Hello everyone,
Sorry for the wait with this story. I was discontent with it for a while and needed to plan it out more. So, several things have changed. The biggest being that Bell is going to be 14 when he arrives in Orario with Haruhime rather than the original age around 12 and half. Not much will have changed with the plot other than the timing of events.
The reason for this is pretty much I just want to progress Bell and Haruhime's relationship faster than I could if they were both 12ish.
So to properly set the timeline this will the Fall of Bell's 14th year. So he will be heading towards turning 15 soon. This one is going to somewhat closely follow cannon at least at the start. As for the canon event that will occur, they will simply be occurring later.
I hope this all makes sense. Please feel free to message me with questions.
The initial concept is partly inspired by the following other stories/authors
Be Their Hero by ShadowKnight138,
Essence of a Hero by Yorubu,
Rebirth of the Zeus Familia By Ashkar,
And
A Rabbit By The Roadside By JLDavenport
Having said that I am going to only use the vaguest sense or specific scenarios that I like in them. If you have read them, you will probably see the resemblance.
If you have not read them, totally check them out.
Story is rated M.
Also since most of my stories are cannon divergence. I will state a couple of things right from the start.
1. 1) Bell was born like in cannon immediately following the Zeus and Hera familias' defeat by the OEBD.
2) In regards to the exile orders, Loki and Freya are going to be more neutral parties than my other two stories. They are to resemble their cannon personalities much more closely and be less antagonist towards Zeus and Hera.
3) Secondly, the difficulty of ranking up outside of Orario will be the same as in cannon. So Bell is NOT going to get crazy strong outside of Orario but he will get to Orario by the end of this chapter with a certain Goddess that we all know and love.
Author's Note: If you would like to support me please consider supporting my Pat reon (zscreatorstudio) or remove the spaces and parenthesis () below for the link:
w w w . pat reon . c o m (/) zscreatorstudio
I have started making some fan Ai fan art for now while I practice some actual drawing skills (which I currently lack in all forms.)
I am also accepting commission for those interested. Feel free to message me with questions.
Any support is much appreciated. My fanfiction stories will continue to be published for everyone's enjoyment. I will NEVER EVER hold these stories behind a paywall.
Immediately Following the Third Great Quest
Defeat.
That was what happened when the familias of Zues and Hera challenged the OEBD.
A completely unexpected event that shook the world to its core.
As unease and fear took hold of Orario. The exile order of the familias came down.
Hoping to restore a semblance of peace the Guild with the support of the majority the deities expelled their former protectors.
Hera, a once proud goddess left without a word. Abandoned her thousand-year home and left behind none of her children. She and those very few that remained to guard their home left Orario.
Zeus the god of a once mighty familia, released his followers and told them to do what they will. He too left the city without a word to any of others.
The fun-starved deities that remained behind laughed, drank, and celebrated at chasing out the once great deities.
Two deities that they could never hope to best.
The responsibility they bore for what was to come was immense, but with their glasses full and drunk on their perceived power none noticed the rising tide of Evilus until it was too late.
And only then did those foolish deities finally understand the gravity of their decision.
In the years after the defeat of Zues and Hera at the hands of the OEBD, Orario slid to chaos.
The Gods of Evilus rose and battled the forces of the Guild.
An unending war erupted between the two with the civilians caught in between.
As each year passed, the mountain of the dead continued to climb ever higher.
And streets of Orario drowned in ever deepening rivers of blood.
But this is a tale that starts far away from Orario in a small mountain village.
Where a small white haired and red-eyed baby slept while an old man with gray hair and a mustache looked on upon him fondly.
Bell's Age 7:
A small farmhouse sat on top of a hill lush fields surrounding. Bell had lived here with his grandfather for the last seven years.
Living in this villages, meant there was not much to do for Bell at his age. Only the infrequent visits of a traveling merchant would cause a stir.
During the day, Bell's Grandfather worked the fields and tended the animals of the farm. At night he would teach Bell the basics, which included reading, writing, and speaking Koine. What was different with Bell's education was that after studying Bell's Grandfather would read him the fairy tales of the great heroes of the past.
Albert Waldstein, The Hero who drove back the Dread Apocalypse
Celdia, the Queen of the Elves,
Evelda, the Empress of the Amazonesses.
Finn, The Braver of the Prums
Fianna, the Warrior Knight of the Pallum race,
Fullland of Water and Light,
Argonaut, The Hero of the Dawn and the Ship of Heros from which all others sailed.
The fairy tales of these great heroes inspired Bell to dream beyond the small confines of the farms. While Bell was waiting for his grandfather to finish his work. Bell wandered around the outskirts of the farm until he felt a gaze on the back of his head.
Feeling the sudden gaze caused bell to whip around in surprise to find a one with silver hair and heterochoimtrc eyes, a grey left eye, and a green blue eye, wearing a black gothic dress.
Bell was immediately able to tell that she wasn't from the village by both her dress and the fact that he had never seen her before. As Bell watched the women looked down and spoke;
"What is your name?"
"Bell. My name is bell." He said even though he was confused as to why a stranger would asked his name.
The woman then gently approached and began to stroke his hair, and then hugged him tightly. Bell felt nostalgic, despite never having met her before. Even though there weren't any visible tears, Bell thought that she looked like she was crying. Because of that simple reason, he hugged her back despite not knowing anything about her.
"Bell… let's go home." The woman said as she gently picked him up and cradled him against her chest. For some reason, Bell began to cry as he was held by that unknown woman.
Cranel farm:
As the duo made their way to the farm Alfia began to speak:
"My name is Alfia. You are my nephew"
"Your nephew?" Bell's eyes shined at the thought of having more family, although he loved his grandfather, Bell still felt lonely.
They were finally standing in front of Bell's house. As the approached the house the first thing Bell noticed wasn't his grandfather, but the man sitting across him. The man's overwhelming stature made it so that if he stood up, his brown-haired head could almost touch the ceiling of his house. Bell went wide-eyed at the sight of the mountain of the man.
"Ah.. Bell. And I see that you've met Alfia as well." His grandfather said
"Tch." Alfia said as she clicked her tongue in annoyance
"Why are you so angry at me!?" Zeus asked
"The mere sound of you makes me annoyed. Stop talking." Alfia retorted
While those two talked, Bell continued to stare at the giant. The large man introduced himself to Bell:
"I'm Zald. Your grandfather and I have been… acquainted in the past." He seemed to not want to be associated with his grandpa.
"You too, Zald?! I thought at least my children would be kinder to me!" Zeus Cried
"Huh? His children?" Bell asked "A-are you my uncle? Like how Alfia is my aunt?"
Looking at his hopeful eyes, Zald's eyes softened a bit. He turned his eyes to Zeus asking him a silent question. Zeus shook his head.
"No, well, that's somewhat different. My name is Zald, but you can call me Uncle Zald if you want to."
"Really?!" Bell's eyes were shining even more with happiness and then He turned to Alfia.
"Does that mean.. I should call you Aunt Alfia?"
In the next moment, Bell felt as though he was being stared by a bloodthirsty monster. He began sweating as his body froze.
"Bell.."
"Y-yes, Auntie?"
Her mood somehow got even worse.
"Call me Stepmother Alfia from now on. I won't allow you to call me by anything else."
Although her eyes weren't open, Bell felt like she was glaring at him.
"Gulp" Bell as he trembled
"Call me Stepmother Alfia." Alfia ordered as she started to raise a fist
"Okay I get it, I get it, so please, put your fist down, Stepmother Alfia!" Bell Cried
With a satisfied expression, she turned back towards the two mean who had also frozen stiff.
"You're still as scary as ever…" Zald muttered in a low tone.
"What was that?"
"Nothing!" Zald replied quickly
As Zeus watched this play out, he decided to have a private conversation with Zald and Alfia. Zeus pulls out a basket filled with some of the veggies he collected today.
"Bell, I need you to take these crops. To Ms. Brown. I need to do some catching up with these two first." Zeus said
"Huh. Oh. Your apology for trying to peep on her got it Grandpa." Bell said as he picked up the basket and headed out.
After Bell Left:
"ZEUS" Alfia hissed and glared at the god coldly as she began to crack her knuckles "We apparently have a lot to discuss."
"Hey, hey! Calm down now!" Zeus said trying to calm an enraged Alfia. He knew just how terrifying Alfia could be if she became truly angry. Monster Rexes of the Deep floors were known fall to her rage with a single chant.
"What are you teaching the boy?" She demanded as she closed in on the god before her.
"I'm teaching him how to be a hero!" Zeus yelled proudly.
"No you're not!" Alfia said as she slammed her fist into the table and stomped her foot. This caused the table to shatter into splinters and the floorboards to be crushed.
"Easy Alfia. We still need a functioning kitchen." Zald said with a heavy sigh.
"I will not let him turn my nephew into a pervert like him. Knowing him he's probably trying to corrupt poor Bell's mind and fill him with weird thoughts!" Alfia accused.
"Of course I am!" Zeus confessed. "Being a hero and getting all the girls is what it's all about!"
"Shut up! Gospel." Alfia said and blasted him with her magic through one of the home's interior walls.
"Ouch" Zeus said while once again checking for injuries.
"Maybe tone it down a bit, Alfia. Even we will need a roof over our heads." Zard said as he sighed at the amount of work he was going to have to do from now on.
As Zeus begins to claw himself out of the debris of the wall he asked:
"So you decided to abandoned Erebus's plan?"
Silence descended upon the room.
"Yeah. After seeing Bell, I just couldn't abandon him. I took one look at him and was infront of him before I knew what I was doing." Alfia said. Zard nodded in agreement.
"So, what are your plans for your illnesses?" Zeus asked at which the two winced
"Now that you've decided to live, are you really just going to slowly wither away as Bell grows older? You're the only family he has left." Zeus said.
"I know that." Alfia said as she ground her teeth while Zald sighed.
"I have an offer for you two. I might know a way to help now." Zeus said. This caused the two to look at him While they had started looking for a cure 15 years ago, they eventually gave up as they couldn't find anything.
"I have kept in contact with Hermes just in case this happened. I will have him gather the herbs in the Dedine and get a hold of a branch of sacred Elven branch. That has worked in the past. It should help stall the progression of your diseases especially since you won't have to do much fighting. That method will buy use time at least." Zeus told them.
"Fine. That works." Zald said.
"Me as well." Alfia responded.
Bell returned and the newly formed family sat down for dinner.
Part 2: Next Morning
Zald was practicing in a field at the edge of the farm. Though he was actively holding back his strength the air vibrated with each swing. Zald continued his practice until:
"You can come out, Bell."
"EPP!" A startled noise emerged from one of the bushes and Bell stepped out.
"How did you know I was there?" Bell asked
"pft. Kid, I am not a level 7 for nothing. I heard you coming as soon as you left the yard near the house." Zald said
"So cool." Bell said as his eye shone in admiration.
"So what did you need, Bell?" Zald asked
"Can you teach me to fight?" Bell askd as he looks down at the ground
"Sigh. I had a feeling this was coming. Why do you want to learn how to fight, Bell?" Zald said as he noticed a flash of silver and black headed towards him and took up a position behind Bell and watched. The flash of silver is followed by the silhouette of an old man walking at a much slower pace.
"I want to be a hero. I want to be like those heroes in the fairy tales Grandpa reads to me. I want to be a hero that saves everyone." Bell said as he looks directly at Zald.
"Sigh. Well, what do you say Alfia?" Zald asked.
Bell turned around and saw his Au—Stepmother Alfia looking down at him through half-closed eyes.
"If you are truly committed to this path. Then I will not have any mercy in training. In fact, this is the exact opposite of what I want. I will not allow you to embark on this path lightly. I will show you just how far you have to go." Alfia said as she held Bell's gaze.
"I understand Auntie Alfia." Bell said
Wack. A heavy sound emanated from Bell's forehead as Alfia flicked his forehead.
"First lesson. Learn to dodge. And second, I believe I told you to call me Stepmother." Alfia said as she glared down Bell.
"EPP. Yes, Stepmother Alfia." Bell exclaimed as he rubbed his forehead.
Both Zald and Zeus sighed in exasperation before a glare from Alfia shut them up as they start to whistle a tune.
Part 3: Bell Age 13
In the six years since his Stepmother and Uncle had come to live with him, bell had undergone rigorous training. Everyday there was extensive training in both magic and swordplay. In addition, Alfia drilled into his head all the knowledge that she possessed about magic. She refused to allowed Bell to become a meathead adventurer, so she drilled a wide variety of topics into his head until they became second nature.
History,
Culture,
Etiquette,
Mediation,
Proper Magical Control
These were just some of the lessons Alfia taught Bell. Failure to properly memorize assignments was meet with remedial educational lessons.
The little family had finally decided to sell their farm and began to move to different locations for Bell's training. At the start of Bell's thirteenth year. Zeus finally revealed that he was as a god not just Bell's grandfather.
While Bell was shocked at first, he quickly became excited at the prospect of his grandfather being a God. It was then that Bell received a falna.
Bell Cranel
Human
Lvl 1
Strength: I-0
Endurance: I-0
Dexterity: I-0
Agility: I-0
Magic: I-0
[Storm]
Swift Chant Magic that releases an electric shock in the form of a lightning bolt
Quick Chant: {Lightning}
Skills
[Realis Phrase-Crystallization of Desires]
As long as owner has a strong desire and goal, he will grow stronger according to his desires
Exponential Growth
Immunity to charm
Status Limit is broken
Stronger desire results in stronger growth
Continued desire results in continued growth
Skill automatically applied to those the user has an affinity for. (Does not have to be romantic affinity.)
Strength of effect is based on the recipient's desire.
Those in proximity have the same effects as user applied to themselves.
[Inheritance of Talent]
The user slowly gains some Magic, Abilities, Skills, and Development Abilities that belong to the Incarnation of Talent(Status Limit is broken). [Magic] (Development Abilities will gained during Level Up)(Skills and Abilities are linked to the user's Skills and Abilities).
There was great shock at this status. The adults were stunned to silence at this sheet. A status that would have immediately vaulted his rank in either of their familias. It was decided that Bell's status had to be kept secret at all costs.
When this was explained to him and he was asked why. Zeus said that this status was phenomenal and that it would attract undesirable attention if it got out. Even Alfia and Zald could not foresee every eventuality so it was best to be cautious. Bell was ecstatic at the mention of such a status and made a lot of noise much to the irritation of Alfia but even she allowed him this celebration. However, the training the next day was much hard and more severe.
With the advent of these skills, the adults also concluded that they would have to find Bell a new god that would be willing to either move to or already reside in Orario. It was also decided that Alfia and Zald would conceal their presence as most gods would give anything to get their hands on two level seven adventurers.
Part 4: Bell Age 14 In the central part of the continent between the Orario and the Far East.
The group had been traveling for a while when they stopped at a town to meet Hermes, who Zeus had arranged to resupply them with their regular medicines. However, in the last letter there had been progress in the search for a cure.
An up-and-coming healer by the name Amid Teasanare, who had been granted the title of Dea Saint, had been able to refine and synthesize a better medicine than any other healer previously could. Hermes was on his way with a delivery of this new medicine.
Bell had decided to go wander around the outskirt of the town while waiting for the arrival of his "Uncle Hermes". As they would be staying in the village for couple of weeks that had gone to see if there were any quests from the town.
While monsters on the surface were far weaker than their Dungeon counterparts, they still posed a significant and real threat to normal people. As such whenever they stopped in a town or village, Bell would seek out whoever was in charge and ask to take on monster slaying quests.
In this town there had been a string of goblin attacks along the roads as such merchants had started to avoid the town. The quest was for the subjection of the goblin's nest and their eradication.
After accepting the quest Bell headed into the woods in search of the Goblin's nest. The village had managed to get an approximate location by sending out a large group of people to search but to confront the monsters was too them. When Bell showed up and accepted the quest, the village elders were ecstatic.
Bell left before sunrise so that he could find the goblins as they made their way back to their nests. Being only low-level monsters, the goblins were easy to track back to their nest.
As Bell followed the goblins to their nest, he was able to count upwards of twenty goblins. When no more goblins arrived for a few minutes, Bell concluded that no more of them were coming and decided to attack.
A storm of Lightning and the repeated flash of steel decimate the goblin nest. Quickly annihilating the goblin nest, Bell began to pick up the silvers of magic stones and goblin fangs as proof of completing the quest.
When Bell was most of the way back to the village, he came upon the sound of human voices off the beaten path. Potentially think something was wrong, Bell slowed down to hear what was going. And came upon a den of human evil.
"Come on boss. You know you want a turn with a princess. Who cares about the money at this point?" A whinny voice said
"YOU idiot she's worth five times as much as a virgin. Instead of splitting 25 million valis we would be getting 25 million valis EACH. What don't you get about that?" an enraged voice yelled.
"Come boss, several million valis a piece is more than enough. Just think about. When is there going to be another opportunity to say you did it with a princess. Everyone else is willing to take the hit on her price. I know what if you got to go first?" the whinny voice said.
"I suppose it would be great to say I had a Princess once in my life." The once enraged voice said
"That's right! We already set up camp. I'm a man of my word, you can have her first. Just don't be too rough with her." the disgusting man said as he chuckled. "The four of us want a turn with her too and it won't be very fun if she is beaten to hell and back before we start!"
Bell had frozen at the conversation taking place not that far from him. As he heard more and more his anger turned to rage and his body started to go numb in fury.
Despite his family's best efforts Bell learned that that some people were just as evil as monsters. However this was the first time bell had heard something as evil as this. There were times where Bell had felt anger before but this was the first time that he had felt rage. His body had gone numb and a feeling of cold welled within him.
Making a decision, Bell unsheathed his sword as he chanted:
Lightning
A great strike of lightning reached into the sky and flashed with enough intensity that great crack of thunder was heard.
Alfia had taught Bell that by channeling more mind into his magic he could increase its potency. As such in the event that they were ever separated, Alfia taught him how to channel enough mind into his spell so that it would produce a great clap of thunder.
It had taken Bell weeks to master the magical control necessary for this. It was meant to be used only in an emergency when Bell considered his life to be in danger. While the spell not likely disturb the normal villagers. It would alert Alfia and Zald.
The men gathered in the campsite screamed in shock and swore profusely. After that Bell emerged from the woods and enter the camp.
"Release the princess you have captive NOW." Bell said as he leveled his sword at the five men in front of him.
The men stunned for second before they roared in laughter.
"Oh. And who is going to make us kid?" bandit 1
"I am" Bell as he gauged the distance between him and the bandits and began to take in the scene and clearing around him.
"Muhah. Look at this scrawny ass kid thinking he is a hero. Well kid sorry but she belongs to us, and we are going to use her as we see fit."
"Not on my watch" Bell as he leveled an ice-cold glare at the men before him causing them to freeze for a second.
"OHH. Scary. Get'em, boys. Add him to the caravan though. There are enough sickos that like a defiant type." Bandit 2
The three of the bandits charged bell as one, while the leader stood back and watched. Bell seeing the camp at the opposite end of the clearing tried to draw the bandits away from it.
Bell targeted one furthest to the right. Bell seemed to disappear to all the men expect the leader in the back.
SQUECH.
Bell's sword bit deep into the first bandit's neck causing blood to fountain as Bell's swing continued severing the man's head and causing it fly off and hit one of the neighboring bandits
"What the.." a second man said as he felt a sharp pain pierce his body as he looks down he sees a sword protruding through his chest and out his back.
"ECK!' the man tried to speak instead coughed up blood.
Swish.
With a fluid motion Bell pulled out his sword and turned to the last bandit, who has begun to turn tail and run.
"YOU Won't escape. Lightning" Bell said as he chanted
A white bolt shot from Bell's hand and went straight at the last bandit's head blasting it and killing him instantly.
As the adrenaline drained from his body, Bell came back to reality. The stench of burned flesh and the metallic scent of blood filled his nose as he took in the scene around him his body had inevitable reaction:
"URCK"
Bell vomited the entirety of his stomach on the ground and collapsed onto all fours as his body began to shake. Bell had no idea how much time had passed, but he took a few deep breaths to compose himself when he heard:
"BELL where are you answer me" Alfia's distressed voice calls out.
"KID where are you?" Zald calls out
"HERE, AUnti…. URk" Bell starts but immediately starts to vomit again.
The crashing of trees is heard getting closer until Bell feels a gentle set of arms wrap around him and carries him slightly away from the scene.
The arms gently pat his back as he continues to vomit. It takes several minutes for Bell to calm down by the time he did he looked up to see both Zald and Alfia looking down at him with concern.
"Bell what happened?" Zald asked gently though both he and Alfia have a good idea of what transpired but need to confirm it.
"AH. The princess!. Uncle Zald one of the men ran away before I could stop him." Bell started to struggle as he tried to get up but is held firmly by Alfia.
"Bell. Calm down and explain what happened first. How did a goblin hunt turn into this?" Zald questioned
Bell quickly explained what happened to the adults.
"Alright, Bell I will go get this fifth guy. Alifa you should clean up this mess. Now Bell, you stay here with Alfia and find this princess." Zald said to which Bell nodded though his body was still shuddering
Zald began the hunt for the last bandit, while Alfia quickly disposed of the bodies by throwing them into the brush off to the side after recovering their possessions.
Once Alfia had hidden the bodies, the both proceeded to the camp at the opposite end of the clearing before Bell called out:
"Princess!"
Bell waited for a moment as he walked towards the camp having not heard anything called again louder this time:
"Princess!"
"In here…" a quiet voice responded
Alfia picked up the noise and tapped Bell on the shoulder before pointing towards one of the carts.
Bell takes off to the cart Alfia pointed to. As Bell reaches the cart, he begins to tug at the canvas covering the cart and pulls it back to reveal a blonde renart that is so beautiful that she could not be described as anything other than a princess.
"She is more beautiful than any fairy tale princess." the thought crosses his mind causing Bell to freeze for second as he takes in how beautiful the renart is and mutters: "so beautiful."
"Thank you…." the renart said as a deep blush crept up her cheeks.
Bell was horrified that she heard him say that, but it was worth it as he looked at the Princess.
'She's even cuter when she's blushing!'
Bell watched her turn a deeper shade of red UNTIL:
"BELL CRANEL. I KNOW I RAISED YOU BETTER THAN THAT." A deadly cold voice emerged from behind him and caused Bell to realize that while he was ogling her, she was still chained in the bench.
"I AM SO SORRY. Just a minute, princess. I will get you out of here." Bell screamed and bowed before getting ahold of himself. The instance he does he feels a great deal of shame at his behavior.
Bell raced to the door of the cart and forced it open before rushing into where the princess was. The chains and manacles around her wrist filled him with anger but he reigned it in as he began to break them so not as to hurt her.
He quickly undid the ones on her ankles until she was free.
Upon looking at her face up close, Bell realized just how beautiful she was. Especially her emerald eyes and her shimmering blonde hair As he finished breaking the chains, he finally composed himself and asked.
"Are you alright?"
The Princess rubbed her wrists and then bent down to rub her ankles. When she finally looked up to answer, she was inches from Bell's face and said:
"I am now... my hero!"
The blonde renart threw her arms around Bell's neck catching Bell so off guard that he couldn't react fast enough to avoid it. Alfia began to scowl in the background at this unfamiliar woman draping herself over her nephew. Bell meanwhile felt Alfia's glare boring into his back. Even as Bell wrapped his arms around the renart and hugged her back.
The renart began to sob in his arms until it reached a wail. It took her several minutes to calm down enough to remove herself from Bell's arms.
The renart cried herself to sleep and so Bell had to gently pick her up and carry her outside. As he exited the cart he looked at Alfia who was scowling down at him he tentatively asked:
"uhm. So what am I supposed to do now?"
As Alfia's eyebrow twitched in rage, Bell swore he heard something snap, before the darkness took him to sleep.
Despite knocking him unconscious, Alfia had not only caught Bell but also the blonde renart before either one of them could hit the ground even as she glared at the renart in her arms.
"ahh… Alfia why is Bell unconscious?" Zald as he entered the clearing dragging what can only be considered a barely alive lump that trailed blood behind it.
"tch. Don't ask." Alfia snapped back as her mood continued to foul and it felt as though her magical energy was coalescing around her.
"ahhhh. I can probably figure it out. Best not to step on the tiger's tail as they say." Zald concluded.
"WHAT about THAT lump. Is it even alive?" Alfia asks as she glared at the lump Zald was dragging, which twitches at the bloodlust now directed its way.
"Should be. I only hit a few times and I even made sure to hold back." Zald said he tossed the lump into the back of the cart that the renart was in.
Thud.
"grrr.."
"Quiet." Zald ordered
THUMP
Zald's fist silenced the noise from the former bandit.
"So should we take all this stuff back?" Zald asked he surveyed the carts and belongings of the bandits.
"Probably. I doubt these wretches were working alone." Alfia practically spat the sentence
"Alright. You take those two back and I will clean all this stuff up and bring it all back." Zald said.
"Fine." Alfia said and proceeded to carry the two back.
When Alfia arrived she is welcomed back by Zeus, who was anxiously waiting their return, followed by Hermes, Asfi, and walnut haired goddess. Alfia brushed the three aside as she went to the inn the lay the two down in a room. Zald followed several hours later.
Part 5: Meeting the Goddess
It took Bell several hours to wake up from his impromptu nap. As he began to awaken, hears the snuffling of feet around him.
"URUGH…" Bell moaned as he started to wake up.
"Oh. You are awake now?" A soft and feminine voice said next to Bell's head as he felt a gentle hand run through his hair.
Bell turned to see a set of beautiful indigo eyes framed by walnut colored hair staring back at him. And then Bell saw that it is the goddess that is running her hand through his hair.
"EPP! A goddess…" Bell screeched and started to twitch as the goddess continued to run her hand through his hair.
"Yes, I am a goddess." The goddess giggled at bell's reaction but she stopped petting him and let him up as she started to think: "He is just like a little bunny."
As bell sat up, he saw that he was in a private room in the suite his family had rented.
"Your Stepmother brought you and the little renart girl into these rooms. We have been waiting for you both to wake up." the goddess said
"oh. Urck."
As Bell remembered everything he made to throw up again at the memories. The goddess quickly grabbed a bin and placed it front of him before she began to rub his back.
Having nothing left in his stomach, Bell merely dry heaved into the bin.
"Goddess, why are you helping me like this?" Bell asked the goddess.
The goddess who was rubbing his back paused and asked "Do you know who I am?'
Bell shook his head earning a sad smile from the goddess.
"I am Astraea, the Goddess of Justice. I heard what you did for the renart girl. It was very brave of you. It reminded me of…" Astraea said as she is about to continue but tears begin to well up in her eyes.
And soon the tears began to fall...
Bell panicked at the sight of the Goddess crying in front of him. As he wracked his brain on all the lessons he has been taught.
The only thing that comes to mind is one of the more normal lessons from his grandfather:
Bell got up from the bed and walked over to Astraea and gave her a hug.
Astrea is shocked at first but gently placed her hands on Bell before she asked;
"Bell, why are you giving me a hug?"
"Grandpa said that when a woman is sad a man should comfort her and uhm hold her close. I am sorry if I am doing it wrong, but this is my first time trying to comfort someone." Bell said as he looked down at the floor.
Astraea sensed that he had no ulterior motives and smiled gently before she replied softly "Thank you little one. That means the world to me. It is very kind of you to be worried about me."
the door opened.
"Ahh. Sorry to interrupt both of you but the little renart is wake as well so we thought it best to check on Bell and see if they can tell us what happened." Hermes said from the door.
"Hi Uncle Hermes" Bell responded as Hermes smiled sadly at Bell.
"hi Bell, You holding up okay?" Hermes asked.
"Yeah. Trying to." Bell responded as he slowly nodded back.
Bell is led out of the room by both Hermes and Astrea into the living room suite, where the rest of the group is. Upon seeing Bell come out a streak of blonde runs towards him.
"My hero." The blonde renart from earlier wrapped her arms Bell causing him to freeze. The men smirked, Alfia glared, and Astraea smiled indulgently.
"I am glad that you are safe princess." Bell said as he felt Alfia's glare boring into him. "I am Bell Cranel. Please call me Bell."
Bell said as a shy smile emerged on his face. The renart blushed and looked away before responding:
"I'm Haruhime. Sanjouno Haruhime. It's nice to meet you, Bell Cranel."
As Haruhime continued to blush and look down, Bell as had single thought; "Even her name is beautiful."
"hahahaha. As cute as this is we do have to ask a couple of questions. Bell, I need you tell us what happened. We can make a guess at but we need to hear it from you." Zeus said as he observed the increasing number of veins bulge in Alfia's forehead.
Bell quickly explained how he took the goblin hunting quest and came upon the camp of the slave traders and decided to rescue Haruhime.
"That's it. Grandpa. I would like to take Haruhime back to her home in the Far East." Bell Said
Everyone immediately noticed the drop in Haruhime's mood. Everything about her that once shone so brightly now withered and turned sad. In a voice devoid of emotion Haruhime spoke:
"I was disowned by my father for supposedly eating the offering meant for the Goddess Amaterasu. My father gave me to a prum merchant to get me out of his lands but we were attacked by monsters. At which point, the prum ran away and I was later captured by those men. Either way I don't have a home to go back too."
"Haruhime what do mean for 'supposedly eating' the offering?" Astrea asked
"I don't remember, but one of the men said they saw me." Haruhime responded.
"Well, I mean if you don't have anywhere to go you can come with us. Right, Grandpa?" Bell asked excitedly
"Sure. Little Haru, by Sanjouno do you mean the main family or one of the branch families?" Zeus asked
"I come from the main branch family. I am the daughter of Hiro Sanjouno, who is the current head of the entire Sanjouno family." Haruhime responded
"HAHHA' Zeus let out hearty chuckle before he stared fondly at Bell and spoke:
"Congrats, Bell you finally saved princess like a True hero. Did you ever get that kiss you dreamt about after you saved her?" Zeus teased.
"GRANDPA! D-Don't say things like that!" Bell screamed in embarrassment as a deep crimson blush emerged from his neck to the tips of his ears.
Bell immediately turned to Haruhime and found her blushing and fidgeting cutely. Bell knew he had to say something to her.
"I'm sorry about…"
Bell did not get to finish as a look of determination crossed Haruhime's face and
SMOOCH
Haruhime had taken a step closer to Bell, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him right on the lips.
At which point Bell's brain ceased to function and his face went as red as an apple. When she finally broke the kiss, Bell couldn't do anything but stare into her beautiful emerald eyes. It only lasted a minute though before Haruhime blushed and looked away before saying:
"S-Sorry! I've... I've never... never done that before so I probably wasn't very good but I will get better… "
"I-It's alright. It …was perfect… but how will you get better?" Bell stammered still on cloud nine from the kiss.
"Practice?" Haruhime said she turned her eye upwards demurely and looked at Bell with glittering emerald eyes.
Haruhime's appearance at the moment is too much for Bell:
POOF.
Bell's face has gone so red that steam could almost be seen coming off of it.
Bell fainted.
"GAHAHAHAAHHAH" The two male deities erupted into raucous laughter while Astraea covered her mouth and tried to stifle giggles. Zald was also attempting to suppress the laughter that wass causing his body to tremble.
"THAT'S MY GRANDSON." Zeus Thundered
"WAY TO GO MY BOY. YOU HAVE THE MAKINGS OF THE GREATEST HERO EVER." Hermes cheered
Alfia uttered a single word and leveled a fury filled glare at the men: "Silence."
The men immediately fell silent in fear of what Alfia will do to them. The two gods huddled behind Zald who was sighing.
Alfia walked over to Haruhime and glared down at Haruhime, who's tail is standing straight up and every hair on it is bristling.
"BELL is my nephew and I will not allow anyone I deem unworthy near him." Alfia stated as she glared down at Haruhime.
"Then I will earn your approval." Haruhime said as she stood her ground against Alfia .
"HMPH. And if I say that I will never willingly give my approval." Alfia said
"Then I will make you." Haruhime said as her ears go flat and her tail stands up and refuses to back down.
The men have gone slacked-jawed at this no one has ever stood up to Alfia.
"YOU WIL MAKE ME. IS THAT RIGHT? LITTLE GIRL you have no idea who are talking to" Alfia said as she glared haughtily down at Haruhime
"Bell is my hero. He saved me from a horrible fate. I will help him in any way I can. I WILL MAKE YOU acknowledge me." Haruhime said as her tail fluffed up
" WELL Little fox. I will show you exactly how far you have to go. Your training will begin tomorrow. You had best prepare yourself." Alfia said.
Bell had finally come off of cloud nine and returned to the group. As the tension broke momentarily, Astraea spoke first.
"Alright now that that is settled. Hermes, I take it the reason you asked me to come along was to meet Bell?" Astraea asked, causing Bell to blink in surprise.
"Well, there is that but I genuinely did want to see how you were doing. Though having the opportunity to meet little Haru was a surprise" Hermes responded as he smiled kindly at Haruhime
"Ahh. I know I told you we had to find a deity for Bell but I was not expecting you to bring Astraea with you." Zeus responded.
"I see you want a deity for Bell to go to Orario with. Though I guess that would include this one and the others as well." Astraea says as she looks at Haruhime, who blushes but nods. Alfia and Zald nod back.
"Looks like it." Zeus said as he chuckled.
"I am not sure how well; I will serve as a deity given that I failed my girls." Astraea started as tears welled in her eyes.
"Ah.. Astraea. I know that feeling well. I still mourn the loss of my boys." Zeus said as his voice became melancholic. "But we will see them again however long it takes. We are gods after all though that doesn't help with the pain."
Hermes's face also turned somber at the thought of his lost children during the Great Feud.
Astraea took several deep breathes until she felt something soft brush her arm and a hand clasp her other hand.
Astrea looked up and saw that Haruhime was brushing her tail against her arm trying to comfort her while Bell was holding her other hand. A sad smile crossed Astrea's face before it steeled with determination.
"I will take them and return to Orario. I do have a question for you both first" Astraea said shocking Zeus, While Bell and Haruhime look at the Goddess confidently.
"Are you sure, Astraea? I thought you only accepted women and you haven't mentioned anything about restarting your familia. I assumed you were holding out for your last children to return? I don't want to pressure you into something you aren't ready for." Zeus asked though he is actually thrilled at the idea.
"I am sure, Zeus. I believe that they will be wonderful familia members. They remind me of my precious children. I feel that if I do not restart with these children then I may not have one for a very long time. I also want to find my missing little one. I miss her terribly. I want to hold her again. The women only was a only preference but not an oath. It was meant to give a shelter to women you may not want to be around men. So, I may change it if I find someone worthy. And depending on his is answer I may deem Bell worthy." Astraea began
Bell stood up straight and looked Astraea in the eye.
"Bell Cranel, what is Justice? Haruhime Sanjouno, what is Justice?" A glow of divinity surrounded Astraea and the mortals feel the presence of the divine that had been suppressed.
Bell was the first to respond as he holds Haruhime's hand: "Justice is like the night sky itself. Because of how many interpretations it has, I doubt there is a single absolute answer to it. Mortals and Gods alike have their own type of justice is a reflection that person's very soul. My justice is my desire to be a hero that will defend those that cannot protect themselves."
Haruhime was next: "Bell is my hero. As such, I want to help Bell become the greatest hero he can. I do not want to hold him back or relay on him for protection. I want to walk alongside him as an equal."
Astrea smiled at their answers before she responded:
"Those are wonderful answers. You both would make wonderful members of my familia."
Both Bell and Haruhime beamed in pride.
"Now then. Should we get started?' Astraea asked
Astrea applied her falna first to Bell:
Bell Cranel
Human
Lvl 1
Strength: SS-1095
Endurance: SSS-1150
Dexterity: SS-1004
Agility: SSS-1198
Magic: SSS-1100
[Storm]
Swift Chant Magic that releases an electric shock in the form of a lightning bolt
Quick Chant: {Lightning}
Skills
[Realis Phrase-Crystallization of Desires]
As long as owner has a strong desire and goal, he will grow stronger according to his desires
Exponential Growth
Immunity to charm
Status Limit is broken
Stronger desire results in stronger growth
Continued desire results in continued growth
Skill automatically applied to those the user has an affinity for. (Does not have to be romantic affinity.)
Strength of effect is based on the recipient's desire.
[Inheritance of Talent]
The user slowly gains some Magic, Abilities, Skills, and Development Abilities that belong to the Incarnation of Talent(Status Limit is broken). [Magic] (Development Abilities will gained during Level Up)(Skills and Abilities are linked to the user's Skills and Abilities).
After several moments of shock Astraea does the same to Haruhime:
Haruhime
Renard
BASIC ABILITIES
Lvl 1
Strength: I-0
Endurance: I-0
Dexterity: I-0
Agility: I-0
Magic: I-0
MAGIC
Uchide no Kozuchi - Level Boosting Magic that can be used on one target, other than the caster - Target does not gain as much Excelia when under its effects, that excelia is consumed by the caster - Lasts for 15 minutes and must wait 10 minutes after its effects wear off before it can be cast on the same target again.
⦁ Chant- Grow. That power and that vessel. Breadth of wealth and breadth of wishes. Until the bell tolls, bring forth glory and illusion. Grow. Confine divine offerings within this body. This golden light bestowed from above. Into the hammer and into the ground, may it bestow good fortune upon you. Grow!
As Astraea granted her Blessing she froze in shock at the status. NEVER before has she something like this.
She is frozen in shock for so long that the others start to become Nervous as to what is happing.
Alfia finally snapped and asked "Lady Astraea, Is something wrong?" Terrified that her disease has been suddenly emerged.
"Sorry uh. No nothing is wrong presa., I just can't believe what I am seeing. I have never heard of any of these abilities. I didn't think a status like Bell's was possible. Not to mention Haruhime already has magic. Here is the sheet" Astraea responded
Astraea shared the sheet with Zeus since he is basically Bell's family. Hermes knowing that Statuses are supposed to be secret does the polite thing and looks away despite his curiosity.
There is great shock among the assembled at Haruhime's magic. With this Bell and Haruhime have officially converted to the Astraea familia followed by Zald and Alfia. With this decision a new chapter of their lives begin. Though they start to make their way to Orario, there are many side trips and quests that they complete.
