Ais brought them to someplace quiet. In the chilly morning when the sun was rising and its warmth was still spreading, Ais led Bell and Lili towards the outskirt of Orario. Bell recognized the place as he passed them every day. They entered a breach in the wall, following Ais' direction until they arrived at the top of the wall.
The view was breathtaking. In the morning, where the people were still preparing themselves for the day, the flurry of activities presented in front of Bell's eyes was impressive.
"Bell, let's go." Ais tapped Bell on the shoulder, eliciting a squeak from the surprised Bell. Lili used the opportunity to laugh, and he saw a ghost of a smile on Ais's face. Ugh, he was embarrassing himself. How shameful.
Why was it that he couldn't stay normal in front of Ais when he easily could do it with Ryuu?
That reminded him. "Miss Arde, can you please tell Miss Lion that I can't train with her today? I would feel bad if she's expecting me. Oh, but if Syr prepared a lunch for me, would you mind bringing it here? Also, try breathing," Bell shared a knowing look to Lili, who understood and gave him an exasperated smile.
"Fine. Lili makes no promise about succeeding, though."
"That's fine. What matters is putting on the effort."
Lili approached Bell and whispered to him, "Are you sure it's not because you want alone time with Miss Sword Princess?"
"W-What!? No!" Bell shook his head rapidly with a flush in his face.
Lili went off to inform Ryuu with a snicker while Bell was left alone with Ais, stewing in his embarrassment.
"What's wrong?" Ais tilted her head. Bell blushed from how cute it was. Unfair. She was cute without even doing anything. How could he even concentrate on their training if she was this cute!?
"Nothing!"
Ais then unsheathed her sword. It was a finely forged rapier, although Bell was not quite versed in smithing. Still, Bell thought to himself, gripping his sheathed katana. His sword was definitely better because it was a gift from his beloved Goddess!
The same could not be said about their user.
Indeed, the disparity of power between them was all too clear.
"I'm ready."
Not even a fraction of a second after Bell said that, Ais appeared in front of him, and he was too late to unsheathe his sword. The tip of the rapier struck his shoulder and unbalanced his body.
Bell fell to the ground.
Even with a shoulder plate protection, that would definitely leave a bruise; Bell grimaced as he rubbed the spot Ais struck.
"Ah... I forgot to hold back." It was such a simple statement that Ais uttered under her breath, but it reinforced the distance between them.
Ais was simply too strong for him, even with his breathing technique. She needed to hold back just to train with him. Even a former Adventurer like Ryuu was miles stronger than him. He wanted to catch up to them. If he couldn't catch up with them, how would he claim that he was as strong as the boy in his dream?
"Once more, Miss Wallenstein."
"You don't want me to hold back?"
Bell nodded. "It's okay if my body is full of bruises. I will definitely learn something from you."
Ais opened her mouth, but she shook her head. "Understood."
This time, Bell unsheathed his sword first and put up a stance. "I'm ready."
Wordlessly, Ais once more appeared in front of him. But this time Bell was a bit quicker to react; he diverted the incoming strike using his sword. He did not expect that the power behind the strike was so strong that his sword could not divert it completely. As a result, he was thrown away to the side a little bit. He landed on his two feet; nothing from that strike unbalanced him, but he glanced at the hands gripping the handle of the sword.
"Bell?"
His hands were trembling just from diverting a strike from Ais. Bell looked towards the blonde-haired Adventurer. Seriously. The difference between one Level was wide enough that he couldn't do anything to Ryuu when she held back to an approximation of Level Two in their training session before. But now with Ais...
"Miss Wallenstein, have I ever told you that you are amazing?"
"You haven't. Thank you."
It was then that what he said registered in his mind. His face went red from embarrassment again.
"Ehehe," Bell tried to mask his embarrassment by laughing sheepishly. But that just made Ais looked at him oddly (which was, to Bell's mind, very cute.)
"Again?" Ais raised her sword, to which Bell nodded.
Seeing as Ais did not hold back on the first bout, Bell thought it was better for her to not to do it in the future. He already had a training session with Ryuu on facing a similar-level opponent, honing his technique.
With Ais, it could be different. No need to hone his technique with her. With Ais, it was all about survival instinct; how to survive against an opponent with overwhelming strength. It was okay for him to lose in the first strike, as long as he learned to react appropriately.
This way, there was no overlap on the training sessions; each would have its own advantages for him.
Ais once more suddenly reappeared in front of him, and once more, he was too late to react as Ais struck him on the chest this time.
"Ghah!"
That actually disrupted his breathing rhythm, leaving him gasping for air.
"Are you okay?" Ais approached him with concern written on her face. Bell forced himself to steady his breathing rhythm again before the blowback from breathing nonstop since the morning spread towards his body.
"I'm fine..." Bell grabbed the sword that laid down near him and stood up. "Again, Miss Wallenstein."
"...You can call me Ais," she said with a soft smile.
"Eh?" Bell was dumbfounded by the sudden request from her. "What?"
"It's only fair. I have been calling you Bell. You can call me Ais."
Bell gaped like an idiot.
Ais Wallenstein wanted to be on a first-name basis with him.
Ais Wallenstein wanted to be on a first-name basis with him!
He could die happy now!
Bell shook his head. No, no. He could not lose focus now. This was a training session; he should leave the gushing about Ais later.
"Come at me again, Miss Ais."
Ais let out a smile. "I suppose the politeness is part of you. Here I go!"
Once more, Bell tried to grasp when and where Ais would appear in his range, but this time was no different from the others. He was easily overwhelmed with a single strike. This continued until bruises were visible on Bell's unprotected areas.
Ais sheathed her rapier. "We should stop."
Rubbing the bruised spot on his thigh, Bell grimaced. He did not want this to end. He still wanted to spend time with Ais even though all of it was spent being thrashed by her. Being with her made his heart beat faster... or not. That was just his heart pumping blood faster to his bloodstream because of his breathing.
"I can still continue," he refused indirectly, but Ais only shook her head.
"Your body... can't take more."
"Then, how about you hold back?"
"...Fine."
Bell smiled and stood up. His entire body was still aching from the previous attacks. But despite that, he went into a stance.
"Prepare yourself."
The moment Ais's body moved, Bell took a deep breath and went into the defensive.
Bell parried Ais's strike and twist his body to dodge her.
Dance of the Fire God: Waltz!
He finished his motion with a downward slash from Waltz, which Ais quickly deflected with a swing of her sword. Unfortunately, that action unbalanced Bell, and Ais wasted no time to try to strike Bell again.
Bell twisted his body and breathed.
Dance of the Fire God: Parhelion Rainbow!
Ais struck his chest, but he faded out of her view. Parhelion Rainbow was interesting because the more sharp your enemies' eyesight was, the easier they were to get caught by the illusion. Ais, for all her holding back her power, was still a Level Five. Their eyesight was better than normal unblessed human to accommodate for the high-level fight they did in the lower-level of the Dungeon.
By the time Ais had realized she was striking an afterimage, Bell was falling down behind her. So he unleashed the most fitting technique in his arsenal.
Dance of the Fire God: Fire Chariot!
Bell slashed Ais from behind.
Ais felt the pressure from behind as she turned her head. The only thing she could see was fire from Bell's dance.
Got her! He exclaimed in his mind.
But then a burst of wind appeared and extinguished Bell's fire, subsequently throwing Bell away from her.
"Gah!" He coughed, his breathing got interrupted again. Swiftly, Bell breathed again before the backlash of the breath would tax his body.
"Are you okay?" Ais approached him with her sword sheathed. Concern appeared in her usually emotionless face.
"I'm okay, Miss Ais. But was that what you meant about us being similar!?"
Ais nodded, her face still frowning.
"Amazing! Why don't you use it from the start? Wind vs. Fire and Water! It would be fun!"
Ais shook her head. "Are you truly okay? My wind magic is strong; I fear that it would hurt you."
"Is that why you don't want to use it?"
"Yes," Ais nodded. "We should stop."
This time it was Bell who frowned. "I actually am happy that you used it. Although I understand your decision... Okay, let's stop for today."
Bell sheathed his katana. Then he looked around, looking for Lili.
"Huh, Lili still hadn't come... Miss Ais, how long did we train?"
Ais made a gesture of thinking for a few seconds before she answered. "Fifteen minutes?"
She seemed unsure of her own estimation.
"Going to the Hostess of Fertility and back here definitely could be achieved in fifteen minutes... if I run full speed. I'm gonna wait for Lili here. In the meantime, do you mind if we talk a little bit, Miss Ais?"
Ais shook her head with a smile. "I... don't mind."
And so the two sword-user had a long small talk, although most of it was spent in awkward silence. Ais was not used to small chats with a virtual stranger while Bell was fawning over his conversation partner in his head.
(Later, Lili arrived back to see the two having small talks. She saw how happy Bell was and decided to not announce herself for another fifteen minutes. In the meantime, she would continue to train her breathing.)
After training with Ais, Bell and Lili decided to do something they didn't plan: going to a blacksmith. This was mainly because there were many dents in his protective gear courtesy of Ais's strikes. Lili grumbled along their way to Babel Tower to look for another chest plate. Something about 'dumb fool in love wasting more money,' to which Bell could only laugh because he couldn't deny it.
They arrived at the Hephaestus shop that Bell once visited with Eina. Bell approached the clerk in charge for today (not Goddess Hestia, for she still had a shift selling Jagamarukun somewhere else) with Lili.
"Excuse me, Miss. Is Mr. Welf Crozzo in?"
The clerk looked at him from top to bottom before sighing. "Welf Crozzo doesn't accept any orders for Magic Sword."
Bel blinked. Magic Sword? He turned to Lili, who explained that Crozzo's Magic Sword was famous for its power.
"But I don't want anything to do a Magic Sword, though," Bell undid the strap for his battered chest plate. "See, I bought this here and saw the name Welf Crozzo. I want to fix this, and I thought, 'why not go to the person?'"
The clerk looked at him with a widened eyes. "I-I see..."
"I was told to turn down any magic sword request for one Welf Crozzo. But what to do with a non-magic sword request?" The clerk whispered to herself before she shook her head and looked at Bell with a smile. "C-Certainly, Sir. Please wait for a while before following me. I shall escort you to Mr. Crozzo's forge. Please note that I cannot guarantee the person there; he may have another business somewhere."
Bell saw the clerk approaching a co-worker, and they conversed for a while before the other clerk nodded, and they came to the counter together.
"Please follow me, Sir," the first clerk gestured for Bell and Lili to follow. They were brought to the eighth floor of Babel Tower using the elevator. After they arrived, the clerk brought them to a shop. Bell noted that this was where he picked his current armor.
"Hey," the clerk handling the shop greeted. "What brings you here? Your shift is at the bottom, right?"
"Someone wants to meet with Crozzo," the clerk that brought them here explained.
"I thought everybody knew Crozzo doesn't take Magic Sword orders?"
"They're here for the armor."
The second clerk opened his mouth in amazement. "Somebody wanted Crozzo? That boy will definitely love this. Wait here, boy."
He came out of the store and, a few minutes later, came back dragging an irate young man.
"What the hell! I'm working! Why would you drag me here!?"
"Calm down, brat. Instead of being angry, why don't you rejoice because you got yourself a customer."
The red-headed young man looked at him, specifically the battered protective gear in his arm.
"Pyonkichi! How could this be!" He took the chest plate and hugged it.
Bell raised his hand. "It did its job remarkably."
Indeed. Pyonkichi (A weird name, but don't tell the smith) was untested because Bell mostly dodged out of the way of the monster's attack. However, just this morning, it protected him from deadly strikes by the Sword Princess herself. It was a good piece of armor.
"What is your name, my dear customer?"
"Bell Cranel. Can we talk about it privately?"
"Sure, let's go!" He excitedly left the shop, leaving Bell and Lili gaping.
After that, Welf Crozzo, who insisted that Bell call him Welf, came back and brought him to a small corner of the eighth floor of Hephaestus shop.
"Bell Cranel. What can I help you with?"
"I want to repair, or if it's impossible, to replace the... Pyonkichi. Before it was like that, I was comfortable wearing it, but now it hampered my breathing with the dent on the front part," Bell explained the reason why he wanted it to be repaired. He noticed it when he talked with Ais and laughed; his chest felt constricted for some reason.
"I see, I see. Understandable," Welf nodded.
"Aside from that, can I commission two swords from you?"
Welf froze, but Bell didn't notice. He took out his katana from the sheath and then presented it to Welf.
"Far Eastern sword like this, but made of wood. A strong wood if you can. That's one. The other one is a sword for Miss Arde here."
Bell turned his attention to Lili, never seeing Welf breathed a sigh of relief.
"Miss Arde, what kind of sword do you want?"
"...You're giving Lili one?" Lili looked at him in disbelief.
"Do you even need to ask?" Bell answered after blinking in confusion. "I said I'd train you, didn't I?"
Lili shyly turned away from Bell. "...Lili would like a shorter sword. Lili does not want a sword as long as Lili."
Bell and Welf looked at each other before Welf caught Lili while Bell put his sword on the ground, standing. The result was obvious; Bell's sword was as tall as Lili's body.
"Grrr, Master Bell, Master Welf! That was embarrassing!" Lili grumbled after Welf released her, and Bell took back his sword. Both Bell and Welf just laughed at the situation. "But seriously, Lili wouldn't be confident swinging around a sword as long as Lili's body. Maybe a sword three-fourth long, or half as long as Master Bell's."
"Noted," Welf responded. "A repair or replacement for Pyonkichi, a wooden replica of your sword... actually what's the name of the sword? And a sword half as long as Bell's sword for your orders, right?"
"Correct," Bell nodded. "How long will the order take?"
"I don't know... Maybe a week? But seriously, Bell. You haven't given a name to the sword?"
Bell raised the sword to inspect the fine works. "I haven't. As I only owned one sword, I thought a name is unimportant. But now that you're working on another one, it seems logical to name my first sword."
"Aaah! That's Lady Hephaestus's works!" Welf shouted when he glanced at the sword. "There's no mistake! This sword is too marvelous to be produced by Tsubaki!"
"...Is that so?"
"I know so!" Welf insisted.
"Lili knew it! That sword is valuable! I can't believe Master Bell is ignorant to its own value!"
"Ah, no," Bell replied, shattering Lili's expectation. "I knew how valuable it is; I downplayed it because you seemed fixated on it, Miss Arde," Bell finished his explanation with a small laugh.
Lili opened her mouth in surprise. "...Lili forgot you were suspecting Lili since the start."
Welf looked between the two of them, seemingly trying to understand their dynamic.
"So, about the name?"
"Oh, right!" Bell thought for a fitting name. The sword of the boy with the green and black-checkered garb also had no personal name, but the demon-slaying sword was also known as the 'color-changing sword' or the 'sun ring sword.' That wouldn't be a good name for it, as much as Bell wanted to use them for his sword's namesake.
He then thought about the purpose of the sword. The demon-slaying sword in his dream was named the 'sun ring sword' because the sun was what the demon weak to. It was a sign that they were holding a weapon that was capable of killing the demons. It signified that they believed that if they struck the weakness of the demons, then humans could win even in the darkest night.
What was the purpose of his sword? Was it to eradicate evil? No. While he wouldn't just stand by when evil rose, he wouldn't seek out evil. Was it to uphold justice? No. While he would always try to be just, he wouldn't blindly push his justice to other people. To protect the weak? He himself was still weak, despite what others said.
No, he thought to himself. His Goddess gifted the sword to him to help him reached his goals. What was his goal? What was the goal of an Adventurer named Bell Cranel? What was the thing Bell Cranel strived for?
Vaguely, the image of the boy in the green and black-checkered garb came to his mind.
That was right.
He wanted to reach that back.
Following the path laid out in front of him... and looking back to the path that he had taken before this... there could only be one name for the sword.
"Peaceseeker."
"Huh?" Welf, who was admiring the sword, looked at him, so did Lili.
"That's the name of my sword. Peaceseeker."
"Any reason?" Welf nodded, savoring the name. "It's not mandatory, but you did think very hard before coming up with the name."
Bell nodded. "I wish for those who felled by this blade to find peace thereafter."
...
"Wow... that's deep."
"Lili never knew Master Bell could be so philosophical about a name. But, then again, that reason is such a Master Bell Lili couldn't help but smile in response."
Bell looked at Welf, who now looked at him with a sort of respect. He then turned to Lili, who smiled at him.
"Thank you."
"Alright. Happy to work with you," Welf and Bell shook hands.
"Do you need a written contract?"
"No need. You guys are actually the first person who wants to commission a weapon to me. Before this, I only sold a single piece of armor, and that customer returned it. I will definitely remember your orders," Welf patted his own chest proudly.
"Lili felt like that is something you shouldn't be proud of, Master Welf."
"Why you!"
It seemed that Lili and Welf get along well, Bell noted with a smile. But then he realized one important thing.
"Oh, what about the price? We only have sixty thousand valis to spend."
Welf smiled.
"Lili doesn't like that smile."
He wouldn't put it like that, but Welf's smile was indeed unnerving. It was as if he was prey being targeted by the hunter.
"You can pay it, of course. I would never swindle someone I like, so I'll calculate the price fairly. However," Welf looked at Bell. "What do you think about signing a direct contract with me, Bell? I will be your personal blacksmith. In return, all your equipment from me will get a special discount."
"Lili is sorry, Master Welf. But Lili has to talk with Master Bell first," Lili interrupted as she dragged Bell to the side for a private conversation.
"Master Bell, do you want to accept it?"
"I probably would. Mr. Welf looks like a good man."
"Sigh. Fine, but you need to outline the terms of the contract clearly before you sign it, okay?" Lili asked for his reassurance.
"Of course. Please help me if you can, Miss Arde." They went back to Welf, who waited for them.
"So, do you accept, Bell?"
"Before that, Mr. Welf. Let's outline the legal term," Bell replied.
"Fine by me. I will be your personal blacksmith, making all of your equipment from now, and in return, you will only buy and maintain your equipment from me." Welf dictated the first term.
"That term is not applied if somebody gifts an equipment to me," Bell made an addition. He thought this was important because both his armguard and Peaceseeker were a gift. It did not rule out any possibilities for other people to give him more things.
"Fine. Also, I may join Bell's party unless Bell joins another party where another blacksmith states that I couldn't join."
"Accepted. We need more manpower, actually." Although, it will be harder to teach Lili without Welf noticing things.
"Addition," Lili interjected. "Dividing the loots will be decided after each Dungeon delving."
"Okay. Anything else?"
"Further discussion of terms between the two parties involved may occur when both agree," Lili put an opening to the contract.
"Nothing else?"
"Nothing," Bell shook his head. He offered his hand for Welf to shake, signifying the signing of the unwritten contract.
"I'll write the formal written one later. It will need my signature, your signature, Lady Hephaestus's signature, and your Deity's signature. For now, let's go to the Dungeon!" Welf threw both his arms up in excitement.
"...Um, one important thing, Mr. Welf."
"What? Come on, Bell, you can call me without honorifics."
"...I have no more chest plate. The old one I used is passable, but it was a Guild-issued one I didn't dare using it to explore the twelfth floor."
"You have no more chest plate!? Wait, did you just say twelfth floor!? What Level are you!? Wait, forget the first question! You can use something from my forge as a temporary replacement!"
"Provided we don't pay for the compensation cost if it got destroyed."
"Sure. But please answer me, did you just say twelfth floor!?" Bell nodded to Welf's question. "Yes! Finally! Goodbye tenth floor!"
"Wait, wait, wait, Master Bell! We're going to the twelfth!? Your Advisor is going to kill you! Please master the eleventh floor first!"
At the thought of Eina scolding him like crazy, he suddenly shivered. Right. Better not incur her wrath. According to her guides, the twelfth was the last of the upper floors. He technically could enter it, but he had already stretched Eina's patience to the maximum. If he pushed it further, it would erupt.
"You're right. Better keep it at the eleventh for today. Is that okay, M-Welf?" Bell quickly switched to his name when Welf looked at him with a disappointed expression.
"It's okay. Come on, let's go to my forge!"
After leaving Welf's forge with a temporary replacement chest plate for Bell, the group went towards the Hostess of Fertility. Lili did not bring him Syr's lunch when she went there this morning, so Bell had to visit them to get it. Lili just looked at him and sighed when he asked for the reason, muttering something about thick skulls. Then Welf approached Lili, and both whispered to each other while occasionally looking at him. He wondered what they were talking about.
Eventually, they arrived at the Hostess of Fertility. Bell greeted Lunoir, who got the job to clean the front door this time.
"Miss Faust, Good Morning."
"Oh, it's Syr's boy friend."
"Can you call Syr and Miss Lion?"
She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Both at the same time?"
"Yes. I've got to apologize to Miss Lion for sending Miss Arde in my stead. But this morning was quite a surprise."
She didn't reply for a few seconds, as if she was looking at something on his face. "You truly are amazing. Wait here."
Bell blinked in confusion. What did she mean by amazing?
Minutes later, Syr and Ryuu came out to meet him; Syr with a spring in her steps, while Ryuu was calm.
"Bell!" Syr greeted him happily before she pouted. "You didn't came this morning!"
"Ahahaha, sorry. As Lili had said, I was preoccupied with something else," Bell replied while scratching the back of his head.
"Anyway. As a punishment, tonight you have to come and eat dinner here. Promise?" Syr playfully winked.
Bell looked towards his party behind him, Lili and Welf, who nodded at him. "Sure."
"Then, this is your lunch," Syr handed the boxed lunch she had prepared beforehand to him. "See you tonight, Bell. I'll leave you and Ryuu for privacy."
She winked before running inside, leaving Bell with Ryuu. Mama Mia probably would scold her if she didn't hurry and do her task.
"Miss Lion, I'm sorry that I couldn't train with you today, and so suddenly too... That was impolite of me," Bell bowed towards Ryuu. It was a perfect 90-degree angle that caught Ryuu off-guard.
"Mr. Cranel, please raise your head. There is no need to lower yourself like that. You are not in the wrong."
"I know, but I feel ashamed of that. I hope you don't get offended and can help me train tomorrow. I know this is a brazen request, but..."
"It's fine," a ghost of a smile could be seen on her face. "You were not offending me at all, Mr. Cranel. I did wonder where you were, but the arrival of Miss Arde and her subsequent explanation is sufficient to answer my question."
A smile bloomed on Bell's face. "Then..."
"Tomorrow morning, you can come to train with me," Ryuu nodded, confirming Bell's assumption.
"Thank you, Miss Lion!" Bell bowed again, twice. "See you tonight!"
Ryuu nodded and went back inside.
Bell turned back to see Welf gaped at him, with Lili muttering something about 'see?' to him.
"I'm sorry, I had to talk with them for a bit. What were you guys talking about?" He said after walking towards the two.
"Oi, Bell! Tell me, how do you turn up your charm like that!?" Welf playfully grabbed him and put him in a headlock.
"Ugh, Master Welf is disgusting. One Master Bell is enough," Lili interjected from beside them.
"It wasn't like I want to break women's hearts left and right!" Welf defended himself. Somehow Bell felt like he should be offended by Welf's statement. He wasn't a heartbreaker, nor was he a charmer. "I just want to get the attention of a woman I like."
Bell looked at Welf like he found a kindred spirit. "Mr. Welf! We're the same!"
Indeed. Like Welf, Bell also wanted to get the attention of someone he liked; Ais Wallenstein. Luckily, for some reason, Ais paid attention to him.
"I'll help you however I can!" Bell declared. "This is our men's oath!"
Welf looked at him.
"M-Welf?"
"Oi oi, Lil'ly! Did I just hear it right? Did I just hear that he had someone he liked that isn't the two girls from before?"
"You heard right. Also, don't call Lili Lil'ly!"
Bell looked as Lili and Welf went back and forth, bantering with each other.
This.
Somehow this felt familiar. It felt like the companionship that the boy in the green and black-checkered garb had with his friends. Whenever he saw them in his dreams, he always wanted to experience having a friendship like them.
"Lili, Welf!"
Both looked at him.
"Thank you!"
"What is Master Bell saying? Lili should be the one thanking you," Lili replied with a smile.
"I don't know why you said it, but I feel the same as Lil'ly. You are my precious customer, Bell," Welf also smiled.
"How many times Lili said don't call Lili Lil'ly!" Lili's smile turned into a frown.
"Hah! I'll stop when you're not so little anymore!"
"But Lili is a Pallum! Lili won't grow taller than you!"
"Then my nickname is correct."
"Miss Arde is right, Welf," Bell joined the conversation. "Teasing is fine, but when one side had enough, you ought to stop."
"And besides, Lili had never given you her permission to call Lili by her first name! Call me Arde!"
Welf sighed. "Fine, fine. Ganging up on me like that..."
They went to the Dungeon, still immersed in small talks.
When they traversed through the Dungeon, Bell quickly dismantled everything without the need to use his breathing. Add into that Welf, who was no slouch in the monster-killing department himself, and their party promptly went through the first sixth floor.
"You're amazing, Bell. You say you're still new?" Welf opened conversation as Lili was gathering the magic stones. However, his conversation partner did not reply. Curious, Welf looked at him to see him praying. "Uh, Arde..."
"Don't bother. Master Bell is praying for the monster he killed," Lili answered the unasked question while she was carving the magic stones out of the corpses.
"...For what reason, though?" Instantly Welf's mind went back to the conversation at the Babel Tower. "Ah..."
"Yeah. It's why Master Bell named the sword Peaceseeker."
"Sorry," Bell suddenly spoke, his prayer finished. "It must be strange, huh? I actually want to do this since the first floor, like when I was just with Miss Arde, but you looked so enthusiastic, and it would kill the pace, so I continued. Thank you for giving me time to pray for them now."
Welf opened his mouth, wanting to explain that it was because he himself was tired, but he refrained. This guy... honestly, this guy was just too kind, always seeing the good in other people. But honestly? Welf thought this way of thinking wasn't wrong.
Maybe it was because of the experience that shaped his life, but Welf felt like he was a bit of a cynic. Living in Orario did that to people. From what he gleaned through his observation, their Supporter, Liliruca Arde, was also a fellow cynic. Maybe it was why the two of Bell and Lili clicked so much.
"It's okay. I'm quite tired. Aren't you, Bell?"
Bell blinked. "Not really? While this pace is faster than my usual pace, I didn't exert too much energy. The next floor, however..."
"Ah, the seventh, huh? Killer Ants were dangerous."
"It's not the fact that they're dangerous, Welf. It's the fact that we couldn't leave one unscathed. It's almost neverending. And I fear some other Adventurers would get caught up in a Monster Party we created."
He even had the time to think of other people's well-being. Welf looked towards Lili, who was approaching them with an open mouth.
"Don't bother. Whatever you're thinking about Master Bell is probably correct. Lili has enough time to accept it. Lili thinks you should learn to accept it too."
"Well, I think I should use my sword style.," Bell mused to himself.
"Huh? All these times, you didn't use your sword style?" He asked Bell an important question. During their way to the sixth floor, Bell's swordsmanship was actually quite good, from his opinion as a smith. And he said it wasn't part of his sword style? Ridiculous.
"Well, I derived some of it from my style for casual use. Using my style tires me, so I tried to use it as little as possible."
"Oh right, Master Welf. When Master Bell used his sword style, please do not be surprised."
"I know, I know. You've said it so many times that I shouldn't be surprised by what Bell can do," Welf sighed at Lili's warning. At this point, he kinda regretted joining this party. He thought this was just an ordinary party who somehow survived the eleventh floor. But as he found out along the way, there might be nothing ordinary about this party.
They stepped inside the seventh floor, and immediately a swarm of Purple Moths greeted the three.
"Shit, we have no way to get them from the range!" Welf shouted in distress. He looked at Lili, but instead of similar distress, Lili was relaxed.
Welf got the answer why a second later.
The flying Purple Moths were decimated by Bell, fire trailing around him. Welf couldn't help but gasp.
Bell's sword went back to its sheathe with a click, and Bell put his hands together to pray.
Was that... "Magic sword?"
"No," Lili answered for him. "It's not a magic sword. Honestly, this is why I said don't be surprised."
When Bell finished praying, he approached Bell to inquire about his sword, but Bell sensed something. He immediately leaped towards a lone Killer Ant that just spawned before Welf could voice his question.
With a single slash, Bell decapitated the Killer Ant. The fire from his sword burned both the body and the head, preventing it from calling for reinforcement.
"...What the hell? What is that? Your magic?"
Bell blinked after finishing his prayer. "My skill? I believe if I use your swords, I can still summon the fire. Although my movement may be stiffer because I'm not as familiar with a non-Far Eastern sword."
It did not use Mind at all? Wasn't the skill too broken!?
"I can summon water too. So as long as we have a container and woods, we'll never lose a water source. Hmm, wait, I don't know if the water summoned by me is already drinkable or not. I might try it later in the surface."
"That's actually something handy, Master Bell! Lili could minimize the water supply she brings to make room for something else! Why didn't you say it sooner!?" Lili grumbled.
"Well, that never came up because our water supplies were enough. Anyway. Let's continue. I don't like the seventh floor."
That graceful movement, though, Welf thought to himself as the party continued going down. Despite the fact that Bell said he was a newbie Adventurer, his movement was anything but.
Instantly Lili's warning came to his mind. Right. He shouldn't be surprised by anything if it came to Bell. She looked like she had born the brunt of the damage of Bell's strangeness and now preaching wise words to spare other people of the same pain.
As they entered the tenth floor after killing more monsters, Welf had seen more of Bell's sword style. It really was beautiful. But aside from that, the thing that struck his mind was the effectiveness of the style.
After Bell began using his style, Welf was relegated to a backup role, killing anything that was not dead after Bel ran through them. Since those were rare, he mostly protected Lili, although the little spitfire did not need one. From what Welf understood, Bell wanted to teach his style to Lili, too, if what he guessed from the custom order of Lili's sword was for. He couldn't imagine the little Pallum being able to swing her swords left and right like Bell.
The next thing that came to his mind was how Bell kept praying when there was enough time to do so without interruptions. He asked Bell about it, and he replied that he believed that the monsters were menaces, but not something evil that should be hated. Instead, he pitied them for being born this way. So he prayed that in the next life, they would find peace and let go of their hatred.
He was a hotheaded idiot, so he just nodded, pretending to understand. Things like what the monsters felt were something out of his depth. He just wanted to make weapons and proved himself as a blacksmith.
The mist around the tenth floor obstructed their vision, so the three increased their vigilance and went to a formation. Bell in the front, Lili in the middle, and Welf in the back. It was a formation formed to protect Lili as the weakest link. If Lili were to be suddenly ambushed, they could crumble. Bell would no doubt try to help Lili, which, in turn, left Welf to fend for himself.
"Ugh, This feeling of weakness... Lili hates it," she uttered as they walked.
"In the future, you'll be stronger, Miss Arde. But, this is strange..." Bell muttered to himself after answering Lili. "The mist was not this thick the days before."
"...Does it trigger your bad feeling, Master Bell?"
"No, no, it didn't. That's why I said it is strange."
"Bad feeling?" Welf asked around.
"Ah, I had a sort of... survival instinct? I know something bad will happen when I get a certain kind of feeling in my gut. The last time I ignored it, the Killer Ant monster party on the seventh floor a few days ago happened," Bell tried to explain his quirk believably.
"So you don't feel it now?" Welf asked back.
"No. This weird situation should trigger it, but I felt nothing."
They continued to walk in silence, fully alert that something might or might not happen.
Half an hour later, they passed the tenth floor without difficulty after killing many of the monsters. They entered the eleventh floor, still alert from the previous altercation. When they saw how thick the mist was in the eleventh, everybody knew something was coming.
"Master Bell, summon your fire please, Lili doesn't like the thickness of the mist. You should try to thin it."
"Yes, you should also increase your body temperature, Miss Arde." Bell nodded and began to move, slashing the air to summon fire. The heat from the fire evaporated the mist around the party.
"Good job, Bell. Your skill is amazing."
Maybe Bell's fire attracted the monsters because all of a sudden, they converged around them.
"Oh no, seems like we are a beacon in the dark for the monsters," Welf remarked, taking out his own sword. "Let's go, Bell!"
They wasted no time vanquishing the monsters.
When Lili started to collect the magic stones and Bell was praying, suddenly the three shivered. Lili dropped the magic stones on her arms, while Bell's hand automatically went to his katana.
"What was that?" The first to recover was Welf, who was shaken by the sudden feeling of dread.
Before somebody could reply, Bell fell to his knees, the content of his breakfast coming out in barf.
"Bell!"
"Master Bell! Don't tell Lili your bad feeling is..."
"...worse," Bell replied after feeling better. "You all felt it too, didn't you?"
They nodded grimly.
"Something bad is going to happen. Soon..."
"Nevermind that, just take this water first, Master Bell," Lili offered a pouch of water, which Bell took a sip from.
Suddenly, a loud roar reverberated around them. The three realized what happened at once. Welf's face went pale while Lili audibly gulp.
"Infant Dragon..."
Bell voiced the thing that was inside everyone's mind.
The situation turned from tense into terrifying. None of them expected to fight the Infant Dragon when they entered the Dungeon. Still, Bell gritted his teeth.
They had to.
"Master Bell?"
"We have to, Miss Arde," was his reply.
"...Can you handle it?"
"...I should be able to." Bell's tone didn't inspire confidence for the three of them.
"Oi, oi, hold on, you gonna face it alone?" Welf stepped up and questioned Bell's decision.
"No offense, Welf. You're a great guy; your skill with the blade is also good. But we only worked together today. I'm not familiar with your movement, nor you mine."
Welf sighed. "Fine. I'll guard Arde."
Bell smiled at Welf. "Thank you."
And then he leaped forward.
"Arde... you didn't even try to stop him," Welf pointed out when Bell was away.
"Lili knows how futile it is to stop Master Bell from doing something when he puts his mind on it," she smiled wryly. "He seriously a bad Adventurer."
"And yet you're following him," Welf stated his observation.
"Because while he's a bad Adventurer, he's a good person, and Lili also wants to become a good person like him."
"I see..." Lili's statement made him realize that Bell was good, but his mindset as an Adventurer was weird. From feeling pity for the monsters to saying that he had to face the Infant Dragon even though they could go back instead. That was not Adventurer-like at all; Welf knew so. Even between the blacksmiths of his own Familia, those kinds of mindsets were weird. "To you, he's someone worth looking up, huh?"
Lili nodded. "Wait until Master Welf feels the same."
He snapped his neck, "What?"
Amid the thick mists, Bell's vision returned blank white. There was nothing he could see except the mists. However, he had a built-in tracker. He went to where his bad feelings told him to avoid. He was very sure that was the place the Infant Dragon at.
He could thin out the mists with Dance of the Fire God, but Infant Dragon was a Dragon. Logically, something that breathed fire should be fought with Breath of Water. He did not want to switch his style unless necessary, as that would tire him more, so he sought the strongest of the Eleventh Floor using his bad feelings.
Crouch down!
His instinct screamed at him, and he followed it without any thought. That was a good thing because Bell could feel the displaced air from the Dragon's swing above him.
That was close! But he wasted no time pondering the near-death experience and launched himself in the direction where the attack came.
Breath of Water, First Style: Water Surface Slice!
Bell tried to strike the Dragon. His attack, however, missed its target. The Infant Dragon was fast enough to jump back. But even if it missed, the torrent of water didn't.
The water met the flesh of the Dragon. It did nothing to hurt it, but the sizzling sound and steam that appeared were enough to make the Dragon raged. Something from Eina's lecture came to his mind. Infant Dragon's body was so hot your skin would get burned just from touching it. What would happen if its hot body was showered with so much cold water?
Bell used the third style and ran around the Dragon, hitting it while he was on its blind spot. Bell's attack made it swiped its tail and forelimb around, thrashing wildly.
Bell jumped to the air to avoid its tail swipe. He then went to use the sixth style to spread water around. Before his feet touched the ground, he readied himself for his next attack.
Breath of Water, First Style!
At the split second, when his feet touched the ground, Bell pushed his body forward...
Water Surface Slice!
And cut the Dragon's right forelimb.
Its scream of pain echoed around them. No doubt Welf and Lili could hear them. He just hoped they didn't approach this place and held their ground for any monster attacks instead.
Again, Bell used the same tactic as before; he circled around the Dragon while striking using the third style when he arrived at their blindspot. This time, its attack was less dangerous because it was unbalanced from having its limb cut off.
The tail swipe came, and Bell jumped to the air again, dodging it. However, this time the monster knew where he was and used the only forelimb left to swipe him off the air.
"Gah!" Bell's body was thrown to the ground, bouncing slightly.
The raging Infant Dragon instantly put its body on top of Bell, trapping his lower body. It growled at Bell menacingly. Bell could feel the hatred of the monster just from its glowing red eyes.
Having no chance to escape, Bell could only wait. His lower body was locked; he couldn't move. It was harder to breathe from the pressure of the monster's body. Slowly but surely, he was losing his grip on his breathing. When it did, all of his strength would leave his body from the drawback of forcing his body to its utmost capabilities.
He had to endure. At least, he had to keep his breathing. Both his arms and sword were still free; he had to believe he still could do something.
The monster's jaw opened, and Bell could see the darkness inside it. Surely this was it. The Dragon was going to crunch his body using its jaw. There was nothing else he could do, and unlike the last time, there was no Ais Wallenstein to save him.
From Bell's perspective, the world froze. His mind, though, it was running at a flash and recalled all of his memories and dreams.
He recalled every Style of Breath of Water and Dance of the Fire God that he knew and every instance of Breath of Water and Dance of the Fire God he had seen in his dream.
He recalled the time when the boy in green and black-checkered garb trained himself from dawn until dusk. He recalled the time the boy faced his first Demon in the selection process. He recalled the time the boy had his first mission. After that, he recalled everything up until the training in the big mansion.
All of the Breath of Water and Dance of the Fire God required footwork or a solid stance. However, there was one style that did not need it.
Bell's mind snapped into reality. He didn't know if the power would be enough, but he didn't care. All he knew was that he still had a chance.
Breath of Water, Eighth Style!
With all his might, Bell swung his sword upwards towards the Dragon's opened jaw.
Modified! Waterfall Jar: Reverse!
The regular eighth style of the Breath of Water did not require footwork or a stance. It was pure body movement with the help of gravity. It was why Bell could do it with a slight modification even when his lower body was trapped.
His intention was not to swing it powerfully. No. His intention was something else.
The vast tidal wave of water came rushing from the ground and enveloped the Dragon's body, displacing it. Bell managed to get out of the monster's clutch and recovered.
As the water receded to the ground, some of them heated into steam by the high temperature around the monster, Bell saw the monster's condition. It was still alive, but the cold water probably did something to weaken it.
Bell took half a second break to change his stance. He could finish it with the tenth style, but it would take too long to use it. He did not want to gamble on the monster being weak. Sooner or later, the Infant Dragon would stand again, and their fight would resume. Changing his breath meant he had a whole arsenal of quick dances to kill it.
Although, Bell grimaced as he entered the stance for a dance. His muscles would definitely kill him tonight.
Taking a deep breath, Bell moved.
Dance of the Fire God: Shining Ray of Grace!
Bell ran and then jumped, twisting his body in mid-air to create a spiraling effect on the fire. When he was near the monster, he swung his sword, and the momentum behind the spiral helped cut its neck cleanly. The last vestige of life went away from the Infant Dragon.
Bell put up his hand together to pray for it.
After that, he went back to Lili and Welf, who had to defend themselves from other monsters, and they quickly went to the Infant Dragon's body. Lili took a long time carving down the body for the magic stones, so Bell helped, although Lili berated him for almost cutting the magic stones.
They decided they had enough for today. The Party went back to the surface, although the way up was no less hazardous. Still, no big surprise like the Infant Dragon. They quickly got out of the Dungeon and went to the guild to exchange the magic stones for valis.
The three finished exchanging the magic stones to valis and walked near the reception area.
Unfortunately for Bell, Eina saw them. Now he had to talk with Eina because ignoring her would be very rude. No doubt she would grill him about what happened as usual. He wondered if he should refrain from telling her about his near-death experience.
Bell shook his head. Nah. Eina trusted him. Lying behind her back would betray that trust. Better to be scolded here and now rather than betraying her like that.
And so he greeted his Advisor with a smile. "Good Evening, Miss Eina!"
"Good Evening, Bell. You have a new member in your party?" Eina looked behind him to see Welf and Lili. "Nice to meet you. I'm Eina Tulle, Bell's Advisor."
Welf just looked amazed at something Bell didn't know. He immediately went to a hushed whisper with Lili, so Bell turned his attention to Eina again.
"Bell... what floors did you traverse today?"
"...eleventh," Bell replied, subdued. No doubt Eina would lecture him again.
"Sigh. It's fine, Bell. I've contacted Goddess Hestia, and she confirmed your status. You can go to the eleventh and twelfth." Eina smiled at him. "Honestly, it's a huge relief that my fears that you overestimate yourself are proven wrong. But please keep your guard up, okay, Bell?"
He nodded. "Of course I will."
Suddenly, her co-worker Misha (who always teased him and her) approached them. "Eina, you're called by our supervisor."
"I'm sorry to cut this short, Bell. Be careful when you're in the Dungeon." Eina left.
After she left, Misha suddenly gestured for him to come near her. "Is there something, Miss Flott?"
"I have no time. I just lied to make Eina leave us," she whispered. "Listen, Mr. Bell. Eina cares for you."
Bell nodded. "I know. I'm grateful for it."
"So stop making her worry. Just yesterday, I found out she's been having gray hair. She's probably too stressed from thinking about you."
Bell couldn't reply. Honestly, it was not his intention to worry his Advisor. She was great, and Bell was glad to have her as his Advisor. But how would he overcome his limit if he didn't challenge it every day? That was his reason to always push for another floor faster.
"Misha, nobody calls for-"
"Does that mean that I shouldn't tell her I almost got mauled to death by an Infant Dragon today? ...Oh no..."
Too late. Behind him, Bell could hear Lili smacking her face with her palm. In front of him, Misha groaned. "You idiot."
He didn't realize Eina was already back.
Eina suddenly bowed his head.
"U-Umm, Miss Eina?"
"Bell..."
"Y-Yes...?"
"You're banned from going further than the ninth floor."
"But-"
"No buts!" Eina glared at him, making Bell cower in fear.
"Yes..."
"Sigh, I really don't know what to do with you, Bell. For all I know, you're probably thinking that leaving it alone would mean leaving other Adventurers to face it. I'm happy and angry at the same time."
Eina truly knew him well, to be able to deduce his train of thought at just a glance.
"I'm not sorry for facing it. But please forgive me for almost dying. I was caught off-guard by the thick mist; I couldn't see its attack."
"I forgive you, Bell. But until you level up, you can't go further than the ninth floor," Eina looked at Welf and Lili behind him. "You two understood?"
"Yes."
"Sure."
"Good," Eina nodded to herself. "...Bell, you do know that I'm not doing this to hamper you, don't you?"
Eina didn't look at his eyes.
"Of course, I'm really grateful, Miss Eina." He knew she didn't want to hamper his progress. She just wanted to keep him safe.
Adventurers shouldn't go on an adventure.
That was Eina's favorite lecture line to him in the early days. Bell didn't understand until after he was attacked by the Minotaur a month ago. But now that he tasted what it felt like to go on an adventure, he craved for more.
Eina smiled at him.
"Take care, Bell. See you tomorrow."
"See you, Miss Eina," Bell smiled back before leaving the Guild with both of his party members. When they were outside, they took a seat on a nearby bench.
"So, how's the reward going to be split?" Welf opened the conversation.
"Everyone gets a third," Bell offered fairly.
"About the crafting materials... can I take it all but only take a quarter of the valis?"
"Except the Blue Wings. I want to gift it to Miss Naaza again," made a counter-offer.
"Accepted. It's nice to work with this party. Hope you won't mind me coming back tomorrow," Welf grinned.
"I don't mind, actually. But as you've heard, we are banned from going further."
"It's okay, it's fine. The three of us going to the eleventh floor for the first time and then directly meeting an Infant Dragon. That's another kind of luck you have, Bell. It sure was an exciting adventure. Who knows, maybe we'll have more exciting ones on the floors above it. Consider me a permanent member to your party as long as our contract holds."
Bell smiled. "Thank you, Welf. Actually, before today, I was always worried about Lili's position. Now with you protecting her, I can go more all out."
"It's a win-win for everyone."
"Please no, Lili doesn't want more exciting adventures," Lili groaned when she saw Bell and Welf high-fiving each other. "Slow and steady is fine. Slow and steady Dungeon delving is the best! You almost die, Master Bell..."
"I thought you had already forgiven me for that," Bell frowned.
"Forgiving doesn't mean forgetting, Master Bell!"
"...For a second, you sounded like my Grandpa, Miss Arde," Bell flashed her a griefing smile. The thought of his late grandfather still evoked sadness in him.
"Well, anyway. I'll definitely come here tomorrow. Meeting here at eleven?"
Bell made a mental calculation. The morning run, training Lili in meditation and then training with Ryuu. After that, maybe if Ais had time and wanted to train together again, they promised to do it again this morning.
"Sure."
"Okay, see you tomorrow, Bell, Arde."
"See you, Welf."
"Goodbye for today, Master Welf."
They parted ways for the day. Before the day ends, though, Bell remembered that he promised Syr to eat at the Hostess, so he invited Lili and his Goddess to eat there.
(It ended up being a fun night, although Bell could do with a normal Hestia. At least normal Hestia held herself back. Drunk Hestia did not have such self-restraint. The feeling of her twin assets on his cheek wouldn't leave his mind for another week. His only shining ray of grace was the fact that Lili didn't drink, probably because of her experience with her Familia.
He himself didn't drink. He could technically force himself to not get drunk by maintaining his breathing, but then there was no reason to drink it at all. He could let himself get drunk, but releasing his breath meant the blowback would come. If he did, he wasn't sure he could wake up at dawn tomorrow.
After that, Bell and Lili helped the drunk Hestia went back to the Abandoned Church. Although Hestia immediately fell asleep on the bed. He had to postpone his status update until tomorrow morning.)
A/N: I can't believe it's been two months. Time run so fast when you're immersed in your new Nintendo Switch. And then Football Manager 21 had a big discount. So yeah, blame them.
Anyway. We actually got to Welf first because I was stupid and didn't plan for after Ais' beatdown on Bell. His armor would of course be bent in many ways. So I thought might as well bring Welf now and let Lili have a sword and Bell a wooden one for training and facing humans. And since Welf is here, of course the name of Bell's sword would be brought up. I actually had to think for a while for the name. I ocnsidered naming it 'Nichirin' to make Bell imitate Tanjirou even more, but that would not be a fitting name. So there you have it, Bell's sword, the Divine Sword, Peaceseeker.
Also, polarizing opinion about Eina might be had. I did not mean to bash her or corner her into this situation at all, but Bell is being more reckless than he was in canon. She even allowed Bell to go to the twelfth after confirming his status to Hestia. But Bell opened his mouth in the wrong time and she snapped.