Author's notes: There was a huge mistake in the previous chapter, but it's been corrected. Without paying attention, I had put Haruhime in contact with Takemikazushi's familia without anyone reacting, which was a huge plothole, especially as they won't be reuniting for a while.
With over 400 favs and 500 follows already, I can't believe how much people like my unpretentious little fic. Enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 17: The Crazy Fairy
Things had taken a strange turn for the better. Bell, Welf and Lili had finally reached the eighteenth floor and had even found some people to help them. Then they were joined by a rescue team sent by Ishtar. A very special rescue team, with a very eclectic crew. Two Berberas, three fighters from the Far East, a mysterious elf, two gods and a magical item creator.
It didn't take long for Bell and his group to recognise the three people they didn't know as belonging to the group that had thrown them the pass parade. As Hermes had suggested, they secluded themselves in a tent to talk.
It was the dark-haired woman who bowed first.
"I'm really sorry!" she said, her voice showing her complete sincerity. "You can be sure that I will do whatever it takes to repay this debt to you."
"Stop it Mikoto." Ouka interrupted her. "It was my decision, I took it on my own and I don't regret it." He said confidently, which pleased neither Welf nor Lili.
"Excuse me?" said the pallum supporter with an outraged look on her face.
"We nearly died because of you!" said Welf angrily.
"My friends too!" retorted Ouka. "I had to protect them, it was my duty."
"Yes, that's easy to say as long as we're alive and safe, but would you have had the guts to say that in front of our corpses?"
"Believe me, I didn't take this decision because I wanted to, it was necessary."
"You!" said Welf, rising to his feet, clearly ready to come to blows to vent his anger. And from the look on Ouka's face, he seemed ready for it. Chigusa then stood up hastily and came between them.
"I beg you, no violence!" she said as she found herself sandwiched between the two men, while Welf had just grabbed Ouka by the collar. Caught between their torsos, she tried to convince herself that she was only doing this to stop them.
It was just a coincidence that she had a secret fantasy about big, muscular men and found herself caught between two men fitting that description.
The guilty pleasure she was taking in this situation had absolutely nothing to do with it.
Nothing at all...
"Come on my friends, let's keep our cool." Hermes said in an attempt to calm things down. "I understand your anger, but I'd like to remind you that our friends here have never tried to hide their fault. They immediately warned Ishtar, even if it meant incurring her fury, and volunteered to save you."
Bell approached and put his hand on Welf's arm.
"Welf, please." he said in his soft voice. The blacksmith sighed, but released Ouka and stepped back. "I'm sorry, the last two days have been quite intense and exhausting."
"I understand, don't worry about it."
"I understand your point of view. If I were in your shoes, who knows if I wouldn't have made the same decision to protect my friends. As for me, I've already forgiven you."
"I... thank you." Ouka said soberly.
"Sir Bell, thank you!" said Mikoto as she took his hands. "Your kindness honours you, we will never forget it."
At least she wouldn't have his death on her conscience and wouldn't end up haunted by his gaze.
"Hmpf! I think that's a bit easy." Lili said. Her old grudge against the adventurers hadn't disappeared yet and she wasn't so easy to forgive.
"Lili... please."
"Arg... It's cruel of you to take me by the feelings Master Bell... Alright, I forgive them."
"Thank you Lili."
"Yes, that's all well and good, but even if Bell has forgiven you, don't expect Ishtar to be so forgiving, she'll make you pay that debt sooner or later." Said Aisha, who preferred to confront them with the harsh reality.
"It's... Does it really have to be this way? After all that..." said Bell, looking like a beaten dog, which prompted Lena to try and calm things down.
"Don't worry, Bell! Since they've helped us, it'll be something symbolic. Like a few thankless chores for show and we'll leave it at that."
"Really?"
"Y-yes. Absolutely. Don't worry, it won't be anything more than that." And now that she'd opened her big mouth, she'd better make sure their goddess stuck to that so she didn't look like a liar to Bell.
How did this kid do it? As soon as he put on an unhappy face, she couldn't refuse him anything.
Once everyone had calmed down and the situation was relaxed. The small group went back out to explain the situation to the Loki familia, who invited the rescue team to join them. It was then that they realised that they had been interrupted at the start of dinner and that everyone was hungry. The members of the rescue team were too, after their rapid descent into the Dungeon.
The meal therefore resumed in good spirits and even allowed them to celebrate a happy conclusion to the story, as evidenced by the fact that there was a good dose of wine with the meal, a gift from a certain dwarf who wanted to improve the atmosphere. Welf found himself in a good mood and Lili half-drunk, which made her much more aggressive, much to the annoyance of Bell who now had to deal with his pallum friend sticking to him, Lena in her protective big sister mode, Tiona desperate to talk to him, the sidelong glances from Ais, the jealous looks from several members of the Loki familia and the murderous glances from Lefiya.
Aisha was one of the first to slip away. The reason was extremely simple. All these members of the Loki familia were stuck here for several days, after a stressful expedition. She was sure to find a few decent males to whom she could rent a little of her time for a few... services.
Once a Berbera, always a Berbera.
As for the dinner, it was Tiona who suddenly put her foot down when she realised what Aisha had gone to do.
"So Argonaut, I have a question?"
"Er... yes, what?"
She'd had loads of questions since the beginning of the evening.
"This is a bit embarrassing to ask... but just out of curiosity, how much do you charge for your services?"
Bell spat out his drink in surprise as Welf began to laugh behind him. Chigusa and Mikoto, who were standing nearby, also started to blush as they realised what she was talking about. It was then that everyone present had a great revelation and suddenly remembered that he was a member of Ishtar familia.
"What do you mean my services?"
"Well, yes, I'm curious, and what's more, I've heard stories about a beast and..."
"What kind of beast are we talking about? And I don't do services!"
So it was off for the umpteenth explanation on the nature of the Delebat, his role in the familia, the fact that he didn't sell his body or anything else. Which obviously surprised everyone. The first to speak was Hestia.
"Believe it or not, he's telling the truth. I know, I know, it's a shock, I didn't believe it myself at first."
The silence was broken only by the laughter Welf tried desperately to hold back.
"So, Master Bell doesn't sell his body, but he's sooooooooo good with his hands." Said Lili, who had obviously had far too much wine.
"Lili! Stop saying things like that!" said a panicking Bell.
"It's true, Master Bell, you massage soooooo well, it makes Lili go crazy every time."
"Massages?" asked Tiona curiously.
"It's nothing! Just a silly idea from my goddess, Lili is exaggerating."
"Oh no, I'm even under-reacting, you're so talented, Master Bell."
Ais was tempted to confirm things, but then she remembered that Loki had asked her to keep the whole training thing a secret, so she couldn't tell everyone that Bell had been massaging her and was really as good as Lili said.
"In that case, Argonaut, would you massage me? Now I'm really curious. Besides, this whole expedition has been really, really hard and I want to be pampered a bit."
"I... I'm not sure..."
"Come on, please." She said as she came closer and closer to him, her face almost glued to his. Finally, faced with her pleading gaze, he was forced to capitulate.
"Well... just a little bit then..."
"Great! Let's do it right now!"
And without asking whether he agreed or not, she grabbed Bell by the hand and dragged him along, taking everyone by surprise.
For her part, Ais was disappointed. She too was in the mood for a massage. Once you've had one, it's easy to become addicted. Only, she hadn't found a single moment to say a word and had had the wind knocked out of her sails by Tiona, who was much more proactive than she was.
Aisha had just finished her last session and it hadn't lasted very long, much to her dismay. A man with a lot more guts than he had in his trousers, the matter was quickly settled. She was just leaving the tent while finishing adjusting her outfit when she saw that someone was watching her. A blonde pallum with a far too curious look in his eyes.
" Well, the Braver, is there a problem? I hope my little services aren't disturbing?" she said with a tone that clearly implied that she didn't give a damn about his opinion.
"Not at all. As long as they follow orders and don't do anything that might harm the group, our members are quite free to enjoy themselves as they wish in their free time."
"In that case, would you like to have a good time yourself? I know the Braver's reputation in combat or command, but I'd be curious to see how he fares in this kind of confrontation."
But she didn't have time to continue with her adverts when another amazoness appeared and grabbed her precious captain by the arm while glowering at Aisha and growling.
"Already booked it looks like." The berberas said with amusement. But she was an amazoness herself, so she knew what one of her sisters could be like when she was all over a man. Finn did his best to ignore the girl clinging to his arm and continued his conversation.
"No, that wasn't the subject Antianeira. I was just surprised that Lady Ishtar would send one of her best berberas to rescue two newcomers to her familia. It's hardly like her usual ways, you'll understand that I'm a bit curious."
"You don't have to look far, she's simply infatuated with the boy. The gods are like that after all, they just follow their desires. Your goddess never showed favouritism?"
"Indeed." He replied as he remembered that Loki could indeed favour certain people when she put her mind to it. Everyone in the familia knew that Ais was her favourite at the time, even if that sometimes changed according to circumstances. "So Ishtar would only act out of favouritism?"
"Crazy as it sounds, I'm even beginning to believe that she's genuinely in love with him. But even she didn't seem able to admit it."
Was Finn to be satisfied with such an explanation? Was Ishtar's strange behaviour simply due to uncontrolled feelings and not to some elaborate plan? Of course, love was an emotion that could change people, even drive them to irrational behaviour, but here we were talking about a divinity. Was he necessarily looking too far? Was the answer simple and obvious? In the end, he hadn't got the slightest bit of information from Aisha, but he wasn't counting on it in the first place. So Ishtar would remain an enigma for the time being.
But he didn't have time to continue thinking about it when strange moans began to be heard not far away.
Elsewhere in a tent, a certain amazoness who hadn't been as blessed by mother nature as her sister was passing through the expert hands of a young man who wasn't really sure of the usefulness of such a gift.
"Yes... Right there... Argonaut... It's... divine... I think I'll... I'll..."
The rest was just a long moan of pleasure as Tiona felt all her muscles relax one by one. As for Bell, he was red with shame, as usual.
"Thank you very much Argonaut. Your friend was right, I've never felt better," she said as she adjusted the piece of cloth that served as her top. The two left the tent, Tiona with a happy smile and Bell with an embarrassed look. Outside, Finn, Tione and Aisha were waiting for them. The pallum just had round eyes, not quite sure what was going on, the amazoness looked shocked and the berbera had a small amused smile. The misunderstanding was already visible a mile away.
"Tiona!" Her sister said, putting her hands on her shoulders. "Tell me I'm dreaming, you... You've only just met him and you've already gone much further than I have!"
"Well, well, my little rabbit. So you're starting to pick up some of the familia's good habits?" said Aisha teasingly.
"Not at all, I was just giving her a massage!" defended Bell.
"A massage? Just a... massage?" Finn asked, finding it hard to believe.
"Yes! I swear to all the gods that I didn't do anything indecent!" he then tried, hoping to be believed.
"You really have the wrong idea, Argonaut was only massaging me."
In reply, she only received three glances which implied that she had not heard herself moan before daring to make such a remark.
"Anyway, it did me too much good. I don't think I've ever felt my muscles relax so much. I really needed it after all that. Honestly, Tione, you should try it, it would do you good too."
A little confused, the amazoness turned to her captain, who simply smiled at her.
"You don't need my permission, Tione, if Mr Cranel agrees, you're free to do what you want."
And if she could cut him a little slack in the process, he'd be very grateful.
"It's... it's true that it's tempting. But Captain, even if it's only massages, I can't decently let another man than you make me moan like that." she said with a little shy air and red cheeks. Too bad for Finn, he wouldn't get rid of her like that.
"I wouldn't mind a massage," came the calm voice of someone who had appeared behind Bell.
" Well, even you're getting into it, Ais?" asked Tiona with amusement, to which the blonde only replied with a nod. But this was not to the liking of Lefiya, beside her, shocked at the idea.
"Ais, you can't be serious! You can't let that human touch you like that!"
However, Lefiya's protests went unheeded as the Sword Princess approached the young man.
"Massage. Now." she said, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him along, without really asking his opinion in the process, leaving everyone dumbfounded and Aisha laughing.
"I thought she was as cold as an emotionless doll as her reputation said, but I was wrong, she seems to know perfectly well what she wants in life."
"Noooooooo!" cried Lefiya. "Corrupted! Miss Ais has been corrupted by that perverted human!" she snapped as she fell under the jaded gazes of the Hiryute sisters.
"Seriously Lefiya, you're overdoing it..." said Tione with a sigh.
" Exactly. Come on, Lefiya, it'll do you good!"
"I don't want that gigolo touching me!
"Oh, and see the look on Ais's face?" said Tiona, now the embodiment of temptation in the eyes of the elf, who couldn't deny that part of her was dying to see Ais's face in such circumstances.
"Well... I-I-I suppose I'd better stay close by... to make sure this human doesn't do anything indecent!"
It fooled absolutely no one, least of all the Hyriute sisters, but it was still fun to watch.
Away from all this, more or less at the same time, on the surface, Ishtar continued to worry. But she also knew that there was nothing she could do except hope. She had confidence in Bell and Lili, and she knew they had what it took to get through this, even if there would be some damage. Hestia's help was providential and reassured her a little. On the other hand, she wasn't sure how to interpret Hermes' offer. Was she really to believe that he was only doing this to sleep with her? Was the answer really that simple? With a lot of other gods, she would have thought so, but Hermes... The man was as trustworthy as an insurance broker. Always with that deceptive, sly smile. A manipulator who played far too innocent, but who certainly wouldn't fool someone like her.
But that was all she could do for the time being: have her suspicions. Hermes and his familia, because of their activities, had special authorisations that allowed them to come and go as they pleased in the city. The courtesan network may have been very powerful within the walls of Orario, but when it came to obtaining information from outside, it took longer. It wasn't impossible, just more complicated. And given the way Ishtar had treated her familia over the last few decades, she couldn't really count on its members being overzealous.
What's more, she now had a far more pressing problem to deal with. The Evilus were still keeping quiet, but Kali was becoming increasingly insistent. It was at times like this that Ishtar realised how much she had changed and how much her hatred had driven her to make stupid decisions. Kali was a fool and her familia was no better. The fact that they both looked like amazoness and had many of them in their ranks was the only thing they had in common.
Of course, the Berberas loved to fight, but above all they sought the challenge and thrill of combat simply because it excited them. But the children of Kali were only interested in bloodshed and slaughter. No challenge, just death, all with the blessing of a goddess who looked like a child. It was not for nothing that, before the arrival of the gods, mortals depicted her as a terrifying creature with four arms, a necklace of skulls, a loincloth of severed arms and holding a decapitated head.
The problem was that the slaughtering brat was starting to get really insistent and demanded a meeting with Ishtar. The goddess had put off the problem as long as she could, but she was going to have to accept this meeting and try to resolve the problem.
The goddess's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something falling to the ground. She looked up to see that Haruhime had just dropped the tray of tea she was bringing her. It didn't take Ishtar long to realise that something was terribly wrong.
"Haruhime, is everything all right?" the goddess asked as she rose from her desk.
"Y-Yes... everything's fine goddess," replied Haruhime in a tired voice.
As she approached, Ishtar noticed that she was breathing rapidly and her cheeks were flushed. Instinctively, she put a hand to her forehead and saw for herself.
"You're burning up with fever!
The goddess stopped her work immediately and guided her to her room before calling in one of the familia's private doctors. The attention paid to Haruhime's health did not particularly surprise anyone - after all, she was a key part of their plan, so she had to be looked after until the deadline.
However, Haruhime was in no real danger, and for good reason: she just had the flu, nothing too serious, which would pass with some medicine and a few days' rest. Falna was a powerful blessing, improving physical and magical faculties, granting skills and other special powers and even slowing down the ageing process, especially for high-level adventurers. But unless you had a special skill, it didn't protect you from disease, even if it did make your body more resistant.
This is how the gentle fox found herself bedridden with her goddess taking care of her.
"I'm sorry, Goddess," said the foxgirl with her tired little voice.
"Don't be, Haruhime, you're ill, it's the fate of all mortals. Rest and concentrate on getting better."
"Thank you, Goddess... Is there... any news... of Bell and the others?"
Despite her condition, she still found a way to worry about the others, for that was her true nature.
"No, but I'm still hopeful, he'll come back to us. So make sure you're in good shape to greet him when he returns."
"Yes... thank you goddess."
"You love him, don't you?"
"I... my feelings... I wasn't sure, but now... he's kind, so cute, I like spending time with him... I like talking about tales and legends for hours, sitting next to him..."
Under the effect of the fever, Haruhime became more open and talked much more naturally.
"I want... I want to spend time with him... I want to talk to him more... I want to get closer to him... give myself to him... and bear his child..." the fox finished before finally drifting off to sleep.
Ishtar was rather surprised by the end. She knew that Haruhime liked Bell, but she hadn't imagined it to such an extent. She dreamed of having a future with him, of having children, which was... an absolutely adorable thought.
"I'd be very curious to see what cute little white fox you two could make." The goddess said with amusement.
But she also realised that the foxgirl was beginning to dream of a life of her own, one that didn't include ending up as a sacrifice. Once again, Ishtar realised how much damage her hatred and jealousy had done. Did Haruhime really deserve to end up like this? No, she was now convinced of it.
"You will have the future you aspire to. Sleep my pretty fox, I'm watching over you now." The goddess murmured before leaning over to kiss Haruhime's forehead, who suddenly seemed to relax in her sleep.
Ishtar left the room to let her rest in peace. With a new determination in her eyes, she returned to her desk. Next step: get rid of the Kali problem.
On the eighteenth floor of the Dungeon, day had just dawned. Or rather, let's say that the brightness of the floor had gradually increased, letting the residents know that it was morning.
A small group was currently heading towards the small local town of Rivira. When Bell learned of its existence, he quickly became curious about the place and Ais offered to take him on a tour to thank him for the massage. But they weren't alone. Lefiya kept a close eye on them, because after what she had seen the day before and Ais's reaction to his massage, she felt she had to keep an eye out for any indecent behaviour. Tiona was also there, simply because she had nothing better to do.
Welf and Lili had also come, because during their desperate escape, they had left behind a large part of their equipment, including Lili's backpack and everything it contained, so they had to try and buy some new gear as a matter of urgency. Aisha had stayed at camp, sleeping in after a very busy night, but Lena had come, as had Hestia, who wanted to take advantage of her (totally forbidden) visit to the Dungeon to satisfy her curiosity.
Hermes and Asfi were also present, albeit a little behind the scenes.
The young man was surprised to discover a city made up of bits and pieces, but totally functional, as well as the eventful history of its many destructions and rebuilds. He realised just how ingenious the adventurers had been in building this town. And how much they were also profiting from it.
He thought he'd wince when he saw the prices on the stalls. He had expected them to be a little more expensive, but not to this extent. Some things were even selling for up to ten times the surface price! Where was the market regulator when you needed it!
This didn't stop Lili and Welf from making their deal, although they had to use all their negotiating skills. But even so, the little they bought was absolutely unaffordable.
"What a horror... to think that the Delebat was just beginning to have decent finances..." said the young man in annoyance. Although Lili was now in charge of the accounts, he was still keeping an eye on them.
"Don't worry, Bell." Lena reassured him. "After all, our familia is incredibly wealthy!"
"I know... but I don't want to depend too much on our goddess, the Delebat is supposed to be as autonomous as possible."
"Normally yes, but this is an emergency situation, there's no shame in asking the familia to show a little solidarity. It's not as if two or three purchases at Rivira are going to make a hole in the accounts. I can make five to ten times that in a single night if I'm really motivated."
In response, Bell flushed, understanding what Lena was referring to. Yes, she was acting like a sort of crazy big sister to him, but she was still a berberas, a prostitute-fighter. She wasn't just a warrior, she was also a prostitute who had slept with so many men that she'd certainly lost count.
But now that he'd been in the familia for a while, and thanks to the conversations he'd had with Ishtar and Neela, he was more accepting of this fact and knew that it wasn't the only thing that defined them. The fact that she was a prostitute took nothing away from Lena's qualities. She was always herself, adorable, cheerful, exuberant, full of life and he adored her for all that.
As evidenced by the big smile on his face when he looked at her. And she didn't miss a beat.
"Well, Bell, why the happy face? Don't tell me... you've finally fallen for big sister Lena's charms?" said the cheerful berberas, pressing his cheek with a teasing finger.
"Not at all... well, not exactly, I was thinking..."
"Yes? what were you thinking Bell?"
"Just, be yourself, you're perfect as you are Lena."
"Oooooh Bell, you naughty seducer!" she quipped as she grabbed him for a big hug.
"Are you done making a spectacle of yourself? This isn't the Astral Mansion." Hestia pointed out in a sanctimonious tone. Even though, deep down, she too had learned to appreciate Bell and those around her, including that hothead Lena.
"Lena! Lady Hestia is right, we're in public!" he struggled. Unfortunately, as he freed himself from Lena's grip, he bumped into someone. A tall, muscular man, with a very unkempt look on his face.
"Hey! Watch what you're doing, kid!" the man shouted, clearly in a bad mood.
"S-Sorry!"
"That's right, why don't you go strutting off somewhere else with your women, you..."
But the man was interrupted when he felt the murderous glances of Lena and Tiona on him and saw the cold face of Ais.
"Tss!" he snapped, clearly very annoyed.
A little further back, Hermes had observed the whole scene and smiled mysteriously.
"Well, this is the perfect soil for planting the seed of a new trial. Don't you think, Asfi?"
"You know, one day all your shenanigans will blow up in your face."
"Oh! Are you worried about me Asfi?"
"About you? No, I just hope that when that day comes, we don't have to pay the price."
And by that she meant the rest of the familia. It was difficult to define the bond between Hermes and his captain. Although she often criticised his choices and tried to warn him off, she nevertheless remained loyal to him and carried out his orders. The reason for this loyalty was known only to them.
Perhaps she was hiding feelings for him... perhaps she was grateful that he had taken her away from her princess life... perhaps she was only trying to prevent him from going too far... perhaps she was simply trying to protect her people... No one knew, and just as no one could ever know what Hermes was planning, no one could really read Asfi Al Andromeda's heart.
On Bell's side, the young man had had to mediate an argument between Hestia and Lili. Something about a bottle of perfume that the goddess wanted to buy for herself on the pretext that she didn't like the smell of it after all that had happened. However, if this kind of luxury item already cost a certain amount on the surface, here in Rivira, the sum was becoming completely indecent.
However, the conflict was resolved thanks to the intervention of Lena, who graciously offered the object to the goddess, paying for it out of her own pocket under the pretext of feminine solidarity. Or maybe it was a bribe to apologise for her sometimes intrusive presence in the Astral Mansion.
"By the way, Lady Hestia, I wanted to ask you something."
"What's that, Bell?"
"I don't know how to explain it, but you seem... different from usual."
"Are you saying that because I'm not wearing my maid outfit?"
"No, no! I meant... it's something in your aura, I wouldn't know how to explain it."
"Ah! This? It's because I'm hiding my divinity as much as possible since we're in the Dungeon."
"So that's why. But why?"
"The gods aren't supposed to come down here Bell, not to this place that basically hates us."
"What do you mean?"
But all he got in reply was Hestia's silence as she turned away from him. Bell was experiencing the frustration that many adventurers discover when they try to get answers from the gods. Silence, far-fetched answers and other lame excuses were the daily lot of those hoping to get answers from the deusdeas.
For his part, the adventurer Bell had bumped into, Mord, was sitting in a tavern with a few of his companions, brooding over his misfortune.
"Damn brat! He just shows up out of nowhere and gets all cute with all the pretty girls." He spat resentfully.
"At the same time, with Loki familia's members hanging around him, it's not like you can go and teach him a lesson."
"Good evening, gentlemen." came a voice from behind them. "Please, don't stop for me, this seemed like a very interesting conversation."
"Who are you and what do you want?" asked Mord in an irritated tone.
"Me? I'm just someone who can provide you with something to have a good time..." replied Hermes as he placed an object on the table they were occupying. "But first, let me offer you a drink."
The rest of the visit was much quieter, and after a bit of shopping, the group returned to the Loki familia camp, where everyone went about their business.
Bell was approached by several people and went to a tent where he was asked for his opinion on a heroic tale. Something about Albert Waldstein and the women he might have dated in his life. He wondered why people were interested in the love life of a man who had been dead for a thousand years, however famous he was, but he contented himself with answering. Before being curtly rebuffed by an elf just because, by saying that he had known a former elf queen, still highly venerated by her people, the young woman had taken a shortcut by saying that he was insinuating that their precious elf queen could have had a relationship with a human.
Fortunately, she was taken back by the others, who urged her to calm down, and Bell took advantage of the situation to make a run for it. He never knew why he had been asked such questions, let alone to be told off by a fanatic elf. Bell was not used to such reactions, not realising that the few elves he knew were special cases. Saria, from the Midnight Sigh, was a real nymphomaniac, joyful, exuberant and wild. And Ryuu was... Ryuu.
A short time later, he came across Welf, who also seemed to be in a bad mood, and went over to him.
"Everything all right, Welf?"
"Huh? Ah! Yes, I'm fine... Sorry, someone brought up some old family stuff and it's really putting me in a bad mood."
"Oh! Sorry..."
"It's not your fault, don't worry about it."
"By the way, what's that package?" asked the young man, pointing to the long object wrapped in a white cloth that Welf was carrying over his shoulder.
"That? Let's just say it's a message from my goddess. Apparently, before leaving to come and help us, Hermes took it upon himself to go and tell Lady Hephaestus about the situation and she gave him this for me." replied the blacksmith before leaving.
No, Welf was not in a good mood. This Loki familia expedition was taking several members of the Hephaestus familia with them for support, including Tsubaki herself. The problem was that Welf didn't get on with his familia, which is why he teamed up with the Delebat. Even Tsubaki annoyed him with her habit of trying to tell him how to run his life and his career as a blacksmith.
He had been asked for information about the spirits. Of course, among them were several elves, who had nearly ripped his throat out as soon as they found out he was a Crozzo.
How much longer would he have to pay for the bullshit of his ancestors! Especially him, who had rejected and denied his family's legacy. He, who refused to forge the slightest magical weapon.
However, this had not deterred his goddess from sending him this package, with a message telling him not to risk the lives of his companions for the sake of his pride.
So while Welf was busy thinking in his corner, Bell received a sudden visit from Hermes, who invited him to follow him to discuss an urgent matter. Somewhat naively, Bell had no idea what he was up to.
"God Hermes, where are we going?"
"Shhh! Easy, you'll see."
Once he'd reached the right spot, the blond god pushed aside some leaves and Bell remembered that he'd heard the girls say they were going for a bath. And for good reason, the god had sent for him to spy on them in their bath like a dirty old man. It reminded him of someone, and he knew that it never ended well for him in such cases.
Although a little panicked, Bell was initially jaded by the situation.
"You know I'm a member of Lady Ishtar's familia? I don't need to come spying on women in their baths to see some scantily clad."
"Come on Bell, don't be so down to earth, spying on women in their baths is part of a man's romance."
"Grandpa used to say the same thing and it never ended well for him. Well, I'm going back to camp."
"Bell, wait..."
The god tried to hold him back, but the result of their very short altercation was that the branch supporting Bell broke and he fell right in the water, fortunately without hurting himself.
"Ouch..."
Then several cries of surprise and panic rang out.
"What the... Bell!" said Hestia first.
"Master Bell?"
"Argonaut? You want a bath too?" said Tiona cheerfully.
"Oh, he's bolder than I thought." Tione said with amusement. She was certainly devoted to Finn, but she was still an amazoness and therefore had no shame.
"I'm surprised, you've got guts after all." Aisha added in an amused voice, without trying to hide it either.
Behind them came the panicked cries of Mikoto and Chigusa, the only ones who seemed to be reacting normally.
"Bell, come on, if you wanted to come to the bath with me, all you had to do was ask." Lena said with a chuckle. "It's not as if it would be the first time after all." She said in a way that could be very confusing... well, half confusing.
"Exactly, Ishtar has really given you some bad habits, we're not at the Astral Mansion here, so you've got ten seconds to explain yourself." Said Hestia as she cupped his cheek with one hand and tried to hide her body with the other.
Bell wasn't well, but he wasn't in the middle of a panic attack that would have driven him to run away either. The reason? As some people had pointed out, Bell had been a member of Ishtar familia for almost two months, a familia full of amazoness and prostitutes. Seeing women in minimalist outfits, sexy underwear or even naked had become an almost daily occurrence for him. Between Ishtar, Lena and Aisha who regularly invited themselves into the baths of the Astral Mansion when he was there, the girls from the Midnight Sigh who came to ask him for a favour when he passed by and sometimes 'forgot' to put their clothes back on after a shift, or the other prostitutes who teased him, he had already seen a lot.
That didn't stop him from being embarrassed, but he had acquired a certain resistance that prevented him from panicking in the present situation.
"I swear I never wanted to spy on you! The god Hermes asked me to come with him for something important and I realised too late where he was taking me. Then the branch broke and I fell. I swear I'm sorry!" he blurted out.
"You're telling the truth." Hestia simply said to reassure those present, at least the few who were embarrassed. "Hermes... why doesn't that surprise me? Can you hear me, Hermes? I know you're still around! Say your prayers, because as soon as I catch you, I guarantee you you'll be in trouble!" shouted Hestia, determined to inflict her vindictiveness on the wandering god.
"Well, I'll leave you alone." Bell said with a little embarrassment, feeling that he had already abused the kindness of all the ladies around him.
"There's no need to be in such a hurry Bell, now that you're here and soaking wet, you might as well stay." Said Lena in a cheerful tone as she held him back.
"Lili has nothing against Master Bell staying too." The pallum said as she pressed herself against him. The image of a nice little sister had been definitively laid to rest since Ishtar had pushed her to be more aggressive.
"What a great idea! Besides, Loki always says that sharing a bath brings people closer." Tiona added, just as cheerfully.
"No, that's her lame excuse for trying to grope us in the shower." Tione corrected.
"Maybe, but who cares? How's that, Argonaut? Ais, do you mind?" she said in the blonde's direction.
It was then that Bell, busy with the women who had gathered around him, finally noticed the silent swordswoman standing a little further away.
"No... I don't mind." She replied with her usual impassive air, even though she had made an effort to hide most of it with her hands. Bell began to blush even more. It was true that, thanks to Ishtar, he was more open with women and was beginning to accept the affection of some of them, but Ais Wallenstein still had that special effect on him, no doubt because she was like an idol to him. Not to mention the fact that, even after knowing her a little, she remained inscrutable and mysterious, unlike the others, who were more open and expressive.
"Sniper of the forest..." began a voice from the shore. It was that of Lefiya, who had also come, but out of shame, had not bathed and had simply stayed on the shore. The elf had a blank stare and held her mage's wand out towards Bell while continuing to chant.
"Ah! Tione, Ais, help me quickly! Lefiya's gone into psychopath mode! Argonaut, you'd better run just in case!" shouted Tiona as she rushed towards the elf.
It didn't take Bell long to recognise the woman he had nicknamed "the crazy fairy", who seemed to have a very serious desire to shoot him with her magic. So he listened to Tiona's advice, as well as his own instincts, and took to his heels. Good thing too, because a beam of energy passed within two metres of him shortly afterwards.
Bell's escape led him to a place unknown to him, somewhere in the forest of the eighteenth floor. As soon as he was sure he wasn't being chased, he slowed his pace and began to look around to get his bearings. It was then that he heard water close by and, above all, noises.
"Is... anyone there?" he asked somewhat uncertainly. Before an object violently struck a tree right next to his head, tearing off a good chunk of wood. Frightened, he listened to his instincts and fell to his knees, forehead to the ground.
"I'm sorry!"
"What... Mr Cranel?"
"Ryuu... is that you? I'm really sorry, I swear I found myself here by chance and I wasn't trying to spy on you during your bath!" he tried to explain, hoping to be believed.
Luckily for him, Ryuu was a calm, rational person who took the time to analyse a situation before jumping to hasty conclusions.
"I know. You're a gigolo, but you're not a liar."
He had this strange feeling that he was being believed, but that his self-esteem had just been trampled on all the same.
"I'm not a gigolo..." he said in a small, watery voice, realising that he would never get rid of his reputation at the hostess of Fertility.
"Otherwise, Mr Cranel. I know your presence here is accidental, but do you intend to stay here much longer? I may sound old-fashioned, but I'd rather wait until our wedding before showing you so much." She said in her usual calm voice.
"Oh! Sorry, you're... wait? What do you mean 'our wedding'?" he asked once his mind had absorbed all the elf's words.
"Syr was a little reluctant at first, but I managed to convince her. We're very close friends and we already share a lot, so why not the same husband?"
"Miss Ryuu... I-it's not that you're not attractive, b-b-b-but why should we get married?"
"Mr Cranel." She began in a cold tone. "I like to believe that you are a man of honour and that you are therefore able to take responsibility after pouring your lust on me."
"I never did that!"
"You held my hand so indecently... for over a minute!" the elf replied a little red-faced and embarrassed at the mention of this fact.
Today, Bell was discovering the strange moral values of elves... but also that his consent seemed optional for marriage.
Hoping to forget the whole thing, he stepped back and let his elf friend get dressed before she came back to him.
"I just wanted to say, thank you for coming, Miss Ryuu."
"You're welcome, I had something to do here anyway."
"Actually, I'm ashamed to admit it, but I wasn't even sure it was you. Besides, I didn't see you at the camp."
Bell had always seen Ryuu in her waitress uniform, this was the first time he'd seen her in her adventurous outfit. Something rather minimalist by elven standards and which strangely highlighted her thighs.
"That's quite normal. Due to certain circumstances, I prefer to avoid Loki familia.
The young man understood that there was a complex story behind all this and asked no more questions. If she wished to speak, she would do so in due time.
"Do you... want to come with me?"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. For once, I'd like not to be alone."
Quietly, he accompanied the elf as she picked some flowers before going into a secluded clearing. There he noticed a strange mound on which several rusty and damaged weapons were planted, as well as a flag that had been worn down by time.
"This is... a memorial, isn't it?"
"Yes, their bodies are no more, but this is where my familia rests."
In talking to the many members of his familia, Bell had had the opportunity to learn a little more about the history of the city, as well as the familias that made it up and had made it up in the past. It was somewhat by chance that he had the opportunity to leaf through a book dealing with the heraldry of the various familias among those that Ishtar had made available to him at the Astral Mansion.
"Is this... the emblem of the Astraea familia?"
"Yes. I'm... surprised you know it."
"Oh, Grandpa used to tell me about some of Orario's most famous familias. He also told me about the goddess Astraea and her familia. Even though he tended to emphasise Lady Astraea's beauty, I could see that she commanded his respect. And even in the city, although she has disappeared, the few people who have spoken to me about her have always spoken well of her."
"I see... they would have been very pleased, then." Said the elf as he approached the memorial.
Bell was tempted to ask her for more, but once again he listened to his instincts, which told him that Ryuu would open up when she was ready.
So, in silence, he paid his respects to this familia who had dedicated itself to justice. To his surprise, the elf was somewhat talkative and opened up to him. She spoke of some of her weaknesses, her vision of the world, her native forest and the difficulties she had experienced in extricating herself from this mentality. But she also evoked a darker part of her past, suggesting that the death of her familia had turned her into a vengeful monster, and the ambiguous feelings that this still inspired in her to this day.
Then they left in silence.
"Mr Cranel, thank you for coming with me."
"Please, it was no big deal."
"It was to me, much more than you know." She said as she walked off into the forest again, leaving Bell to return to the camp alone.
Things were lively in the camp during Bell's absence, as he was away for quite a while. Between his escape, his reunion with Ryuu, the tribute at the Astraea familia memorial and their long conversation, a good deal of time had passed.
Enough time for Hestia to carry out her threat. Tiona, Tione and Ais had mainly had to calm Lefiya down and get her out of her Terminator function, but the little goddess had help all the same and it wasn't Asfi who came to her god's rescue, even though he had begged her.
Hermes was therefore tied up, hung from a tree and used as a punching bag, mainly by Hestia, who took out all the frustration she had built up over the last few weeks on him... before leaving him in the lurch. Asfi had tried to apologise for the wandering god's behaviour, but strangely enough, she had not tried to lessen his punishment.
Suffice to say, he didn't look good at all to anyone who stumbled across him. Plunged into the half-light, with his face swollen, he was quite frightening for someone who wasn't expecting that.
This was the case for Lefiya, who screamed in terror and leapt backwards. Except that Bell was passing by at the same time and was startled when he heard this cry of terror. His surprise prevented him from avoiding Lefiya, who fell on top of him. The two stumbled to the ground and Bell's luck seemed to kick in again.
The young man had fallen on his back and, by a strange coincidence, the elf had fallen onto his body, sitting astride him in a strategic position. The only thing that prevented her from ending up sprawled out on top of him was Bell's reflex to catch her with her hands as she fell. As luck would have it, the young man's hands ended up on Lefiya's chest, one on each of her... elven globes. Moved by an instinct from the depths of time, Bell moved her hands a little and discovered their firmness and elasticity.
Of course, once she had regained her senses, the young woman wasn't too happy about this.
"Yoooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuu!" she said with a look of pure anger on her face. Bell immediately recognised the young woman, if only because she had tried to kill him a few hours earlier.
"The crazy fairy." He said, speaking his thoughts aloud without paying attention. Naturally, Lefiya heard this description perfectly.
"How did you call me!" she shouted angrily.
She then tried to hit him with her wand, but he broke free and fled.
"I'm sorry!"
"Come back here you perverted human!" she shouted as she gave chase, perfectly justifying the nickname Bell had given her. And so began a chase into the depths of the forest, until the two finally came to a halt when their stamina ran out at about the same time.
They could then look around them and make the same observation.
"We're lost..."
Back at the camp, the Hiryute sisters were looking for the young elf.
"Have you seen Lefiya?" asked Tione.
"I couldn't find her anywhere." replied Tiona.
"Have you seen Master Bell? I can't find him either." Lili asked, joining in the conversation with the two other amazoness accompanying her.
"Is he missing too?" asked Tione.
"Both of them? Do you think... they'd be together?" suggested Tiona.
"Oh? Bell finally decided to take on a customer? And an elf at that. He'd be off to a good start." Aisha said with amusement.
"Be serious, Aisha." Lena retorted. "As much as I'd love it to be true, we're talking about Bell here, remember?
"Unfortunately." Said the luscious amazoness with a sigh. "What a waste really. With such a pretty face, he'd be a huge success."
"So it's true that he really doesn't do this kind of thing?" asked a very curious Tiona.
""Unfortunately."" said the other two amazoness in unison. Which said a lot about the fact that many members of Ishtar familia considered it a waste.
Elsewhere in the woods. Two adventurers were desperately trying to find their way.
"Lost again." Bell observed.
"Whose fault is that? This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't run off like that through the forest!"
"You're the one who was chasing me!" protested the boy.
"You called me crazy!"
"Every time I see you, you chase me. You even tried to kill me this afternoon!"
"You think I'm a savage? I wasn't going to try to kill you... just to teach you a lesson." She said uncertainly.
"And that's really better?"
This was followed by a whole protest from Lefiya, who was showing off all his jealousy about Bell getting a little too close to Ais. At one point, he didn't even really know why he was being shouted at.
"And the worst part is, you saw her naked body."
"I didn't mean to!"
"And yet you seemed to be handling the situation rather calmly. From what I've heard, you're used to bathing with women."
"It's my goddess who always invades the bathroom whenever I'm in there. And I've never asked Lena to do the same. Do you know how tiring it can be to be able to shower in peace only one evening out of five on average?"
Yes, the way people came to pester her in the shower looked amusing from the outside, but it could prove tiring in the long run.
"You bet, you're an Ishtar gigolo, as if that sort of situation doesn't appeal to you!"
Bell gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, for the first time in quite a while he was starting to get annoyed, Lefiya's words were hurtful, in more ways than one and she couldn't possibly know why.
"I'm not a gigolo!" he shouted angrily as many things came back to his mind, including the conversation he'd had with Neela. "And even if I was, would it make any difference? Should I only be defined by that? It's true, I know a lot of prostitutes and not just berberas, many of them are even my friends. They're good people, who don't limit themselves to their job. Do you have any idea how much it hurts when you hear things like that?"
Lefiya was surprised and a little shocked to hear him talk like that. However, Bell's speech had an effect, because it touched her. She then realised that out of jealousy, she had been extremely petty and had let prejudices speak for her. For someone who always claimed to be far more open-minded than the other elves, she was betraying her own words.
"I... you're right. I was hurtful and I apologise, I shouldn't judge you like that without knowing you." She said, bowing politely.
"No, it's me, I'm sorry I got so carried away Miss Viridis."
"Lefiya."
"Sorry?"
"You can... just call me Lefiya, there's no need to be so formal."
"Okay."
They had made their peace, but the problem remained the same, they were still lost in the middle of the forest.
The situation eventually eased between them, Lefiya calmed down and began to look at Bell more objectively. As an adventurer, she was his senior and therefore had a duty to set an example. Realising that this story had caused them to skip dinner, she shared with him something she had on her and they resumed their exploration of the forest.
On the way, Bell was full of compliments and Lefiya felt flattered, even though she realised that the young man simply lacked experience. In fact, he was quite resourceful and a pleasure to talk to.
By chance, they came across two men in white coats. Following Lefiya's instructions, Bell kept quiet and followed her. Of course, the young man knew absolutely nothing about the investigation being carried out by Loki familia into the Evilus and their weird monsters. But he still couldn't bring himself to abandon Lefiya. And she knew she needed help.
In their pursuit of the two men, they fell into a trap intended for curious onlookers. More precisely, a hidden pit, the lair of one of the mutant monsters used as a toy by the dark organisation.
And so it was that they found themselves in a pool of acid, fighting a monster the like of which he had never seen.
A monster with tentacles, spitting a viscous substance capable of dissolving clothes...
Fortunately, the notion of hentai didn't exist in the Gekai...
It was an intense, epic battle in which Bell and Lefiya discovered that they complemented each other perfectly in combat, forming a formidable duo. In the end, between the powerful magic of the elf mage and Bell's Argonaut-boosted shooting star, the creature didn't last long.
They were finally able to get out of the acid pool, but Bell was exhausted and Lefiya found herself alone against two Evilus ready to do battle. Luckily, Ryuu happened to be passing by and dealt with them.
Bell didn't fully understand what had happened, but he did realise that something important was going on. He also understood that they wanted to leave him out of it, so he didn't insist.
In any case, he was too busy being slapped again by Lefiya as he had once again groped her breast. By accident and while she was carrying him on her back. But the infamy was that this time it was directly against her skin, her blouse having failed to survive the monster's acid attacks, prompting the young woman to tie her jacket around her chest to improvise an amazoness-style top.
It was at this point that, alerted by the magical blast, several members of Loki's familia arrived.
On the way home, Bell was both complimented and reprimanded by Lefiya. The girl really didn't seem to know what she wanted. She did, however, promise him a new pair of boots to replace the ones the acid had consumed.
"You're actually getting along quite well," said Ais simply.
"What? B-b-but not at all!" replied Lefiya, already imagining that all this would be misinterpreted. "Hey human, help me out here and explain it to her."
"Yes, you two really are getting along." continued Ais innocently.
It was at this point that they arrived at the camp and Bell found his friends.
"Master Bell! Are you all right?" asked Lili, worried to see him back in such a state.
"Yes, Lili, everything's fine, don't worry."
"What's happened to you?"
"Oh! Er..." He was annoyed because he'd been asked to keep the whole thing to himself and he didn't want to worry his familia. "Let's just say that... er... things happened," he said awkwardly.
"Intense things, I'd say." said Lena, who was watching Bell and Lefiya carefully. "I... I'm surprised... You both look so innocent."
"Er... Lena?" Bell was suddenly worried, already imagining a huge misunderstanding.
"I agree with Lena. I'd never have believed that about you and her. How intense must it have been for your clothes to end up in such a state..." said Aisha then, leaving little doubt as to what she was imagining.
"A beast..." murmured Lena with a mixture of admiration and fascination.
Bell was beginning to feel horrified by the turn of events, but not as horrified as Lefiya, who was on the verge of a panic attack at the thought of anyone believing that she had done such things with him. Well, especially at the thought of Ais imagining things.
"So, does that mean you two really get along?" The blonde asked in her ingenuous way.
"Not at all! Don't let that human fool you! He's a pervert! He touched my chest!" said a panicking Lefiya, who wasn't sure what she was talking about.
"It was an accident!"
"Twice! And he even saw me half-naked!"
"It's the acid's fault!" Bell tried to defend herself, but it was all in vain, as Lefiya seemed to have gone far, far away in her delirium.
"What a horror, now that he's seen me and even touched me, he's not going to be able to resist any longer. He's going to come and find me when I'm alone, then he's going to rip off my clothes and start *beep* at me. Then he's going to use his *beep* to *beep* all over my body, including my *beep* and *beep*, before using his *beep* and *beep* to *beep* me, until I *beep* and *beep* until I can't stand it any more, before *beep* and defiling my body with *beep* and *beep* again until I'm totally at his mercy!"
The panicking elf delivered her tirade in one breath, without giving anyone a chance to say a word.
Besides, what could those numerous *beeps* of censorship mean? Their content is left to the free interpretation of each of us. But let's just say that it was daring enough for even Tione and Tiona to start blushing at the mention of it.
There followed a long, awkward silence which Welf, standing next to Bell, was the first to break.
"Wow... bro, are you really going to do all this to her?"
"Of course not!" replied the young man in panic. "She's alone in her delusion."
The leaders of Loki's familia remained silent in the face of this astonishing tirade. So it was Gareth who spoke first.
"'Oh well, I guess we won't be needing biology lessons after all".
"Lefiya!" said a shocked and outraged Riveria. "May I ask where you learnt such words?"
To which the other elf returned the same outraged look.
"In your private collection!"
Immediately, several pairs of eyes turned to the high elf.
"You have a private collection?" asked Finn.
"Yes... no! That's not the point!" replied a panicking Riveria.
"Ooooh-Oooh..." began Tiona with an amused look. "I didn't know that mama Elf had such a taste for adult literature. And some really spicy ones at that..."
"I always knew elves looked too pure to be honest," said her sister.
Strangely, Riveria calmed down and even seemed to become very cold.
"Well then, it'll just be one more problem to deal with among many."
"What do you mean?" asked Finn, a little worried.
"I'll have to come up with a good explanation to justify to Loki that Lefiya never came back from that expedition."
"Come on Riveria, your sense of humour is getting worse and worse," the captain tried to play down the situation. "Riveria?... Riveria, give me back my spear... Riveria, come back here right now!" he said as he set off after his old elf friend.
The situation was becoming increasingly absurd. Well amused, the dwarf approached Bell.
"Congratulations kid, this is the closest anyone has ever come to destroying our familia," he laughed.
"But... I didn't do anything!" replied Bell with a touch of despair.
"That's the best part!"
For her part, Ais, who, let's not forget, has never had any real sexual education, was in the middle of an existential reflection to decipher Lefiya's words, trying to understand why someone would go and put in contact those parts of the body and why it was suddenly driving everyone crazy.
Bell, meanwhile, was in despair, thinking that his poor reputation was going to suffer as a result of all this. Not to mention the fact that he really didn't know where to start with Lefiya, one minute she was being adorable, the next she was going off the deep end.
Yeah... definitely a crazy fairy...
Author's notes :
Another chapter comes to an end and the story moves along slowly. I hope the light, comic tone of the chapter will make up for the lack of plot progress, but rest assured, the next chapter will be much more animated.
Before I know it, it seems that the elves have become hidden perverts in my fic, but hey, let's indulge in a little fantasy.