Capítulo 1: Chapter 1: A Hectic Day
(This chapter was uploaded on Thursday 13/June/2024 8:00 PM, timezone GMT+3)
Some special thanks to Kunichan for suggesting to compress the skills to make the status look clean, and to RikuKage for suggesting to make the descriptions of the skills look more like the original work then helping to make it happen.
Still, I added my touch to them, so the descriptions would not be exactly the same.
Now, what differed because of the rewrite will be mentioned in the chapter's footnote.
(Line Break)
('1), ('2), ('3), etc. means that there is some explaining for the thing in the chapter's footnotes.
"..." small moment of silence.
"Talking"
[Different Language Dialogue] (What language it is: Accent if necessary)
"He-" Someone was interrupted.
'Inner Dialogue'
{Skills' names, chanting, spell keys and spells' names}
(PoV)
(Flashback, including the text)
Don't shy from commenting on typos and/or inconsistencies. That and/or suggesting a modification to certain things that didn't make sense to you.
I hope you enjoy reading this chapter.
(Line Break)
In a world with a singular continent surrounded by a vast ocean, many races lived. After a period of conflict, a disaster befell the races. Monsters started pouring out from a mysterious hole in the ground, later to be called the dungeon.
The gods descended, some with good intentions and some without, with others simply seeking a certain kind of thrill. They helped the races they called their children fight off the hordes of monsters that threatened them for so long.
Over a millennia later, in the dungeon city of Orario, our story takes place. It is the story of a young man called Henryk Williams.
(Henryk's PoV)
'How uncomfortable. Why am I sleeping on stone? And why's it noisy outside? Better not be another Norman thing'
I right myself up as I become more sober, with sleep finally leaving my senses alone. Only now did I realize that I'm not in my cabin, nor am I in the forest I lived in for the last decade.
'This feels too vivid to be a dream, too. What happened to me?'
As soon as I decided to check myself, I realized that I had been holding onto a letter in my hand. I looked at the sender's name and who was supposed to receive it.
'I might be able to deliver it to the nearest post offic- Nah! Forget that. Why's my name on it?'
I opened the letter to read what was supposedly addressed to me.
(The letter)
You may be confused as to where you are by now. Be not afraid. I, Zeus, can guarantee you that you will enjoy your stay in Orario.
Moving on, search for a familia to join as soon as possible. You have a tight schedule of a single day after reading this letter or you will be sent back to reincarnate, forgetting your memories.
Now, for your status, your entire status will be hard-focused on making you a tamer, helping you keep that harpy eagle alive. Take good care of your little girl, will ya?
Best of wishes,
Zeus.
Ps. Gather the best women to recruit to your harem, young man! Fulfill the dream of all men!
(End of the letter)
'Zeus? Orario? Familias? Am I dreaming right now?' I forgot how vivid this was for a moment because of the nonsense I laid my eyes on.
'On the mention of Fey, where's she? I might be afraid now more than when he wrote that I shouldn't, especially since Zeus was the one sending me such a letter'
I stood up, strapping my bow and quiver tightly. I made sure of my knives, and both were there, sheath and all. My clothes were the ones I usually wear when I'm relaxing at home. They consisted of a white, embroidered shirt and baggy pants that were tightly sealed at the feet.
I took a short look at the residents of the city, what the sender of that mystery letter called Orario. In that short look, I saw humans, to be expected, saw some demi-humans like elves and dwarves, a staple of fantasy, and then the animal-type demi-humans. Their tails and ears twitched and swished around so naturally that a machine would never be able to even come close to it.
'... Okay... My view of what's normal and not just got shattered...'
After a split second of lamenting my dead common sense, I recalled, for the second time, that the letter hinted at Fey being around. I needed to confirm that. And as such, I did the unthinkable. I whistled.
Now, some might think that what I did doesn't qualify as "the unthinkable". But hear me out. What I did wasn't a simple whistle. It was a sharp, far-reaching and unheavenly loud whistle. Hearing-sensitive demi-humans covered their ears or got dizzy. Humans were not faring much better, with their eardrums destroyed.
Me? I'm immune to my own whistle... maybe... Okay. Fine. My ears hurt a little.
I received many looks of disdain for what I did but I didn't really care. If Fey heard it, then making them my enemies is still okay.
...
They wouldn't kill me for it now, will they?
"PIE!!" And there it was, the voice of my little angel. Well, an angel in my viewpoint. As it seems, the residents of the city were startled when an eagle of such size casually descended and flew down to my stretched arm.
"That's my girl!" I ruffled her crown feathers and brought her in for a hug. Of course, her talons were held away from my soft and very slash-stab-vulnerable belly.
"Should we go, Fey?" I said as I brought her to her usual perch, my shoulders. She happily walked over from my arm, and we started touring the city. Or that's what I wanted to say if the letter didn't make me a nervous wreck.
'Seriously! Can't I just rest easy when transmigrating/reincarnating to a fantasy world? But if we're being realistic, I must be thankful that I even got the chance to live again'
The injury that killed me, ripping out my throat in the process, had disappeared. I'm thankful I can talk, now that I'm alive and awake. The dreadful thought of never talking... ugh...
After a short walk, and a few inquiries about the guild's building, we arrived at Pantheon. I pushed the double doors and entered, welcomed with the weirded-out stares of the people present.
'A tall man with an eagle more than half his height sitting on his shoulders isn't a common sight, I'll give them that' I ignored them and walked over to a counter where a certain half-elf was doing some paperwork.
Now, I know that some of you will be freaking out at the thought of willingly walking into the awaiting hands of the adventurer-killer advisor. But she was the only person who looked to have any time they could give. The werewolf and the shortie were busy with their adventurers. And as fate would have it, other counters were empty right now.
'How I wished they keep at least some male employees around at all times. I can admire a woman's beauty, but I'd rather talk to a fellow man to avoid misunderstandings'
"Good afternoon" I greeted her to attract her attention.
She put the pen down as she tilted her head up to look at me. As my face came into view, her neck started to get strained. Her face, oh how funny it is. The flustered face she made when she was surprised by Fey's curious gaze.
"My name's Henryk Williams. I'd much prefer you just call me by my name directly. Can I have yours?" I said with a polite smile.
'He is strange' is what her eyes say. But the rest of her face was professionally controlled after what just happened.
"Good afternoon to you too, Mr Williams. My name is Eina Tulle. You can call me Ms Tulle. How may I help you?" She said.
'Did she just mistake my intentions? Heh. That's grounds for a prank later'
"I want a list of familia's who are recruiting adventurers. Are there any available?" I said.
"Let me see" Ms Tulle said as she sifted through a thick stack of papers. After some waiting, she gave me a list of all available familia.
"The familias are arranged by how strong they are. Only the familias that have no charge, or a past criminal record, have been listed here. And a word of advice, be ready for rejections" She adjusted her glasses. "Lady Freya's familia accepts members on the whims of the goddess while lady Loki's familia accepts adventurers who are level 2 or higher. Rarely ever do they accept level 1 adventurers and even less normal people" She said sternly.
"Come to the guild to complete your registration as an adventurer once you join a familia" She said. "Is there anything else?"
"Not for now, no. Thank you, Ms Tulle" I said.
"You are welcome" She said with a small bow of the head. She then resumed her work as I walked away and out of the guild building.
Of course, I immediately took out Freya's familia. She was a crazy woman. She cares for her members, true. But she is also unhinged. I may try my luck with Loki's familia.
When I arrived at Twilight Manor, I asked the guards to get me someone who can decide on such a heavy topic. Who they got me made me question my choices.
"Ha? Another newb? Where do you think you are? A marketplace? Go away! People with no prior falna can't join! You weakling! Shoo!" And that was all the one-sided conversation we had. Bete Loga went back inside the comfort of his familia's manor.
"Did a person sour his mood today?" I said to the guards. He did say that I was 'another newb'. I hope this isn't that point in time yet.
"A boy with snow-white hair and rubellite eyes came by over a week ago. He was sent away in the same manner, poor boy" One guard said, crushing my hopes and dreams.
From his description, that's Bell Cranel, the harbinger of destruction. Wherever he went he caused a disaster called 'plotline' to wreak havoc across the city.
Of course, even though I didn't see it, I knew they purposefully called for Bete, all so they can have a laugh at me. They had the others, as Bete would never be the only executive present at any given time. A familia with such guards isn't one I wanna join.
'And you're telling me I'll be involved in that now? Maybe not, not if I avoided the familias he'd be involved wi-' My thoughts were cut short when said boy ran into me, bounced off, and then fell on his butt.
'Curses'
"Here" I surrendered to my fate and gave him my hand to help him up. It'd be rude of me to not help him up.
"Sorry" He took my hand and pulled himself up. "I didn't look where I was going for a m- Amazing!" He was gonna apologize when his eyes brightened. He was looking at Fey.
'Again, curses. The more interested he is, the worse it gets for me. And even though his interest lies mostly with Fey, that just means more interactions, of which I want none'
"Fey, calm" I ordered before Fey gored his eyes out. Slamming into me counts as an attack in her books, unless your name's Norman.
"No! Bell! You need to focus on searching for a familia!" Bell said. He slapped his cheeks to refocus.
"Are you an adventurer, sir..." He looked back at me and started. He then quickly realized that he was trying to engage in conversation with a stranger without introductions. "Sorry for the late introduction. My name is Bell Cranel" His expectant eyes spoke his question for him.
'I can see why he would mistake me for an adventurer. I looked the part with my equipment and physique'
"Mine's Henryk Williams. And this here's Fey" I said. Hearing her name, Fey spread her wings close to her body and pealed.
"Are you by chance... an adventurer?" He asked.
"Not yet. I just came from being rejected by an arrogant werewolf" I said.
"You went for the Loki familia?" Bell asked. He was looking hurt.
'Did that asshole really go that far just to reject a teenager? The poor rabbit recognized him as the "arrogant werewolf" immediately. Bete's beyond redemption at this point'
"Yeah. Now, if we could go our separate ways. I need a familia to join by the end of today" I said.
"Want to join me? I am looking for a familia that may accept me" Bell said.
'I don't know if it's his optimistic hope or his cunning. For all I know, real-life Bell Cranel could have had plans up his sleeve'
"I don't think so. Maybe if you tell Ms Tulle at the guild later and I had no familia, maybe then I will come join yours. That's saying I'm allowed by the deity. Though, I may tell her if I found one so you could come apply" I said and walked away.
'If he applied in a familia other than Hestia's, the plot'll progress differently. In that way, I might just avoid most of the trouble of acquainting with a MC'
I walked around and most familias were either searching for unrealistic standards or straight out rejected me for Fey's presence. The unrealistic standards? Their standards included prior experience with monsters, which I none off, or being level 2.
'Fuck them. And who wants to join your crap familia when you have nothing to offer to a level 2 adventurer? Nothing you have entices them, and your familia won't grow if you don't accept level 1 adventurers, even without prior experience'
Some others were marked as familias that allowed certain types of members to join, like what was listed as a far eastern familia, Takemikazuchi's familia being one. Others were searching for production types or people who're willing to do "certain jobs".
'Let's not associate with Ishtar's familia in the slightest, or any red-light familia for that matter. Hermes's familia is also off the table. He's too dubious for my comfort, not that he'd be available today of all days'
My eyes passed by Ganesha's familia on the list.
'Ganesha's familia may or may not be a good choice. But the responsibility of the city's security isn't something I want to bear' That was my opinion.
"Sighh" 'Why did I have to limit myself? I mean, I'd go to Ganesha's familia if I had no other choice by the end of today. But can't I choose a familia that has less responsibilities?'
'What about Miach's familia?' And with that question, I made my way to Blue Pharmacy.
On my way, we passed by some streets that had rats in them. Fey made a quick meal out of a few on separate occasions. I thanked my past self for teaching her how to eat without much blood reaching her feathers, if any at all.
When I opened the door to Blue Pharmacy, I was met with the terrified screams and wails of the familia's only member. I stepped out of the building and walked away, disappointed.
'They had a huge debt but not many responsibilities. And the debt itself could be solved if someone procured them the necessary items for potions. It's a sad fate for me to be rejected. But I had it coming since I forgot about her trauma'
I walked around for most of the daytime, trying a familia after the other. At one point, I had to almost run for my life when a drunken adventurer opened his familia's door only to rage at me, thinking in his endless hallucinations that Fey was a hippogriff.
"Should I just accept it at this point? The only guarantee is to either go for Freya's familia, which is a stupid choice for any sane person to make voluntarily, or to go for Hestia's familia, which ties me to the happenings of the canon story, should the world be the same as the show" I mumbled to myself.
'But still, Ganesha's familia, though not a guarantee, might be a viable option if the letter's contents were to be believed. I should try my luck with them'
Out of nowhere, I felt a gaze coming from someone in the tower of Babel.
'Shit! What's the shortest route to Hestia's crumbling church again?'
I sprinted my way back to Pantheon. There, I found Bell talking about something with Ms Tulle with a huge smile plastered all over his face.
'Just my luck. It seems fate had this arranged for me all from the start. Or so other people'd think. Fate's but the result of one's own choices, really. Walking around in plain sight should've been an obvious way for anyone to fall into her sights. And me coming here instead of going to Ganesha's familia sealed my fate'
I walked just behind the boy, making my presence known virtue to my heavy footsteps. He turned around out of curiosity.
"Mr Williams! Over here!" Bell waved at me to come over.
"Don't call me "Mr". That makes me feel older than I am. I'm only 19" I said.
"So-" He was about to bow his head to apologize by I stopped him with a hand over his shoulder.
"Just call me by my name and we're good to go" I said.
"Alright! By the way! I found a familia! And the goddess was happy to know there was a prospective other member!" He said. He was beaming. I felt guilty for a moment there, giving him that promise, knowing that he could find Hestia today.
'Or did she find him? Regardless, he's a hero fanatic and wants to go on an adventure like one of theirs. It seems that this Bell's faithful to the original Bell in that regard'
"Then, can you lead me to her?" I asked. I heard some footsteps coming from behind me, what sounded like a piece of cloth getting dragged by feet.
"That won't be necessary, child" I heard a dignified voice. As I turned around, I found a "smidgen of godly paint", or so Norman called her once, barely reaching up to the top of my abdomen. There she was, Hestia was standing in front of me in all of her short glory.
'Why was she 1.4 m again? Was the OG author a closet lolicon?'
(AN: It would not fit inside his inner dialogue, so here it is. Hestia is 2/3rds of an Ottar tall. And no, I am not accusing Fujino Ōmori of being a lolicon, not in the slightest. I view it more as a gag/joke with how many short people are around, an entire race in fact)
"I assume you are lady Hestia?" I gave her a polite bow, just as I was taught. Fey was subjected to enough imbalance that she hopped off my shoulder. Her talons clattered on the marble floor.
Bell tried to get closer to Fey by crouching down and slowly stretching his hand towards her. I could see Fey curiously looking back and avoiding his hand. He looked disheartened.
"And I assume you are Henryk Williams? Bell spoke of how you promised to help a stranger if you could. Such an attitude is something I want in my familia's children. Would you like to join us?" Hestia said.
I could clearly see the fascination she harbored for Fey, something Fey mirrored, but with the target being Bell.
'Poor thing. Fey has a special taste for rabbit meat. He's in for a ride with her around'
"I think I will" 'Let's not press in the fact that I had no other option. She probably already figured that out, seeing as I came here without a falna'
When I agreed, the goddess smiled. I had that unnerving feeling, thinking that her smile had another meaning, that she understood my actions and appreciated my choices.
'Comes with a god's experience package, I guess'
"Then let's register you too and head to our familia's home!" She said happily.
I turned around to find Ms Tulle ready with the registration form. She was smiling. Her smile felt demonic for some reason.
"Sorry for interrupting your conversation with Bell here. Now, if you can, make her my advisor. My friend recommended her to me if I got the chance to join a familia" I pointed my finger at none other than Rose Fannett. She noticed and frowned. A quick look and a nod that both she and Ms Tulle understood, Ms Tulle's glasses shone.
'Not good, is it?' My thoughts were proven right as my advisor was decided to be Ms Tulle.
'Let's think of something less negative... Yeah, right. I don't have any Valis. I'd need to go to the dungeon for some'
"Is there any prerequisite to enter the dungeon?" I asked after filling in the form myself. Good thing I had an annoying jerk like Norman around. He had me sit down and have a look at the alphabet of written Koine. Not to mention that I already could read some words even before then. It seemed too English to my eyes not to be able to follow through.
"There are none. Although I would suggest taking lessons with your advisor, in this case me, before going" Ms Tulle said.
'Well, I know what to expect from the first floor or two'
"I know that there are only kobolds and goblins on the first floor. And I have prior fighting experience from when I lived alone in a forest. Not to mention..." My eyes moving to Fey, coupled with my suggestive silence, made them think about it. For the record, Fey was staring back at me, giving me a solid side-eye.
"I can allow it, but only if you avoid descending to the second floor. Be careful" She begrudgingly handed me a map for the first floor.
"Are there rooms available? I want to get my falna and earn enough to eat my first meal of the day" I said as I inspected the map.
"There are. Would you like to use one now?" Ms Tulle asked.
We both looked at Hestia, who was beaming. I'm sure that she'll say yes.
"Yes!" Her pigtails started swishing behind her, to nobody's notice... apparently.
We were led to a room they said to have soundproofing built in its walls. My lady was pulling us in, leading us by the hand.
'Who can blame her? She has been recruiting and getting shut down even by the outcasts. And take this, it lasted six whole months and then some more days'
"Take off your shirt! Now!" My lady excitedly said.
Action: Order to take off shirt.
Effect: A volatile flaming ball of molten embarrassment.
"What?!" Bell said. He was hiding his face behind his palms as he also turned away.
"..." My lady was a wee bit too absorbed in giving me my falna that she didn't notice Bell's reaction.
As I remember it, she pricked her finger, and a drop of her blood made it to my back. A while of drawing on my back later and the falna was done.
"This..." My lady stopped there. She brought up a piece of paper I didn't know she had on her and copied my falna onto it.
"Here. Have a look as I give Bell his falna!" She was faking that expression, wasn't she?
My status was plain and empty, bar for the giant wall of messy ink.
"My lady, I know why this block of text's messed up. Can you fix it? Or should we try until I can see my status in its entirety?" I feigned ignorance in a way. What I said could be interpreted as me misunderstanding something. And as I was talking to her lightheartedly, she was unlikely to suspect that I knew she intentionally blurred the text.
"I will fix that when I'm done with Bell's falna" She gave me a thumbs up.
She finished Bell's status and gave him the thing he asked for, the pass to start his own adventure, much to Ms Tulle's chagrin.
I can tell I was smirking in amusement while observing Bell's childish glee.
My lady decided to swallow a hard pill and allow me to view my status.
"Fret not, my lady. Nobody shall hear or see the details of my status, as long as you know how to lock it so nobody can see it on my back" I said. I emphasized the locking part.
Although Bell's needs to be a motivation for the Loki familia executives, they never had the right to see Bell's falna without his permission.
(Line Break)
Name: Henryk Williams
Familia: Hestia Familia
Level: 1
STR: I0
END: I0
DEX: I0
AGI: I0
MAG: I0
Magic: None.
Skills:
Doulos Typhon (Typhon's Slave):
Tame weakened monsters via magic stones.
The tamed monsters evolve according to their master's will.
Only once, consuming a kin's magic stone changes a monster to a more specialized variant.
Monsters can heal any injury by eating a number of magic stones, leaving a scar behind.
Short distance telepathy.
One absolute order a day.
Pseudo Benedictio (Pseudo Blessing) ('1):
Imitation of the gods' blessing, given to those affected by {Doulos Typhon}.
Levels and parameters are assigned by floor.
Updates could be triggered remotely.
Rank-ups need the owner's blood.
Magic stones are the sole source of excellia.
Monsters higher than level 1 upon bestowal will be assigned appropriate development abilities automatically.
Lower-level parameters are maximized upon bestowal.
Guarantee of 2 skills upon bestowal of the blessing.
Variants will be guaranteed a selection of appropriate skills.
A skill could be manifested after every rank-up.
No excellia is gained when injured.
(Line Break)
"This wouldn't count as blasphemy, would it?" I asked.
"Not if no one knew about it" My lady said, seriously and grimly calculating her next choice of actions.
'I'll need to lay low for the first year, or at least until Bell could shield me from the greedier familias. I'll then start taming monsters in earnest. I'll repay the Hestia familia for their protection once I get really started with the next familia. Maybe I should work on some useful monsters in secret? Hiding them in the dungeon after getting legal authorization from Ganesha's familia would be the best thing I could think of right now'
My lady and I were comfortably discussing this since Bell was sent to the entrance hall. He needed to be told a few things by Ms Tulle. In fact, I found them doing just that.
"What are you doing, Bell?" I asked.
"I am thinking of borrowing a weapon from the guild for starters. What about you?" He asked while his eyes were roaming around my bow and quiver. He then took a glance over my knives.
"I'm thinking of giving you a knife for now. It's gonna be a much better alternative to the guild-loaned weaponry while also helping you to avoid the debt that follows. What do you say?" I said.
"Are you sure of their durability and sharpness?" Ms Tulle asked. She didn't look like she was gonna stop him if my knife was good for the job.
"I can assure you; I take good care of my weapons. As for using them in combat, they have been a big help against things like large animals with thick hide. Mere goblins will fall lifeless before them" And with that, we departed the guild.
"This open chasm's the dungeon's entrance, then?" I asked rhetorically.
"Every journey starts with one step! Today, we take our first step!" Bell optimistically said.
"I don't mean to shatter your fantasies, but monsters on the first floors are scarce. Other level 1 adventurers would've been overhunting them since dawn" We moved while Fey was restless. She didn't like the idea of entering what was essentially a cave. She had the unfortunate experience of entering a cave and slamming face-first into a wall, blinded by darkness.
"Fey, calm" I calmed her down by slowly and softly ruffling her feathers then grooming them.
We descended the stairs with Bell bravely, or recklessly, peering over the edge. There were no railings and I had to grab him by the scruff of his shirt at one point. He was too close to falling down. And plot armor may not exist in the real world, maybe.
"How many monsters should we aim for?" Bell's eyes shimmered with what little light the magical lights around us gave.
"Not that many. We may not even find more than 4-5 monsters after some intensive searching" I said.
We walked past some adventurers who were guarding a branching path leading to some other branches.
'Are they camping an area for themselves? We better avoid them'
To our luck, or maybe Bell's luck, we witnessed a couple of goblins spawning to block our path.
"Lucky us. Bell, take one. I'll take the other one" I said. I readied my bow and pulled out an arrow. Nocking the arrow in my bow, I aimed at the goblin's head before it was completely born.
"KRRIIEEEKKK!!" It died while giving off a blood-curdling cry.
I pulled out another arrow just in case Bell needed assistance or another monster showed up. And just as I started relaxing, a kobold turned the corner.
"Fey, tackle" I ordered while pointing at the poor sod.
"PIE!" Fey readily lunged at it, gliding through the air and slamming into its chest before it had the time to react.
"Fey, arms, crush" I gave out a slightly more complicated order. For this order, she'd first search for what equates to limbs, easily identified by the presence of claws. After which, she'd grip it so hard she crushes the bones inside.
"Yelp!" The kobold cried in pain and lashed out. Fey jumped away as I lodged an arrow in its chest. The kobold flinched as Fey lunged back at it. Gripping the arm, she crushed its bones.
"Fey, neck, crush" And that was how the kobold went. It died by suffocation.
While we dealt with the kobold, Bell was fighting the goblin with my knife. It was a heavy and oversized bowie knife, custom-made to fit my size. In his hands, it looked like a short sword.
Bell was doing some flashy moves. His swings were wide, and his legs weren't spread out correctly. He needs a lot of work to get better. And that also includes a weapon that actually fits his size.
What? Why didn't he kill the goblin before it got out of the wall? It was a bit far for him to have done that. It got out of the wall as he reached it.
"Carve them with as much care as you could. I assume they care about a magic stone's condition when paying us for it. Fey and I'll guard you while you're at it" I said to Bell after he killed the goblin.
(Line Break)
"3 goblin magic stones and a kobold's magic stone, surprisingly in good condition. That would be 1260 Valis"
We were back at Pantheon. After exchanging our magic stones for what Bell said was enough Valis for 1 meal's worth of food, we then went to report to Ms Tulle as she asked us to.
We walked out and started heading to the church, with Fey perched on my shoulders and ready to fall asleep. As it was nightfall, most stalls were closed by now.
"Bell, you know where our familia's home is?" I already have a general idea of where it was. But if I revealed that, it'd be suspicious.
"Lady goddess told me the directions we are supposed to follow to reach our new residence. Why ask now?" He tilted his head.
"Just wanted to know if what I wanted to do would make us late on meeting lady Hestia" I said.
"Are we going off the main path?" He asked.
"Not really. I'll just visit a certain pub and ask if they have takeouts" I said.
Did I forget to mention that I asked Ms Tulle for a map of the city? I also had her point a few locations I'm interested in, like the Hostess of Fertility. I know there are more places where we could go, but that place was one of only two places I know the name of. I can't just wander off into a random restaurant or pub, at night, and ask about their food and service qualities. And between Hibachite and the Hostess of Fertility, the latter was the one we'll run into on our way home.
"Can you point it out in the map?" I asked.
"Let me see... Here. It should be here" Bell pointed at a place other than what I predicted. I thought it was further back than it is.
"And this here is where we need to go before heading home" I pointed at the map.
The Hostess, being on a main street, was easy to pass by without many instructions.
(AN: I will write their visit to the Hostess in the next chapter. Doing that here will make the chapter go on for far too long)
(3rd person PoV)
On the topmost floor of the tower of Babel, Freya was enjoying some wine while looking out for any interesting soul that might pass by. She somehow overlooked the soul that was the most interesting for the past 2 weeks.
(AN: I always wondered why she did not catch Bell's soul until he was already 2 entire weeks into his adventurer career, a total of a month if taking into account the failed applications that spanned over 2 other weeks before he met Hestia)
As her eyes moved from one familiar dull grey soul to another, she finally found a more vibrant soul. It encapsulated the individual's body and towered over them. The soul was a verdant green, in the shape of a largely branchless tree except for the top. At the very top, a nest was made, with a silhouette residing in it.
The moment he noticed Freya's staring eyes, something she thought nigh impossible, his soul got blurry and pulled itself into a ball of the same vibrant color. It was showing signs of high alertness and apprehension.
"Some interesting child has appeared, Ottar. But it seems we are late this time" She said. She was smiling, assured that her new subject of interest could be acquired at a moment's notice.
"Should I go and bring them to you, lady Freya?" Ottar dutifully asked her.
"Not yet. Maybe I should see his growth. I will judge his worth afterwards" Freya said. She decided to change her approach with this one. She would wait for him to grow some more before she brought him in. If brought into the familia in his current state, the other members, especially Allen, might cause him critical problems.
"We will meet soon, child~" Freya said before sipping her wine and resuming her looking around the city.
Later, when she found a transparent soul walking around, she noted how she might have been more interested if the other soul did not show up. She thought of acquiring both of them regardless of her interest rates. Both souls looked promising.
(End of Chapter)
'1:
Here is the interesting thing about "Pseudo". It is spelled like that in written Latin, though it is spelled differently in spoken Latin.
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I am saddened that the comments made by some of you were deleted because of this. But the rewrite had to start at some point. I had to choose between other people getting grossed out from reading the story because of the first 25~ chapters. They were messy and misguided. I did not have a clear direction in mind when writing them. And as a result, there were many blunders that I was not aware of, things that made some people stop reading before the story picked up on a better direction than before.
Now, however, I will write the story with the direction I settled with afterward, keeping it in mind from the start. Of course, that entails some characters not appearing as early as they did, or not as broken. After moving out the previous chapters, you could read them in the auxiliary. I kept them there for reference. As for who that reference concerns, that is beyond me.
(Edit: The chapters of the first take on this story were removed. I tried to look at the story from your, the readers' perspective, and was surprised to be swarmed by the chapters. It felt like a drag to scroll past a 50+ chapters that I will not read just to get to the actual story)
...
?!
...
No! Nobody can take him and his rabbit from me! (For older readers, think of The Bloody Menace)
...
So, again, I cannot fathom how Bell escaped Freya's all-seeing eyes for an entire month. Her eyes do not simply see a person's appearance, though that would not have changed much since Bell's appearance is special, but also look directly at someone's soul. His soul is just too unique for him to be able to blend in without her catching him running around. So, I used the fact that she was almost giving up for that day and that was when she noticed Henryk. After taking note of him, with a soul far more unique compared to a simple transparent soul, she found Bell's soul interesting but did not go crazy over it. And because she caught Bell's soul, her interest will not be directed devotedly at either of them.
Then there was the fact that her noticing Henryk at all pushed him to look for a guarantee and deciding to lay low for a year, the duration until a falna could allow changing to a different familia. He formed the thought of preparing his path by legally getting permission to keep monsters, still within the bounds of the dungeon for the most part.
Now that is said and going to be done in the future, let us move onto what blunder Henryk possibly did. Henryk, not having read the material for anything after the 3rd season, did not know about Freya's disguise. He is in for a surprise once he discovers it. So, yes, he was throwing both himself and Bell at Freya's open hands unbeknownst to him.
Ah! Right! Before I forget! The older readers, those among them who read until chapter 50, will remember Henryk having blunted emotions.
Yeah... Let's talk about that.
I put that in without thinking about it deeply. It just does not make sense with the way I showed him before then. That is mostly gone now, as it contradicts some of the things I made him out to be. But make no mistake.
One last thing, changing the way I write skills according to the valuable advice of RikuKage and Kunichan is not enough. I saw fit to also make it so skills will be described only when they first appear. Any further mention of the skill within a falna will not have the description, only the name of the skill. As for the skill names, they will be in either Greek or Latin, depending on which catches my fancy.
That was all I had to say.
Have a good time, ladies and gentlemen.
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