Spoilers for LN 16

Bell awoke in a dark and damp dungeon. His arms were chained to a wall, and he was forced to sit. His vision was hazy, and he blinked a few times to get rid of it.

You ok kid

"Yeah, I'm fine. Got a killer headache, though," Bell replied as he took in his surroundings.

He looked to be in a jail of sorts as the door in front of him had bars on the small window attached to it. The walls were stone and barren, not even having a window to look out of.

Above him, on the ceiling, he could make out lightbulbs, but they were turned off. Bathing him in darkness.

"Any idea where we are," Bell asked, tugging at his chains. They didn't budge much.

We're in Knossos

"Isn't that place supposed to be a myth?"

Seems like the myth is true

"Well, shit, this is gonna suck. How much time until I can go to the next dungeon" Bell asked, tugging at his chains again. They barely budged again.

Dungeons are hard to find. I have to make sure I don't tear a hole in reality when transporting you to one. If I rush my search, there's a chance dire consequences could happen

Bell let out a small chuckle. "So I'm stuck here until you can find a dungeon and not tear a hole in reality."

Yeah seems that way. Do you think you'll be able to hold out?

"What do you mean the torture? Who knows?" Bell responded, hanging his head.

Before the system could respond, the door opened, and the lights were turned on. Bell shut his eyes for a second as the sudden brightness hurt before opening them once more.

Bell looked up and saw Revis standing at the door. She shut the door and got closer to Bell, and started touching his stomach. It was then Bell realized he didn't have a shirt on.

"Hmm, your stab wound is healing faster than expected. Just what are you" she asked, a morbid curiosity in her voice.

Bell didn't say anything feeling Revis's hands exploring his body.

"Hmm, not talkative, odd a boy your age normally talks someone's ear off trying to look cool," Revis commented.

Revis's curiosity grew more once she grabbed Bell's head and forced it down, seeing the giant bump on his head from her hilt gone.

"Hmm, no falna, yet such an accelerated healing rate. You're no ordinary human," Revis asked as her hands explored Bell's body more.

"Ya know. For someone who stabbed me, you're very touchy," Bell joked.

Revis looked at him, her cold gaze trying and failing to scare him. "I simply find you an amusing specimen. A human with no falna and the strength of a level four. Even one such as I can find some way to be entertained."

Bell let out a chuckle. "You talk as if you have no emotions or free will. What? Don't tell me someone like you is just a puppet."

"You are correct. I am merely a puppet for my lord's control," Revis answered.

"That sounds like a sad life. You mean to tell me you have no goals of your own and just want to be controlled?" Bell asked, confusion evident in his voice.

Revis's face contorted into a frown as she stood up. "Don't try and understand me, boy. You are but a child with no clue how the world works."

At Revis's statement, Bell laughed. The woman looked at Bell, confused. Why was he laughing?

"Thanks, I needed that," Bell said as his laughter calmed down.

Revis kneeled in front of him once again and grabbed his chin. "What's so funny? You do realize the situation you're in, right?"

Bell's red eyes stared into her cold green ones. "Oh, I know the situation I'm in. I'm expecting the torture to happen any minute now. Your words about me not knowing how the world works was just funny because you know nothing about me, Revis," Bell said, smiling to himself as Revis recoiled back slightly.

Bell let out another small chuckle. "What surprised that I know your name?"

Revis took a step not in fear but nervousness. Bell just lifted his head and smiled at her.

"Oh, don't tell me you're scared. I'm just a simple boy who knows your name. Revis, an odd name but a name nonetheless," Bell taunted.

Revis having enough of his taunts, kicked Bell in the face knocking him out.

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Elfy laid in her bed with a broken look on her face. Bell was gone. That woman kidnapped him, and who knew what she would do to him?

Would she have her way with him? Torture him? Or do both?

It scared her not knowing. She didn't even hear the knocking on her door.

"Elfy, it's me, Maria. Can I come in?" Maira softly asked. Her tone and mannerisms were like a mother's.

Elfy didn't respond, not being able to hear Maria in her shock. Maria turned to look at Loki in worry. Loki sighed as she fished for the master key in her pocket.

"Elfy, we're coming in, ok," Loki said as she unlocked the door.

When the two women walked inside the room, Maria's heart broke a little at the sight. Loki felt a tinge of sadness, but her long life as a goddess made her immune to things like this.

Maria walked over to Elfy as Loki left to give them some alone time.

Maria sat on Elfy's bed and wrapped the girl in a hug. Her eyes were red and puffy from how much she had been crying.

"He's gone, Maria. They took him, and I couldn't do anything to save him," Elfy cried.

Maria just patted the girl on her back in an attempt to comfort her. "Shhh, it's ok. Loki and her entire familia are out looking for him right now. They'll find him."

"But what if they never find him? What if he's gone forever? He'd have left just like everyone else," Elfy mumbled, a small hint of anger in her voice.

Maria just held the vulnerable girl tighter. "Bell's not leaving us. He's a fighter, and I know right now that he's fighting. You just have to believe he'll come back to us."

"Do you believe that" Elfy sniffled?

Maria nodded. "I do. Bell promised to never leave us, and I know he won't. I can feel it in my heart that Bell is still alive. You should to"

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Twelve days passed, and the Loki familia was still no closer to finding Bell. The news didn't spread like wildfire as Bell wasn't famous nor really known in the city. But the people who cared about him were devastated.

After Syr found out, she fell to her knees and cried out in anguish. Mia had a sad look on her face, and Ryu immediately went off and asked Astraea to help in the search efforts to, which the Goddess of Justice allowed along with the rest of her familia.

Yet he wasn't found. By the seventh day, most in the search party lost hope. If Evilus had Bell for more than a week, he was most likely dead.

By the 12th day, everyone but those closest to Bell had stopped trying. The kid was dead. They said to give up hope of him coming back.

Of course, this made Elfy a wreck, and she decided to stay at the orphanage for the time being to better cope with the situation.

The three kids that Bell took care of, like his own siblings, were sad as well. But they didn't love him the way Elfy did, so they just saw him as someone else in the long line of people who left them.

Maria remained strong as always. She knew Bell was still alive. She felt it in her very being. So she comforted Elfy and Syr whenever she came by.

What was unknown to everyone, however, is that both Ishtar and Freya were searching for Bell as well. Freya because she and Helun, who is also Syr, share the same feelings because of their connection.

The two swapped places all the time because of Helun's magic, so both got their share of the rabbit. It was actually Freya who was at the casino disguised as Syr.

Ishtar knew where he was but wasn't able to visit him yet because she had to deal with the amount of damage in her district.

She was worried about the white-haired boy as she had grown quite attached to his youthful and naive nature. She was just worried his mind was already broken before she could even save him.

But she finally had some free time to find out where in Knossos he was located. So dawning a mask that one would wear at a masquerade and a cloak, she went down into Knossos using her key and began searching.

Of course, it was easy for her to find Bell as she was a goddess, and all she had to do was ask some low-ranking Evilus lackey where Bell was located.

Once she did that and learned he was in the eastern wing, she began her approach, trying not to look too eager to see him.

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Bell's broken and bloodied body was dragged and thrown into his cell. He had just gone through another round of torture thanks to Evilus's curiosity.

Hearing the door to his cell lock and the two guards walking away, Bell crawled and pulled himself up to a wall. He let out a small chuckle as they were still nowhere close to breaking him.

Here drink this. It'll help

A strong healing potion dropped into his hand, which Bell immediately drank. He could feel his wounds healing, but since he had so many, it was a slow process.

He had been beaten, stabbed, whipped, waterboarded, electrocuted, injected with poisons that racked his nervous system and burned.

Yet he didn't break. He wouldn't break. Thanks to the system, he could take this type of torture and come out fine. All he had to do was wait.

"You know you sure are taking your sweet time finding a dungeon," Bell joked.

At this point, I have half a mind to just teleport you out; consequences be damned

Bell smiled. "Aw, you do care for me. But don't do that, like you said. The consequences would be dire. Don't worry about me. This torture is nothing," Bell reassured.

Don't worry. I'm close to finding one. It just feels like someone keeps messing with my search.

"Uh oh, I piss off some Eldritch being or something." Bell joked.

Who knows

Before Bell could make another joke to cope with the situation, the door to his cell opened, and a figure with a cloak stepped in.

"Oh, is it time for torture again? Or maybe it's feeding time. I could really go for a club sandwich and a beer," Bell joked as he held his side.

He needed to appear weaker than he actually was so Evilus would have their guard down.

The figure shut the door behind them before taking the hood of their cloak off along with their mask. Ishtar's purple hair fell from her cloak's head and dropped down to her shoulders.

Well shit

"I'm not even gonna ask why you're here as I already know the answer," Bell weakly joked. He didn't know what side she was on, so he had to keep up his act of being weakened.

"Bell, it's not what it's looks like," Ishtar hastily spoke.

"Looks to me like you're a part of Evilus Ishtar," Bell spat.

Ishtar flinched a little at Bell's tone and his lack of her honorific. She quickly recomposed herself, however.

"Are you…doing ok?" She asked.

"Peachy, I only get the shit knocked out of me every four hours," Bell replied.

Ishtar cringed a little hearing this. Bell had been tortured at least 72 times since being missing.

"Right, stupid question. Is there anything I can do to help you? Anything at all," Ishtar asked, a slight urgency in her voice.

"You could answer a few questions," Bell said.

Ishtar nodded her head as she prepared herself for his questions.

"Why do you have sex slaves, Ishtar? Why sell girls like that to your customers" Bell asked.

His voice was calm and even and was still weak. He knew Ishtar was Evilus. Sure, she came here to try and help him, but he didn't trust her, not after finding out her true colors.

Ishtar gave Bell a confused look. "How did you find that out? I made sure that type of information wouldn't reach your ears."

"I'm smarter than you give me credit for." Bell coldly replied.

Ishtar took a deep breath to calm herself. "So you are. But I bought those girls and saved them from horrible masters."

"And all they had to do was sell their bodies to repay you. Isn't that how those deals work? You act as their savior, provide them with a home and warm meals, and all they have to do to repay you is sell themselves for sex," Bell pointed out.

Ishtar couldn't refute any of what Bell was saying because he was right.

"Cat got your tongue. No excuses or reasons for why you do those things," Bell cockily asked.

Ishtar again remained quiet before a question popped into her mind. "Why did you quit your job."

"I had something better lined up," Bell replied.

Ishtar quirked an eyebrow. "And that was."

Bell let out a small laugh. "That's a secret."

Ishtar just started at the bleeding and broken body of Bell, who took every chance he could to taunt her. Yet she still felt some need to care for him. Or to try and get him out of here, at least.

"Hey Ishtar, if I never found out about the sex slaves. Would you have told me?" Bell asked.

Ishtar shook her head. "No, I would've made sure you never found out."

Bell just let out a slight chuckle. "One more question before I go. Was all our time together just a lie? Something you did to amuse yourself?"

Ishtar quickly answered. "It was real. Whenever you were around, I felt at peace. Like my troubles were washed away just from your mere presence. I didn't think about my plans to topple Freya. Nor did I think about this hole I've dug myself because of my jealousy. All I felt was calm. That's why I ordered from the Hostess so much. Just so I could forget my troubles even for a little while."

Before Bell could answer, the door opened again to reveal two Evilus lackeys. It seemed they wanted to torture Bell early this time. It had only been an hour this time.

"They must be bored," Bell thought.

Ishtar would've protested, but a look from Bell stopped her. It wasn't a look of anger or hatred. Nor was it one of care or worry. It was a simple look he gave her but a powerful one.

It was just a simple look of carelessness. Ishtar had never seen Bell so nonchalant as he normally stumbled over his words. Just what happened to make him this way?

The two Evilus members grabbed Bell, but before they could move him, something strange happened.

Fuck it; I'm getting you out of here. Consequences be damned. I'm tired of seeing you tortured like this

Teleporting somewhere random

Bell simply vanished into thin air right in front of the three.

"What the hell."

"Where did he go."

"Find him," Ishtar ordered, trying to play her part as an Evilus goddess.

The two lackeys ran into the hallway as Ishtar breathed a sigh of relief. Wherever Bell went, she hoped it would be better than here.

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Bell slammed into the ground on his back. He let out a groan as his body was still sore from the torture he endured. He was healing quickly, but the body can only take so much.

However, one thing he noticed felt odd was how soft the ground was. Looking down, he saw a red velvety carpet beneath him.

He pushed himself into a sitting position and saw the moonlight shining behind him. He had to squint his eyes, not used to the brightness as he had been in mostly darkness for the past 12 days.

He turned to look out the window, and his eyes widened in shock. He could see all of Orario from up here.

Pushing himself to his feet, he took a better look around the room and saw a massive heart-shaped bed behind a fancy-looking chair.

He saw a small round table beside it with two bottles of wine and a half-empty glass. Behind the room, he saw a door which he assumed was the exit.

On the other side of the room, he saw another door. Bell quirked an eyebrow as he had no idea what that door led to.

On the wall to his left was a massive bookshelf that touched the ceiling and was filled to the brim with books.

Bell knew where he was, and before he could escape, the door on the other side of the room opened, and Freya walked into the room.

She shut the door behind her, and with the quick glimpse that Bell saw inside, he knew it was a bathroom.

Bell nervously swallowed as Freya turned around and jumped in fright before a small smile appeared on her face.

"Now, just how did you get in here," she asked, her small smile turning into a playful one on her beautiful face.

Well, it looks like Bell is stuck with Freya. Hide your dick Bell.

Anyway, enough jokes aside, I hope you liked this chapter, and it wasn't absolutely boring as nothing really happened except Elfy grieving, Bell getting tortured, and Ishtar talking with Bell.

Well anyway, I hope you enjoyed later.