Danmachi Emerald Version

Chapter 4

Expedition Part 1

A/N:

Narration

"Dialogue"

Monologue

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅": Monster noise

sfx*

Guild, Evening

Inside a private room, after calling out to Eina, I am currently sitting in front of her who is thoroughly reading the letter I handed her. It's been ten minutes since then and she kept reading it again and again.

"Uhm... Lady Riveria," it was now that she gently put my letter on the table that I can see her troubled and confused look. "Isn't this...?"

"Yes, that is the daily training we high elves undergo so that we'll be able to cast magic," I answered her incomplete question, reaffirming her worries.

The letter I gave her is pretty much the rough draft of the ancient method we kept hidden from the outside world. And according to the letter, I am instructing her to piece by piece teach them to Bell.

"Won't we get in trouble for this?"

"It's not exactly that forbidden to teach it outside of the forest," I corrected her. We High Elves mostly stayed in our forest and mostly keep our knowledge inclusive to our kind to keep our advantage against other races. While this is not the full reason why knowledge of using magic wasn't widespread. It is one of the reasons why the usage of magic is scarce. The other reason is its complexity. To us, it is natural for us to successfully cast magic in our teens. And I am talking about elf years. A normal human would be already old by then. So it is a method that is tailored to elves with a long lifespan.

In short, it is an outdated and cumbersome method compared to gaining magic using a Grimoire or learning it from the Falna given by the gods. So teaching the fundamentals to Bell, a human, should not be a big deal.

"Due to a certain incident, I ventured into the dungeon with Bell," Eina gasped and cover her mouth over this development. "Don't worry, I am accompanied by Elly, the elf serving me right now, and Lefiya," I added to ease her mind. "We discuss various things like his goal as an adventurer and his desire to improve his mind and learn magic. While I did promise to teach him how we elves train as a reference, after reassessing it once more, I believe it is better if he learns it from his adviser.

"But Bell would surely love it if he learns it directly from you!" Eina rebutted while trying to hold back her words or at least to keep herself from saying unnecessary things.

I can see that she holds affection for him yet she prioritizes his happiness more so than her own.

As one of my admirers, I know he would, I thought seriously. I close my eyes and several images of him appear and the way he looks at me. This is also the reason I decided to push this on Eina instead. "I... I don't want to give him false hope." That's right, I don't want to give him false hope in pursuing a romantic relationship. His feelings for me are brought by the suspension bridge effect. Something that shallow should not ruin his future and it is better if he gets over me quickly and moves on to Ais.

"I see..." Eina, lower her head and whispered. "No development I see..."

"I'll be going now," As she still contemplates internally I stood and took my staff leaning on the wall. "The meeting Loki had with Ouranos should be ending soon, I'll be helping out here for a bit before going back to the manor. See you next time, Eina."

Eina, reply with a nod as she took a notebook and began to write the memo I left her. Seeing her like this, I asked Royman to give Eina some time.

"Lady Riveria, I just finished the task you've given," right on track, Elly quickly walks towards me.

"Don't worry, I won't leave just yet," I said to Royman who then quickly look at his surroundings. There are still several injured left and leaving means dispelling Nightingale as well.

I stayed there for an hour and even cast some of my healing magic as well. It was when Alicia came in and told me that Loki will be briefing the executives that I decided to leave.

"Hmmm?"

After walking a few feet away from the guild, I pause when I notice two individuals walking in a different direction away from the guild. Towards the direction of Mama Mia's bar.

"Is something wrong Lady Riveria?" Alicia and Elly who noticed my sudden stopped and look back at me.

"Its' nothing," I quickly replied to them. And to prevent them from looking in the same direction I was looking at earlier, I walk past the two to get their attention. "Let's go."

Twilight Manor gate, night

On our way back to the manor, the scene of the two happily chatting keeps replaying in the back of my mind as if my mind is telling me to recall an important detail. It begins to annoy me for some reason but it was after we reach the gate of the manor that Loki's offhanded remarks resurface in my mind and things start to make sense to me.

If ya leave it all to Ais, it will take forever before something happen. By then, he should have hooked up with Astrea's kid already!

His good nature, pureness, and courage will likely attract more to him. Not just women vying for his affection.

With his interaction with the pub, it is not surprising to see him be acquainted with her, the Gale in disguise, and Astrea Familia's surviving members. While she is still a fugitive for her actions a half decades ago, to us who interact with their familia and were involved with the battle against evilus can easily identify her. For most, we chose to turn a blind eye.

Somehow, Loki is aware of their connection and clearly chose to route for her. All to remove a potential lover to Ais.

Babel top suite, night

After the meeting with Ouranos, the Goddess of beauty quickly brief her captain about the detail of the meeting they had and leave all the details of how their familia would act to him while she curiously watches Babel from above.

"How odd," the goddess whispered under her breath as she lazily laid her back on her custom-made red chair. Right now, the adventurer Bell Cranel is standing at the top of Orario's walls. The very same wall he used to train with the sword princess. And it didn't take long before a hooded individual appeared to meet with him. An individual that she also knows based on the color of her soul. "I am more at ease knowing he is with her." Compared to all the women that flock near Bell, this is the only one she held no animosity with.

"Fufufu..." the goddess giggled as she intensely stares at him. Now that he knows of her presence, the goddess smiles. "Continue to grow for my sake Bell," Freya murmured as she plays with her hair.

Orario, northern wall borders,

"Exactly why did you wish to meet with me in this outfit?" Ryuu asks as she removes her hood.

After leaving the vicinity of the guild and heading back to the Hostess of Fertility, Bell asks her if she could meet him at the walls wearing her current adventurer garb and weapon.

"You're the only one I can think of Ms. Ryuu." Bell scratches his cheeks as he slightly blushes. This, in turn, made the elf frown as she clench her right hand into a fist while waiting for what he would say next.

"The truth is, I... I..." the more he hesitates, the more nervous Ryuu becomes as a certain fear starts to creep into her. The fear that what Bell would say next will be a betrayal to her friend Syr. "I want you to help me train!" Bell finally said in a loud voice followed by an almost ninety-degree bow. "You saw what happened earlier and I wish to try and duplicate it."

"I see," Ryuu breathed a sigh of relief as her clenched fist began to slowly open. "If that is the case then I'll accompany you for a bit."

From there, Bell explained to her the nature of his skill Argonaut and they began to try recreating the scenario using her magic. The purpose of the training is to replicate the accident that happened earlier and for him to get a hang of the proper timing of activating his skill. Their training didn't go unnoticed however when he felt that familiar gaze once more. Because of it, he loses focus and failed to parry Ryuu's luminous wind and was sent a few feet away.

"Are you okay, Mr. Cranel?" Ryuu asked as she lent a hand to him.

"Sorry about that Ms. Ryuu," Bell laughed dryly as she grabs her hand and stood.

"No need to," Ryuu replied with a reassuring smile. "We are here to train to begin with."

"True," Bell dusted off his pants before looking at his black knife. "There must be a way."

"I'm all ears," while the elf has some ideas of her own, she holds her tongue and waited to hear Bell's personal thoughts. This is his adventure. If he directly didn't ask for her opinion, the elf Ryuu will hold her tongue and wait for him to figure a way on his own.

"Why don't we cast your magic directly to my knife?" Bell reaches to her for the knife he is holding and stretches it towards the elf fugitive so she can directly cast her magic through it. And while the elf has a similar idea at hand, ie casting her magic to the blade of his knife while he tries to familiarize the proper timing of releasing his skill, the thing he suggests will require closer contact with him.

"I... a I think this is too early for us to have that much level of skinship," Ryuu panics and begin to stutter. "A-a-a-a-a-and this might make Syr interpret it the wrong way."

"Ms. Ryuu?" Bell tilts her head at the panicking elf. Wondering how Ms. Syr is involved in all of these.

"I-in any case Mr. Cranel, it's best if we continue this another day." Ryuu continues as she put her hood on to hide her face after noticing a new presence approaching them. "See you tomorrow," before leaping off the wall leaving him with a new guest. She did not worry about his safety since the new individual is an acquaintance of Bell after all.

"I wonder what is wrong with Ms. Ryuu," Bell wonders as he picks up his knife and began to place it on the holder located on his right thigh.

"Is that you, Bell?"

"Ha-Hai!" Hearing a sudden voice calling him from his back, Bell accidentally drops his knife to the ground before making a quick 180-degree turn. "Ms. Ais?"

"Hm," Ais replied with a nod as she look curiously at the knife he dropped. "I was on patrol nearby and noticed magic being cast here."

"Ah... I was training with Ms. Ryuu a while ago."

...

For some reason, Bell saw the normally deadpan face of the Sword Princess frown with disappointment.

"Train? what kind of training?" Ais ask darkly.

fast!

In a blink of an eye, she quickly shortens their distance. Right now she is standing face to face with the white-haired adventurer known as Bell cranel that dared train with someone else without her knowledge. "And why didn't you ask for me?"

"Actually..." Bell began as he told her from the start of his encounter with the black tornado.

"Since she was there back then, I tried asking for her assistance to try and replicate what happened earlier." Bell finishes but it did not elevate the mood of the sword princess. In fact, she pouts even more after hearing all of that.

"You could have still asked for me," Ais said weakly.

"Ms. Ais?" Bell ask as he didn't manage to catch what she just said.

"... in that case let's continue where you left off,"

"Eh?"

"We'll continue your training," Ais said as she pick up his knife and handed it to him.

"Does that mean you have a long range magic?"

"Ah..." it then dawns on her that her only magic to date is Ariel. As it is not a long-range kind of magic and more of an enhancement kind of magic, trying to replicate what Bell experiences is difficult and probably next to impossible. "I... I have one but..."

"Is something wrong, Ms. Ais?"

Ais held up an open palm as she began to sort her thoughts.

That's right!

Ain pounds her right close hand to her left open palm gently.

I don't need to fully copy the scene. All I need is to let him feel the timing.

"Uhm Ms. Ais?" Bell once more asked.

"It should be ok as long as it is magic that you can amplify," Ais explain as she drew her sword, Desperate. "Watch this carefully,"

Bell nod in anticipation. "Ariel," Ais chants softly as her body is covered by magic. "Lil' Lafraga" She then thrust her sword forward and made a charge.

While it did not hit anything, Bell could feel the power of her move base from the air pressure from behind.

"At least I can help you grasp the proper timing in activating your skill." with a smile Ais stood next to him. "If we're fortunate enough, we might be able to apply your new technique to other types of magic as well."

Loki Familia manor

The same time Ais began her training with Bell

"Uhm... is it okay for me to hear this?"

Inside Loki's office, Loki gathered her three top executives to hold a small meeting regarding the discussion she had with Ouranos.

Among the personnel in her office, the one that voiced her concern is the elf Elly who is neither part of the Loki Familia nor an executive.

After accompanying the high elf to Loki's office, as she is about to leave, Loki told her that she needs to stay with them and begin to discuss the issue with her executives without hearing her in. This include where the black tornado came from and the plan they agreed upon in leading the expedition.

It will be difficult to fully command adventurers from a different familia to fully follow their orders so they decided that while the two strongest familia will take the lead, others are required to follow them with their respected party. That way they will still feel a sense of their own autonomy and will be able to deal with the opponents with a group they are familiar with. It will also lessen the burden of command as it will all fall on the shoulders of the party's leader.

"The guild is already distributing this information to other familia," Loki wave a hand as a means of telling her that thjs is not a big deal. "You'll likely party with the shrimp's brat so you should listen in," Loki added. "That shrimp is useless and that brat of hers is only a fledgeling adventurer in this regards." While what Loki said is true, she did leave out an important detail. With Lily knowing their formation and location, it is more likely for them to follow their path.

While I plan to lessen the possibility of meetin with that woman it's not bad to prepair a contingency incase it did happen.

"I-I understand," Elly replies as she is clearly seen more focus now than before. Finn slightly frown of the sight of this and while Gareth tried to laugh out loud over Finn's jealousy but he was quickly hit by Riveria in the head in order to stop him.

North west plains, night

As the resistance against the black beasts continue,in a certain tent, two goddess decide to hold small meeting.

"I appreciate the assistance you gave us," the goddess with long blue hair began.

"Dont fret about it, Artemis," the other goddess replied. "We are widening our defensive peremeter when we saw your familia strugling against them. And defeating those deviants help my children more than you. Aiding you was just a bonus."

"I see," Arthemis ponders. "In that case you wont mind if we do not over stay our welcom."

the goddess who heard this frown and crosses her arm. "When did you turn coward?" She asked with a condecending tone. "You? the Goddess of hunting running away from something like this?"

"Only someone with a narrow mind would think of that," Artemis did not bit the provocation made by the other Giddess. Instead, she shot back to her.

"Really now, do we?" the goddess while trying to maintain her composure is clearly agitated by Artemis' comment. "Do pray tell then. Where will you be going when that whole world is in chaos."

"Elos Ruins," Artemis replied which cause the other goddess' eyes to open wide in shock. "I believe this whole comotion will quickly weaken the protection of the seal. If we dont act fast, its not just those black twister that we will be dealing with."

"True but-" The goddess stood from her chair and look at Artemis in contemp. "Can you even survive the travel when they are waltzing all over the place?"

Artemis grumbles but did not proceed to answer back the rebutal of the goddess.

"Help us until those fiend stop appearing," the goddess ordered. "You can leave by then."

"Then why dont you do something about it?" Artemis glrade back to the other goddess.

"We would if we could," the goddess replies with a bitter expression as she turn her head towards the tent's entrance as a means to say that the Goddess Artemis is now free to leave.

Aaaaand Cut!

With this the chapter came to a close and the last chapter for the year of 2022.

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