Capítulo 9: A Date
The Wandering Devil
Chapter: 9
Pa/ t reon details at the bottom of the chapter if you're interested I'll keep posting regardless.
(A date)
I flopped the unconscious Bell down onto the couch and looked around the room for my sexy, curvaceous Goddess.
"Hestia?" I called out.
Hestia peeked her head through the doorway.
"Zeph?" she replied.
"Hey," I said, and she beamed back, wrapping me in a soft hug.
"Welcome back," she smiled. "I'm guessing your trip went well?" she continued, gesturing to the exhausted Bell Cranel. I think he was going to be out for a good few hours.
"Yeah, he worked pretty hard," I replied, giving her a grin.
She giggled. "I can see that."
"I trust you to deal with him how you see fit. I'm still surprised you made him join our little family," Hestia admitted.
"Eh? Well, considering I'm the father and you're the mother in this relationship, I thought we needed a child," I teased, releasing myself from the hug.
She blushed at my words, and a smile crept across her face.
"Oh yeah, by the way, I'm going to check out a place that apparently does amazing food. It's called the Hostess of Fertility. Want to join me?" I offered.
Her blush doubled in intensity.
"Like a date?" she asked, and I thought about it for a moment.
Huh, I guess it is a date. I mean, I wouldn't mind taking such a beautiful Goddess out to eat in that type of way. How many people could say they had taken a Goddess out? Especially one as beautiful as her.
If she wasn't one of the virgin Goddesses, I might have even tried to make some moves on her. Considering I had kissed those divine lips before, even if it was by accident, I would definitely do that.
"Yeah, sure," I replied casually.
She abruptly squealed in excitement.
"I need to get changed! And I need to go to the divine baths. Wait here! I'll be back," she said quickly, rushing out of the door before I could say anything.
I didn't expect her to have such a big reaction. A smirk tugged on my lips.
Perhaps that virgin status wasn't as final as it seemed.
She had practically been my best friend since arriving here, and I would definitely treat her better than any other romantic interest, which she hadn't shown thus far.
I knew originally Bell had been that romantic interest, but I wasn't really threatened. While Bell was cool, that had been more due to the fact she hadn't been given any better options, and she had been in a rather bad state since arriving here.
It was obvious she was going to latch onto someone, and Bell's brave nature was probably an appeal too.
Some may call me stupid for adding him into our familia instead of someone else's familia was a bad idea, especially due to Hestia. But they would be insecure as fuck.
The reason I added him was because of his potential and the fact that he was loyal to a fault.
Power could be acquired in the future, especially with the help of evil pieces.
Having a truly loyal lieutenant was much more valuable than someone with power, who could very well try to stab me in the back, which would be an unneeded nuisance.
I looked down at my casual clothing, which had specks of black blood and dirt on them. I guess I should go have a shower and put on some new clothing too.
Then I'll probably play around with my magic until Hestia comes back. It never hurts to add to the painfully slow process of improving my demonic energy control without a magical focus.
I was glad I had gone shopping for clothes with all the income coming in from my dungeon diving. After I get the eventual meeting with Rose out of the way, I will start looking for bigger places to live.
Even if I planned on testing if I could truly travel worlds, I would probably use this world as my home base of sorts. Since it's relatively low power level, I kind of liked its simplicity.
The thought of other worlds, while slightly intimidating, was exciting. Could I harness the powers from there too? My power-hungry devil instincts loved the sound of that.
I would have to be careful though; the possibility of running into a world with stronger beings than me was a certainty.
I cleared my thoughts as I started making my way over to the shower.
There was no point thinking about it further until I proved I could actually travel worlds or if my weird arrival here was a random event.
I gave Bell a pat on the leg and received a groan in response.
"There's some food in the fridge, buddy. Me and Hestia are going out, so you'll need to make yourself something to eat."
The fridge was powered by a small monster crystal that kept the inside cool. They weren't as expensive as you'd think they would be. It was strange. In some ways, Orario was pretty modern.
Bell nodded, his face buried into the couch. I heard a muffled "Okay."
-Scene Break-
I lazily played around with a ball of fire as I sat on the couch next to the still-sleeping Bell. The ball formed into a shape vaguely reminiscent of a small bird. Its form flickered and twisted before returning to the shape of a ball.
My control was getting much better. Every time I even gained an iota more control, I found my reserves draining at a much slower rate. I guess this was the advantage compared to having virtually no control over my demonic power.
I grinned as I looked down at my own clothing. I had to admit, I dressed up nicely.
A deep blue tunic, tailored to fit my frame with precision. The fabric was wool and it draped elegantly over my shoulders and down to my knees, suggesting both refinement and strength. The tunic was adorned with subtle embroidery along the edges, intricate patterns in silver thread.
My trousers were made of sturdy material, tucked neatly into high leather boots, polished to a shine. A leather belt cinched my waist, adding a touch of practicality to my attire. My outfit was completed with a cloak of matching blue, worn casually over one shoulder, its lining hinting at a finer fabric.
Unfortunately, being stuck in a mediaeval world meant no modern clothing, but it still looked pretty cool. My crimson hair contrasted well with the blue, and my rainbow eyes still made me look as unique as ever.
I was growing to like them. Even if they got me a lot of weird stares.
"Hey, Zeph," Hestia called out softly, entering the room somewhat shyly.
I turned to her and let out a whistle of appreciation.
There, standing in the doorway somewhat shyly, stood Hestia wearing a gown with a fitted bodice, buttoned at the front, made of rich blue velvet or satin.
The sleeves were long and flowing, lined with a lighter blue silk. The neckline was modestly cut, adorned with delicate lace or pearls. Most of all, it showed her divine curves in a way that was so sinful I was surprised I hadn't sprouted horns.
Her large breasts and thick wide hips gave her an easy hourglass figure.
I had to admit, I was briefly stunned.
She blushed as I whistled, her beaming smile still remaining as the ball of energy that was Hestia jumped up towards me.
"Do you like it?" she excitedly asked.
"You could say that. I'll have a harder-than-usual time fighting away all the men pining for your attention," I laughed.
Though it may sound like an overreaction, it was completely true. I don't know why the anime didn't show it, maybe due to Hestia or Bell's cluelessness to the fact, but many men leered at Hestia. Which she didn't seem to notice, funnily enough.
It had to be on purpose since it wasn't just a few people but a surprising amount of them. Like dozens every day. While I didn't really care since I understood, I would beat them to death if they actually tried anything.
She giggled at my remark, slapping my arm playfully.
"You know, I think we are going to draw more attention than we probably should. After all, many people go to the Hostess in more casual clothing, I believe," I said, as I gave her my arm to hold onto. Which she did so readily.
"I know, it's not my normal style—"
I nearly snorted at that.
"But I think for this occasion it's okay to indulge." She said, and she faintly mumbled something I could have sworn sounded like "and also let everyone know you're mine."
"We will be back in a few hours, Bell," I called over my shoulder as we left, receiving no reply.
We made our way down; luckily the sun was setting, so the number of people out was reduced, but we still drew a lot of attention. Contrasting with our rather poor-looking residential neighbourhood.
Hestia did what she normally did and seemingly didn't acknowledge the people staring as if it wasn't happening, while I mostly didn't care.
Had I been my old human self, I would have probably been more nervous about the possibility of being mugged. Eventually, we came up to The Hostess Of Fertility.
We had been lightly chatting like we mostly do for the most part.
The Hostess of Fertility was a two-story stone building with the charm and depth of a well-kept inn. It sat on a brick-lined street along Western Main Street.
The front entrance had a set of double doors adorned with intricate wood carvings decorating the frame. Similar carvings embellished various parts of the doors.
The Hostess of Fertility sign was displayed to the left of the entrance and also hung overhead, featuring a crossed fork and knife. It seemed to be filled with adventurers partying.
Despite being dressed rather formally, we both strolled in without a care. We both made our way into one of the booths. Instantly, we were greeted by a certain beautiful silver-haired woman that made my eyes narrow slightly.
Her bluish-grey hair was tied in a small knot, styled in a ponytail, and her eyes were the same colour as her hair. Her smooth skin had a light peachy tone.
She wore a white blouse with a leaf-coloured knee-length skirt. A slightly long half apron was tied around her waist, and she completed her outfit with brown boots over black stockings.
Syr Flova.
Wasn't she that alter ego of that crazy yandere goddess obsessed with Bell?
"Hello, can I get you any drinks?" she asked, a kind smile on her face, laying down two menus onto the table.
Hestia smiled back.
She quickly looked over the menu while Syr and I had a mini stare-down: my flat gaze met her cheerful smile.
"Can I have the fruit punch, please?" Hestia asked, looking up from the menu.
I finally glanced down at my own menu, noticing Syr tilting her head slightly at me, her smile unwavering.
"Sure thing, and what would you like, sir?" she asked cheerfully.
"I'll have a mixed juice drink, thanks," I replied with a nod.
Syr noted our orders with a cute nod of her own. "I'll get those for you," she said, heading off to prepare our drinks.
Hestia looked at me curiously. Her eyes only slightly thinned out. The cheerful smile on her beautiful face never wavering.
"Do you know her?" she asked, propping her head up with her slender arms.
"Nope," I responded, staring back into her sapphire blue eyes.
She frowned thoughtfully.
"Your eyes tell a different story," she said, not in an accusatory tone but more as a fact.
"Trust me, I don't know her, but she does remind me of someone," I deflected, technically telling the truth since Grayfia did have some similarities. Telling anyone about my true life before getting reborn wasn't happening.
"Oh? I'm assuming it's from before you… came to Orario?" she questioned curiously.
I gave her a nod.
"Do you think about your home place a lot?" She carefully worded her question.
Despite what many would probably think, Hestia was smart. It comes with being a virgin goddess, I assumed.
"A bit," I admitted, testing the waters on that particular subject. The harsh frown that appeared nearly made me wince.
"That makes sense, after all, you have family there," Hestia said with a conflicted tone.
"Well, I mean. You're technically a part of that family now," I pointed out to ease her worries.
Hestia was extremely overprotective from what I had gathered. Despite her rather cheerful demeanour, she had been willing to break godly law and jump into the dungeon to save Bell originally.
I liked to think our bond was much closer than it had been between them, and I had to remember she was a goddess. Even if her powers were sealed.
As a relatively new goddess from Tenkai, she wasn't used to the concept of loss.
My cute but sexy goddess brightened up.
"Have you figured out how you got here?" she asked, her tone not giving anything away.
"Not yet," I admitted.
She leaned forward.
"Yet?" she probed.
Syr saved the day by walking over and placing our drinks down on the table.
"Are you ready to order?" Syr asked with her little notepad in hand.
"Yes. I'll have the spicy pea noodles and boar steak soup," I said, watching as she scribbled it down.
I caught a glance at a gorgeous lady behind her with two elven ears and green hair. Ryun Lion. She cleared a table with a bored expression on her face, her ears twitching slightly as she met my gaze.
Averting my eyes subtly, I smiled at Syr.
From what I knew, she was supposed to be a level six adventurer, right? Actually, weren't most waiters here level four and above? I wondered if I could take a level four adventurer. Surely, I wasn't far off.
My magic would certainly give me an edge. It grew more versatile and allowed me to do more than basic elemental magic the more my control grew.
"I'll have potato soup and salad," Hestia's voice interrupted my thoughts.
Syr jotted it down happily.
"Okay, I'll get that started for you right away," Syr replied.
She walked away and left us to our conversation.
"Zeph," Hestia said. "What do you mean by 'yet'?"
I had intentionally phrased it that way, hoping she would ask for more details. I realised that I didn't like keeping secrets like that from her and that being honest now was better than hiding the truth.
I was normally quite a secretive person, even before merging with my devil side, who had also been quite introverted.
That's why I had found myself purposefully choosing my words so she would question me.
It probably sounded pretty weird, but I was a bit unconventional like that.
"I think the way I got here is linked to my eyes, and I think there might be a way to replicate it," I admitted, and I could already see the hurt entering her eyes.
I hated being a mood killer, but this was probably the best place to tell her.
"And you plan on testing this out?" she asked.
"I do."
I quickly took hold of her hand as the hurt in her eyes magnified.
"But I won't leave you, Hestia," I quickly tried to assure her.
She stayed silent for a moment, staring at me carefully before smiling.
"Okay."
I found myself confused as she seemed to regain her cheerfulness, ignoring everything that had just been discussed as we went back to our normal chatter.
The night passed uneventfully after that. We resumed our usual chatter, with the only odd thing being that Hestia was a bit more handsy than usual.
Syr was our main waitress for the night, and I only caught a few glimpses of Ryu in the background, who mostly seemed to clean tables and deliver food.
The food was, as expected, delicious and relatively cheaper than I anticipated. Still expensive, but not as much as I had thought.
Now, we were walking back to the abandoned church in comfortable silence. I was glad the mood had been salvaged. It would have been awkward if we had to sit there in that tension for hours.
We arrived back home and got dressed for bed.
As I flopped down and yawned, I paused, noticing Hestia crawling towards me. Her eyes were glowing, and I found myself pulled into a deep kiss. Her soft lips once again pressed against mine as she moaned lightly.
Grinding into me, I stared at her dumbfoundedly. Her tongue poked out, and I soon found myself accepting her tongue.
She tasted delicious. She broke the kiss a moment later, a string of saliva connecting us.
"I won't let you leave me," she said, nuzzling her face into my neck. Just like that, she got comfortable and closed her eyes.
I sat there blinking in shock.
What had just happened?
-Scene Break-
I stared at the inconspicuous-looking guild centre with a frown. Adventurers entered and exited the building continuously. Some laughed as they held filled pouches, others looked blankly at the floor with small pouches barely filled with anything held loosely in their hands.
This place was a building where both wealth and poverty could be found. Fame and ruin—it was funny how one place could both ascend and ruin anyone ambitious enough to try becoming an adventurer.
This didn't apply to me, of course. I was a cheat.
The dungeon was no doubt dangerous, but unlike many who had to truly be cautious or risk dying, I could perform acts that no new adventurer could for years to come.
It was interesting to see; everyone who came here showed an obvious story. Like the man with blood on his face, blankly staring at the ground. A small pouch dropped next to him.
For him, he had just experienced a life-changing event. One of the many ambitious adventurers who had their adventure cut short. He probably had a team who had given their life to allow him to escape.
Now he sat looking at the bag of vali in disbelief. All that just for some money.
Then there was another woman laughing with her friends. A massive pouch gripped tightly in her hand as she walked with her party to presumably get wasted.
Some people simply adapted better, which allowed them to enjoy the benefits of becoming an adventurer. It was a double-edged sword.
Which the guild didn't help with their very generous pay. That puts normal jobs to shame.
Temptation.
Something I, as a devil, could instinctively understand. I saw how the guild worked, which made me admire them just a bit. They were cold, and I didn't feel bad for the people who were left ruined by them.
If they didn't do it, it would be someone else. At least they tried to help with guild advisors.
I didn't know how I had ended up here, merged with a devil boy, but I had found myself adapting to the situation quickly. I had always been good at making the best of what I was given.
One of my better traits.
Plus, I couldn't say this was bad at all. I wouldn't complain about being stuffed into a magical world with super strength and magic, which I improved with every passing day.
My days of running out of magic became further away as I improved my demonic power control. It was slow, but the results were easily seen. The sight of being able to create more powerful attacks drove me in a way that I couldn't explain.
I was certain I hadn't been this awed by power before my change in race, but then again, the most powerful people I had seen before my rebirth were a bunch of old men in the government, telling me that the taxes they took from my hard-earned money were going to a good cause.
Which I had yet to see.
I sighed. Okay, enough of that. I should probably stop stalling with my internal monologue and go see the feisty crimson-haired wolf girl who seemed to be oddly interested in my life.
Running a hand through my crimson hair, I strolled into the guild entrance calmly.
She should have calmed down by now, right? I mean, I wasn't avoiding her out of fear; it was more so I could avoid the lecture she was sure to give me.
I know it was her own way of trying to help me overcome the fate of a normal adventurer, which I appreciated, but I didn't need it. Even now, with my supernatural abilities realised, I kept cautious when I entered new floors.
I blinked as a flash of long red hair whipped through the crowd of adventurers. I blinked as a flash of long red hair whipped through the crowd of adventurers. The next thing I knew, a delicate-looking but strong hand clasped onto my shoulder, making me turn to meet two furious, narrowed yellow slits.
The sneering visage of an angry Rose Fannett made me realise that my attempt to remain unnoticed had the opposite of its intended effect.
"Got you," she hissed.
"Hey," I greeted her.
Her eyes seemed to practically glow. The normally apathetic yellow eyes were alight with anger.
"Hey…?" she repeated. "HEY?!"
Was she going through some sort of menopause or something? She was acting just a tad bit unhinged. No, she wasn't old enough. Wait… does her species even have periods? Things to ponder on later. Right now, I have more urgent things to worry about.
She pulled me towards the familiar conference room. She turned, locking the door behind her and forcing me to sit down. Instead of sitting across from me, she paced around.
"You… I tell you to be careful, I give you my trust, and you decide to recklessly go fighting monsters above your calibre. Then you proceed to ignore me for ages, only to stroll in like you own the place and act as if this is normal," she growled.
I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly.
"Don't you think you're overreacting a bit? I get you wanting to help me out and stop me from dying a useless death like most adventurers, but I'm fine," I replied.
She glared but stayed silent, leaning back.
"What's the secret? Are you truly human? Or do you have some sort of skill that allows you to grow at such an unheard-of rate? Perhaps a magical bloodline? Either way, you're letting it get to your head. Killing an infant dragon? As a newbie? The reports of the monsters you kill are completely out of the range for a new adventurer," she ranted.
I stayed silent.
"You think you're the only adventurer to get some sort of amazing enhanced physical boosting skill that allows them to grow fast? You aren't. The reason you haven't heard of them is because they are dead," she continued, crossing her arms and unintentionally pushing up her bust.
I took this time to admire her. She was incredibly beautiful. An easy hourglass figure along with two large breasts, perfect skin, and lush hair. No wonder so many adventurers tried their hand with her. The cold aura she gave off had its own appeal.
"Can't you see I'm trying to keep you safe? Despite my experience, I gave you the benefit of the doubt. A gift I've given very few other adventurers. I have seen so many of you idiots die that I actively use my job as a guild advisor to stop as many of you as I can."
I tilted my head. "Really? The cold Rose Fannett secretly caring? Why bother, it's their choice after all," I jokingly replied, a bit more serious at the end.
It seemed to piss her off even more. Her perfectly healthy nails were sharpening.
"I used to be exactly like you, and it got everyone I loved killed when I tried to bring them along for the adventure. How dare you question me. You have no right," she growled.
I felt sympathy for her. I was starting to understand why she was so intent on either making adventurers quit or making them follow her advice now.
That was some high-level trauma. No wonder she is so cold. Losing everything to the dungeon would be quite the motivation to make others not follow her mistake.
"The dungeon is a trap. People spend their time admiring the very small percent who succeed and ignore all the deaths that occur on a daily basis. I am not blinded; I see it perfectly," she mumbled at the end.
I went to speak only to be cut off by the furious Rose.
"You have shown me you can't be trusted, and I won't let you make the same mistakes I made. I am considered a harsh cold bitch by many, but the truth is I care too much to let you continue," she growled.
"Hold on, Rose, I think you're going a bit overboard with this. I assure you I haven't been as reckless as you think I have been. I've made sure I'm capable of the floors I go through," I tried to calm her down, realising now she was absolutely livid.
I had underestimated the extent of her trauma over this. Her radical views on adventurers had been unnatural but I had thought it was kind of cool to have someone care so much.
"Prepare yourself," Rose announced.
Her perfect lips twisted as her teeth seemed to grow sharper.
Yeah, maybe I should have taken this conversation a little more seriously.
-END-
if you wish to read up to eleven chapters in advance among other things please visit pa/t reon * / Snipez818, I appreciate all the support!
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder