Chapter 21: One Who Was Saved
"Night" had fallen over the Eighteenth Floor. The lights coming from the massive crystals overhead dimmed once the scheduled "Afternoon" ended changing the time immediately without any sense of red twilight between them. As if there was a power outage in the middle of a massive stadium.
Bell sat with his Familia around a large campfire with Loki Familia as he watched the larger Familia laughing and cheering at having "proper" food again after so long.
Thanks to the efforts of Archer and a few of Loki Familia's girls, a feast was laid out in front of them. The main course were several different dishes.
Steaks cut into bite sized cubes, stew with both meat and vegetables, several loaves of bread, and of course the fruits found in the dungeon.
All around him, people were happily enjoying the meal.
"Lily thinks that for going on week long expeditions a strong stomach is required," Lily said as she spooned her stew and let out a long and happy sigh. "Ahh…Lily missed Master Archer's cooking so much…"
Bell, whose mouth was full from shoveling as much of the bite-sized steak cubes into his mouth as possible, could only nod his head in agreement.
At the start of dinner, the Loki Familia Captain had said that the feast had been provided by Hestia Familia so on occasion one of the Loki Familia Adventurers would stop by and pour Bell a drink made from one of the Dungeon Fruits as thanks to which Bell smiled and happily accepted.
As Bell finally swallowed his food, he turned to Welf who was sitting next to his left on the other side of Assassin.
"Is it all right to sit here instead of with your Familia?" Bell asked.
The Smith, who had been shoveling food even faster than Bell stopped and quickly washed it down with some fruit wine and let out a satisfied burp, causing Lily to make a disgusted face.
"Sorry," Welf quickly said as he cleared his throat. "Anyway…nah it's fine. They're here on their own work and I'm here on mine."
"Yo, Welfie!"
"Shit."
A tall dark skinned woman wearing an eyepatch had wandered over from the "executive section" where Loki Familia's top three and Caster had been sitting.
From what Archer had told him, the woman was Tsubaki Collbrande and the Captain of the Hephaistos Familia. Or Welf's Familia Captain. Apparently she was a Half Dwarf and her name made Bell wonder if one of her parents, was from the Far East.
Bell turned away from Tsubaki, who had plopped herself beside Welf and was getting drunkenly touchy feely with the obviously uncomfortable Smith. His gaze landed on a pair sitting just behind him.
Saber and Archer were sitting together underneath a tree, sharing a drink together. The two of them didn't seem to be talking about anything in particular aside occasionally refilling the other's cup.
He supposed they were getting along.
"Um…"
A voice came from his left and Bell turned to face them.
"Heek!" A small and very unmanly squeak shot out of his throat as he saw that it was Ais Wallenstein who called out to him.
Assassin's gaze bounced back and forth between Bell and Ais before she stood up with her food and moved herself to Bell's other side between him and Lily to make room for Ais.
Inwardly, he praised Assassin for being polite but he wished she chose a different time to do so as Ais sat down next to him and a lovely scent caused Bell to feel lightheaded.
"Do you mind…if I talked to you…for a bit?" Ais asked.
"Y-yes! Go ahead!" Bell said as Lily leaned forward and eyed Ais with suspicion.
"Umm…first…I want to say 'Sorry,'" Ais said, lowering her head causing Bell to blink in surprise.
"Sorry? About what?"
"The Minotaur two months ago."
Bell's mind immediately flashed back to the day he found the Grail mysteriously in the Dungeon…the day that everything began.
"We scared the Minotaurs up there…and you almost died…so 'I'm sorry.'"
"N-no it's fine," Bell said quickly. Though he had been deathly afraid at the time, he wasn't hurt and it was thanks to that he got to meet Archer so it was now little more than a nostalgic memory that he could laugh at. "It was true that I became rather scared of Minotaurs for a while, but that isn't a problem anymore. I can defeat them with my own strength now."
"Yes," Ais acknowledged with a smile. "You're really strong now."
A happiness different from the feeling he got from being praised by Archer exploded in Bell's heart, making him turn his gaze away as he struggled with the smile forming on his face.
He saw Archer and Saber watching him, the smirks on their faces telling Bell that they were clearly enjoying the show while Lily was staring at him with half-closed eyes.
"Is having a pretty girl saying Bell is strong all it takes to make him feel happy?" Lily asked him with her accusing eyes.
Bell desperately wanted to say that that wasn't true but he couldn't open his mouth to respond as his body filled with shame and guilt.
"Mommy. Ahhhhh~"
And precious Assassin completely unaware of it all while holding Bell's fork with a piece of meat on the end to his mouth.
"Jack is truly my only ally in times like this," Bell decided as he accepted the food.
As Bell turned back to Ais, he saw that she was looking at Assassin instead.
"Hmm?" Assassin tilted her head slightly at the Sword Princess's gaze.
"…Are you okay?" Ais asked the girl as she looked as though she was trying to find the proper words to express her question. "You aren't…overdoing it, right?"
"Mm? About what?"
"About fighting Monsters. About the Dungeon."
"Nope. Every day is fun and We get to help Mommy and everyone too!"
At the word "Mommy" Ais's gaze fell back on Bell, causing him to blush and avert his gaze again. He really wished Assassin wouldn't call him that but nothing he said could get through to her and he didn't have the heart to push the matter harder.
"Is that so?" Ais asked with a soft smile.
"Yep!" Assassin nodded as she clung onto Bell's arm. "We'll do anything to make Mommy happy."
"…Umm?" Ais suddenly spoke up after a pause as she turned toward Bell.
"Yes?" Bell asked, dreading the incoming question.
"Were you actually a girl?"
Bell could only respond by letting out a sob as he buried his face into his hands. Sure he wasn't manly or had as big of muscles compared to the likes of Saber, Archer or even Caster, but he wasn't that tiny, right? He was a bit taller than Ais after all!
Beside him, he saw Lily quivering with a hand to her mouth, fighting a clearly losing battle to contain her laughter. Seeing this, Ais seemed to realize what she had implied with her words and looked apologetic as she quickly turned back to Bell with an apology.
"Umm…I'm sorry. I was wrong. You are very manly."
"PFFTKK!?"
The dam keeping in Lily's laughter burst as she started giggling hysterically before breaking into a hacking cough between giggles, causing Bell to want to bury himself in a hole and die.
"Jack!" Bell sobbed as he hugged the girl. "You're the only one who understands me!
"Hmm?"
Assassin on the other hand didn't quite understand what he was saying but returned the hug all the same before she made a face.
"…Mommy's breath stinks…" Assassin said as she suddenly pushing Bell's head away, breaking Bell's heart even further.
Maybe Bell had just a little too much Dungeon Juice to drink.
Ais was looking between the three Hestia Familia members, realizing she made another mistake but had no idea how to fix it.
She suddenly stopped and stood up, turning around to look at the entrance leading to the Seventeenth Floor.
Bell followed her gaze and saw that Archer and Saber had stood up as well.
Then, from out of the darkness, stepped several people wearing the same emblem on their clothing. A feathered cap surrounded by a pair of wings. And in the front of them was…
"Lord Hermes?" Bell asked in surprise.
"Yo, Bell Cranel, right?" The God greeted Bell cheerfully, ignoring the looks of suspicion Saber and Archer were throwing him. "Long time no see. The fact that you remember me makes me really happy."
"But…what are you doing here?" Bell asked as he, Lily and Assassin stood up themselves. "I thought the Gods weren't allowed in the Dungeon?"
Around the god was a blue haired woman wearing glasses like Saber, another woman with brown hair carrying a large backpack with a sword by her waist, and a large male weretiger holding a massive sword and shield. Most likely the executives of the Familia, and judging from their expressions, they had been roped into escorting Hermes down into the Dungeon.
"Indeed. Can I hear your reasons for being here in private?"
Finn appeared by Bell's side with a frown.
It looked as though the party was over.
X-x-X-x-X
A large tent had been set up beside Archer's in the Loki Familia campground.
There, Hestia Familia plus Welf were sitting in a circle with the Smith looking as though he was feeling out of place.
"Umm…should I go find myself a different tent?" the smith asked.
"Do not bother yourself with such a trivial matter," Caster said impatiently, the only one of them sitting on a stool while everyone else was either standing or sitting on the floor. He then turned toward Assassin. "Listen in on the meeting. Do not be seen."
"Okay, Mister King!" Assassin nodded as she stood up and walked out the tent and Bell felt her dematerialize even if he didn't see her do so.
"Looks like the Floor Boss hasn't spawned yet," Archer said, leaning against the support pillar for the tent. "Are we going to be waiting down here until it does or are we going to head back up?"
"There is no reason to waste time going back up," Caster said. "The Floor Boss will spawn in two days at the latest. We shall simply wait for it here."
"I hope the Goddess will be fine on her own…" Bell muttered.
"She'll be fine, probably," Lily said though she didn't look too sure herself.
"Will you be all right away from your forge, Welf?" Saber asked.
"Yeah," Welf nodded. "It's not like I left a fire burning or anything and I don't have anything valuable out in the open…or in general really."
They all fell silent after that as they waited for Assassin to return.
Then after about twenty minutes she poked her head into the tent again.
"I'm back," she said before walking over and sitting down in Bell's lap. "That God said that they think that there is another entrance to the Dungeon in the city."
Welf's eyes widened in alarm at that as he looked around.
"Wait…why don't any of you look surprised?" he asked.
"Caster and Saber brought up the possibility a while back," Bell replied with a grim expression. "Jack…did he say who else thought that there was another entrance?"
"Umm…We heard 'Loki' and 'Dionysus' but no one else. Umm…they asked the others to search the city for the other entrance."
"So Loki, Dionysus and Hermes are the ones investigating this as well," Archer muttered.
"This being those stories about some plant monster showing up in Monsterphilia?" Welf asked and Bell nodded.
"Those stories are real," Archer said. "I saw them at Monsterphilia myself and countless more down in the Deep Floors."
"What's going on in this city?" Welf asked as he buried his face in his hand.
"It will be in your best interests to not dwell on it," Caster said as he turned his eyes on Welf. "Should the ones orchestrating these events catch wind of it, you will most likely not survive, the protection of Hephaistos's name or not. Our Familia will not do so either for the same reasons."
He was looking at Bell and Lily as he spoke and Bell reluctantly nodded his head.
It was an enemy who made their home in the Deep Floors that Archer fought. Bell didn't stand a chance as he was now and if he died that meant the Servants would fade away as well.
"No argument from me," Welf said quickly. "I know when not to stick my neck out too far."
"Good. Then let us consider the formation for the Floor Boss Battle. Arde. Cranel. Your thoughts?"
"Lily thinks Master Saber should take the Vanguard position," Lily suggested. "Out of all of us, Lily thinks he has the best chance of not dying immediately if the Goliath attacks him head on."
"I will do my best to meet your expectations," Saber replied with a chuckle.
"There weren't too many vantage points in the room, were there?" Bell asked trying to remember.
"Couldn't tell ya," Welf said apologetically. "I was too busy staring at the Wall of Sorrows."
"Did you see the Floor Boss on your first time through, Master Archer?" Lily asked.
"No," Archer replied, shaking his head. "By the time I got there, the Vanguard had already plowed through it. Supposedly it only took them five minutes."
"Level 5s and 6s sure are something," Welf muttered, shaking his head.
"Then I guess I will also join the front?" Bell asked.
"Are you asking or are you saying, mongrel?" Caster asked.
"S-saying."
"Then Lord Caster, Master Welf and Lily will take the rear while Jack and Master Archer takes the middle guard," Lily suggested.
"The rear?" Welf asked in surprise.
"There's a chance that the monsters from the Sixteenth Floor will come down after all," Lily pointed out. "It'll be Lily and Master Welf's job to watch Lord Caster's back while he supports the front. Unless Master Welf wants to swing at the Goliath as well?"
"Mmm…as tempting as that sounds, I think I'm a bit more confident in the rear…actually how about I go up to the middle too? That way I can run back if you need help, Lil'Ly?"
"Y-you're going to leave the handling of all the monsters to Lily alone!?" Lily shouted.
"What's wrong, Arde?" Caster asked with a smile. "Do you not think you are enough to defend your king?"
"Ugh…"
Bell had a feeling Caster was referring to Lily's second skill, Crownsguard. It was supposed to boost her parameters when defending a leader like Caster but it looked as though Lily wasn't confident enough to do so on her own but at the same time, could't say anything in the face of Caster's expectations of her.
"The two of you understand, correct?" Caster asked as he looked at the two Knight Servants who nodded.
They were to contain the Goliath to the best of their ability and most of the battle was to be conducted by Welf, Lily, and Bell…just like usual.
Was Caster taking the Floor Boss too lightly?
But then again…if Archer who was on the level of Loki Familia's elite fought seriously with Saber there would be no point in Bell and the others being there.
"Well then, if that is everything…let us turn in for the night," Caster said as he stood up. "If the Monster Rex spawns tomorrow then we-"
He was interrupted as the tent flap flew open and Tsubaki walked in and grabbed Welf by the back of his collar and started walking away without a word.
"What the hell are you doing!?" Welf shouted.
"Just be quiet and follow me," Tsubaki said with a cheery smile as she dragged him across the ground.
"Hey wait a-wait a god damn minute! Listen to me!"
Bell and the others could only blankly watch as Welf disappeared into the night.
"Should…we have tried to help him?" Lily asked.
"There is no need to get involved in the matters of another Familia," Caster replied.
"So what do we do about Hermes then?" Archer asked.
"His presence here is indeed cause for concern," Caster admitted. "For several different reasons. However, there is no point in concerning ourselves with the whims of the Messenger God at this point in time. I have told Deimne about our plans so they will not interfere with our battle."
"I'm surprised. He wanted to get back to the surface as quickly as possible after all."
"The wounded still cannot move thus they will remain here until they are," Caster replied.
"Sounds like Abnormal Resistance is a must for the Deep Floors," Bell muttered.
"Lily told Bell that weeks ago," Lily pointed out with a pout as Bell laughed weakly.
"Is there anything else we need to do to prepare for the Floor Boss?" Saber asked.
"What about you two?" Archer asked, looking at Bell and Lily. "All your equipment in order?"
""Yes!"" the two of them replied as they showed Archer their equipment.
Bell showed Archer his Hestia Knife, Minotaur Horn knife, longsword and buckler shield while Lily showed him her dagger and crossbow…and one more item.
"Lily…is that…? " Bell began seeing the tiny glowing red dagger she pulled out from inside her robe.
"L-Lily knows what Bell wants to say!" Lily said quickly. "But this was something Lily bought when she was still in Soma Familia! Long before she met Master Welf!"
It was a Magic Sword. It wasn't a particularly large one but it was one nonetheless.
"It probably won't do much to the Monsters down here," Archer said as Lily handed it over to him for him to examine. "Unless you jam it into its eye or mouth before firing it anyway."
"It's more for Lily's peace of mind than anything else," Lily admitted with a nod. "When everything else fails, Lily has that to use…"
Archer nodded his head as he returned the Magic Sword to his sheath and handed it back to Lily.
"Lily is weak so she has to rely on things like this," Lily muttered as she tucked the Magic Sword away.
"When fighting for one's life one has to use everything at one's disposal," Caster nodded with approval.
He then looked to the side as if considering something before shaking his head as if deciding against it.
"Now then, mongrel," Caster said, looking at Bell, prompting the boy to sit up straighter. "Have you thought of ways to strike at a Monster so much larger than you?"
"Umm…the first thing to do would be to keep it from moving I suppose," Bell began. "So attack its legs?"
"No. Clearly you should strike at the brain of the monster several times stronger than you first," Caster said, voice filled to the brim with sarcasm. "Speak with confidence! Can you truly call yourself a Master if you cannot form even the basics of a battle plan!?"
"R-right!" Bell nodded, trying to put a face of confidence. "Since it's something so huge…the legs are the only thing I would be able to attack so I should start there."
"Alone? With what weapons?"
"No, I'd have Saber up with me. Since Lily is in the back with you, I'll try my daggers first. If it doesn't work, I'll ask Archer for a sword like my longsword…will you be helping, Your Majesty?"
"I will make a token attempt," Caster said simply. "The creature is rated Level 4 after all. I hold no delusions that you, Arde and Crozzo will defeat it alone no matter how much effort you put into it. Saber and Archer will be the backbone of our attempt. This is merely a trial run meant to give the three of you experience."
Level 4 Monster Rex.
Those labels made Bell realize just how far out of his league the Floor Boss really was to him.
"What is wrong?" Caster asked. "Do you wish to rescind your desire to fight the Floor Boss?"
"There's nothing wrong with doing so, Bell," Saber said eyes focused on Caster as he spoke. "If you do not think you are quite ready then there is no shame in returning to the surface and coming back another time."
"Indeed, there's no reason to go along with Caster's whims," Archer added.
Eina's words also rang inside Bell at that moment.
"Adventurers shouldn't go on Adventures."
Don't do anything reckless.
Come to think of it, he didn't tell her where he was going, did he? He was definitely going to get an earful when he saw her next.
"I…" Bell began. "I want to at least give it a shot. If it's too much, we can run away, right?"
At Bell's words, Saber and Archer let out a sigh as Caster smiled…well, it was more like a smirk…in approval.
"Very well," Saber nodded. "I shall do my best to keep you safe."
"Really now…" Archer shook his head. "Who exactly are you taking after here?"
Archer ignored Caster's eyes burning a hole in his cheek.
"We shall also take advantage of this opportunity and have you make use of your skill, Arde," Caster said as he turned back to Lily. "Do not fall short of my expectations now."
"Y-yes…Lily will do her best!" Lily nodded, looking rather pale.
"Don't worry Lily," Assassin said as she patted Lily's head. "We'll help you."
"Uu…thank you Jack…"
"Bell aside, are you sure it's a good idea to push Lily this hard?" Archer asked Caster.
"If she is to continue Supporting Cranel, she cannot remain at Level 1 forever," Caster said as Lily turned back toward Caster. "Do you plan on remaining stagnant on the Upper Levels while Cranel leaves you behind to go past even this Floor under his own power?"
Caster's words seemed to have struck a chord within Lily as she lowered her gaze to the floor.
With a sigh, the king stood up and walked over toward Lily before crouching down and grabbing her face, squeezing her cheeks together as he raised her head to meet his eyes.
"My eyes are never wrong," Caster spoke in a low voice. "You are on a level above the rest of the mongrels of your race. Those around you have already acknowledged your true worth. It is time for you do the same."
Lily's eyes blinked slowly as they moved across the tent to see the smiling faces of Bell and Assassin as well as the nods of confirmation from Saber and Archer.
"You are Hestia Familia, the Familia of Heroes," Caster said releasing her head. "It is about time you acted like one."
"Yes!" Lily nodded, worries seemingly gone as she returned the king's gaze with one of resolution.
"Good," Caster nodded with a satisfied huff and smile. "Then we shall continue with-"
Tsubaki suddenly burst into the tent again eyes scanning the occupants before she grabbed Bell by the collar, hoisted him over her shoulder like a sack and ran off before the boy had any idea what was happening.
"…What?" Lily asked as everyone just stared out after them as Bell's cries of confusion echoed in the night, causing Assassin to jump up and chase after them.
A moment later, Welf came back in looking rather upset.
"Care to explain what that was about?" Caster asked in an annoyed tone.
"She wanted to know about legends and crap," Welf said as he sat back down with his head resting against his hand. "So I told her to ask an expert."
"…So you sold Bell out?" Archer asked, a slight smirk tugging against his lips.
"Yeah, it didn't occur to me after I was half way back to the tent…" Welf admitted, an expression of regret appearing on his face. "They were giving me crap so I just wanted out of there as fast as possible."
"They?" Saber asked.
"Some Loki Familia girls and Tsubaki," Welf said. "Amazon, Jormungand, Thousand Elf and a few others I don't know. Of course she'd bring me into a tent with an elf whose forest was burned down…that blasted woman…"
"Tiona, Tione and Lefiya?" Archer asked in surprise as he looked back out of the tent. "What did they want?"
"Like I said, legends and crap. Mostly about Spirits though so they asked about my heritage too."
Caster and Saber exchanged glances as they turned as one toward Archer whose expression turned into a frown.
"Is that so?" Caster asked. "How interesting."
X-x-X-x-X
"Umm…why am I here?" Bell asked as he looked around the tent.
Around him were a few female members of Loki Familia including Lefiya and the two Amazons he had met earlier in the day. Welf's captain Tsubaki, the person who dragged him here against his will, was also in attendance.
Other than those four, there was another elf, the black haired cat person that Archer had called "Aki" earlier, and the young woman who took Assassin along to help set the food while Lefiya washed Bell's shirt.
Alone in a tent filled with beautiful women and all Bell could do was shake in fear. How on earth did he ever think he would get a harem if he was always like this?
A grip on his shoulders allowed Bell to calm down as a pair of green eyes glared back at the girls from behind Bell's shoulders.
At least Assassin was here with him.
"Calm down, we're not going to bite," Tione said with a cordial and neighborly tone. "We just want to ask a few questions and then you can go, okay?"
"Uh…okay?" Bell nodded, feeling less worried but still on guard in case they were going to ask about his Status again. In which case, he resolved himself to run away once more. "What about?"
"Hee hee, hey Little Argonaut!" Tiona began as she plopped herself down in front of Bell. "I heard you really know a lot about the legends of heroes. Is it true?"
"Umm…I don't know if it's a lot but I think I know more than most people," Bell admitted.
After all…he lived with them.
"Then who's the lady who Sir Garrard saves, huh?"
"Queen Altis…"
"Then, then, where did Giorgio the Dragon Slayer kill the dragon?"
"Lake Sirena…"
"Then, then, then, what weapon did he use to kill it?"
"A spear-like holy sword…and a maiden's ribbon."
"Awesome!" Tiona cried out buoyantly when Bell answered every question correctly.
She seemed really excited for some reason as she was scooting forward with each question to the point she was almost right in front of Bell's face.
"Right, then, Little Argonaut! The story of Arcadia—"
"Ahh, put a cork in it already! We have more important things to talk about!" Tione cut in before her sister could steer things any further off track. She then turned toward Bell. "Do you know anything about a Spirit named Aria?"
"Umm…the Spirit in Dungeon Oratoria, right?" Bell asked. It was a very old and popular legend, one his grandfather enjoyed telling Bell about as it was from a time before the advent of the gods. Of course, being so old and popular it meant that it was one of those legends where the fine details like Albert's race was different depending on who told it. Of course, the "official" records that had the gods' seal of approval were completely ignored in favor of these biased stories. "The one that was connected to Albert the Great?"
"Yep that one!" Tiona nodded, still looking impressed at Bell's memory.
It wasn't just Tiona either. Everyone else seemed surprised at Bell's knowledge. But didn't Tiona seem to know a lot already? Why did they need him here? Maybe it was because of how easily he recalled such tales and Tiona might have forgotten a detail?
"Then, do you know if Aria ever shared her blood with someone?" Tiona asked.
"…Was that why they wanted Welf first?" Bell thought as he closed his eyes and folded his arms in thought. "No…I don't think I've heard any story like that."
Outside Crozzo's legend anyway.
"Then how about Aria protecting a human and that human going on to having descendants?" Tiona asked.
"Hmm…I don't think anything specific comes to mind," Bell muttered. "Though…my grandpa, the one who told me all sorts of legends, said that Albert himself supposedly had a child."
"What!?" Tiona shouted, hands slamming against the hard ground in surprise, making Bell lean back slightly. "I never heard of that! Did your grandfather read the original version?"
"I could't say," Bell shook his head. "Grandpa probably embellished a lot of things to entertain me when I was little."
"Do you know what happened to his child?" Tione asked. "The end of his legend says he disappeared in that battle, right?"
"Yeah…"
The One-Eyed Black Dragon.
Albert supposedly stood against it in his last moments and the fact that it is still alive told a lot about who won that battle.
"Hey…if he had a kid it would have to have been with someone in his Party, right?" Tiona asked. "Who were they again?"
"I believe they were-" Bell began before his eyes fell upon the two elves in the room. "Uhh…well, the only one I think it could have been would be the Amazonian Empress Ivelda, right?"
He said his question rather quickly, to not agitate the two elves who just tilted their heads in confusion.
"I mean, the only other 'women' that were notable in his legends were the Spirit Aria herself and…uh…"
"What's wrong?" Lefiya asked, clearly noticing his hesitation. "Who was the other one?"
"…I don't remember?" Bell asked weakly.
Tione seemed to realize something as she spoke up.
"All right, who is it?" Tione asked as she sat down next to him and turned her ear to him, telling him to whisper it to her.
So Bell told her that it was supposedly the High Elf Queen Celdia.
"Ahh…" Tione nodded in understanding. "Yeah, that would be impossible too."
"Eeeeehhh…no fair! I want to know too!" Tiona said but Tione stopped her by planting her hand in her face.
"Leave it, it's not important," Tione said as Bell breathed a sigh of relief. "But Emperess Ivelda huh? It's not like she didn't have heirs but since all Amazon children are always Amazons, it's not as though we can know for sure who the father was."
As an "all-female race," Amazons always took in husbands or male partners of other races if they wanted to have children who would always be born as another "female Amazon."
"Umm…so why are you trying to find out about Aria anyway?" Bell asked. "Was there a Spirit or something?"
The girls all looked at Bell who unconsciously scooted back at their gazes.
"Archer didn't tell you yet?" Tione asked.
"Not yet…we were rather busy with other things," Bell admitted.
"Then ask him about it," Tione said as Bell nodded.
He planned to when they got back home anyway.
Still, it looked as though he wasn't as much help. But…
…
Should he tell them about Heroic Spirits? They seemed to have been looking for information about people connected to Spirits after all.
No.
It was best that he didn't. He might be betraying Archer's trust in him if he did.
"Then one last thing…do you know anything about Spirit Heroes?" Tiona asked, causing Bell to sputter in shock. "Ah. You do."
"I-I don't!" Bell said, raising his hands up and looking away, inwardly cringing as he did.
Oh goddess, he was a terrible liar.
"Hmmmmmm?"
Both Tione and Tiona leaned in at the same time before…
"Stop bullying Mommy!"
Assassin put herself between him and the Amazons once more.
Oh…right…she was here too.
Apparently he wasn't the only one who had forgotten Assassin was there. The two amazons jolted in surprise along with the other girls.
Assassin's Skill was amazing.
"Oh right, you were here," Tsubaki said with a laugh. "Hey Cranel, why does she call you her Mommy anyway?"
"Umm…that's because…" Bell began.
"Because Mommy wants Us and didn't abandon Us," Assassin said as she wrapped her arms around Bell. "Even though Mommy knew what We are."
"And what exactly are you?" Tsubaki asked.
"Wait, Miss Tsubaki-!" Lefiya began but Assassin already answered.
"Unwanted child," Assassin muttered as she buried her face into Bell's chest. "Mommy didn't want Us because We got in the way of her work."
The girls fell silent at that as Bell found his arms wrapped around Assassin's head.
Heroic Spirits were supposed to be summoned in their prime.
Assassin was summoned as a child even younger than the fourteen year old Bell. Assassin had been thrown away by her "mother" and tried finding them again…and in the process killed several women who were not her mother all of a certain profession.
"Umm…Bell?" Lefiya began softly. "Where did you pick her up from?"
Bell couldn't tell her the truth. But he could give her a somewhat truthful answer.
"…Near the Entertainment District," Bell whispered.
Bell was naïve, not stupid. He knew what went on there even if Hestia did her best to steer him away from such places. Even now, his brain was doing his best to steer his thoughts away from that word.
This was bad. His head was getting light and his vision was spinning. He needed to get out of here.
"Sorry, we're going to head back," Bell said as he and Assassin stood up. "Good night."
"Ah…yeah…good night…" Tiona nodded as the others were too stunned to say anything. "…Sorry."
The two of them quickly left the tent in silence. Once they were a good distance away from the tent, Assassin suddenly stopped and smiled up at Bell.
"Yay it worked!" She said brightly, completely unaware of Bell's inner turmoil.
"…What worked?" He asked.
"Saying We are an unwanted child. We know that good adults always become quiet when We say that so We knew Mommy would be able to leave if we said We were one."
So it had been a ruse?
No, there was no way it was all completely faked.
"Jack," Bell said softly, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Promise me that you will never say that ever again. About being an unwanted child."
Assassin looked up at Bell, probably getting a good look at his face for the first time since they entered the tent as she looked a bit surprised before lowering her head with drooped shoulders.
"We're sorry…" she apologized honestly. "We won't lie again."
"You better not," Bell said sternly as he brought her close. "You are not an unwanted child."
"Unn…" came the nod that contained just the smallest bit of happiness.
X-x-X-x-X
With most of the camp asleep, including Bell and the others, it was time for the ghosts to come out and play.
Aside from Assassin who fell asleep between Lily and Bell, the Servants were standing on one of the cliff faces a good distance away from the camp itself and far outside the range of any Loki Familia lookouts.
"Now then…care to tell me why the sudden Floor Boss fight?" Archer asked Caster who was standing closest to the cliff with his hands behind his back and facing away from the other two. "You were pissed that Bell fought a Minotaur alone not two weeks ago and now you want to pit him up against a Floor Boss."
"You were also angered when he risked himself to save Takemikazuchi Familia," Saber added. "Is this risk not even greater?"
Caster did not answer immediately, his eyes instead combing the forest as if searching for something hidden within.
"A king need not explain himself to his subjects," Caster began. "But such words would not satisfy you."
It wasn't a question. He was not asking them for their opinion on the matter. It was what he had decided and that is what will be.
"The situations differ in only one way," Caster continued, still facing away from the other two. "This is my design. The other two were not. The right to lead the boy and see what kind of future he holds is mine and mine alone."
"You're treating him as one of your treasures?" Archer asked.
"Hardly," Caster scoffed at the insinuation. "The boy, and Arde as well, simply have caught my interest. They have continued to surpass the low expectations I placed on them. It would be time to see how high of a bar I can set and see how they surpass it or fail at it."
Caster finally tuned his head to look over his shoulder at them.
"I am not sending them out to die. I will intervene long before that will happen."
"…I see…you seek an audience," Saber said as he looked back at the camp. "Loki Familia would be the perfect witnesses for your game."
"A legend is worthless without anyone to spread it," Caster said eyeing Archer who frowned back. "The boy seeks to be a hero. Let him overcome the mountain as one."
"People generally climb a hill before climbing Everest," Archer said.
"No…I believe Bell has already climbed Everest when he fought the Minotaur at Level 1," Saber said. "This is more akin of climbing Olympus. Including the space trip to reach it in the first place."
"My my, I wonder how that mongrel feels, knowing that only one of his precious Heroes thinks he is worthy to fight a Monster Rex," Caster said with a chuckle as the other two frowned.
The one who was the coldest to Bell was the one who had the highest expectations of him while those closest to him were the one restricting him out of worry for his personal wellbeing.
Still, Caster will not push the boy too hard. This was for his own personal enjoyment in the end after all. It would not do for the toy to break so soon when he wanted it to last. He was not one to play Hero Maker, but seeing the boy change from floundering in fear in the face of a few Kolbolds to charging head first into a group of Minotaurs gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.
Oh dear, it feels as though he was getting attached to the boy. This would not do.
"But in any case, any further discussions will have to wait," Caster said as he, Saber and Archer turned as one toward a single tree behind them. "Come out."
There was nothing for a minute, only the rustling of the leaves from a slight breeze blowing from the entrance leading up to the Seventeenth Floor and the howl of a monster in the forest.
Then, a blonde, golden-eyed swordswoman stepped out.
"A little late for a walk, Ais," Archer said.
"I'm sorry…" the girl apologized as she walked forward. "I didn't mean to try and listen."
"It's fine," Archer nodded. "We weren't talking about anything we didn't want people to hear."
It wasn't as though the idea that Hestia Familia was planning on fighting Goliath was that big of a secret. Caster himself had told the Loki Familia Executives so there was no need to hide if from Ais.
"Well? Speak your mind or begone," Caster said.
Despite the urging, Ais hesitated, hands clenched together in front of her as if she was afraid to ask what was on her mind.
Caster scanned the tree line behind the girl but there was no one else around with the closest person being the camp sentry that was doing his best to stay awake.
"Are you…" she began, her voice sounding rather dry and full of dread…but at the same time, with the smallest bit of hope. "Are you…Spirits?"
Spirits. Plural.
She not only suspected Archer but Saber and Caster as well.
"And if we were?" Caster asked, causing Saber and Archer to turn to him in surprise.
"Then I…wanted to ask about…Aria."
"We have nothing we can tell you about your mother, Child."
The reply came out as soon as the question was finished. The blank look that was immediately followed by the look of a child who had their hopes in dreams crushed in the span of a minute. It was almost enough to bring a smile to his face. But he did not need to get on the Sword Princess's bad side as it would mean losing out on his investment in Loki Familia.
"Oh."
The reply was simple and the disappointment slowly morphed into resignation as if she remembered that she hadn't much expectations in the first place.
"I…won't tell anyone," she said as she turned to Archer with a bow. "Good night."
Archer nodded back at her and she disappeared back to the camp.
"Mother?" Archer asked as he turned toward Caster.
"'Twas merely a guess," Caster replied with a shrug. "But it seems to have been correct."
"I have heard that the Spirits cannot have children though," Saber replied.
"The world is full of mysteries after all," Archer sighed. "What do we do?"
"We know her secret, she knows ours," Caster replied simply as he turned back around to look back out into the forest over the cliffside. "There is no need to change how we operate. From what I gather, she loses more than we do if her secrets were exposed."
What was more "interesting" in the eyes of the gods?
A living Spirit? Not one of of the countless formless wisps or Lesser Spirit Fairies but one with power and full awareness. Or the child of one? A child of one of the most well known and legendary Spirits even.
One was rare nowadays but was common place once upon a time. The other was thought to be impossible.
The trouble it would bring to Loki Familia would be enough to stop her from revealing anything. After all, if a Spirit could have a child, couldn't a god?
Caster chuckled to himself.
Indeed, it should be possible but he did not care enough about them to offer any hints about himself.
He had to deal with that enough already.
X-x-X-x-X
The child shuffled their feet across the street as they made a weak attempt to warm their hands by breathing on them.
It was getting cold again. They had heard the adults call it "Winter" and other children loved it.
Winter meant it was cold and cold meant that it could snow.
Snow was pretty. For about five minutes before it made it hard to move or find food and buried any possible shelter they could find.
Food was getting harder to find as people were chasing them away more often when they got close but were otherwise content to just pretend they did not exist otherwise. But the moment they tried to sleep under a bench was the moment some loud person with a club hit then and kicked them out.
It wasn't nighttime yet but they were still starting to feel sleepy.
Food and sleep was getting harder and harder to come by each day and it was also getting colder and colder each day and the old curtain they found to wrap themselves up with wasn't enough.
They had heard some of the older people saying that some place on West End was giving out free food but they didn't know where it was or how far away it was.
They were too tired to care about it.
Lack of care was everywhere in this city.
From the moment they were born, lack of care made itself known.
That was why they didn't care what happened when they met the wrong Mother again. They didn't care what happened when they lashed back at the wrong Mother.
They tripped when they turned into an alley. A brick had fallen off a building or had been tossed here from somewhere else and they hadn't been paying enough attention to see through the smog.
The ground was hard, of course, and the knife they were holding fell off to the side.
But they didn't care.
It felt like they reached the point where they couldn't care anymore.
They crawled to the end of the alley and sat up with their back on the wall.
They were too tired to care about the dirt and grime on them. It was just another layer of dirt and grime.
It was also growing colder and Mother wasn't around to help.
The thought of free food did sound nice though. They'll have to find out how to get to West End from East End though.
But they didn't care about it right now.
They just wanted to sleep. Save their energy to walk however far it was needed to reach West End tomorrow.
For now…sleep.
…
…
…
…
…
Above the silent child, the snow began to fall, bringing the temperature around them even lower.
However, as the snow began to pile on top of them, the child did not stir.
They were asleep after all.
So deep asleep in fact that they did not see Him screaming His heart out beside them. He Himself did not know what He was seeing, but He did seem to realize who it was in front of him.
His cries begging her to wake up were not reaching her. Because this was only a dream. One where the one in front of Him could no longer be saved no matter how much He cried or begged.
This scene played over and over in front of him. Each time a different child. A different age. A different gender. Each one unmoving as the snow fell down upon them.
Their lives lost to a world that simply did not care.
But when they opened their eyes once more.
Even though they were lost before they slept. When they awoke, they would be in the arms of their beloved Mother. They would have already been saved.
X-x-X-x-X
"Bell! Bell!"
"Oi Bell! What's wrong!?"
Bell wasn't sure what was going on. Only that he had his hands pressed up against his eyes as tears were pouring out uncontrollably.
He was unable to form any words as a pained wail was all that could escape his throat. His chest felt as though it was being squeezed, like he was nothing more than a wet cloth to be wrung out with the water seeping out through his eyes.
From what little he could see, it appeared as though the Magic Stone light in the tent was on so that meant it was still "night" time.
"What's wrong Mommy?" A voice calmer than the other two rang out. "Does something hurt?"
Bell found the strength and will to remove his hands from his eyes, his vision still blurry as he sat up, finding two pairs of hands on his shoulders to help steady him.
Sitting on her knees in front of him was Assassin, lacking any of the worry she had for him the other day.
Bell's hands found themselves on her face, gently clasping around her cheeks as if he wasn't sure she was right there in front of him.
Sure enough, he could feel the warmth of her skin against his palms.
"Looks like he had a nightmare," Welf said as he sat back and scratched the back of his head. "Geez man, way to give a guy a heart problem."
Lily didn't say anything she watched Bell interact with Assassin by carefully patting her all over.
"You're here…" he said.
"Unn." A simple nod.
"You're all here."
"Unn."
Bell's throat felt dry as he tried to figure out what he wanted to say. Something to show that if nothing else, he cared.
As footsteps sounded from outside and the tent flap opened up to allow Archer to poke his head in, Bell finally spoke.
"Thank you…for being born."
Assassin closed her eyes and gave him a big smile as tears were seeping out as well.
"Unn!"
