(3rd person PoV)
Hestia heard Silvius's roars and went in that general direction. She reached the place where Bell was about to surrender his life.
"BELL!" She stood there, utterly fearless as she now knew that she and Bell were not meant to die in Silvius's hands.
"Impossible!!....." Bell's eyes widened in fear that he almost forgot in his moment of surrender. "WHY?! WHY DID YOU RETURN?!" He was desperate again. His effort to leave his goddess in safety failed. He had to make it so she is safe again.
'Should I keep on holding this boy back or should I go after the woman?' Silvius was debating what to do.
Henryk was still hovering somewhere above them. He saw Silvius shifting his gaze from Bell to Hestia and back.
'Act as if you were going to grab the Hestia but leave room for Bell to reach her before you do' Silvius listened. He moved fast but was slow enough for Bell to outrun him and tackle Hestia into a staircase leading down to a lower street.
Both Bell and Hestia tumbled down and hit a wooden, barricaded doorway. Their bodies slammed into the poorly made and rotting barricade, destroying it to smithereens. That ended up scaring the few who were sitting nearby.
"Ughh... Lady goddess, are you okay?" Bell grunted from the pain. He protected Hestia using his body and, as a result, received all the pain of the fall. Bell sat up, frantically looking her over for any injury, even the smallest one. He was partially relieved when he found none.
"Yes, I think I'm fine" Hestia said as she started righting herself.
Bell held her tightly by the shoulder.
"What are you doing here? I told you to run away! So why?!" He lowered his head and whimpered a bit. His body started shaking.
"You are really hopeless, Bell" Hestia said while giving him a radiant smile.
"Huh?!" Bell was left silent at her words. He did not register them well. That statement and the expression threw Bell off so much he became confused.
"I would never run away while leaving you behind. Didn't you say you wanted to protect me? Then I would say the same to you" Bell went through multiple emotions after hearing what Hestia said. He finally settled on closing his eyes and lowering his head.
"And all of you promised me. Do you remember? All of you, including Henryk's children, promised not to leave me alone. I will feel lonely if one of my children left their spot in my familia empty" Hestia said while ruffling Bell's hair. She continued to do that briefly before stopping.
"But... But at this rate both of us will-" Hestia interrupted him by placing a hand over his shaking ones.
"It's too early to give up, Bell!" Hestia was now holding the knife's box in her hands and presenting it for Bell to look at.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, Bell was looking in another direction.
"Grrrrr" Silvius came closer once Henryk told him it was appropriate to do so. He was looking directly at them from above still, keeping them on their toes.
Hestia cursed at him internally.
"Excuse me, lady goddess!" Bell's determination burned again as he unceremoniously lifted Hestia in a princess carry.
It looked pretty weird and messy later when he looked back at it after the fact. Hestia is now taller than him.
"Bell, we urgently need to find a place to update your falna! Let's keep our eyes peeled!" Hestia said excitedly, opposing Bell's energy. It was, however, more encouraging than trying to force him to be more positive.
"Yes, lady goddess!" Hestia's positive encouragement rubbed off on Bell as she started looking out for any shadow or trace of Silvius.
They ran a few alleyways away before they reached a wall with a sliding part. Bell almost sprinted past it, but his eyes caught the lines separating the pieces of that wall.
"Maybe?..." He kicked one to check it. When it opened, he took the chance by going in and closing it behind them before Silvius arrived and noticed the opening.
'Silvius, you may now notice a fake wall they may be hiding behind, which they are. Pretend you didn't notice it and walk a little after it and wait for my signal' Henryk wanted them to have the time to update Bell's falna before sending him hot on their tails again.
Bell was listening closely to Silvius's footsteps. Both he and Hestia sighed in relief when the steps moved on until they disappeared.
"He seems to be more focused on you, lady goddess. It is only a matter of time before he finds us" Bell said, already making a move to get away.
"Then, let's change our plan. Bell, you will take care of fighting that monster! I will update your status here and you will attack him with everything you have got!" Hestia said. She understood that Henryk may be pushing her to update Bell's falna, while also giving him a trial. She did not approve, but there was no telling where Henryk is, or how precious this trial is for Bell's growth.
Bell looked to the side, despondent and in low spirits.
"It is impossible, lady goddess. Even if I was stronger than now, even then, my attacks are weaker than to fell that monster. Also, I cannot.... defeat him..." Bell lowered his head in defeat. He lost all hope and courage and wanted only to escape now.
"Bell, when did my child become this pessimistic?" She stood up with her high spirit showing on her face. "I trust you, Bell. For you see... the Bell Cranel I knew, the same child who fell in love with Ais Wallenstein, he definitely could defeat that monster with evident ease" Hestia's smile was radiant, loving, unwavering, encouraging, soft, relaxed, calming, it was the smile of someone who stands in the face of danger as an unmoving mountain, shielding the people close to them, their children, before themselves, a mother's smile some may say.
Her optimistic mood washed over Bell's spirit, and he gained some of his lost courage back. He also stood up now.
'Hmmm? She called miss Wallenstein by her correct name? Well, I guess my existence screwed my lady's love life. Oh, well. She would be happier if she was not possessive of someone who loves another woman. She could always find another person to fall in love with later' Henryk was on one of the nearby roofs. He barely heard what Hestia said.
"Lady goddess?" Bell wondered from where she got that optimistic view.
"Finally, I can give you this!" Hestia handed him the knife after unwrapping it.
"What is this?" Bell pulled it slightly out of its sheath and saw the hieroglyphs shining with a light-blue light then go back to normal.
"That's yo.... Our weapon! I call it the Torch Bearer's Knife!" Hestia was about to call it his, but she quickly corrected that.
Hearing what she said, Bell's eyes shined a bit and shook.
"I will make victory your ally! I promise you that! Will you trust me?" She looked him in the eyes. She was anticipating his answer.
Bell's eyes watered a little only for him to wipe them away to show a smiling face. He returned to his normally optimistic self, mostly.
"Yes" Bell said. He was now in such high spirit that it would have been visible as a form of aura to some more perceptive people.
They knelt behind a small half wall and started updating Bell's falna while he held the Torch Bearer's Knife in one hand. Hestia remembered what Hephaestus said about this knife and Henryk's shield once again as she dropped a drop of her blood on Bell's back.
"Bell, prick your finger on the knife's tip. It needs a little of your blood to touch the blade" He did as instructed.
'Silvius, you can now go back to the wall from before. Make it obvious but move slowly. When you see them after climbing the wall, issue a roar and stay hanging on the wall until I tell you to go on' Henryk said, waiting for them to finish the update.
(Line Break)
"Is this the last one?" Ais wondered as she and her familia members slew the last viola in their immediate area.
"Miss Wallenstein, there is also a silverback on the loose. The Ganesha familia's emergency squad is following it, but it entered the maze-like Daedalus Street. That made it hard to track. There is also the report on it targeting a young white-haired adventurer that looked like an almiraj and someone who seems to be his goddess" One of the guild's staff relayed her the information.
"Bell is getting chased? Where again?" Tiona held her head in fear for her friend's safety. She wanted it to be somewhere which is simpler to navigate. She just hated complex things, Daedalus Street being the top of her hated list.
"ROOAAR!!!" A roar sounded in the distance. They knew it was the monster they were discussing only a second ago.
"Bunny" Ais was followed by Tiona as they climbed the rooftops to easily reach the source of the roar without going through the maze.
"Wait... for me...." Loki was following behind on the ground. She would need to follow her again to try and grope her Aizepoo's 'lovely butt'. Loki was a hopeless, unrepentant pervert.
(Line Break)
'The question now is how far did Bell's status grow up?.... HMMMMMMMMM??!?!!? How did he go up to a total of nearly three thousand points in this short time?!!' After scrutinizing his status, she discovered the sole skill responsible and the cause for it appearing.
(Line Break)
Name: Bell Cranel
Familia: Hestia Familia
Level: 1
STR: B741
END: D596
DEX: B783
AGI: B824
MAG: I0
(AN: These total at 2,944 stat points, just 56 points short of three thousand)
Magic:
None.
Skills:
Liaris Freese (Alter):
As long as one is in love, an acceleration of growth is in effect. The stronger the emotions, the more accelerated the growth is. As a side effect, the user is immune to charm.
- Alter: The depth of the love received from the two matters.
(Line Break)
'Ohoo? So, he fell in love so hard, he unconsciously made a skill out of it? How cute, Bell! But that's a relief! Now, you can stand up against Henryk's child, even overpower him, considering Henryk might have ordered him to hold back!' Hestia's heart bubbled with overwhelming happiness. It was the happiness from seeing her child acquire a tool that will help him fend for himself that much more, that much quicker.
'Silvius, issue some growls. Proceed towards them very slowly, as if to check where they really are while looking everywhere' And he did as he was told.
"Lady goddess, the monster is coming closer!" Bell said in a hushed whisper.
Bell urged Hestia to finish the update process. She did that and sled his shirt back down. She looked at him shaking. She then knew that he still has some fear of Silvius. She put her palms and forehead on his back to reassure him.
"It's alright, Bell. I will say it again. I will make victory your ally" Hestia said softly.
Bell finally lost all feeling of hopeless fear and smiled genuinely this time.
"Yes" Bell said firmly.
"You will trust me, right?" Hestia said.
"Yes!" His voice sounded lively.
"Okay then, go!" She gave him a last push. And go he did.
'Silvius, fight Bell and make sure you appear to be weaker than him and also slower. Act feral at random times to drive it in, that you're a monster that needs to die. Of course, it's all an act' Henryk instructed Silvius. 'If you feel threatened, bash him away and start talking. He'll understand and stop attacking you then'
Bell dashed toward Silvius. He jumped over a punch that shattered the cobblestone where he was, landing behind Silvius. He then put the knife in front of him defensively when Silvius swung a chain at him. He was amazed to see the chain shatter, shrapnel flying around him as he stood there.
'This...!' He saw the strength difference compared to before.
"This is your current strength, Bell! That knife's alive! It will keep growing alongside its wielder!" Hestia said, leaning over the half-wall.
"My growth...!" Both of their smiles deepened.
Silvius felt like he gave them enough talking time and punched where Bell was standing again. But Bell jumped over the punch and dashed up his arm. Bell intended to cut Silvius's face, but he could only cut his visors off.
"Trust that knife! Trust me! Also trust yourself!" Hestia said.
Bell turned towards Silvius with a determined expression, one that says, "Either one of us dies today". In return, Silvius was glaring at Bell. He spat the bit in his mouth and roared with spit flying everywhere.
Silvius flung punches wherever Bell's feet touched the ground. As Bell dodged them, he was caught in the remaining chain. Seeing the chance, Silvius flung him up in the air to deal with Bell's speed.
Bell held one of the laundry lines and used its elasticity to increase his falling speed even more for the short distance he would fall. His next attack succeeded in cutting Silvius's chestplate.
'I will believe in myself! For my goddess!' Bell steeled himself even more and charged forward.
From a punch to a chain, Bell dodged Silvius's attacks and circled around him. As Silvius was turning around, Bell flexed the knife, which he was gripping in reverse, and held it in a hammer grip with both hands. He then charged at Silvius, intent on piercing all the way to his magic stone.
"GRAB 'EM, SILVIUS!" Silvius heard Henryk's voice and immediately dropped his act. He made use of his superior speed to get a hold of Bell. Bell ultimately failed at killing his target.
"Captain, Silvius, both of you can stop now. Silvius, put him down gently, and thanks for complying with my ridiculous request" Henryk finally came down from the high ground.
"EH?! What is happening here?!" Bell's brain short-circuited for a brief moment before he caught up. "Was it your doing, Henryk?!"
"Well, you needed to get over your fear of large monsters, and Silvius here helped in exactly that" Henryk pointed at him.
"You finally showed up! You problematic child! You almost gave us heart attacks!" Hestia missile, inbound. Target locked. Target felled.
"Well, if Silvius was any other silverback, you would've absolutely destroyed him. Congratulations, you overcame your fears and grew even stronger while doing so" Henryk clapped his hands after standing back up, totally nonchalant about the divine missile slamming into him just then.
Cheers and claps followed his from a crowd that gathered without Bell and Hestia noticing.
Yesterday, Henryk told some of the residents of St. Daedalus to spread the word that a monster he tamed will go on a fake rampage for fun, that it will bring no harm and will be part of the festival. The time that went by after him being a tamer was announced and his monsters not making any trouble yet, those factors helped in the people trying to give him and his monsters a chance. Oh, Fey was with him, that was the primary reason why they were that relaxed with the idea. The people were impressed by the display of the boy's little bout of heroism.
"Congratulations, bell! You got.... your f..." Hestia wanted to congratulate Bell on getting his first skill but the sleepiness from pulling an all-nighter for two days made her faint into a peaceful sleep.
"Lady goddess?!..." Bell rushed to catch her before she fell. When he held her in his arms, she was simply unconscious, "Lady goddess...."
"Don't worry and look around her eyes" Henryk said while pointing at her eyebags. "They're puffy and starting to develop eyebags. She's just sleepy, you could say tired from not sleeping for the entire night last night, not injured. A little rest should help her recover"
Bell hugged her dearly and felt relief that his goddess was not hurt.
"Little brother, don't hug a woman in front of miss Wallenstein. That'd hurt her feelings. She'd feel that her bunbun's being stolen by some other woman" Henryk said, his grin widening to inhumane degrees.
"Yes, yes.... yes....?....!" Bell looked everywhere to make sure if this was true, if Ais was present here.
It was not just him, but everyone who heard Henryk. When they finally found her among the crowd, they found her burning.
'How... did he know?' "Congratulations" Ais congratulated Bell on overcoming his fear.
She did not stay for long and jumped away, not before stepping on Loki's head after Loki tried groping her for the nth time that day. The force of the step embedded Loki's face to the ground. She remained there, twitching, until Tiona picked her up like a sack and headed back home.
"See ya later, Bell, Henryk!" Tiona said before leaving.
"Goodbye, papa, captain rabbit!" Fey said, keeping on following Tiona for fun.
"The breaker of a thousand hearts looks at that boy like that?" Some of the people here will later spread the rumors about it, confirming the rumors from the Hostess's patrons to be true.
'Fey went with Tiona, huh? It wouldn't hurt to leave her with Tiona until sunset' Henryk was divided on not telling Fey to follow them or letting her go with Tiona. He prioritized her wants when compared to what he wanted, that being not necessary to happen at that very moment.
(Line Break)
The trio arrived at Mia's pub while carrying a passed-out Hestia. Bell decided to let Hestia rest here for now. It was closer than their familia home, and much more comfortable.
They had Silvius be led to the church, where he stayed outside for the rest of the night because of his big size. That was something for Henryk to deal with later.
'It's nearly time to call Fey back. Let's check her status' Henryk thought.
(Line Break)
Name: Fey Williams
Location: Twilight Manor/Front yard
Condition: Hungry (Minor)
Recent Activities:
Fey became what she calls 'Small Fey'.
Fey played with Tiona Hiryute nonstop.
Fey ignored the different kinds of gazes directed towards her if they were negatives.
Fey unconsciously started winning the hearts of the Loki familia members without anyone noticing.
Fey ignored the feeling of hunger to continue playing.
(Line Break)
'Fey, come back to me before the sun sets' Fey refused to listen to him.
He checked her status again.
(Line Break)
Recent Activities:
Fey ignored her papa's order so she can sleep in the Twilight Manor, in Tiona Hiryute's room, and
wake up to continue playing with Tiona Hiryute the next morning.
(Line Break)
'Fey, answer in a positive if you really want to have a sleepover with Lady Chocolate' The answer came in without hesitation.
'Okay, I guess. She could stay there as long as she's with miss Hiryute. Nobody'd want to mess with an executive just because of some monster that looks harmless and weak. Only if they knew how terrifying she could be when she didn't even mean to be. Not to mention, I wouldn't be able to lure her in with food. She's ignoring her hunger to play more with miss Hiryute. It'd be cruel to drag her away when she suppressed her inner glutton to do that' Henryk relented after thinking about it.
"I'm sorry, potato puffs.... HEPHAESTUS WAS DEEP-FRIED!!" Hestia screamed in great distress.
"Pfffft!!" Henryk suppressed his laugh. Bell was also successful.
"Mnmnmnmn.... Bell.... your skill's..... amazing.... mnmnmnmn" Hestia said in her sleep.
"I... have a skill?"
"Well, captain, the answer to that would be yes. I caught a glimpse of the writing of your falna and there was something written where the skills are, definitely" Henryk said. He went out of his way to make sure of that.
"Bell? Henryk?" Hestia just woke up. Their voices stirred her awake.
"I'm sorry, potato puffs.... HEPHAESTUS WAS DEEP-FRIED!!....." Henryk repeated her words with such uncanny resemblance to her voice that her face was drained of all color.
"...."
"...."
"I'm sorry, potato puffs.... HEPHAESTUS WAS DEEP-FRIED!!" After staring at each other in dead silence, Henryk did it again.
When he saw her frozen, wondering what he said, he played the sound of her mumbling with his skill, which was music to his ears.
"I didn't quite catch that" Hestia just knew that this was something she very well could have dreamt of. She strongly denied it with a steaming head and a flaming face.
Henryk was suppressing his laughs, which rubbed it in even more. Hestia wanted the bed to swallow her just so she could escape this situation.
She looked at her only remaining ally, Be- 'TRAITOR!!!' Bell was also suppressing a laugh, again.
"Sorry, lady goddess, the mental image of lady Hephaestus being deep-fried in your dreams is just...." Bell's voice was trembling so much.
"Anyway!! Henryk, did you tell him about it while I was sleeping?" Hestia tried to change the subject. She believed that she heard something worth looking into. "You looked at the status while I was updating it?"
"If you're talking about the knife, then yes I did. And if you're talking about his skill, then that's also a yes" Henryk said.
Hestia's eyes inflated in shock.
"Were you able to read hieroglyphs?!" Hestia asked a pretty important question.
"Kinda" Henryk said. He saw some patterns he understood in the hieroglyphs. It looked like a language he knew back home. "I just understand the meaning of the skill's name, the only thing I saw clearly where I was hiding, 'Wholehearted Longing'. Little brother, it seems that you might be stuck with your love for miss Wallenstein for the rest of your days" Henryk said, smiling in a way that contradicted itself. His smile felt both congratulating and teasing.
'They don't need to know that the walking spoiler and I spent a bit of time trying to search for a translation or explanation for the skill's name when we first heard my lady say it in the anime' Henryk thought.
"... ooh..." Bell lowered his head to hide his reddened face.
"Not quite" Hestia interrupted. She wanted to know something.
"What do you mean, my lady?" Henryk looked puzzled. 'Did his skill change?'
"Bell's skill mentioned 'two', one being Ais Wallenstein, who was the major reason for the skill to exist. There is still another woman in there" Hestia pointed out.
"The only people who come to mind are miss Tulle and miss Hiryute" Henryk said the remaining two women that may have found interest in Bell.
'That lethargic chienthrope's ruled out. The walking spoiler told me that she, 'sadly', only has eyes for her god' Henryk said. slightly glad that his friend's perverted fantasy for a thoughtless harem for Bell were thwarted.
".... Miss...Tiona...." Bell whispered his answer. He caught her looking a few times, thought not keeping her gazes once noticed.
"So, the shared interest of hero stories was what attracted her to you, huh?" Henryk said.
"N-" Bell was about to refute it when Hestia talked over him. She never wastes a chance to tease him about his cuteness.
"Bell~ Don't you think that idolizing heroes at your age's a little childish? How cute you are!" Hestia said, nudging him with her elbow.
"HENRYK! LADY GODDESS! YOU IDIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTS!!!" Bell's brain got overloaded.
"Mama Mia says to lower your voices" Ryuu said that quickly and went back to work.
"Well, that happened" Henryk said, looking at the door blankly. "Leaving Mia's reminder aside, let's discuss captain's skill"
"Henryk... are you..." Hestia wanted to tell Bell to stay out of the room so she can settle it with Henryk, but him saying something about discussing the skill made it impossible without hurting the young boy.
"Yes, I'm sure. I already discreetly told him the details of one of my skills. He kept it a secret, without bragging about it to even Welf, his bro. Captain can keep his own skill secret. Tell him what he deserves to know, my lady" Henryk said with a sure expression.
Hestia closed her eyes and thought about it deeply. She spent a long while thinking.
"Bell, your skill boosts your growth when you are in love. The stronger your feelings, and those of your loved ones, the faster you grow" Hestia summarized it for him.
'His innocence might make him think he's using them. Let's fix that' "Little brother, let me correct something. You aren't using them and their feelings. Rather, your skill, and subsequently the growth it gives you, could be the indicator that you and the two of them love each other. It's by no means bad to make use of the skill like this. And while I told you that it isn't good to impress a girl using your physical might, it's also important to be strong enough to protect those you care about" Henryk said.
"Is it?" Bell said while looking conflicted.
"Yes, it is. Miss Hiryute considers you a friend and is likely to fall for you if you pay attention to her. As for miss Wallenstein, she already sees you as 'her Bunbun'" Henryk had a big grin saying that.
Bell burned for a few seconds before collecting his own ashes and coming back to life. No, he definitely is not a phoenix.
"Thanks, Henryk" Bell gave a simple word of thanks.