Chapter 12-
An Adventurer's Spirit
At this point, Minato wasn't even surprised anymore when Bete had decided to approach him at his breakfast table in the Loki Familia's mess hall.
The werewolf haphazardly dumped his plate onto the table and took a seat in the free chair across from him. Minato could feel all of the conversation coming from the other tables die down as a bunch of eyes looked their way. If Bete had noticed, he didn't really seem to care too much as he munched down on a rather large piece of chicken thigh. The werewolf might not have cared, but he was never a fan of being the center of attention in the room, so he could already feel his appetite leaving him.
"Hey, Minato." How Bete managed to speak at all while chewing on a chicken bone at the same time was a mystery in itself. "Let's go back into the Dungeon today."
Minato couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in response.
Bete wanted to go back into the Dungeon already? Not that he minded, he had been planning on finding someone to journey into the Dungeon with as well, since Loki still wouldn't allow him to go in alone. There was just one thing that was bothering him, however.
Minato's eyes slowly glanced over towards the werewolf's neck, where Ottar had attempted to strangle him. There weren't any visible wounds from what he could see, but not all injuries were visible on the surface level.
"Are your injuries fully healed?"
The werewolf's eyes narrowed in response as he spat out the chicken bone in his mouth. Perhaps that had been the wrong thing to ask, Loki had mentioned that Bete didn't like people fretting over him.
"I'm fine." The werewolf grumbled. "I ain't that fucking weak that I'd get done in that easily."
If Bete thought that he was still able to traverse the Dungeon, then who was he to stop him?
Aside from the encounter with Ottar, he thought that they had done a pretty good job with the quest they had taken, so he didn't see a reason to not work with the werewolf again. He was curious as to why Bete wanted to suddenly head back into the Dungeon so soon though, even going as far as seeking him out himself.
"You heard about Ais and her fight with Udaeus, right? She's level six now." The werewolf explained with a scowl. "After that fight with that bastard Ottar, I feel like I'm close to taking the next step."
Ah, so that was it.
The pursuit of strength seemed to be a common goal shared among the members of the Loki Familia. He supposed that he shouldn't have been surprised by Bete's reasoning, he seemed like the type of person to value individual strength above everything. Why had he sought him out specifically though?
It wasn't as if Bete couldn't venture into the Dungeon alone if he wanted to.
Unless he had the same thoughts as the Sword Princess. It was kind of annoying to be thought of as some kind of magnet for trouble to be used by every adventurer looking for a challenge. It wasn't as if he was going to get into some massive battle every time he stepped foot into the Dungeon after all.
Evidently, Ais and Bete didn't seem to share the same sentiments.
"Alright." He eventually agreed as he finished the rest of his soup. "Let's stop by the Guildhall first so we can pick out a quest."
"The haul from the last quest wasn't enough to cover the cost of your weapon?" Bete asked in genuine surprise. "How much you short by?"
"Around ten million."
It was a rough estimate more or less since he hadn't actually stopped by Goibniu's shop yet. Speaking of the blacksmith, he made a mental note to himself to swing by the shop later when he had the chance. He wanted to start paying off the debt and ask about forging some armor for the upcoming expedition.
"I am going as well."
Minato put his bowl down and turned around to see the Sword Princess staring at him intently, as if daring him to refuse her request. Was Ais Wallenstein a ninja or something? How was she always sneaking up on him like that?
The conversations around the cafeteria started to pick up again once the Sword Princess had shown up. People were looking back and forth while whispering to one another, but Ais and Bete didn't seem to notice or care. It was really starting to bother him though, so he just stood up and moved to put away his bowl.
"Tch, not satisfied with just level six, huh Ais?" The werewolf scoffed as he stood up as well, although it was lacking any real venom. "Try to leave some of the monsters for us, yeah?"
"... No promises." The Sword Princess quietly replied as she followed after him with the werewolf tagging along not too far behind.
"Hah! How about a wager then?" Bete challenged with a smirk. "Whoever can get the most kills wins."
"... The reward?" Ais asked with a tilt of her head.
"Their share of the spoils for the day." The werewolf replied. "Sound good?"
"... Agreed." The Sword Princess answered with a nod.
He had seen how easily Bete had cut through monsters the day before and while he had never seen the Sword Princess fight in person, the rumors that swirled around her painted a good enough picture in his mind. He wasn't going to gamble on a lopsided bet like that when he was still in debt. They could have their fun if they wanted to, but he was just going to focus on whatever quest they decide to pick up from the job board instead.
"I want no part of this."
"What, you scared?" Bete taunted in return.
Minato just rolled his eyes at the werewolf's comments.
If Bete actually thought that he was going to get baited by something grade school level like that, he really needed to rethink his strategy.
Ottar stood and watched the fight on the training grounds from the balcony in his room.
Training in the Freya Familia was not the same as it was in most Familias. The members of the Freya Familia regularly dueled with one another on a daily basis. They fought with the intent to kill, so a healer was always needed on the training grounds. The reasoning for this was simple, every member in the Freya Familia yearned for their Goddess's love so they were willing to challenge one another daily just for the chance of growing stronger.
Everyone knew that Freya loved seeing her children grow stronger, so they all chased after the same goal with intense fervor.
The door to his room slowly creaked open and he already knew who it was. Only one person in the Freya Familia had access to everyone else's rooms and that was none other than the Goddess herself. Ottar turned around and watched as Freya sauntered over to the railing on his balcony.
"You lied to me, Ottar."
The words stung worse than any physical blow ever could.
"I'm sorry, Freya-sama." He bowed his head in atonement.
The Goddess put her hands on the railing and watched the battle unfolding below. The adventurers on the training ground, feeling their Goddess's eyes on them only fought that much harder, as if Freya would be impressed by their simple duel.
"You told me that you wouldn't ever come back home as battered as you were that day again." Freya's hand reached out and caressed his face. "You promised."
Ottar simply closed his eyes in resignation.
"I underestimated the strength of Minato Arisato."
He had thought that Arisato was simply another level five adventurer like all of the others.
He knew that Vanargand was with him, but he didn't think anything of it. After all, what was a level five adventurer or two compared to the King? He had underestimated his opponents and failed to finish them off before their allies arrived. Minato Arisato was strong and his abilities went beyond the term unique. He had never seen magic like that before, chantless magic with enough power to rival some of the most powerful spells in Orario and an ability to summon other beings to fight for him?
Minato Arisato was a formidable opponent. And because of that, he had failed in the task that his Goddess had given him.
How long had it been since he had last been challenged?
Ottar had grown complacent over the years and it had dulled his edge. There was some truth to that old adage after all, overconfidence was a slow and insidious killer. He would need to rectify that, if not for himself than for the love of his Goddess.
"You're actually happy, aren't you?" Freya asked as her fingers found her way towards his hair, brushing it. "To finally have a rival again after all these years."
Freya wouldn't like his answer, so he simply kept his silence.
It was lonely at the pinnacle, to have no one to contend with anymore. He could still recall the days when the Zeus Familia were around and to have a goal to strive towards, to have a rival to challenge. The thought of there finally being someone else to challenge him for the title of the strongest now, it excited him. It rekindled a fire within him that had been dormant for far too long.
The adventurer's spirit inside of him demanded more kindling for the newly ignited flames.
For the first time in many years, since his defeat at the hands of the Zeus Familia, Ottar desired to become stronger once more. Freya's eyes only had a sad undertone to them. She knew that he would have to break his promise to her again.
In order to become stronger, there was always the risk of injury and even death. There was no denying that danger was synonymous with the word adventurer. To reach the realm of divinity, one had to truly challenge themselves against insurmountable odds. He had desired strength to please his Goddess, that much was true, but now he also desired strength to satisfy the fire within him.
"What if I told you not to worry about Loki's new toy anymore? You would still wish to challenge that thing again one day, wouldn't you?"
Ottar didn't want to have to lie to his Goddess, so he simply kept his silence once more.
"You're so selfish, Ottar. Even the seventh step is not enough for you anymore?" Freya's hands fell from his face and instead moved to pull him into her embrace. "I won't forgive you if you return to me in a mess like that again."
"... I promise that I won't."
In the end, he would lie to her this one and only time, if only so he could prevent his Goddess from having that expression mar her beautiful face for any longer. It didn't matter if she could see through his lie as a Goddess if she herself was the one that chose to believe in it. Freya released her hold on him and stepped away. She only gave him one last look before leaving for the door.
"Loki and I have come to an agreement. You don't need to concern yourself with her new toy anymore."
And then she was gone.
Where? He did not know. Freya and her love were as fleeting as the wind. One moment he could be feeling her embrace in the breeze, and then the next moment, she could be gone as quickly as she had arrived.
Ottar only turned his attention back towards the battle below.
There was a rumor going around that the Sword Princess had achieved the sixth step by defeating the Lich King, Udaeus. Perhaps it was time for him to challenge the Balor once more.
The flame within him wouldn't be satisfied with how he was now after all.
Minato stepped out of the Dungeon satisfied with the day's results.
The quest was another simple item retrieval and everything had gone quite smoothly this time around. It probably helped that they didn't have to get beyond Rivira this time to find the requested item, even if the pay was a lot less. He didn't have to do much, either way, not with Ais and Bete tagging along. They took care of any monsters that even dared to spawn on the same floor as them, attempting to one-up the other for their wager.
Ais had won it in the end, much to Bete's displeasure.
Although with how despondent the Sword Princess looked, it didn't seem like she really cared about their wager anymore. She looked so disheartened that even Bete decided to bite down on any abrasive remarks he had on the results of the said wager. It was actually starting to bother him because as silly as the thought was, he couldn't help but feel a little bit responsible for her current mood.
"Is there something wrong, Wallenstein-san?" He eventually decided to ask, out of pity more than anything.
"... Where are the strong enemies?"
"..."
Bete just cackled in response.
"That's what you're moping about? Hahaha!"
The blonde-haired girl just pouted at the werewolf.
Minato couldn't help but agree with Bete for once. Ais couldn't have honestly expected that there would be some kind of massive battle every single time he stepped foot into the Dungeon, could she? That would have just been impractical. His luck might have been bad when it came to those kinds of things, but he didn't think that he was an absolute magnet for trouble like she thought he was.
Minato pulled out his pocket watch and took a quick glance at the time.
From what he could remember, Bell usually liked to frequent the Hostess of Fertility at around this time. He could recall that the Sword Princess had an interest in meeting the rookie adventurer without the boy running away for once. At the very least, he could try to help the girl take her mind off of the disappointment by sorting out their issue, whatever it was.
Maybe it would help him shake the feeling that he had just kicked a puppy or something.
"Would you like to go the Hostess of Fertility with me, Wallenstein-san? I believe that Cranel-san tends to frequent it around this time."
The blonde-hair girl actually perked up at that. She looked over towards him with wide eyes before she quickly nodded her head.
"Cranel?" Bete questioned with a frown. "Who the fuck is that?"
"An acquaintance." He replied. "Would you like to come as well, Bete?"
The werewolf seemed to mull over it for a moment.
"... I'll pass. I need to pick up some more magic daggers after that battle with Ottar." Bete said before he walked away and lazily held up a hand. "Later."
Bete disappeared into the crowd soon after, leaving him alone with the Sword Princess. The girl in question just stared at him and he couldn't help but feel a little bit of deja vu at the entire situation. It reminded him of the first night he had spent in Orario, Ais had been the one to follow him into town that day after all.
And now here she was following after him again as they made their way towards the Hostess of Fertility.
"What if he runs away again?" The Sword Princess's voice softly asked.
"Hopefully he doesn't." He dryly replied. "I'm sure you can catch up to him if he does, anyway."
Ais seemed to contemplate that for a brief moment before she nodded her head in agreement.
Minato had no idea why Bell always ran away from the Sword Princess. Perhaps he was simply frightened of her, he didn't blame him, it must have been a rather traumatic experience for a rookie adventurer to see someone kill a Minotaur in front of your face like how Ais had described it to him. Either way, there was no point in thinking about it now, not when he could just ask the boy himself.
They made their way to the pub shortly afterward.
A waitress with cat ears walked over towards them as they stepped inside the popular establishment. The girl had a strange glint in her eyes when he asked for a table for two before leading them to their seats in the middle of the pub. He wasn't sure what to think about that, so he simply ignored it and decided to look around for Bell while the waitress was getting their utensils.
Minato couldn't find the boy anywhere though, so Bell probably wasn't here yet. It was either that or they had missed him, but he didn't think that the boy would have stopped by this place for dinner that early. There wasn't anything to do but wait, so he simply ordered a small meal in the meantime and the Sword Princess did the same.
It was his second time here at the Hostess of Fertility, but he couldn't help but feel that the atmosphere was completely different compared to last time.
For one thing, the last time that he had eaten here with Bell, every other male patron in the pub wasn't trying actively skewer him with glares filled with envy. What he had done to earn the absolute ire of every man here was beyond him. First Freya and her Familia, and now all these random strangers in a pub?
What was it that the people in Orario seemed to have against him?
Whether or not the Sword Princess simply didn't notice the glares or just outright ignored them, he wasn't sure. The girl in question only tilted her head at him in confusion when he glanced over towards her. He was honestly starting to regret even bringing her here in the first place if he was just going to be subjected to being the center of attention of the entire pub for reasons beyond his control.
Where was Bete and his bad reputation when he actually needed him?
The food arrived not too long after, courtesy of the same cat-eared waitress that had taken their orders. Although with all of the glowers and whispers going around the pub being targeted at him, he wasn't very hungry anymore. The Sword Princess didn't seem to mind though, as she started on her meal rather ravenously.
Thankfully, the person that they had both been waiting for decided to make his entrance right then and there.
Bell Cranel stepped into the Hostess of Fertility with a smile on his face. The boy's eyes eventually met his own and the young adventurer grinned in response, before it quickly fell off his face when he saw Ais Wallenstein sitting next to him. Bell's face went red before he suddenly spun around and high tailed it out of the building.
Ais dashed after him with a small gust of wind. Minato stood up and made to follow after the girl, but he felt a tug on the back of his collar pull him back into his seat.
"I hope you're not planning on a dine and dash in my pub, boy." An annoyed voice belonging to a tall dwarf woman asked. "We're going to have some problems if you are."
Most of the other waitresses in the pub were looking over at him with various expressions ranging from amusement to curiosity. The one silver-haired waitress that wasn't looking over towards him was staring at the door where Bell had dashed out of.
Minato quickly apologized and paid for his meal before he took off after the two adventurers.
The owner of the pub didn't seem too happy that he was leaving his food there untouched, but he would deal with that problem another day. He wasn't sure what direction the Sword Princess had chased Bell towards, so he simply went with his intuition and picked a random route.
Luckily, his intuition proved correct as he soon found the pair standing next to a large tree. It looked like the two were speaking with one another and Ais even had a small smile on her face. Whatever their issue had been, it seemed like the two had managed to work it out, so he decided not to interrupt them. The Sword Princess didn't look like someone had just kicked her puppy anymore, so his conscience was finally free of that guilt.
Minato didn't really have a reason to stick around anymore, so he began to make his way back towards the Twilight Manor.
As he made his way through the streets of Orario back towards the Loki Familia's home, he suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. It felt as if someone was watching him, so he quickly looked around.
A person was standing on top of a rooftop staring down at him with a look that promised ill intentions.
Minato recognized the cat-eared man as the bodyguard that Freya had with her when he accompanied Loki to their meeting. The look in his eyes had the same amount of venom in them as the last time they had met. He wasn't sure what the man wanted, but he was prepared to defend himself if he decided to challenge him as Ottar had.
The adventurer simply sneered at him before he hopped away.
What had that been about?
Loki found the person she was looking for sitting under a tree in the gardens eating a sandwich.
Why he was eating outside on the ground instead of the cafeteria like all of her other children was beyond her. Was he really that appalled at the thought of simply socializing with others? At the very least, from what she had heard from the gossiping among her children, he was actually hanging out with Bete lately.
And apparently, even her precious Ais-chan had taken an interest in him. Loki liked Minato, but if he thought that she was going to hand Ais over to him, he had another thing coming!
She put her hands behind her head as she sauntered over towards the tree he was sitting under. If he had noticed her approaching, he didn't bother turning to greet her and instead just kept eating his sandwich in silence. If it was anyone else, she would have called them rude, but Minato was always like this so she was used to it by now.
"You know we have a cafeteria, right?" She asked as she took a seat next to him.
"I wanted to enjoy my meal in peace." He dryly replied. "What do you want?"
She pouted at that.
"Why do you always assume I want something? What if I just like spending time with you?"
Minato didn't respond to that and just continued eating his sandwich in silence. She'd like to think that she was a rather benevolent Goddess, so she decided to wait until he was finished eating before she sprung the news to him.
"I spoke with Freya yesterday." She eventually began. "She wants you to stay away from Bell Cranel."
That got a reaction from him as he turned his head and looked at her with confusion evident on his face.
"Bell Cranel?" He repeated. "Why?"
"So you do know him then?"
"We're acquainted," Minato replied before realization lit up in his eyes. "He's the one she's after?"
"Bingo," Loki confirmed with a nod. "Don't ask me why she wants you to stay away from the kid. I don't have a clue about what goes on in that head of hers when it comes to her love interests."
Minato just sighed in response.
"You couldn't have told me earlier?"
"I wanted to, but you left for the Dungeon super early in the morning with Ais and Bete!" Loki replied with a frown. "... You met with him today, didn't you?"
He just nodded in response and Loki groaned.
Of course, he'd meet with him the day after she brokered an agreement with Freya. At this point, she wasn't sure if it was her luck that was bad or if it was his. Then again, considering she wasn't forcibly taken from her world and stuffed into another against her will, it was probably his luck.
"Ugh… I'm going to have to talk with her again." She sighed. "Look, just stay away from the kid from now on, alright?"
For a moment, it looked as if he was about to protest, but he just closed his eyes and nodded.
It was at times like these that she was grateful for his intelligence. Minato knew what was it stake if Freya decided to attack one of her own again. It'd be an all-out war between the two biggest Familias in the city and she didn't think anyone would want that.
The mood was getting a little too somber for her tastes though, so she decided to tease him a little bit.
"So, word on the street is that you decided to hang out with Bete on your own accord this time." She gave him a sly grin. "Don't tell me you actually managed to get onto good terms with that tsundere wolf. I knew you were special, Minato-kun!"
He rolled her eyes at her in response.
"He just reminds me of someone I used to know."
"Oh ho? Is Minato-kun finally going to reveal something about his shadowy past?! Are we finally going to get some backstory here?!" Loki leaned closer, curiosity getting the better of her. "Hey, hey, tell me about this person. Is he really a tsundere like Bete?"
Minato didn't respond, so she just poked him in the cheek and pouted.
"Come on Minato-kun, you can't just say something like that and leave me hanging. Where's this guy at now? Is he still back in your world?"
"He's dead."
That actually stunned her for a second and it took her a moment to recover.
Minato usually didn't show much on his face, but for just a brief moment, there was a flash of anger in his eyes. She had seen other emotions on his face before, but never anger, no matter how annoyed he got with her.
It was obviously a touchy subject and she couldn't help but feel a little bad for bringing it up now.
"Sorry, Minato-kun."
He didn't say anything in response, but he didn't ask her to leave either so she stayed in her spot.
Loki recognized the anger that he tried to hide, it was the same kind of anger that Ais possessed. It was the anger from someone taking something precious away from you. It was the kind of anger that eventually led its way to vengeance.
Whoever that person was, he was important to him and someone had killed him.
Loki was almost certain of that.
Author's Notes- Sometimes I just get into one of those writing moods and the words come out easily. I think this was the fastest update I made for this story since I first wrote it. Three updates in a month might be a new record for me for this piece. In regards to the chapter, I don't know too much about the Freya Familia since I haven't read the Freya Chronicles spin-off yet, so do forgive me if I ended up messing up some of the personalities.
As always thanks for the reviews and hope you enjoyed the chapter.