A shadow flickered in front of me before swiping at my neck. An intangible blade suddenly flared into existence and tried to rip out my throat. But it was stopped by Black Demon.

Sparks flew, lighting up the dark corridors. And my attacker froze in shock, revealing a hazy black form with a violet core.

Seeing that, I jabbed my right hand forward and clawed out its chest. My fingers clenched around the core and I pulled it back.

The War Shadow attacking me flickered, turning even hazier. And then it vanished, leaving behind... A weird shadow fabric thing.

Like with all other drops, I picked it up and tossed it into my inventory. After that, I glanced over to the side.

Welf let out a whistle and said, "Damn. I keep saying this... But you're really good at fighting, Bell."

"Comes with the territory. And preparation is key. Though... I didn't think it'd be this easy either..."

We were on the fifth floor now. After donning Black Demon, and since I'd gotten used to its weight, I was literally steamrolling through monsters.

While the dungeon tried to send out some hordes to mob me again, it seemed to have stopped trying after I just cleared through them all. And fast enough to where Welf didn't even get a chance to help.

Welf walked over to me and gave me a once over. "Everything still holding up? Nothing feel out of place?"

"Nope." I shook my head. "Everything still feels like normal." I moved my limbs around, causing the armor to clang a bit. "It's a bit nicked and dented here and there, but it's just superficial."

"That's good. I designed Black Demon to be able to handle up to the tenth floor for rookie adventurers so it's nice to see it holding up. Though I didn't expect it to do so well against hordes like that." Welf rubbed his chin as he looked at my armor and said, "It's holding up surprisingly well. A lot better than I expected considering the abuse it just went through..."

I lightly clapped Welf's shoulder and said, "Have a bit more faith in your skills, Bro. This thing's great, and you've got the skills to prove it. You just... have a bit of a higher standard for the average adventurer."

Welf chuckled. "True. Seems like Black Demon got lucky to find you then. It would have just been sitting in the dust otherwise."

"Mm, maybe." I glanced at our surroundings and said, "Should we keep going then? This was just supposed to be a field trial, but since we're already this far... And since we haven't had many issues, do you want to keep going?"

Welf hummed. "It would be nice if I could get some fighting in too... But we've been out for a while, haven't we? Won't your daughter and Lady Hestia be worried about you?"

"That's true." I nodded. "In that case..." I returned Black Demon into my inventory.

At once, my vision changed. Before, it was a weird hybrid outline thing, kind of like from a cyberpunk futuristic hologram thing. But now it was an actual image... if that made sense.

In short, I could see in color again and take full stock of my surroundings instead of just the general details. And when I did, I noticed that the lighting was dim, but an unsettling green color. The walls were that color as well, giving everything a sickly feel to it.

But that was all. There weren't any enemies nearby or any dangerous fluctuations that might cause us to suddenly get warped away or fall through the floor.

Which I hoped the dungeon wouldn't be smart or ruthless enough to do in the near future, but it was important to account for everything at a time like this.

Welf gave me a weird look and said, "Where do you even keep all of your things, Bell? That's super handy, but..."

"Do you want to know?" I paused. "Come to think of it, it would probably help you out too, right? I think I can teach you. Maybe?"

If Storyteller's Refrain worked like I thought it did, I should be able to give Welf my Inventory spell.

"...It's fine." Welf looked tempted, but he shook his head. "I already know enough of your secrets. I'm flattered that you're willing to tell me, but I'm still not confident in being able to protect those secrets. Especially when they're bigger than mine." He muttered the last part under his breath.

I heard that last bit but pretended not to. Instead, I drew my knife and looked towards the stairs going up. "Sounds good. Just let me know if you ever change your mind then. It's probably good info for my blacksmith pal to know if he wants to make me stuff, right?"

Welf laughed. "True. But I'm not even at that level yet."

"Well, hopefully you get there before Black Demon wears out. Anyway... Let's head back up and call it a day. Speedrun time."

Welf blinked. "Speedrun time?"

I nodded and grinned. "You said you wanted to get better, right? What better way than to sprint our way back to the top of the dungeon?"

As if in response to my intentions, cracks started to echo. Shadows swirled in the walls around us... but only a few stopped.

It seemed like the dungeon was being cautious too.

I didn't blame it. After all, I did put it out a few hundred mobs in the past few days.

Still, this was perfect.

For once, there was an average encounter rate of monsters. Still, running all the way back up all those stairs... Definitely a challenge.

Welf slowly raised his sword and let out a nervous laugh. "Haha... You're joking, right Bell?"

"Nope." I beckoned for him to go and said, "Lead the way, Bro. I'll be right behind you... And I'll let you know how I think you're doing too. I might not look it, but I'm pretty good at analyzing things, you know?"

"...Well." Welf tightened his grip on his sword and said, "I guess I asked for this..."

"You did. Now... Get ready and let's roll."

War Shadows popped into existence, immediately rushing towards me- No. Towards Welf.

It seemed like the dungeon knew better than to throw oil into the fire and feed me experience.

Welf let out a battle cry and then charged forward, swinging his sword.

I grinned and ran after him. As I did, I focused.

Now... Just where was Welf lacking? And how could I help him get better faster?

xxx

Hestia blinked, slowly returning back from slumberland to the world of the living. As she did, she realized that she was sleeping in bed with someone cuddled against her chest.

"Hehe... Mommy..." A cute and happy voice echoed. Fina's.

Hestia smiled and brushed the young girl's hair. "Morning, Princess."

"Mm..." Fina slowly blinked and opened her eyes. "Mommy?"

"That's right. It's morning now, so we can't be lounging around forever." Hestia patted Fina's head and said, "Now, get up and get ready, okay?"

"Kay..." Fina mumbled and sat up.

Hestia got up as well and stretched. 'Bell left already, huh?'

Her first child... That troublesome young man who was too much for his own good. It seemed like he left early to finish some business.

Hestia noticed a letter on the table nearby and picked it up.

[Sorry, Tia. Didn't want to wake you guys, but I headed to see Welf early this morning. We're probably going to be busy on stuff, so I'll be back late. I left you guys breakfast and lunch in the fridge though, so don't forget to eat! Also, tell Fina I love her! -Bell]

"This guy..." Hestia sighed, but let out a soft smile afterwards. It seemed like he was taking things seriously at least.

Though...

Hestia shifted her gaze off to the side.

Fina was in the bathroom, humming to herself as she washed her face and brushed her teeth. A sweet tune and a peaceful sight.

Standing there, watching the young girl who looked so much like a child of hers while reading the note from Bell...

"Is this what it's like to be married?" Hestia muttered and felt her face heat up.

She had never thought about it. No, that was a lie. As a goddess of home and hearth, she did think about how nice it would be to have a family at times. A child she could truly call her own, a beloved husband at her side, and a warm home...

But she was a goddess. Even if she found someone she could love, they couldn't have a child. And even if that were possible... gods were immortal. She would outlive both her love and her children in the end.

So she had resigned herself to that fact and thought of it as just a fantasy. But...

"Mommy?" Fina looked over from the bathroom and said, "I'm done!" The young girl wiped her face with a towel and walked over, a bright smile on her face. "Your turn! Come on!" She grabbed Hestia's hand and tugged her along.

Hestia smiled. "Alright Sweetie. Don't rush, Mommy will be right with you." Saying that, she followed after Fina.

...She knew. Hestia knew without being told that this would lead to trouble later. Fina's existence was something that should not exist. An impossible 'wish' that Bell managed to grant by chance. And so, it was something they should hide. Someone who they should deny to avoid the inevitable chaos that would unfold.

Even so.

Even if this was a mistake, the fact that Fina came to be would never be one. So...

"Let's have some fun on our way to work again today while we wait for Daddy, alright?"

"Kay~!"

Hestia smiled and hugged her daughter close as they got ready for the day.