| Synopsis |
Volume 9[]
Prologue: Encounter[]
After she was born, Wiene ran around looking for help and wondered where she was. She was attacked by monsters, adventurers that feared her, and those with a weird disposition. As she ran around, she tripped and fell down a slope. With her foot injured, she couldn't run from her pursuers any longer. She rested against a wall in despair and waited for them to reach her but instead heard someone else approach. Lifting her head, she saw a white haired boy looking down at her.
Chapter 1: An Irregular Girl[]
The Hestia Familia's encounter with Wiene started three days after the end of the war with Rakia and on the 18th Floor. Bell and the others were asked to help suppress an outbreak of Firebirds on the 19th Floor. Lili was somewhat reluctant in accepting but was won over by the reward and the situation. The people of Rivira provided Salamander Wool as a pre job reward. Bell was assigned to a different party due to his speed and began looking for Firebirds. However, he ended up getting lost. As he looked around, he noticed the shadow of someone off to the side. He went to look and found a Vouivre sitting there.
Bell wondered if the girl in front of him was really a Vouivre as normally they were born with a snake like bottom half. However, the girl in front of him had two legs instead. He noticed that the girl was crying but he'd been told to not feel sorry for monsters. Not knowing what to do, he decided to leave the girl alone. At that moment, a Firebird appeared and tried to attack the girl. He saved her and decided to treat her wounds with his potion. He was shocked when the girl spoke and covered her with his Salamander Wool. Soon, several adventurers appeared and asked him if he'd seen a rare monster. He protected the girl by claiming that she was a comrade injured by a Firebird. The adventurers expressed their annoyance and left. Bell ultimately decided to help the girl and led her back to the 18th floor.
Bell had the other members of the Hestia Familia follow him to a secluded area in the forest to introduce the girl. Nevertheless, the girl's hood accidentally fell down, causing the others to move into battle position. They questioned why she was there and Lili accused Bell of having a Monster Fetish, which he denied, and to their surprise, the girl spoke. Although she argued against it, Lili advised him to take the girl to the surface at night when there wouldn't be as many people outside.
That night, the Hestia Familia left the Dungeon with Wiene. Below the Guild, Fels reported to Ouranos that a monster with intellect was being taken out of the Dungeon, but upon learning that it was the Hestia Familia, the God ordered Fels to keep on eye on them to see if they would become a hope for the monsters.
Chapter 2: Daily Life with a Dragon Girl[]
Upon returning to their home, Lili had the Miach Familia leave before they took Wiene inside. Hestia greeted Bell before she noticed the girl next to him. Hestia asked him "what" Wiene was and not "who", knowing that it wasn't a person even before she removed her hood. She asked for an explanation once she saw Wiene's body. After hearing his explanation, she decided to protect Wiene at the Hestia Familia home. She knew that monsters were things that the children needed to fight, but she couldn't leave Wiene alone after seeing how scared she was. Hestia asked Wiene for her name but Wiene didn't have a name. The others told Bell to decide on her name and at first he decided on Wilusine before it was rejected by the others and shortened to Wiene by Hestia. Hestia welcomed Wiene to the Hestia Familia home. As everyone thought that the matter was settled, Lili and Hestia accused Bell of being too close to Wiene.
The following morning, Hestia asked everyone to gather information about talking monsters while making sure that information concerning Wiene didn't get leaked. Hestia herself went to work as usual and asked Hephaestus to hear her out. Hephaestus was suspicious, thinking that Hestia was trying to talk her way out of working. Hestia denied her suspicions and asked her if she knew anything about talking monsters. Hephaestus didn't know anything about talking monsters, causing Hestia to explain the situation to her.
Mikoto made her way to the Miach Familia home and discussed the situation with Miach and Takemikazuchi. The two Gods were surprised that such a monster existed. Miach speculated that it was something unknown while Takemikazuchi asked Mikoto what she thought of it. Mikoto admitted that she was scared of Wiene but didn't know how to interact with her.
Welf made his way to the Guild and listened around to adventurers talking to each other. He also took a look at the noticeboard to gather more information. While there, he overheard several adventurers talking about a monster that stole weapons and armor from adventurers. Welf contemplated the chance of the equipment stealing monster being the same as Wiene but decided against it, although he couldn't completely deny it.
Lili used Cinder Ella to change her appearance to a young blonde Elf before heading to a run down bar in northern Orario. She had experience in dealing information in these kinds of places where people like Bell would easily be tricked. Lili paid more than she was charged for her drink and asked the master if he had any information on talking monsters. While the master didn't know anything, a Chienthrope sat down next to her and offered her some information in exchange for money. After Lili paid her, Lulune revealed that a certain group of people were highly interested in information about talking monsters. Lili asked who they were but even Lulune was wondering who they were. At that point, Lulune became suspicious. She tried to gather info on Lili which caused her to leave. However once outside Lili noticed that Lulune was following her and decided to shake her off.
Bell and Haruhime stayed behind to take care of Wiene. Wiene herself was interested in everything on the surface and asked about various things such as the sun. Eventually she wanted to take off the Salamander Wool she was wearing, however she was forced to keep it on as she was naked underneath. Bell and Haruhime tried earlier to get her to wear clothes but she refused. As she explored the garden area of the Hestia Familia home, Wiene became too excited and accidentally cut Bell's skin with her claws. She apologized over and over and became scared of touching him but he simply held her hands to show that it was all right. At that moment, Bell noticed they were being watched and spotted a white owl perched on the roof of the Hestia Familia home. The bird watched them for a minute before it flew off. He was suspicious of the bird but kept it to the back of his mind. Bell felt another stare and saw Haruhime jealously staring at him hugging Wiene.
Everyone returned later and ate together. After eating, the girls decided to take a bath with Wiene. Wiene wondered why Bell wasn't bathing with them, causing Lili to point out that Bell was male. As Lili complained that there were too many people with large chests in the Familia, Wiene got out after she decided to have Bell join them. Lili, Hestia, and Haruhime chased after her half naked, causing Bell to scream.
The night the Hestia Familia gathered information on talking monsters, Hermes and members of his Familia waited in an alley near the east gate. Soon, Asfi appeared with three adventurers that Hermes had sent earlier to investigate a matter outside. Hermes welcomed them back, asking them for details of their mission. The Hermes Familia was trusted by the Guild to successfully completely their mission, which in turn allowed them to freely enter and exit Orario. Laurier handed Hermes a report and also told him of one thing. The three had found a monster chained in the basement of a noble's house, tortured and severely weakened. The monster gave them its damaged horn to them as it died to give to its comrades. Laurier became distraught, telling Hermes that she didn't know what to do anymore. Hermes comforted her, promising to take care of the matter. He then asked Lulune about what she found out. Lulune informed him of a young blonde Elf that had been gathering information about talking monsters. Hermes read the report which listed the Ikelos Familia as the origin for the monsters being sold.
Elsewhere, Dix berated his fellow Familia members for losing track of Wiene on the 19th Floor. One Familia member apologized but Dix pointed out to him that they could've gotten a huge amount by selling Wiene to the perverted nobles. He continued to complain that he couldn't find their nest. Annoyed, Dix walked over to the wall and grabbed a red spear. He stabbed the spear into a cage while complaining that none of the monsters would talk, causing a weak scream to issue from within. Dix ordered the Familia member to tell him about the situation when they first found Wiene. The Familia member explained that some Elves claimed that they'd met a talking monster. The Familia members searched the floor but didn't come up with anything.
Dix thought about the situation for a moment and came to a conclusion. Since no one claimed that they killed a Vouivre, he theorized that someone must be hiding Wiene. Dix ordered the Familia members to have some members search the floor and have some check the people that volunteered for Rivira's quest. After they left, Dix asked Ikelos for his help, causing Ikelos to sarcastically mock him for his attitude. He wanted Ikelos to question suspicious individuals since children couldn't lie to Gods. Ikelos was reluctant at being used but Dix pointed out that it would pass time. Ikelos agreed to his proposal and the two smirked.
Chapter 3: The World, Reality, and Monsters[]
The next day, Hestia invited Hephaestus, Takemikazuchi, and Miach to the Hestia Familia home to see Wiene. All three Gods were surprised that such a monster existed. Hephaestus suggested that the Guild might know more about the situation but the others were hesitant. While the Guild might know something about monsters like Wiene, it could also cause the Hestia Familia trouble if word got out about her. Not knowing what else to do, Hestia asked Bell, Lili, and Welf to gather information in the Dungeon.
After accepting Hestia's request, the three of them thought about the dangers. Traveling to the 19th floor with three members could be dangerous and could take more than a day when adding in the investigation time. Bell ultimately decided to try and recruit Ryuu into their party and headed to the Hostess of Fertility. As he received his lunch from Syr, Bell stared at Ryuu, causing her to ask if there was something on her face. Bell tried negotiating with Ryuu to help them, though unfortunately she had to reject his request because of work.
However, before she could finish, Aisha appeared and wondered what they were doing in front of the Hostess of Fertility. He explained the situation to Aisha and she was willing to accept their request in exchange to have sex with Bell since she didn't get the chance during Haruhime's incident. Ryuu coldly rejected her offer and warned her to not try anything inappropriate. Aisha thought that she was interested in Bell herself but Ryuu told her that he already had a wife, much to his surprise. Aisha was surprised, however she claimed that she had a younger sister like girl that was already promised to Bell, though Ryuu refused to believe it. She told Ryuu that she would taste Bell first while Ryuu would start with holding hands, causing Ryuu to tell her that she couldn't leave him in the hands of those with low character and told her to get lost. Ryuu decided to take the day off from work to accompany Bell's party into the Dungeon to protect his virginity.
Aisha bought any necessary equipment on the way to Babel. While Bell watched Aisha fight, he remembered asking her earlier along with Haruhime which Familia she joined but she simply told them that it was a secret. Lili noticed that Aisha had leveled to Level 4 to which she revealed that after her loss to Bell she had trained relentlessly in the Dungeon. Ryuu also recognized who Aisha was as she defeated several monsters and the two complimented each other. At that moment, an Almiraj caught Bell off guard, forcing him down to the ground with its attack. Ryuu quickly saved him, although he knew that he needed to focus. The fear of attacking a monster and realizing that it was a monster similar to Wiene made him worry, making him not be able to focus as much as he should have. The party made it to the Rivira within three hours. Once there, Bell and Welf made an excuse to leave while Lili stayed with Ryuu and Aisha.
Bell and Welf headed down to the 19th floor to search for information about Wiene. While there, a robed person approached them and asked them if they were the ones that were kidnapping their comrades. However, she smelled them, noting that they didn't smell like blood. Satisfied, she asked them if they were the ones Fels mentioned. Bell and Welf were confused but the hooded person continued to ask if it was possible for Humans and monsters to coexist. After telling them that she had high hopes in them, the hooded person made a high jump and disappeared. Soon after the two were spotted by monsters and forced to run.
At the passage to the 18th floor, Bell and Welf walked passed Dix and four other Ikelos Familia adventurers. While passing by, Bell was sure that he felt Dix take a glance at him. After they left, one of the adventurers pointed out that Bell had helped in the Rivira quest and Dix decided to have Ikelos question him.
The two returned to Rivira and the party made their way back to the surface. As Bell was on his way home, Ikelos approached him. He walked around Bell for a little while being overly friendly until he asked him next to his ear if he knew about any talking Vouivres. Not knowing what to do, Bell stood there when someone interrupted Ikelos. Hermes approached the two and told Bell to leave as he would deal with Ikelos. Hermes revealed that he went to the Ikelos Familia home, however no one was there, to which Ikelos revealed that they moved to a new place. Hermes continued on by accusing the Ikelos Familia of dealing talking monsters on the black market, not only based on his evidence but also on the fact that the Ikelos Familia was once suspected of being a part of Evilus. At this point Ikelos became defiant, taking no responsibility for the actions of his children. He pointed out that even if Hermes killed him his children would simply hide themselves or join another Familia and keep on doing the same things. Satisfied, Ikelos told Hermes that he could do all the searching he wanted and left.
As Bell left Hermes and Ikelos, Hestia, Lili, Welf, and Mikoto were discussing on what to do with Wiene while Haruhime played with her in the garden. Lili was firmly against keeping her in the Hestia Familia home. Unfortunately, Wiene overheard their conversation and ran off to search for Bell. Bell himself arrived in passing, quickly learning of Wiene's disappearance. The group ran off in search of Wiene and found her surrounded by a group of people. She had apparently saved a young Chienthrope child from getting injured but unfortunately her wings had expanded, notifying everyone that she was a monster. The people viewed her as vile and threw rocks at her. Lili quickly changed to her young Elf form to disguise her identity while she rescued Wiene. Lili told the others to head to the underground room which was the old Hestia Familia home. The Hestia Familia decided to hide Wiene there until things settled.
That night, an owl observed the old Hestia Familia home where she was hidden. The owl familiar then returned to its owner Fels. Fels sighed, knowing that he had to take action to help Wiene. He looked down at the Guild building he was standing on and mentioned that he was leaving the rest up to Ouranos.
Chapter 4: Mission[]
The same night, Ottar reported to Freya about a winged monster appearing in the city. Freya knew that there had been a commotion but didn't know what caused it. She asked him if there was any damage done, to which Ottar reported that no damage was done, although someone took the monster away. She also asked if the Guild gave out a directive, to which he told her that they were busy gathering information. Ottar offered to gather information, however Freya told him that capturing Hermes and interrogating him would be much faster if needed. Hermes sneezed when his name was mentioned though the sound didn't reach Freya or Ottar. Freya told him that if nothing happened then that would be the end but if something did happen the Guild would order them to move. Ottar agreed and fell silent.
The following morning, Tione and Tiona informed Ais about the monster that appeared the day before. Ais asked if Finn knew about it, to which Tione told her that Finn had ordered any available Familia member to gather information. Ais contemplated not doing anything but she cared enough about Orario to get involved. Ais asked what Finn's orders were and Tione answered that the monster was to be captured alive, although if it resisted they were to get rid of it.
Later that day, Eina was working non stop at the Guild along with Misha. Misha complained that she had already worked all night but Eina told her that it was an emergency. Since the Ganesha Familia hadn't notified them, Misha noted that the escaped monster wasn't one owned by them. Eina reminded her that any monsters owned by the Ganesha Familia had plates attached to them that served to notify others of its location. She was concerned about the robe the monster was wearing, as that would mean that the monster had intelligence. When the two returned to their office, Eina's superior notified her that Royman wanted to see her immediately.
Eina made her way to Royman's office and entered the large room filled with expensive furniture. Royman immediately berated Eina for being several minutes late and claimed that Eina caused a problem by seducing two adventurers with her body. She denied his claims but Royman dismissed them, telling her to be ashamed. He then accused her of withholding information on Bell, noting that she most likely was doing so to prevent Bell from becoming the Gods' toy. Eina also denied that accusation, however Royman kept on complaining to her. After a while he finally calmed down enough to talk about why he called her to his office. Royman handed her a sealed white envelope and ordered her to deliver it to Bell. She questioned it, causing him to reveal that it was a mission, not a quest. She tried to question further but Royman became angry once again, kicking her out from his office. Eina thought about what she'd learned and became worried for Bell.
The next day, Bell was summoned to the Guild, and Eina handed him the envelope as Royman had told her. Bell asked if he could read the envelope while he was there. As he read, he was shocked that the order was for the Hestia Familia and Wiene to head to the 20th floor. Nonetheless, he cleared his mind, taking the envelope back home with him. Bell discussed the situation with his fellow Familia members, deciding to head to the 20th floor like it said. Hestia herself was puzzled by the extra note written in hieroglyphs that ordered her to go to a certain place once her children left.
At the same time the Hestia Familia were discussing the mission, Dix was discussing the commotion yesterday with his fellow Familia members. He was slightly confused over the fact that Wiene had wings but concluded that since she was a monster anything was possible. Dix ordered the others to keep watch on the Hestia Familia.
That night, the Hestia Familia gathered at Babel to head to the Dungeon. As they moved, Bell felt the stares of many people and wondered if they were people from the Guild or some other force. Shrugging it off, Hestia sent them off while the party entered the Dungeon, quickly traveling to the 20th floor.
Chapter 5: Xenos[]
Upon arriving, Bell had Haruhime cast Uchide no Kozuchi to strengthen the others when needed. The party fought their way through groups of monsters, some of which they encountered for the first time, such as Dark Funguses and a Battle Boar.
After her children had left, Hestia traveled to the specified location as ordered. Suddenly, Fels appeared and approached Hestia. Hestia was suspicious of Fels, sensing something strange about him. Fels told her that he wanted to discuss something with her but couldn't do it while he was being targeted. Black smoke shot out from his sleeve, covering both of them before they disappeared. Miach, Takemikazuchi, Hephaestus, Naaza, Daphne, Cassandra, Ouka, and Chigusa were shocked at the situation though they knew there was nothing else they could do.
Just when they thought they escaped, a group of twenty Deadly Hornets appeared, forcing the Hestia Familia to move again. Upon arriving at the room with the entrance to the 20th floor, the walls started cracking. The party ran as fast as they could to avoid the Monster Party of at least forty four monsters, barely making it through to the 20th floor.
Hestia came to her senses in a stone passageway. After covering the area with black smoke, Fels had covered her head with a magic item that blocked out sound and taken her to her current location. The passageway itself was low, wouldn't fit three people side by side, and had no windows or doors. Fels told Hestia to follow him down the passageway. As they walked, he explained that only a few people knew about the passageway, with only the amount of people that could be counted on one hand having actually used it. Hestia thought about it, coming to the conclusion that the passageway was created in case of an emergency. The two of them reached a dead end and Fels opened the wall, heading up a staircase to a stone room. The room was made of stone and was reminiscent of an ancient temple. At the center of the room, surrounded by four torches, sat Ouranos.
Hestia and Ouranos greeted each other since the last time they saw each other was around a thousand years ago. Fels excused himself as he had somewhere he needed to be. Ouranos agreed to answer all of Hestia's question, revealing that he ordered the mission to be given to the Hestia Familia even if it was suspicious. Hestia continued on, this time asking about the situation behind Wiene.
Bell and the others made their way to the room specified by the map included within the envelope. The room had nothing in it which confused them. At that moment, the party heard singing coming from a hidden passageway in the room. They headed down the passageway and ended up in a room with a spring. Mikoto noticed golden feathers on the water and figured out that they could swim through the spring to a place on the other side. Following her, they swam through the spring, ending up in a large cavern like room. Suddenly, the party was attacked by multiple monsters. Not being able to see them in the darkness, the party struggled to fight them while they protected Wiene. Lili thought of an idea and threw out the Akarigoke that she obtained on the 19th floor. Thanks to the light source the party was able to fight back, although the difference in strength and numbers proved to be extremely difficult. The party repeatedly tried to protect Wiene from the attacking monsters, especially from a red Lizardman. While trying to protect Wiene, Bell charged Argonaut for five seconds and unleashed a powerful punch at the Lizardman which sent it flying.
The Lizardman started laughing in its own tongue before switching to the Human language. He was impressed at the fact that the party tried to protect Wiene from harm. A Siren appeared next to the Lizardman, reminding him that she told him that they were different that the others. The Lizardman agreed and apologized to the party, introducing himself as Lyd. Lyd decided to call Bell as Bellcchi and shook hands with him. At that moment, all of the monsters in the room cheered. Most of them came over to Bell to shake hands with him. Eventually, while interacting with Arles, Wiene's jealousy reached its limit. She ran out from her hiding spot behind Bell and told Arles that Bell was hers. The Harpy Ray asked for her name, causing Wiene to introduce herself. Ray welcomed Wiene, something which the others all agreed on. Bell asked Ray what exactly they were to which Ray answered that they were known as Xenos.
Ouranos revealed to Hestia that he called those monsters with intelligence as Xenos. He continued to tell her that while he didn't know when the Xenos first appeared, he decided to protect them. Hestia asked why he chose the Hestia Familia to bring Wiene to the Xenos' Hidden Village instead of just kidnapping her to which he told her that he believed that the Hestia Familia could become a bridge that would help Humans and monsters to live together. Hestia was shocked and asked Ouranos if he knew what he was doing. He was certain of what he was doing, revealing that he already took various measure to try to make it happen. She asked him who knew about the Xenos besides the two of them and Ouranos revealed that Hermes and Ganesha knew. The fact that Ganesha also knew shocked her the most, causing her to realize that the Monster Feria was held to try and get the people to get used to monsters. Lastly, Ouranos revealed that Fels was also helping him.
Hestia knew about Fels and asked if he was his right hand man. Ouranos confirmed it as Fels was the only one capable of moving freely to do Ouranos' work. Hestia then asked about the situation in the Dungeon. Ouranos asked Hestia what she thought happened to dead monsters. He kept on going, telling her of his own theory that the souls of dead monsters went back into the Dungeon and were reborn, either due to their immense longing or due to the Dungeon's will. Hestia was shocked and both of them thought about it.
After the introductions, Lyd ordered the others to prepare a feast to celebrate the arrival of Bell and the others. Although most of the Xenos were having fun, some of them still doubted Bell and the others. Gros told Lyd to stop the nonsense but Lyd simply told him that Bell and the others were their friends. Seeing that Lyd wasn't going to listen, Gros and his group ignored the others. The feast continued with Lyd ordering Ray to sing while the others danced. At that moment Fels appeared. Fels introduced himself to the party, revealing that he had been watching them. Lili asked if he was also a Xenos, causing Lyd to answer that he was a former Human, with Fels himself taking off his hood to reveal a skeleton head. Lyd told them that Fels was the Sage that once made a stone that granted immortality. Lili immediately reacted while Bell was equally awed to meet a legend. Welf asked why someone like him was in Orario and Fels told him that Ouranos had scouted him when he arrived in Orario.
Fels explained that he first met the Xenos fifteen to sixteen years ago. He explained that they had a give and take relationship with Ouranos, with both sides helping the other. Lyd brought up the fact that Wiene could speak the Human language extremely well, hinting that she may have remembered how to speak from her previous life. Fels revealed that all Xenos had the longing to reach the surface, something that may have influenced themselves. However, Lyd instructed Bell to kill any monster that attacked him, even if the monster spoke, reminding him to put his life in priority. Soon the feast ended and the party readied to leave with Fels. Wiene tried to leave with them but Lyd held her back, telling her that going with them would only cause them more trouble. As they readied to leave, Fels revealed the existence of those who hunted the Xenos.
Bell and the others returned to the surface early next morning. Hestia greeted them at the door to Babel and walked home with them. As they reached the central park, Bell asked Hestia what the Dungeon was, and Hestia answered that the Dungeon was the Dungeon.
Intermission: Boundless Malice[]
At the Ikelos Familia home, Gran kicked a cage holding a Xenos, forcing the Xenos inside to stop wailing. Dix told him off for being loud and asked if he wanted to be food for the monsters. Gran apologized but told Dix that they had almost found the Xenos' lair. The Ikelos Familia followed the Hestia Familia into the lair, only realizing within that they had been followed by the Hermes Familia, thanks to a Bugbear that smelled them. Dix ordered the others to retreat back to their home. He cursed Ikelos, getting mad at the God for letting their whole operation be found out by Hermes. Ikelos himself was out and about seeing if the fighting between both Familias would bring him entertainment. Dix ultimately decided on a plan and chose a Xenos. Walking over to a cage, he thrust his spear into it, causing a scream to issue from it.
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