Demeter Familia Premise Chapter 2 (Patreon)

Hello friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter! Bell has survived against the Minotaur and met three lovely ladies! How will Demeter and Lunoire react to Bell’s close call? Will Bell’s incredible desire and drive to reach his dreams make them a reality? Orario is about to be struck by the lightning and shaken by the thunder! Somewhere, Zeus is laughing his ass off! Kek!

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 2 – Fast as a Bolt

-Wheat Manor-

“My Bell! My sweet, adorable bunny!” Demeter hugged Bell close, his face buried into her large tits, after he’d returned to the Wheat Manor and told her about his encounter with a Minotaur. “I’m so glad you’re alright!” She nuzzled his hair, cooing to him, kissing the top of his head as well.

“Mm fne…” Bell’s muffled voice came from her bountiful chest. He wouldn’t lie, his face was a bit red, but he also had a massive, dopey smile on his face.

After they’d rescued him from the Minotaur; Tione, Tiona, and Ais had been forced to separate from Bell to meet up with their Familia, since the entire group was coming back from their expedition. Both Amazons had left with promises of seeing him again soon, their eyes alight with interest as they looked Bell up and down like predators eyeing up prey. Ais had been a bit more formal about it, but had bid him farewell with a small smile and a request to meet soon so that they could talk a bit more.

Bell had agreed to all of it without a thought. Not minding how close Tiona and Tione had been with him, the two Amazons had been nearly pressed into Bell’s sides the entire way back to the surface.

Demeter eased her hug on Bell a bit, but the young man stayed where he was, his face buried into her girls. The Goddess of Agriculture, Fertility, and Harvest giggled at his apparent contentment with his current position. She didn’t mind it either, after all; and he’d had a life-threatening experience today, so she’d spoil him a bit. She ran her fingers through his soft white hair gently, letting him rest and relax in the comfort of her softness for as long as he wanted.

For his part, Bell was enjoying the experience, the softness, the scent, the warmth; it was all almost intoxicating. When Demeter guided him to sit on the bed in her room, he’d followed without resistance. She’d held him, offering comfort and care as he relaxed. Bell, in Demeter’s embrace, let the harrowing encounter process fully, rather than bottling up the emotions related to the incident with the Minotaur. By doing so, he’d unknowingly prevented himself from developing a trauma from the life-threatening encounter by coming to terms with it and the fact that he’d survived, and could therefore get stronger so that it wouldn’t happen again.

“Better?” Demeter asked with a soft and beautiful smile as Bell finally pulled back from their long embrace.

“Better.” Bell returned the smile along with a short nod. “Thank you, Lady Demeter.”

Demeter giggled and rested her forehead against Bell’s. “Any time, Bell. I’ll be here when you need comfort.”

“L-Lady Demeter…” Bell took a moment to process how that statement could be misconstrued, his face warming slightly while he could’ve sworn that he heard his grandpa’s laughter in his head for a second.

“Oh?” Demeter tilted her head, seemingly catching on as well. “Bell…you naughty boy~” She laughed, a beautiful and melodic sound that made Bell smile reflexively despite everything. “I know you told me that one of your dreams was to have a family…” Her orange eyes looked at him mischievously.

Bell’s rubellite eyes widened and he tried to look away to avoid blushing. Demeter was rather inquisitive, and had wanted to know all about Bell over the last two weeks that he’d been part of her Familia. Bell had happily told her about his past in the farming village, his aspirations and dreams, and even simple things about himself. It was how Demeter knew about his other biggest dream, to have a family of his own.

Demeter leaned forward, her breasts bouncing a bit from the movement and catching Bell’s eye. “But… I’m afraid if you want me to give you a little one…” Her voice took on a breathy tone. “You’ll have to be much, much, stronger.” Demeter lightly tapped his nose with the tip of her finger, snapping Bell out of his near trance from her words.

“Eh?” Bell blinked.

Demeter burst into giggles at the look on Bell’s face. “On that note, why don’t we update your Status?”

“Y-Yes, Lady Demeter…” Bell turned around, hiding his expression as he pulled his shirt over his head. He had no idea that Demeter could be so tempting like that!

Demeter hid a giggle behind her hand as she pricked her finger with a needle and let a drop of her blood touch Bell’s back. Her Falna appeared as a blue-white glow emanated from Bell’s skin. She touched the hieroglyphs and started watching his Excelia. Seeing Bell run from the Minotaur, then having to fight as he was trapped, made Demeter nearly gasp. But seeing the final strike he’d unleashed against the Level 2 Monster, the blurring speed that would’ve escaped her vision if she hadn’t been watching it through Bell’s perspective, made her heart swell with pride at how far Bell had already come in such a short time.

‘He’s been working so hard.’ Demeter thought affectionately about Bell’s progress as she finished watching his Excelia. “Hm?” She noticed something new had manifested in Bell’s Falna and looked it over. ‘A Skill this time… Liaris Freese?’ Demeter looked over it and smiled as she understood how this strange, yet powerful, Skill had manifested. ‘You’re truly amazing, Bell.’ Desire and determination so pure and strong that it manifested as a Skill to accelerate growth was unheard of as far as the Goddess was aware. Demeter wrote the new Skill into Bell’s Falna and then moved his Excelia into his stats. ‘Oh my…’ The growth was instantly affected as Bell’s numbers grew rapidly.

“Goddess?” Bell looked over his shoulder, noticing that this update was taking longer than normal.

“Just a moment, Bell.” Demeter smiled at him, as she placed a blank paper on his back and copied his new numbers over with a twirl of her fingertip. “Here.” She handed him the paper with a little grin.

“Let’s see…” Bell looked his updated Status over.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – G 210 > G 263

Endurance – H 190 > G 229

Dexterity – G 217 > G 273

Agility – G 231 > F 308

Magic – G 237 > F 314

-Magic-

Caelum – Incantation: “Spark.” This Magic allows the user to imbue their body and weapons with Lightning Magic.

-Skills-

Liaris Freese – Fast growth as long as desire lasts. The strength of the effects corresponds with the level of the user’s desire towards their goal. Makes the user immune to Charms and Mental Magics. Passive.

-Status-

“G-Goddess… Is…is this real?” Bell could only stare at his numbers and the jump they’d had from today.

Demeter giggled behind her hand. “Look a bit lower, Bell.”

Bell did as she asked and he nearly fell backwards as he saw his first Skill. “Goddess! A Skill! I have a Skill!” He exclaimed as he shot to his feet with a huge smile. “Liaris Freese…” After reading over it, Bell looked over to Demeter. “So, I’ll grow faster now?”

“As long as your desire is great enough, Bell.” Demeter nodded with a smile. “It’s why your Basic Abilities jumped so much today. Your desire to get stronger and become a Hero is empowering your new Skill.”

“My desire.” Bell read over Liaris Freese again and a small smile formed on his face. ‘I’m going to do it! I’m going to get stronger! No matter how hard the path or how long it takes! I’ll become a Hero!’

-Hostess of Fertility ~ Next Morning-

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN A MINOTAUR?!” Lunoire’s shout shattered the early morning quiet within the pub.

“It’s was on the Fifth Floor, it escaped in a big horde that ran away from the Loki Familia!” Bell managed to get out as Lunoire checked him over, spinning him around to inspect him from every angle.

“Why didn’t you run away?!” Lunoire swatted him upside the head (lightly, given her Level) for fighting a Level 2 Monster.

“I did!” Bell held his head with a grimace, but he saw the worry and concern in Lunoire’s eyes and couldn’t bring himself to be mad at her for her reaction. “I only fought it when I got trapped in a dead end.”

Lunoire pulled him into a hug and held him tightly. “Don’t fight Monsters that’re so much stronger than you, Bell. You’re not allowed to make me worry like that.”

“Sorry, Lunoire.” Bell returned the hug with a small smile. “I don’t plan on it.”

“You better not.” Lunoire pulled back from the hug with a half-smile half-smirk on her lips. “Next time I’ll have to throttle you for worrying me, mister!”

“Noted.” Bell chuckled with a grin.

“We’re all glad that you’re uninjured from your encounter, Mr. Cranel.” Ryu gave Bell a small smile that not many got to see normally.

“I’ll get Ryu to help me deal with you if you do something crazy like that again, Bell.” Lunoire grinned at Bell while gently nudging Ryu.

Bell looked between Ryu and Lunoire with a strained smile. “Please don’t…”

“I assure you, Mr. Cranel, I have no plans to harm you.” Ryu shook her head once.

“Ryu! You’re supposed to go along with it.” Lunoire pouted a little at the Elf. “We’ve got to keep Bell in line or he might do something like this again.”

Bell deadpanned at the idea of fighting a Minotaur again any time soon. “I said I wasn’t planning on it.”

“I don’t believe that Mr. Cranel is that foolish, Lunoire.” Ryu denied simply.

“Thank you, Miss Ryu.” Bell smiled at the beautiful Elf.

Lunoire sighed at Ryu. “You’re ruining my teasing, Ryu…”

“I’m not well-versed in teasing someone you care for.” Ryu replied, her expression stoic, but her blue eyes had some mirth hidden in them.

“Miss Ryu is kind.” Bell chuckled warmly.

“Mr. Smooth Talker appears again.” Lunoire leaned toward Bell with a grin.

Ryu felt a soft warmth in her chest at Bell’s compliment. The young man was always kind and respectful, something she liked about him, and the genuine compliments he gave had quickly become a small weakness of Ryu’s.

“Lunoire… It’s not like that.” Bell denied her teasing.

“Uh huh…sure it isn’t.” Lunoire smirked at him, always enjoying their little back and forth.

Deciding to intervene on Bell’s behalf so that he could head for the Dungeon, Ryu spoke up. “Will you be joining us for dinner tonight, Mr. Cranel?”

“Hmm, both you and Lunoire will be working, so I could.” Bell thought about it. “Would you two be taking care of me?” He had learned to at least fire back when it came to teasing now and his eyes looked between Lunoire and Ryu.

Lunoire pretended to think abut it. “I guess I could…” She grinned at Bell, being the one that most often took care of him when he ate at the Hostess anyway.

“If I have the time available, Mr. Cranel.” Ryu wouldn’t make a promise that she didn’t know if she’d be able to keep or not. But the fact that Bell wanted her to take care of him made her smile slightly. Bell never meant it in a crass way. He genuinely just enjoyed her company while he ate as she checked on him and refilled his drink.

“Then I’ll be here.” Bell smiled at both of them.

“Go crawl the Dungeon, ya wannabe Casanova!” Lunoire playfully pushed him along towards the front doors.

“Alright, alright.” Bell grinned as he stepped outside. “I’ll see you both tonight!” He took off down the street with a wave.

“You better.” Lunoire smiled after him, leaning on the side of the doorframe as she watched Bell go.

Ryu bowed slightly at the waist to the retreating Bell. “We’ll be waiting, Mr. Cranel.”

“Nya, lovebirds~” Chloe giggled from inside.

“All cutesy-wootsy together! Nya!” Anya agreed with a laugh.

Syr hid her own giggles behind her hand. “Be nice, you two.”

“You’re just jealous.” Lunoire stated with a grin, her hands on her hips.

“Mr. Cranel and I do not have that kind of relationship.” Ryu denied with her normal stoic expression.

“Yet.” Syr smiled and stuck out the tip of her tongue cutely at her friend.

Ryu sighed lightly at Syr’s teasing, listening to the girl giggle as they all made their way into the back to finish the opening tasks for the day.

“She didn’t deny it, nya!” Anya pointed out with a big smile.

Slap

“You will be silent.” Ryu instructed; her hand having been a blur as she slapped the Cat Girl upside the head.

“NYA!!!” Anya pouted at Ryu.

-Dungeon Fifth Floor-

“Yah!” Bell swung his sword, lightning leaping from the blade in a wave to engulf his enemies.

“Uuuurrrrhhh!!!”

“Keeeerrr!!!”

“Riiiii!!!”

The group of Frog Shooters screeched out as they were electrocuted, their cries dying away a second later. The intense electrical discharge ended a moment later, leaving behind nothing but three steaming Frog Shooter corpses.

Bell nodded at the results of his test. “So, I can expel the lightning from the blade strongly enough to take down a group of Monsters on this Floor. That’s good to know.” Throwing lightning around was possible for Bell, though its range wasn’t spectacular. His Enchantment seemed to work best when kept closer to his body, so Bell usually used it that way, but he did want to have some mid-range options at least, so he performed tests like this as his Magic got stronger. “Let’s harvest some Magic Stones.” Bell sheathed his sword and pulled out his knife to cut open the Frog Shooters.

-Later-

Zap

Bell blurred and a streak of lightning flashed down the corridor he was in, briefly illuminating it. A War Shadow’s head fell off its body a second later. The golem-like Monster having been far too slow to react to Bell’s incredible speed.

“The high-speed attack is getting easier to do accurately.” Bell grinned at his progress with what he’d discovered yesterday against the Minotaur. It had taken him multiple tries to aim it properly, but now he managed to hit where he was aiming the majority of the time. “Some more practice and I should be able to do it almost any time.” He backtracked the few meters he’d gone past the dead War Shadow and knelt down beside it to harvest its Magic Stone.

Cutting into the pitch-black body, Bell found the small purple stone right where it always was in the chest. Popping it out with the tip of his knife saw the War Shadow’s corpse break down into white ash. Placing the Magic Stone into his pouch, Bell noticed something black amongst the white ashes.

“A Drop Item!” Bell perked up as he carefully picked up the War Shadow’s Finger Blade. “Nice! I bet I’ll get a decent price for this at Hephaestus Familia’s shop!” He was still learning the art of haggling and selling, but he’d gotten better with some advice from Naaza and Lunoire. He didn’t fall for any common scams at the very least, now that he knew a good bit about the overall prices of most of the Upper Floor Drop Items. He stashed the new item in his backpack and then headed on his way. There were more Monsters to hunt!

-Noon-

“Skree!”

“Kree!”

“Seerrrk!”

“While I’m trying to eat?” Bell sighed as he put the sandwich he was about to eat back down. It had been packed for him by one of the Familia members that worked in the kitchen, a lunch that was always ready when he headed out in the mornings. He’d thanked everyone in the kitchen with a bright smile and headed out as he always did. But now…this group of Killer Ants was preventing him from enjoying his lunch. “I even cut up the walls to prevent Monsters from spawning.” He grumbled as he drew his sword. All over the mid-sized cavern he was in were slashes and cracks along the walls. But that didn’t prevent already spawned Monsters from wandering into the cavern from elsewhere.

“KREEEE!!!” The Killer Ants swarmed towards Bell.

“Spark!” Bell activated his Magic and his entire body was surrounded in blue-white lightning.

With a bit of focus, Bell blurred forward at incredible speed, a streak of blue-white light followed his body and blade as the first Killer Ant lost its head. The streak of lightning didn’t stop there, though. Bell kicked off the wall and changed his course, splitting the second Killer Ant’s head in half vertically. The streak reached the third Killer Ant before it could react, hacking it in two as lightning coursed through its body and killed both halves before they hit the ground. The fourth Ant Monster managed to swing it’s clawed forelimbs, only for them to both be cut off instantly and then its head fell off of its thorax a second later. The fifth Ant was stabbed through the abdomen by the streak of lightning.

“SKREEEE!!!” The Killer Ant screeched as lighting filled it and fried its insides. The streak of lightning was already gone before it collapsed to the stone floor.

“Got you!” Bell finally came to a stop behind the sixth and final Killer Ant. “Woo…” He exhaled a bit, not being used to moving at such speeds just yet. Behind him the last Killer Ant’s head fell to the ground, followed by its body a second later. “Now maybe I can eat my lunch.” He’d collect the Magic Stones after that, he was hungry now.

-Afternoon-

“Ssshhhrrraaa!” A Dungeon Lizard dropped down from the ceiling at Bell. “Shak!” It was promptly cut in half by Bell’s sword and hit the ground with a wet splat.

“Seventy-four…” Bell counted off as he dodged a War Shadow’s claw swipe. It didn’t get to make another as Bell’s lightning-covered blade cut into it from right shoulder to left hip, nearly splitting it in two. “Seventy-five…” He spun into a spearhand strike; his electrified fingers piercing into the head of a Frog Shooter that hadn’t been fast enough to get out of the way in time, the amphibian Monster convulsed for a moment before Bell yanked his fingers out and let the corpse drop to the floor. “Seventy-six…” His speed was impressive as he blurred forward and got into a Kobold’s face, stabbing through its gut with his sword. “Seventy-seven…” Bell yanked his sword out of the dead Kobold and pointed the tip at the airborne Purple Moth that had just spawned. A second later and a bolt of lightning leapt from the tip of the sword and electrocuted the insect Monster. “Seventy-eight…”

“Grrrraaahhh!” A Kobold rushed towards him, claws at the ready. Its head went flying with a swing from Bell’s sword, the movement only a blur to the dog-headed Monster.

“Seventy-nine…” Bell exhaled long and slow to get his breathing and heartbeat under control. “Maybe I should try out the Sixth Floor tomorrow?” He cleaned the blood from his sword and sheathed it before pulling out his knife. “Figuring out this high-speed application for my Magic has really helped out in dealing with the Monsters.” Bell thought about going deeper into the Dungeon as he opened up the first Monster to retrieve its Magic Stone.

-Guild Exchange-

“Your Magic Stones were worth 10,472 Valis; have a nice evening.” The man behind the glass pushed the tray back onto Bell’s side with a nod.

“Thank you, sir.” Bell collected all of the Valis and put them into his hip pouch for safe keeping. Then he made his way over to Sophie to give her his report for the day.

-Guild Advisors’ Offices-

“Even more than normal…” Sophie set the report on her desk and let some of the other curious Advisors look at it. Bell had quickly become the talk of the Advisors for his steady and rather impressive progress into the Dungeon.

“One-hundred-forty-three?!” Misha, a pink-haired human woman, exclaimed in shock. “He’s going to break two-hundred a day soon if he keeps this up.”

“And he’s a Solo Adventurer too.” Another Advisor mentioned, mildly impressed with the young man.

“Never thought we’d see an Adventurer like this come from Demeter Familia.” A Cat Man Advisor joked.

“At this rate he’ll probably Level Up in a year or so and then Demeter Familia will have a Level 2, a Level 3, and a Level 4.” A Chienthrope woman tapped her chin thoughtfully.

“Too bad they’re not an Exploration Familia, they’d be able to go on Lower Floor expeditions with that lineup.” A male Advisor spoke up with a chuckle.

“No thanks, I like eating.” Rose Fannet, a redhaired Werewolf woman, and a Senior Advisor, shook her head of long hair.

“Fair point.” The man conceded, knowing that if Demeter Familia stopped their farming, a city as big as Orario would quickly find itself facing famine and mass starvation.

-Hostess of Fertility-

“Welcome, Mr. Cranel.” Ryu bowed politely as Bell entered the pub.

“Good evening, Miss Ryu.” Bell smiled at the lovely Elf woman.

“One now seating!” Ryu called over to the bar before leading Bell to his usual seat at the end near the stairs to the second floor. “Do you know what you’d like, or would you prefer to look over the menu, Mr. Cranel?”

“I’ll have an ale to drink; but I’ll need a minute to decide on my meal.” Bell accepted the menu from Ryu with a nod.

“I’ll get your drink.” Ryu headed into the kitchen to get his ale.

Bell looked through the menu and wondered what he should get tonight. “All of the food at the Hostess is good…makes it hard to choose.”

“The big party with the reservation is here!” The Anya announced loudly as she led in a large group of people. Bell looked towards the door and almost gaped as he caught sight of a trio of familiar young women. Then his eyes registered everyone that made up the group.

‘Miss Ais, Miss Tione, and Miss Tiona… So, that’s Loki Familia?’ Bell’s eyes were wide as he watched the Familia enter. He’d only gotten a brief glimpse when Tiona, Tione, and Ais had separated from him yesterday. The group seemed to be mostly the well-known Executives, but a few other members were there as well. The Loki Familia were all quickly seated between two tables and drinks were brought to them in short order. Bell’s eyes followed the Familia, more specifically his eyes focused on Ais, Tiona, and Tione in a cycle. The three lovely young women were sitting together on one side of a table, so Bell could look at them easily.

“Loki Familia caught your eye, eh?” Lunoire’s teasing voice asked from behind Bell. “Goddess Loki took an interest in the place, so they’re regulars here.”

“Lunoire!” Bell jumped slightly in surprise. “Must you sneak up on me?”

“Yep!” Lunoire snickered at his reaction.

Ryu returned with a flagon of ale and set it in front of Bell with a small smile. “Your ale, Mr. Cranel.”

“Thank you, Miss Ryu.” Bell nodded to Ryu with a grin before taking a quick drink.

“Nice work in the Dungeon! Tonight we live it up! Drink!” A slender woman with long, light-red hair tied into a simple ponytail raised a flagon into the air along with a few members of the Loki Familia. She wore dark-blue boots, black thigh-high stockings, black short shorts, a dark-blue tube top that matched her boots, and black sleeves.

The Divine Aura radiating off of her let everyone know that she was a Goddess. It wasn’t hard for Bell to figure out that this was Goddess Loki. She was the head of one of the Top Two Familias in all of Orario. There was quite some debate about which Familia was the true number one between Freya Familia and Loki Familia. But most in the Dungeon City didn’t want a war to break out between the two Familias to find out for sure.

“I think Bell’s eyes are straying from us, Ryu.” Lunoire playfully nudged Bell with her elbow. “He was looking at the Loki Familia.”

“They’re regulars here, just like Mr. Cranel, it’s not uncommon for people to look at the Loki Familia when they dine here.” Ryu replied evenly, clearly not going along with Lunoire’s joke.

“Ryu…” Lunoire side-eyed her friend, noticing the tiniest smirk on the Elf woman’s lips. “Ruining my fun.”

‘I can see them just by eating at the Hostess like I do, huh?’ Bell mused as he watched the Familia enjoy themselves for a moment.

“Did you have your order, Mr. Cranel?” Ryu asked politely.

“Oh, yeah.” Bell looked back at Ryu with a smile. “I’d like the steak, with sautéed vegetables, and roasted potatoes; please.”

“How would like that cooked?” Ryu had written down the order as Bell spoke it.

“Medium, please.” Bell could do Medium Rare or Medium Well too, but Medium was his preference.

Ryu nodded to Bell after she finished writing. “It will be out shortly, Mr. Cranel.”

“So… Which girl caught your eye this time, Bell?” Lunoire questioned with a grin, leaning gently against Bell’s back. “Was it Lady Riveria, the High Elf? She’s very beautiful. Or maybe Miss Sharon is your preference? She’s got an impressive set of breasts on her.”

Bell looked over his shoulder at her and made sure she could see when he rolled his eyes at her. “It’s not like that, Lunoire.”

“As long as you spoil me from time to time, I don’t mind sharing, Bell~” Lunoire lightly blew on his ear with a grin.

Bell deadpanned at her, making Lunoire laugh, which she quickly covered with her hand. “I’m not some playboy, you know that.” He shook his head at her.

“I know…” Lunoire gave him a smile. “You’re far better than that.” She leaned closer. “You’re looking for women to love, not just to play around with.” Lunoire whispered into his ear with a knowing grin.

“Lunoire…!” Bell’s rubellite eyes widened and he stared at her intensely.

Lunoire had an unrepentant smirk on her lips. “You know I’m right.”

“Should’ve never told you about my dreams.” Bell wasn’t pouting, but it was close.

“Aww, don’t pout, Bell.” Lunoire hugged him from behind for a moment before letting go. “Harems and polycules aren’t too uncommon in Orario. Sometimes they’re just Adventurers that all love each other. Other times they’re focused around a Deity. But no one would bat an eye if you had one as a strong Adventurer.” She winked at him. “Think of it as an extra incentive to work hard and follow your dreams. You want a big family, right?”

Bell just looked at her, nearly gaping at her words.

“Like I said, it’s not uncommon, and depending on the other women, I could be convinced to share.” Lunoire smiled at Bell with a giggle.

“Lunoire, stop teasing your man and get back to work.” Mia called out from the other end of the bar.

“Coming!” Lunoire laughed brightly as she returned to her work, leaving Bell sitting in his regular seat with his face slowly turning red.

A few minutes later and Ryu came by with his dinner. “The steak meal with sautéed vegetables and roasted potatoes, Mr. Cranel.” She set the large plate down and checked his flagon by eye. “I’ll have your drink refilled.” She made a quick motion with her hand to Mama Mia and saw the Dwarf woman nod to her in confirmation.

“Thank you, Miss Ryu.” Bell smiled at her and was happy to see that Ryu gave him a small smile in return before heading off to continue her work. As Bell cut into his steak, Mia refilled his ale and Bell got to enjoy his dinner.

It was after finishing his meal that Bell noticed the Loki Familia getting a bit louder. Looking over, it was easy to see why. Drinks had been brought over a few times already, so a few members were getting a bit buzzed for sure.

What Bell didn’t expect was for his gaze to meet the eyes of Tiona Hyrute across the pub.

“Eh?” Tiona perked up, having already had a couple drinks, but she was nowhere close to drunk. Seeing Bell (and his distinctive white hair and red eyes) made her break out into a big smile that was like sunshine. She surprised Tione and Ais as she quickly stood up and trotted across the pub to hug another patron. “BELL!”

“M-Miss Tiona?!” Bell hadn’t been expecting Tiona to come over to him, and he especially didn’t see the hug coming. Not that he minded or anything like that. ‘Toned, but soft…and she smells nice too.’ He thought as Tiona pressed her body against him.

“Bell!” Tiona giggled happily. “I didn’t think I’d see you here!”

“Good evening, Miss Tiona.” Bell couldn’t help but smile at Tiona, the Amazon was too happy for Bell not to be while in her presence. “I come here fairly often, one of my Familia members works here.”

“They do?” Tiona tilted her head with a smile. “Who is it?”

“That would be me, Tiona.” Lunoire placed her hand atop the Amazon’s head and gently ruffled her hair.

“Hi, Lunoire!” Tiona let go of Bell to turn and hug the other woman. “It’s been a little while.”

“It has, but you were on expedition, so there’s not much we can do about that.” Lunoire returned the hug.

“You two know each other?” Bell looked between the two women.

“Of course, Tiona is a regular.” Lunoire waved it off as no big deal.

“Yep! I’ve known Lunoire for…” Tiona started counting on her fingers. “A while.” She threw her hands up with a laugh. Clearly the buzzed Amazon was in a good mood. “Hey, hey, Lunoire…” Tiona wrapped her arms around Bell’s left arm. “Can we borrow Bell from you?”

“What?” Bell looked at Tiona and then to Lunoire.

“Hmm, if Bell wants to go, I won’t stop him.” Lunoire grinned at Bell with a knowing look.

“Do you wanna come sit with us for a bit, Bell?” Tiona looked at him with her eyes nearly sparkling.

“Oh, um, isn’t your Familia celebrating right now?” Bell questioned, having overhead Loki earlier. “I wouldn’t want to interrupt.”

“It’s fine!” Tiona laughed it off. “Celebrations are more fun with more people, right?”

“I guess…whoa!” Bell barely got his reply out before Tiona was happily dragging him back over to the Loki Familia’s tables.

“Is Mr. Cranel going to be alright?” Ryu questioned Lunoire, seeing Bell being taken by the Amazon.

“I’m sure he’ll be just fine.” Lunoire grinned at Ryu playfully. “We just need to learn to share is all.”

Ryu deadpanned at Lunoire. “Must you?”

Lunoire chuckled cutely, her hand over her mouth. “Oh come on, Ryu. It’s not bad to want a big family.”

‘Family.’ Ryu thought somberly, remembering the loss of her Familia vividly to this day. A part of her yearned to have that again…but another part whispered to her that she didn’t deserve it, not after what she’d done.

Over at the Loki Familia table, Bell was sat down between Tione and Tiona. He wouldn’t lie about being a little starstruck, but also nervous, as the eyes of various members of one of the Top Familias in Orario looked at him.

“Hmm? Who is this?” Finn questioned with a polite smile after finishing his drink.

“This is Bell, Captain!” Tiona grinned brightly; her arms still wrapped around Bell’s left arm as she pressed herself against him.

“The one ya said injured a Minotaur at Level 1?” Gareth looked the young man over. “He doesn’t look like he’d have the strength for that…no offense meant, lad.”

“None taken, sir.” Bell shook his head. ‘I’m talking to Elgarm, Gareth Landrock!’ He marveled at having a conversation with one of the few Level 6 Adventurers in Orario.

“His Magic helped.” Tione was leaning into Bell’s opposite side with a little smirk on her lips. “It kind of reminds me of Ais’s Magic.”

“Mm.” Ais nodded once in agreement, looking at Bell with a little smile of her own. Enchantment Magic wasn’t extraordinarily rare, but it wasn’t the most common either. Elemental Enchantments varied greatly in strength from one to another, but Bell’s seemed to be rather powerful.

“An Enchantment then?” Riveria spoke, looking between Ais and Bell.

“Y-Yes, ma’am.” Bell nodded to the High Elf, trying not to look at her for too long and come off as rude. ‘The rumors are true though; her beauty really does rival a Goddess.’

“No need to be so formal, this is a celebration.” Riveria actually smiled at the young man, seeing him trying to be respectful and not stare at her, while also being clearly distracted by Tiona and Tione’s interest in him.

“Injuring a Minotaur at Level 1 is an impressive feat.” Finn complimented Bell with a grin. “As Captain, I do apologize for the incident though.” He bowed his head for a moment. “We were lax in our handling of the Minotaur horde and that put others, like yourself, in danger.”

“It’s alright!” Bell waved his free hand in front of him (Tiona refused to let go of his left arm). “Miss Tiona, Miss Tione, and Miss Ais saved me after my attack failed to take down the Minotaur. I’m grateful for that.”

“Just Tiona is fine, Bell!” Tiona giggled brightly, lightly squeezing his arm against her body.

“Mhmm, Tione is fine, Bell.” Tione allowed him to drop the formality with her as well. “No need to be all formal.” She leaned against him with a grin, her large breasts pressing against his arm and shoulder.

“Ais.” Ais nodded to Bell once. “Everyone calls me that.”

“Th-Thank you…” Bell felt his face get a bit heated at the three women wanting him to be informal with them and get closer.

“Let’s drink!” Tiona laughed brightly, raising her flagon into the air.

“Yeah!” The entire Loki Familia raised their drinks with a cheer. A few, like Riveria and Ais, were notably quieter than some of the others.

“Do you not drink, M…Ais?” Bell asked, stopping himself form calling her ‘Miss Ais’ since she’d asked him to just use her name. She appeared to only be drinking water while the others passed around alcohol.

“Things get complicated when Ais drinks, right?” Tione looked over at Ais with a teasing smile.

Bell looked between Tione and Ais curiously. “What do you mean?”

“You could say that she’s not much of a drinker,” Tiona grinned at Ais. “Or that she’s a bad drunk… Or that she almost killed Loki…”

Ais’s face was red as she was teased by her friend. “Tiona, please…stop…” She gently tugged on Tiona’s arm as she didn’t want Bell to have the wrong idea about her.

“Ahahaha! Ais is blushing~” Tiona cooed and hugged Ais close to her after letting go of Bell’s arm. Ais’s entire face went red, but she returned the hug with one arm anyway.

“Who’s this guy?” Bete Loga, a Werewolf and Executive of Loki Familia, questioned as he left the other table and moved over to the one that Bell had been brought to. “Looks like a weakling to me.” He narrowed his eyes at Bell, but the redness in his face showed that the man was probably already a bit drunk.

“Go away, you mangy mutt!” Tione shooed Bete away with her left hand, her right arm wrapped around Bell’s arm.

“Tsk, who asked you, Amazon?” Bete waved off her trying to shoo him away.

“Hey, back off of Bell, Bete!” Tiona was now wrapping her arms around Bell’s arm again. “He’s the one that injured that last Minotaur on the Fifth Floor!”

“Bullshit!” Bete didn’t believe that for a second. “This guy wounded a Minotaur? You expect me to believe that?”

“He’s drunk, isn’t he?” Finn remarked, looking over at Bete.

Gareth nodded after a second to look over the Werewolf man. “Aye.”

“Make sure to stop him before he does anything too bad, please.” Riveria sighed a little.

“What about you, Ais?” Bete turned his gaze onto the golden-eyed girl. “What did you think of this punk’s so-called fight?”

“He actually did very well,” Ais replied calmly. Bell felt like his heart had just skipped a beat. “Not many Level 1 Adventurers could have bridged the Level gap like Bell did yesterday.”

Bete scoffed before speaking again. “Fine, different question then.” He looked at Ais with a smirk. “Who’re you taking home, him…” He waved in Bell’s direction. “Or me?”

Bam

Gareth’s fist came down on top of Bete’s head from behind, laying the drunk Werewolf out. “Sorry about that. The lad gets a bit mouthy when he drinks too much.” The Dwarf apologized to Bell before dragging Bete away by one leg.

“N-No problem…” Bell was just going to let the drunken words roll off of his back. He was a little preoccupied trying not to look at Ais, since the two had caught each other’s eyes when Bete had asked who Ais would take home. Now both of them were a bit flustered. ‘Ais looks cute when she’s blushing.’ He thought to himself.

“Aww, look at them blush!” Tiona giggled pulling Ais into a hug with a bubbly giggle.

“Don’t worry, we all know who we’d choose, right, Ais?” Tione now had her arm over Bell’s shoulder a grin on her face when his arm wrapped around her waist.

“Tione…” Ais didn’t think her face could get any warmer than it was right now.

“I know who I’d choose~” Tiona grinned and leaned into Bell’s side with a grin. That grin only got wider as Bell’s free hand wrapped around her waist as well.

‘Is this how the Lightning God in grandpa’s stories felt?’ Bell wondered to himself, being on the receiving end of such forward affections from the Hyrute sisters.

-Later-

The Loki Familia’s party wound down and they began to leave the Hostess of Fertility after paying their large bill. Bell bid Tiona, Tione, and Ais, farewell, but the blonde swordswoman surprised her friends when she spoke up.

“Bell…” Ais stopped for a second, but then continued. “You said that you were still new to being an Adventurer…” The four had been chatting for most of the evening since Tiona had brought Bell over.

“Yeah, I’ve only been at it for just over two weeks.” Bell nodded and then rubbed the back of his head. “I’ve gotten some sparring in with Lunoire, and she’s shown me a few good strikes and how to do them properly. But other than that, I’m entirely self-taught.”

“Would… Would you like me to teach you how to use a sword?” Ais offered after a moment to gather her courage.

“Eh?!” Bell nearly gaped at the sudden offer.

“Ais?” Tione raised an eyebrow at the unexpected offer that had been made. It was very unlike Ais to do such a thing after all.

“You want to teach Bell?” Tiona perked up, a light flush on her cheeks from her drinks.

“If…If you want to.” Ais had the sudden urge to fidget with her hands as she tried not to look down at the floor. ‘Why does my stomach feel all…fluttery?’

“I-If it wouldn’t be a burden to you, Ais, I’d greatly appreciate it!” Bell bowed at the waist, a full and proper bow of gratitude for her offer.

“O-Okay.” Ais smiled slightly at Bell agreeing to her offer. ‘Maybe I’ll be able to find out how he closed the Level gap… And figure out this feeling inside…’ She blushed a little, her cheeks slightly pink.

“Ooh, can we help too, Ais?” Tiona beamed at Ais and Bell, her radiant joy like sunshine. “I’m sure we could teach Bell a thing or two!”

“Now, now, sister…” Tione placed her hand on top of Tiona’s head. “Ais offered to train Bell. You wouldn’t want to get in the way of Ais’s alone time with him, would you?”

Bell and Ais both looked at Tione wide-eyed, the Amazon only smirking at both of them mischievously.

“You can help.” Ais’s couldn’t meet Bell’s eyes as she looked away, her heart beating rapidly in her chest at Tione’s words. ‘It’s not like…that.’ She thought to herself, never having sought out the company of anyone for intimacy before.

“Yay!” Tiona nearly glomped both Bell and Ais at the same time, pulling both into a hug as she laughed happily.

‘It’ll be good for her.’ Tione smiled at seeing Ais finally coming out of her shell a bit. ‘And good for us too.’ She eyed Bell (an adorable flustered look on his face as Tiona hugged him and Ais both) and felt her Amazon blood pulse in her veins. Bell was something special…and Tione wanted only the best for herself and Tiona. Bicker as they might, they were sisters above all else, and neither of them wanted to be apart.

-Wheat Manor-

After bidding Lunoire and Ryu a good night, Bell had walked back to the Wheat Manor with a smile on his face.

It had been a good night for him. Seeing Miss Ryu, enjoying time with Lunoire, and even getting dragged over to the Loki Familia’s celebration by Tiona. He certainly felt a bit closer to Tione and Tiona after spending a good amount of time with his arms around their waists, both sisters giving him approving gazes throughout the evening.

He'd even gotten offered to be trained by Ais! There was no way he’d ever turn down such an offer! Learning the sword from her would be incredible! The Kenki was famous in Orario for her use of the sword after all!

The fact that Tiona and Tione had agreed to help him too was equally amazing! He’d have to give it his all to learn all he could from the three Level 5 women. No matter how brutal the training, he’d do it, he’d make sure they weren’t wasting their time on him!

“Somone is in a good mood tonight.” Demeter giggled softly as she was in the middle of updating Bell’s Status.

“Ah, yes, I was offered sword training from Ais Wallenstein, and both Tiona and Tione Hyrute offered to teach me some things too.” Bell explained to his Goddess with a smile. “I have to do my best.”

“You always do, Bell.” Demeter praised him warmly, moving his Excelia into his Basic Abilities and watching them grow. “You work so hard already that you were outpacing the normal growth of most Adventurers, even before Liaris Freese.” Which was true, as most Adventurers only got up to ‘H’ in their stats in two weeks, if they were talented. Bell, in the same two weeks, had managed to get up to ‘G’ in most of his stats through sheer effort and hard work. “Here you are.” She handed him the paper with his newly updated Status.

Bell accepted the paper with a smile. “Thank you, Goddess.”

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – G 263 > F 311

Endurance – G 229 > G 272

Dexterity – G 273 > F 324

Agility – F 308 > F 365

Magic – F 314 > F 370

-Magic-

Caelum – Incantation: “Spark.” This Magic allows the user to imbue their body and weapons with Lightning Magic.

-Skills-

Liaris Freese – Fast growth as long as desire lasts. The strength of the effects corresponds with the level of the user’s desire towards their goal. Makes the user immune to Charms and Mental Magics. Passive.

-Status-

“Two-hundred-fifty-five points…” Bell was stunned by the leap in his Basic Abilities. “I really am growing faster.”

“Your desire is strong, Bell.” Demeter pulled him into a warm hug. “You have multiple goals that you want to fulfill with all of your heart and soul. All the hard work and effort you put in already is only being increased by Liaris Freese. As long as you keep up both of those admirable traits, you’ll one day reach your dreams.”

“Thank you, Lady Demeter.” Bell returned the hug with a warm smile of his own.

Demeter hummed in response, just holding Bell in her arms. “Your growth is as fast as a bolt of lightning, Bell.” She giggled softly. “Fitting for your Magic, right?”

“I guess so.” Bell chuckled, enjoying the warmth of Demeter’s hug, and the softness of her large breasts pressed into his bare chest, even with her dress between them.

“I’ll be gone tomorrow evening, Bell; so we’ll have to do your Update a little later than normal.” Demeter told him, pulling back so that they were face-to-face.

Bell nodded in acceptance easily, knowing that Demeter had responsibilities around Orario when it came to food deliveries, contracts, and other dealings that resulted from the Familia’s success in agriculture and business. “Is it an important meeting?”

“No, no, just a Banquet of the Gods.” Demeter mentioned as she picked up an invitation from the nearby table. “It’s just a night to meet with some friends and relax a little. Brag about our children and the like.” She smiled beautifully at him.

“You deserve a night to have fun, Goddess.” Bell returned her smile with his own. “I hope it goes well.”

“Thank you, Bell.” Demeter pulled him into another hug, this time pulling his head down into her bosom. “You’re such a kind boy!” She cooed and spoiled him a little.

Bell certainly wasn’t going to complain.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Demeter pulled Bell back from her chest. “I want to introduce you to another member of the Familia that can help you in the Dungeon.” She giggled at the look of confusion on Bell’s face. “You need a Supporter, right?”

“I mean, I had been thinking about hiring one.” Bell admitted to her.

Demeter grinned happily at predicting what Bell wanted. “Lili will be perfect for you, Bell. She has plenty of experience and she’s been with our Familia for a few years now.”

“I didn’t know we had any Supporters.” Bell knew that he still didn’t know everyone in the Familia…and doubted that he ever would know everyone’s names…but most of them had either never been in the Dungeon, or only went in very rarely.

“Lili came to us after an incident with her former Familia.” Demeter’s usually kind expression became serious.

“Incident?” bell couldn’t help but question.

“Her former Familia stole from us and hurt some of my children.” Demeter’s tone had noticeably gone cold. “I declared a War Game against them. With both Lunoire and Persephone, plus our greater numbers, we easily won and brought that Familia low. Lili joined up with us soon after, since part of my punishment for that apathetic God was to dissolve his Familia and force him to start over from nothing.”

Bell initiated the hug this time, pulling Demeter close and gently rubbing her back.

“Bell…” Demeter blinked, but settled into his embrace with a gentle sigh.

“You looked like you needed a hug, Lady Demeter.” Bell murmured to her.

“Thank you.” Demeter returned the hug with a smile. “You’re a good man, Bell.”

The two just held each other for a long while after that, until they eventually separated for bed.

Tomorrow Bell would meet his new Supporter, Lili, for the first time.

-End Chapter-

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Bell is learning more about his Magic after having a breakthrough against the Minotaur. Nice!

He gets the cuddles from Demeter, much to his joy! *Hehehehe~*

Lunoire worries and frets over him, giving him a swat upside the head for worrying her like that. Bell can’t stay mad at her though.

Tiona drags Bell over to the Loki Familia celebration in the Hostess! Tione and Ais don’t mind, though Ais is feeling things she’s never experienced before and nearly blurts out an offer to teach Bell swordsmanship! So cute!

Liaris Freese is showing its worth as Bell’s growth rapidly accelerates like a bolt of lightning!

With training from Level 5’s and soon gaining Lili as his Supporter, just how much more will Bell improve?

Keep reading to find out!

Until next time, later!