Hey, I'm back!

RegulusCetus, he won't turn into a woman just because of certain Servants. Really, for now I'm only thinking of doing that with one specific Servant, and its because of their Noble Phantasm/nature of their character.

Exodus12345, I wouldn't say its actually slower than canon. More like the events that got him to level up just came later. Bell's growth is actually similar to in canon, but at a slightly lower rate considering he has the powers of Heroic Spirits, which would make things not as challenging.

And with the Heroic Spirits, Bell essentially has a level boost. So the gain in Excellia won't be as fast, but he will still be equally, if not stronger than in canon,

shinigami101505, thanks for the review.

Ryu wolf, thanks dude.

AnimeFan13579, I wanted his title to have something related to Heroes, so... Little Hero it is. And you are right that the effect on his physical appearance is not absolute.

When I say he doesn't have any physical appearance changes, I mean it when it comes to just Loading a hero. It is essentially like Include from the Kaleid series, just with the power level of Install. If he is using a Noble Phantasm or a Servant skill, where appropriate or inevitable, there may be changes.

For example, IF he uses Vlad III's Noble Phantasms, spikes will explode from his body, or the complexion of his skin may change to match that of a vampire. Handheld weapons or equipment aside, there will be minimal to no showing of any armor or changes to Bell's appearance.

Also, you used Mordred as an example. Now she is a potential one I will include in Bell's roster of Servants to inherit. But because of how I'm building up Bell's abilities or nature of using the Noble Phantasms, not every restriction will apply.

Let's say, the Thirteen Seals on Rhongomyniad or Excalibur Proto. Those will apply. But physical ones won't necessarily apply, simply because Bell's 'Set' chant will bypass them.

And again, I'm really just writing this for fun. I'm not really diving in too deep into how Fate mechanics will fit in, just that it will happen. So if it doesn't quite make sense to you, just take it as me chalking it up to Bell's skill or magic.

Anyway, another reason I chose Luck... is well... gacha hell.

The Luck stat was just one reason, but the gacha component of FGO, and how Bell currently only contracts heroes by them reaching out to him, was what convinced me.

Gilgamesh is one I have plans for, so do look forward to it. And you're right. Gilgamesh won't give Bell access to his treasury so soon. He will have to prove himself.

codywhite162, glad you loved the chapter. Here's the next one.

animehelpsdepression, GOLDEN indeed. And glad you liked the 4th wall breaking. Only the gods will be breaking the 4th wall, cuz they are literally the only ones who know there're other parallel universes out there.

So yeah, without further ado, here's the latest chapter.

XXX

The next morning, after having spent most of the night being teased by his colleagues at the Hostess, Bell was now walking through the Hephaestus Familia's shop.

The reason was simple.

His previous set of armor had been thoroughly trashed, both from the minotaur's strikes and him unleashing Kintoki's Noble Phantasm.

The armor, or rather, the chest plate, had been caught in the blast.

That left Bell without a good full set of armor.

The boy wandered through the alleys, looking for the gleam of metal he had come to be familiar with.

Bell had actually browsed through the pieces on sale before, and he had come to realize that Welf Crozzo's work tended to have a certain glint.

That, and he was going through each set of armor he could find, looking for the blacksmith mark that belonged to Welf Crozzo.

Bell sighed as he checked what had to be the hundredth set of armor, "No luck huh..."

He glanced around. He had pretty much gone through most of the sets on display, "Maybe he's not selling his work anymore..."

Bell continued to browse through the shop, until he eventually decided to just ask the receptionist.

As he approached the counter, Bell blinked when he saw a red haired man with a blue scarf wearing a navy set of clothing, arguing with the receptionist.

But as soon as the receptionist noticed Bell, he yelled out, "C-Can I help you there, sir?"

Bell approached them, and the redhead scowled and backed away, letting the white haired boy talk to the receptionist.

The boy smiled, "Actually, yes, I'm looking for Welf Crozzo's armor, could you perhaps help me find it?"

The receptionist blinked, as if shocked by what Bell had just said, and his eyes moved to look at the redhead.

Said redhead, on the other hand, started laughing slowly, until it became a fullblown round of laughter as if he had just lost his mind.

Bell blinked, and he blinked again, "Eh?"

The redhead reached down, and he picked up a crate, dropping it on the counter loudly, "If you're looking for Welf Crozzo's work, then you have some right here!"

Bell blinked again, "Wait... what?"

A short while later, Bell found himself sitting on a bench at an open area in the Hephaestus Familia shop, overseeing the majority of Orario.

The boy felt awkward, and he could only look at the set of armor between him and the redhead, or rather, Welf Crozzo himself.

Without a doubt, this new set of armor was definitely better than the one he had before.

Bell was about to speak, and even then he was unsure how to start, but he didn't need to.

"You know, I'd never have thought the Little Hero of all people would be buying my work."

The boy glanced up at the man, and he put on a smile, "I'd never have thought to be able to meet you in person, Crozzo-san."

Welf's lips thinned, and he looked away, "About that, can you... you know, not call me by my last name?"

Bell blinked, "Eh?"

The redhead sighed, "It... well, doesn't quite sit well with me."

The boy blinked again, before he nodded, "Sure, I guess. Welf-san it is then."

Welf sighed again, but a smile made its place back on his face, "A bit formal huh? But I guess I can live with that..."

He shook his head, "I guess that's as far as we can get on our first meeting."

Welf cleared his throat, before leaning on the crate of armor, "Anyway. So, Bell Cranel!"

Bell jumped, "Y-yes!"

The redhead smirked at his reaction, before speaking out loudly, "You've come to buy my armor not once, but twice now! Surely that makes you one of my regulars, am I right?"

Bell blinked, and he nodded, "I guess you're not wrong."

Almost immediately, the boy spotted a bunch of other blacksmiths turn away in annoyance, much to his confusion. But he did have a pretty good guess.

Evidently, Welf also noticed the change, or rather, he was hoping for it.

The redhead chuckled at that, before glancing at Bell with an apologetic look, "Excuse me for that, we have a bit of a turf war going on, ya see. If we don't put a claim of sort, anyone else can swoop in, but if we do, then we're basically telling the others to piss off."

Bell hummed, "I see..."

Welf smiled sheepishly, "I hope you don't mind."

The white haired boy chuckled and shook his head, "No, of course not. I like the armor you've forged, so we're good."

The redhead grinned, "Good to hear!"

Welf glanced down at the set of armor, "Which brings us to our next topic."

Bell blinked, "Yes?"

The redhead took a deep breath, and he looked at the boy, "Bell Cranel, I wasn't lying when I said you're my regular customer. In fact, you're probably the first one to even buy em."

Bell blinked again, "Wait, what? Really?"

Welf smiled at his reaction, "Really. Truth is, my work isn't as good as a lot of the others. Which is why I was surprised when you of all people bought my work."

The boy smiled, "Well, it is well made. And it has saved me before."

The redhead laughed softly, "That's the best praise a blacksmith can get."

Welf let out a breath, "But anyway, Bell. Would you like to form a contract with me?"

Bell blinked, "A contract?"

The blacksmith nodded, "Yes. I'll be your personal blacksmith, and I'll forge anything for you. Weapons, armor, supplies."

The boy looked at him dumbfounded. He'd heard of contracts between adventurers and blacksmiths.

They were some of the basic knowledge Eina had drilled into him, and he knew just how valuable contracts were.

Bell looked at Welf, "Are you sure?"

The redhead nodded, "I'm sure. Besides, no one else would buy my work. You're the newest record breaker, so I'm confident I want to form a direct contract with you. In fact, the question would be whether you want to or not."

The boy blinked, "Really?"

Welf smiled wryly, "Really. You really don't understand your position, do you?"

Bell blinked again, "Huh?"

The blacksmith sighed in exasperation, "You're the new record breaker, you have reputation. Me, on the other hand, I don't have much I can put to my name. So obviously, I have everything to gain from this, but the same cannot be said for you."

The boy considered the idea, before he asked, "What would a contract entail?"

Welf blinked, before he smiled, "Basically, I become your personal blacksmith. I'll only ever work for you, and I'll basically be obliged to make anything for you. Weapons, armor, the lot."

Bell hummed, "I see..."

The blacksmith nodded, "Of course, you can choose to get armor from someone else, but well, that's a bridge we can cross at a later date."

Welf let out a breath, "And, one more thing, I want to get this out of the way if we make things official."

The boy raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

The redhead looked at him in the eye, "Bell Cranel, in exchange for being your personal blacksmith, I want you to let me join your party. I don't care if you keep all the magic crystals, but all I want is the chance to get drop items from the dungeon."

Bell blinked, until he realized what Welf was looking for, and he chuckled, "I don't mind if you join my party even without being my contracted blacksmith, really. But for now, this doesn't sound like a bad deal to me."

The boy nodded, "Alright, Welf Crozzo, you have a deal. We'll hash out the details, and we'll form a contract, and you'll be in our party."

Welf grinned, "Cool, sounds good."

The redhead extended his hand, "For now, lets shake on it."

Bell blinked, before he smiled, "Alright."

He shook Welf's hand, and they shared a nod, before Welf glanced down at the armor, "Oh, and I suppose as a sign of good faith, you can keep the armor for free."

Bell blinked, "I'm sorry, what?"

(Linebreak)

The next morning, Bell was back in the Hostess training with Ryuu.

The boy currently had EMIYA loaded, Kanshou and Bakuya in one hand each, "So, what do you think?"

Ryuu redirected the blows from the married blades with her own, "Hmm, from what you're telling me, he sounds like a rookie blacksmith, but I believe that may work in your favor."

Bell raised an eyebrow as he blocked Alvs Lumina with Kanshou, before striking back with Bakuya, "How?"

The elf dodged the slash, before kicking him back, "This Welf, he seems to be quite talented if he forged your armor, but he is still a rookie if that's the best he can do. Blacksmiths are like adventurers, they improve their craft as they go."

The boy realized what she was getting at, and he blocked a slash from the elf, "I see, as we both grow, our respective talents will compliment each other."

Ryuu nodded as she pulled back, allowing Bell to push on his attack, "Yes, your equipment will improve in quality the stronger you get, matching your own innate abilities and the monsters you will face."

The boy pushed on as she wanted, both swords cutting through the air in perfect rhythm as he did his best to hit Ryuu.

Only for Ryuu to block the first two strikes before kicking him again, launching him back.

Bell got his feet, "That does sound like a good idea."

The elf nodded, "It is. But it's good to know you're taking my advice into consideration, he may be a blacksmith, but another party member will still be beneficial."

The boy nodded, "But of course."

Bell let Kanshou and Bakuya fade away, the power of EMIYA along with them, "Now, let's try something new."

Ryuu raised an eyebrow at his actions, but wasted no time into rushing at him.

"Load: Sakata Kintoki."

The elf's eyes widened when the lightning struck, and she was forced to back up when she saw the giant axe in his hands.

Ryuu took a moment to regain her breath, "I see, is that your newest weapon?"

Bell smiled as he brandished the Golden Eater, "Yes, Sakata Kintoki. He's the latest hero I contracted."

The elf's lips curved upwards, "Let us put it to the test them."

The boy's smile turned into a grin as lightning crackled around him, "Okay!"

Ryuu dashed at him, and Bell raised his axe in anticipation.

A short while later, Bell left the pub to meet Lili and Welf, leaving Ryuu to join their other colleagues.

As the elf exited the showers, she saw Mia waiting for her, "Mama Mia?"

The dwarf hummed, "You didn't say anything about his new blacksmith's heritage."

Ryuu nodded, "What is there to say?"

Mia raised an eyebrow, "Welf... Welf Crozzo. Are you sure you don't mind?"

The elf shook her head, "No, I don't mind. In fact, I believe having Cranel-san form a contract with him would be good. Besides, I do not bear any grudges against the Crozzo family anyway."

The owner sighed, "If you say so. Anyway, what'd you think about Bell's newest powers?"

Ryuu paused, before she answered, "It was... interesting. Despite being a heavy weapon, Cranel-san didn't show any difficulty holding it. His strength increased, his speed too, but that was a result of his increased strength. And his lightning magic..."

Mia nodded, "They are constantly active, no, more like they are there passively."

The elf nodded, "Aside from his single chant, those abilities are strange. Rather than magic, I'd say they are closer to being a skill."

The dwarf hummed, "I see. That's all?"

Ryuu nodded, "For now."

Mia sighed, "That boy is definitely going places. But good on him, I guess."

With that said, the dwarf walked off, leaving Ryuu to join the other waitresses.

(linebreak)

Later, Bell was on the 11th floor with Lili and Welf.

The blacksmith looked like a kid as they descended through the stairs, "Yes! We're here!"

The boy chuckled, "You seem pretty excited."

Welf glanced back at him, "Well of course I'd be. I've been given materials from my seniors before, once in a blue moon. But coming down on my own has always been something I wanna do."

Bell smiled, "I suppose it does feel nice when you get somewhere you've only ever heard about."

The redhead grinned, "Yeah dude."

Welf cleared his throat, "Anyway, thanks again for doing this. I know it's still early into our contract, but still."

Bell chuckled, "Don't sweat, you need to level up for the Blacksmith skill, right?"

On a side, neither males noticed the disgruntled face of the prum in disguise.

Lili sighed, "I'm sure its a great deal for him anyway... To find a new Level 2 adventurer who just so happens to have made a name for himself."

Bell looked at her, "Lili, Welf-san's also my contracted blacksmith. It's already in writing, so the sooner we get him the Blacksmith skill, the better, right?"

The 'chienthrope' looked at him, "Just because there's a written contract doesn't mean anything, or have you for already forgotten what happened two days ago?"

She looked at Welf with judging eyes, "He could've still gone with his Familia members. The Hephaestus Familia isn't exactly filled with weak people, you know?"

The boy sighed this time, "Lili, Welf and his Familia... well..."

Lili turned to glare at him, "Of course, he doesn't get along with them, does he? Add in a new set of armor, I'm pretty sure you have plenty of reason to bring him along, am I right?"

Bell backed up with an awkward smile, "Well... if you put it that way..."

Welf looked back at them, and he sighed, "Look, if I'm really in the way, you can just say it to my face, ya lil shrimp."

Lili glared at him, "I will! And I'm not a Lil Shrimp! My name Lililuca Arde!"

The redhead grinned, "Is that so? Then apologies, Lil Lili!"

Welf extended a hand, "Let's start over, yeah?"

The prum looked like she was about to explode, until she calmed down and looked away, "Whatever!"

Bell chuckled awkwardly, "Look, Lili, I really like his work, okay? Welf-san, Welf Crozzo is someone I want to keep a contract with."

That triggered a reaction in the prum, and she snapped her eyes at him, "Crozzo?!"

Welf sighed, "Ah crap..."

Lili looked at him, "Did you just say his name is Crozzo? As in those cursed magic weapon smiths?!"

Bell blinked, before he smiled, "Yes, that's right. But I really like his work, I mean it. Besides, his set of armor saved me before. Whatever happened before to his family doesn't matter to me. Welf is his own person."

That made both Lili and Welf to look at him, both in slight surprise, the latter more so.

The boy grinned, "And well, the Crozzo name is also a part of the story of the Argonaut, right?"

Both companions blinked, before Lili sighed, "Right, it's always about heroes for you."

Welf looked at Bell, "Wait, so you knew?"

The younger boy grinned, "Of course, I can't call myself a hero if I don't know everything about the story of the Argonaut now, can I?"

The redhead looked like he wanted to speak more, until they all heard a rumbling sound.

Bell glanced around, spotting the countless monsters that started to spawn around them, "We can continue this conversation later, okay?"

Welf nodded, deciding to push his emotions down and focus on the task at hand, "Yeah, and you can leave the orcs to me. Even as I am, I'm confident I can take em."

Lili furrowed her brows, before speaking up, "I'll back you up."

The redhead blinked and glanced at her, "I thought you didn't like me."

The prum huffed, "I don't, but I'd hate it more if we got in Bell-sama's way."

Welf's lips thinned, "Is that so?"

Bell chuckled sheepishly, "Alright, leave the rest to me, okay?"

He turned to the horde of monsters, "This'll be a good time to test it out."

The young man took a breath, and chanted, "Load: Sakata Kintoki."

Lightning exploded from his body, and the heir to the Throne dashed forward.

As the remaining two took on the two orcs, Welf caught a glimpse of the Golden Eater, "What the shit?"

Back with Bell, the boy brandished the combat axe, lightning crackling around the blade, "Alright, here we go!"

A dozen imps lounged at him, and he easily dodged them. As he did, Bell furrowed his brows in confusion.

They were slow. Granted, most monsters had always been slow to him when he used any of the Heroic Spirits' powers.

But now, they were slower, much slower.

The boy realized quickly what was going. The monsters had not gotten slower.

He had simply gotten faster.

Bell quickly found himself in middle of the monsters, and he turned, the memories of Kintoki filling his mind, telling him how to move.

Bell spun, "Ashigara... SENPUU!"

The power from the spin brought up dust, and the lightning danced around Bell as he spun, creating a human typhoon that tore through the imps.

Not missing a beat, the boy turned, leaping into the air as he spotted an orc, a third one in addition to the two Welf and Lili were fighting.

Bell raised the axe, and as he came down, cleaved the orc perfectly in half.

The young boy turned to look at his companions, just in time to see Welf cleave the second orc in half, exploding into a burst of ash.

Bell approached them, "All done?"

Welf let out a breath as he relaxed, "Yeah... I see you're done too."

The redhead smiled in exasperation, "By the gods, a Level 2 really is different huh?"

Bell chuckled, "You're pretty good yourself."

Lili scoffed, "If we're done, I'm gonna get the magic stones, okay?"

Welf nodded, "Yeah, sure, we'll keep watch."

As the prum went to collect the stones, Welf sat on a boulder, while Bell watched their surroundings.

The redhead laughed, "But seriously though, being in a party sure makes things a whole lot easier!"

Bell nodded, "Yeah, we have more people to share the workload, after all."

Welf grinned, "Hell yeah, it really changes how we can move and fight. Totally different from if you're doing things alone."

The white rabbit nodded, staring at Lili, "I mean, even having just a supporter with you makes things a whole lot easier. A full party would definitely change the game."

As the prum collected the stones, both males noticed more another group of adventurers descending the stairs.

Bell noted, "More people are coming down."

Welf nodded, "Well, yeah. Usually we wouldn't see many adventurers, but you do bump into some people once in a while."

The blacksmith leaned back on the boulder, "Anyway, once Lil' Lili's done, we can have a lunch break before we go deeper."

Bell nodded, "Yeah, I guess we can leave the monsters to the other adventurers."

The boy made a mental note to keep an eye out. Ged and Mord had not exactly given him the best impressions of other adventurers.

The two stood/sat there, waiting for Lili to finish, considering all of their supplies were with the supporter.

But before they could continue their conversation, a yell reached their ears.

"RUN! There's an Infant Dragon!"

The two snapped their heads to where the yell had come from, spotting three men running away from a wingless dragon the size of an elephant.

Bell's eyes snapped wide open, "Shit, where's Lili?"

Welf looked around, and he spotted the large bag next to a dead tree, "Lili! Where are you?!"

The prum blinked when she heard their voices, and she turned, knocking the dead tree down with her giant bag.

The sound from the tree falling to the ground brought the Infant Dragon's attention to her.

Lili's eyes widened when she saw the large monster, and she quickly turned to run away as the beast stomped after her.

Bell cursed, "Dammit!"

He broke into a dash, "Load: Heracles!"

The air around him gave way, and Bell almost vanished with a loud boom.

He easily closed the gap between him and the infant dragon in but an instant, and he leaped into the air.

Bell's hands reached out, and this time, instead of the nameless axe sword, an actual axe, a giant golden axe appeared in his hands.

The boy roared, "SET: NINE LIVES!"

He brought the axe down, and the moment the axe touched the infant dragon, it cut through its body like paper, before the corpse exploded in a burst of ash.

Everyone could only watch in shock at what had happened.

Despite having reached Level 2 recently, destroying an Infant Dragon in a single hit wasn't something any Level 2 could do easily.

Welf blinked, "What in the world?"

Bell, on the other hand, didn't bother to respond, as he ran over to Lili, "Lili! You okay?!"

The chienthrope nodded, "Y-yes, thank you, Bell-sama."

The white rabbit sighed in relief, "Good, good."

Bell looked around, "Alright, if we're good, let's take a break. We can end things on the 12th floor and head back."

Lili just nodded, still in the process of calming down, "S-sure."

(Linebreak)

Later that night, Bell was back in the Hostess, this time on kitchen duty with Mia alone.

Despite being hidden away, Mia had insisted he work as Bella in case he was needed outside or if anyone saw him.

Mia hummed as she finished cooking another dish, "So, I hear you have a contract with that Crozzo kid."

Bell, or rather, Bella nodded, "Yes, that's right. His name is Welf Crozzo."

The dwarf nodded, "I know. Quite the blacksmith you got there."

The white rabbit blinked, "Huh? I don't quite follow."

Mia raised an eyebrow, before she sighed, "Right, I keep forgetting you've only been in Orario for around two months."

The dwarf explained, "That blacksmith, Welf Crozzo, his family is known for being smiths who can forge magic weapons, you following so far?"

Bell nodded, "Yes, it was said they took out a lot of elves with their magic swords, but some time after, they were cursed and couldn't forge any more magic swords."

Mia nodded, "Good, so you know your stuff."

The 'girl' raised an eyebrow as 'she' brought the ingredients to Mia as she tossed some onions into a wok, "I don't see what this has got to do with Welf though? I mean, he can't make them anymore, right?"

The dwarf snorted, "That's the thing, he can forge magic swords. Or at least, that's what I heard from drunk ass people from his Familia."

Bella blinked, "I'm sorry, what?"

Mia nodded as she tossed in some mushrooms from the plate Bella had grabbed, "Yep, and they're damn good too. But all I hear from them is that this Welf is wasting his talent."

The white rabbit furrowed 'her' brows in confusion, "What, why?"

The dwarf cracked some eggs into the wok, "Cuz he ain't forging any of them magic swords. Not sure why, but if he did, he'd be filthy rich."

Bella nodded, "I see..."

Mia nodded as she plated the omelette, "That's what I hear people say about your contracted blacksmith anyway, you can decide what to do yourself later."

The white haired boy nodded, "Yeah, thanks, Mama Mia."

The dwarf snorted, "Now get this out to the others, then we'll start getting you to actually cook."

Bella nodded, "Got it!"

(Linebreak)

The next day, Bell was in front of the tower of Babel with Welf.

The redhead blinked, "So... the midget's not coming today?"

Bell nodded, "Yeah, sorry, she literally told me this morning. She has something on with her Familia that she has to sort out."

Welf sighed, "Guess there's no helping it then."

The boy nodded, "Yeah, sorry for making you come here for nothing."

The blacksmith snorted, "Don't be sorry dude, it's fine."

Welf blinked, before he looked at Bell, "Speaking of which, now that we're here, how about you come to my place today?"

Bell blinked in confusion, "Huh?"

The redhead smirked, "You did bring me to the dungeon yesterday, so today's time for me to fulfill my end of the contract."

The boy looked at him, before he nodded, "Sure, I'm down for that."

Welf's smirk widened, "Cool."

After a short walk, the pair found themselves at a decent sized shack next to a moderately sized house.

Bell blinked, "Woah, you live here?"

Welf chuckled, "Yeah, well, I don't live with the others, I have my own house, ya see. It works out better that way."

The boy nodded, "Right."

The redhead pushed open the door, "Come on in, and sorry if its a bit messy, I haven't had the time to clean up yesterday."

The two walked in, and Welf placed his sword down, "Alright, let's get started."

He glanced back at Bell, who was looking around like a kid in a candy store, "You got anything in mind?"

The white haired boy hummed, "For now this light armor is enough, I think."

Welf raised an eyebrow, "Seriously? You should have something you wanna try out, right?"

Bell chuckled sheepishly, "I mean, our contract did say you'd forge my equipment without cost, so I guess the armor is enough for now."

The redhead blinked, before he sighed, a smile forming on his face, "Dude, that clause is there for a reason, you that, right?"

The boy just giggled sheepishly, "I mean..."

Bell considered the idea, before he spotted the swords on the wall, "You mind if I look around? I might think of something to try."

Welf chuckled, "Sure, knock yourself out."

The boy went to one of the swords, a falchion sword, and he picked it up, giving it a good swing.

The redhead smiled, "No one would buy that one, ya see."

Bell looked at him in slight surprise, "Really?"

Welf nodded, "Really."

The boy looked at the sword, "But it's good, I'm not the best at this, but I can see its a good sword."

The redhead smiled humorlessly, "Not everyone thinks that way."

Bell nodded as he studied the sword more, looking at the sides and the guard.

Welf's smile dropped, "... Are you not going to ask me for a magic sword?"

That caught Bell off guard, and he almost dropped the sword, "I'm sorry, what?"

The redhead stood up, "It came up yesterday, so I thought we'd have this conversation now. You've heard the rumors, right?"

The white rabbit nodded, "I do. And I mean what I said yesterday, it doesn't matter to me if you can make magic swords or not."

Bell smiled and pointed to his chest armor, "What convinced me to get a contract with you, is this."

His smile turned into a grin, "Besides, having a Crozzo as my blacksmith makes it feel like I'm the Argonaut."

Welf blinked, before he laughed, "By the gods, you're serious, huh?"

Bell grinned, "Dead serious, surely you've heard things about me by now, right?"

The redhead chuckled, "I guess that goes both ways huh? Someone who can use the powers of legendary heroes from a forgotten past, was it?"

The boy nodded, "That's right."

Welf looked at a side, "But didn't that Crozzo forge a magic sword for the Argonaut anyway?"

Bell blinked, before he smiled, "That he did, but I'm not looking for that from you."

The blacksmith looked at Bell, "Then why did you accept the contract. If not for my magic swords, why?"

Bell smiled, "I told you, right? What got me, was the armor you made."

The boy placed the falchion down, "And well, I'm not sure how things will go, but I have enough in terms of magic."

Welf blinked, "What do you mean?"

Bell smiled, "What I need is normal equipment, normal weapons. I don't magical items or weapons, especially if you're not comfortable making them."

He considered the idea, before nodding to himself, "Load: EMIYA."

The air around him gave way, and to Welf's confusion, Bell held his hands out, "Trace... on."

In the blink of an eye, Kanshou and Bakuya appeared in his hands, much to Welf's surprise.

The redhead looked at them, "What... what are these?"

Bell smiled, "Kanshou and Bakuya. I can use powers of legendary heroes, right? That includes their signature weapons, or at least, weapons of their choice. EMIYA has a collection of swords, but I can only summon a few for now."

Welf nodded as he studied the blades, "These... these feel like they were forged by Lady Hephaestus herself."

The boy nodded, "I suppose they would. But what I'm trying to say is, I don't want to rely on them too much. Not until I can fight on my own. What I'm looking for, is a partner, an extension of myself I can wield to the best of my ability."

The redhead looked at him, almost dumbfounded, and he laughed.

Welf laughed, much to Bell's confusion, and the white rabbit asked, "Did I say something weird?"

The redhead took a deep breath, calming himself down, "No, you didn't. What you said just now, is pretty much the reason why I don't want to forge magic swords."

Bell blinked, "Huh?"

Welf handed Kanshou and Bakuya back to Bell, who simply dispelled them, "Magic swords... What do you know about them?"

The boy hummed, "Not too much. I know they are weapons, mostly blades, that contain magic. You can use them to unleash magic, usually fire. But the Crozzo family's magic swords can pretty much do anything in general."

The blacksmith nodded, "That's right. But the thing about magic swords, or magic weapons in general, is that they break."

Welf frowned as he looked at his forge, "You see, I used to have a lot of customers. But they all knew of my blood, and somehow, people found out about my magic swords. That the Crozzo magic swords that I forge, don't break on a single use."

The redhead sighed, "But still, that doesn't mean my magic swords don't break."

Bell hummed, "Is that why you hate them?"

Welf chuckled, "It's not like I hate the idea of a magic sword. But everyone who came to me, they asked for a magic sword. As a smith, I'd obviously ask why they want the swords."

His smile dropped, "If they wanted something to protect them, something that would keep them alive, I'd be down for it. But all of them, each and one of them, they all said the same thing."

"I want magic swords so I can rise up in the ranks."

"I want weapons that can bring me fame."

Welf looked at the weapons around him, "But... that's not what a weapon should be, am I right?"

Bell nodded, his mind going to the countless Noble Phantasms he'd learned of from EMIYA's memories.

The nameless bowman aside, each and one of them belonged to someone who did their best to master said weapon.

Those weapons, regardless of how their wielders ended up, all served the same purpose.

The same cannot be said for magic swords.

The boy spoke, "I can see where you're coming from. All they are looking for from you is an item, a tool."

Welf nodded, "Exactly. The weapons we forge, the weapons we give out. They're meant to be partners. You can find yourself in the worst of situations, you can find yourself all alone in a fight. But your weapon will not, cannot leave you alone.'

He looked down, "That's the reason I don't like forging magic swords. The way people see them, the way they are used, is completely against my beliefs as a blacksmith."

Bell nodded, "I see. That is a very romantic way to look a weapons, Welf-san."

Welf laughed softly, "I wouldn't say romantic... really."

The boy chuckled, "But thanks for telling me that, like seriously."

The blacksmith stood up, "Don't sweat it. Now."

Welf looked at Bell, "You have any idea what you want?"

Bell's eyes darted to the shelves, before he remembered he had the Hestia Knife sheathed, and an idea came to mind.

The boy looked at his contracted blacksmith, "Actually, yes I do."

The redhead grinned, "Lay it on me."

Bell reached to his bag, where he kept the minotaur's horn he'd gotten from when he first Loaded Kintoki, "I've been dual wielding Kanshou and Bakuya for a while now, and I want to try doing it without borrowing EMIYA's powers."

He pulled out the horn, along with the Hestia Knife, "I have a knife already, so I was thinking to get another one."

Welf quickly understood, "I get what you mean. I can probably make a knife with the same length and weight."

His eyes landed on the Hestia Knife, and he grimaced, "But dude, I know my goddess made you a weapon, but I'm pretty sure I can't make anything that will match her work, if at all."

Bell blinked, before he realized what Welf was saying, "Ah! S-sorry! I probably shouldn't have-"

Welf waved him off with a soft laugh, "It's fine. Lady Hephaestus told me already. You're goddess bought it for you, didn't she? So that has nothing to do with our contract."

The redhead grinned, "In fact, it sort of gives me something of a goal to reach."

The white rabbit blinked, "Wait, what?"

Welf took the knife from Bell, "I've seen her work before, but seeing it again really just shows how big of a gap there is between us."

The blacksmith nodded to himself, "Alright, let's do this!"

Welf turned to light up his forge, "I see you've got a minotaur's horn with you, you want me to use that as a base?"

Bell glanced at the horn in his hand, "Yeah, if you can."

The blacksmith smirked, "Easily done."

He glanced at the Hestia Knife at a side, roughly noting down just how long the knife would have to be, "Okay, I think what we have here should be enough. I'll have to throw in some metal as well."

Soon, the forge started to heat up, and Welf glanced back at Bell, "Stand back, it's gonna get a bit hot."

Bell nodded, "Oh, okay."

Soon, the man started the forging process.

Melting down the materials, hammering it down, molding it into the shape of a knife.

Bell watched as Welf went through each step bit by bit, step by step.

He could easily tell, just how much practice Welf had put into the craft.

And as he watched, Bell felt his back grow warm.

The white rabbit continued to watch, taking in the sight of every swing of the hammer, every second of the process.

Until Welf finished the blade, and the redhead pulled open the windows, letting the sunlight shine onto the newly forged blade.

It length roughly the same as the Hestia Knife, with a slightly shorter grip, and Welf nodded in satisfaction, "Not bad for my first time forging a knife with a minotaur's horn."

The redhead looked at Bell with a smile, "I can say with confidence that this is by far my best work to date."

Bell studied the blade, and even he could tell that it was better than almost every other blade in the shack, "Woah."

Welf chuckled at his reaction, before he spoke up again, "Now, let's think of a name."

The blacksmith looked at the knife, "I guess, since its a dagger we made from a minotaur's horn, how about Mino-Tan?"

Bell blinked, before he grinned, "Mino-Tan... Like the sword Crozzo forged for the Argonaut?"

Welf blinked, before he laughed, "Yes, like the sword Crozzo forged for the Argonaut!"

The redhead's laugh lessened, "Alright, Mino-Tan it is then."

Welf placed the knife into a leather sheath, before holding it out to Bell, "Here."

The boy giddily took the knife, "Thank you-?"

Bell was about to take the knife, only to find Welf suddenly tightening his grip on the knife.

The boy asked, "Welf-san?"

The redhead almost grimaced from how much it took for him to stop Bell from snatching it away, but he pushed it down, "Bell. I know we've only met like literally two days ago."

Welf took a deep breath, "I can't tell you to trust me, not completely. But even then, I hope we can really be friends."

The redhead scratched the back of his neck with his free hand in embarrassment, "For gods sake, I'm really bad at this... But what I'm trying to say is, well, to treat me as a friend, or a comrade at least."

Bell blinked, before he smiled, "Gotcha. I'll be counting on you from now on then, Welf."

Welf grinned, "Thank you, Bell."

The redhead released his grip, letting the boy take the knife, before he added, "And seriously, let me know what you need from now on, okay? That's what our contract is for."

Bell laughed softly, "Alright alright, you'll be the first one I'll go to."

Welf chuckled, "You better."

The white rabbit looked out of the windows, "It's getting late, wanna grab dinner?"

The blacksmith hummed, before he shrugged, "Sure, why not? Anywhere you wanna go?"

Bell smiled, "I have just the place in mind, and my treat."

Welf chuckled, "Alright, lead the way."

XXX

DONE.