Danmachi The hero Begins

As the days passed, Bell trained tirelessly with Aiz. With Hestia's permission, he devoted all his time to perfecting his techniques and pushing his limits. Under the watchful eye of the princess of swords, he had perfected his movements, improved his speed, and learned to fully exploit his new magics.

Each day was a new lesson in humility and progress, but it took him away from his daily life in Orario, especially from those he was used to seeing regularly.

At the Fertility Hostess, Syr was worried.

She kept glancing at the front door, hoping that Bell would come by as he used to. But the days grew longer, and he did not come. Her colleagues at the inn, accustomed to his good humor, quickly noticed his unusual behavior.

— Syr, are you still staring at the door? You're going to end up dropping those plates, Anya said with a teasing smile.

Syr, her cheeks slightly red, tried to deny it.

— N-No, I'm just looking out for the customers!

Mama Mia, who was wiping a glass behind the counter, snickered.

— Oh, we know exactly what you're waiting for, Syr. That white-haired kid.

The others burst out laughing, but Syr looked away, unable to hide his confusion.

Deep within the dungeon, the Minotaur stood ready. His immense body was covered in scars from his battles with Ottar, but his powerful muscles and defiantly glowing eyes spoke of his evolution.

Ottar watched stoically as the creature trained alone.

— That's enough. You are now a weapon worthy of Freya-sama.

The Minotaur roared, a sound that echoed through the caverns like a promise of destruction.

Aiz's departure

As they finished a series of exercises, Aiz put away her sword and calmly stated:

— Bell, this is our last day of training. My family is preparing to descend into the deep dungeon.

Bell stopped, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

— Oh… I see.

Despite his sadness, he bowed deeply to her.

"Thank you for everything, Aiz-san," Bell said, bowing deeply.

Aiz nodded, her expression still calm.

— You've made progress. Keep training. If you want to become strong… never lose sight of your goal.

Bell felt a warmth in his heart at those words.

— I will do my best.

They exchanged one last look before Aiz turned on her heel to join her familia. Bell stood there for a few moments, thinking about what he had learned and the challenges that awaited him.

On the way back, a thought crossed his mind: "I haven't seen Syr in a while..."

Bell remembered that he had neglected an important person.

— Syr! It's been days since I last saw her, I miss her a lot..

He quickened his pace, heading towards the Fertility Hostess. When he pushed open the door to the inn, he was immediately greeted by the usual hubbub of customers, waitresses running around, Syr holding a tray, stopped in the middle of the room when she saw him. For a moment, everything else seemed to disappear for her. But before Bell could say anything, her familiar figure darted towards him. Abandoning her tray on a nearby table, she ran across the room.

— Bell!

Syr leapt at him, her arms around his neck. Bell, taken aback, took a step back to avoid falling.

— S-Syr-san?!

She stepped back slightly, patted his chest and frowned.

— Where have you been?! she asked.

— Why didn't you come by anymore, huh? You disappeared without warning! She added

Bell, completely taken aback, blushed violently.

tried to explain.

— I-I'm sorry! I was training with Aiz-san.

But Syr continued, his little taps becoming softer and more playful.

— You could have at least warned! Do you realize how worried I was? I thought something had happened to you…

Bell mumbled awkward apologies, but the scene was not lost on anyone. Around them, silence had settled. The customers, the employees of the inn and even the passersby outside watched them with amused smiles.

The members of the Hostess watched the scene with a mixture of amusement and interest. Even Mama Mia, arms crossed behind the counter, had a wry smile.

— Hehe, it seems Syr has found her "little adventurer," Mama Mia commented, crossing her arms.

Moon, one of the waitresses, whispered to Chloe:

— Well, it's obvious she has a thing for him.

Chloe chuckled softly.

— "A weakness"? She could display it on her forehead at this point.

Bell blushed to his ears, aware that they had become the center of attention. He tried to back away slightly, but Syr still held him.

—S-Syr-san… everyone is looking at us… he whispered, even more embarrassed.

Syr, realizing the scene she had created, blushed in turn, but did not back down.

she let go of him with one hand and pointed at him with her finger

-Well, it's your fault, Bell-kun! If you had come, none of this would have happened!

! she murmured, a little sulkily.

"I'm really sorry," Bell replied sincerely, lowering his head slightly.

Syr, touched by his sincerity, gave him a soft smile.

One of the customers, clearly amused, shouted:

— Hey, kid, it's not nice to make such a cute girl cry!

The remark triggered a wave of laughter in the room. Bell, panicked, stammered:

— That's not it! I didn't make her cry, I...

Syr, now visibly embarrassed, crossed her arms and turned her head with a dramatic "Hmph!"

— Fine. If you're really sorry, you'll help me finish my day here.

Before he could protest, Mama Mia boomed out her powerful voice:

— Good idea, Syr. Bell, get to work. The plates aren't going to wash themselves!

The room erupted in laughter, and Bell had no choice but to head to the back with Syr.

As they washed the plates side by side, Syr had regained her smile.

—You're really clumsy, Bell-kun.

— I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you.

She looked at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

— You can make up for it by stopping by more often, okay?

Bell nodded briskly.

- Yes of course !

Syr burst out laughing at his seriousness.

—You're really too adorable, Bell-kun.