And So, Bell Became a Hero Volume 2
DISCLAIMER: Danmachi belongs to its respective owners. Everything that occurs in this story is of my own creation and the characters abide by the fictional laws in the setting.
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Chapter 21: And So, The Present Outshines the Past [Part 1]
Part 31
The overload of information Insight provided Bell left him floored, quite literally, as the Ability had somehow caught onto the various lingering presence of those watching over him.
"You'll meet them soon."
The words of the one inhabiting his dreams crossed through his mind, and Bell silently wondered if she had anything to do with those presences, especially the last one as it felt very much alike the one in his dreams.
Alicia, Eden, and Hestia, being the closest ones to him when he utilized his Ability, helped Bell stand back up to his feet as he tried sorting his emotions from what he'd just felt and seen through his Ability. Insight confirmed his fears of there being someone, many someones' in fact, watching over him and his Familia.
And none of those presences felt like Hekate.
Had Miss Kat been with them at the moment, Bell was certain she would've been able to recognize at least one of those presences within his perception. As it was, he could only trust that none of those presences were unfriendly…
But judging by how the situation with the War Game was developing, it seemed at least one of those presences was very much not friendly.
Eden's introduction into his life was very spontaneous, and unexpected, but Bell couldn't deny the fact that she was supportive of the Familia, even though her supportive actions were measured by his supposed worth, and truthful, even when her truths could place her at odds with him.
She had gone as far as removing part of the bandage he'd unknowingly covered his eyes with when looking at his beloved Miss Kat.
A truth that could've utterly destroyed any bridge of relationship between them had it been false.
But Eden wasn't wrong when she revealed that truth to him.
Miss Kat, or better said, Bell's Goddess, Hekate, was indeed hiding things from him, planning things behind his back, even done things behind his back, because otherwise, the woman known as the 'Holy Grail' wouldn't even be in his presence at all had Miss Kat not tricked Poseidon into coming to Orario and making a contract with him.
A contract that disregarded both, Bell's, and Eden's wills.
So, for Eden to add a piece of the puzzle by naming the ambitious captain of the Soma Familia and clicking said piece together with the information that it was the Soma Familia who threatened, and insulted, Alicia, Bell started to see the big picture come together.
The only missing piece was which of those presences within his perception was the one to supply the Soma Familia's Captain with the information of both, Alicia and Eden being in the same Familia.
"Bell, are you alright?" Eina gently placed her hand on his shoulder, her concerned met his for a moment.
Such fleeting moment was enough for him to get his bearings back together.
"No." Bell wouldn't lie to his Familia. "There's a lot going on, but for now it doesn't matter."
His words confused his loved ones, so Bell quickly added, "How things came to be don't matter, what matters is what we do from hereon. If it's a War Game they want, then it's a War Game they'll get, if those watching me want to see more of me, then they'll see more of me, I couldn't care less about what they want, all I care about is all of you, that's all that matters."
For the youngest women among those around Bell, Eina's cheeks and elven ears lit red at his words, whereas the older ones felt touched, and slightly exasperated, at them. The most exasperated of them all being Hestia, yet even she couldn't help the smile on her face for how far Bell's devotion went for them, all of them.
It was exactly that kind of single-minded determination that made Bell who he was.
"Bell's right!" Hestia smiled at him and crossed her arms to jut her chest out proudly. "There's no point thinking about how or why! All that matters is that we keep moving forward! Somewhere down the road, those who seek to bother us will appear, and we'll give it back then times to them when they do!"
- 0 - AsBBaH Vol 2 - 0 -
During lunch, the Hestia Familia agreed that they would move into their new home the next evening as that way it gave time for Alicia's appointment with Airmid to be complete and for Rose and Hestia to pack up their belongings.
The Loki's Familia visit earlier left the two Guild members, Rose and Eina, little time to stay with their Familia before their lunch break was over, and while Eina was not part of the Hestia Familia per-se, they considered her a part of it. A very thorough see-you-later kiss from Bell, the two left the apartment to return to their work.
"Those three…" Hestia shook her head in amusement as Bell had yet to come down from his high. The petite Goddess switched her attention to the buxom brunette that once was her brother's attendant, "Eden, I'd like to update your status, the same goes for you, Alicia."
"Yes; Lady Hestia," Alicia nodded, and started towards the stairs until she heard Hestia sputter in surprise, she turned to look as to see why only to sputter exactly like her goddess when she saw the buxom brunette slip off the remaining strap of her bodysuit, releasing her bountiful breasts with a carefree smile on her face.
"Will this do, Lady Hestia?" Eden smiled as she twirled her long hair into two and pulled it over her shoulders to hide her chest and present her naked back to the grumbling Hestia.
"Yes, of course you would do the same as Rose." Hestia huffed and glanced at Bell.
Eden followed Hestia's gaze, and airily laughed, "Fufu~ I have no reason to hide anything from him, Lady Hestia."
Hestia sighed, a quick cut to her fingertip later, she pressed the bloodied digit on the carefree brunette's back.
Eden Voluptas
Race: Human
Level: 3
Familia: Hestia Familia
Goddesses: Hekate, Hestia, ?.
Basic Abilities
Strength: G230 - G230
Endurance: I50 - I50
Agility: E425 - E425
Dexterity: F387 - F387
Magic: E450 - E450
Development Abilities
Depth: [Poseidon True Blessing] Grants the user the ability to live, move, and breathe, beneath water as if on land.
Abnormal Mind Resistance [Rank D]: Negates the effect of cognitive abnormalities.
Magic
Echo: Wind Elemental/Short-chant magic that vibrates the air of desired locations. [Chant: Thrum]
Skills
Mundi Divitae: [Bloodline Curse] Curse the user's bloodline with the ability to birth only one time, and a female spawn, in exchange for providing vast wealth.
"So, it is true, my brother did really give you his True Blessing along with his Falna." Hestia wondrously said aloud as she wrote down Eden's status update.
Bell snapped out of his kiss-induced stupor at the words 'True Blessing', and his eyes immediately went towards his goddess, only to immediately look away since Eden had turned around to reply to Hestia, and in turn, gave Bell another eyeful of her bountifulness
"That My Lord has, much to the disapproval of the current Captain of the Poseidon's Familia." Eden made a tired smile.
"True Blessing?" Alicia's curiosity won over her distress at Eden's actions, and she sat down on the sofa for an explanation.
"Eh, Hekate didn't tell you about that?" Hestia asked Alicia, who replied in the negative, and made the goddess grumble under her breath at Hekate's carefreeness. "How do I even explain this…"
"If you'd allow me, Lady Hestia." Eden helpfully supplied, and with a quick nod of approval from Hestia, continued. Bell's curiosity over the topic won him over too, and he looked back to the buxom brunette.
Eden lifted one palm, facing upwards, "A Falna is a God's grace, a very minuscule portion of their power granted to their followers, which allows those blessed the ability to exceed their fellow mortals' capabilities through accumulating deeds, or Excelia, and increasing the potency of their blessing. This is what most Adventurers possess, nowadays it's known as Falna but previously it was known as 'Blessing' or 'Grace'."
Eden then lifted the second palm, also facing upwards, and Bell had to look away as her long hair locks parted from covering her bosom's tips, almost giving him another eyeful.
"A God's 'True Blessing' is different in the sense that it is not a portion of the God's power that they grant to their followers, but a minuscule portion of their very soul. Unlike a Falna where the God has to constantly update their follower's Falna to apply the Excelia, a True Blessing will grow along with the blessed and does not physically manifest in the way a Falna does on our backs, instead a True Blessing is engraved directly into the follower's soul."
Eden gathered her breath while Alicia, and Bell, digested the proper explanation, then she added, "I possess both, and so does the rest of our Familia, and to give you an example of the difference between the manifestation of the blessings, you only need to look at both of my development abilities." Again, she used each hand to illustrate an ability.
"Abnormal Mind Resistance comes from the Falna, and its potency can only be increased through Excelia, or deeds related to it, which is why it has a Rank, whereas Depth, which came from My Lord Poseidon's True Blessing, started at full potency, and has no Rank, however it does not mean it's potency can't be increased even further, but the method to do so is completely unknown."
Eden fufu'ed, "Depth's potency could be increased by simply spending time under water, swimming for hours on end, or killing aquatic monsters, to this day I have yet to find which is the correct answer whereas I know, for a fact, I only need to inflict, or receive, mind status effects onto myself to increase my Abnormal Mind Resistance rank."
"All of us?" Alicia asked with a frown, "I do not recall receiving a True Blessing…?"
"Just how carefree can Hekate be, haaaah…" Hestia sighed out loud and turned to Alicia. "The Hestia Familia's emblem is Hekate's handiwork, everyone in the Familia has her True Blessing along with my Falna."
"Oh…" Alicia frowned further, "Does that mean that she gave all of us something along with her True Blessing then? Like, uh, Depth for Miss Eden?"
Hestia made a troubled face and turned to Eden again who was quick to get the message.
"We all have a portion of Lady Hekate's soul, but it will depend on how our souls interact with it and from such interactions is where we'll obtain something related to her domain, like I said, there's no telling what you can obtain, or how to obtain it, but it will manifest at some point if the conditions are met." Eden cleared Alicia's doubt, but she immediately caught Bell's troubled face and tilted her head towards him. "Is there something wrong, Bell?"
"… You've given me a lot to think about again, Miss Eden." Bell felt like another piece of the puzzle fit into place, and the only confirmation he needed would be granted by his goddess Hestia in a few minutes when she updated his Falna.
"Then there's a chance I may have a new skill or ability?" Alicia turned to Hestia with a slight shine to her eyes which made the goddess smile sheepishly.
"Probably?" Hestia replied with a slight unease that Alicia immediately blew away with her sudden excitement of obtaining something new.
Such excitement made Bell's face redden when Alicia, just like Eden, disregarded the idea of having Hestia update her Falna in private, and pulled her bodysuit-like dress down to her waist, her bust bounced free and Bell had a second to admire it before the golden-haired elf presented her scarred back to Hestia.
For the next second Bell worried if his goddess and Eden would react badly to Alicia's scar, but his fears were unfounded when neither so much as blinked at its sight. A second cut to Hestia's fingertip, and Alicia's back shone as their goddess set to work on updating her status.
Alicia Forestlight
Race: Elf
Level: 4
Familia: Hestia Familia
Goddesses: Hekate, Hestia, ?.
Basic Abilities
Strength: F389 - F389
Endurance: G210 - G210
Agility: E401 - E401
Dexterity: F387 - F387
Magic: E450 - E450
Development Abilities
Abnormal Resistance [Rank H]: Negates the effect of abnormalities.
Magic
Vetr: Short-Chant, Ice Elemental magic. [Chant: Freeze, binding chains of winter.]
Skills
?:?
"Is this what you mean, Miss Eden!?" Alicia was quick to take her update from Hestia's hands and show it to the buxom brunette beside her, all the while, the goddess smiled at the sudden enthusiasm enveloping her young child who she'd only seen downtrodden for the last few days.
"Yes, that's exactly what I mean." Eden replied with a giggle. "I'm sorry to say I don't possess enough knowledge to decipher anything from your new skill."
"Aww… Maybe Miss Riveria…" Alicia suddenly went quiet and looked down with a sad smile, "I can't tell her about this, right?"
"Mmmmmmm" Hestia crossed her legs and arms and closed her eyes as she thought over Alicia's question.
"I trust Riveria," Bell said from behind Hestia and all eyes turned towards him, though he couldn't exactly look back at them since both women who received their updates had forgotten to rearrange their clothes. "She cares a lot about Alicia, and I'm willing to trust in Riveria's care for her to keep her new skill a secret."
Bell knew his choice wasn't the most logical one, more so since such a secret could be used against them, but he knew better than anyone else how having nobody to talk about possessing an unknown skill could affect their state of mind, and he did not want Alicia to have to suffer the same kind of worries he did when he learned of his own unknown skills.
And yes, while she could freely speak with the Familia about her worries, they were an extremely new relationship when compared to the years she had spent beside Riveria.
Bell knew his words would lift Alicia's mood and make her happy, but he didn't expect for her to suddenly jump from the sofa and tackle him with a flying hug that smashed her breast right onto his face.
Thud
'If only the floor was as soft and tender as her…' Bell dizzily thought as he felt the contrasting sensations of Alicia's softness asphyxiating him, and the burning, painful, sensation at the back of his head where it connected with the floor. 'How come Insight hasn't triggered for any of them? Urghh…'
"Thank you, Bell!"
'But as long as she's happy…'
- 0 - AsBBaH Vol 2 - 0 -
Ten minutes, a mortified Alicia realizing she'd been hugging Bell's head to her bosom while half-naked, an amused Eden laughing at Bell's politeness, and an exasperated Hestia later, it was Bell's turn to take off his shirt and for Hestia to place her bloodied digit on his back under the watch of a red-faced elf, and a curious brunette.
Bell Cranel
Race: Human
Level: 2 [Level Up Available]
Familia: Hestia Familia
Goddesses: Hekate, Hestia, ?.
Basic Abilities
Strength: SSS1790
Endurance: SSS2000
Agility: SSS1720
Dexterity: SSS2000
Magic: ?
Luck: ? + 18
Development Abilities
Insight: Increases user DEX and Spatial Awareness massively.
C(?): ? ? ? magic ? ? once.
Nihil: Negation.
Magic
- None
Skills
Paragon of Crossroads: Boost user overall growth. Increases Luck. Every successful decision made by the user permanently increases user STATS.
DETERMINATION: User has access to Skills/Abilities naturally locked by a lack of Falna.
[Perseverance Effect: Under certain conditions the user's Mind will be drained to bolster the user's vigor, if no Mind is available, then the effect will drain the user's Stamina at a reduced rate until the user faints which will cripple their overall recovery for the following 24 hours.]
[Willpower Effect: User can impose his will on weaker willed living beings, rendering them more vulnerable to attacks and suggestions, or weaking their resolve and mentality.]
[Resolve Effect: Doubles Basic Abilities Max Limit. Under certain conditions the skill may detrimentally affect the user by locking DETERMINATION altogether or reduce Basic Abilities to critical levels.]
[De? Effect: ? ? ? Excelia ? ? User ? ?]
[?o?g? Effect: ? ? ? ? odds ? ? ]
[Unknown Effect]
Aegis: Halves damage received from non-blessed foes.
Okeanos: Wrath of the seas, Might of the storms, Curse of the drowned. (? - ? - ?).
Special Skills:
Ar****, The Broken King: [Active only when DETERMINATION (?o?g?) is active] Doubles the user STATS.
Soteira: ?
The first to see Bell's update wasn't Bell himself, because while Hestia had been transcribing his Status into a paper, Alicia and Eden had been looking over her shoulder.
"What… is… wha?"
"Oh my."
And he wasn't in the least surprised with their reactions, less so when his goddess handed him his update, and he read it himself. Again, he was terribly close to maxing out all his Basic Abilities, his luck had increased by 5 points since the last time he'd seen his Status, and most of his unknown Abilities and Skillset were partially undeciphered.
Yet, that partiality was what made them all the more confusing.
Okeanos likely came from Poseidon, his True Blessing, since it sounded awfully familiar to Oceans, but its description gave so little for Bell to work with that it might as well have remained encrypted.
As for the rest, they weren't much better at all.
But it was enough to confirm his earlier thoughts.
All his Abilities, Skills, and even the Special Skills, they all came from a True Blessing, the question was, whose? It couldn't be Hekate's, at least not in their entirety since the day she reappeared in his life she said that he already possessed his Growth Skill, Paragon, his Unique Skill, DETERMINATION, and his Development Ability, Insight.
So, again, whose True Blessing was it? And for how long had he possessed it?
If only Miss Kat was here to ask her about it…
"Bell, I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but you have accomplished enough worthy deeds for your level up." Hestia's words made Bell look up from his status paper and he met his goddess worried face as she asked, "Do you want to level up now?"
…
'Your skill will eventually become a double-edged weapon, and if you do not learn to control it, the fears you felt today will eventually become true. So, for all our sakes and your own, your resolve must be strong enough to match your willpower, alright?"
…
"Not yet, Goddess." Bell replied after he made up his mind. "Let's wait until we meet with your friend who can help us decipher my unknown skills before my level up."
"Okayyy~" Hestia sagged in relief and smiled at Bell. "Still, it's amazing how fast you're growing… At this rate, those dreams of yours will become a reality!"
Bell couldn't help smiling dumbly, "Yeah…yeah, you're right Goddess."
The past didn't matter, and he would craft the future where his dreams became a reality with his own two hands.
"Bell, may I have a closer look at that?" Eden softly asked, pointing at Bell's update.
"Sure," Bell replied and gave her the paper.
"… Bell, could I… speak with you… alone for a minute…?" Alicia's soft and vulnerable voice left Bell perplexed, and he agreed with a nod of his head. The golden-haired elf went to grab his hand, paused, frowned, bit her lips, then finally grabbed his hand, and pulled him upstairs which left Hestia and Eden shrugging at one another.
- 0 - AsBBaH Vol 2 - 0 -
As soon as they reached the second floor, Alicia stopped and turned around to look at Bell with a confused expression, she opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.
Bell waited for an entire minute while Alicia repeated the process, and each time, her eyes showed more and more confusion, until a slight tone of hurt appeared within her gaze that allowed Bell to understand what was going through her head, "You want to ask about my Skills, right?"
His words made Alicia freeze and he knew he hit the mark. From what he learned of Alicia in the time they spent together, their worries had a lot in common, so with that thought, there could only be one Skill, or rather an Effect, that made her feel so confused and hurt.
"You want to ask about Willpower." Bell guessed again
Alicia slowly nodded which made Bell smile sadly, and it was that sadness that made her feel even more confused. "Did you… use it…?" 'on me'
"I don't know, I… I really want to give you a proper answer, but I genuinely don't know." Bell sighed and he didn't blame Alicia for frowning and looking even more confused, and hurt. "There's so little I understand about my Skills, and I… I am just as worried as you are about what Willpower can do… Or has done."
"What do you mean?" Alicia felt torn between feeling sorry for Bell and scared that it was his skill forcing her to feel that way, and his answer did nothing to soothe her worries.
'Maybe if it's her, she'll understand?' Bell thought and chose to speak of his fears, "Has Rose ever told you how she and I got together?"
"Yes, what does… oh."
Bell smiled, relieved that Alicia understood where he was going with his explanation. "I didn't have my Falna then, and Rose was very forward with her affection, and then I obtained my Falna, but everything was encrypted except for my Paragon and Insight, and DETERMINATION only showed the first effect…" Bell sighed before continuing. "Then I responded back to Rose's affection, then Eina joined us… and we, umm." Bell blushed and scratched his cheek, "Made it official."
Alicia blinked twice and her long ears instantly turned red as she understood the implications.
"I was so happy, so excited, felt so loved…" Bell swallowed hard, "Then the very next day, Willpower effect revealed itself." Bell had to pause again to push through the numbing memories of that moment. "Did Rose really like me? Did Eina really want to be with me? Had my goddesses chosen me for being me, or… was it all my skill?"
Alicia didn't need to be in his shoes to feel the turbulent emotions that such a revelation could cause, and skill or not, she reached for his hand to hold and give him her support, just as he had done for her since their lives intertwined.
"Miss Kat says Willpower makes everyone be completely honest with their feelings towards me, be it hateful or loving, at its current level, but eventually… if I don't learn how to control it…" Bell shook his head and looked down at his feet, "So, no, I really don't know when is it in use, and every single interaction I have with others, I try to be as careful as possible so it doesn't affect them, but I… I…"
It was an unbearable feeling for Alicia to see the person who became her savior, and her main pillar of support, to look so devastated and conflicted for something out of his control, but it was this humanly sight that let her see past her doubts.
Bell saved her when there was nothing to gain for him, when he had nothing to do with her, yet he still risked his life for hers, and almost died for her.
Bell held and comforted her when she revealed her inability to him and soothed her worries of him casting aside for her loss when she chose to follow her elven traditions of intertwining their lives.
Bell even offered to continue her traditions when there was no point to it, all because he wanted to make her happy.
He made her feel wanted.
He made her feel cared for.
He made her feel… loved.
And he was doing so many other things for her, and offered to do so much more…
'Ah… It's not his skill that made me feel like this, it is him and his actions, and all his skill has done is made it easier for me to accept these emotions within me…"
That realization was what cleared the confusion that brewed in Alicia's heart after seeing his illogical Falna, and she decided then, that it didn't matter if his Skill affected her actions or not, because Bell had already proven that his feelings, and actions for her, and all of his loved ones, came from his heart and love for them.
"Bell," Alicia glid forward until her chest lightly pressed against his, her actions made him meet her gaze, and she gently placed her fingers over his cheek to keep his crimson eyes on her.
Bell started, "I'm sorry Alicia, I'll understand if you hate me for-"
"Bell, no." Alicia sighed and started to caress Bell's cheek, "I don't hate you."
He frowned, "But my skill-"
"Isn't the reason why I don't." Alicia huffed, then continued with a gentler tone. "Tell me, Bell, does your Skill drive you to do everything you've done for me, for us? All your care, all your affection, all your…" Alicia's cheeks and long ears flushed slightly, "love… Does your Skill control your actions?"
"No!" Bell hotly whispered. His hands found their way onto Alicia's hips and brought her even closer, "My Skill has nothing to do with my feelings for you all!"
"Then neither of us should worry about your Skill's effect anymore." Alicia tenderly smiled before her lips turned playful. "Well… Maybe a little bit…"
"Eh?" Bell blinked, and his face paled, "Why?"
Alicia giggled, "Because it's made it easier for me to do this."
And kissed him.
THAAATTTSSS MY BOOOOOYYYY!
"That," Alicia breathlessly whispered, "I will blame on your Skill."
Bell dumbly nodded after his brain finally caught up with Alicia's actions.
"But this," Alicia looped her arms around Bell's neck, "Your lovable affection is entirely responsible for." And kissed him again, though this time Bell was prepared, and he promptly replied in kind.
Alicia's lips softness definitely chased away any fears Bell had of her hating him, the tenderness with which she nibbled on his lips and drew him closer with her arms begged for him to hold her tighter, which was exactly what he did by looping his own arms around her back.
As if approving of his actions, his Blessing burned on his back, but Bell didn't care for it, all he cared at the moment was enjoying Alicia's bashful kiss, a kiss that lasted far too short for how fast it made his heart beat.
"Mm," Alicia's gaze fluttered, "I understand how your Skill works, Bell, and it's exactly like Lady Hekate said."
"You… do?" Bell softly asked.
"Yes," Alicia giggled again. "It would've taken me a very long time to accept these feelings I developed for you, and even longer for me to do something like this, but your Skill gives me the… hehe, determination, to follow my heart's desires."
When she put it that way, it was a lot easier for Bell to believe, it even made him chuckle, "Heh, maybe that's also why you reacted so badly the first time we met?"
"Huh," Alicia blinked several times, "You… Might be right, even on the worse of days where someone insulted Lady Riveria, I had never brandished my sword…"
"Just my kind of luck."
- 0 - AsBBaH Vol 2 - 0 -
Bell and Alicia stayed upstairs for a few minutes longer before rejoining their Familia downstairs, and it became very obvious for both, Hestia, and Eden, that whatever Bell and Alicia had talked about, gave peace of mind to the golden-haired elf.
And probably something else judging by how happily she was humming to herself in the kitchen.
"Bell, did you have anything planned for this evening?" Hestia asked her Child once he sat down in the living room.
"Not really, Goddess. I've already visited Welf for my weapons, and I thought of just walking around Babel shops until I found something that caught my attention, why?" Bell enquired.
"We exchanged all the remaining loot you collected over the last few weeks with Hephaestus, and, well… I was wondering if you would be alright with me using some of the funds to help Miach…" Hestia rubbed her elbow, "I'll understand if you don't want to!"
"Oh," Bell oh'ed and remembered Rose saying something about Lord Miach getting in trouble and Hestia wanting to help him out, and for all the benevolence Lord Miach favored him with when Bell first started his dungeon runs, his Goddess petition was a no brainer. "Take as much as you need from those funds, Goddess."
Hestia's eyes watered and she threw herself at Bell, "Thank youuuu, Bell! You're the best!"
"Ahaha," Bell laughed awkwardly as his goddess hugged his midsection, rubbing her runny nose against his shirt. "Was there something else you needed, Goddess?"
"Sniff, hai," Hestia cleaned her face, "Eden was going to buy the supplies for our new home, so I'd like you to accompany her, and pass by Miach's shop to see how's he's doing and tell him we have his back!"
"If Miss Eden has no problems with me?" Bell asked while looking at the brunette in question.
"I would appreciate the help and company, if it's no trouble." Eden swiftly replied.
"Should we leave now?" Bell asked again, then frowned at his own clothes.
"Yes, please, some of the stores close soon, I believe." Eden stood up and dusted her bodysuit like dress's skirt.
"Hai, give me a minute to get ready, then…" Bell made his way upstairs to change into fresher clothes, but instantly found himself faced with a new dilemma.
All his clothes were dirty.
And not just 'used' kind of dirty, but bloodied, torn, unwashed, stinky, kind of dirty. In his worry over the events around him, and caring for his Familia, he had completely forgotten that neither him nor Rose had time to wash his clothes.
Just as he resigned himself to wearing the same piece of clothe as in the morning, a knock on the open bedroom's door made him look over.
The buxom brunette stood outside the room with her arms folded beneath her voluptuous bosom, and in them, he saw a dark cloth bundle. "Bell? I couldn't help but notice when I did our Familia's stock that you only own three pairs of clothes, four if I counted your pajamas…"
Bell awkwardly scratched his cheek, "Ahaha, hai, I, uh, didn't put much thought into clothes since one set was for the dungeon and another for staying at home, and with the third one it… was enough with Rose's help…" Bell frowned at himself. "I've taken her love for granted, haa…"
Eden tittered and stepped into the room with a minor bow of the head, "Well, there is one more set of clothes you own, it may not be in the best of shapes, but I believe I did a fine work restoring it myself, here."
Bell curiously accepted the bundle from Eden's hands, and he instantly recognized it as the clothes he used in the arena, even with the numerous slightly darked patches on the places where he knew the Pumpkin-Headed monster pierced its protection.
"I've made this, too, to cover your waist and legs area since that equipment would leave your item pouches too exposed if you were to wear them together." Eden unfurled the other bundle in her hands, revealing it was a short waist cape that flared towards the right side, dark blue in color.
"This… Thank you, Miss Eden." Bell gratefully accepted the piece, "How?"
"It's one of the many skills I've picked up," Eden tittered and pointed at her bosom - her clothes, Bell corrected himself. "There's very little water-resistant equipment, and as Lord Poseidon's attendant, I had to create good-looking equipment for myself, I have my own pride as woman, after all."
Bell filed that tidbit of information into his brain, "Hai, thank you again, Miss Eden."
"Eden is fine, Bell." Eden patted his hair as if he was a young child, "I will wait by the door for you."
As soon as the mysterious relative of Rose stepped outside of the bedroom, Bell quickly changed from his dirty clothes into his clean, Silverback-fur, equipment; the black, form-fitting, long-sleeved shirt, and black, form-fitting, tights felt great on his person again, and when Bell was fixing the waist cape Eden had made for him, he vowed to make something for her in return.
One quick look at the mirror to check his appearance, and Bell was satisfied with what he found. He secured one of his pouches below the waist cape's right side, making sure the longer side covered it in its entirety, and strapped his dagger above the cloth on his left side where he could quickly pull out, before he stepped out of the room.
And walked right into the awaiting's Eden bosom.
'Yep, definitely related to Rose' Bell stumbled back after his brain recorded the voluptuous woman's softness, "Sorry, I didn't-"
"Mfu~ It's fine," Eden giggled into the back of her gloved hand, "My curiosity is to blame for this, shall we leave?"
"Hai."
As they stepped down the stairs, Bell noticed that the material Eden used to sew patches into his equipment was similar in color to her own bodysuit, and he wondered if she had used a spare of her own equipment for him.
The thought only made his desire to do something for her in return, stronger.
Once downstairs, Hestia handed him a letter for him to deliver to Lord Miach, and as Eden confirmed with Hestia if there was anything else she desired to get for their new house, Bell approached Alicia in the kitchen who was preparing something.
For a moment, he almost went and touched her back to get her attention, but he vividly recalled her petition to warn her before touching her, so he stepped back a few feet and coughed into his fist, "Alicia?"
"Oh?" The golden-haired elf turned at his voice, a very, very, very bright smile on her lips, "Bell?" Alicia blinked several times and looked him up and down, her long ears reddened slightly, "You, um, look, um good."
"T-thank you," Bell coughed again. "I'll be heading out to help Miss Eden with our supplies."
"Oh, could you get me some blackberries from the fruit market if you two pass by there? There's a recipe I want to make for… um… you…." Alicia's cheeks reddened.
Bell's own cheeks warmed up at the affectionate switch in Alicia's behavior, "H-hai, anything else?"
Alicia denied with her head, "No." And approached him, no sooner was she in his personal space that her caressed his cheeks and pulled, "Just this…"
A peck of the lips, a shy smile with an atomic blush, and she was back, far away from him, fiddling her fingers together before Bell could react, "Come back soon?"
'Very lucky indeed.' Bell thought, his own face feeling like he ate something extremely spicy, "H-hai!"
- Part 31 End -
Author's Note: Heya~ Sorry for the wait, Part 31 is FINALLY here, LET'S GOOOOO. Okay, so, Part 32 has the lemon, which I'm currently tidying up, so the next update should be in a day at most if I don't expand it... Ehehe...