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86.41% Danmachi: Reborn with EMIYA's Powers / Chapter 70: Chapter 55: Falna

Chapter 70: Chapter 55: Falna

"Sorry for having you carry all my stuff, my child. I wasn't sure how to travel when I planned to go to Melen, so I just stuffed as much of my belongings as possible in a bag…"

"It's alright, Lady Hestia, and feel free just to call me Bell. Referring to me as 'my child' all the time feels too stiff given we will soon be a familia"

"O-Oh, that's right! A-Alright then…T-Thank you, Bell…"

"I guess it'll take some time for you to get used to it huh? No worries, I'm sure we'll figure it out soon. That's what families are for, right?"

"Y-Yeah..."

Walking side-by-side through the ruins of Orario, Bell, and Hestia began to head towards the goddess' home in the lower world, but as of just a few moments ago, the official home of the Hestia familia.

The stars shimmered delicately in the night sky as a cool breeze swept through the city as it always does, but though Orario had gone cold in the embrace of the sunless expanse, Hestia's face was hot red with emotion.

'How did I successfully recruit a child into my familia?!'

The goddess of the hearth wasn't expecting her recruitment of Bell to be successful. After months of making no headway in establishing her familia in Orario, and freshly coming out of a week-long failed recruitment campaign in Melen, the goddess has become naturally accustomed to getting rejected

'Is he another mortal that wants to do pervy things with me? I met a lot of those people while trying to recruit… something about liking an 'oppai-loli'... Agh! Whatever! I gotta ensure his intentions first! Just like Hephi warned me!'

Though Hestia disliked being distrustful of people, the goddess had been drilled by her best friend Hephaestus to be wary of most people and their intentions in the lower world of mortals.

After nearly accepting a pervert as her first child some months ago, the practice of ensuring their intentions had become a must for Hestia… not that she had many opportunities to do so with all the people that rejected her first.

"Hey, Bell? Are you sure about joining my familia? I wasn't joking when I said you have talent that gods would desire, and I'm not exactly the most well-equipped to cultivate the growth of your status…"

Speaking out to the white-haired youth, Hestia's blue eyes began to shimmer slightly as she began to ascertain the intentions of Bell's soul through his words.

But as she did so, the goddess spoke words that weren't just for the purposes of questioning, she herself wanted to know why she was chosen as his goddess out of hundreds in Orario.

Great appearances even by the standards of the gods. A naturally capable physique that would dispose him to the most challenging manual labor.

A unique talent through the ability to jump extremely high for a person without falna, as a human as well. The white-haired youth in front of her was the complete package.

'Bell is like the most ideal child to have in a familia, surely I shouldn't be the only one who had approached him for recruitment… and I'm sure many other people have more resources than me…'

Seeing the genuine curiosity, wariness, and self-consciousness appear on Hestia's face, Bell snickered to himself silently as he realized just how bad the goddess in front of him truly was at keeping a poker face.

"It's simple really, Lady Hestia. I was looking for a god to serve who saw me not as a toy to play with, but as a genuine person who wanted to become a family with me… I didn't see that intention in their eyes, and I saw it instantly in yours, that's all"

"..."

Bright white. Such was the way Bell's soul glowed as he spoke his words. Bright White. A radiance that told a divinity that not a single ounce of falsehood was contained in his words. His words that resounded her own views and desires so heavily.

To establish a familia not for the sake of glory, monetary gain, or the accruement of influence and power, but for the sake of having a family. Such was the desire of the goddess of the hearth, the fire of the home.

The immortal gods of the heavens are simply birthed into existence as a consequence of the world's existence.

They neither had parents nor siblings and possessed no ability to birth children of their own making.

They were capable of making friends and connections with other fellow gods, but to Hestia, she yearned to become close with the beings who had cultivated the greatest understanding of bonds. Mortals.

She watched over the hearts of countless homes throughout the history of mortal-kind in the lower world.

From the most primitive campfire gatherings to the current fireplaces of well-constructed houses.

She was rarely worshipped by many and paid homage to even less so than that, but she didn't mind.

As long as she was allowed to observe the miracle of families, blood-related or found, the goddess was content.

So when she was allowed to finally descend and make a family of her own she was ecstatic. But her dreams were quickly crushed by the cruel reality of familias.

But despite it all, she continued looking… and looking… and looking… to the point where she even began doubting that anyone would ever share her views, and yet, here Bell was.

"Lady Hestia!"

"H-Huh?"

Breaking out of her daze by the sudden shouting of Bell, the goddess grew confused as to why the white-haired youth had grown immensely concerned for her all of a sudden. But soon, it became clear as to why.

"Wait just a moment, Lady Hestia. I have a handkerchief in my pocket to wipe your tears so just-"

"Tears?"

Touching her face gently, Hestia realized that she was crying immensely without her even realizing that she had become a sobbing mess.

Taking the sensation of her outpouring emotions in her fingers, the goddess decided to simply accept that she was still quite sensitive to emotions, even after she trained so hard to become the ideal stalwart and reliable goddess for her future children.

"𝙝𝙞𝙘… S-Sorry about that, Bell… I… 𝙝𝙞𝙘… I'm just happy… 𝙝𝙞𝙘… I'm just really happy right now… 𝙝𝙞𝙘… really… really happy… 𝙝𝙞𝙘…"

"..."

Silently observing how Hestia wept in joy, Bell's hands tightened as he promised himself to dedicate all he had to this precious goddess of the hearth.

Taking her hand into his, he began to reassure Hestia of his presence amidst the flood of emotions rushing through her mind.

"I look forward to our life together, Lady Hestia"

"𝙝𝙞𝙘… 𝙝𝙞𝙘… I-I l-look f-forward… 𝙝𝙞𝙘… to it too!"

Grinning widely in response to his words, Hestia smiled as best as she could as she continued to suffer the streaming tears which flowed down her face.

Something that amused Bell as they both walked hand-in-hand to their home, that gentle starry night becoming a treasured memory in both of their hearts for years to come.

..

.

"𝙎𝙣𝙞𝙛𝙛… Thanks for carrying all my stuff along the way, Bell! But after all that walking… say hello to your home this day forward!"

Clicking what was this world's version of a light switch, the various magic-stone-powered lamps of the abandoned church lit up closely in unison.

The decrepit appearance of the building came into view and was laid fully bare for anyone to see. The years, clearly apparent to even a child.

"U-Uh, it might not be the best, but I can assure you that the accommodations are better than this! They're habitable at least!"

Realizing how worn and torn her house was, Hestia began to quickly salvage what little she could of her first child's expectations.

'Damn it! Damn it! How could you forget about this, Hesta?! I was saving all my money to rent an apartment so that I wouldn't scare my first child away!'

The goddess grew worried that her ideal first recruit into her familia would now try and get away from her, but contrary to her fears, Bell instead began to go further inside the church.

"B-Bell?"

Hestia grew confused as to what could have caught his attention to ignore how poor her living situation was, but she was thankful for whatever it was as it saved her dream from falling apart.

"..."

Outside of the goddess' panic attack, Bell silently indulged in observing the church as much as he could.

It was the location where his most beloved story took place in the first few beginning novels. For him to not only explore but live in the iconic abandoned church he came to love as a reader, it made his heart flutter as a Danmachi fan.

"It's beautiful…"

Tracing his fingers across the base of the large goddess statue at the center of the church, Bell unknowingly uttered his thoughts of praise and admiration without his knowing. Words that caught the recovering Hestia immensely off-guard.

"He thinks the statue is beautiful? hehe~"

The statue Bell had praised was in actuality an attempt of a mortal long ago to capture Hestia's likeness for worship. Though it wasn't quite accurate to her true appearance, she still considered it an extension of herself.

"E-Ehem! It's getting pretty late and I'm sure you're hungry right, Bell? Let's head downstairs, I'll show you around the place!"

Shifting his attention away from the statue, Hestia began to beckon the white-haired youth to follow her down to the basement of the church which she repurposed into her living quarters… and now, their living quarters.

"There's a kitchen to the right with some proper ventilation. Over to the left is the bathroom, I was able to somehow get the shower and toilet running properly. A bit to the side from there would be the closet, and here is our living room and bedroom!"

Twirling around as she finished off the relatively short tour, Hestia smiled anxiously as she examined Bell's expression, and to her confusion and relief, he didn't seem to have an adverse reaction to her living conditions.

"I see, so where will I be sleeping?"

"... eh?"

The goddess' mind short-circuited as she realized a fatal flaw in her home, the fact that there was only one bed. She had been rejected so many times that she had forgotten to prepare for her future child living with her, as such, she never bought another bed for guests.

"Would it be right to assume that you would be sleeping in the bed over there? I doubt a goddess such as yourself would be willing to sleep on the couch"

"Eh- Ah- I- You-"

Just as she struggled to find an answer to his previous question, Hestia struggled even more as she was faced with the scenario of sleeping with Bell for this night and the foreseeable future. Something that was highly thought-provoking for a virgin goddess such as her.

'W-Was my divine sense wrong?! Was Bell looking for this the entire time?! B-But those things… they should only be done by people who love each other! Sure I like the way he looks, and my heart beats loudly as he talks… he holds the same views as mine when it comes to family… and… and!-'

Slowly but surely, the goddess' head began to fume with her overthinking. After becoming amused by observing her for a couple of seconds, Bell decided to spare his goddess the torment he had knowingly placed upon her.

"Calm down, Lady Hestia. I was just joking. I'm fine with sleeping on the couch. Didn't expect you to think about it so deeply"

"... H-Huh?! Y-You shouldn't mess around with stuff like that, Bell! There are consequences to every action! And those consequences might affect people a lot! People like me!"

Hestia began to angrily scold Bell for playing with his goddess, but the white-haired youth simply laughed as the goddess continued to scold him through her immense embarrassment.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry, Lady Hestia. But at least we feel more like a familia now, right? None of that awkward tension between us"

"Huh?"

Hearing his words, the goddess began to realize that her apprehension of Bell had truly disappeared.

She was so nervous about messing up and losing him that she appeared distant, something she had long been training not to do for her first family.

It was at that moment did Hestia realize how truly lucky she was to have found a person she could so clearly relate to on a fundamental level.

"Hestia. Just call me Hestia…"

Seeing how much the youth in front of her wanted to become a family, she decided to simply let go of all her worries and entrust her dream and heart into his hands.

"We'll be a family from now on, so drop the 'lady' and call me Hestia directly…"

She blushed lightly as she allowed her vulnerable heart into the hands of her very first child. It was scary, but at the same time, she felt that it was right.

".. .Alright, but I want to go one step beyond that. How about… Hesti? It's a cute nickname right?"

"H-Hesti?!"

Hearing how bluntly Bell had called her, the goddess' blush intensified greatly as her heart began to be overstimulated by his direct and forward approach.

"H-Hesti is a name only my best friend uses, so…"

"Am I not as valuable as your best friend? We're family, aren't we?"

"Yeah! Of course! But…"

"I just want to simply get as close as possible to the goddess I will be living with. Is that so wrong?"

"Um! No! But! But! You!-"

Bell began to step closer and closer to Hestia as he continued to pressure her with his words.

His tall and imposing figure naturally caused the goddess to begin stepping back to maintain their distance, but alas, the small size of the room eventually caused Hestia to run out of space to run away from her child.

Tumbling into her bed, the goddess' face grew completely red as Bell continued to chase after her with his composed faith and expression. His heterochromatic eyes stared down her own like a predator catching its prey.

'I was wrong! I was so wrong! Bell is not the kind child I thought he was! He's a wolf who wants to consume me whole!'

Leaning down on her as she could only helplessly sink further into the embrace of her worn mattress, Hestia braced herself for whatever awaited her in just a few moments. In her mind, she would soon come to know of the debauchery many gods participated in heaven.

'I'm sorry Artemis! Athena! I might not be eligible to be part of our group soon…'

..

.

"You really are fun to mess around with, Hestia"

..

.

"Eh?"

"Did you honestly expect me to suddenly assault you? You're a lot more gullible than I thought"

"THAT WAS ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR JOKES?!"

"It sure was HAHAHAHA!"

"GODS DAMN IT, BELL!"

With her redness switching from flusteredness to embarrassment once more, Hestia fumed as she realized the actual truth of the first child of her familia.

'I have taken in a wolf who toys with his prey! That laugh! That smug grin! It's like I'm raising that old man Zeus himself!'

While Hestia's heart began to brew an ever-growing sentiment of rage and fury against her child, in the mind of Bell he was joyous as he recovered a long-lost hobby of his.

'It's like I'm teasing Medea again in Colchis village during my childhood. Except, I know that Hestia doesn't have the wit to retaliate. This will be fun'

Alas, it is when one revels in their hubris that they are struck down by the fury of the divine. His senses were dulled by his perceived lack of threats from Hestia, Bell was quickly tossed into the bed alongside her after the goddess grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled with all her might.

"Huh?"

"Hmph!"

Quickly following the unexpected takedown, a soft sensation began pressing down on his stomach as a shadow began to cover his eyes from the light of the basement. The goddess Hestia had performed a skillful mounting over him.

"We may be family, Bell! But family is built on a relationship of mutual respect! As such, I can't have you looking down on me right from the get-go! I plan on raising you to the best of my abilities, so if you can't respect my word, then I will just have to make sure you do!"

Hestia tried her best to recreate his imposing presence and aura, but she still appeared as the oppai-loli that captivated many of his previous life with her airheaded attitude and adorable frustration.

Deciding to simply play along with the flow of his goddess' actions in order to continue his streak of teasing, Bell sank himself further into the mattress as she began to express an alluring gaze and smile.

"Is that so? Then do it. Make me yours and I'll follow every wish you ask of me, my goddess~"

"W-Wha-"

Seeing his half-shut eyes that drew her in, and hearing his sultry voice which caressed her ears, Hestia's red face once more shifted into embarrassment as she realized what she had done. The virgin goddess of the Hearth had mounted a man and ordered him to follow her commands.

"W-Wait!- Bell! I didn't mean to act like that!- I'm not into S and M!-"

"Make me yours by giving me your falna of course. I'm not technically a part of your familia yet until I receive my status from your blessing"

"..."

"Oh my, did I hear that word correctly? Do you know something as kinky as S and M? Here I thought you were not the type to know such things~ I can't judge people by their covers after all~"

As Bell relished in the successful executions of one of the most ingenious teases he had performed in his entire second life, a wet droplet sensation began to course through his chest, quickly bringing him back to reality.

"𝙝𝙞𝙘… 𝙝𝙞𝙘…"

"!!!-"

With the rekindling of his passion to tease gullible girls, he was once more reminded of why exactly he had stopped doing it so often as a child. The reason being was that his teasing would often lead to the recipient crying tears of frustration.

Quickly getting up from the bed to comfort the goddess who had her heart overloaded with too many emotions all at once, Bell spent quite a while afterward apologizing and consoling the goddess back to normal.

After promising Hestia that he would keep his antics to a minimum and swearing that he did respect the goddess' word and concerns, the two were able to proceed with the blessing ceremony that would properly indoctrinate him into the Hestia familia.

..

.

'Woah…'

With Bell lying on his back on the mattress, and Hestia sitting atop him, the goddess sat in awe at the sheer visual feast her eyes were looking at then and there.

Though she was able to tell that Bell was quite muscular beneath his clothes, she didn't expect it to be at the level she was currently seeing.

Well-toned and developed muscles presented themselves all across his back. There was not a single area that hadn't been trained with discipline and properly utilized.

'Not even many gods have this level of definition… but most importantly, these scars…'

Hestia's fingers traced along one large scar across Bell's back that was quite apparent to see. Though the youth had long healed many of his injuries, there was still one that remained after all this time.

'What has Bell gone through to have such an immense injury? Was this the only one he received in his life?'

Seeing his body and recalling his attitude and demeanor, the goddess couldn't believe that a person who was injured to such a degree would have a kind and upbeat personality.

How many people would be able to do the same if they were placed in his shoes? Would she be able to do the same as a divine goddess who has lived millions of years?

'He will be my child. As such, I will take responsibility for him. As useless as I am… I'll do my best to be the best goddess for Bell!'

Resolving her heart, Hestia took out a needle from her bedside table and hovered it over her finger.

Her heart full of tension from being mere seconds away from blessing her first child, Hestia reconfirmed Bell's willingness to have her as his goddess.

"I know you told me many times, but just one last time, will you be alright being part of my familia? Even after seeing what little I can afford you?"

With a moment of silence, after she had spoken, Bell's voice replied in kind to her question with a gentle tone that warmed her nervous heart.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, my goddess"

Growing a smile that reached from one end of her face to another, and with her heart beating with joy and elation, Hestia shouted out the commencement of the blessing ceremony.

"... Alright! Without further ado! Welcome to my familia, Bell!"

The goddess winced slightly as she pricked her finger, and carefully dropping a drop of her divine ichor, a gentle glow of white began to emanate from Bell's back.

Divine power began to seep into his body as the words and symbols of the gods began to be inscribed onto his body through his newly birthed status.

A depiction of a chalice that housed a divine flame began to be illustrated, marking the human youth to be under Hestia's rule and care.

But just as the goddess was at the peak of her happiness at finally recruiting her first child, the gentle glow of white that emanated through the room began to grow stronger and stronger.

"Huh? What's happening?"

Hestia struggled to keep her eyes open as the projection of Bell's status began to morph drastically, where once it was empty with the base stats the goddess expected of a rookie adventurer, it began to be filled with countless words and descriptions and widened her eyes with their contents.

"This… how is this possible?"

Bell simply waited for the blessing of falna to finish before he could explain himself to the goddess who grew more and more confused and shocked by what was happening.

'I expected this outcome. Though I was sure that I would be starting out as a level one at I-0, I was confident that my new status would be full of skill and magic'

All rookie adventurers would usually start off with a blank-slate status, but to a select talented few, their new status would be automatically filled with skills or magic.

Usually, this would be made possible through race-intrinsic abilities like the beastification ability of certain beast people races, but there was another method that was less common, bordering on impossible.

That would be, the person being blessed accrued so much high-quality excelia, that it remained in their bodies until they could be utilized through falna.

'I wonder what I'll get. Avalon is a part of my body, so would it be considered an intrinsic skill? Wait… what about the goddess' divine constructs?!'

Realizing he might need to immediately explain his circumstances to Hestia as soon as he could, Bell grew worried about what would come out of his status.

"... I-I'm done transcribing your status, Bell. Take a look…"

"... Thanks…"

Hestia hopped off Bell's back as he rolled over to see what status he had received. To his surprise, the goddess handed him two sheets of fully written paper. Something extremely out of the norm as every adventurer's status would usually only take one sheet of paper.

" I won't question it for now. Just look through it first before we talk…"

"Sure…"

Sensing the sense of apprehension and disbelief within Hestia, Bell began to throughout read his status with a sense of worry and curiosity.

..

.

╔════▣◎▣════╗

Bell Cranel

Level-1

[𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗧𝗛] I 0

[𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗨𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘] I 0

[𝗗𝗘𝗫𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗫𝗜𝗧𝗬] I 0

[𝗔𝗚𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬] I 0

[𝗠𝗔𝗚𝗜𝗖]I 0

..

.

𝙈𝘼𝙂𝙄𝘾:

[𝙄𝙉𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙄𝙏𝘼𝙉𝘾𝙀 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙄𝙍𝙊𝙉-𝙒𝙍𝙊𝙐𝙂𝙃𝙏 𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙊]

『All that the Iron Wrought Hero has accumulated in all possibilities of his existence have been passed on to the user of this magic, but proper training is still required to access all of its capabilities. Defining it as magic goes against the principles and rules of its origins, but has adapted to fit the definitions of this current reality』

『The foreign nature of the skill has brought forth the integration of similar skills due to its intrinsic nature. [𝙄𝙉𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙄𝙏𝘼𝙉𝘾𝙀 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘿𝘼𝙒𝙉] and [𝙄𝙉𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙄𝙏𝘼𝙉𝘾𝙀 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙍𝘼𝘽𝘽𝙄𝙏] have been subsumed』

『Magic's description has been greatly shortened for the sake of brevity due to an overabundance of information』

.

[𝙀𝙉𝙑𝙊𝙔 𝙊𝙁 𝙅𝙐𝙎𝙏𝙄𝘾𝙀]

『Currently dormant within the user's soul. Will reveal itself when the time it is needed has arrived』

..

.

𝙎𝙆𝙄𝙇𝙇𝙎:

[𝘼𝙑𝘼𝙇𝙊𝙉]

『As the body is a blade, so too is it a scabbard. Through the manifestations of countless improbable miracles and wills, this skill has been formed. Grants the user access to the development abilities [𝙎𝙋𝙄𝙍𝙄𝙏-𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙇𝙄𝙉𝙂], [𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙇𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙋𝙊𝙒𝙀𝙍], [𝘼𝘽𝙉𝙊𝙍𝙈𝘼𝙇 𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙄𝙎𝙏𝘼𝙉𝘾𝙀], [𝙈𝘼𝙂𝙄𝘾 𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙄𝙎𝙏𝘼𝙉𝘾𝙀], [𝘾𝙐𝙍𝙎𝙀 𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙄𝙎𝙏𝘼𝙉𝘾𝙀], and [𝙋𝙃𝙔𝙎𝙄𝘾𝘼𝙇 𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙄𝙎𝙏𝘼𝙉𝘾𝙀]』

『Development-type skill. Further progressions of the user's status will allow the further growth of this skill, merging all current and future development abilities accessed into a congregate development ability』

『The foreign nature of the skill has brought forth the manifestation of a lesser skill due to its intrinsic nature. [𝙁𝘼𝙑𝙊𝙍 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙁𝘼𝙀]』

(E/D: Morgan time.)

..

.

『S̴̡̯̝̄͠ͅK̸̢̥̺̽̅̀̓͜͝Ì̴̧̹͔͎͚̖̺̰̱̋̇̅̊̎́̈́̈́͘̕Ḻ̷̳̮̩̰͎̰̥̉̉̈͜L̴̗̪͚͍̩̪͖̹͓̏̂̆̈́ ̴̧̙͇̩̝̯͖͉̐͂̊͋̊̓̓̿̋̈́I̴̭͙̙̻̳̼̬̐͆̈́̐͒̓̒̕̕͠S̷̨̗̪͔̥̟̹͕͎͖͍͉̾̑̓ ̶̖̻̠̦̩͉͖͈̖̈́͜S̶̨̨̢̘̭͖̰͍͈̼̱̟͊͛͘̚È̶̡̼̬̦̠͖̖͎͈̱͎̩̀̏͘Ṋ̵͉͎̭̥̥͔͙̔́͗͐̃̃͘͝͠T̷̨̢̖̩̱̤̞͔̻̦̀̓̀̍̀̅̽͊͜͜Ĩ̵̛̖͙̭̙̰͉̖͕̺̟̬̤́̿̍̕͠Ė̸̛̲͖̀͗̔͋̈́̾͒͝N̵̛̲̤̔̐͊͌̀̿͑͒̇̾͛͊T̷͙͍̫̙̫̭͇̭̖̂̈́̽̓̓͘ ̸̩̌̓͂̌̀́̚͝:̵̹̹͍͈̲̠̱̗̰̤͓̾̅)̸̡̨̳̦̙̱̩̞̰̝̠̔̐̊̍̈̍͜͜』

..

.

[𝘿𝙄𝘼𝙉𝘼 𝘼𝙂𝙉𝙊𝙎]

『Birthed from a tested dedication born at daybreak upon the wicked scorpion's slaying. Enhances the effects of [𝘼𝙑𝘼𝙇𝙊𝙉] and grants the user access to the development ability [𝘽𝙊𝙒𝙈𝘼𝙉𝙎𝙃𝙄𝙋]』

『The foreign nature of other skills has brought forth the reconstitution of the skill's effects. Development ability [𝙃𝙐𝙉𝙏𝙀𝙍] has been made accessible alongside [𝘽𝙊𝙒𝙈𝘼𝙉𝙎𝙃𝙄𝙋] 』

『The skill patiently awaits for the day that the user might one day call upon its true strength once more, just as he did years ago. A worthy hunter requires a reliable arrow』

.

[𝙈𝙄𝙉𝙀𝙍𝙑𝘼 𝙎𝙋𝙀𝘾𝙐𝙇𝙊]

『Birthed from an affirmation of companionship beneath the gray clouds of a storm, facing the wrathful serpent. Enhances the effects of [𝘼𝙑𝘼𝙇𝙊𝙉] and grants the user access to the development ability [𝙈𝘼𝙂𝙀].』

『The foreign nature of other skills has brought forth the mutation of the skill's effects. Development ability [𝙈𝘼𝙂𝙀] has morphed into [𝙈𝘼𝙂𝙐𝙎]』

『The skill silently awaits the next calling of the user, valiantly wishing to protect them from all harm. Only a blinded fool goes into battle without a shield』

.

[𝙑𝘼𝙉𝘼𝘿𝙄𝙎 𝙏𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙍𝙀]

『Birthed from the establishment of eternal loyalty and gratitude amidst flowers and the setting sun, relishing the peace birthed from the slaying of the black giants. Enhances the effects of [𝘼𝙑𝘼𝙇𝙊𝙉] and grants the user access to the development ability [𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙍𝙈].』

『The foreign nature of other skills has brought forth the evolutionof the skill's effects. Development ability [𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙍𝙈] has evolved into [𝘿𝙊𝙈𝙄𝙉𝘼𝙏𝙀]』

『The skill eagerly awaits the next time the user is connected with another, perversely relishing their continued conquest. All great figures draw the allure of worthy partners.』

.

[𝙆𝙄𝙉𝙂𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙔𝙀𝙍]

『The user's abundant experience of downing foes greater than himself has resulted in this skill's manifestation』

『When faced with an enemy exceeding a certain abundance of mind in their magic stones, such monster rexes, the user's status parameters will be enhanced by 1.5』

(E/D: Senji bois. Now it's time to cut Karma and Fate.)

.

[𝘼𝙉𝙏𝙄-𝘼𝙍𝙈𝙔]

『The user's abundant experience of subduing forces much outnumber him significantly has resulted in this skill's manifestation』

『When faced with an enemy force exceeding a certain quantity within the user's range, the user's status parameters will be enhanced by 1.25』

.

[𝙂𝙍𝘼𝙉𝘿: 𝙎𝙏𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘾𝙍𝙊𝙒𝙉]

『Currently dormant within the user's soul. Will reveal itself when the time it is needed has arrived』

『Seven crowns against seven crowns. Seven hopes against seven ends. Seven heroes against Seven Beasts. Such has it been then, such will it be forevermore』

.

[𝙈𝙀𝙈𝙊𝙍𝙄𝘼 𝙁𝙍𝙀𝙀𝙎𝙀]

『One's memories and connections are what empower man to move forward despite adversity. So long as the user remains aware of their memories and connection all parameters of growth are hastened』

.

[𝙉𝙐𝙍𝙏𝙐𝙍𝙀𝙍]

『Wherever the user goes, fortune smiles upon their path. The user's abundant experience of nurturing, raising, and protecting various prominent figures has resulted in this skill's manifestation』

『To whoever the user treasures, who also equally treasure them, the user may grant them access to a single lesser version of their skills or magic.』

╚════▣◎▣════╝

..

.

After re-reading both pages of his status, Bell finally concluded his reading. For a brief summation of his current thoughts, it would most aptly be described as complete and utter disbelief.

'Why the fuck is it so loaded?!'

Bell had expected his status to be quite impressive for a level-one adventurer, but what he read was simply too far gone from his expectation.

'I predicted that the divine constructs might be skills that would show up, but their descriptions have vastly changed from how Artemis, Athena, and Freya explained them to me'

He knew that the blessing of the gods had the capability to further improve one's latent abilities.

A race's intrinsic skill might be morphed drastically from its original form, such as Ottar's beastification as a Boaz beast man turning into the skill 『Vana Arganture.』, but what Bell currently experienced was far beyond Ottar's situation.

'Foreign nature of the skill? Mutation? Reconstitution? It's as if I have the Great Sage of Rimuru optimizing my status…'

'And why are there some parts of my Avalon skill that aren't translated? Do I have an untranslatable skill like Finn's prediction and Cassandra's prophecies?'

So many questions and yet so few answers, even with his previous life's knowledge as a reader of Danmachi. But though Bell wanted to figure out the truth as soon as possible, he had to first deal with the growing curiosity of one other person in the room.

"... Who are you, Bell?"

Inferring that he was finished reading from his behavior, the heart goddess began to speak out the burning question she had in her mind after seeing what kind of status her first child had received.

"Falna is a blessing of the gods that expedites a mortal's development through the accumulation of their experiences in life, their accumulation of excelia which stimulates the growth of their status"

"I am aware that excelia is capable of being retained in the body after being accrued, but for a mortal who has not yet received a falna previously to have such… powerful skills birthed from insane amounts of high-quality excelia… there is no way you are just a simple talented human"

"I understand that some people keep secrets they cannot even tell to their closest family and friends… but if you're alright with it… can you please tell me who you are?"

Flashing a gentle gaze of sincerity to her familia's first child, Hestia breathed with bated breath as she awaited Bell's response to her question/

The white-haired youth spent a few moments of silence deliberating some things in his head. With each passing second, the goddess began to worry if she had overstepped her boundaries.

Just when she was about to retract her question. Bell finally found the resolve to settle on a reply. He would tell his goddess who exactly he was, but not without a few warnings.

"Hestia, can you promise that no matter what… no matter who I reveal myself to be, you will still accept me as your familia?"

Hearing his questions, Hestia quickly got up and neared Bell before speaking her reply, wanting to establish her true feelings beyond just mere words.

"Of course! No matter who you turn out to be, I will still be your family! I know how heavy the responsibility was when I decided to raise you as my own! I accepted you, so I will take responsibility for you!"

Hestia took Bell's hand into her own. Too many times did she witness families being torn apart by the lack of responsibility on the part of a few, and sometimes on the part of many family members.

When the goddess swore to make a family of her own, she did so with the knowledge of what it could possibly entail.

Even if the world were to go against her child, the goddess of the heart that tied households for centuries would never go against her principles.

"... Thanks, though I suppose I should have expected it that you aren't the type to run away from responsibility"

Feeling grateful that his goddess was so dutiful, even though they had just met earlier in the night, Bell decided to unmask himself to yet another person in Orario.

"I am the Gray Ghost"

"... eh?"

Hearing his words clearly, Hestia began to doubt if she had properly heard them. Rechecking again and again, and confirming the veracity of his words with her godly ability, the questions which confused her brain all began to seem crystal clear with just a few words.

"You're the Gray Ghost? As in the dungeon vigilante? The hero of Altena? The guardian of Sorshana? The founder of the Gigantomachy alliance? THAT GRAY GHOST?!"

"Y-Yes… didn't know you were a fan of my work, Hestia"

Beyond Bell's knowing, Hestia had been subjected to a thorough crash course on the vigilante's history by her friend Hephaestus after she had casually mentioned wanting to learn about the famous figure.

From his humble and elusive beginnings, all the way to his most recent accomplishments, the goddess of the forge has instilled every bit of trivia and knowledge about the Gray Ghost into her poor and aching mind.

𝙎𝙇𝙐𝙈𝙋

Crashing her back into the mattress both she and Bell currently rested on, Hestia began to feel as if she were living in a novel. A poor goddess like herself somehow secured the attention and loyalty of one of the strongest modern heroes in her familia. Most people would be calling her a liar even if she told people outright that she recruited the Gray Ghost into her familia.

"Bell? Do you really not want to go to another familia? I said that I would do my best to raise you, but I don't know how to even begin raising a person like yourself…"

Hestia grew worried that her incompetency might stunt the growth of a talent that shocked the entire world. She wasn't sure she was up to the task of being the goddess for such an incredible child.

Sensing her lack of confidence, Bell rested right beside her on the mattress as he took her hands into his own.

Shifting his head to meet eye-to-eye with the worried goddess, he softly spoke words that would clear away all doubts.

"I wouldn't choose any other god or goddess to be a familia with, I always wanted to be your family, Hestia"

"..."

Bright White. Absolute truth shone into the goddess' eyes as she verified the contents of the words he spoke softly into her ears.

Blood red. Searing heat poured into her face as her chest pounded with the beating of her flustered heart.

Hestia was thrown into countless loops by the human child in front of her, even though they hadn't even known each other for a day.

So many experiences, so many ups and downs, so many discoveries. All made possible through a chance encounter in the night.

She was greatly scared of what might come if she were to have him by his side. What kind of hurdles will the world give their family if he chooses to stay under her roof? She couldn't even begin to imagine it.

Most people would have chosen to let go of such a risky child in their familia. Not all people were capable of taking on such difficulties, especially a sheltered goddess like herself who only knew how to clean the temple of the divine flame… and yet she didn't.

𝙂𝙍𝙄𝙋

She tightened the grip of Bell's hands that were atop her palm. She was scared of what waited for her in her future with Bell, but she was much more afraid of regretting not choosing to experience life by his side.

In all her time in the lower world, how many people resonated with her beliefs of a familia being a family? In all her time in the lower world, how many people didn't treat her dreams with apathy or mocking disbelief?

Only Bell saw her dream as something beyond the ramblings of a naive girl who only wished to see the good in the world.

She would most definitely trudge through the countless pits of darkness in mortal life by Bell's side… but if it meant she could prove her dream's existence in a cruel world like their own, she would accept it gladly.

"I may not be the best for complicated stuff… but my friends in heaven said I was good for emotional support! So I'll emotionally support you with all I have, Bell!"

"... Pfft- Haha!- I see… I look forward to your support then, my dear goddess"

Entangling their fingers with one another, Hestia had just then finally realized she was intimately holding hands with a man. Something she never experienced previously as a chaste goddess of virginity.

She then began to recall the flirtatious undertones in Bell's words and actions throughout the night, and recognizing that they were both in a bed in a room far from the hearing of any people… and Hestia began to panic once more.

The goddess' panic however began to be offset by the sincere and emotional moments she shared with Bell. His past, his dedication, his morals, and his values. The clashing of these two extremes began to tighten the goddess' heart extremely.

Her chest began to feel constricted. Her words became stuck in her throat. Her stomach felt weird and bubbly. Her mind became numb from the various emotions coursing through her consciousness.

'Wait, Aphrodite once talked to me about this… am I in love?!'

Hestia could hardly believe it. She was supposed to be a virgin goddess of Olympus. Renowned for retaining her purity and chastity from the hands of countless admirers… and yet here she was, falling in love with a mortal.

'No! No! I can't! I can't!'

Hestia began to fiercely deny the growing sensation in her heart as best as she could. She could never allow herself to fall in love with Bell.

For her position as a virgin goddess? No, she could care less about her position in the heavens right now.

Because she learned that the Gray Ghost was married to two women in her lessons? No, Hestia's ability to recall her studies under pressure was abysmal.

So what could it be? What reason did the goddess of the Hearth formulate to forbid herself from being attracted to Bell?

'I can't fall in love with Bell… because Hephi told me that she's in love with the Gray Ghost!'

Two friends liking the same person… a tale as old as time…

..

.

"Uuu… I'm sorry for making you go out shopping this late for dinner, Bell…"

"It's alright, Hestia. In fact, I should be impressed you were able to subsist off of jagamarukuns for so long…"

Walking into the night market of Orario, Bell, and Hestia performed their first outing as a familia in order to secure their dinner for the night.

After the goddess suggested eating cold and stale potatoes for dinner, Bell quickly denied her suggestion and took it upon himself to treat her with proper food.

Hestia, upon learning that her child was a proficient cook, had her stomach growl fiercely for something that wasn't a potato, leading to her shame and embarrassment for relying on her mortal child for basic necessities.

"Hmm, how about some pasta for tonight, Hestia? Carbonara or Pesto?"

"Pesto! I really like Pesto!"

With confirmation from his goddess on what he should cook, Bell began scouring through the dungeon city's night market for ingredients to make a quick and easy batch of Pesto pasta.

'I should also grab some garlic to make a side of mashed potatoes… and for breakfast, I'll get some bones from the butcher to make bone broth? The local butcher on this street should be trying to clear his stock of beef bones by this time…'

Utilizing the inheritance of the iron-wrought hero, Bell's mind began to flood with countless ideas for meals. The complete recipes for various dishes appeared instantly in his head as if he was a mobile recipe book.

"That will be fifteen thousand valis, sir!"

Being asked for payment from a vendor for a batch of his ingredients, Hestia's face soured as she realized how expensive the ingredients her child had picked were.

She was so lost in her fantasies of eating good food for once that she forgot why exactly she was eating potatoes for sustenance for so long. Hestia was flat broke.

"B-Bell… I don't really have money-"

"Here you go"

"HUH?!"

Seeing Bell so casually hand out fifteen thousand valis for not even a quarter of the ingredients he needed, Hestia grew worried about his spending habits.

"F-Fifteen thousand valis for just a few basil leaves and herbs?! You could get a couple of months' worth of jagamarukuns with that money, Bell!"

Hestia's conservative mindset with finances had brought to Bell's attention just how poor her living conditions were.

Patting her on the head with his free hand as he carried a bag with his other, Bell reassured the goddess that she needn't worry about living in squalor any longer.

"I have quite the amount of money saved up through my work, Hestia. And since we're a familia now, my money would naturally go to ensuring you have a good life"

With her face growing heated from her child's kind gesture, Hestia continued to refuse the opulent lifestyle her child was leading… despite it not being that opulent in the scale of the world.

"S-Still! I can live off of potatoes just fine, Bell!"

"No goddess of mine will have to suffer boiled potatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. By the time you've eaten my food, you will never be able to go back to your old ways"

"Impossible! I have mastered the ways of baseline sustenance and living!"

"Heh, we'll see…"

As the two continued to shop through the night market, much to Hestia's horror as she watched Bell continue to spend considerable amounts of money for quality ingredients that his chef soul could accept, the white-haired youth began to feel a gaze upon his back. Multiple gazes in fact.

'Oh no…'

Reinforcing his senses, Bell could point out four observing gazes watching his every move in the night market.

Amidst the crowds, Lili watched him and Hestia with blank eyes. Around the corner, Aphrodite appeared to be in a middle state between shock and curiosity. At the entrance way to a local shop, Syr smiled his way with a menacing aura. And lastly, on the rooftops, Artemis stared him down as she patrolled Orario with her huntresses.

'Shit…'

『An astute observation, Orion』

『Truly, a word befitting your horrible luck when it comes to women, Odr』

As Bell cursed his luck as a protagonist, two distinct voices filled his head, the voices of the goddesses he had formed a link with through their divine construct which he had inherited.

『What fortunate timing for us to meet one another! It is so nice to finally be able to meet you, Artemis. I'm Freya, a fellow lover of Bell. I look forward to a healthy sisterhood sharing the same man~』

『...』

Without missing a single beat, Freya began to introduce herself to Artemis through their shared connection with Bell, turning the white-haired youth's mind into a meeting place for his divine lovers.

『Oh my, how quiet. But I was of the belief that you allowed Bell to pursue multiple partners. Are you thinking of retracting that decision? Because I won't take kindly to it, you know?』

All of a sudden, Sessrumnir began to emanate a silver glow, and the Orion arrow in turn began radiating a bluish hue in response to Freya's provocation.

Feeling the storm beginning to form within his reality marble, Bell tried to diffuse the tension between the two, but the two goddesses sensed his intent and quickly silenced him.

『This is between women, Odr』

『Just stay quiet for now, Orion』

'O-Ok…'

Backing off from his two women, the goddesses began to engage in a divine showdown as Bell sweated bullets while continuing to shop with Hestia.

But just as the white-hared youth feared for the worst to come, the total collapse of his harem, hope arrived and released him of his worries.

『I want to say thank you for being with Bell, Freya. I'm sure it wasn't an easy time for him in the Kaios』

All the tension had been broken as the moon goddess thanked Freya for sticking by Bell's side during the wars of the desert.

『Don't think anything of it, Artemis. I also wanted to thank you for protecting Bell in whatever you did together in the Elsos ruins』

As if they hadn't nearly been at odds with each other earlier, the two goddesses began to converse with one another quite amicably.

They shared their interests and happenings like any other normal conversation between women… except they were both in love with the same man... and they were currently talking through his mind.

『I must say, I quite enjoy chatting with you. A shame we couldn't have gotten along this well back in heaven』

『Hehe, this is mostly due to Bell changing both of us. I'm sure we would've been in each other's throats in the past』

『Verily, but let us save our chats for later and focus back on our particularly promiscuous shared partner… I should've realized it after you picked up Artemis and Athena. You planning on completing the set of virgin goddesses, Odr?』

'ACK-'

Bell's heart stung deeply as Freya exposed his plan to establish connections with all three famed virgin goddesses of Olympus, something that was both correct and false in his mind.

'I didn't plan to seduce you all! Things just turned out like this…'

『Orion, I would have more successfully trained a bear to shoot you across the ocean, than for you to somehow successfully seduce all three virgin goddesses at the same time…』

『Don't even try to deny it, Odr. Hestia is quite clearly attached to you. It's not even been a few days since you've been back… we have raised quite the gigolo, Artemis』

『I don't know if I helped… I only had his first kiss… but I won't deny that Orion has become an unquestioning gigolo』

'I AM NOT A GIGOLO!'

『𝙎𝙞𝙜𝙝… if only Athena were here. Then we could all just counsel Bell into accepting his fate as a goddess seducing gigolo…』

『Um, speaking of Athena, would you mind mediating for us, Freya? She and I aren't exactly on the best of terms… and I don't want our bad blood to ruin our thing…』

『Of course! We're practically sisters, Artemis. You can just rely on me for anything~ I heard that your huntresses were in need of bows?』

『Ah, yes! I commissioned Hephaestus to make some for us. But do you have some spares lying around? I took in a couple of trainees recently and-』

'STOP USING MY MIND AS A COMMUNICATION DEVICE!'

Unable to take the talking of Artemis and Freya in his head any longer, Bell ordered them both to clear his mind so he could think.

『Oh my, so stressed… you need another quickie, Bell?』

『Quickie? Oh, that's a term for sex, right? I actually have some questions about that, Freya-』

'Why is this harem of mine both a blessing and a curse?...'

After a few more minutes of suffering, Bell finally formulated a plan to defuse the remaining tension of himself being caught with Hestia.

'Artemis, can you handle Aphrodite? And Freya, can you handle Lili?'

『Oh? So we're now in charge of cleaning up after your mess of a love life, Odr? Anything for you my dear~』

『Hm? Bell is interested in Aphrodite? She can be a bit rude and airheaded, but I still consider her a friend. I give you the green light, Bell. So long as you both actually love each other.』

'I- You- We- No- AGH! Please just handle them for me… I'll explain myself soon to you two…'

『Bell is just so adorable to toy with, isn't he, Artemis?』

『I quite enjoy this… it's like messing around with my prey in a hunt…』

Taking one last shot at Bell, the two goddesses then acquiesced to his requests as they began to resolve the misunderstandings.

"Hey, Aphrodite!"

"H–Huh? Artemis?!"

Descending from the rooftops to meet a curious Aphrodite who was observing Bell and Hestia from a street corner, Artemis began to chat with the love goddess in order to resolve her questions.

"What were you doing down there? A few people reported to my huntresses of a stalker in the night market…"

"S-Stalker?! No! I was just observing a friend! Two friends actually… Did you know, there's a man currently with Hest-"

"Actually, it's good timing right now, Aphrodite… Do you mind if you can teach me about love? I had someone in my eye recently…"

"... EH?! REALLY?! FOR REAL?!

"It's embarrassing… yes, I am in love"

Discerning Artemis' expression as a true maiden in love, Aphrodite could hardly believe it. For millions of years, she had tried and failed to get the virgin goddess of the moon and hunt to experience love and romance… and now here she was, blushing profusely at the thought of someone she loves romantically.

In an instant, Aphrodite had forgotten that she saw her friend, Bell, roaming around with another famous virgin goddess, Hestia.

"Of course! Anything you need, I'll answer it! Who is he?! How did you two meet?!"

Aphrodite began to hound Artemis for questions, to which the moon goddess only answered in vague replies as she began to silently move them both away from the night market.

"There are too many people here, Aphrodite. Let's head to your familia home to talk about it…"

"Of course! Let's go!"

..

.

"Lord Bell?"

Lili muttered under her breath the name of her hero as she watched him frolic around with a short big-breasted girl in the night market.

She had excitedly been heading back to her home in order to appreciate a comfortable home life with Bell once again, and yet, he caught him doing things with another woman.

'Calm down, Lili. Lord Bell, is not yours. Control the fire… control the emotions… don't let it grow out of control…'

Lili began trying her best to suppress the crimson glow of her eyes. Whenever it involved Bell, the pallum would find it much more difficult to keep her magic in check..

But just as she was about to begin manifesting the fire embedded deep within her soul, she was taken away from the burning sensation in her chest by the sudden arrival of a familiar voice.

"Hm? Lili! It's so good to see you here!"

"S-Syr?"

As a frequent patron of the Hostess after being recommended to it by Bell years prior, Lili became quite close with the waitresses of the pub. One of them being Syr Flova.

'Syr seems a lot more upbeat than I remember her being… it's like she somehow changed personalities…'

"What a coincidence to run into you here! How have you been? Another day working in the dungeon?"

"Ah yeah… same old same old…"

While Syr tried her best to start a conversation with Lili, the pallum did her best to answer the bare minimum whilst maintaining her sight of Bell and the girl she didn't know of.

Noticing this behavior, Syr decided that her usual method wouldn't work on someone as dedicated to Bell as Lili. So she instead chose a more direct approach.

"What are you staring at? Oh, it's Bell and his goddess!"

"His goddess?"

In an instant, Lili's attention was fully diverted to Syr. Something the gray-haired waitress knew would happen.

"Yeah, he talked to me earlier about finding a familia after having no falna for so long. That shorty must be the goddess he was looking for. See how she emanates a faint divine aura?"

"O-Oh… yeah…"

With her desires and emotions enhanced by her magic, Lili was embarrassed as she was unable to feel the divine aura emanating from Hestia. She had tunnel-visioned too far on Bell alone to have noticed.

"We should be leaving them alone. After all, the first day a god and child spend together is crucial for the formation of a good familia!"

"Huh, I never heard of that before?"

"Hm? But doesn't everyone know that? It's quite common knowledge in Orario and other places in the world. It's actually in the guidelines of the guild for familia cultivation"

"I-Is that so?"

No, Syr was simply gaslighting the poor pallum into believing knowledge that would most effectively allow her to accomplish her goal.

But who was Lili to question such things? Given her less-than-normal beginning in the Soma familia, she was not the best at knowing how a normal familia operated.

"That being the case, let's leave them both to it! Actually, can I ask you to carry some of my bags for me? I'll give you a discount on the Hostess… and by discount, I mean I'll pay for your food, hehe~"

"Huh? W-Wai-"

"You will? Thank you so much, Lili! I knew I could count on the famous『IgKnight』of the Soma familia!"

"Syr!-"

Like a rock being whisked away by the tides of the shoreline and entering the embrace of the deep blue abyss, so too did Lili get swept away by the extroverted finesse of Syr Flova.

『Mission accomplished, Odr~』

『All clear, Orion』

'Thank you so much, girls…'

Hearing that the two goddesses were successful at averting imminent disaster from occurring, Bell thanked them both in his mind, but Freya was quick to begin capitalizing on his gratitude.

『Anything for you, Odr… although… if you do want to repay my generous act, you can always sneak up to Folkvangr~』

'I'll consider it, Freya'

Though Freya tried to disturb Bell's mood with a sudden flirtatious offer, the white-haired youth had become resistant to her antics, much to the disappointment of the goddess in question.

But what Bell did not get used to was a sudden attack from Artemis of all people. The moon goddess whispered her desires in an alluring tone.

『Y-You could also come to me, Orion…』

"𝘾 𝙊 𝙐 𝙂 𝙃"

"B-Bell?! What's wrong?!"

"N-Nothing Hesita… just a regular cough from not swallowing my saliva correctly… haha-"

Recovering from coughing from the sudden eroticism from Artemis, Freya grew ecstatic as she heard the infamous stalwart virgin goddess invite a man over for some nightly love-making.

『Artemis, do you mind if I watch?』

『W-Watch?! Isn't that-』

『A threesome perhaps?』

『I think that's too advanced for someone like me!-』

『We're both sisters to the same pole, there shouldn't be any apprehension for stuff like this~』

Suffering from his mind becoming his wives' chatroom, Bell quietly shopped through the night market with a concerned Hestia by his side. Wishing silently for the day that he could just rest and not worry about anything anymore.

..

.

"Phew, you're so good at cooking, Bell! I still feel satisfied after so long!"

"I'm happy you enjoyed the food, Hestia"

An hour after both Bell and Hestia ate a dinner of pesto pasta, they both performed their nightly routines for preparing to go to bed.

The goddess snuggled up to her pillows and mattress, while Bell made himself comfortable on the sofa he would be using as his bed.

"... You know, you can just sleep here with me, Bell. You're a bit too tall for the sofa…"

Observing her child with a hint of guilt in her eyes, Hestia suggested that he sleep beside her in the bed which was much more spacious.

Compared to the original Bell, the current Bell was quite a bit taller due to the presence of Avalon which morphed his body into an ideal state of physicality.

Hearing the goddess' suggestion, Bell pondered on it for a bit. He was fine with it, but after hearing the words of Artemis and Freya, he just wanted to make sure of one thing.

"Are you sure? You seemed quite uncomfortable whenever I got too close to you before. I don't want to force you into doing anything you don't want"

Bell wanted to ascertain the goddess' true emotions. He knew she would grow attached to him as her first child, but it was only just the first day of them meeting and bonding.

Though he had teased her quite a bit, he realized he had gone too far on multiple occasions, and wanted to be more careful with the hearth goddess' fragile heart.

'I would accept if Hestia did indeed want me romantically, but I shouldn't just assume it for every woman I meet… and I can't use Sessrumnir for now, lest I want to constantly leak Freya's charm for the next few weeks…'

Confirming the motives for his current actions, Bell waited patiently as Hestia deliberated on what to do. But after a few seconds of deliberation, the goddess replied to him with her answer.

"I'm sure! Sleep is important for mortals, especially humans like you. With your vigilante work, it's best for your mind to be well-rested. I won't let my child face all those dangers with a tired mind!"

Hearing her answer, Bell laughed to himself internally at how concerned she was despite seeing his insane status as a level one.

But not expressing his elation, Bell neared Hestia with a serious demeanor before posing another question to her.

His imposing body reflected the scant traces of moonlight that peered through the basement's window as he spoke his last concern.

"Are you sure? As far as I am concerned, I am a man with immense capabilities… and you're a woman inviting me into her bed… beneath a church with no person to help in miles. Do you really want to have me sleep beside you? I could do whatever I wanted with you and you wouldn't be able to refuse it, Hesita"

Hearing Bell's voice giving off a slightly threatening aura, Hestia trembled slightly as she realized the truth of his words.

Bell was a hero capable of moving nations to his will, and she was just a poor goddess who could barely afford anything and ate only potatoes prior to his arrival.

Gulping down the accumulated worries from his words, the goddess struggled to meet her child's eyes with as much confidence as she could muster.

"Y-You're my family now… I-I trust you…"

It was a reasoning that was easy to tear apart if he wanted to. Bell could betray the trust of the goddess and indulge in his animalistic desires.

Hestia had quite the desirable body, especially given his experience with Athena, Freya, and Arry, he was sure that he would enjoy her…

… Fortunately for Hestia however, the protagonist of this novel isn't some weirdo who likes to rape people just because he could.

"Works for me"

Accepting his goddess' words without even a single question, Bell made himself comfortable in the bed. Tucking his body into the sheet whilst his back rested on Hestia's.

'His back is so wide…'

Hestia's thoughts ran wild as she felt the sensation of her child's rugged backside on her own. One that was developed through countless years of training and dedication.

'We still have so much we haven't talked about… but let's take it one at a time. There's no need to rush into becoming a family…'

The goddess began to grow drowsy as she felt reassured by her child's presence. She didn't have to worry about an intruder or burglar that would come… because Bell was now with her.

"Goodnight, Hesti"

"𝙔𝙖𝙬𝙣… goodnight, Bell"

..

.

Editor:

The Darkest Knight#4796

AN:

Thank you for reading this chapter!

Wake-up shenanigans are to come in the next chapter. Definitely a meeting with Haruhime as well. Don't know about Hephaestus.

Also, the first battle scene in a while as Bell dives into the dungeon not as a vigilante, but now as an adventurer!

On non-story-related things, I got a silver wolf! Hope you all were lucky with your rolls to get the Bronie gamer girl!

Anyways, that will be all from me for now.

Hope you look forward to the next chapter, and as always, may you all have a nice day!


Chapter 71: Chapter 56: Adventure Time

𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙥… 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙥… 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙥...

The gentle light of dawn began to spread throughout Orario. The cold morning breeze swept through the street, as the quiet stillness of the city became broken with the harmonious chirping of birds.

Inside the abandoned church, the home of the newly formed Hestia familia, the goddess of the hearth slowly began to awaken from a pleasant night's sleep. A serene slumber she hadn't experienced in a long time.

"𝙔𝙖𝙬𝙣… I feel so rested… what time is it?"

Turning her groggy eyes towards a corner of her basement dwelling, Hestia was able to read the time on the very decrepit grandfather clock she had salvaged when she first moved in. The time of day at that moment shocked her greatly.

Not because she had overslept and was late for work, but because she had awoken earlier than her usual wake-up time. Something which confused her as she didn't feel the general tiredness of her morning routine.

"How did I sleep so well?-"

Just as she was about to question what caused her serene sleep, the goddess felt a sudden tug and weightiness on her waist. Something she was not used to experiencing in the morning.

"Oh…"

A slight redness formed on her face as she saw what could possibly be the answer to her question, a certain white-haired human who was sleeping peacefully beside her on the bed.

His arm was wrapped around her waist as if he were naturally seeking out the warmth of a bedside partner. His breathing was calm and composed like the peace of dawn break.

His hair illuminated under the glow of the morning, and his features drew in the eyes with the serenity of his sleeping complexion.

"That's right, I have a child to take care of now…"

The goddess' dream was finally obtained. To experience having a family of her own, such was the desire that kept the flame in her heart burning alive and well.

Gently tracing her fingers across Bell's hair, as if he were the most fragile object in the world, Hestia smiled as she observed just how vulnerable he was by her side.

"Who would think that a vigilante who shakes the world would sleep so peacefully? hehe~"

She didn't even question why he had his arm wrapped around her waist. Hestia was well aware of how comfortable it was to sleep whilst embracing something, whether that be a pillow or a partner.

"It reminds me of the times I would sleep with Hephi or Prometheus… speaking of partners, Bell should have a wife somewhere… two of them if I remember correctly"

Recalling her intense study sessions of the Gray Ghost's history taught by her friend Hephaestus, Hestia recalled a tidbit of information stating that the famed vigilante had been engaged to a queen and a goddess of beauty.

"I-It should be fine for me to sleep with Bell right? We're a familia after all! No problem at all! I'm not a thieving cat… I'm not a thieving cat…"

As she tried her best to justify her behavior, she also recalled that her friend Hephaestus was madly in love with the vigilante who became her familia's child.

Blessed with her falna, married to a queen of the desert and a goddess of beauty, and yearned for by her treasured goddess of blacksmithing.

Hestia felt her head begin to ache at the absolute mess of a love life her child had, and how she should even begin navigating it.

'Should I just respect Bell's wishes? Should I help set up Bell and Hephi together? I don't know… but I do know one thing! I absolutely won't get myself involved in this mess!-'

Just as the goddess was about to declare her refusal to participate in the harem antics of Bell, her body shook with vigor as her thigh began to press on a certain hard object.

"... eh?"

Feeling the length, girth, and rigidness through the sensations of her thigh, Hestia's heart sank as she began to get a clear picture of what exactly her mesh of fat had encountered beneath the sheets of the bed.

"Mmmm… more…"

"EH?!-"

As Hestia tried to carefully remove her thigh with surgical precision, Bell unconsciously tugged the goddess closer to himself as he murmured rather dangerous words in his sleep.

The slight redness of the goddess' face had developed into a full-blown flustered blush as she continued to carefully extract herself from the weapon of mass-decimation of her child.

After a few minutes of the most precise operation of her body in her entire existence, Hestia sighed in relief as she was freed from the clutches of Bell's evil dragon.

"A-As expected of someone who managed to get two wives, of course, they have to be gifted to satisfy two women… I-I should better start preparing my morning routine for work!"

As the goddess carefully calmed her heart as she began boiling a tub of hot water for her morning shower, Bell continued to dream of the scenario which caused his earlier behavior.

"Add more spice to the dish, you British idiot sandwich…"

He was dreaming of a heated exchange of insults on the cooking floor of a TV show he enjoyed quite a lot in his previous life. Gaining more appreciation for it with the knowledge of Emiya's cooking.

..

.

"Phew, that was a good shower~"

Walking out of the bathroom with a cloud of steam wrapping around her body and an expression of satisfaction on her face, Hestia relished how impeccable her bathing experience had become.

"I was reluctant when Bell said he wanted to buy some bath supplies last night in the night market, but now I can see why~ My hair is so smooth and pleasant to smell~"

Relishing the fact that she didn't have to use suspicious no-name brand bars of soap and shampoo, the goddess' smile was as wide as it could be by simply living like most other people.

Plopping herself down on the sofa, she began to dry and comb her long hair. Though it was quite a hassle to maintain, the hearth goddess preferred the look of her long black hair.

"Agh- My comb got stuck-"

"Do you mind if I help, Hesti?"

"B-Bell?! You're awake?!"

"Of course, I am, the sound of your bath was more than enough to wake me up"

Taking the comb from her hands with precision, Bell began to weave the apparatus smoothly through the goddess' silky head of hair. Something that brought a sense of euphoria to Hestia.

"You're so good at this, Bell~"

"I had a little sister with long hair back in my home village, so I'm knowledgeable enough to brush hair without difficulty"

"Is there anything you can't do?~"

Hestia and Bell relished their first peaceful morning as a familia. Indulging in idle chatter as the white-haired youth groomed the goddess' hair to near perfection, something that would urge her to ask him to comb her hair every day moving forward.

But whilst they became lost in their banter, a gentle alluring aroma began to waft through the church basement, originating from the kitchen. An aroma that enticed Hestia's hunger for breakfast.

"What's that smell?"

"Hm? Oh, that's our breakfast for today, Hesti. Something I cooked up alongside the pasta we ate last night"

After finishing brushing the goddess' hair, and after Hestia taking a minute to adore how it turned out, the pair went into the kitchen in order to see what their breakfast would be today.

"Bone broth. I left it on a bare simmer while we slept. I skimmed off the scum a while ago while you were bathing. It should be good to go now"

"You left the stove on overnight?!"

As Bell went ahead to pour the bone broth he had made through a filter, Hestia panicked as she realized that her child left a fire hazard on while they slept.

But easing the goddess' worries, Bell calmly explained why there was no need to worry about an accident occurring.

"Even if something bad happens, I am more than capable of ensuring our safety, and like hell I would be such an amateur as to commit a mistake in cooking of all things"

"I don't understand where you get all that confidence from, Bell…"

Handing a cup of his bone broth to Hestia, the goddess took a sip as she processed the absurdities of her child, but her thoughts were quickly wiped away as her mind became obsessed with the flavor of the soup.

"Delicious!"

"Heh, I know right?"

The bone broth had been made from a variety of aromatics, herbs, spices, and most importantly, high-quality beef bones he bought for cheap from a well-respected butcher in Orario.

'Who knew having a connection with May would allow me to receive such good treatment from various butchers and culinary shops?'

The light orange hot soup was not only tasty to drink, but quite filling and healthy for the body. Providing a menagerie of benefits whilst energizing any person for the day ahead. A quick and easy breakfast meal.

"I would've whipped out something more substantial for breakfast, but we gotta leave early today, Hesti"

"Hm? Leave early, why?"

Returning to reality from the near foodgasm she received from a simple soup, Hestia questioned why her child wished to leave so early.

"Isn't it obvious? We need to register our familia with the guild. With all the documents we will have to go through, I want to get it done as soon as possible"

"Oh right! Thanks for reminding me, Bell!"

Placing down her cherished cup of Bell's bone broth, Hestia raced to her wardrobe and retrieved a stack of papers she had prepared long ago for the day her familia was established.

"I have everything to go! Let's head to the guild, Bell!"

Faced with the prospect of finally establishing the Hestia familia within the guild's register, the goddess was ecstatic to start heading off, but Bell pulled the brakes on her enthusiasm.

Leaning against the counter of the kitchen with his simple white shirt and stretchy sweatpants, whilst taking a sip of the bone broth, Bell urged Hestia to relish the peaceful morning.

"Though I want to get it done, let's take our time Hestia. It's a wonderful morning outside… and I also haven't bathed yet. You don't want people thinking your first child and familia captain is stinky, do you?"

"O-Oh, sorry about that, Bell"

Laughing at the rambunctious nature of his goddess, Bell enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of his new family.

"Wait, you also have a job in a food stall right, Hesti? We'll be at the guild for a while, so it's probably best to inform them that you won't be able to work today"

"I forgot about that… thanks again, Bell. I really am a klutz when I get excited…"

"Don't think too much of it. I find it endearing"

"I-Is that so?"

Her heart beating faster with the sudden compliment from Bell, Hestia began trying to calm herself from seeing her child in any romantic light. For the sake of her title as a virgin goddess, and for her love-struck best friend.

But alas, she has a protagonist as the first child of her familia, it was inevitable for her to be struck down without mercy by his unaware charms. Something which has felled many a beauty across the continent.

"It would also be best if you can request a lower amount of shifts, Hesti. I am sure that you worked yourself to the bone, but that won't be necessary for much longer"

"H-Huh? But I shouldn't just rely on my child for all the finances! It would be too much strain on you…"

"Hesti, did you forget who I am?

"Eh?"

The dungeon vigilante. The hidden hero of Orario. The savior of Altena. The guardian of Shalzard. The chancellor and founder of the Gigantomachy Alliance.

Bell was grateful that Hestia's desire to take care of him exceeded her ability to recall his resume of achievements, but it was becoming a bit of a tired exchange at this point.

"Don't assume that I'm just a regular level one adventurer, Hesti. I'm more than capable of providing for us both, with or without falna"

"Oh yeah… I forgot you were a big shot…"

Hestia grew embarrassed as her desire to raise a family automatically made her see Bell was a child she should protect and raise, but Bell was far from needing the protection of a clumsy goddess like herself.

But though she felt ashamed at her behavior, Bell thought differently as he flashed her a gentle smile whilst patting her on the head. His hand recoiled slightly from the soft head of hair of the goddess.

"You don't need to think like a struggling goddess with a small familia, Hesti. Between my brawns and your charms, we're already one of the strongest familias in Orario"

Hearing his words, Hestia's heart began to beat faster and faster as she struggled to contain the emotions she was currently feeling.

"Seeing as our rise to the top as the number one familia is inevitable with our meeting, I wanna commemorate the moment with a gift. Stay still, Hesti"

Placing his cup by the kitchen counter and grabbing a small ornamental box he had tucked away last night, Bell began to fiddle with the goddess' hair before stepping away to appreciate the new look she has.

"You look great, Hesti!"

Turning to a nearby mirror, Hestia's eyes widened as she saw what Bell had done. From her normal long black hair that she set with little decorations, he had styled her hair into twin tails held together by a clip fashioned with blue and white ribbons along with a silver Bell ornament.

"It looks good, right? Blue and white to symbolize you, and Bells to symbolize… Well, me. Is it a bit too on the nose?"

"I love it… I love it! I love it! I love it, Bell!"

Jumping around with an illuminating smile on her face, Hestia began inspecting her new gift from as many angles as she can manage in front of the mirror.

Her heart soared freely as a burning feeling coursed throughout her body and soul. She was not the type to best control her emotions, so it was inevitable that she succumbed to the feeling she tried so hard to deny.

"I'm glad you like it, Hesti"

𝙋 𝙊 𝙈 𝙋 𝙁

Immediately turning away from the mirror and crashing into the sturdy body of her first child, Hestia hugged Bell as tightly as she could. Not wishing to ever let him go, the person who had given her so much in so little time.

Her body pressed on his with extreme force as her curves began to mesh and constrict under the immense tightness between them both.

'This is bad… the fire in my heart is going crazy… this is the first time the divine flame has ever gone this wild…'

The divine flame within Hestia's soul flickered and burned like it was singing a song of joy. It was an immense burning in her heart, but it didn't hurt her one bit, it was more akin to a warm embrace that melted away all her worries and fears.

Something that would become quite apparent as the goddess, lost in her emotions and driven by the high of joy she was currently experiencing, uttered a series of words that she would be saying quite often from then on to Bell.

"I love you so much, Bell!"

"... Hesti?"

"... Ah! A-As family of course! I love you so much as my first child!"

"... 𝙎𝙞𝙜𝙝… That was quite dangerous for you to do, Hestia"

Grabbing hold of the goddess with his hands and placing her down on the sofa, Bell told her to calm down as he left to shower.

But as he did so, Hestia's face began to smoke as her mind focused not only on how embarrassing her actions were, but what Bell had said to her previously.

Her heart pounded as her imagination became restless, aided by the sounds of the white-haired youth's bath in the background, and her memories of his endowed body earlier that morning.

'D-Dangerous? H-How would confessing be dangerous?'

..

.

Walking by each other's side, Hestia and Bell made their way through the streets of Orario in order to register their familia in the guild's registry.

But before they arrived at the guild's headquarters, the pair made a brief stop at the goddess' workplace, a jagamarukun vendor stall by the side of a rather busy street in the dungeon city.

"Good morning manager, do you mind if I don't clock in today… I have some important business to attend to…"

"Hm? Oh, good morning, Lady Hestia. No problem. Just report back to work in a few days. You have quite a lot of vacation days saved up after all HAHAHA!"

Seeing the star employee of their stall, the manager was more than willing to accommodate her request with little question or negotiation.

After seeing how hard she worked for her dream of establishing her own familia, and never giving up on it despite how many times she was rejected, Hestia had endeared herself in the hearts of all the staff.

"Thanks, also if you don't mind…"

"What is it? Another request?"

Seeing that she had another request to ask, the manager was more than willing to hear it out, but Hestia found it difficult to do so.

After working for so long in the stall, she was hesitant to burden them even more, but just before she was about to give up, Bell stepped in to speak for her.

"Would you mind giving my goddess fewer shifts? She won't be needing to work as hard as she did now that I am here to aid in providing for her"

"Bell?! You should've let me be the one to say it!"

"Had I done that we would've been late to arrive at the guild. You worry too much about hurting people's feelings, Hesti"

Appearing by her side, Bell began to banter with the annoyed goddess who was fuming at being exposed for her reluctance to burden others.

But rather than being affected by hearing their star employee wanted to work fewer hours, the manager began shedding tears of joy upon realizing Hestia had finally realized her dream.

"Take good care of Lady Hestia, alright?"

Taking Bell's hands into his own like a caring father, the manager began to ask the white-haired youth to treasure the goddess as if she were his own daughter.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure Hestia is the happiest goddess in Orario"

Seeing the mood in the air, Bell decided to go along with the scenario and began reassuring the manager of his commitment to care for the goddess, 'til death do them part.

"HEY! I'M SUPPOSED TO BE THE ONE TAKING CARE OF BELL! NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!"

Hestia shouted in protest at the notion that she would be the one being cared for in the familia, but her words fell on deaf ears as the manager and staff of the stall began shedding tears to celebrate the joy that their beloved potato goddess has been blessed with.

"Such a handsome and reliable young man too…"

"Those two fit each other perfectly, it's as if it were destiny…"

Realizing that she was no longer in control of anything, the goddess grew embarrassed as passing strangers began to look upon them with curiosity. Their murmurs reached her ears like a crashing wave of quiet whispers.

"NNGGHHH!- BELL! WE'RE LEAVING!"

"But I haven't gotten to know my father-in-law yet-"

"My manager isn't your father-in-law, neither is he my father, and we aren't a married couple! Let's just register our familia in the guild already!"

Dragging along her child with her face as red as a tomato, Hestia and Bell began to head for the guild's headquarters, leaving the jagamarukun stall's staff with smiles of elation.

"What a wonderful thing young love is~"

..

.

"Bell… how many more documents do we need to sign?..."

"A couple more dozen left, Hesti. Wasn't it you who said she wanted to register as quick as possible back at the jagamarukun stall?"

"T-Thats that, and this is this! They're wholly separate matters!"

Suffering through the process that was known as bureaucracy, Bell and Hestia did their best to accomplish as many of the needed documents that were necessary for their familia to be registered in the guild.

But the already long process was further encumbered by a recent incident within the headquarters. A mysterious bombing of their document housing facility has caused the guild to begin placing more sanctions on the processes that involve its usage.

Ergo, it was Bell's idea to become a domestic terrorist which led him and his goddess to suffer the consequences of his actions. Though only he knew that he was repenting for his explosive solution.

"How is it going, Bell? Lady Hestia? I prepared some drinks for you two. Allow me to apologize once more on the guild's behalf for this inconvenience"

Walking up to the table the pair were using to accomplish the documents, Eina placed a tray of tea down on the table in order to alleviate the strains the two might be experiencing from their current torment.

"Thank you so much, miss advisor, My mind needs some rest from all this reading…"

"Thanks, Eina… 𝙨𝙞𝙥… and might I say, you've gotten really good at brewing Alv green tea"

"Hehe, I learned from the best after all"

Eina began conversing with Bell and Hestia in order to aid them in the registration process, though the half-elven advisor mostly dealt with helping the goddess who had fumes spouting out of her head.

The two women had gotten close after Bell explained to Hestia about his current registration as a Class-II adventurer of the dungeon, and how the half-elf had helped him many times in his dealings with the guild.

Interested in getting to know her child, Hestia and Eina bantered a lot whilst discussing stories of what Bell was like when he first arrived in Orario, how he learned the necessities of being an adventurer, and his general life in the dungeon city.

After a few more hours of signing documents, the Hestia familia was finally registered within the guild's ledger as a Rank-I familia.

Consisting of the head goddess and one level-one adventurer, who has been given the title of familia captain due to a lack of any other eligible holder of the title.

Presenting the head goddess of the familia with a permit of certification, Eina smiled as she watched Hestia's eyes sparkle immensely with glee and elation.

"Bell! Look! Look! We're finally an official familia!"

"We already were a familia when you blessed me with your falna though…"

"I know! But now we're recognized by the guild! That makes us officially official!"

Hearing how the goddess explained her current joy, Bell and Eina couldn't help but laugh at the energetic goddess' unique way of being happy over a simple piece of paper.

But Hestia's infatuation with the permit would be short-lived as she exchanged gazes with a certain goddess she hadn't talked to in a long while.

"Artemis!"

"Hestia?"

"𝘾 𝙊 𝙐 𝙂 𝙃"

Calling out to her fellow virgin goddess of Olympus, and a treasured friend, Hestia excitedly beckoned Artemis to talk with her.

Along with Artemis were her familia's children, the famed huntresses of the moon who had been dubbed as the『Moon Rangers』by children throughout the city.

"Lady Artemis, who might this be?"

Going to her side with curiosity, Rethusa asked who the short-haired goddess with an abundant chest was. To her question, Artemis smiled gently as she gave out her answer.

"She is Hestia, my child. Goddess of the Hearth, and a dear friend of mine I made in heaven"

Walking with a smile on her face, the goddess of the hunt and moon was joyed to see her friend for the first time in a while… especially given the fact that she was meeting another precious person of hers at the same time.

『It's nice to be able to talk to you again, Orion』

'Y-Yeah, nice to meet you again as well, Artemis'

Taking a seat at their table, Hestia and Artemis began to catch–up on everything that had happened in their lives since they last met. Much to the detriment of Bell's mind as Artemis conversed with her beloved Orion at the same time through their mental link.

"You couldn't believe my surprise when I heard how famous you and your children were when I descended, Artemis! You're really living up to your aspirations to help the innocent and weak!"

"Hehe, it's nothing to praise much, Hestia. Becoming assigned to Orario's inspection force was only something I considered… at the suggestion of someone I had a fateful encounter with"

『Allow me to thank you once again for suggesting to head to Orario back at the Elsos ruins, my Orion. My children and I have never been happier serving the people of this city as their protectors』

'You're very much welcome…'

Sipping on his tea with a worried Eina noticing his apprehension, Bell did his best to diminish his presence as the two goddesses continued conversing. That was until the subject of their talks suddenly shifted to him.

"By the way, Hestia. That must be a permit for certification, can I assume that this young man over here is your first child?"

Artemis questioned eloquently while glancing at Bell with a look of playfulness, which only made the poor white-haired youth sweat in worry.

"Yeah! Bell, meet Artemis! Artemis, meet Bell!"

Realizing that two people she treasured dearly were with her, Hestia excitedly introduced them both to each other in the hopes that they could get along… not knowing that they were already intimately aware of one another.

"I am Artemis, head goddess of the Artemis familia, and preside over the moon and the hunt. It is a pleasure to meet you, Bell"

『Hestia is adorable, but you should really think of breaking the truth to her someday, Bell. It's not nice hiding stuff from someone as sincere as her』

"It is my honor to meet the famed Artemis. Thank you for all the work you and your children have done in keeping our streets safe"

'I am working on it. But I can't just tell her that I am in a relationship with three goddesses, two of which aren't supposed to be dating anyone'

As the conversation neared its end, the huntresses of Artemis began reconvening near their location after they had resolved their business with the guild, but a few of their members sensed a peculiarity within the vicinity.

"I smell something familiar here"

Atalante began picking up a scent that she faintly recognized. Being a trained hunter, her ability to pick up and recognize scents was far more advanced than a regular beast person such as Naaza Erisuis.

Hearing the green-haired archer's observation, Lante simply refuted her claims with a tired joke. Wanting to rest after patrolling the city and diving into the dungeon.

"It must be a random scent. You always say that you pick up a familiar scent every few days, Atalante"

"But… I'm sure of it this time…"

"Yeah, yeah, let's get going and rest already. Stress is every young girl's enemy"

"Alright…"

Seeing this exchange unfold had unnerved Bell extremely. He was not ready to reveal himself fully to all the people who yearned for his return, which elicited laughter from Artemis who could recognize the state of his mind instantly.

『My huntresses are eagerly awaiting for you to fulfill your promise of cooking for all of us again, Orion. You know better than to keep a band of huntresses waiting unless you want them to start hunting you down? That might be fun actually. It would be some good practice for them with your evasion skills~』

'I get it! I'll make some time a few days from now!'

『As reliable as always, my Orion, Take care and treat Hestia well… also, my offer from last night is still available』

"𝘾 𝙊 𝙐 𝙂 𝙃"

"Bell?! Did you choke on the tea?!"

Unable to take in the sudden blow from Artemis, the moon goddess laughed mischievously as she left the guild with her children. Leaving Eina and Hestia unaware of just how perverse the virgin goddess of the moon and the hunt had truly become.

..

.

"HHhhhaaaa… I was so worried back there, Bell!"

"Hm? Why?"

Exiting the guild headquarters shortly after Artemis and her huntresses, Hestia began to confide with Bell about her nervousness throughout their conversation with Eina and Artemis.

"I mean… it was hard keeping your secret identity hidden, you know? It's well-known that the guild is searching for the Gray Ghost, they even commissioned the Artemis familia to aid in their search, especially since yesterday"

With the recent surge of enthusiasm at the vigilante's return, aided with his track record of incidents and accomplishments throughout the continent, along with the fact that their headquarters was recently attacked, the guild began ramping their already considerable efforts to track the Gray Ghost.

But to Bell, it was not much of a surprise, he had already been informed of the search multiple times by Freya, Hermes, and even Artemis whom the guild commissioned to find him.

He could infer that the order probably originated from Ouranos who could no longer simply stay as a silent observer given his actions.

"It's alright, Hesti. Everything is under control"

"You sure? I know how strong you are, but I still worry…"

"I was able to survive an army of Behemoths. I can sure as hell survive a couple of curious people from the guild"

"Alright, but back to the previous topic, it's so hard to lie to people you trust…"

"Y-Yeah. It really is"

With a tang of guilt stinging his heart, Bell began to plan on how to best reveal to Hestia just how much of a pervert he truly was. Being the man who seduced three goddesses and a queen of a nation… and probably even more.

..

.

"It's been a while since I last visited the Hephaestus familia's shop in Babel"

Pursuing through the wares of various skilled artisans of the forge, Bell began tracing as many weapons as he could and storing them into his reality marble.

He had separated from Hestia after he stated his desire to delve into the dungeon and get used to his falna, to which the goddess reluctantly agreed after some negotiations.

With no work to do for the day, he gave the goddess with no hobbies one of the books he had written for Haruhime in the hopes that it might alleviate her boredom.

'Speaking of Haruhime, I should probably visit her tonight. Her stockpile of books should be completed by this point… and I should start planning to systematically demolish Ishtar's ambitions'

Observing the various weapons and armor whilst simultaneously going through some of his ideas on how to profit as much as he could from Ishtar, Bell's eyes stumbled across a particular knife that caught his attention.

"Crozzo…"

In front of Bell was a white knife that radiated the aura of being crafted by a masterful smith. But beyond its veneer of high-quality craftsmanship was the presence of Danmachi's version of magic circuits. An interconnected web of mind that allowed a weapon to manifest mystical effects.

Marked with the symbol of Welf Crozzo, what was in front of Bell was undoubtedly one of Crozzo's famed magic swords. One that resembled a weapon he remembered quite well from his past life. Hakugen.

"Crafted from a unicorn horn as its base, it's a knife that was able to cure poisons or any other abnormal statuses through implanting its blade into the affected body part… but it seems more potent now…"

The original Hakugen was a regular knife made from a valuable material, but right now, its effects were enhanced through its state as a magic sword. The Crozzo's magic circuits allowed a user's mind to enhance the unicorn horn's already potent cleansing ability.

"But that's not all, the forging process is simply amazing. The north sea smithing technique must've been utilized in conjunction with the sword village's tempering methodology to produce this level of quality…"

Bell's mind was captured entirely by his fascination with the knife, to the point that he began listing off all the techniques and processes that went into the making of the weapon, all inferred through his Unlimited Blade Works.

The passing adventurers of the Hephaestus familia's shops looked at Bell as if he were a weirdo, but the smiths who were selling their wares became fascinated with how knowledgeable he was at such a young age.

His spirit and enthusiasm for blacksmithing and his robust knowledge reminded them greatly of Welf Crozzo who forged the magic sword Bell was currently examining.

In the past, the smiths of the Hephaestus familia pitied him for his stubbornness to not utilize his gifts to further his craft, but after a chance encounter with the Gray Ghost, the renegade Rakian noble began making strides as a blacksmith as he fully embraced his blood and lineage.

He no longer ran away and refused its existence out of pride, but utilized it to go against the legacy his family and ancestors had cultivated after years of war under the regime of Ares and the Rakian royal family.

Welf Crozzo's magic swords became a topic of interest among artisans and adventurers for their unique properties. They were swords that were not created for the sole purpose of cutting or piercing.

Magic swords that only harmed monsters. Magic swords that healed injuries. Magic swords that cleansed abnormalities. Welf began revolutionizing the world of magic sword creation with a simple yet genius change of perspectives of what a sword should be.

His wares began being sought after by countless adventurers, even the famous adventurers of the Freya and Loki familia. But though he stood to gain immense wealth, he only sparingly provided his wares for sale to sustain his way of living.

According to eavesdroppers who spied on his conversations with the goddess Hephaestus and the familia captain Tsubaki, Welf Crozzo swore to himself to dedicate his swords to only furthering one person's goals… the Gray Ghost.

『He saved me and gave my life new meaning… until I can forge a sword that can sever fate, destiny, and even karma, I will not focus on anything else!』

It was a declaration that made many people call him a fool. Only a divine blacksmith such as their head goddess was capable of forging such a weapon.

But to the master smiths of the familia, to the captain, and even the head goddess herself, they all welcomed the young smith's ambition with a smile on their faces. Eagerly awaiting what manner of weapon will come forth from his burning forge.

"You must be the first adventurer who has actually appreciated that weapon instead of wanting it for the fact that it is a magic sword"

"Huh?"

Approaching the engrossed Bell, a beautiful woman of red hair began to commend him for appreciating the Crozzo's weapon beyond its looks and state as a magic sword.

"The North Sea smithing technique is used by smiths of the northern sea region due to the density of the metals found in their region's mountains. An appropriate technique for refining a rigid material such as a unicorn horn. Ensuring its magical properties remain throughout the creation process"

"The sword village's tempering methodology, developed in the sword city Solingen, is a technique which excels in the conservation of base material to forge it into one's ideal form. Another appropriate technique for the unicorn horn, given that any loss of material on the horn would greatly reduce its cleansing properties"

(A/N: I'm just pulling this out of my ass. This isn't actual information from Damachi. If it sounds like it's inspired by a cultivation story… it's because it is-)

Expounding on the countless points he had made in his observation of the magic sword, the red-haired beauty began to attract countless gazes from adventurers and blacksmiths alike as she continued talking with a calmed expression and tone.

"Ah! Sorry about that, I overheard you talking and I was eager to chat with you. It's been a while since I met someone so knowledgeable of obscure smithing knowledge such as the North Sea method…"

Turning his head to meet the woman who began talking beside him, Bell's eyes widened as he instantly recognized who the person was.

"That was rude of me. I am Hephaestus, goddess of the Hephaestus familia"

The red-haired goddess turned his way with a kind smile on her face. Her luscious hair glowed under the light of the famed shop's light and her features were illuminated whilst surrounded by the products of her divine authority.

"Might I have the pleasure of knowing your name? Huh?"

'SHIT!-'

With immense regret, Bell's sky blue eye had connected with Hephaestus' blood-red eye. In an instant, an electric shock ran through both their bodies as their souls began to resonate with one another immensely.

Unlimited Blade Works began to spur with life and activity, and the goddess' divine forging flame began to be set alight with vigor and passion.

𝙂𝙍𝙄𝙋

"Come with me"

Taking the white-haired youth's hand into her own, the goddess began dragging Bell throughout her familia's shop. Countless adventurers and blacksmiths stared at them both as they walked at a hurried pace.

Before long, Bell was urged to enter her office as Hephaestus immediately closed the door behind them, leaving all the observers who witnessed what happened confused as to what had happened.

"Hhhaa… Hhhaa… Hhhaa…"

Hepheastus began to breathe heavily as she recovered from her sudden burst of movement, all the while Bell could only stare at her with an awkward tension surrounding the air between them both.

'I was planning on reuniting with Hephaestus in a more controlled environment…'

Bell always wanted to reunite with the goddess of the forge. After saving her years ago, he didn't have a good reason to risk intermingling with such a prominent figure in Orario, when he wanted to preserve his secret identity.

But now that he planned to reveal his true self soon in the near future, he was excited to finally be able to discuss smithing with her. Alas, now it would seem that his plans have been pushed forward ahead of time without his knowledge.

"It's been a while since we last met, Hephaestus. How have you been?"

Not knowing how to even begin explaining himself, he chose to start the conversation with the safest option, but it was quickly shot down as the goddess began to confront him.

"Why did you not speak to me for so long after you saved me, Gray Ghost?"

The red-haired goddess gazed directly at him as she began to let go of all the questions and worries she had built up over the years.

As she did so, Bell quickly closed shut his sky-blue eye in fear that the reaction it had with Hephaestus might hamper their conversation.

"You saved me, called the eye I hated for so long beautiful… then just vanished without saying anything!"

"You continued fighting crime all over Orario. Traveled to Altena and saved them from disaster. Hopped on over to the Kaios and reconstituted a nation. Founded an alliance with the strongest familia in the world to vanquish the Behemoths… and… and… you couldn't even spare a word for me?!"

"Was I just another person to add to the long list of people you have saved? Am I just one of the many grateful people that are lost in the crowd? Because your words meant so much to me… your actions were one I've yearned for so long that… I… I… I thought I was special!"

Hephaestus began speaking quickly without rest. The breaths between her words were getting more and more sparse as the flood of emotions continued to pour out of her heart and mouth.

Soon tears began to develop upon the edges of both her eyes. A stream of clear water on her left, and a dissipating cloud of steam on her covered right.

"I'm sorry… I know this must be weird to hear from someone you haven't talked to for years, and just because I've hopelessly fallen for you doesn't mean I should think that you feel the same… but after hearing news of your marriage, my heart can't take it anymore!"

"So that I can regain my peace of mind and finally move on from you… please tell me… what am I to you, Gray Ghost!"

..

.

"Instead of answering that, I'll tell you what kind of person I am, Hephaestus"

Approaching the trembling Hephaestus, Bell began to calmly explain himself to the best of his abilities.

"I am going to throw away all the flowery words and give it to you straight. I have saved and forgotten many people throughout my time as a vigilante… but there are a select few people I have remembered throughout the thousands I have helped…"

"Among them are countless beauties that I have taken as my own, and as hard as I try to justify my relationships with all of them, I am nothing but a pervert that wants to reciprocate all the love beautiful women give me… within reason of course"

"There are currently three goddesses I have curried the favor of, as well as one human girl who I can assume you already know of… on top of that are a group of others who I am still exploring things with, but to which I cannot deny my intention and desire to add them to my growing number of lovers"

Bell began to bluntly list off all his desires, intentions, and history to the confused Hephaestus. He no longer cared about anything else at the moment due to a high amount of tension built up in his body.

Perhaps it was from the constant teasing and prodding Freya and Artemis have been giving him in recent times.

Perhaps it was due to the split-second connection he established with the blacksmith goddess which agitated his carnal urges.

Perhaps it was the cultivated tension from having to live with a highly attractive goddess in an isolated church basement.

Perhaps it was as simple as Bell wanting to satiate his desires as a man which were fully released after countless sleepless nights with Freya and Arry.

Whatever the case may be, his intentions and desires for the goddess in front of him were clear for all to see.

"I always desired to meet with you again, Hephaestus, and it would be my honor to both receive and give you love. But I cannot forsake the relationships I have already raised for you alone…"

He was blunt but honest. After realizing how horrible he felt lying to Hestia about his love life, he decided from then on that he wouldn't be ashamed of the love he has received from all the women who had helped him become who he currently was.

"So the choice is yours, Lady Hephaestus. You may reject my advances and we will stay as acquaintances, to which I hope we can cultivate a friendship as fellow artisans of the forgotten…"

"However, if you choose to accept, I can reveal to you who you truly are in my eyes, goddess… in a manner beyond mere simple words, and in a way that you will never forget…"

Bell's words echoed like a siren's temptations through the walls of Hephaestus' ears. His offer was simply outrageous. Asking the goddess of a famed blacksmithing familia to become one of his many lovers.

Had it been any other man, the goddess would have surely come to villainize them for her entire immortal existence, but the person who currently tested the strength of her morals was no ordinary man.

"..."

Alas, all walls crumble in the face of desire. Just as the walls of Jericho fell into the dust, Hephaestus' beliefs of a two-person couple began to wither away in the face of Bell's devilish offer that tugged on her heart.

"Promise me that no matter how many people you choose to love, you won't forget me again"

Hephaestus spoke out so with a soft voice, the best she could muster with all her remaining strength as she was pinned to the wall by Bell.

Hearing her words, Bell could only gently smile as he corrected the belief of the goddess that she was relegated away from his mind for so long.

"I have never forgotten about you, Hephaestus…"

Raising her eyepatch to reveal her deformed feature which caused her so much torment and self-loathing, Bell met its gaze with his own blue eye.

"I have never once forgotten your beauty…"

..

.

"No matter how much I try to run away from it, I am becoming the person my grandfather always wished for me to be…"

Going down the stairs at the entrance of the dungeon, Bell began to prepare for his first dungeon dive as an adventurer.

After finishing his 'relations' with Hephaestus, he was able to resolve his mistake with the smithing goddess who had now been added to his growing harem.

'I'll have to inform Artemis and Freya about this as soon as possible… and I should also think about breaking the truth to Hestia…'

Though Bell would admit that he is a pervert, he would never be as crass as to repeat the numerous mistakes his grandfather has made during his long tenure as an enemy of all women.

'I'll also have to talk about this with Lili, maybe Naaza based on the hints of attraction I sensed before… Maybe Eina and Asfi? But I feel like they're more passive… I guess suffering from success is a true thing'

Relegating his love life to the side as post-nut clarity set in, Bell finally arrived at the bottom of the stairs of the dungeon's entrance.

Staring in front of Bell were the numerous pathways of the dungeon's first floor that have been thoroughly explored by countless adventurers, dating even beyond the dungeon city's inception.

'I could start off on the beginning road that most beginners use to acclimate themselves to fighting… but I hardly need to cultivate experience. I'm just here to get used to and grow my status'

The beginning road is often used by beginner adventurers to train due to the fact that it is a wide passageway of the first floor. Allowing beginners to learn how to fight without worrying about spacing.

But as a consequence of this, the beginning road is quite lacking in monsters to train with, due to the large number of beginners, and also because many monsters end up dying from more powerful adventurers who use the pathway as a quick route to the dungeon's entrance.

With this in mind, Bell began heading towards a relatively unused pathway on the first floor, holding a knife and satchel that the guild provides to most beginner adventurers.

Looking at him, many adventurers began to feel pity for what they perceived as a beginner foolishly overestimating their abilities… not knowing that the strongest person in the vicinity was the very person they were looking at.

"No reinforcement and just purely relying on my status… let's see how far I go…"

..

.

"KRIIIII!!!-"

"Shut up, will you?"

𝙎𝙏𝘼𝘽

Efficiently piercing the skull of a goblin with his knife, Bell proceeded to ensure the death of the monster before moving on to his next target, the poor goblin disintegrating into ash and leaving only a magic stone.

𝙎𝙏𝘼𝘽… 𝙎𝙏𝘼𝘽… 𝙎𝙏𝘼𝘽...

Hordes of goblins were felled upon meeting the edge of Bell's knife. Making quick work of a group of monsters that would've surely killed any regular beginner level-one adventurer.

𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙃… 𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙃… 𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙃...

Following the hordes of goblins were hordes of kobolds, which amounted to a level of difficulty no different than the goblins. The only difference was that Bell found their coarse howling more irritating than the screeches of the goblins.

𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙃… 𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙃… 𝙎𝙏𝘼𝘽… 𝙎𝙏𝘼𝘽...

With his body moving on instinct without the aid of any reinforcement magecraft, the white-haired youth had mindlessly slaughtered countless monsters, eventually landing him deep on the fourth floor of the dungeon.

His progress in the dungeon was slightly hampered by the fact he needed to manually collect his magic stones, lest he allow a variant monster to develop in the upper floors and massacre the beginner adventurers.

"Lili is a top-tier fighter now, so perhaps I should start looking for another supporter I can rely on? But there aren't any notable porters mentioned in the story who aren't Lili or are already in a familia… besides Haruhime, but it will be a while before I can free her"

Though Bell was completely capable of wiping out Ishtar by himself right then and there, he opted not to in order to use them as a training ground for his future allies.

'If I'm going to get rid of her either way, it's better I choose the path with the most benefits… I wonder how much Excelia Lili can earn if I order her to fight that toad of a familia captain?'

As he wondered how to best milk the Ishtar familia for all that they were worth, the knife he had been using to fight so far had unknowingly shattered after immense use.

The common knife wasn't capable of withstanding the sheer efficiency and ruthless nature of his fighting style, leaving Bell somewhat miffed by the weapon's construction.

'The smith who made the knife hardly put any effort into it… I wonder if I can become a supplier of beginner knives in the future. I can mass-produce them with a higher quality… gaining funds and helping the survival rate of beginner adventurers… I like it! I'll add it to my plans to greatly consider'

Whilst he focused his attention on how to best further his gains in the future, Bell began to descend the stairs which connected the fourth floor to the fifth floor.

The natural light which illuminated the pathways of the dungeon began to shift from blue to green as numerous presences began to be felt by Bell's instincts.

In the distance from the pathway between floors, Bell could see a congregation of War Shadows, and a group of Killer Ants just beyond them.

Already having confirmed his ability to fight without the use of his reinforcement, and concluding that it was an inefficient way to spend his time, Bell began letting loose as he projected Kanshou and Bakyua into his hands. Making sure there was no one to notice his magecraft.

"Though I may have given Emma Kanshou and Bakuya, it doesn't mean I can't use them on occasion. Now, let's start farming excelia to begin leveling up as quickly as I can!"

Recalling his past conversations with Eina, the current record for the fastest level-up was widely debated.

Some say that it belonged to Liliruca Arde who became level two after unsealing her status after years of being a supporter.

Others say that the record is invalid due to the pallum's history in the dungeon as a supporter, attributing the record instead to Ais' record of nearly a year to attain level two.

Regardless of what the people of Orario thought, Bell would make sure there was only one answer by the time he revealed his identity.

"The record will be lowered down to less than a month, and it will be under my name"

『𝙍𝙀𝙄𝙉𝙁𝙊𝙍𝘾𝙀』

(E/D: Fen forgot about Scathach. *Murderous Intentions*)

….

..

.

"Hhhaa… my bag is full of magic stones and a few drop items. I better stop my farming of excelia here…"

Walking down a path of ash, Bell continued exploring the deep parts of the seventh floor of the dungeon with no goal in particular.

He was already quite adept at exploring the dungeon due to his time as a vigilante, so he simply did it to kill time.

But alas, idle moments are not fated to be for Bell as he soon encountered a sight he was also quite adept at seeing in the dungeon.

'Criminal adventurers…'

Reinforcing all his senses on instinct in order to gather as much information as he could, Bell began to examine how best to resolve this scenario.

'A common case of criminal adventurers ambushing returning adventurers for all their possessions? By my examinations, the victims are level three's and the criminals are level ones and twos. It was simply a misfortunate case of being overwhelmed with numbers…'

His eyes moving across the scene with efficiency, he concluded that there were two victims, and they were both about to succumb to their injuries in a few minutes due to blood loss… but they would sooner die at the edge of the criminal adventurers' blades.

'A coordinated attack to destroy a rival familia? This is simply too large of an operation for it to be a common ambush thievery…'

Enhancing his senses even further, Bell could detect a whiff of iron farther ahead from his current position.

'Familia eradication…'

The complete coordinated destruction of a familia's adventurers by a rival or enemy. It was less common of an encounter due to the publicity and risk involved in doing such a crime, but it was not beyond the realm of possibility.

『𝙏𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙀...』

Without hesitation, Bell prepared to project his weapons and attire as the Gray Ghost, but he stopped midway as he felt a certain part of his status changing in real-time as if something restricted had become free.

『Skill 「𝙀𝙉𝙑𝙊𝙔 𝙊𝙁 𝙅𝙐𝙎𝙏𝙄𝘾𝙀」has been released in the face of evil 』

..

.

"Don't worry poor bastard, you'll be joining your fellow familia members in the afterlife real soon~"

"Gh- What the hell did we ever do to you?"

"Your goddess caught the attention of our god, and your little daughter over there caught the fancy of our captain over there. I'm sure you can get the idea~"

"Bastard…"

With his daughter behind him, bleeding out onto the dungeon floor, the captain of one of the many unknown familias of Orario struggled to keep his consciousness together as he faced the end of his life.

But the end of his life did not scare him more than what awaited his treasured daughter and his cherished goddess who raised him throughout his fifty years of life in the lower world.

What horrors will his child face? What abuse will his goddess endure? What will his wife suffer upon his passing? Those prospects scared him much more than his own end.

But alas, though it was unjust, all morals were naught inside the dungeon. No one could be held accountable within its malevolent walls. Not even the gods themselves.

Except… for one person…

"Are you not afraid of the Gray Ghost?"

The dungeon vigilante. The sole enforcer of justice who brought the scum of the dungeon city to its knees. For two years he had disappeared from Orario, but as of yesterday, the whole city was made aware of his return.

"Heh, that wannabe hero? You really think he has nothing better to do than to deal with some nobodies like yourselves?"

..

.

『𝙀𝙉𝙑𝙊𝙔 𝙊𝙁 𝙅𝙐𝙎𝙏𝙄𝘾𝙀 𝙃𝘼𝙎 𝘽𝙀𝙀𝙉 𝘾𝘼𝙇𝙇𝙀𝘿 𝙐𝙋𝙊𝙉』

Searing flames of reddish-white manifested from the shadows of the dungeon pathways and began encroaching upon the encirclement of criminal adventurers.

At the wildfire's origin was a blade that held on its crossguard a scale. It didn't appear to be an object of physical mass but constructed out of pure will and thought. A manifestation of a concept.

𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙥… 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙥… 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙥...

Walking through the sea of flames was a silhouette that had been seared into the minds of Orario's darkness. Even to the fortunate few who hadn't encountered him, his description was spoken of like a boogeyman that brought unruly children in line.

『𝘼𝙋𝙋𝙊𝙄𝙉𝙏𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏 𝙊𝙁 𝙀𝙉𝙑𝙊𝙔 𝘾𝙊𝙉𝙁𝙄𝙍𝙈𝙀𝘿… 𝘿𝙀𝙎𝙄𝙂𝙉𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙎𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙍𝙄𝙏𝙔 𝙊𝙁 𝙎𝙐𝘽𝙅𝙀𝘾𝙏𝙎 𝙏𝙊 𝘽𝙀 𝙅𝙐𝘿𝙂𝙀𝘿』

He was as dark as a shadow and as elusive as the night. His ominous glowing eyes pierced through every facade.

The shaking of his chains across the dungeon's floor echoed through their body, and the shimmer of twilight on his blades elucidated all falsehood.

『𝘿𝙀𝙎𝙄𝙂𝙉𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙋𝙇𝙀𝙏𝙀… 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙁𝙄𝙑𝙀 𝙋𝙀𝙍𝙎𝙊𝙉 𝙅𝙐𝙍𝙔, 𝙊𝙉𝙇𝙔 𝙊𝙉𝙀 𝙎𝙃𝘼𝙇𝙇 𝘽𝙀 𝘼𝙋𝙋𝙊𝙄𝙉𝙏𝙀𝘿 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙎𝘾𝙀𝙉𝘼𝙍𝙄𝙊』

And when he appears, no longer think of running or escaping…

『𝘼𝙍𝘽𝙄𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙊𝙁 𝙅𝙐𝙎𝙏𝙄𝘾𝙀 𝙃𝘼𝙎 𝘽𝙀𝙀𝙉 𝘼𝙋𝙋𝙊𝙄𝙉𝙏𝙀𝘿. 𝘼𝙒𝘼𝙄𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙅𝙐𝘿𝙂𝙀𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏』

… Instead, pray to any god that forgiveness awaits you on the other side.

..

.

"What is this?"

In a peaceful village in the countryside. West of Orario, and far from any turbulent happenings, Astraea's eyes grew wide as she felt a flood of information fill her mind. Her divinity as a goddess of justice resonated with the energy that was calling out to her.

It was a detailed description of a person's encounter with a criminal group of adventurers who had just conducted a familia eradication, something she was quite familiar with as the head goddess of the former enforcer of order in Orario. The annihilated Astraea familia.

"Envoy of Justice? But this blessing should only be reserved for spirits and lesser gods of justice… how could a mortal have access to it?"

Astraea questioned how she had been appointed as the arbiter of a mortal envoy, but she would ponder on it later, for now, she needed to arbitrate the enforcement of her divine authority in the lower world.

"I may have lost my children in pursuit of justice… but so long as there are people to protect, I will still uphold my principles… only when all evil is vanquished will I finally subject myself to judgment for my crimes"

The goddess' ocean blue eyes began to shimmer like the glint of her justice-enforcing sword. With swiftness, Astraea gave out her ruling to the envoy who beckoned for her arbitration.

..

.

『𝘼𝙍𝘽𝙄𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙊𝙁 𝙅𝙐𝙎𝙏𝙄𝘾𝙀 𝙃𝘼𝙎 𝘿𝙀𝙀𝙈𝙀𝘿 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙊𝙁𝙁𝙀𝙉𝘿𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙋𝘼𝙍𝙏𝙔 𝙂𝙐𝙄𝙇𝙏𝙔. 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝘼𝙍𝙀 𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙀𝘽𝙔 𝙂𝙄𝙑𝙀𝙉 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘼𝙐𝙏𝙃𝙊𝙍𝙄𝙏𝙔 𝙏𝙊 𝙀𝙓𝙀𝙍𝘾𝙄𝙎𝙀 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙒𝙄𝙇𝙇 𝙊𝙁 𝙅𝙐𝙎𝙏𝙄𝘾𝙀』

..

.

.̵̨̞̫͚̮̰̤͆̀̚͘.̶̧̛͚͔̘̲̭̭̪͕̖͆̀̆̕̕.̵̡̨̡͕̰̝̗̰͖̺̈́͛͆̒̎͝.̴̨̝̺͓̻͉̠̞͠.̷̨͍͇͉̖̹̝̼̪̅̊̋͠ͅ.̷̨͉̫̻̞̳̈́ 𝙋 𝙐 𝙍 𝙂 𝙀 𝘼 𝙇 𝙇 𝙀 𝙑 𝙄 𝙇 .̵̨̞̫͚̮̰̤͆̀̚͘.̶̧̛͚͔̘̲̭̭̪͕̖͆̀̆̕̕.̵̡̨̡͕̰̝̗̰͖̺̈́͛͆̒̎͝.̴̨̝̺͓̻͉̠̞͠.̷̨͍͇͉̖̹̝̼̪̅̊̋͠ͅ.̷̨͉̫̻̞̳̈́

..

.

What followed after was a scene that the common adventurer and his daughter would never forget. Seared forever into their minds like the blazing fires that captured their enemies.

A sea of hellfire descended as the Gray Ghost began to decimate all of the targets that he had condemned with his chained blades.

Fire wafted through the air as if it were an extension of his body and will. Burning away at their bodies. Piercing through their armor with intense heat. Searing away all extremities until only their crimes remained.

The Gray Ghost became famous for turning the darkness against the very people who used it to carry out their crimes and ill-interests, but now he had evolved from such methodology.

In the dungeon where darkness awaited all who explored its floor, the Gray Ghost had brought the searing and burning light of justice.

..

.

"HHhhhaaa… HHhhhaaa… that really drained me…"

Resting upon the rooftop of one of Orairo's many homes, Bell tried his best to stabilize his breath after securing the safety of the victims. Teleporting out of the dungeon once he finished accompanying them to the entrance.

After invoking one of the magics he had obtained through falna, Bell couldn't help but be amazed at just how powerful it was.

'It's essentially a buff for me against any enemy that is evil-aligned. Whether or not the enemy is evil-aligned is decided by some arbiter… I can only assume it would be a god or goddess of justice… in which case, this makes it even more absurd of a magic to have'

If his choice of target is approved by a chosen arbiter, Bell would then be granted with an immense boost in strength and the complete manipulation of what he could only refer to as 'hellfire'.

'That fire was hotter than even the flames of the furnace I used to forge the weapons against the Behemoth. Given the enemies I will be facing in the future, my imminent victory has just become more probable!'

The last thing that made Bell excited and amazed was that the magic wasn't at full power. The magic only allowed one arbiter to arbitrate the scenario, so what would happen if all five were to be called upon? Just how powerful would he become?

'All things will come in due time, for now though, I better raise my endurance. My magic would go to waste if I just burned up into ash while fighting…'

Bell was excited to conduct his first status update, but before that, he had one more meeting he wanted to have before he ended the day. A meeting with a certain blonde-haired Renard.

..

.

"... And that was how The Lord of the Rings ended, do you get it now Aisha?"

"How can one person write so much about so many benign things…"

"That's the appeal of it! The world is so vast and detailed, it's as if it were actually real!"

Inside one of the many brothels of the red-light district, Haruhime and Aisha were conducting one of their bi-weekly book club meetings.

A tradition the Renard had suggested to the amazoness with immense excitement, so much so that Aisha couldn't even find it in her cold-blooded heart to reject the innocent young girl's request.

"𝙎𝙞𝙜𝙝… I guess I'll have to reread the books again to fully understand it. At least all this reading has helped me get better at processing the familia's documents"

"Is that so, Aisha? Then I am overjoyed that my selfishness was able to help you in some manner!"

Seeing the innocent joy that Haruhime expressed at being able to help her indirectly, Aisha's heart could only grow tight with guilt as she knew what fate awaited the young girl.

'Damn that Ishtar. So obsessed with an empty title that she would sacrifice an innocent girl like Haruhime. It's not like getting the title will make her more of a slut than she already is!'

Hiding her seething anger beneath her smiling face, the amazoness was becoming desperate as she had obtained news that her accursed goddess had gotten hold of a new killing stone that was currently being delivered through a black market broker.

After breaking the first killing stone and preventing Haruhime's death years prior, the goddess charmed Aisha into not being able to disobey her plans and commands, thus forcing her to simply helplessly watch as the poor Renard gets killed over the goddess' fragile ego.

Aisha tried formulating countless plans in the hopes that one of them might be able to secure Haruhime's life, but all of them required the help of a third party, and in the entire familia only she ever truly cared about the poor girl.

'The Gray Ghost is my best bet as of now. Only an elusive and intelligent vigilante like himself could be capable of supplying Haruhime with her books. After learning that he returned to Orario yesterday… I can only hope he will come to check up on her…'

She didn't like the feeling of leaving her fate in the hands of another person, as it went against her survival of the fittest mentality during her upbringing in the Kaios, but she had no right to complain if the person helping her was the Gray Ghost.

'If he was able to somehow tame the hellscape that is my home region of the Kaios, he can sure as hell bring that damned Ishtar to heel…'

As the amazoness concluded her thoughts, the voice of Haruhime broke through her consciousness as the Renard began to continue their book club's meeting.

"We have a problem, Aisha… we have run out of books from Sir Tinker Bell to read… what should we do for our next book club meeting?"

"No more books?"

Realizing that they had run out of books, Aisha began to notice a peculiar pattern in the books' quantity. She and Haruhime would work through a book a week in order to fully dissect it, as per the Renard's insatiable adoration of each story.

Taking into account the day the books arrived and the day Gray Ghost had returned, it was as if…

"The books were a timer that indicated…"

"... When I would come back. It was a bit of a gamble based on how fast I was able to finish my travels, but it worked out in the end. Quite an astute deduction you made, miss amazoness"

Manifesting out of the air like a ghost, the famed vigilante of Orario made himself known as he sat on the ledge of the window. An opening that gave a full view of the full moon from the premises of the brothel.

"AHHH!! A-An intruder! M-Miss Aisha, stand behind me! I-I'll protect you!"

Becoming shocked at the intrusion of the stranger in her room, Haruhime, though deathly afraid, moved to protect the person she treasured most in the entire Ishtar familia. The only one who cared about her existence.

But though she tried her best to appear brave, her tails expressed her true emotions as they tucked themselves between her legs as best as they could, but were inhibited by the cloth of her clothes.

Seeing this, both Bell and Aisha broke out into laughter at the sight of the adorable bravery of the pure and innocent Renard girl.

"Eh? W-What's happening? D-Did I get something wrong?"

"Of course, Haruhime. Though I should've expected it from your nature… How about our little guest giving you a clue?"

Turning her head slowly to the masked figure who continued to rest on top of the window's ledge, his voice began to speak out to clue in Renard as to who he truly was.

"I overheard you guys saying that you finished Lord of the Rings, a personal favorite of mine, so here's the clue… not all those who wander?"

"... are lost"

"Bingo!"

"S-Sir Tinker Bell?!"

Realizing the fatal error she had just made, Haruhime began to grovel deeply to beg for forgiveness, but both Bell and Aisha stopped her from doing so, lest her voice arouses any suspicion from the brothel's guards.

"It's alright, Haruhime. You did the right thing by being suspicious of a creepy guy with a mask and hood"

"But, I still disrespected you by accusing you of being a creep who desires women for their bodies and stalks them with malicious intent"

"You're not wrong about the first part, but that's not important right now"

"Eh?"

Knowing that trying to curb Haruhime's lack of self-worth was a Sisyphean endeavor as of now, Bell decided to divert her attention away from her mistake by presenting her with more books to read.

Seeing a bag of thick and heavy books reveal itself before her eyes, Haruhime's heart began to soar with excitement at the prospect of being able to read another batch of masterpiece stories from her favorite author.

But just as she was about to reach out to the books, she stopped herself as her complex against self-worth began to act up.

"I-I appreciate the kind gesture, Sir Tinker Bell, but your work is wasted on someone like me… I'm sure much more worthy lovers of literature would benefit from your gifts. The books you have provided me are already enough. I can make them last a lifetime if I must… not that it will take much time for me"

"..."

Faced with this dilemma, after exchanging brief glances with Aisha, he decided to simply force his goodwill onto Haruhime, whether she accepted it or not.

"Hm, is that so? Then I guess I won't give you these books then… but this window ledge is quite comfortable, so I'll just be reading my book here. Hope you don't mind"

"E-Eh?"

Haruhime became flustered as she was faced with a proposition that would allow Bell to make her receive his goodwill.

He would audibly read out his book so that Haruhime would be able to experience the story, and she won't be able to stop him as rejecting a guest would be seen as disrespectful in the Renard's mind.

"Pfft- He got you there Haruhime. Just accept his gift"

"B-But I'm not worthy of receiving this gift. I am sullied-"

"Percy Jackson and the lightning thief! Chapter 1!"

Hearing Bell's voice begin to narrate the opening parts of the book, Haruhime's curiosity began to be stoked as the story began to draw her in. Soon, the Renard's tail began to wag with excitement as the story continued.

Aisha smiled gently as she watched the young girl become engrossed in her love for books despite all her reluctance, choosing to enjoy the show as well, finding interest in both the story and the person who was narrating it.

In the gentle night amidst a sea of desire and debauchery, in a single room of a house of pleasure, a small book club indulged in a world of child-like wonder and fascination.

..

.

"Hhhhaaa… What a fascinating story, truly another masterpiece Sir Tinker Bell"

"Hehe, glad you enjoyed it"

Stopping midway through the first book of the Percy Jackson collection of stories, Harhuhime's book club began to discuss with one another their thoughts on the story, the discussion mostly being led by the passionate Renard as Bell and Aisha enjoyed the sight of the young girl indulging in her favorite hobby.

But as the time of day began to approach ever closer to midnight, the time for Bell to leave had finally arrived.

Picking himself up and heading towards the window whilst bidding Haruhime and Aisha goodbye, the Renard began to feel a sense of conflict begin to brew in her.

She wished to chat longer with her beloved author, but she didn't wish to impose her selfishness on him.

She was raised under the belief that sullied women aren't worthy of blessings, so how was a prostitute such as herself supposed to be selfish with an upright person such as Tinker Bell?

"..."

Her ears fell as did her tail as she sadly accepted her lot in life. She was already far too blessed to enjoy reading books with her beloved author and her treasured friend.

But just as she was about to extinguish the last vestiges of her hope, Bell's voice pierced through her sadness as his glowing eyes gazed at her.

"See you at the next book club meeting, club president"

"Eh?"

"I won't take no for an answer!"

"Eh?!"

Jumping out of the window without giving her a chance to let her complex act up, Haruhime was left speechless as she was once again forced into a situation where she could do nothing but accept Bell's will.

But though it went against what she believed, her bodily extremities couldn't deny the emotions going through her heart and mind then and there.

'Haruhime must be very happy for her tail to be wagging that fast'

Seeing the young girl enjoy life, Aisha was satisfied, but her business with the Gray Ghost had yet to end for the night. When the vigilante had jumped off the window, she noticed his gaze which conveyed a meaning she was sure he intended to give to her.

"I guess I'll be leaving as well since the book club has concluded. Gonna go back to my room in the brothel, I need some money for some bills after all~"

"O-Oh, g-good luck securing customers, Aisha. I'm sure you'll be able to bring in many clients once more"

Blushing profusely at the realization of what her friend was about to do, Haruhime wished Aisha good luck as she herself began to retire for the night. Having been assigned a special schedule where she would finish her brothel duties much earlier than the others.

..

.

"Miss Aisha, a customer has requested your company for tonight. The marathon special"

"Oho?~ Marathon?~ Looks like I'll be enjoying myself tonight~ Bring him in"

"As you wish"

With the closing of a sliding door designed to block off any sounds from leaking out, with a gentle and alluring lamp illuminating the room where countless connections of the flesh took place, Bell and Aisha met face to face under the veil of the malevolent moon.

"So, what are you into? Bondage? Roleplay? I could do for some anal play, been a while since I last did that with someone~"

"Sorry, I'm not here for some fun. I already have people who can resolve that for me"

"𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚… Multiple women? I suppose it's only natural for a strong desirable stud like yourself, Mr. Vigilante. I'm quite jealous~"

Bantering for a bit before moving onto the main topic of their meeting for tonight, Aisha examined the true face behind the mask of Gray Ghost.

She could care less for his facial features, for she was more interested in the strength he exuded.

With his rippling muscles and aura of danger, the amazoness began to feel her lower regions begin to get wet at the thought of what kind of breeding he would be able to give a woman.

"Again, Aisha, I'm not here for that"

"Aww~ Can't a woman fantasize a little?~"

"You'll have all the time to fantasize once we get rid of our common enemy, and I only consider women I have built enough rapport with"

"You're no fun, ever heard of fuck-buddies?~"

Teasing the white-haired youth some more, Aisha enjoyed observing his reactions as she read the parchment he handed out to her. A plan detailing how he would go about dismantling Ishtar's operations.

But as she read the document, her playful nature began to dissipate as she realized what the plan was. Its objective was not the defeat of Ishtar, but the complete gutting of all she had built up.

"Oh my, you want her begging on your feet at the end of all this, don't you?"

"Hm? I could care less, I already have the better goddess of beauty by my side, I just think it would be fun to knock her down a peg or two"

"Hehe~ I like the way you think, you really don't want to have some fun? To celebrate? Revenge sex is quite surreal~"

Under the veil of the malevolent moon, two viscous-minded people began to form a bond that would strike fear into the hearts of all that would become their enemies in the future.

The hero and his ruthless field commander.

Operation『𝙎𝙊𝘿𝙊𝙈 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙂𝙊𝙈𝙊𝙍𝙍𝘼𝙃』 has begun.

..

.

Editor:

The Darkest Knight#4796

AN:

Thank you for reading this chapter!

Welf and Lili meeting Bell will be in the next chapter. Thinking of when I should release the mega-R18 chapter which has all the sex scenes I have skipped over HAHAHA.

Also, I'll be taking a 1-week break. I need some rest. Hope you all don't mind.

Anyways, that will be all from me for now.

Hope you look forward to the next chapter, and as always, may you all have a nice day!


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