Three days later.
Orario.
"I'm back, finally." Bell spoke after walking inside the gates of Orario, the Artemis Familia and Goddess Artemis behind him.
"Do you want to come with me to meet Goddess Astraea, Goddess Artemis?" he asked without glancing back. His eyes were already darting towards the way home.
"I'll first have to report to the guild about our mission. You can tell me the way; I'll come after settling my Familia and having free time," Goddess Artemis spoke after a moment of thought.
Bell did not protest. He instead told her directions to his home and flashed away in moments. His heart wouldn't settle until he checked on his Goddesses.
He reached his home in moments and knocked on the front door, a little anxious about nothing in particular.
The main door was opened with a click.
Goddess Astraea was standing there, her face a little haggard. A tint of melancholy beneath her composed facade.
Though, her eyes lit up the moment she saw Bell was the one who had knocked. All weariness was wiped off her face in an instant. The corners of her mouth curling up unconsciously.
She opened her arms in a hugging gesture, stepping closer towards him.
But that was the moment...
When a 'mini rocket' barrelled from inside, twin tails flailing mid-motion. It collided directly against Bell's slightly defined abs.
"Oof..." He felt air leave his lungs as Hestia wrapped her arms around his waist, clinging to him as she bawled without a care for the dignity of a Goddess.
"Waah... Waah... Do you know how worried I was about you, Bell!?" Hestia continued without a care for her surroundings.
"Where have you been? What have you been eating? Did you run into any other skanks wanting to prey on my pure Bell? Tell me quickly, why are you so quiet?"
Bell wanted to reply, but he genuinely couldn't—or rather, didn't dare.
Hestia couldn't look back since she had her face buried in his stomach, but he could.
And boy oh boy, did he wish he couldn't.
Goddess Astraea looked with a blank expression at Goddess Hestia's back. If looks could kill, Hestia would've been sent back to Tenkai a hundred times over.
He had just gotten back and was welcomed home with a bomb. If he didn't handle this properly, he wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow he was informed that poor Hestia was sent back to Tenkai by choking on a Jagamarukun.
In the end... He himself had to come in clutch.
Hestia, oh Hestia... Where would you be without me?
Probably entombed in a graveyard for touching the reverse scale of an eternal virgin.
Bell let out an exasperated sigh at Hestia, who wasn't letting him go, sticking to him like a leech.
He brought his own hands up afterwards and pulled Goddess Astraea into a tight hug. Hestia was squished in between both of them.
Bell ignored her and watched as Goddess Astraea's blank expression slowly melted into a content sigh.
"Hey... Hey, I can't breathe! Don't crush me in between." Goddess Hestia tried to wiggle out from between like a person stuck between a rock and a hard place.
A mischievous smile flashed across Goddess Astraea's face as she pushed herself further against Bell, nearly crushing Goddess Hestia between them both.
In the end, it was Bell who granted her mercy by breaking out of their group hug and giving poor Hestia some breathing room.
Who knew if this was a plan of Goddess Astraea to send Hestia back to Tenkai while claiming accident?
Bell couldn't be too sure, and that uncertainty made goosebumps rise across his body.
Why do I have so much good luck with virgin Goddesses? Too much, in fact. Someone help, I'm suffering from my own luck.
"Alright... let's go in, and update Bell's Falna first of all. We haven't updated it in forever." Goddess Astraea suggested while gesturing inside.
"Haa... Huu... Haa... Huu. I-I can't breathe properly... Bell, can you check my heart?" An imperceptible glint flashed across Goddess Hestia's eyes as she took deep breaths nearby; she clutched her heart in mock pain and spoke with difficulty.
Both Bell and Goddess Astraea looked at Goddess Hestia with straight faces.
My fam... who are you trying to fool? At least don't let strange laughs slip in between if you're genuinely having trouble breathing.
Bell let out a weary sigh while Goddess Astraea felt a vein pop near her temple.
Before Goddess Astraea could say anything, Bell walked up to Goddess Hestia and hauled her over his shoulder like an unruly brat.
Her act didn't even last seconds. She started thrashing in moments.
"Hey... Bell! Put me down, I'm not a child. I'm a dignified Goddess." Goddess Hestia grumbled while flailing against his shoulder, her earlier act forgotten in moments.
Bell ignored her and followed Goddess Astraea inside, Hestia getting to ride on Bell Airlines for the first time.
But the shocking thing was... Goddess Astraea glanced behind at them and looked at Bell with an aggrieved gaze, as if silently saying, 'Why this shortstack? Why not me?'
Bell was left tongue-tied at her actions, genuinely wondering.
Was this really my Goddess?
What in the world happened to her?
...
..
.
Some time later.
Bell was lying on an average-sized bed, his back bare, his defined back muscles being scrutinised by the two Goddesses standing beside the bed.
Goddess Hestia was lost in gazing at Bell's bare body, even momentarily forgetting his updated status sheet in her hands.
A cough from Goddess Astraea broke her out of her reverie. She brought the status sheet close and looked at it with curiosity.
Her curiosity was frozen on her face a moment later. She wiped her eyes once... twice... thrice.
After concluding that it was the same, she mechanically passed it to Goddess Astraea.
Goddess Astraea looked at the status sheet, her curious expression freezing like Goddess Hestia's. She brought her hand up to her cheek and pinched... once... twice... thrice.
The conclusion she reached was the same as Goddess Hestia's—it was real.
She then passed it on to Bell absentmindedly.
Bell took the status sheet from her and blinked... once... twice... thrice.
As... expected.
[Name: Bell Cranel
Level - 1 (↑)
Attributes (Astraea Falna) -
Strength: 999 [S]
Endurance: 999 [S]
Dexterity: 999 [S]
Agility: 999 [S]
Magic: 999 [S]
Attributes (Hestia Falna) -
Strength: 999 [S]
Endurance: 999 [S]
Dexterity: 999 [S]
Agility: 999 [S]
Magic: 999 [S]
Magic:
Grega (↑) - Fire magic. Can become a second sun at it's peak.
Astra—Vesta—Calibur - Imitation of an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm. Bringing victory in the name of Astraea and Hestia.
Skills:
Eight Handled Wheel - Adaptation to any and all *********.
Ittou Shura/Rasestu - Burn life, transcend limits, for a single minute, become a One-Blade Shura/Rakshasha.
Instinct - Your Instincts are the sharpest. In combat, You will see a path to victory.
Super Regeneration - Your body regenerates from any sort of injuries. Even missing limbs. At incredible speeds.
Asura Soul Reaping (Semi-Sealed)]
...
..
.
***
[300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
[8 chapters ahead on P@tr3on = [email protected]/Not_Aaryan]
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[Author's Thoughts]
Enjoy.