Author`s Note: The first part of the chapter that takes part in Orario and the dungeon happens during the three weeks timeskip at the end of the last chapter, during which Bell and his family went back to their home before they joined Hringhorni.
I will only show the start of the Expedition in this chapter, and more of it in the next chapter. Otherwise, this whole chapter would only be about Astrea fam, and my fingers itch to write about Bell in Hringhorni too.
So, the first part is during the time skip last chapter, then the Hringhorni part after the time skip, and continued expedition during time skip again. Maybe as a memory while the Astrea fam tell their goddess how it went. have to see that.
I took a break for a few days; that´s why this chapter only out now.
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"Big Sis?"
"Ilta, what is it?"
"We got complaints again about causing public nuisance."
"What is it this time?"
"Public nudity."
"Hoh?"
"Yeah, Diarmuid got a complaint from a citizen and checked in that direction from afar. A few women are swimming in the river again, they aren´t wearing anything."
"Hmpf, of course Diarmuid would check on such a complaint."
"Hey, I´m sure he just wanted to do his job. At least he only checked from afar and didn´t go closer, came back to report what he saw."
"Hah...let me guess, Amazons?"
"Not only, but yes."
"Always the same. I´ll go and deal with the situation."
"Thank you. I have much to do anyway. Ganesha offered to handle the situation."
"Yeah, he surely would like to."
Ganesha wasn´t as perverted as many other gods, but of course, he wouldn´t mind such a situation!
"Where did Diarmuid spot them?"
Ilta described it to her.
"Hm, it´s a bit off from the sight for most people."
"I was wondering about that too."
"Why can´t they just go to the 18th floor..."
"Well, it´s a bit of a long trip back if they´re taking time off from the dungeon."
"Alright, I´ll go and remind them of Orario´s laws. And that many male gods might ogle them, at least those who aren´t amazons among them might feel embarrassed then."
"Good luck, see you later."
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Shakti walked with quick steps in her usual outfit as she went to the river. Strengthened gauntlets for self-defense and to punch someone hard, as well as her whip at her hip. Outside of a battle, she wouldn´t bring her spear with her.
The weather was nice and warm, not many clouds were in the sky, summer was really starting now. Shakti had hoped that the situation in Orario would calm down now since the Education District left almost two months ago.
"Seriously...why can´t they just wear swimsuits..."
She wondered if those women didn´t know shame; then again they swam at a place where not many people would spot them. It still wasn´t alright, and it was her job to hold up Orario´s morale and modesty.
Depending on how the women would react to her scolding, Shakti would either give them a warning or a fine. The river that passed through Orario started close to the West Main street, went south, and then split further into a west and east direction. The part where the women got spotted was close to the abandoned part of Orario, where mostly ruins, like an old church, were. The Ganesha familia often enough had to come here since adventurers and other people liked to go to this part of Orario for amorous things.
While most people wouldn´t bother with it, if word got around that coupling couples would often be out there, male gods and other people would flock there constantly.
On her way to this part of the river, Shakti was greeted by citizens and greeted them in return. Orario was as peaceful as it could be these days, and she was glad for it. Only Ganesha truly knew it, but Shakti had more than once been in a panic or cried from desperation.
Because of Ardee.
More than anything, after she fell into a coma. Shakti was her last living relative, and she wanted to protect her more than anything else. All she wanted for Ardee was to live a happy, peaceful life. Shakti had cried more than she ever did after Ardee finally woke up from her coma, and she was glad that the Astrea familia took care of her. She knew how hard the scars hit Ardee, that she thought no man would ever find her beautiful or pretty, that she would never find love, and how hard it was to look at her scarred body. And not only because her right eye was almost blind.
So, it had been no wonder why Ardee went to the Astrea familia, where no man could see her. These days, she seemed to be in a better mood, opening up more. She still hid her body and face in public; the only man who ever saw Ardee´s face unveiled was Ganesha. But whether Shakti wanted to admit it or not, Ganesha had basically become their father...or Dad.
Not that they would ever call him that, since he could be quite annoying. Ganesha then stated they were just in their rebellious phase. Which was unlikely since Shakti was over thirty now, even when she looked like in her early twenties due to her level. Ardee was almost twenty now but still looked like a young teenager.
Since Ardee seemed to be more lively these days, Shakti was really, really glad that Astrea familia was so good for her.
Surely...nothing bad would ever happen because of that familia.
Right?
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"No...no...no no no no no...this can´t be real...this can´t be happening..."
Shakti had found the spot where Diarmuid had spotted the swimming women. They were far enough away so that one could only see that they were women and naked, but no close-up details. It got obvious that three of them were amazons, one a werewolf, one a human.
But it was the seventh figure that squeezed Shakti´s heart. A figure who just emerged from the water, after maybe diving a bit. This figure...had short, blue hair...
"Dear heavens no...not you..."
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"Mmmmmhhh~~~~ That was a wonderful idea~~~~~"
Kaguya stretched her arms above her head and leaned back, her hands on the towel below her. Her naked body glistened in the sunlight, enjoying the warmth, it really was a nice spot here.
"I agree..."
Neze lay on her stomach next to Kaguya, the tail turned to the side, so that the sunlight would also touch Neze´s butt. The werewolf claimed she too, wanted to get a good tan...
"Does your skin even get tanned?"
"Maybe a bit..."
Kaguya looked to her left, Iska lay there on her back, not bothered by any eyes that might see her, a true amazon. On Iska´s left side was Tione, equally unbothered. The only ones who were still in the water were Tiona and Ardee. Tiona loved water and to swim, she was a true water rat. And would probably be frustrated to lay up here with the four well-endowed women of her familia. Then again, Tiona and Kaguya were mostly the reason why they all bathed and swam naked. Tiona just was like that, she liked to swim like this more than with a swimsuit, Kaguya was the same. And since Tione and Iska weren´t bothered by it, and Neze loved to sunbathe, they all went along with it.
The only one who was very uneasy about it at first was Ardee.
All of them knew that she had a complex about her scars, and it truly wasn´t a nice sight, most men would probably never find her attractive. But Tiona got along well with Ardee, because of their shared love for heroic stories. Since Tiona was the way she was, she explained to Ardee there was nothing to be ashamed of and to just enjoy the freedom. It had started with Ardee trying the liberating feeling of sleeping naked alone in her bed, it had felt very nice. She often accompanied Tiona to the 18th floor to swim and bathe there, but today was the first time they used the river in the city. Yet, Ardee was the one to often glance around to make sure no one saw them, especially no man.
While Kaguya wasn´t a cheap woman who would bare her body to any guy, she was also very proud of her beautiful figure, so if someone happened to spot her naked, she wouldn´t act like a bashful maiden. Showing her silver arm so openly was also part of this mindset.
"Hah...such a relaxing day is just nice..."
The others agreed, mumbling, while Ardee and Tiona were still playing in the water.
It was Neze´s twitching tail and ears that warned them.
"Someone´s coming..."
"Danger?"
"Nah..."
"Who is it?"
"Sh-"
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"What are you all doing here?!"
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Before Neze could mumble the name, Shakti already announced her presence. Kaguya lazily opened one of her eyes.
"Oh, Shakti, hey..."
Neze´s tail twitched up since she was currently too lazy to wave with a hand. "Yo, Shakti..."
Iska waved with one of her feet. "Heyah..."
Tione breathed softly, not bothering with the intruder. Tiona turned around, curious.
But it was Ardee´s reaction that was the strongest.
"Eeeeep! Sh-Sh-Shakti?!"
Ardee submerged down to her chin, looking around in panic to make sure no one else was there, her face got quite red. Her big sister looked very agitated.
Kaguya smirked like a cat. "We swim and sunbathe, should be obvious."
"Why naked?!"
"Because it feels good?..."
"You know this is against the law!"
"It´s not like anyone can see us here."
"And why do you think I´m here?! You got spotted!"
Ardee´s head started to steam. "S-Spotted?!"
"Yes, by a woman from the city and Diarmuid."
"Dia?! Hyaaaa..."
"He didn´t get closer after he saw you from afar."
Tione eventually opened an eye. "Who´s Diarmuid?"
"A member of my familia."
"Sounds like a whim when he didn´t come closer."
Shakti didn´t answer that statement, she just looked at Ardee.
"Why are you here...looking like that?"
"Auuu...it´s...it´s not like you think..."
Tiona moved with a surprising speed around Ardee, even if she didn´t seem to swim fast. "Hey, we´re just having fun here."
"But I can´t allow you to do that naked."
"Why not? It feels good."
"There are laws in Orario, and don´t influence my little sister to become a nudist!"
Tiona shrugged her shoulders. "It´s good for her."
"Good?! To be naked in public?!"
"It´s not really public here, and yes, it´s good. Makes her proud of her body."
Shakti saw how embarrassed Ardee was, maybe it wasn´t an easy decision for her to join the others like that. But maybe...maybe it was a step forward for her.
"Maybe, but be aware if word gets around that naked women are swimming here, men will come to ogle at you, gods and mortals alike."
"Auuuu..." Ardee almost vanished under water.
Tiona put her hands on Ardee´s shoulders to give her support and hold her up.
"If any guy dares to peep on Ardee or make fun of her, I will beat him up! Thoroughly!"
Kaguya lazily waved with her foot. "Count me in."
Tione rolled onto her back, and the wobbling movement of her chest made Tiona grit her teeth, even when Tione also agreed to do what the others planned. Iska and Neze were the same.
Tiona almost cried bloody tears. "Don´t show off your breasts when you agree with me!"
To make it worse for Tiona, when all four sat up to look at her...their breasts moved again.
"Kuuuuuh!"
Ardee really was Tiona´s only true friend since she only had medium-sized breasts! It would take Tiona a long time to accept and get over the fact that her chest just wouldn´t grow further.
Shakti could see how much the support of the familia meant to Ardee.
"Hah...just don´t turn my baby sister into a nudist...please..."
"No promises are made!" Tiona grinned.
Ardee still swam to the riverbank, covered herself with her hands while she got out, and then hid her body behind a towel while she put on her swimsuit.
She still had a long way to go, but especially with Tiona´s help, Ardee would become more and more confident in her body. Not at the same level that an Amazon would have, but it would save her from shutting herself in and never going outside again. Their shared interest in heroic stories was what would save Ardee in the end and let her become happy.
And while Tiona often wasn´t the brightest, she had a natural understanding of some things, subconsciously. Whenever there was a thunderstorm, Tiona would just feel the urge to spend the evening with Ardee, read or talk together for a long time, often sleep together, holding Ardee. Tiona was one of the few people who knew just how scared Ardee had become of thunder.
Not because of the thunder or lightning itself, but because the sounds resembled that of explosions...
But it wouldn´t only be Tiona who would save Ardee.
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The Astrea familia would soon go on an Expedition in the dungeon, accompanied by Lunor. There was still a week until that point, and Astrea had strictly ordered them all to rest until then.
Since it was pretty warm, the goddess sat in the garden on the grass, enjoying the sun. Gently stroking the heads of the two young women, who dozed while they received a divine lap pillow.
"Nya..."
"Meow..."
Astrea smiled down to Anya and Chloe, she loved her two cats. Both loved to laze around in the sun, receiving gentle head pats from the goddess. And the goddess loved to gently pet her two followers, she had a thing for cute, fluffy things after all.
But it wasn´t only the presence of Chloe and Anya that gave Astrea joy, it was also what she saw in a short distance. Ryu and Filvis sat on the grass next to a very young, growing tree. A tree that had a deep, sacred meaning for elves. A few months ago, Ryu and Filvis accompanied Riveria, another elf from her familia and a half-elf who belonged to the guild to an elven forest that wasn´t that far away from Orario, only a few day trips away. There was a spirit festival in the forest, and since they fought together during the dark times, Riveria had invited Ryu, and since she belonged to the Astrea familia, Filvis too.
Riveria hit two flies with one stone there. They would basically be her "guard", other elves might try to accompany Riveria, which would become a hassle. During this festival, the two elves of the Astrea familia each received a spirit nut from a sacred elven tree.
Filvis had almost cried when Ryu offered to share the nut with her, to grow closer and understand each other more, Ryu really started to like the younger elf, becoming more and more her big sister. Sharing such a nut would forge a deep connection between two people.
Both had thought about what to do with the second nut, and in the end, they decided to bury it in the garden of their home, hoping for the best outcome. And now truly, the nut took root, and a young, elven tree started to grow here.
They cared a lot about this tree and made sure that the part of the garden was always perfect for the young tree. It was good that elven trees tended to grow very fast during their first year, so even if it was less than a year old, the tree already had a height of three meters. Since it was thanks to Riveria´s question that they got this tree, Astrea had talked to her. When Astrea´s familia would go on an Expedition, one or two elves of the Loki familia would watch over their home, mostly to protect the holy tree that was growing there.
In return, when important days in the elvish calendar would happen, Astrea would allow them to celebrate close to the growing tree. Even Hogni was interested in the growing tree, bragging to his eternal rival that he saw it before him.
And currently, the scenery just warmed Astrea´s heart. Ryu sat behind Filvis and gently combed her hair.
"Your hair is really pretty, Filvis. Like the feathers of a raven."
"Do you really think so?..."
"Of course, why would I lie? Lady Riveria also said it was pretty."
"Th-Thank you..."
It wouldn´t be long anymore, then Filvis would start to call Ryu by the two magical words. Big sister. And to see how Filvis´ ears wriggled slightly up and down, it was just too precious for Astrea. But the goddess also noticed something else, Filvis glanced at Anya´s and Chloe´s tails and ears again. Astrea guessed that her followers also liked fluffy things.
When she heard a loud, rushing, hissing sound, the goddess looked up.
In a separate part of the garden, where Asta´s forge stood, flames burst out of the chimney again.
Astrea raised her voice. "Is everything alright?!"
A...slightly soot-stained...hand moved out of the window of the forge, showing a thumbs-up. Astrea knew who this hand belonged to, Hephaistos´ captain, Tsubaki. However it happened, Tsubaki got wind of the unique skill that Asta had and what she could create. As a half-dwarf, runes always fascinated Tsubaki, and depending on what Asta could create, she could use it in her forging.
With a coughing sound, the door to the forge opened and a soot-stained Alise came outside.
"Sorry, Lady Astrea, I got a bit too excited."
"Asta and Tsubaki are fine?"
"Yes, yes, don´t worry."
To increase the process of forging her runes, Asta had asked Alise to fire up her forge with magical flames, curious if it would change something. The fire itself wouldn´t change anything, but it would attract something. Something that would sneak into Asta´s forge when she was outside and made its nest inside the furnace.
A salamander spirit.
It would really like this place and to sleep there, Asta would almost faint when she saw this, and make Tsubaki a bit jealous. Both would be curious if spirit fire would change anything.
"Hmm..hmmm...hmm..."
"Alise?"
"I have to talk with Lyra, Asta said for her "project" she will need more than anticipated."
"Can´t she buy anything from that?"
"It would be way too expensive, we have to see how much we can bring up, Tsubaki offered her help. She said she would also talk to Lady Hephaistos, so that we get more help to bring the stuff up. The more hands, the better."
"I understand, but you´re not allowed to take Lily with you onto the Expedition."
"Of course not, it´s too dangerous for a level one down there, and she is too young anyway."
"That´s good."
Alise winked, which let soot fall from her eyelashes. "Also, someone has to keep you company and protect the home, right?"
"That too, of course, or I will start to feel lonely."
"Hehe~~ Then, I´m off to talk to Lyra."
"First, pat yourself down, but not next to my flowers! I don't want all that soot in the house."
"Hay hay."
Lily was the newest member of their familia. Three days ago, they had acted as Orario´s police force again, showing up in full strength, with Astrea leading them, at the home of Souma´s familia. There were many complaints and troubles with Souma familia members, some even attacked people in the dungeon to steal their stuff to get money.
All for the sake of paying for some more divine wine.
So, Astrea took off the mantle of the gentle goddess and acted as the Lady of Justice once again. She had been adamant towards Souma, opening his eyes to the situation by force, explaining to him how much suffering he brought over Orario. If this was what he wanted to do on the surface, if this should be his legacy. Souma had almost given up on the mortals, stating that all of them only desired pleasure in different forms, that the gods made them weak, pitiful and pathetic compared to how they were during the era of heroes.
The more he went on to make the mortals small, the angrier Astrea got. In the end, the goddess did something that barely any of her followers expected.
She slapped Souma.
For insulting her followers, her precious children.
Astrea had stated that maybe a few mortals were like that, but not the majority. Souma had just sighed and told her that mortals couldn´t resist the siren song of divine wine, that no one would ever be different once they got a taste of it.
He was proven wrong by Kaguya.
She glared at the god and told him to pour her some of the divine wine. Astrea had looked uneasy at Kaguya, but her vice-captain had fire in her eyes. Souma looked at Kaguya while she gulped the divine wine down, waiting for her reaction. Yes, Kaguya´s cheeks turned red, she swayed slightly, had a dream-like expression for a moment.
But her glare remained unchanged, as did her determination.
"Never insult me or my sisters again like this, God Souma."
Souma was at a loss for words. He couldn´t know it, but Kaguya was the only member of the familia who could resist this divine wine. Due to her circumstances, her body had constant trouble with the poison inside her, even when it was now cleansed, and she had a pretty high rank of Abnormal Resistance. At rank G, most people could resist almost everything, except for things from the very deep floors.
Kaguya´s Abnormal Resistance was at rank G, but very close to have it climb up to F.
It had grown over the years, also due to delving deeper and deeper into the dungeon. For her clan, it was nothing unusual, but she had the highest rank among all of her relatives since she was an adventurer. But also because she sometimes continued with a tradition of her clan, because it gave her a kick and out of habit.
Sometimes, when she was drinking tea alone, Kaguya added a bit of poison to train herself.
At least until Amid told her to stop doing that since it would make problems with her treatment.
Her development ability alone wouldn´t be enough to counter the divine wine. It was her iron will that let her resist.
Souma was impressed, very much, and it opened his eyes. Even more so when the young prum girl of his familia entered the room, pleading her god to let her go. The god of wine would change himself and what he did, refusing to make any more divine wine on the surface. It would lead to despair among a few of his followers and a certain blond god. Who would curse Astrea so much in private, with such filthy words, that each and every one of her followers would murder Diyonisus if they ever heard these words.
Deity or not.
And when Souma unsealed Lily´s blessing, Lyra put a hand on her shoulder, grinning.
"Congratulations."
"Huh?"
"You´re getting adopted now, please do not resist."
"Eh?!"
It was a bit weird, and Lyra maybe a bit forceful, but Lily eventually agreed to join the Astrea familia. While Lily didn´t have a belief in justice, Astrea saw that she had a chance to develop a spark, which could turn into a flame later.
Lyra was overjoyed to finally have a little sister of her own now, she would show Lily the ropes in the familia. And demand her help in her workshop. Even years after the incident, Lyra still had a problem with her depth perception, even when she got used to having just one eye. Lily would become an enormous help for Lyra and grow very attached to her.
Later, it would be rare to see one "sister" without the other.
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Since Lyra handled the logistics for their Expedition, she could tell Alise just how much they could bring up. This Expedition had two goals, first, to follow the guild´s request and make it down to the 50th floor, with only two level fives, one level four on the verge to level up, a few level fours and multiple level threes, it would still be a hard trip. That Hogni would accompany them as a level six would be an enormous help. And now that Tsubaki would also come with them, maybe even with a few members of her familia, their second goal would become even more manageable.
To mine pure adamantite.
So, they would make it down to the 50th floor, put their camp up there, and then move up again to mine adamantite and all the mythril they could find in the volcanic area. Balor still wouldn´t appear again in more than a month, so they wouldn´t need to be careful on that part.
It would be their first time reaching the 50th floor, and apparently, it was a perfect resting spot. Dungeon gifts still grew there, there was plenty of water and even trees grew there, so they had enough wood for fire. Since they wouldn´t need to carry water, they could focus on tools and food. And they would bring plenty of food. Dry meat for a few days, but all in all, they planned to stay inside the dungeon for two weeks. So, they would bring vegetables, like lentils, peas, beans, and use dungeon gifts as much as possible. Thankfully, not all dungeon gifts were like fruits, some resembled a few vegetables.
They were excited and hoped for a good haul, and of course, that nothing dire would happen. No matter how bad the haul would become, safety was their first priority, as usual. Which could be even more of a challenge due to their allies.
Hogni would be the only man in the Expedition. And it would be Ryu´s job to act as the mediator since he seemed almost normal and relaxed around her...while he easily freaked out in the presence of the others.
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In the afternoon, when the others returned from the river, the familia got ready for something special.
The Far Eastern week started in the Entertainment District.
When Kaguya heard about this, she insisted to go there, alone if she had to. Astrea was quite curious about it, since it was stated that it would be in a part of the Entetainment part, not the Pleasure Quarter.
Of course, the Pleasure Quarter had its own version of the Far Eastern week, but they wouldn´t go there.
At first, Ryu was against it, but it seemed like Ishtar had her ears everywhere and her eyes somewhere else on top of that. But in this case, it was the fact that Ishtar heard Astrea talking to Demeter in the divine bathhouse, giving her an idea. Two days ago, an Amazon had shown up at their door, she had long, black hair and purple eyes, introduced herself as Aisha.
Aisha stated that Ishtar sent her a request to Astrea. Since the Far Eastern week would happen in the Pleasure and Entertainment parts at the same time, Ishtar didn´t have enough staff to handle the security in both areas. While Ganesha´s familia also would send guards to the Entertainment part, the Far Eastern week always drew in a lot of visitors. So, she asked Astrea if a few of her followers could pretend to be normal festival goers but actually keep an eye on the surroundings and look out for trouble.
In the past, Ishtar and Astrea didn´t get along well, but Haruhime´s innocent influence slowly changed the goddess. Ishtar even got a surprisingly wise word of advice from the manager of a brothel, a female prum who had her best days past her. Why bother to look for all of Orario, to take Freya´s spot, when Ishtar basically had her own kingdom here, that she could already rule perfectly. It let Ishtar think, pushing her further and further away from her path of self-destruction. Would eventually lead the goddess to find something she never had so far.
Happiness.
Due to Ishtar´s request, even Ryu and Filvis would come with them, even enjoying the festival while they would look for anyone who would make trouble.
And since it was work, and he was ordered to observe their work, Hogni would accompany them. Frightened, scared, nervous, freaking out, until Filvis out of all people would show him a truly "magic" item. They sold masks at the festival, of various animals from the far east, and even the rumored Oni. With one of these masks, Hogni almost felt invincible! Syr would accompany them to the festival, leading to a certain black cat watching over her...and probably his little sister...from a rooftop.
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"Woah, it looks so good here. Kaguya, what do you say?"
"It´s pretty authentic, not bad."
"Wow, so that´s how they dress in the far east."
"Hehe~~ Isy, you look good in that kimono."
"Could say the same about you, Mar."
"Looks interesting."
Ardee, Kaguya, Tiona, Maryuu, Iska, and Tione strolled around the festival together. While Alise, Ryu, Filvis, Syr and Hogni went with Astrea, the others moved around on their own.
The festival had only started after it slowly got dark, so that the light they used gave the scenery the right touch. It were far eastern paper lanterns, giving of a pleasant, red light. All houses got decorated in a way to look like the Far East, Ishtar had even changed the rooftops to fit in.
And there was pleasant music in the background, they could hear the sound of the instruments.
Kaguya closed her eyes and smiled. "Bamboo flutes...Erhus...Guzhengs..."
Tione looked a bit curious. "What´s that?"
"The instruments they´re using, they´re doing well, I have to say."
"Sounds...interesting."
Kaguya smirked slightly. "Not something amazons would use, I´m sure."
"But the dress is weird."
Just like everyone else, Tione wore a kimono. But just like Iska and Tiona, a version that only went down past her knees. Since for amazons, suddenly wearing clothes that covered most of the body was confusing and unpleasant.
"That´s not a dress, it´s a kimono. And see the positive side."
"Hm?"
"You Amazons normally wear almost nothing, so right now, you´re standing out among Amazons, which might help you catch some guy´s eyes."
"Hm."
It was a simple comment, maybe even meant as a bit teasing, but...
Iska grinned. "Kaguya is right, I told you many times that nice clothes will help!"
"Hm..."
Tione would slowly get more interested in different clothes, Iska would be able to give her a lot of tips in that matter.
All of them had far eastern food in their hands, of different kinds, looking at the various different stalls.
"Kaguya?"
"Ardee?"
"What´s a Sakuga dance?"
"It´s "Sakura" dance. And it´s something one should absolutely see, where was it mentioned?"
"There."
Ardee pointed at a board hanging above a side street, two amazons stood as guards there. Kaguya immediately walked in that direction.
"When will the dance start?"
One of the Amazons replied. "About thirty minutes. No men allowed."
"Oh? Why that?"
"Because the Geihsa wants it."
Kaguya smiled. "You mean the Geisha?"
"Yeah, can´t pronounce it right."
"Hoh, to think you have an actual Geisha here..."
Maryuu looked curious. "What is a Geisha?"
"They are professional female entertainers who specialize in the far east´s traditional cultural arts. They usually attend guests at exclusive teahouses and dinners, where they not only serve food and drink but also put on performances and engage in conversation and lighthearted games. But I wonder why this Geisha doesn´t want men to come, normally, men are their main guests."
The other amazon looked at Kaguya. "She´s not good with men, every man who tries to sneak in will end with broken bones, believe that."
So either she has a very demanding personality, putting herself above others...or...she is scared of men.
Kaguya had met both kinds of Geishas in the Far East.
"How much does the entry cost?"
She raised an eyebrow when she heard the answer. "Expensive. I hope that means she´s good."
"Our goddess thinks so."
"And you don´t?"
"Never saw someone else do the dance, can´t tell."
Kaguya looked at the others and waved to them. "Let us go, I will pay. You have to see it. At this price, she has to be a professional."
The amazon shrugged her shoulders. "She´s also doing that Kendu stuff tomorrow."
"Oh, she can do Kenbu too? Then we have to see that. Come, girls."
It was rare to see Kaguya pretty excited, so the others followed her. The side alley ended in an open field teahouse. There were very low tables here and there, with pillows next to them to sit on. With her experienced eye, Kaguya led them to the best table, showing them to properly sit down in a kimono. Maryuu and Ardee only had slight problems, but the three Amazons had more than a few problems to sit down. They complained about getting cramps and that their feet hurt, so Kaguya corrected their positions.
"Can´t we just sit at one of the real tables?"
There were a few tables with chairs there for those who couldn´t sit at the low tables.
"No, it will ruin the show, trust me. It´s not only about the feeling, but the sight too, more people will surely come."
And just like Kaguya said, more women came, even a few goddesses. The goddess who stood out the most, was Hathor, due to her mask, she had the courtesy to sit at one of the tables, so that people behind her wouldn´t get distracted by her mask. She got accompanied by a beautiful dark-elf, who acted like a young woman, but...somehow she looked older than she acted.
All women present wore kimonos, it was demanded to get entrance to the dance, and there truly wasn´t one man among them. A few of them had animal masks at the sides of their heads, just like Ardee and Tiona had. Ardee´s resembled a monkey, while Tiona´s that of a rabbit. Those who had worn the masks on their faces had to take them off before they got entrance to make sure that no man hid under a mask.
A woman who looked like she had at least far eastern ancestors, sat down at the side of the stage. She had a small drum, and used a special stick to hit it two times, to get the attention. All light in the small theater got dimmed, except for the ones that aimed at the stage.
Somewhere not visible, a few instruments started to get played when the curtain of the small stage parted. More than a few women gasped.
In the middle of the stage sat a very beautiful girl in a red kimono with black leaves on it, holding a closed far eastern fan in each hand, her head bowed forward.
Her golden hair, elegant fox tail, and the two ears were what caught most attention.
As the girl opened her eyes and slowly got up to her feet in an elegant matter, Kaguya frowned slightly.
She looks like...as if she belongs to the Sanjouno clan...could that be?
The girl slowly brought her closed fans up, moved them past each other, unfolding them. She closed her eyes and moved in the rhythm of the music. Moving her hands, the fans and her feet slowly. She moved the fans down as if she was waving, then up again and down again, maybe to resemble the fall of blossoms or rain. Unlike what Kaguya had expected, her face wasn´t painted white, her natural bright taint and the light here were enough. When she opened her green eyes again and continued her dance, letting her eyes wander shortly over her audience, Kaguya couldn´t stop thinking about what...who she saw.
She was definitely from the Far East, and while fox people weren´t rare over there, those with golden fur were. Similar to Kaguya´s hair and eye color combination, which normally only appeared in her clan.
She has to be a Sanjouno, but how did one of them end up here?
Kaguya thought of it as weird, then again, she was a Gojouno and had ended up in Orario as well, as a member, and even the vice-captain, of the Justice familia. And according to rumors, while she herself never saw her, there was an elf in the Pleasure Quarter too. Said rumors stated this elf was probably the most expensive of all courtesans, since she was an elf.
Haruhime´s slow dance was almost enchanting, no words fell from the guests, all of their eyes were glued to the stage. It was a pretty long version of the Sakura dance, lasting for a bit over five minutes, no wonder the entrance was so expensive.
Ardee mumbled so low that the fox girl wouldn´t hear her.
"She´s so pretty..."
Tiona nodded. "It looks so good."
Kaguya took a slow sip from her tea, mumbling softly. "She´s good, very good."
But with her behavior, she´s more a Maiko than a Geisha, but I guess the amazons wouldn´t understand the difference nor get the word.
She looked with different eyes at Haruhime than the others, more professional eyes. Kaguya too got trained in traditional arts in her home, but this girl looked much more relaxed than she ever did. Even as if she was having fun.
I wonder how they create this effect behind her.
Most people wouldn´t notice it, but Kaguya did since it wasn´t part of a normal Sakura dance. A few cherry petals slowly fell down behind the Geisha, that wasn´t unusual, also the light smoke from incense sticks. Her movements slowly whirled these around, creating an even more impressive atmosphere, her tail only added more to the mysterious picture.
But Kaguya noticed also something different. Some of the petals and the slight smoke behind her didn´t move as they should be. It looked like they got pushed away from something behind the girl, which followed her movements. But only rarely, not with every movement.
Maybe the fans are small magic items? Creating a soft wind to enhance the show?
There was nothing to see, but from the movements of the smoke and petals, it looked like the movement went left and right, again and again.
They kept watching, fascinated by the golden-furred fox girl. Some of them also noticed two amazons standing at the side, watching the girl too, both smiling softly.
As I thought, she isn´t the type to be high-and-mighty. No men are allowed because she is scared of them. CURSIVE
It wasn´t that rare, at least here. Due to her work, Kaguya knew enough about the Entertainment District. More than a few girls and women here were scared of men due to various reasons.
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The familia would enjoy their time at the festival over the course of the week, each of them trying more than a few far eastern delicacies. They enjoyed their time, and it was good that they did it.
The dungeon would be challenging enough.
Kaguya would return each day to watch both dances of Haruhime, at the last day, she would talk to two of the amazons.
"Is the Geisha available for a private tea ceremony?"
The smaller one shook her head heavily. "Haru-Haru doesn´t do that CURSIVE stuff."
"I didn´t mean anything amorous or lewd with my request. Are you aware what services a Geisha normally provides to guests? Or do you just use the name because it sounds far-eastern?"
The taller amazon crossed her arms under her big chest. "What do you mean? As Lena just said, Haruhime isn´t available for naughty work."
"*sigh* Of course she isn´t if she is supposed to be a real Geisha. I have no sexual interest in women, I only look at men this way. But as you maybe can see, I´m from the Far East. So all I want is a private tea ceremony, with good and professional company, having a proper talk. Or do you amazons only understand the horizontal language?"
"Careful now, girl."
Kaguya showed Aisha a dangerous grin. "You are aware who I am?"
"Don´t care. If you try to harm Haruhime in any way, the whole district will be after you, including Lady Ishtar."
"Oho? Is she her favorite?"
"One of them. So this tea thing is just drinking tea together?"
Kaguya sighed again, but before she could continue, a soft, gentle, and slightly frail voice was heard.
"Aisha, Lena, I know what a private tea ceremony is. If our guest desires it, I would be alright with it."
"Haruhime...are you sure?"
"Haru-Haru..."
Haruhime smiled slightly at Kaguya. "You´re from the Far East too."
"I am."
"They explained the rules to you?"
"No need, I know how to behave in the presence of a Geisha, even if it's only one in training."
Aisha raised an eyebrow. "A private session with her is expensive."
"Money doesn´t matter, if I finally get someone who can appreciate good far eastern tea."
Haruhime chuckled softly and bowed in a polite way, Lena and Aisha were surprised at how professional Haruhime looked. And from the movement of her tail, it even seemed like Haruhime had...fun?
Then she moved her right hand to the side. "This way please, esteemed guest."
Haruhime led Kaguya to the special table where the tea got made for the audience of her dance. As tradition demanded it, Kaguya sat down in an elegant manner on one side of the table, waiting for Haruhime to do her work.
The gentle music was still playing, while Haruhime sat carefully down on the other side of the table, while she arranged the items for the tea ceremony.
"Do you prefer a certain taste, esteemed guest?"
"A bit more on the bitter side."
"Very well."
Haruhime was very careful with the items to make tea, due to her movements and the order in which she worked, Kaguya could see that she got properly trained in the past.
"Just in case, smoking is forbidden here, esteemed guest."
"Don´t worry, I would never smoke at a tea ceremony, and I left my kiseru at home."
Kaguya only smoked with her kiseru very rarely, only for special occasions.
She noticed that Haruhime´s tail twitched slightly when her eyes fell for a moment onto her silver arm.
"Does this make you nervous?"
"N-No..."
"Ah...the tatoos?"
"A little..."
"Why?"
"O-Only bad people and...and c-criminals have tatoos."
"Heh, spoken like a true noble lady."
"I am no noble lady."
Kaguya sat up straight, it wasn´t only her visible silver arm or the tatoos she had painted onto it with black ink, but also the way how she sat there, letting the sleeve that would cover the silver arm hang down, just like some crime lords in the far east would do, of course she did it on purpose.
Kaguya liked being a bad and naughty girl.
"May I ask your name, esteemed guest?"
A slight smirk answered her. "Gojouno Kaguya."
The brush that Haruhime held in her hand and was about to use at the tea leaves fell onto the table. "G-G-G-Gojouno?!"
Haruhime´s tail curled in a scared way behind her, and just for a moment, a split-second, did the falling petals behind her got pushed to the side again.
Strange.
"Don´t be worried, I left my clan, I couldn´t stand it there. I am a follower of Lady Astrea, and her vice-captain."
"O-oh! Oh...please excuse my clumsiness, Lady Kaguya."
"It´s alright, would you tell me your name?"
"Haruhime."
"Only Haruhime? No last name?"
Haruhime smiled sad. "Not anymore."
"I see."
This told Kaguya a lot, almost all she needed to know. She understood, and Haruhime saw that Kaguya understood. And Kaguya saw that Haruhime saw that she seemed to understand what Haruhime originally was. After all, both belonged to two of the great clans. Well...not anymore actually.
"You surely have skills for making tea."
"You have my thanks, I often practice it."
"So, this is your job here in the Entertainment District?"
"My goddess plans to make it so. She said the far eastern week is a great success, so she wants to turn a street far eastern style all year long."
"This might make some gods curious."
"If they can find joy in it, but Lady Ishtar said there will be strict rules."
"Understandable, some deities are just too...carefree."
Both fell quiet while Haruhime continued her work slowly, Kaguya took her time to appreciate good work done by hand.
And as for the tea...
"Mh...a bit bitter...otherwise a gentle taste...very refined...it´s very good."
"I´m glad it is to your liking, Lady Kaguya."
Kaguya was aware that the two amazons watched them from the distance, but aside from drinking tea and have a soft conversation, nothing else happened.
"Neh, Aisha, is this what far eastern stuff is about?"
"Dunno, but looks boring to me."
Even as they tried to speak in low voices, Haruhime´s ears twitched slightly, and Kaguya heard them too.
Kaguya sighed softly. "Barbarians..."
Haruhime dared to chuckle softly. "Please excuse my sisters, they´re amazons after all."
"And they seem to care about you and protect you quite fiercly."
Haruhime´s smile was sad and happy at the same time. "They do, I´m happy to have them."
Both fell quiet again and watched the cherry petals fall. There were no trees of that sort here, instead the petals fell from special baskets that got hung up at the rooftops of the surrounding buildings.
"I thank you for the tea, young Haruhime."
"I´m glad you enjoyed it, Lady Kaguya."
"May I ask, what do you do in your free time?"
"I like to practice my arts, use my bow, or read."
"What kind of books do you read?"
Haruhime giggled while blushing slightly. "It is a bit embarrassing, but I like fairy tales and heroic stories."
"Hoh? Another one."
"Hm?"
"There are two in my familia who are like that too."
"Oh?"
"My familia will soon go on an Expedition, but I will come again after we returned, it has been too long that I could enjoy something like this."
"I will await your return, please be safe in the dungeon."
"Have a nice evening."
"You too."
Kaguya went with a good mood, something like that was good for her far eastern heart. It wouldn´t be the last time that she would meet Haruhime, soon she would become a regular and even her patron. So, Haruhime wouldn´t only be protected by her familia, but word would also get around that Astrea´s vice-captain took a liking to her.
And when the "Blade of Astrea" had her hand over Haruhime, no male god, as curious as they might get because of the rumors, would dare to sneak up onto Haruhime, to take a look.
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At the day of their departure, Astrea of course accompanied her followers to Babel to see them off, as well as Hephaistos, Demeter and Freya.
Freya chuckled. "It looks almost like a familia alliance what we have here."
Astrea smiled. "But I honestly don´t think it would go well if more of your children would come along, Freya."
"Hohooo? Do you think of my cute followers as brutes?"
"Ahm...yes?"
Freya smiled amused. "Well, maybe a bit. Hephaistos, I´m surprised you only send women with them."
"My boys are still exhausted from Loki´s last expedition. And I think it would affect the teamwork here, I´m surprised you send Dainsleaf with them."
"Well, Hogni has a special job to do, it will help us both."
And I really, really want to see where this is heading.
During the festival, Freya had noticed that Hogni was with Ryu every day. Well, she had ordered him to accompany the familia during their job, and in Ryu´s presence, he at least didn´t freak out, his mask helped him a lot.
A mask that...
Freya looked with a troubled expression at Hogni. He stood calm at the side of the party, covering his face with the Oni mask again.
I will just pretend I didn´t see that.
Tsubaki grinned as she stopped next to her goddess. "So, Boss. We will go now."
"Stay safe, Tsubaki, and listen to Alise."
"Will do...probably."
"Tsubaki..."
"Hay hay."
Tsubaki would of course listen, her main job was to be in the rear guard, to stay with the smiths and supporters of her familia, since they would carry most of the Adamantite they intended to mine. Aside from getting her share of what they would get, including drop items, since they would go down to the 51st and 52nd floors on two days, Tsubaki would also get something else as payment.
The fact that Alise´s flames had attracted a Salamander into Asta´s forge, gave Tsubaki the idea to try the same. If she got lucky, maybe even a Volcani would show up, they were stronger than Salamanders. For that to happen, Tsubaki would get her hands on special coals from the volcanic area, and then have Alise light up her forge as often as necessary.
Getting a pseudo-spirit-forge would be a dream for Tsubaki!
"Lady Freynya..."
"Hello Anya, are you feeling well?"
"Nyes..."
"Is something wrong?"
Freya smiled gently, even dared to pat Anya´s head, which let her tail move in a way that Freya knew as a bit happy. The goddess leaned forward and whispered into Anya´s ear.
"The house at the side street, on the rooftop, follow your friend´s gaze."
Anya blinked confused for a moment, then she noticed that Chloe looked in the direction that Freya described. She followed the gaze and noticed a black cat tail for a moment.
"He´s always watching over you, Anya."
"Meow..."
"Stay safe down there, alright?"
"Meow will."
Freya was touched how happy Anya was because of Allen, but also noticed how Chloe bit her lower lip as she looked at Allen, the pulse in her soul was obvious that Chloe had hots for Allen.
Oh my.
Demeter also send her child off, hugging Lunor for a moment. "Please be careful, Lunor."
"I will."
"And try to bring a few dungeon gifts from the 50th floor, yes?"
"Of course."
Demeter was curious if she would manage to grow some of the dungeon gifts in her fields.
The four goddesses watched how their followers went to the dungeon. Hephaistos was the first to leave, since she still had work to do, Demeter was the next. Astrea and Freya would spend a good part of the day with each other, strolling around the city and just having a good time. Freya looked curiously at Astrea´s newest follower.
"And who is this young lady?"
Astrea smiled. "Lily, do you want to introduce yourself?"
But Lily halfway hid behind Astrea, normally she could stand her ground at least a bit. But she was only fourteen and just overwhelmed by Freya´s presence and beauty.
"Ehe~~ This is Liliruca Arde, she joined us a few days ago."
"You mean after you raided Souma? Spoils of war?"
"No, he set Lily free and it was her own choice that brought her to us."
"Oh, which level are you, young Lily?"
"O-One!"
"And you are a supporter, right?"
"Y-Yes!"
"Hehe~~ Then do your best. Oh, if you would like some proper training, I have more than a few strong prums in my familia."
"H-Huh?"
Astrea put her hands in a protective way around Lily.
"No, Freya. I don´t want Lily to turn out like your followers."
"Oh my, you hurt my heart, Astrea."
"You know how I mean it..."
"I do, eheh~~~ Now let us enjoy the day, yes?"
"Of course."
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The trip down to the 50th floor would take a while, the party would rest on the 39th floor. Before they went further down, the party stopped for an hour on the 18th floor. Hogni and the Hephaistos familia members waited at a certain spot, while the Astrea familia went to the grave of Noin, Celty and Ryana, paying their respect and leaving small gifts there, making sure the grave looked prim and proper.
And...more than one tear rolled down a cheek, especially on Alise´s...
It took them many hours to get down to the 39th floor and quite a lot of fighting. Pushing themself further now could be dangerous. During the first day, they didn´t get their hand on much, since they destroyed almost all the magic stones on purpose, carrying stuff that didn´t catch a good price would minder their income in general.
But on that day alone, they had witnessed something...well it was a sight to behold.
"I can´t believe it..."
"One hit..."
"What is he?..."
"He´s crazy..."
"Crazy strong..."
"That´s a Freya familia member..."
"He doesn´t have his status for nothing..."
"Quite the delicious booty, Nya..."
"Mr. Hogni´s that strong, Meow?"
"Hiiiiiiiiiii! Stop looking at me! Don´t talk about meeeee!"
Hogni almost cried and tried to hide in the darkness.
"Everyone, don´t stare at him like that, you know what Lady Freya and Syr told us!"
"Heeeeh...Leon is pretty protective of him..."
"How cute..."
"Well, both are elves..."
"They were together at the festival..."
"Oh my..."
"Leon, don´t tell me?!..."
"Heeeh...our young one is getting naughty and ahead of us?"
"Nah!" Ryu went deep red due to the teasing and implications.
"Everyone, stop teasing my big sister like that!" Filvis glared at them furiously.
"Heeeeeh...the small little one shows her fangs."
"She´s growling at us..."
"How cute..."
"She called Leon her big sister..."
"Oh my..."
"Adorable..."
"Nah!" Filvis got equally red.
"Hey, don´t make fun of Filvis!" Ryu got agitated again.
"Oh ya ya? The big sister gets angry..."
"The little one protects the small little one..."
"How cute..."
"Or is it because we talked about him?"
"Maybe..."
""""L.""""
""""O.""""
""""V.""""
Alise eventually clapped her hands. "Alright, everyone, that´s enough. Yes, we´re all impressed that Dainsleaf decapitated Udaeus with one slash. Let´s remember this and aim for such heights too. And stop teasing Leon and Filvis all the time."
The truth was, Hogni´s decapitating slash was two-thirds pure skill, the other third it was luck. He had aimed to deal a good strike and weaken the boss, but a lucky movement let him hit the weak spot, yet there was no need to point that out. Luck was important for adventurers too, they just shouldn´t rely on it.
"""""Boooh, you´re boring captain...""""""
"I´m just defending my right of teasing."
"Alise!"
"Hehe, don´t worry, Leon, I will protect you."
"That´s not protecting at all!"
Tsubaki laughed while she and her fellow familia members set up their part of the camp.
"Hahaha! You´re quite funny, Astrea familia!"
Hogni was just glad the attention got averted from him, still, he saw what felt like eyes of predators on him.
Hiiiii! Lady Freya! What did I wrong to deserve thiiiiis?!
Freya couldn´t help but chuckle in her tower, while she couldn´t look at Hogni, she could look at the others in the camp, and if he happened to be close to them, it didn´t break the rules.
And it would be even more amusing to see how seriously Ryu took her job of making sure everything remained prim and proper. Especially...
During a delicate time.
Normally, when they were in the camp, it wasn´t something big when one of them used the water crystals they had in a corner of the camp, separated by curtains they brought from the surface to shower, since they were all women. But with Hogni, it was different. He sat in the different corner of the camp while the others showered one after the other.
And when it was his time, Ryu stood a dozen meters away from the shower corner, making sure no one would sneak up onto Hogni to catch a glimpse, especially not Chloe...or Kaguya...
Not only would it let the poor dark elf freak out more, but he could maybe actually get agitated. So, Ryu remained on her post, ignoring the sounds of the showering dark elf, who mumbled something by himself.
It was one of the most embarrassing moments of her life, when she heard the shower stopping, the curtain opening after a while.
"Thee have my thanks for guarding my vulnerable body in these dark times, Forestwalker."
"No problem, my Brethrhiiiii!"
Ryu had turned around to Hogni, expecting him to be fully clothed. But he only wore a towel around his hip at the moment, this wasn´t a sight for an elven maiden to see!
"Wh-Wh-Why are you half-naked?!"
"Because I rinsed my mortal shell with the elixir of life."
Hogni held a hand halfway in front of his face, the fingers spread, striking a pose. Thankfully, the towel didn´t open. Doing these things helped him to remain calm. Since Anya had heard Ryu´s "scream" she came looking for what was wrong.
"Unya! Sir Hogni furly is a strrrripper, Meow?!"
"Nonsense, stray kitten!"
"I´m not a kitten, meow!"
Hogni went with a lot of dignity to his tent, but most of it was just a show.
The Expedition would turn out to be challenging in many different ways! And the aftermath, because as the Astrea familia would return from their Expedition, half the familia would leave Orario only two days later, traveling to the east.
They would get told that the city of Solingen got destroyed.
By an enraged wind spirit.
When she heard about this, Astrea would insist that her familia would immediately go to deal with this situation.
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And while Kaguya chatted with Ardee and Tiona during camp time, both would become pretty interested, that the Geisha they had seen liked the same kind of stories that they did. Both thought about going with Kaguya next time.
While they would be on the Expedition, Haruhime would focus on perfecting her craft, and train. It was her way of escaping her self-disgust. At the same time, she would grow closer to more amazons of the dungeon party, and women in the District.
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Far away from Orario, a young boy was a bit overwhelmed with his new environment.
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After Leon introduced Bell to the class and talked about the changes for the squads, the lesson began. It was more than a bit overwhelming for Bell, since he had never done something like this before. Not because of the topic, the class was about the current field expeditions, what they encountered, how they fought the monsters, and what they learned from it.
All that was interesting to hear, but what overwhelmed Bell, was how fast the conversation went on. He didn´t know to expect, how the students would behave, but they didn´t only answer Leon´s questions, they also argued with each other. About the different approaches, some students were of the opinion that it had been more important to destroy the water monsters first, others went for those that came from the land.
And they had theories why the land monsters migrated here in the first place, but it only remained theories. No one could even have guessed that the monsters simply fled because they were scared of Alfia and Zard...mostly Alfia. That they thought of her as a kind of Monster Rex...or maybe Regina.
Bell couldn´t say much to it, but Leon still asked him questions.
"Bell, as someone who never fought monsters before, what was your impression during the first encounter?"
"I..ahm..."
"It´s alright if it´s a bit much here, for every student it is like that at first, take your time."
Some of the students encouraged Bell.
"You can do it."
"Good luck, newbie."
"Take your time."
"You will get used to it."
He smiled abashed, because so many people looked at him. "Ahm...I...I didn´t really think much into it. When we saw that the others were in danger, we just went to help. All...all I could think about was helping Ms. Lefiya."
""""Ooooh!"""""
Leon smiled. "Quite remarkable."
Lefiya blushed slightly when a few students giggled while looking at her, she felt Alisa´s elbow slightly poking her ribs. "Hehehe~~~"
"B-Be quiet, Alisa..."
Leon continued. "And how was it to encounter the monsters then? To slay your first monsters?"
"I..just used my magic. I always wanted to fight monsters in the future, help people."
He wouldn´t say to become a hero in front of so many people.
There were many Oooooh-sounds from the other students.
"You can use magic too?!"
"Which level are you?!"
"O-One...I just got my first blessing a while ago."
"And you defeated multiple monsters at once?! Amazing!"
"Hey, hey, what kind of magic can you use?!"
Bell looked a bit uneasy from the students to Leon. "Ahm, Grandp-...I mean Lord Zeus told me to keep these things a secret."
Multiple students gasped as Bell called Zeus almost Grandpa.
"Normally, that is the correct approach outside of a familia. But here in the Education District, we handle it differently. Even different classes are not like different familias, it would just be too much for one single god to update the status of all students."
Bell looked around, multiple students had various crests on their clothes, showing to which class they belonged. The term class and class meant two different things in Hringhorni. First, it was about the "familias", second it was about the lecture, since they were currently in class, even when many students belonged to different classes, this would confuse Bell during conversations for a while.
"I understand. I have two magic spells, Grandpa said I only had two slots in the beginning, but a third eventually appeared, even when it is still free."
More amazed sounds came from the students.
"Two spells at level one!"
"Holy!"
"Amazing!"
"You´re promissing, Bekk!"
"It´s Bell..."
"Sorry, Bell!"
"Hey hey, what does your magic do?!"
Leon smiled wryly. "It´s always like this at first, Bell. Everyone here is eager to learn anything new."
"Ahm, m-my first spell has two versions. Gra-L-Lord Zeus said one can be called focussed, one dispersed. It´s lightning magic."
""""Oooooh!""""
Leon nodded. "Bell, are you aware about the passive effect of each element in magic?"
"No, I´m sorry."
"Very well, who wants to explain it?"
Lefiya´s hand got up faster than the others.
"Lefiya, if you would please."
"Yes, professor."
Lefiya got up from her chair next to Bell, cleared her throat and explained.
"Each magic that falls into one of the elements, has a passive effect depending on the element. Fire will inflict more raw damage and has a chance to set a target ablaze or let it start to burn. Ice- and water-based magic will inflict additional damage on the stamina a person or monster has, making them faster exhausted than usual. Light- and lightning-based magic, chips away mind power. So, a person getting hit by light or lightning magic will eventually be unable to cast magic or even face a mind down, monsters also aren´t immune against it. Like the firebreath of Hellhounds will become unable at some point. That is to say, if the monsters survive the attack magic so far. Some elements also cancel each other out or are stronger than others. Water beats fire, earth beats lightning, lightning beats water, other elements behave similar."
"A well done explanation, Lefiya."
"Th-Thank you, professor."
"Woah, that was amazing, I didn´t know that! Thank you, Ms. Lefiya!"
"Mmmh!..."
Lefiya was more flustered because Bell looked so amazed at her.
Leon continued with a smile. "We will see during combat practice about your first magic, you have training using it?"
"My Mom trained me a bit in our village, but we had to be careful, so that I wouldn´t destroy the environment."
"Here we have special training dummies, you will get enough time to train. What about your second magic?"
"It is light-based, but Grandpa said with proper training, I could also infuse it with my lightning magic."
"And what does it do?"
"I summon...well...beings. I form them with my magic, depending on what it is, it behaves in certain ways."
"Are you free to choose a form?"
"I am bound to a few forms. But so far we only know the description, I didn´t have a chance to test it, since my Mom said it would be too dangerous at first, I need to get stronger before she would allow it."
A few students chuckled about the fact that Bell needed the permission from his mother. Then...those who chuckled remembered who Bell´s mother was...and became quiet again...
Leon nodded. "A wise decision, magic needs to be trained properly. As useful as it is, without control or proper training, it can become dangerous or even kill you. Especially if you receive two magic spells at such an early point, right, Lefiya?"
Bell looked at Lefiya, who had slightly red ears, but nodded. "Yes, professor."
As he sat down, Bell looked at her. "Did you also receive magic so early?"
"Yes, I had two spells from the start."
"Wow, amazing!"
"You´re the same..."
"But I can only control one version of my first spell so far."
"You will get there."
When he smiled, Lefiya felt her cheeks getting red again...mostly because Alisa poked her side again.
"Flirting in class is forbidden, Lefiya."
"B-Be quiet, Alisa, I´m not flirting here..."
Bell still got bombarded with all kinds of questions, where he had lived, what his day had been like in the village, what weapon he used. And of course, questions about Alfia, Zard and Zeus, but he said he wouldn´t answer these questions, except what their relationship with him was, since questions about them should be answered by them.
Not that the students would ever dare to ask them the questions. Still, even when the students didn´t ask, they weren´t dumb. That Zard was a member of Zeus´ familia was very obvious. Alfia was at first more mysterious, but the students heard stories and received lessons about the three great quests. They knew the description of the ash-haired witch, who had slain the Leviathan, and saw the magic she used.
Because of that, Leon and the other teachers ordered the students to not write about this topic in their letters at home, or mention their existence anywhere outside of the Education District for now. It wasn´t really a secret, since the Education District could basically do what it wanted, but they also wouldn´t announce it to the wide world.
Leon would end the lesson with a few more sentences. "I would just like to ask all of you, treat Bell like you would every other student. The fact that his mother is a teacher, or his uncle, will change nothing. Both assured me that they would treat him like everyone else and punish him thoroughly if he deserves it."
A few sympathetic laughs were heard, they knew that Bell would have it harder in some ways, since his mother could always look if he would slack off in any way.
"Class is over for now. Lefiya, you will show Bell around and help him with his schedule."
"Yes, professor!"
"Excellent, class dismissed."
Bell looked forward to the day and what he would see and hear from Lefiya.
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Author`s Note2: So, this chap was mostly about what Astrea fam did, next will be more about Bell. Over the next chapters, it will be more and more only about Bell´s time at Hringhorni. I want to develop things in Orario only to a certain point, then focus on Bell, so the further development in Orario will be like a time skip when he arrives. I think you get what I mean.