"Ahhhh!"
Bell jolted awake. He was lying on a soft pillow, his eyes scanning desperately for threats. Instead, he saw a marble ceiling, with an intricate pattern that looked suspiciously like a court jester.
Bell was drenched in sweat, but his heart rate, still tachycardiac, was beginning to go down. Until he heard the sound of a door creak. He blinked, still looking up, when a set of eyes appeared before him. These eyes. He'd seen them before. They were a dazzling gold, expressing a natural serenity that just made Bell feel… safe.
"You're awake," the eyes said. Wait, no…
"Ahhhh!" Bell screamed, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, as he pushed himself up on his bed. Those eyes, the Dungeon, the minotaur, the red-haired woman. He was alive! And in front of him was the woman who saved him, wearing a white, gold-lined dress. Golden hair flowed to her shoulders. She looked like a Goddess. She was entrancingly beautiful. "W-Where am I? What's going on? Wh-Who… who are you?"
"It is okay, you are safe," she responded, her voice very matter of fact. "There is no minotaur here."
"Oh o-okay. But where am I and who—"
"I must get the captain and Loki-sama. Please stay here," the Goddess cut off, leaving the room in a blur of white fabric.
Bell's jaw dropped. What the hell was going on? Bell swallowed, realizing his face was flushed. He must've looked like a stupid tomato to the golden-eyed Goddess. All he knew was that he was alive and the beautiful woman who'd saved him just left. He really needed an explanation.
III
Loki sat at the head of the massive table that was centered inside the equally large dining hall. The table was fashioned from a mighty Ulterian, an enormous tree from the Wishe forest. Its wood was said to be immune to magical blasts, but no matter how many times she asked Riveria or Lefiya to test that, they told her no due to its immense cost.
Right now, however, Loki was in no mood to pester her mages. The Goddess rested her head on her palm, as she poked the ribs of the fish on her plate with her fork. Next to her sat the captain of her family, Finn Deimne. The pallum was telling everyone about the time Bete haggled with an old merchant and ended up paying ten thousand Valis for a "stamina potion". Even Riveria giggled behind her covered mouth at how the gray-haired werewolf got ripped off, as it turned out to be cheap spirit, and Bete had to stay behind on the eighteenth floor when he got drunk off it.
Bete was furiously defending himself, saying he only felt drunk, when really his body was overflowing with energy. Usually, Loki would be joining her Familia in the festivities. Instead, she sat glumly, smiling half-heartedly whenever Finn glanced her way, with an untouched beer next to her picked over food. Try as her Familia might, they were unable to cheer up the Goddess. Her thoughts couldn't be dragged away from the unconscious white-haired boy upstairs.
Contrary to the laughing, everyone at the Ulterian table felt concern and gratitude for the boy who'd saved their goddess by stalling for time. A level one holding off a minotaur for as so long was a remarkable achievement. The torture he endured from the savage irregular made the executives feel all the more indebted. Even Bete had a grudging respect for the boy (though he'd never say it), as the boy used his mental strength to make up for his physical weakness.
When Ais had rescued Loki and the boy, they immediately rushed back to the Twilight Manor, both in the arms of the Sword Princess. Ais didn't even bother asking the Goddess of trickery why she was in the Dungeon. It wasn't until the boy's condition stabilized that all of Loki's executives called her out on her foolishness. She hadn't seen Finn that furious in years. Riviera's silent disappointment stung even more. Since when did the children of her own Familia begin to feel like parents?
Yet, Finn, Riviera, and the others eased up when they realized the extent of Loki's own guilt. They actually were worried for their Goddess, not remembering the last time she was so downcast. Usually, Loki tried to deflect or joke about her mistakes. This withdrawnness and brooding were unlike her to say the least.
The night was shaping out to be like the last couple—with undertones of sorrow despite celebrations ongoing from a hard-fought expedition to the fiftieth floor.
That was until Ais came down to the dinner table. The second everyone saw Ais, silence permeated throughout the hall. The Sword Princess had been holed up with the boy she saved, taking a personal interest in his health as she was the one who saved his life. Tiona would've teased the level five adventurer had the circumstances been any less serious.
Loki herself stared at her personal favorite child with swirling feelings of hope and guilt in her stomach.
"He's awake," Ais said, succinct as ever.
Pandemonium erupted in the dining hall. Chairs were screeched back as the adventurers jumped up, ready to head upstairs. Only Riveria, Gareth, and Bete stayed sitting. Loki barely heard Riveria tell the others to stay put as she, the High Elf, Finn, and Ais ran upstairs. The sounds of protest from Tiona and Tione faded in the background. It was only when Loki was just outside the boy's room did she slow herself down, realizing how hard it would be to face the boy. She slowed down, letting the other three barge into the room, as she decided to hide just outside.
III
Bell was overwhelmed. His room had become cramped with unfamiliar faces. There was blond boy around his age, a beautiful, green-haired elf, and the golden-haired Goddess from before.
"You're finally awake!" exclaimed the blond boy. "I'm Finn."
"It brings me pleasure to see that you are well. I'm Riveria," said the Elf, a motherly smile on her face.
"I am Ais," said the golden-haired girl from before. Huh. Betraying her looks and presence, she wasn't actually a Goddess.
"We have waited four days to ask you for your name, brave one," Riviera said, question implied.
"I-I'm Bell. Bell Cranel. I've been asleep… for four days?" Bell questioned, blushing from the attention. He couldn't even look at the woman who saved him, Ais, as he feared he'd pass out again. He knew he took a beating, but to be out for that long? His body must've been ravaged.
Bell, his thoughts racing, absentmindedly shifted his head to his left arm. His arm? Completely intact. Before Finn could muster up a response, Bell blurted out, "My arm? It got cut off! How is it…?"
"That's thanks to some spare mermaid blood we had left—from an incredibly rare monster in the Water City of the Dungeon—that's powerful enough to fully repair anything broken and reattach anything severed," Finn said matter-of-factly. "Your fight with the minotaur—the torture you braved—put you in devasting shape. Without Riveria's healing magic to stabilize you and the mermaid blood, you never would have woken up."
'Incredibly rare? That sounds expensive,' Bell thought, embarrassed. "Thank you for saving me." He bowed his head as deeply as he could while sitting up in the comfortable bed he was in.
He felt a nudge on his chin as Riveria lifted his head up.
"Please, do not bow to us," she said, a twinkle in her eye as they made prolonged eye contact, the action deepening Bell's blush. "We are the ones who owe you."
"Seriously. We are in your debt for saving the life of our Goddess. I'd have no idea what to do if she'd been sent back to Tenkai," Finn said, thankful. The pallum dropped onto one knee and bowed deeply.
"Wha-what?! That's not necessary! You-you're mistaken, I didn't save any Goddess," Bell stuttered out. "Wait! That beautiful red-haired woman! The one the minotaur wounded! Is she okay?"
Finn and Riveria smiled knowingly. Ais tilted her head to the left.
"Loki-sama! Why haven't you come in to greet your savior Bell-san?" Finn asked at the slightly peered open door. A loud cough was heard on the other side. Almost impossibly fast to Bell's eyes, Finn pulled the door open.
"Ahhh! Finn!" yelped the red-haired woman, as she tumbled into the room, falling down on the ground. She shot up quickly, looking at Bell. Her face was as red as her hair. "B-Bell! Thank you for sa-saving me. I… uh… was trying to surprise my Familia by sneaking into the Dungeon."
'Her Familia…? Loki-sama…?' Bell's gears turned. "Wait! You're the Goddess Loki! Head of the Loki Familia, one of the strongest Familias in all of Orario?!" Bell dropped his head again, bowing once again.
'I called a Goddess beautiful to her face unknowingly!' he thought, cheeks reddening once again.
The Goddess of trickery couldn't even take pride in herself and her Familia, still blushing furiously from Bell's compliment. Usually she was the one flirting, she was caught completely off guard. Except the boy didn't know she was there, his words were pure and genuine. And embarrassing! "Y-yes, that is me."
Bell looked at Finn, Riveria, and the knees of Ais, still not brave enough for eye contact. "That… that means you all are…"
"The captain of the Loki Familia, Finn Deimne or Braver," the pallum smirked. "This is Riveria Ljos Alf or Nine Hell, the vice-captain of the Loki Familia, and of course, Ais Wallenstein or Sword Princess, an executive of the Loki Familia."
Bell sat there, gobsmacked, mouth agape as in front of him stood some of the most influential people in all of Orario. And they thought they owed him?! He couldn't believe it.
"It's an honor," he managed to get out.
"You fought valiantly. Thank you for what you did, Bell-san," said Ais.
There it was. Bell couldn't take it anymore. The fuse was lit, he was going to explode. "P-please Wallenstein-san! It was what any adventurer would do!"
"Please, call me Ais."
Boom.
"Yes Ais-san!"
Finn and Riveria shared a quizzical yet amused look.
"You see, that's the thing. Not every adventurer would do that," the pallum began. "What you did, it—"
"Bell-kun, please forgive me! I'm sorry for the pain I caused you!" Loki blurted out, interrupting Finn. She'd clearly been bottling up her apology for the past minute.
"Loki-sama, please do not apologize. You couldn't have known the minotaur would appear," Bell said, blushing and rubbing the back of his head. "Even I know such a beast on the fifth floor is irregular. And I've only been adventuring for two weeks!"
"What?" Riviera asked. Lok, Finn, and the High Elf had eyes wide open. Even Ais showed some emotion, her mouth was slightly open.
"Well, my advisor Eina-san informed me minotaurs only spawn on the seventeenth floor, one being present on the fifth is highly un—"
"I beg your pardon. We're familiar with the minotaur's spawning floor. Did you say you have been exploring the Dungeon for only two weeks? And you held off a minotaur by yourself on the fifth floor?" Finn questioned, dumbfounded
Bell was embarrassed. Of course these high-leveled famous adventurers know where minotaurs spawned. "Um, well technically I arrived in Orario three weeks ago. Or rather three weeks and four days considering I've been asleep for so long. I spent the first week searching for a Familia that would take me in."
Loki was quiet, still slightly embarrassed but also thankful that Bell was so gracious and kind. She didn't think she deserved forgiveness so quickly. She would have remained quiet, except a question that everyone was thinking by now came to her. "Bell-kun, which Familia do you belong to?"
"Ah," Bell started, embarrassed. "I, well, never found a Familia that would accept me. I've been exploring the Dungeon by myself without a Falna."
"WHAT?!" yelled Loki, Finn, and Riveria in unison.
"Yeah," Bell laughed awkwardly. For the first time since he woke up, he glanced at Ais, who hadn't shouted out with the others. The usually stoic Sword Princess' eyes were wide open.