The Silent Storm
Chapter Five: Crime
I don't own Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darou ka
Fels stared at Bell Cranel.
Bell Cranel is a beautiful creature, possessing looks that would rival most Gods and Goddesses.
In fact, and Fels would even state this right at Ottar's face, Bell Cranel's beauty could rival that of Goddess Freya.
(Somewhere in Orario, Ottar, for some reason, had the feeling that somebody had insulted his lady and he had the sudden urge to kill that somebody.)
Bell Cranel's otherworldly beauty is currently in display as he donned a woman's dress.
The outfit that Bell Cranel was wearing consists of a white, double-breasted pea coat with black piping, cuffs, and buttons over a white, pleated full, knee-length skirt with black lace trim. He was also wearing a pair of white, thigh-high boots with black heels and lace-topped black stockings. To complete his outfit was a silky, silvery scarf wrapped around his neck.
To complete his disguise, Bell pulled back his long white hair into an off-center ponytail on the right side and pinned with a silver, icicle-shaped tiara.
Fels knows that Bell Cranel is a man, but with his lithe, slender physique, and the outfit that he was wearing, he could pass of as a girl, a very beautiful and eye-catching girl.
"How do I look, Fels-san?" Bell asked seriously as he did a twirl to show them the entirety of his outfit.
In their long life, Fels thought that they had purge the desire for physical gratification and pleasure from their being. Looking at the young man right now, Fels was feeling those urges return with a vengeance.
Fels had to remind themselves that they do not have the physical anatomy to enjoy the flesh of the man before them.
Also, as Bell Cranel stood before him with his current attire, Fels felt that many people across the continent was cursing them right now.
"You look breathtaking." Fels answered honestly. "Still…" Fels gestured to Bell's snow-white hair and crimson eyes.
Those were the most eye-catching features of Bell Cranel's beauty, the features that made his looks pop.
Bell nodded at this before going towards his work desk. Opening a scroll, he bit his thumb and smeared a small portion of blood upon the scroll.
Several rings, all of which were design for women, appeared on the surface of the scroll.
Picking up two rings, Bell showed it to Fels.
"For the hair." Bell presented a ring with an amber stone. Placing the ring on his right ring finger, his white hair suddenly turned into orange-brownish chestnut hair. "For the eyes." This time, Bell presented a ring with a crystal haze as its centerpiece. Placing the ring to his left ring finger, Bell's eyes change from crimson to hazel. "Better?" Bell asked as he showed his new appearance to Fels.
Fels nodded, noting that with more mundane coloring in his hair and eyes, Bell's beauty decreased by a few notches.
He still had looks that other woman would envy, even Goddesses, but it was nothing compare to his previous looks.
"Much better." Bell Cranel would still garner looks with his current get-up, but it would be less when compare to his previous looks.
"Good." Bell said as he took a red purse from his desk.
"You are strangely comfortable with woman's clothing." Fels could not help themselves but state this observation.
"Wouldn't say I am entirely comfortable, but in the Altena War, I was part of the scouting and infiltration unit, and it is easier to sneak into enemy territory as a woman." Bell stated nonchalantly. "In that war, I learned how to be comfortable and fight in a skirt." Bell said with a humorous chuckle. "Also, do you have any idea how easy it is to hide a knife under a woman's skirt? It is very convenient." Bell exclaimed patting his skirt in emphasis.
He had packed 13 knives under his skirt.
Fels could only nod at that. They could understand that in a way.
"I'll be off then." Bell said as he gave Fels a curt bow.
"Enjoy your day, and I hope that whatever your suspicions are, it would prove to be false." Fels replied with their own curt nod.
"You are not the only one hoping for that." Bell stated with a grim smile.
Bell was hoping that he was just being paranoid, that he was not fully recovered from the whiplashed that he received from the Altena War.
Because if his suspicions were proven true….
Well… Bell would rather not think of it.
(Scene Change)
It was early in the morning, around 6:00 AM, and the first place that Bell visited was the City Market.
Predictably, the City Market was filled with people; merchants and customers alike.
The market is abuzz with activity as merchants tried to sell their goods to as many buyers as possible, for as much as possible, while customers were trying to haggle for a better or cheaper price.
As Bell walked around the market, he was hit by a wave of nostalgia.
He remembered, going to the City Market with Haruhime and Mikito, buying foods and other necessities for Hestia Familia.
Good times…
At first glance, nothing was out of place in the City Market. Buying and/or trading goods, merchants promoting their products, buyers haggling with sellers, produce being transferred from to and fro.
Market activities that are commonly seen in every market in the world.
At first glance, everything was fine.
Bell knows better.
Looking at his surroundings, Bell could see a few dozen members of Ganesha Familia patrolling the market.
Again, this is a common sight. Ganesha Familia does act as Orario's police force.
That being said, and Bell would admit that his memory of Orario might not be that accurate, but there are too many Ganesha Familia members patrolling the City Market.
Thinking back in his early days in Orario, whenever he was visiting the market, Bell remembers seeing two or three, maximum of six Ganesha Familia Members patrolling the market.
Right now, Bell could see a dozen.
Looking far across the market, Bell could see another half dozen.
Looking at the road next to where he was walking, Bell could see eight.
'Too much personnel for this one area?' Bell thought to himself. Considering the abilities and capabilities of Adventurers, a handful of Guards should be enough to police as most civilian dominated area.
Thinking back once again, three years ago, there are, at most, six to eight Ganesha Familia members patrolling and policing the market.
Right now, Bell could see triple that.
More even.
'Wonder why?' Bell asked himself as he looked at a stall that sell apples.
Casually, Bell approached the stall and examined the produce.
"They look good." Bell commented with a feminine voice that he put too much work into mastering. "How much?" Bell inquired politely, a kind smile on his face.
Bell did not receive an answer immediately. Instead, Bell saw that the seller, a cute looking girl in her late teens, staring at him with some red dusting her cheeks.
Bell resisted the urged to sigh. He wanted to desperately deny this fact, but it seems that he really does have an effect on the opposite gender, especially when he dons women's clothing.
He could already hear the 'I told you so' from Lady Astraea and Princess-Commander Medea.
After a full ten seconds of not getting a reply, Bell faked a cough, catching the attention of the girl manning the stall.
"How much?" Bell repeated himself with a smile that made the girl's heart skip a beat.
"T-T-Twe-Twenty Valis each. Six for a hundred valis." The girl stuttered out.
Bell nodded before taking out two hundred valis from his purse and handing it to the girl.
Taking the valis, Bell watched as the girl set aside a dozen apples, all of which are good quality, and put it in a paper bag.
With his apples pack, Bell took the produced from the girl before tipping her with another 50 valis.
"For the service." Bell said as he walked away from the stall, leaving a very flustered girl behind.
Taking an apple from his paper bag, Bell took a bite as he studies his surroundings more thoroughly.
With a closer look, Bell frowned a bit.
It was not evident at first glance, but there was some tension in the area.
With a scrutinizing gazed, Bell could see that some of the merchants had looks of borderline suspicion in their eyes, with some even having looks of unease.
Peculiar.
Normally, only foreign merchants would be unease in a foreign market. If memory serves him right, Orario prioritized local produce over foreign ones, and Bell could swear that he recognized a quarter of the merchants and sellers in the market.
'This is too heavy of an atmosphere for a city market.' Bell noted before his senses and instinct suddenly kicked in.
With envious foot work and body control, Bell spun to his left, all the while shifting his body in order to raise his purse and bag of apples away from some child who was trying to snatch it.
Bell looked at the one who attempted to rob him.
A boy, nine to 12 years of age, with decent built though it was hidden in rags.
It took Bell a millisecond to realized that this boy was no street rat or orphan.
The boy was too well fed.
Also, the way the boy almost snatched his purse was too quick for it to be done by an unblessed person.
This boy has a Falna, and most deity would not give their blessings to a simple orphan.
Only a few deities have such kind whims.
Bell and the boy exchange looks.
The boy looked upon him with surprised, while Bell only shook his head.
Bell could kill this boy with a casual kick, but he was above dispatching Level 1 adventurers outside of a combat setting.
If this was a fight, the boy would have a broken neck right now.
Fortunately for the child, he decided to cut his losses and run away, bumping several passersby as he leaves the scene.
Bell frowned.
He had seen children with Falna even younger than the boy, but most of them do not wear rags. Most of them would dress in gaudy and expensive clothing to show their status as blessed children.
'Peculiar.' Bell thought before a sudden sound caught his attention.
*Crash*
A stall was turned over as a teen, a female one, run swiftly across the streets, holding stolen produce in her arms.
The girl was wearing rags, yet she was running with speeds that can only be achieve by someone with a Falna.
Bell frowned as he watched the members of the Ganesha Familia prepare to give chase.
Bell, for his part, decided to give his assistance.
Biting the last morsel of the apple, Bell held the core of the fruit and took aim. With a swift flicker of his wrist, he sent the apple core flying with speed and force comparable to that of an arrow.
In seconds, the apple core struck the back of the running girl, disintegrating the left-over fruit while knocking the teen unconscious.
Before the girl could even fall to the ground, Bell moved a few steps to his left before grabbing an arm of another teenager, this one also wearing rags, although he was a boy.
Said boy was trying to swipe a large cut of meat from a stall.
The boy glared challengingly at Bell.
Bell, for his part, gave the boy a taste of his killing intent. "None of that." Bell warned the boy with a smile that oozes death.
The boy froze as a bolt of killing intent struck him like a bolt of lightning.
Letting the boy go, Bell allowed him to run.
The merchant, who was watching the previous debacle, did not notice that they were almost rob.
Bell did not inform the merchant of the crime that almost befall upon him.
In fact, Bell frowned in suspicion.
There were three minor crimes in a single city block, all which almost taking place in a span of five to ten minutes.
That is not normal.
(Scene Change)
'16 petty crimes in two hours are not normal.' Bell thought to himself as he sat in a small yet quaint café. He was holding a cup of coffee while a half-eaten pastry was on his table.
While Bell was enjoying the food, he was contemplating on what he saw in his walk around the City Market.
Petty crimes were common in a city as large as Orario. Hell, even the Royal Forest of Alf and Altena were not immune to petty crimes. That said, having a dozen or so petty crimes happening in a single city block is not normal.
It was far from normal, especially considering that all those crimes happened in the span of two hours.
The frequency of the crimes was too abnormal.
Taking a sip of his coffee, and appreciating the foreign flavor of the mix, Bell began to further contemplate the situation.
"Should I check the guild?" Bell asked himself, wondering if Ganesha Familia submits records of crime statistics to the Guild.
He was hoping that they do.
Bell does not fancy the thought of sneaking into the Ganesha Familia Home.
It would be too much hassle to infiltrate the place.
Sneakily unsealing his Communication book, Bell wrote a missive and a request.
The missive was a question asking Fels if the Guild has a record about the crime rates in Orario, and the request was for said records to be lent to him.
"[Send.]" With the message sent, Bell finished his pastry and coffee, humming in delight at the uncommon flavors assaulting his palate.
After more than three years of cooking only for himself, Bell appreciates foods that were not prepared by himself for himself.
It tastes better in his opinion.
With his breakfast finish, Bell stood up and went to the counter to pay for his meal. He was intending to leave a considerable tip for the meal and the service when his instincts once again kicked in.
Quickly positioning himself in front of the counter, Bell slowly pulled the necessary valis to pay for his meal while listening to the door opening.
From the sound of it, four people had entered.
From the sound of their footsteps, they have combat capabilities and they were spreading themselves across the café.
Bell frowned.
This could be something.
This could be nothing.
Based on his luck. He was betting on something.
Hiding his paranoia, Bell gave the cashier a kind smile before paying the 130 valis for his meal while gingerly handing a tip of 100 valis.
"Compliments to the cook." Bell smiled, making the cashier blush.
With a girlish giggled that, again, he put too much practice in perfecting, Bell turned around and walked pass a male Werewolf who was leering at him.
Bell ignored this in favor of looking at the café.
Behind the Werewolf is a Male Chienthrope.
On one corner is a female cat people and on the other corner was a male human.
All four had a certain tension on them that made them suspicious in his eyes.
Inside the café, aside from the four, there were a handful of people, and they looked to be either Level 1 Adventurers or outright civilians.
The four people that had just entered are at least Level 2 Combatants.
'If they are hostile, have to do this quick and precise.' Bell thought to himself as he eyed the two daggers hanging on the hip of the Chienthrope before double checking the position of the two other suspicious people in the room.
If necessary, he can do quick.
And it was necessary.
*BANG*
"Bitch, VALIS NOW!" The Werewolf demanded as he brandished a short sword threateningly at the cashier while the Chienthrope was already moving to draw his daggers.
In their respective corner, Bell could see the cat person and human chanting some sort of magic.
'Five seconds.' Bell thought to himself as he reached for the two sheathed daggers of the Chienthrope. Swiftly, he swipes the daggers and threw it at the two chanting hostiles.
The sound of blade piercing through fleshed echoed in the café as the daggers tore through the respective shoulders of the Cat Person and Human.
Unfortunately for them, their sudden injury also triggered Ignis Fautus, casuing their respective magic to explode, rendering them unconscious.
[Luck] and [Assassin] Developmental abilities as combo yields very fortunate results.
As the Chienthrope turned his attention to the explosion. Bell struck him across the throat with an open palm strike before a short elbow to his temple knocked him out.
The Werewolf turned from the cashier at the sound of his comrade hitting the floor, but Bell was already in mid strike.
A swift kick to the groin followed by a hard chop to the crown of the Werewolf's head was enough to neutralized the perpetrator.
"I suggest you call for your police." Bell advised as he turned his attention to the surprise and scared cashier.
(Scene Change)
Bell sat across a Ganesha Familia Member, a familiar one at that. If memory serves him right, this one is named Ibri or something.
In the background, the four people that Bell took down were being carted away by several Ganesha Familia Members, all of them were glaring at Bell.
Bell ignored them. Push comes to shove; he could easily kill them.
"Ganesha Familia, Ibri Achaa." The tan skinned adventurer introduced himself as he slid a cup of coffee at Bell, a faint blush on his cheeks.
Bell smiled politely as he turned his attention to Ibri. He extended his hand at the adventurer for courtesy sake. "Meteora Lenarc." The name that Bell gave was an alias he used whenever he infiltrates a city or town during the Altena war. Only Medea knows of this name, and if he is lucky, she was not part of the Ganesha Familia.
With a blush and bashful expression, Ibri took the hand and gently shook it.
"Nice to meet you, Meteora-san." Ibri replied goofily.
"Likewise…" Bell answered cordially. "Am I being arrested?" Bell asked, putting a bit of trepidation in his false female voice.
Ibri immediately and vehemently shook his head. "Of course not, Meteora-san! In fact, Ganesha Familia would like to extend its thanks for stopping this robbery." Ibri swiftly bowed his head. "I am just going to ask you some questions, and then you can go on with your day." Ibri informed 'her' while showing a pad and a pencil.
Bell nodded, familiar with routine questions. "Ask away then."
"So, Meteora-san, are you a residence of Orario?"
"I am actually from Altena."
Ibri quirked an eyebrow at that information.
"The magic capital of the world?" Ibri asked in curiosity, not familiar with the Country whatsoever.
Bell giggled in such a way that made Ibri's heart beat faster.
"It is a heavily magically-oriented country, yes." Bell answered in a roundabout way.
Ibri nodded as he jotted down some notes. "So, do you have a Falna?"
That questioned was already answered considering that he had easily dispatched four Adventurers that were around Level 2, but routine questions can be repetitive at time.
"I am a member of the Hadúr Familia in Altena. I am a Level 3 Adventurer. My profession is rune carving. Hadúr Familia is a Metal Working and Blacksmithing Familia in Altena."
That was a half-truth.
Aside from Metal Working and Blacksmithing, Hadúr Familia is also a Military unit in Altena.
The entire Familia made up most of the Altena's 5th Military Battalion.
"Hadúr Familia?" Ibri inquired with a pointed look.
"Hadúr-sama is a God of War and Forge. He is very good in forging weapons and in warfare."
Meteria and Alfia is a testament of Hadúr's skills in forging, and Bell has stories about the man's capabilities in warfare.
Aside from Astraea, he had interacted the most with God Hadúr, and though their relationship was not as close as his relations with Astraea, Bell still considered the God as a friend.
The feeling was mutual considering he personally forge Bell's signature weapons.
Ibri nodded uninterestedly though he still noted down the information.
"What are you doing in Orario?" Ibri asked, and Bell knew that this was the most important question that the man would ask.
"Well, I am going to be promoted to an Executive in my Familia, and Hadúr-sama told me to go to Orario and see the creations of Goddess Hephaestus." Bell lied smoothly. Lying is a skill that Medea had taught him the moment they formed a friendship with each other. "According to Hadúr-sama, Goddess Hephaestus is a smith that even surpasses him in blacksmithing, and that for me to advance to be an actual smith, I need to see weapons that surpasses those that I see him create."
In reality, Bell would categorize Hephaestus and Hadúr as equals in smithing, but a little lie here and there won't hurt anyone, especially in this situation.
Ibri hummed, acknowledging the answer. It was not the first time for craftsmen and craftswomen to travel to Orario to study the crafts of local Familias. A few workshops of Hephaestus Familia Members were even open to those who are interested in the craft. In those workshops, Blacksmiths across the world can watch Hephaestus Familia Members practicing the craft of Blacksmithing. In some days, if she is in the mood, Hephaestus would even showcase her skills to blacksmiths and blacksmith-hopefuls, both local and foreigners alike, for a price that is.
"You are a bit too far from Babel? Workshops for the Hephaestus Familia are mostly located there." Ibri informed the foreigner.
Bell could only shrug. "They mostly opened around midafternoon, and this is the first vacation that I had in three years. I wanted to see the sights." Bell stated sheepishly. "Orario is a beautiful city."
Ibri chuckled as he nodded in agreement. "It is." Ibri exclaimed in pride. "How did you notice that those four were going to rob this place?"
Another important question.
This one deserves some morsel of truth.
"Ever fought in a war?" Bell asked, a solemn look on his face.
Ibri was taken a back by that inquiry. "Pardon."
"Ever fought in war?" Bell repeated with a subdued voice. "I have…" Bell answered before Ibri could even say a word. "There was a war in Altena a few years back. It was a brutal and violent war, and because Hadúr-sama is under Goddess Athena's aegis, Hadúr Familia had to fight in said war. The war was bloody, brutal, and terrifying, and it forces my comrades and I to pick up a few skills here and there in order to survive. Detecting hostiles is one of those skills."
Bell did not have to fake the hallowed expression on his face and eyes.
Remembering the specifics of the Altena war never fails to affect him.
So much blood, so much lost of life.
"Sorry for asking." Ibri apologized, shameful that he had asked about a sensitive topic.
Bell took a long moment to reply, giving of an expression of him centering himself. "No need to apologized. You are just doing your job." Bell stated in understanding.
Ibri smiled at this. Finally, a foreigner that understands.
"Well, I guess that is all the question that I would like to ask. I do have to tell you that vigilantism is not that heavy of a crime here in Orario, but please try not to pick up fights with the locals." Ibri advised as he closed his pad. "Also, if you are interested in seeing more of what Orario could offer, I suggest you swing by either the Guild or the Ganesha Familia Home. We can give you an entire brochure of all the must-see places in the city. If you like, I can show you around personally." Ibri winked flirtatiously.
Bell could only giggle at this to hide the awkwardness that he was feeling.
Ibri is a good looking man, but he prefers the fairer sex over his own, his current appearance notwithstanding.
With that exchange finished, Bell was allowed to leave.
Before he left though, he was given a box of baked goods as thanks for him preventing the café from being robbed.
It was greatly appreciated.
(Scene Change)
After the minor debacle in the café, the next place that Bell visited is the Dian Cecht Familia, specifically their base of operation, the White Pharmacy.
Bell is not familiar with the Dian Cecht Familia. If he needed potions, even if Naaza would rip him of, he would buy from the Miach Familia.
Bell had met Airmid Teasanare a handful of times. The Dian Cecht captain had healed him a handful of times, and though their interaction were purely professional, Bell would remember someone as beautiful as Airmid.
Bell might have had tunnel vision when he first resided in Orario, but he still had working eyes, and Airmid was at least around Ais' level of attractiveness.
Entering the White Pharmacy, Bell paused for a second.
He was greeted with the sight of a handful of Dian Cecht Familia members carting an injured adventurer to one of their treatment rooms.
Walking into the pharmacy, Bell took a glancing looked at the expressions of the Dian Cecht Familia Members that he could see.
They all looked haggard.
Stepping into the area where potions were being sold, Bell took a quick looked at the treatment rooms of the pharmacy.
Almost all of them were occupied.
Now, Bell was not familiar with this part of Orario. He knows that Adventurers get injured all the time. His first time in Orario, he was injured every other day. That said, the Guild has a hospital the specifically caters to adventurers. Well-funded and well-equipped, that should be the place where injured Adventurers are carted to when they get injured adventuring. Yes, the Guild does not employ a healer that is close to the Dea Saint level, but in sheer quantity of healers and doctors, the Guild Hospital should have Dian Cecht Familia beat.
Bell momentarily assumed that the treatment rooms were occupied by civilians, but he quickly vanished that thought. He might have no interaction with the Dian Cecht Familia, but he knows that their services are expensive.
Looking at the prices of the potions that they were selling was enough indication that they charged exorbitantly for treatment.
Taking a few potions, mostly vitamin supplementary potions to avoid suspicion, Bell discreetly slipped a runic tag in one of the counters.
Seeing that he was not injured and not wearing adventurers clothing, it would be suspicious if he stayed too long in the White Pharmacy.
His surveillance tag should be enough to get the information that he needed.
He does not need specific information, not right now, not at the moment.
That could wait. A general outlook and overview would be enough for now.
Having collected a small amount of vitamins, Bell walked towards the counter and presented the items to the cashier.
The cashier, with a look of utter exhaustion, let out a tired sigh and began computing the total value amount of the potions
"Busy day?" Bell asked awkwardly.
"Busy week." The Cashier replied curtly as she began to packed the potions in a box.
Bell just nodded, not affected by the rudeness of the Cashier.
He could relate in many ways.
Paying for the potions, Bell gave the Cashier a hefty tip, earning him a grateful yet weary smile by the Cashier.
Bell offered a smile and left the Pharmacy.
He contemplated swinging by the Guild Hospital and the City Hospital but decided not to. He would just ask Fels for the needed data.
Still, Bell's suspicion was growing.
He was beginning to see a pattern.
It was a pattern that he never wanted to see in his life ever again.
(Scene Change)
Bell was very familiar with brawls.
He lived in Orario for four months and 10 days before his banishment, and it took him three days to learn that brawls happen frequently in the city.
He had spent a year in Altena, and though the people in the magic city were much more discipline and orderly, it was not uncommon to see adventurers having fist-to-cuffs.
Even the elves in the Alf's Royal Forest indulge in brawls from time to time, and the elves living there mostly turned their nose on such actions.
After the War in Altena, Bell spent the rest of his banishment as a monster, treasure, and bounty hunter, going from city to city, community to community, and for every place that he had visited, so long as they are occupied by adventures, brawls are common place.
Bell had seen so many brawls in his life, he never interfered in one as long as he was not involved and no one was going to get crippled and/or killed.
Bell is desensitized to brawls.
That is why he could only raise a brow at the current melee that he was seeing right now.
Eight people were throwing hands. A pair of men were rolling on the ground, exchanging punches. Another pair were standing and exchanging blows. Another pair were trying to choke each other. The last pair of men were trying to pin each other to the wall.
This little brawl garnered a crowd, all of which were cheering the debacle on.
Bell merely looked at the 'brawl' with a blank look.
He was using the word 'brawl' in the loosest way possible.
Bell had seen toddlers have more legitimate brawls than the eight adventurers who were 'fighting' each other.
In fact, with his experience eyes, Bell could tell that this 'brawl' was no brawl at all.
This was fake fighting at its worst.
The punches might look good, the sound of punches and kicks might sound legitimate, but minimal to zero damage was being dealt with among the eight men.
The punches and kicks were blatantly choreographed to the point that an average Adventurer could anticipate it. The sound of blows landing was so manufactured with multiple thighs slapping and loud foot stomping that Bell was tempted to dive into the melee to show this men how to actually fight.
But Bell kept that temptation at bay and just watch this fake brawl take place with narrowed eyes before turning his attention to the sound of rapid footsteps.
A group of Ganesha Familia Members were now running to the scene.
Bell took several steps back, crouching down to grab a few pebbles on the ground.
Bell was no stranger on fake fights. During the war, Medea had arranged several fake fights for distraction purposes, with him being the centerpiece and several members of the Astraea Familia as the brawlers.
If he was a gambling man, and Bell is gambler on occasion, those who initiated this fake brawl would probably do something nefarious.
As the fake brawl was broken up, Bell positioned himself around the crowd, minimizing the people who has a line of sight on him while maximizing his view on his surroundings.
As the five Ganesha Familia Members were separating the fake brawlers from each other, Bell narrowed his eyes at two particularly rowdy Adventures discreetly pulling out knives from their pockets. With weapons out, they brandished their weapons at each other and lunge.
Conveniently and coincidentally, there was a Ganesha Familia Member between the two.
As a soldier, Bell had lost his belief in the word convenient and coincidence.
With a flick of his wrist, Bell threw two pebbles at the two adventures before their knives could injure the unknowing Ganesha Familia Member.
This attack also activated his [Assassin] ability.
Bell watched as the pebbles hit their mark. The sound of bones breaking was followed by the echo of two knives clattering to the ground.
The two men dropped to their knees as they nursed their now broken wrist.
Bell left the area before anyone could look his way.
As he continued his walk around the city, he had seen half a dozen fake brawls, and in each fake brawls, Bell had to intervene to prevent cheap shots from befalling to those who were stopping those said 'brawls'.
This is not good, and Bell did not mean the fake fights that were so evidently fraudulent, it was a wonder why people would bother watching them for entertainment.
At least when Princess-Commander Medea was arranging, the fake fights actually looked convincing.
(Scene Change)
It was early in the afternoon when Bell returned to his temporary residence in Orario, a quaint apartment located at the very bottom of the residential complex of Babel.
After six hours of walking around Orario, Bell had seen enough to satisfy his suspicions.
It did not alleviate his suspicions whatsoever, but it did satisfy it.
Fels was already in his apartment, a large stack of documents already on his desk.
Bell thanked him and sat down before perusing the documents on his desk. Bell did not even change from his dress into a more male-oriented clothing.
This was more urgent.
Reading through documents after documents, Bell wanted to groan in irritation. He was not liking what he was reading.
Far from it.
Bell was still praying that he was being paranoid, that he had yet to fully recover from his experience in the Altena War, but statistic, mathematics, and numbers do not lie.
The numbers that he was seeing was damning.
"Could I speak to Ouranos-sama?" Bell inquired to Fels as he reached into his bag and took out a parcel and an empty book. Reaching for a quill, Bell began writing a letter.
"He would be delighted to speak to you." Fels informed Bell as they watched him furiously pen a letter. "Is there something that we should be concern about?" Fels asked carefully.
"A part of me would like to say no, and that I am just being unnecessarily paranoid, and that I need to really stop fighting for a few months to suppress my current mindset…" Bell said as he finished penning his letter. "…but I learned when I was out Orario that being paranoid can be an asset in and of itself." Bell exclaimed as he folded the letter.
"Do you need me to seen that letter to someone?" Fels offered but Bell shook his head.
"No, I will be sending this myself. Just tell Ouranos-sama that I would be presenting a rather grim situation and scenario to him. Hopefully I am wrong." Bell said as he gestured to his letter. "If I am not wrong, at least the calvary would be on its way. Hopefully, she is amendable to this request."
"She?"
Bell smiled so brightly, Fels swore that he was glowing. "There are two Goddesses in the lower world that I would gladly pledge myself to. One of them is Hestia-sama, this letter is going to be sent to the second." Bell then chuckled. "And, as much as I respect and love Hestia-sama, for this situation, theoretical and unfounded it might be, I would be needing her."
A solemn looked then crossed Bell's face.
"I also promised her closure to one of the greatest tragedies in her life. I intend to make good on that promise."
Sorry for the lackluster chapter.
I have been through three job interviews for the past two weeks. I had to rush this chapter out.
Expect better and longer chapters in the future.
Again, read, enjoy, and review.