— He still hasn't come!" Sire was nervous, holding a basket of food in her hands.
"Don't worry, Sire, he's probably busy," Ryu reassured her.
It took about two minutes and Bell came, he was tired, because Hestia had eaten all his brains out.
"...a jealous fool..."
"Oh, Bell! Sire jumped up to him, holding out the basket. — You're a little late.
He took the basket and stared at it. - Can I kiss you?
"Wh..." he lightly poked her forehead with the mask. "Ah!
- Well... I lifted the mood, you can also go to Eina.
Bell turned around and went to the guild, Eina was already waiting for him.
- Bell…
- Don't start, please.
— Let's go shopping, - the half-elf smiled, Bell was taken aback and nodded.
In two hours
Bell was standing at the monument, adjusting his mask, while Aina came up to him, she was wearing a beautiful sweater and skirt.
- Have you been waiting?
- Yes! Bell muttered.
"Don't you dare answer like that, you idiot!"
"Shut up, dark"
"How mean you are..." Eina pouted.
— And you are different… outside of working hours.
A girl ran to them with a big ice cream, but she fell and the melting yummy fell on Bell's pants, the girl's mother was scared, the girl herself was ready to cry. The guy sat down on one knee and stroked the girl's head.
- Sorry, but my pants, we ate your ice cream, - he took out a hundred vallis and gave them to the girl. — This is as a sign of apology, buy yourself the same one…
It was not visible through the mask, but he was very confused and went to the left with quick steps, Eina laughed.
- Bell! We are not going there!
"It's a shame!".
"Don't tell me!"
Hephaestus Store
— I died and went to heaven? Bell asked hopefully.
- No... fortunately.
Bell sighed and started looking at the price.
"No... it's hell... thirty lemons for THAT?" he pointed to the female armor that covered only her back and chest. - no, it's a tryndets!
— These are the lower floors, we need to go higher.
Bell and Eina climbed to the top together.
— Well, it's not expensive and it looks good! the guy proudly pointed at the armor that looked like a light shell. - Okay, I'll go look around, Bell went to the armor department to buy at least something, he rummaged for a long time, consulting with darkom.
"Aluminum
"Shit. Throw it away. Shield."
"Unnecessary. Steel boots."
"Noisy. Throw it away. Yellow bib."
"For faggots. Throw it away."
"What are we playing at?"
"I don't know, but it's fun."
Bell noticed interesting protective gloves with open fingers, with small spikes on the knuckles, and joint fasteners, pressing on which the spikes came out.
"Gloves and joint fasteners?"
"We'll take your division!"
"Welf ... Crozo... I'll remember."
Leaving the store, Bell had already paid and put on new black gloves and black joint fasteners.
"Bell, did you buy anything for yourself?" - Bell showed off in front of the girl and lifted the mask so that she could see his smile. "Yes, it's interesting..." she fidgeted a little and handed him a dark blue meteor wristband. "This is... for you."
— I... I can't accept this,
— I'm not for myself... but for you. I don't care about the money anymore... " her half — elf ears drooped. — I don't want to lose you, too…
— You mean ... in the dungeon?"
Bell blushed slightly and carefully took the handcuff, Eina stroked the back of her head. — But, it seems, for me!..
- Thank you…
"N-you're welcome…
The next day, near the guild
"How did you, moron, manage to lose the Compass amulet?"
"Dropped out..."
"Moron..."
"He's like that himself..."
"And how will we find him now?!"
— Hey, Bell! - the guy looked at the counter and saw Aina, next to whom Aiz was standing.
"IT'S HER!".
- Can you come over here?
Bell calmly turned around and went to the exit, but only for a moment he closed his eyes and the Princess of Swords was already in front of him.
"I want to live...".
I came up to him
— Don't you have any manners?" the half-elf asked sternly.
"I want to live!".
"Okay, she wanted to talk to you, so I won't bother you. Don't thank me.
"GOAT!"
— Um... first of all... - Aiz held out the amulet. — I wanted to return it…
- "Compass"! Bell said, happily taking it in both hands. - Thank God, I'm back…
— I'm sorry... - Aiz bowed guiltily.
- Eh?..
— Because of me, you were almost killed... - Bell remembered the minotaur.
"I feel sorry for the poor guy...".
— Don't worry, you shouldn't apologize... - he lifted the mask and smiled, Aiz stood for a while, looking at his smile, then smiled back.
"It's strange, she's not scary at all now..."
"Why… I smiled at him?.." — Aiz could not understand, as well as why she likes it.
In two days. The twelfth floor
- My God!.. - there were shouts of adventurers and after them the sound of cutting flesh.
- Holy shit!..
- Let's run! Be…
- Minota-avh
Almost no one survived in the control room, with a creature that should not have been here.
Ninth floor
- Mr. Bell, can we go home?.. Adventurers run away with injuries... " Bell sat down on one knee and stroked the girl's head.
- Don't worry, if anything, run… And I'll follow you.
Hearing the monster's footsteps, Bell turned around: there was a roar of the monster, and then the minotaur himself appeared:
Huge, white and with a black axe, an orange substance was flowing from his mouth, his eyes were madly looking at the guy…
"The King of the Minotaurs..."
Bell looked at Lily, the King of the Minotaurs did not move from his place anymore, waiting for something.
- Lily… Run.
"Mr. Bell?"..
— I'll catch up!- he pushed her toward the exit. - RUN!
Lily began to cry and ran. Bell stood up and looked at the minotaur.
- How low have you fallen, Weiter… All for the sake of the eighth level?.. Bell grabbed a nail and swung it the way he usually challenges the boss and glared at the monster. — Where are the girls?..
They swung and their weapons collided, black and white sparks flew for a long distance. And the dance of two powerful weapons began: a snow-white elegant nail with Hallownest patterns, and a black, durable axe with the mark of the fallen.
Five minutes later
Aiz walked along with her squad, not listening to Beta and Tiona at all.
"He... isn't afraid of death?.. Or... is he a fool?.. Why is he walking... without armor?"
- Don't go there! a low-level adventurer shouted while holding his injured arm.
— What's it to you?" A loser! Bethe snapped at him, and Tiona kicked the werewolf in the leg. - Oh, you!..
"There's ... a Minotaur ... white! And ... a black axe!
"A white minotaur with a black axe?" Finn asked, remembering the books about monsters. — But ... it's a level seven minotaur!"
— There... on that level there was a kid... in a mask…
— Where is he?! Aiz shouted after hearing about the boy in the mask, all the members of the expedition were surprised.
— D-ninth... - Aiz rushed to the ninth floor.
- Aiz! Where are you going? - I shouted to Bethe, running after her, after which they connected.
"I don't want to! I don't want you to get killed! BELL! " - the girl did not understand why she wanted to save him so much, as if she were her relative. She noticed Lily walking forward with difficulty, Aiz stopped and helped her to sit down.
Lily squeezed the girl's shoulders. - Please ... save Mr. Bell…
Ottar passed by her side, he stopped and looked at Aiz.
- Don't you dare go there.
"Go to hell!" Aiz barked and jumped forward, the zoomorph himself was holding a crystal through which Freya could see what was happening, he went forward.
The height of the battle
Bell did not think of White as a monster, he had known him for three years and it was hard for him to believe that the wise king of the minotaurs had turned into one of the puppets of the Radiance. Weiter knew that this was his friend, but he had already resisted for too long and the Radiance had almost completely engulfed him.
Weiter swung the axe, but hit with his foot, Bell was hit and flew two meters away, feeling that the world had dimmed, so he received damage.
"Weiter… I'm sorry...".
Suddenly, Aiz separated them, standing in front of Bell.
- You're doing great… Now I'll save you, " Bell caught his breath and stood up again, removing his mask.
"I'LL KILL YOU, Weiter!"
He pushed her away slightly, handing her the mask. - Hold it for yourself…
Bell wiped his nose and stared at the minotaur, the rest of the group ran up, the hollow knight resolutely went to the monster, Aiz tried to stop him, but for a moment she felt some power around this guy, deciding not to climb, Ottar watched from behind, holding the crystal near him.
"He's dead!" Bethe grinned.
- Bete! Tiona shouted, going to help the guy, but the werewolf stopped her. - Hey, asshole, let go!
— He told me not to climb.
The Minotaur swung and struck, Bell parried the blow and it flew past him by a centimeter.
— Did he parry? Finn was surprised. - This is the creature of the seventh…
"The eighth," Riveria interrupted. - The creature is rabid…
Bell struck two blows and cut the sides of the minotaur, orange-colored blood poured out, burning everything around.
At this time, Freya
Freya had seen for a long time that Bell was not at all of the first level, so she did not ask Ottar to help, but to observe. Holding the pillow in her hands, she clutched it tightly and screamed with joy when Bell hit the monster and walked away, even more delighted that he took off the mask, but she could not see the face.
On the ninth floor
— Is he even a person?
- He…
"The hollow Knight..." Tiona suddenly said, squeezing the chest area. — It's a hollow knight.
At that moment, Bell jumped and used the "Descending Darkness", threw the minotaur into the distance, the weapon fell out of the monster's hands, then called the "Shadow Soul" twice and burned the enemy's flesh.
- What the fuck! Bethe shouted. — He doesn't even cast spells!"
The Minotaur rammed Bell with his horns with the last of his strength and pressed him against the wall, piercing him through, but in vain, the guy hit him on the head with his elbow and pierced him with a spike located on the elbow joint.
The Minotaur retreated and tried to hit Bell with his fist, but Bell stopped his hand with his left, and with his right returned the nail to its sheath.
— Did he win? Tiona asked, not understanding what was happening.
One of Bell's twelve innate skills is "Execution", that's exactly what he did: he grabbed the minotaur by the horns, hit him four times on the stomach, and the thorn bit into him again and again, then he knocked him down and beat his face with his hands until he expired.
- What are the zenki hatched?- The tailed one! Bell said with some disgust, looking at Bethe, rubbing the bruised place and applying the"Focus". - Right now you'll be left without eyes.
- Hey, watch your speech! - shouted Bethe, but the hollow was no longer listening to him, he went up to the minotaur, which still did not crumble, and took the nail of dreams.
— What happened to you?" Bell asked, activating the nail, a column of bright lilac light gathered into a nail and the guy hit, transferring consciousness to the minotaur.
Lily ran up to the fallen guy and put his head on his knees. Loki's family was furiously discussing Bell and his real identity, Aiz came up to Lily and sat down next to her, looking at Bell.
Two minutes later, the guy opened his eyes and sat down on the floor; a man with horns and an amulet in the form of a minotaur appeared next to the corpse of the minotaur.
- Oh, Weiter, Weiter, it was hard for you ... I'm sorry.
"No," the ghost said, " I'm sorry… I let everyone down... I thought I could handle this stuff, and she…
"I know what she's doing —" Bell stood up and presented the ghost with the nail of dreams. — Can you be a part of the world that hides this nail? - Weiter nodded and shone, disintegrating into small particles of light, flying into this nail of dreams. He went to the ashes of his friend and pulled out a white horn. His mask cracked and a piece that covered his mouth fell off. - Well, first the horns... now the mouth.
He took the mask and put it on his face.
— And now listen carefully — he began, saying this to everyone present. — There was no fight, I'm not a hollow knight, there was no ghost, you didn't see anything, don't bother me... " then he smiled maniacally. - If you want to die, say it!
At the meeting of the gods
— So, what is there about raising the level?
- I suggest we look at the elevated levels — - there were several photos on the table, among them Aiz and Bell, the photo turned out to be very interesting: he held a nail in his hand and fixed his gaze somewhere in the distance, the mask was broken as now-
they paid too much attention to him.
"In two weeks?" HOW?
- Oh, what a cute expression on your face!
— And who is the patron of such a handsome man?
- Don't touch MY Bell! Hestia shouted, and everyone stopped talking and sat down.
— We will discuss it later, now we will give others a new title and dream up.
They were fooling around with all the other adventurers, but when they got to Bell, they were no longer laughing.
"A white rabbit?"
- Primitive.
- Hidden?
- The face is not completely covered!
- The devil!
— He's not a psychopath.
"A loner, then?"
— He is already walking with support.
"Don't bother, I'll choose a name for him," Freya suddenly said, taking his photo and gently stroking it.
— Not you! Hestia shouted.
- Oh, did the pervert get involved! Loki scoffed, no one dared to defile her Aiz by calling her a "Princess of War".
Freya giggled softly, causing a slight blush and exclamations of the gods.
- Freya, without realizing it, was scared, she wanted to give him a beautiful and elegant name, but she did not realize
that she was afraid, because it could be taken away. - ...I name him, "Knight"! Do you have any objections?
- No, no! - the gods said in one voice.
Guild
— It can't be!
— In just two weeks?"
- Is he really human?
— Is he on steroids?"
- Quiet, quiet! He's coming! - Bell again faked the status so that he was given permission for the middle floors, he was already used to the mask hiding only his nose, forehead and eyes, it became freer to speak with his mouth.
"They seem to be in shock"
"What do you suggest? Poking around on the thirteenth? I want to enrich the goddess a little! By the way, will I be branded a Knight now? It sucks!"
"Oh my God, there are only problems with YOU!"
Two days later
Bell returned to the shop, where he bought gloves and joint fasteners, and heard the blacksmith and the seller swear.
— How is it, no one buys? - the blacksmith was indignant, holding a box with armor gloves and joint fasteners in his hands.
- Excuse me… Are there still any armor-gloves and joint fasteners left?
- You see! There is a buyer!
After some negotiations, Bell agreed to hire Crozo as his personal blacksmith, he still had no problems with money.
- Okay, we'll sign the contract later, let's get to know each other better! Welf said, laughing.
"Somewhere I have already seen such a merry fellow... Ogrim..."
A week later
Welf turned out to be a real friend and a good blacksmith, he provided help and support.
Crozo calmly worked in the forge, after which he fell asleep and had a dream: his friend, Bell Cranel, was completely covered in darkness, but did not shout, on the contrary, he smiled strangely and stretched with the words "come on, buddy, you're next!".
Welf woke up sweating, Bell was sitting next to him, cleaning his nail; there was a kind of sadness on his face, and when Crozo looked closer, he saw that he was covered with a blanket.
— Did you have a nightmare? Bell asked, examining the patterns of his clean nail.
- Yes…
- Will you tell me?
— I don't think you'll like it." Suddenly Welf saw Bell smile, but it was a kind smile. - Okay… There you were, but covered with some kind of darkness and smiling like a maniac!
- Hmm... just like in a moment of rage…
- what? Bell took off his mask and looked at Welf.
— We're friends, aren't we?"
- Of course! - Welf really became attached to the guy and his family during this time, even left his family, despite the fact that he was in love with his patroness.
- Then, I'll tell you a secret…
"Bell, don't worry! I'll understand if you were hiding something!
Bell closed his eyes, opening them again: there were no eye sockets, there was nothing there, only two red balls of fire burning in the middle.
- Ept-mopt… You'RE HOLLOW! Welf shouted joyfully and smiled. — My friend is one of them, awesome-e-e!
"Um... did I miss something?" dark asked with some uncertainty.
- Holy shit! You also have an inner demon! Kru-u-uto! - Welf could not find a place for himself. — I always knew that you exist.
- Yes, your Egyptian pyramid! From where?
"From a book," Crozo said in surprise.
- Now it's clear how Tiona found out about Paul…
— You're kidding me! There are so many cool legends about YOU! Welf began to list all the legends and myths associated with the hollow ones.
— This is definitely the fifteenth or forty-fifth came to the surface! Bell muttered, recalling the stories of the elder of the city of Gryazmut.
So the friendship of a man who dreamed of seeing a hollow knight and a vessel, who wanted to be a real friend to someone, became stronger.