633I have risen from the dead.
"Goddess Hestia is here!"
An avalanche of children followed the youthful voice as they all raced towards the goddess at the front of the church.
"Your favorite goddess is here!" Hestia accentuated as she opened her arms, unflinching before the numerous kids rushing her.
"Goddess Hestia!" Said goddess let out an amused laugh as one of the children lunged into her inviting embrace, followed by another, then another until it was impossible to make out the goddess' form beneath the giant group hug.
"Glad to see you're all lively!" The goddess said between giggles, her voice sounding muffled. "Did anything interesting happen while I was out?"
""""Syr brought a boy home!""""
"What!?" Hestia exclaimed as she managed to pop her head from the group hug.
She looked around for a second before zeroing in on Bell's direction. She narrowed her eyes at him.
His body twitched in reaction to her gaze, though not enough for any of the others to notice.
"Hey! It's not nice to tell on me like that." Syr complained as she crossed her arms and pouted.
"Well, you were going to show him off anyways" One of the children responded, to which Syr simply huffed and looked away, neither confirming nor denying the statement.
Hestia and Bell ignored the banter as the former left the group and started walking toward him.
The goddess approached the Hunter and Syr refocused her attention on them both, watching with bated breath as Bell's body tensed. Hestia was within a meter of him.
They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before the goddess spoke. Her tone was firm and assertive.
"Before we do introductions, let's make one thing clear: you better not be here for something bad or you'll have to deal with me."
Then, to everyone's surprise, Hestia's right arm shot forward with her fist closed, celches away from the boy's face. She then launched into a series of pretend jabs, feigned uppercuts, and imaginary haymakers, rounding off her spectacle with a sweeping kick.
She had the form of a martial artist who had spent decades mastering their craft.
…Or at least, that's what she must have envisioned herself to be.
In reality, her punches were uncoordinated, her moves were awkward, and her sweeping kick was so pathetic that it almost sent her tumbling to her backside.
This, of course, did not intimidate the Hunter. But based on his slacked jaw and completely flabbergasted expression, Hestia did succeed in shocking him. Syr had to stifle the laugh that threatened to escape her lips, she had never seen a look of complete astonishment on Bell's face. He probably had imagined many scenarios of how his meeting with Hestia would go. This was certainly not one of them.
Hestia's ill-fated attempt at intimidation was obvious to everyone but herself. A triumphant grin tugged at her lips, while she placed her hands defiantly on her hips, blissfully unaware of the boy's shock.
"Hehe. I can see that you have taken my threat seriously. Now that we got that out of the way…" The goddess's arrogant smile morphed into one of happiness and her demeanor completely changed. "Hello! I am Hestia, goddess of the hearth and home. Nice to meet ya!"
That knocked Bell out of his stupor and his eyes slowly trailed down to Hestia's outstretched hand. Time ticked by as he continued to stare, making the goddess progressively nervous. Just as she was about to pull back her hand, the boy's hand slowly reached up and gently gripped her hand.
"...Tis' nice to meet you too, goddess Hestia." The boy's response reinvigorated the nervous goddess, whose expression brightened and she shook his hand with newfound enthusiasm.
"Glad to hear it! Now…" She turned to the rest of the church occupants with a wide grin.
"Who wants Jagamarukun!?" Hestia exclaimed while holding the basket she had been holding to that point high into the air.
"""Me!"""
"Of course! I need something to wash out the taste of Syr's food!"
"Hey!"
Bell backed up just in time to evade the onslaught of children who now surrounded the goddess. Squeals of delight filled the room as each of the children was handed the delicious treat.
Once all of the kids were content eating their food, Hestia turned her attention back to the waitress and white-haired boy.
"Do you want one Syr-san?"
"Hehehe, yes please!" Hestia handed one to the waitress, who thanked her and gestured to Bell "I know you already introduced yourselves, but again, this is Bell Cranel, he's a friend who is staying at the Hostess. One of our best customers by the way."
Hestia nodded her head "I see, I see. Well, if you're Syr's friend then it's fine. Out of curiosity though, why are you here?"
"This orphanage is in a rather... dubious part of the city. I saw Syr wandering alone into Daedalus Street and got worried, so I came with her." He spoke carefully, not saying any lies while hiding the full truth.
Hestia sighed "Yeah, it's not the best, but this part of Daedalus is a bit safer than the others so trouble rarely comes by. That doesn't mean you should be careless though!" She looked at Syr before going back to Bell. "Good job looking out for a friend. Here!" She held out her hand to him, in it was the same food the other kids were eating, Jagamarukun, if he remembered right "Try it! Don't worry, they are fresh, well, as fresh as they can be," Hestia quickly added.
Bell stared at the offered treat with skepticism before he felt a tap on his shoulder, turning to the side he saw Syr.
"Well, now that you're acquainted I'll leave you two alone and stay with Maria and the children" She turned to leave and, without looking back, spoke in a low voice so that only Bell could hear. "Give her a chance."
"So... are you going to take it or not, because my arm is getting tired." Hestia was still holding the treat to him, arm trembling.
"R-right," Bell replied, carefully accepting the food from her, still taken aback by her forwardness. "You called this... Jagamarukun, yes?"
"Yes!" She replied energetically, a proud smile on her face "A beautifully deep-fried potato with several potential fillings! Simple, tasty, and cheap! It's the ultimate street food."
Bell inspected the food. What she said certainly matched the description of what was in his hand, appearance-wise at least, and just as she had mentioned prior it wasn't as warm as he suspected a freshly-made one would be, but it wasn't cold either. Once he was satisfied with his inspection, having found no signs of tampering, he took a small bite.
His eyes widened. "Huh, tis' good." It wasn't comparable to Mia's or May's cooking, but the simplicity of the dish spoke to him on a more personal level. He bit a bigger piece off, which elicited a grin from Hestia. "What is the filling made of?" It was slightly sweet, though not enough to bother him, especially since it mixed quite well with the fried potato.
"Oh! This one is matcha cream! It's great for a little boost of energy, not as much as some coffee would, but it's easier to carry around. The perfect treat for an adventurer after a dive in the Dungeon." Bell caught on to Hestia's insinuation. (1)
"You know that I am an…adventurer?"
"Yeah, despite that cute face of yours you kinda give off that adventurer vibe…or maybe something else. Plus, that sword of yours looks expensive, it's not something a civilian can afford." In an instant, her contemplative look was replaced with a bright one. "Would you like to join my-, wait, crap, you're already taken!" Hestia then pouted cutely.
She was probably going to ask him to join her Familia but stopped since she assumed he was already in a Familia, so Bell decided the best response was to just remain silent. You can't lie to a god or goddess after all. He instead asked a question to steer the conversation in another direction.
"Miss Maria told me you work at a food stand in the northern section of Orario, is that where you got so many Jagamarukun?"
"Yep, if there's any leftover by the time my shift is over the manager lady let's bring it home."
"Hmm. How is it? Working there, I mean." Bell asked, curious as to what the goddess said about working such a mundane job.
"Ugh." Hestia's entire demeanor changed into one of exasperation. "It sucks! I barely get paid anything and everyone just treats me like a little girl! I mean, just today, after I gave this man his food, he patted my head as if I was a child! I'm a goddess! Not a child! It's demeaning!"
If it had been any other goddess, Hestia's rant would have come off as pretentious, but Bell found it oddly endearing. But it did bring up a question that he had been wondering about. Why was she working at that food stand? Originally he theorized that she found working at the food stand entertaining, but her rant demolished that theory. What did she have to gain from working at that mundane occupation?
"Why do you work there then?"
She tilted her head in confusion."Well, I gotta make ends meet somehow."
Once again, the goddess said something out of his expectations"...What do you mean?" His voice was filled with confusion. She's a goddess, surely she had someone to do that for her.
"The job doesn't offer much, but it does help me pay the bills and support the children."
Bell shuffled in place and began to fidget with his gloves. "I don't understand."
"...What is it that you don't understand?" The goddess asked, perplexed by the boy's confusion. She works at that food stand for valis, what could he be confused about?
"Why is a goddess such as yourself working at a food stand? Isn't that a demeaning occupation for a deity?"
"I mean, I guess but I don't have the luxury of having choices or lounging around. I used to, but my friend had enough of my laziness and kicked me out. Ever since then, I've had to work to sustain myself."
"But don't you have…people to do that for you?"
"That's the problem. I uhh… don't have any familia members."
"Pardon?"
"I said I don't have any familia members!" Hestia said in an annoyed manner. "There I said it! Are you happy? The Loli Big-Boob goddess does not have a single familia member!" Hestia was met with silence, and immediately felt embarrassed. "I-I'm so sorry for yelling at you! This is a sore subject for me and I took it out on you!"
Hestia's apology hung in the air as the two stared at one another. The boy's expression was neutral, not giving the goddess any hints on what he was thinking.
"You are very honest," he suddenly said.
"H-Huh?"
Bell shook his head. "Tis' nothing serious. I am just surprised a goddess such as yourself does not have any familia members. You are the goddess of hearth and home after all. Those are some attractive traits for a deity to have."
"T-That's right!" Hestia exclaimed, surprised by the boy's attentiveness and…forwardness. "But unfortunately I am not as well known or situated as other goddesses."
"Really?"
"Yes. I'm not as well established and situated as other deities that have been on Genkai far longer than me. Plus, just because I am a goddess doesn't mean I am obligated to a life of luxury, I gotta work for it."
"I…I see. You have my thanks for answering my questions, you have given me a lot to think about."
"Of course!" Hestia nodded with a smile that was quite infectious, and Bell almost felt himself smile with her.
"Hey." Bell turned around to see the group of children with Rye at the front with an expectant look. "You promised us a story of your times as a Hunter."
"A Hunter?" Hestia parroted.
"Yes!" A girl exclaimed with excitement. "A Hunter is different from being an adventurer! Instead of going into the Dungeon, he would slay beasts in a city called Yharnam!"
"Really? Is that true?" Hestia asked, looking at Bell with narrow eyes full of skepticism.
She probably thinks I am lying. "...She speaks the truth. Prior to becoming an adventurer, I was a Hunter."
"Oh…okay," Hestia replied with surprise. "Well in that case, I want to hear one too! But only if Maria allows it."
You too?! Bell found himself in a tough spot. When he agreed to tell them a story earlier in the day, that was just to get them to eat Syr's food.
"Surely Miss Maria wouldn't want me to tell something like this to the little ones."
"It's fine."
"Eh?"
"You can tell them one, just…try to keep it appropriate for them."
With his final potential excuse destroyed, Bell gazed at the hopeful, excited expressions of the children that surrounded him. He knew this was a bad idea, but…the kids were happy, and eager to listen to him.
"...Alright, just one." The moment those words left his lips, the kids all sat down in rows, mimicking the rows of seats one would see at a theater. Even Syr, Maria, and Hestia seemed excited about his story, all three taking a seat in the old church chairs. Bell felt a mixture of surprise and satisfaction at this, and he felt more confident.
Bell called upon lessons he had been taught a long time ago, lessons that educated him on how to keep an audience engaged in a story.
"Once upon a time, in a city called Yharnam…"
"So there I was!" Bell announced, his voice echoing throughout the quiet church. His eyes trailed slowly over his audience.
"Enveloped in the chilling embrace of the fog, the moon hung like a haunting specter in the sky. It bathed the Great Bridge of Yharnam in an eerie, spectral light, the cobblestones glistening as if weeping in the face of what was to come," he began, his voice barely above a whisper, creating an atmosphere as palpable as the fog he described.
"The air was thick with unease, the silence of the bridge only punctuated by the distant wailing of the wind. It felt as if the world itself was holding its breath, waiting for the inevitable," Bell continued, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up at the memory.
"And then, as sudden as a thunderclap, there was a monstrous roar, and a great, hulking shadow leapt from behind a towering gate." Bell paused for dramatic effect as his gaze surveyed the excited listeners. "It was the Cleric Beast."
The children jumped at his words, a few gasping, their eyes wide with terror and fascination while Hestia and Maria looked on, amusement and concern dancing in their eyes respectively. Syr had a hand over her mouth, stifling a giggle. The young man was acting so animated compared to how stoic he usually was with her and the waitresses.
"The Cleric Beast," Bell continued, "was an abomination, a perversion of nature itself. It landed with a thud that shook the very bridge beneath my feet, its elongated limbs sprawled in a grotesque display of power. Its eyes, aflame with an unholy light, bore into mine, promising to feast on my entrails."
Maria cleared her throat from behind the fascinated children.
"Sorry, it promised me a battle," Bell amended. "I hastily prepared myself for a fight for my life, but I found myself paralyzed in fear because of what happened next."
"What happened next!?" Rye exclaimed with an apprehensive tone.
"It let out a wail, and, and… oh god that wail! It echoed through the desolate streets, a chorus of despair and malice that seemed to freeze the very blood in my veins. I stood rooted to the spot, my heart pounding like a war drum against the silence that followed."
"Scary!"
"What happened next!?"
"It started to stalk towards me, its towering figure becoming larger and larger as it bridged the gap between us. I knew I couldn't remain petrified in fear and willed my body to move. I sprinted towards it and…" Bell paused for a second.
'…How do I explain disemboweling the Cleric Beast in a way that is appropriate for kids?'
The story he had been telling was an amalgamation of the terror he felt when he first laid his eyes upon the beast, and the brutal end he bestowed upon it after suffering too many deaths. Driving his Saw Cleaver into its stomach and dragging upwards was quite the messy way to die. He definitely wasn't allowed to state something like that since Maria wanted him to keep the story appropriate for the little ones. And even if he did have Maria's permission to tell the story without holding back, exposing the children to the grueling reality of a hunter was out of the question. He should have thought this through.
"And?" Bell's attention returned back to Rye, who had an eager expression on his face. "What did you do? Did you kill it?!"
Before Bell could respond, another voice called out. It belonged to one of the younger kids.
"I know what you did! You gave it a big ol' tummy ache didn't ya!?"
Bell blinked, caught off guard by the kid's wild suggestion. 'Do kids always blurt out the most random things ever?' But then again… he's kinda right. Driving a saw cleaver into its stomach and then dragging upward would definitely give the Cleric Beast a 'tummy ache.' He could work with this.
"Yeah, that's what happened."
"Eh?" Bell ignored Rye's perplexed response and focused on the other children.
"As I sprinted towards the monster before me, I picked up a pebble from the ground and threw it at the beast with all of my might! The pebble soared through the air and slammed right into its stomach!"
"It let out an ear piercing "owwwwwwwwwwwww!" The kids, with an exception to Rye, began to giggle and laugh as Bell forced an exaggerated grimace on his face, mimicking the Cleric Beast. Surprisingly, a small chuckle escaped his lips as he watched the kids laugh in enjoyment at his story.
He continued. "The beast clutched its stomach," he said, clutching his own in mimicry and causing another wave of giggles. "Its horrible eyes widened in surprise and it doubled over in pain. Then, do you know what happened next?"
The kids leaned forward, some whispering guesses to each other.
"Did it... fall down?" one of the younger ones finally blurted out.
Bell nodded solemnly and stood up. "Yes, it did. It staggered backwards, clutching its tummy, and then it stumbled..." He spun around, miming the beast's clumsy steps, causing another peal of laughter. "And it stumbled, and stumbled," he continued, staggering around, "until finally..." Bell spun one last time before collapsing into his seat, arms flailing as he mimicked the Cleric Beast falling off the bridge.
"It fell off the bridge, never to be seen again."
The moment Bell finished, the room erupted in a mixture of giggles, claps, and cheers. The children jumped around, imitating Bell's exaggerated stumbling of the Cleric Beast, some of them pretending to throw pebbles at each other and exclaiming 'Owwww!' The adults clapped, their faces a mixture of amusement and appreciation.
"That was fantastic, Bell!" Hestia exclaimed, clapping her hands in joy.
Maria smiled warmly. "You sure have a way with stories. Even I was on the edge of my seat."
Syr winked at him. "I never took you for such a storyteller, Bell. It's a pleasant surprise."
A small chuckle escaped the boy's lips. "You would be right to think that Syr. I don't know what came over me."
"Alright, alright kids, let's settle down. Time to head to bed!" Maria cooed, her voice taking on a gentle, motherly tone.
Syr started herding the little ones towards the bedrooms. "Off you go. You need your rest."
Hestia added, "And remember, no staying up late trying to mimic the Cleric Beast's stumble."
As the room began to empty and the noise of footsteps and children's laughter echoed through the church, Rye hung back, his gaze fixed on Bell. There was a curious gleam in his eyes. "Bell," he began, his voice low, "You didn't really defeat the Cleric Beast with just a pebble, did you?"
Bell smirked. "What do you think?"
Rye frowned. "I think... that's not how the real story goes. I mean, I loved your tale, but killing the Cleric Beast with just a pebble sounds ridiculous."
Bell chuckled. "You are correct. The Cleric beast was too much of an abomination to be killed with a measly pebble. I had to alter it because the real story is too inappropriate for the ears of the little ones."
Rye's eyes widened with curiosity. "Will you tell me the real story?"
The albino's eyes drifted to the doorway where Syr, Maria, and Hestia were ensuring all the kids went to bed. "I suppose I could, though this stays between you and I. Understand?"
The boy nodded eagerly, and Bell beckoned him to come closer.
"Have you ever gutted a fish, Rye?" Bell began, his gaze fixed intently on the boy.
Rye blinked in surprise. "No I haven't, though I have seen some of the workers do it at the marketplace."
"Tis' a bit like that," Bell said, pausing to gauge Rye's reaction. The boy's eyes widened a fraction, clearly trying to bridge the connection between gutting a fish and confronting a monster.
"You see, when you gut a fish, you have to make a clean and decisive cut from the bottom to the top, right?" Bell motioned with his hand, mimicking the action. "It's brutal and messy, but tis' a necessity to get to the inside. The Cleric Beast..." He trailed off, taking a deep breath.
"'Twas kind of the same. I had to be quick, and, using my saw cleaver, I drove it into its stomach and dragged it upward, just like gutting a fish. There was... well, there was a lot of blood."
Rye swallowed, his face pale but his eyes filled with a morbid curiosity. "Was it... was it scared?"
Bell recalled the moment he climbed onto the beast's chest once it collapsed to the ground. There was some emotion that flickered in its eyes just before he brought the saw cleaver down upon its head. Perhaps it did feel fear.
"Maybe, I do not know what the beast was thinking, twas' a battle of survival for the both of us."
"That sounds... intense. Scary, but also kind of cool."
"...I suppose so."
Rye, still brimming with curiosity, pointedly asked, "You mentioned a saw cleaver? What exactly is that?"
For a brief moment, Bell contemplated summoning the weapon to show the boy, but he thought better of it. His ability to summon weapons at will was not by any means normal, so he decided to describe it instead. "Imagine a cleaver, the kind you might see in a butcher's shop, used for cutting up large pieces of meat. Now, enlarge it a bit, and make it double edged, with one of the sides being serrated – like the teeth of a saw. That's where the 'saw' in its name comes from."
Rye's eyes lit up with understanding but he still seemed intrigued. "So, it's like a really big, scary knife?"
Bell chuckled, "Not quite. In its compact form I make use of the serrated edge, especially useful for beasts with thick hide. But it has another trick up its sleeve. The handle can unfold, revealing its smooth edge and turning it into, as you put it, 'a really big knife'. Well, a really big cleaver. This makes it versatile. In one moment, you can be slashing up close, and in the next, you can be keeping your distance, landing sweeping strikes on foes that might be a bit more... formidable."
"That sounds incredible! So, it's like two weapons in one?"
"Exactly," Bell nodded, pleased with the boy's quick grasp. "Tis' a tool made to adapt to the many unpredictable situations a hunter might find themselves in. The design is a testament to the ingenuity of Yharnam's weapon smiths." Madmen they certainly were, but Bell could not complain about the versatility of their creations. All Trick Weapons, even the more unwieldy ones, courtesy of the Powder Kegs, had their uses, even if niche ones.
Rye's gaze drifted away from Bell to his own hands, flexing them as if he was holding the saw cleaver. "That's so cool! Bell, with such weapons and the tale you shared, it sounds like being a hunter is such an adventure!"
Bell's eyebrows furrowed and a chill ran down his spine. "It may sound like it Rye, but you have to remember, these tales are soaked in blood and danger. A hunter's life isn't for the faint-hearted."
It was clear to him that his words were not heeded by the boy. His face was lit up in determination. "I think I want to be a H-"
"No." Bell's strong denial stopped Rye's determination right in its tracks. "You don't truly understand the weight of it, Rye. It wasn't some adventure you read in novels that depict an epic adventurer who saves the day, it was an ordeal that brought me nothing but pain, misery, and fear!"
The boy blinked, clearly taken aback by his sudden reaction. Bell suddenly felt bad, and spoke in a softer tone. "Tis' one thing to hear my stories and quite another to live them. It's a life that I wouldn't wish upon a child like you, or even my worst enemy. So forget about it."
"...I may be a child, who's to say I won't grow up strong enough to handle it?"
Why can't this child just stop? "Tis' not just about strength, nor the kind you gain by training and growing muscle. The strength required from a Hunter…" He paused, searching for the right words. "Is an unnatural strength, something beyond endurance and muscle. A force that pushes you beyond limits you never even knew existed."
"So... you're saying it's some kind of... superhuman strength?"
"Precisely."
A wide triumphant smile formed upon Rye's face. "Then that shouldn't be a problem."
Bell blinked in surprise. He expected the child to deflate and give up, not the opposite. "...What do you mean?"
Rye placed his hands on his hips and pushed his chest forward. "I have a falna."
"What?"
"I know right?" Rye said, unaware of Bell's shock. "I gotta repay Hestia for blessing myself with one. It's so cool and…Bell?"
Bell stared at Rye, his expression one of both shock and concern. The implications of Rye possessing a falna was immense. A falna was the mark of a deity, an emblem embedded within the back of adventurers which allowed them to grow stronger by converting their experiences and achievements into tangible power.
'Why would Hestia give Rye her falna? Deities only give it to someone they intend to bring into their familia. Why would she-' Bell's eyes narrowed and his gaze slowly crept to the door that led deeper into the church. His hand slid down to his right side, celches above Rakuyo's handle. He turned his gaze back to Rye, who looked concerned.
"Bell…did I say something wrong?" Noticing the boy's expression, Bell moved his hand back to his side, though his intense gaze did not falter.
"...No, you just didn't know any better."
Not waiting for a reply, Bell strutted toward the door that led deeper into the church.
(1) When my co-writer was writing this section of the chapter, he tried looking up how Jagamarukun was made and there is actually a danmachi special that featured the VAs of Hestia (Inori Minase) and Ais (Saori Onishi) cooking Jagamarukun. It's literally just a whole deep-fried potato with maybe some toppings. You can find it on Youtube if you are curious.
Hey guys, it's been a while, hope you didn't miss me too much. I have been absent for a multitude of reasons. I'm not gonna lie guys, these past few months have not been kind to me. A family tragedy recently happened and it has had a substantial effect on my mood and outlook on life. The depression hit me hard, which resulted in my inspiration to write and love of reading fanfics to disappear for quite a while. Thankfully, I have somewhat recovered and my will to write has returned, though you will have to bear with me because I feel rusty af and it still takes a little more than previously to inspire me to write. So for now, chapters are going to be shorter than they used to be, at least until I feel 100%.
Shoutout to my co writer for helping me write out sections for this chapter! Without his help, this chapter probably would have taken a lot longer to complete.
I'm no longer going to give an estimated time on when the next chapter is going to be released. It will just be released when I deem it ready. Hopefully I'll see you lads soon.
p.s. I'm going to try get back into reading danmachi fics. If you have any good recommendations, leave them in a review please. Thanks!