Mock battles.
They were common enough in mid-ranking and higher Familias, but to avoid friction between Familias, private fights like this rarely took place.
"Shakti-san, I don't have a weapon right now."
Bell explained his situation.
"That works out better. Your mock battle opponents are Lv.3 Tamers, and they don't want you endangering the monsters' lives either."
Shakti thought for a moment, then added in front of Hestia, "Of course, we mean no harm. This battle will only go as far as necessary."
"She isn't lying, Bell. What are you going to do?"
Hestia was not surprised by the request for him to fight multiple opponents alone.
As the city's guardians, Ganesha Familia surely knew about many of Bell's achievements. If only a single Lv.3 Tamer entered the field, Bell could win easily with quick-cast Magic alone.
"I'll accept the mock battle. It'll be a good chance to keep my combat sense sharp."
Bell replied.
He was quite interested in Ganesha Familia and wanted to see how Tamers similar to that red-haired woman fought.
In any case, Bell had already revealed his strength during the War Game. All he needed to hide now was [Argo's Ship].
"Very well, Little Rookie. Please follow me to that open area. Goddess Hestia, please remain here to prevent any accidents."
Shakti led Bell away from the spectator seats.
At the far end of their view, five female Tamers came through a massive gate, leading silverback apes, Sword Stags, and other monsters into the building.
"Little Rookie, this may sound strange, but I have to say it. While taming these monsters, our members have developed a certain attachment to them. I hope you won't kill them."
Shakti reminded him softly.
Ganesha Familia captured monsters from the Dungeon, then had Tamers tame them so they could perform all kinds of acts during Monsterphilia.
Humans and monsters could not coexist, but as the ones raising them, it was only natural for unnecessary feelings to take root in their hearts.
"I'll be careful. Doesn't Ganesha-sama manage this matter?"
Bell probed for information.
The Tamers Shakti spoke of could not be called heretics, but to some people who hated monsters, they were still targets that had to be suppressed.
"My Familia God is a little unusual. I'm sure you've heard that he calls himself the Lord of the People. To put it in extreme terms, if kind monsters existed, Ganesha-sama would treat them the same as anyone else."
Shakti recalled her Familia God's unique personality, her tone tinged with fatigue and helplessness.
The topic ended with a sigh.
Bell arrived at the open area deeper inside.
Was the purpose of those words to shake him?
Demi-humans existed in this world. The shop Lili had visited many times before was run by an old Gnome.
Judging by appearance alone, that old man was not all that different from the monsters in the Dungeon. The only differences were intelligence and whether or not they had a Magic Stone.
If monsters really could be tamed, if kind monsters really did exist, would he still be able to raise his blade against them?
Bell did not dwell on it.
Perhaps Ganesha Familia had arranged this mock battle because they wanted an answer from him.
If so, Bell only needed to follow his heart.
"Please go easy on me."
With the young man's words as the signal, a one-sided rout began.
"Wh-what?! He's ignoring the monster?!"
Amid one Tamer's cry of shock, Bell turned into a bullet and charged straight toward her.
She hurriedly ordered her monster to block him, but the young man kicked off the ground and easily avoided the monster's heavy punch.
In only a moment, the Tamer from Ganesha Familia was lying on the ground.
"He's stronger than he was during the War Game?!"
"He caught the poison needles with his bare hand? Just how high is his Abnormal Resistance?"
"Help me!"
"I-I surrender. Even without a weapon, we're no match for you at all... Ganesha-sama is being way too unreasonable!"
The women cried out one after another and lost the will to fight, while the tamed monsters slunk out of the building in defeat.
"How surprising, Little Rookie. You didn't hurt those monsters at all..."
Shakti watched her members leave and murmured in admiration.
The young man had not used Magic. Relying solely on his thoroughly tempered technique, he dodged the monsters' attacks and struck the women behind them with his fists.
After the first Tamer went down, the others surrendered before the young man's fists could even reach them.
"Because those tamed monsters are valuable assets of Ganesha Familia. I don't want to get dragged into a financial dispute."
Bell gave his reasoning.
"I see. You really are unusual..."
Shakti's lips curved upward as she joked, "The one you just knocked down was an Amazoness. She might end up falling for you."
The two of them talked as they returned to the poolside.
The second chance Bell had earned had already been passed on to the girls by members of Ganesha Familia.
Muffled arguing came from inside the changing room. They seemed to be discussing who should take this rare opportunity.
"B-Bell-dono, please don't look this way!"
The one who appeared outside the changing room was the black-haired girl in a swimsuit.
Large portions of her skin were exposed, and her beautiful, shy face created a striking contrast with her usual self, giving her a sensual and captivating charm.
Mikoto's face was bright red. As if throwing caution to the wind, she rushed straight toward the course.
Under Bell's gaze, a storm-like battle of revenge began.
"Don't look, don't look, don't look..."
Mikoto repeated the words like a mantra as she dodged the obstacles and sprinted forward.
Before the girl's embarrassment, every obstacle was nothing more than a passing cloud, and every trap was only a breeze brushing past her burning cheeks.
"Oooooh!!!"
With Hestia's cheers behind her, Mikoto crossed the Water Park's finish line.
She did not bask in the joy of victory. Instead, she ran straight back to the changing room without looking back.
The girls' cheers followed after her.
"Congratulations on clearing the course. Before we hand out the other rewards, please come with me so we can decide the pose for the sculpture."
Shakti offered her congratulations.
"Finally! Bell, let's hurry!"
Hestia took the young man's hand and followed Shakti toward a corner of the building.
Several female craftsmen greeted them and offered their congratulations.
"Huh? There's actually a statue of Apollo here? You're not planning to remodel these, are you?"
Hestia looked around in surprise. The things inside were clearly useless pieces that had once been sold off as scrap.
"Of course not. It would be a shame to let damaged statues go to waste, so we use them for apprentice practice."
One of the female blacksmiths explained with a smile.
Where she pointed, the statue of Apollo was covered in dents and pits, clearly having suffered no small amount of abuse.
The blacksmith glanced at the young man and asked softly, "What kind of sculpture would you like? It would be best if you demonstrated it here."
"Obviously, something from a fairy tale!"
Hestia answered first, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the young man.
Even without any further explanation, Bell understood from the goddess's posture what Hestia wanted. An embrace like a prince holding a princess.
"I didn't expect Goddess-sama to have the same idea as me. A sculpture really should feel like something from a story..."
Bell smiled fondly and lifted his goddess into his arms.
"Hehe..."
Hestia wrapped her arms around the young man's neck, a lovely blush spreading across her face.
"Alright, you can head back now. It should be finished by the time your clothes are dry."
The female blacksmith seemed to have found her inspiration and picked up her carving tools.
"That fast?!"
Hestia reluctantly left the young man's arms.
"Don't worry. The feeling just now was excellent, so the quality won't suffer."
As soon as she said that, the blacksmiths threw themselves fully into the sculpture.
Shakti left the two of them and went with the others to prepare the remaining prizes.
The young man and Hestia did not disturb the blacksmiths either, quietly returning to the poolside.
"Bell..."
Hestia had not forgotten the embrace from just now, and her heart was still pounding. "You're collecting girls' hair, right? And you didn't come to me first? You idiot, Bell..."
"I..."
Bell had only just begun to speak when Hestia cut him off.
"You don't need to explain. I may not look like it, but I'm actually a very understanding Goddess."
Hestia pressed her lips together, then smiled and said, "So... even if I wasn't the first, it's fine. Take my hair, Bell."
Hestia held out a strand of her black hair, the blush still lingering on her face.
She had been by the young man's side for a long time. Ever since the tavern girl appeared, Hestia had understood that she could not become the young man's only one, nor could she accept the young man's affection the way the other girls could.
What kind of feelings did Artemis hold for the young man? They were surely different from her own, something more passionate, more pure, and more beautiful.
Even so, Hestia believed that this fondness of hers would continue forever.
So even if she had to pretend not to notice, she would take the young man's hand and keep walking forward.
"Hestia-sama really is too sly! You did something this embarrassing while we were in the changing room! Lili wants to entrust her hair to Bell-sama too!"
Lili ran out in her swimsuit.
"That was just a normal conversation between a Familia God and her Familia member! Ugh... Supporter-kun, did your chest get bigger? You definitely used Magic in secret, didn't you?"
Hestia had noticed the blind spot.
"N-no, I didn't?!"
"Lili..."
"I know, Bell-sama, please don't look at me with pity!!"
Lili's embarrassed shout drew the other girls over.
"Captain... if my hair can be useful too... um..."
"That's about it. If Cassandra's and my hair can be of use, please take it."
Daphne spoke for her stammering friend.
"I-I feel the same way... Although we haven't known each other for very long, I will never forget the things I experienced together with Bell-dono..."
Mikoto shyly poked her head out.
"Thank you, everyone."
Bell accepted the strands of hair from the girls.
Their hair colors were all different, yet the blushes on their cheeks were strikingly alike.
"Bell-sama, you don't need to thank us!"
Lili showed him a sweet smile.
"That's right. This is mine and Bell's Familia, so thanking us is too formal!"
Hestia laughed and agreed.
What sort of things would await them from now on?
Would the relationship between the girls and the young man undergo a drastic change?
Although Hestia was an all-knowing Goddess, she still could not predict the future.
No matter what happened from here on, the joy and warmth of this moment alone would never fade with time.
"Come on, let's go see our statue. I'm definitely putting it in the most noticeable spot!"
Just imagining it made Hestia unable to contain her joy.
If Artemis saw it, she would surely be grinding her teeth in frustration.
How dare she betray her dearest friend and climb into Bell's bed of her own accord? Artemis had to be made to understand exactly who Bell's Familia Goddess was!
The girls changed back into their dried clothes and followed Hestia toward the corner of the building.
"You came at just the right time, Goddess-sama. The sculpture has just been completed."
The female blacksmith lifted the decorative red cloth, but the finished piece beneath it left everyone in Hestia Familia stunned.
"..."
"?!"
"W-w-what is this supposed to be?!!!!"
Hestia's scream echoed through the room.
What appeared before them was, indeed, a rather sweet sculpture.
But the subjects were completely different from the earlier demonstration.
At the back was a handsome young man, and in his arms was a beautiful, captivating young girl.
In the sculpture, Mikoto had her arms around Bell's neck, nestled in the young man's arms in a princess carry. The eyes seemed to have been specially treated, radiating an overflowing, unmistakable affection.
"W-why is it me and Bell-dono?! There has to be some mistake!!"
Mikoto only glanced at the sculpture once, and the heat she had finally managed to suppress came rushing back.
This time it was even fiercer than before, spreading across her cheeks and turning her ears red.
Mikoto looked as though she had ripened all over, and one could almost feel waves of heat rising from her body.
"Hm? Since you were the winner of the challenge, of course it turned out this way."
The female blacksmith replied calmly.
"Ugh... If that's the case, why did you have me demonstrate the pose?"
Hestia demanded, her cheeks puffed up in anger.
"Because the winner needed to rest. Any woman could have demonstrated it."
There was not a trace of a lie in the blacksmith's words.
"Any... hehe... anyone would do..."
Hestia instantly lost all strength, muttering blankly to herself.
"Hestia-sama actually chose a princess carry pose?"
Lili widened her eyes in surprise.
Judging by the result, at least it had not gone the way the goddess wanted, so it was still acceptable...
"What do you think? The finished piece is wonderful, isn't it? Unlike those useless girls from before, the sight of this black-haired girl desperately running for her lover at the end was truly moving."
The blacksmith looked at the sculpture and nodded in satisfaction.
"Lover?! Bell-dono and I are not in that kind of relationship!"
"Useless..."
"Ugh..."
After hearing the blacksmith's words, the other girls also began muttering to themselves.
"Goddess-sama, what should we do with this sculpture?"
Bell broke the strange atmosphere in the room.
Hestia pursed her lips and replied, "Ugh... I don't want it, but it is an important memory after all."
"Let's take it back and put it in a corner..."
The sculpture bore witness to the girls' laughter, teasing, and disappointment.
After that, it was placed in a corner of the mansion, slowly gathering dust.
It was not until the arrival of a certain Renard girl that the sculpture saw the light of day again, watching over everyone under her careful care.
Around it, many anecdotes unfolded between the warrior from the Far East and the Renard. Those moments of shyness and argument piled up, eventually becoming an amusing tale about a certain family heirloom.
However, that was already a story from the distant future.