Chapter 33: A Future Dream

"Lord Ganesha…Lord Ganesha!"

"Yes, I am Ganesha!"

"Then at least answer me when I call you…"

"My apologies, Shakti. I was thinking about our destination."

Yes. Today he, Ganesha, was on his way to Hestia Familia, home of the Record Holder for the fastest time in hitting Level 2, and the talk of the city for defeating a Goliath with such a small amount of Level 1 Adventures and with said Level 2 being the sole High Class Adventurer in their party.

Not all of it good however.

Still, it was good to hear that Hestia, who had always hid herself away in her temple up in Tenkai to be properly leading her Children.

"Yes…" Shakti, Ganesha's Familia Captain and one of the few of his Children who knew the true purpose of their visit. "I find it hard to believe that they have something so…convenient on hand."

"Well, that is why we are going over to visit," Ganesha poinbted out. "So we may iron out the details and bring their Adventurer over for a test."

The two of them walked down West Main for a while before turning off the road into the various neighborhoods until they came across a manor bearing the emblem of Hestia Familia that stood alone and separated from most of the other occupied buildings.

"It's a rather big manor for such a relatively new Familia," Shakti noted. "I can't say much for their decorations though."

Two massive bearded stone statues were standing beside the gate, holding themselves tall with massive blades in front of them.

As Shakti was about to ring the bell beside the gate, Ganesha suddenly cupped his hands around his mouth and bellowed, "GREETINGS, HESTIA! IT IS I, GANESHA. I HAVE COME TO VISIT YOU!"

"L-Lord Ganesha! They have a doorbell! There's no need to shout!"

"It is only polite to announce yourself first, Shakti."

The blue haired woman let out a groan, sounding as though she'd like nothing more than to hurry on inside.

"Hmm? There seems to be some sort of commotion," Ganesha noted as the two of them tried to peer through the bars of the gate.

It sounded like a few children were struggling over something.

"W-wait a minute! I said, wait a minute! Stop! You can't go look!"

"Awawawa! Jack, get him to stop!"

"We can't do anything here, Gina!"

The source of the commotion quickly made itself known.

It was a monster. A minotaur to be exact but it was unlike any minotaur that Shakti or Ganesha had ever seen before. It stood almost three meters tall and wore various pieces of black armor on its body and a black mask over its face with a massive mane of white hair with two horns extending from the top.

Were it not for the sight of three girls…a human clinging onto its leg, an Amazon being dragged along by the ground as she refused to release her grip on its hand, and an Elf standing on its shoulders, gripping its horns and trying to steer it away from the door, Shakti would have instantly moved to strike it down.

But as it was, she quickly placed herself between her God and the monster. As a Level 5, a normal minotaur would be nothing more than a goblin to her but considering the reason why they were here…

The minotaur, paying no heed to the children clinging onto its body, stared at the gate for a moment before it extended its free hand out and carefully twisted the handle and stepped back, opening the gate for them.

"A-ahh…Lord Ganesha and Ankusha…" the Amazon girl spoke up as she twisted her body a bit so that she was facing them. "You're early…"

"Indeed, I am Ganesha," Ganesha nodded, still staring at the minotaur in surprise. "But I was led to believe that you had a harpy with you, not a minotaur."

"Ahaha…it's a long story…"

"HEY NOW!"

A sharp cry was followed by the front door slamming open. The three girls plus the minotaur started before they wheeled around at the red-headed woman stomping out toward them.

"Berserker, you're not supposed to be up here," the woman said, reaching her hand up near the monster's mask and yanking what looked to be its ear. "Come on! Be a good boy and follow me! Ah, excuse me, God Ganesha…Lady Hestia will be down in just a moment."

The minotaur let out a noise that could only be called a whine as the girls dropped to the ground and watched the woman drag the monster by the ear back behind the building.

"…What?" Shakti found herself asking.

"Like I said, it's a long story…" the Amazon repeated as she poked her fingers together. "But we do have the harpy we found earlier…the minotaur just…happened to show up unexpectedly." The girl then winced as if realizing how unconvincing that sounded before quickly adding, "We didn't take him from the Dungeon though, if that's what you're thinking."

Shakti stared incredulously at the Amazon before turning toward Ganesha for confirmation.

"Reality is truly stranger than fiction," Ganesha nodded, confirming her words as truth, as he folded his arms over his chest and nodded sagely.

"You're telling me," A tiny black haired girl said as she stepped out into the front lawn with her hands on her hips. With a quick glance at the three girls, she jerked her head toward the direction that the woman and minotaur disappeared to and the girls quickly ran off after them. "Anyway, I thought you said you'd be coming a bit later, Ganesha."

"My previous appointments had cleared up, Hestia. And so I, Ganesha, decided to head over and clear things up as quickly as possible."

"Well, I appreciate it I suppose," the goddess Hestia said with a sigh. "Anyway, come with me to my office."

"Will that woman who dragged away a minotaur by the ear be joining us?" Shakti asked as she and Ganesha followed the tiny goddess into the manor.

"Rider? No, she's not the one I wanted to talk about taming monsters with. Lancer's already waiting upstairs."

They walked all the way up to the fourth floor and entered an office with a rather homely feeling. Inside, a woman with long white hair was sitting on one of the couches with a red feathered harpy sitting in her lap. The harpy had a cloth mask covering the lower half of her face, just below her nose, covering her mouth, and had bits of her hair tied up in braids, courtesy of the long haired woman.

"So…this is her, then?" Ganesha asked as the harpy and woman turned to look at Ganesha and Shakti while Hestia moved to sit down beside the woman.

"Yeah," Hestia nodded, gesturing for Ganesha and Shakti to sit down across from her. "You've met one similar before, right?"

"I have," Ganesha nodded as he and Shakti sat down. "Although I had met a goblin wearing a red cap instead."

"I have not met one personally until now," Shakti replied. "Although…I must say that I am rather surprised at how…harmless…they seem."

"Well, I won't say they are completely harmless," Hestia shrugged. "She's still a harpy and an Enhanced Monster at that. She just knows when and who to fight."

"Is the minotaur one as well?"

"Asterios…or rather Berserker…is a bit different," Hestia replied. "But let's go over that at a later date. For now we're here to talk about a new method of Taming, right?"

"Indeed," Shakti nodded. "The report said that you could completely dominate the mind of a monster. Can you explain what that means?"

"Of course," the woman called Lancer replied with a nod, her enchanting voice causing both Ganesha and Shakti's heart to skip a beat as if she were a goddess of beauty. "It may take some time so I will try to summarize it as much as possible."

As Lancer began to explain her Rune Magic, Hestia let out a sigh as she sank back into the couch and thought back to Berserker's summoning the previous day.

X-x-X-x-X

They had been expecting another hero…only for their Berserker to be something beyond their wildest dreams.

"A…M-Minotaur?" Primo squeaked out in surprise.

"▂▂▃▃▃▃▄▄▄▄▅▅▅!"

At Primo's question, Berserker turned its head toward her and let out a massive roar, causing her to shriek and fall back and for Rider and Lancer to quickly step in front of her to shield her from Berserker's sight.

"…"

Seeing this, Berserker seemed to back down as he then focused his attention to Bell.

"Sah…vant…Berserker…" Berserker spoke up, causing Bell and the others aside from Caster to flinch in surprise. "Name…Asterios. Not…Minotaur."

"A-Asterios?" Bell repeated. "Is that your name?"

Berserker nodded his head as he knelt down to lower himself down to Bell's height as much as possible.

"Not…Minotaur…" Berserker repeated and Bell slowly nodded his head in understanding.

Bell placed a hand over his chest and took a deep breath before walking up to Berserker and gingerly placing a hand on Berserker's shoulder.

"I understand, Asterios," Bell said with a smile. "I'm Bell."

"Beru…Beru…Be…ru…"

Berserker said Bell's name a few times as though he was testing it.

"Hey Fia," Hestia began, turning to the harpy who had been staring at Berserker in a transfixed awe. "Out of curiosity, is there a Minotaur Xenos in your group?"

"Huh?" Fia quickly shook her head as she snapped out of her trance. "Oh uh…there wasn't one with us before I…you know…"

"Come to think of it…there was a rumor about a black minotaur roaming the Lower Floors with armor…" Gina began as Lily's eyes shot open wide.

"Wait…wasn't Lord Caster looking into those rumors before we went to fight the Floor Boss?" Lily asked, turning to Caster who had not taken his eyes off of Berserker.

"If I remember correctly, there were also rumors of a lizardman making off with someone's shield, correct?" Saber spoke up as well.

"Ahh…that's probably Lido…" Fia said with a wry smile.

As they were discussing the old rumors, Berserker turned his head toward Primo again. The tiny elf girl let out an "eep" and hid herself behind Lancer again.

"…Sorry…"

To everyone's surprise, Berserker was the one to apologize.

"I big…so scary," he admitted, realizing this aspect of himself.

Certainly, minotaurs were already rather frightening for anyone not at least Level 3 or in a Party of several Level 2s but Berserker stood at least a whole half meter taller than the minotaurs born in the Dungeon. If he stood at his full height, his horns would probably smash through the door frames of the manor.

Speaking of which…

"I hate to say this but…" Hestia began. "I don't think you will be able to sleep inside the house, Berserker...or Asterios? Well, we can figure that out later. Anyways! We can get you a tent but you'll probably have to sleep outside."

"Outside?" Berserker repeated. For a moment Hestia thought he was upset but his next words were full of hope. "Outside? I can…sleep under the sky?"

It would seem that like Fia, Berserker was a monster who also wanted to live on the surface.

Was it simply a trait of all monsters like Ouranos has suggested?

Still, it was rather lucky their new kitchen could open out into the back as it allowed Berserker to exit the building without scratching up too many of the walls, even if they were repaired in an instant by Lancer's magic.

The first thing Berserker did upon stepping out into the back yard was stare up at the sky, completely silent as he felt the wind against his body.

"It's great, isn't it?" Fia asked, flying over and landing on Berserker's broad shoulders with a smile.

The Servant simply nodded, his expression hidden behind his mask but Hestia believed that he was probably smiling beneath it.

"Ummm…"

A small voice rose up by Berserker's hand and he glanced down to see Primo looking back up at him.

"I'm sorry for calling you a minotaur…" she said timidly but Berserker shook his head.

"I am," he said, telling them that he knew what he was even if he did not like it. "But I…Asterios."

"R-right," Primo nodded her head quickly to show that she understood the difference. "My name is P-Primo! Pleased to meet you."

She then stuck out her hand to offer a handshake but Berserker took a look down at his own hand, which could probably wrap itself around Primo's torso without any effort, and didn't take it. Instead, he bent down and gently scooped Primo up in his arm, causing the girl to shriek in surprise, and lifted her up onto his shoulder.

"W-wait a minute! Too high! This is too high!" She shrieked as she wrapped her arms around one of his horns to help keep her balance.

For someone who stood on the earth at below one and a half meters tall to suddenly reach a height over twice that in an instant was probably frightening to her. Fia, being a harpy who was used to soaring even higher than this, simply laughed at the poor elf's expense.

Seeing Primo riding on Berserker's shoulders caused Assassin to rush forward in an attempt to scale Berserker's body and reach that height as well with Gina close behind, saying that she didn't want to be left out.

"It was a bit of a shock, but I think things will be fine, right Bell?" Emma asked, placing a hand on her cheek as she smiled at the sight of three young girls scrambling over the massive minotaur.

"Haha, I guess so," Bell agreed with a nod.

Hestia agreed too, but another problem was going to rear its ugly head.

"…We're gonna have to pay to keep Asterios up here too, don't we?" She asked as the two of them stiffened up and Hestia heard Caster let out a long and exhausted sigh behind her.

X-x-X-x-X

Back in the present, Lancer had finished explaining to Ganesha and his Captain her ability and how she planned to use them as well as answered most of their questions. All that was left was to perform a live demonstration at the Ganesha Familia Home.

Several of Hestia's Children were out of the Home on business. Bell and Emma had gone to see Welf and check on the progress of their equipment, Lily and Saber were out procuring potions from Miach's Blue Pharmacy, Caster was out doing his own thing again and Archer had gone out to fetch groceries. This left Hestia's young girl trio to stay at home and get Berserker settled in the tent they were setting up, Rider to take care of the chores, and Lancer to meet with Ganesha with Hestia.

Frankly, Hestia was about to accept Freya's shopping trip proposal just to get some proper time off from work and stress.

"So the main concern is the long term viability of your Magic," Shakti summarized and Lancer nodded her head.

"Yes," Lancer answered. "I can guarantee a month with just my magic for the monsters classified as Level 1 and half of that for Level 2 monsters but until I see how your tracking plates work, I cannot say anything else for certain. Of course, this is under the assumption that the monsters in question are not an Enhanced Species."

"That is already quite a lot," Shakti said, looking more and more convinced that the plan just might work. "Although it might be a bit tactless in present company but outside of Ganesha Familia Tamed Monsters don't last a month to begin with. This is both due to the Guild's policy of not allowing non-Ganesha Familia Tamers to bring their monsters up to the surface and the fact that most Tamers would send their monster out as a first wave against their enemies."

"That is understandable. Tamed Monsters are considered to be a lit powder keg if not handled properly after all. This is also to change the perspective of Tamed Monsters from a short term weapon to a long term partnership as well."

"Should we be worried that Tamers might get too attached to their monsters at that point?" Hestia asked with a wry smile.

"I think that would be a goal to reach, not a downside," Lancer countered. "Though I suppose the Guild would consider it problematic if the Tamers end up dying for their monsters."

"Someone dying for a monster would be rather unprecedented to say the least," Shakti sighed. "Again, present company excluded."

Fia simply nodded her head to say that she understood.

Xenos and monsters were completely different after all.

"Shall we move on to the practical tests then?" Ganesha suggested. "We have a few hellhounds that haven't been tamed yet for you to try."

"I have no objections to that," Lancer said as she turned toward Hestia for her permission.

"Take as long as you need," Hestia answered with a nod. "Though try to get back by dinnertime. We're going to be finishing up the last of the the beef after all."

"Of course," Lancer replied with a smile.

"A few more questions, Ganesha," Hestia said.

"Yes?" Ganesha asked. "I am Ganesha."

"Mu…have you…ever tried gifting your blessing to a monster?" Hestia asked, ignoring his usual quirk.

"A long long time ago," Ganesha nodded. "However, nothing came from it. A Status did not show up at all and the monster was still trying to kill me."

Shakti rubbed her forehead at this apparently new bit of information with a sigh.

"And how do you feel about all this? About Fia and the other Xenos?"

"To be blunt, I don't know."

"I figured as much…"

The two of them plus Lancer and Shakti glanced over at Fia who shrunk back a bit at the attention and hid her face behind her wings.

"However…" Ganesha suddenly spoke up. "If Fia and her fellow Xenos…no, all monsters in general…if we can truly live together in peace without bloodshed…"

Ganesha flexed his arms up and puffed out his chest with pride.

"Then I shall cease to be the 'God of the Masses' and become 'Neo Ganesha, God of All Beings' for people and monsters!" he declared, his booming voice surprising the women in the room who stared at him in amazement.

"…This is the first time I've ever thought you were cool, Ganesha," Hestia admitted as her lips curled into a smile.

"That's because…I am Ganesha!"

Hestia let out a small giggle at his boast as Lancer and Shakti also smiled in return.

As the three of them left to show Lancer to the Ganesha Familia home, Hestia let out a sigh as she unfurled a piece of parchment from her pocket.

"I really hope everything goes well," Hestia muttered as she looked at its contents with Fia peering over her shoulder for a look herself.

X-x-X-x-X

Asterios
Level 000
Strength: 000
Defense: 000
Dexterity: 000
Agility: 000
Magic: 000

Magic:
Chaos Labyrinth: Territory Sublimation Magic.

Skills:
Monstrous Strength: Increases Strength in exchange for a monstrous appearance. Strength gain increases the more the monstrous the user becomes.
Natural Demon: Massively increases Strength and Endurance when engaged in combat against multiple enemies. Increase relative to amount of enemies. Strength increases further against Humans.
Monstrum Union: Hybrid. Neo Irregular. Status Bug. Anima Erosion.

X-x-X-x-X

"…What a…unique Home," Lancer said, looking up at the Ganesha Familia Home, the IAM GANESHA, which took the shape of a massive statue of the god himself.

"Please…do not say anything else about it," Shakti begged her with a tired sounding voice that spoke of her distress. The Ganesha guards around them also looked rather defeated about it as well.

Lancer nodded her head in understanding as they passed through the large doors located at the statue's groin into what looked like a large open grassy pasture. Were it not for the sounds of the crowd in the nearby marketplace, Lancer would have thought that she had left the city.

All around them were various stables the size of small factories that were holding countless monsters inside them. Each of the bars were as wide as a human torso and made out of the same materials used to forge the weapons of High Class Adventurers. And of course, there were guards posted by each of the cages.

It made Lancer realize just how serious Ganesha Familia was when it came to taming monsters and why they were the only Familia that was allowed to keep monsters in the city.

"This way," Shakti said, tapping Lancer on the shoulder and directing her to one of the stables.

As Lancer drew close, she noticed that several of the Adventurers around her were staring at her. Most of them were probably wondering why an outsider was in their Home while those who knew the reason were probably curious as to just how she was planning on taming the monsters.

The thought that they might have been transfixed by her beauty did not cross her mind.

"Here."

Lancer found herself in front of a cage holding a hellhound. The monster was pacing back and forth behind the bars, growling at the humans and demihumans standing just beyond its reach.

"Do you need a weapon?" Shakti asked.

"No," Lancer replied, shaking her head. "One would not be necessary. I will 'tame' it without allowing myself or the monster to come to harm."

Shakti raised an eyebrow at the declaration but said nothing as she stepped back to stand beside Ganesha who wanted to see the process personally. Several other Adventurers were also gathering to watch. Then, at Shakti's order, the gate was was opened and the hellhound shot out, making a beeline straight toward Lancer.

Without a single word, Lancer held up her finger and began rapidly tracing several runes in the air. As the monster lunged at her, the runes began to light up, holding the monster in place in midair for a moment before they settled onto its head. The hellhound then slowly floated down onto the ground and shook its head rapidly as though it was trying to shake out water in its fur.

"Stay," Lancer said and the hellhound stopped immediately. "Sit."

The beast obeyed, plopping its backside down on the grass as it looked up at the Servant with its tongue hanging out of its mouth as though it were a simple dog.

"Good boy," Lancer praised it with a smile as she stroked its head with her hand and the beast started pushing its head against her hand as if craving her affection.

At the sight, the crowd began to break into whispers as Ganesha and Shakti walked up to Lancer and the hellhound.

"I can't believe it…" Shakti muttered as Ganesha quickly lowered himself in front of the monster. "It actually worked."

"Shake!" Ganesha said, holding his hand out toward the hellhound, only for it to tilt its head to the side as if it didn't understand him.

"The magic is tuned to me so it can only understand my words," Lancer explained as Ganesha's shoulders sagged in disappointment. She then drew another rune on the hellhounds head. "Try it now, Lord Ganesha."

"Shake!" Ganesha said again and this time the hellhound placed its paw in Ganesha's hand. "Oooooh! Who's a good boy! You're a good boy! Not a scary hellhound!"

"Lord Ganesha…" Shakti let out a sigh as the god started hugging and fluffing the fur of the monster. She then turned to look at Lancer. "I must admit…I was skeptical all the way to the end…but you proved that it was possible. Well done."

"Admittedly, that was the easy part," Lancer said as she glanced at the hellhound which was allowing Ganesha to rub its belly. "As I said earlier, the challenge will be making sure the spell lasts. May I see the tracking plates?"

"Of course. Follow me."

The tracking plates that the Ganesha Familia used were magic items designed to attach to a monster's body, no matter its shape, and constantly broadcast its location to a receiver. A broken plate would immediately set off the receiver's alarm, alerting Ganesha Familia to the situation. If one of their monsters were to escape, the Familia would be the first to know.

"Hmm…I see…" Lancer said as she flipped one of the plates over in her hands to examine it with Shakti looking over her shoulder and Ganesha playing catch with the hellhound a few paces behind them.

"Would they be useful in what you are planning?" Shakti asked, turning back to Lancer.

"Yes, these will be perfect," Lancer replied with a smile. "But…I would still need some more materials to make it work."

"Do you know what you need?"

"I do…but I worry if I would be able to acquire them."

"I won't say price is no object but if I can get a list then I can send some of my people to acquire them for you."

"No, it's nothing like a Drop Item from the Dungeon," Lancer clarified. "I need something to bind the monster's loyalty to their designated Tamer. In short, I would need the Adventurer's blood…as well as Lord Ganesha's. This way, the monster will consider its Tamer its…I suppose 'pack leader' for lack of a better term. With Lord Ganesha's blood, it would also consider him and anyone else with his blood, as in your Familia, to be members of the same pack and will protect them and listen to their orders as well. Although its Tamer's orders will supersede all others'."

"I see…" Shakti muttered, placing a hand against her chin. "You have put a lot more thought into this than I gave you credit for."

"Anything for my Master's dream and the future of 'those children.'"

Shakti nodded her head before her hand shot out behind her to grab the ball that Ganesha was playing with out of the air.

"Please pay attention, Lord Ganesha!" She shouted, causing both her god and the hellhound to flinch in surprise. "Really now…just because the monster has become almost disturbingly docile doesn't mean you can treat it as a pet…and where did this ball even come from?"

"I, Ganesha, prepared it in anticipation for this day!" Ganesha admitted with a smile, causing Shakti to let out another sigh.

"Your Familia has its own share of troubles as well," Lancer noted with a small smile.

"Not nearly as much as yours, I think," Shakti pointed out with her own smile. The two women shared a laugh before Shakti took off her glove and pulled out a small knife. "I'll offer my blood to test it out. How much do you need?"

"Just a drop would be enough," Lancer replied as she started tracing her finger across the tracking plate, carving the runes into the metal alongside its magic. "Lord Ganesha too."

"Of course!" The boisterous god replied as he stepped forward with the hellhound trotting behind him.

The god and his Captain each dripped some of their blood on the plate, causing the runes on it to glow red. With that done, Lancer handed it to Shakti who walked over and fastened it onto the hellhound's body and the monster accepted it without any fuss as if she was just putting a collar on it and not inserting the plate directly onto its skin.

"And this is the receiver, correct?" Lancer asked, holding a smaller tag to which Shakti nodded.

"Indeed. With that, I would be able to locate the monster wherever it goes."

As Shakti said this, the hellhound then walked up to Shakti and laid down beside her feet as if it was nothing more than a pet dog once more.

"Ahhh…Damian…" Ganesha said sadly as if he was someone who had just been abandoned by a lover for someone younger and prettier than he was.

"Don't name it!" Shakti snapped with a sigh before turning back toward Lancer. "If it's like this then I'm sure there will be no problem with the plan Lady Hestia proposed. So long as the technique continues to be passed down of course."

"Of course," Lancer agreed. "But will it be all right for your Familia as a whole? You are the famed Ganesha Familia's Legendary Tamers after all."

"We're not so attached to such a title," Shakti replied with a smile. "But it would be a waste to lose all that training. I propose that we only come to you for your magic after we have already properly tamed the monster."

In short, the taming process would go as follows.

The Tamer would have to prove that they would be able to physically control the monster through the normal method of taming in order to force the monster to submit and accept that the Tamer was its master. This would show that they were skilled enough to be called a Tamer and that they would be able to control it. Then they would contract Lancer or another member of Hestia Familia in the future to make the beast docile and completely obedient.

It was necessary for the Tamer to be able to handle their monster as you couldn't tell if something were to happen, either by accident or enemy action, and the plate was destroyed or someone had the strength to nullify Lancer's magic. That was why it was the Tamer's responsibility to either restrain or kill the monster should it lose control.

As a rather extreme example, this way a child would not be holding onto the reins of a minotaur.

Of course, due to Hestia Familia's true plans, it would be unnecessary for them to force the monster to submit. They would only be interested in Xenos after all and Fia's comrades were already intelligent enough to not attack humans if they didn't have to.

"As thanks for your work you can take two tracking plates and receivers for your harpy and minotaur," Shakti said. "I suppose the future license for Tamers in Orario will have to include the costs of these items as well, wouldn't they?"

"Yes, I understand," Lancer accepted Shakti's terms. Considering magic items like the tracking plates could only be made by Adventurers who had a certain Development Ability, Caster's prediction of it costing around ten million valis was a rather accurate estimate. "Then, while I am here, are there any other monsters I should make docile for you."

As if on cue, a massive wave of Ganesha Familia Tamers surged forward toward her, making Lancer wonder if she was going to be able to return home in time for dinner.

X-x-X-x-X

Across the city, Bell and Emma were making their way to Welf's forge.

"But really, I didn't think something like that could happen," Emma said, referring to the incident with Argonaut the other day. "I suppose it just goes to show how big this world can be."

"No kidding," Bell replied with a nod and a wry smile.

Although he had been at the very center of the commotion, he had no recollection of what had happened for the most part, having found himself receiving a lap pillow by Ais when the last thing he knew he had been talking to Hestia in her office. Still though, as nothing bad had happened as far as he could tell, it was nothing more than a funny memory for the most part…and a wonderfully soft one for the rest of it.

"Aside from getting involved with Loki Familia for a bit, it doesn't look like he did anything else," Bell added.

"Do you think they know about the others?" Emma asked in a worried voice.

"Saber said that they only think I got involved in a Spirit's prank so it should be fine," Bell replied. "Well, in any case they're the Loki Familia. So I don't think anything bad will happen if they find out anyway."

"I guess you're right. Although I only met them once at the beach party, I can tell that they are all good people…even if our goddesses don't get along very well."

"I suppose that's something only the two of them would understand, haha…"

It was knowledge known only in the realm of the gods after all. It wasn't something mere mortals would be able to understand.

As they headed to the Industrial District, Bell suddenly turned around to look over his shoulder.

"…Is something wrong?" Emma asked, turning around as well but she didn't see anything particularly out of the ordinary.

"…Someone's been looking over toward us…" Bell replied with a frown before gesturing for Emma to keep on walking.

"Is it like the time when you first took us to Welf's place?"

"No…that gaze was different…"

That gaze had been directed at Bell himself. This one however…

Bell shot another look over his shoulder, trying to catch anyone that might have bad intentions toward them but in a city this big it was impossible to tell exactly who was looking at you in admiration and who was looking at you in loathing. All he could do was quicken his pace, prompting Emma to do the same as they quickly made their way to Welf's workshop.

The sound of metalworking could be heard well before they arrived at the front door. A quick knock went unanswered but as the rhythmic sound of a hammer banging against metal could still be heard, Welf was clearly inside.

Therefore, the two of them walked around the building toward the window and found Welf working on what looked like a breastplate for Bell. On the wall across from the window, they could see another breastplate made out of light red metal and a purple robe on the stands. Just below the breastplate was a sword with a beautiful simple brown sheath with a golden moon design on it could be seen.

It would seem Welf had been hard at work ever since they separated the previous morning.

Or rather, did he even sleep since then?

Finishing with his current step, Welf let out a long sigh as he rolled his shoulders. He then turned his face toward the window and yelped in surprise at seeing Emma and Bell peering in.

"Emmy! And…Bell, right?"

"…Who else would I be?" Bell asked, tilting his head to the side.

"N-never mind," Welf said quickly. "Just a strange dream I had."

Bell and Emma shared a glance. Did Argonaut make his way to Welf as well?

"Anyway, come on in! I just finished your armor, Emmy," Welf said as he hopped over to the door to let them in. "Primo's coat is all done as well."

"Did you sleep last night?" Emma asked with concern as she and Bell stepped inside the building.

"Of course I did. A proper eight minutes!"

"That's no good, Welf! I bet you didn't even eat either! Here! Rider made this for you."

Saying that, Ema quickly opened up the pouch she was carrying and held out its contents for Welf. It was a small container filled with several minced meat sandwiches as well as a thermos full of some hot soup.

Seeing this, Welf's stomach roared with desire, causing the smith to chuckle in embarrassment.

"Sorry about this," Welf said as he happily accepted the food. "I got hit with some inspiration and wanted to get it done and before I knew it…it was morning again."

"Rider did think that you were someone who might forget important things while working," Emma noted with a sigh.

Bell supposed it was only expected of a mother to notice things like that.

As the three of them shared the lunch, Emma's gaze was on the sword on the wall.

"Go ahead and take a look," Welf said as he chewed on his food. "It's yours after all."

"R-right," Emma nodded, sounding rather nervous.

Standing up from her seat, Emma walked over and took the sword from the wall and examined its sheath more closely. As she ran her fingers along the wood, she carefully pulled the blade out with a gasp of awe.

"It's beautiful, Welf!" She said with a smile.

"Hell yeah!" Welf shouted with a cheer. "Satisfied Customer Number Two!"

"Number Two?"

"Don't worry about that, Emma," Bell (Satisfied Customer Number One) said with a smile. "Are you going to come up with a name for it or are you going to let Welf do it after all?"

"I-I got one!" Emma said quickly as Bell let out a chuckle. "Let's see…a moon…blooming…how bout Gekka(Moon Flower)?"

"Then I guess I should make a Nikka(Sun Flower) to pair with it?" Welf joked before he quickly fell into deep thought. "Should it be yellow? Or maybe blue? Which ores would give off that color and still be decent for the level…"

"Ahaha…I appreciate the thought but please eat as you plan," Emma said as she returned the blade to its home and Welf picked up another sandwich as he remained lost in thought. "Can I try on the breastplate?"

"Go ahead. Let me know if its too tight or loose."

As Emma happily tried out her new equipment, Bell glanced over at his armor still in the works. Seeing it slowly come together was exciting in its own way.

"I should probably be done in about two days if I have no interruptions," Welf said with a smile after following Bell's gaze. "Then its back to the grind before I forget how to fight monsters!"

"I feel the same," Bell nodded as the two shared a laugh.

He was still a bit unsure about fighting them on the possibility of a monster being a Xenos, but it wasn't something he would receive an answer to any time soon so there was no point in worrying about it at every waking moment. He would have to deal with it as it happened.

"So…what's going on with you-know-who?" Welf asked, his voice dropping slightly.

"Lancer's supposed to be meeting with Ganesha Familia today but things are pretty optimistic," Bell replied. "Although Caster's expecting us to make one million valis by the end of the month to help cover the costs…"

Welf nearly choked on his food at the amount.

"…Are we going to go past the Eighteenth Floor?" Welf asked.

"Hmm, I haven't decided yet," Bell admitted. "Camping out on the Eighteenth Floor again as we hunt around the Sixteenth or Nineteenth Floor is an idea though."

However, he suspected that it would be difficult to be away from home for a long time. The Floor Boss preparation period was something that couldn't be helped due to the abnormality but thanks to Loki Familia being there, the camp was rather comfortable. Without that though, they would have to take turns keeping watch.

Or at least that's how it should be but thanks to the nature of the Servants, either Saber or Archer could be up all night keeping watch. Bell would feel bad asking them to do that even if both of them would do so without him asking and without complaint to boot.

Larger Familias that can go on Expeditions for weeks on end and veteran Adventurers that can live full-time in the Dungeon Town of Rivira are amazing.

"Well I'm fine with camping if you need to make money fast," Welf said. "Guess what I'm saying is that I'll keep on following your lead."

"Thanks Welf."

It was nice to be trusted so much like this.

"So, how's the fit, Emmy?"

"It goes over my clothes perfectly," Emma reported with a smile as she twirled around a bit as if the armor was actually a dress she wanted to show off. "It's a bit heavy but I can learn to get used to it."

"You'll practically forget about the weight once your Status goes up a bit," Welf replied. "It'll also help boost up your Endurance a bit too."

"Is that how it works?"

"Well, it's either that or letting someone smack you around for a bit."

Emma could only let out a dry laugh at that as she would be joining Bell in early morning training with Archer and Saber starting tomorrow.

"We should have brought Primo along too," Emma noted as she glanced at the robe on the wall.

"She busy with something?" Welf asked.

"She's…entertaining our guest," Emma said, picking her words carefully.

"Ah, got it," Welf replied with a quick nod. Bell was sure he was considering a different guest but he supposed Fia would be hanging out with Berserker now if Lancer had left to go see Ganesha Familia at this point in time.

"Well anyway, with this we should be able to go back into the Dungeon tomorrow," Emma said as she clapped her hands together. "Primo and I, along with Gina, have to make three hundred thousand valis as well."

"Geez, His Royalness is really going to work you guys to the bone, huh?" Welf asked as he scratched his head.

"On the other hand, you could see it as him having high expectations for us," Bell countered with a smile. "Well, we'll just have to do the best we can either way."

For the sake of the Xenos' dream. And Bell's as well.

X-x-X-x-X

"I see…so you lived in a Dungeon too?" Fia asked as she and Berserker laid down beside each other, looking up into the sky.

"Mmm…" came the blunt reply of the minotaur. "Manmade Dungeon. Different…but same. I, only monster there."

"But it's still just the same prison, huh?" Fia asked, turning her head toward Berserker who nodded his head sadly. "If things work out as the people here hope…are you going to go into the Dungeon here?"

"I want to help," Berserker replied. "Help Primu…Beru. Help Fia's friends too."

And Fia was grateful for that, she really was. Even though it made her feel extremely guilty.

She had zero desires to ever set foot inside the Dungeon again. She had tasted the freedom of an endless sky and she had no desire to willingly lock herself away ever again. She also felt that she would rather die than go back…

But…if there was a situation where they needed help…could she really just sit back and watch?

"…What should I do?" Fia wondered to herself.

"You should do whatever you want to do."

"Huh?"

Fia sat up and turned around just in time for something to enter her open mouth. She wasn't sure how to describe it but it was hot and amazingly tasty. Far better than Magic Stones or the sweet Dungeon Fruits.

"Wow, what is this?" Fia asked in between chewing as she looked up at Rider who was placing the same food into Berserker's mouth after the minotaur removed his mask.

"Just some seafood fritters," Rider replied with a smile. "Caster made a request to eat some for dinner before he left so I made a few as a test. This is for the two of you so enjoy. If you want some more just ask…although I suspect those three will finish up the rest before long."

Those three being those three girls that have completely succeeded in mingling with Berserker despite their previous concerns.

Smelling the food, Berserker sat up and carefully removed his mask to eat properly. Taking a piece, he carefully plopped it into his mouth and chewed it for a moment before swallowing.

"Tasty…" Berserker said before showing a smile that revealed just a bit too many teeth to be comfortable. "Thank you, Rider…"

"Ahaha…even though you're such a good boy, Asterios…" Rider said with a slightly strained smile as she patted the minotaur on his head. "I guess there's no helping that fact…"

"Hmm?"

Berserker didn't seem to understand as he placed another fritter into his mouth before holding one up toward Fia who accepted it gratefully.

"Seeing you like that really makes me think that I take having hands for granted," Rider noted with a wry smile.

"Well, I didn't really pay much attention to that fact until I came across doors…" Fia replied with a wry smile of her own. "But…what was it you said before?"

"I said that you simply should do what you want to do," Rider replied. "If you feel like you aren't doing enough and that you have to go back into the Dungeon, don't be. You got the message to us and therefore we now know that your friends exist. Now we are doing our best to try and bring them to live with us on the surface as well. It will take time but I'm sure it is doable. So don't feel like you haven't done enough."

You've done your part, now leave the rest to us.

That was the message she felt that Rider was sending.

Fia wondered if they would take it as though she didn't trust them if she didn't relent here because that couldn't be further from the truth. What little she saw was enough for her to believe that a future for her and the others was possible.

As Berserker was about to drop another fritter into her mouth, a series of screams sounded out from the manor.

The three shared a quick glance before rushing back toward the kitchen. There, they found Primo, Gina and Hestia standing on the kitchen table.

"What are you three doing!?" Rider demanded. "What's going on!?"

"R-R-R-R-Rider!" Hestia called out. "A C! There's a C that showed up!"

"C?" Rider repeated before realization slowly dawned on her. "Ahhh…I suppose it got in since we usually have the doors to the yard open all the time now."

"C," the dreaded enemy of men and women alike for reasons that could not truly be explained.

"Putting Lady Hestia aside for a moment," Rider said before turning to the other two girls. "Should Adventurers, who dive into the monster infested Dungeon, really be afraid of something like that?"

"This and that are completely different!" Gina, the most veteran Adventurer in the entire Familia shouted as she clung onto Primo, the least experienced Adventurer in the Familia.

"She's right!" the elf replied in agreement. "Besides, I've only been an Adventurer for a single day! So you go take care of it, Gina!"

"No way, I'm just a fragile ten-year-old!"

"You're an Amazon!"

"Don't believe in stereotypes!"

"Girls please, don't fight!" Hestia said. "As your goddess, I ask that both of you go take it out!"

""WE REFUSE!""

Rider let out a long sigh as she looked around the kitchen/dining room area.

"Wait…where's Jack?" She asked.

"Here We are!" Assassin said, popping up beside Rider while holding it up in front of her with her bare hands, all while wearing the smile of a child wishing to be praised. "We caught it! Ah."

It was fortunate that Rider recoiled in disgust at the sight of it as it had wormed its way out of Assassin's grasp and flew toward her face.

As Rider's panicked scream was quickly cut off by Berserker clapping his hands in front of her, followed by everyone begging Berserker to wash his hands and to not open his hands up before then, Fia wondered if trusting these people with her life was really the best thing to do.

"...It'll be fine...right?" Fia wondered as Rider and Hestia started pushing Berserker back outside toward the garden hose.