Ryu was holding her notepad to her face blushing in embarrassment. Her face, along with her ears, were bright red as Bell continued laughing.
"S-stop laughing. You're embarrassing me," Ryu squeaked out.
Bell calmed himself down but let out a chuckle now and then.
"Sorry, I just never expected to see you in a maid outfit. That just seems like something Alise would wear," Bell said.
Ryu squirmed
"Mmm, just order something so I can go. This is so embarrassing."
Bell stifled his laughter again.
"Alright, alright. I'll have the steak with a side of mashed potatoes and just keep the ale coming."
Ryu wrote down his order and looked to Haruhime. Haruhime set her menu down and gave Ryu a soft smile.
"I'll have any of your far Eastern dishes and some Chardonnay."
"Ooh, fancy," Bell joked.
Haruhime slapped his arm as Ryu looked at Welf.
"I'll have the spaghetti and garlic bread with ale."
Ryu turned her attention to the three kids, who all ordered the same thing. Chicken nuggets and fries with orange juice.
Writing down all their orders, Ryu walked to the kitchen and handed them to the cook, who began making their meal.
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Bell looked at Haruhime.
"Never took you for a fancy wine drinker," he joked.
Haruhime rolled her eyes as she glanced at Bell.
"What can I say? My noble lady side is coming out."
"Right, noble lady," Welf muttered.
Ryu came back with their drinks and set them on the table. Bell had to stifle his laugh again as he never thought Ryu would wear something like this.
"Hey, ms Ryu. Is big sis Syr here?" Rye asked.
Ryu looked at the boy and shook her head.
"No, today was her day off. Sorry Rye"
Rye was a little disappointed but not too disappointed.
"Oh well, guess we'll see her next time."
Ryu then left again as she was too embarrassed to be around Bell dressed as a maid. Mostly cause Bell kept laughing at how she was dressed.
"Bell, stop torturing the poor girl," Haruhime chided.
"I'm sorry, but it's just so funny seeing her like that."
"Guessing she's changed a lot since you last saw her," Welf asked.
"Looks like it," Bell replied.
He was suspicious about what happened to Ryu. Sure, it had been a really long time since he had last seen her. So long that Bell was still trying to wrap his head around her being a grown woman.
Just how much did he miss out on because he wasn't here?
"Hey, Bell," Rye called out.
Bell turned his attention to Rye.
"Yeah, what's up, kid."
"How many dragons did you have to kill to level up."
"Every 1,000 I kill, I gain a level. Made it easy to level up with how fast dragons reproduce."
"Wait, so you're close to leveling up!" Rye asked, surprised.
"No way! You're almost level 9," Fena said.
Roux just sipped in his juice but was surprised at the answer.
"Not gonna lie, man. You're pretty scary," Welf said, his hand shaking a bit.
"Oh my, I remember you being a level five when I left. You're quite the grower, Bell," Haruhime complimented.
Ryu then returned with their food, and when she went to leave, Bell got up and followed her.
"Are you gonna laugh at me again?" Ryu asked, her face and ears red.
She held the tray in front of her face to hide from him.
Bell shook his head.
"No, and sorry about that. Just seeing you dressed in a maid outfit caught me off guard."
"Ok, you're forgiven," she mumbled.
Bell smiled as Ryu brought the tray away from her face. She looked at Bell, who absolutely towered over her.
She had missed him.
"Zeus said you didn't want to see anyone while you were training."
Ryu looked over to the three kids eating their food at his table.
"Are they the next generation of the Zeus familia?" She asked.
Bell looked over at them as well. A nervous smile on his face.
"Yeah, they are. When I was training them, I wanted my full attention to be on them. They're good kids and have potential, but I'm scared I'm gonna mess this up."
Ryu then glanced at Bell before looking back at the kids.
"I think you'll do fine. You've always treated people with kindness, and it seems you never lost that trait. They'll be fine as long as you're keeping an eye on them."
Bell chuckled.
"I didn't know you'd have that high of an opinion of me. Considering I haven't been around in a while."
Ryu hummed in acknowledgment.
"Yes, it is true you've been gone for quite some time. But you were and still are a friend."
Bell smiled at her words.
"Well, I'm off. Gotta make sure the kids behave themselves, and Haruhime's a lightweight, so I need to keep an eye on her as well. Oh, the duties of a captain."
Ryu watched as Bell's massive figure walked away and sat down with his familia. She watched as he entertained the kids questions and whims.
She watched as he and Welf talked about forging and better ways to make weapons and armor. She also watched how sweet he was on Haruhime.
She felt a little sad seeing that before Mia's strong hand grasped her shoulder.
"Don't worry about him being sweet on the fox. His patron deity and Grandpa is Zeus. I can only imagine the things he's taught the boy about harems," Mia softly said.
Ryu's face went red in embarrassment as she hid behind the tray again.
"Hmm, Mama Mia"
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After eating their late lunch, Bell paid for it. The kids were confused as they thought they had to pay for their lunch.
Bell just waved off their concern and told them it was on him as a job well done. However, the group had one slight problem.
Haruhime was drunk.
"Bell *hic* carry me."
Bell let out a sigh as he picked Haruhime up and put her on his back. She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning into it in the process.
"He he, you smell good."
"Kids don't be like Haruhime. Drink responsibly," Bell told them.
"Hmm, rabbit's being mean. Don't be mean, mr rabbit."
"Rabbit?" Welf asked.
"Don't worry about it," Bell replied.
"It's because you used to look like a bunny when you were younger. Wait a minute. I'm older than you, hic."
Welf just chuckled as Bell rolled his eyes.
"Now that she mentions it, you did kinda look like one."
"I'm gonna smack you."
Welf put his hands up in mock surrender.
"Alright, I won't say anything...rabbit."
Bell kicked at Welf, who jumped back laughing.
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"I think ms Haruhime is wasted," Rye said.
"Looks that way," Roux replied.
"Hmm, I don't understand why. She didn't have that much to drink," Fena commented.
Rye thought for a moment.
"Could she be what people call a lightweight?"
"She looks like one."
"I wonder if I'm a lightweight," Fena wondered aloud.
Rye then snapped his fingers as he had an idea.
"Oh, I have an idea. How about we have a friendly little competition. Every day after we leave the dungeon, we say how many monsters we killed. Whoever killed the most wins for the day."
"How about we put a little money on it" Roux offered.
"Alright, the other two give the winner 100 valis, and that number increases each area we go down. For example, once we level and head to the middle floors, the number goes up to 200 valis," Rye said.
Roux shook Rye's hand.
"Deal"
Fena also shook his hand.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'm in."
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The group arrived back at the Olympian manor. They saw Zeus standing at the front door with a smile on his face.
"Congratulations on your first dive. Why is Haruhime on your back."
"Take a guess, old man."
"You let her drink?! Why?"
"Because she's her own person, and I'm not gonna control what she does"
"Fair"
Zeus then turned his attention to the rest of the party.
"So, how was your first time in the dungeon."
Rye was the one who stepped forward and answered.
"We did alright until a Minotaur appeared on the fifth floor."
"A Minotaur on the fifth floor? Who's fuck up was that?" Zeus asked, perplexed.
"Loki's," Bell answered, walking into the manor.
"Figures"
Zeus then clapped his hands together.
"Alright, kids, you're free to do what you want now. Be it going and visiting Maria at the orphanage or spending your money on what you want. Welf, I already know you'll be in your forge tinkering, and Bell is most likely taking Haruhime to her room. So do what you want and be ready to head back in tomorrow."
Rye and Roux decided to head to the orphanage while Fena stayed behind, wanting to hear a hero story from Zeus. Welf, of course, went into his forge and started crafting new armor for new members that hadn't arrived yet.
He also began making swords, shields, spears, daggers, and maces so they'd have a stockpile of weapons ready for new recruits to choose from.
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"Heeey, Mr rabbit go faster," Haruhime slurred.
"I'm regretting letting you drink."
"So mean. Woah, you're tall, like a mountain."
Haruhime then poked Bell's cheek before giggling.
"Your cheek is squishy. Ooh, hey, Bell, wanna see my tits."
Bell stumbled a little at her words. He had seen Haruhime drunk before. But not like this. She had changed a lot in three years.
"I uh, well, you see, I Um."
"Why are you nervous mine are big. Zeus said you liked them big."
"Remind me to beat my Grandpa's ass next time I see him."
Haruhime giggled again.
"Oh, Bell, I love you so much. Ever since you saved me that day is when I fell in love."
Bell felt his heart skip a beat. He didn't know how to respond. I mean, Haruhime didn't mean any of this; she was drunk.
Right?
Arriving at her room, Bell opened the door and walked over to her bed. He gently set her down and watched as she splayed out over the bed.
"It's soft. I like soft."
Bell just sighed as he grabbed a cup and walked into her bathroom. He filled the cup with water and set it on her nightstand for when she woke up with a hangover.
"Alright, how about you get some sleep," Bell said in a gentle voice.
"But I don't wanna," Haruhime pouted.
Bell sighed as he carefully picked up Haruhime and put her under the covers. He tucked her in and made sure a trash can was next to her bed.
Before Bell could leave, however, Haruhime kicked the covers off and stood up. She walked up and grabbed Bell, and attempted to drag him back.
"No, stay," she mumbled.
Bell sighed and picked her up again, dragging her back to bed. But this time, he sat next to her as she laid down.
"Yay, bunny's staying," she cheered.
Bell just shook his head as Haruhime grabbed his hand.
"Your hands are big. Why are your hands so big."
"I just grew that way."
Haruhime continued to examine Bell's hand.
"Is so soft, yet so rugged."
Bell just let her do it. It was better she got it out of her system now so she could go to sleep.
Her earlier words played in her mind. Hearing an I love you from her made him happy. He knew he felt the same way. He just didn't want to admit it to himself. Zeus was wrong about him knowing, as he always knew what this feeling felt like.
Sure, he was just a kid when he first felt it, but he knew. However, after he was banished and being in constant danger of fighting dragons, he didn't want to be in love with how dangerous his situation was.
But deep down, everything just clicked with Haruhime. He doesn't know why, but it all just made sense to him.
Of course, him realizing this wasn't overnight. But the more time he spent with Haruhime and the closer they grew, made his heart flutter.
He was really sad when she left with Artemis. But he didn't stop her as this was something she wanted, and he would never control her actions or emotions like that.
He would rather kill himself than become someone like that. Luckily he had his work as the Dragonborn to keep his mind off her absence.
But when he saw her again that day, he wasn't lying when he said it made him happy.
Haruhime then sat up as she kept Bell's hand in her own. He went to gently push her back down, but Haruhime opened the top of her kimono and let her breasts fall out.
Bell's eyes widened in shock as his brain shut down. Haruhime moved Bell's hand and let his hand envelop her right breast.
She gave him a loving smile as she spoke.
"Do you like them? Last time I checked, I was an E."
Bell's brain was running on autopilot, so he said the first thing that came to mind.
"Nice tits"
Haruhime let out a drunk giggle.
"I'd hope you like them. Zeus said a man likes them big."
Haruhime then crawled onto Bell's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. She leaned up and captured Bell's lips in hers.
Bell could taste the chardonnay on her lips as well as cherries. It was her lipstick.
Bell returned the kiss as his hand was still on her breast. He gave it a light squeeze causing Haruhime to moan into the kiss.
Haruhime's hands begun moving down to Bell's pants, and as she rubbed his penis through his pants. This snapped Bell out of his stupor as he broke this kiss and gently pushed Haruhime away.
"Haruhime, no, we can't."
"Aw, why not" she pouted.
Bell closed the top of the Kimono so she would she some modesty.
"Because this isn't right. You're drunk and not in your right mind."
"But Bell, I love you and want to have my first time with you."
She leaned up to try and kiss Bell again, but he held her back and laid her down again.
"No, Haruhime, you're drunk. You might think you want this now, but once you sober up, you could regret it. I also don't want to take advantage of you like this."
Haruhime looked into Bell's pleading eyes. She could tell he didn't want this, at least not yet. She wasn't that drunk to where she wouldn't take no for an answer, and she didn't want to hurt Bell in any way.
"Hmm, ok, but can you stay with me, please? I promise not to try anything, and I'll go to sleep," Haruhime asked.
Bell looked at the fox girl, who, even in her drunken and disheveled state, he found beautiful. Had she been sober, he would've done it with her.
But he was raised not to take advantage of a girl not in her right mind like that. His Grandpa would beat him black and blue if he did, and Bell would let him out of shame.
"Ok, I'll stay right here."
"Yay"
Haruhime then laid her head down on the pillow and held Bell's hand. She had a content smile as she closed her eyes. A few minutes later, Bell heard soft snores coming from her.
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Fena was walking to Welf's forge. She could hear the hammering from where she was standing, thanks to her Falna and dog ears.
She pushed the door open and saw the red-headed smith hard at work. She shut the door behind her before walking over to him and looking over his shoulder.
"Can I help you, Fena" Welf asked as he stopped hammering and looked at the dagger he made. He frowned as he didn't like its quality and tossed it in the garbage pile.
"I was just wondering what you were doing," Fena replied.
Welf let out a small chuckle.
"Well, I'm obviously forging, kid."
"Oh, why are you forging."
"Because I'm a blacksmith."
"Why are you a blacksmith."
"Because I was born into a family of blacksmiths."
"How come you're not with your family now."
Welf flinched a little, but Fena didn't notice.
"Well, uh, we had some disagreements, and I left."
"Oh, do you miss them"
"Not really"
"Oh. I miss my parents."
Welf cringed at the words before an idea popped into his head. He got up from his stool and grabbed another one for Fena to sit on.
He patted the stool, and Fena sat on it. She was sitting right next to Welf and could see the entirety of the forge.
"Now that you have a better view. How about I teach you a few things about forging? Would you be interested in that?"
"Yeah!"
Welf just laughed at her enthusiasm before he began his teaching.
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Rye and Roux approached the run-down church that Maria ran. They had spent most of their lives there after their parents died in the dungeon.
Maria wasn't able to provide much, but she was able to provide them with food and a roof over their heads. They were grateful to her as they'd most likely be dead if it wasn't for her.
They were a little nervous to talk to her as she vehemently opposed them becoming adventurers. Maybe they'd talk to her after they leveled up.
So they wrote a letter and a pouch of 10,000 valis inside the mailbox. Then knocked on the door and ran like hell.
A few seconds later Maria opened the door and didn't see anyone outside. She was about to walk back inside but saw a letter sticking out of the mailbox.
She grabbed the letter and noticed the pouch of valis inside. She grabbed it and went inside before reading the letter.
She could tell it was Roux's handwriting, as he was the neatest of the three. She read the letter, and what it mostly got down to was the three saying they were sorry for going against her wishes and that they'll send money to provide for the orphanage.
She looked at the 10,000 valis in her hand and smiled.
"I'm gonna whoop their ass once they come back," she thought.
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Rye and Roux were walking back to the manor after booking it out of Daedalus Street. The two felt proud of being able to provide for the orphanage.
"You think she saw us," Rye asked.
"Doubt it," Roux replied.
"So, how many kills did you get in the dungeon today."
"36"
"Ha, I got 37 pay up," Rye cheered.
"Now, wait a minute, we haven't asked Fena her tally yet"
"Uh, fine, but I'm telling you, I won."
"Uh-huh, sure."
The two then arrived back at the manor and saw Fena and Welf walking out of the forge as the sunset.
"Hey, Fena, how many monsters did you kill today," Rye asked.
Fena put her finger to her chin as she thought.
"Hmm, 42 'cause I poked them with my spear."
"Ha, get fucked, idiot. She beat you," Roux taunted.
"She beat you too, dumbass."
"Damnit"
"Wait does this mean I won for today" Fena excitedly asked.
Both Rye and Roux muttered under their breath as they handed the 100 valis to Fena.
Welf just looked at the three kids before chuckling. The thought of stopping the kids from gambling didn't cross his mind.
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A new day arose, and Haruhime woke up with the mother of all headaches. Even the tiniest bit of light made her head pound.
She slowly opened her eyes and saw a glass of water on her nightstand. Now that she thought about it, her throat was really dry.
She reached up and grabbed the water before downing the entire cup in one go. She set the cup down, feeling a little better as the water entered her system.
She did feel lucky at not feeling nauseous or sick. Just a really bad headache was what bothered her.
She felt someone holding her hand and looked down at the floor, seeing Bell sitting on the ground, his back pressed against her bed and his eyes closed.
Seeing Bell brought back all the memories of last night, and her face flushed red in embarrassment. She said and did all those things with Bell last night, and it felt good. It felt right.
But she was also glad Bell stopped her. She wanted her first time with Bell to be special, not because she drank herself silly.
"How do you feel," Bell asked.
Haruhime jumped a little as she was startled.
"My head is killing me. How long have you been awake?"
"Since you started moving around," he replied.
He then used his rejuvenation spell on Haruhime, and she felt her headache disappear.
"Thank you. Um, we have a lot to talk about," she said.
Bell stood up and sat on her bed so he could face her. He still held her hand like he had done all night to give Haruhime and himself a little comfort for the talk they were about to have.
"First of all, I want to apologize for my behavior last night. Even though I was drunk, that does not excuse my behavior."
"I, um, you did and said some things that caught me off guard Haruhime. Can you talk to me about that, or tell me the reason"
Haruhime took a deep breath to calm her beating heart. She looked at Bell's ruby red eyes with her emerald green ones.
She saw a lot of confusion, and if her eyes didn't deceive her, a hint of hope?
No, she had to be seeing things.
"I was being serious when I said I loved you. Ever since, you broke me out of the cage and took my hand into yours, and ran. I felt free, and I felt safe. You let me feel those things, and over time it grew into love. Or perhaps it could've been love at first sight. But the truth is I love you, Bell Cranel. I always have, and even if you love someone else, I don't mind being your concubine."
Bell just stared at Haruhime in shock. He swallowed the lump in before answering.
"Well, um, I didn't know you loved me that much."
Bell nervously chuckled. He watched as Haruhime's ears drooped a little.
"But I feel the same, and I would like to give this a shot. Because if I'm honest, I've felt the same way ever since you started traveling with us. I was just too scared to say it."
Haruhime felt her heart flutter in joy. The man she loved felt the same what about her? Not knowing what else to do, she jumped up and kissed Bell again.
This time Bell immediately reciprocated the kiss, and his hands grabbed her back and pulled her closer.
They stopped to breathe for a second before their lips crashed again. This wasn't like when she was drunk. It felt more passionate, more affectionate.
It just felt right.
His hands began to wander down her body before he grabbed her ass and gave it a squeeze.
Haruhime let out a moan as Bell did that and began grinding herself against his crotch. Bell felt himself getting hard as Haruhime continued to grind herself against it.
His hands then moved up to her shoulders to grab the top of her kimono to take it off. He was able to get the top part of it off, almost allowing her breasts to spill free.
"BELL, HARUHIME BREAKFAST" Zeus yelled up.
The two jumped in fright, and Bell quickly pulled her kimono back up. The two quickly looked around the room and realized Zeus wasn't there and they weren't caught.
The two breathed a sigh of relief as it would be really awkward for the two of them if Zeus had walked at that moment.
"Maybe she would head down from breakfast. After the dungeon, we can continue this," Bell asked, chucking a little.
"Yeah, let's go. Everyone is probably wondering where we're at."
The two then stood up, and Bell began walking to the door before Haruhime stopped him by grabbing his hand.
"Um, can you take your armor off? I haven't seen you without it since I arrived."
Bell thought about it for a moment. He'd been in Orario for over two weeks now. He hadn't had any backlash to the Zeus familia returning. It was quite the opposite, really. People seemed happy.
Add that to the fact that Bell had a house, a growing familia, and a loving girlfriend. He had finally done the one thing he hadn't done since he was banished.
Set down roots. He had been so focused on moving from place to place and killing dragons that he never really set down roots or lasting relationships anywhere.
So Bell looked down at Haruhime, a gentle but loving smile on his face.
"Sure, I think it's about time I took it off."
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Zeus and the rest of the familia sat at the dining table. For breakfast, Zeus cooked pancakes and bacon for everyone. Everyone else was hesitant to eat his food.
But some coercing from Zeus made them finally eat, and they were all pleasantly surprised at how good they tasted.
So much so that Rye and Roix were scarfing them down in a competition to see who could eat the most pancakes.
Fena and Welf were just cheering them on.
Zeus smiled at the sight of the children enjoying their childhood. If he could use his arcanum and grant one wish. It would be to let children enjoy a happy childhood.
He tried his best with Bell after his parents died and hoped he did a good enough job in raising him.
"Oh, shit do I smell Grandpa's pancakes," Bell said, walking into the room holding Haruhime's hand.
Zeus smiled at the sight for two reasons.
One because Haruhime and Bell were finally together after knowing each other for six years.
The second was because Bell had finally taken his armor off. Deciding to just wear his black shirt and brown pants.
"You do, Bell. Better hurry before those two eat them all."
Bell and Haruhime walked to the table, and Bell pulled out Harubime's chair for her. She sat down as Bell pushed it back in and grabbed two plates full of food for the both of them.
He sat next to Haruhime and watched as the two kept eating.
"So, who's winning," Bell asked, feeding Haruhime a piece of his pancake.
"They're tied right now," Zeus answered.
"They do know we're going to the dungeon today, right?" Haruhime asked.
"Oh, they'll suffer when we get down there. Congratulations, you two," Welf said.
"Yeah, you guys are like a couple now," Fena added.
Both Rye and Roux stopped eating when they heard Welf say congratulations. Hearing Fena confirm what they heard made the two set their forks down.
"Wait, you two are together," Roux asked.
"As in, you're fucking" Rye added.
"Who taught you that language" Bell yelled as Haruhime blushed and Zeus busted out laughing.
"You," Rye said, pointing at him.
"He's got you there, Bell," Welf said, suppressing a smile.
"Welf, what's fucking" Fena asked.
"I'll tell you when you're older."
"Ok"
Zeus kept laughing, but one thought ran through his mind.
"I missed this familial aspect of my familia."
Well, another chapter comes and goes, and Haruhime's horny. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you next time.
