Chapter 3: Dungeon Paradise

"Human speaking"

"Human thinking"

"Monster and Fels talking"

"Monster and Fels thinking"

Bell after hearing a familiar voice ran through the floor entrance, but as soon as he arrived, there is not only one person who's lying on the ground but six in total, He knew the four of them which is Hestia and the 3 adventurers who gave them a passparade in the middle floors earlier, but he didn't knew who the last two is.

Normal POV

"Kami-sama! What are you doing here!?" Bell said in panick.

he was very afraid that something might've happened to her but luckily, that's not the case.

"Bell-kun!? Is that really you? Are you really fine!? BELL-KUN!!" Hestia, out of joy from seeing the sole member of her familia safe jumped to him and enveloped him in a very tight hug.

"BLLLRRRFF...!!! MMMMM!!!"

(KAMI-SAMA I CAN'T BREATH!!!)

The white haired adventurer tried to escape his deity's bear-hug but failed due to his lungs running out of oxygen. He was about to pass out when his luck suddenly kicked in when someone pulled Hestia off of him.

"What are you doing? are you trying to kill him by suffocating him? Seriously I thought you were better than this goddess Hestia" the women said in a very pissed off tone.

"Hey! How rude! I'm just happy to see MY Bell-kun safe and all! That's why I'm hugging hi-ouch!" Hestia tried to defend herself but before she could finish her sentence, the tip of the high elf princess' staff have landed on her forehead.

"But you don't need to do it very tightly! can't you do it in a normal way? You almost made him pass out because of your so called 'hugging'!" Riveria exclaimed.

"It's okay Riveria-san so please stop scolding Kami-sama" Bell apologized on his deity's behalf.

"Okay, I'll forgive her but first let's change our location because we can't let other adventurers know that a god has gone inside dungeon. It would cause a big commotion if that happens" Riveria then batted an eye to another god who's currently hiding behind his child before guiding Hestia and the rescue party towards Bell and his party's tent then guide the other two inside Finn's tent.

"Bell-kun, as you can see, these are the guys who made a pass parade on your party and they are also the ones who informed me of what happened, I already told them that I'm not gonna blame them if you died there but I'm also not gonna forgive them. They came here to help me find you along with Hermes and his child Asfi-kun" The goddess of hearth then explained what happened on their way towards the 18th floor and how they knew they went here instead of climbing back up.

Mikoto then approached Bell and his party and kneeled down to asked for their forgiveness from what they did earlier in the middle floors.

"You think that's enough for us? We almost die out there and if not for the help of Aki-sama and her familia, we would die after the damage that the goliath inflicted to us" The pallum supporter said with a very dark expression.

Ouka then decided to speak since apologizing doesn't seem to work on the other two.

"If you want to blame someone then blame me, those are my orders and I still think it was the right decision" Ouka, the captain of the Takemikazuchi familia said with a stern look on his face which angered the red haired smith.

"You've got some nerve saying those things in front of us big guy!" Welf then was about to dash in but Bell suddenly grabbed his right shoulder and signaled him to stop.

"It's okay, If I were in his position too, I might've done the same thing he did, so I can't really get angry at him since he did what he thought was the best for his familia" He then gave the big guy an understanding look which surprised him.

"Okay! I got it. I'm gonna move on from it but don't think I'm just gonna forget it" The smith glared at the war god's child.

"That's how it should be. Now we can all relax and take a break before we go back to the surface with the Loki familia" Ouka then went outside to set up another tent for his familia members to rest in.

"Oh before I forgot! I have something to give you Welf-kun!" Hestia handed over a very large cloth to the smith while whispering something to him.

"Thank you so much Hestia-sama and... It feels so familiar... Don't tell me..!"

Inside Finn's tent

"I know rescue teams are kinda common but this is the first time I saw a god in one, would you mind explaining me why you and Hestia-sama entered the dungeon? Because if my memory serves me right, Gods are forbidden to enter the dungeon because if their mortal body dies here, they won't go back to heaven, instead the dungeon will devour them along with their arcanum which could be very dangerous for us all" The blonde pallum eyed the handsome god carefully, observing every bit of his movement including his breathing.

"It's nothing big trust me, I'm just a little bit interested on him that's all" The messenger god said with a smile on his face.

"Please not him, he's just an innocent child. Stop it or it might break him if you started to toy with him" the mother elf said to Hermes, trying her best to stop whatever plans he has for the white haired boy.

"Please don't give me that look Riveria-chan, I know it's gonna be painful but this is just a gut-check for him, to see if he's up to it"

The conversation suddenly shifted in to this topic that piqued the braver's interest. He already knew what Hermes is talking about but he's still gonna ask anyway just to confirm if his suspicions were true.

"Up to bringing back the Age of Heroes huh?" The pallum said while sucking his tingling thumb.

""What?"" Riveria and Gareth said in unison.

"You've got that right, as expected of the great tactician. You really do live up to my expectations but enough of that! Let's talk about our return to the surface first..." His aura then shifted from a very serious one to a very unreadable one. His negotiation mode is on.

"We just simply wish for the Loki familia to let us stay here for another day along with Bell-kun's party, I think it would be the right decision for you since his party also includes a member of Hephaestus familia. It would greatly damage your relationship with them if you abandoned a party that includes one of their members right? And I also wish that when going back to the surface, I want your familia to go ahead of us to defeat the goliath and clear the middle floors for our party to be safe, is that okay with you?" He then extended a hand towards Finn.

"This god is totally unbelievable, he's saying all of his objectives with a lite sincerity while also pointing out what's the consequences of not granting him what he wants, he is truly a god of negotiation!" The braver said in his thoughts.

"You already know that there is no need for you to ask us since that's our objective since the beginning, Gareth, Tiona, Tione and Raul, Aki and Narvi along with our other level 2-3 members will advance first to clear the way for us and we the second team along with you and Bell Cranel's party will advance after one day of their departure" Finn replied while still trying to watch him very carefully.

"Oh I almost forgot, I have 2 news for you guys! one is bad news and the other one is either good or bad depending on you guys" Hermes said while preparing to leave the tent along with Asfi.

"Tell us the bad one first since we don't know what the second one is" the dwarf said while massaging his chin.

"Okay, there is another dungeon entrance aside from the one at the babel, I know that you are probably investigating about it but haven't found a clue yet but I'll give you 1 important information that you'll need! The second entrance is hidden in the daedalus street" and as soon as he finished saying the bad news, he suddenly put a very serious expression on his face. An expression that could be rarely seen even by his fellow gods and goddesses.

"And the second one...I don't really want to say this but since you are very close to him right now, I might as well tell you and I would really appreciate it if you don't tell any other adventurer or god... But Bell-kun is not just a normal kid and it's not just because of his abnormal growth or his ability to adapt to any situation. It is about who he really is, who raised him and who his parents and relatives are"

"Hermes-sama, should I go out first? it looks like it's a very sensitive topic so I think I shouldn't listen to it" the alchemist whispered to her god.

"There is no need to Asfi, you should listen as well... Okay! First, Bell-kun have no idea who his parents is and what's the name of his grandfather that he always talks about"

"Wait, he said that the person who raised him was his own grandfather right? how come he didn't know who he is or what his name is?" The high elf inquired.

"I'm already getting to that Riveria-chan so relax. Anyway the reason why Bell-kun's grandfather didn't mention his name to anyone in their village including his grandson was because he is hiding his true Identity. Because he is not a mortal like you guys, he is a god and his name is Zeus" The name that Hermes mentioned sent the 3 top members shivers as they remembered what happened during the dark era of Orario.

"And about his parents, I know who exactly they are but I'm not gonna tell you who they are, you need to guess but don't worry since I'm gonna give you a clue. Alfia is Bell-kun's aunt" This shocked all of them including Asfi herself.

Asfi knows about Zeus because she's always with Hermes whenever he visits his old friend but this information is newto her.

"I see..." was all Riveria could say as she remembers the last moments she had with her fellow magic user before she jumps off to the dragon's flames.

"That's all. See you and please don't tell anybody about him even if it kills you. I know he has the right to know but he is not ready yet. I'm planning on telling this to him after he gains much more life experience and overcame many difficult situations, maybe when he turns to level 5 but for now please don't say anything about it or he might stop venturing here, the idea of his grandpa being alive will also give him a massive emotional conflict so please, I beg you don't tell him a single word." The god of traveling lowered his head and bowed down to the 3 adventurers.

"Don't worry, we won't tell him a single word about his origins so rest assured" Finn then grabbed both of his shoulders and looked at his eyes to show him that they are not lying.

"Thank you everyone... Then! Good night! See you tommorow!" He then dashed off along with his familia's captain Asfi.

"Okay... I didn't expect that revelation from him but atleast we knew why he feels so special. But enough of that, let's take a rest as well since tomorrow will be another long day for us especially for you Riveria. You've been healing all the other poisoned members non-stop since we got here, we can't have you fainting on us so go to your tent OR!" a huge grin appeared on his face as he looked at the high elf's direction "Would you like to sleep beside your beloved Bell Cranel?" He said while trying to surpress his laughter but soon, he also joined the already laughing dwarf which Riveria tried to ignore.

"What do you mean? Is it because I said earlier that I like him too? Then I'll make myself clear. I don't like him that way, I like him as a kid and I don't mind having a son like him in the future, that's what I mean" She replied finishing off the topic.

"Well I won't push it for now so let's just take a rest for the night" the familia captain said.

The three of them proceeded to go back to their respective tents aside from Finn.

"The day after tomorrow will be the day that Gareth and his team will leave" SIGH " Tomorrow will be a very long day especially for Bell Cranel and his party"

Night - The forest near the camp.

Bell's POV

I couldn't sleep, so I went outside to take a walk and get some fresh air but before I knew it, I was already gazing at the night sky that was produced by the crystals above.

"Woah it looks so beautiful! It really looks like a night sky!" I said in amazement.

The starry night sky in the dungeon occupied too much of my attention, so much that without my knowing, someone was already standing beside me.

"It really looks nice doesn't it?" The women beside me said while also looking above.

When I noticed who the person was, I started to panic a bit because the one who's standing beside me right now is the person who holds my heart, my goal and my everything. The 'Sword Princess' Aiz Wallenstein.

"Hya!! Aiz-san! w-w-what are you doing here!?" I said as I felt the temperature of my face rising again.

"Oh no! I'm blushing again!! THIS IS SO EMBARASSING!! I'm 100% sure that my face right now is redder than my eyes!" I thought in panic.

"What are you doing here late at night? You should be sleeping by now since you are still recovering" The sword princess said to me with a worried look on her face.

"N-No... I just can't sleep, I don't know why though... So I took a walk to get some fresh air and then before I knew it, I was already looking at the sky here" I replied to her while trying my best to avoid stumbling on my words.

After that, she then suggested that we could go to the village here with everyone in their familia who knows me, but then Kami-sama suddenly appeared out of nowhere and started to push Aiz-san away from me.

"YOU HEAR ME WALLENWHATISIT!! I'M NOT GOING TO LEAVE YOU AND MY BELL- KUN ALONE! NEVER!" She screamed on top of her lungs before proceeding to hug me while glaring at her.

A 4th person then appeared from the woods and went to our direction, I can't identify the person at first since it's kinda dark in that direction and her/his black clothes doesn't also help on revealing who she/he is.

"It's late already so please stop screaming or the others might also wake up, we also have the injured ones resting at the tent near here so please keep it down" The person said while walking towards my direction.

"What's happening here anyway? mind telling me Bell?" the person was then revealed as Aki-san.

Since a cat person's ears is 5 times more sensitive than a normal human being, she could here what Kami-sama said even before getting here.

"Well... " I then started to tell her our plans for tomorrow, which she also agreed to go but what comes next is something I didn't expect especially right now.

"Say Bell, how about we ditch everyone tomorrow and go out on our own, let's have a date? you hear me? D-A-T-E nya? ufufu.. 3" she whispered to me slightly louder for Kami-sama and Aiz-san to hear.

"MUKYAAAA!!! I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE BUT DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO SNEAK OUT WITH MY BELL-KUN OR YOU AND YOUR WASHBOARD GODDESS WILL SEE WHAT HELL LOOKS LIKE!!" My goddess said while pointing out a finger on Aki-san's face.

"Hoohh?? Who are you trying to guard Bell-kun and hog him all by yourself? and even if you do love him, you can't be together since a God and Human relationship is forbidden, so don't act like he's all yours just because you are his deity!" She said.

I noticed then that Aki-san was not really angry at her, I think she's also just teasing her since she know how very protective she is when it comes to me.

"Shuddaap!!! I know that it's a forbidden love but I don't care! Love know no bounds afterall! and stop lecturing me like some kind of a kid! I'm a god you know!" Kami-sama shouted while still pointing out a finger on Aki-san.

"Why should I? first you look like a child, second you act like one so why should I treat you differently?" A giggle then escaped her mouth and soon, she bursted out, fueling Kami-sama's anger even more.

"STOP MESSING WITH ME!! AND STOP TEASING MY BELL-KUN!! THAT'S IT! we're done here so let's go back to OUR tent Bell-kun! HMPH!" She said while dragging me out of the scene leaving Aiz-san and Aki-san behind.

Aki's POV

After Bell and his goddess went back to the camp, Aiz and I decided to stay here for a bit. We stood there for a few minutes in silence before she tried to break it.

"Hey Aki, is it true that you like Bell?" was what she asked.

It looks like she didn't realize that I was just teasing the two earlier, so I decided to explain her everything which she then tried to understand.

"So you are saying that what you said in the dinner earlier and you going on a date with Bell is just a joke" She asked while tilting her head.

"Yes... By the way, there's something I want to tell you for a very long time now" I then changed our topic to something I really wanted to talk with her.

"Do you still remember the time where Raul and me joined the familia and our first dungeon exploration with you? Raul was so scared of you that he started to call you "Aiz-san" even though he's older than you? Well for me it was a little bit different... you see..."

I started to explain her how I wanted to become her friend for years now but for some reason, it's like she's putting a wall that separates us both, a wall that I failed to break through but Lefiya and the others managed to, which made me jealous of them.

"I see, I'm sorry if you felt like that for a very long time, back then all I thought was killing all the monsters I could see and get stronger so I didn't really pay any attention to what's going on around me unlike today, that's why I'm sorry" She then looked at my direction with a tearful eye.

I couldn't hold back anymore so I ran to her and embraced her tightly, and she also returned my hug by throwing her arms around me.

"Friends forever? Aiz?"

"Mm... Friends forever" We smiled to each other before going back to the camp and take a rest for the night.

Morning at Loki Familia's camp

Lefiya's POV (WHAT!?)

"uwaaah... It's already morning? might as well help out Riveria-sama on treating our poisoned members" I said while rubbing my eyes to try and clear my vision.

After fixing my clothes and putting away my sleeping bag, I went outside and walked towards the direction of our injured member's tent but before I could reach my destination, I saw Aiz-san walking towards me.

"Good morning Lefiya, you're earlier than usual" She greeted me as she walks beside me.

"Good morning, I just woke up and was about to sleep again since it's still too early but then I decided to go and help Riveria-sama since it would be impossible for one person to treat our injured members" I replied to her.

"You see, we were planning on going to rivira later at noon to show Bell and his allies what it looks like to have a village inside the dungeon"

"that white haired human again, just what is so great about him anyway? He's just a cunning manipulative man who manipulates Aiz-san and forces her to train him! but Tiona-san and Tione-san said that he's a good person. I don't really think that he could fool the two of them especially Tione-san, but maybe he is a good actor! that's it! he's just a faker"

As I was lost in my thoughts, I didn't realize that we are already in front of the tent.

"Lefiya we are here, also what's your answer? are you coming with us?" She asked me while tilting her head.

"Maybe after finishing my tasks here" I answered her before going inside.

"I really can't tell if he's just faking it or not... even after what happened last night"

Flashback

It was already night and I'm currently carrying the leftover foods from the dinner, when the idea of that white head adventurer fighting the minotaur suddenly popped up into my mind.

"He defeated a minotaur at level 1!? I can't even beat 1 even at level 2 and even now that I'm already at level 3, I still don't like dealing with one of those but he defeated 1 at level 1? an irregular type as well!? WAIT... If he could do that then... Bell Cranel must be a tactician at the captain's level!"

inside Lefiya's mind:

Bell: You've fallen for my traps! nothing is impossible with my plans! (Lelouch pose)

.

As I was lost in my thoughts, I suddenly tripped and spilled out all the left over foods to the person who's in front of me.

"Um.. I'm sorry! I wasn't looking so I didn't notice that someone was in front of m-" When I looked at who's in front of me, I realized it was the person who's previously occupying my mind.

"I'm sorry!" He apologized to me nervously.

After that, Narvi-san called out to me and asked me what happened to the food I was carrying but then, before Narvi-san could scold me, the white haired boy suddenly kneeled in front of her and apologized in my stead.

"I'm sorry Narvi-san! it's all my fault since I wasn't paying attention!" He said while bowing his head.

"Oh is that so? don't sweat it, you're still recovering so I understand you, and also someone will deliver you the water that you needed in your tent later. See ya and be careful next time!" She then waved at us before we lost sight of her.

"Hey you...Come with me" I ordered him so I could wash his clothes on the river beside the camp.

We then left the area and arrived at the river side near the camp and it looks like there are no monsters lurking around this time so it looks safe.

"Take it off will you?" I demanded him while extending one arm.

"Take off what?" He asked me with a stupid look on his face.

"Hand me your shirt so I could wash away the stains on it! hurry!" I said to him loudly.

"Y-yes! here you go" He then extended his arms towards me, handing over his black shirt.

I washed his shirt while thinking of what Tione-san said earlier about how good natured he is and now, I can somewhat see what they mean when he took the blame earlier at the camp.

"Say...Why did you take the blame? It's clearly my fault" I then looked at his direction and I saw his face making an 'I don't know what you are talking about' expression which pissed me off.

"Say it already!" I ordered him.

"Because you look troubled?" He said with a completely clueless face.

I realized then when I looked at him that he is not the type of person I thought he is, he's just a good natured person who would help anybody no matter how small or big their problem is.

"Here, It's still wet so let it dry for a minute and also... Thank you..." I said the last part so weakly because I was so embarassed of how much I misjudged him earlier.

"Yes? I didn't hear what you said I'm sorry so would you please s-" I decided to interrupt him since I don't want to say it again.

"Shaddup! It's also your fault earlier that I tripped earlier!"

"What!?"

"Yeah! that's right because I was thinking about you-" I then realized that I'm about to say something that could result into a big misunderstanding so I covered my mouth with both of my hands to stop my self.

Aiz-san then appeared while holding one of her shirts.

"Bell! I heard that you got your clothes stained so I brought one of mine, if you want you could wear them" She said while trying to hand him one of her dress.

It really pissed me off so I started chanting in silent and as soon as I finished, I grabbed my staff and layed down his shirt on the ground before casting my magic to dry it off.

"ARCS RAY!!!"

SIZZLING SOUND

"Look! It looks like you can wear them already! come on! try it!"

End of Flashback

"Maybe I should start to befriend him... If that's the case, I should hurry up and finish all of my tasks here so I can go and get to know him more!"

I rushed through the tent and replaced all of the waters and clothes used to clean them up and I also asked them if they need some warmth.

"Hang on guys! I'll warm you up! Fusillade Fallari-"

BAM!

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! TRYING TO KILL THEM ALL?! GET AWAY FROM THEM RIGHT NOW OR I'LL BURN YOU!" Riveria-sama said furiously as I ran out of the tent.

"I'M SOOOORRY!!!!!!"

A/N : That's it for now! thanks guys for reading this shit and I hope that you love it as much as you love the previous chapter!

As you can see I mentioned a character named "Alfia" up there. I got her from the Danmachi Memoria Freese game I've been playing for a while now and she's a cannon character(Omori said himself) and she's the sister of Bell's mother and a Level 7 adventurer, both her and Bell's mother belongs to the Hera Familia and his father belongs to the Zeus Familia which I will dig in later as the story progress but for now, I'll leave you guys in the dark.

That's all and I hope you guys like it! this came a little earlier than what I expected but since it's already finished, I might as well publish it already and here it is!

See you next time guys! Stay safe!