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

by Meetra 0 Surik

A fan with partial knowledge of the series is merged into Bell shortly after Zeus left him. With no perfect recall, armed with vague knowledge from the anime and other fanfics - Can our protagonist use their knowledge to save OG Bell's loved ones? Can he save the world from the OEBD? Or will he fail everyone and himself? The answer will tell if it is wrong to live as Bell Cranel!

27. Chapter 22: Training

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

Chapter 22: Training

"Be warned. Unresolved events from our past can create wounds in the present and the future. And, more importantly, they can distract you. Weaken you. It could prove fatal against the enemies we face."

— Kreia, KOTOR II

---

Other POV

In the safety of Hestia's holy church, Lili and Hestia herself were alone.

This was not a moment for others to be present, not even Bell.

Pricking her finger, Hestia added her ichor to Lili's back, gradually erasing several hieroglyphs as their color faded. The markings indicating Soma's contract disappeared from sight as Hestia's name and symbols engraved themselves on Lili's back.

Conversion. The ceremony that allowed a child of Gekai to be transferred from one Familia to another.

A ring of light worked its way around the girl's Status, making it look like an epitaph in the dimly lit room. The markings for Hestia Familia shined brightly at the top. From this moment onward, Lili was now one of Hestia's followers. She would no longer require the use of Status Snitch to Update her Falna.

Now only Haruhime would get use from it, not that the Renard had made use of that yet.

Without further ado, Hestia went ahead and immediately began giving Lili her first proper Update as her Child. And Hestia couldn't help but roll her eyes, "I should have figured…"

"What is it, Hestia-sama?" Lili asked.

Lili had long since warned Hestia, albeit vaguely, about what she had endured in Zanis' 'care'. Hestia resolved to save her tears of empathy for when Lili couldn't see them. No use in giving the Pallum girl ammunition to tease her, Hestia figured.

Instead, Hestia focused on an oddity that she was long familiar with now.

"You seem to have unlocked a few Skills," Hestia said, not sounding too surprised, "A combination of Bell's influence and your own effort. Congrats!"

"S-Skills…?" Lili asked rhetorically, shocked that someone like her could One Skill, much less get multiple Skills at once. Skills were, after all, supposed to be relatively rare.

"Have a look for yourself," Hestia said, offering a sheet of paper to Lili.

Liliruca Arde

Hestia Familia

Level 1 - 2

Strength: E: 431 - E: 469

Vitality: F: 399 - C: 699

Dexterity: E: 411 - E: 439

Agility: E: 415 - E: 444

Magic: E: 400 - E:405

Magic:

(Cinder Ella)

• Your wound is mine. My wound is mine. Echoing the message of midnight.

Skills:

Artel Assist - When the user is carrying a certain amount of weight, the skill will help compensate in abilities. The amount compensated depends on the weight.

Unbreakable - Immunity to mental attacks. Stats and Excelia Gain are boosted when facing threats. The greater the enemy, whether in number or power or both, the greater the effect. Requires willingness to fight. Stat boosts can drain stamina and vitality over time. Derived from ? ? and tied to Apotheosis.

Apotheosis (フィアンマの神格化の否定) - Gain the Spearman Development Ability when using a spear, strength relative to the user's Level. Gain the Rider Development Ability when riding a willing mount, strength relative to the user's Level. Excelia gain is increased proportional to heroic fervor. Pallums are more likely to view the user favorably, doesn't work underneath disguises.

Development Abilities:

()

Lili is not sure where to start. Her Basic Abilities went up an insane amount again. Or how those Skills are insane and everything Lili had ever dreamed of getting. Or how Hestia forgot to mention that apparently Lili had earned enough high quality Excelia to Level Up.

"That last Skill is kinda weird," Hestia pointed out nonchalantly, "It comes out as Apotheosis, but the hieroglyphics translates more closely to Fianna's Rejection of Divinity. Which is, like, contradictory."

Apotheosis was a word that essentially described a mortal walking a path towards godhood. Which makes sense in a way, as the Heroine Fianna was worshiped as a Goddess of the Pallum race, or had been worshiped anyway. Yet the Kanji reads of a rejection of divinity. But based on how good the Skill is in combination with the name… it's like a cosmic force is rejecting Fianna and/or Lili's rejection of divinity.

A cosmic joke, if you will.

"Lili cannot believe that the part that Hestia-sama is caught up on is how the Skill's name is written weird," Lili deadpanned, sounding almost scandalized. Lili pointedly ignored the part where Hestia made reference to Fianna. The idea of having any sort of connection to the Heroine and False Idol that was Fianna was uncomfortable to Lili but she couldn't fully articulate why. Lili blamed Finn, as he was the first to make the comparison and he got on Lili's nerves.

"I'm used to really weird Skills and such at this point from Bell-kun," Hestia explained with a shrug, "This is just normal for me at this point."

"...Fair enough," Lili acknowledged that Hestia had a fair point. Bell-sama was certainly an oddball to put it lightly.

"Now!" Hestia said with gusto, "You're not going to be weird like Bell-kun and hold off on Leveling Up are you?"

"Maybe next time," Lili deadpanned.

Lili, for most of her life, had never imagined even getting to Level 2. Lili was not the kind of crazy like Bell (yet?) who would wait to Level Up just to get more points in her Basic Abilities.

"Alright, give me a second here…" Hestia said, moving back to Lili's back to go ahead and finalize the Level Up process.

After a few moments, Hestia then said, "It looks like your main choices for Development Abilities are Abnormal Resistance and Spearman. But considering how it seems like you gain the latter through a Skill…"

"Lili would prefer Abnormal Resistance either way," Lili commented, "Lili cannot understate how annoying and terrifying it is to need so many antidotes to avoid being poisoned. How Bell-sama never seems to get poisoned anymore boggles Lili."

Hestia, who knows that Bell's resistance to poison comes from eating Syr's food, laughed shakily as she applied Abnormal Resistance to Lili's Falna and completed the Level Up.

"Where is Bell-sama by the way?" Lili asked. It was still early in the day and Lili hadn't seen Bell at all. Lili had spent the night at the Church with Bell and Hestia after being healed by Ryuu and Naaza late at night.

"Apparently he is off getting more funds for the War Game," Hestia said with a huff, "That boy needs to learn to relax…" Hestia then blushed, remembering that Bell had certainly found a way to relax the previous night.

Lili, seeing this, became confused as she misinterpreted Hestia's facial expression, and said, "Hestia-sama is much more lewd than Lili assumed." Lili was implying that Hestia was thinking about having sex with Bell to help him relax.

"Ack! I-I! Y-You!" Hestia stammered loudly in embarrassment, having understood what Lili was implying. "S-shut up!"

Needless to say, things quickly escalated into bickering as the two women mocked each other for their tastes in men. The purpose in questioning about Bell's location, forgotten.

---

Ryuu stood in the courtyard between the annex and Hostess of Fertility. And she did so alone. And she did not do so by choice. Rather she had been here expecting someone, only to be found lacking.

Ryuu had been waiting for Bell to show up for their usual morning training. But he wasn't appearing as usual. They had missed yesterday morning's training for… obvious reasons. They had long since stopped asking each other if they would be meeting the next morning to train together, that was how routine it was.

So for Bell to not show up…

Ryuu couldn't help but feel lonely, despite how she had spent many, many more mornings training alone than with Bell in her life. Despite that, Ryuu couldn't help but feel hurt.

Ryuu's intuition wasn't screaming that Bell had somehow gotten into more trouble already. Her intuition was telling her that Bell was avoiding her. "Bell… why…?" Ryuu asked the wind for answers not expecting a response.

"Oh you sweet summer child," Syr said, poking her head out from a nearby bush.

"S-Syr? What are you…?" Ryuu asked in confusion as she faced Syr.

"Nevermind that," Syr said, casually dismissing her voyeurism from the bushes, "You're confused as to why Bell-kun is suddenly avoiding you, right?"

"W-well…" Ryuu shyly stammered. Ryuu couldn't help but feel awkward about talking to Syr about Bell considering… well…

"It's simple!" Syr declared, plowing on forward to answer Ryuu's question despite her not asking for it, "Bell-kun is being shy because he doesn't know where to stand with you!"

"I… don't understand," Ryuu said after a moment, not following Syr's declaration.

"It's very simple in hindsight," Syr assured Ryuu with a knowing smile, "Bell-kun loves Ryuu, but never expected Ryuu to love him back the same way. Add in the fact that the two of you likely don't throw labels around, Bell-kun doesn't know how to interact with you now. Afraid of offending you or stepping too far."

Syr then sighed, "It's such a simple, silly concern. I'm not sure whether to be excited or dismayed that his hold-ups with me are so complicated that not even I understand them fully…"

Ryuu didn't really process Syr's assessment of Bell's problems with Syr. Instead she focused on Syr's deduction on Bell's relationship with herself. "I-I don't really know what to call us either," Ryuu said, understanding now a portion of Bell's problem in this context.

Were they boyfriend and girlfriend? Teacher and Student? Lovers? Co-workers? De Facto married? Fellow Adventurers? Was it just a one-time thing because Ryuu had just seen her dead friend as an amnesiac zombie?

Ryuu could see Bell having all of those questions in his head.

Especially since he was the type of person who, by his own word, loved so deeply and genuinely that he was unlikely to only have one partner.(1)

Even Ryuu struggled to answer how to describe their relationship beyond 'partners'. A word that could take many forms and shapes.

Ryuu's face winced. She knew nothing about relationships of this nature. Or rather, she had no experience with them (she wasn't sure whether to trust Lyra's insights on the matter). Ryuu wanted to ask for Syr's help. But it felt incredibly wrong to ask Syr that considering Syr's own feelings for Bell.

"Don't worry too much," Syr assured Ryuu, "Give him some time to process things. Things have been… hectic around him lately. He's likely still coming to terms with the idea that you like him that way. Besides, weren't you planning on clearing things up anyway?"

That was true. Ryuu had resolved yesterday morning to take responsibility for taking Bell's chastity by sealing the vow of love that Bell had initiated in the forests of Floor 18. It had partially escaped Ryuu's mind in the context of being relentlessly teased by her friends/coworkers and helping rescue Lili Arde.

(It didn't help that Haruhime would blush and faint every time she looked at Ryuu. It was no mystery as to what the lewd fox-girl was imagining in Ryuu's eyes. Little did Ryuu know that Haruhime was fainting from imagining the sheer adorableness of Bell and Ryuu's potential children.)

[Haruhime awoke to the strange sensation that someone thought she was a pervert. She blushed in embarrassment. Noel, who was unconsciously snuggling into Haruhime's tail, sneezed in her sleep.]

Though that would rely on Ryuu coordinating Bell and her going down to Floor 18 again. Preferably as soon as possible. A feat that was made difficult by the fact that Ryuu had no excuse to go, didn't want to explain why she wanted to go to Floor 18 until they were there already, and by the fact that Bell was avoiding her which inherently made communication difficult.

"Don't worry!" Syr said cheerfully, "I'll help bridge the gap between you two!"

"But Syr…" Ryuu softly protested, realizing the situation Syr was putting herself in.

"But nothing!" Syr rejected Ryuu's rejection, "It's because I love Bell-kun and because I love Ryuu-chan that I want to help!"

"Syr…" Ryuu said, feeling touched by Syr's honest conviction for her and Bell.

"...And because you two will really appreciate my help when all is said and done!" Syr then added more selfish reasoning.

Ryuu deadpanned, "...You could have left that last bit out."

"Tee hee!" Syr made a cute pose, not apologizing one bit for being brutally honest in her selfless and selfish intentions.

Ryuu sighed, silently accepting the silver witch's assistance. Ryuu blamed Bell for all of this, the idiot.

---

Main POV

Going to the casinos this morning hit so many birds with one stone that I was in danger of causing the local metaphorical bird populations to go extinct.

Firstly, I've all but eaten through all of the money from my first casino run. It honestly hurt a bit to watch 15,000,000 Valis go from my bank account into Asfi's on the ledger receipt. (The Guild workers in charge of banking functions had cared surprisingly little about where I had gotten around 30,000,000 Valis from when I deposited it into my account.)

Second, I could see what rumors were spreading about Soma Familia in the wake of my raid last night. Needless to say, the rumors were varied and chaotic. The city was all but in an uproar from the gossip alone. Seriously, the people in this city need a better source of entertainment.

Some speculation was crazy, like that Freya or Loki Familias had attacked Soma Familia on my behalf. Others, like my involvement, were more common – which made sense, as I would have a vested interest in Soma Familia being knocked out of the War Game before it even started.

That said, the consensus seemed to be that while an explosion had destroyed the main Soma Familia distillery, Bell Cranel wasn't responsible. The argument in this rumor went that either it was a coincidental result of poor maintenance or that other rivals to Soma Familia used the War Game as a way to shift blame for their actions onto me.

Because only an idiot would attack another Familia directly before a War Game when the Guild would severely punish them for doing so. Everyone merely assumed that, surely, I Bell Cranel would not be so stupid.

Of course, I was that stupid, but everyone must have agreed that it was too stupid to make any sense. That or Hermes was working hard behind the scenes to make things look as favorable for me as possible. And by Hermes, I mean Asfi was working hard behind the scenes. I'm sorry Asfi, I'll make it to you at some point, I swear.

People were much apparently more interested in the scandal of Soma Familia subsequently pulling out of the War Game and the public denouncing of their Former Captain, Zanis. Officially, Soma Familia was pulling itself out of the War Game due to the damage to their property; that they couldn't participate in a War Game if it meant their rivals could attack them while hiding behind 'my' shadow. Unofficially, Soma's public statement letter to the Guild implied that he hadn't agreed to joining in the first place and it was all Zanis' fault that his Familia was even in the War Game in the first place.

Which, to put it mildly, was such juicy drama that most people forgot about my potential involvement in the bombing in the first place. The idea that Zanis had taken control of the Familia to the point of being able to negotiate entry into a War Game was insane.

A third reason I benefited by going to the casinos this morning, it was another step in my long term goal of destroying the corruption of the casinos in the Business District. Admittedly, I was growing concerned that the rate of money I was extracting from individual casinos would not overcome their profits fast enough to cause them to collapse. The Vikki and Vance Casino seemed to be running just fine still despite losing that 30,000,000 Valis not too long ago.

Not that I was at that casino today. No, I was clearing the Celadon Game Corner today. So many slot machines. So many triple 7s.

Fourthly, I was out doing something productive and (relatively) wasn't dangerous while Lili and Hestia had their moment together of finally getting Lili out of Soma Familia and into Hestia Familia. Gotta say, having another member in the Familia felt good. I was glad to finally have Lili completely free from that hellhole. And, surely, I couldn't get into more trouble so quickly… right?!

…Anyway. Moving on.

Fifthly… I was totally trying to avoid Ryuu.

I know. It's stupid.

I had seen how Ryuu's affection for me had increased after the events of Floor 18. You'd think facing down the Juggernaut and Antares would eliminate any sense of fear I had remaining. But no, the idea of messing things up with Ryuu scared me so much that I continued to delude myself into thinking that my feelings would never be reciprocated. That my love for Ryuu would, to the extent I loved her anyway, would be one-way.

Of course, I was totally okay with my love being one-way. That's, like, how love works. It's something selfless and genuine. Which was exactly the problem. Genuine. Could Ryuu's love for me be genuine in the face of all the lies and manipulation I've inadvertently engaged in?

Ryuu didn't know I had memories of another life, that was something I've only shared with Hestia and Artemis – and the latter was not done voluntarily. Ryuu didn't know of my foreknowledge on the original source material, something I haven't even told Hestia about and which Artemis only knew because she literally read my mind and soul. Admittedly, things in this Universe deviated enough from the Canon Source Material that it was obvious that I was in some kind of Parallel Universe. Which meant that not all of my 'foreknowledge' was actually correct… just that it tended to be right 99% of the time.

The point is that, especially in regards to Ryuu, I always knew the things to say to put my best foot forward in her eyes. Omitted the extent of the knowledge I knew about her and her past. Did it matter that I had no way of logically explaining how I knew what I did without sounding crazy? Did it matter that I withheld that information because I honestly wanted to help Ryuu overcome her depression and grief?

I think it does. Ryuu probably does too. And if so, then once she hears the truth, she'll definitely hate me. And while I am content with my love for Ryuu being one-sided, the idea of Ryuu hating me makes me want to curl up and die.

I definitely didn't have the sudden urge to rub dust and only dust from my eyes just now. It's just your imagination.

So yes, I figured it was a good idea to idly pull the levers of slot machines as I came to terms with the fact that Ryuu loved me to the point of losing her cool and having… sex… with me.

…

Yeah, this is gonna take more time to register properly. Despite it having happened, I still have trouble believing it.

That was how I continued to repeatedly go from machine to machine, nonchalantly getting 777s from every slot machine I went to. To the casino staff's immense horror and despair.

---

I left the Celadon Game Corner with 50,000,000 Valis and the ire of another casino.

I barely paid heed to the various workers from other casinos on the streets as they congratulated me on ruining the Celadon Casino's day. I was absent minded as I transformed back into my normal self and deposited the money into the bank and withdrew the Black Goliath hide that Tiona had gifted me.

Maybe Welf would have sage wisdom for me. He may be a pervert, but he wasn't nearly as bad as Hermes (and Zeus) and at least had a genuine love interest. Surely he would understand a portion of my plight.

---

"...Wait, what's your problem exactly?" Welf said in confusion as he casually worked on turning the Black Goliath Hide into protective gear, "You've totally lost me, bro."

"I'm afraid of fucking things up with Ryuu because I've been keeping things from her. From everyone really," I summarized, "And also because I'm a piece of shit that will totally fall for other girls if my life keeps on going the way it has."

I was so close to kissing Lili last night, in hindsight. Despite everything that had happened recently with Ryuu, I was very close to completely falling over the edge for another woman. The way that Lili asked me to hold back my rage despite her being well within her right to want revenge… was beautiful and unexpected. When had Lili lost the hate in her heart? Had her eyes always been so bright? How hadn't I noticed?

I'm going to blame Zeus. Some part of Bell's and thus my psyche must have been infected by his harem seeking nonsense. Might as well blame Syr too. The minx has clearly been using subliminal messaging or something to get the idea going in everyone's head, mine included.

"Yeah, if it was anyone else being a womanizer like you are, I'd curse them for sure," Welf declared, "Both out of jealousy and because of how people like that tend to be scum. But since it's Bell, it's alright."

"You're not making sense, bro," I deadpan.

"If it was anyone else," Welf explained, "It'd be safe to assume that people with a harem are total perverts and narcissists."

"If you are trying to make me feel bad, it's working," I wince.

"Let me finish!" Welf complained, then said, "But since it's Bell… you're too kind to treat women like objects… if anything, it will probably be the women in your life taking the lead based on how this conversation is going."

Considering the fact that Ryuu had struck first, Welf was surprisingly more on the money than he knew. It's not like I had explained that Ryuu and I had done… that. That was personal business. Still, I didn't like the way this conversation was going either, "O-Oi…"

"My point is!" Welf loudly concluded, "You need to relax and go with the flow. Adventurers lead a dangerous life as is. You take it up a notch with all the stuff you get up to. While, of course, we want to avoid the worst from happening – it doesn't hurt to make sure you aren't living with regrets."

"This is coming from the man who hasn't confessed to his crush yet…" I pointed out the hypocrisy.

Welf winced, "Bro, that's not cool…"

"Sorry, that's a low blow," I apologized, "I'm just stressed out over all of this. Not to make excuses."

"Nah, I get you," Welf forgave me easily enough, "I'll probably shoot my shot though after the War Game."

"Really?" I said, "Good luck man."

"Thanks!" Welf was grateful for the solidarity.

I was still not really comfortable with the concept of being romantically involved with a deity, despite A-Artemis' words to me on the matter. The differences in lifespan just seemed like too high a wall to overcome. But, then again, I've only been in this world for a few months, so I might just need more time to acclimate to the idea.

Not that I really need to, since I'm focusing on my… whatever I have with Ryuu right now.

"You still haven't really addressed my first problem," I pointed out, not letting that go as it was kind of the more important issue of the two I presented. Wasn't I a liar and asshole by keeping my foreknowledge on my friends to myself? Was I really, genuinely, their friend in the face of my manipulations? Both inadvertent and purposeful?

"Hmmm…" Welf hummed, seriously thinking about what my words… and probably trying to remember the first problem I had regaled to him. After a few moments, he sighed, saying, "Dude, we all have secrets, ya know? Hell, I kept my family name and history a secret despite you not entirely getting how serious it was when you first heard it."

"That's the thing, I was aware of how big of a deal your name was," I instantly retorted, "I just didn't mention it because I could tell you had issues."

Welf seemed surprised, thinking on my words for a moment before shrugging and saying, "So? You didn't even ask for Magic Swords despite knowing how good mine would be. At most, you just offered some different perspective about why there was merit in making them. But you didn't push me to do what I didn't want. And I could tell you weren't greedily sticking around for my swords back then either."

"And yet not even a month later, you've made more magic swords than you have in years," I pointed out, almost desperate to open Welf's eyes to the extent I had changed his life, "Isn't that quite the–"

"Coincidence?" Welf finished for me, his voice annoyed, "It was my own decision to start making magic swords again. Despite all the stuff going on these days, the world doesn't revolve around you."

Welf was pointing out that despite all of the War Game stuff essentially being my fault, that not everything revolved around me. I hadn't meant to sound arrogant just now, but I guess I accidentally pissed Welf off a little.

Welf continued his point, saying, "It was Hephaestus-sama's words that changed my mind. The most you contributed was being a friend that I'd do anything to ensure I wouldn't lose, you noble bastard."

"But…" I hesitated to blindly accept Welf's dismissal of my influence in his life.

"Listening to you talk bad about yourself is really starting to piss me off," Welf said in annoyance, "Look. Lil'Lili and I follow you not just because you are a leader, but because you're our friend. You're a bonafide Hero. I can't even begin to understand the pressure you must have felt in that damned Tomb."

Welf was, of course, referring to the Artemis Quest.

"We follow you because we believe in you," Welf declared, "Because you are our hero and our friend. Have you already forgotten what you said to me in the Dungeon, when everything seemed hopeless? What kind of malicious bastard would refuse to abandon a wounded and useless blacksmith?"

"Welf, you aren't useless! Don't–!" I chided him.

"Talk bad about myself?" Welf said with a cheeky grin, "Dude, that's my line. Look. I don't care if you knew about my past. Or if the fact I'm making magic swords now is a change you welcome freely. It's, frankly, unusual to not be selfish and greedy as an adventurer anyway. I almost welcome it from you."

"What?" I asked, utterly confused at why Welf would want me to be more selfish.

"While I don't mind being held to a higher standard," Welf told me, "It's nice to see that my best friend is also Human."

Welf was saying that the fact I wasn't perfect was comforting to him. That it was hard to live up to the standard of a 'Hero' that he saw in me. How on earth Welf got the impression that I was anything close to perfect was a fucking mystery. Welf has clearly spent too much time in the forges and has fumes in his brain or something to be this delusional.

Welf seemed to notice I didn't completely believe his words, sighing as he said, "Fine. Don't believe me, you noble bastard. Just don't blame me when I say 'I told you so' after your girlfriend talks some sense into you."

I blushed at the assertion that Ryuu was my girlfriend despite my misgivings. I then grumbled and said, "Don't blame me when you have to drag me home drunk after I get dumped."

I was implying that Welf would have to pay for and drag me home after I drink my sorrows away in the future. Because Ryuu was definitely gonna dump my sorry ass. Jokes on you, Welf, I'm gonna totally empty your wallet for all it's worth you bastard."

"Yeah, yeah…" Welf said dismissively before exclaiming in triumph, "Done!" Welf then held up a Black Goliath hoodie, stockings, and skirt that was perfectly sized for a certain Pallum girl.

"Wait, a skirt? Really?" I said questioningly, trying to ignore how short it would be on Lili.

"Hey man, this is what she told me to make should I ever have spare material for her," Welf defended himself, "Then again, I don't think she said that with the expectation that we would have a surplus of material, especially something of this quality."

Apparently, Hephaestus had all but given Welf a blank check in terms of supplying him with raw materials. Whatever he requested, he usually got it by the end of the day. The only 'downside' was that Hephaestus was taking a certain amount of the magic swords that Welf was making in exchange for storing them more securely than any of us could manage at the moment. Magic Swords were not just piling up in Welf's forge where they could be 'easily' stolen.

The Church didn't have a good place to store large amounts of magic swords. And Welf's workshop was running out of space due to all of the materials and machines he had put together. It was safer to have Hephaestus Familia hold onto our magic sword supply for the time being. Considering how we were making them for basically free, it didn't hurt much for them to keep a certain amount of the swords Welf was churning out.

Welf had been smithing and crafting so much the last few days. I bet his spirits were as high as Tenkai. What more could a blacksmith ask for beyond unlimited crafting materials?

I, however, pinched the bridge of my nose. Because I had a feeling that Lili was going to take advantage of the consequences of having a skirt that functioned with the same durability as armor. No, I know that she had made the request in the manner she did deliberately and with purpose. Purpose for one thing in particular.

Panty shots. Lili, you absolute minx. Have you been chatting with Syr behind my back? This feels like something Syr would pull to prank me indirectly while also trying to subtly encourage all the girls in my life into joining in on her harem nonsense. (I'm clearly too much of a mess to handle one woman, much less multiple at once.) What has my life come to? Welf, how could you help facilitate this?

"This is what you get for being a noble bastard. Stop sulking at your good fortune," Welf laughed as he lightly hit my shoulder, "Just know I'm not interested in joining your harem, you hear?"

"You weren't invited!" I instantly retort, feeling like I was the straight-man in a comedy sketch again, "And I'm not gonna have one!"

"Right." Welf said, his tone suggesting he was completely unconvinced by my words. Why was everyone but me convinced that a harem was inevitable? Is my life that funny?Either way, Welf shifted topic by then saying, "Come on, speaking of Lili, she and Hestia-sama are both at the Church, right?"

"Yeah…" I said listlessly, "You want to drop the gear off in person?"

"I could use a break," Welf explained, "Even I can get sick of being in my workshop day in and out."

"Fair enough," I said, getting to my feet, "Though I could use your help with something."

"How so?" Welf asked curiously.

"Know a place where we can get soft fabric and cotton filling in large quantities?"

"Sure," Welf answered, "It's on the way to Takemikazuchi-sama's place. Which works out, since I have a shipment for those guys too."

"What for?" I asked casually.

Welf said nothing but grinned as he walked over to a rack with some of the largest bows next to a box full of the largest non-ballista arrows I've ever seen.

"You didn't," I gasped, utterly shocked at the sight of the very large and colorful arrows.

"Magic swords don't have to be swords, you know?" Welf said with glint in his eye.

Welf. You're a scary bastard. Magic Arrows the size of wiffle-ball bats and bows as tall as Lili - if not taller. Ishtar and Apollo Familias aren't gonna know what hit them, that's for sure. Did Welf get the memo that we are just trying to defeat the enemy Familias and not kill them? Then again, we do need every advantage we can to win in a multi day engagement. Everything will work out… right?

---

The sky was starting to turn orange as it transitioned from afternoon to evening as Welf and I finally made it to Hestia's Church. We moved through the city via a carriage that Hephaestus Familia was currently lending to Welf. Why did Welf need to lend it? It was property of the Familia and not him personally. Either way, it made my movements around the city easy as I could just hide in the back of the carriage. My face was getting well known to the average person, Welf's was not.

So we were able to easily drop by Takemikazuchi's place to drop off the non-magical bows as well as a bunch of non-magical arrows that simulated the weight of the Magic Arrows that Welf had made. I noticed that there was an extra bow more than the members of Takemikazuchi Familia. Perhaps the additional bow was meant for the God himself?

Either way, we then proceeded over to Hestia's Church after finishing the delivery and some small talk. When we pulled up and entered the building we found that Lili was still present like we hoped and was alone on the ground floor of the Church; she had clearly been stretching and working out, as if getting used to the feel of her body.

Welf and I set down our crates of supplies on the ground floor. And we all exchanged pleasantries.

"Where's Hestia at?" I asked while Welf started to find where he'd put Lili's goodies among our bags.

"Downstairs," Lili answered, pointing her thumb in the general direction, "Hestia-sama was catching up on some reading while Lili got used to Lili's new Status."

"You don't mean…" Welf commented, picking up on what Lili was implying.

"Huhu…" Lili huffed smugly, "Thanks to all of the nonsense involved in being around Bell-sama, Lili is now Level 2!"

"C-Congrats!" I praised her genuinely. But I couldn't help but stutter since Lili's phrasing was rather accusatory despite her not meaning it that way.

"Thank you very much!" Lili politely responded to our praise of her accomplishment. We'd need to celebrate when we aren't so busy with War Game nonsense.

"By the way, Hestia-sama was hoping to see you, Bell-sama," Lili informed me.

"Alright then," I said, casually heading over to head into the secret basement. I ignored Lili's follow up frugal complaints to Welf about suddenly being picked out to receive new gear as I headed downwards to talk to Hestia.

---

Upon noticing me, Hestia all but ditched her book and glomped me.

"W-whoa! What's this?! H-Hestia, let me go!" I blushed in embarrassment as Hestia latched onto me. I could feel her soft mounds pressing up against me. They were welcome and unwelcome at the same time. Curse my teenage hormones!

"No!" Hestia loudly declared, "The last few days have been so chaotic, it feels like it's been weeks! Months! I. Need. Context! And you, mister, need an Update!"

"Er, I guess it's been a hot minute since I've had a proper Update…" I admitted. I hadn't really had one since returning to Orario from the Artemis Quest. Which was… about 11 days ago?

It felt like it was a couple of months ago. Man, my life was so chaotically busy that my sense of time was going screwy. Then again, there were quite a few things that happened in that period of time that are certain to send Hestia into the realm of insanity. Makes one wonder if it's better to spread out that insanity over time or to hit Hestia with it all at once like I'm about to now?

Either way, after some hooting and hollering, Hestia sat me down and gave me an Update while she viewed almost everything I've done in recent times.

…

…

…Hestia was eerily silent as she slid a piece of paper into my hand. I didn't look at the paper right away. I was too scared about the silence from the Goddess behind me. I slowly turned around to see Hestia's expression.

It was blank. Her eyes were dark, with shadows underneath.

I shuddered.

"Bell…" Hestia uttered lowly and darkly.

"Y-Yes?" I squeaked in utter and abject fear.

Hestia leaned in so close our noses were touching, her blue eyes unblinkingly staring mine down, and said, "...Not only is dying not allowed in this Familia, but so is almost dying… Understand?"

"C-Completely!" I squeaked, somehow blushing in embarrassment and paling from fear at the same time. Hestia was likely referring to the, er, encounter with Levis. (I need to remember to have a proper talk with Ryuu about that, now that I think about it…)

"You're not always going to have some bullshit magic bullcrap around to save you…" Hestia lectured me sternly, "So… please… st–"

Hestia paused to rephrase herself, then said, "...I won't ask you to stop saving others. But… please remember that you need to save yourself too… okay? Remember? You promised to always come back to say 'I'm home' to me..."

"R-right…" I said with a wince. I paused as I noticed I had unconsciously started rubbing my stomach where I'd been stabbed through with my right hand… which had once been cut off–!

Zen.

Singularity kicked in to prevent a panic attack, I think. Even with the mental save, my body feels heavy, chalk full of stress hormones. Hestia's grim reminder that I had almost died was sending me on edge – not that I blamed her.

I flinched in surprise as Hestia cupped my cheek with her hand. I hadn't even noticed her move. I didn't resist as she pulled me in, hugging my head to her chest. Showing me that she was there for me, always.

In the face of such unconditional love and support… I could feel a lot of my anxieties slip… away…

I unwittingly fell into unconsciousness as my body suddenly relaxed.

---

Bell Cranel

Level 3

Alias: weiẞes Häschen

Strength: D: 502 - S: 998

Vitality: I: 84 - SS: 1102

Dexterity: D: 527 - S: 999

Agility: D: 558 - SS: 1076

Magic: D: 569 - SS: 1099

Magic:

(Firebolt)

• Swift-Strike Magic

(Hiraishin)

• Enchantment Magic

(Hermaphroditus)

• Fluid like water. Distortion through the looking glass. Reversal of all things

Skills:

Liaris Freese - Rapid Growth. Fast growth as long as feelings last. The strength of the effects corresponds with the level of the user's feelings.

Singularity - The user is immune to all mental and spiritual attacks.

Argonaut - Heroic Desire. Allows a charge for a counterattack to overcome insurmountable odds.

Inspiring Leader - Subskill of Liaris Freese. Companions that unconditionally believe in the user grow quickly at a portion of the user's growth rate. Companions are more inclined to listen to the user's words. The strength of effects corresponds with the target's feelings and distance from the user.

Accretion Disk - Derived from Breach. Gain energy when slaying opponents. Energy in storage increases Excelia gain and Mind regeneration at scale. Lose health, Mind, and a reduction of Stats when storage of energy is out at scale.

Development Abilities:

Luck - H

Breach - I – H

---

Within three instances of returning to consciousness, I recognized that I was receiving a lap pillow.

Excellent. Amazing. Refreshing.

I opened my eyes and looked up.

Ehhh… I can't see Hestia's face.

Wow.

Nonetheless, she is running her fingers through my hair. She (somehow) happens to look over the mountains on her chest, smiling with half-lidded eyes, and asks, "Did you have a good nap?"

"Yes, it was very good," I matter-of-factly replied.

"Good," Hestia said, "Make sure to apologize to Welf-kun."

"E-er, why?" I asked in confusion.

"Because the atmosphere for his Conversion to our Familia was kind of off since you had been passed out on my lap…" Hestia said with an amused giggle.

Welf. You poor bastard. Also, you didn't tell me you were going to Convert. You cheeky son of a bitch!

"Ryuu-kun had also stopped by briefly," Hestia dropped another bomb on me.

"E-EH?!" I stammered in surprise and shock, my body locking up from the sudden shift in emotions.

"We chatted for a little, nothing big," Hestia claimed, which I didn't believe for a single second. Hestia continued by adding, "I also informed her of that little training trip you've organized. She's invited herself along, by the way."

"T-That's great!" I said sheepishly, trying to hide how awkward I was feeling at this news.

Hestia's wry smile showed how much she believed my words. She then said, "Welf-kun insists that he has more crafting to do, so only Lili will be able to join you for that trip. I'll use your room at the Hostess to keep safe and start that work you thought up of."

Hestia flicked my forehead as she said, "I should feel offended at the assumption that because one of my purviews is 'Family' that it means I'm good at sewing… But I am damned good at it, and the idea is pretty good too."

Hestia had abused this universe's Updating mechanics to hear about my business idea before I could even tell her about it.

It basically went like this.

Copyright… doesn't really exist. Which means it would be really easy to, you know, make plush toys of famous adventurers and sell them. Especially of a certain Pallum that has a large female following.

(Finn you absolute reverse-gigolo. I would not be surprised if all male Pallums everywhere consider you their enemy.)

I'll need to apologize to Tiona if this business ends up liquidating all of her sister's money. Or Lefiya should we sell Ais plushies. And all of Freya Familia for selling plushies of myself.

How no one else had come up with this idea before, I'll never know. Perhaps because it's typically much easier to scam people than have a legitimate business? The world may never know.

"Any other bombshells?" I asked.

Hestia held my Status sheet in front of my face. I looked at it. And noticed how Breach went from I to H.

"Fuck."

"Language," Hestia chided me.

"I think Breach going up a rank is cause for foul manners," I calmly protested, trying to not freak out.

"It would seem that killing that 'Demi Spirit' netted you such a big Energy boost in combination with the damage your body took from getting stabbed through… that was what resulted in Breach moving to the next stage," Hestia informed me, "The pros… and the cons of Accretion Disk will now increase, so… be careful, Bell-kun."

"Right…" I said with a shaky smile.

That said, it is as Hestia said, I'm overflowing with Energy from killing that Demi Spirit. It was comparable to killing Antares. I'm seriously going to need sleeping meds to be able to get proper sleep due to the Mind Regen.(Or sexy times, that seemed to do the trick…)

"Which reminds me," Hestia then added, "You should have earned a lot of high quality Excelia since your last Update, but it was… missing. No, misplaced."

"Misplaced?" I asked in confusion.

"I believe part of Noel-chan's magic involved converting Excelia into Vitality," Hestia hypothesized, "Because all of the high quality Excelia before that entire incident just… wasn't there."

"I see… that makes sort of sense…" I said. All of that healing power had to come from somewhere. Sure, most of it came from Noel herself, but it made sense for it to also use something from the target to help out in the healing process.

Noel has yet to wake up by the way, and I was starting to get worried. Syr assured me, however, that she and the girls would be looking over Noel. And that she would do everything she could to take care of her. I suppose if anyone was to look after Noel's condition, a Goddess is the closest thing to an expert on the matter. So I trusted Syr to do well by Noel for the moment.

"It might have been enough to push you over the edge of Leveling up again otherwise…" Hestia deadpanned, unaware of my thoughts concerning Noel, "Which is kind of good. If you became a Level 4 in less than two weeks then the city would probably riot."

Yes, I suppose my growth was pretty stupid. Thank you Liaris Freese and… R-Ryuu…

A-Anyway.

"W-well, the War Game will be a good excuse, wouldn't it?" I suggested, implying that I should be able to use the War Game as an excuse for Leveling Up in the near future should I get enough High Quality Excelia.

"That's true I suppose…." Hestia admitted with a sigh, lightly moving my head from side to side with her hands for a bit before grabbing my nose.

"Why?" I questioned nasally, through Hestia's fingers.

"Make up with Ryuu-kun on your trip, okay?" Hestia asked of me, "The poor elf is worried sick. Which is saying something considering how composed she normally is. Considering how empty that bag of apples she had was, Ryuu-kun must be stress eating or something."

"I-I'll work things out," I promised, meaning it.

From a purely logical perspective, Ryuu and I needed to get things straightened out so there would be no issues during the War Game. And considering how chaotic my life tends to be, it would be important to talk things out before something else runs along to make everything even more complicated.

"I didn't mention any of your concerns to Ryuu-kun by the way," Hestia informed me, "Your silly ideas of 'manipulating' all of your friends and me is something for her to deal with when you tell her. I already know you wouldn't believe me if I tell you that you're being stupid."

There is so much to unpack there. But the most important is the fact that Hestia has implied she is aware of my foreknowledge even though I haven't told her and only implied such knowledge to Welf.

"How do you…?" I questioned, unable to find the right words to articulate myself.

"How do I what?" Hestia asked before realizing, "Oh! Your visions. Ar-Artemis told me about them…"

Hestia was unable to mention Artemis without wincing, almost gasping out her name.

"…What?" I asked, my face pale in dread. Hestia's known all this time? What? Huh? I literally can't comprehend this information right now.

"Artemis had been apologizing to me for all but reading your mind all the time," Hestia said in explanation, "She went out of her way to mention that you had visions of an alternate future, but that I shouldn't bring it up."

"Why would she…?" I asked, unsure whether the knowledge of why Artemis would put me like that or the knowledge of why Artemis didn't want Hestia to talk to me about it was more important for me to know.

Hestia then said to me, "She told me that… it didn't matter in her opinion. Your visions, I mean. Because Bell-kun is still Bell-kun either way."

I blinked.

"She also said you wouldn't believe that line of reasoning coming from her or me," Hestia added, proving that Hestia really had talked to Artemis about this topic. Only Hestia and Artemis could predict my lines of thought so easily and effortlessly.

"…And you are fine with that?" I asked, realizing that I must have once again hurt Hestia by not trusting her about my 'visions'.

Hestia responded by patting my head, still on her lap, as she ran her fingers through my hair. "Yes and no," Hestia said honestly, "It did kinda hurt a little. But we all deserve some privacy, no? And besides, I understand how you would think others can't understand you. Most people that get a Prophecy Skill tend to be saddled with the negative effect of no one believing them."

Hear that? Cassandra deserves an F in the chat for being unlucky enough to have a prophecy Skill.

Hestia continued saying, "Your soul is pretty 'glitchy' as is. So I'm not too surprised you are accidently dipping into the Akashic Record — even without a Skill to facilitate the connection."

I was silent. Not only was I processing the bombshells that Hestia just dropped on me, but like, how do you even respond to that? That Hestia knew I had visions, believed Artemis' opinion, and accepted me anyway. Maybe someday I would stop getting surprised at how much Hestia loves me unconditionally. But that day was clearly not today.

"I'd also like to state for the record that I'd like you to name one of your kids after me," Hestia stated out of nowhere, "I can figure that Ryuu-kun has a few girl names she wants to go through first, but I'm willing to wait in the queue."

I was silent for a solid minute as I processed what on Genkai just came out of Hestia's mouth.

"...How many kids are you expecting me to have?" I questioned with SO much exasperation in my voice you would not believe.

"Well, you're a rabbit, so…" Hestia said with a teasing tone in her voice and grin on her face.

My brain couldn't help but run through the three likely scenarios.

One, Ryuu just wanted to name a girl Alise for obvious reasons. Two, Ryuu wanted at least three girls for Alise, Lyra, and Kaguya. Three, Ryuu wanted a girl for each former member of Astraea Familia.

That last scenario was… ten girls.

Bruh. There's no way. Elves don't even have a great fertility rate.

Wait, that's not the main problem here.

And… I don't really want to think about it right now. Not that I have a problem with kids. It's the thought of making them that I just… can't right now.

"I'm tired," I said, emotionally exhausted. This conversation was draining on so many levels.

"You just took a nap…" Hestia sighed in amusement.

"And my internal clock says it's nighttime, so it's time for bed," I bantered, getting up out of Hestia's lap pillow only to pick her up in my arms.

Hestia squealed as I picked her up, "Bell-kun!" And then playfully shrieked as I tossed her onto her bed nearby.

"Goodnight~" I said, lying back down on the couch. I ignored any further banter, by employing Ais Wallenstein's Perfect Sleeping Technique (™).

And that was how I ended another productive day.

---

Welf Crozzo

Hestia Familia

Level 2

Strength: G: 208 - G: 240

Vitality: I: 75 - H: 100

Dexterity: I: 89 - H: 111

Agility: I: 99

Magic: I: 28

Magic:

(Will-o-Wisp)

• Burn out, dark magics!

Skills:

Crozzo Blood - Ability to craft Magic Swords. Strength of magic is increased at time of production.

Development Abilities:

Blacksmith - I

---

Early the next morning, after putting our gear together, Lili and I stopped by the Guild before we moved on our way to Babel Tower.

It was at the Guild that we finally got confirmation about the date of the War Game. It would be held in 6 days. Centered around the Shreme Castle ruins located to the southeast of Orario.

Which basically meant there was just enough time to fit in this quick three-day training trip in the Dungeon. As it would take about a day's travel time to reach the vicinity of the battlefield. By land anyway…

Speaking of, we got to Babel Tower before anyone else in our group for the training expedition.

Looking over to Lili, I could see that she was wearing her new gear made of the Black Goliath Hide. Her supporter backpack was filled to the brim with supplies. Particularly food and potions for about 6 people.

And Lili was flushed in embarrassment for some reason. She roughly pulled up her hood as she tried to hide herself.

"Lili, what's wrong? Enemy?" I questioned her, my reflexes moving into a ready stance.

"N-no!" Lili denied loudly in embarrassment, then clarified, "Lili has been getting strange looks from other Pallums all day. Lili f-finds it most vexing!"

Now that she said it, I couldn't help but remember a few strange looks that we had received on our walk this morning. Especially from Pallums. I had assumed they were looking at me, but it seems they were looking at Lili.

"...Maybe you are in your popular phase?" I said jokingly. Many of the looks she had received were probably double-takes from men taken in by Lili's charm.

Indeed, Lili's chestnut eyes now sparkled with determination like a strong, dense forest could fill one's heart with the aesthetical beauty of nature. I could see why young men would be suddenly taken in by her looks. They'd have to get through me first though. Anyone who attempts to flirt with Lili needs to be stronger than me if they want a chance for her hand.

"Bell-sama is not cut out to be a comedian!" Lili harshly retorted, her cheeks flaming hot red. Poor Lili was clearly in denial. That or she was upset at the idea of Adventurers liking her all of a sudden. Probably the latter.

I apologized, but didn't bother to hide my amusement, saying that Lili was really beautiful so it made sense she was attracting the opposite sex.

Lili huffed, pulling her hood over her face more.

"Bell," the voice of Ryuu called out as she approached us. Ryuu was once more wearing the outfit from our last excursion that helped mask her appearance.

The only odd thing about her was that she was carrying a large bag with her – it was about half-filled with red apples at a glance. Assuming she bought a full bag this morning, Ryuu must have eaten six or more of the delectable fruit.

Considering how my odd hunger symptoms were from my bloodline curse, I wasn't concerned about Ryuu's sudden change in diet in THAT regard. It just proved that Hestia's one-off comment last night was accurate, I had driven Ryuu to stress eating!

That or her relatively recent Level Up was finally catching up with her body and driving up her metabolism, but the timing for that seemed off, so it probably wasn't that.

"R-Ryuu, good morning," I said, trying to sound casual despite the fact I refused to look her in the eye.

"G-Good morning," Ryuu returned, also avoiding looking at my face. She then addressed Lili saying, "And I do believe congratulations are in order?"

Lili puffed up in pride, "Lili is proudly the second member of Hestia Familia, and a newly minted Level 2!"

"Congratulations and good work, Lili-san," Ryuu said with a small smile, "I must say, I am glad that someone like you is by Bell's side. My dear friend Lyra taught me many things about the less pleasant sides of life. I hope the two of you will continue to build each other up. Bell will certainly need the help."

I feel like I'm getting called out right now.

"Yes! Understood, Ryuu-sensei!" Lili replied with a wry grin, apparently appreciating and agreeing with the sentiments that Ryuu was putting forward. That Lili had many things to teach me and vice versa.

And yeah, I'm definitely being called out by both of them for getting into as much trouble as I do.

Anyway, I'm just surprised that Ryuu is so casually mentioning her former Familia members considering the emergence of 'Levis'.

"Ryuu…?" I couldn't help but start to ask, but words wouldn't come to me.

"Don't worry," Ryuu said as if reading my mind, "Let's just say that I'm prepared for this training trip to turn into an opportunity to get the answers to many questions I now have."

Ah. It made sense that Ryuu would want to investigate Levis by going back into the Dungeon. No wonder she invited herself along. I was a living trouble magnet. Thanks Bell Cranel Effect.

"Good morning!" The voice of Lefiya called out to us as she arrived.

And she wasn't alone.

"Morning," Ais 'Sword Princess' Wallenstein greeted casually. Not giving a fuck about how damn near everyone in Central Park was looking at her and thus our party.

Oh boy. I can imagine the rumors now. Wait, I don't have to. I can already feel the angry glares of all the men nearby. They are cursing me for being surrounded by beautiful women.

I seriously need more guy friends.

I also couldn't help but empathize with Tony Stark in Infinity War who had to deal with the bullshit of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Because I can understand Ais not caring about rumors, but for Lefiya to be so absentminded? Wait, she's a protagonist. Maybe that's why she doesn't care about rumors! She doesn't think about them, consequences, until after the fact!

Okay, enough jokes. It's more likely a case of Lefiya being inoculated to how seeing Ais is a rare thing like how most people would consider it to be.

"Sister Ryuu! It's good to see you again!" Lefiya happily greeted Ryuu with stars of admiration in her eyes. Lefiya was technically using the word 'Onee-sama' when translated from Koine. And it made sense why. Ryuu was an awesome magic swordswoman, a role model to all elven adventurers everywhere.

"Lili knew that Bell-sama had somehow organized this with Loki Familia, but this exceeds Lili's expectations…" Lili grumbled in exasperation.

"You're telling me…" I whispered back. I knew that Lefiya might bring someone or someones from her Familia. Maybe even Captain Filvis of Dionysus Familia. Not Ais Wallenstein of all people. How in the Lower World did Loki agree to this? I feel like this is another case of Lefiya getting away with things because of her high levels of Protagonist Energy(™).

"Bell," Ais said, grabbing my attention.

"Yes?"

"I noticed the other day…" Ais said to me, "You've gotten stronger. I look forward to seeing your improvement for myself."

"R-right," I said, somewhat flustered by the unexpected and roundabout praise, "Thank you for coming out to help. Hopefully you won't find this to be a waste of your time."

Ais shook her head, "No. I'm sure that I will learn something new."

"How do you figure?" I asked, curious at Ais' unusually high confidence. Her absolute certainty was poignant.

"I'm not sure…" Ais admitted, sounding a little confused, "But you… and those around you are progressing quickly. I feel like there's something to learn from watching you."

This feels rather embarrassing to hear out loud. Let's diffuse the tension by internally commenting on how it seems that Ais might have a voyeurism fetish. "I… hope not to disappoint?" I responded cautiously.

Ais hummed pleasantly in response.

"Bell-sama is being a wuss in front of pretty women…" Lili called me out in a deadpan.

"Oi!" I growled in embarrassment. I proceeded to crouch down to Lili's level and pinched both of her cheeks.

Lili laughed and yelped in protest as I pulled her cheeks in opposite directions. She managed to mumble out something along the lines of, "B-Bell! Let Lili go!"

"Apol-o-gize!" I emphasized each syllable with a playful tug.

"Sowwy! Lili is sowwy!" Lili managed to mumble out.

I released her, satisfied she learned her lesson, the cheeky minx.

"…sorry Bell-sama is a big wuss in front of pretty women!" Lili added now that she was free.

"…If you think I won't tickle you to death you are sorely mistaken," I warned, raising a clawed hand ready to tickle Lili into hysterics.

"E-Everyone! Let's go ahead and discuss our formation for our descent today!" Lili loudly got the entire party's attention in order to avoid my retribution.

I will not forget this.

That said, everyone stopped their chit-chatter and gathered in to talk details. In the end it was decided that Ryuu and I would handle the vanguard while Ais would take care of monsters that (probably wouldn't) sneak past us and would mainly protect the rear from potential flanks. Lili and Lefiya would be acting as supporters, since we had a decent amount of supplies on hand and someone needed to carry it. If need be, they could put their gear down to fight. But considering this party had Ais Wallenstein and Ryuu Lion in it… the trek down to Floor 18 would be a breeze and so it was fair to say that wouldn't be necessary.

When asked on 'what about the chance for Lili to gain Excelia', Lili said she'd be able to more easily switch into a combat role on the trek back up as we'd have much less supplies to carry on the return journey. Probably. Depending on whether we trade Magic Stones at Rivira or not and how many drop items I get us…

It's almost amazing how I made it sound like being so lucky is a burden. Classic first world problem am I right?

In any case, with all the plans and banter out of the way, we began our descent.

---

What felt about ten minutes later, we were casually moving from Floors 5 to 6. Perhaps because we were going on the main route, and thus a highly trafficked path, but we ran into very few monsters thus far.

"It really is a shame," Lefiya commented behind me.

"How so, Lefiya-sama?" Lili asked from besides the elf.

"Tiona-san had been interested in coming along too," Lefiya told us, "But she had apparently been given an assignment by Captain Finn. And you don't have to address me so formally, you know?"

While I couldn't see it, my instincts were telling me that Lili was grimacing at the mention of Finn. I've asked Lili about her opinions of him before in casual conversation. She didn't go into much detail, just saying that she wasn't a fan of him. I didn't really pry into it further. And I couldn't blame her opinion; do not think for a moment that I've forgotten how Finn opposed the Xenos in Canon. That whole situation is still one I'm keeping in the back of my head.

"Lili still remembers how helpful Tiona-sama was way back when," Lili idly commented. And considering those lukewarm words were coming from Lili about an adventurer, it may as well be glowing praise.

"Way back when…?" Lefiya commented in confusion. Her tone was all but asking if Lili was telling a joke.

I kept a blank, deadpan expression as Lili all too helpfully explained the Bell Cranel Effect and how, as a byproduct, our sense of time was skewed into perceiving a few days as a long period of time. It didn't help that Lefiya seemed to have realized her life has been similar lately instead of calling Lili (and I by proxy) crazy.

I tried to ignore the weird conversation going on behind me by looking over at Ryuu beside me.

I'm not sure if it was conscious or not, but Ryuu was walking right beside me and keeping pace with me despite her clearly being deep in thought. Well… considering her state of distraction, I suppose she has to be doing it unconsciously. It is both endearing yet a source of anxiety. That said, it is unusual for someone who so often warns me about distractions in the Dungeon to be going against her own advice. Even more so for her to be eating another apple without looking like she was not even aware she was eating something.

"Something on your mind?" I asked her.

Ryuu hummed questioningly(having already finished her apple by the time I asked her my question), before saying, "Ah… I… perhaps it is because I have not been in the Dungeon regularly for some time. But it feels like the amount of monsters is unusually low."

"Really?" I asked with intrigue, as I didn't doubt Ryuu for a second. I was still relatively new to the Dungeon so that such observations would be hard for me to notice.

"Indeed…" Ryuu said, sounding not completely sure of herself, "but perhaps I am mistaken."

"No," Ais spoke up from her place in the rear, "it is unusually sparse today."

"Could it be an irregular?" Lili asked. Her postulate being that an unusually strong monster had spawned and was killing other monsters to grow stronger. They tended to be smart enough to do that sort of thing.

"That's… a possibility…" Ais replied. Her tone conveyed her opinion, however, that she didn't think that was likely. Something else was likely causing the monster population to be unusually low.

"All we can do now is continue moving forward while keeping up our guard," Ryuu declared, casually inspiring confidence in the entire party.

And she thinks she'd be a bad leader.

Banter over, we continued our descent. Only interrupted by the unusually rare monster encounter, and the crunching of apples.

---

Perhaps an hour or two later, the light of crystals shown down atop us from high above. We were at Floor 18 — The Underworld Resort.

Lili chuckled lifelessly, "It was so easy to get down here… it's not even funny…"

"That's a high level party for ya…" I chuckled a little darkly myself.

The combination of having a Level 6, a Level 5, two Level 4s, and a Level 2 AND the fact we barely ran into monsters at all meant we easily descended to Floor 18 in record time. Even I noticed how the monster density in the 12-17 Floor range was weird. I definitely recall the Hostess Girls fighting more monsters when we were pursuing the Evilus Remnant. Now that I had been looking out for it, the lack of monsters was poignant. The Dungeon is hardly so merciful for a reason…

Either way, we had gotten down to Floor 18 way ahead of schedule. The plan called for informing the people of Rivira to not freak out over any explosions over the next few days and to then set up for dinner. But it was not even lunch time yet. We had a lot of extra time on our hands, or soon will have it at any rate.

"Ais-san and I can go inform the townspeople," Lefiya called over to us, all while giving Ais an excited side-eye.

We needed to inform the townspeople of Rivira, or rather those who haven't already left town ahead of the upcoming holiday, that we would be setting off a bunch of magic nearby. For one, we didn't want Bors and the townspeople to think an actual battle was going on nearby. And secondly, setting off magic would disturb the monsters on the Floor. This could make monsters start moving around more which was a risk to both adventurers roaming the Floor as well as the town itself. In other words, the people of Rivira would know to keep an even closer eye on the walls because of our antics.

However, more importantly... Lefiya was hoping to use this extra time to have a quick date with Ais. How smooth of her. I went over to her and accepted her bag that contained the tents, saying, "Sure thing! We'll go ahead and set up camp on the bluffs."

I was referring to the same location where Loki Familia's last campsite was.

"Thank you very much!" Lefiya said politely.

"Have fun on your date!" I said with a cheeky grin.

Lefiya blushed in embarrassment at being called out, "D-D-Date?!"

Ais tilted her head from her position nearby, "…I don't mind."

You've heard it here folks. Lefiya has successfully snagged a date with Ais. What a player!

Lefiya was quick to flee from the cheeky grins from Lili and I. But not without grabbing Ais, of course. In doing so, it was just Ryuu, Lili, and I remaining.

"There's something oddly satisfying about seeing flustered elves," Lili commented, a smirk gracing her lips.

I silently agreed with the sentiment.

"…I am still here," Ryuu reminded us in a deadpan.

Lili began to sweat nervously, "L-Lili is just joking, Ryuu-sensei, really!"

"D-don't be too hard on her," I said to Ryuu in Lili's defense, "You wouldn't blame someone for speaking the truth, right?"

Ryuu looked at me in the eyes for the first time today, "…You agree with this sentiment?"

I've been teased by Syr so much that I already realized that I was screwed. There was no winning in this conversation, only to give up or face feminine fury.

"Forgive Bell-sama," Lili said in my defense, "he can't help it considering his ear fetish."

LILI WHAT THE FUCK.

"…What?" Ryuu asked in utter bewilderment. Her cheeks and ears were flushed red.

"Ryuu-sama hasn't noticed that Bell-sama is aroused by the ears of Demi-Humans?" Lili asked in genuine sounding surprise. Like she was honestly surprised that Ryuu hadn't noticed.

"…No?" Ryuu said factually, but her tone suggested self-doubt. Like she was coming to a new realization. I could see the puzzle pieces coming together in her eyes.

I, meanwhile, was stunned to silence in complete and utter embarrassment. Lili was casually revealing my deepest, darkest secret to someone I greatly loved and respected!

"Lili can still remember how Bell-sama fondled Lili's ears as a clienthrope…" Lili said shyly, a blush on her cheeks… and a smirk on her lips.

SHE'S DOING THIS ON PURPOSE THE CHEEKY MINX!

Ryuu, meanwhile, was the reddest I've ever seen her. She absentmindedly rubbed one of her ears, mumbling, "So THAT'S why he kept nibbling on my…"

Ryuu's words reminded me of that night. Images and feelings flashed. My nose erupted with blood like an upside down volcano. My head was woozy. The world started… to… spin…

"Bell!"

"Bell-sama!"

---

My adventurer instincts have improved. For it only took an instant of consciousness to recognize that my head was receiving a lap pillow.

I recognized these thighs. Superb. Perfection.

Slender fingers pinched my nose.

It would seem that Ryuu has gotten better at figuring out when I wake up.

I opened my eyes, feeling my cheeks burn from my proximity to Ryuu. This was my first lap pillow from her since that night.

I was broken from my thoughts by the sounds of Lili struggling. I glanced around and found Lili doing pushups while a comically large rock had been tied to her back.

Ah, the memories of a similar exercise Ryuu put me through are running in the back of my mind… I can empathize, Lili. But I won't stop Ryuu from training you after your choice words. Truly, the cycle of revenge is all consuming.

"Lili… is… sorry…!" Lili panted as she kept doing her pushups.

"Keep going," Ryuu casually, yet firmly, refused to let Lili stop her training.

She then looked down to me, and said, "I hope you don't think you are escaping this either."

"Good things can't last forever I suppose…" I bantered with a sigh as I leaned up off of her lap pillow.

"Idiot…" Ryuu huffed cutely as she too got to her feet. Ryuu then called to Lili saying, "Keep doing your reps. I'll know if you don't. We'll be practicing nearby so as to not… go too far and damage the camp."

Lili and Ryuu had somehow managed to set up camp and start training in the time I had been unconscious from sudden blood loss. How diligent.

"Ty…rant…!" Lili complained as acknowledgement as she continued to do pushups with sweat dripping down her face. Despite her complaints, not once did Lili stop in her exercise. Her chestnut eyes burning with determination. It was beautiful. No wonder so many people had been looking at Lili this morning. She clearly is in her popular phase with eyes like those.

---

After grabbing some weapons, Ryuu and I walked a few minutes from the campsite to a decently large clearing. Ryuu idly reminded me that this training would be the most serious it's been, since we can attack each other without caring for collateral damage around us.

"I'll start the duel with a more defensive posture," Ryuu then told me, "It's up to you to defeat me before I decide to attack."

"No pressure," I quipped as I spun the Hestia Knife in my hand, getting a feel for it before the fight began.

"Prepare yourself," Ryuu declared, drawing her Alf's Lumina and settling into a defensive stance.

Her legs were bent and body angled to the side. Her front foot was facing me while the other was perpendicular to it, most of her weight settled onto her back foot. Her sword was readied in front of her.

I shifted into an aggressive front stance, my front leg bent with my rear leg straight as my body and both my feet were facing Ryuu directly. I held the Hestia Knife in front of me with my other hand open, ready to either deploy magic or reach for throwing knives.

Ryuu's blue eyes were locked onto me, narrowed and focused. Something hard to describe in them shifted, all I knew was that I had been given permission to attack.

I charged at her. I quickly channeled magic as soon as I started trying to close the gap, "Firebolt!"

Continuing to run forward despite the force of Firebolt trying to force me backwards, I watched as the spell struck the ground in front of Ryuu, sending up the equivalent of a smokescreen from the debris.

I then reached down and grabbed a handful of throwing knives before throwing them at Ryuu – just in time for Ryuu to disperse the smokescreen with a swipe of her weapon.

Ryuu's eyes didn't widen in surprise in the slightest at the sudden appearance of knives in her face, even though she shouldn't have been able to hear them over the explosion a moment prior.

I closed the gap by teleporting to one of the knives in the moments after they passed behind Ryuu, grabbing said knife out of the air in the process.

But I didn't even get the chance to attack. Because in the instant after I reappeared, Ryuu had already performed a rear side kick right into my stomach, sending me flying.

I coughed out the air in my lungs as I soared in the air, crashing into the side of a tree so hard it audibly cracked.

I shuddered as I tried breathing. Ryuu's broken my bones enough for me to recognize the fact that she broke two of my ribs and fractured two more. But that wasn't even the first thing on my mind.

"H-How…?" I gasped out a question as I shakily got back to my feet.

For Ryuu to have kicked me like that… she would have had to start moving before I had teleported. How did she know the moment I would Flash? The knives could have been a bluff. Were her instincts that insane?

"Most others wouldn't notice it," Ryuu told me, already knowing what my question was despite it being so vague, "But I can feel the flare of your Mind as you Flash. I can't tell where you're going, just that you're about to do it. The rest is deduction and instinct."

This was the reason why Hiraishin (as least my 'conventional' uses of it) wasn't a perfect counter to high level adventurers. If my opponent could predict when I would Flash, they just needed to attack their immediate vicinity to defend themselves from me suddenly closing the gap or repositioning.

Because I've used Hiraishin around Ryuu more times than I can count in combination with her experience with Magic (and Spirits?) and because of the short proximity, she can detect my use of magic before I actually Flash. I might as well be announcing to Ryuu to prepare for a sneak attack when trying to teleport.

Using Firebolt might trip Ryuu up… in theory. The Mind usage in Firebolt in comparison to a Hiraishin Flash at this distance was wildly different. Enough that Ryuu could easily differentiate the two.

"I'm… going to… use magic… in close…" I gasped out, getting into a ready position with the Hestia Knife in both my hands.

Let's just say that it wasn't fun to breathe right now. Believe it or not, but I know Ryuu hadn't meant to kick me that hard; I'm pretty sure that despite her nonchalance, that it was still hard for her to counter Hiraishin like she did and she simply couldn't do that and hold back at the same time.

"Go all out," Ryuu declared, "try breaking past my barrier."

"Astrea Record!" Ryuu called out a song of heroes, a barrier of Starlight surrounding her.

Pushing past my pain, I lept at Ryuu and the dome surrounding her. Gathering Mind in my hands, I pushed through the Hestia Knife, announcing, "Vesta!"

Fire and plasma erupted from my blade moments before I struck the barrier. The dome shook, but visibly seemed unaffected. Another slash. A third. And yet the barrier held firm. I jumped back, channeling magic into my knife once more…

Chimes began to echo as blue and white lights mixed with the red and orange surrounding the Hestia Knife.

Ryuu and I stared each other down as I charged my attack. Ryuu had deliberately been chanting as slow as possible, keeping her barrier up as long as possible; both to test the extent of her durability, but to give me more time to attack it.

What followed was perhaps the most awkward minute ever seen in a battle as Ryuu patiently waited for me to charge my buffed attack.

The sound of bells rang, the crackling of fire and bite of lightning against the wind and breeze against the forests' trees. A shimmer of starlight. Piercing sapphires observing unflinchingly. A blue B-Class Star staring down a Black Hole.

One minute.

I leapt forward.

"Argo Vesta!"

As I swung down towards Ryuu's barrier, she jumped back. The earth shook as my weapon exploded with fire and fury. If I was wearing conventional clothing, it likely would have caught fire from the sheer thermal radiation.

Within moments, the attack was over.

I ignored the burns on my hands from the rebound and took everything in. The smokescreen caused by the debris of the attack soon faded. I was in a small crater of about a meter or two in diameter. All the grass several meters out had been burnt to cinders. The leaves of a nearby tree over the clearing were starting to catch fire.

Ryuu, now several meters away, was unphased. That said, she had likely jumped back because she determined that my attack would breach her barrier and she didn't feel like getting hit by my Argo Vesta.

An understandable decision. That said, I was feeling the drain of Argonaut as my Mind and, more importantly, my Stamina took a hit. My broken and fractured ribs not doing me any favors.

Ryuu, meanwhile, casually displayed her mastery of magic by safely canceling the use of Astrea Record and shifting to a more aggressive stance. This was the only warning Ryuu gave me that she decided it was time for her to be on the offense.

My hand shot to the pouch on my thigh. By the time I threw my knives, Ryuu had already halfway closed the gap between us.

Ryuu batted away all the knives, the sheer force of her sword's swing causing a shockwave of air to blow the blades away.

I flashed to one anyway, cocking my hand back for a Firebolt Punch. Only to give up and jump back as Ryuu swiped her sword through where I stood a moment before.

No reprieve. Ryuu was already in my face. I desperately attempted to parry and block Ryuu's swings with the Hestia Knife, but it was clear that Ryuu was holding back.

Desperate, I managed to fire off a low-powered Firebolt at close range, aimed for her torso. But despite the point-blank attack, Ryuu just used her impeccable flexibility to dodge the attack with beauty and grace.

I was rewarded for the sight of witnessing her flexibility with a karate chop to my neck.

Things went dark after that.

---

I lay on the grass as I reviewed the two duels I had with Ryuu.

After getting knocked out that first time, Ryuu had healed me and had me perform another bout. It went similarly enough to the first.

My conventional speed was too slow to outpace Ryuu, and Ryuu was able to predict and counter my use of Hiraishin. And because of how flexible Ryuu was, she could easily dodge even close range magical attacks. Ryuu really is OP; then again, she sweated and bled for years to get as good as she has.

Her numbers were also bigger than mine. And Hiraishin, as I use it now, was simply too predictable against someone who was familiar with it — like Ryuu. That said, Ryuu was probably the only person right now who could predict my Flashes like that.

Ironically, this was likely a mental problem on my part now that I think about it.

I've been using Hiraishin in such a way that the outside observer's, well, observation would be that it's a speed technique. This mental block could be the reason why I had trouble teleporting things TO me rather than me to things.

The sight of something moving to me was very blatant. Me moving to something was easily dismissed as a coincidence. The cost of keeping Hiraishin discret was that it made me predictable. Up until recently, this was not only necessary, but reasonably doable.

It was easier to keep a technique secret when not being observed. Duh. And participating in a War Game was, like, the exact opposite of that. This was the main reason why I've been using Hiraishin more often in front of others. I'm not going to be able to hide it for much longer.

I'm, of course, worried about the usage turning into a crutch still. But, I can't also deny that I need as much experience using Hiraishin as possible in order to reach its full potential. Hiraishin had the potential to be an army killer. Something that would, surprise surprise, be useful in the coming week.

Anyway, despite not being an expert with spears, Ryuu was giving Lili a few pointers.

Heh. Pointers. Get it? Because, you know, a spear is pointy? I know. I'm hilarious.

But even the two of them training was a short story in itself.

To put it succinctly, Lili had been made to do physical exercises until her limbs gave out… where Ryuu then healed Lili right up. And did the equivalent of 'oh, you have some mental exhaustion? The Dungeon does not care about such trivialities, so do some spear exercises now'. And so on and so forth. Healing Lili's broken muscles before breaking them again in some kind of twisted accelerated training montage.

Ryuu had, of course, healed up my broken ribs while I had been knocked out by the way. She broke and healed my left arm in our second bout by the way. I was getting the exact same treatment as Lili.

I blinked and flinched as a metal staff poked my forehead. I looked up to see an upside down Lefiya and Ais.

"You look dead," Lefiya said with an amused grin.

"Ryuu kicked my butt," I grumbled, "I'm sure she'd love to have you join me in the melee combat training…"

"Really?! That'd be…!" Lefiya initially responded enthusiastically… before watching how relentlessly Ryuu was currently kicking Lili's butt.

"...Maybe another time!" Lefiya finished with a nervous laugh, changing her mind at the sight of Ryuu's extreme enthusiasm for training. Even Ais seemed concerned for Lili's sake. Which was concerning, coming from a training and sword otaku like herself. Maybe Ryuu does take training too far?

…Nah. Perhaps for the average adventurer this is too much. But this is the hero-seeking Familia. This is an appropriate amount of force.

"Anyway," I said, rolling to my feet, "We didn't really eat lunch, but I'm going to assume it's dinner time considering how long it's been… Unless my internal clock has gone screwy."

"The day-night cycle of this floor… is rather disorienting," Ais commented idly in agreement.

"It was really weird eating lunch with it being nighttime…" Lefiya complained with a pout.

"So, how was your date?" I asked.

"Bell–!" Lefiya yelped in protest.

Only for Ais to answer, "It was nice. The potato snacks on the surface are better though."

I'm sure that if my life had anime physics, I would sweatdrop at that. Either way, I simply deadpanned, "Right…"

Lefiya sighed in exasperation, "It was nice… despite how expensive everything was. Turning in our drops from the trek down barely covered everything."

Lefiya and Ais had taken the magic stones we had collected on the trek down. Seems like they used all of those potential funds on their date. Considering it was Rivira we are talking about… right before the holidays… they probably got many discounts for being cute and strong. And that was the only reason our funds would have covered anything. The prices in Rivira are insane.

Lefiya then perked up and said, "That reminds me, there was something weird we overheard when in town!"

I raised my eyebrow in confusion. I'm not sure why Lefiya thought I'd be interested in gossip, but now I'm intrigued.

"Several inns have been booked out completely despite the fact most people are leaving town to celebrate Christmas on the surface in a few days!" Lefiya informed me, "I guess that a Familia is trying to have an expedition to the Middle Floors with less competition for drops!"

With Christmas around the corner now, most adventurers would be leaving the Dungeon to celebrate before getting back to the grind. Lefiya was speculating that a Familia was instead taking advantage of the holiday to make money since there would be less adventurers around and thus more monsters for them to kill.

Something about that seemed off, however. I don't think the competition for resources from the Middle Floors is heavily contested like the Upper Floors. Mainly since 99.2% of adventurers are Level 1 and don't go past Floor 17.

Perhaps Lefiya's premise is wrong? But I also can't really think of why a Familia would be down in the Dungeon this time of year instead of enjoying the holiday. Maybe a mission from the Guild in order to keep the flow of Magic Stones constant?

That makes a sort of sense. Essential workers still have to work on the holidays, and Magic Stones are really vital to Orario's economy. That and Ais didn't disagree either. The two of them are more familiar with Orario's culture and customs than I, so maybe they know something I don't.

"Well, it's unfortunate that they can't celebrate the holidays," I said neutrally, "Sorry that the town was crowded despite the time of year."

"That's…! Actually, now that you mention it, the town was sparsely populated," Lefiya commented.

"Eh?" I uttered in confusion.

"That was why we heard the hubbub," Lefiya told me, "Multiple inns had been booked from the surface, but most of the rooms hadn't been checked in yet. Or something along those lines."

"That's… kind of suspicious," I commented. Something about that didn't sound right.

"Now that I say it aloud, I agree," Lefiya said, giving a concerned look Ais' way, the duo of Loki Familia members having not noticed the oddity until further review.

I resisted the urge to sigh in exasperation. This was screaming side-plot energy. Kind of. This training trip didn't happen this way in canon. This is more like the butterfly effect bringing about bullshit than anything else. Assuming that this news from Rivira is a sign of imminent plot things occurring soon.

That said, I can't think of an enemy faction that would also be renting rooms at Rivira besides Ishtar Familia. And even that I can't understand. If Ishtar Familia wanted to try and kill me in the Dungeon (a probability that had not been forgotten) they would probably aim to do so with as much probable deniability as possible.

While Rivira was certainly separate from the Guild and its jurisdiction… I think it was fair to say that evidence of Ishtar Familia renting rooms near the place I was located would be suspicious in this hypothetical scenario. If I suddenly died on Floor 18, such a coincidence would be more difficult to overlook.

Unless Ishtar felt like being blatant for any amaetur investigator for some reason.

No, I couldn't really see what hostile action this could be hinting at. Am I seeing enemies where there are none? Is the chaos of my recent life getting to me? I'm sure there's a word for this sort of trauma, assuming it is so.

Maybe I need to just relax. Yeah. I like the sound of that.

Let's go make and enjoy a nice meal before taking a bath in one of the nearby pools. Nothing weird will happen. It'll just be a nice night of camping.

Please?

---

The universe answered my plea.

Wrapping up our unscheduled day 1 training, we all returned to camp and set about cooking dinner.

Was it really a surprise that Ryuu and I were the cooks? I hope not.

Lili got water to cook with from a nearby water source while Lefiya and Ais quickly put together a fire for us to cook and casually sit around.

Ryuu and I then threw together a killer beef and potato stew, supplemented with some bread. Since the campfire was also the cooking fire, everyone was in the same place while we were cooking which resulted in lots of back and forth small talk thanks to Lefiya's extraversion and Lili's apparent need to pump people for information.

Lili somehow got Lefiya to talk about how she had been captured by Kali Familia at Port Melen because Kali had been able to disguise her Arcanum (similar to Zeus). For some reason I got an annoyed look from Lefiya as she described this story.

Anyway, it led into describing how Kali Familia was Tiona and Tione's original Familia and that Lefiya wasn't all too choked up over the fact that the opposing Familia had likely collapsed. Lefiya didn't really go into details, which is fair since that is Tiona and Tione's personal business.

Just that the members of Kali Familia were basically under house arrest and were being held at Port Melen. Though apparently some members were allowed to visit Orario itself. Weird.

Conversation was mostly halted upon dinner's completion. Mostly, because everyone was getting tired and we all wanted to sort out the bathing and sleeping arrangements.

Democracy decided that the girls, which is everyone but me, would get to bathe first; and that if I tried to peek that Lefiya would be all too glad to kill me this time with her Magic.

I felt like Lili was holding back channeling her own version of inner-Syr that she inherited from me who inherited said mischievousness from Syr. Likely holding back some comment along the lines that I should take the chance to induct everyone present into my harem or something. That's the kind of face Lili had made anyway. I'm speculating.

The only consolation I got was that the ladies promised to not peek at me as I bathed. And that I would get one of the tents all to myself. One must remember that these tents are decently big. So the four girls could easily fit in one tent. To make up for the 'unfairness' my tent would contain the rest of our gear, supplies, weapons, and so on.

On the flipside, it was determined that I was taking the middle shift for the nightly lookout. Because we needed a lookout to make sure the roaming monsters on this Floor didn't, you know, attack our camp.

Ais was going to take the first shift, then me, and then Ryuu. It was determined that Lili and Lefiya would be exempt because supporters and mages weren't ideal for this sort of role. Lili may be Level 2 now, but she was still getting used to her newfound strength so it was unwise to have her alone against monsters for the next few days.

Very mundane things, all in all. But hey, I like camping so sue me.

---

"I may not be able to have shower thoughts, right now…" I quipped to myself, "But I can have bathtime thoughts…"

I was cleaning up after a long day's work in one of those aforementioned pools where I had once seen a glimpse of heaven due to Hermes being a Super Pervert. And like many random shower thoughts, my brain circulated to an unexpected topic.

One I almost wished it hadn't.

Because my brain reminded me that there was an entrance to Knossos on this very floor. Probably where Lefiya and I fought that Venethes plant monster.

My knowledge on Knossos was… iffy. It was almost entirely based on information from Season 3 of the anime. So, like, I knew what it was: a man-made labyrinth full of monsters, Evilus, traps, and who knows what. And I knew that Dix and Ikelos Familia operated out of it; their Xenos Trafficking trade. That it connected up to multiple entrances inside Daedalus Street. I speculated that there might be other hidden entrances around the city, but for that I had no proof.

The entire situation was complicated.

For one, while I know that Ryuu… SOMEHOW… acquires a key to Knossos at some point, I don't know when she got it. Exactly, anyway. Did she acquire it during her Crusade? Would she have really plundered organizations affiliated with Evilus for her campaign? Outside of things directly useful to her conquest, I doubt it.

It's such a minor yet important detail that has slipped from my mind. The anime certainly never really bothered explaining where and when she got the key from.

You'd think that Vito would have had a key on him. But no, apparently not. I guess Levis had it? Either way, the recent incident with Evilus had not netted us a chance to acquire a key.

The fact that Ishtar more likely than not had a key to Knossos was something I certainly was keeping track of in the back of my head. I assume in Canon, that if Ishtar did possess a key, it fell into Freya's hands after her assault on the Pleasure District. If that key ever came up later in the series, it likely involved Hermes since he occasionally seems to get into contact with Freya.

Anyway, attacking Knossos without a key was pointless. I remember that it had doors made of Oricalchum – and it was the quality stuff and not the cheap shit used in your average vault if Chloe was to be believed. One does not simply bust down an Oricalchum door, unless you are a badass like Ottar or Gareth.

And say I could even get into Knossos, there were still two different problems remaining.

One was to, of course, defeat Dix and his Familia. This was relatively easy. Just fight Dix until he surrenders or dies, whichever comes first. Blow up the rest of the Familia with AOE explosives. Tell Ikelos to go back to heaven or get poked by pointy metal. Of course, it was hardly that simple. Dix was a Level 5 adventurer with powerful debuff curse magic, a practitioner of cursed weaponry, and was significantly more skilled with a spear than I. It wasn't exactly going to be an easy fight, I was just hopeful that I'd be able to win in such an encounter thanks to my high potential informational advantage. I had an idea on the tricks he would use, and the same couldn't be said for Dix on me.

It was handling the Xenos that was far more difficult. It was, you may have guessed it, a logistical issue.

Hiding one humanoid Xenos on the surface was doable. Concealing, what, twenty or so Xenos on the surface? Impossible. Get them to a Hidden Village? The only one I know about is that it's on Floor 20 somewhere. Where exactly? No clue. Use the Hidden Room we fought Evilus at? Evilus knows of the site, and might reuse it so that's a no go. The Hidden Spa on Floor 13? It spawns monsters, so it's hardly a save zone now is it?

There is the argument that the Xenos might be able to use their enhanced senses to detect their fellow Xenos, but that was a longshot. Especially since they wouldn't be in the best of physical or mental conditions, or were likely to trust me without a fellow Xenos to help quickly establish faith in my good intentions.

And, call it selfish, but I had quite a bit on my plate as it was. Was it wrong of me to want to get this whole War Game thing settled before moving onto aiding the Xenos?

Considering almost everyone doesn't give a shit about the Xenos and the fact that they've mostly been able to handle themselves for the last 15 years or so… Surely I could put off giving them my assistance for a couple of weeks?

Nope, the feeling of guilt was still there.

I know. I know. I'm a whiney piece of shit. I'm sooo tragic.

Look. Foreknowledge has a lot of tactical advantages, this cannot be denied or understated. But this knowledge is also a burden. Because I know in the back of my head that the Xenos need help. But trying to do anything now… I'm just simply not ready.

I know in the back of my head that Freya's actions against me with the Silverback and Minotaur toe the line between evil and ambiguity. I doubt that Freya intended for that Minotaur to kill a couple of adventurers before I got to it. But it still happened anyway.

Call it an excuse, but it was so easy to forget that Syr and Freya were completely different people. It was only after Apollo's Ball did I truly become aware of that mental block in my head.

Sure. I had suspected and eventually confirmed that Syr was Freya. But it was hard to mentally connect that smiling, teasing, minx of a woman to the calculating, cold deity that sent monsters and challenges my way in such haphazard ways.

But what was I supposed to do about it?

It's Freya Familia. The pinnacle of this world's current strength.

I'm just me.

I can't afford to make mistakes. I have to do things right. I have to live up to Bell's potential and save as many people as possible.

And… it's hard. It's so hard. And I'm scared.

I almost died against Levis. I don't regret it, but… it's still scary to think about.

And I will soon have to face a small army of adventurers. An army that included a Level 4 that wanted to kill me and a Level 5 adventurer that I will probably wish she would just kill me rather than do anything else to me.

If there is anything that my experience with Artemis taught me, it is that I am no god. I make mistakes. That I'm not doing good enough. I'm just another adventurer. As I am now, it doesn't matter how hard I try, the world still won't change. The people (and Xenos) continue to suffer.

That's why I'm here, on this Floor. To get stronger so that one day the world will yield. I just hope that I'll still have Justice in my heart at that time as well.

I suppose, however, that the thing that's really eating me up inside… is my hypocrisy.

Despite my excuses, I know that the Xenos that are likely in Dix's captivity need my help NOW. A real hero would ignore the adversity in the way and do something about it. Yet I also couldn't be reckless, lest the ripples caused by my actions echo and result in even more suffering.

What actions could I do that would stop as much suffering as possible without causing more suffering in the process? Would rushing in to face off against Dix and his Familia, with everything else still on my plate, just result in an even worse set of circumstances for the Xenos in the future?

Was I wisely biding my time? Or pushing things back out of sloth and apathy?

This was the curse of my foreknowledge. And I had no one to talk to about it. I hadn't told a soul that this universe was like one out of an anime I had seen like a play on a stage. How could I tell anyone?

Firstly, it would sound ludicrous. Trust would likely have my friends see past such illogical, insane claims. Trust that would be broken upon realizing that I had known about them all this time. Accusations of manipulation that I couldn't exactly deny.

Manipulation… wasn't evil, it's just the word was often used in negative connotations. People manipulate each other each and every day in tiny little ways. But… it would be fair to for people to make the argument that I was just being selfish in how I chose to use my knowledge to befriend everyone I know.

Thirdly, it would just make people think I'm some kind of Seer like Cassandra – except they would actually believe in my 'predictions'. But I didn't fully trust my foreknowledge entirely either. A Juggernaut wasn't supposed to show up on Floor 18. Noel shouldn't exist. And the movie shouldn't have happened.

The movie…

Artemis… Artemis!

She knows about my 'visions'!

"Haaa…" I sighed to myself in despair. If only I could talk to Artemis right now! I hadn't needed to explain my 'visions' to her at all. And as a Goddess, she would surely have insight on the matter that I was clearly too biased to acknowledge.

I was completely aware of how tough I was being on myself, after all. But I refused to trust my own biases on whether I was truly in the right or not by concealing things and waiting for the right moment for others. And it was hard to trust people like Welf telling me I was right becausethey too were biased to see me in a favorable light because I am their friend (or I hope they consider me as such).

Alas, I have no clue on how to communicate with her ghost within Orion. As far as I know, she was only able to manifest herself from the Hestia Knife in that one Danmemo Anniversary event because of the presence of the Primordial Flame.

Then again, I hadn't really tried to commune with Artemis since then either. Too ashamed of my failure to have my actions match my ideals in regards to her. And now to the Xenos who undoubtedly need my help sooner rather than later.

Well… tonight is as good as any to try! I'm prepared to look stupid as I fail to commune with Artemis though. It's not like it's going to be as easy as falling asleep with Orion's Arrow in my grasp or something right?

…Right?

…It's not that simple right?

…

…This universe is based on an anime.

…

…I-I'm so dead. She's gonna kill me if it's that simple…

…

T-there's only one way to find out… is it weird I wish it won't be that easy…?

That was how I got out of the bath, and headed for bed with a mind full of trepidation for the dream I may or may not have tonight.

---

Other POV

Ryuu had always had alternate intentions on joining this training trip.

Spending more time with Bell… was an obvious perk. It was just a fact that being with Bell… made Ryuu feel happy and at peace. Syr's company had a similar effect on Ryuu. But Bell's presence made Ryuu feel… other things as well…

But that wasn't the reason.

There had been two of them, actually.

The first was to properly answer Bell's confession that he had made on this very Floor, in these very woods. But that was for… later. (Ryuu wasn't stalling until the last moment… not at all…)

The second… was to investigate Levis and the Evilus Remnant.

Ryuu had, of course, known about the Evilus Remnant ever since she intervened on this very Floor in aid of Bell and the elf Lefiya. Ryuu had simply never had the chance to act on such knowledge as her life had, ironically, become more chaotic ever since Bell had entered her life.

More specifically, the mysterious unexplained emergence of the Juggernaut and the aftermath prevented Ryuu from being able to investigate the matter. And Ryuu ended up leaving Orario to aid in the subjugation of Antares soon after that. And now Ryuu was distracted with everything regarding Bell and his War Game.

All of that was to say that Ryuu never had the chance to properly look into that incident. There were many unanswered questions – the main one being who summoned that Juggernaut.

Ryuu's leading theory was that the Evilus Remnant was behind it. For, as mentioned, Ryuu had run into a few of their members when looking for Bell and Lefiya when they had run off during the Floor 18 Incident. That said, Ryuu also didn't know how the Evilus Remnant knew how to spawn that demon. Its appearance almost required deliberate action from adventurers to spawn in the first place. Someone had to have done it deliberately.

Jura and Rudra Familia had summoned it… all those years ago… by accident. And they had all died, either by the Juggernaut or by Ryuu's own hands. The knowledge of the Juggernaut (outside of whatever was known by the Guild) should have died with them.

But it was hard to dismiss the appearance of remnants of Evilus and that of the Juggernaut soon after as mere coincidence. Ryuu had run into those goons the day before. And it was possible, if unlikely, that Jura had informed someone who ended up surviving Ryuu's purge about the Juggernaut and its spawning conditions. Unlikely, but within the realm of possibility.

But that was just the beginning of Ryuu's motivations. For the discovery of Levis was something that Ryuu could simply not ignore.

Ryuu had initially been conflicted on doing anything about the Remnant in the aftermath of the Floor 18 Juggernaut. Ryuu certainly thought a resurgent Evilus needed to be crushed. But Ryuu was in no rush to repeat the mistakes of her Crusade. Ryuu had been afraid that her emotions would run wild, she would go too far, and do things she would regret.

And while she believed that with Bell by her side, she would have the strength to maintain her composure… she also didn't want to drag Bell into fighting Evilus if she could avoid it. Both to protect him from dirtying his hands… and to help ensure that his connections to Alfia The Silent would remain buried.

Being related to the 'greatest' terrorist and mass murderer in Orario's history would not earn any favors or goodwill. Only immense scorn at worst and fear at best. While the risk was low, Ryuu didn't want to chance Bell's live getting more difficult if she could help it.

But Levis changed things.

Levis was… an existence that spit on Alise's dying will. Of a desire to save others, to preserve and fight for Justice. A sick and twisted perversion that defiles the memory that Alise had left behind. Levis was unlike Alise in every way that mattered, Ryuu had realized.

Levis was strong, she knew it, and was clearly arrogant about it – looking down on those around her. Alise always talked big about herself, but that was because she genuinely flattered the positive qualities of everyone – including herself.

Levis was cruel – she deliberately gave Bell a chance to speak after she impaled him in order to try and demoralize everyone instead of 'finishing' him quickly. Alise, however, was a kind and loving person that treated everyone without prejudice.

Levis didn't fight for a higher ideal. She fought as she commanded others, as a mere tool to carry out another's will. Alise had always striven for fighting for Justice, even if Alise had never found the answer to what 'true' justice was.

Levis was an evil existence that needed to be stopped. Stopped before she could kill any more innocents or anyone that Ryuu loved. Whether it was by word or by the sword… Ryuu resolved to care not which as long as the job was done. As the sole survivor of Astraea Familia, Ryuu would bear the burden of Levis' sins and purge her with holy flame.

And to do so, Ryuu needed information. She had thought that Evilus had been defeated by her hand. Ryuu was not so arrogant to think that she had managed to kill LITERALLY every remaining member and sympathizer in her Crusade. And, while she was not proud of it, Ryuu was at least confident that Evilus should have been crushed no matter how few remained in the wake of her wrath.

In the aftermath of the clash with Vito, Evilus, and the Demi Spirit, it was clear that Evilus had survived and been rebuilding in these five years since Ryuu had put down her sword and taken up a waitress' tray.

Ryuu had to admit, the reality that Evilus was still around offended her. Well, the existence of Evilus had always offended Ryuu, that much went without saying. Evilus was… evil. No, Ryuu was personally offended. Because the resurgence of Evilus meant that Ryuu's Crusade was almost meaningless.

Not entirely, because it would be fair to say that Evilus' operations and thus ability to do evil deeds was likely close to nil from the end of her Crusade until recently. Five years of (near) peace was nothing to scoff at… nor be overly impressed by.

The positives from her Crusade only derived positive meaning from the unintended consequences of it – that a destroyed Evilus could no longer cause pain and suffering. That the vile means that Ryuu had used had at least served to stop a greater evil.

Except, it would seem, that Evilus was still around and worse yet a zombie wearing Alise's skin was aiding them in their efforts.

All of this was to say that Ryuu had strong motivations in ensuring that Evilus was destroyed once and for all. And she hoped to start making steps towards that goal by investigating where she had first discovered the return of the Evilus Remnant.

---

Of course, however, it was a simple fact that time erodes evidence. It had been quite some time since the Floor 18 incident. So when Ryuu slinked away from camp after dinner to go investigate the easternmost areas of Floor 18 she found…

"...Nothing," Ryuu sighed, walking by a crystal formation where Bell and Lefiya once fell into a pit as the former once described to her.

Ryuu looked all over the place for any evidence of activity in the area. Signs of human activity should be easy to spot – as most foot traffic on the Floor went between the pathway to/from Floor 17, Rivira, and the pathway to/from Floor 19 in the center of the Floor; all of which was basically not this general area.

Ryuu wasn't exactly surprised that there was no evidence after all this time. Disappointed surely, but not surprised.

"...Still, I should not give up so easily," Ryuu mumbled to herself, "Bell told me that the grunts had fled east towards the wall. And they had fled that way… why would they do that?"

This area was close to the wall of the Floor. It was an odd direction to choose to run away in. While the area was forested, and thus there was a good chance of hiding, Ryuu recalled that those men were moving in a hurry and doing relatively little to hide themselves. It, all in all, was behavior more in line with someone trying to escape somewhere than someone trying to hide and evade capture.

There was little harm in investigating this line of reasoning. So Ryuu decided to investigate the path she and the goons had taken. Retracing her steps, she reached the approximate area where she cornered those grunts (their bodies long since disposed of by 'nature'). She then continued eastward while looking out for anything eyecatching – like a hidden base or conspicuous trail or similar.

And yet she found nothing, finding herself near the easternmost wall of the Floor with nothing to show for it. Ryuu didn't hold back the sigh of disappointment as she walked over to pat the wall with her hand in frustration. But she froze as a certain silver and red orb in her pouch started to heat up so much she could feel it through the cloth.

Stunned, Ryuu slowly reached and pulled the hot silver and red orb out. She stared long and hard at the symbol in the center that was unknown to her as it wasn't a character in the Kione or Hieroglyphs alphabets.

D

Ryuu absentmindedly waved the object around, noticing that the heat and intensity varied based on location as though it were responding to something nearby. Ryuu felt like she couldn't breathe as she followed the object's reaction to a protruding segment of the rock wall. Ryuu determined at a glance that the section of wall was not particularly different in appearance from the adjacent wall.

Then again, this wouldn't be the first time that Ryuu had stumbled upon a hidden chamber in the Dungeon. Floors 13 and 17 in recent memory come to mind.

Cautious, Ryuu drew Alf's Lumina and struck the wall. She dispassionately watched as the quartz and rock fell away. Revealing a chamber large enough for large-class monsters to pass through, made out of various types of rocks and minerals.

Ryuu was experienced enough in the Dungeon to recognize that while this chamber might be natural, the materials were not. They were man-made and artificially placed.

Ryuu slowly walked down the pathway that was lit up by magic stone lamps that seemed to react to her presence or that of the magic item she possessed.

Barely five meters in, Ryuu found a large metal door. It was gigantic and was flanked by two demonic statues on either side. A large-class monster like the Juggernaut could have easily fit through. And perhaps most surprising of all, the door was clearly made out of Orichalcum – a metal so strong that it was unbreakable.

It was the densest rare metal in the world, the end result of blending various materials together with human and demi-human techniques. Ryuu couldn't help but remember that Asta had often voiced her dreams of one day possessing a shield made out of the metal alloy. Ryuu also admittedly had fantasies of owning a blade of the material at one point in her life, but she had moved past such inefficient methods of adventuring.

The unbreakable metal was extremely expensive for obvious reasons. High demand, low supply. Difficult to acquire and forge. It was much more economically viable to carry additional spare weaponry, even at the cost of having to carry more gear.

Which made the sight of such a large door made out of the material to be so impressive and concerning.

Call it a bold assumption, but Ryuu felt it was safe to assume that she had stumbled upon Evilus' secret base and the reason why they had managed to avoid her wrath all those years ago. Evilus had literally gone to ground.

Ryuu had no idea that the doorway she found led all the way up to the surface – she was working on the assumption that Evilus had built into an existing chamber and turned it into an impenetrable fortress that could not be burrowed into.

Because the true scale of Knossos was pure insanity. So Ryuu merely assumed it was some kind of large fortified chamber that concealed the majority of Evilus' current forces. Why else would this location be fortified to this extent?

Ryuu hadn't gotten close enough to open the door with her key, and so hadn't noticed the encryption marking this as a product of Daedalus' work.

All-in-all, Ryuu had not realized the true extent of what she had discovered. But, thankfully and luckily, Ryuu was not reckless. Ryuu stepped away from the door, and proceeded to walk back the way she came.

Ryuu hadn't actually expected to uncover anything. Her intentions were more from a sense of due diligence, something that Lyra would have likely teased her about for being a stubborn elf. Ryuu was hardly ready to storm an Evilus base that may or may not have Levis within it without support. This wasn't like the days of her crusade.

And she promised to stand by Bell's side. And he promised to stand by her side as well. And they had capable allies from Loki Familia with them to aid in the endeavor; for it seemed that Loki Familia was well aware of the Evilus Remnant and had been working against them in the midst of Ryuu's former retirement and sloth.

However, she also didn't want to disrupt Bell's training for the War Game. Because that was a more imminent and pressing threat to deal with at the moment. It's not like this secret base was going anywhere, and Evilus clearly couldn't afford to lose it considering the expense of its design and construction.

It wouldn't hurt to finish the main training exercise tomorrow. Then, after that, have everyone go over Ryuu's discovery and determine next steps. It was possible, after all, to extend their 'deadline' of returning to the surface by a day if need be. Doing so would still give Bell and herself a day or so to rest, recover, and then commute for the War Game.

That was how Ryuu casually discovered and walked away from an entrance to Knossos. Completely ignorant of how the camera system implemented by Enyo and Ein using 'technology' from the Corrupted Spirit had captured her visit.

The system may 'only' be a live feed. But it didn't change the fact that someone had been watching on the other end.

As if Ryuu needed more reasons for the Evilus Remnant to want her dead…

---

Ryuu made one more stop before returning to camp. A visit to the Astraea Familia Memorial. Having gathered ten white flowers along the way, Ryuu went and placed them around the mound.

When Ryuu had put this memorial together five years ago, she had been able to recover all of her dear friends' weapons and left them in the memorial. Despite most adventurers being sleazy and prone to scamming, they at least had the decency to not desecrate corpses or memorials – barring extreme circumstances.

That said, by the time Ryuu had last visited the memorial with Bell, only 8 of the 10 sets of equipment remained. So Ryuu was quick to notice that Lyra's Carnivore – a pair of peculiar boomerang-like bladed weapons – were missing. This was, of course, very offensive. Yet, somehow, Ryuu's instincts were telling her that a sin hadn't been committed here. Which was nonsense. What are the chances that both Alise and Lyra had been zombified in whatever process had turned Alise into Levis?

No, it was more likely that Ryuu felt no offense because she intended on committing a similar sin.

After placing ten flowers for the ten lives lost in battle, Ryuu went over to the center of the memorial. There, stabbed into the earth and still in remarkable condition, was Alise's one-handed sword Crimson Order. The blade was made from Mythril and Obia Flare petals, the combination of materials made the weapon good not only at channeling magic, but Fire enchantments especially – increasing their power. Made by the Gonibu Familia, its quality as a top tier in the 2nd Class of weaponry spoke for itself. Even after five years of poor maintenance, the weapon only had minor rusting issues that Ryuu knew could be repaired with the assistance of a decent smith.

It was a simple fact that Ryuu's Alf's Lumina did not mesh well with Alise's fire enchantments. It needed little explaining that a wooden weapon, even made out of the branch of a holy tree, did not make for the best combination. While the elven weapon channeled magic incredibly well, especially elven magic, it was a poor fit for use with Alise's fire enchantments.

And it was a magic that Ryuu would need to rely on in the times ahead. Ryuu recalled from her rage-filled duel that Levis was easily fighting with the strength of a Level 6 adventurer that had roughly filled out their Basic Abilities to the D range. Agaris Alvesynth was likely the only thing that allowed Ryuu to bridge the Level gap.

Of course, in that fight with Levis, Ryuu had rare access to the legendary spear gifted to Bell by the Goddess Artemis – Orion's Arrow. That spear channeled magic to a degree that Ryuu had never experienced before. And it was unlikely that Ryuu would have the opportunity to use the weapon so easily. Her usage of the spear had been more a result of circumstances than anything else. And she, admittedly, had little enthusiasm for using a spear that had laid low a Goddess.

Which was to say that Ryuu needed a weapon to serve the same role as Orion's Arrow had should she fight Levis again. Which was easier said than done because Ryuu didn't exactly have a large bank account. Nor did the reformed Astraea Familia.

Ryuu could have inquired for the smith Welf, now of Hestia Familia, to craft her a weapon. But she had felt like it was too imposing on the relatively new smith to make a weapon to the caliber that Ryuu required. That, and Ryuu had the suspicion that the grant from Hephaestus Familia for war material didn't include metals like Mithril.

Which led Ryuu to acquire the one weapon she already knew would channel Alise's fire enchantments with immense synergy.

Of course, this was effectively grave robbing. And not just any grave robbing, but stealing from the graves of her dearest friends. It went against her sensibilities as an Elf, as an Adventurer, and as a person.

However… it was also poetic.

Levis was a corpse wearing Alise's skin. It was fitting that Alise's own weapon would be used to purify her necromantic resurrection so that she could properly rest in peace. In a way, it was righteous.

And so, as Ryuu had planted Crimson Order into the ground five years ago, she now pulled it from the earth once again.

"...I'm sorry. But your strength is still needed in this world," Ryuu apologized to the memorial and the spirits of her comrades as she knelt to the ground in reverence, solidarity, and remorse.

She clutched Crimson Order to her chest, shuddering as she refused to cry. Refused to cry about the pain of loss that would never truly leave her, nor the guilt for robbing this sacred place.

For Ryuu steeled herself, accepting that this sin was in service of a greater good, a greater purpose. Resolving to return Crimson Order to this place once Astraea Familia was finally allowed to rest peacefully. That wielding Crimson Order was not a boon or privilege, but more like Bell and Orion's Arrow.

It was a burden. A burden she was willing to bear for a brighter tomorrow.

---

Main POV

I was asleep. And aware I was asleep.

I opened my eyes, seeing an unrecognizable night sky. The constellations were not like from either world I knew of, with great purple nebulas making the canvas of the night sky incredibly beautiful. It was like viewing the universe from somewhere else in a distant galaxy.

There was a forest full of trees in the distance, but they appeared to be blue, oddly enough. I could tell that the 'plain' I was in was a perfect circle before the treeline. The air around me was speckled with floating specs of power like fireflies. Arcanum.

Looking below me, was a reflective surface so perfect that it was like I was lying down on nothing.

I knew this place.

Clenching Orion's Arrow(?) in my hands, I got to my feet and turned around. Standing there in a simple white dress was Artemis. Her eyes were closed with a smile on her face. A smile that was too sweet.

Fuck. It really was as easy as falling asleep while holding Orion's Arrow in order to be able to commune with Artemis. I'm so dead.

"H-Hello Artemis-sama, l-long time no s-see…" I stuttered out fearfully, well aware of the violence I was about to incur.

"Hello Bell~!" Artemis said ever so sweetly, "It has been awhile! Especially since it took you so long to think of falling asleep with Orion in your hands! Funny how that works, huh?!"

"Please be gentle," I requested, pleading for mercy pathetically.

Artemis flushed, "Don't phrase it so lewdly! Pervert! Hentai! Womanizer!"

"Yeah, you'd know all about that wouldn't you?" I couldn't help but start bickering, something about talking with Artemis makes me feel belligerent. Anyway, I meant it in the context of Artemis essentially reading my mind. But based on the blush on her cheeks, Artemis seems to have given my words another interpretation.

"Are you trying to imply you've seduced me?!" Artemis growled, "Get over yourself, playboy! Don't get any strange ideas, mister! Just because you saved me and are my hero, doesn't mean I'm some damsel to add to your harem! P-pervert."

There is so much to unpack in that rant that I don't even know where to begin. I wish I could focus on how much of a Tsundere Artemis is about being on good terms with me. Unfortunately, all I could focus on was her ludicrous claim that I was her hero.

Something that Artemis instantly picked up on, due to her nature and that of Orion. Artemis sighed deeply, the kind you give when you are talking to somehow who said something stupid.

"Oi, why are you sighing at me like that!?" I grumbled in annoyance.

"Because you're a stubborn male idiot," Artemis deadpanned.

"You can't just say sexist stuff like that without any supporting evidence," I protested.

"Bell. Enough playing around," Artemis said seriously, her tone brokering no room for argument, "Why is it that you can't accept that you saved me? That you are my hero?"

"...I didn't follow through on my ideals. Instead of protecting you and saving the world, I sacrificed you to save the latter," I admitted frankly.

"And yet that was the path I asked you to take," Artemis' Ghost told me, "If anything, attempting to save Her would have just been going against the natural order. But I already know that no matter the logic or forgiveness I give you, it will not sway you."

"Then why are you bothering?" I asked.

"Because it leads into the fact that you are rejecting the entirety of your heroic status for reasons beyond just, yet also including, me," Artemis declared, "That everything involving Artemis is just the beginning of why you can't acknowledge the extent of your goodness."

"Oh yeah?" I rhetorically said aggressively, "Explain it then, o' wise one."

"Your visions," Artemis identified the cause of my distress, "They burden you. You feel compelled to act. That a failure to act immediately is a moral failing. A fact made ironic by the fact that almost the entire world doesn't even think that aiding these 'Xenos' are a righteous cause."

"And I'm not wrong to feel that way," I declared, "Was it not my sloth that led to your fate?"

"I already told you that Artemis would not have listened to you should you have managed to send a message anyway," her ghost told me, "But that's not the point. The point is that you hold yourself to insanely high standards. You already have several major factions in Orario in active conflict against you. It is entirely understandable for you to be unable to do anything for these Xenos at this moment in time. You are just one man."

"But–" I began to protest, but Artemis wasn't having it.

"It's as you already realized! Sure, you can probably rescue them from Ikelos Familia. But then what!? You'll have freed them, but you'll have nowhere to go! Running into the pack of Free Xenos by sheer chance is impossible – according to your visions, they've been avoiding adventurers for over a decade! You'll never find them unless they let you!" Artemis raised her voice as she listed out the several reasons why I could do nothing.

But she missed something.

"I could talk with Fels and Ouranos. About my 'visions'. But…" I said firmly before tapering off.

"They wouldn't believe you," Artemis finished, "And it is here that we reach the other main concern plaguing your heart."

I knew what she was referring to, "I've… been manipulating everyone. My foreknowledge. How could anyone believe that their relationships with me are genuine?"

"Easily," Artemis instantly responded without hesitation.

Which was something I took exception and offense to, "You–!"

"Listen to me!" Artemis loudly cut me off, demanding I hear her words, "...The fact that my, that Orion's, nature is different from your visions is proof that this Universe is different from the one your visions show you."

My eyes widened in shock and realization. Artemis was completely right. The original ghost was supposed to be a Kuudere, not this minx of a Tsundere! There were also a bunch of other things, like the fact that it is slightly easier to unlock magic spells or that the Gods see everything when performing an Update instead of just the bits where Excelia is actually earned.

Not to forget the existence of Noel that certainly wasn't in the show. And I certainly don't remember Levis appearing in the Danmachi Anime…

This Universe was really close to, but clearly wasn't the same as the one from my 'visions'. Which meant…

"...That you should believe in your friends," Artemis finished my thought out loud, "I'm sure that they will see, as I do, that you reached out to them out of love, and not for the selfishness you fear they will see."

"But…" I said slowly, unable to voice my selfish concern.

"You are afraid they won't look at you the same way. That they may expect you to be able to solve everything with your visions," Artemis once more hit the nail on the head. "You are afraid that, because no one will truly understand, that they cannot fully love you. That the likes of Ryuu Lion will reject you."

I couldn't help but redden at the reminder that Artemis knows all about my feelings for Ryuu.

"Bell," Artemis smiled sweetly, "I learned a lot about that elf when she used me against her zombified beloved. So believe me when I say… you saved her. Saved her soul. Gave her a push to walk towards a better future. So please… give her a chance to save you too."

Artemis smirked as she then said, "Don't come crawling to a ghost of a Goddess for answers. Though, I admit, I appreciate the consideration."

"Is… it really that easy?" I asked her.

"Your only other option is to keep the truth to yourself, and knowing you, to keep beating yourself up about it," Artemis answered instead, then said softly, "So share your burdens, share the truth if it truly bothers you so. Tell her, or all of them, and work together to build a better tomorrow. Taking one step at a time. That is all that the World and the Gods can ask of you."

It felt like a weight had lifted from my shoulders with her words. Artemis, being able to see me in my entirety, was perfectly able to understand me. And she was able to answer the thing that plagued me so much.

I wasn't a failure for not immediately rushing in like an idiot to save the Xenos. The very act of moving myself into a position to help them in the near future was me doing something to help them. Sure, it did little to aid in any of their immediate suffering, but at least I was working towards a point where they would one day be free and (mostly) safe.

Rome wasn't built in a day, after all.

And while I wasn't entirely comfortable with telling everyone about my 'visions' of 'another world'... I'd need to tell Ryuu at least if we were going to have a serious relationship. I needed to hear from her own mouth that she didn't blame me for knowing the things I did.

After all, I wasn't so naive as to ignore the fact that both Artemis' Ghost and I had our own biases.

"Elpis," Artemis spoke up suddenly.

"Eh?" I made a confused noise at the sudden interjection.

"Call me Elpis," Artemis' ghost, now Elpis, insisted, "I am not Artemis, not truly. And isn't it a little morbid to call me her ghost?"

"You're not wrong," I said, acknowledging her point, "But why Elpis?"

"Beyond the fact the other Bell named me such in your vision of Olympia?" Eplis said rhetorically before concluding, "Because I believe that it is my purpose to help bring about Hope for a better tomorrow as well. That I, as Orion's Arrow, can do my part to help justice and hope come around."

"...You really did connect with Ryuu at that time, didn't you?" I said knowingly, referring to when Ryuu used Orion against Levis. I think Elpis absorbed a little bit of Ryuu's personality into her own.

"Moreso because I figured that as your future wife, that Elf counted as being part of yourself," Elpis claimed with a cheeky, knowing smile, "The amount of blood on her hands was hard for my systems to swallow, but she's more worthy than not worthy."

That was kind of confusing to hear.

"Don't worry, Bell," Elpis assured me, "I prefer it when you touch and hold me, so please don't think about trying to dump me off on your girlfriend or something. Or I really will beat the shit out of you the next time we speak."

Welp. There goes that idea. Just kidding. Also she phrased that rather lewdly.

"You're hilarious," Elpis said sarcastically, casually reading my mind, "And shut up!"

"I'm here all week," I bantered right back.

Elpis shook her head in exasperation before looking at me and smiling, "...It's good to see you in person like this."

"Yeah," I agreed, smiling back.

"Be sure to see me every so often," Elpis asked of me before saying, "And… keep our talks to yourself, please? From Hestia in particular…"

"What? Why?" I asked her in confusion.

"Ironically, her Arcanum makes it hard to communicate with her like I am doing with you now," Elpis told me, "So the only way we could talk is if I could manifest myself in the world again. Which would require Orion to absorb more Arcanum…"

Elpis was saying in a roundabout way that the only way to manifest herself again would be to 'kill' more Gods with Orion's Arrow. A prospect neither of us were particularly enthused about.

Elpis clarified that Orion's Arrow could no longer actually kill deities in its damaged state. Stabbing Ikelos with Orion's Arrow would just send him back up to Tenkai as if I'd stabbed him with a plain old knife. Elpis stated that just being in the vicinity of the Pillar of Light from a deity ascending would be enough to help her 'charge' her 'batteries'. Also that repairing Orion's Arrow itself wouldn't hurt, but that it was unlikely that the likes of Hephaestus or Gonibu would want to touch the spear with a thirty-nine and half foot pole.

"Back to the main point I was trying to make," Elpis said, "I don't think Hestia would be much interested in talking with a ghost."

"That's bullshit," I said, knowing first hand how kind Hestia is. And how much she missed Artemis already. Hestia had already broken down crying in front of me once partially because of her grief for Artemis!

"Let me rephrase," Elpis said, implicitly agreeing that I had a point, "It's because of her kindness that the Artemis in me doesn't want her to see 'me' like this."

"Ah…" I said in understanding. Seeing Artemis again like this would still hurt Hestia. A painful reminder to Hestia that Artemis is actually… dead and in the process of reincarnating. I understood the logic, even if I didn't entirely agree with it. But, if that was the choice that Elpis was making, then I would respect it.

"Thank you, Bell," Elpis thanked me, and said, "Now rest. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow."

"I feel like I need some help getting a good rest," I said mischievously.

"I'm not giving you a lap pillow you pervert," Elpis said with snort.

"Damn."

"Go ask your elven fiancé."

"S-Shut up!"

"Make me."

"You…"

And, as if she had never left, we bickered like children all night. And, in turn, my anxiety lessened. But not fading entirely. Part of me still refused to believe that Ryuu would see things the same way Elpis had. I guess only time would tell which of the two of us were right in the end.

---

Other POV

Just outside of Babel Tower, a trio of certain ex-adventurers had arrived in the dead of night.

"I'm so tired, nya," Anya yawned in genuine fatigue.

"We told you to drink something as a pick me up. You didn't listen, you stupid cat!" Luniore chided as she shoved a flask into the other girl's hand.

"Ah, yes, because trying to have a conversation with Freya-sama while Anya is drunk is a brilliant idea, nya," Chloe hissed.

The trio were tired and frustrated from a long day's work at the Hostess. Ryuu was gone again, Bell was still away from work because of War Game preparations, and Haruhime had spent most of the day cleaning the annex and caring for Noel as she slept comatose. Syr, frustratingly, was doing even less work than normal – almost to the point of trying her best to avoid the other girls for some reason the others couldn't comprehend. And also didn't have time to ponder.

If the trio wanted to Convert without Bell or Ryuu stopping them, the girls needed to quickly use this opportunity while the two were busy in the Dungeon on that training trip of theirs. But it's not like they could just take off work either. Christmas Day itself was only a few days away! The Hostess was PACKED with customers!

The trio wouldn't be surprised if Mama Mia hired another waitress or two soon. Most of the staff the Hostess had before Luniore and Chloe had joined had gone on to work elsewhere. And Mama Mia was such a cheapskate that she preferred to run the Hostess with as few people on staff as possible. Sure, it helped make the place a more tight-knit group, but it also made it hard to get time off damnit!

"And would you rather her fall asleep?" Luniore pointed out, "She's an adventurer! A single shot from this cheap crude won't make her drunk…! Right…?"

"The only one to beat Anya in a drinking contest was Mama Mia, nya…" Anya boldly claimed.

"Bullshit, nya," Chloe immediately retorted.

"I don't believe it for a second," Lunoire also immediately voiced her opinion.

"How mean, nya!" Anya loudly complained.

"There, she's awake now," Luniore pointed out in amusement, "Can we get going now?"

"I still don't believe it can possibly be this easy, nya…" Chloe grumbled, her tone suspicious that their plan of getting to Freya-sama would be as easy as Anya made it out to be.

As one might imagine, one does not simply gain an audience with THE Freya so easily. Freya was easily one of the most difficult deities to approach and for good reason. Nevermind the fervor of the members of Freya Familia, the effects of Freya's powerful charm necessitated that she minimize her exposure to the public. Both for the safety of the masses and for Freya's personal safety as well. The reasons and consequences either way are easy enough to deduce.

Point being that Freya was a hard person to just walk up to and have a conversation with… assuming you don't have the right credentials to get into the two places that Freya is typically located.

The places Freya tends to be at are relatively public knowledge. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, as Security by Obscurity is not really security, it's just ignorance. True security is knowing where the target is and still being unable to get to it.

Anyway, Freya is either in one of two places: Folkvangr or the top of Babel Tower. Folkvangr is the Freya Familia home located in the very south of the city in the middle of the business area. A large mansion surrounded by a luxuriously immense plot of land that was surrounded by large walls. Folkvangr was literally a fortress town within Orario that had both the manpower and supplies to withstand any siege – since the property also served as the main residence for the Familia's forces. Attacking or infiltrating Folkvangr was a near impossible task.

Freya was also well known to occupy the penthouse at the very top of Babel Tower. The next tallest structure in Orario besides Babel were the city's walls – walls that easily surpassed the Great Pyramid of Earth. Babel Tower was easily the tallest man-made structure on the planet. Climbing the outside of the tower would take a rather long time with a high risk of falling to a very painful death. Meanwhile the elevator leading to the Penthouse was separate from the elevators used for the public – with access only allowed to a select few deities, Guild officials, and certain members of Freya Familia itself.

Attacking or infiltrating Babel Tower risked garnering the wrath of the Guild. Good luck living in the city after getting fined out the wazoo or imprisoned after the Guild sics various Familias after you! Only the likes of Evilus have ever been bold and stupid enough to attack Babel Tower in recent memory; and that was only back during the height of their power.

So it made sense for Chloe and Luniore to be less than convinced when Anya insisted they could just head up to the Penthouse with no problems. More so when Anya decided it was still a good idea to go in full adventuring gear. Spare spear to boot.

"Yeah, how exactly are we able to just head on up again?" Luniore asked skeptically.

Anya, in a rare moment of being serious and solemn, pulled out a golden medallion bearing the profile of a Valkyrie warrior – the emblem of the Freya Familia. Such sigils are often used by Familias as forms of payment. And in larger Familias, they are often used as forms of identification and authentication – a security precaution against illusionists and masters of disguise. At least, for those who bother to implement such security methods; and Freya Familia was one such Familia. Not that the Executives and Aces of Freya Familia often needed to actually flash their identification.

Anya said in reference to the medallion, "When I was kicked out of the Familia, it turns out that I was allowed to keep all of my stuff, nya. Despite being only Level 4, I and my big brother had access to her place up top, nya. I guess she forgot to ask for it back when I was a-abandoned, nya…"

Anya was basically saying that because Freya hadn't taken this medallion back she was able to bypass the security around Freya's penthouse and head straight up to it wholesale. At least, assuming that her medallion hadn't been removed from whatever security books that might be used to denote which sigils were valid or not.

Chloe, meanwhile, furrowed her brow in confusion and suspicion. The fact that Freya-sama would forget to take back Anya's ID when she had functionally cast Anya out of the Familia seemed… unrealistically nonchalant. Freya Familia was strong, but it didn't get strong by cutting corners and being THAT arrogant. In fact, from Chloe's perspective, it almost seemed if Freya-sama WANTED Anya to still be able to come and see her whenever Anya wanted…

Luniore, however, noticed that Anya's continued possession of the medallion felt off, but hadn't deduced the reason like Chloe had. Luniore voiced her concerns, "And you don't think they just informed the guards to take your sigil out of their books?"

"Nya?!" Anya was startled, "I didn't think of that, nya!"

"Stupid–" Luniore began to chide Anya with annoyance yet well intentions only to be interrupted.

"No, they wouldn't do that, nya," Chloe speculated, "That would have led to an increased chance of rumors spreading, nya. Banishing the sister of Vana Freya… that news would damage the Familia's reputation, nya. While Freya Familia is known for being strict and only accepting the best of the best, nya, the act of splitting up family would get too much negative attention, nya. If there is one thing Freya Familia cannot stand, it's people talking or doing anything bad to their Goddess, nya. Thus, Freya-sama likely kept the entire matter quiet so as to prevent her followers from lynching people in retaliation, nya."

"That… makes a disturbing amount of sense," Luniore admitted after a moment.

"I-I definitely understand everything because I'm such a Great Detective, nya!" Anya said, lying as easily as she breathed.

"LIAR!" Lunoire instantly retorted, aggravated at having to be the straight-woman in a comedy skit.

"Why did we think we could get anything done, nya?" Chloe said with a sigh, "I could be dreaming of Bell's plump butt in my cozy bed right now, nya… But instead I'm explaining the obvious to two dumb-dumbs, nya…"

"Who are you calling dumb?!" Luniore growled, bonking Chloe over the head.

"It hurts!" Chloe yelped.

"Hah!" Anya laughed at Chloe, before getting bonked as well, "It hurts, nya!"

Lunoire ground her teeth, bitting out, "Let's just get going. And try not to look like idiots. For five seconds. Or else. Medallion or not. They won't let us up. If we keep making a racket!"

"Yes ma'am, nya."

"Yes ma'am, nya."

The two cats said in unison as Lunoire successfully got everyone back on track. Deciding to behave, the trio properly made their way into Babel Tower. All three in various states of anxiety as they wondered if Anya's medallion would actually work; while Anya silently worried over whether she'd actually be able to face Freya-sama even with her friends by her side…

---

As the elevator opened, Luniore and Chloe still held expressions of disbelief. Expressions they had worn the entire elevator ride up.

"...It really was that easy," Luniore said quietly.

"Yeah, nya," Chloe agreed in shock.

Indeed, the trio of girls had only gotten strange looks from the Guild employees that blocked the way to the secret elevator leading up to Freya's Penthouse. Otherwise they had been let through without any problems. In fact, they had gotten through almost too easy.

"I swear they used to have Familia members watch the elevator entrance, nya," Anya commented idly, "Maybe they took a cat-nap, nya?"

"Somehow I doubt that," Luniore deadpanned.

"..." Chloe was silent, once again suspicious of the ease in which this all was going.

"Now that I think about it, there used to be maids stationed at the top of the elevator, nya," Anya commented, sending alarm bells up Chloe's spine. Anya continued saying, "Something about refreshments after a long ride up, nya."

"Anya, stop jinxing us for fuck's sake…" Lunoire sighed, also noticing how many 'flags' Anya was raising with her ominous comments.

"You're not the one who's confronting the one who abandoned her, nya!" Anya hissed, her eyes watering as she suddenly snapped. "I might be pretty dumb, but I at least can take a hint, nya!"

Luniore's eyes widened wide before she winced. Feeling guilty, she apologized, "...Sorry. This whole thing is rather scary, but you've got it the roughest of us."

Chloe and Luniore had only noticed by the time of Anya's outburst that the poor girl was desperately acting like everything was normal. For her and their sakes, Anya continued to act as normal as possible so as to keep herself and everyone else from being as anxious as Anya was deep inside. The scars from that day so long ago still rung deep in Anya's heart.

And despite that, Anya was still here. Willing to confront Freya with her friends, with her new family by her side. Because as dumb as Anya was, even she knew that if she wanted to move on with her life, she needed to confront the past. Needed to accept that there was no future for her anymore with Freya Famila. That ship had long since sailed… that chariot had long since left the colosseum.

Chloe, her face flushed with embarrassment, meekly grabbed Anya's hand as she said, "...Sorry, alright? I'm not used to this mushy emotional crud, nya… But I'm… sick of being lonely too, nya."

Anya found herself blinking away her tears as Luniore grabbed Anya's remaining open hand with her own. Luniore said meekly, "It's not quite the family I had been envisioning, but… I wouldn't have it any other way… you two are still stupid though."

"Way to ruin the moment you perverted housewife, nya," Chloe scoffed, pointing out what might as well be Luniore's fetish outload.

"Good heavens we cannot stop bickering for five seconds, can we?" Luniore sighed in exasperation, her lips twitching in barely restrained amusement.

"You… you guys…" Anya sniffed, her watery eyes full of joy, "are the best, nya!"

Anya proceeded to pull the two other girls in for a group hug. To the girls' mutual faux protest. A fake protest that soon gave way to girlish giggling as they all forgot where they were. And the fact that this place should have plenty of people able to overhear their antics.

And as if to answer the question to the Penthouse's unusual quiet, the girls quickly fell quiet as they all heard the sounds of heavy footsteps approaching from deeper within the Penthouse floor.

The trio watched the door at the end of the hall across from the elevator with tense eyes. It felt like a small eternity before the door finally opened, revealing a large muscular boar-man.

It was Ottar, the King.

"O-Ottar-sama…" Anya gasped out, somehow able to speak despite being in the presence of the city's strongest adventurer. Anya's grip on the other girls, and vice versa, refused to budge in the face of being suddenly confronted with the Level 7 adventurer. Survivor's instinct forced them to freeze up.

"Indeed," Ottar gruffily replied before saying, "I've been told to expect you."

The trio of girls were silent. The sudden implication that Ottar knew they had been coming took a long moment for them to process. Only Chloe had managed to put all the pieces together. The ease of access, the lack of guards from Freya Familia itself, the absence of the maids in the Penthouse. Freya had somehow known they would be coming and had been one step ahead of them. Freya had clearly made the obvious observation that Anya and the girls would prefer to make contact with her at the Penthouse over Folkvangr.

The only thing that Chloe hadn't been able to deduce was why Freya was seemingly running from them. Did it really matter where Anya had this discussion with Freya at? Why was Freya leading them on like this?

"Freya-sama has summoned you, all of you, to our Familia home," Ottar bluntly dropped another bombshell on them, not giving them a moment to recover, "You are to arrive around this time tomorrow. You are to come prepared for combat. There will be consequences should you choose to not appear before the Goddess. Am I understood?"

The three girls rapidly nodded that they completely understood the words spoken by the Level 7 adventurer.

"Good," Ottar said simply, "See yourselves out."

With that, Ottar turned back around and headed back into the Penthouse proper, leaving the three girls outside the elevator where he found them.

The three girls were silent for a solid minute as they continued to hold each other. Stunned by equal parts fear and incredulity at what had just happened.

"...Fuck, nya," Chloe deadpanned, succinctly summarizing the turn of events.

"L-Language, nya," Anya meekly chided.

"N-no, Chloe has a point," Luniore meekly agreed with Chloe's point. This current situation was all kinds of fucked up.

"W-what are we gonna do, nya?!" Anya fretted. Th trio had all but been outright told to go to Folkvangr and to come prepared for a fight. A fight with Freya Familia itself. That was the opposite of good news.

"We…" Chloe said slowly, "Are gonna need to get ready for the fight of our lives, I think, nya."

"Heh, w-who wants to live forever anyway?" Luniore said with a shaky grin, still perturbed by the sight of Ottar.

It would seem in the end that Chloe was right. Of course confronting Freya wouldn't be that simple to pull off. They were going to have an exciting night tomorrow, that much was certain…

---

Main POV

Breakfast the next morning was a quick affair. Quickly made and eaten oatmeal, where everything was consumed and cleaned up in little over an hour.

As we cooked and ate, we all went over how this training exercise was going to go.

The idea was that we would be simulating an open battlefield. Lili was going to represent the average adventurer while Ais and Ryuu were representing enemy generals/lieutenants. Finally, Lefiya would be representing both enemy magic casters and large contingents of enemy combatants; or put another way, Lefiya's magic was to represent what it would be like to be attacked by multiple adventurers at the same time.

The goal was for me to defeat or evade Ryuu and Ais so I could attack and neutralize Lefiya. Which was something that Ais pointed out a problem about.

"...But, Lefiya isn't used to moving around a lot," Ais said calmly, pointing out that as a mage in the rear Lefiya was usually stationary in most encounters. She would be easily caught up to, should I manage to get by them somehow.

"I wouldn't worry about that," I said, "Lefiya is the fastest woman alive if the circumstances are right."

"Bell?" Lefiya said questioningly, as if asking to confirm it was okay to use my magicks.

"After the War Game…" I said, shrugging my shoulders as if to say 'what can you do?', "Everyone will get a good look at my magic. Hiding it will be impossible. So, feel free to use my magic as you wish."

Lefiya seemed to freeze for a moment before she suddenly smiled gratefully, "I… thank you, Bell…"

Er… Lefiya was sounding like I had done her a massive favor all of a sudden. I guess as an elf, she took promises like 'don't use my magic unless absolutely necessary' extremely seriously. Well, it sounds more serious when phrased that way. Anyway, I'll just choose to admire Lefiya for having strong character.

Meanwhile, Ais was looking completely lost. Her head was tilted with a light expression on her face that screamed 'what are you two talking about?'

"Lefiya and I will show you later today," I said with an amused grin.

"You better prepare yourself, Bell," Lefiya said teasingly, "Because I know that Ais-san is still going to kick your butt!"

"I'm well aware that my spell isn't all powerful," I pointed out with a roll of my eyes. I can still imagine Ryuu kicking my chest in!

It just made MOST fights rather easy. Then again, most of my fights have been against people weaker than me. And Hiraishin didn't really mean much against really big monsters outside of making dodging easier; since for those monsters I probably needed Argonaut and I'm not sure if it will ever be possible or not to use Hiraishin while charging that Skill. Maybe when I'm a higher Level and the Skill and/or Magic evolves more?

"Bell-sama is ignorant of how those words would piss off most adventurers because of how strong his magic is," Lili deadpanned, making it sound like I was complaining about Hiraishin not being even more OP.

"Lili-chan is ignorant of how 'Bell-sama' is going to have to start beating off her suitors with a stick," I shot back at her teasingly.

Lili blushed. Moreso in furious embarrassment rather than flustered embarrassment. As an expert in being embarrassed, I can tell you that there is a difference. "Shut up!" Lili screeched. It was clear that she was going to continue to deny that she had been glowing (metaphorically) ever since the chains of Soma Familia had been lifted from her. And thus was now absurdly radiant and attractive.

Ryuu suddenly got up from her seat, her bowl empty, and said, "We should hurry up so we can begin the exercise as soon as possible."

Ryuu moved over to the 'sink' to clean her bowl… while pulling an apple from somewhere and started eating that too.

It really says something when Ryuu is stress-eating that much… At least she's eating something healthy?

"Bell-sama seriously needs to make up with Ryuu-sensei," Lili pointed out, an amused grin on her face.

"Eh?" I stuttered, how exactly had she come to that conclusion all of a sudden?

"It does feel like Sister Ryuu is excited to finish training… maybe so that Bell has no excuse to run away from the chewing out he deserves?" Lefiya postulated with a confused tone, clearly not having any idea why Ryuu was 'upset' with me to begin with.

"Et tu, Lefiya?" I rhetorically commented in dismay, wondering what I did to deserve getting ganged up on so. Where had all of our brother-sister camaraderie gone? Oh right, siblings love to mess with each other. I retract my complaints on this front.

"...Bell should apologize when he does something wrong," Ais chimed in confidently. Despite that, it was clear that Ais was lost and had no idea what we were talking about. Ais, you absolute airhead, stop being so precious and exasperating at the same time, please?

"I was going to do that anyway, geez…" I grumbled, getting up to clean my own dish. I decided to ignore Lili as she continued to chuckle at my expense.

---

After cleaning up, we put the remainder of our food in a bag and hung it from a high tree about 60 meters from camp. Monsters would only really stumble upon our camp because they were smelling our food. This way, if monsters did come over, they'd only eat our food instead of destroying our tents and other mundane supplies.

With those precautions out of the way, we went over to the plains to the northeast where the battle against the Black Goliath had once raged. The evidence of the battle erased from the Dungeon's self-repair.

The field we were on could easily hold a battle between two small medieval armies. Lefiya and Ais were on the far end while Ryuu and Lili were halfway between me and them. The goal was for me to break through the opposing 'army' and attack the enemy 'general' Lefiya. And we would start as soon as Lefiya launched an opening salvo of magic.

This entire training simulation was an extreme live-fire exercise. But with all the potions we have combined with Ryuu and Lefiya's healing abilities, we'd probably be fine. Besides, I just need to not get hit and remember to pull my punches when it's obvious I'll hit and vice versa.

My ability to sense Mind wasn't the greatest, like most adventurers who aren't personally trained by the likes of Riveria. But even I could feel Lefiya firing her magic off an instant before I saw the flash of light in the distance.

A salvo of fire lances too many to bother counting splintered off and spreading out as they arced through the sky in my general direction. Ironically, much of the field around me darked as the shadows from the fire lances reflected light from the crystal ceiling from hitting the floor.

Not wanting to be flambed by Lefiya's Fusillade Fallarica, I started frantically running forward in the hopes that I could run past the strike area of her attack.

But, as I did so, I soon noticed a flash of light out of the top of my periphery. Instincts screaming at me to stop and dodge, I dug my heels into the ground before turning and rolling back the way I came. And it was good I did, because the first bolt to hit the ground did so right where I had been running.

The ground shook as the impact exploded, leaving a crater in its wake. And shook again repeatedly as more of the lances struck the ground in rapid succession. Without hesitation, I dived into the impromptu foxhole in front of me as the world around me was engulfed in the equivalent of an artillery barrage.

For better or worse, it would seem my guess that Lefiya's lances didn't hit the same spot repeatedly was right. For I managed to wait out the remaining five seconds of the barrage in my hidey-hole without getting hit by a followup shot.

Not wanting to give Lefiya another chance to blow me to smithereens, I leapt over the top of the foxhole and continued to try and close the gap. And my effort paid off, for by the time another salvo of fire lances started to arc through the sky, I was within 50 meters of Ryuu and Lili's position – close enough to them that Lefiya would be forced to hold off lest she hit them as well.

Ryuu was in a defensive stance, duel wielding her Alf's Lumina along with the slightly rusted sword she returned to camp with the night before. Lili was holding her spear in a ready stance, clearly aiming to support Ryuu in combat with follow up attacks.

If my duels yesterday taught me anything, it was that my current arsenal of tricks wasn't enough to beat or immobilize Ryuu. I'd need to do something new and unexpected. Or, well, anything to mix things up. If only that sort of thing wasn't as easily done as it was said.

I slid Orion's Arrow off of my shoulders and into my hands as I charged in Ryuu's direction. Ryuu stayed still, content to let me close the distance while Lili moved to the side to flank me.

I halted my charge just outside of Ryuu's melee range, causing her to raise her eyes in perplexion. Orion wasn't a particularly long spear, so I was still just barely outside of melee range as well.

I thrusted Orion in Ryuu's direction, channeled magic through my spear, and yelled out, "Firebolt!"

Orion's Arrow proceeded to light on fire as my magic traveled through it. And by the time it reached the damaged magic stone on the end… it exploded like a grenade going off!

Something I had noticed particularly against the Viola was that as soon as magic hit the damaged magic stone in Orion, it caused magic to scatter like pellets from a shotgun. Which, effectively, made it so that magic would explode violently. Ryuu wouldn't have noticed this, as that fire enchanting magic of hers focused more on the metal of the spear than the gemstone, the small constant explosions from the magic hitting the magic stone would have been easily dismissed in Ryuu's case.

Anyway, thanks to the momentum of my Mind's movement, most of the explosion was focused in Ryuu's direction even though it did go in all directions.

Unfortunately, Ryuu was fast enough and out of range enough that she was able to leap back and avoid most of the unexpected explosion. Which, I mean, is good because I don't want to actually hurt her, but still you get the point.

While Ryuu was retreating for a moment, I turned in time to see Lili trying to hit me with a sneak attack from behind. Moving with my turn, I swung Orion like a bat and knocked Lili's own spearhead skyward. I moved to knock Lili back by poking her with the pommel of my spear… only to wince in pain as the familiar feeling of my back getting hit with a wooden sword sent me flying over Lili's head.

As I tumbled to the ground, one of my hands went down to the pouch on my thigh and pulled out a few knives. Throwing them behind me, I teleported to one a moment later; and because of how my body was positioned when I teleported, I had reappeared in the air beside Ryuu as if I had done a flying jump kick at her before gravity immediately resumed control over me.

Keeping my posture short, I felt wind move my hair as Ryuu's retaliatory strike miss as I landed on the ground in a crouch. I lashed my foot out to knock Ryuu to her feet, only to feel her foot graze against mine through my boot as Ryuu nimbly cartwheeled over my outstretched leg.

I felt my face heat up, both in frustration that Ryuu had managed to narrowly dodge me again, but also… because something about our feet grazing felt lewd even though it really shouldn't. Damn you Internet. I swear I don't have a foot fetish damnit!

Instincts warning me of an attack, I flashed to one of the knives on the ground around me. From my new position, I could see where Lili had attempted to bonk me on the head with a deadpan expression on her face – hinting at the fact she noticed my lewd thoughts.

Fuck. She's never going to let me forget that…

I shot up to my full height, and into a defensive stance. Watching my two opponents, I rapidly started brainstorming a new plan of attack. Especially because Lefiya might remember to use Arcs Ray at any moment.

I couldn't easily take Ryuu out with Hiraishin because she could predict it. Or, rather, she could predict when I would teleport to something near her. However… there was nothing she could do if I forcibly teleported herself to me! The only problem being that I hadn't quite figured out how to do that consistently yet…

Come on, me, think! What was I doing each time I teleported something/someone to myself? Maybe there's a pattern?

Ryuu to myself to prevent her from getting hurt by the Juggernaut, teleporting my knife to me to protect myself and Syr from Vito…

Wait. Hold on. No. Surely it's not that cheesy?

…Well, this is the best time to try out my hypothesis, I suppose. I just need to get a Hiraishin mark on Ryuu because using the one already on the Hidden Blade she's wearing isn't fair.

Time to use tactics that basically everyone who knows and cares about me would disapprove of!

Gripping Orion firmly with both hands, I charged at Ryuu once more. She readied herself in place, no doubt getting ready to parry my attack before counter-attacking.

So I subverted expectations by stabbing Orion into the ground instead of at her. Confused, but likely suspecting I was up to something, Ryuu struck me with her wooden sword. And considering the force against my ribs, it was likely with the intent of sending me flying, but with a death grip on Orion, I was able to prevent such a fate at the cost of fracturing said rib.

Ryuu's eyes widened in shock and regret, but I ignored it as I took advantage of her shock to slap my palm into Alf's Lumina, still dug into my side, and yelled, "Hiraishin!"

Ryuu's wooden sword was now permanently enchanted with Hiraishin – assuming it wasn't broken.

I then spun in place, using the momentum to pull Orion out of the ground with one hand as my other reached for a knife from my pouch – throwing it in Lili's general direction.

Ryuu stepped away from me, looking conflicted as her adventurer's instincts hesitated to ditch her weapon despite her logically knowing that she was compromised as long as she continued to hold it.

Hesitation that I took advantage of. I yeeted Orion directly up into the air with great force. Then I flashed to the knife I threw at Lili. Lili had attempted to scramble away from being near the knife, but had reacted too late. I effortlessly grabbed the back of Lili's hoodie before flashing her along with me high into the air alongside Orion.

I grabbed the spear, stealing its momentum to temporarily continue flying upwards as my weight quickly began to stall its ascent. All the while I closed my eyes in concentration and began to mantra:

Ryuu is in trouble. Ryuu is in trouble. Save her. Save her!

I channeled a great amount of Mind, and with a flash of green, I pulled Ryuu to me with Hiraishin!

Ryuu gasped in surprise and shock at the sudden teleportation as I slammed Lili into her, sending the duo down to earth faster than me. I casually fell through the air and watched the two flailing for a moment before I flashed down to one of the miscellaneous knives strewn across the battle below.

I then looked up and quickly ran over to where the two were about to hit the ground. I outstretched my arms just in time to catch the two of them, my legs buckling more from the force of their speed than their actual weight. Looking down at the two girls in my arms, I idly noted that Lili was getting a faceful of Ryuu's modest chest. How lucky.

Ryuu, meanwhile, blinked in surprise as she processed what just happened. She then said after a moment, "...That combo would have easily left a Level 4 stunned and in a position to be easily finished off. I concede."

Ryuu admitted that aside from the technicality that she could toss aside her weapon, there was no reasonable counter to such a technique. Just that it obviously required a lot of risk in getting the opponent marked in the first place in order to pull off the combo. She, of course, would have been able to continue fighting. But this was just a training simulation so this was good enough.

"...That spell is so unfair," Lili grumbled, before agreeing that it was clear that she would have been eliminated in an actual fight by this point.

It was just a shame that I couldn't risk using a healing potion right now before I had to go fight Ais and Lefiya. I'm not certain if my rib was just cracked or if it's actually broken – and I'd rather that not heal incorrectly. Then again, fighting while injured is a skill in its own right.

After setting down the two, I summoned Orion's Arrow to myself by thinking about how I had wanted to protect Artemis/Elpis, and it appeared in my hand with a silver flash. I can say now that the Mind costs for summoning something to me cost about double than the base cost of teleporting. Which included the increased cost caused by size and distance from me.

Without an overcharged Mind Regeneration rate, a reverse-summon attack like I just did could only be used as a one-time use trump card. I'll be better off reserving this technique for summoning thrown weapons – especially Orion – back to me as it keeps the weight and distance levels down and thus keeps the Mind requirements on the cheap.

---

Anyway, it was time for phase two of the exercise. Get across another shower of spells representing the attacks from an enemy army and somehow defeat or immobilize Ais Wallenstein.

I somehow doubt that I'll get the chance to try and enter a Hiraishin chase against Lefiya with a wall like Ais in my way. Ryuu only let me by on a technicality and to give the others a chance to do something against me instead of holding me back the whole time like she definitely could.

As soon as I got outside of a reasonable distance from Ryuu and Lili, the sky lit up as Lefiya unleashed another salvo of Fusillade Fallarica at me.

I slowed my approach to Ais and Lefiya, carefully watching the shadows cast on the ground. Finding a spot where her spell wasn't blocking out the light, I dove for the 'safe zone'. Moments after hitting the ground, the earth shook as it endured the bombardment. I grunted in minor pain as debris from the explosions hit me, but otherwise left me unaffected.

Pulling myself back to my feet, I quickly resumed my efforts to close the distance before Lefiya could unleash another salvo.

Only to pale as a massive red magic circle appeared on the ground below me. This was Riveria's Rea Laevateinn, I had last seen it used against the hordes of Black Scorpions. Lefiya could essentially lock onto me while I was within the range of the magic circle!

I needed to dodge at the last second in order to not get fried. Thankfully, I had just the thing in my arsenal to do just that. It was the timing, however, that would be the tricky part.

I grabbed another handful of knives as I kept running forward. I noted the movement of the smaller magic circle that was perfectly tracking my movement out of my periphery. Ais and Lefiya were about 100 meters away when the luminosity of the magic circle suddenly increased!

NOW!

I threw my knives and began randomly teleporting between them.

BOOM!

Eruptions of fire burst from the ground with force. Shockwaves of air pushed aside by the flames scattered my knives from their intended arcs as if they had hit a literal wall. One of the knives I teleported had me reappear right next to one of the pillars of flame. It was so hot I felt the moisture on my eyelids evaporate through my closed eyelids or that the blood in my body would start boiling if I was exposed to the heat for much longer.

I quickly teleported to a different knife as the magic attack then ended.

Thanking that my clothes were fire resistant, I started patting down my hair to put out the strands at the ends that had caught fire and yelled, "LEFIYA ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!"

"You're the crazy bastard that charged me head on, what did you think would happen!?" Lefiya yelled right back at me.

I don't care how much of a fair point that was. That attack would have really hurt if I hit it head on!

Hefting Orion into my grip and holding back an annoyed scoff, I went ahead and closed the last of the distance – entering the range where Lefiya could no longer use her battlefield, AOE, magic. Which, of course, meant that it was also safe for Ais to engage me without getting hit with friendly fire.

Lefiya backpedaled away as Ais sidestepped in front of my general direction with a flourish of her Desperate.

Wanting to get a feel for Ais' fighting in comparison to the time we trained together, I didn't do anything fancy. Just a simple approach and melee engagement.

I stabbed towards her chestplate (reckoning it was a durable safe spot to aim for). Ais responded by casually parrying with a one-handed strike. It was almost lazy in its execution, though not intention. My intuition was telling me that Ais was warming up and would start 'accidently' fighting seriously soon.

And I say accidentally because Ais is the type of person who doesn't know how to hold back her strength at all. Ryuu is at least aware of how she goes too far…

Just like that night… not that I disapprove…

"Distracted…" Ais noted my lack of focus and punished me by then hitting me across the face with a spinning heel kick.

I could feel my jawbone crack as my vision had black spots as I was sent flying backwards. It was only by sheer luck that I managed to land on my feet, before stumbling back and falling to one knee.

"Ouch…" I uttered before immediately regretting my decision to talk. Wow that was a kick alright.

What was I doing again? Ais and Lefiya across from me, battle stances… oh right, training exercise. That kick probably gave me a concussion. Yikes… I… can probably still teleport. But moving things to me is definitely a no-go now. I could clear things up with a potion, but I doubt that Ais will allow me the opportunity to do so.

Deciding to try and push through it, I got to my feet. Ais, thankfully, hadn't been so ruthless as to attack me while I was down. Which, to be fair, is likely what many of my arrogant opponents in the War Game might let me get away with if I end up on the backfoot.

Reaching down, I grabbed a trio of knives and threw them in Ais' direction.

"Tempest," Ais chanted to counter, her sword and body suddenly overcome with a flurry of wind that batted all of my knives away from her.

I charged her head on, noting that Ais hadn't felt it necessary to call off her wind. Right as I was about to enter her melee range, I flashed to a knife that was about 5 meters to Ais' side. I quickly raised my hand, and chanted, "Firebolt!"

Despite the flash of light in her face, however, Ais instantly jerked her body in the direction I teleported to before stepping out of the way of my magical attack with an assisted push from her wind.

Ais' reaction to my teleportation was ridiculously fast. It made sense for Ryuu to instantly know, because she had experience against it. But for Ais to do the same? Was this the reaction-time of a Level 6 or is there something more to it?

My hair fluttered in the breeze given off by Ais' wind… which gave me inspiration for this conundrum.

Is Ais connected to that wind? Like, it's giving her feedback? That would make anything within her gale visible like planes by radar or fish by sonar. If so, she probably felt not only where I appeared, but as well as the fact that I hadn't physically moved from point A to B.

Which was unfortunate. While Ais learning about the basics of Hiraishin was always going to happen thanks to the War Game, the fact that it was teleportation was something I had hoped to keep on the downlow. Especially since Ais is going to be far from a fan of the Xenos.

The situation with Ais and Loki Familia as a whole regarding the Xenos was a delicate problem. Loki Familia was clearly an important ally in the fight against Evilus and will be vital for subjugating the fortress that is Knossos. But if they made moves against the Xenos like in Canon, then I will not hesitate to resist and bite.

Anyway, that's a discussion for another time.

Because Lefiya was kindly reminding me that she was still in this little duel too by chanting, "Unleashed streak of light, bow limbs of the holy tree. You are an expert of the bow. Shoot, sniper of the fairies. Penetrate, arrow of absolute accuracy. Arcs Ray!"

Oh, fuck me.

Frantic to dodge the homing magic missile, I threw Orion's Arrow high into the air before teleporting to it. Ignoring how my vision had blurred in two, I did my best to aim in the general direction of the white magic beam that had swerved in my newfound direction.

"Firebolt!" I chanted, pouring a significant amount of Mind into the attack, creating a bolt of fire and plasma with a diameter as long as I was tall.

Firebolt and Arcs Ray clashed mid-air, exploding violently as the two attacks impacted each other and detonated.

I don't have to aim if I just make the attack big enough! That would sound more impressive if it wasn't a massive waste and inefficient use of Mind or of my vision would stop being blurry.

Worse yet, the explosion caused a shockwave of high moving air that literally sent me spinning. I lost track of my orientation in the universe as I held back the urge to vomit all over myself as I helplessly began falling out of the sky.

I was 'lucky' to hit the ground on my back. But with my rib and my head, I'd lost all sense of orientation all while having no air in my lungs.

Despite this, my will to fight hadn't wavered just my… ability to. I flailed my arm around in a vain attempt to try and grab a Double Potion, but I completely had lost track of where my body was positioned so I utterly failed – that's how dizzy and out of sorts I was.

My eyes were open, but I couldn't really comprehend the light, couldn't process it.

Perhaps if the situation were more dire and not an exercise, I'd be able to push through and magically recover. But it wasn't. So I unconsciously submitted and relinquished myself to darkness.

---

Other POV

Fast.

Ais could hardly believe it. But Bell Cranel had moved faster than anything she'd ever seen before. When Ais had first heard Bell claim that he and Lefiya were the fastest people alive, Ais had thought that he was just mistaken or making light boasts. Ais had not thought then that Bell was lying, just that he hadn't witnessed the pinnacle of speed before.

Ais now knew different. Now she was all but certain that neither Bete nor the likes of the Vana Freya, Allen Fromel, could move so quickly. Not even with Ariel could Ais move that quickly, to accelerate from such conventional speeds to something beyond supersonic.

Even hours later, when Lefiya would go on to explain that it isn't actually a speed technique, Ais wouldn't be able to understand how he could move from point A to B without disrupting her wind until he reached the latter point.

(Lefiya explained that even she barely understood the technique. She was able to use it, and understood what she could do with it, but the mechanics were something she struggled with. Bell's hypotheses of things like 'wormholes' or 'alternate/higher dimensions' and 'the fabric of space-time' were something that Lefiya couldn't comprehend even with the education she had received from the Educational District with Buldur Familia.)

Ais had only managed to react to Bell because he functionally reappeared in her sightline (albeit in her periphery) and because her wind alerted her to his presence after he slowed down enough for Ais' brain to register him again. Put another way, Bell's speed had been so great that Ariel failed to keep track of him.

The fact that Ryuu Lion was able to almost effortlessly counter Bell Cranel's speed, despite 'only' being Level 5, was humbling. Ais couldn't help but remember how she failed to defeat Levis in combat when she fought the Creature in the Pantry. It was a stark reminder that Ais still needed to grow ever stronger, even faster to reach her goals.

To get revenge against the Black Dragon and to free her mother.

And Ais would do whatever it took to fulfill her selfish goals. Because she was no hero, just another hellbound adventurer.

So she'd keep watching Bell Cranel. Holding out hope that someday Ais could understand how he grew so strong, so quickly. Not just physically, but in character. When Ais first spent a decent amount of time with Bell, training on the city walls, she realized he was afraid. Yet he was fighting for something, for someone?

It is clear to her now that Bell has changed since then. Yet also stayed the same.

For Ais still saw fear in his eyes. Fear of… himself? Ais wasn't sure. She, who fought so selfishly, could hardly understand what it was like to be afraid of how one's actions could affect others. Ais isn't sure she wants to understand. Or perhaps that is what Ais is telling herself, consoling herself because only a hero could truly understand what Bell Cranel is going through and the burden he carries.

Still, even if Ais couldn't see Bell through the flash, she would keep trying. And wondering. Wondering what path he would walk, wondering if he could live up to the legacy of the heroes that Tiona insists on calling him.

Wondering if he would have it in him…

If he could spare the time…

If he really was a Hero…

…that he could save her too.

---

Main POV

It took me 0.001 seconds of regaining consciousness to realize I was getting a lap pillow.

I am not a pervert. Lap pillows are pure and seiso. This isn't a fetish. I've simply received so many Lap Pillows at this point that I have a doctorate in the field, or I would as soon as I write my dissertation. I didn't seek out this knowledge, but I do embrace it.

Anyway, I recognize the fingers running through my hair and massaging my scalp. Which is, in a way, ironic considering who those fingers belong to. I opened my eyes and looked up. I barely noticed Ryuu's modest mounds, entirely captivated by her face.

Ryuu's eyes were closed, with a peaceful smile on her face. Like all of her worldly troubles had left her. Like all was right with the world.

Despite the return of Evilus. Despite the fact her dearest friend's corpse was roaming the earth, causing mayhem…

Ryuu was happy.

Ryuu's short hair waved softly in the breeze. Her skin glistening in the pale light, for the dysfunctional day/night cycle of the Underworld meant it was currently the latter time of day.

Ryuu was happy.

The usual slight chill from 'only' being this deep in the Dungeon was gone. I felt really warm, my face was burning up and my chest felt fuzzy…

Oh. I fell in love again. I see.

It's embarrassing, yet I don't mind at all.

Ryuu's sky blue eyes opened, looking down on me warmly. And I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. I had ghosted her the day before the trip and she's clearly been confused by my behavior. Then again, I had the right to be confused too, right? She was the one who came unto me in the first place. Then again, Ryuu had been deeply emotional after seeing Levis/Alise and seeing me a-almost die…

Ryuu brought me out of my thoughts by poking my forehead.

"Eh?" I made a noise of confusion.

"Let's… talk after we're done for the day… okay?" Ryuu asked calmly, keeping her voice down out of a sense of privacy.

My face must be really expressive at times for Ryuu to so easily figure out what I'm thinking.

"It is…" Ryuu said with a chuckle, proving she was a mind reader without a doubt.

"You're thinking something silly…" Ryuu once again deduced instantly.

"True," I answered sheepishly. Somehow I couldn't help but simultaneously look forward to and dread the coming conversation with Ryuu.

Let's kick that can down the road and focus on training for now! Seriously, someone should have told me that training montages are not as fun or easy as anime like to make it out to be! I demand compensation! Universe! My civil suit for mental and physical damages is pending!

---

Author's Notes:

(1) Ryuu took Bell's conversation about possible haremness seriously. And honestly came to the conclusion and understanding that Bell might love multiple women deeply and genuinely. Ryuu is against the idea of harems on principle, initially taking Syr's mentions of them as a crude joke. These days she accepts it as a simple part of Bell's nature as a rising-hero. Because she sees his honest intentions in helping others. And because love can make one blind.

Poor Haruhime. Ryuu has the impression that she is a lewd girl. Talk about rough.

Lefiya's permissions in regards to Bell's magic have now been updated. The only thing stopping her is her own discretion. Which is a thing, as she is still trying to conceal how her Skill works to the wider public. So, like Bell, she can't use it in public or people might catch on. Which is interesting, considering how unless things change she is due for the 1st Knossos Expedition relatively soon.

The reason why Orion seems to explode occasionally is revealed. An interesting quirk of the mysterious magic stone on the end being cracked disrupting magic in an effect similar to a localized Ignis Fatuus.

While brief, the skirmish between Bell and Ais highlights that Bell is reliant on Hiraishin to beat adventurers that are a higher Level, and that if they can counter that, then he is in trouble. Moreso if their natural speed is significantly faster than his, which Ais still is. Ais' Ariel also just hard counters his ability to get in close and pull off his roguish sneaks attacks.

Bell was also just unlucky enough to get a concussion and was not in a position to heal. Not that it would have changed much but prolong the fight because of the fact that Bell would be hard pressed to use Argonaut against someone he isn't confident can take it; as he's realized how strong Ryuu's shield is and figured she could. And without Argonaut, Bell simply doesn't have the speed or power to overcome Ais. Or Ryuu for that matter, but not the point.

Meanwhile, Ais' thoughts highlight the fact that most people don't/won't realize that Bell is teleporting. It's a kind of magic that hasn't been seen before and most adventurers aren't inclined to reading literature or being scholarly. I'd say that most adventures have an 8th grader's reading and writing level and similar or less scholarly knowledge. Former nobles would have an education varying from high school level to college level in certain fields.

All of this is to say that literature featuring ideas like teleportation and wormholes and such is almost nonexistent. People don't see what Bell does and assume teleportation, they see it and assume he is somehow physically moving from point A to B through reality. Just at a rate they can't see or comprehend. So even though Ais didn't feel him move through her wind, she is more likely to assume he is somehow pushing the air aside in a manner that she just can't detect.

The fact that Lefiya also struggles to accept the concept of teleportation also makes the sell more difficult. Albeit, in Lefiya's case, she just doesn't completely understand the mechanics. Lefiya knows it's teleportation, but she doesn't understand the 'how' of it. And because of that, her assertion that it's teleportation just sounds like she's just guessing.

But it's really because Ais is an airhead who needs to read more and shouldn't have run away from Riveria's attempts to give her an education LOL.

Bell has personal issues. As usual. That said, he's almost through working through them all. Ryuu will once more talk him out of being stupid again. Probably. And no, I don't intend on Bell telling everyone he's a transmigrator. I only intend on having a few characters know that he has 'visions'. Because Bell is someone who wants to have genuine connections with people, and his lies of omission get in the way of that. Sorry if that's cringe for you?

And in case I wasn't clear enough, Ryuu may not want to have Bell be involved with Evilus, but she also promised to stand by him and so she's not just going to storm an Evilus base all by her lonesome. Communication is important people.

Anyway, while I usually have the next chapter basically written before I post, I don't have Chapter 23 done yet. So I'm gonna be pushing my release schedule to every 4 weeks. Sorry about that. These 30K+ chapters don't write themselves, RIP. Also, the current plan is for the War Game to finally kick off with Chap25. So that's a thing.