Chapter Twenty-Four

"Bell... What's the hurry?"

Hestia asked, concern lacing her voice as she handed me my paper, I could feel her frown but I ignored it as I took the paper.

_

Bell Cranel

Level: 3

•Strength: S-956.

•Endurance: S-954.

•Dexterity: S-959.

•Agility: S-957.

•Magic: S-956.

•Shadow Lurk: S

•Assassin: S

Magic:

élenchos.

Blaze

Skill:

Black hole.

umbra.

_

I burned the paper and stood up, pulling my shirt back down and picking up the armor.

"No hurry... I need new armor."

Hestia remained silent as I placed my wrapped-up armor and walked out of the renovated church. The place looked nice, but I wasn't in the mood right now.

I walked silently in the street, dodging anyone about to bump into me as I made it to Welf's workshop that he had been granted in the tower of Babel.

"Bell! It's been a while... Are you okay?"

Welf asked, frowning. I nodded and put the armor on the table. His frown remained and opened the wrapping before raising an eyebrow.

"This armor is unscratched..."

I nodded at his excellent deduction. I reached into my pouch, took out a paper, and handed it to him. He took it, looked at it, back at me, then at the paper again before looking back at me.

"... Okay, seems doable, how soon do you need this?"

I shrugged.

"Four days..."

He nodded and looked back down at the paper.

"But... why don't you want like... a whole chest-plate? And a whole abdomen cover? And the back?"

I shrugged again, it was the type of armor I used in my old world, it protected me well and had the mobility for weird twists and turns, so I didn't need to wear leather armor at a level one-fifty area.

"For mobility, your armor is good, but it's restricting for the way I fight."

Welf hummed in thought and nodded, understanding.

"Okay, got it, you got the materials?"

I nodded and took my pouch off, opened it, and turned it over. A mountain of Worm Well's Head Shells fell out of the pouch and Welf just stared for a moment, blankly, not even blinking.

Before he just up and took it like it was no big deal.

"Okay, got it, you crazy bastard, I'll have it in three days."

He grinned and I smirked back weakly.

"Hey... After I'm done with this, wanna go out for some drinks?"

He asked, concern in his eyes and I nodded. Without a word I turned around and left, offering a wave over my shoulder. It was getting dark already, and I mentally counted the days...

Yeah... I figured...

Sighing, I changed my direction, moving a few streets over and entering the Hostess Of Fertility.

Ryuu greeted me and I only offered a nod as I walked to the counter where Mama Mia was. She turned to me with a wide smile that fell the moment she saw my expression.

"Hey, kid, what can I get ya?"

I reached into my pouch, taking out a bag of money.

"The finest bottle of wine... and eight wine cups..."

Mia looked at the pouch of money, took it, and looked inside before nodding and walking to the back. She came back a few minutes later, with what I wanted, and I grabbed them, turning around and leaving.

A few minutes later, I was at the walls, floating up and stepping on top of it. With a sigh, I sat down, put down the wine cups in a circle, and filled them up.

Popping the cork off, I poured the wine into each cup and put the almost empty bottle to the side, grabbing a cup in front of me.

I raised it into the air, none joining it in a toast.

"To you, you crazy bastards..."

I muttered, my eyes wandering to the cup to my right.

"And to the future we never had..."

___

"Who's bright Idea was it to drink before an expedition?"

Welf muttered, and I offered a chuckle, my armor shifting on my body as I walked. The parts and the enchantments worked together, defending anything the armor did not cover while still allowing it movement at awkward angles.

"Yours."

He just glared at me half-heartedly as we joined the large party in front of the dungeon.

"Bell! Glad you could make it."

I looked forward, spotting Finn waving at me while a taller, dark-skinned woman with an eyepatch and a katana was waving as well.

"Welf! Why do you look like you have a hangover?"

Welf groaned as we walked up to the two. The woman looked me over, her single eye observing my armor curiously before raising an eyebrow.

"Interesting armor, mind telling me who made it?"

She asked and I just raised an eyebrow curiously. No name, no hello, just asking for information about armor? Yup, definitely a blacksmith.

"It was me, Tsubaki..."

Welf sighed, taking out a health potion and sipping it, sighing as the headache probably faded away.

"This is Bell, the guy that helped me level up."

Tsubaki, apparently, blinked, and looked at me again, before dropping a fist into her palm.

"Ah, you're the slave driver."

I turned my head to stare at Welf, and Welf, in return, ignored me like a professional.