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Chapter 5 – A Declaration of War

After taking a bath and dressing up in the morning, Bell looked at the form of his sleeping Goddess, smiled, and exited the church's basement. Upon reaching the main room of the church, he saw Shalltear leaning on one of the bench seats that were not already broken.

"So, you're awake~. You made me wait~." She said, looking extremely bored.

"I'm sorry!" Bell apologized quickly even though he had come earlier than what was agreed upon. Knowing his party captain's temperament, it was better to apologize and move on than to confront her. Especially since he wished to get on good terms with her. Any wrong move and she may never be able to love him.

The petite girl shrugged. "Meh~. As long as you don't do it again~…" She subsequently lowered her gaze to look at the knife in Bell's hand with disgust. "This won't do~."

A black oval appeared, and she took out, yet another unusual lance. The spear was black with red lines that emitted light and scary spikes at the end. She placed the hilt in Bell's reach. "You may embrace this great weapon for the time being~."

Bell reluctantly took the weird black and red lance and instantly felt power surging through his entire body.

"Amazing…" He muttered and then remembered something important. "Oh yes! I almost forgot! Here is your share from last day's dive." He said as he handed a small bag filled with valis in it. Her hand reached for it and their fingers touched for a little moment.

While Bell felt exited by touching her hand, she, on the other hand did not seem to notice anything and simply threw the bag in her 'pocket-dimension' without verifying its content.

"Now then~." Shalltear began while pulling out from that dark hole her own lance that she used back in the dungeon. "Where should we begin our little spar~?"

"I-In the yard over t-there." Bell stuttered as he led the vampire girl to the church's back door that led to outside.

The two of them were now facing each other in the yard behind the church, Bell with his borrowed lance and Shalltear with her own gigantic lance that was twice her height. These two weapons absolutely did not look like anything Bell has ever seen before. Was this what the work of the best smiths in the world looked like?

"Are you ready~?" Shalltear asked.

Bell nodded. "I am."

He blinked in confusion and when his eyes opened, Shalltear was right in front of him with her giant lance in hand raised over his head.

With a scream, Bell dived to the side as the lance went past him only for it to curve and hit him in the back.

"Ouch!" Bell yelped as he rolled a bit and turned back to face a bored looking Shalltear. The hit didn't so much hurt as it surprised him along with the loud clack it made on his back.

"Just what are you doing~? That was pathetic~. If I used the sharp end of my weapon, you would have already been dead by now~."

"I'm sorry." He apologized before getting up and getting ready into position. "I'm ready, once more."

"Hmm~. I guess I'll go easier on you~…"

An hour later…

"You sure take your time~…" Shalltear commented as Bell tried to control his breath. "Is that everything you've got~?" She playfully taunted. In truth, she had no real expectations of a weak human like him, but these were typical lines that usually drove the heroes in stories to get stronger and stronger. If he could get strong enough to oppose the Evilus terrorist group, then things might start to get just a little bit interesting.

"N-No…just…give me…" After taking some deep breaths, he stood straight up with the lance in hand. "Right, I am ready once more."

"Why do you usually use knife anyways~? Why not a lance like the one you're wielding right now~? There are plenty of other weapons offered by the guild to beginner adventurers~."

"Ah well… The knife is… it's the one that I know the most." He said as he looked at the strange borrowed red lance in his hands. "I've already tried other weapons, but the knife is the one that I have the most experience with. My grandfather showed me how versatile it is between killing monsters or smaller things like cutting ropes or starting small fires."

"Hmm. I too learned to wield the lance from someone important to me~." She said looking up at the sky sadly.

"Really?" Bell got suddenly more curious when he heard the silver-haired girl shared a bit of her past and expected to hear more of her backstory when-

"While I understand the feeling, your knife is only an all-purpose tool for survival~. I was talking about real weapons~. When taking on a strong opponent, especially if they are intelligent, it is best to use a weapon with long reach such as a sword or lance~. You have to be very close to the enemy to strike them with a knife, which sadly makes it a burden~."

Bell seemed hesitant, but then after looking at his borrowed lance and feeling its power, he looked up at his mentor without looking in her eyes, or else he might turn all red again; "I suppose you're right. Please teach me more how to wield a lance."

She smirked, proud of winning the argument so easily. "Good~. Prepare yourself for further injuries~."

As soon as she finished her sentence, a shout interrupted her as an angry short raven black-haired girl stomped out of the church. Shalltear recognized her as the potato seller that foolishly dared to lay her dirty hands on her and then had the audacity to ask her to join her familia.

'Wait. Would that girl that sold potatoes be a god then?' Shalltear wondered. If she had made a request for Shalltear to join her familia before, then that must mean that she was in fact, a god. Yet why would a god accept to play the insignificant role of selling food? Surely, even with their powers sealed, gods could do much more with their wisdom.

Remembering Miach's financial situation, Shalltear sighed. It seemed that gods were not spared from the troubles of poverty and hunger. How lame could these beings above average strength get?

"Who are you and why are you bullying Bell?!" The tiny goddess screamed in rage. Apparently, the potato goddess did not seem to recognize her from the other day. Shalltear thanked profusely whichever supreme being out there that prevented her from having that stupid potato girl crawl all over her sacred body again.

She was used to playing with other's bodies, but not being the one to be played with. Only her supreme masters could expect full submission from her part. If it was for them, then she would gladly serve as their toy.

Remembering that her creator never bothered to do anything to her, she shuddered sadly before remembering about the matter at hand; the boy's goddess being intrusive.

"I have been adventuring with your child the other day and~-" Shalltear began to explain but was immediately cut off.

"But why are you beating him up?!" The goddess asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

Bell approached the raven-haired girl and placed his hand on her shoulder, looking embarrassed. "Goddess… I'm fine, she's actually here to-"

"Bell! Why did you challenge someone way beyond your league?" She clang onto a timid Bell, crying.

Not wanting her goddess to anger his sparring partner any further, the boy began to explain; "No, well, I mean she's tryi-"

"Trying to kill you?"

"-trying to teach me how to fight."

Both Bell and Hestia said simultaneously.

Hestia looked like she had been hit by a large rock, and then straitened herself. "Wait. You mean that this powerful girl wants to spar with you?"

"Umu~. I have agreed to show him basic fighting skills~." Shalltear replied in a monotone, trying not to show off any kind of emotions. She was somewhat amused by the situation, but also irritated about the goddess's interruption in their important business. That business being cultivating the strength of an entertaining pet.

"If that's the case… I must thank you for helping out my child. I am Hestia, goddess of the hearth." The potato goddess gave a small bow, which surprised Shalltear as she did not expect someone of her character to act this way. She may have been wrong with her assessment of this goddess' behaviour.

"Um, okay~."

Hestia then raised her head, the tears from earlier long gone and replaced by a frown. "So, you're that girl Miach talked about, right?"

"Yes, I suppose it is I~."

"I see, then it's alright." Hestia said reluctantly. Of course, Hestia was relieved that she wasn't trying to kill her Bell nor was she some random girl trying to seduce her child. The raven-haired goddess remained nonetheless unsure about this whole situation. From what Miach told her, this silver-haired girl had no interest in men, but considering her pretty face, it didn't mean Bell could not have a crush on her.

"But, I have one condition." Hestia lifted her hand, without leaving her gaze from the pale girl.

"And that is~?" The silver-haired beauty replied stoically.

"Don't mix up love and training! Bell is mine-Eh, I meant not ready for having a partner so soon." Hestia blurted out.

A long silence followed.

Shalltear had expected a condition the likes of splitting the shares evenly or being less violent in her training methods, not a request of this kind.

"That is fine by me~." The vampire finally replied, which made the goddess regain her happiness.

After a long and awkward silence of Hestia standing between the two teenagers' sparing location, preventing them from resuming their fight, Hestia turned once more to Shalltear. "Say, are you strong?"

"Of course, I am~." Shalltear exclaimed proudly as she puffed her flat chest forward.

'Is she really?' Hestia began to wonder but reckoned that if Bell thought she was a good teacher, then there wouldn't be any problem to it.

Still, she didn't understand her child's obsession with becoming stronger. "Then why don't you join my familia!" She proposed to the silver-haired girl with a smile and her fist in the air.

"No~." Shalltear replied much too quickly. Her proud allure from the earlier compliments already replaced by her usual composed expression.

"Ehhhh, buuuuttt-" Hestia began to complain.

"I have no interest in joining any familia~. Even less ones that lives in ruins~." Shalltear stated firmly as she pointed towards the rundown church, suggesting that she would not be changing her mind on this matter anytime soon.

"But it's still nice and warm here and-"

"Goddess… It's fine." Bell interrupted awkwardly, scratching the back of his head with a biter smile.

Hestia seemed depressed, but Shalltear knew at this point that the goddess's mood always kept on changing drastically, which started to piss her off. Still, she took a deep breath and tried to ignore the goddess' presence as much as possible.

"Now that we are done, let's go back in the dungeon~." Shalltear told Bell, who was currently lending his shoulder to Hestia, allowing her to cry.

He looked up staring at his teacher incredulously. "Huh? But we haven't finished the lesson yet."

"I got bored doing it~. Need something else to clear my mind~." She answered without a care for Hestia. "Oh~. And I will be taking this back~." She snapped the spear out of Bell's hands and threw it in her inventory; something Hestia had never witnessed before.

"Oooohhh. What is that?" The goddess asked curiously, once again with no trace of having been depressed seconds ago.

Remembering the boy's description of this ability, the vampire answered. "I can store weapons into an invisible bag that is its own dimension~. Now then, Cranel, let's go~."

"Osu." Bell said, leaving behind a star-eyed Hestia that had just learned of an amazing ability.

'I really need her to join my familia. If what Miach told me is true, then her god has abandoned her long ago.' Hestia began to dialogue in her head as the two children left the scene.

Then, her eyes widened in shock as she remembered something very important; Bell was all beaten up. There was no way he could go in the dungeon in a state where standing was a challenge.

She then ran to where they left. "Bell, wait! You can't go in the dungeon injured like that!" She screamed, but it was to no avail.

They were long gone…

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