Ganesha Familia Premise Chapter 5 (Patreon)

Hello friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another new chapter! Ganesha Familia’s Banquet of the Gods has most of the Deities in Orario visiting for an evening of food, drink, and catching up. Bell experiences being on the organizer’s side of such a large event and sees how the various Deities gossip and spread rumors amongst themselves. Just a few days after the Banquet of the Gods, the yearly Monsterphilia will happen and Bell will be given a role to fulfill during the festival as well. Will things go perfectly and with no incidents? Or will Bell get roped into some kind of odd event?

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 5 – Banquet of the Gods, Monsterphilia

Bell, wearing a black suit like most of the male Ganesha Familia members, couldn’t help but marvel at all of the various Deities within the Ganesha Familia Home tonight. The Banquet of the Gods was in full swing, and the resplendent clothes of the wealthier Deities were clearly worn to show off to the Deities that were less wealthy. “And they’re not shy about mentioning it either.” He said under his breath as he walked past a small group of Deities talking about two other Deities that were wearing clothes that, while nice, were clearly not to the same ridiculous quality and splendor that the group was wearing.

Deciding to be kind, Bell walked towards the two Deities that were being teased (though mocked might be a better term) and offered them both a drink from the tray he was carrying. The Goddess’s face lit up as she took one of the wine glasses from the tray.

“Thank you very much.” She smiled, her auburn hair almost shimmering with divine radiance.

The God with her took one of the other wine glasses with a nod and a small grin. “Thank you kindly, child.” He shot a smug smirk to the small group of mocking Deities that Bell had walked past without offering them a drink at all. Even mockingly raising his new glass of wine in their direction before he and his Goddess friend walked off to enjoy better company.

Bell said nothing, just continued to circulate around the massive main room of his Familia Home, offering drinks to the visiting Gods and Goddesses. He occasionally walked over to those that waved him over because they were thirsty for more of ‘Ganesha’s wine’ that they were happily drinking down for free.

“That was very nice of you, Bell.” Ardee said when the two passed each other a few moments later.

“It just seemed like the right thing to do.” Bell replied with a little grin. His eyes once more roamed up and down Ardee’s form, admiring her black dress that hugged her curves and the top that showed off a tasteful amount of her cleavage.

Ardee preened a little, enjoying the way that Bell was looking at her. “See something you like?” She teased while leaning forward just slightly to give Bell a better view.

Bell nodded, a warm smile on his face. “You’re gorgeous, Ardee.”

“Thank you, Bell~” Ardee nearly cooed, her cheeks a cute pink. If they weren’t under the eyes of most of the Deities in Orario, she’d have kissed his cheek. But affection like that was always a hot topic among the more gossipy Gods and Goddesses.

The two split and continued to circulate around the large hall, attending to the Deities and showing proper hospitality to the guests in their home.

“Welcome one and all!” Ganesha had a wide smile as he spoke from atop a raised dais, several other members of the Familia behind him, all wearing elephant masks that matched Ganesha’s. “I am Ganesha, your host for this celebration! Seeing so many attendees every time moves Ganesha deeply!”

The masked men in matching black suits behind Ganesha raised their arms high and cheered. “LORD GANESHA!!!”

“This year’s festival is but three days hence! Please encourage your Familias to help out in any way possible!” Ganesha posed, flexing his muscles with a big smile on his face while many of the Gods and Goddesses close to the dais either cheered, laughed, or rolled their eyes at the over the top Deity of the Masses. “I AM GANESHA!!!”

At the edge of the dais, Shakti let out a small sigh at her Patron Deity, no matter how long she’d been part of his Familia, Ganesha’s natural energy and boisterous personality always made things…interesting, to be polite. ‘Not that Lord Ganesha doesn’t have more depth to him than most will ever see.’ Having been the Captain of the Familia for many years now, Shakti was easily the closest person to Ganesha…outside of, perhaps, a few of the other Deities from the same Pantheon.

“Would you care for a drink, Shakti?” Bell offered his Captain with a smile.

“Thank you, Bell.” Shakti returned his smile with her own as she took one of the wine glasses from the tray that Bell was carrying. “You look quite handsome in a suit.” She told him with an appreciative smile as her deep blue eyes looked him over.

Bell’s smile got a little bigger at the compliment. “Thank you, Shakti. You look beautiful as well.” He let his eyes trail up and down Shakti in her dress, the way it hugged her curves and the breast window showed off a nice, teasing glimpse of her tits.

Shakti sipped her wine with a small grin, appreciating Bell’s genuine compliment and the way his eyes drank in her body. “Glad you approve.” She said with a light, playful tone. “Keep your ears open tonight, Bell. Many Deities get a little loose-lipped after some drinking among their fellow Gods and Goddesses. If we can learn of any potential conflicts early, or hear about anything illegal, we might be able to nip some problems in the bud before they grow into large incidents.” She said lowly, so that no one else would hear.

“I’ll do my best to listen well.” Bell nodded to his Captain, getting another warm smile from Shakti, before he walked away to continue serving the various Deities at the banquet.

Several minutes later, Bell’s attention was caught by the raised voice of a God not too far away from where he was walking while holding his newest tray of wine glasses.

“Oh, hello! If it isn’t Loki!” The God that called out was a beautiful man of medium height with medium length blonde hair, and emerald eyes. He wore a violet suit, which matched his long-sleeve coat, equally violet pants, knee-high black boots with yellow straps near the top, a yellow button-up shirt inside, and a white cravat around his neck.

“Well, if it isn’t Dionysus.” Loki greeted the Olympian God of Wine. “So, you came too?”

Loki looked much different than the last time that Bell had seen her, back during the party at the Hostess of Fertility. Tonight the Trickster Goddess was wearing a black dress that hugged her waist, hips, and her nice butt and flowed close to her legs to further show off her shape, ending in dark grey ruffles at the bottom that swished about as she walked in her matching black heels. The waist of the dress was tied with a red bow to give some color and emphasize Loki’s trim figure. Her red hair was done up in a nice bun in place of her normal ponytail. On her hands were black evening gloves that went up to mid forearm, a golden bracelet rested on each wrist for contrast, and to show off a little of her wealth, the same with the triple diamond charm necklace she was wearing and the large matching diamond earrings.

“Indeed, it is a banquet after all.” Dionysus moved some of his blonde hair out of his face with one hand. A move that often wooed many mortal women, but Loki clearly ignored it as easily as she breathed. “I decided to come out, attend, and gather some information while I’m here. Without a Familia as strong as yours, Loki, it makes a good deal of sense.”

Bell kept his eyes, and his ears, on the two Deities while he walked, slowly making his way closer to hear better. He saw another Goddess join the two and was glad that he’d changed his path to get a bit closer.

“My, my. It’s been a little while, Loki~ How have you been?” A gorgeous and VERY busty Goddess greeted Loki. She had long, flowing strawberry-blonde hair, soft and warm orange eyes, a gorgeous figure with almost immaculate hip, waist, and bust sizes, that wouldn’t look out of place on a Goddess of Beauty. Her evening dress was a soft yellow color with a darker orange along the bottom hem, the low cut of the top showing off her immense cleavage from her large breasts.

“Ohhh… D-Demeter… You’re here too.” Loki nearly recoiled away from the Goddess of the Harvest, though her red eyes were clearly following the bounce of Demeter’s breasts with barely hidden envy.

Dionysus smiled at Demeter before turning back to Loki. “Yes, we were talking until just a moment ago.”

Bell knew of the Demeter Familia, but had never met the Goddess herself. ‘Now I have a face to put to the name.’ He thought while walking in a wide circle that kept the three Deities within earshot. This meeting seemed completely normal and random, but for some reason that he wasn’t sure of, Bell felt it might be something that Shakti would want to hear about later. When Ganesha’s name was brought up, Bell listened in even closer.

“At any rate, Ganesha’s banquets are as extravagant as always.” Loki mentioned, looking at the large number of Deities present. “Looks like almost every God and Goddess in Orario is here.”

“More like he has to be as generous as possible.” Dionysus said while pointing at a sign on one of the nearby pillars that supported the massive structure that was the Ganesha Familia Home. “In other words: ‘Don’t do anything to interfere with the big day, even by accident.’ Monsterphilia can’t continue to be held every year without the Guild and Ganesha Familia’s full support. The show of taming Monsters from the Dungeon, not to mention showing off their Xenos Monsters to the public. There’s a lot of people that Ganesha and the Guild have to keep happy.”

Loki looked thoughtful, lightly tapping her cheek with her right index finger. “Monsterphilia…eh?”

“Do you plan to attend, Loki?” Dionysus asked the Trickster Goddess.

Loki shrugged once. “Thinking about it… I just might. But what’s it to you?”

Dionysus gave Loki a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Surely, you’re not serious? Are you planning to stir up a ruckus?”

Bell almost stopped short just from hearing that. Only his impeccable balance kept his tray of wine glasses steady after the brief ‘stutter’ in his steps.

“Wanna clarify what you mean by that?!” Loki grabbed the Wine God by the front of his suit, messing up his white cravat, as she glared at him, clearly agitated by the insinuation.

“Easy, easy now!” Dionysus held up his hands in front of him to ward off Loki’s annoyance with him. “I didn’t think you would even be interested in Monsterphilia.” He looked off to the side. “And I know what you were like back in Tenkai.” Loki tightened her grip on him and let out a little growl. “My fault if I touched a nerve! My apologies…!”

‘Maybe I can get a bit closer…’ Bell thought as he changed his direction and made his way between two other groups of Deities. He even managed to hand off two more wine glasses, which he hoped would keep the attention of the three Deities he was eavesdropping on away from him.

“Alright then, what about you?” Loki let go of Dionysus’s suit with a huff. “Planning to go?”

Dionysus shrugged once. “I’m not sure. In all likelihood, I won’t be able to. I have something to attend to that day.”

Loki picked up a wineglass from Bell’s tray as he got close enough for her to raise her hand and flag him over. “Ah, that so?” She sniffed the wine and then sipped it.

Bell made sure to walk off normally, but his attention was mostly focused on the trio still as he tried to listen in on their conversation over the talking of the various Deities around him.

Loki’s eyes caught sight of Freya, her fellow Norse Goddess that was known to have the most powerful Familia in Orario, at the moment, and she blinked once. “Freya actually came to a Banquet of the Gods? That seems a little odd…” Loki turned and gave Demeter and Dionysus a quick smile. “Think I’ll take my leave. There’s something I want to check out!” She took off toward Freya and noticed who the Goddess of Beauty, Desire, Love, War, and a host of other Domains was talking to. “Phai-tan! Freya!” Loki called out to the two Goddess with a grin.

Bell was making a wide circle again, but it seemed the conversation was over now. Just as he was about to continue on a different path through the party, his ears caught the words of Dionysus and Demeter.

“Planning to cause another commotion?” Demeter asked Dionysus before sipping her wine.

“You seem to have the wrong idea, Demeter.” Dionysus put his gloved hand on his face and moved some of his long blonde air away from his face. “When have I ever done such a thing?”

“Well…” Demeter looked at him, seeming almost amused. “When you make that face, something always happens.” She pointed out the rather vicious smile he had on his face as he turned to look at her.

Bell had only caught a brief glimpse of Dionysus’s expression, but it didn’t look ‘good’ in any sense of the word. He weaved his way through the crowds at a normal walking speed, wanting to report what he’d overheard from the three Deity’s short conversation to Shakti.

-Later-

It was late night, shortly after the last Deity had finally left the Banquet of the Gods, and almost everyone in the Ganesha Familia that had been acting as servers and the like sagged in relief.

“WE MADE IT!!!” Modaka cheered, throwing his hands up in celebration. “ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL BANQUET!!!”

“YEAH!!!” The rest of the Familia cheered, even Bell…though he was a half-second behind the others, not having known a cheer was coming.

The relief and happy chatter that swiftly flowed through their home was a return to normalcy for everyone as they set about starting to clean up. Though there were more than a couple complaints as well, for one thing or another.

“Oh come on…they spilled wine all over the table cloth! This wasn’t cheap!” One of the older members of the Familia lamented, holding the stained table cloth from one of the circular tables.

“There’s no chance that’s washing out.” A woman agreed as she stared at the splatter of red wine on the cloth.

Bell briefly glance to his left when he heard someone curse.

“Damn it! This is the sixth broken glass we’ve found!” A man a few years older than Bell said as he and a few others were carefully picking up the broken pieces of a wine glass and tossing them into a trash bag. “How many did they break?”

“Who’s shoes are these?!” One of the women that helped with guard duty at the western gate questioned, holding up a pair of heels that looked quite nice and rather fancy. “Did anyone see a Goddess leaving barefoot?”

Just as Bell was moving over to start helping out with the cleanup, a hand touched his shoulder. “Hm?” He turned and met Ardee’s eyes and couldn’t help but smile. “Ardee…” Bell trailed off as her expression was serious. “Is something wrong?”

Ardee nodded once. “Shakti and Lord Ganesha wanted you to come to the meeting they’re having with some of the other higher-ups. It’s about what you reported to Shakti during the party.” Without waiting, she gently took his hand in her own, a bit of warmth returning to her eyes along with a little smile, and led him towards Ganesha’s office.

Once the two had walked up the stairs and entered the office, Bell was surprised to see over a dozen members in the room. Ganesha, of course, as well as Shakti and Ilta, there was Hashana Dorlia, a Level 4 and veteran member of the Familia, and a few more Level 4’s that headed up the normal patrols that acted as Orario’s police force. Bell and Ardee walked forward, towards Ganesha’s desk, and the God of the Masses was very calm and serious, unlike his usual vibrant and loud self.

“You wanted to see me, Lord Ganesha?” Bell asked politely, even though he’d already been summoned.

“Yes, Bell.” Ganesha nodded once. “It’s about what you overhead during the banquet. The conversation between Loki, Dionysus, and Demeter.” Seeing Bell nod once, Ganesha continued. “Please tell everyone exactly what you heard and saw, as best as you can remember it.”

Bell started to recount what he’d seen and heard from the short conversation. When Ilta asked him to try making the same face as Dionysus had, Bell sputtered a bit. “I-I’m not really an actor…”

“It’s fine, Bell. Just try.” Ilta waved it off. “If it was as bad as you say and not just some weird look…” Her eyes briefly glanced at Ganesha while talking about a different weird God. “…then seeing his expression gives us a chance to gauge if Lord Dionysus is up to something.”

“Alright…” Bell let out a small sigh and closed his eyes, trying to vividly picture the expression that had been on Dionysus’s face. He copied the same hand placement first, and then slowly opened his eyes, setting them in as close to the same position as he’d seen the Wine God do earlier. His mouth spread wide, but he showed no teeth as he made the strange and dangerous smile, or as close as he could get to it. “It was like this.”

Ilta grimaced at the expression.

Hashana’s expression was almost stone-like.

Several of the Patrol Leaders let out little sounds of concern.

Ardee almost flinched back as she saw the expression, knowing that it was probably even worse than what Bell could do, given his normally kind nature. “Oh…”

“It seems like we may have to keep a watch on Lord Dionysus during Monsterphilia.” Shakti said with a sharp and serious expression, her blue eyes like steel.

“Ganesha knows Demeter and Loki fairly well…” Ganesha said as he motioned for Bell to be at ease. It was obvious that Ganesha and his Familia would be on good terms with both Goddesses. Ganesha Familia helped with security while Demeter Familia transported their crops throughout Orario, and were one of the Farming Familia’s biggest customers, given the sheer number of members that Ganesha Familia had. Likewise, both Ganesha and Loki had fought side-by-side during the Great Feud with the Evilus years ago, both Familias struggling against the wanton destruction and terror that the so-called ‘Evil Gods’ had brought to Orario for their own twisted amusement. “…but Ganesha doesn’t know Dionysus well. It would be prudent to ask a few members of the Olympian Pantheon for more information.”

Ardee looked thoughtful for a moment. “Of the current Deities within Orario, the Olympian Pantheon has Lord Ouranos, Lady Hephaestus, Lord Apollo, Lady Damia, Lord Hermes, and Lady Demeter herself. At least, those are the only ones that I believe might know something and be willing to talk to us.”

Shakti nodded in agreement with her younger sister before speaking. “We shouldn’t ask Lady Demeter, given that she was part of the conversation. Our questions may find their way to Dionysus’s ears.”

“Asking Ouranos will require a meeting being scheduled ahead of time, but if Ganesha makes the request it should be possible.” Ganesha said with a calm and reassuring tone. He and Ouranos had not only worked together for quite a long time, but they shared a few secrets between them as well.

Hashana partially raised his left hand. “Do we REALLY have to ask Lord Hermes? That guy is a collector of secrets…it’s unlikely he’d tell us much of anything.” The look on Hashana’s face made it obvious that he’d had past meetings with the Messenger God of the Olympian Pantheon.

Ardee lightly scratched her cheek once with a strained smile. “I wouldn’t want to talk to Lord Apollo much myself. He’s just a bit too obsessive over his…passions.” The last word came out strained and made Bell look at Ardee with some concern, but she gave him a small smile to assure him that she was okay.

“Asking Lady Hephaestus might be our best bet after Lord Ouranos.” Ilta said, knowing that the Goddess of the Forge was friendly enough, and probably had little reason to lie and cover for Dionysus.

“I could ask Lady Damia in passing.” One of the Patrol Leaders raised his hand. “Her Familia’s home is in my team’s patrol area. She’s quite talkative and kind whenever we meet up by chance while patrolling.” The Goddess of Autumn, Ripening, and Harvest sometimes even gave the patrolling Ganesha Familia members little snacks of fresh fruits from her vast gardens and orchard.

Ganesha looked at the Patrol Leader. “Only ask Damia about Demeter and Dionysus as fellow members of the Olympian Pantheon. Ganesha doesn’t know her very well, but with her Domains, it would make sense that Damia would have some level of connection with both Dionysus and Demeter.”

The Patrol Leader nodded. “Yes, Lord Ganesha.” A subtle and broad question would attract far less attention than a more specific one.

The meeting didn’t last too much longer. Shakti, Ilta, Hashana, Ardee, the Patrol Leaders, and Ganesha made plans for an investigation and a potential tail on Dionysus during Monsterphilia. Bell was excused first and left to head for his room for the night, looking forward to some rest after the long banquet.

-Three Days Later-

Bell had never imagined just how busy the Ganesha Familia would be in the days leading up to the annual festival. Tasks were given out last night by Shakti to every member of the Familia; everything from patrols throughout the city, to increased security at the gates, and the people that would staff the colosseum for the Taming demonstrations and the Xenos Exhibition events. Thankfully, as a Level 1 Adventurer, Bell was given a bit more freedom in the days leading up to Monsterphilia itself, and had even managed to make it into the Dungeon for the last three days, though he did have to cut his time back a bit to keep up with helping with preparations.

“I was barely able to get a Status Update last night.” Bell said to himself as he walked through his assigned patrol route. Ganesha had been so busy that, for the first time since he’d joined the Familia, his Patron Deity hadn’t been available to give him an update each night. “But Lord Ganesha was very kind to make some time for everyone last night.”

The God of the Masses had spent hours giving Status Updates to everyone that wanted them. Partially because he hadn’t been able to in the last couple of days, and partially because an event like Monsterphilia was close to an expedition into the Dungeon for the ‘peacekeepers’ of Orario. Everyone needed to be at their absolute best before the festival began.

This was also the first time he had to wear the Ganesha Familia emblem over his armor, and Bell made sure to wear it with pride. Many people, especially children, marveled at the massive size of Banryū that Bell casually walked around with, letting it rest against his shoulder so that it was kept out of the way. Bell recalled his own growth from his update last night as he smiled and waved to a few people on the street.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – D 582 > C 630

Endurance – D 581 > C 628

Dexterity – D 583 > C 631

Agility – D 566 > C 612

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-

Bell was happy with his growth, of course, but even he realized that the patrol path he’d been put on was one with the ‘least risk’ of anything actually happening. But that was definitely because he was a Level 1, and the newest member of the Familia. He was a bit away from the colosseum…well, more than a bit, really. Bell’s patrol route was several blocks away from the colosseum, in fact. It was an area where the foot traffic of the visitors from outside of Orario would be less than it would be if he’d been closer to East Main Street where the majority of the festival and its events took place.

“Still though…” Bell saw how many people were walking around, clearly taking in the sights of the city known as the ‘Center of the World’. “Orario’s population really does increase noticeably for the festival.”

People had started arriving days before the actual Monsterphilia date, making use of the city’s inns, taverns, restaurants, shops, and markets. The economic boom brought in from tourism alone was a big reason that Monsterphilia hadn’t been shut down from complaints of potential danger. The fact that both the Guild and Ganesha Familia took responsibility for everything was the other half of the reason that Monsterphilia could continue to happen.

As Bell walked along his assigned route, he stopped as he felt the ground shake a little. “What was that?” He looked down at the street, still feeling a tiny tremor, but it was vanishing quickly. “Orario doesn’t have earthquakes, as far as I know.”

Because of his patrol route, Bell was unaware that reports had been made to Ganesha Familia members about strange shaking from the ground and odd sounds coming up from the sewers in a few places. Many people were worried that Monsters had somehow escaped from the colosseum, but a quick check proved that every Monster brought up from the Dungeon was accounted for without a single one missing. The slight ruckus had even caught the attention of a small group from the Loki Familia that had been enjoying Monsterphilia.

“The shaking’s back?” Bell blinked and looked down at the ground again as a similar tremor lightly shook the ground again. “Is there something big moving around?” He wondered as he followed after the light tremor, expecting to see some huge caravan of heavily loaded wagons or something moving through the streets. “A square?” Bell blinked as he came to an open square that connect a couple of different streets, but no sign of anything that could make the ground shake even a little.

Crack

BOOM

Dust was thrown into the air as the street cracked and debris went flying. A long sinuous body moved around as people yelled in panic and fear. The green skin looked scaly, like a snake, but the ‘head’ was weird, with no visible mouth, eyes, or features of any kind.

Bell had Banryū at the ready instantly, knowing a Monster when he saw one. “What the hell is that thing?!” He’d definitely never seen the like of it before, which could only mean that it came from deeper in the Dungeon than he’d ever been. ‘That’s not good.’ Bell thought, even as he charged in, not wanting to give the Monster time to attack any of the people in the square. “Hyah!”

Clang

Bell grunted as Banryū hit the Monster’s scales with force, but his strength only barely managed to cut the thing. “You’re durable, huh?!” He was knocked back as the strange Monster whipped its body around. Skidding along the street, Bell stopped himself by planting his feet strongly, cracking the stone. “This thing must be about Level 3, right?” He could only estimate based on the minimal damage he’d caused it.

“Is that another new species?!” Tiona questioned loudly from a rooftop at the edge of the square.

“But the other new species were all the way down on the Fiftieth Floor!” A cute Elf girl with long orange hair and worried blue eyes exclaimed, knowing that new species of Monsters didn’t appear regularly in the Dungeon, and that the vast space between the surface and the Fiftieth Floor would be impossible for a Monster of this size to traverse without being noticed by someone in one way or another.

“Ais, use your speed and get the civilians away from that thing!” Tione started giving out orders, having some training in leadership thanks to the Captain of their Familia making her a leader of small squads from time-to-time.

“Yes.” Ais Wallenstein, the famous Kenki of the Loki Familia, nearly vanished as she blurred towards the people closest to the strange Monster. She grabbed the two people that were within the snake-like beast’s range and dashed away with them quickly.

“Lefiya, look for an opening and start casting!” Tione instructed the Elven Mage.

Lefiya agreed quickly with Tione’s instruction. “Y-Yes!”

“Gaaaahhh!” A Cat Man cried out as the ‘head’ of the Monster rushed towards him.

Tiona and Tione launched themselves off the roof of the building so hard that some of the tiles cracked. Both of the Amazons’ eyes were practically glowing as they blurred towards the Monster; such was the intensity of their focus. As they rocketed towards the strange new species, Tiona cocked back her left fist, while Tione cocked back her right.

Wham

The ‘head’ of the Monster shattered the street as the twin punches knocked it down. The Cat Man was grabbed by the swift form of Ais and removed from the area a second later.

“Nnnngh.” Tione hissed, raising her right arm above her head, gripping it with her left as her hand throbbed with pain.

“It’s so hard?!” Tiona was hopping in place, cradling her hand which was noticeably bruised.

“Punches aren’t going to get us anywhere!” Tione took up a stance anyway. “This thing is made to withstand blunt force!”

“Gahh! Why didn’t we bring weapons?!” Tiona questioned, only to remember that they’d been having a nice day at Monsterphilia before this; so weapons shouldn’t have been needed.

Bell was having trouble keeping up with the speed of the Loki Familia’s first-class Adventurers. ‘It’s like when Shakti spars with me…’ His Captain was also nearly impossible to match when she actually showed him her speed.

“Unleashed pillar of light, limbs of the holy tree. You are the master archer. Loose your arrows, fairy archers. Pierce, arrow of accuracy.” Lefiya was nearly finished with her chant and the Monster hadn’t noticed her yet. ‘I can take it out before it causes any further damage!’

The Monster’s head snapped around and locked directly onto Lefiya.

Crack

The ground next to Lefiya’s feet broke and a green tentacle, or limb, perhaps a tail, slammed into the Elf’s side with a snapping sound. The limb shot up high into the air, sending Lefiya flying into a stall that had been abandoned by its owner when the Monster had burst through the street. The Elf girl hit the empty stall hard, collapsing the canvas and wood.

“That thing had a tail?!” Tione nearly cracked a tooth in anger at not having considered that before, trying to get to Lefiya’s side.

“Lefiya!” Tiona rushed towards their injured friend.

The ‘head’ of the weird Monster shuddered, nearly vibrating, for a second before it split and then burst open to reveal a flower with jaws similar to a humans. “ROOOOAAARRRR!!!” The weird Flower Monster roared, briefly revealing that its Magic Stone was attached to the roof of its mouth, as more vine-like limbs burst through the road and swung around.

“It…bloomed?” Tione looked confused by this new species now that it had revealed its true form.

“It’s not a snake…it’s a flower?!” Tiona exclaimed, dodging the rapidly flailing vines that were rising from the ground.

The flower Monster disregarded the Amazon sisters, turning its attention to the downed Lefiya. It slithered towards her, mouth opening, clearly intending to eat the Elf.

“Lefiya! Get up!” Tione called out a warning, trying to force her way through the wriggling vines.

“These damn things are in the way!” Tiona punched one of the vines, but even as it was knocked aside, she could tell that it hadn’t really been damaged.

Lefiya blinked, her eyes focusing as she tried to move, but attempting to sit up proved to be the wrong thing to do. “AAAAHHHH!!!” She cried out in agony, her hand going towards her injured side; clearly something was very wrong to make a Level 3 be nearly unable to move.

But even through the pain, Lefiya tried to get away from the Monster. As it came closer, even as the Elf continued to cry out from the searing pain of her injury, she never stopped trying to get away from it.

Bell had cocked back his arm to throw Banryū at the Monster, even knowing that it wouldn’t kill it, just so he’d have enough time to try and reach the injured Elf, and hopefully carry her out of danger. But the instant before he could throw, a white and gold blur appeared between Lefiya and the Flower Monster.

The Flower Monster’s head went flying through the air. A clean slice had separated the head from the long, sinuous body in a single strike. Lefiya felt a tear fall from her eye in shame at having to be saved by Ais, again.

‘Made it.’ Ais let out a breath that she didn’t know she was holding. ‘Pushed a little too hard though.’ She felt her body twinge in pain from blasting all the way back to the battlefield in one burst of her Wind Magic: Ariel. “Lefiya?” She turned to check on her friend.

As if reacting to Ais’s presence, three more Flower Monsters burst from the ground, shrieking at the swordswoman. Revealing that the other vines belonged to them and not the first Monster.

‘Three of them? That won’t be a problem!’ Ais was surrounded by her green magical wind as it spun fiercely into a gale. She launched herself forward at the nearest Flower Monster.

Snap

Only for the rapier that she was using to break apart under the power of her Ariel.

‘The sword… This is its limit.’ Ais realized that she’d once again pushed a weapon too hard and destroyed it. She could already imagine the Smithing God, Goibniu’s, anger at her destroying the weapon that he’d loaned her while her regular sword, Desperate, was being given maintenance. ‘I’m going to be yelled at again…’ She snapped out of her worries of the future as the nearest Flower Monster came at her with jaws wide open. With just the hilt and guard of the sword left, she wrapped it in wind and then hammered the Monster into the ground with it. She leapt away and the Flower followed after her at speed, targeting her exclusively. ‘Ariel alone isn’t strong enough to kill it?’

“Now they’re after Ais!” Tiona fought against the lashing vines that were keeping her and Tione from helping their friends. “We’re right here, damn it!” She yelled at the three Monsters.

“That’s it!” Tione figured out the Flower Monsters’ fixation. “It’s magical energy! Ais! They’re attracted to Magic!”

‘If that’s the case, then I can lead them away from Lefiya!’ Ais used her speed to dodge the three Monsters as they repeatedly came after her.

“What can I do to help?” Bell questioned, seeing the Flower Monsters chasing after Ais at speed he’d be hard-pressed to even trail behind. He recalled his previous plan to help and then glanced over to where Tiona and Tione were surrounded by the wriggling and lashing vine-like tails of the strange Monsters. With a quick glance over to Lefiya, seeing the Elf Mage trying to get to her feet, even as she held her injured side, Bell knew what he needed to do. ‘They can’t kill these things because they’re almost immune to blunt force strikes. But I have a blade that I can’t swing with enough strength to kill these Monsters.’ That made the solution obvious. “Tiona!” Bell called out as he threw Banryū towards the Amazon like a spinning disk of death. “Catch!”

“Bell?!” Tione blinked at seeing the Level 1 putting himself onto this battlefield with Monsters that could most likely kill him in one blow.

“Bell!” Tiona beamed at Bell as she easily caught the haft of the spinning Banryū, making it look easy with the vast disparity in their Levels. Looking at the great swordstaff that she now held, a wild smile spread across Tiona’s face. “It’s not Urga…BUT IT’LL DO JUST FINE!!!” She nearly roared out her war cry as she took Banryū into both hands and swung the behemoth of a weapon straight through the lashing and wriggling tails.

Tione grinned as well, hearing the Flower Monsters shrieking in pain from the loss of their tails. “That’s right! Come and get us!” She roared out as the Monsters abandoned their pursuit of Ais to attack the threat that had suddenly appeared.

“Raaah!” The Flower Monsters roared as they slithered straight towards Tiona and Tione.

“You’re not so tough when I have a blade!” Tiona charged at the incoming Monsters with her Amazon blood practically chanting for battle. With the ease of her great strength, she swung Banryū straight through the head of the fastest Flower Monster, cleaving it in two for an instant kill.

Tione kicked the flying, half-beheaded Monster’s dead body to one side, letting it land with a loud thud on the street. “Watch where you’re sending them!” They didn’t need the corpses, or hacked off pieces of Monsters, flying into the nearby buildings and causing damage…or worse, hitting a hiding civilian.

Tiona spun Banryū like she did her Urga, having to make an adjustment since all of Banryū’s weight was on one end, but she hacked the last two Flower Monsters into pieces easily. “ORYAH!!!” The heads of the Monsters were split in two, their long, snake-like bodies were viciously cut apart into rough pieces as blood went flying all over the street, and when Tiona landed, she had a wide smile on her face. “Hah! This thing really tears them up!” She praised Banryū with a bright and wild smile befitting an Amazon warrior.

“Woah…” Bell uttered out from his place beside Lefiya, he could only watch in amazement at how effortlessly Tiona had killed all three Monsters with Banryū. “I still have a long way to go.”

“Thank you…for the potions.” Ais thanked Bell for giving all the potions he had on him to Lefiya.

Bell shook his head once. “It’s the least I could do.” He gave both young women a smile. “You took care of what was supposed to be my job.”

“N-No, I was only a liability.” Lefiya shook her head, tears in the corners of her eyes.

Ais surprised Lefiya as she gently pulled the Elf into a hug. “Lefiya, I didn’t…do much either.” She said while looking into her friend’s eyes. “I broke my sword and my magic alone…wasn’t enough to kill even one of them.”

Lefiya sniffled once as she spoke. “B-But Miss Ais…you saved me, again. I keep getting in the way… My magic is supposed to protect you all…”

“But you’ve never faced this Monster before…” Bell spoke up without thinking, only realizing he’d spoken aloud when Ais and Lefiya looked at him. “Sorry.” He apologized, only for both women to continue looking at him, as if requesting him to finish speaking. “Well, it’s just…Shakti and Ardee both told me that fighting a Monster that is unknown carries great risk. None of us knew they were attracted to magical energy until after they attacked you and then started to chase Miss Wallenstein.” He rubbed the back of his head once for just parroting the two much more experienced women. “If any of us had known that, you could’ve been kept on the roof to cast safely.”

“He’s right, Lefiya.” Ais smiled softly at her friend, making Lefiya’s cheeks turn pink. “You got hurt…because we lacked information. That’s not your fault.”

Lefiya wiped her eyes and bowed her head once. “I was too slow with my spell…what good am I if I can’t cast magic?”

Ais rubbed Lefiya’s back, much as Riveria did for her as a child. “Your magic…would’ve defeated them all, Lefiya. It’s much more powerful than mine.”

“I can’t cast any magic.” Bell said with a smile. “I think it’s amazing that you can.” Lefiya blinked as she looked at Bell. “If your only flaw is casting speed…then you just need to get faster, right?” He said in the simple way of someone that didn’t know much about magic.

“Th-Thank you.” Lefiya sniffled once more, a small smile on her face as she looked at Ais. “Ais…” Lefiya blushed slightly as she looked at her idol. “May I… Go with you in the Dungeon?”

“…Sure. Let’s go anytime, Lefiya.” Ais agreed with a gentle smile.

“Okay!” Lefiya agreed, happy little tears at the corners of her eyes. “I promise, I’ll become a better Mage! I’ll learn concurrent casting too!”

The moment between the two young women was broken by the loud and exuberant cheer of Tiona.

“BELL!!!” The missile of Amazon sunshine nearly tackled Bell off his feet a half-second later.

“Tiona!” Bell nearly squawked as he barely managed to keep from falling over.

Tiona beamed at Bell, green eyes meeting rubellite as she hugged him. “Hehe! Thanks for letting me borrow your weapon! It was awesome!” She surprised everyone when she kissed Bell right then and there.

Bell’s eyes went wide, but he enjoyed Tiona’s soft lips pressed against his. Without really thinking, he kissed back…trying to mimic what Tiona was doing. It was his first kiss, so he didn’t really have any experience. ‘But it’s still amazing.’ He thought before the two pulled back and looked at each other for a moment.

“Don’t hog Bell.” Tione said as she handed Banryū back to her sister, who had tossed it to her before launching herself at Bell. “Bell…” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and looked into his eyes. “You were very brave to even step on this battlefield…and braver still to toss your weapon to Tiona.” While Amazons valued strength in the men they became interested in, almost none of them would suffer a fool that couldn’t even judge an opponent’s strength before charging into a fight. Bell had proven his judgement in battle was sound in this fight, marking off another thing that both Tione and Tiona found attractive about him. “You even helped Lefiya by giving her your potions.” Tione greatly appreciated Bell’s kind natured for looking out for her injured friend.

“It was the right thing to do-” Bell’s words were cut off as Tione kissed his lips, just like Tiona had done…and then went further as she pulled him flush against her body. After tasting Bell’s lips for a moment, Tione pulled back, her green eyes filled with affection and warmth.

It was also at that moment that someone else made their presence known.

“Tione! Tiona!” Ardee shouted at her friends, her cheeks bright pink as she nearly charged towards the group.

The other, fully armed and armored, Ganesha Familia members behind her made sure to stay two steps behind Ardee. That was how rare the anger of the beloved young woman was to the Familia. And behind them was a group from the Guild that needed to get reports from everyone involved in this incident of Monsters making it to the surface.

“Hi, Ardee!” Tiona smiled at their friend, still holding Banryū in one hand.

Ardee stopped right next to them and looked at the way Tione had her arms around Bell, and her body pressed flush against him. “Let Bell go.” She said with a little pout forming.

Tione grinned at Ardee, the playfulness clear as she gently pulled Bell’s head into her cleavage instead. “But I don’t want to~”

“T-Tione!” Ardee looked shocked that her friend was going this far. ‘Do Tione and Tiona have feelings for Bell too?!’ She could at least admit to herself that she VERY MUCH had feelings for Bell at this point. “Let him go!”

“Mmph!” Bell’s voice was muffled by Tione’s softness, his face buried in her large bosom, and he found the smell of her bronze skin very nice. He did keep his hands away from Tione’s body though, realizing almost instinctively the danger having his hands on her could bring with how annoyed Ardee was with Tione at the moment. He didn’t realize his lips moving to speak could be—and purposefully were—misinterpreted.

Tione hummed as she ran the fingers of her right hand through Bell’s fluffy white hair. “Mmm… Bell seems to be quite happy were he is; if the kisses he’s giving my tits are anything to go by~”

Tiona nudged Tione with her elbow, shooting a look at her sister. “This has nothing to do with tits!” She pulled bell from Tione’s embrace and into her side. “I’ve got you, Bell!” She giggled, pressing her body into him and nuzzling against his neck.

“Tiona!” Ardee pouted and took hold of Bell’s other arm. “Stop that!” She pulled Bell away from her friend and quickly wrapped her arms around Bell’s left arm. The cute little pout and the look in her eyes gave Tione and Tiona a very clear message from Ardee. ‘Bell is mine!’

“Uh…” Bell felt his own face heating up as Ais, Lefiya, the other Ganesha Familia members, and the Guild employees were all watching them. “…we have things we need to handle.” He tried to diffuse the situation by bringing up the work they needed to do because of this incident.

A certain Goddess suddenly, and loudly, made herself known. “Don’t worry, Ais-tan, Lefiya! I’ll protect you from that playboy!” Loki declared as she leapt towards Ais and Lefiya…only for Ais to gently pull Lefiya to the side and let the Goddess bellyflop onto the hard street. “GUH!!!”

Tione and Tiona, both used to Loki’s antics, took a step forward, putting them very close to Bell again, even as Ardee held his arm. “Share?” They asked in almost perfect unison, making both Bell and Ardee blush dark red.

‘This day is going to keep surprising me, isn’t it?’ Bell though to himself as Tiona giggled while pressing herself flush against him, using the excuse of handing Banryū back to Bell. He wouldn’t lie…Tiona’s toned, and yet still distinctly soft, body felt very nice pressed up against him.

“Uh…Ardee? The reports?” One of the Ganesha Familia members tried to break the moment, but was ignored as Ardee pulled Bell even closer to herself.

All of the men were beyond envious of the position that Bell was in: Ardee wrapped around one arm, Tiona Hyrute pressing flush up against him, and Tione Hyrute grinning as she squeezed into his other side while making sure her large breasts were pressing against Bell.

‘Lucky bastard!’ Was the shared thought of every man not named Bell.

-End Chapter-

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Bell’s first Monsterphilia was going well…until it suddenly wasn’t!

He tries to attack the strange Monster, only to realize it’s at least Level 3 when he can’t damage it much.

Thankfully, Tiona, Tione, Ais, and Lefiya got there when they did!

Unlike in Canon, Bell made the easy decision to solve the incident as a member of the Ganesha Familia: if he can’t kill the monster with his bladed weapon, and Tiona can’t kill the Monster without a bladed weapon…then he should give his weapon to Tiona!

Tiona’s Amazon blood practically sings in her veins when she catches Banryū! What followed was a quick and brutal end for the three Flower Monsters!

Ardee sees Tiona and Tione kissing Bell! OOOOHHHH!!!

Adorable pout as she makes it very clear to both Amazon sisters that Bell is ‘hers’! Kek!

But Tione and Tiona don’t mind sharing~

Bell is about to experience having the affection of multiple women!

Is that an ‘obstacle’ that he needs to overcome, or another source of strength to draw from on his path to becoming a Hero?

Perhaps he could ask Ganesha? Heh!

Just how much will Tiona’s ease at eliminating the Monsters that Bell could barely cut drive him to improve?

Keep reading to find out!

Let me know what you thought!

Until next time, later!