Finally, we get to see Bell and Ryuu interact again. As for last week's double upload, it might happen from time to time when I get super motivated for a specific chapter, such as the fight with the war shadow. I had that planned since I started the story and was super hype to write it. There's at least three more chapters I've been planning since day one that will likely pop out as a double upload. Anyways, onto the story.

I don't own Danmachi or its connected works.


Rubbing my eyes to try and get them to adjust to the bright light of the surface faster, pointlessly I might add, I was certainly surprised to see a nasty snarl on the beautiful face of the red haired werewolf I've been going to for my loot exchanges.

Putting on the nicest smile I can with my exhaustion, I continued my approach. I'm… I'm going to regret this aren't I?

When her eyes met mine her snarl grew even more vicious, as though she just spotted the reason for her bad mood. I don't know why seeing me would have that effect on her considering I don't think I've done anything to displease her? Well, I guess I'll be finding out soon…

"What the hell are you doing here?!" the shout caught me off guard, I'm not even at the window yet! "I just lost 50,000 Valis because of you brat!"

I can feel my mind spinning at the number she just threw in my face "What do you mean? What did I do?" I asked, mind still reeling, can you blame me though? That's more than triple the amount I came to Orario with and I worked a full year in my village to even collect that much!

She looked like she wanted to shout at me again before she dropped back into a scowl, although slightly less intense than just moments ago "Never mind. Let's deal with your exchanges so I can get you out of my sight before I tear out your throat."

What? What have I ever done to her that she wants to tear out my throat?! None the less, I stayed silent and handed over the few magic crystals and the normal finger blade I collected.

She looked skeptically at them, clearly figuring that something seemed off for a moment, probably because as far as she knows I'm a level one who's been adventuring for at most a week and there are materials from the fifth floor there.

She looked at me again, scoffed, took the items and threw a sack of Valis onto the counter.

"7200 Valis, now get out of here." Her tone brokered no argument and her eyes promised violence.

I-I think I'm going to someone else next time I come up from the dungeon…

I limped my way out in silence. Thoroughly "told" and more than just a little embarrassed that this happened in public. Even now I'm hearing people's mutterings.

"What do you think he did?" "Maybe a lover's quarrel?" "Isn't that Rose?" "I know she doesn't like adventurers but he must have done something horrible to make her that mad!"

Rose eh? That's the first time I've heard her name. It's fitting though, beautiful but dangerous indeed. I know better than to grab a thorn though. I know I'm a bit… unrealistic with my optimism sometimes, but I'm not stupid. She clearly has no desire whatsoever to even be cordial with me.

Guess I'll avoid friends in the guild. I don't want that happening again. I'll report the irregular the next time I'm here, for now, I need to get to the Hostess. I don't know how long I was in the dungeon, but I do know that it was less than a week, if I'm going to make it in three days, I'm burning daylight.


It took me longer than I'm willing to admit to get to the Hostess. Between my limp and how disappointed I am about what happened at the guild, I was moving far slower than my usual pace. At least I learned what time it is while on my way over. Three in the afternoon. Honestly the perfect time to not be an obstruction, after the lunch rush, but before dinner and happy hour.

I was just about to walk in when I saw the sign set to closed. Oh no… I don't know what to do. Mama Mia said "come back when you're done" but does that include when the restaurant is closed? And if it does, do I just walk in? Do I knock? Back home it didn't matter because everyone knew everyone else's schedules!

I feel more panicked now than I did when I found the war shadow chasing me! How is that even possible?!

Pull yourself together Bell! It's a door! You set out on a quest so you can live here. Obviously you're welcome! Just knock and wait for an answer!

Raising my arm to do just that, I lost the chance when the door was flung wide open, a cute black haired cat girl standing with her arm outstretched, green eyes locking to me with a dropped jaw. "MAMA!" she shouted "There's a half dead adventurer at the door!"

I'm a what now?

I didn't hear a reply from Mama Mia but this girl apparently did, her cat ears twitching while she gave a nod "Apparently Mama's expecting you, so come on in! Big Sis will lead the way!"

Why do I fear for my sanity? And why does she seem so happy to be dragging me into the building? Wait, hang on. She's dragging me way to fast. Is she an adventurer of some sort?

Shaking my head, I clear those thoughts. They don't matter right now. What matters is the person I've unceremoniously been dumped in front of before the cat girl ran away, but not before grabbing my butt.

"Perverted cat…" Mia muttered under her breath. I can't help but agree. I mean I'm flattered but still, she could at least take me out to dinner first…

"So kid," Mia began "what happened?"

I know I look beaten up, so she couldn't be asking about that. Can she somehow tell I'm upset about what happened at the guild? Mama Mia really is amazing if she can tell that easily! "Oh, just something unpleasant that happened while I was at the guild. One of the employees started yelling at me and caused a massive scene…" I said rubbing the back of my neck.

Huh? Why is she looking at me funny? Did I say something weird? I must have because she burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! Here I was worried you lost your spark because you almost died!" Her laughter was contagious and I found myself joining in "But nope! You're just embarrassed! Hahaha!"

Calming down a little I responded with a snicker "When you say it that way, it really does seem like I have it backwards, but for some reason, I felt more alive than ever before when that irregular war shadow pushed me to the brink of death, I can't wait until my next dungeon dive!"

I don't quite know what to call the strange sound Mama Mia made, it was something between a choke and a laugh. Like it got caught in her throat. "Oh right! I still need to give you the spices!"

Setting my bag on the ground, the remaining crimson finger blades knocked together a few times as I pulled out the strange, but pleasant, smelling spices I collected only to hear Mia make that strange sound again. "Is everything okay?" I asked "You keep making a weird sound."


"I know I'm the one who sent him on that quest, hell, I even believed him when he said he would only take three days to complete it! But it's been less than two days! Sure he looks like crap, but three days of adventuring overall is nowhere near enough to survive the fifth floor!" Mia Grand, former first class adventurer, was simply dumbfounded by what she was hearing.

"First he was able to kill an irregular on the fifth floor almost dying in the process, then he collected some spices, spices that I've only ever seen in the pantry of floor 25 I might add, and instead of that being the reason he's upset, it made him happier than anything else! He's upset because he got a little embarrassed!"

Mia couldn't hold it in and descended into another fit of laughter, stumbling over to the kitchen counter to catch herself. "Haha! Kid, you did good. I was just surprised is all!" she laughed out "Well anyways, you've completed my request, so welcome to The Hostess! As for your bonus, well, I planned to get you some new armor if you made it back in three days, and considering the state you're in I'm glad I chose that, but since you got back in only two days, I'll get those blades of yours attached to a some handles by a friend of mine too. How does that sound?"

Bell's eyes lit up, his downtrodden state vanishing like the wind "Really?" he asked.

"Of course, but first let's take care of those wounds…" she said once she calmed down.


"Oi Elf! Get down here!" Mama Mia shouted.

Huh? Elf? Does she mean Ms. Ryuu? Wait, Ms. Ryuu is going to be tending to my wounds?!

I can feel my cheeks warm up as my head jumps to a very, VERY unrealistic situation, a remnant of my Grandfather's teaching of the "man's dream".

I may have abandoned his dream of a harem, but some of the stories he's told me about tender situations where a bedridden hero is tended to by their lover have stuck with me and imaging the unimaginably gorgeous Ms. Ryuu in those situations has me more than just a little flustered. Having the touch adverse elf gently cleaning and wrapping my wounds, holding my hand if the pain becomes too much, resting my head on her lap as I-

Nope! No more of that train of thought. I don't know anything about Ms. Ryuu! I shouldn't fantasize about having gentle moments like that! Calm down Bell, just calm down! She's probably just going to wrap the wounds and be done with it!

Okay, okay. I'm starting to calm down. Now then, just stay calm and- How is she already here?! I didn't even hear her footsteps! And she's standing really close!

"Ms-Ms. Ryuu?!" Oh gods I can feel my heart speed up again as I step back from the beautiful elf.

"Mr. Cranel. I can't heal you if you move away from me." Her voice sounds tired. Uh oh. Did I annoy her? "No I'm not annoyed, I've simply been awake for too long." How did she know?! "Because you aren't thinking Mr. Cranel, you're speaking."

Ah, I'm going to die from embarrassment and Mama Mia's snickering by the counter isn't helping. Staring at the ground as though it'll save me from my embarrassment, I shut my mouth and move closer.

When I make it back to my original position Ms. Ryuu raises her hands and spoke, her voice ringing clear in my head.

"The song of a now distant forest. The nostalgic song of life. Please bring the mercy of healing to those that seek you. Noah Heal." In her hands a small emerald green circle with strange symbols materialized, as my wounds slowly started to heal.

My eyes were locked to the circle of beautiful light, memorizing every single detail as it rotated slowly before my eyes. Magic. The ability to affect the world by imposing your will on it. No, that's wrong. Grandpa said it's a power granted through a falna to make the impossible, possible. Where did that first description come from? Did she teach me that?

Wait who's "she"? I grab my head as a bit of pain courses through it, my eyes yet again locking to the gorgeous array of symbols. Magic has been something I've dreamed about since I learned it existed. To see it right in front of me, but to know that I won't ever be able reach it is a melancholy feeling.

It's so close. I wish desperately to be able to cast magic myself but without a falna… Elves are a special case but mortals are completely unable to touch upon magic. Its impossible. Even with a falna there's a hard limit of three spells. Or, at least that's how it is now. The heroes of the past were able to wield magic long before the falna even existed. I wonder what's so different now that makes it impossible?

As the symbols continue spinning, and the wound on my leg finishes its healing, my eyes start to feel heavy. I feel myself sway on my feet for a moment before I pass out completely, the feeling of soft, strong, hands catching me is the last thing I know.


Ryuu Lion acted before she could even think, catching the white haired boy as he passed out. It wasn't hard, she didn't stumble in the slightest when suddenly found herself burdened by the weight of an extra person.

Staring at the peacefully sleeping boy in her arms, Ryuu found herself staring at his face. "Those eyes…" she thought "I wonder what could have caused such passion? I wonder if I could see it again?"

Mama Mia watched from the counter as the elf seemed to unconsciously shift a lock of Bell's unkempt hair out of his face with a smile. "This should be fun…" she thought before deciding this had taken up enough time.

"Heh, here I thought elves weren't fond of physical contact" she laughed as Ryuu's face lit up crimson "maybe instead of giving him the spare room, I should have him set up in yours haha!"

Now, Ryuu Lion considered herself a composed woman, but between Mia's laughter and her own embarrassment, that composure cracked like an egg "Ma-Ma-Mama Mia?!" and yet she found her arms unmoving, unwilling to release the oddly comforting warmth of the boy in her arms.

"Ahaha! I'm just kidding!" Mia said, unable to keep her amusement from her voice before throwing Bell's bag over one shoulder and, after removing him from Ryuu's grasp, Bell himself over the other "Now then, I'll bring the kid to his room. Good work Ryuu."

Ryuu simply stood still, watching as Mama Mia took the boy up the stairs before returning her gaze to her hands. Mia's sincerity and her surprise at her own actions keeping her rooted firmly in place and her thoughts reeling. "Why didn't I put him down? Why did I continue touching him after I caught him? Is there something wrong with me? I've gone so many years without letting a man touch me by instinct alone. What's changed?"

Still lost in thought, she startled when Mama Mia shouted at her from the doorway "Oi! Break's over elf! Get back to work!"

"Yes Mama!" Pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind, Ryuu left the kitchen and returned to her work lest she upset Mia further.


"And why, pray tell, does one need a falna to cast magic?"

That question was all it took for a desire to form in my young mind even though I rejected the notion of it being possible. "Because, magic is a gift given to us by manifesting a small portion of the gods' divinity using the falna. That's what Grandpa always says!" I had retorted my small hands swinging out in grand gestures as though it would help my case.

"Bah, that old coot only says what he wants to say." The figure in front of me rejected my case immediately "If the falna was mandatory for magic, how do the elves cast magic in their forests? Or how about those foolish hero stories you worship? The one you've been favoring lately, Cu something I believe? Was he not able to preform rudimentary magic even before being granted a divine weapon?"

I didn't understand completely what she was saying but I could tell she was trying to prove in some way that humans could use magic using a story I was very familiar with "But that's because Cu Chulainn was taught by Scathach! A goddess! He may as well have had one right?" I tried to rebut, but the childish desire in me wanted her to prove me wrong. It's why I added the question at the end.

"Not from the start he wasn't." Again she dismissed my argument, further fueling my hope "He could cast magic long before he journeyed to the land of shadows."

My young, impatient, heart couldn't take it any longer. "Then how?!" I yelled at her.

"I don't know," she shrugged, sounding like she didn't care in the slightest that she'd given me hope just to crush it "but I do know is that it's possible. Even if those stories are just that, stories," they aren't, they can't be "all stories are, in some shape way or form, based upon reality. Myths are no exception."

My hope rekindled slightly, "How do you know?"

She smiled slightly, a ray of sun peeking through the overcast skies "My falna has three spells listed on it."

"and?" I asked.

Her smile widened "I can cast four."


I was expecting a lot of things to greet me when I woke up, some more unrealistic than others, but the violent headache splitting my skull was certainly not one of them. I distinctly remember all of the pain fading after Ms. Ryuu used her healing magic. So why is it returning now?

I can remember every part of my dream-no, that wasn't a dream, it was a memory. The questions, answers, the exact movement of my arms, the weather, even the exact day it happened! I remember all of it. All of it except the person I was talking to.

I don't understand. I've been remembering things lately that I don't understand. They're connected to fundamental parts of my dream to be a hero, so why did I forget them? Why am I remembering them now?

Did something terrible happen because of them that I forced myself to forget? What's going on… Why can't I remember?

The more I try to think about it, the worse the pain in my head gets. I can feel myself getting dizzy but I need to know! I need to know who that person is. I need to know more about those short few weeks!

I was going to continue pushing further into my own mind but the door opening shattered my focus.

The door swung open. The sounds of the tavern, that I can only assume is below me, resonated up the visible staircase. The joyous cheers of friends as they shared in their drinks made the room feel warm despite its sparse furnishings. Speaking of, I properly observed the room around me for the first time.

It's a small room with a single window to the side of the soft bed I'm sitting on with a wardrobe situated next to the it. Across from me there's a small simple looking desk with a small lamp powered by a magic stone and a small bookshelf next to the desk.

Altogether, a functional room, if a bit Spartan but that might change depending on how long I stay here.

Oh, and there's also a gorgeous elf standing in the doorway "Ah, Mr. Cranel, you're finally awake it seems." The way she says that it almost sounds like she's been checking in on me… "you've been sleeping for just a little bit longer than a day and it is now Friday evening. Mama Mia has assigned me to train you to serve tables and the other aspects of the job. Your uniform is in the wardrobe. I will be waiting for you just outside the door."

Just like that, after dropping a set of instructions on me, she walked out the door, her long skirt spinning slightly in a cute way. Well, I guess I better get ready then.

Just as I was getting up from the bed, still in my clothes from yesterday apparently, Ry-Ms. Ryuu peeked in the door as she was closing it "By the way, congratulations on surviving the fifth floor Bell."

And just like that she left, and I started blushing a deeper red than my weapons.

"She- She called me by my name…"


Sorry that I'm slightly late this chapter, I've been getting used to a new job and had a little less time than normal to work on it.

In this chapter we got to see a bit more of how Bell and Ryuu interact as well as introducing a certain shotacon. Bell is still short compared to the average height of males, and looks young so as far as Chloe is concerned, he'll fall into the catagory even if he doesn't technically fit in by its standard definition.

3.5k (without author's notes btw) this week, a little less than last time, but it felt right to end the chapter here, I could have dragged it on longer, but if I did that the chapter likely would have come next week at 8k words instead and I'd be mixing the end of one sub-arc with the start of another and that just feels weird to me.

Anyways, see you all next week!