Is It Wrong to Explore the Dungeon Even Though I’m Overpowered? (Danmachi SI- WC)

Chapter 62: Flames in the Night

I remained silent as Bell interacted with the girl on the ground who bore a striking resemblance to him.

‘Are they related, perhaps?’ I wondered silently, keeping my expression calm.

“Are you alright, nee-san?” Bell asked worriedly as he gently rubbed the unknown girl’s back, immediately confirming my suspicions.

“…I’m fine, Bell. I’m not made of glass,” the girl replied with an exasperated roll of her eyes, though she made no move to remove his hand from her back.

A moment later, her attention shifted toward me.

Seeing that my hand was still extended alongside my apologetic expression, she let out a small sigh before accepting it.

“And don’t worry about it. I wasn’t paying attention either,” she muttered as I helped pull her back to her feet.

“That’s a relief. I’m glad you weren’t hurt,” I said honestly before letting go of her hand, absently noticing how much frailer it felt compared to most girls her age.

It was only then that Bell finally focused on me and the girls standing behind me.

The moment he took in Est, Marie, and Wiene’s appearances, a blush immediately spread across his face and he stiffened awkwardly in place while the girls looked back at him curiously, at least in Wiene and Marie’s case.

“S-Sorry for bothering you, sir!” Bell stammered nervously before bowing so quickly and stiffly that it caused all of us to blink in surprise.

‘He seems genuinely nervous… and a little afraid,’ I noted silently while keeping my thoughts hidden.

“…It’s alright. There’s really no need to bow.” I smiled reassuringly. “We were both clearly at fault here, so let’s leave it at that.”

Bell looked up at me cautiously, but once he noticed neither I nor the girls appeared upset, he visibly relaxed and let out a relieved sigh.

“Hmm… judging by that reaction, I’m guessing you’re both new to Orario and have already run into some rather unpleasant people,” I said sympathetically.

Bell immediately blushed in embarrassment while scratching the back of his head, practically admitting I was right without saying it aloud.

His sister, however, looked far less polite about the subject.

“Tsk, yeah. We’ve already met plenty of assholes in this city,” she muttered while crossing her arms.

“N-Nee-san, you shouldn’t say things like that!” Bell panicked immediately as he turned toward her. “I’m sure they were just having a bad day.”

In response, Lucia simply rolled her eyes.

“All of them?” she asked flatly.

Watching the two interact, I couldn’t help but smile slightly at their sibling dynamic before lightly coughing into my hand to regain their attention.

“I’m afraid your sister is right in this case,” I admitted with a helpless smile, causing Bell’s shoulders to slump in defeat while Lucia smirked triumphantly.

“Still, don’t let it discourage you. Just because you’ve had bad experiences so far doesn’t mean everyone in Orario is like that.” I smiled encouragingly at the white-haired boy. “I can personally assure you there are just as many good people in this city as there are disagreeable ones.”

Bell immediately looked up again with hopeful eyes while Lucia merely sighed and glanced off to the side.

“Anyway, allow me to introduce myself properly.” I smiled politely. “My name is Reinhard van Astrea, Captain of the Hestia Familia.”

I gently patted Est’s head first.

“This is Est.”

“Hello,” Est greeted calmly with a small nod.

Then I gestured toward the others.

“And these two are Wiene and Marie.”

“Hiya~ Nice to meet you~” Wiene greeted brightly while waving enthusiastically.

“I’m new to the city too~ I hope we can be friends,” Marie added with a cheerful grin.

Bell was once again forced to focus on the girls and immediately turned red all over again before bowing hurriedly.

“N-Nice to meet you! I’m Bell Cranel!”

Finally, attention shifted toward his sister.

Lucia appeared far more relaxed around us now as she gave a small nod similar to Est’s.

“I’m Lucia Cranel, his older sister. Nice to meet you… I guess.”

“…Only by a few minutes,” Bell muttered quietly under his breath before suddenly widening his eyes.

“Wait! Captain of the Hestia Familia!?”

His shocked outburst caused Lucia to blink as recognition finally appeared in her eyes while she looked at me with renewed curiosity.

“Yes,” I replied with a small smile, not particularly surprised considering how much gossip surrounded our Familia lately. “I take it you’ve heard of us?”

“Of course we have!” Bell exclaimed excitedly, all nervousness forgotten as he stared at me with sparkling eyes. “Practically everywhere we went, people kept talking about the Hestia Familia and especially the captain, the Sword Saint!”

The sheer admiration in his expression made me feel a little awkward.

“There were so many ridiculous stories about you that it was hard to tell what was real and what people exaggerated,” Lucia added with a small shrug, causing Bell to immediately give her a scandalized look.

“Rein is the best,” Est declared simply while puffing out her chest proudly before giving the siblings a thumbs-up—her silent way of approving of them.

“Yep! Rein is amazing, hihihi~” Wiene chimed in happily as she suddenly hugged my side with a grin, quickly followed by Marie on my other arm.

“And he’s really strong too~” Marie added enthusiastically.

“They’re exaggerating.” I shook my head helplessly. “There are plenty of members in our Familia who are just as strong as me, or even stronger.”

Which technically wasn’t even false considering Ram currently surpassed me with both of her horns restored.

Bell’s admiration only seemed to grow further at my words while Lucia simply shook her head fondly at her brother before her expression shifted slightly into discomfort.

It took me a moment to realize why.

We had been standing in the middle of the street for quite a while now and naturally had begun drawing attention from passersby.

Several people were already whispering amongst themselves after recognizing me and spotting the Hestia Familia emblem on my shoulder.

There were also a fair number of girls giggling nearby, though I chose to ignore that entirely.

Just as I was about to suggest moving our conversation somewhere less crowded, two loud growls suddenly interrupted the atmosphere.

Bell and Lucia immediately froze before blushing in embarrassment as they instinctively held their stomachs.

‘Right…’ I thought silently as pieces clicked together in my mind. ‘If I remember correctly, Bell had an extremely rough start after arriving in Orario.’

With that thought, I smiled softly before opening one of the bags we had purchased earlier.

Inside were several Jagamarukun snacks meant for everyone back home.

Naturally, Hestia and several of the girls absolutely loved them despite how cheap they were.

“Here,” I offered while extending the bag toward the siblings. “Have some.”

Bell immediately panicked and waved his hands frantically.

“W-We couldn’t possibly accept that, Reinhard-san! Besides, we don’t even have any money!”

“Thank you for the offer though,” Lucia added politely while shaking her head once.

“Please, take them,” I insisted gently. “Consider it a small welcome gift for making it safely to Orario.”

“It’s really yummy, I promise,” Marie encouraged with an eager nod.

“Just wait until you try the ones Rein makes~” Wiene added dreamily while a little drool escaped her lips.

Even after that, however, the siblings still looked hesitant.

Seeing that, I decided to play my trump card, one I was fairly certain they wouldn’t refuse.

“You’re both looking for a Familia to join, right?” I asked with a smile.

The siblings blinked at my sudden question before Bell slowly nodded while Lucia narrowed her eyes at me suspiciously.

“Y-Yes, but so far no one has accepted us,” Bell admitted sadly while lowering his gaze. “We’re not very strong, and we don’t have any special abilities.”

Smiling a little wider, I gently patted his shoulder, causing him to look back up at me.

“Then I must insist you accept these,” I said while offering the snacks again. “Consider them a prerequisite for your interview into the Familia.”

Bell and Lucia froze.

A moment later, realization finally hit them and both widened their eyes in shock.

“…C-Can you repeat that, Reinhard-san?” Bell asked shakily, looking as though he thought he had misheard me.

Grinning slightly while the girls beside me showed their own support—whether through smiles or a thumbs-up in Est’s case—I repeated myself more clearly.

“I mean exactly what I said.” I extended my hand toward them. “As the Captain of the Hestia Familia, I would like to invite both of you to join us.”

Bell stared silently at my outstretched hand for several long moments before tears gathered in his eyes.

He quickly wiped them away with the back of his sleeve before firmly grasping my hand.

Lucia, meanwhile, simply gave me a grateful nod before closing her eyes briefly in acceptance and placing a supportive hand on Bell’s shoulder.

“W-We accept!” Bell exclaimed emotionally, sounding dangerously close to crying again. “T-Thank you, Reinhard-san!”

Shaking his hand once, I smiled calmly.

“You’re welcome. Now come along. We should head back to your new home before we attract any more attention.”

I offered them the snacks again and this time they only hesitated briefly before accepting them.

Soon after, we resumed walking.

Almost immediately, Wiene and Marie dragged the siblings into conversation with their naturally outgoing personalities, doing their best to make Bell and Lucia feel welcome while Est and I quietly led the group back toward the Hearth Mansion.

‘With Bell here now… I wonder if things are going to spiral even further out of control than they already have,’ I thought silently while absently caressing Est’s soft hair beside me.

=====

Several Hours Later

After arriving home, I introduced Bell and Lucia to everyone and officially informed the Familia that the siblings would be joining us.

Poor Bell promptly turned into a human tomato the moment he realized the Familia consisted almost entirely of beautiful girls.

He stammered so badly during his introduction that even Lucia began openly watching him in amusement.

Since I still had work to do, I left the task of showing the siblings around the mansion to the others while I excused myself to the forge, informing Bell that we would talk more later once Hestia and Artemis returned.

As I walked away, Bell sent me pleading looks for help while he was surrounded on all sides by curious girls, most of them members of the Artemis Familia.

I simply waved at him and ignored his silent cries for rescue.

Honestly, it felt strangely nice not being the only male member in the house anymore.

Bell would probably survive.

…Probably.

At the very least, he didn’t need to worry about the girls aggressively pursuing him since most of them already had enormous crushes on me that were made ironclad by my Shroud.

‘…Or maybe that’s actually a bad thing, to be surrounded by tons of beautiful girls but none showing interest in him,’ I mused briefly. ‘Considering his dream of getting a harem and all.’

After thinking about it for a moment, I ultimately dismissed the thought and focused on my work instead.

With Rem assisting me, I spent the next several hours tirelessly hammering away inside the forge until Ram eventually interrupted us to inform me that Hestia and Artemis had returned, and wanted to speak with me.

Looking out the window, I realized it was already nighttime.

After wiping the sweat from my body with the towel Rem handed me, we closed up the forge before I made a quick detour for a bath. Once I was cleaned up, I finally headed toward the study room where Hestia and Artemis were waiting for me.

‘If they’re meeting me there, then this conversation is definitely going to be serious,’ I thought silently.

Reaching the door, I knocked softly before entering.

Inside, Hestia and Artemis were already seated around a small table with tea and snacks laid out between them.

Both looked up when I entered and smiled warmly before gesturing toward the empty seat between them where another cup of tea and a plate of snacks had clearly been prepared for me.

“I heard you found two new children to join us, and one of them is a boy no less.” Hestia giggled mischievously while hiding her smile behind one hand. “Huhuhu~ And here I thought you wanted to keep all of us girls to yourself~”

“As long as he behaves respectfully toward the other girls, I have no objections,” Artemis stated calmly with a composed expression that reminded me exactly who she was.

Just because she had made an exception for me didn’t mean Artemis’s overall attitude toward men had changed much.

While she had mellowed considerably since we first met, I had still never seen her interact with another man for longer than necessary, and whenever she did, it was always with calm indifference or outright dismissal.

‘At least this version of Artemis isn’t like the one from the Percy Jackson universe,’ I thought in relief. ‘That one turned annoying men into animals for her Hunters to hunt down.’

“Of course not,” I answered Hestia calmly, causing her pout slightly when I refused to react to her teasing. “I simply haven’t had the time lately to properly interview the people wanting to join us, and since we weren’t in any rush, I didn’t consider it a priority.”

Then I turned toward Artemis with a grateful smile.

“And thank you, Artemis. They seem like good kids from what my instincts tell me. I’ll make sure to speak with Bell later so he understands the rules properly.”

A soft smile appeared on Artemis’s face before she leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek.

“Thank you, Rein~”

“Ahem. Anyway,” Hestia interrupted while coughing lightly into her hand, quickly shifting the mood. “I’m sure you’re curious about how our meeting with Ouranos went.”

The seriousness returning to both goddesses’ expressions immediately made me straighten slightly in my seat.

Nodding once, I gestured for them to continue.

“Ouranos—or rather, the Guild—wants to officially work with us and hire us to investigate Knossos at the earliest opportunity,” Hestia began calmly while sipping her tea.

“However, since the place is still largely unknown, he proposed that we cooperate with another Familia for the expedition. As far as the Guild is aware, you’re still our strongest member, so they have no idea about Rem and Ram’s true strength.”

Nodding thoughtfully at her explanation, I leaned back slightly in my seat.

“That sounds reasonable,” I admitted. “The more people we have exploring Knossos, the better. We still have no idea what might be hidden down there, and I don’t want to recklessly endanger the twins since they’re the only ones I would currently allow to accompany me.”

Then I turned back toward Hestia.

“Do you know which Familia Ouranos had in mind?”

At my question, Hestia’s expression immediately cracked.

Pouting, she crossed her arms beneath her chest and looked away irritably.

“It’s that annoying Loki No-Boobs! Hmph! If this mission weren’t so important, I would’ve rejected the idea immediately,” she grumbled bitterly.

“It was either the Loki Familia or Freya Familia,” Artemis explained with a slightly nervous smile. “In the end, Hestia and I agreed that Loki would cause us fewer problems.”

“…Right,” I muttered with a faint deadpan while glancing at my tiny goddess acting childishly beside me.

Artemis merely shook her head fondly at Hestia’s antics before turning back toward me.

“During our discussion, the topic of the Xenos also came up. Ouranos wishes for you to meet one of his direct subordinates if you’re willing.”

I raised an eyebrow thoughtfully at that.

For a moment, I tried to think of who she could possibly mean, but nothing immediately came to mind.

Before another word could be spoken, however—

BOOM!

All three of us froze.

A distant explosion echoed through the city, causing us to blink in confusion as we looked at one another.

“That sounded like an explosion,” Hestia muttered while narrowing her eyes thoughtfully.

Artemis and I nodded in agreement.

Standing from my seat, I moved toward the window with a growing frown just as another explosion rang out in the distance.

Hestia and Artemis quickly joined me.

Opening the window, we all widened our eyes slightly as smoke rising into the night sky came into view.

Another explosion followed moments later from the exact same direction.

“What’s located over there?” I asked while glancing toward the two goddesses from the corner of my eye.

“The Entertainment District,” Hestia answered with a frown and crossed arms.

‘The Entertainment District…’ I repeated silently before realization suddenly struck me.

‘Wait… isn’t that where the Ishtar Familia is located?’

Almost immediately, images of the Amazons I had met in the Dungeon flashed through my mind—

—including the beautiful blonde Renard.

‘Who would attack them in the open like this?’ I wondered in confusion.