Familia Myth: Journey to Hero Chapter 19 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Familia Myth: Journey to Hero! Freya has sent a letter to Hestia. The Norse Goddess of Beauty, Desire, Love, and more Domains has seen the loss of the special ‘color’ within Bell. She has questions and now Hestia is asking Hephaestus for advice. Can the secret of Bell’s Miracle be hidden? While this is happening, Bell and Lili have added Welf to their battle party as they head for the Eleventh Floor. What will happen during their first trip to this Floor?

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 19 – Goddesses Meet and the Eleventh Floor

“We do our best to steer this conversation away from the truth.” Hephaestus reminded Hestia as the two Goddesses went over their plan to deal with Freya’s curiosity. “As long as she doesn’t suspect a Miracle, then we should be able to get through this without incident.” The Goddess of the Forge let out a heavy sigh at the situation that had been dropped in her lap.

In truth, Hestia was wise to seek her assistance and guidance. Freya was one of the most influential Deities in Orario and had arguably the most powerful Familia. Trying to win a war of words or deceive the Norse Goddess would be a monumental task for anyone alone. Hephaestus had been the only one that Hestia could turn to in this scenario.

“I know,” Hestia was doing her best to distract herself from the upcoming conversation. She didn’t think she’d be able to control her nerves otherwise. So, as she and Hephaestus waited for Freya to arrive at the Hestia Familia Home for their chat; Hestia was busying herself with preparing tea and snacks. “I just wish that Freya would keep her eyes to herself. She had no reason to be looking at Bell!” A small flash of annoyance appeared as Hestia grumbled about the Goddess of Beauty looking at Bell at all. Bell was her lover!

A knock on the front door of the Hestia Familia home was heard a few minutes later. Hestia walked over to open the door, revealing Freya covered in her black, full-body cloak. The Goddess of Beauty couldn’t just walk through Orario uncovered, as those of weak will would be Charmed just by seeing her. So, when she went out like this, she had to take the precaution of covering her form. The purple eyes of Freya met Hestia’s blue and a small smile formed on the Norse Goddess’s face.

“How nice to see you, Hestia.” Freya greeted the short Goddess. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.”

“Freya,” Hestia did her best to control her normal reaction to the other Goddess. “Welcome to my home.” She invited her guest inside and then closed the door behind her.

“It’s lovely.” Freya complimented, easily feeling the air of Hestia’s Divine Presence, which suffused the space and made it feel warm and welcoming. “Oh…I didn’t realize that you’d be joining us, Hephaestus.” Freya smiled at the redhead upon noticing her.

“Hestia was insistent on my presence.” Hephaestus shrugged from her place on one of the couches. “You know that she doesn’t like you very much.”

“Oh, I’m aware.” Freya tittered behind her hand as she removed her black cloak and revealed her normal outfit. Her Divine Charm didn’t work on Goddesses that felt no attraction to her. So, at least here, she was free to relax and enjoy the company. “But that’s honestly why I like Hestia.” Freya smiled at the Goddess of the Hearth, Home, and Family.

“Would you like some tea and snacks while we talk?” Hestia offered, doing her best to be a good host. She was the one that insisted they have their chat in her home. Both because it gave her a ‘home field advantage’ and because it was much more secure if the talk was forced to delve into topics that best remained hidden.

“Yes, thank you.” Freya accepted with a grin.

Hestia poured tea for all three of them and let Freya and Hephaestus add sugar or milk at their preference. After the first sips of tea were had, Freya indulged in a cookie with a lackadaisical smile. “Mmm, these are very good, Hestia.” The silver-haired beauty praised the other Goddess.

“Thank you.” Hestia accepted the compliment as she set her teacup down and looked Freya in the eyes. “Now that the pleasantries are out of the way. Why are you looking at my Bell and what oddity were you talking about in your letter?” The sharp glare that Hestia shot at Freya made Hephaestus sigh.

“Hestia, calm down a bit, there won’t be any productive conversation if you’re angry from the start.” Hephaestus tried to soothe her aunt’s irritation with Freya.

“Fufufu…” Freya giggled as Hestia exhaled and calmed herself. “I’m afraid that I couldn’t help but look at your little rabbit, Hestia. He was just so unique.” Seeing Hestia deadpan at her only made Freya laugh lightly, a melodious sound that could entrance mortal men very easily. “He was clear…he was a color that my eyes had never seen before.” Her purple eyes shone with a faint silvery glow for a second. “But now his color has changed…I’ve never seen that happen before. I was hoping to ask about it, as it’s a wholly unique experience for me.”

“So, that’s what this is really about.” Hephaestus couldn’t help but let out an exasperated sigh. “You’re boredom was alleviated by Bell and now you’re curious.” It was a common enough thing among the immortal Deities that had seen eons pass. New things and experiences were the most treasured among them all.

“You could phrase it that way, yes.” Freya admitted as she sipped from her teacup. It was good tea. Paired with the soft couch, which seemed to be new, and the atmosphere of Hestia’s home, it was little surprise that Freya felt herself relaxing.

“Keep your hands to yourself.” Hestia pouted at Freya, her blue eyes staring pointedly at the purple orbs of the other Goddess. “Bell is mine.”

“Of course, of course…” Freya set her teacup down and took a second small cookie for herself. “I have no intention of getting between the love of others. That wouldn’t be in accordance with my Domain, would it?” She joked lightly, before enjoying the cookie. “I’m merely curious as to how the color of the boy’s soul changed. I’ve never seen that clear color before, and now it’s gone. Two things that I’ve never witnessed so close together and from the same person. You can understand my curiosity, yes?”

“I guess…” Hestia grumbled lightly before picking up her teacup and taking a sip.

“You wouldn’t try and pry too deeply into another Familia’s affairs, would you, Freya?” Hephaestus eyed the Norse Goddess after setting down her own teacup. “You did chastise Loki for the very same thing at the Denatus, didn’t you?”

“Perhaps I did,” Freya nodded with a curious little grin. “But I think you both know why I did such a thing.” Her purple eyes glinted with a hint of something that was gone too quickly to be identified.

“Loki says you protected Bell, and warned me to keep my eyes open.” Hestia replied evenly, not sure which of the two Norse Goddesses to be more annoyed with. “I can only think of one reason why you’d protect Bell though.” Her eyes narrowed at Freya; the accusation clear as day.

“I’ll admit to being very interested in him at the time.” Freya confirmed without a hint of remorse or guilt. Hestia felt her hackles raise and barely stopped the tirade that she was going to unleash on Freya. Only seeing the sharp look from Hephaestus stilled her tongue. “However, now…his soul still has a brilliant shine, but it’s not unique anymore. It’s the same luster that most of my own Familia hold. A rainbow of beautiful and resplendent colors, but your child’s soul is close in color to one that I already love.” Freya nearly cooed as she thought of her lover that had a similar shine and color to Bell’s soul.

“So, you’re giving up on Bell then?” Hephaestus raised her visible eyebrow. It was unlike a Goddess of Desire to let go of something so easily.

“She’d better be…” Hestia grumbled before sipping her tea to hold off on saying anything more.

“No trouble meant, Hestia.” Freya smiled at the short Goddess. “Once my curiosity is sated, I’ll leave your boy to you.” She promised with a gentle nod. “Speaking of which…” Her purple eyes narrowed and gained the slight silver glow again. “Why did that unique color exist? And how did it disappear?”

“What does it matter?” Hestia replied dismissively. “I’m not able to see souls like you are, only feel and identify them as most Deities are capable of. Your sight is something that I can’t picture, so I don’t see how these colors matter at all. Bell is the same Bell that he’s always been.”

“She has a point, Freya.” Hephaestus supported her aunt’s statement. “The boy hasn’t changed at all, even after this change that you’ve described. If he hasn’t changed, then what curiosity could you still have about him?”

“A soul does not change like that.” Freya leaned back into the couch with a sigh. It was always so difficult to explain her sight to other Deities that didn’t possess something similar. “As they go through life, their souls darken or get ‘stained’ by the difficulties of life. When their souls come to Tenkai, we take care of them, purify the stains, and leave them as fresh souls ready to be reincarnated again.” Freya reminded them of the function that the Gods and Goddesses in Tenkai fulfilled.

It was this process of handling souls and reincarnation that was the main reason that many Deities of Death and Rebirth never descended to Gekai. They were perfectly content to take care of the mortal souls, and coming to Gekai had no allure for them. Only on rare occasions would any one of the many Deities of Death and Rebirth descend, and usually they didn’t stay too long (or too long by the ageless Gods viewpoint).

“We’re both aware of that, Freya.” Hestia looked at Freya without changing her expression. “But as Bell is still the Bell that I’ve always known; I don’t see the change that you speak of. I can’t answer your question. Therefore, I can’t satisfy your curiosity.”

“Really?” Freya placed her right hand against her own cheek. She almost looked put out.

“If only you can see this change, then I’m not sure what you expected Hestia to be able to tell you about it.” Hephaestus shrugged at the other Goddess. She sipped her tea and was happy that the plan to keep Freya from finding out about Bell’s Miracle seemed to have worked out.

“That’s too bad.” Freya sighed at Hephaestus’s words. “Here I was hoping to have an answer. I was even looking forward to strengthening our relationship, Hestia.” Her purple eyes looked over to the rave-haired Goddess.

“I’m not into you like that, Freya.” Hestia closed her eyes and brought her teacup to her lips. Shutting down the Goddess of Love’s amorousness was easy for her. Tenkai only knew how many times she’d told off Aphrodite over the ages.

“Oh my…” Freya giggled at Hestia’s assumption. “I didn’t mean it like that. But I’m sure it would be fun.” Hestia rolled her eyes as Freya grinned at her. “No, I meant becoming friendly with each other. Perhaps using my influence in your favor, every now and then, when it would help. Or if it would just be more interesting.” The grin became a smile as Freya saw Hestia give her a look that was a mix between curiosity and exasperation.

“What are you implying?” Hephaestus questioned Freya. This was most certainly not something that either she or Hestia had expected to come up during this chat.

“Nothing serious, not a formal alliance or anything.” Freya waved off the notion. Alliances rarely tended to last between Familia in Orario. Just being friends and letting their Familias work together was much easier for the Deities involved. “Just a little help every once in a while, if it was needed. But that would require us to be on friendly terms.” She looked at Hestia knowingly. “Perhaps we could share a secret between us, hmm?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Hestia shook her head slightly, denying having any secrets that Freya would care about.

“I see, that’s too bad then.” Freya laid her head back on the couch with a sigh. “And here I thought I might get a new secret to hold on to. Something new that would explain a few things in the process.” There was a clear undertone of pouting in Freya’s words, even if her beautiful features didn’t show it.

“That’s just how it is sometimes.” Hephaestus mentioned as she took a small cookie and popped it into her mouth.

“It seems like I’ll never have your friendship, Hestia.” Freya looked up at the ceiling of the common space within the Hestia Familia Home.

“Why do you even want to be friends with me?” Hestia felt like she had to ask at this point. Their Domains only shared a few connections between Family and Love being intrinsically linked more often than not. “It’s not like we have much in common.”

“Hestia, do you know how often I hear a dissenting opinion to my own?” Freya sat up straight again to look at the Olympian Goddess. “Or even just hear the word ‘no’ spoken to me?”

“I’m guessing it’s not a lot.” Hestia would’ve been snappier with her, but Freya’s tone and expression actually cooled her normal irritation with the other Goddess.

“Almost never,” Freya nodded in confirmation. “Most fall over themselves trying to please me. Being surrounded by ‘yes men’ as the term goes, quickly becomes tiring.” She picked up her teacup and sipped from it. “I could suggest the most ignorant and blatantly wrong choices to any event, and I’d still have the majority agreeing with me. It’s almost impossible to have honest conversations with most people, Mortal or God.” Her purple eyes softened slightly as she looked at Hestia. “But you, Hestia, you’re never like that. You always tell me exactly how you feel, and what you think of my statements and ideas. That honesty is something that I’ve come to treasure from you. It’s why I often come to speak with you when we meet at things like the Banquet of the Gods and such.”

“Freya…” Hestia blinked in surprise at the Norse Goddess. She definitely hadn’t expected something like this coming up during their conversation.

“But it seems like it would take a miracle for our relationship…to…change…” Freya trailed off and both Hestia and Hephaestus could practically hear the gears turning in her head. When Freya’s purple eyes widened suddenly, the two Olympian Goddesses could’ve sworn they heard when the revelation snapped into place. “A Miracle…” Her sharp purple eyes looked straight into Hestia’s blue and held her gaze for an uncomfortably long moment.

“What?” Hestia asked, trying her best to hide the fact that her nerves had just shot through the roof.

“Haaaaaah…” Freya exhaled so heavily that her shoulders sagged. With a small intake of breath and then a sigh, she brought her right hand up and gently pinched the bridge of her nose. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything.” Hestia replied evenly. She wouldn’t confirm anything. Freya could speculate all she wanted, but without proof there wasn’t much she could do.

“That’s fair…” Freya admitted, briefly looking between Hestia and Hephaestus. “I suppose it makes more sense that it wasn’t you.” She closed her eyes for a long moment and was clearly thinking about something. “Do you two know who did break the rules?”

“We don’t know anybody that broke the rules.” Hestia shook her head in denial. “Why would you bring that up?”

“Hestia…” Freya gave her such a deadpan stare that Hestia could barely meet her gaze. “I get it. But I’m not trying to start anything. This is incredibly important though.”

“We don’t know.” Hephaestus sighed heavily herself.

“Hephaestus!” Hestia exclaimed to her niece; her blue eyes wide in near panic.

“She’s clearly worked it out, Hestia.” Hephaestus slumped back against the couch she and Hestia were sitting on. “At this point, we can only mitigate the damage and try to work this out in your favor to the best of our abilities.”

“It seems that we’ll be sharing a secret after all, Hestia.” Freya smiled, though it looked a little strained. The Goddess of Beauty actually seemed like she might regret having figured this out at all. “Do you know what he got? Or when he got it?”

“No…” Hestia leaned forward and placed her head in her hands. “It just activated on Bell’s advancement to Level Two.” She took a heavy breath, her shoulders shaking from tension, fear, and anxiety that this would get out. “Bell has told me everything of his life. From his earliest memories all the way up until the day we met. There was no mention of any God or Goddess before he came to Orario.”

“Even if he received whatever it was before he met Hestia, it couldn’t have been in Orario.” Hephaestus gently rubbed her aunt’s back, hoping to soothe her a little. “If any Deity in Orario had something from Tenkai, they would’ve assuredly have given it to one of their own children.”

“True enough.” Freya agreed, holding her chin with her index finger and thumb. “So, the most probable case is that he met a Deity before coming to Orario. One capable of suppressing their Divine Aura completely to pass off as a human, most likely.”

“That only narrows it down to something around a few hundred or so.” Hephaestus looked over at Freya with a flat expression.

There were thousands upon thousands of Deities in Tenkai. Most didn’t bother learning to hide their Divine Aura. Those that did sometimes shared that fact while others didn’t. There was no telling which of these hundreds of Deities that could pass off as a normal mortal had broken the rules. Even if the rule breaker was identified, there was no guarantee that they weren’t already back in Tenkai.

“Hmm,” Freya hummed in thought, mulling over the situation. This couldn’t get out, or Hestia would assuredly be blamed regardless. Then Bell would be forced to reveal his Status so that the Miracle’s effect could be determined. The most likely scenario would end with Hestia sent back to Tenkai and Bell forcibly snatched up by one of the other Familia in Orario, whether he liked it or not. “I can think of a few Deities that would find breaking the rules like this a form of entertainment. But most of them still reside in Tenkai to my knowledge. I highly doubt we could blame Hermes for this.” Both Hestia and Hephaestus looked up at Freya at the mention of their family.

“Hermes is a troublemaker, but even he wouldn’t break the rules like this.” Hephaestus shook her head. “His Familia isn’t strong enough to protect him from the backlash if anyone found out. He also enjoys being in Gekai too much to risk it.”

“Not to mention that Hermes would’ve already gotten rid of the evidence by giving whatever it was to one of his own Familia members too.” Hestia knew her nephew well enough to state that as a fact. The Messenger God of the Olympian Pantheon was nothing if not thorough when covering his tracks. That was especially true when he was up to mischief.

“I would’ve suggested Loki, with her Domains and normal disregard for the rules. But she’s been in Tenkai, and even Orario, longer than your boy has been alive.” Freya mentioned the redheaded Trickster Goddess of her own Pantheon. “I won’t ask what the Miracle did. But I can make a few guesses simply based on when it activated. For now, though, this would be better kept quiet. Unless we can figure out which Deity gave Bell something from Tenkai, there’s no real point in announcing it. The act of placing a Miracle within a random child would upend Orario, even if it didn’t happen here. The fact that Bell is here now would be all that any of the other Deities cared about.”

“That’s what we had decided on already.” Hephaestus confirmed with a heavy sigh of her own. Why did Bell have to keep having such odd things happen to him and around him?

“Thank you, Freya.” Hestia looked at the other Goddess with genuine gratitude. “For agreeing to keep this a secret.”

“Consider it a secret between friends, Hestia.” Freya smiled softly at the short Goddess. “It would only cause needless chaos if it was revealed anyway.” To be honest, she didn’t much care about the Miracle at this point. Bell had more than likely gotten a unique and unheard of Skill or Developmental Ability from the Miracle upon his Level Up, and that was of little concern to Freya. She was more elated that she’d finally gotten Hestia’s friendship. A real friend was hard to find for Freya, and this was something that she’d wanted for a very long time.

“Friends.” Hestia agreed with a beautiful smile of her own.

“Hmm, what should we do now?” Freya actually looked a little confused. “I’m not used to having friends to just enjoy tea with.”

“Talk about our children? How things are going in our endeavors? Things like that are normally what Hestia and I talk about.” Hephaestus felt like the tension that had built up was slowly releasing.

“Ah, that would be nice.” Freya grinned as she accepted a second cup of tea from Hestia. “I’ve been playing a little roleplay for several years now myself.” She didn’t give any information, as that could lead to her disguise being compromised and ruining her game.

“Roleplay?” Hestia cocked a delicate eyebrow. “As what, a matchmaker or something?” That would be right up a Goddess of Love’s alley, wouldn’t it?

“No, no, just a simple city girl.” Freya shook her head. “It’s interesting getting to talk to so many people and hear their stories. I couldn’t do that if I approached them normally.” She sipped her tea and enjoyed the flavor. “But the idea of playing matchmaker might be fun.” She giggled a little while recalling how a certain Elf’s eyes had been straying to follow a certain young man. “Perhaps I will make that a part of my role soon.”

“You’re going to cause some mischief, aren’t you?” Hephaestus questioned before taking her second cookie.

“What? Me? Why would I ever do that?” Freya’s smile was absolutely unrepentant. She’d keep the fact that the Grimoire that Bell had come into contact with was from her. It wouldn’t do to bring up just how much she’d desired Bell before the Miracle had left him and removed the unique color from his soul. ‘It’s best not to jeopardize my newly found friendship. Besides, it’s such a minor thing over all.’

Only a Goddess of one of the Top Two Familias in Orario could consider a Grimoire worth over One-Hundred-Million Valis a minor thing.

-Dungeon ~ Eleventh Floor-

“Finally, the Eleventh Floor!” Welf cheered as the group of three stepped into the new floor for the first time.

The Eleventh Floor was nearly identical to the Tenth Floor. The fog in the air, the grass under their feet, the light from overhead resembling early morning sunlight, the dead-looking trees that some of the Large Category Monsters would use as landform weapons. Nothing much had changed at all, and it brought a little relief to Bell. If things were mostly the same, then he felt better about taking on this new floor. He’d keep vigilant though, the Dungeon was never to be underestimated.

“Sorry about this, Bell. I’ve asked for something unusual right after we met.” Welf apologized to his first client. The Smith was wearing his black robe, but in his hand was a large sword, single-edged, and almost as long as Welf was tall. The broad blade was heavier than a regular sword, but packed a good deal of power behind each swing because of it. “I’m glad to see that your Familia isn’t exclusive when it comes to dungeon crawling.”

“It’s no problem.” Bell waved off the apology with a smile. “We’ve already agreed on a contract. Besides, you’re planning to forge me a new spear for free. I can’t turn down a simple request after that.”

“Yeah, but no one in my Familia will let me join their battle party. Unbelievable, am I right?” Welf shook his head with a scoff at the attitude of his Familia members.

“We should focus.” Lili spoke up, getting their attention. “We know you’re not a bad person, Mr. Welf. But this is the Eleventh Floor and we need to remain on guard.” The Supporter was wary of the last two floors of the Upper Levels. This was the floor when powerful Monsters started appearing, like Silverbacks and Hard Armoreds.

“Little Lili is right, we’re here to prowl the dungeon.” Welf agreed with the Prum girl.

“Hey!” Lili grumbled at Welf for the nickname. Only Bell was allowed to use a nickname with her!

The familiar cracking sound made all three snap to attention. In mere moments they watched as the ground and the nearby wall cracked and shattered. A large group of Orcs and Imps emerged from all over the area around them.

“Buuaarrgh!”

“Gii!”

The cries of the Monsters grew loud as they focused on the three Adventurers.

“Monster Party!” Lili warned as the three of them looked at the horde.

“Sudden outbreaks of Monsters in a small area.” Welf hefted his large sword, ready to fight. “This is why Floors Ten and below get really scary.”

“This room is very wide, so we can retreat to the Tenth Floor if necessary.” Lili informed Bell and Welf as she readied her bowgun. “Master Bell, please fight as you like.” She smiled at her boyfriend. “Lili will support Mr. Welf, but it would be great if you could check on us from time to time, though.”

“Sure thing,” Bell smiled back at her while drawing the Hestia Knife. “This is a good chance to see what I can do now that I’ve leveled up.” He grinned at the black blade. He’d see what he could do with just his new stats, so using only one knife and not activating his passive Dual Wield Skill was important.

“Here I thought you didn’t like me much, Little Lili.” Welf grinned at Lili as the Monsters closed in.

“Of course, Lili doesn’t like you much.” Lili shot back as she aimed her bowgun. “But she doesn’t want you to get in Master Bell’s way.” She smiled, then fired the first bolt which pierced the skull of an Imp, killing the Monster instantly.

“Let’s get started.” Bell launched himself forward and the Hestia Knife decapitated an Imp in a blur.

“Gah…keh…” The severed Imp head made small noises, the eyes wide in confusion as it flew through the air a bit and then hit the ground.

“Yah!” Bell didn’t slow down. If anything, he sped up!

The next Imp’s throat was slashed. The one behind it was nearly bisected from shoulder to hip. The third Imp was gutted as the black blade sliced deeply into its stomach. The first Orc in Bell’s path was slashed so deeply that its left arm was barely hanging on to its shoulder as a fountain of blood poured out of the wound. The Imp that tried to attack him was cut in half at the waist as Bell blurred by to get to the second Orc. The Second Orc barely had time to swing a punch at Bell before the Hestia Knife opened its throat in a spray of blood. Bell’s boot used another Imp’s head as a stepping stone, crushing the skull, as he leapt into the air.

“Hup!” Bell dropped like a meteor, slicing through the shoulder, chest and stomach of the third Orc. The blood had barely started spraying from the massive injury by the time Bell had moved to his next target.

“Gah!” The Imp barely got out a sound before being decapitated.

“Grkah!” The final Imp met its end as Bell performed a skipping sidekick to its face, a sickening crunch was heard as the skull collapsed from the force.

‘Completely different…’ Bell marveled at his performance. ‘Nothing’s the same as it was before. Strength, speed, reflexes…all much better!’ He looked over himself briefly. “So, this is a level up? The Goddess’s Blessing.”

“Damn! That’s fast!” Welf exclaimed, seeing Bell blurring through a chunk of the Monsters.

“Grooaahh!” Two large Monsters appeared through the fog, obviously drawn by the sounds of battle. They were hunched over while walking on two legs. Both of the Monsters had thick, armored hide and a row of jagged sharp scales down the center of their bodies from head to the tip of their tails. The only soft parts on the beasts seemed to be their underbellies.

“Hard Armored…the Monster with the highest defense in the Upper Level.” Bell recognized these things from his lessons with Eina.

The closer Hard Armored tucked itself into a ball, completely hiding its soft underbelly, before its tail struck the ground behind it with great force. The strike sent the armored ball rolling forward at speed, looking to crush Bell beneath it.

“I can still…” Bell rocketed forward, slipping to one side of the rolling Monster, and slashed it wide open with the Hestia Knife. “Win!” The nearly bisected Hard Armored spun across the grass haphazardly, blood flying everywhere before it came to a stop.

“Grooaahh!” The second Hard Armored roared at Bell, seeing the fate of its kin.

“Firebolt!” Bell held up his hand, palm facing the Monster. The flames blasted out in a fast torrent that engulfed the Hard Armored and exploded. When the flames cleared away, the smoking corpse of the beast was all that remained. ‘Everything is up a notch. Even my Magic is stronger.’ He clenched his fist with a smile. ‘I’m catching up for sure.’ He thought of Ais, Tione, and Tiona. ‘I’m keeping my promise.’ Bell smiled as Hestia appeared in his mind. ‘It was like a faraway dream. But I’m getting closer to where they stand.’

“Now that’s impressive, speed and Magic alike.” Welf stared at the ease with which Bell cleared a path through the Monster Party.

“Don’t get smashed into a pancake by getting distracted.” Lili snickered as she took shots at the other Imps, killing most with a bolt to the head, but a few needed two to the torso to bring down. “Master Bell would be very sad.”

“Little Lili, your quirks are showing.” Welf sighed as an Orc charged towards him.

“Bgraaah!” The Orc threw a punch at Welf the second he was in range. Welf ducked under the fist easily enough before gripping his sword with both hands.

“Haa!” Welf swung upwards, slicing across the Orc’s stomach and chest and knocking it onto its back. “And stay down!” He brought the sword down in an overhead swing that split the Orc’s head in two. “That should do it.” He pulled his sword back and looked towards Lili. “Little Lili, next!”

“Already on the way!” Lili warned as an Orc that was using one of the dead-looking trees as a club rushed towards the Smith. Two shots form her bowgun stalled the charge as the bolts buried themselves into the Orc’s shoulder.

“Goah!” The Orc bellowed at the pain before turning its vicious gaze on Lili.

“Eat this!” Welf took advantage of the Orc’s distraction for a full-power swing. The large sword slashed straight through the Orc in a wide arc. The Magic Stone had been in the path of the swing and was shattered as a result. The Orc burst apart in to black ash from the destruction of its Magic Stone.

“Hey!” Lili barked at Welf, seeing the Orc’s destruction. “Mr. Welf! We’re going to have a problem if you keep breaking Magic Stones! Our profits will suffer!”

“What’s done is done.” Welf replied as he placed his sword over his shoulder. “No use crying about it.”

“Look out behind you!” Lili cried out and Welf snapped his gaze around to see what had just dropped to the grass from up in the large dead trees. “It’s a Silverback!”

Two more of the ape-like Monsters dropped out of the same large tree and surrounded Welf in a triangle formation.

“This could be trouble…” Welf eyed the three Monsters warily. ‘Three on one and I’m surrounded. I’m practically fighting solo now. I need to get out of here, but is that even possible?’

“Mr. Welf!” Lili tossed as small brown pouch with all of her might at the closest Silverback. The ape Monster smacked it out of the air, only for the pouch to burst and a cloud of purple dust to cover it.

“Aaaarrraaahhh!” The Silverback screeched before hacking and staggering out of the cloud.

“Purple Moth Poison Grenade!” Lili grinned at the now poisoned Monster.

“Two on one now, I’ll have to bet it all on this last charge!” Welf saw the Silverback behind him make a move. “Tch!” He got ready to swing his sword, knowing that he was leaving his back completely exposed to the other Silverback.

Bell flew in from the side in a blur, his boot slamming into the Silverback’s face. The ape Monster went flying to the side, its head whipping around from the flying kick. Bell wasn’t idle though. Seeing the final Silverback rushing at Welf from behind, Bell took out his second knife and threw it at the Monster. The knife landed true, stabbing into one of the Silverback’s eyes.

“GAAAAARRRGGGHH!!!” The Silverback screeched as it staggered backwards, clutching at its face.

“Welf!” Bell called out to the Smith.

“HAAAH!” Welf stomped hard on the ground as he put his full weight and power behind his overhead swing. The staggered Silverback barely saw the large sword coming before it was cut in half from shoulder to groin. A huge spray of blood covered the grass as the two halves fell to the ground. “There’s still another!”

“Hmm?” Bell looked at Welf, the Silverback at his feet dead.

“Little Lili?” Welf turned to look at the Supporter, only to see the Silverback that she’d poisoned dead on the ground with what looked like half a dozen bolts sticking out of its face, including both eyes.

“I’m alright.” Lili confirmed as the party of three checked their surroundings for anymore Monsters.

When no other Monsters made themselves known. The group gathered closer to talk. Their tension lessened considerably when the fog cleared up a bit and they saw a few other teams of Adventurers traveling through the nearby area. Some were clearly hunting, just like they were. A couple of the parties were decked out in nicer gear and were probably Level Twos that were heading for the Middle Floors since they were making a beeline for where the stairs leading further down were located.

“Lili will collect the Magic Stones, Drop Items, and Monster Parts, Master Bell!” Lili grinned brightly, eager to try her luck with her Harvester Skill. She needed to collect any of her bolts that were still usable too.

“Sure thing, Lili. We’ll keep watch.” Bell nodded to his girlfriend and watched her head over to start dragging the Imp bodies into a pile. It was clear that she wanted to be closer to where Welf and Bell would be while she worked.

“You know, this party thing ain’t half bad.” Welf chuckled as he and Bell leaned against one of the dead-looking trees while they watched Lili work. The Supporter had denied any help, wanting to try and get as much from each individual Monster as possible. “You’re one fast dude too. I didn’t even see you fly in until you were already there.”

“I’m still a little surprised myself.” Bell admitted with a grin. He hadn’t expected that the boost from the level up would be so substantial.

“One thing’s for sure, dungeon crawling is a lot easier with a strong ally.” Welf nodded to Bell with a smile. “Can’t rely on you too much though. I won’t get anywhere if I do.”

“It doesn’t feel like I killed as many Monsters this time around though.” Bell commented on the new experience.

“That’s the good thig about being in a party.” Welf assured him as he crossed his arms and leaned into the tree. “You don’t have to work as hard, so you’re free to move how you want. That helps when picking which Monsters to deal with first.”

“Yeah, I felt that way too.” Bell nodded, knowing that he wouldn’t have blitzed ahead like that if it was still just him and Lili alone.

“We didn’t do too bad for our first battle together as a group.” Welf nodded as other Adventurers past by, some looking over the dead Monsters with approving eyes. “Teamwork was a little rough around the edges, but we synced up near the end. All thanks to Little Lili.”

“Thanks to Lili?” Bell questioned, knowing and trusting in Lili’s skills, but wanting to hear Welf’s thoughts.

“Yeah.” Welf nodded to him. “What she does may not seem as important compared to being in the thick of the Monsters. But it’s vital when she calls out warnings, directs us, and helps control the flow of Monsters with attacks from the rear.”

“Yeah, Lili has a lot of experience in the Dungeon. She knows how the Monsters react and the best ways to deal with most of them.” Bell agreed with a bright smile.

“Not to mention that she’s a hard worker…” Welf sighed with a flat look on his face as they watched Lili work.

“Yeah, she won’t even let us help.” Bell chuckled at Lili’s work ethic. A smile formed on his lips when he saw Lili hold up an Imp Tail that she’d been able to harvest. The smile on her face as she put it into her large pack was too cute. “It’s hard to take Supporters for granted at times like this.”

“So, where do you want to go from here?” Welf asked since more Adventurers seemed to be showing up. The last thing they needed was to be fighting over who got to kill which Monsters.

“Hmm, not sure yet.” Bell noticed one party of four in particular. An Elf, a Dwarf, a Hume Bunny, and a Werewolf. All of them had great-looking armor and weapons, and Bell could practically feel their Level Two stats from where he was. ‘I bet they have some amazing Magic and Skills.’ He thought to himself with as the group of four headed towards the stairs to the Twelfth Floor.

“Well, we need to wait for Little Lili to finish up anyway, so you’ve got time to make a decision on it.” Welf shrugged, not in any real hurry. They’d already descended ten floors before this, slaying every Monster they encountered on the way.

‘Speaking of Skills…’ Bell thought about his new Skill that he hadn’t used yet. ‘Argonaut…nothing happened in the last fight. Maybe there’s something specific that I need to do to trigger it?’ He thought back on what he’d done to gain Argonaut in the first place. The fight with the Red Minotaur. ‘Back then I…just like the Heroes of tales and legends…like the men that threw themselves into danger to save others…like the women that stand up and fight no matter the enemy…like the girl that saved me…. I wanted to be like them. To get one step closer. That was all I wanted. Heroic Desire….’

“Hey Bell, what is…that?” Welf questioned, pulling Bell from his thoughts.

“Huh?” Bell blinked and looked down at his right hand. Light was glowing and surrounding his hand. Rings of white, blue, and golden points of light surrounded his hand, along with the sounds of a bell ringing. “What’s going on?”

“ROOOOAAARRR!!!” A loud roared resounded throughout the Eleventh Floor.

“What the hell is that?!” One Adventurer yelled out only to be knocked aside by what looked to be a tail swipe.

The Monster that emerged from the fog was clearly some kind of Dragon. It had orange scales, a long neck, and an equally long tail. Its jaws were filled with fangs, it had bright red eyes, and two short horns on each side of its head. The Monster was around one-hundred-fifty centimeters at the shoulder and its body alone was more than four meters long, not counting its long neck and tail.

“In-Infant Dragon!” Another Adventurer called out a warning as everyone in ear shot quickly readied their weapons and shields.

“Rare Monster!” A Cat Girl yelled out as the Infant Dragon roared at all of the gathered Adventurers. “It’s practically a Floor Boss!”

“We’ll need everyone to help defeat it!” A Dwarf man yelled, hefting his shield and his axe as the Infant Dragon began to charge forward.

“Oh shit!” Welf cursed seeing Lili directly in the charging Dragon’s path. “Little Lili, get out of there!”

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!” Lili abandoned her pack without hesitation as the Infant Dragon closed in on her.

“LILI!!!” Bell roared and threw his right hand forward with the only intention being to save her. “FIREBOLT!!!” The glowing lights surrounding his hand shrank down before an absolutely massive version of his normal Firebolt blasted forward.

“RAAAGGGHHH!!!” The Infant Dragon roared before being engulfed in flames and blasted almost a dozen meters backwards. The heat in the vicinity noticeably spiked for a few moments and when the spell ended, everyone could see the results.

The Infant Dragon was dead. Laid out on the ground surrounded by scorched grass. The entire path from Bell to the dragon was a wide blackened path of torched grass and ground. The Monster’s orange hide was burned black in several places, and thick smoke and steam rose from the carcass.

“Eh?” Bell stared at what he’d done in absolute shock.

“What the?” Welf, having been right next to Bell when the powered up spell was unleashed, lowered his arms that had covered his face from the heat.

“Huh?”

“Holy shit…”

“D-Did you see that?”

“What kind of spell was that?”

“One hit? That’s impossible!”

The murmurings of the gathered Adventurers that had witnessed what had just happened filled the air.

“Master Bell!” Lili threw herself into Bell’s arms and held him tightly.

“Lili!” Bell snapped out of it and returned her hug, holding her close and kissing the top of her head. “Are you okay? I didn’t hit you with whatever that was, did I?”

“No, Lili is fine, Master Bell.” Lili tilted her head up to look at Bell and then stood on her toes to kiss his lips. “Thank you for saving Lili.” She snuggled into him.

“Always, Lili.” Bell tightened his hug on her, giving her all of the reassurance that he could.

“Um…not to break up your moment, but are we taking that?” Welf pointed at the dead Infant Dragon. “Because I’ve heard from some of the older Smiths that Dragon Fangs are a pretty good material to work with.”

“Lili will harvest it to the best of her ability!” Lili declared after she let go of Bell. A gleam was in her eyes, one that Bell would call a mixture of revenge and profit. “Fangs, horns, claws, hide…Dragon Type Monsters are supposed to have many potential Drop Items. Hehehe…” Lili giggled as she rushed over to her large pack, picked it up, and then headed over to the dead Infant Dragon.

The Adventurers that were still standing around in stunned silence bore witness to a Prum Supporter pulling out a set of various tools from her pack. The tools included a pair of pliers, a hammer, a chisel, a good-sized knife, and a hand saw. All the while, the girl was clearly mumbling something about profits and item prices.

“I, uh, guess we’ll be here for a little longer?” Welf was honestly not sure what else he could say at this point.

“Yeah…” Bell just agreed with a small nod. On one hand, he’d gotten his new Skill to work. On the other, he was seeing a side of Lili that he’d only caught glimpses of before. “I’ll make sure some of the materials get to you, Welf.”

“Cool…thanks, Bell.” Welf hadn’t even turned his head to reply. The Smith was still focused on Lili, who had pried open the Infant Dragon’s jaws and was trying to yank out one of its many fangs with her pliers. “Sell some of the parts to my Familia and they’ll give you a better price than the Guild Exchange.”

“Sure thing.” Bell had also not taken his eyes off of Lili during her attempt to extract the first fang from the dead dragon.

It would be one of the fastest spreading pair of stories in Orario over the next few hours and into the following days. The tale of the Record Holder ‘Rabbit Foot’ killing an Infant Dragon in one blow. Followed by the tale of the Prum Supporter harvesting said Infant Dragon with the utmost glee on her face.

-End Chapter-

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Hestia, Hephaestus, and Freya have their talk over tea.

It turns out that even Freya understands the violation of the rules that Bell’s Miracle represents. But seeing that they have no idea who did it, nor any way to prove it, she’s decided to let it drop for now. Along with her desire for Bell disappearing along with it.

Hestia is grateful and Freya offers friendship to one of the few that won’t just tell her what she wants to hear. A new chapter in the relationship between the two Goddesses seems to have begun. I wonder how Loki will take it whenever she eventually finds out?

Bell, Lili, and Welf try out their new three-man party and things seem to be going pretty well! Bell is firing on all cylinders, including new ones that he didn’t realize he even had! Welf can hold his own pretty well one on one against Large Category Monsters. Lili is best Supporter, giving out warnings, directions, and support fire from the rear.

Bell gets Argonaut to work and barbecues the Infant Dragon!

Now Lili will get to harvest everything she can from the Rare Monster that tried to kill her! REVENGE!!!

Where does our Rabbit-like Hero go from here?

Keep reading to find out!

Let me know what you think with a review!

Until next time, later!