Chapter 13: Heroic Desire

"Moonlit Dawn…" Bell repeated with a happy smile on his face. "That's so cool!"

Hestia had returned home looking exhausted and defeated and had nearly fell flat on her face when she came through the doors were it not for Saber catching her and dropping her at the dining table so she could eat her reheated dinner and break the news to Bell.

"As expected of the Gods…their senses are amazing," Lily said happily while wagging her false tail as Hestia chewed on her food bitterly.

"Is something the matter, Goddess Hestia?" Saber asked.

"No…" Hestia replied before burning her face into her hands. "I was just thinking that it was too early for Children to understand."

For the young Bell who had been hoping for a name like "Fire Blizzard" or "Tornado Typhoon" his reaction was one of pure elation.

"Uuu…I'm sorry Bell…I'm sorry Artemis…" Hestia sobbed. "I couldn't protect either of you."

Moonlit Dawn, or the Moon-Eyed Rabbit. Hearing Bell repeat his new Alias over and over again caused Hestia nothing but agony as if the boy was running his knife into her heart with the biggest smile on his face.

Saber blinked before turning to Caster who just shook his head.

"Anyway, Caster!" Hestia said as she sat up straight and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I was thinking that Bell should try to summon another Servant."

Hestia's request snapped Bell out of his dreamlike state as his gaze started bouncing back and forth between Caster and Hestia.

Hestia repeated her thoughts from the Denatus as Caster listened with a hand against his chin.

"I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm doubting your abilities, Saber," Hestia said, lowering her head once she finished her explanation to Caster.

"No," Saber shook his head. "Bell's safety must be prioritized above all else. Adding another Servant will receive no objection from me."

"Certainly…if these creatures can cripple a Level 3 in a single blow and hold up a pair of Level 5s even if they were without their weapons, they should not be underestimated…" Caster nodded. "To think they spawned elsewhere on the surface without anyone noticing…"

"But…how did they get up to the surface in the first place?" Lily asked. "The Monsters from Monsterphilia were dragged up in cages by Ganesha Familia and they had crowded the entranceway for hours when they did…"

"Right…" Bell nodded. "And Archer said that the Violas were as big as a house. There's no way they could have gotten up without someone noticing, right?"

"They are plant-like monsters, correct?" Saber asked. "Could they have a dormant form? Such as something similar to a seed that can be easily carried on one's person?"

Caster slowly nodded his head as he took in everyone's words.

"It is…unlikely that they would have a Seed as a dormant form," Caster said after a moment's deliberation. "At the very least, not one so small. From the sound of things, these were found in the Dungeon and they are far too powerful to be a monster from the surface. And since unlike surface, the Dungeon Monsters are created full grown by the Dungeon they should not have a 'dormant' form."

Saber nodded his head in understanding.

"Then…what do you suppose?" Saber asked. "If these large monsters can come to the surface without anyone noticing anything from the single entrance to the Dungeon that has people moving in an out at all times."

"You've come up with an answer yourself, have you not?" Caster asked as Saber closed his eyes in response.

"Why do I have a really bad feeling about this?" Hestia muttered as she grabbed the sides of her head and slammed it against the table. "Please don't say what I think you're going to say…"

"There is a second entrance to the Dungeon," Caster and Saber said at the same time as Hestia let out a pitiful whine.

"I KNEW IT!" She cried.

"…A second entrance?" Bell repeated as he and Lily looked absolutely horrified at the prospect.

"Unless the Guild is the one bringing these Violas to the surface that is the only other explanation," Saber replied, pushing his glasses up a bit.

"But that would mean the central pillar of the city has become rotten," Caster continued. "The Guild exists because of the city, for the city. It has no reason to destroy Orario…so at the worst, we are looking at a corrupt official rather than the entire Guild."

"I hope it isn't Miss Eina…" Bell muttered as he fiddled with his hands before shaking his head. "No, it's definitely not her. Someone who cares so much about Adventurers wouldn't want to kill them after spending so much time making sure they survive."

"So…what do we do?" Lily asked.

"…There is no point in doing anything," Caster said. "It is all merely conjecture at this point in time. We will not investigate it as there is little chance you or Cranel would survive the fallout should our enemies learn that we are investigating them."

Once Caster said that, both Lily and Hestia sighed with relief but Bell didn't really like the fact that they were ignoring a potential danger to the city. But then, as Caster said, he wasn't strong enough to take on something that could knock out a Level 3 in a single hit. Even a Minotaur was nothing to a Second Class Adventurer as it wasn't unusual for a Level 3 Mage to kill one in one hit.

"So about summoning another Servant?" Hestia brought the topic up again.

"…Perhaps that will be the best option as we do not have Archer here…" Caster said as if not even taking into consideration that he could get up and defend Bell within the Dungeon himself. "Very well."

Hestia let out a sigh of relief as she finished up the take out dinner from the Hostess of Fertility and stood up.

Following her lead, everyone else stood up as well and headed toward the living area where the Magic Circle was and Bell prepared to summon another hero.

"Remember, Bell!" Hesita said as she pointed her finger at him. "A girl this time! A! GIRL!"

"And I keep telling you I have no control over that!" Bell cried. Most of the heroes he had heard about from his grandfather were men to begin with and female heroes were usually just companions of those men in the first place. Was there a female hero who had her own story? Bell couldn't remember.

He supposed all he could do was pray that a female hero would appear

"You seven souls who reside at the fate I wish to reach! Come forth from the binding circle, oh Keeper of the Balance!"

The room erupted in light and smoke once more as Bell covered his face with his arms. Once he felt the wind die down he looked up at the circle and felt his jaw drop.

Standing there was…what should be a Spirit but all Bell could see was a little girl that was even shorter than Hestia. She had white hair similar to Bell's and was staring at him with bright green eyes. She was wearing a heavy black shawl that covered most of her upper body but Bell could see a pair of black shorts and stockings that ran all the way up to her thighs as well.

All in all, she looked like the very image of a simple little girl were it not for the stitched up scar on her right cheek and the one running down her left eye.

Looking straight at Bell, the girl tilted her head for a moment before opening her mouth.

"Assassin, Jack the Ripper," she said causing the hair of Bell's neck to stand on end before she closed her eyes and gave Bell a bright smile. "Nice to meet you, Mommy."

"Heh?"

And just like that, Jack…or Assassin, ran forward and gave Bell a big hug.

"EEEEHHHHHH!?"

X-x-X-x-X

"Umm…" Lily began once the furniture was moved back and everyone took a seat with Assassin sitting next to Bell, still clinging to him. "Is this girl really a Spirit?"

"She is," Saber nodded simply. "Servant Assassin, Jack the Ripper. A well known killer who butchered several women in the streets and was never caught and their identity was never found. The name, Jack the Ripper was merely the moniker the authorities and public used to refer to them"

"…Is that so…?" Bell asked as he looked at Assassin who looked back up at him with another tilt of her head. "Umm…are you actually Jack the Ripper?"

"Yep!" Assassin nodded. "That is Our name. But We don't know if We are the same one that that Mister is referring to."

"Mister…?" Saber repeated blankly.

"…So you did kill a bunch of women then?" Hestia asked.

"Uh huh!" Assassin nodded with a smile. "But none of them were Mommy…"

"And you think Bell is your Mommy?"

"Yep! Master is Mommy and Mommy is Master!"

"I see…" Caster spoke up for the first time since Assassin's summon. "Assassin simply refers to their Master as their mother. A strange quirk but nothing that would get in the way."

"Easy for you to say…" Bell muttered.

"…Does Mommy not like Us?" Assassin asked looking up at Bell with quivering eyes.

"N-no it's not like that!" Bell said quickly. "It's just…I'm a boy you know? So it feels weird to be called Mommy. But if you want to call me that then I'll deal with it."

"Okay!" Assassin nodded. "We love you Mommy!"

"Oh boy…"

"Hey Assassin," Hestia spoke up as she spread her arms out. "If you want a mommy then I'll be one for you. If you join my Familia that makes you one of my precious children just like everyone else here."

Caster let out a soft noise of dissatisfaction at Hestia's claim but Assassin looked from Bell to Hestia before reluctantly releasing her grip on Bell. She then walked over to the smiling goddess who was welcoming her with open arms before diving into Hestia's chest, allowing the Goddess to embrace her.

"Will this work out?" Hestia asked softly.

"Hmm…" Assassin let out a soft whine as she nodded her head while snuggling up closer to Hestia.

"All's well that ends well, Lily supposes…" Lily said with a smile.

"I guess so," Bell nodded with a laugh.

And so, Hestia Familia welcomed their sixth member of their Familia.

X-x-X-x-X

Jack

Level 1

Strength: I0

Defense: I0

Dexterity: I0

Agility: I0

Magic: I0

Magic:

The Mist: Darkened Misty Metropolis: Create a poisonous mist that also interferes with the channeling of Mind and can prevent people from entering.

This is the beginning of Hell

We shall be the flame,

We shall be the rain

We shall be the power

Shroud Us and Burn Us

Let Us begin the Slaughter

Darkened Misty Metropolis

The Mist

Skills:

Presence Concealment: Completely hide one's presence and becomes almost impossible to be detected. Loses efficiency when preparing to attack

Murder in the Misty Night: Erases ones presence completely when attacking from mist or fog.

Maria the Ripper: If certain conditions are met, deal massive damage to the target.

The time must be night.

The target must be female.

The weather must be misty.

X-x-X-x-X

"…So what exactly do we call her?" Lily brought the topic up the next morning. "We can't exactly call her 'Assassin' in the middle of the street, can we?"

Said Assassin was enjoying a plate of eggs and fried potatoes beside Hestia who had completely embraced her role as a mother as she wiped Assassin's mouth with a napkin.

"I suppose we'll just call her Jack, right?" Bell suggested.

"Hmm?" Assassin looked up when her name was called. Lily and Bell quickly smiled and waved at her to which she did the same back to them.

"Come to think of it…" Lily began as she turned toward Caster. "Why is everyone just using their titles instead of names?"

"Well…Archer didn't consider his name his name anymore," Hestia explained. "And he introduced himself as such so it kind of stuck."

"Do you honestly think I would give my name out to mongrels so easily?" Caster asked, looking rather insulted at the idea.

"Lily understands now…" Lily muttered. "It just sort of happened rather than some sort of rule…"

Bell and Lily then turned toward Saber who stopped with his fork just in front of his mouth.

"I have no preferences whatsoever," Saber replied. "Saber or Sigurd…either is fine by me. I will answer to both names. Use whichever comes easier for you."

"I guess…Saber then?" Bell asked and the man nodded.

There was no need to change things when they have been already been sort of settled.

"Humph…well, an assassin going by the name Assassin would make for a poor one in any case," Caster said. "We need not have our killer name themselves so easily."

"No!" Hestia said as she suddenly hugged Assassin's head causing some food to fly out of her mouth. "I've only had Jackie for a few hours but if anything were to happen to her…I'll…I'll…!"

"Yes yes, we get it," Caster said irritably as Assassin reached over to her fork and brought more food into her mouth despite still being cradled by Hestia.

"At least she's being affectionate to someone other than me now, haha…" Bell said with a chuckle.

"And Jack doesn't try to escape like you do," Lily pointed out with a smirk, prompting another chuckle from Bell. "Anyway…today you're going to Babel to look for some new armor, right?"

"Yeah," Bell nodded. "Hopefully I can find some more armor made from the same Smith that made me last one."

"Then Lily will take Master Saber and Jack to the Guild to register."

"Register?" Assassin asked as Hestia finally released her head.

"That's right," Hestia said as she rubbed Jack's head. "You need to register if you want to go with Bell into the Dungeon."

Assassin nodded her head in understanding as she finished her glass of juice.

"Understood," Saber said as he cleared the last of his breakfast from his plate. "Shall we head out then?"

With a nod everyone except Caster and Hestia stood up and headed out of the kitchen with Assassin rushing straight out the front door while Lily and Bell went to get changed.

"Yay! It's bright!" She cheered as she ran out the front gate and stopped as she looked around the street.

"Do be careful," Saber said as he walked up to her, his blades materializing around his waist and on his back.

He knew that Assassin had four strange looking knives under her shawl as well as two rather large meat cleavers that a child really shouldn't be running around with so he wasn't worried for her safety but it would worry everyone if she were to get lost.

However, Assassin was simply standing on the street, staring off into the distance as if in some sort of trance.

Saber turned his gaze to the same direction she was looking at and saw nothing particularly out of the ordinary.

Just a mother holding onto the hand of her child while walking down the street.

Servants were supposed to be summoned in their prime. The one in front of Saber right now seemed even younger than his Master.

If this was the prime of her life, exactly how short had it been?

Saber quickly shook his head and looked back at Assassin who was still staring at the mother/child combo. Even with the intelligence of a dragon, Saber had no idea what to do.

"Sorry, did we make you wait?" Bell called out as he came out of the door with Lily behind him.

"No…" Saber said quickly. "We were just…looking at the city."

"Is that so?" Bell said as he walked up to Assassin without a clue and grabbed her hand, jolting her from her trance. "Then let's go. I'll show you to the Guild."

Assassin lifted up her hand which was firmly held in Bell's and looked from it to the boy's smiling face before breaking out into a smile of her own as he led her down the street, leaving a rather stunned Saber frozen in place.

"Is something wrong, Master Saber?" Lily asked as she peered up at him from under her hood.

"No…" Saber said as he adjusted his lenses. "I was simply thinking that I still have much to learn."

"Hmm?"

"Do not worry. Let us move on."

X-x-X-x-X

Once they arrived at the Guild, Bell split off to head to Babel Tower and shop for his new armor, leaving the newbies in Lily's capable hands.

Walking inside, Lily kept a hold of Assassin's hand to make sure she didn't get lost as they waited in line for the receptionist.

"Hmm…Lily doesn't see the usual Advisor today," Lily said as she peered around the line. "Oh…Lily sees someone she recognizes though."

As the line moved forward, Lily and the two Servants reached the reception desk in no time at all.

"Good morning," Lily greeted the pink haired human with a smile.

"Oh…you're from Eina's little brother's Familia, aren't you?" the woman asked.

"…Little brother?" Lily repeated.

"Ah, no…I know he's not really her little brother. She just tends to treat him like one."

"Hah…"

The woman, seeing Lily's confusion quickly cleared her throat and put on a professional smile.

"A-anyway…welcome to the Guild, dear Adventurers. My name is Misha Flott. How can I assist you today."

"Ah…yes…Lily would like to register two new members to our Familia."

She then indicated Saber and Jack, the former lowering his head slightly while the latter responded with a wave.

"Wow…that Familia's just getting more and more hot guys joining…" Misha muttered under her breath as she pulled out some registration forms from the desk behind her. "Ahem! Very well, please fill out these forms."

Lily nodded as she took the two over to an empty booth and helped them fill the form out. Or in the case of Jack, fill it out for her as she didn't know how to write.

"…It does not seem very detailed," Saber noted as he scanned through the form.

"Familias have their secrets," Lily replied. "The Guild only really needs the name and Level of the Adventurer. Everything else is just details. However, the Guild has no right to know an Adventurer's skills or magic so they don't ask for it. An Adventurer's Status is their life so do not show it to anyone. Understand?"

"Status…that is what is on Our backs, right?" Assassin asked as she tried reaching around to pat herself on the back where her Status was located.

"That's right,"Lily said with a nod. "So Jack, make sure no one ever sees it. It is as important as protecting Bell and Goddess Hestia, understand?"

"As important as protecting Master and Mommy Hestia, got it," Assassin nodded. "We won't let anyone see what's on Our back."

Once that was done, they received a simple orientation from Misha and then Saber and Assassin were now officially registered Adventurers.

"I see…" Saber muttered as he followed behind Lily and Assassin down the street as Lily was leading them around on a tour. "So many different peoples living in the same city. Orario is truly the center of the world."

"Lily thinks any place that is a center of trade will have all sorts races living together," Lily said.

"Hey hey, Lily," Assassin said as she tugged on the shorter girl's sleeve. "What's that?"

Lily turned to look at what Assassin was pointing at and saw that it was a street stand selling potato puffs.

"Ah, those are Jagamaru-kuns," Lily said as she walked over and paid for five of them, two with azuki cream.

She then offered them to Saber and Assassin. Saber picked out a plain one while Assassin happily snacked on the cream one.

"I see…" Saber nodded as he removed his mask and took a bite. "These are rather palatable. It explains why that was the fifth stand I've seen on this street alone."

"Yep," Lily nodded. "Potato puffs are well known and people of all races and ages can enjoy them. Lily heard that they are also the Sword Princess's favorite food too."

"Oh?"

"Yes! Apparently she visits Lady Hestia's stall a lot. Even if they are just potato puffs, each stand has their own toppings and recipes after all...they are the epitome of 'simple, cheap, and filling.'"

"I see…" Saber nodded as he turned back toward the stand at the smiling clerk who was wearing an apron depicting the shop's name over a rather worn robe. "Even the gods have to work in this world…"

"Hmm? That's right," Lily nodded as she finished chewing her food. "'Those who do not work, don't eat.' Is Master Saber familiar with that phrase?"

"I am," Saber nodded. "But it is rather…off putting to see Gods work like this."

"Well it's usually the poorer gods that have little money or small Familias work," Lily said as Assassin reached into her bag for another potato puff. "Though some gods who have Familias that are businesses like Ninsun Familia's cattle ranch or Demeter Familia's vegetable farm will have their gods or goddesses work alongside them. Others like Freya Familia or Loki Familia are large enough that their goddesses can happily live off their Familia's earnings without having to work."

"I see…" Saber muttered as he turned over his shoulder to look at the Babel Tower. "So Freya is here as well."

"Master Saber?"

"No, it's nothing."

With a quick shake of his head Saber stuffed the rest of his snack into his mouth without another word. Lily had a feeling that she shouldn't ask any further just like how she shouldn't pry whenever the topic of Ishtar Familia came up around Caster.

Lily wasn't an expert in the legends of heroes like Bell was so she didn't know about any of the legends of the Servants and she felt that she shouldn't pry into them regardless. After all, being a hero wasn't all fun and adventure. What defined most heroes…were the tragedies they encountered and whether or not they could rise pass them.

If Caster, Saber and Archer were truly heroes, they must have suffered tragedies in their "past" as well. Not only them but also…

"Lily is not eating more?" Assassin asked as she pulled out another potato puff and held it in front of Lily's face.

The other three Servants were adult men who must have seen and lived through times of hardship and times of happiness. But Assassin was a little girl that had been driven to kill people at such a young age for reasons only known to herself. Even Lily hadn't been driven that far. She may have cheated and stolen from countless Adventurers in the past, but she never did it in a way that could cause them to lose their lives in the Dungeon…not that the thought hadn't occurred to her. She just wasn't sure she would survive long enough to get back to the surface if she were to lose her "clients."

"Thank you, Jack," Lily said with a smile as she took it from her.

Well, there was no point in worrying about the past. Lily was now a member of Hestia Familia after all, same as everyone else. Right now, their future was more important than their past.

"Lily should eat more to grow up faster," Jack said, patting Lily's head.

"Lily is a pallum!" Lily shouted. "Lily is already all grown up! Lily won't get any bigger than this!"

"Is that so?" Assassin asked as she kept on patting Lily's head.

"Giiiiii! Stop treating Lily like she's younger than you just because she is smaller!"

"No, I'm pretty sure Jack is older than you…" Saber said as Lily tried to escape from Assassin by running around Saber only for Assassin to chase after her with a smile on her face.

X-x-X-x-X

Once they finished the simple tour of the city, Lily stopped by the market to buy some groceries for lunch and the trio returned to the house and found Caster reclining on a couch with a book in his hands.

"We're back, Lord Caster!" Lily called out as the man looked up from his book.

"I trust there were no problems?" Caster asked.

"Yes. Master Saber and Jack have been registered properly. They can enter the Dungeon whenever you wish."

Caster simply nodded his head at that as he returned to his reading.

"Cranel has returned as well with a new set of armor," he said as Lily headed into the kitchen to prepare lunch. "And the Goddess has left to her part-time job."

Though it was rather blunt, it seemed as though he was telling Lily how many portions she needed to prepare if she was planning on making lunch. Lily bowed her head with a smile before heading off into the kitchen with Assassin trailing behind her while Saber remained in the living area. The knight's armor dematerialized, allowing him to sit down in an armchair comfortably.

"Well?" Caster suddenly spoke up. "Have you gotten an understanding of this city?"

"Yes," Saber replied. "Due to Babel Tower and the Dungeon it hides, this city is full of life…and full of danger. It is a unique existence, even in this world where the gods live amongst the mortal races. However, I cannot pass judgment on the Dungeon itself without entering it first."

"Fret not, Saber," Caster said. "The floors that Arde and Cranel can traverse are full of nothing but fodder to a Servant of your level."

Saber didn't reply to that as Caster simply chuckled. The two of them then turned their eyes toward the entrance as they heard someone running down the stairs.

"Oh Saber! Welcome back," Bell said as he jumped the last few steps.

"I have returned, Bell," Saber replied, lowering his head slightly. "You were successful in purchasing your new equipment?"

"Yep!" Bell answered with a smile. "I ran into the Smith that made my last set of armor and managed to buy his latest work directly from him."

"Is that so? How fortunate for you."

Bell nodded again before running into the kitchen where Lily was laying out the food while Assassin was running back and forth trying to help.

"Hey Lily," Bell called out. "I wanted to tell you that I signed an exclusivity contract with a Smith."

An exclusivity contract was a contract between a Smith and an Adventurer. The Adventurer would go into the Dungeon and deliver Drop Items directly to the Smith who would then use them to create weapons for said Adventurer.

It was a limiting but also a mutually beneficial relationship.

The Smith could get his name out when a well-known Adventurer was using his equipment and increase his fame that way while the Adventurer had a steady supply of high quality equipment custom built for them without worry for costs.

The only downside would be if one of the two parties of the contract were lacking in fulfilling their obligations.

"Is that so?" Lily asked. "Lily doesn't think that that is something Lily needs to know about though. If Bell likes that Smith's work then it's Bell's choice."

"No…it's just that…he wants to join our party when we go into the Dungeon as part of the contract."

Lily froze in the middle of carrying a bread basket to the table with Assassin bumping into her due to the sudden stop.

"Why?" Lily asked slowly. "Lily feels like she shouldn't ask this…but shouldn't the Smith be going with his Familia instead?"

"Well…he said that his Familia often left him out so he had been going Solo all this time and can't get pass the Tenth Floor. So he wants to join us until he hits Level 2 and gets the Development Ability Blacksmith."

"That is definitely suspicious!" Lily immediately called out. "They are definitely trying to take advantage of you! Lily should know! She tried to do the same after all!"

"…And that's why I want to help him," Bell calmly answered with a smile causing Lily's mouth to shut with a clack.

"Bell is being sneaky," Lily pouted as she folded her arms and turned her back to him.

"Haha, sorry."

"But…can we fit anyone else in the party?"

"There is no problem."

Lily and Bell turned to see Caster entering the dining area with Saber right behind him.

"Assassin aside, Saber will replace Archer's role in your party," Caster said. "He will escort you to the Eleventh Floor and after that you will continue as normal. If you wish to add a Smith to the party then he will have to understand this before joining you in your little Adventure."

"Yes!" Lily nodded.

"Umm…so what about Jack?" Bell asked pointing to Assassin who was clinging around Bell's waist.

"…For the time being…it will be rather suspicious if a seemingly human child even smaller than you were to perform feats greater than your own. Assassin."

"Yes, Mr King?" Assassin asked as she looked at Caster who blinked at being addressed in such a way.

"In battle, you are to limit your ability to below Cranel, understood? Unless directed otherwise by Cranel or myself, you are to not release your Noble Phantasm or your magic. Understand?"

"Umm…don't fight faster than Mommy?" Assassin asked.

"Well…that is part of it…" Saber nodded as Caster let out a long sigh as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Of all things to summon a child…" Caster muttered with a sigh. "Saber. It will be up to you to reign them in. Understood? Above all else, we do not want the eyes of the other Gods to look upon us any more than they already have."

"Leave it to me," Saber nodded.

And so, the formation of a new Dungeon Party was finalized.

X-x-X-x-X

"Lily is amazing!" Assassin said as she watched Lily walk through the busy streets of Orario with her massive bag without any trouble.

"Fufu, this much is nothing!" Lily said, thrusting her chest out in pride.

Indeed, it was pretty much nothing in the big picture as any Supporter with Artel Assist could do it.

"Hey…wait! Don't climb up!"

"Whee!"

"Where are we meeting this Smith?" Saber asked, ignoring the flailing Lily who was trying to adjust to the sudden addition of Assassin's weight on her bag so the skill could kick in.

"Umm…he should be right over…ah, there he is!" Bell said, pointing toward one of the fountains in the plaza in front of Babel Tower.

Sitting on the edge and waiting patiently for them was a red haired youth wearing a black robe over a dark blue tunic and white trousers, tied around the waist by a simple brown belt.

The young man jumped up when he saw Bell running over and grabbed the large black great word resting by his legs.

"Yo Bell, right on time!" The young man said with a cheerful smile. "Oh right, before I forget…"

He then turned toward Saber and lowered his head in a bow.

"Thanks for accepting me into your party! I promise to not get in your way!"

"It is fine," Saber replied without missing a beat. "I shall escort you and the others to the Eleventh Floor. After that, the fighting will be up to you, understood?"

The Smith blinked for a moment before understanding washed over his face.

"Yeah I get it," he replied with a smile. "Sorry to have you stuck babysitting me."

"It is no problem," Saber said again. "You have simply been added to Bell, Jack and Lily's training regimen. Please be careful."

"Don't worry about me. I've been going solo for a while so I won't get caught off guard short of a Monster Party spawning on top of us."

"Please do not jinx us…" Lily said with a sigh as Assassin finally slid off the bag and landed on her feet with her arms stretched out to the side and a smile.

"Ahaha…anyway let's get started with introductions," Bell said as he gestured toward his familia. "Welf, these are my Familia members. Liliruca Arde, Saber and Jack."

"Nice to meet ya!" The newly introduced Welf said with a wave and a bright smile.

"And guys, this is Welf Crozzo, the one who I signed an exclusivity contract with."

"…Crozzo?" Lily repeated as she looked back and forth between Welf and Bell with wide eyes.

Welf's smile vanishes as if he knew what was about to happen next.

"Crozzo?" Lily repeated. "The cursed house of magic swordsmiths? The noble family of Smiths that fell into ruin?"

"Do you…know them, Lily?" Bell asked as he turned toward Welf who had a sour look on his face.

"Lily heard that long ago the Crozzo family was granted noble status by an old king of Rakia for the magic swords they forged. It's said that the only thing they made was magic swords…tens, hundreds of thousands of them. Some claim that their magic swords were so powerful that they could 'set fire to the ocean.' But one day they fell out of favor with the king. They lost their noble status and their house fell into ruin…"

Lily then turned toward Welf as if asking him for confirmation or to correct her.

The young man does neither as he just scratched his head with a sigh.

"Let's not worry about that unimportant stuff," he said finally. "I'm just a plain old smith trying to make a living here in Orario. Besides, we're here to dive into the Dungeon, right?"

Lily and Saber turned toward Bell for his answer.

"Y-yeah," Bell nodded. There really wasn't a need to delve into Welf's past anyway. He didn't want Welf to try and delve into Lily and the Servants' pasts either.

"All right," Lily nodded. "Then shall we settle on the formation?"

"No problem!" Welf nodded, happy that the topic had been dropped. "Oh and uh…is this kid also joining us?"

"We're not 'this kid,'" Assassin said. "We're Jack!"

"Don't underestimate Jack," Bell said with a smile. "Take your eyes off of her for one second and she'll disappear."

"Really?" Welf asked as he turned toward Bell. "Sounds like any other-huh?"

But when he turned back toward Assassin, she was gone.

"Where did she-"

"BAM!"

"Dowah!?"

With a loud shout, Assassin had jumped Welf's back from behind with her finger poking into Welf's throat.

"Bam! You're dead!" Assassin said with a bright smile. "Hee hee!"

"Hahaha…okay okay, you got me," Welf said with a good natured laugh as Assassin jumped off of him and he patted her head. "I'll be counting on you down there as well, Jackie."

"Uh-huh!"

Seeing that Welf had no complaints about Assassin, Bell nodded and began discussing the formation.

"So…I guess we'll have Saber in the front until the Middle Floors," Bell said as his Servant nodded. "Once there…"

"Lily thinks Master Crozzo should take the front," Lily spoke up.

"You sure I'm cut out for that, Lil'ly?" Welf asked, looking rather surprised that he was being trusted with the vanguard despite being a newcomer.

"That is the only place for Master Crozzo," Lily pointed out. "Bell and Jack should be in the center as they are fast enough to cover both the front and the rear…and don't call Lily that!"

"Oh!" Assassin cheered as she pulled out one of her daggers and one of her cleavers and held them above her head.

"That's dangerous!" Bell said as he quickly forced her arms down.

"Then I shall cover the rear and Lily," Saber said with a nod. "If you are overwhelmed, please do not hesitate to retreat to my position."

"No problem," Welf nodded. "Man, knowing there's a place to run back to is really reassuring."

"Well, I won't deny that," Bell agreed, remembering how hard his first two weeks were before he Summoned Archer and Caster. "Well then, let's go! Our first goal is the Eleventh Floor!"

"""Ohhh!"""

Welf, Lily and Assassin let out a cheer in response to Bell's declaration while Saber simply nodded his head as he led the way into the Dungeon.

X-x-X-x-X

When Bell summoned Saber, he thought that he would get to see a fight befitting of a knight like that in the stories.

He certainly was not expecting what was going on in front of his eyes.

Several War Shadows had converged in front of the party…only for daggers to fly forward and embed themselves into their face.

They were not being thrown either. Saber was unhooking the dagger from his belt, tossing them up into the air in front of him, before punching them toward the monsters.

"Uhh…I probably shouldn't say anything since I'm new and all but…I think throwing them would have the same effect, no?" Welf asked.

"This way is more efficient," Saber responded with complete seriousness as he flipped another dagger in front his head and punched it toward a wall just as a Wall Shadow's head popped out of it, killing it instantly.

Welf turned toward Lily and Bell as if wanting to ask them if he was the crazy one. To which they had no response.

At least when they were moving, Saber used his daggers "normally" to cut the Monsters down.

"Ummm…where's Jack?" Bell asked.

"Up here!"

Bell followed the voice and found his smallest Servant waving at him from on top of Lily's bag.

Assassin hopped down before Lily could yell at her and presented Lily with some tiny Magic Stones.

"…Where did you get these?" Lily asked.

"We pulled them out of some monsters down that way," Assassin replied, pointing down a path to the side.

"Don't leave the party to go wander off by yourself!"

"…You weren't kidding when you said she could just wander off when you weren't looking," Welf whispered to Bell as Lily started scolding Assassin who seemed to understand that she did something wrong.

Bell nodded his head as he walked up to the two girls.

"Lily, I think she got the point," Bell said as Lily turned from Assassin to Bell then back to Assassin to see that she had tears in her eyes.

"We're sorry…" Assassin said through her tears.

"Ah, you made her cry, Lil'ly," Welf pointed out.

"L-Lily isn't the bad guy here!" Lily said quickly. "But if you understand then that's fine! So stop crying, okay?"

Assassin let out a loud sniff as Lily pulled out a handkerchief and had Assassin blow her nose into it.

"Guess you actually are babysitting us, huh?" Welf asked with a smile toward Saber as a chuckle came out of the Servant's mask.

"Do not worry," Saber said. "It is the duty of the elder to ensure the young ones remain safe."

And so, once Assassin stopped crying, they continued their Adventure until they stopped in front of the stairs to the Eleventh Floor where Bell called for a break.

As Bell ate his lunch, courtesy of Syr, Lily showed Assassin the different kinds of Magic Stones and Drop Items they had gathered. Welf was also taking the opportunity to check his and Bell's weapons.

"I see…" Welf muttered as he flipped Bell's dagger over in his hands. "This is definitely one of Lady Hephaistos's works. How did you even pay for this? It can't have been cheap."

"My Captain traded some of his treasures for it," Bell said after swallowing the food in his mouth. "Though…please don't mention how expensive it is…it still gives me the jitters…"

"Treasures? Come to think of it…the goddess suddenly had new display cases holding some crazy ass weapons in her office out of nowhere the other day…"

Welf started muttering to himself as he used a whetstone to sharpen Bell's knife.

"Anyone else need some quick maintenance?" Welf asked as he looked at the others.

Saber pulled out one of his daggers and flipped it around in his hand before handing it over toward Welf, handle first.

Welf let out an appreciative whistle as he flipped the dagger around.

"Got some nice metalwork here," he said. "But it looks kinda off…was this broken before?"

"Indeed," Saber nodded. "It's a shard off a blade reforged into a smaller dagger."

Welf nodded as he worked his magic on the dagger and returned it to Saber.

"Here ya go, barely needed any work…despite how you were punching it with enough force to probably shatter several brick walls…"

Saber simply took back the blade with his eyes shut in an obvious smile.

"All right, we're all done then," Welf said, excitement flooding into his body. "Onward to the Eleventh Floor!"

"R-right," Bell said as he forced down the rest of his food and stood up.

"From this point on the battles will be left up to you," Saber said with a low bow. "Please do not overexert yourselves and retreat if necessary."

Welf and Bell nodded before rushing past him and heading down the stairs.

"…Boys do love adventures after all…" Saber said as he closed his eyes with a nod.

"Yahoo!" Welf's voice echoed back up from the stairs. "Floor Eleven, I have finally arrived!"

"Lily thinks Master Welf really wanted to come down here…" Lily said as Assassin nodded her head.

"Uhhh…guys! I think it's a monster party!" Bell's voice reached back up to them, prompting Lily and Assassin to run down the stairs to catch up to them while Saber descended the stairs at his own leisure.

Once Saber reached halfway down the stairs, he saw his little Master and his friends fighting against several Orcs and Imps just at the foot of the stairs.

Bell had pulled the imps away from the others and was quickly dispatching them one by one in a whirlwind of black and silver.

Assassin had gotten behind one of the orcs and was rather brutally and repeatedly stabbing into its back with her knives, causing the monster to squeal in pain as she steered it away from Lily and Welf. She then tossed two more daggers out toward two other orcs, striking them in the neck, causing them to fall over clutching their throats as blood seeped out of them.

Welf was currently facing an Orc on his own while Lily was firing her crossbow out at the rest distracting them from charging at Welf as he swung his blade upward, knocking the orc off its feet before cleaving it in two as it hit the ground.

As Assassin pulled out her cleaver and crushed the head of the Orc she had been riding on, Welf ran toward Lily and cut the orcs closing in on her in two with a single strike.

"Oh, Master Crozzo can do it after all," Lily said, clapping her hands together in soft applause.

"Hey…I won't ask you to like me right away but can you at least not use Crozzo?" Welf asked as he walked over to one of the orcs that Assassin had incapacitated earlier and stabbed his blade into its back to finish them off. "Also…you're kinda brutal, aren't you Jackie?"

"Hmm?" Assassin's response was to simply cock her head to the side as she ripped open the Orc's back with her knives and pulled out a magic stone before moving to the remaining orc and slamming her cleaver into the back of its skull.

"…There are just some things a girl that little should not be doing…" Welf muttered to himself as he turned around to see a dozen imps and four orcs dead around Bell. He let out an appreciative whistle. "Nice."

"Welf, duck!"

That was the only warning the Smith had before he threw himself forward onto the ground, feeling something brush right past his head. Rolling on his back, he saw that a Silverback had jumped him from behind…before a flash of red bisected it straight down the middle.

"Are you all right?" Saber asked, having drawn his sword for the first time since entering the Dungeon

"Yeah, sorry!" Welf said as he stood up only for two more Silverbacks to land around them. "Damn, more of them!"

No sooner did he say that did Bell come flying into the fray, driving his foot into a Silverback's head, snapping its neck, before flinging his dagger into the remaining one's eye. The monster reared back in pain, allowing Welf to cleave it in two in a single strike.

"Oh, you've come a long way since being chased around by a Silverback back during Monsterphilia Bell!" Lily said as Bell scratched the back of his head with a smile.

"Yep, having a party is great!" Welf said as he threw his head back in a laugh. "Ooof!"

"Do you not have parties often?" Assassin asked, having retrieved her weapons before leaping onto Welf's back again.

"Well…not as much as I'd like," Welf replied with a bitter smile as he patted Assassin on the head before his hand froze mid-pat as he gave the girl a big closed-eyed smile. "…You got monster blood all over my back, didn't you?"

Assassin looked down at the spot between her chest and Welf's back before looking back at Welf.

"…No?" Assassin replied as she started blowing air out with her mouth as if trying to whistle but failing.

She then jumped off the smith's back and bolted.

"Really now…" Lily sighed as Welf started chasing Assassin around the immediate area. "This Party has gotten rather lively."

"I don't think that's a bad thing," Bell said as he looked around. "Do yo need help gathering the Magic Crystals?"

"Don't worry about that," Lily said as she pumped her arm. "Just leave this to Lily. It is her job after all."

With that said, Lily ran to each of the corpses and started dragging them off to the side into a pile as Welf came back with a giggling Assassin under his arm like a sack.

"Hey Lil'ly, think you can take out the Orc stones first to get rid of this blood?" Welf called out. Lily responded by digging her hand into the orc's chest and pulling out the stone, causing the blood on all three of them to vanish alongside the orc's corpse. "Thanks!"

"Master Welf is welcome...and stop calling Lily that!" Lily shouted back.

"Man, sorry that I keep saying this but being in a party is definitely reassuring," Welf said as he dropped Assassin onto the grass with a thud. The Servant pushed herself up and spat out the grass that entered her mouth before she trotted over to watch Lily carve out the Magic Stones from the monsters with a fascinated expression. "But you're pretty fast aren't ya man? I didn't even see you fly in."

"I surprised even myself," Bell admitted. "It's the first time I entered the Dungeon since I Leveled Up so I'm still getting used to things. It's a world of difference."

"Is that right?" Welf asked. "Something to look forward to then."

"It would seem that other Adventurers are heading down as well," Saber said as he joined the two of them by the dead tree they decided to rest under.

"Well, we are still right by the staircase after all," Welf pointed out. "Something Lil'ly already took into account."

Lily had already dragged their "winnings" so to speak off to the side and piled them up before she started digging out the Magic Stones from the corpses. This way no one could try to claim that one corpse or another was actually theirs. And with Assassin balancing on top of the pile, no one could steal one without them noticing either.

"Shall we continue here or find a different room, Bell?" Saber asked as a rather mixed party of four, each a different race, passed by them.

"Hmm…yeah," Bell nodded. "Once Lily gathers up the Stones, lets try to find an empty room since more people are coming down now."

"You sure?" Welf asked. "There's a lot of fog in the other rooms after all."

"You got a point there…" Bell muttered as he looked over toward Assassin who was poking the snout of a dead Orc with her finger.

Come to think of it, Assassin had a skill that let her vanish even easier when there was fog or mist out didn't she? It was rather fitting and terrifying skill for an assassin to have…which probably what allowed her to become a serial killer if she could just fade away after a kill…

Bell quickly shook his head.

It was rather difficult for him to connect the cheery, if a bit creepy, girl to the Servant Class of Assassin. Rather than a Hero, she was more like someone whose legend came from their notoriety rather than their noble deeds.

Bell then turned his gaze toward Saber who was letting Welf look at his sword.

On the opposite end there was Saber who acted and looked the part of a perfect knight…fighting style notwithstanding.

Daggers, black tunic, white armored pieces…looking at it from a purely superficial point of view…Bell wondered if he would look something like that when he got a bit older as well…Saber even had white hair!

…Well, half of his hair was white anyway.

Even though Bell was Level 2 now, seeing Saber in action made Bell believe that his goal was still so far away.

And his goal was somewhere deep below in the furthest depths of the Dungeon while fighting alongside the one of strongest Familia in Orario. As Bell struggled to catch up to him, Archer would take another two steps forward away from him.

Was he being naïve?

No. It was what he wanted. More than something like the harems his grandfather kept on adding and pushing into his stories to Bell. He couldn't doubt himself now. He was getting one step closer to the hero he desired to be.

"…Bell!"

"Oi, Bell, what the heck is that?"

Bell looked over toward Saber and Welf and saw that the two of them were staring at him. Looking down at his hand, Bell saw small specs of light no bigger than grains of sand pulsating around his hand. They were emitting small pings like a small chime.

"…This is…" Saber muttered as he adjusted his glasses slightly. "Is this your Skill, Bell?"

"Skill?" Bell repeated.

That's right…Bell now had a skill of his own, didn't he?

A loud roar suddenly echoed through the room, causing the three of them to turn. At the far end of the room at the exit leading deeper into the Dungeon, a massive Monster covered in amber scales stomped out of the fog.

"I-Infant Dragon!?" One of the Adventurers who had passed by Bell's party earlier called out.

Standing only about one and a half meters tall yet over four meters in length walking on all four legs was a dragon. Dragon types were the strongest ones to be encountered within the Dungeon, not counting the Monster Rex. This particular rare species found on the Upper Floors did not have wings so it couldn't fly but its body was covered in scales tougher than any armor Level 1 or 2 Adventurers could afford without the support of a powerful Familia and its powerful muscles could easily crush said Adventurers without a second thought.

"E-everyone get ready!" Another Adventurer calls out. "Forget about the Unwritten Rules! Take it on together!"

Normally Parties were supposed to ignore each other out of courtesy. No one wanted to get into altercations that could spiral into a war between Familias after all. But in a case like this where a powerful monster appeared, it was in the best interests of low leveled Adventurers to band together to beat it and hopefully survive.

But before anyone could move, something else stirred behind it.

Bell felt his blood run cold at the sight of two more Infant Dragons appearing out from behind the first. Considering only four or five dragon roamed the Eleventh and Twelfth Floors at a time…one could say it was an incredible kind of luck that three of them were encountered at the same time…

Then in a trio of roars, the Infant Dragons charged forward.

Saber was the first to react.

Taking his sword back from Welf, Saber sped forward faster than Bell had ever seen him move before. Likewise, the dragons seemed make a beeline for the Servant, throwing the other Adventurers in their path out of the way.

Saber's opening move was surprising but in hindsight, rather expected. He flipped his sword in the air in front of him, took a stance and punched it straight toward the dragons. The blade easily skewered the one in the center and sent it flying backwards a few meters before it landed in a heap, unmoving.

Ignoring their comrade's rather quick demise, the two remaining Infant Dragons charged forward, the first one slamming into Saber headfirst as the Servant pulled out two daggers to block the blow while the other ignored him and charged toward Bell and the others instead.

Lily let out a yelp as Assassin, in a rather surprising show of strength that contrasted with her tiny frame, picked her up and started running the opposite direction.

Bell however, felt his body move on his own.

Lifting his still glowing hand up, he held it toward the Dragon and as if on instinct, uttered a single word.

"FIREBOLT!"

A beam of white cackling light shot out of Bell's hand, cleaving its way across the room and slammed into the Infant Dragon. The beam picked the monster up off the ground and carried it all the way to the other end where it slammed into a wall and collapsed into a heap.

The room fell silent.

Welf was staring at Bell from a gap in his arms, having shielded his face from the bright light.

Saber had severed the head of the second dragon and had been attempting to run back to attack the last dragon from behind before Bell blasted it and was staring at Bell with the biggest look of surprise Bell had ever seen from the man.

Lily, who had been thrown over Assassin's shoulder, was gaping at Bell with the same expression wide-eyed open-mouthed expression as Assassin.

These reactions were mimicked by the other Adventurers around them.

Shock. Awe. Envy. Hostility. Fear.

Multiple emotions were ringing around Bell but he paid them no heed as he pulled his arm close to his chest.

This was his new power.

The desire within him.

His Heroic Desire, Argonaut.