Chapter 50: Give and Take

The handshake lasted for a moment longer before the two of them released their grip.

The moment they did, the gargoyle made some sort of gesture with his hand and the room suddenly lit up, revealing several Magic Stone lamps being held by dozens of monsters…or rather, Xenos…on the ledges on the edge of the large room.

Bell and the others, aside from the Servants, jumped at the sight but it didn't look like they were going to attack. Rather, they seemed as wary of the Adventurers as they were of them.

There were about thirty of them in all and the Xenos truly came in all shapes and sizes. From the al-miraj staring directly at Bell with its bright red eyes to the giant green dragon lying down, watching them all carefully with a wizened stare…

All of them were wary…as if wondering if they could place their trust and hope in these strange people from the surface…just like Fia did.

"Sorry we don't have any chairs," Lido said as he sat down on the stone floor with the gargoyle sitting right behind him.

Rei, the siren, led Fia around to sit beside them too while Hestia Familia took a seat in front of them.

"It's fine…" Bell replied. Realizing that as the one who was spearheading "Hestia Familia's Xenos Cohabitation Project," as the goddess called it, he would be doing most of the speaking.

However, Lancer sat down beside him, putting him at ease as well as declaring that she was supporting the plan with all of her ability as well.

There was a quick round of introductions between them, with Bell confirming that the gargoyle was indeed the last of the "leaders" of the Xenos that Fia had talked about, Gros.

"So…let's cut to the chase then," Lido said. "…Why do you want to help us?"

"Because Fia asked for it," Bell replied nearly instantly.

"Is that it?" Lido asked, looking completely bewildered alongside Rei while Gros simply narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Should there be more?" Bell asked back. "We wouldn't have even known about you all if that Fels person didn't ask us for help in rescuing her. After that, Fia told us about the rest of you and asked for us to help you all get to the surface as well. So, our goddess and I decided to take her Quest."

"And you don't want anything out of this?" Gros asked.

"I…"

Bell knew what Gros was getting at.

Archer had told him that while being helping people without asking for anything in return was a noble view, it also bred mistrust in others.

Give and Take. It was something of a fundamental rule of the world. People only do things to get some sort of benefit from doing so. Those that do things without any benefit to themselves are often seen as strange and untrustworthy by people who cannot understand such motives. Or worst, thought to be manipulators playing a long con.

The way Archer had explained it to Bell spoke loudly of personal experience but Bell didn't dare ask for clarification.

"We act due to our Goddess Hestia's commandment," Lancer spoke up as Bell was trying to gather his thoughts. "As it is but an order from our patron goddess, we cannot do anything but obey it. If you wish to understand her reasoning for helping you all, she is the hearth. She exists to create a home for those without it. A place for you to belong. If you are unable to accept goodwill with nothing in return, then you can consider an arrangement similar to what you currently have with Ouranos."

"What we have with Ouranos, you say?" Rei repeated. "Right now, in exchange for food and material we cannot procure ourselves, we give Fels parts of ourselves we would not miss such as feathers, claws or furs and we would investigate abnormalities within the Dungeon and report them when we find it."

"Then once we bring you all up on the surface, we can hold a similar arrangement," Lancer continued. "The young ones have their own dreams and motives for exploring the Dungeon and eventually, Hestia Familia will welcome newcomers with their own dreams. As our current generation cannot watch over them forever, I would ask that you all watch over them in our place."

No one knew how monsters aged after all. Not even Ganesha Familia could simply keep a monster simply for the sake of seeing how long it took until it died of old age. That being said, it wasn't as if the Xenos had any concept of "time" within the Dungeon aside from the light crystals on the Eighteenth Floor either.

Considering that the One-Eyed Black Dragon has been around for over a thousand years, monsters might simply be eternal like the gods and goddesses above until they were slain and returned to the Dungeon to be born anew.

"I think it might be a bit early to talk about bringing more of the Xenos to the surface though," Rider suddenly chimed in, causing all eyes to fall on her. "We still have a lot of problems to work out first."

"Such as?" Lido asked.

"Such as dealing with the people hunting and selling you all of course," Rider said. "Right now, despite our Familia Captain all but spelling out Fia's true existence, we haven't been attacked by the ones who kidnapped her in the first place in an attempt to reclaim her. Either they decided to wash their hands over a single harpy or they do not believe the trouble to be worth it. However…"

"If you bring a bunch of us up at once they might decide it to be worth the risk," Lido finished for her with an understanding nod.

"Exactly. Until that matter is resolved, I cannot agree to taking any more of you in. It would put the children at too much risk. They cannot fight against the monsters on these levels alone. And from what I can tell, you all are all stronger than them right now. How can they survive against enemies you yourself have trouble against?"

Rider's point was made clear to all. Emma and Primo looked a bit ashamed at their own weakness while a few of the Xenos in the audience seemed to let out a sigh of hopelessness.

"Have you had any leads to your attackers?" Bell asked, trying to find any clues.

"It'd be easier if we knew if they were all working for the same group," Lido admitted as he scratched his scaly head. "But as it is, we can't really tell if the ones attacking us are from that group or just people attacking us because we're monsters."

That…was true.

Bell's eyes fell onto one of the Xenos, a unicorn that was locking eyes with Primo.

If anyone had heard that a unicorn had been found on a floor, dozens, maybe hundreds, of Adventurers would swarm it in hopes of finding it for a chance to claim its horn, known for mystical purifying properties. As an example, if made into a goblet, the cup would then clean up any filth in the water poured into it, even poisons.

"I mean, even Gryuu said he saw some blonde, golden-eyed swordswoman eye him like he was just something to be killed without a second thought when he was lounging around the twenty-fourth floor."

Lido pointed to the green dragon in the audience. Said dragon seemed to shiver at the memory.

It must have been a First-Class Adventurer if they thought they could take on a green dragon on their own. They were ranked Level 4 by the Guild after all and considering the Xenos ate Magic Stones of other monsters to grow, the dragon would probably be around Level 5 as well.

Wait…blonde golden-eyed swordswoman?

"Twenty-fourth floor…" Gina muttered rather darkly.

"Yeah, there was a massive amount of monsters there for a bit cuz someone blocked the way to the Pantry there. We told Fels about it and I guess Ouranos sent people to get rid of it cuz they were gone a few days later."

Gina's hands balled her hands into fists as she bit her lower lip. Before she could say anything however, Welf simply placed a hand on her head and gently rustled her hair. She glanced over at the Smith but his eyes were firmly locked on the Xenos in front of them.

"But…as I thought," Rei began as she looked from Bell to Lancer. "You people are rather strange to want to help us like this."

"Strange…huh," Bell repeated with a wry smile. "I…I've been told by my…by the people I look up to to always follow my heart. So right now, no matter what it takes, I want to do what it takes to get you all to trust me."

Bell's eyes turned to Gros as he said that, but the gargoyle simply scoffed and glared back at him.

From what he could see, it seemed that they might have won Rei over by saving Fia but Gros was adamant in his distrust. Fia said that Gros was the leader of the minority of Xenos that didn't trust and even hated the mortal races that lived on the surface…not that Bell would blame him considering they must have been attacked by humans for their entire lives. Lido seemed to be the moderating presence in the middle. So he needed to get both Lido and Gros to change their minds and open up to them if he wanted to get them to let him help them.

Once they did, it would be easier to get Caster on board to since he was always saying that there was no point in helping people who did not ask or wish for it.

"Hmm…"

Lido crossed his arms and fell into deep thought.

"I'll be honest Bellucchi," he finally said. "Once Fia's group got caught we were about to give up on humans and go on our own way."

When Lido said that, Fia's eyes opened wide as she turned toward the Xenos leader.

"But that Fels begged us for one more chance. They said they had a plan to try and rescue who they could."

"…But we only found Fia in that warehouse…" Bell said softly and Lido nodded his head slowly in response.

The lizardman then glanced over and met Fia's eyes, causing the harpy's gaze to drop toward the floor, telling him all he needed to know.

Most likely, Fia was the only one that made it to Melen. The others most likely died before they even made it that far.

It also explained why Hestia Familia managed to get permission from the Guild for their vacation. Ouranos had always planned on asking them to rescue Fia, betting on the Heroic Spirits to help secure the future.

"Yeah, then we got word from Fels that you guys rescued and took in Fia and we saw through this magic item Fels got that she was living up there with you."

"…A magic item that can let you see faraway places?" Bell repeated in surprise.

Was that why Fels was using that owl?

"I…umm…" Fia began, no doubt realizing that they might have seen her lazing around on the grass doing pretty much nothing but sunbathing alongside Berserker.

"It's fine," Rei said, covering a laugh with her wing. "I would have done the same in your position…and you already helped by calling these surface dwellers down here to meet with us."

"Well, it was more than what we expected from a bird-brain like you anyway," Lido added with a laugh causing Fia to screech angrily while Gros simply shook his head in exasperation.

"We seem to have gotten off topic," Lancer said softly, drawing the conversation back. "The heart of the matter is that we of Hestia Familia wish to help you all live on the surface as we have done with Fia and take you into our manor. If you do not wish for that we can try to find someway to let you live freely outside the city walls but that will not be an easy life."

"But, we can't help you if you don't ask for it," Bell said, lowering his head to the ground. The action caused several of his friends, as well as several of the Xenos to cry out in surprise. "So please…let us…let me help you!"

A long silence filled the room as Bell kept his forehead pressed on the ground. If he had to beg for them to let him help then he will. They deserved a better life than this. A life where they can't do something as simple as feel the warmth of the sun was something Bell couldn't imagine.

But as the silence drew on, Bell felt the temptation to glance up at the three leaders to try and gauge their reaction. But before he could…

"Is living outside really that great?"

It was a voice from behind him.

"Jack?"

Bell turned to look behind him to see his smallest Servant tilting her head to the side.

"The Dungeon is your mommy isn't it?" Assassin continued, talking for far longer than Bell had ever heard her done so before. "Why do you want to leave her? We know it's not safe or friendly but the outside isn't that much better. You have food growing in places that you know and it will always be there. Outside, you can't get food easily and even if you try eating food other people throw away, someone still gets mad and shouts and hits you for it."

"Jack…"

No doubt memories of her life as an orphan on the streets were springing up and she could not understand why someone without any outside support would still want to leave and suffer such things.

Gros simply let out a dry laugh as he turned to Lido and Rei.

"See? Even that one admits the truth about the surface dwellers," Gros said with a sneer.

"Gros…" Lido said with a sigh before turning back to Assassin. "Putting that aside…Girlie…I get that you probably had just a tough of a time up there as bad or even worst than what you can experience down here, but…all of us, not just me or Fia, want to go out into the surface. I even have dreams of it. Dreams about a ball of red light sinking behind a massive pile of rocks…a sky that can't be found here, burning red, so red and beautiful it makes me tear up. Getting redder and redder as time goes by…I want to see it with my own eyes…"

"…"

Whether she didn't have anything to say to that or didn't know if she should say something to that, Bell wasn't sure but Assassin remained silent at Lido's words.

Bell could see it as some sort of twisted reflection between Assassin's wants and the Xenos's wants. Assassin had hated the outside world and instead wanted to return to her "mother," whatever that meant, and escape the cold of world while the Xenos wanted to break out and leave their mother behind to see the world.

Still, from the sound of things, it would seem that Lido was seeing a sunset in his dreams. It reminded Bell of what Ouranos had believed, according to Hestia. That just as how the Deusdea handled the cycle of reincarnation and beyond for mortals, the Dungeon did the same for the Xenos and monsters.

"Then why are you hesitating?" Lancer asked. "We of Hestia Familia wish to help you. All of our members know the truth and we are in a position to bring you all up to the surface in time."

A dry chuckle came from one of the Xenos in the audience, the large green dragon.

Lancer turned toward the dragon with a slight flush on her face.

"W-well…it will be a challenge to be sure, but I do not believe it impossible."

"…Can he even fit through Babel's entrance?" Lily unhelpfully asked under her breath.

"Might be bit of a squeeze and might knock out a few bricks and stones but it should be fine," Gina chimed in. "They're wide enough for carts for larger Familia Expeditions after all. Has to be cleared out before hand though."

"You're okay with this, Gina?" Primo asked. "I mean…I wanna help Fia too but…"

"A bit late to be worrying about that now," Gina replied.

"But he won't fit in the backyard!"

"Girls," Rider cut in as she scooted over and placed a hand on both their heads. "Stop talking about Mr Green Dragon as if he's a pet you picked up."

It was a nonsensical conversation, but it made several of the surrounding Xenos chuckle, the green dragon included.

Lido glanced at the two girls as they talked with something that might have been a wry smile on his face. In contrast, Rei's more human-like face was openly smiling at the girls' conversation. Gros however, simply shut his eyes in annoyance.

"Hasn't this line of questioning gone for long enough?" Rei asked, throwing a glance toward Gros and Lido. "Them rescuing Fia is enough for me to trust them."

"Feh, do whatever you want," Gros scoffed. "I will thank you for saving one of us, but I'm not holding my breath. You'll put yourselves before us after all."

"Oh my, isn't that natural?" Rider asked before Bell could even think about denying it. "If it becomes clear that the danger that comes along with helping you exceeds what we consider safe limits, we will cut you off to protect the children. Would you not do the same to protect yourselves?"

"That bar will be very high to clear however," Lancer said, turning her head toward Rider, meeting the woman's eyes. Both Servants seem to stare each other down as they held to their different opinions.

Both of them had the Familia's best interests at heart. Lancer wanted to help the Xenos for her own reasons while Rider was doing so because Bell and Fia wanted it. But while Rider was prepared to cut her losses if needed, Lancer was not.

Bell could already feel that this was how the Familia will be split in the future.

"Arrogant, all of you," Gros spat. "We do not know you, let alone trust you, and you want us to accept your help? Especially when your kind has come with such empty words before."

"Their words are not empty, Gros," Rei cut in. "Fels said that they would save Fia from our enemies and they did. Fels said that they would bring Fia back to us to show that she is there on her own will, and they have. Fels has been good on his word…and so have they. Fels chose to bet their life on these people and they came through without knowing a single thing about us before.

"If you wanna do so, go right on ahead. But I will not."

Gros was refusing to let go of his distrust of humans no matter what Rei said. The siren simply narrowed her eyes at the gargoyle before they both turned to Lido to hear what he had to say.

Lido didn't speak at first. He seemed to be mulling over something in his head. All eyes were on the Xenos leader as he finally opened his mouth to speak.

"Girlie…" Lido began, referring to Assassin. "If you find living on the surface so painful, how do you do it? If it hurts so much, why do you keep on doing so?"

"Because we have Mommy," Assassin replied, plopping herself beside Bell and giving him a big hug. "Mommy is there for us. Mommy gives us a warm place to live. And now they want to do the same for you."

"…Your goddess must be someone special," Lido muttered.

"Yes, she is," Bell quickly said, placing a hand on Assassin's confused head before she could correct the lizardman's assumption. Not that he was wrong. Hestia was indeed someone irreplaceable to Bell.

Lido turned his head toward Rei and the two of them shared a nod before they both turned to Gros. Gros's draconian features seemed to turn even sharper for a moment as he shook his head with a resigned sigh.

"Then…for now, we'll accept your help," Lido finally said, prompting all the tension to seep out of Bell's body.

"Yes! Thank you very much!"

"…That's our line, Belluchi."

At those words, the surrounding Xenos let out a cheer, causing the girls to jump in surprise. Several harpies with different colored feathers than Fia landed down beside her to welcome her back while others ran over toward Bell, who quickly found himself being greeted and thanked by several Xenos that could speak, and even more that couldn't. The others were also being crowded around as the Xenos closed in to get a better look at them.

"…Umm, don't take this the wrong way, but can not all of you talk?" Emma asked as she shook hands with a goblin wearing a red cap.

"No Madame," the goblin replied. "Some of us can and others can't. Lido thinks it's because some of us 'remember' it better."

"…Is this like that reincarnation theory Lady Hestia was talking about?"

"It does seem to be the case," Lancer replied. "If mortals are the children of the gods and the gods are the ones that handle their souls after death, then as the children of the Dungeon, it should stand to reason that the Dungeon handles their souls."

"Monsters have souls…" Emma muttered. "It seems obvious now that when you say it out loud."

"Is it, really?" Karen asked. "It wasn't as though they operate the same way as humans or elves. It's not as if we have something like a Magic Stone within our bodies."

"Wait, wait, wait, does that mean we're powering our lights with monster souls?" Welf asked quickly.

"I…do not believe that to be the case," Lancer said quickly. "I believe that the Magic Stone is something that allows a monster…or Xenos…to take form within the world, not unlike a Servant's Spiritual Foundation."

"Yeah, I have no idea what that is."

"…Yes…perhaps it would be best if we make such things clearer…" Lancer muttered before adding, "When we are back in the privacy of the Home."

"Hii!"

On the other side of the room, the kiddie trio found themselves being stared at by one of the Xenos, the unicorn.

Aside from looking over at them as if appraising them it wasn't really doing anything to the girls yet the three of them were completely frozen with Gina and Assassin pushing Primo to the front so the shorter girls could hide behind her.

Primo, being used as a shield, was unable to shrink away herself as the unicorn walked closer, causing her to squeak in surprise. It seemed rather interested in the elf girl in front of it but didn't seem to care too much about Assassin or Gina.

Unicorn, regular ones anyway, were creatures that valued purity above all else and only let pure maidens near them while reacting violently toward men. They were also extremely free-spirited creatures whose horns were extremely valuable. There are very few in captivity on the surface as they were known to kill themselves rather than allow themselves to be captured.

Bell had heard stories from his grandfather that some of the high elf royalty kept unicorns as trusted steeds but he didn't know how true those stories were. Maybe he could ask Lefiya about it as he couldn't really ask Nine Hells personally.

Now the unicorn was right in front of Primo's face as both Gina and Assassin quickly backed away. Assassin in particularly looked as if she wanted to just disappear, as if she thought she was unworthy to be in the presence of a pure white being like a unicorn.

Of course, that meant Primo was now stuck like a deer before a cart accident.

The unicorn, completely unaware or uncaring of Primo's thoughts eventually planted itself right in front of her, looking almost expectantly at her. Primo glanced around for a moment as if looking for someone to help her or for someone to tell her what to do but she couldn't find anyone else to help. Then, as if afraid that one of them would catch on fire for her actions, she slowly reached her hand toward the Xenos's mane.

It was slow going but the tips of her fingers eventually brushed against the white hairs of the unicorn before they quickly snapped back in fear. But the unicorn didn't get angry or anything like that. It actually gave her a look of disappointment as if asking her "is that it?"

Seeing that, Primo stretched her hands out once more and this time, properly ran her hand across the unicorn's mane. Her eyes widened like saucers at what she was doing but the unicorn simply closed its eyes in satisfaction.

"My, how cute," Rider said with Lancer nodding her head in agreement from beside Bell.

"Couldn't one of you have given her a hand?" Bell asked toward to Lancer to look at him with a slight flush on her cheeks.

"Master…I am afraid I am not someone that can call herself a 'maiden' anymore…" Lancer said bashfully as Rider held a hand to her cheek while also blushing slightly.

Bell blinked once. Then twice. By the fifth blink, the puzzle finally solved itself in his head, causing him to blush furiously and attempt to stammer out an apology.

Of course the married women would be unable to help Primo.

Once the round of introductions finished around Bell, the Xenos gave him some room for Rei to pull him away with Welf and Lancer following close.

"Allow me to thank you again for saving Fia's life," Rei said as Lido began directing the Xenos to pull out food and drink for a party to celebrate their first meeting.

"No…we didn't even know who we were helping out when we accepted," Bell replied. "If we had been told what she was beforehand…I think most of us would have voted to ignore it."

"Nah, I'd bet you'd have wanted to save her anyway," Welf said, smacking Bell's back with a laugh. "At most, you'd probably hesitate because it might have been a trap to lure Rider and co out."

"He is correct, Master," Lancer wholeheartedly agreed with Welf's assessment of Bell's character. "You're nature would not let anyone suffer as Fia did for long."

Bell looked down at his hands, unable to keep a smile from forming on his face in embarrassment.

Rei covered her mouth with her wing as a laugh escaped her lips. She turned to the side to watch Fia help with the other Xenos with the party preparations before turning back to Bell.

"Fels has told us what you are planning but I do not quite understand the scale involved," Rei admitted. "I understand that ten million is a lot but we do not have a concept of valis here, as you might expect, so…"

Both Bell and Welf nodded their heads before the latter turned toward Lido…or rather, the swords he was carrying.

"To put into perspective…" Welf began. "You could make two hundred of those swords Lido are using and still have have money to spare. Or even a thousand of those casks your friends are breaking open. Then again…your unicorn friend's horn would easily match that price on its own."

Rei placed one of the folds of her wing against her forehead with a frown.

"As I expected, I do not understand this concept at all," Rei sighed. "Fels did say that parts of us were valuable but I do not understand how their worth can vary so much or be worth more than food."

"Well that's mainly because we can make some crazy stuff out of your…uh…parts," Welf explained. "Like if I made a sword out of your friend's horn, it could dispel any poison on contact. Make it into a cup and any water you put in there will be purified of dirt and stuff."

"That explains why Fels always wanted them," Rei muttered to herself.

"Yes."

The four of them turned to see a willowy shadow moving toward them.

"Fels," Rei greeted the newcomer amicably.

"I take it things have gone well then?" Fels asked.

"Yes. We have decided to trust them…for the time being."

"And Gros?"

"He'll come around…as long as Hestia Familia can earn it."

"We will," Bell replied before turning to Fels and dropped down into a bow. "Thank you for giving us the chance."

"It was a great risk, I will admit," Fels replied before turning to Lancer. "But considering who you are, we felt that the risks would pay off."

He then gestured for Bell to raise his head before folding his arms behind him.

"Allow me to properly introduce myself," Fels said. "I am Fels. I act as a liaison between Ouranos and the Xenos…a messenger, if you will. I also take on odd jobs as necessary."

"O-odd jobs?"

"Yes, that's right…such as contacting Adventurers for Quests, like yourselves."

Fels turned their hooded head toward Gina, who was with Rider helping pass out food for the others to eat with the Xenos.

"Are you a Xenos yourself?"

"They are not," Rei replied. "They are a surface dweller, a person, just like yourselves."

"…Formerly a person would be more accurate," they said, glancing at Lancer once more.

"…Are you…"

"Not quite. It would be faster to show you."

Fels then proceeded to remove their hood.

The eyes that were supposed to be there didn't exist—just two pitch-black cavities, empty eye sockets. The skin they expected to see was also missing. Perfectly aligned teeth protruded from the exposed jawbone.

A pale white skull of death stared back at the Adventurers.

"…Immortality?" Lancer asked.

"Correct…or perhaps it would be better to say something as close as possible to that short of being one of the duesdea."

"The Philosopher's Stone and…the Elixir of Life then?"

"You are…quite well informed."

"Then are you mayhaps…?"

"I am Fels, a follower of Ouranos, nothing more, nothing less."

"…I understand. Excuse me for overstepping."

"But…you are the Sage then, right?" Bell asked, eyes wide open.

The Sage had been a one of, if not the most well known mage of legend. With the Development Skill Mystery, they had created the Philosopher's Stone and with it, created the Elixir of Life. But when they had brought it before their god, the god took it and smashed it on the ground.

That meant Fels was a being on the same level as a Heroic Spirit but had not quite died yet.

"It would be more accurate to say that I am what became of the one once called the Sage."

The Sage shocked the adventurers further, explaining with a shade of self-deprecation.

"As my story will be handed down to future generations…and as it is told even today, I came to loathe the deity who destroyed my precious stone. I became more driven than ever before in my pursuit to acquire more knowledge, to unlock the secrets of immortality…and became what you see now."

The skeleton recounted the traumatic experience with that god while running black gloves up and down the robe that hid the rest of their body.

"My methods took their toll, causing my skin and flesh to rot off my bones. Now I have become something more revolting than a monster. I've forgotten the sensation of hunger and thirst…I am no more than a living ghost."

"You would not be the only one in this city," Lancer said with a soft smile as Fels chuckled rather mockingly at themselves.

"I believe I may have preferred your method over mine."

"You may find that to be rather…painful."

"Yes well, I would find it rather nostalgic to feel pain again, I believe."

It looked as though they were hitting it off.

"Hey Bell!"

Emma was walking over toward them with a mug and bowl in her hand.

"Rider started heating up the water," She said. "Looks like we're going to be eating-"

Her voice trailed off as she laid eyes on Fel's face. Or rather, their lack of one.

"Skeleton!"

She let out a loud shriek as the mug and bowl flew from her hands as she fell back on her butt

"…I believe I do not have much meat for a proper meal, young lady," Fels said rather dryly as Welf bit his finger to keep from laughing at her.

"I…uh…huh?"

Emma's eyes bounced back and forth from the amused expressions on Rei and Welf, to Fels as they pulled their hood back over their head, and to Bell.

"It'll take some time to explain," Bell said as held his hand out to pull her back up to her feet.

X-x-X-x-X

Back in Orario, sitting in a private room of a bar, Caster opened his eyes as if having woken up from a nap.

There was a bottle of alcohol, left untouched, in front of him. He had ordered it as a condition to stay in the premises but he was not about to let such swill enter his lips. Not that he had expected anything from a common bar in the city.

Outside the window, the red sunlight was currently draping itself over the city now as several Adventurers were making their way out of Babel Tower.

By now, the Party should have reached their destination and are discussing things with those monsters with human intellect. Even now, Caster held nothing more than a passing interest in them but it was nowhere near enough for him to do actively do anything about it. He was content to let them run around. It was supposed to be the perfect bait to lure the rats out of hiding but they never took it.

Stepping into the rat's nest was supposed to be a last resort, but it would seem that that would be the next course of action after all.

"I suppose I will have to move the timetable up then."

With that he nodded to himself in satisfaction before his eyes turned toward the room's door. The moment he did, the door was thrown open and a goddess came walking in without a care in the world.

"Hi~ so this is where you were hiding," The Goddess Ninsun greeted him with a smile.

"This is a private room for a reason," Caster said but wasted no further effort to drive the goddess out.

"Oh? Then were you thinking of something complicated?" Ninsun asked as she sat down across from Caster and pointed toward the wine on the table.

"One might say that," Caster replied, waving his hand to the side, allowing Ninsun to open the bottle and pour herself a glass. "A goddess has propositioned me with a letter."

"Oho…well, that's not a surprise," Ninsun said. "You are a handsome man leading a powerful Familia. If they aren't trying to get you to Convert, then they'll probably want a fling and a memory."

Caster's eye twitched at the last part but otherwise made no show of just what he thought of such a thing.

"So? Who's the willing lady?"

Caster made a point to wait until Ninsun's wine glass was empty and firmly back on the table before he answered.

"Ishtar."

Ninsun's body froze up as if she had been encased in a block of ice, even as the smile never left her face. Then, Ninsun slowly averted her eyes with a rather uncomfortable look on her face.

"Your silence and expression speaks volumes on what you think about that," Caster said, finding some amusement in this situation.

"Yes, well…" Ninsun began, looking for the right words to say about here fellow Goddess. "Umm…are you planning on accepting?"

"Accept the direct invitation from the so-called 'Queen of the Pleasure District?'" Caster asked. "Where I would have the chance to lay with any number of whores of my choosing as well as a Goddess of Love and Beauty herself?"

"Okay, when you put it like that, I know it sounds tempting for you Children but you need to understand that nothing good comes with dealing with Ishtar. Then again…it's not like she handles rejection very well either…"

"Of that I am aware," Caster said, unable to keep the smile from creeping onto his face. "Which is why I rejected her completely and utterly via courier of the highest order. If I am lucky, the messenger will be shot as well."

"Look, I know Hermes is a bit of an ass, but that's no reason to send him to his death," Ninsun said seriously, completely understanding what Caster was saying. "How did you reject her anyway?"

"I wrote out a rather…extensive list of her faults and failures," Caster replied, enjoying the growing horror on Ninsun's face. "Before capping it by saying if I were the type to lay with a goddess, I would not settle for a second rate one like her."

"Please tell me you didn't say who is 'first' then?"

"But of course. Goddess Freya."

SLAM

Ninsun's head slammed against the table with a splendid sound, sending the bottle and glass flying into the air. Caster nimbly caught them before they shattered on the ground.

"You are overreacting, Goddess Ninsun," Caster said before the goddess lunged at him with shaking hands gripping onto his vest.

"Do you know what you've done?" Ninsun asked, shaking his vest back and forth as she was nowhere near strong enough to actually shake his body. "Ishtar Familia is on a completely different level compared to the old Apollo Familia. She'll aim to crush you for that rejection!"

"All the better," Caster said, placing his hands on the goddess's and carefully removed her from his vest. "It is a bothersome thing but so long as she is restrained by the rules of Orario, I shall play by the same rules. Thus, I…Hestia Familia must hold the appearance of 'simply defending ourselves.'"

Ninsun shook her head for a moment before bringing her fingers up to massage her forehead.

"…Can I at least know why you are going so far to antagonize one of the strongest Familia in Orario?"

"Because it amuses me."

Ninsun buried her face into her hands as Caster let out a booming laugh.

"Fear not, my actions will be an overall net positive for Orario," Caster said as he sat back down in his seat. "I will not destroy Hestia Familia's relationship with the Guild on a whim."

He was enjoying seeing how the boy and his collection of friends make their mark on the city. He wouldn't do anything to purposely destroy it if he didn't have to.

Who knows, perhaps there will be a part for him to play in this as well.

Caster turned his gaze back out the window toward the Pleasure Quarter and counted down the days until its total destruction.

X-x-X-x-X

"I'm so tired…" Gina groaned as the Party climbed the stairs back to the Eighteenth Floor.

"Me too…" Primo agreed, using her staff as a walking stick.

Once the party had wound down, Fels had made a suggestion.

As Hestia Familia were to spend the next few days completing their "official" objective for the Expedition, the Xenos would send one or two members to help them complete it, in the name of building trust between the two factions.

Several Xenos immediately volunteered and were shot down just as quickly. Several Xenos were deemed impossible, including a lamia named Laura. Fels had said that since their species didn't spawn until much deeper in the Dungeon, she and the others could not join as it would bring into question just how Hestia Familia came across one when they hadn't officially gone past the Eighteenth Floor yet.

The discussion went on for a little while but it was decided for Rei and Arles, an al-miraj, to join them for the next two days. The red-eyed white rabbit jumped for joy before leaping into Bell's arms, earning the poor boy several jokes of rabbits frolicking together by Welf and Lily.

"So will it just be the Level 2s and up going on the true expedition?" Emma asked Bell. "Primo and I will probably just get in your way…"

"And not me?" Karen asked.

"Your Skills let you keep up…"

"And yours would let you do more than that," Welf said, smacking Emma on the back. "It was only touch and go because we were the only ones on that Floor. Tomorrow, we'll be going down with a whole bunch of other Adventurers so it won't be as crazy."

"Besides, we started this together, so we're going to finish this together," Bell added with a smile.

"Welf…Bell…"

As the humans chatted at the front of the group, Gina fell back to the middle with Primo where a certain member of the Familia was walking.

"So you're okay with this, Fia?" Primo asked the harpy Xenos. "Coming with us instead of staying with your friends."

"Yes," Fia replied. "I talked it over with Rei and the others. I'll be continuing to live with you all and help you from up there."

"And because the Captain would not be happy to see ten million valis disappear," Gina added with a smile.

"I'm too bird-brained to understand what that means," Fia chirped, spinning around in place as she hurried away from a dumbfounded amazon.

"W-wait, you can't just say that lame joke and run!" Gina shouted as she chased after her. "And put your cloak back on!"

"Ehhh, but it's stuffy."

"If I have to wear one then you do too!"

Behind them, Primo simply shook her head with a sigh.

The group reached the top of the stairs and were now faced with another choice.

"All right, so do we head into Rivira or camp out in the woods?" Bell asked. "Do you have any preference, Karen?"

"I am used to camping out," the former noble replied. "But considering this is the Dungeon, I believe it would be safer to try and find an inn in the town."

"I agree!" Emma quickly chimed in while raising her hand. "I just want to sleep under a roof after today."

"Technically we're underground," Welf began and let out a laugh when Emma elbowed him in the side.

"Inn it is then?" Bell asked the rest and they all nodded in agreement. "I wonder if we can find one that would let us openly keep Fia in…"

"Lily has a suggestion," their Supporter said with a smile.

X-x-X-x-X

The Party made their way toward the town. As they drew close, a large arch came into view with the words "HELLO FRIENDS, WELCOME TO RIVIRA!" written in the common language of Koine across the top of the gate.

The town had two entrances, one at the north and one at the south and the rest was surrounded by large walls meant to keep the monsters out. As the town was built on top of a lake against a tall cliffside, it also boasted several natural defenses on its own.

"Asfi said that this place used to be a Guild base but they gave up maintaining it cuz it costed too much," Gina explained for the others' sake. "So Adventurers took over once they left…oh it was the three hundred and thirty-fourth incarnation after all."

Gina pointed toward a small sign hanging off the archway, which simply had a number written on it.

"…They really rebuild it every time it gets destroyed?" Karen asked in disbelief.

"Adventurers are nothing if not stubborn after all! Wah hah hah!"

Once they entered the town proper, they got a better look at the…buildings for lack of a better word. They were nothing more than shacks made out of scraps of wood and large tents with signs on them. A few of them were built into large cracks in the walls of stone and tunnel entrances. There were also a great deal of tents and vendors that lined the town's streets not unlike the city above. Several happy and drunk voices echoed from inside several buildings that were most likely bars or inns.

Hestia Familia attracted a lot of attention as they made their way through the town.

Bell wasn't sure if it was because their fame of the War Game still hadn't worn off yet or it was because their Party was filled with mostly women. Then again, he spotted several amazons and other female Adventurers walking about as well.

Or maybe it was the harpy walking in the middle of the group?

Nevertheless, they ignored the shopkeepers calling out to them and followed Lily until they reached an inn built into the cliffside within a natural cave.

Gina had said that the inns in the town were basically highway robbery but the price the inn Lily had chosen was comparable to one on the surface…and not because it was some cheap rundown place either.

Liger-fang fur rugs on the floor, magic-stone chandeliers, and rooms complete with beds, everything looked to be in great shape. Considering the other options, this place was definitely one of the higher-quality inns in Rivira.

"All right, I give up," Welf said as he ran his hand on one of the rugs. "What's wrong with this place that it's like half the price of the ones we walked passed?"

The cat person owner sitting behind the receptionist desk winced at Welf's question but seemed hesitant to answer.

"Lord Caster said that there had been a headless corpse of an Adventurer found in here a few months back," Lily replied, causing the owner to wince. "Lily suspects that people believe that a ghost might pop out or something."

"Ghosts…huh?" Emma repeated as she and the others slowly turned their heads toward Rider, Lancer and Assassin.

"My, if even ghosts come here to rest then it must be very comfortable indeed," Rider said with a smile, ignoring everyone's gazes.

"Headless…oh!" Gina spoke up as she realized something. "I remember! There was this big stir because one of Ganesha Familia's elites died. I think his name was Hashana Dorlia."

"…Hashana?" Bell repeated as a memory rose up from the depths of his head.

"Did you know him, Bell?" Emma asked.

"I…think he was the first person to welcome me to Orario…" Bell replied. "When I first came here to be an Adventurer…"

The man had asked Bell why he came to Orario and the extra young and extra naïve Bell had blurted out his true feelings without thinking.

I wanted to have a special meeting in the Dungeon.

Hashana had laughed and said it was a good dream before sending Bell on his way.

And that good-natured man had been murdered in the Dungeon…it felt like a shock that someone he knew had died, even though Bell barely spoke to him.

"…Let's get settled in before it gets dark," Rider said quickly as she stepped forward to the owner. "Do you mind if we bring a harpy in as well? It's our specially Tamed Monster."

Thankfully, the owner, Willy, didn't mind at all as he was simply happy to actually have customers after so long that he came nearly close to tears. He even offered them drinks and snacks on the house.

Bell and Welf split off from the others and entered their shared room where they dropped off their bags in the corner. Welf then stretched his arms toward the ceiling before dropping himself down on the bed.

"Only Day 1 and I'm already dead tired…" the Smith groaned.

"At least we didn't have to fight the Floor Boss," Bell said with a chuckle as he began taking off his armor.

"Ugh…I hope the Dungeon doesn't send out another Black Goliath."

Bell wholeheartedly agreed.

Once Bell finished stripping off his armor and sat down on his own bed, Welf spoke up again.

"Hey Bell…"

"Yeah?"

"I've been thinking…"

"Of what?"

"Of how to raise several million valis in basically no time."

"Really?" Bell asked, excitedly as he turned toward Welf. "What is it?"

At Bell's words, Welf sat up with an incredulous look on his face.

"You really don't connect me to what everyone else in the world does, do you?" He asked as the incredulous look slowly changed to one of appreciation.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Bell asked, not understanding at all.

Welf simply glanced over to the corner of the room and Bell followed his gaze…toward Welf's Magic Sword.

"…Ooooooooohhhh."

Right, that was obvious. A Crozzo Magic Sword would easily sell for millions without Welf even trying.

"I didn't forget," Bell said. "I just…didn't think of asking you to."

Welf had made it clear to everyone in the Familia that he didn't like making Magic Swords. It was only recently that he even considered making them to help protect the people he cared about. But this was going beyond just protecting the people he cared about. It was making things he absolutely detested and breaking his own code in making a weapon that would eventually shatter and leave their wielder and partner alone.

"Yeah, and thanks for that," Welf said honestly. "It's just…if one of these things can bring one or two of Fia's friends up to the surface…doesn't that seem like it'll be worth it?"

Bell shook his head.

"I can't answer that for you," he said as Welf frowned but nodded in agreement.

"…I…don't want to put my pride over the lives of Fia's friends…" Welf said. "I used to hate making these things but…if I can use them to save those guys…maybe I can grow to like them a bit more."

"You already don't mind making them for us, right?" Bell asked. "I thought you'd come to terms with that."

"Yeah since it'll keep you guys safe. The problem is that I'd have to sell them to other people. It's like selling them an oven that'll just break after a few uses. Feels like a damn scam…and that's only the tip of how I feel about it."

Bell could understand that.

Welf was a true craftsman and smith through and through. The fact that Magic Swords shattered without fail was the reason he hated them so much. Welf's personal Magic Sword wouldn't break as easily due to being more of a focus for his innate magic but something like that would be useless for most people who bought Magic Swords because they didn't have any magic to begin with.

"…Did you get an idea?" Welf asked but Bell shook his head.

"I was thinking maybe you could try making more swords like Kazuki but…I'd hate for it to wind up in Evils's hands."

"Yeah, that's why it never crossed my mind."

Looks like both of them decided it was too risky to let such a powerful weapon out into the markets.

"Maybe if you sold them to the more powerful Familias like Loki or Freya?" Bell suggested. "Familias that are strong enough to fight them?"

"I dunno. Both of them have a lot of elves in their Familia don't they? I already got chewed out by that blonde elf for being a Crozzo before."

"Umm…which one?"

"That one that was at Melen. Not Thousand Elf."

"Ah, I think Primo called her Alicia Forestlight."

"Yeah her. And two of Freya's elites are Level 6 elves. I don't wanna get on their bad sides even with seven powerful shields between me and them."

Welf let out a long sigh as he furiously scratched the sides of his head in frustration.

"Let's put the idea of selling Magic Swords aside for now," Bell decided. "It's not like we can bring up any more until those people are dealt with."

"Yeah, more time for me to think," Welf agreed. "I'll talk to Archer and Rider about it…maybe Caster if he cares."

Bell believed he probably would care since it was another possible source of income…or headaches if done improperly.

"All right, enough thinking for one day," Welf decided as he flopped back on the bed. "I'm gonna take a nap. Wake me up when food's ready."

Bell simply chuckled as he stood up instead. He wanted to go find Karen and talk to her a bit more and see how she was handling one world shattering revelation after another.

As Bell stepped out of the inn, he heard the sounds of metal on metal and followed it.

Within a fenced off clearing that seemed like it was the inn's yard were Emma, Karen and Assassin. The latter two were sparring while the former was sitting on a rock, watching them.

Both of Karen's skills seemed to be active as her rapier pierced through the air like a scorpion's tail but Assassin easily weaved around the blade, occasionally batting it away with one of her knives.

She was fast, way faster than any other Level 1 Bell knew…well except for himself, back in the day. She might even beat the Level 2 Gina or even Welf in an one-on-one.

Assassin was the first to notice Bell as her expression brightened considerably for a moment before going serious again to focus on the spar.

Emma noticed him next and greeted him with a wave as he walked up beside her.

"What brought this on?" Bell asked.

"Karen wanted to practice something and Jack was bored," Emma replied with a giggle. "I think she misses Arles already."

Indeed, Assassin had basically cuddled with the al-miraj Xenos, burying her face into the latter's fur with the most content smile Bell had ever seen. Arles, for her part, seemed to enjoy the attention she was receiving and looked at Bell as if asking if he had wanted to join in as well.

Bell had refused. A bit too quickly to be polite if he had to admit.

"Ah."

Karen let out a gasp as Assassin disappeared right in front of her…no, she jumped into the air as Karen lunged forward. The smaller girl then landed right on the taller girl's shoulders with the handles of her blades pressed on Karen's neck.

"Bam! We win!" Assassin said cheerfully as a small sigh escaped from Karen's lips before she patted the girl's leg, telling her to get off.

Assassin complied before running straight to Bell and wrapping her arms around his waist in a big hug.

"Did you get what you wanted?" Bell asked Karen.

"Yes," Karen replied as she returned her blade to its scabbard and lowered her head in a quick bow. She then her gaze to Assassin who looked back up at her with wide eyes "She is rather fast…are the others as fast as her?"

"I think Lancer and Saber are faster," Bell admitted. "Much stronger too. Jack's strength isn't in a straight fight after all."

"Hmm…" Karen simply nodded in response, no doubt thinking of the moniker the little Heroic Spirit was given. She then turned back to Bell. "Was there something you needed or were you just walking around."

"I was actually looking for you to talk," Bell admitted. "Wanted to check in and see how you were doing. I think you basically had your world turned upside down five times in as many days."

"It's…" Karen began, one hand rubbing her forehead while the other remained on the pommel of her blade. "It's been a trial, I will admit."

"Do you regret it?" Emma asked. "Joining us and knowing all these things?"

"…I left home and became an Adventurer because I wanted an Adventure," Karen said with a much deeper sigh. "I suppose I got what I wanted."

"Yes…this certainly will be the Adventure of a lifetime," Emma admitted. "Speaking of which, you traveled all over with the Goddess Dia, right? Got any stories to share?"

"Nothing particularly interesting," Karen replied with a shrug. "All the 'interesting' Adventures happened before I joined up."

"Define, 'interesting,'" Bell asked.

"It's all hearsay but I heard that Captain Enciodes destroyed an entire kingdom on his own. Supposedly he just walked right into the capital and defeated its standing army and burned the castle to the ground."

Both Bell and Emma were staring at Karen, looking horrified at the news.

"…Why?" Assassin asked what the other two were thinking. "Were they bad guys?"

"I don't know," Karen admitted. "I heard from Encia and Anya…Enciodes's younger sisters that they used to be from that kingdom but their parents were killed and the three siblings were driven out. Dia found them and with those three, formed the Dia Familia. Enciodes joined on the condition that would one day return and ruin the kingdom. And so he did."

Bell and Emma shared a glance before Emma asked, "What was his Level again?"

"He's Level 5," Karen replied.

"Level 5…" Bell repeated.

It was notoriously hard to Level Up outside of Orario and the Dungeon. Hard, but not impossible.

The only reason the Dungeon was the easiest place to Level Up was due to the endless streams of monsters it gave brith to. The surface world had no such "convenient" places.

What it did have was a lot of people…many with a Blessing from one of the duesdea.

Not every god or goddess traveled to Orario to lead an Exploration Familia after all. Many traveled around like Dia Familia while others ruled their own countries like Area or Kali Familias. And others might have ran their Familias like mercenaries or even bandits…like the Familia who started the whole Behemoth Alter debacle.

Which led to the question of how one can Level Up on the surface.

If one couldn't kill monsters…then they just had to kill other Adventurers.

Kali Familia had rituals around such a thing and had created two Level 6 Adventurers in doing so. If you also looked a bit closer to home, Gina also Leveled Up due to taking part in the War Game against Apollo and as far as the rest of the world was concern, so did Bell.

"In fact, just a few months ago I heard that a Familia was taking part of a war between two countries to the southeast of Orario. One country hired them as mercenaries and they had a Level 4 with them as well. The other didn't have any Familias within their forces and were dominated every step of the way."

"So did the first country won then?" Bell asked.

"No, at the final battle there were rumors that an even stronger Familia came to the second countries' aid and completely destroyed the other army, Familia and all, with only eight fighters."

""…""

Both Bell and Emma were speechless.

"Well, according to Goddess Dia, such things happen all the time when Ares Familia…or rather Rakia comes and tries to siege Orario," Karen said with a shrug. "It's basically the point that a lot of people outside of Orario say that it isn't the Dungeon monsters that Orario's walls are keeping in. It's the Adventurers themselves."

Bell thought back to the Exhibition Match where Ottarl went toe to toe with the "mysterious assailant" before being stopped by Freya. Orario had several Adventurers that were Level 4 and above. If a single Level 4 was enough to destroy a country, then what about all the Level 5s and 6s? What about Ottarl himself?

Level 5 is when your achievements became so grand that they would basically be considered living modern day Heroes.

"Umm…Karen?" She began. "Did you…ever…you know?"

"…Before today I would have said 'No' with complete confidence," Karen replied with a frown.

"But now…?"

"But now I can't help but wonder…if one of the monsters I killed had actually been a Xenos, thinking it was just another random beast."

She fell silent at that and neither Bell nor Emma knew what to say.

"Does it matter?" Assassin asked. "If they were trying to kill you then it's okay to fight back, right? Even Rider says you have to hurt people to make sure they can't hurt you ever again."

Karen stared at Assassin for a moment before looking toward the other two for confirmation.

"…She…did say that, didn't she?" Bell admitted.

"Yeah…back before the War Game," Emma recalled, a hand moving up to rub the side of her head.

"…They do say Spirits are the Children closest to the gods for a reason I suppose," Karen muttered as she glanced back at the inn.

"Still…I don't think you need to worry about that," Bell said with a smile. "From what we heard, all the Xenos were born directly from the Dungeon itself, right? Most of the monsters on the surface are born from the monsters that live up there barring some extremes like the One-Eyed Black Dragon. So unless you fought an extremely old and aging monster I doubt you killed a Xenos."

"Unless there was one that escaped from one of the buyers of the people that are kidnapping and selling them…" Karen pointed out and Bell's mouth snapped shut.

"Even so, all the Xenos make a point to grow stronger by eating Magic Stones, right?" Emma said, coming to Bell's assistance. "If they were strong enough to escape from the conditions we heard about, then they'd be too strong for a Level 1 to beat right?"

Karen's brow furrowed slightly but she didn't say anything to refute that possibility. It probably wasn't enough to convince her entirely, but she did look a bit relieved all the same.

The crystal lights above them then started to dim, signaling that "nighttime" had fallen in the Dungeon as the scattered crystals littered across the Eighteenth Floor began glowing softly under the cover of darkness along with the camp and cooking fires within Rivira and the nearby forest.

"So that's how people tell time down here…" Emma muttered as she and Karen hurried back inside the inn.

Bell moved to follow only for a soft tug on his sleeve to stop him.

"What's wrong, Jack?" Bell asked.

"We'll be able to save them right?" She asked, looking up at him with her bright green eyes. "Save all of Fia's friends? No more will be lost, right?"

"…Yeah," Bell replied, planting a hand on her head, softly rustling her hair. "I promised after all."

And at the very least, Bell wanted to be a Hero who could keep said promises.