Astraea POV
"Lady Astraea did you hear the news," Lefiya asked bursting into my office. I was startled by her appearance as I jumped a little before catching my breath.
"Knock next time you scared the life out of me" I softly chided her. "S-sorry lady Astraea" she apologized.
"Now what is this news you seem excited to tell me," I asked setting my pen down. Codsworth seemed uninterested in the conversation as he likely knew what was going on.
"They say that an ex-Zeus familia returned to Orario and joined the Miach familia" Lefiya excitedly said.
"Oh and which one would that be," I ask smiling a Lefyia's childlike wonder.
"It's gluttony and they say he's a level 7. He could go toe to toe with Ottar and probably win. Isn't that cool" she said bouncing up and down.
"So Zald returned. Lefiya tell Alise and Ryu to come to my office and take the day off. Go hang out with that friend of yours from the Dionysius familia" I told her.
"Ok lady Astraea," she said before shutting the door. Once she was gone I turned to Codsworth who was sitting on his owl stand.
"Why is it that Zald's name isn't spoken with fear and contempt," I asked him.
"Zeus erased him from everyone's memories except yours I guess. Considering the plan he and Alfia made with Erebus he might want to turn over a new leaf" Codsworth said pecking at his side.
"Do you think Bell knows?" I asked.
"It's a likely possibility. It seems as if Zeus wants to protect the kid so he revived him from the dead"
"But why not erase my memory as well? I mean we gods can do that to other gods since our powers are sealed" I asked.
"That I can not answer. But if I were to guess maybe to have a backup plan in case he goes rogue. However, I don't see a future where he does"
The door then opened and Alise and Ryu came inside. Ryu shut the door.
"You called for us lady Astrea" Alise asked.
"Yes, I did. An old friend has come back to town and I wish to talk to him. Would you escort me the streets are pretty crowded these days who knows what'll happen to someone like me if I'm alone" I calmly asked.
"Of course lady Astraea you don't even need to ask!" Alise fervently said.
"Just tell us where and we'll go" Ryu added.
I chuckled at the devotion to me but I knew their faces would soon drop when I'd mention where we'd go.
"Alright girls we leave immediately for Medicinal Manor," I said standing up.
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"Oh come on you two aren't done yet, are you? We've barely started" I heard Zald's voice say. He was in the front yard with Bell and his friend Welf. The two were on the ground groaning their long swords next to them. Wait since when did Bell get a longsword? Good craftsmanship though.
"That was way harder than 25 percent!" Bell yelled out.
"Alright alright I'll admit I might've hit you guys harder since you caught me off guard" Zald admitted. "But in life, you're gonna take hits harder than what you're used to so you need to get back up whenever that happens," he told them.
"Come on Bell you gonna let the old man beat your ass" Regis instigated from the sideline. The prum Lili and Haruhime were at his side.
"Shut up dog" Bell replied.
"I'm not a dog!" Regis yelled.
"You're a dog," Welf said finally catching his breath.
"I'll show you who's a dog motherfucker" Regis mumbled.
Seeing as we had eavesdropped long enough on their conversation I decided to speak up.
"Hello there" (go ahead and say it I know you want to)
The six of them turned and looked at the gate and saw the three of us standing there. I saw Bell put his head on the ground and sigh as he turned away while Welf didn't look happy to see Alise and Ryu.
"Oh, Lady Astraea good to see you again. How have you been" Zald said pretending to not know Alise and Ryu.
"I've been good Zald. May I come in and have a chat with you?" I asked.
"Yeah, sure. Alright boys training's done for the day. Welf you go do what you want in your forge. Make something that'll impress Hephaestus or something. Bell go get ready Eina should be here soon" Zald ordered.
The two boys got up and headed into the manor while the spectators followed them. Zald sheathed his great sword and opened the gate.
"Please follow me. Your children are welcome as well" he said with a friendly attitude. He led the three of us inside and to the living room where Miach and the rest of the familia were.
"Lady Astraea" Laurier cheerfully said hugging her old goddess. "Hello, little Laurier are you enjoying your time here," I asked.
"Uh huh they're taking good care of me and I'm enjoying my time here," she said. Alise and Ryu were quiet neither had said a word as they felt out of place here.
"Well that's good I'm glad you're happy here" I patted her on the head. "But I need to talk with Miach and Zald if that's alright"
Miach's arm stiffened slightly before a gentle smile appeared on his face. "Of course, if you'll please follow me," he said standing up.
Ding dong
"Master Bell lady Eina is here" Haruhime yelled up. Bell came running down the stairs still putting his shirt on and nearly fell. "Be right there" he said as he grabbed his longsword and strapped it to his back.
"Alright later everyone I'll be back either later tonight or early tomorrow," he said waving goodbye to everyone.
"Be Careful lad the roads may be dangerous on your way. You run into trouble you keep the lass safe alright" Zald warned.
"I know I'll protect her if needed," Bell said.
"Good lad" Zald ruffled his hair. "Now get going don't keep her waiting" Zald ordered. After everyone else said goodbye Bell walked out the door and to the front gate.
"Is he going on a date?" I jokingly ask.
"No, the lads just helping her with a problem. I don't think he knows how to woo women" Zald chuckled.
"Oh, the old man taught him. He just never had anyone to practice on" Regis added.
"So he knows all the tricks but has no experience. Ha ha ha that's funny the old man had a sense of humor" Zald laughed.
"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with Bell" Miach asked.
"Nah that's a personal thing for Eina. She asked Bell for help and it seems really important to her. He doesn't need me there making jokes. Besides kid can take care of himself" Regis replied.
We then arrived at Miach's office
"Alise, Ryu can you wait outside please," I asked and the two nodded.
"Regis you stay outside as well. We have guests entertain them" Miach asked.
"Yeah I'll be a regular circus clown," Regis said.
The door then shut and we took our seats.
"Is this room soundproof?" I asked.
"Yup had it installed just in case" Miach replied.
"So I'm guessing you still remember what I did?" Zald asked as he leaned back in his chair.
"Yes, I do. I'm not gonna tell anyone unless you go rogue. But why are you here? Are you gonna hurt Bell? Does he know what you did" I asked?
"Aye, he does. But I wouldn't hurt the lad unless it's in training. He has a target on his back and since Zeus resurrected me and asked me to keep an eye on him I will. That boy is the son of my best friend so I'll be damned if I do anything to actually hurt him" Zald answered. I could sense no lie.
"Alright, that's all I wanted to ask. I hope you don't mind me bringing my children in case you went crazy" I apologized.
"It's fine I understand your worry but I give you my word that I will not do what I did seven years ago" he promised.
"Oh, Astraea while you're here I need to tell you something," Miach said his tone was serious.
"Judging by that look and your tone this is really serious. Alright what is it" I asked.
"Freya's after Bell" I felt my heart sink at the news. I owe her a favor.
"I can't help you. I owe her a favor and I know she'll call it in when she makes her move" I sadly said.
"I see. May I ask what she did to have you owe her a favor" he asked. He didn't sound angry or sad. Not even disappointed. He understood.
"If it wasn't for her my familia would've died on the 30th floor seven years ago. They had just nearly died to the juggernaut and were exhausted and injured. It was her familia that found them and helped them. It if wasn't for them they would've died" I said feeling the memories come back of the state they were all in.
"Very well. Well, all that leaves is Loki" Miach sighed.
"I'm really sorry my friend. I feel like I've failed you" I said.
"It's ok. If there's one thing Bell is good at it's thinking on the fly. Besides he already has multiple plans in place just in case" Miach reassured me.
"You can thank Alfia for that. We don't want to use Regis as his flames could easily get out of control and burn the whole city down. Besides her familia may also target the other members in order to isolate him before she snatches him up" Zald added.
"So what's his plan" I nervously asked.
"Simple he gives himself up," Zald said.
"What no he can't. Freya would gobble him up and then use him for the rest of his life" I said in a panic.
"Calm down Astraea. Bell's just not gonna take it lying down. Trust me when I say he'll be fine" Miach calmly said. I felt my nerves and my heart rate slow down as I took a deep breath.
"Ok, I'll trust you Miach. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help" I added as I got out of my chair.
"It's fine Astraea you know Bell's a tough nut to crack. Besides he has an ace in the hole against her"
We then left the office and went into the hallway seeing Regis and my kids staring each other down.
"Ryu, Alise I have finished my talk let's head home. We can stop by and get some ice cream on the way back" I said with a fake smile. I was worried for Bell.
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Bell POV
"Woah there's so much blue," I said completely mesmerized by the ocean.
The ocean was a vast expanse of blue stretching as far as the eye could see. However, it was all salty so you can't drink it. I heard Eina giggle behind me and I turned and faced her.
"What?"
"Nothing I just forget that you're a child sometimes" she giggled.
"I am not a child I'm a man now actually" I pouted.
"Oh really. Still want to be a hero" she teased.
"Shut up" I mumbled looking away from her. She giggled once again before pulling my arm.
"Come on Bell it isn't much further. We can go swimming after this" she said.
"But I don't have any swimwear" I point out.
"We can borrow some from my parents. Once you're done" she replied.
Is that an invitation? Nah I'm looking into that too much. We continued our walk and after another hour we arrived in Sero village. It was a modest little community. Most houses were made of wood and had palisades for defense. There were guard towers evenly spaced out to keep an eye out for bandits and or monsters.
"Is that little Eina?" One of the guards. A human man asked.
"It is little Eina. Looks like she's bringing a boy home" an elven man replied.
"Ha ha very funny you two. I'm here to see my mother is she at home" Eina asked in a frustrated tone while blushing.
"She is, your father and sister are there as well. Planning on introducing him to the family" the human teased.
Eina grumbled before grabbing my hand and dragging me inside the village. There were a whole lot of elves and humans living together in harmony.
"You look surprised," she said snapping me out of my stupor.
"I just didn't expect elves and humans to be living together like this. Considering how racist elves are I'd expect them to not be anywhere near humans. Let alone live in harmony"
"That's because all the elves here hate the idea that they're better than everyone. So most of them left their home forests and started a village here with the humans. Oh here we are home sweet home" she explained.
Her house was nothing too fancy just a two-story log cabin that was painted white.
"Looks homey" I commented.
She knocked on the door and waited for a second before a large burly man opened the door. He was at least 6'6 and was pure muscle. He had short brown hair and scruff on his face signaling he had just shaved not long ago. His face had a look of disinterest for only a second before he saw Eina and a joyful smile broke out on his face.
"Eina you're home" he cheered picking her up. She let out a yell and tried to break out of his hold but couldn't.
"Dad put me down" she whined. After giving her one last squeeze he set her down until his eyes turned to me.
"And just who are you" he growled. Wow, protective much.
"Dad this is Bell. He's the one who's here to help" Eina explained.
His eyes softened as well as his face as he looked at me in a new light. "Oh. My apologies I thought you were some playboy trying to date my daughter. We'll come inside Aina's waiting for you" he said opening the door.
"Dad aren't you gonna introduce yourself," Eina asked.
"Oh right," he stuck out his hand. "Names David pleasure to meet you Bell," he said as I took his hand. He gripped it tightly as I shook it. I gripped tightly back.
"Strong grip you got there" he commented.
"Yours ain't half bad either" I replied.
I heard Eina grumble something about men before we stopped shaking hands. "Oh, I do ask that you don't take any weapons upstairs. House rule Aina made so can you leave your longsword down here" David asked.
"Yeah sure no problem" I grabbed the strap that was around my chest and unhooked it a set it on the counter. Before I could ask where Aina was I heard a door open and a smaller version of Eina walk out.
"Big sis Eina," the child said as she ran and jumped into Eina's arm. "Oh Nina it's so good to see you again," Eina said as she kissed the child's face.
"So where's her mother? I don't wanna intrude for too long. Also, it's probably better to let you have some family time" I said not wanting to see something I didn't have. I wasn't jealous of anything it was just a reminder that I didn't get to grow up like the other kids.
David seeing my discomfort led me to his and Aina's room. "She's in there. Thank you for coming out this way and helping a person you don't even know" he said. "Heh. If you ask Eina she'll tell you it's in my nature" I chuckled. David then said he'd do that before going back downstairs.
I knocked on the door and waited before I heard a soft come in. I opened the door and closed it before turning around and seeing the spitting image of Riveria sitting on a bed. She was looking out the window and was under the covers. Her back was pressed up against the pillows. She looked pale. unnaturally so.
"Oh, you must be Bell. Please come and sit I wish to talk with you" she softly said. I grabbed a stool that was next to the door and sat it down next to the bed.
"Hello, ms Tulle. I guess I'm the one that'll be helping you today" I kindly said.
"I know but can't we have a conversation first? I'd like to get to know the last Leywin" she said. I nervously chuckled before rubbing the back of my neck.
"Eh the news has spread this far already huh"
"It has and I'm thankful for you coming out all this way. My daughter must be special to you" she teased.
"No. It's not like that. Eina's just my advisor and she asked for my help and I like helping people" I said. "Besides she can do better than someone like me" I added.
"Oh, why's that? Is it because you're related to the Silence" she asked. It wasn't in a malicious or mean way but with actual curiosity.
"No, it's not that. It's just. I don't know how to love like that and I actually have a few girls after my heart. Gramps always said I should start a harem cause it's a man romance. But I don't think I should because I don't know how to love people like that"
"Your grandpa was Zeus right" I nodded my head. "You're grandpa sounds like a funny man. But don't close your heart off just because you're afraid of hurting someone. Because in the end, you'll only hurt yourself and the person you didn't want to hurt. Now about the harem part King Larfal has multiple wives and it's like that in the Far East as well. Amazons want any strong man and dwarves don't really care how many partners one has. It's only the humans that really care and that number is a small minority"
"Well thanks for the advice and pardon my language but King Larfal is a racist asshole" I blurted out. She giggled at this putting her hand to her mouth and then spoke.
"I won't deny that. But he might not be to you since you're technically elven royalty. You're related to Tessie Eralith queen of the elves" she said.
"I'm not looking to be a king anytime soon. Even if it was to mess with the racist asshole I don't want to do it"
"I'm not saying you have to all I'm saying is he will show you respect since you're technically the true king of the elves"
"I'm sorry what? Me, king of the elves. Ah hell," I muttered.
"Yes and he might send you Riverias hand in marriage as a way to secure the high elves' future"
"Uh pass I don't wanna marry her"
"Is it because she's 99? That's not old for an elf you know"
"It's not that. Loki and Freya banished Zeus and Hera after they failed to beat the one-eyed black dragon. My mother was very sickly and was forced to move away from medicine that could prolong her life. She died giving birth to me cause her body was too weak. So it's thanks to them that she's dead" I explained with a sigh.
"But it's not Riveria's fault that her goddess did that"
"Yet she didn't raise any complaints to her saying this was wrong. She let it happen and just stayed quiet"
Aina sighed "I guess that doing nothing is just as bad as banishing them. Well enough about that you're here to try and heal me correct"
"Yup. However, I will warn you I've only used aether once and it was a slow process to move them"
"Oh? Well why'd you have to use it before" she asked.
"Eh let's just say my first trip to the middle floors didn't go so well" I nervously chuckled.
"My you're at the middle floors already. How long have you been an adventurer"
"Well, I arrived in Orario about three months ago and went down after I leveled up. Not a fun journey I will admit"
"No wonder Eina always seems stressed about you in her letters. She always said that you were moving too fast for her liking"
"Eina's worried about me?" I asked confused.
"Of course, she is you're one of her adventurers. Pretty much all of her adventurers except for you and two others have died" she explained.
"Oh. That's sad. Well, she doesn't have to worry I won't be dying anything soon. At least I don't plan on it"
"Many don't but life throws curve balls at us when we least expect it"
I activated realmheart and saw the mana and aether particles appear in front of me. "You have a point there"
I then looked at Aina and asked the Aether particles for help in healing her. They moved slowly but I was also filled with joy as it meant that me moving them wasn't a one-time thing.
"Now I will also mention that my knowledge of aether is only second-hand. All I know is that it's alive and it's not something I can control as I would with mana. However, it seems Gramps advice worked and you should feel a tingly feeling in your chest" I explained.
She reached out and touched my arm tracing one of the runes with her finger. "Your runes are beautiful," she said.
"Uh, thanks? Never had anyone compliment that before" I nervously chuckle. She kept tracing them as I used aether to heal her. After a few minutes, I didn't feel the fatigue of using realmheart like I normally did. Must be because my mana core was no longer light yellow but dark silver instead. Wow, what a difference.
After about 10 more minutes I turned off Realmheart as Aina was looking a lot better.
"How are you feeling?" I asked.
She brought her hands up to her face and I inspected them. She then got out of bed and stood up without any struggle.
"I feel good. Very good. I feel like I can breathe again. I feel light. Very light like I can fly" she said bouncing a little.
"I hope that's a good thing," I said.
"It is I haven't felt like this in years. I need to go tell my family" She excitedly ran towards the door.
"You do that. Just let me catch my breath" I panted as I started taking in the ambient mana. I had just expanded a lot.
Before she opened the door she stopped and looked at me. "Are you ok? You didn't get sick did you?" She worriedly asked.
"Nah. I feel fine. Just need to replenish my mana. Go and be with your family I'll be fine" I said as I took a deep breath. She looked at me worriedly but after I gave her a smile she went downstairs. Once she shut the door and I heard her footsteps run down the stairs. I cried.
Why. Why now. How come I can use aether to heal people now? Why couldn't this have happened earlier? I could've saved Alfia. I could've saved Gramps. Goddamnit why is it now I can use it? It's so unfair. Why is it that everyone leaves? I sat the and cried letting the tears roll down my cheeks.
Why am I so weak? I can barely save anybody. What type of hero am I?
"So you failed a few times. So what are you gonna let that get you down" Grandpa said as he took a seat next to me.
"But it seems everywhere I go I keep failing. I failed to keep my secrets like you told me. I failed to keep my familia safe. Our house was blown up for god's sake. Then I went on a rampage what type of hero does that"
"A hero isn't some morally righteous person with all the answers. You do what you think is best. All it comes down to is what you believe to be right, and what do you mean you failed your familia? Last I checked they were all alive and well. You even got some new members"
"But they were scared. I promised them that nobody would hurt them again and then a house dropped on us"
"Bell being scared is a part of life. No matter what you do you can't change that. You were scared when Agrona appeared and who wouldn't? Don't beat yourself up so much. The weight of the world isn't on your shoulders so don't beat yourself up over every mistake you make. Alright"
I wiped the tears and let out a sad laugh. "I might need to see a doctor if I keep talking to a ghost" I joked.
"Make sure the doctors a hot woman before you do" Grandpa joked. I laughed at that before I felt his hand on my shoulder.
"Bell no matter what you think. I will never blame you for what happened. It was my duty as a grandfather to make sure you were happy and healthy. One day when you have grandkids of your own you'll understand" he stated.
"That's a long way away old man" I joked.
"Who knows maybe you got that busty Amazon pregnant"
"Don't even joke like that I wore protection"
He burst out laughing holding his stomach as he did so. "Well for a first time, I gotta say the amazons not half bad. Treat her well Bell or else I'll haunt your ass"
"You're doing that right now"
"No, I'm giving you grandfatherly advice. If I was haunting you I'd make you stub your toe every day or something" he joked.
"That's evil"
"Then treat her well and the fox. And the redhead. And the elf. And the half-elf Jesus Bell keep it in your pants"
"You're one to talk. You're literally famous for sticking your dick with anything that has two legs and a hole"
"Ha ha ha I raised you well. But I'm serious Bell don't hurt these girls. They care for you deeply"
"I will. Just need to figure out how to love them the way they want"
"Well you can do it. I believe in you"
Gramps then disappeared into nothing and I let out another chuckle. "God's I'm going crazy" I joked to myself before standing up and going downstairs.
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"Are you feeling better Bell?" Aina asked as we were sitting at the dinner table. She had been so happy that she was cured that the first thing she wanted to do after embracing her family was cook dinner. Which was just some fish with potatoes and salad on the side.
"Yes, ms Tulle. I only had some mana fatigue. Realmheart takes quite a bit but I'm able to use it longer now that I'm at silver core" I explained.
"Wow, a silver core at your age. Mighty impressive" David said as he sipped his beer.
"Mr. Leywin what type of magic can you do," Nina asked. I smiled at the child before summoning a clone of myself and tapping her on the shoulder. She jumped before turning around and giggling.
"That's so cool!" Nina cheered.
"Is that a clone? Since when can you do that" Eina shrieked.
"Since always. I had to hold back a lot to make sure my identity was never revealed. But now that the secrets out I can use all my magic" I explained.
"How much magic do you possess," Aina asked.
"A lot. Like a stupid amount that it's not even funny. But there are some that I like to use more than others" I explained.
"Wow, that's amazing. So what we saw during the wargame was only a tiny amount then" Eina asked.
"Yup. I had to try a lot more than I usually do with Apollo's captain since we were about equal in strength. However, his cockiness is what led to his downfall" I said.
"Huh, you're smart too. Normally people with your power are arrogant but you're not. Which is good arrogance to lead to your downfall" David said.
"Trust me I know. Had that practically beat into me during my training"
"Oh that's right you're the Silence's nephew. What was it like living with her" David asked.
"Well it was good and it was bad. The training was brutal and she'd always threatened to gouge out my eyes. But she did have her moments of affection. But it was mostly me getting tossed around from sun up to sun down"
"That sounds terrible" Aina gasped. "Who would do such a thing to a child? Let alone say something like that"
"Well, she hated my eyes since they're my dad's. She never liked him and thought he wasn't good enough for her sister. My mother. But I wanted to train so I could get stronger. I made a promise to someone a long time ago to be a hero and the training has helped me towards my goal"
"So that's what Eina meant when she said you had a childish dream" Aina teased. "Well, I like helping people, and heroes help people so our ideologies align" I shrug my shoulders.
"Oh, Bell I took a look at your sword while you were upstairs. What's it made of I don't think I've seen a material like it before" David asked.
"Oh, it's made from the spikes Uto stabbed me with," I said like it wasn't that big of a deal.
"You mean what that monster used to torture you with" Eina growled.
"Yup. That way when I see him again I'll give him some payback"
"Yeah you're gonna beat that meanie next time you see him" Nina cheered.
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After dinner was over I was given a pillow and a blanket so I could sleep on the couch. There were only three rooms and I don't want to take anyone's bed even though Eina offered me hers to share.
I had a feeling I knew what she was doing. She was grateful that I healed her mother but I wasn't gonna take advantage of that. Once some time passes she won't feel as grateful and hopefully, she won't try that again. I grabbed the blanket as I laid down on the couch and pulled it over me before going into a dreamless sleep.
3rd person POV
"Seems the Leywin might be a problem"
"Why the kid has no idea we exist"
"He's also unpredictable you wanna leave him up to chance"
"No, but our lord says no. Says he'll be useful for something in the future"
"And what if he causes problems for us"
"Then we push our plans back and try again"
"The boy isn't to be harmed"
The two figures who are arguing turned and looked at the third voice.
"Oh yeah you know the boy so well why don't you tell us what to do"
"I will take care of the boy once I think the time is right. Either of you two goes near him and I'll kill you both"
The two felt a chill go down their spine as the threat was made.
"Now go do whatever it is you do and stop being so loud"
Both of them clicked their tongues but said nothing.
"Screw this shit I'm going to find some prey to have fun with"
The figure walked off while the other one followed.
"Looks like the target keeps getting bigger and bigger" the third one thought.
It seems like Bell is always in trouble. But hey at least he healed Eina's mom. Also, what are your thoughts on ghost Zeus talking to Bell? To corny? Anyway sorry it took so long to put this out. Been really tired as I'm still messed up sleep-wise from the hospital earlier this year. But I should be putting out chapters more frequently soon. Anyway later.