Sarutahiko Familia Premise Chapter 7 (Patreon)

Hello friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter! Bell and has decimated the entire Soma Familia in the War Game! All of Orario witnessed Bell’s incredibly skill and power! What will be the results of such a feat? Bell returns home to the Floating Bridge Mansion and to Lili. With the one that he fought for safe and sound, what will happen next?

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 7 – Results, Love, Conversion

When the wagon that returned Bell to Orario stopped outside of the Floating Bridge Mansion, the young man hopped out and thanked the driver with a polite smile. Bell turned to enter the compound through the large wooden gates and wasn’t too surprised to see Lili waiting there for him in her beige yukata.

“I’m home, Lili.” Bell smiled warmly.

“Welcome home, Bell.” Lili smiled back at him, small tears making her eyes glisten before she threw herself into Bell’s arms.

Bell wrapped Lili up in a warm hug, giving her all of the reassurance and comfort that he could. “I promised that you’d never have to go back there, Lili.”

“Uh huh…” Lili hugged him for all she was worth, feeling small happy tears escape her eyes before disappearing into Bell’s black shirt. She pulled back a little and looked up at Bell. Without a second of hesitation she stood on her tiptoes and kissed Bell.

Bell was surprised for a second, but quickly squeezed Lili closer and returned the kiss, pouring his love for Lili into their first kiss while she wrapped her arms around his shoulders as best as she could. It remained a simple kiss, both of them just showing their love for each other as their lips moved against one another’s. When they finally separated, it was only due to the need for air.

“Hah…” Lili gasped, looking up at Bell with red cheeks and warm eyes.

“I love you, Lili.” Bell kissed her forehead and gave her a warm smile.

“I love you too, Bell.” Lili smiled up at him lovingly before leaning up to kiss him again. This kiss was only slightly shorter than the first as the two explored each other a little more. Lili pulled away with a happy, bright giggle and took Bell’s left hand in her right hand, before leading him towards the main building.

Bell walked hand-in-hand with Lili and entered their home with a smile.

“Congratulations on your victory, Bell-sama!” All of the retainers cheered for Bell as soon as the front door was opened.

“Th-Thank you…” Bell blinked at the surprise greeting, but a smile quickly took over his face again. He bowed to the rest of the Familia before straightening up to his full height again. “Thank you all for your support!” Without the retainers taking care of the day-to-day things around the compound and cooking Bell’s meals, he wouldn’t have had nearly as much time to prepare for the War Game as he did.

“Bell.” Sarutahiko spoke from behind the gathered retainers. All of them moved to the side to let their Kami through with respectful bows. “Welcome home.” The elder God smiled warmly at his Captain.

“I’m home, Lord Sarutahiko.” Bell gave a short bow to his God.

Sarutahiko chuckled brightly and looked over to Lili. “Tomorrow, Soma will be removing his Falna from all of his current Familia members, Liliruca. I will make sure that you’re first in line.”

“Thank you very much, Lord Sarutahiko.” Lili bowed deeply to her soon-to-be God. She was filled with happiness right now and barely kept more happy tears from falling.

Sarutahiko nodded to Lili before his gaze moved back over to Bell. “We have a celebration planned for your victory, Bell; but first, let’s update your Status, as I believe we’ll have two things to celebrate tonight.”

Bell perked up, having a good idea of what Sarutahiko was talking about. “Yes, Lord Sarutahiko.” He gave Lili a soft kiss on the cheek as they separated, Lili following the retainers to the dining hall, while Bell followed Sarutahiko to the Deity’s room.

In a short time, Bell was sitting on a cushion in front of Sarutahiko, his black shirt off and his bare back exposed to his God. Sarutahiko let a drop of his blood fall onto Bell’s back and the familiar blue-white glow appeared as the sharp, black lines of Bell’s Falna faded into view on his skin.

“Just as I suspected.” Sarutahiko chuckled softly as he watched the War Game from Bell’s perspective through his Excelia. “Quite the nice thing you did for Liliruca.” He mentioned the fight with Zanis.

“It was something that I felt needed to be done.” Bell replied as he remembered striking the final blow against the other Captain. “Lili deserved some symbolic revenge and victory from that bastard. So I asked Lili to let me take one of her poisoned senbon into battle with me.” He had no remorse for taking Zanis’s life. The man was the epitome of wicked, the exact kind of person that many Heroes of old had slain. The fact that he was protecting Lili and seeking to end her suffering only further justified his actions in his mind.

Sarutahiko agreed with a nod as he moved the Excelia over into Bell’s Basic Abilities and watched the numbers increase as Bell’s Falna grew stronger. With a small smile, the elder God finished the update and placed a blank paper onto Bell’s back. A movement of his index finger and the numbers were copied over. “Here’s your final Level 1 update, Bell.” He handed the paper to his Captain.

“Final…” Bell took the paper, now certain of what he would see.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1 (2)

Strength – SSS 1,558 > SSS 1,672

Endurance – SSS 1,506 > SSS 1,623

Dexterity – SSS 1,503 > SSS 1,625

Agility – SSS 1,554 > SSS 1,667

Magic – SSS 1,605 > SSS 1,728

-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.

Kanchi (Sensing) – Allows the user to sense living things within a certain range of themselves and distinguish between Monster and Non-Monster. The range increases based on the Magic stat. Active Trigger.

(-Developmental Ability-)

(Abnormal Resistance)

(Hunter)

(Martial Mastery)

-Status-

“I can Level Up.” Bell smiled at the paper, pleased with his growth and progress.

“Yes, you’re incredible battle against the entire Soma Familia was definitely worthy of being called a Grand Feat.” Sarutahiko smiled at Bell. “You have three options for Developmental Ability as well.”

“I can figure out what Abnormal Resistance does just from its name, but what are Hunter and Martial Mastery?” Bell asked, since those two seemed like better options right away.

“Hunter is a bit hard to acquire, as it can only be acquired at Level 2 and requires the Adventurer to have killed a vast number of Monsters in a short time. It increases your abilities against Monsters that you’ve fought before and gained Excelia from.” Sarutahiko explained the first one.

“So, it makes me more effective against the various kinds of Monsters that I’ve already slain? That could be useful in the Dungeon.” Bell nodded his understanding.

“Martial Mastery is something I haven’t heard of before.” Sarutahiko admitted, the Developmental Ability wasn’t in the Guild’s records which he’d perused after coming to Orario. “But, from what I can tell, it’ll passively boost all of your Basic Abilities by a substantial margin and increase your perception and reaction time by a significant amount as well.”

“I see.” Bell hummed thoughtfully as he went over the two Developmental Abilities in his head. ‘Hunter will make fighting any Monster species that I’ve already killed before easier, making traversing the Dungeon a bit easier until I fight species of Monsters that I haven’t before.’ It wasn’t a bad ability at all, as there was no way to skip Floors while traveling through the Dungeon. Being able to more easily kill Monsters was definitely useful. ‘But Martial Mastery is a constant boost to all of my Basic Abilities regardless of who or what I’m fighting, and it also further increases my perception and reaction speed. The increase in stats is a good thing, for sure, and the perception boost might bolster my Kanchi Skill as well.’ Bell’s monstrous talent showed itself once again as he rapidly broke down the benefits of both Developmental Abilities after they were explained to him.

Sarutahiko nearly laughed when he saw Bell move after going still for a long moment. He could practically hear the gears turning in Bell’s mind. “Already decided, Bell?”

“Yes, Lord Sarutahiko.” Bell looked over his shoulder at the elder God with a smile. “I’d like Martial Mastery as my first Developmental Ability, please.”

“Very well.” Sarutahiko agreed and let a new drop of his blood fall onto Bell’s back. The blue-white glow reappeared and Sarutahiko began the Level Up. He advanced the Falna to Level 2, then wrote in the Martial Mastery Developmental Ability in the new opened section of Bell’s Falna. With nothing new appearing as the Level Up finished, Sarutahiko watched the Basic Abilities reset to I 0 as they began to track Bell’s new Level 2 stats. He placed a new paper onto Bell’s back and quickly had the now Level 2 Status copied over. “Here you are, Bell.”

Bell took the paper as his Falna faded back into his skin, vanishing from the eyes of anyone that might see his back.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 2

Strength – I 0

Endurance – I 0

Dexterity – I 0

Agility – I 0

Magic – I 0

-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.

Kanchi (Sensing) – Allows the user to sense living things within a certain range of themselves and distinguish between Monster and Non-Monster. The range increases based on the Magic stat. Active Trigger.

-Developmental Ability-

Martial Mastery – I

-Status-

“You’re the fastest Level Up from Level 1 to Level 2 on record, Bell.” Sarutahiko informed his Captain with a proud grin. “Others may try to snoop around, but you don’t have to tell them anything.”

“Yes, Lord Sarutahiko.” Bell burned the two update papers and stood up. “I’ll get a quick bath and join everyone in the dining hall.”

Sarutahiko motioned for Bell to go get clean before standing up himself.

Several minutes later and Bell entered the dining hall in a dark gray yukata and sat on the cushion next to Lili with a smile.

“To Bell’s victory and his advancement to Level 2!” Sarutahiko raised his cup of sake into the air in a toast.

“To Bell!” The other Familia members all toasted with cheer and bright smiles on their faces.

Everyone drank together and the celebratory meal was soon filled with laughter and merriment. The food was exquisite and Bell couldn’t remember the last time he’d been in such a festive atmosphere. Liberal amounts of sake were consumed and late into the night the Sarutahiko Familia celebrated the accomplishment of their Captain.

-Bell’s Room ~ Night-

“Lili…” Bell kissed Lili’s lips as he closed the shoji door behind them.

Lili only moaned into their lip lock as Bell carried her to his futon. “Bell... I love you.” Lili immediately undid her obi and let her yukata slide off her shoulders and down her arms once she was gently placed onto her feet.

Seeing Lili in nothing but her panties made Bell excited. He softly pulled her into his arms and kissed her again. When Lili’s hands undid his obi, Bell let her push his yukata off his body, leaving both of them in just their underwear. “You’re beautiful, Lili.” Bell stole her lips with his while his hands began to trail up her sides, feeling her soft skin.

“Mmm, Bell…” Lili moaned cutely as Bell cupped her breasts. She was rather well-endowed for a Prum woman. She’d been called a shortstack by some of the more crass Adventurers that she’d worked with in the past. “Aah~” Lili gasped as Bell took one of her tits into his mouth, gently sucking and nibbling on her stiff nipple while her other tit was teased and toyed with by his hand.

Bell continued to enjoy Lili’s soft body as she mewled and cooed out her pleasure. Her hands began to run through his white hair, holding him close to her breast as she moaned from the sensations that Bell was giving her. His free hand trailed down her body, following the curve of her wide hips before moving back and cupping Lili’s nice ass.

“Ah, Bell~!” Lili cooed as her butt was gently groped and played with. Her breathing was getting heavy as Bell’s hands took hold of her panties and pulled them down her legs. She was bare before Bell’s eyes as he pulled away from her tits. “D-Don’t stare…” She mumbled cutely even as she practically felt Bell’s eyes roaming over her naked body.

“You’re gorgeous, Lili.” Bell assured her with a loving smile as he kissed her again, deeper this time.

“Mmm~” Lili moaned into their kiss, opening her mouth as her tongue met Bell’s for a French kiss. Her hands weren’t idle as they trailed down Bell’s strong chest, over his abs, until she grasped the waistband of his boxers and pulled them down. “Oh…” Lili’s brown eyes widened a bit at seeing Bell’s hard length. “You’re…” Lili gulped a little. “Rather big…Master Bell…” She could barely take her eyes off of his cock.

Bell smiled, just a hint of masculine pride showing, before he gently guided Lili to lay down on his futon. “I’ll be gentle, Lili.” He promised her with a kiss.

Lili nodded when their lips separated, her eyes half-lidded and hazy in her desire and love. She spread her legs and jumped a little when Bell’s fingers first softly brushed against her sex. Lili moaned cutely as Bell stroked her pussy, gently teasing her and feeling her wetness. “B-Bell…mmm…more~”

Bell gave her what she wanted, as he slowly delved into Lili’s wet heat with one finger. It was tight and Bell gently began to move his finger in and out of Lili’s pussy. With a smile, he kissed her again, making Lili coo in bliss as she was being given love and pleasure.

“Ah…ah…B-Bell…” Lili began to pant as Bell added a second finger and increased the speed of his digits inside of her. Her hips were gently bucking into his touch as he worked her up more and more. “Oohhh~” Her hips rose off the futon as a third finger was added and Bell’s thumb began to tease her clit. “Mmph!” Lili’s moans were muffled as Bell captured her lips and French kissed her again, much to Lili’s bliss as she crashed over the edge and her entire body trembled.

Bell smiled at Lili, seeing her blissed out face as she slowly came down from her climax. He eased his fingers from her depths and brought them to his mouth to taste. He heard Lili let out a little squeak as she watched him taste her, but only smiled at her with his rubellite eyes smoldering with love and desire.

“Bell…l-let Lili do something.” Lili rolled over, gently pushing Bell onto his back before settling between his legs. She breathed in the strong scent of Bell’s cock, feeling like her mind was getting fuzzy. Lili pressed her cheek against his dick and let out a breathy moan. While their eyes were locked, Lili stuck out her tongue and licked Bell’s cock from base to tip.

“Lili…” Bell groaned lowly at the new sensation. He nearly growled when Lili’s tongue began to swirl around the head.

Lili loved the look on Bell’s face as she began to lick his cock. It made her heart speed up as she trailed her tongue down his length. She kissed both of his balls before kissing and licking her way back up his shaft. Lili had no real experience with such things, but she’d heard more than enough things over her life to have some idea of what to do. When she got back to the head of Bell’s cock, she kissed it and looked into his burning ruby gaze with loving and lustful brown eyes. “Master Bell…” Lili’s voice was a breathy whisper that made Bell’s cock throb in her hands. “Lili doesn’t have a gag reflex~” She told him with a sinfully cute smile.

“L-Lili!” Bell’s eyes widened at Lili’s naughty admission and what he knew was about to happen.

“Mmmph…” Lili opened her mouth wide and took the head of Bell’s cock inside. She descended, taking more and more into her mouth, before Bell felt an incredible tightness engulf the head of his cock. He only had a brief second to realize that he’d entered her throat before Lili was going further, taking him even deeper.

Bell didn’t want to take his eyes off of the sight of Lili slowly taking his length down her throat, so he resisted throwing his head back as he groaned in pleasure.

“Gaugh…mmmh…gauh…” Lili made noises that Bell had never heard before as she got closer and closer to the base of his cock. Each noise made his body thrum with pleasure and heat and he nearly lost his self-control when Lili finally reached the base, her lips stretched around his girth and the majority of his cock encased in her tight throat.

“Lili!” Bell forced his hips not to buck as Lili’s deepthroat nearly made him come undone. Not helped by the fact that Lili was swallowing with his cock down her throat. The tightness was trying to milk his load from him!

“Mmmh…mmph…Pah!” Lili slowly pulled Bell’s cock from her throat, gasping when it escaped her lips and she breathed in heavily, panting and moaning as her eyes met Bell’s. “Did you like that…Master Bell~?” Lili asked with a sexy smile.

“Fuck…yes…” Bell panted, his rubellite eyes nearly burning with desire.

Lili giggled a bit before taking Bell’s cock back into her mouth. “Mmph…guagh…mmm!” Lili eased Bell’s girth back into her tight throat and began to bob her head, making sure not to touch it with her teeth as best as she could. She felt like fire was burning in her veins as she sucked Bell’s cock, and her pussy was absolutely soaked from Bell’s earlier playing with it. She just needed a bit more before they moved further. “Gagkh!” Lili purposefully made a noise as she reached the base of Bell’s cock again. She felt him throb in her throat and swallowed on him.

“Fuck…Lili…” Bell refused to take his eyes off of Lili as her head bobbed up and down his length. The sounds she was making were so sexy, and her tight throat massaging his cock was making it impossible to hold back. “Lili…close…” He warned her through gritted teeth.

Lili seemed to take that as challenge as she took him to the base again and swallowed repeatedly. Bell had no chance of holding back any longer and he hit his peak with a deep groan of satisfaction.

“MMM!!!” Lili’s eyes opened wide as she felt the first heavy shot of Bell’s seed fill her throat. She swallowed and swallowed, coaxing more from Bell’s balls each time, filling her stomach with his cum. She eventually had to breath and slowly worked her head back up his length. She swallowed three more shots of his cum before letting the final shot fille her mouth and coat her tongue. “Mmm~” Lili shivered in a minigasm at the heat and taste on her tongue before swallowing it down. “Aaahh…” She opened her mouth and let her tongue loll out to show Bell that she’d swallowed everything.

Bell took hold of Lili’s waist and gently put her on her back again. He stole her lips in a slow and languid French kiss. Lili moaned into the kiss while she did her best to wrap her legs around Bell’s hips as she felt his tip gently teasing her drenched sex. The two never stopped kissing as Bell pushed forward and his cock entered Lili for the first time.

“Aah!” Lili broke the kiss to let out a gasp before moaning long and low as Bell’s cock sank deeper and deeper into her depths. It was to be expected though, given how ready Lili was and the fact that Bell’s length was absolutely soaked from her deepthroating. With all of the lubrication, Lili could only moan and mewl as Bell’s cock filled her to the brim, gently pressing up against her deepest spot by the time their hips came together.

“Lili…” Bell’s breathing was hot as he experienced the tight heat of Lili’s pussy for the first time.

“Bell…” Lili wasn’t any better as she cooed and looped her arms over his shoulders. “More~” She purred before kissing him again.

Bell needed no further encouragement as he pulled his hips back as far as he could with Lili’s legs wrapped around him. Then he buried himself to the hilt inside of her again with one long, continuous thrust. Lili moaned into their kiss as she was filled to the limit again. Bell quickly found a rhythm to his thrusts as he made love to Lili. The two quickly moving together as Lili rolled her hips into Bell’s thrusts, creating more pleasurable friction between them.

Time became meaningless as the two lovers continued. All that mattered to them was each other as they moved together. Lili moaned loudly as she climaxed, clinging to Bell tightly. Bell slowed his thrusts into Lili as she rode out her orgasm, but he didn’t stop, his cock was massaged within her heat as she reached her peak, and he continued to prolong her orgasm with his gentle thrusts. When Lili’s hazy eyes finally regained some focus, Bell smiled at her and kissed her again before increasing the speed and intensity of his thrusts.

“Ah, hah, ooh, B-Bell…fuck~” Lili could barely speak as Bell redoubled his efforts to pleasure her while she was still sensitive from her previous climax. She kissed his lips, his cheek, his neck, his shoulder, whatever she could reach as she was quickly driven towards another orgasm.

“Lili…almost…” Bell kissed her lips and Lili deepened it into a French kiss.

“Inside!” Lili’s legs tightened around Bell’s hips. “Lili’s wants it all!” She felt like she needed it! “More! More! Harder!” Her mind was falling into the blissful haze of pleasure as she was rushing towards another climax.

Bell gave Lili exactly what she wanted as the power and intensity of their lovemaking picked up even more. He bottomed out inside of Lili with every thrust and Lili’s eyes nearly rolled into the back of her head as she orgasmed even more powerfully than her last. “LILI!” Bell nearly roared as he buried himself to the hilt and filled her with his seed. Short, quick thrusts poured more and more of his thick load into Lili’s womb, overflowing it in short order and filling her tight pussy until some started to escape her.

Lili was out of it, lost in the bliss of their shared climax. The warmth inside of her was exquisite, Bell’s heat filled her and surrounded her. She limply clung to him and barely registered being moved as her mind still floated among the clouds.

“I love you, Lili.” Bell whispered to Lili as he gently kissed her lips.

“Love you…Bell…” Lili murmured out a few seconds later as her eyes slowly began to focus and she realized that she was lying against Bell’s chest, his arm around her waist as he pulled her flush against him as they both lay on their sides. She snuggled into Bell more, a smile filled with contentment on her face. “Mmm, Bell…that’s my butt~” She mewled lowly a moment later as Bell’s hand drifted down to play with her ass.

Bell kissed the top of her head. “It’s a very nice butt.” He punctuated his words by giving her bottom a little squeeze.

“Later…” Lili giggled softly as she breathed in Bell’s scent, the smell of their sweat, and a scent that could only be from their lovemaking. The warmth and satisfaction were slowly lulling Lili to sleep, even as she felt Bell’s cock harden against her tummy. “You’ve got too much endurance…Master Bell…” She mumbled out.

“Maybe.” Bell admitted with a gentle smile, gently running his fingers through Lili’s hair. “Are you…?” He wasn’t entirely sure how to ask the question he felt he should.

“Lili is safe.” Lili answered with a warm smile. “It was the one expense Lili allowed herself, just in case.” She explained softly as she snuggled into him more. “But if Master Bell wants to start a family soon…” She trailed off with a giggle.

“In the future is fine, Lili.” Bell said as he gently hugged her closer. “I do want a big family someday.”

“Mm. Lili would like that, Bell.” Lili very much loved the idea and felt a pleasant tingle throughout her body at the thought of having children with Bell in the future. ‘Bell is Lili’s everything.’ She smiled as she felt herself drifting off.

As Lili drifted off to sleep, Bell softly kissed the top of her head and settled down to sleep as well.

-The Next Day-

Bell and Lili had a relaxing morning, waking up in each other’s arms, sharing a good morning kiss. Lili giggled when Bell picked her up and carried her into the bathing area. The lovers washing each other (getting a little handsy too, of course) before enjoying the large tub together for a while. Breakfast was the usual warm and familiar affair, though everyone gave the couple a knowing look or grin during the meal.

After breakfast, Sarutahiko, Bell, and Lili left the Floating Bridge Mansion and headed over to the Soma Famili Home.

When they arrived, it was to see tons of Guild employees taking inventory of all of Soma Familia’s assets and loading them onto multiple wagons that would be sent to the Floating Bridge Mansion over the course of the day. The Ganesha Familia had around three dozen members there, as well as Ganesha himself. The loud and boisterous God was keeping watch over Soma and all of the current Soma Familia members that were waiting to have their Falna removed. As stipulated by the War Game, Soma had to end his current Familia, and could only rebuild it under Ganesha’s supervision. No one was allowed to stay, but they could rejoin later, if they showed themselves to have improved.

“I AM GANESHA!!!” Ganesha exclaimed brightly upon seeing Sarutahiko approaching. “How are you this fine morning, Sarutahiko?”

“Quite well, Ganesha.” Sarutahiko nodded to the other God. “Soma, begin by removing your Falna from Liliruca.” He looked at the defeated Wine God.

“Right.” Soma’s eyes were focused now, a far cry from the half absent look he’d had during the War Game Denatus. Sarutahiko and Bell followed Soma into a partitioned off area and Lili sat on a stool in front of Soma for the final time in her life. She pulled her shirt over her head and held it over her chest for modesty’s sake as Soma let a drop of his blood fall onto Lili’s back. A moment of the blue-white light was seen before Soma swiped his hand across the exposed Falna and it vanished. Lili felt the difference instantly as the Falna disappeared from her back and the benefits of the Blessing vanished from her body. It was odd, considering she’d been inducted into the Soma Familia before she was old enough to really remember it. But the feeling of freedom that came with it far outshone the loss of the benefits. “Take care of yourself.” Soma said lowly, his words meant only for Lili to hear.

Lili put her shirt back on properly before standing up. She turned and then gave a short bow to Soma before leaving with Bell and Sarutahiko. She couldn’t say anything positive about her experience in Soma Familia, so she gave her former God a respectful bow and left without a word.

The trio were able to get on one of the wagons filled with Valis and items from the Soma Familia estate that was heading for the Floating Bridge Mansion. Once they got back, the retainers quickly began unloading the first wagon while Lili followed Sarutahiko and Bell into the house so that she could finally convert.

Only, they didn’t head into the house, but around it instead.

“Lord Sarutahiko?” Lili looked at her soon-to-be God curiously as the trio stood in front of the waterfall in the back garden.

“Before we get to your Blessing, Liliruca, I’ll show you Misogi, so that you may purify yourself as a symbolic sign of your new path in life.” Sarutahiko smiled at Lili. “Bell did the same when he joined my Familia.”

Lili wasn’t fully aware of what Misogi was, but Sarutahiko was happy to explain it as the three of them disrobed.

In short order, Lili found herself standing under a waterfall in nothing but some sarashi wraps (to cover her breasts) and her panties. Lili had been somewhat surprised when the elder God revealed a powerful body as he joined her and Bell in nothing but a fundoshi to perform the Misogi with them. The cool water poured down over the three of them as they went through the rite, which Sarutahiko led them through.

After performing the Misogi, the three dried off with towels brought by one of the retainers. Once dry, Sarutahiko led Lili and Bell to his room.

Lili breathed in and out to calm herself as she sat on a cushion in front of Sarutahiko, her bare back exposed and only the sleeves of her yukata held over her chest for modesty’s sake. She was excited to finally be able to join the Sarutahiko Familia properly, but she needed to calm down a little.

“This won’t take too long Liliruca.” Sarutahiko promised Lili as he prepared a blank paper and readied a needle for himself. “Once you’ve been Blessed by a Deity, your Excelia and everything you’ve gained from your Falna is imprinted upon your soul. Even if you lose your current Falna, the next time that you’re blessed, all of the stats, Skills, Magic, and Developmental Abilities that you gained previously will reappear in your new Falna.” He explained to help ease any nervousness that Lili might be feeling.

“I’m ready, Lord Sarutahiko.” Lili gave him a nod over her shoulder.

Sarutahiko let a single drop of his blood fall onto Lili’s bare back. White-blue light shone form her skin and the elder God began to write the hieroglyphs of his Falna onto Lili’s back. The process was no different than the dozens and dozens of times he’d done it in the past. A place for her name, Level, Basic Abilities, Magic, Skills, and Developmental Abilities were all written in. Once the Falna was complete, Sarutahiko watched as Lili’s previous stats, Skills, and Magic appeared in their proper areas. The blue-white glow faded away, the Falna of Sarutahiko: a warrior standing beneath a waterfall performing Misogi, was now proudly displayed on Lili’s back like a masterful tattoo. Sarutahiko placed the blank paper on Lili’s back and copied the numbers over. “Does this look correct, Liliruca?”

Lili took the paper and looked at her Status for the first time in six months.

-Status-

Liliruca Arde

Level 1

Strength – I 42

Endurance – I 42

Dexterity – H 143

Agility – G 285

Magic – F 317

-Magic-

Cinder Ella – Incantation: “Your wound is mine. My wound is mine. Echoing message of midnight.” Transformation Magic that enables the user to transform into anything around their size.

-Skills-

Artel Assist – When the user is carrying a certain amount of weight, this Skill will help compensate in abilities. The amount compensated depends on the weight.

-Status-

“Yes, this is what Lili remembers, Lord Sarutahiko.” Lili confirmed as she looked over the paper. It was a pitiful Status for someone that had been going into the Dungeon as long as Lili had been. But between not really wanting to help most of the Adventurers that she’d worked with in the past, nor doing much training or fighting at all in general, it was to be expected. It didn’t help that she could barely get a Status update with Zanis running the Soma Familia.

But now, that was all behind Lili, and she was eager to see how working and training with Bell had helped her improve. On top of whatever she had earned for herself in the months of going without a Status Update before meeting Bell.

“Now, let’s see how much you’ve grown.” Sarutahiko chuckled, practically able to sense Lili’s excitement. He let a second drop of blood fall upon Lili’s back and the hieroglyphs glowed with the same blue-white light again. ‘Bell’s Skill is truly a remarkable thing.’ Sarutahiko mused as he saw Lili’s stats rapidly rising. ‘Oh? What’s this?’ Something new manifested in Lili’s Falna and Sarutahiko let it form before translating it into hieroglyphs. Seeing what the new gain did, Sarutahiko had no hesitation in writing it into Lili’s Falna. “Just about finished, Liliruca.” Sarutahiko finished the update and placed a blank paper onto Lili’s back. The new Status copied over and the paper was handed to Lili as Sarutahiko locked her Falna securely, making it vanish as if sinking into her skin.

-Status-

Liliruca Arde

Level 1

Strength – I 42 > H 101

Endurance – I 42 > H 104

Dexterity – H 143 > G 265

Agility – G 285 > E 403

Magic – F 317 > E 436

-Magic-

Cinder Ella – Incantation: “Your wound is mine. My wound is mine. Echoing message of midnight.” Transformation Magic that enables the user to transform into anything around their size.

-Skills-

Artel Assist – When the user is carrying a certain amount of weight, this Skill will help compensate in abilities. The amount compensated depends on the weight.

Storage Scroll – Allows the user to store non-living objects in scrolls. The scroll’s script must be written with ink that is mixed with the user’s blood.

-Status-

“Lili grew so much!” Lili’s eyes were wide as she saw the massive jump in her Status. “Lili has a new Skill?!”

“You’ve been working hard, Lili.” Bell beamed at Lili, pulling her into a hug. “It’s not surprising that you’d grow!”

Lili happily snuggled into Bell’s embrace as she read over her new Skill again. “Lili had been thinking that it was a bit difficult to actually hunt Monsters with her large backpack on.” This new Storage Scroll Skill seemed to be an answer to her desire to carry more, but still be mobile.

Bell kissed her cheek. “We’ll get you a smaller backpack then, maybe something like a medium-sized pack?”

Lili nodded in agreement to the idea. “Lili will keep things we may need immediately, like potions and antidotes or spare weapons, in her pack; along with Magic Stones and small Drop Items. Anything else can be stored in scrolls so that we can remain mobile in the Dungeon.”

“Do you understand how your new Skill works, Liliruca?” Sarutahiko asked his newest Familia member with a chuckle.

“Lili has a vague idea…the Skill is in her head, but Lili will need to practice a bit to make sure.” Lili admitted to having the knowledge, but not the practice to utilize it right away.

“Then I’d recommend taking today to practice before heading into the Dungeon.” Sarutahiko advised as he tossed Lili a blank scroll from his desk with a smile.

“Yes, Lord Sarutahiko!” Lili had the fire of determination in her eyes as she kissed Bell’s cheek before moving out of his embrace to start practicing some calligraphy to make full use of her new Skill.

Bell chuckled at Lili’s determination to improve and politely excused himself. He had people to go visit today, since he’d promised to see them after the War Game.

-Orario ~ Streets-

Bell realized that he’d done something that many would claim to be impossible during the War Game, but the constant stares and the whispers and murmurs were just a little unsettling after a while. He was carrying a copy of his first Level 2 Status (appropriately blacked out for both his Skills and his Magic) along with a few papers from Sarutahiko for the Guild. He needed to report his Level Up, and the Guild liked to get the reports as soon as possible after the Level Up was completed.

Thankfully, he made it to the Guild without any issues.

He didn’t know that word of his appearance outside of his Familia Home was already quickly spreading across Orario.

-Guild-

“LEVEL TWO?!” Sophie cried out in shock before slapping a hand over her mouth. “Sorry! Sorry!” She apologized to Bell for blurting that out for everyone in the Guild to hear. To be fair, the current Record for Fastest Level Up to Level 2 was one year, and it had been set by Ais Wallenstein. Bell had SHATTERED that Record by Leveling Up in only forty days!

“It’s fine, Miss Sophie.” Bell waved it off with a small chuckle. It was rare to see Sophie lose her normal cool like that. The Elf woman was always so polite and controlled for the most part. “Level Ups always get reported by the Guild.”

‘Yes, that’s true, but no one else has EVER reached Level 2 in only forty days before!’ Sophie nearly yelled in the privacy of her own mind. To maintain her normal, professional composure, Sophie checked over the rest of Bell’s documents from his Patron Deity, her hands stilled and she nearly choked on her own breath as she saw the numbers listed for Bell’s Basic Ability stats. ‘THAT’S NOT POSSIBLE!!!’ The Elf woman DID scream in her own mind this time as she saw the ridiculous numbers and the SSS next to each of them. She was tempted to run this straight to the Higher Ups within the Guild, but managed to take a deep, calming breath and slowly exhale. “Even the Kenki’s Level Up is going to be overshadowed by yours.” Sophie shook her head as she properly stamped Bell’s papers and placed them into his personal folder.

“Hm? Miss Ais Leveled Up?” Bell blinked and followed Sophie’s finger as she pointed over to the large bulletin board on the wall. Bell quickly headed over after Sophie headed into the back of the Guild. There on the board was a somewhat large paper with Ais’s picture on it. Below the picture in large letters was ‘Level 6’ and below that was her Title ‘Kenki’ and that she was from Loki Familia. Beneath all of that was the time since her last Level Up (three years ago) and where and how she’d accomplished her Grand Feat (defeating the Monster Rex: Udaeus, in single combat on the Thirty-Seventh Floor). “I’ll have to congratulate her when I see her later.” Bell smiled at seeing Ais get stronger like she wanted to.

-Dian Cecht Familia Shop-

The bell on the door rung as Bell entered the shop with a smile. “Good afternoon, Miss Airmid.” Bell greeted the beautiful Healer as soon as he saw her.

“Bell!” Airmid’s face lit up into a bright and beautiful smile as soon as she saw him. “It’s good to see you again.” She managed to calm herself down a little with pink cheeks.

“You too, Miss Airmid.” Bell smiled at her as he approached the counter. “Your potions were a big help during the War Game. Thank you very much.” He gave her a short bow.

“I only sold you potions, Bell. You’re the one that did something amazing.” Airmid shook her head, her silver hair moving side-to-side from the motion.

Bell took the compliment with a warm smile. “Thank you, Miss Airmid.”

“You’ve become the talk of the city, Bell.” Airmid giggled softly. “Not many can say they took down an entire Familia all by themselves, and none can say they did so at Level 1.”

“I just wanted to stop them from causing Lili any more pain.” Bell smiled as he remembered how happy Lili had been as soon as they’d seen each other again. He would do anything to keep seeing her happy like that.

“Well, I highly doubt there will be many that’re willing to cause you any trouble for a while, Bell.” Airmid looked at him with a playful grin.

“Let’s hope so.” Bell chuckled in agreement.

Airmid felt her heart nearly thumping in her chest and her stomach was filled with butterflies. Bell always made her feel this way and she almost fidgeted as they continued to talk. “Did you need to purchase anything today?” Airmid asked during a brief lull in the conversation.

“Not today, I just wanted to see you again, Miss Airmid.” Bell said with a genuine and honest smile.

“I-I see…” Airmid shuffled her feet a little, the feeling inside of her intensifying at his sweet and honest words. “Th-Thank you for coming to see me, Bell.”

Bell nodded with a grin. “I promised you that I would, Miss Airmid. I do my absolute best not to break my promises.”

“Airmid…” Airmid spoke up, even as her cheeks heated up. “You c-can just call me, A-Airmid.”

Bell blinked at the shift in Airmid’s tone and her allowing him to be informal with her. “Okay then…A-Airmid.” He teased with a little grin.

“Bell!” Airmid’s entire face turned red and she covered her cheeks with her hands. “You know what I meant.”

“Forgive me, I couldn’t resist.” Bell said with a warm laugh. “Thank you, Airmid.”

Airmid smiled at him as her face started to cool down. “You’re welcome, Bell.”

The two spoke for a bit longer, but Bell excused himself when the shop started getting busy and Airmid was needed to work.

“I’ll see you soon, Airmid.” Bell promised with another warm smile.

“Then I’ll wait for that time, Bell.” Airmid said, this time without becoming a blushing, flustered mess. A warm and radiant smile graced Bell from the gorgeous young woman.

The two shared a fond look between them before Bell left the shop. Airmid practically floated through the store as she began to assist customers and help her fellow Familia members. A sweet and gentle smile would be on her face for the rest of the day.

-Hostess of Fertility-

Bell smiled as he saw the tavern and entered it. He didn’t make it three steps in before he was noticed and nearly bombarded.

“It’s white head, nya!” Anya had a bright grin on her face as she greeted Bell.

“You were awesome in the War Game!” Lunoire smiled at Bell, she’d thoroughly enjoyed watching him beat the hell from that Familia of drunkard thugs.

“Ah, if only you were a little younger~” Chloe teased Bell with a flirty purr. She preferred her men younger than Bell, just at or just over the age of becoming an adult in most nations of the world.

Syr smiled at Bell cutely. “You shocked the whole city, Bell.” She leaned in close with a grin. “I think you impressed Ryu too~”

“M-Miss Syr!” Bell couldn’t help but stutter for a second. Ryu was kind to him, and he liked to think they’d become at least friendly with each other. But he didn’t think the beautiful Elf waitress had any such feelings for him like that!

Not that he would be against it if she did, of course.

Syr and the other waitresses were quickly pushed aside by a clearly flustered Ryu. Bell actually spotted some pink on the lovely Elf’s cheeks for a second, which made him smile slightly. As the other waitresses scattered, heading back to their work with giggles, Ryu approached Bell with her normal composed look. “Mr. Cranel, we’re happy to see you again.”

“I’m glad to see you all again too, Miss Ryu.” Bell smiled at Ryu, getting a small smile in return.

“One, now seating.” Ryu called out to the bar and led Bell over towards his regular seat at the end of the bar, near the stairs leading to the second floor. “What would you like today, Mr. Cranel?”

“It’s only lunch time, so I think I’ll have some tea.” Bell had plenty of alcohol last night during the Familia’s celebration, and he wasn’t a heavy drinker or anything.

“Of course.” Ryu wrote it down and gave Bell a small smile as she left him with a menu and headed into the back to get his drink.

Mia approached Bell as he was looking over the menu. “There’s the man that shook up Orario!” She laughed and lightly slapped the bar top.

“Mama Mia,” Bell smiled at the Dwarf woman. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Nice to see you too! You made me a heck of a lot of money winning that War Game!” Mia grinned at him. “I put up 100,000 Valis that you’d win, and almost every sucker in the place bet against you!” She still recalled counting up her winnings. “I was happy to take their cash off their hands!” Mia laughed loudly, her Dwarven heritage on full display.

“Glad that I could help.” Bell chuckled along with her.

Ryu returned with Bell’s tea and set it down next to him.

Mia looked between Bell and Ryu for a moment before a grin crossed her lips. “Tell ya what, boy. Since you won me so much money, I’ll loan you Ryu for the duration of your meal.”

“Eh?” Bell blinked at the sudden offer.

“Mama Mia…” Ryu looked at her boss as her cheeks went pink.

“Oh, don’t act like you aren’t thrilled about it, Ryu!” Mia waved the younger woman’s look off. “Just keep him company while he eats.” She turned her gaze on Bell. “Speaking of, what’ll you be having?”

“The fish special sounds good.” Bell smiled at Mia.

Mia nodded at the order. “It should, fresh from Melen today, and cooked in my kitchen.” She took the menu from Bell and headed into the back herself.

Ryu sat down next to Bell trying not to let him see her slightly flustered look.

“I hope you’ve been well, Miss Ryu.” Bell started up the conversation with a smile.

“I’ve been well, Mr. Cranel.” Ryu replied, only barely looking at him. “You surprised all of us with your complete decimation of the Soma Familia in the War Game.” She could admit to being impressed by Bell’s performance. He was far and away the strongest Level 1 that she’d ever seen in all of her years as an Adventurer.

“Thank you,” Bell appreciated the compliment. “But I was just doing it so that Lili wouldn’t be hurt anymore.”

Ryu smiled just a bit more. “I’m glad that you were able to keep your promise, Mr. Cranel.” The fact that Bell hadn’t gone down the path of blind revenge like she had was a weight off of her heart.

“We’ll come to celebrate here too, just like I promised.” Bell chuckled before taking a sip of his tea.

“And we’ll be happy to accommodate your group, Mr. Cranel.” Ryu found herself smiling more than she was used to as the two of them continued to talk. ‘What is it about you that makes me feel relaxed?’ She wondered as she looked at Bell with soft eyes.

When Mia came out with the freshly grilled fish and a refill for Bell’s drink, she couldn’t help but smile as she saw Ryu opening up to someone outside of the Hostess for the first time since she’d met the Elf. ‘Cranel is a good one. If I’m entrusting any of my girls to someone, they have to be at least good enough to make them happy.’ Mia set the fish special in front of Bell with a grin. “One fish special and another tea for ya.”

“Thank you, Mama Mia.” Bell smiled at the woman as he picked up his fork and knife.

While Bell ate, he and Ryu continued to chat. The two were eventually so wrapped up in their conversation that they didn’t pay any attention to the other waitresses watching them with knowing smiles on their faces. Syr was giggling behind her hand, her eyes almost sparkling as she watched Ryu and Bell grow closer.

Once Bell finished his meal, he left the Valis on the counter and headed for the door with Ryu at his side. “It was delicious as always.” He smiled at Ryu.

“We look forward to serving you again, Mr. Cranel.” Ryu gave him a small bow and a soft smile.

“I’ll make sure to stop by again soon.” Bell promised with his own smile. He headed out of the Hostess of Fertility and towards his next destination with a happy grin.

“Nya, Ryu’s in love~” Anya teased as all of the waitresses were watching Ryu lean against the doorway as Bell walked down the street. It was clear that their friend was smitten with the young man.

Ryu turned and her blue eyes were cold as she looked at Anya. She reached out and took a wooden serving tray from next to the door, her motions slow and meticulous as she picked up the tray.

“NYA!” Anya fled into the kitchen.

Ryu was almost speedwalking as she followed the Cat Girl into the back.

Thwack

The sound was heard by everyone in the tavern a few moments later.

“Nya!” Anya’s pained yowl was heard a split second afterward.

“You break that tray and it’s coming out of your paycheck!” Mia hollered from the bar.

“That’s adorable.” Syr cooed at Ryu being all bashful. ‘Best matchmaking so far!’ She giggled to herself as she got to indulge in something that she held so close to her own heart.

-Orario ~ North Main Street-

“Twilight Manor is just down this way and near the north gate, right?” Bell tried to recall where the Home of one of the Top Two Familias in Orario was located. He was pretty sure he knew, but didn’t want to make a mistake and end up lost in the sprawling city.

It was thanks to his developing awareness that he noticed he was being followed. Using Kanchi, he easily located every single one of his pursuers and their locations as he walked down the large street. With a sigh, Bell stopped and turned to look behind him. ‘That’s A LOT of Amazons…’

And it was true, following behind Bell, some more subtle than others, but most simply walking behind him, had to be at least fifty or more Amazons. All of the warrior women were eyeing him up appreciatively too. Like any healthy young man of Bell’s orientation, he was flattered by the attention. But he had the strangest feeling that this situation could easily go badly with just the right, or wrong, words said.

Wsssshhhh

Bell leapt away from the incoming projectile.

Crash

The projectile turned out to be a large battle axe, that was now stuck into the shattered pavement of the street.

“Ehehehe… You’re skills are real, boy.” A large Amazon leapt down from the roof of a nearby building. Her size and weight made her vastly different from the rest of her Amazonian kin. Whereas most Amazons would be described as cute, lovely, beautiful, etc. this woman could only be described as toad-like. Her head shape and her face were rather wide, and her eyes even appeared to have horizontal pupils, like a frog or toad’s.

“Who’re you?” Bell questioned the woman as she picked up her axe from the ground.

Around him, multiple Amazons whispered the answer amongst each other.

“Androctonus…”

“Fucking figures Androctonus would be after him.”

“That bitch is gonna ruin such a fine male!”

“Shut up, you little whores!” The so-called Androctonus yelled at the other Amazons around the street. She returned her gaze to Bell and gave him a hungry look. “I’m Phryne Jamil, Captain of the Ishtar Familia, and I’ve come to make you mine!” She pointed her axe at Bell and licked her lips.

“Oh hell no…” Bell didn’t like where this was going at all!

Phryne charged forward and Bell estimated her to be around Level 4 or maybe Level 5 just based on what he experienced while training with Tiona, Tione, and Ais. He deftly avoided the first swing of her axe by jumping over it. He kicked off her hand that reached out to grab him, using the limb as a springboard to make distance between them. Phryne wasn’t deterred, if anything, she looked more rabid for Bell than before. Her axe came swinging around again and Bell’s eyes widened as he saw a familiar blur.

Ching

Metal met metal and the battle axe was diverted by the skill of the one that stopped it.

“You!” Phryne snarled at the one that stopped her.

“Mm.” Ais looked at Phryne with a cold gaze. Desperate was in her hand, ready to continue the fight if necessary.

“Ais.” Bell smiled at her warmly.

“You bitch!” Tione’s loud and angry voice filled the air as she stormed toward Phryne with a violent look on her face. “BACK OFF OUR MAN!!!”

Tiona looked equally as pissed as her sister, a rare feat, as she walked closer too. “GO BACK TO THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT, YOU TOAD!!!”

“Hyrute and Wallenstein?” Phryne growled as she looked between the three women. “What claim do YOU have on this male?!”

“He’s ours! We claimed him first!” Tione snarled at Phryne for daring to come after Bell.

‘Claimed?’ Bell blinked at the term and resolved to ask Tione and Tiona about it later. ‘Not like I know everything about Amazonian culture.’

Phryne charged at Tione with a roar. “Don’t give me that bullshit, you little bitch!”

Tione didn’t even flinch as she grabbed a nearby wagon (currently loaded with construction materials) and swung it at the charging Phryne.

WHAM

The impact was loud and Phryne went flying sideways as her feet left the ground. She slammed through the wall of a building with a crash. Bell was glad that the space had a ‘For Rent’ sign in the window or someone could’ve gotten hurt.

Phryne hacked and coughed up some blood from the painful impact as she forced herself back to her feet inside the empty shop. “You little…” Her eyes widened as she saw Tiona outside, the same wagon held above her head before she threw it at Phryne with all of her strength.

BAM

The thrown wagon slammed into Phyrne like a meteor, smashing the large Amazon back into the stone wall and then threw it. The Captain of Ishtar Familia lay in the alleyway behind the row of shops on North Main Street, completely out cold with the remnants of the wagon and everything that had been in it scattered around her.

The entire altercation had lasted maybe twenty seconds or so.

“The Hyrute Sisters, really?!”

“Of course they’d get to him first…”

“I’m not dumb enough to try and challenge their claim.”

Bell heard the various Amazons that had been following him and watched as they all walked away in various directions.

“MY WAGON!!!” A man yelled out as the shock of the sudden fight wore off.

Tiona and Tione both had to apologize to the man and sign a document so that the merchant could be reimbursed by Loki Familia for the property that the sisters had destroyed. With apologetic bows from the sisters, the merchant looked over the document and then gave a nod.

“At least I can be reimbursed; but seriously, don’t just grab other people’s property and destroy it.” The merchant shook his head and started heading down the street towards the Twilight Manor to collect the money owed to him.

“Are you…okay, Bell?” Ais asked Bell as the situation began to calm down.

“I’m fine.” Bell smiled at the three women. “Thanks for helping me out.”

Tiona and Tione both sidled up to Bell and wrapped their arms around his, Tione on his right, while Tiona was on his left.

“That bitch deserved it.” Tione scoffed as the group began to walk away from the scene of the fight.

“Yeah, she did!” Tiona nodded as she squeezed Bell’s arm against her body. “Trying to steal our Bell.”

“Finn and Riveria are gonna be mad about the damage though.” Ais mentioned, even though her eyes showed her complete agreement with Tiona and Tione.

“They’ll understand.” Tiona waved it off with a smile like sunshine.

Tione looked slightly doubtful about that. “Well…Gareth might…” The Dwarf leader of their Familia would usually hear them out at any rate.

Bell smiled and chuckled a bit, bringing smiles to the three women. “Ais,” When Ais looked at him, Bell smiled warmly at her. “Congratulations on your Level Up.”

Ais’s golden eyes widened a little before a beautiful smile lit up Bell’s day. “Thank you…Bell.” She swayed a little, clearly happy, both from her Level Up and from Bell’s congratulations. “Congratulations on winning the War Game.” She returned his congratulations with his own.

“Thank you.” Bell smiled warmly at her, making Ais feel the butterflies in her stomach again. It was a sensation that she only got when Bell was around, and she was finding it more and more to her liking every time.

“You were incredible!” Tiona beamed at Bell, hugging his arm and nearly rubbing her body against him.

Tione smiled happily as she laid her head on Bell’s shoulder. “You really showed everyone just how amazing you are, Bell.”

“Thank you both.” Bell had a brilliant smile on his face as he accepted their praise. He rarely felt pride in his own accomplishments when he did them. But when others congratulated him or told him how amazing or impressive, they found his actions, he could feel a bit of pride in his chest for his achievements. “I suppose I can tell you, since the Guild will announce it soon enough.”

Ais, Tiona, and Tione all perked up, looking at Bell curiously.

“Winning the War Game counted as my Grand Feat…” Bell told them and watched as their eyes widened in surprise. “I’m Level 2 now.”

“NO WAY!!!” Tiona nearly knocked him to the ground as she pressed up against him with a beaming smile. “That’s amazing!”

“You never do anything by half, do you, Bell?” Tione was also smiling and pressing herself closer to Bell, her large tits nearly engulfing his bicep now.

Ais stood there stunned for a moment, trying to puzzle out how Bell could already be Level 2 in less than two months of being an Adventurer. ‘No. It doesn’t matter.’ She shook her head and she smiled proudly and happily at Bell. “You worked hard, Bell. Congratulations on your Level Up.” She actually giggled, making Tione, Tiona, and Bell all smile warmly at seeing Ais happy like this.

Bell was released by the sisters and he took a step froward before opening his arms to Ais for a hug, if she wanted it. Ais felt her heart thump in her chest before she also took a step forward and entered Bell’s arms. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as Bell’s wrapped around her waist. The two hugged each other close, Ais was blushing faintly as her body pressed up against Bell’s, but she was too happy to stop. A moment later and Tiona and Tione joined the hug, making it a group hug with Ais at the center. The normally closed off swordswoman felt herself relax into the embrace of those that cared about her, and the one who was most definitely her Hero.

When the four ended the hug several long moments later, Bell was feeling almost on a high of joy. He remembered his thought from earlier and wrapped his left arm around Tione’s waist and his right arm around Tiona’s waist. “What did you two mean when you said that you had a ‘claim’ on me to that other Amazon?” His hands squeezed their waists, trailed down to squeeze their hips, and then…feeling bold…each hand took a feel of their bottoms.

“Mmm…you’re about to find out if you keep that up, Bell.” Tione’s dark green eyes smoldered with approval and desire.

“Uh huh~ We were already looking for you earlier too.” Tiona giggled as she pushed her butt back into Bell’s hand more.

“You were looking for me?” Bell looked between the three women.

“We…wanted to congratulate you on winning the War Game.” Ais smiled at Bell warmly.

“And maybe give you some snu-snu~” Tiona nearly purred into his ear.

“You’ve definitely earned it~” Tione whispered into his other ear, pressing her body against his.

Bell didn’t need to know Amazonian to figure out what ‘snu-snu’ meant with the way Tione and Tiona were acting. “E-Even you, Ais?” His rubellite eyes found Ais’s golden gaze.

“I…I was…” Ais’s cheeks went from pink to red as she fidgeted with her hands, poking her index fingers together.

“No rush, Ais.” Tione reassured her ‘sister’ with a gentle smile.

“Yeah, take it at your own pace.” Tiona smiled warmly at Ais.

Bell was still processing this new information, but his body certainly liked the idea as he instinctively pulled Tione and Tiona closer with his hands on their bottoms.

“We Amazons tend to move a bit faster than most.” Tione grinned at Bell’s hand on her ass.

“Yep!” Tiona giggled as she enjoyed Bell’s touch while snuggling against his neck.

Ais swayed her hips side-to-side a little before speaking up again. “M-Maybe…a date first?” She’d never thought about going on one before now. ‘But it could be…nice.’

“Absolutely.” Bell smiled at her and Ais could swear her heart soared as she smiled at him.

“Ais, that’s gorgeous!” Tiona exclaimed, never having seen Ais smile so genuinely before.

“You could melt anyone’s heart with a smile like that, Ais.” Tione returned the gorgeous smile with one of her own.

The three quickly headed to a place that they could be alone together. Nothing sexual needed to happen, all four just wanted to be closer right now. Everything else could wait for a while as they took another step forward on their relationship.

-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-

DAMN!!!

Bell is a lucky, lucky man!

Bell is also Level 2!!! Woohoo!

His new Developmental Ability is one that I created! Here’s the rundown on it:

Martial Mastery – Massively increases all Basic Abilities, greatly enhances perception and reaction time.

Definitely a Developmental Ability that this version of Bell could earn, right?

Lili and Bell consummate their love for each other! So adorable!

Lili finally converts to Sarutahiko Familia! Yay! She got a rather large boost too from a combination of not getting a Status Update in six months, plus all the training and dungeon crawling that she’s been doing with Bell! Even a new Skill!

Storage Scrolls are shamelessly stolen from Naruto! Kek! Lili is gonna be a Kunoichi, so she can’t have a monstrously huge backpack that’s bigger than she is giving her away and hindering her movements! With storage scroll, all the big things can be sealed away, while immediate needs can be carried in a more normal sized pack on her back!

How will Monstrous Talent Bell continue to grow and improve? What about Lili? Ais? Tiona? Tione? Bell’s Shihyō Skill works on anyone that he instructs after all! Next chapter, repairs and new weapons are needed! I wonder who Bell might meet?

Keep reading to find out!

Let me know what you thought!

Until next time, later!