"He's not here?"
Ais's face held only disappointment while the miniature version of her pouted right beside her, for the small rabbit-like boy she had wanted to meet was no longer where she thought he'd be.
"I'm afraid not, Sword Princess." Airmid gave her an apologetic bow from behind the counter of the Dian Chect Familia Pharmacy, which also connected to their palatial mansion with its own set of infirmaries.
"Hm, it's a shame, but I suppose it's not surprising given that the boy didn't hold any wounds on him in the first place." Finn Deime, a short blonde pallum and captain of the Loki Familia, stated from Ais's left.
"It would've been best to arrive the day after returning from our expedition." Riveria sighed from Ais's right.
And all the while, Bete stayed in the back with his hands in his pockets, not looking at all interested in what was happening around him.
"My apologies, but you actually just missed him leave yesterday."
"Only just yesterday? But he hadn't sustained any wounds from what I found, why was he only released yesterday?" Riveria asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm afraid I can't answer that, miss Nine Hells." Airmid stated in a neutral tone. "Patient confidentiality is very important for us. We can't share any of their conditions without the their consent."
"But that shouldn't include his basic information, correct?" Finn asked with a smile. "If I recall, names, levels, and Familias of adventurers are always public per guild regulations, as new level-ups are always announced for reasons such as granting them aliases."
Airmid gave a small nod. "That much is fine. His name is Bell Cranel, a level one adventurer of the Hestia Familia."
Riveria frowned. "A rookie adventurer from a Familia I've never heard of."
Which basically meant that they had nothing to go off of to actually find the boy.
But Finn simply hummed, still smiling.
"This much is fine. Thank you for your assistance, Dea Saint."
It wasn't fine for Ais. She had been feeling so conflicted over the last few days, wishing to apologize to the rabbit-haired boy she had let the minotaur get to while also wanting to understand just what had happened to him in that odd room.
But he had already left?
Like Finn said, this shouldn't be surprising whatsoever, but there was still that lingering disappointment there, especially since she didn't know where to look for the boy now.
So the group of first-class adventurers left the pharmacy and traversed through the streets of Orario, earning eyes wherever they walked. But Ais didn't pay them any mind as she hung her head, the smallest of sad looks on her face.
"Chin up, Ais," Riveria instructed, not even looking her way as they walked side-by-side. "We're part of the investigation around that room, so if Shakti has already spoken with Bell Cranel, then I'm sure you'll be able to meet him."
Riveria, too, had been wanting to see the white-haired adventurer again. Ignoring how he had faintly resembled some of the small rabbits back at her native home, she had a hidden concern over how their group had found him on top of an altar, of all things.
The implication behind such a thing had plagued the elf's mind over the last few days, wondering if that group had somehow returned and was for some reason committing something as barbaric as sacrificial rituals in this day and age. Granted, it wouldn't be the worst thing they've ever done, but that didn't make her feel any better, worse, even.
But for now, her words seemed to have reassured Ais a bit, for the girl raised her head with her usual neutral gaze returning to her.
"Tsk! I don't see why you'd care for some weakling..." Bete clicked his tongue from behind them.
Riveria kept her composure to not roll her eyes at the werewolf, but she did send him a disappointed stare.
"How shameless. Have you forgotten that it was our fault that the minotaur reached the upper floors and attacked that boy? We've yet to formally apologized for that."
"Hey, we left him that minotaur skin, didn't we!?"
"That item originally belonged to him in the first place considering the circumstances, and it doesn't make up for any suffering we may have caused."
"He should just get stronger then," scoffed the Vanargand.
Riveria decided not to bother any further with the wolf, simply shaking her head in disappointment as she faced forward.
As for Ais, a small frown had formed from Bete's words. She never liked his attitude towards adventurers weaker than them, especially when he claimed it was alright to look down on them because they were stronger.
So she decided to do as usual and practically ignore the male's existence, instead getting deep into her thoughts.
She had woken up early as usual with the Loki Familia in their mansion, and they had all finally finished fulfilling their post-expedition tasks after the first few days back from their expedition in the dungeon.
So with this, Ais and some of the Loki Familia's main core had decided to restock their supplies and check on the equipment they had sent for repairs. But in addition to this, Finn and Riveria had decided to check on the white-haired boy their goddess wanted to speak to.
Ais saw how Loki's eyes widened more than anyone had ever seen them before, giving probably the clearest view of her red orbs ever imaginable.
"A room in the dungeon? With a kid in it? You've gotta be pulling my leg, Finn." Their goddess questioned from the couch.
Their captain shook his head with a small frown.
"You know I don't make jokes out of reports, Loki. After a lapse of judgment from me allowed a Monster Party of minotaurs to escape to the upper floors of the dungeon, one of them had made it all the way to the fifth floor."
Loki hissed through her teeth. "Oh boy... No one kicked the bucket, did they?"
"Thankfully, no," Finn answered, earning a sigh of relief from Loki. "However, Ais, Riveria, and Bete had chased it down but discovered that a dead-end of the floor had actually collapsed, leading to uncharted territory behind it."
"What we found was a set of large, blue doors." Riveria cut in, next to a cross-armed, curious Gareth, the final main executive dwarf of their Familia. "And behind them was a small cave that only contained a boy with white hair on top of an altar."
Loki's eyes turned sharp.
"An altar?"
Ais guessed that Loki had come to the same conclusion Riveria had, that perhaps the altar had been planned to be used.
Their vice-captain nodded. "Yes. But the boy was perfectly fine, all things considered. However, that's frankly an odd factor of this entire case."
"Oho? How so?" Loki asked curiously.
"There was not a single wound on him, nothing indicating any chase or struggle. No sweat, no scratches or dirt marks, nothing. The boy was clearly an adventurer just starting off in the dungeon, as the only piece of equipment he even had on him was the basic chest plate the guild provides in a starter set. And yet, he was in perfect condition but somehow ended up completely unconscious on top of the altar. Without any status conditions, too, might I add."
"The minotaur was dead..." Ais herself added quietly, remembering what she had found. "And there was an item drop of minotaur skin left in the room."
"However, there was no magic stone or any sign of blood, despite Bete reporting the smell of it in that room, both the minotaur's and a person's." Finn finished.
"So you're saying that a minotaur collapsed the wall, chased the lad into that room, and it somehow died in there while the lad was left fine?" Gareth asked, scratching his gruff beard.
"Ya sure there wasn't anyone else in there?" Loki questioned.
"Bete couldn't smell anyone else. And you know how hard it is to avoid a werewolf's powerful sense of smell." Finn responded.
"So if anyone actually knows what happened, it'd be the boy?" Gareth sighed.
"Now ain't that interesting..."
The high-level adventures all turned to their goddess, hearing the change in her tone.
Loki mischievously grinned as she rubbed her chin, an expression her Familia was very familiar with. It was the look she had whenever she found something of interest to her, sometimes being excessively so.
"Alright, I'm invested!" She clapped her hands together in excitement. "You got the kid's name and Familia?"
Finn shook his head. "Neither, but we've taken him to the Dian Chect residence to recover."
"Then see if you can bring him here once he wakes up, I wanna talk to him myself! Bring him any way you can, even snatch him off the street if you have to!" Loki declared.
"Did you just insinuate us to kidnap an adventurer from another Familia?" Riveria deadpanned.
"I'd prefer the term, 'escort politely.'" The goddess beamed.
Everyone facepalmed.
However, Loki hadn't considered how much post-expedition work there had to be done, and the core members of the Familia hadn't been able to formally take the time to leave and search for the boy, which led them to the present.
By now, everyone in Orario was aware of the room that had been discovered in the dungeon, and there was already a surge of rumors about it that had spread throughout the city. From speculation of a particular evil group of the past creating it, to it being made by monsters. But after the Loki and Ganesha Familias had thoroughly checked the room and found nothing of interest besides the altar, any excitement surrounding the area had died down. Now, besides curious adventurers taking a look into the room for themselves, there wasn't any more interest in it.
People didn't even focus too much on the fact that a boy had been found in the room. If anything, they had been more riled up over how the fabled Sword Princess had carried a boy on her back out of the dungeon, and it appeared that it hadn't occurred to anyone that they were both the same person.
"It's a shame that mister Cranel has already left, but this most likely means that the Ganesha Familia has already questioned him," Finn stated as he led the high-class adventurers down the city streets.
"How so?" Riveria asked.
"Once we had left the dungeon, I filled Shakti Varma in on the situation. She then told me that she'd check on the boy daily. So she's most likely already questioned him about what had transpired."
"So we should be checking with the Ganesha Familia, then?" Riveria concluded.
"We could also check with the guild to see if Ganesha has reported Bell Cranel's testimony, as we are entitled to the information since we're part of the investigation, but I prefer to hear the account from Shakti herself if she was the one to question the boy." Finn glanced back at his three companions. "Once we finish our other affairs for the day, we'll visit the colosseum where the Ganesha Familia should be preparing for the Monster Feria. Shakti should be overlooking them all personally. Is that alright?"
Riveria nodded while Bete grunted with acknowledgment, but Ais looked a little sad that they weren't immediately heading over to the place that could help find the boy.
"Don't worry, Ais, we'll get the chance to apologize." Finn smiled, noticing her mood.
Ais hoped so. She really did...
She also hoped that the boy was doing just fine.
"So let me get this straight... You were just sleeping on the couch with me, but then all of a sudden, you got teleported into a desert?"
"Yes, goddess..."
"Bell."
"Sorry. Yes, Hestia..."
A huff.
"Okay. And then these centipedemonsters-"
"Poison-Fanged Giant Sand Centipedes..."
"What kind of name even is that!?"
"Don't ask me, that was what was above their heads..."
"Eh? You saw their names like that?"
"Yes, in red letters..."
"...Okay, putting that on hold, the system then gave you a quest where you had to run away from those monsters for four hours straight?"
"Actually, the quest was just to survive, but what I did wasrun four hours straight..."
"Oh Bell..."
"..."
"..."
"Um, Hestia?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you... let go of me?"
"No. I'm worried that if I let go of you, you'll just disappear again!"
"Understandable."
Hestia angrily pouted, eyes red and slightly watery after having finished crying for Bell's sake yet again.
As indicated, the goddess had her arms and legs tightly wrapped around Bell's torso from behind as he sat slouched on the edge of the bed, her head on his shoulder as she grumbled about what had happened.
As for Bell, despite the mounds of blessed softness on his back, he was too tired to even register or care about them, especially after what he had just gone through.
He remembered sleeping peacefully with his goddess on the couch across, finally relaxing after the traumatizing experience he had gone through recently.
But apparently, this Kandiaru guy hadn't made him suffer enough yet, for in the middle of the night, he had been abruptly awoken by shaking and read something about not completing the Daily Quest before a flash of light blinded him.
Then, boom, he was in a desert.
And if that hadn't been bad enough, a monster of enormous size, the biggest monster Bell had ever seen firsthand, second only to the Lord, had burst from the sand, followed by several others.
Shameful to say, he had almost pissed his pants...
But he didn't! So there was that, even when that quest had popped up next.
(!)QUEST DIRECTIONS
[Penalty Quest: Survive.]
GOAL:
Survive until the time runs out.
Time required: 4 Hours
Time remaining: 3Hours 59Min 57 Sec
Four hours.
FOUR hours.
That was how long Bell had to run away from those giant, brown, red-eyed centipede monsters, terrified out of his mind the entire time.
But he did it, and so, here he was, seven in the morning after having woken up a few minutes ago by a frantic Hestia crying on him.
A Hestia that didn't seem keen on ever letting him go now.
Bell sighed tiredly. "Hestia... I'm not gonna disappear again. That was because of the penalty-"
"That happened because of the PENALTY!?" Hestia shouted, aghast.
He winced at her volume beside his ear.
"Y-Yes, so... No skipping any quests from now on."
"Oh Bell, I'm so sorry..." Hestia finally let go of her child in name and backed up, face scrunched up in guilt. "If I hadn't told you to skip that quest, this wouldn't have happened..."
Too tired for high emotions, Bell simply turned around to face his goddess and pulled her into a hug with her head against his chest, gently caressing the top of it.
"B-Bell!?" Hestia's face flushed red from what she considered a bold move from the usually timid boy.
"It's not your fault. I would've skipped that quest regardless... Besides, I got rewards from it anyway." He stated matter-of-factly.
"Y-You did?" Hestia stammered, not knowing whether to be embarrassed, happy, or curious.
Bell let go of the goddess and turned his head to stare blankly at the air in front of him.
(!)MESSAGE
[Your rewards for completing the [Penalty Quest] have arrived.]
[Would you like to accept?]
[Accept] [Refuse]
He let out a tired sigh.
"Accept."
(!)QUEST REWARDS
[You've received the below rewards.]
Reward #1. Status Recovery
Reward #2. Stat Points +50
Reward #3. Random Box +1
Bell raised an eyebrow at the screen in front of him.
"What do you see?" Hestia asked him.
"Um... I actually see three different rewards. The first is a Status Recovery."
"Eh? A recovery for your status? What does that mean?" Hestia tilted her head in cute curiosity.
The snow-haired boy shrugged. "Only one way to find out... Accept Status Recovery."
Bell's tired eyes abruptly shot wide open as a subtle glow covered his entire body. Gone was all the fatigue he was experiencing, and so were the blisters and slightly burnt skin on his feet, leaving only a feeling akin to breathing in the morning air after having been kept in a stuffy room.
"EH!?" Bell jumped to his feet, looking down at himself in wonder. "I-I don't feel tired anymore! It completely healed my fatigue and even my blisters!"
"Really!?" Hestia gasped. "So a Status Recovery is like a heal!? That's amazing! What else did you get!?"
Now completely revitalized, Bell looked at the next reward.
"Next is... fifty stat points!?"
"You get stat points as a reward!?" Hestia exclaimed in awe. "And FIFTY of them!? Some adventurers can't make that in even a day, but you get them as rewards!?"
This completely defied everything about the falna and the world as a whole. Even gods can't just do everything the system had done without using arcanum, but using so much would guarantee being found out, so how was this happening without even a hint of divinity being detected behind it!?
"Check status!" Bell quickly said, to which the screen changed.
Hestia watched as the boy stared into the air before him, only to recoil as he released a high-pitched sound from his jaw-dropped mouth.
"Bell!? What happened!?"
Rather than answer her, the level one rushed to the side and grabbed a sheet of parchment from the table.
"Print status!"
He didn't even let all the information develop on the sheet fully before shoving it into Hestia's hands, the goddess watching as the letters and numbers formed right on it.
Name: Bell Cranel
Level [1]
Job: None
Title: None
HP: 156
MP: 10
{STR}: I-95
{VIT}: I-52
{DEX}: I-96
{AGI}: H-191 - E-498
{MAG}: I-10
{SEN}: I-10 - I-66
Remaining Points: 60
[Skills]
Longevity-All diseases, poisons, curses, and status effects are healed. Sleeping will explosively increase regeneration ability.
Sprint-Mana Cost 5(+1/Minute). Activates to increase your movement speed by 30%. Costs 1 mana per minute to maintain. "Your running has strengthened your legs."
Unyielding Spirit-When below 30% HP, all damage received is reduced by 50%. "You have an unyielding spirit."
[Magic]
()
[Development Abilities]
()
Hestia's eyes bulged to comedic proportions.
"WHAT THE FU-!?"
It took several minutes for both Hestia and Bell to calm themselves down from the downward spiral of insanity they were going through, in which afterward, they finally took the time to calmly go over what they were seeing.
First, Bell had gained just past three hundred points in his agility alone, an unprecedented number that skipped two whole letter grades while nearing the end of the next one.
Sure, Bell had run four whole hours alone from gigantic monsters in a desert, pushing his body to its absolute limits in terms of movement, but Hestia made it very clear that even if any other adventurer went through the same thing normally, they wouldn't have gotten as large of a jump in stats as Bell had, there was no way!
And then there were the two, not one, two new skills that Bell had suddenly received. It was rare enough for anyone to obtain a skill, and yet, Bell had so easily gained two from a single quest. Two amazing and useful skills at that! This all had to be the influence of the system, but the question was if both Bell's gain in stats and skills would be consistent with his battles. Would he gain a new skill each quest, or was this just more of a starting boon to help him out?
"Bell, this is insane!" Hestia paced back and forth in front of the seated boy. "I'm telling you, it's almost impossible for anyone to get a growth of stats like this without some kind of skill! Not to mention these actual new skills you suddenly got, this has to be the influence of the system! You've had it for like a day and already have months' worth of abilities!"
Bell nervously rubbed his hands together. "Well, the system did say that its purpose was to help with my growth. I just didn't know it meant this fast..."
"Aye yai yai, Bell, if any of the other gods find out about this, you'll never know a moment of peace ever again." Hestia huffed as she clutched her head.
"I know, Hestia. I won't let anyone else find out," Bell reassured.
"You better not. Since you technically won't be able to 'belong' to any Familia, not being affiliated with one means you can get around many rules involving them. Everyone would want you just for that face alone." His goddess sighed, plopping herself right next to him.
"There is something I'm wondering though," Bell muttered, staring at his stats. "What should I use all these remaining stat points for?"
"Oh yeah! We were talking about your rewards before! You got fifty you can use, right!?" Hestia perked up. "So you can just put them in any of your stats?"
"I think so... I'm gonna try using some."
He gave a quick gaze at his stats before making his choices.
"Five points in strength, four points in dexterity, and two points in agility."
A beeping sound rang in his head.
{STR}: I-95 - H-100
{VIT}: I-52
{DEX}: I-96 - H-100
{AGI}: E-498- D-500
{MAG}: I-10
{SEN}: I-66
Remaining Points: 49
"Hm..."
"What is?" Hestia asked as she leaned her head against him.
"Well, since I can see my status at all times, it constantly updates each time my stats change, including when I input my stat points. So I don't think I'll be able to see the total amount I gain daily."
"Then try printing your status in the morning before you leave and again when you come back so we can see how much your stats jump." Hestia suggested.
"Oh, good idea! But we should be careful to hide it until I come back each day."
Hestia nodded in agreement.
"So what are you gonna use the rest of your stat points on?"
"...Maybe my magic stat?"
Hestia raised an eyebrow.
"Bell, you don't even have any magic. Why invest your points there?"
"B-But maybe it can help get me some!?" Bell sheepishly justified. "Th-The system did say it'll be easier for me to get it, and once I do, I don't want my magic stat to be so low!"
...
"You just really want magic, don't you?"
"Yes..." He didn't bother trying to hide it.
Hestia sighed.
"Just don't dump all of your points into it. At least use some for that new stat of yours... Actually, didn't that grow too? How does that work?"
"My sense stat? Oh, I'm actually not too sure." Bell scratched his head as he eyed the extra stat category. "The sense stat is about me being aware, right? I did focus a lot on my surroundings as I ran in the desert so that centipedes wouldn't suddenly ambush me."
"So I guess you just gotta be testing your senses overall. Seems easy enough. So did you gain anything else? You said you had three rewards, right?"
Bell's eyes lit up.
"Oh yeah!"
He turned back to the system screen.
"Accept random box."
Suddenly a plain box wrapped in gift paper with a pink ribbon popped into existence on Bell's lap, making both mortal and goddess blink.
"Eh? What's this?" Hestia asked.
"A random box."
...
"What, that's it? No description?" The goddess gave him an incredulous look.
Bell chuckled. "No, but if the name is accurate, I'll just get something random from it."
"OO! Can I open it!? I love things like this!" Hestia asked, holding his arm with sparkles in her eyes.
A smile formed on Bell at the deity's child-like excitement, to which he handed her that small box in his palm.
Hestia wasted no time tearing the box open, and what was revealed within it was...
"Bandages?"
Her eyes immediately dropped in disappointment.
"Really, that's it?" She grumbled, handing the item to Bell's hands.
[Plain bandages. Use on small wounds.]
[You may keep this item in your inventory.]
Bell blinked.
"My inventory?"
At those words, the system screen abruptly changed into a grid of item boxes, one with the first slot containing a familiar item.
"Wait, isn't that...?"
Bell instinctively reached into the screen, his hand disappearing behind blue electricity, before pulling out a dagger.
The starting dagger the guild had provided him.
"It is! It's my dagger! But it shattered in the room! How is it fine now!?" He gasped, feeling the blade with his fingers.
"Bell, what did you just do?"
The boy blinked before turning his head and finding the goddess staring at him with eyes unmoving in a mixture of shock and bewilderment.
"Hm? What do you mean?"
Hestia sputtered incoherently before speaking. "I-I don't know! You stuck your hand forward and it disappeared in some blue electricity! Then you pulled out a knife! What was that!?"
Bell blinked before looking down at his dagger and then at the screen, eyes shrinking in realization.
"I... Wait." Bell placed his dagger aside and hesitantly raised the roll of bandages passed to him by Hestia, slowly pushing it into the screen. Once again, blue electricity emitted from the screen as the item went inside, to which his hand returned empty-handed. And what was left was the roll of bandages now in the first item slot among many.
"I... I can store items?" He breathed out in wonder, grabbing his dagger and pushing it into the screen as well, filling the next slot with it. "I can store items!" He repeated enthusiastically.
"Seriously!? How many!?" Hestia asked, completely entranced by the prospect.
Bell looked at the many free item slots with even a scroll bar on the side.
"A lot."
Even with his non-descriptive answer, Hestia accepted it and let herself fall back on the bed, clutching her forehead.
"Oh for the love of every god's name, is there anything this system can't do?" She sighed in defeat. "It's better than me in every way..."
Bell turned to her with a sympathetic look.
"Hestia, you shouldn't compare yourself with a mysterious force that's almost gotten me killed twice."
There was a pause. Then his goddess sat up, looking invigorated with clenched hands.
"You know what? You're right, Bell! No matter how many amazing things this system gives you, it'll never love you like I do! I'd never do anything that'd hurt you either! I'm better than it, aren't I!?"
"Of course, Hestia." Bell smiled, for he knew that if he had to choose between the system and his goddess, he'd choose the latter without hesitation.
"Good!" The goddess declared, a hand up in victory with glimmering eyes.
Bell admired her until a dinging sound came in addition to a screen change.
-Daily Quest: [Preparing To Become Strong] has arrived
Bell recoiled, the flash of giant centipedes bringing fear to his eyes.
"I-I gotta do the Daily Quest again!"
Hestia paled.
"How much time do you have left!?"
"It's... Phew, until midnight." Bell breathed in relief, with the goddess mimicking the action.
"That's good. I think you should just get it over with as soon as possible while I go back to work and hope the boss doesn't fire me." Hestia exhaled. "I'm gonna have to skip the God's Banquet too..."
"A banquet?" Bell repeated curiously.
"Hm? Oh, it's basically just a party for gods to meet up and talk. It usually lasts for a day or two depending on who's hosting, but since I already skipped a few shifts at work to stay with you, there's no way my boss will forgive me and let me take more time off." Hestia sighed."Oh... I'm sorry I made you miss your job, goddess..." Bell muttered apologetically.
Hestia reached up and grabbed Bell by his cheeks, pulling his head down to face her angry pout closely.
"Don't apologize, Bell. I'd throw everything away if it meant being with you. And stop calling me goddess! You were doing so fine calling me Hestia earlier!"
His turning cheeks red from the abrupt closeness with his goddess, Bell sheepishly smiled.
"R-Right! Sorry, Hestia, I'm working on that! And I'll do my best to keep being the best adventurer I can be for you! I'll go to the dungeon right after I finish this daily quest to earn us more valis again!"
"Eh? You're gonna go back to the dungeon already!?" The short woman let him go with concerned eyes. "But you just recovered yesterday! Not to mention what just happened to you just this morning!"
"But I feel fine thanks to the status recovery!" Bell hopped in place a few times to show this. "And if I get one after every quest, then I'll be able to complete it and still be able to go to the dungeon! I can't just let you work by yourself to support us!"
"Bell.. are you sure?" Hestia asked, poking and prodding the boy's body. "You're not forcing yourself to go back out there, are you?"
"Of course not, Hestia." The level one said with an honest smile. "I'm fine, really."
Detecting no lie from his words, the goddess smiled back.
"Okay, Bell." She reached forward and pressed her forehead on his chest as she wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you, for still accepting me as your goddess..."
The boy returned the hold happily.
"Thank you for accepting me in your Familia in the first place."
{STR}: H-100
{VIT}: I-52 - I-60
{DEX}: H-100
{AGI}: D-500
{MAG}: I-10 - I-40
{SEN}: I-66 - I-70
Remaining Points: 7
"This should be fine."
Bell stared at his status with a smile, looking at how whole each stat number was. He didn't really know why he chose to make them like that, but it felt oddly satisfying doing so.
He put away the screen after putting having put eight stat points into his vitality, four into his sense stat, and thirty more into his magic, hoping that increasing that last one would help him obtain a spell like he had hoped.
"Magic... I would love some."
The young albino boy followed the main road of Orario, holding the roll of minotaur skin wrapped in a cloth as he made his way toward the guild to sell it. Truthfully, Bell didn't want to part with the item drop so soon after receiving it, but he really couldn't do anything else with it at the moment.
After all, he and his goddess were completely broke after three days of doing nothing, so he couldn't have equipment made from the item even if he wanted to.
"And I haven't even eaten anything for three entire days, have I?"
Bell wondered why he wasn't feeling absolutely starving right now, as he was feeling only the usual hungry he tended to be each day. But rather than think about it, he decided to just credit it to the system, which he'll probably do each time it feels like something weird is happening to him.
And speaking of the system, Bell would have to figure out where to go each day to complete that Daily Quest. He'll feel rather self-conscious if he just goes around the city doing insane amounts of exercise with people watching him, but he can't really think of anywhere convenient where he could do everything and then immediately go to the dungeon.
As Bell thought this, he heard laughter and looked up in time to see a small girl chasing a boy in his direction, neither looking where they were going.
He stepped to the side and let the children pass him, following them with his eyes until his gaze caught onto Orario's tall wall at the end of the distant path.
"I wonder..."
Nobody ever went to the walls, right? And it's not like there are ever any guards positioned up there.
Bell formed a satisfied smile from his conclusion, turning around with a plan in mind.
"After I sell the minotaur skin, I'll follow the other main road to the market area to get something to eat. Then I'll head to the wall entrance over there and-"
"...!?"
It was sudden, and only for a split second, but Bell felt something.
He stopped in place, feeling like an intense gaze was peering into his soul. But as he sharply turned around to see who had their eyes on him, he didn't find anyone of notice staring at him.
Had he imagined that?
...
Weird... Guess he was just-
(!)ALERT
[An unauthorized force has attempted to peer too deep into the PLAYER's being. Rejecting unauthorized force.]
Bell jumped, eyes widening at the message.
An unauthorized force?
Wait, what does that mean!?
The sound of a thump came from the side.
Bell instinctively swerved his head to the sound, finding his crimson eyes locking with the blue-gray ones of a human girl that had fallen to her knees.
A girl trembling at the sight of him.
She wanted him.
That was what she thought the moment her eyes caught sight of the boy running down the street, watching as he stopped and moved aside to let some children run past.
The boy had a soul like any other person, but what he had that they lacked was how clear it was.
She had never seen anything like it.
It was transparent and pure, a color she had never experienced. And not only that, but it was glimmering brightly, more so than so many others she's met before it.
And not to mention, the boy himself looked like one of the youngest and most adorable adventurers she's ever met, with his snow-white hair and beautiful ruby eyes.
But it was his soul that captivated her so much. It glowed brightly, a clear, blazing light that almost seemed to flare as if it had just gone through a tremendous ordeal that had brought a new burst of life.
How much willpower did the boy hold, and what trials did he go through for his soul to be like that? What sort of color will it become? Perhaps it'll stay transparent and clear?
She can only imagine all the things he could turn into.
So she had been ready to meet him, to create an 'event' by reaching into her pocket to pull out a magic stone he had mistakenly 'dropped.'
But as she was about to call out to him, it happened.
It started as two slanted purple orbs suddenly flashing within the center of the boy's soul, making her completely freeze. And before she could even process what they were, black burst from those orbs and completely enveloped her vision, the very world around her turning into a sea of endless darkness.
And it was when only this darkness completely surrounded her that she realized what the glowing purple orbs were.
Eyes.
She was completely frozen within an abyss with this gaze of hostility, only able to watch as more started growing around it.
A helmet with curved horns, flame-like purple hair bursting from its head, claw-like hands covered with jet-black armor as was the rest of his body, and a long, smokey cloak fluttering behind it.
She didn't know what she was looking at, but it left her wide-eyed and... shaking?
Was she shaking?
Her!? A being of war and power, being afraid!?
And yet, this monster only had to narrow its eyes to bring a chill down her spine.
All it did was glare, but a message was sent.
Don't. Touch.
She couldn't breathe; the atmosphere seemed to vibrate from the sheer pressure of this figure, leaving her drowning in place, going to be swallowed whole under the darkness.
Was... Was this true fear?
If it is, why is it that even though she feels so afraid... she also feels so excited!?
A clear soul, belonging to a boy who looked no older than holding sixteen, an adventurer who looked as if he hadn't even started the dungeon, was holding something this dangerous!? And yet, his soul was somehow pure!?
What did it mean!? How was it possible!? What is all of this!?
And just like that, it was all gone, for the moment she had blinked, all the suffocation was gone, and she suddenly found herself back on the main street, with the white-haired boy examining his surroundings as if looking for someone.
That was when her legs gave out.
"Are you okay!?"
Bell completely overlooked the alert from the system as he rushed to the girl that had collapsed. He got to one knee and placed the minotaur skin to the side to solely focus on her.
The girl was evidently a waitress, judging by the maid headband and white apron on top of the leaf-colored knee-length, long skirt. And being up close, Bell realized just how cute she was too, with bluish-gray hair done in a ponytail, matching eyes, and light peachy colored smooth skin.
But he couldn't focus on that right now! He could see how much the girl was shaking!
"Um, can you hear me!?" Bell reached out and gently took the girl's hands into his own, holding them tightly to give reassurance. "I'm here now; just take deep breaths! Let me help you back up!"
At the very least, it seemed like the girl had heard him, for she lifted herself with him as he helped raise her to her feet, slowly catching her breath with her eyes unmoving from his.
"Can you talk!? Do I have to get anyone!?" Bell asked, not really sure how to help in this situation.
The cute girl finally seemed to catch her breath and formed a somewhat shaky smile, lightly squeezing his hands.
"I-I'm fine! Thank you, I-I just felt a little light-headed! Thank you for being so kind!"
But Bell looked down at the girl's boots, noticing how they still shaking with the risk of giving way once more, the shakiness noticeably extending to the rest of her body. He couldn't just ignore that.
"But you're shaking... Are you sure-?"
The next thing Bell knew, he was yanked from the girl's hands and slammed against the wooden wall next to them with so much force that he lost the air in his lungs. And before he even knew what was going on, both arms were pinned over his head, and something cold pressed against his throat.
When Bell opened his eyes and focused his vision, he saw a pair of sky-blue eyes.
Glaring sky-blue eyes.
They belonged to a beautiful female elf with short, gold-green hair, also wearing the same maid outfit as the other girl. But unlike the kind aura of the grey-haired girl, the elf's was straight-up murderous, made especially clear when Bell realized that the cold object against his Adam's apple was a dagger, making him turn pale.
"What do you think you were doing to my friend, you scum?" She glowered.
"EEEEEEEK! SCARY!"
The elf's tone was dangerous, and Bell could only squeak as his expression shifted to fear. Even if she wasn't the giant statue from the chamber, this woman was still super terrifying in of herself!
What was even going on!? What did he do!? Had he done something offensive that he wasn't even aware of!? Or was this actually some kind of set-up between the two girls to rob him of everything he owned!? Oh god, if they learned that he didn't even have any valis, would they drag him somewhere and force him to work for the rest of his life!?
"RYUU!" The first waitress shouted in panic, her previous fear replaced with a different kind. She jumped forward and grabbed her co-worker from behind the shoulders, attempting to pull her away with her non-existent strength.
"Let!" She pulled. "Him!" She yanked again. "GO!"
The elf woman's head turned to her friend with a surprised look of confusion.
"What? But you-?"
As she started to speak, she withdrew her dagger and released her hold on Bell.
But with the boy's heart rapidly beating and his flight or fight instincts heavily influenced by all the bad things that had happened to him recently, he was not gonna stick around for his current fears to come to fruition.
So he ran once more.
"I'M SORRRRRRRRRRRY!"
"Eh? Ah! Wait-!"
But Bell had already taken off down the street, crying out as he disappeared behind the small crowd that had started forming from the commotion. He didn't dare look back as he sprinted down the street before sharply turning through a few alleyways in case he was being followed. It wasn't until he was right by the guild building that he stopped and caught his breath, hands falling to his knees.
"Haah... Haah... That was scary. I might have to avoid that path from now on..."
He stood up straight and put his hands on his hips, taking deep breaths as he calmed down.
"Phew, well, at least I'm here now. I can thank Eina for telling my goddess-"
"Hestia, Bell! It's Hestia!" The goddess's voice corrected him in his head.
"-for telling Hestia where I was."
He took a few steps towards the guild, only to freeze as he realized something that made his expression turn blank.
"I... I left the minotaur skin behind."
...
He didn't cry, but he was damn well close too.
Especially when he realized he could've just shoved the item into his inventory so he wouldn't lose it.
"Ryuu! Why did you do that!?"
Syr Flover fumed at her friend, Ryuu Lion, who simply looked lost.
"I don't understand. I saw you shaking as that man held you, so I had assumed he was doing something to you."
Syr angrily, yet cutely, stomped her foot to the floor with a pout.
"He didn't do anything to me! I felt light-headed and fell to the ground! He only came over to help me back to my feet and to see if I was alright!"
Ryuu's eyes widened before she slightly shrunk in on herself.
"Truly?"
"Yes! And now he's gone! I wanted to thank him too!" Syr grumped.
"Ah, meow made Syr angry."
"White-haired looked so cute from behind too... How could nya?"
Peeking from the doorway of the Hostess of Fertility, a popular pub where adventurers gather, were two cat girls that had seen a fair bit of the exchange between the trio. Both wore the same waitress outfit as the others, but the first had brown hair with matching feline eyes, while the second had green eyes and black hair.
"Could it be Ryuu wanted the rabbit for herself?" Chloe Rollo, the black-haired cat, continued smugly.
"Oh? So Ryuu is a bad girl after nya'll?" Anya Fromel, the brown-haired cat, giggled.
Ryuu sent a murderous glare at the two cats before shamefully turning back to Syr, who was picking up the roll of minotaur skin on the ground.
"I apologize, Syr. I didn't mean to misunderstand his intentions."
"It's not me you should be saying that to..." Syr turned back to her, still pouting. "You made him leave this behind! You're gonna say sorry when he comes back!"
"Shouldn't that be if he comes back?" The last waitress, Lunoire Faust, a human girl with her own shade of short brown hair and eyes, poked her head out the pub entrance with the cat girls, deadpanning. "Ryuu might've frightened him from coming to this area ever again."
"Ryuu meowks a very scary face when she's angwy." Anya agreed.
The elf's cheeks lit up red as she grabbed her skirt, looking down in embarrassment.
"I-I'll make sure to be on the lookout for him so I can properly apologize..."
A bang from within the pub suddenly made the waitresses stiffen, a booming voice echoing inside.
"OI! I'm noticing a lack of work being done!"
The waitresses wasted no time to scramble back inside the building, where Mia Grand, or Mama Mia, a large dwarf woman with brown eyes and long, brown hair, glared at them behind the counter with her arms crossed.
"S-Sorry, mama!" Lunoire apologized for the group, the rest bowing before moving to continue their tasks.
But not before Mia added her own thoughts about what she had heard.
"And Ryuu, if you wanna apologize to the guy so much, just bring him back here and show him a good time!" She evilly grinned.
The waitresses all froze while the elf became mortified, her lingering blush extending all the way to her ears.
"MAMA-! I-! Y-You-! I will do no such thing!"
Mama Mia just laughed.
"I don't know what you're getting so worked up about! I was just talking about bringing him here for a nice meal. What were you thinking about?"
Realizing their boss's intentions, Syr jumped on the bandwagon and smugly smiled beside the elf.
"Oho? What dirty thoughts were you thinking of, Ryuu? Don't tell me you intended to snatch him away from the very beginning?"
"N-No-!" Ryuu put her hands on her cheeks in humiliation. "I-I thought-!"
"Ryuu is a pervert, nya~." Chloe beamed with a hand to her mouth.
"I didn't think meow had it in you~," Anya added with a grin.
"Who knew she liked them so young?" Lunoire finished off with a giggle.
Ryuu ran to the back of the pub with her hands covering her face.
"It's been a while since I was here, even if it hasn't felt that long."
Bell entered the guild with a small smile on his face. Despite feeling bummed out that he had left behind the minotaur skin with that waitress, he was still glad to finally be back in the familiar wide space holding counters and exchange areas.
And, of course, best of all was the familiar half-elf passing by.
His smile growing brighter, Bell rushed forward. "Miss Eina!"
The brown-haired woman with glasses was walking with a stack of papers only to nearly drop them all from Bell's voice. The staff member stumbled in place before securing the stack and swerving her head at the approaching boy, mouth opening as did her eyes.
"B-Bell? Bell!"
Eina rushed over to meet the boy and would've definitely hugged him had it not been for the stack of papers she was holding and how she had to maintain a professional demeanor with all adventurers.
The two stopped before each other, with Bell looking up at her.
"You're okay! I was so worried about you!" Eina said with watery eyes, only for a fuming face to form through it. "When I heard from Misha that you had been carried out of the dungeon, I got so scared! What were you even doing on the fifth floor!? You know better than that! An adventurer-!"
"-shouldn't be too adventurous." Bell finished, a sad smile forming on his face. "I know, miss Eina. But... it really got out of my control."
Eina blinked several times, noticing something off about the boy. So she held her papers with one hand before grabbing Bell's hand with the other.
"Come with me." She said in all seriousness, pulling him along.
"Eh? Miss Eina!?" Bell uttered in surprise as he was pulled past the counters.
Soon, the two were in one of the small meeting boxes of the guild, facing one another.
Bell nervously shifted in his seat under the scrutinizing gaze of his advisor, who was hunched over with her elbows on her legs as she stared closely at the boy.
"Bell, first off, I'd like to say that I'm relieved that you're fine." She started, expression unchanging.
"Thank you, Miss Eina. Ah, and thank you for telling my goddess where I was!" Bell lowered his head in gratefulness, then raised it with a blinding smile.
Eina managed to return it. "It's nothing, Bell. It's the guild's job to let Familias know about sudden events involving their children anyway."
Her expression changed back to a serious stance.
"Speaking of which, Shakti Varma came to the guild to report the information she had obtained from you about what had occurred on the fifth floor."
Bell tensed up at that. It made sense for the Ganesha Familia to report their findings to the guild in order to close the case, but a part of him felt nervous about how Eina would react to what many would consider unfathomable events, even if it was confirmed as truth by a god.
But instead, he felt his heart stop at the heartbroken look Eina was giving him, a look he now decided he absolutely hated seeing on her.
"Bell... is it all true? Did you get chased by that minotaur into that room? Did you... really lose your arm and almost get killed by those statues?"
Oh god, she was crying. Bell could only gulp as he tried to be as gentle as possible in his explanation.
"It's true, miss Eina, b-but everything ended up fine in the end! I woke up without a single wound! Really!"
Instead of calming her down, Eina reached across the table and hugged Bell tightly, sobbing into his shoulder.
"It's not fine, Bell! You almost died! You were all alone in a room trying to kill you! You suffered through so much and made it back out! So many people wouldn't even think about heading back into the dungeon after such a traumatizing experience!"
Despite how nice Eina smelled and how soft she felt, Bell forced himself to ignore it as he spoke up.
"Y-You believe me?" He croaked.
Eina pulled herself back from Bell, holding him by the shoulders and sternly staring at him with teary eyes.
"Of course I do! I know that you wouldn't just make up some story like that for attention! And Shakti herself told me that Ganesha and your goddess confirmed your words as true!"
Did she really believe in him that much? Bell felt a bit flattered...
"So... the guild is aware of all of this, then?"
Eina nodded, wiping her eyes.
"When the Loki Familia carried you out of the room, we investigated it through them and the Ganesha Familia. But nothing was found inside that room except you and the altar, so we were only really waiting for your account of events before we closed the case."
"Does that mean the public knows who I am and that I was found in there?" Bell asked, not wanting much attention on himself, especially now that he has the system.
"Maybe the people that saw you getting carried out, but it should be fine since it was early morning and there weren't many others to see you. Your identity wasn't shared with the public, but it is in our records as part of this case. I'm sure only Ganesha, his captain, and a few members of the Loki Familia are aware since they're on the case together. But none would ever share your name so easily. You and your goddess are also part of an unknown Familia, so no one would really know or care where to look for you, er, no offense." Eina sheepishly finished.
"None taken, if anything, I'm actually glad for all of this. Now everything can go back to normal." Bell smiled.
"Or at least, back to as normal as they could be..." He sweatdropped, the system lingering in his mind.
"So you're truly just gonna go back into the dungeon like nothing happened?" Eina asked, a sad look on her face.
Bell met it with a determined gaze.
"I have to, miss Eina. My goddess needs my support."
Surprisingly, his advisor smiled.
"You really love your goddess, don't you?"
"Yes! She's more than I could ever ask for!" Bell exclaimed with no hesitation.
Eina could only admire his bravery and determination despite being at such a low level.
"Then I'll do as I've always done and support you all the way. Just... Promise me that you'll be more careful, Bell."
"I am careful, miss Eina!"
He received a thin mouth and accusing eyes.
"Then what just happened a few days ago?"
"Th-That was a complete anomaly! A minotaur shouldn't have been on the fifth floor in the first place! And everything else that followed after that was just bad luck!"
"And who ignored my warnings not to go to the fifth floor until I thought they were ready?"
"Irk!" Bell didn't have a response to that and hung his head. "I'm sorry..."
"Good." Eina huffed, crossing her arms.
"...so is it okay for me to go to the fifth floor now?"
"DID YOU NOT HEAR WHAT I JUST SAID!?"
After suffering through another of Eina's merciless lectures, Bell finally left the guild with reluctant acceptance from the half-elf for him to go lower in the dungeon.
He'll call that a small victory.
But before Bell could even think about heading to the dungeon underneath the tower of Babel, he had to finish that Daily Quest.
He did not want to risk being taken to that desert again as centipede bait.
Actually, now that he thought about it, where had he been taken, exactly? It couldn't be the dungeon, for he had seen an actual sun in the sky as he had run from the centipedes, but at the same time, wouldn't the world be aware of such vicious monsters living in a desert around the world?
Then again, Bell himself didn't know much of the world outside Orario, so maybe it was just his lacking knowledge; he'll have to look into that later.
But for now, time for that quest!
"Phew... It feels nice up here." Bell stood on top of Orarios' enormous walls, wearing simply his usual brown leather attire. His initial hopes of the wall being empty were answered, and he found himself alone in a spacious area all for him to exercise on his own
"Open daily quest."
(!)QUEST DIRECTIONS
Daily Quest: Preparing to Become Strong
GOAL:
[Incomplete] Push-Ups [0/100]
[Incomplete] Sit-Ups [0/100]
[Incomplete] Squats [0/100]
[Incomplete] Running [2/10km]
WARNING!- Failure to complete this Daily Quest will result in a Penalty.
Oh? He had already run two kilometers traveling from the church to here? Good to know that any running he does will count toward the quest, especially since he does tend to run everywhere he goes in Orario. It's probably the best thing he's good at!
Although, he doesn't really see that as a feat...
But anyways, time to get started.
"Let's see, push-ups..."
Bell crouched down before positioning his body appropriately, to which he pushed himself up.
[Incomplete] Push-Ups [1/100]
...
"This is gonna take a while..."
"Are... Are you sure this information is all accurate?"
Ais wondered the same thing as a rare, distant look of shock formed on her face, confusion and disbelief filling her from everything she had just heard.
As Finn had instructed them earlier, the moment they had finished acquiring items and doing everything else that needed to be done, their small group of elites had headed all the way to the colosseum of the Ganesha Familia being used to prepare for the Monster Feria, or monster fair, where monsters would be used as sources of entertainment through performances by the Familia itself.
Their group had found Shakti instructing her Familia before she had spotted them, to which she had taken them to a room in the colosseum, taking the time to explain everything Bell Cranel had told them once he had woken up.
Suffice to say, the members of the Loki Familia were left flabbergasted by everything they heard.
"Ankusha, I don't wish to doubt you, but..."
"This all sounds insane, right?" Shakti answered Finn's words bluntly.
"It all sounds completely unbelievable. That room had been a chamber full of statues akin to at least mid-tier level adventurers? Ones that had given Bell Cranel a trial where he had lost an arm and nearly perished, only be completely healed while erasing anysigns of his struggles in the first place?" Riveria was evidently confused and unconvinced based on her frown. "Not to mention, how is it that every trace of what mister Cranel has claimed to be in that room suddenly vanished into thin air?"
"Not every trace."
The adventurers all turn their heads in surprise at the one who spoke. Bete was off on the wall just to the side, leaning against it with crossed arms and a narrow gaze.
"What do you mean, Bete?" Finn asked him curiously.
He huffed. "I told ya after we went back into that room, didn't I? I smelled blood, both the minotaurs and a person's. Even a bit of burning."
"So... A small trace of their lingering scents was left behind?" Riveria spoke, rubbing her chin with a complicated expression.
"Neither lord Ganesha nor goddess Hestia detected any lies from mister Cranel. Everything he had spoken was complete truth in his eyes. And if mister Loga's sense of smell is accurate, then he must've picked up when the minotaur had its limb severed and when mister Cranel suffered the same. As for the burning, that may have been either from the torches in the room or the high-level spell mister Cranel had reported being fired from the largest statue that had disintegrated most of the minotaur. That could also be why there wasn't a magic stone, because it had gotten disintegrated in the blast."
"Does that mean... this all truly happened?" Riveria considered, finding the facts to line up yet finding no logic about this entire thing.
"It appears to be so, miss Nine Hells." Shakti nodded.
Throughout the exchange, Ais was silent as her hands tightly clenched in her fists, guilt and frustration taking hold of her the longer the results her Familia's mistake was explained.
Her failure to act fast enough had that small rabbit go through something so horrible? Something an adventurer just starting off should never go through?
Mini-Ais guiltily curled up in a small ball just off to the side.
"I still don't understand any of this." Riveria scowled. Like Finn, she'd always try to find an explanation for every situation, or at least form theories that actually made sense. But with all the pieces being introduced, there didn't seem to be any coherent structure to explain the events that had passed.
"Why trap a single fresh adventurer in a room with monsters levels higher? Why didn't they kill him immediately instead of make him pass some kind of trial? What was the altar for if not for a sacrifice, and why completely heal the boy after being done with him? There just doesn't seem to be any reasoning behind all of this!"
"The only thing I could theorize is that a god had created that room." Finn cut in, bringing a gasp from Shakti.
"Are you stating that a god may have used their arcanum in the lower world!?"
"It's the only thing I can think of to explain the reality-bending events we've been hearing. Either Bell Cranel has gone lucid in his memory, or everything he's stated is true, and with the evidence that has been presented, I'm more inclined to believe the latter." The pallum frowned. "But I know not of whatever reasonings for why a god may have created this entire set-up, perhaps sick entertainment, perhaps a test, I do not know."
"Then what now? My Familia still has to focus on setting up the Monster Feria, so I can't take more time investigating this, and if what mister Cranel said was truly all he knows, then we're at a dead end." Shakti said.
Finn rubbed his chin in thought.
"For now? Perhaps nothing."
"Nothing?" Both Ais and Shakti blinked.
"Aside from apologizing to Bell Cranel and bringing him to our goddess as intended, there isn't much more we can go off of. However, it would be best to keep an eye out for him afterward in case any new developments occur. If what he experienced truly was some sort of trail he passed, there may be results even he isn't aware of."
Riveria sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I suppose that would be for the best. My head hurts trying to make sense of all of this anyway."
"Do... Do you know where he lives?" Ais finally piped up, a faint quiver of her lip after learning what her Familia, what she had essentially caused to him.
But Shakti shaking her head made the Sword Princess feel like she had just been denied a jagamarukun.
"We don't. The Hestia Familia doesn't have a main residence listed in the guild, as the goddess Hestia has only descended from Tenkai recently and hadn't been able to upstart her Familia with the exception of mister Cranel."
Ais looked down with a hint of sadness, clearly disappointed once more that there was nothing that could help her find the boy and apologize.
"There is a banquet for the gods coming up, right? Do you happen to know if goddess Hestia will be attending?" Finn asked.
Some hope returned.
Shakti hummed.
"Lord Ganesha will be hosting it at his residence. And since he and Hestia are somewhat friends, there's a good chance she'll show up. Almost guaranteed, seeing how she must be facing financial issues. Ganesha speculates that she might come for the... ahem, 'free food.'" Shakti finished with quotation marks.
"I see..." Finn sweatdropped with an awkward smile, feeling sympathetic for the goddess's struggles. "But in that case, I'll inform my goddess to be on the lookout for her at the event. Thank you for your time, Ankusha. I know you must be busy planning for the Monster Feria."
"It's nothing, Braver. When you see mister Cranel again, give him my regards." Shakti bowed.
"Will do."
With their business finished, the adventurers left the colosseum and proceeded to head back to their Familia home, with Ais in an evidently downcast mood.
After everything she had learned, she wanted to apologize to the white-haired boy more than ever.
She wants to apologize to... Bell? Yes, that's his name. Bell...
But would a simple apology even be enough at this point? After all the pain she and her Familia had caused him?
"Something the matter, Ais?" Once again, Riveria called out to the girl after noticing her in a down mood. "I'm assuming this is still about Bell Cranel?"
The blonde nodded.
Riveria sighed and patted her back.
"We'll run into him sooner or later, and when we do, you can properly apologize."
That didn't seem to quell Ais; her eyes only further dropped.
"Would... that be enough?"
The high-elf raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
She turned her head and glanced up at the older figure. "We... got him hurt a lot, didn't we? Would saying sorry be enough?"
Riveria tilted her head. "So, what is that you wish to do?"
She looked back down again. "I... don't know. I just want to make it up to him," Ais muttered, anxiously rubbing her hands together. "Can you... help me?"
Riveria blinked in surprise. She had never thought that Ais would ever ask her for advice on this sort of topic, and it really showed how much this whole situation had affected her. She even seemed to put aside her single-minded desire to get stronger and slay monsters.
Perhaps, in addition to apologizing to this boy, Bell Cranel, Riveria will even try to see to it that he somehow further interacts with Ais with hopes that he'll bring out more from her that her Familia couldn't.
As Ais is the fabled 'Sword Princess,' many people are wary of approaching her unless it's for some sort of gain, so she doesn't tend to make any friends or acquaintances unless they are from their own Familia. And although she, Finn, and Gareth had raised her and knew almost everything about her, that also brought about a wall between them, especially since they knew of her past. And even though more recently Ais had been getting closer to more of their Familia, mainly Lefiya, Tiona, and Tione, there was just... something that kept her from truly showing more of herself, more that maybe not even Ais herself knew of.
But... if it's Ais approaching someone, if it's her initiating a friendship, if it's with a new adventurer, one who wasn't even completely aware of Ais's status or past, would that be healthy for her? Would that be a good influence?
And so, a thought came to Riveria's mind as she wondered how the girl should apologize to such a young, adolescent male. She wouldn't ever even entertain herself with such an idea, but for someone like Ais? It might actually work.
So Riveria smiled as she lowered her head and whispered in the girl's ear, to which Ais listened closely before repeatedly blinking in surprise.
"That's it?" She muttered as the high-elf pulled back.
"It should be more than enough." Riveria smiled. "If it's yours, then there is nobody who would not appreciate that."
She tilted her head. "Really?"
A nod.
Ais faced forward and visually thought about it before pumping her fists in front of her chest in an adorable determination, mini-Ais matching the action beside her.
"I got it."
Riveria watched her in amusement, her smile growing bigger.
"Hopefully this will lead to something good."
As for Ais's thoughts, what her maternity figure had suggested certainly surprised her, but it was advice from her, so it'll hopefully work. So all that was left was to find the white-haired rabbit and put what she was told into use.
She just hoped her lap would be comfortable enough for him.