Hey, I'm back with a new chapter. Now if anyone reads my other Fate fic, I'm not abandoning it. I simply want to finish season 1 of Danmachi at least before I get back to it.

Starting a new fic whilst one is running, whilst I have to work full time and study full time, probably wasn't the best idea. But well, I'm just doing this for fun anyway, so I'll update that one when I can.

Just don't expect it to be anytime soon.

ErwinG'Arc, I'm glad you like her so far. She's actually not meant to be too different from canon Freya, probably less sadistic and more attached, but I guess we'll see.

Guest, Medusa is a definite no here. Bell will only inherit Heroes. Astolfo is a maybe.

Temsen, thanks, I did say it will be more in a non-combat oriented way. So I guess consider which one has an ability that is not so combat-oriented.

Guest, I'm not limiting it to Servant Classes. Bell can technically access every ability of the Heroic Spirits he inherits. But it still depends on how much his body can handle. For now he can only take on a limited amount of power from a specific class of the Heroic Spirit, for example Heracles would be only Berserker, and EMIYA would be just Archer.

So, Senji Muramasa is a maybe, I'm still thinking about him. Arthur/Artoria is one I'll eventually do, just need to figure out how. As for Solomon, that one is debatable.

Exodus12345, Tamamo no Mae is not a Hero, so no.

codywhite162, glad you like how I'm implementing Bell's skill with the Heroic Spirits. Now I don't want to spoil it, but he won't inherit Ishtar, simply because she is not a hero, but a Divine Spirit.

RegulusCetus, Bell having a harem is still to be decided. I may consider doing an unwanted harem style ending, where he just gets together with one girl (most probably Ryuu), and leave it at that.

vgama102, non-combat oriented aspect of that, so maybe? Maybe not?

AnimeFan13579, you're right in the sense that having Bell inherit Tamamo will open up a can of worms I really don't wanna open. So no, he won't. Besides, she's not a hero, so Bell shouldn't really have access to her.

Now, the Arrow of Orion arc is something I will definitely do. I've already mentioned one Heroic Spirit I will have Bell inherit in the earlier chapters, and this will be where she comes in. Maybe we'll also see Bell inherit Orion.

As for EMIYA, lets agree to disagree. I understand where you're coming from, and your arguments are all valid, but that simply isn't what I have in mind.

animehelpsdepression, poor Bell indeed. Or in a way, lucky him.

Gyro winter's, Fate and Kamen Rider Gaim do not fit together in my humble and honest opinion, that is all I shall say on that matter.

XXX

A few days later, Bell was in the Hostess' courtyard once more, with Ryuu standing before him with Alvs Lumina in her hands.

The white haired rabbit dashed forward, the Hestia Knife glistening with power as Bell swung it at the elf.

In response, Ryuu simply leaned back slightly, just enough to let the knife pass by her harmlessly.

Then she moved.

The elf had purposely left a small delay in her response to allow her new training partner to react, if only barely.

Bell clenched his teeth as he quickly backed away, or at least, tried to. But the older girl was just faster, and he winced as the wooden sword slammed into his side.

Unlike the past few days however, Bell managed to stand his ground, pushing through the pain and pushed on his attacks.

Ryuu blinked when the boy swung his knife at her once more, forcing her to block the swing at his wrists.

But the boy wasn't going to let that be the end of it, for he quickly spun, swinging his free arm in an attempt to land a backfist to the elf.

Only to hit a hall, or rather, a wall in the form of Ryuu's palm.

The elf let out a breath, "Alright, let us take a break."

Bell blinked, "Huh?"

Ryuu stared at him, "You're tired, you're panting already."

The boy blinked again, and he realized he really was having trouble catching his breath, "Oh."

The elf let go, and she smiled softly, "I see your tolerance for pain has gone up."

Bell made a complicated expression, "Yeah, well, it has to go up somewhat when I'm training with you."

Ryuu snorted, "Being able to withstand the pain is good, but it's not the best idea to push through the pain when you're hurt."

The boy smiled sheepishly, "I mean, this is just training, I won't do that in the dungeon."

The elf chuckled, "See that you do."

"You're finally done!"

The pair turned to see Syr approaching them, and Bell nodded with a smile, "Yes, well, we're just taking a break for now."

The silver haired girl pouted, "Just because Ryuu has a day off doesn't mean you can keep her to yourself, okay? That's not fair."

Bell's face flushed, "H-huh?!"

Ryuu's face too turned red, but not as much as the boy did, and she cleared her throat, "Teasing Cranel-san aside, don't you have work to do, Syr?"

The goddess in disguise giggled, "Why yes, but I just thought I'd come see my two favorite people before I head off to deal with all those troublesome customers."

She brought out a basket she'd been hiding behind her, "And since you two were busy fighting, I thought you'd be hungry too."

The elf's face stilled, and she did her best poker face, "I see, I'm not feeling too hungry, but I'm sure Cranel-san would appreciate it."

Bell's eyes snapped at his training partner, and he opened his mouth to speak, only for Ryuu to flick a small pebble at his legs, earning a silent wince from the boy.

Ryuu smiled forcefully, "Is that right, Cranel-san?"

The boy almost glared at the elf, but he caved in, "Y-yeah, thank you, Syr-san."

The girl beamed, "You're most certainly welcome! I'm just glad I can be of help, especially when you have to go into the dungeon and help out at night!"

Bell took the basket from Syr, "Y-yeah, thanks again."

Syr giggled, "Okay, I should get going before Mama Mia gets angry, I'll see you two later then!"

With that said, the waitress turned and skipped away, leaving Bell and Ryuu in the courtyard.

After a while, Bell looked at the elf, "Ryuu-san..."

The elf looked away, "Yes?"

The boy pushed the basket towards her, "Here."

Ryuu didn't look at him, "S-Syr made them for you, I can't possibly..."

Bell sighed and lowered the basket.

Over the past few days he'd worked with the Hostess of Fertility and training with Ryuu, he had come to realize that the lunch boxes Syr made him before weren't really Syr's cooking.

Rather, they had been altered to be edible by Ryuu or any of the other waitresses, simply because Syr had zero skill in the kitchen.

The boy sat down, and he opened the basket, revealing what looked like tuna and egg sandwiches.

He took a deep breath, "Well, bottoms up."

Ryuu's eyes widened, "W-wait, Cranel-!"

She almost flinched when the boy bit into the 'sandwiches', making loud crunching sounds as he chewed on them.

After a short moment of painfully loud crunching, Bell swallowed the food while drinking water from his flask to wash it down.

Ryuu made a complicated face, "Cranel-san, you don't really need to..."

Bell just smiled painfully at her, "W-well, I can't just throw them away..."

The elf felt bad, and she sighed, "I-I guess I can help you with one..."

The boy just held the lunch box out to her, and Ryuu shakily took one of the sandwiches from the box, leaving one more for Bell.

As the pair sat there, doing their best to stomach the food Syr had made, Ryuu looked at Bell, coughing slightly before she spoke, "Shall we get to some feedback on how you did just now, Cranel-san?"

Bell sat up in attention, "Yes please."

The elf almost smiled again at his reaction, "You performed better than before, and while you couldn't quite react to my attacks, you were aware of them. I'm still not happy that you took the hit and pushed on to attack, but sometimes that is necessary, so I'll leave it at that."

The boy nodded, "I see, thank you."

Ryuu chuckled, "As of now I don't believe you would have any issues besting most Level 2 adventurers even without your enhancements just based on skill alone. The only difference that would make it hard for you would be your lack of real combat experience, but I'm sure that can be rectified easily."

Bell nodded again, "I understand, so I suppose I'll just have to keep diving into the dungeon."

The elf nodded, "That would be the most simple course of action, yes."

The boy glanced at Alvs Lumina at her side, "Speaking of which, I've been meaning to ask you."

Ryuu raised an eyebrow, "Yes?"

Bell pointed at the wooden sword, "Why do you always use a wooden sword? I mean I understand if you want to hold back against me, but do you have like, a sword or something?"

The elf glanced down at her trusty weapon, "Ah, you mean this?"

Ryuu's lips thinned, and the boy quickly added, "If you don't want to tell me, I'm okay with it, really!"

The elf smiled and shook her head, "No, it's just that I'm remembering some stuff from the past."

She let out a breath, "To answer your question, I believe I told you I can use magic before, yes?"

Bell nodded, "In passing, yes."

Ryuu nodded, "I am an elf, and you will find that some, if not most elves, will know some form of magic. We don't use the same type of magic though, not usually."

The boy hummed, "I see..."

The elf continued, "Magic spells in general can be casted any way the caster wants to, but we elves have found to be able to cast at a more efficient manner using wands."

Bell oh'd, "I see, so your wooden sword doubles as a wand?"

Ryuu smiled, "If only barely, yes"

The boy hummed, "So is it like an offensive spell?"

The elf chuckled, "When we get a chance, I'll show you how it works."

Bell's eyes gleamed with excitement, "Really?!"

Ryuu just giggled, "Really, but let's just hope that doesn't come to pass."

The boy pouted, "Why?"

The elf's smile almost wavered, but she managed to push those unhappy memories down, "Because that will mean you will be in danger."

Bell giggled, "Does that mean you'll come save me if I'm in danger?"

Ryuu nodded, "Of course."

She realized what she'd just said, and quickly stood up to avoid letting Bell see her reddened face, "Now, break's over!"

The boy blinked, and her words quickly sunk in, "W-wait what? Already?!"

Ryuu grabbed her sword and walked to the center of the courtyard, "Yes, and you'll spar using your enhancement magic this time."

Bell quickly swallowed the last of the food and went to join the elf, "Huh? Why?"

The elf brandished Alvs Lumina, the wooden sword resting comfortably in her hands, "We've been sparing the past few times with just your basic abilities, so I want to see how much you can do now."

The boy paused, and he nodded, "I see, okay then."

Bell patted his hands clean, and he thought for a brief moment.

He'd shown her EMIYA's abilities, and Ryuu hadn't exactly been happy with the results, mainly because of the Heroic Spirit's fighting style.

The boy nodded to himself. Might as well see how he'd fare against her with Heracles' abilities.

Bell took a short breath, "Load: Heracles."

To Ryuu's surprise, the aura around the boy changed, even more so than the first time she'd seen him use the ability.

Seeing it again also confirmed something for her. Ryuu'd suspected that Bell was using magic rather than a skill, and the flow of magical energy she'd felt from Bell pretty much confirmed those suspicions.

The elf made a mental note to talk to him about Mind Down, but that could come later.

Ryuu pushed away her thoughts when she saw Bell draw the Hestia Knife, and she nodded to him, "Whenever you're ready."

The boy nodded in return, before he dashed forward.

(Linebreak)

Later that day, Freya sat in her chambers, sipping on a glass of wine.

The goddess swirled the wine in her glass, and her mind went to Ryuu's conversation with Bell a few days ago.

She was happy that her two favorite mortals were getting along so well, especially what with Ryuu's growing affection for the boy.

Freya nor Syr felt no amount of jealousy, of course. In fact, she welcomed it.

But that was a topic for another day.

No, the goddess was more focused on the contents of their conversation.

Bell's desire to Level Up.

She wasn't an idiot. To raise one's level, they had to overcome an obstacle, and not just any simple one.

It had to be overwhelming, to the point that it would be something that can catch the eyes of the gods.

Freya sighed as she glanced down from her chambers, straight at Bell's soul once more as he made his way to the shopping districts.

Her lips thinned when she studied his soul.

Like before, Bell's soul was radiant, pure and innocent. Within that laid an empty slot, or a void, to be more accurate.

That void had been filled with two different souls thus far, or as far as Freya was aware of.

Heracles and EMIYA.

Two similarly stained souls that, when paired with Bell's own, made the boy shine brighter than ever.

But that wasn't what she focused on.

No. The goddess was staring at a tiny speck in his soul.

Almost unnoticeable to her. It would definitely be missed by anyone else, but not Freya.

She instantly knew what it was.

Fear.

Of what, she had an inkling of an idea. And she was sure it would hinder his growth.

Freya desired none of that. She let out a breath, "Ottar."

"Yes?"

The captain of her Familia responded from behind her, and Freya asked, "Tell me, what do you think of Bell?"

The boaz hummed, "He is someone to look out for. He is weak for now, but I believe he can grow stronger."

The goddess nodded, "If you were to put him against yourself?"

Ottar closed his eyes, "As of now, I would crush him. But I cannot say for the future. Especially with his unique... abilities."

Freya giggled, "I see. You don't seem to hate him as the others do."

The strongest man of the Freya Familia let out a breath, "I do not. Your love is yours to give, and he has not done anything to warrant my hate."

The goddess giggled, "Is that so?"

She leaned into her chair, looking at the wine as she swirled it in her glass, "Then would you be willing to help him?"

Ottar raised an eyebrow, "Help him?"

Freya nodded, "My dear Bell wishes to Level Up. But at his current position, I don't believe he has the resources to do it the normal way."

The boaz nodded, "I see."

The goddess glanced back at him, "Can I leave that in your capable hands?"

Ottar nodded, "Of course."

Freya smiled, before she stared at him, "But if he dies..."

She trailed off, and the boaz recognized the warning, "... I understand."

Ottar turned and left the chambers, leaving Freya alone to her own.

The goddess took another sip from her glass, until she remembered Ottar's personality.

Freya grimaced slightly, "Perhaps letting Ottar handle this wasn't the best idea..."

She was sure the boaz wouldn't go easy on her dear Bell, the man had always been about doing things the hard way.

In fact, the goddess of love was certain that the captain of her Familia would go as far as to make this a test for Bell, to let the boy prove to be 'worthy' of her love.

Freya glanced back at her room, "Perhaps I should prepare something for Hestia as an apology."

She shook her head. Ottar knew better than to let Bell get too injured, especially when she'd specifically mentioned to not let Bell die.

The goddess made a conflicted expression.

The captain of her Familia would follow her word. But all of her Familia members also had the tendency to interpret her words in unique ways.

Freya sighed. Perhaps she would have to keep an eye on Bell for the next few weeks until Ottar reported back to her.

(Linebreak)

Later that day, back in the abandoned church, Hestia's eyes twitched as she looked at the status sheet of her only Child.

The goddess of the hearth took a deep breath, "Bell-kun, what have you been doing for the past few days?"

The boy cluelessly asked, "What do you mean, Hestia-sama?"

Hestia closed her eyes in an attempt to push down the massive headache she could feel coming, "Have a look yourself."

STR: A200
END: A500
DEX:S90
AGI:S600
MAG:A600

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), EMIYA

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.

The boy blinked, "I'm sorry, am I looking at this correctly?"

Hestia got off his back, slumping into the sofa, "Yes. Granted we haven't really updated your status for the past few days, but still..."

Bell's lips curved into a smile, "That means I've really grown stronger, haven't I?!"

The goddess giggled at his enthusiasm, "Yes, yes you have."

The boy held the sheet tightly, "I guess training with Ryuu-san really does help."

Hestia blinked, "Training with who now?"

Bell blinked, "Oh, right, I didn't tell you, did I?"

The goddess raised an eyebrow, "Tell me what now?"

The boy smiled, "Remember that elf we met at the Hostess?"

Hestia narrowed her eyes slightly, "I don't like where this is going, but go on."

Bell's smile widened, "Turns out she used to be an adventurer, so I'm training with her on most mornings before I go into the dungeon."

The goddess stared at him, "... I see..."

The boy's smile turned strained, "But well... Ryuu-san... is... strict, to say the least."

Hestia stared at him for a while, before deciding she was too tired to deal with anymore bullshit, "If you think it is helping, then I'm all for it."

Bell giggled, "Thanks, Hestia-sama."

The goddess snapped her head at him, "BUT!"

The boy jumped slightly at her sudden raised voice, "Y-yes?"

The twin-tailed goddess narrowed her eyes at him, "She is just someone you train with, nothing more, yes?"

Bell nodded frantically, "Y-yes."

Hestia nodded in satisfaction, "Good. But still, don't let this get to your head. You're only at the peak of a Level 1."

Bell nodded, "I won't stand a chance against Level 2s."

The goddess nodded, "On paper, yes. But that's just looking at your status sheet at its basic level, not including your magic and skill."

The boy giggled cheekily, "I'm awesome like that."

Hestia just snorted, "I don't doubt that, just don't go around picking fights."

Bell grinned, "Who do you take me for?"

The goddess snorted again, "Yeah yeah, now go to sleep."

The boy just stood up, "Actually, I have something to do today."

Hestia raised an eyebrow, "Again? Is this that part-time job you won't tell me about?"

Bell smiled sheepishly, "Y-yes."

The goddess hummed, "Okay, sure. Just don't be too late."

The boy nodded and ran out of the room, heading straight for the Hostess of Fertility.

After a short moment, Bell reached the bar, entering the building through the back entrance.

As soon as he did, he heard Anya yell, "You're almost late-nya!"

Bell smiled sheepishly, "Sorry! I won't be long!"

He dashed up the stairs into what used to be an empty guest room, now designated his own, which also just so happened to be next to Syr's.

The boy took off his armor and undershirt, before opening the closet to see three sets of waitress outfits and a few bras.

Bell took a deep breath, pushing aside his ever growing discomfort, before putting them on.

The boy then turned to the nightstand where his wig rested on a mannequin, quickly grabbing it and slipped it over his head.

After a few minutes of adjusting his outfit, Bell looked over himself in the mirror, "Okay..."

Yet again, the boy felt his back grow warm, but he ignored it and walked out of the room, careful to keep his equipment hidden and also locking the door.

Soon, Bell walked into the bar, and Mia snorted when she saw 'her', "Good of you to join us, Bella."

Bell, or rather, Bella, smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, Mama Mia. I got caught up with my other work."

The owner of the bar sighed, "Whatever, I'll let it slide this once. Now get to work, that's on table 10!"

Mia placed a plate of fish on the counter, and Bella nodded, "Okay!"

'She' quickly went to grab the plate and made 'her' way to the designated table.

As soon as he did, Bella almost grimaced as he placed the food on the table, "One set of today's special, yes?"

The reason was rather simple, for the people at the table were some of the middle aged adventurers that saw 'her' when 'she' started working here.

One of the men grinned, "Working hard, Bella?"

The second man laughed, "Or hardly working?"

Bell did his best smile and girlish voice, "I'm just doing my best."

The two men laughed, and the first man smiled at him, "Well, just do you best, you've improved a lot in the past few days since you started."

Bella just smiled, "Thank you."

He quickly turned and went to bring more dishes to other tables, while also showing customers to their tables, alternating with Ryuu, Anya and Chloe.

As Bell brought another set of customers to their tables, he smiled, "What can I get for you today?"

This time it was a party of five, three men and two women, and the party leader smiled, "Just a set of the dinner special, set 1 for me please."

"I'll get a set 4."

"A set 4 as well."

"I'll have one of Mia's Spaghetti."

"I'll get a set 2 please."

Bella smiled and wrote their orders down quickly, "Okayy, one of the first dinner set, one of the second one, two of the fourth one, and one of Mama Mia's Spaghetti. Did I miss anything?"

One of the other men spoke up, "Nope, all good."

The cross-dressed boy smiled, "Won't be long."

The leader chuckled, "Thank you, Bella. I don't see your sister though?"

Bella held his smile, "Ahh, she's not working tonight, we have some things to sort out at home today."

The man nodded, "I see I see."

One of the women smacked him, "Don't mind him, he's just being an idiot."

Bella giggled, "It's okay, now, I'll go make sure your orders are put in, okay?"

With that said, he quickly turned and walked quickly towards the counter.

One of the cover stories Mia and the others had come up with, was that Bell, or Bella, would be Syr's sister from their home located outside of Orario.

And fortunately, Bell's facial shape was feminine enough, that with a long haired wig, some paddings, a bra as well as a nicely sized uniform, he would look exactly like a female version of himself.

That still brought him mixed feelings, and to Ryuu as well.

And it also brought him some unwanted attention, for whilst most of the customers were well behaved thanks to Mia being downright terrifying, that didn't stop them from trying to flirt with 'her'.

Bell decided to do his best to ignore them, all for the sake of being able to train with Ryuu and grow stronger.

Unbeknownst to him, however, his back grew warm at that line of thought, and it continued as the night went on.

(Linebreak)

The next morning, Bell and Lili were at the Miach Familia's store.

Lili blinked a few times as they approached the store, "Is this where you've been getting your supplies all this time?"

Bell nodded, "Miach-sama is a good friend of Hestia-sama, so I try to get most of my supplies here when I can."

The prum in disguise nodded slowly, "I see..."

Lili tended to get hers from third parties or the Dian Cecht Familia's official store, but she supposed the Miach Familia's store was decent too.

The pair walked in, and Bell smiled, "Hello, Naaza-san."

The chienthrope hummed, "Bell..."

Her eyes landed on Lili, and she raised an eyebrow, "Oh, and who is this?"

The prum in disguise opened her mouth to reply, only for Bell to speak up, "This is my supporter, Lili. She's the one I told you about."

Naaza hummed, "... Is that so?"

The doctor stared at the shorter 'chienthrope', before looking at Bell, "So, the usual today?"

Bell smiled, "Yes please."

Naaza nodded and pulled out a tray of potions, "Here, that will be 12,000 valis please."

The boy nodded and pulled out his wallet, "Yep, okay."

But before he could pull out the money, Lili pulled his hand down, "Just one moment."

Bell blinked, "Lili?"

The prum reached up and pulled one of the vials out, "I'll pay you back in a bit."

Naaza's eyes widened, "Hey, what-"

Before either of them could get another word out, Lili popped the cork off and downed the vial in one go.

And as soon as she did, Lili frowned, before glaring at Naaza, "I knew it."

The chienthrope almost faltered, "... What do you mean?"

The prum in disguise looked at her partner, "Bell-sama, these potions? They're rip offs. At most, these would only be worth 200 valis each, and that's being generous."

Naaza frowned, but before she could speak up, Lili continued, "I always thought it was weird that Bell-sama would ask me where I got my supplies, but now I understand."

She glared at the doctor, "You've been watering down the potions, using sweetener and thickeners to make them taste just like the actual ones. Someone like Bell-sama won't notice the difference, of course."

The chienthrope opened her mouth to argue, but a familiar voice reached her ears.

"Is that all true, Naaza?"

The three turned, and Naaza's eyes widened when she saw Miach walking into the store.

The doctor spluttered, "M-Miach-sama..."

The god wordlessly walked to the counter, grabbing a vial from the tray. Naaza's eyes widened, "W-wait!"

She tried to stop him, but Miach quickly downed the potion, his frown deepening, "... So it would seem."

He let out a long sigh, before turning to Bell, and bowed 90 degrees down, "I really apologize for what she's done, Bell. I promise, I'll return all the money we owe you."

Bell blinked and waved his hands frantically, "W-wait, Miach-sama! I don't mind, really! And please stop bowing!"

The god stood up, "I swear, I will make this right. But before that..."

He turned to Naaza, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

The pharmacist didn't answer, and Miach continued, "I've always thought of Hestia and her Child to be close friends of ours, your diluted potions would've gotten him killed."

The chienthrope furrowed her brows, "... Our Familia's finances have always been in the red... I just felt that Bell would be a good way to get us back on track..."

Miach frowned, "Is that all? Just because we're in debt, you decided to scam Bell?"

Naaza nodded, "I do feel sorry for doing it, but Bell's still a Level 1, and he only started recently. He would've been fine on the first 5 levels."

The god's frown deepened, "Idiot! Did you really think he'd stay on the first 5 floors as a Level 1?! Adventurers don't work that way, you know that!"

Bell tried to speak up, but Lili pulled him back and instead spoke up, "Bell-sama has already gone to the 10th floor, alone."

Miach nodded, "So I've been told. I don't mean to downplay your capabilities, Bell, but a single mistake will cost you your life."

The god looked at Naaza, "Relations here on Gekai rely heavily on trust. You should know that better than I do. That tiny bit of money you'd get off this would have cost us a life, and the trust from Hestia and her Child."

The pharmacist took a deep breath, "I understand that, and I know Bell has done nothing to deserve this... But if this goes on, we will be worse off, our debt will get worse than it already has."

The pair of adventurer and supporter shared a look at those words, but before either could put in a word, Miach scowled, "And you saw fit to involve people who had no part in this? I thought you were better than this, Naaza."

His words were like a knife to her, and Naaza flinched, not daring to meet his eyes, and Miach continued, "You, we, took an oath. As doctors, as pharmacists, we have an obligation to put the care of our patients our number one priority. Even if we are worse off on our finances. We should sell proper potions, instead of diluted ones."

Naaza snapped her gaze up at him, "Then why do you still give out potions for free? This whole problem wouldn't have came up if you stopped giving out potions to everyone you see!"

Miach blinked, "Huh?"

The god blinked, "W-what are you talking about?! I don't-"

Bell spoke up, "Ah, right, that does happen quite a bit huh..."

Lili nudged him in the ribs, "Shh!"

The boy winced, but the damage was already done, as Naaza glared at her god, "See?! Even Bell's seen it happen!"

Miach rubbed the back of his head, "Well..."

Before they could continue, however, the door opened, "EXCUUUUUSEEEE... ME!"

The sound of laughter reached their ears, and they turned to see an old god with white hair and beard walking in, followed by a young lady with lush silver hair.

The god laughed, "I'm here for the money this month, you have it ready, don't you, Miach?"

The god and child fell silent, and Miach spoke out, "Dian..."

Dian scoffed, "Of course you don't. You never show up to pay up, so I took the time to come down myself."

He looked around, scrunching his nose, "And what a disgusting place this is... It's so dusty, how do you even get your potions up to par?"

The older god scoffed, "At any rate, I've been lenient on you for quite a while, and I won't have this go on any further! Tomorrow! If by tomorrow I don't see any money, I'll sell this old shack you call a home, you hear me?!"

With that said, Dian turned and walked towards the exit, "Armid, we're leaving."

The silver haired woman sighed, "Understood..."

She gave the pair an apologetic look, before walking after her god.

Soon, the doors closed shut, and Lili looked at Miach and Naaza, "What was that about?"

Miach sighed, "Dian and I... we never really saw eye to eye, even before we came down here. We used to be equals, in business and providing healthcare..."

Naaza looked away, "But I ruined all that."

Bell blinked, "What? Why?"

The chienthrope pulled her right sleeve up, revealing a silver arm, "I used to be like you, Bell. I'd go into the dungeon, farm for magic stones and fund the Familia..."

Her eyes landed on her prosthetic arm, "But I got careless, and I lost my right arm because of that."

Bell blinked, "Oh."

Naaza nodded, "Miach-sama got this arm for me... but we only got it because he begged Dian Cecht over and over again. And he provided the arm at a large cost."

Miach closed his eyes, "And I don't regret doing it. If it happened again, I would do the same thing."

The chienthrope sighed, "... And because of that, our Familia went into debt, and most of our members couldn't take the burden. So they left."

Bell nodded, "I didn't know that happened..."

Naaza nodded, "And it's all my fault..."

Miach frowned, "Naaza, stop. It was never your fault."

The chienthrope frowned, "But still-"

Before they could continue, Lili spoke up, "That's good and all! But moving on! We can put the issue with Naaza scamming Bell-sama for another time, but do you have a way to pay Dian Cecht back by tomorrow?"

The three turned to Lili, and Naaza nodded, "I have an idea... But we can't possibly get it done in time..."

Bell asked, "Is there anything we can do to help?"

The chienthrope blinked, "... You want to help?"

The boy nodded, "Of course I do."

Naaza furrowed her brows, "Even after all that?"

Bell nodded, "Yes, it's not wrong to help others."

Lili sighed loudly, "Right, of course it's not..."

The boy grinned at her, "I don't want to hear any complaints from you, Lili."

The prum just folded her arms, looking away with a pout.

Bell looked at them, "Now, what can we do to help?"

Naaza contemplated the idea, before she spoke up, "I have an idea for a potion. We need two key ingredients for it. I've already gotten some adventurers to help me with the first one, but now we're lacking the second."

Miach asked, "What would those ingredients be, Naaza?"

The chienthrope pulled out a sack, "The first one's the wings of the blue papillon. The second one is an egg of a bloodsaurus."

Lili blinked, "A bloodsaurus? Those only show up on the 30th floor!"

Naaza nodded, "In the dungeon, yes. But those ones don't have eggs, what I'm talking about are the ones that live above the surface."

The prum hummed, "I see, that makes sense."

The chienthrope nodded, "I've applied for approval to leave the city, but I just haven't found anyone to take it on."

Lili hummed, and she looked at Bell, before she sighed, "I know you want to just help them, but we should still let Hestia-sama know."

Bell grimaced, "R-right."

A short moment later, Hestia stood in front of the counter of the Miach Familia store.

The twin tailed goddess nodded, "I understand the gist now."

She glared at Naaza, "I will have words about what you've done, mark my words."

Hestia sighed, "But that can come later."

She looked at Miach, "So, I guess we'll be going on a road trip then."

The god lowered his head, "Thank you, Hestia."

Hestia snorted, "Well, you are a good friend, so I'll let this slide, just this once. And to make it clear, I mean us helping you with the ingredients, not for scamming my poor Bell-kun!"

Miach laughed softly, "Of course."

The goddess nodded, "Good, now, meet us at the gates in an hour."

An hour and some later, the five sat in a carriage.

Miach had a complicated expression on his face, "Is it really okay to take a carriage?"

Hestia nodded, "Of course! My own debt aside, Bell-kun's made enough money that we can afford to splurge once in a while."

Naaza had a conflicted expression on her face when she heard those words, but she didn't speak up and instead focused on the road.

The god chuckled, "I see, I'm happy for you, Hestia."

The goddess giggled, "Thank you."

She looked at Naaza, "Now, would you tell us more about our destination?"

The chienthrope nodded, "The forest we're heading to is around two hours away from Orario on carriage. There we will find a bloodsaurus nest and their eggs. We'll be aiming for those eggs."

Bell folded his arms, "I see... If they behave like the monsters I've seen on the surface, then we'll probably need to lure them away."

The four looked at him in surprise, and Lili couldn't help but ask, "Have you fought monsters before on the surface?"

The boy blinked, "Huh? Oh, yeah, of course. My grandfather's brought me hunting a few times, and we usually hunt boars and stuff, but he has shown me how to hunt monsters on the surface before."

Lili blinked, "I-I see..."

Bell laughed softly, "Well, now that I think about it, those monsters are actually really weak compared to the ones in the dungeon."

Naaza nodded, "...I see..."

After two hours, the group arrived at their destination, and Bell jumped off the carriage, "I guess we'll be getting there on foot from now on."

Naaza nodded, "Yes."

Bell turned to the carriage driver, "Thanks for the ride, we won't be long."

The driver nodded, "Take your time, but I'll only wait till sundown, okay?"

Lili giggled, "Don't worry, we shouldn't be too long."

The man nodded, "Well, good luck then."

Hestia stretched her arms, "Okay, let's get this over with."

The five walked into the forests, and soon, they spotted an opening.

Naaza spoke up, "Stop. We're here."

Miach peered into the opening, and sure enough, he quickly spotted a bunch of monsters, surrounding a nest of eggs.

Hestia hummed, "So we'll need to lure the monsters away first I suppose."

Bell nodded, "Killing them all will be bad for the ecosystem. I'll lure them away, once its clear, go in and grab the eggs."

With that said, the boy leaped forward, and Lili yelped, "W-wait, Bell-sama!"

But before she could do anything, the boy was already in the opening, "Now, I'm sure these monsters are weaker than in the dungeon, but I guess I should be careful."

The monsters quickly took notice of the human, and they roared at him.

Bell put on a confident face as he walked forward, drawing his knife, "Now, to play as bait."

He dashed forward, leaping into the air as he slashed at one of the monsters, landing a large gash on it's face.

Not missing a beat, Bell landed on the ground and sprinted away, prompting a few of the monsters to chase after him.

Bell took a breath, "Load: Heracles!"

The power of the demigod filled his body, and he kicked the monsters that chased after him, sending them flying away.

Bell then quickly dashed after the eggs, prompting the remaining few bloodsauruses to chase after him.

This time, Bell ducked under them and kicked them away from the eggs, "Now!"

With that said, the boy charged at the monsters, having placed himself between them and the eggs.

Switching the Hestia Knife to his left hand, Bell summoned the nameless axe-sword in his right hand, brandishing it.

A few of the bloodsauruses charged at him, but Bell simply swung the giant weapon at them, sending them flying backwards again.

Another tried to bite him, but the boy simply shoved the sword in between its teeth, holding it back.

One of the monsters roared as it spotted Naaza and Lili grabbing a few eggs from their nest, before charging at them.

But yet again, it found Bell's stone sword in its face, before being sent flying once more.

That same process repeated for the next few minutes, until Bell heard Lili yell, "We're done!"

Bell nodded, and he let out a deep breath, "Set: Nine Lives."

Power filled his veins, and the boy readied his axe, but his target was not any of the monsters.

No, he simply swung his sword at the ground, unleashing a massive shockwave that blew the bloodsauruses back for a good amount of distance.

As soon as the monsters were sent flying, Bell turned and made a beeline out of the forest, catching up to the other in but mere moments.

Naaza blinked in surprise, "Bell?"

The boy let the power of Heracles leave his body, "Keep moving! They'll come after us soon!"

The chienthrope nodded, "Y-yeah, okay."

The group soon made their way out of the forest, and they jumped onto the carriage, much to the driver's surprise.

Lili yelled, "Go! Now!"

The heavy stomps told the driver everything he needed to know, and he quickly grabbed the reins, "Hyah!"

The horses neighed and started running, pulling the carriage along with them.

Bell let out a sigh in relief, "That was... exciting."

Miach panted, "Y-yeah, I can't believe we made it out."

Hestia giggled despite catching her breath, "But Bell-kun! That was amazing!"

The boy giggled sheepishly, "Well, I guess..."

Naaza stared at him, "Are you sure you're a level 1? I know I said monsters above the surface are weak, but those were still around the strength of an orc."

Miach hummed, "Hestia, would Bell happen to be..."

The goddess nodded, "Yeah, and no, there are no Servants, Bell-kun is the heir to the Throne."

The god nodded, "I see..."

He looked at Naaza, "Naaza, whatever you saw, I want you to never speak a word of it, not to anyone outside the five of us here."

The young woman blinked, "Oh... O-okay..."

Miach looked at Bell, "I hope that is okay with you."

The boy nodded, "Of course."

Lili looked at the bunch of eggs they'd acquired, "So would this be enough?"

Naaza nodded, "More than enough. I'll have those potions ready by tomorrow morning once we get back."

Hestia nodded, "Then you can sell them to Dian Cecht's Familia, and hopefully rid you of that debt."

The pharmacist nodded, "If it works out the way I hope it'll do, then yes... We will be... And we can start to pay you back."

Bell shook his head, "I said its fine, really."

Miach patted the boy on the shoulder, "Please, just let us make it right."

The boy wanted to protest, but Lili spoke up, "Bell-sama, just let it go."

Bell looked at Lili, before back at Miach and Naaza, "Fine. We'll talk more about that once we get that potion ready."

(Linebreak)

Meanwhile, Ottar was on the 15th floor, holding a massive cleaver with another large sword on his back.

He breathed out through his nose as he killed yet another horde of monsters, "This is not enough."

The captain of Freya's Familia thought back onto the reports on Bell's background.

To help the boy rank up, Ottar had to understand what made the boy tick. Or rather, what made him not tick.

The man had come across three pieces of information.

One, Bell Cranel desired to become a hero more than anything else, and Ottar figured it would be much like what the Braver wanted to do.

Two, Bell Cranel was almost killed by a minotaur on a higher floor, only to be saved by the Sword Princess.

Three, Bell Cranel showed hesitance when fighting against larger monsters, particularly against orcs and ogres.

That three pieces of information told Ottar what he needed to know to get Bell to level up.

An overwhelming foe in the form of the beast that almost took his life once.

But Ottar was also sure that Bell Cranel could defeat any normal minotaur at his current level.

So that left him to do one more thing.

And as fate would have it, the man known as the King, found his target.

The floor shook as a minotaur holding a landform as a weapon entered his line of sight.

Blood dripped down its club, telling Ottar that it had just killed some unlucky adventurers.

The boaz hummed, "You look tougher than most."

The minotaur roared and swung its club at the adventurer, only for Ottar to grab the club easily.

A smirk plastered itself on his face, "Not bad, you'll do."

With that said, Ottar crushed the club with his bare hands, and the minotaur stumbled backwards, almost shocked by what had happened.

But its confusion increased when the boaz untied the sword on his back, stabbing it onto the ground.

Ottar looked at the monster, "Use this."

The minotaur stared at the adventurer, as if confused by his actions, and it hesitated.

Until the boaz gave the beast a hard gaze, promising nothing but death if it disobeyed.

Reluctantly, the minotaur clasped its hands around the hilt, and Ottar grunted, "Good, now, let us begin."

XXX

Done. So that's the chapter. A bit longer than I expected cuz I wanted to finish the QuestxQuest side story in this chapter.

It's not meant to be something to focus on anyway.

So yeah, the next chapter will be Bell fighting the minotaur.

Read and review please.

Until then.