Chapter Text
-----Orario-----
The city of Orario, the city of heroes, the city of gods, and the place where all the races of the world unite and coexist, in most cases to join the Familia of a god and explore the dreaded Dungeon.
And one of these Families was the infamous Loki Family, whose patron deity was, obviously, the Norse goddess of trickery, Loki. It was the second strongest Family in the city, second only to the Freya Family.
The goddess Loki loved all her children, but she had a "favorite" in the Familia, the sword princess: Aiz Wallenstein, a 16-year-old girl known as one of Orario's strongest first-class adventurers.
However, curiously, Aiz also had the nickname "Doll Princess" due to her incredibly expressionless nature and was also known as "Unconquerable," with rumors saying she rejected around 1000 dating requests.
But it wasn't because she was lesbian or asexual; the reason was much deeper and more emotional.
Before joining the Loki Familia, even before becoming an adventurer, her mother, a beautiful woman with blonde hair and eyes the same color as hers, told her that she fell in love with her father because he was her hero. When Aiz asked her father what he saw in her to have a daughter with him, her mother, after hearing the answer, told her that if she found her hero—that person who would illuminate her life even in the darkest moments and give her the happiness of her life—she would know that he was the right person for her.
Those words were etched in her mind forever. She waited for that person for many years, but as the years passed, he never appeared. She felt the darkness slowly growing inside her, the cold extinguishing her heart, and the only motivation she knew was revenge and the desire to kill the monster who had taken her mother and murdered her father.
But… what she didn't know was that an incident that could have ended in tragedy, and the way she prevented it… would lead her to find the hero she so longed for, that person who would bring her happiness and light even amidst all her darkness… the right person her mother had spoken of… she had finally arrived, or rather… found him.
-----Aiz POV-----
Another day… another trip to the Dungeon with the same routine that began with torment, where I felt as if I were drowning in an ocean of darkness, where, little by little, life lost its color.
But I always pretended that everything was fine, that everything was in order, doing the impossible so that no one would notice how I was beginning to wither away.
Where I felt I would never find my hero, that special person my mother told me would bring me happiness and the light of my life.
Did my thirst for revenge prevent me from finding a hero? Am I wicked? Am I corrupt? Do I deserve to die?
All of that stopped mattering a long time ago, when I stopped looking for answers because no one could save me.
But if only... there was a chance to find that person... I would grab them and go to the depths of hell to save and protect them, so that they would never abandon me.
Even if the gods and my family stood in my way... I wouldn't care... I just want to know if I truly deserve to be happy and feel alive again... to have a purpose greater than this revenge that is corrupting and rotting me from the inside.
Unfortunately, I was pulled from my thoughts by my friend Tiona.
Tiona: Aiz! — She called me with unusual urgency for her — One of the Minotaurs escaped, go after him!
I started running with all the speed my level 5 legs could muster; if that Minotaur killed anyone, my family would be harmed, and we could have serious problems.
Unfortunately for me, the Minotaur was already far ahead of me, and although I was 3 levels above him, I still had the challenge of finding him. I continued following his tracks until I reached the 5th floor, a place where level 1 adventurers stayed and a location where no level 2 monster should be.
Just when I finally seemed to be catching up to the tracks, something caught my attention: some adventurers fleeing from... nothing.
“We were lucky, that white-haired boy summoned the Minotaur for himself!” — A random adventurer told his small group that he had two more adventurers with him, a girl and another boy.
“Is that kid an idiot?!” — The second one spoke incredulously, although it was understandable; a rookie summoning a Minotaur was idiotic.
“Stop it, you idiots, we have to find help for him!” — The only girl scolded the two — “Ahh? Aiz Walleinstein, please help the white-haired boy, he went that way!”
She pointed to a specific path that eventually led to a dead end; if I didn't act fast, that boy would die. So, using that information, I dashed off after that Minotaur.
I could finally see that damned monster; it had cornered someone in the dead end. It was the white-haired boy who had been mentioned before; he was completely defenseless against that Minotaur.
I needed to be as fast as possible, so with a single burst of Ariel's speed, I sliced that damned Minotaur in half, leaving the white-haired boy covered in blood because of it.
“Are you... okay...?” — I was shocked, he was... gorgeous!
When I looked at the boy more closely, I could see him better.
He was about 14 years old, maybe two years younger than me, and he seemed quite childlike; his eyes were ruby-red, and he had delicate, childlike features. His white hair, stained with blood, gave him a charming air.
Like a frightened little rabbit, I saw the fear in his eyes, and the only way I could think of to calm him down was to hug him tightly.
Although, to be honest… I think he saved me, because when I saw him, I realized something… he was the right person… he was the hero my mother promised would one day appear.
So many years since I lost my parents, so many years in which I thought I had been devoured by darkness and despair, so many years in which I stopped believing in anything… he… finally appeared in my life.
“Aiz, are you… okay?” — A voice I knew well asked behind me.
The voice I heard was that of my adoptive mother, Riveria Alf Ljos, the most powerful mage of all, rivaled only by Hedin Selland of the Freya Familia. When she saw me hugging the boy, she was surprised, as I hadn't cried since childhood, leaving everyone present confused.
“Aiz… are you alright?” — Tiona was clearly confused by the voice I heard from her.
“What the hell happened to Aiz?” — Bete was annoyed, probably because he thought the boy was weak.
“Hey, kid… are you alright?” — Finn focused on the most important thing, which was asking about the Minotaur's target's condition.
“Yes… I’m fine… but she… hugged me and won’t let go at all.” — The boy replied to Finn in a confused and embarrassed manner.
That's what I heard; the reason she wouldn't let go of me was that I felt her pure soul purifying and calming my dark flame, and for the first time in many years, I could finally feel peace.
Then, in a low, almost imperceptible whisper, I thanked him.
Thank you… thank you for saving me. — I murmured so softly I don't think even he heard.
“Aiz, you need to let him go” — Gareth tried to warn me — “I think he needs to go home and clean up all this blood.”
I finally let him go, although inside I never wanted to let him go again; I wanted to take him to my room, lie with him on my bed, and stay in his arms forever.
“I appreciate your help with the Minotaur” — He stood up quickly, thankfully the Minotaur hadn't hurt him — “Although, why was there a Minotaur on this floor?”
“It was our mistake” — Riveria was quick to admit her error; she wasn't ashamed to admit she was wrong — “In our carelessness, the Minotaur escaped. We were lucky he didn't kill anyone. If you'd like, we can compensate you in some way.”
“No need” — He refused gently — “If it was just a mistake, then there's no need for that.”
“Thanks, kid. What's your name and family?” — Finn asked curiously. I knew he wanted that information, especially his family's, for future use if needed.
“My name is Bell Cranel and I'm from the Hestia Familia” — He introduced himself and I finally learned my hero's name.
“From what I remember, the goddess Hestia is a new goddess in Orario” — Riveria remembered a fact I wasn't aware of — “I heard she's been looking for members for her Familia, so you're her first member?”
“The first and for now the only one” — he said with an embarrassed smile — “But I think I've said too much already, I need to go home and take a shower before I start to stink!”
He ran off, I didn't want him to leave and because of that I tried to grab his hand, but he seemed to consciously dodge my hand.
‘My hero’ — I thought with a warm heart, after all these years he finally appeared!
“Hey, Aiz... what's gotten into you?” — Bete asked me, clearly wanting answers.
That was the question Bete asked me when she saw me acting that way. When I turned to look at the rest of my family, I realized they were all confused by my behavior, since I never expected me to do something like that.
Actually, I hadn't expected to act that way either, and I was genuinely surprised that I hugged the boy so tightly to stop him from leaving my side.
But even so... I longed to have him in my arms again and never let him go.
But in the end, I couldn't force him to stay, so I just got up to wipe some of the Minotaur blood that was stained on my clothes.
That's when Riveria asked me if I was okay.
“Yes... I'm fine... after so many years, I'm really fine.” — I said with a calmness that she, or anyone else, had never heard before; my heart felt so light now.
That's what I told her; my answer confused her, but in the end, she decided not to ask anything else. After a few minutes, we returned to the surface to go back to our headquarters.
The image of Bell Cranel wouldn't leave my head, and I kept thinking about her hair, her childlike face… her ruby eyes and more.
Thinking about him calmed me down a little and, surprisingly, when I hugged him, he smelled like pineapple.
I really wanted to see him again!
-----Bell POV-----
I was finishing my shower at the Guild, initially I went to Eina-san to report the Minotaur's appearance in the Dungeon and well... she wasn't very happy about it...
“A MINOTAUR ON THE 5TH FLOOR?!” — Eina-san shouted, she apparently had a habit of shouting whenever something unusual and dangerous happened to me, now why I had no idea! — “HOW COULD THE LOKI FAMILY LET SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN?!”
“Calm down, Eina-san, in the end everything turned out alright, Aiz Wallenstein killed the Minotaur and nobody got hurt” — I tried to calm her down with my words — “Thank her for me being okay!”
“Well...” — Eina-san sighed, clearly tired of all this — “And you, Bell, what do you think of Aiz Wallenstein now?”
“What do I think?” — I asked, confused, and she nodded — “She's a strong and beautiful girl!”
“Don't tell me you've fallen in love with her?!” — She seemed strangely worried about it, and I vehemently shook my head.
“Of course not!” — I said, my face flushed. I had given her a platonic compliment, and I really didn't feel anything for her — “I won't deny she's beautiful, but I'm not going to fall in love with her just because she saved me. Do you think this is a fairy tale?!”
“Sorry, it's just that the canon Bell rejects everyone because of her.” — Eina said
“That's the premise of this fanfic, roles reversed!” — I said breaking the 4th wall
“What?” — Eina
“What?” — Me
“Stop talking nonsense, you two and Cranel!” — Rose-san called me and threw a towel at me — “GO TAKE A SHOWER!”
I then ran at full speed to the showers.”
Well, after that embarrassing situation with Rose and Eina, I finished my shower and left the guild to return to my headquarters.
As I walked toward my destination, I thought of Eina's words:
"Did you fall in love with her?"
I can't deny that being in Aiz's arms made me feel protected and safe, but even so, I can't fall in love with her. How can I fall in love with a girl I don't know?
But anyway, I wasn't going to dwell on it; I needed to get back to my headquarters as quickly as possible, since I think Kami-sama is worried about me.
So I quickened my pace to get to the Abandoned District as quickly as possible, and after about 30 minutes, I finally arrived at my destination.
The first thing I saw was Kami-sama running towards me and hugging me, clearly worried because I had taken longer than expected.
“Bell-kun, where were you? You had me so worried!” — She barely let me speak first, but that was something I was already used to.
“I'm fine, Kami-sama, I just almost died in the Dungeon, hehe” — I said, my cheeks red with embarrassment.
But it wasn't good that I said that, because Kami-sama became hysterical with my words. She started checking me thoroughly, wanting to find any injury to see if I was really okay. She obviously didn't find anything, because I wasn't injured.
“Well, I'm glad you're alright” — She sighed with relief at the end — “But I still prefer that you don't take these risks!”
“Well, the Minotaur was actually a mistake by the Loki Familia” — I revealed this, and Kami-sama's eyes widened when I said that.
“Loki?! That flat-chested one?! You almost died because of her family?!” — Kami-sama was furious at that, and I was taken aback by her anger when she said the goddess Loki's name. Did they know each other? — “Oh, but I'm going to have a LONG talk with her about letting monsters escape to the upper floors!”
I spent some time trying to convince Kami-sama not to do anything crazy with the goddess Loki; it was going to take a while...
-----Aiz POV-----
“You want to know... about Bell Cranel?” — The half-elf receptionist was clearly shocked and confused by my request.
It had been a few hours since I returned to the surface with my Familia. We were greeted as always by our goddess, but Loki sensed that something was wrong with me.
“Aiz-tan, what happened?” Loki asked me, confused. After all, I had a big, calm smile on my face; even I knew that this shouldn't be normal for me.
“I think I've finally found my light” — I replied, still smiling.
“Your light?” — Loki asked confused
“Yes, he's a 14-year-old boy with white hair and ruby-red eyes. He looked like a cute, scared little bunny in the Dungeon.” — I loved discribing him
“Right...?” — She said, a little uncomfortable with my cheerfulness.
“If you don't mind, I'll go to the Guild.” — I said simply.
“Huh? Why?” — Loki was confused with my decision
“To get more information about him” — I said, and headed towards the Guild.
“Look... I can't give you any information about the boy just like that, beyond the Guild's rules. Why do you want to know where he is, what his headquarters is?” — she asked, looking at me with a mixture of confusion and seriousness at my request.
And honestly, blaming her for that would be silly, since it's rare for someone of my level and position to be so interested in a newcomer, and it would be very strange for them to see me so attached to a boy who's only been in the city for his first few days.
“I'm not asking for personal or confidential information, just something superficial” — I replied while she continued to look at me perplexed.
Eina massaged her temple. Bell hadn't said he'd become FRIENDS with Aiz Wallenstein, the coldest woman in Orario, but well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to help the girl a little. Maybe Bell could get something good out of becoming friends with a member of the Loki Familia.
“Well, I can't give too much information, but basically his name is Bell Cranel, he's level 1, he arrived in the city about 3 weeks ago and joined the Hestia Familia 2 weeks ago” — Eina gave basic information — “He's also 14 years old and is currently the only member of the Hestia Familia.”
“So his Family was recently founded?” — I asked simply and received a nod of confirmation from Eina — “Where is his headquarters?”
“I can't say that!” — Eina denied it immediately, and I was confused and somewhat upset by it — “Because you already have a family, I can't just go around giving out the addresses of other families like that; I can only say those things to people who are looking for a family.”
I just nodded, I knew she probably hadn't meant any harm. Riveria always taught me that at the end of the day, rules are rules and should be followed.
But still, my hero probably knew where I lived and I didn't know where he lived, and that upset me. How could I just go up to him and get to know him better if I didn't know where he lived?
Well, Riveria always says you can get what you want the right way, I'll have to follow him or do it the hard way!
So after that, I left the Guild and went to my headquarters, where I mentally planned how I would find his headquarters and thus find him.
But as I walked, a very simple, yet very important question came to mind…
"How do I start a conversation with him?"
That doubt paralyzed me, and mind you… I'm terrible at starting conversations.
Contrary to what people think, I don't like to talk and I'm cold; it's just that I'm bad at connecting with people, and I'm very lucky to have Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya as friends.
But even they acknowledge that I'm bad at expressing myself and communicating; sometimes I wish I could talk to them without seeming so cold.
But the problem is that I don't know what to talk about, since I'm always in the Dungeon or training, and I know that would be very boring for anyone.
That's why I stay quiet in conversations; I simply don't know what to say.
But I know there is a solution, and that solution to my terrible communication skills is my adoptive mother, Riveria.
I think she'll help me with this problem so I can finally talk to Bell when I see him.
-----Bell POV-----
I was updating my stats; according to Kami-sama, I'd had an unusual growth rate since becoming an adventurer, and according to her, I was very talented.
Hestia: Here, Bell-kun — Kami-sama handed me the status sheet.
——————Bell Cranel Status——————
Name: Bell Cranel
Race: Human
Age: 14
Height: 165cm
Affiliation: Hestia Familia
Statistics:
Strenght: G210
Resistance: H190
Dexterity: G240
Agility: G290
Magic: 0
Skills:
Hero's Heart: Rapid growth generated by the user's pure, kind heart and heroic desire; the ability's effect varies according to the user's heroic desire. The heroic heart also prevents the user from being affected by charms. (Not shown)
Magic:
None
Development skills:
None
——————End of Bell Cranel Status——————
“Incredible!” — I shouted upon seeing my attributes, which were much higher than I expected, except for magic, but I didn't care, I didn't even have magic yet anyway.
I was really happy to learn that, in 3 weeks in the {Dungeon}, I managed to raise all my attributes to level G.
“Congratulations, Bell-kun, you've grown up so fast!” — The goddess was very happy for me.
That's what Hestia told me before hugging me, and I simply returned the hug and said I was happy to be her son.
This made my Goddess very happy to hear those words come from my mouth.
-----Aiz POV-----
“Ehhhh, Aiz?” — Riveria called me, I was silent because I didn't know what to answer in the "conversation class"
“Hi Riveria?” — I asked, confused, what was the problem?
“Didn't you want to learn how to converse?” — She raised an eyebrow at me.
“And I want to” — I confirmed to her.
“So why have you been silent for 20 minutes?” — Riveria asked, clearly unhappy. She hated it when I didn't concentrate on my training sessions, even those she oversaw, even something as simple as this.
“Eeeehhhh” — I really didn't know what to say.
Bete was nearby and he had a look on his face that said, "Can I go home now?", since he was the one I was practicing with.
“You know what?” — Bete decided after standing there for 20 minutes — “I'm leaving, I'm not going to waste my time with this nonsense.”
Riveria tried to convince Bete not to go, but he said that if she really wanted to improve her social skills, she needed to talk to people instead of wasting time on this.
After that, Bete finally left, leaving Riveria and me alone.
“Ohhhhhh, damn it, seriously, Aiz, why did you come looking for me out of the blue and ask me to teach you how to socialize like that?” — Riveria was not happy with that
“Do you remember the guy we met in the {Dungeon}?” — I asked
“Yes, but why do you ask?” — She didn’t understand why i was talking about him
“It's just that he... he is... my hero, the person my mother, Aria, talked so much about who would one day come to me.” — I said, my heart growing warm again
“Aiz... I..” — She was surprised by my answer — “... I... I don't know what to say.”
“Ahhh, I know, I know it all happened so suddenly, but when I saw him... I felt like the black fire had calmed down and life had regained its color for me.” — I told
“...” — Riveria remained silent, I didn't understand why.
-----Narrator POV-----
Riveria couldn't believe it. Of course, she thought it was strange when Aiz simply hugged the boy as if the world depended on it, but still, had Aiz really fallen in love at first sight?
Riveria spent about 9 years trying to make Aiz act more like a teenager and less like a monster-killing machine, but for 9 years Aiz simply didn't care about absolutely anything other than Jagamarukun or killing monsters to get stronger.
And now she was standing in front of him, wanting to learn how to socialize because she had fallen in love at first sight with a new boy in town.
Not that she was bothered by it; for Riveria, seeing Aiz as happy as she had been in the Dungeon earlier was wonderful.
But there was a problem: What if the boy didn't love her?
Aiz was happier than she had ever been, even though she didn't know him, and Riveria was sure that Aiz would be even happier when she could spend more time with him.
But what if he rejected her?
What would Aiz's situation be then?
...
Riveria knew she couldn't allow that; she wouldn't force Bell to love Aiz, as Loki would probably suggest. She would ensure that Bell fell in love with Aiz naturally.
The tall elf didn't really know how to do it; she had never been romantically involved with anyone before, but for Aiz, she would be willing to take that risk.
Possible plans could include things like: Having Aiz invite Bell to train with her, either at Twilight Manor or elsewhere; eventually, Riveria could arrange secret meetings for them here at the mansion.
With that in mind, Riveria told Aiz to go see Loki to check if she had leveled up or if her attributes had increased.
The blonde simply nodded and set off in search of her Goddess.
She found her quickly and asked her to update her status, which Loki readily agreed to.
Aiz took off her shirt to show her back so Loki could update her "Falna". Without wasting any time, the redhead cut her finger, letting a drop of blood fall to update her favorite daughter's status.
She was surprised when she did it.
——————Aiz Walleinstein Status——————
Name: Aiz Wallenstein
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Age: 16
Affiliation: Loki Familia
Level: 5
[Attributes]
- Strength: D564
- Strength: D553
- Dexterity: A827
- Agility: A824
- Magic: S900
[Development Skills]
- Huntress: G
- Resistance to Anomalies: G
- Swordsman: H
[Skills]
- Avenger
- Redemption from Vengeance
Description: A mysterious ability born from hope and light, this enigmatic power seems to neutralize the Avenger's unholy darkness; if the loved one rejects her feelings or dies, the ability will be permanently nullified.
Benefits
- Unlimited growth
- Break boundaries
- Increase the acquisition of "Excelia"
- There is a 5% chance that the user's attacks will be imbued with the element of light. This probability increases with the intensity of emotions.
- The user cannot level up until their loved one catches up.
[Spells]
- Ariel
——————End of Aiz Wallentein Status———————
Loki stared at that ability in disbelief. Aiz had fallen in love... not only that, she had literally developed a broken ability just for that reason.
Since when was she in love?!
Riveria didn't tell her anything about it, how dare they hide something like that from her?!
Loki: Here, Aiz-tan — Loki handed his status sheet to his favorite daughter — Now, I need to have a private conversation with Finn, Riveria, and Gareth. Could you call them for me?
Aiz simply went out to inform the three main executives. She didn't find it strange; it was perfectly normal for Loki to have exclusive meetings with Finn, Riveria, and Gareth—those three were the heads of the Familia, after all.
Aiz simply glanced at her status sheet, a skill created by her bunny out of her love for him. She could only smile at it; her heart had felt so warm ever since she started thinking about him...
In the goddess's office, Loki was different from what her three top executives were used to; she was deadly serious.
“So...” — Loki was drumming his fingers on the table, clearly unhappy about something — “Can you tell me how long Aiz has been in love?”
“Did you find out yet?” — Riveria sighed, realizing she would have to tell him; she was genuinely bothered by Loki's serious expression — “Well, basically, Aiz met him today in the Dungeon, when she saved him from a Minotaur that we accidentally let escape.”
Loki gritted his teeth at that. How dare some random boy capture the attention of his Aiz-tan?!
“Why does that bother you?” — Riveria frowned at Loki's reaction — “If Aiz is happy, let her be happy.”
These words fell on deaf ears before Loki, the goddess, visibly irritated, tried to protest, but Finn and Gareth sided with Riveria.
“Come on, Loki, if the girl is happy with the boy, let her be happy” — Gareth said, weary of the situation — “What's the problem?”
“I'm usually biased about it, but it doesn't negatively affect us at all, so why get upset?” — Of course, they would have to impose some common boundaries to ensure that Aiz didn't do anything harmful to the Familia because of him, but aside from that, he saw no problem with Aiz dating someone.
“I WON'T ALLOW A NEWBIE TO GET MY AIZ-TAN!” — His jealousy was stronger than his rationality.
Finn simply sighed, then stood up and approached his Goddess, giving her a light tap on the back of the neck—not hard, not serious, but enough to jolt the Goddess of Lies out of her jealousy and make her use her brain.
PLAFT
“Stop being so elitist, for Odin's sake! If the girl loves a level 1, stop interfering” — Finn sighed at that.
‘What a tremendous slap from Finn!’ — Gareth thought, surprised by that. Of course, the blow hadn't been very strong, but it was still unusual for Finn to hit Loki; normally it was Aiz and Riveria who did that.
‘I hope this makes her understand that she can’t dictate Aiz’s love life’ — Riveria was really annoyed with Loki’s behavior this time.
Loki just grumbled a little; she knew Finn had only given her a light slap to make her stop yelling. She was still annoyed that Aiz had fallen in love with someone.
“Which Familia is he from?” — Loki hadn't asked that yet.
“Familia Hestia, a newly formed Familia” — Gareth said simply.
“She... is in love with the dwarf's son?!” — Of all the boys, why the son of that busty Loli?!
“Would you prefer it to be someone from the Freya Family?” — Riveria raised an unhappy eyebrow.
That silenced Loki instantly, even though she would never admit it, she would still 100% prefer Aiz to end up with a child of Hestia rather than someone from the Freya Familia.
“Ahhhh, alright...” — Loki finally gave in — “But now the most important question: How are we going to make the boy love Aiz too?”
“I'm already making plans regarding this” — Riveria gave a gentle smile — “The first part is getting them to know each other and spend time together, I think it's okay to invite him to our headquarters from time to time, isn't it?”
Aiz and Bell, on the other side of town, had no idea that Loki's top executives were planning their first meeting!