NOVEL NEXT 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*)
….
..
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"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 』
…
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"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?"
…
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『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.
…
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"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.
…
..
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『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 .̵̨̞̫͚̮̰̤͆̀̚͘.̶̧̛͚͔̘̲̭̭̪͕̖͆̀̆̕̕.̵̡̨̡͕̰̝̗̰͖̺̈́͛͆̒̎͝.̴̨̝̺͓̻͉̠̞͠.̷̨͍͇͉̖̹̝̼̪̅̊̋͠ͅ.̷̨͉̫̻̞̳̈́
…
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.
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.
…
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.
"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.
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"... 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.
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"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.
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"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.
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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!