Is it Wrong to Live Transmigrated as Bell Cranel in a Dungeon?

Chapter 17: Fairy or Fox

"She loved you, you know. As one loves a champion. You were everything she could never be."

— Kreia to the Exile about Atris, KOTOR II

…When it rains, it pours.

I clenched my fist before hiding myself in an alleyway. I then used a series of markers that I had in this section of town between the Church and the Hostess to quickly get to my dorm room.

Lefiya was a rear-line fighter. I had faith that she wasn't… dead… but she was clearly in trouble. She was my friend. She helped me so much despite it not being in her best interest. I had to return the favor. I wasn't going to just sit idly by, even if I was already too late!

So I quickly geared myself in my new adventuring gear, strapping all of my weapons from Yin and Yang to the Hestia Knife.

I glanced at the wrapped up Orion's Arrow before looking away sharply.

After ensuring I had a full pouch of marked knives and spare potions, I quickly left a note for Ryuu to keep an eye on Hestia for me before I snuck back out of my dorm and began running for the Southwest wall.

Melen was only about 3 kilometers out from the city walls. With my speed and Hiraishin I'd be able to get to the port city in 15 to 30 minutes.

It hurt to do so(because it would slow me down), but as I got closer to the Orario's walls, I fell into the back alleys to make my approach. I didn't have the time to get formal permission to leave the city. Which meant I had to sneak out of the city, and I would really not like to find out the repercussions of illegally leaving Orario.

Thankfully, I knew how to navigate my way to the top of the city walls. All I needed to do was forcibly implant some knives into the city walls as I jumped over the top to ensure I'd be able teleport back up on the return trip.

This was how I snuck out of Orario for the Port City of Melen in those morning hours.

I quickly took in the sights of the port city.

The road lined with wooden and stone buildings was bustling with activity as foreigners, merchants, and fishermen milled about. Off to the side of the road were carpets laid out with rare fineries and tents lined with fish, snails, and other fresh seafood, all of them filled with the haggling voices of prospective buyers.

This small snapshot of Melen — the bazaar-like atmosphere, the tanned skin of the fishermen and merchants, and the salty aroma wafting in on the breeze — was enough to make it clear that this was truly a seaside city.

That, of course, was hardly important to me right now – despite how good looking the city admittedly was. What mattered was that all of the buildings weren't all that tall, and there were plenty of alleyways to hide away in. There were plenty of ways to move around the city undetected. Surely those handful of training sessions with Chloe would pay off at a time like this!

So, of course, I was unluckily spotted by a member of the Loki Familia almost immediately.

Ais Wallenstein had paused what she was doing and stared at me with a hint of incredulity in her eyes. It was as if she couldn't believe that we had happened to run into each other again. "Bell Cranel?" She said questioningly.

"Ah, no," I said sheepishly, "Bell Cranel didn't formally apply for permission to leave the city. I am the traveling adventurer… Belton."

Belton, ie 'town of bells', get it? I'm so clever!

Ais became visibly confused, "...No, you are Bell Cranel…"

I sighed, "Not playing ball with me huh…?"

I then snapped to attention, "Wait, this is hardly important! Lefiya is in danger, isn't she?!"

Ais seemed shocked, "How do you…?"

"Not important right now!" I said, not exactly wanting to spill all of the secrets about Hiraishin, "I want to help!"

"Oho? I'm surprised to see you, Bell Cranel," a voice cut in. I turned my head and saw Riveria approach.

"And what is this I hear about you not having received permission to leave the city?" Riveria said accusingly.

I shivered, something about the Level 6's tone was really intimidating. I answered, "W-well, I felt that Lefiya was in danger so I jumped the walls as soon as I could…"

"How could you possibly know that Lefiya had gone missing all the way from the city?" Riveria said, her tone laced with suspicion and skepticism.

I realized then that from an outside perspective, my actions looked a little suspicious. Without explaining how Hiraishin worked, the only reasonable explanation for me knowing that Lefiya was in trouble… was because I overheard the people behind it. For which the reasonable assumption was that I overheard this information because I was a willing or unwilling collaborator.

Not willing to divulge how Hiraishin had alerted me, all I could say in response was, "...I can't say. I'm just here to help! Lefiya might be from a different Familia than me, but she is still my friend!"

Riveria sighed, "You've certainly worked closely with Lefiya on a number of occasions… which also could be evidence of you being affiliated with her disappearance."

Ah, shit. The logic here was since I had spent time with Lefiya, I would have learned enough about her in order to pull off a kidnapping. Because pulling off a kidnapping is harder than one might assume. Damn, I really do look really suspicious, don't I?

"So while I would like to take you for your word," Riveria said, implying she didn't really believe I was behind Lefiya's disappearance, "I must still take you in for questioning. Please don't resist."

I glanced over in Ais' direction. I could tell from the look in her eyes that while she wasn't pleased, she was still going to go along with whatever Riveria commanded.

I sighed, slowly raising my arms and putting them behind my head, "I surrender…"

"Well, well, well… if it isn't Itty-Bitty's brat!" Loki said mockingly to me.

I had been divulged my weapons as I was brought into the inn that the Loki Familia had presumably been rented out for their stay in the port city. I was led to a room that had two guards outside the door and was left to wait there until Loki joined me just now.

I wanted to do a comedy bit where I insisted that I was just 'Belton' but I knew that Loki-sama would get suspicious if she realized she couldn't detect that I was lying. Singularity was being slightly unhelpful at the moment.

"Yes…" I answered simply with a dejected sigh.

"And a little birdie tells me you left the city without proper clearance! What a naughty boy you are!" Loki continued to rub in my transgressions haughtily.

"Don't phrase it so lewdly!" I instantly retorted, blushing slightly in embarassment.

"Not gonna deny it huh…" Loki-sama, ever the perceptive one, wasn't falling for my banter.

"I just want to help find Lefiya," I insisted strongly, "She's my friend. If she's in trouble, I want to be there for her!"

Loki-sama seemed surprised. Whether at the fierceness of my words or the fact she didn't detect a lie from my declaration is hard to say.

"You…" Loki seemed to have come to some kind of realization before her expression suddenly changed to a mischievous grin, "You are here to seduce my precious Lefiya-chan aren't you!? I still haven't forgiven you for running off with my precious child, doing who knows what to her last week!"(1)

I felt a little green at the implication that I was trying to make Lefiya my lover or something. The concept was… disturbing for some reason.

That said, I noticed that Loki didn't seem to know about what happened last week. Lefiya must not have gotten an Update yet?

I ended up retorting, "I did nothing untoward! Doing anything like that to Lefiya would be like trying to seduce my sister or something!"

Loki-sama clicked her teeth in annoyance, "You're not lying, but I don't believe you either! I'm starting to think you honestly believe being a pervert is proper and not 'untoward'!"

"Slanderous!" I defended myself, "Unlike my perverted Grandfather, I am a gentleman and a scholar!"

Classic high school literature 'Catcher in the Rye' reference right there. Not that anyone here would get it.

"Well, does ol' Gramps know you're into kidnapping young impressionable elfs?" Loki interrogated.

Taking advantage of my 'inability' to lie huh? I mean, I could just not answer, but I had no reason to avoid answering Loki's questions.

"I've done no such thing!" I insisted, pointedly avoiding answering whether I had an elf fetish or not, "Even last week, Lefiya had come along of her own volition and I respect her greatly for putting herself out there to help save the world!"

"Ah jeez, your 'good guy' charms are through the roof," Loki said distastefully, "I'm convinced you've done nothing wrong against Lefiya-chan. But I'm definitely not letting you go."

"Why?!" I demanded incredulously. If I was cleared of suspicion in her eyes, then why refuse my help?!

Loki-sama pointed at me accusingly, "I can't have you around any of my girls! You'll seduce them all out from under me! I've heard rumors from that silver-haired girl at the pub how you're building a harem Mr. Nice Guy!"

SYR YOU BITCH!

I can say that because she is my best female friend. What about Lili? She's been slotted into the little sister role, so it's different. One can have multiple best female friends, I say!

I blushed in utter embarrassment at how Loki-sama believed I was some kind of harem building nice guy, "I-I am doing no such t-thing! And you can't believe a thing Syr says, she's a teasing minx of a woman that loves to cause trouble!"

"Yeah, yeah," Loki said dismissively. Her face got real serious as she leaned in close to me and said, "...But more importantly, your mere presence causes my girls to act differently. It's slight. And I don't even really mind how it pushes them to… become more than themselves. But you're not one of mine. Which makes your presence a liability. No matter how much Finn seems to like you."

My eyes widened at Loki-sama's words. Some of her people were affected by Inspiring Leader?! I had no idea! And more than that, she noticed the effects of Inspiring Leader? They are that big of a difference or is it just because of Loki-sama's different perspective as a Goddess?

Once again, I am presented with the quandary if having a Skill that shares a portion of my higher growth speed is worth the side-effects of manipulating those affected by it.

For an adventurer, every single point matters and could be the difference between life and death. But if Loki's words are true… 'becoming more than oneself'... that all but means to act more heroically. Which means to put oneself in danger.

Images of Lefiya following me to fight the Juggernaut and again to fight Antares flashed in the back of my mind.

Was Loki-sama right? Was my mere presence more of a danger to people's safety than it was helpful?

"So you know why this is happening…" Loki said out loud, deducing something from my horrified expression.

"I… I… don't want anyone to get hurt because of me…" I muttered, feeling the weight of the consequences of my actions like a mountain on my shoulders.

Could Lefiya have gotten into the trouble she is in now… because of me?

Has the echo, the consequences, caused by my Skill resulted in this situation? Or is this just me stumbling into the side plot?

I can't know for sure. So I can't help but blame myself…

Artemis' mocking banter rang in my ears…

…It hasn't been the first time my actions have brought about tragedy.

Loki's expression softened before sighing, "Damn… your good guy energy really is too much. Caring so much about people outside your Familia… How annoying."

I looked up at Loki-sama in confusion. What on Genkai was she saying now? Why is she suddenly empathizing with me right now? Aren't I a danger to her children like she accused?

The bittersweet smile of a blue haired girl… I shuddered in grief.

Loki-sama scratched the back of her head before saying, "...Look, I'll have your things returned to you. Unfortunately, I have to play by the rules and detain you for leaving the city without permission. I appreciate you going out of your way to help one of my precious children, but we're plenty strong. So we'll be fine."

Loki-sama turned her back to me and raised her arms in a 'what can you do?' kind of way, "But should things get unexpectedly crazy, it wouldn't be too surprising if you tried to make a break for it. And without proof, I wouldn't bother to formally report you to the Guild. I could make a report to the local Guild office, but they have been jerks so I don't feel like it."

"Loki-sama…" I said in confusion. Why is she all but telling me to make a break for it should things get hectic?

Loki then said, "Should you decide to then do something stupid and heroic before running off like a rabbit? Guess I can't stop you from making that decision."

I blinked in shock. My… my honest concern about Inspiring Leader convinced her that I was a 'good guy' or something? Why? WHY?!

"I don't understand…" I uttered out loud.

Loki-sama looked over her shoulder mockingly, "I thought my words were pretty easy to read underneath the lines, kid."

"Not that," I said, shaking my head, "Why do you have faith in me all of a sudden? Aren't I a threat from another Familia?"

"So you don't even know the full extent to what Spell or Skill you have does?" Loki asked rhetorically before saying, "You're thinking too deeply about it, kid. All your presence does is make it so that some people are more willing to abandon logic and act on their own desires. Instead of thinking about following orders, they are more likely to be righteous idiots. Something I can't exactly say I disapprove of."

So… Loki-sama was implying that all that Inspiring Leader was doing was pushing people to do things they otherwise wanted to do, but wouldn't otherwise do because of things like laws or Familia rules?

Sort of like removing one's restraint? Or making them more forgetful regarding consequences?

I guess Loki was right to call such behavior idiotic.

But… it did assure me that my Skill was not as pervasive as I had feared. This was less of manipulation and more of a gentle nudge if Loki's observations were to be believed.

"...Thanks," I said to Loki-sama, my words having many meanings.

"Ah, I don't want to hear it," Loki said gruffly as she started walking for the door, "I'm personally looking forward to the scenario where nothing happens today and I get to drag you to Ganesha Familia for punishment for leaving Orario without authorization!"

And all the rapport I had for Loki was gone. Just kidding, but damn Loki must really have it out for Hestia…

Perhaps it's a 'good' thing that things are destined to escalate now that I am here. With Lefiya and I in one general area, that meant there was double the Protagonist Energy(™) which meant the Bell Cranel Effect was sure to go into overdrive…

Anyway, with that, Loki-sama left the room, leaving me alone. I got to my feet and looked out the window.

This inn was one of relatively few buildings with multiple floors. Based on the amount of stairs I had gone up, I was on the third and top floor. My window happened to be facing the docks and wharfs of the port.

So, while I could escape out the window at any time, it would likely make enough of a racket to alert the guards outside my door. And if it didn't, I would likely get spotted by whatever people Loki has stationed around the inn – because there was some kind of hostile presence in the port city, so it made sense for Loki-sama to do so.

Like Loki-sama had implied, the only way for me to make a break for it without starting a fight with her people was to wait for some kind of distraction. And it was easy to predict that something was going to go down soon considering that Lefiya was kidnapped; if she was murdered, the killers would have little reason to take the body…

While I could likely fight off the guards should the need arise, it wouldn't be a good idea. Not only would it unnecessarily create tension between me and the Loki Familia, but it might just play into the enemy's hands by distracting the Loki Famili and hampering their reaction time.

No, unfortunately, Loki-sama had me in Check. All I could do was sit tight and wait for the plot to start. Now that I think about it, Loki-sama is pretty cunning. It would be hard for someone like Loki-sama to ask for help from someone like me because of politics.

The second strongest Familia asking for help from a lone adventurer from such a small Familia? It would just be a sign of weakness. But if I happened to sneak away during a moment of chaos but went ahead and did something that helped them of my own volition? Then Loki-sama could just shrug her shoulders and say she hadn't asked me to do anything. Free help and no political cost to her. All because she pegged me as a 'good' guy' and figured I wouldn't just run off.

Of course, she basically had me all figured out – though to be fair, I had blatantly laid out my stance from the get-go.

I sighed in exasperation at how my day has once again gone off the rails.

That said, I felt rather silly. I had gotten a close up look and confirmation that half of Loki Familia was out and about. Which, you know, was a lot of adventurers.

A LOT of adventurers. Loki Familia was really big. Their roster, if divided by levels, was like a pyramid. For every Level 5 there were about twenty Level 2s.

They, well, didn't really need me around to help save Lefiya; as in, they weren't hurting for manpower (or womanpower in this case).

So, all in all, this was essentially me overreacting and wasting time. Well, it's not like I can go back in time.

May as well be productive while I wait for an opportunity to help out a bit before scramming. Just because my presence hadn't been strictly necessary did it mean that I should just leave without helping now that I was here. So there was little point in just making a break for it. Yet I couldn't just leave whenever. It was quite the pickle.

So, might as well do something productive with my time.

This whole 'being a prisoner' thing has inspired me to improve on Hiraishin's precision. If I got chained up or something, it would be useful to teleport without taking the shackles along with me. Figuring out how to bring some stuff that is touching me, like clothes, and not others, like hypothetical shackles, might prove to be useful someday.

That and there is only so much training I can do in a small inn's room.

I don't even need to worry about running out of Mind since Accretion Disk is still acting insane due to killing all of those Black Scorpions and Antares.

In fact, this would be a good way to help drain some more of that excess energy out. Which, I know, sounds counterintuitive since that same energy is also responsible for maintaining my (currently) healthy vitality.

My reason was that the amount of energy I got from Antares was unusually large — it had to be for obvious reasons. That meant I had no idea what to expect in terms of energy gain and energy loss from normal everyday life.

Knowing what to expect from my normal grinding and Dungeon Diving would help me properly plan for and schedule things so I knew how to manage my 'energy levels'.

Put simpler, I wanted to properly figure out how much my day to day life generated and lost energy. And that wasn't something I could do with Accretion Disk being overloaded with energy like it was now.

It was a similar reason for why I hadn't immediately left for the Dungeon as soon as Breach had revealed itself. I wanted to get an idea as to how my body might behave should I run out of energy. That way, I wouldn't be completely blindsided should it happen in the future. And so I would have an idea on what it would take to 'fill back up the tank'.

To clarify, it would seem that after I gain a certain amount of energy, the buffs in the Accretion Disk Skill activate. Likely after I reach an energy threshold that will get me thru the day. And the 'percentage' the buffs give me scales with the 'amount' of energy I have in 'storage'.

Which, thanks to Antares, was still a LOT. I really do need to go see Naaza and update her on how I'm doing and what I've learned about how Accretion Disk works. I'll do that when I get back to the city.

Back on track, I had another reason for wanting to lower the buffs I was getting. My Mind Regeneration was so high that it was hard to sleep. Without proper rest, I'm sure to go crazy with all the stresses in my life.

Anyway, I'm disappointed with myself for not trying to develop such a teleportation technique sooner. The risk of ending up in some deity's sex dungeon is worryingly too high for my tastes. Having a method to sneak out of chains meant to hold adventurers would be a valuable skill to possess.

Enough considerations. Time to get to work.

Other POV

"This sucks…" Hestia grumbled as she cleaned a glass behind a certain pub's bar.

She had been working diligently at one of Hephaestus' shops in order to pay her debt. Minding her own business!

And what happened?

Ryuu Lion showed up out of nowhere before shoving money in Captain Tsubaki's face before abducting Hestia and bringing her back to the pub!

And instead of getting to laze about as one usually does when kidnapped, Hestia was put to work! The audacity!

"Is it really that bad?" the voice of Syr called out to her, "To be in our company without Belko-chan?"

Hestia had to give Syr credit, at least, for helping Bell-kun maintain his cover even now when the pub was basically empty. Hestia was more so surprised that Syr had come to talk to Hestia of her own volition; Syr often kept conversation with Hestia short, for some reason.

"None of you are nearly as cute," Hestia grumbled, eying the last customer to leave the building for the moment.

"I'd normally protest such a declaration," Syr said with a giggle, "but considering you are their Goddess… and their face, your position is understandable."

Syr was referring to how Bell's face was rather feminine when he wasn't using a serious or determined expression. Bell's looks were rather unfair, he really should apologize to all females everywhere…

"I think this is officially our longest conversation," Hestia pointed out interrogatively to the other girl, "So pardon me for taking advantage of your surprising chattiness to ask some questions."

"Please do so," Syr said with a pleasant smile, acting like she was innocent of having avoided the short Goddess up until this point.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" Hestia asked, going straight to the heart of the matter.

Syr put a hand to her mouth shyly and said, "It's kind of embarrassing talking to the Goddess of my crush, you know?"

"You're not lying, but you're not telling the truth either," Hestia pointed out perceptively. Hestia acknowledged that Syr's words were honest, but was essentially claiming that Syr's actual answer was something else entirely; that Syr had used a separate truth to conceal the real truth.

Syr's smile deepened conspiratorially, "It's also intimidating to speak to someone as surprisingly perceptive as Hestia-sama."

"Surprisingly?!" Hestia barked, having noticed the hidden insult.

"Pardon my poor phrasing," Syr apologized with a giggle, subtly revealing that she was trying to tease Hestia. She then said, "I just mean to say that it's really cute when you are looking out for Bell-kun."

"..." Hestia looked at Syr suspiciously. Hestia always felt like something was off about the silver-haired girl. Even now Hestia could just tell that Syr knew a lot more about Hestia than she let on.

"Was that the only thing you were curious about?" Syr asked knowingly, clearly having deduced that wasn't all that Hestia wanted to know.

"...No. You… you are the one who keeps on telling jokes and rumors about Bell-kun wanting a harem, aren't you?" Hestia asked the other girl.

Syr giggled, "It's really cute to see how flustered he gets about it, isn't it?"

"You're not wrong, but that's not the point I'm getting at," Hestia agreed before addressing her main concern, "But you make those sort of jokes even when Bell-kun isn't around. It's like you're trying to get the idea of Bell-kun being with multiple girls out there in people's heads."

"..." Syr smiled sweetly, not saying anything.

"Why?" Hestia all but demanded, "You don't strike me as the kind of girl that wants to share. Is this all, and your 'feelings' for Bell-kun, just a joke to you?"

"Even I can get offended, you know?" Syr said with a pout, clearly finding some offense in Hestia's words.

"Then explain yourself," Hestia said, giving the girl a chance to make an argument in defense of her actions.

"Hmmm, very well. I suppose you of all people are someone I can trust to share this with," Syr said, her words easily increasing the importance of what she was about to say.

Hestia could feel the atmosphere around them get heavier.

"At first, it was solely just to get a reaction out of him," Syr admitted that the origins were rather silly in nature.

"You really are a minx of a woman," Hestia deadpanned at Syr's teasing nature.

Syr chose to ignore Hestia's words as she continued to say, "However, I've acknowledged that Bell-kun is aiming to be the Last Hero."

"!" Hestia was startled. The 'Last Hero' was a term colloquially used for the one who would slay the One Eyed Black Dragon and thus effectively save Genkai from the threat posed by Monsters once and for all. It was, quite literally, to be burdened by the hopes and dreams of every breathing soul in Gekai and Tenkai.

Was Hestia particularly startled at Bell wanting to be a Hero? No. Of course not! But it hadn't exactly clicked in Hestia's mind the logical extreme that Bell's heroic ambition would lead to. Something that this barmaid somehow noticed before her.

"It's a path that many great men and women have tried to walk and have failed," Syr stated factually, "I've read the tales and stories. Read the hopes and dreams they convey for a hero to finish what they started. Hopes and dreams that most give up on, and call 'childish': The desire for a hero to save the World."

"..." Hestia said nothing, and listened intently.

"What a terrible burden he has placed on his shoulders, willing though it may be," Syr regaled, "Would it not be great if I could help lessen the weight on his shoulders? If I could help surround him with all kinds of people to help support him?"

"You…" Hestia uttered, starting to see the point that Syr was making.

"A hero needs friends to guide him, and companions true to aid him in his struggles. A hero needs rivals and enemies to challenge and test himself against. And… a hero needs lover or lovers to support him. To both inspire him, and give him a future to fight for. A hero needs a Family, perhaps even literally, because alone they are just one man. Fighting for something abstract, for people who care not for him as a person."

"...I'm not sure… if that was the most inspired… or degenerate thing I've ever heard," Hestia said, utterly confused if Syr was a mad genius or a complete pervert for dramatically justifying the existence of a harem in such a manner. And about the fact that Syr was implying that she was trying to get someone pregnant with Bell's child.

"Think about it," Syr implored Hestia to humor her for a moment, "Doesn't Bell-kun strike you as the sort of idiot that would lay down his own life for others with no regard for his own?"

"!" Hestia paled. For ever since Breach and Accretion Disk had appeared on his Falna…

No… that was just a coincidence. It was as soon as the Antares Quest began, and Artemis entered Bell's life, that something changed. It was a subtle thing… but Hestia could no longer deny that the pain of losing Artemis hurt Bell in a way that was hard to see how deep the scars were.

It's like there was a desperation lurking behind his actions. Deciding to slowly tackle the casinos, looking into human trafficking… It was like Bell was trying to compensate for something by urgently fighting systemic evils despite being the member of a Familia of One. Tasks that most would consider to be suicidal for one man to do alone – no matter how strong they are…

"Wouldn't you rather do everything in your power to ensure that Bell-kun fights for his own future rather than for only everyone else's?" Syr asked rhetorically, "And that should we fail, that he was at least as happy as possible?"

"...That doesn't answer my original suspicion," Hestia dodged answering the question, and so implicitly gave her approval to Syr's argument. Hestia then asked, "Why would you think this way? You're not the type of girl who likes sharing."

"Maybe I'm sick of being the lead in a harem and would like to see what it's like being on bottom?" Syr said suggestively.

It hurt Syr's pride a little to admit that Bell was clearly more interested in Ryuu than her romantically. That said, Syr understood why that was the case, as Ryuu possessed one of the most brilliant souls she had seen. And wasn't it natural for a Hero to Fall for a Heroine and a Heroine for their Hero?

Yet, Syr had also noticed there was some invisible wall blocking her from making more progress with Bell that Ryuu hadn't faced. And Syr was actually finding some enjoyment in her confusion as to why Bell was keeping a boundary between himself and Syr. She wasn't used to having such difficulty, and it was exciting in a weird way. (Freya just hopes she doesn't develop a neglect fetish…)

It was a puzzle that Syr couldn't help but want to solve. So that when she overcomes this obstacle, their relationship would be even stronger for it. So she was slowly looking at how to solve it. Which is why she had finally taken the risk of talking with Hestia to attempt to gain some insight on the matter. A sort of give and take.

Hestia blushed, "I'm not interested in your fetishes!"

For Syr's words could be taken as her saying that she was interested in submissive play… which was obviously what Syr was trying to elicit, the teasing minx she is was unable to not tease Hestia.

Syr's words also did well at distracting Hestia from the implication that Syr was apparently the center of a harem at one point (metaphorically anyway, that's what Freya Familia essentially was from one angle).

Syr clapped her hands together, "Anyway! I'll be sure to have you vet any and all harem candidates. It's your due as his Goddess!"

"...That goes without saying," Hestia grumbled, desperate to not admit that Syr had given a convincing argument.

"Gre–!" Syr started to say 'great' but was interrupted by Hestia.

"You're definitely banned right now," Hestia said casually.

"E-eh?" Syr stuttered in bewilderment and shock, "Eh?"

"You're still suspicious as hell," Hestia pointed out, "Maybe learn to stop lying, and let go of some of your masks and then we can talk."

"...!" Now it was Syr's turn to be stunned into silence. Syr was silently glad that all the remaining girls were gone on a lunch break since the store was dead.

Hestia calmly set down her glass and picked up a new one like she hadn't just caused an internal panic attack in the head of the girl beside her.

Syr was quick to recover, smiling sweetly, "...I'm not sure what you mean?"

Hestia rolled her eyes, "Honestly, you're as frustrating to talk to as Freya."

Syr didn't flinch even a millimeter.

Hestia sighed to herself, "Oh well. I'm sure Bell-kun will eventually notice you have issues and help you out with them, so stop freaking out you drama queen."

Syr blinked, "...Right."

Interesting… Syr thought to herself then. For she now had a suspicion that Bell was already aware of Syr's 'issues'. Or had an inkling of them. Or rather, an inkling that Syr was hiding an important aspect of herself.

Syr had no idea how that could be the case. No one had ever uncovered this disguise she used in many years of usage. But it could explain Bell'a odd interaction with her 'true' self.

How curious. Syr might need to lay some hints to see if there was merit to this concern…

…but first, she'd throw out the trash before Mia yells at her… again.

(2)

Not far from the Hostess of Fertility, empowered by the coming Winter Solstice, light gathered together and flashed.

As the light faded, a young child appeared from 'nothing' with androgynus yet feminine features. The child awoke, and looked around in confusion. Her dark hair blue swayed in the breeze as her teal eyes took in everything around her.

The nameless 'girl' then asked, "Where… am I? Who… am I?"

Later… Near Port Melen…

"C'moooooon…it's just a way to kill time, is all!"

"…"

Kali's, the cherub Goddess, face twisted into a frown at Lefiya's refusal to open her mouth.

Lefiya only just awoken a short time ago after Kali and Bache whisked her away from her patrol, and she was currently in some sort of cave-like recess no larger than a typical pub. As Lefiya looked around at the black stone, she had no clue as to where she could be.

Considering the humidity, Lefiya figured she was somewhere by the lake or the nearby ocean.

She licked her lips, trying to sort out her surroundings without being noticed. Though she couldn't be sure of the time, from the stiffness in her muscles, she could hazard a guess that she'd been out at least five hours. In fact, it felt very similar to taking a rest in the rooms of the Dungeon. Night was surely drawing near.

There were five others in the room besides herself — the Goddess of War, Kali, who was sitting cross-legged in front of her, and four guards. From what she could tell, everyone was at least Level 3 or higher, and chains had been carelessly wound around her wrists.

They're not strong, either. They're normal chains, not mythril or some other type of ingot. Even she could probably break them if she wanted.

Her movements weren't even restricted. If it were just these restraints holding her back, then she'd surely be able to escape.

"Don't even think about it, missy. I'm sure you've noticed already, but one move outta you, and these girls will be all over ya," Kali said threateningly.

"…" Lefiya was silent, schooling her expression. It took all of her willpower to not have her expression fall into despair as she realized Bell's Hiraishin magic wasn't activating when she tried to teleport away.

Because of the limitations of her Skill, Lefiya was only able to use 'borrowed' magic when following the conditions laid out by the owner. Since Lefiya was currently being witnessed by a bunch of people, not in active danger, nor trying to save someone in active danger… her Skill was preventing her from using Hiraishin for an easy escape.

It was weird. Lefiya could still 'feel' the marks she had made. But she couldn't reach out to them to teleport.

(Hey, was that Bell Cranel in town? Lefiya couldn't help but notice the marker she left on him from the Juggernaut fight told her that he was relatively close.)

The only way to rectify it would be to intentionally put herself in active danger or to get Bell to change the 'permissions' for his magic. The former was really risky considering the difference in level between herself and Basche and the latter wasn't exactly possible at the moment.

But still…

'What the heck, Bell Cranel!?' Lefiya raged internally in annoyance, 'In what way is this not life-threatening danger?! Your sense of danger is skewed poorly!'

Rather than blame her own perceptions or the uncaring universe, Lefiya settled for assuming it was Bell's perception of danger that was blocking access to his spells for the moment.

"I don't recommend tryin' to whisper out a spell or whatever else you may be plannin', either," the Goddess warned with a smile, almost as though reading her mind.

Lefiya didn't respond.

"They're some of the best warriors in Telskyura, too, you know. They could pick up on a mouse tiptoeing a kilo away, and they're highly skilled in crushing chants. You wouldn't wanna have that pretty throat of yours pulverized, would you? I doubt you wanna see what it's like to be barely able to breathe as you drown in your own blood, yeah?"

"…Guh?!" A chill ran up Lefiya's spine. Lefiya could go without the reminder she had already deduced, thank you very much!

Kali continued with a sage nod. "But if you just sit tight like a good little girl, you'll come out right as rain, yeah? As soon as this is all over, you'll be free to go."

"I'm… bait, aren't I? For Ais-san and the others… Tiona-san and Tione-san?"

"Maybe you are… maybe you aren't," Kali teased, slippery as an eel.

This was what Lefiya got for being too lax in her guard — kidnapped by her enemies and completely powerless to do anything. Her heart dropping in despair, she said a silent word of apology to her Familia companions, all the while glaring at the Goddess in front of her.

"But so long as you're askin' about Tiona and Tione, maybe you can tell me a bit about 'em," Kali requested casually and confidently.

"…Like I would tell you anything!" Lefiya snapped, just short of snarling.

"Hey, I'm not huntin' for weak points or anything like that! I just wanna learn a bit about 'em, you know? After they left Telskyura and all," Kali explained, giving Lefiya's cheek a few smacks with her tiny hand.

Lefiya winced, pulling away with a whimper as Kali continued to smile, "What're they like now that they've settled down, huh? A mother wants to know!"

Lefiya found herself at a loss, not knowing how to proceed before the childlike Goddess's affection-filled eyes. Finally, after much thought, she opened her mouth, unable to take Kali's penetrating gaze any longer.

"I'm afraid I… can't talk about more than trivial matters, but…"

"That's fine! It's the trivial stuff I wanna hear about!" the Goddess urged, keeping Lefiya talking.

And talk she did… It was a rambling, somewhat incoherent string of stories, everything from her jealousy at Tiona and Ais' bond. To Tiona's continued love of Hero stories, that Lefiya had found endearing as of late. To Tione's incessant courting of their captain, Finn.

Kali laughed uncontrollably, "You… you can't be serious! Tione? In love?! What a crock! HAHAHA!"

"It… it's not quite that funny…" Lefiya remarked as she watched the tiny Goddess, her hands on the ground and clapping her feet together in a simulation of applause, her undergarments bared to the world.

Considering the lovelorn version of Tione was the only Tione she'd ever known, Lefiya found the tears of mirth in Kali's eyes to be a bit much.

Once the spasms of laughter finally subsided, Kali removed her hands from her belly and righted herself.

"So that little runaway of mine has fallen in love… Huh! She really has changed. Here I thought she'd be a barren witch the rest of her life. Ha! I guess she's a different breed than us after all."

There was an emotion behind Kali's words, similar to the affection Lefiya had felt from her earlier. Perhaps there was some way to persuade her against all this, appeal to the Goddess's emotions, and keep this senseless fight from coming to pass. She did truly seem to care for her followers.

"Erm…" she began, these thoughts running through her head. "Do you… really need to do this? I highly doubt Tiona-san and Tione-san want to fight. If you could possibly show them some mercy…"

Kali's face was calm beneath her demonic mask, and the slightest of smiles played across her face.

"No can do," she replied curtly, eliciting a jolt of surprise from Lefiya. "I descended to this world seeking war and bloodshed. Don't get me wrong — I love my children. But even they can't come between me and my life's one true pleasure. So I'm gonna have to decline."

"…!" The terribly honest words sparked a flame in Lefiya's belly. They made her forget where she was, and a shout built up inside her throat before bursting past her lips.

"Then you're the reason why Telskyura is nothing but a land of death! That's why so many people have died!"

"Whoa, whoa, simmer down, would ya? Telskyura was like that even before I came along. We gods highly condemn distorting a country's history and culture for our selfish whims… That'd be a crime against the mortal world! Not to mention your kids would resent you for it, yeah?" the Goddess explained.

Lefiya felt her anger start to subside. "Oh…"

"The only thing I did when I got there was bequeath them my blessing," Kali claimed truthfully.

No longer able to look Kali in the eye, she turned her gaze to the Amazons around her, who offered not a word of opposition. Their silence acted as a show of approval — the loyalty they'd pledged to the Goddess before her.

"Child of Loki, do you know why I let Tiona and her sister go?" Kali asked rhetorically.

"…?"

"Because they were the first ones. No one had ever requested to leave Telskyura," Kali revealed.

"!"

"Reject none who come, chase none who leave… If you wanna skedaddle, I have no business keeping you. Of course, you'd have to give up all the benefits from my blessing as collateral, but that's how things go, you know?" Kali finally explained her reasoning.

No one else had ever requested to leave, neither before them nor after. Every other Amazon had remained in Telskyura, where their days of ceaseless combat had continued. After all, what was the point in putting time and effort into a bunch of spineless wimps who'd give up before they'd even started?

Everything was the will of her children. As much as possible, Kali had tried to make Telskyura the holy land of Amazons they wanted it to be, or at least that's how she put it.

"Did you confuse me for an affectionate Goddess, Child of Loki?" Kali asked mockingly.

"…"

"I'm no different from every other God and Goddess out there, not even some everlasting child-saving Goddess of the Hearth or what have you. All of us came down to this world seeking the excitement of our own. We're nothing but hedonists," Kali said maliciously.

An impish smile formed on Kali's face as she rose to her feet. Then, entrusting Lefiya to the watchful gaze of her Amazonian guards, she made to leave.

"W-wait! What is… what is it you're trying to do?" Lefiya called out reflexively, realizing that her attempt to persuade the Goddess had failed.

"Trying to do…? Hmm, a lot of things, I suppose, but if I had to name one…" Kali came to a stop, red hair swishing as she turned around. "Create a future of war. I want to see it with my eyes… The perfect warrior born from the very limits of ceaseless bloodshed."

As Lefiya's eyes widened in horror, her mind conjuring images of a bloody and broken pair of Amazons, Kali's face broke into a smile.

"According to the guards stationed along the city walls, there's been no sign of anyone resembling Tione or her sister… nor any members of Kali Familia," Riveria reported.

"Which means they're still hiding in the city… or maybe… the lake?" Loki mumbled. The two of them were in their hotel 'base camp,' out on the balcony with its panoramic view of the entire city.

Bell Cranel's little 'prison' was on the opposite end of the floor.

The brat had been spamming magic in his room all day. Loki had no idea how he hadn't hit Mind Down yet… and she really didn't want to know either. The brat was a headache…

"Additionally, it seems Ais and the others have gotten wind of a possible lead down near the pier."

"That does it, then! I'll head to the fishing pier myself." Loki nodded as she turned away from the balcony's railing.

Riveria took a few steps toward her, backlit by the light of the hotel room. "We'd best abandon our original mission. We've far too many matters to attend to even without our search for the Violas."

Loki Familia originally was at Port Melen in order to investigate a 2nd entrance to the Dungeon. Otherwise known as Knossos. It was truly the height of irony that someone who knew about the existence of Knossos and how it worked was locked up on the other side of the building.

Because Bell had never read Sword Oratoria, he only had knowledge of the side series from the fanfictions he remembers reading – and they all tend to be rather vague on the plot of the side series.

"Huh? Oh yeah. Thanks to Ais-tan, that's all covered. The strings are all coming together," Loki remarked flippantly.

Riveria sharply turned her head. "What?"

But all she got from Loki was a wave of her hand and a nonchalant "Tell ya later!" as the Goddess went back to staring out across the city. "Though we still don't know just who's pulling those strings…" Loki muttered, eyes narrowing against the dark expanse.

At least this much was knowledge that Bell Cranel was actually ignorant of. Bell only knew about Knossos. And thus knew nothing about the Demi Spirits or the extent of the threat that the Evilus Remnant posed.

For now.

There was a moment of silence before Riveria asked, "And what of Bell Cranel?"

Riveria looked slightly annoyed. Being more sensitive to magic than others, Riveria was well aware that Bell Cranel was using some kind of magic repeatedly. Her 'magic sense' was almost constantly going off and it had gotten rather annoying to deal with.

It didn't help that he kept occasionally making squeaks of embarrassment and alarm.

Loki shrugged, "Let him do his thing. If 'Argonaut-kun' wants to help out when the gloves are thrown down, then I don't see any reason to stop him. Let the rabbit run if he wants to run. I have no interest bullying him when Itty-Bitty isn't here to see it."

"Right…" Riveria said, sighing in exasperation at her Goddess' words.

As Tiona and Tione moved to face and overcome their pasts, Loki Familia began to mobilize against the Kali Familia threat. Unaware of the Violas about to be released. And unaware of how a contingent from the Ishtar Familia, including a certain Renard, was about to intercept them…

Main POV

My ears twitched as I heard a faint roar in the distance. Night had barely fallen when I heard the unmistakable sound of monsters. I bolted to my feet and ran to the window.

Sure enough, in the almost boatless docks, I could make out tentacle plant-like monsters erupting from the water's surface. Even from this distance, the monsters looked vaguely familiar, but the specifics escaped me.

In any case, I wasn't the only one to hear the noise. Considering the footsteps outside my room, it would seem my guards had been pulled away for other matters. That settled it, it was time to move.

I quickly strapped down all of my gear before going over and opening the window. Palming a marked knife, I jumped out of the window in a freefall. Throwing my knife at a nearby roof, I teleported to it before I hit the ground and potentially broke my legs.

I silently thanked the universe again that Hiraishin canceled all momentum of the user as I grabbed the knife and made my way to the pier. I didn't exactly have many options for tracking down Lefiya. But if these plant monsters were lured here, then they might carry a lead. That, and I had a responsibility to ensure the monsters didn't somehow make landfall and risk any civilians.

So, from the rooftops, I ran towards the docks. It was easy to make the simple parkour jumps between buildings with my current physical fitness and Falna.

And it was as I was running, that I luckily happened to look in a certain direction while a certain spot on my back started to burn.

I halted my dash, barely 30 meters from where the battle against the plant-monsters was taking place.

I noticed a contingent of people leering over the battle on the rooftops. One of them was a massive woman, with a huge head, encased in armor. The other notable figure was completely covered in a veil and cloak.

Despite the heavy disguise, the wind was luckily strong enough to cause the woman's cloak to billow, and I clearly saw a fox-like tail despite the relatively low visibility. The cloaked woman's face screamed sadness and misery.

My mouth dropped at the sheer coincidence. Was that Haruhime?! It had to be! Was the large woman the Ishtar Familia Captain? Phyrne Jamil?

In the time I stood there gaping at the sight, Haruhime raised her hands to the moon as a glow began to shimmer over the armored Ishtar Familia Captain.

Level Boost! Phyrne would now be able to fight with the strength of a Level 6 adventurer!

For better or worse, Phyrne, and most of the squad of Amazons, immediately jumped into the battle below – the only person I could recognize in particular was Ais herself – and that was only because her hair was very noticeable in the poor visibility. That being said, even against a level-boosted opponent, I had faith that Ais would be able to take care of herself just fine. I couldn't pass by this opportunity to rescue Haruhime on this rare occurrence of her being outside the Pleasure District!

Thankful that I hadn't been noticed, I quickly deviated my course toward the group from the Ishtar Familia. Dropping a knife by my feet, I quickly grabbed a handful of knives and threw them at my targets.

The group of adventurers' instincts kicked in, or they heard the incoming volley of steel. Either way, one of the adventurers with a comically large skimatar-like weapon deflected all of my knives.

Her eyes widened when I suddenly closed the 20 meter gap between us in a flash of white. She was sent flying as I punched her across the face with a clean right hook. In the next instant, I aimed my left hand at the two remaining Amazons and yelled, "Firebolt!"

The Amazons jumped back, avoiding the attack as Haruhime yelped from the explosion and almost tripped over herself. Not before I could catch her anyway.

Holding her in my arms, bridal-carry style, I quickly shot her a winning smile and said, "Damsel-in-distress acquired!"

"Eh?!" Haruhime blushed in confusion, her veil having fallen off from the explosion.

I didn't have time to say anything more, as I could feel that my three opponents weren't done with me.

"An attack?!" I could hear the toad-like voice of Phyrne yell at me from down below.

"Haruhime!" The Amazoness I punched yelled out in a rage.

Uh oh. Time to go!

I span on my heels, positioned myself as if I was to leap away before teleporting back to the knife I dropped before. I proceeded to shamelessly run away on the rooftops, the sounds of two pairs of feet chasing after me.

"What? What?" Haruhime said in confusion in my arms, sounding a little queasy.

"My hero senses… were detecting… a damsel in need of saving!" I said in between breaths.

I could hear Haruhime shake her head, likely negatively, "No, no, no… Someone like me doesn't…"

I interrupted her, "You are getting… saved whether… you want to… or not!"

"Eh?" Haruhime made a cute confused noise.

"How fast is that damn rabbit!?" I could vaguely hear one of the Amazons yell out in frustration in the distance behind me.

Hehehe… Sometimes it's good being a rabbit! Nice try ladies, but no one can catch up to the fastest man on the planet when he feels like running away!

Wait, that sounded kind of cowardly…

Sorry, but fighting a bunch of Level 2s or 3s while trying to un-kidnap a certain blond fox-girl isn't my idea of a good time.

As I jumped to the next building, I pulled out my arm from under Haruhime's knees as I spun in mid air. I temporarily propped up Haruhime's legs with a raised knee as I aimed my arm at the duo chasing me and yelled once more, "Firebolt!"

A trio of bolts of lightning and fire shot at my pursuers. I barely made out their evasive movements in the distance as my mid-air 360 degree spin finished and I resumed running like a badass.

I glanced over my shoulder, noticing that the duo chasing me had fallen off of the rooftops about 60 meters back. Seriously, they were so slow they hadn't a chance of catching up to me. The spell was just to provide more of a distraction.

I took advantage of the situation to quickly jump forward a few buildings before hiding down in the alleyways myself.

"Wait…" Haruhime protested softly as I found a random, large wooden box container and kicked it open. I proceeded to jump into the box with Haruhime still in my arms before closing the box on top of us.

Before Haruhime could say anything else, I covered her mouth with my free hand and waited silently.

Sure enough, a few minutes later I heard a duo of footsteps rapidly grow closer.

"Where the hell did that bastard go?!"

"Damn rabbit! I'll skin him alive!"

The two growled out in frustration before they continued on as quickly as they came. I had lost them for the moment.

I released a breath of relief as the adrenaline continued to course through my system. And it was then that I realized that this particular box was barely big enough to fit the both of us. I could feel my face and a spot on my back start to burn as I became acutely aware of how Haruhime's breasts were pushed against me.

"I… I… I…" Haruhime weakly whispered in embarrassment, the close proximity likely causing the poor woman to be shell-shocked from the embarrassment of our lewd positioning.

"S-sorry!" I whispered fiercely, trying to pull myself away as much as I could with little success.

"Uh… I…" Haruhime continued to stutter in embarrassment and confusion.

I took a deep breath to calm myself down. I needed to resume control of the situation. I needed to get Haruhime to agree to me helping her before I could resume making sure that Lefiya herself was also okay.

"Look," I said, getting Haruhime's attention, "I don't know everything going on with you… and it doesn't really matter to me. What does is the fact that it was obvious that you were miserable and there under duress. So, uh, what I'm saying is… would you like me to help you?"

Haruhime had enough presence of mind to be incredulous, "Y-you're… asking that now?"

"Well, I'm not one to underestimate the element of surprise," I said sheepishly, "Look, I've heard rumors about you, how you've been a victim of trafficking… With you right in front of me… how could I not act? Whatever Ishtar wants, whatever they are doing to you, it isn't right. And since I have the power and opportunity to act, I have a responsibility to do something. That is part of what it means for me to be a Hero."

"Hero…" Haruhime said, almost reverently, "You… like heroes…?"

I smile at her, "I love hero stories. I'll gladly share heroes all day and night after getting you out of your situation."

Haruhime's eyes widened before they suddenly sunk in despair. She shook her head, "N-no, I can't ask for you to save me. Not for a dirty prostitute like myself… I can't let Ishtar-sama and the others hurt you for my sake…"

"I understood the consequences of my actions the moment I chose to save you," I retorted, "I did it anyway."

"Why?!" Haruhime demanded in confusion and hysteria.

"Do I need a reason to save someone?" I said simply, "I wanted to do it. It is in saving others that we save ourselves."

Haruhime's eyes widened, a spark of hope in her eyes before it was extinguished just as fast.

"E-even so, I did not ask you to save me…" Haruhime muttered in protest.

And on hearing those words, another's voice rang in my head.

"Bell. Not once have I asked for you to save me."

"Promise me… promise me that you will save me! I… I really don't want to go! Artemis and I are scared and hurt! If I truly am more than just a weapon to you, then please save me!"

Artemis… not… not again!

"Is that how you really feel?!" I hissed at Haruhime, startling the girl, her eyes widening.

"Don't bullshit me!" I continued my sharp but quiet rant, "You're just not being selfish enough! Every life is precious! Yours included! I refuse to allow you to sacrifice yourself! Not again!"

"Again? How… how did you know…?" Haruhime gasped, first in confusion at my wording but then in shock at the realization that I knew about the Killing Stone. What else could I mean by 'sacrifice' in her eyes?

"I read a lot. Come on, a low leveled Renard being guarded by a squad of Level 2s and 3s and Ishtar's Captain?" I point out the evidence, calming down slightly as I did so, "It's simple enough to deduce that they want from you. A sacrifice to fuel the ambitions of a Goddess."

"Oh…" Haruhime said, too shocked about the sudden series of events to be impressed with my bullshit deduction or question how I made such a deduction so quickly. Or the contradiction of me claiming to 'not know her situation'.

"Listen to me," I said, all but begging for her to be honest, "We may be strangers, but I can't just sit idly by and let an innocent woman be killed. And don't you dare say you deserve to die for being a prostitute. The sins I bear far outweigh yours, so I won't stand for it. And you are an innocent, being a prostitute doesn't change that. And even if it did, a real hero would never abandon the weak and powerless. Because the act of saving isn't always slaying the monster, but by laying a path towards happiness."

"…" Haruhime was silent, her mouth opened slightly in shock and awe.

"I knew from the moment I stepped forward that I would make all of Ishtar Familia my enemy," I told her, "I'm prepared for whatever comes next. Prepared to fight for a happy future. So please, look past the lies you've told yourself! Look inward and see the truth. Tell me, who are you and do you want?!"

My resolve to not make the same mistakes much have reached the woman in my arms. Because her eyes started to water and she said, "I-I am the prostitute Sanjōno Haruhime. I don't want to become a soulless husk! I want to see my dear friends again! I want to read Hero tales with you! Please… please save me…!"

I let out a sigh of relief, unable to keep a smile off of my face.

Now we just—

"How touching, now get out of that love nest!" An Amazon called out at us.

"A-Aisha-san?!" Haruhime stuttered in recognition and fear.

"Ah." I uttered in embarrassment. Our pursuers must have doubled back and overheard us. How lackadaisical of us.

Without a moment's more hesitation, I elbowed the box lid upon with enough force to send the lid flying. I then jerked against the box, knocking it over and the two of us out of it. Finally I put my palm towards the ground and chanted, "Firebolt!"

As intended, my magic created a smokescreen as it denoted against the ground. The perfect cover for me hide in as I burn over half of my Mind Reserves by teleporting back to the first knife I threw at Aisha.

Having teleported while laying horizontally, we appeared in a white and yellow flash on top of the roof. Haruhime proceeded to vomit next to my head from such a large teleportation.

The feeling of my Mind Reserves going from 99% down to about 31% was rather jarring. That said, the overflow of Accretion Disk was glad to exchange energy for Mind at an absurd rate. I was already back up to 40%. It's scary.

Peaking over the roof to the pier below, I noticed that Ais and a very feral Bete were beating the crap out of Phyrne.

Oh, did the boys of Loki Familia arrive? That works out rather well actually. I think it's fair to assume that with ALL of Loki Familia here, they definitely had rescuing Lefiya covered at this point. I could focus on extraditing Haruhime to somewhere… relatively safe.

"Are you okay, Haruhime-san? Sorry about that…" I apologized to the other girl.

"I-I am alright," Haruhime assured me, though she looked queasy.

"Alright, let's get out of here then while Ishtar's forces are still distracted and defeated," I said, maintaining a low volume.

"W-wait!" Haruhime had me pause, "I almost forgot. This choker… Ishtar-sama can track it… I can't let you…"

Indeed, there was a metal choker around her neck, like a slave collar.

"...May I?" I asked as I reached for the device around her neck. Haruhime blushed, closing her eyes and nodding her consent.

Approval gained, I grabbed at the choker and attempted to bend the metal. However, despite my strength it wouldn't budge a millimeter. It must be made of a strong metal like Adamantite or Oricalchum, maybe even enchanted with magic or Ishtar's ichor.

I found myself frustrated at being denied in rescuing Haruhime because of this damn tracker… Before I remembered the training I was doing earlier today…

I blushed. There had been certain… complications… in my attempt to only teleport myself without dragging too much along that was touching me. Complications that would be… less than ideal in current company.

I breathed in sharply. A little embarrassment was worth it, however, if I could get Haruhime out of her bondage.

"I have an idea…" I said shyly to her as I motioned for us to get off of the roof.

"Yes…?" Haruhime said as we moved and dropped down to stand in the alley (with her in my arms for the drop).

I dropped a marked knife onto the ground next to us as I took off my overcoat and set it down.

I took Haruhime's hands in mine and said, "Close your eyes and brace your stomach. I'm going to get that collar off, though this will be uncomfortable…"

Haruhime blushed at the contact, but followed my instructions, "Okay…"

Taking that as consent to try, I closed my eyes and focused. This method of using Hiraishin required a lot of precision to direct my Mind into what should and shouldn't be teleported. Much more concentration and precision than I was capable of at the moment. Meaning that my control wasn't all that accurate…

There was likely a flash of white and yellow as Haruhime and I shifted to my right half a meter. Then there were the sounds of clothes ruffling as I felt the cold breeze of the sea against my bare body.

"Eep!" Haruhime squeaked, "Ahhh…!"

I felt Haruhime completely sag, falling unconscious in a faint. I did my best to hold her upright with just my hands.

I squinted my eyes open, and blearily saw the sight of an unconscious… and completely naked Haruhime in front of me.

Indeed… I could teleport without bringing things along with me… but it meant teleporting without anything.

You can see why I was really embarrassed to use this method. Even with my expecting this to happen, I'm mortified that events had led to Haruhime and I being naked in an alleyway.

Needless to say, I quickly wrapped Haruhime with my overcoat – doing everything in my power to not look at her like a pervert as I did so. I then redressed myself the fastest I've ever done before I struggled to try and get Haruhime back into her kimono.

The good news was that Haruhime's neck was bare, and that tracking collar was off. The bad news… was that I had no idea how to properly put on a kimono. So, despite my best efforts… It totally looked like Haruhime's clothes were ruffled because she just got out of having a… 'lewd time' in an alleyway.

It took a lot of willpower to not commit seppuku on the spot. Despite my honest intentions, I felt like scum. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Haruhime died of embarrassment when she regained consciousness.

I decided to put my overcoat back around her for good measure and closed up as much as possible (Haruhime's chest was too big to fully close the coat…). This way she could maintain a measure of dignity should she awaken.

I picked up Haruhime's collar off of the rooftop, and immediately yeeted it into the relatively nearby waters of the lake. Hopefully, for a time anyway, I could deceive Ishtar Familia into assuming that Haruhime had committed suicide after 'getting away from her kidnapper' or something along those lines.

With that out of the way, I mentally prayed that Loki Familia had things under control here as I picked Haruhime up in a princess carry. While part of me really wanted to personally make sure that Lefiya was okay, the rest of me was worried about making sure that Haruhime was safe.

I kept my encounters with the rest of Ishtar Familia short on purpose. With the terrible lighting, my identity could be partially concealed. Controlling information was key in war. And if Ishtar was unsure about who I was, then that would buy me valuable time to gather more information and hopefully get her Familia shut down and off of my and Haruhime's tail.

Heh.

But each encounter with Ishtar's forces increased the chance of me being identified. And I didn't want to fight a battle where I had to guard Haruhime if I could avoid it. The prudent thing to do was retreat and get Haruhime to a secure location so she could hide from Ishtar's wrath.

Time to abscond back into Orario the same way I came.

And I knew just the place where Haruhime would be safe and Ishtar would never dare touch.

Half an hour or so later, the Hostess of Fertility was closed. More accurately, it had not closed too long ago. That said, it had closed long enough ago that it had already been cleaned up for the next morning.

So while I was not surprised to see Mama Mia waiting for me behind the bar of an empty pub, it was a little eerie.

Mama Mia took one look at me, and then at the unconscious Haruhime in my arms. And said, "...I swear, if you skipped work just to get some action you're not gonna have kids anytime soon when I'm through with you."

"I'm innocent!" I immediately defend myself, face pale and wincing at almost waking Haruhime. Thankfully, the poor woman was still able to get some rest and avoid this awkward conversation.

"Well? Explain yourself," Mama Mia said, rightfully expecting a reason for why I've brought an apparent prostitute home.

I explained that I had snuck out of town because I was afraid for Lefiya's safety. That I got locked up by Loki Familia for illegally leaving the city. And how I determined that Haruhime was the victim of human trafficking that I had uncovered the other day. I even shared my 'theory' on her use as a human sacrifice via the Killing Stone.

Technically, Ishtar 'promised' to give Haruhime the stone and thus her soul back after defeating Freya Familia. But… come on, that's obviously a fucking lie. As if someone like Ishtar would willingly give up such power.

Mama Mia sighed deeply, "...And why bring her here?"

"I can't protect her from Ishtar alone," I admitted, and wasn't that painful to admit…

I continued saying, "But, if she was here, Ishtar wouldn't dare. You know? Considering Ishtar's main rival and all that…"

"Heh, learned about that did you?" Mama Mia, the former Captain of Freya Familia, said in amusement, "I see what you mean, brat. But that's not the only reason, is it?"

"No, it isn't," I admitted, adding, "I think Haruhime's a lonely person. Between staying alone at Hestia's Church and lodging here, this is clearly the better choice. I hate the idea of having to keep Haruhime confined for her safety, even in the short term. But I think the risk of her being somewhat visible is worth it if she makes some friends."

"Short term, huh…" Mama Mia caught that line.

"If I can prove Ishtar is guilty of attempted human sacrifice, it could lead to a situation where she has no choice but to leave us alone at the very least," I said, acknowledging that corruption might save Ishtar in this hypothetical.

Not that I intended on ending things that half-assed.

Even with Haruhime out of Ishtar's hands, they were still a threat. And still had a Killing Stone. Ishtar will not stop until she is completely defeated. It's like an infinite game, there is only a winner until a side gives up playing or is unable to continue playing.

I had no intention of giving up. Not again.

As long as Ishtar was around, she wouldn't give up using Haruhime as a tool to further her Familia's power. There were only two options for the future: Haruhime's death or Ishtar's defeat/death.

Mama Mia grunted, "Fine. Put her up in your room, I know you're staying with your Goddess for the time being. I'll explain things to the lass should she wake up before you are back by tomorrow."

"Thank you so much!" I said gratefully.

"Yeah, yeah. I just keep on adopting lost lambs, honestly…" Mama Mia gruffed, but I could tell she loved helping out lost souls like us.

With that out of the way, I did as Mama Mia said and carried Haruhime to my room at the Hostess' annex. I removed my coat from her, and placed it on a nearby chair and removed her footwear, but otherwise left her be as I tucked her into bed.

With that settled, it was time to go check in with Hestia, if she waited up for me.

…Who am I kidding, she is definitely still up waiting to chew me a new one for, well, yesterday's antics.

Well, it was nice living while it lasted.

Other POV

Haruhime had first thought she was dreaming. Could you blame her?

It was just like out of a story book. A hero swooping in and taking the girl away in his arms. She never expected to live out such a fantasy in the real world. Because a tainted prostitute and weak-willed girl such as herself thought she had no business to shamelessly ask to be saved.

'You are getting… saved whether… you want to… or not!' His words to her echoed in her head.

Helping others when they haven't asked for it… Haruhime was grounded enough to know that most people might interpret such behavior as arrogant or coming from a place of pity. But Haruhime didn't get any such impressions from her brief interaction with that boy, Bell Cranel.

Instead of arrogance, Haruhime got the impression he didn't think too highly of himself with how quickly he apologized and the amount he joked – not taking himself too seriously. Nor did it feel like he was pitying her, but rather, it felt like sincere compassion was driving his actions.

He had probably been at that port city for something completely unrelated. Likely to save someone else who needed him first. But he saw her plight, and didn't hesitate to take action about it.

He was… he had to be… a real-life hero…

What else would that glow around him be? But the sign of a true hero?

And not just his actions, but his words. He shot down every derisive argument she could think of why she deserved her wretched fate. He didn't know a thing about the power she possessed, and yet she already had value as a child of man in his eyes.

Sure, he was well read enough to know of the uniqueness of Renard's Sorcery. But it was clear to Haruhime that there wasn't at all a reason behind his words to her. And she knew… she knew this because his eyes were so sad. Regretful.

They were the eyes of someone who failed to save someone. Someone like Haruhime. And so she couldn't believe for a second that Bell Cranel had any hidden intentions in his actions. She couldn't spit in the face of a hero by rejecting his kindness with her self-deprecation. Not when those ruby red eyes begged for her to live.

He was pragmatic, certainly, – as Aisha and the others had been more outran than outmatched. But a hero's strength lay not in pure strength alone but also in outwitting evil and its schemes.

Bell made the impossible possible. He turned his gaze away from her power, and instead looked at her as a fellow living being. Few… few have the strength to turn away from power that isn't theirs. It spoke to his character, and was revealed in his actions.

For the idea of absconding with her from right under the Berbera's noses (admittedly while they were distracted with another Familia) should have been impossible. Removing her collar that only Ishtar could remove should have been inconceivable.

Bell Cranel broke through all these barriers, making the impossible trivial.

Haruhime had been vindicated in her efforts to gather any and all scraps of information on Bell Cranel, the weiẞes Häschen. To dream that he might one day rescue her like a hero from her story books.

For she had a suspicion that someone who rose to Level 2 so quickly had to be a hero in the making. Normal people with normal determination did not grow so quickly. She was so glad to have been right about him. (Even if her thoughts about him had been pure fantasy.)

And she had, for once, been terrified at the sound of Aisha's voice. Terrified at the idea that she might be dragged back to Ishtar Familia.

Admittedly, Ishtar provided her with food and shelter. It was much better than being a slave outside Orario. But, being a prostitute… she'd lost a vital part of her soul that she could never recover.

Much like a Renard's soul to a Killing Stone, she now realized.

So, of course, Bell Cranel had (somehow) easily evaded her one companion from Ishtar Familia and removed her shackles. In essence, promising that one day she would be completely free to walk the city streets without nary a concern.

So… it was fine that she pretended to be asleep while he ferried her into the city… right?

Right?

She really had passed out, you know! She just… woke up not long after.

Haruhime decided that Bell Cranel was right, she could afford to be more selfish. Decided that it was okay to be saved, if it would save him in turn. That if he said so, that even she could be happy.

Bell Cranel had done many impossible things before her eyes. If anyone could oppose the might of Ishtar, it was Bell. Haruhime believed in him.

That was how Bell Cranel had given Haruhime hope for a future.

Sitting on her throne in her home, Belit Babili, Ishtar sneered in frustration and contempt. She wasn't in the best of moods, to put it lightly.

Her Familia's Captain had been bested in battle against two of Loki's damned Executives. The Kali Familia had been removed from the board as an ally in her plan to topple the Freya Familia. And in the same day, the Renard girl had been absconded away right underneath her nose, and with it a valuable chance to freely empower her entire Familia with a boost in power equivalent to one Level across the board.

To be accurate, the girl's tracker was currently located deep in Lake Lolog.

That collar was made out of Oricalchum, enchanted with magic, and infused with her Ichor as a base. It was functionally an indestructible, irremovable tracking device. And in practical terms, might as well be a slave collar; for if she could always find the collar's wearer, then escape was impossible. The strength of her Familia was too great – submission was the only option.

To put it more simply, the collar was unremovable because it was unbreakable.

All of this meant in all likelihood that the girl escaped from her rescuer and committed suicide. But her intuition felt that such a story didn't fit. How could that Renard escape from an adventurer that had so easily ambushed and evaded Aisha?

Speaking off that ambush, the entire thing was perturbing. Usually, it's the most tactical decision to eliminate the strongest enemy adventurer first. That way you can mop up the weaker adventurers at your leisure.

But instead of that, their adversary went for the weakest (apparent) member of the Berbera — the Renard. And not to eliminate her, but instead attacking to claim her for themselves.

There was the argument that the enemy adventurer was targeting their mages… But the Renard wasn't the only magic caster in that party, and was very much the weakest member of the party. It didn't add up. It didn't make sense.

All of these little things raised more questions. Why did this white haired adventurer try to abduct the girl? Did they see her cast her spell and deduce its properties?! Why did they assume that the girl was not like any other member of her Familia? Why didn't they attack?

The fact this white haired adventurer's first response was to run off with the girl rather than attack the entire squad spoke volumes. They must have already known who the girl was.

But how do they know?! There couldn't have been an internal leak. Her children were loyal, and those with second thoughts like Aisha had been disciplined. A leak was impossible.

…Could Aisha have leaked the information before Ishtar punished her? Ishtar didn't believe so, but she had no way of knowing. Aisha had lost some of her memory from being disciplined — she may have very well forgotten she had leaked anything.

Aisha had already been debriefed on the encounter in Melen. Aisha hadn't gotten a good look at the adventurer, just that they were young, had white hair, resembled a rabbit, and was a strong adventurer.

Aisha hadn't been certain if the adventurer was male or female, but leaned towards being male from when the adventurer had performed a super-short magical chant. But even then, Aisha seemed uncertain. The adventurer could just be a well built young woman with a deep voice. The adventurer was a little too androgynous from their brief interaction to tell.

The lighting in Melen was poor. And the bursts of light from the adventurer's spell did more to flash and block perception than aid in it.

Ishtar's first thought was that this white haired adventurer sounded a lot like Hestia's brat — the record holder. But that couldn't possibly fit? A fresh Level 2 adventurer had no business being able to overpower and out speed Aisha.

Especially since the boy was the record holder; Ishtar was convinced that while the boy may have some kind of skill to help with Excelia gain, that he must have only leveled up with the bare minimum of Basic Abilities. And only then did he go for a Level Up. It was the only thing that made sense! Getting to Level 2 in such a short time was inconceivable.

It was understandable, yet still unacceptable, for Aisha to have been surprised in the initial attack. But still, this other adventurer couldn't possibly be the same person despite also having rabbit-like features. A hidden relative perhaps?

Ishtar had no leads. This entire incident came right out of left field. Ishtar could not begin to describe the frustration and this unknown third-party interfering with her plans.

She would need to be more cautious for the moment. While Ishtar doubted anyone would dare act against her in the middle of her own territory, she wouldn't take unnecessary risks.

She'd need to send out her agents to confirm if the Renard is really dead. The monsters in the waters of Lake Lolog will likely eat her remains if she truly is at the bottom of that lake, but a skeleton and hair should be left behind — which would be plenty to identify her.

But again, while Ishtar has no clue on how that collar could have been removed, she has a hunch that the Renard is still alive.

She would need to send agents to nearby towns. A Renard is a rare race and thus very noticeable. It will be easy to determine if she has managed to flee Orario.

She'd also need to see if the Renard is bold enough to have taken refuge in the city. Perhaps there is still hope to recapture the girl for her plans. She'd rather not rely solely on that monster that her associates in The Evilus Remnant had agreed to loan her.

Finally, Ishtar began to have her people look into everything relating to white haired, red-eyed people in Orario. Anything to try and get a lead on who might be attempting to interfere with her plans against Freya Familia.

Ishtar wasn't going to let that fox go. Not without a fight. As long as Freya wasn't on to Ishtar's schemes, she could still make a play in the near future. If Freya was still unaware, then Ishtar wouldn't need to wait again in order to try and topple Freya Familia.

"Ah, all is well that ends well!" Loki cheered as she barged into Lefiya's room at the inn for the night.

"Ack!" Lefiya gasped, having partially disrobed so she could change into nightwear. "L-Loki-sama! The heck!? Get out!"

"Come now, Lefiya-chan~" Loki said, leering at Lefiya's barely concealed chest, "I just wanted to give you an Update after everything! Maybe give you a massage too so they grow even bigger…"

"I-I don't need them any bigger!" Lefiya protested, "A-and I am perfectly fine waiting to get an Update back at home!"

Loki's eyes sharpened, "Oh? This coming from the person in my Familia that is most determined in catching up to dearest Ais-tan? How suspicious…"

Lefiya froze, wincing at her unusual behavior being caught.

Loki looked at Lefiya for a second more before sighing. Loki went over and sat down on Lefiya's bed, saying, "Come on, what's got you so ruffled that you're scared of sharing even to me? Finally pop your cherry?"

"I-I did not! Hentai!" Lefiya protested at Loki's jest.

"Alright, alright, I'll cut it out," Loki said, promising to hold off on teasing, "But seriously, this isn't like you. You don't have to be afraid of me. And if you've messed up, I need to know so I know whose bodies I need to hide."

"…Okay," Lefiya said after a long pause. Fear and melancholy that Lefiya had been trying to forget swam back to the forefront of her mind.

"It has to do with Bell Cranel…" Lefiya admitted, sounding almost defeated.

Loki's eye twitched at the mention of that boy again.

"It's just…" Lefiya said, struggling to find the right words to describe what she was feeling, "He… I was almost in his shoes. For that Quest. And… and the thought of that scares… and saddens me…"

"Lefiya-chan, you're not making any sense," Loki said, having zero context to understand what Lefiya was getting at.

"Bell had to do something," Lefiya explained, "It was a hard choice. A choice that most people would hate him for making. But it was a necessary one… He… he should be getting praised for the end result, but because of… he'd just be hated by everyone. Even you…"

Lefiya had not been ignorant of how close she had been to being in Bell's shoes for the Artemis Quest. That she was almost 'Iphigenia.' How she almost bore the weight of the world on her shoulders. And how she was almost burdened with the task of sacrificing a Goddess to save all life on Genkai from a new Age of Chaos and Death.

She was well aware of how no one would sing praises of Bell for the burden he bore for the sake of the world. How people would hate him if they knew. How all that pain and hatred had almost been on her own shoulders.

Lefiya empathized easily with Bell Cranel. She saw his honest desire to help others. How he trusted her and her strength to aid him in battle. How he entrusted his magic to her so she too could one day use them to save others. How he worried about her safety like she was family, despite being in a different Familia.

(Why else would he be in Port Melen?! She knew it was no coincidence!)

He had all but escaped being the rival she christened him as. Bell was like the brother she never had. She would have considered him something more if something deep in her soul didn't reject the thought.

After everything they've done together, despite having no reason to be close to each other because of their different Familias, how could she not care about him? So of course, she didn't want her Goddess to condemn him.

She didn't want Loki to condemn the boy that inspired her to be unashamed of her current strength and to keep growing and fighting for a better tomorrow – so that she could one day stand next to Ais and the others with pride. That she could both be proud of who she was now, while still improving to become something more.

"…" Loki was silent. Even without context, Loki was piecing together what had happened to Artemis, for the Guild had quietly admitted that Artemis Familia had collapsed.

Loki also realized that Lefiya really had been trying to hide what happened from her. Because Lefiya didn't want Loki to hate Bell for what he had done.

Loki was proud to see Lefiya caring about others with such a strong will. That scared and intimidated girl was turning into a self-actualized and determined elven warrior mage.

Lefiya being around Tiona, Tione, and Ais had certainly been major factors. It just irked Loki that Bell Cranel had been the fourth major figure to inspire such change. Not counting that Filvis elf.

All that said, Loki couldn't help but feel a little hurt that Lefiya feared her reaction to whatever she had witnessed during that Quest that the Guild gave her a lot of money to not talk about to anyone ever…

Loki sighed, "Look, I promise to not smite the rabbit for whatever happened, alright? Jeez, talk about an overprotective sister…"

Lefiya blushed, unable to protest the classification since it was how she had grown to feel about him. It was just embarrassing that Loki had noticed without even Updating her…

"O-Okay then, remember what you promised…" Lefiya said, offering her back to her Goddesses.

Loki's fingers started wiggling lewdly as she approached the elf from behind. Loki couldn't help giggling like a perverted old man…

"Unleashed streak of light," Lefiya began to sing, having felt Loki's lecherous gaze in the back of her head.

"I give, I give!" Loki loudly surrendered, only gasping in relief when Lefiya cut off the mana safely.

Jokes out of the way, Loki honestly went about updating Lefiya's Falna. And bore witness to everything in Lefiya's myth since last time. Particularly…

Of almost pulling a Spear out of the Crystal. A journey to complete a Quest. And the nature of the threat, and what had to be done to end it.

Lefiya Viridis

Level 4

Alias: Thousand Elf

Strength: I: 0 - I: 24

Vitality: I: 0 - I: 99

Dexterity: I: 0 - I: 79

Agility: I: 0 - H: 187

Magic: I: 0 - G: 299

Magic:

…

Skills:

Fairy Canon - Increases Magic Power of cast spells. Only affects offensive spells.

Magic Summoning - User is able to call forth magic belonging to other casters. Each new magic grants an additional spell slot. Spell trigger and effect must be known. Magic cannot be summoned against the target's permissions. Mind is expended at a greater rate for summoned Magic.

Huntress' Consolation - For the one who was almost worthy. User gains a buff to all stats at night. Buff is proportional to the stages of the moon, direct moonlight not required. Stats are lowered during certain celestial events. Lose effects when not worthy.

Development Abilities:

Mage - G

Abnormal Resistance - I

Magic Resistance - I

Loki pinched the bridge of her nose. She could feel her stress levels rising in real time. Where was a bottle of Soma Wine when you needed it?!

That Skill had Artemis' handiwork all over it. A combination of Lefiya's attempt at pulling out that damned Spear and being close to Artemis' Arcanum as she…

Sure, a debuff during the New Moon and Lunar Eclipses sucked, but those could be worked around and were relatively rare respectively. No biggie!

The whole 'worthy' thing was concerningly vague too…

The REAL problem lay more in what Loki had learned of what had happened on that damn Quest.

Loki had been wondering how that entire incident with Artemis' Arrow in the sky was resolved. She almost wished she was still ignorant, her life would be a lot easier if that was the case.

It certainly explained the massive amount of money Lefiya and thus Loki Familia had gotten as a 'reward' for Lefiya's participation. The highest echelons of the Guild were willing to cover up Bell Cranel's 'crime' in compensation for saving the Lower World.

Well, the world would see Bell Cranel's actions as a crime. Loki knows that the children of the Lower World can be fickle and care little for circumstances. Especially towards its heroes. Look no further than Epimetheus for an example of that.

"...Well," Loki said to Lefiya, copying her stats onto a sheet of paper, "A promise is a promise, I won't hunt down Bell Cranel for what he did. Heck, even though I hate it, I don't blame the lad one bit."

"Thank goodness…" Lefiya sighed in relief.

"That said," Loki added, "Stay away from him."

"Wait, what?" Lefiya said, shocked, "Loki-sama? Why?!"

"That boy is dangerous and attracts trouble. Which, I know, is saying something coming from me, but that's not the point!" Loki said with authority, at least acknowledging how weird her words sounded as a Goddess of Trickery.

"Why? Why? I don't understand!" Lefiya complained, whining at the injustice of Loki's command.

"If word gets out about what happened, that boy will be hated by the entire world," Loki stated matter-of-factly, "And I don't want any of that shit on me. Or on you should it get out you were a member of his party during it!"

Loki acknowledged the lad was a good kid. A rising hero, even. Someone Loki would otherwise be glad to have in her own Familia. But she was pragmatic and selfish. She loved her children. The risk of such immense reputational damage was something that Loki could not tolerate.

It would be for the best to simply be content that Loki Familia had all the blackmail they needed to ensure that Lefiya's secrets were never shared by Hestia Familia. More so to calm Finn's paranoia than anything else. Of course, Bell could leak about Lefiya's role in the Artemis Quest in retaliation, but Loki doubted such a thing would happen. From seeing Bell Cranel in person and through Lefiya's eyes, Loki knew that the boy would never mention Lefiya's Skill or her role in the party to those not in the know.

"B-But, Loki-sama, you promised–" Lefiya continued to protest and bargain.

Loki cut Lefiya off by saying, "That I wouldn't smite him. Not that I would refrain from barring any and all contact. Where he goes, chaos follows. We have enough on our plates as is. Lefiya, I just don't want to see you hurt, understand?"

Lefiya did understand. Everything Loki-sama said made sense, from the risks to their reputation to the trouble Bell Cranel seems to constantly be in to Loki's honest desire to keep Lefiya safe.

It did nothing to stop the pain in Lefiya's heart. Feelings that Lefiya struggled to put words to. Sorrow? Grief? Guilt? Betrayal? All of the above?

Lefiya felt that by following Loki's command, she would be just like all those people that would hate Bell for having to do what had been necessary. That this sort of abandonment was the same as acting like an apathetic bystander watching someone about to get mugged.

It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. How could Loki-sama demand this of her?

But what could Lefiya do? She bore Loki's Falna on her back. If she ever wanted another Update again, Lefiya had little choice but to obey.

(An unbidden thought in the back of Lefiya's mind wondered if Loki-sama would even let her go if she asked for it. She hadn't cared about the answer to that question before, because Loki-sama and the others were her home and family. But now that her expectations of Loki-sama were shaken, Lefiya couldn't help but be self-aware of her position.)

(That said… For the sake of her friends, and because of the threat posed by the Evilus Remnant, Lefiya chose to suppress her concerns. Evilus had to be defeated before Lefiya would be willing to act on her own selfishness, she resolved…)

The pain and frustration and disappointment that Lefiya felt was strong enough that Loki flinched at the sight of it in the elf's dark blue eyes. And it was that sight that had Loki's resolve falter.

"Grrr… there ain't anything I can do if you happen to run into him by happenstance in the city and especially the Dungeon, I suppose…" Loki added reluctantly, essentially giving an unofficial loophole around her demand.

Lefiya perked up, glad that Loki had effectively changed her mind, "Yes! Understood!"

Loki resisted the urge to sigh and pinch the bridge of her nose again. She really wanted a drink – no, five drinks. All this shit was really working her up: from Kali trying to kidnap and kill her girls, the conspiracy in Melen between Njord and the local Guild branch, the ambush by Ishtar Familia, having to see the brat in person, and the lack of finding the 2nd entrance to the Dungeon…

Things were bound for even more chaos, Loki could tell. And not the kind of chaos that Loki was fond of.

Loki would learn in the coming days and months that she was, unfortunately, right.

Deep in the Dungeon, a masked woman stood ruminating. Actually, fuming was more accurate.

She'd been waiting over a week for Bell Cranel to enter the Dungeon once more(deeply into the Dungeon, preferably), but he hadn't returned since he met Filvis on Floor 18.

The masked woman, Ein, was the Yin to Filvis' Yang. The half of her being where Filvis tried to pour all of her negative emotions and feelings.

The horror of what they had become. The pain of all the comrades they had lost. The guilt of all the lives they had taken, the killings of those who had gotten too close to discovering their secret. That they were a Creature, an abomination.

Ein and Filvis, separated by a duplication spell, had a sort of mental link. One that Filvis left closed most of the time to Ein's tactical benefit. Such as hiding the existence of Olivias Act from Filvis. Whereas Ein cared not about working with the Evilus Remnant so long as Dionysus' divine plan was carried out.

All of this to say was that Filvis often only opened her mental connection enough to pour more pain and darkness onto Ein. Or to pass along Dionysus-sama's divine commands from a distance. It was during such openings that Ein could uncover much about what Filvis was up to while Filvis, in turn, remained blissfully ignorant like a tragic heroine of the evils being committed behind the scenes.

Which was where Ein's hatred for Bell Cranel was born. For his flowery words had been enough to stay Filvis' hand from striking him down as she had already done to so many others for knowing MUCH less than he did.

(She still didn't understand how he knew so much about her. He has only been in the city for two months at this point!?)

Honestly, Ein wasn't surprised that Filvis had done this – refused to kill Bell Cranel. The boy had a spark of hope and justice in his eyes that the idiotic elven girl couldn't help but admit. Which all just confirmed what kind of weak pathetic woman Filvis was in Ein's eyes.

A massive hypocrite.

Ein cared not how she was essentially insulting another part of herself. Their personalities were like night and day. The only thing they agreed on was their faith in Dionysus-sama.

All Ein cared about was that Bell Cranel was a threat to Dionysus' divine plan. Striking outside of the Dungeon attracted too much attention, and was to be avoided if possible. So Ein had been waiting to strike when he returned to the Dungeon. Preferably when unescorted by members of Loki Familia so as to not give them as many clues to work with.

Accidents happen in the Dungeon all the time, after all. Best make things easier and less suspicious that way.

It was otherwise fair to assume that he would return to Dungeon Diving after a few days perhaps. But it has been almost two weeks now!

She was at her wits end in frustration, her patience waning.

It was about time to reach out to her allies in the Evilus Remnant. Their operatives were better suited for operations on the surface than the Viola and Virga. And were much more experienced in killing adventurers than she was.

Ein cared little for overkill at this point. She just wanted Bell Cranel dead before Dionysus-sama became aware of their failure.

She was even up to bargaining with Levis to do something. Or those other girls. Or trying to wake up That Woman. That's how unacceptable it was for Bell Cranel to know of Filvis and thus Ein's nature.

This was how a relative nobody like Bell Cranel had made another very powerful enemy.

Authors Notes:

(1) This is a subtle hint about how Lefiya hadn't gotten an update since the Artemis Quest. Loki doesn't know any specifics about Artemis by this point.

(2) This doesn't necessarily mean there actually will be a harem. This is just an explanation as to why Syr has been subtly pushing for one in the background. Admittedly, Syr is only aiming for herself and Ryuu to partake. Then again, most of Bell's acquaintances also have bright souls that she would approve of…

Essentially, Syr's selfish desire for herself and Bell to be as happy and bright as possible has looped around to a somewhat contradictory logical extreme. She's also trying to preemptively stop him from getting too suicidal by getting someone pregnant with his child. As one does. Totally normal…

Fun facts, I wanted Bell to show up for the Melen Arc before I knew that Haruhime was also there for it. I knew of the Melen Arc before from glancing at the timeline on the wiki, which I reference a lot indirectly. The fact that Kali kidnapped Lefiya is what inspired me on how to add consequences to Lefiya's OP magic copying Skill after I buffed it. Needed some way to have Lefiya's altered Skill have some kind of countermeasure, after all.

I originally had Bell be more involved in actually rescuing Lefiya, which resulted in Haruhime getting counter abducted by Ishtar Familia. But I decided that I didn't like that route, as if felt like such a missed opportunity to let Haruhime slip away like that. So my entire point in having Bell be there got twisted away from him peeking in on the SO storyline to a spontaneous rescue of Haruhime. Funny how that works out.

Put another way, I duped all of you into thinking this chapter was gonna be all about Lefiya. Get pranked!

Ishtar doesn't know it was Bell yet. While the physical description matches, Bell's feats don't match up with the Level 2 that he is currently known as in the public record. She also reasonably assumes that Bell has to be Leveling Up with like 400-500s in his Basic Abilities in order to Level so quickly. While she acknowledges the possibility of a growth Skill, she doesn't assume it is that powerful of one.

Even when he is finally registered as a Level 3, Ishtar will assume it has to be another person who started adventuring before Bell because surely a Level 4 or greater had to have attacked and outran Aisha. Information that Ishtar will pull up on Bell's 'potential' family also has Bell's role make more and less sense at the same time.

In short, Ishtar is a paranoid Goddess and as such has bought Bell some much needed time before a reprisal. It helps that Ishtar has to be subtle lest she alert Freya to her efforts to mobilize against her. Unaware, of course, that Freya already knows Ishtar is up to something. Ishtar can only really act with impunity within her district and the Dungeon.

Loki's reaction to everything related to Artemis is to essentially stay far away from it all. Should the shit ever hit the fan, she doesn't want any of it on her Familia. Which means burying Lefiya's involvement and acting like they have no clue who Bell Cranel is. Nothing too personal against Bell, it's just Loki acting in her self-interest. That's what she would prefer in any case…

Lefiya, however, who is used to Loki Familia basically always being the hero doing the right thing, has her rose-tinted glasses crack. Instead of trying to stand by and support a hero, they are to abandon him? Lefiya has a hard time accepting that. The illusion that Finn has spent so long building up the Familia into is tested in Lefiya's eyes upon seeing Loki's cold rejection of Bell.

Now she can't help but be aware that much like how she was Kali's prisoner not too long ago, she is still a caged fairy. Because like hell Loki would easily let someone with Skills like Lefiya leave so easily, even if they wanted to. Loki would find some way to convince them to stick around and work things out with her silver tongue.

Anyway, don't be worrying about Lefiya actually going anything crazy like leaving Loki Familia anytime soon. The Evilus Remnant will need to be defeated before Lefiya would be 'selfish' enough to potentially dip out like that. Lefiya's faith has been tested, not broken!

Bell's conversation with Filvis way back when is not without consequence. Ein is looking to clean up the mess that Filvis was supposed to clean up whenever someone learns too much about them. Ein hasn't informed Dionysus yet because she wants to clean up the mess Filvis has made so he isn't disappointed in them. It just so happens that Bell hadn't returned to the Dungeon at all since then. But that will 'soon' change, when Bell is least expecting it… Probably.

Though who are those people that Ein is alluding to? That would be telling!

By the way, I'll have Bell check in with Naaza about his condition soon. Because a lot of people seem to be confused on how he's doing and how his Skill works. But I'll go ahead and explain here that he has had a surplus of Soul Energy ever since he killed Antares. And Antares provided so much Soul Energy that Bell's skill has overloaded and given him insane Mind Regen and Excelia Gain buffs. Not that he's done much to take advantage of the latter buff.

Titlecard quote is, in a way, a fitting representation of how Lefiya and Haruhime both see Bell. A Champion.

And, what is this, a random child appearing out of nowhere like winter magic? Sounds a lot like a certain Danmemo event to me. Because Bell clearly needs more on his plate right now…

Anyway, next chapter we FINALLY get to go to Apollo's Ball so that part of the plot can move along. Look forward to it.