Chapter 58: A Violent Reunion

After exploring and studying the layout of the dungeon safe zone Rivira, Bell's party ascended back up to the surface before parting ways as the day waned to the dark star-covered night.

But though they separated, they didn't all go on their own different paths. Lili traveled to the ruins district to rest after all the fighting she took part in, but it was another story for Welf and Bell.

"..."

"..."

Walking down the streets of Orario silently by each other's side, the white and red-haired adventurers struggled to find anything to talk about… especially after Bell had opened up to Welf about his relationship with his goddess.

'I figured it would be best to resolve everything before things unraveled by themselves, but I'm slowly regretting it now…'

Following his resolve to not hide as many secrets as he did in the past, barring some of the more dangerous secrets such as his grandfather's identity, Bell revealed to Welf his current relationship with Hephaestus, one spurred by intense emotions with little care for time.

'Why do I have to fall in love with goddesses who take care of other mortals like their children? It was bad enough having to endure being the Freya familia's technical step-father…'

Bell was having difficulty accepting how his love with the smithing goddess affected his standing, and it would seem that Welf was similarly struggling to process it as well. In large part due to the fact that he was older than Bell.

'Everyone wishes they can date and love a milf until they realize that she comes with additional people to think of…'

But just as he was about to reformulate his entire view on a tag of a specific adult website, Welf began to gather all his courage to break the tense silence that separated them both. Dragging him to a secluded street corner, the young blacksmith began to end this painful charade.

"Bell! You love Lady Hephaestus, correct?"

"Huh? Uh- Yeah!"

Taken by surprise by Welf's forwardness, and realizing that he wanted to get the painful stuff over with, Bell began to energetically reply to Welf's spirited questions.

"Good! But this doesn't change anything alright?! I've heard what happened with the Freya familia! It doesn't need to be applied elsewhere!"

"I agree! I completely agree!"

The two men's chests began to tighten in pain as the cringe of each word they spoke began to wear them down like a malicious curse.

But they were close to the end. Just a few more clarifications before they attain the light that lay at the end of the tunnel.

"Alright! You're not my stepfather! You're not going to change my familia just because you love my goddess!"

"Of course! I don't want to change anything because of me! Just think of me as a familia friend!"

"Yes! It's best this way! No fuss!"

"I agree! I agree!"

"..."

"..."

Perhaps it was fate, or some twisted destiny forged by a malevolent god who only wished to see them suffer. But in their efforts to avoid the dreaded step-father and step-son dynamic, they had perfectly re-enacted one of the most iconic conversations between a mother's child and their new partner.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! YOU'RE YOUNGER THAN ME! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO POSSIBLY ACCEPT THAT?!"

Just like his fiery red hair, Welf exploded into a burst of flustered emotions as his mind began to fail upon remembering that his goddess' lover was the young youth in front of him.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! IT'S HARDER FOR ME YOU KNOW?! DO YOU KNOW HOW PAINFUL IT IS TO ACT FATHERLY TO OTTAR OF ALL PEOPLE?!"

Following his example, Bell began breaking out in his own embarrassed tirade. In his dream of having a harem, he didn't take into account the possibility of his lovers being parents.

In a secluded street corner of Orario, Bell, and Welf writhed in emotional torment as they lamented their complicated dynamic brought about by a single unaware goddess of the forge.

But as with all things, they soon healed with time, and picking their forever changing selves up, the pair began to resume their walk to their shared destination.

A storied and well-equipped forge that produced many famed weapons in the history of Orario. The personal forge of the goddess of smithing.

It will become the location which Bell decided to be the location for his next major project, the forging of a new type of weapon between himself, Welf, and Hephaestus.

…

..

.

"So you arranged this arrangement when you reconnected with Lady Hephaestus yesterday at our familia's shop in Babel?"

"Yeah. I have to get these weapons ready before the end of the week… sorry if I'm burdening you too much, Welf?"

"Ha! What are you saying? After hearing all the stuff you cooked up in the Kaios, I would wake up in the middle of the night to forge with you!"

Bantering with each other as they neared Hephaestus' personal forge located deep within the goddess' familia home, Bell and Welf were able to mostly forget about the painful truth that they both wished to ignore for all time.

Soon, they arrived at a lone stone building within the lands of the Hephaestus familia, the two young men stopped talking as their minds began to focus on the grand wooden entrance that separated the outside world from the goddess' workshop.

The two felt drops of sweat begin to pour down the outlines of their faces, not out of nervousness for approaching the workplace of a divine artisan, but out of the dread that they had been trying their best to not pay any attention to.

"Like we did earlier, Welf. Let's quickly get it over with…"

"Yeah… quick and easy… reduce the pain felt as much as possible…"

Grasping at the handles of the wooden entrance, Welf quickly opened up Hephaestus' workshop to the outside world.

Within its walls, the goddess could be seen nervously walking about with a flushed face before suddenly stopping in her tracks upon the sudden opening of her workshop's doors.

Her eyes widened as if she were a deer in headlights, but gathering all her courage, she began to release the elephant in the room.

Like a mother nervously trying to introduce her new boyfriend to her young child, Hephaestus began to awkwardly explain the situation to Welf, to which the red-haired youth only had one thing to reply with.

"... I know that Bell is important to you. Lady Hephaestus… and so long… as he makes you happy… URGH-... I-I a-am h-happy t-too…"

Reassuring his goddess that Bell had his approval with a wry smile, Hephaestus began to be overjoyed that her children accepted her new relationship, whilst Bell heaved with pain as he rested his weight upon a wooden pillar. His body, agonizing with cringe.

"No more goddesses with familia… no more goddesses with familia… no more goddesses with familias…"

Promising to not make himself the technical stepfather of any other group of people older than himself, Bell drew another line in the sand as to who he personally allowed himself to pursue romantically.

…

..

.

"Why are you wearing an eyepatch, Bell? You didn't seem to have any trouble seeing when we were in the dungeon together"

"... Just trust me on this, Welf"

"... Yeah, trust Bell on this one, my child"

The three talked with one another as they prepared the forges for the inevitable forging that will take place with the use of its flames.

After the preparation of the forge had been completed, the idle chatter among the three came to a halt as the conversation began to steer in a different direction.

"So, what kind of weapon did you have in mind?"

Upon resolving the tension about their relationship, Hephaestus began to question Bell as to why he had gathered herself and her child to assist him in forging a weapon.

"After hearing your stories in the Kaios, I assumed you would be plenty capable by yourself? Also, are you sure you don't want Tsubaki helping as well?"

The goddess couldn't make sense as to why he was acting the way he was. Questions that Welf similarly held in his mind as he sat on one of the workshop's benches.

Hearing her questions and setting down a bag of his belongings on a table, Bell began to face both Welf and Hephaestus with a determined gaze as he explained to them both what he planned to do.

"I invited you two because you both have specific skills that I need for the fruition of this project of mine. The development of a new classification of weapon, or rather, a revamping of a rather outdated and unused classification of weapon"

Listening to his words, the goddess and young blacksmith began to feel their artisan souls begin to stir at the allure of Bell's words. New weapon? Revamping? Such terms were hardly used in their field, and whenever they were… they would undoubtedly send ripples throughout the world.

"Hey now, Bell. You're playing with fire you know? Things might turn violent if you disappoint an excited blacksmith"

Wearing a wild smile on his face, Welf began to feel his spirit blood begin to boil upon imagining what the elusive hero had inside his mind.

Hephaestus also expressed a similar expression herself as her hands began to itch for her personal hammer.

"He's right, Bell. I descended into the lower world to find someone who could surpass my knowledge of smithing. Be careful what you say next"

Seeing the two begin to be set ablaze, the white-haired youth could only cockily smile as he was reminded that he has some of the best blacksmiths willing to realize his radical idea.

"Trust me, I never fail to uphold my promises… and I need this project to be kept a secret, so you can understand why I don't want someone like Tsubaki to help us right now. She's rather infamous in Orario for incessantly talking about the weapons she's proud of. No matter the time or occasion"

Opening the bag of his belongings, Bell began to set a variety of materials across the table. Materials that will be used in the creation of his new weapon. A spirit weapon.

Seeing the materials being spread across the table, Welf and Hephaestus immediately recognized what they all were.

"Salamander wool, Undine cloth, Gnome toga, Tonitrus Mohair, Luz leather, Shade silk…"

"They're materials blessed by spirits…"

In the world of Danmachi, lesser elemental spirits are able to bless a variety of materials that come forth from the dungeon.

The result of these blessings would be a new form of material that gained resistance to the blessing spirit's respective elements.

Salamander wool gave its wearer resistance to heat and burning. Undine cloth gave its wearer increased movability in water. Gnome toga gave its wearer increased resistance to blunt damage. Along with a myriad of other effects.

In the story, various cloaks of the said materials were commonly used by the main characters in the various dungeon dives.

And in one climactic battle in Sword Oratoria, they were even fashioned all together in the form of a flag that acted as an Omni-elemental-magic-resistant barrier. The spirit flag.

Bell wanted to bring about the spirit flag's inception earlier than planned, but there was one more hidden feature of spirit materials that only a reader like himself knew about. Their increased effectiveness against demi-spirits.

'Anything whose origin is traced to the original spirits is super effective against demi-spirits. Such as Ais' wind magic that tore through the demi-spirits the Loki familia encountered in Sword Oratoria or Eos' light which repelled the Behemoths in the Kaios'

'The demi-spirits are already quite the overpowered foe to deal with, often requiring the entirety of Loki's forces to subjugate a single one… so I want to level the playing field a bit… make things fairer, and by fairer, I mean easier for me~'

Bell promised himself to raise Orario to become a force capable of repelling any threat, so he would now prepare to make the dungeon city an Anti-Demi Spirit population.

"We will be using these spirit-blessed materials to forge a weapon I will name 'spirit weapons'. Specifically, we will be forging a spear and a rapier. Hephaestus will be in charge of the spear, and Welf will be in charge of the rapier. Meanwhile, I will assist both of you. Got it?"

Hearing his words and feeling the confidence he had in the concept's success, Welf and Hephaestus were more than eager to begin working, but the red-haired blacksmith had one last thing to ask.

"I can sort of guess what you plan on making us do… but all the known spirit-blessed materials are all just clothes. What will we use to create the blades?"

Receiving Welf's question, Bell smiled as he took out the last material that he had packed in his bag. A heavy load that weighed it down heavily.

? ? ? ?

A stack of ingots began to be placed atop the table, a pile of materials that drew in Welf and Hephaestus' eyes greatly.

The ingots were constantly glowing with an ethereal aura that drew in all eyes that laid upon it. It was as if the bright light of the sun were imbued within the metal.

Welf's spirit blood began to boil even further. A weird sense of recognition began to flood his mind, greatly confusing him.

Unknown to him, the blood of the spirit Urus, which ran through the lineage of Crozzo, was greeting the aura of a spirit he had known long ago.

"How?"

Similarly confused to Welf, Hephaestus grew shocked upon recognizing the identity of the material Bell had procured.

Where most spirit-blessed materials were imbued with the powers of lesser spirits, the ingots that she looked upon were blessed by a more powerful existence, the power of a great spirit.

Seeing the two blacksmiths left with no words, the white-haired youth smiled maniacally at how absurd the end product of this project might be.

'The spirit flag which was composed of lesser-spirits' blessings, was able to repel the attacks of the most vicious demi-spirits… so I wonder… just how effective these ingots blessed by Eos at the peak of daylight will be in comparison?'

Bell was a hero at heart, wishing nothing more than for the well-being and prosperity of most people, but for the antagonist of the story who he played with like a toy, he only had one thing to say.

'Get fucked Enyo'

…

..

.

??????....

An ominous sound filled the interior of the goddess Hephaestus' workshop as her personal crucible began to be set ablaze with an immense heat produced from devices fueled by magic stones.

The apparatus which smelted tons of precious metals began to be fed a metal that it had never processed before in its long history of use by the goddess. Ingots blessed with the power of a great spirit.

As she put the ingots of spirit-blessed metal into the crucible, Welf and Bell watched in anticipation of how the material would react to being heated.

A magnificent glow of gold began to pour out from the crucible as the spirit's blessing began to react with the immense heat.

Welf wasn't sure if such a phenomenon was a good thing, but under Bell's structural analysis, and the divine eyes of Hephaestus, the two knew that the ingots were beginning to be smelted into liquid. The first process needed to be performed for them to begin their work.

"Looks like the ingots have begun to smelt, so let's talk about the form factor you want these weapons of yours to be, Bell"

Turning her attention away from the crucible, Hephaestus began to talk to Bell in a professional tone that didn't seem reminiscent of her earlier behavior.

With her forge set alight, and her crucible heated, the goddess of smithing no longer heeded the emotions of her heart. So long as she was forging a weapon, no other matters would delude her mind, especially for a project that interested her greatly.

Hearing her question, and seeing Welf's eyes echoing his goddess' words, Bell began to show exactly just what he had in mind when he proposed this project.

『Trace on』

Sparks of blue bolts began to erupt from his hands as two dull weapons with intricate forms appeared out of thin air.

On his left was a tall and beautiful spear, wrapped with an intricate flag that hung just beneath a sharp and honed edge.

On his right was an ornate rapier that exuded both delicateness and danger with its form. Piercing through any who viewed upon it with its sight alone.

"These are some prototypes of what I had in mind. Of course, these aren't going to be the final products, I want your input on them as well"

"..."

"..."

As Bell spoke, Welf and Hephaestus were quiet as they observed in close detail the absurdity that had just unfolded before their eyes.

"Is this your power, Bell?"

Welf spoke with hesitation as he struggled to believe that there was magic capable of producing such effects.

The same thoughts ran through Hephaestus' mind but in a more intense manner as she could recognize vaguely what processes had been taken in the few moments Bell had activated his powers.

"You didn't just simply make a weapon out of mind… you forged it near instantly…"

The pair grew curious as to how Bell's powers worked. They had heard stories of how he manifested weapons out of thin air, but to see it in person was a wholly different experience than through the words of bards and wandering storytellers.

"Hey, Lady Hephaestus… if Bell can manifest weapons out of thin air… or forge them out of thin air, however he does that… doesn't that mean he could put every blacksmith in the world out of business?"

Observing the weapons the white-haired youth had projected, Welf began to feel nervous as he saw how intricately they were made.

If Bell could produce such high-quality prototypes in less than a second, what use would the world have for blacksmiths? Bar the few expert artisans who stood at the top of the world of smithing.

However, to dissuade their fears, Bell quickly intervened by stating his non-desire to do such things. Explaining his reasons with a simple answer.

"Don't worry, Welf. That would be too much of a hassle, and I'm not in need of money, so don't worry about your job security!"

Seeing the genuine smile on Bell's face as he spared an entire industry from complete bankruptcy due to it being a hassle for him, Welf and Hephaestus felt uneasy as they were reminded just how out of the norm the young man standing in front of them was.

"I'm starting to feel bad for all the background characters in hero stories… because I'm beginning to understand how much of a struggle it is to live with such an abnormal existence…"

"Hey, that's a rude thing to say to the guy who saved you, Welf! Now never mind me being the end to all blacksmithing careers, give me your input on the prototypes I made!"

With a tired sigh from simply accepting such insane words as normal, Welf began to comment on how the rapier prototype Bell had created could be better improved. Specifically, how it could better be improved as a magic sword.

As the red-haired blacksmith gave his thoughts, Hephaestus similarly accepted Bell's absurdity as it was the only thing she could do… but more importantly in her mind was a strange feeling she felt being emanated from the white-haired youth.

"..."

She hadn't noticed it during their last meeting, but the goddess began to sense faint divine auras being emanated deep within his soul.

She wasn't blessed with the divine authority to peer into souls, so she could only infer based on instinct, but from her millions of years of experience being around mortals and gods… Hephaestus noticed that Bell wasn't exuding the same atmosphere as any normal mortal… not even the top adventurers of Orario exuded the same air as he did.

'I'll think about it later, for now, let's focus on making this weapon. It's been a good few decades since I last got a worthwhile project… the last one was… that weapon that the child of Hera requested?'

Moving her questions aside, the goddess began to move forward to give her thoughts on Bell's prototype spear.

(E/D: I will make a prediction. The spear is going to Finn and the Rapier is going to Ais. If I am wrong I will publicly post my toe pics. If not then I will say a personal opinion, refuse to elaborate and then order you for toe pics that I will sell at a handsome price.)

Soon, the three blacksmiths began to immerse themselves deeply in their work. Tempering and hammering the spirit-blessed metal, whilst weaving an intricate fabric with the other spirit-blessed materials.

…

..

.

"HHHhhhaaa… tired… sleepy… want… bed…"

Sprawled out across the stone floor of Hephaestus' workshop, Welf weakly called out what his body desired with what little strength was left within it.

Bell looked upon the exhausted blacksmith with a gentle smile as the goddess Hephaestus moved to open the windows of the workshop.

The rays of the morning sun poured in and filled the interior with its gentle glow as the remnant simmers of the once-burning forge aided in its illumination.

Bell, Welf, and Hephaestus had lost themselves in the making of the spirit weapons that the once-coming night became the soon-arriving morning.

Lifting up the exhausted red-haired blacksmith on his shoulder, Bell prepared to end the session of weapon forging to head back to his familia home.

'I got so immersed in creating the weapons that I forgot to limit myself… I was planning on explaining everything about my love life to Hestia when I came back anyway, so I guess this is fortunate?'

He steeled his spirit for another tough hurdle for himself to overcome, and just as he was about to bid farewell to Hephaestus, the goddess quickly closed the distance between them both before performing a gesture that widened the eyes of the white-haired youth.

???

In an instant, Bell could feel an intense flame begin to reach out toward his reality marble, but just as it was about to make contact, it peeled away from the grasp of his soul.

"I knew it"

Peering into his eyes, Hephaestus donned a calm expression as she confirmed something she had been suspecting for a while.

The goddess had been sensing a divine presence whenever she was around or connected to Bell, and by probing his soul with her divine construct, she was finally able to confirm what she had been speculating.

"You inherited a lot of divine constructs. Some of them I'm quite familiar with, given my occupation as a divine blacksmith… you keep a lot of secrets, don't you Bell?"

Expressing a wry smile at her deduction, Bell could only awkwardly admit that he still had a lot of things to resolve with the people he knew. Far too many for him to deal with in an orderly manner.

From his romances to his relationships, to his origin, and even to his plans for the future, Bell had to hide quite a lot from the people he would consider to trust plenty.

He knew there were some secrets he had to hide at all costs, and he was slowly working his way through the ones he could reveal, but it still gnawed away at his mind.

"Yeah… I guess this is the consequence of my actions. What's a hero without a little secret he keeps hidden, right?"

He laughed away the guilt that afflicted his mind, but instead of being reprimanded or accosted for his seemingly distrustful actions, he was instead met with a gentle cusping of his face by the goddess who currently faced him.

"You are hiding so much… but I can tell that it's all for a good purpose…"

Hephaestus smiled as she consoled the man she had longed for constantly ever since that fateful night when they first met.

In her hands was the person she knew so little about despite hearing so much about him. Someone who had become her lover out of a series of in-the-moment choices.

She didn't know why he fought. She didn't know which familia he resided in. Hell, she didn't even know what he liked to do as a hobby. So little she knew, but she wished to know more.

Why did he save her that night? What beauty did he see in her cursed appearance? Why did she feel an insatiable desire to connect with him when his blue eyes glowed?

How did he grow so strong? How did he manage to seduce so many precious goddesses for himself? How does he seem to be at the center of every storm?

She was no doubt, not the only goddess who desired him with all her heart. Perhaps there were others who loved him far deeper than her.

She was far behind in progress in comparison to his other loves, and she wasn't blessed with beauty or characteristics that drew in admiration from mortals or gods, but she still wished to pursue him with all she had.

"Bell, no one is entitled to demand what you should or shouldn't keep a secret. Those things are only earned with trust… so don't rush to bring everything out into the open… I'm sure the people you treasure will stick by your side regardless of secrets or not"

Hearing the slow and gentle words of Hephaestus, Bell began to realize why her familia had become so prominent.

Her heart was like the steady and precise tempering of metal upon a forge. Neither rushed nor prolonged. A burning yet patient flame.

"I'll be waiting for when you're ready to tell me about yourself, Bell. I've waited millions of years to find someone who could call me beautiful, and two years to meet you once more… What's a couple more weeks or months in comparison, right? Hehe~"

The still quiet morning wind hummed a gentle tune through the still workshop, whose forge's embers had now turned to resting ash.

"Thanks, Hephaestus. I really don't deserve you… or any of the people who love me for that matter…"

"Then become someone who is deserving. I'll consider gifting you my flame by then. I was quite hasty in accepting your love, so I want to at least have something about myself that you have to work for. Hehe~"

"HHhhhaa, I guess that's true"

The two began to become lost in each other's gazes, but their romantic moment was broken by the reminder that they weren't alone in the room.

? ? ? ? ?

Welf, resting upon Bell's shoulders, began to snore upon falling to the sweet temptation of exhaustion-fueled sleep.

Seeing the red-haired blacksmith in such a state, Bell and Hephaestus let out soft laughter as they ended their conversation, wishing to recuperate all the energy they had spent forging.

"I'll drop Welf off at his home before heading back to mine. Have a good rest, Hephaestus"

"Stay safe, Bell… and thank you for looking over Welf"

"... I'm not going to be the stepfather of your familia's children, alright?"

"Hm? Of course, Bell… it's up to my children if they want to see you as their step-father of course. You can't just force a child to view a person as their parent after all~"

"... I'm never going to get used to this"

…

..

.

"I'm home… ????…"

After dropping off Welf at his home. Bell headed back to the abandoned church. His body was far from tired, but his mind was absolutely exhausted.

He wanted to simply catch a few hours of rest, but after sensing that someone was awake inside the church's premises, he felt that he wasn't going to be resting anytime soon.

"Another elephant in the room to clear out. I should start a zoo with how many I've encountered these last few days…"

Dissuading his pain with some humor, he readied himself as best as he could before descending the stairs leading to the abandoned church's basement.

As expected, he was met with the sight of an unamused Hestia awaiting his arrival by the worn-out couch.

Her supple things were crossed and so were her hands beneath her abundant bosom. In addition to all that, her face was scrunched up as best as she could manage.

But try as the hearth goddess might, she simply failed to look imposing in Bell's eyes who had seen horrors that would leave most people in fear of the outside world.

"Oh boy…"

Breaking the silence in the room, Hestia began to put into practice what she had learned in all her observations of families across time in the lower world.

"Where were you last night, Bell Cranel?"

She had pulled out the full-name trick whilst following the archetype of an angry mother whose son had just returned from a late night out.

"Just out with some acquaintances, Hesti. I didn't do anything dangerous"

"Dangerous? I don't care if it was dangerous! You don't just do whatever you want without informing people about it!"

"Ack-"

Hearing the goddess' words which struck deeply at his behavior which led to the mess he was currently trying to fix with so many people, Bell couldn't help but be impressed by the hearth goddess' intuition at times.

"I get that you're strong and not many people can challenge you… but you also have to keep in mind how other people feel about what you do, especially those you care about, Bell"

The hearth goddess' angry expression turned into one of disappointment as she realized she had been letting her child reign free for too long.

She wanted to raise a family. Even if a child appears to be competent, it doesn't mean that they aren't in need of being raised. Far too long had she seen children break down in loneliness due to being perceived as self-sufficient.

"I don't care if you believe you're some lone wolf or lonely hero! No person should be subjected to live by themselves! Life can only be enjoyed to its fullest in the company of treasured family!"

Rising from her seat and approaching her child with a flaming heart of familial love, Hestia would break down whatever wall Bell had erected that separated them since they first met.

"I took responsibility for you when I gave you my blessing, Bell! You're my familia! No matter what, I won't let you walk this world alone!"

With her declaration, Bell's mind began to see the visage of all the people he had connected with in his second life.

His grandfather who hugged him in his home village with all his strength. His aunt and sister who accompanied him as he became accustomed to his new life.

His guild advisor. His local potion maker. His pallum disciple. His queen of the desert. His huntress friends. His hot-headed blacksmith buddy. His goddess companions.

All of them resounded their desire to stick by his side to the bitter end, and all their voices resounded through Hestia's at that moment.

"..."

He could never understand how he was able to live so long in his previous life devoid of bonds between friends and family.

The him now and the him then were undoubtedly the same person in identity… and yet… neither could ever walk in the other's shoes.

"Ok, Hestia. It will take a while… but I'll share with you what I have been hiding…"

It wouldn't be everything, but Bell wanted to at least remedy the walls he had unknowingly constructed around himself.

…

..

.

"What… the… hell…"

(E/D: Everytime my parents see a C on my results: We are Asian, not Caucasian.)

"I know. Take some time to process it, Hesti…"

"WHAT! THE! HELL!"

"A reasonable response…"

Inside the basement of the abandoned church, Hestia began to lose her mind as she finally processed everything Bell had told her.

"You killed a monster capable of consuming and absorbing a god's power?!"

"Yes"

"You also killed a god who was a ringleader of Evilus?!"

"Yep"

"AND YOU'RE DATING ARTEMIS, ATHENA, AND HEPHI ON TOP OF YOUR WIVES YOU MARRIED IN THE KAIOS?!"

"All true"

"AND THERE MAY BE MORE IN THE FUTURE?!"

"Undoubtedly"

In all her dreaming and theorizing of how her first family experience would play out, Hestia never imagined a situation as absurd and insane as Bell's.

Certain details have been abstained from his explanation to her, such as his grandfather's identity, his reincarnation, and the origin of his powers, but everything else was told in great detail to the hearth goddess.

How he plans to save the world from a mysterious threat that looms over it. How his actions have been done to prepare Orario and the world for the coming conflict. How he plans to make her familia the greatest in the world to further his own goals.

Hestia felt her head begin to lighten at the sheer complexity and scale of it all. But she didn't lose her ground just yet. She wanted to at least formulate a response on how to deal with this load of new information.

"..."

But though she tried to think to the best of her ability, no reasonable response came out from all her efforts. Simply a blank blur was all she could come up with.

Seeing her struggling to come up with a reply amidst the silence, Bell sighed as he tried to console his goddess from not being able to react appropriately in the situation.

"It's alright, Hesti. It's a lot to process, and I didn't expect that you would be able to take it all so quickly. All I care about is that you listened and that you now know about it"

Sensing the sincerity in his words, Hestia began to grow frustrated at her inability to care for the first child of her familia.

She began to wonder if it had been any other goddess, would they be able to more effectively raise Bell.

'Artemis would be able to help with his constant fighting. Her fighting ability in the heavens is one of the best. No doubt he would have a lot to gain by being by her side'

'Athena could supply Bell with her endless amounts of knowledge. An intelligent goddess like her would be a great benefit to his goals'

'Hephi would go well with him. Bell's powers are related to weapons… so a goddess who could craft weapons of gods would be extremely beneficial…'

'And Freya, she's the best out of all of them as the goddess of the strongest familia. Wealth? Resources? Knowledge? Strength? Support? Everything could be obtained for Bell if she simply wished for it… so why did Bell pick me out of everyone he met?'

Was it because she was a virgin goddess like Athena and Artemis? Hestia doubted that Bell would be so perverse that he would use that as his motivation.

Was it because he fancied her? Unlikely. He already had a cabal of beauties to choose from. Same as the previous, he wouldn't be so perverse to use that as his motivation.

What could she provide for Bell that no other goddess or mortal could give him? The world bent and molded through his determination, so what value did he see in her?

…

..

.

『Would you be willing to become my family, goddess?』

…

..

.

'Family…'

Hestia had found it, the one thing she didn't lose to anyone else. Her love and desire for family triumphed over any other god or goddess in the heavens.

'I can be a better family for Bell than all of them! So how do I use this? So many of his problems can't just be solved with family…'

The hearth goddess began to divide the mountain of goals and problems her child faced currently and began to sort through them all.

After a few moments, she found one issue of Bell that she could fix with her immense desire for raising a family.

'I can fix my child from being such a gigolo!'

Hestia thought deeply and hard about it and realized that it was simply too abnormal for a single person to desire so many lovers in his life.

She could even sense Bell's tiredness when he talked about the complicated mess of a love life he has to deal with on a regular basis.

But the hearth goddess interpreted his exhaustion as reluctance… and so Hestia began to go down a rabbit hole created by misunderstandings.

'Bell talked about how he was raised by his grandfather and non-related aunt as a child, and how his parents died when he was young…'

'I remember some professional called a psychologist talking about some phenomenon about children and mothers…'

'Oh right! Perhaps Bell's insatiable desire for women is due to a lack of a proper mother in his life!'

Concluding that Bell's desire for a harem was a substitute for deep-rooted mommy issues, Hestia began to solidify her path to help him as his goddess.

'I'll become the mother Bell never had! Hopefully fixing his gigolo tendencies in the process!'

She didn't know how to deal with his current retinue of lovers, but she did know that she had to stop the floodgates before Bell seduced and pursued a concerning amount of women.

'I can't let my child become like that philandering Zeus! Olympus almost fell into war with all the other pantheons with his perverted flirting with every goddess with an abundant chest. I remember how angry the Hindu pantheon got when that pervert tried flirting with Parvati…'

Hestia's first child was one who was quite daunting to raise, but the hearth goddess wouldn't back down due to the sheer scale and difficulty of the task.

For every child that sought her out in pursuit of a desire for family, she would do her utmost to raise them as best as she could.

"Thank you for telling me all about this Bell… I won't comment on some of the things you have done but from now on! I will be by your side to make sure you never lose your way!"

Taking the hands of Bell into her own, Hestia exuded an expression of confidence as she declared her intent to help him out as best as she could.

"Thanks, Hesti, I really appreciate it"

"Of course! You're my familia! That is what family is for!"

Had the white-haired youth known how horribly his goddess interpreted his story, he would've no doubt spent an entire day to make sure she was corrected, but alas such things didn't play out.

As Bell walked around the world and in Orario, setting and manipulating the board in preparation for a conflict of strife and suffering.

But within the walls of the abandoned church, he could simply rest at ease in the company of his family.

Even for the hardened vigilante tempered through war and conflict, he still needed a space where he could ignore all the brutalities he faced, and Hestia provided such a place for him.

In the arms of the hearth goddess, all he could feel was the welcoming embrace of the familial hearth. The heart of the family and home.

…

..

.

"Look it's that trio again… who is that person who keeps accompanying the famous Liliruca Arde and Welf Crozzo into the dungeon?"

"I heard that he's just a newbie level one adventurer of some obscure familia. How did a guy like him become so well-liked by them?"

"I saw him chat happily with the famously strict Eina! It was weird enough to see the cold IgKnight and the distant Crozzo acting all friendly with him… but even the she-devil of the guild is on good terms with the guy!"

"That person is too mysterious… we can't find out anything about him besides that he's a level one adventurer… he's as mysterious as the Gray Ghost"

All around Babel, countless murmurings and whispers began to be traded among the passing adventurers and supporters. All discussing a single person. Bell Cranel.

He was a mysterious white-haired adventurer who had entered the public's consciousness after being seen interacting with some influential people all across Orario.

He was regularly seen partying with the famous Liliruca Arde and Welf Crozzo, two adventurers who were infamous for their talent and being closed off from most people.

He was also frequently spotted exiting the office of the half-elven beauty of the guild, Eina Tulle. A talented worker and advisor who inspired both admiration and fear among adventurers, and corporate big-shots.

If that wasn't enough, there were a few reports of him being seen with a few more other notable people.

The ice-queen beauty and famed item maker of the Hermes familia, Asfi Al Andromeda…

The quiet but charming potion-brewing genius of the Miach familia, Naaza Erisuis…

The desired goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite…

And even the influential goddess of smithing, Hephaestus…

Countless rumors inevitably began to be made about the mysterious new adventurer with countless connections to the influential few of the dungeon city, the center of the world.

Some people said that he was an up-and-coming talent being raised by a prominent familia, but those thoughts were shut down after some observers found out that his goddess and familia were new and poor.

But following that, a more widely accepted idea began to spread around… especially after observers noted that his familia's goddess was a short stack beauty accompanied by the fact that he was quite handsome… Bell Cranel is a gigolo.

An aficionado of the pleasures of the flesh who wriggled his way into the elite of Orario's society. An uncouth and depraved sinner who defiled mortal and divine alike. Even women and men, given the fact that he was able to enrapture Welf Crozzo so effectively.

Many grew disgusted with him despite never once talking to the guy; Many more felt sadness for his unfortunate victims who were being manipulated by the cruel lascivious bastard.

Others envied his position amongst so many desirable people, while a silent few began to grow curious at how effective his services were, wanting to experience it for themselves.

The public discussion could be quite the cruel maker of hearsay, but though the people wished to further bastardize Bell's image in their shared consciousness, such thoughts were put away as something more eye-catching took place around Babel.

"Loki familia! We will soon be beginning to dive into the deep floors of the dungeon!"

Standing proudly atop a wooden stage, Finne Deimne, captain of the Loki familia, began to rally his comrades before their dungeon expedition began.

By his side were the various executives of the familia, all of them being famous adventurers who have carved their names into the history of the dungeon city.

『Nine Hell』Riveria Ljos Alf.『Elgarm』Gareth Landrock.『Vanargand』Bete Loga.『Jormungand』Tione Hiryute.『Amazon』Tiona Hiryute. And most notable of all『Sword Princess』Ais Wallenstein.

Along with the famed executives were the less well-known, but reputed second string which included『Thousand Elf』Lefiya Viridis, the disciple and protege of Riveria, and『High Novice』Raul Nord, the second string's group leader.

With the appearance of the famed Loki familia, the crowd of adventurers around Babel naturally focused on them rather than some weird and mysterious newbie adventurer like Bell.

But the white-haired youth was grateful for the fact as he was on the edge of breaking down from how much of a monster the public had painted him to be after just a few days of gossiping.

Becoming lost in the slowly gathering crowd around the Loki familia, Bell smiled in anticipation of witnessing a key scene in the Danmachi Sword Oratoria storyline. The dungeon expedition where the familia first encounters the demi-spirit in the deep floors.

"Lord Bell, why do we have to watch this? The Loki familia does this every few weeks, so it's not anything special. It's mostly just for PR. Probably because of the pressure from the Freya familia's movement"

Beside Bell, Lili questioned why he was so interested in seeing the familia move out for one of their regular expeditions to gain funds for their operations.

The pallum didn't see them in high regard in comparison to Bell, the Gray Ghost, so her opinion went against the grain quite a bit.

"You won't understand, Lili. It's every book fan's dream to witness their favorite story be adapted in a different medium… especially when it's real"

"Huh? What are you talking about, Lord Bell?"

"Just don't worry about it, Lili. Just keep being cute and cuddly"

"L-Lord Bell!-"

Rubbing the small pallum's soft head of hair, Bell teased his spear knight for his own amusement. For his other companion, however, he could only express concern at his current behavior.

"Can you cut it off with the anxiety, Welf? The sword we made isn't going to be damaged easily. Stop inspecting it like some protective parent"

Bell's eyes fell on Welf who was currently trying his best not to inspect the sword the white–haired youth was currently carrying on his back. The product of collaboration between three extremely skilled blacksmiths.

"I know! But this has got to be the best magic sword I made so far! You can't blame me for being conscious of it!"

Currently, Bell was carrying two quite distinctly clothed cargo. One was the rapier magic sword he had made in collaboration with Welf, and the other was the spear he had made in collaboration with Hephaestus.

They had been completed recently, and he was carrying the master-crafted weapons in order to give them to the two adventurers he wanted to wield them. Finn Deimne and Ais Wallenstein.

'The Loki familia will be the force who will be dealing with the most demi-spirits for now until I manage to get the right personnel for the Hestia familia'

'In order to ensure their success and survival, in case my appearance has changed the story, I will buff them in their capabilities to dispatch demi-spirits'

As of now, the only natural deterrent against demi-spirits the Loki familia possessed was the winds of Ais'『Ariel』.

Simply relying on Ais as a deterrent became a noticeable weakness that Evilus and Enyo exploited to inflict massive losses on Orario as a whole.

'They simply kept chucking Revis to distract Ais whilst the rest of the familia gets picked off. I'll make sure that the tragedies of Sword Oratoria don't play out as planned'

As Bell watched the Loki familia rally themselves for the coming dungeon dive, he began to smile as was about to meet the famous group for the first time since their brief encounter during his fight against the abnormal Goliath years ago.

"I'm looking forward to meeting you all, children of the trickster goddess"

…

..

.

"U-Um, Ais? What's wrong with Tiona?"

"Hm? I'm not sure…"

Traversing down the early floors of the dungeon, the Loki familia walked as a group as they began their descent to the deep floors.

In order to preserve the stamina of their main forces, and to give experience to their newer members, the Loki familia's newbies would lead the front during the first leg of their journey.

Defending the main force from having to expend energy dispatching low-level monsters, whilst cultivating their own excelia to one-day graduating being a novice and joining the second string, hopefully maybe even the main force.

As greenhorn adventurers fought fiercely against the low-level monsters, Ais and Lefiya were casually chatting with one another about the depressive air around one of their comrades, Tiona.

The petite amazoness had always been depressed since news of Gray Ghost's marriage in the Kaios had been announced, but it had taken a turn for the worse starting a few days ago.

Hearing the pair's conversation, Tione began to inform them as to what the cause was, but the truth was something they had already been expecting.

"Tiona is depressed because of the Gray Ghost appearing a few days ago. She's sad she wasn't able to greet him despite being so close. Being star-struck is what Riveria called it"

"Ohhhh…"

"Ohhhh…"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! YOU IDIOT TIONA! YOU WERE ABLE TO MEET YOUR HERO AND YOU BLEW IT!"

Being reminded of her greatest regret in recent memory, the poor amazoness broke down in tears as she relieved her greatest shame.

"I'VE FOUNDED AND LED HIS FAN CLUB FOR TWO YEARS! I ACTUALLY LISTENED TO FINN AND RIVERIA'S BORING LECTURES TO BUILD AN INFORMATION NETWORK TO GATHER NEWS ABOUT THE GRAY GHOST! ALL THIS! AND I STOOD STILL LIKE A STUPID STUNNED WAR SHADOW WHEN HE WAS SO CLOSE TO ME!"

Tiona had constantly been dreaming of meeting the Gray Ghost ever since he began to grow in notoriety in Orario two years ago.

She constantly dove into the dungeon in search of the elusive vigilante. Even tailing low-level adventurers she believed would become his next target for rescue.

But alas, her efforts were for naught, as she didn't even catch a glimpse of the mysterious vigilante. Her only recollection of him was his fight against the abnormal Goliath, where she was also stunned still, unable to do anything.

"IS THIS MY CURSE?! AM I CURSED TO BECOME AS STIFF AS A ROCK WHEN THE GRAY GHOST IS NEAR ME?! WHAT KIND OF TWISTED BASTARD WOULD DO THIS TO ME?!"

(A/N: *cough*)

(E/D: *Looks away*)

Unable to take her twin sister's unsightly sobbing, Tione tried to accost her for her behavior in front of their new members, but the sobbing Tiona only lashed back at her.

"DON'T TRY TO ACT BETTER, TIONE! I KNOW HOW MUCH ALCOHOL YOU DRANK WHEN THAT LILIRUCA ARDE GIRL GOT ANNOUNCED AS LEVEL THREE! YOU'RE WORRIED SHE'LL TAKE THE CAPTAIN AWAY FROM YOU!"

"NO!- I!- YOU!- AGH!- JUST SHUT UP, STUPID SISTER!"

"YOU SHUT UP, STUPID SISTER!"

As tensions began to rise between the two amazonesses as a fight seemed to loom over the corner, the entire familia began to shift their attention to their soon-to-come scuffle.

"O' gracious queen Elvida, give me strength"

Fighting the urge to smack down the two unruly sisters with her staff with a prayer to the greatest high-elf in history, Riviera struggled to keep herself composed as she was busy guiding the new magicians in group combat for expeditions.

"What a bother… Finn, go placate Tione before she makes a mess of things with Tiona…"

Similar to Riveria, Gareth sighed with annoyance as he was busy guiding the new tankers and front-line fighters of the familia. Meanwhile, Finn could only let out a wry smile as he himself is too busy managing all the operations ongoing in the expedition group.

"Too busy right now, Gareth. I'm sure Lefiya will be able to handle it. Those two sisters manage to calm down when she gets caught in the crossfire…"

Separate from the three, a group of nervous supporters grew scared at the immense bloodlust being emanated by both Tione and Tiona, but luckily for them, Bete stood in front to reassure them of their safety. Not that he would admit to it.

"Aniki…"

Seeing the display of chivalrous manliness from the werewolf, the supporters began to see Bete as the leader of their supposed pack, but he was none too pleased to be hearing the admiration of supporters like them.

"HAH? I'M NOT YOUR ANIKI! I JUST DON'T WANT TO BE BOTHERED CLEANING UP YOUR GUTS! AND I DON'T WANT TO CARRY THE LOADS YOU PACK MULES ARE HIRED TO CARRY! GOT IT?!"

"Yes, Aniki!"

"FUCK!"

Chaos erupted all around the Loki familia, but despite it all, they managed to continue outputting a performance befitting their rank as a contender for the strongest familia in Orario.

The three top executives micro-managed every single aspect of the awry expedition with their years of knowledge since they first joined the familia decades ago.

Ais and Lefiya stood as the bulwarks that halted the destructive altercation between Tiona and Tione, much to their displeasure.

And Bete tried his best to shake off the supporters who followed after him like a bunch of baby ducks following their parents.

It was a series of events that befitted the children of the trickster goddess, and it was a sight well-received by a certain secretive observer of the familia.

'Watching characters I've read about in the flesh is quite an untalked-about perk of being reincarnated'

Watching the familia from afar with his invisibility magic item, Bell grew amused as he watched their antics like how he would normally watch an episode of anime.

'Well, I'll have all the opportunity to observe them once I make first contact. I have quite a lot of plans that involve them after all…'

Rising to his feet, he began to activate the second ability of his magic item, teleportation. Having had his fill of the familia's antics, he would now be awaiting their arrival in Rivira, like a mysterious and all-knowing eminence in the shadows found in many stories in the media.

『Transient』

…

..

.

"Cheers!"

Cups of beer began to be raised in unison as the flames of countless campfires illuminated the surrounding area.

A short distance away from Rivira, the Loki familia set up camp on the eighteenth floor as a resting point for their expedition.

Resupplying with the stores of the dungeon settlement, and preparing to leave behind their less-experienced members and swap in their second string as the lead for the journey through the middle floors.

The familia were processing the many procedures they had long gotten accustomed to in their countless deep-floor dungeon dives.

With such familiarity, a majority of the familia spent the night on the eighteenth floor in a joyous mood. Knowing that they will be fighting for their lives in the deep floors, it was better for them all to enjoy life while they still could, as no one can truly predict what could happen inside the dungeon.

Similarly to the rest of the familia, the main force also indulged in the merry mood as they bantered with one another around their own personal campfire.

"Gh- Why can't I cook this right?"

Angrily trying her best to roast some fish by the fire for herself and Finn to consume together, Tione grew frustrated at her complete inability to cook.

"Just give up, sis. Us amazonesses aren't suited for domestic tasks, you know?"

"Agh, just shut up Tiona!"

Prodding at her sister's frustration, Tiona still held some bad blood towards Tione as she grew determined to become a thorn in her side.

But unwilling to become the punching bag of her sister, Tione began to fight back with some insults of her own.

"How about you, huh? Won't the Gray Ghost like you less because you can't cook?"

"Hah! The Gray Ghost is already to be rumored to be a great cook as per my spies- I mean, as per my subordinates in Shalzard! I don't need to learn how to cook!"

"Hmph! Big words from a girl who becomes a rock when her crush comes near her! What are you going to do? Confess to him with your sediment?"

"You take that back!"

Seeing the sisters begin to fight once more, Finn, Gareth, and Riveria couldn't find it in themselves to mediate the siblings' conflict once more. Sighing with tiredness as they drank their beers in silence.

They had already resolved four conflicts on their way to the eighteenth floor, and they had simply resigned themselves to the fact that they would be constantly bickering in this particular expedition.

"..."

Taking a similar stance to the three top executives of the familia, Bete chose to ignore Tiona and Tione's conflict. Choosing to brood quietly in a secluded corner. Doing his best to ignore the starry-eyed gazes of admiration from the supporters watching him.

"Here, Ais! Have some freshly baked potatoes!"

"Hm! Thank you, Lefiya"

Meanwhile, Lefiya and Ais played out a precious moment as they ate their dinners in peace. Having grown accustomed to the rowdiness and noise of their familia.

It was a usual night for them, all things considered. But it would soon become a night that they would all remember as a turning point in their lives.

"You guys mind if I join in with you all?"

A lone voice pierced through the loudness of the familia, along with the arrival of a presence none of them had senses prior.

A hood of gray filled their sights as a pair of glowing monochromatic eyes of blue and silver peered into them all.

A foreign sensation washed over them all in an instant. They were being watched beyond their notice.

For many, they would break down in fear at the arrival of such a mysterious entity… but for the familia of hardened adventurers…

"Battle formations!"

The proper response to receiving such unknown variables had been long ingrained into their memories and the fibers of their muscles.

『Ariel』

Swallowing the baked potato in her mouth in an instant, Ais readied her rapier before chanting her enchantment magic.

Instantly leaping through the air with a gust of wind surrounding her body, the sword princess made first contact with the intruder as the fastest of her familia with magic.

"?!"

But surprising to her, her rapier strike had been deflected with ease. The intruder's armored hand exited his thick dark robe before swatting away her sword strike as if it were a fly.

"Dangerous!"

The stone-faced swordswoman instantly recognized the danger the person in front of her posed. He didn't simply reflect her sword strike, he manipulated it to his liking. Like a marionette playing with his stringed puppets.

"HMPH!"

As Ais processed what had just happened, Bete appeared behind the intruder to deliver his own strike. Having appeared second due to being the fastest of the familia if Ais' magic wasn't taken into account.

The werewolf contorted his body as he began to transfer the kinetic energy of his leap into a skillful kick.

But similarly to Ais, the mysterious figure simply extended out his hand before redirecting the momentum of the attack to his liking.

"Huh?!"

?????… ?????…

Ais and Bete fell down to the ground as they were left confused as to what had happened to them both.

Their bodies which they had trained to have full command over in a fight, suddenly felt as if it was no longer theirs.

At the hands of the mysterious intruder, they had lost all agency in their assault. Having it instead being used against them.

But not giving the intruder an opportunity to breathe, Finn quickly picked up the assault as he charged at the enemy with his spear in hand. Shouting out orders all the while.

"Ais, Bete, pick yourselves up and inform the rest of the camp to form a perimeter! Riviera, Lefiya, begin chanting your magic to restrain the intruder! Tiona, Tione, back me up!"

Engaging the enemy, Finn began to deftly use his spear to attack with a barrage of thrusts and swings.

??????… ?????… ??????… ?????...

Just as what happened to Ais and Bete before, his attack's momentum began to be used against him,

"?!"

But unlike Ais and Bete, Finn's intuition and experience naturally made him realize quickly what was happening and quickly adapted to respond promptly.

"???????… As expected of the familia captain, you sure are capable"

"Save your chatter! Surrender and you won't be beaten up too badly before questioning!"

"Unfortunately for you, I don't plan on being taken in. I have a reputation to uphold"

"Tch"

??????… ?????… ??????… ?????...

The two began to engage in a swift engagement that most others couldn't track with their eyes. The pallum familia captain would let out a flurry of strikes, have his attacks be redirected, and try his best to salvage what he could into an effective assault.

"Did anyone tell you that it's quite annoying how quick-minded you are, Finn Deimne?"

"Plenty. I'm sure you get similar compliments with this annoying fighting style of yours"

"Very much so"

The exchange continued as they traversed through the location of the familia camp. When they were a fair distance away from their original location, Finn noticed a slip-up in the intruder's form.

Taking this chance, he quickly directed his spear to attack the weak spot, but the pallum was only met with a shocking response.

『Transient』

"He disappeared?!"

Seeing that the intruder had disappeared, Finn's thumb began to ache immensely as his senses began to feel that his opponent hadn't run away.

"Shit! Riveria! Lefiya! He's coming to you!"

Hearing their captain's words, the chanting magicians' eyes widened as they saw the hooded intruder sprinting to their location.

But Finn hadn't left the magicians defenseless. He knew better than to leave their heavy firepower undefended.

"Give up and accept capture, young man!"

Lifting his heavy shield and war axe, Gareth stood guard to defend Riveria and Lefiya from being reached by the intruder.

Unfortunately for him, however, the hooded figure was already prepared to deal with someone like him.

『Reinforce』

Blue bolts of mind began to manifest as the intruder began to empower his body to make a single powerful strike at the dwarf's chest.

Standing his ground to receive what he recognized as a powerful strike, Gareth readied his shield and will to tank it.

"Come on!"

? ? ? ?

A cloud of dust rose into the air as the dwarven adventurer tanked the strike… but the intruder didn't plan to deal damage with his attack.

"?!"

He was aiming to destabilize his footing on the ground. Having been slightly elevated from the strike, the intruder capitalized on the opportunity as he began to shift Gareth's balance to his liking.

?????

"Oof-"

The dwarf fell heavily on the ground with his heavy equipment, but he was left to pick himself up as the intruder resumed his sprint towards Lefiya and Riveria.

"!!!"

Lefiya felt an immense wave of fear wash over her as the enemy approached her location. While chanting her magic, she was stationary. If she moved, she would suffer an ignis fatuus. If she didn't she would receive the attack of the enemy.

She had never once been trained on how to chant her magic whilst moving because she had always been protected by the front-line adventurers of her familia.

As her mind became lost in confusion, the voice of her mentor and teacher broke through it all as she charged toward the enemy.

"Keep chanting, Lefiya! I'll buy you some time!"

Riveria engaged with the intruder, using her staff as a weapon. Though she was a back-line magician, the high-elf was skilled enough in close combat to hold her ground.

??????… ??????… ??????...

But alas, she was quickly dealt with as she lacked the immense finesse of Finn to properly deal with the momentum of her attack being manipulated.

"!!!"

Lefiya felt her body go cold as the hooded figure's glowing eyes pierced into her sight. Her legs trembled and her hands began to falter around her staff.

Their infallible familia had now fallen to a desperate defense. Having been thoroughly outplayed through all their defenses.

"DON'T YOU TOUCH A HAIR ON LEFIYA'S HEAD!!!"

"ARIEL!!!"

『Reinforce』

?????… ?????...

On his left, Tione crashed into the intruder with a fierce animalistic glare on her face.

On his right, Ais thrusted her rapier with her golden eyes glowing a dangerous glint.

The intruder had been successful at turning the situation around with the Loki familia, but he had only awakened their anger in doing so.

In the face of their beloved fragile elven magician being harmed, the adventurers of the familia only found new strength to detain their enemy.

"How scary~"

Unable to take on the furious assault of the two women with his hands alone, the hooded figure began to unwrap the covered weapons he had been carrying on his back.

An intricately designed spear on his left, and an ornate yet dangerous rapier on his right. The two weapons were instantly recognizable as high quality, and using them, he began to repel the danger directed toward him.

"HAAA!"

"HMPH!"

Unfettered, Tione and Ais began to assault the intruder with all their might. When their attacks were redirected, they simply got back up and continued the assault.

Over time, more and more members of the familia began to join in the offensive.

Gareth unleashed his heavy strikes.

Riveria provided some swift counter-attacks.

Bete unleashed his frustration with a series of kicks.

Lefiya cast some covering fire with her magic.

And Finn resumed his masterful employment of spearmanship.

Along with their combined might, the second string adventurers of the familia provided some additional help whenever possible. Adding to the climbing pressure on their opponent.

Their combined assault began to whittle away the effectiveness of the intruder's esoteric fighting style, but as the battle continued, the main force of the familia began to notice something.

Their opponent… was significantly weaker than they were…

'This strength and movement… it's equivalent to a level three. But he was able to stand his ground against level six and five adventurers… what kind of person is this guy?'

Finn couldn't figure out their possible identity, affiliation, or motive. It was as if he was fighting a ghost of unknown origin.

'Whatever! Leave the thinking after we detain him!'

The battle raged on, but as the entire familia was up in arms, there was a single person who was left standing in silence. Not out of shock or fear…but out of amazement.

"TIONA?! TIONA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING OVER THERE?! HELP US BEAT THIS BASTARD!"

Noticing her sister was standing still like a rock, Tione began to shout at her to help in their assault, but Tiona simply looked back at her sibling with an expression of shock.

"Tiona?..."

Seeing her sister display an expression she hardly showed, Tione began to question what could've possibly led her to become like that, but the answer would soon come.

"Good! Everyone has surrounded him! Maintain formation and ensure he doesn't escape!"

Some distance away, Finn led the familia as he finally forced the intruder to checkmate. In his immediate vicinity, an encirclement was formed. Beyond that, another encirclement was formed to respond should the target perform its teleportation magic again.

'I'm not sure how far his magic can teleport him, but just in case, I sent some of the forces to barricade the entrance and exit to the eighteenth floor'

Various strategies went through Finn's mind as the encirclement encroached upon the intruder.

????...????...????...

The pallum continued formulating strategies and responses to any possible scenario that might arrive.

????...????...????...

He had deduced that the intruder was not beyond level three in status, but he felt a weird feeling come off him, as the output of his body fluctuated during the course of the battle.

????...????...????...

It was as if he was only temporarily boosting parts of his body. In addition, the equipment he wielded was nothing to scoff at.

????...????...????...

A master-crafted spear and magic sword. Whoever was backing the intruder was influential enough to procure such equipment for such an abnormal agent.

????...????...????...

"Gh…'

Finn's mind ached as none of the variables seemed to align with the theories he had proposed as an answer.

An anomaly that shifted the common sense of the world to his whim. There was only one other person who had given him such difficulty…

"The Gray Ghost…"

A still silence fell upon Finn's mind as his ears picked up the soft mutterings of Tiona who stood silently still a couple distances away.

"The Gray Ghost…it's him…it's really him…"

The amazoness wore a wide smile as she recognized who the intruder was before anyone else. Realizing that the young girl had uncovered the truth, Finn wanted to call off the advancement of the encirclement…but it was too late.

…

..

.

?????

…

..

.

??

…

..

.

?????????....?????????...

With a series of blue bolts of mind, a cage of chained blades manifested all around the Loki familia.

Various projections of high quality launched and grazed each adventurer with immense precision.

Had they taken a single step more, they would have surely been impaled by the chained blades, or greatly injured for the stronger of the familia.

"...'

Finn's eyes turned towards a chained blade that had been directed towards him. Veins-like lights ran across the structure of the weapon.

His thumb ached greater than it ever did before as he looked upon the object. It was as if his intuition was telling him that such an object was never meant to exist in this world.

An anomaly above all other anomalies. An error in the fabric of reality itself. Something beyond his comprehension…something…foreign…

"Phew, you guys really know how to show a guy a good time! The Freya familia might be the strongest, but you guys are better at fighting as a team. Perhaps it's because they constantly bickered about who would take Freya's hand?"

Breaking the silence that had descended upon the area, the Gray Ghost began to cheerfully speak his mind out, as if he wasn't being hunted with bloodlust by some of the strongest adventurers of Orario just moments prior.

"You guys are very deserving of your position in Orario. Though you struggled a bit with me in the beginning, you all quickly adapted throughout the fight. Had you been by my side in the Kaios, I'm sure the war against the Behemoths would've gone muuuch smoother"

Planting his spear onto the ground, he unfurled the flag that had been wrapped along the weapon's length.

"!!!"

As the wind carried the intricately crafted spirit flag, the Loki familia's eyes widened as they saw the symbol engraved upon it…the jester…their familia's crest.

"Oh! I almost forgot! You did quite a number on this rapier, Ais Wallenstein. I hope you appreciate how it performed in our fight. Think of it as a first taste of it before you use it yourself"

"...huh?"

Hearing his words, Ais grew confused as he pointed a damaged rapier to her eyes. Shifting her attention to the rapier in her hands, the blonde swordswoman grew shocked as she hadn't realized that her own rapier had been greatly worn down by her continuous strikes and the razor-sharp winds of her Ariel.

"...Lord Goibniu is gonna get angry. I overused my magic and damaged Desperate again…"

Seeing the blonde swordswoman had grown depressed after realizing she would have to spend another pretty penny to repair her sword that couldn't keep up with her magic and fighting style, the vigilante saw an opportunity to draw in Ais' attention with his sword.

"Don't worry about repairing it, sword princess. Though I'm sure I'll be cutting into the Goibniu familia's profits with this, I'm sure you'll greatly appreciate this"

『Kintsugi』

With a quick chant, the magic sword in the Gray Ghost's hands began to glow a brilliant glow. Liquid gold began to fill in the damaged parts of the rapier's blade before hardening and repairing the weapon.

Soon, it appeared as if it had never seen combat before. It was as pristine and spotless as it had been before being worn by the frighteningly quick strikes and sharp gusts of magic wind of Ais.

"!!!"

Seeing a self-repairing sword that was able to stand on equal ground with her Desperate, Ais' interest as a swordswoman was instantly piqued as she began to unconsciously move to inspect it.

But she was quickly stopped by Finn as the pallum began to approach the vigilante. His eyes remained cautious despite knowing the person in front of him was a hero to many people.

"What is your business with our familia, Gray Ghost?"

Hearing their captain state the identity of the intruder, the adventurers of the Loki familia began to widen their eyes as they realized they had been fighting the famed hero that had been constantly talked about around the world.

Riveria and Lefiya grew shocked as they realized the weapons that currently surrounded them were the foreign powers they could never seem to figure out.

Tione stood silent as her instinct as a fighter remained active in case any danger fell upon Finn, not trusting the Gray Ghost at that moment.

Tiona meanwhile stood silent because her mind and heart were overflowing with emotion. Leaving her paralyzed as she failed to process what was happening.

Gareth expressed a wild smile as he realized he had finally engaged in a heated battle with a worthy opponent.

Bete clicked his tongue as he was bested by a person he had been constantly talking smack about.

While Ais felt a strange emotion wash over her as she locked eyes with the vigilante. It was as if…he understood everything about her…like a god looking down upon the world with his omniscient viewpoint.

Taking all their looks and responses, the Gray Ghost smiled beneath his mask as he announced why he had met the Loki familia.

"I'm sure you're well aware of what I do in the dungeon. I appear to help adventurers who face great danger and peril…such is my business with you all, Loki familia. Because all of you are about to face a peril that you have never faced before on the deep floors of the living dungeon"

"!!!"

Hearing the words of the Gray Ghost, the Loki familia was left for a loop as they had just been told that they were in immense danger.

Why were they in danger? Who or what would pose a threat to them? Where would they encounter the great peril? How would it detriment them?

Various questions went through the minds of the countless adventurers, but they were all silenced as the vigilante answered them all with a statement of his own.

"But worry not. Where most others would stand in silence, I have decided to help you all out"

Standing tall as the faux-moonlight of the eighteenth floor bathed his visage in an ethereal glow. In a garden of chains and swords of his own creation, the vigilante declared his intentions without a single ounce of hesitation.

"Because meddling in other people's business is the essence of a hero!"

…

..

.

"So with that out of the way, it's so nice to meet you all again, Loki familia"

…

..

.

Editor:

The Darkest Knight#4796

AN:

Thank you for reading this chapter!

I'm back! Though I can't say I rested a lot this past week. A lot of college enrollment shenanigans have stressed me out HAHAHA.

This might be the only chapter I upload this week until I can resolve these issues of mine. But if you're starved for my writing, I secretly uploaded a new fanfic on Webnovel. A guy reincarnates as Paul Greyrat!

To get this over with. I'm not gonna upload for my DxD fic soon because I haven't finished reading the light novels.

I will upload for this new fic and the DxD fic whenever I feel like it. I mostly created those stories to not be burnt out writing for this one. I hope you can accept this.

Writing is a hobby of mine, so I do it to unwind and relax. I cannot find enjoyment in it if I'm forced to make deadlines for it. Either because of irl payment, or self-imposed obligation,

I cannot be like the professional writers on this site who promise a consistent schedule. I can only provide you guys stories that both you and I enjoy whenever I can do so.

With all that out of the way…

Hope you look forward to the next chapter, and as always, may you all have a nice day!