Author Note: I don't know how, but I wrote half of this chapter in one day. It's one of the longest chapters I've written in recent times. I hope you enjoy.
Bruce Belmont is my OC and my main character in my series: Celestial House Chronicles.
If you want to know the details go to AO3.
Long story short, in this universe Bruce is the Last Master of Chaldea.
XXX
Story Arc: Welcome to Labyrinth City Hours
Episode 1: Is it wrong to take a gap year in a dungeon? (II)
Chapter 2: Two new members for the Familia Hestia
Synopsis: Before going to the home of the Hestia Familia, Bell leads his two saviors to the guild.
After a little discussion about some trifles, Master and Servant meet the half-elf girl, Eina.
Shortly after, Hestia ends up meeting Bruce and Mash, unfortunately something unexpected happens and the cat comes out of the bag.
XXX
POV Narrator
Before long, Bell Cranel was carrying his future companions to their destination.
It is not the dilapidated house of the Hestia Familia.
Before bringing the would-be new members before his Goddess; Bell had to go to the Guild for several reasons.
" Shielder, Saver, this is the Guild." Bell Cranel said, pausing in front of the building before speaking, as if he were a tour guide.
"A nice place." comments Mash, always having something nice to say about new places to visit.
Bruce remained silent, as if the place didn't deserve his words or his attention.
"A lot of business takes place in this place. Like registering new adventurers, but mostly it's a place where adventurers exchange magic stones to get valis." Bell Cranel explained some essential information.
"I should meet my adviser and exchange the Magic Stone obtained from the Minotaur and the monsters you defeated on your way back." Bell said, as he enters the Guild building, with his future companions behind him.
XXX
When the group of three and two exotic pets entered the building, they saw a bunch of people coming and going.
The Guild, as always, is full of adventurers of all possible shapes, some are chatting away with teammates, some arguing with their advisors, some standing in line to deliver magic stones in exchange for money.
Mash out of habit approaches his Senpai, keeping a firm grip on the shield just in case.
While Mash prepares physically for a possible fight, Bruce prepares mentally, starting by cautiously looking around, memorizing the layout of the building and observing the people present.
Bell Cranel being a simple person (and the least paranoid of the group), had no other thought than to find his advisor, Eina.
Within seconds, the white-haired boy had found his target.
"I'm going to talk to Eina, Saver and Shielder, you two could wait by the door, I don't think it will last long." Bell said, before running towards the half-elf girl.
"No problem, Bell. Senpai and I are patient people." Mash said, having no problem waiting, especially when he can make small talk with his Senpai.
"Miss Eina, I'm back!" Bell exclaims in a cheery voice as he walks over to his counselor's desk.
Eina is a 19-year-old half-elf female, 164 centimeters tall, shoulder-length brown hair, emerald eyes.
Eina being only half elf has ears.
Eina wears the standard guild uniform of a black vest, white shirt, and black splints.
"Welcome back, Bell." Eina answers, slightly surprised by Bell's arrival.
Normally, the albino boy comes much later to the Guild, but today he came much earlier than expected.
This fact caught Eina's attention.
"Bell, you're back earlier than usual. Did you have a change of plans? Did you take the day off?" Eina asks politely, appreciating the idea of Bell taking things slow.
Many adventurers are impatient and end up meeting a bad end.
"I went into the dungeon, but a couple of things happened, one bad thing and one very good thing." Bell said, trying to minimize the negative and magnify the positive, wanting to avoid being reprimanded.
"What happened?" Eina asks, slightly worried, but not too much because Bell has no injuries.
For the next few minutes, Bell recounted how he was chased by a Minotaur and rescued by a pair of armored adventurers, Saver and Shielder.
"Put aside the fact that you met a minotaur, a monster from the middle floors, on the upper floors..." Eina murmurs, in an irritated voice, while rubbing her forehead.
"How many times have I told you that an adventurer shouldn't go on an adventure." Eina said, reciting his greatest advice.
Words like that can only be said by someone who is not a hero.
If Eina ever uttered such words in front of a true hero, she would surely receive a scathing response.
Luckily for the half-elf girl, Bell isn't quite the big hero yet, capable of interrupting a pretty woman talking.
"You must be adequately prepared to go and explore the lower floors." Eina chastises Bell for his inconsiderate behavior of hers.
" Understood." Bell murmurs, slightly embarrassed.
Initially, Bell wanted to experience the stories told by his beloved grandfather firsthand.
Dropping slightly further down the dungeon, all in the vague hope of becoming a girl's hero in peril.
A simple, silly and slightly perverted dream.
But things have changed.
Bell experienced the terrifying fear of being torn apart by a Minotaur, followed by the experience of being rescued by a pair of heroes.
Unknowingly, Bell Cranel's dream of becoming something much more glorious and noble, saving people like a hero.
"Can you tell me where they are ... Saver and Shielder?" Eina asks, wanting to know the two people with bizarre names who saved Bell.
Bell turns and points to a spot near the door where Saver and Shielder are going to call each other.
For some reason the face of the girl with the huge shield is impossibly red, looking almost ready to pass out.
"Did something happen?" Question Bell, as he motions for his future companions to approach.
XXX
A few minutes ago.
Meanwhile, the albino boy was talking to the half-elf girl, Master and Servant are chatting with each other.
" Senpai, does this place remind you of a fantasy video game too?" Mash asks, seeing several similarities between imaginary worlds and the reality of this world.
"Why are you asking me such an obvious question?" Bruce asks, sure that even a person uninterested in the fantasy genre can infer what kind of setting this world is.
The girl with the shield blushes slightly for asking such a stupid question of her Senpai.
Well, we've been to many unique places on our travels with and without Chaldea.
But never such a thing, except Lostbelt No. 6: Fairy Round Table Domain, Avalon le Fae." Mash said, remembering one of the more fantasy places he set foot.
" Mash, please don't talk about Morgan Le Fay and his Lostbelt.
It's bad enough that I'm the descendant of Morgan Le Fay, I don't need to remember the time spent with that witch." Bruce said, in a dark voice, not liking to meet his ancestors in Arthurian myth.
For the Last Master of Chaldea, meeting the Heroic Spirits was an unforgettable experience from which he learned a lot.
But meeting her ancestors from her maternal grandmother's lineage was not a good experience.
Bruce gets along very well with Mordred, looking at her as the older sister he never had.
But meeting Artoria, Morgan Le Fay and Merlin was not a nice family reunion, the less said, the better.
' Mash, you are a bad Kohai, you made Senpai uncomfortable. You have to remember that mentioning Morgan Le Fay or King Arthur is a bad move.' Mash thinks, chastising herself for his little mistake.
"Being in a city full of adventurers who go down to explore a dungeon every day, it feels like I'm sleeping with the computer on." Mash said, trying to change the subject of discussion, exposing her slight doubt that he was dreaming.
Bruce sensing what you are doing to his Kohai, decided to help her, through his own methods.
" You mean you often dream that you and I are together in a fantasy world, where we save plebeians and slay dragons?" Bruce asks, in a curious voice, understanding only what he wants to understand.
" Every now and again." Mash replies, her cheeks flushed, as she lowers her gaze, feeling very embarrassed to admit that her Master appears in her dreams.
Indeed, his Senpai is a rather constant presence in his dreams.
"Our life is already filled with stuff that looks like something out of an Anime or a Light Novel. You should dream of something more fun and awesome." Comment Bruce, considered boring to dream about something that happens quite often in the real world.
' Actually, sometimes I dream that I am the Last Master of Chaldea and that you are my Class Servant, Saver.
Or whether I'm a princess being saved by you or the other way around.' Mash thinks, getting slightly redder in the face, not knowing why her subconscious creates such dreams.
" On the rare times I sleep, I have some rather extravagant dreams.
A while ago, I dreamed of being a Doctor, not the ordinary hospital doctor.
But a master tactician and member of the 'Rhodes Island' group, a private medical company based in a small nomadic town of the same name.
My job is to help Amiya, a Bunny-Girl and an Operator Caster save the world." Bruce decided to tell Mash about his strange dreams, just to be even.
"Strangely, you were there too, Mash. In my dream, you were my private nurse, assistant and bodyguard.
On top of that, you were the cutest dog girl and the strongest Woman Operator Defender on Rhodes Island." Bruce explained what role Mash played in his dream.
The face of the girl with the shield has turned even redder than before, for a moment she looks as if she is about to lose her balance and fall to the floor.
' Senpai dreamed of me ! I was his personal nurse! I was also a cute dog-girl !' Think Mash, slightly losing touch with reality.
Bruce's words echoed in Mash's head, changing meaning over and over again.
"Mash, moments like these remind me of Mira Yamana, both of you are too pure women for your own good.
You get embarrassed easily and if I expose my thoughts about you, your brain short-circuits." Comments Bruce, crossing his arms, seeming slightly amused by the frenzy of the lilac-haired girl.
"But I have to admit that the shy one has her charm, even if I prefer to see your tenacity." Bruce comments, without turning in Mash's direction, continuing to observe his surroundings.
Mash's blush at hearing these words grew in intensity.
"Did something happen?" Question Bell, as he motions for his future companions to approach.
XXX
Now Bell, Bruce and Mash are in front of the half-elf girl's desk.
'Those are some strange animals.' The half-elf girl thinks, immediately noticing that there are exotic pets on the shoulders of the two armored adventurers.
"Hello miss. Are you Bell's guild advisor?" Mash asks, in a gentle voice capable of winning anyone's heart.
'The girl is very pretty and seems to be a kind person.' Eina thinks, as she looks at Mash, getting a good first impression of her.
"Shicker, you're asking some pretty obvious questions today." Comments Bruce, raising an eyebrow under the helmet.
" I'm a busy man and I have many goals to achieve, so let's get straight to the point, what do you want from me, Bunny-Boy's adviser ?" Bruce asks, in a neutral tone, looking straight at the half-elf girl.
Eina felt a slight shiver in her body as the eye of the black knight rested on her.
'This man is intimidating and doesn't appear to be as nice a person as Bell.' Eina thinks, classifying this Saver as a difficult customer or one that needs to be treated carefully.
"Senpai, you're scaring people again, you should take off your armor or helmet when you talk to people." Comments Mash, with a tired voice.
The Girl with the Shield is sure that the armor makes her Master harder to interact with than usual, especially for outsiders who aren't used to her eccentric personality.
" Miss Counselor don't worry about my Senpai.
Beneath his armor and cold demeanor, he's one of the nicest people I know, just not good with strangers and takes his job too seriously." Mash declares, trying to prevent his Senpai from being labeled "bad". person.
'They're quite an odd couple, their personalities are on opposite poles.' Eina thinks, trying to maintain a professional attitude.
"Nice to meet you, Mr Saver and Miss Shielder, my name is Eina Tulle." Eina said, making a slight bow, entering her professional personality.
"You can call me Mash. Shield is kind of a code name or nickname for pretty obvious reasons." said the lilac-haired girl, tilting her head towards her giant shield.
"Thank you both for helping Bell Cranel in the dungeon, not everyone would have done such a gesture." Said the half-elf girl, knowing some adventurers who think only of money and their own skin.
"I don't need your thanks. I simply carried out one of my duties which my code of conduct imposes on me." Bruce declares, in a neutral tone, seeming not to want to hear any thanks from Eina.
" Code of Conduct?" Bell Cranel murmurs, his voice full of curiosity, joining the conversation.
"Here's a part of the code I've forged over the years: Gi, Yu, Jin, Rei, Makoto, Meiyo, Chugi." declares Bruce, in a serious and proud voice.
" What does it mean?" Bell asks, understanding nothing of any of the seven principles listed by the Black Knight.
"Honesty and Justice, Heroic Courage, Compassion, Kind Courtesy, Complete Sincerity, Honor; Duty and Loyalty." declares Bruce, in a voice full of conviction.
Mash Kyrielight couldn't help but smile, his Senpai is someone who rarely shows how he feels, but his actions and ideals speak for him.
Even the albino boy reacted to the black knight's words, Bell's red eyes started to shine, as if he had seen something incredible.
' Do not judge a book by its cover. Its content may surprise you.' Eina thinks, seeing that the black knight could be more than it seems at first glance.
"Returning to official business, I am obliged to inform you, that the services of the Guild are not available to those who have not registered, including exchanging magic stones for Valis." Eina said, reciting a phrase she has memorized.
"No problem, Senpai and I are ready to sign up anytime, even now." Mash said, wanting to join the Guild and become an official adventurer.
Although the lilac-haired girl's idea of adventurers is based on video games and her own career in Chaldea.
"Optimal." He declares the half-elf girl, pulling a Registration Form from a desk drawer.
Bell Cranel at the sight of those documents begins to shiver, remembering an excruciating pain in the dominant hand.
"Some things exist in every corner of the universe, among them is Bureaucracy." Bruce murmurs, in an unfriendly tone, glaring at the registration documents, indeed glaring at the concept of useless bureaucracy that wastes your time and energy.
' Again I do not understand what is written.' Think Mash, on a pitiful note.
Traveling with your Senpai through the worlds is a wonderful experience, but problems always appear, such as language barriers or incomprehensible scriptures.
" Here are the materials needed for registration. You must read, sign and deliver to the guild before benefiting from our services." Eina said, as she pulled out a second registration form.
" Before proceeding, can you two tell me which Familia you belong to?
This will speed up the process." Eina said, trying to help Saver and Mash complete the paperwork faster.
Mash tilts his shield in Bell's direction.
"At the moment, we are not part of any Clan headed by a deity, but we will probably join the Bunny-Boy Clan." Bruce said, providing a more substantial answer.
' You know he's from a distant land if he uses the word Clan instead of Familia. But which country are Bruce and Mash from?' thinks Bell, getting slightly curious about the origins of his saviors.
" Bell, didn't you tell me that your Familia has received two new members ?" Eina asks, while she stops asking for details.
Like, why would two people who are clearly upper-level and/or rich enough to buy elite equipment want to join a poor one-member Family?
But, being a member of the guild, the half-elf girl cannot delve too deeply into the private affairs of a Familia.
"It's not official yet, first I have to take Saver and Mash to my Goddess to receive her blessing." Bell said, in a happy tone, finally his family will grow in number and perhaps they will no longer live on the poverty line.
"It means we have to postpone the recording for later." Said the half-elf girl, picking up the two registration forms.
"Before you leave, Bell, you should exchange magic stones, so you can celebrate the new additions to your Familia." Eina said, delivering a helpful little tip to the albino boy.
"Understood, good evening, Miss Eina!" exclaims Bell Cranel, before leaving Eina's desk, going to exchange the magic stones.
" Saver, Shielder, I'll show you how to change magic stones." Bell said, motioning for his saviors to follow him.
'I don't know why, but I have a feeling that the Familia Hestia is about to become more famous.' Thinks the half-elf girl, watching closely as Bell, Saver and Mash walk away.
XXX
After about twenty minutes, in which the funds of the Bell family have expanded significantly.
Bell, Bruce and Mash, plus their pets, have arrived at their final destination for today.
The house of the Hestia Familia, a small abandoned church, which seems to have been left to its own devices for about fifteen years.
"Bunny-Boy, you weren't kidding when you said your Clan is poor." Bruce comments, examining the church with the critical eye of an architect.
" The upper floor is a bit dilapidated, but the basement is comfortable and habitable. We also have running water, a kitchen and a small bathroom." Bell said, trying to show the good side of his house.
"You also have an unstable structure that could collapse in the next big earthquake, along with cracked walls, a roof full of holes, rotting wood, and enough dust to cause respiratory problems." Bruce said, pulling out the results of his quick architect analysis.
Bell hearing these words lowers his head in defeat.
"I know the place isn't the best, but I'm not a restorer or handyman to fix the church, nor do we have the money to pay someone else to fix the building." Bell admits that his current home needs a lot of repairs, but there's nothing he can do.
"Don't worry Bell, it might not seem like it, but Senpai likes ruined or abandoned or dark places." Mash said, trying to fix the albino boy's morale.
"Do you like creepy places?" Bell asks, in a shaky voice, having known no one who loves horror or scary things.
"I like being underground and in the dark, surrounded by ancient objects. Responds the black knight, admitting that he likes the dark elements of the world.
"A ruined church is not my style. I would have preferred an abandoned school, a ruined hotel, an ancient hut in a swamp, a ghostly house in the heart of the forest, a cursed castle surrounded by snow or a cave of crystals." Bruce lists places, which according to him, are a thousand times better than this place.
" Saver, you are a brave person." Bell said, starting to shiver just to visit some of the places he listed.
" In this case the word brave is not exact. Senpai is a person with unique tastes in many things." Mash said, correcting the albino boy's words.
"Instead of talking about me, shouldn't we be meeting the poor Goddess who lives in this church." Bruce said, wanting to meet Bell's Goddess, then deciding whether to join or leave is to see if he can use Ereshkigal as his own False Goddess.
" Right away." Bell answers, showing the entrance to the lower floor of the church.
The group of three people and two small animals walked past the broken pews to a small room behind the altar.
It was once a storage room lined with empty shelves that opened to reveal a stairwell.
One by one they descended the stairs, with Bell ahead of the line.
Within seconds, they arrived in front of a wooden door.
"Goddess, I'm home and I brought a treat!" Bell exclaims, as he opens the door and enters the lower floor of the Church.
"Bell, welcome home!" She gleefully exclaims the poor Goddess who lives in the basement of an abandoned church.
After these words, Bell's Goddess ran to hug him tightly.
"Hestia, we have guests." Bell said, his face red, trying not to think of the warm feeling in him, caused by the embrace of his Goddess.
Hestia is a beautiful and petite Goddess with a youthful appearance.
She has blue eyes and mid-thigh length black hair tied into twin-tails which reach down to her mid-thighs.
Her hair is tied with hair accessories that feature blue and white petals along with bell-shaped ornaments,
She has a small frame (140cm), which further emphasizes her breasts.
Her usual attire is a white mini dress with a blue ribbon around her neck and one tied under her breasts around her arms, and a pair of white gloves.
" Guests !?" Hestia exclaims, in a surprised voice.
So far no person, mortal or god, has come to her church looking for her.
Breaking off the embrace, Hestia shifts her attention from Belle to Bruce and Mash.
All three were suddenly silent.
' Both have an unusual aura, even their little pets emit something strange.' Hestia thinks, feeling a strange gut feeling when she sees her guests.
Hestia as a Goddess has a kind of hypersensitivity, but rarely anyone or anything can stimulate her sixth sense.
' This is Bell's Goddess? She reminds me so much of Tohsaka, Ishtar and Ereshkigal.' Mash thinks, not being able to notice the strong resemblance between Hestia and a certain witch Tsundere.
'The universe will never stop messing with me. I just got a parody of Ereshkigal's physical body.' Bruce thinks, knowing that no matter where he goes, one way or another he's going to get caught up in something problematic.
The albino boy is clearly blind to the strange feeling between his Goddess and his saviors.
" Hestia, meet Bruce Belmont and Mash Kyrielight, they are two adventurers who want to join our Familia." said Bell, overjoyed to bring good news to the Goddess about him.
Hestia hearing that two people want to join her Familia and that Bell will no longer have to venture alone into the dungeon, she forgot about the strange feelings she had before.
Hestia immediately ran in front of Bruce and Mash, giving the impression of being a dog that has just found the long-awaited bone.
"Do you two really want to join my Familia?" Hestia asks, in an incredulous voice, sounding ready to cry tears of happiness.
"I'd like to say yes. But this choice is up to my Senpai, I'm only his escort." Mash said, as she turns to Bruce, waiting to hear her Senpai's judgment of Hestia.
At that moment, the heavy helmet covering his face split in two and became one with the armor.
At the sight of Bruce's feminine and androgynous face, Hestia's territorial instincts and jealousy were activated.
"Bell you have brought two beautiful women to join our Familia and live in this little house!" yells Hestia, acting like she's a jealous, clingy wife who has caught her husband with another woman in their bed.
"Senpai, I'm having flashbacks with Ishtar arguing with Senji Muramasa over a simple misunderstanding." Mash comments, having seen something like this happen before inside Chaldea.
"A woman's mad jealousy and irrational anger is another universal thing." Bruce mumbles softly, raising his hand and snapping his fingers.
"Hestia, it may seem strange, but Bruce is actually a man!" Declares Bell, wanting to avoid retribution from his Goddess.
After that, his black and purple colored armor disappeared as if by magic.
Beneath the armor, Bruce wears a skintight black suit, which starts from his toes and reaches down to his throat, leaving only his head free.
The dress itself is black with purple colored circuit lines and neon purple highlights centered around the left side.
Over the black suit, Bruce wears three accessories, a choker, a pair of bracelets and a belt.
The choker is in silver, with a coin-shaped pendant decorated with a symbol, OOO, which could mean beyond infinity.
The choker connects to two short necklaces with charms, two small swords.
On her wrist she wears futuristic silver bracelets, which seem ready to transform into something comparable to Tony Stark's creations.
The metal belt could belong to Batman in terms of functionality and weapons in the form of small gadgets.
The superhero belt carries some important items.
Two small books with an antique look, bordered by thin chains that allow you to hang them from your belt.
"Hestia, it may seem hard to believe, but Bruce is a boy, a very feminine boy, but he is a man." Bell said, trying to appease his Goddess' anger.
The deities of this world have the innate power to tell when a mortal is lying.
Gods are practically living lie detectors.
Therefore, Hestia understood that Bell is sincere with her.
'I made a bad impression in front of the recruits.' Hestia thinks, feeling embarrassed and ashamed of her own behavior.
"Goddess Hestia, you are not the first and you are definitely not the last person to get my Senpai's gender wrong." Mash said, trying to make little Goddess feel better.
Hestia has returned to stand in front of Bruce.
"Sorry about earlier. Do you still want to be part of my family?" Hestia asks, with an awkward smile, hoping the situation can be resolved.
Bruce's good eye looked directly at Hestia, as if looking at her under a microscope.
The body of the Goddess of the Eternal Flame shudders for a moment.
'That weird feeling I had before is back.' Hestia thinks, feeling something strange from Bruce, like he's not a mere mortal, but not even a god or a spirit.
"I'm still interested in joining your Clan, but only if my terms are met." He declares Bruce, in a firm voice, as he crosses his arms.
"I hope it's nothing absurd or unreasonable." Hestia asks, willing to do much to grow her family, but she's not desperate enough to sell herself.
"First condition, Mash and I, we are travellers, we have decided to settle down in this city for a year.
Once the year is over we will go back to where we came from. Is that a problem for you?" Bruce asks, wanting to know first if there will be any problems with their impending departure.
Both Bell's and Hestia's faces saddened suddenly.
Getting two new members is great, but getting two new members only to walk away after a year is less awesome and more bittersweet.
"A year is the minimum time for an adventurer to change or leave his Familia. I agree to let you go, but maybe I can convince you to stay." Hestia said, in a hopeful voice, sure she can convince Bruce and Mash to stay longer than expected in the Familia.
'A few pomace small Tsu-Tsu.' Think Bruce, even more sure that nothing and no one in this world can hold him back if he wants to leave.
"Second condition, my and Mash's past belong to us alone. I don't want you to try and get any information about our past." Bruce said, wanting to avoid any coast revealing the existence of Chaldea and travels to other worlds.
Experience has taught him that the more people learn of the existence of the multiverse and are able to travel through them, the more problems the Planeswalkers and Keyblade Masters grow.
Experience has taught him, that as more people learn of the existence of the multiverse, the more the problems of Planeswalkers and Keyblade Masters grow.
"Don't worry, I'm a goddess capable of respecting the privacy of my family members." Hestia said, knowing that many adventurers have troubled pasts that they prefer to forget.
"Third condition, respect and mutual humanitarian treatment. Good must be paid for with good, evil must be paid for with evil." Bruce said, willing to treat Hestia justly, if the Virgin Goddess does the same to them.
"Hestia is the kindest and most just Goddess in the world. I promise you and Mash will be treated well by our Familia!" Declares Bell, answering for Hestia, having nothing but good words for her Goddess.
' Bell, you don't know how much happiness your words bring me.' Hestia thinks, moved inside of her, being able to almost cry tears of happiness to have someone like Bell with her.
"Senpai, surely we have found some good people to be with." Mash said, quite sure that in a few minutes, she and her Senpai will be part of the Familia Hestia.
" Last condition, I will be the head of the Clan, I will take care of war, economic and political issues." Bruce declares, in a stern voice, as if it were the most important condition of all.
Hestia blinks in surprise at the last request, the first three requests were reasonable or already included in the package of the Familia Hestia.
But the last request is the only one that can be summed up as selfish.
" Do you want to be the Captain of my Family? Why ?" asks Hestia, curious why Bruce wants the leadership position.
Mash smiles sheepishly, remembering how many quarrels there have been between her Senpai and a particularly proud Servant, who believes he is the true leader of the team.
Things didn't end well…for those Servants.
Bruce Bel Bahamut Belmont, the descendant of Morgan Le Fay, Merlin, Solomon and Samael, is the King in Black of Chaldea for a reason.
And the Seals of Command have nothing to do with it.
"Senpai is not a good person to take orders, he's a bad subordinate. But he's a wonderful leader." Mash said, trying to downplay his Master's rebellious and disobedient nature.
"Is Bell a Problem If Bruce Becomes the Captain?" Hestia asks, looking in the albino boy's direction. Wanting Bell's permission before granting the position to Bruce.
" I don't get angry, if I became someone's captain I wouldn't know what to do." Bell replies, happy not to be given such a responsibility. Plus it would be uncomfortable to be the boss of someone older and more experienced.
"My conditions have been accepted. The contract was made, of course, with the typical clauses of Faustian contracts." declares Bruce, introducing a way out of the pact that no one in this world can understand.
"Mash and I will be your adventurers for a year or until death separates us." declares Bruce, in a solemn voice, treating her contracts and his promises with frightening seriousness.
"Hurray!" Hestia and Bell exclaim, while Mash smiles kindly, appreciating the positive energy of her new companions.
"Now, it's my turn, to keep my pact." Hestia said, before grabbing Mash by the hand and dragging her towards the single bed in the room.
"Now take off your armor and lie down on the bed and I will give you my blessing." Hestia said, in a happy and motherly voice.
Slightly embarrassed Mash causes her armor to vanish, reverting to her normal clothes.
In a flash, Mash is wearing rectangular-framed glasses, a gray hoodie over a black shirt over a white-collared shirt, a red tie with the Chaldean insignia, a black skirt and tights, and brown shoes.
Is this personal magic or enchanted very high quality equipment? Still, it's great to see.' Thinks Bell, wishing he had armor that vanishes and returns by the sheer will of the wielder.
"If this is some kind of sexual harassment. Hestia, you risk getting punched in the face at the very least." Bruce said, in an aggressive voice, cracking his fists.
"I'm not a perverted woman like Loki. Let me explain." said Hestia, remembering that not all people know the process by which a mortal can be blessed by a deity. A process that can easily be misunderstood.
XXX
Five minutes later, after a quick explanation, a demonstration with Bell's help, and a promise from Hestia that she won't let her hands roam in inappropriate places, Bruce has calmed down.
Bell is turned to the wall, not wanting to see something they aren't allowed to see.
Mash is lying on the bed, her upper body covered in a bra that has been unhooked for Hestia to work on.
Hestia is sitting on Mash's back with a small needle in her hand, offered by Bruce, to make it easier and safer for everyone.
Bruce is standing by the bed, watching the whole process.
This is possible because Mash allowed him to watch, because being close to her Senpai helps her stay calm.
Plus, Bruce is kind of a doctor who healed her of many wounds. Bruce has already seen every angle of Mash's body, as a doctor, not as a man.
"Okay, Mash, I'm going to give you my blessing, worst case scenario, you'll feel a little ticklish." Hestia said, giving a little warning.
Then the three person Goddess proceeded to prick her finger with the knife and then traced her blood on Mash's back.
Then, the three-person Goddess proceeded to prick her finger with the knife and then traced her blood on Mash's back.
Once this was done, Hestia placed a piece of parchment on Mash's back where she traced her finger and pulled it back, leaving several words and numbers on it.
Hestia turned the scroll towards her, then froze for a long moment.
Hestia continued to stare silently, her hands shaking, as if she was holding a bomb in her hands.
"Bruce, Mash, what is a Demi-Servant?" Hestia asks, with a trembling voice.
Bruce abruptly grabs the piece of paper and reads it just as quickly, then hands it to Mash.
XXX
■ Status
Real Name: Mash Kyrielight/Galahad
Class: Shielder
Master: "Bruce Belmont" aka Knight of the Grail
Divine protector: Hestia
Race: Demi-Servant
Level: One
■Statistics
Strength: I-0
Defense: I-0
Dexterity: I-0
Agility: I-0
Magic: I-0
■ Magic: [Error]
Magecraft - Another World Magic: Allows the user to learn and practice the magic of their original world without interference or disadvantages from the host world.
Lord Camelot - Now is a Castle of Distant Ideals: It is an "ultimate protection" employing the Round Table, "where the Knights of the Round Table sat at the center of the Castle of White Walls, Camelot", in the form of a shield. Its strength is proportionate to the will power of the user, and it is said that "so long as the heart doesn't break, those castle walls too shall never crumble."
■ Skills: [Error]
Knight of Grail: The user gains an increase in all stats when near the King of Grail. The more danger the King of the is in, the stronger the Knight of Grail will become, all to protect the King from him.
Shield of the Master: The user gains increased strength growth while at his Master's side. The strength of the effects corresponds to the level of the user's feelings.
Wall of Chalk Obscured in Time: A defensive Skill that allows one to arbitrarily apply invincibility to someone in the party. The power of one's Noble Phantasm also increases a bit. Following how it "obscures", the target temporarily shifts out of the time axis to avoid an attack. If the rank was higher, the target could even phase through attacks, among other things, from a higher dimension. That principle is close to a certain defensive Noble Phantasm that is used to target its own user.
Shield of Rousing Resolution: A skill that temporarily raises one's own defensive power and draws in an opponent's attack. It is only bestowed upon those who muster their courage and protect the back of those who egress before anyone else. This is not a skill that comes from the Noble Phantasm, but rather the form Mash's mentality takes.
■Development Abilities: [Error]
Heroin: [Inaudible]
Magic Resistance: A rank and lower magecraft is nullified, no matter what greater magecraft it is.
Self-Field Defense: A power displayed when protecting allies or an allied camp. Exhibits damage reduction surpassing the defensive limit value, but she herself is not included as a target. Also, the higher the Rank more the protective range spreads.
Abnormal Resistance: Negates the effect of abnormalities such as poison.
XXX
"I'm sorry, Senpai, our cover was blown because of me." Mash murmurs, in a sorry voice.
The lilac-haired girl feels too guilty to realize that two of her Skills concern her feelings for her Master.
"Don't blame yourself, Mash. If your stats sheet looks like this, mine would be an even bigger mess." Bruce said, in a gentle voice, as he stroked Mash's head to make her feel better.
" What happened?" Bell asks, approaching the group, aware that something shocking has happened.
Mash knowing he can't lie to Bell hands him his stat sheet.
"This is not normal, right?" Bell asks, looking in Hestia's direction, that she should understand better than he does what's going on.
"Bruce, Mash, what is a Demi-Servant? What is a Shielder Class? What is a Master?" Hestia asks, raising an eyebrow, wanting to make sense of Mash's abnormal status.
"At this point, the cat is out of the bag, it makes no sense to pretend to be a simple animal." Said a female voice, coming from Vritra's mouth.
"Did the Ferret Talk!?" Bell exclaims, pointing a finger at Bruce's talking pet.
"I am not a ferret, I am Vritra, Bruce's other half, the Last Master of Chaldea, the hero who has saved the world and the universe numerous times." declares Vritra, adding fuel to the fire.
Bruce takes a long sigh as he runs a hand through his hair. Then he freaked out…theatrical style
" My full name is Bruce Bal Bahamut Belmont, I am the most powerful sorcerer in the world !" He declares Bruce loudly, walking up to the room's only table.
" I am the Ultimate Life Form, Evolutionary Apex, the King in Black of Chaldea!" Bruce proclaims, spreading his arms, treating the whole incident as a stage act.
"It's me and Mash, we are heroes from another world and we have decided to spend our gap year inside the dungeon!" Bruce declares, before clapping his hands and jumping off the table onto the sofa.
"Do you have any questions for us, Bunny-Boy and Little Goddess?" Bruce asks, a big smile on his lips, having decided to ride the chaotic wave instead of stopping it.
" Bell, Hestia, welcome to my world, you will soon get used to Senpai's eccentric behavior." Mash said, the calmest person in the room, used to worse craziness.
Hestia did the only sensible thing she can possibly do… pass out in Bell's arms.
Continues ...