Hello, dear readers!
First of all, happy new year! Although a bit late. I want to apologize for not having updated the story in such a long time. Life has kept me a bit busy, but I assure you that I haven't forgotten about you. I truly appreciate your patience and the support you've given me throughout this time.
-] [-
Bell had just arrived at the old but cozy abandoned church, which had recently become the home of his family. Hestia was fixing her clothes while Meteria was reading on the sofa. He greeted both of them and sat down next to his daughter, who straightened her posture and put her reading aside.
"How did it go with Hephaestus?" she asked.
"We reached an agreement to reduce our debt," Bell replied, and Meteria became excited about the news.
"That's good, right?" she asked, to which the goddess sighed.
"What did he ask of you?"
"I'll protect his family on an expedition in the deeper floors..." The goddess and the dhampir fell into a deep silence at Bell's words. "The Loki Familia will also be there."
"Are you crazy?!" Meteria exclaimed, jumping up from her seat and throwing the book in the process.
"Well, let's not get worked up..." the goddess intervened. She picked up the book from the floor and placed it on the coffee table, then took Meteria by the shoulders, trying to relax her muscles. "Bell must have a plan, right?" she looked at Bell intently as if saying with her gaze: you better have a plan. The young man with white hair nodded, and the goddess let out the air she had been holding in a sigh.
"Well, it's more Hephaestus' plan. He suggested I use the 'Song of the Wind' armor."
Meteria, now calmer than before, sat back on the sofa and thought for a while.
"That's not a bad idea... you could say you're a paid bodyguard, it would be believable..."
"Excellent idea!" Bell was happy that his daughter agreed; dealing with an angry Meteria was never pleasant.
After that, he and his daughter chatted for a while about the mission, while Hestia went back to fixing herself up, which caught Bell's attention.
"Are you going out, goddess?"
"Yes, I'm going out to drink with some god friends," she answered cheerfully as she headed toward the door. "Don't wait up for me," she winked before leaving through the church door.
-] [-
The next morning, rays of sunlight and the sweet song of birds entered through the church windows. A beautiful day began, but unfortunately, Goddess Hestia wasn't in the mood for chirping birds and blinding lights that made her head hurt.
"Ughhh!" the goddess complained as she kicked her feet and covered her head with the blankets.
"Goddess?" Meteria spoke slowly and in a sweet tone, barely daring to touch the goddess's back. Bell, at her side, held a glass of water.
"Would you like some water?" the young man asked, to which the goddess jumped and snatched the glass from his hands, drinking it in one go. But as soon as she emptied it, she threw herself back onto the bed and complained again.
"Are you okay?" Meteria asked with clear concern in her gaze. The goddess only murmured some indecipherable words and covered herself completely again.
"I think we should put cold cloths on her," Bell said, and Meteria offered to take care of Hestia.
After a while, the half-vampire girl managed to get the goddess to uncover her head so she could place the cold cloths.
"Better?" Meteria asked, to which Hestia smiled contentedly, feeling her headache slowly fading away. "Goddess, sorry... it might not be the best time..." Meteria began, to which the goddess opened her eyes to pay attention. "But... when will you have a day off?"
"Hmm? For what?"
"Well... Dad and I have been doing better in the dungeon, and I'd like to repay you for always being so kind to us. Maybe... could we go have dinner at a nice place?" Meteria nervously played with the tips of her fingers, and her cheeks had taken on a slight pink color.
Hestia gave the girl a soft, toothless smile and sat up in front of her. Meteria was actually a sweet girl behind that aura of elegance and mystery, a sweet girl who had lost her mother, and her only close female figure was her, the goddess thought. Meteria had never suggested an activity between just the two of them before; she believed the girl had something on her mind and wanted to talk with her, from one girl to another.
"How about today?"
"Today?" The girl opened her red eyes in surprise. "N-no, don't misunderstand me, weren't you sick?"
"I feel better now!" Hestia said, deciding to get up from the bed and stretch a little. She took the opportunity to sniff her clothes; they still smelled like beer. She definitely needed a shower. "What do you think about six o'clock on the southwest side of the main street?"
"Pe-perfect!" It was Meteria's turn to smile and excitedly get up from the bed. "I'll see you there, goddess!"
-] [-
"Ahhh..." Hestia let out a big sigh of relaxation as she submerged her body into the warm, scented water of the temple baths. It was her first time at the place, and she regretted not having gone earlier.
The baths were bigger than she had imagined, with enormous sculptures, towering pillars, and statues of manticores that poured water from their mouths. The goddess leaned on an edge, with her hair tied up and a cloth on her head, though the pain had completely gone. She happily moved her feet to the rhythm of a hum when someone interrupted her.
"Hestia?" The newly named goddess opened her eyes and smiled at the person before her.
"Hello, Demeter!" she greeted the goddess with golden curly hair and a voluptuous figure who was standing in front of her.
"I see you're as well-endowed as always," she smiled as she sat next to her and tried to get closer, but Hestia pushed her away with a tongue click.
"Look who's talking..." the goddess of agriculture let out a chuckle.
"But I'm surprised, is this your first time in the baths?" Hestia nodded.
"I was invited to a dinner later, and I want to be prepared, that's all." she said simply, but it caused quite a stir in her companion.
"A dinner?!" Demeter exclaimed, bringing her smooth hands to her face, looking surprised with her big orange eyes.
"What's wrong with that?"
"Oh my... Hey, girls!" Demeter started to call the attention of the other women in the baths. "Hestia's getting ready for a dinner!" Upon hearing this, the other bathers hurried over, surrounding the goddess with all their attention.
"Does Hestia have a lover?" one goddess asked.
"Who is it? Tell us!" another one chimed in.
Hestia grew more and more embarrassed as the other bathers got closer to her, and she decided to clarify her situation.
"She's a member of my family, a girl who recently lost her mother..." The murmurs suddenly stopped, and Hestia continued speaking. "I've been trying to cheer her up with all my strength, but... I feel like it's not enough." She sighed, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders after expressing her thoughts. "Although I see her in a better state now than before, I don't think I've done enough to heal her heart. I know she tries to hide it, but I can tell she's still depressed."
After Hestia finished speaking, Demeter approached and gave her a shy hug around the shoulders. The smaller goddess silently thanked her with a glance.
"That's very noble of you..." one of the goddesses spoke up. "I understand that you want to cheer her up, but the best thing you can do is give her time, especially if the loss of her mother was recent."
"Yes, I think it's good that you show you're there for her, but you should give her some space," said another, and the others nodded in agreement.
"Yes, I know, this will be the first time we go out together. Actually, it was her idea."
"That's really good!" Demeter encouraged her. "It means she's slowly gaining trust in you. I'm sure she appreciates what you're doing, and she probably wants to get closer to you too."
"I think so..." The conversation in the baths continued for quite a while, with all the other goddesses, including Demeter, empathizing with the small goddess's situation and offering advice, which Hestia greatly appreciated.
-] [-
In the afternoon, before the sunset began, Bell had said goodbye to Meteria and headed north toward the city. Near the clothing stores, he came across Lili, who wasn't wearing her usual old cream-colored overcoat. Bell had decided to meet with Liliruca alone because he needed to know more about her and the Soma Familia if he wanted to help her escape, but he knew that to do so, he needed to earn her trust.
They walked together for a while, chatting about trivial matters until they got as far from the crowds as possible. Soon, they arrived at a small, deserted square and decided to sit on a concrete bench while the sunset slowly painted everything orange.
"Why did you call me?" Liliruca asked directly.
"I've realized that we don't know each other much, and although I've decided to help you, I'm sure you don't completely trust me. So, I think you need to know a little more about me," he said. This surprised the support girl greatly, as she hadn't expected the young man to invite her just to talk.
"I guess you have a point..."
"You may have already realized, but I just arrived in Orario. I don't know many people in the city because I was born and raised in a distant village..."
"A country boy..." Liliruca commented, making Bell laugh.
"Exactly, I spent a lot of time with my grandfather, helping him with planting, harvesting, and sometimes fishing," he said, and for a moment, silence reigned between them until Bell spoke again. "We were together for many years, until..." Bell was about to say something about when Tear came into his life, but he thought it wasn't close enough to Lili to talk about her, so he left the sentence hanging. "Now that I think about it, I'm in a similar situation, with Meteria, I mean."
"She...?" The brown-haired girl left her question unfinished.
"She's the most important thing I have, we're family, without her, I don't know what would have happened to me... she gives me strength." Liliruca could feel the sincerity and emotion in his words, which confirmed her suspicions. The little girl was his sister and apparently the only family he had left, they had probably come to Orario after his grandfather's death.
"It must be nice..." the girl coughed to clear her throat. "I mean, having someone, right?"
"It is..." Bell affirmed.
"I've always been alone," she confessed, looking at the horizon, avoiding his intense gaze. "Even when my parents were alive, they were part of the Soma Familia, so I've belonged to them since birth, but they were never affectionate parents, you know?" She laughed bitterly.
"All they wanted was for me to bring in money. I think my birth was really a tragedy for them, if I could bring them even a little money at the end of the day, it would have been worth it for them to have had me." Bell stayed silent, afraid of saying something wrong.
"When they died, I thought maybe someone from the family would take care of me, how naïve I was... they only care about money."
"That's why I've been saving everything I can, hiding it in different places before any family member can take it from me." Another silence fell, and this time Liliruca lowered her gaze to her feet, holding back the small tears that were about to form in her eyes. "Sometimes, the idea of being free one day seems so far away... in my twenty-four years, I think there hasn't been a day I didn't wish I were dead..."
"That's it!" Bell stood up enthusiastically. "It's an excellent idea... why didn't I think of it before?" The girl lifted her gaze, completely confused. Bell, noticing her expression, hurried to explain: "Sorry, that sounded wrong. I don't mean that you should really die, but what if they think you're dead..."
"I think I'm not following you..." Bell sat back down beside her.
"Think about it, if you fake your death, the Soma Familia won't be chasing you to take your valis, and then you'll be able to save enough to buy your freedom. I can help you... I have some small debts, but no worries! I'll lend a hand with whatever I can get in the dungeon."
Liliruca took a moment to think it over. Bell was so convinced of his wild plan, and although it was true that her main problem with saving was her own family's theft, she had never managed to save as much valis as she did those times with him in the dungeon.
"I think... I think it's a good idea." She finally accepted, and quickly, she and Bell began planning her fake death.
-] [-
It was already completely dark when Liliruca and Bell said goodbye. The girl walked alone through the dark, silent streets of Orario, regretting not having her overcoat to shield her from the cool night breeze.
In the middle of her walk, a large figure emerged from a corner and intercepted her, pushing her against a brick wall. Lili's eyes widened in surprise when she recognized the man in front of her. It was Canoe, a member of her family. He covered her mouth with his calloused hand and pressed her abdomen harder than necessary with the other.
"This time, there won't be a hero to save you," he said with a grotesque smile. "Come on, give me the money you have, and don't you dare lie that you didn't get anything from that pale guy." She tried to speak through his hand, which he reluctantly removed.
"I don't have anything on me..." Seeing the man grinding his teeth and applying more pressure to her abdomen, she hurried to speak again. "But I've got something bigger on my hands, I swear! There's a fool to scam, and the prize is huge..." Canoe released his grip, and Lili knew she had him right where she wanted him.
"How big?"
"Very well, I promise I'll give you most of it."
"You surprise me... alright, I'll look forward to it. You better make sure it's worth it." After saying that, Canoe left. Liliruca sighed in relief, and a huge smile appeared on her face. Everything was going according to plan.
-] [-
Meteria was the first to arrive at the meeting place: the statue of a goddess in the middle of the Plaza del Amor. She waited only five minutes before the goddess joined her. Hestia wore a simple white dress with purple details, while the vampire girl wore one of her typical dresses with frills in French blue.
"You look so pretty!" the goddess complimented, making the girl blush, who simply smiled sweetly. "Shall we go?" she asked, and they began walking with their arms linked.
They walked in silence through the crowded street, filled with people cramming into taverns or restaurants after a long day in the dungeon. The goddess and the girl arrived at their destination, a not-too-large restaurant decorated with colorful tiles that caught the eye. Inside, the place looked more luxurious than from the outside, with tables covered with cream-colored silk tablecloths and delicate porcelain utensils.
They sat at a table for two by a window that overlooked the bustling street. As soon as they sat down, a waiter approached, handing them menus and a bottle of water, courtesy of the house.
"Hmm, look, there's pasta," Hestia commented. She had chosen the restaurant. It wasn't very expensive, but it wasn't the cheapest in the area. "What are you in the mood for?"
"Maybe some red meat..." Meteria replied, not taking her eyes off the menu. "How was your day? You left the church early." she added after deciding on her dish.
"Yes, I went to the temple baths. It was really relaxing, it did me good after the headache this morning..."
"Can I take your order?" The same waiter who had given them the menu came back.
"Yes... I'll have the fettuccine with carbonara sauce," the goddess said, glancing at the menu to remember the dish.
"I'll have the steak Provençal."
"Very well, I'll be right back with your dishes." With a friendly smile, the waiter left them alone again.
"Are the temple baths really as relaxing as they say?" Meteria asked.
"Yes, that's why it's the favorite of the goddesses."
"You... do you get along with other goddesses?" The question surprised Hestia at first, but she decided to be honest.
"It depends, with some, yes; with others, not at all..."
"Like with Goddess Loki?" Hestia puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms just hearing that name.
"Don't even mention her, or she might show up..." Meteria laughed at the goddess's childish attitude. "You, do you have someone you dislike?" A silence fell between them for a moment, the fun disappearing from the girl's expression.
"Yes... is it that obvious?"
"A little." Hestia gave her a kind smile and placed her hand over the table. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"It's nothing against her, it's just that... Dad spends a lot of time with her, and lately, he only thinks about helping her or making her trust us. It scares me."
"What do you mean?"
"That Dad likes her, that he's trying to replace Mom, and... that we stop looking for her." Her beautiful, bright blue eyes filled with tears she refused to let fall. She pressed her delicate lips into a line, forcing herself to avoid shedding a traitorous tear.
"Meteria, I understand everything you're feeling, I understand that you're scared, but the only person Bell loves more than your mother is you. He would never let anything or anyone come before you two."
"Do you really believe that?" the girl asked, her throat tight.
"I'm sure of it." The goddess gently squeezed her pale hand. "I don't know what plans your father has or his reasons for helping that girl Lili, but you have to trust him, he would never do anything to hurt you."
Meteria sniffed and nodded at the goddess's words, feeling more at ease after confiding in her and hearing her encouraging words. Hestia was right, her father loved her, and she would hold onto that belief as much as she could.
"Thank you, goddess." She gave a small smile just before the waiter arrived with their order.
"Enjoy your meal!" he said charmingly as he placed the generous, steaming plates in front of them.
"For now, let's eat, okay? I'm starving," the goddess said, starting to take her fork, ready to attack the plate of pasta.
Meteria simply nodded and, for a moment, looked at the goddess with affection. Talking to her had truly done her good, though deep down in her mind and heart, the fear still lingered.
-] [-
It was a new day, and after having breakfast with his daughter, Bell headed to the restaurant "La Anfitriona de la Fertilidad." The place was closed since it was very early, and inside, the waitresses were cleaning and preparing for another night filled with adventurers and gods. Bell carried the lunch box Syr had given him that day, and they greeted each other cheerfully as he handed it over.
"Thank you so much!"
"Thank you for bringing it, I thought you'd be in the dungeon."
"I have some free time..." the young man shrugged. "What do you do in your free time?"
"Hmm... read, I guess."
"Read?" Bell thought for a moment before continuing. "A lot of books are very complicated... what's this?" A book sitting on a table behind them caught his attention.
"Aha! That?" Syr pointed at it. "Are you interested? A customer must have forgotten it, but no one has come to pick it up. I can lend it to you."
"Huh? Of course not." Bell's face filled with horror just at the thought of the waitress's suggestion. When he looked at it more closely, he quickly realized it was a grimoire. "Whoever forgot it is an idiot, but I don't think they'd be happy knowing someone else borrowed it... if I took it, I'd have an entire family hunting for my head..."
"Hmm, well, I'll donate it to a bookstore or maybe give it to a kid in an orphanage who's just starting to read..."
"You have to be kidding me, Syr... that's a grimoire." Bell shifted his tone from normal to one of total seriousness. "It's a book that allows you to learn a random spell and it's for one use only. The owner must be desperately looking for it before it loses its value..."
"Wait..." Syr interrupted. "Aren't you a beginner? How do you know all this?" Bell almost panicked, feeling everything around him spinning, but he couldn't lose his composure.
"That's the same question I could ask you," he retorted.
"Hehe, sorry, I was trying to prank you," Syr laughed at his confused face. "I was so excited to see your panic when you came back here after the grimoire became useless. I couldn't help it!" But now she changed her cheerful expression to one of pouting. "But you completely ruined my plan! I never thought you'd know about grimoires... are you really a novice adventurer?"
"I swear on my goddess that before I came to Orario, I had never set foot in the dungeon." Syr didn't fully remove her scrutinizing gaze. "Nor fought monsters from the dungeon." The girl kept staring at him in silence for a while, and in barely a whisper, she said her words were true. Despite hearing it, Bell decided not to say anything about it. "Either way, you should be more careful, Syr... imagine if the owner came back and their grimoire no longer worked. That would've turned out badly..." Syr sighed.
"You're so slow, Bell... Are you really going to make me explain it?" Bell stayed silent, completely stunned, not understanding the girl. Had he done something wrong? It seemed that it wasn't enough to endure the dishes his daughter had called "deadly poison," which Syr, in contrast, called food. Despite having spent a decade with his partner, he still didn't fully understand women; it seemed that his path was even longer and more tumultuous than the dungeon itself.
"Syr... are you the owner of the grimoire?"
"Bell... you know I'm a shy damsel, I'm not as brave as you..." she said, playing with a strand of her own hair.
"You... a shy damsel?" he said quietly.
"Yeah... how did a shy waitress like you get something as valuable as a grimoire?" he asked directly.
"I never realized it was something so expensive. I just knew it could be valuable to adventurers, that's all. It's especially for you... would you accept this small gift from me?" The girl slowly blinked, making her gray eyes shine.
But Bell knew Syr wasn't naive enough to not know the true value of that book. "I appreciate it, but before accepting it, I'd like to know one thing... how did you get it?" She sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Is it necessary for you to know that?" Bell nodded firmly.
"It is."
"You really can't stop worrying, huh..." she muttered to herself. "Fine, sorry, I should've known you weren't the type to just accept others' kindness without worrying, right? I'm perfectly fine, Bell, I swear, I didn't do anything painful or sexual for the book..." At Bell's sharp look, Syr shifted her weight from one leg to the other, a little anxious. "Well... I'm not supposed to say anything, but I know you care about me, so... if you promise not to tell anyone about this, I'll tell you."
"I promise." Bell said firmly.
"Bell... you know this bar is pretty popular, right?"
"From all the times I've been here, I've noticed that many adventurers choose to eat here, even Loki herself with her familia, which is no small thing. One of the strongest familias in the entire city comes here often." he said, smiling as he remembered the time Meteria almost made herself a new pair of boots from a certain werewolf's skin.
"You're right, but not only the Loki familia comes here, Freya and some of her children also visit..." Bell blinked, somewhat surprised by this new information, but Syr continued talking. "She really enjoys this place, you know? She likes the staff and loves the food, but it's hard for her... being one of the goddesses of beauty, she always attracts a thousand gazes, she gets quite a lot of attention..."
Bell nodded in silence. He had heard some stories about the goddesses of beauty from his grandfather: Ishtar, Aphrodite, and Freya. He had heard what any of them could do to the people around them, especially if they used their charm ability.
Although that last part didn't worry him much due to his Liaris Freezer ability. Neither Tear nor Meteria had been able to sway him, even though they had tried many times in the past, and it never worked. Besides, Meteria's vampiric nature made her immune to that ability, so he didn't worry about them being able to control... Suddenly, Bell was pulled from his thoughts by Syr, who kept talking.
"The last time she came, I spoke with her and told her about you and Meteria. I told her I wanted to help you in any way I could, and she understood, she understood how much I wanted to help you and see you safe, Bell... I think she felt sorry for me and told me to give you this grimoire." Bell almost dropped his jaw from the surprise, but he hid it well.
"In other words, it's a gift from the strongest goddess in Orario."
"And from me as well. I don't know anything about magic, but I'm sure this will help you, please... accept it."
Bell paused for a moment while Syr looked at him with pleading eyes. After a long minute, he finally gave in and accepted the gift. He thanked her quickly and proceeded to leave the place, cursing in his mind for having the attention of such a strong goddess.
A chill ran down his spine as he thought about how he would tell Meteria and Hestia. In the best case, he could disappear with his family and maybe... Lili. His thoughts were racing at the speed of light in his mind. Maybe he could face several newly ascended level six adventurers or two level six adventurers about to ascend... Meteria too, but if Ottar was added to the equation, that would be a different story. He didn't even want to think about it. His plans to repair the artifact that allowed Tear to travel to this dimension would be delayed.
-] [-
Back home, Bell took advantage of the fact that both his daughter and his goddess were there to explain what had happened with Syr at the Hostess of Fertility. He detailed the entire encounter, trying to be as faithful as possible in retelling the waitress's words. The two remained silent, letting him finish telling everything, but their faces showed a million emotions: confusion, indignation, surprise.
"A grimoire?!" the goddess exclaimed.
"Did she talk to Freya about us?! She's one of the most powerful goddesses in the city!!" Meteria was about to spit fire from her mouth, but at the same time, she was surprised by the whole situation. Her father was a magnet for attention.
"But... Freya doesn't just give away gifts like that. It's not typical of her. She must have become interested in you, Bell," the goddess added.
"Just what I needed!"
"I remember... Grandfather once told us that Freya can see souls, even with her divinity sealed," Meteria said, which increased the concern of the white-haired young man. If anyone, especially a goddess, discovered Meteria's true nature, it would complicate everything.
"Maybe you should stop going there now that Freya's had her eye on you..." said Hestia.
"That would make it more suspicious," Meteria remarked.
"If Freya is really interested in us, stopping going there would alert her," Bell agreed.
"Well, let's hope the waitress's words are true, and that Freya was simply merciful and pitied her," Meteria and Bell nodded.
After that, the goddess went off to work, and Meteria decided to head to the market to buy a few things. Bell, meanwhile, decided to take a look at the contents of the book.
"Let's see..." Bell sat down at the coffee table and opened the grimoire. "There are two types of magic. The first is the one some races are born with, and the second is the Farna granted by the gods as a blessing. The second is a form of self-expression, what interests you? What do you love? What do you hate? What do you desire? What do you regret? What do you respect? What do you yearn for?" The more Bell read, the more he delved into his own thoughts, trying to think and answer those questions. "What is magic to me?"
Bell thought of great power, a power that would allow him to protect his family and advance to achieve his great goal.
"What kind of object is magic to me?" Bell imagined a great red flame burning intensely, never going out, just like his desire to protect those he loves.
"What do I seek with magic?" The image of Tear appeared in Bell's mind, her red eyes, her small fangs, her mischievous smile. And then everything went dark.
-] [-
The next day, Hestia suggested performing a status update on Bell. As usual, the young man took off his shirt and lay down on the bed, where the goddess positioned herself above him and began the process. When she was finished, the goddess handed him his status sheet and said,
"You got a new magic! It's called Pyroclasm." Upon hearing this, Meteria quickly approached her father to review the sheet with him. "As you can see, the description just says that it allows you to create and control fire, so it must be a type of magic without incantations."
After hearing that, Bell remained silent.
Hestia was stunned because she thought this would make Bell happy, but instead, his expression was very serious as he continued to look at the sheet. Meteria, worried, asked, "Is everything okay?"
"Once, in the village, there was an accident when Tear and I tried to combine our magic..." He cleared his throat, as if the words were hard for him to say. "She created a flame, feeding it little by little with her magic, while I tried to use Regnum Mentis to compress it. We were trying to create plasma, something the supreme being that Tear serves had said was possible by compressing fire. The idea was that with a plasma strong enough, we could destroy the dome with fire... at least, that's what we theorized..."
Meteria placed a hand on her father's back, noticing how his voice started to lose strength.
"The flame changed color as the temperature increased. We thought we were succeeding... But when the fire turned white, everything got out of control. I..."
Bell made a tremendous effort to talk about what happened that day; he still felt the weight of the guilt. He had been slower, and it was Tear who ended up protecting him.
"She got badly injured, all to protect me... and about four curious villagers who got too close were burned to death. I probably would have ended up the same way if it weren't for her. The entire area turned into a hell of flames and magma."
Hestia moved to the opposite side of Meteria, trying to offer her comfort.
"After that, Babama asked us not to try it again... Although Tear told me not to blame myself, that it was an accident, and that none of us imagined the result would be so devastating."
"We understand how you feel..." Hestia began, but Bell immediately interrupted her.
"Don't misunderstand me," he said, cutting her off before she could continue. "Even though the synergy between my magic and hers brings back bad memories, I just need to master it and see to what extent I can combine both without it getting out of control, or see what happens if I only decide to enhance it with Argonauta. To avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, and that depends on me."
"Meteria never imagined her parents had gone through something like that and wondered to herself, What else happened at the dome before I was born? Anticipating what Bell would do, she stared at him and asked a question. "Are you going to the dungeon now?"
"Yes, I won't go past the first floors."
Meteria knew her father wouldn't change his mind, so she just let him go, but not without asking him to be careful.
-] [-
Bell moved at super speed through the streets of Orario toward the dungeon. If anyone was awake at that hour, they would have just seen a white blur pass by at full speed. When he reached the first floor, he encountered a group of Goblins who spotted him from a distance and ran toward him. Bell took advantage of this to practice. He created flames in his palms and turned them into fireballs, throwing them like projectiles. The poor Goblins didn't even have time to defend themselves, as each sphere hit them directly in the chest.
"It feels... natural," he said, excited by the sensation. When he saw a new group of green dwarves approaching, Bell extended his arm and used his hand like a flamethrower, burning everything.
He spent a long time practicing his new magic on Goblins and Kobolds until he got bored. He was about to head back to his daughter and goddess when he heard footsteps approaching. Without giving him time to do anything, the vice-captain of the Loki Familia and the Sword Princess, Ais, appeared in front of him. Bell's eyes widened in surprise, and the three of them stood still for a moment until the blonde girl turned her face, inspecting his face, until she recognized him.
"Oh! Hi." Bell's alarms went off, and all he could think about was running away. Without thinking about anything else, he started running from the spot, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake, leaving the two women completely stunned.
-] [-
Eina was doing some shopping in the commercial streets of the city. In a small general store, she heard in the background the unmistakable voice of the goddess Loki:
"Here's Riveria! Soma's wine! Buy it, okay?" The goddess's little tantrum was audible, and with quick steps, the guild employee approached the aisle where the elf and the goddess were.
"Eina?" Riveria was surprised to see her there.
"Is that Soma wine?" Eina asked, looking at the jug, to which the adventurer nodded. "I have a question about the Soma Familia," she said directly to the goddess.
"Hmm, if only I had that wine I want so much..."
Riveria and Eina exchanged a glance, knowing that Loki wouldn't speak unless she got what she wanted.
After buying the jug, the three of them left the store to avoid attracting too much attention.
"Thank you for buying that for her," Eina bowed slightly.
"I was going to buy something anyway, if it helps you, even better..." Riveria smiled at her. "You promised, answer Eina's question," she said, addressing the goddess, who was happily spinning around with her new purchase.
"Yes, yes... Mmm, you were asking about the Soma Familia, right? In short, those kids don't worship Soma, they worship the wine." Eina's eyes widened in surprise at the revelation.
-] [-
At the same time, but on the opposite side of the city, near Babel Tower, Liliruca waited for Bell's arrival. She was a bit nervous because today they would put their plan into action. Distracted in her thoughts, she didn't notice the man who positioned himself beside her, only realizing when he grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her to a less visible spot.
"Tell me where the money is." It was the same guy from her first encounter with Bell. She tried to break free, but the harder she struggled, the more pressure he applied. "Don't try to escape again, you don't know what I'm capable of..." he threatened.
"Are you bothering me again?" the guy named Ged ground his teeth, visibly annoyed by Bell's interference.
"I don't mind giving you part of the money if you stop interfering."
"What are you saying?"
"Don't play dumb, you came for the money she saved, right? We're both adventurers, let's work together against this useless one..." he proposed, still not letting go of Lili.
"Never," Bell said seriously, his red eyes darkening with anger. "I want you to let her go now or I'll be forced to hurt you."
"Tsk... idiot." He threw one last threatening glance at Lili, thinking that the next time the pack mule was alone, he'd make her pay. Letting go of the girl roughly, he walked away in long strides.
"Are you okay?" Bell asked as soon as Ged was out of sight. Liliruca rubbed her wrists.
"Yes, I'm fine..." she said, giving him a smile. "Shall we go?" Bell nodded, a little unsure because there were marks on the girl's wrists.
Without saying anything more, they headed toward the dungeon, where Meteria was most likely already waiting for them.