The reddish twilight light slowly began to dim, replaced by a bluish-purple hue on the western horizon of Orario. The night breeze blew softly, sweeping across the church courtyard where Bell Cranel sat facing his aunt. The silence that had temporarily taken over slowly melted away as Bell opened his mouth again.
"After living together for quite a long time..." Bell's voice sounded hoarser, his gaze falling on his hands clasped on his lap. A genuine look of sorrow was etched on the youth's face. "Grandpa passed away. One day, he was attacked by monsters in the mountains... or maybe fell off a cliff, that's what the villagers who found him said. Grandpa left me, which is why I finally decided to go to Orario, to fulfill the dream he always told me about."
Hearing her nephew's sad recounting, Alfia's left eyebrow instantly twitched hard.
The silver-haired woman's face remained as cold as ice, but inside her head, the gears of logic were spinning at full speed. Died? Attacked by mountain monsters? Fell off a cliff? Alfia almost snorted cynically. That old geezer god might have lost his Arcanum in the lower world, but he wasn't a weak creature who would die just from slipping on a cliff or getting bitten by lowly wild monsters.
An incredibly ridiculous yet logical conclusion instantly formed in Alfia's head. It seemed her innocent nephew had absolutely no idea who his real grandfather was.
"Bell," Alfia called out, trying to maintain the remnants of her patience so it wouldn't explode. She looked at the youth with an inquiring gaze. "Was the grandfather who raised you... an incredibly perverted old geezer who liked peeping at women's baths?"
Bell blinked, surprised to hear the specific description slipping from his aunt's mouth. His sadness instantly evaporated, replaced by confusion.
"Y-Yes..." Bell nodded stiffly, his face turning bright red holding back his embarrassment. Because in Bell's mind the old man was his biological grandfather, it was only natural that this aunt of his knew the grandfather's true nature from long ago. "Grandpa was indeed very perverted and was often chased by the villagers because he was caught peeping at the baths..."
Alfia closed her eyes, letting out a long sigh that sounded laden with disgust toward a certain entity in the past. It was certain. There was no doubt. The man who raised Bell in the small village near the northern mountains was one hundred percent Zeus. And seeing this youth's innocent reaction, Zeus had truly raised Bell without ever revealing his true identity—letting Bell think the god was truly his biological grandfather.
"Bell, listen to me carefully," Alfia said, opening her eyes and staring straight at her nephew. "First of all, throw away the thought that the old man is our biological family. He has absolutely no blood relation to you, to me, or to your mother. And secondly... it is highly likely that he is still alive."
That double statement was like a bolt of lightning in broad daylight for Bell. The youth jolted violently, his eyes widening with a mix of identity confusion and a glimmer of hope suddenly igniting in his chest.
"N-Not my biological grandfather?! And... still alive?!" Bell exclaimed in disbelief, his head feeling like it was going to burst processing the information. "But... the villagers themselves told me that Grandpa had passed away. I even saw his grave!"
"Villagers can be paid off, or simply told to keep their mouths shut," Alfia cut in coldly. "Ridiculous excuses like dying from a monster attack were most likely deliberately fabricated by that old geezer just so you would have a strong reason to go to Orario."
Alfia looked at Bell's confused face. A faint sympathy flashed in her heterochromatic eyes.
"To be honest, Bell... if I lived in your timeline and saw your situation, I might have just wanted you to be an ordinary child living peacefully in a village. Becoming a farmer or a merchant, without having to bear the heavy burden of destiny and deadly dangers in Orario."
Hearing the softening tone of his aunt's voice, Bell's chest felt warm, even though his mind was still battered by a storm of confusion.
"You really don't know your grandfather's true identity, do you? He never told you?" Alfia asked again.
Bell shook his head innocently. "No. Grandpa only said he was my grandfather."
Alfia leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. "That adoptive grandfather of yours is actually Zeus. The former leader god of the strongest Familia in Orario that once stood alongside the Hera Familia. And just so you know, Bell... a god cannot 'die' that easily in the lower world. If their mortal body is destroyed, their soul will immediately return to the Tenkai in a pillar of light. Considering there were no reports of a pillar of light, it's impossible that your grandfather died. Right now, that old geezer must be hiding somewhere, watching you from afar."
Hearing the barrage of crazy facts, Bell Cranel's jaw nearly hit the ground.
Zeus? A God? The leader of the strongest Familia ever?! My grandfather who was always beaten up by village women for peeping at baths is that god?!
The reality hit Bell very hard. On one hand, there was an immense sense of relief flooding his heart. His grandfather was still alive! The person he loved most in this world didn't die mauled by monsters. However, a few seconds later, that relief was replaced by peaking annoyance.
If Grandpa wanted me to go to Orario, why didn't he just say so nicely?! Why did he have to go through the trouble of faking his death and making me cry for weeks?! Bell screamed in annoyance internally, his hands clenching on his lap. He felt completely and utterly tricked by his own grandfather.
Seeing Bell's expressions changing from shock, relief, to annoyance, Alfia merely smiled faintly—a very rare smile.
"So," Alfia took over the conversation again, directing Bell's focus back to her. "After you were tricked by your grandfather and arrived in Orario, what happened next?"
Bell took a deep breath, calming his mixed feelings before continuing his story. He began telling the beginning of his journey. How he was rejected by dozens of Familias because of his weak-looking body. How he finally met Goddess Hestia who was willing to accept him when no one else would.
He recounted his meeting with Eina Tulle who became his advisor, the minotaur incident where he was saved by the Sword Princess Ais Wallenstein, his encounter with Liliruca Arde who initially deceived him but whom he eventually saved, to his rapid growth that managed to break through Level 2 in just one and a half months. The story continued to his first major conflict: the War Game against the Apollo Familia to protect his goddess.
Everything went smoothly, until Bell recounted the next part.
"After defeating the Apollo Familia, there were some incidents... and I had to go to the Red-Light District..."
The air temperature in the church courtyard plummeted instantly. Alfia's heterochromatic eyes, which were initially calm, now glared at Bell with a murderous intensity that made the youth's blood freeze. The glare seemed capable of slicing his skin.
"You... went where?" Alfia hissed, her voice colder than a blizzard on the highest mountain peak.
The hairs on Bell's neck stood on end. He immediately waved his hands in panic, his face deathly pale. "W-Wait, Aunt! Listen to me first! I didn't go there to seek pleasure! There was a fox girl named Haruhime who was trapped there and was going to be sacrificed. My Familia and I had to infiltrate and fight desperately against the Ishtar Familia to save her!"
Hearing that explanation, the killing intent around Alfia slowly subsided. The woman snorted softly, crossing her legs again. Saving someone and destroying a Familia like Ishtar was an acceptable action by Alfia's standards.
Bell let out a very long sigh of relief, feeling as if he had just escaped the needle's eye of death. He then hurried to continue his story so his aunt wouldn't misunderstand again.
He recounted his expeditions in the Dungeon, the rescue attempt of Ryuu Lion in the deep floors, his encounter with the monster of despair named Juggernaut—at which Alfia slightly raised an eyebrow.
Then, came the most horrifying chapter of the story.
"After that... a massive conflict occurred. My Familia was forced to face a War Game against the Freya Familia," Bell said with a bitter tone.
"Hold on," Alfia raised her hand, cutting off Bell's words instantly. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "A War Game with the Freya Familia? Why would that beauty-crazed goddess suddenly target a Familia as small as yours?"
Bell looked down, twirling the hem of his shirt. "It... seems to be related to my soul. I myself don't fully understand why, but Goddess Freya became very obsessed. And during that time, I also learned about another side of her that had been disguised all along."
Alfia clicked her tongue with evident disgust. She knew Freya's nature very well. The goddess indeed had a crazy obsession with pure souls that shone brightly. However, Alfia suddenly thought of a funny irony.
If the Freya in this timeline dared to target her nephew, the goddess would definitely have to think thousands of times. In this timeline, there was now Zald the Gluttony, and herself the Silence, standing firm as an impenetrable protective wall. Not to mention Sylphie. Freya would surely choose to stay quiet and observe from afar now rather than provoke a war with the monsters sheltering under the Barbatos Familia.
Bell then concluded his story with the last events before he was thrown into this timeline. He recounted the Orariopiad Festival, his journey disguised as a student in the School District, to the final Orariopiad match in the Dragon Valley where he had to face Leon Vardenburg, which ultimately led to the rift dragging him to this timeline.
The church courtyard fell silent again for a moment after the long story concluded.
Alfia sat in silence, her eyes looking at Bell with an expression as calm and cold as usual. However, deep in her heart, an incredibly immense feeling of pride was swelling.
In her mind, she summarized the record of her nephew's achievements: Reaching Level 2 in 1.5 months. Reaching Level 3 in the following 1 month. Breaking through Level 4 in just 2 months. And reaching Level 5 in 2.5 months.
That achievement was absolutely insane. Even by the genius standards of the Zeus and Hera Familias in their golden age, Bell's growth was an anomaly that defied all laws of nature and common sense.
However, behind that pride, Alfia's sharp instincts caught a major discrepancy. Growth that fast couldn't possibly come from pure talent or hard work alone. There must be something triggering it—a special Skill or a rare catalyst carved within the youth's Falna.
Alfia looked at Bell's face. It was clear that this nephew of hers was completely unaware of what exactly made him grow so fast. The innocence in Bell's eyes was not an act. Besides, Alfia could already judge from the afternoon training session: this white-haired youth was a terrible liar. If he was hiding something, Alfia would surely be able to read it in the first second.
I see, Alfia concluded internally.
There was only one logical explanation. Goddess Hestia, who bestowed the Falna upon Bell, deliberately hid the existence of that trigger Skill from its own owner.
In the city of Orario, where gods possessed the absolute ability to detect lies from humans, a secret was something incredibly expensive. If Bell knew the secret of his growth, one day he might be interrogated by another god, and any lie he uttered would be instantly exposed. However, if Bell truly didn't know, then there was no lie that could be detected.
A very brilliant protection strategy from a goddess who seemed careless.
And what Alfia didn't know was that Hestia hid Bell's Skill because she was jealous and didn't want Bell to know that it was his love for Ais that made him this strong.
"Your goddess did her job well enough to protect you," Alfia murmured softly, as if speaking to herself, before finally standing up from her chair.
Night had fully descended, blanketing Orario. Alfia smoothed her dress, then looked at Bell with a sharp gaze that made the youth straighten his back again.
"You possess a terrifying potential, Bell Cranel. Unfortunately, your technique is still a mess and doesn't meet my standards," Alfia stated in an absolute tone. "Starting tomorrow morning and onwards, we will begin destroying all your weaknesses from the roots. I will not let a future hero swing a sword like a beginner in front of me."
Bell swallowed hard, imagining the hellish torture that awaited him when the sun rose tomorrow and beyond. However, watching his aunt's back as she stepped inside the church, he couldn't hold back a small smile. Even though she was strict and intimidating, Bell knew that in this place, in this unfamiliar timeline, he was never alone.
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