DanMachi Light Novel Volume 15/Synopsis (2024)

Volume 15[]

Prologue[]

Two weeks after the expedition, the members of the Hestia Familia, the Miach Familia, and the Takemikazuchi Familia came to meet Bell at the Dian Cecht Familia clinic, with Welf, Lili, Haruhime, Mikoto, and Ouka reacting to his cast. Originally, he only had a supporter on his arm, but after he ended up moving it around, Airmid forced him to wear a cast, threatening to strap him down to a bed if he disobeyed her again.

Naaza then offered for him to ditch Airmid and have her treat him, claiming that it'd let a frustrated Cassandra be able to speak with him, causing the latter to become embarrassed. He didn't understand what Naaza meant but remembered that they'd made a promise to talk a lot after the expedition. At that point, Welf asked him about Ryuu, who was one of the two expedition members that wasn't there to meet him, the other being Aisha who was busy. Bell answered that she'd told him that she was busy, stating that she seemed to be avoiding him recently, and continued to wonder if he'd angered her, though Lili realized what it meant and wondered to herself if the Elf had feelings for him as well. When Cassandra asked him about his arm and dungeon exploration, Bell told her that he'd take a break for a while since they'd just had an expedition.

Intermission[]

At the Hestia Familia home, after she updated his status, Hestia asked Bell whathe'd done, as he'd gone up 3400 points in total. She'd already heard about what happened, but upon hearing his answer that he'd almost died 8 times, she told him to tell the other members that she'd do their status updates another day since she was tired. She thought that he could potentially rank up but decided to keep quiet about it when she thought about how the other Gods would react, instead remarking that he'd grown a lot since they'd first met.

Following his status update, Bell went on a walk through Orario with Welf. Lili wanted to go with him but had to go to the Guild to report their expedition, though she told them to keep the fact that Bell went to the deep floors a secret to prevent their familia rank from rising, which would mean that they'd have to accept the penalty for failing the expedition. Welf then asked him if he was having trouble sleeping because he'd heard him waking up in the middle of the night, worrying about his health. However, the topic caused Bell to let slip that Haruhime came to check on him, holding his hand until he was able to sleep and reading hero stories with him, causing Welf to tell him to not mention that to Hestia or Lili.

As they walked, people called out to them, whether they were fellow adventurers or normal townspeople. At that point, Bell saw a man he recognized, who had a guilty expression and tried to leave. Bell thanked him for the black bread, causing the man to be surprised, and the man told him to do his best. When Welf asked him about the man, Bell answered that he was someone he'd met before Hestia and Lili, and recalled memories of the past.

Chapter 1[]

Years ago, when Bell lived withhis grandfather, he was constantly told stories of Orario. His grandfather told him that he could find anything he wanted at Orario, though he could potentially get caught up in the times, leading his grandfather to tell him to go only if he had the resolve to do so.

Several years later after his grandfather's death, Bell decided to head to Orario, asking a traveling merchant to take him along in his wagon. A while later, the two reached a hill with an excellent view of Orario, causing Bell to be so excited that he thanked the merchant and went off on his own. He eventually reached an entrance to Orario thirty minutes later and waited in line to be checked. As the Guild member checked him for a falna, the other guard remarked that Bell had a cute face, asking why he came to Orario, to which Bell answered that he was looking for an encounter in the dungeon. Hashana laughed at his answer but wished him luck.

As he walked down the Main Street, Bell spotted a large group of people, learning that the Loki Familia had come back from their latest expedition. While the man who explained it to him was surprised that he didn't know about the Loki Familia, Bell's attention was captivated by Ais, following her with his eyes. He later paid 2000 valis to stay three nights in an inn while he searched for a Familia to join, however he was rejected by all the Familia he visited, forcing him to pay an additional 2500 valis to stay another three nights.

After leaving the inn, he continued to search for a Familia, though like before they all rejected him. Disheartened by the results, Bell remembered the real reason why he came to Orario. As he was about to walk into an alley, a voice called out to him, and upon turning around he saw a Goddess looking at him. The Goddess introduced herself as Hestia, revealing that she was looking for people to join her Familia. Bell eagerly asked to join her Familia, leading to the formation of the Hestia Familia, and their life together began.

Intermission[]

One night, Hestia was talking with Haruhime in the Hestia Familia home's living room, the latter telling the former that they'd met Wiene again. Hestia was jealous, prompting Haruhime to suggest for the Goddess to sneak into the dungeon, though Hestia rejected her suggestion as she didn't know what Lili would do if they had to pay another fine. Hestia had come to like Haruhime, nevertheless she made sure to warn her to not try anything weird to Bell, especially at night. When Haruhime left to help Welf find the tea leaves, Hestia turned her attention to the center of the room where Lili and Mikoto were playing shogi with Bell watching them, and remarked that the familia had become able to buy luxury items like tea and shogi compared to the past.

She got up after a while and moved over to the fireplace to begin setting up kindling, when Bell asked her what she was doing. When Hestia told him that she wanted to set up the fireplace, he remarked that she'd always wanted a house with a fireplace since she was the Goddess of the hearth. The two began talking about various things, such as Hestia stating that she initially wanted a larger familia than Loki's, and that lately she'd been thinking that their previous home wasn't such a bad place after all. Bell offered to massage her shoulders and she agreed in exchange for him to promise to continue to be with her. As he massaged her shoulders, she remarked that a familia was a good thing, and recalled past memories while looking at the fire.

Chapter 2[]

One night, Hestia came down from the heavens after sealing away her Arcanum. She spotted the Babel in the distance and asked a trader to take her to Orario. Once she arrived, she went through the admittance process at the gate and entered the city.

As she looked around for Hephaestus' place, she met Loki. Immediately, both sides were in a foul mood and began arguing between each other. Loki mocked Hestia and told her that someone like her wouldn't be able to be successful. While they argued, Lefiya interrupted them and wondered who Hestia was. Loki told her that she didn't need to greet a useless Goddess like her and instead should call her "dochibi". Hestia noticed Lefiya and the others behind Loki and realized that they were Loki's Familia members. Loki revealed that her Familia was one of the strongest in Orario, something which Hestia refused to believe. The two fought for a while before Loki mocked her and left.

Later, Hestia complained about what happened with Loki to Hephaestus. Hephaestus agreed to take care of Hestia until she was able to manage things on her own. At that moment Tsubaki arrived, mentioning that she bought too much at a stall. Hestia wondered what it was and Tsubaki told her that it was food known as Jagamarukun. She ended up staying for three months at the Hephaestus Familia home doing nothing, and one day Hephaestus finally kicked her out.

Hestia, annoyed, decided to obtain a home and a Familia to get back at Hephaestus. She tried recruiting an Elf into the Hestia Familia but was rejected after she failed to give any information about her Familia. She ended up spending the night outside and went begging to Hephaestus the following morning. Hephaestus didn't really know what to do and ultimately ended up giving Hestia an old church to stay in, a job, and money.

Three months later, Hestia still hadn't recruited anyone into the Hestia Familia. After failing for the fiftieth time that day to recruit someone, she saw a Human and decided to follow him around. She watched as he was rejected by multiple Familias. Hestia noted that the Human seemed to be lonely just like her and decided to call out to him, not knowing that it would be the start of everything to come.

Intermission[]

The day after Hestia updated Bell's falna, she did the same to Lili's, announcing to the latter that she'd leveled up. Lili couldn't comprehend the news at first but then let out a cry of joy. Trying to stop herself from laughing, Hestia handed her the status sheet that listed her final Level 1 stats, which included a new skill called Command Call. She was also able to choose between abnormal resistance and mixing as a potential development ability, and after some consideration, she chose abnormal resistance as she wanted to continue being Bell's supporter even if mixing could potentially save them some money. She was extremely happy about the praise she received, especially from Bell, who she recalled had been a target she tried to take advantage of. Putting the thought aside, she told him that she'd continue to support him.

Despite "failing" their recent expedition, Lili was still happy because of her level up. She contemplated whether her rank up would raise the tax total they had to pay, nevertheless she shrugged the thought away with her current good mood. On her way through the city, she encountered Luan, who was out buying supplies for the Pallum's Hidden Tavern. As usual, he tried to insult her, but she ignored it due to her good mood and instead told him that she'd leveled up, shocking him. She saw her previous self in him, however she didn't console him, instead telling him that she'd been through a lot and therefore it wasn't right for him to be envious. Knowing that she was right, he changed the topic, asking about the bag of money in her arms.

Before she could answer, the elderly couple of the flower shop spotted and called out to her, causing her to use Cinder Ella to transform into an Elf girl at a speed that impressed Luan. The elderly couple explained that they'd wronged Lili as they'd only been thinking of themselves and not of what she'd been going through and felt guilty about it. The husband added that money had been left from time to time in front of their shop along with flowers he remembered telling Lili were their favorite. When Luan asked why he didn't visit the Hestia Familia, the elderly couple answered that they didn't feel worthy of doing so. Not wanting them to be so negative, Lili offered to buy the leftover flowers with all of the money in the bag, her actions reminding them of her actual self. After the couple left, Luan asked her if it was all right if she didn't reveal herself, to which she answered that their guilt toward her was causing trouble for them and she planned to stop once she paid enough. She also claimed that she felt like she was still a weak Pallum, however Luan rejected her claim, telling her that she was strong, far stronger than himself.

At the Soma Familia home, Soma stopped what he was doing and looked out the window, causing Chandra to ask if something was wrong. He explained that he felt that "she" had gotten stronger, which Chandra realized was Lili, and he asked if Soma planned on going out to meet her, to which Soma answered that he felt that he wasn't worthy of doing so since he'd abandoned Lili once before. However, once he was alone, he congratulated Lili as he continued to look out the window, remarking that she'd grown.

Chapter 3[]

Lili was born fifteen years ago at the time when the Zeus Familia failed to defeat the One Eyed Black Dragon. The order within Orario declined due to the weakening of the Zeus Familia, giving rise to Evilus. During this time, the Freya Familia and the Loki Familia drove them out to become the new hope of Orario.

At the age of three, Lili learned how to beg. Her parents ordered her to stand all day and beg for money from passing people. They had been touched by the power of the Soma and did anything they could to taste it again. A while later, Lili learned that her parents had died in the dungeon. She was too young to know what sadness was but she knew that she was now alone.

One day, while looking for food, Lili met Soma in a hallway within the Soma Familia home. She felt her status throb, causing her to hide around the corner. At the same time, her stomach sounded and Soma gave her a Jagamarukun. He then entered his room with Lili following behind. Soma gave the rest of the Jagamarukun except for one for himself and began working on the plants. Hearing the sound of the plants, Lili fell asleep, feeling Soma carry her to her bed. That was the first time Lili felt kindness and last time she felt Soma's warmth.

When she became six, while spending every day going to Soma's room, Zanis had all Familia members assemble. Zanis declared that as the new captain, he would lead the Soma Familia instead of Soma. Some members muttered that he murdered the captain candidate to attain that position. Zanis snapped his fingers and a cup of Soma was handed to every Familia member present. He claimed that it was a gift from Soma but they knew that he stole it from the storehouse. However, they were captivated by its scent, their mouths moving to the edge of the cup. As Lili drank the Soma, she lost all sense of reason.

From that moment on, Lili no longer visited Soma's room, instead heading to the dungeon to gather money so that she could drink the Soma again. She didn't realize that Soma looked down at her from above with a look of disappointment and despair at her becoming one that desperately wanted the Soma. Soma lost interest in his Familia after they all fell under Zanis' control due to the Soma. The Familia essentially became something to provide for Zanis' wants though the Familia members were too influenced by the Soma to realize that. Lili tried her best as an adventurer, though eventually her limit came, forcing her to become a supporter instead.

As a supporter, adventurers abused her. Even though her share was less than normal, adventurers blamed her for mistakes she never made and forced her to work for free, once even taking weapons and potions that she used for herself. One time at a bar, as she begged for her share, an adventurer kicked her then threw her a piece of chicken with barely anything left, laughing with his companions as she ate it. She cried every day at the treatment she received as the Soma's influence over her disappeared around the same time.

Other members within the Soma Familia started to take money from her. Lili even forgot her memories of the time she spent with Soma. One day, she decided to run away from the Soma Familia, living and working at a flower shop owned by an elderly couple. However, some members of the Soma Familia tracked her down, wrecking the flower shop, beat the husband, and stole any money within the store. The couple rejected Lili, telling her that they wished they had never met her. Following this incident, something within her broke, and from that day on the light in her eyes began to die.

Lili continued to be a supporter, acting as the adventurers' obedient puppet. Around the same time, she began stealing from others, no longer able to believe in justice. The others began taking money from her even more. One day, Canoe stole from Lili, complaining about the little amount she had on her. Zanis watched from the side but didn't try to help. Instead, he bent down and asked Lili if she was saving up for something as he knew that she hadn't drunk any Soma. Zanis used the Soma every so often to keep the Familia members under its influence though she didn't drink it out of her hate and fear of Soma. She didn't answer him, causing Canoe to kick her to get her to answer. Canoe suggesting selling her to a brothel, however at that moment Chandra appeared and warned them against it. Canoe accused him of protecting Lili but Chandra pointed out that selling someone with a falna from a different Familia to a brothel could be seen as spying, bring the possibility of facing the wrath of the Ishtar Familia. Canoe and his companions faltered yet Zanis continued to look down at her. Zanis agreed with Chandra, deciding to keep Lili so she could serve the Familia. Lili could do nothing except clench her fists, vowing revenge on adventurers.

Once she became thirteen, she started using Cinder Ella which appeared in her status half a year earlier. Transforming herself into an Elf girl, she stole from adventurers, laughing as she heard their angry voices. While she could've lived a different life using her magic, her thirst for revenge against adventurers refused to let her do that.

Ever since then, Lili began stealing from adventurers more frequently. She would lead adventurers into traps within the dungeon, steal anything worth something, then run away as fast as she could. The angry adventurers would run after her, however her magic enabled her to evade them. Lili felt an empty feeling along with her happiness at tricking adventurers though she got rid of those thoughts, reminding herself of the abuse she received over the years. A couple years later, in a room she used, she remembered a story she had read while looking at a mirror. It was the story of an ash covered girl that was transformed into a beautiful woman. The girl then attended the prince's party though she ran when the magic disappeared. However, the prince came to get her, and the two ended up together in a happy life. Lili brushed off her thoughts as foolish.

Soon after, Lili set her sights on Bell. She laughed at his reason for protecting her from Ged, deeming his reason of "because she's a girl" as foolish. She could tell that he had recently come to Orario and knew he was too nice for his own good. Lili decided to teach him a lesson with the Hestia Knife as payment. She wanted to make him miserable just like herself, wanting to make sure he never said "because she's a girl" ever again. Filled with those thoughts, she approached Bell for the first time to become his supporter.

Intermission[]

At the Guild, Eina was shocked to hear the truth of the expedition from Bell, overwhelmed by everything that'd happened to him during it. She was shocked once again when Bell reported that his highest stat was at B, convincing her that her report on Bell would once again not see the light of day. She ordered him to stand and then hugged him, thanking him for coming back as she'd seen a lot of adventurers never come back, recalling her first adventurer. However, Eina eventually realized that her breasts were resting on Bell's cast, causing her to immediately separate herself from him out of embarrassment. Red faced, Eina tried to leave with the excuse of getting documents about the 50th Floor in case he ever dropped down there, but before she could leave, he stopped her, bowing and thanking her for the information that'd saved his life in the deep floors.

After leaving the conference room, Eina returned to her desk, when Rose called her over. Rose pulled out a jar full of valis from under her desk, reminding Eina that the money was from the bet they'd done to see if Bell would last half a year. She thought that a "good girl" like Eina wouldn't accept the money, nevertheless Eina accepted the money with a fake smile on her face, announcing to the room that she would go to dinner with Bell using said money. Everyone in the room was shocked and a number of male employees fell out of their chairs. Rose and Sophie tried to talk her out of it but she refused, stating that'd she'd use it to apologize to Bell for betting on him. Before she left the room, she told the employees that she was Bell's adviser.

Chapter 4[]

One spring when Eina was fourteen years old, she joined the Guild. Eina along with Misha were taken by their superior to meet other Guild workers.

The main reason Eina chose to work at the Guild was because of money. The salary of a Guild employee sometimes went above that of a low leveled adventurer. Eina herself wasn't that interested in the money, she sent most of it to her family. Her mother Aina Tulle was from the High Elf Forest which she left along with Riveria Ljos Alf. However, the air outside the forest seemed detrimental to her health as she quickly became sick. Eina's loving father took care of her and her younger sister by working as hard as he could. To pay her family back for their care, Eina decided to join the school. She worked hard, ultimately earning the recommendation to join the Guild.

Eina's first job was as an advisor. She was assigned Maris Hackard, a new adventurer. Maris herself was displeased that Eina was her advisor as she wanted an old Dwarf instead. The two didn't get along that well and argued with each other.

That night, Eina complained to Misha about Maris. Misha felt sorry for Eina and decided to tell her about her own assigned adventurer. When she mentioned that her adventurer was cool, Eina made sure to remind her to keep her personal feelings out of work. Misha liked to talk, continuing to talk about various things such as their meeting with Ouranos and about their fellow coworkers. She then became worried if she could do her job properly. Eina and Misha were often seen as a set since school with Misha only joining the Guild because Eina was going to. Eina comforted her and assured her that she could do her job properly.

Eina steadily worked at the Guild while experiencing many things. She was especially surprised at how fast Maris was going through the dungeon. One afternoon a year later, Maris reported to Eina that she reached the 10th floor. Eina reminded her that she was ignoring her words by heading to the 10th floor already. Maris brushed all of that off and invited Eina to go drink with her. Eina tried to reject her offer, wanting to separate her work from her personal life, but Maris wouldn't have it. While at the bar, Maris apologized to her for her actions a year earlier, telling her that she was an awesome advisor. Eina asked her why she wanted to become an adventurer and Maris told her it was so that she could show up her parents that abandoned her and to give back to the God that picked her up.

A month later, Eina was approached by her superior Rehmer. Rehmer asked how Eina was faring in her new life as a Guild worker. She told him that she was doing well, mentioning that she was starting to become close with her assigned adventurers. Rehmer became silent after hearing that and commented that Eina and Misha still hadn't experienced it. He advised her to not get close to her assigned adventurers as it would be hard on her later. Eina stood still in the hall while Rehmer left her alone.

Several days later, Eina was part of a group inspecting the Babel. As they were about to leave, they saw a group of people bringing back bodies of dead adventurers from the dungeon. She was shocked to recognize one of the bodies as that of Maris. The other adventurers judged from the wounds that Maris' party was attacked by an Infant Dragon. Eina tried to get away from the fact of Maris' death by closing her eyes but her mind pictured her dead body. Eina was faced with the death of someone close to her for the first time.

As if Maris' death was the beginning, the four other adventurers Eina was assigned also died. She began to blame herself for their deaths, wondering if there was something she could've done. Her fellow coworker Rose told her to just endure it. There were other jobs that they could've done and that it was their own fault that they died. Although Rose spoke like she was annoyed, Eina could see that there was also sadness in her expression.

Days later, Eina and Misha comforted each other in a room. Misha's assigned adventurer had also died. The two held sat together as they cried. Soon after, unlike her fellow coworkers, Eina didn't get away from becoming close to her adventurers. She made sure to instruct the adventurers assigned to her, such as Dormul and Luvis, about the various things in the dungeon. Misha started to ask her for advice and Eina herself began to get over the deaths of her assigned adventurers.

Four years later, Eina met Bell Cranel. She finished his registration and told him to come back the next day. In the office, Rose, who had been watching, commented that Bell would die fast as an adventurer. Eina tried to protest but she knew what Rose was saying was true. Rose asked his preferences and Eina told her that it was an Elf. Rose asked her coworker Sophie if she wanted to be his advisor, however she refused to be the advisor of an adventurer that would die fast. Eina protested their decision though Rose asked the others if they wanted to bet on how long Bell would survive. At this point she became angry at her fellow coworkers, deciding to take Bell as her own assigned adventurer. Eina made the others promise to stop betting if Bell survived for more than a year.

The next morning, Eina remembered the words she said earlier, knowing she had gotten too passionate. However, she remembered Maris and decided to give it all she had. Eina entered the room Bell was waiting in and greeted him.

Intermission[]

Welf had his status updated the same day that Lili had hers done. In addition to gaining more status points, he gained a new skill called Veritas Burn. Instead of being happy about these achievements, Welf was concerned about other things, and he brought his new unbreakable magic sword to Hephaestus at the branch store in northwestern Orario. Welf was silent as Hephaestus looked the weapon over, he wasn't certain that he'd get a favorable response but at the same time he could simply try harder if she didn't like it. Tsubaki, who was also in the room, repeated what she'd reported to Hephaestus earlier about how Welf had smithed it in the dungeon with barely any tools. Eventually, Hephaestus announced that it was "so so", which Welf was happy about since it meant that he'd improved.

Once she returned the sword to him, she became red-faced and offered to acknowledge him a little, and was partway through her offer of starting a relationship with him before Welf interrupted her. Unfortunately, Welf had misunderstood her, not realizing what Hephaestus was trying to say and instead vowed to make a sword that she'd acknowledge, and immediately left. He believed that Hephaestus was trying to tell him to not be satisfied with where he was at now and to continue reaching new heights. Hephaestus herself was angry and embarrassed that he had been completely oblivious to her feelings. After leaving the branch store, Welf let his happiness explode, overjoyed over the "so so" remark from Hephaestus. He'd hated magic swords ever since he'd been able to smith them but he felt like he could love them a little now. When he reached central park, he looked up at the sky, wondering if Phobos was watching and mentioned that he was doing fine.

Chapter 5[]

As a child, Welf hated parties due to the insults that he would always receive. The party that he was currently attending was no exception, a boy around his age from a powerful family insulting him for being a Crozzo. He especially didn't like parties as none of it was true. Even if people acted friendly toward one another, on the inside they were always trying to gain the upper hand over others. However, Marius came to his aid, chastising the boy that was insulting him. Even though he was currently only twelve years old, Marius was already. The boy was startled for a moment but then began explaining to Marius that it was all Welf's fault for coming to the party, even going as far to mention that it was Welf that picked a fight with them without realizing his place. Welf ignored his insults though he couldn't control himself and punched the boy when he insulted metalworking by calling it "playing with metal". The boy's two friends joined the fight while Marius did nothing to stop Welf as he was too busy trying to hide his laughter.

The next day, Welf was in the back garden with Phobos, who was having a fit of laughter after hearing what he did the night before. Welf's mother was busy looking for him within the mansion so he hid out here to avoid a lecture. She remarked that it would be far more interesting if the Crozzo Family was made up of people like Welf. Phobos was the Goddess of her own Familia that was absorbed by Rakia following their defeat. Rakia contained a massive amount of soldiers which made it impossible for Ares to take care of all of them himself. Welf asked if Phobos thought about doing a coup against Ares but she was too lazy to train soldiers while evading Ares' watch. On top of that, all Level 2 and 3 soldiers were directly under Ares' control, and if any person was skilled enough, they would immediately be inducted into the Ares Familia. Phobos then remembered that Garon mentioned they would be forging that day, causing Welf to run off in search of them.

Although the forge was old like the mansion, Welf liked it there. As he greeted Garon and Vil by calling them old man and dad, Vil scolded him, wondering when he would start acting like a noble, continuing on to lecturing him about his fight the night before. Welf tried to protest but his father wouldn't have any of it, pointing out that it was only because of Marius that he got out of any trouble. Before his father could say anything else, Garon silenced him. Welf watched his grandfather smith for a while until he told Welf to try it. He was elated as this was the first time he had ever been able to start smithing. While he smithed, he never thought that his dream of making a weapon better than the Crozzo magic sword with his grandfather and father would never happen.

The fateful day came on Welf's tenth birthday. On that day, Welf received the falna from Phobos. Garon had made him wait until his tenth birthday so that he could learn the effort it took to smith before that. Once she finished, Phobos and the other Crozzos stared at the skill Crozzo Blood listed on his back. Getting an idea, Phobos told Welf to make a magic sword. He pointed out that he couldn't make one since the Crozzos were cursed but nonetheless he still made one.

Once the magic sword was finished, Welf and the others went out to the grasslands to test it. Everyone was amazed at its power which completely burned the grass around them. While the others were elated, Welf himself was saddened by the result.

Once they returned to their mansion, Welf's family surrounded him, telling him to make the Crozzo magic sword to restore their honor. Welf was opposed to it and refused to make it, causing his father to punch him. When Welf asked him about their dream to make a weapon better than the Crozzo magic sword, he told him to stop talking nonsense and called him a fool. He tried to gain support from the silent Garon though Garon told him to make the magic sword. That day, Welf completely cut any ties with the rest of his family.

That night, as Welf was preparing to escape, Phobos visited his room. Phobos apologized for the whole situation and offered to help him escape Rakia. She told him to take the second magic sword he created, the one that was going to be offered to the king. Welf agreed to her help and they decided to escape the next day.

At the throne room, Ares told Martinus that someone that could make the Crozzo magic sword had appeared. Martinus wasn't fully convinced of its effective, warning Ares that it might break just like when the Spirits first cursed them. Marius watched them from the side and asked the spy for more information about it. Upon hearing the name, Marius remembered him from the party a year ago. However, he still ordered for knights to be positioned at the wall.

The following night, Welf commenced with his escape. Valua had a total of four walls that separated the royalty and nobility, the military, the people, and the outside. Welf had easily passed the first two walls thanks to Phobos though he had been spotted at the third one. At the fourth wall, he saw that the gate was closed and knights were guarding it. He knew he had no chance if he attacked head on. Welf used the magic sword he had, completely destroying the gate and seriously wounding the knights. As he passed through the destroyed gate, he questioned creating magic swords.

Welf reached a wooded area not far from Valua. Once he arrived, Phobos appeared from within. She updated his status and also modified it so that he could convert to any Familia that he wanted to. She pointed out that her blood would still be there, which she equated to having taken his first time, causing Welf to tell her not to say weird things. Phobos informed him that she would take the blame for the whole thing and knowing Ares, he would believe it as he was an idiot. She was also going to do it for Welf and the fact that she was getting tired of working for Ares. Phobos said her goodbyes to Welf and left him alone.

Days later, a pillar of light shone from the direction of Valua. Welf sat on a hill and cried as he watched it.

A while later, Hephaestus visited the Sword Smithing City of Solingen. While there, she noticed Welf fighting with other smiths for a spot. The head apologized for showing her the sight but she told him that smiths were like that. She then asked for information about him with the head telling her that Welf came a while ago, wanting to work. Hephaestus waited until Welf finished smithing a sword before she approached him. She asked for his name, then invited him to join the Hephaestus Familia. However, Welf wanted Hephaestus to name herself before she tried to invite him. Smiling, Hephaestus named herself.

Intermission[]

At the Hostess of Fertility, the Hestia, Miach, and Takemikazuchi Familias celebrated the removal of Bell's cast, having already celebrated the expedition earlier at the Hestia Familia home. Only the Familia members were there as Hestia had work and so the Gods, which included her, Takemikazuchi, Miach, Hephaestus, Hermes, and Demeter, would have their own celebration. As they ate, drank, and talked, Bell looked around, wondering if the Loki Familia was there. When Welf noticed him looking around, he claimed that he wondered if the Loki Familia would fit, prompting Welf to tell him not to worry as Elegia was coming up. Before he could ask Welf about Elegia, Cassandra interrupted, asking Bell about his arm.

After he showed her that his arm was fine, he thanked them for the Goliath Robe, as he definitely would've died without it. The topic shifted to level ups, with the members congratulating Lili, Daphne, and Cassandra on their level ups. At that point Anya and Chloe tried to brag about their contribution in helping Bell, but Lunoire pointed out that they showed up after things were finished. Mia intimidated the two to getting back to work, and Syr came over, partly to tell him to not feel bad about Anya and Chloe getting yelled at and partly to interrogate him about his relationship with Ryuu because the latter had seemingly been avoiding him as of late. Bell immediately began sweating and wondered what to do, with Syr directing his attention to Ryuu, who'd been working but unnaturally avoiding looking in Bell's direction, swiftly turning around every time he came close to appearing in her line of sight. Even when Mia ordered her to take stuff to Bell's table, he wasn't able to have a proper conversation with her.

Due to this, Bell attracted the attention of the others at his table, including Lili, who began interrogating him on the same topic. He ran through his memory, trying to think of how he'd made Ryuu angry, and wondered if he'd misunderstood when he thought they'd been able to know each other better. Soon after, Syr lightly hit his head with the wooden tray and went back to work, with Bell noticing that she seemed to be angry which was unusual for her. Around the table the other members had varying reactions to the news, some of them seemingly realizing what it meant.

Later on, when Ryuu went out back to throw out the trash, she reflected over her actions, vowing to apologize to Bell. She knew that she only needed to apologize; however, for some reason she couldn't bring herself to do it, feeling nervous and acting unusual, causing her to wonder what was wrong with her. Before she could wonder when she started referring to him as Bell, she heard him call out to her from behind; however, the fact that she was alone with him caused her mind to scramble and not be able to process this scenario, causing her to attack him. Bell stopped her attack by grabbing her wrist with his right hand, but this caused Ryuu's body to heat up and become red-faced, leading to her throwing him. As she realized that she'd thrown him at full force and felt guilty about it, she heard Anya's angry voice asking why she was taking so long in taking out the trash. Ryuu's influenced feelings won over logic once again, causing her to immediately flee the area while princess-carrying the unconscious Bell.

Ryuu fled through the city, eventually coming to a stop in a narrow alleyway. Once she put him down on a bench she reflected over her actions again, panicking and casting unnecessary healing magic on him, eventually ending up giving him a lap pillow, and became embarrassed when she realized what she was doing. As she tried to tell herself that she was simply preventing Bell from having a sore neck, two drunk Beast Humans saw her and began teasing her, though she immediately intimidated them and threatened them to forget what they saw.

After they left, Ryuu continued to remark that there was something wrong with her, believing that she was just as bad as she was before. Just touching his hair caused her chest to go crazy. Just as she was about to explain why she didn't hate him, she realized he was awake, telling him to wake up. The two cleared any misunderstandings they had and then began talking about what'd happened after they came back. Eventually, he asked her if she'd tell him about the Astraea Familia, and she agreed to his request.

Chapter 6[]

In the forest of Ryumilua that she lived in, Ryuu was the member of a family that cared for the sacred tree. Because of this, ever since she was born, she received combat training. Even if they didn't have the falna, they were still capable of driving off monsters on the surface using swords or bows and arrows.

One day, Ryuu and her fellow family members drove off a group of merchants from entering their forest. Once they returned home, the adults mocked them, calling them dirty and ugly. As time passed, she began to think that beautiful Elves were the ugliest of all people. No matter how much she tried to forget it, once she began thinking about it, the thought firmly planted itself in her mind. Eventually, Ryuu decided to leave the Elven forest, taking with her some Seiros ore to have some money on hand.

Once she left the forest, she made her way to Orario, thinking that she could make friends where every race mingled together. However, even there she continued to reject people. She could've tried to get help from other Elves but her thoughts prevented her from doing so. Ryuu began wearing clothes that covered her whole body along with a mask. As time passed, she began to believe that she was looking down on others, just like the others in her home forest because of how she was rejecting them.

While she stood alone in an alley in the rain, a voice called out to her from behind. Turning around, she knew that the person was a Goddess. Ryuu was apprehensive of Gods, as when she first came to Orario a certain Goddess and others exhibited behavior that appalled her. When Astraea mentioned that she looked lost, Ryuu's anger exploded, blaming the Gods for creating Elves. Astraea accepted her anger without saying anything. After listening to her, she told Ryuu that what she needed was a friend that she could see as an equal, not a God. Astraea handed her a map to her home along with some food and left.

Ryuu began to think that the liveliness in Orario lacked something definite. The public order within Orario was somewhat lacking, with fights and problems occurring across the city. Two days after meeting Astraea, Jura and his group surrounded Ryuu in an alley, knowing that she wasn't connected to any God. They planned to sell her off to a brothel though their plans were ruined by the arrival of Alise who quickly sent them running. Alise managed to convince Ryuu to trust her and took her to her Familia's home.

Alise led Ryuu to the Astraea Familia home. While there, Alise explained that the Astraea Familia was not only an exploration type Familia but also acted to keep order within Orario. The Freya Familia, Loki Familia, Ganesha Familia, and the Hephaestus Familia were still growing, though she declared that they would rise to help end all of these problems. As the others watched, Alise told Ryuu that they needed companions to help achieve this goal and asked Ryuu if she would join them. Ryuu agreed to join the Astraea Familia and was given the falna. Once she joined, the members of the familia gathered in a circle and they swore on their familia emblem that they would bring peace to Orario, a promise that wouldn't be broken until 5 years later.

Intermission[]

Mikoto and Haruhime had their statuses updated by Hestia. Mikoto and Haruhime both gained a new skill, however Hestia didn't add Mikoto's, stating that it scared her because it appeared to be a self sacrifice skill. Later on, Bell, Lili, Welf, and Haruhime ventured to the 3rd Floor of the dungeon to have the latter practice combat by fighting Goblins with a staff. Because of her lack of experience, Haruhime failed miserably, tripping during her attack and allowing a group of Goblins to beat her up, forcing Lili to save her. Lili had volunteered to be in charge of Haruhime's experience-gain, though she also enjoyed beating up monsters that'd caused problems for her as a Level 1. As they watched, Welf remarked that Haruhime didn't seem to be improving at all, having already tried swords, spears, and other weapons.

At that point, Aisha, who'd come to watch Haruhime practice, told them that it'd be beneficial for Haruhime to practice chanting instead as she didn't have what it took to use weapons. Bell and Welf tried to argue that it'd be beneficial to keep practicing, prompting her to tell them that those affected by Uchide no Kozuchi gained less than half the experience a normal adventurer would've gained from the monster, causing the two to be surprised as they never considered it. Aisha had also advised the Hestia Familia to not have Haruhime level up, citing the fact that she lacked both combat experience and experience as a sorcerer. Because of this, only Bell, Welf, and Mikoto knew that Haruhime could level up. They didn't tell Haruhime so she wouldn't be pressured as much and they didn't tell Lili so she could feel good about leveling up. Although Aisha acknowledged Haruhime's chanting, she wouldn't consider her to be fully fledged until she could handle things on her own in combat.

Off to the side, Mikoto had been listening to their conversation, and was adamant that Haruhime would soon be able to learn how to defend herself. True to her word, Haruhime successfully dealt with a Goblin's attack and landed a blow to it with her staff, surprising everyone there. As she smiled, Mikoto recalled how much Haruhime had grown since they'd first met in the Far East.

Chapter 7[]

Ten years ago, Mikoto and the others brought Haruhime to the shrine to meet with Takemikazuchi and the other Gods, who thanked her for her consideration. When Haruhime had learned about the shrine, she had asked her father to send food to help them. As the other children crowded around Haruhime to play with her, Mikoto went over to Tsukuyomi instead, asking her why Haruhime didn't seem to be happy, to which the Goddess answered that she probably felt guilty for having a blessed life compared to the poor orphans. Mikoto was shocked, worried that she'd made it difficult for Haruhime, nevertheless Tsukuyomi added that it was Haruhime's kindness and weakness, and therefore Mikoto and the others should protect her. From that day on, Haruhime frequently visited the shrine to play and help.

Ten years later, Mikoto had been surprised when Haruhime announced that she'd work as a maid in the Hestia Familia. Mikoto offered to have her work split among the members of the familia; nevertheless, she refused, stating that people had always taken care of her, so she'd repay the favor and that she wanted to become independent. However, contrary to Mikoto's high expectations, Haruhime kept on failing her job as a maid. Seeing this, Welf asked Haruhime if there was anything she was good at, prompting her to offer to use techniques she'd learned as a prostitute in training, though she pleaded to him to allow her to spend a night with Bell first. Welf naturally refused as he was only interested in Hephaestus; regardless, Hestia and Lili misunderstood the situation and accused him of asking Haruhime to perform sexual services.

Despite Haruhime's countless mistakes, Mikoto was surprised that her spirit never broke. After thinking of what she could do to help, Mikoto asked Bell to teach Haruhime how to be a better maid, since working together with the man she loved would make Haruhime try to look good in front of him. A month later, Haruhime had gotten better at her job despite her mistakes, which had stemmed from her experience from being with Wiene. She had become vigorous about working and had started learning how to be a supporter from Lili. Around the time of the Hestia Familia's first expedition, Lili had grown to trust Haruhime with work, and after the expedition Mikoto felt like Lili was training Haruhime as her successor in case something happened. Mikoto had also seen Haruhime practice her magic with Aisha in the home's library and martial arts with Takemikazuchi. Her efforts eventually paid off during the battle with the Amphisbaena.

Sometime after he returned from the expedition, Bell woke up during the night, moving his hand to his waist as if to pull out his knife. Following the expedition, he'd been having trouble sleeping, being reminded of what had happened in his dreams. Soon after, Haruhime knocked on his door, offering to read him hero stories to help him sleep. On the other side of Bell's door, Mikoto was also listening to the stories, having woken up and followed Haruhime who'd snuck out of their room. She spotted a half awake Hestia, who planned on sleeping with Bell to comfort him, and tricked her into returning to her own room to prevent her from bothering Bell and Haruhime. As she guided Hestia back to her room, she hoped that she'd be able to continue to support Haruhime.

Epilogue[]

In the dungeon, an adventurer, Edgar, asked Bell if he would take revenge for his dead comrade Celia. The adventurer was holding his dead comrade, a female adventurer, in his hands. The adventurer and his party glared at the passageway where two eyes stared back at them. Bell assumed that they had run into an irregular situation in the dungeon and tried to escape, at which point Bell's party assisted them in running away. The adventurer knew that he was wrong in holding a grudge against the monster, but nevertheless pleaded for him to defeat it. As the woman died, Bell saw the man cry, which stunned him and caused his mind to go blank. However, he knew he had to defeat the monster, and as Lili, Welf, Mikoto, and Haruhime watched, he ran off to confront the monster.

Because of the dungeon, countless people died in Orario. However, if one looked at it from the monsters' point of view, they were being massacred just for the adventurers' greed. While humans refused to admit this, it would be assumed that at least the Gods would think of it. Everything had been decided the moment the monsters appeared from the dungeon and began attacking the lower world. If all of the pain stemmed from the monsters coming out of the dungeon, Ais tended to believe that the monsters should bear the hate and anger of the people.

The area dark around her, Ais heard voices. Some sounded like voices of those she knew while others she didn't know. Countless hands reached out from the darkness while pleading to her. She knew that they were the voices of those that had passed, and that they were also the wishes of those in the future. A young Ais looked down at her palm and slowly nodded. Just like others had done before, she decided to show her resolve through her weapon.

At that point, her dream ended and Ais awoke. Looking around, she realized that she had fallen asleep in her own room after returning from getting her weapon maintained. Seeing Desperate (her sword) and a washcloth, she recalled the memories from her dream. She recalled that she had accepted those hands as if that was all she knew how to do. Ais got up from her bed, put Desperate back in its sheath, and was about to close her window when she noticed that Orario was dark. After looking out across the city for a few moments, she realized that it was Elegia, which led her to believe that it was the reason she had such a dream.

Bell and the others returned to the surface once the monster had been killed. Despite having killed the monster, he had no feeling of having taken revenge or a sense of a mission. He believed that he wanted to stop any more sadness from occurring. Once he had defeated the monster, the adventurer that had asked him to do so thanked him with a tear stained face.

On the way back to the surface, the Hestia Familia helped the adventurers carry the dead adventurer's body to the surface. When they reached the surface, the adventurer sat next to the body and stopped moving. Some adventurers passing by casted glances of various emotions in their direction. Eventually, Lili and the others encouraged Bell to leave the body as there was nothing else they could do.

As they left Babel, Bell noticed decorations across Central Park. Wooden pillars had been erected across the area with strings attached between them to hang banners and flowers. Additionally, all magic stone lamps had been turned off and small candles were being used in their place. Lili and Welf remembered that the day was Elegia, causing a confused Bell to ask them what it was about. The other four members of his party explained to him that Elegia was a day to mourn dead heroes that fought monsters in ancient times, and was also a celebration to praise the efforts of those heroes. As Bell watched, Lili added that people dressed in white would go around visiting each of the monuments to the heroes, finally coming back to Central Park to sing elegies. The Elegia would continue until sunrise the next day. The candles represented the dark nights the heroes lived through, and unlike any other day the city was unusually quiet. A few moments passed before she added that the Elegia was also a time to remember those that died in the dungeon. After thinking about it, Bell returned to the adventurers, wondering what they thought of it.

Seeing the light from the candles, Ais left the Loki Familia to walk around, troubled by the dream she had earlier. Instead of her usual clothes she wore a white one piece and tied her hair on the back of her head. Walking along the edge of the street against the flow of people, the lights made her recall the faces of those she had parted with, some of which were former members of the Loki Familia. Remembering their deaths brought back the pain she felt when they died. While some people might think that adventurers should leave the dungeon if they were scared of losing others, Ais knew that it wasn't as simple as that. She had a reason she needed to fight, and while there may be ambitions or desires involved, adventurers were depended upon.

As she was lost in thought, several children came running up to her. The children were excited that they were talking with the Sword Princess until a Half Elf child asked Ais to defeat the One Eyed Black Dragon. Once the children left, Ais reflected over what she had been asked to do. She knew that adventurers had the responsibility of killing the dragon which was dangerous enough to be known as the "living end". At that point, the sound of the elegies reached her ears, making her remember that the world wished for a hero. Recalling the childrens' hopeful expressions, she commented that she was afraid of looking at the children, and hearing the elegies made her heart hurt inside. Ais had her own desire, which was something different than what the world desired. She knew that when the time came she would fight for her own personal grudge, ending up as a foolish puppet bound to her own desire, rather than a hero for the people. Ais silently told herself that she couldn't be anyone's hero.

Hearing the elegies, Bell stopped, causing Lili to ask if something was wrong. Bell pointed out that the Gods were also singing, noting the songs of Loki, Freya, Ganesha, Hermes, Hephaestus, and Hestia. Hearing the songs caused him to recall the various things his grandfather had told him about the dungeon. He thought he finally understood the words his grandfather said. Bell expressed his desire to become a hero but also felt sorrow.

The boy decided to offer flowers in order to remember the events that happened during the Elegia, while the girl decided to offer flowers to not lose sight of herself.

Later, as the sun rose, Bell visited the First Graveyard to offer flowers at Celia's grave. When he visited the Dellingr Familia's home, Edgar had informed him that she had been buried in the First Graveyard, so he bought flowers at the elderly couple's shop and went there. The sight of the countless white graves made him think deeply about death. After leaving flowers that he had bought at a certain flower shop, Bell recalled that it was his second time visiting the First Graveyard, as the first time was back when he first came to Orario. As he looked at the monuments commemorating the heroes of old, he sensed someone and turned around to see Ais unknowingly walking in his direction. Bell mentioned her name, and she noticed for the first time, surprised that he was there. Sunlight shone down on them, and he thought he saw that she was crying.

The two had a brief conversation, with her asking if he came to leave flowers, before she herself left flowers at a certain monument and closed her eyes. It was silent for a while until she said goodbye to him and left. He tried to call out to her but couldn't bring himself to do it, and watched her walk away. He then moved in front of a monument she'd left flowers at, which was the monument of the hero Albert. As he read Albert's name, he immediately recalled the various names that he had been referred to by, finally remembering his alias of Mercenary King Waldstein. Bell noticed the similarity between the name Waldstein and Wallenstein, suspicions growing in his heart that Ais might have aconnection to Albert. He turned around and watched as Ais disappeared into the morning light.