Hestia Familia - Sacred Ash Premise Chapter 3 (Patreon)

Hello friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter! Now that Bell has manifested Liaris Freese (and Hestia didn’t hide it from him this time) how will he use his new Skill to fulfill his dreams and his goals? Knowing about the Skill that greatly accelerates his growth means that he can try to directly use it to improve even more than in Canon. With his Ash Magic and his accelerated growth, just how powerful will Bell become?

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 3 – Cinders and Embers

It was early morning as Bell headed for the Dungeon the day after he’d almost been killed by a Minotaur. As he was walking down West Main Street, the path to the Dungeon so familiar to him that his feet took him in the right direction without issue, his mind wandered a bit.

‘I was able to get 30,000 Valis for the Minotaur’s Magic Stone. I should probably use some of that money to complete my kit as an Adventurer. Hestia wanted me to use most of it, but we really need to save for getting the old church repaired and remodeled.’ Bell thought to himself as he walked, barely paying attention to where he was going. It wasn’t until he saw a flash of green in his vision that Bell snapped to full awareness, just in time to see an Elf woman move around him, avoiding a collision between them with absolute grace and no wasted movements.

“Please excuse me, sir.” The Elf woman apologized to Bell, her arms holding a box with what appeared to be bottles of alcohol inside.

“No, no, please, that was my fault.” Bell apologized and gave the Elf a short bow. “I was lost in my thoughts and not paying attention to where I was going.” With his apology given, Bell took a moment to really look at the Elf woman and take in her features.

The Elf woman had sky blue eyes and semi-short green hair. She was extremely beautiful with skin as white as snow and free of any blemish. She was wearing a green maid outfit with a white frilled headband, a matching white apron, and a pair of brown boots over black leggings. Even through the simple work clothes, Bell could tell that the Elf woman was trim and some small part of him believed that she was much stronger than she looked as well.

“That was close.” A new young woman said from the doorway of the building that Bell and the Elf woman were standing in front of. She was cute, with bluish gray hair that she kept tied with a small knot in a ponytail hairstyle. Her eyes were the same color as her hair, and she had light peachy colored smooth skin. She wore the same maid outfit that the Elf woman did as well. “Mama Mia would’ve been in a terrible mood if the good wine was lost.”

Bell gave a short bow to the new woman. “Sorry, I almost bumped into her, that was my fault.”

The new girl’s gray eyes looked at Bell for a moment before she smiled at him. “You’re an honest one, huh?” She giggled softly as she looked between the Elf and Bell quickly. “Well, if you feel bad for almost getting Ryu in trouble, why don’t you promise to come and eat here tonight?”

“Huh?” Bell blinked and then glanced at the sign that the woman was pointing to next to the door. “The Hostess of Fertility?”

“Uh huh! We work here at this pub.” The waitress smiled cutely. “If you stop by, Ryu can take care of you and she’ll earn some brownie points with Mama Mia for bringing in a new customer.” The hint was not subtle at all and played upon Bell’s naturally kind nature.

Ryu let out a small sigh at her friend and coworker’s antics. “Syr, he doesn’t have to do that.”

“Alright. I promise.” Bell said with a small smile. It was the least he could do for almost causing an accident that could’ve gotten the Elf waitress in trouble.

Syr beamed at Bell. “Wonderful! We’ll see you tonight then Mister…uh…” She realized that none of them had introduced themselves properly.

Bell realized it as well and gave them both a quick grin. “I’m Bell Cranel, pleased to meet you both.”

“Syr Flova.” Syr introduced herself with her cute smile.

“My name is Ryu, Mr. Cranel.” Ryu bowed slightly to Bell. “It seems that we’ll see you this evening.”

Bell nodded to both of them. “I’ll be here.” He noticed the time as the sun started to peek over the wall of Orario more, bringing more light to the city in the early hours. “See you tonight.” He waved as he took off towards the Dungeon.

“See you tonight, Mr. Cranel.” Syr waved back with a smile.

Once Bell was out of sight, Ryu looked at Syr flatly. “Syr…”

Syr smiled at Ryu. “Yes, Ryu?”

Ryu let out a tiny sigh. “Don’t…”

“Whatever could you mean?” Syr giggled as she headed back inside.

Ryu could only follow after her while carrying the box of wine bottles into the Hostess. There was a tiny smile on her lips though, knowing that her friend was just trying to make her happy, in her own way. ‘But I’m not looking for an attachment like that.’

-Dungeon ~ Fifth Floor-

“Grrrr!”

“Bark!”

“Rawr!”

Three Kobolds snarled as they rushed towards Bell, claws raised to slash at him, their jaws open to expose sharp fangs.

Bell lunged forward, ducking under the swipe of the first Kobold and stabbing through its gut. A quick jerk to the side tore open the Monster in a spray of blood. He pivoted out of the range of the second Kobold, bringing his shortsword up to cut off the clawed hand that had nearly struck him.

“Yipe!” The Kobold let out a pained yelp as it jerked away.

That gave Bell time to skip back, dodging the third Kobolds attack, and then swing his blade through its neck, decapitating it. The head hit the ground, followed by the body a second later. Bell wasted no time as he cut down the injured Kobold just as it lunged at him for a bite. The dog-headed Monster hit the floor, covering it in fresh blood, and didn’t move again.

“Not too bad today.” Bell smiled as he cleaned off his new shortsword, having bought it from the Guild yesterday after giving his report to Anna about the Minotaur incident. “Since I don’t have armor, I need to be more careful until I can buy more.” Normally he’d have done that today, but he wanted to know just what he could do with Liaris Freese in relation to his growth. Knowing everything about his Skill and his Magic would make him stronger, Bell felt it in the core of his being and just knew it was true. He pulled out his knife and started harvesting the three Kobolds for their Magic Stones.

-Later-

“Gugugugu!” A War Shadow, a golem-like Monster that was pitch-black all over except for a circular ‘face’ that was similar to glass in color. Both of their abnormally long arms ended in claws that were like knives and their lethality had earned them the nickname ‘newbie killer’ among the Adventurers and the Guild.

“Hm!” Bell blocked the sudden slash from the right arm with his shortsword and was forced to backpedal as the left arm swung forward to try and gut him with the sharp blade-like claws. “Hyah!” He pivoted to the left, getting on the outside of the War Shadow’s right arm, and swung down in a powerful chopping motion with his shortsword.

The War Shadow staggered, its balance disrupted, and ‘looked’ at the stump of its right arm.

“Yah!” Bell cut its head off from behind, killing the War Shadow before it could recover. “Whew… That was way faster than a Kobold.” He understood why War Shadows had earned their nickname now. If he was any slower, he’d have grievous wounds at the very least right now from those knife-like claws.

Crack

Crack

Crack

Crack

Crack

Bell whipped around towards the source of the sound and watched as five more War Shadows were born from the walls of the Dungeon.

“Gugugu!”

“Gugugu!”

“Gugugu!”

The War Shadows made their artificial sounds and all of them turned their circular ‘faces’ towards Bell at the same time.

‘Five at once…’ Bell grimaced but readied himself all the same. ‘I won’t run away! I’ll never reach my dream if all I do is run away whenever things get tough!’ The five War shadows rushed towards Bell all at once. “Remnants of the Sacred Flame, alight on the wind and scatter!” Black ashes poured off of Bell’s left hand and arm as he activated his Magic. “Yah!” He compressed the ashes into his hand and threw black blades straight at the charging War Shadows.

With a crack, a single War Shadow fell dead, its glass-like face shattered by one of the thrown blades. The rest of the blades were either stuck inside one of the remaining War Shadows as they charged or had missed entirely. The golem-like Monsters didn’t have a sense of pain like the bestial Monsters of the Dungeon, as long as they weren’t dead, they’d keep attacking.

‘Now!’ Bell thought as he reached out to the ash blades with his Mind.

Bwooosh

The blades lodged into the bodies of the War Shadows exploded into thick clouds of ash and smoke. The obscuration of their vision made the Monsters stop and look around for their target. Bell cut down one of the four from behind, its head falling to the floor and alerting the remaining three.

“Gugugu!” The three War Shadows attacked with their long arms and blade-like claws. The ash and smoke scattered about as the various claws cut through the air, but Bell had oved back and to the side to dodge, using what remained of the short-lived smokescreen to his advantage.

The cloud of ashes still gathered around Bell’s arm billowed once before red-orange heat quickly built up within. ‘Cinder Shot.’ Bell thought as chunks of burning hot ash were launched from the cloud and at the three War Shadows, peppering them and killing one while the other two were forced backwards.

The two Monsters weren’t just going to stay in the line of fire and take Bell’s attacks. They split up, one going right while the other went left in a wide arc that was meant to catch Bell in a pincer maneuver.

Bell’s hand disappeared into the burning cloud of ash and he raised his shortsword to block the War Shadow on his right. His blade managed to knock away the first claw swipe, but he was instantly forced to block the War Shadow’s opposite hand. The War Shadow on his left came at him with a powerful overhead swing, looking to slash him from shoulder to hip.

Crack

Ssssss

The second War Shadow went limp, its ‘face’ cracked as a blade of orange-yellow burning ashes had pierced straight through it.

“Blade of Ember…Bell muttered as he pulled the burning ashen construct out of the dead War Shadow and dual-wielded his two blades against the last remaining Monster. His shortsword knocked one set of claws to the side. His ash blade sliced through the opposite hand of the War Shadow. “Hyah!” With a battle cry, Bell’s shortsword cut through the War Shadow’s neck, sending its head flying from its shoulders.

The headless War Shadow collapsed to the ground and didn’t move.

Looking around, Bell didn’t see any more Monsters approaching, nor did he hear the telltale cracking of the Dungeon walls spawning more Monsters. “Hah…good…” He let out a breath and let his spell fade away, the remaining black ashes cooling down and falling to the stone floor.  “It looks like my idea to give names to specific actions for my Magic worked out.” Bell had only thought of it last night as he was getting ready for bed. “If I don’t have to think of the entire process of making what I want, it really saves time.”

There was a small smile on Bell’s face as he sheathed his shortsword and pulled out his knife to start harvesting the War Shadows. There was just a hint of pride that he’d managed to take down six of the notorious ‘newbie killers’ by himself, five-on-one in this case.

“Oh! Drop Item!” Bell smiled brightly as one of the blade-like claws of the first War Shadow he’d killed was left behind. “It’s so sharp already. I bet it’ll get a good price at the Exchange.” Bell wasn’t quite confident to try his hand at haggling just yet. The Hestia Familia needed all the money they could get, for sure, but the thought of getting low-balled and actually losing money for the Familia made the Guild’s fair, but base value, buying prices the safest option for Bell.

-Afternoon-

“Gero~” The Frog Shooter let out a croak before launching its tongue straight at Bell’s back.

Bell dodged to the side…barely, and managed to score a cut on the retracting tongue with his shortsword. “Shit.” He waved his left arm and scattered a large cloud of ash and smoke around to obscure the vision of the Frog Shooters.

Three more togues lashed through the smoke and ash, but hit nothing. The four frog Monsters watched the cloud with their large, singular eyes.

Shk

A single noise, but two Frog Shooters were blinded as black ash blades were thrown from the black cloud and pierced through their single eyes simultaneously. The cloud lurched forward and the blinded Frog Shooters were engulfed. The remaining two lashed at the cloud with their tongues again, but only succeeded in covering them with black ashes.

“Gero…” The Frog Shooters croaked again at missing their target.

“Hyah!” Bell scattered the black ash cloud, revealing the two dead Frog Shooters, both of their heads had been split by his shortsword while they’d been blinded and engulfed in his cloud of ash. The two separate clouds heated up rapidly, turning a burning yellow-orange insides before unleashing a hail of ‘cinder shots’ at the remaining Frog Shooters.

“Geeerk!” The Frog Shooters were torn apart by the barrage, blood and chunks of flesh flying through the air from the force. When it ended a second later both Monsters fell dead, smoke rising from their torn up bodies.

Bell grimaced as he felt the drop in his Mind reserves from his last attack. “That was inefficient for only taking down two Monsters.” He made a mental note about his tactic. “I should probably save that for when I’m fighting a large number of Monsters all at once.” With his critique of his own fight finished, Bell let his spell fade and set about harvesting the four Frog Shooters.

The first two were done quickly, their torn up bodies made getting to the Magic Stones a bit easier. Bell grimaced as he wiped some of the slime and blood from inside the Frog Shooters off on his jacket. He cut open the third and pulled the flesh aside to get at the Magic Stone. As the Frog Shooter began to crumble away into white ash, Bell started on the fourth and final Frog Shooter.

“Ugh…” Bell frowned at the slime within the frog Monster once he’d gotten his hand on the Magic Stone. “My skin feels kinda tingly.” He noticed as he put the Magic Stone into his pouch. “Wait… Miss Anna said that Frog Shooters were poisonous…or was it acidic…on the inside, right?” Bell knew they’d gone over this, but at the moment he couldn’t exactly recall. “A Supporter would know this for sure.” But as it was, Bell wasn’t even sure he could afford a Supporter to help him in the Dungeon. “Something to think about later.”

-Guild Exchange ~ Late Afternoon-

Bell was all smiles as he emptied out his hip pouch and his backpack of all the Magic Stones that he’d gotten today. He’d gotten lucky with Drop Items too, having gotten eight today.

The woman on the other side of the glass quickly and efficiently weighed the Magic Stones and then inspected each Drop Item. Once everything was looked over, the Guild employee made a few marks in her ledger before placing the appropriate amount of Valis coins into the tray and pushing it over to Bell’s side. “Your Magic Stones were worth 12,674 Valis, the Drop Items were worth 7,500 Valis. Your total exchange today comes out to 20,174 Valis. Have a nice evening.”

Bell collected his coins and added them to his pouch with a smile. “Thank you very much.” He headed over to the meeting area to give his report to Anna before heading home.

It was only a minute or so later that the entire Guild’s attention was drawn to the meeting area.

“What do you mean five War Shadows at the same time?!” Anna’s raised voice made more than a few of the Guild employees, and some Adventurers, blink in surprise.

-Abandoned Church ~ Later-

“Bell!” Hestia hugged Bell the instant that she saw him.

Bell returned the hug with a warm smile on his face. “Hestia, how was your day?”

Hestia smiled at Bell, always loving the care he showed her. “It was normal. Well, up until the end…” She rubbed the back of her head once and then held up an envelope with a Familia Emblem on it. “Now that I actually have a Familia, I got an invite to a Banquet of the Gods.”

“What’s a Banquet of the Gods?” Bell had never heard the term before now.

“Just a get together of a bunch of Deities.” Hestia waved it off as no big deal. “There’s food and drink, everyone invited chats and catches up with each other, share some gossip and such.”

Bell smiled at Hestia finally getting some respect from the other Deities in Orario. “That’s a good thing then, right? When is it?”

Hestia pouted a little. “Tonight.” Bell blinked once and Hestia sighed. “Because it’s just the two of us, we’re so small that even getting an invite at the last minute is considered acceptable treatment. Still, it’s annoying that they couldn’t have given this to me yesterday…I would’ve had time to go buy a nicer dress at the very least.” She just knew that a few of the other Gods and Goddesses would be making comments behind her back about what she wore.

“You look amazing in anything, Hestia.” Bell said with a loving smile as he pulled Hestia into his arms and kissed her lips.

“Bell~” Hestia giggled once their lips separated. “You charmer.” She snuggled into him and just enjoyed their closeness. “I have to head out soon if I’m going to make it though. I won’t be able to cook you dinner tonight.” She apologized while looking up at him.

Bell kissed her forehead and smiled at Hestia. “It’s fine. I made a promise this morning that I’d eat at a pub called the Hostess of Fertility tonight. I was going to ask if you wanted to go with me, but it seems like we’ll both be doing our own things tonight.”

Hestia smiled at the fact that they both had plans. “Well, that’s a silver lining, I suppose.” She playfully pushed him towards the bathroom. “But if you’re going out to eat tonight, then you need a shower first, I can smell the sweat on you.”

“Is it that bad?” Bell blinked, not having noticed during his day in the Dungeon.

“Not to me, but cleanliness is important.” Hestia giggled at Bell as she stopped pushing him and let him walk on his own. Once Bell was in the bathroom, Hestia pulled open the small closet in the basement and looked at her limited clothing options. “I guess this one will do.” She pulled out a simple white dress with blue accents along the bottom hem and around the shoulders. “I’ll tie my ribbon around the waist to accentuate my figure and let my girls be a little free tonight. Let that washboard Loki try and say something then…” Hestia had a short daydream of shutting Loki up with her immensely superior bosom. “Heh!”

Once Bell finished his shower, Hestia happily twirled around once to show off her simple dress to him. It flowed around the legs, stopping at Hestia’s ankles, leaving her simple white shoes visible. “Amazing.” Bell smiled warmly at Hestia.

“Hehe…” Hestia smiled cutely at the praise from Bell. “Glad you think so!” She thrust her chest out proudly, only to grin sexily as she saw Bell’s rubellite eyes drop down to watch the bounce of her breasts. The dress was simple, but it did still show off a bit of Hestia’s impressive cleavage. “See something you like, Bell~?”

“Yes.” Bell nodded with a grin.

Hestia laughed beautifully. “Me too…” She eyed up his bare chest and the fact that he was only covered with a towel around his waist at the moment.

The two shared a soft kiss before Bell got dressed. Hestia got to enjoy the view, given that they showered together often enough, neither of them was shy about being naked around each other. “Wait, before you put your shirt on, let’s update your Status.”

Bell put his simple black shirt back down and sat on the edge of the bed. Hestia sat behind him and pricked her finger with a needle before letting a single drop of her blood fall on Bell’s back. The blue-white light glowed from Bell’s skin as Hestia began watching his Excelia for the day.

“You’re definitely getting better with your Magic.” Hestia complimented Bell as she watched the new ways that he was using his versatile Ash Magic. “Embers and cinders, huh?” She giggled at Bell’s names, but couldn’t help by like them as they continued to build on his connection to her. Hestia moved the Excelia over and watched as Bell’s Falna grew stronger. ‘Oh… That’s a jump…’ The Goddess blinked at the increase before placing a blank paper onto Bell’s back and copying the update over. “Here you go, Bell.”

“Thank you, Hestia.” Bell accepted the paper with a grin, eager to see if his idea on how best to use Liaris Freese had worked or not.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – F 309 > F 392

Endurance – F 307 > F 389

Dexterity – F 312 > E 403

Agility – F 306 > F 387

Magic – F 311 > E 404

-Magic-

Sacred Ash – Incantation: “Remnants of the Sacred Flame, alight on the wind and scatter.” This Magic allows the user to conjure and manipulate ashes, ember, and smoke. They can control the temperature and form constructs with it. The user can change the effect of the spell to provide mild healing and remove Charms, Curses, and Anti-Status conditions by chanting Chari.

-Skills-

Liaris Freese – Fast growth as long as feelings last. The strength of the effects corresponds with the level of the user’s feelings. As a side effect it makes the user immune to Charms and Magics that alter the mind.

-Status-

Bell blinked and quickly did the math in his head. “I went up 430 points…just today.” He couldn’t be anything but shocked by his leap in growth. Sure, he understood that Liaris Freese was helping boost his growth based on how strong his feelings were towards getting stronger and reaching his goals, but to see it like this… “It’s almost as much as what I got after fighting the Minotaur.”

Hestia nodded and gave Bell a cute grin. “You seem to have figured out Liaris Freese works fairly well, Bell. Your desire and feelings to get stronger and reach your dream, fully focused on your goals, appears to maximize your Excelia gain.”

“So I was right.” Bell was happy about that. “If I keep working as hard as I can…to catch up to them,” An image of Tione and Tiona appeared in his mind. “To keep my promise to you,” He smiled warmly at Hestia, making her smile back beautifully. “To become a Hero…” A memory of his grandfather’s smiling face. “Then I’ll keep getting stronger!”

“Keep that drive and those feelings, Bell.” Hestia wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close. “One day, you’ll reach your dream, I know it.”

Bell hugged her back and gently kissed her lips for a moment.

The two just stayed together for a few minutes, enjoying their closeness, before Hestia let Bell go so that he could finish getting dressed.

“May I escort you, Goddess?” Bell held out his arm to Hestia after he’d gotten his shirt and boots on.

“You may, good sir.” Hestia giggled and looped her arm through Bell’s.

The two walked arm-in-arm down the old street before arriving on West Main Street. Bell flagged down a taxi wagon and helped Hestia up into it. Once Hestia was settled, the driver, an older Raccoon man, looked over his shoulder.

“Where to, honorable Goddess?” The Raccoon man asked.

“Ganesha Familia’s home.” Hestia smiled kindly at the older man while holding up her invitation to the Banquet of the Gods.

The driver nodded once before turning around. “I’ll get you there shortly.” He lightly flicked the reins and the horse attached to the wagon started pulling it forward.

Bell waved to Hestia until the wagon turned the corner and then looked down West Main Street. “Time to keep my promise.”

-Hostess of Fertility-

“Seems lively.” Bell commented with a grin as he listened to the noises coming from the pub for a moment. He stepped into the building and instantly noticed something specific. ‘It’s all waitresses.’ Bell noticed there wasn’t a single man wearing the uniform of the other workers, or a male version of it at least. The white-haired Adventurer saw a woman behind the bar serving food to two customers. Just based on her build; she was either a Dwarf woman that was very tall for her Race, or she was a Half-Dwarf possibly.

Bell felt his heart rate pick up a little as he saw two cute Cat Girls, one brunette and the other ravenette, and he thought he saw a brunette human girl enter the back a second ago, even Syr was waiting tables with a cute smile on her face. ‘Is this real? Who knew that the flower garden of beautiful women from my dreams actually existed?’

“Mr. Cranel…” A voice tried to get the young man’s attention.

‘Wait…I can afford to eat here, right? I’ve been making good money…this place shouldn’t be out of my price range.’ After nearly being broke by the time that he’d met Hestia after coming to Orario, Bell often considered his financial situation before spending on anything that wasn’t a necessity. It was difficult to break the ‘dirt poor’ mentality when he’d almost ended up on the streets once before.

“Mr. Cranel.” Ryu greeted Bell once she saw his eyes focus on her.

“Ah, Miss Ryu…” Bell gave her a smile. “Here I am, as promised.”

“Welcome to the Hostess of Fertility.” Ryu gave Bell a short bow. “One customer now seating!” She turned and called out to the bar. Bell followed after her as he was led to a stool at the end of the bar near the stairs to the second floor.

“So, yer Ryu’s guest, eh?” The woman behind the bar questioned with a smile. She had brown eyes and long brown hair that was tied up in the back with two long bangs framing her face. She wore a different colored version of the Hostess of Fertility uniform than the others. Hers was a dark-blue color, probably to denote a higher position at the tavern. “Haha. You’ve got quite the cute face for an Adventurer!” She set a wooden cup on the bar top with some force. “The name’s Mama Mia, I own this place. As long as you’re eatin’, drinkin’, and spendin’ yer cash, you’re welcome here.”

Bell gave the woman a small smile. “Thank you very much, Miss Mia.”

“What would you like to drink, Mr. Cranel?” Ryu asked as she set a menu in front of Bell.

Bell looked at the menu, quickly finding the drinks listed and their prices. “How about an ale?” He chose the beverage that he had at least some experience with from back in the village.

Ryu nodded and headed into the back to get Bell his drink, leaving him to peruse the menu and decide what he wanted to eat tonight.

“Enjoying yourself, Bell?” Syr asked him with a bright smile as she stopped to chat with him.

“It’s lively, that’s for sure.” Bell chuckled at the merriment within the pub.

Ryu returned with Bell’s drink and set it on the bar before him. “Your ale, Mr. Cranel.”

Bell smiled at the lovely Elf as he picked up the flagon. “Thank you, Miss Ryu.” He took a drink and let out a small hum as he tasted the flavor. ‘Definitely not the same as the one we had back in the village. But it’s good.’

“Did you decide on your meal, Mr. Cranel?” Ryu asked, ready to take his order.

“Oh, yes, today’s special sounds great.” Bell ordered with a smile.

Ryu nodded to Bell and took his menu from him before heading into the back once more.

Syr giggled softly before sitting next to Bell. “You’re going to make a friend out of Mama Mia if you order like that all the time.” The daily special cost 850 Valis, after all, and was always one of the pricier items on the menu.

“Better to make friends than enemies.” Bell said with a small chuckle.

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

Ryu returned with a large plate holding a fried catfish and two sides, roasted potatoes and steamed vegetables. She set the large meal in front of Bell and gave him a nod. “Your meal, Mr. Cranel.”

Bell blinked, not realizing just how large the special of the day was when he’d ordered it. All the same, it looked delicious and smelled amazing. “Looks great, Miss Ryu!”

“I’ll pass along your compliment to the chefs.” Ryu nodded, the barest hint of a smile on her lips.

Bell would spend a good long while at the Hostess of Fertility that night. Much to Mama Mia’s approval, Bell not only cleared his plate, but he ordered two refills of his ale as well.

“We look forward to seeing you again, Mr. Cranel.” Ryu gave Bell a short bow as he was about to leave.

“It was great, Miss Ryu. I’ll definitely be back.” Bell promised with a smile. “Thank you for taking such good care of me tonight.”

Ryu appreciated the thanks, but shook her head once. “I was merely doing my job, Mr. Cranel.” That tiny, barest hint of a smile appeared on her lips again as she looked at Bell. “But you’re welcome.”

Bell nodded and gave a small wave as he headed down the street and back towards the abandoned church in good spirits.

“He’s a nice one.” Syr said from behind Ryu as she watched Bell’s distinctive white hair get further away.

“He’s polite.” Ryu agreed as she headed back into the Hostess.

Syr giggled as she followed. “He didn’t even stare or make a pass at any of us.” That was more than any of the waitresses could say for quite a few of their customers. “Bell will be a regular, I think.”

Ryu looked at Syr curiously. “A hunch?” Syr usually had good intuition about such things.

“Something like that.” Syr nodded with a cute grin. “I’m looking forward to seeing what happens…” The way she looked at Ryu and then the door that Bell had just left through made it obvious what the waitress was hinting at.

Ryu just gave Syr a flat look, not even responding as she headed into the back to continue her work.

‘Oh, my poor little fairy friend with a scarred heart…’ Syr thought to herself with a soft look in her eyes. ‘That young man could be very good for you.’  Such things couldn’t be forced, of course, but a gentle bit of help on occasion could do wonders.

-Ganesha Familia Home-

Hestia stepped off of the taxi wagon with the coachman’s help. She paid the man, with a generous tip, and the older Raccoon man nodded to the Goddess before heading off into the night to pick up his next passengers. She checked her dress over, making sure it wasn’t wrinkled during the ride, before looking up at the large building in front of her.

“So that’s the Ganesha Familia home, ‘Aiam Ganesha’…” Hestia gave an exasperated sigh. The building was literally built like a giant statue of Ganesha himself! The layout of the building must’ve been crazy for whatever architects had drawn it up and built it.

As Hestia walked towards the entrance, she heard quite a few Gods and Goddesses commenting on Ganesha’s home. The words ‘crazy’ and ‘self-absorbed’ were heard a few times. She shook her head as she walked up the stairs. From what she knew of Ganesha, the God of the Masses wasn’t vain or self-important. He naturally exuded a feeling of togetherness and a desire to better oneself as part of his Divine Aura. In the Ganesha’s mind he probably hoped his image would help reassure all those that saw it.

‘But making the crotch the entrance…Ganesha must be a little out of his mind.’ Hestia deadpanned as she walked through the doors and into the large, open hall. Over a hundred Gods and Goddesses were in attendance, at least. Tables were piled high with food and drinks and Hestia saw Ganesha on a raised dais speaking loudly to those nearby.

“Welcome one and all!” Ganesha had a wide smile as he spoke. He appeared as a muscular man and wore a red and yellow elephant mask over his face. He was often seen wearing an orange sash that went over his right shoulder and wrapped around his waist. A gold rimmed leather plate sat on his stomach, holding the garb together. He also wore white pants with dark brown under the knee boots that also had gold accents. Ganesha had gold jewelry on in the form of a thick gold necklace and equally golden arm bands. He had a darker skin tone and black hair that reached his shoulders. “I am Ganesha, your host for this celebration! Seeing so many attendees every time moves Ganesha deeply!”

‘Of course you’re going to have a large number of attendees, you’re the only God that throws a Banquet at your own home instead of at a Guild facility.’ Hestia thought to herself with a slight shake of her head. No other Gods would welcome so many into their own home like this. It was a chance that some of them might get a little too curious for their own good and go snooping around.

“This year’s festival will soon be upon us! Please encourage your Familias to help out in any way possible!” Ganesha continued his speech, reminding Hestia to see about going to the festival, Monsterphilia, with Bell. It would be the first chance that either of them had to see it as neither of them had been in Orario last year.

Hestia walked around, seeing some familiar faces here and there. She stopped at one of the many tables to sample some of the food. Hestia quickly found out that it was all delicious, so she indulged a bit with her portions. As she was eating, she felt more and more eyes settle on her from behind. Then the quiet whispers picked up into less quiet murmurs.

“Well, if it isn’t Loli Big Boobs.”

“What, she’s alive?”

“Yep, working at a street stand.”

“Getting her head patted too.”

“That’s our Loli Goddess!”

‘I can hear you, idiots.’ Hestia grumbled in her mind at the other Gods and Goddesses talking about her circumstances behind her back.

“Just what are you doing?” A familiar voice called out and Hestia turned to look at the one addressing her. She noticed that the small group that had been talking about her had quickly shuffled off at the new woman’s approach. “It’s been a little while, Hestia. I’m glad to see that you’re still doing well. You’re taking a bit too much though…” The redheaded Goddess mentioned the shorter Goddess’s portions of the food.

“Hephaestus!” Hestia beamed at her niece happily as she left her finished plate on the table to approach the other Goddess.

Hephaestus was a beauty, as most Goddesses were, with long, flowing red hair that she usually kept up so as not to get in her way while working. A fairly large black eyepatch covered her right eye. Her lovely figure was currently being accentuated in a red dress of incredibly high quality. The single strap of the dress went over her right shoulder and had a large flower ornamentation on it. Her dress gave the barest peek at her impressive cleavage and hugged her figure until it flared out a bit at her hips to cover her legs.

“You did come!” Hestia smiled happily. “I was right to attend!” Her own, much simpler, dress swished around her as she came to a stop.

“What’s that? I’ll say this now; I’m not lending you a single Valis.” Hephaestus stated flatly to her aunt.

“H-How rude!” Hestia pouted at Hephaestus. “Do I look like the kind of Goddess that would do that?”

Hephaestus gave her aunt a flat stare. “Aren’t you the one that lived off of me from the moment you got to Orario?”

“That’s old news!” Hestia gestured to herself. “Now I don’t need to eat from anyone else’s plate!”

“Then what were you just doing?’ Hephaestus teased with her visible delicate eyebrow raised. Both Goddesses glanced at the multiple plates Hestia had already gone through.

“Th-That’s different…” Hestia shook her head, waving off taking food from the Banquet.

“Still the best of friends, I see.” A woman giggled as she approached the pair of Olympian Goddesses.

She had long silver hair that reached past her perfect bottom, silver eyes with a hint of purple in them, and white skin like that of fresh snow. Her body had a perfect golden ratio, enough to think that the concept may have originated from her. In a beautiful white dress with a plunging neckline to show off her cleavage, a black fur stole around her neck for contrast, along with a pair of evening gloves that stopped at her elbows. In her hair were two black flower-like pins. The little smile on her lips and the slight amusement in her eyes as she looked at Hestia and Hephaestus was typical of this particular Goddess.

“Freya,” Hestia sighed as she greeted the Goddess of Beauty and Love.

“I bumped into her over there,” Hephaestus motioned vaguely to the opposite side of the large room. “We’ve been walking around together.”

“I hope I’m not bothering you, Hestia?” Freya smiled lightly with a slight tilt of her head.

“It’s not that,” Hestia shook her head once. “I just don’t like you very much.” Hephaestus sighed at her aunt’s statement.

“Oh?” Freya giggled for a second. “But that’s what I like about you, Hestia.”

“Hey! Phai-tan! Freya!” Loki rushed over to the trio with a wide smile. The Goddess was wearing a black, strapless dress that hugged her svelte figure. A red ribbon went around her thin waist to accent it and was tied into a perfect bow in front. Her hands were covered in black evening gloves that stopped at mid-forearm and around her wrists were golden bracelets. She wore matching black heels and had her long, red hair tied up into an intricate bun.

“Then again…” Hestia’s tone and expression were both flat. “There are those I dislike much more than you.”

“Loki,” Freya greeted the Trickster Goddess of her own Pantheon with a small smile. “How unusual to see you in a dress for one of these Banquets.”

“Well, y’know…I heard a certain shrimp was coming tonight,” Loki leaned forward to look at Hestia. “A Goddess too poor to wear a real dress; I wanted to laugh in her face.”

Hestia glared at Loki. “I would’ve had time to buy one, if I hadn’t been handed the invitation just a couple hours ago.”

“Since when can you afford a real dress?” Loki leaned down to match Hestia’s glare.

“Since I started my Familia.” Hestia shot back. “My adorable Bell works hard and is earning good money in the Dungeon.”

“Yes, your first child had an incident with a rogue Minotaur yesterday, from what I heard.” Hephaestus looked at Hestia with some worry.

Hestia nodded once, letting out a long sigh. “Yes. Thankfully he managed to survive against it long enough for the Hyrute Sisters to save him.” She turned to Loki and gave the other Goddess a grateful bow. “Please thank your children for me, Loki.”

“Eh?” Loki’s eyes widened in shock and revealed her crimson gaze to the other three Goddesses. “What’s this? The shrimp is actually being polite? Check the window to see if pigs are flying!”

“I’m being serious, Loki.” Hestia stomped her foot with an unamused look on her face.

“Lighten up, shrimp.” Loki chuckled with a wave of her hand. “The way the twins told it, your boy had the Minotaur on its last legs. Didn’t believe them at first, since he’s supposed to be a new Level 1, but they were telling the truth.”

“Oh? That’s quite impressive.” Freya commented, looking a bit interested.

Hephaestus agreed with a small nod. “He must be rather impressive to survive against a Minotaur and even bring it close to death at Level 1.”

Hestia smiled softly as she thought of Bell. “He’s working incredibly hard for our Familia. Honestly, he’s wasted on me.”

“Well, if he’s too much for you, I’m sure the twins wouldn’t mind me takin’ him into our Familia.” Loki snickered at her own joke.

“No way!” Hestia growled at Loki. “You stay away from my Bell! You homewrecker! Tomboy! Washboard!”

“What did you just call me!” Loki got right into Hestia’s face.

Hestia thrust her chest out, making her tits bounce. “You heard me!”

“Tch! Flaunting those udders of yours is all you’ve got going for you!” Loki shot back with a huff.

“…And there they go.” Hephaestus sighed as she watched Hestia and Loki bicker.

Freya set a finished glass of wine on the nearest table after a few minutes of watching Loki and Hestia bicker. “I shall take my leave now.”

“Already? Weren’t you free?” Hephaestus raised an eyebrow as Loki and Hestia continued to bicker in the background.

“I’ve lost interest,” Freya grinned, her unique eyes darting to Hestia as she bickered with Loki. “I’ve heard what I wanted to hear, and also…” She adopted a knowing smile, her eyes half-lidded in amusement. “I’ve gotten my fill of all the men here.” With that she walked off as most of the Gods in the vicinity quickly looked elsewhere with sheepish smiles.

“Stirs up some trouble and then leaves,” Hephaestus shook her head slightly. “Hard to tell who’s the Trickster Goddess sometimes.”

“Just like the Goddess of Beauty, no respect.” Hestia commented as she returned to Hephaestus’ side.

“Well, if someone like Freya wasn’t in charge of Love and Desire, then who would be, right?” Hephaestus shrugged after a moment. “Did you and Loki finish your spat?”

“She gave up.” Hestia declared smugly with her hands on her hips.

Hephaestus didn’t believe that for a second as she saw Loki stalking off towards a table loaded with various types of wine. “So, what are you going to do?” Hephaestus questioned her aunt. “If you’re planning to stay for a bit, why don’t we get a drink, it’s been a while.”

“Uh…y-yeah…the truth is…well, I have a favor to ask you, Hephaestus…” Hestia looked nervous now as she looked at her niece. She almost flinched when she saw Hephaestus’s eye narrow at her.

“Even here, you have a request?” Hephaestus loomed over Hestia, her visible eye seeming to glow. “Didn’t you just say that you don’t need to eat from another’s plate?” Hestia did flinch this time at the tone in Hephaestus’ voice.

‘Th-This time she might cut me off entirely…but this is the whole reason I came to the Banquet…’ Hestia trembled slightly under her niece’s glare. ‘Bell, give me courage!’

“Well?” Hephaestus demanded with an aura of rejection practically forming around her.

“Hephaestus, I want you to make a weapon for Bell!” Hestia requested as she dropped into a full prostration in front of the Goddess of the Forge. Her dress would get dirty doing this, but it was all for Bell!

“Absolutely not,” Hephaestus refused her aunt. “Do you know how much I charge for a commission? You come up with the money first, then we’ll talk.” She turned to walk away, but Hestia stood up and ran in front of her before prostrating herself again.

“Please, Hephaestus, I’ll do whatever it takes!” Hestia promised with her face almost on the floor. A crowd was gathering to see the spectacle. Many Gods and Goddesses were already chuckling in amusement.

“What are you even doing?” Hephaestus was starting to feel embarrassed by all of the attention her aunt was drawing to them.

“It’s Dogeza,” Hestia spoke without lifting her head. “It’s a powerful technique that will let you be forgiven for anything you’ve done, or receive any favor you ask for…that’s what Takemikazuchi told me.”

‘This is your fault!’ Hephaestus shot a glare at the Far East War God when she spotted him in the crowd. Takemikazuchi seemed to be pleased that Hestia was using what he’d shown her. Hephaestus also noticed her brother, Hermes, looking far too amused for her liking about this whole situation near the back of the gathered crowd. If she had one of her hammers, she would have hurled it at his stupid face! “Would you get up, Hestia?” Hephaestus put her hand over her face. “You’re embarrassing me and yourself.”

“Please, make Bell a weapon.” Hestia repeated her request, still without raising her head.

“This is not the time or place for such a request,” Hephaestus sighed at her stubborn aunt. “Get on your feet, let’s have a drink and we’ll talk, okay?”

“Thank you, Hephaestus!” Hestia lifted her head to beam at the Goddess of the Forge.

-Later-

“Hestia, I’ve told you over and over, the finest smiths of Hephaestus Familia make the finest weapons, in both performance and price.” Hephaestus sighed at her aunt as they sat in her private office. “I’m not trying to brag; I’m simply trying to get you to understand…I cannot give away something made by the sweat and blood of my children. As a favor, even to family, that’s asking too much. Can’t you see it’s impossible?”

Hestia didn’t say a word, merely staying in dogeza the entire time. After the first round of refusals, she had once again prostrated herself before her niece. She hadn’t moved from that position since. She’d endure the humiliation of begging, groveling with her face on the floor or even dirt if she could secure this one favor.

“Hestia, tell me,” Hephaestus sighed as she looked at her groveling aunt. “Why are you going this far?”

“Because I want to help him!” Hestia declared so strongly that Hephaestus almost flinched at the sudden volume. “He’s changing so fast! He’s chosen a steep and difficult path! That’s why I want a weapon that can open the way for him!” She felt tears well up in her eyes as her heart ached to help Bell, the one she’d fallen in love with, the man that was giving his all to their Familia. “He’s always helping me, alone! I can’t do anything close to Godly for him!” Hestia clawed at the floor in emotional agony. “I hate not being able to do something for him.”

‘You really have changed, haven’t you?’ Hephaestus gazed at Hestia for a long, silent moment. A small sigh escaped the Goddess of the Forge before her lips curved in the barest hint of a smile. “…Alright.” She decided to reward this showing of true change in her aunt. “I’ll make this weapon for your child.” Hestia’s head bolted up to look at her niece. “I have a feeling you wouldn’t leave until I said yes, anyway.”

“Thank you, Hephaestus!” Hestia beamed at the redhead, practically lighting up the room with her glowing smile.

Hephaestus locked eyes with Hestia. “Just to be clear, you will pay for this in full, even if it takes you a century.”

“Of course, I can get serious too!” Hestia shakily got back to her feet.

“This child, what weapon does he use?” Hephaestus asked as she walked over to the wall of her office where a set of smithing hammers hung.

Hestia blinked as she looked at Hephaestus’ back. “A shortsword, like a xiphos, why?”

“Is that so?” Hephaestus took the second smallest hammer off the wall and held it in her left hand.

“H-Hephaestus…are you going to make it yourself?” Hestia questioned in shock.

“Of course I am.” Hephaestus shot her aunt a sharp look. “This is a private agreement between us. Any complaints?”

“Absolutely not!” Hestia was nearly jumping for joy. “I’m ecstatic that you, the Goddess of the Forge, will be making it!”

Hephaestus looked at Hestia flatly. “You know I can’t use my Arcanum here, right?”

“I’m just so happy knowing that you’re making the weapon personally!” Hestia cheered with a beautiful smile as she praised her niece’s skills. Hephaestus’s cheeks actually went a little pink at the genuine praise from her aunt.

“You’re going to be helping me.” Hephaestus told Hestia with a grin. “I can’t let you be lazy.” Hestia instantly agreed and began to follow her towards a private smithy that only Hephaestus was allowed to use. ‘Since I’m the one making it, it has to be the best. But it’s for a newbie Adventurer.... If it’s too strong for him, then he won’t grow. But making a weak weapon goes against my policy. Now then, what to do…?’ The Goddess of the Forge mused to herself as they walked towards her private workspace.

Hestia thought for a moment and looked at Hephaestus. “I need to write a letter to Bell to let him know that I’ll be away for a bit. Can I borrow some paper and a pen…and maybe a runner?” She smiled at Hephaestus, even as her niece gave her a deadpan look.

-End Chapter-

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Well, Bell is certainly getting the hang of his Magic and his new Skill, huh?

Just how far will he grow by the time he figures out how to Level up and achieve a Grand Feat?

What will be his Grand Feat?

Hestia got invited to Ganesha’s Banquet of the Gods now that she has a Familia, no matter how small it is. Respect+! Kek!

Hestia and Loki meet…and inevitably bicker! Heh! What else can you expect from them, right?

But Hestia has managed to secure a favor from Hephaestus to forge Bell a weapon! Yay!

I think we all know what’s about to be created and reach Bell’s hands, yes?

He also needs to buy new armor, and with 30,000 Valis from the Minotaur’s Magic Stone available…or at least a good chunk of it since Bell insists that they save to be able to start repairs soon…surely he can afford to finish out his kit?

Monsterphilia is close at hand! Just what will happen there? Perhaps an accident? Or is it a test?

Keep reading to find out!

Let me know what you thought!

Until next time, later!