Hello good people and dearest readers, and welcome back. Well, it's finally happened, Bell and Aiz have given themselves to each other, heart and soul. I'm glad most of you seemed to enjoy the lemony goodness, as well as that so many of you are still so understanding with regards to my reclaiming of my story.
That said, the "plot" is not over though it is time to get back to the actual plot of the story. I have a few surprises in store for you all this time around that I think you'll enjoy. So why don't we get started?
I do not own Danmachi
Bell's eyes fluttered open and, after taking a moment to get his mind running, he realized that he was in bed, naked, with Aiz on top of him.
Looking down at his now official lover, he smiled and leant down to kiss her forehead.
She hummed in appreciation and snuggled up closer to him, and for a moment he considered just going back to sleep. However, the call of nature soon made him realize that this would be a bad idea and so, very reluctantly, he slowly moved Aiz and tried to disentangle himself from her.
Easier said than done, he thought as the Sword Princess held onto him.
It took a full minute to pry her off bit by bit and by the end Aiz was pouting in her sleep.
"I'm sorry," he whispered into her ear, "I'll be back soon," he vowed before kissing her cheek.
That seemed to placate her enough and her pout disappeared, causing him to smile.
He got off the bed and watched as Aiz immediately grabbed his pillow and pulled it flush against her, which made him chuckle softly before he finally headed off to the bathroom.
After completing his business, Bell was about to rejoin Aiz when his eyes happened to land on his backpack.
He stopped as he remembered what item was waiting for him inside.
I think I'm ready to read it now.
Heading over to his pack, he opened it and fished around until he found the item he was looking for. Freya's letter.
Taking a seat at the nearby desk, he opened the envelope and pulled out the letter.
Alright, let's see what she has to say.
He took a deep breath and began reading.
To my dearest Bell,
Firstly, I wish to thank you sincerely for taking the time to read this letter. I know I'm not your favorite person right now, indeed you may believe me to be your enemy. I swear to you this is not the case, though I am aware my words are cheap at this moment. Regardless though, you have shown me a great kindness by reading this and it warms my heart to know that, even after everything, your goodness is still great enough for this small mercy. So, once more, my beloved Bell, thank you.
He sighed as he finished the first paragraph, feeling a bit of irritation rising to the surface. He took another deep breath and continued.
Now, to the heart of the matter. My apology. I swear to you, my dearest Bell, it was never my intention for what happened to your dear father to occur. I only wished to see you and he shine as brightly as you could by giving you challengers worthy of you. What Allen did went expressly against my wishes and the idea that my own child hurt your father, whom I love as well,-
He growled as he read that.
"You have a funny way of showing love."
He stopped again as he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. After about a minute, he pressed on, though he was well aware his patience was running dry.
...whom I love as well as you, fills me with rage. That is why, by the time you read this letter, I will have Charmed Allen to ensure he can never be a threat to you again or in any way step out of line.
Bell crushed the letter in his hand.
"Do you think that's what I want? To have someone enslaved for my mistake. Freya-" he ran his hand through his hair as he stopped himself from shouting. There was no need to wake Aiz for his troubles. "Do you really not understand me at all? After all this time? I just want you to be good. To show me the kindness that the others have shown me," he turned to his lover, still asleep in their bed. "Aiz saved me and trained me when she didn't need to. She'll say it was for selfish reasons, but I don't believe her. She is simply good," his eyes turned to the door, "Haruhime is sweet to the point of me fearing I'll get cavities in her presence," he joked with a laugh, "and she saved me too. She put herself at risk and begged me not to rescue her because she didn't think she was worth risking my life over. Hestia gave me a home and has always supported me, even when she's jealous. Lili helped me grow as an adventurer and always has my back. Ryuu helped me grow and inspired me to be a better adventurer. Even Cassandra has shown me kindness and concern. With you," he stopped as his smile finally faded, "I'm not sure I can call what you're doing kindness."
He stopped as he sighed and fixed up the letter. He stared down at the words for a long time before he continued.
"You've helped and even saved me multiple times in the past, but I'm not sure if that was out of kindness or because you wanted to be entertained or because you wanted me to 'shine' more brightly. If it was the first reason then I'm happy. That means you have that kindness that the others have. The kindness that makes me love and care for them," a small smile grew on his lips, "but the thing is," his smile disappeared, "I don't know."
The room fell silent again before he decided to finish the letter.
I hope that gives you some peace of mind. I truly do not wish to hurt you Bell, in any way. Only to see you become the best man you can be. I know my methods seem harsh, but that is because I know you can overcome them. Because that is who you are. The hero who has claimed my heart.
I know at this moment I am very far from your heart though, and that pains me greatly. I am also aware this letter will do little to persuade you of my good intentions. Even so, I wished to write to you, my dearest Bell, so that I could apologize to you and so that you may know that, no matter what happens, if you are ever in need of anything, I will be there. Whether that's an ally in battle, a shoulder to cry on, or just a place to rest your head for the evening, I will happily give you whatever you need.
Thank you again for reading this my beloved Bell. Your kindness knows no bounds. Even so, if you can find it in your heart to bestow me an even greater amount of your goodness and generosity by replying to my letter, I would be grateful beyond words. I do not expect it of you, of course, I have already asked too much with this letter, but if you could do this for me, I would parade through the streets of Orario in beggars clothing should that be your wish in exchange. Even a harsh rebuke will be gladly accepted and well understood.
Now, though I wish to say even more to you, I believe I have taken up enough of your time. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, Bell. I love you.
Freya
Bell finished the letter and laid it in his lap before sighing more heavily than he ever had before.
"Looks like I'm writing two letters," he said.
Haruhime awoke and yawned adorably, before sitting up in bed and stretching.
Another beautiful day, she thought as she smiled.
The renard got out of bed and began to get ready for the day, brushing her golden locks then getting dressed in her beautiful kimono.
After checking herself over one final time, she smiled brightly and made her way to the door.
The moment she opened it she was surprised to find Agrippina waiting just outside.
"Good morning, Haruhime-san," the vice-captain greeted with a subdued smile.
"Agrippina-san. What are you doing here?"
"I...I wanted to apologize," the Athenian replied.
"Apologize?" Haruhime replied, her surprise growing.
Agrippina nodded.
"Yes. For yesterday. I-" she bit her lip. "I'm not very good at this. I don't have a lot of experience apologizing, so I hope you can also forgive me if I'm not doing it right."
Haruhime did not reply immediately, but after a moment she said, "take your time."
Agrippina gave her a more genuine smile.
"Thank you," the vice-captain took a deep breath. "What I did yesterday was completely inappropriate. Trying so hard to compel you to leave your familia and join the Athena familia," she shook her head, "that was foolish and cruel. I just… I'm just a very jealous person, as you've probably noticed," she chuckled lightly.
"I… did notice a possessive streak," Haruhime admitted as gently as possible.
"That, unfortunately, is one of my great vices, only made worse due to my distrust of the masculine sex. This isn't an excuse of course!" she held up her hands, "just an explanation for why I acted as I did. You're just so beautiful Haruhime-san." The fox girl blushed. "And so kind. I was instantly attracted to you, which made me envious of your familia and of… Cranel-san," she stated, trying to hold back her contempt at the name, "this compelled me to act very poorly and so, I sincerely, and wholeheartedly apologize for my actions and beg your forgiveness!" she declared before bowing.
Haruhime stared down at the Athena officer for a few moments, silently wondering what she should do, before her kind, forgiving heart gave her the answer and she smiled.
"Of course I forgive you, Agrippina-san," she said.
"Really?" the vice-captain asked, looking up from her bowed position.
"Yes," Haruhime replied with a nod, "and I hope you and I can become friends."
"I would like that very much," Agrippina said as she straightened herself, "in fact, I have a little bribe with me that I prepared to earn your forgiveness had you not been so generous."
Agrippina pulled out a medium-sized box and opened it, revealing a plethora of chocolates and candies.
"'Goddess's Delight', a local delicacy and the best chocolates you'll have anywhere! Not even Orario can beat them," Agrippina beamed.
"Oh you didn't have to do this," Haruhime said.
"But I did. I wronged you and insulted your familia, so this was the least I could do. In fact, whenever you want more, I'll be happy to get you another box, and believe me, you will want more," the Athenian said with a smile.
"Well… thank you, Agrippina-san. Truly."
"My pleasure, Haruhime-san," Agrippina handed over the box, "if I may though, I would love to see you take your first bite. Seeing the delight one gets with their first bite of 'Goddess's Delight' is sort of a local custom and fills us Athenians with pride."
"Well...okay. But just one, I don't want to ruin breakfast."
Agrippina readily nodded.
Haruhime looked down at the box of chocolates and wondered which one she should take.
"I would highly recommend the 'Silky Cream'," Agrippina suggested, pointing at the candy, "it's the most popular and my personal favorite."
"Then I'll try that one," the renard replied as she reached down, took the candy, and popped it into her mouth.
Not a moment later, Haruhime closed her eyes and moaned in delight.
"Told you," Agrippina replied with a big smile.
"It's shoooow gwooood," Haruhime said through her filled mouth.
Agrippina laughed.
"That's 'Goddess's Delight' for you. As I said, whenever you want more, just tell me and I'll go get you another box. Consider it my act of repentance."
"Thank you, Agrippina," the fox girl replied after swallowing the chocolate.
"No, Haruhime-san, thank you for accepting my apology. Now, I'd best head back to my familia and you should put the box away, and don't eat another piece when I leave, remember you still need breakfast."
The two parted with a wave and the vice-captain headed down the hall.
The moment she was far enough away from Haruhime, Agrippina's smile turned lustful and mischievous, and she was soon all-but skipping down the hall as she headed back to her goddess to report the good news.
Nearby, Ottar watched the Athena officer disappear down the palace hall with narrowed eyes.
Ottar returned to his familia, finding them in the same bad mood as he had left them in.
"This is unbecoming of all of you," he stated with his usual stoic tone.
"Well I'm mad!" Gumi cried, "that stupid zappy jerk let one of those Rakians bastards get away!"
"You weren't supposed to be seen enacting your revenge anywhere you could be seen in the first place," the boaz reminded her.
"I wasn't! That stupid lightbulb just appeared out of nowhere!"
"You should have been more careful and aware of whom you were dealing with. Now we must reconcile with the fact that it is entirely possible Achilles has informed Bell Cranel and the others of your behavior and bloodlust which will make closing the distance between him and our lady that much more difficult."
Gumi crossed her arms and pouted, but said nothing in response.
"And you," Ottar turned to Hedin who was skulking in a nearby chair, "your actions shamed Freya-sama."
"I was attempting to remove Riveria Ljos Alf as an obstacle," he bit back.
"And made a fool of yourself and our familia with your utter failure."
Again, no response beyond barely restrained growling was made as Ottar stared at his subordinates.
"Our mission so far has been a failure as none of Freya-sama's three beloveds are any closer to her. However, it appears that the Athena familia is about to provide us an opportunity to regain some lost ground."
Gumi, Hedin, and Hogni all looked at him.
"How so?" the dark elf asked.
"It appears they are planning something with Haruhime Sanjouno," Ottar replied.
"I hate guard duty," the young Athena member moaned.
"Well complaining about it isn't going to make it better," her fellow guard replied.
"You don't know that. Maybe if I complain reeeeaaaally hard it'll make time go faster."
"Don't you dare."
The second guard was saved when a group approached the gate.
"Halt. Please state your names and business."
"Hello," a tan woman with black hair and a friendly smile greeted. "I'm Zenobia, and these are my fellow travellers. We're all refugees fleeing Rakia."
"I see. I'm sorry you have suffered at the hands of those vicious men," the second Athena member said.
"Yeah, they can all rot in the lowest part of the Dungeon!" the first guard cried.
"You'll get no argument from me," Zenobia replied, still smiling.
"That said," the second guard turned her eyes towards the one woman whose face was hidden under a cloak. "We do need to search you for contraband. Starting with her."
The group of refugees tensed, which the second guard did not fail to miss.
"Wait!" Zenobia cried, putting herself between the guard and the hidden figure, "I beg you not to."
"What possible reason could you give me not to search her?" the guard asked, pointing her spear at Zenobia and the hidden woman.
Zenobia turned away nervously and did not answer, which made the guard all the more suspicious. She was about to push Zenobia aside and search the cloaked figure when the tan refugee spoke again.
"We all managed to escape Rakia, but we didn't all manage to escape unharmed," she told the Athena members.
The two took a moment to interpret those words and when they did, the second guard backed away as the first's eyes widened.
"You mean they…"
"Yes. Those bastards violated her before she managed to escape. She now wraps herself up as tightly as she can, afraid to let even an inch of skin be left bare. So please, please understand why I'm asking you not to search her. I'll happily submit myself! In fact," Zenobia suddenly pulled out a dagger, "here! I was carrying this around for safety, but if we're in Athens I won't need it."
The second guard looked at the blade and noticed it was not something one expected to see on a refugee.
"That's a nice dagger," she noted.
"Hehe, yeah. My papa got it for me before everything with Rakia happened. I said I wanted to go to Orario and become an adventurer and all that! But, as I said, I won't be needing it now."
A moment later some of the other women stepped forward and displayed their own weapons, saying they would hand them over without a fight.
The two guards shared a look before nodding to each other and turning back to the refugees.
"That won't be necessary," the second guard stated, "you only wish to defend yourself, that's understandable. As much as it pains me to admit, even in Athens there are dangers, especially now."
"What do you mean?" Zenobia asked.
"Some Orario adventurers have arrived in Athens to aid in the fight with Rakia, including Princess Riveria Ljos Alf and Aiz Wallenstein, the Sword Princess."
"Who's super hot by the way!" the first guard cut in excitedly.
"However," the second guard continued, though she did not disagree, "amongst their ranks are several dangerous men including Ottar, 'the King', Achilles Caesar 'the Olympian', and some lascivious boy named Bell Cranel."
The first guard spat.
"I've heard that he's supposed to be the lover of the Sword Princess, but I don't believe it for a second."
"Neither do I," the second agreed, "that said, he and the others are all in the city and I wouldn't feel right to have you unarmed while they are within the walls. As such, you may keep your weapons."
"Really?" Zenobia asked. The second guard nodded. Not a second later Zenobia threw her arms around her neck and kissed her cheek. "You're the best!"
The second guard, now stunned and blushing, could barely manage a reply.
"M-My p-p-pleasure."
"Oh, we can get to the pleasure later, if you tell me where to find you that is," Zenobia purred.
The second guard couldn't respond, so the first, beaming like an idiot, jumped in.
"You can go to the palace. Just ask for Sappho and she'll come running."
"Antigone!"
"I'll keep that in mind," Zenobia said, giving Sappho a wink.
The group entered the city, Zenobia waving at a thoroughly embarrassed Sappho until they were out of sight.
"Shit that was easy. I mean, I knew it would be, but come on!" Zenobia groaned, losing her smile. "All it took was some man-hating and a little flirting and they were opening up both the gates and their legs to us!"
"Quiet yourself," the woman under the cloak hissed.
"Oh come on Shiro! Even you have to admit that was stupidly easy."
"That was just the beginning, there is still much to do."
"I guess you're right. Alright girls, let's give Athens a proper 'distraction'."
The other agents all smiled malevolently.
Bell looked down at the two letters and sighed.
Done.
The sound of shuffling sheets caused him to turn his head. A moment later he smiled.
And not a moment too soon.
Aiz slowly sat up from her spot on the bed and stretched, a cute little moan passing her lips.
"Good morning," he said gently as he sat on the bed beside her.
She opened her eyes and smiled at him.
"Good morning."
"How did you sleep?" he asked.
"Better than I ever have," she replied.
"I'm happy to hear that. Nothing is hurting is it?" he asked with a bit of worry.
"I'm a bit sore, but it's nothing bad."
"Good, good," he said as his eyes turned away, "I'm...sorry I went so overboard."
Her hand gently turned his gaze back to her.
"You were a bit more aggressive than I expected," Aiz admitted, "actually a lot more aggressive." He blushed. "But I enjoyed every moment of it," she kissed his cheek, "so you don't need to be embarrassed."
"Really?" Bell asked. She nodded. "You...you really enjoyed it?"
"A lot," she replied without a hint of falsity.
His smile returned and he leant over to kiss her.
"I'm glad," he smiled at her a moment before his eyes turned away again as his blush returned, "we can do it again tonight...if you want. I promise I'll be more gentle."
Aiz blushed, but smiled regardless.
"I'd like that."
The two got up and got dressed, sharing a few kisses and worrying a bit over the obvious hickies all along their skin. Luckily for both of them, Riveria had supplied Aiz with makeup for that exact purpose along with the contractive tea, which Aiz made sure to have a cup of before they left.
Finally, with the makeup in place and their blushes gone, the two exited their room.
The two made their way down the hall hand in hand when either the best or worst person appeared before them.
"Well if it isn't the two young love birds," Aisha greeted.
"Good morning Aisha," Bell greeted with a smile.
"Good morning," Aiz added.
Aisha's brow suddenly furrowed and her eyes gained a glint to them that neither of them recognized.
The Amazon leant forward and looked them both in the eyes before taking a sniff of the air, at which point Bell realized what she was doing and what was about to happen.
The smell!
Aisha's eyes widened and she stood up straight. She looked between the couple again, Bell now blushing furiously, before smiling lecherously.
"Damn, you too went at it like rabbits."
Now Aiz joined Bell in morbid embarrassment as her face turned bright scarlet.
"Ah, you two are still so adorable even after doing the dirty," the amazon chuckled, causing their embarrassment to increase two-fold, "ah don't be so embarrassed, what you two did is totally natural. If anything, I'm jealous," she reached a hand forward and grabbed a handful of Bell's butt, making him jump and squeak, "I've been after this bunny butt for a while," she stated before turning to Aiz, who was prevented from attacking Aisha when the amazon reached forward and grabbed a full handful of her breast, "and who wouldn't want a piece of the Sword Princess?"
Both young lovers were absolutely gobsmacked and didn't know what to do for a solid three or four seconds, before both their brains started to work again and they both slapped away her hands.
"AISHA!" Bell cried as Aiz covered her breasts.
Aisha laughed.
"Oh come on, you both have to know how fucking sexy you two are at this point. I'm not going to pretend I wouldn't jump into bed with both of you if given the chance."
Aiz covered her face and shook her head as she tried to banish the thoughts Aisha was giving her.
Haruhime was bad enough, but this is too much! she cried in her head.
"Aisha please!" Bell begged.
"Okay, okay, I'll stop, for now, but the offer still stands," the amazon replied, "however," she quickly added, "I do want to hear how it was."
"How what was?" Aiz asked, looking up from beneath her hands.
"Your first time. You two definitely went all out, it's written all over your faces and bodies," she reached forward and rubbed a spot on both of their necks, "don't think some makeup is enough to trick a lady of the night."
Aiz slapped her hand away.
"T-There's n-no way we're telling you about last night!" she stated resolutely.
"Oh? So you want everyone else to know?" Aisha inquired.
Both froze still.
"Y-You'll tell everyone?" Bell asked.
"Maybe," Aisha responded.
Bell and Aiz were silent for a moment.
"Aisha...please. Don't," Bell pleaded.
Aisha lost her smile as she felt a painful prick to her heart.
"Oh come on you two!" she exclaimed suddenly, as her smile returned, "I'm not going to do that! I was just playing. As much as I would love to hear all the juicy details I would never blackmail you two to get it."
Aiz and Bell's shoulders fell in relief.
"Thank you," he said.
"You shouldn't thank me. If anything you should apologize for thinking so lowly of me," Aisha replied, still feeling a bit guilty underneath all her bravado, "still I did embarrass you two quite a lot, so I apologize."
"Apology accepted, and I'm sorry for thinking so negatively of you" Bell replied, finally smiling again.
"Apology accepted," Aisha replied.
Aiz was not quite so forthcoming, but after a few moments, she sighed and nodded.
"Great. All jokes aside, congratulations," Aisha said, "also if you two are ever interested in learning a few tricks to use in the bedroom, don't be afraid to come see me."
"Aisha," Bell whined as Aiz began to glare at her again.
The three finally reached the dining area where the Hestia, Loki, Mania, and Hermes familias had gathered for breakfast.
"There you are, Bell-kun. We were just about to send someone to come and fetch you," Hestia greeted.
"I'm sorry. We were just talking with Aisha," he explained.
"About what?" Ryuu said, eying the amazon warily.
"About how sexy I think the two of them are," Aisha responded unashamedly.
More than a few people spat out their food and drinks.
"W-W-W-What?!" Hestia screamed before she, Lili, and Ryuu all glared at the amazon.
"What? These two are hot. I can't help it if I want to jump into the sack with both of them," Aisha replied.
As the ladies of the Hestia familia began shouting at the amazon, Bell and Aiz, both blushing terribly, quickly scurried away to get some food and sit down.
Both Achilles and Riveria watched as the two all-but ran away, before turning their eyes to each other.
Well well, it looks like it's finally happened, they both thought as they smiled.
Though we should probably check to make sure they were safe. Teenage hormones and all, Achilles silently told her. She nodded.
I'll talk to Aiz later to make sure she took her tea, she silently sent back.
The two newly made lovers returned with plates full of food and began to eat and talk with the others, though the keen eye noted the light blushes on their cheeks.
After some time, Bell piped up.
"I'm going to join you guys today outside Athens… if that's okay," he quickly added.
Everyone turned to him.
"Are you sure Bell-kun? What about your research?" Hestia asked.
"I think I've gathered all I can from the library. Now I just have to figure out what to do with it," he replied.
His familia nodded while those not in the know, namely the Mania familia shared curious looks.
"Well I'm certainly not going to complain to have my captain back with us," Welf said.
"Indeed. Not to speak ill of the Mania and Loki familias, but it's not the same as having our full familia," Mikoto added.
"No offense taken, I think we all understand that," Rei said with a smile.
"Yep! Nothing like kicking butt alongside your familia!" Tiona added.
"I'm sure Ares won't know what hit him," Mania joined in, smiling brightly at her new grandson.
Bell turned to her and his smile dropped as guilt filled him.
She still doesn't know why I've been in the library.
He turned his gaze to Hestia who, seeing his look, lost her smile as well. However, just as Riveria and Achilles could silently speak to each other, so could Hestia and her captain. Soon enough, she understood, smiled, and nodded.
I'll gather the others, she told him.
Bell's smile returned and he went back to eating, though a little bit quicker than before.
A knock at her door caught Mania's attention and she turned.
I wonder who that could be. Probably Rei looking for something or Rue Bee wanting cuddles.
Smiling, the goddess went over to her door and opened it.
"Bell," she said in surprise, before looking him over, "oh don't you look dashing!" she cooed as she took in the sight of him in his armor, "very heroic."
"Thank you, Baa-chan," he replied, making her heart leap with joy, "I was hoping I could… borrow you for a bit," he continued as his smile dropped.
"Borrow me?"
He nodded.
"I want to tell you what I've been looking for in the Athens library."
This was most unexpected, but not unappreciated. Mania had immediately understood that whatever Bell was doing required a great deal of secrecy, and so had not pressed. However, that did not mean she wasn't curious or worried, so she was overjoyed to know she had enough of his trust to have him tell her himself.
"Are you sure? I wouldn't want you to do something you were anxious about."
He nodded and his smile returned.
"I'm sure."
Now practically bouncing, Mania began nodding herself.
"Well of course you can 'borrow me'," she exited her room and closed the door, "lead the way."
Bell led her to the Hestia familia room where said familia was all gathered around.
"Hello Mania," Hestia greeted with a smile.
"Hello Hestia. Hello everyone," Mania returned, receiving greetings from the others, "so I hear you're trusting me with a secret."
"We are," Hestia replied, "and it's a big secret. Really Mania, I need you to understand that this secret is probably going to turn your world upside down, and that's no exaggeration."
The seriousness of Hestia's tone was quite startling.
"My word, now I'm a bit anxious. Still, I feel I must know now, if I may be so presumptuous."
Hestia and the others nodded and turned to Bell who took a deep breath.
"Why don't we all sit down? This will take some time," he said.
Mania sat, slack-jawed and eyes wide as Bell and the Hestia familia finished telling her everything.
"Talking monsters," she whispered, "talking monsters who think and feel just like us," her mouth closed and she sat back in her chair, "my word."
"Are… are you frightened?" Bell asked nervously.
Hearing her grandson's tone, Mania's eyes shot to him. Seeing his worried eyes hurt her deeply and she immediately smiled and shook her head.
"No, I'm merely surprised," she answered him.
Immediately she saw his anxiety burn away and his eyes light up.
"Really?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Yes. In fact, if what you've told me is true, which I do not doubt it is, then I have less to fear from your friends than regular monsters."
The Hestia familia smiled and looked ready to celebrate, only to notice that Bell had lost his smile.
"That's… not true of all of them," he said quietly.
Everyone but one were confused by what he meant by this, some thinking he meant Asterios. However, this was not the case.
Bell turned his eyes to Achilles, who was the only one in the room who knew what he meant.
The others turned as well and Mania, seeing her son and his serious, uneasy look, asked the obvious question.
"What does he mean, Achilles?"
Achilles closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before meeting his mother's eyes.
"The Dragon was a Xenos too."
Mania's eyes widened in terror and her body began to shake.
"I-It was… T-That...thing was…"
"Yes," Achilles replied coldly, "he could speak. He was intelligent. Very intelligent in fact. He understood tactics and strategy. It's how he picked up apart," he informed her as a deep, horrid pain filled his body.
"Achilles," she called, reaching a hand out to him.
To her surprise, he smiled at her. It was a pained smile, but it was genuine. He was telling her not to worry.
"I'm fine," he told her as he took her hand, "I promise."
Despite his vow, she wasn't fully convinced. Still, she nodded and smiled as best as she could.
"We were all shocked by that news. Even Ouranos was freaked out," Hestia said.
"I wish I could have seen that. It's rare to see anything but 'grumpy' and 'stoic' on his face," Mania responded.
That lightened the mood a bit as a few people chuckled.
"So now you know," Bell said.
"Now I know. I also know why you were so protective of this secret as well. It really does turn the world upside down," his grandmother admitted. "Though at the same time, I can't say I'm too surprised. There have been rumors and whispers of strange monsters for some time. I simply thought people meant new kinds of monsters or something powerful, but it appears this is what they meant."
"Were you able to find the source of those rumors and whispers?" Achilles asked.
"I never bothered to look into them, I'm sorry to say," she answered, feeling terribly guilty as she saw Bell deflate, "but now that I know I'll be sure to keep my ears open!" she quickly added, wiggling her ears to punctuate the point.
A few more chuckles were shared and Bell's smile returned, much to her joy.
"Well, I think that about covers everything," Hestia said.
"Then you all should head out. I'm sure Rei and the others are wondering where you are," Mania said.
Everyone nodded and picked themselves up. However, before Bell left, he went up to Mania one final time.
"Are you really okay with this?" he asked, desperate to make sure, "I would understand if you're not."
She smiled lovingly at him and cupped his cheek.
"I'm sure," she promised, "though it does surprise me a bit, given all the weird things the Dungeon pops out, I feel like we should have guessed this would happen one day. Besides, in case you haven't noticed, I'm a bit odd too," she wiggled her tiger ears again and showed her furry, cat-like hands.
"You're not odd, grandma. You're lovely," was Bell's immediate reply.
"Oh!" she glomped him not a second later, "I have such a sweet grandson!"
The Hestia familia smiled and laughed.
Everyone, including the Freya and Kalia familia had gathered outside the palace.
Upon seeing the latter familia, namely Bache, Aiz had possessively grabbed Bell's arm and raised her chin to the Amazon who showed little reaction, even for someone wearing a mask.
After calming his lover down, Bell had to calm his own heart as he shifted his attention over to the Freya familia, primarily its captain.
Taking one final deep breath, Bell broke away from Aiz and strode over to Ottar.
"Ottar," he greeted.
"Bell Cranel," he returned, ignoring the stares he and Bell were receiving from everyone else, "how may I help you?"
Bell stared into his eyes for a moment before he pulled out a letter.
"Here is my response to Freya's letter," he stated.
More than a few were surprised by this revelation, especially amongst the Hestia familia who also shared looks of concern, but Ottar himself simply looked down at the letter for a moment before shifting his eyes back to Bell.
"You actually read my lady's letter?" he inquired, not because he believed Bell to be a liar, but because he wanted to make sure. He would hate for his lady to be disappointed because her beloved had failed to actually read her words.
"I did," Bell assured him, "and I will not pretend that I was happy with everything I read. Even so, my reply is in there. What Freya does with that is up to her."
Ottar nodded and gently took the letter before putting it somewhere safe.
"Thank you, Bell Cranel. I know my words mean little to you, but I truly do appreciate you reading her letter and giving her a response, despite your misgivings."
"I felt it was something I should do," the young man replied, "and I wouldn't say that your words mean little to me, Ottar. Yes, I am still more than a little upset with your familia for everything, including things you've done," he took a deep breath, "but I've done things I'm not proud of either. Things that have rightfully seen me shunned and punished. As such, it would be very hypocritical of me to not, at the very least, be open to you, Freya, and your familia. However," he quickly added, "that is a far cry from forgiveness."
Ottar nodded.
"I understand."
"Good," Bell replied, turning to rejoin his familia.
"You are wise beyond your years," the boaz added, causing the Hestia captain to turn back to him.
"I wouldn't say that. I'm just not the stupid kid I was before," he replied with a small smile.
Ottar actually smiled back, though it was so small only Bell saw it.
Bell broke off and headed towards his familia, leaving Ottar beside his familia.
"You didn't tell him about the Athena vice-captain?" Hogni asked quietly.
Ottar's pleasant mood evaporated.
"There's no need to stress him over the matter, at least not until we know more."
"She may be in danger," the dark elf pointed out.
"It's almost certain that she is, but we don't know what the danger is yet. Besides," his eye turned to Hogni, "it will be more to our lady's benefit if we save her ourselves when things are more dire."
Hogni smiled.
"A last minute rescue? That does sound like something out of a storybook."
"Precisely," Ottar replied firmly.
His conversation with the Freya captain complete, Bell returned to his familia who were all giving him a variety of looks, from worried to proud.
"I'm sorry," he immediately said, "I know what I'm doing will have consequences, but I felt it was something I needed to do."
Welf, Mikoto, Haruhime, and Ryuu seemed able to accept this, and even nodded, though Ryuu had a tiny jealous glint in her eyes. Hestia and Lili however, were not so quick to be appeased and eyed their captain dangerously.
"You should have checked with me first, Bell-kun," Hestia stated finally.
"With all of us," Lili corrected.
Bell nodded.
"I'm sorry. I'll show you her letter when we get back as well as how I responded," he promised.
"Yes you will," Hestia ordered.
"I'd also like to hear, if I may."
Everyone turned to find Aiz now amongst them.
"Of course," Bell said, giving her a small, worried smile.
She smiled back, silently telling him that she wasn't mad, just curious, before she took his hand.
I know you're mine now, she added her smile growing.
Bell's smile grew as well as he squeezed her hand.
This all didn't happen in a vacuum and the eyes of the Hestia familia became curious, in the case of Hestia, Lili, and Ryuu, dangerously curious.
"Hey, there's something different about you two," Hestia stated lowly.
Both newly made lovers felt a shiver crawl up their spines.
"W-What do you mean, Hestia-sama?" Bell asked.
"Hestia-sama?" Lili inquired, "you've been calling her just 'Hestia' recently. Why the sudden honorific, Bell… sa… ma?" the prum asked as she drew nearer.
Bell backed away a step, which only made the Hestia ladies more intent on getting the truth. Luckily for Bell, he still had one big protector watching over him.
Hestia and Lili were prevented from drawing near to Bell by the sudden appearance of Achilles in front of them.
"I believe we all have a mission to get to, and I for one don't want to deal with any additional crankiness from Athena," he stated.
The Hestia ladies glared up at the giant father, but his stoic gaze did not waver a moment, as such there was nothing they could do, at least for now.
"This isn't over, Bell-kun. We'll find out what you're hiding soon enough," Hestia vowed.
Bell shivered again, before giving his father a very appreciative look for having saved him, at least for the moment.
Achilles smiled, though it didn't last long as he soon sighed.
"I guess I should probably also read and respond to my letter. Not that I'm looking forward to that."
"I hope you'll also do me the courtesy of reading it. I want to see what that goddess wants to say to my man," Riveria said as she joined the group.
Achilles smiled at her.
"Of course. I have nothing to hide when it comes to her."
"Good," Riveria said as she kissed his cheek.
"Are y'all done talking!" Tiona asked, jumping in, "I want to get out there and kick some Rakian-!"
A series of several explosions rocked all of Athens and silenced that sentence forever.
All the familias quickly began looking towards the most recent explosion, only to shift as another one went off.
"They've snuck people in," Achilles growled.
"Athena familia! Our city is under attack!" Agrippina called. "First squad is with me and will head to the nearest explosion. Second squad will head to the Great Library. Third squad, the docks. Fourth squad, the market. Fifth and sixth squad will head to the north and south gates and order them shut before proceeding to the next gates. Once they're done they will join the nearest squad in search and destroy operations!"
"Yes ma'am!"
A moment later all the squads rushed off, leaving the Orario expedition behind.
"No point waiting around here. Bell, where do you want us?" Achilles asked.
"We'll head towards the market, that was the most densely populated of the areas that seem to have been hit," the Red Dawn replied.
His familia nodded.
"We'll head to the library," Riveria said.
"We will head to the docks and make sure there is no amphibious assault of some kind," Ottar joined.
"And we'll just look for the guys who set off the explosions," Argana stated, "you lot can do the boring clean-up, I want the joy of killing the weaklings!"
Not waiting for a response, Argana rushed off to find the ones behind the attack. Bache was not so quick to rush off, and instead turned to Bell.
"Good luck, Bell," she said.
"You as well," he replied.
Bache rushed after her sister, leaving the others behind.
"Asfi can help from the air," Hermes added, his captain stepping forward and nodding.
"Then we have a plan," Bell said, "our priority is to save the injured and protect them from any further attacks. Finding the attackers comes second to that."
"Right!" the Hestia and Loki familia said.
"Alright, let's all head out."
"Please! Please don't hurt me!" the woman pleaded as she dragged herself away.
"Sorry lady, but I kind of gotta. That's the whole point in us being here. Hurting all of you Athenians," Zenobia said as she lifted her sword above her head. "But I'll make it quick… as long as you hold still that is."
"No! Please!"
Zenobia swung down, intent on cutting the woman in half.
CLANG!
Her sword was stopped by the sudden appearance of another sword from the side.
She turned her head and found a blonde young woman glaring at her.
"Sup, jerks!" Tiona cried a few paces away as she began to attack the other Rakian agents with Lefiya and Riveria acting as support.
"Well hello beautiful," Zenobia greeted, ignoring the commotion behind her, "and who might you be?"
The blonde didn't respond, which was expected. What wasn't expected was for the golden swordswoman to suddenly shift her blade and slash her across the chest.
"Argh!" the amazon cried before jumping back.
"Find someplace safe," Aiz told the woman, who simply nodded and ran.
Zenobia touched her wound then looked at her bloody hand.
"Huh, you got me pretty good," she said before turning her eyes back to the blonde before her. She spent a moment looking her over, before realization filled her, "you must be Aiz Wallenstein, the Sword Princess."
"I am," Aiz replied.
"Damn. I heard you were beautiful, but I wasn't prepared for you to be this hot!" Zenobia declared, smiling, "though I hear you have a lover now, or might have a lover. What was his name again?" Zenobia began to think, which meant she failed to notice the way her opponent's eyes began to burn, "oh right! Bell Cranel. That was it. Gotta say, that's a weird-"
Aiz disappeared from sight, stunning the amazon. She didn't remain in that state for long though as, not a split second later, Aiz reappeared behind her and slashed her across the back.
"ARGH!" Zenobia cried.
Aiz wasn't done. As Zenobia moved to counter-attack, she jumped over her opponent and slashed the amazon's shoulder, cutting deeply into the muscle and leaving her right arm useless.
"Shit!" Zenobia cursed as she realized how truly outmatched she was. However, this had always been known. Ares had informed them they would be thoroughly outmatched by the Orario adventurers, with Aiz being up there with Achilles and Ottar as the most dangerous. So the plan was never to truly fight them, just to distract them for as long as possible and not die. Given this, Zenobia's eyes began to shift until she found what she was looking for.
Everyone loves kids right? she thought as she grew a malicious smile.
Before Aiz could stop her, Zenobia bolted towards a child who was hiding nearby. Seeing where she was headed, Aiz pursued and, had she been given just a half second more time, she would have prevented Zenobia from reaching the child. As things were though, the amazon reached her target and proudly grabbed the young boy, who couldn't have been older than four, held him up, and placed a knife to his neck.
"H-Help!" the boy cried as tears began to stream down his face.
"Back away, Sword Princess!" Zenobia demanded, "unless you want to see his throat slit."
Aiz immediately stopped.
"Put. Him. Down."
"I will," Zenobia swore. "Once you put down that nice sword of yours and kick it far away."
Aiz glared at her and didn't move an inch.
"Now, Sword Princess! Unless you want me to gut him!"
"P-P-Please! H-Help me!" the boy cried. "M-Mama! P-Papa!"
Hearing the threat and the boy's cries, Aiz finally had a response.
"Tempest."
Zenobia backed away a step as the force of Aiz's spell hit her and she almost dropped the boy.
"Are you stupid! I told you I'll gut him right-!"
She never finished that threat as Aiz appeared before her. The Sword Princess came in low, under the boy whom Zenobia was holding up and before either he or the hostage-taker knew it, she had cut open Zenobia's stomach and taken him from the now disemboweled terrorist.
As Zenobia fell Aiz carried the boy to safety, soon finding the boy's parents whom she happily returned him to. She didn't stay long enough to receive thanks, but instead rushed back over to the downed amazon.
Zenobia was in agony as she lay on the ground.
How. How can anyone be that fast?
A shadow fell over her and forced her to look up.
"Huh, the vengeful goddess look is pretty hot on you," she joked.
Aiz continued to glare down at her.
"Geez, learn to take a compliment," Zenobia groaned as her head fell back to earth, "you already gutted me, the least you could do is give me a smile."
"You threatened that boy," Aiz replied.
"I did," Zenobia replied readily enough as her eyes fell towards something very familiar to her. A pale white spider.
"Why?" Aiz demanded.
"Because it's my job to keep you nice and distracted," Zenobia answered as her hand reached out towards the spider which climbed into it.
"What is Ares planning?"
"No clue, I just know we're meant to distract you," the attacker responded as she looked up again, "and this pretty little thing will help with that."
Aiz turned her gaze towards the spider.
Suddenly, the arachnid grew and struck out at Aiz. Aiz managed to block the strike but was forced back while her eyes widened.
The spider grew and grew until it towered over everyone in the area, standing at a height equivalent to at least three Ottars.
"Wow that's a big bug," Tiona noted.
The spider, whose many eyes were focused solely on Aiz, hissed at her before spewing out a glob of purple liquid.
Aiz immediately dodged it, and turned her head to where it landed, finding the stone street dissolving due to the liquid.
Refocusing on the giant spider, she attacked.
The spider was ready for her and managed to block her first strike with one of its armored legs, though it was sent back a good twenty feet. This opened it for a second attack and Aiz managed to sever two of its legs.
The spider squealed in pain and fell on its side. Aiz was prepared to strike a finishing blow to the monster when suddenly, and to the horror of many in the area, thousands of spiders appeared out of nowhere and ran towards it.
Aiz herself was forced to jump away to avoid the eight-legged horde but was shocked to see them climb onto the larger spider, move towards its severed legs, then replace those legs with their own bodies, allowing it to stand again, good as new.
The spider hissed again, enraged at the injury and spat more acidic venom at Aiz.
She dodged the attack and the ones proceeding, before going on the offensive once again.
She rushed straight towards the beast, which launched one of its spiky legs at her. She twirled around the appendage and then jumped straight at the beast's head, piercing straight through its skull.
The beast fell, and Aiz was prepared to join Tiona and the others in dealing with the other Rakian agents when, to her shock, thousands more spiders crawled out from nowhere and ran towards the downed beast.
Once more, she watched as they crawled over the body, only this time, instead of replacing a leg or two, they refilled the giant spider's skull, allowing the creature to stand once again.
Aiz frowned.
I don't like your persistence.
She wasn't about to give up though and renewed her attack.
The princess and the beast battled on, attacking and counter-attacking like two foes from a storybook. Aiz had the advantage in skill, speed, and power, but the damn thing kept getting healed by its brethren. Or perhaps 'rebuilt' was a more accurate term.
I need to find a way to kill it or keep the other spiders away, she thought.
"Aiz! Get back!"
Aiz turned and found Tiona waving at her.
"Lefiya's got this!"
Confused, Aiz turned and found the young elf in the middle of a chant, her eyes filled with conviction.
Smiling, Aiz nodded and jumped away, giving the floor to Lefiya.
The spider, now devoid of its opponent, looked about in confusion before its many eyes finally fell on Lefiya.
"Oh pale princess of the northern lands, I call on you to sing your song of winter," Lefiya chanted.
The spider, seeing new prey, rushed towards the elf, intent on consuming her.
"Let all your subjects hear your cold, sorrowful song."
The beast was almost upon Lefiya when she finished.
"Tower of Snow."
A pale blue magic circle appeared above and below the creature, and before it knew what was happening a pale blue light filled the area between the two circles, blinding all in the vicinity.
For a few seconds all was quiet as everyone waited for the light to pass. Once it did, they were all treated to an amazing sight.
Lefiya's spell had formed a tower of white ice in the middle of the plaza, with the giant spider's frozen body acting as its foundation.
Lefiya let out a breath of relief, only to have Tiona wrap her up in a hug from behind.
"That was awesome, Lefiya!" she cried.
"T-T-Tiona-san!" she cried.
"Well done, Lefiya," Riveria complimented.
"Riveria-sama," Lefiya replied as Tiona put her down.
"You did great, Lefiya."
The elf turned to her favorite person and found Aiz smiling at her.
"Aiz-san," she said quietly as a small blush came to her cheeks.
"They've run off."
Lefiya, Aiz, and Tiona all turned to Riveria, who was now frowning as she looked over the empty plaza.
Aiz shot around to where Zenobia had fallen, only to find the amazon gone and a blood stain on the ground being the only proof that she was ever there to begin with.
"Firebolt!" Bell cried.
His spell blasted away a few hundred more spiders, but thousands more came rushing towards them.
"What are these things!" Welf cried as he used his magic sword to do the same as Bell in his area.
"I don't know, but keep them away from the injured!" Bell ordered.
The others did their best, but it wasn't easy keeping so many tiny, scurrying creatures away from the dozens of people behind them.
Please hurry, Dad, Bell thought as he turned away for a split second to look towards the Father On High.
Achilles was currently cutting through the fourth giant spider, this time making sure to fry it so that it didn't just get repaired by its little comrades.
"Alright, I've had just about e-fucking-nough of this," he growled.
Charging up his Lightning Steps, he bolted through the remaining giant spiders, turning them into bloody paint on the nearby walls, before rushing around the Hestia familia, using a combination of his speed and strength to effectively super stomp all the remaining spiders around them.
When he was done, the market was an utter mess of gore and destroyed streets, but everyone was safe.
"It's a damn good thing I wasn't a fan of spiders before this," he stated as he rejoined the ground.
"Thanks Dad."
Achilles nodded.
"How is everyone?"
"A bit unnerved by all this, but alright," Mikoto answered.
"Alright," Ryuu replied.
"Lili never wants to see another spider again in her whole life!" the prum roared.
"Neither do I," Haruhime seconded.
"And how are the wounded?" Achilles inquired.
"I-I think they're alright," Cassandra said as she continued to use her healing magic. "B-But I'm not sure I'm g-good enough to really be of help."
Not a second after saying that, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"You're doing great, Cassandra," Bell told her, giving her one of his famous smiles, "we wouldn't have been able to help nearly this many people without you."
"R-Really?" she asked as a bright blush filled her cheeks.
"Yeah," he said.
The warmth, kindness, and honesty of his words filled her with strength and she soon smiled and held up her fists with determination.
"Then I'll keep doing my best!" she swore.
"Thank you, Cassandra," he said as his smile grew.
As the newly reinvigorated Cassandra went back to healing the wounded, Bell turned back to his familia.
"I'm going to go look for more wounded. The rest of you stay here and guard the wounded. I should be back soon."
"I can do the search," Achilles offered.
"No. I know you're faster than me, but I need you to be here in case more spiders appear," Bell replied.
"Ah, so I'm on official stomping duty. Alright."
A few of the others laughed and Bell smiled.
"I'll be back in a few minutes," he said before running off towards a nearby street.
Bell entered an alley, looking around for survivors.
"Hello! Is there anyone here! Hello! If you need help just call out and I'll be right there!"
No response came, so Bell continued on to the next alley. This continued on for a time until Bell was just about ready to head back to the others when, all of sudden, a shiver went up his spine.
He turned and looked up towards one of the nearby roofs. There, he discovered a cloaked figure looking down upon him.
Bell reached down to grab his knife.
"Who are you?" he called.
The figure did not respond, they only kept looking down at him.
"Who are you?!" he repeated, pulling out the Hestia knife.
Still, the figure did nothing but look down upon him.
Nearby, a single pale spider scuttled about on the ground, aiming straight for Bell. It got to within a foot of him and prepared to jump and sink its venomous fangs into his flesh, when the Red Dawn struck out and squished it.
"I'm not deaf," Bell stated, his eyes still pointing directly at the figure.
Finally, the cloaked figure reacted by turning and fleeing across the rooftops.
"Wait!" Bell cried, before jumping onto the rooftop and chasing after the would-be assassin.
Nearby, several hidden women watched the scene unfold with great interest.
"This could be our opportunity," one said.
"Indeed. We'll follow after them and wait to see if they fight. If we're lucky that cloaked figure will kill him themselves saving us the trouble. If not, he'll likely be weakened, making him easier prey," another replied.
The women quickly rushed after the two figures, their hands falling to their weapons.
Bell chased after the figure as the mysterious figure flew across the rooftops.
They're fast, probably a level five, he noted, but that means they're not fast enough.
He pushed himself a little harder and quickly closed the rest of the distance.
The figure, hearing his approach, turned and seemed surprised to find Bell suddenly before them. The hidden figure did not get a chance to get over their surprise as Bell kicked them down into the alley below, ending their chase.
The Hestia captain landed nearby and readied himself for a fight.
"You are very fast," a feminine, but inhuman voice echoed through the alley.
The woman stood up.
"Who are you and why are you attacking Athens?" Bell demanded.
"My name and my reasons do not matter," she replied, "the only thing that matters is that you must die."
The woman charged him not a second later, but Bell, already ready for a fight, blocked her slash from what appeared to be claws, with his knife easily and countered. The woman, in turn, blocked his counter, but found herself being overpowered and flew back a few feet.
"You're strong as well as fast," she noted, "but that will not be enough to save you."
Suddenly, purple poison flew from under her hood towards Bell who quickly ducked, only to find more globs of poison heading his way.
The captain of the Hestia familia dodged and weaved through the attacks until he regained his footing enough to raise his hand.
"Firebolt!"
A shot of magic headed straight for the woman who replied by sending out another volley of poison. However, to her shock, when it made contact with the Firebolt, it exploded and sent her flying back into a nearby wall.
"Argh," she groaned as she picked herself up, only to find she didn't have time to recover as Bell was already before her. She attempted to strike out, launching a claw at him, only for him to masterfully weave around it and slash her across the chest. "Aah!"
Bell was not done however, as he quickly slashed her across the abdomen, then across her left thigh, then up her right shoulder, before spinning around and kicking her head, sending her flying once more, through the alley.
The hooded woman crashed through the wall of a building, brick falling down upon her as she did so.
Bell was prepared to pursue and restart his interrogation when a horde of angry pale spiders appeared all around the alley. Behind him, in front of him, above him, everywhere he looked there were thousands of vicious, glowing eyes.
He steeled himself.
Well now I understand why so many people are afraid of spiders.
It took her some time, but the woman slowly picked herself back up, though she was in a great deal of pain.
He's a high-level adventurer, but not one of the ones we were warned about, she thought.
Her eyes focused back on the young man before her, finding that he was quickly dispatching her pets, despite their overwhelming numbers. Who is this man?
Bell fought and dodged the horrid little creatures around as best he could, but there were simply too many of them. Thousands were killed by his spells, but despite his great effort he had already felt several bites across his body and could feel their venom in his veins.
Doesn't matter. I'm going to stop her.
He pressed on, fighting and dodging beautifully until all the spiders were dead, leaving only him and the hooded woman in the alley.
He's resisting the venom, she thought, somewhat amazed.
"Who are you?" she asked.
Bell was surprised by the question and though he had to shake his head to clear it before responding, he did answer.
"Bell Cranel."
"Bell…" the woman thought for a moment, "you're the one Revis wants."
"Revis?" that was not a name he expected to hear today, "you're Evilus."
"Yes," the woman answered, no longer feeling the need to hide it, "I am Shiro, and I can see now why Revis wants to claim you."
"W-What do you mean, claim me?" Bell asked, wondering if the venom was playing with his mind.
"She wishes you to be her mate," Shiro answered bluntly.
"W-What?" Bell replied, now fully believing he was hearing things.
"She has found you to be a worthy mate after your fighting you and thinks that you would give her strong children. As such she has forbidden any of us, myself included, from either harming or claiming you for themselves. So I hope you'll forgive my transgressions."
"Transgressions?" Bell asked, his mind still trying to wrap around the idea of Revis, the woman whose face he had grinded against a wall...wanting him.
"Yes. Revis is truly terrifying and I do not wish to infuriate her. As such," Shiro suddenly jumped away, "I shall leave you for now. I will give Revis your affections, shall I?"
"W-Wait! W-Wha-?!"
Shiro was already gone, leaving a confused and anxious Bell behind.
"What the hell?" he asked out loud.
He did not get much time to try and clear his thoughts when an all-too familiar whistling sound reached his ears.
He spun around and blocked an arrow aimed at his head, as well as one towards his heart. However, due to his current, inhibited state, he didn't manage to stop the one that was aimed towards his thigh.
"Ah!" he groaned as the missile pierced his skin and muscle.
He fell to his knee as he felt another, new poison enter his bloodstream.
"Looks like this should be pretty easy," a woman's voice said.
He looked up and found himself surrounded by a dozen hooded figures.
"Let's just get this done and report back," another said.
A couple of the figures nodded and rushed towards Bell.
The attackers, evidently, didn't know who they were dealing with, for though Bell was injured, he was far from out of the fight.
Bell quickly dodged both of the attacks sent at him and, as the two attackers reeled back in shock, he batted them both away with a single weakened, but still mighty kick.
The others around him backed away, shocked that he still had so much fight left in him.
"How can he still be this strong? He's got enough poison in his blood to bring down a minotaur!" one of the attackers declared.
"It'll take...a lot more...than that," Bell said, his voice heavy and weary.
The attackers shared looks before the evident leader shook her head.
"He's clearly on his last legs. Don't give up. He's just a corned beast trying to stay alive."
Before Bell could respond, a tiny little voice called out.
"Are you okay mister?"
Everyone turned and discovered a little girl at the edge of the alley.
"Minerva! I told you not to run o-!" a mother called, appearing next to her daughter, only to see Bell and the attackers.
The attackers shared looks.
"What do we do?" one of them asked, "there's not supposed to be any witnesses."
"Silence fool!" the leader roared.
"But she's right," another pointed out, "no one's supposed to know anything about this."
The leader growled and turned to the daughter and her scared mother.
"We have no choice. Get rid of them."
That was a very unwise thing to say in the vicinity of the Red Dawn.
One of the hooded women moved towards the mother and daughter.
"Wait! Please! We won't tell anyone what she saw! We don't even know what's going on! Please!" she pleaded, yet the hooded figure kept advancing, "at least let my daughter go! She's a good girl!"
"Mama?" Minerva called, looking up at her terrified mother.
"Sorry, but orders are-"
The hooded woman was suddenly grabbed by the back of her head and thrown against the ground with such strength that a crater formed under her skull.
All the attackers, as well as the mother and daughter were shocked still by the sudden attack and turned their unwavering attention on the one that did it.
"You will not touch them," Bell growled, his slitted eyes turning to the remaining attackers.
"What the-," the leader said, her voice barely a whisper.
Not a moment later, Bell attacked them, his dragonic wrath on full display as he reached the leader faster than she could blink.
The leader of the attackers didn't even have time to widen her eyes as several deep cuts opened across her body, courtesy of Bell and the Hestia knife.
The leader fell to the ground, while the others looked on in horror.
"You bast-!"
The one who had tried to cry this, suddenly found herself being thrown through several buildings.
"W-What is this guy?!" one of the women cried.
"I don't know, but I'm getting out of here!" another shrieked.
She did not get far as Bell suddenly appeared before her terrified eyes and kicked her high into the air.
He did not wait for gravity to do its work though, as he immediately restarted his attack, tearing through the remaining hooded figures until all laid bloody and broken on the ground.
With his opponents strewn before him, Bell closed his eyes and took a deep breath, easing away the Wrath of the Dragon skill, before turning to the mother and daughter.
The mother held her precious girl as tightly as possible, pleading with her eyes not to come closer. Bell completely understood her reaction and thus did not approach. Instead, he got on a knee a few paces away from the two and smiled at the little girl.
"I'm sorry I scared you and your mother," he said gently, "I just didn't want them to hurt you." The girl didn't respond. "Your mother said your name was Minerva, right? That's a very lovely name. My name is Bell Cranel."
After a few moments, the girl finally replied.
"I like that name. It sounds cute."
"Does it?" he blushed, "well thank you. But I like yours more."
"Really?" she asked.
"Uh huh," he replied with a nod, "fits someone so beautiful."
The little girl blushed and hid her face in her mother's bosom for a moment, before turning back with a smile.
"T-Thank you."
"You're very welcome. Now, will you allow me the honor of escorting you two home? Things aren't safe right now and I would hate for anything bad to happen to you."
Minerva seemed more than happy to accept his request, but turned to her mother to see what she thought.
"I-I...I don't," the mother tried.
Suddenly, the sound of movement behind him made Bell spin around, knife in hand.
Before him were several other hooded figures picking up their fallen comrades.
"We'll remember this, Bell Cranel," one of the women said before throwing down a smoke bomb.
After a minute or so, the smoke cleared, revealing all the hooded figures were now gone.
Bell growled, but, after a moment, he took another deep breath and turned back to Minerva and her mother.
"Please," he asked, "let me take you home."
Perhaps it was the fact that the attackers had escaped or perhaps it was due to Bell's pleading voice and eyes, but this time the mother did not feel the need to deny him and nodded.
"Thank you," he said as he gave them both one of his bright smiles.
Doneso.
I am so SO sorry this one took so long to get out guys. I really thought I was going to pump this one out in a few days, but that didn't happen. Lately I've been just so tired and it has made writing a lot more difficult. I hope you can forgive me for that.
Anyway, enough of my excuses and poor explanations, I'm sure you're sick of them. So let's focus on the chapter. What did you guys think? We got some action this time around, and not of the...ahem...citrusy variety. Not only that, but it appears the Evilus are well and truly back in the game and are obviously planning something. In Revis's case it appears that "something" includes wanting to claim our favorite white rabbit.
All that said, I certainly hope you enjoyed this chapter everyone, but it's now time to draw things to a close. So, I shall bid you all a fine farewell and I'll see you next time. Have a great day everyone!