Chapter 12: Summons and Evils
Two souls were standing beside a bell of a large clock tower as they watched the fire in the distance. It had been about thirty minutes since the flames started and about ten minutes since the sounds of battle and explosions stopped.
"As expected of Freya Familia," the golden haired boy said as he dangled his feet off the ledge with his elbows on his lap, propping up his head. "They reacted rather quickly all things considered."
"…Was something like this really necessary for you to use your youth potion for, Caster?" The taller man wearing a mask that just barely covered the area around his eyes asked.
"Hmm? I wouldn't use something like that for such a trivial reason," Caster said as he reached behind him and pulled out the container holding two different colored pills. "These things are merely a toy. A candy that temporarily reverses one's age to that of a child for an hour. Of course, the mind reverts a bit as well but that is no problem for someone like me…is what I'd like to say but…"
Caster flopped his body over to the side with a long sigh.
"Why do I grow up to be such an asshole?" The young boy cried, causing Archer to hastily let out a cough. "I'm really a pain, aren't I?"
"Well…I'll admit that the older you is the type of person I can't handle most of the time…" Archer admitted. "…Wait, will you remember any of this once the candy wears off?"
"Even if I did, I will probably pretend it never happened either way," Caster replied with a shrug as he sat back up. "Anyway, it's good to let loose every now and again, isn't it? Even if we still held back for the most part to make sure no one died. As expected of the Grace, it has granted every Adventurer some modicum of Divinity with their newfound strength. Well, I suppose if some blowhard could receive low rank divinity just from claiming to be the son of a god then a god claiming you were their child would definitely do the same."
"I'm surprised you even care about that…being careful to make sure nobody died, I mean."
"The city is in a precarious balance between the Familias right now," Caster replied. "Any massive change to the status quo of the top Familia like Freya's could spark a war that would engulf the entire city. Loki Familia is not the only one looking to knock the queen off her throne."
"Who else is there?" Archer asked. "Ganesha?"
"No, Ganesha is the 'Lord of the Masses.' For better or worse, he will not increase his power in a way that would damage the city like a war. No, the other would be…"
Caster's eyes traveled from the dying flames in the distance toward the pleasure quarters.
"Ishtar Familia."
"…I am probably going to sound extremely judgmental…but are a bunch of prostitutes really going to be able to take on Freya Familia?" Archer asked skeptically.
"Prostitutes or not, most of them are Amazons around Level 3 and 4," Caster replied as he started kicking his legs back and forth. "And they will probably be just like that Amazon girl who seems attached to you."
"Amazons huh…" Archer muttered. "And by attached, you mean Tiona Hiryute? She just sees me as a way to make one hundred twenty million valis blade on the cheap."
"…Do you really think that's all there is to it?"
"If I wanted to lie…yeah…" Archer admitted. "She's just an overly friendly 17 year old girl. She can probably make friends with anyone. What?"
Archer stared at Caster who was smiling so brightly at him that it was almost creepy once you remember that this was the same tyrant going on about mongrels not thirty minutes ago.
"Nothing~" Caster said, still smiling before sitting back up straight. "But to get back on topic of Ishtar Familia…the Captain may only be Level 5 but you do remember what Hestia said, right? That they can mysteriously punch well above their supposed Levels. And it's not as though they are all Heroic Spirits."
"…Right…" Archer nodded. "Even so, would that be enough to take on Ottarl? As a Level 7, the entire world knows his name and legend. Whatever Ishtar Familia is using to power their members it sounds like it's a temporary thing and only gives them around a single Level in Status. Otherwise they would have challenged Ottarl already."
"You have a point there," Caster agreed. "So they must have some other plan outside of a frontal assault. And when one thinks of Ishtar, what comes to mind?"
"…The Bull of Heaven," Archer replied.
"Indeed…" Caster nodded, his voice dropping to a low whisper that seemed to even freeze the air around them. "However, the Gods cannot access their divine might in this world…so what is it I wonder? What is her little trump card…and where is she hiding it I wonder~?"
"…Are you planning on destroying the Ishtar Familia?" Archer asked.
"…To be honest, I am not really sure," Caster replied with a shrug. "It's like a rat nestled in the outskirts of my garden. If I ignore it, it may simply live peacefully while occasionally trashing the bushes around it. But if I were to say… light a fire in front of its hole…will it poke its head out to see what is happening?"
"…So this was also a bait for the Ishtar Familia?" Archer asked.
"A king is able to play multiple games at the same time," Caster said with a smile. "Especially such a simple one like this. The Pleasure Quarter is nothing more than an eyesore in the eyes of many people. I would say it is necessary for the stress of the fools who dive into the Dungeon with their heads full of dreams of fortune. However…the head of the piece must be sawed off before it fits perfectly into the rest of the puzzle."
"…All right, I can see how someone like you can grow up into something like that now," Archer said with a sigh as Caster wheeled around toward him with the same expression a child might make if their mother suddenly told him he couldn't have his dessert after dinner.
A look of hurt and despair which only caused Archer to sigh again.
"I'll never get used to this…" he muttered as a pair of tiny hands punched at his leg.
X-x-X-x-X
The Guild was in an uproar.
Three days ago there had been a report from Loki Familia that a minotaur had been sighted on the Ninth Floor and then just after midnight on the same day, Freya Familia had been attacked by an unknown party with the only reports being that the assailant was a single blonde boy that looked about eight or ten years old but it wasn't clear if the were a human or a Pallum. Both were unrealistic as there was no conceivable way a small child could overpower Freya Familia's defenses and the only high level Pallums in the city were Loki Familia's Captain who was deep in the Dungeon on an expedition and a few of Freya's own.
Monsters moving up to floors where they shouldn't be was nothing new but in most cases, the monsters were encountered two floors above or below their recorded origin point. But this Minotaur was spotted on the Ninth Floor, meaning that it had somehow journeyed up from the Middle Fortress. The earliest floor where Minotaurs were usually encountered was the fifteenth, six floors below.
The fact that this was not the first time a Minotaur had been seen in the upper levels was what really made the Adventurers' blood run cold.
The previous incident where a Minotaur had made it to the Fifth Floor had been caused by an accident during Loki Familia's return from an expedition. Guild employees had explained this many times, but Adventurers were not that easily convinced. Some Adventurers claimed there had been a change in the Dungeon's design that allowed Minotaurs to be born in the upper levels.
Eina and her coworkers were unable to dismiss it as an exaggeration as for Level 1 Adventurers, this was a matter of life and death. If monsters from the Middle Fortress were roaming the upper levels, they couldn't work.
The other was harder to dismiss as what appeared to be a small child had run roughshod over several of Freya's best in a single night and the Guild had no clue to the their identity although several witnesses claimed to have heard something flying through the air from one of the larger towers in the city making it sound like there was an accomplice as well. The only silver lining was that while there were several injuries, no one was killed during the attack. It was if someone had wanted to send a message.
Thus the only thing they could do was to post a Quest asking for confirmable information of the attackers.
As Eina rubbed her head, she hoped Bell was all right. She hadn't seen him in four days since he came to say "hi" on his way to the Magic Stone exchange with his Supporter. She hoped he wasn't caught up in any trouble.
"Ah, Eina's favorite Adventurer spotted, twelve o'clock."
Her friend Misha's needlessly long-winded voice caught Eina's attention, and she looked up. Sure enough, the boy's signature white hair stood out immediately from the crowd as he along with his Captain and Supporter, weaved their way toward the reception counter.
"Good Morning Miss Eina!" Bell said once they reached the counter.
"Good morning to you too Bell," Eina returned the greeting with a smile. "And you Miss Arde, Mister Caster."
"Good Morning Miss Advisor!" Lily said happily while Caster simply nodded his head.
"Did something happen?" Eina asked curiously, looking toward Lily and Bell. "The two of you look rather happy."
"This one…" Caster began as he placed a hand on Lily's head. "Is simply happy to have survived an ordeal in the Dungeon. That fool however…"
"I'm Level 2 now!" Bell said with a toothy smile.
Misha who had working behind Eina suddenly lost the paperwork she had been holding, letting it drift onto the floor as Eina herself froze.
"Perhaps we can have this conversation in a place where there are not a hundred different Familias behind us?" Caster asked clamping a hand on the back of Bell's head.
"Ah…yes…" Bell nodded, looking slightly abashed but it didn't do anything to dampen his smile despite Caster's dangerous eyes boring down on the back of his head.
After all, with a Level Up came a new Servant, a new Heroic Spirit to meet and talk with. To learn the ways of a Hero from another true Hero. Why wouldn't Bell be excited about that? Sure having an Alias granted by the gods was also cool but this was going to be another real Hero!
Eina seemed to have regained her composure as she quickly cleared her throat and led them to a private room. Well, private once Caster picked up a binder that had been left on the table and flung it at the closed door, causing the human receptionist that had tried to listen in on the other side scream and scamper away.
"I'm sorry about Misha…" Eina said but Caster waved her off and Bell began his story.
Once he finished, Eina was left staring at him, slack-jawed at his recklessness.
"The Minotaur…" Eina muttered as a long sigh escaped from her lips. "Loki Familia said that it had been defeated but…to think it had been you…"
Eina glanced over toward Lily who was shifting in her seat as she glanced over at Bell.
Well, from the sound of things, it wasn't as though Bell could have abandoned an injured Familia member to die and there was no way he could have escaped the Minotaur while carrying her either.
"But…Level 2 in one and a half months…" Eina muttered as she glanced at the Hestia Familia Captain.
"I fully understand how absurd this is," the man replied with a grunt before handing some files over to Eina. "However, the boy had done the supposed impossible after all. I believe the previous record was one year by the Sword Princess?"
"Yes," Eina nodded as Bell wiggled his body in happiness. As Eina read over the files, she realized that they were Bell's training regime as well as a quick history of what he had been doing in the last month in the Dungeon. Fighting a Silverback on his own...fighting off a swarm of Killer Ants with only one other person...and of course, the Minotaur. It was enough to give Eina a headache. "Well…putting aside the danger you put yourself into…congratulations on leveling up, Bell."
She wanted to chastise him more on his recklessness but she felt she should't get in the way of any Familia rules with his captain sitting right there. From the man's expression though, it looks as though he chastised Bell enough already and it looked as though his words had gone in one ear and out the other due to Bell's euphoria at the Level Up.
"Thank you, Miss Eina," Bell said before pulling out a torn sheet of parchment. "By the way…another reason I came here was also to ask you about this."
He handed her a list and Eina saw that it contained three different terms. Abnormal Resistance, Mage and Luck.
"I see…" Eina nodded, looking rather confused at the final term. "Development Abilities. Well you are Level 2 now so these were bound to show up."
"Yes…I wanted to get your opinion on this."
"Abnormal Resistance" was a relatively easy to gain ability where it helped one resist negative status like poisons and the like. "Mage" was also a common one received by magic users in order to ease the burden on their Mind, allowing them to cast more spells before needing to resort to a potion or suffer from Mind Down.. "Luck" however hadn't been recorded by the Guild before so Eina had no idea what it could mean.
"Lily recommended Abnormal Resistance, Caster said Mage but Goddess insisted Luck was the way to go."
"I see…" Eina nodded, getting a feel for Bell's Familia member's personalities based on said opinions. She glanced at Caster who seemed to understand what she was thinking.
"My insight is only a recommendation," he said. "It is up to the boy to choose his own path in the end. Whether it is the right choice or not is only something one can find out in time."
"Well, what do you think Bell?" Eina asked.
"Well…I mean Mage does sound cooler and would definitely help since I tend to use my Magic a lot…but Abnormal Resistance can save your life in the Dungeon and save on status recovery potions and stuff. But Goddess was really adamant on Luck."
"Lady Hestia only kept saying 'You need this ability!' though," Lily said, making a fist and leaning over the table to mimic Hestia. "Lily thinks it's risky taking an unknown ability though."
"Well…like Mister Caster said the final decision belongs to you, Bell…and I don't want to push you in any direction one way or another but…if you want my advice, I say choose something that aligns with your goals."
"My goals?"
"Yes. Like, if you want to protect yourself better then Abnormal Resistance. If you want to progress through the Dungeon easier, then Mage.. But if your goal is something loftier—to get somewhere that is currently beyond your grasp…That path has nothing to do with mere ability. I believe that Luck might be a better ally when the time comes. Provided that it does exactly what it says it does."
"Yes…thank you very much!" Bell nodded as both Caster and Lily looked at each other.
"Bell is going to choose Luck isn't he, Lord Caster?" Lily asked, eyes half closed.
"Indeed he is," Caster nodded.
"I-I haven't said anything yet!" Bell shouted as he stood up and both of them turned at him with accusing eyes causing him to wither a bit. "But…yes…probably…"
"Well…they say Luck can make up for an abysmal lack of foresight and skill after all," Caster said as he stood up. "Perhaps it is best for a fool like you."
"Caster! That's mean!" Bell cried as he turned to Lily. "Come on, Lily. It's not that bad right?"
"Lily thinks we should return home before Lady Hestia leaves for Denatus if Bell wants to Level Up properly," she answered as she dutifully followed Caster toward the door.
"Guys? Hey guys? Come on! Guys!"
X-x-X-x-X
"Huhu…so you chose Luck after all," Hestia said when they returned home and she proceeded to update everyones' Status. "As expected Bell. You listened to me like a good child. All right, done. You are now Level 2!"
"Really?" Bell asked as he looked down at his hands. "I don't feel any different."
"It's not a feeling that happens where your body becomes overflowing with energy. Nothing that drastic occurs but you should notice the difference if you go to the Dungeon. Like a switch has been flipped."
"I see…" Bell said looking kind of disappointed.
"But Caster…" Hestia said, looking at Caster's sheet. "What the heck have you been up to? Your Status jumped up a dozen points split amongst everything except Defense."
"A king has his own training regime that he follows," Caster said vaguely while Lily mulled over her own new Status. "Although it is hardly the duty of a king, one should cull the garden once in a while after all."
"Hmm…Lily is growing much faster than when she was with Soma Familia but still nowhere as fast as Bell…" she said as she handed the sheet back to Hestia. "Well, it's not as though Lily wants to fight a minotaur herself so she won't let that bother her."
""Good,"" Hestia and Caster said in unison as Hestia handed Bell his own sheet.
"Is there any point in looking?" Bell asked. "It's all back to zero, right?"
"Hee hee hee…I was wondering if I should surprise you after the Meeting of the Gods but you'll probably be diving back into the Dungeon before that's finished so you should probably see it."
Bell glanced down at the sheet and immediately froze.
"Congratulations Bell. You got an-uhh…a skill!"
"Aww…Lily is losing her lead in skills," Lily said but she was smiling and didn't seem annoyed at all about it while Bell was jumping for joy.
"Heroic Desire: Argonaut!" Bell read the name of the skill out. He then froze and turned around to see Hestia and Lily smiling at him with the former looking as though she was about to burst out laughing.
"Really now…" Caster sighed, as Bell let out an embarrassed scream and buried his face into his hands and curled up into a ball on the floor. "You desire to reach the level of 'Hero' so badly that it is now forever engraved into your back and soul. What a helpless fool."
"Please stop…I wanna die…" Bell cried as Lily and Hestia both walked over and sat down by his head.
"Don't worry Bell, Lily thinks Bell is already a hero," she said, kindly patting his head as Bell just whimpered even more.
"You're such a cute kid, Bell," Hestia said as she stroked his head while tears fell down Bell's cheeks. "Besides, what's the problem with idolizing heroes when you actually live with them? Not many people can remain as pure as you after all."
"Stop…please…" Bell said as he finally sat up.
"Enough of your sniveling!" Caster said impatiently. "What are the skill's effects?"
"Uhh…" Bell sat up and looked at his sheet. "It says it charges up an active action…and that's it. What does that mean?"
"Hmm…it sounds as though it powers up your attacks," Hestia said. "For example, if you try charging a sword swing, it might make the effect stronger or maybe it'll let you fire an even bigger firebolt if you charge your magic."
"Is that right?" Bell asked, looking down at his hand.
"Well, you won't know for sure until you go down in the Dungeon and try it yourself."
"But…'Argonaut' huh?" Lily asked as she sported a massive grin. "Isn't that the story of a clueless boy who wants to be a hero, but is easily tricked by the people around him and tried to save a queen only to end up being saved by her instead?"
"Hoh?" Caster let out an inquisitive noise as Bell goes red in the face. "Then it's perfect for someone like you, don't you think?"
"Please stop…" Bell begged as he sank into the floor again.
"Stand boy. You reached the goal set to you of Level 2. Rejoice for I shall allow you to summon another Servant."
That got Bell's attention as he sat up immediately.
"Really!?" He asked, crawling on his knees toward Caster. "I can really do so?"
"Indeed. Call forth those heroes you so desperately chase after."
"All right! Yes! Hurray!" Bell cheered as he started jumping around again.
With that said, they quickly got to work.
Caster began creating the magic circle while Lily and Bell pushed the furniture to the side and Hestia ran up the stairs to get the Holy Grail to be used as a catalyst.
"Lily has always wondered how people like Archer and Caster came here…" Lily said as she sat on the pushed aside sofa. "But…is this really going to work?"
"It will!" Bell said as he jumped up and down in excitement once Caster stood up and made sure his handiwork was correct. "It definitely will work! Though…I'm sad that Archer won't be able to meet them right away."
"Well, we can have a proper party when he returns," Hestia said as she appeared in the living room with the Holy Grail in her hands which began to hum and shine. "Whoa, it's like it knows you want to summon something."
She placed it in on the hearth as Caster stepped back.
"It is done," he said. "Do it."
"Yes!" Bell nodded as he walked up to the circle with his left hand out stretched.
The chant began and Lily suddenly sat up straighter as she felt something course through the room and her body.
Let silver and steel be the essence.
Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.
Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall.
Let the four cardinal gates close.
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate.
Let it be filled. Again. Again. Again. Again.
Let it be filled fivefold for every turn, simply breaking asunder with every filling.
My dreams form the body
Your Spirit shall show me the path as I walk it by my own power
And so I hereby swear,
That I shall be all the good in the world
That I shall defeat all the evil in the world.
You seven souls who reside at the fate I wish to reach
Come forth from the binding circle
Oh Keeper of the Balance!
Towards the end, Bell's hand began to bask in a golden light, with the sound of chimes accompanying it, contrasting the red glow of the circle beneath him before the circle arced with arcane lightning and exploded in light.
Hestia used Caster's body as a shield as the dust shot outward while the King remained undaunted and Lily covered her eyes with her hands.
"…Success," Caster said simply.
There, in the middle of the room between Bell and the grail was a man bent at the knee with a massive blade that seemed to be made out of glowing red ore or crystal. Similar to Bell's combat outfit, the knight in front of him wore a black tunic and black trousers over which he wore pieces of armor. He had massive gauntlets over is arms that seemed to work to amplify the knight's strength and as well as to protect his arms and had several daggers hanging from various metal loops on his waist and legs. He also wore a black mask that that covered the lower half of his face and had what looked to be a pair of glasses over his clear green eyes like Eina.
"Servant, Saber," the knight declared his class in a cool and icy voice. "My True Name is Sigurd. Are thou my Master? If so, please give me your orders and I promise to fulfill them posthaste."
The Servant, Saber, ended his declaration by lowering his head and closing his eyes as he awaited his next order.
Bell however, was too busy staring at the Servant, with sparkling eyes.
"…Master?" Saber opened his eyes and looked up, confused as to why Bell hadn't said anything.
"Ah! Right!" Bell said as he cleared his throat. "My name is Bell Cranel. It's nice to meet you, Saber. Please just call me Bell. Oh and please stand. There's no need to kneel."
"Bell…understood," Saber nodded as he stood up while muttering Bell's name as if to test it. His eyes then fell onto Caster. "And you are?"
"You may refer to me as Caster, o Hero of the Volsunga," Caster replied simply. "You shall heed my orders as if they were your Masters."
"Ah, please do," Bell quickly added. "He's the captain of our Familia after all."
"Familia. Family of the Gods. Understood," Saber nodded as if he understood everything at once.
Whether it was due to his mask or if that was just how Saber was, Bell felt that his voice was rather blunt, distant and cold.
"Then I assume I shall be joining the Familia as well?" Saber asked.
"If you want to, we'd really appreciate it."
"If that is your order, Mast-Bell, then I shall comply."
"No…it's more of a request than an order…"
"…Someone really did pop out.." Lily muttered, staring at the knight with awe.
"And you are?" Saber asked, turning toward Lily this time.
"Ah, Lily is Lily!" Lily replied as she stood up. "Liliruca Arde! Please call her Lily. She will be helping Master Saber as a Supporter!"
"Is that so?" Saber asked with a nod. "Then I shall count on you in the future. By the way…where exactly is the God?"
"Another handsome man…" came a rather distraught voice from behind Caster, causing Saber to blink and glance over at the king.
Caster then stepped to the side revealing the tiny Virgin Goddess of the Hearth.
"You summoned another one!?" Hestia screamed as she ran over and shook Bell. "I thought I told you that I can't be surrounding myself with men all the time!"
Saber stared at the diminutive goddess before turning back to Caster while pointing at her in confusion as if asking if she was really a goddess or not.
"Unfortunately this is the Familia's idiot goddess," Caster said as Bell's head flopped back and forth under Hestia's rant.
"I'm sorry!" Bell cried. "It's not like I can choose who answers!"
"That's no excuse! Wait…are you hiding something, Bell? Don't tell me you're actually interested in-"
"PLEASE DO NOT FINISH THAT SENTENCE, GODDESS!"
"I see…so this is a Goddess of this world," Saber muttered.
"That's right!" Hestia said as she released Bell and allowed him to fall to the ground. "I am the Goddess Hestia! And I ask of you, dear Hero! Join my Familia!"
X-x-X-x-X
Sigurd
Level 1
Strength: I0
Defense: I0
Dexterity: I0
Agility: I0
Magic: I0
Magic:
Primeval Rune (Warrior): Quick cast spells through the use of runes carved onto a surface or drawn in the air.
Skills:
Dragonkind Modification: Quickly regenerates body after taking severe wounds and temporary increases Strength afterwards. Increases Parameters against Dragons.
X-x-X-x-X
"I see…this is the manifestation of the Falna…the Grace of the Gods," Saber nodded as he examined his Status sheet with a calculating gaze.
With Hestia out taking part in the Meeting of the Gods, the duty of informing the new arrival of how the world worked fell to Bell and the others.
"Indeed," Caster nodded as Saber set the sheet down on the dining table.
"Magic that doesn't require a chant but instead uses runes?" Lily read with a befuddled look. "Lily hasn't heard of anything like that before…as expected of a Spirit. Mortal common sense doesn't apply to you."
Saber made a noise that sounded like a chuckle before drawing a rune in the air as a demonstration which caused the sheet to fly in the air and burn, leaving not even ash behind.
"Now then…" Caster said as he stood up. "Normally I would have the you be baptized by the Dungeon immediately but as your Master requires some time to readjust his body to the strain of powering three Servants, we will postpone it for now."
"Three Servants?" Saber repeated.
"Yes," Bell nodded. "Archer is currently helping another Familia in the Dungeon as part of a Quest, so he'll be gone for a while."
"I see. A shame. I would have liked to meet a fellow knight."
"He will return in due time," Caster said. "For now…I suppose a celebration to welcome you is in order. Let us make our way to the usual pub…"
As per their usual method of celebration, Hestia Familia went out to eat at the Hostess of Fertility.
"Lily feels a bit out of place here…" Lily admitted once they were seated at a table as she looked between the three men. "Like she's the odd one out being the only girl in the Familia."
"Ahaha…sorry Lily…" Bell apologized with a rather dry laugh.
"Oh, did you get a new friend, Bell?" Syr asked as she came over to their table with a tray carrying their drinks. "Care to introduce me to him?"
"Yes, this is Saber, a new member of my Familia," Bell said gesturing to Saber who nodded his head in greeting.
"Another one with a strange name…" Syr muttered before smiling at Bell. "Your goddess really does have strange tastes."
"Ahahaha…"
That's right…from an outside glance it looks as though Hestia was the one coming up with what to call her Familia Members. She even referred to Lily as "Supporter" more than once while in public. With Archer and Caster and now Saber, it could be seen as something like Hestia's hobby for her Children.
"Well if you're celebrating new members, please be sure to order a lot and spend a lot, okay?" Syr asked with a smile and making a gesture for money.
"Ahahaha…"
"You two seemed rather well acquainted," Saber noted, eyes bouncing back and forth between them. "Is she your lover, Bell?"
Saber's question caused Bell to choke and spit up his drink and the two of them quickly turned red in the face with Syr quickly hiding her face behind her serving tray.
"Oh…my apologies," Saber said, understanding the dynamics immediately.
"I-it's not like that!" Syr and Bell insisted at the same time as as Caster threw his head back in laughter.
"As amusing as this is, we are only here for dinner, not a show," Caster said, his smirk threatening to grow as he coughed into his hand. "Three specials, two whole birds…"
Syr nodded as she took the order and left to deliver it to the kitchen.
As they waited, Saber brought up the topic of the Dungeon.
"So…this Dungeon…it gives birth to monsters constantly and is located under the tower located in the center of the city?" Saber asked as he looked at Lily.
"Yes," Lily nodded. "The core of every monster is their Magic Stone. Magic Stones are used to power everything in the world from light bulbs to kitchen appliances. So Adventurers go down into the Dungeon to gather those stones to sell to the Guild for money."
"I see…" Saber muttered as he brought a hand to his chin. "So rather than monster slaying…it would be more accurate to say it is merely a Magic Stone mining operation."
"It takes out a lot of the spirit out of things but…yeah," Bell nodded with a frown. "I suppose you could see it like that."
People go down to make money. They use that money to buy better equipment. Then they use that equipment to go down even further to make more money. That was how this world, how Orario worked.
"How interesting for Adventurers to not go on Adventures in the Dungeon. What about you, Bell? Why do you go into the Dungeon?"
"I want to get stronger," Bell said immediately. "I'm surrounded by so many amazing people in this Familia that I don't want to sit back and be protected all the time. I want to be able to stand beside you…or at least be someone worthy enough to be your Master."
"…Is that so? Then please allow me to assist you on your journey."
"Is that okay?"
"Whether you believe you are worthy of being my Master is irrelevant. You are my Master. So long as you do no evil, I shall follow you to the end."
"The boy would sooner cry then do something that would harm another on purpose," Caster said with a scoff. "You need not worry about him being led astray."
"Saber…Caster…"
Emotions welled up in his heart as Bell lowered his head, trying to hide how happy he was feeling. To be recognized by these heroes, even if it was only a little bit, meant a lot to Bell. It felt as though all the hard work he did was worth it.
As the food arrived, Saber removed his mask, revealing a attractive features that looked as though it had been carved from ice.
"Hmm…not bad…" Saber muttered as he took a bite of the fried fish.
"Isn't it?" Bell asked. "The food here is always good though it's a bit more expensive than I am used to."
"You are used to eating meals that consist of cold fried potatoes leftover from your Goddess's food stand," Caster said as Saber looked on in horror. "Those values of a person living off of dirt should be left in the past and forgotten!"
"Lily thinks that there's nothing wrong with being frugal, Bell," Lily chimed in. "But that's a bit much."
"…Would you like to try some of this fish, Bell?" Saber asked holding the dish out to Bell.
"Please stop looking at me with those eyes…" Bell cried as he chewed on a drumstick. His eyes then darted around as he tried to come up with a change of topics until he spotted the four daggers still hanging around Saber's waist even though the Servant had left his sword behind. "Saber! Um…what is your fighting style like?"
"Fighting style?" Saber repeated. "It's nothing particularly fancy. I strike with Gram until my opponent ceases to move. That is all there is to it."
"Gram…" Caster muttered with a twitch of his brow. "You call that massively overgrown blade Gram?"
"Well…it was broken when I received it. I simply reforged it into its current form."
"Reforged? Master Saber is a Smith as well?" Lily asked as she sipped at her drink.
"I have learned the skills of the trade," Saber nodded as he unhooked one of the daggers and held it up. "The large blade is the main part of Gram, but I also used the shards to create these daggers as well."
"So you fight with both the daggers and the great sword…" Bell muttered thoughtfully.
"Were you thinking of getting something else besides your dagger?" Lily asked.
"Well…daggers are fine and all but something with a little more reach couldn't hurt, right?" Bell pointed out. "That blade the minotaur was using was pretty high quality and made me think that having something like that on hand could help in a pinch."
"And how do you expect to carry a heavy blade while using your standard tactics?" Caster asked.
"Lily can do it," Lily said, raising her hand up. "A heavy blade or two attached to the side of Lily's backpack won't make any difference thanks to Lily's skill."
Caster slowly raised a hand to his chin as he mulled over the suggestion.
Artel Assist. It was not a particularly rare skill or anything, pretty much every full-time Supporter received it to lighten their burdens. It also allowed Supporters to pretty much carry anything and everything they could get into a big enough bag like Lily did. However, even if they could carry it all, it was still big and bulky so most Supporters didn't carry as large of a bag as Lily did.
"I have no further objections to that…" Caster nodded. "However, you are responsible for your own equipment."
"Of course," Bell nodded. "We got some money now from that Minotaur Magic Stone so I think I can buy a new sword along with some new armor."
"Should I make something for you?" Saber offered but Caster shut him down.
"There is no point in giving something created by you to the boy as he is now," Caster said. "It would only hamper his growth should he receive an item far above his level."
"Understood," Saber accepted the explanation rather quickly with a nod. "Then what do you suppose?"
"I guess I'll try talking to the Smith who made my previous armor," Bell said. "His armor really helped in protecting me…even if it did get shattered in the end."
"Something to consider for tomorrow," Caster said. "For now, enjoy the meal."
"Yes!"
X-x-X-x-X
As her Familia were enjoying a meal together, Hestia's battle was only just beginning.
The Meeting of the Gods, Denatus, was a once every three months affair that allowed the Gods to mingle with each other when they usually wouldn't have the time or opportunity to due to being busy with work or managing their Familias. What started off as a simple gathering of close friends spiraled into a more or less official event for the divine…as things often ended up turning out when one dealt with a bunch of bored gods.
The first part of the meeting was an unofficial meet and greet as everyone said hello to long time friends or new up and comers.
Hestia had already said hello to Takemikazuchi, a God of War she happened to be friends with as well as Hephaistos so she was planning to just hang around until the meeting began proper when someone unexpected came up to her.
"Hestia."
"Oh, Soma."
That simple greeting caused the nearby gods to whisper to one another. A few wondered why Soma was here as he usually skipped out on the meetings despite having a few Level 2s in his Familia and others were wondering why he called out to Hestia of all people.
"Is that child doing well?" The normally introverted God of Wine asked her.
"That child? Ah, you mean Liliruca Arde?" Hestia asked as Soma nodded. "Well, she's doing as fine as she can be. She got caught up in that Minotaur Incident the other day."
"The one that showed up on the Ninth Floor?" Soma asked and Hestia nodded. "I see…is she all right?"
"She got a little conk on the head but she's all right now," Hestia assured him before giving him a sly smile. "What's wrong, Soma? You're acting like a parent checking up on a child who finally moved out of the house."
"Is that so?" Soma asked simply, not taking the bait.
"You're not thinking of trying to get her back into your Familia, are you?"
"No. I lost my chance with her already. I believe she will be able to grow properly if she's with you."
"O-oh…I won't let you down then."
"Thank you."
Soma was acting so uncharacteristically active that several other gods were flat out staring at them now.
"By the way…has she drunk it?"
"Your…gift?" Hestia asked, catching herself before she mentioned that it was the Soma wine because she was smart enough to not let that slip at least. "No. It's being saved for a special occasion."
Hestia would swear on her name that the near expressionless Soma actually seemed disappointed that Lily hadn't drank his gift to her but it quickly vanished as he the god nodded.
"I see."
Soma probably intended for his wine to be drunk casually by Lily but he still accepted Lily's decision not to drink it just yet.
"Really Soma, you're actually acting like a dad who gave his daughter away for a marriage."
The conversation was interrupted by Hestia's hated enemy, Loki, who appeared behind Soma and draped her arm around the god's neck.
"You again, Loki…" Soma asked.
"I heard you finally got your head out of that wine jar of yours and started properly reigning in your kids," Loki continued, ignoring the slight glare Soma was leveling her way with a bright smile. "So it's because of this Level 1 Supporter girl who didn't lose her brains because of it then?"
Soma didn't answer but simply shook her off and walked away.
"Hey, I didn't even ask what I wanted to ask-"
"No."
"Tch…"
"Just because he's changed doesn't mean he's going to give his wine away like that," Hestia said, already understanding what Loki was after.
"Hey ya never know," Loki replied with a bright smile as she turned back toward Hestia. "So…your little kid became a Level 2 then?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Where are you finding these children of yours, Hestia?" Loki asked. "You got a brat that broke my Ais's record just like that, you got some crazy kid with a library of weapons he can pull out of his brain and I don't even know where to begin with Goldy."
"I didn't find them they came to me and Bell," Hestia shot back. "Let me say this right now, I'm not using my Arcanum all right? I wouldn't be able to hide it even if I did!"
"Well, ya got a point there," Loki accepted as she folded her arms. "Well, I didn't come here to pick a fight anyway. Just wanted to say thanks again for letting your Archer boy tag along with my kids. It's saved us a lot of money in the long run, even if Ais came into a little boon the other day."
"If I had my way Archer wouldn't be within ten feet of your children," Hestia said honestly. "He just wants to help you out, no questions asked. Because he's a good boy like that."
Loki let out a snort at that.
"But what's the hurry, Loki?" Hestia asked. "Didn't your children go on an Expedition not even a month ago? You're not being hounded by the Guild or anything, are you?"
"Nope, we're just trying ta beat Zeus's record," Loki replied simply. "Not like the Guild's rule of High Rank Exploration Familias requiring ta go on Expeditions ta break their previous records is fair to any Familia that can hit the Deep Floors anyway."
"…That's a thing?" Hestia asked in surprise.
"Yep," Loki nodded. "You may not need to worry about it since you're still at the bottom of the barrel but once you get to Rank D, you need to show the Guild that you are constantly advancing in the Dungeon. Say that the furthest Floor you've ever reached was Floor 20. The Guild requires you to hit Floor 21 and bring back Drop Items from the monsters down there as proof you broke the limit. If I remember right…it was like ten drop items from the same monster or something like that."
"Uwwaaahhh…sounds like a pain in the ass."
"No argument from me. But my kids are already well pass that point so we don't need to do it any more."
Hestia simply shrugged before the two goddesses glanced over around the hall.
"You heard about what happened ta Freya's kids, right?" Loki asked as she lowered her head a bit to whisper into Hestia's ear.
"Yeah…" Hestia nodded. "How can I not? They weren't exactly subtle. It's why Freya isn't here, right?"
"Nah, she rarely comes in the first place," Loki replied offhandedly. "Still, she's probably being begged by her kids to stay home just in case."
"Ishtar seems happy though."
Loki let out a grunt of agreement as they stare at the other Goddess of Love was laughing for some reason or another as a god was letting her step on him with a look of ecstasy on his face.
"You heard anything about the attackers?"
"Nope and I don't want to know. If they can do that to Freya, my Familia won't last a minute against them. So I'm keeping my head low and my nose to myself, thank you very much."
"Well…can't blame ya there."
"…What about you? Will you be all right? If they had no qualms attacking Freya, they probably think they can take you out with most of your kids down on the Expedition, right?"
"I'll be fine," Loki said with a wave of her hand but Hestia could tell she wasn't dismissing the possibility. "They bailed the moment Freya's Level 4s came into the picture so they weren't willing to commit to commit to an extended fight with First Class Adventurers. That kid who took attacked from the front is probably Level 4 or 5 in strength at the least then."
Loki's seriousness worried Hestia a lot so she decided to stop talking about it.
"…I wonder if Evils is making a comeback…" Loki muttered under her breath.
"Daaaah, I'm not hearing anything~" Hestia droned as she covered her ears to try and avoid knowing too much. "I already got chased around the city by a Silverback during Monsterphilia so I don't want to get involved in dangerous things anymore!"
Loki stared at Hestia for a moment before looking to the side as if recalling something before making an annoyed face at the memory and shaking her head.
"All right, all right I'll stop discussing scary thing with ya," Loki said. "It's time for the meeting anyway."
Loki then rang a bell she had by her side and the round hall fell silent for a moment before all the Gods in attendance started moving toward the large circular table in the center of the hall.
"Why do you have that?" Hestia asked.
"Cuz I'm hosting it this time," Loki said with a smile while Hestia felt a migraine forming in her head as she followed Loki to the table but split off to sit next to Hephaistos instead.
"Now then let's get the one thousandth something or another Denatus on the road!" Loki called out once everyone was seated to the cheers of the gods around her. "Everyone's favorite Loki will be hosting it tonight! So to start things off, anyone heard any juicy rumors?"
The meeting seemed to start pretty normally in Hestia's opinion. Her fellow gods were just swapping rumors and news with each other.
One piece of news caught Hestia's attention though.
"Rakia?" Hestia repeated as a frown appeared on Hephaistos's face. "That's where Ares is holed up in, right?"
"Well, more or less," Hephaistos nodded. "You could say that the entire country of Rakia is Ares's Familia ever since Phobos got sent back up."
"Wow…how many thousands…no millions of children are in there? Wait he's planning on invading Orario? Shouldn't that news be a bit more serious?"
"Don't worry about that, Hestia," Hephaistos replied with a smile. "The one with the highest Level amongst his children is only Level 3."
A Level 3 vs a city full of Level 4s, 5s, 6s and sole Level 7.
It would be like Bell trying to go to the Deep Floors on his own without any of his Servants or even Lily as back up.
The sheer ridiculousness of it all left Hestia flabbergasted.
"…Then why is he trying to invade?" Hestia asked.
""""Because he's an idiot!""""
Hestia jumped as the surrounding Gods answered her question for her in unison with bright smiles.
"Ahh…" Hestia let out a noise before lowering her head in thanks for the information.
"All right we'll send what we know to the Guild after the meeting," Loki said as a few gods nodded their heads as if to say they'll take care of it. "Mind if I throw in one other thing? "Recently, a nasty new monster species has been coming out of the woodwork. We saw 'em at 'Philia and now they're even showing up at safety points."
Hestia wondered if Loki was talking about the weird plant monsters that Archer mentioned. The ones with the weird yellow Magic Stones.
"These vibrant little beasties look like someone went at 'em with a paintbrush. They're more than a match for a Second Class adventurer…and damn elusive too. They have a tendency to show up wherever they goddamn well please, whether it's in the Dungeon or even the city itself."
The Dungeon was one thing but they were popping up elsewhere in the city too?
She should make sure that Bell and Lily never go into the Dungeon without Saber from now on. Hestia looked around the table. Was one of the gods in attendance a part of some sort conspiracy?
"Maybe I should talk to Caster to see if Bell can't summon another Servant, just in case…" Hestia thought to herself. "If something happened down in the Dungeon, we could have one Servant hold them off while the other escort Bell and Lily back up to the surface. If Bell could keep two Servants at Level 1 then he could keep four at Level 2, right?"
She was really regretting letting Archer leave with Loki's children now.
"I'd like to say something too!" A boisterous voice called out. "I am Ganesha!"
"We know, get to the point," Loki said with a sigh.
"No, no, that's not what I meant to say! I wanted to start by apologizing for the debacle at the Monsterphilia!" Ganesha corrected himself quickly as he started randomly posing and flexing while on his chair. "But you must understand—I swear on the name of Ganesha, Lord of Hosts, that those monsters, these Violas, you speak of are not related to my familia! You must believe me!"
Hestia believed him in any case. Caster said that the one who released the monsters had been a Goddess of Love. Hestia's eyes fell onto one of them currently sitting in the Hall.
Ishtar.
However, Ganesha claimed to not have been the one to bring those plant monsters up to the surface so they were probably unrelated…or at least, the plant monsters were not kept in the same area that the Goddess had gone in to release the regular monsters.
"And another thing! Down on the Eighteenth Floor where those monsters appeared, one of my children had been murdered! I have no idea whether the two incidents are related, but I would very much like to avenge my child! If anyone has any information, I ask wholeheartedly that you bring it forward!"
Ganesha seemed to have had it rough as well.
The god was sobbing rather loudly as tears were seeping through his mask and falling onto the table.
"Why…why Hashana!?"
All the gods in the room fell silent as Ganesha continued sobbing.
"Why did you have to die in the middle of having sex!?"
It was like something cracked in the room as all the goddesses who had been feeling some sympathy for Ganesha, Hestia included, froze with their eyes wide open at the declaration.
"To be killed by a hot bombshell of a woman! I'm so jealous!" Ganesha shouted as his body shook with envy. "Why couldn't that have been me!"
"He wasn't killed in the middle of boinking it, moron," Loki said with a sigh.
"Huh? He wasn't?"
"For the love of…"
Loki massaged her forehead as Ganesha sat back down without another word.
Hestia and Hephaistos shared a glance.
It sounded like some details were wrong but Ganesha's child had been murdered nonetheless…and some of Loki's children were in the area when it happened.
"Well, I guess that's it for that," Loki said, wanting to move on from the weird atmosphere Ganesha had kicked up. "Now let's move on to the main event, shall we?"
Hestia swallowed the saliva that had built up in her throat as a cheer rang out in the hall.
The main event known as the Naming Ceremony.
All around her, Hestia noted two changes. The Gods that had multiple Level 2s and above in their Familias were sporting rather depraved smiles like sadistic children ready to pick the wings off of an unsuspecting insect while others who looked to be newcomers just like Hestia were looking rather pale.
Papers were then passed around the table and as Hestia received them, she realized that they were reports of the Children who had Leveled Up.
First off the bat was a child named Seti of Set's Familia.
"P-please have mercy…" the god begged as tears were slowly forming in his eyes but his words fell on deaf ears.
"""""""""We refuse!"""""""""
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
And thus the poor child was given the name of "Burning Fighting Fighter" which could also be read as "Holy Dragon Knight of the Dawn."
To the Children of the Gekai, these names were considered badges of honor that symbolized the hard work and effort that they put into Leveling Up and those that had yet to receive one looked upon those that did with respect and envy.
However, the gods themselves did not view this venerable custom with the same excitement as their arguably old-fashioned children. In fact, they wanted to avoid it like the plague.
The majority of these Second Names or Aliases born from the naming ceremony were names of complete and utter tragedy meant to make the adventurer's patron deity writhe in discomfort.
For the especially mean-spirited gods, seeing an adventurer all proud and haughty about their freshly minted title while their patron deity squirmed in torment was one of the greatest pleasures in all the world and exactly why they couldn't stop.
"…This is madness…" Hestia muttered as Hephaistos let out a soft chuckle beside her.
"Well, I thought the same at first," Hephaistos said with a smile. "Do know that I won't be helping you when it comes your child's turn."
Hestia could only let out a whimper as another goddess screamed in despair as another "death sentence" was given to her child.
Hestia flipped to the next page and saw the portrait of a pretty Far Eastern girl with long black hair.
"Ohh, so it's Take's child," Hestia said as the other gods around her started murmuring as well.
"Let's see…" Loki began. "Since she's from the Far East her surname goes first so…Yamato Mikoto is it? What a high level beauty."
"Black hair is justice after all."
"I think I'll feel bad if we screw with her."
"Right? She seems like a good girl."
"T-then?" Takemikazuchi let his guard down at the praises his dear child was receiving as the light of hope sparked in his eyes.
"You're no good though, Takemikazuchi," a God shut him down quickly.
"Seriously."
"Always flirting around with goddesses and female children alike."
"W-what are you talking about!?"
"I'll take you down a peg with this, Takemika! Fortune Galaxy!"
"No, Saint Sprite!"
"Last Heroine!"
"Stop it!" Takemikazuchi begged as he slammed his hands on the table. "Don't you dare do this to my precious little angel!"
"Angel? Then how about Heavenly Child?"
"""THAT'S IT!"""
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"Hey Dionysus, you finally decided to join us for once. Have you got a suggestion?"
The blonde god mulled it over for a moment as Takemikazuchi clasped his hands together, silently begging the other god for mercy. Alas, his silent prayer was cruelly ignored.
"Zetsu Ei," Dionysus said with a cruel smile. "Eternal Shadow."
""""""AGREED!""""""
"DIONYSUS YOU BASTARD!"
With poor Takemikazuchi finished, the naming ceremony continued on with some of the more veteran and high ranked Familias who would not be "blessed" with the colorful names bestowed upon the lower ranked ones with Hestia stewing in agony as Bell's profile had yet to come up.
"Oh…the Sword Princess leveled up again?" Hephaistos muttered and hestia turned the page to see the quiet blonde girl that showed up in her house a few weeks back along with Loki.
"Heh…Level 6 by defeating Udaeus?" Hestia read. "That's a Monster Rex, right?"
"That's right," Hephaistos nodded. "The Floor Boss on the Thirty-Seventh Floor."
Monster Rex.
Massive monsters that appeared at various points in the Dungeon. They spawn on floors that contained a single massive room that acted as an arena, or one large "Boss Room" as some people would call it.
The closest one was on the Seventeenth Floor and was known as the Goliath. Due to their strength, it usually took them a few weeks to spawn again after they are defeated with the Goliath, the weakest Floor Boss, taking around two weeks to spawn again.
"Aren't these things supposed to be fought with multiple people?" Hestia asked out loud.
"Seriously," another goddess nodded. "Your child's doing one crazy thing after another, Loki."
"Don't need to tell me twice," Loki replied with a wry smile, showing that she wasn't exactly happy at Ais's recklessness even though she did win.
It was probably the same as how Hestia felt when she heard Bell took on a Minotaur on his own.
"Do we need to think of a new Alias though?"
"Maybe Sword Saint?"
"I dunno…it doesn't really fit her I think?"
"Yeah, I've gotten more or less used to Sword Princess."
"I don't know about you guys, but clearly the only viable candidate I see is Our Wife."
"""PERFECT!"""
"I will murder every last one of you in your sleep."
"""FORGIVE US!"""
The especially awful title was rejected by Loki in a heartbeat and it was decided to leave Ais's Alias alone.
Hestia turned to the next page and choked on her own breath.
It was finally Bell's turn.
"…Level 2 in a month and a half?" Hephaistos muttered as the Hall fell silent.
Below the portrait was a list of feats that Bell had done in that short amount of time as collected and reported by the Guild.
Reached the Fifth Floor solo after two weeks.
Successfully escaped an encounter with a Minotaur that had appeared on said Fifth Floor with no injuries.
Held off a mass spawn of Killer Ants on the Seventh Floor with only one other person to allow a Mage to complete their spell.
And of course…
"…He defeated a Minotaur on his own?" Hermes muttered, his eyes opened wide.
"…Your children were witnesses, Loki?" Dionysus asked.
"…Yeah…" Loki nodded.
A list of witnesses had been provided below that feat.
Archer and Lily's names were there along with Finn, Bete, Riveria, Tiona, Tione and Ais.
Putting aside the two people from the same Familia, three Level 6s and three Level 5s had been attendance of the Feat. It was impossible to deny that Bell had done it.
How he had gained the excelia to do so in the first place though…
Hestia knew such questions were running through everyone's heads.
But she ran through the speech and lists of excuses with Caster already. She won't be caught off guard and she'll take that secret with her all the way back to Tenkai with her if she had to. For Bell's sake.
"Well…let's get started shall we?" Loki said as a grin appeared on her face, causing Hestia to break out in a cold sweat. "How about…Little Bunny?"
"Hah!?" Hestia felt a jolt run through her in fear. "Hey! Just because Bell looks like an Al-Miraj doesn't make him a bunny!"
"Al-Miraj? Then how about Blade Mirage?"
"No no, Pyonkichi!"
"Too bad, looks like his armor is already using that name."
"S-someone beat us Gods to it? Who is this Welf guy?"
Hephaistos suddenly twitched as she buried her face into her hands.
"He uses two daggers right? Twin Fang!"
"Oh! Like a rabbit's buck teeth?"
Things were progressing too quickly for Hestia to get a word in and Hephaistos seemed to have taken some damage somewhere and was no longer paying attention either.
Loki on the other hand…Hestia could see that she was all smiles, having made the entire hall focus on Bell's supposed similarity to a rabbit.
"C-can't you just give him something normal?" Hestia begged. "Or maybe even something cute?"
"""""""""Denied!"""""""""
"Ngyuuuuu…" Hestia let out a noise of defeat as the voting came to a close.
