KS: Hey, it's me again. (sighs) I'm feeling kinda somber, because as we all know, we lost two great people recently. I'm talking about Betty White and Bob Saget. They will be deeply missed. I'm familiar with the former, as I have seen clips of Golden Girls and watched a bit of Match Game when I was younger. As for the latter, it pains me to admit that I only recognize him from the game show 1 vs. 100. They will be deeply missed. Anyway, here is a new chapter which will feature some familiar faces from another series.

Bell and Ash sat in the room beneath the church, looking through some notes. They contained details of cases they have solved in the past. Some were basic, while others were quite bizarre.

"I remember this one," Ash said in a reminiscent tone as he pointed at a page showing a sketch of an opera mask. "We foiled a smuggling operation involving geese that could lay golden eggs."

"Yeah," Bell replied. "I still doubt 'Phantom Geese' was as catchy as the writer made it out to be." He pointed to a sketch of a pair of siblings fighting each other using ice-based magic. "What about that affair where prominent members two rival families that use ice magic were murdered?"

"Ah, 'Cold Blood Feud'," Ash chuckled. "Now that's some wordplay right there. I gotta say, man, whoever made stories out of our exploits must have a lot of time on their hands."

"Regardless, it helps get the word out that our detective agency is growing more popular with each passing day," Bell said. "With all the valis we've been getting, we could help Hestia clear off the debt she accumulated with Hephaestus."

"Yeah," Ash replied with a wistful tone. "It's a good thing she's more understanding than most of the gods who know her." He got up from the chair and stretched his legs. "Well, I better get to the Hostess of Fertility. Mama's having me do a double shift."

"I won't keep you waiting," Bell said, getting up as well. "Oh, almost forgot."

He took out some valis from his pouch and handed it to Ash.

"Here's your cut for helping out with the swindler."

Ash took the valis with a grin. "Awesome. You gonna give the rest to the client?"

"That's the idea," Bell replied.

"Well, why don't you go pay the Barbatos Familia a visit?" Ash suggested. "They seem to have no shortage of work for us."

"Yeah, it'll be nice to see the others," Bell said. "Think I should give them a gift?"

"Obviously," Ash chuckled. "Considering their god loves the stuff, a bottle of wine would tide him over."

"Well, even though we get paid well, we get anything above our price range," Bell said. "Though knowing how much of a heavy drinker he is, I doubt he'll mind."

"Seems like it," Ash said. "Anyway, I'll be off. See you later tonight."

Bell waved his partner off as he walked up the stairs. He took one last look at his notes before leaving.

"Good times…"

For as long as he could remember, Bell had a superb ability of figuring things out. As it comes with the territory of being a detective, he could analyze any problem and find the best method of resolving it. That said, there were times that his ability was put to the test.

Finding a cheap bottle of wine that was good was one of them.

He uncorked a bottle of wine and sniffed it, wincing at the strong scent.

"Ugh… this is close to becoming vinegar."

He put the bottle down and took up another one, uncorked it and sniffed. It was much stronger than before, making him visibly recoil.

"This has turned into vingear," he grumbled. "I did say I was gonna buy a cheap bottle, but I feel like I'm digging the bottom of the barrel coming here."

Indeed, the wine shop Bell was currently in was, to put it in simple terms, lacking in quality. The floor was covered in dust, the shelves were unkept and the wine bottles were slightly cracked. Making matters worse was that most of the wine present had turned into vinegar, either through a defective cork, one of poor quaility or being stored upright as opposed to on the side.

"Sometimes I wonder why this place is still in business despite the poor state of literally everything in here," Bell muttered as he searched through bottle after bottle. Just as he was about to give up hope, his eyes caught a bottle unlike those he had seen before. For starters, the bottle was made from clay rather than glass, and expertly sculpted to resemble a beautiful woman. On top of that, the cork was in top condition.

He uncorked the bottle, inhaled the scent, and nearly swooned from the heavenly scent coming from it.

"What's a bottle like this doing here?" he wondered. Despite his question, he picked up the bottle and took it to the shopkeeper, a young woman with a disheveled appearance. Unkept hair and baggy, thin clothes. It was as if she represented the state of the shop she ran.

"How much is it?"

"100 valis," the shopkeeper said listlessly.

Bell sighed at the unprofessional attitude of the shopkeeper. Regardless, he paid the exact the amount and left the shop with the bottle in tow.

"How did this thing end up in that shop?" He shrugged as he began walking. "Oh, well. A mystery for a later date."

He walked down the street with the bottle in his hands. People greeted him as he passed them, and he did so in return.

However, there was always those who didn't care for him poking in the affairs of others. Those kinds of people were the ones currently surrounding him with hostile expressions.

"Can I help you?" Bell asked.

"As a matter of fact, you can," the leader, a renard with earrings on both of his ears, sneered. "We don't take kindly to you sticking your fat nose into everyone's damn business."

Bell scoffed. "Haven't heard that one before."

"Shut your ass up and let me finish!" the leader snapped. "Here's what's gonna happen: you hand us that sweet bottle you've got there, you get the hell out this damn city and maybe, just maybe, we all walk away happy."

"Interesting proposal," Bell replied in a deadpan tone. "Why should I comply?"

The thugs looked at each other in bewilderment, while their leader grew more agitated.

"Did you not hear a word what I said, asshole?" he seethed.

"All I heard was some blockhead who has nothing better to do in his life making threats that are more hollow than his skull," Bell shot back, feeling his patience grow thin. "Now would you kindly get out of my way before things get unpleasant?"

"The only thing 'unpleasant' around here is some bottom tier adventurer thinking he can pass off as a detective," the leader hissed, drawing out his sword. "Maybe if we paid a visit to that poor-ass goddess of yours, it would finally hammer the message in that damn head of yours."

The thugs chuckled in agreement, but Bell remained silent. His face was eerily calm, and they immediately took notice.

"What the hell is wrong with him?"

"Think he's having a stroke?"

"Damned if I know."

What they didn't realize- which shouldn't be surprising due to not one of them sharing a brain cell- was beneath the calm expression, Bell was seething with rage. Make any threats to him? He'll determine if they hold weight. Mock his profession? He'll shrug and/or laugh it off. Make threats towards the goddess who took him in despite her financial situation and helped him build an detective agency, showing nothing but gratitude towards from that day onward.

These punks had unknowingly signed their death warrant, and somehow, they managed to read the fine print.

"I can see that you have no value in your lives," Bell said, getting into a battle stance. "By the time I'm done with all of you, you'll be begging for death."

The leader laughed, and his thugs laughed alongside him, unaware of the danger they were in.

"We got a badass over here, boys! Let's teach him what we do to morons who are way in over their heads."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Bell said, putting the wine bottle out of harm's way.

Rowdy Adventurers

(Judgment OST: Drumfire)

The first thug charged at Bell at full speed and jumped toward him, attempting to attack with a dive kick. Unfortunately, the young sleuth saw it coming and grabbed the unfortunate fool, by his legs, spinning him around and tossing him over the bridge.

"Damn prick!" another thug shouted as slowly inched towards Bell. Unlike his companion, he seemed to have some intelligence, but not a lot. He delivered some punches and kicks, but Bell casually blocked and countered them.

"I can tell you don't fight very often," Bell said in a bored tone.

"Shut up!" the thug shouted and delivered a punch, but Bell blocked it, flipped the sod on his back and delivered a few punches to his face, knocking him out.

The next thug began to shoot fire from his hands at a rapid rate. Bell dodged a few, but one managed to hit him on his arm, making him yelp slightly. Luckily, it didn't leave too much of burn on his sleeve.

"All speed and no substance," Bell muttered. "This guy's gonna be a hit with the ladies for sure."

He rushed towards the amateur mage, dodging multiple fireballs. Once he got within range, he simply kicked him in the gut, then kneed him in the face once he was hunched over. Bell turned his attention towards the leader, who was absolutely beside himself with anger.

"You took out my best guys," he growled.

Bell allowed himself to smirk. "If those were your best, I'd hate to see your worst."

The leader roared and delivered a mixture of punches and kicks to Bell. He dodged and parried most of them, and retaliated by kicking his shin, causing the punk to slightly lose his balance.

"Think you're tough, huh? Well, get a load of this!"

He pulled out a pair of hooked daggers and began swinging them expertly, smirking at Bell.

"I guess we're playing with weapons then," Bell said matter-of-factly, taking out his own dagger. "Bring it on."

The two clashed weapons together, both of them evenly matched. Bell mentally noted that while his opponent was slightly quicker than him, all of his moves were easily read. Having more than one weapon didn't make much of a difference, in his opinion.

"Getting tired yet, punk?" the leader taunted as he swung the blades down.

"You could say that," Bell replied, blocking the strike. "Only it isn't physical fatigue I'm feeling."

"Really? Then allow me to put you out of your-"

"What's this I'm seeing right now?"

(End song)

Both Bell and the leader pause at the voice, though by Bell's reaction, he immediately recognized it.

He turned around while the thug looked straight as they saw three people walk towards them, the one in the center drawing the most attention. White spiky hair, red and green eyes, a red jacket and a large sword on his back. Many are familiar with him, and his name brings both admiration and fear among most adventurers. The same name Bell would soon utter.

"Ragna?"

The man chuckled. "I swear, Bell, you and trouble have a unique relationship. I wouldn't be surprised if Hestia got jealous over it."

Ragna the Bloodedge

Izanami Familia (Captain), Level 6

The leader seperated himself from Bell as Ragna and his two companions walked towards him. Bell immediately recognized the girl to his left. The squirrel ears, tail and revealing outfit was unmistakable. However, he didn't recognize the small blond boy next to him. With his hat, cloak and round glasses, Bell nearly mistook him for a magician.

"I've known Bell since he first came to Orario," Ragna said. "He's not one to start a fight, but he'll damn well finish it." He turned his narrowed gaze to the punk, seeing the fear plastered on his features. "You and your band of dumbasses were beyond your league trying to jump him."

"W-What?" the leader shuddered. "It's not what you-"

"His goddess and mine go way back," Ragna continued. "One could even say they're like sisters to each other, which means that Bell is something like a second brother." He clenched his fist, slowly walking towards the punk. "Is any of this getting through that thick skull of yours?"

"Ragna, let him go," Bell intervened. "It's obvious this guy bit of a lot more than he could chew. Can't we just write this off as an isolated incident?"

"Not happening," Ragna said, drawing his fist back. "After all…"

He delivered a punch to the leader, sending him flying.

"Anyone who messes with one of our own answers to us."

The leader and his comrades, which included the one that was thrown off the bridge, scurried off, not wanting to incur his wrath any further.

"Good riddance, in my opinion," Ragna grumbled.

Bell shrugged. "I've seen worse."

Almost immediately, Bell was brought into a headlock and had his face mashed by a large bust.

"Bell! So good to see you again!"

Makoto Nanaya

Izanami Familia, Level 4

"Hi, Makoto," Bell said, although it was slightly muffled.

Ragna sighed. "Makoto, will you let go of the poor bastard. You're gonna suffocate him."

"Ah, don't worry about it, Ragna," Makoto replied casually. "I'm sure Bell doesn't mind getting smothered."

"Hestia will take exception to it. You know how clingy she can get."

Makoto flinched at the mention of other goddess, then let go of Bell, chuckling awkardly. "Nearly forgot about that."

Bell scratched his head, then turned his attention to the boy. "He a new member?"

"My name is Carl Clover," the boy introduced himself. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cranel."

Carl Clover

Izanami Familia, Level 1

Bell was slightly bashful by his formal tone. "I'm guessing you're the kid Ragna mentioned."

Now Carl was the one feeling bashful. "I suppose so. That brute you dealt with a few days ago was the one who swindled me out of savings. Had I known he would use it on illegal gambling, I wouldn't spared him one coin."

"Well, hindsight is 20/20 as they say," Ragna said, handing a small pouch to Carl. "Just try to be more careful in the future."

Carl nodded. "I'll be sure to do that. Thank you kindly for returning my funds."

"Not a problem," Bell replied. "Also, I took a few off as payment. Hope it's not a problem."

"Not at all," Carl said with a smile.

Bell picked up the wine bottle, then went on his way, waving goodbye to the trio.

"Now, off to the Barbatos Familia."

KS: Yeah, you saw it. I included the Grim Reaper and co. in this story. And he's an old friend of Bell's. Ain't nobody gonna mess with him and get away with it. Also, I'm looking for any beta readers who could offer some insight on the fight scenes, as I am not completely used to writing them. If anyone is interest, please let me know. Anyway, that's all from me. If you like it, be sure to fave, follow and review. Until next time, I'll see you when I see you. Peace.