It was the morning two days after monsterphilia and Bell was still unconscious. When Hestia had woken up, she found that the very girl they had the purse of had been looking after her. The girl, Syr, had apologized for the trouble she got them into even though Hestia didn't think it was her fault. After her shift was over, the girl insisted on coming with her to check on Bell. The doctor had told them that while the injuries were healed, some scars would remain and that he was low on blood so exercise was out of the question for a few days. Syr had helped her bring Bell to their familia home and brought a meal from Mia the next day.

Bell had woken up for a few moments here and there but he was unresponsive and shaking and fell asleep again. Even now, he was covered in sweat and crying in his sleep. Hestia was about to go fetch some fresh clothing to change him into when he started stirring. She watched his ruby eyes open up and immediately lock onto her unlike the unresponsiveness they had shown before.

"Bell-kun, how are you feeling?" She asked as she grabbed his hand.

Bell shot up from the bed, startling her. "Kami-sama we need to go right now!" He tried to stand up but Hestia immediately pushed him back to lie down.

"It's okay now, we don't have to go anywhere," she tried to soothe him.

"But the monsters are coming!" No, he wasn't looking at her. He was looking past her at something only he could see. Something that wasn't real.

"The monsters are gone. Look where we are right now."

Bell frantically looked around but slowed down as he started registering his surroundings. "This is… our home? But how? I was being held by a minotaur as a hellhound burned us alive…"

Hestia laid him back down and slowly brushed his hair. "No Bell-kun, that was a dream. A nightmare. You succeeded in protecting me long enough until help arrived." She explained briefly what had transpired since he fell unconscious.

"I see. So all of those deaths were not real. Thank god." She could visibly see a huge weight being lifted off of his shoulders as his eyes teared up one more. His nightmares must've been especially awful.

"Kami-sama, can I?"

"Of course." She slowly helped him up and moved his face to her chest as he cried. She hugged his trembling body and gently rubbed his back for a while.

Freya was troubled. She had released a few monsters to cause a ruckus while one monster that should have been a challenge but nothing impossible would fight Bell. That part went according to plan. The boy even beat the silverback much more comprehensively than she expected. Everything else she did not expect. Firstly, his soul was way too unpredictable. During the chase, his white flame had abruptly weakened while the black one flared up, threatening to entirely mask the brighter counterpart. She wasn't sure what caused it, but okay one is taking over the other. Makes sense. Or not. The white flame started growing again and flashed brighter than any soul she had ever seen when he emerged victorious from the battle against the ape-like monster, but the dark part of his soul did not diminish whatsoever. It was anomalous. And then there were the other monsters.

Thinking about it was giving her a headache. She had not released those monsters nor had she seen them in the cages used for monsterphilia. Using her vantage point, she had tried to locate where they were popping out from but to no avail as if they appeared out of thin air. It wouldn't have mattered anyways as Ottar wasn't there to step in to help that day due to an errand she had given him after determining too early that everything would be under control. The monsters had acted similarly to how they would under her charm, and since she wasn't the culprit, someone else must have smuggled the monsters in from somewhere. And targeted the rabbit. That wouldn't do.

"Ottar," She called out to the person standing behind him.

"How may I help you?" He replied in the same tone as always.

"How goes your other assignment?" She asked.

"I'm afraid I haven't been able to find a suitable candidate yet," he replied with a hint of disappointment in his tone. That was perfect actually.

"You can put that on hold for now. Please look into monsters hidden in the city and any cases of them being smuggled out of the dungeon."

The boaz looked on silently for a moment before replying, "As you wish Freya-sama."

He wasn't her odr, but his soul was something she would never get to see again. It started as curiosity, but she was becoming somewhat of a fan now. A story she was invested in. Not to mention that interacting with him at the pub was fun. Killing him wouldn't do. She would take precautions next time (bring Ottar in case something went wrong), and others that hunted him like whoever sent those monsters would pay the price.

"Now then, how do I make it up to him?" She thought out loud while getting up and walking over to a bookshelf. She felt a strange guilt eating at her, stronger than it had any right to be. Scanning the books, her eyes came across a grimoire. Being the goddess of the top familia had many perks, including the wealth to buy grimoires. This would allow him to get stronger as well, allowing her to kill two birds with one stone. Perfect. Now she just had to find a way to give it to him.

Bell felt much better now after letting out some tears. At least emotionally. He was dehydrated from how many tears he shed as well as anemic since he was recovering from blood loss, so he was ordered to rest as Hestia went to grab him a meal and water.

"Here you go, Bell-kun. That Syr girl brought this food yesterday. She was quite worried about you," Hestia said while placing a tray on his lap. She would've liked to have fed him but she was being late for work and had already missed the day before.

"I'll go visit her later." He could buy a takeout meal on his way back.

"Don't push yourself though. And absolutely no going to the dungeon today!" Hestia warned on her way out.

"Yes, I understand. Good luck at work Kami-sama." He waved her goodbye as she left. For some reason he thought that he was forgetting something. Oh right, their improved financial situation. It wasn't urgent though so he could tell her later.

Bell spent the rest of the morning laying in bed before finally deciding to get up. He did some light stretches to loosen his body that had stiffened after being in bed for two days. Recalling his previous experiences, Bell decided to use his dungeon gear and put on a coat to conceal it. He wasn't going to risk anything, especially in his current state.

The Hostess of Fertility was open for its afternoon hours by the time he arrived. This was a relatively peaceful time of the day as most adventurers visited in the evening while many other people were at jobs. He took his usual seat by the counter as Syr noticed him and walked over.

"Bell-san! Are you feeling better?" She had a worried look on her face as she took the seat beside him.

"Yes, just a little tired. I heard that you helped Kami-sama bring me home, thank you for that and also the food, Syr-san."

"That's the least I could have done. After all, you wouldn't have been caught up in all of that if it wasn't for me losing my purse," she looked down guiltily.

"Please don't say that. You didn't choose for it to happen." Syr winced slightly but Bell didn't notice. "Besides, I ran into Kami-sama and spent the time walking around with her which I would've done anyway, so it isn't your fault."

"Even so… Oh I know!" Syr clapped once as she got up and went upstairs, quickly returning with a book. "Please take this," she handed it to him.

"Umm…"

"It's a book about magic that I once found on the ground. I'm not an adventurer, so it would be more useful to you. Please take it."

"Thank you Syr-san, I'll make sure to return it as soon as I'm done." Bell was ecstatic. Outside of hero stories, he did not read much which meant that he had a very low chance to get magic. Gaining knowledge on magic itself may be able to change something. While thinking about the possibility of learning magic, Bell had a couple of footsteps enter the pub.

"Can't believe all three of us got to level two on the same day!"

"Of course we did, having fought three infant dragons together the first time we got to that floor. Plus, we all had our best stats at C or even B."

"Well, yeah, but Mike is talking about the impact. Don't say you don't feel it Raph."

The person named Raph sighed. "You know how he is Uri, not denying it but too shy to admit it," Mike responded as he and Uri laughed while Raph facepalmed.

'It's them.' Bell recognized the three adventurers from the time with the minotaur. Syr noticed his gaze. "Those three are regulars from the Ormazd familia, they usually come in the afternoons unlike most other adventurers," she explained.

'Ormazd familia, I have never heard of it,' he thought. 'Still, level two huh. I want to congratulate them but it will feel weird if a stranger randomly walks up to them.'

"Syr-san, three mugs of the best drink please."

Syr blinked. "Huh? Aren't you a bit young? I mean, I understand that it must've been hard, but alcohol is a bit… Instead, I can be there for you if you need." She said seriously.

Bell blushed while waving his hands. "No no no, not for me. For them," he pointed to the three men.

"Oh okay. My offer still stands though," she smiled while he handed her the payment for the drinks.

He quickly got up, but thanked her before leaving. He felt blessed, having come to know so many nice people in Orario. Walking back, he realized that he didn't have anything to do so he decided to buy ingredients and some cooking tools to try his hand at cooking rather than buying food from a restaurant.

It was still too early to make anything when he got back, so he sat down and decided to read the book Syr had given him. It had a strange aura about it, and having nothing on its cover only made it more conspicuous. Opening it, he quickly realized that he couldn't read it. The script was entirely different from anything that he had ever seen before. Suddenly, the text began to swim around the paper and arrange itself into a shape that looked more and more like his reflection.

"I've constructed an ugly mirror that does not allow lies," a voice suspiciously like his own rang out as he began to lose consciousness.

He didn't know where he was, but he felt at ease. In the vast expanse of blankness, there stood another Bell, staring at him without showing any emotion.

"What is magic to me?"

"A unique ability. It's something that I have always wanted."

"What is magic for me?"

"A powerful tool to overcome hardships." He felt like he was grasping something.

"What is the form I imagine magic to be?"

"Fire. An explosive flame that burns hot until victory." Dark flames vividly danced around him.

"What do I ask of magic?"

"To help me protect. Give me the strength and ability to not have to see anyone else die, and not have to face death. To let me become a hero just like her." The space was now fully covered in pleasantly warm flames.

The other Bell chuckled. "Yep, that is me alright," he remarked as the world collapsed and started fading away. Slowly, Bell began to regain consciousness.

"Huh, what was I doing?"

The book was lying face down in his lap.

'I must have fallen asleep. Anyway, Kami-sama will probably be back soon so I should prepare the food.'

Being a complete novice, Bell tried to make some fried vegetables since it seemed like something anyone could do. It turned out that no, it was not something anyone could do. It was better than a certain someone's cooking at the very least. He tried to convince Hestia to not eat it when she returned, but she wouldn't budge, saying something about "wasting Bell-kun's cooking being a sin."

"Don't worry Bell-kun, many people don't even make something edible on their first try!" Hestia tried to cheer him up at the dinner table. She knew gods who blew up their kitchens while trying to cook, and others who made food that looked like it underwent some forbidden alchemy. Besides, after living in poverty and eating some sort of potato every day, anything edible tasted good.

"Let's update your status today. The extra stats could help you recover faster," Hestia motioned for Bell to lie down on his stomach as they were about to get ready to sleep.

"Yes, Kami-sama."

The ritual itself was now muscle memory but looking at the experiences, something she used to look forward to, was now something she dreaded. She winced from what she saw, but made sure to not make a noise so as to not remind Bell about what he went through. Locking the updated falna, she copied it onto a sheet of paper and stared absentmindedly at it before realizing that something was off.

There was magic there. And it sounded ominous.

"Magic?"

Bell's head perked up to that, and Hestia handed him the sheet.

Name: Bell Cranel

Familia: Hestia

Lv. 1

STR D - 540 - D - 599

VIT C - 653 - B - 771

DEX D - 507 - D - 549

AGI B - 701 - B - 745

MAG I - 0

Magic

Hellfire

Skills

Return By Death: Upon death, time goes back to a point from where survival is possible and this point cannot go backward or be controlled. Death grants a massive amount of excelia based on power difference.

Bonus effect: Excelia boost based on injuries.

Special effect: Influence of lost time.

Immortal Resolve: Immune to all mental attacks.

Developmental Abilities

"I-it's magic! I can use magic now Kami-sama!" Bell was overjoyed.

"Congrats Bell-kun," she let out a small smile, "it's a bit strange though. Magic usually requires a chant to use it."

"I don't see a chant." Bell looked confused.

"I've heard about very short chants, but this seems to have no chant whatsoever. I don't know how strong it will be though, since magic is usually stronger the longer the chant." She was also not a fan of the name of the spell, but kept that to herself.

"Would I just have to say the name to use it?" Bell asked.

"Most likely, yes. You will have to test it out in the dungeon to see what it does." She could see stars in his eyes. "No, not tomorrow. You are resting for at least one more day." She could practically see the disappointment oozing out of him from that. Seriously, what was she going to do with him?

The focus on the magic caused them both to not notice another rather major thing on the status.

Having another day to rest, Bell made the conscious decision to stay in bed and sleep longer for the first time in his life. Even when he did wake up, he didn't really have much to do so he grabbed the book from the previous day. It was blank. He flipped pages. Still nothing. He checked every single page. There was no writing whatsoever. That was weird. Now that he thought about it, he had fallen asleep the day before and didn't remember actually reading anything. Not wanting to bother Syr about it, he put the book aside and spent the rest of the day practicing cooking using some notes he had asked Hestia to leave behind.

Bell woke up early from excitement the next day. He had felt pretty much normal the day before and had gotten permission from Hestia to go to the dungeon, although he had to stay on the first few floors for the day.

Being one of the first adventurers to enter the dungeon for the day meant that he would get plenty of warm up from the goblins and kobolds. As expected, he made short work of them. Before long, he was on the 3rd floor and plenty warmed up. It was time to test out his magic.

He heard the familiar cracking sound of the dungeon's walls and saw a kobold come out from his right. Immediately pointing his arm towards it, he yelled.

"Hellfire!"

A ball of fire appeared in front of his arm. Bell spotted some bright red flames but they were swallowed up by black flames, giving the ball a very dark red colour. It shot towards the kobold and exploded on impact, sending the monster flying back as well as engulfing it in now pitch black flames. Bell heard more cracking and turned around to see three goblins rushing towards him.

"Hellfire, hellfire, hellfire!"

Having a magic stat of 0, his magic wasn't exactly strong in terms of raw damage. The explosions, however, dealt extra damage from the shockwaves and some monsters died from it causing them to hit their heads on something at a high velocity. The ones that did not die were slowly burning to death as the black flames showed no signs of snuffing out. A goblin exploded into dust, signifying the death of a monster, and the flames surrounding it immediately died.

So it was a flame that burned as long as the target was alive. Wasn't that a bit overpowered? Bell imagined how much easier it would make longer fights, especially ones where he was outnumbered. If a situation like what happened at monsterphilia happened again…

Monsterphilia…

Bell looked at the monsters that were still writhing in agony. They were being burned alive.

Just like him.

It burned. His nerves were being fried. It hurt so much.

Bell fell on his knees as he lost sense of reality, eyes wide and shaking. The flames were ruthless. Screaming was useless as it only caused the fire to burn the insides as well. If hell existed, Bell was certain it would be this.

All of a sudden, he was hit with a wave of dizziness and snapped back to reality. The flames nearby vanished, leaving the last of the monsters barely alive. He tried making sense of the situation but his consciousness rapidly faded away just like the flames did a moment ago.

Riveria was exhausted. They had gone on a trip to collect valis but stumbled upon quite the mess in Rivira. After they had dealt with the situation, Aiz, who had lost to the red-haired tamer, insisted on staying in the dungeon instead of leaving with the rest. Riveria had stayed behind because she was worried.

And worried she was for good reason. They had gone straight to the 37th floor and Aiz went through with her suicidal idea of fighting the Udaeus by herself. Riveria sighed, remembering how many times the girl had danced with death in the battle. At the very least, she seemed a lot happier now and seemed to have motivation other than rage.

"Riveria" Aiz called out.

Riveria snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Aiz for a moment before following her gaze. There was a certain white-haired boy lying unconscious on the ground. Quickly checking on him, she reported her findings.

"No injuries. Seems like mind down. He probably just unlocked magic." Magic was not very common, but people overusing their new magic in excitement was not exactly unheard of either. Looking back at Aiz, she saw her staring intently at him.

"I want to help him."

"Helping someone in this situation would certainly be the right thing to do. You can help him then, I'll be going on ahead." It sounded a bit cold, but she was desperately longing for sleep. Aiz was there so she wasn't needed anyways. As she was about to leave, her sleep-deprived brain suddenly came up with an idea.

"Aiz, if you want to help him, do as I say…"

She ran her hand through his hair. It was very soft. She felt… peaceful. She recalled their previous meetings and how he called her a hero. For a long time, she herself had longed to meet her hero. Alas, no such person ever came. But now, she doesn't need one anymore. After all, she already had a familia to rely on. What about him? Something about him reminded her of her old self. If he also wanted a hero, could she really deny him that wish?

She had felt something the last time she saw him, during the monsterphilia incident. At that time, her thoughts were too clouded due to her anger and the black flames within her. Now that they were dimmed? A new desire was born, a bud of a different flame. Seeing him protect someone in a battle he should have had no way to survive inspired her in a way she never had thought possible. She no longer wanted to find a hero. She wanted to be one. Was it wrong to want to be a hero for someone who ignited a new spark within her?

He began to stir on her lap. His eyes slowly opened, revealing ruby-red eyes. He stared at her with an unfocused expression.

"Aiz-san… A dream?" He closed his eyes again, letting the soft feeling beneath his head and the hand going through his hair calm him down.

"It's not a dream," she decided to call out.

"Oh."

Wait what?

Bell quickly opened his eyes and confirming the situation in a split second, half-somersaulted off of her lap.

"Wh-why was my head on your lap?" He asked while blushing furiously, having been shocked out of his stupor and temporarily forgetting any other worries.

"Did you not like it?" Aiz asked with a bit of a sad expression.

"No, I mean it wasn't like I disliked it or anything. It was… relaxing. But embarrassing," Bell quickly blurted out.

Aiz got up and brushed off some dust from her clothes. "We found you unconscious from mind down. RIveria said that this would help."

Huh. That was not something he expected from the first-class adventurer called 'Nine Hells.'

Riveria sneezed while entering the Twilight Mansion. An elf named Alicia came running out of nowhere to ask if she was alright, followed by other elves. RIveria sighed.

"I guess I got too excited to use magic, how embarrassing," Bell said sheepishly while looking down.

Aiz shook her head. "Don't worry, everyone does it. I've gotten mind down over a hundred times."

"Wha-" Bell opened his mouth in surprise, but heard the familiar cracking sound of the dungeon before he could form a coherent sentence. Immediately reaching for his knife, Bell immediately rushed towards the monsters who had just landed on the ground, essentially spawn killing them.

Aiz had also immediately taken out her sword Desperate, but it being only the third floor, she decided to use it as an opportunity to see how he fought. She was very impressed. After monsterphilia, she had heard from Loki that 'shrimpy's brat fought and killed multiple monsters from below the tenth floor by himself despite having been an adventurer for less than a month.' He seemed much closer to a high-end level 1 rather than a newbie.

"You've gotten strong," she complimented while trying to think of how he got so strong so fast. Did he have a skilled instructor?

"Not nearly enough, I need to get a lot stronger."

"Do you have someone teaching you?"

"No. I am the first member of my familia."

If that was the case… "Do you want me to teach you?" She offered. She could get to learn the reason behind his growth, as well as teach him skills to survive in case she wasn't around in an incident like the previous two. It could be her first task on the path to be a hero. Maybe it would help her learn to teach, and she could teach some of her familia members one day as well. Finally, she was feeling good being near him. All in all, this was something full of benefits for her.

"Really? I would love that but… Are you sure? I'm not even from the same familia." Bell asked in surprise.

Aiz immediately nodded, sealing the deal. They agreed to meet on top of the north wall of the city at around sunrise daily. As Aiz started leaving, Bell realized that her armor was badly damaged and she looked worn down. Was he really so out of it that he missed something so obvious? Slapping his cheeks, Bell readied himself to spend the day a few floors deeper in the dungeon. He was, however, not going to use magic anymore as he wanted to avoid thinking about it as well as another possible mind down.

Liliruca Arde was, once again, cursing her life as well as adventurers.

"Hurry up, good-for-nothing supporter. The only things you support are monsters by being baggage to adventurers," called out the adventurer hiring her. She quietly picked up her pace without looking up. She probably didn't even know what exactly he looked like and frankly, she didn't care. Adventurers all looked the same to her: beings who exist just to torture her.

"Can't believe I'm paying a baggage. Leeches like you should be grateful, you baggage," he spat at her.

"... Yes, Lili is very grateful, adventurer-sama," she forced herself to respond. Always the same sentences, the same limited vocabulary. These adventurers carried a huge baggage in their heads.

Lili cursed her life.

She was orphaned at a very early age as her adventurer parents from the Soma Familia went ahead and died in the dungeon. The adventurers from the familia treated her like garbage, and she was forced to try to become an adventurer to make money to survive and to pay the monthly quotas of her familia. It turned out that she was not talented as an adventurer so she had to become a supporter instead.

Supporters are looked upon by adventurers as worthless people leeching off of others, so it was the norm for her to be physically and verbally abused by the adventurers hiring her. Not to mention, they barely paid her anything. One day, she decided that she had had enough. She faked her death in the dungeon and managed to run away from her familia. Getting a bit of luck for the first time in her life, an old couple took her in and she finally got to experience kindness for the first time in her life.

Lili cursed her life.

Of course, the good days did not last long. The adventurers had located her, and they made damn sure that she learned not to expect happiness from her life by attacking the elderly couple and leaving their house in ruins. The devils in human skin dragged her back to torment her as a supporter. The only reason she was still alive was due to stealing from adventurers both as a sort of revenge and to sell things to survive.

*crack* *crack* *crack*

"Shit, I can't deal with this many!" The adventurer said out loud while backing up from a group of newly spawned frog shooters and a war shadow. Before she could react, he grabbed her by her hood and threw her towards the monsters.

"Be glad that you're going to be useful for once!" He screamed while running away in the opposite direction.

So this was how she was going to die. What even was the point of her life? Maybe it was a good thing that she was going to die as it would help her escape from this pathetic life. As she stared at the approaching monsters, Lili prayed just for one thing: that her life would be a better one.

Yet, she was unable to accept her death.

Fear and panic quickly rose in her heart as a tongue shot at her. She managed to jump out of its way at the last second, before brandishing her Little Ballista and shooting the monster in the eye. She quickly got her dagger out and tried to block a swipe from the war shadow and only managed to barely redirect it before it broke through her dagger and cleaved through a part of her shoulder. Lili cried in pain while holding her shoulder and lost focus on the battle, a frog shooter taking advantage of it and striking her square in the back.

Lili crashed head first into a wall and slowly slumped onto the floor, dizzy and in immense pain. She looked at the monsters preparing for the kill as her tears flowed. All her life, she had wondered whether it would be better to die. Now that death was here, she realized that she didn't want to die. She was terrified.

Lili cursed the adventurers that made her life a living hell. Lili cursed the gods she could bet were having a blast watching her suffer. And finally, Lili cursed her life for the last time as she closed her eyes.

"Hellfire!"

Death never came. Instead, she felt warmth? She opened her eyes again. Everything had turned orange. No, she was covered in fire. Strangely, it didn't burn and rather felt pleasantly warm unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Suddenly, the fire disappeared and she saw someone looking at her.

"Are you okay?" The boy with snow white hair and ruby red eyes asked in a panic while fumbling through his bag for something.

Was she okay? Probably not if the bleeding of her shoulder was anything to go by. But she was still alive. For once, she had been saved and for now, that was all that mattered. At this moment, the boy clumsily trying to pour a potion on her wounds looked like a hero from some of the books she had stolen and read, and she was the heroine she selfishly always wished she could be. As she lost consciousness, she prayed once more. Not to have a better next life this time, but rather to have this be a turning point for her, as Liliruca Arde, to be able to live a better life.

Bell had been told by Aiz before she left to drink a mind potion. He was glad he did.

He had gotten to the sixth floor, fighting constantly for hours to avoid his mind from being able to dwell on a certain topic. Ripping apart war shadows, Bell kept moving to dead ends on the floor to get the dungeon to spawn monsters to 'trap' him. After finishing off a group of frog shooters that had 'cornered' him, Bell started moving towards another dead end according to the map that he had memorized when he heard a loud scream of pain coming from nearby.

Bell immediately rushed towards where the scream came from and saw a man running his way.

"Out of the way," the man yelled as he shoved past Bell.

Continuing onwards, he approached a tunnel that split off to the right and went into it, finding a body on the ground farther in the tunnel with monsters about to attack it. He was not going to make it. Out of options, he shouted "hellfire" and blasted the monsters away from the person.

They didn't seem to have taken too much damage, but were thrashing around in confusion as they were engulfed in a black flame that dealt low, but consistent damage. Bell used this to his advantage to close the distance and swiftly dispatch them before they could abandon trying to put out the fire in favour of fighting.

Turning to face the person, he panicked as he saw the person covered in a red flame. As his breathing got quicker, he managed to will his magic to stop and the flames disappeared. Surprisingly, the chienthrope girl did not look burnt in the least and seemed to be looking at him. His panic alleviated somewhat seeing that.

"Are you okay?" He asked her although noticing her profusely bleeding shoulder gave him all he needed to know as he quickly dug out a potion from his bag. Pouring it on her shoulder, the bleeding slowed but did not fully stop. He fished out a high potion. With around half of it, the wound closed. She seemed to have fallen unconscious, but was breathing fine. Sighing in relief, Bell looked around and saw a huge bag on the ground that probably belonged to her. Putting his own bag inside it, he put on the bag on his back and carried the girl on one shoulder to keep his right arm free in case he needed to fight.

Thankfully, his mass fighting a bit earlier had forced the dungeon to take a break from spawning monsters on the 6th and 5th floors for a bit, while the ones above were now starting to fill with adventurers meaning the common route was basically monster free.

Walking silently, he thought about what had happened. His magic had hit and engulfed her, but it did not hurt her. He was scared of fire and that fear was exactly why he knew how powerful and ruthless it could be. But his fire was different; his spell was able to protect. It made it so that he was, for once, the one doing the saving. He would not hesitate to use it anymore. As he concluded his feelings on the matter for now, he felt the girl on his shoulder start to stir.

Lili opened her eyes to see her bag in front of her. Why was it in front of her and not on her back? She suddenly realized that she was being carried. Turning her head slightly to her left, her eyes were met with white hair. So it wasn't a dream after all. Now that she was awake and not in danger, she began to become a bit skeptical of the situation. She was hesitant to believe that something good happened to her only for it to all come crashing down again. She expected it to be an adventurer who, just like the others, only had his own interests in mind while saving her.

The boy put her down against a wall and slung the backpack off. She mentally braced herself.

"Here, drink this," he said while holding out a half-filled vial in front of him. Huh? Dumbfounded, Lili took the potion and drank it, her headache immediately alleviating. It was a high potion. She still did not want to get her hopes up.

"Are you feeling better now?" He asked with a smile on his face.

"Why? Why did you save Lili when she is just a lowly supporter?" She was just going to ask him straight up.

"Because you needed help?" He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Lili doesn't understand." She really didn't understand.

He seemed to pause for a bit before answering. "Because I am selfish." There it was, the truth. Of course, there was no way an adventurer would- "So I want to save whoever I can," he finished.

What? What exactly was his definition of selfish? Was this really just a boy playing hero who somehow managed to not be taken advantage of so far?

"Are you able to walk?" He asked while helping her get up.

"Yes…"

"Shall we go then?" He put on Lili's backpack again and started heading towards the dungeon exit. Lili followed behind him.

She contemplated what had happened. Of course, her doubts had not all gone away. When it came to adventurers, they probably never would. But if there was a chance… She thought back to what she expected were going to be her last moments, and the thoughts she had at the moment she was saved. If there was a chance that he really was the hero he looked to be to her, a chance that her prayer was being answered, she was going to try to grasp it. She had told herself not to expect happiness in the past, but she couldn't lie to herself. She desperately wanted it.

She stopped walking and took a deep breath. And so, for the first time in her life, Lili asked this of someone with a glimmer of hope in her eyes:

"Adventurer-sama, are you looking for a supporter by any chance?"

He stopped walking and seemed to think about it for a moment, before turning to answer her. "Bell. Call me Bell. And yes, I was thinking about getting a supporter."

"In that case, can Lili be your supporter?" She looked up into his eyes.

"Sure. It's nice to meet you Lili," Bell said as he extended his hand for a handshake, a soft smile on his face. She shook his hand with both of hers.

And for the first time, she had a genuine smile on her face.

AN: Hi, it has been a while. I originally planned to write one or even two chapters during spring break, but my laptop died. I didn't have time anymore after it was repaired. I also lost my plans so yeah. Coming back I see… 200 follows and 100 favourites!? Wow thanks, I only started this to get the idea out so this wasn't expected. I hope my writing doesn't degrade.

About hellfire, I had the effects in mind first and needed a two syllable name to match it. It is quite a bit weaker than firebolt in terms of damage on impact, and is a utility spell.

Anyways, to respond to some reviews. The monsters going to him are unrelated to his ability as there is no scent. For Drake Atlas' comment, raising their levels would mess up the story and their backstories, but I will be trying to make them a bit stronger. You are right about him not getting luck as a DA though. Making the familia bigger… Actually I might just do that eventually. For the guest comment, the promise will have some importance later. Thank you everyone for the reviews, it is motivating :)

Don't have much time though, so it may take a while to write chapters.