Chapter 8 - His First Adventure
"This is the end…" Ais said quietly as she looked at Bell.
He had just finished his twelfth and final training session with the sword princess.
While the sun on the eastern sky began to light up the city of Orario below him.
Bell bowed his head slightly.
"Thank you Ais, for everything."
Almost two weeks flew by, which might have been short, but every moment felt like a dream come true.
Ais wore her usual aloof expression, but her eyes seemed soft as she replied in a warm voice.
"Thanks, from me too. This was… fun."
The golden sunlight shined on her face and brightened her golden eyes as her lips form the first true smile that he'd ever seen her make.
Even now, on the last moment of the last day, Bell blushed in front of her. She never smiled this much when he bought her a jyaga maru kun. He tried to respond, but his mouth only opened and closed. So he just nodded a few times.
"… Well then, do your best." She said.
"… I will."
She then slowly turned, before walking away.
His final thoughts as he watched her back become smaller was: Will he ever be able to reach her?
Will there ever be another moment like the one before, where he could get close enough to reach out and touch her?
If there's one thing he learned this week, it's that his path to her would be an extremely long one.
Long enough to make him stop in awe and even fall into despair.
Was it really possible for someone like him to catch up to the girl who walked away?
He'd have to try.
If he didn't try, he'd fail before he even started.
The possibility of standing next to her, of catching her would be done if he didn't try.
He might be a weakling compared to her right now, but he swore to the rising sun that he'd reach her one day.
After taking one last look at her flowing blond hair, Bell turned his back and sprinted in the opposite direction.
.
The next day, Bell was scared. A piece of paper shook in his hands.
Bell Cranel.
Level One
Strength: SSS 1268
Defence: SSS 1203
Utility: SSS 1284
Agility: SSS 1379
Magic: SS 1047
"Just what is 'SSS' supposed to mean?" he asked no one in particular.
Wasn't the maximum ability level S?
Apparently his goddess didn't know either, so Bell decided he'd ask Eina later in the evening.
For now, he'd leave the church and go enjoy usual morning routine with her.
Then he'd head into the dungeon with Lili.
And hope to find an answer.
.
"Huh? Where am I?" Bell's chest and head felt heavy, while he struggled to open his eyes.
It took a few attempts, but he managed to open his eyes and look around.
He could only see stone walls in his very small room.
"BELL!" A black and white arrow with two pig tails blocked his vision.
"Mmph!" Two giant soft cushions cut off his air supply.
"Hestia! Get away from my patient, you're killing him!" Another female voice, his saviour had arrived.
The goddess backed off with a red blush on her face.
He was glad that she couldn't see the tent that had pitched up between his legs. It couldn't be helped, his goddess almost sent him to heaven with her shapely breasts pressed into his face.
"Bell! I'mgladyouralive! Iwassoworriedaboutyou! YouhavenoideahowmuchImissedyou! Iwasworriedsick!"
Bell had trouble keeping up with how fast his goddess talked, but he got the jist of it.
"Hestia, if you can't restrain yourself, then I'll have you removed from this room permanently!" His saviour spoke again.
She had purple eyes and long silver hair. A white rectangular hat with two gold trims parallel to it sat on top of her head. While her arms and legs were covered almost completely in a white, almost skin tight, silky looking fabric with golden trims that ran all over her. Blue stripes over a white background covered the rest of her uniform and a small red tie with a gold trim completed the look.
"Hi Bell, I'm Airmid Teasanare and I am your healer. You suffered quite a lot of injuries when Miss Ais brought you in, but you're almost all healed now. I recommend a few more days of be(d) rest, before you head back into the dungeons. Otherwise, you are free to leave tomorrow morning. All we had to do was to wait for you to wake up. Welcome back." Then she left.
"Who was that?" It was the first time he had met her after all.
"Oh that? She's known as Dea Saint from the Dian Cecht familia. A level two and a genius healer. She's in charge of the hospital in Babel tower."
Wow, Bell thought. She was extremely beautiful and her hair was perfect, almost like a doll.
Plus, he really liked her outfit.
Maybe he'd ask Eina to wear something like that in the future. Definitely, he grinned.
"Bell-kun! You jerk! Hentai! Enemy of all women!" Hestia cried as she bashed her tiny fists onto his chest.
"Okay-okay-okay Kami-sama!" He had to get out of here fast, but first… "Er Kami-sama. How long have I been here?"
Hestia had to calm herself down first, before she blinked a few times.
"Er… three days?"
"THREE DAYS!" Eina must be worried sick about him. "A-And what about Eina?"
"Oh… I completely forgot about her…" Yep, he was a dead man walking, Bell realised. He should quickly run over to her and explain everything.
Bell began to leave until his goddess tried to hold him down.
"Kami-sama! I need to-"
"No Bell! It's already late at night and she's probably asleep by now. Trust me on this. You running up to her home in the middle of the night will do her no good. Let her sleep and then go see her in the morning. Okay?"
That was good advice.
Grumble. Grumble. Grumble.
Plus he was hungry.
First, he'd go eat and take care of himself first.
Then first thing tomorrow morning, he'd head over to Eina and make it up to her.
.
Bell was nervous as he approached the guild at the crack of dawn.
It was a large stone building adorned with large white lines that drew parallel with the street. While the windows were covered in green wooden strips from every direction.
On each side of the entrance, several multi-coloured flags were displayed across its walls. For what purpose, Bell didn't know.
He just wanted to slip through the small green swinging saloon doors without a specific someone noticing him.
When he reached the desk of the receptionists, he breathed a sigh of relief, she wasn't there.
But just to be sure, he had wrapped himself up in a long grey cloak from head to toe, to prevent himself from being recognised.
"H-hi, can you let me have one of the consultation boxes and ask for Eina-san to come see me?"
The receptionist shot him a look of surprise, she definitely recognised him.
"Please don't shout! Just tell Eina to come see me at the consultation box without mentioning my name. I don't want to cause any fuss(trouble)."
She gave him a key and nodded.
Now Bell would just have to hope that her reaction wouldn't be too severe.
He doubted it though.
.
"So… one of the receptions told me that…" Then the female voice froze.
Bell made sure to wait until she had closed the door, before he took he pulled his cloak back to reveal his head.
"BELL!" He knew exactly what was going to happen next and stood up. Just before a half-elf crashed into him, crying her eyes out. Her arms -were- around his neck with her head buried there, while her legs wrapped around his waist.
It was good that they were here. If everyone at the guild saw them like this, then it might affect Eina's job, which he didn't want. Bell had already caused her enough trouble, which was obvious from the tears fell non-stop down the side of neck as she wailed into him.
"Bell-Bell-Bell-Bell-Bell-Bell-Bell-Bell-Bell-Bell-Bell-Bell-Bell-Bell-Bell-Bell!" She sounded like a broken mess.
Guilt wracked Bell's entire body as he held her up and tried to comfort her somehow.
"Eina… I'm here now. Everything's okay. I'm here now, Eina." He would repeat that again and again, which made her cry louder as she squeezed him even harder.
.
After what seemed like forever, Eina -had- calmed down somewhat as she managed to move her head to look into his eyes with her arms still around his neck.
Her crying had almost stopped. Now she mostly just sniffled with hiccups in between. She tried to speak, but irregular heartbeats and erratic chest prevented her from doing so.
She hadn't seen him for three days. So she assumed the worst, because he (never missed a) -always jumped at the- chance to see her again. Every morning and evening, before and after work.
But during those three days, she was completely alone.
There was no sign of Hestia or Bell in their room under the church and she checked every day after work. Each visit filled her with dread as she found nothing, then headed back home with her head hung low.
Every single receptionist who had taken the same bet on an adventurer had turned out the same way.
Eina never wanted to be like them.
So when she saw Bell just sitting there, in front of her, she lost it.
Bell didn't know this, but she would let him now.
Then give him hell for it.
.
SLAP!
Bell was in complete shock. He hadn't planned for that, but he felt like he deserved it.
Then she grabbed his face and kissed him roughly.
It was desperate and needy, but he didn't refuse her in the slightest as she nearly bowled him over a single deep kiss. Then peppered him with a never-ending shower of kisses all over his face until it was only his lips. Bell tried to match her but found it impossible. So he just gave her what she needed. His love.
.
At some point, Bell had sat down on one of the chairs with Eina still wrapped around him.
They still occasionally kissed and shared their own warm and relieved smiles, but now it was much softer. Tender even.
"Bell… I missed you." She said with a stuffy nose and hiccups which threatened to completely derail her voice.
"And I missed you too, Eina." Then they shared a kiss halfway.
"What happened?" This wasn't the voice of a dungeon hunting advisor, but of a concerned lover.
He then told her the whole story.
How he and Lili stumbled across a rampaging minotaur armed with a giant cleaver.
Realised they had nowhere to run.
Sent Lili away to save herself.
Fought the monster while terrified.
Was almost saved by Ais.
Rejected the sword princess's protection.
Then challenged the minotaur all by himself.
Eina almost slapped him again when he said that last part.
He was surprised when Ais arrived, but he couldn't let her protect him again.
He had to get stronger.
He had to fight.
He had to break past his limits.
That was the only way to level up, and if he didn't, he'd never be able to catch up to her.
It pained Eina to hear this.
"Bell…" She called, which got his attention. His eyes were fixed onto hers.
Then she kissed him with as much passion and love she could muster. It was her way of telling him that she would support him, but also… not to forget about her.
She didn't want him to die.
She didn't want to be lonely again.
She didn't want to lose another adventurer, again.
.
Bell returned her kiss with just as much zeal, he had no intention of ever leaving this girl behind. She was just one of the reasons he fought for, every day in the dungeon.
But he had to chase after Ais, to become stronger than her and be the hero that his soul demanded that he become. He poured all of this into his kiss, along with all the affection he felt for her. The beautiful half-elf in his arms.
They would eventually come up for air, but neither of them wanted to let go.
Eina still had her arms and legs wrapped around him, while he had his arms around her.
Part one was over. Now part two was about to begin.
Bell let out a heavy sigh, which worried Eina.
"Bell, what's wrong?"
"I… reached level 2…"
Eina blinked a few times. "…Eeeeh?!... LEVEL TWO!"
"Yes."
"And that's the truth?"
"Yes."
"Bell, when did you become an adventurer?"
"A month and a half ago?"
Bell's words hung in the air.
And Eina exploded.
"LEVEL TWO IN SIX WEEKS?!"
It was a good thing Bell had chosen to have this conversion in the soundproof consultation box.
Otherwise, everyone would have heard her scream right now.
.
Reaching level two in just over a month was by far the fastest level up on record. Even putting it into words was absolutely ludicrous.
Eina knew just what was required to level up, but to see how fast he had grown was crazy.
If she hadn't been his advisor the entire time she would have questioned his sanity and maybe even called him a liar.
She hated liars.
But Bell did not lie, in fact she wasn't even sure if he was capable of it.
He just looked too innocent to do such a thing.
Then she told him to recount his entire journey as a level one adventurer.
When Bell was finished, Eina's head started to spin for the second time that day.
This was just too much for her to handle, on top of finding out that the man she loved was in her arms again, safe and sound. But everything matched Loki Familia's report perfectly.
However, she had to tell him something important. Not just for her sake, but for his too.
"I might not have the right to scold you… but still - please don't ever forget this one thing: Everything is meaningless once you're dead."
I'm begging you, she said to the boy with her gaze.
She couldn't hide her own conviction that coming back home alive was the most important thing of all.
Bell gulped. He appeared to understand and even shivered a little, before he nodded.
Satisfied, she decided to change the gloomy atmosphere inside the room.
"In any case-just don't be reckless, understand?"
"Y-yes!"
Eina bopped her finger on the tip of Bell's nose, before she gave him a quick kiss.
That's enough reprimanding for today, she thought to herself.
When she pulled back, her brown hair swished just above her shoulders as she looked at him with a warm smile.
"…Bell, congratulations on your advancement to level two. You've been working very hard."
Bell's face lit up as he smiled from ear to ear.
To him, there was no better praise than the one he just heard now.
From the woman he loved
.
Afterwards they talked about his Advanced Abilities before he would level up.
There were three of them, but Bell chose the one that Eina didn't understand.
Luck.
She had never heard of this one and neither had the goddess.
But Bell still chose it. He wanted to become a hero and he needed every advantage he could get.
As his grandfather told him before.
"Bell, if there's one thing that the greatest heroes seem to have. It's luck. Not everything can be won by strength and speed alone. Not even the greatest minds can win every battle. Sometimes, it's just down to luck. Something that no one could have ever predicted. Or see. And that's just life. Things happen."
Bell decided that if that's what separated a hero from the rest, then that's what he'd take.
Plus, he felt like he was going to need a lot of luck if he wanted to build a harem with all his favourite girls too.
Not that he would ever tell Eina that.
Once they finished their conversation, Bell tried to get Eina off his lap, but she refused to leave.
"B-Bell…" Something was up, because she looked (bright) red and incredibly embarrassed right now.
"Yes?"
"C-can y-you s-s-sleep w-with m-me t-tonight?..."
"…" Did he just hear that right?
"N-not like that!" Oh, he thought.
"S-sure, but isn't your place shared?"
"Y-yes… but we can rent out a room tonight…" Her face was even more red than before and she struggled to look at his face.
Bell was quite red himself too. He was still a virgin and Eina's everything was pressed (against) him right now. If he didn't get her off him anytime soon, then he'd have an accident.
"… Okay…"
.
He and Eina had arranged to meet up at a specific time and place after Eina (had) finished work, gone home and cleaned herself up.
But when Bell told his goddess about this, she almost released her arcanum.
Hestia was absolutely livid, until Bell put his foot down and told her -to ask her- to question him then.
Mortals couldn't lie to a god or goddess after all.
So she asked him if he planned to do anything lewd with the half elf, to which Bell confidently replied with a firm no. He only wanted to spend the night with her, because he missed her and she needed him right now.
He told the truth, but Hestia didn't need her divine intuition to know that. She just didn't want Bell to forget about her. She didn't want to be left alone again, just like when she first arrived on the mortal plane. Just like when her friend Hephaistos kicked her out for being lazy.
With a heavy sigh, Hestia accepted his plans.
Then they talked about what his first Advanced Ability would be. He chose luck, then levelled up to become a level two adventurer.
Hestia burst out laughing when he read out a new skill he had acquired.
"Heroic Desire, Argonaut." It activated when he attacked or defended, his goddess told him, but he'd have to test it in battle to truly understand it.
This skill, his first, was born from his desire to become a hero.
But it was really embarrassing right now as his goddess wouldn't stop laughing about it. So he left to avoid her and get some fresh air.
After he had disappeared, Hestia eventually stopped laughing and pondered about what made him change so quickly. Then she remembered his skill. Liaris Freese. It was basically a cheat code that made him grow faster the more he was in love and right now he loved Eina, the half-elf. He probably loved Ais too, because she was sure that the skill appeared right after she saved him.
It made her mad and insanely jealous to know that two different girls made him who he was today. Not her.
She refused to be outdone by them though and promised to herself that she would do what it took to support him.
No longer would she stand between him and Eina any longer, not when she saw how much he loved her. Hestia was the goddess who guarded the sacred eternal fire. The one who presided over hearth, home, and family.
She would do whatever it took to protect her home and her familia from all threats.
Inside and out.
And that meant Eina too.
.
Bell would then spend some time walking around Orario as he thought about his last fight with the minotaur.
By the time he had finished, he found himself right outside the Hostess of Fertility. Realising he had forgotten the lunch basket, Bell rushed back home and returned it to Syr.
Then he told her about his level up this morning. The next thing he knew, he had agreed to celebrate with a party there in the evening. Right around the same time he agreed to meet up with Eina.
So he ran back to the guild to tell Eina when he bumped into his goddess who gave him his new name.
Little Rookie would be his new alias.
To be honest, he had completely forgotten about it, but he supposed that it wasn't too bad.
A bit disappointing, but it was true. He still had a lot to learn.
After Hestia left, he spoke to Eina who told him that she'd love to join but was afraid of being recognised at the Hostess of Fertility.
It was the most popular destination for adventurers after a long day in the dungeon, so she couldn't go without risking her job.
Eina saw his disappointment but told him to go celebrate. She'd still want to sleep with him tonight, but it would happen a little later today. That was fine with her, she could wait for him just a little longer.
Bell accepted her idea, even if he didn't like it completely, but he promised her that they would celebrate together with a real date to repay her properly. He promised.
Then, after he left the guild and began to scout ahead for restaurants to book for his promise, he was ambushed by gods and goddesses. All of them wanted him to join their familia, but he gracefully declined them all. Then ran away at full speed.
.
"He's here, meow!"
"Ah-ha-ha! Fashionably late, aren't you, Mr. Adventure."
The sky was completely dark and the moon shone brightly over his head by the time he reached the Hostess of Fertility.
He reached out to support him against one of the pillars by the front door, as he hunched over it to try and catch his breath.
It wasn't easy, but he had spent so much time trying to evade his divine pursuers that he hadn't been able to do anything else for the rest of the day. Plus, he had only lost them a few moments ago.
What was most strange about all of this was that they had almost caught him a few times. Was he out of shape? Regardless, those gods and goddesses were all scary.
"Syr 'n' everyone's been waitin' for you, meow! The kitchen's really busy, too, we're bending over backward to accommodate you, meow! So get in here, meow."
"S-sorry."
"They couldn't start without the guest of honour. Go over there, quickly."
Two waitresses - Ahnya, a cat person, and a human - came out to meet him and usher him inside. If he remembered correctly the human girl's name was… Runoa. She was laughing too.
Then the party started.
It was a lot of fun.
But when he met Ryū, they both blushed bright red. Both of them unable to look each other in the eyes.
Syr would then pout, before she teased them both, which didn't help to calm down the situation at all. She then explained that Mama Mia had lent him both girls to look after him, plus convince him to spend a lot of cash.
He then loved over his shoulder to see Mia standing behind the bar, waving her hand as she gave him a hearty smile. It must have been her way of telling him to live it up tonight.
It wasn't long before he, Lili, Ryū and Syr said "Cheers!", then clinked their glasses together.
They chatted and laughed, not Ryū, but she smiled plenty. Which was enough for him.
However, the highlight of the night was when she praised him.
"If I may say, Mr. Cranel, congratulations to you. To think that you would be able to level up on your own… I seem to have underestimated you."
Bell tried to wave it off, but the other girls wouldn't let him.
Ryū's expression hadn't changed as well as she continued.
"There is no need for modesty. Of all the level-two categorised monsters, defeating a minotaur is worthy of praise. Mr. Cranel, you are allowed to be proud of your accomplishment." Then she paused, before continuing.
"Don't discredit yourself. You are a worthy adventurer."
Ryū said everything in a very deliberate, serious voice. She looked at him with a refined gaze from across the table, with a very knowing smile.
He realised two things then. He wasn't good with compliments when they were aimed at him. Plus, Ryū had just sent back the words he told her a few days ago.
"Ryū. I may have not told you this before, but please don't discredit yourself. You are an amazing woman and I'll stand what I just said. Every word. You are amazing and you need to hear it more often."
She remembered and that warmed his heart immeasurably.
Later, she would question him and Lili about how they would approach the dungeon next.
Bell told her about it, to which she gave him some advice.
To form a battle party with more people to challenge the middle levels.
It was then that a group of drunks tried to form an alliance with him, but ended up insulting him, then got beat up by Ryū who defended him. Mama Mia then kicked them out, but not before they paid for damages.
He was surprised, Ryū had called him a good friend, before she beat up the man who tried to touch her. Bell then realised how lucky he was not to have been beaten up like the drunk now, when he first held her hands.
A warm feeling grew in his chest as put the two together, but he wanted to be more than just her good friend.
Did she even think about him that way?
Time to turn to his grandfather for advice.
"Bell my boy, if you're ever confused about whether a woman likes you or not. Here's a simple test. Touch her in a safe place. The top of her hands, her arm, her shoulder, anywhere that isn't too intimate."
Just because Ryū let him touch her all those others times, didn't mean that she was going to let him touch her now. Not in front of everyone, so he ignored that advice.
"If you can't do that, then flirt with her and see if she flirts back."
Now that Bell thought about it, he did flirt with Ryū back in the kitchen when they washed those plates. She hadn't denied him, looked embarrassed around him every time like Eina did when she thought someone might see them. Plus, she teased him with his own words when he complimented her.
So Ryū did feel some kind of attraction to him, that was good to know, but he couldn't do anything about it tonight. Eina was expecting him tonight and there was no way he was going to make her wait.
"My apologies, I have destroyed the atmosphere on your special night." Ryū said.
"No, don't worry about it, just having you here with us now is more than enough. Although, you really could smile again."
But that didn't mean that he still wouldn't try to make her blush.
And it succeeded.
.
Bell nervously walked into an inn where Eina said they would meet up.
Just before he left the bar, he had enjoyed a good meal and drink with his friends, but he couldn't help feeling a little guilty that Eina couldn't be there with him.
She was probably hungry by now too. Then he saw her.
"Bell!" She called, not too loudly though.
"Eina!"
They hurriedly walked up to each other and hugged each other tightly.
"Bell! I've been waiting for you..." She whispered into his ear.
"Hey… I'm here now." Then he gave her a squeeze. "Sorry I couldn't take you out tonight, but I promise to make it up to you."
"Bell, it's okay. I ate before I came here. Plus, you needed to celebrate with your friends." Bell smiled; he really didn't know what he did to deserve someone like Eina.
But he would make sure to do right by her.
They then went up to their room.
It was a nice and spacious place painted white with wooden panels that covered the bottom half. The room was also furnished with a simple wooden table, two chairs and a double bed.
When his eyes focused on the bed, Bell immediately blushed and noticed Eina do the same.
That was the bed they would sleep in tonight, together.
This moment had occupied his mind for most of the day ever since Eina suggested this.
He had searched through all his memories for grandfather's lessons about how to sleep with a woman and this is what he remembered.
"Bell, do you know how children are created?"
No, his grandfather had never told him.
"Don't worry, you learn about it when you're older, but first you need to know this. Children are made when a man and a woman sleep together. Not all the time, just some of the time. You know how when you see the differences between you two."
It had been a bit of an embarrassing conversation at the time, but his grandfather only laughed and slapped his own knee, before he continued on with his lesson.
"Now, I'm not going to tell you everything tonight, just the basics. So listen up, because this is super important. When you sleep with a woman. Take. It. Slow. Start with something safe. Talk about random things. Take her mind away from the fact that you're about to sleep together. Then move slowly towards her, find an excuse to touch her or hold her, but start safe and slow. See what she's comfortable with, then start taking risks, little by little… and always make sure that you're the one who takes the lead. Girls like that, but if she ever says no then ask to make sure. Then if she says no again, stop what you're doing and take a few steps back. Chances are you moved too fast, because a woman needs to feel two things to sleep with you. Safety and trust.
Bell nodded, his grandfather had made him memorise every lesson word for word and he was grateful for that.
"That is how you sleep with women, in general, for the first time. However, there are special cases. Like if you've slept with the same woman many times or if she's absolutely crazy... Wait... They're all crazy ha-ha-ha... But you'll understand this all better one day, Bell... Oh, and there are three more tips you need to remember. Tell your girl that she looks beautiful the first time you see her in bed. Take care of her first and if you ever feel like you're about to lose control, keep your eyes open, breathe in deeply and pull away. That's it."
He never understood the last two pieces of advice and he still didn't, but he remembered when his grandfather laughed so hard at his puzzled reaction that he almost fell off his chair. It was a good memory that made him smile. They had lived a good life together, but now he was gone. Never to return.
It made him sad, because he'd never be able to tell his grandfather about all of the adventures he'd been on… but at least he had his teachings. They had helped him more than a few times already and he would continue to rely on them again. That's how he would honour his grandfather's life, by creating a legacy from his lessons. A story worth telling to every corner of the world.
To be the hero everyone would look up.
To build a family that he would be proud of.
And to raise a child as well as he had, in him.
That's what he would do.
"Bell?" A womanly concerned voice spoke to him from his side.
He turned to look at the half elf to his right.
"Bell… please don't cry." Cry? Bell brought a hand to one of his eyes and realised that he was crying.
And he didn't know why.
But that was a lie.
"Shhhhhh… Bell, come here…" Then he felt a warm bosom comfort his face as a pair of arms wrapped around his head.
Bell missed his grandfather so much right now.
His thoughts and memories of him flooded his mind.
"It's okay, whatever you feel… just let it out. Whatever you need… I'm here for you." Then the tears came in full force.
He wept, he cried and he mourned his grandfather for the first time since he passed.
.
Eina was very concerned; she had never seen Bell like this before. He was always so confident and happy, she thought he could never cry.
So what had happened?
Whatever it was, it could wait.
Right now, all Bell needed was her and she would do anything for him.
"Whenever you can, always find a way to kiss me, touch me or hold me. Or all three, especially… when I need you the most… because nothing would make me happier than to feel like you love me."
His confession back then almost made her cry, when she watched her Bell struggle to say those words and they came back to remind her again.
This was a time when he needed her most and she gave him exactly what he wanted.
Her love.
.
A little while later he felt better.
It was embarrassing though, to cry in front of Eina like that.
He wouldn't do that again, he promised.
Bell… are you okay?" A sniffle was his reply at first.
"Y-yeah… I'm better now… thank you… but I'm sorry you had to see that."
She flinched. "No! Don't be sorry, you must have had a good reason…"
Bell wasn't sure if he wanted to tell her.
"I don't know why, but… if you want to tell me, then I'll listen."
That was all he needed to hear to change his mind.
"… okay…"
.
A few minutes later, Eina felt relieved. It had nothing to do with her, because she was worried that she had done something wrong.
But his grandfather sounded interesting.
She knew that Bell had never met his parents before, so his grandfather was in charge of raising him.
Considering how well he turned out, Eina wanted to meet him.
Obviously, that was impossible.
So she asked Bell about what he was like.
It was obviously a subject that made him happy to talk about, which made Eina think about her own parents.
They both were both very beautiful and kind. She wondered what they were doing now. Did her mother feel any better? Was her father looking after himself properly? Did her little sister remember her? Did she send them enough money every month? Were they living well?
All of these questions ran through her mind as Bell continued to tell her about his grandfather.
At some point, she let out a very big yawn.
Bell stopped talking and looked at her with alarmed eyes.
As soon as Eina stopped her yawn, she panicked.
"I'm Sorry, I didn't mean to! I was listening to every part of your story and it was boring at all!"
"Eina, stop. I understand, it's late and you're tired. Right?" Bell chuckled a bit.
"Eh… yeah.. things were a little stressful at the guild today." She admitted as she scratched the side of her neck, embarrassed.
"Oh?"
"I don't want to talk about it and I shouldn't. It's guild related."
"It's okay, you don't need to tell me. Now, why don't we get ready for bed?"
"S-sure…"
"Oh, you need to get changed… I can leave."
Eina nodded, she wasn't ready to show Bell her skin or her body yet. Even though she was going to let him hold her tonight, in bed. The thought made her heart race and her head feel like an inferno.
.
Bell left, then decided to take a walk around the inn to get some fresh air.
As he walked around the dark streets lit up by the occasional magic lamp, he thought about his relationship with Eina so far.
She was nice, kind and very beautiful.
Plus, she was always there to support him with whatever he needed.
It felt good to be able to rely on her, because he'd never be able to do it without her.
The number of times he had ignored her advice not to explore the deeper levels of the dungeon had made her mad at him a few times.
He laughed at the memory.
But she never gave up on him.
In fact, she would create even more lessons for him to learn about the dungeon. So he would never as she would put it:
'Never make the same mistake again and make it out alive.'
He knew that he stressed her out whenever he came back with something new.
To be honest, he felt like danger often found him instead of him searching for it.
No matter how hard he tried to play it safe, something crazy would always try to kill him.
Like the two minotaurs he had met so far.
He escaped one and defeated the other by the skin of his teeth.
Both times the sword princess had been there.
But the last time, he had been able to save himself.
That was something he felt proud of, but there was still a long way to go if he ever wanted to stand with her.
Bell looked up to the night sky with the twinkling stars, before he decided that it was time to return back to his room.
Eina must have finished changing by now.
When he knocked on the door, he heard…
"Come in." In he went and then he froze. There she was, in a pink frilly nightdress that covered her arms and her chest. Only her neck, hands and face were exposed as she sat behind the covers on the bed.
She didn't have her glasses on, but she looked just as beautiful. Her emerald-green eyes especially.
"Eina… you look beautiful."
The half elf turned a bright shade of crimson, before she looked away.
"Bell…"
He then quickly took his boots off, before making his way to the bed… with Eina in it.
"Bell, don't you have something to change into?"
"Oh… ah… no I don't? Should I have? Because I made sure to quickly wash myself before I came here and wear a clean set of clothes."
Bell knew that elves liked to keep themselves very clean. They were almost always spotless when he saw him. So he thought he should be the same when he met up with Eina tonight.
"Oh… and do you normally sleep in that?" She pointed with one of her fingers.
"Eh… no…" Her face turned into an even brighter shade of red.
"I'm almost afraid to ask…"
"Oh no, I don't sleep in the nude! Not with Hestia around, I could never do that!"
"O-okay, I believe you." She giggled.
But now Bell seemed to be unnaturally nervous.
"Erm… I have a request." Eina tilted her head as if to ask.
"I'd like to sleep with you in just my underwear, if you don't mind."
The half elf almost exploded with embarrassment.
"Let me explain! I don't mean to do anything you don't want to, but I like to sleep with the covers against my skin… and… I want to hold you in my arms… not like when we… hug each other in the streets or in the guild… but I want you to be able to hold you closer towards me… when we sleep together…"
That had been incredibly difficult and embarrassing to explain to her.
He hadn't figured out exactly how he wanted to tell her this, when he was outside waiting for her to change.
But this was what he wanted, to be closer to her at night. When they slept together.
"…"
"…"
"O-okay, b-but only hugging… right?"
"Yes, only to hug. That's… all I want to do with you tonight." Eina seemed to freeze again at his words, before she slowly nodded.
Bell let out a little sigh as he took over the rest of his clothes until he was only in his boxers.
Eina squeaked when she saw his bare torso and legs for the first time and drew the duvet closer towards her face, covering half of it.
Then slowly, Bell made his way towards Eina and lay down beside her, face to face with the duvet up to their shoulders.
"B-Bell… this… is my first time… in bed… with another man." She said as her eyes darted all over the place.
"Me too… but with a woman of course." Which made them both chuckle.
Then she reached out to him for a kiss, while her body rolled into him afterwards.
The kiss was warm and wet. It melted right through him, stole all of his thoughts and brought him closer to heaven. He couldn't resist, like a rabbit lured in by the sweetest of carrots.
He eagerly accepted her and took the bait.
.
A while later, they both parted for air, but Eina still had one more surprise before the day ended.
"Bell." She called.
"Yes?"
"Tomorrow, I'm free."
What?
She smiled at him, a playful glint in her eye.
"So…" She began, but he stopped her with a quick kiss.
"It's a date!"
Eina laughed, but it was her smile that made him happiest.
She smiled like there was nowhere else she'd rather be in the world.
.
A.N.
Quite a bit of the first scene and the party and the level 2 talk was taken directly from the light novel, it was just too good to change.
So I left it just as is.
It was kinda avoidable, but most of this chapter is definitely new. So I hope it doesn't bother you guys too much!
Also, I know what you might be thinking.
How the hell am I going to write Ryu's arc if I keep lifting scenes almost word for word from the light novel?
I hear ya and it's been on my mind for a while too.
My honest answer is I have no idea right now, but I'll find a way and add in a few extras. I have no idea what Bell's relationship with the rest of the girls will be like by then. Plus it's a long way away before I get to that point in this fanfic.
So in the meantime, hold ya horses and enjoy the ride! :)
On another note, when I wrote the lines about how Bell wanted to make his grandfather proud, I choked up a bit. It really hit the feels for me. Especially the line "to build a family that he would be proud of." The next line was difficult to come up with, but I eventually got there. You see, it's all about family with my version of Bell. He wants to be a hero and have a family that he never got. He never saw or knew his parents after all and from what I've heard. The ones who never had a parent around when they grew up, always wished that they were there.
That's what made me choke up, but then I realised that it must have been something else for Bell. He probably wanted to leave his home town asap and go be a hero. Then, since arriving he's been at it non-stop. No time to decompress and his time with Eina then was the first time he could truly relax. That's the conclusion I arrived at and I think it makes most sense.
And yeah, this chapter is 7000 words long.
I got a bit caught up in it all. Hopefully, I didn't drag it on too long and every moment felt more or less, right.
Also, I REALLY wanted to write exactly how they were going to cuddle up and sleep away the night, but I guess you guys will have to wait a week to see that!
PLUS! I already have an idea of what the FINAL chapter of this series will look like. (It'll be mega fluffy!)
But that won't happen until this series is finished. So maybe 3-5 years from now when the final novel has been published and translated into English. Lol.
.
Also, if you've noticed Bell in this story has much higher stats compared to his canon counterpart.
It's because he's in a relationship with Eina and had almost 5 days more training than he did in the official timeline.
However, I am not going to change the outcomes of the fights. It's just too much of a hassle when the focus of this story is romance and the interactions between him and his girls.
And I'm not going to add any "extra" skills or whatnot. It's just not needed.
.
Chapter 8: 6891 words. (Including a few dots that act as transitions and dividers)