Author's notes: Hello everyone. The chapters are taking a bit longer to come. The urge to write is a bit less present and I'm easily distracted by other things, like the reopening of my RP forum, an event that was decided quickly, or the fact that I too have fallen for Star Rail.
I thank all those who gave me their opinions in the reviews of the two versions. And I realise that I won't satisfy everyone. But I admit that I write what inspires me most of all.
In fact, I'd like to take this opportunity to talk a bit more about my way of doing things. With the characters, even if I try to be in line with the original work, I don't try to be totally in line with it either. For me, any fanfiction is by definition OOC, because only the author of the novel can write the characters as they really are. Besides, a fic is also about allowing yourself some fantasies. So it's impossible for me to write characters in the same way as the author, a Japanese guy with a Japanese mentality, writing a novel obviously designed to be for all audiences. (The slaughter of the Astraea familia in a slasher movie style doesn't count.)
I also realise that my story is moving quite slowly. But I don't mind, I'm not here to do action or tell another story we all know, I rather talk about the relationship between the characters and I hope I'm doing well on that point.
Well, enough talking and let's get to the chapter.
Chapter 7: Surprising encounters
When Bell had gone to the monsterferia for fun, it hadn't been with the idea of playing tag with a silverback while protecting his goddess. He had a lot of questions to ask her, especially about the origin of the dagger she had given him, but for the moment, she seemed to need some rest, so he preferred to put that aside.
Following Ishtar's advice, the young man returned to the Hostess of Fertility, to find out if Syr had returned and was well. From what he understood, it was not only the silverback who had escaped and the young woman, a simple human without a blessing, had nothing to defend herself with.
Obviously, he was far from the truth...
When he got there, he ran into Anya, whom he asked if Syr had returned safely.
"You're lucky, she got back just before you did nya."
Bell breathed a sigh of relief, happy to hear that his friend was okay.
"Good to hear. Can I see her? I'd still like to return her purse."
"Of course nya. However, she's changing now, so we'll have to wait a bit. Unless... you want to go and peek at her on the sly, Mr. Gigolo?" said the cat-girl with a teasing smile.
"Certainly not!" Bell replied instantly. "I'm not that kind of person!"
"Rrrrrrrreally?" She continued, clearly amused at the idea of teasing Bell. But the latter merely sulked to show his disapproval. It was out of the question to answer her if it was to give her more to chew on.
"Bell?"
Syr's voice was heard as she came down the stairs.
"Nya? Too bad for you Mr. Gigolo, you missed your chance to peek at her."
"I would never do that!" Bell was red-faced with embarrassment, fearing Syr would misinterpret the cat person's words.
"Of course he wouldn't Anya!" continued Syr. "Besides, he doesn't need to, he could just ask me..."
"I would never ask you such a thing!"
Obviously, the one who should have saved him seemed to want to push him down a bit more. And judging by her little laugh, she must have been terribly amused at embarrassing him. So Bell admitted defeat and moved on.
"Well, I'm glad to see you're doing well. I was looking for you to return this, but I couldn't find you." Bell then handed her her purse, which she retrieved.
"Thanks Bell. But it was more like you gave me a big scare, especially when I saw you running away with that monster behind you."
"You saw me?"
"Yes, in fact, I even followed you."
"Syr! That was very dangerous, you should never have done that!"
To think this girl was reckless. Monsters had appeared in town and rather than take cover, she had chosen to run headlong into danger.
"But otherwise, I would never have seen your fight. Well, especially the end."
"You saw that too?"
"Yes. And I have to say, you were so... cool Bell. In fact... I think I even fell in love."
The young woman slipped these last words into his ear, purposely making him blush. But she had forgotten one detail, Anya was still there and she had very good hearing, enhanced by her level 4. And most importantly, she had no respect for privacy if it meant she could make a good joke.
"Ohhhhhhhhh! Syr has confessed her love!"
The main person involved suddenly turned around, her cheeks red, having forgotten for a moment what the female cat was capable of. And of course, this attracted other waitresses. Now that Anya had a way to annoy her, she wasn't going to be denied.
"Congratulations nya! When is the wedding?"
"W-Wedding!" Said a very shocked Bell with her cheeks on fire.
"Come on Anya, it's way too early for the wedding." Syr complemented.
In reality, nothing would please Freya more, but to marry Bell, she would first have to bring her overprotective familia to heel.
And as bad things never come alone, Ryuu, who also had good hearing, came with a hasty step, even though she had only heard half the words.
"What do you mean, Syr? Are you getting married? With Mr. Cranel? But... but... it's way too soon!"
"Ryuu..." began Syr, sensing the big misunderstanding coming.
"Is it... is it because he has to take responsibility?"
Everyone stared at the elf who seemed to be going off on a rant.
"Good heavens! Was my warning too late? Has he already spilled his lust on you?" Ryuu's voice became shaky as she seemed to imagine many 'horrors'. "Did he... hold your hand for more than five minutes? Or worse, h-h-h-he kissed you... on the cheek?"
From the way she was blushing and stuttering, it must have been very indecent for her already.
"They're not elves Ryuu." Lunoire then pointed out to her, amused by the turn of events.
"You mean it would be even worse? By heavens, would he have slammed you against a wall, b-b-b-before putting his hand..." the elf swallowed, as if terrified to continue her sentence. "...under your dress? Lewd! You are indecency incarnate, Mr. Cranel!"
"You're the only one who imagines strange things here!" Replied the young man, at least as red as her.
"Mooooh! Ryuu, stop talking nonsense..." said Syr, her cheeks red and playing to perfection the act of the young woman who was supposedly a prude, but who was just waiting for this.
"Actually, Ryuu hides her game well nya." Chloe said with an amused look on her face. "She's being a prude, but she has a lot of naughty ideas in her head."
And that was the signal for a big argument between the waitresses, under the gaze of Bell who didn't know how to defend his reputation. And also under the gaze of Mia, behind her counter. At first, the dwarf was tempted to do what she always did, namely to shout loudly to restore order. But when she saw the beaten dog look on poor Bell's face, she instead prepared a large pint of berry juice and handed it to him.
"Here kid, have a drink, you'll feel better after."
"Thanks..."
And it was with an air of dejection at all this nonsense that Bell tried to drown his worries in his non-alcoholic drink...
It took another hour to get the elf out of her delirium. This wasn't easy with Syr adding a bit more with her deliberately ambiguous lines and the other waitresses who obviously liked to tease everyone.
Fortunately, after an hour, Mama Mia blew the whistle and everyone went back to work. Bell left the establishment under Ryuu's shy and embarrassed gaze, not really sure if the misunderstanding was resolved.
Bell felt exhausted, the day had been long and the fight had been quite violent. He had come out of it relatively unscathed, although he had still taken some hits. He could already feel the aches and pains that would await him the next day.
Now that he had time to think, he finally turned his attention to the weapon his goddess had given him. He inspected the blade and also its scabbard, which allowed him to see a very particular signature, one that had been making him drool for a while. "Hephaestus". As a result, many things became much clearer.
His fatigue suddenly vanished and the young man hurried on, he now had many questions to ask his goddess.
But his excitement died down when he arrived at the Astral Mansion. It was not as if he would see his goddess tonight. She was exhausted and most likely resting in Belit Babili. Besides, she had already updated his status during the fight, so she had no reason to come see him.
"Welcome home Bell!"
Or not after all...
The young man got a greeting worthy of Ishtar, which was the version that included him getting his nose stuffed in the middle of her chest as she gave him a big hug.
"G-Goddess?"
"And yes, that's me. Surprised?"
"No, strangely, I'm getting used to it when you're around."
"Moooo! At least pretend!" She said before releasing him.
And Bell was really starting to get used to his goddess' whims, as well as her ability to do unexpected things.
"I thought you'd be happier to see me."
"I am. But shouldn't you be resting?"
"Yes, that's exactly my idea. Here, in the quiet, away from the deafening tumult of my home."
Belit Babili was not exactly the quietest place in the city, nor was the entertainment district in general. The Astral Mansion had the advantage of being much quieter. Even if the goddess was only telling half the truth. She wanted quiet, yes, but mostly she wanted to be with Bell. Perhaps he could use some comfort after such an eventful day.
"I see."
"Were you able to find your friend?"
"Yes." he replied with a slightly exhausted look on his face.
"Something wrong? Was she not well?"
"Oh, yes, everything's fine, but there's an elf who's giving me a bad reputation."
"What do you mean?"
Bell then told her about the multiple misunderstandings with Ryuu, which obviously made Ishtar laugh out loud, amused by her child's misadventures.
"Goddess!" Said the outraged boy.
"I think this girl means no harm. I even think she likes you."
"I find that hard to believe."
"Elves usually just ignore people they don't like, and considering the attention she's giving you..."
"You'll excuse me for not believing you this time."
"As you wish."
The goddess did not insist further, the boy would have plenty of time to make up his own mind on the subject. Bell then removed the knife from his belt, it was time for him to finally satisfy his curiosity.
"Goddess. Is that... is that what I think it is?" he said, showing her the signature on the sheath.
"That's right. A weapon signed Hephaestus."
"That's great! But I thought that..."
"That was before I realized how different you are. And this isn't just a quality weapon. It's a weapon created especially for you. It will grow and evolve with you. In practice, only someone with my blessing can use it. But not everyone needs to know that."
"That's... That's great." he said as he observed the weapon carefully and the many runes on its surface. "Does it have a name?"
"Hmmm? Now that you mention it, I forgot to give it one. Well, now's your chance, any ideas?"
Bell thought for a while, but he couldn't think of anything interesting. Well, yes, lots of names that sounded cool on paper, but were all little-boy delusions that he would never assume in public.
"I'm a bit stumped goddess. Let's see... if only people with your blessing can use it... how about... 'Ishtar's Knife' simply?"
"Hmmm... There's an idea there, but I'm not a fan. I certainly think highly of myself, but to actually name a weapon after me, I find that a bit egocentric."
Elsewhere in the city, a small goddess with twintails and big breasts suddenly started to sneeze. A goddess whose situation was becoming more and more complicated and who felt more and more tempted to at least listen to what Ishtar had to offer.
The latter was in the middle of thinking about the name to give to the weapon. A weapon which had cost her the equivalent of a month's profit from the entertainment district. That was how much the weapon had cost... and how wealthy Ishtar was.
"Let's see... since this weapon is made for you, a member of the Delebat, thus a representative of my astral aspect... 'Dagger of the Evening Star'? No, too long. I know! Why not simply 'Astral Knife'?"
Bell was silent for a moment, considering the option the goddess chose.
"Yeah, that sounds good. It's simple, but a bit poetic and the symbolism is clear. Sounds good to me!"
"Very well," the goddess said in a cheerful tone. "This weapon will be the Astral Knife from now on."
"And I promise to take great care of it, Goddess."
"I don't doubt it."
This time, Ishtar didn't even have to tell him that Bell had to go quickly to the bath. Between the chase and the fight, he was dirty and just wanted some hot water and soap to wash his body as well as his exhaustion.
Of course, barely five minutes after he got inside, the door opened to let Ishtar through, without triggering a word from the boy.
"Ara? You don't say anything Bell? No shouting? No jumping at the ceiling?"
"You know, even I'm not that naive and it's no longer a surprise when you expect it."
"Indeed."
"And you really don't want to cover up a bit? I don't know where to look anymore..." the young man said, his cheeks on fire, as his goddess approached, naked, of course.
"It's simple, you can look absolutely everywhere Bell." She replied, striking a pin-up pose to provoke him a little more.
And of course, Bell answered with her back to her. She was really trying to make him uncomfortable with her jokes.
"You know Bell, the more you sulk, the more I want to annoy you."
"That's called harassment!"
The goddess then replied with an amused little laugh. She liked to tease him, but she would never hurt him. If she allowed herself to be like this with him, it was because he didn't hate it deep down.
"Would you rather I be a haughty goddess who treats you like a pawn and only consents to receive you to update your status according to my mood?"
Which was already the way of a lot of deities. Bell didn't answer anything, he knew that his relationship with Ishtar was something special. She was filling an emotional void in his life, a hole in his heart after his grandfather's sudden passing.
"I also wanted you to know that I thought you were very brave today and what you did was impressive."
"Thank you Goddess. I'm just glad we made it out."
You don't become a hero simply by wanting to, but by your actions. Bell hadn't saved Ishtar with the idea that it would make him a hero, but only out of a sincere desire to protect her.
"As a result, I'm going to reward you by washing you."
"You... you mean by rubbing my back?" He asked in a tone that betrayed his concern. But all he got in reply was a naughty laugh from the goddess.
"By rubbing my back, right?"
But unfortunately for him, nothing was that simple and Ishtar went to attack his body, sponge and soap in hand. What followed was a rather crazy rodeo, punctuated by Bell's pleas.
"No... Goddess... stop it! Stop! You don't need to wash this place!"
About ten minutes later, the two were sitting side by side in the bath, Ishtar humming happily while Bell, dead ashamed, hid his face behind his hands.
"I can't be a husband anymore..."
"Of course you can. We'll even have a lovely ceremony for every woman you officially bring into your harem."
"You're never going to stop with this harem thing?"
"Of course, I'll always be there to support you in achieving your dreams."
"Can't we just keep this in my dark past?"
"Bad idea, the past always catches up with us Bell. Besides, you're a woman magnet, so just assume, you little naughty boy."
"Don't say that like I'm doing it on purpose!"
"I think that's the crazy part..."
The boy had a kind of aura that made it easy for him to make women succumb, it was almost... divine. Was it the result of his grandfather's education? A hidden blessing? It didn't matter to Ishtar, either way, it would still be great fun to watch.
And of course, after invading the bathroom, Ishtar felt obliged to continue to invade his personal space by sleeping in his bed. Without leaving him any choice, of course. Bell had expected this and was too tired from his day to argue. The chase, the fight, the strain on his nerves. The boy was physically and mentally exhausted. So, despite Ishtar's presence, he fell asleep quite quickly and sank into a deep sleep.
But this was not the case for the goddess, who had her own problems to deal with.
Bell was sleeping, lying on his side, breathing slowly, his body completely relaxed. Ishtar was lying against his back, one of her hands gently embracing the boy, having reached under his top to gently caress his stomach. The goddess noticed that the young man's abs were beginning to show more and more clearly. And that did not help her at all, worse, it only increased her frustration.
At first, there had been the discovery, the affection that Bell aroused in her. But now she was confronting something else, her own desire for him. As she had said to Hephaestus, the gods could not escape their inner nature. And that was also true for her.
Ishtar was a goddess of beauty and fertility. As such, she also embodied sexuality. If she indulged in the pleasures of the flesh, it was not out of caprice or because of her character, at least not entirely. But it was also due to her nature. When a goddess like Ishtar became genuinely fond of someone, she naturally felt the desire to physically bond with that person.
She wanted Bell... terribly. She wanted him completely. To feel his hands on her skin, the softness of his kisses... to feel him inside her for a passionate dance of love.
However, she had sworn that she would not force him and that she would just tease him until he felt a similar desire deep inside him. But in doing so, she was going against her very nature. Her restraint had become frustration. And the frustration was beginning to become pain.
With her face half buried in Bell's hair and one hand on his belly, the goddess, noticing that he was well asleep, let her other hand descend naturally between her thighs.
Gently, silently, she let herself go to some solitary pleasures. Doing this while being stuck to him, while he was sound asleep... The goddess felt a little ashamed of her action. But shame also brought another form of pleasure, the one that came with the forbidden and the risk.
But this poor palliative was the only thing that currently soothed her frustration and pain, even a little.
One day, she would surely manage to get Bell to admit his desires and on that day, she would be there to welcome him into the warmth of her embrace. But in the meantime, his presence and his adorable little snores should be enough...
For his part, Tammuz too was beginning to suffer more and more from the changes in his goddess, well, in his own way.
For a long time he had been Ishtar's favourite, her closest adviser and regular lover. He had literally given her everything, his body and his soul. And now this kid had arrived and was taking up all the attention of his goddess. At first he had thought, like everyone else, that it would be just a passing fancy, an amusing toy that she would eventually tire of.
But she was changing and her affection for Bell seemed to be growing into something lasting. Technically, he was still the goddess's lover and he understood that, contrary to what Lena said, Bell was not yet capable of playing that role.
He should have felt privileged, but he was not. The goddess was still sleeping with him, but he understood more and more that he was only a mere substitute. What could be worse than making love to a woman who was clearly thinking of someone else?
That morning, when Bell left for the Dungeon, the man had followed him. Tammuz clenched his fist, feeling more and more anger towards the boy. Despite his little feat the day before, he was still a helpless brat against him. It would be so easy to get rid of him now.
The man was ready to let his bloodlust speak when a voice was heard behind him.
"Don't even think about it."
The voice was Aisha, leaning against a wall, looking at him sternly.
"If you think that making him disappear will bring you Ishtar's love, you are mistaken. It will only bring you her fury and endless torment."
"She'll forget about him in no time." He said simply, as if trying to convince himself of this fact.
"There's definitely no one more deaf than the one who doesn't want to hear. This kid isn't just a fling or a fad or anything like that. He is much more now."
Her statement was only met with a mocking laugh from the man.
"Are you defending him now? Do you like this kid or what? I thought only strong men turned you on."
"If you think that's my only criteria, you're an idiot." She smirked. "I like strong men, but who also have that touch of savagery, the real beasts. That's why, no matter how strong he is, a nice doggie will never manage to turn me on."
The insult was obvious, but Tammuz gritted his teeth and chose to leave it at that. Fighting Aisha now would be a bad move to make. So would taking on the kid. So with a grunt he turned back, determined to bide his time. It would come sooner or later.
Aisha watched him go in silence. She herself had been questioning lately and she had to make a decision too. She might still be under the control of Ishtar's charm, but she was still partly in control of her destiny. And if she wanted to have the means of her ambitions, she could no longer afford to lag behind people like Tammuz or Phryne.
That day, Bell spent some time in the dungeon testing his new weapon. It was not only powerful, it seemed to fit his hand perfectly, as if it was a natural extension of his body. Moreover, its sharpness was truly exceptional, it cut through the leather and scales of the monsters as if they were butter.
Not to mention that with the nice increase in stats he had obtained, the first floors were no longer a challenge for him. So it was a very lucrative day for the young man, who went home in a good mood, far from suspecting the forces in the shadows that were watching him... nor the surprise that awaited him at home...
"I knew I was being tricked... I knew I was being tricked!"
"What are you talking about Hestia?"
"Are you kidding me Ishtar? What's this outfit!"
"A maid's uniform Hestia. And I don't see what the big deal is, I gave you a real one, not one suitable for games in some of my brothel."
Indeed, when he returned home, Bell found his goddess, accompanied by another woman. She was short, dark-haired, and her outfit failed to disguise the fact that she had been very blessed by nature. A woman currently dressed in a maid's outfit. And as Ishtar told her, there was nothing sexy about her outfit, it was a classic full-body maid's outfit, with a dress that went down to her ankles. The fact that Ishtar could have such a simple outfit at her disposal seemed strange in a way.
"It shows much less than your usual white dress. A very daring outfit indeed for a virgin goddess."
"Just because I'm a virgin goddess doesn't mean I should be ashamed of my body! I'm not that frigid, mischievous prude Athena!"
"You have a point."
It was indeed the case, of the three virgin goddesses, Hestia was the least uptight of the three. While Artemis was highly suspicious of men, she could admit to a certain, very limited, tolerance for them. As for Athena, she was the epitome of misandry and no man had to come within five hundred meters of her without a good reason. Hestia, on the other hand, simply lived her life as she saw fit.
"But that still doesn't explain why I have to dress as a maid!"
"Because I hired you for this job. You see, Bell is currently the sole occupant of this house and I know he feels compelled to do chores in addition to his days in the Dungeon, so I need someone to clean the Astral Mansion!"
"Ask your other children then! Someone in your familia will do it!"
"I could. But I'd like someone more... neutral in a way. Besides, it suits you too, since you're looking for a job."
"I never said I was looking for..."
"Or would you rather continue eating potato snack while living in the old ruined church that Hephaestus is willing to let you occupy?" snapped Ishtar, cutting her off, while reminding her of her very... difficult situation.
"An honest job, with accommodation and all amenities included, not connected with a pleasure establishment. This mansion is the base of the Delebat, the new branch of my familia dedicated solely to exploring the Dungeon. You see? I never lied to you."
After silently observing this somewhat surreal exchange in his eyes, Bell finally decided to intrude on the conversation.
"But Goddess, we can't do this to her..."
"What are you talking about Bell?"
"I mean... Lady Hestia is a goddess. We can't just make her do the chores."
"Correction, she's a broke goddess who has to learn to work for a living, because she doesn't have a familia to help her."
"I'm right here, you know, stop taunting me."
The founding of her familia was still a sensitive subject for Hestia, as all her searches were turning out to be a disaster at the moment. Between perverts looking a little too much at her breasts, people wanting a falna for less than noble reasons while taking advantage of a new goddess with no influence and the like, Hestia wasn't exactly on a roll right now.
"Think of it as a transitional thing that will give you a stable situation to look for your first children with more peace of mind."
Ishtar really didn't think that Hestia would really come to her to find work. The other night, at Ganesha's feast, she had told her that seriously, but without really believing it. So it was a surprise when the little goddess came to her that morning. Ishtar knew then what she had to do, put her in the Astral Mansion.
Dreams had directed her to Bell. Dreams in which the boy wore a falna with the divine emblem of Hestia on his back. It must have meant something. Even if she had changed, Ishtar still had many enemies and troublesome commitments that could turn against her. At least if things got out of hand and something happened to her, Hestia could always get Bell back and keep him out of trouble.
Then things would just go back to the way they were...
"Okay, I'll do the chores. But even if it's not a pleasure establishment, that boy is still one of your children, so let's be clear, I'm not doing the night duty!"
In response, Bell was shocked and Ishtar just laughed.
"But-but-but... I'd never ask you that!" said Bell, red with indignation. He was getting a little tired of being mistaken for a gigolo.
"Ishtar must have taught you a lot of things, don't try to lie to a goddess!
"I've never done anything with my Goddess!"
Bell's statement caused a great silence in the room. Hestia was about to give him a huge scolding for such a lie, but she was a goddess, she could instinctively detect direct lies. And here she knew he was telling the truth.
"Nothing at all?"
"I have done nothing indecent to my Goddess."
"To my great misfortune..." then Ishtar said with a hint of spite in her voice. Sure, since he was her child, the definition of what Bell would call indecent acts was starting to fluctuate, but not enough to give Ishtar what she wanted.
"Wait. You. Her. No dirty stuff?" she said while pointing at both of them one after the other. The news was so shocking that Hestia had lost her grammar on the spot.
"No, nothing!" The boy then insisted, turning the knife in the wound a little more for his goddess who was only waiting for this from her side.
"For now anyway..." Ishtar then chuckled with a touch of teasing in her voice.
"Goddess!"
Hestia was not at the end of her surprises, for as she watched them interact, she discovered an Ishtar she did not know at all. Teasing, playful, but adorable in a way. Was it that kid who had done this? And if so, through what miracle? The little goddess managed to come to her senses and returned to the conversation.
"Well, fine, I'll take the job for now. But let's be clear, as soon as I find children to start my familia, I'll leave immediately."
"That's fine with me." Ishtar replied.
"And you! Don't you dare use that cute face to try and seduce me!" Hestia then pointed at Bell, her cheeks slightly red. Ishtar then noted that even Hestia was not totally unaffected by Bell's charm.
"I have no intention of doing so! I am not a gigolo!" he replied to Hestia before turning to Ishtar. "It's your fault goddess! By talking nonsense, people imagine all kinds of things!"
"I am not responsible for your cuteness." Ishtar said with an amused smile.
And deep down, she also felt reassured, with Hestia and her noisy personality, the house was going to become much more lively...
And while Bell was dealing with his own worries, another man was dealing with his own. As requested by his goddess, Allen was investigating to learn more about Bell, but the results were limited.
He hadn't learned anything really concrete about the boy, but he had discovered that he had a good reputation in the entertainment district and that everyone loved him, so much so that he was beginning to change things a bit in spite of himself. A good example of this change was the behaviour of the girl that Allen came to see as a cover for his surveillance.
Before, she was an unhappy, almost desperate girl, who was looking forward to Allen finally buying her out of her condition. But for some time now, she had changed, she was more cheerful, more relaxed and no longer even hinted at her acquisition. When Allen finally managed to turn the conversation to Bell, it was to end in a deluge of compliments for the boy. He had the pleasure of discovering that he was too cute, super nice, adorable, helpful and that everyone adored him. It was not difficult to understand that this prostitute had also taken a liking to him and was beginning to forget Allen.
Even though the cat said that only his goddess mattered, it was still a little bit offensive.
But he still managed to get a viable piece of information, namely where he lived, a place called the Astral Mansion, as well as the location of the place.
Seeing that he wouldn't get any other information here and that the girl didn't seem to be that interested in him anymore anyway, he thought it was time to move on. And so to find a new observation point to accomplish his mission.
This led him to the only brothel that would allow him to observe the famous house, a place called the Midnight Sigh.
When Allen entered the place, he was dressed in a hooded cloak, which was not extraordinary in itself, many visitors to the district preferred to keep a certain discretion. The establishment was a standard place, nothing too luxurious, but not something hideous either. The place was clean, and the effort was made to provide a certain atmosphere to put the visitor at ease.
Given the time of night and the sounds, he understood that the establishment was already busy for that evening, but that did not deter him. As soon as he entered, a woman came towards him. A pallum, elegant, refined, her midnight blue hair framed a face that exuded a certain maturity. Fan in hand, she walked with a supple, elegant and seductive gait.
"Welcome to the Midnight Sigh, dear visitor. Is this your first time in our place?"
"Yes." He said in a neutral, almost disinterested voice.
Neela was the physiognomist type, it was useful for remembering regular customers or unwanted ones. The Cat People was not a regular, otherwise she would have remembered receiving the Vana Freya in her establishment. She knew most of the famous adventurers too, even if the implicit rules of the district told her to pretend not to. Everyone was free to come and enjoy the pleasures of this district without being judged. But such a high-ranking member of the Freya familia worried her a little. Unfortunately, she couldn't chase him away either.
"Given the time, I regret to say that most of our girls are already busy. I unfortunately only have one left to serve you, will that do?"
"That will do." He replied, pulling out a purse of valis. Allen had come to investigate under the guise of being a client. He had no intention of being overzealous in pretending to be interested in a particular girl, the first one to come along would suffice, a whore was just a whore after all.
"Very well dear guest, please follow me then."
Allen then followed the pallum who was guiding him upstairs. So far so good, if he trusted his sense of direction, the layout of the surrounding streets and the structure of the building, the room she was guiding him to should have a window giving him a good view.
"Here we are, the Midnight Sweet room. I hope you have a pleasant time dear guest."
Neela was professional to the core. Courteous, smiling, welcoming. She knew how to receive guests, he would at least give her that.
When Allen walked into the room, it was expecting to run into a girl with a fake smile, hoping to get it over with quickly, hoping not to run into a weirdo. He already knew how he was going to do it. Play it taciturn, don't rush her, pretend he just wanted some company, even play coy, before going to sit by the window and acting cool and mysterious. It had worked the first time, there was no reason why it shouldn't work again.
But as soon as he took a few steps into the room, he was greeted by a pair of soft breasts that he found himself face down in as arms wrapped around him and a cheerful voice spoke to him.
"So you're my date for tonight? Don't worry, mommy will take good care of you." A thicc weretiger then said to him.
Allen was so not expecting this that he didn't know how to react. Why had this girl jumped on him? Where did that generous chest come from? And why 'mommy'?
Coming to his senses, the cat broke free of the embrace and took two steps back.
"Ho? Are we a little shy? Don't worry, mommy Dezra knows very well how to put people at ease." She told him with a big motherly smile.
Allen's calculations were good, but he had obviously just stumbled upon a random variable. This woman was clearly no ordinary prostitute and he wasn't sure how to handle her.
For her part, Neela had a small, mysterious smile. She hadn't planned on the Vana Freya visiting at all, but as fate would have it, Dezra was the only person available. Throwing him into the room of the eccentric fan of weird kinks would be a good way to prevent the man from doing anything, because even he would have to think carefully about his reactions.
And indeed, Allen was lost, so much so that he couldn't even grumble. His former favourite was an unhappy girl who had tried a few moves in the hope of binding him more to her, but without real love and Allen had been able to easily take psychological advantage of her to have peace. But now he was faced with a real weirdo with some very strange ideas in his head.
What were his options?
Run away? Fuck that! It was out of the question for him to abandon his mission now.
Push the girl away? Obviously ineffective, because she was coming back to him.
Push her away more meanly? It was tempting, but even he knew it was a bad idea. Using violence here would only draw attention to himself and be totally unproductive.
He had no choice, he was going to have to try and handle it, and hope his nerves would hold.
"No way in hell I'm calling you mommy!"
"That's what they usually say. But then they can't get enough of it."
But what kind of nutcase was he, and what kind of nutcases did she usually get? Where had he been? It seemed compromised to sit by the window looking cool and mysterious. Right now he was too busy backing up, before his back hit the wall and the other crazy woman got closer and closer.
"Could we go... slower?"
"Don't worry kitten, mommy is always very gentle..."
A few hours later...
Allen stared at the ceiling, his eyes wide open. The man was naked as the day he was born. The crazy prostitute was sleeping, also naked, holding him in her arms like a large stuffed toy.
What had happened? He was Allen Fromel, the Vana Freya. One of the most powerful adventurers in Orario, the fastest of them all and one of the most ill-tempered (in direct competition with Bete Loga). So how? How had he ended up in this situation? And why did his mind seem to have... obliterated what had happened in the last few hours?
And of course he had no time at all to spy on anything through the window.
Dazed, he managed to get up, put his clothes on and leave the place like a zombie. When she saw him leave in this state, Neela, the person in charge of the place, could not hold back a small victorious smile behind her fan. She would have to add a small bonus to Dezra for her excellent work. Even if the weretiger had done nothing more than simply being herself.
That day, Freya took a long time to understand why Allen had asked to see her in private before prostrating himself, forehead to the ground, begging her to forgive him for failing her and succumbing to the charms of a woman other than her.
Once the goddess finally managed to get it out of her head and understand what had happened, she simply burst out laughing. She didn't know which was funnier, the situation itself or her child's overreaction.
But it was all so amusing to her that she willingly forgave Allen... but not without telling him to continue his surveillance, which made the man look strangely pale.
And while Freya granted an unexpected audience to one of these children, Ishtar did the same. Sitting on her throne, Aisha was kneeling before her and had just finished speaking to state her request.
"An expedition against the Amphisbanea?"
"Yes my goddess. According to our information, the creature has just respawn and I believe that an expedition of some of our berberas against it could be a good thing. This monster rex could be an interesting challenge for many of us to gain strength, with potential level ups to come."
"That makes sense to me, but why now?"
"In consideration of our... plans, I felt it was necessary for us to gain power in order to maximise our chances."
"Indeed. Do you plan to take Haruhime along as well?"
"No, my goddess, I do not consider her presence necessary."
"Why is that?"
"Haruhime's magic doesn't really depend on her level, so she doesn't need to gain power herself. Besides, I feel that depending too much on her right now would be a mistake, our berberas need to know how to manage without her. Besides, the increase in power she grants through her magic is fixed, so gaining strength ourselves will be just as beneficial."
The goddess remained silent for a little while, pondering Aisha's proposal. She had nothing against her idea, rather she wondered what justified her sudden urge to make things happen. Although she couldn't disobey her directly, the amazoness had chosen to be rather passive lately.
"Very well, I approve your project. The amphisbanea will not be an interesting opponent for Phryne, so she will not go and since it is your idea, you will assume it to the end by taking command of this expedition."
" Yes, my goddess."
"In that case, I'll give you until tomorrow to prepare this expedition for departure the day after tomorrow at the latest. Others will want to take advantage of this monster rex's return, so don't let them get ahead of us."
"As you wish, my goddess."
It was a very short time to prepare for this kind of expedition, but it was still possible. The familia had the necessary resources. The hardest part was preparing the group that would go to confront the amphisbanea.
Samira and Lena to start with, as well as a fair number of the level 2 and 3 berberas. Of course, she wouldn't try to get Bell to come. For one thing, Ishtar probably wouldn't agree to let him go into the Dungeon with the Berberas, and more importantly, despite the rapid progress he seemed to be making, he wasn't yet ready for such a challenge...
Slowly, but surely, things were starting to move.