Bell's back was bent at a perfect ninety-degree angle. He didn't dare lift his eyes, drilling his gaze into the wooden floor of the Guild's meeting room. The silence pressed down on his shoulders heavier than any backpack filled with magic stones.
"Eina-san... I'm really, truly sorry," he said hollowly. "I promised I wouldn't make you worry again, and in the end..."
A heavy, drawn-out sigh came from across the table. The half-elf rubbed the bridge of her nose, carefully adjusting her thin-framed glasses.
"Lift your head, Bell," Eina Tulle's voice sounded soft, but weariness clearly seeped through it. When the boy timidly straightened up, she shook her head. "I already know that what happened wasn't your fault. Monsters from the lower levels aren't supposed to appear on the fifth floor. No one could have foreseen that."
She paused, her emerald eyes dull, betraying a sleepless night.
"Although I think I've lost count of how many times I've asked both of you not to go looking for trouble and to be careful. By the way... your friend was already here this morning."
Bell flinched. The mention of Rane cut like a fresh wound.
"Rane came to register his new Familia," Eina continued calmly, closely observing her companion's reaction. "He told me everything that happened."
The boy swallowed hard. The image of their last conversation flashed before his inner eye like a bright flare. Bell awkwardly sank onto the edge of the plush sofa, closed his eyes, and began to nervously tousle his white hair.
"Ha-ha... I see-e-e. So he's already taken care of everything," his laugh came out squeaky, frankly forced, and pathetic.
Eina, possessing excellent elven intuition, instantly caught the falsehood. Realizing that the topic of his former partner brought the boy pain, she delicately decided to change the course of the conversation. The Guild advisor leaned forward slightly, resting her folded hands on the table, and offered an encouraging smile.
"Be that as it may, I want to congratulate you. Joining the Loki Familia is a colossal achievement for any seeker. How are you settling in?"
Bell opened his eyes, and his face did indeed brighten a little, shaking off the gloomy veil.
"Oh, thank you! To be honest, it's hard to draw any final conclusions just yet, everything happened so fast. But... they welcomed me very warmly. Lady Loki turned out to be quite eccentric, but she seems to be a truly fun and caring Goddess, in her own way, of course."
Bell's voice traitorously wavered. He looked away, swallowing nervously.
"Anyway... with, uh, certain exceptions, everything seems just wonderful."
Eina blinked in confusion. She tapped her chin with a slender finger, tilting her head slightly, trying to decipher this strange, mumbled ending, but didn't press further.
Leaving the meeting room, Bell stepped out into the spacious, buzzing hall of the Pantheon. And immediately let out a doomed sigh.
Sitting on one of the chairs in the waiting area, perfectly straight with her hands folded in her lap, was Carol. Her posture was flawless, and her face expressed absolutely nothing, resembling a porcelain mask. Spotting him, she gracefully stood up and followed.
They walked along the sun-drenched streets of Orario. Bell kept casting nervous glances back at his escort, feeling more like a prisoner under guard than a ward.
"Lady Carol..." he couldn't hold it in, stopping in the middle of the pavement. "You really didn't need to waste your time on me. I could have found the way back to the Manor myself, honestly."
The girl froze. Her dark eyes slowly focused on the boy's face. Her gaze became a fraction of a degree more serious, but that was enough for Bell to instinctively tuck his head into his shoulders.
"You are mistaken," her voice was flat, devoid of any emotional color. "As a senior member of the Loki Familia, I bear direct responsibility for your adaptation and safety."
She took a smooth, silent step forward.
"Besides, while you were conversing so... enthusiastically and sweetly with the Guild employee behind closed doors, someone had to complete the bureaucratic formalities of your enrollment."
Bell instantly wilted, feeling a prick of conscience.
"I-I'm sorry... I didn't think."
Carol closed the distance by another step, ending up frighteningly close. Bell caught the faint scent of her soap. A barely noticeable, strange half-smile suddenly flashed across her usually icy face, sending a sudden chill down the boy's spine.
"There is no need to apologize. This is what I am here for," she said softly, almost in a whisper. "I will help you become a truly worthy adventurer. Whatever it takes."
"T-thank you..." Bell giggled nervously, unconsciously taking a tiny step back.
***
Bell's prayers for a swift end to this awkward patrol went unheard.
The moment they turned onto the wide, sunlit merchant avenue of the Northwest sector, a ringing shout, full of irrepressible enthusiasm, echoed above the buzzing crowd:
"Oh! Look, it's our new rabbit!"
Bell didn't even have time to register where the voice came from before the world tilted before his eyes. A living, muscular hurricane took a running leap and hung off his neck. Tiona laughed joyously, completely ignoring the concept of personal space, causing the boy to instantly flush deep crimson.
"H-hello!" he squeaked, trying to keep his balance.
Following the hyperactive Amazon, Tione leisurely emerged from the crowd, sighing condescendingly at her sister's antics. And right behind them appeared two more figures that made Bell's heart beat twice as fast.
The Sword Princess stepped closer. Her long golden hair glinted slightly in the sun, and a hidden, almost childish guilt could be read in her crystal-clear eyes.
"Hello," Aiz said quietly, bowing her head slightly. "I... apologize once again. For failing to keep track of those monsters on the upper floors. Because of my oversight, you and your friend nearly died."
Finding himself at the epicenter of the city's strongest female adventurer's attention, Bell was utterly flustered.
"N-no! Not at all, Wallenstein-san!" he waved his hands frantically, trying to free himself at least a little from Tiona's suffocating grip. "You're not to blame for anything! Really! You saved us! And everything is perfectly fine now!"
Aiz blinked slightly, as if testing his words for truthfulness, and gave a barely perceptible nod, though the shadow of guilt didn't leave her gaze.
"Great! Since you're fine, come with us!" Tiona declared categorically, slapping the boy on the back. "It's our day off today, and we're going shopping! We could definitely use a male perspective... and an extra pair of hands!"
"Eh?! But I... Lady Carol and I..." Bell tried to find salvation in his escort.
The maid stood two steps behind. Her dark eyes remained glassy.
"I have no objections, Sir Bell," Carol replied in a flat, monotone voice.
Their first stop turned out to be a boutique specializing in exotic clothing from the southern continent. The moment they crossed the threshold, Bell knew he had walked into a trap. Hanging everywhere were outfits consisting of minimal amounts of fabric—translucent silks, leather straps, and revealing dancer tops.
"Look, Aiz! Do you think this would suit me?" Tiona laughed, holding a scarlet bodice against herself that looked more like two thin strips of cloth.
Tione snorted next to her, critically examining some black lace lingerie: "It would suit you, but some of us here actually have something to show off."
Aiz, with her inherent stoic curiosity, picked up a translucent cape and looked seriously at Bell, as if expecting his expert appraisal.
Bell let out a strangled, pitiful sound. His face turned the color of an overripe tomato. He squeezed his eyes shut and turned to face the wall, frantically studying the texture of the stonework, just to hide his surging embarrassment.
But he wasn't the only one on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
A little further away, her slender fingers clutching the edge of a lace handkerchief and biting into it furiously, stood Lefiya Viridis. The elf was on the brink of hysterics.
"Unforgivable! Absolutely, catastrophically unforgivable!" her mind screamed.
Today was supposed to be her personal, perfect date with Miss Aiz! In her fantasies, they would primly drink tea, try on modest dresses, and laugh. And now this insolent, white-haired rabbit hadn't just wedged his way into their company, but was forcing her innocent, pure Aiz to look at these vulgar rags!
Lefiya glared at Bell's back with absolute hatred. She was just imagining how she was going to give him a piece of her mind, when suddenly her sensitive elven instincts wailed like a siren.
The hairs on Lefiya's arms stood on end. She slowly, shuddering from a sudden chill, shifted her gaze to the right.
Right by the entrance, frozen like a statue, stood Carol. Her face expressed nothing. Her eyes looked straight ahead. But her aura... Oh heavens, that aura was tangible. The girl's intuition unmistakably recognized this black, thick, suffocating intent that rolled off the maid in waves every time Tiona pressed against Bell, or when Aiz paid attention to him. It was pure, primal possessiveness, ready to slip its chain at any moment and slit the throats of everyone present in the store.
Lefiya, forgetting her chewed-up handkerchief, went as pale as a sheet. She instinctively shied away deeper into the shop, away from this terrifying abyss, praying that the maid wouldn't turn her sights on her.
"T-too vulgar!" the elf squeaked, grabbing Aiz's hand. "Miss Aiz, this place doesn't suit us! Let's find something more elegant!"
Ignoring the Amazons' protests, Lefiya dragged them out of the store. Their next stop was an elite classic fashion boutique.
Here it smelled of expensive perfume, and the mannequins displayed strict doublets and high-necked ball gowns. Bell exhaled in relief, but now he felt like a commoner at a royal reception.
"Bori-i-ing," Tiona drawled, hanging off a rack of gray frock coats. "We aren't going to a high-society gala."
Tione also clicked her tongue in annoyance, turning a high-collared, modest dress in her hands. "Lefiya, you have the taste of an old lady. Aiz needs something that highlights her beauty, not hides it in a sack."
"But this is... elegant!" the blushing elf tried to defend herself.
But the Amazons had had enough. Seizing the initiative, the sisters turned the next hour into a veritable marathon. They dragged Aiz from one shop to another, forcing her to try on everything from summer sundresses to strict blouses to combat cloaks. The Sword Princess obediently changed clothes, stepping out of the fitting room each time and looking at herself in the mirror with mild confusion.
Bell had been reduced to the role of a pack mule and a judge.
"Well, what do you think, rabbit?" Tiona laughed, pushing Aiz out in yet another outfit.
"V-very beautiful!" Bell stammered, laden with shopping bags. And it was the pure truth. Aiz looked beautiful in everything, but the boy physically felt the temperature behind his back dropping below freezing. Carol was silent, but her heavy gaze burned a hole right between Bell's shoulder blades.
Finally, in one of the small, cozy shops on the outskirts of the merchant district, this kaleidoscope came to a halt.
Aiz stepped out of the fitting room and walked over to the mirror. She was wearing a simple but strikingly elegant sleeveless white dress, scattered with a fine pattern of gold stars. The look was completed by a light purple skirt that accentuated her slender legs but didn't restrict her movement.
She twirled slightly, and a spark of genuine pleasure flickered across her usually impassive face.
"I... like it," she said quietly, touching the gold embroidery.
"We'll take it!" Tione immediately commanded.
Bell was about to offer to help carry the items, but Lefiya beat everyone to it. The elf, whose eyes shone at the sight of her beautiful idol, stepped resolutely up to the counter and slapped a jingling pouch of valis onto the wooden surface.
"I'll pay for it!" she declared firmly.
Aiz turned around in surprise. "Lefiya? There's no need, it's expensive..."
"It is necessary! Very much so!" the elf blushed, but didn't look away. "You always protect me in the Dungeon, Miss Aiz. You train me, care for me when I make mistakes. Please... allow me to repay you for your kindness at least like this."
There was so much genuine devotion in her voice that even the Amazon sisters fell into a respectful silence. Bell smiled warmly. Looking at this scene, he was once again convinced of how strong the bonds within a Familia could be.
Aiz looked at Lefiya, her eyes softening, and she gave a faint, grateful smile. "Thank you, Lefiya. I will cherish it."
Finishing their shopping, the group stepped out onto the street, which was already painted in the colors of the sunset. Bell, dropping from exhaustion but strangely happy, gave them a deep bow.
"Thank you all so much for today!" he said sincerely.
Bidding farewell to the girls, who headed towards the Manor via a different route, Bell turned to his constant escort.
"Phew... That was great, wasn't it, Lady Carol?" he asked with a smile.
Carol was staring after the departing Sword Princess. Her expression remained a perfect, blank slate. But when she shifted her gaze back to Bell, that same impenetrable darkness swirled in the depths of her pupils.
"Yes, Sir Bell. Simply wonderful," the maid replied in an icy whisper, and the boy swallowed nervously once more, not understanding why he suddenly had the urge to hide.
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Guys... can someone write a review? I want to get some stars...