Chapter 56: Goddess's Love
Karen Morris's day started just before the crack of dawn.
Before becoming an Adventurer, she usually slept in whenever she had the chance (as much as a noble daughter could get away with sleeping in in any case), but after months of living with the Dia Familia, getting up early had become a habit, one that she kept after Converting to Hestia Familia.
From the small commotion outside, it was a habit shared by the majority of the Familia.
According to Gina (who happened to be part of the minority) smaller Familias always made the effort to get up early in order to spend as much time as possible making money in the Dungeon while larger and more prominent Familias could take their time.
She had heard that Bell Cranel, the Vice Captain and central pillar of the Familia, had been a simple farmer before heading to Orario in search of his dreams and adventure so he must have always gotten up early due to his old lifestyle. And thanks to the explosive growth of the Familia in the form of the Servants that did not need to regain their energy through sleep, there was no need for him to change his schedule.
"Well…I believe there is a saying from the gods," Karen muttered as she removed her sleepwear and changed into her day clothes. "'The early bird gets the worm' or some nonsense like that."
She figured that it meant that those who got to work earlier would be able to accomplish things and was not meant to be taken literally, no matter what Lady Dia insisted.
Having finished dressing, she headed out of her room and out into the back yard.
Her room was in one of the detached houses of the Familia. It was a bit lonely as Rider was her only neighbor, but she spent most of her time in the kitchen or doing other chores around the Home as Servants had no need for sleep.
But the feeling of having her own permanent room, one that she didn't have to share with anyone else even, outweighed any feeling of loneliness. She also appreciated the quiet that came with it…well…so long as Berserker wasn't snoring anyway.
Waking up to a haggard looking harpy pounding on the window looking for sanctuary from the storm coming from the tent was an experience to be sure.
From the sound of clashing steel coming from the front of the main building, it sounded as though Bell was training with Berserker and Saber once more. A quick peek in the tent confirmed that Berserker wasn't in and Fia was taking the opportunity to sleep in.
As she entered the kitchen, Archer was already busy with prep work for breakfast. Normally, he would be putting Emma through her paces at this time while Rider would be preparing breakfast but that obviously wasn't possible right now.
"Morning," came the man's casual reply. "Everyone's going to be doing their own thing today and the Dungeon's off limits until things calm down. So you can sleep in if you want."
"I am the type that finds it almost impossible to go back to sleep immediately after I wake up," Karen replied. "So is there anything I can do to help prepare for breakfast?"
Archer held a hand to his chin in thought for a moment before glancing toward the direction of the front door.
"…They should be taking a break soon," he muttered before turning back to Karen. "Then, can you fry up a few eggs? Try to keep the egg whites no longer than your pointer finger."
"Understood."
Cooking was also something Karen had never done before becoming an Adventurer. She was someone that enjoyed eating, perhaps a bit more than was proper for a lady, but she had never cooked for herself before being given a crashed course by members of her former Familia. Now though, she knew enough to make simple meals that were easy to eat on the move.
Frying an egg was something that was no longer beyond her.
Although frying over forty of them in one go was a bit much.
"My respect for you and Rider and every cook and chef in this world have increased tenfold," Karen replied as she massaged her wrist. Physically she was fine thanks to the Falna but it was still mentally tiring.
"Well, you get used to it," Archer replied with a shrug and a smirk. "Just think of the larger Familias that all live in the same Familia Home like Freya, Loki or Ganesha. Their cooks are probably on the job at all hours of the day."
Familias that catered to all sorts of people would have that problem. Those who were early risers, those who slept til well past noon, those who were gone all day but came home late at night and those who were out on expeditions who wanted nothing more than a good homemade meal after eating rations for days or weeks.
Of course, there were probably multiple people with multiple different shifts but the thought of working a shift where she'd have to make food for a hundred people in the middle of the night was something she did not want to think about even if she would have several others helping.
Then again, considering Berserker and Saber's appetites, it probably wasn't too different from what she was currently doing. They were two of the four biggest eaters in the Familia after all. Welf was fourth.
She refused to think about the third.
Once the eggs were done, Archer took one of them and set it on a quarter of some kind of dried sea plant. On the other quarters he set a bed of rice, some meat, and some cheese before folding it together in a facsimile of a sandwich. The rest were sandwiched properly between two slices of bread.
"Good, that's done," Archer said before laying most of them on a large tray and handing it to Karen. "Take these out to Bell and the others for me."
"Understood."
Taking the tray and carefully balancing it with her hands, Karen headed out the door to see. Berserker sitting on the grass with his head tilted to the side while Saber seemed to be discussing something with Bell in a serious manner.
"Ah," Bell was the first to notice her. "Good morning."
"Good morning," she returned the greeting. "I've brought you all breakfast."
"Excellent timing, Miss Morris," Saber suddenly said. "I require your assistance in this next part of Master's training."
"Of course. What do you need?"
X-x-X-x-X
Welf let out a large yawn as he stepped out of the forge, having pulled an all-nighter and was eager for something to eat before slipping into bed before Emma or Rider could chew him out for it.
But before he could even take ten steps from the door, he found himself staring at the most surreal scene in the world.
Bell, Karen, Saber and Lancer were in front of the main building where Bell usually did his training. That was fine in of itself but for some reason, the men were holding the women in their arms in a princess carry with Karen's eyes blinking rapidly as if she had no idea how she had gotten into that position while Lancer was covering her face with both of her hands and Welf could see her normally pale skin completely red up to her hears. Bell was also completely confused at what he was doing all the while Saber seemed to be correcting his posture and making sure he didn't lose his grip on Karen.
Which left Berserker was just sitting there off to the side, mimicking the two's pose with his arms, although he wasn't holding onto anyone.
"…What the hell did I miss?"
"'Hero training.'"
"Oh. That makes sense, I gues-OW!"
A hand materialized while grabbing onto Welf's ear followed by an arm and then the rest of Rider's body. Particularly, her smiling face.
"Pulling another all-nighter are we Welf?" Rider asked, giving his ear a particularly painful twist.
Welf heard some of the gods say that a beautiful woman was at her most frightening when she was smiling…and at this moment…he couldn't help but agree.
"Mercy please!" Welf groaned out through gritted teeth before the Servant released him. "Ow…er…how long?"
"The entire night," Rider replied, placing her hand on her hip causing Welf to wince and tried to avoid looking her in the eye. That unfortunately meant his eyes wandered to her empty sleeve, causing him to quickly, and unsubtly, jerk his head the other way.
"Sorry," he found himself saying but Rider simply gave him a soft smile as she placed her hand on his cheek and turned his face back toward hers.
"Don't worry about it," she said. "This is a little problem compared to what might have happened to all of you."
"It's just…I froze up," Welf spat in self-loathing. "I couldn't do anything but stand there while you, Bell, Lancer had to fight those things on your own…hell even Jackie moved. I…couldn't do anything…"
"It might have been for the best or else you might be the one in Emma's position, or even worse," Rider said. "Remember? That monster could reflect magic. If you had used your Magic Sword at that moment instead of Primo…"
A cold shiver ran down Welf's spine at that thought.
"Besides, not to treat you like a child or anything, but it's my job to make sure you all make it back safely. Both as a Servant and as an adult. An arm is a small price to pay, especially as a Servant. It'll heal on its own or whenever Fels gets the chance to visit."
"…You're taking the loss of a limb rather well…" Welf couldn't help but note.
"Well, you know, I've already died before so a limb or two in exchange is nothing, right?"
"Ahh…"
That was a mindset beyond mortal understanding.
And then her hand was on his ear again.
"All right then, bed. Now."
"Owowowow! Okay! I get it!"
X-x-X-x-X
As the sun was slowly reaching its zenith in the sky, Primo was spending the afternoon reading one of the textbooks Lefiya had lent her to study.
The language was old. Very old. Older than the ones she had seen in her village elder's tomes and more than once she had to go to one of the Servants or Lady Hestia for help translating. It must have been one of Lady Riveria's books.
She had asked Lancer if there was a rune that could help her understand the contents easier but the woman shook her head and replied, "Life is not so convenient" with a wry smile. Although there were runes to help with concentration, Primo felt that she wasn't quite at that point yet.
She could have let one of them translate it for her but she found the work rather interesting.
Reading and interpreting the old language of the book as well as trying to parse the important information through all of its subtext and euphemisms while transcribing it into common Koine was both exhausting yet interesting work. Perhaps if she hadn't been so focused on being an Adventurer, she might have tried to make a living as a scholar.
But there wasn't any point in thinking of what-ifs. Her heart was set on becoming the next Great Mage and the next Captain of Hestia Familia by extension.
"Still…it'd be nice if the second one didn't come until after a century at least…" she muttered softly only to jump when a knock sounded from her door.
"Miss Primo?" Lily's voice came through the door. "Lord Caster is calling for you."
"Really?" Primo called back in surprise. Ever since the failed expedition, Caster had said that he was too busy to have her sit in on his work so she hadn't seen him at all since then. "What for?"
"Lily doesn't know. He wanted to talk to Miss Karen as well though."
That was a strange combination. Primo hadn't really had much chance to speak with Karen alone and the only time the two of them did anything together so far was when they brought Emma lunch yesterday.
Deciding that there was no point in guessing what the enigmatic Captain wanted, Primo marked her spot in the tome with a bookmark and quickly made her way to Caster's Office.
She knocked on the door before opening it enough for her to peek in.
"Umm…you wanted to see me?" She asked as she glanced at the back of the Captain's chair.
"I have," Caster replied before ordering her to sit. "Sit and wait for Morris."
With a nod of affirmation, she carefully stepped in and closed the door as softly as she could behind her.
Just as she sat down on one of the seats across from Caster however, the king stood up and opened the windows leading out to the balcony behind his desk before sitting back down.
No sooner than he did did a purple blur shoot up past the balcony in a muffled scream before Karen fell back down and landed on the balcony with shaking legs.
"Though I may have said to 'make haste,' there was no need to take the Minotaur's Express Way," Caster commented sardonically to the former noble girl.
"It…wasn't by choice, sir," Karen said as she brushed herself off before donning her calm mask as if she wasn't just flung four stories up by Berserker.
"So it wasn't," Casters agreed before gesturing toward the empty chair beside Primo with his head, prompting Karen to sit down. "I shall be quick. As the Guild has 'strongly recommended' that no one is to enter the Dungeon, the Familia shall be taking a short break in terms of Expeditions and Dives. As such, I have decided to give the two of you some work in the meantime."
"Us?" Primo asked as she and Karen met each other's eyes.
"Work might not be the best word to describe it as you will not be earning any coin," Caster said as he leaned back in his seat with one leg over the other and his hands folded in his lap. His blood red eyes then fell on Karen. "Morris, I assume you have had etiquette lessons befitting of a noble before?"
"Of course," Karen replied with a nod.
"Then pass that knowledge down to Libera," Caster ordered as Primo stared at him with wide eyes. "Within my kingdom, children your age have already decided on what their future goals are and strove to accomplish them. You have done well in that regard but you still lack the emotional maturity to accomplish it. It is necessary for your future."
"You mean how you wish for her to be your successor?" Karen asked and Caster responded with a raised eyebrow. "Not that I have any reservations in teaching her as the earlier one learns the better, but is there a particular reason for her to start now?"
"As I have said, it is due to the fact that the Dungeon's danger rating has gone beyond what the Guild would consider 'acceptable limits' and it would not due for you to throw yourselves back in its depths should another one of those creatures appear."
At the mention of that bony, skeletal monster that would no doubt have killed them all were it not for the presence of the Servants, Primo's body went rigid and cold. Her hands were balled up into fists on her knees with her nails digging into her palm.
The change did not go unnoticed by Caster who let out an annoyed sigh.
"To freeze up like that would mean death of you or Flores should she attempt to shield you once more," he said, his harsh words smacking Primo right in the gut. "Thus it would be best to give you tasks to push it out of your mind…as the alternative has been vetoed by the Goddess and every other Servant…"
"Would the alternative happen to involve hunting down and slaying the beast?" Karen asked without a hint of sarcasm in her voice as Caster simply chuckled darkly, causing Primo to shiver once more.
"It was how the boy got over his fear of minotaurs," Caster replied before shaking his head. "But there is no point in considering that. There are none left to be found in the Dungeon."
"Then why is the Guild…?" Primo began before trailing off.
"Ask your questions properly," Caster snapped but continued to answer nonetheless. "The hole in the Dungeon leading down to the Lower Floors is still there, meaning monsters rated Level 3 and 4 can climb up, disrupting the ecosystems of the other Floors."
"Ah…that's right…" Primo said as she just remembered. "Monsters do eat other monsters if they don't have access to a Pantry, right? Then they become Enhanced versions."
"It's also how the Xenos become stronger as well," Karen added, glancing out the window.
That explains why the Guild was advising Familias to be careful as they didn't have the power to do any more than that. Deep and Lower Floor monsters moving up and becoming Enhanced Species just spelled death to anyone unprepared.
"Thus, we shall use this empty time for some extra lessons," Caster declared again. "Morris. You are to have Libera learn to keep her emotions in check under pressure and to carry herself with the dignity befitting of her future station. Though there is no need for her to seal her emotions to the same extreme as yourself. The future of Hestia Familia requires a leader, not a doll."
"Do you disapprove of my upbringing?" Karen asked, her eyes tightening ever so slightly.
"If you are restricting your emotions simply because that is what you were told then of course," Caster replied dismissively. "To restrain ones emotions is to deprive oneself of pleasure. Of course, if that taciturn face of yours is what you received at birth then you have my deepest sympathies."
So said the king with a chuckle.
Karen looked as though she wanted to retort but held her tongue.
"I understand. I shall instill Primo with the dignity befitting of a noble to your specifications."
"Hmm."
With that, Caster waved them off as if he had no more interest in them.
Primo knew everything he did had their best interests at heart but the way he could do it in a way that didn't upset everyone too much.
That was Primo resolved to treat any future Familia members with respect once she became Captain.
"…That wasn't a roundabout way to make me think like that, was it?" She couldn't help but whisper once she and Karen left the office.
"What was?"
"Oh no, it's nothing…"
As they reach the third floor, they came across Lily coming out of Emma's room with a tome in her hands and a bag containing various medicinal herbs and bandages. Primo also thought she saw pink wisps coming off of Lily's clothes but they disappeared before she could be sure.
"Oh…Miss Morris and Miss Libera," Lily greeted them with a bow. "How did the discussion with Lord Caster go?"
"Well enough I suppose," Karen replied as she glanced at Emma's bedroom door before looking at the tome in Lily's hands. "Were you practicing First Aid to help Emma?"
"Yes," Lily replied, holding up the book. "Lily asked Miss Erisuis from Miach Familia for a copy. It won't be as good as medicine made by someone with the Mixing Development Ability but it should be enough when using 'proper' potions and magic is overkill."
"Is that so? Thank you for your hard work."
"No, no. This is Lily's job as a Supporter after all…"
With that said, Lily returned to her room on the second floor while Primo and Karen continued down to the ground floor.
"…It's not as though Lily can do anything else to help…"
Primo quickly turned around but Lily had already disappeared into her room.
"Primo?"
Karen was looking at her with a confused expression, or at least what passed as one for the stoic former noble. Did she not hear Lily?
"N-no…it's nothing."
Come to think of it…Lily didn't have any skills or magic that had her glowing in pink light. The only one that did was Emma herself and that was…
The scene in the inn suddenly flashed in her head. A girl Primo had never seen before crying just from the sound of her own voice.
"…It's nothing," Primo said to the older girl who wasn't part of the Familia at that time.
Karen frowned a bit in worry but nodded her head before continuing down the steps with Primo right behind her.
It wasn't as though Primo wanted to keep it a secret from Karen as she already knew Emma came to Orario to look for her sister. Primo just didn't know how to go about explaining it or whether she even should as Lily didn't seem to want to spread it either.
For now, she'll just follow what the older girl decided and keep it to herself.
She just hoped it wasn't a mistake to do so.
X-x-X-x-X
Being a guard for the Hearth's Chime was a simple job. So simple that there were only two of them for the entire inn. After all, you had to be pretty stupid (or powerful) to mess with a Familia who had defeated another Familia in a War Game despite being outnumbered almost ten to one for the whole world to see.
Broca, a member of the cat people, and Dex, a dwarf, were sitting off to the side of the front doors, taking a small break as all the guests were either resting inside or had gone out into the town for business or pleasure, leaving them with very little to do.
Both guards were Adventurers that had retired due to bad luck.
Broca had lost a leg in the Dungeon and had been kicked out by his Familia while Dex's old Familia had been destroyed seven years ago during the age of darkness.
The two had been living poorly off their meagre savings before being hired by Hestia as guards.
Aside from the chaos during Grand Day, the two never really had to do much for the job to the point that it felt as though they were getting paid with room and board, three decent daily meals, and a proper wage just to stand around all day.
They weren't about to complain about the generosity but it did feel like they were the ones getting the better end of the bargain. Especially considering they weren't expected to go into the Dungeon despite having received the Goddess Hestia's Blessing.
Broca even got a prosthetic leg in the deal. It wasn't a top of the line airgetlám from Dian Cecht Familia or anything but it was comfortable enough that he could walk without any problems. And although he was expected to slowly pay that back in installments, it was without any interest so it was more affordable than anything he would have been able to buy on his own dime.
In short, the two were rather content with how their lives had changed for the better.
"Hey you two, can you try this out?"
Iris, one of the employees of the inn's food department, came out holding a dish with two slices of some kind of yellow cake on it.
"A new cake again?" Dex asked with a sigh. "You know I don't care much for the sugary stuff."
"No need to worry," the cows demihuman said, her tail swishing from side to side. "This one's made for you stuffy old men in mind. It's made with a bit of alchohol."
"Hey, I am not that old."
"That's the part you're objecting too?" Broca asked.
As the three of them shared a laugh, the door to the inn suddenly slammed open.
"As I said, you're making a mistake, Hestia," came a rather arrogant sounding voice. "That Child can only reach her true potential as a part of my Familia."
"And let you get your hands on her instead!?" Came their goddess's shriek. "Get the hell off my property and don't you dare show yourself in front of me again unless you're prepared for a War Game!"
With an unamused snort, the god wearing long brown pants with covers stepped out of the inn, running a hand through his long unruly red hair. He was flanked by two humans, an older man with cream colored hair and a younger one with blonde hair.
The three left the grounds without turning to look back at the seething goddess standing at the base of the steps.
The moment the three were gone, Hestia's gaze turned toward her three employees who immediately all snapped to attention under the glare of their enraged goddess. Hestia then stomped over to them and snatched the plate from Iris's hands and started chowing down on the cake right in front of them.
"Umm…trouble, Lady Goddess?" Iris dared to asked.
"Just someone trying to steal one of my Adventurers," Hestia replied angrily without bothering to swallow.
"A flaming demon Emblem…Aeshma Familia?" Broca asked.
"That's right. So if you see any of them hanging around here, kick them out or call for help and one of my Adventurers will come and do it instead. This is really good…"
Broca and Dex nodded their heads in understanding.
As Veteran Level 2s, they were in the top forty percent of Adventurers in Orario. They wouldn't lose to any Level 1s or most Level 2s but Aeshma Familia were a growing mid-level Famailia with a lot of members and there was a recent announcement that their Captain had hit Level 3 a little while back as well as several new Level 2s.
Thus the two were given stones that they were ordered to break if they were in trouble and one of the Familia Adventurers would come running as quickly as possible.
"Anyway, don't let a single one of his Familia anywhere near the inn," Hestia said, handing the empty plate back to Iris. "Granted we can't do anything if they are outside our property…gonna have to keep one of the boys here full time too…"
She then turned to her employees.
"Do you think it'll be a bad idea to keep Berserker here for a few days?" She asked as if she was considering keeping a dog around instead of a minotaur.
"""Yes!"""
"Ahaha…of course it is…"
The goddess shrugged as the trio gave their honest and earnest opinion.
No matter how tamed the minotaur was, it was still a monster that would cause all their guests to flee in terror. Although it would most likely keep Aeshma Familia from the inn, there was no point if it kept their customers away as well.
"Ah well…I'll figure something out," Hestia said as she walked back into the inn, leaving the three employees to look between each other before the dwarf pointed at the empty plate in Iris's hands.
"…So…is there any more of that?" Iris opened her mouth to respond only for Hestia to poke her head back out of the inn first.
"Oh and Iris?" Hestia began. "Send another plate of that cake up to my office. Actually just bring up the whole thing. I'm gonna stress eat and drink until I forget about that jerk."
And with that the goddess disappeared again.
Iris then turned back to Dex.
"I'll make another one after I bring up the goddess's food."
Dex let out a sigh as Broca turned his head to the side with a cough.
X-x-X-x-X
Back at the Hearthstone Manor, a small discussion was taking place between Hestia Familia's two executives.
"…You want me to make a delivery?" Bell asked.
"Indeed," Caster replied gesturing toward the bag on his desk. "It is but a simple Quest that I have accepted. It is nothing difficult. Simply drop off the juice at the location. If you wish to spend some time and talk with the inhabitants then that is fine as well."
"Inhabitants?"
"The destination is an orphanage located within Daedalus Street," Caster explained. "It is run by a woman named Maria and one of its…shall we say 'benefactors' reached out to me because the children wished to see the famous 'Moonlit Dawn.'"
Bell felt the heat rush to his face as Caster let out a chuckle.
If you're a hero, it's only natural to have a lot of fans, isn't it? After all, you are a fan of the Servants are you not?
Even so, Bell didn't feel like he had the personality to be adored by the masses in such a way.
"If you are embarrassed to go alone, then take Assassin with you," Caster suggested. "That child could use more friends that can actually traverse the city without the threat of being killed."
Caster then paused for a moment and glanced to the side as if realizing a mistake as he quickly added, "More so than usual in any case."
With Primo taking etiquette lessons and Gina helping out Archer in the kitchen in preparation for the Takemikazuchi Familia's Welcome Party, Assassin has been left alone and had been spending time playing with Fia. And considering that the Xenos Hunters haven't been completely rooted out yet, it was still too dangerous for Fia to go out into the city.
That and only Ganesha Familia's guards are allowed to walk the streets with monsters.
Bell shook his head to clear his thoughts.
"I guess it would be good to spend some more time with Jack outside the Dungeon," Bell admitted. "I'll take her to go say 'Hi' to Miss Eina then head to drop off the juice."
"Hmm. Although a party shall be held to welcome those of Takemikazuchi Familia into the Home, there is nothing that requires your presence here. You are free to spend your time as needed so long as you do not enter the Dungeon."
"Yes. I think Miss Eina will tell me the same thing."
"Hmm."
Caster seemed to have nothing left to say and simply swerved his chair to the side and gave Bell a dismissive wave. Taking that as his cue, Bell quickly stood up and left the room with the bag on Caster's desk. As he closed the door, he wondered if the Servant was going to say something at the last minute but Caster kept his peace…almost as if he was waiting for something.
Well, that wasn't Bell's business to pry.
He headed down the stairs and passed through the living area where Karen was lecturing Primo about etiquette. The elf was standing straight as a rod with nervousness pouring out of every inch of her body as she tried to balance a book on her head.
Primo had her back to Bell so she didn't notice him but he nevertheless gave a quick nod of his head toward Karen in greeting who acknowledged him the same way before turning her gaze back on her student.
As Bell entered the back yard, he found a black shadow skipping across the green grass, avoiding a rain of feathers that were stabbing into the ground like daggers.
"…This is 'playing,' huh?" Bell muttered as he picked up one of the scattered feathers.
The feathers had a rather strange quality to them. The remex in his hand was a beautiful cerulean blue when viewed in several different angles. One would be hard pressed to realize that its true color was red. Perhaps it was a reflection of Fia's desire to soar in the sky that caused this strange coloration but no one knew enough about monsters or Xenos to be sure.
As Bell let the feather drop to the ground he placed his fingers into his mouth and let out a sharp whistle.
The feathers stopped raining as Fia landed down in front of Bell while Assassin dived into his chest with a smile.
"Mommy!" Assassin said as she rubbed her cheek against his chest. "Everyone's busy so Fia is playing with Us."
"Playing a bit rough there, aren't you?" Bell couldn't help but ask.
"It was her idea," Fia said quickly, pointing at Assassin with her wing. "I think she thinks that what Saber and Berserker are doing counts as playing as well."
Fia's words were punctuated by a loud slam that marked the sound of an extremely large and heavy minotaur hitting the ground followed by Berserker's tired groan.
"…Saber's really strong, isn't he?" Fia asked.
Bell could only nod in agreement.
"Well, sorry to bother your playtime but I'm going on an errand," Bell said to Assassin. "Want to come with me?"
"Going for a walk?" Assassin asked before breaking out into a smile. "We'll go!"
"Playtime's over then?" Fia asked.
"Yep. Let's play again later, okay?" Assassin asked and Fia nodded in response.
"Then I'll go cheer on Berserker as he gets his butt kicked."
With that, the harpy took off into the sky toward the front yard with Bell and Assassin sharing a look before following her.
At the front yard, they found Berserker lying on his back, facing the sky as he gasped for breath and flooded the grass with sweat.
Saber was still on his feet as he removed his mask, revealing several beads of sweat dripping down his face but he was otherwise still composed.
"Hmm," Saber nodded his head with a smile. "As I suspected. Your strength is truly beyond anything a human is capable of."
Berserker had the greatest physical strength out of all his Servants, something that came to Bell's mind every so often, so it was amazing to see Saber throw him around like a rag doll. It brought home that pure strength isn't enough to win fights, something Berserker himself was aware of since he was the one that asked for this training in the first place.
The day where Berserker learns to fight with the skill of a great hero is the day where the Xenos welcomes their greatest champion.
"Are you going out on errands, Master?" Saber asked, wiping his face with a towel before turning toward Bell.
"Yes. Just to the Guild and then to deliver something for Caster."
"Hmm…"
Saber seemed to fall into deep thought as he glanced at the juice bottles Bell was carrying in the bag on his back.
"I see. Very well, I shall accompany you as well."
"Huh?"
"I do not know exactly what Caster is planning but the city is not safe right now," Saber continued, cutting off Bell's attempt to refuse. "We have set fire to the nest of evil below the city and thus you and the Goddess Hestia must be protected at all costs. That is why Lancer is watching over her while she is at work and so I shall accompany you if you are leaving as well."
"O-okay…"
Bell had no counterargument when Saber put it that way.
Lily, Emma, Primo, Welf, Fia and Karen were still at home with Berserker, Caster and Rider looking after it. Injured as Rider was, if someone could get past Caster's magical defenses and Berserker's physical power, then they would be an enemy that could threaten the entirety of Orario, not just Hestia Familia.
Archer and Gina were out shopping but Bell trusted Archer was skillful enough to grab Gina and retreat to either the Manor or regroup with Lancer at the inn should they come under attack.
And although Bell had Assassin with him, she wasn't all that much stronger than Bell himself in a straight up fight. She was far faster to be sure, but like her Class describes, she was far stronger in ambushes and scouting than a defensive battle. Thus Bell bringing Saber with him was no doubt non-negotiable to the Servant.
Saber's gaze then fell onto Assassin for a moment as something akin to realization flashed in his eyes.
"If it pleases you, I shall follow at a distance and dematerialized so as to not disturb you. You will not even realize I was there. For the most part."
And with that, the Servant's physical form vanished before Bell could get in another word edgewise.
"I guess he wanted to still let you and Jack have your walk," Fia suggested.
Bell wasn't sure how to interpret Saber's consideration and instead decided to just ignore it and move on.
"Then we'll be back later tonight," Bell said to the two monster members of their Familia. "See ya later."
"Bye Fia! Bye Berserker!" Assassin called out as they left the gate with Fia happily waving her wing at them while Berserker lifted his massive hand for a moment before letting it flop back onto the ground with a thud.
X-x-X-x-X
The Guild was strangely busy when Bell and Assassin reached it.
Several people, Adventurers most likely, were yelling at the beleaguered receptionists and several of the women looked rather haggard, with many of them looking as though they could use some sleep.
"Bell!"
Bell and Assassin turned their head toward the voice just as Assassin took a step back, allowing Bell alone to be grabbed by a pair of frantic hands.
"You're back from your Expedition!?" Eina asked as she looked him over. "Are you all right? What about the others? It said that your Expedition failed?"
"Y-yes…" Bell began, placing his hands on Eina's to carefully remove them from his shoulders. "We're all right…for the most part."
"For the most part!?" Eina repeated.
"Emma and Rider got hurt pretty bad by a monster that came up through the hole in the Dungeon," Bell explained. "Emma can't move her arms and Rider lost one of her's…"
At that, Eina's face paled even further as she dragged him off to a private room with Assassin following close behind them. Once there she demanded Bell to tell her everything and so he did. Of course, he left out the part about the Xenos since he was sure only the god Ouranos knew about them and not the entire Guild.
"I see…" Eina said as she fell into deep thought once Bell finished talking.
"Ah…but we're waiting to get in touch with a Healer that the goddess is familiar with," Bell said quickly. "They'll be able to restore the two by week's end."
"That's good to hear," Eina replied with a sigh before shifting back into work mode. "How much do you know about the monster that you fought?"
"I've never even heard of it before then," Bell replied. "According to someone I know though, it appeared in the Dungeon once before?"
Although Saber didn't hear it from his source directly, he had intuited it based on how one of the people he was fighting alongside seemed to react badly to its roar.
"From what I understand…" Eina said. "Please keep it a secret. That monster is labeled as a Juggernaut by the Guild. From what we understand, it appears whenever there is catastrophic damage done to the Dungeon. It isn't something an Adventurer's spell can do. Something would have had to obliterate entire floors or close to it for the Dungeon to spawn one. It's kept a secret because the Guild doesn't want people to try and purposefully spawn them by destroying the Dungeon."
"Yes," Bell replied. "The tree Labryinth was basically replaced by a giant hole. Since we were in the staircase between floors when it happened, we didn't see it happen. Have you figured out how far it extends?"
"Preliminary examinations say that it starts from the Ninteenth Floor and stretches down to the Thirtieth Floor at the very least," Eina said while rubbing her forehead. "The Guild is planning on asking Freya, Loki, or Ganesha Familia to check further…so don't you dare go past the Eighteenth Floor, understood?"
"Y-yes!"
"Ahhh…one of us needs to pay attention so that you don't return from your Expeditions on my days off," Eina said with a sigh to which Bell could only let out a weak laugh in response.
Bell wondered if she was overstepping her bounds as a neutral Guild employee, but he was grateful that she was worried about him nonetheless.
Once Eina secured Bell's promise to not go past the Seventeenth Floor until the investigation was completed, Bell left the Guild and headed toward the destination of the delivery.
"Let's see…" Bell muttered to himself as he glanced at the instructions Caster had given him with Assassin peering over his shoulder as well. "It says to head into Daedalus streets and to follow the yellow ariadne to reach the destination. Daedalus Street huh?"
Known as Orario's Second Dungoen, the area was home to Orario's poorest citzens. Down-on-their-luck and less-than-respectable adventurers are known to hide in this slum and it had the highest crime rate in all of Orario. A few employees of the inn had lived here before being hired by Hestia and none of them had many good things to say about it.
It was a place Bell had never entered willingly so he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous as the last time he was here, he and the goddess had been chased by a silverback back during Monsterphillia.
But since he had no choice in the matter, Bell took Assassin's hand in his own and the two passed through the gates into Daedalus Street.
As soon as they did, there was a small flash of light as a golden arrow drew itself on a nearby wall to point them in the right direction.
Bell stared at the spot for a moment, even as the arrow disappeared before quickly taking off the bag Caster gave him and rummaged through it. There, he found a small golden amulet that looked completely out of place mixed with the various juice bottles.
"Well, at least we won't get lost," Bell muttered as he picked the bag up again and followed the direction of the arrow.
After a few twists and turns, following the path set by Caster's Magic Item, Assassin was the first to speak.
"…This place is weird."
The had climbed a set of stairs, only for it to be blocked by half a building. It was as if the legendary architect Daedalus got bored building the staircase halfway through and decided to build a house instead.
It wasn't the only path like that either. There was also a strange looking building where the left half had two floors while the right had three, with a set of stairs coming out of the middle floor leading to nowhere about ten feet out.
The legends said that Daedalus had lost his mind when he saw the Dungeon with his own eyes and strove to create something manmade to compete against it.
Considering the "Legends" Bell was familiar with, there was probably a grain of truth in that matter somewhere.
Along the way Bell came across someone speaking in front of a large, but extremely varied, group of people. Not varied as in there were a bunch of different races mixed in, that was normal in Orario. Varied as in there were people that wore clothing that were little more than rags mixed in with merchants or nobles wearing some of the finest silks and leather Bell had ever laid eyes on.
And they were all eagerly listening to the woman…no…a goddess, standing on the edge of a broken fountain.
"Bring out your valis, filthy with the prints of covetous fingers! Relieve yourself of the excess of the body and soul! Only when you truly have nothing can the bounties of your hardships be reaped! Only then can your souls be cleansed!" the goddess exclaimed while holding the grilled leg of some animal in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. Not only that, crumbs and and wine droplets were scattered around her mouth and her ragged cloak.
It was a far cry from the elegance of any goddess Bell had ever seen before. Even Hestia at her most lazy and slobbish behavior didn't reach such a low.
Even stranger was that the crowd were tossing coins and gifts at the goddess's feet while adulating her with loud voices.
"Hail Lady Penia!"
"Lady Penia! Please accept this wretched pittance I have hoarded for my own selfish desires!"
"Shut up and take my money, Lady Goddess!"
"…"
Bell could only watch the scene with his mouth wide open.
As he turned to look at Assassin to try and see what she thought of the scene, he noticed that she was looking over her shoulder at something.
Bell turned around as well only to see the smiling face of a familiar gray haired waitress.
"Boo!"
"Gah!?"
Bell nearly fell over backwards but his hold on Assassin allowed her to keep him on his feet.
"Hee hee, I'm sorry," Syr said with a giggle. "I just couldn't help myself."
"R-right," Bell muttered.
There was no way she could have sneaked up on Assassin so she must have signaled for the girl to keep quiet for her prank.
"What are you looking at? Oh."
Syr took one look at the crowd and a complicated expression appeared on her face.
"You're not thinking of joining them, are you?" Syr asked quickly.
"I don't even know what that is," Bell replied. "It feels like some kind of sketchy cult than a Familia though.
"It's…well, you're not far off, I suppose," Syr admitted. "That is the Goddess Penia, who rules over the domain of poverty. She comes around here to preach that mortals should give up their material wealth and live…err…humble lives."
"I see…" Bell said. "Several months ago, when my Familia only consisted of the goddess and myself, we certainly were skirting the border of poverty but it wasn't as though we were particularly unhappy so I can see where she might be coming from."
It wasn't an easy life but they were content and most of their needs had been met thanks to both of them doing their best.
However…
Bell took another look at the growing pile of valis, various offerings…and the goddess greedily digging into the meat in her hand while washing it down with the wine bottle.
"She certainly seems to be enjoying the discarded wealth, doesn't she?" Syr voiced the same question Bell had been thinking but was too polite say out loud. "But she doesn't keep it all to herself. She donates a good portion of it back to the poor that live here in Daedalus Street so no one accuses her of being a fraud."
"I see," Bell said, feeling slightly better as Syr suddenly started pushing him away.
"Now let's leave before she makes you 'donate' your money too," She said with a smile.
"I err…don't carry much on me anyway," Bell admitted.
"Then she'd try to make you give the clothes off your back. It's made from salamander wool and undine cloth, right?"
"R-right…"
Once they left the small plaza behind, Bell finally got a good look at Syr.
Rather than her usual white and green uniform, Syr was wearing a long white sundress with a straw hat on her head and a large basket slung on her arm. The contrast between her usual look was very fresh and cute.
But the thought must have shown on his face as Syr suddenly gave him a coquettish smile as she spun around while making sure the basket she was holding didn't slip out.
"Well? How do I look?"
"Eh!? Well…err…you…"
As Bell fumbled over his words, Assassin looked up at his face from her spot before turning toward Syr.
"Mommy means 'You look very nice,'" Assassin said without a care in the world…or perhaps even without understanding what her words meant.
"Jack!?"
"Saber said that that's what you mean to say when you can't say anything."
SABER!
"Heehee, thank you, Jack," Syr said with a giggle before turning back to Bell. "Make sure you say it properly next time okay?"
"Yes…"
With another giggle she then looked Bell over.
"So? Why are you here? In Daedalus Street I mean."
"Oh uh…our Familia received a Quest to make a delivery and my Captain told me to handle it," Bell replied. "An orphanage ran by a woman named Maria?"
"Maria?" Syr repeated, sounding much more surprised than Bell expected. "Did she actually send the Quest to your Familia?"
"Oh, uh…no? I was told that one of her benefactors did."
Syr hummed in thought for a moment.
"Well…this is certainly a coincidence."
"Do you know the place?"
"Yes. I was actually heading there myself."
Syr apparently went there often whenever she had a day off of work, bringing snacks and the like for the kids.
"Err…homemade snacks?" Bell nervously asked.
"Yes! They always eat everything all up!"
…Those poor children. They must not have the luxury of leaving leftovers.
Bell ignored the voice as he replied, "Well, your food is rather…unique after all."
"Lately though they've been fighting over the food," Syr said with a troubled frown as she placed a hand on her cheek. "I had to make more to make sure everyone is satisfied."
"…Huh?"
By the gods, it is too late! Their tongues have been ruined!
Bell quickly banished the voice back into the depths of his mind.
"Why do you sound so surprised?" Syr asked. "You've had my food before, right?"
"O-of course I did! I just…uhhh…didn't realize anyone else would eat it like I did."
Syr gave him a strange look before turning to Assassin.
"Hey Jack? Does Bell eat all the food I give him when you go into the Dungeon?"
"Uh-huh. Mommy eats it all up and won't share with anyone," came Assassin's reply.
"Hmm…"
Syr seemed to be suspicious of Bell for some reason. Perhaps she had an idea what he was thinking in his head? But it wasn't as though he had said any lies.
Nevertheless, Syr started leading Bell through the maze-like roads until they reached…
"…A church?"
A wave of nostalgia ran through Bell's body. Though Hestia Familia had moved out from the old church, their first Home, a few weeks into its creation, it was still a place where he and the goddess had lived and struggled together before the Holy Grail had fell into his hands.
"Yes. That's where Maria and the children are staying at," Syr said as she walked in. "Everyone, I'm here!"
No sooner did she say that did a massive wave children pour out from one of the doors in the church.
"Big Sis Syr is here!"
"Welcome back!"
"Huh? A guest?"
The large tide of about twenty children went from expressing their love and joy at seeing Syr to staring wide-eyed at Bell. Assassin had long since escaped behind him, using him as a human shield.
"It's Moonlit Dawn!"
"It is! I recognize him from the War Game!"
"He really does look like a hume bunny, but he's human!"
"Wow, Gil really did get him to come!"
"So cool!"
And then they all decided to mob him instead.
"Wa-wait a min-oof!"
One of the larger children tackled him right in the gut with their head, knocking him off balance. Thankfully Bell felt Assassin pull his backpack containing the glass bottles of juice off his arms before he fell on them. Which meant he was left to hit the cracked stone floor as Syr did nothing to help him, feeling content to giggle at his misfortune.
X-x-X-x-X
"I'm really sorry about that," an elderly woman that Syr had introduced as Mother Maria said with a calm smile. "But the children have been eager to meet you ever since they saw you and your Familia's efforts at the War Game a while back."
Maria had long black hair tied up on the top of her head and was a bit on the thin side but she gave off a calm and motherly air about her, one that reminded Bell of Rider.
Once the introductions had been made, they had all moved into the cafeteria where the children were sitting at the tables eating the various sandwiches that Syr had made and brought with satisfied expressions. The juice Bell had brought along was also distributed equally. Bell, Syr and Maria were talking by the door with Assassin clinging onto Bell as she sneaked peeks at the other children, who were glancing back at her in turn.
"I didn't want to bother you with that but you ended up coming here anyway," Syr said with a wry smile. "From this 'Gil' person."
"Who?" Bell asked.
"He's a noble boy that comes along every now and then to play with the children," Maria explains. "Sometimes he comes alone while other times he brings along a servant or two to help out. So far, his visits have yet to coincide with Syr's so they haven't had a chance to meet yet."
"Is that so?"
"Though both of them are a great help whenever they come. The children are always happy to see them and sad to see them go."
Bell only knew one "Gil" and the image of a smiling Caster, holding hands with children while dancing in a circle nearly drove him into a giggling fit but he quickly doused the image before it could bite him in the butt.
Shaking his head, he glanced back at all the children.
"…So all these children…" Bell began, suddenly finding his arm wrapped around Assassin's shoulders.
"Yes," Maria softly answered Bell's half-asked question. "At first, it was out of pity. I just couldn't bring myself to ignore a child who have been separated from their parents for one reason or another. So I claimed this abandoned church as my own and decided to help these children in my own way."
She went on to explain that she once was in a relationship with an Adventurer without being a part of a Familia only to be left behind by him. The two never had children despite being deep in love and instead she ended up taking in a child she had found abandoned in the rain one night.
The process repeated itself over and over until the place became what it was now.
"…But I can see that you had the same experience yourself, haven't you?" Maria asked, looking at Assassin who had been clinging more and more onto Bell as Maria told her story.
"Yes," Bell replied.
It wasn't necessarily the same, but Bell decided it was similar enough to count.
Who knows how many of these children shared the same "origin" as Assassin.
"Umm…I'm sorry to ask this but…do you have enough money?"
"Yes, enough to manage," Maria replied and Bell was relieved that she didn't find the question offensive or anything. "We receive donations from several people…although there are those like Gil who go a bit overboard sometimes. I can't imagine how much he had paid your Familia to send you on a delivery just because the children wanted to meet you."
"Ahaha…I think only my Captain knows the answer to that."
That being said, Bell didn't think Caster would take money over something as simple as this. If it was a request from a noble, he probably bartered for a favor or something similar.
Thinking that, he glanced back at Syr, wondering how she knew about the orphanage in the first place. Maria had said that she was an outsider who came to play with the children while bringing along food from the pub or her own homemade meals but just how did it start?
Before he could ask though, one of the children came up and took Assassin's hand.
"Mother, we've finished eating," the blonde chienthrope said. "Can we go play?"
Maria glanced at Bell in response and Bell in turned glanced at Assassin.
The Servant was looking at the small hand holding her own before turning toward the chienthrope girl's smiling face.
"…Can We?" Assassin asked, finally looking up at Bell.
"Of course," Bell said. But just as the two were about to take off, he stopped them with a simple, "Jack."
Assassin turned around to see Bell's hand out. She stared at it for a moment before realization hit her. She reached her hand back into her cloak to remove her dagger and hand it over to Bell.
"Ahem."
And the second.
"Jack…"
And then the third.
Then finally the fouth.
"How the heck did you hide those under that cloak!?" Came a red-haired human boy's shout.
"Because We are Assassin," came Assassin's reply prompting Bell to quickly, but lightly, tap her on the head. "Ouchie."
Once that was done, the girl dragged Assassin toward her friends and the Servant was immediately beset with questions about being an Adventurer.
As Assassin tried to answer their questions as best she could, Bell was suddenly pulled away by Syr. The two of them exited the cafeteria and headed into the main hall.
"So you really don't know anything about this Gil person?" Syr asked.
"No, I've never met them," Bell said. "The Quest came through Caster after all. I do know one person named 'Gil,' but that is a nickname my Goddess gave him and he hates it…and he's an adult."
Syr kept her eyes on him for a while before nodding her head in satisfaction.
"Then…next, I suppose I should ask if everything's okay," Syr said as she sat down on one of the slightly worn looking pews. "The Dungeon was shaking a lot a few days ago. You were on an Expedition, right?"
"Yes…" Bell replied. "We got caught up in the chaos but everyone's still alive."
"That's great to hear. Why don't you come celebrate at the pub when everyone's up for it?"
"…"
In spite of himself, Bell's mouth stretched into a wry smile in the face of Syr's bright an cheery one.
"I guess we haven't been there in a while," he admitted. "I'll see if we can't find an excuse to go."
"Well, you can always come by yourself too if you can't get the others to come. I'll make your meal special."
"…Would Miss Mia let you?" Bell found the courage to say.
"She seemed to think my sandwiches were fine after I went to the cooking class."
"I see."
Bell needed to change the topic.
"Hey Syr, can I ask you something?"
"Yes?"
"Are you…familiar with Freya Familia?"
"Hmm? What brought this on?"
"I mean, that 'good luck' pendant you gave me before the War Game had the Familia's Emblem in it, didn't it?"
"I suppose it did," Syr admitted before leaning in close. "Don't tell anyone, but Mama Mia used to be the Captain of Freya Familia."
"EEHH!? Really!?"
Now that was a shock. He knew the proprietress was powerful but he didn't think she had used to be part of one of the most famous and powerful Familias in Orario.
"Yep," Syr replied with a smile. "That's why we still have some connections with them. Oh, but keep this a secret from Ryuu and the others. They don't know about that…oh but Anya does so she's fine."
"R-right…" Bell answered with a nod. "Then…are you familiar with the Goddess Freya at all?"
"I…suppose I might know more than the average layman," Syr admitted as a small flush appeared on her cheeks. "What did you want to know?"
"I…heard some extremely unflattering rumors about her," Bell admitted. "So I was hoping you could set the record straight."
"Oh? You care about her enough to do so?"
"I mean, she's leading one of Orario's strongest Familia and they defended Orario during the dark era, right? They're a Familia of heroes, right?"
"I…wouldn't go that far…anyway, what did you want to know?"
"Well…"
He could probably put aside the one where Freya had her top Adventurers slay thousands of soldiers. If it was a war between countries and she supported one over the other then that was to be expected.
"It's about her Charm," Bell said as Syr stilled. "I heard she charmed people…and then had them kill themselves…"
Bell glanced over at Syr and noted that the girl was biting her lip. He took it to meant that such an event actually happened. A part of him was worried that she was trying to figure out a specific event he was referring to…which would mean that it had happened multiple times.
"It's…" Syr finally began. "It's not as if she does that lightly."
"What happened?" Bell asked, willing to hear her out.
"She was visiting a country to the southeast of Orario at the time. The country was in the middle of the war and its ruler had fled to a town for their safety. As she got to know the ruler, she ended up promising to support them in the war. But when they left the town, the enemy army invaded and slaughtered all of the citizens in an attempt to get at the ruler. Not even the children were spare. So when Lady Freya returned and saw the carnage, she turned her Charm on them."
"I see…"
So Freya considered the act as a form of "justice," or at the very least Syr did.
"Are you upset?" Syr asked.
"I…don't think I am," Bell said, although he was unsure.
The thought of losing your mind to a god's beauty the point that you would happily kill yourself in hopes of them loving you was frightening. He couldn't imagine how warped one would have become to think that.
It was no wonder Caster was so wary about them.
But, like Caster explained, it was part of her nature to wield her beauty in such a way. Bell supposed it's similar to how Hephaistos and Goibniu wielded their skills as smiths.
"I think I understand," Bell said finally. "I don't like that it came to that, but I understand that she felt that she had to do it."
At his words, Syr let out a small sigh of relief. The goddess must be someone Syr admired a lot for her to react in such a way. Maybe it was the same admiration Bell had for Hestia.
"Was…was there anything else?" Syr asked, though she was noticeably more hesitant now that it seemed that the "rumors" Caster had told Bell held some weight.
"Umm…there's the one where Freya Familia's members are trying to kill one another daily?"
"It doesn't get that far," Syr said even as she visibly winced. "At the very least, it's about the same level as what Saber and Lancer got to during the War Game."
Bell could only bury his face in his hands at that. He couldn't hold that against Freya when he couldn't keep his own Servants from doing so.
"Was there anything else?" Syr asked.
"N-no…" Bell replied, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "I think that's all I need to ask."
There were other questions that were on his mind but those were truly none of his business. An outsider like him had no right or reason to ask about a goddess's lovers.
"…Then, can I ask something else as well?"
"Huh? Uh, sure?"
"If…just 'if,' okay? If Lady Freya were to profess her love to you, what would you do?"
"Hmm? I'd turn her down."
There was nothing for Bell to think about. The time it took for him to reply was the short amount of time it took to get the words out.
Syr recoiled as if she were struck, forcing Bell to quickly continue before she got the wrong idea.
"It has nothing to do with her though. I'd turn down any god or goddess who did that."
"B-but why?" Syr asked, looking completely lost.
"I mean, they're gods right?" Bell asked, not quite understanding why she didn't understand. "I'd be happy about it sure, but the duesdea aren't like us. They're special beings who should be revered, worshipped, and respected. And because of that, you can't possibly stand having them drop to your level."
Those were Bell's honest feelings.
The gods were Gods and he was just Bell.
He was more than happy to interact with them as part of a Familia, as part of their family, or as one of their children of Gekai…but there were some lines that should not be crossed.
These were Bell's thoughts from even before he had summoned the Servants. Their stories and tales had not changed his opinions one way or the other.
Be it Freya or Apollo or even Hestia. It didn't matter which god loved him that way. He would not be able to reciprocate those feelings.
"…So that's what he meant by it being fragile."
Syr let out a small whisper as she turned her eyes toward Bell.
There was a sad light in them but she seemed to have found some sort of resolve somewhere.
"Humans are special because they can change," Syr declared suddenly as she pointed a finger at Bell's face, forcing him to lean back. "You can't put the gods on a pedestal like that. They can fall in love and be loved just like any mortal. It's not fair to them if you worship them so much that they can't live a life like yours."
"But they can't," Bell said. "Their existence is something mortals can't fully comprehend."
"Why do you think they came down from Tenkai in the first place?" Syr asked. "To try and obtain the same opportunities that mortals have. To live their lives and have experiences as mortals. To fall in love like them. Isn't that something special?"
"Even so…can a mortal monopolize a god's love like that?" Bell asked. "If someone like Lady Freya were to single-mindedly chase after a single mortal wouldn't that person have to live with the jealous and hateful stares of the goddess's Familia?"
If Bell was put in that position, it would mean fending off a furious Level 7 and several Level 6s.
He would seriously die.
"I already had to deal with that with Hyacinthus when Lord Apollo was after me," Bell reminded her. "Jealousy, hatred, resentment. No one sane wants to deal with that from members of their own family."
It was just one more reason amongst a million that he didn't want to join Apollo Familia. No matter what their god ordered, the thoughts of mortals were their own.
The more the conversation went on, the more Bell understood what Caster's words meant.
"That is merely a part of being in love," Syr countered. "It's not something that can be avoided. And you don't need to be a god to spur those feelings. Just look at Saber and Lancer. Those two are so madly in love with each other that half of Orario has those thoughts, right?"
"That's…"
"Bell…in the end, a goddess is still just a girl," Syr said, taking Bell's hands into her own. "You're putting them on a pedestal. I'm sure that if you can open your heart a bit, you will be able to see just how wonderful it is to accept a god's love. It might even be from one close to you too."
"…Syr."
Bell wasn't too sure about that.
He didn't even understand the love between two mortals in the first place. How could he understand the love between a god and a mortal.
But there was one thing he did understand.
"You really love the Goddess Freya, don't you Syr?" Bell asked.
"Heh!?" Syr let out a surprised squeak as she flushed red at Bell's words. "N-no it's not like that! It's not like that at all!"
Bell already knew that his king wasn't as infallible as he liked to present himself. If someone like Syr could be so devoted to Freya then the goddess wasn't one they needed to be wary of.
"Jeez, stop it with that face as if you understand everything," Syr said as she jabbed her finger into his cheek with a pout.
"Ahaha…sorry. I just-"
MASTER!
The hairs on Bell's neck suddenly stood up as he dove at Syr, knocking her to the ground. Nary a second later, a large object crashed through the window and crushed the pew the two of them had been sitting on.
It was a massive cudgel, one that could easily crush a human with its weight alone.
"Jack!" Bell called out toward the door leading to the cafeteria as he scooped Syr into his arms.
An instant later, the door slammed open and a black shadow shot out in time to smack away several blades that had flew in after the cudgel.
Was it the ones after the Xenos?
The thought quickly fell away as Bell, still holding onto Syr, ran toward the exit.
Assassin reached the doors first and threw them open, daggers at the ready. Outside Bell could see several women surrounding the church, spread out in the open plaza as well as watching from the nearby rooftops.
Amazons.
"Found you, little rabbit…ge-ge-ge-geh."
And standing right across from him was…a monster? No, that was another amazon.
She massive woman, standing at least two meters tall, wearing a black outfit that looks vaguely like hunting gear. Her scrawny arms and legs are pure muscle and wheat colored save for the countless scars that were scattered all over. Considering the rest of her body looks like a boulder, her tiny limbs don't make much sense.
At the same time, her head is much too big with her hair looking as if it was a black mushroom or something was growing on her head. Topping it all off with beady eyes and really long lips, she looks more like a bullfrog than a human.
It was extremely and uncharacteristically rude of Bell to think about someone he had only just met, and he knew it, but that was his first impression of the woman.
"That's Ishtar Familia…" Syr whispered, still in Bell's arms.
And that was all the info Bell needed.
"Hang on!"
Without waiting for the massive woman or anyone else to say another word, Bell turned to the side and bolted.
Whether it was a response made from the countless warnings given by Caster or not, Bell wasn't sure. However, he knew nothing good could come from associating with them, especially after they made such a violent introduction.
Making sure he was holding Syr properly, Bell took off toward an alleyway as the women guarding it had their eyes shoot wide open at his speed. Assassin then appeared by one of them and kicked her out of the way, opening a path for Bell before disappearing again.
"Hey, wait a minute!"
"Get back here!"
The amazons called out to Bell but he ignored them as he ran down the maze-like alleyways.
"Jack, don't overdo it!" Bell called out as Assassin appeared beside him, keeping pace with his sprint.
"…But!" She began to protest but Bell shook his head.
"We're not fighting them in the city! Right now focus on drawing them away from the Church."
From the giant woman's words, they seem to have been looking for Bell himself. Therefore, the first thing to do was to get away as fast as possible.
"I might have gotten you involved in this…sorry," Bell said to Syr.
Considering what their conversation yesterday, Bell had no doubt Caster had done something to spurn Ishtar into taking action. And said action involved using Bell for something.
"Oh no, I think I'm enjoying myself," Syr said with a laugh that was woefully unsuited for their situation.
"I'll let you off somewhere and then draw them away and-"
"Oh no, you don't!"
Syr completely refused Bell's words as she wrapped her arms around Bell's neck to secure herself.
"I am not wasting this opportunity to be carried by you!" She said over Bell's wordless protests. "But you seem to be rather used to this…have you carried other girls before?"
"Is that really important right now!?"
"It is to me!"
Bell leaped to the side as an amazon came crashing down with a sword from above. He then quickly positioned himself behind her and drove his leg into her back, sending her flying down the path into a few of her comrades in a crash.
"Bell, answer me!" Syr said, as she tightened her grip around his neck.
"T-two…no, three others!" Bell shouted as he gasped for air.
"Who? When?"
"Syr!"
"Bell!"
"You damn rabbit!"
The large woman came barreling down like a bull from an alley to Bell's right. She seemed to be the only one to actually keep up with Bell's speed, making her Level quite high. However, before she could reach them, she was stopped by someone appearing and smashing her head into the wall, shattering it on impact.
It was a dark-haired cat person wearing all black clothing with a silver spear.
"V-Vana Freya?"
Speak of the devil.
It was one of Freya Familia's elite.
"Allen, don't overdo it!" Syr called out and the cat person angrily scoffed but didn't say anything as he grabbed the large woman's body and flung her away before following after it. It looked like he was moving to intercept the chasing amazons…or at least keep the large woman busy.
But even as he did, there was a commotion from another side as more amazons were closing in on them, forcing Bell to keep moving.
"Do you know him?" Bell asked.
"Yes, he comes to the pub a few times," Syr replied. "He's got a real sensitive tongue so he always has to blow on his drink to cool it down."
That…was something Bell didn't really need to know.
"So? Who were the others?"
"You're not going to let this go, are you?"
"Nope."
"…My goddess back when we were being chased by a silverback during Monsterphillia, Emma when she was knocked unconscious by Apollo Familia and I had to carry her home, and our newest member Karen this morning when Saber decided to teach me how to carry people 'properly.'"
"…I see. That's acceptable then."
"Why!?"
As they continued down the path avoiding and fending off, Bell became faintly aware that they were being herded.
They came across another plaza where several amazons threw heavy steel nets from above…only for a flash of red to slice them to ribbons.
"Saber!"
"Master," Saber greeted him without turning around. "Please take Miss Flover to safety. I shall take the rearguard. Jack, look after him."
"Un."
Bell was also acutely aware that Assassin was growing more and more irritated as they were hounded at every turn. It was a repeat of the debacle with that pallum from Apollo Familia. Sooner or later, she was going to explode and Bell needed to get her home before that happened.
However, it would seem that fate had other plans.
"So this is where they were leading us…" Syr muttered as she finally stepped back down onto the stone road.
They had left Daedalus Street behind them and entered Orario's fourth district.
Even though it was still light out, the magic-stone lamp attached to buildings and pillars were projecting a pink light. They dimly illuminated several billboards decorated with seductive red lips and other alluring feminine features. Women of all shapes and sizes wearing skimpy dresses or clothing that completely revealed their back and hips were walking up and down the street.
Bell knew where he ended up instantly even if he had never seen the place before.
The pleasure district…right in the middle of enemy territory.
"…Caster's going to kill me," he groaned as Syr suddenly took his hand and pulled him off to the side just as several amazons in several different states of injury came rushing down the street.
Bell supposed that the Level 6 Vana Freya and Saber couldn't keep all the chasing amazons off of them if they were forced to hold back to avoid killing anyone and had to find them within the maze-like Daedalus Street.
"They're here somewhere! Find them!"
"They can't have gotten far!"
As most of the women disappeared deeper into the district, several were left behind to guard the way back into Daedalus Street.
They were trapped.
"Bell, Jack, over here!"
Bell and Assassin turned to see Syr waving at them before disappearing into an open door. How she got it open or if someone had left it open, Bell didn't know.
Nevertheless, it was better than standing outside waiting to be found.
The two of them quickly followed her in only for Bell to recoil at the sight in front of him.
It seemed to be a storage area for clothes…if the thin strips of fabric could be call that.
"Jack has an ability that lets her hide herself, right?" Syr asked as she held up a green cloth. "Then the two of us need to blend in or we'll be found out right away."
"…I'm afraid to know what that entails," Bell said, keeping his eyes shut, lest his mind go somewhere indecent.
"Oh don't worry. Just leave everything to me."
And yet, somehow, those words caused Bell nothing but worry.
