Ganesha Familia Premise Chapter 4

Hello friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another new chapter! Now that Bell has gained his new Skill that will accelerate his growth, combined with his already incredible hard work, just how fast will he grow? His strength is already beyond great for a human man, even more so since gaining his Falna. But after battling a Minotaur, Bell needs to get some new armor and get Banryū some maintenance. Some rest and relaxation for a day wouldn’t hurt either, and what better place to enjoy himself than the Hostess of Fertility? After all, the next few days are gonna be very busy for Ganesha Familia as they finish preparations for the annual Monsterphilia festival!

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 4 – Hostess and Festival Preparations

The day after Bell’s fight with the Minotaur on the Sixth Floor—and being saved by Tiona and Tione Hyrute—saw Bell entering one of the Hephaestus Familia’s shops with Banryū resting on his shoulder. Adjusting his weapon’s position to fit through the door and not knock anything over on his way to the counter, Bell glanced at some of the armor on display, looking for armor as close to what he’d bought the first time since it fit him well and allowed him to move freely.

“Can I help you?” The man behind the counter asked as he looked at Bell and the massive weapon he was carrying with an experienced eye.

“My weapon needs maintenance.” Bell said as he set Banryū on the counter gently.

The blacksmith inspected the great swordstaff closely, checking the edge of the blade, the body, the staff portion and hilt that held the blade. “Doesn’t look in bad shape, other than the edge has dulled a bit. A good cleaning and sharpening should be all that it needs.”

Bell smiled at that, glad that Banryū wasn’t damaged from his fight with the Minotaur. “I’d like that, then. How much will it cost, and how long will it take to complete?”

“Hmm,” The blacksmith scratched at his thick beard for a moment as he measured the large swordstaff by eye. “Give me today and it’ll be as good as new.” He stated with confidence before holding out his hand to Bell. “For the size of the weapon, it’ll cost you 4,000 Valis for maintenance.”

“Deal.” Bell shook the blacksmith’s hand with a nod, sealing their agreement.

The blacksmith took hold of Banryū’s staff handle and hefted it up with a slight grunt. “You can come pick it up in the morning.” The man said as he carried Banryū into the back, glancing over his shoulder at Bell—who’d started browsing the racks of armor—with curiosity. ‘He’s barely half my size at best, yet he carried this thing one-handed like it was a normal sword.’ The blacksmith couldn’t help but be impressed, given that he was having to put some actual strength into just carrying the heavy weapon. ‘What kind of crazy strength does he have?’

Bell was oblivious to the blacksmith’s thoughts as he looked over the various armors in the shop. “Not this one…” He passed over a set of plate armor. “This is closer, but still not the right one…” Bell murmured, not finding the same style of armor that he’d bought last time. “Do I need to go back to the shop on the eighth floor of Babel Tower?”

After searching the rest of the shop, and not finding the type of armor that he wanted, Bell left and headed for Babel Tower. It was only a bit of a walk to get to Babel Tower and take an elevator to the eighth floor. Bell walked down the corridor until he spotted the shop that he was looking for and headed inside.

“Welcome!” The shopkeeper called out to Bell as the bell above the door rang.

Bell gave the shopkeeper a nod before heading towards the back to search for another armor that was the same as his first one. “It was over here last time…” He checked the shelf where his first armor had been, but only found a different set in its place. “Maybe somewhere back here?” Bell murmured as he continued to look over the shelves one after another. After several minutes of searching he still hadn’t found another set of armor in the same style among the back shelves and crates. “Do they just not have any more sets? Maybe the blacksmith that made it didn’t make another one?”

Deciding to check out the rest of the shop in hopes to find new armor regardless, Bell walked down the next aisle over. Not seeing any armor that got his attention, he walked towards the back of the aisle, checking each shelf and each of the armors on display. It was as he got to the last shelf space of the aisle that Bell’s eyes landed on what he was looking for.

“Hey!” Bell smiled as he reached down to the bottom shelf and picked up an armor that looked very similar to his first armor. “It’s the same style…and it looks like the same size too!” He pulled it off the shelf and tried it on quickly, finding it fit him properly, almost as if it had been made for him. “It’s just like my first one!” He marveled as se removed the armor, finding the red markings were even the same on the cuirass. “Did they make another set because I bought the first one?” Having found what he wanted, Bell made sure to check for the Smith’s name on the armor this time. “Welf Crozzo? That’s the same Smith that forged Banryū too.”

Smiling slightly at the coincidence, Bell took the armor up to the front counter and set it down. As the shopkeeper rang up the purchase, looking slightly surprised for some reason, the transaction was quickly completed. Bell thanked the shopkeeper and left the shop with a smile on his face at having completed his errand. He just needed to buy a new set of potions and his kit would be complete again.

-Hostess of Fertility ~ Evening-

Bell smiled brightly as he stepped into the tavern again. The evening crowd was filled with cheer and chatter, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.

“Welcome, Mr. Cranel.” Ryu greeted Bell with a bow. “Just one this evening?”

“Hello, Miss Ryu.” Bell smiled at the lovely Elf woman. “It’s just me tonight.” He confirmed with a nod as Ryu led him over to an empty seat at the end of the bar.

Ryu gave Bell a small nod once he was seated as she placed a menu in front of him. “What would you like to drink, Mr. Cranel?” She asked politely, her blue eyes looking at his rubellite for a moment.

“I’ll take an ale to start.” Bell decided quickly on his drink for the evening. “What’s the special today?”

“A porterhouse steak from a premium breed of cattle, freshly delivered just this morning, with potatoes and greens.” Ryu recited the day’s special from memory.

Bell nodded at that with a smile. “I’ll take that, please.” He knew it would be delicious and his belly would be full for sure.

Ryu had a tiny little smile on her lips. “How would you like that cooked, Mr. Cranel?”

“Medium, please.” Bell knew how he preferred his steak cooked, though he could also handle medium-rare or medium-well without complaint.

“Very well, I’ll have your drink out shortly.” Ryu said as she wrote down Bell’s meal order with the shorthand of ‘Special – Med’ before she gave Bell a short bow before walking into the back.

Bell looked around the tavern, seeing all of the customers nearly packing the Hostess this evening really drove home how popular the place was. However, there were a few tables empty, all of them next to each other in one area. Each of the empty tables had a little sign on it bearing the word ‘Reserved’. ‘Huh. I didn’t know the Hostess took reservations.’ Bell thought to himself as he wondered who had rented out a section of the busy Hostess tonight.

Ryu returned a moment later and set Bell’s drink on the counter softly. “Your ale, Mr. Cranel.” She said with a short bow.

“Thank you, Miss Ryu.” Bell smiled at her as he took the flagon in hand and enjoyed his first drink. “I hope you’ve been alright since the last time we saw each other, Miss Ryu.”

“I’ve been well, Mr. Cranel. Thank you for asking.” Ryu replied politely. Her expression remained the same as it always did, but while she didn’t show it, Ryu did appreciate that Bell’s rubellite eyes met hers, rather than trailing over her body like most of the male patrons’ often did. She’d long since grown used to the lecherous gazes, of course, but it was noticeable when a male customer didn’t look at her like that. “I’ll bring your meal out shortly.” She walked away to continue taking care of other customers after a short bow.

Bell went back to people watching for a bit, greeting the other waitresses at the Hostess with a smile when they walked past him going to or coming from the kitchen. When Syr brought him a refill for his ale, Bell smiled at the friendly waitress. “Good evening, Miss Syr.”

Syr smiled back at Bell. “Good evening, Bell. Is Ryu taking good care of you?” She asked with a little giggle, clearly teasing a little and trying to get Bell to react.

“Miss Ryu always takes good care of her customers.” Bell answered, cutting off Syr’s attempt to tease him with a smile grin.

“Mou~” Syr pouted cutely at Bell for stalling her teasing. “You’re supposed to get a little flustered, Bell.”

Bell shook his head once. “I can’t make it too easy on you, Miss Syr.” He joked with the waitress. “Can I ask what that group in the corner over there are doing?” Bell pointed over to a group of men of multiple races—human, dwarf, sheep, raccoon, and werewolf—that were taking turns punching each other and occasionally knocking one another off their barstools, which always elicited a cheer from the rest of the group when it happened.

Syr only took a second to look before she giggled at what the men were doing. “They’re playing a drinking game called ‘I Cast Fist’.”

“I…don’t think I’ve ever heard of that one?” Bell blinked at the odd name.

“Well, as you probably know, acquiring magic can be rather rare for Adventurers.” Syr began, getting a nod from Bell. “So, a joke was made a long time ago that every Adventurer had one spell they could use: a punch. It was jokingly referred to as: Casting Fist; in reference to casting a spell. Naturally, who could cast the strongest ‘Fist’ became a game that was quickly paired with drink. The rules are fairly simple too: two people sit on barstools, one punches and the other takes the punch, neither of either player’s feet can be touching the ground, and if you’re knocked off the barstool you have to pay for the next round.” She explained the four rules of the drinking game with a warm, bubbly laughter. “Mama Mia allows it only in the corner to not disrupt the other customer’s meals…and because it brings in a good amount of money as more rounds of drinks are bought.”

Bell watched as the next round of the game was played and the raccoon man took the punch from one of the werewolf men without falling over. “Seems like a real ‘Adventurer’ type of drinking game.”

“Your meal, Mr. Cranel.” Ryu arrived with Bell’s porterhouse steak, potatoes, and greens. She gently set the large plate in front of Bell with a small nod to him.

“Thank you, Miss Ryu.” Bell smiled at Ryu warmly as he picked up his fork and knife. “It smells great!” He quickly cut a piece of the steak off and put it in his mouth, savoring the flavor of the meat as he chewed it.

Ryu gave Bell the smallest of smiles as she saw him enjoying his food. “You’re welcome, Mr. Cranel.” She could see why Ardee was smitten with Bell. A young man that was respectful and polite could sometimes be hard to come by among Adventurers. ‘His looks certainly don’t hurt his chances either.’ Ryu blinked at her own thoughts before her cheeks turned light pink. “I’ll return with a refill for your ale if you need one, Mr. Cranel.” She said politely while turning away to hide her face, wondering what had gotten into her for her to think something like that as she walked away.

Syr’s eyes almost seemed to sparkle and a mischievous little grin spread across her lips as she’d seen Ryu’s little blush. ‘Oh? Is my little fairy friend finding some interest in a man for the first time?’ The waitress barely suppressed a giggle as she trotted off to continue her work. ‘Maybe her heart is finally healing and I can play matchmaker?’ It was one of her more favored little hobbies, after all.

Bell enjoyed his dinner happily, finding the pricey meal to be a great way to spend the evening of his first day off. ‘The entire Familia will be busy with Monsterphilia soon. I should make sure to enjoy the time off that I have.’ He thought to himself and smiled when Ryu brought him a refill on his ale. “Thank you, Miss Ryu.”

“You’re welcome, Mr. Cranel.” Ryu said before she walked away to take care of another customer. She was thankful that she hadn’t had any further ‘errant thoughts’ about Bell as she continued her work.

Bell, hearing a cheer from the corner with the drinking game, picked up his flagon and walked over to watch. This round was the dwarf man taking the punch and the sheep man throwing the punch. The dwarf leaned forward a bit, bracing himself, while the sheep man cocked back his arm and slightly turned his hips as much as he could while sitting down. Bell briefly noticed that both of the men’s feet were on the bottom crossbar of the barstools, keeping to the ‘No feet touching the ground’ rule.

“I cast fist!” The sheep man threw his punch, slamming into the dwarf man’s raised arms that he was guarding with. The barstool of the dwarf rocked backwards slightly, the front legs rising a bit, before the came back down.

“Hahaha! Nice try!” The dwarf man laughed brightly before reaching for his own flagon and taking a large pull from it. “But you won’t be getting at MY booze money so easily!”

One of the werewolf men noticed Bell watching and waved him over with a smirk. “You want in on a round?”

Bell chuckled and figured he might as well try another aspect of the Adventurer lifestyle since he was here. “Sure, why not?” He took up the barstool that the dwarf had ben sitting on and placed his ale on the counter.

The raccoon man sat on the barstool across from him and rolled his shoulders to loosen them up a bit. “You know how to play, right?”

“Yep.” Bell confirmed with a grin as he raised his arms in front of hit as a guard. “Give me your best shot!”

“My best shot, he says!” The raccoon man laughed jovially at Bell’s confidence. The other men laughed too, two of them slapping the counter as well. “Alright then, here it comes!” He cocked back his arm with a grin. “I cast fist!” He threw a strong punch right at Bell’s arms.

Bell felt the punch, leaned into it, and his barstool barely moved at all. All of the men looked at the newbie in surprise; knowing that inviting a new Adventurer for a game almost always ensured one free round of drinks. It was only a moment later that the other men broke into laughter.

“Looks to me like he took your punch just fine!” One of the human men laughed at the raccoon man.

The raccoon man reached for his flagon and downed the last of his booze before throwing his head back in laughter as well. “Well damn, young man! You sure can take a punch!”

Bell chuckled along with the men. “I trained a lot growing up.”

“Alright, my turn!” One of the werewolf men said as he sat down across from Bell, taking up the barstool that the raccoon man had vacated. “Come on!” He raised his arms to guard against Bell’s punch.

“Win me a new drink, lad!” The dwarf man laughed, having just finished off his flagon.

Bell cocked back his fist, moving his hips and torso to maximize the strength he’d be able to put behind his punch. “I cast fist!” He slammed the punch straight into the werewolf man’s arms and knocked both the man and the barstool over easily.

“Oof!” The werewolf man hacked out as his back hit the ground, the barstool rolling off to one side. “Damn…” He blinked as he shook out his left arm a bit. “Guy hits like a club.”

“WOO!!!” The other men cheered at Bell’s successful punch.

The raccoon man and the dwarf man both helped the werewolf to his feet.

“Next round is on you, lad!” The dwarf man laughed brightly, patting the werewolf on the shoulder.

The werewolf man took his loss with equal cheer and laughter. “Yeah, yeah!” He raised his hand and the black-haired cat girl waitress, Chloe Rollo, came over with a polite smile. “Another round of drinks, on me!”

“Nya, you got it!” Chloe said with a smile as she trotted over to the bar where Mama Mia laughed as she started to fill the order.

“The big party with the reservation is here!” Anya announced loudly as she led in a large group of people. Bell looked towards the door and almost gaped as he caught sight of two specific young women. Then his eyes registered everyone that made up the group.

‘Miss Tione and Miss Tiona… So, that’s Loki Familia?’ Bell’s eyes were wide as he watched the Familia enter. He’d only gotten a brief glimpse when Tiona and Tione, had separated from him yesterday. The group seemed to be mostly the well-known Executives, but a few other members were there as well. The Loki Familia were all quickly seated between two tables and drinks were brought to them in short order. Bell’s eyes followed the Familia, more specifically his eyes focused on Tione and Tiona in turns. The two lovely Amazons were sitting together on one side of a table, so Bell could look at them easily.

“Loki Familia caught your eye, eh?” Syr’s teasing voice asked from behind Bell. “Goddess Loki took an interest in the place, so they’re regulars here.”

“Miss Syr!” Bell jumped slightly in surprise. “Must you sneak up on me?”

Syr snickered at his reaction. “Yep!” She said cutely.

“Nice work in the Dungeon! Tonight we live it up! Drink!” A slender woman with long, light-red hair tied into a simple ponytail raised a flagon into the air along with a few members of the Loki Familia. She wore dark-blue boots, black thigh-high stockings, black short shorts, a dark-blue tube top that matched her boots, and black sleeves.

The Divine Aura radiating off of her let everyone know that she was a Goddess. It wasn’t hard for Bell to figure out that this was Goddess Loki. She was the head of one of the Top Two Familias in all of Orario. There was quite some debate about which Familia was the true number one between Freya Familia and Loki Familia. But most people in the Dungeon City didn’t want a war to break out between the two Familias to find out for sure.

‘I can see them just by eating at the Hostess like I do, huh?’ Bell mused as he watched the Familia enjoy themselves for a moment. ‘Ardee did say that her friends in Loki Familia came here too.’

“Don’t stare too long, Bell. Others might get the wrong idea~” Syr said playfully before walking off to continue her work.

Bell looked at Syr’s retreating back with his mouth open, as if he was about to say something, before he slowly closed it. An arm was tossed around his shoulder and the sheep man chuckled at him.

“Come on, man! Let’s have another round!” The sheep man said with a smile, a fresh flagon of ale in his hand.

“Sure.” Bell agreed with a laugh as he took a seat on one of the barstools again.

It was after finishing another round, and watching three more, that Bell noticed the Loki Familia getting a bit louder. Glancing over, it was easy to see why. Drinks had been brought over a few times already, so a few members were getting a bit buzzed for sure.

But what Bell didn’t expect was for his gaze to meet the eyes of Tiona Hyrute across the pub.

“Eh?” Tiona perked up, having already had a couple drinks, but she was nowhere close to drunk. Seeing Bell—and his distinctive white hair and red eyes—made her break out into a big smile that was like sunshine. She surprised Tione when she quickly stood up and nearly pulled her sister out of her seat as well. Tione’s eyes met Bell’s a second later and a grin spread across her lips as she followed after Tiona who had trotted across the pub and wrapped her arms around Bell in a hug. “BELL!” She called out brightly, stunning the men that Bell had been playing the drinking game with.

“T-Tiona?!” Bell hadn’t been expecting Tiona to come over to him, and he especially didn’t see the hug coming. Not that he minded or anything like that. ‘Toned, but soft…and she smells nice too.’ He thought as Tiona pressed her body against him.

“Bell!” Tiona giggled happily. “I didn’t think I’d see you here!”

“Good evening, Tiona.” Bell couldn’t help but smile at Tiona, the Amazon was too happy for Bell not to be while in her presence. “I come here fairly often. Ardee brought me here to introduce me to the place.”

Tione leaned into Bell’s personal space, making sure that he could see her breasts bounce in her red bikini top with a little grin on her lips. “Hey, Bell.”

Bell returned her smile, his eyes only having glanced down for a second, but Tione’s grin widened that her charms still worked on him. “Good evening, Tione.”

“Were you playing a drinking game?” Tione asked, seeing the still stunned men looking at her and Tiona.

“Which one, which one?” Tiona asked, her eyes looking over the setup.

Bell smiled at the two sisters. “We were playing ‘I Cast Fist’. It was about to be my turn again.”

Tione and Tiona looked at each other before turning back to Bell. “Can we play too?” They asked at the same time.

The dwarf man spoke up politely after a second to gather himself. “Um, Jörmungandr, Slasher…” He addressed Tione and Tiona by their Titles. “…we’re all Level 1. The disparity is kind of…” None of the other men looked eager to try and take a punch from either of the Level 5’s.

“I’ll play a round with each of you.” Bell agreed with a smile. He didn’t see the looks from the other men behind him, all of them looking at Bell like he was nuts. “I’ll punch first, if you don’t mind?” He offered as he sat on one of the barstools.

Tione and Tiona quickly played rock-paper-scissors to determine who got to play first.

“Aww, man!” Tiona pouted at her ‘rock’ being beaten by Tione’s ‘paper’.

“You just throw rock first every time, anyone that knows you even a little can beat you at this game.” Tione told her sister with a playful roll of her eyes. She sat down on the barstool across from Bell with a smile and raised her arms in front of her to guard, making sure that her feet weren’t touching the ground as she put them on the legs of the barstool. “Give it your best try, Bell.” She said with a teasing little lilt in her voice.

Bell cocked back his fist and twisted his hips as much as he was able to. “Alright, here it comes! I cast fist!” He slammed his fist into Tione’s raised arms, but the Amazon didn’t even budge. “Oh…” He blinked at the lack of reaction.

Tione grinned as she lowered her arms. “My turn~” She said with an almost predatory look in her eyes while cocking back her fist.

Bell raised his arms and guarded as best as he could.

“I cast fist!” Tione’s punch hit Bell’s guard and sent him and the barstool two meters backwards to hit the floor.

“OOF!!!” Bell coughed out as his back hit the floor. With a small grunt, he stood back up and picked up the barstool with a grin. “Good punch, Tione. The rounds on me!”

“Y-Yeah!” The men cheered slightly. A free drink was a free drink.

Tione smiled at Bell as he returned the barstool to its original position and sat down again. “I held back, but you still took that punch like a champ, Bell.” Her green eyes nearly glowed with approval.

Bell returned her smile with his own. “Thanks. I knew you were strong, but I’ve got to work harder when the gap between you and me is this big.”

“My turn!” Tiona nearly pulled Tione off the barstool.

“H-Hey!” Tione grimaced at her impatient sister. ‘We were having a moment, damn it!’

Tiona sat down on the barstool opposite of Bell now. “Hehehe… My turn! Give me your best shot, Bell!” She raised her arms to guard.

Bell nodded and focused, wanting to try and put even more force behind this punch. “I cast fist!” His fist slammed into Tiona’s arms powerfully…and didn’t move her even a little. “Well…damn.”

“Heh! That was a good one!” Tiona beamed at Bell while rolling her shoulder once. “My turn to punch!”

“Right!” Bell guarded again, bracing himself against the barstool as best as he could and leaning forward a bit so his body could move a bit to absorb more of the impact that was about to hit him.

Tiona grinned brightly as she punched forward. “I cast fist!” Her fist hit Bell’s guard and sent him and the barstool flying back two meters again, though this time Bell had been slightly prepared and managed to catch himself, instead of landing on his back.

Bell shook out his right arm a bit while he stood up. “Ow…” He picked up the fallen barstool with his left hand and carried it back to where it had been before setting it down. “You have a nice punch too, Tiona. The rounds on me!” He smiled at her.

“Yeah!” The men were a bit louder this time, seeing Bell take a punch—even if held back—from BOTH of the Hyrute Sisters. The fact that they were all getting TWO free drinks out of this was just a nice bonus, really.

“You’re right, Tione! He does take a punch well!” Tiona said with a bubbly laugh as she stood up from the barstool and wrapped her arms around Bell’s left arm, pressing it against her body with a smile.

Tione sauntered over to Bell and wrapped her arms around Bell’s right arm, practically engulfing his bicep with her large breasts. “Mhmm~ Bell’s strong…” She said with a little purr in her voice that made a tiny, pleasant tremor travel up Bell’s spine.

“Uh, Tione, Tiona…I can feel both of your…” Bell trailed off, but it was obvious what he was going to say.

“Nothing we can do about that~” Tione’s purr as a bit more obvious now as she smirked at Bell.

Tiona’s smile could put the morning sun to shame as she looked at Bell,, her green eyes meeting his rubellite gaze. “Heh~ You like them?” She asked with a little giggle, happy that Bell didn’t call her flat-chested and was acknowledging her small breasts.

“I mean…” Bell wasn’t going to lie, and neither Tiona nor Tione seemed interested in moving.

“Please do not go too far while on the premises.” Ryu requested with a flat expression and tone, looking at the Hyrute Sisters and then at Bell. Normally, she wouldn’t be breaking this up, as tonight this area was Chloe’s section, but for some reason she felt like she had to say something. ‘It’s just for Mr. Cranel’s sake…he looks flustered.’ Ryu assured herself in the privacy of her mind.

Tione and Tiona looked at Ryu for a moment. “Boo~” The twins disagreed with the interruption of their time with Bell.

Vell chuckled slightly at the way Tione and Tiona didn’t seem to want to let go of him. “We need to follow the rules.” He said to the two Amazons with a small smile. “We’ll keep things polite, Miss Ryu.” Bell assured the beautiful Elf waitress that things wouldn’t escalate further.

“Thank you, Mr. Cranel.” Ryu gave him the faintest of smiles before she headed back over to her section.

Chloe further diffused the situation as she brought over two large trays loaded with flagons full of booze. “Drinks are here! Nya!”

“WOO!!!” The group of men cheered as they helped Chloe put all the drinks down before nearly diving into the free booze.

“Ruin our fun.” Tione said under her breath, squeezing Bell’s arm against her body.

Tiona hugged Bell’s arm to her body too. “It was getting good…” She almost pouted, which Bell found very cute.

Bell smiled at both sisters and lightly brushed his fingertips over the soft skin of their midriffs. “Miss Ryu didn’t say that we couldn’t stay like this and enjoy some drinks together.”

Tione perked up slightly. “She didn’t, did she?”

“Hey, that’s right!” Tiona was smiling brightly again.

Tione and Tiona grabbed their free drinks from the counter and nearly dragged Bell over to where he’d been at the end of the bar earlier. All three sat down on barstool, which Tione and Tiona pressed as close together as possible, sandwiching Bell between them. The three began to chat, their shoulders pressing together, while the eyes of their Captain, Finn Deimne, and their Vice-Captain, Riveria Ljos Alf, watched them for a long moment to make sure the two weren’t going to cause any trouble.

-Later-

The Loki Familia’s party wound down and they began to leave the Hostess of Fertility after paying their large bill. Bell bid Tiona and Tione farewell with a warm smile, the three of them having shared drinks and conversation for the last while.

“See you later, Bell~” Tiona said while hugging him, nuzzling her face into his neck before she pulled back with a bubbly laugh and her sunshine-like smile.

Tione hugged him next, intentionally making sure that their bodies pressed flush together. “We’ll see you soon, if we can~” She whispered into Bell’s ear before she let him go, a little grin on her lips as she saw Bell’s face slightly red from feeling her body against his.

“G-Goodnight, Tione, Tiona.” Bell managed to say after a moment, giving both women a warm smile.

Bell saw Tiona and Tione off with their Familia before returning to the bar to pay his own tab.

“Comes out to 2,500 Valis, boy.” Mama Mia said after totaling up Bell’s bill quickly. When Bell handed over the money, Mia put it into the till and gave him a grin. “Thanks for your business! Come back and spend yer cash again, any time!”

“Sure thing.” Bell agreed with a small chuckle of his own.

Ryu gave Bell a short bow as he stopped at the door. “Thank you for dining with us this evening, Mr. Cranel.”

“Thank you for taking care of me, Miss Ryu.” Bell thanked her in return for the excellent service. “I’ll be back again soon.”

“We look forward to serving you again, Mr. Cranel.” Ryu nodded, another faint little smile on her lips as she watched him walk out of the Hostess and into the streets. When Ryu turned around, it was to see Syr standing only a meter or so away, a wooden serving tray held in her arms and her friend’s eyes almost seemed to be sparkling. “Syr…” She’d seen that look before, but never directed at her.

“Ryu…” Syr drew out her friend’s name with a giggle.

Ryu deadpanned at her friend. “Don’t…”

Syra giggled as she shook her head once. “I don’t know what you mean~” She practically skipped off towards the kitchen.

“Hah…” Ryu knew that her friend was looking out for her, but Syr had a tendency to play ‘matchmaker’, and Ryu wasn’t looking for a relationship. Feeling a slight tingle at the tips of her pointed ears, Ryu reached up to gently touch her right ear and found the tip warm to the touch. With a pink blush spreading across her face, Ryu nearly powerwalked her way into the back to hide the fact that her body felt some kind of way about Syr’s potential plans involving herself and Mr. Cranel.

-IamGanesha ~ Night-

Ardee smiled as soon as she saw Bell come through the large front doors of their Familia Home. “Bell!” She waved him over to her.

Bell walked over, looking at so many of the Familia members moving large tables and what had to be hundreds of chairs around the communal area on the ground floor. “Is this for Monsterphilia too?” He asked Ardee, confused about the decorating.

“Nope, this if for Lord Ganesha’s Banquet of the Gods tomorrow evening.” Ardee told him with a smile as she looked over all the movement. “He holds one every year right before Monsterphilia, just to encourage as many other Familias as possible to not cause any trouble, even by accident.”

“Oh, I guess that makes sense.” Bell said with a short nod. “Anything I can do to help out?” He was part of the Familia too, so it only seemed right for him to help with setting up for the banquet.

Ardee laughed softly. “Yep! I’m gonna put you to work!” She took his hand in hers and walked him across the communal area and down a corridor he’d never had any reason to enter. Two wide double doors—large enough for an entire carriage to fit through—were wide open and many members were carrying out chairs and large, round tables to place them in the communal area. “We need strong people to help carry the tables out to the main floor.” Ardee said with a playful grin as she looked upwards slightly into Bell’s rubellite eyes. “Can we count on you, Bell?”

Bell chuckled at Ardee’s light teasing. “Sure thing.” He looked around and saw multiple rectangular tables stacked up against a far wall of the huge storage room. “I’ll carry those out. Where should I put them?”

“Those go near the center. They’ll have most of the food we offer tomorrow night spread out on them.” Ardee said as she watched Bell walk over and pick up three of the table easily, carrying them out of the storage room as if they weighted about as much as cardboard.

“Got it!” Bell smiled brightly at Ardee as he carried the three long tables over his head and towards the communal space.

‘Any Level 1 that was decently strong could do that. But Bell just makes it look so easy.’ Ardee thought to herself with a shake of her head.

Modaka walked over to Ardee with a wave of his hand. “Ardee! Do you know where the white streamers are stored right now? We couldn’t find them in the first storage room.”

Ardee got back into her leadership roll—after pushing the thoughts of Bell aside—and nodded to Modaka. “They’re in the second storage room on the second floor. We moved them there when we bought the new orange and gold ones that Lord Ganesha wanted.”

“Got it!” Modaka rushed off while calling out the location to the others that were on decorating duty.

-Next Morning-

“Just a half-day in the Dungeon today.” Bell said to himself as he walked out of the Hephaestus shop with Banryū resting against his shoulder, on his way to the Dungeon. “Get done after lunch and head back home to get washed up, then I have to get into the suit for the banquet tonight.” He went over his plans for the day, knowing that the Ganesha Familia’s Banquet of the Gods required almost every member to be in attendance to serve the literal hundreds of Deities that would be taking part in Lord Ganesha’s hospitality tonight. “And then Monsterphilia is in three days, so I’ll be assigned a role for that tomorrow.”

Bell realized that being part of the Ganesha Familia came with quite a few responsibilities outside of exploring the Dungeon. But it wasn’t an issue for him…in fact, he was proud to be part of the Familia that helped keep Orario safe and running smoothly.

“Well, let’s make the most out of today.” Bell smiled as he entered Babel Tower and headed for the basement and the massive spiraling staircase that led down to the First Floor of the Dungeon.

-Seventh Floor ~ Later-

“Hyah!” Bell swung Banryū through three Killer Ants, splattering the insect Monsters into pieces from the weight and force of his weapon. “I know that Killer Ants are way more common on the Seventh Floor, but a swarm like this not even halfway in?” He spun Banryū rapidly, making the great swordstaff into a disk of death as it sliced and tore through more and more of the swarming Killer Ants.

“Kree!”

“Skree!”

“Krree!”

The shrieking and chittering of the Killer Ants was loud as the mass of Monsters tried to overwhelm Bell.

Bell had to admire the new sharpening done on Banryū as his weapon split four Killer Ants cleanly, then tore through three more roughly as he made a two-hundred-seventy degree spin, putting torque and all of his strength behind his swing. He moved the large blade between him and two more Killer Ants, letting their claws and mandibles bounce off the steel. A backfist shattered the head of a Killer Ant coming from behind and Bell snapped off a perfect roundhouse to take off the head of a second Killer Ants that tried to make its way around Banryū.

“Persistent, aren’t you?!” Bell swung Banryū through the three Killer Ants that were striking the blade, painting the Killer Ants behind them in the blood spray. “But I don’t plan to lose!”  He took Banryū into both hands and swung it freely, able to control it even better when using the better grip. Ten more Killer Ants fell to pieces, cleaved through by the speed and weight of Banryū coupled with Bell’s great strength that allowed him to so precisely control the heavy weapon. “how many more?” He skipped backwards to make some distance so that he could count quickly. “Eleven more!”

“Kreee!”

“Kreee!”

The remaining Killer Ants screeched as they came after Bell, their compound eyes glowing red.

Bell wasted no time and spun Banryū quickly with one hand. Raising it up, he kept twirling the great swordstaff around faster and faster until it was little more than a blur. “Catch!” Bell threw the rapidly spinning weapon straight at the charging Killer Ants.

A sound of cracking, splattering liquid, and the whooshing of air was heard as Banryū cut through most of the Killer Ants. It was a gory sight as blood and body parts rained down onto the floor. Banryū spun through the air for a bit longer before stabbing into the ground, shattering the stone floor.

The three Killer Ants that were on the edge of the small swarm continued to charge at Bell, but he was the one that closed the distance with them.

“Hup!” Bell’s foot nearly shattered the first Killer Ant’s head as his high kick drove his foot into the Monster from below.

“Skree!” The second Killer Ants lunged at Bell, only for its mandibles to be caught by Bell’s hands. With a sharp jerk and twist, Bell pulled the Killer Ant’s head off its thorax and threw it into the stone wall, splattering it like a melon.

Bell didn’t give the third Killer Ant any time to react as launched a skipping side kick to close distance and drive his heel straight into the Killer Ant’s face, the exoskeleton cracking under the force as blood gushed out from the crushed head.

“Hah…” Bell exhaled, slowing his heartbeat and steadying his breathing. “Destroying their heads really is the best tactic to prevent them from calling for backup.” He started counting how many Monsters he’d killed while walking over to grab Banryū. “Thirty-nine… Forty… Forty-one…

Crack

The telltale sound of the Dungeon walls cracking interrupted Bell’s count.

Snapping his eyes over to the source of the sound, Bell watched as a new Killer Ant tried to pull itself out of the wall. With a quick tug on Banryū’s haft, Bell dealt with the situation

BAM

Banryū was now embedded in the Dungeon wall, blade first, having split the newborn Killer Ant in two. The Monster burst into black ashes, its Magic Stone destroyed.

“I’m trying to count! I have limited time today!” Bell shouted at the Dungeon as he quickly picked up his count where he left off while pulling out his knife.

-IamGanesha ~ Noon-

Bell rushed into the Familia Home; his clothing still covered in dried blood and Banryū over his shoulder. “I’m here! I’m here!” He called out, seeing many of his Familia members already in their suits for the evening.

“Bell…” Shakti sighed as she saw him filthy.

“You look amazing, Captain…” Bell breathed out, seeing Shakti in a tight, navy-blue dress with silver and gold accents that hugged her curves and stopped just above her knees, If it hugged her figure any more, Bell would say that she’d have to have been poured into the evening wear. The fact that it had a boob window to show off Shakti’s cleavage certainly drew a lot of attention as well.

Shakti gave Bell the briefest of smiles for his compliment of her dress. “Thank you, Bell. But you need to hurry up and bathe and get ready. The first Deities ALWAYS arrive earlier than they should.”

“Y-Yes ma’am!” Bell hurried towards his room to store Banryū and his dirty clothing. He needed a bath, and to change, and then get back down to the ground floor to be put to whichever task he would be needed for. “I wonder if I have time for a Status Update before all of that?” Bell rushed for Ganesha’s office and left Banryū leaning against the wall as he knocked on the door.

“I AM GANESHA!!!” Ganesha called out, which Bell took as permission to enter.

“Bell!” Ardee was in the office, slipping the top of her black and silver dress up over her breasts, clearly having just gotten her own Status Update, if the smoldering ashes of burnt paper next to the candle on Ganesha’s desk was any indication.

“Sorry!” Bell apologized, bowing at an almost perfect ninety-degree angle.

Ardee only sighed as she’d already had her girls covered up, so it wasn’t that big of a deal—and a part of her wouldn’t have really minded if Bell saw her topless anyway. “It’s fine. You didn’t see anything.” She walked past Bell and leaned into his ear. “Hurry though, you REALLY need a bath.” She teased, playfully pointing out the bloodstains on his shirt and pants with a giggle before she closed the doors behind her.

Ganesha patted the chair in front of him with a bright and boisterous laugh. “Come, Bell! Ganesha has enough time for one last update!”

“Thank you, Lord Ganesha!” Bell quickly tossed his backpack to the side and pulled off his shirt, tossing it atop the backpack. He sat down and felt the single drop of Ganesha’s blood as it touched his back.

“We’ll have to make this a bit quick today.” Ganesha told Bell as he started watching the half-day in the Dungeon through Bell’s Excelia almost as soon as the familiar blue-white glow appeared. Only a minute later and Ganesha finished. “Your strength has certainly grown, as has your ability to wield your weapon, Bell.” He moved the Excelia over to the Basic Abilities and watched the numbers rise. As soon as the numbers stopped rising, Ganesha put a blank paper onto Bell’s back and copied the new update over with a swipe of his finger. “There you are, Bell!” He stood up and flexed, posing as if he’d just won a timed event. “I AM GANESHA!!!”

Bell looked over his Status update as he gathered his shirt and backpack.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – E 433 > E 486

Endurance – E 432 > E 485

Dexterity – E 436 > E 488

Agility – E 423 > E 474

Magic – I 0

-Magic-

-

-Skills-

Life Vigor – Raises Strength by a large amount and promotes healing. Effect rises based on the user’s Level.

Vitality – Raises Endurance by a large amount, reduces the effects of and disperses all status ailments over time. Effect rises based on the user’s Level.

Dharma Ganesha – Removal of limits of growth. Stronger desire results in faster growth. Greater effort results in larger growth. Removes obstacles that would hinder growth, such as Charms.

-Status-

“Thak you, Lord Ganesha!” Bell balled up the paper and tossed it towards the candle on Ganesha’s desk. It missed, but Ganesha helpfully held the paper over the candle until it caught fire and then dropped it on the metal plate as it burned to ashes.

Bell would be quite the sight to see as he rushed into the bathing area already shirtless. Though Shakti and Ardee—along with more than a few of the other female members of Ganesha Familia—certainly didn’t mind the eye candy.

The Banquet of the Gods was set to begin in just a couple of hours, and everything needed to go perfectly.

Monsterphilia would be held in three days and was mostly the Ganesha Familia’s responsibility. The better the banquet Ganesha provided, the less likely there would be anyone causing trouble. As Bell rushed to put on his suit properly, he was once more finding out just how much the Ganesha Familia dealt with that WASN’T in the Dungeon.

-End Chapter-

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Bell’s greatest enemy isn’t the Monsters of the Dungeon!

It’s the duties that the members of Ganesha Familia handle and the schedules they have to keep for events! Kek!

Bell takes care of replacing his armor and discovers that the Smith that makes it is the same one that forged Banryū. Perhaps Bell should look into making this Smith’s acquaintanceship?

A night out on his day off sees him meeting up with Tione and Tiona again! Both Amazons are very happy to see Bell! Playing a drinking game were you get to punch people is right up an Amazon’s alley! Hah!

Ryu steps in to prevent things from getting too inappropriate. But the adorable Best Elf doesn’t seem to realize that she’s just starting to catch some feelings… She’s so adorable!

(Un)fortunately for Ryu, SYR very much recognizes the signs! Hehehe! Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match~!

If the Banquet of the Gods goes well, then Monsterphilia should go well too!

Bell is about to experience what being on the organizer’s side of such a massive event is like!

Hopefully, nothing goes wrong…

What obstacles will Bell have to overcome next on his path to being a Hero?

Keep reading to find out!

Let me know what you thought!

Until next time, later!