Chapter 12: Arriving at Orario. Eina Tulle

Orario. The dungeon city. An area whose entire economy, culture, and governance revolves around the dungeon that lies beneath it.

Home to many gods and goddesses, and to even more adventurers and normal civilians. It is the city that can make dreams of grandeur a reality. A ticket to a life of fame and fortune many desire.

But beneath the shining radiance it portrays, lies a dark murky hidden side, one which most aspiring souls fail to recognize before it's too late.

It is a city that contains much merciful goodwill and just as much cruel avarice.

'And it will be my home for the foreseeable future...'

Standing near the great walls which surround Orario, Bell observed the city from a distance.

It was the city he had longed for ever since he was a child in his past life. The residence of the greatest powers of the current era. The child of the greatest hero and spirit of the wind. The strongest adventurer in the world. The leader of the gods. And so much more.

Bell was filled with immense excitement. Contemplating by his lonesome all that the city truly offered with his knowledge of the story.

'It will take a while...but I'm sure I can do it...raise Orario to be able to take on the black dragon'

This was his primary objective in coming to Orario. Bell no doubt knew he could become stronger as he trained in the dungeon, but no matter how strong he became, he was only one man.

The might of the Zeus and Hera familias wasn't enough to fell the great beast. Not even the sword champion Albert could take down the black dragon, only being able to blind its one eye with the help of his various companions and wife.

'With my knowledge of each character, their history, their abilities, I can assemble a team strong enough to accomplish the last great quest'

Orario had so much more room to grow, and Bell was determined to become the catalyst for it. To usher in a true golden age for the dungeon city.

'That's all well and good...but I have to wait in that long line first...'

Bell stopped his ponderings to observe the line that stretched from the numerous entrances of Orario.

The dungeon city receives numerous visitors daily, and to ensure its safety, extensive background checks are performed in customs to validate each visitor.

Though there are numerous entrances constructed, each gate was filled to the brim with waiting visitors and travelers, with some gates reserved for a special few who are given access to them.

'I had to get kicked off the carriage I rode 'cause I didn't have citizenship...those merchants have some sort of special license to use the fast-pass gates...'

Bell reminisced on the looks the merchants gave when Bell saw the long line ahead of him. They were for some reason happy at his plight, their smugness pissing him off.

'Assholes, what did I ever do to them?'

Thinking of the possible reasons they could've wanted to spite him. Bell began moving forward, to the dreadful wait that he would have to endure.

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'Fucking finally-'

Bell had finally reached his turn to enter the customs check. It has been a long and tedious few hours for the boy. Quite an ironic start for his grand adventure.

Bell and the caravan he rode on arrived at Orario early in the morning, and it was now midday, the sun in the sky not helping with having to wait in line.

'I can only pray for the poor souls who have to continue waiting in this heat'

It wasn't a particularly hot day for Orario, but with enough time, even a comfortable warmth can become annoying.

'Focus Bell. Don't mess this up. I don't want to fail the inspection and go back in line again...'

With his identification ready, Bell soon stepped up to the counter of the border customs inspector.

It was a beast girl with cat-like features. With a head of dark purple hair, and a fair complexion. Bell caught himself staring at the girl.

'This really is the world of danmachi...'

Bell had experienced many magical phenomena up to this point, but his home village mostly consisted of humans like himself, the exceptions being his friend and grandfather, and unknown to him, his aunt as well.

Seeing the twitching cat ears and slender movements of the beast girl's tail, Bell once again realized he was in a fantasy world.

'Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore...'

The customs inspector, sensing Bell staring at her, playfully called out to him.

"I appreciate you being enamored with me traveler, but it would best not to keep the line held up for long nya~"

Breaking out of his stupor, Bell apologized and immediately began preparing himself for inspection.

"O-oh. Sorry about that..."

"It's alright nya~ Now if you could show me your face. Give your age, the origin of birth, and village seal you'll be good to-"

Before the beast girl could finish what she was saying, Bell pulled off the hood he wore to combat the sun's heat while waiting. His bright white hair flowed out, his sky-blue eyes seemed to shimmer in the daylight, the few glistening drops of sweat on his face only highlighting his facial features even more.

"-go..."

The beast girl was enamored at Bell even more than he was to her.

'A hottie!-'

Such was her first thought. The beast girl had encountered many folks of varying appearance over her tenure as a customs inspector, but there was no doubt in her mind that Bell ranked near if not the very top of her list.

'Youthful but mature. Effeminate with a masculine touch. A unique hair and eye color. Rather tall and well-built as well...'

Bell was no doubt her type. In her 19 years of life, this boy was definitely in her strike zone. But before she could admire him any longer, Bell spoke.

"Bell Cranel. 14 years old. I come from Colchis village, and here's my village identification seal"

The beast girl was left dazed at his statement.

'14....14?! This tall and buff and he's 14?!-'

Bell differed greatly from the original Bell in appearance, aside from his eye color, his years of training and bodily reinforcement have matured him quickly.

'Colchis village...that's a farming village north of Orario...a young rural boy coming to the big city...ehe~'

The beast girl began indulging in fantasies of guiding the young farm boy in the ways of a big city like Orario. But Bell cut her off from her Onee-san romance story.

"Is there something wrong with my information?..."

Bell was worried since the customs inspector was silent for a while, but she quickly replied back to his concern.

"T-There's nothing wrong. The magic device didn't detect any falsehood, and your village seal is registered in our record, so you'll be able to enter immediately"

The beast girl began frantically processing Bell's documents, before handing a parchment to him.

"This will give you temporary access to stay within Orario, if you want to extend your stay or apply for citizenship you'll have to head towards the customs office..."

The beast girl was reluctant to have her interaction end with such a handsome young man, but she had a job to do and bills to pay. She could also just wallow her sorrows in alcohol once she clocked out.

Bell took the parchment from the beast girl's hands, their brief contact flustering her greatly. Seeing the piece of paper, Bell couldn't help but smile widely. He had finally made it.

'It all starts here'

Bell then proceeded to thank the customs inspector, his smile radiating immense charm.

"Thank you, miss! Have a great day!"

Bell then began walking gleefully towards the gates. The beast girl was left stunned as he did.

'And there he goes...I can only hope we can meet again...I'm opening my Dionysus vintage when I get home...'

The beast girl and Bell would never meet again.

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Bell walked down the main street of Orario, gazing in awe at all the buildings he came across. It all looked just as it did from his memories long ago. The architecture, the various street-side shops, and homes, and the bustling crowd of diverse races. It was everything Bell had hoped for.

'Orario...I'm finally in Orario...'

Bell was grinning happily to himself. But though he was extremely happy, he couldn't help but sense the stares he received from some passers-by.

'I keep feeling like I'm being stared at...Is it my hair?... Bell did gather a lot of attention for that...'

Bell chalked it up to his unique hair, but unknown to him, people were staring at everything about him.

Bell didn't really think he was hot. He liked his appearance, but he never really gathered much attention in his home village. He thought such a level of appearance might just be normal for this world.

But it wasn't. The reason why he didn't get much attention for his looks as he grew up was the result of a bout of possessiveness of a certain purple-haired mystery elf. Silently pressuring the village girls from encroaching on her territory.

'I sneezed...is Bell thinking about me?...'

Bell decided to just ignore the stares he was receiving.

'I'll just ignore them. I gotta head somewhere first...'

Bell began utilizing a map of Orario he bought from a street vendor near the gates, he had one destination in mind. The head office of the guild.

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Bell after figuring out his way using the map he bought, finally stood at the entrance of the guild's hall.

It was a large building constructed out of fine brick and marble. Its entrance was covered in banners. A constant busting movement of people coming from the entrance.

'I'll register and apply for citizenship for Orario through the guild. The citizenship fee for an adventurer is higher than that of a normal civilian, but it processes quicker, and I do plan on entering the dungeon'

Bell entered the large building. He could see various conversations, lines, and movements from adventurers and guild staff alike.

The sight of it was surreal to Bell. He was on a constant high of emotions once he had entered the gates of Orario.

'That teller. That must be where magic stones are bought. That should be the commission center. So that...must be the general affair section'

Though this was Bell's first time in the guild, he walked with familiarity. He had gathered this information from Zeus as a way of preparing his grandson to settle in.

'I appreciate grandpa told me this in advance, I would've struggled to figure it out by myself... though he refused to tell me much about the dungeon floors...'

Zeus gave his grandson tons of advice to help him settle into the big city, but he refused to give Bell information about the dungeon.

'I may have some knowledge of the dungeon's structure, but the story didn't go into detail about the routes and strategies used when diving into it...maybe he wants me to experience it for myself?... Grandpa always did seem adamant for me to not rely too much on my memories...'

Bell couldn't figure out the intention of Zeus by depriving him of this information. He wanted him to be safe but didn't give vital information that could save his life.

'Even after living with him for 14 years, I still can't seem to get a complete grasp on his plans...I guess that should be expected of a god who lead his familia for a thousand years...his experience of planning and strategizing would no doubt leave tons of people confused'

Bell simply trusted that his grandfather knew what he was doing. Zeus was always portrayed as working on something big in the background in whatever brief appearances he had.

'I guess I'll just pay the extra fee to hire an advisor...someone like Eina hopefully...'

The guild offers guidance for new adventurers through the advisor system. For a fee, an adventurer could utilize the resources and experience of the guild and their staff when starting out.

Bell decided to take this route to round out his already existing knowledge of the dungeon.

With that decided, Bell once again entered a line. He was already tired of such a wait, but he was able to endure it by pondering his future plans.

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'Who would've thought?-'

Bell, now finally at the front of the line, stood before the teller, only to come face to face with a half-elf he was all too familiar with.

'I did say I hoped for a dungeon advisor like Eina...did someone mess with my luck for the day?'

Bell couldn't help but be suspicious of this fateful encounter. Perhaps it was some sort of destiny for Bell Cranel to always encounter Eina Tulle, half-elf guild employee, and daughter to Aina Tulle, former chamberlain of Loki familia executive Riveria.

"Good morning and welcome, what would be the purpose of your visit today sir?"

Eina promptly greeted Bell once he had stood next to the teller counter.

She was not familiar with his face, his appearance certainly stood out from all the adventurers she had seen, so she had a rough of idea how this interaction would play out.

"O-Oh. Uh. Hello, my name is Bell Cranel, and I'm looking to apply here as an adventurer"

'As I guessed, he is new here. He seems composed but he radiates an aura of wonder...normal in new adventurers...'

Eina Tulle was secretly saddened at seeing how Bell acted. She was all too familiar with aspiring adventurers coming in with wonder in their eyes, only to come out of the whole ordeal of adventuring the deceased.

Though she was heavily affected, she didn't let it hinder her performance at work. She has long resolved to continue doing her best for the adventurers she was assigned with.

Still maintaining her professional smile, Eina replied to Bell.

"Understood, if you could please head towards that table over there, I'll soon head out to assist in your registration"

Eina pointed her hand to a nearby table for discussion. The procedure for registration was a lengthy one and required a guild staff to walk a new adventurer through the whole process.

Bell quickly complied and began walking to the table.

Eina got off the teller counter and signaled for a replacement to take over for her.

A short human girl with pink hair soon came walking to the counter to fill in for Eina. Misha Flott, a long-time friend of Eina, and her co-worker in the guild.

"Don't worry Eina, I can cover for you"

Misha told to Eina in familiarity. The 2 would often fill in for each other when needed.

"Thanks, Misha..."

Eina replied to her with a friendly smile, but Misha knew her well. Both she and Eina suffered together when losing their assigned adventurers, she knew Eina was saddened every time she had to go through the registration process.

"Y'know I can handle the registration in your place Eina, you don't have to push yourself..."

Misha was also affected the same as Eina. But where she has accepted the high mortality rate of adventuring as an occupation, Eina kept giving it her all to every assigned adventurer she had.

No matter how many of them fell, she would dedicate to each one the same amount of effort to ensure their safety.

"It's alright Misha, if I run away now, I can never face them again..."

Eina refused to stop what she did. For the sake of her fallen adventurers, for the sake of her friend Maris Hackard...

Finding strength once again, Eina then left the counter with the confidence expected of a guild employee, Misha only watching in sadness at the futile battle her friend was going through.

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"Alright, with those papers done, we can move on to the next set of documents..."

"ugh..."

The sun was now setting over the skies of Orario. Bell and Eina could be seen talking together in the guild hall, both sitting at a table filled with stacks of paper and legal contracts.

"I didn't expect registration to take this long..."

Seeing the tired expression of Bell who had been signing documents for an entire afternoon, Eina could only sigh in understanding.

"Well there are many things the guild needs to keep track of and to avail all the services of the guild, you would need to enter into a legal agreement for each one, otherwise every complaint we receive might be a potential lawsuit..."

Knowing how much adventurers complained to the guild over the smallest of issues, Eina could only be glad that the predecessors of the guild have taken such extensive measures to protect itself from such things.

"Agreement after agreement. Even some contracts for insurance..."

"The guild does provide emergency treatment near the dungeon after all...along with post-mortem treatment..."

Bell was silent after hearing what Eina said. A concerning amount of corpses come out of the dungeon daily. The services needed to investigate and secure the body, and the processes of what to do after its retrieval...

These services provided by the guild are what keep Orario from becoming a graveyard of countless corpses.

"I appreciate services like these you know? It really goes to show the effort the guild places. Most other governments would just treat it as a natural consequence and do nothing"

Bell smiled kindly. Though the process was a hassle, he knew these services went above and beyond what the guild was required to do.

Ouranos wasn't a perfect leader, but he did care for the people of Orario greatly.

Seeing such a mature response from Bell, Eina couldn't help but be surprised.

"Most would not talk about this stuff when registering...you're really mature for your age Mister Cranel"

Eina was glad that Bell was more sensible than most other adventurers who simply wished to dive in immediately in search of fame and wealth.

"My grandpa taught me to appreciate the little things in life. Especially the small acts of kindness that are never brought to light"

"You're grandfather must be a really kind man to have raised you like that"

"Yeah, he was"

The 2 smiled softly at the conversation they were having. This didn't go outside the notice of the adventurers and the guild staff.

Eina and Bell were both naturally attractive, so they gathered lots of attention from the passer-by in the guild.

'Oho?~ I can sense the coming of spring for my dear half-ef~'

Eina, in her 21 years of life, has yet to experience her own romance.

She has been constantly approached with confessions of love and interest, but she has always turned each of them down. Saying her suitors didn't match her preference.

Misha was eager to see her reserved friend experience the throes of heated passion, and would constantly tease the girl at every chance she got.

'Looks like I'll dig the details of that boy out of her once she's done. That hottie has a good chance'

Aside from Misha, there were numerous others who had their own observations.

Passing adventurers who were fuming with jealousy at the pleasant atmosphere Bell shared with Eina.

The guild staff who were curious about the handsome boy that had registered.

And a certain red-haired wolf girl who looked upon the 2 with her constant serious expression, but was saddened at the potential grief it might cause the half-elf.

Moving back to Bell and Eina.

"Done. Now, all that's left is the registrations themselves, there are multiple types of adventurer identification you can receive"

There were different classifications of adventurers one would be able to apply for. All with varying degrees of fees and associated benefits.

"But I'll just put you up for Class-II registration"

Class-II adventurer registration would refer to an adventurer in a familia. Though there are many adventurers who register without having a familia, the guild would be able to put the registration on hold until they are able to enter one.

"The guild will give you 1 month to find a familia. If you wish to extend it, it will require the payment of a fee. If you fail to do so, the registration will be considered null and void, and you will have to wait another month before applying again..."

Eina began listing out the procedures and steps necessary for Class-II registration, but Bell cut her off.

"Miss Eina, I would like to register for Class-I"

"?!-"

Eina didn't expect such a thing to be said by Bell. Class-I adventurer registration, a classification made for adventurers who wished to explore the dungeon without the assistance of falna or a familia.

It came with decreased fees when exchanging magic stones with the guild, but came with a restriction on which floors they could enter.

It was a classification created during the days when the gods had just descended. In those times, adventurers with falna were still new and in the minority in the profession.

Times have since changed, but the classification still remained for special scenarios the guild would encounter.

Hearing the unreasonable request of the adventurer she thought was sensible, her personality quickly shifted from the kind receptionist that enamored many, to the strict instructor which brought fear to many adventurers in Orario.

"What did you just say?!"

Hearing Eina raise her voice, many people in the background recognized what was about to befall Bell. Many of them give condolences to the poor new adventurer.

Misha on the other hand sighed as she saw her friend.

" *sigh* and here I thought this time would be different..."

She could only pray that the white-haired boy would be able to put up with her friend.

"Class-I?! You plan on going to the dungeon without a familia?! WITHOUT FALNA?!-"

"M-Miss Eina you're raising your voice too much-"

Bell quickly requested the half-elf to lower her voice. He knew full well what kind of response his request might bring, especially with Eina.

"How else do you want to me react?! An adventurer without falna may very well be the same as going in their weaponless-"

"I mean... it's not like I'm the only Class-I adventurer, Miss Eina..."

What Bell said was true. There were many adventurers in Orario with Class-I registration, but the majority of them consisted of individuals who failed to enter a familia and needed to earn money quickly.

"Just because there are more idiots around, it doesn't make your decision any less idiotic! It only adds 1 more idiot to the crowd!-"

"ack-"

Harsh but fair. That was what made Eina so feared as an advisor.

"I appreciate your concern Miss Eina...but this is what I plan on doing"

Hearing the resolve in Bell's voice, Eina still refused to just accept him walking to hell of his own volition. She wasn't going to let him die without a fight.

"Can you please tell me why you would even consider that Mister Cranel? You're quite handsome, so even if you aren't talented, I'm sure the guild can introduce you to a god or goddess willing to accept you"

There were generally 2 distinguishing characteristics gods and goddesses consider when making their familia.

They either look at a child's potential, hoping they will be able to grow strong and raise their familia.

Or they look at a child's beauty, wishing to form a bond with mortals pleasing to their eyes.

Though there exist situations that don't fall into either of these 2 categories, for the majority, this is what decides a request to enter a familia.

"Even discounting your appearance, there are plenty of roaming gods and goddesses in Orario who are looking for children to join their familia"

The guild keeps a record of all the gods who have descended and keeps a list of recruiting gods in order to help new registrants start out. These services are what caused Class-I registration to become so rare.

Even if one was at the bottom of the barrel in all aspects, they would eventually be able to find a familia willing to accept them.

But even though Eina's propositions and arguments were well reasoned, Bell still refused, looking towards the half-elf with conviction she would never expect from a newbie adventurer.

"Again, thank you for the concern, Miss Eina. I appreciate that you would go so far for someone you've just met...however...I know full well what lies ahead of me. I won't back down from this"

Eina faltered seeing Bell. He exuded the radiance she had only seen in high-class adventurers she had met during her work.

She couldn't explain why. All of her experience was telling her that this was wrong. But Bell was somehow able to convince her with the natural air he exuded.

"....fine. I'll accept your request for Class-I registration..."

Seeing that he was able to convince the stubborn half-elf, Bell wanted to thank her for conceding, but Eina cut him off.

"However!- I'll only accept on the condition you hire me as your advisor. No one else"

"I can pay for the service fee for now, and you can just pay me back over time"

This was how far Eina was committed to keeping adventurers safe. Even if it came at her own expense, she was willing to do so if it meant their safety.

"I'm not handling any adventurers at the moment, and since the guild scales the fee depending on how many adventurers an advisor has, it won't cost much so there's no need to worry about-"

But before Eina could continue laying out reasons to have Bell accept her as his advisor, Bell immediately cut her off.

"I accept! I accept you as my advisor Miss Eina!"

"Eh?-"

At Bell's quick acceptance, numerous things occurred at once.

Eina was left stunned, this was the first time anyone had been so quick to take up her teaching.

Some nearby adventurers tripped at hearing Bell accept the feared Eina so quickly.

Misha coughed in surprise but was also smiling mischievously at the situation.

And Rose Fannett twitched in surprise, a small gesture, but to the always serious-faced wolf girl, it was a lot.

Eina was confused but came back to her senses. She suspected Bell might've been eager cause he was attracted to her, so she immediately prepared to let him down gently.

"Mister Cranel, Im not-"

But Bell had cut her off once again.

"Stuff like dungeon layout, pathing, and strategy. Composition and monster information. You'll be able to teach me that right?!"

Eina had assumed wrong about Bell. He was actually interested in her teachings about adventuring and the dungeon. She was left stunned again, this was another first for her.

"U-Uh y-yeah. Those will be subjects I'll teach as your advisor..."

Bell was quick on the uptake.

"Alright Miss Eina! We just need to finish a few documents and pay the advisor's fee right?"

Excitement was radiating out of Bell at full force. Eina didn't know what to do and simply rode on the waves of the conversation.

"Yeah...just sign here and here..."

Eina went back to discussing the documents and procedures with Bell. But her eyes kept going back to the boy in front of her.

'He seems so excited...normally new adventurers are hesitant or too arrogant to take on an advisor...but he genuinely is interested. I can't sense any falsehood in him...'

Eina was experienced at reading people, she handled a lot of troublesome adventurers. She was naturally adept at pulling the reins in on such individuals, but Bell was the first time she experienced no trouble in handling whatsoever.

'Honest and excited...serious but...cute as well...Mister Cranel is kind of like...a cute white dog...'

Different from the image of an innocent rabbit the original reserved Bell showed, the new Bell was true to himself and excited at everything around him, like an excited dog.

Eina had a natural disliking towards self-reliant and capable individuals, she tended to prefer those she could care for and help grow with her own ability.

Perhaps it was her experience caring for her sickly mother, or her beloved little sister. But Eina tended lean in such a way.

Seeing Bell so eager to receive her instruction, Eina unknowingly began smiling at the future of herself and this greenhorn adventurer.

'I feel...this time's going to be different...I'll make sure of it!-'

The tense atmosphere from before has dissipated, returning to the warm and gentle atmosphere it once was.

The onlookers couldn't help but be shocked at what Bell had achieved.

The adventurers who adored Eina cursed and praised Bell for bringing out a side of her they never saw before.

Misha's grin radiated a nauseating amount of mischievousness, but she silently hoped Eina would be able to heal from her past with this new adventurer.

Rose Fannett, jaded as she was, simply went back to her work. But deep in her mind, in a place she wasn't aware of, she prayed that these 2 would be able to achieve what she couldn't.

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The day had faded into the night when the processing of documents and fees had finished.

The guild hall became less crowded, as most adventurers tended to have their dealings with the guild during the day.

The guild staff began switching with those of the night shift. The city of Orario never rested, and though it wasn't as prominent, adventurers who delved into the dungeon at night were still a thing.

There were some hiccups in Bell's adventurer registration, but Eina stayed by him through the process, though she was long overdue to clock out.

But eventually, it was finished, and Eina was seeing Bell off just outside the guild hall's entrance.

"Thank you so much, Miss Eina!"

Bell knew that Eina was staying late for his sake. He was aware that Eina went above and beyond what was expected of her, but it didn't make it less touching for him to see it in real life.

"Don't mention it Mister Cranel. I'll be advising you now so it's the least I can do"

Eina wasn't honestly troubled by Bell, she had experienced this many times before, so she simply replied with a genuine smile. Though she would have to make it up to her friend Misha for making her wait.

Bell knew Eina was the type to see this as only natural, so he decided not to push it. Though he had one thing he wanted to fix.

"You're very kind Miss Eina, but can you not call me 'Mister Cranel'? It seems very awkward"

Bell chuckled, he hasn't gotten used to being referred to as Bell, but never as Cranel. The name seemed so foreign to him.

"Hm...I guess we will be working together now, so it would be best to get familiar...I'll refer to you as Bell then. But I can't allow you to refer to me casually, we still have to maintain some level of decorum after all hehe"

Seeing the brunette half-elf chuckle to herself beneath the night sky. Bell couldn't help but be mesmerized by her beauty.

'The original Bell really is an idiot...how could he have not noticed Eina's feelings for him...'

Bell couldn't call himself an expert in love. He had gotten his own heart played around just earlier that day.

But the lengths Eina went to for Bell in the story...even taking her out on a date...not even this Bell would miss the signs.

'At least I hope so...'

Bell began doubting his ability to gauge romantic feelings after fumbling and assuming Medea had fallen for him. But he would try his best to not be so dense.

'If I ever encounter someone who would fall for me...I won't accept them right away...I have to be strong enough first...'

Though Bell doubted his ability to attract others, he didn't doubt he would someday fall for someone.

He didn't decide much on a course of action if he did catch feelings, only that he would focus on getting stronger first.

'Wouldnt want my crush to be some damsel in distress...'

Seeing the pondering look Bell had on his face, Eina called out to him to bring him back to reality.

"Bell? It's not nice to zone out when talking to someone you know?"

Hearing his name, Bell snapped out of his concentration and apologized to Eina.

"S-sorry about that Miss Eina. It's a habit haha..."

Seeing Bell's embarrassment, Eina couldn't help but internally comment on it.

'How adorable'

Eina's protective instincts were now running full-time for Bell.

Knowing that her adventurer needed to find an inn to stay at and food to eat, since it was his first time in Orario, Eina gave him some recommendations before extending out her hand.

"I look forward to working with you Bell"

Seeing the gesture, Bell promptly returned it.

"I look forward to working with you too Miss Eina"

Thus on the night of his arrival at Orario, Bell formed a connection with a figure who will help him throughout his journey. One who would stick by him through hell and back.

But that was beyond the knowledge of them both at this moment, as they stand covered by a hopeful starry sky.

Authors Note:

Eina has been introduced. Explanations for why Bell is not going to accept Falna and enter a familia right away will be in the next chapter, though I did explain my ideas in reply to a comment.

Thank you for reading and I hope you continue looking forward to my work!