Chapter 10: Need Help, Supporter-san?
"What?!"
Hearing Hestia say she planned to let Bell stay in the Familia, Luke instantly lost his composure.
"What's wrong, Luke-kun?"
"No, nothing..."
Turning to look at Bell Cranel, sitting on the sofa with a clueless expression, Luke couldn't help but lament the powerful inertia of history.
Even though he had already joined Hestia's Familia before Bell, this white-haired brat still ended up being picked up by Hestia, just like in the original story.
Truly worthy of being the protagonist?
This luck is unparalleled...
Being stared at silently by Luke for a long time, Bell subconsciously straightened his back.
That substantial gaze falling upon him made him feel difficulty breathing.
Is there something wrong with me? Why is he staring at me like this?
What should I say at a time like this? This person seems very strict...
Never thought my Familia senpai would be such a terrifying person. No matter how I think about it, this is bad!
Help me, Kami-sama!
Under Luke's gaze, Bell, somewhat overwhelmed, quietly directed his gaze towards the very gentle and kind goddess who had picked him up from the street, hoping for rescue.
However...
"Ooh ooh ooh! It's beef! What's with this marbling?! It's simply too perfect! Even a premium Ox might not grow such perfect quality meat?!"
Rummaging through the bag filled with various high-end ingredients Luke had brought back, Hestia, who hadn't eaten a proper meat dish for a full half-year since leaving Heaven, even had little stars appearing in her eyes...
As for Bell's pleading gaze, she didn't notice it at all.
"Alright, white-haired brat, I'm not going to eat you. Why are you so afraid of me?"
Finding Bell's little actions somewhat amusing, and thinking about possibly fighting alongside this half-grown protagonist in the future, especially in a dangerous place like the Dungeon, Luke felt like testing him.
So, he maintained a stern expression on the surface, projecting a serious demeanor, while simultaneously saying coldly, "Listen well, boy. I'll only ask once. Why do you want to join a Familia? The Dungeon is no place for fun and games."
Afraid his voice wasn't cold enough, Luke even turned on his [Sword Pressure].
The moment the sword pressure activated, a sharp sensation that felt like it could pierce bone marrow emanated from Luke.
Bell, bearing the brunt of this pressure, immediately turned deathly pale, his heartbeat even stopping for half a beat.
"B-because... I... want..."
Bell clenched his teeth, his face pale, trying hard to suppress any cowardly display.
Then, in a trembling voice, he continued, "Want to become... more manly, cooler, more reliable... meet different girls... and then, in the Dungeon, leave behind..."
"What?"
"Leave behind... my own Heroic Tale!"
Enduring the pressure brought by Luke, as well as the sword pressure constantly stimulating his spirit, Bell had no time to think, directly pouring out the truest thoughts from deep within his heart.
Meeting Bell's determined and pure eyes, Luke could read the seriousness of this youth.
Becoming stronger through adventure, becoming a hero, encountering different types of beautiful girls in the Dungeon.
He truly, from the bottom of his heart, genuinely desired this.
Indeed, a protagonist.
Even the desire to pick up girls, to build a harem, can be stated so righteously, openly...
Luke suddenly started laughing, simultaneously withdrawing the sword pressure.
Although it was indeed a very immature, childish thought, but... such a frank and interesting boy, it was really hard to dislike him.
Seeing Luke, who had been gloomy ever since entering the basement, actually show a smile, and simultaneously feeling the terrible sensation like a sharp sword pressed against his neck suddenly lighten, Bell couldn't help but sigh in relief, his back, previously held straight as a spear, slumping down.
"Hey hey, isn't it a bit too early to relax now? Even if you passed my test, since you want to leave behind your Heroic Tale in the Dungeon, ultimately, it's the Dungeon itself that must test you."
"Eh? That just now... was it just a test?"
Seeing Bell reveal a genuinely surprised expression, Luke couldn't help but laugh and scold, "Stop acting innocent after getting off easy here. Tomorrow morning, you will go to the Dungeon with me. Prepare yourself, white-haired brat!"
"Mm, I will."
Nodding very seriously, Bell then suddenly frowned, somewhat dissatisfied, "Senpai, I'm not called white-haired brat!"
"And I'm not called Senpai."
Glancing back at the conspicuous white hair on Bell's head, Luke's lips curled upwards, continuing, "White-haired brat, can you cook?"
"If it's just ordinary home-style meals, I know a little."
"Then come over and help."
"Y... Yes! Senpai!"
Nodding with satisfaction, Luke picked up the grocery bag and turned towards the church above.
Because the basement space was limited, cooking the ingredients could only be done in the church itself.
...
The next day.
Inside the third floor of the Dungeon, Luke held the pitch-black longsword tightly in his right hand.
A string of dark red blood droplets dripped down along the blade towards the ground.
During their fall, they clearly reflected the surrounding scene, as cruel as hell itself.
In the cave passage, every inch of soil was soaked with monster blood.
Countless corpses, chopped into pieces, were piled up like mountains on the ground.
Goblins, Kobolds, Dungeon Lizard... the number was almost double that of yesterday.
Lightly flicking the longsword, shaking off all the bloodstains clinging to the blade, Luke looked rather regretfully at these monster corpses, his gaze full of pity.
If the magic stones inside all these monsters were dug out, how much Valis could they be exchanged for...
If nothing else, getting Hestia a slightly larger place to live would definitely be no problem, right?
Perhaps it's time to find a supporter?
While pondering whether to find a supporter to help him collect magic stones, Luke quickly left the third floor.
Otherwise, later, when the new wave of monsters spawned, he wouldn't be able to leave even if he wanted to.
Exiting from the stairwell leading to the second floor, Luke happened to see Bell, holding a dagger, spinning and leaping, steadily fighting off two Goblins simultaneously.
"White-haired brat, if you keep dawdling any longer, I'm not waiting for you!"
Not daring to stay on the same Dungeon floor for too long, Luke stood at the entrance of the stairs leading to the upper floor.
Although his words suggested abandoning the other, his right hand was already resting on the sword hilt, ready to intervene and kill these two Goblins at any moment.
"W-wait... Senpai, please wait for me a bit longer!"
Bell let out a pitiful cry.
Not wanting to be cruelly abandoned by Luke, driven by eagerness for quick success, his originally steady fighting style became disordered.
Fortunately, Goblins weren't high-level monsters.
Even though Bell somewhat lost his footing, he could still barely manage.
A moment later, Bell pulled his dagger out from the back of the second Goblin, raised his head, and excitedly waved at Luke, then jogged over to his side.
"Senpai, I succeeded!"
Early this morning, Luke had taken Bell into the Dungeon.
Just like yesterday, he didn't encounter any monsters on the first floor, but as soon as they reached the second floor, they met old friends.
Goblins, and two of them!
Seeing these two Goblins blocking the path, Luke immediately, without any integrity, waved his hand, letting the fledgling Bell figure out how to deal with them himself, while he returned to yesterday's hunting ground, the third floor...
"Hmph, you're still far off, white-haired brat."
Selectively forgetting his own glorious record of being beaten up by a single Goblin upon first entering the Dungeon yesterday, Luke released the hilt, inserted his right hand into the pocket of his black coat, and turned to walk up the stairs.
Standing behind Luke, staring at the back of this black-clad figure gradually moving away, Bell slowly tightened his grip on the dagger stained with Goblin blood.
Something seemed to be burning in his eyes, sparkling brilliantly.
Sooner or later... Sooner or later, I will make you call me properly by my name, not white-haired brat, Senpai!
...
After fighting in the Dungeon for nearly the entire morning, both Bell and Luke felt somewhat tired.
So, after coming out of the Dungeon, they had lunch and didn't immediately return.
Instead, they relaxed in the plaza outside Tower of Babel, observing the passing pedestrians while chatting idly.
"...So? White-haired brat, you actually prefer the older sister type?"
"Th-that's only natural, isn't it?"
Although his face flushed somewhat red, Bell still argued reasonably, "Speaking of the most charming part of a woman, it's naturally... her chest!"
The seemingly innocent Bell's views on matters between men and women were, in fact, more mature than his age suggested.
However, his concepts weren't mixed with wicked thoughts but were straightforward personal opinions.
So, not only did it not make people dislike him, but it actually made him seem quite honest.
And such a Bell, when facing women, was surprisingly tight-lipped.
Not only would he never say anything inappropriate, but he would also blush frequently.
Combined with his naive, youthful features, he was practically a female-killer.
The kind that slays all ages, from ninety-nine down to just learning to walk.
"Hmph hmph, so you're a boob person? Indeed, just a half-grown brat. Even your standard of appreciating women is so shallow!"
"L-like... Is it wrong to like b-boobs?"
Seemingly feeling it was impolite to discuss such topics in a public plaza, even though there were no women around at the moment, Bell still blushed to the roots of his ears when mentioning a word as explicit as 'boobs'.
However, he quickly began his counterattack, cheeks flushed red, glaring discontentedly at Luke, "Since Senpai finds my standard of appreciation shallow, what about Senpai himself? In your eyes, what kind of woman is the most perfect?"
"Hmph, that's why I say you're just a half-grown brat, asking such childish questions."
"Child...ish?"
"Yes, childish."
Glancing lightly at Bell, seeing he was listening very attentively, Luke suddenly felt a sense of guilt for corrupting a child.
But he still continued, "Listen well, white-haired brat... Only childish and simple fool brats like you would struggle with choosing just one. A truly mature man, for example, me, would only choose to take them all!"
"T-take... take them all?!"
A flash of epiphany instantly bloomed in his eyes.
Bell felt that this one sentence from Senpai had simply allowed him to see the light through the clouds.
A difficult problem that had troubled him countless times during his first dozen or so years of life finally had the most perfect answer!
"Whether it's a flat-chested kouhai adventurer, or a cute waitress you're familiar with at the tavern, or perhaps an innocent elf princess who doesn't understand the world, or even a solitary martial goddess standing at the peak whom no one can understand... Wanting to deepen relationships with cute girls, interact with beautiful women of different races, pursuing relationships with multiple women—such thoughts are not wrong. Faced with affection from different women, as a man, how can one merely focus one's gaze on just one part of them, while disregarding the others?"
Teaching his student Bell the true meaning of life in a heartbroken tone, the tireless corruptor Teacher Luke finally asked with a profound expression, "Well, do you now understand your own shallowness and childishness?"
"Indeed, compared to Senpai... I... truly am too childish!"
"To err is human, white-haired brat. You still have many, many things to... hmm?"
Chatting idly with Bell, Luke suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the plaza crowd being roughly dragged away by several people.
Speaking of which, Bell has now officially joined Hestia Familia.
Then according to the original story, the anime's plot should start very soon, right?
After pondering for a moment, Luke wiped the playful expression off his face and said seriously to Bell, "Hey, white-haired brat, I suddenly remembered something urgent I need to do. Wait here for me for a bit, absolutely do not wander off. I'll be right back."
After hastily giving this instruction, Luke didn't say what urgent matter he had, simply taking off running.
With ten points of Agility utilized to the maximum, he disappeared from sight after just a few flashes.
...
In a dark alley outside the Soma Familia home base, several men surrounded a small figure entirely enveloped in a milky-white robe, their faces filled with ferocious and contemptuous expressions.
"Lili, I won't waste words with you. Are you going to hand over the stuff yourself, or do you want us to take action?"
Among the several men, the bearded leader stood before Liliruca, looking down at her condescendingly, "However, if we take action, you might not be able to go to the Dungeon for the next few days. So, I think you should know what's best to do now, right?"
Hearing the bearded man's threatening words, Liliruca trembled all over.
Simultaneously, the hand clutching the money pouch in her bosom also began to shake, the knuckles turning slightly white from excessive force.
But she still clung to a sliver of hopeful thinking.
Perhaps they're just bluffing, trying to trick me?
Such things had happened a few times before, so it wasn't impossible.
Thus, she took a deep breath to stop her vocal cords from trembling, then spoke, "Lili doesn't know what you're talking about. But as partners within the same Familia, if you're willing to leave now, Lili will pretend nothing happened just now and won't go complain to Soma-sama... Now, can you please step aside? Lili needs to go to work."
After speaking, she pretended to naturally take a few steps forward and pushed the man in front of her.
He didn't budge though...
"Lili, you're usually such a smart kid, why do you always fail to see the situation clearly at times like this?"
The man blocking Liliruca's path sneered, continuing, "Did you think you hid it well? Last night when you snuck back quietly late at night, someone already had their eyes on you. Sure enough, today you snuck out secretly early this morning again. Tsk tsk... So much Valis, no idea what kind of dogshit luck you stepped in yesterday. It really makes one incredibly jealous... But that doesn't matter, anyway, your Valis will belong to us soon."
The man's voice was quite smug, seemingly filled with a sense of accomplishment for successfully plotting against this Pallum.
But his words fell upon Liliruca's ears like rolling thunder, making her feel dizzy.
However, she quickly regained her composure after a brief moment of disorientation.
The Valis... unless a miracle happens, it's definitely impossible to keep them.
But these people, these people who belong to the same Soma Familia as her, wanting to take this Valis from her hands without any cost, is absolutely impossible!
"Since you all want it so badly..."
Without hysteria, nor any harsh words, Liliruca extended her hands from within the robe, holding two money pouches, one in each hand, stuffed full.
Then, she said calmly, "If you want it, come and get it yourself."
Seeing the money pouches Liliruca held, the breathing of the several men blocking the alley grew heavy.
The bearded leader, in particular, laughed heartily and reached out to grab the money pouches.
Staring at the bearded man's approaching arm, Liliruca's lips, hidden in the shadow of her hood, curled slightly upwards into a dangerous arc, a hint of determination flashing in her eyes.
Just then...
"Yo, gentlemen, what game are you playing?"
A familiar voice drifted down from above the alley, causing Liliruca, who had already intended to perish together with her enemies, to instantly widen her eyes, which filled with brilliant light.
The name of that light was hope.
And in stark contrast to Liliruca, hearing this voice suddenly coming from above the alley, the few men surrounding Liliruca simultaneously looked up with faces full of hostility.
On a metal wire strung between the two walls like a clothesline, squatted a man dressed entirely in black—black hair, black wind coat, black trousers.
Can people... squat on metal wires?
Before the men could react from their confusion, the black-clad man seemed somewhat impatient, directly leaping down.
The black wind coat spread open like the wings of a crow, making a "hualala" sound.
When he landed, coincidentally, he landed precisely between the men and Liliruca.
"Where did this meddling kid come from..."
Recovering from the man's flashy entrance, even the slowest among the men could now see that this black-clad man who suddenly descended from the sky was siding with Liliruca.
The atmosphere instantly became somewhat tense, like drawn bows and crossbows.
But as the instigator of all this, the black-clad man—Luke—showed no self-awareness, revealing a relaxed smile, while saying in a light tone, "We meet again, Supporter-san. But your current situation seems a bit unfavorable."
"Isn't that something one should understand just by looking... Or perhaps, are you just deliberately teasing and ridiculing me, Luke-sama?"
Hearing Liliruca deliberately emphasize the pronunciation of "sama," Luke couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.
"Still mischievous as ever, Liliruca."
As he spoke, he drew his sword.
It was a sword pitch-black all over, echoing its master.
The black sword slashed through the air, instantly cutting down the daylight.
Accurately speaking, it cut down the daylight of those men, forever.
...
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