Adventuring Beggining's

"TAKE CAREEE!!!" A goddess screamed towards the heavens.

It's been a couple of days since the day he made a deal with Lena; exchanging his monster crystals for Valis as well as some miscellaneous information, at least from her point of view. For me it could help me greatly. Now having fixed his income problem he could tackle his mission properly without worrying what he's going to eat tomorrow.

And so, he decided to quit his job.

The difference in pay between an adventurer, even a level 1, and workers is ridiculous. Adventurer's are very well off financially speaking.

...well so long as you don't take into account the cost of equipment, and it's repairs, but that isn't something I'm worried about.

So, although he'll have to leave Hestia alone for a while, Shirou now has 9 more hours free to do as he pleases. Cooking is fun and all, but with his dungeon diving and familiarizing myself with the city, he has been slacking in his magecraft, and physical exercise.

Regardless, now that he has free time once more he can work on his daily exercises, as well as his magus training.

I used to work on my magecraft at night back home, but because of the dungeon I had to replace my training with dungeon diving.

With the change of his daily life, rather than working in the mornings he now does his magus training during the mornings rather than at night, like he used to back home.

While Hestia is away working, and Bell is out adventuring. Shirou decided it was the opportune time to do this.

Bell huh…

As Shirou was getting ready to practice his magecraft. He remembered the name of the new boy that has come to live with them recently. He didn't know what to make of the boy. He seems like a kind honest soul.

And young.

Way too young to be dungeon diving in his opinion, but apparently that is what is 'common,' around here. Adventurers tend to start young, sometimes younger, in the hopes of making a name for themselves. Adventuring isn't only an ideal profession, but 'the' profession.

There is an expression in this world. Those who can't adventure. Don't.

He hated that, but common sense isn't something he can slash at.

…for now…

So it'll be awhile before he could do something about that. Until then, he could only give the boy a word of advice or two, as he adventures.

That is if he asks. He is as timid as he is young. We've barely talked. Or rather… It's hard to talk when Hestia isn't in the room. Much to Hestia's displeasure.

Despite living in the same building, and passing each other every morning, besides hellos, they haven't exchanged much words.

Shirou doesn't think Bell hates him, or even dislikes him, but… whenever they say hello the conversation just goes to talking about Hestia for fifteen seconds, some miscellaneous comments about a rumor, and then just silence.

Basically they, or at least he himself, are two awkward people who don't know how to talk to each other.

I hope I don't procrastinate too much, and figure out a middle ground to be able to talk to him. Honestly without Hestia between us during meals, it would have been even more awkward. Just two strangers living under one roof.

...well then, first things first, after magus training he'll see what he could do about that.

...definitely… probably

///

Bell

Meanwhile in the dungeon a white haired ruby eyed adventurer was hacking his way through a couple of goblins, exhaling when he successfully killed another one.

"I did it. That's another 25 valis. That makes 400 Valis. Probably! Kami-sama, I'll keep doing my best. For dinner," he pumped his fist to his chest. All the while wondering when his 'heroic,' adventure story would begin.

Before coming to the city of Orario, Bell had been a normal farm hand, with dreams of grandeur, a dream he would fulfill far in the future, but a twist of fate would bring it faster than intended. That would be the day his grandfather died. He had grieved for days, but in the end he had to move on.

For some time he wondered when the day he would go adventuring would begin. He had memorized all the tales his grandfather had told him, of adventure, girls, fame, riches, romance, adversity, heroism, and girls again.

Grandfather was a man of culture, or at least that's what he called himself.

Memorizing all those tales he could from him, and having nothing waiting for him. Where else could he go but to the city of Orario. The city of dreams and heroes.

He would go into the dungeon, and have a destined encounter. He would encounter a cute girl in a dungeon, and her heart would skip a beat. The beginnings of a romance would bloom. He would travel around the dungeon meeting beauty after beauty, as his youthful days truly begin.

...or at least that was the plan.

Needless to say, Bell's adventures would hit a little snag before they began.

The difference in economy between a farmhand and a city resident was more than he thought it would be. He had enough Valis to last him for three days. That was a very short time frame to get a familia.

Regardless though he didn't despair. Afterall, three days was plenty of time to join a familia. It was only a matter of time until he got accepted by one.

It wasn't.

Three days passed, and he was rejected every single time, and his previous optimistic attitude had taken a hit; as reality once more set in, and he was looking at a possible homeless future.

That was when a miracle happened. On the third day, at dusk in a lonely alley a goddess appeared.

My goddess. Bell thought.

That day would mark the day Bell met Hestia, and he truly became an adventurer.

He was eternally grateful towards her. He had nothing he could offer her. In fact; he would say that he is indebted to her more than anything else, but she still took him in. He can't thank her enough.

Later that evening he would realize that the goddess he signed up with, is in poverty herself, and yet she would take him in.

Definitely a goddess. A goddess worthy of respect, and adoration. A goddess I'm proud of, and who I want to be proud of me in turn.

Although many adventurers would lament over their situation, Bell only felt more driven to become a distinguished adventurer instead.

For himself, his grandfather, and his goddess.

I might have had a setback … or two, but my tale starts now. Somewhere down there, there is a romantic encounter waiting to happen. Here I come! My hero tale starts now! He encourages himself, as he finishes another floor, all the while suppressing the fact that it would be a while before he has the ability to save someone.

After all, it isn't wrong to hope for a chance encounter in a dungeon, right?

"Ah, that's right, speaking of chance encounters, theirs the new guy Shirou." he said to himself. He has no idea who he is. After living with him for a few days he knows Shirou is a nice person, worked with Hestia for a while, and… is a nice person… Oh, he can cook.

That's all he knows...

He's not sure how to talk to him, maybe they can talk about hobbies, he thought. That said, he doesn't have much interest in cooking, and Shirou doesn't seem to be an adventurer, so he probably doesn't like the same things as him.

...Oh well, he thought. Things will work out somehow. If Hestia-sama likes him, then he can't be a bad person.

Without knowing of Shirou or Hestia's worries, he casually disregarded the issue, for there wasn't one, from his point of view.

He could only look towards a bright future that lay before him. Although, he is in a dark dungeon, but as usual disregards that small fact from his subconscious, while looking towards the future.

He takes his first steps on the fifth floor.

///

Meanwhile in the Hostess of fertility the young magus was reading a book; how to win over friends for adventurers.

Is this actually popular?

Shirou had asked a local bookshop a book that had advice on how to talk to people, and was given this book in response. He hadn't thought much about the exuberant price on the book, but he could confidently say now, after having bought it, that the guy was just trying to sell him the most expensive book on the subject.

I've been ripped-off, he thought

...I'll think of something later on, hopefully. He threw the book into the garbage, as it occurred to him.

Hmm, they do say the way to a man's heart is through their stomach. "I guess I'll get dinner ready."

///

W-What is that, Bell thought. A bull, no, that's a minotaur! What the hell is a minotaur doing here.

"ROAAAA," The minotaur hollered.

His thoughts on how a midfloor monster got on the fifth floor would have to wait, as he needed to escape. He ran as fast as he could, but…

"Crash." Ah, I almost died, he thought. Any one hit from the minotaur would result in his death from the sound of that close impact.

I-I don't want to die.

"Uwaaaaa?!" he screamed as he ran even faster than he thought himself capable of, but…

A dead end. Is this really how I'm gonna die? Bell now with no exits, didn't know what to do, and could only stare at the fist that would bring his death.

"Swish," but with a swing of a blade and a sound of flesh being torn, the monster was killed.

A female adventurer has made an appearance.

"Hey… are you okay?" She asked

Beautiful.

Bell couldn't help but think.

S-she is Ais Wallenstein. The sword princess. I-I, I gotta go!

"Can you stand up?" Ais asked.

"Aaaaaaa!!"

Like a frightened animal, embarrassed, he runs away betraying his exhausted nature, catching the young girl off guard.

That was Bell's chance encounter.

///