Disclaimer: I do not own "Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?" or any content related to it.
Her Favorite
It was a crisp morning in the middle of October as the sun dipped low over the horizon, casting a warm golden hue over the lively countryside outside of Orario's great walls. Bell Cranel, the level 4 adventurer known as Rabbit Foot, is on his way to a village south of Orario to take on a quest to exterminate a monster nest that has been terrorizing a village that is known for its vast fields of orchards. Normally adventurers don't usually take quests outside of Orario's dungeon as they are less profitable and at times not really a challenge as the monsters above the surface are significantly weaker. However, when Bell saw the quest on the board he couldn't ignore it as being a farm boy himself, he understood the danger these monsters could cause in future if left alone. The infestation could grow out of control and eventually the monsters would destroy the entire village.
"Miss Eina, is it alright if I can take on this quest? I hope I can reach it in time before the infestation grows" said Bell.
"You want to take on a quest, Bell? Sure, just let me get a pass that says you have permission to leave Orario for the quest!" Eina says cheerfully as the guild regularly gets quests outside of Orario but rarely any adventurers take them on, preferring spending their time in the dungeon better.
"Alright Bell, here's your pass and a map of where Lutz village is located, should be a straight shot south of Orario. Please be careful Bell and come back in one piece." She says as she hands him the items. "Also Bell when did you get a scarf? It suits you." Eina says as she points out the red scarf wrapped around his neck. "Oh this was a gift from Ryuu, it doubles as protective gear since it is made of goliath skin." Bell says as he tenderly holds the scarf.
"Oh so this Ryuu is a special lady friend to you isn't she?" Eina says teasingly, making Bell grow a little red. He decides to leave before she starts to tease him as she tends to be relentless.
"Well then Eina, I'll be on my way and take care of the monster nest before it gets worse. I'll see you before sunset." Bell reassures her as he waves goodbye and makes his way towards Orario's entrance.
It was about a 2 hour walk from Orario to Lutz village and as Bell reaches the village he finds himself surrounded by rows upon rows of fruit-laden trees. He was impressed by how many apples the trees bore and they certainly looked ripe and ready to be picked. In the distance he can see the village, it is a medium sized community with houses made out of wood, stone and clay and as he makes his way towards the entrance he is greeted by a village guard, a man of average build wielding a spear.
"Hello there young man, are you perhaps lost or a traveling merchant?" said the guard as he takes a look at Bell's appearance noting that he wears armor and a small backpack.
"Hey there! Is this perhaps Lutz village? There was a quest posted at the guild about a monster infestation in the area and I was sent here by the guild to exterminate it." Bell says as he shows him the quest paper given to him by the guild.
"The guild has finally sent an adventurer! Yes, let me guide you to our village elder. He can give you more information about where the nest is located." The guard says cheerfully as he guides Bell to the village elders home which was located in the center of the village on a small hill. They then part ways as Bell knocks on the door of the modest home and is greeted by an old man greeting him with a simile and firm handshake.
"Hello there young man, welcome to Lutz Village. What can I help you with?" The village elder says. "Hello sir! My name is Bell Cranel, I'm an adventurer from Orario and I was sent here by the guild to clear out a monster infestation that troubles your village. If possible, do you think you can give me a rough idea of where the infestation is located?"
The village elder is stunned by what Bell just said. After being shown the quest paper given to Bell by the guild he understood Bell was the real deal. "Certainly a young man! Come inside and let me show you a map of the area!" The elder says with a booming voice as he didn't think anyone would come but is very grateful that Bell did.
"Alright so this is a map of the area around Lutz Village, one of our hunters says that the nest is located in this forest west of the village. He says the monsters there are these wolf-like creatures that walk on two legs. They seem to have set up their nest inside a cave." The village elder says as he points out the location to Bell on the map.
"It's possible that the monsters they are talking about are Kobolds given the rough description by the elder." Bell thinks to himself. "Alright then, thank you for the information you've provided me sir. I should be done with the extermination by early afternoon." Bell says with confidence to assure the elder that the job will get done.
"Be careful young man, those monsters are almost as tall as you." The village elder says with a hint of worry but someone is convinced that Bell will keep his word. Bell then leaves the elders home and makes his way to the forested area west of the village. The foliage grew denser as he ventured deeper into the forest, the sounds of rustling leaves and chirping of birds made Bell take in the scenery as it has been a long time since he left the Dungeon city surrounded by vast walls. However his little peace is interrupted as he stumbles upon a small clearing where littered around the ground is the remains of a deer, broken branches, and torn fruit. In the center stood the entrance to a dark cave, exactly where the Kobold infestation is located. Bell then checks his surroundings to make sure there aren't any wandering Kobolds in the area. He then takes off his backpack to take out Hakugen and unsheathes his Hestia and Hakugen blades as he ventures inside the cave.
Navigating through the dimly lit cave was effortless thanks to his falna and enhanced senses he is able to see and hear anything that approaches him. For an unblessed person this would certainly have them on edge as the cave has many tunnels and any of them could contain Kobolds. As Bell makes his way through he encounters a group of Kobolds, their yellow eyes glinting with malice. Without hesitation, Bell charged forward, his blades slicing through the air with precision. The Kobolds let out a piercing cry before falling to the ground, defeated. However due to their death cry it alerted all the Kobolds deep within the tunnels of Bell's presence as he could hear their bloodthirsty howls. He then readys his blades preparing for the onslaught that would come his way.
It took about an hour to clear out the Kobold infestation due to Bell deciding to go deeper into the dark cave to be absolutely sure that no more Kobolds remain as the cave from the outside was deceptive as inside had a whole network of small tunnels and chambers. He checked all the tunnels and some Kobolds did remain but Bell eliminated them without problem and by the time he was finished it was already late afternoon as he was met with the warm rays of the sun showing signs it was already late afternoon. "Phew…took a bit longer than expected but at least the village will be safe from monsters from now on." Bell says as he sheaths his Hestia and Hakugen Knifes away and slings his backpack on as he makes his way to the village. It was a short but peasant walk as Bell got to take in the scenery around him with the tall pine trees around him, the chirping of the birds and seeing little squirrels scurry around the branches. The villagers were surprised to see Bell as he walked down the path to the village elders home as he didn't have any injuries or so much as a dent in his armor. They all thought to themselves if all adventures were this strong to be able to take on such monsters. Bell knocks on the elders door and tells him that the infestation has been cleared to the elders surprise since Bell didn't have so much as a scratch on him.
"Is it true that you exterminated all them monsters, young man? You don't have so much as a scratch on you!" The village elder says in awe.
"Yes sir. I cleared out the whole infestation if you would like, I can escort one of your hunters to check out the cave if you want a witness as proof." Bell said with a smile on his face as he wants to do whatever he can to put the elders' worries at ease. However it seems he didn't need to as the village elder couldn't help but believe in the young man's word, he seemed like an honest and honorable lad in the elders eyes.
"I believe in your word Bell. The people of Lutz Village and I can not thank you enough for the service you have done for us. I wish I could offer you a bigger reward but this village doesn't exactly get a lot of traders to do business with." The elder says with regret.
"No sir, you don't have to reward me more! I'm glad I was able to help your village, you see I grew up in a village as well and when I saw the quest posted on the board I couldn't ignore it. If anything, knowing that your village and orchards will be safe for years to come is a reward in itself." Bell said adamantly but the elder still felt the need to give him something and then that when the thought hit him.
"Well then young man, how about this? It is the middle of October which is usually our harvest season for the apples. You are free to take as many apples as you want and whenever you come through Lutz again you will always be welcomed!" The elder boastfully says to Bell which surprised him. Bell wanted to refuse but then he remembered something very important. Ryuu loves to eat apples but her favorite ones are Honeycrisp apples and Bell did remember seeing a couple of the trees bearing them. He wouldn't be able to refuse either way since when he looked at the elder with a giant grin on his face it reminded him of his grandfather, a very adamant and cheerful man.
"Well if you insist sir. Thank you and if you ever need help you may always call for me at the guild." Bell says as he bows to show his gratitude to the elder.
As he walked among the trees, the sweet scent of ripe fruit filled the air, and his eyes fell upon a tree full of Honeycrisp apples. Bell couldn't but be amazed at the size of the apples being large and round in their shape and not only that they had a beautiful rosy red flush with accents of yellow and light green. With a satisfied smile he picked one of the apples to try and as he bit into it, he was blown away with the crisp, juicy texture and the honey sweet taste. He usually doesn't like sweet things but these apples had a soft and gentle sweetness to them. "Ryuu is going to love these!" Bell thought to himself as he started picking as many as he could fit into his bag. Once he was satisfied with the amount he picked, he started to make his way towards the entrance of the village when the villagers began to cheer very loudly Bell's name as the elder broke the news to the entire village that the monsters are no longer a threat. The cheers caused Bell to stop in his tracks as he was left speechless. However that doesn't mean he wasn't happy, in fact he was overjoyed to know that his actions have left an impact and he couldn't help but smile and wave goodbye as he makes his way back to Orario.
By the time he reached Orario it was an hour away from sunset and the first thing he did was make his way to the guild to report his success and then after that it was to find Ryuu. It didn't take long as he found Ryuu in a courtyard behind the Benevolent Mistress, training and honing her combat skills. Usually she would be working at this hour but it seems he found her on one of her very rare day offs. When she noticed Bell's presence she stopped her training and noticed that Bell was wearing the scarf she gifted him which caused her to blush a little bit but was more happy to know he was using it.
"Hello Bell. What brings you here?" Ryuu said with a curious expression on her face.
"Hey Ryuu." Bell greeted her with a warm smile. "I have something for you."
Ryuu arched an eyebrow intrigued by Bell's words. "Oh? What is it?"
Without a word, Bell held out a Honeycrisp apple that he had plucked from the orchard, its vibrant red and yellow colors shimmering in the sunset. "Try it," he urged her. "I think you'll like it."
"He remembered that I like apples but he brought me my favorite one." Ryuu thought to herself joyously accepting the apple with a grateful nod, taking a bite. Her eyes widened in surprise as she was taken aback by how perfectly crisp and sweet it was, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
"This apple is a delicious Bell! " she exclaimed, her voice filled with genuine happiness as she began to nibble on the apple some more. Bell thought to himself that she looked like a squirrel by how she was cutely nibbling on the apple but he kept that to himself.
"I'm glad you like it. I thought of you as soon as I tasted it." Bell grinned but soon realized he should've chosen his words carefully as Ryuu stopped in her tracks and began to blush causing him to blush as well.
Before it would turn awkward, Bell handed Ryuu a bag full of Honeycrisp apples which caused her to open her mouth in awe. "What I meant to say is that I remembered that these specific apples are your favorite and I wanted to bring them to you as a thank you gift for the scarf you gave me, it keeps me very warm." Bell says with a blush still present on his face.
Ryuu was left speechless as she was so overjoyed by the fact that Bell remembered her favorite fruit and brought a whole bag full of them just for her. She stood there silently hugging the bag causing Bell to worry until she reached into the bag and handed him an apple. "Would you like to find a place to sit and eat an apple with me?" Ryuu said with a smile. To Bell she looked so beautiful as the shimmering rays of the sunset amplify her beauty in his eyes.
They sat together in comfortable silence by a bench nearby that overlooked the city and with a perfect view of the sunset. They enjoyed the simple pleasure of each other's company as they watched the sun sink below the horizon, the air filled with the soft rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of crickets, creating a serene atmosphere.
As the last rays of sunlight faded from the sky, Bell and Ryuu couldn't help but feel a peace in each other's presence. They both wonder what the future holds for them but they hope as they look into each other's eyes as the sunset sets, that they will stand by each other's side.
Author's Notes: Hello Everyone! It's been awhile since I wrote my first fanfiction and honestly I wish I could've written more fanfics last year but life has been busy with a full time job and other responsibilities that kept me from writing more . Recently though I found more motivation to write after rereading Volume 14 of this series and told myself why not write again, especially if it's a Bell x Ryuu fanfic. Hopefully for my first time back my grammar hasn't gotten worse but please let me know about any constructive criticism to help improve my writing. I have more ideas typed out for another Bell x Ryuu fanfic but I still need to revise it. Hopefully I'll have another one typed up soon but I'll take my time with it. Well then I hope you all enjoy the rest of your day or night and I'll cya again maybe soon. - Unknown Gael