Is it Wrong to Try to Stay the Farthest Away from the Dungeon?

by Gavius

One day, the news spread like wildfire. "The Black Dragon is dead," they said. "The strongest Monster has been killed," they cheered. Yet, no one knew how it happened, nor who did the deed. At the same time, weird phenomena began happening in the Dungeon, plunging Orario into alarm. But that has nothing to do with the boy who's recently started to work at a certain Tavern... right?

6. Chapter 6 - When Doubt Clouds your Mind

DISCLAIMER: I do not take credit from Danmachi and its characters.

Read the notes in the first chapter if you haven't done it already.

English is not my native language, so please bear with me. I'll try to correct eventual mistakes if you point them out to me.

Having said that, please enjoy.

---

Is it Wrong to Try to Stay the Farthest Away from the Dungeon?
-Chapter Six-

When Doubt Clouds your Mind

Labyrinth City of Orario
Hostess of Fertility

(======)

Arien Cranel didn't sleep much that night.

Not that he wasn't expecting it, though. Make no mistake, despite his exhaustion and all the shit he had been through during this weird and eventful week, he had always known that he wouldn't be able to enjoy a full-night sleep. The young man was simply too used to waking up early because of his "jobs" to be able to enjoy a well-deserved rest. Not only he was a morning person by nature, but he was also used to waking up in the middle of the night due to the early morning training he would always put himself through to remain fit. That, and the effect his jobs had had on his body. Traveling throughout the world for seven years straight and working as a Bounty Hunter had its drawbacks, after all.

It was simply inevitable. Carrying out such a questionable profession would normally preclude its unfortunate workers from sleeping for too long; because moving in the night and exploiting the dark was the most ideal condition to carry out their duties. Hunting jobs, assassinations, thefts, infiltrations... all of these jobs usually had to be done during nighttime, in most cases. And Arien – being extremely familiar with every single one of them, since he had worked as Bounty Hunter – was no exception to the rule. His life during the past seven years had been anything but pleasant, after all. Thus, enjoying a full-night sleep like a normal person was not an option for him.

Whatever. Not that it mattered that much. He hadn't been ordinary in a long time, anyway. He was used to it.

How weird, indeed.

Tonight, especially, his head simply could not rest despite his inner protests. There were just too many thoughts – too many issues – plaguing his mind for him to be able to relax, even in spite of his weariness. No matter how little he had slept during his "forced stay" inside the Dungeon and no matter how long and hard he had tried to close his eyes and forget everything, the young man with ashen-white hair hadn't been able to sleep more than four hours this night. He had grown so used to waking up early due to his jobs that he couldn't go back to sleep no matter what. That, and the fact that he currently had a lot on his mind didn't help, either. He had too many issues to deal with to be able to relax and sleep soundly. It was simply impossible to close his eyes and forget those problems.

First and foremost, the elephant in the room: the discovery of the fact that Bell Cranel, his last remaining relative and very same living legacy of his aunt was currently here in Orario.

Oh boy. That had been a surprise, indeed.

Arien did not understand. He could not understand. No matter how long and hard he thought about it, he simply couldn't wrap his mind about that fact. His head had been relentlessly assaulted by an enormous amount of questions ever since he had learned of his cousin's presence in the Labyrinth City. Questions that even now, after a whole, fucking week, had remained unanswered and would not stop plaguing him at every hour and moment of the day.

Questions like: why was Bell here? When did he come to Orario? Why did he come here in the first place? Was he really an Adventurer? And, more importantly, where the fuck was Zeus?

And these were only a few of them. There was no way for him to express and state every single question echoing inside his head. There were simply too many to count them all.

It was simply inevitable. It had been at least 13 years since the last time Arien had seen his cousin, after all. Back then, the young man was barely seven years old, Bell had been nothing but an infant, and Meteria had only recently passed away. So many things had happened since those days that to Arien it felt like a lifetime ago. It was a lifetime ago, to be honest. 13 years were by no means a short amount of time, no matter what race you belonged to (except for gods, of course); and many things could happen in so many years. Bell would be… fourteen now, more or less. A full-fledged boy nearing adulthood, who also was – according to Fels, Wiene and the rest of the Xenos – a Level 4 Adventurer whose growth was unbelievably high. It was no wonder that he'd became such a celebrity, given how fast he had been able to level up, apparently. Even Arien himself had been flabbergasted by the news the first time Fels had explained it to him.

But now, faced with these facts, Arien didn't know what to think. He didn't know what to do. Heck, he didn't even know how to process the news completely. Bell Cranel, his last remaining relative and his beloved aunt's son, was here in the city; living as an Adventurer. And for once in his entire lifetime, the young man who had slayed the dragon didn't know what to do upon being confronted with this truth.

After all, what he was supposed to think? Bell was supposed to be in Zeus' care. He was supposed to be far away from here along with the old fart. Meteria had specifically given him to Zeus in order to take care of him, and she had expressly ordered him to keep the child safe. She had made the perverted god swear to look after her son for as long as he lived, since Hera was unable to do that at the time. But if his cousin was here now… then, that meant that Zeus had let him go for some reason. The young man was no fool: he knew that Zeus could no longer step foot inside Orario. The old fart had been banished from the city along with Hera back when Arien was seven, forcing both him and Meteria to leave this place as well. Shortly after that event, Bell was born in a small village near the eastern border, and then Meteria had passed away a few days after his birth. Arien hadn't seen his cousin and Zeus ever since, when both he and the old hag had decided to leave the village due to his… peculiar conditions, both mental and physical.

However, despite his endless travels and deeds, the young man with Divine blood in his veins hadn't forgotten about his cousin. He had always sent letters to Zeus along with Hera during the first years of his travels, asking for Bell's condition all the time in order to make sure that he was fine. Meteria had asked him to keep her baby safe, after all. And Arien had only stopped doing so seven years ago – just when Bell was seven years old – because Zeus had explained to him in his letters that the boy was now old enough to understand a lot of things, and that he could have grown suspicious if Arien had kept sending letters to them. Ever since that day, the young man with ashen-white hair never heard of his cousin again.

But regardless of that, he had always believed – or, at least, he had hoped to believe – that Bell was safe. He had always believed that he would keep staying in that peaceful village, spending the years in peace and quiet and living his life without worries… at least for the time being. Zeus was supposed to stay with him until he would reach adulthood, after all. That was the promise the god had made to Meteria. He would have looked after Bell until he was eighteen, making sure that he could grow up healthy and happy and keeping him away from Orario and the dangers that both the Zeus and Hera Familias had been through.

So… why? Why, in the name of everything that was sacred, was Bell Cranel here now? This wasn't supposed to be. This wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to stay with Zeus for at least another four years.

And yet, now, his cousin was no longer safe as Arien had hoped… but he was here instead. For some reason he could not quite fathom, Bell was no longer with Zeus (who was banned from stepping foot inside Orario) and he had come to the Labyrinth City instead, joining a small Familia founded by some unknown goddess and becoming a full-fledged Adventurer. An Adventurer who had become a celebrity, and who had reached Level 4 in record time, even according to the city's entire history.

…no matter how long Arien thought about it, this whole situation did not make any sense to him.

The young man sighed, raising himself from the bed with a weary breath and walking towards the window of the small guest room.

He forced himself to quell the growing annoyance. Just like he had grown accustomed to ever since he arrived here, he ignored his inner concerns and stared outside the window instead, unable to sleep due to habit and the stress he was feeling on the inside. The moon was still shining on the above outside the Hostess of Fertility, and the entire city was enveloped in darkness and silence, showing him that it was still two hours before dawn, at least. As usual, he had woken up long before it was due, with his mind clouded by stress and endless questions. And after having laid motionless in the bed for fifteen minutes straight, he finally decided to give up and raise himself, knowing full well that he would not be able to sleep anymore.

Arien opened the window of the guest room, staring at the night sky with an emotionless gaze. A bright moon floated above the curtain of darkness that had fallen over the land. The moonlit city was quiet and emptier compared to a few hours before, with the sound of owls and the voices of a few occasional guards doing their round on the streets below being the only exception. These sounds rode the breeze and spread out over the sleeping city, reaching the very end of the landscape with no effort.

The boy stared at the sight of Orario from the second floor of the establishment, his grey eyes glimpsing the big walls of the city even from afar. Big, thick, and sturdy; the edge of Orario looked as imposing as an enormous castle wall. But to him, this place held no emotion or importance whatsoever, expect for the fact that both his cousin and his current target were located here, inside its impenetrable walls. And no matter how long he thought about it, the more he pondered the current situation the less he found himself liking it.

Bell Cranel was here. His cousin was here. He was living as an Adventurer, making a living by exploring the Dungeon and killing monsters for the sake of his Familia and his goddess.

He did not like it. He did not like it one bit.

Why? he mused with a weary sigh, donning a hand over his face. Why did it come to this?

Why was Bell here? Why was he in Orario instead of his village? What happened to Zeus? What happened to his promise?

If Bell had come to Orario, did that mean that the old fart was no more? Did something happen to him? Was he still on the lower world? Had he asked Bell to come here? Was this some kind of plan of his?

And, more importantly, did he tell the truth to Bell? Did he tell the truth about his family – about Meteria and Arien and Alfia – to him?

That, he didn't know. That, he couldn't tell. Not yet, at least. According to the Xenos, Bell had never said anything about his family to them, so there was no way to confirm if he was aware of his existence or not. Consequently, the dragon-slayer had to find his answers in another way.

But how?

In all honesty, Arien didn't know what to do. Meeting Bell in person was NOT something he was looking forward to. Not by a long shot. Up until now, in fact, he had done everything he could in order to avoid him, going as far as staying away from him for years. And when I say 'away' I mean: as far away as possible. For the last 13 years the young man with ashen-white hair had done nothing but keep his distance from the boy, doing everything he could to avoid his existence completely. He even went against the old hag herself in order to stay away from Bell and never cross paths with him. But now? What was he supposed to do in this situation?

Now that he had learned that his cousin was no longer safe with Zeus – for whatever fucking reason – and that he had come to Orario instead… what was he supposed to do? Was he supposed to take this matter in his own hands? Was he supposed to go check on him to make sure he was safe? Was he supposed to meet him? Or was he perhaps supposed to keep his distance instead; doing the same thing he had done so far for the last 13 years?

He didn't know. For the first time in his whole life, he had no idea of what to do.

Whatever. It's no use thinking about it anyway, he dismissed those thoughts, shaking his head with a resolute gesture. I won't get answers like this. There's no use in pondering and overthinking. I need to concentrate on the task at hand first.

Indeed. That was the best course of action. Despite what many would have said (himself included) Arien was not a brash and impulsive person. He was not one to act on impulse. Therefore, he was completely aware of the fact that stressing over this matter was not going to help in any way. It wouldn't help him ease his worries, and it wouldn't help him face the unknown future that laid ahead. The issue regarding his cousin Bell was concerning, no doubt… but for the moment, it was best for him to ignore this matter and focus on his current task instead. There was no use in worrying about something uncertain and over which he had absolutely no control. It was simply a matter of logic, and his previous experiences had all but proved this to him.

Thus, it was best to focus on the other quest; at least for the time being.

Arien stared at the moon, narrowing his eyes with a resolute expression. He would get his answer soon enough; there was no doubt about it. He would get to the bottom of this no matter what, and he would discover what was happening behind his knowledge… but not like this, and not right now. Before focusing on Bell and deciding what to do regarding his presence in the city, he had another pressing matter to take care of. So, for now, he had no choice but to ignore his cousin's presence and focus on his other task. This family matter had to wait.

For he had another Demi-human to meet, after all.

And so, the dragon-slayer steeled his mind, waiting for the beginning of a new day.

---

Meteria stared at her sister with a stern face. Alfia was silent, seated on her bed with her gaze glued to the window, staring at the outside. She hadn't looked in her direction ever since she had entered the room with the baby in her arms.

The woman could stand her silence no longer. "Look at him."

She ignored her command.

"Do you really hate him so much?" Another question.

Alfia remained unfazed. She still refused to look in their direction, keeping her gaze to the window.

Meteria lowered her eyes, gazing upon the child with a sad face. "I can't stand seeing you… like this."

Her sister's only answer was a deafening silence.

---

Labyrinth City of Orario
Hostess of Fertility

(======)

When Mia Grand stepped on the main floor of her establishment to open the bar for the day, she was greeted by an unusual sight.

"Huh? The hell are you doing here?"

Her question echoed amid the empty tavern, reaching the ears of the ashen-white haired boy with a tone of confusion. The young man was currently seated in front of the counter, in the exact same seat he had used during dinner the night before, with his elbows resting on the wood while the hands supported his head, whose expression was unreadable due to the closed eyelids and pursed lips.

Arien opened his grey eyes, meeting the owner's gaze with a blank face. He openly raised an eyebrow under her questioning face. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked back at the dwarf, as calm and collected as he could ever be. "I'm waiting for breakfast."

"At this hour?" Mia pressed, unimpressed, moving closer to the kitchen with a questioning frown. "It's barely six in the morning. Breakfast won't be served before seven."

He pursed his lips. He knew that all too well, since the owner had told him the night prior. "I know. I just… couldn't sleep anymore, so I chose to get down and wait here instead. There was no point in lying in bed and doing nothing," was all he said, his tone self-mocking for some reason.

The dwarf eyed him sideways with an unreadable stare as she began to pour water into a coffee-pot. "Bad night?"

"Not really. I'm just used to waking up early, it's a bad habit of mine," he replied, shaking his head. There was no tiredness in his voice, but the owner could tell he was not in a good mood.

Mia nodded wordlessly. She put the small container on a stove near the entrance of the kitchen, inserting the powdered coffee in the pot and lighting a small fire under the stove with a habitual movement due to years of experience. The wood inside the stone-made stove caught fire immediately, and the tall dwarf stepped behind the counter with a few cleaning utensils in her hands, focusing her attention back on the young man with ashen-white hair. He stared back at her with a raised brow.

"Well, breakfast isn't gonna be available until seven. So unless you don't knock yourself out for another hour, you will either have to wait or find something else to do," she said, crossing her arms with a stern movement, her face and gaze betraying nothing but seriousness. "I'm preparing some coffee, but you'll have to wait if you want to eat something."

Arien just nodded, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Fine by me. I'm not one to complain about something like this. Especially since I'm the one who chose to come here early."

The owner snorted. "Could have fooled me," she joked, looking clearly amused by the blank stare she received from him. She shot him a serious frown. "Are you feeling good now?"

The dragon-slayer forced back a sigh. He knew what she was referring to with that question. His mood had not been exactly the best after what had happened the night before. Being targeted and threatened by a bunch of Adventurers just because they mistook him from someone else would have annoyed the heck out of anyone, after all. Especially when said Adventurers had also physically attacked him. That had been an interesting experience, indeed.

"I'm fine," Arien replied, shaking his head with his eyes closed. "I'm not a damn kid. Handling a few bastards who can't even back up their words is nothing new to me."

"Hm. I can certainly see that," Mia agreed, smirking in amusement. "Adventurers picking fights isn't anything new, but I was surprised by the way you ended up turning the tables in less than a minute. I daresay you handled the situation quite well, all things considered."

He merely shrugged at the praise. "In my defense, I'm used to deal with people picking up a fight," he admitted, his lips twitching in a smile devoid of joy while he refused to look in the owner's direction. "Annoying as it was, that kind of situation was somehow normal for me. I was lucky, since I've dealt with worse."

Not a single thing he had said was a lie. Working as a Bounty Hunter – and, consequently, as a killer when things ended up escalating with his targets – was hardly a peaceful life. Thanks to that peculiar profession, Arien had seen a lot of shit ever since he was a boy. It was no wonder the goddess Hera had been so upset with him when he had first told her his choice. That kind of life was not the one she had wanted for him, nor the one the boy himself had ever desired.

Sadly for them both, neither of them had had a choice back then.

"Didn't take you as someone who could be modest," the owner noted with no small amount of honest confusion. "I knew you were strong since the moment I've laid eyes on you. People with your skills usually tend to brag about themselves all the time or be overly confident in every situation. Guess it's never too late to see something new, then."

The young man smirked at her. "Coming from you, I feel honored by the praise," he replied, fixing the tall dwarf with a knowing stare.

Mia's lips twitched upwards ever-so-slightly. The silent message was clear: just like she had glimpsed his true potential with a single glance, he too knew that she was more powerful than she looked. They clearly were more similar than what they liked.

Her grin widened. "Heh. You're smarter than you look, boy."

His smirk as well. "And you sure are subtle," he replied.

She snorted and shrugged as she moved to grab the coffee-pot from the stove. "What, are you gonna complain about it?"

"Not at all. I actually like people like you," he admitted, catching her by surprise for a moment. The young man closed his eyes under her questioning glace, his expression morphed into a mixture of both annoyance and relief. "Of all the races of the world, dwarves are the ones I like the most. They're not treacherous like the gods, they're not shady like most prums and animal-people are, and they're not stuck-up and arrogant like the elves either. They're direct and straightforward, always saying what they want whenever they want. They don't brag or lie in most cases, and they usually don't mince words like the majority of humans tend to do all the time. They're easy to deal with, and I like their straightforward attitude. It is… refreshing, for me," he explained, smiling in amusement with a shake of the head.

In a way, that was the truth. Arien had dealt with a lot of people belonging to all races during his life. He had dealt with gods (oof) with humans (oh boy) and with elves (don't let him get started on them); but of all the races he had met and dealt with, dwarves were the ones he liked the most. By definition, they were the race that expressed themselves the most; be it with joy, sadness, anger, or every other kind of emotion. Consequently, they were pretty straightforward and easy to talk to, since they didn't tend to lie like most races did and they never hesitated to be direct when they wanted to. Arien greatly preferred to deal with them compared to any other race, even in spite of their bold and exuberant behavior.

But when you find yourself being a Divine human with the ability to see through lies and bullshit, you learn to take what you get. Whether you like it or not.

Mia grunted in amusement, and her smirk didn't disappear. "Heh. You're the first person who ever said that to a dwarf," she said, pouring some steaming coffee inside a cup and offering it to him. The dragon-slayer accepted it with a silent nod while she poured some more for herself. "By the way, how's your face? Your eyes were pretty swollen last night, but I don't see any injury on you right now."

The young man merely smiled as he took a sip of coffee. Healing Magic can do wonders sometimes, he thought to himself. "No need to concern. It's all good," was all he said instead.

Having heard that, the owner narrowed her eyes slightly. "Good… in that case, I've got another question. Do you mind explaining why you gave me a bag with one million valis?" she asked again, stressing on this matter with a frown. The scowl on her face openly deepened when the boy with ashen-white hair raised his head to meet her gaze with an emotionless expression. "I can't afford to make change for you with such an amount of money."

"I did say you could keep the change, didn't I?" was the other's immediate reply. His face was completely blank except for his raised eyebrow. "I see no problem with that."

Mia Grand crossed her arms, unconvinced. "You expect me to believe in your generosity?"

Despite himself, Arien felt his lips curving into a smile. This dwarf was no fool. She clearly was no simple innkeeper. "Relax. I really have no further intentions," he reassured her, raising a hand in a placating gesture. His face and eyes betrayed nothing under the owner's suspicious gaze. "But I would really appreciate if you could give me a… 'special treatment', for the duration of my stay here," he added, smiling with a mirthful expression.

She narrowed her eyes. "Special treatment?" she repeated, confused.

He nodded. "It's nothing major, really. I just want to ask for a small favor," he answered, exhaling a sigh and ignoring the dwarf's suspicious glare. "The Guild is forbidden to disclose information regarding Adventurers who are affiliated with it, so I have to find a way past this matter. To be short, I would like for you to tell me all you know regarding a certain Adventurer. Nothing more," he assured her with a collected tone, staring straight into her eyes.

The dwarf stared back at him, her gaze as unreadable as it could be. "If you're planning to hurt someone―"

"I'm not here to hurt anyone, Mia," he cut her off, sternly. Although she was a powerful Adventurer, the owner of the Hostess couldn't help but tense a bit when she felt a cold, chilling sensation running down her back under the young man's stare. Arien was staring at her with narrowed eyes, glaring, his grey orbs as cold as ice and his voice as sharp as a blade. Not even Mia herself was able to remain completely unfazed upon being faced by this boy's glare. The temperature in the tavern had already dropped out of the blue, and a small amount of killing intent was oozing off his frame as he kept his eyes glued to hers. "I was sent to Orario in order to find a person and deliver a message to them; and I was hoping I could count on you in order to learn a bit about this person before I leave in search of them. Nothing more, nothing less. That's all I wanted to ask."

Seconds passed, followed by complete silence.

Mia Grand stared at Arien Cranel. Arien Cranel stared at Mia Grand.

Until, after what seemed to be an eternity, the dwarf decided to relent with a snort.

"Tsk. You should have said that sooner," she scoffed with sarcasm, shaking her head and breaking the staring contest. She didn't know why, but she could tell he was telling the truth with his words. Her instinct was rarely wrong about this kind of things. "For a moment I thought you were gonna make me an accomplice for something shady."

Arien snorted. "As if. Good grief, what kind of guy do you think I am?" he spat, shaking his head in annoyance.

"Someone who's clearly more than a simple traveler," she answered without missing a beat, pedantic.

His eyebrow twitched. She wasn't wrong there. Gods dammit.

In the end, however, she decided to comply. "Whatever. As long as you won't cause a mess, I won't deny your request," she relented, waving a hand while she took another sip of her coffee. "So? Who's this person you're looking for?"

Arien placed his empty cup on the counter. He took a deep breath and steeled himself. "Aiz Wallenstein," he answered.

Mia's eyebrows rose in stupor upon hearing that. "The Sword Princess?" she mused, perplexed. "Why the hell are you looking for someone like her? She's one of Orario's most famous Adventurers."

He sighed. "I told you: I was tasked to deliver a message to her," he replied without batting an eye.

"I get that, but why do you want information about her?" the dwarf pressed, confused. "She's extremely famous. There's no one in the city who doesn't know who she is."

The young man averted his eyes in annoyance. "In case you forgot, I'm not from around here. All I was told was her name and the Familia she's currently in… so I was hoping to learn more. Things like her appearance, her level, and so on; so that I'll be able to recognize this girl when I'll see her in person," he stated with a sarcastic tone, as if he was saying something that was obvious. Not that he could blame himself, though. Aria and Ouranos hadn't exactly been specific while talking about this so-called Aiz. They hadn't even told him what she looked like, for fuck's sake. And he couldn't just go around the streets and ask about her if he wanted to keep a low profile. Especially since his appearance was bound to draw attention due to his resemblance to Bell.

Good grief. What a messed up situation.

Mia Grand scratched her neck with a bored expression. "Well, if it's about her appearance, I can share that much. Apart from you, there's no one who doesn't know how she looks like, after all," she conceded, smirking with barely veiled amusement at the boy's frowning face. "Anyway, I assure you that she'll be pretty easy to recognize. Long golden-blonde hair, gold eyes, and a slender body. People call her beautiful, but to me her face looks kinda dull and expressionless, and she's quite a weirdo. From what I know she remains quiet all the time, as if she has trouble expressing herself through words. Loki Familia usually comes here along with their trickster goddess, and every time the Sword Princess was with them, she's never said a single word to me. She barely even talked, as far as I remember."

Arien nodded as he listened to the description, absorbing and mulling over the information in all seriousness. "Anything else?" he asked when Mia stopped talking, looking at her with a serious face.

The dwarf shrugged. "That's all I know. Oh, and she's a Level 6. That pretty much summarizes it," she finished, pouring more coffee in her cup. She offered him a second serving, but the young man shook his head. "Everything else, you'll have to ask someone else. The Loki Familia is pretty well-known in Orario, so you won't have trouble finding out more about them if you ask around. Do not expect me to reveal anything about her powers, though. I'm not that kind of dwarf."

"I have no interest in her strength either," Arien dismissed those words with a shake of the head. His expression looked extremely irritated at this point. "All I need to do is find her and deliver this message once and for all. After that, I do not intend to have anything to do with her. Ever."

She raised a brow at his annoyed tone. "What do you even need to say to her, anyway?" she asked, sounding genuinely curios about this.

"That is for me to know," was his cold and immediate reply, deadly serious.

Mia nodded. "Fair enough. But it's not easy to approach the members of Loki Familia. Unless you're a deity or a Guild member, entering the Twilight Manor is impossible even for Adventurers without taking a scheduled appointment. And judging from what you said, you have no connection to them, so that option won't be available for you either."

Arien looked at her with a bored face. "Do you have any suggestions?" he asked.

The owner shrugged again. "You could try asking the guards at the entrance… but again, I doubt they'll let you in. After the recent incident with the armored monsters, Loki Familia is keeping their guard up. Sure, things have loosened a bit after the festival, but it won't be easy to approach the Top Executives, especially the Sword Princess. She's Loki's favorite, and that annoying goddess doesn't let anyone near her, not even other Adventurers. You said you're not one, so that's gonna be even harder for you."

Trust me, that won't stop me at all, he inwardly mused in his head, sarcastic.

On the outside, instead, he merely sighed. "I see. I'll have to think of something, then," he said, ignoring the dwarf's ironic grin. "Anyway, is there―"

His words died in his mouth. The moment he noticed Mia's eyes glancing to the right, the young man with ashen-white hair immediately realized that his instinct was beginning to alert him. Not even a split-second later, in fact, his powers began to detect something: an unknown and unfamiliar presence getting closer and closer by the second, moving in direction of the bar without making a single noise. Both the dragon-slayer and the owner of the establishment turned their heads to the right, and they were greeted by the sight of a female elf entering the main floor of the tavern from the door leading to the stairs, walking down the hall with a silent step.

Mia openly grinned upon seeing the elf. "Ah, Ryuu," she greeted her with nod, her face looking amused while Arien remained as blank and emotionless as before. "As always, you're the first. The others haven't woken up yet?"

Arien watched with a blank look as the 'intruder' stepped closer to the counter, observing her sideways without being too obvious. She was one of the waitresses he had briefly glimpsed the night before, a female elf with sky blue eyes and short green hair. Just like the majority of her race, she was extremely beautiful in both appearance and bearing, but her skin was also as white as snow, making her appear even more stunning and mesmerizing, almost like a fairy from ancient legends. She was wearing the same green maid outfit from yesterday with a white frilled headband, a matching white apron, and a pair of brown boots over black leggings. She would have looked downright beautiful, if it wasn't for the cold, detached expression on her face and her emotionless eyes. Her gaze was almost as cold as Arien's own… and that made the young man pause as soon as he noticed it.

There was no way he could ever mistake that gaze. He knew those eyes better than anyone, after all.

A killer.

"Good morning, Mama," the elf – Ryuu – greeted the owner with a soft voice and a short bow. She glanced towards Arien as well, and her eyes widened slightly upon seeing him seated at the counter, presumably surprised to see that he was awake at his hour. It was barely a quarter past six in the morning, after all. However, she recollected herself immediately, and masked her surprise with a bow in his direction, to which the young man answered with a silent nod. Then, the elf turned her attention back on the dwarf. "No, the others haven't woken up yet. I am here to offer assistance, as usual."

Mia Grand sighed, but the dragon-slayer could see it was filled with amusement. "As expected of a stubborn elf. No slacking for you, even in the morning. Lunor and the others should really learn that from you… although your skills in dealing with customers are pathetic compared to them," she mused with sarcasm, making the waitress close her eyes in embarrassment. To her credit, she took her boss' jab like a champion.

Arien glanced at the clock placed on the wall behind the counter. "You make your waitresses begin their shift so soon?" he commented, raising a brow to the dwarf.

The owner scoffed. "I wish. This stubborn elf always wakes up before the rest, even before dawn sometimes. She's usually the first one who comes down and helps me out while we wait for the others. I think it's some kind of habit of hers," she explained, eyeing the elf in question with a sly grin. The waitress remained unfazed by her words, but she did tense slightly under the taller woman's stare. Her face and gaze betrayed nothing, though.

A few seconds of silence passed. Until, Mia took a deep breath and eyed both Arien and the elf.

"Anyway, I'm off to the kitchen. I'll prepare something quick for you, so wait here and don't go anywhere," she said to the young man, making him nod in acceptance. Then, the dwarf turned to the female elf as well. "Ryuu, you can start by mopping the floor and cleaning the tables. When you're done, I'll have your breakfast ready, as usual."

"Yes, Mama," she replied, as serious and stoic as ever.

Having said that, Mia stepped inside the kitchen and disappeared, leaving Arien and Ryuu alone in the bar.

Silence descended between the two. It stretched for a while, but it quickly became clear that neither of them was willing to break it. Therefore, the young man decided to do the most logical thing: rest. He closed his eyes and leaned on the counter with his head above the arms, while the female elf moved to grab the cleaning utensils left near the kitchen by her boss and started to mop the floor with a broom in a habitual and affable swiftness. Both of them kept minding their own business for a long while, ignoring each other completely. And for what seemed to be an eternity, things remained unchanged between the two.

It was only when Ryuu began to clean the tables with a cleaning rag that she finally decided to speak.

"You are rather early for a patron," the elf commented, glancing in the boy's direction. Arien did not open his eyes, but he could clearly feel her eyes focused on his back with an unnerving intensity. "Did you find the accommodations unsatisfying?"

Of all the emotions that could have been behind that question, Arien was not surprised to discover that suspicion was the most predominant one. Thanks to his powers and instinct, he could clearly feel a gigantic wave of suspicion oozing off from her very core, even though he was keeping his back on her. But there was no way he could ever miss the cold, distrustful emotion coming from the elf's entire frame. Her apprehensive behavior was simply too obvious to miss, with or without Divine powers.

As expected of a killer, I suppose. Her instinct is making her wary of me, the dragon-slayer mused, unimpressed.

However, much to her surprise, the young man shrugged at her question. "Not quite. I'm simply a morning person. Sleeping past six in the morning is literally impossible for me," he explained without a care, not even bothering to hide his indifference to her suspicious tone. Slowly, he raised his head from the counter, shooting a side-long glance at the elf. "And I see that I'm not to only one," he added, hiding a veiled smile behind his black fur collar.

The female elf narrowed her eyes, but she nodded wordlessly in acceptance. After a few seconds, she decided to relent. "I see. I apologize for bothering you, then."

"There's no need. I'm the one who should apologize."

That caught the elf's attention. Ryuu's head snapped in the young man's direction, her brows furrowed into a confused scowl. "…pardon?" she asked, unable to understand.

Arien turned to her fully, fixing her with an unreadable stare. His grey eyes stared directly to the blue ones of the elf with an intensity that almost made her shiver. "I did something brash yesterday. To you. And I wish to apologize for it," he stated, deadly serious. His face and gaze were extremely hard for her to read, even in spite of his serious tone.

Ryuu just stared at him, confused by his words. She did not understand what he was saying, for there was nothing this man had done to her. She was completely unable to understand what he meant. But just as her mind was furiously trying to think and ponder about what this man was referring to with his words, suddenly and without a warning, the memory of what had unfolded the night before immediately flashed inside her mind, and the female elf widened her eyes imperceptibly, dropping the cleaning rag and grabbing her right wrist out of instinct.

Arien's gaze softened as he detected a hint of disgust flashing inside her gaze. "I'm sorry I grabbed your arm yesterday," he said, dipping his head in a curt bow. He didn't really care about this girl's impression of him, but he knew he had to offer an apology when it was due. He was not that kind of monster. "Whether you believe me or not, I'm quite used to elven customs; and I'm aware of the fact that your race is quite susceptible to being touched by others… so, I hope I haven't offended you by touching you yesterday. Doing so was inconsiderate and improper, and it was a mistake on my part. I apologize for it."

Ryuu stared at him with wide eyes, flabbergasted, as he lowered his head into an apologetic bow without a single hint of hesitation.

After a few moments of stunned silence, the waitress relaxed her features. Slightly. "I see," she mused with a soft tone. "So you can be polite."

He openly snorted at her comment, turning his back on her. "I don't know what your impression of me was, nor do I care. But I do know when to admit my mistakes," he rebutted, uncaring. He could clearly feel her narrowed stare on his back, and the boy inwardly smirked as he detected a great amount of annoyance coming from the elf due to his dismissal of her opinion. "Yesterday I acted out of anger, and in doing so I unconsciously touched an elf without her consent. Now I've apologized for it, but whether you're going to forget about it or not is not my concern. I just wanted to point out that it wasn't intentional on my part."

"There is no need. I understand," Ryuu reassured him with a sigh, releasing her wrist in a slow movement. Her pointy ears twitched as she lowered her head slightly. "Given the situation, it was understandable. Me and the others were prepared to intervene the moment those Adventurers provoked you, but you handled it quite well. I will not fault you for it."

The unknown hero who had slayed the dragon remained quiet, keeping his back on her.

Ryuu resumed to clean the tables after that quick exchange of words, but Arien could still feel her gaze on him all the same. Her distrustful aura hadn't disappeared either.

In the end, the waitress broke the silence once more. "…are you an Adventurer?"

Arien turned to her on the stool with a slow movement. "I didn't take you for the talkative type," he mused, flashing a sly smirk to the female elf. "What, are you trying to strike a conversation with me?"

Much to his amusement, a faint blush spread on her cheeks in spite of her stoic expression. Even the tip of her ears began to redden a bit. "…forget it," she dismissed him with a cold tone, averting her eyes and focusing back on her work. "I only know one person with white hair and those features. I was just curious about it."

The young man stared at her as she worked, long and hard. His expression was unreadable as never before.

This elf, he mused inside his head. She's trying to ascertain something about me. Forget her eyes and her silent steps, she's clearly more than a simple killer. An Assassin would not be so direct with her questioning.

However, the more he stared at her, the more he became convinced―

But still… why does she look familiar to me?

―that there was something off about her.

He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say a single word, Mia Grand suddenly stepped inside the bar once again, holding a small plate and a glass of water in her hands.

"Here. Sorry for the wait," the dwarf spoke, placing the plate and the glass on the counter in front of him. Arien stared at his food with a blank face, noticing that the dish consisted of a few toasts with eggs, bacon and some sort of sausage on the side. It wasn't exactly his ideal breakfast, but he wasn't one to complain about this kind of things. He wasn't a picky person. And it also smelled delicious. "This is the best I could prepare with what I had left in the kitchen. It's still some time before our chef comes with the new ingredients for the day, and I can't prepare anything else if I don't have the restocks of food."

Arien just shook his head. "It's fine. Don't stress about it," he reassured her, grabbing a fork and digging in without a care.

Mia looked at him with a raised brow as he ate, while Ryuu continued to clean the tables of the room in silence, occasionally shooting a narrowed stare in his direction (which the young man didn't fail to notice, unbeknownst to her).

When he was halfway through his breakfast, the dragon-slayer looked up to the dwarf once again. "Mia, I have a favor to ask," he spoke in all seriousness, breaking the silence a second time.

The owner stopped cleaning the empty mug in her hand and turned to him. She was honestly surprised to see the seriousness on his face.

The young man stared straight into her eyes. "The 'special treatment' I've mentioned before… I didn't mean your previous exchange of information when I said I had a favor to ask," he explained, clearing his throat. "What I meant is that I want you to do something for me."

Mia narrowed her eyes. "That being?" she asked.

Arien kept his grey orbs glued to hers. The amount of resolve in his expression was sincerely surprising to see. "I'm not planning to remain in Orario for long, but for the entirety of my stay here, I would like you to keep one of your workers away from me. As far away as possible," he declared, deadly serious. The young man didn't fail to see the owner's eyes narrowing in confusion at his request, as well as the glare that a certain elf was sending him from behind. In all honesty, he did not care one single bit. "The waitress from last night. I don't want to be approached by her ever again."

"…Syr," Mia realized, her eyebrows going upwards as realization dawned upon her features. The tall dwarf crossed her arms with a confused expression. "You want me to keep her away from you?"

"Basically, yes," the dragon-slayer confirmed, nodding his head. He could already feel the daggers on his back by Ryuu's glare alone. "Can I ask you to make sure that noisy bitch won't bother me for the entirety of my stay in your tavern?"

"Please do not refer to my friend in such a way," Ryuu warned him from behind with a frown, her voice carrying a very dangerous edge in its tone.

Both Arien and Mia didn't react to her words, ignoring the female elf completely – much to her growing indignation.

The owner scratched her neck with a weary face as she pondered about his request. "I figured you would ask something like this. But I'm not sure I'll be able to do that," she tried to say with a defeated tone.

"You are her boss. Of course you can," Arien didn't relent, scowling in annoyance.

Mia snorted. "You ain't the first one she treats that way, and you won't be the last," she dismissed his words with a wave of the hand. Her chagrined expression was extremely plain to see. "Syr usually acts like that with people who pick up her interest, and given by your looks… it's no wonder she would be intrigued by you."

His scowl deepened. "Because I look like this so-called Rabbit Foot?"

"Aye. Syr is quite fond of the boy. Heck, let's face it: the girl's practically smitten," she admitted without mincing words, sighing with a weary expression. That last piece of information raised a lot of red flags inside Arien's mind. The fact that someone as weird – someone as dangerous – as Syr was interested in his relative was NOT something he was happy to learn. He had to dig deeper into this matter once his first task was over. "I know she's a handful, and I sure as hell admit that she can be extremely annoying… but she's not a bad person. If you could just―"

"I don't care," he cut her off, as serious as before. "I gave you one million valis, and I'm asking you as a customer. I do NOT want to be approached by her."

He could see Mia forcing a bland expression on her face. It was clearly a lost cause in that department.

"The best I can do is tell her not to bother you while you eat," she answered in the end, trying to sound optimistic.

Arien inwardly growled. Gods dammit. "You should really be stricter with your staff," he grumbled as he spoke between bites. Faced by her dismissive shrug, the young man decided to focus on the glare on his back instead. "If you have something to say, then say it," he spoke with a cold tone of voice, making the female elf who stood behind him tense in surprise for being addressed directly. "I don't want to deal with the feeling of another unpleasant stare on the back of my head during my stay in this place."

The waitresses took a few moments to recollect herself. But when she did, she did not hesitate to voice her opinion.

"Excuse me, but I cannot stand this," Ryuu cut in the discussion abruptly, stepping closer to the counter with a firm step while Mia and Arien were still looking at each other. Both of them turned to stare at her, and the young man who had slayed the dragon met the elf's outraged expression with an emotionless gaze. "Why are you making such a request? What will you gain by ostracizing Syr that way?" she asked – no, she demanded – to him with no small amount of anger in her tone.

The boy remained calm and collected, as if he couldn't care less about her anger. "That thing has been nothing but a pain from the first moment I met her," he answered, unfazed. "I just wish to spend my days in peace without being bothered by it. Is that so hard to understand?"

Her eyebrow visibly twitched. "Do not address her as such," she warned, narrowing her eyes.

The young man remained completely unfazed by her glare. Instead, he chose to ignore the elf and turn to Mia again, who was shaking her head with an expression mixed between weariness and disbelief. "So? Can I trust you to do this for me?" he asked the owner again, unimpressed.

Mia sighed, ignoring the way Ryuu was bristling in anger next to the boy for being ignored so blatantly. "I'll see what I can do. But no promises," she muttered, deciding to relent for the sake of everyone (and her own mental health).

Arien nodded in satisfaction, placing the fork on his now empty plate and pushing it on the counter. "Good. I'll be counting on you, then," he spoke with a – fake – cheerful tone, pushing back the stool he was seated on while a satisfied smirk began to form on his face.

Ryuu eyed him with barely restrained irritation all the while. "Why do you treat her so coldly?" she asked. "Do you really dislike my friend that much?"

The young man stood up from the stool with a sigh. His shoulders visibly tensed at the memory of his previous interaction with the grey-haired waitress. Just thinking about her face (and her smile) was enough to send a shiver down his back. "Out of all the people working in this place, she's the most dangerous one," he answered in all seriousness, his gaze flickering between Ryuu's narrowed gaze and Mia's unreadable stare. "Even more so than you two," he added, deadly serious.

Mia and Ryuu tensed immediately. Their eyes widened out of instinct, and the dwarf and the elf shared a silent, stunned glance with each other after processing his words for a second.

Syr? Dangerous? What did he mean by that?

The owner narrowed her eyes, fixing the young man in front of her with an unreadable stare. Could it be…? she thought, struggling to keep a neutral expression. Has he already figured out her connection with Freya?

At the same time, Ryuu pondered his answer with a frown. "Is that why you treated her with so much indifference yesterday? Because you think she's dangerous?" the elf asked him in the end.

"Yes," he answered, deadly serious.

It wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't completely far from it either. His powers had literally screamed "danger" as soon as his eyes had landed on the girl, and that kind of thing had never happened before in his life. Never. That meant that whoever she was, Syr was more dangerous than she looked, and he had to be wary of her. And his concern had only increased when he had realized that she was probably connected to a deity somehow. Thus, taking into account all of that and the fact that the girl was basically a noisy bitch with no respect for privacy and personal space, Arien's opinion of her had only worsened. It was no wonder he was so wary of her.

But there was no point in explaining all of that to them. It was best to keep his suspicions to himself.

Having said that, the young man exhaled a sigh, turning his back to both the owner and the waitress and glancing in direction of the exit with a narrowed gaze.

"I should go now," he spoke all of a sudden, as if he was talking to himself more than the others. "I don't want to be around when that thing wakes up and comes here."

Mia snorted. "You don't need to worry about that. Unlike the rest of us, Syr doesn't live here," she reassured him with a sigh. The dwarf was openly donning a hand over her temples, as if to forestall the feeling of an incoming migraine. "Her morning shift starts at nine o'clock, so she usually doesn't come here before that time. Tch… lazy girl is late almost every day, actually," she muttered with obvious irritation.

That put Arien's mind at ease (more than he would have liked to admit, to be honest). At least his morning routine was going to be safe.

"Good to know; but I still need to leave. I have some matters to attend to," the young man replied without batting an eye, offering a bow of thanks to Mia for the food and a nod to Ryuu out of pure courtesy. "I'll be back by night, if everything goes smoothly. Hopefully I won't be late, but if that happens, please leave me something to eat on the counter. I'll make sure to pay for it if it's a bother to you."

Mia nodded in acceptance as she bid him goodbye. "Very well. Good luck with your… task, boy," she said with amusement.

Arien nodded and smirked. Trust me, luck won't be needed, he thought as waved his hand in a parting gesture.

That being said, the boy with ashen-white hair exited the establishment without saying anything else, leaving Mia and Ryuu alone inside the bar.

The dwarf and the elf remained frozen into a suspicious silence.

Seconds passed, followed by minutes.

"Good morning, nya."

A sudden voice brought them back to reality after a few moments of tension. Mia turned around to see Anya, Chloe and Lunor stepping inside the ground floor from the door leading to the stairs, all of them yawning with a sleepy expression as they greeted them in a rather tired way. Meanwhile, Ryuu's gaze hadn't left the entrance of the tavern even for a second, with her eyes narrowed and an unreadable expression on her face. The dwarf and the rest of her staff didn't take long to notice her weird behavior, since they all knew the elf better than anyone in the city. Except for Syr, of course.

"Um, what happened here?" Lunor asked, glancing around the bar and eying both Mia and Ryuu with a questioning glance. "I feel like we've interrupted a moment or something."

"That's right, nya. What's with this tension, nya?" Chloe asked as well, raising a brow.

On her part, Anya looked just as clueless as ever. Despite being a powerful Adventurer, the poor cat-girl was simply too naïve to notice the weird feeling of unease drenching the air.

For a few moments filled with confusion, the only answer they received was more silence. In the end, however, it was Ryuu who finally decided to explain. "It was our newest customer," she spoke with a cold tone. Her fellow waitresses cloud almost swear they saw something cold and unforgiving flashing inside her blue eyes as she spoke those words. "He just left a few minutes ago."

That caught the others' attention. "What? White-hair was here, nya?" Anya exclaimed, tilting her head to the side.

"Yes. He's asked Mama Mia to keep Syr away from him for as long as he'll be staying here," she explained, not even bothering to hide her disapproval. The dislike in her tone as he spoke about the mysterious boy and his request was simply too obvious to miss.

Lunor, Chloe and Anya widened their eyes upon hearing that, stunned by the news. They were about to ask for clarifications, when a sudden – and powerful – cough suddenly grabbed their attention.

Every single waitress in the room turned around to meet Mia Grand's annoyed expression. Sweat began to from on each and every one of their faces.

"Enough. Quit your chatterin' and start doing your work at once!" the dwarf behind the counter declared with a commanding tone. "You three are five minutes later than usual. May and the others will arrive in a few minutes, so I won't let you slack off today. Y'all know your chores already, so GET A MOVE ON!"

The entirety of the Hostess' staff cried in chorus as one.

"Yes, Mama!"

---

The child was crying non-stop. He had refused his milk and wouldn't stop bawling no matter how much she kept cradling him in her arms. Not even his favorite lullaby, the one Meteria would sing to him every night and that had never failed to put him at ease, seemed to work right now. The woman really had no idea of what to do, and she was growing concerned that something might be wrong with him. Maybe he was sick or in pain… but her goddess had assured her that Arien was fine, since she could not detect any sickness in him with her powers.

But then, why was he crying so much?

Not for the first time ever since she had decided to take care of him, the woman felt like she was going crazy. Maybe Hera was right. Maybe she really needed a break.

"Leave him to me, Meteria," her patron goddess spoke to her once she finally took the courage to ask for her help. "I'll keep him with me for tonight. You clearly need to rest."

Meteria nodded her head, shooting a silent, concerned glance to the child in the goddess' hands.

---

Labyrinth City of Orario
Hearthstone Manor

(======)

Bell Cranel felt restless that morning.

Somehow, ever since he woke up in his bedroom inside the Hearthstone Manor, the young boy had mysteriously found himself overwhelmed by that peculiar and bothering feeling: restlessness. He was completely, utterly and undeniably restless… and despite his best efforts, he could not quite fathom the reason why he was feeling like this. He was completely hopeless to discover the source of his agitation.

No, scratch that. That was a lie. He knew why he was feeling like this. Deep down, he knew it. He knew exactly why his heart was feeling restless and unease right now. After all, this wasn't the first time he had felt like this during the recent days. Actually, to be precise, it had been almost an entire week since this feeling of unease and agitation had begun to assault him. For six days straight he'd been feeling like this, restless and tense, utterly unable to quell the beating of his heart and ease the worry inside his mind. And the cause of his agitation, the reason behind all these overwhelming feelings was one. It could only be one.

That being: the discovery that something was wrong with Aiz, and the realization that he didn't know what it was.

Tiona and Tione hadn't told him what was happening to Aiz when he had met them during the Victory Festival, but the young Adventurer known as Rabbit Foot had clearly noticed the sadness inside the two Amazoness' eyes during their brief meeting six days ago. There was no way he could have ever missed the concern drenching their expression, along with the feeling of bitter hopelessness dripping from their gaze as they spoke her name back then. Those emotions had been quite plain to see on their faces, and they had been extremely easy to notice for him and his fellow Familia members. Something had clearly been bothering those two. Something related to Aiz. But whatever it was, the sisters had refused to give them an explanation, and simply left with the same concern written all over their faces.

And because of that, Bell just couldn't help but worry right now. He couldn't help but worry and feel restless every time he thought about Aiz. After all, how could he not be worried? Aiz was the one he loved. The one he was struggling to reach. The person who had lit the fire inside his very own soul, and who had won his heart ever since he had been saved by her. She was his source of inspiration, his aspiration, and his ultimate goal. There was no one he wished to reach more than her. She was his dream, the embodiment of his wish, and his life goal; in the literal sense of the term. There was nothing and no one who could replace her in his heart, and that much was undisputable for him.

But now, for some reason he was not yet aware of, something was wrong with Aiz… and that very same thought was eating him up from the inside.

"Aiz… is not feeling well right now."

That was all Tione had been able to say. And no matter how many days passed, the more he thought about it, the more Bell could feel his concern grow as he pondered about those words over and over again. What had she meant with those words? Why was Aiz not feeling well? Was she sick? Was she hurt? Did something happen to her? Did she have an unexpected encounter in the Dungeon? Was it something related to her Familia? Something personal? Was she sad? Was she ok?

The doubts and questions clouding his mind were many. Too many to be listed.

Bell sighed as he remained seated on his bed, his gaze downcast and his mind filled with worry and concern. He knew that there was nothing he could do in this situation. Even if Aiz was hurting right now, he couldn't just spur into action and pretend to know what was wrong. In the first place, he and Aiz belonged to different Familias, so they shouldn't have had any interactions despite what had happened in the past. All their previous encounters, all their sparring sessions and even their friendly and unexpected relationship had been only an exception so far, to be honest. The truth was that they belonged to different Familias – to different factions – and as such, there was little he could do to actually reach out to her. But despite knowing all of this with crystal clear clarity, Bell just couldn't help but worry and wish he could do something all the same.

Because he loved her, and knowing that something was wrong with his loved one was simply not a thing he could accept. Especially since he had no idea of what was happening to her.

Sometimes, loving someone and not knowing what was happening to them was the scariest thing one could feel.

With a deep sigh dripping with hopelessness, the young boy finally decided to move. He exited his room and walked along the corridors of Hearthstone Manor, his mind filled with doubts and questions. He knew that something was wrong with Aiz. He had long since suspected it, ever since he had seen the cold, twisted expression on her face on that fateful day. The day of the news of the Black Dragon's return and demise. When he had heard of the monster's return, Bell had felt scared and stunned. He had felt horrified and worried. But when he had turned towards his beloved one in order to seek some sort of reassurance amid that moment of panic, all he had been able to see was a cold and twisted and merciless expression of anger on her face.

A shiver ran down his spine at the memory of that sight. Even now the boy could clearly remember that expression on Aiz's face. There was no way he could ever forget the anger, the bloodlust – the hate – inside his beloved one's golden eyes at the mention of the Black Dragon. The girl's face had been nothing but a mask of hatred upon hearing the name of the King of Monsters. There hadn't been a single Adventurer amid the crowd surrounding them who had looked as scary and hateful as her in that moment. She had looked so angry, so outraged… so haunted by the name of the Beast that even Bell, who loved the girl more than anything, had felt nothing but shock and worry at the sight of his beloved's face.

Thus, after days and days of pondering and thinking, the suspicion had begun to form inside the boy's mind.

Whatever was wrong with Aiz at the moment, perhaps it was related to the One-Eyed Black Dragon. As absurd and unlikely as it sounded, that was the only explanation he had been able to come up with.

And the more he thought about this possibility, the less he found himself liking it.

Why had the news of the Dragon been so impactful on Aiz? Why had she looked so haunted by its return? By its name? She had looked so angry and outraged by its return… perhaps she was familiar with it? The hatred inside her eyes had been so strong, almost as if its return represented something she could not stand. Something that was both unacceptable and unavoidable for her. Something that went beyond the duty of an Adventurer and the wish to slay the monster for good. Something personal.

But why? How? How was it possible? Why was the Dragon's return so impactful on her? And more importantly: now that it was dead, why wasn't she feeling better? Tiona and Tione had said that she wasn't feeling good six days ago, and the news of the Beast's demise had already been circulating for a long while back then. So… why? What was the matter with her? What was wrong with her?

Nope. He didn't like it. He didn't like it one bit.

He needed answers.

"Bell-kun? Where are you going?"

The boy halted and flinched, surprised by the sudden voice coming from behind. He had been so immersed in his own thoughts that he'd failed to notice his legs had unconsciously led him in front of the door at the entrance. He turned around, and he was greeted by the sight of Hestia's small frame placed behind him, looking at him quizzically with a small frown. His beloved goddess kept her arms crossed as she stared at him, with and unreadable expression on her face.

Faced with her question, and unable to form a concrete excuse for his weird behavior, he decided to tell the truth.

"Kami-sama. I… I wish to go for a walk," he muttered, looking at her with his crimson eyes, deadly serious.

Hestia stared at him, long and hard. Bell felt something warm and solemn grow inside his chest as the goddess kept her eyes glued to his face with an intensity that no mortal gaze could ever possess. It was an effect that was due to her Divine nature, and to which he had grown so fondly accustomed. After all, being stared by a deity was extremely different from being looked at by a mortal, no matter the race they belonged to. Gods were able to read the mortals' intentions and feelings more easily, and their stare always felt different on both the body and the mind. It was no wonder that it was so easy to recognize a deity for the children of the lower world, despite them looking and sounding no different from mortals in both appearance and sound. Their existences were simply too different to be able to miss the difference. It was unavoidable.

After a few moments, the goddess smiled at him. "It's still early for a morning walk," she said, her voice sly but filled with fondness and care. "The others are still sleeping, and you didn't even have breakfast. I can―"

"Please, Kami-sama," he interrupted her, gently. His face remained unchanged in front of Hestia's surprised gaze. "I need this."

A few moments of silence passed after his statement. They both stood in front of the entrance of their home, staring into each other's eyes for what seemed to be an eternity.

In the end, the small goddess smiled. A look of knowing and fond realization blossomed on her features. Bell didn't even need to look at her to know that she had already understood his intentions. No matter what, Hestia was always able to read him completely, and it was for this reason that she was and would always be the closest person to him. Except for his dead grandfather, no one had ever been able to bond and connect with the boy on such a deep level.

"I see," she mused, taking a step forward and smiling at him a beaming expression. "Then I'll come with you."

The boy felt something warm dwell in his chest. As expected of his goddess. She was always able to lift his mood, no matter of how sad and uncertain he felt. Even during the recent Xenos incident, when he had been ostracized and shunned by the people of Orario, she had always managed to reassure his heart amid the sadness and despair, offering her presence and her support to him no matter what. If it hadn't been for her – and the others as well, let's be honest – Bell would have been broken without a doubt. But Hestia would always stick with him when he was feeling sad and uncertain, and if Bell knew there was one person he could always count on, it was her. That was why she was and would always be his one and only goddess.

With a faint blush, he lowered his head and nodded. "Thank you," he whispered with gratitude.

Hestia just beamed, grabbing his hand and leading him outside.

They walked for a few minutes along the streets of Orario, hand in hand and immersed into a comfortable silence. Had it been any normal circumstance, Bell would have blushed and felt embarrassed by how close they looked, but right now… he was just too restless to even care about it. His mid was still filled with questions, doubts and uncertainties regarding Aiz and her current state that he barely even registered the world around him. For once in his lifetime, he hardly noticed the passersby's looks and the few occasional glances people where shooting in his direction, distracted as he was.

Until, his goddess squeezed his hand, prompting him to turn to her and meet her smiling face. "Bell-kun, where do you want to go?" she asked him, as cheerful as she could ever be.

Bell wasn't surprised to realize that she already knew he had a destination in mind. Hestia really knew him better than anyone. The boy felt his lips twitch upwards in gratitude.

So, he dismissed all his worries and uncertainties... and told her the place he wanted to visit.

Hestia looked at him as she listened to his request, her eyebrow raising slightly, but remained silent. Then, after an initial moment of surprise, she nodded in acceptance and smiled again.

"Ok. Let' go," was all she said.

They walked for quite a long while. After asking for directions to some passersby, they boy and his goddess learned that their destination was nearby in the southeastern section of the city. Some people warned them about the dangers lurking in the slums that were apparently close by, but Bell didn't run into any trouble before they reached his destination.

It was a cemetery packed with countless graves.

This was a public burial ground in Orario called the First Graveyard, also known as the Adventurers Graveyard. The final resting place for those who fell in the Dungeon.

Bell and Hestia stepped inside the site. Apart from the two of them, there was no one else present in the spacious area where they emerged after taking a long set of stairs that led away from a side street. Murmuring in surprise at the sheer number of white gravestones, they made for the center.

Eventually, a giant jet-black monument came into view.

It was noticeably different from the other markers… because this one was a memorial dedicated to Heroes from ancient times.

"This is…"

Bell's eyes went wide as he took in the five-meters-tall monument.

The Dungeon Oratoria had been like Scripture to him when he was a child. It was a miraculous tale of heroism, a historical account that had spun from the very soil of Orario. The great Heroes who appeared in its pages had risked their lives to turn back the tide of monsters that flowed endlessly from the underworld – and it was before the grave of those Heroes who he had idolized for so long that the young Adventurer known as Bell Cranel now stood alongside his goddess.

Names from the stories he knew by heart were carved into the black stone. And as his gaze passed over each name, it felt like his body had been set aflame. For some reason, Bell found himself on the verge of tears.

Hestia squeezed his hand again, and the boy found the strength to hold back his emotions.

Dozens of flowers had been left at the foot of the monument. Even now, those great Heroes still received gestures of respect and admiration from the people. Having brought nothing by himself, Bell hung his head at his lack of forethought, before straightening and closing his eyes.

"Bell-kun," his goddess' voice roused him back from his thoughts. The boy with ashen-white hair looked to his right, meeting Hestia's curious gaze with a confused face. "Why did you want to come here?"

Her question echoed inside his mind for a long, long while. The boy remained silent for a bit, pondering his answer with his gaze glued to the monument. Countless, infinite answers flashed inside his head; but in the end, there was only one truth he could offer to his goddess. The one and only reason why he had wished to come here of all places, now that his mind was filled with doubts and concerns for his loved one.

"Kami-sama… you know my wish, right?"

The goddess looked at him with an unreadable face.

The boy who sought adventure kept his gaze glued to the moment, his face a mask of uncertainties and determination mixed together. "I want to become strong. Stronger than I am now," he continued to say, his eyes burning with resolve and sadness. "There's… someone I want to reach. Someone I so desperately want to catch up to; and as I am now… it's not enough. I have no chance of reaching my goal in my current state. On the contrary, these last few days have only made me realize how much distant I am from my goal. It was… disheartening, a little."

To not be able to know his beloved one's plague… to not be able to do something to change this… to realize how distant he was from her despite all the things he had been through…

Hestia kept listening to him, her face unreadable as he spoke.

Bell smiled with self-mockery, shaking his head a little in disappointment. "I-I don't want to be like this," he admitted with a sad smile. "I don't want to be powerless. I… I want to change things. I want to be able to reach my goal, to overcome every challenge, and to finally catch up with the person I want to reach. In order to do that, I need to become stronger. I need to overcome my fears."

He pointed at the black monument, staring at its tall frame with gleaming eyes. "That is why I wanted to come here. This monument is dedicated to the Heroes from ancient times. The ones I used to read all the time with my grandfather when I was a child. No matter the adversities and difficulties, those Heroes would never give up. They would never relent. They would keep fighting and struggling, until they reached their goal. And I―― I know it's childish, but… I want to be like them. I want to reach my goal, to achieve my happy ending like they did. That is what I've dreamed of the most, ever since I was little. It is my greatest wish, and my aspiration."

An aspiration that had a certain shape and figure. A goal embodied in its entirety by a certain girl with golden hair and eyes.

"So… I hoped that, by coming here, I could feel a little braver," he admitted, with a tiny voice filled with hope. He turned to his goddess with an embarrassed face, his smile faltering a little as he realized how cringe his own speech sounded even to his own ears. "That I could get a tiny bit closer to those Heroes I admire so much. Or, at least, that their memory could give me a little push. To share their courage and resolve. That is all I wanted."

He knew that it was foolish, childish and hopeless. He knew there was no way he could ever reach the greatness of those ancient Heroes from times long past.

But it didn't matter. Because now, he, too, was an Adventurer of Orario.

He may never manage to become a true Hero…. but maybe he could get just a little bit closer to the world those legends inhabited.

That was his core. The reason he had come to Orario in the first place. His longest and deepest aspiration… and the fuel which had lit the fire inside him upon being saved by Aiz Wallenstein all those months ago.

And now, for the first time, he had bared it all in front of someone else. In front of the person closest to him. In front of his own goddess.

Said goddess who, much to his growing embarrassment, was looking at him with an amused smile.

"Oh, my dear Bell-kun," Hestia mused with a sly tone, shaking her head in fondness and squeezing his hand. "You really are a hopeless child, chasing after Heroes and legends at your age."

For her, the blush spreading on his face was adorable to see. She almost squealed in delight as he lowered his eyes in shame, looking everywhere but her direction. Her cute little rabbit was too adorable to bear.

Eventually, however, Hestia took a deep breath. Then, she turned to him fully and steeled her face. The boy openly blinked in surprise as the goddess grabbed both oh his arms, pulling him closer and forcing him to kneel in order to reach her eye-level. The tiny deity with black hair stared straight into his crimson eyes, her gaze softening in front of her cute little Captain.

"You may be a little childish and dense… but you've really grown a lot," she spoke, looking at him with a fond smile. "From the time we met until now, you really have exceeded my expectations. Not only you've just reached Level 4, but you're growing more and more strong and reliable with each passing day… and I want you to be aware of that."

He lowered his eyes a bit. "But it's not eno―"

She cut him off by grabbing his head with her hands, startling him. "You may feel like this, but to me – to us – that is not true at all," she replied sternly, as serious as she could ever be. "You are the pride of my Familia. You're the one who brought the little Supporter and Welf to us. You're the one who managed to win Mikoto's respect and rescue Haruhime in spite of the odds. And you are also the one who decided to go against Loki's stupid children and the whole city for the sake of the Xenos. That is NOT something I'll allow you to dismiss. You are so much stronger than you realize… and it pains me to see how little you think of your efforts so far, for they are enormous in my eyes."

Bell lowered his eyes again, this time in both shame and embarrassment.

Hestia smiled at him, the very first person to ever join her Familia. "You have the strength to reach your goal, Bell," she spoke to him with a firm tone. Her voice was filled with so much certainty and sincerity that the boy couldn't help but remain stunned for a moment. "Whatever it is that you wish for, I believe you'll be able to reach it no matter what. You already have the strength to make a change. I'm not saying it will be easy, because it won't; but so far… you've done nothing but prove me wrong no matter how many times I thought you would have failed. So cheer up, Bell-kun. You have a whole journey ahead of you; and as your beloved goddess, I'll be with you every step of that journey, to bear witness to your achievements."

The boy listened to her with wide eyes. His eyes were wavering with emotions as he stared at her.

"If you wish to grow even more strong, then I have no doubt you'll be able to pull it off," Hestia assured him, proud and resolute. Then, her face twitched a bit in sadness, but she quickly casted her jealousy away for the sake of her child. This was just too important for him, and as his patron goddess, she had the duty to support him no matter what. "And as for your other wish… I'm sure you'll be able to achieve it as well. I have no doubt about it."

Because he's already won me over from the first day we've met, she thought, doing her very best to ignore the bitterness inside her heart. And I want him to be happy more than anyone else. If his happiness can only blossom with that Aiz Wallenwhateveritis, then so be it. But if she won't be able to reciprocate my cute Bell-kun's feelings, then that'll be on her. And I'll be ready to snatch him away and make sure he's happy for as long as he lives.

That was her silent promise. Her utmost decision. Her solemn oath. One that she would never break no matter what.

Bell looked at her in disbelief, his eyes and voice trembling a bit. "You really… think so?" he whispered. "You really think I can do it?"

Sometimes, he could sound so small.

Hestia shook her head. "I don't think you can do it," she answered with a solemn voice, grinning in confidence in front of his stunned face. "I KNOW you can."

The Captain of Hestia Familia blushed, and the goddess giggled in amusement.

"So, Bell-kun… what do you want to do?" she asked, eyeing him with a confident expression.

The boy widened his eyes, his goddess' words echoing inside his head over and over again. And after a few seconds of hesitation, he finally realized the truth. Good grief… how had he forgotten about something so obvious? Hestia was right: he could change things. He could do something right now. He could face this challenge like he had done with all the previous ones before. After all, how could he ever hope to become stronger if he wasn't even willing to make an attempt? He had to at least try! He had to make an attempt, no matter how scary and hard it could be! Surely Asterios would never forgive him if he gave up so easily. There was no way he could lose confidence so soon.

And if there was one thing Bell was sure of, this was it: he would never give up. As long as he had Hestia and his Familia at his side, he could face everything and everyone.

Besides, he had already faced her once because of that. Doing so a second time was not going to tamper his resolve.

Not anymore.

Bell Cranel took his decision. He dismissed the previous doubts, and steeled his mind as best as he could.

"Kami-sama… I want to go to her," he spoke with utmost decision. "I want to go see Aiz."

Hestia smiled and nodded, offering her support in spite of the clenching of her heart.

And thus, the boy who sought adventure made his silent wish; while a clear, blue sky watched over him from above.

---

. . .

---

From the distant past right up to the present day, Orario had been a city overflowing with death.

There were times blessed with peace and there were times of unthinkable slaughter. According to history and tradition, in fact, people called "Heroes" had often met their tragic ends in moments of karmic justice that let no room for sympathy. Only one thing was certain: the majority of these events took place during the unending battle against monsters.

This land was piled high with death. The people who had died numbered as many as there were stars in the sky. Such was the place called Orario. Ironically, this cold and sad peculiarity had earned the city such a reputation for glory that it had come to be called "the Center of the World.". Even as its form changed with the ages, its people and its monsters would continue to slaughter one another, endlessly. It was simply impossible to stop this process, for it was the natural order of things. People had long since accepted it, and there was no way to change this intrinsic truth no matter what.

It was a place that generated death. The last stronghold of the mortal world, and its true nature had never changed. Orario was the ancient fortress that stood between the Labyrinth and the outer world. A symbol of the desires of every being to ever take up a sword and fight for the sake of glory, and safety, and freedom.

As such, the Labyrinth City was a place of beginning.

However…

Coming from another angle, the monsters could well be considered the true victims, as well. Regardless of the era, monsters were still constantly butchered in service of the greed of the surface dwellers who took Magic Stones and parts of the monsters' bodies themselves and exchange them for money. Their slaughter was the price of this city's glory, after all. It was undeniable. The inhabitants of the mortal world would reject the notion, but the deities were quite capable of entertaining this perspective.

But the perspective itself was undoubtedly a pointless one.

After all, the question had been decided eons before, when the monsters had overflowed from the great pit and rampaged across the surface. There were those who took the right to exist, and those from whom it was reclaimed. The hostility between the surface dwellers and monsters made the current state an inevitable one. They were simply destined to hate and kill each other until the end of days.

However, if we decide to trace all of that back to the monsters' invasion of the surface, then surely the Adventurers' hatred should have been directed as much at the great pit of the Dungeon as it was at the monsters that emerged from it.

Aiz Wallenstein, for one, felt this way.

―Avenge me.

―Protect the child.

―Fulfill the hopes of the surface.

In the gloom of the Dungeon, it was Aiz alone the one who heard the echoes of these bitter voices; the many desires gnawing at her ears in voices she both did and did not recognize. Countless arms reaching out from the darkness, begging pitifully with a desperate plea: please, please, please!

They were the voices of those who had passed. They, too, were entreaties of those yet to be.

The young Aiz looked down into the palm of her small hand and nodded slowly. Then, as so many had done before her, she reached out to the hilt of the sword before her and pulled, accepting the weapon. In doing so, she signaled her readiness and took her decision with a solemn vow.

But the dream ended there.

---

. . .

---

Labyrinth City of Orario
Twilight Manor

(======)

"…Nnh."

Aiz Wallenstein opened her eyes slowly, blinking the unshed tears away. Her still-blurry vision took in the sigh of a familiar ceiling, and the Spartan interior greeted her quietly. It didn't even take her two seconds to realize that she was still in her own room.

Not that it was surprising, though. She hadn't come out of her room in days, after all.

She must have fallen asleep in her bed after yet another night of incessant crying and restless desperation. When she sat up and confirmed that her blade and armor were still displayed on the side of the room, she mused over her foggy memory and shook her head, ignoring the wave of sadness trashing and roaring inside her empty mind.

The light was dim in the room. She checked the time and saw that it was evening. The window had been left open, and the sun was gone, allowing darkness to descend over the eastern sky.

But the dream from which she had just awoken still lingered in Aiz's mind.

In that dream, a version of her had accepted things as they were. She had accepted the fact that she was alone, forced to live in a world that was cruel and beautiful at the same time. A version of her who had known nothing else but her loneliness: who had not been coerced, nor pressured, nor driven by any sense of purpose to fight. A version of her who had accepted things as they were, without lingering in anger, and sadness, and despair. A version of her who was free, despite the fact that she had chosen to pick up a sword and fight the darkness.

The more she thought about that, the more miserable she felt.

Aiz shook her head wordlessly. Then she stood and went to close the window, since the curtain was fluttering in the breeze. But as she approached the windowsill, she paused and stared at the view of Orario instead, with its usual expanse of light from the city's countless magic-stone lamps shining in the streets.

For a few moments, Aiz took in the scene from her window. Until, after the initial moment of hesitation, she found herself too restless to keep staring at the view, perhaps owing to the unusual dream she'd just had. As she gazed at the city from her window, in fact, the faces of many people she'd said goodbye to came and went inside her mind. People close to her, people who'd shown her kindness. Precious people… and among them, there were faces from Loki Familia as well. The girl had lost mentors and juniors alike to the Dungeon's cruelty in the past, after all.

The moments of their deaths came to her mind, along with their final words, echoing. The sadness of their loss became a pain blooming in the depths of her heart, adding itself to the despair she already felt over the death and disappearance of her parents.

As she thought about that, Aiz found herself pausing and thinking unconsciously. She thought of her father. Of her mother. Of the Dragon. Of the Dungeon. Of Bell. And the more she thought about them, the more she found herself wondering – not for the first time – one, single question: why couldn't she stop?

Why not simply stop being a prisoner to her own hate and quit playing adventuring? Why couldn't she just forget everything about her dead parents, about the Dragon, and about her vengeance? Why not simply stop being… whatever she was right now? Why not stop fighting altogether, especially now that the Black Horror was gone?

But as always, the answer came to her immediately. And it was as cruel and vicious as all the times before.

Aiz – and every other top-class Adventurer – had a reason they couldn't stop fighting. A reason that was selfish, and yet undeniable. Sure, they each had their various ambitions and hopes… but Aiz and the others in her Familia also had a duty set before them on behalf of the entire world. The duty to free the world from the monsters, and deliver freedom and justice to mankind once and for all.

The world wanted a Hero.

That was the truth. As absurd, and silly, and unreasonable as it was… the truth still remained. The world wished for a Hero. It wished for a Hero to slay the monsters and bring justice to every race, bringing an end to the Dungeon and establishing humanity's domain over all things. People wanted the monsters gone, and it didn't matter if they were intelligent like the Xenos or not. The world pretended its freedom, and mankind was unable to resist its desire. Even the gods could do nothing but bend in front of this silent, ever-present wish. It was simply too etched inside their soul to ignore it.

Each race and deity of the world would never stop calling for a new generation's Hero. Even now that the Dragon was no more, they would never stop crying out for it. Because of that, consequently, the causalities would continue to increase. Heroes were built on a foundation made of many lives, after all. Even her own father Albert, the first Hero of the world, had been no exception.

Until the world's cry was answered… until whatever Divine intention the gods were surely hiding finally came to fruition… and until the last corner of the Dungeon was conquered…

…humanity would never stop wishing for a Hero.

But Aiz was not the world, and she had a different wish. A fervent one. A wish that was different – entirely different – from the wish of her people.

There was something she had to regain, after all. Something she had desperately wished to find upon battling the One-Eyed Black Dragon. Because, unlike all her people and all the deities of the world… for Aiz, the grudge against the Black Horror was personal. That Monster had killed her father. Enslaved her mother. Stolen her family. It had destroyed and shattered very single piece of the happiness Aiz had ever felt in her youth and early days.

And for her, such an affront was unforgivable. She could never let it go, for she had felt every bit of that pain on her own skin. For years.

She could never let it go. She could never forget. She could never forgive.

For that was all that remained of her. Casting aside her hatred, her vengeance, and her fight meant to cast aside her soul. And she was unable to do so, as all these years had all but proved to her and her fellow Familia members.

Aiz Wallenstein would never forget the affront she had received. She would never forget the pain she had been forced to endure. And she would never let go of her hatred no matter what. Even now that the Dragon had been killed.

Her Mother's words echoed inside her head; echoes of a time long past that she barely even remembered to this day.

"You know, Aiz… I've heard from your father that at the edge of the world there's a really strong, really scary dragon."

Aiz's hand twitched.

"You father said that people wish for a great Hero to protect them from that dragon and slay it, since everyone is so scared of it."

Her golden orbs trembled. Tears began to well in the corner of her eyes.

"But you don't need to worry, my dear. I'm sure your father will defeat that scary dragon. I am sure of it."

A shaky hiss escaped from her lips. She slammed a fist on the wall, baring her teeth into a desperate growl.

"I promise."

Her mother's words, once filled with reassurance and comfort, now felt like nothing but an oppressive curse inside her head.

"I…"

All alone, Aiz's voice quivered, as though trying to escape the vicious whispers of hate.

She had not taken up a sword by choice. It had simply been the natural conclusion for her when taking up a sword was all that she had left. The continuation of the dream she'd seen and the only path she had ahead of herself in response to her family's demise. The one and only road she could follow, even if that meant plunging herself into the vicious and endless circle of hatred; unable to get free for as long as she lived.

But now it was too late. The Dragon was dead. The ancient Beast that had flew from Orario a thousand years ago, and that had been said to be the apocalypse incarnate, was dead. The last remaining trial of the Three Great Quest had been completed. And with the King of Monsters gone, it was too late.

Her only way to escape the maze had been denied to her.

"I-I…"

For the Dragon had already been slayed. She didn't have a purpose anymore.

Aiz Wallenstein could free herself from the past no longer.

"…I can't be anyone's hero."

And when the words came out of her lips, she spat them out like something foul.

---

When Zeus and Hera approached her, Meteria was seated on the balcony of her room, which coincidentally was placed in the highest tower of their manor. The Hera Familia home was elegant and by no means small, rivaled in elegance and breadth only by the Zeus' Familia Temple. From her vantage point, the woman with white hair could see the city and passersby below, along with the Tower of Babel in the distance. She kept cradling the child in her arms, but she didn't need to turn around to know that both the goddess and her husband were tense as they approached.

Zeus was openly sweating. That wasn't a good sign. He only did that when he was stressed.

"We need to talk," the god said.

Meteria kept her tired eyes glued to the baby in her arms. The child was asleep, with his chubby face morphed into a cute expression. "I won't let you take him, Zeus," the woman spoke with a resolute tone, making him flinch slightly. "There is nothing to discuss."

Faced with her answer, Zeus's shoulder dropped while Hera sighed. "Please don't be stubborn like your sister," she replied in a sleek but waspish voice. "This is rather important."

"Save it. I won't give Arien to him, and that is final."

The two deities shared a silent glance. Slowly, tentatively, they pulled two stools and took a seat next to her. The baby was still sleeping in her arms.

"You know how things work, Meteria," Hera said to her, trying to be reasonable. "Our Familias are connected. Zeus takes care of the boys, and I take care of the girls. It is a rule and a tradition that has never been broken ever since the two of us came to Orario. I thought you'd made peace with that by now."

Meteria gave a small laugh, but it was not amused. "Then I will be the first one to break it," she stated.

"Child, please listen to me," Zeus spoke as well, his deep voice filled with understanding and hesitation as he scratched his grey beard. "We're not asking you to give him to me now. Hera will allow you to take care of him until he's ready. Until he's old enough. And even when that day comes, you will still be able to see him every time you want. My wife and I do not wish to take him away from you."

"Then why can't he just stay here with me?" she demanded with a firm voice. The woman turned to stare at Zeus, and the god openly flinched upon seeing the bags under her eyes. "What's wrong with having a male member in the Hera Familia?"

"N-Nothing," the perverted god said. "It's just… it has never happened before, and…"

"Arien will always belong to the Hera bloodline, make no mistake," Hera cut her husband off, sternly. The goddess met Meteria's eyes with a firm face, her gaze unyielding even in spite of her outraged expression. "But you know as well as I do that we only have girls here. How do you expect a boy to grow up surrounded only by women? It won't be a problem for now, but when he grows up, he'll have to join my husband's Familia no matter what you say. I know he's stupid and unreliable, but he cares for his boys deeply. He will take care of him."

Zeus sweat-dropped at the jab. "Y-You don't have to go that far, dear."

"Zip it, you old dunce. We both know it's the truth."

Meteria remained unfazed by their words and antics. Her amber eyes gleamed with so much bitterness and desperation that the two gods couldn't help but flinch under her gaze.

"I will NOT let him go," the woman declared again, deadly serious. "I won't allow him to be alone like I was. He needs me, Hera. He has no father to take care of him in the Zeus Familia, and Alfia has already forsaken him. If you wish to tear us apart, then I will go with him too."

Hera and Zeus gasped, widening their eyes.

"Y-You," the goddess gaped. "You would be willing to leave our Familia just so that you can keep the boy with you?"

"Yes."

The answer was immediate. Firm and resolute. There wasn't even a single moment of hesitation on the woman's part.

Zeus narrowed his eyes. "And what if the boy will want to come with me?" he demanded, looking at her straight in the eyes. "What if he will ask to join my Familia of his own volition?"

Meteria lowered her gaze, staring at the baby with a distant expression.

"Then I will let him go," she relented with a nod. "But that choice will be up to him, and him alone."

---

Labyrinth City of Orario
Northern Mainstreet

(======)

Arien stared at the items with an unreadable face.

"Anything else you would recommend?" he asked to the owner of the shop after a few seconds, tearing his gaze away from the items on the counter.

The sight of the owner greeted his vision. An old, muscular human with amber hair and dark eyes, along with a small scar under his left eye. The man was openly staring at him with wide eyes upon hearing his question, disbelief coating his very features.

"Really? You want more?" he asked, sarcasm clearly present in his tone. "You've ordered a lot of items already. Aren't you satisfied enough?"

Yes, he was. That much was undeniable. The dragon-slayer was currently located inside one of the clothing shops located within the shopping area in the Northern Mainstreet, focused on dealing with the owner about the price of a 'few' items he had been insistent to buy. Among said items, he had purchased some clothes (that were going to be necessary for his stay in the city, since the bluish-grey armor made of leather that he was wearing right now was the only thing in his possession) along with a few supplies and items to keep his sword sharp and polished.

And, more importantly, the most important item he had been able to buy after a long while of negotiations: a Reverse Veil. It was a two-sided cloak with a hood that acted like a normal cloak on one side, but allowed the user to become invisible with the other. It was not a very rare item to find and buy, but an extremely valuable – and expensive – one, no doubt. Not only it granted invisibility to its wielder, but as long as someone else was under the cloak along with the wielder, they would gain its effects as well, becoming invisible in turn. Its valuable utility made it a very expensive item for both the Adventurers and those who needed it for themselves, and Arien had been forced to pay nearly fifty thousand valis for the purchase.

The owner of the shop eyed him suspiciously. "Why are you purchasing this stuff, anyway?" he asked, curios. "You said you're not an Adventurer, so what's the point of buying a Reverse Veil and a sword polisher? You're not a thief, are you?"

Arien felt his eyebrow twitch. "I have the money to pay, haven't I?" he replied back as he showed him the bag of valis, sarcastic.

The man shrugged. "Whatever, the less I know the better. I have a few weapons in the back of the cellar, if you're interested; but nothing that fits your specific criteria."

The young man nodded. "Good. Then thank you for your time," he said, placing the bag of coins on the counter and taking the items with his hands. He immediately placed the Reverse Veil on his shoulders, and placed the other clothes inside a grocery bag. "One more thing: can you deliver these clothes to a certain pub for me?" he asked, handing the grocery bag back to him with a serious tone. "It's called the Hostess of Fertility. Just tell the owner that their latest customer has sent you, and they'll bring them to my room."

The old man raised a brow, but he took the bag all the same. "Sure thing. I'll deliver them once my shift is over," he reassured him with a nod. "So you're staying at the Hostess, huh? Given by your looks, I thought you were someone form a powerful Familia. I wasn't expecting you to be an actual traveler."

Arien remained stoic. "I did say I was one, remember?"

"And yet you look like a certain Adventurer," the owner smirked, making his brow twitch. "Face it, you look like Rabbit Foot, so you'll have to forgive people for making assumptions about you. With those looks, it's inevitable that some will label you as one. Heck, even I thought you were him when you entered my shop."

Not for the first time, the young man with ashen-white hair quelled the urge to don a hand over his face. This was really starting to become an unpleasant routine. "I'm not Rabbit Foot, and I'm not an Adventurer," he sighed, shaking his head in exasperation. "I'm just a wanderer like many others. Why is it so hard to understand?"

The old man snorted at his rhetorical question. "Kid, I've been through a lot in my life, and I recognize a powerful man when I see one," he dismissed him with a wave of the hand, unfazed. "I may be an old storekeeper now, but there was a time when I've been fighting as an Adventurer as well, and I saw a lot of shit back then. A man with your eyes? He's not simple wanderer, and we both know it."

…well, well. Would you look at that? This man was no fool. His eyes were sharper than most, and he wasn't wrong with his assessment. Arien had to give him credit for that.

I guess age really makes you sharper on some things, after all, the dragon-slayer mused, hiding a little smile under his fur collar. Except for gods, of course.

However, the old man simply shrugged after a second of awkward silence. "Well, whatever you are, I'll do what you've asked," he finally said with a sigh. "I'll deliver your things to the Hostess. I've wanted to go there and eat something for a while. Food's really good there, and the waitresses are a sight to see… despite their questionable eyes."

Yep, this man was sharp. Arien already liked him.

"Thank you. I'll see you around, old man," he said, turning his back to the counter and walking to the exit. The owner just nodded and waved him off.

Once he was outside, the darkness of the night greeted him. Arien inwardly nodded as he began to walk towards his destination, his mind as focused as it could ever be. He had spent the entire day doing shopping and purchasing the thigs he needed, walking around the city and waiting until it was nighttime… quite on purpose, mind you. After all, there was simply no way he could make his move and search for his target during the day, when he was in plain sight and people could see him. It was best to act with the dark, where he could remain hidden and avoid drawing attention to himself.

After a ten minutes, he finally began to glimpse his destination from afar: the Twilight Manor stood tall and proud in the distance, looking even more imposing and elegant than the last time Arien had seen it seven years ago; with all his stone-made towers and walls, along with the metal gates and the fence surrounding the manor completely. It was one of the most famous location of the city, and a testament to the power Loki Familia held in Orario. They were one of the two most powerful Familias in the city, after all; and as such, their home was one of the most imposing and elegant places Orario could offer. It was a symbol of strength and might; an emblem that inspired respect and made everyone understand the importance that Loki Familia had for the city.

But just like the old times, Arien did not like it one bit.

This place is as fancy as I remembered it, he spat inside his head, unimpressed. How that trickster goddess was able to afford it with her drinking habit is beyond me.

The young man stopped a few meters near the fence surrounding the manor, observing the towering structure closely from the darkness of a small alley. He knew he couldn't enter from the main gates and reveal himself to the guards. Not only doing so would have been a foolish and useless move – his looks and appearance alone would have drawn a lot of attention, after all – but it would have been disadvantageous as well. Stepping inside openly without concealing his presence would have been a huge mistake for him, for he had no intention of revealing himself to the members of Loki Familia. Nobody knew who he was, and he wanted to keep things that way. It was best to remain incognito rather than have your identity known by a target, after all. His jobs had taught him this more than once.

Besides, let's face it: revealing himself would be a mistake in the long run. Even if the guards allowed him to enter inside the manor, then what? What was he supposed to do? Ask around for this so-called Aiz, draw a lot of attention to himself, and then openly admit that he had been tasked to deliver a message to her from Aria? Nope. No way. Doing so would only draw suspicions from every member of this accursed Familia, and especially that of their so-called Captain.

Finn Deimne, the Braver.

Just saying that name out loud was enough to make him feel disgusted. Arien really despised that annoying prum with a passion, ever since his first 'meeting' with him seven years prior. That hadn't been a pleasant encounter at all, and the young man still remembered the scene with a lot of spite. He was really glad that no one knew his identity back then, since he used to wear a mask all the time. If Finn had been aware of who he was, there was no way things could remain peaceful tonight. Of course, the annoying prum was nothing but a false, arrogant prick with a silver tongue in Arien's opinion, but even he had to admit that Finn was sharp. Perhaps even sharper than Arien was. For that reason, he could NOT allow himself to be discovered by him. Not even for a single reason. Finn was not aware of his appearance yet – he had never seen his face, thanks to the heavens – and Arien was determined to keep it that way.

That meant that he had to complete this task without revealing himself. If he wanted to find Aiz, he had to do so in secret. That had been his intent all along, and it was also the reason why he had bought the Reverse Veil for this mission. If he wanted to slip inside the manor without being detected, then he had to be invisible. Literally. He would reveal his presence to no one but Aiz alone… and even with her, he was going to do so in his own way.

After all, there was no way he wanted her – or Finn – to find out his role in the Dragon's demise. No way in hell. If he chose to openly reveal himself to Aiz, then his cover would be blown, and the truth about him killing the Beast revealed to the world. No matter what he could say to her, the moment he mentioned Aria to her, Aiz and her Familia would suspect him and assume that he was somehow related to the monster's death… and that was unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable.

So how could he do it? How could he find Aiz and deliver his message to her without anyone discovering the truth about him?

Oh, that was simple, really.

Arien snapped his fingers. And with a flash of light, a small object appeared in his hand all of a sudden.

Focus. This is not going to be easy, he mused to himself, taking a deep breath and emptying his mind. Not only the Manor is gigantic, but Loki's children are much more powerful compared to the targets I'm used to deal with. Sneaking inside their home without being detected by their trained senses is not going to be an easy feat.

But still, that much won't stop me.

He would do it. He would complete this task and fulfill Aria's wish, no matter what. For he had another, more pressing matter to deal with. And there was no time to waste.

I will fulfill my duty.

The unknown warrior who had slayed the Dragon stared at the white mask in his hands with a gaze of ice.

No matter what.

It was time for Arien to disappear, and for Faceless to act once more.

---

ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S NOTES

First and foremost: I deeply apologize for the late update. I'm really sorry you guys had to wait so long for a new chapter; but between some personal issues and my job, I've been very busy in this period… and I had a hard time finding some time to write. I was very busy with my job, and I had some personal issues with my family that kept me occupied for weeks. That, and I've been playing God of War Ragnarok. That game is a drug for me. I really need to stop. Anyway, I tried to compromise with the length of the chapter. This is the longest one yet, and hopefully it can make up for the wait. At least a little.

Now, a few clarifications due to your questions and reviews:

1) - For those wondering: the Reverse Veil is a real item from Danmachi. It has been showed in the third season of the anime, and explained thoroughly in the Novels.

2) - Some of you have been complaining about the previous interaction between Syr and Arien, saying that it felt forced and that our protagonist shouldn't have allowed her to push him around so easily. Well, I think you guys have forgotten a very important detail: for Arien, Syr is MORE than an annoying waitress. His powers and instinct have labeled her as DANGEROUS. Being a DANGEROUS person means that he cannot – and will not – act too brashly with her, because he's unable to fully grasp her nature due to her peculiar existence. Thus, he cannot predict what would happen if he were to go against her, and since he's not a brash person, he prefers to restrain himself despite being extremely annoyed by her. Acting brashly and brusquely brings consequences, people. And Arien knows that all too well.

Besides, we all know the truth about Syr by now (the novels came out ages ago) and therefore, it should be clear to you guys that just telling her to leave him alone would not have worked. Syr does whatever she wants, and she has a way to slip past everyone's guard and defense no matter who they are. Arien is no exception. Their future interactions are going to be tense and interesting, and I hope you'll look forward to it. It's going to be a major story point.

3) - We don't actually know if the Hera Familia was made entirely of female Adventurers. However, according to canon resources and a statement from the original author reported in the wiki, all the Adventurers of Hera Familia that we know (for now) are females. That being: Meteria, Alfia and the Captain. According to the author, the Captain of the Hera Familia was the spitting image of the goddess. Consequently, she was a woman. And since we know that the Zeus and Hera Familias were connected (or, at least, that they had a deep relationship with each other since the deities were husband and wife) I took the liberty to imagine them in my own way. I hope I'll be able to do a decent job.

4) - Last thing: some of you are complaining about the fact that Arien acts and feels like an 'asshole' in my fic. Well… you're right. He IS one. I said it from the beginning. He's not his cousin, and he will be opposed to him in many ways. While Bell takes after his mother Meteria and thus is a kind and loving person like she was, Arien takes after Alfia, who was cold, straightforward and didn't think twice about being cruel and uncaring when she so desired. Consequently, he resembles Alfia more than Meteria, despite being raised by her. We will see it in due time, and it was my plan from the beginning. But he will soften a bit through the course of the story. I do not wish for him to be an ass for the entire plot.

Next chapter: "Meeting of Hate". The title says it all.

I hope it was clear enough. I'm more than happy to answer to any doubts you might have, so feel free to ask me whatever you want in private. Gavius will deliver my answers to you, as always.

Thank you for reading. Comments and criticism are always appreciated, and I will always answer to those who'll let me know their opinion.