Author`s Note. I know people would like a faster upload, but I´m writing four stories at once. While I try to write fast, it just takes a bit of time sometimes.
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"Fight eternally, immortal soldiers of lightning...Caelus Hildr."
It was Bell´s first time witnessing magic for real. Hedin moved his Romphaia slowly and created a large number of "Lightning Soldiers". Sending them in various directions, letting them hover there.
"First you will practice your short-chant magic, and aim at the lightning soldiers. You will start with the ones above us, get a feeling for your magic."
"Alright..."
"Hm?!"
"U-Understood, Master!"
The Einherjar didn´t mind them, they just made sure not to get too close, or Hedin would shoot his magic at them. Magic training was handled differently from the normal baptism in Folkvangr. Since especially magic with long chants, could resolve in a dangerous Ignis Fatus if the person got attacked or interrupted, without having control over the magic.
Which could even result in instant death, so that even the Andhrimnir couldn´t help anymore.
Also, Hedin made it clear that he alone would train Bell in magic since it was Freya´s order.
Just as Hedin explained to him, Bell took a deep breath, emptied his mind, and raised his right hand, aiming at one of the lightning constructs.
"Firebolt!"
An unknown and strange feeling washed over Bell. His field of vision turned red for a moment as red-orange-yellowish fire burst out of his hand and shot upwards in a more or less straight line. It wasn´t a fireball, it was fire but moved more like lightning.
It curved upward and smashed into the lightning construct, exploding it as a reaction.
"I destroyed it!"
"No, you didn´t. It exploded on contact with another magic because I set it that way."
"Oh..."
A voice came from the side.
"Don´t discourage Bell! He is doing his best!"
Hedin made an annoyed expression. "Silence, girl! Don´t interfere with the training that Lady Freya ordered me to do for him!"
The adult elf was not happy that Heith sat on a stone close to them. But since it was Bell´s first time training with magic, she insisted on staying close, just in case. Hedin couldn´t argue against it, since Heith was Bell´s "personal healer", whatever that meant. But it was Freya´s orders, so she had the right to be here.
"Rabbit, continue. Aim for the other ones in the sky, get a feeling for your magic."
"Understood, Master!"
Hedin and Heith watched how Bell used his magic again and again, getting more confident each time.
After using his magic about thirty times, Bell started to sway and staggered.
"Uh...my head..."
Hedin didn´t move, and neither did Heith. Everything was spinning for Bell, his head felt fuzzy. Eventually, he staggered more and finally fell on the grass, losing consciousness.
Heith smiled. "Thirty shots, not a bad number."
"Mh. Heal him."
"Don´t order me around, knife-ear."
When Hedin talked to her, Heith showed the annoyed expression she had towards most of the Einherjar or High executives. She treated only Bell different, but that was mostly because of how he acted. Mostly. Heith actually started to like Bell very much.
So she got up from the rock, crouched down next to him, put a hand on his forehead and mumbled until she used her magic on him. She wouldn´t complain that Hedin let him continue until he experienced a mind down. It was the safest environment to see this for the first time.
Also, even when he fell unconscious, Bell knew that he would be safe as long as Heith was with him. She had healed him often enough, was always there for him, he trusted her with his life.
She remained at his side until his eyes slowly started to open again.
"Wha-..."
"Does your head hurt, Bell?"
"No...did you...heal me?"
"Of course I did."
For Hedin, it was the first time to see a warm smile on Heith´s lips.
With her help, Bell carefully sat up, he looked up at Hedin.
"Mr. He-..Master, what happened?"
Hedin pushed his glasses slightly up, they flashed when he did that. "Minddown. When you use all your mind for your magic, you will fall unconscious, as you just experienced. It takes training and knowledge about your magic, skills and limits, to know how far you can go without having a problem or pass out."
Bell nodded. "I understand."
"We will see that. Continue."
"But, how?"
Heith handed Bell a potion with a blue liquid inside it.
"A mind potion, drink it and wait a moment, your head will feel better soon. It feels different from a healing potion."
"Thank you, Heith."
Hedin would only tolerate all this "slacking off" because it was Bell´s first time using magic. But he would drill him...train him, into someone worthy of Freya´s attention.
Heith returned to her rock and sat down again. "No matter what happens, Bell, even if you by chance have an Ignis Fatus, I am here and will help you immediately, so don´t be worried."
"I won´t."
He looked at Hedin again. "I´m ready to continue, Master."
"Then go on."
Heith had prepared half a dozen mind potions. Bell managed to only get one additional mind down. Just before it would happen a third time, he stopped before using his magic, counting the number of spells he could use.
Twenty-eight.
That was his current maximum before he would pass out.
Hedin adjusted his glasses again. "You used five mind potions so far, that will be all for your first magic. Now you will try your incantation magic, it will feel different. Empty your mind, and focus only on your magic. A spell with a long incantation has a higher risk to get out of control if you don´t focus properly, which will also result in a stronger Ignis Fatus."
Heith held her staff, at the upper part it was shaped like a cross, with small crosses carved into the tips too. It gave her a somewhat holy look but was sturdy enough, that she could even use the sides like a warhammer. Heith didn´t look like it at all, but even when she wasn´t a true warrior like the Einherjar, with her level four status and healing magic, she could take on every Einherjar in a one-on-one duel and win for sure. Bell had heard mumbles, that when Heith became truly furious, she was a fearsome sight.
"I´m here, Bell. Whatever happens, you will be safe."
Bell nodded, took a deep breath and closed his eyes, emptying his mind. He listened to the wind in the grass, the sound of clashing weapons from the training of the Einherjar and high executives.
There was a different sound in the distance, a sound of something big and heavy cleaving the very air.
This sound came in a special rhythm, from a warrior at the very pinnacle of power training on his own. Bell listened to these sounds, letting them calm him down.
In his mind, he saw his heart...no...a heart. A heart that started to beat.
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"Blessing of the roof of evil, you were cursed at birth, I will free you."
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Hedin and Heith kept their distance, not too close, but not too far either. Both listened to the chant, a chant always told something about the person using it.
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"Your original sin that devoured half of your body. I am your purification. I am your salvation."
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Bell got louder while the chant rolled over his tongue. Both people with him heard the chant, both heard the description of a person...and both thought of the same person.
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"Guide me, great god, I will partake in the banquet of the gods."
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Some of the Einherjar, then more and more stopped their training. They couldn´t hear Bell chant, but they saw what his magic did. A titanic heart, looking like dark iron, appeared in the sky above him, easily measuring ten meters in diameter.
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"The resonance of this heavenly sound is my love."
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Cracks appeared in the dark heart, running along it, in these cracks, there glew something...like a fire.
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"The trumpet of the gods, the lyre of spirits. Melody of light, I free you from your sin!"
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Bell started to shout, the iron heart got more and more cracks, looking like it was on fire. Then...it beat one time.
BADUMM!
The sound was insanely loud, loud enough for every single person in Folkvangr to hear it...including their holy goddess.
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"Loved by Love, my destiny is my own! I love you! The compensation is here! Destroy everything with the flames of love!"
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The heart started to beat faster, every time it did, the cracks widened, tightening again when the heart got smaller, only to expand for another beat. The elf and the human woman said nothing, but both were aware of something.
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"Hungry flames, entrapping tongue of fire! Devour all, fangs or scorching heat! My burning desire!"
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They heard a literal confession of Bell´s love for Freya out loud. With each word that he spoke, the heart beat stronger and louder. So that even the heavens heard his burning love for Freya, that bloomed in his chest. The heart started to burn.
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"Sing, holy tower!"
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The heart looked like it was made from molten metal, beating louder and stronger. Even Bell was burning now, an aura of fire enveloped him, without doing any damage. It wasn´t part of the magic, it was his skill "Burning Love" reacting and strengthening his spell.
Unseen by them, Freya stood at the window in her room, her face was deep red. Since she could see Bell´s soul reacting, which was on fire now, she also was able to speak the chant in the same rhythm as he did. Feeling his burning hot feelings, seeing the flaming heart in the sky. Her knees felt so weak, she almost strangled the bunny plushy in her arms, her heart beating in the same rhythm as the one Bell summoned.
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"GENOS AMBROSIA!"
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The titanic heart shot down from the sky, towards an empty spot on the grass field. Bell had tried to aim it at the sky, but this spell couldn´t turn upward, only down. When the Einherjar saw it coming down, they ran. Even when Bell was level one, a spell like that could become dangerous.
Like a comet of burning love, the molten heart shot down, smashing into the ground, creating a titanic explosion as it got ripped to pieces. The individual fragments shot in every direction, digging into the ground. The half-prum, Van, could barely evade one of the fragments. Ottar, who stopped for a moment in his personal training, got hit by such a fragment, which had the size of a human heart, right into his chest. It simply bounced off, not doing him any harm. A level-one spell couldn´t threaten his level-seven body.
Every single person on the grass field, and Freya, saw the outcome.
Where the spell smashed into the ground, a titanic heart was burned and carved into it, the fragments had created a cracked crater around it. Almost like a giant, heart-shaped fist had smashed into the ground.
By chance, the heart was turned in a way, that the tip at the bottom pointed at Freya.
She was unable to speak, all she could hear with her ears was her fast beating heart, and the blood rushing in her ears.
Hawawawawa~~~~~~
If this really was Bell´s spell...a direct declaration of love...
Freya couldn´t bear the sight anymore.
She...fainted...almost.
Freya fell back on the couch, still noticing Bell´s scent on it, hugging her bunny plushy. She buried her face into the plushy and kicked her legs, squealing loudly.
Bell had carved and burned his feelings for her into the ground where the familia trained! For everyone to see!
Hauuuuuuu!~~
And without knowing it...Hedin made the situation worse...or maybe better...for her.
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"How does your head feel?"
"Fuzzy...it is...as if I used so many Firebolt spells at once..."
"Then drink the last mind potion and try it again, get a feeling for your magic. Aim at the same spot, since you don´t seem to listen for aiming it at the sky."
"I can´t aim it upwards...no matter how I thought, I had the feeling it can only smash down."
"Maybe with more training, continue."
"Yes, Master...thank you, Heith."
She nodded after handing him the last mind potion. Her cheeks were quite red, if what she heard from the chant and saw with the magic...then Bell was something else.
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Freya almost screamed out in embarrassment when she saw the heart appearing again, Bell using his magic for a second time. Even Hogni, who returned quite devastated from the city now...and even Rose in the city...and many, many, maaaany other people in the city saw the heart appearing again, before smashing into the ground.
The heart shape got burned and carved even deeper into the ground. Now Freya would always see this spot as the first thing in the morning when she looked out of her window. While, over time, the grass would grow back where the fragments hit, the heart shape itself would never vanish...
When she imagined Bell using this spell in the dungeon, burning hearts, possible signs of his love, into the walls and ground...it let her almost faint again.
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After his training was over, Bell intended to return to Freya, but before he had a chance to do so, Horn appeared.
"You are forbidden to enter Lady Freya´s chamber for the next two hours..."
"Eh? Why that? She told me to come once my training is over?"
"It is her will, accept it!" Horn made an angry, disgusted face.
"A-Alright..."
Heith sighed. "Horn, don´t be so hard on Bell."
"Tsk."
Horn turned around and left, Heith smiled wryly.
"Sorry, Bell. She sometimes is just like that."
"Hm...what shall I do now?"
"Maybe something in your house? I´m sorry, I have to return to the training of the Einherjar. Also, in four hours we will start preparing dinner. I expect you to be ready and at the kitchen then."
"Hay! I won´t disappoint you."
Hedin already left after announcing he expected Bell to appear in the morning before he went to his other training again, he wouldn´t tolerate any slacking off. So, Bell would now train all in all for three hours each morning, and still go into the dungeon with Rose afterward. It may be hard and exhausting, but he looked forward to it! This kind of training was exciting and very different from the baptism!
For a moment he stood there, he knew that Hestia was busy cleaning the house and she said she didn´t want to get disturbed doing her duty. So he followed an instinct and followed the noises of something heavy swinging through the air.
It didn´t take long for him to find the source of the noise, it was Ottar. He was training on his own, using two greatswords. Bell stopped fifty meters away, to not disturb him.
What his captain did, wasn´t just swinging his swords around, it was what his grandfather had called "Shadow training". Ottar imagined a monster or opponent he fought before, attacking this shadow, deflecting the attacks or blocking them.
It was a fascinating sight, the training was so intense that Ottar sweat, he didn´t look at Bell, but was surely aware of his presence. They had a "light" training before, but now Bell saw a glimpse of what Ottar was truly capable of. Each swing or strike was dealt with great precision.
While he watched, Bell started to imagine the shadow by himself. Bell had heard a lot of stories about heroes of old times, and younger times from his grandfather, and he heard stories from some of the Einherjar, about what kind of opponents Ottar fought.
Who he fought in the so-called Dark Times.
Bell saw the shadow of a tall, bruly man, clad in full plate armor, swinging a giant sword.
For an hour, Bell watched Ottar, his captain didn´t even stop once but kept fighting constantly. The movements he made demanded absolutely everything from his body, forcing him to push himself to his limits so that his sharpened skills would never diminish.
After another half an hour, during which Bell sat completely still and just watched Ottar, his captain finally took a deep breath and lowered his swords.
"You are amazing, captain."
Ottar turned to Bell, his expression was as usual. "Is that so?"
"You fought against one of Evilus´ leaders in your mind, right?"
"You can tell?"
Bell nodded. "I...almost saw a figure in my mind."
"It was the fight of my life...I never had such a challenge again."
Bell couldn´t help but smile. "My grandfather told me stories of fighters as strong as you. How they felt when they had no one to fight, a goal to reach. A worthy opponent."
"Is...that so?" Ottar wasn´t good with conversation.
"Yes, and he told me what they did to train. Heroes like Albert Waldstein the Great."
Even Ottar had heard stories about Albert, but only that he was the strongest.
"And what did he do?"
"A special form of training, similar to what you did, captain. One of my books has a detailed description of it, the movements as well. My grandpa said maybe I could use it later."
"Oh?"
Now Ottar looked interested.
"I never heard of such a book."
"My grandpa said to treat it carefully, since apparently it's the only one left, maybe it's the only one ever written."
Ottar´s stare was quite intense, the question obviously.
"A-Ahm...if you want...I can let you take a look?"
Ottar just nodded.
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When a knock came from the door, Hestia went there humming, opening it.
"Ah, Bell, welcome b-KYAAAAA!"
Ottar´s massive form startled Hestia.
Bell bowed apologetically. "I´m sorry for startling you, Lady Hestia. I just came to pick up one of my books and give it to the captain.
Hestia almost slumped to her knees, seeing Ottar towering over her with a sinister face.
"Sorry for coming unanounced."
Freya had told him in the past what he should say in case something like that happened.
"Hawawawa..."
"Ahm, I will be right back, please wait for a moment, captain."
Bell rushed up the stairs, Ottar waited outside so he wouldn´t startle Hestia too much. Soon, Bell was back down again, carrying an old book. It didn´t look as old as Ottar thought it might, but still very old.
He went outside with Ottar and closed the door, opening the book to show Ottar what he meant. At the end there was even a description of magic items that were apparently used, Bell couldn´t know that these items came from a different era, after Albert´s time. These items were developed and used by a certain familia, led by a very handsome and humble god. These items would make the training quite intense and put a huge stress on the wearer´s body.
"This...may I lend this book for a while?"
"Hm? Oh ahm, of course."
"You have my thanks, Bell Cranel."
"N-No problem."
Bell couldn´t know at this point, what this book would mean for Ottar, and do for his familia.
After Ottar left with the book, Bell kept Hestia bit company and helped her with a few things in the house, until it knocked again at the door. This time Hestia opened it very carefully, but it was just Horn.
"Lady Freya is now ready to see you, Bell Cranel! And she asked you to accompany him, Goddess Hestia."
She turned around immediately and left.
Hestia eyed Bell. "Did you do something to make her angry at you?"
"I don´t know...maybe? If so, it wasn´t on purpose."
"Hm."
Both walked together to Freya´s room, Bell wondered why his goddess didn´t want to see him for the last two hours. He couldn´t know, that after using his magic, Freya had needed a lot of time to calm down, to be able to even face Bell. Otherwise, she would just fidget there on her seat, completely red, not being able to talk properly.
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"Freya, we´re here."
"Ah, Hestia, Bell, come in you two."
Freya wore an elegant, pretty chaste, white dress, with a green jacket, which somehow let her look much more like a Goddess of Fertility than usual.
She had prepared tea and a few burned cookies, most of them without sugar.
"So, Bell. Please tell me about your first experience using magic."
"It was amazing! Really amazing! It felt so good!"
"Is that so?" She smiled.
Hestia knew Freya long enough to notice something, Freya acted a bit weird. But maybe it was just pride because one of her followers did well?
Sadly, Hestia couldn´t take part in the conversation for the whole time. She fainted for a while after eating one of Freya´s cookies...which was really rude.
When she woke up again, Hestia still sat leaning back on Freya´s couch, but Bell was gone.
"Hestia, that was really mean of you..."
"*gasp* What happened?! I could´ve sworn for a moment I was back in heaven! I saw a light at the end of some tunnel!"
"Mh, you´re just like the others...only Bell likes my cooking..."
"Where is Bell?"
"Gone to help the Andhrimnir with the preparations for today´s dinner, so that the Einherjar have enough to eat. He wanted to help for a while now, but the Andhrimnir protected their kitchen, and they didn´t know if Bell had the skills. So I gave him a "punishment" to help them, this way they won´t turn him away."
"Heh, how nice of you, Freya."
"You let it sound as if it´s surprising that I´m nice..."
"I didn´t mean it that way. But...Freya?"
"Hm?"
Freya had just gotten up from her armchair, walking to the couch that Hestia sat on. Thankfully she had nothing in her hands.
Hestia fidgeted a bit, blushing slightly while she looked to the side. "Freya, I have known you for a long time. But could it be...are you in love, with Bell?"
"Nah!"
No one had ever heard Freya making such a noise, nor saw her blushing and fidgeting like that.
"Wh-Wh-What are you s-saying, H-H-Hestia?!"
Freya fidgeted, stepping from one side to the other, back and forth, her face was deep red. She looked exactly like a young elven maiden in love would.
"Oh my...hit the nail on the head..."
"B-Be quiet! I-It´s not like th-that!"
Hestia chuckled, and then she laughed. "Oh, Freya! It´s so obvious now! You´re head over heels for Bell!"
Freya pouted, tried to keep a good posture. "Am not..."
"Ehehe~~ You´re so cute!~~"
"Don´t tease me..."
Freya let herself fall down on the couch, right next to Hestia, still pouting while she looked away from Hestia.
"I´m sorry, Freya. But it is really adorable to see you like this."
"And here I´m surprised you talk like that, aren´t you against these things?"
"Against pure love? No, why would I? And to me, your love for Bell looks quite genuine and pure."
"Mmmmmhhh!~~~~"
"Oh my, Freya, you´re overheating!"
Freya clapped her hands in front of her eyes. "What can I do?! Just look out of the window!"
"Huh? The window? Wait a moment...Huh?! What is this giant heart shape?"
"That was Bell, his magic!"
"Oh?"
Freya explained what Bell´s magic did...and his chant...and her situation.
"O-O-Oh my heavens, Freya! This was basically the loudest confession I ever heard!"
"Aaah! Don´t say that word out loud!"
"Hah, you act like a young maiden with her first love."
"I can´t help it, Hestia! I am in love! For the first time! Argh! What are you making me say?!"
Freya hid her face behind her beloved bunny plushy.
Hestia said nothing for a while, when Freya slightly lowered the plushy and looked at her, she saw that Hestia smiled with genuine care and affection.
"Freya, I´m really glad that you managed to get something like that, to feel that way."
"B-But...what if I interpret Bell´s chant wrong? What...if he doesn´t have feelings for me?"
"Is that...even possible for mortals?"
"I mean genuine love, Hestia. Not for what I am...but for me...and...Bell is immune..."
"Immune?"
"Yes...a skill of his makes him immune to my nature."
"Wow...never thought something like that is possible."
"Hah..." Freya hugged her plushy to her chest.
Hestia noticed how similar this plushy looked to Bell...
"Your love for Bell is true and genuine, right, Freya?"
"It is...I swear...I will never look at another man like I look at him...nor let one touch my body again..."
Instead of blushing when physical "love" was mentioned, Hestia smiled gently.
Then her voice changed slightly, and got more depth, her eyes gleamed very slightly, and it looked like her hair had a slightly red tone. Freya felt the very slightest release of Arcana.
"I hear and witness your vow, Freya. As one of the three heavenly virgins, I hope that your love bears fruit and gives you my blessing."
Freya turned her face to her friend. "Hestia?..."
It wasn´t just simple words that Hestia spoke, a god making an oath in front of another god, especially when they were polar opposites of each other, wasn´t a small thing. And that Hestia, one of the three great virgins, acknowledged her vow..as a Goddess of Love and Beauty...something like this never happened before. And among the gods, something like that had meaning. It really showed that Freya´s love for Bell was something she never felt before in her long, long...and lonely...life.
Hestia returned to normal, her voice didn´t sound neutral anymore, but as cheerful as always.
"I will support you with everything I can, my friend."
Tears ran down Freya´s cheeks, Hestia offered Freya her arms and gently hugged her face to her chest when the other goddess leaned towards her.
"There there..." Hestia gently patted Freya´s back.
"Thank you...Hestia...thank you..."
It felt quite nice to get pampered by her friend like this. So they stayed like this for a while.
"Hestia, there is something I wanted to tell you, that you have to know before tomorrow morning."
"Hm?"
Hestia would remain for a while longer in Freya´s room, the truth about Syr was revealed to her, and she noticed even more how lonely Freya had been. What a curse her divine beauty could be to her.
"Hah...you really can be a cutie pie, Freya."
"Mouh..."
"Now I can´t wait to get to the pub tomorrow. I want to see the girls that made you like this. Do...they know?"
Freya shook her head. "Only Mia does...I´m...afraid to tell them..."
Hestia smiled. "I won´t say a thing, but under one condition."
"What...is it?..."
"Please...never make me eat your food again..."
"Et tu, Hestia?..."
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While Hestia kept Freya company, Bell entered one of the most holy and sacred places in Folkvangr.
The kitchen.
Only the Andhrimnir and Freya were allowed to enter this place. No Einherjar and not even the high executives dare to enter this place. Back when she was the captain and head chef, Mia had set up the rules for this place. And personally had hammered dwarvish runes above the entrance, which warned every intruder about their fate if they disturbed her sacred kitchen...or dared to sneak in and get some food when it was closed for the day, or still wasn´t open the next morning.
Even when she partly left the familia, Mia still asked Syr every few days if "her kitchen" was still alright. After all, she had only partly left the familia, so technically it was still her kitchen. And the Andhrimnir feared and respected Mia and her rules.
Bell just went through the entrance and waited there, not daring to go deeper into the enormous kitchen before one of the Andhrimnir told him to.
Of course, the one who greeted Bell was their leader.
"Bell, you´re right on time."
"I didn´t want to come too early or late so that you wouldn´t get disturbed."
"Good, follow me."
Heith wore one of her usual outfits but with an apron put over it. It looked quite elegant and cute. The other Andhrimnir all looked at him and Heith, standing in wait at their stations. Bell wondered if each of them always worked at the same station each day.
"Do you have any experience with kitchen work, Bell?"
"When I lived with my grandfather, we always did field work together, growing vegetables, harvesting and cleaning them, and preparing them in the kitchen. He handled meat and grilling things, but I always helped to cut the vegetables."
"That´s good. To see what you´re capable of, I let you work here, next to Remilia."
The human woman that Heith stopped next to, had blond hair, amber-colored eyes, and was a bit shorter than Heith.
She looked up at Bell since he was a bit over half a head taller than her.
"Do you know how to peel and chop onions?"
"I do."
"Then this will be your job."
"Understood."
Heith said nothing, she knew what Remilia did. While he always worked as hard as everyone else to fulfill her job and Freya´s wishes...she was really bad in working with onions. Remilia was one of the people who couldn´t stop crying without end...and they had to chop a lot of onions for dinner.
Heith handed Bell an apron and helped him to put it on properly.
"Show me your hands."
She inspected his hands from all sides, as she did with the other Andhrimnir.
"Everything is clean and properly in order."
Then Heith went to the main stove and took a deep breath.
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"""""""""""""""""""""""""""We hereby swear to keep the kitchen clean at all times. Make proper food for those that are hungry, to feed our proud warriors and make sure that they don´t remain hungry. We will honor the kitchen, the tools, and every ingredient."""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
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Bell was a bit baffled when he heard all the Andhrimnir speaking in unison as if it was a magic chant...or a ward to protect them from the possible wrath of the dwarfish owner of the kitchen...
Remilia handed Bell a knife with the hilt towards him.
"Treat it properly, don´t drop it, clean it thoroughly after you´re done."
It still sounded like a warding prayer.
Remilia smiled slightly when Bell took the knife.
"And now let us do our best to feed those beasts."
"Didn´t you call them proud warriors a minute ago?!"
"That was only part of the prayer, now let us begin, show me how you can handle onions."
"R-Right..."
So it was a prayer after all...
A small mountain of big salad onions lay in front of Bell, each of the onions was roughly three times bigger than the small ones he was used to. When he took the first onion, Bell had to think about the last time he helped his grandfather in the kitchen.
I miss you, Grandpa...
A garbage can stood between him and Remilia, so he could toss everything that wasn´t used inside. Heith had explained to him that all kitchen waste would go back to Demeter familia, from where they got ninety percent of their vegetables and fruits. They collected all kitchen waste from all over Orario, to feed their enormous compost heaps. And the animals they had.
Bell wondered just how big Demeter´s fields were, they had to be...enormous.
He went to work, focused on not wasting anything.
"How fine shall I chop them?"
"Chop some very fine, but we also need some rings and bigger pieces. Around a third of each."
"Understood."
Bell noticed how Remilia kept her distance from him...or maybe the onions?
He remembered everything his grandfather told and showed him. For a while, Bell lost himself in his memories...
And his knife started to dance.
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Heith noticed from her stove how Remilia and a few other Andhrimnir were distracted. While they continued their work, all looked in Bell´s direction.
The small mountain of onions was chopped with insane speed and skill into three smaller mountains. His knife was almost dancing. Heith saw how he took a fresh onion, set the cutting edge at a side, peeled it perfectly in one go, tossed the waste into the garbage can, cut the onion in half, made a few additional cuts and then chopped it into fine pieces. Only the most skilled Andhrimnir could keep up with that skill.
And all of them noticed something truly terrifying.
Bell didn´t cry.
At all.
His eyes looked very red...well they were naturally red, but he didn´t even flinch. Remilia on the other hand had tears in her eyes, even when she kept her distance.
It looked like Bell would be done much faster than they anticipated with his work!
Pretty soon, the onions were done.
Bell went to the sink that Remilia had shown him and carefully cleaned the knife before he returned to the station.
"What now, Ms. Remilia?"
"Can you handle potatoes? We have a lot of potatoes."
"I do."
The mountain of potatoes in front of Remilia was easily three times bigger than Bell´s onion mountain had been.
"You want all of them peeled?"
"Of course all of them, why would we leave some unpeeled?"
"Did you ever make thyme or rosemary potatoes?"
"What´s that?"
Bell explained it to her.
"Hm...Heith?!"
The leader appeared shortly after Remilia called for her, and explained what Bell just told her.
"An interesting thing...and you can do that, Bell?"
"I do, it´s one of the few things I am good with."
"Alright, we will try both versions of what you just said, use this stove here. We will see what the beasts prefer to feast upon."
Bell wondered if the Andhrimnir called all of the Einherjar beasts...
Then again, he got told that Remilia wasn´t part of the Andhrimnir, she was actually one of Freya´s attendants. But since Freya didn´t need her today, Remilia helped the Andhrimnir...to feed the beasts...
He immediately went to work, it looked like peeling potatoes was also one of his strengths. But since he had to prepare the first "dish" he would make, Bell was allowed to take many of the potatoes that Remilia had already peeled.
Bell halved them, put them in a bowl to rinse them off, then put them in a pot with broth, thyme and a bit of garlic and salt, before taking them out of the broth.
"Ms. Remilia, do we have duck fat?"
"We do, but rarely use it."
"May I?"
"Duck fat? With potatoes?"
"Ahm...trust me?"
"Hm...go one."
She showed him where they had stored it. Bell put some duck fat on an oven tray, put it in the already heated-up oven so it would melt, then he put some of the potatoes on the tray, moved them around a bit in the fat and put it back in the oven. While he waited to take them out and turn them, he went to work with other, unpeeled potatoes. He cut each into four pieces and put them on a different tray, sprinkling them with olive oil and rosemary, before putting them in the oven too.
Since there was so much to make, Bell spent his whole time helping the Andhrimnir by only handing him the potatoes. Various smells filled the kitchen, it was a really nice scent.
They made all kinds of dishes. Lots of meat, fish, soup, salad, bread, paella, eggs, vegetable rice and booze...lots of booze.
According to Heith, even the elves of the familia, with the exception of Hedin, ate meat. The Einherjar needed the energy and nutrients that meat provided them, otherwise, they wouldn´t be able to keep up fighting so hard.
While it was hard work in the kitchen, it was also quite fun for Bell. And he was a huge help for the Andhrimnir. Since he took almost all the work from Remilia, she was able to help at other places.
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Dinner time was as chaotic as always at Folkvangr. The Einherjar wolfed down enormous amounts of food, so much so that the Andhrimnir were barely able to keep it up by bringing out food. Bell had offered his help, but they declined, this needed a certain amount of skill, to move between the tables and the other Andhrimnir.
So instead, since Hestia and Rose would now wait, Heith helped Bell pack two big packages of hot food for them.
"I will follow when things calm down here."
"Shouldn´t I wait?"
"No, please don´t let h-..them wait."
"Alright, thank you, Heith."
She smiled. "I have to thank you, Bell. As do we all."
He saw the admiration in the eyes of all the Andhrimnir. They had only been slightly upset with him for making their hospital dirty before, "giving them more work", but he still was their absolute favorite among the other members.
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When he knocked at the door of their house, since his hands were full, it got opened by someone he didn´t expect to see.
"Goddess?"
"Ehe, good evening, Bell. I thought maybe it could be fun to eat with all of you again."
Now he got why Heith stopped her sentence. She wanted to say "Please don´t let her wait"...
When he saw Freya like that, smiling at him while opening the door for him...for some reason...Bell remembered the words of his grandfather, about a man´s romance, what joy it was to have a beautiful woman greet you when you come back home.
Even more when it was a woman he loved.
His face became red. "Ah..."
Freya saw his face, her cheeks got pink too. "Wh-What?..."
Both just stood there, unable to say more.
Bell´s mouth eventually opened on his own.
"I-I l-lov-"
Freya´s eyes widened. What is he about to say?!
Then...it had to be then...of course, it had to be then...they heard Hestia´s cheerful voice from behind, she noticed the situation too late to hold back.
"Ah, Bell welcome home!~~"
It looked like a lightning bolt hit Bell.
"I love it when you spend time with us!"
Freya´s head still steamed, she slowly turned her face to Hestia, an expression of betrayal showing to her friend...and Freya pouted again.
"S-Sorry...Freya..."
"Mouh...Mouh! Mouh! Mouh!"
Freya averted her face away from Bell and went to the couch, sitting down. A humming Rose came to Bell, took the packages from him and hit Hestia a bit with her tail, guiding her to the kitchen, while she nodded to Freya a few times.
Telling Bell to go to her, while she would keep Hestia away for a moment.
Bell felt really nervous when he was alone in the room with her. She was so beautiful, cute, sometimes adorable, strong, lovingly...she was just wonderful. For a while, he had wondered if it was right for a mortal to see a deity in a different light than to worship. But being part of this familia, and a few things he had seen in the city, made it clear that some mortals were like that. He remembered seeing a Chientrope and her god, the way the young woman looked at her god wasn´t worship at all, it was clear affection.
But would it be alright to confess his feelings to her? She was his goddess after all...maybe she would misunderstand it? His grandfather taught him, that he had to make sure his intentions were understood. And his grandfather said some things about goddesses and mortals...
He stopped next to Freya, who still looked pretty flustered.
"G-Goddess?"
Freya glanced up at him.
"S-Say, would it be alright...b-but only if you want to!...would it be alright...t-to go and see the Monster Filia festival next week together?"
"The...Monster Filia?"
"Y-Yes! There is...there...there is something I would like to tell you there!"
Freya felt her heart skipping a few beats, she was still unable to see Bell´s soul, except that it sparkled crystal clear as always.
"Y-Yes! Gladly!"
"O-Oh, that´s good!"
Both looked at each other, not being able to say more words. After a while, Hestia and Rose slowly poked their heads out of the kitchen, seeing Bell standing there, looking in one direction, Freya sat there, looking in another. Both were quite red in the face.
Just as Hestia decided that they had to help both to break the awkward silence, a knock came from the door, and both were startled.
Oh my, they´re so cute together. Freya, I´m rooting for you.
Rose walked to the door since Bell would probably stumble over something and fall in his current condition.
When she opened the door, Heith looked a bit less tired than usual.
"Good evening, Ms. Heith."
"Good evening...Ms. Rose...hah..."
"You look... awful..."
"I´m feeling awful...the beasts are now fed, their hunger satisfied...for now."
Rose closed the door after Heith came inside, Hestia now came from the kitchen, announcing everything could be set up for dinner. Just like the day before, they would eat in the living room. But all three women noticed Bell and Freya were unable to look at each other. Seeing the goddess fidget like that was really adorable.
Their eyes only met when they both leaned forward to take a roasted potato since their fingertips brushed against each other.
"Ah."
"Oh."
"Ahm..y-you go first, Goddess..."
"N-No, Heith said you worked hard for the food...please go on..."
"I insist..."
"It´s alright..."
Hestia and Rose had mercy with both, each of them picked a roasted potato up with their forks, placing them on the plates of Freya and Bell. Each of them had a fork that was only used to pick up food, not moving it to their mouths with it.
Freya glanced at Bell after she tried one of the roasted potatoes.
"It´s really good, Bell..."
"Not as good as your food..."
"Mh..."
Hestia guessed she could keep a teacup hot if she put it on Freya´s head right now. To help her a bit, Hestia tried to tickle one of Freya´s other sides out.
"Freya?"
"Yes?"
"Say, do you have armor and weapons for yourself?"
"Huh? I do, I´m a Goddess of War."
Hestia´s smile widened. "Then how about, maybe it could be fun, how about you have a training fight with Bell one day? I think this could be fun."
"O-Oh?"
Bell looked as surprised as his goddess. "I can´t fight against her, it would be unfair!"
Hestia blinked, smiling sheepishly. "But why?"
"I mean...as a deity...and with me having a falna..."
Hestia chuckled. "Bell, you are aware that some gods know how to fight? My friend Takemikazuchi for example could take on a level four adventurer."
"What?!"
"And Freya´s blade work is surely a sight to behold."
"Then...if you would like to, Goddess?"
"Mh...alright, but only after your first training week is over. Letting you train even more would be dangerous."
"Alright."
Hestia grinned. "You could make it a bet, the winner can ask the loser to do something."
Bell and Freya glanced at each other for a moment, then they shyly nodded.
"Alright, that´s settled then, now let us go to the bathroom!"
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Today would be different from yesterday. Freya enjoyed the time in the bath, but today it was Hestia and Heith washing her back. All three saw how flustered Freya was.
So, Hestia suggested something to help her.
"Wanna have a sleepover?"
"Huh?"
Hestia smiled brightly. "We could chat for a while, making plans for the Monster Filia. For your...date."
"D-D-Date?!"
Heith got surprised by Freya´s maiden-like squeak. Normally she would be as jealous as everyone else in her familia, that the goddess was flustered because of someone else...but she was just too cute today.
"Little Heith can stay as well! And Rose can help us make plans too."
Rose shook her head. "Pass. I...hah...I don't have any knowledge...ahahaa...heh..."
Heith nodded shyly, while she didn´t have the knowledge, helping her goddess could be nice. And she was curious about these things as well. And...a bit about Bell.
So, after the bath was over, since Bell and Rose had to get up early, Freya and Heith sat with Hestia for a while in the living room, before they would go to sleep. Since the room that Heith had slept in was already reserved for her, she would sleep there. And Freya would have a proper sleepover with Hestia.
They talked in a very low voice so that Bell and Rose wouldn´t wake up. There were many possible outfits that Freya could wear, but she wanted to use something simple.
"Hm, lady Freya?"
"Heith?"
"I think...maybe it would be better if you go as Syr. Since your radiating beauty would attract so many people, it would be hard to enjoy the festival with Bell."
"True...but..."
Hestia nodded to agree with Heith. "If you two are alone, when no one looks, maybe you could there use this chance to turn back? Like this, you two can enjoy it and still have the important conversation."
"Mh..then...then I should wear my white dress, with the big hat."
Hestia smiled. "It will surely look cute, chaste, and proper."
They talked for a while longer, about who should guard Freya on that day. Hestia slowly understood why Freya was so lonely, her familia almost held her in a golden cage.
Heith was in thought for a while. "Let it be the captain. The black cat will surely be distracted with watching over the pub...I mean "her"."
"Hm, Ottar..."
Heith lowered her voice more, her cheeks got slightly red. "And he won´t do anything in case "that" happens..."
Hestia looked confused. "What do you mean?"
Heith´s voice was barely audible. "K-K-Kiss."
Hestia looked shocked. "Kissing?! So early?!"
Freya clapped her hands over her mouth. "K-K-K-K-K-Kiss?!"
Hestia looked amazed. Wow, that was a lot of Ks.
Then she chuckled. "Freya, if I didn´t know it better, I would guess you are the virgin goddess here."
"Wh-What can I do? I l-l-love Bell..."
"And I´m glad that you can experience these feelings in their true and pure form for the first time, Freya."
The things that Heith heard made her feel a bit sorry for her goddess, she didn´t know if she was actually allowed to hear something like that or feel this way. That her goddess opened her heart, her most vulnerable sight of her very self, Heith didn´t feel as blessed as she would´ve in the past. But..she wanted to be there and help her goddess.
Before they went to bed, Freya gently hugged Heith.
"Thank you, Heith. For everything."
"Mh.."
The kiss on her forehead felt...godly.
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"Hehe~~"
Hestia had pulled up her blanket, looking over to Freya.
"Sleepovers are nice, don´t you think."
Freya nodded softly. "Indeed, thank you for the suggestion, Hestia."
"Always, my friend."
It was already late at night, except for the few night guards, everyone except them was asleep in Folkvangr.
"Now let us go to sleep, tomorrow your cooking lessons will start."
"Why don´t you take cooking lessons from her too?"
"I...Syr isn´t allowed in the kitchen at most times..."
"Oh...But I think it would help you greatly. I mean you do have the time, don´t you want to cook lots of different delicious meals for Bell?"
"Bell says my cooking is delicious..."
"But what about more complex dishes? I´m sure he would love it to come home to something like that, greeted by you, with a good meal."
Hestia lowered her voice and whispered. "Like...a newlywed wife."
"Mmmmhh!" Freya got red again and squealed.
"Ehehehe~~~ You´re so cute, Freya!~~~"
"Don´t tease me..."
"Hehe, time to sleep now."
"Don´t go to sleep after you just made me embarrassed!"
"I´m sooorry, I can´t hear you, 'cause I´m soooo sleepy."
"Hestiaaaaa!"
After a while, both really went to sleep. Hestia´s soft snores filled the room, Freya lay on her side and looked at the wall that separated Hestia´s room...and Bell´s.
"Bell...good night..."
Her dreams were filled with lots of different versions of a possible date.
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Before their training would start the next morning, Freya updated Bell´s and Rose´s status. As usual, Rose shivered comfortably when Freya touched her bare back, even when she did it softly and without any teasing intent. But how Rose´s tail wagged against Freya´s knees looked pretty cute. Her follower might be able to keep a cool...or slightly annoyed...face at most times, but Freya´s touch was something else. Even when Hestia sat next to Freya and watched curiously how exactly a status update and hiding the blessing afterward worked, even when Hestia´s aura of purity suppressed Freya´s nature to a certain degree.
But it wasn´t about Freya touching Rose, it was just about someone touching Rose. She too wanted to fall in love and find a partner...even for more...amorous activities.
When the status update was done, clicked Freya her tongue in recognition, while Hestia made a long Oh sound.
"Wow, you impress me, Rose."
"Hm?"
The half-naked werewolf turned only halfway around, since her mane was long enough, she let it hang down at her front, covering her breasts this way.
"Here, take a look, and congratulations."
Rose took the sheet of paper and made a surprised noise.
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Rose Fannett
Belongs to: Freya familia
Level: 1
Strength: I 99
Endurance: H 100
Dexterity: I 80
Agility: I 92
Magic: I 0
Skills: Cool Beauty
Magic: Helfrost
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Cool Beauty: Disgust for hot-headed decisions and adventurers, let's keep a cool and rational head in dire situations. Increases effect of frost-based magic. Increases attack power when wielding an axe.
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Helfrost: Short chant frost magic, covers weapon or shield with frost element, deals additional stamina damage to target. Repetitive attacks will slow down the target. Using the command again will let frost explode forward in a stream.
Chant: You´re annoying, you bother me. So shut up, be quiet, go to sleep, fall into eternal slumber.
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Rose jumped up from her chair, holding the sheet of paper in front of her, her mane whirled around.
"I...I have magic?!"
"And a skill...Quite the name I have to say."
"Hah...but...how?!"
Freya chuckled. "It really is something else, normally one doesn´t get magic so early. And by the way, you have two more magic slots."
"But that part about disgust..."
Freya now giggled. "It really looks like the guild work did something to your soul. And I actually like the polar opposite difference."
"What do you mean?"
"Loki has a werewolf in her familia, a guy. Some people describe him as more cool looking, and from my children, I know that he has a hot temper and fire magic. You on the other hand look quite hot, also due to your hair color, and you have frost magic."
"Thanks for the compliment...but why is my magic called Helfrost?"
"That might be because I´m a northern goddess. Which could maybe explain that about axes too...or do you like axes, Rose?"
"I saw a few in the past that looked quite nice...thought they could be good to strike down some adventurers..."
"Oh my, looks like my stunning werewolf has some bloody tendencies."
Rose still looked at her sheet. "Hah.."
"Ahm, Rose?"
"Yes, lady Hestia?"
"Maybe you should put your shirt back on?"
Rose looked down, her mane was now behind her back again, so she was "flashing" Hestia and Freya.
"Oh..."
Her cheeks got red and she covered herself quickly.
Hestia looked at Freya with flushed cheeks. "How can you be so calm about that?"
"Hm? I mean we´re all women here?"
"Hm, right."
After Rose dressed herself again, Freya smiled.
"So then, Rose. I will talk to Hedin, that he helps you with your magic too."
"Ugh..."
"Oh my, that is quite the expression, do you dislike Hedin?"
"I...am bad with most elves..."
"Ehehe~~ I promise you, you will bad with him too."
Rose rolled her eyes. "Thought so."
"And I will make sure that you can change your sword with an axe. But please keep your spear. You never know when you encounter a monster that needs a greater range. With Bell´s sword, your new axe then, and two spears, you two are quite well equipped."
"Understood. Then I will go and get my stuff."
"Can you send Bell in then?"
"As you wish."
While Rose walked out of the room, her eyes still glued to her update sheet, Freya leaned to Hestia and mumbled.
"Hestia, I know it will be embarrassing for you to see Bell without a shirt...but please stay, I need you next to me right now...or...I might faint..."
"Ehehe, such a pure maiden. Of course, I will stay."
"Thank you."
For a moment, Freya leaned over and touched Hestia´s head with her own, it was a soft nudge.
Bell came in, greeted both goddesses before he turned around and took his shirt off. All three had red cheeks now for different reasons.
Hestia couldn´t help but mumble. "Woah, his back is much wider than Rose´s, more muscular."
"Well, Rose is a woman. Bell, I will start."
"Hay."
The update didn´t take that long, but he made quite good progress.
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Bell Cranel
Belongs to: Freya familia
Level: 1
Strength: C 602 - C 630
Endurance: C 655 - C 680
Dexterity: D 512 - D 540
Agility: C 643 - C 677
Magic: I 0 - I 70(+50)
Skills: Heroic Desire (Admirer of Love), Magical Heritage, Burning Love
Magic: Firebolt, Genos Ambrosia (Heroic Will)
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Freya couldn´t stop herself from making a noise.
"That...that was quite the jump in status, for just one day..."
Hestia´s eyes became big. "That isn´t normal?"
"Oh, no, absolutely not. But it is Bell, and his skill helps there a lot. Hehe~~ You did really good, Bell."
He turned his face to her and smiled. "Thank you, Goddess."
"Now then, Bell, Hedin will soon wait, and if you let him wait, his mood will be bad."
"Alright, I will get my stuff!"
He jumped up and jogged out of the room, the shirt in his hand. Rose would look at him with a raised eyebrow when she came in full armor down the stairs, while he ran half naked past her. Bell was just too excited to continue, leaving Freya and Hestia flustered in the living room.
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Over the course of the next days, until the end of the week, Bell´s and Rose´s days always went the same, as did Hestia´s.
For the two it was, getting up, training with Hedin, training with Ryu and Anya, then having an excellent breakfast, and going into the dungeon. When they called it a day a bit earlier, Bell would go and help the Andhrimnir again, earning more and more affection from them.
The Monster Filia festival was just three days away, Bell and Freya got quite nervous.
On the last day of the first week of their special training, which would also be the last day they trained with Hedin, Rose managed to strain her tail during the training with Anya, which was pretty painful for her and threw her completely off balance.
So, Bell would go alone into the dungeon on that day. A promised the puppy-eyed Syr, that he would be really careful and not do anything dangerous since Rose wasn´t there. His status had grown enough that he could go onto the 7th floor on his own now, maybe even deeper. But he promised his goddess only to go down to the 7th.
Maybe it was just coincidence...or a form of fate? Maybe...luck.
But if Rose didn´t strain her tail, she would accompany him and both would only go down as deep as the 5th floor. So for someone, it was luck that Rose sprained her tail.
For Bell, this meant he would have luck three times that day, instead of only two times. And the third time having luck would mean the most to him.
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With a scream like every rooster that got killed made, the monster in front of Bell died and evaporated. It had fluffy yellow-green feathers and had been extremely fast, running around. More than just luck let Bell slip on a small rock, changing the trajectory of his spear throw. He surely would´ve missed normally, but like this, he managed to hit the monster and pierce its chest, missing the magic stone barely, but killing it.
Bell jogged to the corpse, looking down at it. He only heard stories about these monsters...a Jack Bird. Said to be insanely rare and fast, adventurers who ventured into the dungeon for years never even caught a glimpse of it.
With shaking hands, Bell pulled out the spear and used the special knife he had with him to dig out the magic stone. Just like the stories said, as the Jack Bird evaporated, it left behind a golden egg!
"Dear heavens..."
The magic stone in his hand was the size of a chicken egg, the golden egg that had dropped was a bit bigger than his fist! He couldn´t believe his luck! A Jack Bird! One of the rarest monsters in the dungeon! And the drop item was apparently worth over a million Vals! The big magic stone was probably also worth a lot, but he had to be careful. Instead of staring at it, Bell put the two important items in his backpack, in the middle, covered by cloth.
Heith had warned him, even when his outfit would scare most adventurers away, if they saw him alone, holding something valuable...who knows what dumb ideas they might get?
After he put everything away, Bell cleaned his spear, checked all of his equipment and went on.
He knew exactly what he would do with the golden egg.
At least...he thought he knew it.
Until he arrived on the 7th floor.
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And looked into two dark eyes, the owner of these eyes, whinnied softly.
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"No way..."
What greeted Bell on the 7th floor was a rare, almost irregular monster. It had white fur, dark eyes, was shaped like a horse, with a single horn on its forehead.
"A unicorn..."
The unicorn whinnied again and came closer, it didn´t look aggressive at all. Blinking slowly and softly, it looked at him, before nudging its nose against his, careful not to hit him with the horn.
"Wow, so beautiful."
Bell dared to raise his right hand and gently stroked the unicorn´s neck. For a moment, Bell forgot everything and just caressed this noble creature. But eventually, after a few minutes, the unicorn´s ears twitched and it looked back, maybe it heard something?
Then it looked at Bell again, lowering its head and presenting the horn to him.
"Eh? F-For me?"
It...nodded.
"Is this really...okay?"
It nodded again.
"Thank you, I will be careful...and treasure it."
He slowly moved his carving knife up, so he wouldn´t scare the unicorn. It was surprisingly simple to cut off the horn, and soon he held it in his hand. The unicorn, now looking more like a white horse, nudged its nose a last time against Bell´s, before turning around and running into the depths of the dungeon.
Bell had heard stories about unicorns from his grandfather, that those on the surface and in the dungeon were different in some ways. Unicorns loved their freedom, and only came close to those that were pure, according to his grandfather, this could have different meanings. One would think that in the dungeon, it was like other monsters, and one would have to strike it down to get the horn.
But unicorns in the dungeon were different from other monsters, they offered their horns, which grew back with time, on their own to some people. And striking one down...killing such a noble creature...would put a curse upon this person, a curse that no one could ever heal, no deity, and not even the best healers in the world. Letting the bearer of the curse suffer some sort of pain for the rest of their life.
He looked at the unicorn horn in his hand, while slowly wrapping it in cloth, putting it in his backpack. Apparently, such a horn had great use, especially for healers! This was perfect! Tomorrow was Heith´s birthday as he heard!
"Hehe~~ I hope she will like it.~~"
But now that he got the horn, new thoughts came up in Bell´s head. Would it be alright to cut a small part of it off? Like the tip? He had to ask about this since he had something in mind for the tip. The horn had a length of almost forty centimeters...a very big horn, but Bell didn´t know this.
With a very good mood, Bell continued his way on the 7th floor carefully, he shouldn´t get too excited now. Maybe it would even be better to turn around and bring the valuable items back home first. His inner adventuring voice said no.
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While Bell was exploring the 7th floor, Freya was moving around in her room, putting some things in other places or wiping dust away. As usual, Horn and Remilia helped her with that task, happy to aid their goddess. And they enjoyed it how Freya hummed, the goddess was in a very good mood. Of course, she was, soon she would go with Bell to the Monster Filia! As usual, the festival would go on for four days, but her "date" with Bell would be on the first day.
Oh, if what he wanted to tell her were the three magical words...Freya might faint...
After a while, a knock came on the door, Remilia went to open it slightly.
"Rusk?"
"I have a message for Lady Freya, there is a visitor at the gate. Goddess Loki and a follower of her."
"I will inform her."
Rusk nodded and went his way, for most men it was forbidden to even glimpse inside Freya´s rooms, with a few exceptions.
"Lady Freya, Rusk said that Goddess Loki and one of her followers are waiting for you at the gate."
"Oh? I wonder what she wants."
"Shall I accompany you?"
"Yes. Horn, can I entrust you to take care of my room? You know where I want the stuff."
"I shall not disappoint you, Lady Freya!"
"Ehehe~~ You never disappoint me, Horn."
Horn looked visibly happy about the praise.
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Freya still hummed while they went to Folkvangr´s main gate, Remilia couldn´t believe her luck today. She knew she had a small special place among her followers, after all, Remilia was the one helping Freya with her bath, and was sometimes even granted the joy of washing her goddess´ back. And to hear Freya´s happy humming, was a bliss for her ears.
"Remilia?"
"Yes, Milady?"
"How are things going between you and Rusk?"
"H-Huh?! What do you mean?!"
"Oh, please. I know that you two like each other."
"Only because of our service for you! We admire only you."
"Ehehe~~ If you say so. But I never forbid you two from getting closer to each other, you know?"
Freya´s statement left Remilia baffled. Sure, Rusk was the one she liked the most in her familia, except for Freya of course. But...romantic feelings?
"Ehehe~~ You´re blushing, how cute."
"Th-That most likely isn´t true!"
"So, you´re saying that I´m lying?"
"Of course not! I would never!"
"Hehe, you´re so cute when you´re flustered."
A few Einherjar stood as guards at the gate, but even they looked tattered. Since no attacker ever came to Folkvangr, they used the time they were at the gate to beat each other up. All four greeted Freya loudly, a single Andhrimnir stood in a slight distance and greeted Freya too.
The gate itself was slightly opened, Freya saw the shadows of two people standing behind it, well and the soul of Loki´s follower. It was the cute, young elf who had healed Bell after the minotaur incident. The question was, did Loki choose her on a whim to come with her? Did she come with Loki so that Freya maybe would already be calmed down a bit? Or did she hope to see Bell again? In any case, Lefiya´s soul pulsed in the rhythm of curiosity...and she was quite nervous.
With a confused expression, and Freya did those pretty well in her opinion, she stepped out of the gate and looked at the other goddess.
"Loki?"
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Loki leaned to the side, pointing with her right index finger at Freya.
"Yes!"
Then she leaned a bit back, pointing with her right thumb at her face and finally downward with the index finger, while holding her left hand at her hip.
"I am!"
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Remilia was baffled again by the behavior of the other goddess, Freya chuckled softly.
While Lefiya groaned. "Loki...this is embarrassing..."
"Hey, I worked long on that pose! And it went perfectly!"
Still, as an elf, of course, Lefiya was embarrassed.
"What brings you here, Loki?"
"Hah...the guild."
"Hm?"
"Royman was bothering me again since he couldn´t bother you with a request, even when he tried for a week now."
"Oh, I was busy during the last week. So I told my cute followers to not let anyone from the guild disturb me."
"Yeah, thought so. So that´s why I´m here."
"And what do they want?"
"A "war" game between us. You know, the guys at Denatus are longing for entertainment again, some want to make the Monster Filia even bigger and more fantastic than it is. To distract the citizens and give them something to look forward to."
"With a war game? Seriously?"
"Not directly. More a "war game". They want to see our familias compete in a number of challenges, but fun challenges."
"Aha, like what?"
"A cooking match! Running a café. And a few other things!"
"Oh?"
Loki saw that she caught Freya´s curiosity. Or more like...Syr´s. After all, Loki was one of the very few gods who knew who Syr was.
The trickster goddess´ smile widened. "And I bet my super cute children will beat yours in every single challenge! After all, your kids are strong, but so unsocial!"
"Hooooh..." A vein twitched at Freya´s forehead, Loki caught her pride as a war goddess.
Loki grinned wide. "Here is the note with the challenges. Children aren´t allowed to take part in more than one challenge, except for one, but not among the high executives, so choose wisely. And we two are allowed to take part in every challenge if we want to."
Freya´s smile widened. "And I am allowed to call all my children?"
"Not Mia!"
"Fine, not Mia then."
When she read about a certain competition, Freya got a plan involving Anya. There surely was a way to convince her.
"Alright, Loki. I accept your challenge and in my endless generosity, the guild´s order to entertain the people and do public work."
Loki grinned wider. "Can´t wait for my cuties to defeat your children!"
Freya chuckled softly, then she looked at Lefiya.
"Bell isn´t here, in case you came to look at him."
"H-Huh?!" Lefiya got a bit red. "I-I didn´t!"
"Oh, is that so?"
"Wh-Why would I?"
"Hehe~~ You´re really cute, you know? If you ever have trouble with Loki, I would gladly welcome you."
"E-Eh?!"
"Oooy, Freyaaa! No recruiting among my super cute children!"
"I´m not recruiting, Loki. It was just an offer."
Freya smiled in a way that made Lefiya very flustered and red. It was a pretty normal smile, but as an elf, especially due to Freya´s presence, she couldn´t help but react abashed.
"By the way, Freya. Is it true that you took Hestia in?"
"I did. She takes care of the new branch of my familia. She really does help a lot."
"Hoh never thought you would do something like that."
"Why not? Oh, Loki. If you are ever burned out and your children ditch you, I will gladly welcome you too as my maid."
"Like Hel! Lefiya, come!"
Freya giggled, while Loki mumbled something about dumb, big-tittied goddesses. While she went inside again, Freya looked at the note in her hands.
"Rem."
"Yes?"
Freya was the only one allowed to call Remilia just Rem...well and Rusk.
"Is there anything from here that you can especially good?"
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While Freya made already plans to take on Loki´s challenge, which gladly only started on the second day, so she could enjoy the first one with Bell, things happened on the 7th floor.
So far, Bell´s solo dungeon trip has been going wonderful! But all that changed when he heard a desperate scream and a lot of clicking noises.
It was the scream of a girl. A girl in danger.
Bell rushed forward, the scene he saw when he arrived at a bigger room, let his blood boil and freeze at the same time.
The room was filled with Killer Ants, at least three dozen or more. With even more coming in from the sides. In the middle of the room, on the ground, right next to a sack and wounded smaller Killer Ant, lay a girl.
A prum.
She had screamed since the leg of a Killer Ant had pierced her right leg, another leg came down and sliced along her back, carving a deep wound.
The girl screamed again in pain and for help.
Time went slow for Bell as the Killer Ant raised the leg again. His spear left his hand, maybe it was luck, desperation or his improving skill, but the spear went straight between the Killer Ant´s eyes, killing it instantly. It collapsed on the wounded girl, the shaft of his spear hit her straight on the head, knocking her out.
He slung his shield onto his back, just like the great hero Achileus had done when he had charged up a sand dune, so he would have his left hand free, drew his sword, and charged in.
"Firebolt!"
With twenty-seven shots left, he had to make every single one count. This one killed two Killer Ants. In an instant, all Killer Ants reacted to the new danger and charged at Bell.
There was only do or die, no other options.
Bell charged into the battle of his life.
He had no chance to take his spear back, freeing it from the Killer Ant´s skull would take too much time. Not all Killer Ants charged at Bell, a few still went for the girl. Thanks to Hedin´s intense magic training, Bell had gotten very good at aiming his spell. In this situation, he couldn´t use Genos Ambrosia anyway, and he had one mind potion.
The Killer Ants seemed to take no end...easily fifty swarmed into the cave now. Bell didn´t know the girl at all, but he would be damned if he just fled and left her here to die! She was a girl! A girl in need! A maiden in distress!
For the first time in his life, while he evaporated the Killer Ants that tried to get to her, Bell felt like a hero! His magic destroyed two to three monsters with each shot. In his mind he thanked Hedin for drilling into him again and again and again how to properly prioritize his targets. Caelus Hildr had drilled that into Bell in a slightly painful way, but he was all too glad that Hedin did it in a rough way.
So, Bell was already used to the feeling of enemies surrounding him like it was the case in this moment. And that his real only way to fight back was his magic.
"Firebolt!"
"Firebolt!"
"Firebolt!"
"Firebolt!"
"FIIIIIIIIREBOOOOOOOOOLT!"
The sounds of explosions, cries of Killer Ants, screams of a bloodthirsty killer rabbit, clashing sounds of a weapon hitting chitin and claws...and many more noises filled the cave and echoed far through the 7th floor.
In the end, the monsters were maybe more afraid of Bell, than the wounded girl was of them.
His mind potion was gone, scratches, bruises and a few shallow cuts adorned his body. The shield on his back had dents, his armor was chipped at some places.
The whole cave gave a scenery of grim beauty. Smoke was in the air, the ground glistened with a carpet of magic stones, even when his magic and sword had destroyed some.
At some point, he lost count of how many Killer Ants he had killed. But he had used his Firebolt all in all forty-nine times.
Bell had no time to think or bathe in his victory, he rushed to the girl and threw the Killer Ant´s corpse to the side. She was only breathing very shallowly now, Bell opened the two healing potions he had and splashed them onto her wounds, while it didn´t close or heal them, at least the bleeding stopped.
At this rate, she wouldn´t make it.
All clear thoughts vanished from Bell at this point, leaving room for only one thought.
One name.
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Heith.
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People in Babel were shocked when minutes later, a blood-soaked adventurer in the uniform of a Freya familia member, burst out into the main hall. He carried and unconscious girl in his arms and ran as if the whole dungeon was following him. Experienced adventurers with a clear mind would´ve run to the hospital of the Dian Cecht familia, but Bell could only think about Heith.
She was his lifeline, she had healed him so often, with her he felt safe. His mind told him, that Heith meant safety, Heith meant life. Heith would be able to heal the girl.
He got tunnel vision, running with all the speed he was capable of, even dropping his shield onto the street at some point, so he would get a little faster.
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"Your tail should be fine tomorrow."
"Thank you, it was really painful."
"I know, we hear that many times from the Einherjar."
Heith took a break from the field of fighting, taking care of Rose´s tail in her hospital room. To get easier access to Rose´s tail, the werewolf had taken off her pants, lay down on a bed in just her panties, while the shirt was slightly moved up.
"Does it hurt when I touch anywhere?"
"No, it just feels a bit n-"
Heith saw how Rose´s ears twitched up.
"Bell."
"Huh?"
"Bell. I can hear him, he screams your name and is coming closer!"
"What?!"
Heith didn´t ask further what was wrong, she grabbed her staff and ran out of the room, towards the gate of Folkvangr. Without even thinking much, Heith started to chant her magic while she ran, she didn´t have Concurrent Chanting, but only running while chanting worked. A few Einherjar and Andhrimnir got alarmed when they saw Heith running to the gate while chanting, and followed her, just in case it was an attack. The ones who trained close to the gate heard Bell´s scream and opened the gate.
In the moment that Bell rushed through the gate, the moment when the light started to vanish from the wounded girl´s eyes...unleashed Heith her magic, as she arrived thankfully just then.
Bell ran right into the healing light of Heith, stumbling over something, but turned while he fell, so that the wounded girl was on top of him. He hit something with his head and lost consciousness.
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Ngh...
When she opened her eyes, it wasn´t the dark ceiling of the dungeon. While the light was dimmed, due to a curtain being pulled in front of the window, she could see that the room was white. And that she lay in a bed.
"Ah..." Her voice sounded hoarse.
"Ah, you´re awake, finally."
She turned her fuzzy head, seeing a human woman with blond hair sitting on a chair next to her.
"Where..."
"I will go and inform my Lady."
The woman didn´t give her further explanations but left the room. When the door opened moments later, and a goddess came inside the room...Liliruca Arde´s blood froze.
"It seems like you´re awake, young lady. How are you feeling?"
"G-Goddess...Freya?..."
"Yes, indeed. One of my children stumbled upon you in the dungeon and carried you here. I can´t tell to which familia you belong, since you died for a moment before my lead healer healed you, pulling you away from death, due to the short death, you lost your blessing."
Freya sat down on the chair. "So..."
Her face looked a bit grim.
"You will tell me exactly what happened there in the dungeon...and why my beloved Bell got in such danger."
Lily felt more afraid than she was in the dungeon.
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"Do you still feel hurt anywhere? What about your head? Let me see."
"Heith, it´s alright! I´m fine!"
"Why are you squirming like that?"
"Because.."they´re" touching me!"
"Hm? Oh stop complaining."
Heith almost hugged Bell´s head to look at the spot where he hit his head, due to that, his face was buried in her bosom.
"This is your punishment for scaring me and Lady Freya like that!"
"I´m forry!"
Heith sighed. "Hah, but honestly...that was pretty heroic of you."
He dared to turn his face slightly upwards, his cheeks got slightly pushed back by her soft mounds...it was...not the worst feeling.
"But I hope you are aware what consequences your actions will have."
She let him move his head back a bit since the situation got really awkward for him.
"What do you mean?"
"Most of Orario saw how you carried her here to Folkvangr, words will get around. No matter what happens to her now, her life won´t be the same afterward, she had contact with our familia, some people might get scared of her, since they saw you caring for her, some people might despise her now."
"Oh..."
"That is what it means to be part of the strongest familia in Orario and the world."
"But...I just wanted to help her..."
"I didn´t say you did a bad thing, you did well. It is basically up to Lady Freya what happens now."
"Hm."
When Heith hugged him gently, embracing him with her warm, caring gentleness, Bell didn´t get embarrassed this time.
"I´m glad you´re safely back, you really did well, Bell."
"Heith.."
She gently patted his head before letting go of him.
"Still, you made Lady Freya very worried, so keep that in mind in case she behaves a bit weird, alright?"
"I will."
The door to the room opened after a while, a pretty small person came inside, followed by Freya.
Both looked at Bell, Freya smiled.
"Bell, may I introduce you?"
"Huh?"
"This is Liliruca Arde...the newest member of our lovely familia. And...the supporter of your party, a very willing new member of small Sessrumnir."
"Eh?!"
Lily looked at him with an expression that said, she was overwhelmed by the whole situation.
"I had a talk with Lily here, she explained everything about her situation to me. Bell, since you saved her, you will now take responsibility, understood?"
"I will, Goddess!"
Bell smiled, just happy that the girl was alive and well.
"I will now let you two alone, so you can have a talk and get to know each other, Heith, come, we have something to do."
"Yes, Lady Freya."
When the door closed, Lily exhaled. Freya had made pretty clear to her what thanking Bell meant. And what it absolutely NOT meant! The sudden turn of events, that all happened so fast, was simply overwhelming.
"L-Lily´s name is Liliruca Arde...thank you for saving Lily..."
"My name is Bell. Bell Cranel. There was no way I could not help you."
"You are strange..."
"Hm?"
"Nothing!"
These two would have a proper talk for the next two hours.
Meanwhile, Freya took Heith with her, as well as a dozen Einherjar, Hedin, and the Brimgar. With a sinister face, she went into the city, towards the home of Soma. She would have a proper talk to him...that actions of his children brought her precious Bell into mortal danger.
This would mean the end of the current Soma familia. While she of course wouldn´t wipe them out, Freya would open Soma´s eyes to the state of his familia, and what he did on the surface. The group she took with her was a demonstration of sheer power. Only the ones who brought Lily in this situation, and due to that Bell´s life in danger...got secretly dealt with by Hogni.
And to her great surprise, when Horn heard about the situation...deep in her heart...she was glad that this handsome jerk was alive and well.
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At the end of the day, it looked like for the first time in his life, Bell had done a heroic deed. Nothing the gods would acknowledge, but he himself did, and Freya...but as a girl, not a goddess.
And...he successfully picked up a girl in the dungeon!
When Freya would update his status at the end of the day, while she became very daring, naughty, and lewd...holding one of his hands with a shy, embarrassed expression...all his hard work from the last week would get shown.
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Bell Cranel
Belongs to: Freya familia
Level: 1
Strength: C 630 - B 799
Endurance: C 680 - B 780
Dexterity: D 540 - B 702
Agility: C 677 - A 821
Magic: I 70 - C 601(+50)
Skills: Heroic Desire (Admirer of Love), Magical Heritage, Burning Love
Magic: Firebolt, Genos Ambrosia (Heroic Will)
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"Bell...you really are something else."
"Is that...good?"
"Very good...but...can you promise me something?"
"What is it?"
"Please...make sure you will always come back to me..."
"I will. I promise you this. Whatever happens...I will always come back. To you...Goddess."
Both still held hands, unwilling to let go of the other.
When he said Goddess this time, it sounded different...in Freya´s ears...more like her name.
"Bell..."
"Goddess..."
Both lost every sense of time, they just sat there for over an hour, holding hands and looking into each others eyes. As time went on, Freya´s eyes glew more and more...only for Bell.
Bell´s decision was made, in three days would be the first day of the festival, until then he would rest...and try to find his shield...but on that day...
He could confess his love to Freya.