8 The Gale

The Loki familia made their way back to their base to relay what had happened in the Dungeon. Most of them were frazzled by all that had transpired, except for two. Bete, who was currently glaring at Aiz, and the Sword Princess herself who maintained her normal, cool temperament the entire way back.

Returning home, Finn was prepared to begin the search for Loki when a collection of feminine screams coming from the direction of the baths caught the group's attention.

Finn sighed.

"Well, that answers that question."

Making their way down the hall, they were met by a collection of female Loki familia members running out of the baths with nothing but towels to cover their modesty. A moment later, Loki herself popped out with an unnerving smile on her face.

"Where y'all going? I just wanted to take your measurements!" she cried, her fingers moving in a most displeasing manner.

Her demeanor changed when she saw the group before her.

"Whatcha y'all doing here? Aren't you supposed to be training in the Dungeon?" she asked.

Finn turned serious.

"Some things happened."

The tone caused Loki to open her eyes a sliver, allowing them to pass over all present, taking careful note of each look, especially the glare that Bete was pointing at an even more stoic Aiz.

"Office," the goddess said, her voice devoid of all playfulness.

The group made their way through the mansion, everyone they passed taking note of their complete seriousness, causing whispers to erupt through the halls. Finally, they arrived and entered the office, each taking their respective places in the room.

"What happened?" Loki demanded once she was behind her desk.

"We went to the Dungeon as planned," Finn began. "Before reaching the tenth floor, the ground suddenly began to shake and an explosion roared through the halls." Loki's interest was peaked. "We soon came across two adventurers who informed us that Ottar and Achilles were fighting on level ten."

Loki practically jumped in her seat.

"The King was fighting the Olympian?"

"Yes. For what reason, we don't know. But they decimated level ten," Finn answered. "Naturally, your orders were at the forefront of our minds," Finn said, his voice having a noticeable bite to it. "We saw an opportunity in the situation. With those two fighting, it wouldn't be too difficult to take advantage of the situation and make it look like they had destroyed themselves fighting, thus eliminating two very powerful rivals."

Loki was now fully out of her seat, leaning over the desk eagerly.

"And? Were you able to?"

Finn stared directly into her eyes when he answered.

"No, we were unable to do so."

Loki fell back in her seat with evident displeasure.

"You should be grateful that we all returned in one piece," Riveria jumped in, a bit of bite in her tone as well. "Things could have easily turned against us. Especially given that Achilles was willing to put aside his hatred for Freya in order to make an alliance with Ottar."

Loki shot up.

"He what?!"

Finn reentered.

"He made a deal with Ottar in exchange for his help in defeating us as both quickly recognized that we weren't there as Achilles's allies."

Loki's hands balled into fists so tight her knuckles turned white as paper.

"Then what happened? Obviously a fight didn't take place."

"A fight was prevented by the arrival of Bell Cranel," Finn stated.

"Chibi's brat?"

Aiz tensed. Her grip on her sword tightening as those words evidently did not sit well with her. No one failed to notice this, and Riveria quickly jumped in again to prevent too many questions or worse yet, an incident.

"I would suggest that you show young Cranel-san and Hestia-sama the utmost respect from now on, Loki-sama, as we are now greatly in their debt."

"Why?" Loki inquired, Aiz's reaction and Riveria's statement both intriquing and worrying her.

"Because it was only with his intervention that a fight was prevented, thus ensuring we all returned here, alive," Riveria continued.

"What, precisely, happened?" the trickster goddess asked.

"Upon his arrival, Bell Cranel quickly realized that something was going on and inquired as to what it was. Upon which time-," Finn paused, not entirely sure if he should proceed.

"Upon which time Aiz decided to spill the beans and tell the rabbit we were planning to kill his shitty protector," Bete finished for him.

"Bete!" Finn growled, glaring at the wolfman who, in turn, simply continued to scowl.

"Wha-?!" Loki turned to Aiz. "Why would you do that Aiz!"

Aiz, her grip on her sword still tight, turned to her.

"Because I disagree with the orders you gave," she said simply.

Loki was speechless. The others, apart from Bete, who growled, remained silent. All of which was fine for Aiz.

"Going after Achilles was a foolish thing to do in the best of circumstances, let alone when we had just allied with the familia in which he is guarding. Attacking him normally would have been a feat, but attacking him without suspicion falling on us would be borderline impossible. A fact you should have, and probably would have recognized if not for your hatred of him."

Loki was flabbergasted. Aiz had always been strong-willed, that was something that Loki loved about her, but she'd never acted like this. This was borderline insubordination.

"You're only saying that because he fought the damn dragon," Bete cut in. "Had it been anyone else, you wouldn't have cared. Or maybe," Bete stalked over to her. "It has something to do with the rabbit."

Aiz made no response, instead simply returning Bete's glare before Finn called out.

"That's enough."

Bete glared at Aiz for another second or two before breaking off and returning to his spot.

"Now," Finn continued. "While it's true that Aiz revealed our intentions, that may have actually worked to our benefit."

"How the hell could that work to our benefit?" Loki asked, still reeling from the recent information.

"Because Cranel-san, upon hearing what transpired between Achilles and us, ordered Achilles to rescind his threat, which he did without complaint," Riveria said.

Loki looked at her disbelievingly.

"Achilles pulled back on his threat?"

Riveria nodded.

"Indeed. And for all intents and purposes, it appeared completely genuine."

"And Hestia's as tall as Ottar," Loki countered.

"It's the truth," Finn said. "Bell-san then ordered me to inform you, that if you wish for this alliance to continue, you will rescind any orders you have against Achilles."

Loki was finding it harder and harder to believe what she was hearing.

"The rabbit threatened me?"

"I'd call it more of a...forceful suggestion," Finn stated.

"Anything else I should know?" Loki said, leaning back into her chair, covering her face with her hands.

"Argonaut-kun made a demand of Freya!" Tiona suddenly cried out.

Everyone turned to the Amazon who looked at them confused.

"What? He did."

"Finn," Loki turned to her captain. "Explain."

"Bell Cranel, after giving his orders to Achilles and myself, walked up to Ottar and officially introduced himself before asking that he give a message to Freya."

"And this message was?"

There was a pause, Finn, Riveria, and Gareth all sharing a look, before the first answered.

"The message was that, while he was honored that she thought so highly of him, he was in love was someone else and thus couldn't return her feelings."

Loki's mouth fell open.

"The kid...rejected...Freya?"

"And it gets even better!" Tiona once again cried out.

"Tiona," Finn sighed. "Please."

She smiled and rubbed the back of her head.

"Sorry, captain."

"However, she's not necessarily wrong," he continued. "After Ottar pointed out that this was of little concern to Freya, Bell went a step further and offered up a challenge to Freya, telling her that, if she truly held such affections for him, that she should prove herself by winning his affections naturally. No Charm or threats."

Loki was floored.

"In all my years," Loki began after a moment, clearly having trouble wrapping her head around all this. "No one. Not a single person. Mortal or god, has ever challenged Freya. Not like this. What is this kid?"

"It gets more interesting," Finn said, taking note that Tiona was practically bouncing as she knew what was coming next, forcing her sister to cover her mouth so she did not blurt it out again. "Apparently Bell Cranel is immune to Charm."

"What?!" Loki jumped out of her chair. "That's impossible!"

"Evidently not. Both Ottar and Achilles confirmed that this is the case, meaning there's really little reason for us to not believe it," Finn pointed out.

Loki fell back in her chair.

"Rapid growth. Challenging Freya. And now immune to Charm. I'm almost jealous of Chibi. Almost," she pointed out. "Any other, crazy information that I should know, especially pertaining to the white rabbit?"

"Achilles believes Bell is the only person capable of killing the One-Eyed Black Dragon," Aiz said, a noticeable, but indescribable energy passing through her.

Loki had had enough. Her head slammed into her desk.

"The rabbit might kill the Dragon?" she said with a muffled voice. "Are you serious?"

"We are. I asked Achilles if Bell was the person he had previously spoken of, and he admitted it readily enough, along with his belief that Bell is the only person who might be able to fulfill the Level Ten Theory."

Things fell silent for a moment. Not even a grumble passed through those present as Loki continued to press her face in her desk. Finally though, she sat back up and, to everyone's surprise, smiled.

"Well, I feel a lot better about this alliance now."

"Really?" Finn asked with evident surprise.

"Yep. Not only is this kid on our side now, but it appears he's actually in control of Achilles, which takes that issue off the table. All in all, with the cards we've been dealt, I'd say that things are pretty good for us."

Tension eased out of the Loki familia, except for one.

"So what? Aiz just gets off scott-free?" Bete asked.

"No. I am mad at Aiz-tan for revealing our plans to the kid, and I'll think up some punishment for her in the future," Loki said. "But given what could have happened, I'm not exactly mad with how things turned out."

Bete growled, but there was little he could do.

"I accept full responsibility for my actions and whatever punishment you deem right," Aiz said with a bow.

"Any punishment?" Loki said, her eyes gaining a noticeable gleam and her fingers moving in an unsettingly manner.

"Any punishment within reason," Aiz clarified, causing Loki to pout.

"Well, with that all out of the way, I think it's time we get back to our duties," Finn said, happy that everything had turned out alright.

"Guess so. I've got to get back to the baths. There's probably a whole new batch of girls in there," Loki said perversely.

Everyone sighed, but all in all, a sense of relief passed over them, all except for two. Aiz Wallenstein, who turned to leave, a certain destination, or more accurately, person in mind; the other, Bete Loga, who had one more question he wanted answered.

"What's the rabbit to you?"

Everyone stopped.

Aiz, whose hand was reaching for the door, turned.

"He's my friend," she replied simply.

"Is that all? Or is there something else to how you feel about him?" Bete continued to push.

As much as some of them wouldn't like to admit it, they were all interested in hearing Aiz's answer to this. Some, for simply curiosity. Others desperate hope for a denial. But for Riveria, it was because she hoped that Aiz's heart was opening up.

"Something else?" Aiz asked, clearly confused.

Rivieria sighed.

Bete scanned her for a moment longer, checking for any hint of a lie. Finding none, he sighed.

"Nevermind, ya clearly don't. Almost makes me feel bad for the kid."

None of this eased Aiz's confusion one bit, but, seeing that he had no more to say, she turned and left the room, leaving her familia behind with a wide array of different feelings about what they had just witnessed.

The Hestia familia, plus one had just finished up in the Guild, a sizable reward in their hands and smiles on their faces.

"You've all done very well today. Once more I find myself thoroughly impressed with all of you," Achilles stated.

"Says the man who tore five minotaurs apart with his bare hands," Welf countered.

"Oh that was hardly impressive. If I couldn't do that at my level then I should retire."

"Even so, it is rather nice to have someone like you watching over us, Achilles-sama," Haruhime chimed in.

"Now now, no 'sama'. Achilles is fine. 'Sama' makes me sound so distant. I'd much rather be on friendly terms with you all. On that note, I suggested to Bell that we go out tonight to celebrate Hestia familia and its future success."

"Well," Lili looked hesitant on this, not because she didn't want to, but because she knew the importance of keeping the familia's finances in order.

"I swear to repay every valis we spend," Achilles offered, seeing her hesitation.

Lili turned to him and, seeing his cheerful eyes looking down on her, she smiled.

"I guess one night isn't so bad."

Every face now beaming, they set off down the street, intent on filling their now rumbling bellies.

As they walked Achilles placed himself next to Bell and whispered to him.

"When would you like to tell them about what happened with Ottar and Loki familia?"

Bell's smile faltered for a moment, but he quickly replied.

"When we get home. That way we can tell everyone at once and not ruin the evening."

Achilles nodded.

"Thank you Bell. I'm sorry I've caused you trouble."

Bell was silent for a moment before responding.

"Do you really hate Loki familia?"

Now it was Achilles who was silent for a moment as he took a deep breath.

"In all honesty, I'm not sure. They used to be my friends. But in a way, that makes the past more painful. I don't want to hate them, I know that. But I can't trust them either, and things like forgiveness, friendship, and love, require trust. That said," he looked at Bell. "I trust you. If, in turn, you trust them, then I'll follow suit. I only ask for time."

Bell returned Achilles's gaze for a moment before his smile returned.

"Things will turn out alright. I promise."

Achilles smiled before ruffling Bell's hair.

"If you say so, then it must be true."

"We're here!"

The two snapped back to reality and Achilles lost his smile.

"The Hostess of Fertility."

"Yes," Bell said, before noticing the look on Achilles's face. "What's wrong?"

The others turned to him as well.

"Bell, are you aware that the woman who runs this establishment, Mia Grande, is the former captain of Freya familia and that at least one of the girls here still does work for her?"

Everyone's eyes widened at this.

"That appears to be a no."

Everyone was silent for a moment, their focus on Bell as they waited to see how he'd react.

"I see. Well, now I know," he said before walking towards the entrance.

"You're not worried?" Achilles asked.

"They haven't done anything to hurt my trust in them. In fact, without their help, not only would I not have gotten this far, but I wouldn't be here right now." Achilles's eyes widened. "So, until they do something to hurt that trust, I'll put my faith in them," Bell responded.

"Hm," Achilles turned to the others. They had similar looks to his own, but they soon shrugged and smiled. If Bell trusted them, that really was good enough for all of them. "Very well," Achilles conceded. "Then let's not waste anymore time out here, my stomach's starting to sound like a minotaur."

They entered the restaurant, quickly gaining the attention of patron and employee alike.

"Bell!" The familia turned to see Syr running towards them. "I'm so happy to see you, and," her eyes briefly glanced at Achilles before turning back to Bell. "How are you?"

"Hello to you too, Syr. Things have been fine. As you can see we have an addition to our group. This is Achilles Caesar."

"We've met," Achilles said. "When I first arrived here they provided me some...helpful, information."

Syr smiled, though there was a distinct nervousness in her features. She wasn't the only one nervous. Ryuu and the others all had their hands in their aprons, and the patrons all looked ready to book it if things went south.

"Achilles! You're making everyone nervous!" Mia cried out.

The former Zeus captain smiled.

"I would certainly hope so, else I'd figure I was losing my edge. But, I'll try and tone it down," he conceded. "Tonight we're just a group of customers with empty stomachs and full purses."

"Tonight?" Mia noted.

"Well then sit down! Syr will get you your menus," she stated.

"This way," the gray-haired young lady said, her smile now fully beaming.

"Thank you," Bell said once they were all seated and handed their menus.

One by one they ordered, ending with Achilles.

"I'll take the most expensive thing on your menu," he said. Seeing the weird looks he was getting he said. "It's so that Mia will forgive me."

Not up for pushing things further than that, the Hestia familia accepted his answer and waited for their food.

"So, what have you been up to lately, Bell?" Syr said, latching onto his arm. This in turn earned the ire of Lili and the displeasure of Haruhime, who looked at her with unwelcoming eyes. Bell however, simply smiled.

"Well, things have been a bit hectic the last few days. Quite a lot's happened. I'm not even sure to begin with."

"Does that have something to do with him?"

Everyone turned to see Ryuu standing near them, a tray of drinks in her hands, but her eyes glaring down at Achilles.

"Partly," Achilles responded. "But I'm certainly not the only causing him trouble."

"You're not causing me trouble, Achilles," Bell said, not failing to notice the tension. "If anything I'm very grateful for all your help."

Achilles smiled.

"Well then I'll work to ensure that doesn't change."

Though both waitresses still very much had their misgivings, seeing that Bell clearly trusted the man, they decided to drop the matter, though Ryuu vowed to keep her eyes on him. She didn't care if Achilles was a level seven or a legend, she would protect Bell to the best of her abilities if push came to shove.

The conversation continued over the next hour, with significantly less tension and far more smiles as the adventurers filled their bellies.

"So you're familia is going to try and recruit again?" Syr asked.

"Yes. Obviously everyone knows about our debt now, but with Achilles here, hopefully people will reconsider," Bell answered.

This caused a question to pop into Syr's head and she turned to Achilles.

"Are you planning to join Hestia familia?"

Things got a little quieter as the members of said familia, and more than a few ears around them, focused on the ex-captain.

Achilles rubbed his chin.

"I honestly hadn't thought of that. I can't say that I will. I am still very attached to my familia, even if its days are long gone." A melocolic, yet understanding feeling fell over the table. "However," Achilles continued. "I wouldn't say that's completely out of the question. This is the closest I've felt to having a family in fifteen years. So," he shrugged. "Who's to say?"

Bell was absolutely beaming, and he was soon joined by the rest of his familia. They wouldn't push him, of course, but all of them would be more than happy to welcome the elder adventurer into the party.

"Though, now I'm wondering how Hestia's doing on the recruiting front. I imagine she's having a difficult time of it. Even with me here, recruiting people will likely be a mind-numbing task. Believe me, I still remember going through dozens of applications a day, and it was worse after we completed some feat or adventure that got the public's attention. I swear, one day we got close to a thousand applicants and let me tell you, there's not enough alcohol in the world to go through a thousand applicants in a single night," he actually growled. "Wouldn't have been so bad if Zeus hadn't decided to 'go for a walk' right before we began. Let me ask all of you. Anyone here ever taken a twelve hour walk where you come back smelling quite heavily of perfume?"

Numerous sweat drops could be scene around the table. Bell, perhaps as an avatar for what should have been his grandfather's embarrassment, blushed and hid his head.

"Bah! Wretched old fart. Ah, but the past is the past. We need to focus on the present and future," Achilles declared. "So, how about it Flova-san? You know anyone who might be looking for a new home?"

Syr was surprised at the sudden question. She knew she was under suspicion from Achilles, so to be addressed by him at all was a bit shocking. However, she quickly noticed the look in his eyes. He was testing her. Seeing if her intentions were pure, or whether she was merely a puppet for her mistress.

"Well," she paused as someone did come to mind. "There is...one person I can think of who might be willing to join your familia."

Everyone turned their attention to her in interest. She knew they were waiting for a name, but she couldn't say it. Instead she turned her eyes towards her target.

Achilles turned his head and his eyes narrowed.

"Ah," he said as his eyes fell on the blonde elf.

The others quickly followed suit in figuring out who she was talking about.

"Do you think she'll agree?" Lili asked.

"She did help us with the War Games," Welf pointed out.

"And she joined with Bell when he went down to the Dungeon to...deal with those Irregulars," Mikoto said.

Achilles noticed the pause from the Easterling, knowing that there was information he currently didn't have. However, he decided not to press it. If they needed to keep it a secret that was their business as a familia. Instead he turned to Bell.

"Do you trust her?"

Bell turned to him. After a moment, he nodded.

"Yes. Very much so."

"Hm. Well, then there's no harm in asking. Having another level four in the familia certainly wouldn't hurt."

Bell gave him another nod, before getting up and following after Ryuu, who had walked into the back.

"Come on. Just one night. You don't want all of Orario knowing who you really are, do you?" the man said, an unnerving smile plastered on his lips.

Ryuu felt disgust run through her veins.

"If you want company for the night, I'd suggest the red light district," she growled.

"Now why would I spend money on girls, most of whom aren't as half as pretty as you, when I can get you entirely free?"

Another growl passed by Ryuu's lips.

"Ryuu?"

The two froze before turning to the unexpected intrusion.

"What's going on?" Bell asked.

"Nothing that concerns you, rabbit," the man growled.

"One of my friends is in distress. I'd say that concerns me. Now," Bell's hand fell to his knife. "I suggest you unhand her."

"Oh ho, look at who's trying to be a hero again," the man said, letting go of Ryuu and turning to Bell.

"It's alright Cranel-san. I've got this," Ryuu said.

"No, no. He wanted to intrude on our private time, so now he has to learn. Tell me, Ra-bbit Foot," he said condescendingly. "Do you know who she is? What she's done?"

"I do," Bell said without hesitation.

That surprised the man, but only for a moment, and he soon snarled at Bell.

"Bullshit. If you'd known you would have turned her in long ago."

"I'm not a liar."

This only made the man angrier.

"Then that means you're an accomplice. Aiding and protecting a criminal. I wonder how everyone will look at you when they find out you're protecting criminals. I don't think your reputation will be able to come back after that."

"Leave him out of this!" Ryuu demanded, not loud enough for anyone but a certain keen-eared adventurer to hear and gain his attention. "This is my burden and he doesn't have anything to do with this, so leave him be."

"Sorry darling," the man said with a disgusting smile. "But he brought this on himself. It's time this little monster fetish freak learns hi-."

He never finished his sentence as a mass of furious adventurer suddenly grabbed him by his face and slammed him into the wall.

"Care to repeat that?" Achilles growled, his hand clenching the man's skull hard enough for hairline cracks to form.

The man desperately tried to remove the hand from his face, giving off muffled cries of pain, with no success.

"Achilles!" Bell cried. "It's okay. Let him go."

"After what he just called you?!" Achilles cried, shock painted on his features.

"It's alright," Bell said gently. "I can take it."

Achilles growled. He couldn't deny a plea from the snow-haired young man, but that didn't mean he wanted to let the bastard go. Finally, after glaring at the man for just a bit longer, and squeezing his head just a bit harder, he released.

"Gah!" the man screamed, grabbing his head. "Who do you think you are?!" he cried.

"I'm the one looking after the boy you just viciously insulted," Achilles snarled, silently hoping the man would try something stupid.

"Then maybe, ah," the man grabbed his head. "Maybe you'd like to know he's protecting a murderer!"

By this point everyone in the restaurant was focused solely on the commotion, and more than a few eyes widened at this proclamation, and a gasp erupted from Syr.

Achilles's eyes lowered.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"That elf?!" the man said, pointing at Ryuu. "Killed off an entire familia. The Guild even put an 80,000,000 valis bounty on her head!"

Everyone, except Achilles, turned to the elf, who now had her head bowed.

Achilles glared at the man for a moment longer before finally turning to Ryuu.

"Is this true?"

Ryuu, unable to find any words, only nodded causing the man to smile predatorily.

Achilles stared at her for a moment longer before turning to Bell.

"Did you know?"

Bell looked him directly in the eyes when he answered.

"Yes."

Achilles nodded.

"Then, firstly," he punched the man in the face, knocking him out. "Secondly," he grabbed the gemstone he had previously offered Aisha and tossed it to Mia who caught it. "That's for the meal tonight and because thirdly," he pointed at Ryuu. "You're coming with me."

The Hostess of Fertility fell silent and worry began to eat at the hearts of Bell, Hestia familia, and all the workers of the establishment, Mia included.

"Achilles," Bell tried, only for the level seven to hold up his hand.

"Trust me, Bell."

That's what the Hestia captain wanted to do, but he couldn't honestly say he wasn't worried.

"It's alright Cranel-san," Ryuu said, trying her best to give him a reassuring smile. "This is what I deserve."

"That has yet to be seen," Achilles stated. "Now, come. I don't want to find a bunch of empty desks at the Guild. That'll only make this more of a hassle."

The statement set off alarm bells around the restaurant and suddenly all the other waitresses, minus Syr, jumped in front of him.

"We're not going to let you take her!" Chloe cried, the others quickly nodding, all the while glaring at Achilles.

"Everyone," Ryuu said, stepping forward. "Please. I don't want anyone to get hurt. And you wouldn't be able to stop him anyway," she said with certainty.

"But with Mama-," Chloe said, looking towards her matron. Mia looked at her for a moment, before sighing and shaking her head. The catgirl's ears dropped.

"Thank you for everything," Ryuu said with a sad smile. She turned to Mia. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused," she said with a bow.

"What trouble?" Mia scoffed. "Skipping out on a day or two of work isn't anything major. At least you gave me a warning before you did it," the ex-captain said.

Ryuu continued to smile until she turned to Syr.

"I owe you so much, I'm sorry I won't be able to repay it."

Syr suddenly threw herself at Ryuu, wrapping her in a hug.

"You don't owe me anything. You needed help, and I wanted to help you. That's what friends do."

Tears welled up in Ryuu's eyes, choking her. However, she still had the ability to move and so wrapped her arms around Syr and tightly squeezed the girl.

"Achilles," Bell said, the display causing a knife to enter his heart.

"Trust me, Bell," was the only response.

The two held each other for a solid minute before finally breaking apart. Ryuu then turned to Achilles and nodded.

"I'm ready."

She was surprised when Achilles rolled his eyes.

"You all don't know me very well," he said, before walking out of the establishment with a quick wave for her to follow.

Achilles, Ryuu, and the entire Hestia familia made their way through the darkened streets of Orario, gaining more than a few curious onlookers who wondered what was going on. This only made Bell and the rest of his familia feel worse as they didn' t want any more damage to be done to the friend who had helped them on so many occasions. Achilles and Ryuu, however, completely ignored the stares, focusing only on their destination and what was to come.

Finally, the Guild came within sight, and everyone but Achilles felt their heart begin to race.

"Achilles," Bell pleaded one final time. This time, Achilles didn't look at him, or even stop walking, he just ruffled his hair and said.

"Trust me, Bell."

"Ah, I think that's about the last of it," Eina said, stretching her arms over her head.

"You're going to jinx yourself," Misha said.

"Everyone's gone home, Misha. What could possibly happen now?"

The pink-haired young lady's eyes suddenly caught sight of something that provided the answer.

"Maybe, that," she said, pointing.

Eina turned and found the Hestia familia, all looking exceedingly worried, crowded behind Achilles and Ryuu, the latter of which, had her head down.

"Evening ladies," Achilles said calmly, walking up to them.

"E-Evening," Eina greeted. Misha was far too alarmed by the presence of the man she now knew to be one of, if not the most powerful adventurer in the city. "H-How," she cleared her throat. "How can I help you?"

"Would you mind getting your superior for me? I don't want some stupid issue to come up with what comes next."

"Uh," Eina's eyes darted to Bell, who seemed barely able to meet her eyes. A fact that did nothing to ease her discomfort.

"It...may take a while."

"That's fine," he replied.

Eina quickly disappeared, hoping to find her superior as quickly as possible in order to discover what was going on.

Achilles turned and took a seat, crossing his arms and waiting patiently for Eina to return.

The Hestia familia, meanwhile, were completely lost. Worry and anxiety ate at them and none knew what to do.

"Should you order him to stand down, Bell-sama?" Lili asked.

"I don't think he'll listen to me," he responded, sparing a glance at his fellow captain. "He just kept telling me to trust him."

"Kind of hard to do that at the moment," Welf said. "We have no idea what's going through his head. I don't know what's the deal with Ryuu, but I'm not comfortable with the idea of turning her in."

The others readily agreed with this, but that didn't make matters any easier.

"Is he, perhaps, after the reward?" Haruhime offered. "He did offer to help Hestia pay off her debt."

"That might be-," Mikoto began.

"No."

They all turned to Achilles who simply pointed to his ear, not even sparing them a glance.

As confusion ate at the familia, Bell's focus turned to Ryuu who was now refusing to look anywhere but the ground. Not willing to let things remain like that, he walked up to her, putting on the best smile he could.

"Things will be alright. Achilles isn't the kind of person to go after a reward. He was the captain of Zeus familia afterall."

He hoped his words would reassure her, or at least, surprise her out of her stupor, but all he got was a nod.

"I know. He visited the Hostess of Fertility a short time ago. He said he was looking for you and, because of that, I tried to attack him."

A stone sank into Bell's stomach.

"I have no reason to expect anything from Caesar-san, nor do I deserve it. This is what I-."

She was stopped by a chop to the head.

She and Bell turned to Achilles who had suddenly appeared next to them.

"Stop being dumb," he demanded.

Before she could make a reply, Eina returned, Royman Mardeel following after her looking very annoyed.

"What is the meaning of this!" the elf demanded.

"Grumpy as ever I see, Royman," Achilles said, walking over to the counter.

"Achilles! I heard you were back in town. Here to cause more trouble I see. And how dare you address me so informally!"

"I'll address you more politely when you're worthy of being addressed respectfully. Now," Achilles continued, not allowing the enraged elf to interrupt. "I believe there is a bounty on a certain elf who killed an entire familia? Is that correct?"

The Hestia familia was frozen as fear sank into their souls.

"Well...yes. I seem to recall an incident such as that. A rogue adventurer who used all manner of traps and devious methods to destroy a familia. Admittedly it was an Evilus, but that's besides the point."

"Huh, that actually makes this easier," Achilles said. "Did she happen to look something like that?" he said pointing his thumb at Ryuu.

Royman and Eina turned to the blonde elf and, after a moment, the former's eyes widened.

"That's her! Gale!"

Bell and the others felt ready to collapse at his recognizing of Ryuu, but were still frozen in indecisiveness. Bell was naturally having the worst of it as he was stuck between trusting his mentor and protecting his friend.

"Good," Achilles said calmly. "Then I want you to put a pause on her bounty."

The room went deadly silent as everyone, from Royman to Welf, Bell to Ryuu herself, slowly turned their heads to Achilles.

"Pardon?" Royman demanded.

"I seem to recall that the Guild offered those with bounties the chance to have them removed by paying them off. Naturally though, for those with higher bounties, they would need time to acquire the necessary funds. As such, the idea of 'pausing' a bounty, was presented. I'm telling you to put a pause on Ryuu here's bounty so I can have time to gather the necessary funds to pay it off."

Instantly all the fear and anxiety was lifted from the shoulders of the Hestia familia, each one actually gasping as they suddenly were able to take a breath again.

"Y-You want to pay it off?! I seem to recall that hers was an exceedingly high bounty," Royman countered.

"80,000,000, from what I hear," Achilles replied calmly.

"And how long do you expect us to put it on hold?! Especially when the culprit is in our sights!"

Achilles began to count on his fingers and appeared to be doing math in his head.

"Four...no, I think I can do it in three days."

Everyone's jaws dropped.

"Y-You're going to collect 80,000,000 valis in three days?" Royman asked in disbelief.

"Four max," Achilles replied. "So, put it on hold for now."

With that, he turned back to Hestia familia.

"Looks like we're going to put off your training for the next few days, but that's alright, it'll give me more time to think of a training regime and for you guys to prepare yourselves."

None of them could find the words to respond until Bell finally snapped out of his stupor.

"Achilles...are you actually going to pay off Ryuu's bounty?"

"Of course. Did you really think I was going to turn her in?"

"Can you really blame us?" Lili asked.

Achilles shrugged.

"Bell said he trusted her. That's good enough for me. However," he turned to the dumbstruck Ryuu. "There is something you're going to do for me in return."

She snapped out of her stupor, though her eyes remained wide.

"W-What?" she asked.

"Well, seeing how Hestia familia is looking for new members, you will join Hestia familia and work to protect it from all harm, whether that harm be from monsters, crazy goddesses, or the common cold. Am I understood?"

Again, things were silent as no one knew how to respond, presenting the possibility for Royman to cut in.

"Excuse me, we aren't don-!"

"Shut up," Achilles commanded. "Do we have a deal?" he asked Ryuu again.

Finally, once the wheels in her head began to fully understand the situation, Ryuu's face finally dropped the shocked look and replaced it with the smiling, teary-eyed look of someone awash in utter relief.

"Yes," she said as the tears began to stream down her face. "Yes, I understand."

Bell and the others, now smiling themselves, began to comfort and welcome her into their familia, which only caused more tears to spill from her eyes.

"Good," Achilles replied. "I'll be back in three days," he said to Royman. "So you, my greedy little piggy," the elf's face turned neon red. "Will just sit here and wait for me to return with the money. Make any move against Ryuu or her new familia and I'll bring the Pantheon down on your head. Understand?" Royman opened his mouth. "Good."

Done with the fat elf, Achilles turned back to the Hestia familia.

"Now, while I'm gone, you all need to be on high alert. With me busy, I can't protect you from Freya," that sobered the mood a bit, but not enough to ruin it. "I'll ask that you don't go to the Dungeon while I'm away, just for extra safety. I'll do my best to not only bring in enough for Ryuu's bounty, but also pay off some of Hestia's debt, as I promised I would." They smiled at him. "On that note, Bell," he turned to the young man. "Please give Hestia-sama my apologies for everything that happened today." Bell, recognizing he wasn't just talking about the current situation with Ryuu, lost his smile, but nodded. This did not go unnoticed by the others, but they figured that they would soon learn what that all meant. "All that said, I do encourage you all to keep training. Try and figure out your weak points and where you can improve your current skills. With Ryuu-san here now, you have another person who can help you advance and get stronger." Everyone nodded, including Ryuu. "Finally, Bell, I want you to continue the mental training we did. I know it was stressful, but I do think it will help you." Bell nodded. "You'll find the store with the vials on Sword Street. It'll be the one with the bouquet of flowers sign hanging outside. Just ask for their 'good stuff.'" It took Bell a moment to realize what he meant, when he did, his eyes widened and he nodded vigorously. This greatly increased his familia's curiosity of what this 'mental training' was, but somehow they all knew that they weren't going to get answers out of Bell, recent promise be damned.

"Alright," Achilles said clapping his hand. "I should get started. Lili, if you would be so kind as to provide me with a few snacks for the road and maybe a potion or two, that would be greatly appreciated."

Lili readily handed the requested items to him, smiling all the while.

"Well, I'll see you all in a few days. By then I expect you all to be ready for some real training, and I expect you," he said pointing to Ryuu. "To have a hearth burning brightly on your back."

Ryuu, now no longer crying, but still smiling widely, nodded.

"Good. Now, it's time for you all to go home, explain things to Hestia, then get some well earned sleep, and it's time for me to kill some monsters."