Hey, I'm back with a new chapter.

Axcel Allen, I'm happy you think this has the same potential as Heroic Myth, though pretty sure it won't come anywhere close. Now honestly I already have an idea which Heroic Spirits Bell will get from this arc, so you'll just have to find out.

And another thing I don't think anyone noticed, was that Asterius (Black Mino) wielded a lightning magic axe, and remember what Bell used to defeat that minotaur before?

ElderTitan, I'm not gonna lie, even as I was writing the past few chapters, I didn't feel motivated, it was all a filler to me. In hindsight I probably should've skipped them and came straight to the Xenos arc, simply because that's where the things I have planned are.

SpiritBlade, First hassan is one I'm still thinking on how to bring in, but eventually Bell will reach a point where he can use his powers.

So yeah, here's the first chapter of the Xenos arc.

XXX

Two days later, Bell and the rest of his Familia were on the 19th floor.

The group of eight had easily made their way through the first 18 floors, making their way to the 19th.

Right now, they were surrounded by a horde of firebirds, lizardmen and battle boars.

Aisha yelled, "Haruhime!"

The renard nodded, having finished her chant just in time, "Uchide no Kozuchi!"

Magic swirled out from the blonde, granting the Amazoness a Level Boost.

Aisha dashed forward, "Bell!"

The Familia captain nodded, "Load: Heracles!"

The stone axe-sword appeared in his hands, and Bell dashed forward in sync with Aisha.

The pair dashed into the horde of monsters, swinging their swords constantly as Aisha began her chant.

The others didn't even need to do much, for the two easily took care of a majority of the monsters.

All of them stood on guard, watching as Bell and Aisha zipped across the area in perfect synergy, switching places with each kill as the Amazoness chanted for her magic.

Then the Amazoness finished her chant, "The name of mine starving blade is Hippolyta!"

"Set: Nine Lives!"

Both adventurers held their swords up, magic swirling around Aisha's blade, while Bell focused all of his strength into the axe-sword.

"HELL KAIOS!"

The pair swung their weapons down, unleashing a giant shockwave that laid waste to every monster before them.

Daphne did a quick scan around them, and she nodded, "We're clear!"

Everyone relaxed, and Lili jogged forward, "Alright, my turn I suppose."

Cassandra perked up, "I-I'll help too!"

The prum smiled dryly, "You don't have to, you know?"

The healer looked down, "I mean, I didn't do much… So…"

Welf snorted, "And? Neither did I. When you have Bell and Aisha with us, both Level Boosted, I don't think there's much we need to do."

Mikoto sighed, "Speak for yourself, you're a blacksmith, not a fighter. I am the one who should be ashamed."

Haruhime spoke up, "I think you're doing great, Mikoto-chan, you helped protect us when some of the monsters broke through."

The samurai hung her head, "And it was only that one single lizardman."

The renard's smile strained, "Umm…"

Bell chuckled, "Don't feel bad, if it helps, Aisha-san and I will take the backseat later. You can take the front with Welf, and maybe even Daphne too."

Mikoto blinked, "R-really?"

The Familia captain nodded, "We all need a break. That way none of us will be overworked, nor will we be sidelined."

Daphne hummed, "That's actually not a bad idea."

The blacksmith smiled dryly, "Well, I guess we'll have to try it then."

Aisha chuckled, "Don't worry, if you fall, well, that's that."

Welf sighed and shook his head in exasperation, "Of course."

Bell looked around, "Anyway… we're somewhat in the middle of the floor, so we should take a quick breather while Lili and Cassandra collect the magic stones."

Everyone nodded, but before they could, a screech reached their ears, followed by a faint but audible scream.

Bell's eyes widened in attention, and evidently everyone heard it too.

Mikoto reached for her sword, "Did everyone hear-"

Before she could finish her words, their captain was already gone, and Daphne grumbled, "Dammit!"

Aisha sighed, "Let's go after him, Welf and Daphne, stay here and look after the others. Mikoto, you're with me."

The samurai nodded and followed her fellow swordswoman after their captain.

With Bell, the boy dashed through the thick forests, leaping up onto the thick tree branches to boost his speed.

In the blink of an eye, Bell had already put in a sizable amount of distance between himself and his party.

That also meant he was nearing the source of the scream.

The boy leaped off another branch, and he heard the screech again.

This time, he recognized it, the screech of a firebird.

Sure enough, the boy quickly spotted one in front of him, chasing after someone.

Bell took a deep breath, "Load: Ushiwakamaru!"

Usumidori appeared in his hands, and the boy dashed forward in a burst of speed.

In the blink of an eye, the monster exploded into a shower of gore and ash, and Bell landed on the ground.

A whimper reached his ears, and the boy turned to see the person he had just saved.

Bell began, "Are you oka-!"

He froze, simply because the person before him wasn't a person at all.

She, no, it had pale almost blue skin, with pointy ears, long silver blue hair and amber eyes.

A handful of scales covered parts of its body, and a single red gem rested on its forehead.

Despite not having the lower body of a snake and the wings, Bell was sure the figure before him was a vouivre.

But what stopped him in his tracks was the numerous wounds on its body.

They were bruises, cuts and scratches, some of which Bell recognized to be from blades, and some that looked like they were from monsters.

It was as if the vouivre had been attacked by monsters and adventurers alike.

That wasn't to mention its expression.

Tears threatened to fall from its eyes, and those eyes also held something Bell came to know very well.

Fear and despair.

If Bell didn't know better, he could've sworn that this was a human disguised as a monster.

But it wasn't, no. This was in fact a monster, not a human.

So how was it that the vouivre was trembling in fear? How was it that it had tears threatening to fall?

But before Bell could ponder on those thoughts any further, another screech reached his ears.

Another firebird.

Bell turned almost immediately, but before he could strike, his eyes widened.

Simply because the flaming bird had its beak wide open, its flaming breath ready to burn down the pair.

The boy stopped thinking, and instead acted on instinct, "Load: EMIYA!"

Swapping Ushiwakamaru for the Counter Guardian, Bell raised his right arm, "SET (Fake): RHO AIAS!"

Seven petals formed before them, and the vouivre's eyes widened in awe at the sheer beauty of the barrier as it held strong against the blast of flames.

The shield disappeared as soon as it appeared, and Bell wasted not a moment to draw the Hestia Knife, not bothering to Trace a weapon this time.

In the blink of an eye, the firebird exploded in yet another shower of gore and ash.

The boy took a deep breath, his back growing warm and heavy as he quickly realized what he had just done.

Memories from EMIYA's life surfaced, and flashes of a girl with purple hair and a girl with white hair came to mind.

It wasn't wrong to help others.

Bell took a deep breath and stood up, and he turned to the vouivre.

But before he could move, voices reached his ears.

"Where the fuck did that vouivre go?!"

"Find it! Now!"

His eyes stayed on the monster before him, and as soon as they heard those voices, her eyes widened with fear.

Bell quickly knew she was being hunted.

Bell gritted his teeth, and he made his decision, "Load: Gilgamesh."

He felt an uncomfortable feeling, as if the king disapproved of his intentions, but the boy pushed them down, quickly summoning a black robe and threw it over the vouivre.

Bell spoke calmly, "Cover yourself, especially your… fingers."

The monster looked confused, but also still scared, and she quickly obeyed.

"Hey you!"

Bell stood up to see a group of adventurers approaching him, led by a bald man with a tattoo on his face.

Gran scowled at him, "Happen to see a vouivre around here?"

Bell met his gaze, and he put himself between the vouivre and the men, "No, but do you have a potion? My friend here was badly burnt by a firebird, and I just ran out."

Gran glanced at the hooded figure next to the boy, and he clicked his teeth in annoyance, "That's not my problem. Let's go!"

He barked at his companions, and the group quickly went further into the forests.

The boy let out a breath, and he summoned a potion from his treasury, "Here."

The vouivre blinked, but before she could react, Bell uncorked the vial and helped the monster down it in one go.

In almost no time, her wounds vanished, and the vouivre could only blink in surprise.

She looked down at her hands, her legs. Every cut and scratch, every bruise was gone.

Bell nodded to himself in satisfaction, before he let out a breath, "Now…"

Before he could continue his line of thought, Mikoto's voice reached his ears, "Bell-dono!"

The boy stiffened, before he looked at vouivre, "Keep yourself hidden, don't make any sound, okay?"

The vouivre nodded shakily, and Bell turned to see Aisha and Mikoto.

The Amazoness sighed, "By the gods, how are you so fast?"

The boy smiled, "Well…"

Mikoto noticed the hooded figure behind their captain, "Bell-dono, who's this?"

Bell followed her gaze, and his features steeled, "... She was attacked by a firebird."

Aisha hummed, "Is that so?"

The boy nodded, "Let's call it a day here, we should go back to the eighteenth floor at least."

Mikoto nodded, "Alright."

Bell glanced at the vouivre, "Let's go."

The four walked back to where they'd left the rest of their party, and as they walked, Bell made sure he was at the back with the monster behind him.

It was going to be a pain when he had to explain himself.

A short while later, the group was back on the eighteenth floor.

Lili set her bag down and turned to their captain, "So, Bell-sama, care to explain? Did your hero complex kick in again?"

The boy chuckled, "Well, yes?"

Welf chuckled in exasperation, "I knew it."

Daphne snorted, "Do you even know her name?"

Bell shook her head, "She was burned pretty badly by a firebird, I gave her a potion from Gilgamesh's treasury, but I think she's still traumatized by it."

Cassandra looked at the hooded girl with sympathy, "How cruel…"

Haruhime nodded in agreement, "There must be something we can do to help."

Mikoto smiled, "Perhaps we can ask Miach-sama for help."

All the while as they discussed, Aisha studied the hooded girl, and she asked, "That's good and all, but shouldn't we at least know who she is?"

She sighed as she approached the vouivre, "I know she's got burns, but we should at least know who we're helping."

Bell's eyes widened, "Wait, Aisha-sa-!"

The monster panicked when the Amazoness neared her, and she took a step back, stumbling as she backed away in panic.

In her panic, she also tripped over the uneven ground, and she fell on her back, the hood falling off as she landed on the ground.

Bell froze, as the vouivre's face was shown to his companions, and before he realized it, he moved.

"Load: EMIYA."

Aisha quickly found the boy between herself and the monster, and by then, everyone was already on alert.

Lili had her crossbow locked and loaded, and Welf, Mikoto and Daphne all had their weapons in hand.

Cassandra and Haruhime, on the other hand, both looked more shocked than anything.

The Amazoness stared at the white haired hero calmly, "What is the meaning of this, Bell?"

The boy met her gaze firmly, but as soon as he did, he almost faltered, "I…"

Lili yelled, "Get out of the way, Bell-sama! Do you know what you're doing?!"

Aisha started, "I'm not one to kink shame, but getting one of them from the wild is just-"

Bell cut her off, "It's not like that! I…"

He trailed off, and Lili took the chance to speak up again, "Bell-sama! That's a monster! They're enemies of humanity!"

Welf tightened his grip on his sword, "Move away, Bell!"

Mikoto stood in front of Haruhime protectively, "Bell-dono, please!"

Daphne and Cassandra, on the other hand, watched silently, studying their captain.

The boy fell silent, before he took a deep breath, "Enemies of humanity…"

Memories of a different time, a different world surfaced in his mind.

Memories not from Pan-Human History, but a lost icy world, memories made possible simply because a version of Atalanta had been summoned there.

Memories that he only caught a glimpse of now that he had met the vouivre before him.

"And who made that decision?"

Bell's words shocked his fellow Familia members, and Haruhime asked, "Bell-sama, did something happen between you and her?"

The boy nodded, "Yes, she-"

"This is madness, Bell-sama! If you won't listen to reason…!"

Lili cut them off and fired her crossbow at the vouivre.

But before the arrow could reach the monster, Bell's lips moved.

"Trace… on!"

A sword cut the arrow down, stabbing into the ground, and everyone stared in shock as a dozen blades appeared around Bell and the monster.

Aisha narrowed her eyes, noting that all of the blades were aimed at the ground, but she knew if need be, they could turn in the blink of an eye, "You're serious…"

Bell took a deep breath, "Yeah, I am."

Mikoto spoke up, tightening her grip on her sword, "Bell-dono, please, calm down."

The boy looked at every one of his fellow Familia members, "I am calm, but if none of you will let me explain…"

The swords around him vibrated with power, but before they could continue, they heard a voice from the vouivre.

"Uhh… B…B-bell?"

Everyone, even Aisha blinked in surprise, and Daphne couldn't help but voice her surprise, "Did… did it just talk?"

Bell turned to the vouivre, and he knelt down, "What did you just…"

The monster's lips moved again, this time with more clarity, "Bell…?"

The boy nodded, "Yes, that is my name."

The vouivre spoke again, "Bell… your name… your name is… Bell?"

Mikoto gaped, "It talked…"

Welf could only stare in shock, "You've gotta be shitting me…"

Haruhime stepped forward, "Bell-sama, would you mind continuing what you were saying?"

Aisha blinked when the renard stood beside her, not afraid of the fact that there were a dozen swords poised at them, "Haruhime…"

Bell looked at the blonde, and he nodded, "She was attacked, by both monsters and adventurers alike."

The boy glanced back at the monster, "But more importantly, she was crying, afraid, and alone."

Lili frowned, "And that justifies what you're doing?"

Bell nodded, meeting the gazes of his companions, "Yes. It is not wrong to help others."

The prum tightened her grip on her crossbow, "If this gets out to the public, we, the Hestia Familia, we'll be done for!"

The boy stared back at her firmly, "It won't. I won't let it happen."

Lili looked like she wanted to argue more, but in the end simply let out a deep sigh and lowered her crossbow, "Oh for the love of… Fine, do whatever you want…"

Daphne sighed in exasperation, "Let's say we go along with it, what do you plan to do, Bell?"

The white haired rabbit looked at her, "For now, we bring her back to our home. I want to find out exactly what's going on first, why she can speak like a normal human being."

Welf nodded, "I see, that sounds fair."

Aisha asked, "Can't we just leave her here in the dungeon?"

Bell shook his head, "No, if we leave her here, she'll be attacked by adventurers and monsters. It's too risky."

Mikoto asked, "Do you think Hestia-sama and Artemis-sama will allow it?"

Lili and Welf gave her a blank look, and the blacksmith asked, "Why do you think they won't?"

Daphne chuckled, "Yeah, I'm sure they will if it's Bell asking."

The boy shook his head, "I don't know… If they don't agree, I'll just have to find another way, probably even ask Mama Mia for help."

Welf palmed his face, "I seriously doubt that dwarf will allow it… But you do you I guess."

Aisha sighed, "By the gods, alright, if Hestia-sama and Artemis-sama don't allow it, I should have a place in the Entertainment District."

Bell blinked, "Really? You'd do that?"

The Amazoness snorted, "Of course, you seem pretty determined to help her already anyway."

The boy nodded, "Yeah, I guess I am."

Daphne sighed, "Guess we're doing this then."

She sheathed her sword, and everyone else took the hint and put away their weapons.

Bell let out a deep breath as he dispelled the Projected swords, "Thank you, all of you."

(Linebreak)

Some time later, Bell and his group waited until night fell before they left the dungeon.

Now, they were back in their mansion.

Hestia sighed as she stared at the vouivre that was sat next to Bell, "For fucks sake… to think you'd bring a monster back."

Artemis studied the blue haired monster, "And one that can talk too."

Bell nodded, "Yeah, I want to look after her for now."

The goddess of the hearth sighed, "I don't know… Whether she can talk or not, in the end she's still a monster…"

The goddess of the hunt nodded, "True, if this gets out, it won't be pretty."

Lili sighed, "I knew it."

The boy didn't back down, "Hestia-sama, does the hearth not accept all? And Artemis-sama, she may be a monster, but it doesn't change the fact that she is a part of this world."

The two goddesses blinked in surprise, and Hestia sighed, "If you put it that way…"

Artemis shook her head with an exasperated smile, "You got us there, but we never said anything about not taking her in."

Bell blinked, "Wait, what?"

The goddess of the hearth looked at the vouivre sitting close to Bell to the point she might as well be cuddling up to him, "Look, a talking monster is not something I'd think I'd see, but when you see how frightened she is… I guess we can't say no."

Artemis snorted, "And you already brought her in, it's probably not worth the trouble sending her back into the dungeon."

Hestia nodded, "Then that settles it, we'll look after her for now."

The boy let out a breath, "Thank you."

The goddess of the moon smiled in amusement as she folded her arms, "Anyway, does she have a name?"

Bell blinked, "A name?"

Artemis nodded, "We can't just call her a vouivre every time, right?"

Hestia looked at the monster, "Do you have a name?"

The vouivre didn't meet her eyes, and instead leaned into Bell, "Name… Bell…?"

Said boy smiled awkwardly, "That's my name."

Daphne hummed, "Well, it makes sense she wouldn't have one, she wouldn't have a reason for one."

Cassandra asked, "Then should we give her a name?"

Welf sighed as he sat down on a chair, "Bell should name her then."

Aisha raised an amused eyebrow, "What? You don't wanna pitch in?"

The blacksmith snorted, "Leave me alone, besides, it was him who wanted to bring her up, he should name her."

Bell hummed, "I guess…"

He looked down at the monster, "Is there a name you prefer?"

The vouivre just tilted her head, "Umm, Bell?"

Everyone chuckled/sighed at her reaction, and Lili asked, "How about you just give her a name, Bell-sama?"

The white haired rabbit closed his eyes, "Hmm… How about… Welusine?"

Everyone blinked at his suggestion, and Haruhime sighed, "Bell-sama, did you just change the M in Melusine to a W?"

The boy smiled, "Yes I did, is it not okay?"

The renard massaged her temples, "No, it's okay, but…"

Lili sighed, "I guess for Bell-sama, that's a pretty good name."

Aisha chuckled, "But for a monster, that's still a pretty long name."

Welf nodded, "Pretentious too."

Mikoto nodded in agreement, "Pretentious."

Daphne palmed her face, "You've got the memories of so many heroes, surely you'd have a better and more practical name in mind?"

Cassandra just giggled at their reactions.

Bell's smile turned force, "L-look, her blue skin just reminded me of the legends of the Melusine spirits, so…"

Artemis smiled in exasperation, "I think something simpler will be better, no?"

The boy folded his arms, "Then… how about Zoe?"

The goddess of the hunt dropped her smile, "If that meant to be a joke, it's not funny."

Bell shook his arms frantically, "It was just an idea! We'll call her something else!"

Hestia snorted in amusement, before she hummed, "We can still use Bell-kun's idea, maybe just shorten it."

The boy blinked, "Shorten it… Like Wiene?"

The busty goddess grinned, "Bingo, that's it!"

The vouivre blinked, "Wiene… Is that my name?"

Bell nodded, "If you're okay with it."

The newly named Wiene beamed, "Wiene… I like it! My name is Wiene!"

Everyone smiled at her reaction, even Lili, and Hestia asked, "So, what do you wanna do now, Bell-kun?"

The white rabbit leaned into the sofa, "For now, I want to find out what's going on, see if anyone knows why Wiene can speak."

Lili nodded, "Leave that to me."

Bell nodded, "Thank you, Lili. But try to keep a low profile, I don't want this to go out so quickly."

The prum snorted, "Who do you think I am?"

The boy smiled, "I'll be counting on you."

Lili grinned, "Of course!"

Mikoto hummed, "I can ask Takemikazuchi-sama if he knows anything."

Hestia nodded, "Do that, I'll ask Hephaestus if she knows anything."

Daphne folded her arms, "I can try asking some former Apollo Familia members, but I'm not confident if they'll be willing."

Bell nodded, "Only the ones you can we can trust, it's okay if you can't find anything."

The redhead nodded, "Okay."

Aisha spoke up, "You know, come to think of it, Ishtar might have an idea."

Everyone looked at her, and Artemis asked, "Really?"

The Amazoness nodded, "Potentially, anyway. We used to dabble a bit in, well, poaching monsters. Never really understood why, but if monsters like Wiene exist, that makes a lot more sense."

Bell nodded, "We'll ask her as well then. Aisha, Haruhime and I can go look for her tomorrow."

He looked at everyone, "Try to gather information however you can, but be discreet, we don't want this to spread outside those we trust."

Welf asked, "What about the Loki Familia and Freya Familia?"

Bell looked at Wiene, before he answered, "No, make sure they don't know. Especially the Loki Familia. If we need to, I'll go to them myself."

(Linebreak)

Meanwhile, beneath the Guild, Ouranos sat in his throne, silently continuing his prayers to the dungeon.

"We have a problem, Ouranos."

The god opened his eyes to see the familiar hooded figure of his companion, "What is it, Fels?"

Fels answered, "A monster with intelligence came into contact with some adventurers, and they have left the dungeon."

Ouranos raised an eyebrow, "And who are these adventurers, Fels?"

The hooded figure responded, "The Hestia Familia, or more specifically, Bell Cranel."

The god hummed, "The heir to the Throne of Heroes…"

Fels nodded, "What do you want to do? If this goes on, he might wipe them out."

Ouranos raised an eyebrow, "And why would you think so?"

Anyone else wouldn't see it, but years of knowing the sage allowed the god to easily read Fels' emotions, and the sage was panicking.

Fels answered, "Bell Cranel is the heir to the Throne of Heroes, he might deem the monsters to be a nuisance in his quest to be a hero."

Ouranos hummed, "Like how Finn Deimne would?"

The hooded figure nodded, "Yes."

The god closed his eyes, "But at the same time, he may become their greatest hope too."

Fels frowned under his hood, "It is but a chance, it's too risky."

Ouranos snorted humorlessly, "As risky as us supporting them? I think not. This might be worth a try."

The sage scowled, "Ouranos, you can't be seriously-"

The god cut him off, "For now, we watch them. I trust Lyd and the others do not know of this monster's existence?"

Fels shook his head, "No, they already do. I notified them when I realized her existence on the 19th floor."

Ouranos hummed, "Then it can't be helped. We'll still watch the Hestia Familia, I want to see if they can become their hope."

The sage fell silent, "...Very well."

(Linebreak)

The next day, as everyone went around gathering information, Bell, Haruhime and Aisha were in the Belit Babili once more.

Ishtar sat in her office, blowing out a stream of smoke, "So, to what do I owe the visit?"

Bell stared at the goddess, "I have a question, Ishtar."

The goddess of fertility raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

The heir to the Throne asked, "Do you know anything about monsters that can speak?"

Ishtar blinked, "Monsters… that can speak?"

Bell nodded, "Or well, ones with intelligence."

The goddess blinked, before she laughed, "Now this is a good one! Monsters that can speak or are intelligent!"

Aisha stepped forward, "Ishtar, we used to hunt and capture monsters from the dungeon, surely-"

Ishtar held a hand up, "Unfortunately, Bell Cranel, I don't have the answers you seek, not all of them."

Bell narrowed his eyes, "But you do know something."

The goddess nodded, "I don't know a lot, but I do know they exist."

The boy nodded, "Go on."

Ishtar hummed, "My Familia used to have connections with other not so… shall we say, pleasant, Familias. They were into trafficking monsters, you see."

Everyone listened as she continued, "A while back one of the other gods asked me about whether monsters would sell well as sex slaves."

Ishtar snorted, "What a joke, or at least, I thought it was. But imagine my surprise when they brought them before me, sirens, mermaids, arachnes and even vouivres!"

The goddess chuckled when she saw their expressions, "Ahh, so you've seen one of them."

Aisha asked, "Why have we never seen or heard of them?"

Ishtar snorted, "I only had Phyrne or Tammuz deal with that sort of transactions, and they usually brought the monsters to me to evaluate."

Haruhime blinked, "Evaluate?"

The goddess nodded, "To see if they were suitable to be sold as sex slaves and the lot. Fortunately, I know at least one person for every fetish out there, so they always had a customer for them."

Bell narrowed his eyes, "Who are these Familias?"

Ishtar raised her arms in a surrendering manner, "Alright, calm your tits. I stopped dealing with them the moment that Geas came into play. I'd rather we keep it that way, okay?"

The boy stared at her, "But you can at least tell me who they are."

The goddess scoffed, "And risk my life? I don't really care if I stay in Gekai anymore, but they are a nasty lot, and I'd rather not be sent to the reincarnation cycle. Besides, I don't even know if they still do it."

Ishtar and Bell stared at each other for a good moment, and the boy decided it wasn't worth the effort.

Bell sighed, "Fine, let's get back to those monsters, do you know more?"

Ishtar shook her head, "Unfortunately, no. I only know they exist, but where to find them, and how to find them? That is beyond me."

The boy took the chance to breathe, "I see… Thank you, Ishtar."

The goddess snorted, "Think nothing of it, but you've piqued my interest. Why do you want to know?"

He turned to the door, "That's none of your business. We're leaving."

Haruhime and Aisha nodded, and they started to follow him, until Ishtar spoke up again, "The look on your face, you're planning on doing something stupid, aren't you?"

Bell looked back at her, "What do you mean?"

Ishtar smirked when she saw his face again, "Yep, you are. This will be interesting."

The boy frowned, "What are you talking about?"

The goddess chuckled, "Let me know if you need help, alright?"

Bell looked more confused than anything, and he nodded, "I'll keep it in mind."

With that said, the boy and the two women left.

As soon as they did, Ishtar chuckled to herself, "Well, I guess I didn't have to be worried after all. If things turn out well, I might be free of them both, Thanatos and Ikelos."

(Linebreak)

At the same time, Lili had her magic on, disguised as a short elf with a white hood on.

The prum in disguise walked down the stairs into an underground bar, and she calmly sat down in front of the counter, "A glass of Alv's Pure Water please."

The bartender gave her a look, before pouring a glass of Alv water and slid it to her.

In response, Lili dropped some valis on the countertop, "Do you have any information on speaking monsters?"

The bartender took a clean glass and wiped it with a cloth, "No, I don't."

The prum in disguise took a sip from the glass, "What about people who might?"

The bartender glanced to a side, where a chienthrope sat.

As if on cue, the chienthrope inched closer with a knowing grin, "That would be me."

Lili quickly recognized Lulune, and she spoke in recognition, "Madl…"

Lulune blinked in surprise, "Oh, you know me?"

The prum asked, "What do you know about the monsters?"

The chienthrope giggled, "A bit."

She looked at the bartender, "A mug of honey mead please."

The man nodded and filled a mug, placing it in front of her.

Lulune took the mug, "But well, I'd like to tell you, but my memory's a bit foggy, I'll need something to jog my memory, if you catch my drift."

Lili sighed and dumped a small pouch of coins on the table.

The chienthrope's smile widened, "There have been news, or at least rumors, of voices in the dungeon."

The 'elf' raised an eyebrow, "Voices?"

Lulune nodded as she took the pouch of money, "Voices. Some adventurers heard voices in the dungeon, even when they're alone, apparently."

Lili nodded, processing that information, and the chienthrope continued, "And moreover, there's a group of people looking for information on these monsters, like you."

The prum in disguise asked, "People other than me? Who are they?"

Lulune shrugged, "No idea. I want to know too, really."

Lili hummed, "Back to the monsters, do you know where I can find them?"

The chienthrope shook her head, "Unfortunately, I don't know. But rumors are that the voices can be heard in the middle floors."

The prum nodded, "I see."

Lulune grinned as she leaned in, "Speaking of which, you're an unfamiliar face, what mob are you with?"

Lili took that as a sign to leave, and she jumped off the stool without another word.

The chienthrope blinked, "Wait, you're leaving already?"

The prum didn't bother responding, and instead vanished into an alley using her magic.

Lulune tried to give chase, but with Lili changing her form multiple times, the chienthrope quickly lost track of her.

The member of the Hermes Familia frowned, "What a pain… I gave out more than I planned to, and I couldn't find who it was. Hermes-sama won't be happy."

XXX

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