Chapter 19 - Who Will Help Me

Hestia had stayed up all night and caught Bell sneaking through the front lobby after he returned from the pleasure quarter during the morning. She screamed his name and the entire familia with Eina and Ryū bolted out from the doors behind her.

"Bell!" Eina shouted, before sprinting down the stairs towards him. Ryū was right behind her, as his dungeon advisor slammed into him.

"Eina!" He hugged, inhaling her scent, before she began sniffing him. Then pulled away, with her hands still on him, eyes wide open in shock.

"What is this smell, d-don't tell me… you slept with one of those girls!"

Ryū gave a very shocked expression, but her next reaction sunk his heart. She looked sad, which only made him feel worse. Hestia glaring at him from above wasn't helping either.

"N-No! Nothing like that happened! I promise! I'd never do that to you. Ever." Eina seemed to sigh in relief a little, maybe because his goddess didn't say anything, then she spotted something suspicious and pulled it out.

It was the little red vial the god Hermes had given him earlier.

Oh, no…

"I'd like you to keep the fact I was here a secret between us. Agreed?"

Damn you, Hermes! Bell screamed to him inside his mind. He'd keep his damn secret, but it would cost the god later.

"What is this?" His first love asked, very suspicious. If he answered them here, Bell felt like they'd turn him into rabbit stew. So he asked for everyone to follow him to a more comfortable room first and then told them everything.

Ryū looked relieved, while Eina was twitching throughout his story and Hestia was not pleased. His goddess looked like she was going to lock him up forever if he said one wrong word. Luckily, he managed to get through his story without making her do just that. In the end, she accepted his story, because it was the truth.

"Explain to me, Bell. Where did you get this aphrodisiac?" Hestia asked.

"I-It was a gift! They thought I might need it, because of all the women there, but…" He looked to both of his elves beside him who blushed. They always finished before him.

"Still, I can't forgive you for spending the night in the pleasure quarter! I can't forgive the fact you've even shown interest in that wretched place!"

"I didn't show any interest! All I wanted to do was help Mikoto!" His goddess tried to glare him down, but he wouldn't yield. "So, why did you go there in the first place?" He asked the Far Eastern beauty.

"We heard there was a prostitute residing in the Pleasure Quarter who resembled someone from my homeland… We went there to look for her." Bell's eyes shot up.

No way… the dots started to connect in his head.

"Does she happen to be a renart called Haruhime?"

"What? How did you know!" Mikoto flinched.

So he explained to them about how they met and then her story. Every now and again, Mikoto would tremble over certain details. Like Haruhime's sleep walking, being disowned by her own family, attacked by bandits and then sold into prostitution.

Mikoto then explained her story. How everyone in her familia was an orphan raised by Takemikazuchi and a few other deities in a shrine. They weren't just a familia, they were a big family.

"We travelled to Orario from the Far East for financial reasons… Our shrine was too impoverished to support children in need."

However, with more orphans coming to their shrine with no income to help feed them, something had to be done. The oldest and strongest orphans, the ones who could fight, would travel across the ocean with Takemikazuchi to Orario. They would make money and send it back home to support all the orphans.

They also saw it as a chance to find Haruhime, no matter how small the odds were. Around ten years ago, they had met her when Takemikazuchi ordered them to sneak into a manor at the foot of their shrine to play with a small lonely girl. That was Haruhime. Born into a life of luxury, she never left the manor once, so Mikoto's god took pity on her.

They had brought the lonely girl outside many times. Climbing the mountain, chasing through the fields, splashing around in the river. It was a lot of fun, but it all ended suddenly one day.

That's when they learnt Haruhime had been disowned and taken away.

She might have only spent a small time playing with them, but the girl had become family too. Everyone listening to Mikoto's story started tearing up a bit… until Lili spoke up.

"Please don't think of trying to rescue that renart." Her message was pointed specifically at Bell who looked at the prum with shock. "We just finished a War Game, and taking action right now would cause another one, yes?" Bell grimaced, it was still fresh in his mind. Then she pointed out how Ishtar familia, who owned Haruhime, were several times more powerful than their own. Eina would add in her own knowledge about them too. In other words, it was suicidal to fight them, but the prum could tell that her warning wouldn't be enough.

"We have to fight another way. One that doesn't end up with us fighting anyone."

Bell agreed and began thinking of a plan.

.

After their talk, everyone split off trying to grab some semblance of sleep before the morning truly arrived. But not before Bell fought against his goddess's insistence of trying to punish him again, for entering the pleasure district. It was both absurd and unfair, he would not accept it. So she tried to banish him from going back there instead, but he wouldn't accept that ruling either. He promised to be careful next time.

For now, he'd stay away as Ishtar familia might still be looking for him.

.

"Bell, are you okay?" It was Eina who spoke up when they finally got back to their bedroom with Ryū close by. Bell let out a heavy sigh.

"I want to help her, I really do… She doesn't deserve the life she was forced into… No one does." Her story made him really sad and he couldn't shake the feeling of wanting to save her.

A pair of arms wrapped around him, followed by another pair a moment later. Then a kiss. And another. And another. And another.

Until he finally relaxed. Somewhat.

"Bell, let us take care of you." Eina's voice and hands were tugging at his clothes. "Let us help you relax." He accepted her touch and her offer as Ryū wordlessly joined in. "Then we can talk." Then they guided him to a bathtub.

No one spoke as the two elves cleaned him from head to toe with warm water, a bit of soap and wet rags. His girls were clothed the entire time and made no moves to arouse him. It was not the time. Soon, they all lay in bed with Bell wearing only boxers to prevent any accidents, while his girls wore nightdresses. Eina hugged him from behind and Ryū from the front as he lay on his side.

"I like her." He suddenly said, surprising both elves. Then realised his mistake. "I didn't do anything with her, but… it just doesn't make sense." Bell explained how Haruhime was meant to be a prostitute, but she felt like the most pure and innocent girl he had ever met. His heart wanted her, but his mind and his grandfather told him no. The last part he kept to himself, they didn't need to know that.

"I'm lucky to have you both." Then gave his beautiful girls a kiss each as if to say…

You're mine and I'm yours. Nothing is ever going to change that and you'll always play a huge part in my life. As my lover and my woman.

Then they all fell asleep quickly in each other's arms.

Until their alarm clock woke them all up.

.

The next two days were filled with tension, but no one sought to point it out. Then during a family meal one morning, Bell noticed Mikoto looked like she hadn't had any sleep. Plus, she barely touched her breakfast.

Apparently, Mikoto had tried to visit her friend under the disguise of a man, but Haruhime had rejected her. She claimed not to know of her childhood friend, which was why Mikoto looked so down right now. Maybe the fox girl was just embarrassed and trying to save face.

Then he got curious and asked what she used to be like back in the day when they were all kids.

Mikoto described her as a timid person, always concerned if she was allowed to be where she was, constantly anxious. That's why it brought her great joy whenever she smiled. Haruhime had also been very kind, asking her father to donate food to their shrine when she heard about how little they had. It was the first request she had ever made to her father. Being born into a life of comfort, without fear of hunger and then hearing about how Mikoto and the others lived must have been a real shock to her. So she wanted to help them. Bell's heart thundered at the news. This girl was beautiful inside and out. Even more so than he imagined.

She also loved to read books to escape from her lonely existence. The girl who had donated food to their shrine had saved Mikoto's familia from hunger. So, after peaking over her garden fence and seeing her filled with loneliness, they swore to save her from desolation.

It worked for a while, and after a few adventures, the renart waited excitedly for the group of kids her own age to return at night. Even after they were discovered, Mikoto's familia continued to sneak in to visit her.

The little girl, no longer alone, once told them.

"Mikoto, Ouka, all of you are like the heroes from a book."

Then one day, Haruhime was disowned and vanished.

They knew the rest of the story when she told them a few days ago.

"If she is in pain, I want to be of help… No, I want to return to how things were once before." Mikoto couldn't keep her voice steady as she revealed her deepest wish. Reaching around, she runs her fingers over where her status is engraved on her back.

"This is rather selfish… but I want to see Haruhime-dono smile once again." Tears fell down her cheeks, but she quickly wiped them away with her arm and fell silent. Bell didn't know what to say. He wanted to see her smile again too, but doesn't know how.

After calming down, Mikoto apologised for the shameful sight and planned to visit the guild to find a way to free Haruhime. Even if it was pointless, Bell asked to join her and they both left their manor through the front gate.

That's when they ran into Hermes, looking very anxious, who offered to help them after noticing their sad looks. By the end of the conversation, they were left excited and confused at the same time.

They learnt that since Haruhime was a prostitute and not a fighter, they could buy her freedom with just a few million valis. Except that was probably worth all their equipment and more, bar his knife made by Hephaestus.

Hermes then name dropped an item he delivered a few nights ago, "killing stone". The god promptly left after refusing to explain what it was or did.

So Bell decided to go to the guild to ask Eina about this killing stone, privately, whilst Mikoto went back home to talk to Lili and Welf about raising enough money to buy Haruhime's freedom. Whatever Hermes told them about, it must have been important. Especially if he refused to tell them about its properties.

Unfortunately, Eina had never heard of such a thing, but promised to look into it during her freetime. When he returned home, Bell learnt that a large trading company had singled out his familia for a contract. It was a big deal for them, as that meant they could earn a lot of money, very quickly.

.

Two days later, his dungeon advisor hadn't been able to find anything about this 'killing stone', which worried her. It sounded dangerous.

But what worried Bell even more was when Aisha attacked him down in the dungeon as they tried to fulfill their first trading contract. The fight was odd as three days ago Bell knew he was faster. Now, the amazoness was much faster than him. It felt like she had levelled up! Mikoto had arrived to help, but it made no difference. A few seconds later they were both defeated.

.

Drip, Drip.

Bell slowly opened his eyes.

"...Ugh." His body was filled with pain. The only thing that kept him focused was the sound of dripping water. He gathered the strength from his neck to lift his head for a better view. A small magic-stone lamp came into view in a very dim space. The walls were made of stone, including the floor and ceiling too. It's a decently wide room, but the air was chilly and humid.

Then memories flashed before his eyes. Aisha had beaten him thoroughly. Her strength and speed felt like a level above what she was reported at. Level three. He calmed himself down, before taking stock of his surroundings. It was impossible to move as his arms were tied above his head by silver chains and his feet tied together by the same devices below him.

He was tied against the wall with his nearly bare back shivering against the cold stoney surface with no armour, no weapons, and a completely messed up black undershirt. His trousers and boots felt okay, but his general condition surprised him. He felt fine when his body should be battered and bruised. The splashes on his shirt revealed that the amazons had showered him with potions at some point.

However, his relief didn't last for long.

"-Ge-ge-ge-ge-ge-geh! Look who's awake!"

The ugliest woman he had ever seen appeared before him. A monster he had to describe her. A giant frog would have been a more accurate description. She licked the side of his face, which almost made him throw up, before stripping him. Then the toad woman stopped, her eyes were pinned to his groin which had shriveled up in fear.

"Tsk… That's the problem with brats. Can't be helped. Got a supply of love juice around here somewhere…" No! Anything, but that!

Thankfully, there was none to be found in the room. So his torturer walked out of the room, laughing as she promised to come back to take good care of him. Swearing that he'd rather die than copulate with her, Bell struggled with all of his might to free himself from his chains, but it was hopeless.

A thin figure wearing a kimono with two fox ears and a golden bushy tail then appeared.

"Are you hurt, Bell-san?" She sounded out of breath, before rushing to his side.

"HARUHIMEEEEEEEEEE?!"

Bell froze in fear when he realised what he'd done. If the frog came back, they were both doomed, but Haruhime placed two fingers over his lips. Calming his nerves down as his mind shouted that a goddess had arrived. A goddess from the Far East had come to save him.

Once his shackles were opened, he sprung force and tackled the woman in front of him to the ground with his arms wrapped around her.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." He repeated into her warm and soft chest. Thin fingers running softly through his hair and a fluffy tail coiled around his waist calmed him down even further.

.

I may be a prostitute, but I refuse to let him die.

Was all Haruhime could think of as she hugged the boy.

"W-well, Cranel-san. We should leave at once."

"Uhnnhg!" He's adorable!

She'd cuddle him all day if possible, but that was an impossible dream.

As they left the dungeon, he asked her how she knew where he was.

Memories flashed of the men who came out from the room made her shudder.

.

Haruhime mentioned she had spotted this passage by accident once and the woman who had almost tortured him had threatened her if she ever revealed it to anyone.

"There's no need… to worry about me." She had sensed his worry, then shot him an empty and distant smile. As if that was the least of her worries. Bell couldn't help, but felt like she was right, which terrified him.

About twenty minutes after they escaped from the torture chamber, he had no idea where they were going, but trusted the beautiful fox woman. Her slowly swishing golden tail leading him through all the different passageways he would have been hopelessly lost in.

"Why?"

Why was she so calm about this all? If it'd been him, he'd be terrified of disobeying what was likely the orders of the goddess Ishtar who had probably ordered his capture back in the dungeon.

She stopped walking and turned to face him. Her silky golden hair flowed like water around a river bend as her green eyes met his.

"It is my final desire. There is no doubt that Aisha-san and the others will turn a blind eye." Final desire? Something felt off.

"What do you mean by final desire?"

The golden goddess in front of him opened her mouth, but no words came out.

"We want to buy your freedom. Me and MIkoto already convinced our goddess to help you! It might take a little while to get enough money, but everyone from our familia wants to help you. Haruhime-san."

"This is rather selfish… but I want to see Haruhime-dono smile once again."

Those were Mikoto's words and Bell agreed. He wanted to see her smile too. A childish one, like the blissful expression she wore when they talked about heroes and their adventurers. To laugh with her as they joined hands, forgetting about their problems for a moment.

"It cannot be so…" A tear falls down Harhime's cheek, then a thin shiny stream down both cheeks. Green eyes open wide as she presses both hands against her chest and releases a sigh completely devoid of emotion. Then her eyes close again.

"I…Haruhime, am truly grateful." Her delicate lips arc upwards. "To receive such words from you… From Miss Mikoto." Her upper body quivers as she takes a deep breath. She might have fallen to pieces if both her hands weren't clutching her chest. "...I have no regrets."

When the green orbs of her eyes came into view, glistening in the dim light as she smiled again. Bell felt like she was saying a final farewell.

"Thank you, Cranel-san. Let us-"

"Haruhime-san. Please, tell me… what is a killing stone?" The name had only come back to him, but Hermes had brought it up when he mentioned Haruhime. So maybe she knew and his hunch was right. His goddess from the Far East looked terrified.

"B-Bell… where did you hear of that?"

"Tell me, what does it have to do with you?" The fox lady looked like she was about to be completely frozen in fear… until she gathered herself once more.

"Let's escape first, then I'll tell you… okay?" It sounded like an empty promise, one that she wasn't ever going to fulfil, but what choice did he have? The other amazons could be on them any minute now.

"Lead the way."

So he followed her golden tail.

Something didn't feel right, but he couldn't figure out what.

It was staring at him right in the face in plain sight.

But what?

.

When they reached the edge of the pleasure quarter, Haruhime told him about the black collar around her neck. The thing that had been bothering him, but escaped his mind until then. It was a tracking advice that informed Ishtar and the Berbera, an elite group of amazons, of her location at all times. Should she try to take even one step out of the Pleasure Quarter, it would emit a loud ring while restraining any movement. Plus, any attempts to destroy it would trigger the same effects.

As he stood there in shock, trying to digest the information, Mikoto appeared.

That's when he learned something far more chilling.

Haruhime wasn't sad, because she was some sort of soiled prostitute.

She planned to sacrifice herself.

To die and let her soul be shattered into a million pieces.

All to please the whims of a goddess who wanted to topple another.

The fact that this even existed, that someone was willing to do this… made his blood boil.

Aisha then told them a story of how she defied her goddess before by destroying the previous killing stone, while referring to herself as a "dumb li'l prostitute" the entire time. Bell and Mikoto's jaws dropped while they listened. The amazon did truly care about the golden fox, but her fear of the goddess was not something she should fight against again.

"-prostitutes are meant to be destroyed."

Those words echoed through his head again. Not just for Haruhime, but for Aisha too.

"You don't have the resolve to risk everythin' to save Haruhime." Her words hurt, because even after all he had just learnt, what the amazoness said was true.

"You don't have the face of a man." She continued. "No arrogance, no swagger, you don't show any desire to dominate, to take what you want." Untrue! He screamed to himself, but his lips didn't agree. Aisha continued her verbal assault with disappointment written all over her face.

Then the rest of the Berbera arrived.

"Mikoto-san, make your escape! You too, Bell-san!" Haruhime shouted. Their bodies instantly obeyed.

.

A few minutes later, they were hiding behind a brothel as the Berbera gave orders to even the noncombatant prostitutes to find them. Without Haruhime's guidance, it would be near impossible to escape now. Especially with an entire district looking for them now.

As they gathered their breath, Bell fought another battle within his mind.

Would he save Haruhime or not?

It was not an easy decision to make.

His familia would be destroyed in a retaliating attack if they successfully saved Haruhime. Eina, Ryū and everyone else he cared about would be killed. Or even worse, forced into prostitution against their wills. That last thought sent shivers down his spine.

He would never let that happen to his girls. Death was preferable.

But his soul couldn't let Haruhime suffer a fate worse than death, to have their soul shattered into a million pieces for someone else's gain. To never know any peace.

What should he do? How could anyone solve this impossible puzzle and save Haruhime, while keeping their familia alive?

If only his grandfather were here, he might have a way to help him.

"Bell." His grandfather had sat him on his knee during one particular cold evening.

"Here's an interesting dilemma for you." It was one of his hero lessons.

"What happens if someone threatens to hurt your girl?"

"You beat them into a pulp!" His young and current self answered.

"Hahaha… I taught you well, Bell. Now, what happens when they threaten your family?"

"I protect my family with everything I have." He answered again.

"And what if you have to choose?"

"..."

"The problem with heroes is they try to do it all alone. Too many times… When a problem seems impossible, it's because you're relying too much on yourself. When it comes to keeping your woman and your family safe, you should be prepared to do anything. Resolve past disputes, put aside your pride and forge unlikely alliances. Nothing should be beyond your reach. So, next time you face an impossible decision, ask yourself… who can help you? Heroes can't do everything. Not by themselves."

But who would help him?

"B-Bell-dono?" Mikoto's voice seemed to plead with him. She was trapped between her friendship with Haruhime and her bonds to his goddess, his familia. Her fists are clenched so tight that her bones might break through her skin. Tears of helplessness run down her cheeks.

Who would help us?

A list of faces ran through his mind.

Everyone he ever knew.

Ais. Tione. Tiona. Loki familia?

"Mikoto-san." His voice leaves no doubt. "I'm going to save her. I'm going to save Haruhime." She blinks a few times, letting his words sink in.

"B-but what do you do after rescuing Miss Haruhime? Ishtar Familia would pursue you until—"

"I'll expose them, make everyone aware of Haruhime's power. Take her to the guild or to a familia we can trust not to kill her, but to protect her instead."

"W-Who would do that?"

"Loki familia."

"But they'll use her too! Maybe even with the same method! She'll never be free!"

"...They won't." Mikoto recoiled in surprise. "I know them… or at least I think I know them. They wouldn't hurt Haruhime, not after what Eina told me. They're not like Ishtar familia. They'll protect Haruhime with their lives if need be. I'm certain of it and they're more than powerful enough to stand toe to toe with anyone else… Plus, we'd be able to see her again."

Despite Hestia's rants about how horrible the goddess Loki was, he'd asked Eina a few times about them. She told him they were a very tightly knit familia. Their goddess was a bit strange and perverted but compared to every other deity out there… she seemed like one of the good ones.

Plus, Bell was sure that they could be trusted to keep Haruhime's powers a secret too, anyone would.

But first, he had to save her with Mikoto's help.

She sensed his resolve and conviction.

Her eyes glistened with fresh tears as a wide smile appeared on her lips.

"Becoming a member of your familia… has never made me so happy as right now."

A few more words of gratitude and they set off to save Haruhime.

.

A.N.

Aside from Bell's plan to leave Orario being dumb. Since Ishtar would just murder his familia for shits and giggles. Or revenge, maybe. Still, he'd never be able to increase his stats since Hestia cannot leave Orario to update his skills.

Chapter 19: 4385 words. (Including a few dots that act as transitions and dividers)