispers wondering why the Loki Familia was threatening a new Familia.

Lowering their weapons, Finn spoke.

"My apologies, seeing you here caused us to overreact. If you wouldn't mind, would you all be willing to speak with us? I'm sure the guild would lend us a conference room."

"Very well, but I expect an explanation about what is going on." Artemis said as she moved past Bell who had just sheathed his sword.

To say the guild was less than thrill by what had just taken place outside their doors was an understatement, but they were happy to lend them a conference room so that they could work out their issues peacefully.

Sitting down, everyone reintroduced themselves, and Bell explained that he had only arrived in Orario two days ago, and his goddess, and the rest arrived only a few hours ago.

"What is this all about?" Artemis firmly asked. She didn't like that on her first day, she already had a confrontation with another Familia.

"We only wished to speak with Bell. On his first day, he had a bit of an accident from what I am told." Finn said as he glanced over at Bell. "He apparently stepped on the Goddess Freya's foot, which led to him being attacked by two of the strongest adventurers in the city. He soundly defeated the fastest level six in the city, and he broke the only level seven's jaw leaving them both unconscious on the ground."

Artemis, Luna, and Enrich could only stare at him in disbelief, while Alfia burst out into a fit of laughter. She couldn't help but feel like Freya got a small piece of what she deserved. She never did care for that woman.

"It really was an accident! I didn't know who she was, and I only defended myself when they attacked me." Bell exclaimed as he turned to his goddess, "I am sorry for causing you so much trouble already Goddess!" Bell said as he bowed deeply to her.

This earned a chuckle from the Loki Familia leadership and from Artemis and Alfia. Luna and Enrich, as well as Lefiya couldn't laugh, they were too nervous from the collective fighting power that was in the room from multiple level five and higher adventurers. Aiz on the other hand was simply staring at the Bell. She had developed a strange fascination with him. The way she saw him was as an incredibly powerful adventurer, but now that she saw him up close, he seemed like a soft white rabbit that she wanted to pet.

"Why did you want to talk to me?" Bell asked bringing everybody back to the reason they were all here.

Finn began to explain that after hearing that Bell had defeated the two Freya Familia members, that he was curious about who could have done this, and if possible, he wanted to see if they Bell would be willing to join the Loki Familia.

"I'm sorry, but I will be staying with Artemis and this Familia." Bell said without hesitation. His grandfather, Zeus, had believed that Artemis was the most worthy deity for him, and he wouldn't question that.

"Thank you, Orion." Artemis said as she gave him a proud smile.

"Orion? I thought his name was Bell?" Lefiya asked confusedly.

"He is my champion, the only mortal who can wield the arrow that he carries," motioning to the spear that was resting next to Bell as he sat in a chair, "and as such, he has earned the title of Orion."

"I see. Well, I am disappointed that he won't join us, but there is still hope for the future. But before that, may I ask you levels? Riveria and myself are both level six, Aiz is level five, and Lefiya is level three."

Bell looked to Alfia, who simply nodded.

Luna and Enrich both answered right away.

""Level three""

Alfia was the next to respond, "I am still level seven, though if I wanted to, I'm sure I could change that in short order."

"Level eight" Bell said rather proudly. From what he had gathered, his mother and that Ottar guy were the closest to his level.

The room was silent for a few moments while the Loki Familia members digested what they had just heard. Of course, they already knew that he was strong, but to hear that someone was level eight was something that hadn't been heard of since the time of Zeus and Hera's reign over the city.

"Well then, would your Familia be willing to enter into an alliance with ours?" Finn asked. He wanted to get ahead of any other Familia that might have their eyes on forming an alliance for their own gains. Though, it wasn't as if he didn't have ulterior motives as well, but his were for the benefit of his Familia and Orario.

"Alliance? Possibly, but I would need to discuss this with our Familia in private. Tomorrow, come by our home, the Moonlit Mansion, and we can discuss this further. Of course, you four will be welcome, as well as Loki." Artemis said. She was still new to all of this, especially the politics of Orario, but she knew that having friends could only be beneficial for her and her Familia.

"The Moonlit Mansion? Where is that located?" Riveria asked as she hadn't heard of it before.

"It's the old Zeus Familia home, but we renamed it, seeing as I am the Goddess of the Hunt." Artemis said proudly.

"A member from the Hera Familia and living in the old Zeus Familia home. Any other surprises?" Finn asked as he let out an exasperated sigh.

"Yes, but we can wait until tomorrow to discuss them if we do enter into an alliance," Alfia finished.

Standing up, Finn thanked them for the opportunity to talk, and told them that they would come to their home in the late morning tomorrow.

Bell stood and shook his fellow captain's hand and told him that he looked forward to it.

It was still too early for dinner, and with that in mind, he asked his Familia to come with him to the Dian Cecht pharmacy. He claimed that it was to show them where it was that they could purchase potions, antidotes, and other necessary items for going into the dungeon, but he just wanted to get Amid to look at his mother.

The group agreed, and Artemis was happy to tag along and take in the sights.

It was a bit of a walk, especially for someone without a falna, but Artemis was used to running through the forests and the plains while on a hunt, and managed to keep up, but she was relieved when they finally arrived, and that she could finally sit down and take a rest.

'This city is incredible, but it's way too big.' She quietly thought to herself as her Familia looked around.

Bell quickly guided Alfia to the counter and waited while Amid finished up with the customer in front of them.

"Hello again…" she thought for a moment but couldn't remember the boy's name.

"Ah, sorry about that, I forgot to introduce myself yesterday. I am Bell Cranel, and this is my mother. I was hoping you could take a quick look at her." Bell said as he quietly kicked himself. He had been terrible about introducing himself to the people that he had met throughout the city.

Alfia looked at Bell with wide eyes. One of the first things he had done was find the best pharmacy in the city and look for something to cure her disease. He was trying to fulfil his second promise to her. But, she had been here before, and there wasn't anything they could do for her back then and she doubted that would change anytime soon.

Amid nodded, in understanding. She hadn't met Alfia before as the Hera Familia was banished when she was only a child, so she didn't know that Alfia had been to their clinic before.

Leading Alfia to hallway and to a door of an unoccupied exam room, the two quickly disappeared behind a closed door.

.

.

A short while later, both Alfia and Amid returned. Alfia didn't so any expression to give away how the exam went, but Amid was trying to hide the fact that she couldn't do anything for her from showing on her face.

"So, how did it go? Can you help her?" Bell asked excitedly.

"I am sorry, but there isn't anything I can do for her. There simply isn't a medicine for her ailment, and healing magic doesn't work on diseases."

Bell's expression and excitement faded, but he didn't get angry or become saddened, it wasn't the first time that a healer said that they couldn't help her. It only meant that he still needed to search for a cure.

"Thank you for taking the time to examine her. If I come across anything in the dungeon that might help, I will bring it to you right away."

"I appreciate that. Our Familia is willing to purchase drop items and medicinal plants at a fair price, and we often issue quests for such items."

Bell and Alfia turned back to the others and asked if they were ready to get dinner, which they all excitedly agreed to as they were all hungry.

Leaving the pharmacy, they made their way to Hostess of Fertility. As they walked, Alfia walked up to Bell and thanked him for trying to find her a cure. Bell simply looked up at his mother's face and gave her a smile before telling her that he will find her a cure, just like he promised.

.

.

The group finally arrived at the hostess, and as they walked through the door, it seemed as though every set of eyes were drawn to them. Actually, all of the waitresses eyes followed Bell, but the males eyes all seemed to watch as Artemis stepped into the building.

She could hear the disgusting whispers that the male adventurers were sharing amongst themselves, and she instinctively moved closer to Bell and hugged his arm hoping that he would protect her from the vile thoughts and lust filled eyes that stared at her.

Noticing this, Bell quickly stared down any of the guys who didn't immediately look away or change their topic of conversation. This seemed to work as most of them heard the rumors of him defeating Ottar. But this turned out to be unnecessary as Alfia stepped forward.

When she entered the room, everything went silent for a few moments as the few people old enough to remember her stared and began to whisper amongst themselves, trying to confirm that they were seeing some sort of illusion.

They were quickly greeted by a silver-haired girl with grey eyes.

"Welcome to the Hostess of Fertility. If you'll follow me, I'll lead you to your table."

As the group followed the young waitress, Bell saw Ryu and gave a small smile and a wave causing her to blush slightly and give a small wave back. This didn't go unnoticed by Alfia, who quickly eyed the young elf causing her to cut her wave short and to quickly return to her work.

Sitting down at their table, Alfia leaned over and asked Bell who the elf was. He told her that she was the last remaining Astrea Familia Member. Alfia nodded in understanding but was curious as to why she blushed when she saw him but figured she could figure that out later.

"My name is Syr Flova, what can I get for you?"

The group ordered a round of drinks, except Bell who stuck with water, while also ordering a large amount of food based on Alfia's recommendation.

A few minutes later, Syr brought out their drinks. Before she could leave, Bell asked if she could send Ryu over for a moment.

Internally, Syr was frustrated that Bell wished to speak with Ryu again while not paying her much attention, but she did as he asked and sent Ryu over to them. She will ask her what that was all about later.

"Mr. Cranel, what can I do for you?" Ryu asked politely.

"Oh, I just wanted to introduce you to my Familia." Bell went around the table, starting with Luna, and introduced everyone. Once her got Alfia, and had introduced her as his mother, Ryu's eyes went wide as Alfia gave her an impish smirk. Lastly, he introduced her to Artemis, who smiled kindly at her. Artemis didn't say it, but Ryu was exactly the kind of person she would love to have in her Familia. She didn't know the young elf, but something about her said that they shared similar ideals.

"I realize that you need to return to you work, but if you ever get the chance, I would like to sit down and talk with you." Ryu bowed slightly to Artemis, before returning to her work.

The food didn't take long to be delivered despite how much they had ordered, and once they all had tasted it, they couldn't help but agree that this was the best food that they had ever eaten, and quickly finished everything that they had ordered.

Sitting around the table, bellies full of food and drink, they began to talk about their plans for the future. Unsurprisingly, Alfia had the most input.

"I believe we should accept the offer for an alliance with the Loki Familia. Depending on the terms, it could greatly benefit our Familia."

"What do you mean?" Enrich asked while Luna and Artemis nodded along.

"Our Familia is small, especially compared to others in the city who have dozens of members. We can't realistically go deep into the dungeon with our current strength. Sure, Bell and I could make the trek, but it would be far too dangerous for either of you." Alfia paused when she noticed their slightly downtrodden faces. "But, if we ally ourselves with them, Bell and I could join their expeditions and help them out, while their lower levels can party up with you two and teach you how to survive the Dungeon."

"We can fight too…" Luna growled. She felt as though Alfia was looking down on their skills as adventurers.

"I apologize, I don't mean to diminish your abilities, but I am the only one here who has been down there. It is nothing like what you have seen before. Monsters spawn from the walls, and the dungeon is full of traps. It's alive, and if you're not careful, it will kill you." Alfia said gravely, trying to convey just how serious she was while trying not to further offend them.

"She is right. The Dungeon is cruel, and if you don't respect it, you will die down there." Ryu said as she happened to be passing by and overheard their conversation.

Turning to face the elf, Enrich was about to say something, but noticed how sad her eyes looked, and decided to keep his mouth shut and heed her warning. Alfia nodded her thanks to the elf as she carried on with her duties.

"But what could we offer them in return? Nobody will offer something without wanting something in return." Bell asked.

"I suspect that they simply wish to not have either of you as a potential enemy." Artemis said, adding to the conversation.

"I agree, but we can also offer to train a couple of their fighters if they wish to ask for something in return. Since I will already be training Luna and Enrich, a couple more wouldn't be too difficult." Alfia suggested.

"So, we get to travel into the dungeon in parties, and they get to have a couple of people be trained by us." Bell thought out loud. "Alright, I am ok with that. What about you Goddess? Luna, Enrich, do either of you have any thoughts?"

Neither of the two members had much issue, they just were hoping that the Loki Familia members wouldn't look down on them.

"If they agree to that, I don't mind. But it sounds like we are going to need more Familia members if we want to hold our own in this city. I suppose I will need to start looking for people who will fit in with this Familia." Artemis said as she looked around but let her gaze on Ryu linger.

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A/N: edit- Thanks to a few of you, I was informed of an oversight on Bell's status. First, Copy was in the wrong section and has been moved. secondly, apparently I can't count and had one too many development abilities, so I removed recover as it was the only one that wasn't essential. It was to help replenish his mind while in combat, but the mage ability would increase his amount of available mind, especially at the level that it is at, while also making his mind usage more efficient. So yeah. Thank you to you all who have pointed that out.

- I will address comments in the next chapter, which I plan on being out in the next couple of days before finishing the next chapter of "A Hero and a Fairy Princess".

- I also want to say that I don't plan on making all of the chapters this long. I just got excited while writing this and before I knew it, I was at almost 20K words, so I stopped there and posted it. That is also why it stopped at a kind of awkward time.

- Anyway, I appreciate how much feedback I am getting, as well as surprised how quickly this is blowing up.

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