by Fujino Omori
Fiends and people can’t see eye to eye—that’s always been our relationship. I can’t blame my friends for this. It’s expected.
Monsters have been killing our ancestors since the Ancient Times. Caught in a spiral of death for millennia, they could never live peacefully with us.
Welf’s completely focused on the girl while Lilly presses me for answers in his stead.
“This is no dog or cat!! Mr. Bell, please get away from it!!”
“Bell.”
“Sir Bell.”
I step in front of the vouivre girl, shielding her from Welf, Mikoto, and Lilly’s bow gun. The three of them beg me to get out of the way. Only Haruhime, unaccustomed to direct confrontation, stays silent as she watches.
I’ve never been on this side of their blades before, and I’m at a loss. I can’t do anything, but I refuse to stand down. I will protect her.
The vouivre girl appears terrified of Lilly and the others, but a spark of light shines in her eyes as she looks up at me.
“…Bell?”
A chorus of gasps fills the air the moment that word leaves her lips.
“Ah, um, yes…That’s my name.”
“Name…?”
“Y-yes. I’m Bell.”
“Bell…Bell is name…Name is…Bell?”
My friends need a moment to process what just happened. They stare at the girl as she plays with the sound of my name.
The talking monster leaves everyone speechless.
Their intense focus now broken, the four of them watch her with blank astonishment.
“Bell, Bell.”
She squeezes my finger with one hand, repeating my name as if she’s figured out what the word meant.
Just “Bell, Bell,” over and over as though trying to burn it into her memory. The girl leans in closer to me, bluish-white skin pressed against my armor.
As if I’m the only thing she can count on in this world.
“The monster…spoke.”
“This has gotta be some bad joke.”
Mikoto and Welf whisper in disbelief.
At the same time, they begin to lower their weapons.
Confusion is setting in. The open display of weakness so uncharacteristic of other monsters would do that to anyone.
“Master Bell…what transpired between the two of you…?”
Voice unsteady, Haruhime has built up the courage to step forward and ask. I couldn’t be more grateful.
“I found her…on the nineteenth floor. She was hurt really bad…Adventurers and monsters both attacked her…She was trembling…crying.”
I explain my reasoning for bringing her with me as clearly as I can.
Her leg, limp and useless, dragging behind her. My emotional struggle in the face of those amber eyes.
Welf, Mikoto, and Haruhime consider the girl clinging to my side, now with a better understanding of what she’s been through.
“I…I’d like to help her.”
“…Should word get out that we’re harboring a monster, Hestia Familia is finished…”
Lilly, who’s been silently quivering all this time, feebly shakes her head after I disclose what I want to do.
Even though I know it puts the familia at risk—the one I’m the head of, no less—I apologize to everyone for my selfishness while sharing my true thoughts.
“Even so, I can’t just abandon her.”
As pitiful as I sound, I keep my eyes focused on Lilly. She bites her bottom lip.
A few moments pass. Lilly’s gaze starts to shift, almost as if she can see a shadow of her former self in the vouivre girl.
Memories of the day the goddess and I saved Lilly must be running through her head—and she slouches over.
“Just…do what you want…”
She lowers her right hand, pointing the bow gun at the ground.
Welf and Mikoto also relax, completely lowering their weapons. The tension subsides.
Finally able to breathe again, the girl apprehensively observes our group.
The threatening atmosphere might have lifted, but now no one knows what to do—least of all Haruhime, who’s in the middle of it. No one’s moving; there’s just lots of eye contact.
Putting aside the fact that I’ve dragged my own familia into uncharted territory and caused problems for everyone, I propose a plan of action.
“She’ll be vulnerable to adventurers and monsters if she stays in the Dungeon…I’d like to take her home. I also want to hear what our goddess has to say.”
Besides protecting the vouivre, I’m also interested in Lady Hestia’s opinion. And if she can tell me what exactly this girl is.
Welf, Mikoto, and Haruhime don’t object. They just give me absentminded smiles and reluctant nods, as if their necks are covered in rust.
Lastly, Lilly lets out a long sigh.
“If we are returning to the surface, it needs to be at night. That’ll ensure there are as few adventurers around as possible…We should aim to exit Babel at a time when no one will be watching.”
Whatever we do, we can’t let anyone else know that we’re sheltering a monster. With that in mind, it makes sense to resurface when adventurers are too busy drinking in bars to notice us. Lilly’s advice is a lifesaver.
I know she’s not happy about this, but even so, she’s doing everything in her power to help me. I don’t know what I’d do without her as my supporter.
“Sorry, Lilly. And thank you…”
“…Lilly’s given up. Yes, do whatever you want because no matter what you say or do, Lilly can’t bring herself to leave you to your own devices.”
She turns away, a bit red in the face. Is she sulking?
Even though I feel sorry for putting her in an uncomfortable position, I’m happier that my friends have sided with me.
I’m extremely grateful to Lilly for saying what she did.
Welf and Mikoto appeared a bit lost at first, but seeing Lilly’s reaction brings a smile to their faces.
“Surface…?”
“Yes. Let’s go to where we live.”
I smile at the nervous girl squeezing my finger amid my friends’ smiles and Lilly’s red-faced pouting. She stares at me for a few moments before a tiny smile appears on her lips.
Plop. She falls against my chest, burying her face in my neck.
Stumbling backward, I catch her small frame before raising my eyes to the ceiling far above.
I can see the countless blue and white crystals overhead among the leaves. With every passing moment, their glimmer weakens, signaling that night is falling.
The gigantic white tower was shrouded in darkness.
Situated in the very center of the Labyrinth City, Babel stretched high toward the heavens in the middle of Central Park as day became night. All over the city, a lively tumult developed around the bars as the multicolored illumination of magic-stone lamps replaced the sun.
The vibrant city’s energy never waned, even at night. The streets of the Shopping District were still full of people, and a lewd atmosphere was descending on the still active areas of the Pleasure Quarter, where some were trying their best to help the neighborhood recover. On the bar-lined outskirts of the main streets, drunken women danced with deities on the road as though they were at a ball. As always, the white tower watched over the nightlife underneath it.
Adventurers returning to the surface after a long day in the Dungeon went their separate ways to blow off steam at their favorite watering holes. One party watched group after group ascend the spiral stairwell before finally making the ascent themselves.
A white-haired human was at the center of this group of six. Swiftly climbing the sparsely populated staircase, they arrived at the Dungeon entrance located in Babel Tower’s basement.
Quickening their pace, the group passed beneath a beautiful mural depicting a clear sky on the ceiling.
Little did they know that hidden in a corner of the artful design was a small blue orb that twinkled as they went by.
&
nbsp; “—We have a problem, Ouranos.”
A voice echoed through a dark stone chamber built to resemble the temples of old.
The only source of light was four burning torches in the center of the chamber. The dancing flames illuminated a blue crystal set atop a pedestal as well as the owner of the voice.
A black robe completely covered the mysterious figure. Absolutely no skin was exposed. This person wore black gloves decorated with intricate designs over both hands. It was as if a shadow had come to life.
Even its voice gave no hint as to whether a man or a woman was speaking. The hood of its robe hovered over the blue crystal as the figure continued to speak.
“An intelligent monster has encountered a party of adventurers. They are leaving Babel now.”
The blue crystal displayed an image: a view of the tower’s basement from the orb in the ceiling.
A white-haired boy was clearly visible beneath the crystal’s surface, as was a girl wrapped in salamander wool.
The black-robed figure knew immediately that the girl pressed up against the human was, in fact, a monster.
“Are they working with the monster?”
“I don’t believe so…From what I can see, they appear to be protecting it.”
A different, majestic voice echoed through the chamber from the vicinity of the four torches while the black-robed figure focused on the blue crystal.
The dancing flames cast flickering light on a towering stone throne-like altar in the darkness and highlighted the imposing, elderly deity sitting on it.
Well over two meders tall when standing, the deity, clad in a robe of his own, displayed no emotion as he continued asking questions.
“Fels, who are the adventurers?”
The black-robed figure—Fels—responded right away.
“Bell Cranell, member of Hestia Familia.”
In the crystal display was a familiar combination of white and red.
The elderly deity frowned at this revelation, his blue eyes narrowing.
“Little Rookie, now a household name in the city…And one of Hermes’s favorites.”
“What is your divine will, Ouranos?”
“…Wait and observe.”
The elderly deity quietly closed his eyes at the question and didn’t reopen them until he answered.
“Are you certain? For better or worse, Hestia Familia holds the attention of the populace. Should anything happen…”
“These are Hestia’s followers. There is no connection between them and the hunters we pursue. But most of all…”
The deity’s gaze fell on the blue crystal. He studied the human’s face for several moments.
“I want to know. Can Hestia’s followers become the catalyst for change…? Can they provide them with hope?”
A heavy silence followed. The figure’s hood shifted forward, indicating a nod.
“As you will, Ouranos. I shall follow.”
Crackle! A spark burst from one of the torches.
“Dispatch ‘eyes.’ Keep a close watch on Bell Cranell, his familia, and the monster.”
“Yes.”
Inside a peaceful chamber of stone…
…a black robe swished as it disappeared into the darkness.
CHAPTER 2
DAILY LIFE WITH A VOUIVRE GIRL
We surface pretty close to midnight.
Just as Lilly had predicted, Babel and Central Park are practically deserted when we arrive. We don’t stick around, and the side roads and back alleyways provide the perfect cover for us as we stay out of sight on our way toward home.
The bars are loud, as are some houses in the residential areas—the vouivre girl jumps in surprise at the lights and sounds of civilization. Although it’s a challenge to keep her calm in a city overflowing with noise, we eventually make it safely back to Hearthstone Manor.
“Mr. Bell, please wait here with her. Lilly will have Lord Miach leave first.”
She tells the vouivre girl to stay out of sight next to the manor’s back gate while everyone else enters through the front.
Miach Familia was kind enough to housesit for us while we were in the Dungeon today. Lord Miach is one thing, but the situation will get tense if the chienthrope Nahza or his two new followers, Daphne and Cassandra, see the vouivre—just like what happened earlier with my own familia. While they’re friends of ours, Lilly and Welf thought it might be a good idea to keep them in the dark about the monster girl. I agreed.
The salamander wool–covered girl and I hide in a dark spot behind the manor for a few minutes. At last, I hear voices come from the other side of our home and fade in the distance. Lord Miach and his followers are gone.
Haruhime and Mikoto run out the back door to collect us moments later.
“Sir Bell, who should inform Lady Hestia…?”
“…I will. Please let me tell her.”
“Are you certain…?”
They’re clearly concerned as they open the iron gate to the back garden.
The girls take up positions one step to the left and right of our visitor. I’m the one who invited her here, so I should be the one to explain. I glance down at the vouivre girl and marvel at how much her leg has healed on its own—this is what monsters are capable of. Even so, I tighten my grip to support her.
“Hey, hey. Welcome back!”
The goddess greets us in the living room with her customary smile.
“Well, Bell! This is unusual, you coming in through the back door by yourself. Miach’s already gone home. And who’s this—?”
She looks at us with bubbly curiosity, only to suddenly fall silent.
Welf and Lilly arrive and see all of us frozen with our mouths nervously clamped shut. The goddess’s sky-blue eyes are locked on me.
Time slows to a crawl as her gaze shifts to the girl at my side, hiding beneath the robe.
“—Bell, what is that?”
Her expression changed completely. Our goddess hadn’t asked “who” but “what.”
Overwhelmed, I silently pull back the girl’s hood.
“……!!”
Bluish-white skin, amber eyes, and a garnet-like jewel in her forehead.
Hestia gulps hard at the girl’s fantastical appearance.
Meanwhile, our visitor is terrified of the deity staring at her. She wraps her thin arms around me in response.
“…Explain what happened for me.”
Surrounded by her familia, Lady Hestia takes a deep breath to steady her voice and looks at me with unblinking eyes.
In the living room, I recount the details of how we met.
Lilly, Welf, and the others have all pulled up chairs around our round table. I’m sitting with everyone else, next to the vouivre girl. The goddess retains a gentle expression while listening to me and doesn’t say a word from start to finish.
“…What should we do, Lady Hestia?”
Lilly asks the goddess for a decision as soon as my story ends.
The vouivre girl has a strong grip on my right arm and won’t let go. Our goddess is deep in thought, arms crossed over her chest until she slowly opens her eyes.
“…Please don’t tell anyone else. We’ll wait and see.”
She makes eye contact with each of us in turn, even the strange girl at my side.
“I’m going to be brutally honest with you all, but I really don’t know how to take this. I can hardly believe it…”
The goddess stares at our unexpected guest for a few moments as the blue-skinned girl quivers in fear under her gaze.
A talking monster has violated everything we thought we knew about the things that lived in the Dungeon.
Furthermore, the goddess’s admission that even the all-knowing deities aren’t truly omniscient has left all of us speechless.
“Monsters and you children of the mortal realm…are enemies. Two entities fated to fight each other. I know that to be true, but I can’t turn my back on someone capable of so much fear.”
“So that mea
ns…!”
“Yeah, she can stay here for now.”
Protecting those in need is the goddess’s way of showing affection.
Her willingness to kindly reach out to any child fills my heart with relief. Her decision triggers many different reactions around the table, from sighs to grimaces. But no one speaks out against the decree.
The goddess hops out of her chair with a little grunt of effort. I can see the anxiousness in her eyes, but she still gives the vouivre girl a gentle smile.
“So, do you have a name?”
“…Name?”
The vouivre girl dons a curious expression as she leans in closer to me.
“…Bell?”
“No, that’s my name…”
She tilts her head to the side, making her silver-blue hair swish. A bead of sweat rolls down my face.
“My…name? …Don’t know.”
Lilly and the others gasp softly in surprise at her choppy sentence—it’s the first time they’ve heard her say something besides my name. But at the same time, the girl lowers her head.
So she doesn’t have a name, after all.
“Vouivre” is the name that people chose for her species. She needs something to go by as an individual.
“Bell, give her one.”
“What, me?!”
“Yep, Welf’s absolutely right. You found her and brought her home, so to speak. You’re the one who saved her. You should take on a fatherly role and name her.”
How…How did it come to this…?!
Welf and the goddess are the only ones who say anything. Lilly, Mikoto, and Haruhime have their mouths shut but their eyes silently say, “Go ahead.”
Heart racing, I search the others at the table. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Welf is enjoying this. Even the vouivre girl is watching me blankly.
So much responsibility…! Why do I have to be the one to give this girl something that will affect the rest of her life?!
I look into her amber eyes. My mind is already reeling, but her expression flips my brain into desperation mode.
Vouivre, dragon, girl, jewel, garnet, bluish silver, amber eyes…
I try listing every physical trait I can see—it’s no use!!
Cold sweat runs down my back, and my eyes spin. “Hurry up,” somebody says. How long have I been thinking about this…? My lips tremble.
