Family Bonding
As she slowly slurped her soup, Lily could feel the tension in the room.
Today's breakfast was a vegetable soup. Bell and Hestia sat on the sofa, Charlotte was on the bed, while she and Okita were sitting on the floor. Despite the taste of simple yet nonetheless delicious soup, there was tension in the room that distracted them from completely enjoying the dish.
After finishing the food, the adventurers and a supporter went towards their gears. The entire Familia then exited the church that was their home and walked together. When they reached a certain street, the goddess and her "children" separated, for their destination was not the same.
"See you later back home!" Hestia told them. "Be safe!"
"Same with you, Goddess!" Bell replied.
The three adventurers and one supporter continued their walk, heading towards the Pantheon. On their way to the building, the group passed a certain pub, which resulted in a certain albino being called out by one of the waitresses working there.
"Bell!"
They turned around to look at the one who called him. Upon seeing her, Bell smiled and walked towards the basket-carrying waitress.
"Syr! Good morning!"
"Morning to you too, Bell. Everything's fine, I presume?"
"Yeah! I am about to…"
In the distance, Okita, Charlotte, and Lily remained where they stand as they watched him talked with the woman. The two Servants simply look in curiosity, wondering who their Master was talking to.
"Lily, do you recognize her?" The Captain asked.
"She's a waitress of the Host of Fertility." The Pallum answered. "Her name is Syr if I am not wrong."
"She seems to be close to Bell." The Assassin commented.
"I suppose it's normal for a man to seek the companion of a lady," Okita stated before sighing. "Hijikata will surely agree."
After several minutes of conversation, Bell finally returned to the group, carrying the basket that Syr owned in his hands.
"S-Sorry about that." The boy said, looking rather anxious. "Syr is just giving me some provision as usual."
"As usual?" The Far Easterner noted. "I see that you're quite popular, huh?"
"N-Not really!" He scratched his head. "Syr's just…simply very nice."
"Well, alright. So long as you don't cause any complication in the future."
"Eh? What?" He was ignored as his fellow Familia started to walk. "Oi, Okita! What do you mean?"
When they arrived at the Pantheon, Bell and Okita went towards the stand where their elf advisor was. Meanwhile, Charlotte and Lily looked around as they waited. The Pallum, remembering the tension back in the church, had been wondering about the cause of it.
"Excuse me, Miss Charlotte?" She asked the Servant.
"What is it?"
"Um, Lily couldn't help but notice the…heavy atmosphere back at home and is wondering about it."
"Hmm…" She raised her head a bit, thinking about how to explain, as her angel orbited around it. "Perhaps the announcement board could answer the question.
The supporter tilted her head in confusion. Nevertheless, she heeded the suggestion and walked towards the board. There were many papers attached to it, announcing the news to the people. Lily looked at the ones that were the least covered, indicating that they were recently added. After a while, she finally found the one that she was looking for.
"Wanted…Zanis Lustra…murder…" She muttered some of the words written on the post before realization dawned in. "Ah!"
Despite how much hated he was by many in the Familia, Zanis Lustra was still the captain and someone still killed him. The Guild didn't like that and thus obviously put a wanted poster. Now knowing the reason, the Pallum walked back towards where Charlotte was, currently reading a book.
"Lily suppose it should be expected; Bell and Captain have a different view on certain things," Lily said as she stood beside her. "Explain why she said that during the meeting at that time."
"Indeed. Bell is the most morally upstanding member of our Familia. Perhaps even among the adventurers." The Servant commented as she flipped a page. "If Bell orders Okita to take someone out, she will not ask for the reason and will do it, for it is an order of her lord."
"It is a good thing that such a powerful person listened to someone with a heart like him."
The supporter looked at Bell and Okita, who seemed to be talking about something with Eina. Suddenly, the swordswoman was coughing and – judging from how panicked the other two were – tainted the stand with blood.
"Okita! Your medicine! Medicine!"
She and Charlotte simply sighed and shook their heads regarding what just happened.
It was a building from the Far East, one known as a dojo. It was a place where people gather to learn and compete in martial arts. Inside, several children were performing movement after movement with their wooden sword. When they completed the final move, they stopped.
Sitting on the sideline, watching over them, their mentor stood up and walked towards them, her own wooden sword in hand. When she noticed one of them had his foot in the wrong position, she hit the foot with the wooden sword. The student held back the pain and fixed his pose.
Looking at another student, she noticed that he didn't hold his sword correctly. She walked towards him and fixed it. Despite the rather harsh nature, there was not even a slight comment coming out from his mouth.
She looked around once more and – satisfied – returned to where she sat earlier. After she sat down and gave the command, the students continued their training.
When the training was over, she stood in front of her students. They bowed to her, which was replied in turn, albeit not as low. Several hours after they returned back to their home, she was sitting in front of the door of the dojo, a cup of green tea in her hands.
As she took a sip, she noticed that someone was approaching her. One of her hands went to the katana that she put beside her. When the man was closer and she recognized him, she moved her hand away, knowing that she could trust him.
The last few years have been a trying time.
The two of them exchanged pleasantries for the first few minutes before he finally spoke to her about his intention of visiting her. There was talk in the wind about an establishment of a group; a group of samurai to protect the Shogunate in this hard time.
He asked her if she was interested.
Slowly, Bell opened his eyes. He sat up on the sofa before letting out a yawn. As he rubbed his eyes, his mind went towards what he had just witnessed earlier. Because he was sleeping, there was only one explanation for it.
"Dream?" He spoke. "That woman…I…she is…"
After sitting for a few minutes, the white-haired boy stood up and stretched his arms. He already knew what to do for this day.
"Eh? A dojo?" Okita said, surprised by the question. "Yes, I was a coach in one before joining the Shinsengumi. What about it?"
"Well, this may sound strange…" Bell scratched his chin. "Last night, I dreamed of a dojo. There were students there, training with wooden katana, performing move after move…"
"…and their mentor in your dream was me, right?" He looked at her; this time it was him who was surprised. "It's likely due to your connection with me as Master and Servant. It could cause our memory to…bleed into one another, resulting in the kind of dream that you have."
"I-I see…wait, that means I am going to see Charlotte's as well?!" Upon receiving a nod, Bell groaned a bit. "Man, it will be awkward. It's like I am violating your privacy or something."
"Mah, just take it in stride. It could have been worse." Saber merely waved her hand. "So, is there anything else? You, after all, ask about the dojo rather than the dream directly."
"Well, I am wondering – if it's not too much of a bother – if you could…teach me."
Okita didn't react much upon hearing the request, merely raising an eyebrow. As he waited for the answer, Bell couldn't help but scratched his head at the awkward atmosphere. In the end, she nodded her head.
"Well, if we stop counting at my time of death, then it has been years since I teach someone." The Saber-class Servant commented. "Hopefully, I haven't gone rusty."
"T-Thank you very much!" The Master bowed.
"Don't think too much about it. After all…"
He didn't know why, but despite her smiling face, Bell felt as if he had just signed his death warrant.
"I admit I have a little bit of temper problem as a teacher."
"Alright, Bell. Are you ready?"
"Y-Yes, Okita. I…"
"Call me Sensei!"
"H-Hai, Sensei!"
The two of them were now standing in front of the church, Bell in his armor while Okita went back on wearing her pink kimono. Now that Bell saw it again, it looked like the clothes that she wore when she taught those children.
"First, I want to see how agile you are." The Samurai stated before turning around. "Keep up with me."
Without warning, she immediately ran. While he was surprised at first, he wasted no time at all in following her. Rather than the main street, the Saber-class Servant instead took the alleys of Orario. While they could serve as shortcuts, they were also hard to navigate and contained many obstacles, like crates, barrels, small stairways, and occasional wells.
Bell now understood the purpose of the training; rather than dodging them, Okita instead simply passed through them, whether she had to jump or slide under them. Not even when turning at the corner or passing through the narrow gap she decreased her speed. At least not as much as expected.
As much as he tried to keep up, the boy knew that he was not as good as her and the distance between them was slowly increasing. Gritting his teeth, despite the protest of his muscle, Bell did nothing but making sure that she was within his sight.
Finally, they emerged from the alley and entered the main street. However, the Samurai then did something unexpected; she kept running forward, despite the fact that there was a wall in front of her. When she was close, she jumped and landed on it before turning around to look at her new student.
He knew that it would be impossible for him to replicate that move; it was likely something limited to the Servants. Thus, he turned around and headed towards the tower. If he was correct, there should be stairs leading upwards. When he entered it, he was proven to be correct. Once he reached the top, he saw her with an empty potion bottle in her hand.
"You take your time," Okita commented as Bell tried to control his breath. "Is that everything you have?"
"N-No…just…give me…" After taking some deep breaths, he stood straight up. "Right, I am ready."
While his experience back in his village wasn't exactly useful for diving into the Dungeon, it was useful when it came to stamina training. Farm work, despite how simple it was, was repetitive and tiring.
"Good." She nodded. "Now, draw out your knife."
"Yes, Sensei."
He did as he was told to. The blade of the Hestia Knife was sparkling under the sun.
"Hmm, none of my students ever use a knife." Saber commented. "So, Bell. Why knife? There are other weapons that Guild offered for newbies."
"It's…it's one that I know the most." He said as he focused on his weapon. "There were times when I used longer weapons, like spear and – I guess you can count – hoe as well. But the knife is one that I have the most experience with. My grandfather showed me how versatile it is, how it can be used to cut the rope, killing monsters that intrude into our farm, slaughtering chickens, things like that."
"Out of curiosity, have you ever slaughtered one yourself?"
"Um, yeah?" He became uncomfortable. "It's part of the life on the farm. I also gave hand when neighbors slaughtered their cow. Cutting the meat and little bit of skinning."
She didn't ask further about it. Instead, she drew out her own weapon; her katana.
"So, Bell, answer this question," Okita said as she made her fighting pose. "What is the advantage of my sword?"
"Um, you have a longer reach."
"Correct. And what is the advantage of your knife?"
"It's…well…"
"They always say that action speaks louder than any word." Whatever emotion on her face was soon gone. "Let's give it a try, shall we?"
Before he could reply, the Samurai was already in front of him with her sword about to come down to his head. In a panic, Bell blocked the attack. Not even pausing a bit, Okita already made a move and was now threatening his left side. He also blocked it, only for her to try the same with his right side.
"She's fast!" He thought. While he knew that Saber was a speed-based fighter, experiencing it first hand was another thing. "H-How could I even strike back?"
Coincidentally, right after he thought about that, Okita for some reason jumped back, creating a distance of few feet between them, and put her katana back into the sheath. Not wasting the opportunity, Bell dashed towards her.
It was proven to be a mistake.
The boy suddenly knelt, his hands holding his stomach in pain. He looked up and saw that the Samurai was no longer in front of him. Turning around, he found her standing behind him, katana unsheathed but being held differently.
He knew what it meant; her last attack would be a fatal blow had she not used the dull edge.
Slowly, the white-haired adventurer stood up, tightly gripping on his knife. The Servant turned around, switching the position of the edges, before pointing her sword at him.
"Again!"
At the counter of the shop, Naaza was attending it with a bored face. The sale was not bad but nonetheless, a slow day it was. Miach was currently away, buying ingredients for their potions. Hopefully, he didn't give any freebie to anyone. While she could understand the sentiment, money was really important to them thanks to the state of their finance, especially with the debt.
"Ah." Her face lightened up a bit upon seeing the door being opened. "Wel – whoa, what happened to you?"
It was Bell and Okita of the Hestia Familia. While the latter looked fine and showed no sign of tuberculosis, it was another story with the boy; the only way to describe him was being beaten up all over the place.
"H-Hey there, N-Naaza…" He greeted her weekly. "A potion and…something for the bruise."
While she was curious, the Chienthrope decided to take care of the order first. It didn't take long for her to acquire the demanded items. The white-haired adventurer immediately grabbed the potion and drank it while the Far Easterner paid for them.
"Thank you very much," Bell said, feeling much better.
"So, can you tell me what happened?" The brown-haired woman asked again. "If it's personal then…"
"It's nothing." He assured her. "Okita-sensei is just…very enthusiast in training."
Naaza blinked several times before looking at said pink-haired woman, who simply scratched her head while laughing in embarrassment.
"Well, I warned you. So the blame's entirely on you." The Samurai stated.
"I see…" The former adventurer commented before her eyes widened. "Ah, Bell, Okita, may I ask for a favor?"
"What is it?" He asked back.
"You see, Lord Miach and I are performing an experiment to create a new type of potion. However, some of the ingredients that we need are quite hard to get." The Chienthrope explained.
"Ah, so this is a quest?" The Servant deduced.
"Indeed. Don't worry, it is simple and I can promise that the reward would be satisfying."
The two adventurers of the Hestia Familia looked at each other for a while. They then nodded before looking back at Naaza.
"We'll accept."
After they accepted the quest and returned to the home, the "children" of Hestia split themselves into two groups; Okita and Lily would go to the Dungeon to collect the wings of Blue Papillon. Bell and Charlotte would go to the Deep Forest Seoro to retrieve the eggs of Bloodsaurus.
The Supporter at first protested regarding the second item. However, once being told that the monsters were on the surface rather than the 30th floor, she calmed down.
On the cart that they rented, the boy was looking around, enjoying the scenery, while the woman was focused on the book that she was holding. The one in her hand was quite special as it was the first book that Assassin bought after being summoned.
Speaking of which, Bell had just realized that he didn't know much about her. At best, despite being of the same Familia, they were just acquaintances. Perhaps he could use this opportunity to know about her deeper.
"Say, Charlotte…" He spoke up, attracting her attention. "If you don't mind, what book is that?"
"Oh, it's called Heaven's Arrival." She replied, showing him the cover. "The shop owner told me that it is collection of commentaries of the people during the time the gods descended for the first time, from someone as low as a mere peasant to as high as king of the realm."
"Heh, interesting." The boy commented. "You really do like book."
"Indeed. There is no excuse to not learn the knowledge of those who came before. Also, in the convent, this is the only form of entertainment that I have."
He was about to continue the conversation when the adventurer noticed that they had arrived at their destination.
"Here we are."
Both of them hopped off their cart. Bell tied it to a nearby tree while Charlotte picked up the bag from the back of the vehicle before they went into the woods. It was merely several feet into the forest and already the surrounding became darker, thanks to the dense trees that made up the forest. The only source of lighting was the few rays of sunlight that managed to penetrate through.
As if to welcome them, there was suddenly a roar, shocking the duo. Judging from the voice, it was likely being made by a big animal, possibly the Bloodsaurus that they were looking for.
"I believe it comes from…" Bell pointed the direction. "That way."
"Alright." Charlotte agreed. "Lead the way, Master."
They approached the source of the roar, careful not to make too much noise less they alerted the monsters. After traveling through dense forest for several minutes, they finally found their target. It was, after all, kind of hard to miss a blood-red – just as the name indicated – massive lizard, standing on two feet and two tiny hands.
"That's the Bloodsaurus, right?" He silently asked, pointing at the monster.
"Most likely." She nodded before pointing her finger. "And that's the nest."
At where she pointed, there was a bulge with the middle hollowed, filled with leaves on the base and the eggs.
"I'll go there, take the eggs." Assassin then pointed her back with her thumb. "Watch my back."
"Got it." The albino gave a thumb up.
They waited for the Bloodsaurus to look in the other direction. Once it did, Charlotte emerged from the bushes and silently approached the nest. He couldn't help but feel awed at what he saw. Due to the situation in the Dungeon, a full-frontal assault was basically the only option when fighting the monsters.
It was not like that on the surface. Here, she could show the skill of Presence Concealment, the trademark of the Assassin-class Servants. Despite the proximity between her and the monster, the latter didn't react at all. There were times when Bell felt panicked due to some "almost spotted" moments. In the end, she managed to reach the nest.
She encountered a problem, however. The nest was within the eyesight of the Bloodsaurus. If she took one or even just moved it, it would obviously notice her presence and tried to protect its eggs. Charlotte decided to send a signal for Bell to do something.
At first, he considered fighting the monster himself. According to Lily, monsters on the surface were weaker compared to the ones in the Dungeon because every time they had a child, their magic stone got split up with a portion given to their child. All in all, these monsters were more like animals that resembled their kin down there.
However, doing that had the potential of destroying the eggs. He needed to think of something else. An acorn suddenly fell on his head. He went to rub his head before an idea came to his mind.
Bell picked up a stone and threw it to a faraway tree, creating noise that attracted the Bloodsaurus. Seeing the chance, Charlotte immediately put an egg into her bag before retreating back to her previous location. Once there, both of them went back to their cart.
"Well, I manage to get an egg." She stated as she took it out. "But I am sure the request demands more than one."
"That's right." He replied after checking it. "Which means…we have to go back."
The only thing the duo could do was laughing and then sighing at their misfortune.
"Um…" She didn't know what to say.
While Naaza was more than happy to know that the quests were fulfilled, the conditions of the people that brought the materials dampened the mood. All of them, with the exception of their captain, looked as if they were fighting for their lives with how dirty their appearances were.
"What happened?" She decided to just ask. "I am pretty it's a piece of cake even for Level 1."
"Well, it went well at first…" Bell explained first. "Then the Bloodsaurus mother returned, noticed her eggs were missing and went on a rampage. Killing the monsters was no problem. It's the fact that the animals panicked, almost destroying many of the eggs in their attempt to escape."
"Ah." That explained it. "And you?"
"This…this…" Lily trembled for a while before she basically exploded. "This maniac of a captain made Lily do all the fighting despite the fact that Lily was a mere supporter!"
"Oh, come on. Remember that time with the Ants?" Okita replied. "You fought quite well. It will be a shame to do nothing with that potential."
"You're just still mad at Lily and is punishing her, aren't you?!"
The pharmacist shook her head at the sight in front of her.
In the morning, Ais Wallenstein was jogging around the city. Breakfast wouldn't be for another hour and many of the shops were still closed. Feeling somewhat bored in the Twilight Manor, she decided to wander around Orario for a bit.
CLANG
She stopped moving and turned her head, looking at the direction of where the voice came from. It came from the wall. She was about to wonder what could create the voice when she saw two figures fighting on in. Judging from their moves, they were likely simply sparring. Nothing too serious.
Curious, the Sword Princess walked closer to the wall. When she saw who it was – at least one of them, her eyes became wide; that was the same adventurer that she encountered during the Minotaur incident. The one who got covered in the blood and runaway back to the surface.
"Perfect."
That incident happened due to the action of the Loki Familia. Feeling rather bad about it, she tried to find the boy but to no avail. A guild staff, Eina Tulle, once told her that his name was Bell Cranel and actually asked her to protect him due to getting involved with "wrong people."
In the end, thanks to his fellow Familia members, it was not necessary.
Anyway, it was only proper for her to apologize for what her Familia did. It was an accident but a mistake would remain a mistake. Thus, she walked to the tower to meet them. Midway on her way upward, Ais no longer heard the sound of the fight. Perhaps they were resting.
Once she reached the top, she saw Bell Cranel sitting on the floor drinking from a canteen, which was then shared with the pink-haired Far Easterner. As she walked towards them, both of them noticed her. While the woman remained calm, the boy reacted the opposite.
"W-W-W-W-Wha…" He incoherently tried to speak as his hand pointed at her. "Y-Y-Y-You…"
"Um, morning?" Ais greeted with a raised hand, unsure of how to proceed.
"Morning to you too as well." The woman replied. "How can we help you?"
"I…I want to speak with Bell Cranel."
"Eh?!"
"Well, you heard her, Bell." She gestured at him. "Come on. Stand up."
Awkwardly, the boy stood up. His red face and many moves that he made indicated just how nervous he was. While Ais looked to be the opposite, inside she was nervous as well. This kind of conversation was not the one that she was used to.
"Um, first of…" She opened her mouth before bowing to him. "I apologies."
"Eh?" Not expecting those words, he couldn't help but blinking several times.
"You were hurt by the Minotaur that we – Loki Familia – failed to defeat properly." The Sword Princess explained. "Thus, I am sorry."
"A-Ah, n-no! There's no n-need to! It's my f-fault for going to the 5th floor without thinking!" Bell immediately talked back while blushing. "F-Furthermore, I ran away from y-you w-without even thanking for the rescue!"
On the sideline, the other member of Hestia Familia couldn't help but giggle at the sight in front of her.
"I-In any case, I am sorry!"
Silence fell upon them after the one who received apologize gave one in return. For a while, the only sound that existed was that of the wind. Ais, not exactly sure on what to do next, decided to speak about something that took her interest.
"I have heard of your exploit in the Dungeon." She said. "To reach the 10th floor in a matter of month…that's amazing."
"A-Ah, no! It's not that great!" Bell replied. "I…I still have a lot to go. It's thanks to my Familia that I managed to reach it already."
At the mention of that, she turned her attention towards the Samurai, who seemed to be content on being left out.
"Ah, that's right! Where are my manners?" Okita suddenly remembered, giving a bow to the blonde. "My name is Okita Souji, Samurai from the Far East and Captain of Hestia Familia."
"I am Ais Wallenstein." She replied back with a bow as well. "Adventurer of Loki Familia."
The Sword Princess wondered about the two adventurers. She had seen a bit of how he was on the 10th floor. And then there was the spar between them. They were enough for her to concluded that his growth was at an unbelievable rate.
"What is it?" She thought. "The secret of your growth?"
Suddenly, there was the sound of stomach growling. The three of them went silent at the mood whiplash. Okita looked at the sun, knowing the reason.
"Well, look at that." She commented. "It's around time for breakfast, don't you agree?"
The other two agreed. Ais said her goodbye, intending to return back to the manor. As she walked away, she was about to enter the tower when the captain called her out.
"Hey, if you have any more questions…" She said. "…you can visit us anytime!"
While she didn't turn her head, the fact that her eyes widened indicated that surprise that the Sword Princess felt. It was, however, not comparable to the sheer shock that Bell had.
"Thank you," Ais replied before descending off the wall.
"Um, Okita. About what you just said…"
"Well, she seems to be curious about something. Plus, I thought you will appreciate receiving a visit from someone you admire."
"Fueh?!"
"Now, now. No need to hide it. When you have a superior like Hijikata, even if you never fall in love, it will be something that you can identify."
"Um, who is this…?"
"Also, didn't you once said that the reason you went to the Dungeon is that…"
"Please don't say it!"
After training with Okita for several days, Bell received an update on his falna. When Hestia gave the paper to him, he couldn't help but amazed by what he saw.
Bell Cranel
Level 1
Strength: C659 – B702
Defense: C634 – A820
Dexterity: C654 – C693
Agility: B722 – A856
Magic: B787 – A801
"I want to say that I am impressed and I actually do." The Goddess commented. "It's just that, considering how one of them improves so much because you keep getting beaten up…"
"Ugh!" He winced, once pride now turned into hurt.
"Well, just keep doing what you're doing." She said before standing up. "I know I don't need to say this, but I am proud of you, Bell."
"T-Thank you, Goddess!"
As she went to do her own business, the white-haired boy returned his attention to the sheet of paper in his hand. Once again, he smiled at the result. With these stats, he was one step closer to his goal.
"All I need now is to Level Up…"
Answers to some reviewers:
Riceur: Nope. The two of them will remain a Servant.
Jose19: Lily, Mikoto, and Haruhime say otherwise.
Also, it's impossible to cure Okita's TBC. Technically speaking, she's not sick. Her having the disease is as normal as she has a pair of hands or hair.
Speaking of which, about the Servants, I can tell you this: No God. Those with divinity like say, Cu Chulainn or Achilles is fine. But no god, like Parvati or Jaguar Warrior. With the setting full of gods like Danmachi, it's just asking for trouble.
If you have a question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.
Review, please!
