Chapter 210: Bell: This Is All What My Grandfather Said!
"Eh?!?!"
"N-not even one???"
Luke's answer immediately made Bell forget about his probing intentions.
The youth looked at Luke in disbelief, asking very shakily:
"Could it be... girls nowadays don't like heroes anymore?"
Bell actually had two aspirations in his heart, or you could say he had two dreams.
But these two dreams didn't conflict; in his understanding, they were essentially the same thing.
Bell's admiration for heroes began with the heroic tales his grandfather told him.
The heroes in the stories varied greatly - they were strong and weak, old and young, swordsmen and fighters.
No two heroes were the same.
However, they were identical in just one aspect.
Those heroes were always surrounded by multiple beautiful women.
Some were companions who advanced together, some were maidens rescued by the hero, some were seniors who helped the hero, some were juniors who admired the hero.
That was - a harem!
The most common thing his grandfather said when telling Bell stories was...
"Bell, the greatest essence of those heroic tales is encountering cute girls!"
Years of influence made Bell burn with passion for encounters with the opposite sex while admiring heroes.
'Men should aim for a harem!'
'Harems are the romance of men!'
The 'knowledge' that God Zeus daily instilled in the youth resonated with the stories in the heroic tales, making Bell form this idea in his mind.
'If you become a hero, you can have a harem, having a harem is the common symbol of heroes.'
Become a hero!
Then, encounter beautiful women!
This was the future Bell longed for.
However...
Now the senior called a 'hero' told him this.
"I don't have a single girlfriend."
Luke looked at the despairing Bell, somewhat puzzled.
'Why are you so upset that I don't have a girlfriend???'
Though confused, Luke still answered Bell's question.
"It's not that girls don't like heroes anymore."
"I think becoming a hero would still help quite a bit in attracting the opposite sex."
Luke's words made Bell regain his composure, but confusion followed immediately.
Faced with a question related to his dream, Bell abandoned his previous reserved manner and very seriously asked Luke:
"Then Luke-san, why don't you have a girlfriend?"
"Well... I've mainly focused on 'getting stronger', and haven't really thought much about that aspect."
"If I had to say, there are many women I'm close with, but none of us seem to have plans to further develop our relationship."
"Everyone has their own pursuits, and before achieving their personal goals, they might not have extra energy to think about other things."
"For me, getting stronger is everything."
"As for finding a girlfriend... honestly I haven't really thought about it, after all it's not related to getting stronger..."
"That kind of thinking is wrong!"
Bell's sudden objection interrupted his words.
Luke, who was interrupted by Bell, looked at him with particular surprise.
It wasn't anger, just surprise that the youth before him could muster the courage to contradict him.
Setting aside Luke's 'idol' image in Bell's heart, just considering Luke's prestige and position in Orario, few people dared to stand up and contradict what he said.
Luke just smiled at this without getting angry; on the contrary, he was very interested in what Bell wanted to express next.
However, though Luke wasn't angry, Bell himself became terrified.
The moment he heard Luke say "encounters with women have nothing to do with getting stronger," Bell instinctively objected.
But after speaking, Bell immediately regretted it.
'What am I doing?!'
'Daring to directly contradict Luke-san, I must be suicidal!'
'Ahhhh, what should I do, will Luke-san be angry?'
The extremely nervous youth, after that one objection, stammered for a long time unable to say anything more.
Seeing this, Luke somewhat helplessly picked up the drink on the table and gestured to Bell.
Seeing Luke raise his glass, the nervous Bell quickly picked up his glass and clinked it with Luke's.
Sweet fruit juice flowed into his mouth, the cold drink easing the white-haired youth's flustered state.
Putting down his glass, Bell awkwardly explained to Luke:
"Th-that... I'm not saying your desire to get stronger is wrong..."
"Just... just... just..."
After hesitating repeatedly, Bell gritted his teeth and firmly expressed his view to Luke.
"I believe encounters with women are directly related to getting stronger!"
"Exploration, adventure, battle, crisis - the girls encountered during these processes all become power helping heroes grow stronger!"
"Getting to know women, understanding them, falling in love - the sense of responsibility that develops, the desire to do something for them, the thought of protecting them from harm, striving for their happiness."
"All of this transforms into motivation for a hero's growth, it's the source of a hero's strength!"
"Source of... strength?"
Luke pondered the meaning in Bell's words.
Honestly, Luke didn't feel he needed so-called motivation.
Taking getting stronger as his reason for living, he didn't need any motivation to drive himself forward on this path.
However...
'If it could help with getting stronger...'
This was like the principle of living - people live, but they also hope to live better, more comfortably.
"Bell, did your grandfather teach you all this?"
"Ah... y-yes."
Hearing Luke's question, Bell became nervous.
After all, in his understanding, his grandfather was just an ordinary countryside elder.
Using common people's theories to lecture a 'hero' - even though Bell truly believed these words as truth, he knew how ridiculous his previous behavior was.
However, having said this much.
Finally, Bell stubbornly made his conclusion.
"S-so... I think for getting stronger, a ha-harem is essential..."
The final words became increasingly quiet, so quiet Luke might not have heard if he hadn't been listening carefully.
Moreover, the white-haired youth immediately lowered his head after speaking, seemingly afraid of being mocked, completely unable to look at Luke.
Compared to the nervous Bell, Luke might have had more confidence in his words.
Others might not know, but how could Luke not?
Bell's grandfather was God Zeus.
In other words, these words came from a deity's mouth.
This was the philosophy legendary God Zeus used to guide his personally raised future hero.
'Credibility... seems not low?'
Looking at the silent Bell, Luke fell into deep thought.
(PS: I will try to upload more chapters in the coming days.)
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