Is it Wrong to Live Transmigrated as Bell Cranel in a Dungeon?
Chapter 12.5: Hot Springs? In a Dungeon?
"EVERY anime has a beach episode, Alex!"
— Roger Van Der Weide
Main POV
If anyone else was watching us, they would surely be surprised at the composition of our party.
Leading the pack was not only the captain of the Hermes Familia, Asfi, but the God of the Familia himself.
"Yeah~ That battle was quite a close one," Hermes commented in front of me, "Honestly, I wanted to stick around the 18th Floor a while longer, but it's better for Hestia and me to head back now."
Said Goddess in question would also have been a bizarre sight to see in the Dungeon. She was currently by my side, serving as an impromptu crutch. But based on her pleased humming, she didn't seem to mind her de-facto role.
After my fight against the Juggernaut – which I still have a little trouble believing that we managed to pull off – I had reasonably slept until the next day. A classic victim of Mind Down, I was. Still suffering from it too, to some extent. Thankfully, my help for the Black Goliath fight wasn't needed. Go Tiona!
Anyway, it conveniently was enough time for the people of Rivira to open up the path to the 17th Floor that had been blocked by a rockslide caused by the Dungeon itself.
That said, my body was incredibly weak at the moment. A faint breeze could likely knock me over.
While there is technically no limit to the amount of potions one can use. Multiple uses in quick succession can have diminishing returns. While magic is involved in potions, and the ingredients themselves bring in nutrients and such. There is still the factor of the spells interacting and using resources already in the user's body.
The point was, that the sheer amount of potions I had used in a short period of time was more damaging than not. Though it's not like I had a real choice in the matter.
That's not to add the sheer shock my body had gone through after losing my…
I suppressed the urge to rub at my right wrist.
Singularity would probably be enough to prevent me from having nightmares. But I think that will be a sore subject for some time now.
Speaking of things related to my Falna, Hestia hadn't updated it yet. Not because she refused to or anything like that per say. But, again, my body wasn't in great condition. The stress of updating the Falna would just make my recovery even more difficult.
It wasn't something Ryuu's magic could easily help with either – though that wasn't to say that she hadn't helped heal me at all or that it was ineffective. In fact, the addition of Ryuu's magic was a godsend. I probably wouldn't have been able to walk, period, without it.
Ryuu and Chloe were also part of our large party. They had originally planned on ascending on their own to avoid interactions with the second half of the Loki Familia Expedition – for Ryuu's sake. Joining with us was still less than ideal for meeting Ryuu's reasoning in the first place, but considering the circumstances it really couldn't be helped.
Healers in Rivira were able to help repair Ryuu and Chloe's broken bodies – with no cost thanks to a rare moment of generosity from Rivira. But, they were in a similar boat as me. They weren't as exhausted as I was, but it would certainly be much safer to travel in a group.
"Indeed!" Lili agreed with the messenger God, "Besides, if she hadn't come, Bell-sama and I could have had a very good time."
Lili was behind me in our formation.
The Pallum girl had been apart of the battle against the Black Goliath. As she tells it, she was hardly in danger. All she had done was help move weapons and supplies around, as well as carting away the wounded.
Any rampaging monsters she came across she was able to distract with her Little Ballista. Or discourage attacks with her hidden blade for long enough for the adventurers tasked with fending off the waves of monsters to do their jobs.
"What are you saying Supporter-kun? Bell-kun definitely wants to go back with me as soon as possible," Hestia said, not going to take Lili's comment lying down.
Lili, of course, was glad to escalate things and came forward to me. She hugged my other side, making it seem like she was making an effort to help me stand upright.
Despite her being a head shorter than Hestia, it did help me stay steadier on my feet, so I didn't complain as they continued to bicker.
"While you don't know how to heal his exhausted body, I can cure, comfort, and serve him in whatever ways he wants!"
"That's nonsense!" Hestia didn't like the lewd implications of Lili's words.
Even I noticed them.
Not that my little son reacted to them. Not because Lili wasn't cute or attractive, but I was just too tired to even think of sexual matters.
"He loves me so much that he can't even live without me!" Hestia continued bickering.
Her words caused me to shiver. Or was that just my body being incredibly sore?
Hestia's statement just felt like it was in bad taste.
Though I hadn't time to think about it, as I noticed the gaze of malevolence in front of us.
"Up ahead!" I warned the party. I may not be able ot fight right now, but I can at least be an early warning system. Kinda.
The rest of our forces began to move.
Welf, who was behind Lili, drew his greatsword and moved to cover our original party plus Hestia. He'd been involved in the Black Goliath fight. His wounds were mostly superficial. Most of the fight he was dealing with the waves of monsters. But he also weakened up the Black Goliath with a magic sword of all things. Or so he said.
Mikoto rushed past me to meet the Hellhounds in front of our path. Chigusa and Ouka were left behind me in the center of our formation.
The members of the Takemikazuchi Familia had participated in the Black Goliath battle, of course. Chigusa mostly helped move stuff around and tended to the wounded. Mikoto and Ouka mainly dealt with monsters from the forests alongside Welf.
Apparently the large samurai had shielded Welf from getting crushed by debris when the Black Goliath sent that large wave of rocks everywhere. And had gotten kinda smushed under a large stone.
Thankfully, his wounds were relatively superficial. Well, more like he was treated as a low risk patient and was given one health potion. He was still bandaged, sore, and weak.
Mikoto had been responsible for helping clear out monsters on the far northern flank before that same AOE attack sent her in the direction of the Juggernaut fight.
As I was thinking of her, the purple-clad adventurer made quick work of the Hellhounds blocking our way.
Ryuu and Chloe were actually in front of me in the formation. Their roles in recent events need not be repeated. They didn't draw their weapons, but they stayed at attention for potential flanking enemies.
The two didn't go to meet the foes in front, since we had agreed that the Level 4s were to hold themselves in reserve considering the amount of exhausted adventurers and deities in the party.
Ryuu had been glancing back at me as we traveled. Like she was trying to make sure I was still there. The way she would look back to me, then snap her head forward like she hadn't been watching me… was pretty damn cute.
I'm… not really sure why she's doing it though. It's unusual behavior, but hardly anything to be concerned over. My brain was too tired for in depth observations.
Lefiya and Tiona took up the rear. Lefiya hadn't really been injured at all in the Juggernaut fight, but she did use up damn near all of her magic supply. She was truly a godsend, as I would have struggled to cover for both Ryuu and Chloe with my Hiraishin alone. Lefiya, with her experience with the Deep Floor monsters, gave her enough of an edge to be able to react to the Juggernaut's insane speeds.
Neither Chloe, Ryuu, or Lefiya had brought up or asked about my arm. It was likely some form of adventurer etiquette about not talking too much about such injuries.
And I wasn't exactly going to share about what happened to my right hand unless prompted.
Hestia is going to be so mad when she updates my Status…
Moving on.
Tiona, of course, had taken out the Black Goliath. Level-wise, they were on the same footing. So while Tiona could do damage to it easier than anyone else, that went both ways. And Tiona was fighting without any of her usual support.
Believe it or not, but Tiona wasn't a blind berserker. She took her time to observe the Black Goliath's attack power, looked for weaknesses, and so on. Or so Lili described it (begrudgingly). Of course, her final solution was to just keep on attacking until the regeneration couldn't keep up so she could damage the Monster Rex's magic stone.
Tiona currently, however, was sulking despite increased danger from monsters popping up.
"I wanna hear about Spider-Man…" Tiona whined for the 23rd time.
It was the entire reason why she was with us, she insisted. But, needless to say, I was much too exhausted to regale her with the rest of the story that I started telling that night around the campfire.
Tiona didn't push me on the topic… but it didn't stop her from whining the whole time. No one wanted to risk setting the Level 5 off by telling her to knock it off.
"You've got them!" Lili cheered as Mikoto finished off the Hellhounds.
"There's more!" Asfi immediately retorted, noting the wall to our side cracking open. "Those are… Hard Armoreds!"
At least ten of the armored reptiles had burst out of the walls. Causing the higher leveled adventurers in our group to react – it was too much for Mikoto to handle, and I was too weakened to even think of fighting.
It was a work of art watching Ryuu, Chloe, and Tiona make quick work of the collection of monsters.
However, something weird happened as the fight ended. Tiona had batted one of the monsters into a nearby wall with great force, effectively snapping the monster's neck. The impact caused the wall to start to crack, sand and gravel spilling out more and more.
Before we all knew it, a tunnel had formed leading to parts unknown.
"An Uncharted Territory?" Ryuu said at the sight of it. Which was what it said on the tin, unexplored areas of the Dungeon not on known maps. Not that I had an official map from the Guild – such maps were expensive as a way of paying back those who took the risks in mapping them out.
"Uncharted?" Chigusa asked, "You mean it's not on the map?"
She seemed more confused that Ryuu was certain it was not a known location. We were on the 13th Floor at the moment, and so considering how relatively close to the surface we were, it was harder to believe that the Floor hadn't been completely mapped.
Or so I assumed.
"Yes," Ryuu answered simply, not elaborating.
"Without a doubt," Asfi agreed, "As far as I can recall, there isn't a cave like this one. And it's not a tunnel pit either."
Asfi was referring to the tunnel not being a pit trap or anything malicious like that.
I got a glance down the tunnel myself. I couldn't see the end, but the walls were lined with dark blue crystals and I could make out what looked like bamboo stalks at the very back of the tunnel.
"So we made a new discovery?" Ouka said questioningly.
"Nice going, Tiona," I congratulated the Amazoness. Bashful, Tiona just giggled and rubbed the back of her head.
Out of nowhere, Mikoto suddenly gasped loudly before rushing to the entrance of the tunnel. She fell to the ground and started sniffing the dirt intensely.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Welf called out incredulously.
"It can't be!" Mikoto yelled out in… joy?
Without concern for her or our safety, Mikoto got up and bolted down the tunnel into the unknown.
"Mikoto!" Ouka called out in concern.
"Don't go ahead by yourself!" Welf chimed in with annoyance as we all silently agreed to pursue her in case she ran into trouble.
The tunnel wasn't terribly long, so we quickly found Mikoto standing before a massive hot spring.
The chamber itself was massive, and could easily fit a third of the Goliath's height. And the chamber continued further down for some distance too. There were a bunch of isolated pools of hot water, along with foliage mostly consisting of actual bamboo of all things.
The water itself was bright blue and completely clean and clear. It reminded me of lakes near Canada, but even more clear than that. That is, the water visible past all the hot steam.
"A hot spring?" Hestia questioned as she poked her hand in the water, confirming the temperature.
"Exactly!" Mikoto answered with jubilation and childlike enthusiasm, "I guarantee this is a hot spring! When it comes to hot springs, I'd never be wrong!"
Mikoto proceeded to moan in pleasure at the sheer smell of the hot mineral water.
Everyone hung out at the base of the spring as some of our members went ahead to patrol the unexplored cave.
I stood there in utter disbelief.
What is my life? This is what it's come to?
I did not ask for a hot springs episode in my life!
…But I was really worn out. Damn. You win this time universe.
Soon enough, Ryuu, Asfi, and Chloe returned to our group from their brief patrol of the area.
"There's nothing else here," Ryuu reported.
"I don't sense any monsters," Asfi concluded, "Maybe it's a present from the Dungeon."
The only present I know of the Dungeon giving is cute monster girls to dote on. Anyone who lewds Weine deserves death I say!
"I'm certainly not complaining, nya," Chloe said, the grin on her face giving away her inner thoughts. Perverted ones, no doubt about it.
"Bad," Ryuu bonked the cat girl on the head. Who yelped before hissing in displeasure.
"Then we should avail ourselves of its kindness," Ouka suggested.
Others silently agreed, setting their gear down to take advantage of what seems to be a safe zone to rest before the rest of the trek to the surface.
Mikoto, meanwhile, had stuck her head in the water and started drinking without abandon. I couldn't help but watch her with concerned intrigue.
After almost a full minute, she pulled her head out and took deep breaths from oxygen deprivation.
…this girl seriously likes hot springs.
"H-How is it, Mikoto?" Chigusa asked shyly.
Mikoto clapped her hands once, mania in her eyes, "Both the temperature and concentration of minerals in the water are perfect! I must take a bath!"
"We haven't taken a break since leaving the 18th Floor," Lili commented, her words uttering the silent agreement that we should take the opportunity to rest.
"A bath! I want one! I want one!" Tiona jumped up and down with enthusiasm.
Lefiya sighed next to the Amazon, clearly used to the other girl's apparent infatuation with water.
"Everyone! Let's take…" Hestia began to say, before a collection of our party joined her in saying:
"...A bath in this wonderful hot spring!"
Of course, the collection saying this was mostly girls. The one exception being Hermes, whose apparent enthusiasm put all of the girls on edge.
"Hermes, you Super Pervert…" I muttered to myself in a deadpan.
"What's wrong?" Hermes asked with apparent obliviousness.
Asfi whispered in his ear, likely about the shenanigans he had gotten me into on the 18th Floor.
"Oh!" Hermes said loudly, "You mean the one in which Bell was the luckiest!"
I could feel my cheeks light up with embarrassment as images of that incident flashed through my head.
I didn't need to look behind me to know that Lefiya was gritting her teeth and giving me a death glare or that Tiona was probably looking at me with an amused and smug expression.
"Bell the luckiest?" Welf asked, not knowing what was being talked about. "What's that?"
"Ah no, uh…" I stammered, not quite finding the words to deflect the conversation.
"Anyway," Hestia said, "We can't take a bath with Hermes here!"
Bless you Hestia! You've saved me once again! Excellent topic shift!
"I really want to though…" Lili complained, but also agreed that they couldn't trust Hermes.
"No way…" Mikoto looked grief-stricken.
"...You can wear swimsuits," Ryuu suddenly spoke up, garnering everyone's attention.
Ryuu had a small blush, and refused to look in my direction, but said, "Wear swimsuits, then you needn't worry anymore."
At first glance, it would be surprising for an elf of all people to suggest wearing 'indecent' clothing like swimsuits. But I recognized Ryuu's intentions as trying to right the injustice of not having the party members be able to use the hot springs just because there was a Super Pervert in their midst.
Or something like that? I doubt my brain was working at one hundred percent right now…
"Great idea!" Mikoto instantly jumped onto any idea that let her have a bath in the hot spring before us.
"But where do I find a swimsuit?" Hestia asked, immediately pointing out the logistics issue. It's not like any of us brought swimsuits or anything…
"I knew something like this could happen," Hermes declared, dumping out the contents of a backpack he definitely didn't have on his arrival to the 18th Floor to reveal a bunch of swimsuits of varying design.
Did that God… seriously buy swimsuits in Rivira?!
Asfi, you poor woman, you've earned my sympathy. She's definitely going to ultimately be the one to fund her perverted god's expenditures.
Indeed, the woman looked like her soul was leaving her body at the thought of the Hermes Familia's finances.
"I brought swimsuits for everyone!" Hermes declared, ignorant of his child's suffering, "Every piece is a masterpiece, chosen by me. And they're yours now."
He then distributed them around, justifying that he made sure they were sized for each person in question.
When he handed me a pair of yellow trunks, I asked, "Why on earth…?"
"Bell-kun…" Hermes whispered conspiratorially, "As a traveler, one must be prepared for any circumstance. Especially one where the ladies will disrobe."
Unfortunately, that made a lot of sense considering this was Hermes we were talking about.
"...How does he know our measurements?" I heard Chigusa wonder with reasonable concern.
Hermes, this is not an appropriate use of your information network!
"Never mind!" Mikoto didn't give two shits about Hermes knowing everyone's three sizes in the face of getting to use a hot spring, "After all, we can take the bath now!"
"Anyway, you can change clothes behind that rock," Hermes said, pointing over to a large rock formation, "Ladies first."
All the girls, aside from Ryuu, made their way to the rock in question.
Asfi started whispering to Ryuu, the latter of which then said with volume I could hear, "I'm not going to bathe with you. So I planned to do that from the start."
Ryuu glanced my way before sharply looking away again.
…What was that about?!
My thoughts on Ryuu were distracted when I noticed Asfi then whisper harshly to Hermes, "Behave yourself, Hermes-sama!"
"I know, I know…" Hermes said placatingly, though judging from Asfi's expression she didn't believe him.
I didn't either.
Soon enough, it was just us four boys sitting there and Ryuu who stood vigilant in the path between us and where the girls were changing.
And were making quite the racket while doing so.
"An ongoing feast is right behind that rock!" Hermes whispered to us conspiratorially.
This caused Welf and Ouka to choke and gasp in embarrassed arousal. I just sighed, exasperated at how horny Hermes was. And everyone else, apparently.
"Lili is yet immature, but her strength that has helped her survive this long makes her little body graceful!" Hermes started to sensually describe the girls changing.
But he didn't get farther than that, as I punched him across the face without hesitation.
"It hurts!" Hermes bemoaned his fate comically.
"Don't talk about Lili like that," I said harshly, "You don't know the kind of things she's been through."
That knocked Welf and Ouka back to their senses.
"What do you mean?" Welf said seriously, his concern evident.
"Lili… doesn't like being touched," I told them, "I meant to tell you, Welf, but things have been hectic recently. She had a rough life before joining up with me…"
"Ah… I see…" Welf said, getting an idea for what I was alluding to. Ouka nodded sympathetically.
There was a moment of silence…
"...Still," Hermes said mischievously, "That still doesn't stop her from clinging to a certain rabbit~"
I decided to deliberately misinterpret his words, "Haha, very funny. I get it. I got all of my mom's facial features or something so I barely look like a boy… Not that I know what she looked like anyway…"
"Damn kid, you are just committed to ruining the mood," Hermes chuckled, catching on to what I was doing.
I grinned, "Revenge for the 18th Floor, you Super Pervert."
"Jokes on you, I take pride in such a title!" Hermes retorted loudly.
"I know," I deadpan.
At that moment, Hestia suddenly screeched.
"Hestia-sama!" I called out, my mind instantly going into fight or flight mode. "What's up!?"
"D-don't worry. Bell-kun!" she called back, "Some unexpected things happened! Please wait a little bit longer!"
I sighed in relief, "Alright, roger that."
About a minute passed, where Hermes joked that we probably missed out on something divine (which was, admittedly, a good pun). Then we heard a voice call out.
"Welf-dono! Welf-dono!"
It was Mikoto and Asfi sticking their heads past the rock, waving the blacksmith over, "Would you lend us a hand? Welf-dono."
Welf pointed to himself in momentary confusion, "Are you calling me?"
The duo innocently nodded again, somehow not noticing the perverted thoughts in the back of Welf's head.
Welf then chuckled as he smugly addressed us boys, "Sorry guys, looks like I have to go."
Welf got up and went over there as Ouka growled, "Why him?"
Hermes seemed to be imagining what kind of antics Welf was getting into as the 'chosen one'.
I was shaking my head, wondering how long it would take for Lefiya to kill the poor bastard. And why on earth that Welf thought the girls wanted any 'action' in the first place.
A few minutes passed, and the girls and a dejected Welf finally rejoined us.
Asfi was in a Japanese school swimsuit of all things. Chloe was in a two piece black bikini. Lili had a similar design, but the color was a peach pink. Chigusa was in a light pink one-piece with frills. Whatever Mikoto's swimsuit was, it was still concealed by a towel.
Tiona was wearing a fluttery, light blue strapless two piece – something that honestly didn't hide more than what she normally wears. Lefiya had a neon pink two-piece with semi-transparent flutters similar to Tiona's suit. Lefiya's cheeks were as pink as her swimsuit as she futilely covered herself.
I guess swimsuit culture is something imposed by the gods, because all of the girls are acting like they are strutting around in their underwear.
"Welf-kun, you're a huge help!" Hestia said with a wave from atop the large rock. Her light blue bikini had been adapted to replace the covering for one of her breasts with a leaf and with more foliage to help support her bikini bottom. She, of course, still had that ribbon that helps support her upper assets.
"Whenever you gather your group, a swordsmith is always necessary!" Hestia finished saying, "I will bring word to Hephaestus in praise of your excellent craftsmanship."
"Oh, thanks," Welf said dejectedly, a little too disappointed at not getting any 'action'.
"Why are you so depressed?" Lili teased the red-haired smith.
"Leave me alone."
Ignoring the banter, I was busy looking up at Hestia, wondering why on earth she was on top of that large boulder. She could fall and hurt herself!
"Bell-kun, I'm coming!" Hestia called out as she jumped down from her perch right in front of me.
My body was too sluggish to follow through on my intention of catching her. Not that she needed it in the end.
Hestia leaned forward and asked, "Tell me, Bell-kun. Does this suit me okay?"
I chuckled, "Sure! The green does well with contrasting your eyes, Hestia-sama."
Hestia's face lit up red as she looked away and said, "S-sorry for causing you trouble! N-now let's get to the hot spring!"
Is the steam making her flushed? I know the heat is making me a little dizzy. Or is that just my extreme Mind Down symptoms acting up?
All the girls yelled in excitement as the rest of us boys gathered our things to change as well.
We didn't take nearly as long.
Welf was in dark blue trunks with an orange stripe at the bottom.
I was in yellow trunks and a white shirt. Why a shirt? Because I'm a little shy and am surrounded by perverts.
It didn't help matters that I now had a female form to boot. Don't think too much about it.
Hermes was wearing a purple speedo, causing my respect for the deity to fall some more. Ouka, meanwhile, was wearing some kind of eastern-style swimsuit reminiscent of samurai or sumo wrestlers.
"I have a feeling that mine is the most embarrassing…" Asfi muttered in her school-girl swimsuit.
"Lili's is also embarrassing!" Lili chimed in.
"I am also against this clothing!" Lefiya spoke up.
"But you look so cute, Lefiya-chan," Tiona said teasingly.
"Y-you think so?" Lefiya asked bashfully.
"Ais-san would definitely agree," I said in a deadpan.
Lefiya's face lit up, her gaze losing focus as she started daydreaming, "Hehehe…"
Tiona looked at me in amusement. I smirked a little at her, acknowledging her support of my little prank.
"I feel bashful, as well," Chigusa agreed. Though I think she would be bashful in almost anything.
"No, no, no! All of you look excellent!" Hermes insisted. "However, Mikoto-chan, don't you like the swimsuit I chose for you?"
Mikoto, who had converted a local shrubbery trunk and bamboo into a bowl and ladle respectively, had tied her clothes and sword to her head with cloth.
She said, "I'm grateful to you, sir. But I believe it's best to be completely naked! Although, due to various reasons, my wish hasn't been granted this time. We shall still stick to good manners!"
We had all gathered before Mikoto, in front of the main pool.
"Attention!" Mikoto called out with authority, "I, Yamato Mikoto, upon this day, shall teach you what those manners are!"
Hestia whispered to me, "Bell-kun, should we go to all this trouble to just take a bath?"
"Think of it as a learning experience," I said, "It's good timing for learning culture from the Far East in person, you know."
"Fair enough I suppose," Hestia said, seeing my point.
"First, bow twice!" Mikoto instructed, and we all followed her lead.
"Clap twice!" Mikoto said next. "Bow once!"
I suddenly found my eyes covered by Hestia's hands. In the moments before Hestia did this, I could note that Mikoto's towel was riding up from the repeated bowing.
I could hear Lefiya squeak in embarrassment as Chloe and Tiona chortled at the sight.
I sighed. Was everyone's sexual urges on high alert from the recent danger or something? I was too tired for this bullshit.
"Then offer some money," Mikoto said as she knelt before the pool and tossed a single valis over her left shoulder.
…Why did she have money on her person? This is the Dungeon!
Wait…
No, she couldn't possibly…
Does she bring money everywhere with her on the off chance she will encounter a hot spring?!
This woman… really loves hot springs.
"Wait a second!" Welf protested.
Hestia disagreed as well, "Why do I have to offer money?!"
"SILENCE," Mikoto instantly and aggressively rejected their protests, "This is what good manners are supposed to be!"
Everyone was cowed by Mikoto's words. I was still caught up with the fact that Mikoto carries money everywhere she goes.
"Then, recite prayers, and perform the San-san-kudo ritual," Mikoto listed the next steps of 'good manners' in quick succession as she pulled out some kind of ceremonial stick with white streamers on the end.
…
Did she… did she pack that among her essential gear for the descent to Floor 18? WHY?
This much love for hot springs is a little concerning. Mikoto needs help.
I think there was a study done that shows that lonely people tend to take longer, hotter showers and baths…
Mikoto, please get hitched soon! I'm rooting for you!
"Ka-shi-ko-mi! Ka-shi-ko–mi!" Mikoto called out as she waved her ceremonial instrument back and forth as she swayed. The group of us in the back monotonically repeated her mantra back.
I held back sympathetic tears as I contemplated how lonely Mikoto must be to be so crazy.
"I can't hear you!" Mikoto called back like a drill instructor, "How's that supposed to be Ka-shi-ko-mi?!"
"Is she always so passionate like now?" Asfi asked the Takemikazuchi duo behind me.
"Recite again!" Mikoto called out.
"Pretty interesting, though," Hermes said diplomatically, "Is this that Eastern culture of yours?"
"I'm afraid not," Ouka said in embarrassment as Chigusa nodded in agreement, "That's her culture alone."
…Eh?
I'm lost for words…
Mikoto then had us stand up as she filled her make-shift bowl with water and downed the entire thing in a single chug.
She made an incredibly satisfied noise as she finished it off before raising her arms at an upwards 90 degree angle with her palms slack. She moved her hands left to right and swayed her hips side to side as she said, "Up to now is what good manners require. Finally, warm up your wrists and ankles…"
Her later words involved raising our legs one at a time and rotating our ankles to warm them up.
Even Ryuu had joined in, for some reason. Maybe she saw it as a learning experience?
At least this part made some sort of sense, getting all the muscles and joints loosened up.
"And head for your hot spring!" Mikoto finally declared before leaping like a ballerina right into the massive pool behind us.
"...She didn't even wash herself before entering," Asfi noted clinically – and disapprovingly. To the Takemikazuchi duo's embarrassment.
"We are so sorry…" Chigusa apologized with repeated bowing.
"...I'm not this bad, am I?" Tiona asked rhetorically, looking slightly embarrassed.
Lefiya sighed, choosing not to answer which was an answer in-and-of itself.
At that point, after quickly rinsing ourselves, we finally entered the main pool and initially separated each other by gender for the most part.
Though before we did so, Ryuu pulled me aside for a moment.
"What's up?" I asked her, tilting my head as she refused to look at my face.
"...S-stay on your guard… I'm not yet convinced that this is a naturally formed hot spring," Ryuu told me.
"I see," I said to her, trusting her intuition, "I'll keep an eye out. Thanks, Ryuu!"
I could barely make out the sight of Ryuu biting her lip considering the hood covering most of her face. Before I could inquire about it, Ryuu walked off.
I shrugged at the odd behavior, too exhausted to put much thought into it before I went and joined the boys in the hot spring.
Welf, Ouka, and I settled down against a tall outcropping of rock where the water could reach my clavicle as I sat without much effort. Many of the girls were playing around a few meters away or so.
"So the battle is over," Welf said with a sigh.
"Yeah, we survived," Ouka agreed.
"Yeeeeah~" I sighed deeply, enjoying the immaculate feeling of being surrounded by water hot enough my Falna boosted skin could even notice.
Is this heaven?
"I just realized," Welf conversed, "it's all your fault, isn't it? Big guy?"
"I know that," Ouka said factually, "And I won't regret it."
"You sure about that?" I asked pointedly, reminding him of my words to him when we confronted each other.
Ouka gave an embarrassed grunt at that.
"Argonaut-kun!" Tiona said as she appeared out of nowhere and latched onto my right arm.
I blinked at her in a deadpan. Nope, libido still not working right now. Too tired. I felt nothing.
"Yes, Tiona-san?" I said to her nonchalantly.
She pouted, "I was expecting something more like their reactions…"
I glanced at Welf and Ouka who were staring at me with incredulous and jealous blushes.
I glanced back to her, "Sorry, I'm too tired for sexual harassment to mean anything to me right now. Try again in a day or so."
Maybe my instinctual drive to reproduce after a near-death experience was so high it looped back around to complete and utter zen.
This body's insane hormones has been conquered finally!
…for today. But at what cost?
"Well poo," Tiona pouted before laughing, "Hahaha! That's not what I want though."
"Let me guess, Spider-Man?" I said with an amused roll of my eyes.
"Finish the story! Finish the story!" Tiona chanted like a child asking for candy at the grocery store.
"Bell-kun!" Hestia called out as she ran over to me, grabbing my other arm and tugging me away. "Come on, my child. This cave is huge! I want to go see the recesses over there! Escort me there safely!"
I laughed lightly at the heartbroken expression on Tiona's face as I was once again prevented from finishing the tale of Spider-Man as Hestia dragged me away from her.
Welf and Ouka awkwardly looked at the Level 5 adventurer.
"...Sup," Welf said.
"...the world isn't fair!" Tiona lamented her fate as I was dragged away. She punched the water so hard it was like a cannon-ball striking the water.
I watched as Tiona ran away and Ouka was led away by Chigusa.
Still getting dragged away by Hestia, I noticed that Ryuu was fishing of all things while on a comically large lily pad
And my Falna enhanced eyes could see Welf looking intently at her thighs…
Welf froze and looked over at me in fright.
Oya? Was I glaring? And did I accidentally channel some killing intent there? Honest mistake, I assure you.
I smiled innocently in Welf's direction, but the man just shuddered in place.
Good. We may be bros, Welf, but know your place!
Hestia and I soon wandered into a chamber in the far back of the cave.
"Ouka is dead!" a scream from Chigusa could be heard in the distance, but I had the impression it wasn't a literal thing.
The path Hestia and I were on was a portion with ankle deep water. Streams of water were falling from the ceiling in apple-sized streams as the cavern was lit up with more blue crystals.
"I didn't expect to find a place like this in the Dungeon. It's impressive!" I commented to Hestia. A hot spring was the last thing I expected. At least outside of the known Safe Zones.
Hestia giggled, "Right?"
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Hestia was deep in thought as she put a clenched fist in the palm of her hand. Which was just more confirmation that Hestia was trying to do lovey-dovey stuff.
While I didn't have a problem with Hestia being affectionate, I also couldn't resist the urge to tease her with a little prank. Something about being exhausted just helps bring out the prankster in me, I suppose.
"B-Bell-kun," Hestia started to say, "it'd be bad if you catch a cold. We could stay warm if we walked shoulder to shoulder–!"
Right before she went to launch herself into my side, I stopped walking – causing Hestia to fall into the warm water.
I put my fist in on top of my open palm, as if suddenly having a great idea, "Oh! Let's call Lili and the others! They'd be happy to join us!"
"Wait, Bell-kun!" Hestia called out to me, which I pretended not to hear.
I quickly went back the way we came, only going to the entrance because I didn't want to leave Hestia completely by herself. As I went, I called back, "I'll come back soon~"
I could vaguely hear Hestia complain, "Jeez… Bell-kun you idiot!"
I chuckled mischievously as I waved Lili over. Lili blinked as I got her attention and made her way over.
"Yes, Bell-sama?"
I pointed down the cave I came from, with a grin, "Want to help me prank Hestia-sama?"
Lili grinned, "Say no more, Bell-sama!"
I brought Lili down the cavern, showing her the view of the crystals up close before settling down underneath one of the streams falling from the ceiling. Lili joined me at a stream adjacent.
Hestia's expression the entire time was gold. Combined with the warm water hitting my head and shoulders, it was heaven for my sore body.
So much so, that I almost dozed off despite being pelted with water over my head.
By the time I shook myself back into alertness, Lili told me she wanted to go get some water to drink. She wasn't the kind of crazy, like Mikoto, to find the hot spring water to be a good refreshment.
I nodded her off, prank completed, just as Hestia called to me from a little deeper in the cavern.
I went ahead and joined her.
The cavern ceiling and walls got closer as the crystals lost some of their luminosity. It was like being in space surrounded by starlight… not that space actually worked that way, but that's not the point.
"Some fantastic scenery, don't you agree?" Hestia said to me.
"Sure… makes you wonder what they're actually made of," I said, part of me wondering about the properties of the crystal here and about their value.
We had entered the end of the cavern. It was a circular room, with a stalactite that somehow expanded at the bottom to form a sphere-like structure that opened at the bottom like a flower petal – it bathed the whole room in red light.
It reminded me of those plant monsters that I encountered on the 18th Floor.
…!
My back stiffened as my senses started going into high gear. Though I tried to calm myself, no need to get too worked up yet, I assured myself.
"Those are trivial matters," Hestia said to me, taking both of my hands in hers, interlocking our fingers, as she stopped and faced me. "Only the two of us are here."
Hestia looked up to me, unblinkingly staring into my eyes with her deep blue ones. I couldn't help but be flustered at the atmosphere.
And from the hand holding.
How lewd!
"Hestia…" I uttered, wondering whatever I had done to deserve such a wonderful and supportive person like Hestia in my life. The poor thing had to deal with a lot of bullshit because of me. This woman deserves the world!
Hestia started pushing herself upwards by standing on the tips of her toes.
But at the same time, I started to feel a familiar burning sensation in my feet. It wasn't the burning of hot water, but like that of acid. Similar to the 'Venethes' incident!
My eyes widened as my senses immediately jumped into fight or flight mode.
"Hestia! Something is wrong!" I loudly said, trying to alert her to the danger.
Hestia, who was still in lala-land, missed the urgency in my tone, "Nothing is wrong, I'm dead serious!"
I flinched again at her wording. She should really know that saying such phrases to an adventurer isn't cool.
"That's not what I meant!" I retorted.
Hestia cut me off from finishing my warning, "Listen Bell-kun, I… I… I was always…!"
A cascade of cracks echoed as three fishlike creatures burst from the Dungeon ceiling. They had those appendages that had a light on the end like those deep-sea fish that use them to lure in prey in the darkness of the ocean. They were about as tall as me.
I'd say they were easily Level 2 Monsters; which was concerning since monsters of that level of strength shouldn't be spawning until around Floor 16 or so.
Somehow, despite the shallow depth of the water, they were moving extremely quickly.
I immediately scooped Hestia into my arms and bolted for the cavern entrance.
At full strength, I would have easily outrun these things. But the hot spring water had only done so much to help my body recover. I was probably operating at about 10% right now. Not good.
One of the beasts, swiped the back of my leg as it passed, knocking me to the ground and causing me to drop my precious cargo.
I landed over Hestia with my arms and legs over her as the monsters swirled around, surrounding us.
"Bell-kun…" Hestia moaned in pain from the drop.
"Hestia, are you o…KAY?!" I asked, before looking down and shrieking at the sight of her clothes dissolving into nothingness.
Hestia's naked form was involuntary burned into my memory.
I could feel the familiar feeling of blood in my nose. Oh, hey there libido, looks like you're up and running again. I didn't miss you.
Hestia squealed in embarrassment as I got off of her, "Forgive me, Hestia-sama!" I apologized, forgetting for a moment the danger we were in.
"Bell-kun!" Hestia said, alerting me to the incoming monsters.
The trio of monsters were swirling closer and closer, cutting off our room to move. I knew they were about to pounce, and I tried to quickly think of my options.
My strength was zapped, and my magic was fragile. I at most had one magical attack in me, and even that was iffy.
Basically, I had no options aside from being these monster's chew toys and hope that one of the others hears the struggle and helps out.
That in mind, I hugged Hestia to myself as I put my body between hers and the monsters as they leapt to chew me up! I was going to protect her no matter what it took from me!
Only for a burst of wind to fly over me. I opened my eyes and looked over my shoulder to see Ryuu over the bodies of three corpses.
"Ryuu! Thanks for the save!" I said, relief in my voice.
"...Are you okay, Bell?" Ryuu asked me, not looking back and continuing to look in the direction the fish came from.
"I'm perfect, thanks to you," I said to her.
"..." Ryuu didn't say anything. Did I say something cheesy?
A bunch of other foot steps soon joined us. I saw Mikoto, Asfi, Chigusa, Lili, Chloe, Lefiya, and Tiona join us in their battle attire – minus their footwear.
…why did all the girls insist on finding me?
"Hestia-sama, what are you doing naked in the arms of Bell-sama?!" Lili complained.
"Please take my cloak for now, Hestia-sama," Asfi said as I let go of Hestia and looked away with a nervous laugh. I could feel Lefiya stare daggers into me. Like she couldn't determine if I was scum or a gentleman for covering a naked Hestia with my body from monsters.
"Thank you, I shall borrow it," Hestia said gratefully. Hestia may like me, but it's not like she was an exhibitionist or something.
Praise be.
Well, anyway, this would be a good time to book it back to our gear and get a move on. Lingering around might just result in the Dungeon spawning more monsters on top of–
The Dungeon crackled again.
…why did I tempt fate?!
Still in the room with the red bulb, the light intensified as the walls unleashed more streams of water. A large portion of the ceiling cracked open as a massive fish-monster revealed itself after the debris cleared.
It was easily three times taller than I was and almost as wide as the entire chamber we were in. It had six of those light appendages and a seventh one that was actually the stalactite from before. I'd easily say this monster was Level 3 from a glance.
"Is it the master of this place?" Ryuu asked rhetorically.
The main, red tentacle lashed out at the ceiling, breaking off a bunch of large crystal formations before launching itself to crush us.
"Bell-kun!" Hestia called out for me worriedly, pulled back by Asfi away from the impact.
I managed to backflip out of the range of the tentacle, but it was a close thing. My body was still rather sluggish.
"Everyone!" I called out, "Take out those tentacles! Lefiya! Hit it through the mouth!"
"R-right!" Lefiya said, before quickly chanting, "Unleashed streak of light, bow limbs of the holy tree. You are an expert of the bow. Shoot, sniper of the fairies. Penetrate, arrow of absolute accuracy."
At the same time, Ryuu and Tiona charged forward and cut clean through all the tentacles that the giant fish sent their way in a blind rage. In a single combo, the giant fish monster had been relinquished of all but its largest tentacle appendage.
Chloe, Mikoto, and Chigusa, meanwhile, were right behind me, watching the tunnel for a potential flank from more monsters. Asfi was observing things clinically as she kept Hestia safe.
Lili was looking at her hands in annoyance. We'll need to get her a new bokken or proper spear as soon as we can if it bothers her so much.
"Arcs Ray!" Lefiya finished, launching a magical blast that was able to easily strike the inside of the large monster's mouth now that there weren't a bunch of tentacles obscuring the path.
The blast of her magic caused a minor shockwave of displaced air. Normally this would mean nothing to an adventurer like me, but with my body still weak and in shock from the Juggernaut fight, it was enough force to knock me off balance.
I fell into the water on my butt, which hurt considering the water was so shallow.
Meanwhile, Lefiya's spell flew true, and hit the monster in the back of its throat before exploding. I didn't need to see through the smoke cloud to know the monster was dead – I could vaguely hear the sound of a monster turning into ash, after all.
As soon as the dust from the explosion cleared, I could see Hestia run over to me, yelling in concern, "Bell-kun!"
I got up in time for Hestia to latch herself onto my arm. She said cheerfully, "Bell-kun, that was some cool leadership!"
"Yes, well, it's weakness was pretty obvious. Anyone could have made those calls," I said humbly. It really wasn't as much of a big deal as Hestia might seem to be making it out to be. She must be really excitable due to all the adrenaline?
I looked at the other adventurers with us and said, "Thanks everyone for coming to help!"
I blinked at the odd reactions from everyone.
Mikoto and Chigusa had the palms of their hands against each others' as they glanced at me and turned away before looking again. Like they couldn't believe what they were seeing, and had to keep on checking to see if it was real.
Lili's face was completely flushed as blood trickled down from her nose.
Ryuu's face was also completely red, blood coming from her nose, as she covered her eyes with her hands, but was clearly looking through her pointer and index fingers. Her eyes were swirling and unblinking.
Lefiya had her back to me as she looked to be covering her face. Her ears were completely red.
Chloe and Tiona were grinning unashamedly as they looked straight at my crotch.
Asfi was glancing to the side, her face slightly flushed as she said, "I suggest you get dressed before expressing your gratitude."
"I don't mind if he expresses it to me, here and now!" Tiona said cheerfully as Lefiya hit the Amazoness' shoulder rebukingly.
I blinked. Then I felt the kind of breeze my bottom half only experiences during…
I cut my own thoughts off, my face paling and somehow blushing as I remembered that the pool had turned into acid. And I had fallen in it.
Mikoto and who knows else cried out in shock as my 'little' son was briefly available for them all to see. I frantically tried to cover myself with the remains of my trunks only for them to dissolve completely. So I quickly pulled my shirt down, extremely glad for the extra unnecessary piece of clothing that was now barely providing any cover.
A sight that Hestia was blatantly staring at.
"Please avert your eyes, Hestia-sama!" I pleaded in utter embarrassment.
Literally every girl in the party has SEEN me! It's utterly mortifying! Someone, something, just kill me now! Where's a Juggernaut when you need one?!
"Come on Bell-kun, don't be so shy!" Hestia said lecherously, tugging playfully at my hands on my shirt.
I vaguely saw Lili faint as she was caught by Asfi.
Thankfully(?) Hestia went ahead and hugged me at that point, Asfi's cloak now doing a decent job of blocking the view of my lower half.
I hate acid.
So.
Much.
Why?
Whywhywhy?
Why is my life like this?
Don't answer that.
A short time later, I was safely dressed(PRAISE BE) and geared up with everyone else at the base of the main pool where we left our gear.
Lili had, of course, gathered all the magic stones as well as the tooth drop item from the pseudo-Monster Rex.
Anyway, despite everything, I was actually really refreshed. The hot spring really did help accelerate my body's recovery. I'll definitely keep the fact this place exists in mind. As long as one is prepared for the eventual trap, this chamber acts as a temporary safe zone.
"I never expected this entire hot spring to be a trap set by monsters," Welf lamented our 'poor' fortune. I personally still saw this as an absolute win, incident-that-shall-not-be-named notwithstanding.
"Perhaps all the adventurers who found it prior to us didn't manage to escape its jaws," Asfi speculated. "It would explain why it's uncharted."
It was a fair deduction. Asfi and the other high class adventurers agreed that pseudo-Monster Rex was likely Level 3 and thus deadly to the usual occupants of the Floor which was usually Level 2s.
Lefiya could one-shot it because she was Level 3 and because her spells were OP. Just as I would expect from my fellow protagonist. Most usual people on this Floor, however, would not be prepared for such a monster.
"Guess we should submit a report to the Guild," Lili said sadly. It would be nice to keep this spot all to ourselves. After all, a hot spring is a hot spring. As long as you know to keep guard for monsters and the Monster Rex, it is still somewhat safe to use. But considering the threat level, it would need to be reported to the Guild for safety reasons.
"It's all my fault," Mikoto said in a dogeza, "If I didn't lose my sanity to some sort of hot spring…"
Mikoto likely saw the entire thing as her responsibility since she was the one who effectively had us all follow her in here. I respected her for trying to do so even if her logic was partially flawed.
"No need to apologize," Hermes said, "After all we all had a good time."
He summed up thoughts similar to my own. Any of us could have been more cautious and less trusting of the Dungeon's supposed 'gift'.
"For sure," I said to Mikoto, "don't burden yourself about it."
"Right, right, we are all fine…" Ouka said quietly, before falling over on Chigusa.
"Ouka, stay alive!" Chigusa pleaded.
Apparently, the man had spent a long time in some of the extremely hot pools. Poor bastard.
"Then, shall we go onward?" Ryuu addressed the group. And after that we picked up our things and headed out.
After a minute, I felt Hestia looking at me from beside me as she chuckled. I asked her, "What's so funny, Hestia-sama?"
"It's a secret, Bell-kun!" Hestia said with a giggle before going on ahead of me to get some alone time or something.
I just chuckled at her antics before I felt a new presence take up residence beside me.
I looked and found Tiona looking at me expectantly.
I laughed, "Alright, alright! Do you want me to start over or where we left off?"
"The beginning, the beginning!" Tiona begged and pleaded.
"Okay then…" I said, describing a land without gods or magic…
"...The two fight, and the Green Goblin overpowers Spider-Man, even throwing a pumpkin-shaped goblin bomb directly at Spider-Man's face, heavily damaging Spider-Man's mask and wounding him," I regale to Tiona who listened eagerly, other members of the party also listening in as they performed their roles.
I wasn't expected to do much considering how all I could do was walk and talk, giving me plenty of time to tell the tale.
"As the Goblin holds back Spider-Man and is about to kill him with dual blades, he makes the mistake of threatening Mary Jane. Enraged at this, Spider-Man beats Goblin senseless, overpowering him, but stops when the Goblin unmasks to reveal himself to be Norman. Peter is shocked that Norman is the Goblin, of course.
"Norman then tries to reason to Peter that all of the actions that had occurred were from the influence of the Goblin's persona upon him.
"'Give me your hand, believe in me, as I've believed in you' the Goblin lied, 'I've been like a father to you, be a son to me now.' The Goblin said with his arms outstretched.
"'I have a father' Peter replied, 'his name was Ben Parker.'
"'Godspeed, Spider-Man,' the Goblin responded with a final taunt, his speeder, blades extended aiming for Spider-Man.
"But Peter detected the threat, and leaped over just in time. Norman is stabbed, impaled and killed. As he dies, Norman asks Peter not to tell Harry about the Green Goblin. Spider-Man takes Norman's body back to his penthouse apartment. In the process, Harry sees them and blames Spider-Man for Norman's death. At the funeral, he vows revenge and then thanks Peter for being such a great friend, unaware of how Peter and Spider-Man are two halves of the same coin.
"Peter later goes to visit Uncle Ben's grave after everything. Mary Jane finds him there and confesses her love for him. She kisses him tenderly, passionately. Peter wants to tell her the truth about himself, but can't. Instead, he tells her he can never be more than her friend. Mary Jane has an inkling that she might have kissed him before, but Peter walks away, knowing both his blessing and his curse in life that: 'I will never forget these words: With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility… Who am I? I'm Spider-Man.'"
Tiona sniffled as I finished my tale, and started clapping, "I-it's so bittersweet!"
A few others who were listening in also gave a brief and quiet round of applause, doing their best not to alert Monsters to our presence.
"Yeah, it is," I said in agreement, "Not every hero gets to eat their cake and eat it too. More often than not they have to sacrifice something in order to save everyone else."
I absentmindedly rubbed my right wrist.
"But that's alright. Because a hero knows what they've signed up for. That a hero's life is sacrifice. They don't care about their own reputation or other material things. They know that those things don't really matter, not truly. It's the internal struggle in the heart – of good against evil, that's the real battle," I argued.
"...Interesting," I heard Hermes mutter to himself, deep in thought.
"S-so wise!" Tiona said, clearly still enthralled by the recent hero story, "Ah, I love them so much!"
I laugh at her innocent love of hero stories, it's a quality I empathize with greatly. Both Bell and I are massive fans of them. I went ahead and asked her, "Well, how about you tell me a story now?"
"Me?" Tiona said in surprise, "I wonder if I know a story you don't… My collection is pretty big… but I'm not a good storyteller like you are."
"Then how about yourself?" I suggested.
Tiona looked at me weirdly, "Eh?"
"I was just thinking that all I really know about you is that you're strong and like hero stories," I said to her, "Can you blame me for wanting to know more about the person who saved Rivira?"
Tiona's expression turned bitter, "It's hardly a tale worth telling. Especially without my sister."
"You're twins, right?" I said.
She nodded. Her mood seemed ruined, and I felt a little bad about it.
So, hoping my knowledge and the rumors I've heard about the Amazon Homeland is true, I tried to cheer her up.
"I get it," I said to her, "You don't have to say anything, I know Tiona-san is a good person."
"Eh? What made you come to that idea?" Tiona said, surprised and incredulous at my sudden declaration. It was, seemingly, out of nowhere.
"I'm no expert on the homeland of the Amazons," I prefaced myself, "But the things I've heard haven't been nice. Constant death matches, enslavement and breeding of male captives – it's not a nice place."
Tiona winced, looking away.
"And I've heard you were already a third class adventurer when you arrived in Orario, barely younger than me I believe," I also said, referring that she seemed to be Level 3 when she came to Orario.
Ironically, I've overheard this much from the Loki Familia people themselves at the Hostess while under disguise. Still, even then, I was being truthful when I didn't really know too much about the upper brass of the Loki Familia. Not enough context and too much gushing about how their latest fights were intense.
Tiona twitched at my words.
"You realized it was wrong, didn't you?" I asked her rhetorically, causing the Amazoness to look at me sharply.
"It takes a lot to grow up and be raised in a culture, to look at it and yourself and realize it is wrong. That's what happened, right?" I said rhetorically, "I can really respect that level of integrity, Tiona-san. You're really cool."
Tiona looked surprised before refusing to meet my gaze. I heard her mutter something about rabbits being dangerous before saying, "...Thanks."
I smiled, satisfied that I somehow lifted her spirits, "You're welcome."
Tiona all but bolted away from me after that. Saying something about scouting ahead.
I shook my head before noticing Lili, Hestia, and Ryuu staring at me.
"What?" I asked, completely and utterly confused at the looks they were giving me.
Lili sighed, "More competition, huh?"
"Bell-kun you idiot," Hestia grumbled.
"..." Ryuu said nothing. Her expression was a combination of expectant and exasperated. Like she wasn't surprised about something, proud of me, and also upset at me all at the same time. Ryuu shook her head as she turned back to face the front.
…What did I do?!
I sighed dejectedly, massaging my brow to fight of the literal headache I now had.
These severe Mind Down symptoms really suck. Thinking too much hurts. All this contemplation has literally caused a migraine…
Other POV
"Oh, look Ottar, a hot spring!"
Ottar proceeded to facepalm. Why did Bell Cranel have to lead them here?!
Due to the cave-in and Freya-sama's insistence on stealth, they had to slowly follow Bell Cranel's party on the exfiltration out of the Dungeon…
Or so Freya-sama claimed. They could have easily gotten ahead using an alternate route while still being stealthed. But Ottar knew better to argue, Freya would have had a temper tantrum if he tried arguing over something like this. And while that would be adorable, Ottar also didn't want to be too selfish and so quickly agreed to follow his Goddess' orders.
In the present, he sighed before turning around to watch and guard the passageway to and from this chamber. And ignored the sounds of clothes being rapidly shed behind him.
Ottar would not forget all the trouble he went through for Bell Cranel's sake.
"Aaah~" Freya moaned sensually as she entered the refreshingly hot waters behind him.
…At least Freya was having a good time.
Hörn was a girl with simple desires. She wanted to loyally and faithfully serve Freya-sama with all of her being and vitality. To repay the Goddess for giving her life and purpose and saving her from the brink.
So, she wasn't the least bit upset to be stuck, currently in the form of her beloved deity, behind the desk in Freya's office (yes, she has an office) doing all of the paperwork needed to keep the Familia running. Not one bit. Even if a secretary brought in another stack of papers as tall as one of the Gulliver brothers.
Did that mean it wasn't hellish work that caused untold suffering on Hörn's mental health? Don't be silly, of course it did! Hörn was only a pitiful human.
This work was mind numbingly painful and stressful, but she did it anyway without complaint because she loved Freya-sama so heavily.
Sleep? Hörn had almost forgotten what that was. For she had not only been covering her usual work of helping administer the Freya Familia… she had also been covering for 'Syr' at the Hostess of Fertility during the daytime to ensure 'Syr' didn't get in trouble for ditching while Freya-sama was out. So Hörn had been forced to suffice with 5 minute power-naps over the last several days. She didn't mind or complain one bit, so great is her devotion.
Truly, Hörn was someone that was completely insane.
Hörn comforted herself with the fact that the damned Captain of Loki Familia likely had similar amounts of paperwork to trudge through.
Why did Hörn dislike Loki Familia? They dared attempt to stand at the same heights as Freya Familia is why! Which, to be fair, is the common sense logic of most adventurers from different Familias to begin with. Bell Cranel was the exception, not the norm.
Bell Cranel… Hörn was incredibly torn on the human. On one hand, he was effectively changing Freya-sama! Where Freya-sama used to routinely go work at the Hostess, she now spent almost every waking moment over there! All to spend more time with that boy, living like a common barmaid!
Freya-sama was a perfect Goddess! PERFECT. Why and for what purpose would such a being need to change?! If not for the one-sided effects of Hörn's transformation spell, Hörn might have never understood Freya's reasons.
But Hörn did, because her spell allowed her to experience Freya-sama's senses, emotions, and thoughts.
Hörn thought she had understood loneliness. She thought she understood fear. But the loneliness and fear of the gods is something on an entirely other level. An eternity of loneliness was what Freya's past was consumed by. Trapped in Odin-teme's gilded cage.
And the prospect of an eternity – of trillions upon trillions of years – of solitude… it almost drove Hörn to despair at the mere thought. It was only Hörn's selfishly comforting herself in the presence of Freya-sama that she was able to distract herself from the existential dread. But even that was such a fleeting thing.
She was unable to confront such agony with a straight face like Freya-sama did each and every day.
So… if Bell Cranel and the concubine were enough to ease Freya-sama's suffering… Hörn was reluctant but willing to play ball.
Hörn idly touched the color changing necklace around her neck. A necklace Freya-sama let her borrow to help maintain her cover… Hörn could feel her cheeks redden.
If anyone asked, Hörn's dreams lately had NOT been filled with debaucherous activities involving Bell Cranel, the elven concubine, and herself. THEY WERE NOT.
Really!
They weren't!
(At least her subconscious knew better than to have blasphemous thoughts like Freya-sama also being included in those lewd dreams. Not that Hörn would ever deny it if her Goddess ever called Hörn to her bed.)
Hörn was distracted as she involuntarily moaned, for Freya-sama had entered an amazing hot spring right at that moment. Hörn then sighed in relief, the rejuvenating effects of Freya-sama's hot spring bath reaching Hörn through her Goddess' emotions and feelings.
Truly, Freya-sama is a perfect Goddess! To time such an activity when Hörn is almost at the end of the paperwork? It was like Freya-sama knew that she needed something to help her relax from all the good work she has done!
And that was how Hörn continued to delude herself before she got 'changed' to go about her shift at the Hostess until Freya properly returned to the surface.
Authors Notes:
Even in the interlude chapters, important stuff happens! Bell and co developed further bonds with the other people in their party. Bell finally got to finish telling the story of Spider-Man 1 from 2002. Tiona finally gets what she wanted! He also got closer to Tiona by guessing about the circumstances of her past.
The fact that Tiona and Tione left the Telskyura is a sort of proof that they didn't approve of the lifestyle. Why would they emigrate otherwise? That's the thought process Bell had.
Bell is also really funny in this chapter, as his brain is not working at 100% due to the after effects of severe Mind Down. He recovers a bit, however… the first thing to recover is his libido – the poor bastard. As such, he hasn't realized that Ryuu is acting funny because, you know, he KISSED HER. Bell, you idiot.
Bell and Ryuu will talk a bit more properly about themselves in the next chapter. Bell just wasn't there enough mentally for anything to happen here.
To reiterate, Bell will be less of an idiot next chapter. I ask that everyone give the man a break in advance since this is an OVA episode, haha.
FREYA BATH SCENE… was skipped for being too lewd. Sorry Freya fans. And NO, she didn't do the nasty with Ottar.
Wow, we finally got a Hörn scene. Poor woman. Stuck working full time at the Hostess while also having to do literal mountains of paperwork to keep the Freya Familia running. She should get an administrative Skill from all that effort, LOL. For real though, the poor girl is secretly down bad for both Bell and Ryuu at the same time. Oh boy. This won't result in antics…
Hestia, of course, tries to flirt, and fails. Poor Hestia. Also, stop saying ominous things. You'll give Bell a heart attack. Or something.
By the way, Chapter 13 will be released in 2 weeks as per usual. It will also contain some (minor?) spoilers from Volume 18, so prepare yourself for that or something.