This is a Danmachi and Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy Fan Fiction Only.
Other Franchises will be included in this story.
Bell relaxed somewhat after hearing how many more people had decided to join their Familia, and seeing that all these people would have to receive the blessing this was going to take quite some time, so he decided to simply say fuck it, he is going to the public baths and taking a good long bath and soak his aching body.
If someone doesn't like it, they can stay around and wait for Hestia to be finished with all the blessing and paperwork she was going to have to prepare, because every single new member would have to submit those status papers to the Guild, and the Guild doesn't mess around with two things, one is Valis and the other was paperwork, they took their jobs extremely serious.
If Bell was as perverted as his grandfather or his Uncle Hermes, hell from what his mother be like his father, well he would stay around if only to watch all these women strip everything that covers the top of their bodies, as Hestia places her blood on them, to form the blessing and them gaining the Familia Mark on their back. To many he should, and he should enjoy the free strip show, but Belle was honorable so he decided to instead go and take a nice long bath, only because he smells after spending hours fighting monsters, getting covered in their blood, but because he also had another reason, he still has his part-time job as a cook in the Hostess of Fertility.
When he made it to the public bath, the place was practically empty, which made no sense, the water was perfect, this was the time they had just refilled the soap and shampoo containers, and at this time the bath would place smell salts in the water to make the place smell nicer and clean, filling the bathing area with a calming scent that made people relax.
As he was trying to relax he didn't want to be bothered at all, he simply wanted to wash, relax in the warm water, and enjoy the relaxing scent that was all around him, as the warm water soothed his aching bones and muscles. But it is rare when people get what they want, as he suddenly heard the mocking tone of the one that insulted him not too long ago, and it seems the mongrel had not learned his lesson. "How in the world can you afford to take a bath in this place, with a Familia with only two people at most, so tell me yellow bunny, why are you here when you should be running with your fluffy tail between your legs when a wolf comes near you."
Belle didn't bother looking a the idiot who just happens to be the brother to one of his friends, he simply continued to enjoy the water, "First, not that it is any of your fucking business, but a lot of people are joining the Hestia Familia, so word to not so wise, don't piss them off, cause they might not be as merciful as I am with you Betty. Secondly, I consider your little attempt to intimidate me to be so cute, if you really want to show you are the so-called Alpha male, then meet me in the dungeon and we can fight each other to each other's heart's content, and then we can have a really good time, not that I expect you to take it, with Loki over there pretending to be a guy, nobody is here Loki, no need to hide. I have no problem at all in taking a bath with a woman, I have done it more times than I care to count growing up."
That is when Loki actually stopped pretending to be this old man and she walked over to Bell, "I have two questions for you, how could you tell that it was me? and the second is why do you call him Betty when you know his name is Bete?" Belle told her he could read the energy that is coming from people, that is why he can tell where monsters are in the dungeon even when they were not in plain sight, so telling she had divine energy told him everything and the fact that Betty was present sort of made him think she would come to prevent something bad from happening.
As for the second question, Betty there complains and throws temper tantrums that most women would not ever consider doing simply because they know how immature they are, so if he is going to act like an absolute emotional wreck of a bitch, Bell told her that he would call this person by a more appropriate name, thus he calls him Betty. "Now will you two let me relax, I still have to go to my part-time job after this, as for you Betty, any grief or headaches you get from your sister, you got your big mouth to thank for that, as for our fight, just name the time, and place in the dungeon and I will be there, but I prefer on the weekends since that is my time off. But after I beat your ass, I might decide to put you in a nice summer dress, with ribbons in your hair, and take you out for dinner and dancing, if you don't want that then grow the fuck up and stop acting like such a bitch."
That was all Bete needed to hear to throw caution to the winds and simply try to punch Bell's teeth in, but the minute the punch reached him Bell effortlessly blocked it and with a quick motion threw him into the bathing area, leaving to wonder how in the world did Bell managed to do that, he was supposed to be a beginner, a rank one, the lowest of the low, how could he do that to someone that was higher rank than he was?
As he was ready to get out of the water, Loki simply had to know how he did that, she was shocked when he told her, everything that he said was true, he beat eleven minotaurs who had cannibalized the magic stones from their own kind, the punch of someone like Betty was not something he would have trouble with. As Bete was slowly hiding his embarrassment in the bath water.
But what Loki and Bete did not know is a few of Bell's Developmental abilities was currently activated increasing his abilities to a higher level combined with his Argonauts skill and the martial arts skills that Cloud Sephiroth and Zach taught him allowed him to put Bete in his place.
Loki decided to ask Bell if he had anything he doesn't like about her if anything Bell told her he never could understand her lack of confidence, in his humble opinion Loki was a master shapeshifter, she could take a bath in a room full of men, and nobody could tell who she was, this constant rivalry with Hestia because her tits are bigger than her own made no freaking sense at all, "You don't like the way you look, change, you could make yourself look like the Norse version of Aphrodite if you really wanted to be admired for just your beauty, so it makes no sense at all, never mind that you never needed to do that in the first place, cause you know you have are beautiful, so this whole rivalry between you and Hestia make no sense to me at all."
As he walked out of the bathing area Loki was quiet since the moment he went to the dressing room. Bete had never seen his goddess just stand there with this utterly shocked look on her face like she was told something so obvious that it made her speechless hearing it and from a mortal of all things. Bell got dressed and left the bathing area after paying for using the place, and he was ready to go and cook some food at his part-time job, it was close to the evening so he didn't expect much in the way of customers, how wrong he was.
As he walked into the kitchen Barret was already cooking food, and customers had arrived earlier than expected. As Bell began to cook the orders from the customers he asked Barret what the hell is going on? The number of customers they were seeing was nothing like what he expected, to which Barret told him it was Bell's fault so stop complaining and keep cooking.
For several hours they cooked non-stop and honestly had Bell and Barret not been both adventurers, people would complain that their arms were about to fall off, the number of customers coming in finally slowed down enough that Barret and Bell could drink something to recover their stamina, "As I was saying this is your fault Bell, people who found out that you cooked some of the food they ate, really liked it, so much so that they decided to come during the evenings when you are cooking, and what is worse praises on your food spread thanks to word of mouth and that is why we have the situation we are in. I would be shocked if one of the big-time restaurant magazines doesn't write a review on your cooking, they did for me when I started working here."
Bell joked that maybe they could end up attracting the attention of Lord Michelin, the famous food connoisseur, Barret had to tell him he was even more impressed that Bell knew of the man, but he was correct about this, this particular noble does go around the world finding and acknowledging the culinary talents by both promoting and writing extremely beneficial reviews and articles that instantly cause the restaurants of those he recognizes to become very successful if the Hostess of Fertility becomes of these restaurants, a goddess that they know would become very thankful to them, for this goddess, this restaurant was first and foremost an act of love towards the people of the city.
In the end, Bell was a realist, and he knew all the flowery and sweet sentiments mean nothing, if the people who have these ideas don't make enough to survive, "I always go for deeper levels on the dungeon, and when I know I can't defeat the next level. I farm the level before it like there is no tomorrow, let's face it, I figured that I was going to be the only member of the Hestia Familia, so I was ready for that, but as it turns out that is no longer the case, and in fact, I am going to have to work really hard to catch up to the ranks of the new members. So don't worry Barret, chances are I will still be here working like always in the evenings. More people also mean more mouths to feed after all."
He asked Bell if he could have gotten any other goddess or god to accept him, to which he finally confessed to Barret that if he could, in fact, use his full strength, and show them how truly powerful he was, he could have, but his grandfather, uncle, aunt, and mother all made him promise that he would find a Familia who accepted him in for who he is rather than because how strong he is.
Bell hated to admit it but in fact, his training growing up was pretty intense, in several times he felt like either his whole body would crumble to dust or he could swear he saw his entire life flash before his eyes, "You know of Alfia, and she was one of the people who trained me since I could walk, the people watching the fight in the arena called her all sorts of terrifying things, but they got no clue how scary she can be if she really gets pissed off. So had I been permitted to show my actual strength, both the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia would probably welcome me with open arms, but again I was sworn not to, and if I ever consider breaking that promise, Alfia would be the one to punish me for it."
This is when Bell remembered a conversation he had with Barret seven months ago Barret told him if he really wanted to how deep within the dungeon could he reach on his own? Bell told him that if he really pushed it and did his best, he could probably clear all the way to the 20th floor on his own. But would have to wait in one of the rest levels to recover on his way back. Never mind that he have to explain to the guild once he went to deposit all of the items and crystals he would have gotten. "So in short I stay to the levels my dungeon advisor tells me, 'cause I don't need a headache I can actually avoid." The Hephaestus Familia wouldn't want him that is because his blacksmithing skill and knowledge were not that great.
The only Familia that welcomed him with open arms was the Hestia Familia, never mind that at the moment there are things that he can only do because he is not part of any Familia, "So what exactly is so important that you can't accept the blessing of Goddess Hestia?"
He looked at Barret and told him, he needs to form connections with the Hephaestus Familia, for metal works, he needs to form connections with the Miach Familia for medical supplies and medical treatments, and he needs to form connections with Familia like the Ganesha, Takemikasuchi and other Familia to resolve problems of injustice and inequality within Orario, a lot of problems that would be made almost impossible if the other Familia had to consider negotiating with other deities, Bell told Barret that the gods came to their lower world for excitement, and there are few things in life more exciting to them than competition, so the only way Bell could get all these things done is not to be part of any Familia, because otherwise, he would be the child of a potential rival.
First things first, I need to find out about a wanted Familia member from the Asterius Familia, he knew that nobody could listen or so he thought, Barret told him that the person he was looking for was actually extremely tough she managed to avenge the death of her Familia against another Familia and eliminate it alone, so collecting on that bounty was not only stupid but suicide, Bell began to laugh and told him he got it backward, he plans to pay off the bounty so maybe that person could help the Hestia Familia later.
Barret had to admit that was nice to hear, and he wouldn't admit it but the only reason he even asked that was because the person they were discussing was actually listening to their conversation as they cooked the many orders, preparing food and drink for the customers of the restaurant. "Even if the bounty I need to pay is massive, I know she is absolutely worth it, if just for any other reason than to gain the chance to become her friend, and yes I know who it is, so don't worry about it. As for you and the others, I know that nobody will find out, since you have been keeping this secret for this long."
As the work shift finally was coming to an end, Barret decided to snap Bell out of the memory he was having, Barret simply had to know something that was bugging him, who taught him how to cook? The only thing Bell told him was that his family taught him in case the Familia that ends up accepting him, was one where every single member including the deity sucks at cooking.
He had taken care of Ryu's bounty the same way he paid for the return of his family to the city, except that the amount was much larger and the amount was so large that they didn't give a damn who paid it, as long as it was paid in full. The only thing Bell could think of as he left the guild office was that either the guild was simply greedy or they set up that bounty to use Ryu as an example of what would happen if another Familia did the exact same thing, to prevent Familia from trying to butcher each other, yet they seemed to forget that the group that was killed had done exactly the same thing, Ryu if anything was only punishing them for the murder of her Familia members, the goddess was believed that she was sent to the divine realm, but Bell knew she was still alive and probably in hiding.
As he returned to the one place he could truly call home, he spent hours clearing floors in the dungeon, thanks to the infinite capacity of his inventory and his auto loot ability, it was quite convenient. In the end, he only spent four hours in the dungeon, and many of the monsters had been killed on the fifth floor, so the drops were pretty good for a supposed rookie. As he stepped out of the dungeon he met someone he was not expecting at all.
It was two of the waitresses of the Hostess of Fertility, one was Syr and the other was an elvish beauty by the name of Ryu Lion, these two were supposed to be best friends, and it would be pretty clear they were together for emotional support, and that was because people had no clue who Syr really was, honesty for Freya to pretend to be just a waitress in the very restaurant her former captain opened should be absolutely unexpected if not outright unbelievable, the one that is actually doing all the meetings and going through looking like the real one was either her daughter Horn or the actual Syr.
Without even giving him a chance to greet them Ryu asked Bell why would he do something this reckless, to go monster hunting after he just finished a six-hour shift in the kitchen of the restaurant, Bell simply looked at her and told her that maybe if she had spent a few hundred years in the underworld in her previous life maybe, just maybe she would understand, Syr was confused after hearing Bell say that and simply asked for an explanation.
"Very well, to most the dungeon is a scary and dangerous place, to me, it feels close to home, it holds many things I simply enjoy, I can passionately hunt down and kill monsters, and I never run out because they are constantly appearing from the very walls, and always look forward to a worthy challenge, like when I fought those eleven minotaurs, that was more fun that I had in a long time, some people call me a battle junkie, but then again if I didn't like battle why would I ever want to become an adventurer?"
As Syr heard this she felt something extremely familiar from Bell, something that reminded her of someone as passionate as he was, that is when Syr asked him why did he pay the bounty on Ryu? He looked at Syr still pretending he doesn't know who she really is and simply said that he did that so Ryu could live a happier and less stressful life, it was something he decided to do as her friend, even though he used a transformation skill to hide who he was.
As she heard that Syr simply couldn't help but start laughing as she heard it straight from Bell, as he told her that it was something a person would do for a person they consider their friend, which also made Ryu blush as she heard this. The real reason he went into the dungeon was to give Hestia enough time to do all those blessings on the numbers and for her to recover from doing all those blessings, one after another. Most people would think that a goddess could instantly recover from this, but he knew better as they had locked away their divine powers except when needing to defend themselves or their familiar or when they were doing their job that required their power, so that affects gods in ways most people can't even imagine.
Having explained his reasons Ryu asked him what exactly does he want from her which surprised Syr, as she stood very close to Bell, Bell told her that he already told her, he did it because he considers her his friend, and if he wants anything is that she considers him her friend as well. "Friends help each other, why would anyone think I could do anything less than this?"
As they finished their discussion, Syr and Ryu thanked him for the explanation and for what he did, Bell decided to go back to the home of his Familia and see if his goddess or the other Familia members require anything from him, he pretty much figured that they would require money to purchase new equipment with the Familia Emblem on it.
As Bell made it into the renovated Chapel, he felt himself being grabbed by Hestia who apparently had been waiting for him, "And where have you been? Do you have any idea how worried I was not knowing where the hell you were?" He told her that he simply went to do his part-time work at the restaurant and decided to unwind by spending a couple of hours in the dungeon, to give her enough time to do everything she needed with the Familia members.
"I didn't want to bother you with my update after you had to do so many blessings, I know how tiring that is for you, so don't worry about me, I can wait for my update when you feel like you can do it."
Hestia told him that it didn't take her that long to actually recover from doing that, some tea and a little rest, but she was not about to deny that hearing that didn't make her feel happy about how considerate he was, "As for your update, we can take care of that right now, in fact, we need to check your current status since you went through a lot since your last update. So come on Bell, take your top off and show me your back, I will take care of the rest."
As he was told this they went to the place where they did all the previous blessings and as soon as they got he took off everything till his chest and back were exposed, earning him quite a few gasps from people even though he didn't know we're looking, some comments of how the hell does he have muscles like that and a few saying that he looked sort of dreamy, in general comments that most would consider embarrassing at best, or flat out lies to tease him at worst. As he laid on his back the one that was most shocked of all was Hestia who began to look at his current stats, every single stat was above normal, all at least fifteen hundred making them all at least S Rank, he had two developmental skills Luck, and Abnormal Status Resistance, he had Fire Bolt Spell which could be cast without incantation.
The skill called Argonaut caught her by surprise but nothing compared to the one she was glaring at, Liaris Freese, it was a unique skill something she knew she better keep hidden from the other gods, they would want to take him from her Familia at any cost, rapid growth depending on the person level of affection, the deeper his feeling, the more rapid his growth will be, for some odd reason this was making her really both upset and jealous, she could only imagine that the one he fell in love was with that girl from the Loki Familia, the one people rumored that saved him.
She quickly pricked her finger and dropped a single drop of blood on his back, and just because she was that frustrated she slapped the piece of paper on his back as she began to draw a circle on the paper with her finger making a copy of his new stats, making sure to smudge the one skill that was royally pissing her off. "Well some good news and some bad news, you already know of your skills since you have been using them quite a bit, but sadly my finger slipped and smudged one of your skills, can't be helped. In the end, the only thing I can say is that you went up a level, not surprising after all you managed to defeat eleven minotaurs as a level one, you will need to take that to your dungeon advisor and get to pick a developmental skill, for me, the bad news is I have to report this in the next monthly meeting of the gods."
Bell was not exactly happy about that, he still had memories of being given the title of Little Rookie, and all the headaches that brought to him, "Look you can pretend all you like but I know of Liaris Freese, it is a skill I obtained in another life or a different timeline, it, of course, is different from the one I currently have, since this actually is my love for those people I deeply care about, back then it was just the girl I once intended to marry, but sadly she died when we fought the one-eyed black dragon. To make matters worse that was not the end of my problems. Peace came but didn't last, an evil group that wanted to rule the world appeared, and using negative propaganda they made every citizen who was not in a Familia turn against the gods."
Hestia asked them who in the world would do something like that, and why would they even agree to do something so crazy? "Who they were, we knew them as the Evilus, and how they managed to do that? Simple, the gods are always focused on their own entertainment and lives so they did very little to help those in need, the key example is the poverty of those that live in the slums of Dadelus Street. Using this they managed to turn the world against the gods, everyone thought I died fighting the black dragon, but in reality, the few remaining gods and Familia managed to escape, we left Orario and away from everyone we formed a community, I even had a child with a woman I later married, but as fate would have it, we were living on borrowed time, and as such we eventually were discovered."
Hestia wanted to know who was this lady who had Bell's child, it was hard for her to hear that it had been Loki of all people, and the last thing that Bell remembers from that time is that he fought and killed the leader of the Evilus, and later he woke up in the crib with Alfia and the others, "To prevent that from happening, that is why I have been working so hard to form connections between the gods and use their knowledge and abilities to help others, undermind the potential propaganda against the gods." That is when Hestia asked who was the leader Bell fought, and he simply told her, it was Apophis.
"So all this time you have been using Liaris Freese without telling anyone about it, very sneaky, the real question is since when have you been able to use it," Bell told her it was only active since he received her blessing.