Hey, I'm back with a new chapter!

It's been a while. I've been mostly busy with work. Managed to get Acheron on Star Rail and the Hai Ba Trung on FGO too, so that's also kept me busy a bit.

But we're here with a new chapter!

Artyk04, that is a good one. Will definitely keep it in mind.

ElSalvatoreDarkness, Vlad III is someone I'm still debating on. I already have most of the Heroic Spirits decided, but we'll see.

Daemon of Wrath, the Heroic Spirits you listed are all possible. Solomon or Goetia is also possible, considering they are considered to be accessible through the Throne of Heroes. But those are extreme cases that are dependant on the situation.

If Bell is desperate or despairs enough, we might see a Beast, or something totally different.

AnimeFan13579, now interesting you brought up the labyrinth. I was looking into how I can incorporate Asterios (FATE) into this, and his Noble Phantasm in theory can overlap with Knossos. I believe it has been done in FGO before in one of the events, but I might be wrong. We also already have Theseus in FGO, so that would be another option.

daizuke, no lemons in this story mate.

Axcel Allen, now Dix is a Level 5, and Asterios (Xenos) is shown to be able to fight some of the Loki Familia on even grounds, at least until Ais went Avenger mode. So if we are to look at what Bell can do, short answer, yes.

Long answer, it depends on the situation and if Bell Over-Loads multiple Heroic Spirits or just the one. But it is definitey possible.

Meyes, now I'm glad you think so. But I'm pretty sure I have a long way to go. Glad you liked the story so far though.

Anyways, here's the newest chapter!

XXX

The next morning, Bell was in the kitchen with an apron, skillfully dicing up some onions.

"Bell! What are you doing?"

Wiene's voice reached his ears, and the boy didn't need to turn to know that the vouivre was right behind him.

The boy smiled as he put the diced onions away and brought out some ham, "I'm making breakfast."

Wiene looked confused, "Break…fast?"

Bell nodded, "Yes, what do you like to eat, Wiene?"

The monster blinked, "What I like to eat…?"

Wiene hummed, "I don't know!"

The boy blinked, and he chuckled, "Then we'll have to fix that, don't we?"

The vouivre didn't quite understand what he meant, but she still smiled anyway, "Okay!"

Wiene then leaned forward, "But what are you doing now? Is this all for breakfast?"

Bell nodded, "Yeah, I'm making English breakfast today. We'll be having eggs, ham, sausages and beans with mushrooms and tomatoes."

He paused, "Hmm, I should make some hash browns too."

Wiene tilted her head in confusion, "Hash browns?"

The boy chuckled, "I think you'll like them."

The monster just looked more confused than anything, but she quickly went back to looking at the boy cooking with interest.

Soon, Bell started to fry the hash browns and meat, and Wiene's eyes widened when the smell hit her, "This smells nice!"

The boy chuckled, "Would you like a taste?"

Wiene nodded excitedly, "Can I?!"

Bell smiled and cut a small piece of ham and bacon, placing it on a small plate, "Here."

The vouivre quickly bit into the food, before she stared at Bell with glowing eyes, "Can I have more?!"

The boy chucked, "Nope, I'm not done cooking yet, and we have to wait until everyone is here before we can eat, okay?"

Wiene's face immediately dropped in disappointment, and Bell felt like he had kicked a puppy.

The white haired rabbit could almost feel the heroes engraved on his back laughing at him, and he refused to look at the vouivre.

Nope, Bell refused to give in.

He would not.

(Linebreak)

A short while later, Bell and the rest of his Familia sat at the dining table, enjoying their breakfast.

Wiene, as expected, devoured the food before her with frightening speeds.

Welf sighed, "Bell's cooking strikes again, huh?"

Lili snorted, "Like you're one to talk."

The blacksmith ignored the prum as he went through his plate at a decent speed.

Aisha snorted, "Well, you might be the first one to tame a monster through food then, captain."

Bell chuckled, "Perhaps, but Wiene's unique anyway."

Daphne nodded, "But it would be interesting to see if we can tame monsters with Bell's food."

Mikoto nodded enthusiastically, "Agreed!"

Haruhime giggled, "It may very well be a potential legend to be passed down to the future generations."

Cassandra nodded in agreement, "I like that idea, we can even publish it!"

Hestia laughed, "Now this will be fun, the Heir to the Throne of Heroes will be remembered for his cooking."

Bell sighed in exasperation, "To be fair, it's not even my own talent in the first place, you know?"

Artemis chuckled, "Just accept it. In this world, you might as well be those heroes themselves."

The boy just shook his head, before he asked, "So, we didn't really get the chance to regroup last night, did we?"

Everyone looked at him in attention, and Welf spoke, "I went to the guild, and I couldn't find anything about talking monsters. But I did hear that there are some monsters stealing adventurer equipment."

Bell hummed, "I see… It might be related, might not be, but that's something we should keep an eye out for."

Hestia spoke up, "I asked Hephaestus, unfortunately she didn't know anything."

The boy nodded, "That's fine, anyone else?"

Daphne shook her head, "None of the people I asked had any idea either."

Lili spoke up, "I couldn't find much too, they're mostly rumors about voices on the middle floors of the dungeon."

Mikoto nodded, "Same here."

The boy folded his arms, "... This is annoying…"

Artemis asked, "What about your end, did Ishtar know anything?"

Aisha answered, "She did. But only that they exist, not much about their whereabouts."

Hestia hummed, "So we only know monsters with intelligence exist, but no more than that."

Bell nodded, "I suppose…"

Daphne looked at him, "What do we wanna do?"

Everyone looked at the boy, and he let out a short breath, "I think we should go back to the 19th floor."

Bell looked at Wiene, "But I want to have Wiene stay here."

Lili nodded, "So only some of us will go, is that right?"

The boy nodded, "Exactly."

He looked at Aisha, "Can you stay here and look after the home?"

The Amazoness raised an eyebrow, before she nodded, "Sure, I don't mind sitting this one out."

The white haired rabbit nodded, "Thanks, so it'll be myself, Welf, Lili, Mikoto and Daphne."

Cassandra asked, "So, I'm not going?"

Bell shook his head, "No, not this time. We're going to rush all the way to the 18th floor in one shot. The smaller the group, the better."

The healer nodded, "O-okay."

Wiene asked with a piece of ham in her mouth, "B-Bell, arr, yuu gowing awae?"

Bell smiled, "Talk after you've swallowed your food, please."

The vouivre blinked, before she quickly chewed and swallowed, "Bell, are you going away?"

The boy nodded, "Yes, but only for a bit."

Welf asked, "So, when do we leave?"

Bell looked at his teammates, "We leave now."

(Linebreak)

A short while later, Bell and his group were on the 18th floor.

The boy stopped outside Rivira, before he looked at his group, "Alright, before we go in, I want all of you to remember, we're here to look for clues for intelligent monsters."

Everyone nodded, and Bell continued, "Unless they attack first, I want you to avoid fighting any of them."

Lili's eyes widened, "Bell-sama, what are you-"

The boy cut her off, "Look, we can't be sure if the monsters we've been killing are intelligent. And I don't want to risk burning any bridges before we can build them. For Wiene's sake."

The prum blinked, but before she could voice her concerns, Welf nodded, "Alright, gotcha."

Lili gaped, "Welf-sama?!"

Daphne nodded, "It does make sense, but if they attack, all bets are off."

Bell nodded, "Of course."

Mikoto hummed, "Very well, Bell-dono, we'll do as you say."

The prum sighed, "Fine… It's not like I can do much anyway."

The boy nodded, "Thank you."

Bell turned to the entrance to the 19th floor, "Let's go."

After a short while, Bell and his group were in the forests on the 19th floor.

The boy looked around, trying to look for clues that would lead them to their answers.

As they walked, Mikoto asked, "Bell-dono, how are we going to know what we're looking for?"

Daphne looked at them, "Yeah, the dungeon heals itself every day, we don't even know where you met Wiene."

Bell smiled, "Actually, I have an idea where we found her."

Welf blinked, "You do?"

The boy nodded, "Follow me."

The group made their way through the forests, and sure enough, they reached where they had found the vouivre.

Everyone quickly went to look around, and Mikoto spoke, "I don't see anything that would help us."

Lili sighed, "Of course, if they were truly intelligent, they wouldn't leave hints out in the open just like that."

Bell nodded, "But that doesn't mean we can't keep looking."

Daphne nodded, "You're not wrong."

Before they could continue, Lili spoke up, "Bell-sama!"

The boy looked at her, "What is it?"

The prum pointed in a direction, "There."

Bell followed her line of sight, and his eyes narrowed when he saw a hooded figure moving through the trees.

Daphne asked, "What do we do, Bell?"

The boy spoke, "... Leave this to me."

He started to walk forward, and Mikoto spoke up warningly, her palm on her sword, "Bell-dono."

Welf grabbed her by the wrist, "Wait, remember what Bell said?"

The samurai looked at him, and was about to argue, before she sighed and nodded, "Right, sorry."

By now, the hooded figure had stopped, as if waiting for Bell to approach.

The boy asked, "Who are you?"

The hooded figure seemed to study Bell and his group, before a female voice reached their ears, "The smell of my brethren… It lingers around you…"

Bell narrowed his eyes, "Your brethren… Are you-"

The hooded figure cut him off, "White hair, red eyes… You are the one Fels warned us of."

The boy blinked in confusion, "...Fels?"

She paid his question no heed, "Hero of human order, do you believe we can coexist?"

Bell's eyes widened, before he took a deep breath, "I do."

His answer seemed to surprise her, and she asked again, "Even if we are enemies of humanity?"

Bell stared at her, "Are you? Enemies of humankind?"

The hooded figure fell silent, before she answered, "You kill us, and we kill you. Does that not make us enemies? Is that not our fate?"

The boy responded, "No, our fate can change."

The hooded monster asked again, "How can you be so sure?"

Bell stared at her firmly, "We can understand each other, if we try."

She smiled under her hood, "Thank you, you have given me hope… and a lot to think about."

The hooded figure backed away, but before she could leave, Bell called out, "Wait!"

She looked at him, "What is it?"

Bell noticed the slitted pupils and what looked like blue hair, "Are there more of you? Monsters that can speak."

The figure smiled under her hood, "Yes, there is."

The boy started, "We have a-"

She cut him off, "Now is not the time, nor is it the place. Our enemies still lurk in these forests."

Bell's eyes widened, "What do you mean?"

She shook her head, "This is all the time I have for now. We will meet again soon, hero. I hope to learn of your names the next time we meet."

With that said, the hooded figure leaped into the air and vanished into the trees.

Everyone watched in surprise and shock as blue feathers fell from where the hooded figure vanished.

Lili walked up to Bell, "Bell-sama … what was that?"

The boy stared at the tree where their new friend had disappeared, "If what she said is true, then Wiene won't be alone.. In fact, there might be a lot of them out there, in hiding."

Bell let out a deep breath, "Come on, we found what we needed. Let's go home."

Daphne blinked, "Wait, that's all?"

The boy nodded, "Yeah, and what she said… Enemies lurk in these forests. I don't want to stay here any longer than we need to."

No one had any reasons to stay here, so they followed their leader out of the dungeon quickly.

(Linebreak)

A while later in the evening, Bell and his two goddesses were in their office again.

Hestia hummed, "I see… So potentially there's a group of intelligent monsters just like Wiene-kun out there… And they're in the dungeon…"

Bell nodded, "Yeah, I want to seek them out, figure out what is happening. If…"

Artemis recognized the look on his face, and she asked worriedly, "Bell, what did you see from your memories?"

The heir to the Throne let out a sigh, "It doesn't matter, all that matters is that these monsters are like us. They speak, they feel, they live."

The two goddesses shared a look, before the goddess of the moon asked, "You seem very invested in helping Wiene… Why?"

Bell sat down on the sofa, "Artemis-sama… What do you think if news of talking monsters went out to the public?"

Artemis answered almost immediately, "Panic, and outrage."

The boy nodded, "People fear what they don't understand, and adventurers are not the best people. They will almost certainly try to kill them off."

Hestia nodded, "But you don't like that."

Bell clasped his hands, "Enemies of humanity, enemies of humankind, of human order… That's what Lili called them, that's what that monster called themselves."

The goddess of the hearth hummed, "You don't agree?"

The boy shook his head, "Human order… Humanity… What does it mean to be human? To simply be humanoid? To look like a person? But a human isn't just about looking the part."

He looked at the two goddesses, "We are human because we act human, we feel, we eat, we live. Just like Wiene does."

Hestia sighed, "You've really thought about this, haven't you?"

Bell nodded, "When I saw Wiene, all those memories just came rushing. And now I know, there are others like Wiene out there."

Artemis asked, "What do you plan to do now?"

The boy sighed, "I'm… not too sure. We know that there are more of them out there, potentially a group of them…"

Hestia asked, "Do you want to bring Wiene to them?"

Bell shook his head, "No, not yet. I don't know if they will take her in. It is likely, considering she called Wiene her brethren."

He closed his eyes, "And not to mention, that person mentioned something about enemies. That means someone else knows they exist, and possibly are against them."

Hestia nodded, folding her arms, "That is concerning…"

Artemis nodded, "If this enemy finds out about Wiene, then they'll probably come after her too."

Bell nodded, "That's why I want to be careful. For now."

The two goddesses nodded, and the goddess of the hearth spoke, "Alright, we'll lay low for now then."

Artemis nodded, before she looked at the clock, "Speaking of which, aren't you gonna be late?"

The boy's eyes widened, "Shit!"

Bell dashed for the door, "Thanks, Artemis-sama! I'll be back later!"

The two goddesses just watched in amusement as the boy dashed out of their home.

(Linebreak)

A short while later, Bell, with d'Eon's powers active, reached the restaurant.

"YOU'RE LATE!"

The white haired rabbit grimaced as the dwarf's voice reached her ears, "S-Sorry!"

Mia scowled, "I don't wanna hear it! Now get this to table 10!"

She slammed a plate of fried fish onto the counter, and Bella quickly took it and brought it over to the designated table.

As she quickly worked, Syr giggled, "Tough day?"

Bella sighed as she went to clean a table, "More like a long day."

The silver haired waitress asked her 'sister', "What happened?"

The hero in disguise shook her head, "Not now."

Syr puffed her cheeks, "Fine, be like that."

She turned and went to guide more customers to a table.

Bella giggled, before she went to take more orders for another table, "Hi, what can I get you today?"

"Yes, can I get two plates of fried rice, a porterhouse steak and Mia's special spaghetti?"

The white haired rabbit noticed who it was, and her smile strained, "Sure."

Simply because the people at the table were Bete, Loki, Lefiya and Ais, and the goddess was giving her a knowing and smug grin.

Loki knew.

As if on cue, Bete's nose twitched, and he looked at Bella suspiciously, "Hey, I never really realized it, but you smell like the rabbit."

Her eyes widened ever so slightly, "H-huh?"

The werewolf smirked, "Are you his chick or something?"

Lefiya's eyes widened, "H-His chick?! W-what?!"

The white haired 'girl' almost sighed in relief, "I'm not sure who you're talking about, but you must be mistaken. I don't have a partner."

Bete stared at her skeptically, "Sure.. Whatever."

Bella took that as a chance to leave, "I'll be putting in your order now, so it shouldn't be long."

With that said, the white haired girl swiftly made her way to the counter, before moving on to serve other customers.

After a short while, Bella and the others were cleaning up the shop.

As they worked, Syr asked, "So, Bell-san, you've been training with Ryuu at your Familia home a bit recently, right?"

Bella put some chairs away, "Yeah, why?"

The silver haired girl smiled, "And tomorrow's the usual day you train, yes?"

The white haired girl nodded, "Yes, that's correct."

Syr asked, almost shyly, "Can I come and watch? I'm doing the night shift tomorrow."

Bella was about to say yes, until she quickly remembered Wiene being at their home.

The white haired girl recollected herself, "Actually… I won't be able to make it for the training tomorrow either."

Ryuu, who was nearby, raised an eyebrow as she wiped some tables, "Oh, did something happen?"

Bella nodded, "Yeah…"

She debated if she should come clean, but in the end decided against it, "Something came up."

Syr pouted, "Aww…"

The white haired waitress looked at her friend, "But I mean, you can definitely come next time."

The silver haired goddess in disguise instantly beamed, "Yay!"

Lunoire snorted, "Get a room please, the three of you."

Chloe nodded, "Agreed-nya."

Bella and Ryuu's faces reddened, while Syr was simply too happy to care.

As they worked, the elf studied her training partner, and she hid a frown.

Soon, they finished their shifts, and as Bell was about to leave his room from the pub, he heard Ryuu's voice.

"Bell."

The boy turned to see the elf, now dressed in a simple long white and green dress, "Ryuu-san, what is it?"

The elf studied his expression, "Is something troubling you?"

Bell paused, "Troubling me?"

Ryuu nodded, "If there is anything on your mind, you can tell me."

The boy opened his mouth, but the moment he did, the reactions of his Familia members when they saw Wiene came to mind.

Bell shook his head, "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

The elf furrowed her brows, "Bell-"

The boy cut her off, "It's nothing, Ryuu-san. Thanks for asking though."

With that said, Bell left the building, and the elf could only watch as her friend went back to his home.

Ryuu sighed to herself, before she went back to sleep.

(Linebreak)

With Bell, the boy made his way through the streets of Orario for the Hearth Mansion.

Until an unfamiliar voice caught his attention.

"Why if it isn't the Heir to the Throne of Heroes! Fancy seeing you here."

The boy looked onward to see a god with dark blue hair wearing what looked like a jumper.

Bell immediately felt Gilgamesh's presence on his back, warning him.

The boy asked, "Who are you?"

The god smirked, "Oh dear, on guard immediately? You don't have to be so stiff, you know?"

He slowly walked towards the boy, "But well, guess I can't blame you. We're pretty dodgy, aren't we? Us gods, I mean."

Bell frowned, as the king of heroes' annoyance seeped through, "No shit. What do you want?"

Ikelos' smirk widened, "Is that Gilgamesh's aura I can feel? Guess I gotta be careful eh?"

The white haired rabbit felt uneasy, as if something was off, and Gilgamesh's annoyance wasn't helping, "Talk, what do you want?"

The god chuckled, "Name's Ikelos, and one of my kids' using me to do some fishing, see?"

Ikelos mimicked the act of fishing with his hands, and Bell simply narrowed his eyes, "Okay?"

The god smirked, "You wouldn't happen to know anything about a talking vouivre, would you?"

Bell's face steeled, and he could feel Gilgamesh's presence screaming at him to rid the world of the god right there.

But before he could speak or do anything, another familiar voice reached his ears.

"Bell-tan!"

The two turned to see Loki with her cheshire grin along with Lefiya, and the goddess' grin widened when she saw Ikelos and Bell, "I was just looking for you!"

Bell blinked in confusion, "Y-you were?"

Loki nodded, "See, Lefiya-tan here was whining about it being just the two of us! So I was hoping to get someone to walk with us!"

Lefiya looked at her goddess, "Loki-sama?!"

Ikelos' smile strained, "Well, unfortunately for you, I was already having a wonderful conversation with him."

The redhead's grin widened, "Really now? Can I join? Surely you'd have some interesting gossip, wouldn't you, Ikelos?"

"Now isn't this just a wonderful coincidence?"

The four turned to see Hermes approaching them, and Bell blinked, "Hermes?"

The god of messengers smiled, "Why hello, Bell-kun, Loki and Lefiya-chan. I was just looking for Ikelos here."

Loki's grin widened, "Excellent! Then I can take our dashing young hero here, while you take that emo looking piece of shit with you! How's that sound?"

Ikelos opened his mouth to speak, and so did Bell, but Hermes cut them both off, "That sounds great!"

With that said, the god of messengers pushed Bell towards Loki, who quickly grabbed him and pulled him away, while Lefiya chased after them.

Soon, the three disappeared down the alley, leaving Ikelos and Hermes.

The god of nightmares stared at his fellow god, "So, what sort of business did you have with me?"

Hermes met his gaze firmly, "I have some questions for you, Ikelos."

(Linebreak)

With Loki, Lefiya and Bell, the three made their way to a quiet alley.

Loki looked back, and she sighed, "Alright, this is far enough."

Bell looked at her, "Why did you pull me away?"

The goddess of mischief looked at him, and she scowled, "Because all of us could feel that king's aura a mile away, and I swear you were about to kill him, weren't you?"

The elf asked, "What happened?"

The boy looked away, "I wasn't going to…"

Loki's lips thinned, and Bell refused to meet her gaze, "Okay, I was considering it."

The redhead grumbled and palmed her face, "For the love of…"

The boy asked, "Where are the others?"

Loki sighed, "Bete and Ais are on the way back to our home. But fuck that, what the hell happened?"

Bell looked down, "Ikelos… Might be an enemy."

Lefiya blinked, "An enemy? Why?"

The boy opened his mouth to answer, only to remember who he was speaking to, "... Forget it."

Loki raised an eyebrow, "Come on! You can't just say something like that and tell me to forget it!"

Lefiya nodded, "You can tell us, we can help."

Bell backed away, "No, it's still too early. Thanks for your help, Loki-sama. I'll be sure to give you another jug of wine next time."

"Load: Ushiwakamaru."

With that said, the boy leaped onto the roofs and dashed off, leaving the red haired goddess and the elf.

Loki narrowed her eyes, "Something smells fishy…"

The elf, on the other hand, was more worried about her friend, "Bell…"

Unbeknownst to the three, a white owl was perched on a roof nearby with one artificial eye, watching them as Bell left the area.

(Linebreak)

With Ikelos and Hermes, the two gods sat on a bench nearby.

Hermes didn't look at his fellow god, "So, I heard some pretty dark rumors about you."

The god of nightmares smirked, "Rumors? Now do tell."

The god of messengers clasped his hands together, "Word is that you're in cahoots with the faction of darkness, Evilus."

Ikelos laughed, "Me? An evil god? You must be joking!"

Hermes closed his eyes, "There's more. You wouldn't happen to be involved in smuggling and trafficking, would you?"

Ikelos snorted, "So you're saying I'm behind all of that?"

The god of messengers let out a breath, "I have no desire suspecting a friend from Tenkai, but my resources led me to you, Ikelos."

The god of nightmares smirked, "Then use those resources and find out. You have so many of your children following in your footsteps, even your captain has designed her flying shoes in your image!"

Ikelos glanced around, and whilst he couldn't see them, the god was sure that Hermes' children were around them.

The god of nightmares chuckled, "But I'll just say it here and now. I personally have nothing to do with what you're looking at. If my Familia is involved, then it's all the kids' doing."

Ikelos smirked at his fellow god, "See, everything they're doing, it's just so small, they think what they're doing is big, but in reality, it makes no difference! And this makes it all the more hilarious to me!"

Hermes' lips thinned, "Keeping control and order of a Familia is also the responsibility of a god."

The god of nightmares laughed, "Well sorry to disappoint you pal, but I'm starving for entertainment! So far whatever my kids are doing seems funny enough, so I don't have a reason to stop them."

The god of messengers narrowed his eyes again, "You do understand what you're saying, don't you?"

Ikelos snorted, "Kill me, torture me, do whatever you want. Hell, you can even sic that kid with the Heroic Spirits on me for all I care. It won't stop my kids."

He smirked in a deranged manner, "All I want is entertainment, and it just so happens I am one of the few gods who don't care if I get entertained. If I go back to Tenkai, the kids will just hide it out and find another god who doesn't care, and everything will go back to square one."

Hermes sighed, "I suppose you're not wrong."

Ikelos chuckled and stood up, "If that's all you wanted to ask me, I hope you got your answer."

The god of messengers nodded, "I suppose so."

The god of nightmares smirked, "See you around then, I hope we see some interesting stuff soon."

With that said, Ikelos vanished down the streets, leaving Hermes on the bench.

The god of messengers sighed, "What a pain…"

(Linebreak)

The next day, Bell was making breakfast again, until he heard Lili's voice.

"Bell-sama!"

The boy glanced towards the door, "Yes, Lili?"

The prum had a concerned expression on her face, "We received a letter from the Guild!"

Bell blinked, "The guild?"

Lili nodded, "They want you to head to the Guild building."

The captain of the Familia blinked, "The Guild building?"

The prum nodded, and she brought out a letter, "And it looks like they want you to go alone too."

Lili walked to the white haired boy, handing him the letter.

Bell gave it a quick read, before he nodded, "Alright, I'll head over after I finish making breakfast then."

The prum looked at him, "You don't think… do they know about Wiene?"

The heir to the Throne of Heroes shook his head, "I don't know… But if they do…"

He trailed off, but Lili knew if need be, Bell would stand against them too.

The prum sighed, "Just be careful, Bell-sama."

Bell nodded, "Yeah, I will."

A short while later, Bell sat in front of Eina in a private room.

The boy asked, "So, why did the Guild call me over?"

The half elf had a somber look on her face, "The Guild has decided to issue you a mission."

Bell blinked, "A mission?"

Eina nodded, "Yes, unlike quests, missions are mandatory, once it is issued, you must complete it."

The boy hummed, "I see…"

She brought out a sealed envelope, "Here, the details of the mission should be in here."

Bell nodded and took the envelope, "Do you know what it is?"

Eina shook her head, "I don't, and that's what I'm worried about. I've issued missions before, and I've always been told something about them… Until now at least."

The white haired rabbit looked at the envelope, "I see…"

He tore the envelope open, before unfolding the paper.

The moment he did, his eyes widened.

All members of the Hestia Familia are hereby ordered to proceed to the 20th floor with the dragon girl.

Sharing the details of this mission to anyone outside of the Hestia Familia, including members of the Guild, is prohibited.

Bell's mind raced.

The mission issued meant the Guild knew about Wiene.

But what the boy couldn't figure out was why did the Guild want Bell to bring Wiene back to the dungeon, and why the 20th floor specifically.

The young hero had been to the 20th floor before, and he couldn't think of a reason why they would need to go there.

There was nothing remarkable there.

Which meant there were two main possible outcomes.

One, there was something on the 20th floor that was related to Wiene, and no one except the Guild knew.

Two, the Guild was putting the Hestia Familia into a trap, and some other party would be there to take them out, including Wiene.

There were too many unknowns, and the fact that the mission only told them to reach the 20th floor was confusing too.

But before he could continue his musings, Eina's voice reached his ears.

"Bell-kun?"

The boy looked up, and he saw Eina's worried expression.

The half-elf asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Bell took a moment to breathe, "... No, nothing's wrong."

Obviously Eina didn't buy it, "What did it say? The order for the mission."

The boy shook his head, "I'm not supposed to tell anyone about it, apparently."

The half-elf's eyes widened, "What?"

Bell nodded, and he folded the paper up, "I think I'll be heading back now. I need to prepare for the mission."

Eina furrowed her brows, "Oh… Okay…"

The boy turned for the door, but the moment he did, the half elf called out, "Bell-kun…"

Bell turned to look at her, "Yes?"

Eina pursed her lips, "I… I don't know what the Guild wanted you to do, but if you need any help…"

The boy smiled, "Thank you, Eina-san. I'll make sure to do that, maybe after I finish the mission."

Eina nodded, "Okay, it's a promise, alright?"

Bell nodded, his smile almost wavering, "Of course."

With that said, the boy left the building, and the half elf decided to file her worries for another time.

(Linebreak)

A short while later, Bell sat in Hestia's office with the rest of his Familia.

Hestia folded her arms, "This is concerning…"

Aisha hummed, "I wonder how they found out?"

Daphne folded her arms, "No idea, but there's no point worrying about it anymore. What's worrying is that they didn't restrain us or get us to hand Wiene over."

Lili nodded, "Which means something will happen when we reach the 20th floor."

Welf looked at Bell, "What do we do?"

Bell let out a breath, "There's not much we can do. It's a mission, we'll just have to go along with it."

Artemis nodded, "But be careful, who knows what's going to happen."

Everyone nodded, and Mikoto asked, "But why the 20th floor? I mean, we've been there before, but we found Wiene-dono on the 19th."

Bell shook his head, "I don't know. But we're gonna have to be prepared, in case anything happens."

Nobody objected, and Cassandra asked, "Did they specify when we need to head down?"

Bell shook his head, "No, they didn't."

Aisha hummed, "Well, I've heard that some missions don't have a time limit, just that you need to complete it eventually. But obviously if you don't complete it, the Guild will ask questions."

Haruhime asked, "So we should go down as soon as possible?"

The Amazoness nodded, "That would be the case. In fact, you can say that the Guild probably expects us to do it immediately."

Bell nodded, "And it is related to Wiene, so I want to get this over with as soon as we can."

Hestia nodded, "We might get some idea on what's happening with Wiene and the dungeon."

The goddess of the hearth's eyes went to the mission order that now rested on the table, and she shared a look with Artemis.

Bell closed his eyes, "Alright, we'll need to bring Wiene with us. So going in at night would be ideal."

He looked at his Familia members, "I hope that is enough time for everyone to prepare everything you need to reach the 20th floor."

No one objected, and Haruhime asked, "Have you asked Wiene-sama about going back into the dungeon?"

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

Welf raised an eyebrow, "Why though?"

The renard looked down, "I was playing with her last night… and she's not fond of the dungeon… I think she has nightmares."

Daphne hummed, "A monster having nightmares of the dungeon… That's interesting."

Haruhime nodded, "Wiene-sama was telling me about them, and I think it might not be a good idea to bring her back there."

Welf hummed, before he looked at Bell, "What should we do, Bell?"

The boy took a deep breath, "Let me talk to her, then we'll decide what to do. Worst case scenario, I'll tell the Guild we can't take Wiene with us."

Aisha raised an eyebrow, "You plan to go against the Guild?"

Bell shook his head, "No, not if we can. But if Wiene can't go back to the dungeon, then there's not much we can do either now, can we?"

The Amazoness snorted, "Guess not."

Bell stood up, "Alright, I'll go talk to Wiene. Everyone else prepare all you need for the dungeon. We'll meet up and leave at 11pm tonight."

After a while, Bell was in his room with Wiene.

The vouivre asked, "What's wrong, Bell?"

The boy blinked, "Sorry?"

Wiene looked at him curiously, with a hint of worry, "You seemed… troubled?"

Bell blinked, before he chuckled, "Am I that obvious?"

The vouivre just tilted her head in confusion, but the boy smiled, "Wiene, can you tell me more about yourself?"

The vouivre blinked, "Myself?"

Bell nodded, "We've been busy with so many things, and you mostly play with Haruhime for the past few days. So I never really got to ask about you."

Wiene nodded, "Okay?"

The boy sat down on his bed, "So, you were born in the dungeon, right?"

The vouivre nodded, "Yes."

Bell looked at her, "Was there anyone else with you? Or were you…"

Wiene shook her head, "I was alone… It was cold, dark… and quiet. It was scary."

The boy kept silent as the vouivre continued, "No, I was alone. Monsters attack me, humans attack me… I could only keep running."

Bell nodded, "I see… It must have been hard."

Wiene's eyes watered a bit, "It was. But now I'm here."

The boy nodded, "We'll protect you, Wiene. You're one of us now."

The vouivre looked at him, "Do you mean it?"

Bell nodded, "I do. From the bottom of my heart."

Wiene looked down, "But I'm… I'm a monster, and…"

The boy shook his head, before grabbing Wiene's hands, "No, it doesn't matter whether you're a monster or not. You're talking to me, you feel, you eat, you're alive. You are one of us now."

The vouivre's lips trembled, before she threw her arms around Bell's neck, "Thank you… Thank you!"

Bell smiled, "You're welcome."

He gently pulled her away from the hug, before setting her next to him, "But Wiene, I want to know how you're feeling here."

Wiene smiled, "I love it! Everyone's so kind!"

Bell nodded, "Glad to hear it."

The vouivre looked down, "But I just wished…"

The boy raised an eyebrow, "Wished?"

Wiene didn't meet his gaze, "I just hoped that everyone wouldn't sleep at night…"

Bell hummed, "Why is that?"

The vouivre gripped the edges of her coat, "I… I have these dreams…"

The boy's eyes widened ever so slightly, "Is it the dungeon?"

Wiene nodded, "Yes… In my dreams, it's always cold and dark… and I always feel very angry."

Bell listened as she continued, "I see people like you, and I always fight them. It always ends with everything turning red. Sometimes I kill those people, sometimes they kill me… It's… it's scary."

The boy asked, "But you don't want to hurt anyone anymore?"

Wiene shook her head quickly, "No! I hate it! I just want it to stop! I don't want to hurt Bell and Haruhime and everyone else!"

She trembled, "I… I just want it to stop…"

Bell pulled her into a hug, "Wiene, it will stop. You're not alone."

Wiene smiled at him weakly, "Thank you, Bell."

The boy nodded, before he spoke up, "Now, I want to know… Are you okay if we bring you back to the dungeon again?"

The vouivre blinked, "The dungeon?"

Bell nodded, "We're all going into the dungeon, and I want you to come with us."

Wiene looked down, turning silent, and Bell added, "It's okay if you don't want to. I understand."

The vouivre shook her head, "No, I'll go."

The boy's eyes softened, "Are you sure?"

Wiene nodded, "I will go. I'm… I'm still scared, but everyone will be there with me, right?"

Bell nodded, "Yes, we will."

The monster smiled, "Then it will be fine. Everyone will protect me."

The boy chuckled, "Of course we will."

Wiene nodded, "Okay, then we will go to the dungeon!"

(Linebreak)

Meanwhile, Fels was in Ouranos' chamber.

The god could feel the annoyance from his long time friend, "Is something wrong, Fels?"

The sage scowled, "You sent the Hestia Familia on a mission to meet them. Why?"

Ouranos closed his eyes, "You have been watching them for the past three days."

Fels stared at him, "And I have given you my reports of them."

The god nodded, "Indeed you have, and it is through your reports that I have decided to send them on this mission."

The sage frowned under his hood, "It is too early!"

Ouranos shook his head, "No, contrary, I believe it is the right time. We have asked Ray about her impression of them, she is in favor of them meeting the others."

He opened his eyes and stared at the sage, "Fels, I understand your concerns about him. But remember, Bell Cranel is not only the Heir to the Heroes of Humankind. He is also the heir to heroes who are humane."

Fels fell silent, but Ouranos could easily feel the displeasure.

The god sighed, "Fels, they have taken in the vouivre as their own. There is nothing to be afraid of."

The sage spoke up, "You're right, but they are still monsters, and Bell Cranel is one fated to inherit the legacies of those who slay monsters. Forgive me if I am worried for our friends."

Fels looked at the god, "You are also correct, we have monitored them for the past few days. The vouivre has been treated as if she was one of their own."

Ouranos nodded, "That they have."

The sage turned to the door, "I shall reserve my judgement for now. For the sake of our friends, I hope he becomes their hope."

The god nodded, "He will. He already has."

Fels didn't answer him, but instead headed to the door, "I suppose I should prepare to meet up with the two goddesses of the Hestia Familia now, should I?"

Ouranos nodded, "Thank you, Fels."

XXX

Done. So that's the chapter. The next chapter will show us the meeting with the Xenos, and we'll also expand more on how the Ishtar Familia and the Thanatos Familia will be involved.

Until then, read and review please.