Hestia's hands stopped moving instantly.

As always, she was once again sitting on Bell's rear, using her blood to read the Falna inscribed on his skin. After the boy returned unconscious from the Dungeon with Simon, she helped Simon guide Bell into bed. Afterward, she gave Simon a good scolding for doing something as foolish as hitting a member of Loki Familia. Followed by an even more idiotic move of saying that he would challenge the entire Familia to a fight. He was fortunate that Loki respected Mama Mia enough not to cause a bigger scene. Though she didn't go too hard on him. If only because he had the foresight to not involve her Bell in his foolishness.

Once he had left, she crawled into bed with Bell and snuggled up with her one and only family. For entirely justifiable reasons. Such as making sure he stayed warm after staying the entire night in the Dungeon. Though he didn't seem to appreciate it when he screamed and jumped out of bed after waking up. After he calmed down, they decided to do a status update while it was still early. Hestia didn't know what to expect when she next saw Bell's progress, but what she was looking at certainly wasn't it.

Bell Cranel

Level One

Strength: H-135 - G-251

Defense: I-30 - H-130

Utility: H-139 - G-266

Agility: G-259 - F-330

Magi #%^#Spiral Energy: ?

Skills

Liaris Free #$%^Spiral Po #$ Power

Rapid Gro# Fighting Spirit

User can Manifest their Willpower and Fighting Spirit as#$%^

Continued desi#$ results in continued and stronger growth

She gazed at the hieroglyphs on Bell's back with a combination of awe and slight fear. It wasn't a complete surprise. Simon had explained to her what Spiral Power was and its capabilities. If it really could do just about anything, then it wouldn't be out of the question for it to affect a Falna. But knowing it could do that and seeing it in action were two completely different things. Especially when it was happening right in front of her, to her Bell! To make matters worse, it seemed to be...rewriting his Skills and Stats. What was "Spiral Energy" supposed to be? And why didn't it have a stat like the others? Where the numbers and letters were supposed to be, there was instead a line of question marks glowing a dull green.

And then there was Liaris Freese. Or at least, what was supposed to be Liaris Freese. Because Spiral Power seemed to be fighting it for a place on Bell's back. Which presented two issues, with one being more confusing than the other.

Firstly, Spiral Power had deeply rooted itself in Bell, allowing it to match or even surpass the Blessings of a Deity.

Secondly, Spiral Power was alive and actively trying to give Bell its power.

This was all before considering how rapidly Bell was growing. This kind of growth was entirely abnormal for adventurers. The type of growth that, if any other God found out about it, would lead to Bell being approached by all kinds of deities. Liaris Freese alone would attract the attention of those from Tenkai, who were constantly seeking new entertainment. If they discovered that Bell also possessed Spiral Power, they would go into a frenzy. Especially after they realized Simon was not someone they could convince to join their Familia.

While Hestia worried about their future, Bell was focused on something else.

"And when a frog shooter tried to hit him, he grabbed its tongue and started swinging it around like a mace," Bell's voice was ecstatic as he continued to describe the previous night in the Dungeon. Specifically, all the things that Simon did to help them overcome their enemies. His lips were curled into a bright smile while his eyes shined with elation at the memories, "Then we found this chamber, and two Wall Shadows were born right there in the Dungeon! They charged at us, and we each took on one. Simon...the Wall Shadow couldn't touch him! He either dodged the attack or blocked it with his cape! Oh, I forgot! Before that, we fought some killer ants! They tried to surround him, but he just crushed them all by stomping their heads in!"

Bell continued to gush about Simon, not once mentioning any of his accomplishments during their late-night Dungeon Dive. Which made a part of Hestia upset. She didn't doubt that Simon was impressive in a fight, but why was Bell only focusing on him? She leaned forward and poked Bell in the back, "That's nice and all, Bell. But surely you did some impressive things as well, didn't you? You were right there with Simon after all."

Some of Bell's enthusiasm seemed to wane. He shrugged as best he could from his position on the bed and said, "Y-Yeah, I guess. Though I can't really remember much. I just fought some monsters, and that's it. I can hardly remember which floor we reached before stopping."

"But you can easily remember everything Simon did?" Hestia could hardly conceal the skepticism in her voice.

Bell's enthusiasm returned in full force as he nodded and exclaimed, "Yeah! Even while I was fighting, I made sure to keep an eye on him. I didn't want to miss a single moment of his fighting styles. I wonder how he's able to move his body so effortlessly like that. His every attack is swift, yet powerful, each carrying enough force to penetrate a killer ant's exoskeleton. And his coat provides excellent defense against attacks."

Hestia grinned mischievously and crossed her arms under her chest, "Well now, Bell. If I didn't know better, I'd say you had a crush on him."

She expected to see Bell get flustered due to her teasing. Instead, Bell fell silent, his gaze locked on the bed below him. Then he shook his head and said, "No. No. I don't but...but I really want to be like him."

"Eh?" Hestia said, surprised that Bell didn't fall for her teasing and how easily he admitted that.

"I mean, why wouldn't I? He's kind, confident, strong, and inspiring. He's everything that I-that I want to be," Bell pushed himself up on his arms and turned to look at Hestia. His eyes blazed with a determination that ran deeper than Hestia had ever seen.

She blinked, then frowned. She reached over and tapped Bell on his head, "Bell, while I'm happy you have someone you aspire to be like, you shouldn't adopt the bad habits of others. Not even those with you respect."

Bell tilted his head in confusion and said, "Simon doesn't have any bad habits."

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that," Hestia said, looking to the side. In her mind, she could already envision Simon getting himself involved in some kind of trouble.

"You're pretty strong, you know that? Fighting you is a lot of fun!"

"Do not mock me, cur!"

Ottar launched his powerful fist at Simon's face. The punch was launched with all the skill, strength, and speed that his towering body possessed. All the mentioned attributes were perfected to their highest level. For Ottar was not just a formidable adventurer. He was The Zenith of the Labyrinth City. An existence surpassing even that of the Kenki, Aiz Wallenstein. He was the sole Level 7 adventurer in Orario. Standing at the top as the strongest adventurer of Freya Familia.

He wore no armor and carried no weapons. All he needed to defeat an opponent was his pure, overpowering strength.

The punch aimed at Simon's face was thrown by a warrior of that caliber. Nicknamed the Warlord, no adventurer or monster could withstand even a single one of those blows.

...Simon countered Ottar's punch with one of his own.

The backlash of the clash sent shockwaves of air pressure through the alley. The bricks beneath them cracked under the force of the attacks, launching dust and pebbles into the air. The reason for this?

Because Simon had checkmated Ottar's punch.

As he had been doing for the last five minutes.

With a roar, Ottar unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks at his opponent. Each one was delivered with the full force of the angry boar man's rage. All of them carried the fury that filled his heart after witnessing Simon snub and insult his Goddess.

Simon could only smile as he met the flurry of punches and kicks with his own. Dull green flames burned across his skin as he matched Ottar blow for blow, not yielding an inch in the alleyway. Outside, the citizens of Orario could clearly hear the battle raging on, but none dared to peek down the alley. Some people were too scared to witness what was happening, while others were drawn away by the beautiful Goddess standing at the entrance to the alley.

Freya absentmindedly led people away from the confrontation. In truth, her mind was trying to reconcile what had just happened a few moments ago.

She had brought Ottar with her to find Simon after he eventually got away from Bell. If he hadn't done so willingly, they would have enlisted one of the other top-class adventurers in their Familia to lure him away from the boy. Afterward, they would corner him somewhere, and Freya would bring him into their Familia. That was the plan. That's what should have happened. Simon should have been captivated by her beauty, unable to refuse any request she made of him. As the Goddess of Beauty, no one could resist her "Charm" after all.

...Well, not "no one" anymore.

Now it was more like "no one...except Simon".

As Ottar went to defend her honor and fight the young man, she continued to stare at her own hand, trying to make sense of what had just happened. She did not panic, nor did she overreact to the outcome. She simply wanted to understand what caused him to reject her. She raised her head and fixed her silver eyes on the quickly intensifying confrontation between Simon and Ottar. Another clash of fists separated the two, until Ottar used his speed to move in close to Simon. Grabbing his opponent's waist, he lifted Simon and prepared to slam him to the ground. Simon responded by slamming his elbow into Ottar's head. Although not enough to knock the boarman out, it did make the towering Ottar flinch.

Simon took advantage of Ottar's loosening grip. With a grunt, he placed a hand on the boarman's head and flipped over him to land on the other side. As soon as he landed, he kicked out behind him and struck Ottar in the back. The attack caused Ottar to stumble, but the damage was otherwise minimal. As Ottar turned to glare at Simon, the latter hopped around on his feet while making the "bring it on" gesture with his right hand. As he did so, Freya noticed a green light shining from something on his right ring finger. Her silver eyes focused on the light and quickly found its source.

A single, bright white ring.

Then everything fell into place.

"Ottar," the boarman froze in place when he heard Freya's voice. Him and Simon were staring each other down, with both of their fists aimed at each other's faces. Ottar's eyes shifted from Simon to his Goddess, but his body remained tense and ready. Freya put her hood back up as she continued, "We're leaving."

And that was all it took. Just those two words made Ottar release all of his tension. All the anger he had directed toward Simon dissipated. He transformed from a towering, raging boar into a simple, imposing man within moments. And while the furious fires of indignation and rage still smoldered behind his eyes, he did not act upon them. He simply stood up straight and placed his arms behind his back.

Simon blinked, but slowly let his guard down as well. He smiled, crossed his arms, and tilted his head, "Ah, I see what's happening here. So, that's your Goddess then? Mind telling me what all that was about? All I did was refuse to join your Familia. And while the fight was fun, I still don't get why you did it."

Ottar did not answer Simon. He simply put on his own cloak and moved to stand by his Goddess' side. The two turned to leave the alley, but Simon stepped forward and grabbed Freya's shoulder. Ottar nearly struck Simon with the back of his fist, and only controlled himself because Freya didn't seem to mind Simon touching her. Simon gently gripped her shoulder and asked, "Oh no, you don't. You're not leaving until you give me some answers. What was all that about? Why did you come after me like this, and why are you so interested in Bell? And don't try denying that last part. I felt the way you were looking at him from that cafe terrace."

Freya didn't respond. She remained silent for three tense seconds, avoiding eye contact with Simon. Then, slowly, she turned her head to look at Simon over her shoulder. Her voice had only the slightest hint of annoyance as she spoke, "All I will say is this: That boy is of interest to me. But I shall allow you to guide him. For now. Goodbye, Simon. And when you return to your wife, be sure to tell her how much you love her."

Simon raised an eyebrow and asked, "Saw the ring then? Thanks for that. But you can keep the rest of your advice to yourself. I wouldn't listen to it anyway."

Then Simon stepped past the two of them. He stared at Ottar as he passed and winked at him, "But I meant what I said to ya, man. You're a great fighter and helped me shake off some rust. If you ever want to have a real fight, just come find me. I'm always open to a good scrap."

Simon waved goodbye to the Goddess and the Warlord, with a smile on his face and a spring in his step. Looking for all the world like he hadn't just tussled with the strongest adventurer in the city and come out without a scratch on him. Not to mention getting away with touching the Goddess of beauty without her permission, and his ability to resist her "Charm" without any apparent effort on his part. Though if such a thing bothered the aforementioned Goddess and Warlord, they did not let it show. They simply turned their backs on Simon and continued on their way.

Simon's continued walk through Orario helped him gain a bit of perspective on his current location. Particularly in terms of its construction compared to Kamina City. Where they focused on building upwards toward the sky where he was from, Orario was built outwards toward the horizon. The buildings were typically of similar size, with only a few exceeding two or three stories. The main features distinguishing different areas in the city were the long cobblestone streets and alleyways. This sort of split the place like a pie. Each major section of the city represented a different slice. Whether those slices had their own "taste" and themes, he wasn't sure.

Yet. He planned to find out.

...As long as he didn't get himself lost in the process.

Thankfully, there was one prominent landmark he could always use to keep track of where he was going: Babel Tower. No matter where he went in the city, he could always see the large white tower from anywhere. Just one glance up is all it takes to reorient yourself in this place. Which made sense, considering that this place was clearly built around it. It was the focal point of the city in more ways than one. That lone, large tower connected to "Tenkai" and the Dungeon.

"The World of the Gods above the clouds, and the strange World of Monsters below the earth," Simon murmured, pursing his lips as he walked through one of the districts of Orario, gazing up at the tower. He wasn't sure which one. He was simply strolling without any specific destination in mind. As he gazed at Babel Tower, he shifted his eyes back to the sidewalk in front of him. He hummed, "Sounds a bit too coincidental. Maybe Hestia would know what's really going on?"

He nodded to himself and prepared to return to Hestia Familia. But as he turned the corner, he heard someone grunt in pain. Coming to a stop, he looked to his right and saw a man standing in front a building's open door. The building was rectangular and had a large sign hanging over the front door that read "Brax's Bar and Brewery". The man, supposedly Brax, was a slender figure dressed in a black coat, white shirt, and black pants. In front of his place of business, there were large stacks of boxes. Each stack had ten boxes on it, and the stacks were two heads taller than Simon. Brax moved to grab another box from the stack, but grunted in pain and put a hand on his back. His pale skin glistened with sweat, and his dark eyes scowled at the stacks.

Humming, Simon walked over to the man and called out, "Hey, buddy!" You good over there?"

Brax looked up, his shoulder-length brown hair whipping around his face. His eyes widened and then narrowed when he saw Simon. He turned back to the boxes and made a point of ignoring Simon even as he spoke, "Yes, I'm fine."

"You sure? It looks like you're just gonna hurt yourself," Simon observed, stopping a few steps away from the man and the crates.

"I said I'm fine. I can-argh!" Brax grunted in pain as he tried to crouch and grab the stack of boxes. He shook his head and started to grumble, "Damn it. First, Erica doesn't show up to help me, then I trip and hurt my back, and now this. This just isn't my day."

Simon looked at the stacks of boxes and then gestured toward them, "Well, if you want, I could help ya out. Could probably handle this myself."

Brax sighed as he straightened up. His back popped as he turned to look at Simon, "Look, whoever you are, I'm not going to give you a reward for this. I haven't been able to open up shop yet, and I'm not going to submit a Quest at the Guild for something like this. So if you're hoping for earn some Vals then-".

Simon interrupted Brax by walking over to one of the stacks of boxes. He crouched down and grabbed the bottom with both of his hands. Then, with a short grunt of effort, he lifted the whole thing up. He turned to Brax and smiled, "So, where do you want these?"

Brax blinked, his mouth hanging open in astonishment. He pointed at Simon and said, "Uh, didn't you hear me? You're not getting a reward for this."

"I know," Simon responded casually.

"...You're okay with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be? You need help, and I want to help you."

"...Aren't you an adventurer?"

"Nope!" Simon said happily. Then he tilted his head as he thought about something, "But, well, I would like something in return. I'd like to be your friend!"

"F-Friend?" Brax said, completely taken aback by Simon's words.

Simon walked over to him, carrying the boxes with ease as he continued, "Yeah. I don't have many friends at the moment, and you can always use more. Name's Simon. You're Brax, right? I assume that's your name on the sign."

"R-Right. That's me. Brax. And, uh, you can take those around to the back. Just follow me," Brax said, turning his back to Simon. He led the peculiar man with blue hair around the side of his building, looking over his shoulder every now and then. As if he couldn't believe what was happening.

Simon followed him and asked, "Cool. So, what's in these, anyway?"

"Just some fruits and other ingredients that I'm going to use to help me brew my drinks, while Erica prepares the food."

"That sounds great. I'll have to visit the place sometime and try it out."

"You'd better bring Vals with you if you're going to do that. Even if we are 'friends' now, you're not getting anything for free."

"Deal," Simon said with a smile as he disappeared behind the building with Brax. His first friend in Orario, aside from Bell.

"...Okay, I'll play your game. What. Is. Your. Request?"

Hestia took a deep breath as she prepared herself for what she was about to ask, "I have...two actually. The first is that...I would like you to make a weapon for Bell...a member of my Familia."

Hephaistos, the Goddess of the Forge, narrowed her singular eye and asked, "And the second?"

Hestia reached into her pocket and held up a small, conical, golden object. It seemed to emit a dull green glow as it sat in the palm of her hand. She mustered all her confidence and asked her friend, "I want you to look into this. And tell me...have you ever seen a metal like it before?"

Finally got this in. Sorry it took so long. I think I might be feeling some burn out.

Review Replies:

calderoneric: I didn't go see the movie. Couldn't really find any time to. But I have seen the anime and read the recently translated Manga.

Angela Faith: I don't really care. I'm not interested in hypotheticals or stuff like that. At least as far as this fic is concerned. So...yeah.