Heroism of the Past

Bell Cranel made his way through the Dungeon, making sure to pay attention so that no monster would catch him with his pants down. After several times fighting the monsters on the fifth floor, he decided to make it the place where he would farm magic stones and drop items the most frequently.

He couldn't help but smile at the fact that he was now capable of doing that. A few weeks ago, he spent most of his time on the upper floors, avoiding going deeper than the fourth. This meant that not only he could now gain more income for his Familia, he was also becoming stronger and was one step closer to his goal.

Ais Wallenstein.

He knew that it would be a very long goal, likely taking years. He was merely a Level 1 while the Sword Princess was Level 5. There was also a possibility for her to level up, making his goal even longer to be attained. Nevertheless, he would keep trying and trying until he finally attained it or die trying.

…OK, the last part sounded rather dark, he had to admit.

"Hmm…" The white-haired boy looked around, trying to see any sign of the monster. "There's nothing here. Did someone arrive before me?"

It was a possibility. Someone might have arrived before him and killed all monster before moving on. Which meant he had arrived before the Dungeon could give birth to more monsters. The boy felt nervous; every wall was now a potential danger.

When he spotted something, Bell stopped his feet. He squinted his eyes and put his hand over his eyes, trying to see further. He then ran towards what he saw, located at a dead end. When he arrived, he saw someone hugging themselves while looking at the wall.

"Um, excuse me, are you al…" Bell crouched down and checked them, only to immediately jumped back and fell in shock. "AAAHH!"

Whoever that person was, they were now nothing but a skull. The white-haired boy put his hand on his chest, trying to calm himself down. Once he did, he took a closer look at the remains, searching for identification of sort. He instead found something else; an artifact that the person clutched before their death.

"Whoa…" He commented as he carefully pried it from the fleshless hands.

It was a golden goblet. It was rather simple in the shape but the detail engraved into it was something else. Bell couldn't help but found himself mesmerized by the artifact in his hands.

"Why did nobody pick this up?"

As if to answer his question, Bell suddenly heard several very familiar voices. He turned around and could feel dread rising inside his heart. Behind him, a lot of monsters were being birthed by the walls. The once empty pathway was now filled with various monsters, from Kobolds to War Shadows.

The boy put down the goblet and took out his knife. The monsters were approaching him slowly as if they were enjoying the feeling of fear that he emitted. Bell now knew the most likely caused of the person's demise; being ambushed by the monsters.

Several Kobolds and Goblins detached from the pack and ran towards him. Bell easily took them out yet it did little to calmed him down. As the monsters went closer and closer, his mind couldn't help but beg with all of his might.

"Someone, save me, please!"

As if answering his plea, the goblet suddenly started to glow. It was so bright that Bell used his arms to cover his eyes, making sure that he would still have the monsters in his sight. They were also reacting to the glow, moving around restlessly and letting out more voices.

"First Division Captain of the Shinsengumi, Okita Souji arrives."

Upon hearing that declaration, along with the dimming of the glow, Bell lowered his arms to look at the one who gave it.

She was a pale woman with blonde hair and yellow eyes with an almost similar shade. She was wearing an outfit that Bell recognized as originating from the Far East; the upper part was pink while the lower part was purple. Her left hand was holding a sheathed eastern sword, a katana.

She used her thumb to move the sword slightly away from its sheath before entirely unleashing it with her right hand. She put the sheath down on the ground before grabbing her katana with both of her hands. As the monsters let out shrieks, she dashed towards them.

With a speed that Bell could only hope to match, the Far Eastern woman effortlessly cut down one monster after another. Body parts of monsters, which dissolved into black mist, flew around due to being cut by her. The terrifying shrieks of the monsters were soon replaced by shrieks of fear.

The battle – which would be more appropriate to be called a massacre – ended when the last surviving monster, a Goblin, was stabbed in the chest as it lied on the ground, having lost its right arm and right eye blinded.

"Are you alright?" The woman asked as she turned around and approached him.

"Eh? Ah! Y-Yes!" Bell replied as she picked up the sheath of her katana. "Thank you for saving me!"

"But of course!" She gave him a smile with her eyes closed. "Anyway, it seems that you're going to be busy with harvesting, Master. I want to help but I don't think I have the appropriate tool."

"I-It's alright. Just leave it t-to me…" He stopped talking when he realized something. "Wait, Master?"

"Huh? Of course, you're…" The woman was about to say something when she suddenly stopped as if remembering something. "Ah, sorry about t-that. You remind me o-of my old lord."

"I see…" He decided to not ask further and started to extract the magic stones.

As he did so, the woman stood guard. Her katana remained unsheathed, ready to be used in case of more monsters approaching them. It was when he was halfway through that Bell remembered something.

"Ah, I am sorry! I forgot to ask your name!" The white-haired boy exclaimed as he turned his head towards her. "I am Bell Cranel. What's your name?"

"Eh? Didn't you listen to what I said earlier?" The woman showed a surprised face. "I am Okita Souji."

"A-AH! Sorry, I am sorry! I didn't realize that you're saying your name." He bowed several times. "I-I was really s-scared back then, s-so…"

"It's alright, Cranel-san. It's not something one should apologize for."

"T-Thanks. Also, just call me Bell, Miss Souji."

"Actually, my family name is Okita, not Souji. The positions of my names are inverted according to your culture." She explained. "If you don't mind, can you call me Okita? I know it's quite inappropriate that I call you by given name while you call me with my family name but Souji is…not as cute as Okita."

"O-Of course!"

After a while, the boy finally finished the extraction. There was no longer any corpse nearby; all of them have been turned into mist, leaving only the body parts that were dubbed as drop items.

"I am done." Bell declared as he held a bag in each of his hand. "Unfortunately, I don't think we could carry all of the drop items."

"I am sure the stones are more than enough," Okita stated as she offered a hand. "Let me carry them."

"N-No need to. I am fine." He replied as he put his bag into a bigger one. "Though considering this is your share…here."

"Why, thank you, Bell." She took the bag and tied it to her waist. "Alright, let's go!"

The Far Eastern woman walked several steps as she sheathed her sword before stopping. She turned around and looked at Bell while scratching her head. Her face showed that she was feeling quite awkward at the moment.

"If it's not a bother, can you…get both of us to the exit?" Okita looked away, embarrassed. "I am…not exactly good with direction."

"Eh? I-I mean, sure, of course!" Bell gave the reply with a smile.

As they went towards the surface, the two of them encountered no monster along the way, only several adventurers going in the opposite direction. Due to that, the trip was rather quiet, much to the discomfort of both of them.

"Say, Okita…" Bell opened his mouth, trying to change the uncomfortable atmosphere. "There's something that I want to ask, hopefully, it won't bother you."

"Worry not. Ask away!" Okita replied with joy could be heard in her voice.

"Um, which Familia are you from?"

"Familia?" She diverted her eyes elsewhere, thinking about her answer. "As of now, I am currently without any affiliation of one."

"E-Eh?! Y-You don't have one?" The boy's eyes became wide, surprised by what he had just heard. "T-Then, h-how…"

"Say, what about you? From which Familia are you from?"

"W-Well, I come from the Hestia Familia. We're kind of new in the city, so you might have not heard about us. There's only me and the Goddess at the moment." Bell's face, which was filled with nervousness, was now looking more confident. "That's why…Okita, are you willing to join our Familia?"

"Of course."

"I mean, I know we're not as famous as Loki or…" He stopped talking once he realized that he had received an answer. "Wait, really? Y-You're not joking, right?"

"Of course not! As I said, I am going to join your Familia, Bell."

"T-Thank you so much!"

He couldn't help but want to cry in joy.

After exchanging their magic stones for money, Bell guided Okita through the city to what would be her new home after she joined the Hestia Familia.

"W-Well, it's not much, I admit," Bell explained embarrassedly as both of them stood in front of a dilapidated church. "B-But there's running a-and a kitchen. Also, despite the look, it-it's actually rather comfortable."

"Don't worry. I don't mind it at all." Okita replied with a smile.

The two of them went inside the building, passing the broken pews to reach a small room behind the altar. When he opened the room, they descend the stairs and stopped in front of a door. Bell knocked several times before opening it, announcing himself as both people entered the room.

"Goddess, I am home!"

The announcement was soon heeded by a black-haired woman that was sitting on the sofa.

"Bell, you're back!" The Goddess Hestia greeted her "child" with a smile before noticing another person in the room. "Who is this?"

"Goddess, this is Okita, Okita Souji!" He excitedly introduced the woman. "She said that she's willing to join our Familia!"

"Really?" She blinked several times before moving closer to her. "You're willing to join us?"

"Of course! Just like what I said to Bell, I am going to join your Familia!" Okita replied just as excitedly.

"Yay!" Hestia cheered before dragging the Far Eastern woman into the only bed in the room. "Now, I need you to take off your kimono and lie on the bed so that I could bestow you with my blessing. Bell, please go outside for a while."

"Of course, Goddess." The boy nodded his head before exiting the room.

The bestowing ritual didn't take a long time. All that Hestia needed to do was to prick her finger with a knife and then traced her blood onto Okita's back. She then picked up a parchment and placed it onto her newest "child's" back before tracing her finger across it. When she pulled it off, there were several words and numbers on the parchment.

"You can enter, Bell!" Hestia stated as she read the stats with Okita already finishing putting her clothes on.

The white-haired boy entered the room. When he looked at his Goddess, she had her hand on her chin while reading intensely at the parchment in her hand. Curious, Bell went closer to have a look as well; something that Okita also did.

Okita Souji Fujiwara no Kaneyoshi

Level 1

Strength: I0
Defense: I0
Dexterity: I0
Agility: I0
Magic: I0

Magic:

Open

Skills:
Reduced Earth: Cut down the distance between opponents instantly.
Eye of the Mind (False): Talent to foresee and avoid danger on the basis of sixth sense, intuition, or prescience.

"Whoa, you already have Skills, Okita!" Bell commented when he read the stats. "That's amazing!"

"For you to have two the moment you are blessed…" Hestia commented before looking at her. "Okita, are you by any chance part of a military or something?"

"I was a captain of special police back in my home." She explained as she went to grab the parchment, which Hestia gave, and read it. "Lucky! I don't have it!"

"You don't have what?" The boy looked at her confused along with the Goddess.

"I don't…" Okita was about to answer it when she suddenly put her hand on her mouth.

COUGH COUGH

The two of them were surprised upon hearing Okita's coughing. It was very loud, making them couldn't help but felt worried. She then used both of her hands to cover her mouth with the parchment still being held. When it was over, she put her hands away, breathing heavily. She raised the hand that held the parchment, finding blood on it.

"Looks like I am wrong…" She commented as she laughed without any joy in it.

"O-Okita?!" Bell immediately went to her. "Are you alright? Is something wrong?"

"Don't worry. It's just something that happens frequently due to my condition." Okita replied before letting out some small coughs.

"Your condition? Are you…sick or something?" Hestia asked worriedly.

"Yes. If I am not wrong, it's a disease called consumption."

"Ah, I see. Don't worry, I am a friend of Miach. I am sure he will be willing to…"

"Thanks for the offer but no. It will not help in the slightest." Okita diverted her attention to Bell. "Bell, can you show us the Grail?"

"Grail?" He looked confused for a while before getting what she meant. "Oh, you mean this?"

The white-haired boy opened his bag and took out the golden goblet that he found back in the Dungeon. Hestia immediately took a closer look at it, noticing something special about it.

"Bell, where do you find this?" She asked. "This doesn't feel like a normal cup."

"It's a Holy Grail. Supposedly, it is capable of granting the wish of the one who possessed it." The Far Eastern woman explained. "I have doubt that this is a normal one, however."

"What makes you say that?" The Goddess turned her attention to her "child."

"The fact that it is here. Normally, the grail will assign seven masters, who will summon their own Servant – making it seven Servants – and fight each other until only one pair remains before revealing itself. To do that, it requires the mana gathered from the six fallen Servants."

"Servants…" Hestia let the word roll in her tongue. "What is a Servant anyway?"

"A Servant is, to put it simply, a physical manifestation of a heroic legend," Okita replied. "Basically, they are people of the past that are known today as 'heroes' who can be summoned into physical form."

"So, the heroes in the stories that my grandfather told me, they can be summoned as Servants?" Bell asked excitedly with stars in his eyes.

"Correct." She nodded her head.

"A physical manifestation…" The Goddess murmured with her eyes closed. "Okita, are you a Servant?"

"That is correct. I am Servant Saber. The other classes are Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker." She explained. "During my life, I suffered from consumption. It's a well-known part of my legend. Thus, if I am summoned, I will be having one. Fortunately, my disease won't spread to others. Though at the same time, it's incurable."

Bell and Hestia couldn't help but felt pity towards her. While they didn't know much about the disease, they knew that consumption caused someone to lose their weight and coughing blood. It was, quite morbidly, a "popular" disease in how many people know about it.

"Okita…" Bell looked at her in sympathy. "You…You're going to be alright, right?"

"Worry not. My disease won't kill me." Okita assured him. "However, I could be coughing at a very bad time, like during a battle. So, when you fight with me, you must pay attention to me. I am sorry for the inconvenience."

"It's alright. It's not your fault that you have the disease or even your condition for that matter." He assured her in return. "Wait, I just remember something. Who is your master, Okita?"

"Really, Bell?" Hestia looked at him in incredulity. "Of course, it's you! You're the one who finds the Grail and thus the one who summoned her!"

Bell stopped thinking for a while before laughing at his own stupidity. That could explain the light that came from the Grail. The two of them diverted their attention towards Okita when they noticed that she was deeply thinking about something.

"Is there something wrong, Okita?" The Goddess asked.

"As I said, there would be seven pairs of Servant and master that fought each other until one pair is the winner. Normally." The Servant Saber said in return. "But circumstances make me wonder whether that's what currently happening."

Hestia understood what she meant. If it was a normal fight, then it was kind of moot since Bell already acquired the Holy Grail. At the same time, it was possible that Bell simply in possession of an empty goblet that needed to be filled with mana, meaning that the fight would still happen.

"What…What if I summoned another Servant with the Grail?" Bell suggested, causing the eyes of the women to look towards him. "If I can do that, then that means there's no other master in here, right?"

"That…could…work…?" Okita sounded rather unsure. "The reason a master can only summon one Servant is due to a limitation placed. There's also the upkeep of a Servant in mind which makes… Oh!"

"Eh?"

"The upkeep! Mine! I feel like I am getting it from two sources; you and Lady Hestia."

"Upkeep?" Hestia asked.

"For us Servants to remain in the physical world, we require mana provided by our master."

"I see. Hephaistos once told me that if you overuse magic, you will get affected by something called 'Mind Down' and collapse. In the worst cases, it could kill you." The Goddess said as she understood what Okita said. "That's why the limitation exists."

She diverted her attention to Bell.

"Bell, sit and raise your shirt. I want to check something real quick." She ordered him.

"Eh?" Bell blinked several times before following the order. "A-Ah, alright."

"Just as I expect…" Hestia commented as she picked up a paper and a pencil.

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength: G253 - G268
Defense: H121 - H132
Dexterity: F313 - F320
Agility: G240 - G251
Magic: I0 - I50

Magic:
Servant Summoning: Summon a Heroic Spirit into one of Seven Servant Containers. Requires upkeep once servant is summoned.

Let silver and steel be the essence.
Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.
Let red be the color I pay tribute to.
Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall.
Let the four cardinal gates close.
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate."
"Let it be filled. Again. Again. Again. Again.
Let it be filled fivefold for every turn, simply breaking asunder with every filling.

My dreams form the body
Your Spirit shall show me the path as I walk it by my own power
And so I hereby swear,
That I shall be all the good in the world
That I shall defeat all the evil in the world.
You seven souls who reside at the fate I wish to reach
Come forth from the binding circle
Oh Keeper of the Balance!

Open

Skills:
Liaris Freese: Fast growth as long as feelings last. The strength of the effects corresponds with the level of the user's feelings.

"Take a look." Hestia said as she offered the paper to her "children."

"Huh. You're not doing it like how it is with me." Okita commented.

"It's just a quick check. There's no need for all stats to be written." She replied, hiding the real reason.

She didn't want Bell or Okita to know about his Skill. Which was why she only writing down the Magic status and the Magic that he gained. Fortunately, it seemed to be enough as Bell cried in joy upon reading it with Okita joining in.

"So, Goddess, is it OK if I try it?" He turned his attention to his Goddess.

"If the upkeep is still a problem, I can dematerialize myself," Okita stated as she turned invisible for a while before returning. "My upkeep will decrease in that condition."

Hestia thought about it deeply. On one hand, it was a very risky thing to do. Bell's life was on the line if it turned out that he couldn't handle upkeeping additional Servant. On the other hand, the condition of her Familia meant that she must accept every help available, especially from a Servant, which could be considered a spirit of a sort.

There was also how the white-haired boy stared at her with puppy eyes…

"Ah, alright! Fine!" Hestia declared, clearly unhappy with her own decision. "If anything happens to Bell, you and the other Servant will do your best to keep him safe! Got it, Okita?"

"Of course, Lady Hestia." Saber declared in return. "Bell is my master and I will do my best to…"

She stopped talking due to having another bout of cough.

COUGH COUGH

Hestia couldn't help but wonder if she made a mistake.

"Alright, this should be enough."

Okita walked several steps back from the altar and wiped the sweats on her forehead. On the wood, she had carved a magic circle. Despite having no experience in carving, it was – without a doubt – a well-made circle.

She didn't know why but for some reason, the knowledge about magic circle was imprinted into her mind. Another odd thing regarding this Holy Grail.

"Alright, Bell. All you need to do is to stand in front of the circle and say the chant." She said.

"Before that…" Bell asked something important. "Any suggestion on what Servant to summon?"

"I will suggest Caster or Assassin. The former is a magic-user and thus has little upkeep cost while the latter is physically the weakest Servant."

He nodded in return before stepping forward, positioning himself in front of the circle. The boy held out his left hand and began his chant. With each verse, the circle began to shine and a gust of wind began to blow from it. As the lights began to shine in a golden color, Bell hit the final verse.

"You seven souls who reside at the fate I wish to reach, Come forth from binding circle, Oh Keeper of the Balance!" Bell shouted as the light exploded.

"Did…did it work?" Hestia asked as she waved her hand to dissipate the smoke.

Bell meanwhile had his arms in front of his eyes to shield himself from the dust. As the dust began to dissipate, he lowered his arms and saw someone in front of him.

A woman with brown hair and green eyes was looking at him with a smile on her face. On her head was a bonnet strapped with a black ribbon. The blue dress that she wore was striped with a big white ribbon between the chest and neck area as a decoration and complemented with a pair of white gloves worn on her hands. Her feet were protected by a pair of tall black shoes and stockings. Finally, her hands were holding the handle of a knife and a small ball of light with wings and halo was floating beside her.

"I arrived in response to your summons." She declared before giving a bow. "I'm Assassin, Charlotte Corday."

And the prologue is done.

In case you're wondering, yes, I am inspired by harouki's Heroic Myth. I will do my best to not 100% follow their story and will add my own parts. Also, I am not an as good writer as them but I hope you guys can still enjoy the story.

If you have a question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.

Review, please!