Bell First Hears of Shadow

Night fell, and the streets of Orario gradually grew quiet.

Inside Hestia's residence, warm lamplight streamed through the windows, illuminating the small courtyard out front. A small dining table stood in the courtyard, with a pot of freshly cooked stew sending up deliciously fragrant steam.

"I'm exhausted today!" Hestia slumped in her chair and forked a piece of tender potato into her mouth.

"Didn't you say you were going out for a walk?" Bell sat beside her, carefully pouring drinks. "How did you end up recruiting Familia members all of a sudden?"

"It was for the future of our Familia!" Hestia said indignantly. "But I wasted so much time today!"

Bell paused and asked curiously, "What happened? Didn't you find anyone suitable?"

Hestia rested her chin in her hand, recalling the events of the day. "Actually, I did meet someone very special... but he turned me down!" she said, sounding a little helpless.

"Turned you down?" Bell blinked, looking somewhat surprised.

"Yeah!" Hestia slapped the table, still sounding a little resentful. "He looked like a rookie who'd just arrived in Orario. I greeted him warmly, and what did he do? He just gave me a polite smile and turned me down!"

"Maybe he just wanted to get familiar with the city first," Bell said reassuringly.

"The thing is!" Hestia poked at the plate on the table with her fork. "He didn't look like an ordinary rookie at all. The way he stood in front of the notice board, it was like he was analyzing the information on every Familia. He was so calm and confident!"

Bell frowned. "You don't see many rookies that calm... Was there anything distinctive about him?"

Hestia thought for a moment, then looked up. "Black hair, sharp eyes. All in all, he gave the impression that he was very hard to approach."

"Black hair?" Bell repeated quietly.

"And," Hestia continued, "his attitude was strange. He was very polite, but I had the feeling he was observing us, almost like he knew what we were going to say... It really bothers me."

Bell fell silent for a moment, then gave a wry smile. "Hearing you say that, I'm a little curious about him too. But since he doesn't want to join our Familia, there's no need to force him, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose." Hestia slumped back in her chair with a sigh. "Still, I have a feeling there's more to him than meets the eye. If he joined our Familia, he'd definitely accomplish great things!"

Seeing Hestia's troubled expression, Bell couldn't help laughing. "Lady Goddess, don't let it bother you too much. Maybe we'll run into him again someday."

"Hmph, who knows?" Hestia pouted, then picked up a piece of stewed meat from her plate and popped it into her mouth.

In the courtyard, the evening breeze brought a touch of coolness. Bell quietly thought about the person Hestia had described, a faint curiosity stirring within him.

Early the next morning, sunlight filtered through a gap in the curtains of Hestia's residence.

Bell was already up and dressed in the equipment he normally wore into the Dungeon. After adjusting his scarf, he turned to glance at Hestia, who was still tucked under the covers.

"Lady Goddess, I'm heading out!" Bell said softly.

"Mmm... mm... come back early!" Hestia waved her hand sleepily, clearly not fully awake yet.

Bell chuckled and stepped out of the residence. He took a deep breath of fresh air. The streets of Orario had yet to become fully lively that morning, and the air carried a hint of dampness and earth.

Bell was on his own today. As usual, he planned to head to the middle floors of the Dungeon and explore for a while, earning himself enough magic stones and experience.

Before entering the Dungeon, he made a point of stopping at the Adventurers Guild counter. Miss Eina was sorting through a thick stack of documents, and she greeted Bell with a warm smile when she saw him approach.

"Bell, are you going down alone again today?" Eina asked with concern.

"Yes, I'm planning to push myself a little more today." Bell nodded.

"Then make sure you stay safe. The monsters on the middle floors are far more dangerous than those on the upper floors, both in number and in the strength of their attacks. Don't overdo it!" As Eina cautioned him, she handed Bell a map marked with points to watch out for.

"Thank you, Miss Eina. I'll be careful!" Bell took the map, thanked her sincerely, and headed for the Dungeon entrance.

The Dungeon seemed busier than usual today. As soon as Bell entered the eleventh floor, he saw several parties of adventurers busy clearing out monsters.

"There seem to be a few more monsters around lately..." Bell murmured, raising his guard.

He wielded his short sword deftly, each attack striking a monster's vital point with precision. His movements were more practiced than when he had first started adventuring, but he still maintained a healthy respect for the Dungeon.

"Phew—that's the tenth group of monsters today." Bell wiped the sweat from his forehead and picked up the magic stones from the ground, putting them in his bag.

Just as he was about to move on, a faint cry for help reached his ears.

"Help... Help me!"

Bell was instantly alert and raced toward the corner of the passage, following the sound.

At the end of the passage, he saw a low-level adventurer under attack from two werewolf-type monsters. The adventurer was clearly exhausted, holding up his shield with unsteady arms and barely managing to block their attacks.

"Watch out!" Without time to think, Bell charged forward, his short sword flashing as he thrust it straight at one of the monsters.

Boom! Bell's attack felled the monster, and it crumbled to dust. Seeing this, the other monster turned and lunged at Bell.

Don't panic. Keep your rhythm! Bell repeated to himself. He sidestepped the monster's claws, then sliced through its neck with a swing of his sword.

After the fight, Bell helped the adventurer to his feet.

"Are you all right?" Bell asked with concern.

"Thank you... Thank you for saving me!" The adventurer's voice trembled. Apparently, the danger he had just faced had given him quite a scare.

Bell smiled, took a recovery potion from his bag, and handed it to him. "Drink this. You'll feel much better."

The adventurer gratefully accepted the potion and drank it in one gulp, some color returning to his face.

"How did you end up on the middle floors alone?" Bell asked.

The adventurer lowered his head and said sheepishly, "I... I just wanted to earn more money, so I took the risk and came here... I didn't expect..."

Bell sighed. "The middle floors are far more dangerous than the upper floors. Next time, don't ever take that risk alone. The Dungeon never gives anyone a second chance."

The adventurer nodded repeatedly, showing that he would remember Bell's words.

Toward evening, Bell returned to the shrine with a full haul. His bag was packed with magic stones and loot, and a tired smile was on his face.

"Bell, you're back!" Hestia greeted him as she munched on some bread. "How did it go today? Did you get a good haul?"

"Yeah, my luck wasn't bad, but I saw something worrying today." Bell set his bag beside the table and told Hestia what had happened that morning.

Hestia frowned after hearing him out. "Rookies like that always take risks out of greed, but they usually end up paying the price. Still, you help other people so often, you need to be careful not to get yourself caught up in it too."

Bell nodded. "I know, Lady Goddess."

Hestia glanced at Bell and suddenly grinned. "Speaking of which, you still didn't run into that black-haired newcomer today, did you?"

Bell paused, then smiled wryly. "No, but... maybe he's already found a Familia of his own by now."

Hestia's expression froze slightly as she bit into her bread, but then she waved a hand. "Hmph, forget about him. Our Familia will grow stronger and stronger sooner or later!"

Bell couldn't help laughing at how confident Hestia looked. Outside the window, night gradually closed in, and peace returned to the residence.