Sarutahiko Familia Premise Chapter 3 (Patreon)

I meant to have this out 2 hours ago...but that didn't happen... Enjoy 10K words!

Hello friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter! This Premise is very popular! But now, time rolls on as Bell and Lili continue to Dungeon crawl together! A certain someone introduces themselves. Bell also tries out a recommended bar! Perhaps three certain ladies even go find him again! Kek!

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 3 – Meetings and Growth

Bell walked along West Main Street looking for a certain place. The setting sun showed that it was the busy time for restaurants, taverns, pubs, and bars. The revelry from such locations could be heard in the streets as Bell walked by. There was one such place that had been recommended to Bell by Tione, Tiona, and Ais.

“The Hostess of Fertility.” Bell smiled as he found the bar, reading the name off of the sign out front. “Seems lively.” He grinned as he listened to the noises coming from the tavern for a moment. He stepped into the building and instantly noticed something specific. ‘It’s all waitresses.’ He noticed not a single man was wearing the uniform of the other workers. The white-haired Adventurer saw a woman behind the bar, serving food to two customers. Just based on her build; she was either a Dwarf woman that was very tall for her Race, or she was a Half-Dwarf, possibly.

Bell felt his heart rate pick up just a little as he saw two cute Cat Girls, a beautiful Elf with dark-green hair, and he thought he saw a blonde Human girl enter the back a second ago. ‘Is this real? They even have an Elf working here! Elves are known for their pride. She’s really pretty too. Who knew that the flower garden of beautiful women from my dreams actually existed?’

“Sir…?” A voice tried to get the young man’s attention.

‘This place wouldn’t be too expensive, right?’ Bell took in the interior, seeing it looked fairly standard for a bar or tavern. ‘Then again, with the numbers that Tione used to haggle with Miss Airmid…their perception of money might be different from mine.’

“Um, Sir?” The voice attempted to get Bell’s attention again.

“Eh?” Bell blinked and looked at who had been speaking to him.

The speaker was a human girl, probably a year or two older than he was. She had bluish-grey hair that was tied with a small knot in a ponytail style. Her eyes matched the color of her hair and her skin was light, smooth, and without blemish. She wore a white blouse and a green, knee-length skirt. Over the skirt she wore a slightly long half apron tied around her waist. Black stockings covered her legs and a pair of brown boots covered her feet. “Are you here to eat, sir?” The young woman asked with a smile.

“Oh, yes, thank you.” Bell tried his best not to be awkward for being too caught up in his thoughts.

“Of course, welcome.” The waitress gave a short bow. “One customer now seating!” She turned and called out to the bar. Bell followed after her as he was led to a stool at one side of the bar. “My name is Syr Flover, and I’ll be your waitress tonight.”

“Bell Cranel.” Bell introduced himself with a polite smile. “Could I get an ale while I look at the menu?”

“Of course, one ale, coming up!” Syr smiled at him and headed off to the back to get his drink.

Bell perused the menu, looking over the various dishes offered at the Hostess of Fertility. The retainers at the Floating Bridge Mansion could make pretty much any dish from the Far East, and Bell had been having fun trying all of the new foods, but the cooks were not well-versed in foods from other regions. Bell was going to use tonight to try something familiar from his childhood, if possible.

“One ale, Mr. Cranel.” Syr returned a minute later and placed his drink in front of him. “Did you find what you’d like to eat tonight?”

“Yes,” Bell nodded with a smile. “I’ll have the steak, cooked medium, and do the potatoes and greens come with it?”

“Yes, they do.” Syr nodded as she wrote down Bell’s order. “Your meal should be ready soon.” She walked back to the kitchen to relay Bell’s order.

Bell took in more of the bar as he sipped his ale. “Hm, not bad.” He commented on the drink. The Hostess of Fertility was clearly popular, given that it was almost packed. Laughter and cheer were in the air as the patrons ate and drank to their heart’s content.

Inevitably, Bell found his eyes following the waitresses, the lovely young ladies were certainly a draw for the bar. The eyes of dozens of the male patrons followed after the girls as they bustled around serving food and drinks. The Elf woman was beautiful (as Elves often were) and Bell barely stopped himself from staring at her as she worked. He limited himself to only glancing at her for short moments as best as he could.

“Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Cranel.” Syr giggled at him; catching him in the act of watching her Elven coworker.

“I…no…I wasn’t…” Bell trailed off at seeing the amused look on Syr’s face. “I was…sorry.”

Syr set his platter of food in front of Bell with a laugh. “It’s no trouble, Mr. Cranel; you certainly aren’t the only one.”

“Thank you.” Bell relaxed slightly and breathed in the aroma of the meal. “It smells great.” Picking up his fork and knife, Bell cut into the steak and tried his first bite. “That’s great!” He exclaimed after swallowing the bite of steak.

Syr giggled as she took the seat next to him, telling Bell that it was her break time as she started up a conversation with him. Bell told Syr a little about himself, like how old he was, that he was an Adventurer, and that he was from the Sarutahiko Familia. In return, Syr told bell more about Orario and the Hostess of Fertility.

“The owner of this place is Mama Mia, a former Adventurer. She only hires women, and she even welcomes girls with questionable backgrounds with open arms. I decided to work here because it looked like fun.” Syr told him with a smile. Bell learned about her hobby of talking to all the people that came through the doors of the tavern. How she enjoyed collecting the stories they told and the discoveries they brought to light about things she’d normally never know about.

“Collecting stories sounds nice.” Bell agreed with the waitress. “I do the same with Heroic Tales. I’ve liked them since I was a child.”

Syr eventually had to get back to work, and Bell finished up his dinner with a satisfied smile. He left the Valis to pay for his meal, plus a nice tip for the conversation with Syr. The food and drink had definitely been worth it, and Bell planned to come back again. The beautiful waitresses were merely a very nice bonus.

Inside the Hostess of Fertility, Syr collected the Valis and the used dishware with a small smile on her lips. Having gotten to know a bit about Bell, she looked over to her Elven coworker, Ryu. ‘I think that young man would be a good match.’ Syr hummed a tune as she walked back to the kitchen; a tune that fit well with the words ‘Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match’. Syr was known for her matchmaking tendencies among her friends at the Hostess; but this would be the first time that she ever attempted to pair up one of her coworkers. ‘Ah, one of my favorite parts of this roleplay~’ The waitress giggled as she dropped off the used dishware to be washed.

-Dungeon ~ Eighth Floor-

“Master Bell, above you!” Lili called out loudly, directing Bell’s attention upwards.

Fluttering above the melee below was a large butterfly Monster with four see-through blue wings that scattered a light blue dust every time they flapped.

“A Blue Papilio!” Bell grinned at seeing the Rare Monster. He cut down the Kobold in front of him, threw the chokuto into the head of a Frog Shooter before it could launch its tongue at him, caught a leaping Needle Rabbit and snapped its neck before burying its horn into the head of a Killer Ant, killing the insect Monster. He snapped the last remaining Kobold’s neck when it lunged at him, before leaping upwards towards the Blue Papilio. “Disrupt!” A Kokushin formed in Bell’s hand and he stabbed the butterfly Monster with it, killing it instantly as he fell back towards the stone floor. “Got it!”

“That was impressive, Master Bell.” Lili clapped for him with a smile. It didn’t reach her eyes, but she was good at hiding that.

“Can you start with this one, Lili?” Bell handed over the dead Blue Papilio. “I’m hoping to get the Drop Item. I think Miss Airmid would be happy to buy it from me at a higher price than the Exchange.”

“Yes, Master Bell.” Lili nodded and set the butterfly Monster on the floor. She pulled out her knife and carefully cut into the insect. She pulled out the small Magic Stone and the carcass turned into white ash. “Huh…you actually got it.” Lili blinked at seeing the large blue butterfly wing left behind.

“Great!” Bell smiled brightly at getting the Rare Drop Item. “I can’t wait to sell it!” Left unsaid was that he hoped that it would make Airmid smile. Bell found her smile beautiful and adorable at the same time.

Lili put the Drop Item in her large pack before moving the last few Monster bodies over to the pile she’d made while Bell had been fighting. Bell watched her back as Lili worked with speed and efficiency, opening up the various Monsters and harvesting their Magic Stones. “Lili is ready, Master Bell.” She spoke after closing her backpack and hefting it back onto her shoulders.

“Let’s head for the outer areas.” Bell requested as they left the cavern behind and entered the next corridor. “I usually have luck finding a lot more Monsters further off the beaten path.”

“Alright, follow Lili then, Master Bell.” Lili knew most of the passageways of the Upper Floors after so many years of travelling through them.

“We can stop for lunch after I clear out a good spot for us.” Bell offered with a smile.

Lili did her best not to let it show how much she enjoyed that offer. Bell had brought her lunch every single day that they’d worked together. It was always delicious and filling, made with love and care, and Lili could honestly say it was some of the best food that she’d ever eaten. The fact that Bell gave it to her for free everyday was so strange to Lili. Bell was too kind… He was exploitable! Too naïve for his own good! Lili tried to get annoyed at Bell but, like always, the feeling never lasted. “Lili would like that, Master Bell.”

“Then I’ll work hard to clear out the next area quickly for you, Lili.” Bell promised with a chuckle.

Lili wisely kept her mouth shut, even as her cheeks turned pink. If she tried to say anything she was liable to stumble over her own words.

“Oh yeah, I wanted to make sure, but I’ve killed one-hundred-eighty-six Monsters so far today, right?” Bell liked to keep an accurate count for his reports to Sophie at the end of the day.

“Yes, Master Bell.” Lili latched on to the change of topic. “One-hundred-eighty-six exactly, so far.” She was finally getting used to the absurd number of Monsters that Bell killed each day he went into the Dungeon. The fact that he always split the loot with her fifty-fifty made Lili feel happy, but wary as well. She’d never heard of ANY Supporter being paid fifty percent of the day’s spoils…ever! But Bell kept splitting the loot equally with her day after day. ‘He’s always praising Lili’s skills too…’ Lili fought down the blush that threatened to overtake her cheeks. ‘It’s got to be an act! No one is this kind! The other shoe will drop any day now!’ Lili lightly shook her head, not wanting to get caught up in what HAD to be some kind of scheme by the Adventurer. She’d never trust an Adventurer to have her wellbeing in mind…it just didn’t happen.

“Skree!”

“Kreee!”

“Skreeh!”

A small horde of Killer Ants awaited Bell and Lili in the cavern. Bell did a rough headcount of the Monsters even as the Killer Ants swarmed towards the two.

“Hmm… Maybe I’ll break four-hundred Monsters today!” Bell grinned as he’d long since memorized the swarm tactics of Killer Ants. “Lili, move back into the corridor a bit, please.” He requested with a smile. Lili heeded the request quickly, having seen some of the powerful Magic that Bell could unleash. “Earthly God’s mastery, Gogy­ō…” He made four hand signs in quick succession before inhaling deeply. “F­ū!” Bell spun almost three-hundred-sixty degrees as he exhaled, a barely visible distortion of air forming from his breath and being launched outwards in a deadly arc.

The arc of distorted air turned out to be a vacuum blade that easily sliced through the rapidly approaching Killer Ants. None of them even got a chance to cry out in pain as they were cleanly sliced by the air blade that passed through them. The vacuum blade continued to expand and eventually cut into the walls of the cavern, leaving a nearly straight line across three of the four walls.

“Hmm, I wonder if that’s enough damage to the walls to prevent Monsters from being born?” Bell mused as he looked at the single line of damage.

“Lili would advise doing more damage, just to be safe.” Lili spoke up as she reentered the cavern. She didn’t comment on the group of dead Killer Ants and the massive pool of blood underneath them. It wasn’t the craziest thing she’d seen Bell do in the few days that she’d known him.

“I’ll take care of the walls while you work, Lili.” Bell agreed and went around the walls, scarring them with his chokuto, or using a bit of Magic to shatter the stone enough for the Dungeon to go into its ‘repair mode’ so that he and Lili didn’t have to worry about any Monsters being born while they had lunch.

As they sat down to eat their bento, Lili updated Bell on the current Monster count. “This swarm had twenty-two members, Master Bell. The current number for the day is now two-hundred-eight total.” She gave him the accurate number, having stopped trying to hide Magic Stones and instead only pocketing what Drop Items she could. Bell split the Magic Stone loot with her fifty-fifty anyway, so there wasn’t any loss there. She needed the money…she didn’t feel guilty! Anything to finally escape Soma Familia…to have a chance a life that wasn’t just abuse and theft. But in her heart, a small bundle of self-loathing for stealing from Bell formed and grew a little bigger every day.

-Dian Cecht Familia Home ~ Late Afternoon-

“Good afternoon, Mr. Cranel.” Airmid smiled at seeing Bell again.

“Good afternoon, Miss Airmid.” Bell returned the greeting with a smile of his own. “I have something to sell today.”

“Oh?” Airmid raised an eyebrow, wondering what a new Adventurer like Bell had brought in. She got her answer when a transparent blue butterfly wing was carefully removed from Bell’s sleek backpack and placed on the counter between them. “A Blue Papilio Wing?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Bell nodded to her with a small smile.

Airmid looked the Drop Item over carefully, noticing that it hadn’t been damaged in the acquisition. Indeed, it seemed pristine, and was still absolutely covered in the shimmering blue healing powder that the Rare Monster was known for. “It’s in good condition, and most of the powder is still present.” Airmid looked at Bell with a straight face. “I’ll offer 3,000 Valis for it.”

“How about 9,000 Valis?” Bell countered, much like he’d seen Tione do before. “I was very careful in collecting it, and you said that it’s in great condition.”

“Even for a Rare Monster, the Blue Papilio is one of the easiest to hunt down, seeing as they can’t fight. I will raise my offer to 4,000 Valis.” Airmid only increased the price slightly.

“But it’s still a Rare Monster, and the Drop Item is even rarer. 8,000 Valis.” Bell only lowered his price by the same amount as Airmid had increased hers.

“5,000 Valis, I cannot go higher.” Airmid raised the offer once more, her face still blank.

“6,000 Valis because I want to see you smile, Miss Airmid.” Bell dropped the price close to her offer. He really did want to see the beautiful healer smile again.

Airmid’s cheeks gained a light dusting of pink at Bell’s words, her purple eyes looking at his rubellite and seeing the warmth in them. “6,000 Valis then.” She agreed, turning away to try and cool her cheeks and stop her heart from beating so fast. She gathered the money and was back in control of herself when she placed it on the counter between them for Bell to count.

“Thank you very much, Miss Airmid.” Bell beamed at her as he collected the money and placed it into his hip pouch.

“No, thank you, Mr. Cranel.” Airmid gave him a small bow before picking up the Blue Papilio Wing carefully. She didn’t want to lose any of the healing dust on it after all. It was a great boost to potions and elixirs when compounding them; increasing their efficacy by a noticeable margin. “This is a fine Drop Item and one that will be put to the utmost use.” Airmid smiled warmly at him and Bell felt his heart thump in his chest from the sight.

It was only a few moments later that the two realized that they were just smiling at each other. Flustered, both quickly made an excuse to break the sudden awkwardness. Airmid headed into the back with the Blue Papilio Wing, while Bell left the pharmacy entirely. Had anyone paid attention to the scene, they probably would’ve chuckled at how cute it was.

-Floating Bridge Mansion-

Bell patiently waited while his Status was updated; going through the day’s events in his mind.

“A lot on your mind tonight, Bell?” Sarutahiko asked with a knowing look as he finished watching Bell’s Excelia.

“I think I might be getting through to Lili…it’s slow, but I think I see her actually smile, and mean it, every now and then.” Bell told his God, hoping that he was right, and that Lili would understand that he would listen if she wanted to talk.

Sarutahiko chuckled as he moved the Excelia into the Falna and watched Bell’s stats increase. “Just give her time. Nothing good ever comes from rushing a woman’s feelings.” He offered his advice to Bell.

“I will.” Bell had no plans to try and force Lili to talk to him about what was bothering her. He could only make himself available and wait for Lili to open up to him, if she wanted to.

“There we go, all done, Bell.” Sarutahiko finished the update and copied the numbers over onto a blank paper. “You’re really growing quickly. Your effort is substantial though, so that’s to be expected.”

Bell accepted the paper and looked at his growth after another day of dungeon crawling.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – D 575 > C 668

Endurance – E 413 > D 504

Dexterity – D 576 > C 671

Agility – D 571 > C 662

Magic – D 580 > C 686

-Magic-

Gogyō (Five Elements) – Incantation: “Earthly God’s mastery.” This Magic allows the user to use five different elemental Magics by using the appropriate word modifier: Sui for Water Magic, Do for Earth Magic, Fū for Wind Magic, Rai for Lightning Magic, and Ka for Fire Magic.

Kokushin (Black Needle) – Incantation: “Disrupt.” This Magic allows the user to create a black material in the shape of needles, batons, or rods at the cost of Mind.

-Skills-

Fugō (Sign) – Allows the user to change the form of a spell by making different signs with their hands.

Shihyō (Paragon/Teacher/Model/Leader) – Removes limits of growth. Rate of growth increases in proportion to the user’s efforts to improve. Growth of others increases when instructing them.

-Status-

“My stats really are growing quickly.” Bell agreed after seeing how much he’d grown in just a day. Sure, he’d broken the four-hundred Monster kills in a day mark; but being able to see his growth always made it more ‘real’ to him. “The retainers each grew by almost ten points in Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, and Agility when I trained them on what I’d learned in the Dungeon.”

That had been mostly just showing the other Familia members the moves he used to kill Monsters and sparring with them for a few hours. But almost forty points was still rather impressive growth for just some light training, even if Bell was already surpassing most of them when it came to his stats.

“Indeed, their growth was unexpected, but it shows the potential of your Skill.” Sarutahiko gave his thoughts on the matter of Bell’s Shihy­ō Skill and its ability to increase the growth rate of those that Bell instructed. “I’m not sure it would give the same rate to someone that was a higher Level than you, but that’s not something we can test out, unless we tell others about your Skill.” That wasn’t what either of them wanted right now though.

“We’ll just have to try it out when we get some more members in the future.” Bell pulled his yukata top back on before burning the Status Update paper with a nearby candle.

-The Next Morning-

Lulune Louie, Adventurer and thief (though only her Familia knew about that second occupation), waited on the path that Bell Cranel took each morning on his way to the Dungeon. Having watched him for a bit since Hermes had told her to gather information on Bell Cranel, she knew he was a good person and that introducing herself would make it much easier to gather said information. “He’s easy on the eyes too.” The Chienthrope woman quietly chuckled to herself as she waited.

Sure enough, right about the same time that she’d noticed over the last couple of days, Bell Cranel walked down the street on his way towards Babel Tower and the Dungeon. Now was the time to make contact and introduce herself. With any luck, Bell would be easy to get along with and they might even become acquaintances or friends.

“Hm?” Bell slowed his walk as he noticed a Chienthrope woman wave to him. Waving back with a polite smile, Bell came to a full stop as the woman approached him. “Did you need something, Miss?”

“Oh no,” Lulune shook her head. “I just had a quick question, that’s all.”

“A question, for me?” Bell blinked at her words. Did he (finally) look like any regular resident of Orario? Would people occasionally ask him questions about the city from now on?

“You’re Bell Cranel, right?” Lulune asked, though there weren’t many that didn’t at least know Bell’s physical description among the Adventurers of the city. “The newbie that slayed a Minotaur single-handedly?”

“Oh… Uh, yes, that’s me.” Bell nodded to the woman. This was a first. Usually people just whispered or shot glances his way since the news broke about him defeating the runaway Minotaur at Level 1.

“I knew it.” Lulune chuckled, smiling at Bell. “Could hardly believe my ears when I heard the news.” She wiggled her dog ears, catching Bell’s rubellite eyes following them. “I just had to see the Level 1 that killed a Minotaur all by himself. It’s unheard of for a newbie to encounter a Minotaur, much less survive meeting a Monster classed as Level 2.” Lulune’s light brown eyes gave Bell a once over. “I can believe you killed a Minotaur.” In his dark gray Far Eastern armor, sword on his hip, and the way he held himself, Bell looked like a proper Adventurer that knew what he was doing.

“Thank you?” Bell didn’t know what to say to the Chienthrope woman’s words. “You know my name…but could I have yours?”

“Well, I can’t give it to you…” Lulune grinned at him. “But I can tell you it.” Bell cracked a small smile at her little joke. “Lulune Louie, Adventurer of the Hermes Familia.” She introduced herself with a smile.

“Bell Cranel, Captain of the Sarutahiko Familia.” Bell introduced himself for politeness. “It’s nice to meet you, Miss Lulune.”

“Same here.” Lulune smiled, happy with how well this was going. Her fluffy tail started to wag, which caught Bell’s attention.

‘Her tail is wagging… So cute.’ Bell reflexively smiled at the wagging tail.

“See something you like, Bell?” Lulune laughed, knowing he was watching her tail wag.

“It’s cute.” Bell admitted with a chuckle.

“Well, I don’t want to take up too much of your time today.” Lulune grinned as she turned around and started walking away, her tail swaying a bit. “You can watch my tail as I walk away.” She teased him while throwing a wave over her shoulder. “See you around, Bell!”

“See you later, Miss Lulune.” Bell replied, his eyes indeed dropping down to watch her fluffy tail again. The sway in her hips was purely to tease him…but he focused on the fluffy instead! “Nice to meet new people like that.” Bell smiled before continuing on his path towards the Dungeon. He didn’t want to keep Lili waiting, after all.

-Dungeon ~ Ninth Floor-

A Needle Rabbit was bisected, the two halves flying off in different directions. But that was only the first of the horde of rabbit Monsters. Bell and Lili had been set upon by a fast-moving wave of white almost as soon as they’d entered the cavern. Bell split open a second leaping Needle Rabbit with his sword. He pivoted to the right and cut down a third, lashed out with his fist to punch a fourth out of the air, and then leapt backwards to avoid being impaled from four different directions at the same time. Needle Rabbits were known to be opportunistic, and capable of taking advantage of openings to score a fatal stab with their long horns. Bell kicked the next Needle Rabbit away with such force an audible crack was heard from the Monster’s body as it smashed into two more of its kind.

“It’s a workout at least.” Bell mentioned with a grin as he used his footwork to sidestep and counter another lunging stab. That Needle Rabbit died as Bell’s blade passed through its airborne body. He caught a second one, snatching it out of the air mid-lunge, and used its sharp horn to like a dart by throwing it into the next rabbit to charge at him impaling it and snapping the neck of the thrown Needle Rabbit at the same time. “You want to kill a few, Lili?” He asked his Supporter as he stomped one of the rabbit Monsters to death.

“No…Lili isn’t built for such roughhousing.” Lili shook her head. “Lili would just get in the way.”

“That’s not true, Lili!” Bell shook his head, cutting down a leaping Needle Rabbit without looking at it. The Monsters weren’t smart enough to differentiate between a real opening and a fake one. “You could take these things out easily!” He encouraged her with a grin.

“But Lili is just a Supporter, Master Bell…she just carries the bags.” Lili gave him a lopsided smile, one that was probably truer to her actual emotions than the ‘happy’ ones that she faked.

“You can be as strong as you want, Lili.” Bell smiled as he stabbed a Needle Rabbit with his chokuto and then snatched the last one out of the air as it leapt towards his face, horn first. “Just give it a try.” He held the struggling Needle Rabbit by its horn, making it an easy target.

Lili sighed at Bell’s insistence; not because she minded his belief in her, but because no matter how many Monsters she killed, without paying the exorbitant fee that her Familia’s Captain had set up, she couldn’t even get a Status Update. “Lili will kill it if that’s what you want, Master Bell.” She pulled out her knife, keeping her other weapons hidden from Bell.

“Gkh!” The Needle Rabbit let out a short sound as the blade stabbed through its body, killing it in seconds as red blood stained its white fur.

“See? Nothing to it, Lili.” Bell smiled at her, letting Lili take the dead rabbit Monster from him.

“They are weak, but Lili has never really needed to fight much…” Lili trailed off as she opened up the Needle Rabbit and took its Magic Stone. The body crumbled to white ash and left behind the horn, also known as a Needle Rabbit’s Tusk, the Monster’s Drop Item.

“Feel free to keep that, Lili, you earned it!” Bell chuckled that Lili had gotten the first Drop Item of the day with her kill.

“Thank you, Master Bell.” Lili took the tusk and stashed it into her large pack before he could change his mind. Inwardly, she was touched that not only had he let her keep the Drop Item, but that he seemed to truly believe in her ability to get stronger. ‘If only it was that easy…’ Lili barely suppressed her sigh of resignation.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to help you kill some more Monsters while we’re together.” Bell offered as he guarded Lili while she harvested Magic Stones.

Lili picked out another Magic Stone from and let the carcass breakdown before she responded. “Why, Master Bell? Lili just needs to carry the bags, right? Getting stronger isn’t really necessary for a Supporter.”

“But I want to keep you as my Supporter, Lili.” Bell told her sincerely. “Even when we eventually go into the Middle Floors. Having you there supporting me will make a huge difference.” The look in his rubellite eyes was warm and filled with excitement as he thought of the future. It was a look that brought some heat to Lili’s cheeks. “But if we’re going to explore the Middle Floors one day, then you have to be strong too. So, I want to help you get stronger!”

“Master Bell is too kind to Lili…” Lili mumbled to herself, feeling a small yearning in her heart. Logically, she knew that no matter how hard she tried or how much Bell helped her, she couldn’t grow any stronger without a Status Update. ‘I refuse to pay the fee that Zanis set up! If I do, the others will know I have money and they’ll come to tale it even more often than they already do.’ She sighed, so used to the shit that happened to her day after day in the Soma Familia since she’d been just a little girl. Lili would love to get stronger and escape Soma Familia…but the cost was prohibitive, Zanis’s system was set up to bring in tons of money and allow no escape, even to the ones that stopped drinking the Soma Wine.

“I’ll always help you out, Lili, just ask.” Bell smiled at her, letting her know that his offer was genuine.

Lili fought down the blush that tried to cover her face. “Lili will think about it, Master Bell.” She quickly got back to work, harvesting the rest of the Magic Stones so that they could move on.

“Eighty-three so far?” Bell asked once Lili placed the last Magic Stone into her backpack.

“Eighty-three, so far, Master Bell.” Lili confirmed how many Magic Stones she’d harvested during their time in the Dungeon so far. Given that it was still a couple of hours before they’d have lunch, Bell was really on a roll today.

-Orario ~ Streets-

Bell was humming lightly as he headed back towards the Floating Bridge Mansion. His hip pouch was stuffed to bursting with Valis after cashing in the Magic Stones at the Guild Exchange. The final total for today’s dungeon crawling had added up to 41,374 Valis. After splitting it evenly with Lili, he’d still walked away with 20,687 Valis.

The sudden feeling of something rapidly approaching him made Bell perk up. It was his developing awareness that all Adventurers honed over time to help keep them alive in the Dungeon.

“Bell!” Tiona nearly crashed into his back, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a hug, laughing the whole time.

“Whoa!” Bell staggered forward two steps from the impact, but kept his footing without too much trouble. “Good afternoon, Miss Tiona.” He smiled while looking at her over his shoulder.

“Ehehe.” Tiona giggled as she pressed herself into his back. She wished the armor wasn’t in the way though.

“Tiona, don’t flying tackle people! You’re acting like a child!” Tione scolded her sister, pulling her off of Bell. He noticed that she was carrying a large double-bladed weapon in her left hand. “Hey, Bell.” She greeted him with a smile, cocking her hip a little to emphasize her curves. Whether it was intentional or done unconsciously, Bell wasn’t gong to ask; he’d just enjoy the view.

“Good afternoon, Miss Tione.” Bell greeted the other Hyrute Sister with the same warm smile.

“Bell…good afternoon.” Ais smiled at him, her heart aflutter once more.

“Good afternoon, Miss Ais.” Bell returned the smile with his own, happy to see the blonde swordswoman again.

“What’re you up to?” Tiona asked as she took the massive, double-bladed weapon from her sister and held it like it barely weighed a thing. “We just got back from the Dungeon.”

“You three went into the Dungeon too?” Bell asked, though he supposed it made sense. They were First-Tier Adventurers, the best of the best; there was no way they just lazed around between expeditions. “I was just on my way home from the Dungeon.”

“Yeah, this dum-dum has a massive debt to pay back.” Tione rolled her eyes at Tiona, her sister sticking her tongue out at her in return. “And Ais goes into the Dungeon almost every day.” She teased Ais, making the swordswoman fidget slightly as Bell looked at her in amazement.

“How far did you go, if you don’t mind me asking?” Bell was curious as to how deep into the Dungeon these three went on a regular day.

“Not too far…” Ais shook her head. “Just to the Twentieth Floor.”

‘She says that like it’s not twice as deep as I’ve ever gone in the Dungeon…’ Bell mused to himself with a slight chuckle. Truly, First-Tier Adventurers were amazing to just traipse through the Middle Floors so easily.

“I made a dent in paying for Urga.” Tiona grinned, hefting the massive weapon up slightly. “Just another 100,000,000 Valis to go now!”

Bell just stared at Tiona, amazed. Tossing out a figure like 100,000,000 Valis as if it was no big deal. He shook his head and pushed past that. “That’s amazing! I’ve got to do my best to reach that level too!”

“Mmm, nothing like a man that wants to get stronger.” Tione licked her lips, teasing Bell.

“Yup!” Tiona wrapped her free arm around Bell’s left arm, a grin on her lips as she leaned into him. “You can do it, Bell! Get nice and strong!” The encouragement was heartfelt, and Tiona very much wanted to see Bell get stronger and stronger. The heat in her blood burned hotter as she imagined Bell at a higher Level.

“Would you like us to teach you?” Ais offered out of the blue, making the other three blink at her in surprise.

“What? But I… You three are…” Bell was stunned by the sudden offer to be taught by them. Three Level 5’s wanted to spend some of their valuable time teaching him? A Level 1?

“That’s a great idea, Ais!” Tione was onboard instantly, now wrapping her arm around Bell’s right arm.

“Yeah, let’s make Bell stronger!” Tiona cheered, raising her Urga into the air with a laugh.

“Is that…okay, Bell?” Ais asked with a tilt of her head, looking at his stunned face. ‘Cute bunny…’

“I would be honored!” Bell bowed as best as he could with Tiona and Tione holding onto his arms.

What kind of idiot would he be to turn down training from three of Orario’s top Adventurers?!

“We need to find a place to spar and stuff then…can’t do it at our Familia’s Home.” Tione shook her head, her long black hair swaying behind her from the motion.

“Ugh, can you imagine what Bete would say?” Tiona rolled her eyes just imagining their fellow Level 5.

“Mm…” Ais had a slight frown on her face as she actually imagined it. Bete was very…blunt, and rough around the edges, to say the least.

“If it’s just space, my Familia’s Home is a fairly large compound…we can spar there.” Bell offered, since the Floating Bridge Mansion had quite a bit of open space for training.

“Oh? Inviting us to your home already? You move fast, Bell.” Tione grinned, a teasing look in her eyes that Bell found incredibly sexy.

“Uh huh~” Tiona leaned into him some more, a nearly predatory grin on her lips and her eyes alight with something. “Inviting Amazons over so suddenly…he must have Amazon Fever.”

“Amazon…Fever?” Ais looked confused by the term. She was also nearly pouting at how close Tiona and Tione were to Bell at the moment.

“I don’t know what that is.” Bell shook his head, showing how clueless he was about it too.

“Don’t worry, there’s only one way to fix it, and we’ll take care of you.” Tione promised with a sexy smirk on her lips.

“Training?” Ais looked between her friends, actually speaking up a bit and getting Tiona and Tione’s attention. They saw the look on her face and relented for now, both Amazons eager to start training Bell so that he’d get stronger.

“Lead the way, Bell!” Tiona beamed at him; her smile as radiant as the sunshine that fell upon them.

-Floating Bridge Mansion-

“You weren’t kidding.” Tione whistled at the size of the compound. “It’s just you and a few others living here?”

“Lord Sarutahiko is hoping to expand in the future; so he says we’ll need space for that.” Bell explained as he opened up one of the large, iron-banded, wooden gates and let the three women inside.

“Nice!” Tiona looked around the large open space inside the walls. “You have all of this training space to yourself?!” It was huge for just one person.

“Yeah, I occasionally spar with the retainers, but they’re usually too busy taking care of the compound. So, Lord Sarutahiko and I use the dojo for Martial Arts.” Bell answered as he led them over to the main building to greet his God properly before they started training. “I usually use the large outdoor space to practice with my Magic.”

“It’s nice…and different.” Ais smiled at the Far Eastern architecture that she wasn’t used to seeing very much in Orario.

“Bell.” Sarutahiko greeted the young man with a smile. “I see that you’ve brought guests.” The Deity looked over the three young women with appraising eyes.

“Greetings, Lord Sarutahiko.” Ais, Tiona, and Tione bowed slightly to the God in respect. Even if he wasn’t their Deity, it was still considered basic common sense to be respectful when meeting a God or Goddess for the first time. Unless the situation didn’t call for it…like if the Deity in question was a ‘less than reputable’ God or Goddess.

“Ais Wallenstein.” Ais introduced herself to the Far East God politely.

“Tione Hyrute.” Tione proved that she could be quite well-mannered, even if it wasn’t a trait that Amazons were known for.

“Tiona Hyrute.” Tiona, like her sister, showed a level of decorum and respect that one might not expect from the energetic young woman.

“Sarutahiko Ōkami; would you three like some tea? Snacks? This is the first time that Bell has brought women home.” The Great God chuckled at his child’s expense.

“Lord Sarutahiko…” Bell’s eyes were wide as he looked at his God.

“We’re here to train with Bell.” Ais replied, a hint of pink on her cheeks. Even the somewhat socially inept airhead knew what ‘bringing women home’ meant in this context.

“Ah, I see.” Sarutahiko nodded with a chuckle, running one hand across his beard sagely. “Feel free to use the grounds then.” Left unsaid was that he’d watch the sparring, both to help coach Bell afterwards…and for his own entertainment.

“Thank you, sir.” All four of them thanked Sarutahiko before heading off to the middle of the wide open space.

Once they were in the center, Bell looked between the three women. “So…how should we start?”

“Trial by fire!” Tiona cheered, hefting her Urga up with a wide grin.

“Toss you around, see where you’re at to start.” Tione agreed with her sister, cracking her knuckles with a smirk.

“I’ve never taught anyone…so I’ll do what Tione and Tiona suggest.” Ais looked between the two Amazon sisters before drawing the rapier that she was borrowing from Goibniu while her normal sword was being repaired.

“I might die…” Bell realized as he felt his stomach drop.

“Nah, we wouldn’t come at you with full force like that.” Tione shook her head, before placing her kukri knives off to the side.

“Sparring isn’t sparring if you’re just running for your life, right?” Tiona laughed, setting her massive Urga next to Tione’s knives.

“Mm.” Ais agreed as she set the rapier down next to the other weapons and held the scabbard instead.

“You’re free to use your Magic, Bell.” Tione and Tiona both started stretching to prepare for the spar. Both sisters grinning when they saw Bell’s eyes following their movements.

“Are you sure that’s safe?” Bell questioned, his natural concern showing through.

“We’re all Level 5, so even if your Magic is strong, we’ll probably be okay.” Tiona assured him with a bright smile.

“Begin!” Sarutahiko called out suddenly, making Bell blink. The three women didn’t hesitate, however, coming at Bell all at once.

Bell skipped back to dodge the triple attack, already chanting for a spell. “Earthly God’s mastery, Gogy­ō…Ka!” He formed six hand signs at blurring speed and inhaled deeply. From his mouth, Bell launched dozens of high-speed fireballs, each roughly twice the size of his fist.

“Cool!” Tiona marveled at the spell, even as she dodged around the wide spray of fireballs.

“Wide area spell, huh?” Tione was also avoiding the many fireballs without issue.

“It covers a lot of area…but they’re not all that strong.” Ais easily weaved through the spell, occasionally dispersing one of the incoming fireballs by smacking it with the scabbard in her hand.

“Got you!” Tiona grinned as she made it through the spell first and came at Bell with a punch.

Bell ducked beneath the blow, only to have to block as Tiona’s knee hit him. “Heavy!” He went flying backwards and barely managed to land with his feet under him. The sheer force behind the simple strike was incredible!

“Where’re you looking, Bell?” Tione’s voice came from his side and Bell grit his teeth as his guard was broken by her kick.

“Shit!” Bell flipped back the second his feet touched the ground. That one hurt…the pain radiated from his left arm, but he was still able to continue. The Hyrute Sisters clearly knew how to hold back enough to not end the spar in one move.

Bell pivoted on the ball of his foot to dodge Ais’s strike with the scabbard. He struck with a straight jab at her face, but the swordswoman merely tilted her head to the side and slammed the scabbard into his side, sending him sprawling.

“Not bad, Bell!” Tiona came down with an axe kick.

Bell leapt aside, hearing the ground crack behind him from the force of the kick. He slid along the ground to avoid Tione’s surprise haymaker, and then skipped up to his feet to launch a roundhouse kick at her.

“You’ve definitely got technique.” Tione caught his kick like it was nothing, smiling predatorily at Bell.

“Disrupt!” Bell incanted, creating a Kokushin rod and swinging it at Tione’s head.

“Whoa!” Tione actually leapt back, not sure what the weapon Bell had just created was. As an experienced Adventurer, she knew not to be hit by things she didn’t know about.

“Mm!” Ais was suddenly in Bell’s guard, the scabbard aimed at his chest. She blinked when the Kokushin blocked her attack. Sure, she was moving at a fraction of her normal fighting speed; but Bell had managed to block! A Level 1 had managed to block her strike, if only barely.

“Hyah!” Bell threw a second Kokushin he’d made at Ais. The black rod was knocked aside by the scabbard, but it had only been meant as a distraction. “Catch!” bell tossed the first Kokushin like a javelin at Tiona, the Amazon having been closing in on him.

“Got it!” Tiona smiled as she caught the Kokushin with ease.

“Earthly God’s mastery, Gogy­­ō…Do!” Bell flew threw three quick hand signs and slammed his palm on the ground.

“What the?!” Tione exclaimed as the ground beneath them began to shake violently before tearing apart, sending dirt and rock flying everywhere and destroying their footing.

“That’s three spells…” Ais mentioned as she leapt backwards, trying to escape the range of Bell’s spell.

“Fire, Earth, and those black weapons…” Tiona commented, tossing aside the Kokushin that she’d caught a moment ago. “Bell’s spells are all over the place!” She laughed a bit as the shaking died down and the dust that had been thrown into the air started to clear.

“But we’ve seen them all now!” Tione grinned at Tiona and Ais. “We know what to expect.” She got a nod from Ais and then one from Tiona, the three of them having a short conversation just by looking at each other, such was the coordination and trust between them.

“Earthly God’s mastery, Gogy­ō…Sui!” Bell’s voice was heard again before the roaring sound of water drowned out all other sounds. Through the dust in the air, a huge wave of water rushed towards the three Level 5 Adventurers.

“Water?!” Tiona cried out in surprise, leaping upwards with strength equivalent to a Level 3, rather than a Level 2’s.

“Is he…like Riveria?” Ais questioned her friends, her eyes wide at seeing someone else with more than three spells. Other than Riveria, only Lefiya could do that with her ‘Elf Ring’ Magic.

“He’s just full of surprises!” Tione felt her heart thump in her chest at this new revelation.

The three girls landed on the soaked ground, having easily dodged the wave of water simply by jumping over it.

“Earthly God’s mastery, Gogy­ō…Rai!” Bell made a spell combo as he sent lightning through the standing water all over the torn up ground.

“Eghghhggh?!” Tiona let out a funny sound as the electricity caught her by surprise.

“Crcrcrcrapapapap!” Tione wasn’t any better as her body twitched from the electricity coursing through it.

“Mm…Tempest!” Ais activated her own Magic in response, The green wind swirled around her protectively, dispersing the lightning that was shocking Ais. “You have more than three spells.” She looked at Bell across the space separating them.

“Depends on how I use my Magic.” Bell confirmed as he continued to pour his Mind into his lightning spell. It was the only thing keeping Tiona and Tione from attacking him. He really hoped that Ais couldn’t use her Magic to destroy his, or all three Level 5’s would be back in the fight.

‘I can’t help Tione and Tiona…’ Ais grimaced at her lack of ability. It was the same thing that had happened on the last expedition. The only thing that she could do was subdue Bell to end the spell. She could only fight, not protect.

“Eh?!” Bell barely saw Ais move, suddenly she was directly in front of him, the green wind surrounding her as she brought the scabbard down on Bell.

Whack

“Guh!” Bell’s spell ended as his concentration was broken. His face nearly hit the ground from the force of the blow. He cradled his head while falling onto his side, his feet kicking slightly from the pain.

“Stop!” Sarutahiko called an end to the spar. “The three lovely visitors win!” He joked with a laugh.

“Are you…okay?” Ais asked Bell as she stopped her Ariel spell. She kneeled beside him and looked him over.

“I’m good…yeah.” Bell replied, still holding his head in pain.

“That was fun!” Tiona exclaimed with excitement, nearly skipping over to Bell and Ais. “You’re like Riveria and Lefiya!”

Tione smiled at Bell, kneeling next to him like Ais. “You sure surprised us with that.” She gently ran her fingers through his soft, white hair.

“So, what did you learn?” Sarutahiko had taken the time that the three girls were focused on Bell to make his ay over to the four Adventurers.

“Not to lock myself in place with my Magic.” Bell spoke first as he sat up slowly. He was enjoying Tione’s fingers softly caressing the sore spot on his head.

“Not to assume that I know everything my opponent is capable of without proof.” Tione nodded to herself. Sure, it was common knowledge that an Adventurer could only have three spells…but two people in her own Familia proved to be exceptions to that rule, so that meant others could too.

“Watch out for what my opponent is doing with Magic…just because I think I dodged the spell, doesn’t mean that the danger has passed.” Tiona rubbed the back of her head with a chuckle. “Didn’t see that lightning spell coming at all!” She and Tione could’ve broken out of it just from sheer Level disparity, but then they’d be using Level 4 strength when they’d decided on Level 3 at most.

Ais looked at Tione and Tiona, and then at Bell. “That I need to be able to help my allies better.” She looked at the Amazon Sisters apologetically.

“We don’t blame you, Ais!” Tiona pulled Ais into a warm hug.

Tione joined in, making it a double hug. “Not a bit! We fell for Bell’s strategy too.”

“Excellent! A spar is done properly when everyone learns something, both instructor and student.” Sarutahiko smiled at the four of them. “Are any of you in need of healing?”

“Nah, we’ve taken way worse than this!” Tion stood up with a laugh, revealing that aside from some dirt here and there, she wasn’t even injured.

Tione stood up along with Ais. “We’re fine. Bell might be a strong for a Level 1; but we are Level 5’s.” She winked at Bell teasingly.

“Mm…I’m all right.” Ais nodded to the God with a small smile.

“Very good. Wouldn’t want Loki getting all angry at me.” Sarutahiko chortled at the image in his mind. Loki was very well-known back in Tenkai for all of the duels that she challenged other Deities to.

Tiona, Ais, and Tione bid Bell and Sarutahiko a good evening as the sun was beginning to set. The three headed back to the Twilight Manor with smiles on their faces and a spring in their steps. Well…Tiona and Tione had a spring in their step. Ais was contemplative…thinking back to the spar and Bell’s reveal of his Magic. Inevitably her mind drifted to her lack of ability to protect her friends and allies again. Bell was only Level 1, yet he’d been able to take advantage of her lack of support capabilities. It was another eye-opening lesson, and this time from the young man that made her feel so warm inside.

“Shall we update your Status, Bell?” Sarutahiko offered with a smile. “I’m sure your day has led to quite some growth.”

“Yes, thank you, Lord Sarutahiko.” Bell followed after his God, still feeling the hits from Tione, Ais, and Tiona.

Bell pulled off his armor and then his undershirt so that Sarutahiko could access his back. He felt the drop of blood touch his skin and the blue-white glow emanated from his back.

‘I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.’ Sarutahiko saw the growth of Bell’s stats as he watched the Excelia and then moved it to grow the Falna. “Growing very quickly from sparring with multiple Level 5’s, Bell.” He copied the new numbers over to the blank paper and then handed it to Bell.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – C 668 > A 818

Endurance – D 504 > B 708

Dexterity – C 671 > A 824

Agility – C 662 > A 812

Magic – C 686 > A 861

-Magic-

Gogyō (Five Elements) – Incantation: “Earthly God’s mastery.” This Magic allows the user to use five different elemental Magics by using the appropriate word modifier: Sui for Water Magic, Do for Earth Magic, Fū for Wind Magic, Rai for Lightning Magic, and Ka for Fire Magic.

Kokushin (Black Needle) – Incantation: “Disrupt.” This Magic allows the user to create a black material in the shape of needles, batons, or rods at the cost of Mind.

-Skills-

Fugō (Sign) – Allows the user to change the form of a spell by making different signs with their hands.

Shihyō (Paragon/Teacher/Model/Leader) – Removes limits of growth. Rate of growth increases in proportion to the user’s efforts to improve. Growth of others increases when instructing them.

-Status-

“EEEEHHHH?!” Bell’s shock was warranted…he’d never seen such a massive leap in his stats before. “H-How?! What?! Huh?” He looked at Sarutahiko for some guidance and his God chuckled as he helped the young man calm down.

“Let’s go over it slowly, alright?” Sarutahiko patted Bell on the back like a concerned grandfather, helping Bell to even out his breathing and slowly recover from the unexpected shock.

-Twilight Manor-

After baths and dinner, Ais went up to Loki’s room; Tione and Tiona both followed behind her. All three were going to get a Status Update. Ais because she’d been in the Dungeon and wanted to see her growth. Tiona and Tione because it had been a few days, and they’d gone into the Dungeon with Ais.

As Level 5’s, especially with their most used Basic Abilities being so high, none of the three girls expected much in the way of growth. After all, even after coming back from their latest expedition, each of their stats had, at most, risen maybe five or six points. After a simple day in the Dungeon, they might’ve gone up a point in each stat at best. But it was always good to get a Status Update when they could, since new Skills or Magic would only appear and be added during an update.

“Oh ho~! All three of you at the same time?” Loki, the redheaded Trickster Goddess of the Norse Pantheon giggled happily with a blush on her face. “Be still my heart!”

“No funny business, Loki.” Tione rolled her eyes at their Goddess.

“Boo~ You’re no fun!” Loki pouted at them. Still, she prepared a needle and three blank papers for their updates.

-Status-

Tione Hyrute

Level 5

Strength – A 819 > A 824

Endurance – B 763 > B 769

Dexterity – B 776 > B 781

Agility – B 778 > B 785

Magic – G 207

-Magic-

List Iorum – Incantation: “My desire that was sunk in the sea, my longing that was nurtured in the sea - the time has come. Shape yourself, bare your fangs, and become a snake. Escape the sea, cross the land, and cover the world. Capture time, stop time, and trample over time.” Magic that restrains the target based on a certain chance. The probability of the magic succeeding goes up based on the user's Magic stat.

-Skills-

Berserk – Strength rises every time the user takes damage. Effect rises based on the user's anger level.

Backdraft – Raises the power of the user exceptionally high in a pinch.

-Status-

“Huh…” Loki eyed the training that Tione had done with the white-haired boy. ‘Sarutahiko’s kid, huh? Is he the reason for this little jump?’ She handed the paper over to Tione.

“That’s strange…this is close to the growth that I got after the expedition.” Tione noticed as she looked over her new update. “But we only went down to the Twentieth Floor?”

“Me next, me next!” Tiona happily pulled off her tube top and sat with her back facing Loki.

‘Again?’ Loki watched the Excelia a little closer this time. The time in the Dungeon wasn’t anything special for her top-tier girls…so the growth could’ve only come from Sarutahiko’s boy.

-Status-

Tiona Hyrute

Level 5

Strength – A 884 > A 889

Endurance – A 860 > A 867

Dexterity – B 778 > B 783

Agility – B 795 > A 801

Magic – I 0

-Magic-

-

-Skills-

Berserk – Strength rises every time the user takes damage.

Intense Heat – Raises the strength of all abilities by a large amount in a pinch.

-Status-

“Whoa! I went up too!” Tiona marveled at her increase. “My Agility is A-Rank now!”

‘If it’s three for three, then there’s no question for what…or should I say WHO…caused this growth.’ Loki watched Ais’s Excelia just as closely as Tiona’s, focusing intently on the training at Sarutahiko’s place. “Eh?” The Trickster Goddess blinked when she saw something new manifest in Ais’s Falna for the first time in years. “AIS-TAN HAS A NEW SKILL?!”

“Hm?!” Ais looked over her shoulder at Loki in surprise.

-Status-

Ais Wallenstein

Level 5

Strength – D 559 > D 564

Endurance – D 549 > D 553

Dexterity – A 821 > A 827

Agility – A 819 > A 824

Magic – A 895 > S 900

-Magic-

Ariel – Incantation: “Tempest.” Wind Enchantment Magic

-Skills-

Avenger – Heavily increases the user's attack power against Monsters, massively increases the user's attack power against Dragon Type Monsters. Effect rises based on the user's hate.

Sky Theatre – Allows the user flight and full aerial mobility while using Wind Magic. Protective wind will surround allies in range.

-Status-

“My Magic is S-Rank…and a new Skill?” Ais stared at her new Status Update in shock. She had never developed a single Skill since Avenger. So, why now? Was it in response to her feelings and desire to better protect her friends and Familia? Her growth was abnormal as well. Going down to the Twentieth Floor was practically nothing for her alone; even less so with Tiona and Tione with her. She shouldn’t have grown as much as she did from the last expedition.

An image of Bell appeared in her mind for a moment before fading away. Ais’s heart thumped in her chest and she felt her cheeks growing warm. Her golden eyes widened as she thought about the only thing that she’d done differently today.

‘He made me grow? I can get stronger…because of Bell? He can help me.’ Ais felt the butterflies in her stomach again. Her father’s words came roaring back into her mind from the depths of her memories, and two words escaped her lips in barely a whisper. “My Hero…”

Ais barely noticed when Loki glomped her from behind while declaring that the whole Familia should throw a party tonight.

She did punch Loki one good time when the redheaded Goddess’s hands wandered and tried to cop a feel of her breasts though.

Hugs from Tione and Tiona were accepted with a warm smile on Ais’s face.

And why wouldn’t she smile beautifully?

Her Hero had finally shown up.

-End Chapter-

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Whoa…big increase for Bell!

But what do you expect from getting into a spar with three Level 5’s while you’re only Level 1?

The girls went up more than they should’ve too!

Ais gained a new Skill! Woohoo!

Perhaps opening yourself up to feelings and desires has an affect on what your Falna will manifest? Sword Oratoria Manga: Chapter 5, second-to-last page…
Your Hero did show up, Ais. And he’s going to be there for you from now on.

Bell is trying to help Lili, but the Prum’s heart is scarred from a lifetime of being treated like shit. She needs more time to learn and understand that Bell truly does want the best for her.

Keep reading to find out!

Let me know what you thought!

Until next time, later!