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It Is Alright To Use Spiral Power In A Dungeon (TTGL X Danmachi Crossover)

Reader mode
LinkOnScepter said:
I mean, I didn't do it for the cool explosion scene. It was mostly to establish how Simon's presence is changing events and in particular Bell. I will go into more detail in future chapters.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
No I understand that Simon is changing Bell and setting but this could have been easily handled by Bell on his own without getting weird.
 
"That was amazing!" Bell cheers as he runs into the living room. He turns around as Simon and Hestia walk in after him. He holds up both of his arms with a big smile on his face, "Did you see that?! We beat the Silverback in one blow! Everyone cheered for us, and I defended Lady Hestia!"

"Damn right," Simon walks over and pats the boy on his head. He tilts his head and smiles, "You did great, Bell. Beat your first big monster and all."

Bell's smile remained even as he shook his head, "No, no. I wouldn't have been able to do any of that if it weren't for you and Lady Hestia. You held the Silverback off long enough for her to update my status, and she's the one who gave me this."

Bell holds up the obsidian knife that his Goddess had given him. The "Hestia Knife" she had called it, seemed to pulse with a dull purple and green light. He clipped the weapon to his belt then looked over at his Goddess as she closed the door behind her. Before she could get into the room proper, Bell ran over and pulled her into a tight hug. She squeaked in surprise but Bell kept hugging her with a bright smile on his face, "Thank you so much, Lady Hestia! Without the Hestia Knife and your status, I wouldn't have been able to win. I promise I won't waste this gift!"

A bright smile came over Hestia's face as she put her arms around Bell to return the hug. Her pigtails wiggled through the air in happiness as she spoke, "O-Of course! It is only natural that I do everything I can for you, Bell! You're my precious, all important follower after all."

Hestia giggled while rubbing her face into Bell's chest. She also pressed her own chest close to his torso, hoping that he would notice but not run this time. He did back away, but didn't seem to notice her actions. He simply ran over to the middle of the living room and hopped in place for a bit, "And did you guys see what happened back there?! How the Silverback exploded twice after we cut it?! It was so...awe...s...some..."

Bell's body suddenly stopped hopping up and down. His eyes grew heavy and all the energy he had seemed to flow out of his body. He swayed on his feet for a bit before starting to fall back with his eyes closed. As Hestia called his name, Simon moved over and grabbed Bell before he hit the ground. He pulled the boy up but Bell's feet had gone limp. His mouth hung open as his chest rose and fell with each gentle breath he took. Simon rested him on his shoulder then smiled, "Figured he'd be tuckered out. Kid's been fighting for a while. Mind helping me get him to bed, Hestia? Hestia?"

Hestia shook her head when Simon called her name a second time. She blinked a few times before saying, "Huh? Uh, yeah! Yes! Of course. Let me just..."

She walked over to Bell's left and placed a hand on the small of his back. While she wasn't as strong as Simon, she carried half of Bell's weight as the two walked him up the stairs to the bedroom. After placing him down on the bed, Hestia gave him a goodnight kiss on the cheek. He didn't stir as the two of them walked down the stairs into the living room. Once the two of them were alone, Hestia's good mood quickly vanished. Because she remembered that she still had to tell Simon what she had done.

Taking a deep breath to prepare herself, she stood up straight and said, "Simon...I need to tell you something."

Simon stopped in the middle of the living room and turned to regard Hestia. With a raised eyebrow he waited for the Goddess to continue. Hestia fidgeted in place for a few moments...then she threw herself to the floor and pressed her head against it, "Please forgive me! I told one of my friends about what you could do! It was the only way I could get Bell his knife! I'm so, so, sorry but I-"

Simon held up a hand, his expression mostly neutral, "Woah, woah, woah. Slow down, Hestia. I got the gist but need some clarification."

Hestia kept her head down but nodded her head to the best of her ability. Simon held up a finger, "Okay, so you told someone about my powers. Who?"

"Hephaestus. Another Goddess and a friend of mine."

Simon held up another finger, "Okay. What did you tell her?"

"I gave her Bell's Core Drill to see is there was anything special about the metal. It didn't seem like it, but then she saw it make cracks in a powerful drop item after she tapped it against the ingot for a bit. She wanted to know where it came from and I told her that you knew the answer. That's it. I didn't tell her about Spiral Power, where it comes from, what it can do, or anything else. I swear!"

Another finger, "And why did you tell her?'

Hestia hesitated for a moment but she answered nonetheless, "B-Because...if I didn't I would've been put in immense debt to be able to get the knife I gave to Bell. It's a custom order and our Familia doesn't have the funds to afford something like that. But Hephaestus offered to give it to me for free if I could show her where I got the Core Drill from."

"So, you did it to help out Bell?"

"Yes. I know it was a breach of your trust. And I wouldn't blame you if you decided to hold this against me, or even leave and never come back. I would completely understand. Just please know that I am so, so, so sorry for this."

Simon lowered his hand and scratched at his cheek with his other. He stared at Hestia with a curious expression and said, "And that's why you're currently doing a dogeza? To get my forgiveness?"

"You know what this is?"

"Yeah. One of my friends would use it whenever he really messed up and needed to apologize," Simon shrugged, "Usually worked...though only after he got a beating."

Hestia flinched at that.

Simon held up a hand, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna do that."

Tension visibly left Hestia's body at that. She tentatively lifted her head to look up at Simon, "So...does that mean...?"

Simon shrugged, "Yeah, I forgive you."

Hestia took in an excited breath and pushed herself to her knees.

Simon held up a hand, "But! I have a request. You're gonna need to do a few things for me. It's only fair."

Hestia nodded her head as she got to her feet, "Of course! It's the least I could do to make up for what I've done. If it's within my power, I will do whatever you ask."

Simon made a show of thinking about what he was going to ask for. His eyes remained locked with Hestia's as he pursed his lips. Then he grinned and snapped his fingers, "Three favors."

Hestia blinked in surprise, "Huh?"

Simon held up three fingers, "You owe me three favors. It doesn't matter what they are, when I ask for them, or if it might inconvenience you. If I call for a favor, you have to answer. Do we have a deal?"

Hestia didn't hesitate. She held her right hand out for Simon to shake and said, "Deal!"

Simon took her hand and gave it a firm shake. Once that was taken care of, he crossed his arms and continued, "Alright. Before I forget, Hephaestus. Do you trust her?"

Hestia's expression became serious. She furiously nodded her head, "Yes. She helped me get on my feet when I first came to Orario. Even if I have yet to pay her back for that, she still helps me when I come asking and have a good reason. And she understands the value of secrecy. She won't tell a soul what I told her, nor whatever you decide to tell or show her. Besides, she gave us a secret in exchange."

"Exchange?" Simon couldn't hide his curiosity.

Hestia glanced at the stairs to make sure Bell wasn't listening in. She walked over and glanced around the corner to make certain. When it was clear Bell wasn't there, she came back to Simon and explained, "The Hestia Knife, the weapon I gave Bell, has a special enchantment on it. It, essentially, has its own Falna that's connected to the one I gave to Bell. As Bell grows and becomes stronger, so too will his knife. It was as weak as tissue paper before I gave it to him. But the second I put it in his hands, it took its first breath and will only grow from there."

"And let me guess; this would be true for anyone who got a similar weapon?" Simon ventured.

Hestia nodded, "If the adventurer who got a weapon like that was 'the most powerful warrior in the world' it would become 'the most powerful weapon in the world'. And a weapon that can instantly become the best the second an adventurer picks it up-"

"-would be bad for the one who made it, because everyone would want one. And then when everyone has one, no one would want another weapon ever again," Simon finished for Hestia. He nodded as understanding came over him. Right now, the only ones who knew about this would be him, Hestia, and Hephaestus. As long as they didn't tell anyone about her creating the Hestia Knife, she wouldn't tell anyone about the Core Drill or what he can do. He frowned and put a hand over his chin, "Will admit, I don't really like doing this kind of stuff. I understand the thought process behind it, but I'd rather just be able to trust Hephaestus with the secret."

"You can! I promise! This is just how she wanted to do things," Hestia assures him yet again.

Simon nodded, smiled, then turned toward the door, "Well then, guess we'd better get going, right?"

"Going? Where to?"

"To Hephaestus, duh. Need to hold up our end of the deal."

"Now?! You-You want to go now?! But what about Bell?"

Simon waved his hand dismissively, "Kid's tuckered out. Let him have his rest. And the sooner we do this, the better. Besides, considering you didn't tell Bell about this, I'm gonna guess you don't want him to know what his knife can really do, right?"

Hestia bit her lip but nodded, "Y-Yes. Bell's a sweet, honest, and innocent boy. He couldn't keep such a secret even if he wanted to. I doubt he'd lie to someone to save his life."

"Then what better time to do this then when he's sleeping?" Simon stepped out of the way and waved Hestia forward, "Mind leading the way?"

"Not at all," Hestia said as she walked ahead of Simon. He followed shortly behind her, the two of them heading off to see the smith Goddess.
 
Ah yes immediately going after a confrontation when both gods are running on fumes from working for days.
I'm sure nothing embarrassing will slip out of these 2 sleep deprived Deities.
Honest really it's not like Simon can dig them a hole any deeper for their embarrassment then a girl in love and a Otaku smith.
 
Chapter 12: Secrets and Meetings
  • Threadmarks
    • "That was amazing!" Bell cheers as he runs into the living room. He turns around as Simon and Hestia walk in after him. He holds up both of his arms with a big smile on his face, "Did you see that?! We beat the Silverback in one blow! Everyone cheered for us, and I defended Lady Hestia!"

    "Damn right," Simon walks over and pats the boy on his head. He tilts his head and smiles, "You did great, Bell. Beat your first big monster and all."

    Bell's smile remained even as he shook his head, "No, no. I wouldn't have been able to do any of that if it weren't for you and Lady Hestia. You held the Silverback off long enough for her to update my status, and she's the one who gave me this."

    Bell held up the obsidian knife that his Goddess had given him. The "Hestia Knife" she had called it, seemed to pulse with a dull purple and green light. He clipped the weapon to his belt, then looked over at his Goddess as she closed the door behind her. Before she could enter the room proper, Bell ran over and pulled her into a tight hug. She squeaked in surprise, but Bell kept hugging her with a bright smile on his face, "Thank you so much, Lady Hestia! Without the Hestia Knife and your support, I wouldn't have been able to win. I promise I won't waste this gift!"

    A bright smile spread across Hestia's face as she wrapped her arms around Bell to reciprocate the hug. Her pigtails danced in the air with joy as she said, "Of course! It is only natural for me to do everything I can for you, Bell! You're my precious, all-important follower after all."

    Hestia giggled while rubbing her face against Bell's chest. She also pressed her own chest close to his torso, hoping that he would notice but not run away this time. He did back away but didn't seem to notice her actions. He simply ran over to the middle of the living room and hopped in place for a bit, "And did you guys see what happened back there?! How the Silverback exploded twice after we cut it?! It was so...awe...s...some..."

    Bell's body suddenly stopped hopping up and down. His eyes grew heavy, and all the energy he had seemed to flow out of his body. He swayed on his feet for a bit before starting to fall back with his eyes closed. As Hestia called his name, Simon moved over and grabbed Bell before he hit the ground. He pulled the boy up, but Bell's feet had gone limp. His mouth hung open as his chest rose and fell with each gentle breath he took. Simon rested him on his shoulder then smiled, "Figured he'd be tuckered out. Kid's been fighting for a while. Mind helping me get him to bed, Hestia? Hestia?"

    Hestia shook her head when Simon called her name a second time. She blinked a few times before saying, "Huh? Uh, yeah! Yes! Of course. Let me just..."

    She walked over to Bell's left and placed a hand on the small of his back. Although she wasn't as strong as Simon, she supported half of Bell's weight as they walked him up the stairs to the bedroom. After laying him down on the bed, Hestia gave him a goodnight kiss on the cheek. He didn't stir as they descended the stairs into the living room. Once they were alone, Hestia's good mood quickly vanished as she remembered that she still had to tell Simon what she had done.

    Taking a deep breath to prepare herself, she stood up straight and said, "Simon...I need to tell you something."

    Simon stopped in the middle of the living room and turned to regard Hestia. With a raised eyebrow, he waited for the Goddess to continue. Hestia fidgeted in place for a few moments, then she threw herself to the floor and pressed her head against it, "Please forgive me! I told one of my friends about what you could do! It was the only way I could get Bell his knife! I'm so, so, sorry but I-"

    Simon held up a hand, his expression mostly neutral, "Woah, woah, woah. Slow down, Hestia. I got the gist but need some clarification."

    Hestia kept her head down but nodded her head to the best of her ability. Simon raised a finger, "Okay, so you told someone about my powers. Who?"

    "Hephaestus. Another Goddess and a friend of mine."

    Simon held up another finger, "Okay. What did you tell her?"

    "I gave her Bell's Core Drill to see if there was anything special about the metal. It didn't seem like it, but then she saw it make cracks in a powerful drop item after she tapped it against the ingot for a bit. She wanted to know where it came from, and I told her that you knew the answer. That's it. I didn't tell her about Spiral Power, where it comes from, what it can do, or anything else. I swear!"

    Another finger, "And why did you tell her?"

    Hestia hesitated for a moment but she answered nonetheless, "B-Because...if I didn't, I would have been in immense debt to be able to get the knife I gave to Bell. It's a custom order, and our Familia doesn't have the funds to afford something like that. But Hephaestus offered to give it to me for free if I could show her where I got the Core Drill from."

    "So, you did it to help out Bell?"

    "Yes. I know it was a breach of your trust. I wouldn't blame you if you decided to hold this against me or even leave and never come back. I would completely understand. Just please know that I am so, so, so sorry for this."

    Simon lowered his hand and scratched his cheek with the other. He stared at Hestia with a curious expression and asked, "And that's why you're currently doing a dogeza? To get my forgiveness?"

    "You know what this is?"

    "Yeah. One of my friends would use it whenever he really messed up and needed to apologize," Simon shrugged, "Usually worked...though only after he got a beating."

    Hestia flinched at that.

    Simon held up a hand and said, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna do that."

    Tension visibly left Hestia's body at that moment. She tentatively lifted her head to look up at Simon and asked, "So...does that mean...?"

    Simon shrugged, "Yeah, I forgive you."

    Hestia took an excited breath and pushed herself to her knees.

    Simon held up a hand and said," But I have a request. You're gonna need to do a few things for me. It's only fair."

    Hestia nodded as she got to her feet, "Of course! It's the least I could do to make up for what I've done. If it's within my power, I will do whatever you ask."

    Simon made a show of thinking about what he was going to ask for. His eyes remained locked with Hestia's as he pursed his lips. Then he grinned and snapped his fingers, "Three favors."

    Hestia blinked in surprise, "Huh?"

    Simon held up three fingers and said, "You owe me three favors. It doesn't matter what they are, when I ask for them, or if it might inconvenience you. If I call for a favor, you have to answer. Do we have a deal?"

    Hestia didn't hesitate. She held out her right hand for Simon to shake and said, "Deal!"

    Simon took her hand and gave it a firm shake. Once that was taken care of, he crossed his arms and continued, "Alright. Before I forget, Hephaestus. Do you trust her?"

    Hestia's expression turned serious. She nodded fervently, "Yes. She helped me get on my feet when I first arrived in Orario. Even though I haven't repaid her yet, she still helps me when I come asking and have a good reason. And she understands the value of secrecy. She won't tell a soul what I told her, nor whatever you decide to tell or show her. Besides, she gave us a secret in exchange."

    "Exchange?" Simon couldn't hide his curiosity.

    Hestia glanced at the stairs to make sure Bell wasn't listening in. She walked over and peeked around the corner to confirm he wasn't. When it was evident that Bell wasn't there, she returned to Simon and explained, "The Hestia Knife, the weapon I gave Bell, has a special enchantment on it. It, essentially, has its own Falna that's linked to the one I gave Bell. As Bell grows and becomes stronger, so will his knife. It was as feeble as tissue paper before I gave it to him. But the second I put it in his hands, it took its first breath and will only progress from there."

    "And let me guess; this would be true for anyone who got a similar weapon?" Simon ventured.

    Hestia nodded, "If the adventurer who got a weapon like that was 'the most powerful warrior in the world,' it would become 'the most powerful weapon in the world.' And a weapon that can instantly become the best the second an adventurer picks it up—"

    "-would be bad for the one who made it, because everyone would want one. And then when everyone has one, no one would want another weapon ever again," Simon finished for Hestia. He nodded as understanding came over him. Right now, the only ones who knew about this would be him, Hestia, and Hephaestus. As long as they didn't tell anyone about her creating the Hestia Knife, she wouldn't tell anyone about the Core Drill or what he can do. He frowned and put a hand over his chin, "Will admit, I don't really like doing this kind of stuff. I understand the thought process behind it, but I'd rather just be able to trust Hephaestus with the secret."

    "You can! I promise! This is just how she wanted to do things," Hestia assures him yet again.

    Simon nodded, smiled, and then turned toward the door, "Well then, I guess we'd better get going, right?"

    "Going? Where to?"

    "To Hephaestus, duh. Need to hold up our end of the deal."

    "Now?! You-You want to go now?! But what about Bell?"

    Simon waved his hand dismissively, "Kid's tuckered out. Let him have his rest. And the sooner we do this, the better. Besides, considering you didn't tell Bell about this, I'm gonna guess you don't want him to know what his knife can really do, right?"

    Hestia bit her lip but nodded, "Y-Yes. Bell's a sweet, honest, and innocent boy. He couldn't keep such a secret even if he wanted to. I doubt he'd lie to someone to save his life."

    "Then what better time to do this than when he's sleeping?" Simon stepped out of the way and waved Hestia forward, "Mind leading the way?"

    "Not at all," Hestia said as she walked ahead of Simon. He followed shortly behind her as they made their way to visit the smith Goddess.


    A knock on her door hardly roused Hephaestus from her seat. Her eye was closed and her breathing was labored as she tried to recover from her exertions. Crafting a weapon like the Hestia Knife took a lot of work, even for a Goddess like her. The process to make a weapon that could grow with its user would take a lot out of any smith. Inscribing a version of Falna onto a weapon alone would put any lesser smith down for at least a week. So, it would make sense that the Goddess would be taking a break after that.

    Unfortunately, whoever decided to knock on her door didn't seem to appreciate her situation. Three more loud knocks reverberated through her office. She moved her hand away from her head, revealing a frustrated and tired expression on her face. Her chair squeaked as she stood up, disregarding the mess that was her hair as she walked around her desk. A furious sigh escaped her mouth as the visitor knocked three more times.

    "I hear you! I hear you!" the smith Goddess' frustrated yell was loud enough to be heard through the door. With an angry groan, she grabbed the door handle and nearly yanked it open, "What do you wan-"

    She went silent when she saw Hestia standing in front of her door. The shorter Goddess' lips were curled in a nervous smile. She gave Hephaestus a small wave, while the smith Goddess narrowed her single eye. She opened her mouth to admonish Hestia for coming back so soon when another person leaned around the corner. Someone she hadn't met before with strange red goggles on his head, a shock of pointy blue hair, and a cape that did nothing to cover his toned chest. Her eyebrow raised in curiosity as she asked, "Hestia? Who is this?"

    Hestia looked around, then leaned in to whisper to Hephaestus, "Do you remember what I said about how I got the Core Drill?"

    Hephaestus' eye widened. All her fatigue suddenly disappeared as she grabbed both her guests and pulled them into her room. She wasted no time closing and locking her door, smoothing out her hair, and then moving to stand in front of her two guests. Before Hestia could say anything, Hephaestus stood in front of Simon and stared him in the eyes. She was a head shorter than him, but that didn't lessen the intense stare she was giving him. Her lips twitched as she resisted the urge to smile, "Your name?"

    "Simon. Simon the Digger," Simon remained calm and collected despite the gaze of the Goddess on him. He raised an eyebrow and pointed at her, "You alright? You look kind of tired and-"

    "Never mind that! Where did you get it from?" Hephaestus interrupted.

    "You mean my Core Drill?"

    "Yes! Exactly!" she started to pace around Simon, eye alight with passion as she continued, "The metal that item was made from wasn't any different from natural metals that can be found even outside the Dungeon. Copper, some iron, and otherwise. When I first tapped it against that drop item, nothing happened. But after tapping it multiple times, it somehow made noticeable cracks in the drop item. How? Did you make it? Did you use some kind of Skill? Is it a magic item that has a requirement for it to activate? What can it do besides just be a drill and break drop items?"

    Simon looked over at Hestia for an explanation. The Goddess chuckled and rubbed the back of her head, "Uh, yeah. Hephaestus can get a bit...excitable when she's found something new and interesting."

    "Ah. Are all Gods like that?"

    "...Not all of them," Hestia couldn't look Simon in the eyes as she said that.

    After chuckling, he focused on Hephaestus and put both hands in the pockets of his coat. He shrugged, "Well, to answer them in reverse order? Yeah, it can do a lot of stuff. No, it's not a magic item. I didn't use a Skill cause I don't have one. I did make it. And this is how..."

    He took his right hand out of his pocket and held it out, palm up. Before Hephaestus could ask for clarification, an emerald glow appeared in Simon's palm. Hephaestus stiffened, going silent, watching as another Core Drill formed from nothing in the palm of Simon's hand. He allowed Hephaestus to examine it for a few moments before willing the Drill to unravel itself. It did so without a word and turned back into small motes of emerald light. He put his hand back in his pocket as the smith Goddess remained silent. Both Simon and Hestia could see the gears turning in her head as she tried to make sense of what had just happened.

    After a few moments, she finally spoke. Her voice sounded pleading as she said, "Please tell me you have a Falna and that was a new version of the Enigma Skill."

    Simon shook his head, "Sorry, nope. That was all me. Specifically, Spiral Power."

    "Of course," Hephaestus slumped forward with a long-suffering sigh. She seemed to drag her feet back to her desk as she continued, "Couldn't have been something easy. Had to have some kind of catch to it."

    "You see why I didn't just want to tell you before?" Hestia said to her friend.

    "Yeah, but 'having a secret about a strange item' is quite different from 'knowing someone who can effectively use Arcanum without being a God or having a Falna'!" she runs her hands through her hair while letting out another long-suffering sigh. Then she looked at the two of them and said, "Can the two of you please explain so I can understand exactly what's going on? I feel a headache coming on."

    Hestia looked at Simon and then waved for him to explain. And so, he did. He told Hephaestus everything he had told Hestia about Spiral Power. How it worked, how it connected to the Core Drill, and how it allowed him to do things without needing a Falna. Hephaestus listened with rapt attention, her expression growing more and more fatigued as the explanations continued. By the time Simon finished, she had her head in her hands, pressed against her desk with her hair covering her face. Simon and Hestia exchanged a concerned look, and Hestia called out her friend's name. Hephaestus raised a finger and spoke in a muffled voice, "I only have one, singular thing to say in response to what this 'Spiral Power' is."

    "Okay?" Simon said, tilting his head in confusion, "What is it?"

    Hephaestus pointed an accusatory finger at Simon and lifted her head from the desk. Her lone eye glared at Simon with barely contained fury as she uttered one word, "Bullshit."

    "That's what I said!" Hestia shouted, glad to have someone else who understands how she felt.


    "Bet that armor's gonna look great on you, Bell," Simon smiled while patting the box Bell was carrying on his back, "But you sure you just want that chestplate? Pretty sure you could've afforded more than that."

    Bell adjusted the box and looked up at Simon with a nervous smile, "Y-Yeah, I could've. The vals we got from that minotaur drop item means I had plenty left over after buying this. But...it's just...I don't know. This armor was calling to me. Something about it just...made me want to buy it. The craftsmanship, the color, everything about it spoke to me."

    Simon hummed and nodded in understanding, "Yeah, I get that. Sometimes you just find things that speak to you. You can't explain why, but you know you have to follow your heart. I bet the guy who made that's gonna be really happy that you bought it. What was the name of the smith who made it?"

    "Welf Krozzo. That's the signature I saw on the inside. Hmm, I'll need to meet him and make sure to thank him for this," Bell looked over his shoulder at the box carrying his new chestplate. He had woken up to the smell of Hestia's cooking and ran downstairs to meet with her. He was worried when he saw her, as she appeared to be extremely tired. He could even see the bags under her eyes. But she insisted that everything was fine and just about forced Bell to eat, then let her update his status. The moment she finished that, she fell out on the bed and let exhaustion take her. Bell made sure to cover her up before heading out for the day. He met up with Simon, who was outside in the church doing some exercises, and the two went off into the Dungeon for the day. Ms. Eina had taken a moment to question Simon about some things that Bell didn't know about, but the two were able to head into the Dungeon. They made it to the seventh floor this time, something that made Bell feel proud.

    Though that pride was swiftly shattered when they met up with Eina and she scolded him for going to the Seventh Floor so early. It wasn't until he revealed that some of his stats had reached G Rank that she relented. This was only because he allowed her to see his status to confirm it for herself. After that, she took him to the higher floors of Babel Tower and to Hephaestus Familia's shops to purchase some new armor.

    Now, he and Simon were heading back home to get his new armor on and then go back into the Dungeon. He needed to make up for all the money he had just spent, after all. Simon smiled and tapped Bell's right arm, saying, "Hey now, don't forget about that gift you got. It's not just that Welf guy you need to thank later."

    "Ri-Right," Bell's cheeks turned a bright shade of red as he thought about the green vambrace Eina had given to him as a gift. Remembering the awkwardness of the situation made him squirm on the spot. He was certainly thankful for it...but he couldn't shake the feeling that it felt like Ms. Eina gave him a gift while they were on a d-d-da-date.

    Simon noticed Bell's reaction and couldn't help but chuckle. He had his own adventure while Bell was resting, but it wasn't too troublesome for him. Despite her initial response to Spiral Power, Hephaestus proved to be as reliable as Hestia had said. His conclusion on this came from two key facts. Firstly, Hephaestus understood why Simon had been concealing his powers from the general populace. Much like Hestia, she understood what would happen if the Gods discovered a man like him - someone without a Falna yet capable of fighting as proficiently as any adventurer with one. Who could effortlessly create what were essentially magical items out of thin air and perform tasks akin to the Gods without the use of Arcanum. Not only would they be all over him, but the Guild would likely seek to regulate his abilities.

    That understanding only deepened when he mentioned the time he fought "that big strong dude named Ottar" to a standstill. Though he still didn't get why the two of them nearly hit the floor when he mentioned that. However, they were very insistent on telling him to stay far away from "Freya Familia", which was apparently the Goddess he had seen at that time.

    All these facts combined helped convince Hephaestus that Spiral Power needed to be a well-kept secret among the three of them.

    The second fact that allowed him to come to this conclusion?

    He simply believed that Hephaestus was a good person.

    Simple as that.

    Once all that was established, he and Hestia had returned home. He got some rest, got up, did a few exercises, and went with Bell when the boy came out to go Dungeon Diving again. Though he was waylaid a bit because Eina insisted on clarifying that he had just woken up in the Dungeon with no idea how he got there. He confirmed this, Eina wrote it down on a clipboard, and then he was allowed to go into the Dungeon with Bell. Then the whole thing with Bell's status happened, and he made sure to stop Eina from looking at Bell's Skills. She promised not to, and he would hold her to that. Even if he had to put a hand over her eyes. He kept to it as well, only looking at the boy's stats. Something that made him feel proud of the boy.

    After that, Eina took them to buy some new armor for Bell, and now they were here. Bell and Eina had offered to get him some equipment too, but he waved them off. He figured that Bell should use his hard-earned money on himself, not on him. Besides, he had everything he needed already. Bell reluctantly accepted that, while Eina was a bit skeptical. She continued to mention how overconfidence got even strong adventurers killed in the Dungeon, making sure that Bell heard her say that. When Bell left to look for armor, Simon simply smiled at Eina and assured her that he wasn't overconfident. He knew what he was doing. And when she still didn't seem convinced, he promised that as long as he was still alive, nothing bad would happen to Bell. He'd always come back to smile at her while Simon was with him.

    While he wasn't sure if she believed him, she did seem slightly placated. If the way her face blushed at his words was any indication.

    His mind came back to the present as he and Bell continued walking down West Main. The sky overhead was red, indicating that it was late in the evening. They had already escorted Eina back to her dwelling after the shopping was over. Now all that was left was to return home. However, as they walked both suddenly stopped as a sound reached their ears. A rapid "thump, thump, thump" that sounded like-

    "Footsteps?" the two men said in unison. They had just come off West Main, and it sounded like the footsteps were getting closer to them. Bell moved first, carefully moving around the corner from their usual path. Simon stepped slightly to the side as he followed in case Bell needed help.

    "Ow!" a sudden shout rings out as a small shadow trips over Bell's foot as it comes around the corner. Both Simon and Bell look at the source and see a person shorter than Hestia. Bell mouths "...A Prum?" to himself, but Simon heard it clearly. Bell quickly moves to the fallen demi-human and asks, "Excuse me, are you okay?"

    The prum stutters and pulls her body off the pavement. It's clear she's a girl, with messy, chestnut-colored hair long enough to hide her neck. She looks like a child with oversized, spherical eyes that shifted between Simon and Bell with an unreadable expression. Before either Simon or Bell could say anything else, they heard a second pair of footsteps approaching from the other end of the street. Along with them came a loud, rage-filled voice, "Found ya, ya piece-of-shit prum!"

    All three of them looked up to see a tall, rough-looking human man approaching them. His appearance and angry eyes filled the girl with fear. The man seemed to only have eyes for the prum as he shouted, "Yer not getting away...!"

    However, before he can get any closer, both Simon and Bell move to block his path. Their bodies moved instinctively as they shielded the girl behind them and stood shoulder to shoulder. The man, only just realizing they were there, shouted in surprise, "...What the?! You two, yer in the way! Beat it!"

    "Not gonna happen," Simon spoke up, his body tensed and ready in case things came to blows, "Do you really think we're gonna let you hurt this girl?"

    "E-Exactly!" Bell shouted, though he sounded less confident than Simon. Something that the man took note of as he focused his intense aura on the boy.

    "Shut it, brat! If ya don't scram right now, I'll carve both of ya up along with the piece of shit behind ya!" the man bellowed while taking another step forward.

    Simon's eyes narrowed, but his lips curled into an excited smile. He pounded his fists together and met the man's gaze head-on, "Well, now we really got to stop you from touching her. Isn't that right, Bell?"

    "Y-Yeah! Ba-Back off!" Bell still didn't sound confident, but he didn't back down. He pulled his backpack off and lightly tossed it to the side. The man and prum both looked shocked at his action.

    The man looked between the two of them and then growled, "Th-The hell is wrong with the two of ya?! Is short stack over there yer friend or something?!"

    "N-never seen her before in my life," Bell stuttered out.

    "First time I've ever seen her," Simon said with a shrug.

    "Then why the hell are ya protecting that piece of shit?!"

    Simon didn't hesitate, "Don't really need a reason. But if you want something concrete? She's scared, and you're acting like an asshole. That's good enough for me."

    The man was taken aback by Simon's response. Bell was too, but his reaction was the polar opposite of the man. Swallowing his nervousness, he summoned all his courage and took a step forward, "Wh-What he said! We-We don't need a reason to protect someone who's scared!"

    The man blinked, but his anger soon returned. He reached behind his back and drew his sword, "Fine...I'll slit both yer throats!"

    Bell pulled out his knife while Simon readied his fists. The two heard something gulp air behind them, but only Bell looked back to see the prum girl staring at his knife. Soon, though, he was forced to turn his attention back to the man as his killing intent washed over him. Gritting his teeth, he struggled to maintain focus. This was his first time confronting another human, and he was doing everything he could to stop his legs from shaking. Whenever fear threatened to overwhelm him, he glanced at Simon, and his resolve returned. Simon, on the other hand, appeared completely calm and ready for a fight.

    Eyes gleaming with hatred, the man sized up both Simon and Bell. Even with his mind clouded by rage, he could tell that Bell was the weaker and less experienced of the two. If he wanted to succeed here, he'd have to fight smart and take that kid out first. Then he'd go for the prum before Simon got a chance to intervene. Smiling to himself, he moved in, raising his sword to strike...and then a fist collided with his face.

    With a battle cry, Simon put as much force as he could into his fist. The man's body was lifted from the ground as he was sent flying at least five blocks away from the two of them. His sword fell from his grasp as he landed on the cobblestones, completely knocked out. Simon straightened up before looking over at his companion, "You alright, Bell?"

    Bell blinked as he slowly put away his knife, "Y-Yeah. I'm...I'm alright. That...That was so fast. I...I didn't even saw you move."

    "Indeed," the two of them looked up to see a familiar elven face coming toward them. They immediately recognized the newcomer as...

    "Ms. Ryu!" Bell said, standing straight as the elf's sky-blue eyes focused on him, "Wh-What are you doing here?"

    "I was shopping for supplies to prepare for this evening. Unlike in the afternoon, adventurers visit our establishment in the evening. So if we are not fully stocked, many problems tend to occur. I happened to see you in the middle of my errand and was coming to assist," she turned her eyes onto Simon, "But it seemed that would have been unnecessary."

    Simon smiled and shrugged, "Hey, he's the one who swung first. I just made sure he didn't manage to hit his target. And it's the thought that counts, so don't beat yourself up for not showing up before that."

    Ryu hummed and then asked, "What of you two? Why are you out here?"

    "Well, you see, this girl here...huh?" Bell's surprised shout made Simon turn to look at where the girl they were protecting had been. She was no longer there, and neither he nor Bell could see her anywhere near them. Ryu asked if someone had been there, but Bell could only nod in confusion, "Y-Yeah. At least, I thought so..."

    "Maybe she left after I punched that guy out? Might have gotten scared or something," Simon suggested to the two of them. It was the best explanation they had, so Bell decided to just go with it. However, the thought of the girl lingered with him even after they left Ryu behind.

    He wondered if they would ever see her again.


    "Misters, misters. The misters with the white and blue hair."

    Bell and Simon stopped in their tracks as they tried to find the voice that was addressing them. Bell was wearing his new armor, and the two were heading towards Babel Tower for another day of Dungeon Diving. However, the call of that voice had made them pause. Simon was the first to locate the source, tilting his head down and seeing something that made his lips curl into a small smile. He tapped Bell on the shoulder to get his attention. When Bell looked at him, he pointed at the source of the voice. Bell looked where he was pointing and saw...a young girl who stood about one hundred celch tall, dressed in a plain cream-colored robe.

    ...And carried a backpack at least three times her size on her tiny shoulders.

    "Pleased to meetcha, misters! If you don't mind me asking, are you two looking for an extra supporter?"


    I have now finished Sword Oratoria Volume 6.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Delta/Soul said:
    For an apocrypha post, I would like to see this Simon in Highschool DxD and just the shenanigans he will get in that world.
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    Someone else will have to write that Omake. I don't know enough about DXD to write anything for it. Everything I do know comes from fanfics and Quests. And I don't really the setting or Issei so...yeah.

    Fun fact: There is a TTGL X DXD Quest on Akun...but according to to the top review for it, they don't use Spiral Power as their main power. They instead chose to use DXD magic. So...yeah. Kind of upsetting that.
     
    LinkOnScepter said:
    Someone else will have to write that Omake. I don't know enough about DXD to write anything for it. Everything I do know comes from fanfics and Quests. And I don't really the setting or Issei so...yeah.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Considering simon went all talk no jutsu with bell, maybe instead of perversion we get a super shounen issei? xD
     
    Uh, hey, manuelhwang99, you might wanna edit your posts - doubleposting seems like bad manners, y'know?

    Although speaking of Simon in DxD, yeah, Simon would probably be the best Big Brother Mentor for Issei - maybe instead of an uber-perverted Issei, we get an Issei who actually wants to invest time with any possible significant others before he gets romantically involved with them?

    Hell, if anything, I actually want to see Issei decide to take more after Simon to the point he even chooses to make a Ganmen to honor his big bro - be DxD's first real Gurren Lagann figure! (Legacy Heroes are always fun!)
     
    Hey all, just wanted to say I've finished all the way up to Volume 9 of Sword Oratoria and was a bit of the way through Volume 10 when I realized it was gonna go beyond Volume 10 of the main series.

    So, I'm currently working my way through Volume 11 of the main series. Outside of the revelations, I certainly have some ideas for how Simon's gonna change things.
     
    LinkOnScepter said:
    Hey all, just wanted to say I've finished all the way up to Volume 9 of Sword Oratoria and was a bit of the way through Volume 10 when I realized it was gonna go beyond Volume 10 of the main series.

    So, I'm currently working my way through Volume 11 of the main series. Outside of the revelations, I certainly have some ideas for how Simon's gonna change things.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Can't wait to see what you got.
     
    "Need a hand there, Lilly?" Liliruca Arde looked up to see Simon moving alongside her. The older man had his arms crossed while looking at the corpses Lilly was dragging into a line. Nearby the sound of Bell slaying monsters left and right echoed around them, the boy putting down another Killer Ant before it could call for reinforcements.

    The three of them were moving through the fifth level of the Dungeon. Having already established their, for now, contractless relationship they had gone into the Dungeon. While normally low level adventurers would stick to the first four floors until they were a bit better prepared, their group had moved into the fifth rather quickly. Mainly thanks to Bell's status and skills allowing him to fight on the fifth floor without necessarily needing a party. Due to his abnormal prowess, Lilly had been able to gather the bodies of the monsters in one spot for later. It made their group extremely efficient...though it left one of their number out.

    Lilly smiled at Simon as she stopped next to another dead Killer Ant and shook her head, "No, no, Mr. Simon. An honorable adventurer like you shouldn't lower himself to doing things like this."

    Simon returned her smile with one of his own then moved to help her anyway, "Well, it's a good thing I'm not an adventurer. I'm just Simon. Can I get this one for you?"

    Lilly shook her head again, "Oh no, it's fine Mr. Simon. Lilly's a lowly supporter so this is all she can do. If Mr. Simon were to help then her then she'll be useless."

    Simon shook his head and followed Lilly as she took the Killer Ant's corpse, "You're not lowly nor are you useless, Lilly. Just by being here you're making things far easier for Bell. So, don't go calling yourself useless. Though if you really don't want my help, then that's fine. But I'll stick to you to make sure you're safe, alright."

    "Mr. Simon shouldn't do that. He should be helping Mr. Bell against the monsters."

    "Eh, I don't think we need to worry about Bell too much. Cause..., hey, Bell! One's about to come out the wall to your left!"

    A dungeon wall had split open; a Killer Ant's ominous cries coming from within. Bell swiftly responded, finishing the remaining monsters before rushing toward the giant ant emerging from the wall. Sprinting ten meters across the room, he leaped skyward and drove his left boot into the monster's face. It's neck shattered as it got launched up and slammed into the wall. Its body went limp as it hung from the side of the wall. The party of three stopped and stared at the hanging body with Lili explaining, "Ohh, Mr. Bell, what should we do? That Killer ant is stuck up there?"

    "Hmm, what can we do?" Bell asked as a bead of sweat ran down his face.

    Simon chuckled and stepped forward, "Don't worry, I'll get it."

    With a short grunt he jumped straight toward the wall with the hanging monster corpse. Landing on it with both feet, he grabbed the thing's broken neck and easily yanked it from the wall. He hopped off the wall and landed just in front of Lilly and Bell. Then he walked over to Lilly while holding his core drill in his other hand. He swiftly stabbed the drill into the monster's body and pulled the magic stone out. As the ant turned to ash in his hand, he knelt down and presented the stone to Lilly. Eyes wide, Lilly looked from the stone to the drill in Simon's other hand. She gingerly took the magic stone while staring at Simon, "Mr. Simon, pardon Lilly for asking, but how did you remove the magic stone so quickly? Does Mr. Simon have a magic item?"

    Simon shrugged, "If you mean my core drill, sort of? I just focused my fighting spirit into it, stabbed it into the monster, then bam."

    "Amazing. Lilly doesn't supposed you could share it with her?"

    Simon smiled then put his hand into his pocket. Out of sight he created another core drill inside in his palm, before pulling it out and handing it to Lilly, "No problem. Here, keep it. I've got plenty."

    Lilly quickly took the offered core drill and thanked Simon. Bell watched the exchange with a smile on his face, happy to see Lilly being happy. With the floor effectively conquered it was time to start gathering the magic stones from the monster corpses. Bell stood by to watch for any more monsters, while Lilly and Simon got to work. When Lilly reminded Simon that she didn't need help, he pointed out that he was doing it of his own will this time. And he pointed out that any magic stones he got he'd hand over to her. Which she seemed to accept as the two of them got to work. Though while Simon could get the magic stones out immediately...

    "Whoa...You're really good at this, Lilly," Bell said, watching Lilly's experienced hands cleanly and efficiently remove the stones from the monster corpses. Whether it be with her knife or with the core drill Simon gave her, she was getting the precious stones out of their fallen foes far faster than Bell had done when he was alone. Though he took note of how she had an easier time using her knife than the core drill.

    "It's because this is all Lilly can do to help. Mr. Bell, you slew all of these monsters, so you are the one who is really good," Lilly responded, her lips still curled into a smile.

    "Yeah, but killing monsters and taking their magic stones are two different things, Lilly. Bell might be good at the former, but this? This is all you," Simon said while pointing at the corpses.

    "Mr. Simon is too kind. Lilly doesn't deserve his praise."

    Bell frowned and asked, "By the way, can I ask you a favor? Could you stop calling me and Simon, Mr?"

    "Sorry, but that won't do. It goes against the contract, and it shows who is higher ranking in this party. Supporters cannot be condescending to adventurers."

    "But, Lilliluka..."

    "Mr. Bell, please call Lilly, Lilly. Other names are okay too, but not by full name."

    "Why are you so concerned about names?"

    Lilly looked up at Bell, her eyes hidden completely by her hood. She forced a smile and said, Are you listening, Mr. Bell?" When he nodded she continued, "The word 'Supporter' sounds pretty, but underneath it all, Lilly and other supporters just carry the bags. Compared to the brave adventurers fighting monsters on the front lines, we're just cowards who watch from a safe distances and reap the rewards of battles that we didn't fight in. We're no better than parasites. It is arrogant for Lilly and other supporters to think they are equal to adventurers. The brave-"

    "Bullshit," Simon's sudden interruption startled both Lilly and Bell. Both looked over at the man as he rose to his feet. He did nothing to hide his anger as he continued, "Anyone who comes into a place like this isn't a coward. Be they supporter, adventurer, or just someone who's along for the ride. Every single last person who comes down here is brave, for they're willing to risk their lives for their ideals and goals. Whether that be to make a bit of money to see tomorrow, or to get stronger so that they can accomplish a greater goal. And anyone who says otherwise, is a damn fool who needs to get their heads out of their asses!"

    Bell was completely caught off guard. He didn't disagree with Simon. His own morals were that what Lilly was saying was wrong. But, he could never imagine himself declaring them so bluntly and honestly like that. A part of him couldn't help but be awe at Simon. However, Lilly kept her forced smile on her face as she continued, "Lilly knew that Mr. Bell and Mr. Simon were good people as soon as we met. But there has to be a line. If word got out that Lilly wasn't treating either of you as superiors, Lilly wouldn't get any contracts to go into the Dungeon with adventurers other than Mr. Bell form now on. Lilly would have to work for free."

    "Not for free. You can have all of what I get."

    "What?!" this time, Lilly and Bell were both shocked by Simon's declaration.

    Simon shrugged, "Yeah, I don't really make anything off these magic stones anyway. I don't have a Familia so, I can't use the Guild's Exchange and whatnot to get any money. And I was already giving any magic stones I got from killing monsters over to Bell. So, it's not a big deal if I do that, is it?"

    "L-Lilly supposes it isn't," Lilly shook her head and continued, "B-But we should still keep such an agreement between us. It might cause problems with other adventurers if they find out."

    "Pretty sure that goes without saying, but you don't have to worry about that. Right, Bell?" Simon looked over at the white haired boy.

    Bell took a moment to regain his senses and then nodded, "Y-Yeah! Of course! This is between us and no one else."

    Lilly's smile returned a little less forced than before. She stood up and bowed her head at Simon and said, "Mr. Simon and Mr. Bell truly are generous. Being kind to Lilly to the point that they're still using the name she asked, and Mr. Bell allowing a free supporter to give up their share to another."

    "W-Well I didn't exactly do that," Bell said while scratching the back of his neck.

    Simon walked over to Lilly with a smile on his face as he said, "Nah, I'm not a free supporter. I don't have a Familia cause I choose not to. Don't want to be tied down by a God, and I'm strong enough to handle stuff in the Dungeon on my own. As for money, I've got ways to handle that. I'm with Bell because I choose to be and want to give him whatever I earn. As for why I'm calling you Lilly? That's cause you asked and, honestly, I think it's cute."

    For some reason, Simon saying that the word "cute" was far more of a surprise than anything else he had said. Bell looked completely floored while Lilly turned her head down to hide it within her hood. She spoke in an embarassed tone, "M-M-Mr. Simon! Y-You shouldn't just say that to girls! Especially not ones like Lilly!"

    "Why not? It's true," Simon tilted his head to the side in confusion.

    Bell chose that moment to step in. He was waving his arms back and forth while his face was as red as Lilly's, "S-S-Simon! H-How about you go and look for some more monsters to deal with?! If you're going to be giving your share to Lilly, then you'll need to get more magic stones to make up for it!"

    Simon looked even more confused, but shrugged and started running off. Bell let out a thankful sigh when Simon was out of sight. He turned to Lilly and chuckled, "S-Sorry, Lilly. Don't mind Simon. He's just really...nice and confident."

    "Lilly can see that," Lilly said while staring at the flapping cape as it went deeper into the floor. It wasn't long before cracks appeared along the walls and more monsters were born from them. A couple of purple moths flew out of the top of a wall to Simon's left. They immediately released their poison scales the second Simon entered their line of sight. The glittering purple scales filled the air above the man, ready to fill Simon's lungs and leave him paralyzed. However, the man seemed completely unaffected by the cloud of scales raining down on him. His movements were unhindered as she kicked off the ground, jumped off the wall and proceeded to kick all the moths to death within a few seconds. As he fall a group of needle rabbits was born from the ground, running at the falling adventurer. Simon smiled and dove down, crushing one of the rabbits with a fist and using a sweeping kick to finish off the rest.

    Lilly frowned, "Mr. Simon doesn't fight like a normal person. Does he really not have a Falna?"

    Bell nodded, "Yep. He's got no blessing to speak of. Everything is just his strength and his Spiral Power."

    "Spiral Power?"

    "Yeah. It's what he calls his fighting spirit! Everything he's doing right now is a result of his own will and spirit! It's kind of amazing, right Lilly?" Bell's face lit up as he spoke, his eyes sparkling as he watched Simon fight.

    Though because of that he couldn't see the dark expression on Lilly's face. She looked at the ground and spoke with an edge to her voice, "Yes.. It really is, Mr. Bell."


    "What happened to your knife?"

    Those were the words that made both Bell and Simon pause before leaving Eina's office. The two of them had come there after bidding farewell to Lilly. While the young girl had tried to say that she shouldn't be given any magic stones because today was a "trial" Simon had insisted. He just about shoved the magic stones into Lilly's bags, pointing out how just cause he can handle himself without money, that doesn't mean she has to. And reminding her that neither he nor Bell minded in the slightest. Lilly had eventually relented and thanked them for the help, looking forward to the next time they worked together.

    After that, the two of them had gone to Eina for a few things. The first was for Simon to point out that "Free" adventurers and supporters existed, meaning her getting on him about going into the Dungeon was an overreaction. She had admitted he was correct but reminded him that it was mainly for supporters. Actual adventurers still needed to register with the Guild, something that couldn't be done with a Familia behind them. Though she did admit she was overreacting toward Simon at the time, and apologized for that. Simon waved it off. She was just trying to watch out for Bell, after all.

    The second was for Bell to ask after Lilly and see what Eina thought of the girl. In the process they learned about Soma Familia and how it seemed to be an alright group. Though it had a poor reputation that fell in line with what Lilly had told the two of them. And Eina had confirmed that supporters tended to be treated poorly by other adventurers. That particular fact had hit Bell rather hard. His expression had shifted to an angry one and his grip on the chair had increased. He had swiftly rose from his seat, hoping no one had noticed, and thanked Eina before moving to leave. Simon had done the same, making to follow Bell...until Eina had asked about his knife.

    "Knife...?" Bell reached around his back and found his dagger, pouch for magic stones, and the...sheath of the Divine Knife.

    Blood drained from his face as he looked up at Simon and said out loud, "...I dropped it?!"

    Before panic could set in Simon put a hand on his shoulder, "Stay calm, Bell. It'll be fine. We'll find your knife easy."

    "B-B-But how?!" Bell said, hardly able to control his emotions, "If I dropped it in the Dungeon a monster could've taken it! Or another adventurer! Or maybe I dropped it in the Guild! Or...Or-"

    "Bell!" Simon lightly shook the boy to get him to stop, "Calm down! Listen, you touched that knife with your core drill didn't you?"

    Bell blinked as the memory from that day in Daedalus Street returned to him. He slowly nodded his head, "Y-Yeah, I did."

    "Then that knife has a bit of your spirit in it. It's connected to your soul. Hold your core drill, close your eyes, then focus on the knife. Focus on how you felt whenever you held it in your hands. Focus..."

    Bell did as Simon said, taking deep breaths to steady his heartbeat. His right hand closed around the cold metal of the core drill hanging from his neck. He gripped it tight while trying to focus his thoughts on his missing weapon. He faintly heard Eina saying something about how that doing this will just waste time, but he was already beginning to do as Simon said. He tried to remember everything about how he felt that day. How he wanted to defend his Goddess. How he wanted to be strong enough to defeat the silverback. How he wanted to fight alongside Simon on that day. How he knew that the knife he held could accomplish all those things. All he needed was to-

    Badump

    Bell's eyes opened wide and his head jerked toward the wall to his right. He immediately said, "It-It's here! It's in Orario! I-I can feel it!"

    "Then let's go get it! Bye, Eina! Thanks for the help!" Simon shouted and the two men ran out the door before Eina could stop them. Simon followed slightly behind Bell as they ran out the door to the Guild, pushing passed adventurers on the way. Bell stopped right at the bottom of the stairs for a moment, before heading off toward West Main. However, instead of heading through the main roads, he ran into an alley that led them into the backstreets. They passed between long brick houses, the clouds above dyed orange by the evening sun. Neither of them recognized this area, and were merely trusting to Bell's sense of where his knife was to find their way forward. Numerous times Bell would stop and say something about his knife "moving" before taking off again.

    Their steps nearly halted when they heard a loud scream coming from nearby. Then they increased their speed, both recognizing the sound of the scream. Eventually, they rounded a corner and exited out onto one of the backstreets, just in time to see a familiar elf throwing an apple at a small, cloaked figure. The apple exploded at it hit the person, making something fall from the person's hand. As Simon and Bell came to a sudden stop, the two of immediately saw what had fallen from the cloaked figure's hand. And seeing it made Bell's eyes go wide.

    "My knife!" he shouted, already diving forward to grab the falling weapon.

    "Mr. Cranel!?" Ryu shouted, stopping before she could reach the cloaked figure. Taking advantage of the sudden shock, the figure turned and ran down the alleyway that Simon and Bell had come from. With Bell grabbing his knife and Ryu temporarily stunned by his sudden appearance, Simon turned around and chased after the fleeing figure.

    "Hold it, you!" he shouted, but the figure ignored his cries. They continued to rush down the backstreets and around a corner as they tried to get away from Simon. But their head start didn't last long. Simon's longer legs and bigger frame let him eat up the distance between them within moments. Soon he was right on the cloaked figure's heels. He wasted no time reaching down and grabbing them by their collar. His quarry yelped as he yanked them off their feet and into the air. He lifted them to be eye level with him then pulled the hood back to see...a blonde haired prum boy.

    Simon narrowed his eyes and started to pat the boy down, "Alright, you. My friend got his knife back, but I'm gonna check and see if you took anything else that doesn't...huh?"

    Simon stopped as his hand brushed over the left side of the prum's coat. He reached inside and felt something cool inside of the coat pocket. Simon's widened as he met the boy's bright blue eyes. The prum froze up as sweat dripped from his brow.

    Footsteps echoed nearby as Bell and Ryu swiftly rounded a corner and joined up with Simon. Ryu's eyes locked onto the prum boy in Simon's hand, "So, that is the thief who stole Mr. Cranel's weapon."

    The boy flinched as Ryu's deathly glare landed upon him. Bell looked over at Ryu with wide eyes, "S-Stole?! Wh-What do you mean?"

    "I saw him carrying the knife. When I confronted him about it, he lied and said it was his. Then he tried to run when I went to get it back. He's a thief," Ryu stated plainly.

    Ryu moved closer to the thief, but Simon held up his hand, "Wait a minute, Ryu. Let's hear what he has to say for himself before we jump to conclusions."

    Simon put the prum down, but made sure to place him in such a way that he couldn't run away. Ryu narrowed her eyes at Simon, "You'd give a thief a chance to defend himself despite having attempted to run, Simon?"

    Simon shrugged, "When I want to know their reasons for doing what they're doing, sure. Especially when it's a...kid? Sorry, still trying to wrap my head around the whole height, age, and stuff when it comes to people who aren't human or beastmen. You are a kid, right?"

    The prum shook his head, auburn hair moving back and forth, "N-No."

    "Ah. Okay. Still want to hear your side the story."

    "Um, well, I...I found the knife on the ground near the Guild. It looked really cool and I-I just wanted to-I didn't mean to steal it," the prum looked at the ground, trying to look as pitiful as possible.

    Bell looked a bit unnerved while Ryu's expression remained neutral. Bell took a step forward and spoke up, "I understand that but you shouldn't just take things that people drop on the ground. Especially not anywhere near the Guild. It could belong to adventurer!"

    "Drop?" Ryu murmured but Bell didn't seem to hear her.

    Simon smiled then patted the prum on the shoulder, "Well, at least you were upfront with us. But that knife doesn't belong to you, okay? My friend Bell needs it. He's gonna be a really strong adventurer one day. And he'll need that knife to pull it off. But don't worry. If you become one, you'll get a knife as cool as his one day."

    The prum didn't say anything, but seemed to be listening to Simon. Syr eventually arrived and took Ryu away after greeting Bell. As the two girls left, Bell made to leave but first he looked toward Simon, "You coming, Simon?"

    "In a minute. I want to talk to this prum guy a bit more. You go on ahead," Simon said, waving his hand at Bell. Bell stood back for a bit, before running off to do as Simon asked.

    When Bell was gone, the prum boy's body relaxed. He seemed to believe that things would get better now that it was just him and Simon. That is until Simon turned his eyes toward the boy and stated plainly, "It's you, isn't it Lilly?"

    Lilly stiffened and her eyes went wide as she looked up at Simon. Before she could speak he reached toward her cloak and into the pocket he had checked. From within he pulled a core drill. He held it up so they could both see it and continued, "I don't give these out to everybody, ya know. Before I gave one to you, only Bell and I had one. Now you could be someone that she sold this to, but I doubt that. Because if that were the case, you wouldn't have stiffened up the moment I said your name."

    Despite the circumstances, Lilly didn't look too scared. Her little body was shaking but there was a fire in her eyes that seemed to be challenging Simon. As if she was daring him to judge her for what she had done. Simon's lips were curled into a frown and he reached towards Lilly with his other hand. Lilly braced herself, knowing what was coming next. He had found out that she was a thief. Now, just like all those other adventurers, he was going to hurt her. Beat her down and take what he had given to her away. Because even if he wasn't in a Familia, he was still an adventurer. And no matter what pretty words he said, all adventurers were the same.

    ....

    ....

    Huh?

    The pain Lilly had been expecting never came. In fact, she didn't feel any type of pain. Instead she felt...a familiar warmth?

    Eyes widening she stared at Simon as she realized he was patting her on the head. His frown had turned into a small smile, and his previously hard gaze had softened. His voice was calm and kind as he spoke, "I don't know what's going on with you, Lilly. I don't know what you've been through, either. I'm not gonna try to pry or ask about your past. It's your story to tell whenever you feel like. I only want you to know that, if nothing else, I believe in you. I wouldn't have given you this if I didn't."

    He holds up the core drill in his other hand. Speechless, Lilly can only stare at Simon as he continues to rub her head. He soon took his hand away then held the core drill out to her. Hesitantly, she took it from his palm and started backing up. Simon stood up and said, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna tell Bell. But I'm pretty sure that, if you told him the truth, he'd feel the same way I do. He's a good kid. And that's not a bad thing. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether you'll tell him or not. And don't worry about the core drill. You can do whatever you want with it. Sell it, keep it, give it away, whatever. It's yours. And if you need anything else, don't be afraid to come to talk to me or Bell. With your real face or not."

    Then Simon put his hands in his pockets and walked off. Lilly was left here, holding the core drill in her hands while watching him go. Then she looked down at the drill that had been given to her. In truth, she had kept it because the old gnome wouldn't take it. He had said it was just a normal drill and not a magic item. Which didn't make sense to Lilly. She had seen Simon take magic stones out of monsters in a single move with it. She figured that, maybe, he had given her a defective one. It would make sense. What adventurer would give such a good item to a lowly supporter. It had just been more evidence that he wasn't any better than the other adventurers in the city.

    But now?

    She curled her hands around the item.

    It felt warm.

    ...Maybe she could keep it for a bit longer. Just to fool Bell into thinking that she was still on their side.

    Yeah, that was the reason.

    Hey guys! Here's a sneak peek of the next Chapter!

    Yes, a 4k+ word Sneak Peek. Cause I kind of want to get Volume 2 done within this Chapter if I can manage it. If I can't, I'll post this early.

    Sorry it's been a while. Lots of stuff has kept me from writing this. From my other stories, to general life stuff, and continuing my reading of the LNs.

    As of now, I'm working my way through Volume 12 of Sword Oratoria, and have started on Volume 15 of the main series. Which means I'm through the "Ryu Arc" of the story.

    What I have to say is, I can certainly see why people ship Bell and Ryu so hard now. I don't, because that shit doesn't matter nor appeal to me, but I can understand it. It also makes me wish Danmachi WASN'T a Harem Story. Cause honestly just knowing/seeing how many girls are pining after Bell when none of them have a chance, but the story keeps on focusing on that fact is fucking annoying. I just want it to focus on him becoming a better adventurer and getting ready for the Black Dragon fight for fucks sake!

    Also, why have a Harem if there's already a Canon/End Ship? Like, I know a lot of Harem Stories tend to do that, but it just feels especially egregious in Danmachi. Especially since, ya know, there's two entire Volumes where Bell gets Ryu to fall in love with him with the two of them making extremely personal connections with each other, while I can count the amount of encounters he's had with Aiz on one hand?
     
    You know how ryu and Bell shipper felt when that happened the fact the author made a what if story that basically what happened if bell and ais don't get together and it the world ending was just bullshit

    Edit that not even getting started with how ais and Bell really haven't spent much time together on screen and the fact that ryu and Bell relationships ended up very well like by a large part of the fandom doesn't help either
     
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    Chapter 13: Simon and Lilly
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    • "Need a hand there, Lilly?" Liliruca Arde looked up to see Simon moving alongside her. The older man had his arms crossed while looking at the corpses Lilly was dragging into a line. Nearby the sound of Bell slaying monsters left and right echoed around them, the boy putting down another Killer Ant before it could call for reinforcements.

    The three of them were moving through the fifth level of the Dungeon. Having already established their, for now, contractless relationship, they had gone into the Dungeon. While normally low level adventurers would stick to the first four floors until they were a bit better prepared, their group had moved into the fifth rather quickly. Mainly thanks to Bell's status and skills allowing him to fight on the fifth floor without necessarily needing a party. Due to his abnormal prowess, Lilly had been able to gather the bodies of the monsters in one spot for later. It made their group extremely efficient...though it left one of their number out.

    Lilly smiled at Simon as she stopped next to another dead Killer Ant and shook her head, "No, no, Mr. Simon. An honorable adventurer like you shouldn't lower himself to doing things like this."

    Simon returned her smile with one of his own then moved to help her anyway, "Well, it's a good thing I'm not an adventurer. I'm just Simon. Can I get this one for you?"

    Lilly shook her head again, "Oh no, it's fine Mr. Simon. Lilly's a lowly supporter so this is all she can do. If Mr. Simon were to help then her then she'll be useless."

    Simon shook his head and followed Lilly as she took the Killer Ant's corpse, "You're not lowly nor are you useless, Lilly. Just by being here you're making things far easier for Bell. So, don't go calling yourself useless. Though if you really don't want my help, then that's fine. But I'll stick to you to make sure you're safe, alright?"

    "Mr. Simon shouldn't do that. He should be helping Mr. Bell against the monsters."

    "Eh, I don't think we need to worry about Bell too much. Cause...hey, Bell! One's about to come out the wall to your left!"

    A dungeon wall had split open; a Killer Ant's ominous cries coming from within. Bell swiftly responded, finishing the remaining monsters before rushing toward the giant ant emerging from the wall. Sprinting ten meters across the room, he leaped skyward and drove his left boot into the monster's face. Its neck shattered as it got launched up and slammed into the upper wall. Its body went limp as it hung from the side of the wall. The party of three stopped and stared at the hanging body with Lili explaining, "Ohh, Mr. Bell, what should we do? That Killer Ant is stuck up there?"

    "Hmm, what can we do?" Bell asked as a bead of sweat ran down his face.

    Simon chuckled and stepped forward, "Don't worry, I'll get it."

    With a short grunt he jumped straight toward the wall with the hanging monster corpse. Landing on it with both feet, he grabbed the thing's broken neck and easily yanked it from the wall. He hopped off the wall and landed just in front of Lilly and Bell. Then he walked over to Lilly while holding his core drill in his other hand. He swiftly stabbed the drill into the monster's body and pulled the magic stone out. As the ant turned to ash in his hand, he knelt down and presented the stone to Lilly. Eyes wide, Lilly looked from the stone to the drill in Simon's other hand. She gingerly took the magic stone while staring at Simon, "Mr. Simon, pardon Lilly for asking, but how did you remove the magic stone so quickly? Does Mr. Simon have a magic item?"

    Simon shrugged, "If you mean my core drill, sort of? I just focused my fighting spirit into it, stabbed it into the monster, then bam."

    "Amazing. Lilly doesn't supposed you could share it with her?"

    Simon smiled then put his hand into his pocket. Out of sight he created another core drill inside in his palm, before pulling it out and handing it to Lilly, "No problem. Here, keep it. I've got plenty."

    Lilly quickly took the offered core drill and thanked Simon. Bell watched the exchange with a smile on his face, happy to see Lilly being happy. With the floor effectively conquered it was time to start gathering the magic stones from the monster corpses. Bell stood by to watch for any more monsters, while Lilly and Simon got to work. When Lilly reminded Simon that she didn't need help, he pointed out that he was doing it of his own will this time. And he pointed out that any magic stones he got he'd hand over to her. Which she seemed to accept as the two of them got to work. Though while Simon could get the magic stones out immediately...

    "Whoa...You're really good at this, Lilly," Bell said, watching Lilly's experienced hands cleanly and efficiently remove the stones from the monster corpses. Whether it be with her knife or with the core drill Simon gave her, she was getting the precious stones out of their fallen foes far faster than Bell had done when he was alone. Though he took note of how she had an easier time using her knife than the core drill.

    "It's because this is all Lilly can do to help. Mr. Bell, you slew all of these monsters, so you are the one who is really good," Lilly responded, her lips still curled into a smile.

    "Yeah, but killing monsters and taking their magic stones are two different things, Lilly. Bell might be good at the former, but this? This is all you," Simon said while pointing at the corpses.

    "Mr. Simon is too kind. Lilly doesn't deserve his praise."

    Bell frowned and asked, "By the way, can I ask you a favor? Could you stop calling me and Simon, Mr?"

    "Sorry, but that won't do. It goes against the contract, and it shows who is higher ranking in this party. Supporters cannot be condescending to adventurers."

    "But, Lilliluka..."

    "Mr. Bell, please call Lilly, Lilly. Other names are okay too, but not by full name."

    "Why are you so concerned about names?"

    Lilly looked up at Bell, her eyes hidden completely by her hood. She forced a smile and said, "Are you listening, Mr. Bell?" When he nodded she continued, "The word 'Supporter' sounds pretty, but underneath it all, Lilly and other supporters just carry the bags. Compared to the brave adventurers fighting monsters on the front lines, we're just cowards who watch from a safe distance and reap the rewards of battles that we didn't fight in. We're no better than parasites. It is arrogant for Lilly and other supporters to think they are equal to adventurers. The brave-"

    "Bullshit," Simon's sudden interruption startled both Lilly and Bell. Both looked over at the man as he rose to his feet. He did nothing to hide his anger as he continued, "Anyone who comes into a place like this isn't a coward. Be they supporter, adventurer, or just someone who's along for the ride. Every single last person who comes down here is brave, cause they're willing to risk their lives for their ideals and goals. Whether that be to make a bit of money to see tomorrow, or to get stronger so that they can accomplish a greater goal. And anyone who says otherwise, is a damn fool who needs to get their head out of their ass!"

    Bell was completely caught off guard. He didn't disagree with Simon. His own morals told him that what Lilly was saying was wrong. But, he could never imagine himself declaring them so bluntly and honestly like that. A part of him couldn't help but be awe at Simon. However, Lilly kept her forced smile on her face as she continued, "Lilly knew that Mr. Bell and Mr. Simon were good people as soon as we met. But there has to be a line. If word got out that Lilly wasn't treating either of you as superiors, Lilly wouldn't get any contracts to go into the Dungeon with adventurers other than Mr. Bell form now on. Lilly would have to work for free."

    "Not for free. You can have all of what I get."

    "What?!" this time, Lilly and Bell were both shocked by Simon's declaration.

    Simon shrugged, "Yeah, I don't really make anything off these magic stones anyway. I don't have a Familia so, I can't use the Guild's Exchange and whatnot to get any money. And I was already giving any magic stones I got from killing monsters over to Bell. So, it's not a big deal if I do that, is it?"

    "L-Lilly supposes it isn't," Lilly shook her head and continued, "B-But we should still keep such an agreement between us. It might cause problems with other adventurers if they find out."

    "Pretty sure that goes without saying, but you don't have to worry about that. Right, Bell?" Simon looked over at the white haired boy.

    Bell took a moment to regain his senses and then nodded, "Y-Yeah! Of course! This is between us and no one else."

    Lilly's smile returned a little less forced than before. She stood up and bowed her head at Simon and said, "Mr. Simon and Mr. Bell truly are generous. Being kind to Lilly to the point that they're still using the name she asked, and Mr. Bell allowing a free supporter to give up their share to another."

    "W-Well I didn't exactly do that," Bell said while scratching the back of his neck.

    Simon walked over to Lilly with a smile on his face as he said, "Nah, I'm not a free supporter. I don't have a Familia cause I choose not to. Don't want to be tied down by a God, and I'm strong enough to handle stuff in the Dungeon on my own. As for money, I've got ways to handle that. I'm with Bell because I choose to be and want to give him whatever I earn. As for why I'm calling you Lilly? That's cause you asked and, honestly, I think it's cute."

    For some reason, Simon saying that the word "cute" was far more of a surprise than anything else he had said. Bell looked completely floored while Lilly turned her head down to hide it within her hood. She spoke in an embarassed tone, "M-M-Mr. Simon! Y-You shouldn't just say that to girls! Especially not ones like Lilly!"

    "Why not? It's true," Simon tilted his head to the side in confusion.

    Bell chose that moment to step in. Waving his arms back and forth, his face as red as Lilly's he said, "S-S-Simon! H-How about you go and look for some more monsters to deal with?! If you're going to be giving your share to Lilly, then you'll need to get more magic stones to make up for it!"

    Simon looked even more confused, but shrugged and started running off. Bell let out a thankful sigh when Simon was out of sight. He turned to Lilly and chuckled, "S-Sorry, Lilly. Don't mind Simon. He's just really...nice and confident."

    "Lilly can see that," Lilly said while staring at the flapping cape as it went deeper into the floor. It wasn't long before cracks appeared along the walls and more monsters were born from them. A couple of purple moths flew out of the top of a wall to Simon's left. They immediately released their poison scales the second Simon entered their line of sight. The glittering purple scales filled the air above the man, ready to fill Simon's lungs and leave him paralyzed. However, the man seemed completely unaffected by the cloud of scales raining down on him. His movements were unhindered as he kicked off the ground, jumped off the wall and proceeded to kick all the moths to death within a few seconds. As he fell a group of needle rabbits was born from the ground, running at the falling adventurer. Simon smiled and dove down, crushing one of the rabbits with a fist and using a sweeping kick to finish off the rest.

    Lilly frowned, "Mr. Simon doesn't fight like a normal person. Does he really not have a Falna?"

    Bell nodded, "Yep. He's got no blessing to speak of. Everything is just his strength and his Spiral Power."

    "Spiral Power?"

    "Yeah. It's what he calls his fighting spirit! Everything he's doing right now is a result of his own will and spirit! It's kind of amazing, right Lilly?" Bell's face lit up as he spoke, his eyes sparkling as he watched Simon fight.

    Though because of that he couldn't see the dark expression on Lilly's face. She looked at the ground and spoke with an edge to her voice, "Yes.. It really is, Mr. Bell."


    "What happened to your knife?"

    Those were the words that made both Bell and Simon pause before leaving Eina's office. The two of them had come there after bidding farewell to Lilly. While the young girl had tried to say that she shouldn't be given any magic stones because today was a "trial" Simon had insisted. He just about shoved the magic stones into Lilly's bags, pointing out how just cause he can handle himself without money, that doesn't mean she has to. And reminding her that neither he nor Bell minded in the slightest. Lilly had eventually relented and thanked them for the help, looking forward to the next time they worked together.

    After that, the two of them had gone to Eina for a few things. The first was for Simon to point out that "Free" adventurers and supporters existed, meaning her getting on him about going into the Dungeon was an overreaction. She had admitted he was correct but reminded him that it was mainly for supporters. Actual adventurers still needed to register with the Guild, something that couldn't be done with a Familia behind them. Though she did admit she was overreacting toward Simon at the time, and apologized for that. Simon waved it off. She was just trying to watch out for Bell, after all.

    The second was for Bell to ask after Lilly and see what Eina thought of the girl. In the process they learned about Soma Familia and how it seemed to be an alright group. Though it had a poor reputation that fell in line with what Lilly had told the two of them. And Eina had confirmed that supporters tended to be treated poorly by other adventurers. That particular fact had hit Bell rather hard. His expression had shifted to an angry one and his grip on the chair had increased. He had swiftly rose from his seat, hoping no one had noticed, and thanked Eina before moving to leave. Simon had done the same, making to follow Bell...until Eina had asked about his knife.

    "Knife...?" Bell reached around his back and found his dagger, pouch for magic stones, and the...sheathe of the Divine Knife.

    Blood drained from his face as he looked up at Simon and said out loud, "...I dropped it?!"

    Before panic could set in Simon put a hand on his shoulder, "Stay calm, Bell. It'll be fine. We'll find your knife easy."

    "B-B-But how?!" Bell said, hardly able to control his emotions, "If I dropped it in the Dungeon a monster could've taken it! Or another adventurer! Or maybe I dropped it in the Guild! Or...Or-"

    "Bell!" Simon lightly shook the boy to get him to stop, "Calm down! Listen, you touched that knife with your core drill didn't you?"

    Bell blinked as the memory from that day in Daedalus Street returned to him. He slowly nodded his head, "Y-Yeah, I did."

    "Then that knife has a bit of your spirit in it. It's connected to your soul. Hold your core drill, close your eyes, then focus on the knife. Focus on how you felt whenever you held it in your hands. Focus..."

    Bell did as Simon said, taking deep breaths to steady his heartbeat. His right hand closed around the cold metal of the core drill hanging from his neck. He gripped it tight while trying to focus his thoughts on his missing weapon. He faintly heard Eina saying something about how that doing this will just waste time, but he was already beginning to do as Simon said. He tried to remember everything about how he felt that day. How he wanted to defend his Goddess. How he wanted to be strong enough to defeat the silverback. How he wanted to fight alongside Simon on that day. How he knew that the knife he held could accomplish all those things. All he needed to do was-

    Badump

    Bell's eyes opened wide and his head jerked toward the wall to his right. He immediately said, "It-It's here! It's in Orario! I-I can feel it!"

    "Then let's go get it! Bye, Eina! Thanks for the help!" Simon shouted and the two men ran out the door before Eina could stop them. Simon followed slightly behind Bell as they ran out the door to the Guild, pushing passed adventurers on the way. Bell stopped right at the bottom of the stairs for a moment, before heading off toward West Main. However, instead of heading through the main roads, he ran into an alley that led them into the backstreets. They passed between long brick houses, the clouds above dyed orange by the evening sun. Neither of them recognized this area, and were merely trusting to Bell's sense of where his knife was to find their way forward. Numerous times Bell would stop and say something about his knife "moving" before taking off again.

    Their steps nearly halted when they heard a loud scream coming from nearby. Then they increased their speed, both recognizing the sound. Eventually, they rounded a corner and exited out onto one of the backstreets, just in time to see a familiar elf throwing an apple at a small, cloaked figure. The apple exploded at it hit the person, making something fall from their hand. As Simon and Bell came to a sudden stop, the two of them immediately saw what had fallen from the cloaked figure's hand. And seeing it made Bell's eyes go wide.

    "My knife!" he shouted, already diving forward to grab the falling weapon.

    "Mr. Cranel!?" Ryu shouted, stopping before she could reach the cloaked figure. Taking advantage of the sudden shock, the figure turned and ran down the alleyway that Simon and Bell had come from. With Bell grabbing his knife and Ryu temporarily stunned by his sudden appearance, Simon turned around and chased after the fleeing figure.

    "Hold it, you!" he shouted, but the figure ignored his cries. They continued to rush down the backstreets and around a corner as they tried to get away from Simon. But their head start didn't last long. Simon's longer legs and bigger frame let him eat up the distance between them within moments. Soon he was right on the cloaked figure's heels. He wasted no time reaching down and grabbing them by their collar. His quarry yelped as he yanked them off their feet and into the air. He lifted them to be eye level with him then pulled the hood back to see...a blonde haired prum boy.

    Simon narrowed his eyes and started to pat the boy down, "Alright, you. My friend got his knife back, but I'm gonna check and see if you took anything else that doesn't...huh?"

    Simon stopped as his hand brushed over the left side of the prum's coat. He reached inside and felt something cool inside of the coat pocket. Simon's eyes widened as he met the boy's bright blue ones. The prum froze up as sweat dripped from his brow.

    Footsteps echoed nearby as Bell and Ryu swiftly rounded a corner and joined up with Simon. Ryu's eyes locked onto the prum boy in Simon's hand, "So, that is the thief who stole Mr. Cranel's weapon."

    The boy flinched as Ryu's deathly glare landed upon him. Bell looked over at Ryu with wide eyes, "S-Stole?! Wh-What do you mean?"

    "I saw him carrying the knife. When I confronted him about it, he lied and said it was his. Then he tried to run when I went to get it back. He's a thief," Ryu stated plainly.

    Ryu moved closer to the thief, but Simon held up his hand, "Wait a minute, Ryu. Let's hear what he has to say for himself before we jump to conclusions."

    Simon put the prum down, but made sure to place him in such a way that he couldn't run away. Ryu narrowed her eyes at Simon, "You'd give a thief a chance to defend himself despite having attempted to run, Simon?"

    Simon shrugged, "When I want to know their reasons for doing what they're doing, sure. Especially when it's a...kid? Sorry, still trying to wrap my head around the whole height, age, and stuff when it comes to people who aren't human or beastmen. You are a kid, right?"

    The prum shook his head, auburn hair moving back and forth, "N-No."

    "Ah. Okay. Still want to hear your side the story."

    "Um, well, I...I found the knife on the ground near the Guild. It looked really cool and I-I just wanted to-I didn't mean to steal it," the prum looked at the ground, trying to look as pitiful as possible.

    Bell looked a bit unnerved while Ryu's expression remained neutral. Bell took a step forward and spoke up, "I understand that but you shouldn't just take things that people drop on the ground. Especially not anywhere near the Guild. It could belong to adventurer!"

    "Drop?" Ryu murmured but Bell didn't seem to hear her.

    Simon smiled then patted the prum on the shoulder, "Well, at least you were upfront with us. But that knife doesn't belong to you, okay? My friend Bell needs it. He's gonna be a really strong adventurer one day. And he'll need that knife to pull it off. But don't worry. If you become one, you'll get a knife as cool as his one day."

    The prum didn't say anything, but seemed to be listening to Simon. Syr eventually arrived and took Ryu away after greeting Bell. As the two girls left, Bell made to leave but first he looked toward Simon, "You coming, Simon?"

    "In a minute. I want to talk to this prum guy a bit more. You go on ahead," Simon said, waving his hand at Bell. Bell stepped back a bit, before running off to do as Simon asked.

    When Bell was gone, the prum boy's body relaxed. He seemed to believe that things would get better now that it was just him and Simon. That is until Simon turned his eyes toward the boy and stated plainly, "It's you, isn't it Lilly?"

    Lilly stiffened and her eyes went wide as she looked up at Simon. Before she could speak he reached toward her cloak and into the pocket he had checked. From within he pulled a core drill. He held it up so they could both see it and continued, "I don't give these out to everybody, ya know. Before I gave one to you, only Bell and I had one. Now you could be someone that she sold this to, but I doubt that. Because if that were the case, you wouldn't have stiffened up the moment I said your name."

    Despite the circumstances, Lilly didn't look too scared. Her little body was shaking but there was a fire in her eyes that seemed to be challenging Simon. As if she was daring him to judge her for what she had done. Simon's lips were curled into a frown and he reached towards Lilly with his other hand. Lilly braced herself, knowing what was coming next. He had found out that she was a thief. Now, just like all those other adventurers, he was going to hurt her. Beat her down and take what he had given to her away. Because even if he wasn't in a Familia, he was still an adventurer. And no matter what pretty words he said, all adventurers were the same.

    ....

    ....

    Huh?

    The pain Lilly had been expecting never came. In fact, she didn't feel any type of pain. Instead she felt...a familiar warmth?

    Eyes widening she stared at Simon as she realized he was patting her on the head. His frown had turned into a small smile, and his previously hard gaze had softened. His voice was calm and kind as he spoke, "I don't know what's going on with you, Lilly. I don't know what you've been through, either. I'm not gonna try to pry or ask about your past. It's your story to tell whenever you feel like. I only want you to know that, if nothing else, I believe in you. I wouldn't have given you this if I didn't."

    He holds up the core drill in his other hand. Speechless, Lilly could only stare at Simon as he continued to rub her head. He soon took his hand away then held the core drill out to her. Hesitantly, she took it from his palm and started backing up. Simon stood up and said, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna tell Bell. But I'm pretty sure that, if you told him the truth, he'd feel the same way I do. He's a good kid. And that's not a bad thing. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether you'll tell him or not. And don't worry about the core drill. You can do whatever you want with it. Sell it, keep it, give it away, whatever. It's yours. And if you need anything else, don't be afraid to come to talk to me or Bell. With your real face or not."

    Then Simon put his hands in his pockets and walked off. Lilly was left here, holding the core drill in her hands while watching him go. Then she looked down at the drill that had been given to her. In truth, she had kept it because the old gnome wouldn't take it. He had said it was just a normal drill and not a magic item. Which didn't make sense to Lilly. She had seen Simon take magic stones out of monsters in a single move with it. She figured that, maybe, he had given her a defective one. It would make sense. What adventurer would give such a good item to a lowly supporter. It had just been more evidence that he wasn't any better than the other adventurers in the city.

    But now?

    She curled her hands around the item.

    It felt warm.

    ...Maybe she could keep it for a bit longer. Just to fool Bell into thinking that she was still on their side.

    Yeah, that was the reason.


    The trio's next meeting was tense...for Lilly. She had met up with Bell and Simon early in the morning, and the three of them were heading to the Dungeon for another day of work. They walked in a triangular formation with Lilly in the middle, Bell on the right, and Simon on the left. Bell had decided to officially hire Lilly as a supporter and Hestia had granted her permission. Which basically meant got the greenlight for it. After that, they had signed a party-member contract with each other, though Simon was left out of it. He didn't have a Familia so there wasn't any way he could back up any signature he made. And though Simon and Bell looked fresh and ready for the day, Lilly couldn't stop the nervousness in her heart. She kept glancing at Simon out the corner of her eye, mind racing as she asked the same questions over and over.

    Did he tell Bell about what happened? Had he lied to her yesterday? Plenty of adventurers had done that before. And it would only make sense. Who would want to keep a thief in their party when she could steal their hard won items at any given moment? Yet, neither Simon nor Bell showed any sign of knowing anything was off. If he had told Bell, then the two of them were really good at hiding what they knew. Which Lilly immediately put off as impossible. She had seen Bell's type before. Happy, optimistic, naive and foolish people who wanted to become horrid adventurers. It was the reason she had decided to join him. To make him regret being so nice and kind when that wasn't how Orario worked.

    But if that was the case then...

    "...Mr. Bell?"

    Bell looked down at Lilly as she spoke, "Hm?"

    "That knife-where did you put it?"

    "Ah. The knife and its sheathe are in my breastplate. There's a slot under the outerlayer and they fit nicely. That way, I won't accidentally drop it again."

    "Good thinking, Bell. You're becoming more of an adventurer by the day," Simon praised as he lightly punched Bell in the shoulder.

    Bell stood straighter from the praise, pride swelling in his chest. Though it didn't last long as looking at Lilly made him feel worse. She hadn't had much energy all day and it was bothering him. Though he wasn't sure how to broach the topic without it looking like he was prying. After a bit, Lilly spoke again, "Mr. Bell. Let me thank you again for hiring Lilly as your supporter. Lilly will work very hard so that Mr. Bell and Mr. Simon don't abandon her in the Dungeon."

    "Abandon?! We wouldn't do that to anyone. Besides, you're the only supporter we have, Lilly."

    Simon nodded in agreement with Bell. Lilly smiled and continued, "Lilly's glad to hear that...But Lilly already knows Mr. Bell and Mr. Simon wouldn't do such a thing because they're both surprisingly gracious."

    "It's not being gracious. It's common sense," Simon put his arms behind his head as he spoke, "That's how things should work between adventurers and supporters. And if it doesn't, then we can make sure that it does work like that between the three of us. So, what's the plan for today, Bell?"

    "I was thinking we could all go to the seventh level and work until the evening. Is that okay with you two?" Bell looked between Simon and Lilly as he spoke.

    Simon nodded his agreement while Lilly said, "If that's what Mr. Bell has decided, then Lilly shall obey. However, are you sure? As you know, Lilly is only a supporter and isn't any use in battle. You and Mr. Simon will be fighting off wave after wave of monsters by yourselves."

    "That's okay with me," Bell assured her, "I'm used to fighting alone, and last night my goddess updated my status with yesterday's experience."

    "And I'm good with what I've got. Just need my fighting spirit and I'll be able to take a hundred monsters all at once," Simon spoke with confidence, lips curled into a beaming smile.

    Bell's expression soured as he looked down at Lilly, "I'm more worried about you, Lilly. Drop items will pile up pretty quickly, and your backpack will get very heavy..."

    "That's actually a good point. How do you manage to carry that huge bag on your back, Lilly? That thing's way bigger than you," Simon asked, pointing a finger at the large bag on her back, "You sure you don't need help with it?"

    Lilly smiled and shook her head, "You don't have to worry, Mr. Bell and Mr. Simon. Because Lilly has a Falna, too. No matter how much is in the backpack Lilly won't get tired. On top of that, Lilly has a Skill. So you two won't be held back at any time during transport to the surface even if the unthinkable happens."

    "Huh?! You have a skill, Lilly?" Bell said, sounding awed at the news.

    Simon nodded, "Ah, let me guess. Your skill is what lets you carry stuff way heavier than normal, right?"

    "Yes, though it's only better than nothing. It's a pitiful skill. It's not like the wonderful 'blessing' you or Mr. Bell are thinking of."

    "Like hell it isn't. Lilly, let me tell you, being able to carry all that stuff all on your own? It's not easy nor is it something that you should dismiss out of hand. Where I'm from, we needed to build things to carry even a fraction of what you've got on your back. Even the strongest people I knew could only carry so much without help. The fact that you're able to do this all on your own thanks to one skill? It's really impressive," Simon said with a genuine smile on his face.

    Lilly's smile, in contrast, seemed very forced, "Mr. Simon is very gracious. But Lilly doesn't deserve such praise. Her skill isn't special. It's something all supporters have. Otherwise they wouldn't be good supporters."

    Simon didn't lose his smile, "So? That just means you've got the stuff to match up to the best of them."

    Lilly lowered her head and didn't look up at Simon. Seeing Simon was done, Bell spoke up, "Ah, I'm so jealous of you, Lilly. Skills and Magic are really hard to learn, right? I don't have Magic, either...Ah, speaking of which, do you have any magic, Lilly?"

    "...Unfortunately, Lilly doesn't have magic, either. There are many people who never see their own magic; Lilly is probably one of them."

    Bell frowned, lowering his head upon hearing that. A feeling of shame came over him as he realized what Lilly said was true. And when he thought about how he asking her to give him the details on her status. Such a thing was seen as taboo amongst adventurers and for good reason. It was both private information and your lifeline. He put his eyes back on the road as he asked, "One more thing: Are you sure you don't want a signing fee or an advance payment?"

    Lilly continued to smile as she said, "Yes, it's fine. Normally, Lilly wouldn't asked for it since Mr. Bell is working with Mr. Simon. But since Mr. Simon doesn't take any of the money earned from work, then there won't be any problems figuring out who gets what at the end of the day...and then."

    "And then?" Bell parroted back to Lilly. Her cheerful mood changed all of a sudden. Bell felt like he could see a little hesitation in the eyes hidden behind her bangs.

    "...Also, this is the best arrangement for Mr. Bell and Mr. Simon, yes?'

    "Eh?'

    "Nah. Cause it ain't about just us."

    Lilly and Bell both looked at Simon who had stopped walking. They both halted as well as they stared. Simon turned toward Lilly then crouched to be level with her eyes. He smiled then lifted his core drill up, "You've still got this, right Lilly?"

    "Y-Yes. Lilly's made sure to keep a good hold on her core drill," she nodded and tilted her head to the side, "Why does Mr. Simon ask?"

    "Because, as long as you've got that, you're one of us. Contract or no," Simon didn't stop staring Lilly in the eyes for a single second as he spoke, "So, don't you go thinking about what's good for Bell and me alone. You need to be factored into that, too. If you want a signing fee or an advanced payment, then tell us. Sure, we might not be able to give it to you now, but if we can we will. That's what it means to be part of a team."

    "Th-That is very good, Mr. Simon. But most adventuring parties don't act like that."

    "And didn't I tell you that we're gonna be different?"

    "Yes, but Mr. Bell-"

    "A-Agrees completely!" Bell butted into the conversation. He crouched down and tried to look at confident as Simon did as he said, "I-If you want a signing bonus, it's fine Lilly! I-I might not be able to give it to you now, but I'm certain I can after today's Dungeon Run. So don't worry about me and Simon. What do you want?"

    Lilly looked between Simon and Bell, mouth open and eyes wide as she tried to make sense of what was going on. Eventually, she lowered her head and ran ahead of the two of them. She refused to meet their eyes as she said, "M-Mr. Simon and Mr. Bell aren't being fair! Lilly doesn't know what to say to s-such graciousness. Lilly thinks we should go to the Dungeon now!"

    "Ah, okay, but wait up!" Bell yelled as he got to his feet and chased after Lilly. Simon remained silent, lips curled into a small smile as he got to his feet. He began to whistle as he followed after Bell and Lilly.


    "Hey, Lilly! Ya got a moment?"

    Lilly lifted her head and put the bag of vals she had away. She was standing on a street corner near Babel Tower. After having put her big backpack away in her usual spot, she had come back to avoid running into anyone in her Familia. She knew that some of them were still looking for her and wanted to be sure she was still in a relatively safe position. Now, she found herself turning around and stiffening at the sight of Simon approaching her. Though her sudden anxiousness did come from fear, it wasn't for the same reason that it usually was. She had long since accepted that Simon wouldn't rat her out and didn't seem to want to "punish" her for trying to steal Bell's knife. And while that didn't mean she could let her guard down around him, she at least knew that he wasn't immediately dangerous like most adventurers.

    No, she feared him for a completely different reason.

    Putting on her best fake smile she said, "Yes, Mr. Simon? Is there something you needed from Lilly?"

    "Kind of," Simon shrugged and put his hands in his coat pockets, "I was wondering, you don't eat much, do you?"

    Lilly, still on guard, nodded while lowering her head, "Mr. Simon is right. Lilly needs to save up as much as she can. Since she's a lowly supporter. Which is why Lilly is very grateful that Mr. Simon and Mr. Bell gave her so much money." Lilly wasn't lying about any of that. Though the last part of the sentence wasn't something she ever thought she'd say. She was used to adventurers giving her less than her share, using the fact that she was a supporter as reason to not give her what she had earned. And whenever she raised a fuss, she would be beaten or have what little money she had gained taken away. Most of the time it was both.

    Which was why she was genuinely shocked when Bell had given her an equal share of 13,000 Vals. And that shock had only grown when Simon gave her the extra 2,500 they had earned from his help. She had thought that the two of them would have shown their true colors then, but they hadn't. And that had given her actual pause. She was still trying to process her full response to those actions.

    Simon nodded as his lips curled into a smile. Then he jerked his thumb toward the western part of the city, "Thought so. Then how about coming with me to a place a I know? It'll be my treat."

    Lilly turned to look out at Orario and her smile turned into a frown. The sun had set and Orario's nightlife was beginning to come out. She could already see parties of adventurers walking down the streets into cafes and bars, looking to enjoy the nightlife offered by Orario. As she observed the city, she felt that familiar darkness begin to enter her heart. Her mind immediately assumed that this was going to be what she had feared. She knew it was coming, but that didn't mean she liked it. This was going to be when Simon revealed the true horrible face beneath his kind smile. Because even if he wasn't part of a Familia, even if he wasn't officially recognized by the Guild, he was still going into the Dungeon. Which meant he was still an adventurer.

    And all adventurers...

    Putting on her best fake smile, Lilly turned back toward Simon and nodded her head, "Yes, of course! Lilly wouldn't say no to an invitation by a noble adventurer like Mr. Simon."

    Simon shrugged, "Not an adventurer. And I'm not sure if I'd call myself noble. But cool! I can introduce you to this guy I met named Brax."

    Simon started walking and waved for Lilly to follow him. She did as he asked, walking just behind him like a dutiful supporter. She had already stashed away her backpack, so at least she didn't have to worry about Simon taking anything from her. Unfortunately, she couldn't really tell him no. She knew that neither Simon nor Bell had noticed her stealing the knife on their first excursion together. Even if they had, the chances of either of them being able to track her down were extremely low. Neither of them knew the backstreets of Orario as well as she did, and they wouldn't have had even an inkling of where she had gone. Thus the only way they were able to find her so quickly, was if they had someway of tracking her down. She knew that the knife had no such enchantment on it, the old gnome would've noticed it when he checked it out. Which meant it had to be the core drill.

    If she had said no now, Simon would've insisted or pressured her into going. Possibly resorting to threats to get her to come alone. If she had run, he would've either caught her or tracked her down and taken the vals he had given her.

    At least this way, she might be able to drop the core drill somewhere and throw him off after he was done. She made sure to pay attention to the streets and pathways to wherever Simon was taking her. Just in case she needed to make a run for it, or stumble her way back to where she needed to be after a beating. She had done both before and this would likely be no different.

    If Simon noticed her preparations or nervousness, he didn't show it. Lilly, false smile still on her face, looked up and asked him, "Mr. Simon, does Mr. Bell know about this?"

    "Oh, yeah. I told him that I was going to take you somewhere nice. As a gift for being a great help to us. Don't worry about him though. He's off spending time with his goddess," Simon said nonchalantly.

    Lilly hummed and remained quiet for the rest of the walk. Eventually, Simon stopped in front of a large, rectangular building. A sign hung from above that said, "Brax's Bar and Brewery". Outside stood two pretty women trying to call adventurers and other people into the building. They were wearing "tasteful" black and white serving outfits, their arms waving back and forth in the air. Lilly saw a couple of adventurers entering the bar as others walked out, but she didn't get the feeling that this place was very popular. As the two of them approached, the two women stopped to wave hello to Simon. Simon waved back and said, "Heya Christa, Jeane. Doing good work I see."

    "Hi, Simon!" Christa said, her blonde hair slightly hidden beneath a bonnet, "You coming to eat this time or just hang out?"

    "The first one, but only sort of," Simon stepped to the side to let both women get a good look at Lilly. Lilly, for her part, tried to appear small and cute, keeping her head bowed in the face of the two women.

    "Ah, she's so cute!~" Jeane said, her auburn hair bouncing as she hopped in place. Her voice gained a teasing lilt to it as she continued, "Is she your secret love child? Are you hiding something from us?"

    Simon chuckled and waved his hand dismissively, "Nah, nah. She's actually my friend, Lilly. Lilly? Say hello to Christa and Jeane. They're Brax's greeters, if you couldn't tell."

    "H-Hello," Lilly said, putting up her best attempt at looking like a nervous young girl. While it was unlikely, perhaps she could garner enough sympathy from the people here that if Simon tried anything, they would at least look her way. She doubted it but it was still good to hedge her bets.

    "Ah, is she shy?" Christa put her hands on her knees and waved at Lilly, "Don't worry. Simon's a good guy! He's been helping Brax get this place set up for a while now."

    "Speaking of, mind if we head on in? I want to get Lilly some food and drinks for herself. It's my treat," Simon smiled while reaching down and patting Lilly's head. The two girls shared a knowing look then waved the two of them inside. The interior of the building was relatively spartan. The high ceiling had four large magic stone lights hanging from above, bathing the floor in a dim blue light. The hard wood tables were circular with strong backed wooden chairs surrounding each. The bar itself was the same hard wood with pictures of fruits and mugs carved into the front. Lilly counted at least ten other people sitting around either eating or drinking frothing liquids from their mugs. The smell of cooked food in the air almost made her drool, but she wiped it away before Simon could notice.

    Simon led her over to one of the bar stools, crouching down to help her up. She shook her head and climbed into the stool on her own. Not looking bothered in the least, Simon sat down and tapped his hand on the counter, "Hey, Brax! Erica! Either of you there!?"

    "Is tha-Simon!" a door at the back of the building opened as a man came bursting through it. He wore a black coat, white shirt, and black pants. His hands were covered by white gloves and his black hair was a bit disheveled. His body was slender but the skin on his faced looked rough as worn leather. His green eyes seemed to shine in the light of the bar as he came over to where Simon and Lilly were sitting. His lips were curled into a large smile that showed his teeth. Lilly noted that one of his front teeth was missing, leaving a large black spot in the white line up. He met Simon's eyes and said, "Welcome back, Simon! Did you bring vals this time?"

    Lilly remained silent and still, not wanting to reveal her true feelings. Inwardly, she was already assuming what Simon was going to do. She lowered her head and looked at him out the corner of her eye, watching his every move. Simon shook his head, "Nope, not this time, either. Sorry, Brax."

    The man's smile waned a bit but he didn't look too upset. He shrugged and put his palms on the counter, "Alright. Guess you'll be paying the usual way then. What can I get ya?"

    "Not me. Her," Simon jerked a thumb at Lilly. As Brax's eyes fell upon her, Lilly lifted her head and put on a false smile. Brax raised an eyebrow at her but Simon cut off any questions he had, "Her name's Lilly. She's been helping me and Bell in the Dungeon recently, and I wanted to give her something special as a reward. Mind giving her whatever she wants off the menu? I'll handle it."

    Despite Simon's words, Lilly still hadn't dropped her guard. This had happened to her before. An adventurer taking her to a place to eat for a "reward", offering to pay for the food, then "realizing" they hadn't brought any money with them. Then they would tell Lilly to pay for it. Usually leading to her spending all of her money. And if she got upset, the beatings came. She watched as Brax stared at Simon and asked if the blue haired man was sure. When Simon nodded, Brax turned around and shouted, "Erica! Bring the mop!"

    From the door came another woman. She was clearly a prum with light blue highlights in her dark black hair. The swell of her breasts could be seen underneath the apron and serving uniform she wore. In her muscled arms she carried a bundle of clothes, a bucket filled with sloshing, soapy water, and a mop. Simon got out of his chair as she approached, thanked her for the things, then went through the doors behind the counter to get dressed.

    Lilly blinked in shock. This time she did let down her guard. Not because she suddenly thought Simon was being truthful. But because she didn't understand what was happening.

    "So, whatcha want?" Lilly nearly jumped in surprise at Brax's voice. Brax looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "You alright there?"

    "Y-Yes! Lilly is...fine," Lilly put her hands on the bar and looked at Brax, "Um, may Lilly ask a question?"

    "Don't see why not, whatcha need?"

    "Um, why did Mr. Brax give Mr. Simon a mop?"

    "Cause that's how he's gonna be paying. The guy doesn't have a val to his name, so he pays for any food or drink by working it off," Brax shook his head but smiled, "Honestly, it's kind of refreshing to see an adventurer go that far. Most of the time, if they didn't have any money, they'd put it on a tab or refuse to pay."

    Lilly stared at Brax in shock, which only grew as she saw Simon come out from behind the doors leading to the kitchen. He wore a thick white hat, white gloves, and a long white apron with only his face uncovered. With mop in one hand and bucket in the other, he went out to the open floor of the bar where people were eating and started to clean it. The adventurers hooted and hollered at him, but he just waved at them with a smile on his face.

    Lilly could only stare at what was happening in awe. She was proven completely wrong. Simon didn't plan to take her vals away. Simon wasn't trying to trick her. He wanted her to get something to eat, and wasn't expecting her to pay for it. He was willing to do something so lowly as clean the floors at a bar to pay for her food. That...that wasn't something adventurers did. Adventurers were prideful, vain, greedy, and saw themselves above such lowly jobs. They would never do something like that. Never.

    Yet...yet...

    "Kind of admirable, ain't it? Don't get many men like him around here nowadays. Nice to see at least one of them in this city," Brax said before turning back to Lilly, "So, whatcha buying?"

    Lilly turned back and gave him her order. However, her heart wasn't in it. Not because she didn't want the food, nor because she was feeling bad. It was the opposite. She was feeling something that she had once thought lost to her forever: Genuine happiness. The happiness that brought a warmth to her chest that she hadn't felt for a long, long time. The type that made her start to believe that maybe she didn't have to do this. That she didn't have to steal from Bell and Simon. That, just maybe, she could actually...trust them.

    That was the true reason she feared Simon. She feared him because he did something that no one had managed to do for a long time. Something that she had sworn she would never do again after all she had experienced.

    He was making her believe again.

    Believe in him and in Bell.

    And, what really scared her was that, no matter how hard she tried to deny it, she knew it was working.



    Finally! Sorry it took so long. I know I say that a lot, but I really mean it. I hope you guys still enjoy it!
     
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