.
.
The walk home was quiet. Not out of awkwardness, or nervousness. None of them just knew really what to say. Astraea glanced over her shoulder to the blushing white-haired boy. Why Bell was blushing, was because Alise was holding his hand, grinning gleefully and humming a tune. As embarrassing as it was, he didn't want to make her sad so begrudgingly, he put up with it. The two had drawn the gaze of many men and gods, jealous of being able to hold hands with the beautiful Scarlet Harnel. Bell wanted to curl up into a ball and hide but Alise's unyielding grip backed up by his lack of a falna kept him stuck there, under the reception of many resentful glares.
Luckily enough, she let go of his hand after a while. Astraea slowed her walking to match with Bell's.
"Bell,"
"Y-yes Goddess?" He jolted.
"Ehe, There's no need to be so nervous you know." Giving the boy a tender smile.
"R-right, sorry."
She sighed, "Is something troubling you?"
Bell's eyes momentarily widened, giving the goddess an answer in of itself. "Ah-ahm, its just that...I..I don't think I deserve this..." Although Evilus had done innumerable atrocities, It didn't sit well with the boy that he killed someone. It was against his nature and fundamental beliefs, as someone who strives to be a hero. "...I murdered all those people in cold blood...even if they were Evilus, I-it's wrong!"
His response brought a smile to the goddess of justice. She was proud at the boy for being able to uphold such pure, unclouded beliefs in spite of what he had gone through. Kaguya's smile was covered by her sleeve while Lyra simply chuckled before speaking.
"Yeah killing is wrong-" Bell looked down in shame, "-but if you hadn't, a lot of people would've died."
Even the twisted princess had words to offer comfort. "You may not accept it now but do remember that at the very least, someone else might have lost their family. Take it from me, my family was charged to do many dark jobs. My tachi techniques were developed for killing, but I used them to save people. So be proud of yourself dumb rabbit."
Bell didn't give a reply but instead faced forwards. The group arrived back home as the skies turned amber. Astraea had Kaguya and Lyra assemble everyone in the living room while she talked with Alise and Bell.
"I'd like for you to walk in after everyone arrives and I make the announcement. My girls don't have much interaction with men so they might be startled."
"O-okay." The goddess walked off leaving the two teens standing next to each other in the corridor.
Alise noticed his anxiousness and pulled his head into his armpit rubbing her knuckles on his head. "Don't worry Bell! Your big sister will be with you!"
He blushed, "A-Alise!"
"Hehehe!"
.
The women sat lounging around room, their gaze focused on the goddess standing at the forefront.
The silence was broken by the werewolf. "So Lady Astraea, why have you called us here? Does it have something to do with why Alise isn't here?"
"Yes, I would like to introduce you to the newest member of our familia. Please treat him well."
"Ah, I see, I see, a new memb-DID YOU JUST SAY 'him' ?" A human exclaimed.
"Yes, though I, Alise, Kaguya and Lyra can assure you that he isn't a bad person. You've all also met him before too."
Alise entered the room, with a familiar white-haired rabbit making himself small behind her.
"Please welcome our newest and only male member, Bell Cranel!" Alise declared proudly.
"N-nice to meet all of you. Please take care of me." Bowing profusely.
Stunned would have been too big of an understatement to explain how the girls felt. They were absolutely flabbergasted for several reasons. One: A male had joined their familia. Two: The boy was acting sheepish and shy. Three: They had indeed met this boy before. Four: A male had joined their familia. Oh yes, also a male had just joined their all female familia.
The quiet was broken when Astraea clapped her hands, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
"I'm sure all of you are wondering why I have decided to accept him into my familia, but I want you to treat him as you would your sisters. I have seen the justice in him and believe he would be a fine member." She concluded.
"Welcome to the familia, Mr Cranel." Ryuu smiled.
"Ah y-yes it's good to be here." He smiled nervously.
Astraea coughed into her hand, "Would you girls introduce yourselves?"
"Neze Rankett, nice to meet you Bell!" The scantily-clad werewolf called out.
"I'm Noin Unic." the human introduced herself.
"Iska Bra." the amazoness waved.
"C-Celty Srowa...nice to meet you." A green-haired elf with glasses mumbled.
"My name is Ryana Lietz." the human grinned.
"Names' Asta Knox." the dwarf smiled.
"Maryuu Reage, nice to meet you again Bell." the human said.
Bell's eyes fell on the pallum, "Im sure you know but i'm the familia's treasurer, Lyra, the clumsy elf behind me is Ryuu Lion-" she pointed with her thumb behind her. "Hey! I'm not clumsy!" Ryuu blushed.
Lyra continued. "-and this is our vice-captain-" Bell looked to the far-eastern woman. "-Gojouno Kaguya, nice to meet you again little rabbit." the black haired woman finished.
"And i'm your pure, beautiful, and amazing captain: Alise Lovell!" she proclaimed.
"N-nice to meet all of you." Bell scratched the back of his head, embarrassed by the attention."
Astraea noticed the sun beginning to set, "It's getting late so ill begin making dinner." she called out to the captain. "Alise, could you explain to Bell the rules living here and give him a tour?"
"Yes! Lady Astraea!" The goddess smiled, leaving the room.
"Okay so firstly! I'm sure you know but as the Astraea Familia, we patrol the city regularly but since there's also the Ganesha familia we dont need to as frequently! We dont have set groupings but most of us go with the same people." She gestured to the other members. "Secondly! Weekends are rest days, so no dungeon! We still have to go on patrol though! Thirdly! Actually I think we might need to discuss this with Lady Astraea..."
Bell tilted his head confused. "Ah, no its nothing bad, its just about the toilet schedule." An 'ah' escaped Bell's mouth, seemingly in understanding.
"Well anyways i'll give you a tour of the mansion!" Alise dragged Bell off by hand, showing him to the lounge, toilets, courtyard, library, garden, meeting room, individual rooms of everyone and lastly the kitchen. A brown head popped out of the doorframe.
"Ah, Alise, Bell, could you help me set the table?" Astraea asked.
"Okaaaay!" They picked up the vast array of dishes and cutlery, setting them across the long wooden dinner table.
.
Some time had passed and everyone was called in for dinner. Astraea never had much to do when her children were out on patrol. She would spend her time tending to the garden, reading books, and cooking. Despite never being taught, she was quite a good cook. Alise often described it as 'packed with motherly love' but with different implications, which wasn't exactly wrong but was smacked hard across the head by Kaguya or Lyra, sometimes even Ryuu.
"Everyone, dinner's ready." Gradually, the other members filled the open seats. Astraea set at the head of the table, with Alise to her left and Kaguya to her right. Bell not knowing where to sit, was dragged next to Alise, Ryuu to his left. Unsurprisingly, Lyra had to sit on a taller chair which was next to Kaguya.
"Wow...you made a lot, Goddess." Bell was awe-struck by the amount of food on the table.
"Yes, I thought it would be nice to have a small party for our newest member." Astraea teased him, "Alise, would you do the honors?" looking to her left.
Alise cleared her throat before speaking. "To the newest member of our familia-" She raised her glass. "Cheers!"
"Cheers!" Everyone taking a sip from their glasses, breaking into conversation and started eating.
Bell looked warily at the purple liquid. "Dont worry its not poisoned, It's just grape juice." Kaguya grinned at the blushing boy.
"Kaguya! Sorry about her, Mr Cranel." Ryuu exclaimed.
Bell laughed wryly, "Ahahaha...umm Ms Ryuu, could you...umm...just call me Bell?...I know we aren't that familiar with each other and elves have different traditions but it..ahm...feels kind of distant..." his face ever-more red.
"...Very well, B-bell." a tint of red gracing her cheeks.
Lyra noticed the growing smirk on the far-eastern woman's face and rolled her eyes knowingly. "Oh my, already on a first name basis? Whatever happened to our innocent, pure, and noble elf?"
Ryuu spat out her drink. "K-kaguya! Dont tease me!" the elf's face burned as red as Bell's already flushed face.
"*sob* I'm so proud of you Lion! *sob*...I cant believe you're walking up the stairs of adulthood before me...*sob*" Alise sobbed like a proud mother saying ' I raised that girl '.
"Alise! Not you too!" Ryuu felt as if she would die of shame at the moment.
Astraea sighed at the sight. "Come on, Alise, Kaguya, dont tease her so much."
"It is my duty as the big sister to tease the youngest of us! Wait I guess that would be Bell now..." Bell swore there was a glint in her eyes as she said that...
"So Bell why dont you tell us about yourself?" Neze asked.
The other girls soon began to join in on the bombardment of questions, doting on the boy like older sisters to their little brothers. Astraea was unsure wether or not they would accept him, but found her fears misplaced. They had a good time, learning about the white-haired rabbit and teasing him about his childish but noble dreams of becoming a hero. She took a sip from her glass before coming to a sudden realization.
"Oh that's right, Bell, I haven't given you your falna yet."
The 'sisters' turned to the goddess.
"E-eh?? You haven't given him a falna yet Lady Astraea?"
"Yes, it slipped my mind. Do you mind doing it after dinner Bell? Or would you like to do it in the morning?" She asked.
Freed from the verbal-shelling. "Ah, no. Now is okay." The goddess nodded.
After dinner was finished, everyone had gathered in the living room.
"Umm Lady Astraea, why is everyone here?" He asked.
"Its tradition in our familia that when someone joins, they receive a falna in front of everyone. When Ryuu joined, she also followed the tradition...or would you like to do it in another room?"
"I-if its tradition then I guess it cant be helped..." He may have been at the ripe age of 16, but he still had very little experience conversing and interacting with women so he was quite embarrassed to be seen by so many beautiful women.
"Lyra could you fetch me a piece of paper?" Astraea requested.
"Yeah sure." She walked off, returning with a piece of paper and needle, handing it to the goddess.
"Thank you, now Bell, would you lift up your shirt?"
"Alright." He nodded, taking his shirt off, revealing his lean but muscular body. He looked skinny wearing his clothing but that idea was now blown away. All of the women in the room had their eyes curiously locked on his muscles, as none of them had ever seen a man's body before. Even Astraea, though she didn't show it, was slightly flustered at the rabbit's action...definitely not by the sight of his well-built back! No!
"B-bell, I meant to only lift up the back of your shirt not take it off..." A tint of red gracing her cheeks, going unnoticed by all but the red-haired captain. ...Lady Astraea... Embarrassed!?! This will make for good teasing material!...
"S-sorry, force of habit. I used to just take it off whenever I got status updates from mom- Lady Hestia."
Bell saw Hestia as his mother, but to others the notion might have been seen as disrespectful. Astraea, luckily, was not among that group of people. "Shall we begin then?"
"Yes!"
She pricked her finger with a needle, a white light shining from his back as the divine ichor fell. A stylistic symbol of a hearth was displayed on the rabbit's back, before being replaced with the symbol of a sword with six wings of differing size enveloping it. This was the symbol of the Astraea familia: The Sword and Wings of Justice.
"Haaah~ that feels much better, I guess having a falna really does make life easier." He mused.
Astraea watched as the runes shifted and set in place, forming hieroglyphs, the language of the gods. Once they had stopped shifting, she stared at his back curiously. She blinked her eyes a few times and rubbed it to make sure that she wasn't seeing things.
"Goddess?"
"Lady Astraea?"
Brought back to the conscious world she noticed the white-haired boy glancing over his shoulder and the redhead looking at her. "I-it seems like you've gotten a new skill, Bell."
"Really!? Can I see?" He looked like a child who was given a new toy.
C-cute! The 'sisters' thought.
"Ah sorry, let me copy it down first." She placed the paper onto his back drew a circle on it. The hieroglyphics forming a ring shape where the circle was drawn.
Astraea handed the paper to Bell. His rubellite eyes scanned the paper, reaching the bottom he read the name of his newest skill. His vision became hazy as warm tears streamed down his face. "Is something wrong Bell?"
...Stepmother Alfia...thank you...
"Bell?"
He wiped the tears away, "N-no, I'm fine." Alise tapped him on the shoulder seemingly asking if she could see the status, Bell nodded and handed the paper to her.
Name : Bell Cranel
Familia : Astraea
Alias : Astrapi
Level : 5
Str : G 227 - G 238
End : G 214 - G 253
Dex : G 293 - F 302
Agi : F 368 - F 393
Mag : F 351 - F 371
Magic :
Jupiter: Swift-strike Lightning magic. Launches bolts of thunder at the enemy, may produce burn damage through repeated use.
Regulus: Lightning enchant magic. Coats user in blue electricity, increasing movement speed, strength and lightning-based magic. Passive weak stun effect through physical contact with user.
Skills :
Liaris Freese: Precocious maturation. Continued desire results in continued growth. Stronger desire results in stronger growth.
Current status : [Inactive.]
Argonaut : The Heroes' strike. Empowerment of any active action. Strength of action scales off of time charged.
Current limit : [5 minutes.]
Entrusted Silence: Magic attacks strengthened greatly. Through extended periods of time in combat, user will learn the enemy's weaknesses.
Additional spell : Satanas Vesta, produces waves of sound. Chant : Opera
User may choose to explode the residual magic using the spell key : Verse
Developmental abilities :
Luck - F
Abnormal resistance - G
Swordsman - H
Mage - I
Alise blinked. She blinked once more. She rubbed her eyes. A confused frown replaced with a bright smile and starry eyes. None among her children until now had such an overpowered status.
"Bell," He turned to the goddess, "Your status is absu-" said goddess being cut off by Alise."-Aaaabsolutely amazing!"
Kaguya came from behind and hit Alise with a chop to the head, "Ow! What was that for!" rubbing the bump on her head.
The far-eastern noble studied the piece of paper for a few moments. Her giggling turned laughter cut through the deafening silence left in the room. It was very 'un-noble-like' as Ryuu liked to described it.
"What the heck makes Kaguya of all people laugh..." Lyra asked rhetorically. The girls too, had their curiosity peeked.
"..Goddess, could I show everyone else my status? I know that the first skill is really dangerous but I d-don't want to keep...secrets from my f-family..." Getting quiet towards the end. Astraea nodded smiling to the boy.
The brunette made a couple more copies and handed them out to her daughters. All of them looked at Bell, then back at the paper, and then at Bell. Their faces were mixed, some shocked, some curious...and some passed out? Celty hadn't even gotten to looking at his skills before passing out, apparently the idea of a no-chant magic was foreign to the general populace...and what made it more shocking was that Bell had three no-chant spells.
That was including his enchant magic, where Alise's 'Agaris Alvensynth' coated her with fire over her hands and legs and the ability to produce explosions, Bell's magic was arguably stronger. It not only made his already fast, precise attacks hit with the force and speed of a bolt of lightning, it also could stagger enemies momentarily, leaving a window open for him to chain his attacks. Even this single skill alone would have sent many gods and goddesses to fight over him and he had even more unbelievable skills and abilities.
Bell spoke up, "I'm sure you all have questions but is Ms Celty ok?" pointing to the foaming elf, their eyes following him. Ryuu walked over and started chanting her healing magic on the pale elf.
"The song of a now faraway forest. The nostalgic melody of life. Noah Heal." A warm green light enveloped her body, after a while she regained consciousness and was the victim of the stares of everyone in the room.
Seeing as she was not in fact dead, Bell began to explain his skills. "My first skill, Liaris Freese, increases my growth by a large amount. Before when this skill was active, my stats would increase by 100 all across the board from a normal day's run in the dungeon."
Neze raised her hand. "So is that how you leveled up so quickly two years ago?" Two years ago, Bell begun his adventures and subsequently leveled up several times in a handful of months' time thanks to this skill. One year prior to his adventuring, the fastest level-up record was held by a certain 11 year-old adventurer, that was until Bell took that record, beat it up, and threw it out of the window.
He nodded, "Yeah, also I think I should mention that I can exceed the normal limit of a falna." Noticing the confused stares, he continued. "What I mean by that is I can go over the normal status limit of S 999. If I remember correctly the highest stat i've gotten ever was SSS 1501 in agility." scratching the back of his head.
"Thats amazing! You have accelerated growth AND the ability to exceed the normal limit! Way to go me, I knew putting our familia in near debt was worth it!" Alise nodded proudly.
"In the end she praises herself..." Lyra sighed.
Ryuu squinted, "Wait Alise, what do you mean by 'near debt'?" she looked at the redhead, a cold sweat rushing down her and her fellow familia member's backs.
"Well this is as good of a time to explain as ever." Astraea glanced at Bell who nodded. She begun explaining the events earlier today leading up to Bell joining the Astraea Familia. 180,000,000 valis was no joke, even among first class adventurers. Lyra mentally sobbed at the thought of how great the increase in tax would have been from a level-5 joining the familia, AND the amount the familia paid for his bounty. They were even more dumbfounded when Bell revealed that his sword, Vesta, had costed 280,000,000 valis. Much to Lyra's displeasure. In a single day, the familia had been honored a grand debt of 460,000,000 valis. Everyone, except for Astraea, Alise, Kaguya, Bell and Celty looked ready to pass out, the elf once again reduced to a state of mouth-foaming once more.
"So is there anything else unbelievable we need to know?" Kaguya asked.
Bell was silent, his arms were crossed while looking up at the roof. The girls who managed to not pass out looked ready to, based on how long he had been quiet for. After a lengthy silence, Bell spoke up again.
"Umm...no I dont think so?"
The girls sighed in relief. Astraea looked at the clock and noticed that it had already gone long past 12am. They had spent most of the evening talking which tired everyone out. "It's getting late, so you should all go to bed now. Could Alise and Bell stay behind? I want to talk to you to about something." The women began to retire for the night, saying their farewells.
"Goodnight, Lady Astraea, Alise, B-bell." She nodded
The three watched as Ryuu cast her healing magic on Celty again before picking her up and carrying her away.
"So what did you want to talk about, Goddess?" Bell tilted his head.
"Nothing serious, I just wanted to ask what you're thinking of the familia so far."
"Everyone's really nice and kind, I feel lucky to be a part of such an amazing familia with so many beautiful women." The rabbit replied.
Astraea sensed no lie coming from the boy, but was nonetheless caught off-guard by the sudden compliment. "Ahm...Bell, do you really mean that?" Obviously, she had no reason nor need to ask this but still did.
"O-of course! Your familia is one that I wholeheartedly respect! I dont think there's any other familia as amazing as yours!" Not realizing the goddess was asking about the latter statement.
The brunette sighed. "...Thank you, is there anything you want to ask?"
Alise answered this time. "Lady Astraea, what should we do about the toilet schedule and living arrangements?"
"Hmm...could you put up a sign for now when you're in the bathroom, Bell? That is until we figure out what we can do later on." The rabbit nodded groggily.
"O-*yawn*-kay" Bell began to doze off.
"Ehe. Tomorrow we can get you registered at the guild, for now you should go get some rest."
"...Yes...Goddes...*zzz*..." Bell fell into a deep slumber, his head falling onto Alise's shoulder. Astraea couldn't help but smile at the adorable sight, he looked so peaceful sleeping. She found it rather 'fitting'? She wasn't sure if that was the right word to describe it.
"Alise, could you take Bell to one of the vacant rooms for tonight?"
"Yes! Goodnight Lady Astraea!" Alise picked the rabbit up bridal-style and carried him off.
The goddess took one last glance at the paper and wondered, ...Bell reacted to seeing his new skill...maybe it has something to do with the 'Silence' Alfia?... She made a mental note to ask him about it sometime and decided to also go to bed.
.
.
"Hmm...this should be fine!" Alise had eventually found a room and laid him down on the bed, resting his head gently on the pillow and pulling the sheets over him. She watched him for a while before deciding to get some sleep too, but was stopped when she felt a tug at her sleeve.
"...Don't...leave...mom...others..." His face was pale and looked scared. Bell may have been older and more mature, but he was still a child inside. The redhead resigned herself and sat on the bed, holding his hand. As ignorant as she was, Alise was quite observant. Her cheerful, carefree attitude was an act she had to put up so that those around her wouldn't feel scared.
"You've been through a lot, havent you?...Dont worry! I wont be going anywhere!" Tightening her grip, his face regained some color and a relaxed expression replaced his fearful one. She didn't know how much time had passed and she too began to feel tired, Alise didn't want to leave him to his potentially returning nightmares so she lifted the sheets ever so gently and crawled into the bed, laying down holding his hand.
.
It was a dream, a memory of a time long passed.
A group of young men and women sat around a hearth, laughing and chatting away, enjoying each other's company. The warmth of the hearth, the warmth of family, was one he hadn't felt in a long time. A petite raven-black haired goddess looked at her white-haired child, smiling warmly at him before she turned away and began to walk away.
"Don't leave, Mom, please...Dont leave me like the others too..."
He blinked once more and in front of him was a red-haired woman. Her hand was held out to him which he took. It felt small and soft, strong yet gentle. He was pulled up into a hug, it felt relaxing, unimaginably so. The warmth he was held in could be compared to the familiar embrace of the hearth.
It felt like home.
It felt like family.
It felt like love.
.
.
Bell felt refreshed. He hadn't gotten such a good, deep sleep in a long time. His head felt clear, as if all of his fatigue and worries were gone. Drifting from sleep to wake. He dreamt about his family...reliving many good memories. Where death haunted his dreams at night, it was nowhere to be found. Where he had relived the death of his family, there were only their smiles. Where he felt a cold pit of despair, he felt only warmth and comfort.
...So soft...
"...Mnn.."
...Is the pillow..speaking?..
He began to stir awake, his eyes were greeted by the bright morning sun. The rabbit's eyes trailed down, seeing a patch of red...hair? When did the pillow have hair? His half-awake state of mind slowly pieced the situation together.
One: He was in bed, Alise laid on top of him.
Two: He was in bed, Alise laid on top of him.
Three: He was in bed, Alise laid on top of hi-
"WaaaAAAAA-" His voice echoed through the manor. "A-A-Alise w-why are you sleeping on me!?!" He stuttered.
The red-headed pillow tightened her hold on the rabbit. "...Mh...five more minutes mr rabbit...zzz" Despite having a stronger strength stat than Alise, the rabbit somehow couldn't break free from her embrace.
"A-Alise! Please wake up!" He shook her.
"..Nnnn...Ah!..Good morning Bell!" She got off from his chest onto her knees and hands, effectively pinning the flustered rabbit down on the bed. To some, this situation might have seemed to die for, except the door burst open, revealing Kaguya and Ryuu...weapons in hand. Maybe it was Bell's luck development ability at work, he really didn't want to think about it.
Kaguya's eyes darted around the room searching for any danger, Ryuu's sky-blue eyes widened as they fell on the captain and rabbit. "We heard a scream, are you alrigh-" Since it was quite early in the morning, Ryuu had only been dressed in a tank top and shorts, Kaguya next to her wearing a slate-gray yukata.
From her position at the door, the blanket was still over Alise's shoulders so she couldn't have seen that Alise was still dressed. Despite the fact that elves prided themselves in 'purity', they would often be the first to string together any lewd thoughts. This was one of those many moments.
...They're doing THAT in broad daylight!?!
"Haauuu...Alise! You're supposed to do that after marriage and under a full-moon in the forest after you swore your love to each other!" *Poof!* Ryuu's face burned a crimson red as she ran out of the room, embarrassed.
"Good morning, Kaguya! Ah Lion ran off..." the redhead called.
Kaguya had her signature smirk growing on her face as usual, looking more-so at the rabbit than the captain. "You two appear to be having a 'good morning' ." She teased.
"Ms K-kaguya! I-it's not what it looks like!" Bell replied, flustered.
"Is that so? Well anyways ill leave you two to go at it like rabbits. Also, thats Big-sister Kaguya to you." She waved, leaving the room.
Alise looked back down at Bell, still pinned under her. She was smiling mischievously, the red-faced boy under her faced away trying to avert her gaze. What was only a few moments, felt like an eternity as as Bell finally faced her. "...Umm A-alise...could you get off of me?" The redhead stared deeply into his own eyes. "...Alise?"
"Sorry, i'll get off you now." She released him from the bed-pinning and dashed out of the room. To make his already eventful morning worse, Ryuu had walked in on him for a second time that morning in the bathroom she wondered why there was a wooden sign at the door, at that point Astraea hadn't told anyone else about the toilet schedule yet. Later during breakfast, for some reason Bell and Ryuu couldn't look anyone in the eyes. The former muttering something to himself, "*hic* I cant get married now...*hic*" and the latter desperately trying to push any lewd thoughts aside.
"...Lady Astraea...what happened to them?" Asta asked.
"Who knows?" Taking a sip from her tea. Astraea was always an early riser so she had watched the entire situation unfold.
.
Hands on her hips. "Okay then! Bell let's go get you re-registered at the guild!"
"Alright, let me go get my sword first."
"We're just going to the guild! Do you want to stop by the dungeon after?" Alise wore her normal outfit, save for the armor. Her sword, Crimson Order was sheathed tightly at her hip.
"Well yes and no. I was thinking of going to see Lady Hephaestus and transfer the funds from the Hestia familia. If I still have some time after then maybe I'll stop by the dungeon."
"I've never met Lady Hephaestus, how do you know her?"
"Ah Lady Hephaestus was good friends with mom, she was also the one who forged Vesta."
"Hmm...I've decided! I'm going to tag along!"
"E-eh? Umm...don't you have responsibilities?"
"Don't worry about the details!"
"Okay..." Bell walked off, returning in a handful of minutes with Vesta sheathed at his hip.
"Well should we get going then?"
"Yes!"
The two departed first to the guild to change Bell's public information. They talked about random things along the way, enjoying each other's company. Bell was too focused on her solely that all the insults hurdled at him were pushed out. Half an hour had passed and they arrived at the Pantheon, pushing open the saloon-like wooden doors. It had been quite early in the day so there weren't much adventurers populating the large hall, Alise and Bell made their way to one of the open booths, the latter following behind the former.
"Excuse me!"
"Hello miss, how can I help you today?" The guild employee smiled.
"Could I register a new member to the Astraea familia?"
"Of course, who is it that you want to register?"
"Bell Cranel!" The moment that name was uttered, everyone in the guild froze, of course that included the girl across the counter. A multitude of stares were laid on the white-haired boy standing behind the redhead. Under the gaze of so many, Bell tried to make himself small. "Miss? Are you okay?" Alise waved in her face.
"-Ah i'm sorry I believe I misheard, could you repeat that?" A look of bewilderment spread across the guild employees face.
"Like I said! Could you register Bell Cranel as a member of the Astraea Familia?"
"Y-yes, right away." The employee hurriedly walked off to retrieve the documents.
Alise and Bell stood in silence, waiting for her to return. Countless whispers were not went unheard by the two.
"I thought the Astraea familia only accepts women! I'm so jealous!"
"Why would they want a scrawny kid?"
"Lucky bastard!"
"Why did they let the murderer join?"
"Bell Cranel...Gotta let captain know!" A spiky black-haired adventurer dashed out of the guildhall.
Bell's eyes sunk, looking down guiltily at the floor. Alise patted him on the shoulder which drew his gaze up, giving the boy a reassuring smile. Minutes later, the guild employee returned with a stack of papers. The rabbit began to sign the forms along with his captain. Abruptly, Bell reached into his back pocket and pulled out a symbol of a flaming bell, the insignia of the Hestia Familia.
"Excuse me, could you transfer all of the funds from the Hestia Familia over to the Astraea Familia?" Showing the emblem to the woman.
"Y-yes, let me retrieve the necessary documents." Scuttling away as she did several minutes ago.
Bell and Alise had spent most of the morning at the guild, and in that small span of time, rumors had spread quite quickly about a man joining the Astraea Familia, a group known for only accepting women. There were many mixed reactions, some envious, some surprised, and some hopeful. It was known to the public that Bell Cranel was a killer, a level-5 one at that, so him being a member of the Astraea familia was reassuring as there was a trusted group monitoring him...this doesn't mean there wasn't a hint of jealousy from the men.
After filling out the paperwork, the two had a light lunch at a cafe before going to see Hephaestus. The two weren't in any particular rush so they decided to wander the city for a while.
"Hey Bell,"
"Yes?"
"I was wondering but do you have any armor to use?"
"...No. It was destroyed pretty badly from the flame-rock."
"Should we go shopping some time then?"
"If we still have time sure."
"It's a date then!" Alise ran ahead.
"E-EH????"
The duo arrived at the home of the Hephaestus Familia, Etna Volcano. Despite it being a 'home' it was more alike to an office. Entering the large building, Alise expected to be faced with the constant noise of hammering but it was surprisingly quiet. Bell explained to her that not many of the smiths lived in the familia home while making their way up to the receptionist.
"How can I help you today?"
"I'm here to discuss a personal debt with Lady Hephaestus"
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No. Could you tell her that the 'rabbit' is here?"
"...Very well, please wait patiently in the lounge while I notify her." The woman bowed before walking away.
...He does kind of look like a rabbit... She thought.
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A crimson-red haired goddess sighed into her chair. She wore a black eyepatch over her right eye, her other eye being a striking red. A white shirt clung tightly to her body, revealing a large amount of her cleavage open to the world. Her black gloves reached up to her forearms, going over the sleeves of the shirt. This was the Goddess of blacksmithing: Hephaestus. Why was she so miserable? Maybe it was because of the mountain of unfinished paperwork taunting her.
Her office was dimly lit, its only source of light emerging from the large window behind her desk which faced directly at the door. The walls had weapons hung, the wall to her right having a vast array of tools and hammers.
"*Sigh* I wonder how Bell is doing..."
*Knock Knock*
"Come in."
"Good afternoon Lady Hephaestus, there's a white-haired boy requesting to see you, something about a personal debt"
She joined her fingers and put her elbows on the desk, "Did he say anything else?"
"Yes, he said to tell you that the 'rabbit' is here."
"Could you send him up?"
"Right away."
...Speak of the devil and he appears huh?...
The woman returned in a few minutes with a familiar albino-white haired boy and red haired girl.
"Hi Bell, good for you to finally show up. Are you well?"
"Yes, how about you Lady Hephaestus?"
"Nothing new, as you can see its the usual mountains of paperwork." Her expression turned somber. "I've heard about Hestia and your familia, I'm sorry for your loss."
"...Thank you." Bell smiled bitterly.
"So, why dont you introduce me to your friend before we get down to business?"
Before Bell could speak, Alise cut him off. "Nice to meet you, Lady Hephaestus! My name is Alise Lovell, Captain of the Astraea familia!"
"Ah so you're Astraea's child. If I may ask, why are you with Bell?"
Bell tried to answer but was shut up by Alise. "He joined the Astraea Familia!"
Hephaestus's one eye widened. "Oh? I thought Astraea only accepts women?"
"It's kind of a umm...long story." Bell muttered.
"Well take a seat, good way to take my mind off work for a while." The adventurers sweat dropped at the colossal mound of paper.
.Shouldn't she be working???.. Both thought, which was rather ironic since Alise also should have been working.
Normally Hephaestus would prioritize getting work done first, but this was the child of her best friend...she definitely did not want to run away from the foul beast known as hand cramps and back pain. The goddess put her pen down as Bell began to retell how he ended up being bough- joining the Astraea familia, Alise adding in details every now and then. Bell tried to gloss over the numerical value of the bounty on his head but ended up having to reveal it from the constant teasing from Alise.
"I think I more or less understand. I'm glad that you were able to find good people to call family." She smiled. "Now, lets get onto business." Hephaestus had her eye closed, thinking deeply about something.
Bell felt a metaphorical and somewhat literal weight placed over him. ...280,000,000 valis...
"140,000,000 valis." Hephaestus said plainly, taking a sip from her tea.
"?" Bell tilted his head.
"What do you mean Lady Hephaestus?" Alise asked
"I'm dropping half of your debt." Taking another sip.
Bell was dumbstruck from what she had just said. The only thought that could formulate was a single word: "..Why?"
The goddess sighed. "Bell, that debt was between me and Hestia. She might not be here to pay it but i'm not that cruel to make your familia that is financially in the red to pay the full amount."
"...I- *hic*Thank you so much!" The rabbit was basically tearing up at the moment.
"Lady Hephaestus," Alise stood up, drawing the gaze of the other two. "On behalf of the Astraea familia, I would like to offer our gratitude for your mercy on our wallets." Alise bowed. Had any of the other members see this, they would be taken aback by how...mature? she was acting.
The goddess felt put on the spot with the sincere gestures of the two mortals at the front of her, her usual composed behavior broken. Luckily for her, both adventurers didn't notice the pinch of pink forming on her face. "Haaaah...Don't stress over it. Now, as much as i'd like to avoid my fate, I should probably get working again."
"Yes! Thank you Auntie Hephaestus! Love you!" Bell said running out of the office.
Hephaestus sighed again, feeling like she had done it quite a lot in the last hour. "I guess some things never change huh?" She turned to face Alise. "Look after him, he's a good kid."
"Of course! If I may ask, you don't think what he did was wrong?" Alise felt that she had to ask this.
"No, his actions have saved many more people and thanks to that Evilus is now in hiding. Also if there was a world which could make Bell enjoy killing then it isn't a very good one." She concluded.
"I should probably chase after Bell, Thanks again Lady Hephaestus!" Alise waved, leaving the office in a dash after the rabbit.
.
"CAPTAIN!" A black-haired adventurer bursted into the living room of the Loki Familia's home, the Twilight Manor.
"Raul! What do I keep saying about indoor voices!" Yelled a forest-green haired high-elf.
"Ahahaha! There goes mama again." The dwarf sitting adjacent to the elf bellowed.
The high-elf replied angrily. "Who are you calling mama you disagreeable dwarf."
"Riveria, Gareth, be quiet for a moment. Raul? What's wrong?" A blonde pallum took his sapphire-blue eyes off of the book on his lap. He wore a purple shirt under a yellow vest and had black shorts over similarly black leggings.
"...Its-...he-.." Raul was panting profusely, having ran full speed back to the manor.
"Take a deep breath first, then tell us what happened." The black haired human nodded and took a few deep breaths.
"It's-..about Bell Cranel."
The single name had caught the attention of the Loki Familia executives. It was the name of one of three currently known level-5 adventurers residing in the Labyrinth City. The record-holder. The Astrapi.
"Slow down, tell us what happened slowly." Finn prodded.
"I was at the guild just now, and I overheard that Bell Cranel joined the Astraea Familia." Raul said.
"!" They were all aware that Hestia had ascended back to tenkai only three days prior.
Riveria cocked an eyebrow. "Is that true? I thought Astraea only accepts women?"
"We can always just go visit em'." Gareth stroked his beard.
"Now now, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Thanks for bringing the information Raul, dismissed." The human bowed before dashing out of the room.
"Finn? Is something wrong?" The high-elf looked to the pallum, noticing he bit his thumb.
"My thumb wont stop throbbing."
...Bell Cranel, I wonder what you have in store for us?...
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Authors notes:
HOLY that felt like a long chapter. I'm trying to push how many words I can write, I wrote a bit over 7k words this chapter, new record for me. Originally I wanted to include a couple more scenes in this chapter but the whole astraea fam scene at the start ended up taking like 5k words...well anyways.
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If you have the time, could you give me your thoughts on these things?
1 - What do you think about character portrayal? I feel like I might not be writing some of the characters how they are in the main series.
2 - Is Bell too op?
3 - Was this chapter too long?
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Well with that said, thanks for reading!