(37th floor)
The 37th floor is known as the White Palace, as the walls, floor, and ceiling are all white in color, with the floor being a giant maze. The scale of the floor is different from the floors above, as the space between corridors, rooms, and walls is enormous. The entrance to the 38th floor is located at the center of the floor, where the Monster Rex Udaeus resides, and around it are five huge circular walls that adventurers need to navigate to reach the center.
The walls are numbered from 1 to 5 starting from the innermost wall, and the area between two walls is called different rooms, with the area of Udaeus inside the first wall being the Throne Room, and from there, the Knight Room, Warrior Room, Soldier Room, and Beast Room. The area between walls becomes smaller as it gets closer to the Throne Room, and the maze becomes more complicated.
In the eastern area of the Warrior Room, there is a place known as the Coliseum. It is the largest room on the floor where monsters constantly fight each other. The room generates monsters endlessly until a certain amount is reached, which is quickly replenished every time it decreases, making it an unlimited supply of monsters. It is surrounded by a 50-meter deep abyss with four gates located to the north, south, east, and west, each with a bridge that allows access to the Coliseum.
And that leads to the current scenario…
(Warrior's Room; Coliseum)
"YAHAHAHAHA! THAT'S IT! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! YAHAHAHAHA!" Kunihito exclaimed his happiness, jumping and killing even more monsters in a flurry of violent strikes.
The Coliseum, being an area full of monsters that restored quickly, was a paradise for those who liked prolonged and difficult fights. Of course, there were few adventurers who were crazy enough to go there alone… Well, Kunihito wasn't one of the most sensible people as it might seem.
There was a phrase that could describe Kunihito when he had his sword in hand: "Thirst for battle."
In the Coliseum, there was a variety of monsters, Spartoi, Barbarian, Lizardman Elite, Obsidian Soldier, Skull Sheep, Loup Garou, Peluda, and others of lower "class," but they didn't need to be mentioned because they were easily killed by the half-elf.
These monsters tended to fight among themselves, but now it was different. While most of the time they fought for survival of the fittest, this thing in front of them instinctively made them unite. To them, the thing was a true predator.
A group of Spartoi then ran at incredible speed towards the hooded figure. They were humanoid skeletal monsters capable of generating random weapons that they knew how to use, such as swords or spears made of bone and shields similar to kite shields. They were considered dangerous because their strength and speed were a threat to level 4 adventurers, and because of their superior strength and agility to any monster on the floor, they made them very dangerous for normal adventurers.
"A bloody smile formed on the man's face. To their misfortune, the being in front of him was nothing close to the concept of the word normal.
Kunihito raised his sword high "Sixfold Slash of Light!" He then swung the sword vertically, in slow motion for the monster, the sword approaching closer to its skeletal skull and before even hitting it, its skull exploded in a flash of light and then five more of the monsters experienced the same event without the blonde even moving, thus killing the group of monsters.
Even the monsters around them, who had no intelligence, clearly seemed confused.
This was one of the techniques of Kunihito's school, an art that allows the user to cut a target and affect 6 enemies in the vicinity. This art releases six powerful light strikes that cannot be directed. That's why the user only uses it when fighting groups.
It is one of Kunihito's favorite moves for strong enemies who fight in groups. After the initial shock, the Barbarian and Lizardman Elite began to march towards the elf.
The first set of monsters in front of the Lizardmen were two meters tall, similar to the Minotaur with two large, curved horns, black skin, red hair, and yellow eyes.
"Cute, the strongest ones are protecting the agile ones to kill me, curious how these beasts can have any intelligence… No, that wouldn't be the appropriate word, you're just not idiots, because if you were intelligent you would have fled from me long ago," Kunihito said. Amidst this dialogue, the monsters attacked and continued to attack, but Kunihito was too agile to be hit, which seemed like a cruel joke given the sword almost the size of his own body that he carried.
Stab
He kills one of the barbarians instantly by stabbing his magic stone. With this, Kunihito gained a contemplative expression - "I wonder if saying the names of my attacks out loud makes them stronger? Maybe I should test this theory." The half-elf then began his newest research.
Cut
Strike.
Smash.
Blow
The bloodbath of monsters continued, but Kunihito saw no results from his current doubt - "Maybe they're too weak for this test, I need something stronger…" His wish was quickly answered.
"GAAAAHHHH!" A dark green dragon monster with a long snake-like body and four legs. It has poisonous needles on its back, similar to a porcupine. The mini-dragon began attacking the monsters around it, killing them without difficulty.
The mini-dragon began attacking the monsters around it, killing them without difficulty. "Ohhh, this must be rare! Even so, bragging about this power and expelling the inferiors, dragons aren't really…lovable," Kunihito swung his blade to clean the amount of blood as he walked towards the beast.
"Mercury!" An oppressive and concentrated purple aura took over Kunihito's body, and with a mere swing of his sword…a rain of blood took over the coliseum.
Mercury was a derivative skill of his falna, it had the ability to make Kunihito's speed above his own status, and with his sword art being derived from speed and power, even using an inadequate weapon like Balmung because of its weight…the effect was colossal.
The coliseum, which was known for being full of monsters, was now empty, with only magic stones, drops, and blood, lots of blood.
Kunihito then dispensed his skill, he was now in the middle of the coliseum, the only corner that was intentionally left immune to the blood…a bad idea.
— Well… Now, how do I get out of here without getting my clothes dirty while I pick up the magic stones… — Kunihito with these words once again remembered his master's words.
"Even the most skilled warrior acts like a true idiot in a limited number of fights."
Sigh
— That old witch… I think I'll take a while to get out of here… Maybe I'll blame Eina for not finding a solution to my problems and making me need to farm money here as fast as possible… Yeah, it's her fault, not mine. — The half-elf came to this conclusion to ease his ego.
(Babel)
It had been 4 hours since Bell had been waiting at the entrance of the dungeon for the hooded half-elf, but there was still no sign of him, and no one had seen him either.
But Bell wouldn't give up. What was he going to do again? Kunihito seemed to be someone strong, and he knew that very well after killing that minotaur without any problems. He could easily find a family if he wanted to; he just didn't feel like it, stubborn as he was because of what Eina had said.
So what was he going to do? He couldn't just approach his savior and say, "Hi, I'm the idiot you saved this morning. I snooped into your life and found out that you need a family, want to join my poor and unknown family…". It sounded really bad.
Sigh
What the hell was he doing here anyway? Just thinking about talking to Kunihito made him terrified, especially after the embarrassment he had gone through this morning…WHY DID HE HAVE TO RUN AWAY AND SCREAM LIKE A GIRL!?
This reminded Bell of how Kunihito had mistaken him for a girl in the first place, which made the albino blush even more with embarrassment.
Bell put his hands on top of his head and pulled his hair out of frustration for behaving so shamefully.
Thud
In the meantime, a huge bag hit the boy, a light collision, but it still made Bell fall to the ground.
"Poor girl, being knocked down by gravity, blame yourself for having short legs." The familiar voice satirized the young rabbit, as he continued to walk.
Bell immediately stood up after the minor confusion – "YOU!? KUNIHITO-SAN!" The young boy shouted, followed quickly by a somersault…exactly like a rabbit.
"Huh?" Confusion, that was the word to describe the half-elf's expression. "Do I know you?" The blonde turned to Bell who was getting up from the ground, he looked at the boy but didn't recognize him.
Bell blushed in response – "Well…I…" The young rabbit was cut off.
"I'm not interested in your body." Kunihito made it clear, giving the expression of "the girl", he clearly went to the lewd side of the situation.
This shocked Bell and made him blush even more – "I-I-I don't want to sell my body!" He waved his hands in front of his face to deny the previous implication from the man.
Kunihito narrowed his eyes – "You want money without even giving something in return. You're really one of those greedy fat cows! Haven't you heard of the law of equivalent exchange? You must give something to get something in return!" Kunihito pointed his finger at Bell's face with all the certainty in the world.
…
…
Bell seemed shocked by the half-elf's response to the crazy situation he had created himself, so much so that he froze for a few seconds, leaving the awkward silence to reign.
Kunihito narrowed his eyes at the "girl" and had a brief glimpse that made him curious – "Huh? Aren't you that brat who ran away from the Sword Princess?" Kunihito remembered him and had to cover his face to avoid the boy seeing his laughter – "You left the poor girl in shock." Kunihito then let out a bit of laughter.
Bell blushed like a tomato, when he saw the Sword Princess at that time, his heart had beaten like it had never felt before, and he may have fallen in love at first sight with the girl, and under those conditions…he got scared and ran away…It wasn.
Kunihito observed the expression of the younger boy in front of him and remembered the entire scene unfolding in his head. Soon something shocked him, causing him to release the bag of jewels he was carrying and grab the boy by the shoulders.
"Ah, Kunihito-san?" Bell was caught off guard by the half-elf's grip.
"Boy, I know I may have been rude to you, but…" Kunihito gave Bell the sweetest look he could muster. "I never wanted you to stop being an adventurer and start selling your body to live!" This caused another awkward silence.
"I'M NOT SELLING MY BODY!" The rabbit shouted in a flustered mess.
(A few minutes later…)
The two adventurers were now a little further away from Babel, near an Elf clothing store.
"YAHAHAHAHAHA!" Kunihito couldn't help but laugh at the boy now that everything was clarified, most of the people passing by caught a glimpse of the half-elf laughing out loud.
"This is not funny, Kunihito-san!" Bell grumbled discontentedly.
Kunihito patted the boy's shoulder. "Come on, come on, learn to laugh at yourself, and you have to admit with a kawaii face like yours, anyone could take it the wrong way," Kunihito said with complete certainty.
"I'm pretty sure only weird people would take it that way!" Bell didn't say it just because he didn't want to seem rude, so he kept it in the back of his mind.
"Still, Eina really got you good, huh?" Kunihito made sure to mess up Bell's hair to make his point clear.
"What do you mean?" Bell asked, in the midst of discomfort from having the heavy hand on his head.
Kunihito smiled in response. "Nothing, nothing… So do you have a solution to my problems since you came here?" The half-elf's smile did not disappear, although his gaze became more perceptive.
So entered Bell's current paradigm, how could he truly help his savior? Then an idea came to his mind.
So entered Bell's current paradigm, how could he truly help his savior? Then an idea came to his mind.
"Well… You could join my…" Bell didn't finish his sentence because he was interrupted.
"That's not going to happen," Kunihito said clearly to Bell.
The little rabbit knew that Kunihito was strong enough to join a more desirable family and only stayed out because he didn't want to, but it was still uncomfortable to be rejected… He wondered if his Goddess felt that way until he joined his family.
Still, for Bell, this situation was really confusing. "Kunihito-san, you won't be able to enter the dungeon if you keep this up!" The rabbit tried to argue but it was no use.
"That's why I have that." Kunihito lightly kicked the pouch of jewels resting beside his feet. "Don't get me wrong, kid, I have my reasons for not wanting to join a family, personally, I prefer to stay away from people and especially from Gods." Kunihito affirmed with a little venom in his last spoken word.
"But…" Bell couldn't finish his reasoning.
Kunihito's fist was a few centimeters away from Bell's face, from the rabbit's point of view, the half-elf now had an intimidating aura. "Kid, you may have the best of intentions, but don't force your will on people, it's a terrible and immoral thing." Kunihito spoke with apparent anger in his voice.
Bell lowered his head in discontent. "I'm sorry," the boy apologized honestly.
"No, I apologize. I was rude," Kunihito then picked up the pouch and put it over his shoulder.
"Don't get me wrong, you don't even know me and you tried to help me to repay a favor, your pride is something noble, never let anyone destroy that conviction of yours." Kunihito then smiled. "Whoever raised you gave you a good education, but even so, you seem too innocent for your own good." Kunihito shook his head exasperatedly.
Bell was confused by this final dialogue. "What do you mean?" The boy asked.
Kunihito's smile widened almost in a bloodthirsty way, which gave Bell a slight shiver. "I have no records of where I came from, I could very well be a murderer, a bandit, or even a molester of cute little boys," Kunihito said, laughing at his own last statement.
Bell made a childish pout. "You saved me from death, so you couldn't be someone so bad," Bell stated.
"Keep thinking like that and someone will definitely stab you in the back. Anyway, be careful of the minotaurs and the dungeon girls," Kunihito then started to leave, waving his free hand.
Sighing, Bell muttered, "Kunihito-san is truly unique, rude like a barbarian and cunning like a rogue."
"WOULD YOU BELIEVE YOU'RE NOT THE FIRST TO TELL ME THAT," Kunihito shouted from a considerable distance, making Bell jump in surprise.
(1 day later, Entertainment District)
It wasn't a normal night for Aisha Belka, an adventurer from the Ishitar family. In fact, the event happening at this pub couldn't be more strange in her entire life.
For Aisha, who fights to win everything, it was clearly in her Amazonian DNA, and since she became a member of the Ishitar family, sex was not abnormal for her. In fact, it was one of her pleasures to have such an act with strong men… which made this situation even stranger.
"One, two, one, two, adjust your hips!" The male voice belonging to the only man in the pub besides the bartender ordered.
Aisha could only say one thing about this blonde half-elf who was currently teaching his girls to dance orientally like women from the Far East - "He was completely crazy!" Of course, she wouldn't say that out loud, after all, he was a customer above all, but…
Who in their right mind would pay five beautiful women who work inclusively to give pleasurable nights to their clients to teach them how to dance in a "more polite" way? It didn't make sense… At least the pay was good, she could admit that.
It all started a week ago.
(Flashback)
Aisha was wandering around the entertainment district without anything new, most of the men were already accompanied.
She sighed.
Aisha couldn't help but feel disappointed. There was no man around that met her standards. She would probably have to settle for someone with low standards… That thought quickly dissipated when she spotted a figure.
A handsome man walking alone, he was… an elf? What was an elf doing here? Well, it didn't matter. He exuded an aura similar to that of a predator looking for meat to play with. Such thoughts made Aisha lick her lips.
Coming out of her small stupor, Aisha noticed that four Amazon warriors had clung to her current target's arms, which made her irritated with herself for not being fast enough. It was obvious that he would be attractive to other Amazon women. Not only was he handsome, but his aura was attractive to natural warriors.
Even so, Aisha was not going to give up on her target so easily, so she began to approach him carefully.
"I don't know, I expected to find dancers from my land here. I don't think the Western style suits me very well…" The half-elf complained. "Besides, I just came here to drink and be served by beautiful girls." The man expressed his desires without any malice.
This caused a series of complaints from the Amazon women to arise and on top of that, the half-elf ordered them to let go of him, although it only resulted in the women pressing their bodies even more against him.
Aisha couldn't help but find the sight funny. She had a totally different vision of what this man would be like, but even with his apparently peaceful personality… something was still hostile about him.
"Well, if this will make you let go of me, take me to the pub and serve me with drinks and a dance for the rest of the night, damn it." He seemed quite unhappy, which made the Amazon women complain even more. They clearly wanted a night with him doing more intimate things.
Aisha let out a laugh that caught the attention of the Amazon group and the half-elf. "Ah, it's Aisha-sama… Oh no, she's going to steal our elf! Protect!" The Amazon women then went into protective mode with their client.
Aisha, in the middle of laughter, waved her hands as a sign of surrender. "Come on, come on, I'm not here to steal anything. Besides, the handsome elf seems to want nothing from you except a dance and a drink. Let's go, I know a good pub around here and I doubt the client will refuse another companion." Aisha instructed in a friendly way.
"If this will get rid of these weights, I'm fine with it." Kunihito affirmed. It was becoming quite difficult to move now.
So they went to the pub with the half-elf, and when they arrived there, the place was very crowded, which resulted in the blonde man going to the bartender and exchanging some words with him, which resulted in the bartender declaring the place closed and kicking everyone out except for the blonde man's group.
It was clear that Kunihito had bribed the man, but to bribe a man to expel all his clients must have been a large sum of money. With that in mind, Aisha and the other girls would make sure to please the wealthy client they now had.
And so it began… The constant complaints… Kunihito seemed to be someone very demanding about how he should be served, from which side they should fill his glass, to the dance style of the Amazonians that he said was too "vulgar"… This left all the Amazonians and even the bartender stunned when he said that, which led him to get up and try to teach the Amazonians the dance style of his homeland…
From that day on, Aisha and the other Amazonians discovered that there could be something more tiring than spending a day in the dungeon or working in the district at night… and that would repeat at least three times a week. They would have given up if the payment wasn't above average and the client himself wasn't completely attractive to the Amazonians. The half-elf also didn't seem to have any problem throwing money away, which resulted in them being able to take advantage of some expensive drinks lost to drink with him.
It was both hard work and rewarding at the same time.
(End of flashback)
"You guys are really a pain in the ass, can't assimilate such a simple dance." The half-elf grumbled and then sighed. "Well, it's break time, I want to drink now." Kunihito declared to the women who seemed exhausted after 3 hours of the crazy dance full of movements and patterns unrecognizable to them, it didn't even seem like a dance.
Kunihito then sat in his specific chair next to Aisha, who had skipped today's dance classes to "preserve" the good taste of the drink. Apparently, in the Far East, it was tradition for at least one person to stay at the table where a group was being served to avoid bringing harm to the food or drink. Aisha thanked deeply the idiot who created this stupid tradition.
Aisha quickly moved onto the lap of the half-elf, serving his drink immediately. "So, it seems that something is bothering you today, do you want to share?" The Amazon then wrapped her arms around the half-elf's neck and pressed her body even closer to his.
Aisha tried to be as friendly as possible to the rich client who did not wish to lie with her. In fact, it was a new and quite annoying experience for her taste, but at least he gave up after many attempts to keep his body away from hers, it was a useless effort after all.
"Besides a vulgar woman compromising my personal space, I think I can be annoyed with the future too… But mainly with the vulgar woman!" With the words spoken and a tick of irritation from Aisha, Kunihito drank his drink in one gulp.
"So, tell me, what could a handsome, strong, and wealthy man like you worry about? Besides having a beautiful woman wanting to reveal a wonderful side of life to you." The mischievous tone was quite apparent at the end of her sentence, but it didn't bring any reaction from the half-elf.
"That's the real problem, I don't have anything to worry about, things have been so easy lately in the parts of my life that were so difficult, and the easy parts have become problematic, and yet I don't even worry about that… I don't find it natural." Kunihito vented.
"Still, the fact that you worry about not worrying seems to overcome the situation of your current dilemma." Aisha replied with her clear opinion of the philosophical moment that her client was going through.
Kunihito looked at his glass easily and smiled mockingly. "I remember when the amount of burden in my life made the word 'worry' simple, I think I'm really getting old, at least that's natural." Kunihito affirmed with a muffled laugh.
"I think we'll be without seeing each other for a while." The half-elf spoke as Aisha served him another glass.
"And why is that?" Aisha asked curiously.
"I'm still undecided, it would be a matter of honor or blood, depending on the upbringing varies, it's always annoying to deal with these people… Damn it." Suddenly the glass in his hand shattered.
Aisha could swear that for a brief moment she felt suffocated by something… probably just in her head.
"Well, I guess we'll have to enjoy every last second then, girls, let's give our favorite client a proper farewell." The Amazon called her colleagues who understood the message right away.
Seeing the predatory looks of the Amazon women on him, Kunihito decided to get up to escape whatever they were thinking of doing, but Aisha grabbed him hard enough to prevent that.
"Hey, hey, we can talk about this…" The words fell on deaf ears as the women pinned him to the ground and started giving him an unforgettable farewell… Nothing sexual, just a slight torture ranging from tickles, bites, and caresses, it was like a sort of revenge for the "torture" of the past week.
(The next day)
For Kunihito, the last few days had been passing by quickly. This was probably the feeling of not having a clear purpose. Today was the last day he could spend in the dungeon, and it was already night time. He had stayed overnight with Aisha and the others, and it was strange how quickly the time had passed.
He wasn't tired, fortunately or unfortunately, he had adapted to being able to stay for 5 to 8 days to avoid being caught on the battlefield by enemies. However, his alcohol tolerance was not the same. He was reasonable, but even now he could say that he was a little drunk. It wasn't uncontrollable, but with his controlled sleep, it was becoming uncomfortable. The best solution now was to go back to his "apartment".
This led him to think, it had been almost three days since he had visited the Pub where he currently lived. It almost made him want to stay away for more days.
And speaking of the devil… Sometimes Kunihito cursed himself for being fast even when walking normally.
Without choice, he entered the Pub as inconspicuously as possible… As if no one would notice a huge half-elf with a white cloak and a huge sword on his back.
"My mind must really be in the gutter to be having sarcastic thoughts about myself," Kunihito thought to himself.
Meanwhile, he looked around. There were adventurers drinking and eating, waitresses with narrow eyes looking at him, a rabbit on the counter, Loki Família chattering nonsense loudly, and a specific waitress giving him a scary look. Conclusion? Time to turn around and go back to sleeping on the street.
Before taking a step, something came to mind. "A rabbit?" It was someone Kunihito knew. Was he still looking for him? That reminded him, what was the boy's name again… Well, it was irrelevant. At least it was an opportunity to contribute.
Kunihito then walked up to the counter, his eyes passing briefly over the Sword Princess who widened her eyes upon seeing him. But he just ignored her. The half-elf had no business with her, even though she seemed quite curious about him. "Damn instincts of a swordsman," was something he could say about the situation.
Without fear of the furious Syr next to the little rabbit, Kunihito sat down next to the boy. "So, are you following your great savior? Maybe you've become my fan?" Placing his hand on the head of the young rabbit, he shook it, causing the poor boy to choke on his drink.
Cof
Cof
"K-Kunihito-san!" — Bell, trying to regain his composure, called out his "attacker's" name.
"Hey, hey, what's with the "san"? I'm older and wiser than you, so use "sama" when referring to me." Kunihito's neutral expression almost made it seem like he was joking if it weren't for his serious tone.
Bell put his hand behind his head, embarrassed. "Alright, sorry, Kunihito-sama…" He was interrupted by a hand landing heavily on his shoulder.
"Bell-kun, there's no need to show respect to our guest, especially since he doesn't even have the common sense to give news of his whereabouts to his friends." Bell could almost swear he saw a black cloud hovering over Syr's head as she spoke in her passive-aggressive tone.
Kunihito gave a smug smile. "Friends? What a strong word for someone you're planning to exterminate. Besides, I don't owe you an explanation of where I'm going. Not to mention, it's all that little rabbit's fault that I've been absent all this time!" His sarcastic tone was almost masked by the lie that followed.
Syr's mood worsened with the half-elf's words, and she directed her anger towards Bell, whose shoulder she tightened her grip on. "So, Bell-kun, care to explain?" She purred almost sadistically.
Bell began to sweat nervously. "Well…" His ruby red eyes met Kunihito's blue-green ones, almost as if they were saying "I saved you, now save me from this demon!"
"Syr, stop flirting with those two and get back to work," saving Bell from the storm that was about to follow. He silently thanked Mama Mia for saving him from this.
"Alright… We'll talk later…" Her eyes went from Bell to Kunihito, then she walked away.
"Wow, she really likes you. I can't imagine how you're going to explain what you did to that woman." Kunihito commented, clapping as a show of solidarity.
— Me!? But I didn't do anything! She's angry with you… — His words fell on deaf ears.
— What should I do tomorrow, maybe leave a young damsel with white hair to die in front of a terrible beast like a… minotaur? — Bell knew it was sarcasm, but there was a slight tone of threat, and he couldn't help but blush at the insinuation of a damsel, he had nothing feminine about him… NOTHING!
In contrast, Kunihito laughed, seeming relieved for some reason. Bell remembered something important. "Kunihito-san, tomorrow…" But the guy was interrupted this time by the half-elf.
"Don't worry about it, I have a good feeling about tomorrow, Yahahahaha!" He gave a dark and humorous laugh before placing his left hand on his white hair and giving Bell a head pat "Plus, you're a kid, you shouldn't worry about adult problems." Kunihito said with a serene smile, almost like a relieved father dismissing his son's worries.
Bell snorted "Hey! I'm not a kid!" The rabbit made a pout worthy of making his Goddess proud.
"You just spoke like one." Kunihito said between laughs "You know Bell, you should give up being an adventurer." The half-elf spoke in the calmest tone possible, but because it was sudden, it caught the rabbit completely off guard.
"What?" Bell questioned with wide eyes.
Kunihito closed his eyes and opened them again as if he had glimpsed the past "In my homeland, people die all the time. Either they serve someone to protect them and are at the mercy of their tyranny, or they become strong to survive on their own, a country founded on strength where nobody really has a good choice…" The half-elf took a deep breath.
"I… have seen many children die, some younger than you taken by war. These same children never had a real glimpse of what a peaceful life would be like… I just think you should enjoy your choices more… I know the stories of how you adventure through the world, dungeons, or wherever, may seem incredible, but knowing the reality is harder than you can imagine. If I were you, I would go back to my family and enjoy a few more years of a boring and peaceful life." Kunihito spoke in a sad tone, but soon shook his head.
"Sorry, I shouldn't meddle, I guess the alcohol went deeper than I thought, your choices are yours, don't let my words upset you." Kunihito said with a tired sigh.
Bell reflected a bit on what he said before formulating a response, he knew he didn't have a noble goal coming to Orario? In fact, before meeting his current Goddess, everything was really bad… But it wasn't like he had a choice.
"I… I don't have parents, and my grandfather who raised me passed away a few weeks ago before coming to Orario, I… have nowhere to return to…" Bell spoke melancholically "Still… I want to become the best version of myself and be able to help others like me in the future. — Bell affirmed with a slight embarrassment.
Kunihito's eyes widened slightly and then… he began to laugh — Wow, that sounded like a cheesy speech taken from a fantasy book. — Kunihito mocked while giving Bell a light pat on the back.
Bell blushed with embarrassment - K-Kunihito-san… - He gave up arguing right from the start when he replayed what he said and noticed how he sounded like a cheap cliché.
"You know, you remind me a little of myself when I was younger, I think I'll call you mini-me," Kunihito said with a muffled laugh.
Bell snorted "You don't seem much older than me…" The rabbit murmured.
This brought an intrigued expression to Kunihito "What are you talking about? I'm 31 years old" the half-elf informed the young man.
"Ah, really!?" Bell said surprised, and Kunihito just pointed to his elf lineage ears "Elves are really lucky, they live long and are always very beautiful and strong." Bell muttered in frustration.
This earned a hostile look from the blonde "Bell, never call me or make those claims again, they are… Horrible…" The air around the two adventurers suddenly seemed tense.
Bell, without understanding the meaning of his words, would have apologized if a voice had not interrupted him…
"Hey! Hey! Ais! Tell that story!" Bete Loga, one of the main adventurers of the Loki family, asked his blonde colleague.
"That story?" - The blonde asked, not understanding the request, she was a little focused on the hooded adventurer at the counter, so she wasn't paying much attention to her family's conversation.
"About when we were coming back and accidentally let some minotaurs escape! That last one, that you said an elf killed on the fifth floor! And also about that tomato boy! You know the one covered in minotaur blood." - The werewolf explained, trying to contain his laughter.
Kunihito, who was at the counter, had his eyes from Bete to Bell, the boy looked pale.
"I mean, come on, tell us the whole story! I only saw the boy running away covered in blood and screaming! I really wish I was there to see what happened!" The gray-haired man shouted with a loud laugh.
"He was just running, screaming. Blood was flying everywhere! I mean, seriously, you guys should have seen it!" The wolf laughed again, along with some of his companions.
Bell's body began to tremble a little.
"Enough is enough, shut your annoying mouth, Bete. Letting the Minotaur escape was our fault. We should apologize to that young man who was involved in the unfortunate event and we have no right to treat him as a topic of conversation during the meal. You really have no respect," Vice-Captain Riveria Ljos Alf rebuked the behavior of the werewolf.
"You're giving too much credit to the boy, he'll end up dead sooner or later, and good riddance too. If you're too weak and can't keep up, then you don't belong in the dungeon, right Ais? The weak should just die!" It was impossible to tell if he was really seeking support from the blonde adventurer or not, but Ais didn't seem at all happy.
Bell felt his heart skip a beat when he mentioned the name of his crush, he didn't know if she gave a facial signal to fit a response because he couldn't see or hear anything from her, "did she agree?" was what was going through his head, that anxiety was killing him, he wanted…he just wanted to get out of there.
"CURSE YOOOOOOOUUUUUUUU!" An unexpected scream filled the pub, causing some to cover their ears because of the volume.
Bell himself was so disoriented that the thought of running out the door of the pub was gone, and now he, like everyone else in the tavern, had their eyes on the hooded half-elf.
The half-elf stood up from his seat. "This is so annoying! Someone should put a leash on that mongrel, his incessant barking is ruining the taste of the drink!" Kunihito argued with an irritated tone towards the members of the Loki Family.
"Crazy" was the word that could distinguish the looks of the adventurers around as they looked at the half-elf.
Bete took a second to assimilate what was said to him "Ahã? What did you call me!?" The werewolf growled at the half-elf.
"Are those huge ears just for decoration, or do you just not wash them properly?" Kunihito replied sarcastically.
Bete had an angry expression on his face worthy of any predator facing an opponent, but to Kunihito it was more like a puppy hiding behind his loud barks.
A random adventurer stood up and went over to Kunihito with the intention of calming him down - "Hey, hey, man, do you know who you're dealing with? He's one of the main adventurers of the Loki Family, Bete Loga, it's thanks to his strength and level that he's one of the strongest in Orario, he's the great Vanargand, a pillar of the Loki Family!" - The nearby adventurer tried to warn the half-elf to back off… In response, Kunihito laughed.
"YAHAHAHAHA! Vanargand, seriously? You mean his nickname is literally the one who will bring disaster to his God, by the way, why the hell would I know this noisy idiot, the beast that will be part of the apocalypse? So where's the apocalypse? To me, he looks more like those kids who hide behind the achievements of those above him." The half-elf mocked.
"A kid shouldn't boast about his supposed achievements while making fun of those who have just started walking through the dungeon, by the way, your great 'pillar' is so useless that he needs you to introduce him." Kunihito distorted the facts the man was trying to make, which made the werewolf even more irritated.
"'The weak should just die!' It must feel good to feel so superior, you can say whatever you want when you don't like something, go ahead, try it, you can try to take me down with all your strength, great pillar of a family of failed fools who don't know the true meaning of strength." Kunihito said, pointing his finger at Bete.
The situation was tense, the Pub was all quiet, Bete then began to approach the half-elf until he was face to face with him, then a bloody smile formed on his face - "Very well, where do you want to die!" - It wasn't a question, it was more like a confirmation.
Kunihito formulated an even bloodier smile - "In a place nearby and full of people." - He said, staring at the werewolf with a predatory look.
(To be continued…)
