Chapter 14: Corrida
A powerful roar that reverberates throughout the sinister labyrinth. Fur turning red, a bloody, menacing hue. A broken blade. The monster, who had previously been only slightly stronger than his fellow creatures, was now an irregular.
It was ready.
All Ottar had to do was guide it where it needed to go. To the boy. And he also had to deal with any potential hindrances.
For Bell and Lili, it was supposed to be another quiet day in the dungeon. Of course, you should never underestimate the dangerous underground, but they were beginning to get used to the upper levels, so they were cautious without necessarily being overanxious.
This only lasted until a group of adventurers ran past them in panic.
"A minotaur! A minotaur in the upper floors! Flee!"
"A minotaur?" said Bell loudly, as bad memories came flooding into his mind.
Other adventurers, with defective courage but efficient legs, passed by them, just as terrified as the first.
"Lili, I think we should..."
But he was interrupted by a roar of rare violence, realising that the beast was much closer than he had thought.
And this was confirmed when the monster appeared at the corner of a corridor. The basic minotaur was already an impressive monster, but this one was clearly the apex predator of its own species. Bigger, more muscular, with fur as red as blood and the eyes of a killer.
He let out another warlike roar as he caught sight of Bell and Lili. Then he charged.
The most basic reflex would have been to move out of the way, but Bell was unable to do so. It's easy to think of the reactions you might have in a dangerous situation when you're calm. But being confronted with one was different. In the face of terror, the human mind sometimes acts in peculiar ways. Like freezing in place, unable to move.
That was what Bell was experiencing at that moment. The monster had brought out a deep-seated fear in his subconscious and it paralysed him, even as the beast charged at him.
"Master Bell!" suddenly screamed Lili as she threw herself on top of him to try and protect him.
But she couldn't stop them from taking a blow. Fortunately, it was her backpack that took the brunt of it. It was shredded and stopped the blade, but not the impact and they were thrown against the nearest wall.
Lili was in pain and blood was pouring from her forehead. This was enough for Bell to wake up.
He had no time to panic, he was no longer alone, he had someone to protect.
The beast struck again, and Bell grabbed Lili and leapt to dodge the attack. Taking advantage of a brief respite, he pushed Lili aside.
"Go Lili!"
"Master Bell!"
"Run! I'll hold him off!" he said as he grabbed his knife and went to guard. "Get away! Hurry!"
"I... I'll get help!" she said as she started to run. "I'll be back Master Bell! So hold on! I forbid you to die!"
Lili's words brought a small smile to his face. It always warmed the heart to know that you had people who cared about you.
Further up in the Dungeon, the Loki familia began their new expedition. Due to certain circumstances, the departure had been delayed, but they were now ready to defy fate once again.
But problems soon arose. As they chatted freely about everything, they began to come across adventurers in a panic and ended up calling out to a group to find out what was going on.
"A minotaur on the upper floors?" Finn said as he took in the news.
"Yes, a big one, on the ninth floor."
"Isn't that one from last time?" Tiona asked.
"Impossible, we killed them all and it's been a month, if he'd been wandering around the upper floors all that time, we'd have heard about it." Tione replied.
"What are we going to do?" Riveria asked Finn.
For her part, Ais had a bad feeling, something that haunted her without her understanding why. The feeling grew stronger by the second, until finally she began to run towards the ninth floor.
"Ais!"
Too late, she was already far away.
"What's the matter with her?"
"I don't know, but there's something really strange about this... Let's go, anyway, we can't let this beast run amok in the upper levels."
Several other adventurers from his familia came with him, more or less willingly. Bete, in particular, made no secret of his irritation, but seeing as no one cared what he thought...
For her part, Lili was running in panic. She couldn't see anything or anyone who could help her. The only advantage was that the minotaur seemed to have scared off all the monsters in the area.
Help... she needed help... fast! Before anything happened to Bell.
The best option would have been to go up to the surface and warn the Guild, who would then have asked the Ganesha familia to send an extermination team, but how long would that take?
No, he needed immediate help. The few adventurers she came across were just as panicked, weak and useless...
She needed someone strong, an adventurer passing through the area to get to or from the lower levels.
Her wish seemed to be granted when she bumped into someone. When she looked up, she saw a face with golden eyes, surrounded by blonde hair.
The Sword Princess... Exactly what she needed!
"Please! Save Master Bell!"
Ais flinched at the name. She now understood where her bad feeling was coming from. She only knew one Bell. Orario might be a big city, with thousands of adventurers, but how many chances was there that it would be another person?
The blonde swordswoman set off again as the rest of her familia had only just arrived.
"Ais, wait... too late." Riveria said, a little taken aback to see the young woman acting like this. She then noticed the small injured figure barely able to stand.
Lili was exhausted, the strain, her wound, the blood loss, the fatigue, all of which had weakened her body and she almost fainted when the high elf came to catch her.
" Easy..."
"Please... save Master Bell..." she managed to articulate in a weak, tired voice.
"Finn."
"I know, let's go."
Now that she was close enough, all Ais had to do was follow the sounds of fighting and screaming. The noise was a good thing, it meant Bell was probably still alive.
But as she got closer, she suddenly stopped as a massive shape emerged from the shadows. A tall, muscular boaz carrying a sword almost as big as herself.
Ottar, the King. In the worst place at the worst time.
"Sword Princess, I challenge you."
"No time, move."
She tried to force her way through, relying entirely on her speed, but Ottar was much faster than his massive build suggested and he pushed her back.
It was too early to let her intervene. If the boy was saved by the swordswoman again, he wouldn't be able to progress and that would displease her goddess... for several reasons.
For his part, Bell survived as best he could, the minotaur hitting terribly hard, and even when he dodged, the debris thrown up when he smashed the ground or a wall still hurt.
His armour had held up well, but was now in pieces. He wouldn't last much longer, so he could only hope that Lili had escaped.
Another blow, another dodge and he found himself thrown... then caught by someone. Then he saw who had come to his aid, a pale-skinned beauty with golden eyes and long hair of the same colour.
Ais gave him a small smile, happy to have reached him in time.
Ottar had held her back... until Bete, Finn and the others arrived. The King might be powerful, but not even he could stop several high-level members of Loki familia.
Finn had tried to get some information out of him, but he had contented himself with answering a few banalities before withdrawing.
It was to be hoped that this would be enough for the boy to grow and for his goddess to forgive his mistake. He had concentrated too much on his mission and had not anticipated the expedition of Loki familia and therefore the risk of them getting involved.
"Everything's fine, I'll take care of the rest." Ais told Bell as he prepared to draw her rapier and finish off the beast.
Only... it triggered something in Bell's mind. So he was going to be saved? Again? Was he so pathetic that he couldn't defend himself?
No way... Never again would he accept being weak or showing himself to be weak, especially not in front of her.
"No... I can't let Ais Wallenstein save me again!" he said, regaining his courage and overtaking the blonde before she could do anything. For her part, she froze in place, Bell suddenly giving off something she couldn't explain. Like an old memory forgotten in the mists of time. The memory of a family, of a father.
For his part, the young man found in himself the determination he had lacked all this time.
It was time for him to surpass himself, to break free of his limits.
It was time for him to set off on an adventure.
Drawing on his rage and determination, he charged the beast to resume the fight.
Bete, who had just arrived, laughed at his sister-in-arms.
"Looks like you've been rejected, Ais. It's the dungeon rule: you don't steal another adventurer's prey. But wait... It's the tomato kid!" he laughed. "He's definitely got a thing for minotaurs that brat!
The only one who didn't agree was Lili. She didn't care if Bell was a hero, she just wanted him to come home alive with her. She didn't want to lose him, he was her light, the one who had pulled her out of the darkness. Anything but him...
"Please, Mr Adventurer, save Master Bell. Lili will work hard, she'll do what's needed, so please..." said the young pallum, clinging to him before her last strength left her and she fainted. Riveria caught her in time and began to heal her.
Bete was irritated by the situation, but deep down he wasn't so insensitive to the young girl's desperate plea. The kid was a bit braver than last time, he'd give him that, but he was only a level 1 brat, the fight was already over, the monstrous bovine was going to blow him away.
Trying to convince himself that he didn't want to witness such a pathetic spectacle, he decided to intervene.
"Move Ais, I'll take care of it."
She simply motioned for him to stop and he was taken aback by what was unfolding before him. A fight of rare intensity, it was just a level 1 kid against a common minotaur. Yet he had the feeling he was witnessing an epic battle.
But above all, how had this kid, so pathetic just a few weeks ago, managed to progress so far?
For her part, Tione, although also surprised, approached Ais.
"Are you sure? The kid's a level 1, he could be killed."
But the blonde didn't respond with anything other than her confident gaze.
It wasn't long before everyone present was fascinated by the fight. Bell was circling the monster, dodging, punching and harassing him relentlessly. He was using everything he'd learned. The basics that Lena had taught him, Ais's training, Aisha's training, his own experience of the Dungeon.
No, he was no longer the defenceless kid he was last time: it was time for him to show he had fangs too!
Another blow forced him to jump backwards, and immediately he got into position and drew on his mental energy.
"Shooting star!"
The flash of flame and light struck the creature as shocked onlookers looked on.
"A short chant?"
"No, It was chantless."
"But it lacks power."
For her part, it wasn't the tactical side that Tiona saw, but more the heroic symbolism that it all evoked in her. Bell exuded something singular, like a unique aura, something that spoke to her heart.
"He looks like the Argonaut."
"You mean the old tale? I loved it as a child too."
The fight continued, but was nearing the end, the beast had lost his sword and Bell was holding it. The minotaur lowered himself into position, ready to use his fearsome horns to finish him off. Bell was now like a matador, ready to face the charge of a monster that would make any bullfighter look like an exhausted old cow.
Two goddesses of beauty. One was oblivious to current events, imagining that her child was having an ordinary day. The other was watching the spectacle, which aroused her so much that she had an orgasm. This did not go down so well with Horn, who was connected to her in spirit as she assumed the identity of Syr to the Hostess of Fertility at the same time.
When Lili regained consciousness, it was to witness a terrible sight that would make her blood run cold.
"Master Bell!"
"It'll be all right." Ais replied calmly.
The great sword shattered under the impact of the charge, taking off one of the minotaur's horns. Bell dodged the blow of the second one by a hair's breadth. So much so that his clothes were torn. But this gave him a golden opportunity.
Drawing on all his remaining strength, Bell firmly stabbed the astral dagger into the beast's body.
"Shooting star!"
Using his weapon as a catalyst, unknowingly exploiting one of his greatest assets, he sent his magic directly into his enemy's body. The minotaur spat blood, but Bell didn't stop there.
"Shooting star!"
Flames shot out from the monster's wounds, showing that it was in total agony.
"Shooooooooooootiiiiiiiiiiiing Staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar !"
Giving everything he had, Bell sent his magic one last time. The minotaur's body swelled under the effect of the pressure before exploding, leaving only the legs and pelvis, which soon melted into dust in their turn, leaving behind only a magic stone and a horn with a red glow.
Bell had triumphed, but in doing so he had unknowingly planted the seed for a far more painful ordeal in the future. But for now, there he stood, impassive, not moving a muscle.
"Mind zero... he fainted on his feet." Riveria said soberly, rather impressed by the sight she had seen.
"Master Bell!" said Lili, rushing towards him with what little strength she had.
"Impressive, what's that boy's name?" asked the Braver, moved by the fight.
"Bell... Bell Cranel." Ais replied with a small smile. She didn't know what had impressed her more, seeing her pupil triumph, the heroism he had shown and which gave her faith that the hero her parents had promised her would perhaps come for her, or seeing the boy overcome his trauma.
"Is this kid really level 1?" said Bete. Curious, he moved a little closer, seeing that Bell's clothes were torn, his back was visible, but the divine tattoo was not. "Tss! Obviously the falna is hidden... Hey! Has anyone got a Status Thief? I'd like to take a look."
"Bete! You're out of line here!" replied Riveria, outraged by his behaviour.
"Come on! At this point, it's almost as if he's begging us to take a look."
"Bete, that's enough!" Finn cut him off. "Even if it's true that he's very strong for a level 1, his stats must undoubtedly be very high..."
"Maybe we should stop guessing and treat him first." Riveria told them in a sanctimonious tone as she approached the young man. It was at this point that Tiona had something of a revelation.
"That's it, I remember where I heard about him! He's Ishtar's rabbit!"
"Do you know him?" Finn asked, curious.
"Not really, but the other day I was in an amazoness clothing shop and there was a group of berberas there talking about him. He seems to have quite a reputation in his familia." She said playfully.
"Really? What kind of reputation?"
"Well, it seems that behind his cute face, he's actually a real beast!"
Lefiya, who had been silently observing events and who, just a few moments earlier, was still in awe of the fight, suddenly put on a horrified face before shouting at Riveria.
"No! Lady Riveria, don't touch him! You... You'll get pregnant!"
Her words immediately provoked a huge, embarrassed silence in the assembly as all faces turned towards her. As for the main interested party, she looked at her jadedly before speaking again.
"Very well, Lefiya, when we return from this expedition, I think that in addition to the magic classes, we'll add a few biology ones to your curriculum."
The elf was so ashamed of herself that she was red from the tips of her ears.
For her part, Ais was deep in existential thought. Could you get pregnant by getting too close to Bell? If so, what were the risks for her, who had spent days training him, giving him lap pillow and letting herself be massaged by him?
"Very well, from the look on your face Ais, I think you're going to get it too." The former elf princess sighed in annoyance before returning to the young adventurer.
At her age, Ais Wallenstein was still ignorant of some of life's secrets, crazy as it seemed. She had always lived with a single goal in mind and her hatred had always distracted her from the typical questions of adolescence. For her, the feminine worries she encountered once a month were nothing more than an annoying constraint. She had learnt how to deal with them, but didn't really care what it meant.
What's more, she had never been interested in the slightest romantic relationship and, as a result, no one had ever taught her about sex. That's how you ended up with a young adult capable of believing something as big as Lefiya's nonsense...
Although she was still young, Airmid had already seen a lot in the course of her career as a healer. However, seeing Ishtar storm into her familia's clinic was something new.
Riveria and Ais had managed to bring Bell and Lili to the surface, promising to catch up with the rest of the expedition soon. The two women entrusted the two adventurers to Airmid's care before setting off again for the Dungeon.
As per clinic procedure, a message was sent to their familia to report the incident and their treatment.
The message had first reached an employee in the entertainment district. As it concerned the Delebat, he sent the messenger back to the Astral Mansion. So it was Hestia who was the first to be informed and she quickly went to warn Ishtar.
As soon as Ishtar was informed, she rushed out of her residence. Hestia was hot on her heels, trying to slow her down so that she could put on her cloak, otherwise her charm would cause a lot of trouble on the way.
To say that Tammuz was enraged was an understatement. When he saw Ishtar leave like that, his anger exploded as he hit the wall.
"Bloody hell! She's never reacted like that to any of us! She never gave a damn if we came back from the Dungeon injured. She's never given a thought to the dead, so why is she acting like this with this kid?"
"Because she's gone soft." Said Samira, who had just come up behind him.
"I don't have time for this Samira."
"Really? I thought you'd be more interested in getting your position back." She told him with a scornful chuckle.
"What do you mean?"
The amazoness then approached him and tackled him against the wall, all the while sticking to him. From the outside, you'd think they were just playing in typical familia fashion, but the amazoness was whispering something in his ear.
"Me, Phryne and several others also think we should get rid of the kid. How would you like to be in on it?"
"What do you intend to do?"
"Remind our goddess who she really is."
"Very well, I'm with you then." He replied without another thought. All he wanted to do was get rid of Bell and Samira looked serious. In the situation he was in, he was ready to accept any proposal that seemed serious.
"Perfect!" she said, stepping away from him. "Oh, one last thing. Don't mention this to Aisha or Lena at all. We clearly can't trust them any more."
The man nodded and they went their separate ways.
Lena was now too attached to the boy for her to agree to follow them. Besides, she had always been an eccentric within their familia, long before Bell's arrival and Ishtar's change. As for Aisha, even though Ishtar had brought her into line, it was now clear that her loyalty was not to the goddess or her berberas sisters, but only to Haruhime.
When the time finally came, they would be forced to make a choice, even if it meant their own demise.
Far from all these shenanigans, Bell regained consciousness at Dian Cecht's clinic, greeted by the smile of his goddess.
"Bell!"
"Goddess?"
"Yes, it's me, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine... I think... Lili!" he then said as he suddenly straightened up.
"Calm down Bell, everything's fine." Ishtar replied before grabbing him by the shoulders to force him to lie back down.
"I'm here, Master Bell. Said the pallum before appearing in his field of vision. She had a few bandages, including one around her head, but she looked fine.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes, more fear than harm, my wounds were superficial."
Lili was touched that he was worried about her before even asking what had happened to her, it spoke volumes about his kindness.
"I remember... the minotaur, but then..."
"You won, Master Bell. But you used up all your strength and fell unconscious. Fortunately, the Loki familia was passing by, they witnessed your fight, then they brought us here."
"I see, that was kind of them."
"Yes, now I'm going to have to find a way of thanking them." Ishtar said with amusement.
But inwardly, she wondered if it wasn't all written down. It seemed as if someone was trying to keep her in contact with Loki. But it would be useful for the future.
"Perhaps I could lend you to Loki so that you can offer her familia a massage service." She said to lighten the mood a little.
"Please, stop with this massage thing." Replied a suddenly very embarrassed Bell.
While the three of them were deep in conversation, the door opened to let Airmid in. The nurse, usually more assertive in the clinic, seemed reluctant to speak.
"Forgive me, but... I need to check on the patient's condition, now that he's awake."
"Of course, take care of him." Replied the goddess before leaving with Lili.
Airmid had been absolutely uncomfortable in Ishtar's presence ever since the little incident at the Blue Pharmacy, convinced that the goddess knew all her secret fantasies. To put it simply, she was hiding certain things that weren't really worthy of a woman with the title of saint, including various fantasies that included rope and a few spankings...
Outside Bell's room, Ishtar bumped into the master of the place, without really meaning to. Dian Cecth spotted her and came towards her, somewhat annoyed.
"Ishtar!"
"Calm down, Dian, this is a hospital." She teased him.
"I know! I wanted to talk to you about the way you handled things with Miach and..."
But his sentence was cut short when his eyes met the dark look Ishtar offered him in reply. The god doctor swallowed and suddenly softened.
"You know what? Forget it, it's not that important..."
And he left without a second thought. Recovering his self-esteem didn't seem worth the trouble of alienating Ishtar.
As for Bell, his wounds healed quickly and he especially needed to recover from his mental fatigue. After just one night in the clinic, he was allowed to return to the Astral Mansion.
In the light of events, Ishtar had ordered two days' rest for the Delebat. She knew Bell: if she let him, the idiot would immediately return to the Dungeon. So she gave the order and stayed behind to keep an eye on him, accompanied by Haruhime, who once again took on the cooking duties, much to everyone's delight.
Then, in the afternoon, Ishtar decided it was time to update Bell's status.
Alone with him in his room, she set to work. Since she had discovered his rare skill, she was no longer surprised at how quickly it had progressed, but she hadn't prepared herself for this.
"Level 2!" she shouted loud enough to be heard throughout the house.
"What?" simply asked Bell, not really sure he'd heard correctly.
"You've just passed level 2! By heavens, he must have been really strong that irregular minotaur."
"R-Really goddess?"
"You've only been at it a month and a half, you've literally just smashed the Sword Princess's record and she'd taken a year!"
Bell had no idea how to deal with this, there was so much information to digest, like finding out that his idol held the previous record, which he'd just broken, the fact that he'd just gone level 2 or whatever that entailed.
"With a level 1 full of S-rank stats at the very least... Seriously, this skill is complete rubbish! Now we're really going to get some attention."
"Goddess, I'd really like to say I'm sorry, but... how can I put this..."
"You shouldn't blame yourself for being happy. Sure, this skill speeds things up, but it doesn't make everything you've achieved in a month any less impressive. We're just going to have to get ready to face some people's curiosity."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't worry about that, we'll see later. For now, let's see the rest, because there are a few surprises, you've won some skills."
"Really? Great!"
It was moments like this that Bell's childish side showed, but it didn't make him any less adorable.
"I think it's safe to say that they represent you well and that each of them is the embodiment of one of your desires."
"What do you mean."
"Well, let's start with the first one..."
Argonaut: Charge effect. The wearer's heroic desires amplify the effect. The power obtained is proportional to the charging time.
"It's... how can I put this, I'm not sure I understand it all." replied the young man a little sheepishly.
"I think you'll have to understand the effects for yourself, but one thing's for sure, this skill symbolises your desire to be a hero."
"Really, that's great then. What about the other skill?"
"I was going to come to that..." she smiled.
Leo Dominus: The wearer gains a temporary power bonus every time he receives a token of affection from someone who genuinely loves him. Effect and duration proportional to the affection received. Can be combined with [Argonaut] to amplify its effects.
"It's... peculiar." He managed to say, not really sure what all this skill entailed.
"I think it's safe to say that this skill here represents your desire to become a harem lord."
A cry, as much of surprise as of shame and despair, was the only response she got from Bell.
"What a shame." He said in a muffled voice, his face buried in his pillow. Sure, a skill giving a power boost was always interesting, but this one involved more than his innocent little heart could handle. "Besides, what does this skill mean by 'token of affection'?"
"Given your level of innocence, I'm sure that holding a girl's hand should already offer you a nice bonus." She replied, teasing him a little. "And I don't see why you're complaining, those two skills look great to me."
"I'm sure it's your fault..."
"You're the one who first talked to me about building a harem!"
"Those were grandpa's delusions!" he protested.
"Not just his on the face of it..."
"Please, stop..."
"All right, all right, I'll stop. Well, on a more serious note, you also have the option of choosing a development ability. You've got three to choose from, and I won't be able to validate your level rise until you've made your choice."
"What are the choices?"
"Abnormal Resistance, Hunter and Luck."
"Hmm... I'm not sure."
"Then take some time to think about it, I'm not obliged to validate your level rise straight away. You can talk it over with Lili to start with, as you're working with her. Don't hesitate to ask Lena or Aisha for advice either, they'll be able to give you their opinions as experienced adventurers. Finally, you can also ask your advisor at the Guild, she'll probably have an opinion on the matter too."
"I see... you're right, I'll do that."
"Just... don't forget that first and foremost, it's your life and this choice is yours."
"I know, thank you goddess."
"Well, now that that's out of the way, let's deal with another problem." The goddess stood up. Then, slowly, she moved towards the bedroom door and suddenly opened it wide. As a result, Lili and Haruhime suddenly fell to the floor, deprived of their support.
"Lili? Haruhime?" asked Bell, a little surprised.
"Tell me, girls, how long have you been listening at the door?"
Haruhime merely turned red with embarrassment and it was the pallum who answered sheepishly.
"Er... since you yelled all over the house that Master Bell was level 2?"
Ishtar heaved a sigh of annoyance, but at the same time, she was a little bit responsible.
"And I suppose you heard everything?" she asked with an inquisitive look. "Including, and especially, Bell's new skills."
They didn't need to answer, their faces told her enough.
"Need I remind you that, in the first place, the contents of a falna are the sole business of its possessor and his god?"
"Sorry," they said in unison.
"Come on, goddess, it's not such a big deal."
"You really are too nice sometimes, you know that?" quipped Ishtar to her child. " Well, I'm relying on your discretion, girls."
The two nodded and the whole group moved on. Even if, in their subconsciouses, the two women were also wondering what Bell's new skills implied.
The young man followed the advice of his goddess and asked the people around him for their opinions. Lili and Haruhime recommended Abnormal resistance. The fox only because her protective nature recommended a defensive option, but Lili suggested this out of pragmatism. Given that there were only two of them at the moment, she naturally recommended the defensive option.
Lena and Aisha, being perfect amazoness, suggested the offensive option, Hunter. After all, a dead enemy is no threat.
Then, he went to see Eina, who, on learning of his level up, exclaimed her surprise in front of a crowd of adventurers eagerly awaiting the next Denatus. They simply isolated themselves in an office, as was their custom.
The beautiful half elf obviously took advantage of the situation to draw his attention to the fact that he had done everything but listen to her recommendations, so she didn't hesitate to get angry and make him promise not to do it again.
Finally, he explained his problem with the choice of his development capacity. The advice he had been given was all very pertinent and Eina confirmed everyone's points of view. But Bell seemed attracted to the third choice, Luck.
In the end, Eina gave him more or less the same recommendation as Ishtar: follow his instincts. So it was with determination that he left the Guild and returned home.
Later that evening, he explained his choice to Ishtar as she was about to finalise the level up.
"Have you decided?
"Yes Goddess, I'll take Luck."
"Any particular reason?"
"I couldn't explain it, my instinct perhaps."
"A singular choice, but one that is very much like you. Very well, go for Luck then! I'll finish this... and that's it! You are now officially Level 2. Congratulations Bell." She said, rising to her feet.
"Thank you goddess."
"And now it's going to get tough for me."
"What do you mean?"
"Tomorrow is the Denatus, and all the adventurers who have levelled up will be given their new aliases. Each time, it's a battle to get something decent."
"Really?"
"Yes, not to mention that as well as you, I've also got Lena and four other girls who've levelled up since the last gathering, so I'm going to have my work cut out for me. But don't worry, I'm sure I'll manage to get you something good."
"I know, good luck tomorrow Goddess."
"Thanks."
In fact, more than the nomination ceremony, she was rather dreading the questions that were going to be asked. Bell had just broken a record, there was no way the other gods would let that go, especially since the first accusations she'd had to face.
Because of Haruhime's magic, some witnesses had seen boosted berberas in action and had reported this to the Guild, who had deduced that Ishtar was trying to defraud them by not revealing the true level of her children, a classic scam perpetrated by certain familias, often in financial difficulty. At the time, she had managed to get away with it by allowing Guild officials to check the falna of several of her members, and had even been able to obtain a nice sum in compensation. But this time it wasn't going to go so well.
Fortunately for her, the evening would give her the opportunity to relax before the big confrontation.
"Luck... I'm curious to see how it's going to go."
It was then that Bell, by a strange coincidence, caught his feet in the carpet of his room and fell straight in front of him, but he was caught by Ishtar, although he ended up with his nose in her chest. This, of course, made the goddess laugh.
"Ah! That's the kind of luck you wanted, actually..."
"What... not at all!" he said as he pulled away, red with shame.
He then left his room in a hurry. Probably a little too quickly, because when he reached the top of the stairs, he missed a step and started to tumble. He managed to regain his balance, but just enough not to hurt himself, but he didn't manage to dodge Lili who was passing by at the same time.
They both ended up on the ground. Lili on her back, her skirt, already very short, pulled up enough to expose her underwear. As for Bell, he ended up on his stomach, his face directly against the pallum's crotch, his nose placed in a... strategic spot.
"Kyaaaa! Master Bell, not in public! It's... it's a bit embarrassing..." she said, hiding her face behind her hands to hide her embarrassment... or rather her big smile. In fact, if that was what would please Bell, she might be tempted.
"Impressive, I never thought I'd see the legendary Lucky Pervert in action."
"Lewd!" then shouted Hestia, who had just arrived and whose only reflex was to swipe Bell's head with her broom.
The little goddess quickly felt a terrible chill run down her spine as Ishtar put both hands on her shoulders.
"Heeeeeeeeestiaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..."
"Hiii!"
The punishment would be terrible...
Elsewhere, in a small village.
Having faked his death, Zeus had quickly moved on to a new place to live. Although he had to stay relatively close to Orario to keep in touch with Hermes more easily, he had managed to find a place where nobody knew him. Thanks to his good nature and cheerfulness, he was quickly accepted, even if most of the women ended up discovering the bad side of the man.
The god, who had been going about his business, suddenly stood up and looked into the distance.
"Is something wrong?" he was asked.
"No. It's just my instinct telling me that my grandson make me proud.
"You have a grandson?"
The day after
Ishtar's arrival at a Denatus always meant the arrival of her cohort of admirers. But nothing could be done about it, she hadn't changed her mind since the Ganesha banquet, it didn't satisfy her ego like it used to, it was just very embarrassing.
Admirers who noted the way the goddess had dressed for the occasion. Usually, she came in her usual outfit, one that hardly concealed anything. Only this time, Ishtar was dressed a little more formally, though still very sexy. And she had pretty sandals on her feet.
"Walk on me, Lady Ishtar!" said one of the gods, wallowing on the ground in front of her. The god of doormats was clearly back. But this time too, the goddess sidestepped him.
"Seriously my friend, this is awkward."
What did the expression say again? Emotional damage? This seemed to be the case for the main person concerned, who seemed to be in a deep depression.
Once in the assembly hall, Ishtar did not do as she usually did, which was to sit down while strutting around with her court of ass-kissing admirers. No, she no longer wanted to do this in an egocentric way, paying no attention to the world around her. So she abandoned her admirers in favour of greeting some of the more interesting divinities.
Some took this change of heart as a good thing, many were surprised, some even wondered if it wasn't all part of a plan hatched by the goddess of beauty.
Ganesha returned the greeting in his own loud way, as ever. Hephaestus felt a little embarrassment and instinctively put her hand to her neck, still remembering the 'little surprise' Ishtar had given her after she had finished her work. A gesture that Ishtar did not miss.
"Your creation is a true masterpiece my dear, my child greatly appreciates it during his expeditions."
"Of course he does. I don't make junk."
"I know." Then he moved a little closer and spoke more softly. "And if you ever feel like finishing what we started that day... Come and see me." She said with a knowing wink.
" Thanks, but maybe another time!" replied the redhead before quickly slipping away, much to the amusement of the goddess of beauty.
The latter then bumped into Loki, whom she greeted in turn before thanking her for the intervention of her children and the help offered to Bell and Lili. Even though Ais and Riveria had immediately gone back to the Keep to catch up with the expedition, their goddess had still been made aware of the situation.
"I'm going to make you pay for a subscription eventually."
"If you want a refund, how about a massage from Bell? You've seen how good he is."
"Hmmm... I don't really like letting a boy touch me like that, but he does look good. Why not, on one condition."
"Oh? What condition?"
"Bring Hestia with you! I absolutely want to see itsy-bitsy in a maid's outfit!"
A request which obviously made Ishtar laugh.
"All right, if that's all it takes to please you... but on condition that you're not too mean with her."
"I promise nothing."
Finally, the last members of the assembly arrived and everyone took their places. Loki took the chair, to the curiosity of some and the protests of others. Freya was also present, which made quite a few people curious. It was really rare for her to show her face, even more so today, when none of her children had levelled up.
No one could have suspected that it was Bell who had lured her here. The boy had exceeded her expectations, but she couldn't let him be humiliated by a silly alias and didn't trust Ishtar to defend him properly. But first we had to see how the goddess of prostitutes would cope with the uncomfortable questions.
The meeting got off to a slow start, with a few banalities of no interest, then came the subject of Rakia. The kingdom led by Ares seemed to be preparing to attack Orario once again. This should have been worrying news, but the entire divine assembly was taking it completely in stride.
In reality, it was just a nuisance, not a threat. True, Rakia's army numbered thousands of men, all wearing the falna of Ares. But in reality, there were only level 1s and a few rare level 2s, and a group of adventurers of level 5 or higher would be enough to decimate them. In fact, the only people who would be really bothered by this would be the merchants, who would have to make a detour, and the familias, who would be requisitioned by the Guild just long enough to spank Ares, which could cost them a few days.
But all that was of little interest to Denatus at the moment. No, the big moment was the naming ceremony, during which the gods could indulge in a good dose of free malice by assigning the most ridiculous aliases possible and then watching mortals wear them as if they were the highest honour. Unless the adventurer belonged to an influential god that nobody wanted to piss off, then he could get a really cool alias.
"OK, everyone, but before we get to the nomination, let's talk about the star of the moment." Loki said as he looked in Ishtar's direction. The goddess of beauty must have suspected that despite their little exchanges of pleasantries, Loki wasn't going to miss her. However, Ishtar remained impassive, smoking her kiseru as if none of this was any of her business. "Yeah, Ishtar, it's your little rabbit I'm talking about."
"Bell? Is there something wrong with him?"
"You bet! He's just reached level 2 in just a month and a half! Even my Aizou took a year to do that!"
"Why is that a problem? The only thing I can see is that you're simply jealous because he beat your favourite's record."
"He didn't beat it. He smashed it! How did you do that Ishtar?"
"I didn't do anything, it's all the result of Bell's hard work, and he's often found himself in very complicated situations that pushed him to surpass himself. In fact, your children are responsible for one of them."
Ishtar counter-attacked Loki's attack by pointing out her children's mistakes.
"All right, I admit they screwed up, but I'd remind you that you've already paid yourself back for that one." She reminded him of the bad reputation Bete had since then.
But the two goddesses were not going to remain alone in this verbal joust.
"It's strange, but it seems to me that we've already mentioned irregularities concerning the true level of your children some time ago, Ishtar." Freya then said, surprising everyone.
The goddess of beauty was keen to give Ishtar a bit of a hard time about Bell. What's more, seeing how she reacted would give her a chance to gauge her a little better. Freya had noticed just how much Ishtar had changed and she still needed to get a feel for it. Attacking her so openly was risky, but it was also an opportunity. Not to mention the fact that she was using old accusations against her. Of course, she had defended herself, but that wasn't the point, Freya had another goal.
"Exactly!" said another god in the assembly.
"This is all very strange, this is the second time Ishtar!"
"It's suspicious!"
The gods were reluctant to accuse Ishtar openly, but if it was Freya who spoke first, a goddess with one of the strongest influences in the city, then she was the initiator of the movement and they were just following, which gave them cover. But Ishtar didn't seem to panic or get upset. Freya watched her attentively and once again, she perceived neither hatred nor obsession towards her. Ishtar didn't seem to care about her at all.
"And so what? What exactly are you insinuating?" asked the goddess with a cold stare.
"Did you use your arcanum on the boy to help him grow?" asked Loki bluntly.
"That's a very serious accusation you're making here, Loki. So I'm going to ask you if you're sure you want to maintain it."
"Absolutely!" said another goddess in the assembly.
"Answer us Ishtar!"
Ishtar then stood up, her aura as icy as it was imperious, and she faced the assembly to speak.
"No, I didn't cheat. But since my word isn't good enough for you, I propose another arrangement. Have Bell's falna checked."
Several gods suddenly swallowed, not expecting such a proposal, especially from someone who had already had to reveal the status of some of his children.
"But it will be on my terms. I agree to have Bell's falna checked, but only by Ouranos in person and in private. On condition that he does not divulge the contents and simply certifies whether or not there is cheating."
The proposal shocked everyone. Even if he wasn't physically there, the gods knew that Ouranos was listening to the assembly. If he hadn't said anything yet, it meant that he wasn't contradicting Ishtar. Ouranos was an ancient god, powerful and respected; if there was the slightest irregularity or trace of the use of divine magic, he would do something about it straight away.
"But just so we're clear, anyone who has openly accused me will have to pay me a hefty compensation if Ouranos doesn't find anything irregular."
Everyone already remembered what the Guild had to pay Ishtar the last time unfounded accusations had been made against her, which was enough to dampen the ardour of quite a few people.
" So, what do you think? Shall we?" A huge silence was the only answer she got. " So what? Don't be shy! I'm totally serious."
And that was the problem, everyone could see from the look on Ishtar's face, Loki first of all, that this was no ordinary poker trick, the goddess of beauty seemed ready to go all the way. Finally, no one seemed prepared to provoke Ishtar's anger or disturb Ouranos without concrete proof.
"All right, all right... you win Ishtar, I withdraw my accusations."
"I like that better." said the goddess of beauty as she went to sit down again.
"Let's move on to the nomination ceremony." Said the Trickster in a more cheerful tone. Her statement was greeted by several shouts of joy, because at last they were about to get to the funniest part of the divine assembly. " Since we're speaking of him, do you mind if we start with your rabbit Ishtar?"
"Please do."
"Oooooh! I'm sure we'll find something nice for him." Said one of the gods with a sadistic chuckle. And several others seemed to agree.
"I don't doubt it. The only thing is, I can't advise you enough to be careful in your choice of proposals."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I've been in a pretty bad mood since earlier. If Bell, or any of my other children, were to get a ridiculous alias, it may be that for some of you, the prices in the Pleasure Quarter will become... variable geometry." She told them with a cold smile and a menacing look.
Several gods turned pale. The message was clear, this was not the day to annoy Ishtar or test the limits of her patience.
"Come on, I'm sure we'll find something cool for him." One of the gods laughed nervously.
For her part, Freya remained very quiet. She was rather surprised, because she had to admit that Ishtar had managed to defend Bell masterfully, even though she herself supported the accusations.
On the other hand, she hadn't thought that being ignored by Ishtar would affect her so much. In a way, Ishtar's hatred for her gave her a certain ascendancy over her, a feeling of superiority, even if she wasn't aware of it. Part of Freya enjoyed watching her grovel and be degraded by jealousy.
But Ishtar, as she was now, deprived her of that feeling. Not to mention the fact that she was Bell's goddess. However, it was still too early to act, Bell was growing well and his soul was shining brighter than ever, there was no reason for her to attack now, she could accept that Ishtar would keep him a little longer. Given what she intended to do to her, she could give her that.
And so, the Denatus went on without a hitch.
When the goddess finally returned from the assembly, she began by going to Belit Babili to tell her children about the new aliases they had received. Most of the Berberas involved were quite surprised, as they felt they had been given cooler than average nicknames. Only, she was still missing someone.
"Where's Lena?"
"In the usual place, my goddess," an amazoness replied with a touch of cynicism.
"I see, at the Astral Mansion. Well, I'll be killing two birds with one stone, as I have to tell Bell about his new alias." Said the goddess before withdrawing.
Bell's sudden level up had surprised many in the familia, and many were unsure how to interpret it. A lot of amazoness, especially the younger and lower level ones, suddenly had more respect for him. Some were even beginning to think that if he kept going at this rate, he'd soon be the perfect male.
But for the older girls, like Samira and her accomplices, it was more of a thorn in their side. The stronger he became, the more troublesome he would be when the time came, not to mention the fact that he could, without meaning to, turn a lot of people against their plan.
But she couldn't rush things, she just had to make more preparations, choose her accomplices better and refine the method she had in mind to get rid of Bell without having to fight him. If all went well, he would leave on his own.
But all that was still a long way off.
For the moment, Ishtar was only arriving at the Astral Mansion.
"Bell? Lena? Are you there? I've got good news for you!" said the goddess in a cheerful voice.
It wasn't long before everyone in the house came to hear the news the goddess had brought, namely the new nicknames for Bell and Lena.
"Little... Little..."
Bell seemed to struggle to say it, as if saying it in full would make it disappear.
"Little Lion?"
"Something wrong? You don't like it, though I had to fight a bit to get it accepted."
"No, not at all, I like it a lot, but it seems... a lot to me, I'm far from being a lion." He said a little embarrassed.
"Yes, at the moment you look more like an adorable little lynx, but I'm convinced it suits you very well, and for several reasons."
"What are they?
"First of all, the lion is one of my representations as a warrior goddess. As the Delebat embodies this aspect of my divinity, I think it's a pretty good image."
"I didn't know that animal represented you."
"Many gods are associated with animals. For example, Anubis with the jackal, Zeus with the eagle, Horus with the falcon, Aphrodite with the dove, Freya with the cat, Hera with the peacock and there are plenty more like that. And so for me, as a warrior goddess, it's the lion."
"That makes more sense. Thank you goddess, I love it."
"I would also add that of all the large felines, the lion is the only sociable animal. In fact, it lives in a harem structure with one male surrounded by lots of females." The goddess said with great amusement.
Naturally, Bell let out a cry of shame as she listened.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaah! I knew nothing could ever be innocent with you!"
"Never." She replied with a big smile.
Leaving Bell to digest the news and receive the congratulations of those around him, she made her way over to Lena.
"Don't you like your new nickname Lena?"
"Tangou... What does it mean?"
"It's another of my minor names."
The goddess then approached the amazoness and placed her hand on her shoulder before leaning over to whisper in her ear.
"Think of it as a token of trust. I'm placing a lot of hope in you, Lena." she whispered in his ear.
"I... I understand Lady Ishtar."
Lena had never been like the other Berberas, or even like the other amazoness. She was an eccentric, a free electron who lived according to her whims. A playful young woman, but deeply kind. Ishtar could see her worth much more clearly now and she knew she could trust her. And she would need people she could trust in the future.
But in the meantime, the goddess turned back to the rest of the group and spoke again in a cheerful tone.
"Well, I'd say that all this deserves to be celebrated as it should be. The entire Delebat is invited to my quarters in Belit Babili. Tonight, we celebrate!"
Her suggestion was greeted by several shouts of joy. A good party always brought everyone together.
It was rare for Ishtar to bring the Delebat to Belit Babili, as she generally tried to keep this organisation away from the familia's main activities. So it came as something of a surprise. The fact that she was organising a little impromptu party was even more surprising. She'd never done that before. This only strengthened the convictions of the conspirators following Samira.
For the others, in the end, it wasn't so unusual. Bell had just smashed a growing record, so perhaps a little party was a way of encouraging the still new Delebat.
The party itself was all laughter, good mood, food and drink. And a few light-hearted jokes here and there - this was Ishtar's house, after all.
It all ended late into the night. Lena and Hestia had drunk a lot and fallen asleep in their corner. Lili and Haruhime had managed to take it easy on the drinking, but they were carried away by the movement. The combination of drink and tiredness ended up making them fall asleep too.
Bell had skilfully managed to dodge the drink. He had fallen asleep at one point, but suddenly woke up. He spotted Ishtar waving and went to join her.
"Goddess?" he said softly.
"You may approach Bell."
Ishtar was in her room at the back, sitting on her large bed. Only the light of the moon illuminated the room and its rays fell on the goddess, giving her a magical, almost ethereal appearance. Hesitantly, he approached his goddess.
"What do you think? Level 2, how does that feel?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure, it's all happened so quickly. I'm still wondering if it's all deserved, I've got a feeling it's mostly thanks to that skill."
"I understand, that's normal. But I want you to know that you've worked well Bell, your skill may speed things up, but for one thing, it was born from you, and secondly, on its own it's useless. All it does is add to your hard work. So be proud of yourself."
"Thank you goddess."
"And I was thinking... since you've done some excellent work, I thought I'd give you a present."
"A present?"
"Yes... me..."
"You... what?"
"A night of love in the arms of a goddess of beauty and sexuality, don't you think that's a lovely gift? I promise to give you the most magical night you've ever known." She said, reaching out to gently caress the young man's cheek.
Bell felt like replying as usual, but he met Ishtar's gaze and understood. He couldn't get away with saying that it was just another one of her teases. No, she was perfectly serious. Affection, love, desire, he could read it all in her eyes.
It was then that the words of Neela, the pallum who ran the Midnight Sigh, came back to him. She was right, sooner or later he would have to face up to the desire Ishtar felt for him and deal with it.
Delicately, Bell placed his hand on that of the goddess.
"Goddess, I'm touched... really. It's just that I've started to think about all this, what you've told me, the conversation I've had with Neela. But... I don't feel ready yet. I still need to take stock. About myself, about my feelings, about all this... I don't want to accept your embrace until I'm sure my heart is ready to accept it and take it on fully."
"I see, you are kind and honest Bell. Your heart and soul are the epitome of purity, it only makes me love you more."
"I'm sorry Goddess."
"Don't be. I'll wait until your heart is ready to accept what I have to offer, because I know that day will come and then we'll share a moment of rare intensity." She concluded her words by placing a long, tender kiss on Bell's cheek.
Then, to her surprise, Bell took her in his arms and rocked her back on the bed, allowing her to snuggle into his embrace.
"I'm not ready, it's true, but I can stay like this with you tonight."
The last thing Ishtar said to herself before falling asleep with her head against Bell's chest was that it really was illegal to be so adorable...
Author's note: New chapter, longer, more intense.
Quite a few new features. To start with, I've kept Argonaut, who's a requirement for me, he totally symbolises Bell. Leo Dominus represents more the influence Ishtar had on him. You'll find out exactly how he works in the next few chapters. But I hope you like the concept.
As for Bell's new alias, I decided to change it and that's how I came up with Little Lion. A name I'm quite happy with, given all the symbolism it evokes.
As for Lena's new nickname, I had a hard time coming up with a good idea and I'd like to thank Fdy from the discord server for suggesting this alias, which is interesting and full of symbolism too.