Is It Wrong To Celebrate My Title?


Author's Note: Before anything else, the most important part of this- If you like this story and want to keep getting updates for it, please follow me on Ao3.

I love FFN, I've used FFN for decades and I'll keep posting on FFN, but I don't know how many people will even see this chapter, because FFN's email notifications have been broken for months now.

If you're following me here, then I hope you got emailed about this update and saw it... But most likely it's still broken when I post this and so you didn't, and few to nobody else will either. I was hoping they'd have it fixed in a few days, but it's been like this since September, with no clue when it'll be fixed, if ever. This site simply isn't reliable anymore, and unfortunately, I'll ask you again- please follow me on Ao3 instead.

Other than that… Hooooly shit this one got away from me! Remember when I said I was aiming for 12-15k words or so as a good length? Well, this one just kept going. So, here's what's essentially 2.5 chapters all in one, it should be a good amount to read at least!

I think I just had too much fun with a lot of the scenes, and then when I realised it was getting too big, I didn't have a good stopping point, so it just kept going till the end. Probably everything's a little longer than it needed to be, but hopefully, there's some really good stuff to enjoy too, I tried some new stuff with the raunch especially!

This is the chapter where we finally see the Denatus and Bell's new title. And I want to say thanks again for all the suggestions I got! I immediately realised they were way better than what I was thinking of, and I ended up going with a reader suggestion than my original plan. As thanks for that, I tried to mention or make use of all the ones I could through this chapter, so hopefully if you made a suggestion you'll see it here!


Denatus. The grand and glorious meeting of the Gods had come again. The august deities that governed Orario, and who ran the greatest Familia in the world would be convening once again, and through their divine wisdom, the mortal adventurers would be granted new titles to cherish.

The summer sun hung low in the sky, yet the entire city was already abuzz with the news.

Excitement hung in the air.
Speculation tinted every conversation.
Wonder rang from every breath.

Almost as one, it seemed that all of Orario's citizens were waiting with rapt anticipation for what this day would bring!

All except one miserable-looking Half-Elf girl whose head was hanging low, dizzy, and bewildered in one of the Guild's private rooms.

Eina's day had barely begun, and already it had just been one thing after another.

First, Bell Cranel had come to see her and report his progress. She'd been delighted to see him, perhaps a little too visibly so, given Misha's teasing, but with all the stories going on about irregular monsters in the Dungeon, and hearing about him specifically being injured, seeing him hale and hearty had been a great relief.

But next, had come the news that he'd, somehow, unbelievably, ridiculously, against all logic, achieved Level Two, already! That had been such a shock that she'd screamed it aloud.

"You made Level Two in six weeks!?"

Even now, secluded away in one of the Guild's soundproofed private rooms, she could still hear her shocked words echoing shamefully around her head. She'd realised her mistake immediately and practically seized up on the spot before apologising with all her heart, but even now she couldn't keep the very tips of her long, Elfin ears from burning red with shame.

Eina had always tried to be a model of professionalism and protection in her role as advisor, even when the other advisors kept their adventurers at arm's length to spare themselves the pain of loss when the inevitable happened, Eina had always forced herself to be different, swallow her tears and do her very utmost to look after her charges, to strictly give them the information they needed and to keep them alive.

And now, her most wilful case had left her so deeply shocked that she'd accidentally blurted out his personal information right in the lobby of the Guild building! It was absolutely mortifying, humiliating, embarrassing! She was so ashamed she'd practically dragged Bell away to this soundproofed room, just to apologise to him as sincerely as she could!

He'd forgive her immediately, being far more concerned with savouring his success than worrying about her failure, he paid it no more mind than the time it took him to shrug her apologise off his shoulders.

She'd done a lot to keep him alive, he told her with an easy smile, he couldn't possibly worry about something like this in return. And, he'd added, adventurer's Level Ups all got announced sooner or later anyway, and with the Denatus scheduled for this very afternoon, it wasn't even possible his could have remained a secret.

He was right, of course, but that was cold comfort for the woman who was supposed to be looking out for him. Achieving Level Two this fast wasn't just "record-breaking" it was ludicrous, so ridiculous it was difficult to even put into words how insane it was- Now that her heart was settled enough to even understand that he'd somehow done it, Eina knew without a doubt that if she'd had her way, she would have delayed the announcement for a good long time, and perhaps even released it in time with some festival or another… An unbelievably fast, record-shattering Level Up from a completely unknown rookie adventurer was exactly the kind of novelty that would draw the attention of every one of the feckless, entertainment-seeking Gods that populated Orario to swarm all around the poor boy.

"I think for the Ninth Floor, we mostly just went through groups of Wall Shadows and some Kobolds, uh, maybe five or six groups of about seven each."

But worrying about Bell's fate and the notoriety he was soon to have was a concern for another time.

For now, she was slowly charting her way through yet another unbelievable realisation, as well as a slowly smouldering anger.

"Oh, and then, when we made it to the Tenth Floor there was a bunch of Orcs and Imps… Um… I think, er… About 10 Orcs and 15 Imps?"

Numbly, Eina's hands moved across the parchment, adding this tally to the list that had already taken up several pages of her notebook.

Compounding the dizzying upheavals the morning had already held for the poor Half-Elf, when she'd finally calmed down enough to stop apologising for leaking his information, she had regathered herself as a professional, reliable member of the Guild and done the most obvious thing.

She'd asked Bell Cranel, just how exactly he'd managed to make Level Two so quickly. And she'd committed herself to making a record, as detailed as they could manage, of his adventures thus far.

It had seemed so simple, so logical for Eina, nothing more than her standard practice of going above and beyond for the adventurers she looked after. Regardless of the sheer insanity of his feat, Bell Cranel had somehow managed to achieve a Level Up faster than anyone in the world had previously thought possible, although her mind wrenched at the idea, she accepted it, there was no denying that fact.

The Guild collected and announced information about all adventurers that levelled up, never anything that would give out private details but enough that it would help with the collection of Magic Stones for the others- pooling knowledge was the most basic of common sense. And so, Eina had wanted to focus entirely on how Bell had collected his Excellia. An adventurer who'd achieved Level Two in six weeks would be known throughout Orario and beyond very soon, there's no way anyone would overlook a record of his exploits, so if she could turn it into something like a guidebook "This is how Bell did it, follow this and you'll get stronger" then she could help all adventurers across the city! A guide like that could be something that would significantly decrease casualty rates, it could change the very face of adventuring in Orario if everyone could just follow the path that Bell had laid out!

Or at least… that's what she'd thought.

Instead, she was left with her hand trembling lightly as it scribbled across the page, and her head turning around on itself in increasing dizziness, as she listened to the adventurer, who'd become something like a younger brother to her, detailing the full, ridiculous, scope of his absurdly unhinged, reckless, insane, irresponsible, thoughtless, selfish, impulsive progress through the Dungeon!

Scores of Killer Ants.
An army of Wall Shadows.
Kobolds left, right and centre.
Orcs by the dozen, and Imps to follow.

If she didn't know better, she would have thought he was lying for the sake of trying to sound more impressive. But Eina had met many adventurers who'd done that in the past, usually in some misguided attempt to win her affection… but Bell Cranel wasn't a liar, and he wasn't a braggart, and the way he was just listing off his encounters, matter-of-fact, as soon as he remembered them, left her with no choice but to believe that he was at least telling the truth as far as he knew it.

And, judging from what she'd written down so far, that truth seemed to be that there was no force of enemies too dangerous for Bell Cranel to throw himself at, no matter how inexperienced, underequipped and ill-prepared he may be!

Holding up her hand, she stopped him, right as he got to the point of his latest adventure, when he'd gotten mixed up in this Minotaur situation.

"Okay, okay, that's enough Bell-kun, I think I've got a pretty good idea now... a pretty good idea of how little you actually listen to anything I say!"

"H-ah!? Eh? Ei-Eina!? I-I'm sorry!"

Anger was radiating off the half-elf in such vibrant waves that the, now level 2, Adventurer began shrinking back in his seat, waving his hands and trying to explain himself. But even that faltered, and instead, he simply hung his head with an apology, unintentionally acting as a perfect mirror for how she'd been when they'd first entered this room.

That sight, and thought, was at least enough to cool Eina's rampage.

She sighed.

"Bell-kun! I keep telling you, I keep saying it over and over… I know, I'm not there. So, I can't say for sure what the answer is. It's very possible that you made the right choice, that you needed to fight like you did. But please, I need you to remember- everything is meaningless once you're dead."

I'm begging you, her eyes seemed to say, as their gaze met, behind everything Eina did was the same conviction, the resolution she had to keep her Adventurers alive. It didn't matter if he had to run away, if he had to crawl in the mud, or had to give up his pride- if he came back home, that was all that mattered.

Bell could only nod. He knew his Goddess and Syr would both say the same, it was the same lesson Mama Mia had imparted to him, and even similar to something Alfia had said in passing. He had people he loved, people he cherished and people he'd made commitments to- he couldn't so recklessly throw his life away, and he shouldn't risk it thoughtlessly either… He was sorry for worrying Eina, and for going against her lessons. But, he couldn't bring himself to truly apologise beyond that, because he knew he didn't regret his choices- diving into danger to save Lilli, or to fight those two Minotaur, his life had danced on the very edge of a knife the entire time, but he would make the same decision each and every time. That was the path Ryu had shown him, that was the road Ais followed, and that was the path he'd resolved himself to walk down.

Which wasn't to say he couldn't have made much better choices leading to those moments, or that he couldn't have kept himself a lot safer if he was stronger, or smarter… That reminder also served to leave the boy's head hanging in shame. Ryu, he was sure, would say the same. It was pointless to hold tight to your convictions if you didn't also have the strength to make them into reality.

Bell hadn't moved at all from where he'd retreated into his chair, but slowly, he raised his head towards Eina's gaze and nodded.

Their eyes locked for a long moment before Eina's lips turned into a sly smile. In an attempt to clear away the slightly gloomy atmosphere that now filled the room, she leaned right over the table, towards the young boy and held her finger right up between his eyes.

"In any case- just don't be reckless, okay?"
"Right!"

At his word, she bopped her finger against the top of Bell's nose, treating him to some gentle teasing and a warm expression before returning back to her seat.

'That's enough scolding for one day,' she decided, 'For now, I'm just glad he's still with me.'

"Alright. So long as you do understand. You got lucky this time, but you can't rely on that-" she reminded him, pressing the issue just a little longer, "I can't believe you let yourself get wrapped up in that Minotaur situation at all. Thank the Gods the Loki Familia was there… Make sure you thank Wallenstein-san properly when they're back from their expedition, I'm gonna be upset if I hear you've run away from her again!"

Bell blinked.

'Ah.'

Until this moment, he'd never given any thought to how the Minotaur situation had been reported. But, smiling wanly at Eina's light-hearted testing, he understood. Just hearing about it, there was only one conclusion anyone would draw, wasn't there?

'She thinks the Loki Familia took care of them.'

Why wouldn't she? All the Guild cared about was that the rampaging bulls had been killed and that the Upper Floors were (comparatively) safe once again.

The Loki Familia had been passing through, they'd been the ones on the scene and the ones to deliver him to the surface. He would have looked like nothing more than a useless, rookie adventurer covered in blood, wounds, and shattered armour- who would have possibly thought he was anything but another victim of the two Minotaur?

'Eina thinks Ais and her Familia killed those Minotaur.'

He should have been relieved.

'She thinks Ais saved me, again.'

Bell could envision the scene that awaited him playing out in his mind.

He saw himself sighing with relief, scratching his head with a slight bow, and agreeing it was an amazing stroke of luck that the Loki Familia had happened to be passing by. He would say as little as possible, doing his best to escape from letting out any incriminating details, and at the end when Eina left to go back to her desk, he would sigh with relief, smiling to himself that he'd somehow managed to avoid yet another scolding from his advisor.

It wasn't a particularly gratifying scenario, but it was far more appealing than anything else. Bell hated to lie, even by omission, but even he understood that sometimes a white-lie was necessary to keep the peace.

If he told her the truth, all he would do is upset her, yet again. After everything she'd told him, after all her lessons, all her warnings and all the time she'd spent trying to help him succeed as an adventurer, telling her that he'd gone off and fought two Minotaur all by himself… Eina would be absolutely furious!

A small shiver ran down his spine as he imagined trying to explain that he'd done that even after Ais had arrived to rescue him, that he'd thrown himself at two Minotaur simply for the sake of overcoming his own weakness. She would be angry beyond words!

He was very aware that was exactly the kind of recklessness she'd just finished telling him off for.

He liked Eina. She was smart, she was kind, gentle and patient, and more than anything else, she was someone who'd always done her very best for his sake. Bell cherished that greatly- even if he didn't listen to her as much as he knew he should, and even if he got bored out of his mind when she set him reading books or maps, he still respected her advice tremendously.

Even he could tell how lucky he was to have her as his advisor. There was absolutely nothing to be gained from upsetting her, rather, he wanted to make her happy! He wanted to make her proud of him!

"…"

And yet…

…And yet, as her words washed over him, Bell found his hands curling into a fist and found an uncomfortable sensation running down his spine.

Eina's entire body was full of relief and tenderness, there was nothing but goodwill in her expression. And yet somehow, the way she was looking at him… like a woman talking to a beloved, but foolish younger brother… set Bell's heart racing and lit a spark of frustration in his soul.

His old self would have simply swallowed that feeling and simply considered himself lucky to get away without another lecture. But now, he was different. The confidence he'd felt in his Goddess's arms, in Syr's embrace, and in facing down his trauma resonated through him, and he could practically feel his grandfather's gaze on his shoulders. He'd come to Orario to become a man.

Eina was a beautiful elf, an incredible woman, one of the few people who'd made time for an unknown adventurer like him, and someone he was truly grateful for. She was like an older sister to him- but he did not want to be seen as her younger brother.

Ah, he was still immature. He was still foolish. Nothing but silly pride.
But he was a man, and it was a man's pride.

"No."

"A-huh?"

"You've got it wrong. It wasn't the Loki Familia that defeated those Minotaur, it was me."

Once again, Eina found her body jolting to a halt as her own thoughts resounded clear and loud through her mind. Bell Cranel was not a liar, she had determined just a few moments ago, and nor was he a braggart that would make up something ridiculous in a foolish attempt to win her favour.

"Ah, wh-ha, who? Wha? Minotaur?"

"Me. I killed them both.

And so, staggered in confused disbelief, Eina's brain spun in circles and her morning continued to spiral completely out of control, once again.


Completely oblivious to the existential crisis currently dawning on a bewildered Half-Elf inside the Guild's private room, the beautiful maidens of the Hostess of Fertility were busy sweeping, cleaning and preparing the pub for what would undoubtedly be a busy day ahead, and Syr was helping too- no less beautiful, but decidedly less maidenly.

With the excitement and anticipation of the Denatus electrifying the air, there was little doubt that the day and night would see the Hostess filled to bursting with Adventurers throwing back drink and trading gossip, thoughts or stories about the new titles and announcements to be bequeathed from the Gods. It wouldn't be quite as intense as one of Orario's great festivals, but it was certainly all hands on deck… although, as was usual in such cases, their minds and their mouths were on another task entirely.

"I can't believe White Hair really made Level Two-nya. That cute butt of his is looking better and better by the day!"

"It truly is impressive. Cranel-san has proven himself a remarkable adventurer already… as expected for Syr's beloved."

"In just a few months too… Gotta say, he didn't look like much when he first came in, but…"

"It's not just impressive-nya, it's incredible! Adventurer's level a lot faster than anyone outside Orario, but nobody levels up this fast-nya!"

"Ahaha, I'm so happy for him! Bell-kun! Hehe!"

Bell Cranel hadn't stayed long, barely long enough to kiss Syr good morning and to carefully avoid Chloe's own advances, but in his short stint through the Hostess he'd stunned the waitresses with the announcement of his advancement to Level Two, and made arrangements with Mama Mia for a celebration party with his supporter, for this same very night. Whether having some small soft spot for the boy herself, or simply taking the chance to push him for a more elaborate celebration, Mia had even generously allowed Syr and Ryu -his lover, and the waitress who'd helped guide him the most- to join him at the table. The hulking half-dwarf had immediately shut down Chloe's attempt to invite herself, and any chance for Lunoire or Anya to get out of their own duties for the night was just as summarily squashed.

And with that organised, taking no longer than a quick goodbye kiss to the silver-haired waitress, and a turn away from the Black Cat's imploring looks, the young not-quite-so-rookie Adventurer had disappeared into the great City once more. With his armour still in bits, and his equipment still to be refreshed, he couldn't yet head back into the Dungeon, but it seemed there were still a good many things to keep the young boy occupied.

His white hair was lost in the crowd and his presence faded into the distance, but in his wake, he left shock and excited conversation. If Alfia had been present, she would have surely considered that alone a good mark for his ascent to becoming a Hero.

"Hey, the Denatus is today-nya, do you think he'll get a title? He will, right?"

"Cranel-san appeared to be coming from the North, it is reasonable to assume that he was attending to the Guild before arriving here. Most likely he announced his advancement to his advisor- there should be no reason he couldn't be included in the Denatus."

"Hmm. They won't have any information on him, though. Even for the Gods, there's not much to work with… I wonder what they'll call him?"

"Young Boy Blissful! Nya!"
"Silver Blitz ╬ Blazing Flash!"
"White Haired Rookie! Nya!"
"…I'm sure the Gods will think of something fitting."

"Ahhh, I just hope it's something cute!" Holding her hands against her cheeks, Syr's face burned red for a moment as she considered that, "Although, maybe not… Lately, I've been thinking… Bell's actually a lot more manly than he first appears…"

"…"

"…"
"…"

Thinking of the soft, sweet and skittish Bell Cranel as manly immediately conjured up memories of a recent sleepless night among the other waitresses, and their faces blazed painfully crimson in response, all suddenly finding themselves far more interested in their actual duties than addressing any part of Syr's little monologue.

Instead, with thoughts of the young white-haired adventurer standing powerfully within each of their minds, Anya abruptly gave voice to an idea that'd been coiling across her thoughts since the previous night.

"Hey, Syr intends to support White Hair with that harem of his, nya?" She probed, leaning against her broom as her eyes passed over the other waitresses around her, "Well, then… Nya… Wouldn't it be nice if we all married him alongside her, nya? That way we could all stay together!"

Ryu baulked so hard her broom slipped from her hands, clattering to the floor as the red-faced Elf jolted stiff in place. Lunoire heaved a beleaguered sigh, Chloe echoed out a bemused laugh. But, true to her earlier words, Syr's face lit up in delight at the suggestion.

"Oh, Anya! That's a lovely dream, isn't it? I've thought the same thing myself. One day, when you all feel the same as me, I would dearly love to walk down the aisle alongside you four girls… it would be like a dream to me."

"S-S-Syr, th-that's, w-with Cranel-san… I really…"

While Ryu struggled to gather her words, Lunoire dismissed the idea with a shrug of her shoulders, "You two can leave me out of these dreams of yours. Hha… I can understand, Syr's just looking out for her man, I don't get it, but I can understand it. But I can't even take a suggestion like that seriously from you, Anya- since when were you that attached to Bell Cranel? You're just a lonely cat, scared of being left behind."

"!"

Reeling backwards from the blonde's words, Anya's ears drooped down, and her tail sank to the ground. Lunoire was a gentle and caring woman who looked out for those close to her, but she was also a former bounty hunter who'd lived every day with her life on the line; she knew how to punch directly to the point and how to understand the motive behind someone's words.

She knew Anya well and she cherished her just as dearly as any of the others in their little misfit group. There was absolutely no doubt her words were true.

And yet.

"So what, nyaaaa?" Despite that, Anya barrelled on ahead regardless, "Weren't you saying your dream was to marry a guy who'll look after you, so you can be a housewife and just laze around from then on!? You're always saying 'I'm sick of all this cleaning, and cooking and mopping, nya!' and, 'Ahh, another year passes, I wanna hurry up and find a guy to pamper me, nyaa!'"

Hearing her own words raised against her was enough to stop Lunoire in place, "I-I… I don't say nya!" she protested weakly, suddenly flustered.

"But isn't that selfish of you, nya? You just wanna sit around and have someone else do everything for you, that's definitely selfish! So then, White Hair would be a great fit! Since he's really selfish too, taking on multiple wives for himself, nya! A guy like that can't complain about you being selfish, and you'd have the rest of us around to help look after the house too- that's gotta be easier than cleaning this place, nya!"

Running completely over Lunoire's objection, and offering an insane kind of logic in reply, Anya took on a victorious expression as she puffed out her chest with pride.

"You can't seriously- that's! Ah… Hmm…" The woman once known as the Black Fist found herself stumped, the feline adventurer once known as Vana Alfi was usually full of nonsense and ridiculously un-earned pride… but every now and then, her particular nonsense struck a chord that was difficult to deny, "Hmph, what house? Since when did Bell Cranel own anything more than the clothes on his back? He's just another raggedy adventurer, he can barely look after Syr, let alone anyone else just yet."

No matter her past, Lunoire was still a beautiful, (mostly) young woman, countless patrons had approached her over the years. If she'd just wanted to get married to any old guy, then it was probably, surely just a matter of her making an effort. And for all her words, the years passed and she did nothing.

She did want to get married, and she did want to enjoy an easy life, lazing around… but she was also enjoying her current situation at the bar and the reckless companionship she'd found with the strangely likeminded waitresses here. For someone who'd been as isolated as her, through all the Familia she'd been through, finding the kind of knuckleheads she could fight with and argue with, as equals was something she didn't give away easily.

"But then… he has grown up quick, hasn't he? MMmm, but then, he's a bit young…" In the end, Lunoire just heaved another sigh and shrugged, "Eh, maybe I'll keep an eye on him. If he keeps getting stronger like he has, if he can keep up with me, a husband like that might be fun! Hah, sorry Syr, I know you're just teasing, but I can't agree to anything like that, just yet."

"Nyaha, well, unfortunately for White Hair, this beautiful feline has plans of her own! Sorry, Anya- I can't join his harem, because, he's going to be joining mine!"

Throwing her (flat) chest out with that declaration, Chloe was immediately lost in her own world of lusty daydreams, a wonderous paradise where she was surrounded on all sides by a quartet of adorable young men. Although, if the Black Cat's mind's eye had been focussed on anything thing except their cute butts all within her reach… she would have noticed that each of the boys in her imagination looked just like Bell…

It was a testament to just how pathetic the former assassin's love life had become, and just how poorly her harem ambitions were going. She had such little contact with the kinds of boys she dreamed about, that the only one to fill her fantasies these days was the only one she knew at all. In fact, the one and only romantic success the maladjusted feline had to keep her warm at night was that she'd finally experienced her first kiss… at 21 years old… via force…

Unfortunately, right as her fantasy was switching over to a re-enactment (and embellishment) of that wonderful moment, Lunoire snapped her right back to reality!

"You mangy cat!"
"Eh!?"
"Cranel-san is already with Syr! What, are you planning on stealing him away from her?"
"Eh? Ah… Huh!?"

Chloe spluttered to a stop, jolting in place as she recoiled from the surprise at those words.

Of course, she had absolutely no plans to betray Syr! She adored Syr, that silly silver-haired, lovelorn girl was one of Chloe's only and most cherished friends! But equally, while she absolutely, positively, (and repeatedly) delighted at the idea of getting her hands on Bell Cranel, Chloe had never considered joining in that harem of his that Syr had seemed to be championing. She'd always been intending to start a harem of her own, how could she join someone else's!?

"Have you seriously never thought about this!? And I thought Anya was the idiot here!"
"Hey! Don't lump me in with her, nya!"
"J-Just who are you calling an idiot, nya!?"

Ultimately, for all her daydreaming and her fantasies, Chloe's harem ambition had never been anything more than that. In all the years she'd been in Orario, in all the years since she'd hung up her old life, she'd never made a single step towards it. It had always just been a comforting idea for some time in the future, a pleasant dream to lose herself in… Even after gathering up the courage to approach Bell, and after kissing him, she'd still never thought beyond that, until this very moment, she'd never once given any thought to the logistics of her dream.

"Emmmmm!? Hmmm! Okay, I take it back, nyaaaa! Syr, I can share White Hair with you, nya!"

"Of all the arrogant…"
"This girl is hopeless, nya."

"I dunno about marrying him or anything, nya, I'll leave that all to you! But, we've gotta agree to put him in shorts, okay? You agree, right, nyaa!? That little butt of his, those lightly toned legs, it'll all… Ehh? What's wrong, nya?"

"Chloe…"

Rather than the excited expression she'd worn earlier, Syr's face had dropped throughout the course of this conversation, and by the time of Chloe's "concession", she was looking outright dissatisfied. The silver-haired girl's hands were around her broom, but it was making nothing but dispirited sweeps across the floor, and her eyes were radiating a kind of disappointment that the kindhearted waitress rarely let show.

"Nyaaa? Syr! Why're you upset? Were you not serious about sharing him!? Then why did you agree to all that, nyaa!?" Chloe was somewhere between frantic, concerned and confused, "Is that why you were so cold to me yesterday after I kissed him? Nya, that's strange! You're the one who was talking about sha-"

"..."

No words were said. But a heaving sigh from the Elf standing at the edge of the group immediately interrupted the catgirl's ranting and brought silence to the proceedings.

That Ryu was unhappy about this went unsaid. She was perfectly willing and more than happy to support Bell with Syr, but the sudden escalation of their relationship and the strange nature it seemed to have taken on had deeply affected the poor girl. She was a woman who'd tried to be flexible and who had failed, who had come to Orario to change herself and only managed to meet the world halfway. No matter how much it frustrated her, Ryu could only look at the world as an Elf, she could only handle things as an Elf, and a relationship like this was well beyond what any Elf would imagine.

And yet, despite her misgivings, despite her thoughts, worries, concerns and cares, Ryu still supported Syr. She supported her unwaveringly and without reservation.

Which was why the blonde's beautiful blue eyes were frozen cold, and why her beautiful, feylike face was twisted up in irritation.

"None of you guys get it. You don't understand at all."

Her sharp eyes matched an equally sharp judgement. Even if she didn't know anything about love or romance, she knew about Syr, she was sure about that.

"She's upset because you're just spouting on about yourselves. Syr loves Cranel-san. And, she wants you to love him too- but instead, you're all just speaking selfishly. It doesn't matter to her if he's being selfish, or th-that he's taking other wi-wives, she's accepted that already, and she wants to support him in it, not to make compromises because of it. Anya, you're just thinking about how you don't want to be left alone. Lunoire, you're just thinking about what you can get out of it. And Chloe, you're… absolutely shameless."

The girls each twitched in place as the Elf's words passed over them, unable to deny her words, Ryu's assessment continued.

"None of you are thinking about Cranel-san, or about Syr. I don't… it doesn't make sense to me, but… But she wants this. Syr doesn't want to walk down the aisle with fou- er, with three other women who could get some benefit from marrying Cranel-san. She loves him, and she wants to share that love with you… and none of you appreciate it."

"Ah, nyaa… that's…"
"Ah… C'mon, Syr, it's just, it's a lot for us, you know?"
"Nya, I wasn't really…"

"Ryu!"

The waitress's abashment was interrupted by the sound of Syr's voice immediately returning to its previous vibrancy. Face practically radiant with joy, the silver-haired girl launched herself at the Elf, wrapping the shocked blonde up in a menacingly affectionate embrace!

"Ahh! Ryu! I knew you would understand! Oooh, Ryu, please, won't you become Bell-kun's wife with me?"

The severe girl's severe expression had melted immediately and in its place was a furious blush as she squirmed in Syr's arms, and tried very pointedly not to let images of Bell Cranel run rampant across her mind.

"S-S-Syr… T-That's… Even as a joke, th-that's…"

*Th-CRASH*

An enormous dull sound of a fist slamming heavily onto the doorframe signalled Mama Mia having come downstairs to inspect their progress. And with that, the conversation was immediately, furiously, ended!

"!"

"HEY! I'm not paying you to stand around, GET BACK TO WORK!"


"Ah-Ow!"

The witch's fingers slammed into the boy's side, digging in directly underneath his ribs. His voice cried out in pain and the magic encircling his fist dissipated to nothing, as it died, so too did the warm sound of bells that had filled the church basement.

Bell grimaced in pain, and Alfia clicked her tongue, "I can't tell what's more annoying- you crying out like that, or that pointless racket your skill makes."

Trust you to develop a skill that makes so much noise, she had told him earlier, making it clear that -quite aside from Hestia's enjoyment at listening to Bell's Argonaut- the woman once known as the Maiden of Silence found it infuriating. And of course, the sound only got louder and more irritating the longer Bell held the charge.

Readying himself once more, Bell held back his words. This session was far from what he'd imagined, but he was in no position to debate her methods.

Why exactly had he been in such a rush after leaving Eina this morning? Why had he spent only a brief moment with his lover, Syr, instead of sharing his excitement about the upcoming Denatus and the war his Goddess had promised to fight on his behalf, winning him an "Acceptable Title"? His armour was smashed to bits and his equipment still hadn't been replenished, until he had solved both those issues he couldn't go into the Dungeon- by all accounts Bell's day should have been nothing but free time.

But Alfia had given him a strict order this morning. When he'd reported to the Guild, and when he'd done whatever else it was what he needed to do, until the time for his celebratory party, she would train him in the use of his newest skill.

How could he have possibly held back after hearing that!?

After the trouble he'd gotten himself into when he'd learned Magic and recklessly ran off to test it, Bell had managed to (just barely) hold himself back from heading into the Dungeon with just his coat for protection, for the sake of trying his skill out. Even if the name "Heroic Desire" was absolutely mortifying, it was still the first skill he'd developed by himself! He'd been practically bursting at the seams to figure out just what it was supposed to be!

His mother's sister offering to train him directly was rare enough, but training him specifically in his new skill? It'd been enough to set Bell's heart racing and blood pumping!

He'd cleared things up with Eina. He'd arranged things with the bar. And then he'd headed straight back home to train!

And instead, he'd spent the last few hours, standing in place directly in front of where Alfia was sitting on her bed, having her fingers jabbing and poking painfully into him!

He still didn't know anything about his Skill, how it worked or even what it did! All he knew was that it caused white light and a sense of power to flow into his hand, that it got louder and more powerful the longer he charged it for, up to about three minutes worth… and that if his concentration was interrupted, so too was the charge! That last one had been the primary focus of their lessons, something that Alfia had apparently decided the previous night when she'd seen him test it out, and noticed the power growing the longer he held onto it.

Rather than practicing building up a big attack, or finding out just what would happen if he used his magic with Argonaut at a full charge (apparently that was "far too dangerous" to use inside their home), Alfia had put him directly through what she'd informed him was exactly the kind of training a novice mage would learn for Concurrent Casting.

In short: Whatever it was his Skill did, if it needed to be charged, then it was worthless if he couldn't hold onto that charge while he was in combat. He was a frontline fighter, he couldn't possibly expect to just hang back and be given time to charge up an attack, he needed to be able to charge it while attacking, and -even more importantly- while defending.

Which was why he was currently standing firmly in place, shirtless, charging up his skill over and over again while doing his very best to avoid Alfia's fingers stabbing into his body. He'd been told he wasn't allowed to move his feet, but he could dodge and twist himself as much as he wanted, and beyond that, he had to just bear with the pain and keep his focus even while taking damage.

It was good training in theory. It all made sense when she'd laid it out.

But in practice, it was surprisingly painful and incredibly dull. For a boy who was yearning with all his heart to unleash his Skill with full force, simply trying to charge it as long as he could, over and over again, was about as unsatisfying as could be imagined!

"Hha…"

Closing his eyes for a second, the young adventurer once again brought to mind the heroic stories he'd read on his Grandfather's lap. Small motes of white light began appearing around his right hand, and the soft, warm peal of bells began to toll around the room.

"Hmph!"

And, as if the noise was her signal to attack, Alfia's onslaught began instantly.

With Bell's now Level 2 defence, his durability should have been far too great to take any kind of injury against a civilian's bare fingers. And with ranked up speed, trained with the Sword Princess herself, he would have thought he was far more than fast enough to dodge the attacks of a woman who didn't even have a Falna.

In practice neither of those things were true.

Even though she was orders of magnitude slower than him, and even if she was far less powerful than the Minotaur he'd already killed, Alfia's battle instincts were sharpened to a degree that he couldn't even imagine. Her hands flashed out and easily penned him in, predicting the way he would twist and sway his body, leading his movements on and-

"GH-Hhhh!"

-Striking at his most vulnerable, vital spots, over and over again. Directly into the centre of his abdomen, right under his ribs, between his ribcage over his heart, directly over his liver, Alfia's fingers were merciless and far more than enough to crush the defences of even an advanced adventurer. In just the few hours they'd been at this, Bell's body was already covered black and blue with bruises, and far more often than he managed to bring his Argonaut to full charge, he found himself crying out and his Skill being utterly shattered.

The sound of bells dissipated, and the white light disappeared.

This time he'd barely even lasted a minute. He was getting slower, and as his injuries mounted, it was getting harder to move like he wanted. Of course, Alfia didn't see any of those as reasons to even consider taking a break, much less stopping. As she'd already informed him, he could hardly expect to be uninjured when he was fighting in the Dungeon, the entire point of this training was to get his body used to pushing through desperate situations. If he couldn't dodge her attacks, then he needed to get accustomed to continuing his charge, even when getting hit.

It wasn't quite as spartan as the kind of ruthless training he'd done under Heith's direction, but it wasn't far off it.

He could deal with the pain. He was used to that kind of rough training. It was the dissatisfaction that hurt the most! It was like being trapped in one of Eina's lectures, he knew what he was learning was important, but he still wanted to do something more interesting!

For her part, Alfia was enjoying the lessons just a little more than he was.

The noise was irritating, whether it was from his cries of pain, or the chiming bells echoing around the basement walls.

But far more irritating even than that, were the thoughts and memories that had been running through her head all morning!

After everything that'd happened last night… from the sounds that'd woken her up, to the shadowy silhouettes she'd seen on the couch before her, to the sight she'd witnessed bathed in the moonlight after following Bell and Hestia to the upper part of the Church… Alfia had been dealing with some very troubling visions, the like of which she'd never faced before- and as a consequence, she'd barely managed to sleep at all!

Thankfully, Hestia had left first thing in the morning, so she'd avoided having to deal with the Goddess seeing right through anything she might have said, but trying to act normally around her sister's son, trying to push those same thoughts and those same memories from her mind while he chattered away as obliviously as ever, had tested the very limits of Alfia's icy façade.

The fact that this training had him standing shirtless, just a few meders away from her, made things almost impossibly difficult for her. It was necessary for his lesson, of course, her attacks would hurt much more on his bare skin, and would make it much more difficult for him to concentrate… but it also made it almost painfully difficult for her to keep her cheeks from turning red, and to keep the visions of him last night from pounding through her head.

In short, Alfia's very practiced and very forcefully controlled act of composure was slipping, and her true, passionate, personality was slipping through.

And so, teaching Bell to concurrent cast even through pain had turned out to be an amazing stress relief for her!

It was still training, of course. And he needed to learn this, of course.

But anytime her mind wandered away to the last time she'd seen him shirtless, to the sight of him unveiled fully before her in the pale moonlight, to the scene she'd seen with him and Hestia and how that little Goddess had moaned and screamed with a delight Alfia tried not to imagine…

"Hmph!"

"AHK-HHA!?"

…Her hands would slash through the air just that much quicker! And her fingers would slam into him with enough force to leave even this Level Two adventurer crying out in shock!


Meanwhile, in the upper district of Orario's west side, a certain blonde-haired God was preparing himself for the upcoming Denatus as well.

While his Familia hadn't made any remarkable achievements in the last few months, and the reports he'd heard from their expeditions to the Middle Floors had been mired in petty grievances and dysfunction, the fact remained that his children had been going on expeditions, and they had been working hard. Which was why he was doing a last-minute update for the Status of any of his favourites, seeing if any of them had pushed through to the next barrier, that he might have something to boast about himself among the other Gods.

Unfortunately, no such easy miracles came with Falna. None of the Statuses had changed markedly since he last saw them, and he would have no new reports to make this afternoon- rather, no specific need to even attend the gathering.

Even so, Apollo wasn't discouraged. He'd been on the lower realm for some years now, he was a hardened veteran among the Familia Gods, someone who'd worked hard and clawed himself up to his position among the upper echelons of Orario's power structure. He was well aware that Levelling Up was a process of years, and that there was no point at all in presiding over a Familia without patience and a long view. And so, any disappointment he may have held was well overshadowed by the simple pleasure of seeing his follower's growth and development, that his name would shine ever more brightly for the achievements that awaited them.

"Not bad at all, Cassandra. For all your moping, the results of your last expedition are really starting to show."

The sullen blue-haired girl in question simply nodded, saying nothing as her God's fingers danced across her Falna.

Stripped bare to the waist and feeling just as vulnerable and just as powerless as she always did during her Status updates, Cassandra had developed a technique of hunching over as much as possible without slowing the process down. Huddling into herself, with her arms wrapped tight around her massive breasts and her back kept as straight as possible even as she bent to her knees, she was doing her very best to present as little of her body as possible to the deity.

When he had forced them into his Familia, Apollo had made a seemingly sincere promise, both to her and Daphne, that he wouldn't lay a hand on them until their 20th birthdays. After that, if neither of them had found a man of their own that met his approval, he would take them as either his brides or consorts.

Whether he'd given his word out of some consideration for them, or simply out of a kind of divine amusement, neither of them could possibly know. The agreement was a farce, of course, they were all aware that there was no man he would give his approval to. Yet, all the same, the Sun God had stuck true to his word, and even as the two women had blossomed into such notable beauties within "The Penetrator's" Familia, they had each remained as chaste as ever.

But of course, promise or not, accidents still happened, and it was hardly uncommon for Apollo's fingers to slip during an update.

And so, Cassandra went through the process as mechanically as possible- saying nothing, keeping her body absolutely still, maintaining an absolutely rigid posture, presenting as little skin as she could get away with, and enduring the sensation of his unwanted hands upon her as best she could.

Thankfully, her God was being good today, humming happily to himself as he made commentary and as his hands danced across her back, touching her only a little more than was necessary to raise her basic abilities.

"You've done well recently, you and Daphne both. You haven't grown quite as much as her, but this is a very commendable performance- you're well into the middle of Level Two now; if you keep this up, it really won't be much longer bef-!?"

Apollo's words suddenly cut off, and she could practically feel him jerking to the spot as his hands paused in place, drifting down from her shoulder blades right to the small of her back.

"Well now! Well now, indeed! Just as I praise your growth- congratulations, Cassandra, you've earned a new skill!"

"Ah!?"

That unexpected revelation finally brought the first words from the bluenette's mouth as she squeaked in surprise. She hadn't expected anything like that. She'd done her best, despite the haphazard nature of the Apollo Familia expeditions, and she'd always tried to share her visions with her comrades when she could… she couldn't think of anything special she'd done since her last update. All she'd ever done was follow behind Daphne and go along with her instructions. A new skill!? It was a burst of unexpected good news that broke through the prophetess's melancholy.

"Hmmm… It feels warm, warm and protective…. But, loud? How unexpected for you, this Skill feels like it's practically calling out to the world and all around it," Apollo's fingers slid across her back, tracing over the point where the words were now surely engraved upon her Falna, "But, beyond that… I'm not sure what to make of it."

It was a skill that'd developed from her own progress and experiences, born from her soul, so it was developed automatically, but beyond his divine intuition, the Sun God struggled to understand either how such a thing had been developed, or what it meant. It certainly didn't seem to have any kind of connection to the child before him that he could make sense of.

"Resonating Desire," he read aloud, "With the bell's chime, your potential awakens."

"The… bell's chime? My potential?"

Status update complete, Apollo spent a moment locking the girl's status before releasing her once more, raising his arms with a shrug.

"I suppose it's just something you'll have to discover for yourself. Hmph, if nothing else, isn't it suitable for an Oracle to have a skill that speaks in riddles?"

He laughed at his own joke, but Cassandra didn't respond.
And surprisingly, nor did she do anything at all.

Usually, she would have hurried to re-dress herself the moment her Status Update was complete. But this time, she remained in place, stuck bent over to her knees, with her breasts squished forcefully beneath her folded arms, her breath caught tight in her throat, and her heart hammering in her chest.

'The bell's chime…'

It didn't make any sense to her, nor did it mean anything at all.

But there was only one Bell in her life that she could think of. And his presence was the only thing in her life that had truly changed since the last time her Status had been updated.

Cassandra had no idea at all what this strange skill meant, or how it was used.
But she was certain, as sure she'd ever been of anything.

This skill was connected to the dreams she'd seen, the future she awaited.

"Bell-sama…'

This wasn't fair! He was doing everything out of order! She hadn't even met him yet, and he already dominated her thoughts each night! And now he'd gone so far as to engrave his mark into her soul!? He was practically declaring to the whole world that she was his! How was she possibly supposed to deal with this!?

Once more, the blue-haired Oracle's face was blazing red.


The Denatus was originally a meeting of retired Gods and Goddess, that was held out of pure boredom, a gathering of earth-bound divinities that had too much free time. With their Familia having already built up a certain level of power of influence, these deities wanted to forget about the stresses that came with their position and leave it all behind them, enjoying full-time relaxation. And since these Gods had nothing better to do, they thought it would be fun to simply gather other similarly retired Gods and kill time by talking about trivial matters.

While it had begun as nothing but a small, informal party, the important thing had been that these extravagant deities needed somewhere suitable to meet- and, in the tower of Babel itself, one was soon established on the thirtieth floor.

As the years passed and the number of participants grew, the purpose of the meetings slowly began to change. The pointless conversations gave way to serious discussions of Orario's affairs, and when the Guild became powerful enough to establish itself even within heavenly affairs, the Denatus became a meeting that had far-reaching effects across the Dungeon City and beyond.

As the name, Denatus, took on more prestige and more importance, so too did the voices and decisions of the deities that attended. The people of the city looked to the meeting of the Gods as a revered and hallowed gathering, one of utmost solemnity where the city's most respected patrons clashed wills and ideologies, driving the very fate of Orario and the entire world.

In all the decades and centuries that had passed, a meeting that had once been no more than the idle whims of capricious Gods… remained exactly the same. The divinities were, of course, unchanging. It was the mortals, the Guild and the world that had changed, the Gods, as always, simply followed along for the sake of their amusement.

And of course, the most prime amusement of all was the naming ceremony.

It was directly into that lion's den that Hestia walked, a bead of sweat forming between her shoulder blades and her heart clenching tight in her chest.

Like many such fearsome places, the meeting place was staggeringly beautiful. The entire space within the 30th floor had been completely remodelled, with only the massive pillars supporting the lofty ceiling remaining from the original design. A magnificent round table sat in the centre of the room, surrounded by a ring of chairs and the rest of the floor was pristine white marble. The outer walls had been replaced with glass, encasing their meeting within the clouds above the city- and coupled with the extremely high ceiling, the design gave the impression that the Gods were meeting in a temple floating upon the sky.

Taking in the humbling atmosphere, Hestia was immediately reminded of her own temple and of similar sighs across Olympus. Even without asking, she could easily guess at which Gods had overseen the original construction.

"You seem surprisingly calm."

"I've got nothing to be nervous about, do I?" The Goddess of the Hearth answered with a snap as the crimson-haired, crimson-eyed Goddess walked in step next to her.

Hephaestus, the refined leader of one of Orario's most prestigious Familia, was a veteran of these meetings, and one of the few nominal allies that Hestia could call on. Wearing a thin black blouse, her sparkling red hair flowed free down her back, and while her clothes were typically more fitting on a man, the forge-Goddess's generous curves filled them out so enticingly that she drew in the gaze of male and female deities alike.

Brushing a hand past the patch covering her right eye, Hephaestus shrugged, "I thought you'd be a little more anxious. You know, scrunching up your face, like you always do."

"If something's going to go wrong, I'll make plenty of noise… But all that does is provide entertainment for everyone else, right?"

Even as a first-time attendee, the apparently Virgin Goddess knew already the real nature of the Denatus, and the result of the Gods' endless hunger for amusement.

But despite her assurances, Hephaestus could still feel Hestia holding back a pained grimace as deity after deity came up to her to squeeze or pinch her puffy cheeks. She was a brand-new face in their often-stale attendances, and many of the other Gods and Goddesses were drawn to her like moths to a flame. They didn't even bother to hide their teasing intentions- it wasn't about who she was, this was a baptism, and they would have done the same even if it wasn't Hestia.

They were congratulating her, in their own way, at least. It was a miracle that her extremely small Familia's status had gone up. And the Gods, even more than humans, loved miracles. To the unchanging deusdea surprises and novelty were prized almost above anything else, and anything so unexpected, so novel that it could only be called a miracle was the absolute height of excitement! This was the pinnacle of the entertainment they hungered for, the very representation of the endless change and possibility that made the mortal realm so beloved.

"I'll say this now: Don't expect any help from me. Whatever my status, my voice is just one among many here."

"Yes, I understand." Hestia fidgeted in her seat, fighting back an oppressively rising nervousness moment by moment as the other deities slowly started taking their chairs around the table.

"Let's get the ball rollin!"

A wild, raucous cry brought all remaining conversations to a sudden halt, as the owner of the voice rose to her feet, her vermilion-coloured hair swishing around as she spoke.

"'Bout time we started up this one-thousandth Denatus! Today's hostess is none other than yours truly, Loki! Nice ta see ya!"

Hestia was none too pleased to find that her most frustrating rival was the one leading the event, but it seemed that with the Trickster's entire Familia away on an expedition, the redhead had nothing better to do so she'd volunteered. Unfortunately for Hestia, being the newest face on the block, glaring across the table at one of Orario's most powerful factions, she couldn't possibly object.

Luckily for the young-looking Goddess, her rival didn't take the chance to provoke her in response. Instead of charging across the table towards her, like Hestia would have expected, Loki completely ignored her. Instead, she simply directed everyone to their seats, banged her hand on the table to indicate the meeting had begun, and called for anyone with information to hurry up and share it.

And with that, the proceedings, proceeded.

Following their own traditions, the assembled Gods spoke in turn, sharing news, gossip, stories, rumours and unjustified speculation.

It seemed that Soma had gotten a warning from the Guild, likely young Eina's doing. The sullen God was now holed up in his room, even more of a shut-in than ever.
Ares, that meathead from Rakia, was apparently making plans and moves to invade Orario again. Loki made a note to inform the Guild, but nobody took it particularly seriously.
There was still no news about Artemis, who had taken her entire Familia off on some hunt at the far edge of the continent. Hestia's face turned downcast at hearing that, but it seemed such hunts were normal for her friend.
Freya and Ishtar traded barbs about their presence at this meeting, and about a clash their children had recently had. Each seemed to have some connection to the recent Minotaur incident, but there was no evidence to leverage an accusation.

Each piece of news was treated with serious replies, laughter, insults, jibes and everything in between, and each of the Gods weighed in with their own opinion anytime they wished. The atmosphere was unhurried and relaxed, with each piece of conversation flowing freely and shifting from pointless joking to absolute sincerity and back, two or three times apiece. It was enough to leave Hestia's head spinning and to remind her that- Goddess or not- she'd been something of a shut-in among the Heavens, this kind of chaotic, random discussion was completely out of her element, and well beyond anything she could hope to take control of.

Realising that was the moment that Hestia began to understand the true terror of the Denatus.

She'd come this far without any meaningful allies, and without any real plan, trusting entirely to the idea that the sincere and earnest love she felt for Bell would see her through to winning him an acceptable title. She wasn't naïve enough to have ever thought it would be easy or simple, she knew as well as anyone just how capricious or cruel her fellow deities could be… but, it was only now, as she was swallowed up by the tide of voices, and the chaotic cries bouncing all around the room, that she began to realise just how over her head she truly was.

But of course, the horror was only beginning.

"All right, then. Here's what we got. Need ta keep our eyes on Rakia, and inform the Guild- although knowing old man Ouranos, he'll figure it out himself anyway. For now, just give your Familia a heads up, that clear to everybody?"

"Understood!"

Loki went around the table, asking for any other news or information that needed to be shared. And, as soon as her question fell on deaf ears… she clapped loudly, her face twisting into a catlike grin!

"Then, let's get to the Naming Ceremony!"

The previously light-hearted room was immediately tense.

The moment that Loki uttered those words, many of the Gods who had been actively vocal in the discussion froze, their faces turning one shade paler. Looking around the suddenly silent room, Hestia could see the exact same nervously pained expression writ on all their faces, and her own soon grew to match it.

As for the others, like predators sizing up a meal, they drooled in anticipation.

These Gods were used to how the Denatus was run, and their absolute favourite part was coming up. Several of the previously jovial faces were now broken into ugly smiles and twisted, eager grins. For the Gods inhabiting the lower world, this was among the greatest of the amusements on offer to them.

The party, and the tragedy, was about to begin!

'Everybody's got the handouts, yeah? Then let's raise the curtain! Today's first up is… Set's boy, an adventurer named Seti!"

"P-Please, please go easy on him…!?"

"""""""""""Denied!"""""""""

"Noooooooooooooo!"

The Lower World was a very different place to the Heavens, and the Gods that inhabited it -without their divine power, or their duties- were often very different to the ones that still resided in the world beyond. Even though the deities were unchanging, they were still affected by the mortals that surrounded them and the lifestyles they lived. Many Gods who had once been cruel had become gentle through the love of their Familia, and many Gods who had once been noble became corrupted and vain through the power struggles within Orario. The children of the Lower World often grew similar in outlook to their deities, and in turn, the Gods' sensibilities became similar to that of the mortals.

However, there was one, overriding and unimpeachable exception to that- Titles.

Gods and Mortals had a vastly different sense of what made for a good name, a difference as great as Heaven and Earth itself. Were the Gods strange, or were the children foolish? Were the Gods too radical, and the children too old-fashioned? There was no objective measure. But what was known, without a shadow of a doubt, was that many names that made a mortal Adventurer's eyes light up with pride, made their God's head droop in shame!

"-That's final, then! The adventure, Seti shall be known as a dragon knight of the dawn: 'Burning Fighting Fighter'!"

"WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!?"

A cry of despair echoed around the hallowed halls, followed immediately by howls of mocking laughter. Another proud child and brave adventurer had been branded with another "regrettable name."

The deities with less than pleasant demeanours loved to watch as others were left squirming, faces twisting up in agony as their beloved and cherished children were, one by one, given these mortifying titles.

What only made it even worse, and even more delicious, however, was that the children who received them would -of course- be in awe of the kind of images these nicknames produced. The amusement-seeking Gods would then be treated to a wonderful second course- watching with glee as these adventurers would then wear such uncouth names proudly, bearing them as badges of honour… even as their own God or Goddess would roll around the floor, going mad with embarrassment.

The best part of all was that these were the names that would live on forever in the children's legends.

"This… this is too cruel…"

"I understand all too well."

Hestia's scared voice came out as a timid squeak, out of place for the brash young-looking deity as she recoiled back in her seat. Hephaestus nodded slowly, her single crimson eye looking far off into the distance as she answered.

"I was the same at first."

Deities attending Denatus for the first time, especially the Naming Ceremony, were treated with the utmost cruelty.

Even if the meeting had begun as a way to share useful information, and even if it was ostensibly meant to be a purposeful and productive meeting… this was the real entertainment, and this was what kept these Gods coming back time after time. The hazing of the newcomers had begun, and Hestia could only look on in horror as she watched her fellow Gods scream out in despair, while others laughed at their pain, clutching at their ribs as they suggested more and more outlandish, ridiculous titles.

The disparity between the two groups was sickening. And her own small attempts at trying to offer acceptable names was like trying to push a boulder endlessly uphill. Even Hephaestus's kind suggestions were summarily ignored.

Goodwill was not the order of the day here, and all the Goddess of the Hearth's attempts at appeasement amounted to nothing. Even when Takemikazuchi, one of her few divine friends, had his beloved child subjected to the Gods' whims, she could do nothing. And, when the girl was summarily branded with a title so embarrassing it made Hestia's teeth crawl, she finally understood just how powerless she was.

A quick glance over at where the handsome, black-haired God was currently face-down on the table, moaning in fury and crying tears of blood, told her clearly just how harsh this battlefield was. Her hands were trembling and her heart was squeezing so tight she felt it would burst. She was sure she loved Bell even more than Take loved his Mikoto, but love was only fuel for the slaughter right now.

"I-I'll… I'll have to take Take out for a drink tonight…"

"You should just focus on yourself for now."

"R-Right…"

The pandemonium continued, time after time, with pained cries and raucous laughter filling the halls over and over, until finally all the adventurers from the lower and middle-ranking Familia had been granted appropriate titles. Following that, the more powerful Ishtar, Ganesha, Hephaestus and Loki Familia had their names given, and while a few of them were unable to fend off the odd embarrassing suggestion, the balance of power was made painfully clear.

Nobody would dare incur Ishtar's wrath in trying to suggest something ridiculous for her children, and Loki wasted not even a second in silencing the Gods foolish enough to try give a new title to her beloved Sword Princess.

As with everything in this Lower World, the only way to truly stave off the Gods' attention was through power, money or influence, and the high-ranking Familia lacked for none of them.

The high-ranking Familia's children were dealt with quickly and easily, with the divine amusement stifled by equally powerful divine threats, and in less than half the time it'd taken to work through the lower-ranking adventurer's names, the pile of papers stacked before each of the participants had been reduced to just one single page. The last child, a no-name adventurer from a no-name Familia that had levelled up right before the Denatus, and whose profile had been squeezed into the agenda at the last minute.

"Ah-"

Looking at Bell's name, and the sketch of his face taken from around the time he registered as an adventurer… normally Hestia's heart would have fluttered with joy, but right now all she could feel was an insurmountable dread.

"So, that child really did become Level Two…"

Her friend's words barely made it to her ears as Hestia looked around the table. She was surrounded on all sides by wide and open smiles…

…unfortunately, they were the dirty, drooling smiles of people who had just eaten a full-course meal and were about to savour a delicious dessert.

Her moment of truth had arrived. Her hands trembled and her body shivered, with incredible effort, she raised her voice to speak-

"B-Bell, is, he-"

"Oi!" Loki was on her feet, and just her single word was enough to silence Hestia's unprepared, tremulous address, "Before we get to naming, there's something I'd like ya know, Shorty!"

The usually squinting redhead had her eyes opened wide and the Goddess of the Hearth pinned beneath a furious glare.

"Your kid did this much in a month and a half… you expectin' me ta believe that!?"

WHAM!

Loki slammed the palm of her hand onto the paper before her, proclaiming Bell's level up, certified by the Guild itself.

"It took my Ais a year to level up for the first time- a whole year! And this boy does it in a month an' a half!? What're you trying to pull!?"

Eight years ago, a small and clueless child had shocked the world by smashing the previous record, becoming the fastest adventurer in history to reach Level 2. Not only that, but she was human, a race that was considered physically and mentally weaker than many of its counterparts. The story of a young girl overturning all of history in just a single year had spread throughout Orario and the world like wildfire.

And now, Bell, a small and clueless human boy, had smashed that record so thoroughly it seemed like a joke.

"Your Falna isn't any different than mine, no different ta anyone else's! It doesn't matter which God a child dedicates themselves to, it's all the same!"

"B-Bell, he, he worked rea-"

"And don't say he worked hard!" Loki's fist slamming into the table cut that off immediately, "All these kids work hard! Are you saying your child worked harder than mine!? That he worked harder than anyone, ever!? There ain't no shortcut, and they're all doing their best in the Dungeon- a child that levels up so fast, ain't natural!"

Trickster or not, there wasn't a deity in the room that could deny her words. They all knew how it worked. The Falna was the blessing of the Gods, but it wasn't instant, it didn't grant power- it simply stimulated their own growth. Every part of their development was unique, and it was all driven by their own desires, wishes, experiences and dreams- that was what made it so fascinating to the unchanging deities! A God's blessing was completely unaffected by outside forces, it was nothing but someone's inner potential being unlocked.

There was absolutely no reason to believe that Hestia's blessing would be any different. Which meant, the only thing that could possibly explain Bell's staggering rate of growth, was something else entirely.

"So, spill it, Shorty."

"…"

Stuck frozen in place, Hestia could have sworn Loki was breathing fire; she was drenched in sweat just facing down her rival's burning glare, let alone the varied and sharp gazes spread out across the room.

This was bad, this was very, very bad.

She had no excuses, no explanations and no way out.

There was absolutely no way she could tell them about Bell's skill. She hadn't even told him, for that very reason, and even Alfia had agreed with her assessment there, they both knew exactly how the other assorted Gods and Goddesses would react. Especially now that Bell had achieved an unprecedented, record-breaking Level Up, this place would turn into an absolute zoo, and then every single God in this room would swarm him, followed by every God in the city right after that.

She had to fulfil her duty to protect him, the mortal child she adored and the man she loved. However, in order to do that she would have to somehow explain that Bell was somehow more special, more talented, than anyone else… without also turning the entire room against him. She needed to find some kind of believable explanation to give Loki, but there was nothing at all she could think of. Stuck on the spot, she knew any feeble excuses would be cut down just as easily as her prior attempt.

"So, ya can't say? Ya wouldn't be happening to use your Divine Power now, would ya? Just a little, just a bit to nudge him on his feet, hmm?"

Loki's words were light, but her tone dripped with poisonous venom. Every God understood this. Even the vilest of the Evils and the most vain of the Beauties still played by the same rules. They were all in this Lower World for the sake of playing the same game; any of them could use their Divine Power at any time and instantly have the most powerful, unbeatable Familia in the world… but then the game would lose all meaning, it would be boring. You could do anything in Heaven, already. If you were going to cheat, then what was the point of even coming down?

O-Of course, I'm not!" Hestia threw her hands up in desperation, waving them frantically as if to ward off the suspicion, "I would, I would never!"

"Well then, out with it. If your conscience is clean, this should be easy as pie for ya."

"Ah…"

Every set of eyes around the table was boring into the once-virgin Goddess. Even the few that had heretofore held no interest in this new record-holder, were extremely interested in this turn of events, every one of them was leaning in closer, ready to pick at every one of her words. Even Hephaestus and Take couldn't meet her gaze, sitting back in their own seats with troubled looks on their faces and nothing they could think to say to possibly help their friend.

Swallowing heavily, as the panic reached a crescendo, Hestia felt like the entire room was closing in on her. She was finished. She couldn't possibly find a way out.

"My, my… I think I may know a little something about this."

A beautiful soprano voice echoed around the room, and an equally beautiful silver-haired Goddess gently took complete control of the proceedings.

"Freya!? Huh, what've you got ta do with any of this!?"

"Oh, nothing at all. But I do have to wonder, are you not a little too involved in this yourself, Loki? Unless there's some evidence that Hestia had broken one of our laws, then there's no need for her to explain herself at all. After all, it's our rule never to reveal the inner workings of our Familia, that includes any Statuses and Abilities of our children…"

Leaning back in her seat, Freya twirled a lock of silver hair around her finger, speaking in a light, disinterested tone as if she was explaining the absolute simplest common sense.

"-Hah!?" And yet, the Valkyrie Goddess's soft words stopped Loki completely in her tracks, "But, in one month!? It's ridiculous! Can't you wrap your mind around that, you damn airheaded bimbo!?"

The insults and anger met nothing but soft, melodic laughter, "Hehe, and why does it bother you so much? It's your attitude that seems strange to me… oh, is this jealousy, perhaps? Are you upset that Hestia's child broke your favourite little girl's record?"

"Like I care!"

"I wonder."

Loki's sneer was greeted with the same ever-present smile. The trickster's face contorted in violent rage as she opened her mouth to speak… but finally, nothing came out. Just as Loki had done to Hestia moments earlier, Freya had twisted her words into a corner from which she couldn't escape. And of course, the look on Loki's face as she seethed silently in her seat made it all the more worthwhile for Freya as she looked on with a smug expression.

"Of course, I do agree that his speed was a surprise! I never expected that anyone could rank up in such a brief time… but, looking at this picture now…" Freya's face turned sad, troubled, as if she was overcome by a great wrong that she had failed to prevent, "I was suddenly reminded of something one of my children told me- I believe they had a run-in with this very child, and they were almost in tears to me, telling me how worried they were that such a poor young man might be mistreated within his Familia."

It was a lie, of course. There wasn't a single soul around this table that believed that for a second. Why would Freya possibly care about the fate of some unknown child in some unknown Familia? But, even though it was so blatantly a lie, it sounded like an amusing one, so the other Gods went along with it.

All except for Hestia, who having been jolted from panic, to shock, to relief, and now to fury, finally found her words.

"Wh-Whhuh, WHAT!? Mistreated!?"

"This was the child from that unfortunate Minotaur incident, wasn't he? The one your children caused, Loki?" Freya didn't wait for an answer, "An experience such as that… being hunted down, cornered and brought to the brink of death by such a terrifying monster… that would surely have an incredible effect on such a young child, powerful enough to traumatise him, or even to warp his growth perhaps. But then, on the other side of that coin… could you not also say, that for such a child, defeating a Minotaur, overcoming such trauma, would have special meaning?"

The room went silent. Every one of the Gods was forced to weigh that thought. Nobody knew the exact details of the incident Freya was describing, but the rumours that went around the city had talked about a young boy chased and harried by a Minotaur, saved only at the last second by the Loki Familia, who had since made a fool of himself dripping blood all over the marketplace.

"Hmm, and of course… As his patron Goddess, you knew that as well, didn't you Hestia?"

"Ah-huh, wh?"

"Ahh, it's an all-too-common story in our beautiful city… Orario has its harsh side, doesn't it Hestia? I can understand, you must have found yourself overwhelmed- reduced to working part-time at a food stand, acting as a mascot, letting customers pat your head…" Now it was Hestia's turn to find herself choking on her rage in the face of Freya's soft words. Nothing she'd said was false, which made it all the more offensive, "And then your one and only child, the sole member of your Familia, had such a harrowing experience… why it must have made you wonder what lay ahead of you at all… If only he could get a little more powerful, if only your child could earn a bit more money, if only you could attract a few more followers…"

Freya leaned forward, putting her chin on her hands as she held Hestia in place with a terrifyingly amused smile.

"Oh, actually… Come to think of it… Didn't I see you desperately begging Hephaestus for something at the last Banquet? A weapon, perhaps? A prize for a beloved child? Or maybe… a tool worthy enough to slay a Minotaur?"

"A-Ah!?"

"And, it seemed this Level Up came directly after he fought, not one but two Minotaur. What a staggering feat! Absolutely unbelievable!" Freya gushed, "But a strange one, too… don't you think, Hestia? The Guild's report says that the Loki Familia was right there on the scene, and yet your child still fought two Minotaur, rather than leave it to them? I just have to wonder… why would a young, rookie adventurer so desperately push himself into such a dangerous fight… if not at the behest of his beloved Goddess?"

"!"

The words rippled around the room like a shockwave, and every one of the Gods was now staring jaws open at the stunned face of the small, twin-tailed Goddess.

"Oh, now that you mention it, she was clinging to Hephaestus that whole party wasn't she? And she chased after her even after she left!"
"Actually, I remember my children saying something similar! They mentioned a young beginner adventurer who had somehow made it all the way down to the Tenth Floor within just a few weeks!"
"What? That fast? Normally an organised party would take months to each that deep, that's practically… Well, that's almost suicide, isn't it?"
"Oh my, Hestia! I always thought she was such a kind Goddess… So, she had such a harsh side to her too?"
"Ah, I forget how desperate beginner Gods can be sometimes. She has to understand how fragile these children can be."
"So she was pushing that child to fight his way down to the Middle Levels, thinking he'd be able to fight a Minotaur and Level Up? I can't believe it!"
"Wow, she always seemed so nice… Maybe it was lucky they found some Minotaur on the Upper Levels, after all then?"
"I don't know if the people that died would consider that lucky!"

The Gods' feigned shock and delighted amusement swirled heatedly around the room. Whether they believed the story or not didn't matter, Freya's implication was as clear as could be, and it had turned out to be just as juicy, just as amusing as promised.

"Ah-hwa, hhaa… whaaa!?"

Hestia staggered, realisation slowly dawning on her as she looked at the twinkling amusement shining bright across Freya's face.

"I didn't, I never! SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU!" Finally, she snapped, "No way! No way! NO WAY! I never, ever, told him anything like that! I never wanted Bell to fight a Minotaur this soon!"

"Oh my!" Freya feigned shock the best of them all, placing a hand on her cheek and reeling backwards, "So, you don't deny that you did want him to fight a Minotaur then?"

"Ah! She practically admitted it, didn't she?"
"I never thought the Goddess of the Hearth would be so cold."
"Sending such a cute young child to go hunt a Minotaur… It's just wrong!"
"Even for a poverty-stricken Familia, you can't be that desperate to advance! You've got to take it slow, you can't use your children so roughly!"

Hestia raged, screamed, shouted and cried to absolutely no avail. The accusations and the rumourmongering were half the fun, and the other half was seeing the way the young-seeming Goddess squirmed and seethed in the face of them. Hephaestus offered her a soft, encouraging smile, but otherwise said nothing and that was all the support she was given.

Surprisingly, aside from the few nominal allies on Hestia's side, the only deity that didn't join in was Loki. Still fuming about having her line of inquiry shut down by Freya's storytelling, her eyes remained fixed on the silver-haired Goddess and her anger burned as hot as her hair.

That, at least, was a minor relief. Even if it meant she was enduring an absolute slandering of her name, her morality and the way she treated her Familia, and even if she knew the streets would soon run hot with rumours about her as an abusive, uncaring Goddess, she'd managed to protect Bell's privacy and managed to keep secret the truth about his growth. She had no idea why Freya had done what she had, but even if it did paint Hestia as a horrible villain, the Valkyrie Goddess's explanation for Bell's advancement made sense, and it was quickly accepted as either true or close enough to true, by all the assembled Gods. Even Loki was forced to go along with it.

The hazing continued for some time before the meeting would be finally brought back under some semblance of control.


"Fine, fine, fine! Enough of this!" Loki snorted, and definitely, absolutely, didn't pout, "Whatever, well we're down ta our last name anyway. So, what should we call Loli Big Tit's child, then? Any takers?"

"This human… It's a little hard to suggest anything, I haven't heard anything about him at all."
"Well, it's always the ones you overlook who surprise you."
"Ahhh, but there's no rumours about him at all."

All donning faces of pretend seriousness, the Gods immediately began discussing the boy. Hestia writhed in her seat, clenching her hands tight as her chest thumped and the conversation swirled around her.

"There's just not enough information here. Nothing to go on at all. Your lovely little Eina-chan was really lazy with this one."
"Don't blame Eina-chan! He levelled up just right before the Denatus, they had to squeeze him in at the last minute, it can't be helped."
"Let's see… White hair with red eyes… Kind'a like a rabbit? What about 'The Good Rabbit, Pyonkichi.'"

Hestia's stomach turned.

"Nah, that name's already been used. A smith named, uh, Wel-something, was using it as his armour's model."
"Stealing the name before us!?"
"What about you, Ganesha, Anything come to mind?"
"… I am, Ganesha!"
"Haaaaaaaa… Yes, yes, Ganesha, Ganesha…"

The discussion continued, with the male Gods largely taking centre stage in a completely unproductive conversation. Hestia's offer, that since nobody knew anything about him but her, she could decide the name, was immediately rejected, and Hephaestus's good-natured suggestions were ignored just the same. Loki frowned but said nothing, content to simply watch the display unfold without comment, and Freya lounged back in her seat, putting up a show of complete disinterest.

And so, without anyone to centre or focus the discussions, the suggestions got more and more out of control. And Hestia's blood pressure rose, second by second.

"Ravenous Rabbit!"
"Oooh, what about 'Vorpal Rabbit!'"
"Wasn't he the one splashing monster gore through the marketplace? It's fate! His name shall be- 'Bloody Bunny!'"
"No, no, look at him! He's a cutie, so I suggest 'Breeding Bunny'!"
"A rabbit-like adventurer, hunting in the dungeon? Then surely he must be 'The Hunting Rabbit: Alpha Leporis!'"
"He was caught up in that Minotaur incident, wasn't he? How about 'Minotan – The Ox Slayer!'"
"Wasn't there that Hero, who was always getting tangled up with Minotaurs? Odysseus?"
"Ooh, Argonaut too!"
"Surely, it's too soon to name him after a Hero, he needs a much better name than that! He looks quick and feisty… My friends, grant me the honour of shaping this child's destiny- as he strides forth to great deeds, his new title shall be- 'Ultra Sonic Blitzfang'"
""""""HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!""""""

With each new idea, and each offered "suggestion", Hestia's blood pressure ticked upwards and her anger rose, until an aura of red-hot rage was surrounding the Goddess of the Hearth, hot enough that even the forge Goddess sitting beside her began sidling away. It was safe to say that the Gods' provocations were landing perfectly. Her confidence had been blown away, her self-assurance was in tatters, and her restraint was coming apart at the seams. She was caught up entirely within the cruel baptism all new attendees faced, and all that remained now was for her to provide a spectacle for them before having her child branded with a mocking nickname.

"!"

But then… right as Hestia was seeing red, and right as she was about to explode… A certain handsome blond God caught her eye and offered her a reassuring wink.

"Ah!?"

Hestia's voice broke the chaos, and all in attendance leaned forward, preparing themselves for the delicious course of her impotent fury.

"You know…"

Instead, they were taken off guard as Hermes pushed back his chair and let his words fill the silence. Lounging backwards in his seat, he tipped his cap up, dragging the words out as he spun the entire room around on his finger.

"I thought it was really curious. The report here says he uses Sound Magic."

"Sonic Boom!"
"Rabbit sound wave!"
"No, no, 'Tune in, it's Rabbit FM!"

"What're you getting at Hermes?"

"Nothing in particular, it just stood out to me. It's strange, don't you think? I mean, it's strange enough to hear about a rookie human who can use magic at all. But… Sound Magic, of all things… Rare thing that. Hmm, in fact, I can only think of one other Adventurer who used anything similar."

An array of reactions passed around the room at that. Some faces darkened, pulling up a long distant memory. Others twisted into an excited grin, considering the new possibilities. And newer deities, like Hestia, simply looked on in confusion- with no-one at all stepping forward to explain a thing to them. Such was the nature of the Gods.

"Wait, wait… you don't think he's related to her, do you?"
"Wow… 'The Incarnation of Talent'? Oh! Oh! He does have that famous white hair!"

"Hey, well, who's to know, surely?" Hermes waved his hand with a languid shrug and his normal easy-going smile, "I can't say I've ever heard the name 'Cranel' before, and I think if he was related to her in some way… Well, no offence Hestia, but I don't think he'd have been left in your Familia."

He spoke lightly, teasing her as if this was just a friendly joke, but Hestia was left fuming yet again as the entire room exploded in laughter at her expense. For those who knew Alfia, it was just as Hermes had said. It was impossible to imagine the feared and furious Maiden of Silence would leave someone related to her languishing in some joke of a solo-Familia run out of Orario's slum district. She was far too proud for that and far too selfish to accept anything less than the best.

Hestia, of course, didn't get the joke, but she did get ready to throw something at Hermes.

"So, it's just a coincidence?"
"Hmm… Didn't she die back then, during the Dark Age, anyway?"
"Still… white hair, sound magic… How about Talent Potential!"
"Ooh, Awaiting Talent!"

Again, the random, thoughtless suggestions were ignored as Hermes swept his hands around and easily drew the attention back to himself, "Well, whether there's some connection, or this is just a coincidence doesn't really matter. It seems to me that, more important than anything like this, this is an omen. Orario waits for a hero, and here comes a boy whose very presence brings to mind a fallen hero of the past, who are we Gods if not observers of such fated occasions!? I believe we cannot possibly ignore such an occasion, rather we must meet it with the only possible answer left to us… And so…"

Ever the showman, he dragged his suggestion right to the hilt, drawing the audience forward, hanging on his every word.

"Let it be known that Bell Cranel's title, shall be Heracles."

!

Hermes raised his hands, as if having just finished conducting an orchestra and the Gods in attendance responded in kind, gasps of "Oooh" and "Ahh!" filled the auspicious hall as they considered the idea. Even Hestia found herself stopped in place. Heracles, Glory of Hera. She didn't understand the meaning of it, and she hardly liked the idea of having another Goddess's name used for her child, but it was clearly the kind of portentous name Gods were fond of. It wasn't the kind of flashy title she knew Bell wanted or the kind of simple one she wanted, and it seemed perhaps a little too big for him, but it was better than anything else she'd heard so far, and…

"Rejected."

Clicking her tongue, Freya waved her hand one single time and ended the discussion instantly.

She didn't, of course, actually have any kind of veto power… but then, nobody was brave enough to press that case.

"Really, Hermes? Bringing up Hera, now? What an absolutely tasteless suggestion. I expected better from you. No, no, not at all. This boy needs something cute, hmm, cute, but just slightly manly."

"A-Ah… Freya…"

With the curtain abruptly fallen on his show, Hermes could do nothing but offer Hestia an apologetic shrug as he sunk back into his seat. He'd tried at least. No matter what he owed Zeus, he wasn't crazy enough to butt heads with Freya about something like this.

Putting her hand to her cheek as she held up the paper, the Valkyrie Goddess heaved a heated sigh, "We can't possibly give him such an ugly title. Look at this child, he's utterly adorable, even in this sketch he looks like he'll burst into tears at any moment… And now we find out that not only is he somehow strong enough to take down two Minotaur at level 1, but he's absolutely demolished a record we all thought was unbreakable. My, my, you ladies understand, don't you?"

And with that, it was the Goddess's turn to chip in and send Hestia's blood burning once again.

"Oooh, he really is! And he did all that because Hestia was pushing him so desperately? Ahh, it just makes you want to save him, doesn't it!"
"Mmm, he's sooo cute, but… but also there's a feeling that you'd feel really safe in his arms?"
"Oh, I know just what you mean! He's one of those guys who's always soft and kind- but when the moment arrives, he's stronger than anyone!"
"And then he stands in front of you, saying something like "I won't let you touch her!" Ahh!"
"Y'know, isn't it such a waste for him to be with Hestia?"
"Oooh, Hestia, let me borrow him for a night, okay?"
"Yeah, if you're not gonna try him out, then why don't you let me take him for a spin? I'll teach him all kinds of things, you'll be glad when he's back!"

This time, they at least weren't making fun of Bell. But somehow, such lascivious jokes only made it even worse, and Hestia finally had taken more than she could bear.

"You understand, don't you, Hestia dear? You've found such a wonderful child. It's only natural we want to tweak your nose a little."

Freya's words were gentle, but her explanation was more than enough to finally snap the last restraints holding back the smaller Goddess's fragmented composure.

"Okay! Okay! I get it, I get it!" Screaming aloud and jumping to her feet, she finally drowned out the swirling mess of chaotic suggestions, "I get it, I'm sorry! I understand, this is about putting me in my place, right!? I know I'm just a new face here, but please, my child has been brave and strong, and he's done so much for me! Bell doesn't deserve to be burdened with some ridiculous title, please, just leave him out of this."

Hestia's pleas were heartfelt, but they fell on deaf ears. The smiles around the table only grew wider as her desperation grew. The table was laid, and the feast was begun.

"I-I, I, ah, I'll come sweep the street in front of your Familia Houses! I don't even have a house of my own, but I'll come out in the morning and clean the walkway to yours, for everyone here, you can all laugh at me as much as you want! Haha, that's funny, right? I'll bow, and smile, and I'll clean your walkways till they shine!"

The idea of the Goddess of the Hearth out there cleaning the steps to their homes, before scurrying off to her part-time job at a food stall was certainly an amusing one for the Gods. But unfortunately, the spectacle of her fighting such a futile battle so desperately was even more amusing. Hestia cast her gaze around the table, looking for whatever allies she could find. Hermes avoided her gaze, and Take and Hephaestus both looked away. She'd been warned already, that she didn't have enough power or influence to change anything, and there was nobody on her side with enough power to fight this battle on her behalf.

Her heart pounded and her desperation mounted.

"Ah um, aah, Apollo!"

"Hmm?"

Focussing suddenly on the orange-haired God, Hestia desperately squished bitter memories of the painful humiliation she'd suffered at his hands before, "You, er, you said, you er… You said you liked me back in Heaven. S-S-So, so if you help my child, I'll go on a date with you!"

Her face was blazing red at that point, and she made a silent promise to herself that she'd bring Bell along as a chaperone to this 'date' so he could be assured that nothing would happen. But she did her best to appeal to the man all the same. It was a weak and mortifying offer, but it was the only thing she could think of.

The audience exploded into titters and laughter at that, turning as one towards the man and his awaited reply. In turn, the Sun God leaned forward, bearing down on her with a haughty smirk as he folded his hands beneath his chin.

"Will you put out?"

"Ah-Wha!?"

Laughter enveloped the room once more, loud, cruel and mocking. And once more Hestia was left as an embarrassing spectacle, just as she had been all those hundreds of years earlier in Heaven.

Apollo shrugged, "Come now, Hestia. We barely even talked in those days, you just kept to yourself, you and that "Anti-Sex Club" of yours. It wasn't like I was particularly attached to you- I just simply thought I'd try my hand at completing Zeus's challenge. Well sure, I can appreciate how hard you've worked to come here, so I don't mind expending some graciousness towards you once again- I'll give that child of yours a nice, heroic name… in exchange for that virginity you've been keeping safe for me, alright?"

Hestia turned crimson with shame, her body welling up with embarrassment and tears swelling in her eyes. She'd known it was a mistake to try to appeal to Apollo. She'd known she couldn't possibly make a worthwhile agreement. He knew she wouldn't accept, that she would never have even if she could have, he was just trying to humiliate her, to remind her of just how far beneath him her Familia was. And once again, just like all those hundreds of years earlier, Hestia was a laughing stock at his hands, the victim of a cruel game after her naïveté had outweighed her better sense.

Her mouth hung open, but she couldn't form the words to reply. Not that one was needed from the way Apollo was swanning around before the crowd, soaking up the attention and the commentary like adulations.

"That's more than enough," thankfully, she was spared further humiliation as Hephaestus's voice silenced the room. She didn't have enough influence to save Bell from the Gods' intentions, but she had power enough to shut down a vulgar joke at her friend's expense, particularly one that left many of the other Goddesses scowling, "I will let that pass once. The next person to make a joke like that will have their Familia banned from my shops."

"I quite agree. What a disgusting display, Apollo."

Ignoring just how unfitting a statement that was from her, before things could get any further out of hand, Freya took the reigns of the meeting once more. And in doing so, she sealed the small Goddess's face entirely.

"And unfortunately, dear Hestia, while I certainly wouldn't turn down a date with you- the walkway before my Familia house is utterly spotless already. Franky, I resent any implication that it could be anything but- and I'm sure everyone else here is of like mind."

"Freya…"

"What was it Loki called that child of hers earlier, our 'Hometown Hero'? She certainly is, Ais Wallenstein is a beloved and respected figure all across Orario, someone all of us Gods cherish… And yet, that child of yours smashed her record in a way that's almost embarrassing, as if to make it seem foolish to have ever been proud of such a feat in the first place," the sound of the Trickster Goddess's teeth-grinding together served as backdrop noise to Freya's monologue, "And now, we're hearing that he's responsible for solving that unbelievable Minotaur incident, all by himself? All to live up to your expectations of him? Ah, he's such a very, very cute child… Why, I believe when the time comes, I may have to offer him a spot in my Familia!"

"As if!"

Now the sound of Loki's teeth grinding was joined by the sound of Hestia's furious denial.

Orario's self-styled Empress ignored both.

"But in the meantime- he needs a title that suits him. Something strong, but cute… Oh! I have just the thing!"

And with that, Bell's sentence was handed down.

Hestia screamed, shouted, pleaded and raged. She jumped to her feet, she slammed her hands on the table, she swore bloody fury.

But unfortunately, her dismay only served as delicious entertainment for the audience surrounding her.

The feast had been wonderful today, indeed.


Sitting ramrod straight in her chair, an uncomfortable bead of sweat was slowly working its way down Eina's shoulder blades.

The guild receptionists and advisors were in their afternoon meeting and an air of tension had descended upon the large office room on the second floor of the Guild's headquarters. Eina's co-workers were seated around a large round table, and -as the final order of business- before each of them was a preliminary draft of a report she'd prepared earlier. Specifically:

"How to Level Up, quickly." Guideline by Bell Cranel. As advised by Eina Tulle.

She'd had a rough idea of what the reception was going to be when she'd presented the report, as his advisor she'd had a lot to say about the way Bell had been conducting himself in the dungeon until now. But with each page turned and each line read out, or discussed among them, a greater and greater sense of stiffness took hold of the half-elf.

"Slayed 15 Kobolds, 12 Goblins and (Estimated) 30 Wall Shadows… While unarmoured? Really? Aside from being ridiculous, are we to believe that makes a difference?"
"Killed (Estimated) 7 Orcs, several 'Misc Enemies', and (Estimated) 20 Killer Ants…"
"Is there a reason so many of these are estimates?"
"Well, I guess he wouldn't have had a reason to count his kills."
"While working solo- killed another, I'm not going to list all these, but it ends with another dozen Killer Ants and then… Two Minotaur."
"Huh, so that's all you need to do. 'Just go kill a dozen Killer Ants, and then kill a Minotaur or two on your way back,' it's amazing nobody figured this out before Eina's little brother."

"Little brother..?"

The air of disdainful sarcasm was so thick, Eina couldn't manage to respond to anything except that.

Sitting at the head of the table was her boss, a large male animal-person and the head of the Guild's venerable receptionists. Closing the report and pushing it away from himself, he narrowed his eyes in discontent.

"Are these numbers accurate, Tulle?"

"Ah, w-well, they're as accurate as I believe is possible," she dithered slightly, she had no way of verifying any of it, "I don't believe that Bell-kun is a liar, and it matches up to the reports we've got on the Killer Ant and the Minotaur Incidents."

"You know how it is with Adventurers, sir," to Eina's left, the Guild's pureblood elven receptionist Sophie added her thoughts, tossing her aquamarine hair behind her ear as she shrugged, "They're like salesman, take 30% off any number they give you and you're closer to the truth."

Eina bristled, but her boss's disdain didn't change.

"Even if we reduced these numbers by 50%... Eina, this report is hereby sealed, you are not to release it, or even so much as mention it outside this room."

"S-Sir!"

"To put it simply- publishing a report like this would be the same as telling all Level One Adventurers to go die. I realise you put forth your own effort and initiative to collect this information, and that is appreciated, but the Guild cannot under any circumstances allow this to become public. As of right now, the plan to use Bell Cranel as a model for adventurer development is shelved, indefinitely," he sighed, "We'll need to sweep this under the rug. I'll go take care of the higher-ups myself."

"I'm very sorry, sir."

Eina bowed her head, watching with quiet remorse as the reports she'd prepared were gathered up and sealed within a briefcase at his side, most likely never to see the light of day ever again.

It was disheartening seeing her efforts go to waste, and to see her excitement about learning the steps to Bell's quick Level Up turn into nothing, but it wasn't as if Eina couldn't understand his reasoning. If anything, it was the same conclusion she'd come to herself. If low-level or beginner adventurers tried to follow the steps outlined in this "guide" the number of casualties would be astronomical. Most likely low-level adventurers would feel like the Guild was making a cruel joke at their expense, in the worst case they may revolt or quit entirely.

The man took a moment to clear his throat, "Next, Frot," he added, looking towards the pink-haired human girl at Eina's side.

"Y-Yes?"

"…The quality of paperwork submitted to the Denatus was extremely poor. Especially for the last one, this Bell Cranel."

"B-But, sir! He levelled up right before the meeting, we only got his report today! I did the best I could with my back against the wall! Please don't question the effort that went into making it!"

"I understand what you're saying… but I'm talking about the whole project. Should we receive any complaints from the Gods, it will be your job to talk to them alone, Frot. I can't help you if it comes to that."

"Waaaaaaa- Eina! You'll help me, won't you?" Misha sobbed, breaking any sense of decorum as she slumped from her seat and wrapped herself around the beleaguered elf.

Eina sighed, and her supervisor followed suit. And with that, the meeting was adjourned, leaving them all to shuffle back to their desk.

Misha's poor mood followed her out of the office as she slumped alongside Eina back down towards their stations, "Urgh… Tell your little brother I said 'Thanks a lot'…"

"Little brother..?" Eina repeated the title others seemed to be happily foisting on Bell for the second time today, finding it somehow less fitting than ever before shaking her head, "Misha, you know he's not the reason for what happened today."

"Not listening! I didn't hear a word you said!"

Again, Eina was left sighing, looking in astonishment as her human friend spun around on a dime and stepped lightly ahead of her, putting off the future troubles for the future.

"Oooh, more importantly, it's about that time, isn't it?" Making their way through the second floor of the Guild's headquarters, they could each see that all the staff seemed to be practically on the edge of their seat, not wasting time exactly, but also not involving themselves in any tasks that they couldn't leave at a moment's notice. The office that was usually filled with the sound of pens racing across parchment was instead filled with the sound of anxious conversations and light conversation.

Seeing even their superiors acting so laconically was no surprise to either of the girls, this was the usual scene of the Guild's second floor following a Denatus, and no doubt the exact same tension and anticipation would be repeated down in the lobby among the Adventurers shortly after. Just like anyone else in Orario, just like anyone else in the Lower World, the Guild employees were very interested to hear about what titles would be assigned to each of the adventures, whose second name would stay the same, whose would change, and what up-and-comers would be recognised with another inspired name. The humans of the lower world all looked in awe at the names the Gods granted their fellows, and nobody could wait to see what the deities would think of next!

"Are you excited, too, Eina? I wonder what kind of names we'll see come up this time!"

"I, ah… Well, I'm a little interested this time, I suppose."

"Oh! How rare for you to admit that! Haha, actually one of my Adventurers levelled up too, so I've been waiting for this all day!"

The conversation was suddenly interrupted by a tremendous crash! An office door had been flung open, slamming heedlessly into the wall behind it, and at once, all eyes and all attention turned to the doorway- a man stood in the frame, trying weakly to catch his breath, hefting a stack of paperwork in his arms.

"It's here- the Denatus results are here!"

"Finally!"
"Hey, open it up, already!"

The employees dropped everything and rushed toward the door. The man was immediately encircled, as he began passing out sheet after sheet of the documents containing the second names granted to the candidates.

Almost immediately, voices of praise and amazement started to fill the previously tense office.

"Ho! Take a look at this one, what a nickname!"
"Woah! Awesome…"
"They never disappoint."
"Ahh… We'll never measure up, will we?"
"The Gods really are different from us. 'The Hand of Strength and Grace, Biolante'! Oooh… I get goosebumps just reading it!"
"What a name! Anyone would be proud to wear that around town, for sure!"
"The Gods just come up with this stuff off the top of their heads. It's a reminder of just how impressive they really are, isn't it?"

The Guild office was alive with excitement, especially among the male employees and anyone who'd ever harboured dreams for themselves in the life of an Adventurer before taking the safer path towards deskwork instead. Eina and Misha's supervisors all seemed to be in agreement, standing and talking in a circle as though they were of one mind.

Misha stood just outside the mob, watching the exhilaration spread- a sudden shiver ran down her spine, leaving her shoulders twitching!

"They're starting without us! C'mon, Eina, let's go!"
"R-Right!'

Eina followed her into the fray, making sure not to lose sight of Misha's fluffy, pink hair as the human girl fought her way to get a copy of the list. And, as Eina slipped carefully between her colleagues, a certain face of a certain white-haired rookie adventurer rose forefront in her mind.

'Bell-kun…'

What kind of title would he get?

'A softer name might be better for him…' It wasn't that Bell was un-manly, she corrected internally. She'd come face to face with that reality this morning when he'd almost left her faint from his story about charging recklessly, stupidly, moronically, heedlessly, into fighting two Minotaur, 'But, still…'

What if the Gods had named him something like "The Crimson Adventurer, Bloody Guy." Eina could just see herself telling him that news, with Bell puffing out his chest in pride and her sweating awkwardly as she chose her words carefully. No matter how gallant and impressive a name like that might be, somehow, it didn't fit his image.

'Bell needs something a bit more… a bit more…' she wasn't quite sure how to finish that sentence. Gentle? Soft? Kind? Innocent? He was all those things, but… instead, despite herself, her heart added the conclusion, 'Reassuring.'

"Eina! Eina! I got it! C'mere, take a look!"

Misha snapped her from her thoughts, a big smile on her face and the list in hand.

There were several documents detailing the titles selected for the adventurers, and so the two of them went through the pages, starting at the top sheet and slowly going through down the second and third pages… past where the pink-haired receptionist crowed happily for her own Adventurer, seeing he'd won a very cool title indeed, and right to the very bottom of the final page.

"Ah…"
"Oh!"


"Cheers!"
"""Cheers!"""

The sound of four glasses clinking together rang out, and with it came the sound of four voices laughing happily in unison. And with that, Bell and Lilli's celebration of their success in the Dungeon began!

Mama Mia's bar was packed as full as ever, bursting with life and laughter and filled up with as many adventurers, drunkards and gossips as could be squeezed through the door. Tonight, however, instead of his usual seat tucked away at the corner of the bar-counter, the young white-haired adventurer had reserved a proper table for himself and his companions. Setup against the east wall, they were far enough away from the main thoroughfare of the hall that they could talk without being impeded, but no matter how much Bell might have wanted to put his head down, or cover himself with a hood, there was no changing the amount of attention their group had garnered, nor the number of eyes that swivelled over to them, time and again.

Bell's newfound fame was one reason for that, but the other -perhaps bigger- reason, was that instead of being served by the waitresses of the bar like usual, this time the young man was seated right alongside two of them!

The charming, silver-haired beauty, Syr, was seated right beside him, pushing her chair in even closer towards his and leaning just slightly against him as she reached over to top up his glass.
And seated directly across from her, was the cold and daunting blonde elf, Ryu. As quiet as ever, but with what could almost be mistaken for a soft smile on her lips, she offered her sincere congratulations for his success once again.

Seeing as he was dating Syr and had formed -what he liked to think of- a good friendship with Ryu, Bell had invited them both. This development wasn't sitting quite as happily with his supporter however, who had not only found out that two other women were joining in what she'd thought would be her private celebration with Bell, but that she didn't even have a chance to sit beside him! Syr had already been seated when they'd arrived and had wasted not even a second in calling Bell over and into place beside her. He, of course, hadn't thought about it at all, and so Lilli had quietly fumed to herself and slumped to the seat opposite him instead.

"Lilli wonders if it's really okay for you two to spend this time with us, the bar looks exceptionally busy tonight."

"It is busy… But Bell-kun asked Mama Mia so boldly that we could be allowed to join him! We couldn't possibly let his courage go to waste!" Syr answered with a delighted smile.

"'I'll lend 'im the two of ya. Make sure he's well fed' was Mama Mia's instruction. That and 'spend yer cash.'"

Hearing the collected and graceful Elf imitate the bar owner's words, accent and all, in her calm voice was enough to leave Bell laughing and even Lilli couldn't help but relax. Looking back to where Mia was standing behind the bar, waving her hand and giving them a hearty smile made the proprietress's goals obvious. She wanted them to celebrate their success, to enjoy themselves and to live it up… but, more importantly, she wanted them to spend a lot of money doing so.

"Now, Bell-kun! Drink lots and lots, okay? You're the star of the show tonight. Or maybe, would you like something to eat?"

Despite currently being derelict in her duties, and despite how busy they were, Syr was as merciless as ever. She wasted no time at all in flagging down Lunoire and then Chloe in quick succession, giving each of them separate orders and instructions for more than enough food to leave the table piled high. Anya, it seemed, was trusted only with the task of refilling their drinks… which she still managed to get wrong three times.

Even so, and no matter how many orders were piled up in the kitchen, all the waitresses took turns lingering by the table, exchanging friendly banter with Syr and Ryu, and offering their own congratulations to Bell and Lilli, and -in both Anya and Chloe's case- snagging a few pieces of food for themselves. Once again, Bell found himself reconsidering Syr's actions… rather than simply mercilessly loading her comrades up with work she'd been given an excuse to miss out on, he wondered if she was also giving them a small break in an overloaded night. A few minutes to talk and laugh, and share comradery… At least, until Mama Mia took notice and sent them scurrying back to their duties.

Whether it was selfishness, whimsy or benevolence, he couldn't tell, but in short order the mood around the table was jovial and everyone was laughing happily together, having a great time. He'd been worried about the previous bad blood between Ryu and Lilli, given the incident when she'd stolen his knife, but it seemed that even that had been forgotten now as the Prum was smiling ear to ear and while the Elf was responding to questions as seriously as ever, she was still looking happier than he'd seen from her since their time in the kitchen together.

Or maybe it was just the alcohol speaking. While Alfia had set him drinking wine a few times before now, this was Bell's first time drinking ale. Another suggestion from Mama Mia, she'd personally come over and slammed a tankard (not free) down on the table right after he'd gotten seated, a celebration or a special occasion, she'd explained. Syr was nursing some kind of citrusy cocktail, Lilli was sick of ale so she was drinking fruit juice, and Ryu refused to drink anything but water… so in the end, it felt a little like only he and Syr were the ones celebrating, but he thought it was best not to think about that.

Filvis had turned his invitation down, he didn't know how to get in touch with Heith, and Riveria and Ais were on their expedition (although, Bell doubted he would have had the courage to invite them anyway), but even like this, the young rookie was still surrounded on all sides by the bar's most famous beauties, and was being visibly doted on by the remaining waitresses each time they passed by the table. With all that, and with Orario thoroughly buzzing from this afternoon's news, Bell was more conspicuous than ever right now. And, the more he stood out, the more rumours swirled…

"That's him, ain't it? White-haired, human, he's got a knife-strapped to his belt there."
"Yeah? That punk-ass kid? He's the one they're talking about?"
"Hestia Familia? You ever heard of them?"
"Huh, wait, Hestia? Isn't that the small Goddess from over on Market Street? The one that lets you pat her head if you buy one of those potato-things."
"Heh… That right? They should'a called him the Jyagu Maru kid!"

Bell's cheeks grew hot as the laughter resounded, but it wasn't just any one table or group making comments, rather it felt like the whole bar had their eyes on him.

"You heard? That brat over there's the record holder now."
"It doesn't make sense. I'll bet he's not even new, I bet he did some monster-hunting on the surface, and he's come here now trying to pretend he's some rookie."
"But, the Guild checks for that when you register, don't they?"
"Phaa… Well, whatever. Record or now, who says he's gonna keep it? The Gods're just awestruck, nothin' more. One month is nothin'!"
"Ya got tha' right!"
"Y'know, those at the Guild were saying he really did slay one of those Minotaur that got loose. You know, the one they said was all the way up at lower ninth."
"So he took out one Minotaur, big deal!"
"…Could you take out a Mino at Level One? On your own?"
"I wouldn't be dumb enough to try!"
"Ha! Yeah, you'd have to be an idiot!"

Going from a complete country bumpkin, to an absolutely unknown nobody adventurer, and now finding himself suddenly thrust into the limelight, Bell was completely overwhelmed. He couldn't help but look around the bar, trying to see the people whose voices he could hear talking about him, but anytime his eyes met those of another adventurer they would stop talking, and he'd be suddenly awash with self-consciousness and would drop his gaze. With the feeling of ice running through his veins, Bell finally slunk down in his seat, making himself just a little less visible.

"You've really become the talk of the town, Bell-sama!"

"R-Really? It's a bit scary… Even on my way here, I was chased around the city by a group of Gods…"

"That is the fate of all adventurers who become known," Ryu answered calmly, "You're not being singled out, Cranel-san. It will pass, soon enough. Please, just put up with it for the time being."

"R-Right."

His face was dropping, and he could see Lilli and Syr each trying their best not to laugh at him, at least not too obviously, but the veteran Elf's words were a comfort as always. Right now, he assured himself, he was just a novelty, a funny quirk who'd come out of nowhere and snatched a record, everyone would stop caring about him soon enough.

It would have been nice if Ais was here while everyone seemed to be paying attention to him…

"Anyway, don't worry about any of that right now, Bell-kun," raising her glass high, Syr brought her jovial mood to bear once again, "For now, let's celebrate your new title! Cheers!"
""Cheers!""
"Aheh… Ah, t-thanks…"

Lilli and Ryu both raised their glasses along with the toast, but even as she did so, his supporter's grin was turned up into yet another teasing smirk.

"Lilli is proud of Bell-sama, of course. But, a title like that… Lilli isn't sure what to say…"

Ryu vacillated, neither agreeing nor denying as she simply took a long pull from her own glass. Bell scratched the back of his head with a slightly awkward agreement acknowledgement.

"Yeah… I wasn't sure what to make of it either. I guess it sounds a little cool? But, I don't really know what it means… And, my Goddess was really upset about it- she was clinging to me all afternoon, crying and saying 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Bell!' over and over."

Seeing how badly Hestia had taken his new title, he'd wondered if he should have cancelled this party, but in the end, she'd practically pushed him out the door to go have fun, rather than dragging him down with her moping. Bell didn't really understand it, or why she was so aggrieved, but he knew that Gods understood titles in a way mortals couldn't hope to reach, so he simply accepted it as best he could.

"Well, I think it's a great title!" Syr answered, cutting off his worries, "I'm sure Hestia-sama will understand soon, it really suits you Bell-kun! I was really happy to hear you got such a wonderful second-name!"

"O-Oh?"

"Mhmm! It's a wonderful title, you should be proud of it. It's powerful without being showy. Strong, without being intimidating… it's comforting, but it leaves a sense of reliability, just like you!" Syr beamed at him, gushing happily with such effusive details that Bell felt like he couldn't possibly complain about anything, "And, you know… The Gods sometimes recycle the titles they give adventurers, when they think an old one suits a new adventurer. But, not this one. No man has ever borne that title before, Bell-kun! I think that's a sign, the Gods must have noticed how hard you've been working, and they're clearly expecting great things of you!"

"I-Is that so?"

As if for the thousandth time, Syr's words left Bell blushing and stammering in place. Even after all they'd done, his girlfriend still wrapped him so easily around her fingers, and she still so delightfully soothed his worries as if they never needed to exist. For the first time since he'd learned the outcome of the Denatus, Bell felt like he could walk through the city with his head held high.

Ryu shook her head slightly, her words as level as ever, "It's unwise to try to make sense of the Gods' thoughts. We can only guess what they intend, or what they mean. For now, simply accept your title, and bear it with pride. And, in saying that, allow me to offer my own congratulations once again, Cranel-san."

"Y-Yeah!" Lilli joined in, "It doesn't matter what it means, all that matters is that you've been acknowledged!"

Flushing under their praise, Bell dropped his head once again, finding himself unable to withstand Lilli's earnest words, or even Ryu's composed and collected congratulations. One thing he'd learned very quickly these last few days was that he wasn't very good at taking compliments. But, even with his cheeks aflame and his gaze focussed on the table, he couldn't possibly have missed the way Syr was leaning so close up against him as she hummed happily for himself and piled his plate high with even more food.

No matter how much he'd struggled to believe that someone like Syr really did want to be with someone like him, even Bell couldn't have failed to notice just how happy she'd been ever since the night they'd spent together. And today she seemed to be even happier than ever, her obvious cheer had infected the entire group before they'd even realised it.

"I'm glad to see you in such a good mood today, Syr."

"Hehe, of course!" She giggled in response, hiding her cheek with her hand and laughing from behind her shoulder, looking as if she was being tickled, "I said it a bit before, but it's just… hearing everyone praising you like this, seeing your name being talked about like that, it makes me really happy. And, I feel like I helped you, just a little, when I gave you that book."

Her gaze was warm and gentle, enough that he could feel her affection wrapping around him even just out of the corner of his eye. It took a good deal of his courage, but she was his girlfriend, so Bell forced himself to face her properly… even if he was beaming like an idiot while doing so.

"I- I told you already, Syr, you've helped me a lot! Far more than just that book, it's- I never would have made it this far without you."

"Without Lilli either!" The small Prum interjected, with a dissatisfied look, "Bell-sama would have already gotten lost or caught up with some scam if it wasn't for Lilli!"

"O-Of course, the same to you, Lilli! And, and to you as well, Ryu-san, your advice really set me on the right direction."

The Elf accepted his gratitude calmly, but her glacier-blue eyes narrowed as she considered her words.

"There is no need for modesty. Of all the level-two categorised monsters, defeating a Minotaur is worthy of great praise, Cranel-san. You should be proud of such accomplishments. However, at the same time- learning of just how incautious you were makes me wary of giving you such advice in the future."

"Ah-"

"I do not mean to make light of your efforts or to sour your accomplishments. But to hear that you took on two Minotaur, at level 1, after what I told you... I am not sure which I underestimated more- your strength, or your recklessness," the Elf's careful, deliberate chastisement cut right through him, reminding him -yet again- of just how rash his antics must seem to anyone else, "Adventurers must go on an adventure, but there is a line between bravery and foolishness- you must also be certain to return from your adventure. Please remember that there are those who care deeply for you, Cranel san. Syr in particular."

"Lilli agrees! It was terrible, she was worried sick about you! Her heart was breaking over and over…"

"I-I'm sorry…"

"Ah… But you looked really cool, Bell-sama…"
"Even so, you won. And your victory must be commended above anything else."

"Ah!"

He couldn't take much more of this! His face was still burning red and his throat was tight just trying to get the word "Thanks" out, over, and again, each time they teased him or praised him. Lilli beaming over at him with her head in her hands, and a huge smile felt like the finishing blow. Her cheeks were rose pink, and those large, chestnut-coloured eyes seemed so close that he could almost see himself reflected in them.

"If I may ask," Ryu's calm voice jolted him from his daydreaming, "What do you intend to do next?"

"Huh?"

"I'm curious about what the two of you are planning."

Bell blinked, but Syr immediately linked her arm around his and jumped in to answer for him, "Now? Well, of course, we'll finish this celebration. But after this, Bell-kun and I wi-" Lilli's switch to sudden displeasure was almost palpable, but it was Ryu who raised her hand, immediately forestalling anything more along that train of thought.

"A-Allow me to be a little more direct. Cranel-san, Arde-san, do you intend to head towards the middle levels when you return to the Dungeon?"

The flush on the Elf's cheeks made it clear that she hadn't intended to ask that question so bluntly, especially not after just mentioning being wary of giving him any more advice. But it seemed her fear of hearing exactly what Syr might have planned for tonight was enough to bring Ryu right to the point.

Bell and Lilli exchanged a look- they were in the same party after all, but their plan was relatively simple.

"Well- before anything else, I want to test my abilities in the upper levels and get used to how my body moves now. Before, my advisor made me promise not to go beyond the 11th floor, but now that I've levelled up, even she's given her permission- so if everything goes well, then yes, we'd like to go onto the twelfth and below."

Lilli gave her agreement to Bell's plan, and Ryu nodded at their words. But, even as she accepted them, a worried expression began to mar the elf's beautiful features.

"Your analysis is prudent, and I do not fault it. However, although this may not be my place to say… I believe you should not proceed to the middle levels at this time."

"In other words, Ryu-san, you're saying Bell-sama and Lilli aren't good enough to make it in the middle levels?"

"No, it was not my intention to insinuate that you are weak. That being said, the upper levels and middle levels are very different," Ryu's words were as deliberate as ever, but an edge of caution and sincerity forced Bell to treat them even more seriously than usual, "It's not a problem of individual strength, nor ability- the floors are far vaster, the monsters far more deadly, and the enemies far more numerous. It simply becomes impossible for a solo-adventurer to dispose of every threat. While I'm unfamiliar with the level of support that Arde-san can provide, I fear that Cranel-san will be unable to deal with the monsters and the dungeon by himself."

"Ah… Then…"

"Yes. You should add additional members to your battle party. I believe you will soon reach the limit of your capability as a two-man group, or at least, that you will face vastly disproportionate challenges."

The two adventurers fell silent.

As always, Ryu's words were hard to disagree with, rather they formed the very foundation of Adventuring knowledge. A three-man cell was considered the most basic party formation for dungeon crawling; a vanguard to handle the frontline, a flexible member in the middle to protect them from counterattacks, and another member at long range to support with spells, ranged weapons or healing items. The same held true if they were attacked from behind- so long as the person in the supporting role could handle their own against monsters, it was possible to withstand wave after wave of attacks, until the tables could be turned in their favour. The Guild's information had been clear on all these points, he'd seen the posters advising such in the lobby, and he'd read that same information countless times through Eina's introductory lectures- in fact, several times now, his advisor had very pointedly suggested that it was high time Bell made some friends he could take to the dungeon with him.

At first, he'd simply been too embarrassed about his own rookie status to approach anyone, and recently they'd been making such quick progress that he'd allowed himself to simply be comfortable just adventuring with Lilli. The blonde's words were like a splash of cold water- telling him something he already knew. He'd experienced very well just how easy it was to be surrounded when in a two-man cell, let alone working solo. The deeper they went, the more true that would become and the more risk they would be in. Even if he could handle it, could he protect Lilli and himself at the same time?

"Wait a second, Ryu. Wouldn't it be easier for them to run away if it's just the two of them? The more people there are, the more likely it is that someone will get left behind, right?"

"Your reasoning isn't wrong, Syr. However, the only time adventurers consider retreat is after being cornered. It's far more practical to take measures to avoid being caught in perilous situations to begin with."

An awestruck sound came from Bell's mouth at the immediate reply, he couldn't help it. Since she'd once been an adventurer herself, Ryu's calculated words carried a lot of weight. And her conclusion was unmistakable.

"You must prepare for everything, to progress deeper into the dungeon and to keep yourself safe. Find someone worthy of your trust, and add them to your battle party."

He couldn't help but agree, even across the table he could see Lilli nodding her agreement, her brows furrowed in thought. But… it was easier said than done. Bell could feel his habitual shyness and introversion coming back to bite him now- in all the time he'd spent in Orario, in all the time it'd taken him to reach Level Two, he didn't have a single person he could think of to invite to his party.

Ryu surely had her own circumstances, or she wouldn't be working in a bar now, he wasn't tactless enough to broach that subject with her. And everyone else he knew was either a retired adventurer like Nazhaa, or someone with their own Familia and party, like Filvis or Ais. He couldn't deny the elf's words, nor her advice- so what should he do?

If there was nobody to ask, then should he ask if he could join their battle party? Ais was almost certainly out of the question, but he didn't know much about the Dionysus Familia, perhaps he and Lilli could join with Filvis?
But then, if he was going to try arrange something with another Familia, he should clear it with his Goddess first, shouldn't he? Or maybe his Goddess had connections herself, some kind of divine allies, they could join with?
Or was that all far too messy? Maybe he should simply be scouting out someone to join his Familia, that was the only way they would grow stronger, wasn't it?

"Ha-ha! Having some party troubles eh, kiddo!?"

"Wha?"

Shocked out of his thoughts by a booming voice, Bell jolted in confusion. Turning around in surprise, saw another one of the bar's customers -a male adventurer, followed by his two friends- strutting directly up to his table, stopping directly across from him, behind where Ryu was seated.

None of them were adventurers Bell recognised, either by name or reputation, at best he thought that the leader had been one of the guys talking about him through the bar earlier in the night- but all of them immediately commanded the young adventurer's attention. All three of them were huge, boasting massive frames, with square faces covered thick with scars. They were the very picture of what someone might imagine a bandit, or rough-hewn adventurer.

"We heard your troubles! You need allies, yeah? Then why don't you join our group, ya little bastard?"

"Eh!?"

Whatever he might have expected from this scene, an invitation to join their party was not one of them. After already being jostled around by a group of Gods hoping to recruit him, and now thrown completely off guard, Bell wasn't mentally prepared for any of this.

"I, er… Ah, I don't…"

"Ah, c'mon! No need to overthink it! This ain't that hard, it's quite easy, actually. One of my fellow adventurers has a problem, and so out of the kindness of our hearts, I'm gonna help you out. We, adventurers, gotta look out for one another, y'know?"

"Well… That's true…"

"Exactly! It's called havin' your back, having your back! And considering you're the new hotshot rookie, the talk of the town, we don't mind at all if you join us, yeah!"

"Ughh..!?"

Any possible response Bell may have wanted to make to this sudden invitation was drowned out by a thick alcoholic stench that assaulted him like running into a wall. How much had these guys had to drink? It was enough to leave him reeling back in his seat, practically gasping for fresh air. At his side, Syr was grimacing terribly, without any trace of her usual sunny disposition, and Lilli had an even worse look on her face, an expression of absolute loathing. It seemed that the supporter's revulsion towards adventurers hadn't changed at all, or at least, not towards these kinds of adventurers.

Strangely, despite being the one closest to them, with the hulking man in the lead practically bearing down over her, Ryu hadn't reacted at all. She should have been the hardest hit by the smell, but she was just sitting as calmly as ever in her seat, her stoic face hadn't changed a bit.

"So, here's the deal! We'll help you out, we'll teach you the ropes and show you the middle levels. And in exchange…"

'Huh? In exchange?'

The man's tone had never been quite as gregarious as his words, but now his voice was practically dripping with contempt. Bell could feel the very hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"You let us have some fun with these ladies for a while, okay? Ha- I'm taking the cute little fairy of an elf for myself!"

'Woah! Woah!'

For a second time in as many minutes, Bell was jolted in shock. His eyes shot wide and his body tensed. He'd never been in a situation like this before, it was like something out of his grandfather's stories. His mind spun and his hand reached instinctively to where his knife would have been.

"I've always wanted to have an elf fill my jug, if you get my drift!" the man's laughter was as raucous as it was obnoxious, more than enough to set Bell's heart aflame with disgust, "A kid like you's got guts celebrating so big like this! Must have cost you near everything you had to pay for these three- but that's the deal! We'll help you out- but first, you gotta give us something to make it worth our while! A small price to join an experienced party! That's just the basics, don't you think?"

The leader of the group was looking down directly at Ryu's back, while his buddies were eying Syr and Lilli with similarly lecherous looks.

Time seemed to slow down around Bell, and his world narrowed to just this single confrontation. 'Must have cost you near everything you had to pay for these three.' The words repeated over and over in his mind, rebounding back and forth from one side of his brain to the other, until it felt like his entire body was trembling with something twisted up between anger and disbelief.

Syr was his girlfriend, a woman he loved. Lilli was his trusted and cherished supporter. Ryu was the kind and strict elf who'd always set him on the right path.

If someone wanted to make fun of him, that was fine. But these women all deserved far better than to be looked at with such perverted eyes, or to have anyone think of them like that! He couldn't stand it, he couldn't accept it! No matter if he needed new companions to head deeper into the dungeon or not, he could never stand to shake hands with someone like these men! Already, just sitting here enduring this, he could feel his Falna start to smoulder.

'I have to say something!' Bell wasn't good at confrontations, he wasn't good at fighting people or upsetting them, it wasn't in his nature. But even he couldn't back down here, 'I have to be the "man" here, I can't let them talk like that!'

However-

"That will not be necessary. He does not need you."

- right as he prepared himself to say something, Ryu took the initiative for him, speaking up as unwaveringly as ever, without so much as looking over her shoulder.

"Huh!? What was that, little fairy? Are you sayin' we can't protect this kid?"

"Precisely. Now leave."

"Oi, you guys hear this!? She's saying it'd be us holding this greenhorn back, not the other way around, ha ha!"

All three of the men bellowed with laughter… and Bell was left stuck awkwardly in place, halfway out of his chair and unsure whether he should stand all the way up or sit quietly back down. Having lost his chance to intervene, he was now lost for words just the same.

"Listen, girly! Us three have been in and out of the middle levels for years now! The stuff you were saying was too much for this kid is our bread and butter!"

"Is that so?"

"That's right, Level Two, the lot of us, yeah!"

If he'd expected that explanation to garner any kind of recognition or respect from the elf, they were immediately disappointed.

"Is that everything you came here to say? Then leave. The likes of you are not worthy of him."

Silence reigned. The previously raucous bar was all locked onto this spectacle and the men who had been laughing until now went quiet, their faces contorting in anger. Gone was the faux-geniality of their smiles, now their grins were outright filled with hostility. Even, without any experience in these kinds of situations, Bell could feel the tension around the table had shot up to a perilous new level.

"Hey, what're you trying to say, Girly!? We're veteran adventurers! You're saying we're trash, lower than some punk-ass kid!?"

The leader took a step forward, reaching out to put a hand on Ryu's shoulder.

'Ah!'

Bell's mind whirred, faster than he'd ever thought before, blazing with the adrenaline of a Level Two adventurer. And all his thoughts were filled with the knowledge he'd been taught just recently- Elves do not allow someone they don't trust to touch their skin.

"Hands off! …Ah?"

Ryu moved so fast her movements were little more than a blur. Reaching out with lightning speed, she grabbed Bell's half-full ale jug and slammed it back, to where the offending hand would have reached for her shoulder.

Except. The hand had already been stopped.

Ale sloshed onto the floor, and the girl's eyes went wide, looking across the table at where the white-haired adventurer was reaching right overtop her. This time it was Bell who had taken the initiative.

Ryu was many times faster than him, fast enough that Bell could barely even follow her actions, but Bell had been the one looking at the approaching men, and it had been Bell that had reacted first. That fraction of a second headstart, as well as the protective skill from his Goddess burning hot across his back, had been enough to catch the encroaching hand before it could possibly have reached the elf's bare skin.

"…"

Looking up awkwardly at the man towering above him, now glowering in absolutely unconcealed fury, Bell's expression turned awkward. Unfortunately, with that taking up all his attention, the white-haired adventurer didn't notice that Ryu's stoic expression had finally broken. The Elf's eyes were staring wide at him, her lips were pursed open in a small gasp of surprise, and the slightest, faintest hint of red was now dusting the tips of her long, pointed ears.

The first man Ryu had ever touched had just prevented another man from touching her. She could have protected herself, of course, she was thoroughly used to throwing overly-familiar patrons around the bar by now. But for the first time in a long, long, time, someone had reached out to Ryu with everything they had and had saved her.

It was a strange feeling, a difficult one, but thankfully it passed in a moment and she returned to the task at hand. Of course, if Ryu's attention hadn't been entirely on Bell, she would have seen the twinkle of delight in Syr's eye as she took in the scene before her.

Snarling in fury, the man shook his hand out of Bell's grasp and reared it back, ready to send this upstart rookie across the room!

"!"

"!?"

"!"

From there, a small moment of chaos unfolded as the bar's waitresses quickly reminded all attending patrons that the Hostess of Fertility's staff were not to be messed with. And, when Ryu, Chloe and Anya had finished tossing the belligerent adventurers to the floor, Mama Mia's fury served as more than enough to put the fear of the Gods in them. In barely more than a few moments, the lead adventurer was sent packing from the premises, leaving his wallet behind as payment and dragging his unconscious friends behind him. And, yet again, all attending had it carved into their soul that the Hostess of Fertility's staff were not to be messed with.

Bell swallowed, his eyes wide and body stuck solid with shock.

These men had all been level 2, and yet they'd been thrown out as nothing more than trash. And they'd been sent scampering like rats from Mama Mia's wrath. Not a single person had stood up to help either the adventurers or the staff, not a single person had dared join in their ruckus, and now everyone had simply gone back to their meal without a thought.

Just who were these waitresses?

"I apologise, Cranel-san," Ryu answered simply, taking her seat as if nothing had happened., "My reasoning was more selfish than I thought. Regardless of their qualifications, I did not wish for you to join that battle party, and I do not like it when you're looked down on. I consider you a good friend."

"O-Oh, th-" Despite himself, Bell dropped awkwardly back down to his chair, flushing yet again. His body had filled with warmth just at hearing the diligent Elf considered them friends, he really was no good at taking compliments, "Th-Thank you. I consider you a friend too, Ryu-san."

Lilli sighed, "Heh, Ryu-san truly is strong, isn't she? Watching that… Lilli's lower back is still tingling."

Bell could only look on in disbelief. Here he was still trying to get over his shock, and Lilli was just teasing Ryu about the commotion, 'Am I the only one who's not used to this kind of thing?'

It was Syr who finally broke Bell's tension, sitting up straight and clapping her hands together, "Well, now that's over with. Let's try this again from the start, okay?"

Syr was pretty strong too, he decided. Without waiting a beat, she ordered another round of drinks, and before he knew it, they were clinking their glasses together once more. Bell couldn't help but smile as he watched her expertly returning the jovial mood… He'd already known it, but he was still impressed being reminded again just how capable the staff of this bar were.

"Haa," Lilli sighed, swirling her new glass with a relaxed smile, "Lilli is just relieved that Bell-sama won't be grouping with men like that… Really, Lilli would be happy just adventuring with her and Bell-sama…"

Ryu frowned but said nothing. She wasn't one to press a point it seemed.

"Well, before we can even worry about any of that, we have to replenish our equipment first," Bell added, "My old armour was completely destroyed and our items were lost. Lilli and I are going to take care of that tomorrow."

The Prum was suddenly downcast. Bell flinched, wondering what he'd done wrong, "…About that, Bell-sama…"

"Y-Yes?"

"There's a lot of things that need to be done at the shop where Lilli is staying… It doesn't look like she will be able to join you tomorrow…"

Shrinking back into her chair, Lilli looked almost despondent. But after everything the shop had done for her, he could understand why she wasn't able to turn down their request for help. Quickly shaking his head, Bell offered his assurances that it was fine- he was more than capable of buying his own equipment after all.

And if he wasn't as good at judging quality as her, he figured it'd be a worthwhile learning experience.

"Oh, are you going shopping alone tomorrow then, Bell-kun?"

"It looks that way."

"Then, would it be alright if I came with you?"

"O-Oh?"

Syr's offer immediately caught him off guard, he could only choke out a surprised response. But the second he thought about it, his body washed with relief. Syr was sharp, far sharper than he was, even if she wasn't an adventurer, Bell was sure she would be well suited to picking out quality equipment… but more than that, it was a chance to spend some more time with his girlfriend.

Lilli's reaction was just as shocked but far less happy! Leaping to her feet, she crossed both her arms and lowered one shoulder towards the grey-haired girl, like a boxer preparing for a fight.

"Is that okay?"

"Of course! I need to buy some things myself soon anyway… I might get in the way, but if it's okay with you, Bell-kun, I want to go shopping with you."

"No! Bell-sama! Syr-san only wants you there to carry her bags! That's right, Lilli can see through her hidden agenda! Bell-sama, she's planning to make you carry so much that your bones will crack! Turn her down!"

A bead of sweat rolled down his face at Lilli's outburst, she was leaning her entire body across the table, with both hands planted directly on it as she glared right across in Syr's direction. But the waitress at Bell's side was entirely unphased, "Why would I do something like that?" she answered simply, her light grey eyes focussed only on Bell.

Ah.

His voice caught in his throat. He wanted to stand up for Syr, but he didn't even know why Lilli was upset, and he didn't want to make her angry. He would feel terrible refusing her invitation, but a small voice in the back of his head reminded him that things tended to happen when he just went along with Syr's suggestions. The first night he'd even come here had been a trap from Syr, and then the time she'd called out to him on the road, he'd wound up in the kitchen washing dishes.

Now that he thought about it, with that track record, he truly couldn't say that Lilli's worries were unjustified.

Bell dithered, trapped between his supporter's protection and his girlfriend's warm smile. But then, just as he was about to crumble under the pressure- the bar's floorboards creaked and a large shadow towered over Syr!

"Don't push yer luck!"
"Uhaa!?"

*Thck!*

A heavy-looking wooden tray sliced through the air and slammed down onto the back of Syr's head! Mama Mia had appeared as if from thin air, having moved so fast or so silently that Bell hadn't even seen her approach! But now she was towering over the table, glaring down at the grey-haired waitress. And, given how Syr was bent over, holding her head with tears bubbling in the corners of her eyes, Bell could only wince at how hard she must have hit her.

Again, he was left gaping in open-mouthed shock, and again the completely placid reaction from Ryu -who did nothing more than sigh- only made him feel even more out of place.

"Don't be thinkin' you can take time off that easily, ya little brat! Getting' full of yourself, eh? What's the big idea, just playin' hooky whenever ya feel like it!?"

Mia's growls continued under her breath, as Syr supported her shaking body by putting her elbows on the table. Twisting around over her shoulder, Syr's eyes flashed cold and the grey-haired waitress met Mia's burning death stare with an equally terrifying glare of her own, matching the proprietress beat for beat.

This was, Bell realised quietly as a bead of sweat trailed down the back of his neck, yet another side of Syr he'd never seen before. After having only seen variations of his girlfriend's happy, worried, cheeky… or enraptured… expressions, seeing the bright and warm woman he loved burning with such cold fury was more than enough to leave him stuck in place. Once again, Ryu gave no reaction at all. Nor did any of the other waitresses still scattered around the bar stop for even a moment.

"Frown all ya like, those eyes'll getcha nowhere! Here, I'm the law, got that? Ryu, keep an eye on her tomorrow. If she just sneaks off, I'll make that your problem!"

Mia's nostrils flared in anger, she didn't even bother waiting for the Elf to give an answer before turning on her heel and making her way back towards the bar counter.

Once again, the table became a silent island in the middle of a sea of happy voices.

"Bell-kun… I've become damaged goods. Would you please pat my head and cheer me up?"

"So! Bell-sama!" Lilli was quick to interrupt that request, "Enjoy your shopping trip tomorrow, and find some good stuff, alone. Lilli can't wait to see what you buy!"

"…"

Bell's world slowed to a crawl. Just as he'd been faced with before, he was non-confrontational by nature, he was an appeaser. And -even with his Goddess, his Girlfriend and Alfia's help- he was still bad at dealing with women. The desire to simply sink down in his seat, to play this all off as a joke and to continue the night as normal was powerful.

'I need to be a man.'

But the promise he'd made was stronger still, and his back burned hot, pushing him onwards.

"A-Ahhn?"
"Oh!?"

Syr let out a soft, surprised moan when Bell's hand landed atop her head. She probably hadn't expected him to actually do anything, she was just teasing him like normal.

But, even Lilli's cry of shock didn't stop him. Syr was his girlfriend, and even if she'd just been making fun of him, and even if he was going to be walking headfirst into another one of her traps, he'd promised to make her happy. He'd sworn he would be a man who could properly cherish all the women he loved.

And so, the young Level Two adventurer pushed himself unsteadily to his feet and walked on trembling legs across the bar and towards where the Dwarven proprietress was looming terrifyingly overhead.

"A-Ahem, er, M-Mama Mia?"

"Hmm?"

"W-Well, um, th-that, is… Um, you see… I j-just, I just…" he took a deep breath, steadying his nerves as best he could. He could feel his whole table, and all the other waitresses' eyes on him, "I just levelled up, you see. So, I'm celebrating."

She already knew that, of course. He'd reported exactly that when he'd asked to hold his celebration party here. So, instead of waiting for a response, Bell reached down with nervous fingers and brought the full weight of his wallet onto the bar counter. He was still far from rich, but he was frugal, and his success in the dungeon had built up enough of a hoard that the pouch left a full, soft *thunk* as it landed atop the wooden bench.

Standing as straight as he could, he raised his voice.

"S-So, so… to mark the occasion- I wanted to buy the entire bar a round of drinks!?"

That didn't come out quite as confidently, or as smoothly as he'd hoped. But it had the desired effect all the same. Mama Mia stopped in place from where she'd been polishing a glass, and a ripple of surprised silence washed across the bar, as everyone craned around in their seat, trying to make sure they'd heard right.

There was definitely a smarter, better, cooler way to handle this. As always, Bell was sure he was doing everything wrong, charging in from the front without any thought. But he wasn't smart enough, or persuasive enough to think of anything else. This was all he had. His wallet was going to kill him. Lilli was going to kill him. Alfia was going to kill him. His Goddess was going to sigh and shake her head. But he was a man, right? He had to do it.

"That's a bad joke if yer kidding."

"I'm serious."

A roar of approval, praise, cheers, and raised tankards followed after, and Bell did his very best to stand stoically in place and watch as more than half of his wallet was upended into the dwarf's hands. He also did his very best not to notice Lilli's shriek at the wasted money. But soon enough the bar was filled with shouts for orders, and a wave of approval towards the new Level Two adventurer filled the premises top to bottom- enough even to drown out the little Prum's anger.

Mama Mia sighed, "I told ya to celebrate, eat and drink yer full, but somethin' like this is just showin' off."

"I'm not showing off," he answered, as firmly as he dared towards the terrifying woman, "The food was incredible, and the drink was too… A-And, and, so- I'm happy to spend my money here."

"Ha- Syr's right about you. You do have a way with words, don't ya?"

"A-And, and, and so… And, so, *ahem*, And so… Because you've been so good to me, I wa-wanted to ask a favour- I wanted to ask if it was okay if Syr was allowed time off to go out with me, tomorrow?"

"A-Ah! Bell-kun!"
"Bell-sama!?"
"Ah. Cranel-san…"

Once again, Mama Mia was stopped in place, and this time it was Bell who was pinned beneath her terrifying glare. If not for the fact that her hands were currently full with the valis he had fought with his life on the line to earn, he was sure he would have withered on the spot.

"You can't buy time with my waitresses."

"!"

"Mama Mia!" A sudden comforting warmth washed over him, dispelling the owner's terror; it was only a heartbeat later that Bell realised Syr had wrapped herself around him. Her soft breasts squished wonderfully around his back, her thin arms linked tight around his chest, and for a moment, Bell's entire world was swallowed up with Syr. When he blinked himself back to reality, he understood the woman he loved was looking out for him yet again, "You know he didn't mean it like that, don't pick on Bell-kun!"

And this time, the indomitable dwarf was the one to give ground.

"Haaaa… Fine. Fine. But only during the day, ya hear? If yer not back for the dinner rush, I'll come find ya myself!"

Bell just nodded mutely as Syr led him back towards his seat. The whole way back she was clinging tight around his arm, and glowing with such radiant delight that it was almost dazzling.

"Mhmm hehe, Bell-kun. Bell-kun. Bell-kun… You never cease to surprise me, you know, you're just amazing. Aha, it's just like I said, that Title suits you perfectly. Strong without being intimidating, you're really reliable… Ah, this is why I love you so much, you know?"

Ryu's stoic façade had cracked enough that a small smile was showing through, displaying her approval for his actions. And Syr's gushing praise, and clear gratitude was just barely enough to overcome the withering looks that Lilli was sending across the table or the sounds of her clear dissatisfaction being muttered under her breath.

"I thought Hestia-sama was the only one I needed to watch out for… Clinging to him like that… Urgh, geez, Bell-sama! There's a limit to how oblivious you can be with women…"

Oblivious? He wasn't quite sure what that meant, but it seemed much safer not to ask.


One of the downsides, Bell had discovered, with his plan to allow Syr to go out with him, was that after buying the entire bar a round of drinks, he'd become the centrepiece attraction- at least for this little moment.

Which, in this case, meant table after table of loud, boisterous and drunk adventurers calling him over, celebrating his new title, wishing him well in the Dungeon, and raising a toast to his Level Up.

At first, he'd simply tried to put his head down and ignore it, just as he had the initial burst of fame that had followed him into the bar. But now he was more than just a novelty, now he had both their attention and a small amount of gratitude- and if nothing else, the sight of the famous Record Holding Rookie wilting awkwardly under their cries had been entertainment just in itself.

Adventurers, by nature, tended to be a forthright group, and so ignoring them only made their cries louder, and before too long Bell had been forced to give in. And, from there, he'd found himself called over from table to table, practically doing a full circuit of the bar, clinking his (now empty) mug against theirs and making an exaggerated show of accepting the toast raised in his name.

Pulled this way and that, soon enough, he'd lost sight of his own table.

And… it was right then, that he found himself cornered by the once famous and feared Black Cat.

"White Hair, can we talk for a moment? In private, nya."

Chloe, it seemed, was just going on her break. And, it seemed, she had something she needed to tell him.

Bell swallowed nervously, but regardless of the misgivings he had from how she'd jumped him the morning after his night with Syr… she was offering a momentary escape from being the bar's central attraction. And so, he followed awkwardly behind as the sleek catgirl's wide, swaying hips and adorable swishing tail, led him through the kitchen and up the staircase to the landing above.

"Nya…" turning towards him, Chloe sank to a hip as she awkwardly scratched her cheek, "I wanted to apologise, for last time. I'm sorry, nya."

Taken off guard yet again, Bell blinked in surprise, "You are?" He only registered how rude his reply must have seemed a moment later, but Chloe absolutely hadn't seemed the type to feel sorry for much of anything. And given that she'd been grabbing after him this very morning, he could only imagine she'd had a change of heart very recently.

"Nyahah, I know, I came on too strong, I shouldn't have done that. Syr told me off too, nya…I feel bad, forcing it like that… I'm normally meant to be the one that protects the young boys!"

Chloe's past had been dark, twisted and ugly, without love or family, an existence that simply followed the precepts of a criminal Familia led by the dictates of a heartless deity. Born into shadows, taught nothing but crime, Chloe had sown nothing but blood and death. The jobs didn't bother her, the people who hired her and the people she killed were almost universally scum, but even so, there was no fulfilment or reason to be found; she had been underworld trash, killing underworld trash, only to watch it be replaced with more underworld trash. It was nothing but life dyed red and black, and without a single meaning.

In those days, throughout her youth and adolescence, the only bright spots that had existed were those very few moments when she would discover her targets were the worst scum of all. Then, instead of the Black Cat assassin, Chloe would take on a persona like a "Chivalrous Thief", as she would punish the villain and free orphans from their chains. Acting like a hero for them to admire was nice, and being hugged by the young boys was even nicer… it was in those moments, during those formative years, that those brief moments of happiness had begun to warp Chloe's desires…

Bell, of course, knew absolutely none of this and had no idea what she meant. Nor was he particularly sure about being called a "young boy," But from the look on her face, he could tell it was important to her, so he said nothing.

"I was serious about what I said though, nya. I really like you, White Hair! You're exactly my type, nya!"

Punctuating her words by throwing her fists down at her side, Chloe's tail stood straight up as she made her declaration, and even her feline ears stood stiff atop her head as she faced him down. Her cheeks were flushed an innocent red, but she didn't relent, and the force of her assurance left Bell's embarrassment matching her own. Even with two lovers, he still wasn't good at taking compliments, or at being praised by women. Blushing and stammering, he could say nothing as Chloe's uncharacteristically honest assault continued.

"And- and I was serious when I said you're the only one I've ever done that with, nya! You must be proud, right, White Hair? Collecting the first kiss of a beautiful maiden like me? Nyaaa… That's… That's when I knew for sure, that you were what I was looking for!" As an assassin, and as a woman gifted with a sleek and dangerously alluring beauty, Chloe had made use of her feminine wiles to get to her targets countless times. But, because of her superlative skills, she'd never needed to actually commit to anything, all except one time… "There was, a long time ago, there was a guy I thought I was going to have to do it with- but when the time came, my body acted on its own, and I slashed his face instead, nya! H-Haha, I've, I've never talked about this before, so don't say anything, okay? Nya… It's just… I thought… When it was you, I didn't even think about it, and my body just wanted to wrap itself around you…"

Bell swallowed.

"Ah, Chloe-san…"

This was too much to process all at once. He'd only drunk a little, but his head felt like it was spinning out of control. Just a few minutes ago he'd been at a party celebrating his level up. Then he'd been dragged around the bar, giving toast after toast. Then he'd been pulled away from all that by a woman he was more than a little unsure about. And now was praising him, teasing him, bearing her heart towards him and hitting on him all at once!

This was far too much for a country bumkin like him! He wasn't anywhere near skilled enough with women to know how he should possibly react! Chloe was beautiful, a little dangerous-seeming, but beautiful nonetheless; she was mature, funny, alluring and popular. He was sure she could have any man she wanted, why in the world was she interested in him!?

'Ah. It's the same, isn't it?'

And finally, the instant that question crossed his mind, his worries cleared. Because instead his thoughts were filled with the image of his silver-haired lover smiling indulgently at him.

He'd never understood why Syr had fallen for him. But that didn't matter. He'd gained the courage to face her properly, he accepted that she had, and he'd strived to be worthy of it. Doubting himself only disrespected her. It was just the same, he didn't know what Chloe saw in him, but when she was facing him so seriously, he could only accept her words.

Steeling himself, he returned her gaze, with as much sincerity as he could muster.

"Chloe-san… I'm sorry."

"Ah!?"

You're beautiful, and charming, a-and, and I'm really flattered, but, I'm not in love with you. I'm sorry!"

Ah.

It hurt.

His toes curled in his shoes, and his hands clenched at his side. So, this is what it felt like to let someone down. So, this is what it felt like to break someone's heart. Lances of guilt speared through him, and his throat constr-

"Huh!?"

Bell blinked. Looking up, he saw that Chloe was not looking at him with a broken heart, but with abject confusion.

"Love? Who said anything about love, nya?"

"Huh?"

Love was a strange and alien thought to the young, former-assassin. She was sure she felt something like that for Mama Mia and the other girls at the bar, but those were feelings she never touched or dwelled on, the only experience Chloe had ever had with familial love left a scar on her heart that would never heal. Romantic love was an even more uncomfortable thought. That was something for the young boys she saved who looked up to her, it wasn't something she tried to take for herself. Love was something from the stories she'd heard, or the plays she'd seen, it was something beautiful, pure and innocent, but Chloe had never been innocent. Trying to hold onto something like love with bloodstained hands… she was sure she would only ruin it.

"I don't know anything about love, nya! I just really like you! I just want you to be mine, nya!"

"B-B-B-But..!?" Bell's mind was short-circuiting. Part of him was melting down in shame at the arrogance of assuming she was in love with him, and the rest of him was overloaded trying to understand what the difference between her really liking him was! "B-But, but you should only do things like that with someone you love?"

"But I want to, nya!"

"Th-Then, um, but, I only want to do it with someone I love?"

"That's fine, nya! Just fall in love with me! Rather than worrying about all this stuff, you should be thanking your lucky stars, White Hair! You've already got that Goddess of yours, and Syr, and now you've got the Hostess of Fertility's star attraction and most popular waitress giving you a chance too! So, fall for me like you did for Syr!"

"Ummm…" Bell stumbled back a step, losing faith in his arguments as he got swept up in her pace. Chloe pursued instantly, "B-But, but you're Syr's precious colleague?"

"She's fine with it, nya. She even said she wanted to, that 'it would be a dream come true to walk down the aisle with us four.'"

"A-Wh-Eehh!? Sy-Syr said that!?"

It was terrifyingly easy to believe. As much as he'd pushed this whole harem situation on Syr, and as unfair as he knew he was being to her… she had taken to the idea far more readily than Bell had ever imagined. Did she really want him to marry all her other colleagues!? Anya? Lunoire? Chloe? … even Ryu? Surely, she was just teasing!? But then, it was hard to tell with Syr. His girlfriend was a mercurial one.

Bell swallowed. He could have sworn Chloe was purring by now. Her eyes were flashing with a glint of excitement, giving off the impression of a huntress in sight of her prey- and yet despite that, she was clearly restraining herself, at least compared to last time. She remained just a step away from him, she didn't reach out for him, nor try and grab him.

If he wanted to leave, if he wanted to reject her affection, he could. But, was that what he wanted?

"Nyaaa… It's fine, isn't it, White Hair? I'm new to all this too, so I don't mind if we take it slow. Give me some time too, let me have some attention, nyaa… We don't need to go further than you're okay with, not until you've fallen hopelessly in love with me… I just want a taste, nyaa…"

Her expression was alluring, enough to leave Bell's face red and heart racing. Even without touching him, she was leaning over towards him, her lips pursed and eyes soft, and her tail was swishing hypnotically back and forth behind her back. Bell couldn't help but drink in the sight of her, of Chloe's deliciously slender figure, of her smoothly round hips hidden beneath the modest waitress dress, of that sleek black hair, those wonderfully soft looking cat's ears, and the cheeky sway of her glossily brushed tail.

His resolve had him questioning.

He'd said, "You should only do things like this with someone you love", but where had he gotten that from? One of his stories? His Grandfather had never told him anything like that, and honestly, now that Bell thought about it frankly, his advice seemed to be championing the exact opposite. Bell wasn't following his Grandfather's dreams anymore, he was following his own path… but Alfia was the one who had helped guide him on this path, and she hadn't said anything like that either.

'When you're hungry, eat.' His guardian's words resonated through him, 'Eat without hesitation, as much as you care for.'

He didn't know what was right, he'd have to talk about this with his Goddess later, but he knew -despite how he might have acted- what he wanted.

"Okay. Just a taste."

"Nyaaaa!"

Chloe's eyes shot wide, as if she'd never actually believed he would agree. And this time it was Bell's arms that linked around her waist, and his arms that pulled her towards him.

"Wh-White Hair…"

She felt small in his arms, soft and slight… and no matter how terrifying she might have seemed facing down those adventurers before, the Black Cat melted against him just the same as Syr, or Hestia did, and it felt just as wonderful feeling her slender body slinking around him as it had when she'd thrown herself on him. He could feel a light shiver running down her body, reminding him once again how she'd said she'd never done anything like this before. She'd pushed herself into action last time, but now they were taking it slow, and he could see and feel every little tremor spreading through her, and see the red flush washing across her cheeks.

Ah, his mind shook. She really was captivating. Dangerously so. She had a sharp and aggressive beauty, very different to his Goddess or his girlfriend, sharper even than Ais, but no less alluring.

Her arms linked around his neck, with just a trace of nervousness and no lack of desire.

Purring softly, Chloe closed her eyes.
And Bell took the lead, bringing his right arm up from her waist to the back of her head instead. And with that, he guided her lips towards his own.

"Nn…"
"Ah…"

The first kiss was brief, barely more than a moment, their lips touched and she jolted in his arms.

"Nh-hmmm…
"Nyaaaaa…"

But the second came only an instant after that, and this time Chloe relaxed against him, letting down her guard completely, enough that the former-assassin fell completely into the young rookie adventurer's embrace.

His hands held her head and her back, steadying her in place, and hers clung each around the back of his neck, holding tight against him as if to keep herself steady, or to keep him from running away. His lips eased hers open, she breathed out a shuddering moan and purred softly with delight. And then she met his tongue with her own, letting him guide their dance as she simply allowed herself to be drawn into his rhythm.

It was nothing at all like their first kiss, where she'd practically just mashed her mouth against his. Now, Bell thought he could feel the true sensation of Chloe's affection, and he could feel in his arms the way the Black Cat shivered and shook as their embrace deepened, and she breathed out gentle, heady moans.

It was also nothing at all like kissing Syr or Hestia.

Most notably, it was missing the soft, bouncy sensation he usually felt from having their abundant chests pressed up against him. Chloe wasn't lacking in feminine charm, or in dangerously appealing curves of her own; with his left hand running slowly over her side and across her hips, Bell was becoming very aware of just how delightful the catgirl's body truly was, and just how much work the thick waitress uniform was doing at hiding it, but even so, it was a very different sensation from the way Syr and Hestia's chests so easily strained out the very limits of their clothes. Her tongue also felt notably different, slightly rougher, it captivated his senses, and she trilled happily against him as he examined every bit of it.

But most contrasting at all, holding her against him like this, Bell couldn't possibly miss just how impossibly strong Chloe felt. Her body was just as wonderfully soft as Syr's, and she fell into his embrace just as completely as Hestia… and yet, the feeling of her arms around his neck, was like they couldn't be pried off with a crowbar! And when he pushed up against her, it was like trying to budge a mountain!

'So, this is what it's like, being with an Adventurer?'

Syr was a normal girl, and Hestia's mortal self was no different, he was far more powerful than either of them. Lately, he'd been worried about having to regulate his strength when he was with them… with Choe right now, it felt like the exact opposite. Even without knowing anything about her past, Bell was sure she must have been a powerful adventurer. Was this what it would be like, being with Ais? It was a new experience… but not unwelcome at all.

'Ah, I like it.'

Chloe, on the other hand, wasn't thinking about anything so detailed. Rather, she wasn't thinking about anything at all!

Just like the first time she'd had Bell in her arms, her senses were almost overwhelmed with exhilaration! Both at grasping onto a piece of her long-awaited dream and at the simple sensation of having Bell pressed up against her. The feeling of his body's heat against hers, the way she could hear his heart racing, the surprising sturdiness she'd experienced previously from his toned body- now matched with the comforting security she felt in having his hand cradling her head. It was enough to leave her world spinning and leave her almost mewling in joy…

…What did leave her mewling in joy was the feeling of his thick, heavy shaft pushing up against her waist. It was just the same as what she'd felt the first time she'd grabbed hold of him- huge and weighty, powerful enough that she could feel it easily even through his pants and the thick fabric of her waitress uniform. Everything she'd hoped for and dreamed of, undoubtedly the thing that had left Syr cumming her brains out.

And this time, rather than the brief and quick kiss she'd stolen, their embrace was lingering, it was heated and it was passionate… Which meant Chloe could feel the manliness that Syr had been bragging about pulsing greedily against her with every turn and twist of her hips. It was enough to leave the Black Cat slithering and twisting around him, and more than enough for her to fill the hallway with the sound of her pants. Hotter, headier and hungrier by the second.

"Nyaaaa…."

Ah. This was Bliss. She finally had a young boy in her arms, his affection radiating through her, and… and it wasn't just any young boy… it was Bell Cranel

'I really like him, don't I? White Hair… Nya…'

She'd promised just a taste, but she knew she wasn't possibly going to stop with just this! Just feeling him like this had left her heart pounding and her pussy soaking wet! It was a hundred times better than watching him fuck his Goddess's brains out, and a thousand times better than listening to him railing Syr all night long! She could feel her tail about ready to twist itself in knots with how desperately it was swishing from side to side, and she could feel her womb practically throbbing with need!

As nervous and cowardly as she was, Chloe didn't know if she could possibly go all the way this soon- her offer to take things slow had been as much for herself as him… But with her entire body quickly being inflamed with a lust stronger than she'd ever felt before… she was certainly interested to see just how far things wou-

"Oh! Here you are, Bell-kun!"

"!"
"!?"

"S-Syr?"
"A-Ahaha, aahh, hhhaaa… Syr? Wh-What're you doing here, nyaaa?"


"Honestly, Bell-kun, you were gone so long, we all thought you might have drunk too much. Geez… we were worried you might be throwing up, or that somebody had run off with you. I never expected that someone to be Chloe."

"Ah, Syr…"
"Nya…"

Bell and Chloe both followed awkwardly behind the silver-haired waitress as she took hold of their wrists and led them from the upstairs landing through to the spare bedroom. The same one Hestia had once stayed in, and that Syr and Bell had so recently made all their own their own. The door was shut, and locked, behind them, and with that, and without waiting for either of them to force out a single word of explanation, Syr took immediate command of the room.

"Kneel."

"N-Nyaa…"

Expecting to be scolded once again, more than a little fearful of her friend's tempestuous nature, Chloe fell obediently to her knees. Her fists balled at her sides, and her eyes drooped to the floor. Still, the Black Cat's heart was pounding in her chest, and still she could feel the heady rush of want pounding from between her legs… but Chloe knew well enough just how scary Syr could be when she got mad, and after being scolded for kissing Syr's boyfriend just the previous day, even the former-assassin knew she was treading on thin ice.

Bell, with much the same thoughts, did likewise. Except-

"Oh! Not you, Bell-kun. Ah, you sit here, please."

"Ah, um… Okay?'

-Except, Syr's hands wrapped around him right as he bent his knees, and the young adventurer found himself instead guided to take a seat atop the edge of the bed that he and her had so recently occupied.

"Good."

Syr beamed. And Bell found himself blinking in surprise… rather than the dissatisfied or strained smile he'd expected… she was looking up at him with just the same warmth and affection he was used to.

"Then, I shall…"

"!"
"!?"

Instead of Bell kneeling beside Chloe, to be scolded in unison with him… the silver-haired girl dropped to her knees, right beside the catgirl, and in fact, she squished herself up directly flush against where the former assassin had been squirming uneasily on the floor.
Rather than Bell and Chloe being scolded together… Bell was seated on the bed, before and above them… and Syr and Chloe were kneeling side by side, right between his legs…

"Eh?"
"Nya?"

Syr's smile turned utterly radiant. And her eyes danced with exactly the kind of mischievous, excitement that Bell had learned to be wary of… and to savour.

"Chloe, you and I have been friends for a long time- so, I'm gonna help you out, okay? Now, it looks like you two have already made up," and made out, "But, Bell-kun, I know that Chloe wants to apologise properly, and as your girlfriend, I want you to give her a chance to do so."

"Er…" Bell scratched his cheek. He thought Chloe had already apologised enough, but then, it was probably better to go along with Syr's whims than against them, "Sure?"

"Nnn! Bell-kun! Be serious, you're the problem here, you know! You're too easygoing, you just accept everything and excuse everyone! How can someone apologise sincerely, when you've already forgiven them?"

"Ah… um… sorry?"

"Just keep it in mind, okay? When it comes to someone like Chloe, and especially myself, it's fine for you to be hard you know?"

Especially after everything he'd just been doing, having Syr talking in such a suggestive way, while seated before him and looking up at him with such visible excitement in her eyes left Bell swallowing heavily, and left a powerful reaction rippling through him. But there was no time to compose himself, because her attention had already turned towards her colleague.

"You do want to apologise, right?"

Apparently, just as confused about all this as Bell was, the catgirl jolted in place, and just like Bell, she came to the same conclusion to just go along with Syr's wishes. "O-Of course, nya. As I said before, White Hair, I am ve-"

"Chloe! Come on, you know better than that. You can't just apologise and then throw yourself at him, just the same as you were doing before!" The catgirl's tail twitched, just how long had Syr been watching? "If you're going to sincerely apologise, you have to make it up to him. You have to make him feel better…"

And with those words, and before either of them could have reacted, Syr's hands reached out towards where Bell was sitting. And then, in a single heartbeat, with a deftness that defied her status as an ordinary girl, her fingers flicked the adventurer's belt open, and yanked both his underwear to the floor!

"!"
"!?"

Chloe's yowl caught in her throat, and Bell's hands flew to his crotch. It was completely in vain, there was absolutely no way he could have hidden this- no longer restrained by his belt or his pants, the thick weapon between the young adventurer's legs rose high above the two girls.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm." Syr hummed lovingly, tracing a fingertip along its length as she slid back to her knees, "As magnificent as ever, Bell-kun… It's still a shock to see, even now…"

"S-Syr!?"
"Ny-Nya…Nya…Nyaaaaaaa!?"

Having been unmistakably caught in the act, flooded with anxiousness about Syr's reaction, and expecting to be scolded if not outright dumped, Bell had been holding back all this while. Even with two girls kneeling below him, and even with Syr looking up with such longing excitement, he'd forced down his body's reactions as best he could. There was no possible holding back now.

Underneath Syr's adoring gaze, and before Chloe's awestruck eyes, Bell's cock continued to grow, expand, and stiffen. Just at half-mast, it had towered almost dizzying above the former-assassin, but with each passing second she watched it grow longer, thicker, and harder… Previously her mind had defined it as a 'weapon', but… looking up with her mouth hanging open, her nipples rock hard, and her pussy throbbing hot… it looked much more like an indomitable pillar of meat.

She couldn't possibly react. It had been one thing to catch fleeting glimpses of it before, and another thing to watch him with that Goddess of his, but seeing it now, without any time to prepare herself… the sight of it, the size of it, the smell that filled her senses and the heat she could feel almost tingling across her skin. She understood, down to her very soul, that this was what had made that tiny Goddess thrash about like she'd seen, this was what had made Syr scream out like she'd heard. This was the cock that had made both an unflappable waitress and a virgin Goddess into women.

This was everything Chloe had never known she'd wanted.

"N-Nya…"

"We can stop here if you're unsure, Bell-kun," Syr continued, stopping for just a second to lean up and plant a soft, adoring kiss directly atop the crown of his cock, and to leave it twitching furiously before the catgirl's starstruck eyes, "This is just to make it up between you two, so we won't go any further if you don't want this. It's just, my colleagues are very important to me, Bell-kun, I really want you to get along with them… I'll explain all this to Lady Hestia the next time I see her."

'Are they really going to? …Both of them!? That's…Huh!?'

Panting aloud, with his head spinning from the sensation of Syr's lips and still trying to wrap his mind around what exactly was happening, Bell couldn't put a response into words. But he made no effort to pull away, and, with Syr's gentle prompting, he took his hands away from where they were still futilely trying to hide the shaft pulsing out above the two women.

Syr's right hand traced gently, teasingly, up and down Bell's cock.
And her left-hand slunk around behind her friend- slowly urging her forwards, towards it.

"The same for you, Chloe, I hope I'm not going too far..?"

"No… I, I want this, nya…"

No hesitation.

Her face was flushed a deep red now, and her body was squirming in place on the floor, trembles running down her spine and shivers through her hands. When she was wrapped around Bell before, Chloe had been more aroused than she'd ever felt in her entire life… but even this paled against the reality washing over her right now. Kneeling on the ground, she could feel her juices flooding her panties and spreading down her thighs, pooling on her dress beneath her. Her tail was flicking back and forth like a metronome, her entire body was throbbing with desire, and not even once since kneeling down had she even thought of getting up. Despite how skittish she was, she didn't want to get away. Despite how domineering she liked to be, she didn't want to try take control. She wanted to be here, on her knees, with this monstrous cock right before her eyes…

"But, how can I? It's so… there's so much…"

Syr gave a gentle laugh.

"It's fine, it's just like you said before, 'There's no need to overthink it', here, I'll show you-"

And with that, and before either of them could have reacted, the silver-haired waitress leaned forward once more.

"A-Ah!"

Bell's gasp filled the air as Syr's lips pushed against the head of his cock once again- but this time she didn't content herself with just a single kiss, this time she spread them wide and quickly engulfed his entire glans within her mouth.

*Shluuup!*
"G-GH-HH!"

Syr dipped her head down, and in one single motion, more than half of Bell's cock had suddenly disappeared between her lips!

Chloe's jaw dropped open, her emotions bouncing between amazement, shock and no small amount of jealousy.
Bell's shuddering gasp echoed loud around the room, and neither woman could have possibly missed the way his body shivered and his shaft shook with visible delight.
Syr's right hand wrapped around the base of his shaft- making a show of displaying just how monstrous it truly was, so thick she couldn't close her fingers completely around it.

With her eyes still turned upwards towards her lover, and with her expression shining with such delight he could swear she was smiling even with her mouth so fully occupied, the silver-haired waitress slid her lips slowly back up along the length of his cock. Her soft hand pumped gently in place as she did so, rocking back and forth just a few centimeders at a time, and all the while her tongue dragged forcefully, adoringly, wonderfully along the underside of his shaft.

"Hh-ahha! S-Syr, th-that's good!"

Even with just this much, she was able to leave Bell twitching for more, or maybe that was just due to how aroused he was from the audacity of this very situation. For someone who'd been a country bumpkin just a month ago, and an unnamed adventurer a few days ago, being with two women like this was almost surreal! The thought of it was almost half as intense as the suction of his girlfriend's mouth wrapped like a vacuum-seal around his cock!

It had taken Syr only a heartbeat to swallow that much of Bell's shaft, but she savoured every moment of the time it took for her to withdraw- giving Chloe a prolonged demonstration, and giving Bell enough pleasure to leave his toes curling.

But eventually, with a dissatisfied sigh falling simultaneously from both their lips and with a visible *pop* filling the air, Bell's cock was released from the tight, warm, confines of Syr's mouth, and she settled back onto her knees, turning towards Chloe with the exact same encouraging smile she'd had before, as if this was nothing strange at all!

With her hand still wrapped gently around the base of his shaft, she pointed it around towards the quivering catgirl.

"See? Just like that! Well, I couldn't go nearly that deep at first- but it's fine if you can't, just fill your mouth for now, and use your hands for help, I'll take care of the rest!"

"A-Ah, aummm…"

Chloe swallowed. Her entire body trembled.
Her womb pulsed with desire. Her pussy ached with hunger. Her rock-hard nipples pulsed with small sparks of pleasure, as if she'd already become far too sensitive.
And slowly, tentatively, she reached out and wrapped her fingers, then both her hands, around it.

"N-Nyaaaaaaaa," she mewled without even intending to, her breath coming in a gasp and her eyes filled entirely with the massive shaft towering over her, "It's… it's so hard, nyaa…"

It was like an iron bar. Except, it pulsed and throbbed with heat and desire beneath her hands. It was almost impossible to imagine that Syr had taken something like this inside her! Let alone that tiny Goddess of his!

But somehow, as soon as she'd touched it, rather than being daunted by the size, Chloe simply felt comforted instead. Despite everything, despite her nervousness and despite her inexperience- this was White Hair's cock. As soon as her fingers slid in place around the shaft, her body and soul both understood- nothing had changed, even when she finally got her hands on him, he was still the same kind and gentle, soft and generous young man she'd been so enamoured with. There was never anything to worry about with him. All that awaited her was pleasure… which meant, for now, all she wanted to focus on was trying to pleasure him.

She was usually a selfish girl, but she'd been told to make it up to him. And, even a former assassin had to have some pride.

"A-Ah! Chloe!"

Following Syr's lead, the Black Cat leant up and placed her lips in a soft, adoring kiss directly atop the head of his cock.

"N-Nyaaaaaa…" She'd wanted to say something enticing, but her entire body shivered with delight the moment she tasted him, and it took several seconds for her to calm down enough to even think, let alone build up some fake confidence, "Y-You ju-just sit there and enjoy this, White Hair! This is the beautiful and alluring waitress Chloe's first-ever blowjob! F-F-Feel proud of th-that for the rest of your life! And then, lose your mind entirely as I take you to heaven, nya!"

"I'll help too! I've always wanted to try this with another girl!"

"A-Ahh! HO-OOH!?"

Chloe's lips pressed against his cockhead once more, and as they did, Syr's planted a passionate kiss along the side of his shaft.

The sight of both girls kissing his cock. The sensation of the twin pairs of lips pressed so lovingly against him. The feeling of Chloe's hands wrapping around the top of his length and Syr's linking around the base. The knowledge that he'd somehow wound up with these two incredible, beautiful, older women eager to service him. It was enough to make Bell's mind whirl, and his voice cry out in with wanton delight.

"Hehe, he really likes it! Let's keep going, Chloe!"
"A-Ah, r-right, nya! J-Ju-Just follow my lead, Syr!"

Chloe's lips parted around him and Bell's cockhead was drawn tentatively into the warmth and the wet confines of the catgirl's mouth, a soft mewling filled the air as the former assassin's cheeks bulged wide to accommodate his size. And, acting perfectly in synch, Syr's kiss deepened against his shaft, her lips spreading open against his girth and her fingertips teasing along the other side as she moaned happily into him.

"Y-You don't need to push yourself," Bell gasped, warning Chloe as her mouth filled entirely with his cock, and as he felt his length pushing against the even tighter walls of her throat, "Ju-just take it easy."

"Mmmphhnnyaaa!"

Anything she'd intended as a reply was easily muffled by the shaft currently stretching her jaw out to its very limits, but -looking up at him, from where between his legs- the determination in her eyes made her answer clear regardless. Syr's earlier demonstration had lit an unquenchable fire within her colleague!

"!"

"!"

"!"

Gasping, twitching and panting from where he was sitting on the edge of the bed, Bell's voice echoed out around the room, louder by the moment and more wanton by the second. Chloe, of course, couldn't take as much of his length as the silver-haired seductress had, no matter her determination, not yet at least.

But, a lifetime's training as an assassin, a past full of pain, and the experience of more life and death battles than she could even count had more than prepared the catgirl to overcome the discomfort at having even such an outrageous shaft filling her throat!

Her gag reflex had been easily suppressed, she had no issues holding her breath for multiple minutes at a time, and…

…And the sensation of Bell's cock inside her. The experience of him seemingly filling every one of her senses. The feeling of her throat being pushed out, stretched wide and moulded to fit him

It was leaving her head spinning, giddy with a rush of excited delight, far more intense than anything she'd ever felt before!

Even watching him railing his Goddess. Even listening to him pounding Syr. Even all her fantasies and all her dreams about all the things she'd wanted to do with him- all the times she'd buried her fingers into her pussy, and felt her body throb and writhe and cum, while filled with thoughts of him. None of them matched this! Her heart was slamming against her chest, her modest breasts were tingling in delight, and her tail was swishing furiously back and forth across the ground, as the trickle of juices spreading over her thighs became a flood.

'N-Nyaa… O-Oh, I really love this! White Hair, he feels great like this!'

By the time Chloe had reached her limits, more than a full third of the young adventurer's oversized cock had disappeared into the wonderfully warm confines of the catgirl's mouth! And with that, and a small puff of pride breathed out directly into his shaft, she began sliding her lips back up along his length, building herself into a slow and clumsy, but intensely passionate rhythm!

Syr, of course, had been no less busy. Smiling with satisfaction as she watched Chloe doing her best to match her earlier demonstration, and with her mouth still laying a wet, open-mouthed kiss against his shaft, the human girl began also dragging her lips, tongue, and fingers all the way down, along his cock. Her mouth laid warm against the side of his length, her fingers traced and teased a pattern following down the other side, and all the while her tongue rolled lovingly along the undercarriage of his cock, centimeder after centimeder, following Chloe's speed almost exactly… And, by the time the Black Cat had swallowed as much as she could manage, Syr's lips were kissing lovingly against the base of his cock, and her fingers were instead wrapping around him, taking as firm a hold as she could manage.

"!?"

Then, at the very same instant that Chloe began her ascent back up Bell's length, just as the catgirl was easing her mouth into a slow rhythm around him, Syr dipped lower still!

"Ah-HHAA!?"

Chloe's lips diligently engulfed the head of his cock, and with her clumsy, novice technique, she began to bob up and down his length.
Syr's loving kiss pressed gently against his balls, and with a tender, careful technique, she began to roll both her tongue and mouth fully over his most sensitive parts.

Bell's jaw hung open, a spark lance of pleasure searing through him enough to leave his eyes dazed for a moment, and his entire body trembling with a shiver that was easily felt by both girls!

This was hardly the first time Syr's lips and mouth had found their way to his balls, and even his Goddess had experimented with gently suckling on them as she ran her hand up his shaft… But feeling it now, with another girl's lips bobbing so devotedly up and down the head of his cock… It was like the difference between heaven and earth! His body throbbed, his shaft twitched, and no small amount of pre-cum was splattered into the Black Cat's warm mouth, earning another heady moan from her.

"W-Wow…."

They'd only just begun and he was already feeling it this much?

It was crazy. Just the sight of it was enough to leave him trembling, looking down and seeing two beautiful women looking so excitedly back up at him- seeing the way Syr was so happily worshipping his balls, and how Chloe's expression practically radiated her desire as she worked her way down his length, again, and then yet again. Syr's technique was as breath-taking as ever, her tongue dragged from ball to ball, and she slid beneath him without even a drop of shame, passing her mouth around and over them each in turn. But Chloe was proving to be just as quick a learner as her colleague had been, with each time her lips descended, she seemed to become just a bit surer; her suction became just a bit stronger, her tongue slithered underneath his shaft just a bit more confidently, and her teeth bumped against him just a little less often.

Bell had always loved and appreciated each of the times his Goddess or Syr had serviced him… but sitting like this, feeling himself wrapped up around the affection of two women… it was a decadence like nothing he'd felt before, and it felt like a whole new world of pleasure was being opened up to him.

Was this what it meant to be loved by multiple girls? It was incredible! And it left his back smouldering softly as he redoubled his promise to prove worthy of it.

The gentle wet heat of Syr's mouth engulfed his balls, exactly in time with the warm, tight confines of Chloe's throat being stretched open around his cock. Syr's fingers pumped with a slow rhythm along the base of his shaft, matching herself exactly to the timing of Chloe's hands, caressing the middle of his length, beneath the point she could swallow. Syr's tongue slithered gently from ball to ball, wrapping around them juggling and caressing them, and somehow, impossibly, pressing them with just a touch of pleasure at exactly the same time as when Chloe's tongue would slide awkwardly but earnestly along the most sensitive parts beneath his cock.

It was like he was being wrapped up in pleasure, being serviced by them from head to toe. Bell's world spun, his body throbbed once more, and without having even intended to, he reached out to take hold of each of their heads.

"Nnnn!" Syr trilled just as happily as ever as his hand landed possessively atop her, her joy being sung directly into him when he couldn't help but hold her tight.
"NnMMPH!?" Chloe jolted in shock, first as his hand took hold of her head -a gesture nobody had ever before dared-, and then as Bell did exactly what he'd wanted to do for a long time… took the velvety folds of her cat-ears between his fingers and began to stroke them.

The catgirl's ears were just as soft as they'd looked, and they twitched wonderfully within his fingers. He'd taken hold of them purely by instinct, but it gave an incredible sense of having sated his curiosity all the while… And it left the Black Cats squirming and shivering beneath him, moaning and mewling sloppily into his shaft, even as her throat walls squeezed so incredibly around him!

Ah... Bliss on top of his bliss… Now if he could just touch an Elf's ears, he was sure he could face his Grandfather with pride…

Again, Chloe's throat squeezed around his length. Again, Syr's mouth suckled against his ball. Again, their hands slid in unison over his shaft. And again, Bell's cock throbbed, spasmed and shot another heady splash of pre-cum directly onto the catgirl's delighted tongue- a taste of what was to come.

Just like he'd discovered when kissing her, Chloe's blowjob was unmistakably different from anything he'd felt before. Her mouth was a little hotter and her tongue was a lot rougher, with a completely different texture; anytime she successfully copied Syr's earlier movements and slithered it across the underside of his shaft, Bell was reminded intensely of that fact as the pleasure rippled through his entire body! It wasn't better or worse, it was just different, and that difference lodged firmly within him, leaving him even more sensitive than usual to every single one of her ministrations.

Unfortunately, the other side of that was that her teeth were a lot sharper than either Hestia or Syr's, and Chloe's inexperience meant that right as Bell's pleasure was peaking, each time his length shivered or twitched, her long, pointed canines would dig directly into him, and the bliss would be dampened.

That was, Bell thought, sitting in place with his hands stroking through each of their hair and his breath coming in panted gasps, the only reason he hadn't entirely lost control so far.

He'd already been wound up, not having had sex for an entire day, and with everything about his new Title swirling through him, then being cornered by Chloe and coming to an agreement with her, being now utterly engulfed in such adoring pleasure by two older, beautiful women, looking down and seeing the way they were each so dutifully, excitedly servicing his cock, it was too much! Being wrapped up between two girls really was like a dream come true!

The moments passed into minutes- his girlfriend beneath him, looking up with a dizzy smile as her tongue and mouth ran intoxicating patterns across his balls, and her colleague before him, pumping her hands tight along his shaft as she bobbed her lips down his length, faster, stronger, more confidently…

"Hhaa… I-It's too good…"

He didn't know how much longer he would last.

Despite Chloe's slight clumsiness, there was a wonderful charm to her actions- both in knowing that this was the first time she'd ever done anything like this and in simply feeling her awkward, hesitant, but utterly earnest ministrations. Even when her teeth bumped into him, or she lost her pace, each time her jade-coloured eyes turned up towards him, a flush of wanton desire surged through his entire body, and he could feel himself getting dragged back into the heights of pleasure, bit by wonderful bit!

And yet, at the edge of his consciousness, far away from thought, Bell couldn't help but worry… Syr had been just as nervous and inexperienced just a few days ago, and yet now she was practically masterful with how thoroughly she drew out his pleasure! He had absolutely no doubt, that if Chloe was just a little more skilled, the two waitresses would have already wrung out everything he had!

'Ahnn! You're, haa, you're so unfair Bell-kun! It already feels too good!' Syr, as always, was hypersensitive beyond any kind of logic to caresses. Just engulfing him in his scent, his taste and his presence had been enough to leave her squirming delightedly on the floor; as soon as he'd begun stroking her head, her body had quivered with delight, and she'd cum lightly multiple times since. She'd specifically picked out a set of alluring black lace panties just for tonight, but from the way she could feel her juices streaming down her thighs, it was like she was wearing nothing at all, 'I'm meant to be making you feel good… B-But, it feels like I'm the one that's gonna go crazy!'

'Aggghh! You're so unfair, you stupid rabbit! H-Hhnn, why does it feel so good!?' Unbeknownst to anyone in the room, in a penthouse suite far across the city and far above Orario, Freya's attendant, Hörn mirrored the waitress's thoughts almost exactly, albeit in a very different tone, as the similarly beautiful silver-haired maiden writhed in pleasure, naked atop Freya's bed. Given that she'd known very well just how excited her Goddess was about the young rookie's Level Up, and his new title, Hörn had dreaded something like this… but no amount of mental fortitude could have prepared the poor woman for having her mind filled, yet again, with thoughts, feelings, and the very sensations of her Goddess's tryst with Bell Cranel, 'Gh! H-H-How rid-riduculous, that she would share you with another woman! Do you not understand how selfish you are!? You're barely even touching her, wh-why does it f-feel so good!? You arrogant, wretched lit-, n-no, nooo, noo… Lady Freya! I'm, I'm gnnn, I'm gonna cum!'

'Nyaaaaa, White Hair…' Chloe, meanwhile, was barely thinking at all. Or, more precisely, her thoughts had been scattered thoroughly the sensations currently overwhelming her senses. Nobody in all her life had ever dared stroke her ears like Bell was currently doing, that alone was enough to leave her tail twitching. And never in all her fantasies had she imagined just how incredible it would feel, sitting beneath and submissive to one of her younger lovers! She'd always imagined herself in control, always imagined them doting on her… But now she was on her knees, looking up and seeing every bit of his passionate bliss each time her lips wrapped around his cock, and she could feel her throat stretched to its limits around his cock each time she dipped her head down! His cock felt so thick, so hard and so domineering in her hands, and each time she felt it pushing inside her, each time she felt her inner muscles yielding to his size and his hardness, she could feel her body thrum with a kind of addictive, submissive pleasure she'd never have dreamed existed. Mewling and panting into his shaft, Chloe swallowed him as deep as she could manage, and she came. And then she took him as deep as she could bear once again, and she came yet again. And she slithered her tongue underneath his shaft, flicked it against him and traced it around him, and she came. Soft, small, yearning orgasms rippled through her one after another- never enough to slam into her like the time she'd watched him with his Goddess, but enough to sear her mind blank, and enough to leave her entire body aching for more! 'Nh, White Hair! White Hair! Touch me more, nyaaa!'

Moments turned into minutes, and soon enough, Bell's tension was reaching the very limits of his resistance! Even if he'd wanted to hold back, even if he'd wanted to restrain himself, it would have been impossible! But of course, right now, there was only one thing in the world he could possibly want!

His balls pulsed between the tender caresses of Syr's mouth!
His cock spasmed from within the wonderfully tight confines of Chloe's throat!
And both women could easily feel the sheer weight of need throbbing from the thick shaft held in their hands!

"!"

"A-Ahn! Bell-kun!" Syr's voice came out in a dizzy moan, her expression nothing but wanton delight, and her eyes bright with anticipation, "You're getting close, aren't you? Don't hold back, my love! Nnn, m-make sure you show her everything you've got, all over her, okay?"

Even through the haze of pleasure, Bell's mind spun, "Huh?" Did she truly mean..?

"Bell-kun!" his girlfriend's reprimand was soft, and the way she punctuated it by running her fingers so delightfully down his shaft only made it feel even softer, "How can you conquer her heart, if you won't cum on her face?"

He blinked.

Despite how incredibly things had been going for him recently, Bell still knew he was woefully ignorant in what made women happy, he knew he had a lifetime of things to learn. Was this one of them? Was that how it worked? He had no idea. It was hard to even think right now. But, as his mind whirled in response to Syr's words, he was reminded of all the previous times she'd spent with her mouth around his cock, or the times his Goddess had tended to him. Each of those sessions had been wonderful beyond words, and they'd all ended in the same way- he would fill their mouths, and then unload everything he had over them! He'd always assumed that was just a mistake, an error on his or their parts, but it was intentional? It was what they'd wanted?

The answer was simple, his mind immediately conjured up the images he'd seen… of his Goddess beaming up at him while drenched in his cum. Of Syr's radiant smile while coated thick in his essence.

"!"

"A-Ah!
"N-Nya?!"

It was too late for second-guessing!
His body pulsed and throbbed one last time, and his vision flashed white! His breath caught in his throat, and the bliss surging within him finally overwhelmed every one of his senses!

"Th-Then! In that case-!"

Roaring aloud, Bell suddenly pulled himself back from where he was sitting!

Chloe gave a start as his cock slid back from where it had been sheathed deep within her throat. Sliding back centimeder after centimeder, twitching and spasming against her inner walls all the way out, the catgirl's body was left trembling just as much as his shaft, even as it slipped from her tightly pursed lips with a sudden pop!
Syr moaned aloud as Bell's balls were pulled away from the warm confines of her mouth and the tender caresses of her tongue. For just one brief, dizzying, moment, the full length of Bell's cock was dragged across her face, and her body remembered every instant of it!
Hörn moaned just as loud, and even more wantonly. Gasping and panting as her bare waist arched into the sky, above the sweat-stained mattress, echoing violently around the room in what she would later assure herself was anger and disgust, her body throbbed hot with unwanted delight!

And with that, Bell's cock was towering, huge and thick, above the two women once more. Held in his own hands, aloft in the air, throbbing and twitching, and pointed directly at them!

"Mmm!" Syr understood his intentions instantly. Squeezing herself up against Chloe's side, the silver-haired waitress closed her eyes, stuck out her tongue, and cupped her hands eagerly beneath her chin!
"Nya!?" Chloe blinked in shock, her body tensed and wild with confusion, with both her tail and ears standing rigid in place. With her thoughts still well and truly lost, her well-honed instincts instead squeezed her eyes shut, and tilted her head back as her mouth hung wide!

"Gh-HHAAA!"

And finally, as if in climax to everything this night had been, and his success in earning his first Title, Bell's words devolved into nothing but a guttural cry of pleasure! His vision lanced white, as everything building within him finally surged out, and his cock -twitching and spasming directly before the two waitresses- suddenly, finally, erupted!

A huge, viscous rope of cum splattered across Chloe's face, coating her from her forehead to her chin,
A thick, wet blast of seed landed onto Syr's expression, instantly sealing her eye shut.
Another streak of his release crashed across the Black Cat's nose, dying each of her flushed cheeks in his colour.
Another jet of his essence splashed directly onto the human girl's waiting tongue, filling her mouth instantly.
Over Chloe's bangs. Across Syr's cheeks. Into Chloe's mouth. Onto Syr's forehead…

Again and again, Bell's balls clenched, his cock twitched, and another heady, thick, stream of his seed drenched across each of the girl's faces! Fulfilling his girlfriend's instruction, and a desire the former-assassin didn't even know she had, Bell came with everything he had, letting out every last drop of his release- until the two waitresses, silver and black, were each dyed completely white, and their beautiful faces were almost entirely lost beneath the thick coating of his release!

"N-N-N-NyyyaaaaAAAAAA!" Chloe came from the moment the felt the warmth, heat and potency of his cum splashing across her skin, then again as the next blast splattered across her, then again, and again, as all her senses and her very world seemed to be filled with him! Yowling and gasping, her body jerked and pulsed, and her pussy throbbed with delight and with a need more powerful than any of the times she'd touched herself! Drowning in the sensation of him, Chloe came so hard her mind went blank! "Nyh-hhA hhaaaaa, nyaaaaaaaaaaa!"

"Ahhhh!" No matter how many times Syr had her face painted with Bell's cum, it never failed to leave her mind spinning, and leave her body practically dazzling with bliss! She had nothing to worry about, concern herself with, or even think about, but this moment and this feeling- and so, she surrendered all thought, and drowned ecstatically in the sensation! Moaning aloud, and practically singing with delight, her voice cried out in melodic tunes as she came, again, and again, and again, with each time she felt Bell's seed warm and welcome across her skin! "Bell-kun! I love you!"

"GnnnnGHHHHHH! L-L-Lady Freya!" No matter how desperately she moaned her liege's name… when Hörn's body throbbed with irresistible bliss, it was visions of Bell that filled her mind, the taste of his cock and cum that filled her senses, and the feeling of his seed across her that left her womb practically crying out in joy! "Cumming! Cumming! NGhh, no, no! Lady F-Freya! I love you! I love you! Bell-kun!"

Drowning happily in the sensations flooding their senses, all three women came together, and all three panted with wanton delight as they basked in the sensation of being so thoroughly coated in Bell Cranel's essence.

Several minutes passed just like that, with the two girls kneeling in place, pressed up side by side against one another and Bell half sitting, half standing off the bed, his cock still held in his hand and small aftershocks of pleasure still rippling through him as his breath slowly steadied.

And then, as the high of ecstasy slowly faded away, but before their thoughts fully returned, the young rookie adventurer was treated to yet another unbelievable sight, almost as breathtaking as the last- the image of Syr Flover and Chloe Rollo licking, cleaning and drinking his cum from across their faces. Anything he'd unloaded into either of their mouths had already been long since swallowed, all that remained was everything else- Syr brought her cupped hands to her mouth, slurping his seed as if from a drinking bowl. Chloe scooped up the seed that had been splashed across her nose and slurped it greedily from her fingers. The human girl's fingers daintily cleaned up the release that had sealed her eyes shut, drinking it up as her glazed expression shone back up towards him. The former assassin did the same, without even a trace of grace, her catlike tongue flicking out and gulping down every drop she was able to gather up.

And, after that, after they'd cleaned themselves as best they could, came nothing but wanton greed…

"Chloe… Nnn, it's no good being selfish. You'll share with me, right?"
"Ah!? S-Syr!? Nyaaa!?"

Syr gave absolutely no warning before turning and latching onto her colleague, and before the Black Cat even had a chance to defend herself, Syr's tongue was dragging across her cheek, along her neckline, everywhere that a drop of Bell's seed yet remained, it was mercilessly hunted down and greedily slurped up.

"Th-Then you need to share too, nya!"

Of course, when it came to wanton greed, Chloe was no better, and so she quickly turned the attack back on the silver-haired woman! Grabbing onto Syr just as tightly as her friend was clinging to her, Chloe's catlike tongue drank hungrily at the few remaining dollops cum still dripping from her colleague's face.

"!"

And so, a truly outrageous spectacle unfolded before Bell's awestruck eyes, as the two proud and pure waitresses he held in such esteem clung so lewdly together, and desperately slurped up every last trace of his release from each other's faces.

Rationality finally returned a few minutes later, but by then, both women had been thoroughly cleaned up, and each was looking practically radiant with delight.

"H-How was that? He truly is wonderful, is he not?" Syr, somehow managed to sound almost as composed as ever, even given the state she was in right now.
"It was… amazing nyaa…" Chloe panted breathlessly, a mewling purr slipping from her mouth and no trace of composure anywhere to be seen.
"Delicious too, right? Mmm, it's warm, right to my soul… Nectar fit for a Goddess."
"It's too good, just smelling it makes me feel hot, nyaa… I'm gonna get addicted."

As if called on by some siren song, both girls' focus turned slowly from one another and directly back over to where Bell was sitting. Back to where his cock was once again towering above them.
Of course, after witnessing something like that, he couldn't possibly have relaxed!

"Nya… I can't believe it…" Chloe swallowed heavily, a visible shiver running through her, "He's still so hard…"
"Well, you heard us the other night," Syr's composure broke as a dizzy look spread across her face, "Bell-kun is very thorough…"
"Nyaa…."
"Hh-haaa…."
"Well… If you play nice, I suppose, I don't mind sharing with you again…"
"A-Ah! Th-That's… H-Haha, w-well, if you can't handle him all by yourself, th-then I might be able to help out…"

After another moment of silent panting, Syr took a deep breath and then pushed herself unsteadily back to her feet. So doing, she regathered as much of her usually impressive presence as was possible in her current state, and addressed her lover directly.

"S-So, so there you go, Bell-kun. I don't mind if you and Chloe have some fun, an-and I don't mind joining you either. But! But you've got to remember! I'm your girlfriend first… And, also, Chloe is my colleague, and my precious friend, so you've got to cherish her too, alright? You can play with her, but- until you've made her fall in love with you, and until you love her too, you're absolutely not allowed to take her virginity. That's off-limits! And that's the same for any of the other waitresses here."

Bell blinked. As always, it seemed that Syr had been thinking far ahead of him, and far beyond what he'd possibly imagined.
But one look at Chloe, and the acceptance on her face, told him that -once again- she probably knew best for this kind of thing. Keeping a strict limit in place would prevent anything from getting out of hand in the heat of the moment.

"Right."

"Good."

"Eh? Don't I get a say in this, nya!?"

"Hmm? Should I say he can't do anything at all, until you two are in love?"

"It doesn't matter what you say, he won't be able to resist me at all, nya! I'll make su-"

"Thank you both," Bell interrupted, before Chloe's pride got the better of her once again, "That felt… that was… You were both incredible."

His face blazed red just trying to speak, he could barely finish the sentence. As much as he'd meant the words, he wasn't anywhere near confident enough to talk so sincerely with his cock still hanging, hard, eager and ready in the air, and especially not when addressing two women still visibly dishevelled from servicing him in an unbelievable double blowjob.

"Er… I, th-that…"

They each beamed warmly back at him, which only made the rest of his words die in his throat.

"!"

As always, Bell didn't have the eloquence, or the self-assurance to get across what he truly wanted to say. But, thankfully, his time with Syr and with his Goddess had taught him at least how to show his sincerity with his actions. Leaping to his feet, he scooped the Black Cat up into his arms, and hoisted her aloft in an abrupt princess carry!

"Nya!?"
"B-Bell-kun!?"

Despite being so strong he'd been unable to so much as budge her before, Chloe felt so light as to be practically weightless. She squirmed in surprise and mewled in confusion, but she did nothing to fight his hold, rather her body slunk easily into his arms- letting Bell feel once again just how small, soft and wonderfully feminine the catgirl waitress was… for one full second before he turned and tossed her onto the bed!

Another second was spent admiring the curve of her wide, round hips as he hiked her dress up over her waist.
And then another marvelling at the sensation of her smooth, bare thighs under his touch, as he rolled both her -lightly stained- leggings and -heavily stained- panties down her legs.

And with that, Chloe's bare, soaked, virgin pussy was unveiled completely before his eyes. Beautifully pink, glistening, smooth and practically pulsing with desire, Bell could feel the soft heat radiating from her core, just watching as she shivered beneath his gaze.

"Nya… White Hair… I-If, i-if you want it th-that badly… I don't mind, nya…"

"Ah, I see…" Syr sighed, and even without looking, he could all but see her tossing her head to the side, "Bell-kun, you truly are insatiable, aren't you? It's fine, go ahead. Chloe… ah, try not to go too crazy?"

"Eh? What're you two talking abnnyYYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?"

Of course, Bell hadn't intended to have sex with Chloe, he'd already agreed with Syr's demands. What he'd been unable to explain was his own desire to repay the pleasure they'd given him. Thankfully, his Goddess had taught him exactly what he needed to know for this kind of situation!

And so, the white-haired adventurer buried his head between her legs, and suddenly the room was filled immediately with the sound of the once-feared assassin screaming herself hoarse, as her slutty, needy, and yet somehow pristine pussy was touched by someone other than her, for the very first time in her life! No matter how little experience he had with women, or with sex, Bell had still enjoyed plenty of time with his head between his Goddess's thighs- after the pleasure they'd given him before, he was absolutely determined to show off the fruits of that training!

"Mha- Ah, Syr! Here, you too!"

"Eh? B-Bell-kun!?"

Syr was never one to deny the man she loved or to deny herself pleasure. So, without any resistance, she was swiftly guided over to the bed and laid out directly atop her colleague, with the two waitresses immediately wrapping around one another and with Bell removing the silver-haired woman's soaked leggings and panties just as swiftly!

"A-AHnnnnNNN, B-Bell-kun! Y-Yes! Yes, ri-right there! HHHA! I love it!"
"Nyaa, b-back to me! Back to mmeeEEEEEEEEEEENYAAA!"

Syr was just as alluring as ever. There was something sensual and almost whimsical to the juices that gushed from her pussy, as if he could taste just a hint of her teasing, cheeky nature.
Chloe was just a little bit sweeter. Her legs bucked and kicked each time his tongue dragged along her folds, and her hips bucked recklessly from inexperience each time she came, but the warm, soft and gentle taste that Bell drank from her pussy made his heart sing all the same.

The human and the catgirl clung desperately tight to one another, their slender bodies grinding wantonly together as their bodies rocked and trembled in place. As Bell alternated between them, and as his fingers and tongue showed off all his training so far- they screamed, moaned, shivered, panted, and came! Furiously, desperately, greedily, without control or any hope of resistance! Over and over, and over, and over again!

Until the boy was satisfied he'd paid back the pleasure he'd felt. Until the night was filled with the sounds of their bliss. Until Hörn thought she was going crazy.
And until both waitresses were left slumped in a heap on the mattress- dizzy, dazed and thoroughly satisfied.


"Ah, Cranel-san, welcome back," Ryu sighed in relief, then offered him a smile as Bell slowly wended his way back over towards their table, "I was worried you may have gotten lost, or that somebody was causing problems for you again. But, where is Syr? Did she not find you?"

"Oh," Bell scratched the back of his head, "She did find me, she's just with Chloe. She'll probably be back in a bit."

Ryu nodded, but let out a beleaguered sigh this time, "I hope Chloe didn't do anything too foolish, in that case."

"Er, ah, no, nothing like that…"

"Welcome back, Bell-sama! Lilli was getting really worried about you!"

Turning from the elf, Bell noticed that in Syr's absence Lilli had taken up residence in the seat at his side, the small prum was looking up at him with something between relief and frustration. Thankfully, the frustration seemed to ebb away as soon as he sat down beside her and her usual smile took up residence instead.

"Sorry, Lilli. I didn't mean to stay that long…"

"Mou… Lilli wanted to be the one to come find you. But Syr-san told us to just stay here- she said you'd probably had too much to drink, and she could take you to the staff bathroom…"

"The staff bathroom? N-No, it wasn't, it wasn't anything like that."

"Hmmm…" Lilli frowned, pinning him with an accusing gaze, "But you were away with Syr-san for this long then? You know, Lilli's been thinking this all evening, but isn't Syr-san overly close with Bell-sama!?"

"Ah- er, I mean…" With his head still halfway in the clouds, and his body still thrumming hot from the taste of the two women he'd left behind, Bell was absolutely not in the correct mindset to try to answer any questions like this, "That is to say…"

"That's only natural," Ryu supplied for him, voice as calm as if she was discussing the most obvious fact in the world, "Syr-san is Cranel-san's betrothed."

"Wh-W-WHA!? R-Ryu-san! Hahah! Sorry, but Lilli doesn't understand such silly jokes!"

"There's no joke. Whatever your feelings, please accept this, for Cranel-san's sake."

Bell laughed awkwardly, his mind slowly coming down from his threesome daze and grounding itself in the terribly awkward reality surrounding him. He had the utmost respect and admiration for Ryu, but her upright personality was definitely not doing him any favours in this moment.

"B-B-Bell-sama! Pl-Please explain to Ryu-san, she's mista… Bell-sama!?"

She saw the look on his face.

"Th-That Syr-san!? Not Hestia-sama? (…Not Lilli?) But, that Syr-san!?"

He shook his head, scolding himself momentarily for his previous thoughts. No, it wasn't right to blame Ryu for this. Nothing she'd said was wrong, nor was it even out of line, especially as one of Syr's closest friends. This was all his fault, he was the one who'd been too awkward about his romantic situation to say anything, even to his own supporter. Of course, the truth was going to come out sooner or later, what had he expected? His Goddess had told him the exact same thing when he'd asked if she'd wanted to keep their romance a secret.

"Actually… It's a little more complicated than that, and probably a bit worse."

"Huh… Lilli doesn't understand?"

"Here," pushing himself back to his feet, he extended his hand out to her, "It's getting late anyway, and I've already cleared things up with Syr. Why don't we head out now, I'll explain on the way home?"

For the first time since they'd reunited, Lilli hesitated to take his hand.
The look in her eyes told the story- it wasn't because she didn't want to, it was because she was scared of what he was about to tell her.
Bell offered her the most encouraging smile he could, as if he could will her to believe that- no matter what he said, or what she might think of him after this, she would always have a place in his heart.

He was completely unaware of it, but unfortunately for Lilli, that same earnest smile was the exact same one that had lived in her heart, her dreams and memories ever since the day he'd saved her.

She couldn't possibly resist it.

Her hand clasped with his, they took a moment to bid goodnight to Ryu, and then wince in unison as he settled the tab (and watched as the majority of what remained in his wallet was emptied into Mama Mia's hands) and then they made their way, hand in hand, out into the night and towards Lilli's home.

Lilli's hand was as warm as ever, she clung to him as tightly as ever, and they made their way through the city, step in step, just the same as they always did.

And slowly, awkwardly, he began to explain… what had happened with him and Ais, his relationship with Hestia, the agreement he'd had with Syr and everything else that had happened throughout his time in the Dungeon City.

Their usual jovial mood was missing. Lilli's sing-song voice or gentle scolding was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, their trip was punctuated entirely with her shock, disappointment, confusion, and sheer bewilderment.

Finally, when his story was done, her conclusion came loud, clear, and with a puff of anger that seemed to radiate through the Prum's entire, tiny body.

"Unbelievable! Lilli can't believe you convinced anyone else to go along with that! Bell-sama! Lilli was right about you all along! Enemy of women! Pervert! You, you, you playboy!"

And yet, not once did she let go of his hand.

Even when her face turned down and her eyes glistened with tears that refused to fall. Still, she clung to him, and still, she walked in step with him.

Even when they reached her house, still she stood with him, minute after minute, long into the night, not saying a word, not pushing him away or pulling him close- simply holding onto his hand, as tight as she could manage.

"Bell-sama… Lilli… Lilli is sorry about what she said, before."

"Ah, don't be. It's true, I know. I deserve it…"

"No… No, it's not true, even if Lilli wanted it to be true. Lilli ca-can understand why Lady Hestia and Syr… It's not impossible to… Haaa, Lilli thinks that Bell-sama is determined, like nobody she's ever seen, more reliable and stronger, even when he's weak. Lilli thinks… i-if, Bell-sama truly is that determined, th-then, maybe he truly can be a man who can make women happy."

"Ah, ha… Th-thank you… I really hope that's the case…"

"Lilli had… Lilli had all kinds of things she wanted to say tonight, or things she wanted to do with Bell-sama, but now, it's like Lilli's head is a mess."

"I'm sorry."

"Really! The most amazing thing is that Bell-sama is still the same! Why is he so indecisive!? If he'd just said… You'd think a man like him would… With Lilli, anytime, all he needed to do, even now… Nnnnnnnnggg!"

"Uh… I'm sorry?"

This time she squeezed his hand so tight it hurt, even through his new Level Up!

"Bell-sama…?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you still take Lilli's hand? Even though you've got Lady Hestia and Syr-san?"

"Of course."

"…Th-Thank you."

Lilli still had a lot to think about, far more than one night's worth.
So, for now, she simply clung to Bell's hand, and she simply contented herself in this moment she had with him alone.


"Arrrrrrruuuuuuuuuuuhhhh…"

A truly pitiful moan rang out through into the still night.

Daphne Lauros was having trouble sleeping.

And unfortunately, it wasn't for any of the usual reasons she may have experienced in the past. Instead, it was late at night, her face was flushed hot, and her room was filled heavily with echoing moans, groans and screams…
…As she writhed around on top of her bed, with her pillow clutched over her head, crying out in sheer mortified embarrassment while her mind played back the previous few week's events!

"Ahhhuuuuuaaaaaaaahhhh!"

The simplest, and worst truth had been revealed to Daphne just a few hours earlier. Somehow, against all reason, against all common sense, against all logic… Bell Cranel was real.

For all this time, from the first time she'd heard his name, she'd always assumed that this "Bell-sama" was just another silly fantasy of Cassandra's, Gods only knew she'd had enough of those already. The bluenette was a lonely girl, so she'd invented some handsome, confidant young man who was in love with her, to fill her dreams.

It was a little pathetic, but Daphne couldn't hold it against her. Her friend had always had difficulty distinguishing reality from dreams, she actually thought her dreams were some kind of fortune-telling! It was hardly surprising that a yearning for romance and affection would get tangled up in that.

Of course, if it had been only a yearning for romance and affection, then Daphne wouldn't currently be kicking her feet into her mattress and trying her best to drown out thoughts of any recent memories.

Unfortunately for Daphne, Cassandra's stories of her dreams with Bell Cranel had been more than just romantic, and more than simply affectionate, they'd been outright lurid! Sensual, sexual, kinky, romantic, rough, soft and everything in between- the self-proclaimed prophetess's stories had been filled to bursting with an almost dizzying kind of raunch and eroticism!

Daphne, as usual, had made a great show of pointing out how ridiculous her friend was being, and how silly it was to pretend these dreams had any basis in reality… and then, she'd asked to hear the exact details. And then she'd asked to hear more stories. And then she'd asked to hear more adventures.

At the end of the day, no matter how stern and stoic her role in the Apollo Familia forced her to be, Daphne was just a lonely teenage girl too.

Cassandra had told her about meeting Bell in the hallways through the house, how he'd suddenly just grabbed her, pinned her against the wall and filled the walkway with her cries.
And that night, Daphne had laid awake imagining herself in that same position, held aloft against the walls, with her legs around her lover and her moans echoing without care for anyone to hear.

Cassandra had recounted a tale of herself and a golden-haired Renart standing in the kitchen, offering Bell whatever meal he desired, while wearing nothing but aprons and alluring smiles.
And that night, Daphne had tossed and turned under her bedsheets, picturing herself in that scene and what it would be like to dress up so lewdly for the man you loved.

Cassandra had spun a story about a quiet and calm date through the city, the places they'd been the food they'd eaten, and how in a secluded area within the public library, she'd slipped under the table and crawled over to him.
And that night, Daphne's moans had echoed out quietly as her fingers slipped between her legs and her mind filled with images of herself on her knees, hidden beneath a table, swallowing just as greedily and desperately as her friend had described.

Cassandra had flushed right to her toes, before finally -quietly- painting a scene of some celebration being held, a party, where the climax saw the would-be-prophetess, naked and bent over the edge of Bell's bed, lined up alongside five other women, moaning, panting, and shaking her ass without reserve as she shamelessly awaited her turn.
And that night, Daphne's body had been wracked with orgasm after orgasm, as her fingers slammed between her legs and her mind filled with visions of herself in a scenario she could never possibly imagine actually entertaining!

It was all just fantasies! Just harmless dreams and silly stories! Most of them weren't even the kind of romance Daphne had any interest in!

She had always been a dominant woman, and always imagined herself meeting her partner on an equal level. She couldn't possibly imagine actually entertaining involving other women, crawling under desks in public where she could get caught, dressing up in silly costumes, or any of the other things Cassandra seemed to come up with! But the pictures her friend had painted, the sheer vibrancy of her erotic tales had filled Daphne's imagination so thoroughly, she hadn't been able to resist entertaining them!

After all, her life in this Familia left her no hope for romance or any kind of sexual thrill. It shouldn't be shocking at all, that she was so susceptible to Cassandra's lurid tales, no more shocking than the fact that the bluenette's stories had so recently become so raunchy.

Bell Cranel wasn't real, he was just some figment of Cassandra's overactive imagination. A handsome, kind and strong hero seemingly from straight out of a storybook, come to sweep a lonely girl off her feet. And, being in just the same situation as Cassandra, he'd appealed to Daphne's desires almost as strongly.

Of course, Daphne wasn't anywhere near as hopeless as her friend, she at least knew it was all just a dumb fantasy, she knew it wasn't real, she knew it was all make-believe.

Except, sitting on Daphne's bedside table was a list of newly Levelled Up adventurers and their corresponding titles. She hadn't paid it any mind at first, no one in her Familia, or anyone she cared about had been part of this Denatus. It wasn't until dinnertime that rumours of a new record-holder began to reach her.

And it wasn't until after dinner that she'd heard his name- Bell Cranel.

The man who'd taken up such powerful residence within Daphne's imagination, who'd given her countless lurid fantasies and sent her through more orgasms than she could count, was no mere dream!
He existed!
It was unfair! She'd never meant for this! She'd never wanted this!

But, somehow, Cassandra's fairytale man existed. And Daphne had invented ridiculous stories involving him and had been using an actual, real, living person for sexual relief!

"Arrrrrrrgggghhhhh!?"

The pillow muffled another cry.

She'd been too mortified even to try to wrench an explanation from Cassandra.

Daphne wouldn't get much sleep this night.
Cassandra didn't either… but the moans echoing around her room were much happier.


Meanwhile, far to the south of Orario, in a small, private park, just a short walk from the famous Folkvangr mansion, a beautiful woman with long, silvery-white hair was sitting on a bench, languidly reading through a book resting in her lap.

A simple brown travelling cloak was wrapped around her shoulders, hiding all but brief glimpses of what appeared to be an absolutely stunning body from view. The hood that had kept her appearance all through the city had been thrown off the second she'd arrived here… the second she'd arrived within sight of the Freya Familia mansion.

This was no mere mistake or coincidence. She had been here all evening, even as the sun's rays had disappeared and the magic stone lamp's light had filled the night's sky instead, sitting in place, reading her book, where anyone could see her.

It was unmistakably a challenge.

Most of the city had forgotten her. Few were those who still whispered her name, and fewer still were those who still lived that remembered her appearance.

But this Familia, most of all, knew well that they had reason to remember this woman, and this name. Word had spread since the second she'd arrived, since the moment she'd thrown her hood back and those heterochromatic eyes had shone so terrifyingly towards the mansion.

The Maiden of Silence had returned to Orario.
The Incarnation of Talent was here for the Freya Familia.
Alfia awaited.

One by one, the most powerful, legendary adventurers among the most powerful, legendary Familia spread out across the buildings and surrounding area. Her every move was watched, her every breath studied. But not a single one dared make a move without approval. A single wrong step here could lead to calamity beyond reckoning.

Evening passed into night. Tension rose to a fever peak. Rumours, whispers and orders passed silently through the lower Familia members.

Alfia flicked through her book as idly as ever.

It wasn't until another, unimaginably beautiful, silver-haired woman stepped her way into the park that time seemed to flow again. And it wasn't until this woman lowered her own hood that the Maiden of Silence looked up from her novel.

"Freya."

"It really is you, I'm amazed," the Valkyrie Goddess's voice came out almost breathlessly, half in wonder half in amusement, "I'd heard you'd returned, and now I've heard you're waiting outside my own house. I am sorry, it took me so long to arrive… it's been a busy night."

Alfia scoffed, "What, busy slutting around with another one of your boy-toys?"

"Hehe, something like that," Freya spread her hands in a small shrug, "Did you come here to ask for an introduction?"

Freya's purple irises were calm, appeasing and appraising.

"Tch."

Alfia's green and silver eyes were blazing red hot with rage.

"I came here to ask why you saw fit to give Bell Cranel the title, Vanadis Odr!"


Bell Cranel - Level 2

Development Abilities
[Rabbit's Foot]

Skills
[Liaris Freese] Rapid growth. Continued desire results in continued growth. The strength of the effects corresponds with the level of the user's feelings.
[Eternal Pledge to the Goddess of the Hearth] Greatly improved fire resistance. Additionally, provides a temporary Status increase when defending loved ones. The strength of the effects corresponds with the level of the user's feelings. Effects are reversed if the pledge is broken.
[Argonaut] Executes automatically with an active action.

Magic
[Sagitta Sonus] Swift Strike Magic


A/N: Phew, as you can see, a big chapter, but I didn't wanna do just the Denatus, I've been worried that the chapters haven't been covering enough ground and the story's moving too slow, so I wanted to at least get the celebration dinner done too. Denatus maybe could have been smaller, but it ended up having a lot of character scenes for Hestia and Freya, so… ahh, it was just a lott'a fun to write too.

So was Chloe's blowjob, and the first threesome of the story! Hopefully you enjoyed that, and hopefully we'll see more of that to come!

I went through a lot of thoughts and took a bunch of suggestions for Cassandra's new skill name, probably my favourite of them was "Tintinnabulum", which is absurdly fitting, but not quite romantic enough, so I wound up going with "Resonating Desire" instead. As you've probably been able to guess, this is going to be a common skill seen on all the major love interests, and with that you can likely guess what I'm planning on doing with Argonaut, and why Hestia enjoyed the sound of it so much.

As for Bell's title! We finally see it! Were you surprised? Alfia certainly seemed to have been! If you're wondering, I settled on Vanadis Odr for a few reasons

I thought it would be funny just imagining Hestia's reactions

Freya's sleeping with Bell (via Syr) so she's even more attached and wants to mark her territory

It won't be his last title, and it's the only time he'll ever get this one. I can't very-well have him get it as his lv4 title can I?

And most importantly- Nobody ever uses that title! Poor Freya, I thought at least I can have her enjoying seeing Bell strutting around as her Odr, at least for a while until Hestia gets that changed!

I had someone comment that it was hard to read this story and remember all the skills and changes I made to Bell's abilities in canon, and I thought that was a completely reasonable complaint, so I figured I'd tack that onto the end of the chapter like shown. There's nothing special about me having done so this time, I'm intending to do that for now on, just to make it easier to remember what he's got and what's different.

Anyway, this chapter was made available as an Early Release a week ago, and future chapters will be following the same schedule. So, if you want to help support me, want more information about my story statuses, or just want to read them before anyone else, the details can be found at:

Anyway, this chapter was posted first on my (P)(atreon), a week ago, so if you want to read it quicker/earlier, or if you just liked it and wanna support me to help get these chapters out faster, or if you just want more details about my story statuses and updates, then you can find the details at:

www(.p)(atreon)(.c)om(/)JLDavenport

Otherwise, you can follow me for updates on twitter at: davenport_jl