Hey, I'm back with a new chapter.
Shikkokuakushintei, yes I was aware. I've read up to vol 18, or at least I remember the gist of it.
Xrein0001, guest, I'm just gonna agree to disagree with Bell having Emiya being overpowered in Danmachi. I'm assuming you expect Bell to be able to use 100% of Emiya's powers immediately after gaining him, which I don't plan on having for a very long time. So we'll just leave it at that.
bestgile, then NIKOLA shall be included! Eventually...
modnaved863, I can't remember where, and I might be wrong, but I was under the impression that the rank and numbers are different and separate. What I have here is having the rank to be a level, and the points to be like 'exp points' for that level.
codywhite162, the main reason I even considered Bell having Nikola Tesla is because of Zeus.
FieldTested, Syr will never do anything to hamper Bell's growth, especially if she is to steal the chance. Ryuu on the other hand doesn't want to interfere too much. Lili is something I'm working on showing, and yes, other Fanfics have it shallow.
I am generally basing my story loosely on cannon. Some if not a lot of concepts in canon will be altered here, and so too will plot points. As for excellia gain, you would be right in a way. Compared to just Bell fighting in his base state, he will gain lesser excellia.
But even then, considering the difference in achievements, speed, rate and the boost from his skill, the diminished gain will not be too noticeable. So if he explores the same floors, kills the same amount of monsters, he will get less with Heracles Loaded.
But because he's doing more with Heracles Loaded, he will close that gap.
ericsofly, Tiona huh? I can see why now, I'll have to think about it.
So yeah, here's the new chapter.
XXX
The next day, Bell and Lili were down in the dungeon again.
Now, the white rabbit was facing a number of goblins on the fourth floor.
Lili watched as the boy dashed forward with an impressive amount of speed, for a Level 1 anyway.
Bell swung his knife at the goblins, taking them down easily.
The corpses of the goblins exploded into ash, and the magic stones fell to the ground.
The boy let out a breath as he regained his breath, "Okay."
Lili quickly went to pick the stones up, and Bell looked at her, "By the way, isn't that bag of yours heavy? I know we agreed you'd carry all of the supplies, but still..."
The girl paused as she grabbed another stone from the ground, and she muttered under her breath, "Why does it matter to you?"
Bell blinked, "Pardon?"
Lili turned to him, a smile on her face that didn't quite reach her eyes, "It's a skill."
The white haired rabbit blinked, "Oh, well, that explains it. And you don't need to tell me the specifics, I was just curious."
The girl stared at him again, before she nodded slowly, "I see, okay then."
Lili turned back to pick up the rest of the stones, 'He didn't force me to tell him...'
The girl shook her head, pushing those thoughts away, before speaking up again, "Speaking of which, Bell-sama, how far down are we going today?"
Bell blinked, "Huh?"
Lili glanced back, "We pretty much came straight down without setting a target, so I just wanted to know how far we're planning to go."
The boy oh'd, "I see..."
He folded his arms and did a thinking pose, "Hmm, how far do you think our supplies will last us today?"
Lili raised an eyebrow, "Probably a few floors, why?"
Bell smiled, "I'm thinking we should try the ninth floor today."
The prum in disguise blinked, "Wait... what?"
The boy nodded, "We've done the seventh floor already, so I want to go deeper."
Lili blinked again, staring at him bewildered, before she palmed her face, "I guess we can try."
Bell beamed, "Great, we'll keep moving then."
The girl stared at his almost-glowing smile, and she nodded, "Okay."
The moment the boy turned, Lili wanted to scratch her head.
How in the dungeon can an adventurer look so innocent while fully armed?!
Lili shook her head and pushed that line of thought away, it was probably just her, Bell was just another adventurer, and they were all the same.
The chienthrope pushed down a frown as she followed the white rabbit further down the dungeon.
Moments later, the two sat at a table near the fountain, and their eyes were trained on the four bags of valis on the table.
Bell stared at the bags as he asked, "Lili, I didn't hear wrong, right?"
Lili nodded, still in shock that they'd made so much money, "Yes, you heard right."
The boy blinked, "30,000 valis... I'm not dreaming... am I?"
The prum in disguise giggled, "Nope! And considering you're the one who got us this much, you're amazing!"
Bell grinned, "And we'll be getting a lot more from now on!"
Lili laughed alongside him, and her smile dropped slightly, "Speaking of which, let's split the loot."
Bell nodded, "Sure."
The chienthrope opened her mouth to speak again, only for the boy to hand her two of the four bags.
Lili blinked, "Huh?"
Bell grabbed his own bags and smiled widely, "Let's see, I might as well get my goddess something good to eat too!"
The chienthrope blinked as she stared at her two bags again, before back at the boy, "Umm..."
But the white rabbit didn't hear her and instead continued, "Hmm, I don't think I've brought her to the Hostess'... Maybe I should. Speaking of which, Lili-"
The prum in disguise cut him off, "Bell-sama!"
The boy blinked, "Huh?"
Lili furrowed her brows at him, "Why are you splitting it 50-50 with me?"
Bell blinked in confusion, "What do you mean why?"
The chienthrope wanted to scratch her head in frustration when she saw his genuinely confused face, "I mean aren't you planning to take most of it?"
The white rabbit blinked, before he smiled, "No, of course not. It's only thanks to you we got this much, I could never earn even half of this on my own."
Lili stared at him, before she nodded slowly, "I...see..."
Bell smiled, "And speaking of which, I do hope we can keep working together from now on."
The prum in disguised almost grimaced when she saw his smile, and she steeled her features, forcing a smile, "Me too."
The boy beamed, "Great! So same time tomorrow morning?"
Lili nodded, "Yes, of course."
Bell nodded with a smile, "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then, bye!"
With that said, the boy turned and broke into a jog, heading back to his church, unaware of said supporter staring at him until he disappeared amongst the crowd.
Lili turned away, and she sighed to herself, glancing at the bags of valis she now had, "15,000 valis..."
Her features steeled as she pulled her hood down to cover her face, "Let's hope this continues for a while."
A short while later, Bell was back in the basement of the church, and he blinked when he spotted Hestia on the bed, "Kami-sama, are you okay?"
The goddess groaned, "No... Hephaestus overworked me again..."
The boy chuckled awkwardly as he placed his two bags of valis on the table, "Well... I mean..."
Hestia sighed loudly, before she glanced at her only Child, "So, how was your day?"
Bell grinned widely, "Better than ever! We earned up to 30,000 valis today!"
The goddess' eyes widened to the size of saucers, "T-thirty thousand?!"
The boy giggled cheekily, "Hehe, yep!"
Hestia bolted out of her sheets to the table, and she blinked, "Wait, you pulled my leg, didn't you?"
Bell chuckled, "No, we did earn up to 30,000 valis, I just split it in half with Lili."
The goddess' eyes snapped over to him, "Who's this Lili?! My Bell-kun Senses are tingling!"
Her twin-tails straightened upwards almost in a sharp manner, and Bell's smile turned forced, "Lili's my supporter! The one I told you about the other day!"
Hestia visibly calmed down, "I see... How old is she?"
Bell blinked, "Huh?"
The goddess' eyes gleamed dangerously, "Is she a human? Has she tried anything with you? You don't spend the day alone with her, do you?"
Hestia got into his face, closer each time with each question until she backed him up to the wall.
Bell's eyes twitched nervously, "Umm, no? Lili's a chienthrope, and no, she hasn't done anything bad."
The goddess studied his face again, "Hmm, you're not lying. Very well."
She turned away, and the boy let out a breath in relief, but before he could fully relax, Hestia turned to him again, "And which Familia is she from?"
The white rabbit almost tensed up at her stare, before he answered, "I think the Soma Familia, if I'm not wrong."
The goddess furrowed her brows, "Soma Familia... I see."
Bell blinked, "I-is there a problem?"
Hestia sat down and shook her head, "No, I was just worried you might be dealing with someone dodgy."
The boy blinked again, before he smiled, "I see."
The twin tailed goddess huffed, before she stood up, "Anyway, let's update your status today."
Bell nodded giggily, a smile on his face, "Yes please!"
Hestia giggled at his enthusiasm, "We've done this so many times already, and you're still excited every time."
The boy chuckled sheepishly as he got on the bed, "Sorry, I just want to know how much I've grown every time I go into the dungeon."
The goddess smiled, "Well, that's one thing that I like about you."
Hestia got on top of Bell's back, and she bit her finger, letting a single drop of blood fall onto the Falna.
After a brief moment, the goddess copied it down onto a sheet of paper and passed it to the boy, "Here we go, another big jump."
Bell accepted the sheet and took a look.
STR: D100
END: E500
DEX:C550
AGI:C530
MAG:D210
Magic:
Heir to the Throne
Description: The ability to inherit the powers of legendary heroes from the Throne. User needs to form a contract and connection with the Heroic Spirit first before using their abilities. Once a connection is formed, those abilities can be used with just the last sentence of the full chant.
Chant:
I am thou... Thou art I...
Thou hast acquired a new vow...
Thy body shall serve under mine will! And mine fate shall be thy sword!
Let an oath be sworn here! I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven! I shall dispose of all evil of Hell!
If thou dost accede to this will and reason, then answer my call!
Come forth from the rings of restraint, o' Protector of the Balances!
Load: [Blank]
Currently unlocked spirits: Heracles (restricted)
Noble Phantasms
Description: Once user has established connection to a Heroic Spirit and is in use, user can use the crystallization of the spirit's legend. A crystalization usually involves utilizing a spirit's ultimate technique or a conceptualized version of their greatest achievement.
Chant:
Set: [Blank]
Skills:
Desire for the Throne.
Description: As long as user desires to become a hero, growth of stats will increase exponentially. Effect increases by intensity of determination and desire to become a hero.
Bell blinked again, "Almost every one went up by a rank."
Hestia nodded as she cleaned her thumb, "Yep, well, the only one that didn't go up is your endurance, but that's probably because you're not getting hit most of the time."
The boy nodded as he considered that, "True, I mainly rely on speed anyway."
The goddess hummed, "But the jump wasn't as big as it was before."
Bell blinked, "Wait, really?"
Hestia nodded, "Yes, but well, it might be because you're slowly getting stronger. So the jump wouldn't be as huge."
The boy hummed as he folded his arms, "I see..."
The goddess smiled, "Well, as far as I know, you're the first one to have improved in such a short amount of time."
Bell nodded, before his eyes landed on the skill he possessed, "Mainly cuz I have a skill that allows it..."
But before he could continue his line of thought, the white rabbit felt a hard chop to his head, "Ow!"
The boy glanced up while holding his head in slight pain, "What was that for?"
Hestia huffed, "One, don't think you're cheating because of the skill. Everyone has their own skills, magic and whatnot. Would you call someone cheating for using magic in a fight?"
Bell furrowed his brows, "No, but they would've earned their magic."
The goddess frowned, "And so did you. You earned that magic and skill, you have it for a reason. So don't go thinking you're cheating or its unfair to other people. Life's not fair anyway."
The boy opened his mouth to protest, but Hestia cut him off, "Capiche?"
Bell sighed, but a small smile appeared on his face, "Okay, I get it."
Hestia nodded in satisfaction as she sat on the bed, "Good. Now go to sleep."
The boy nodded as he got off the bed, "Oh, but before that, Kami-sama, are you free tomorrow?"
The goddess blinked, "Huh, why?"
Bell gained a sheepish look, "Well, with how much money we made today, I was thinking to bring you out for a nicer dinner."
Hestia froze, and for a moment she didn't give him a response.
The boy blinked and he approached her, "Hestia-sama?"
The goddess turned to him in an almost robotic manner, a smile forming on her face, "Bell-kun... dinner? ... DATE?!"
Bell jumped when Hestia lounged at him, grabbing him by the shoulders, "YES OF COURSE! DEFINITELY!"
The boy chuckled awkwardly, "O-okay, c-cool. I'll meet you after work tomorrow?"
The goddess hummed, before she looked at him in the eye seriously, "No, let's do today."
Bell blinked, "Huh?"
Hestia pushed him to the wall, "I want to go out today. Let's do it today!"
The boy chuckled again, "Y-yeah, let's do that."
The goddess smiled widely and turned to their shared wardrobe, looking at the dresses she had with her, "Hmm, where are we going by the way?"
Bell went to sit on the couch, "I was thinking of bringing you to the Hostess of Fertility. I don't think I've ever brought you there, have I?"
Hestia hummed, "Nope, I have heard of it though. Well, if that's where you want to go, then that's where we're going."
The boy smiled, "Okay."
(Linebreak)
A short while later, Bell and Hestia stood outside the Hostess of Fertility, and the goddess hummed, "So this is the place huh?"
Bell nodded with a small smile, "Yep, come on."
Hestia just followed him in, and they were quickly greeted by Ryuu, "Welcome, Cranel-san and..."
The elf stared at Hestia, quickly identifying that the busty girl was a goddess.
The boy smiled brightly, "Hello, Ryuu-san, oh, and this is my patron goddess, Hestia-sama."
The elf gave the goddess a respectful nod, "I see, pleased to meet you, Goddess Hestia. I assume you would like a seat for two, yes?"
Bell nodded with a smile, "Yes please."
Ryuu smiled softly at his expression and gestured to one of the empty tables for two people, "Then right this way."
Hestia followed Bell and Ryuu to their table, and the goddess and child sat down.
The elf swiftly grabbed a menu from the counter and placed it on the table, "Please let me know when you're ready to place an order."
The goddess smiled, "Okay, gotcha."
Hestia glanced at the menu, until she noticed her only Familia member wasn't even so much looking at it, "Bell, don't you want to see what you're having?"
Bell smiled sheepishly, "Oh, I already know what I want."
Ryuu hummed, "The usual I take it."
The boy giggled, "Yes please."
The elf nodded, "Understood."
The goddess stared at him with narrowed eyes, "Hmm, just how often do you come here?"
Her eyes darted around, "Cute waitresses dressed in frilly maid-ish uniforms, overly friendly too. For the most part... mumumumumu..."
Bell panicked, "I don't really come here that often, right, Ryuu-san?!"
The elf gained an amused smile, "Enough for us to know what your usual order is, I suppose."
Hestia stared at him, "I see, often enough to have a usual order... Bell-kun, you cheater..."
The boy spluttered, "W-what do you mean cheater?!"
Ryuu just kept her small smile, before she decided to spare Bell further embarrassment, "Have you decided on your order, Hestia-sama?"
The goddess blinked, "Oh, right, I'll have a signature steak then, medium rare please."
The elf nodded and noted the order down, "Done, it won't be long."
Bell smiled, "Thank you, Ryuu-san."
Ryuu nodded as she passed the order note down to the kitchen, before she spared him another look, "Speaking of which, how have you been? Are you still seeing that chienthrope?"
Hestia's twin tails jumped up, and her eyes snapped at her child, "Chienthrope?!"
Bell blinked, "Huh? Oh, you mean Lili? She's my supporter I guess, so yeah."
The goddess blinked, "Oh, that supporter from the Soma Familia."
The elf raised a delicate eyebrow, "A supporter... from the Soma Familia... you say?"
Bell nodded, "Yep, it's why I've been able to get as much loot as I have in the last few days."
Ryuu nodded, "I see..."
Hestia studied her face, "Is there something you want to tell us?"
The elf glanced at the goddess, "No... or rather, yes. Cranel-san, do be careful about people from the Soma Familia, I've heard rumors that they aren't the best bunch to be around."
The boy furrowed his brows, "Eina-san told me that too..."
The goddess blinked, "That advisor did?"
Bell nodded, before he smiled, "Well, but Lili should be fine. She's a nice person."
Ryuu studied his face for a while, before she nodded, "If you judge her to be trustworthy, then I shall not pry any further."
Hestia huffed, "If two people are saying not to trust her, I say you should ditch her, Bell-kun."
The boy furrowed his brows, "But Lili has done nothing wrong, and it's really thanks to her that we're getting more money every time I go dungeon diving."
The goddess looked like she wanted to argue further, but before she could open her mouth, a yell reached their ears.
"HEY! I'M NOT PAYING YOU TO STAND AND TALK DAMMIT!"
Ryuu grimaced, and she apologized to the pair, "Mama Mia's angry... do enjoy your evening, Cranel-san, Lady Hestia."
She gave Bell one more look, "I understand if you still wish to keep your current partnership, but do keep an eye out for anything suspicious. She may not wish it, but the ones around her may not mean well."
With that said, Ryuu walked away, leaving Bell and Hestia waiting for their food.
The goddess huffed, "Well, whatever... So!"
Hestia smiled at Bell, "Come to think of it, you haven't told me which floor you're at today."
The boy beamed, "We went to the 8th floor today, I think we might be able to get to the 10th floor soon."
The goddess giggled at his enthusiasm, "Good to hear, but try to be careful to not burn yourself out."
Bell grinned, "Of course!"
The two continued in having small talk, mostly Hestia complaining about work, until Anya brought their food to the table.
(Linebreak)
The next morning, as Bell met up with Lili, Hestia was in the Tower of Babel, cleaning the display weapons in the Hephaestus shops.
The twin tailed goddess hummed as she placed the final piece of armor in place, her brows furrowing.
"Well this is a rare sight."
Hestia turned to see her fellow Greek goddess walk in, "Hephaestus, what are you doing here?"
The goddess of the forge snorted, "I came to check up on you to see if you're not slacking off, and well, it's my shop anyway."
The goddess of the hearth blew a raspberry at her, "Leave me be, I don't slack off!"
Hephaestus sighed, "Not as far as I know here, at least."
The taller goddess leaned on one of the desks, "But seeing you racking your brain at something is weird."
Hestia scowled, "Hey! Just because I rarely need to worry about something doesn't mean I don't!"
The blacksmith raised an eyebrow, "Really now? Care to share?"
The shorter goddess grumbled, "Bell-kun's partying up with someone shady, and I don't like it one bit."
Hephaestus blinked, "Bell... your kid?"
Hestia nodded, "He's been going into the dungeon with this girl from Soma's Familia."
The blacksmith hummed, "I see, well, I can see why you're worried."
The twin tailed goddess sighed, "Yes, well, I'm not too sure on the specifics, but they don't exactly have the best reputation. I just wish I knew exactly what it is..."
Hephaestus blinked, "Wait, so you don't know what's going on with them?"
Hestia nodded, "Just that they're no good. And Bell-kun shouldn't be parting with another girl! Especially a shady one like that one!"
The blacksmith sighed, "And here I thought you were worried for a legit reason, but I guess I should've seen this coming."
Hephaestus shook her head, "I can give you a bit of what I know, but even I don't know a lot."
Hestia blinked, "Wait, you for real?"
The blacksmith nodded, "Soma's famous for his wine, yes?"
The shorter goddess nodded, "As good as Dionysus' wine, yes."
The goddess of the forge nodded, "Apparently there's something fishy going on with his kids and his wine."
Hestia blinked, "Wait, what?!"
Hephaestus nodded, "Loki would probably know more, but what I do know is that they tend to take things too far when it comes to hoarding Soma's wine, and I mean the actual stuff."
The shorter goddess hummed, "I see..."
The blacksmith folded her arms, "That's all I know, but getting involved in their lot is never a good thing."
Hestia furrowed her brows, "You said Loki knows more, right?"
Hephaestus nodded, "Yeah, at least, more than I do."
The twin tailed goddess growled and pulled her twin tails, "Ughh, the last thing I want is to owe her anything... But for Bell-kun's sake..."
She let out a frustrated scream, much to Hephaestus' annoyance, but before the taller goddess could voice them, Hestia stared at her in the eye, "Hephaestus, I need the day off."
The blacksmith blinked, "I'm sorry, what?"
Hestia put on a complicated expression, "I think I'll have to pay Loki a visit."
Hephaestus blinked a few times, "You serious?"
The twin tailed goddess nodded, "I don't like it, but that flat chested bitch is my only lead now."
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, in the guild's office, Eina let out a sigh as she did her paperwork.
"What's wrong? Sad that boy got a girlfriend?"
Misha's voice reached her ears, and the half-elf jumped, "H-huh?! W-what?!"
The pink haired girl snickered at her reaction, "I guess I got my answer."
Eina scowled lightly, "I am not sad!"
Misha raised an amused eyebrow, "Really now?"
The half-elf sighed, "I'm more worried than anything. Bell-kun's supporter is from the Soma Familia, and you know as well as I do what they've been up to recently."
The pink haired girl sighed as she dropped a stack of paperwork on her desk, "Of course I do. And speak of the devil..."
The two glanced over to a side where the guild's banker was, and they heard him before they saw him.
The man in armor was slamming his fists on the counter, "This can't be all that it's worth!"
The banker held back her annoyance, "It is what it is, take it or leave it."
The adventurer started to argue even further, until several the man just had enough and left with the money.
Misha scoffed, "Seriously..."
Eina stared at the adventurer's shrinking back, and her frown deepened.
She turned to her colleague, "Misha, I have the afternoon off today, don't I?"
The girl blinked, "Huh? I mean yeah, today's your half-day shift anyway, you just like to stay back and work everyday anyway."
Eina nodded, "I'll be taking that half-day off, if you don't mind."
Misha raised an eyebrow, "Sure, I don't mind really, why?"
The half-elf made a mental note to look up everything she could on the Soma Familia, "I'll be having a little side project to work on."
A short moment later, Eina was in a general store, looking at the book shelves.
The half-elf glanced down at her notes, "It should be around here somewhere..."
Her research had brought her to this store, which was said to have something to do with the Soma Familia.
Eina let out a breath, "This is getting nowhere..."
"Oh! Riveria! We got some Soma Wine!"
The half-elf blinked, "Riveria? Wait a minute..."
If there was someone who would have information on other Familias, aside from the Guild, it would be one of the two strongest Familias in Orario.
Eina rushed over to the aisle, and sure enough, a familiar green haired elf and a red haired goddess were standing before her.
The half-elf greeted, "Lady Riveria, Lady Loki."
The high elf blinked as she turned to see the younger elf, "Eina? What are you doing here?"
Eina smiled, "A bit of research, at least until I heard your voice."
Loki studied the half-elf before her, "Hmm, not bad not bad, 8 out of 10."
The half-elf blinked, "I beg your pardon?"
Riveria sighed in exasperation, "Ignore her."
Loki pouted, "Now don't go ignoring me please! It's in my nature to rate every young female I see, okay? Now buy me that Soma Wine!"
The high elf massaged her temples, "And how many times do I have to tell you, we're here for supplies."
The goddess grumbled loudly, "And that wine IS one of the those supplies."
Riveria looked like she was about to smack her goddess, until Eina spoke up, "Umm, sorry to interrupt, but on the topic of Soma, I was hoping if you could help me out with a question regarding his Familia."
A glint appeared in Loki's eyes, and Riveria felt a headache coming, "Oh, now what would that be? Information from us don't come cheap, you know?"
Loki giggled, "Depending on the question, it might cost us a bottle of Soma wine."
Riveria sighed, "Loki."
The red haired goddess stared at her, "What? It's a fair trade!"
The high elf shook her head in exasperation, "If I buy you the wine, will you answer Eina's question?"
The half elf blinked, "Wait, what?"
Loki grinned, "Now we're talkin. But perhaps it would be better if we bring our conversation back to our home, info on other Familias aren't meant to be shared in public."
With that said, the goddess turned and jumped up to grab her Soma wine from the shelf, much to Riveria's annoyance.
The high elf sighed, "Come on, we might as well make full use of this chance."
A short moment later, Hestia stood in front of the Twillight Manor, a complicated expression on her face.
"Oh? What do you have here? If it isn't Loli Big Boobs!"
The twin tailed goddess' mood went to hell, and she turned to see the goddess of mischief, "Loki..."
The busty goddess blinked when she saw Riveria with Eina, "Wait, you're Bell-kun's advisor."
Eina blinked, before she lowered her head in respect, "Lady Hestia."
Loki snorted at the exchange, "Now, what do you want you dumb bimbo?"
Hestia growled under her breath, "Ughh, I really regret this now... But for Bell-kun's sake..."
She took a deep breath, "I need a favor!"
Loki's grin widened, for things just seemed to be going her way a lot today, "Oh? Let's hear it then."
The goddess of the hearth clenched her fists, "I want you to tell me everything you know about the Soma Familia."
The redhaired goddess burst out laughing, "Now isn't this just wonderful?!"
Hestia scowled, "I'm being serious, Loki. I'll owe you one big time, but I really need to know."
Loki smirked, "Well you're in luck. Miss Eina here was after the exact same thing, and I'm feeling generous today, so how about you join us for a drink?"
A short while later, Hestia and Eina sat opposite of Loki, while Riveria sat perpendicular on the other side of the room.
Loki giggled to herself as she poured herself a glass of Soma wine, before pouring another glass and pushed it to Hestia, "There, I doubt you've ever tried any of Soma's wine, have you?"
The twin tailed goddess narrowed her eyes, "What are you playing at?"
The goddess of mischief smirked, "I told you, I'm feeling generous today. Miss Eina here is after information about Soma's Familia, and so are you. Drinking alone is boring too, but I'm not letting any of my children or her touch this yet."
Hestia simply stared at her skeptically, and Loki sighed, "Look, I'm serious. You'll owe me a favor anyway, so might as well make the most of this, no?"
The goddess of the hearth sighed, "Fine."
She took the glass, and the redhead goddess nodded, "Good. Now, let's start with Miss Half-elf here, what would you like to know?"
The half elf considered the idea, before she spoke, "Anything you know about them, please."
Loki hummed, "Now that's a tall order. Let's start from the basics then."
She smirked, "For starters, none of the members of Soma's Familia worship their god."
Hestia blinked, "I'm sorry, what?"
Loki chuckled as she gestured to their glasses, "Indeed, cheers to that, Hestia."
The busty goddess frowned, but she took a sip from her wine, and her eyes widened slightly, "T-this..."
The redhead goddess let out a loud satisfied sigh, "That hits the spot!"
Loki grinned, "Now you get it?"
Hestia frowned, "It's not as good as Dionysus', but I have an idea why now."
The goddess of mischief snorted, "Right, you've had that asshole's wine before huh? Must be nice."
Eina blinked, "I'm sorry, I don't follow."
Loki chuckled, "This wine we're drinking? It's Soma's work. To us gods, it is one of the best wines you can ever find. But to mortals? A sip will get you wasted."
The redhead admired the wine in her glass, "Or at least, the perfected version of it anyway. And you're right, big boobs, this is nowhere as good as Dionysus' wine, because this is a failed batch."
Hestia's eyes widened, "A failed batch?!"
Loki grinned, "Glad to see you're not as dumb as I thought you are, for once."
The twin tailed goddess frowned, "So you're saying the children in Soma's Familia are there for the perfected version of his wine?!"
The goddess of mischief nodded, "Bingo. Those kids in that Familia? They will do anything to get their hands on that wine. But that perfected wine doesn't come cheap, nor does it come easily."
She gestured to the glass in her hands, "That's why there's so many of these failed ones, Soma doesn't make his perfected wine as often as your buddy."
Loki swirled the wine in her glass, "But anyway, point is that it ain't cheap, so those kids will do anything to get the money to even have so much of a sip. And when they do, they want more."
Eina stared at her cup of tea, digesting that bit of information, "I see."
The redhaired goddess hummed, "Well, I hear they do literally anything. They'd sell anyone out, sacrifice anything and anyone to get the money. Or so I've heard."
Hestia stared at her own glass, a sickening feeling forming in her gut, "This is a problem..."
The half-elf nodded, "Yes..."
Loki studied the two, "Now, that's pretty much the gist of what I know. Which brings us to our next question."
The two blinked and looked at her, "Huh?"
The goddess of trickery pointed at them, "I doubt there'd be two people looking for the same answers on the same day, so I'm pretty sure there's something going on."
Eina looked at Hestia, "Umm, I'm not sure if I should tell..."
Hestia sighed, "Well, considering flat chested here has already given us this much, might as well."
She looked at Loki, "Bell-kun's recently got a supporter from Soma's Familia."
Loki hummed, "Now this is interesting. I'd tell your kid to get the fuck away from them, but well, where's the fun in that?"
She grinned at the last part, much to Hestia's annoyance.
The goddess of mischief chuckled, "Well, that's the gist of what I know. Feel free to take your time with that wine, I'll be updating my Ais-tan's status!"
The redhaired goddess skipped towards the door, leaving Hestia, Eina and Riveria in the room.
The green haired elf sighed, "That idiot..."
She looked at their two guests, "I hope you two got what you're looking for."
Hestia nodded, "I think so... This just confirms it."
Eina nodded, "Bell-kun should stay away from his supporter."
The high elf raised a delicate eyebrow, "Lady Hestia I understand, but why are you so invested in this, Eina?"
The half-elf barely suppressed a blush, "I mean, I'm Bell-kun's advisor! I need to make sure he doesn't get into trouble or anything!"
Hestia huffed, "That better be all there is to it."
Eina nodded her head frantically, "It is!"
Riveria chuckled, "Well, whatever it is, as long as you don't get too attached."
The half-elf nodded, "Of course."
Hestia downed the wine, and she was about to stand up when a yell reached their ears.
"AIS-TAN IS A LEVEL 6?!"
Eina spat out her tea in disbelief, and both Hestia and Riveria sighed in exasperation.
A few moments later, Hestia left the Twillight Manor with Eina, and the goddess looked at the guild member, "Miss Advisor, I need a favor."
The half elf blinked, "Uhh, sure?"
Hestia sighed, "I need you to help me convince Bell-kun to stay away from that supporter of his."
Eina blinked again, before she smiled, "Of course, I was planning to tell him that anyway."
The goddess grinned, "Good, then we are in agreement. I'll wait for him with you at the guild, does that work?"
The half-elf nodded, "Sure, we can use one of the meeting rooms."
Hestia nodded, "Very good, let us be off then."
Later that day, Bell walked towards the guild building. They had ventured down to the 8th floor today, and Lili and Bell decided they'd just split the loot in terms of material instead of valis today.
But his mind wasn't focused on the money, rather, what had happened before they went into the dungeon.
Bell had seen the adventurer that approached Lili behind the trees, and despite having joined up with Bell, the boy still worried for her.
Not to mention that same man who'd attacked him and the prum the other day.
The white haired rabbit narrowed his eyes, there was something going on, and he was sure he didn't like it one bit.
Bell shook his head when he walked into the guild building, deciding to think about it later as he went to Eina's counter.
The boy smiled, "Eina-san, I'm here."
The half-elf looked up and smiled when she saw him, "Hello, Bell-kun, how was your day?"
Bell grinned, "Good, I'm just here to cash in my loot."
Eina smiled and nodded, "Of course, let's see what you have today."
The boy pulled out the bag he'd gotten from Lili, which was supririsngly hefty for its size.
The half-elf took the bag with both hands and headed for the cash counter, and after a brief moment, returned with three bags of valis.
Eina dropped the bags of gold onto the counter, "There, that comes to 25,000 valis today. You're earning more and more as you go huh?"
Bell chuckled, "It's mostly thanks to Lili that we're progressing at the rate we are at."
The half-elf's smile thinned, "I see."
The white haired boy nodded as he grabbed the bags, "Well, if it were me alone, I wouldn't be able to clear the waves as fast as I am now."
Eina nodded, "About that, Bell-kun."
Bell blinked, "Yes?"
The half-elf looked at him, "Do you mind if we talked in private?"
The boy nodded, "Sure, I guess."
Eina nodded, "Let's take this to a meeting room."
Bell followed the half-elf to a meeting room, and the boy blinked when he saw Hestia sitting at the table, "Hestia-sama?"
The twin tailed goddess greeted, "Hello, Bell-kun."
The white rabbit looked at Eina, "Why's Hestia-sama here?"
Hestia stared at him seriously, "Because we both wanted to talk to you about the same thing."
Bell blinked, "Huh?"
Eina sighed, "Bell-kun, it's about your supporter."
The boy blinked again in confusion, "Lili? Why?"
Hestia let out a breath, "I'm just gonna cut straight to the point. Bell-kun, we want you to stop working with her."
XXX
That's it for this chapter. A relatively calm one without fight scenes.
Read and review please.
Until the next one.