Chapter Fourteen

"Meet you at the Monsterphelia..."

I grumbled, looking around the bustling street.

"How can I see you when you can't even reach my shoulders?"

I sighed in annoyance, walking through the crowd and searching for Hestia. Seriously, where could she be?

I don't pause as I glance at the balcony of a cafe, my eyes briefly meeting purple orbs in a passing glance as I look around.

So, you are the one, huh...

I hum for a moment before continuing on my way to the festival.  I ignored the person that was watching me ever since I came to this city, their eyes were on me occasionally, even when I was in the dungeon sometimes.

However, they were just watching, so I did not see any harm in it. If they tried something, I know who they disguised themselves as and where they worked.

I pursed my lips in thought, wondering how to find Hestia before sighing, I would have to sense for divinity, and go to see them one after another, I guess...

I ignored the two divinity sources that I left behind, I went to investigate the others.

___

I grabbed Hestia by the crook of her dress, pulling her up and staring into her eyes.

"You know, you are very hard to find, Godess."

She blinked and smiled at me.

"Bell!"

I accepted the hug she gave me and patted her head a few times before she let go of me.

"Come on! Let's enjoy ourselves for the day."

...Did she ask me to accompany her to this festival so that she could get a date? I swear to god, this woman...

Well, I was out of the dungeon anyway, so whatever. I let her drag me around the festival before the main event started, which would be in a few hours.

Halfway through, I was holding an ice-cream cone, biting into it absently as I looked around, hoping that something interesting would happen, like meeting Welf, some sort of performance or even-

A giant white monkey crashed out of a building and I stared at it for a moment... And licked the ice cream.

Or even that, I guess.

I observed the monster for a second, he was wearing what seemed like armor, but they were restraints, broken restraints...

"Bell?"

I hum.

"Stop it."

I nodded and handed her the ice cream which she took and I grabbed my dagger, pulling it out of its sheath as the civilians ran from the raging monster.

I dashed forward, air swirling around my blade, digging into the Gray back's knee, and cutting it clean. The symbols on the blade dim down and the wind disperses around my dagger as the monkey drops to the ground, roaring out in pain.

I jump up, backflipping and landing on the ape's back before it can roll over. The engravings glow again as I stab down, piercing its heart and dispersing it into black dust.

Landing on the ground casually, I kick up the magic stone and put it inside my now, thankfully, enchanted pouch.

Hestia walked up to me, handing me my ice cream back casually as I sheathed my dagger and grabbed the offered treat.

"So... you think there are other monsters that broke out?"

She nodded and I sighed, crouching down and picking her up, letting her sit on my shoulder as I jumped to a roof, ignoring the surprised squeak from the goddess.

"I noticed that you were not afraid of the monster..."

I remarked as soon as I landed on the roof, sure they were gods, but they might as well be human with all their powers sealed.

"Bell, every time I update your status, I know what happened for you to gain all that Excelia, you punch linger-fangs to death..."

Ah... That made sense...

I shrugged with the shoulder she was not sitting on and started running across the rooftops. 

I jumped from the roof, landing on a war shadow's shoulders and dragging its head across the ground. Raising a leg, I stop on its head, turning it into dust.

"Eh? Itty-Bitty? Where did you come from?"

I turned, subsequently making Hestia turn since she was on my shoulder, and saw a guy with red hair tied into a ponytail, wearing a white shirt with black pants marching over.

Hestia taps my shoulder and I put her down. Glancing to the side, I spot the same girl that was chasing the minotaur that Welf and I met on the fifth floor. She was wearing a white dress and holding a rapier in her hand.

As our deities bickered, we exchanged a look and stayed silent for a moment.

"Bell."

I offered her my name and she tilted her head to the side curiously.

"Ais."

I nodded back, at least I knew her name now, didn't have to call her "Speech 100 girl" anymore.