Hey, I'm back with a new chapter.

NarveraG, yep, Freya definitely lit a fire in Ryuu. As for the pairing, it's not really decided yet, but it is still leaning on Ryuu.

codywhite162, The Quotable Patella, now the part with Ishtar and Evilus. It'll be an interesting thing for me to write, considering Ishtar mainly dealt with them for money and resources as well as the use of Knossos. So you'll just have to find out.

AnimeFan13579, I didn't say the Black Dragon info to be filler. Just that how they presented the information and the arc felt like a filler arc. And remember, the relationship between Bell and Ais in this story is different.

They're not as close as canon, but they do have some form of bond over the fact that they're both similar in the sense that Ais is a half-spirit and Bell is pretty much inheriting Heroic Spirits.

But the fight with the Black Dragon will come later, so we'll see.

As for the part with the wine, you're right in how Gilgamesh would see it a good trade. Plus he literally has unlimited supply of like.. everything.

ErenX71, glad you liked what I've done so far. Here's another chapter.

XXX

"YOU WHAT?!"

Bell grimaced at Hestia's reaction after he told her about the request to fight the Rakia army.

Artemis sighed, "Hestia, calm down."

Hestia snapped her head at her, "Calm down?! HOW CAN I CALM DOWN?!"

The goddess of the hearth looked at her first Child, "We just finished a War Game, then you went through all that bullshit with Ishtar, and now YOUR ADVISOR WANTS YOU TO FIGHT A WAR?! IS SHE INSANE?! ARE YOU INSANE?!"

The other children of the Hestia Familia wisely kept their mouths shut, with Aisha mainly enjoying the show.

Bell's smile strained, "I-It's not as bad as it sounds…"

Hestia glared at him, "And pray tell how is it not as bad as it sounds?"

The boy chuckled awkwardly, "Umm, most of the soldiers of Rakia are at Level 1, and only a handful of them are Level 2. Gareth-san and Aisha-san are going to take on two fronts on their own, and-"

The goddess cut him off, "First off, I don't care about them, they're Loki's kids, she can decide. And second, they're both Level 6s, you're a Level 3!"

Bell spoke up, "It's not like I'll be going alone, I'll be taking Aisha-san and Samira along at least. Besides, you said it before, we beat the Apollo Familia in a War Game."

Hestia stared at him, "You mean to tell me, you want to go fight a war against hundreds of Level 1 and Level 2 adventurers with merely 3 people?"

Welf spoke quietly, "They're soldiers, not adventurers, most of them don't really fight much. And Ares doesn't really-"

The goddess glared at him, "You! Shush!"

The blacksmith wisely backed down, "Sorry…"

Hestia took a deep breath, "Even if I forbid you to go, you'll still go anyway, won't you?"

Bell nodded, "Yes."

The goddess let out a frustrated screech, "AHHH!"

Everyone in the room grimaced, before Hestia took a deep breath, "Alright, fine! We'll go fight a goddamned war!"

Everyone sighed in relief, before Lili asked, "Wait, we?"

Hestia nodded, "Yes, we. I'm not letting Bell-kun go to a bloody war alone. So we're all going."

Bell smiled awkwardly, "Sure… I guess?"

The goddess of the hearth glared at him, "When did you say we're supposed to leave?"

The boy answered, "Eina-san said we can leave at the latest by tomorrow afternoon. I'll be going through the details with her in the morning."

Hestia let out a breath, "Alright, then we'll have to get ready then."

Aisha laughed, "Does that mean we're good to go fight the war?"

The goddess of the hearth massaged her temples, "Yes, yes it does."

The Amazoness grinned, "Great! I hope they have strong men there!"

Welf smiled wryly, "Yeah, I think you'll be disappointed."

Aisha looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "Really now?"

The blacksmith nodded, "Fortunately, yeah."

The woman folded her arms, "Hmm, guess I'll have to see for myself then."

Daphne sighed, "Anyway, if that's settled, then we'll have to get our supplies ready."

Lili nodded, "We'll need to stock up on potions and stuff."

Bell nodded, "Definitely, can I leave that to you, Daphne, Lili?"

The red haired woman nodded, "Of course."

The Familia captain nodded, "Great, and Welf-"

The blacksmith nodded, "Yeah, magic swords, right?"

Bell shook his head, "No, not that."

He paused, before speaking again, "We'll talk about that later."

Welf blinked in confusion, before he nodded, "Sure."

The white rabbit looked at Cassandra, "Cassandra, I hate to ask you this, but can you take care of our supplies if we have to camp out?"

The healer blinked in surprise, before she nodded, "Of course."

Mikoto added, "I'll go with her."

Bell nodded, "Awesome, thanks, you two."

Haruhime spoke up, "Umm, Cranel-sama, what about me?"

The boy looked at her, "Haruhime… Hmm, we don't really need any more people getting supplies…"

Bell quickly remembered something, "Right! There is something I'll need to take care of, you can come with me for that."

The renard looked confused, "O-okay?"

Artemis asked, "So is everything sorted out then?"

Bell nodded, "Yeah, pretty much. All that's left is for everyone to get their own equipment."

Hestia hummed, "Alright, that's enough for me today. I'll be in the baths if anyone needs me."

With that said, the goddess left the room, and Artemis sighed with a smile after a short moment, "You need to take it easy, Bell."

Bell chuckled, "I know, sorry about that, everyone."

Daphne snorted, "A little too late for that, don't you think?"

Lili laughed, "Well, Bell-sama is our Familia captain, and I'm pretty sure no one here is mad."

The boy smiled, "I know, it's just Hestia-sama worries."

Mikoto nodded, "Definitely, but well, I think she's forgetting the fact that you're not exactly limited to your status sheet."

Aisha snorted, "Tell me about it."

Bell chuckled, "Alright, alright, let's get to work. We haven't got all day, and we need to leave tomorrow!"

Everyone laughed and went off to do what they needed to do, leaving Bell, Haruhime and Welf in the room.

The blacksmith asked, "So, what did you wanna talk about?"

Bell glanced at Haruhime, "Haruhime, do you mind if I spoke to Welf alone?"

The renard nodded, "Of course."

The blonde left the room, and the redhead looked confused, "Okay, now what's so important you had to talk with me alone?"

Bell looked out of the window, "Welf, you're from Rakia, aren't you?"

The blacksmith blinked, "Yeah, why?"

The boy let out a short breath as he looked back at him, "You'll be fighting against your countrymen, are you sure you'll be fine?"

Welf blinked again, before he chuckled, "Oh… I see… shit, man… Am I really that easy to read?"

Bell smiled, "No, not really, but inheriting Gilgamesh has given me a lot to work with."

The blacksmith leaned into his seat, "Damn…"

Welf took a deep breath, "You're right, I…"

He looked at the table, "Look, it's been years since I left Rakia, and looking back, the memories I have of the place aren't the best."

Bell nodded, "You wanna talk about it?"

Welf chuckled, "Might as well."

He took another deep breath, "What do you know about the goddess Phobos?"

The white haired boy hummed, "Not much."

Welf nodded, "Phobos-sama used to be my patron goddess, the Phobos Familia was one of the few subordinate Familias under the Ares Familia in Rakia."

Bell raised an eyebrow, "Used to?"

The blacksmith nodded, "See, when it was revealed that my magic swords don't break on one use, all of the people I knew wanted me to reclaim the pride of our family name."

The white haired hero nodded, "And they tried to get you to forge magic swords to do that."

Welf nodded, "I hated it, as you can guess. Phobos-sama saw that, and she helped me escape the country."

Bell hummed, "I see… What happened then?"

The redhead sighed, "Ares, well, he wanted to use my magic swords to make their army stronger. Obviously that didn't happen, so he sent her back to Tenkai."

The boy fell silent, "I see…"

Welf nodded, "Point is, I don't have that many memories of Rakia. Good ones, at least. But…"

Bell nodded, "They're still people you grew up with."

The blacksmith nodded, "Yeah…"

The white haired rabbit spoke, "If you don't feel comfortable, you can sit this one out, you know?"

Welf blinked, before he smiled, "I appreciate it, but no."

The blacksmith stood up, "You know what, I think I have my answer. My family is here now, with you, with all of you. I'm not gonna sit back while the rest of you go out there and fight."

Bell looked concerned, "But you'll be up against your blood relatives."

Welf scoffed, "Yeah well, all they ever talked about was using my magic swords to restore their honor, so fuck them. Besides, I think I wanna see their faces when they see my magic swords used against them."

The boy asked again, "Are you sure?"

The redhead nodded, "I'm sure."

Bell nodded, "Gotcha, but if anything comes up, you tell me, okay?"

Welf chuckled, "By the gods, since when did you worry so much?"

The boy smiled, "Since today."

The blacksmith laughed softly, "Alright, but thanks, Bell. I think I needed to let that out eventually, or the magic swords I'll forge later would have probably ended up like crap."

Bell nodded, "Anytime."

Welf opened the door, "I'll be in the forge then, let me know if you need anything."

The boy nodded as the blacksmith left the room, and he stood up, "Alright, I should get going too."

He left the room to find Haruhime waiting for him, "Sorry for the wait, Haruhime."

The renard smiled, "It's quite alright, Cranel-sama. Have you sorted out what you needed with Welf-sama?"

Bell nodded, "Yeah, we're fine now."

The blonde asked, "So, where are we going?"

The boy answered, "We're gonna pay Ishtar a visit."

Haruhime blinked, "Eh?"

Bell nodded, before he quickly added, "Only if you're comfortable with that. We'll need to get Samira and anyone else that can fight to join us."

The renard fell silent, before she nodded, "It's okay, I can come along. Besides, Cranel-sama will be with me."

The boy smiled, "Alright, let's go then."

The two left the mansion, and as they walked, an awkward silence fell over them.

Bell simply walked, while Haruhime just felt uncomfortable as she simply followed behind him.

Until the boy spoke up, "Hey, Haruhime?"

The renard looked up at him, "Yes?"

Bell asked, "Why do you call me Cranel-sama when you call everyone by their first name?"

Haruhime blinked, "Umm, because it's proper?"

The boy raised an amused eyebrow, "Proper?"

The renard nodded, "Yes, Cranel-sama is the heir to the Throne of Heroes, you're someone who will inherit the legacy of legendary heroes."

Bell smiled, "Haruhime, I want to be a hero, but I'm still a normal person, you know?"

Haruhime shook her head, "But still, someone like me should not call you by your name so casually."

The boy was about to refute her statement, but before he could, he realized they were already at their destination.

Bell let out a breath, "We can talk about that later then, I still want you to call me Bell though."

The renard just kept silent, as they entered the Belit Babili.

Soon, the pair reached Ishtar's room, and the goddess' expression soured almost immediately when she saw them.

The goddess asked, "So, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Bell greeted, "Hello, Ishtar."

Ishtar took a deep puff from her pipe, "Bell Cranel, and I see you brought Haruhime with you. Shame, I thought you'd have fun with many of the women you have recently gained."

The goddess snorted, "But then again, you have Hestia and Artemis for goddesses, so I shouldn't expect too much even if you're the heir to the Throne."

The boy studied her expression for a moment, before bringing out a pouch and placing it on the table.

Ishtar raised an eyebrow, "What is this?"

Bell stepped back, "A peace offering, I wasn't sure what you liked, or if you liked wine like Loki, so I chose jewelry instead."

Ishtar pulled open the pouch, and she saw a small collection of necklaces, rings and earrings, all with precious gems.

The goddess sighed, "Alright, out with it, what do you want?"

Bell smiled, "We're going to fight forces of Rakia, so I was hoping to see if I could bring some of adventurers from your Familia with us."

Ishtar raised an eyebrow, "... You don't have to ask me, you know that, right?"

The boy nodded, "I know, but it just felt better to do this. And well, I know my goddesses don't like you, but despite my memories from Gilgamesh, I was hoping we could start fresh."

The goddess fell silent, "And you think some gems and jewelry will make up for it?"

Bell smiled, "To be honest, no. But it's a start."

Ishtar sighed, "I see… Lemme guess, you got that from Zhuge Liang or some strategist."

The boy chuckled, "Definitely not Gilgamesh."

The goddess scoffed, "Perhaps, perhaps not. That ancient king can prove to be generous, at very rare times. But I wouldn't know now, would I?"

Ishtar took the pouch, "Alright, I told Hestia and Artemis I'm tolerating things, but if you're making an effort to make things better, I'm not one to complain."

Bell nodded, "Thank you."

The goddess of fertility snorted, "Don't thank me yet."

Ishtar let out a puff of smoke, "Anyway, the others are at their usual stations. Since you have Haruhime with you, she'll know where they are."

The goddess looked at the renard, "You do remember where those are, yes?"

The blonde nodded, "Y-yes."

Ishtar nodded, "Then that's settled."

Bell nodded, "Thanks again, we'll talk more after we get back from our quest."

The goddess just nodded, "Sure."

Before the pair could leave, Ishtar spoke up, "Haruhime."

The blonde blinked, "Y-yes?"

The goddess asked, "Do you hate me? Do you hate the others in this Familia?"

Bell raised an eyebrow, but chose to stay silent, and Haruhime answered, "I… I honestly don't know how to feel about you, and everyone else. But I don't hate you, Ishtar-sama."

Ishtar blinked, "You don't?"

The renard nodded, "Yes, I don't. Regardless of what happened after, you were the one who took me in, gave me a place to stay."

The goddess fell silent, "I see…"

With that said, the pair left the room, and after a while, Ishtar sighed to herself, "What a pain…"

The goddess massaged her temples, before deciding to think about the situation later.

With Bell and Haruhime, the pair made their way through the brothel until they managed to find the commons area.

Fortunately, they also found who they were looking for.

Samira scowled, "Look who showed up."

Lena turned to see Bell and Haruhime, "Oh…"

She beamed, "Hello!"

The boy nodded, "Hi."

Lena giggled, "Are you here to have fun?"

Bell blushed, "N-no! I'm not here for that!"

The girl pouted, "Aww…"

The older Amazoness glared at them, "What do you want then? Or have you come here to gloat with Haruhime?"

The renard didn't meet her gaze, and Bell took a deep breath, "I need you to gather everyone who is combat ready."

Samira raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

The boy looked her in the eye, "Tomorrow, the Hestia Familia and Ishtar Familia will be taking on a request from the guild to fight against the Rakia army."

The Amazoness blinked, "The Rakia army?"

Lena's eyes gleamed, "Really?!"

Bell nodded, "That's right, though I say we'll be fighting the Rakia army, we're probably only going to face a third of their forces."

Samira's lips thinned, "I see…"

The white haired rabbit looked at her, "Can I count on you to get everyone ready?"

The Amazoness sighed, "Fine, it's not like I can refuse."

Bell shook his head, "No, I'm not forcing anyone to go."

Samira blinked, "Hah?"

The boy nodded, "If anyone doesn't wish to participate, I won't force you."

The Amazoness narrowed her eyes, "What are you playing at?"

Bell answered, "Nothing, I promise you."

Samira glanced at Haruhime, who simply stayed silent, but just one look at the renard told the Amazoness what she wanted to know.

The white haired prostitute sighed, "Alright, I'll ask the others, but I won't make any promises."

Bell smiled, "Thank you, meet us at the Hearth Mansion tomorrow morning at 9am then."

Samira nodded, "Sure, was there anything else?"

The boy shook his head, "No, that's pretty much it."

The Amazoness stared at him for another moment, before she stood up, "Alright then, I'll bring whoever is willing tomorrow."

With that said, Samira turned to leave the room, and Lena blinked, "Eh? You're going?"

The white haired Amazoness nodded, "Yes, we need to see if the others want to join, no?"

Lena blinked again, "O-oh, right!"

Bell smiled, "Thanks again, Samira-san."

The woman didn't bother to respond and instead just walked off, and Lena quickly chased after, "I'll see you tomorrow then!"

Bell looked at Haruhime, "Alright, we're done here."

The blonde nodded, before she asked, "Cranel-sama, was there a reason you brought me along?"

Bell blinked, "Eh? Well, I thought they wouldn't have agreed so easily, so I was hoping that bringing you along could've helped."

Haruhime blinked, before she looked down, "I see… In that case, wouldn't Aisha-san be a better option?"

The white haired rabbit chuckled, "Maybe, but well, what's done is done, so we'll just have to wait till tomorrow."

The renard nodded, "Yes, that is true."

Bell walked towards the door, "Come on, let's go home. I'll quickly make dinner for everyone, then I have to leave for the night."

Haruhime blinked, "Huh? O-oh, okay."

The pair walked out of the room, and the boy asked, "So, anything you want me to cook for dinner?"

The renard blinked, "Eh? W-well, I mean, anything you make is good, actually. I really don't have any preferences."

Bell hummed, "Really? Hmm, then I'll make Japanese tonight then. I think we should still have chicken and enough ingredients to make teriyaki."

Haruhime blinked, "Ja…panese?"

The boy smiled, "Ah right, I never did explain it, did I? Japanese, or well, Japan, is a distant Eastern country, I guess you can say it's similar to the Far East. The food is pretty much the same too as far as I'm aware."

The renard blinked and nodded slowly, "I see…"

Soon, the pair reached the exit of the building, "Anyway, I'll have to see if we have enough ingredients later."

Both Bell and Haruhime started walking back towards the Hearth Mansion, until they noticed a familiar face in front of them.

Finn smiled, "Hello, Bell, and I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting this young lady."

Haruhime quickly recognized the prum, "P-pleased to meet you, I'm Haruhime."

The prum nodded, "Well met."

Bell asked, "What are you doing here, Finn-san?"

Finn looked at him, "I was looking for you, actually."

The boy blinked, "Me?"

The leader of the Loki Familia nodded, "Yes, and I was hoping I could speak to you in private."

Bell was slightly surprised, before he nodded, "Okay, sure."

He glanced at Haruhime, "You can go home first, I won't be long, hopefully."

The blonde looked unsure, "Are you sure, Cranel-sama?"

Bell smiled, "Yeah, Finn-san's a friend. I'll be fine."

The renard nodded, before she quickly made her way towards their Familia home.

Finn cleared his throat, "Alright, let's find a place more suited to talk."

Bell looked confused, but followed the prum.

They quickly reached a cafe, and Finn brought him up to a private room.

The prum gestured to the table, "Have a seat, I've already ordered some tea and cakes earlier, it'll be my treat."

Bell nodded as he sat down, "Thanks, Finn-san."

The boy asked, "So, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

Finn sat down, and he chuckled, "Straight to the point huh? Well, that's not a bad thing."

Bell smiled, "Hey, we're friends, right? No need to beat around the bush."

The prum laughed softly, "I suppose so."

Finn shook his head with a smile, "But well, I heard you gave Loki some pretty good wine. Riviera wasn't really happy, but Loki's been singing nothing but praises for you."

Bell chuckled, "She's exaggerating."

The prum snorted, "When it comes to wine? I think you underestimate our goddess."

Bell smiled, "Alright, fine, don't tell me you want a bottle too?"

Finn shook his head, "Nah, I'll pass on that, thank you."

The door opened, and a waiter came in and brought in some tea and cakes.

After the waiter left the room, Finn spoke again, "I was looking to talk to you about your new… shall we say, companions."

Bell blinked, "Companions… You mean the Ishtar Familia?"

The prum nodded, "Tell me, Bell. How much do you know about Evilus?"

The boy thought about what he knew, "Not much, just that they were a group of Familias that wreaked havoc in Orario a while ago."

Finn took a sip from his tea, "I see, I suppose you wouldn't know much, considering you only came to Orario a few months ago."

The prum explained, "The Evilus, as you said, are a group of Familias that caused trouble in Orario seven years ago. Myself included, various Familias participated in bringing them down."

Bell nodded in understanding, "I see."

Finn put down his cup, "Unfortunately, whilst we managed to bring down a majority of the main members, there are remnants."

That caught the boy's attention, "Are you saying the remnants are planning something?"

The prum nodded, "Yes. Unfortunately, I haven't discovered what exactly it is they are after."

He looked Bell in the eye, "But Ishtar, that Familia you just made your subordinate? They had dealings with Evilus."

The boy blinked, "Are you serious?"

Finn chuckled, "A while back, we ran into them outside of Orario, and they've been involved in a few incidents after that."

His smile dropped, "Incidents that cost us a lot."

Bell fell silent, understanding the implications, before he asked, "Do you wish to get revenge?"

Finn snorted, "Hardly. Whilst they were involved, they weren't directly responsible."

The boy asked, "Then who's the one responsible? Are they still…"

The prum's lips thinned, "No, unfortunately, she got away."

Finn took a deep breath, "To be honest, I don't want to involve people outside of my Familia in this. Plus, you are still young."

Bell looked down at the table, "I see…"

The prum looked at him seriously, "But anyway, just be careful. We're still on a lookout, but the enemy may reach out to Ishtar. If that happens, I want you to be ready."

The boy nodded, "Okay, I understand. Thanks for telling me, Finn-san."

Finn chuckled, "That's alright."

He leaned into his seat, "Speaking of which, I hear you'll be participating in the war against Rakia."

Bell nodded, "Yeah, it was a request from my advisor."

Finn nodded, "I see. Well, I'm sure you'll do fine. You managed to hold your own against me, and you defeated the Apollo Familia."

The boy smiled, "I guess I shouldn't disappoint now, should I?"

The prum laughed, "I certainly hope not."

Finn smiled, "But serious talk aside, I hear you've been training with Lefiya a bit."

Bell nodded, "Yeah, we have."

The prum chuckled, "From what I hear, she's been annoyed at her lack of progress compared to yours."

The boy smiled dryly, "I think she's a bit too harsh on herself."

Finn laughed, "Oh definitely."

The prum asked, "Speaking of which, that prum in your Familia, what was her name again? Liliruca Arde, was it?"

Bell raised an eyebrow, "Lili? Yeah, that's her name. Why?"

Finn smiled, "Well, I guess it's better to be honest about things like this…"

The boy looked confused, and the prum spoke, "I would like to meet her in person, privately."

Bell blinked again, "I beg your pardon?"

Finn nodded, "Yes, and to be more specific, I want to ask for her hand in marriage."

The boy blinked again, and he blinked again, "I'm sorry… What?"

The prum folded his arms, "You know how I admire the legend of the Knights of Fianna, yes?"

Bell nodded, "Y-yes…"

His eyes widened when he realized where Finn was going, "Wait! You don't mean-!"

Finn nodded, "That's right, becoming a hero is one thing. But I also want an heir, to make sure my legacy is passed down."

Bell hummed, "I see… To do that you need your heir to be of pureblood… And you need someone who has heart, who has courage…"

The prum smiled, "I see you catch on. As expected as the Heir to the Throne of Heroes."

Finn asked again, "So, I hope you can at least arrange a meeting for me-"

"Nope."

Finn blinked, "What?"

"Absolutely not."

The prum blinked again, "Eh?"

Bell's gaze was strong and firm, "Absolutely not."

Finn blinked in confusion, "Wait, why? Is it because of this being an inter-Familia relationship? If that's the case, I've already cleared it up with Loki, and this will bring our Familias closer-"

The boy shook his head, "No, it's not that."

The prum looked confused, "Then-"

Bell cut him off, "I do not wish to die."

Finn blinked, and he blinked again in realization, "Oh…. oh…"

The boy nodded, "If Tione-san finds out, I will die, and so will Lili. I'm sorry, Finn-san, I really want to help, but that is a line I dare not cross."

The prum palmed his face, and he laughed, "Right… There was that too!"

Finn shook his head in exasperation, "Fair enough."

He looked at Bell, "If I promise to make this meeting as private as possible-"

Bell cut him off again, "Nope, not a chance. I value my manhood, my life and Lili's life far too much to risk that."

The prum sighed, "Alright, then you wouldn't mind if I-"

The boy cut him off yet again, "If you want to approach Lili on your own, I will do everything I can to stop you. I'm sorry, Finn-san, but I hope you understand."

Finn sighed and shook his head with a smile, "Alright, I'll drop it. By the gods, you're terrified of her, huh?"

Bell looked at him blankly, "You can only say that cuz you're the object of her affections. Try being on this side of things."

The prum laughed softly, "I certainly can't argue with that."

The two continued chatting for a while, until they both returned to their respective Familia homes in the evening.

(Linebreak)

Later that night, Bella was at the Hostess, finishing with the cleaning with the other waitresses.

The white haired girl approached the owner of the establishment, "Mama Mia, I need the next week off."

Mia raised an eyebrow, "The next week off?"

Bella nodded, "Yes, I have a request from the Guild."

The dwarf hummed, "Do I want to know what you're getting yourself into this time?"

The waitress smiled, "My Familia is going to fight against the Rakia army."

Ryuu blinked at a side, "The Rakia army?"

Bella nodded, "Yes, I'm leaving tomorrow. I was gonna tell you earlier, but with what happened with Ryuu-san and Aisha-san…"

The other waitresses giggled as the elf shrunk slightly at the look Mia was giving her.

The dwarf sighed, "Alright, it's not like I can say no. Do what you have to do, but make sure you come back alive and in one piece, alright?"

Bella nodded, "Thank you, Mama Mia."

Mia snorted, "Don't thank me yet. You'll have to make up for it."

Lunoire asked, "So that means you'll be joining the war against Rakia, Bella?"

The white haired rabbit nodded, "Yes, though we're not exactly sure how many men the enemy will have."

Syr smiled, "I'm sure it'll be easy for you, Bell-san."

Anya cackled, "Oh definitely-nya! Especially that thing you do with that bow and arrow-nya!"

Bell nodded, "Atalanta's Noble Phantasm, yes. But I don't want to be too over-reliant, and anything can happen anyway."

Ryuu nodded, "You'll figure out a way, it shouldn't be too different from a War Game."

Chloe looked at him as she put away some chairs, "Just don't over-push yourself-nya."

The boy in disguise nodded, "Yeah, I will. Thanks, everyone."

The group continued cleaning up the shop, before closing everything for the night.

The next morning, after meeting Eina and going through the details of their request, Bell was back in the front garden of their Familia Home.

Before him were a dozen Amazonesses from the Ishtar Familia and the other members of the Hestia Familia.

Samira approached him, "These were all I could get to follow. The others weren't keen on fighting a war."

Bell did a head count, they were about half of the remaining members of the Ishtar Familia that had joined them.

The boy nodded, "So we'll have a group of 20 to fight against the Rakia army, which number in the thousands."

The women from the Ishtar Familia all looked worried, but the others from the Hestia Familia recognized the look on Bell's face.

Samira frowned, "I know it's a bit too late to ask, but are we really going ahead with this? Honestly I was hoping you'd have more people on your end."

A few of the other Amazonesses nodded, and Lili spoke up, "Bell-sama is here with us, we'll be fine."

The other women all looked unconvinced, and one of the spoke up, "But we'll still be against the Rakia army."

The Heir to the Throne pulled on the memories from Gilgamesh and Heracles, "Alright, I know not everyone here is happy with how things are, but I thank everyone for coming."

Bell looked at each and every one of them, "You may think it's impossible for the mere twenty of us to fight the forces of the Rakia army, and normally it would be. But we're up against Level 1s and Level 2s."

He took a deep breath, "Over-Load: EMIYA, Penthesilea."

The boy could feel Gilgamesh's displeasure burning on his back, but he pushed it down, "Trace… on."

Hundreds upon hundreds of weapons appeared behind him, and the visible aura of a hero and Queen of Amazons formed around the boy.

Bell almost smiled at the shocked faces on some of the Amazonesses, "I'm sure you've all seen the War Game against the Apollo Familia. We were but four people against a hundred."

The swords behind him vibrated with power, "I promise you, it will not be any different, we will all come back alive. I swear upon the heroes engraved on my back."

The white haired adventurer looked at them, "So I ask this from all of you… trust your lives with me."

Welf snorted and stood forward, "You don't need to ask me twice. I'll trust you with my life any day."

Mikoto nodded and stepped forward, "Me too, Bell-dono!"

Lili smiled as she stepped forward, "I will follow you anywhere, Bell-sama!"

Daphne sighed, "You didn't have to do that whole speech, but sure."

Cassandra nodded as she followed the rest of her Familia members.

Aisha chuckled, "By the gods… Well, knowing you, I'd say we'll do just fine."

She stepped forward, "I already said it before, but I'll tag along for the ride, Bell Cranel."

The other members of the Ishtar Familia all looked at each other, and even Samira was surprised.

Lena whispered to Haruhime, "Is he always like this?"

The renard smiled, "I guess?"

She glanced at her former Familia members, and Haruhime could see that most of them were less conflicted.

Samira sighed as she glanced at her fellow Familia members, "Alright, you've made your point. When do we leave?"

Bell looked at her, "We leave now, once we reach our checkpoint, we'll go over what everyone can do, and we'll form a plan of attack."

No one objected, and the boy looked at Hestia and Artemis, "We'll be heading out then."

Hestia nodded, "Okay, we'll be waiting."

Artemis smiled, "Good hunting."

Bell smirked, "Yeah, thanks."

With that said, the group turned and headed out for the gates of Orario.