Author`s Note: Hey everyone. Thanks for the nice reviews, it seems a lot of people do like Freya. Will do my best to make her happy in the story. If this story will be "season 1" to "My Odr", I have to think about it.
InsaneMakaioshin: I think with feeling the same, you mean seeing Freya as their mother figure? Why was the cost for the dress included, because the minotaur blood on Bell, when she hugged him, ruined the dress.
Pixie Duck: The main one will be Freya. But her happiness isn´t only about herself. Since she can´t have children, and doesn´t want to take this happiness from Bell, she will actually encourage him when it comes to a few girls. But it will more be, not Bell loves them, Bell and Freya love them. Sometimes it will be in Freya´s form, sometimes in Syr´s, depending on the girl. Who that will be, will be shown over time in the story.
Also, about Riveria. Bell will "get her" in Burning Love of Justice, having a different kind of relationship than with the others. For Lefiya...maybe in Bloj? Maybe in this story? Who knows? Well...I do...
But so far no new stories are planned since I`m busy with all the stories I have.
One last thing, for those interested in these things. In "Blood of Zeus", there will be separate Ero chapters taking place in this story here. Other "What If" stories, take place in the setting, but not this story. Like for example when Bell gets really good at massaging, and Freya lets him offer a small massage service, in a room high up in Babel. Where women can choose what kind of massage they want to have. One customer...will be a blond sword princess, choosing things at random, not knowing what "Natural massage" and "Happy end" actually mean...
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Bell had followed the description of his goddess, in the morning he had only accompanied her close to the pub, but it wasn´t hard to find.
It was quite a large building, having two floors above the ground level. According to his goddess, the first floor was used during special occasions, like Lovers Day, Halloween, holy winter night, the harvest festival, and similar big events. Otherwise, customers were only on ground level.
Freya had described it to him, that the hostess changed over the day. In the morning it would be like a café, then they would also put tables outside when the weather was good. Around noon it became more like a restaurant, and then in the afternoon until late at night, it was the pub. The customers changed with the time too, in the morning it was mostly couples or some people on their way to work buying something nice to eat. Around noon then mostly normal citizens.
When it was time to be the pub, almost only adventurers came, and the prizes would increase. According to his goddess, the owner said adventurers had more money, and the food kept them going, so they could pay more.
Freya made one thing very clear, harrassing the staff members or trying to flirt with them was strictly forbidden, and the owner would come for him if he tried that.
When he opened the door, noises and a wash of warm air came from the inside, it was quite pleasant. At the same time, he noticed a woman, who wanted to open the door from inside to go out.
"Oh, eh, sorry, here, you go first."
She blinked at him. "Oh, thank you."
It was an elf. Her hair was almost the same color as Bell´s, and her eyes were dark purple-blue. She wore black clothes and a red jacket around her shoulders.
And just like every other elf he had seen, she was very beautiful.
The elf turned slightly. "Lord Dionysus?"
"We´re coming, Aura."
The elf, Aura, was followed by a handsome, tall man with purple clothes and blond hair, a god. He smiled at Bell.
"Thank you for holding the door open for us, young man."
"Not for that!"
Dionysus was followed by another female elf. She looked like the exact opposite of Aura. Wore white, elegant, pure clothes, had eyes of the same color as Bell, and black hair. It was the first and only elf Bell would ever see with black hair.
The three went away from the pub, Bell followed them with his eyes for a moment, but none of them turned around. It was his first time seeing them, but not the last time.
And while the two elves were really beautiful, they...at least in his eyes...lost to his goddess. Lost to the happy, carefree smile he had seen she was capable of.
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The first thing that Bell noticed when he opened the door to the famous Hostess of Fertility or Benevolent Mistress, was the noise. It was loud in there, lively, he heard many voices.
Laughter. Cheering. Praise for the food. Whistles.
The pub was nearly filled to the brim, all kinds of people were in there. Elegant, slender elves. Small prums. Sturdy dwarves. Fascinating Beastkin. And very normal-looking humans.
From the first to the last person, it looked like everyone had a good time and much fun.
"Wow, so many people."
"Oh my! Mr. Bell, you really came!"
When Bell heard the cheerful voice, he turned to the side. And was greeted by the probably most cheerful and happy smile in all of Orario.
His heart got squeezed again by that sight. To see his gentle, nice goddess smile like that...it was precious.
Ah, she is so cute!
"G-Good evening, Ms. Syr."
"Ehehehe, I´m happy that you kept your promise!"
"Of course I would, it was a promise after all."
"Hehe, come."
Syr took a deep breath. "Now seating one!"
Bell followed her with a confused look.
"We have to announce when we seat a customer."
"Wow, every time?"
"Jup!"
Bell followed the humming Syr, he noticed that she swung her hips naturally and did his best not to look. He let his eyes wander around the pub.
"There are so many people here."
"Oh, it is like this every evening."
"Really?"
"Mhm! This pub is one of the seven wonders of Orario after all. Right behind Babel and the Colosseum. So we´re ranked three!"
She leaned closer, hiding her face halfway behind her hand. "But I really think we should share rank two with the Colloseum."
"It is that famous?!"
"Nobles from other cities sometimes travel to Orario only to eat here."
"You´re making fun of me, right?"
Syr turned halfway around to him and grinned happily. "Nope! Not when it comes to the pub! You can ask around, there isn´t one person in Orario that never heard one of the names of this pub."
"Why does it have multiple names?"
"Weeeeell, in the morning we are a café, then a bar during the early afternoon, and a pub in the evening. A famous place like this one needs more than one name. Babel for example also has more than one name, right?"
"Hm, yes. I guess that makes sense."
"Hehe, so here is your seat!"
Syr led him to a place at the counter, from here he could see all of the pub while having a wall in his back. For a first-timer like him, it was the perfect place.
"Thank you..."
"Eheh~~, a bit overwhelmed?"
"Yeah, I was never before in such a place."
Syr half smiled half smirked, an adorable sight. "Do you want to drink something while you look through the menu?"
"Yes, but I don´t know what I should drink."
"Ale?"
"I´m only seventeen..."
She showed him a hidden, knowing smile.
"Hm, moonberry juice? Elves like that."
"Is it sweet?"
"Yes."
"I don't like sweet things."
Good to know!
"Then how abouuuut...root beer? There is no alcohol in there."
"That sounds good, I don´t want to get drunk."
"Alright, Mama Mia, one root beer please!"
"Comin´ up!"
"Mama?..."
"Hehe, Mama Mia is the owner of the pub. For aaaaaall the girls who work here, she is our Mama, who watches over us like a loving mother. She really is a big sof-Kyau!"
Syr rubbed her head after Mia chopped it slightly with her hand. "Stop babbling and spreading rumors ´bout me."
"Teehee, sorry Mama Mia."
Mia placed a big mug in front of Bell. "Here ´ya go, boy."
"Th-Thank you!"
When Bell took the mug, Mia leaned for a moment with her arms on the counter. "So you´re Syr´s friend, eh?"
"F-Friend? I..."
Syr beamed all over her face. "Of course we´re friends!"
She looked with a special expression at him, if he had to name it...was there loneliness in her eyes?
"Right?"
"Y-Yes, we are!"
"Syr here is really fast in makin´ friends. Yer a fresh adventurer, hm?"
"Y-Yes!"
Mia grinned, Bell had never before seen such a tall and strong-built woman.
"Then yer should eat and drink! Ta grow strong! And if yer exhausted from the dungeon, come and eat, good food will bring yer through the day!"
"Oh ahm, thank you."
"As long as yer have money, we will serve ya. But no flirtin´ with me girls!"
"Yes, understood!"
"And, what´s yer familia, boy?"
"F-Freya familia."
"Hoh, really?" Mia raised an eyebrow. "Doesn´t look like a follower of that goddess. Normally they´re all "Lady Freya this" and "Lady Freya that", sreamin´ all day how great that goddess is."
Syr turned around to Mia and pouted heavily for some reason, an adorable sight.
To think Goddess can look like that...
"What, gotta somethin´ ta say?" Mia stared her down.
"N-No.." Syr averted her eyes, shyly scratching her cheek.
For Bell, it didn´t look like she acted like that on purpose. Her reactions felt so natural.
Is this her true self? Or rather how she acts when she doesn´t have to watch out for what people would think of a goddess?
"Ahm, goddess i-...I mean l-lady Freya is really kind to me. She took me in and allowed me to go into the dungeon."
"What? Yer don´t beat each other up all day with the rest?"
"No, at first yes, but I didn´t like it."
Mia raised her eyebrow even more and looked at Syr for some reason, who smiled gently.
"Wait, why do you know that the Freya familia does that?"
Mia sighed, but it was Syr who answered. "Mr. Bell, I haven´t told you, Mia and I a-Kyau!"
"That´s Mama Mia!"
"I´m sorry!...Mama Mia and I also belong to the familia."
"Eeeeeh?! Really?!"
Syr nodded grinning. "Mhm! Didn´t you hear the name Mia Grande before?"
"Mia Grande...Mia Grande...wait...THAT Mia Grande?! The former captain?! I heard Sir Ottar speak of her!"
"Ding! Ding! Ding! You get one hundred points! Also, Sir Ottar? Pfft.~~"
"The woman who was said to rival the beauty of our Goddess?!"
"Heh, yer have good eyes, boy."
Syr smiled while she winked. "Exactly, Mama Mia is really pretty."
"But why a-...Oh, sorry...But why are you here?"
Mia turned to Bell while she cleaned some mugs. "All that fighting was boring. All of them just wanted to fight all the time. Wasn´t my thing, so I talked to her and opened my pub here. She doesn´t mess with my business, so that´s fine."
Bell smiled, out of the corner of his eyes, he looked at Syr. "It looks like Goddess really is kind."
Mia shrugged her shoulders. "Sometimes. Decided what to eat?"
"Not yet, I´m sorry."
"Take yer time, boy."
Bell followed Mia with his eyes, while she went to the kitchen.
"And, do you like it here, Mr. Bell?"
"It´s really something else."
Their conversation got interrupted by a strange sound...sniffing.
"Meow? Meow? Hmm..."
Bell turned around and saw a cat girl standing confused behind him, she also wore a waitress uniform. She was pretty short, but...had a pretty big rack. But it was more her behind that caught his attention.
Syr leaned to him and whispered. "Are you looking at my cute Anya´s butt?..."
"Her tail."
"Oh, then you´re forgiven!~~"
Syr looked at her. "Anya?"
"Meow? That smell...meow can smell..."
Syr walked around Anya and gently put her hands on Ahnya´s shoulders. "It´s okay Anya, no one will do something. What you smell is probably Mr. Bell here. He is a new member of the familia. But don´t be worried, he isn´t like the others."
"Meow..." Anya looked uneasy at Bell.
"Ahm, n-nice to meet you, Ms...Anya?"
Syr smiled. "Anya is also like us, Mr. Bell. We all don´t fit into that familia. Anya had her problems, so Mama Mia was so kind to take her with her."
"And Goddess had no problem with that?"
"Nope, I know that she loves her "cute little kitten"."
Syr giggled and blew playfully in Anya´s ear, which let the cat girl startle.
"Meow!"
Now his goddess even had a very playful side to her, she became more lovely with the minute.
"Oy, Syr. Stop botherin´ Anya and go back ta work."
"Understood, Mama Mia. Come, Anya, the customers are waiting."
Anya looked one last time at Bell, who waved shyly and smiled friendly. Soon he sat there alone, with Mia close by.
"Anya´s a bit delicate when it comes to the familia."
"Oh."
Mia winked. "Looks like yer had yer own problems, but nothin´ a good meal can´t fix."
"You´re right. When I ate the sandwiches that Ms. Syr gave me this morning, I felt my spirit pumped up and got a lot of energy, it was really tasty!"
Tasty!
Tasty!
Tasty!
Tasty.
Tasty...
Tasty...
Tasty...
This word kind of echoed through the pub, heard only by the staff members.
"Hoooooo?"
Suddenly, Anya froze. As well as three other waitresses...and then all the others. One of them was a black-haired catgirl, the other a human, the last one a really beautiful elf, but with a slightly stern expression.
"What did yer just say?"
"Ahm, Ms. Syr gave me a few sandwiches this morning, I had no breakfast at home. They tasted really good!"
Mia frowned. "Yer ate her food and went to the dungeon? Yer could eat that? Are yer really...a human, right? Or ya havin´ poison resistance rank S?"
Bell heard Syr´s voice from the background. "Mouh, Mama Mia! That´s so mean!"
Bell could only imagine that Syr throwing a tantrum was also very cute.
He scratched his cheek. "Ah yes, it was really tasty. I could eat something like that every day."
"Mmmmh!~~~" Bell didn´t see Syr, but he heard her.
But Syr´s four friends saw her and how strong she blushed and how happy she looked when she heard these words.
"Boy, I said no flirtin´ with ma girls."
"I-I am not f-f-flirting! But it was really, really good!"
Syr probably couldn´t look happier than she is right now. And never before did she feel her heart beat like that. No one has ever said before that her food was delicious.
Well, Ryu said it was good...but she did that with a strange expression as if she was withering away...
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Bell was about to decide what to eat, it went down to three options.
The door of the pub opened and he heard Syr´s voice again.
"Our special guests have arrived! Now seating them!"
Special guests?
Bell turned slightly around, looking at the door. And stopped.
It was them...the Loki familia. All the members he saw during the incident. They were chatting and seemed to be in a good mood, walking to their table.
Until one of them spotted Bell...
It was the young woman with blond hair and golden eyes. She saw him first, noticing his eyes on her group. The young woman turned slightly and talked to the green-haired elf, pointing at Bell. Aside from them not being in the dungeon this time, there was something else different.
The goddess of the familia was with their group. Even when Bell was raised to never be mean to a woman, this red-haired goddess lost in every way possible to Freya.
Syr´s expression went a tiny bit stiff. "Oh, Loki familia..."
It looked like some of the familia were discussing something, but one of them came straight to Bell, the young elf who healed him.
"You, it´s you!"
"Huh?"
She stopped in front of him. "Are you alright? Did the healer of your familia help you? Or does something still hurt?"
The elf looked genuinely worried.
"I´m fine, thank you."
She exhaled a bit stronger. "Thank goodness."
Syr looked at the elf. "Ms. Viridis, your familia was it who got Bell hurt so badly, right?"
"We...yes. How do you know about this?"
"Because Bell is a friend of mine. It broke my heart and I cried when I heard this."
"Ungh..."
"You really need to make up for what you did!"
"B-But I healed him..."
"His body, but not his soul!"
"Wh-What should I do?"
"You could at least treat Bell to dinner, like today´s special!"
"Y-You´re right! This at least he deserves."
"And let him touch your ears, I know he is curious about elven ears."
"No way! That is too much!"
Bell could see how Syr chuckled, making clear that the last thing was a joke. But touching an elf´s ears could indeed be nice...
Someone else came to the small group.
"Yo, little Syr!"
"Goddess Loki..."
"Oy, oy, why do you look at me like that?!"
"Hmpf!" Syr looked away.
"What did I doooo?! My cute, adorable, little Syr! Please don´t look at me like that!" Loki almost cried.
"I´m not looking at you at all, Hmpf!"
"Noooo! I didn´t do anything this time, I swear!"
"But your children did, they got Bell hurt."
"That, yeah...Freya demanded a crazy amount for compensation...and she is still angry about it."
"Which is deserved, Bell almost died."
"I know, I heard everything."
Loki looked at Bell. "Sorry ´bout that, kid. Ya good?"
"Well enough."
"My kids felt really bad ´bout that. Also, not want to get on Freya´s bad side."
Syr pouted. "That´s why you should at least treat Bell to today´s special as his dinner."
"Oy, oy, little Syr. Do you have any idea how much money Freya demanded as compensation?!"
"But did that heal Bell´s poor soul?!"
"Hah...I guess it´s only fair."
"And I talked to Mama Mia. If you ever get him hurt again, your familia is banned from the pub."
"Haaaaaaaah?!"
For Loki, that was a bigger problem than the money Freya demanded. And they were already in the red due to the Expedition, then spending more money...
After this evening, Loki's familia would have to make more money than usual.
"Well, if I get a generous tip, I might talk her out of it."
"Syyyyr! That´s not fair!"
Syr smiled in a special, threatening way. "And I might forget your sexual harassment...might...like where your eyes wander currently."
Lefiya looked abashed. "Loki! Have some shame!"
Loki whined. "Alright...whatever you say...enjoy your food, rabbit boy."
The goddess returned to her familia, Lefiya bowed slightly a last time, then she followed Loki.
Bell mumbled so lowly that only Syr heard him.
"Wasn´t that a bit mean?"
"So? They deserved it."
Bell looked at her, for him it looked like her eyes were glowing again.
"What are you looking at?"
"Your eyes."
"Oh! Ehehe~~~"
Something came to Bell´s mind, Syr...his goddess...probably had to work very long today.
"By the way, when do you go home today?"
Before Syr could answer, a shadow appeared next to Syr and Bell.
"Human."
Bell turned his head, it was a slate-green-haired elf with a stern expression. Only now she looked very upset. VERY upset.
"Flirting with the staff, especially with Syr, is forbidden. And we don´t offer that kind of takeaway here..."
"I-"
"Mouh, Ryu! It isn´t like that! Just because Mr. Bell says my eyes are pretty, doesn´t mean he is trying to flirt with me!"
"Is that so?"
"Yes, Mr. Bell Cranel is a gentleman! He didn´t mean it like that! He just wanted to make sure I would get home safely! Right, Mr. Bell?"
"Of course. But I don´t understand, in what over way I could´ve meant it?"
Syr couldn´t help but deepen her smile, her new follower was so innocent and pure.
The elf, Ryu, looked at Bell. "I would like to apologize then, Mr. Cranel. I was too hasty again."
Bell noticed from the corner of his eyes, that a few other waitresses also observed his conversation with Syr. Namely Anya, the black-haired catgirl, and the brown-haired human.
Syr smirked slightly. "But you sure have a slightly lewd mind to understand his words like that, Ryu."
"Nah!"
For the first time in his life, Bell saw an elf really flustered. Not slightly abashed and upset like Lefiya before, but the real deal. Ryu´s face and ears became deep red in an instant.
"S-Syr! What are you saying?!"
"Eheheh~~~ You look so cute when you´re flustered, Ryu!"
"Ahem! I need to keep working. Also, Syr. Don´t stand here for too long, or Mama Mia will get angry."
"Haaay!~~"
Bell couldn´t help but follow Ryu with his eyes for a moment until a tray blocked his view.
"Beeell~~ No ogling my cute Ryu, alright?"
"I didn´t mean to."
"Hehe, good."
Mia returned to the counter for a moment.
"But I only saw three female elves so far in Orario, I´m sorry for being curious."
"Three?"
"Yes, a god, I think Lord Dionysus was his name, left the pub before I came in, accompanied by two elves. One with black hair, the other with white hair. The only other is part of the familia, I only saw her from afar. What was her name again...I think...Ms. Hedin. She looked a bit stiff but also cu-"
"PFFFT!~~~~Ahaha!~~~~Ahahaha!~~~~~Ahahahahahahaha!"
The sound of Syr´s laughter, which came from the bottom of her heart, was the best sound that Bell ever heard in his whole life. She really tried to hold herself back, but it didn´t work. She laughed so hard that she had to put a hand on the counter, the other on her stomach...he saw tears running down her cheeks.
Ryu, Lunor, Chloe, and Anya were looking at her, as were many customers. Loki felt healed when she heard that laughter, despite the debt her familia currently had.
"Ahahahaha!~~~~ Ah, ow my sides! Ahahaha!~~~~ Owie, it hurts. Ahahahaha!~~~~ Ms. Hedin! Ahahahaha!~~~~"
"Eh? Did I say something wrong? I only saw her from afar." Bell blinked confused.
"Ahaha, please, stop it, Bell! Mfufufuf~~~~. Oh, if Mr. Hogni could hear this!~~~"
Mia sighed. "Boy."
"Hm?"
"Hedin is a man."
"Eh...Eeeeeeh?! A man?! Are you sure?! Sh-..He looks so feminine!"
"Yes." Mia pointed at her throat. "Look here next time. If there´s an apple, there is a banana, like they say. Almost all elves are like that."
"Eheheh.~~~ Mama Mia is right, Mr. Bell. Hihi.~~ Mr. Hedin is a cute man. How did you not notice that?"
"I just saw him from afar..."
At first, Syr wanted to point out that the chest should´ve made this obvious. But then again not all elves were stacked...and that was something she never dared to point out when a certain someone was in the same room as her. That would be too cruel.
Syr slowly calmed down again, wiping away one last tear. "Hah, I didn´t laugh that much in a long time."
"Now get back to work, we have many customers."
"Understood, Mama Mia."
"So, boy. Finally ready to order?"
Before Bell could answer, Syr wanted to do that. "He will ta-"
Her eyes wandered to the door, and seeing someone who just come inside, her eyes lit up.
"Heith!"
Bell turned to the door, it was really Heith who stood there, wearing more casual clothes.
Ugh, she looks so tired.
Syr waved and patted the empty chair next to Bell. "Come here!~~"
Heith nodded and walked towards them.
"Good evening, Ms. Syr."
"Hehe~~ I told you Syr is fine, Heith."
The red-haired healer looked at Bell. "Bell, I didn´t know you came here."
"Heith, good evening. I made a promise to Ms. Syr to come here this evening."
"Is that so? Lady Freya told me I should take the evening off."
He smiled slightly. "I think no one in the familia deserves this more than you."
She nodded and looked at the pub´s owner. "Mia Grande."
"Heith Velvet, rare to see you here. I hope you keep the kitchen clean."
"Of course I do."
"Good. Sit down, order, eat, drink."
"I planned to do that."
"A smart girl."
Bell moved the chair back for Heith, she looked surprised but smiled tired. "Thank you."
Syr giggled. "Ehehehe~~~ Such a gentleman. Now Bell for your order...oh noooo."
"Hm?"
"It looks like the price for today´s special suddenly doubled, but in exchange, you get twice the amount of food!"
"Eh? Ms. Syr?"
She winked at Bell and Heith.
"Mama Mia, the double set for today´s special, please!"
"Comin´ up!"
"Ms. Syr...isn´t that mean?"
"Bell, look at Heith, look into her eyes."
The healer returned his curious gaze with her tired eyes.
"Do you see how tired and exhausted Heith is?! She deserves a good meal made by Mama Mia! Especially today´s special! I know she had to work harder and more than usual when you got hurt."
He looked at Syr with a slightly surprised face. It seemed like his kind, gentle, beautiful, loving goddess cared very much about her followers.
"You´re right, I´m sorry."
"Hehe~~ Good boy. Now excuse me, I have to work!~~~"
When Syr left, Bell couldn´t help but mumble.
"She is the best..."
Heith smiled slightly. "That is for sure. I hope I don´t disturb you during your first evening here."
"By no means. How was work today?"
"Hard...exhausting."
"I´m sorry for that."
"It´s not your fault, you give me the lowest amount of work every day."
"Still...a girl like you shouldn´t work so hard."
She raised an eyebrow.
"M-My grandfather told me when I can, I should take exhausting work away from girls."
"I´m not some weak girl, you know?"
"I didn´t mean it that way."
"You really are different from the other Einherjar...then again...are you even an Einherjar, when you belong to the other branch?"
"I don´t know...maybe?"
Two plates got put in front of them, both filled with vegetables and a big piece of meat, which was still sizzling, and had the most delicious aroma that Bell ever smelled.
"Wow."
Mia grinned. "Rakia beef special also comes with this."
Two smaller plates were put next to the big ones. There was a large tart on each of the small plates. The cake base was shaped a bit like a bowl with pudding in it. It had strawberries, almond slivers, a little honey, and drizzled chocolate on it.
Heith´s eyes sparkled when she saw the tart, Bell guessed she liked sweet things. Or maybe these just helped with her exhaustion.
Anya brought a few empty mugs to Mia, she looked for a moment at Heith, then at Bell...then at the tarts. Her tail wiped through the air, Bell saw how she swallowed. Bell remembered Syr mentioning something about Anya loving snacks and sweets.
"Heith?"
"Mh?"
"Do you want my tart? I don´t like sweet things."
"Mh...it´s too much for me to eat, sorry."
Bell noticed again how Anya swallowed, and drooled slightly.
"Lady Mia?"
"Ms. is enough, boy. What is it?"
"Would it be alright...if I give my tart to Ms. Anya? I can´t eat something like that, and I don´t want to throw it away."
"Unya?!" Anya´s tail wiped back and forth.
"It´s paid, as long as it gets eaten, I don´t care."
"Ms. Anya, do you w-"
"Nyes!"
She looked so happy when Bell asked her, then quickly looked at Mia.
"Take a five-minute break."
"Thank nyuuu!"
"Hmm~~ Hmm~~~ Hmm~~~~~"
Bell smiled when he saw how happy the tart made Anya, he focussed on his own food, which was to die for. He was about two-third done with his food when he heard a voice next to him.
"That was good.~~~"
His eyes widened, Heith was already done...taking her dessert next. He didn´t eat that fast, but this was incredible!
She smiled blissfully. "Hah...can´t compare our cooking to this.~~"
Heith looked much more relaxed and happy now.
A movement in the corner of his eyes caught Bell´s attention. He moved without thinking.
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A few things happened at once.
Bell noticed Syr walking in one direction, probably to take empty plates and mugs from a table. Another waitress carried a pot, from which steam rose. Just two meters before she would pass Syr, a customer laughed loudly and swung his legs around, for whatever reason.
Hitting the ankles of the waitress with the pot from the front. Freya had explained one thing to him before he came to the pub, he should keep his legs under the tables, for this very reason.
The waitress tripped.
"Wah-Idiot!"
Her eyes widened in horror when she saw how close Syr was.
"S-"
Syr saw it too, Heith was focused on her dessert, so turned away from the scene.
Bell didn´t have time to shout, think, or do something else. He jumped from his chair, in Syr´s direction. The eyes of his goddess in disguise widened more. Bell put his arms around her, pulled her close, and leaned over her.
Nothing that he had felt during his week in the baptism came even close to the immense pain when the steaming hot soup splashed on his back, neck, and back of his head.
His scream of pain echoed through the whole pub, letting everyone turn in their direction.
The next thing he felt was a wash of a cold liquid, getting poured over him and Syr. Mia had just filled a few mugs and emptied them over Bell and Syr. Heith got her fair share of beer too, as did Anya.
The pain was still strong enough to nearly let Bell pass out. He didn´t notice how he got moved, or how Syr twitched in his pain-spasming arms.
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.
It had been overwhelming, to feel this boiling heat on his body. He didn´t know how much time passed, until a feeling enveloped him, as if someone was pouring icy water from his head down his spine.
This was probably the best feeling in the world right now, and he knew this feeling.
Heith´s magic.
Bell groaned and slightly opened his eyes.
"Bell! Are you there?! Bell!"
He blinked. "Go...ddess?"
"I´m sorry, I´m not your goddess..."
He blinked again, purple eyes looked at him.
"Syr?..."
"Yes, it´s me...how are you feeling?"
"Better...irgh...much better..."
"Thank the gods! Heith, please keep healing him!"
"I´m still doing that, don´t worry."
The light of Heith´s magic illuminated the room. He heard someone sob.
"White hair..."
Bell only looked with his eyes to the side, moving his neck now would hurt.
"Ms...Anya?..."
She sobbed again, it looked like she had cried...or was still crying.
Syr gently squeezed his hands, he only noticed now that she was holding them. "Anya is built a bit close to the water. You saved me, Bell."
"It was...ouch...nothi-"
Suddenly, she squeezed his hands really hard. "Don´t say it was nothing!"
Heith behind him grumbled. "Syr is right, that wasn´t nothing!"
Anya nodded, to agree with them, but for some reason, she didn´t look directly at Bell. "Nyou are a hero!"
"Ungh..." He leaned his head forward.
"Bell, are you in pain?! Heith!"
"I´m constantly healing him, his back and neck are still red, but the spots are getting smaller. Such a burn takes a moment to heal."
"Mmmh..."
He never saw such worry in the eyes of his goddess before...it was nothing he ever wanted to see again.
"The pain is getting numb...it gets better."
Syr exhaled. "Thank the gods...Anya, can you tell the others it is alright now? Oh, and you can take a shower first."
"Meow..."
Anya nodded and left the room.
For half a minute longer, Heith kept healing him.
"So, everything should be done. Can you stand up, Bell?"
Syr let go of his hands, he put them on the backrest of the chair he was sitting on backward, and moved himself up.
"It´s alright now, I don´t feel any pain."
"Good."
Syr smiled up at him, her cheeks were pretty red.
Heith put a hand on his shoulder. "I will go and take a shower too, so please wait until Ms. Anya and I are done. We will prepare some dry clothes for you. In the meantime, use this towel here to cover yourself."
"Alright...huh? Cover?"
Heith went out of the room without reacting much. When Bell looked down at himself, he saw what she meant. His hands almost flew when he covered himself.
"Why am I naked?!"
Syr looked abashed to the side. "Because Heith had to heal you properly. Something about clothes sticking to wounds is bad..."
Shame washed over him, he stood right in front of his goddess, in disguise, while she was sitting! Naked!
"I´m sorry!"
She shook her head, while she got up too, her cheeks still crimson. "You don´t need to, I´m just glad you´re fine now. My hero."
"Hero?"
"Mhm! You jumped and shielded me with your body, that was very heroic!"
"I.."
Syr leaned closer and whispered in her true voice. "Accept my thanks, Bell. It really meant a lot to me."
"T-Too close..."
"Such a heroic deed deserves a reward, is there something you want?"
"P-Please don´t ask this when I´m naked!"
"Then I will decide the reward myself...chuu."
"Eeep!"
Freya gave him a kiss, on the cheek!
"Hehe, that´s better than the forehead, right?"
"G-...S-Syr..."
"Or...shall I wash your back for you?"
"N-No!"
"Hehe~~ When you can react like this to my teasing, I know you´re alright. Oh, and don´t worry. I didn´t look when Heith took your clothes off, nor did Anya. And when you got up, I only looked at your face. So only Heith has seen you, but she said she did that before, and only in her function as your personal healer."
He covered his face with his hands in shame. "Uuuuh, I can´t get married anymore..."
"B-Bell...please cover yourself again..."
"Ah!"
Syr giggled, the flustered Bell was too cute and adorable. A part of her, a pretty big part, wondered why she didn´t take a good, long look when he got up and she had the chance. But she was way too worried about his wellbeing to do that.
Also...something about that made her flustered when it came to Bell. Genuinely flustered. Freya never felt like this before.
"Bell, I have to ask one thing, why did you jump in front of me without thinking?"
If he gave the wrong answer, it wouldn´t just disappoint Freya, it would maybe break her heart a little.
"I can´t let a girl like you get hurt."
"A...girl?"
"Yes, of course. Or...should I say, woman?"
"Ehehe~~ No, it´s fine."
Girl...he said girl...not goddess...not deity...but girl...
THIS made Freya very, very happy. Could it be, that Bell was the one person who saw her differently from the others? That he didn´t give much about her being a goddess? That he just saw her as a girl, like every other girl?
That´s so sweet of you, Bell.
A knock came from the door. "We´re done, you can go in."
"Come then, Bell. I´ll show you the bathroom."
"Thank you."
He took the towel and wrapped it around his hip. Syr opened the door slightly and peeked out.
"No one is here, no one will see you."
She led him to another room.
"Is this still the pub?"
"No, it´s the dorm behind the pub, the staff members and Mama Mia live here."
"Is it alright for me to be here? I mean...only girls live here."
"Today is special, but it might be better that the others are still working. Having a handsome, young man walking around here almost naked, might be too much for them."
"For me too..."
"Hehe~~ Don´t you feel a tiny bit excited, walking around here like that?"
"No."
She felt that he was honest.
"Good, you´re as pure as I hoped you would be."
When Bell followed his goddess in disguise to the bathroom, the towel around his hip opened slightly at the back, which caused an airy feeling. It was good that no one else was here.
But suddenly...Bell felt something...like...eyes of a predator...an apex predator...
He quickly turned around but didn´t see anything.
When he followed Syr again, he felt the glaring again, but when he turned around, there was nothing.
Just my imagination?
What Bell didn´t see when he kept following Syr, was a black cat tail, shortly appearing behind the corner, then a head coming slightly into view. The cat girl that these things belonged to, bit her lower lip when she saw the delicious cake revealed to her eyes, due to the opened towel.
Nyufufufufu~~~~
Chloe had found the most nyautiful butt in Orario, she was sure of it. When Syr reached the bathroom door, she turned to Bell and smiled.
Then her eyes wandered to Chloe, and the smile changed...
Just for a second, her lips formed two words.
Bad. Cat.
Hiiiiiiiiii!
Chloe fled back to the pub, to continue her work.
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"So, Bell. You can use this shower stall over there, I will take this one."
"But they´re next to each other!"
"Yes, like this there isn´t a chance to see each other in case the curtain opens by itself, or we do it at the same time."
"Oh, that..makes sense...but why are we showering at the same time...that´s a bit..."
"Because I want to make sure you´re really alright. If anything happens, I´m right here."
"But..."
She winked mischievously. "Or do you want to shower together?"
The following noise that Bell made, was very cute. And the fact that he got bright red, made him even more adorable.
"W-W-We can´t!"
He fled into the shower, and Syr couldn´t help but giggle.
"Hah, it´s so refreshing how you treat me, please never stop doing it, Bell."
"Why would I?"
Freya smiled, undressed herself, and went into her shower stall. Bell was only separated from her by a thin wall.
Mmmhh!
Suddenly, her face got really hot and her heart started to race. Even if she joked about it, Freya didn´t think she would be able to go and shower together with Bell, even if he had agreed to it! The sheer thought of it...actually made her flustered!
She never felt like this before! Never in her long, long, long, long life!
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In Folkvangr, Horn looked up, putting a hand over her heart.
What is wrong? What is this...happiness?
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Getting rid of the smell of beer was wonderful, but Bell couldn´t help but remain embarrassed, since his goddess...no...the girl he had a crush on...showered right next to him! He didn´t imagine anything, but it was embarrassing!
"Bell?"
"Y-Yes?!"
"Is everything alright? Nothing hurts?"
"E-E-Everything is alright!"
"What´s wrong?"
"Nothing!"
When he shut off the shower, Bell waited for a moment, he didn´t hear the sound of Syr´s shower.
"Bell?"
"Y-Yes?"
"I will go out of my shower now, can you please wait until I´m done?"
"S-S-Sure!"
"And please no peeking, I trust you."
"I won´t do that!"
Freya opened the door to her shower stall and peeked outside, but Bell´s was closed. Going out, she used the towel to dry her body, she turned away from Bell´s shower stall. She trusted him not to peek, but in case he did it by accident, he would only see her behind.
He really is a gentleman.
"Bell, I´m done now, I will wait outside."
"Thank you..."
After Syr was gone and he heard the door close, Bell went out of the shower too. To wait and having to listen until she was done was embarrassing, at least it was over now.
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"What do you mean it will take hours for my clothes to dry?"
"It started to rain outside, I only noticed this after I washed your clothes. We don´t have a heat stone, so it will take a few hours. I´m sorry."
Syr smiled a bit awkwardly.
"Irgh, what do I do until then?"
Heith sighed and crossed her arms under her chest. "Good question for me too, I didn´t intend to stay that long here."
The healer looked down at herself, she currently wore a waitress outfit, since they had no other clothes for her.
"We have a separate guest room, you can wait there, even sleep. I don´t think you want to go down into the pub like this."
Currently, Bell wears a really wide shirt and short pants.
"Heith?" Bell looked at her.
"I´ll guess it will do."
"Ehehe, it isn´t that bad to spend the night here, I also do that."
"Are you doing that often, Syr?"
"Sometimes. But often I sleep somewhere else. But where this is..." She winked in a really cute way and held her right index finger in front of her lips. "That´s a secreet."
"Okay, I can understand that. Then I will wait until my clothes are dry again. Thank you, Syr."
"Oh, Bell, before I go, I forgot something."
Bell turned half around to her. "Hm?"
He felt a really soft and gentle touch against his cheek. "Chu."
"E-Eh?!" Bell stumbled to the side, and Syr kissed him on the cheek again.
"Teehee, a well-earned reward for the heroic knight that saved me from the hot soup."
Heith looked a bit jealous. Normally she would become extremely jealous if she saw that, but Bell was the only nice guy in her familia, also he really deserved the reward.
"Eh. Ah. What. Oh. I mean, eh wa..." Bell´s brain refused to work properly.
Then Syr turned to Heith and gave her a kiss on the cheek too, which let the healer squeak. "And your reward for acting so fast and healing Bell."
Syr waved happily and went to the stairs. "Have a nice rest you too. And thank you agaaaaaain!"
Bell blinked for a while perplexed, touching his cheek with his fingers.
Heith´s cheeks were red. "She really is the best."
Bell nodded slowly. "That she is..."
Getting burned by the piping hot soup, then having beer poured over him, and the other things that happened.
To get a kiss on the cheek as his reward.
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Worth it.
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.
His grandfather would´ve been proud.
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Since sleeping next to each other was out of the question, Bell and Heith spent the time by chatting about various things. Heith was really happy to talk about Freya, how much she admired the goddess, and what she did for her. She noticed that Bell talked a bit differently about her than the others did. But it didn´t take her aback, since it obviously made Freya happy.
Heith started to really like Bell.
Down in the pub, Syr had to deal with an almost braindead Ryu, who was mumbling by herself how she couldn´t see this development. That Syr and Bell weren´t even married and yet they showered next to each other...became bare in the same room.
And Chloe became as small as a mouse when Syr "towered" over her...she was actually smaller than Chloe. "Chloeeeeee~~~ Peeking on Mr. Bell isn´t niiiiice~~~ Do you understaaaaaaand?~~~~"
"M-Meow does!"
"Gooooood~~~~ That´s a goooood kittyyyyyyy.~~~"
"Hiiiiii!"
How Syr dragged the words way too long was quite scary.
When she brought the next load of drinks to the table of the Loki familia, Tiona looked at her.
"Is he well now? That looked like it hurt a lot."
"Yes, he got healed by Heith, thankfully she was here too."
Lefiya´s ears had dropped a bit. "I hope these things don´t happen to him often."
Syr smiled wryly. "I hope so too...but it was really heroic of him to step between me and the soup. He´s my hero."
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It was late at night when Bell and Heith returned to Folkvangr. Freya still had to work for an hour before the pub would get closed. Bell at first wanted to wait, but Heith explained to him in a low voice, that they couldn´t risk letting her be seen walking towards Folkvangr, she would take a different, more secret route.
"What about protection?"
Heith slightly nodded to a rooftop. "Hogni is sitting there, watching over her."
"I didn´t see him."
"Of course not, he knows how to stay hidden."
Heith noticed how Bell looked left and right while they walked.
"What´s wrong?"
"I´m just making sure no one is sneaking up on us. Since I´m walking with a girl so late at night."
"Oh? Are you worried about me?"
"Of course."
She chuckled. "You are aware that I´m level four?"
"Really?! Wow! But that aside, you´re still a girl. Grandpa told me to always watch over a girl when she has to walk the streets at night."
Despite being tired, Heith giggled...which was a very rare sound for her.
"Just like she said, you´re really chivalrous."
"Also...it might look strange that I´m going home with someone dressed as one of the waitresses...people might get the wrong idea."
"A good point. But look over there."
Bell looked in the direction that Heith pointed, he saw three heavily armored figures, with weapons and shields.
"Ganesha familia, they patrol the city at night."
"Oh, that´s good."
"It is."
When they arrived in Folkvangr, Bell accompanied Heith until they had to part ways, men and women slept in separate parts. Not that something amorous would happen here, but it the women got easily annoyed by the men since many of them snored. And from what Bell learned from his grandfather, a woman didn´t snore! And if, then only in a very cute way!
"Good night, Heith."
"Good night, Bell."
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Bell slept a bit longer than usual the next day. When he went to the training ground, where the Einherjar already had their usual clash, he noticed that many of them looked at him, some even stopped their training. He only went there for his morning routine, before he would go to the dungeon again. But before that, he got the message to come and see Freya, she wanted to tell and show him something.
One of the Einherjar nodded to him. "Cranel."
"Good morning."
"You did good."
"Hm?"
Another Einherjar came, and put his hand on Bell´s shoulder. "You´re a good man, Cranel."
The Amazon Lilia put her hand on his other shoulder. "Good work, Cranel."
"Eh? What´s wrong?"
An enormous shadow towered over him. "Bell Cranel."
He flinched, surprised how such a tall, bulky man could move so quietly. "Hiii! C-Captain?!"
Ottar´s giant hand came to rest on Bell´s shoulder, almost sending him to his knees. "You prevented Lady Freya from getting seriously hurt. Acted like a true warrior should. Good work."
Suddenly, ALL of the Einherjar raised their weapons towards him.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""Cranel!""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
It was the first time they acknowledged his presence for real. He guessed that Heith explained what happened last night.
Their respect for Bell grew a lot, especially in Ottar´s eyes.
"Would you like to spar with me for a bit, Cranel?"
"E-Eh?!" Bell shivered when he looked at Ottar.
"I will show you something."
Bell gulped heavily.
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"G-Goddes...I´m here..."
"Dear heavens, Bell?! What happened?!"
"I sparred with Mr. Ottar..."
"Why?"
"He asked me to..."
"Did he hit you?!"
"No...not even once did he even touch my body...it was just the air surrounding his attacks..."
Bell looked pretty exhausted, not hurt, just very exhausted, but also...somewhat happy.
"Hm, let me update your status. Then we have to talk about something."
"Alright."
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Bell Cranel
Belongs to: Freya familia
Level: 1
Strength: D 503 - D 550
Endurance: E 442 - D 530
Dexterity: E 420 - E 469
Agility: D 569 - C 601
Magic: I 0
Skills: Heroic Desire (Admirer of Love)
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The expression that Freya made had no one else of her followers ever seen, her eyes nearly popped out. Such a large jump "just" from sparring with Ottar and the one day in the dungeon before?!
"Bell, you really are something else."
"I hope that´s a good thing?"
"Absolutely, here take a look."
"Hm?...Dear heavens!"
"Please don´t overdo it, Ottar might get too excited and forget to hold back."
"I promise..."
"Good. Now then, let us get to business. I have an announcement for you and something I would like to give you."
"Hm?"
"First, over there."
Freya pointed at a weapon rack, as a goddess who also ruled over war, she had a few decorations of this kind.
"I want you to take one of the spears there, and use it. To get used to using a shield, spear, and your sword. There will be monsters in the dungeon where a longer range is necessary. Also, from what I was told, it is better to stab some monsters. Being able to use different weapons can only be good for you."
He nodded. "I understand, thank you so much, Goddess!"
"Hehe, good. And now for the other thing."
Freya cleared her throat. "Come in."
The door to Freya´s room opened, and someone came inside, a woman.
She wore boots fitting to be worn in battle, and black tights. Had a skirt that reached halfway down her thighs, with a gap between the hem of the skirt and the tights. A simple outfit of white, slate blue, and golden borders, like the female members of the Freya familia wore them.
And...she had a red tail, red hair...and golden eyes.
"M-Ms. Rose?!"
The werewolf closed the door and walked towards them, looking a bit embarrassed. "Good morning, Lady Freya...Mr. Cranel."
"Eh?! Why are you here?! Why are you wearing these clothes?!"
"Mh..."
Freya giggled. "Bell, I´m sorry for causing you trouble, but you will need a new adviser from the guild. It seems like Rose made up her mind, and asked me if my offer still stood. I told her it would always stand, so she decided for herself to resign from the guild and join the familia."
"What? Just like that?"
Rose looked at him. "Not "just like that", this wasn´t an easy decision for me to make."
Freya smirked in her lovely way. "But I guess the luxury bath, and good food every day helped a lot with that decision...also that you will have much more money at hand, since here you pay no rent."
"Mmh..." Now the adult werewolf looked flustered.
She noticed how Bell looked at her, her tail moved in front of her lap. "Stop staring..."
"So, Bell. Rose will be the first member to join the Sessrumnir and become part of the Skjaldarleiðangur."
Bell was still unable to correctly pronounce the name of his dungeon group...
Freya´s smile deepened. "And since she is a woman, Rose will become the first of my Valkyries."
Rose´s ears perked up, a cute sight. "A what?"
"A Valkyrie. Mighty, female warriors that fight for me. A bit similar to Heith and the others, but in the opposite direction."
"I don't know if I can live up to the expectations of such a position."
"Rose, do you know the exact number of adventurers who started strong after receiving a blessing for the first time? I know the number."
"I don´t."
Freya raised her right hand and formed a circle with her thumb and index finger. "Exactly so many."
"Six?"
Freya noticed how her other fingers were raised, and she sighed. "Zero. Are you trying to tease me?"
"I don´t!"
"Hehe, good."
"So, Bell, Rose. I hope you two will get along. Bell, even when you´re a new adventurer too, I expect from you to help Rose in the dungeon."
"Of course, I will! I will protect her with everything I have!"
"That´s a good boy. Now come you two, there is something I want to show you. Oh, Rose?"
"Yes?"
"Try not to get intimidated by the Einherjar and others too much. I told the Andhrímnir to help you when there is trouble."
"I´m sorry...the what?"
"Bell, explain it to her. It´s your job when Rose has questions."
Bell nodded. "The Andhrímnir are the healer and herbalists of the familia, led bei Heith and...I mean Ms. Heith Velvet. She is the strongest healer in all of Orario."
"I thought that was the Dea Saint?"
Freya exhaled through her nose. "As if Dian´s little healer girl can be compared to my Heith. She may be okayish or good with healing magic, but Heith is on a different level. Being a true healer means more than just healing people."
The goddess waved over her shoulder and both followed her through Folkvangr. Eventually, they arrived at a smaller building, right next to the main building.
It looked exactly like Folkvangr...but smaller.
Sessrumnir
There were runes engraved above the front door. Not divine runes, but from a different language, nordic runes.
"Sessrumnir got finished yesterday. This will be your home from now on, except that you of course will go to the Andhrímnir when you return from the dungeon. Rose, Heith is Bell´s personal healer, but to lessen her burden, while she takes care of him, one of the other Andhrímnir will take care of you. I told them the time matters not when you return from the dungeon. But please try to be back before it gets too late."
When Freya came closer to the door, Horn, who stood next to it, opened it for her goddess. Such a sign of affection towards others would normally make Horn extremely jealous...well she was jealous, but since Freya looked so happy, she would let it be. Also, she still had to figure out what that strong happy emotion from yesterday was.
"Rose, this is Horn, my attendant, and someone very, very precious and important to me. Be nice to her, alright? She has to work as hard as Heith, is often exhausted."
Horn looked very happy when Freya praised her.
The goddess showed them the building. There were several rooms on the ground floor, the same number on the first floor, and two on the second floor. One of them would belong to Bell, as the leader of the group. The other would be for the housekeeper, Freya still had to choose someone for that role.
"Rose, as someone with the skills and experience, your additional role will also be the paperwork of Sessrumnir."
Rose´s ears and tail dropped. "I will never escape the paperwork, will I?"
The goddess chuckled. "I promise it won´t be as much as in the guild, not even close. But here is something that might lighten your mood."
Horn opened a big door, leading into the bathroom of the small mansion. If bath"room" was the correct word for it...
"Haaaaaaah~~~~~~~~~"
Rose looked like she was about to melt. This bath"room" was enormous! And pure luxury!
"We have various bathing pools, and separate showers, and there are containers with dried herbs for special baths. There's a massage table over there with special indentations."
As someone with a large chest, Rose was glad to have these indentations.
"And behind this door is a small sauna. Behind it, accessible through another door, is a small garden with a swimming pond, not visible from anywhere."
"Haaaaaaahn~~~~~~~~"
Rose´s tail wagged heavily, her ears twitched, did she like bathing that much?
"Until I find a housekeeper, it will be your job to keep the bathroom cleaned. Let me show you the living room and kitchen."
And so Freya did.
"Haaaaaaah~~~~~~~~~"
"Haaaaaaah~~~~~~~~~"
"Haaaaaaah~~~~~~~~~"
Rose made a lot of noises while she saw everything, her eyes sparkled.
"Will I really live here? This isn´t a dream? Or did I die and this is heaven?"
Freya chuckled. "It isn´t a dream, nor heaven. And yes, you will live here."
The living room was quite big, with several couches, armchairs, and a big table in the middle. The kitchen wasn´t small either.
All in all, there was easily enough room for a dozen people.
"So, now that you´ve seen the house, follow me, we have something to do. Something important.
""Yes, Goddess/Lady Freya!""
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They were walking through the city, at first Rose had feared stares, because she was a known guild employee, but now wore a uniform of Freya familia. Bell´s white clothes looked similar but made for a man.
Rose didn´t have to be worried, because Ottar´s presence made all people shrink away.
Their destination...was the Hostess.
"Goddess, what are we doing here?"
"I want to talk to Mia and two staff members here."
"Oh?"
Ottar went forward and knocked for Freya, soon the door got opened, and...Syr looked outside.
"Oh! Lady Freya, good morning!~~"
Bell was confused for a moment, then he remembered what Freya explained to him. This was Horn in disguise, sometimes it was necessary, that Freya and Syr were at the same spot at the same time.
How did she get here so fast? When did she disappear while we were looking at the house?
Bell had asked Freya why she didn´t reveal the truth to the staff members. But she replied that she was actually afraid of that. She considered all of them her friends, Anya, Chloe, and Lunor her best friends, Ryu her super best friend...she actually said it like that. She loved them for treating her like the town girl that Syr was, not like a goddess. But she was afraid, truly, deeply afraid. If she would reveal the truth to them...how would they react? How would they treat her?
Would they think she just played around? Maybe in the past, Syr´s role was exactly that. But it became something much more serious for Freya. She couldn´t live without being Syr anymore. And if her friends would become angry, turn away from her...she didn´t know what she would do then. It would destroy her.
That vulnerable side made her look so different from all the other gods.
Somehow so...human.
"I hope we don´t disturb your preparations, but I need to talk to Mia and two of your friends."
"It shouldn´t be a problem, come in!"
"Ottar, can you wait outside?"
"As you wish."
Freya, Bell, and Rose followed "Syr".
"Mama Miaaa, there is a guest here for you."
"Comin´. Hm? What do you want here."
"Good morning, Mia."
Multiple staff members stopped their work when they saw Freya, Bell, and Rose.
Freya smiled. "There is something I would like to ask two of your staff members. My cute little Anya, and her friend...Reon was her name?"
Syr leaned to Freya and whispered. "Lyon."
"Ah, thank you."
Mia crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking displeased. "What da ya want from ma girls?"
"I personally, nothing. But both know how to fight. And I need a trainer for each of them."
"Ya have ´nough in the familia."
"Mia, come on. We both know how the others are. Do you really believe one would be a good trainer?"
Mia shrugged her shoulders. "Probably n-"
"Meow..."
Anya had come into the room, her tail dropped and got pushed, trembling, against her legs.
Freya smiled gently. "Good morning, Anya."
"Lady Freynya..."
"Are you doing well?"
"Meow..."
Anya´s eyes wandered from Freya to the side. "Rose?!"
"Hey, Anya, long time no see."
Before Anya stopped her training at Folkvangr, Rose was "officially" her adviser. Not that they ever had a single lesson. Anya´s eyes widened when she saw Rose´s clothes.
Mia looked at Syr. "Get Ryu from the basement, she will answer her on her own."
"Haaay~~~"
Bell was surprised how different Horn acted when she was in Syr´s role, quite the actress.
Syr returned with Ryu a few moments later, Anya remained at her spot, looking a bit frightened when Freya dared to come a step closer.
"Anya, I won´t do anything to you, alright? Can I...come closer?"
"Meow...mh..." Anya nodded shyly.
Bell saw just how lovingly Freya looked at Anya, she clearly felt great affection for her cute little kitten.
"You´re looking good, I´m glad that you found friends and happiness here."
"Meow..."
"Is it...alright if I hug you? I missed hugging my cute little kitten."
"Mmh..."
Anya didn´t back away, Freya was really careful and gentle. Many people would´ve paid a lot to get hugged by her like this.
"It´s good to see you again, Anya. I missed you...and I love you, my cute little kitten."
"Meow..." For a moment she just stood there, then shyly, Anya slightly returned the hug.
Mia sighed. "Did you just come to hug my staff? Gonna tell you, Ryu won´t allow this."
Freya gave Anya a soft kiss on the forehead, then she let go of her. Anya´s lower lip trembled a bit, but it didn´t look like because she was scared.
"Alright, I don´t want to disturb you for long. Ms. Lyon, Anya, I have a request for you. Bell and Rose here need training partner, to show them the ropes. There are a few circumstances why no one in my familia can do this. I heard from "someone" that you´re quite strong, Ms. Lyon."
Ryu looked from Freya to Syr when she saw how the goddess glanced at her friend. Syr clapped her hands together and bowed slightly in an apologetic way.
"And I know that my adorable Anya is very good with a spear. The second-best spear user I know, just don´t let Alfrigg hear that I said this... Anyway, Bell and Rose will learn how to fight with spears. Rose is a new adventurer and doesn´t know much about fighting. So I would like to ask you, Anya, to become Rose´s trainer, to train with her an hour in the morning for the next month. And you, Ms. Lyon, to do that for Bell."
Anya and Ryu exchanged a look.
Syr leaned to Ryu and whispered. "Since the others don´t want to train with you anymore, that would be a good opportunity."
Bell went just a tiny bit pale. Why didn´t the others want to train with her anymore?!
"Hm..."
Freya smiled in a special way. "I would really be put at ease if the former Gale Wind would do that."
"!" Ryu´s expression went blank...and a bit agitated.
"I don´t intend to blackmail you or anything like that. Yes, I know who you are, I know it for years. You seem like someone I can entrust Bell to. As a just warrior. And of course, I will pay for the time."
Ryu looked at Bell for a few moments, then she slowly nodded. "He stepped in the way and got hurt while protecting Syr. It´s the least I can do."
"The money aside, I would like to offer each of you a special payment. Ms. Lyon, would it be alright if I step closer and whisper something into your ear? The others shouldn´t hear this."
"I...alright."
"I won´t touch you, I promise."
Freya stepped to Ryu and lowered her voice.
"In my personal chamber up in Babel, there is a divine mirror. I can use it to look at things that catch my interest, except for people in my familia. If you train Bell, I will let you look alone for ten minutes each day at someone you would like to see."
Ryu´s eyes widened very much.
"Even if that person isn´t in Orario."
"I...I..."
"Syr asked me to give you this special reward."
"Syr...did?"
"Yes.
"I...I...I accept...thank you."
Ryu was at a loss for words, Horn noticed a small tear in the corner of her eyes. She went to Ryu and gently hugged her, for Bell, it looked like Horn´s affection for Syr´s friends was genuine.
Then Freya turned to Anya. "Aside from the money you will get, I will also provide you with one dessert special from here each day."
"UNYA?!" Anya´s tail and ears perked up. "REALLY?!"
"Yes, whichever dessert you desire."
"Meeeooowwwn~~~~"
Then Freya whispered into Anya´s ears. "And I will see what I can do, that you get a chance to talk to Allen, but it will take a while."
Anya started to cry a little. "Lady Freynya..."
"Aww...come here."
She hugged her again, this time Anya didn´t look frightened at all.
Mia smirked. "The time of my staff isn´t cheap, and I can´t cut down their free time, or they might rebel, so I will charge you their salary."
"That´s fair, Mia. Oh, and I would also like for Bell and Rose to have breakfast here before they go into the dungeon, after their training. Of course, I will pay for that too."
"Unusual for you to pamper them like that."
Freya smiled in a genuine way. "I love all of my followers, Mia. And since they will have exhausting days in the dungeon, and I don´t want to force my Andhrímnir to get up even earlier than usual to make them breakfast, there is no better way to start than having your food after a training session."
"That is for sure."
Mia looked at Bell and Rose. "Do you know how to cook?"
Bell shook his head. "Not much."
Rose sighed. "Since I was alone in my apartment...yes, but only simple stuff."
"Then if you come back late, eat here."
"But that is expensive, right?"
Mia looked at Freya, and the goddess chuckled. "If you two do a good job, I will give you some extra pocket money."
"We have a deal then, but you will pay for every damage to the building that happens during the training."
"But that would be Lyon´s or Anya´s fault..."
"Not my problem. This is my house, my rules."
"Mh...fine."
Bell was shocked! Even when he knew that Freya could be very kind, he never expected someone to talk to her like that!
"So then, I don´t want to disturb your preparations further, Mia. Bell and Rose will come tomorrow morning at seven."
Anya´s ears dropped slightly. "Meow have to get up early..."
"Anya?"
"Meow?"
"Just think about the special dessert."
"Meow will!"
.
.
.
While Bell, Freya, and Rose left the pub, Freya could see due to the soul light, that Ryu was in the basement, crying... At least Horn was there and gave her company.
I knew the topic to see Astrea this way would stir up your emotions, Ryu. But I think it is time to give you a little push forward, maybe this will give you the courage to write her letters, or go to see her. If that happens...I just hope you won´t leave Orario forever.
"Bell, I will occupy the bath first when we get home."
"Am, sure?"
"It will take a while."
"I have no problem with that, Ms. Rose."
"Rose is fine since we will fight together."
Freya smiled. "By the way, you can pull a large curtain in the middle of the bathroom, that´s why there are showers and wash areas on both sides. Like this, you can use the bathroom at the same time, without seeing each other."
Rose shook her head. "Not happening."
Bell shook his head too. "I agree."
"It was just for your information."
While they walked back in the direction of their home, Freya heard a female voice.
"Hey, do you want to join my familia? No?...Oh..okay... Hey! Do you want to join my familia?! No?...Oh... Hey, do you w-don´t run away!"
It was a voice that Freya knew, she turned around a corner and saw someone she knew.
"Hestia?"
"Muh? Freya!"
"I didn´t know you came down already."
"Hey, I waited long enough, now it´s my turn!"
"When did you come to Orario?"
"Two weeks ago..."
"Oh. And did you already found your familia?"
"No...no one wants to join me..."
Hestia looked so lost, she could´ve been a little kitten, sitting in a box with a sign in front of it. "Please pick me up."
"Where do you sleep then?"
"An abandoned church...it gets quite cold at night...at least some vendors give me leftovers when I help there during the day."
"Hm."
"Freya?"
Freya looked at Bell and Rose, she got an idea.
"Hestia, would you be interested in a job?"
"Ahm...what kind of job?"
"Being a housekeeper for a new branch in my home. So far Bell and Rose here are the only members, but there will be more in the future."
"I heard your familia is quite scary..."
"You won´t have much to do with them. The job offer comes with a room, rent-free."
"Hmm...I don´t know..."
"Shame...Bell, Rose, now you have to clean the big, luxury bath by yourself. Be all alone in the big living room, have to clean your big rooms, make the large beds, eat the food from your kitchen..."
"I accept!"
Freya chuckled. "So easily, Hestia?"
"All I have to do is keep the house clean, and make sure they have it nice when they come home from the dungeon, right?!"
"Correct. Aside from living there, you will get pocket money...or let's call it, a salary."
"And...how much?..."
"I think we should start a bit lower and see where it goes."
"Oh..."
"Let's say 10.000 Vals a day at first."
"WHAT?!"
"Sorry, Hestia. But not one Vals more, I have to see how you work."
"I have no complaints! Thank you so much, Freyaaaaa! *sob*"
"Hestia, don´t get snot on my dress..."
"Buwääääh! You´re sho nische, Freyaa!"
"H-Hey..."
As a Goddess of War, Freya was surprised at how strong Hestia was, now that she was clinging to her.
Freya mumbled so that only Hestia could hear her. "I also expect you to make sure that things remain calm and proper in the house. You understand what I mean?"
There would be a young man and maybe a few young women living under the same roof later...
"Leave it to me! Nothing will happen, not on my watch!"
"Ehehe~~~ I thank you, Hestia. Do you need to get your stuff?"
"No...I have everything I own with me..."
"Oh, that won´t do. Ottar, Bell, Rose. We make a detour. First, we need to get Hestia proper work clothes for her job."
The three nodded.
Freya´s decision didn´t only happen on a whim...well mostly, but not only.
Hestia was a shut-in in heaven, so like this, she would slowly get used to more people. And she surely knew how to keep a house nice and clean!
And...this point was the most important, Hestia wouldn´t lay her eyes on Bell.
"Just to be sure, no recruiting among my children allowed...and Bell...is mine."
"No problem here!"
"Ehe, I knew I could count on you. In the morning you have to eat breakfast on your own for the next month. Since Bell and Rose will leave the house quite early. And I can´t tell my Andhrímnir to get up earlier to make you breakfast."
"Who?" Hestia blinked confused.
"Bell, explain everything to Hestia, please."
"Hay!"