The Fallen Argonaut
Rated; M (Blood/Gore)
Disclaimer; I do not own Danmachi or anything created by the author Fujino Ōmori, all rights go to him
Authors: Eli-er01 ViceroyChalister
Summary: The will of a hero is strong, yet unwavering but all good things must come to an end, even at the cost of one's Heroic Will. Imprisoned and blamed for a crime he hadn't committed, Bell seeks a way out of his predicament so that he can live without fear of being hunted by the people he once looked up to.
18: Motivation
=Anfesera, 2 days later=
Bell was walking through the village, being greeted by everyone as he had returned after 5 days. He returned their greetings as he followed the path towards his family. Before he got to the house though his thoughts drifted towards the supposed 'mayor' of Northon who had rewarded Bell, even when he said he didn't need anything.
He had returned to the town to deliver the news that he had cleared the nest. When people had asked him what he wanted in return, he had simply waved his hand and said that no reward was needed since it was the right thing to do. Things were going like they usually went with other villages after that.
Villagers had thanked him. He heard people talking about him nearby, some even questioning the guild's capabilities when this man did what they couldn't do in a week. He was about to leave when the 'mayor' ambushed him and he was honestly one of the most stubborn people he had ever met.
After hours of him resisting being rewarded, he finally caved as he didn't want to end up being late for his return simply because he was stubborn.
He had been awarded 500 000 valis, which Bell felt was exorbitant for that level of threat, but the man said he deserved it for being so humble which made no sense.
Anyway, Bell juggled his pouch in between his hand before reattaching it to his side before the house came into view.
It was morning so everyone was probably still inside, eating breakfast so it would be nice to surprise them as he was meant to return by noon, but it was morning.
When he reached the house, he opened the door silently and walked inside. He instantly heard the chatter from the table behind the corner to the left so he peeked over the corner with his mask off, smiling at the 4 people seated.
It took a second, but the first person to notice Bell was Adrienne, who instantly lit up.
"PAPA!" She practically screamed as everyone else turned around, shocked at his early return.
"Bell! You're early!" Elora called out as she got up, before hugging him which Bell happily returned.
"Yeah, I would have been here yesterday if it weren't for the mayor being stubborn with rewarding me" He said, laughing as he scratched the back of his neck.
"Oh? How much this time?" She asked as the reward has happened before, but it was rare.
"500 000" He groaned out as Elora snorted at the amount "I mean, who pays 500 000 valis for someone taking out an admittedly large nest of monsters. It's worth maybe 50 000 at most" He complained as the others joined in the laughing, Adrienne struggling to climb down to get to her father.
Noticing her daughter's struggle, Bache picked her up and walked over to Bell. Adrienne reached out as Bell took her, careful not to squish her on his plated armor.
"Hello there, little firefly. Did you behave while I was gone?" He asked as she nodded vividly before he quirked a curious eyebrow at the others, who nodded.
"Well, look at you being a good girl" He lightly teased her as she giggled.
"Hehe, I wand to be like papa" she said lightly as Bell's eyes widened slightly at her desire as he looked at Bache who just smiled.
"Are you sure about that, Little firefly?" He asked as she nodded.
"Papa ish so cool! I wand to be like you!" She said, more seriously this time as Bell couldn't help but chuckle at her trying to look convincing.
"Alright, but it will have to wait until you're maybe… 6 years old. If you still feel the same then, we can work on it" He said clearly, in a tone Adrienne knew he only used when he was serious so she just nodded in response.
"Anyway, how has things been while I was gone?" He asked the others who just shrugged.
"Well, things have been normal, apart from the break from you" Commented Erebus, who was awarded a lighthearted glare from Bell in return.
"So the usual. Well, I haven't heard of another village being in trouble, so I'm staying for a while" Bell said as he could hear a sigh of relief from Elora. Bell looked at her questioning before she answered the unasked question.
"Well, it's lonely only having a week or less with you before you leave" She complained slightly as Bell smiled, handed Adrienne to Bache before pulling her into his arms.
"Well, lucky you. I'm staying for a bit longer this time" He said as she laughed and struggled in his hold.
"Hey! Not here!" She called out as Bell laughed and let go. Erebus and Bache laughed as well while Adrienne just looked confused.
"By the way… did you… visit that shop I asked about?" Elora asked, looking almost sheepish as Bell frowned at her behaviour. Why was she so nervous about a simple elvish shop?
Bell mentally shook his head before nodding.
"Yes, and they did have that necklace you asked for" He said before pulling out the pouch and reaching inside.
"That never ceases to creep me out" Elora muttered as a chuckle escaped Bell's mouth before he pulled out the box that was the perfect size to fit into the pouch.
"For Milady" He said as he bowed, handing it over with one hand while the other crossed his midsection.
"Oh my, what a gentleman" She mockingly gasped out as Bell looked up with a smile. Elora opened the box and a large smile spread across her face as she carefully lifted the necklace out of the soft substance inside the box.
"Wow… that's beautiful" Bache commented as she laid eyes on the jewelry. Elora nodded absentmindedly before handing the necklace to Bell. He got behind her and put it on around her neck, before she spun around and posed in front of everyone.
"How does it look?" She asked as everyone inspected her.
"You look awesome, Auntie!" Adrienne called out, causing everyone to blink. Auntie? She had never called her that before.
"Huh…?" Adrienne looked confused as she looked around.
"Nothing" Bell said before focusing back on Bache who seemed to glow in happiness.
"It looks… incredible on you" He gave her his opinion. It really did as the necklace accentuated her elvish features. The ruby fit well with her red shirt she had as well.
"Thank you" Bell only smiled in response to her thanks before things got back into the usual rhythm.
Bache got ready to go into the forest which she usually did during the days. She was an amazoness who grew up fighting after all, it was in her blood and soul and the only outlet around here was the forest if Bell wasn't up for a sparr.
Elora quickly finished up before heading out to her daily duties as head of the guards while Erebus lounged around like he usually did. There honestly wasn't much else to do for him and Bell actually found that Erebus was probably the only god in existence that can handle boredom very well.
Bell was the only one left after that, and he took care of Adrienne for most of the day. Playing with her and carrying her around the village as he bought supplies for the house.
The day passed like this until it started to get dark out.
Currently, Bell was upstairs in his room, holding an exquisite piece of jewelry in his hand, smiling at its intended purpose.
After a minute, he sat up from the bed and put the jewelry in his pocket before heading downstairs. At this point, everyone was home here and his ears picked up the conversation between Bache and Elora from the moment he had opened his door.
"I think it's a great idea! Monsterphilia is happening in 4 months and I haven't seen it in years" Elora said as Bell walked down the stairs before seeing Bache nodding.
"I myself have never seen it, but only heard of it. It would be nice to see it for once" Bache responded as the two kept up their talk. From what Bell could pick up, they wanted to go see the monsterphilia, which seemed fun to Bell but he couldn't help but get a little nervous.
"You know Bell can't tag along, right?" Erebus called out before Bell could say anything. The other two looked confused at her. Bell would too if his intuition wasn't screaming at him that he was right.
"Why is that Erebus?" Elora asked as he sighed.
"Bell told me about something in Orario that proves something to me. Freya had her eye on him" That one sentence made Elora's face go pale.
"F-freya… is after… Bell?" She asked as Erebus nodded. Bell sent a curious look at Erebus who noticed it.
"Bell here, I have noticed, is extremely sensitive to others watching him, and he had mentioned that he had felt a gaze on him every day in Orario, but it stopped after he was sentenced" Elora seemed to understand instantly when he said that.
"She had been watching him…" She quietly said as Erebus nodded.
"This means that she would recognize his soul the second she saw him as she clearly found it attractive if she watched him for 5 months. There are items that can bled one's soul to look bland out there, they are rare and mostly are only made in places like Altena..." He explained, almost spitting out that last name with venom. Bell groaned at the mention of the land run by Athena.
"We'll never get our hands on something like that then. They HATE men" Bell groaned out. Altena was a country located across the western sea. The main route was through Melen and in all honesty, he wasn't going there. If one thought Telskyura was bad against men, then Altena was hell itself.
"I'm not going there" Bell said out, determined at that as the others nodded in understanding.
"We understand you, but you want to return to Orario, right? You're clearly going to need one of those for that" Erebus asked, causing Bell to ponder upon it. It's a magical item, which means it would be able to be made by anyone with the mystery ability.
"Maybe…" He muttered as he looked back at the door. He knew that Asfi Al Andromeda had been watching him for years now. Like Erebus said, he was very sensitive to eyes on him. He also planned to do that today so… why not do this after that? To birds, one stone.
"Elora… Could we go for a walk?" He asked. Everyone looked confused for a minute before she nodded.
"Alright, where to?" She asked as a smile spread across Bell's face. No one saw it, since he was turned towards the door though.
"A place I found inside the forest that I think you'd like to see" He said. In fact, he had found such a place and it was absolutely breathtaking.
Bell turned around as Elora walked up to him, before the duo left.
"We'll be back in a little while" He said as the other nodded.
"Bye, papa!" Bell waved and smiled at his daughter before the two left, heading straight towards the forest.
"Shouldn't we bring weapons with us?" She asked as Bell shook his head.
"No, I can easily defeat the monsters in here with only my hands. So can you" he explained as Elora nodded. He was right, as she was a high level 4, so level 2 monsters were a piece of cake.
"I know I never asked… but why me?" Bell asked as Elora looked at him confused.
"What do you mean?" She asked as Bell smiled.
"Why did you choose me?" He asked again as she caught on to what he was asking.
"Oh… well… because you're you. You're kind, forgiving, protective, funny and quite frankly a pain in the ass at times…" She said, clearly aimed at the sarcasm he had gotten from Erebus.
"But… that's you. It was the person I fell in love with" He said, looking up while walking, smiling as the stars flickered.
"How about you?" She asked Bell, who looked at her before his head turned up to the stars too.
"Well… at first I was sceptical to be honest. Have I ever told you about my first love, Ais?" He asked before Elora shook her head.
"Well, it all started when I was 14. I had just become an adventurer and felt like I could take on the 5th floor like an idiot" He chuckled at the last part as Elora hit his shoulder in response.
"Don't call yourself an idiot. You might not be the brightest, but you aren't an idiot" She said with a smile as Bell nodded.
"Maybe, but I was caught right in front of a minotaur on the 5th. Apparently, a freak accident led to it heading to the upper floors, and I ran for my life before ending up at a dead end. That's where I met her… Ais Wallenstein, the sword princess, and my first crush turned love" He continued his story as Elora listened intently.
"I felt weak, embarrassed at the situation and ran away. I gained a burning sensation in my heart, that melted it's way into my soul. A desire to stand by her side, no matter what, and the way I figured I would reach that place back then was to get stronger" He explained before he braced himself. He trusted Elora with his life, so she ought to know.
"This birthed a skill onto my Falna that runs upon my feelings for Ais. This skill is called Liaris Freeze, and it's a symbol of my love for her" He looked back down at Elora who looked slightly hurt, but nodded.
"Is… is it still active?" She asked quietly. He couldn't lie to her… in fact, he could never lie to her no matter how much he tried so he nodded, causing her to flinch.
"But… it's getting weaker. I've noticed with my growth. My training sessions with Bache had been less effective as time went on. At first I figured it was because I got stronger, and growing became harder… but then I noticed that the change was too erratic. In other words, my love for her is fading and it only faded faster after I met you" He said with a small smile as Elora's hurt morphed into happiness that spread across her features.
"It's a show about how much I care for you… I would even say that I…" He began before he stared into her eyes with passion that made her nearly gasp.
"I love you" He said as tears started to prick in her eyes. She launched herself into his chest as he embraced her.
"God… I love you too Bell…" She said as he felt his shirt getting wetter.
"Hey… look" he said as she looked up at him, only to turn in the direction of his gaze, seeing the most beautiful waterfall she had ever seen in her life. It was surreal as the sunlight perfectly hit the water to create this ethereal feeling of beauty that hit one down to their soul.
Her eyes sparkled, not because of the tears still present, but because of the awe of the scene in front of her.
"This place… I found it half a year ago. A waterfall into a lake so beautiful it made one want to look at it for eternity" He explained as a fish jumped up from the water, before diving straight back in.
"Wow…" was all she could say as she was transfixed. She was so caught up in the beauty of the lake that she didn't even notice Bell, letting her go and getting on one knee.
"Elora Carleen" He called out. She forced herself to turn away from the sight, turning her head towards where Bell's head should be, only to notice it wasn't there. She looked down, before she gasped.
Right in front of her was Bell on one knee, smiling as one hand held the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.
It was intricate with the ring itself being made of adamantium with Red and amber decorations, intertwining with it. The stone attached to it was a perfect size, not too big or too small and she recognized its origin instantly.
A Vouivre's Tear, an incredibly rare item from the dungeon. Not only was a Vouivre rare, but getting it to drop it's tear and not it's claws could take over one hundred kills.
Most of all, it was special for Bell. It reminded him of Wiene, who had been like his daughter for the time she had been with him. A memento he entrusted to the woman he wanted to become his wife.
"Elora Carleen, for the last 9 months, you have blessed me with the best moments I have ever had. Just seeing you smile, could make the darkest of my days shine brighter than the sun. You have stood by my side at my worst, and at my best and I would love to be able to do the same, so I ask you. Will you marry me?" He asked as she took a step back as tears ran down her cheeks. She choked on her words as she gasped out in shock and put her hands on her mouth.
She couldn't trust her words, so she just nodded vigorously before she got the words out that she wanted.
"Yes! I'd love to marry you, you buffoon!" She cried out as Bell grinned so hard he wondered how his face didn't split in two. He took her hand, carefully putting the ring on her finger before slowly standing up as he stared down at her, affection filled in his eyes.
She was completely transfixed with the ring on her finger, staring at it's beauty before looking up at Bell. The moment kept going before she launched herself at him, lips crashing onto his as she poured the emotions she felt into him.
Bell chuckled against her before he responded, moving against her as he pulled her closer. They separated and their foreheads leaned against each other before Elora laughed.
"What took you so long?" She asked, causing Bell to take a step back.
"Long? It's been 9 months since we started dating! Did you even listen to what I said earlier" He threw back as her laughter heightened in volume as she shrugged.
"Don't know, just seemed like an eternity" Her response made Bell sigh in exasperation before smiling. The smile faltered a little as he heard the cry of a monster nearby.
"I think we should head back" He said as Elora nodded, also looking in the direction of the noise.
"Yeah… we should" She muttered as the two started walking, Elora latching onto his arm on the way.
"So… when is the wedding?" She asked with a smile as Bell scratched the back of his head with an awkward expression.
"Well… I hadn't planned that far…" He answered which caused Elora to grin.
'Perfect!' She thought as she put her face in front of him.
"Well, how about next month? The village should be able to prepare it within that time frame" She asked as Bell nodded. Even though he had lived here for 2 years, she knew best between the two of them about what Anfesera can get done in a set amount of time.
"Well… I'm in no rush, but i'm alright with it being in a month" He answered, a small grin on his face.
"Alright! I'll go to the chief tomorrow and share the phenomenal news" She said, before a mischievous smile took hold on her face as she put one finger on his nose.
"But you will not sleep tonight" She said as Bell gulped. He knew she didn't mean 'that'. She had been adamant about saving that for whenever she marries before and Bell didn't quite feel he was ready for it either so he was slightly curious about what she meant.
"Ah… sorry but could you head back before me?" Bell said as he suddenly remembered something, turning in a different direction from Elora.
"Yeah… but why?" She asked as Bell looked back at her.
"I have something to take care of… if that's alright with you" He tried to explain without giving it away. Elora nodded, giving him a kiss before walking away, waving her hand behind her.
Bell followed her retreating form as it disappeared, waiting for her to be out of earshot.
"You can come out now, Asfi" He called out, feeling her eyes on him. When he didn't get a response, he sighed.
"Don't think I haven't noticed you. I'm very sensitive to people's eyes on me you know" After that, he heard rustling in the leaves before the person in question walked out.
"If I may inquire, how long have you known?" She asked as Bell answered instantly.
"Since I left Telskyura for Anfesera" His answer was simple, to the point and made her eyes widen.
"Then why haven't you approached me?" Bell smiled at the question as he walked up to her.
"Because you clearly didn't mean any harm. I'm guessing Hermes sent you to watch over me?" She nodded as Bell sighed.
"Look, I understand he had a special interest in me, but my life is my life. He doesn't have the right to know everything about it. I don't like him poking in my business just like you don't like others to know about your heritage" Her eyes widened at his words before she quickly composed herself and pushed her glasses up.
"My heritage?" She tried to play it off but Bell chuckled and shook his head.
"You were the heir to the island nation of Andromeda that was taken over by Thor, correct" It was more of a statement than a question. She sighed as she understood that there was no point in hiding it.
"How did you find out?" She asked
"Wasn't that hard. You know I travel a lot. I heard a lot of stories and some talked about the story of an Island nation called Andromeda that lost to the god of thunder, and that the royal family but the princess had been killed. It wasn't that hard to piece it together once I got the description of the royal family that was characterized by their blue hair" He said with a slight smile that the ex-princess couldn't help but return.
"You've changed… You're more attentive and capable than before" She said, her smile not losing any of it's emotion.
"Well… we all have to grow up sometime" He lightly said before she walked closer to him until she was standing half a meter away.
"So… why did you approach me now?" She asked, knowing that there had to be a specific reason.
"I wanted to ask you if you knew how to make an item that blended one's soul so that even Freya couldn't see it's true color. I know Altena had made such an item so I wondered if you could too" He asked as she contemplated the answer.
"Hmm… well, that's quite a tall task to complete" She muttered as her brain raked in the possibility.
"It would be extremely difficult for me as I have no idea what type of properties something has to have to be able to affect the look of one's soul without actually changing the soul itself. In other words, I would only be able to make it, if I knew what properties it required so right now, I can't" She answered as Bell nodded.
"Alright, I needed to ask. Anyway, you can return to Hermes, but send a message with you. Don't follow me, I will be back eventually, but it might take a long time" He said before he turned around and walked away, leaving Asfi alone, pondering about the encounter.
=Orario, Traveler's Inn, 1 day later=
"Bell-kun is getting married!?" Hermes asked loudly as he grinned. Oh, Zeus is so going to love this, he not only already has a child, but is getting married to another woman.
"Yes… though I'm afraid we no longer are able to keep eyes on him" She reported before relaying Bell's message.
"He told you to not follow him, and that he will be back eventually" She finished as Hermes stared at her.
"My my… Bell-kun wants to return to little old Orario. Well, I guess I'll have to conform to his wishes this time as this is a delicate situation" He said with a grin as he turned back to the window looking up at Babel.
"Now… I wonder what Freya is doing these days. She's been awfully quiet for the last year now" He muttered.
In the meantime, a certain goddess of beauty was frustrated to no end.
"I'm sorry, my lady, but it seems that Bell Cranel is a very hard man to find" Ottar apologized to the goddess that had a frown planted on her face.
"My… what a troublesome boy he has become. If only that god forsaken goddess hadn't medled in my affairs, he would already be mine" She practically spat out towards the horizon as she glared at it.
She had done everything in her power to locate her Bell-kun but to no avail. Her little feud with the damn goddess of beauty that had acted delayed her response to his sentence, making it impossible for her to now find him. The tracks had run dry, every last one of them.
"May I give my thoughts, my lady?" Ottar asked, causing Freya to peek over to his location. She nodded as she lent him her ear.
"As there are currently no leads that specifically mention Bell Cranel, why don't we investigate rumors? From my experiences with the boy, no matter where he goes, he always stands at the center of attention" His words got her thinking. She had been trying for a year to find him by following leads that began in Kauhea Forbande to no avail. Ottars Idea was genius as his description of her Odr was spot on. He was always the center of attention.
"You have yet again proven your worth, my sweet Ottar" She said with a gleeful smile "Do you have a suggestion on where to start?" She asked which he instantly nodded.
"I have two rumors that seem to be connected. The first one being about one man stabilizing the Far East, and according to some sources, he had white hair" That description got her excited before he said the next words "But the man disappeared off the radar. The next rumor is about a man in Black, plated armor with a mask on. The man is described as powerful and helps villages out without asking anything in return" Frey pondered upon the rumors. It did sound like Bell-kun, he always was the heroic type.
"Investigate them. I want to know… Everything" She said as she took a sip from her wine, smiling out the window as she had renewed vigor for her search.
Twilight Manor=
"Still no leads, huh…" Finn muttered as he read over some reports. The leads towards Bell Cranel had been completely dead for the last 2 years. It's as if he just up and disappeared off the face of Gekai.
"Unfortunately not. We may have managed to track down both Poh and Hayden, but Cranel-san still eludes us" Riveria responded from her side of the table as Gareth scratched his beard.
"Well… there isn't much else we can do. If there is nothing to follow, then there is nothing that can help us pinpoint his whereabouts" Finn gave his final verdict before pushing the reports to the side, before pulling out a request from Goibnu Familia.
"Now, we have been pushing this off for far too long. We haven't gone on an expedition in the last 3 years and the entire familia is getting restless… and our finances are slowly dwindling" Finn said as he started reading over the request. They were ready to pay a fortune for being the first to get their hands on the new materials from the terraformed 59th floor.
"I have to agree, Ais especially. She seems to be getting more reckless again as her progress on her status has gone to a standstill" Riveria said as Finn sighed.
"Agreed, it's been 2 and a half years since she reached level 6. She should be reaching the C to B ranks in her status by now" He said. It was where things always slowed down for her as Riveria put it. Her status usually reached that point… or at least Agility, magic and Dexterity. Finn would have to talk to her about at least trying to raise the other stats as well. They are clearly falling behind. On the other hand, who is he to talk, his Strength just recently reached 600, while his endurance is at around 500. The rest of his stats are at A or S.
"Maybe we should start taking more risks…" Finn muttered causing Riveria to stare at him.
"Why is that, If I may ask?" She said as Gareth answered for him.
"Well, We've been stuck on level 6 for 9 years now. Maybe we ought to try to level up" Finn nodded at his words. It was true, they had been level 6 for so long that they really should start thinking about leveling up and evening the playing field with Ottar.
"We may not be receiving missions from the guild while we are still on the hunt for Bell Cranel, but we still need to go into the dungeon to ease the public's fear of it. Maybe we should aim deeper this time? The 60th floor perhaps?" Finn asked the other two as they pondered upon it. The 60th floor had been their goal for some time, as it was something they had felt was a wall for them. Pushing past that wall would have tremendous meaning for them, and the battle that could ensue to reach that depth, might be enough to push them over the edge.
"Maybe both of you are correct…. We have become complacent in our position… I can't believe I'm saying this, but we should take a page out of Bell Cranel's book and push ourselves higher, even if it risks our deaths" Riveria said as Finn and Gareth nodded.
"Perhaps. No matter Bell Cranels status and reputation as of now, we can't simply ignore what he had proven before that. We are adventurers, and our purpose is going on adventures, not acting like civil protectors" Finn said as he thought back to Bell's first adventure… that magnificent one on one battle to the death with a minotaur.
"Or… is the weight of only mimicking Bell Cranel too much for us to bear… hahahah" He started laughing as the statement he had given to the others to inspire them against the demi-spirit had been thrown right back around to himself.
"Indeed…" Riveria said as Gareth chuckled "but what about the knossos? We explored it while we waited for a lead on Cranel-san, but…" She said as Finn stopped laughing and composed himself, before addressing her words.
"Indeed… we still don't know what Niddhog and the 6 maidens had anything to do with this. My thumb is saying that figuring that out is the key to discovering the truth, in the meantime, we should prepare for a greater battle in any way we can, which at this point, is by getting stronger through an expedition" Finn said, Gareth huffing in agreement as Riveria nodded.
"It is logical. Shall we commence preparations for an expedition?" She asked the prum who nodded.
"Yes, Riveria, you handle the potions and magical items for the expeditions. Gareth, you're in charge of preparing our armor and weapon maintenance while in the dungeon. We're aiming deep this time around, so no expense spared, understand" He commanded as the two nodded.
"Good, I'll handle the negotiations with Goibnu and prepare the Familia mentally" He finished as he stood up.
"Raul!" He called out, as the man was outside the door during meetings such as this. The door opened, revealing Raul standing at attention.
"Yes, captain?" He responded as Finn walked towards him.
"Gather the familia in the dining hall, I have an announcement to make" Raul instantly nodded and disappeared into the mansion, Finn mentally preparing his speech for the familia.
Within an hour, the entire Familia had gathered in the mess hall in the usual setup, the executives were in the front, that being Ais, Bete, Tione, Tiona and Leifya. The top executives were on stage, being Gareth, Riveria and Finn. The rest of the familia were behind the regular executives, standing at attention.
"First things first, there are still no leads upon Bell Cranel's whereabouts, as he continues to exceed our expectations. We also have no news upon what what Nidhogg had to do with Enyo, so we have come to a conclusion on what we should do as of now. I am formally announcing that within two weeks time, we will depart upon an expedition to the deep floors, aiming for the uncharted territory of the 60th floor" Gasps were heard around as excited muttering was heard.
"Now, now, I know you all are excited. I think we all are a little twitchy from standing still for almost 2 years now" Finn said with a smile as he tilted his head, causing chuckles around the hall.
"The rules are as usual. No one is allowed to enter deeper than the 18th floor until after the expedition as we need everyone to be at their top-game during the expedition. Prepare well, and report to Riveria for information about potions and magical items, and Gareth for equipment maintenance for the expedition" Finn called out as nods were aimed at Finn.
"Alright, that's all. Dismissed!" The familia split up as happy chatter was going around. Everyone was excited since they hadn't gone deep for quite some time now. Tione was excitedly talking to Ais about finally being able to go that deep again while Tione was laughing at some of the stupid remarks her sister said. Bete just walked away with a grin on his face.
This was the day the Loki Familia gained a fierce drive for adventure again, after a long time.
=Hostess of Fertility=
"I will bring the order as soon as possible" Ryuu Lion said calmly as she walked away into the back where May, their cook, was running around like a mad cat.
"May, we got an order for deep roasted lamb with sweet potatoes and 2 large tankards of mead" Ryuu said as she put up the order on the board.
"Alright, Ryuu. Could you bring me the chicken on the table over there?" The cat girl asked as Ryuu complied. She picked the whole chicken and carried it to where May was whisking a dough in a bowl and cutting vegetables at the same time.
"Could you quickly cut it into 2.5 by 2.5cm pieces, you're a lot quicker than me" She asked. Ryuu, having the time, took a knife and in a split second cut all the pieces into the accurate measurement.
"Done" She said as he heard May sigh in relief.
"Thanks Ryuu… It's been hectic since Syr disappeared. She always used to help me out when I struggled" Ryuu's expression faltered from it's usually stoic face as the topic of Syr was a soft spot.
3 Years ago, Syr just up and vanished. No matter how hard any of the girls looked, she had just disappeared, even the children at Maria's orphanage hadn't seen her since then. To Ryuu, she had lost not only the most important person to her apart from Astrea. She also had lost someone she had deemed somewhat a friend, that being Bell Cranel.
She knew the boy, she had talked with him, even shared memories with him down on the 18th. He was as honest and innocent as they came so she found herself not believing the accusations of him killing 17 adventurers in cold blood for no reason.
The endangering part, she knew was true, after all that was too big of a commotion for anyone to miss but she had figured he had his reasons, just like she had hers. She wasn't someone to judge after all.
"Sorry Ryuu… Didn't mean to bring up bad memories" May said with sad eyes as Ryuu nodded.
"Not your fault" She said before straightening herself out.
"I better get back out there before Mama Mia starts yelling at me" May laughed and nodded at her words. That sure sounded like Mia.
Ryuu walked back out, preparing for the usual customers. The ones that leered at her for too long, or those that catcalled. Thankfully, the latter quickly got punished because it's against the rules.
When she spotted a familiar set of adventurers on their usual table, she couldn't help but smile and walked towards them.
"Well, maybe we should all aim for the 23rd floor next? We've pretty much cleared the entire 22nd floor hundred times over" The red headed smith said as the prum rebuted.
"Lili disagrees, progressing too fast will only result in a swift death. We should get a little stronger before then" Ryuu personally found the Prum's reasoning sound and logical, which she liked. The renart was the first to notice Ryuu approaching and smiled.
"Ah, Ryuu-sama!" She said happily as Ryuu smiled at her. Haruhime was the type of girl one couldn't help but adore. She just had that kind of… aura around her.
"Oy, Ryuu. What do you think about us heading towards the 23rd floor? We've been exploring the 22nd for the last 3 months" The smith asked as Ryuu pondered the answer.
"Depends on your team setup and your overall power as a party. The 23rd isn't that different from the 22nd as it's the last line before the floor becomes much larger. If you can effectively handle the 22nd floor without much trouble, I would say the 23rd floor is somewhere you're able to go" Ryuu gave her input as she took a seat. She felt Mama Mia look at her, but knew she wouldn't say anything. Mia had personally said that she would overlook slacking if she was with these customers.
They paid well, and it also got Ryuu in a better mood which got her to earn more money. It was a win-win for Mia.
"See, Lil' Lili! We are ready!" Welf grinned in victory as the prum grumbled in defeat.
"As we have your approval, Ryuu-dono, I feel safe traveling that deep" Mikoto said with a smile as the two nodded at each other.
"So… anything interesting happening here in the hostess, Ryuu-sama?" Haruhime asked a little shyly as Ryuu shook her head.
"No, things are as usual. Customers being rowdy, or leering for too long. Nothing new" She heard Welf and Lili practically growl at the part about leering.
"Can't they just keep to themselves. It's creepy doing something like that, damn idiots" Welf spat out angrily.
Ryuu smiled at the smith's complaints. There were many reasons she liked this group, one being that they were outcasts, just like her… or at least two of them were, that being Lili and Welf. The second was that they were good people, with just hearts that reminded her of her old familia. They were also a connection to the Boy that was able to touch her without triggering her normal instincts.
"Lili agrees, they disgust me and are enemies of all womankind" She said to the others at the table, everyone nodding in agreement.
"Well… how is your adventure going? Are any of you close to leveling up?" Ryuu asked with a tiny smile as Welf shook his head.
"No, things are going slow, but we are progressing. Basically, the highest stat any of us has is at E right now" Welf answered honestly as Ryuu nodded.
"Don't lose motivation, everyone hits a wall sometime that they have to overcome" Ryuu gave her version of advice as everyone nodded before Welf snickered.
"Everyone but Bell apparently…" He said as there were chuckles around the table, including Ryuu. Before he had been sentenced and escaped Kauhea Forbande, he had truly been an enigma among adventurers. He had gotten to what she would say is the peak of level 3 or even beyond in just 5 months. It was astonishing and borderline ridiculous for an average adventurer.
"Anvil head is right about that. Bell-sama was something else. I wonder what he's doing right now" She asked as she pondered the question.
"Probably doing something heroic like in the tales me and Bell-sama used to read" Haruhime answered, which caused the others to laugh while the Renart blushed.
"That's just like you to say Haruhime" Mikoto said with a smile.
"Oh, right. How was the Far East?" Ryuu asked as she turned to Mikoto and Haruhime. The two had visited the far east last month and just recently came back a week ago.
"Oh, It was amazing, Ryuu-dono. The new Royal Executioner has accomplished so much. We barely recognized the country" Mikoto said, awe clear in her voice as Haruhime nodded.
"Yes! I even spoke to Asuka, the heir to the throne and the one who named the hero as a royal executioner. She said that the person was incredible and was the only reason they were able to stabilize the country" Haruhime added as Ryuu nodded.
"Sounds like quite a righteous person" She commented as the two nodded.
"Well, speaking about that, have you all heard the rumors?" Welf asked as Lili deadpanned him.
"No, we never do since we don't go around gossiping Anvil Head" She called out, mocking him for the lack of focus on his work.
"Hey! Anyway, apparently there has been a man going around helping villages around Orario. Any time a monster attack happens, the man helps out before Orario can even act upon the request for help. It's seriously stressing out the guild as the paperwork comes in so fast because of it" Welf said as the others soaked up the information.
"I have heard about that. He apparently wears a far eastern set of armor with an intimidating mask, covering his identity" Ryuu added to Welf's words as she herself had heard about it from people in the Inn while walking by.
"Wait… could you describe the armor?" Mikoto asked as Ryuu nodded. She had gotten an accurate description.
"It's primarily black with red trims. The armor was plated with layers… kind of like a reptile's skin. It covered the whole body and the mask is black with gold horns that go up from the nose and out the sides with a gem at the center" Ryuu described the armor as best as she could from the descriptions she had heard.
"That… that sounds… just like a royal executioner" Mikoto said as everyone looked at her.
"Wait, it's the same guy?" Welf asked as Mikoto looked at him.
"Could be, but it may not be as well" She said as everyone pondered that. Whoever this was was going around and helping everyone they could and they couldn't help but admire that.
"I have to get back to work. I appreciate the talk" Ryuu said as she stood up and waved at them before she left, everyone else waving back at her.
"No problem Ryuu. See you" Welf called out as he saw the elf nod. The group fell back in rhythm talking about basically anything they found interesting and joking around with each other, like the best friends they are.
That's chapter 18. Some interesting things happened here along with some hints in between the lines ;) Anyway, I hope to see you all next time!