[92] Harem King

"Since you've made up your mind, let's continue. Go to the weapons rack over there and grab a wooden sword." Aiden patted Bell on the shoulder.

"Got it." With newfound determination, Bell retrieved a wooden sword from the weapons rack and resumed his sparring with Aiden.

Following Takemikazuchi's teachings, Aiden began a rigorous and merciless training regimen.

All night long, Bell found himself living in a world of painful bliss.

Unlike Ais, who would often leave Bell groaning on the ground due to her unintentional yet brutal training, Aiden was much more direct and demanding. Bell, who wasn't even close to reaching Level 2, struggled immensely under Aiden's strict guidance.

"Huff... huff... Senpai, I... I can't go on. I'm... I'm completely out of strength." Bell panted heavily, lying on the dojo floor like a fish stranded on dry land. He was drenched in sweat, his breathing labored and uneven. Nearby lay two wooden swords, indicating that Aiden had successfully convinced Bell to switch to dual-wielding single-handed swords.

"What's this? Giving up already? A man should never admit defeat so easily." Aiden who hadn't sweated much, smiled knowingly, a smile understood by all men.

Aiden then handed Bell a bottle of juice, which he had stored in the dojo's refrigerator for convenience. The refrigerator itself was something he had convinced Hestia to purchase.

"Thank you, Senpai. But why can't a man admit defeat?" Bell took the juice from his hand, wearing a puzzled expression. With his appearance resembling a white rabbit, he looked innocent to the extreme.

"Haha, you really don't get it, do you?" Aiden laughed, amused that Bell, raised by the old pervert Zeus, didn't understand the implication of his words.

Bell looked completely baffled.

After a while, Aiden, still chuckling, explained the joke to Bell.

Bell's already flushed face grew even redder after the explanation, like a tomato, thoroughly embarrassed.

Of course, Aiden hadn't intended to get too risqué.

As he sipped the juice he had just taken from the refrigerator, Aiden struck up a casual conversation with Bell.

"So, why did you want to come to Orario and become an adventurer, Bell?" 

"I want to become a hero. I want to find romance in the dungeon!" Bell's eyes widened with excitement, his enthusiasm surpassing even that of when Aiden had promised to teach him combat.

Hearing the expected answer, Aiden couldn't help but sigh and rub his forehead.

"Senpai, is there something wrong with my dream?" Bell asked innocently upon seeing Aiden's reaction.

After a brief rest, Bell's face was still slightly flushed, and his innocent expression and youthful appearance made him utterly charming... a veritable heartbreaker for both women and men of any age.

However, Aiden, whose interest was firmly in women, was unfazed. He swallowed a sip of juice, chuckled softly, and said, "Nothing's wrong. Please continue."

"Oh, alright. Ever since I was a child, I've loved a story of heroes in the dungeon. I've always dreamed of becoming a hero like the main character and meeting my heroine in the dungeon. That's why I came to Orario." Bell gripped his bottle tightly, his expression solemn.

"A heroine? Like who?" 

"Like a beautiful girl! Before he passed away, my grandfather told me that meeting a beautiful girl in the dungeon was a man's romance, and having a harem is also a man's romance. So, I want to meet beautiful adventurers in the dungeon! I want to have a harem!" Bell said with excitement.

"Even though I expected this, hearing Bell say it in person just makes me want to shout... Zeus, you dirty old man, come out here and take your punishment! Turning Bell into this... should I say, as expected of the legendary perverted god?" This was the only thought running through Aiden's mind at that moment.

"Alright, alright. I wish you the best of luck, Harem King Bell." Aiden downed the remaining juice in his bottle, stood up, and joked.

"Yes, Senpai. I will work hard. I will become the Harem King!" Bell, surprisingly earnest, clenched his right fist, his face full of determination.

The Harem King, huh? As expected of Yoshitsugu Matsuoka1. That was Aiden's first thought, though he didn't voice it.

Instead, Aiden patted Bell on the shoulder, cheering him on. "Then you better give it your all. Come on, I'll show you to your room."

"Thank you, Senpai." Bell stood up and followed Aiden.

"This is your room. I'm going to take a bath first. You should check out your room and wait until you've stopped sweating so much before you shower." Aiden instructed after leading Bell to his room.

"Got it, Senpai." Bell replied with a firm nod.

"Oh, and one more thing... make sure to go to bed early tonight. Tomorrow is your first day exploring the dungeon, and I won't wait for you if you're late." Aiden reminded Bell before opening the door to his room again.

"Understood, Senpai! I won't be late!" Bell replied excitedly at the mention of exploring the dungeon.

Late at night, after his bath, Aiden lay in bed reading a novel.

As he read, a peculiar thought crossed Aiden's mind. Hestia's attitude towards Bell today is markedly different from how she treated him when he first joined. Although she seemed equally friendly, her demeanor was more that of a guardian.

There was no inclination to hug Bell or engage in intimate interactions.

Friendly yet distant, it was a stark contrast to her behavior when Aiden joined, where she would often throw herself at him. Was it because he was the first? Or perhaps because she had matured?

Aiden shook his head with a smile at the thought. After all these years, Hestia remained true to her nature. As she often said, "Gods are eternal and unchanging."

This inherent constancy meant that gods lacked something all mortals possessed... potential.

Gods are eternal and unchanging but humans are ever-changing. A person's life is marked by growth and transformation, which is why gods enjoy the company of mortals. So, how could a month of living with me bring about a change?

It really did boil down to the timing of their joining.

'Sorry, Bell. Hestia remains the same, but she's no longer your Hestia. And she's not mine either; she belongs to herself. But this might be for the best, sparing Hestia from getting entangled in your harem and avoiding the issue of the lifespan differences between gods and mortals.'

'Still, with your charm, Hestia's absence won't be a great loss.'

'Ryuu, Syr, Ais... you have plenty of options to choose from.'

With this thought, Aiden sighed, knowing it wouldn't be long before he had to leave. Who knows when he will return?

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