I finished another chapter, yay! This one is also quite good I feel like, though this one has less smut and less action packed into it. I feel like it's more of a slice of life with some comedy and romance ( it does have some smut though).
There was a nice and calm wind around them, as well as the sound of a small, nearby waterfall. The 18th floor of the dungeon really was beautiful…
Currently, Bell and Riveria were enjoying some quality couple time on the 18th floor of the dungeon. Now, with both of them having levelled up, both of them would managed to go back and forth between the 18th floor and the surface on their own, meaning that they finally had a place where they could meet and enjoy each other's company again.
Despite Bell now being Level Four though, Riveria still didn't exactly like the idea of having him travel through the dungeon all alone. After all, the dungeon had the nasty tendency to bear it's fangs against the weak and inexperienced most of the time. While Bell certainly wasn't all that weak anymore, he was still far from experienced enough that Riveria would feel save leaving him alone in the dungeon. She didn't even feel comfortable leaving Aiz alone in the dungeon and in terms of experience Bell wasn't even close to Aiz…
However, while Riveria didn't like the idea of Bell coming her alone, that certainly seemed like a minor issue, now that they were both lying in the shade of a tree, her cuddling up to Bell trying to be as close to him as possible…
Admittedly the dungeon wasn't exactly the best place for lovers to meet. While the 18th floor was relatively safe, there were still monsters around that would occasionally interrupted their nice time together, though by now Bell was able to pretty much one-shot each of these monsters with his Firebolt, partly thanks to Riveria who had shared some of her high quality magic excellia with him back during their night in Melen…
Now as they were cuddling, Riveria couldn't help but ask: "Say Bell… how was the way down here? Did anything happen? Are you hurt? Do you nee-"
However Bell interrupted her with a wry smile, saying: "Riveria, you already asked that. I would say… at least five times now. I am fine really."
Riveria blushed at that. Indeed she had asked him those questions more than just once already since they met up here.
"I… I am sorry. I guess I am just… worried about you.", Riveria admitted.
"Well I appreciate that you care so much, but you really should try to trust in me more. Even if I may be inexperienced, I have had my fair share of adventures now to prove that I have the will to survive.", Bell tried to comfort her.
Both of them stayed silent for a moment after that.
"But you know… why do we need to be so secretive anyway?", Bell couldn't help but ask. Yeah sure, at the beginning he got why Riveria would want to keep it a secret, after all he had been part of a different familia and even after he joined, he first needed to properly integrate into the familia, hence why they hadn't revealed it from the start but now? He was sure that the other elves would accept him as Riveria's boyfriend…
When he said those things to Riveria though, she only let out a dry chuckle: "Oh if only these girls were the only ones needed to accept this…"
Bell was silent, waiting for Riveria to further explain what she meant.
Riveria took her time to think about her words, before finally answering: "I too believe that these girls would accept our relationship by now but… what about the other elves of the city? I know we are a powerful familia, but there is no need to create more enemies than necessary. Oh and believe me, once we inform everyone in our familia, it is only a matter of time before the news spreads through the city…"
And finally, her eyes slightly clouded and seemingly filled with sadness she said: "And, while this is might be bad, it is nothing compared to my father. You know, I am a princess Bell. My father was overprotective to me for my entire live until I eventually got his permission to leave, however it isn't like he was happy about my decision. Even now he expects me to return home eventually after I am 'done playing adventurer'. To top that off, I am the only child my father has and elves aren't exactly known for their high birth rates so there is a good chance it will stay like that. Can you imagine what he would say when he finds out his only daughter, whom he needs to continue his lineage has fallen in love with a human instead of an elf? You know, there are stories of executions simply because a princess fell in love not with a high elf but some other type of elf…"
To Bell, this was the first time hearing all of this. Yeah sure, he had known some things about Riveria's circumstances, but he never thought things would be so complicated for her…
And even now Riveria further continued: "You might be thinking that my father doesn't have any power and yes, that might be true. After all they have no god in my home forest that would give them a Falna but… he has got political power and a lot of it too. Basically every elf in the world answers his command. Not directly, but they all recognize him as their rightful king. Can you imagine what would happen to this city if he turned every elf in the city against us? Or against the guild? Worst case, we might even find ourselves having to fight the guild since they surely wouldn't care enough for the love of two people to fight a civil war within the city. Even further…"
Riveria seemed to rumble on and on, however Bell had heard enough. He simply hugged her tight and kissed her with passion. Riveria was slightly taken aback, however she didn't reject his kiss, instead she eagerly accepted it. Slowly but surely, all the tension that had built up inside of her thanks to all of her worries was beginning to fade from her body and she finally began to relax once more. When they separated, Riveria didn't talk anymore, instead she simply laid back down onto Bell's chest, snuggling up against him.
Really seeing her like that, Bell couldn't help but be reminded just how incredibly cute this high elf could be even if it was unintentionally…
To an outsider, this scene might have looked quite silly to be honest. After all Riveria was taller than Bell, despite that she was the one snuggling up against him and to top things off, Riveria was even multiple times his age…
Of course none of them cared about that though. It wasn't like they planned to have anyone watch them anyway…
Laying there like this, Riveria couldn't help but think: "Perhaps it might not be so bad if everyone knew about us after all... At least we could share moments like these more often then. Perhaps we should consider telling it Finn at least. Maybe even Gareth…"
They then laid there like this for a while, simply enjoying the feeling of the other's body…
Finally, after what felt like an eternity and yet only a short moment, Riveria once again initiated a conversation: "What do you think of it? I mean the Denatus Loki invited us too."
*Yesterday*
"A Denuts with us? I thought these meeting were only for you gods? I believe the only one any humans attended was the one Apollo hosted….", Riveria asked after Loki had invited them to join her in the Denatus.
Loki told her in response: "Yes this is only the second time something like that happened. Seems kinda fishy to me honestly but… well I can't exactly refuse, especially with both of you having levelled up. Can't have them give you guys weird nicknames after all… Anyway, I leave the decision up to you. I have got plenty of other people that could join me so if you feel uncomfortable you don't have to attend. Just… give it some thought ok? The Denatus will be held in a week so just tell me your answer until then."
*Back in the present*
"Do you… want to go?", Riveria asked Bell hesitantly, unsure if he wanted to attend. After all the last Denatus he attended hadn't ended well for him and his former familia…
Bell in turn answered her question with a question of his own: "Do you want to go?"
Riveria thought for a second, but honestly, she had decided to attend since yesterday already. "Yes I think so. With my level up I will have to make some sort of public appearance sooner or later anyway, so something like a Denatus is probably I good thing for me anyway."
Bell then told her: "In that case, I will attend too."
"Are you sure? I thought that, maybe you wouldn't want to go, given that you probably have some rather bad memories of the last Denatus…", Riveria asked for further confirmation, worried that he was forcing himself for her sake. However…
Bell simply told her: "Yes I am sure. There is no way I would miss seeing you in an evening dress you know?", with a grin.
Hearing his statement, Riveria couldn't help but blush slighty, however that blush soon spread out all over her face when Bell further added: "I am sure you will look gorgeous! Not that you wouldn't look gorgeous at any other time too!"
"Y-You know, an evening dress isn't so special! Really… if you wanted me to wear something special for you, you would only have needed to ask…", Riveria told him, averting her eyes, happy, yet embarrassed from Bell's earnest compliment…
At that comment, Bell couldn't help but blurt out: "W-Wait, you mean you would dress up for me?! E-even in something lewd?!"
Riveria's blush only intensified further after hearing such a statement, even slightly trembling in shame, however she still managed to answer: "Y-Yes I would! You know, I wore a piece of lingerie just for you dummy! A-As long as no one else see's it I wouldn't mind…"
At that Bell couldn't help but think about all the different possibilities this opened up! Just what should he have her wear first?! Perhaps a micro bikini to really embarrass her?! Or maybe a childish dress with lots of frills to further show off her cute and girly side?! Or- Or maybe even a bunny suit?!
"H-Hey! Earth to Bell!", Riveria tried to snap him out of his fantasies by waving one of her hands in front of his face, her own face still deeply red up to the very tips of her long ears…
"H-Huh? Oh sorry… I got lost in thought there for a moment…", Bell said, trying to clear his head.
"Yeah… and I think I can imagine what kind of thought…", Riveria mumbled as she felt a familiar part of Bell's body poke into her side…
Bell slightly blushed as she mentioned his erection, but then laughed it off, saying: "S-Sorry… Thinking of you just gets me like this… I-It will go away soon so don't worry about it"
Riveria let out a sigh… before slowly starting to massage Bell's hard on through his pants, causing him to gasp in shock and pleasure.
"Really, you are such a pervert…. at least let me enjoy myself with that tool of yours as well", she told him with a lustful, teasing gaze before leaning in to kiss him again, her hand already working its way into his pants…
"Oh, I am the pervert here? I would say that this lewd elf princess is certainly quite the pervert as well", Bell teased her as he began running his hands all over her body, making Riveria purr like a kitten in response.
Really, their continues sexual activities seemed to make both of them more mature or well… yeah maybe more lewd or horny would be a better way to describe it…
Soon enough clothes were thrown around left and right in between hot, passionate moments of making out.
Once again Riveria found herself on her back, her legs spread, and waiting for Bell to enter her.
She further teased him by saying: "So? Will you hold back today my stud? Or will you lose yourself completely once again?"
He in turn only answered with a smirk, saying: "Hm, I don't know yet. What would you prefer my lewd princess? I would say it all depends on how sexy you will act this time"
Both of them couldn't help but slightly chuckle at that comment before Bell slowly inserted himself into his loving girlfriend, both of them sharing yet another tender, passionate kiss.
Truth be told, despite teasing Riveria about it, Bell had sworn himself to hold back as much as possible for Riveria in the future. He certainly enjoyed their night in Melen, but it honestly really scared him how exhausted Riveria had been and how he had pounded her throughout the night with her more unconscious than conscious for most of the time…
Riveria on the other hand certainly didn't mind Bell going all out on her like that. After all it only showed just how much she could turn him on, something she was quite embarrassed about but also proud of at the same time. However, while she didn't mind him taking her as hard as he did, it certainly would make things very difficult for her. After all she could hardly go through the dungeon with shaky legs due to just being pounded into oblivion by her lover… While she would still managed to defeat any monsters that were to attack her, she certainly wouldn't want anyone seeing her walking as if she was drunk all the way up to the dungeon's entrance…
While Riveria enjoyed teasing Bell about this night and his berserker like state, she certainly had to admit that it was partly her fault for teasing him with a blowjob like that… On a side note, Riveria certainly hadn't neglected her studies of the book Loki had bought even after they had returned from Melen and she was happy to know she still had multiple surprises like this for Bell, though she also told herself that she wouldn't reveal them just yet, instead saving them for special occasions, perhaps as a form of reward for him… Also, as much as she hated to admit that, perhaps she would have to go to Loki and thank her for that book… though really she was honestly too embarrassed to do that since she knew Loki would never let her live that down…
Soon enough, both Bell and Riveria forgot everything about the world around them as they enjoyed each other to the fullest…
*At the same time on top of Babel Tower*
"Do you really think he will attend? Wouldn't he be opposed to the idea after what happened with Apollo? Besides, Loki could always decide to take Finn along instead. He is the captain of their familia after all.", Ottar voiced his concerns to his goddess while kneeling behind her throne.
"Oh no, I am certain he will come. He recently levelled up so Loki will surely invite him and he isn't such a weakling that would be still be scared because of the past. Not after we made him overcome his fear of the minotaur.", Freya replied absolutely sure Bell would attend the Denatus alongside Loki.
"Are you sure you will get a chance to talk to him without our help?", Ottar further asked.
"Don't worry too much about it Ottar. I have the god who is holding this Denatus wrapped around my finger. He will do anything I ask of him. I mean to begin with he only did something like inviting children like you to a Denatus because I asked for it.", Freya told him.
"I see. I will leave all of this to you then…", Ottar replied.
*One week later during the departure of Loki familia to the Denatus*
"Awww… I am so jealous. I wish I could go too! I am sure there is so much delicious food there!", Tiona complained as Bell was heading to the carriage. He could of course only chuckle, imagining just how it would look like if Tiona attended a rather formal evening party like this…
Bell was dressed up in a nice black smoking. When he had worn such an outfit for the first time, during the last Denatus he attended, he didn't really like it, thinking that such high society clothing didn't fit him, however that was different now. Now he had more self-confidence which actually enabled him to appreciate this type of clothing and even he had to admit he didn't look all that bad in this getup!
Soon enough Bell left Tiona behind, waving at her once last time before entering the carriage that would drive them to the party. The carriage immediately drove off once Bell had entered as Riveria and Loki were already inside. That didn't leave Bell any time to look at them before sitting down…
"I am sorry for the delay I just…", Bell began but stopped talking in the middle of his sentence as he saw Riveria in her dress for the first time! She had made a point of not showing him her dress beforehand, leading to him being completely stunned, now that he was seeing her in her shoulder less, sleeveless green one piece dress. It was quite a tight fit and honestly, Riveria's biggest fear right now was that her breasts might slip out somewhere during the party… but that one look on Bell's face alone was completely worth it.
She couldn't help but blush as he stared at her, however it was all but obvious that she enjoyed all the attention he gave her and really… it was quite evident that she too seemed to greatly enjoy seeing Bell in a smoking as she shyly stole glances at him too while he was staring at her.
"Awww…. cute! You know, this must be the first time I see you guys doing anything that might be considered flirting.", Loki interrupted their appreciation of each other, adding "Oh just… please don't forget about me and start fucking in here ok?", to tease the two of them.
At that both of them averted their eyes, cheeks burning bright red as Loki chuckled at the two lovebirds…
*Later…*
The carriage drive was a rather short one as the god hosting the Denatus wasn't too far away from their home. When the three of them arrived, the party seemed to already be going for quite a while, at least there were already multiple dozens, perhaps even hundreds of gods and goddesses with their followers present.
"Well, seems like this is going to be fun huh? Ok, have fun you two, I am going to go get a drink or… maybe ten or so.", Loki told them before slipping off into the crowd.
Bell and Riveria on the other hand didn't quite know what to do as they too aimlessly wandered through the crowd.
"Bell? Is that you?", a familiar voice called out to them from behind.
"Welf?", Bell asked, immediately recognizing the voice as one of his close friends, someone he still had occasional contact with despite them being in different familias now.
"It really is you Bell! How are you doing?", Welf asked as he gave Bell a firm handshake to greet him which Bell promptly returned. Behind Welf, he could see Mikoto approaching too, greeting him as well: "Hello Bell."
"Hello Mikoto. You are looking good!", he complimented her outfit, a black one piece dress not unlike that of Riveria, though of course Mikoto's beauty couldn't compared to the high elf behind him…
Speaking of Riveria, these two soon noticed her as well, Welf being the first one to greet her as well. "Good evening! You must be Riveria I assume? Thanks for taking care of this guy here. He tends to get into trouble a lot… Oh right and congratulations on reaching Level Seven, you are the talk of the town right now!"
Mikoto soon hit Welf on the back of his head, saying: "Pay a little more respect you idiot! You know, even if she is a mage she could knock you out with nothing more than a finger as a Level Seven! Be a little more self-aware!"
She then proceeded to say: "I am sorry for my friend her Miss… Alf was it? I am Mikoto and this here is Welf. As he said, thank you for taking care of Bell!"
Mikoto had of course made sure not to mention Welf's last name on the off chance that it would anger an elf like Riveria.
Riveria on the other hand couldn't help but chuckle at their exchange, simply telling them: "Don't worry, there is no need to be so formal. I am just an adventurer too. Oh and well… since you know Bell already I think you will believe me that not only I am taking care of him, but that he is helping me out as well from time to time."
Riveria couldn't help but think of the hidden meaning both her and Mikoto's words could imply. 'Taking care of me', 'taking care of Bell'… they certainly took care of each other, though not just as a familia or fellow adventurers…
"If you would excuse me now, there is someone I know that I would like to talk to. Have fun you three!", Riveria politely excused herself, leaving the three former members of the same familia behind.
Of course that hadn't been true. Riveria didn't have anyone in particular she wanted to talk to. In fact she would have been very happy to stick around Bell for the entire evening but… well she felt that he should have some time alone with his old friends, something that she didn't want to butt into…
Bell of course would have been more than happy to keep Riveria around. After all he wanted Mikoto and Welf to get to know her better! But well… if she had someone she wanted to talk to it would be wrong to stop her…
Really Bell was far too naïve for his own good…
Either way, once Riveria left, both Mikoto and Welf seemed to relax a bit more now. Bell then tried to get the conversation rolling again: "Well, how are you guys doing?"
"Oh we are both doing quite fine. We are mostly still only adventuring on the higher levels of the dungeon but we will get deeper eventually. Slowly but steadily.", Mikoto answered him.
"Good to hear that.", Bell replied before hesitantly adding: "…so… the goddess… I mean Hestia… and Lili and Haruhime… how about them? Are they doing good too?"
Welf gave him an awkward smile before answering: "Yeah they are doing quite good. Though Hestia and Lili still seem to be… let's say a little overly sensitive. I… would advise you not to try and talk to Hestia if you see her during the party. You know she came down after about a week, even tried to find you and apologize but… she really didn't take well to the message of you joining Loki familia…"
"Well I guess they still don't like each other…", Bell sighed, still sad about how Hestia had kicked him out. Now he was certainly happy that he was with Riveria in her familia now but… he really wished that he could have stayed friends with Hestia. He had considered her a very important friend to him…
After that depressing topic was out of the way, the three of them continued to have idle chit-chat, though before long Mikoto excused herself to meet up with Take, Ouka and Chigusa, leaving only Welf and Bell behind.
The two continued to share a few stories of their adventures these past months, before finally Bell asked a question that he had been worrying about for almost a month now…
"Say Welf… since you aren't working for Hephaistos anymore and I am no longer in your familia… is our contract now over?"
Bell had been worried about what would happen between them after he left the familia, if they would still be friends but…
Welf just grinned at him and said: "What? You don't like my stuff anymore?"
"Huh?", was the only thing Bell could say to this unexpected response.
Welf's grin got even bigger at that, adding: "You know, I am not gonna lose an important customer just because of a few little things happenin' here and there! No breaking contract on my watch!"
Realizing that Welf was only teasing him, Bell couldn't help but laugh, happy that Welf still considered him to be a friend and partner even after what happened. "Good to know! You know, I have only been using spare weapons and armor so far since I didn't wanna betray my trusty smith, so I have got an order coming up for you ok?", Bell told him with a grin…
*Riveria's experience in the meantime…*
After Riveria had left Bell's side, she managed to avoid drawing any attention to herself for a while by moving around the very edges of the room and crowd but even that technique had its limit…
Eventually some god spotted her, walking over to her to congratulate her on her level up just… of all the people that could have come to talk to her it had to be…
"Yes! I am Ganesha! Congratulations on your level up!", the god with the elephant mask exclaimed…
"Damn it! Why he of all people!? I can't think of any god that could draw more attention to me…", Riveria thought as she felt the gazes of the people around her slowly turn to them and finally end up resting on her. Normally she actually liked the elephant god, after all he really was the god of the masses that was beloved by the people, but… right now she really wanted to punch him…
"Ah yes! That's right! Congratulations Miss Alf!", an elven adventurer soon joined them, quickly followed by many more gods, goddesses and adventurers alike that all wished to talk to the new Level Seven…
From there on, it only grew worse and Riveria found herself constantly being surrounded by a small crowd. That crowd seemed to contain many male elves for some reason, though that may just be her imagination…
*Loki's experience in the meantime…*
Loki was currently standing at the bar, already drinking her fifth glass of wine that evening. She had already had her usual fight with Hestia and had a brief talk with Hephaistos who had pulled them apart.
After that she had gone back to enjoying a few more drinks.
"Seems like your new Level Seven is the center of attention hm?", a voice said to the drinking goddess, a voice that she only knew too well…
Loki frowned saying: "She really isn't that happy about the attention I can tell you, so if you are getting jealous you only need to use that beauty of yours. I am sure she would be very happy to have a moment of rest.", turning around to face Freya in her evening dress.
The goddess of beauty was wearing a long, white evening dress without any sleeves that clearly showed off her cleavage, something that would tick Loki off with any other goddess, though with Freya alone she didn't even care anymore…
Freya was sipping on a glass of wine herself before speaking to Loki: "Oh I am sure she would appreciate it, but I am afraid I can't help her out. After all she will have to learn to deal with the attention of so many people as a Level Seven. Though… well I guess if she really wants a break I wouldn't mind helping her. Of course only if she would give me something in return, after all I am the goddess of beauty, not of charity."
"Well I doubt she is desperate enough to make a deal with the devil just yet…", Loki mumbled, taking another big sip from her glass.
Freya ignored her comment, instead going on to say: "Of course such a deal would only make sense if I can trust her. After all, what is a deal when someone breaks their part of the contract…"
Hearing that, Loki's eyes turned into slits as she gave Freya a slight glare. "Are you trying to imply something here?", she asked.
"Oh no. I just wanted to express how much I treasure a good partner and… how much I loath one that doesn't uphold their part of a deal", Freya replied.
"Well in that case it's good that I keep up my deals right?", Loki said.
For a short moment they both just stared at each other, both of them smiling, but their eyes ice cold. It was as if they were testing each other. Freya for her part was obviously seeing if Loki planned to keep up her part of their deal revolving around Bell, while Loki tried to grasp why exactly she would bring that up now…
Of course Loki was bluntly lying to Freya's face as she didn't have any intention of leaving her to toy with Bell however she wants, a feat that not many gods could do. Freya was incredibly perceptive. The only gods that could manage to lie to her were gods of deception such as Loki or Hermes…
After trying to find look into each other's heads, both of them separated, Freya simply saying: "Well enjoy the rest of the party, as I sure will…"
Loki would glare after her as she vanished into the crowd. Then she looked at her drink, mumbling: "Great… now I am not even in the mood for a drink anymore…"
*A short while later*
Loki had by now completely given up on drinking and instead had went off to find Bell. Fortunately she didn't have to search for long as she soon found him outside on a balcony looking out over the gardens.
The god hosting the Denatus was a god of nature, meaning he and his familia took very good care of the gardens in their home, evident by the neatly trimmed bushes and lawn, as well as the many flowers and trees growing vividly all over the place.
"Oh here you are", Loki called out to him. "Why are you all alone out here? I thought you would accompany someone. If not Riveria then at least your friends no?"
"Oh well… Riveria is too swarmed with people right now so that's that and my other friends… well I guess it would put them in a bad mood if we met since Hestia would be pretty mad…", Bell told her with a self-depreciating chuckle.
Loki then leaned on to the balcony's railing next to Bell, staying silent for a moment.
"Hey… you need a new weapon and armor right?", Loki asked all of a sudden.
"Huh? Oh yeah I guess I do… I have only been using stuff from our storage room… oh but don't worry I am taking care of that stuff on my own. I got enough money saved up by now so don't worry.", Bell told her. Now that he had met up with Welf and confirmed their contract once more, he would get a new weapon and armor made for him soon enough.
"Good to hear that. I assume you will have that blacksmith… I think his name was Welf right… you will have Welf make it won't you?", Loki asked. Honestly, it was pure curiousity on her part. She didn't want to persuade him to break his contract or anything.
"Yeah, I plan to. Why?", Bell answered and then questioned Loki in turn.
Loki was slightly silent, but soon enough she had a grin on her face, saying: "Well you better tell him to do a damn good job. It isn't every day that a smith will get to work with that kind of stuff!"
"What do you mean?", Bell asked, rather confused by Loki's statement.
Loki then finally revealed, her grin only widening with time: "The Leviathan's drop item! That stuff is just perfect for a new weapon wouldn't you say?"
"H-Huh?! N-No way! I can't take that! That was an achievement of all of us! Let's give it Tiona or Tione instead! There is no way we could have killed that thing without them defending me and Riveria!", Bell insisted, unable to believe Loki would choose him of all people to receive such an incredible item…
Loki chuckled, saying: "Actually I already talked about it with the two of them. Both of them said it should be given to you. You deserve it boy."
"B-But Riveria! Why not give it to her? There is no way I could have killed that thing without her!", Bell further argued.
"Don't be silly. What's a mage going to do with that drop item? You can't make armor out of it and she certainly won't need a dagger…", Loki reasoned with Bell, finally adding: "Besides, don't act like you don't know she would practically beg you to take it if it increased your odds of survival even in the slightest", with a teasing smile.
At that, Bell finally admitted defeat, saying: "Well… I guess I've got no other choice then huh? I am sure that Welf will be happy about that stuff at least", he finished with a chuckle.
The two of them then stayed silent for a short while before Bell once again spoke: "What was that thing anyway…?"
"I don't know either but… it's unsettling really. A legendary beast like that, one of the three great quests, suddenly reappearing… ", Loki muttered, her eyes turning into slits once more as if she was trying to gaze off into the distance, hoping it would give her an answer.
"Currently Njord and his men are investigating, trying to find any hints on that thing. Honestly, while it's a good thing you killed it so fast, there is no way to tell what would have happened if that thing would have grown up and become like the previous Leviathan…", Loki said.
"Yeah. I am glad we took care of it so early. If that thing had grown even further I am not sure if we could have done it…", Bell had to admit.
Before they could talk about anything else, they were interrupted by a chime sounding in the distance.
"Oh, sorry gotta go. That's the sign for us gods to gather up. The whole naming event's starting it seems.", Loki excused herself, all the other gods already gathering at the door to their conference room. It seemed their children wouldn't be allowed to join their discussion. Instead they would stay here and continue to enjoy themselves until the gods could join them again.
"Yeah, have fun I guess…", Bell said turning back towards the gardens right outside the window, indicating that he would most likely stay here for the time being.
At that Loki couldn't help but smack his back telling him: "Quit acting depressed boy! It's now or never! With all the gods now gone Riveria will have some more room as well, so go and show that girl what we practiced for the past week!"
Bell was seriously surprised by her actions but managed to give her a smile anyway. "I-I guess you are right… I will be sure to make you proud!", he assured her, though he himself wasn't as confident as Loki…
Loki then finally left for real, Bell then turning back towards the party and away from the gardens, muttering: "I wonder where Riveria is…"
*Meanwhile Riveria's perspective.*
Honestly, Riveria was exhausted. She had been getting so much praise she had no idea who she had been talking to for the past hour or so. The only conversation she remembered had been when Ottar had come to say a few words as well.
When he had approached, the crowd around her had almost naturally parted. Unlike the whole rest of the people talking to her, instead of congratulating her, he simply stated: "It was about time.", giving her his usual stern, yet not aggressive look. To the people around her, it must have seemed as if he acknowledged her, perhaps they even thought Ottar was happy that he finally had a worthy opponent but…
Of course both of them knew that wasn't the case. Even while she had been a Level Six, Ottar had respected her for her skills, just as he did with Finn and Gareth, or the newly levelled up members of her familia like Aiz. That hadn't changed now, however both of them knew that Riveria was still far from an opponent that could beat Ottar. To begin with she was a mage, not a frontline warrior and even more than that, she had only recently levelled up, while Ottar had been a Level Seven for years now, in fact he was even rumoured to be on the brink of reaching Level Eight…
Riveria knew very well she couldn't hold a candle to him…
Anyway that had been the most exciting meeting of today. After Ottar had left, she had once again been swarmed with people wanting to talk to her.
Now that the gods had finally left for their meeting, the room was considerably less full, meaning Riveria finally had some room to breathe but…
"Are you sure my lady? I am certain you are a great dancer.", a young elf said.
"Oh no really. I am very sorry, but I am not in the mood for a dance. Maybe some other time.", Riveria politely declined his advance.
That must have been the twelfth guy to ask for a dance by now and it didn't look there was any end to these invitations any time soon. It almost seemed like the elves of the party were lining up to ask her onto the dancefloor…
Of course Riveria was a very good dancer, due to her royal upbringing which had led to her having a lot of dancing lessons in her live and quite a bit of experience in dancing on formal parties like these.
Nonetheless she declined any invitations. Now it wasn't that she didn't want to dance but… not with any of these guys. If anything then it had to be Bell but…
"Oh yeah Riveria… just to be clear. If possible don't ask Bell to dance ok? I saw him dance with Aiz during the last Denatus and… honestly it wasn't pretty. I mean he wasn't that bad, but that was because he copied some other people's movements and Aiz played along. I doubt he would like to repeat that, especially without that kind of support this time…", Loki's words flashed through her mind. When she had informed Loki that she would join her for the Denatus, the former had told her that, leading to Riveria already accepting the fact that she wouldn't get any chance to dance tonight…
Thinking back to that, she couldn't help but let out a slight sigh as she sat on a chair at the edge of the room, another guy already approaching to make his advance on her…
Just then, shortly before her next prince charming had a chance to speak though, Bell appeared out of nowhere, cutting him off: "Oh hey… did you want to talk to Riveria? Yeah… sorry but you will have to wait for a second ok? I have something to discuss with my fellow familia member…"
Of course just looking at that guy was enough to know he really didn't take well to Bell halting his advance, but… well Bell didn't seem to care as he just left him standing there in astonishment, instead walking towards Riveria.
"Hey there, enjoying the party?", he asked, raising his hand to greet her.
Riveria let out a sigh, saying: "What do you think?", with a slightly sarcastic tone in her voice.
"Yeah… I expected something like that…", Bell said with a wry smile.
He then extended a hand towards her asking: "In that case, how about a little dance to lift all that stress and boredom?" with a bright smile on his face.
Riveria's eyes went wide at that. She couldn't help but ask: "Dance? With you? But I thought… you didn't know how to dance?"
Bell's smile only grew wider from there as he answered: "Care to find out?"
Without another word, Riveria took his hand and he led her onto the dancefloor, past the man he had just interrupted and all the elves who's offers had already been declined.
Just before the music started, he intervened his fingers with hers and pulled her close, his other hand resting on her hips, Riveria in turn positioning her hands the same way.
Then the music started. It was a slow dance and none of them seemed to have any trouble with the rhythm. Of course that wasn't a surprise for Riveria, however… it wasn't that she was leading him or anything. Bell seemed to move completely naturally, almost as if he was already an expert at dancing!
"I have to say I am surprised… Loki said you didn't know how to dance.", Riveria told him as their bodies slowly swayed back and forth.
"Did she? How strange… after all she was the one who thought me how to dance for the entire past week…", Bell voice his surprise, revealing that he had been practicing with Loki at every spare moment he had for the past week.
That had been Loki's idea. Once he had told her he would join her for the Denatus, she had asked him if he could dance which he declined. From then onwards she had instructed him how to dance, telling him not to disappoint Riveria. Make no mistake however! It wasn't like Bell had been forced into it! Hearing that Riveria was a great dancer, he really wished to have at least one dance with her and, once Bell set his mind to something, he could perform extraordinary feats! Within one week, he had evolved from a total newbie to a practiced dancer that could follow the flow of the music as if he was freely swimming in a river!
Riveria on the other hand was once again reminded of the scheming nature of her own goddess, although… just this one time she felt like forgiving her, after all today it had led to a rather pleasant surprise for her, something that Loki obviously had planned from the start…
"Thank you for making such an effort for me", Riveria whispered into Bell's ear after that, both of them getting closer as each of their heads rested on the other's shoulder.
"That is nothing. You know I would do anything for you.", Bell whispered back.
From there on, the song began to pick up in speed and both of them stopped talking, instead surrendering themselves to the music as their bodies, tightly intervened with each other, followed the rhythm.
Honestly, Riveria was really surprised. This was… different. Completely new! She had had her fair share of dances at parties like this but… not one of them had been like this. All of them had been stiff and without emotions, simply following a set of instructions over and over while keeping up a face devoid of any emotions. This dance however… it was completely different! I was full of passion and… love.
And that was evident to the people around them too. At first there had been many pairs up on the dancefloor, surrounding them, however now… All of them had backed away, rather than dancing, now looking at the two of them in amazement. The musicians too were getting into it now! Seeing them dance like this, each and every one of them began pouring their heart and soul into their music, only further intensifying the dance of the elf and her human partner!
As they freely danced through the music, both of them tightly hugged each other as their emotions began to take over and both of them completely forgot about where they were and who was watching, only having eyes for each other now!
"This… this is… wonderful…", Riveria thought as they spun around and took step after step across the dancefloor.
Then, finally the song ended…
The two of them now put a little more distance between each other, gazing into each other's eyes.
"Kiss him…", a voice in the back of her head seemed to demand and really, that didn't sound like a bad idea right now. Riveria greatly enjoyed that thought, soon leaning forward, her hands already traveling upwards to Bell's face to pull him in when…
*Clap*
*Clap*
*Clap*
The crowd around them began applauding their dance now that the song had ended, thrilled that they had witnessed such a skilful, passionate dance.
That clapping as enough to break both of them out of their trance like state, reminding them where they were and who was watching.
Quickly the let go off each other, both of them red in shame as they both knew they had only avoided a kiss by a hairs width right now…
They were quick to leave the dancefloor after that, both of them to separate directions, fearing that people would get a wrong impression… correction, even more of a wrong impression, of their relationship. Well not that the impression they had now was wrong… it just wasn't an impression they had planned to give…
Once Bell had entered the crowd again, he was greeted by some of his friends, congratulating him and praising him for his dance. They had never known he was such a good dancer after all… Hearing their praise, Bell could only bashfully rub his head…
Riveria on the other hand was swarmed with elves the moment she had entered the crowd again. They were bombarding her with questions such as "Why would you dance with a human?!", "You are a princess my lady! You can't interact with a lowly human like that!" and "Why would you dance with him but not with us?!". That later question was especially prominent and many, if not all of them, claimed they were easily better dancers than Bell was and that Riveria should give them a chance. Looks like Riveria would once again end up being the center of attention…
*A short while later*
Bell on the other hand was soon once again separated by his friends, this time by a waiter of the party. "Mr. Cranel? Sorry to interrupted your conversation, however you are needed right now."
"Me?", Bell had asked, giving him a curious look that was shared by his friends.
"Yes, there is someone who wishes to meet you. It is very important.", the waiter had said, leading to Bell leaving his friends behind and following the waiter.
"Who is it?". Bell asked as he was led away.
"You will soon find out", was the only response he got.
The waiter lead him downstairs, gesturing him to go ahead without him then, saying: "Please proceed into the garden.", before disappearing upstairs again.
Unlike the party room, the gardens were completely desolated. That was because normally no one was allowed to enter as the god of the familia feared for his garden…
Bell entered the green world of flowers and trees, following along the paths that lead through this wonderful garden.
Soon enough he found someone waiting for him…
Someone he had hardly really met before, yet someone who's eyes he was quite familiar with.
"Goddess Freya? Are you the one that called for me?", Bell asked her when he saw her turning towards him with a smile.
"That is right Bell Cranel… oh, you don't mind if I just say Bell right?", Freya said in her usual calm, dignified yet alluring voice.
"No not at all goddess", Bell replied, slightly blushing at her alluring white dress. Sure, he was used to seeing Riveria's body by now, though then again it wasn't that he wouldn't get aroused when he saw Riveria and well… with Riveria it was fine, but with another woman…
It felt like cheating on Riveria, even if he didn't do anything to Freya, so this whole situation made him quite uncomfortable…
"Why did you call me here? Shouldn't you be with the other gods right now?", Bell asked, trying to move the conversation along, hoping they would be finished soon so he could escape.
"Oh well you know… these meetings can get so boring…", Freya said, not directly saying it, but clearly implying that she had snuck out on her own…
"I see…", Bell simply said, unsure how to react.
"I heard you levelled up isn't that right? Congratulations in that case Bell", Freya then moved the conversation along.
"Oh thank you, though you should probably say that to Riveria instead. Level Four isn't really uncommon, I imagine many of your familia members would be on that level too…", Bell said, rubbing his head bashful due to Freya's praise.
"Oh don't be silly. Even if it's more common, it's still something many people can only dream off and it takes quite a lot of courage to overcome an obstacle that would be enough to push you to a level up.", Freya further continued her praise.
"Well if you say so…", Bell once again bashfully answered.
"And to think you only joined Loki's familia a month ago… Quite commendable really", Freya said.
"How is it? I mean in her familia? You know, she and I, we have our indifferences from time to time, but we are old friends, so I greatly care for the well-being of not only my own, but for her children as well.", Freya finally asked.
"It's great! At first it was a little awkward and many people seemed to be jealous or angry towards me. I think they thought I believed myself to be some sort of hero that would take pride in his achievements to the point where I wouldn't even talk to them… But now… now everything is better. I have become friends with most of them and I doubt anyone still sees me in that light", Bell answered her in all honesty.
"I see. That is good to hear.", Freya said, before being lost in thought for a moment.
"And… what would you say if I asked you to join my own familia?", Freya then went on to say.
"Pardon?", Bell could only blurt out, caught off-guard by such a question all of a sudden.
"Well you know, you have caught my interest for a long time now, even before the war game happened I was very much interested in you, so I would very much like to have you join my familia. I already spoke to Loki about it and she said she wouldn't mind if you wanted to move over to my familia either.", Freya told him. Of course that last part with Loki was more or less made up, however if that trickster could be believed at least partially, then she would at least not hold Bell back if he wished to convert to her familia. Such thoughts were going through Freya's mind however…
"No sorry. I am rather happy in my current familia.", Bell was quick to answer.
"What?", Freya could only ask in surprise.
At that Bell gave her an apologetic smile: "Sorry, but… I already have lots of friends here, people that are very important to me, so I would rather stick with Loki."
"But…", Freya didn't know what to say. That wasn't what she had been expecting… or maybe it was?
Soon enough tears began to form on Freya's beautiful face and she began sobbing.
"W-What's the matter goddess? D-Did I say something wrong?", Bell asked, worried that he made some sort of mistake as the goddess in front of him turned into a teary eyes mess…
"Y-You rejected my offer… E-Even though I… even though I love you so much, you don't want to be with me!", Freya cried out, her voice breaking further and further with each word. "I- I don't think I can live without you!"
"W-Wha-What is going on?! I- I-!", Bell was of course completely unable to handle the situation. He had been able to handle Riveria crying back then, before the wargame but… this was just so unexpected! Why was Freya crying over someone she hardly even knew?!
"Please! Will you really not come join me?!", Freya cried, almost begging him to join her.
However…
"I- I am sorry… I can't…", Bell still managed to squeeze out those words, despite the fact that it greatly pained him to reject a crying girl…
At that, Freya's crying abruptly stopped. It had all been an act! An act to get Bell to join her in pity, but… now that she knew that it didn't work, she gave up on her act, instead doing something that she had tried to avoid up until now…
Freya's eyes flashed silver, indicating the use of one of her divine abilities, a charm, in fact the most powerful charm on this world, multiple times stronger than any monster could manage and even more potent than what Ishtar could do…
"Are you really sure you don't wish to join me?", Freya asked, knowing there was no way for him to resist now, however once again…
"N-No… I still don't want to sorry.", Bell told her, obviously completely unfazed by her charm. If anything he was perplex why her crying he stopped so suddenly…
"W-What? Why? I-I am the goddess of beauty, how can you even resist me?!", Freya could only stutter. She had been so caught of guard that she wasn't able to hide her true intentions there for a moment.
"I… I am sorry…", Bell said, only then did he finally reveal something to her: "I am very sorry but… I already have someone I am in love with. Sure, you may be beautiful but… to me that woman is the most beautiful thing in the world and I want to stay by her side no matter what."
Hearing such words, Freya was completely speechless! She could only stare at him in bewilderment…
"Sorry… if you would excuse me…", Bell now said, wishing to end this conversation now before things got messy.
"O-Oh yes. Sorry for taking your time. Please don't think about this too much. Just... you know, a whim of a goddess nothing more, haha...", Freya tried to play down her failure to ensnare Bell.
He then turned around and left Freya there, the woman only able to stare at his leaving back...
*Meanwhile on top of a nearby balcony*
Riveria was clasping her hands together in front of her mouth, trying to muffle any sounds she might make as she cried tears of joy.
Just a few minutes earlier, still being bombarded by requests for a dance by the elves all around her, she had received unexpected help from Asfi. With the help of a few elves with… more manners than those around her, Asfi had distracted them and given Riveria one of her special items, this one granted the ability to make its wearer invisible…
That had led to an invisible Riveria fleeing the room and onto a nearby balcony. From there, she had found a most unexpected scene in the gardens in front of her…
And that scene, had moved her heart like no other had. She had hear every word of Bell and Freya's conversation and it had moved her to tears hearing him talk about her like that…
Contrary to what their relationship suggested, neither of them had said the words "I love you" to the other yet, something that had always bugged Riveria. She had always thought, mostly because of Bell's Liaris Freese skill, that there may still be other women in his live but… hearing him say such things about her was enough to finally clear away those worries.
Riveria could hardly contain her happiness!
Perhaps, once they had some well-deserved time together again, she would have to reward him with one of the things she had kept hidden for the time being. She felt like he deserved a reward for this, in fact she felt like right now, she would do anything for him…
*In the meantime with Bell…*
Bell had already left the gardens now. He wanted to return to the party now, having a strong urge to see, to talk, to feel Riveria again after this experience, however…
Before he was back upstairs to the party room, he found himself surrounded by a bunch, perhaps a dozen or so, male elves!
It were the same ones that had pestered Riveria for a dance just minutes earlier. Now that Riveria was gone and they couldn't keep asking her to dance, their desire to proof themselves had turned into anger towards Bell, leading them to search for him. They had being unable to find him in the room for the party, leading to them looking for him elsewhere and now, finally finding him.
"Hey there. Sorry to cut you off", one of the elves, the one Bell had cut off before his dance with Riveria, called out to him with a wicked grin.
"Hey… Any business you have with me?", Bell asked, trying to stay calm and collected, though he obviously felt the animosity from the elf and his companions…
The elf, more or less the leader of the group apparently, then dropped his (already quite bad) act, now glaring at Bell, telling him: "We sure do. You are that brat that danced with our princess and we are here to teach you your place you lowlife!"
"Listen. I really don't want any trouble. I promise there is nothing between her and me. We are just ordinary adventurers, members of the same familia, that's all.", he replied, trying to calm the elves down, however…
"Oh, we know that. There is no way that a woman like our princess would ever find any interest in a brat like you when she could have elves like us!", one of other elves told Bell.
"Then…", Bell began, hoping he could avoid a conflict, however he was cut off by a third elf:
"You however didn't seem to understand that. That is why we will teach you your place now!"
Bell wanted to talk this out, however before he could open his mouth, the elves already kicked off towards him!
Soon enough the first pair of fists was thrown his way, however…
He dodged them! And… without much effort too…
"They are…!", Bell thought, dodging yet another pair of fists before kicking their owner into the face and knocking him out in one blow, "…way too weak…"
The remaining elves, angered by their comrade going down, all pounced onto Bell at once but… he nimbly evaded all of their attacks, taking them down one after the other with clean hits.
Honestly, they weren't actually all that weak! Some of them were even Level Fours as well! But… Bell's training and experience with Loki familia began to pay off. Compared to the swiftness of Aiz and the strength of Tiona, these guys were nothing but small fry… Within a minute he had taken care of them all, the only thing showing that he had gotten into a fight being the few droplets of sweat on his face and the pile of bodies that he left behind…
Just when Bell entered the party room again, did the door open to reveal the gods and goddesses coming back from their meeting. Bell had just entered the room when he saw a smiling, blushing Riveria approach him, even going as far as to hug him!
Fortunately for the two of them, everyone was too focused on the gods reappearing to care about Bell and Riveria…
"H-Hey Riveria! H-Hold yourself back a little ok?! Remember where we are!", Bell hissed in panic that someone might see them.
Only when Riveria had separated herself from Bell did she speak to him: "Hehe, sorry. I was just so happy to see you."
Of course seeing his girlfriend in such happiness, smiling at him, Bell couldn't be mad at her for even a moment.
"Any reason why you are in such a good mood?", Bell asked her.
"That's a secret.", she told him, though she added: "however, you may find out about it at some point in the near future", teasingly.
"I… understand.. I think?", Bell replied, unsure of what he should say now.
"Anyway, what is going on?", Bell asked her, turning his attention towards the gods again.
"Apparently they will read out the names they decided on so everyone present here won't have to wait until they are revealed tomorrow.", Riveria answered him.
Just then Loki approached them, join the two of them within the crowd. "Yo! Seems like you guys had your fun here while I was off working my ass to get you two some good names!", she told them.
Just when they wanted to say something, a follower of the hosting god began to read out the list of adventurer names the gods had decided on, started from the low-level to the high level adventurers.
Soon enough it was Bell turn:
"Bell Cranel – Level Four – Loki Familia. Your new name decided on by the gods will be: Argonaut!"
"Argonaut…?", Bell and Riveria both repeated, causing a chuckle from Loki.
"Well, Tiona seemed to like that name a lot and the other gods also thought that you were like a little hero, so I suggested that name as a joke and then surprisingly enough they decided to use it…", Loki explained.
"Well… I guess it's not too bad. Not like I can change it now anyway…", Bell said, quick to accept his new adventurer name.
The trio didn't have to wait for much longer now until Riveria's name was called out as well:
"Riveria Ljos Alf – Level Seven – Loki Familia. Your new name decided on by the gods will be: Queen of Magic!"
At that, the whole crowd began to applaud, after all Riveria was basically the star of this evening, even more so thanks to her dance with Bell that the gods had fortunately not seen…
"Queen of Magic huh? That's a good name I think. It suits you. Now you are not only a princess, but a queen too", Bell told her with a smile.
Riveria too seemed to like her new name, although she couldn't help but say: "Well I guess I like it but… you know, me as the Queen and Ottar as the King… I am sure the two of us would be an awful couple…"
Both Riveria and Bell couldn't help but laugh at that.
"I am glad you two like your new names.", Loki said, before teasingly adding: "Although personally I would have preferred bride and groom. Almost suggested that too…"
Both of her followers went red at that, hoping no one around them heard their dumbass of a goddess…
After that, the three of them left the party. Loki not wanting to deal with Freya any longer who seemed to have disappeared in the middle of the meeting to who knows where, Riveria not wanting to deal with any more elves trying to dance with her and Bell not wanting to deal with what would happen once someone found the pile of unconscious elves on the lower floor of the mansion…
*The next day on top of Babel Tower*
Freya had been silent for almost an entire day now. She had only briefly instructed Ottar and her female attendee to leave yesterday and had not spoken a word ever since.
Ottar was worried about her, all the while blaming himself: "Damn it! Why did I let her do this alone! I should have helped her!"
Of course it didn't help that the rest of his familia, especially Allen, seemed to blame him for Freya's current state either...
"Ottar? Are you there?", Freya suddenly called out to him.
"Yes my goddess!", he immediately replied, ready to do anything to get her to smile again.
Of course he would still rather avoid war with Loki familia, however... should that be what his goddess desired then he would do it!
Fortunately those worries were unnecessary however!
"I want you to do something for me.", Freya instructed.
"Everything.", was the only word Ottar needed to answer her.
Freya then turned around to face Ottar, a bewitching smile on her face. She told him: "Bell Cranel. He rejected me yesterday…"
Of course Ottar could hardly believe her words, his eyes widening in surprise. Freya however simply continued: "He said that… he was already in love with someone else."
And finally, she relayed her orders: "I want you to find out who that someone is and then… I want you to join me, along with maybe a few other members of our familia, for a little… friendly chat between her and me…"
Freya may have smiled while saying those words, however her eyes were called and murderous. They were so intense that even a warrior like Ottar couldn't help but shudder under her gaze.
"Yes my goddess…", he told her, before leaving to complete his assigned mission…
Now completely alone in her room, Freya mumbled to herself: "Just you wait… Once I know who you are I will make you pay. Pay for stealing my man away. I will make you regret the day you were born you whore…"
Thanks for reading everyone. Once again I would like to ask for your feedback and opinion on the chapter, as well as what should happen next. Though this time... there is some way more important questions to be answered!
Namely:
What outfit will Riveria have to wear for Bell?! And how will she reward him?!
Jokes aside, that those are actually questions I would like some ideas for as well :D I feel like it might be interested to include reader ideas into the smut scenes as well rather than just for the overall story, so go ahead and hit me with your ideas ^ ^