Chapter 3: Pure Soul

"chrip....chirp..."

"Ah...Hm— where am I? Oh wait yeah— this is where I live now..."

Sunlight was shining the room brightly as it fell upon Bell's face, making her wake up from her peaceful sleep which she got after who knows how long. As Bell got up, she noticed that it was very early in the morning, and no one is probably awake right now, since even the guild opens up in like another hour or two.

As Bell got up and fixed her bed, she planned to bring all her belongings from the abandoned church that she lived in after getting herself registered at the guild. She didn't know why but she always felt at home in the abandoned church.

Once Bell finished fixing her bed, she slowly opened the door and made her way to the living room of the mansion, but as she was making her way to the kitchen, someone called out to her.

"Ah Bell— looks like you are awake already."

Bell turned around to see who it was. It was Astraea, who surprisingly for Bell was awake quite early.

"Do you always wake up this early Astraea-sama?"

"I like waking up early in the morning, and the girls also happen to like my cooking quite a lot so I wake up early to make their breakfast...what about you? I didn't expect you to be someone who gets up early."

Astraea spoke as she gestured Bell to sit down with her on the couch. Once Bell was sitting beside her, she picked up a comb and started to comb Bell's hair, making her slightly blush due to embarrasment.

"W-well, I used to work in farms with Grandpa back in the village a lot, it was one of the only times where he was productive for the village and not getting beat up by women. He always made me get up early to tend to the farm."

Bell fell silent for a few seconds, reminiscing about the past before continuing.

"Then when I came to Orario, and was unable to find a Familia, I would wake up early in the morning to get as much magic stones as I can from the first floor, since a lot of adventurers are usually there near the evening."

Once Astraea was done straighting out Bell's hair, she got up to make breakfast for everyone.

"Can I help you Astraea-sama?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I-uhh used to cook a lot as a kid, I can help you with the breakfast if you want.... its totally fine though if you don't want me to-"

"If you wish to, you are welcome to join me, I would also love to taste your cooking, it must be good if you have been cooking since you were a kid."

"Ah- T-Thank you..."

Bell joined Astraea to help make some breakfast everyone before they woke up. In between Astraea would ask Bell questions which she didn't get to ask last night, till she asked a question which Bell was hoping no one would ask.

"Say Bell.. why do you wish to be a hero? It seems that your desire to be a hero is so big that it even turned itself into a skill— which must mean there is quite a reason as to why."

"I- Well it probably stemmed due to the amount of hero stories Grandpa used to tell me. I never knew how he got such detailed stories— but now that I know he is a god, it probably makes sense he lived for thousands of years watching humans of all eras"

"He must love heros very much if he told you such detailed stories."

"He did— my favourite one was the 'Tale of Argonaut'."

"Oh, the story about the boy who was treated like a fool by people because everyone would lie to him but in the end, he ended up saving a princess from a minotaur and becoming a hero— ah looks like everything is ready already, we should talk about this later."

During their conversation, the two didn't even notice when the food was done being made. Bell noticed how they have been cooking for a while and no is awake yet.

"Y-yeah, when will everyone wake up?"

"They should start waking up in about a hour.... you can take a bath till that."

"Ah- about that."

"Right, you would probably need help cleaning yourself up."

Astraea let out a slight chuckle due to how embarrassed Bell got when she said about taking a bath, since even if Bell was the owner of her new body, she still used to a male who now possesses a female body, so it can be quite hard and embarrassing.

"I can join you and help you with the bath if you want."

"A-Astraea-sama?! You shouldn't-"

"Its quite alright, plus you also need to get used to being able to stay with a lot of girls at once, and without any clothes."

"P-PLEASE STOP!"

Bell was practically red due to what Astraea said, even though its something that she needed to get used to— it was still embarrassing.

"Lets go then, I'll help you out."

"H-hai..."

Astraea led Bell to the familia's bathroom, where she ended up helping Bell all cleaned up and teaching her some other personal things throughpiy which her entire head was close to exploding due to pure embarrassement.

"This is so unfair...."

"Stop whining like a child will you, its just a bath nothing more."

The Astraea Familia members were currently having breakfast but Alise was sulking quite a bit.

Why?

Well she had planned to have a bath with Bell— totally just to help Bell take a bath, and not some other reason.

"Stop acting like you were just going to take a normal bath with her, you would probably just grope her all around."

Kaguya shot back as she was getting annoyed of how much her captain was whining.

"HEY! I was not thinking of something like that at all... okay maybe a little, but still this is unfair!"

Bell sweatdropped as she looked towards Ryuu who just shook her head as if this was nothing new. Bell didn't expect the morning to turn out like this.

"Astraea-sama.. did you use something new while cooking again, the food tastes different today— I mean in a good way."

Lyra noted how the food Astraea made had a difference but good taste today all of the sudden.

'Well its probably because Bell helped me cook breakfast today."

"HAH! See that Kaguya, since I was the one who gave Bell the Familia invitation, It just gives me more rights to have a ba—  OW! Why did you hit me?!"

"Stop shouting so loudly and eat your breakfast."

"Tch, fun-killer."

Bell was wondering if every day here was as chaotic as this, but she didn't dwell much on it since she needed to go to the guild soon.

"Anyways Bell, what weapon do you use normally?"

A weapon was very important when going in the dungeon, even if you were fighting with your fists.

"Well, I was using daggers the entire time when I was fighting in the dungeon, but normally I think I would prefer swords."

"Well, we can see if there is one in the store house. Otherwise we will just buy you a new one."

"So fill out all your details on this sheet and we will be done."

It was quite loud in the guild— though it was normal. 

After they were done with breakfast, Alise and Bell made their way to the guild to get Bell registered in the guild. When reaching the guild hall, Bell and Alise called for Eina, who still seems to be in disbelieve that Bell was a girl now.

But not wishing to be creepy, she just handed Bell a piece of paper and told her to fill out all the details. The details were simple— Name, race, level, familia, age and gender. 

Though while Bell was filling out the form, she could hear some people nearby talking about her and Alise, mainly her.

"Hey isn't that Alise Lovell? What is she doing in the guild?"

"Look there is another girl with her."

"Wow, white hair? Thats unique, probably a new member of the Astraea Familia."

"Looks like they got another beauty in the Familia, man I wish I could be in their Familia as well."

"Stop dreaming will you, they only accept girls. You will be kicked out the moment you try."

Bell just sweatdropped while Alise teased her about how she is already famous without even doing anything yet. Bell also swore she heard someone say that they don't remember any white haired girl in Orario but do remember some white haired boy... she was going to ignore that.

Once Bell was done with the registrations, they both made their way to Babel, mainly to go to the dungeon.

Amongst the weapon they had in the store-house back at the Familia home, Bell picked a single-handed sword with a double-edged blade. The blade was made out of simple metal and its handle out of some stirdy wood. The blade itself wasn't what Bell preferred but it would work for now.

As the two walked towards Babel, Alise questioned Bell till where did she make it in the dungeon without a falna, but Bell's answer surprised her quite a bit. 

Apparently Bell made it to floor 3 with ease and would sometimes even venture down to the 4th floor. But she never went further down because at the 4th floor came the monster which was the limit for Bell since she would get injured easily by them.

Once they reached Babel, they ventured down the dungeon and reached the first floor. Alise told Bell that she will be watching from behind on how Bell does and will only help if it gets too serious.

The 1st floor was like a breeze for Bell as she cleared it without any problems. Onlys some Kobolds and Goblins were present which could be killed with just a single swing of the sword.

The 2nd floor was similar. With Kobolds and Goblins, Dungeon Lizards also started to spawn. There were also easy to take down. Though the Lizards could get annoying since they would climb the walls and jump at her.

The 3rd floor, which was Bell's limit before, was so easy that she felt like she could go all the way to the 10th floor already. But there was one thing that Bell noticed, not only were the number of monsters increasing but they were also a lot stronger than before.

They kept on going till they reached all the way to floor 5, where Bell noticed why newbie adventurers weren't allowed to go anywhere above floor 3. Not only did the number of monsters increase, it felt as if they were getting stronger, but maybe it was because of the amount there were.

Bell thought the opportunity to test out her magic on the 5th floor when suddenly many monsters, about 10 of them spawned at once, something Alise was excited about since she also had an enchantment magic.

Bell ran straight towards the monsters as she spoke the name of her spell.

"Jupiter"

Suddenly the sound of lighting filled the area as a blue aura surrounded Bell, and that aura soon had small lightng sparks all over it. Bell noticed it, her speed increased by a lot.

As she rushed towards the two goblins in the front, she was in a matter of mere seconds in front of them as she killed them with one slash. Her strength increased quite a bit as well it seems.

Suddenly a dungeon lizard snuck up on her as it tried to lunge at her from the wall.

"BLOT!"

Suddenly the sound of a lighting striking the ground resonated in the area as an arm sized lighting bolt shot out from Bell's hand and struck the Lizard straight in the chest, disintegrating it.

The cloak was still on as well, so she could probably do atleast two or three more bolts. But she could also feel her mind depleting quite fast as she killed the rest of the monsters with ease.

Bell noted that while she was using a sword much better than a dagger, her moves weren't really good. She was just swinging her sword left and right to get clean cuts on them.

Alise who was with Bell all this time also noticed it, Bell was insanely skilled when it came to fighting, but she needed to refine her movement to be able to go past the 6th floor easily. Alise might act like an idiot a lot of the times but she could be smart and serious when needed.

After around 3-4 hours, Alise decided that it was enough for today

"Bell... lets go back now, I think this much is good enough for today."

Bell didn't say much as she just followed her. She was wondering what way could she improve her swordsmanship, because if she just kept swinging a blade around with any proper movements, she at some point would be dead.

"You should start training with us from tomorrow. I think you can tell as well, but you weren't really using the sword properly, and just swinging it left and right to kill monsters."

Bell just nodded as the two girls exited the dungeon and went to exchange all the magic stones and drop items.

"Over 7000 valis on your first day, thats quite good."

All the drop items and magic stones exchanged for a total of 7550 valis, which according to Alise was very good for someone's first day as an adventurer.

While they were going, suddenly they heard a commotion near the entrance of Babel. And when they looked towards the middle of it, they found out why.

"Oh! looks like the Loki Familia is back from their expedition today."

'Loki Familia....' Bell thought.

'Currently holding the strongest Familia position with Freya Familia as their rivals. They have many astounding members including The sword princess, Nine Hells, Braver... Huh?'

As Bell was analyzing the Loki Familia, suddenly her head snapped towards Babel's direction, more importantly on the very top of the tower.

"Huh? You okay Bell?"

Alise was confused as to why Bell was suddenly looking towards the top of Babel.

"Alise, did you feel as if someone was watching us...?

"No, I don't think so? You might be hallucinating or it might be one of the bystanders who saw you with me.*

"Yeah...probably."

'I hope she is right though....'

Bell just hoped that someone wasn't stalking her.

On the 50th floor— or the top floor of Babel, a woman could be seen glancing down with a face filled with esctacy as she glanced down from Babel.

The woman had long light-silver hair that was reaching all the way down till her waist and silver eyes with a tint of purple in the pupil. She could be defined as peak and absolute beauty charming both men and woman alike.

This was Freya, The Goddess of love.

"Ottarl... is it possible that if a boy somehow became a girl due to some reason, they can possibily become more pure than before?"

"That is something I am unable to answer Freya-sama."

"It's alright... I think I already have my answer."

By pure, Freya was not reffering to a persons thoughts or physical condition, but their soul. Freya had the unique abilty to see the soul of a person through her eyes. It was not a part of her acranum, but an ability she always had.

She was currently staring towards a white haired girl who was suddenly also looking towards her, but Freya knew she could not see her, though it surprised her that the girl sensed her stare.

Freya was currently observing Bell Cranel, the new member of the Astraea Familia.

The reason? Her soul.

Freya remembered seeing a boy with white hair and red eyes walking through the streets of Orario a while back, she didn't really care much until she saw his soul. It was unlike any other ones she had ever seen.

All other souls she had ever seen in her lifetime were of different unique colors. Each color representing something different— but Bell's soul?

It was transparent. So bright, clear and filled with light.

So pure and devoid of any malicious intent that she knew she needed to get him into her Familia. But after seeing him go into the dungeon again and again making her think he might be in a Familia, so she tried to find which Familia was it, but she couldn't find out since she turned out to be wrong.

She found out the truth when she saw Astraea talking to him, his soul suddenly becoming more and more brighter as he talked to her, but then suddenly she saw his soul transform. She was scared for a second, what did Astraea give him that his soul was transforming.

But suddenly, instead of becoming like any other soul, it just grew more transparent and clear as if it was reborn again. All because of a necklace which changed the— huh... gender of the person who wore it? No it must be something more then just that.

There is no way a simple gender change can make a soul this pure.

But she knew that this boy— no girl, was the one she has been looking for, her Odr. 

The only problem was that she was in a Familia already, Astraea Familia to be precise. Astraea was someone who she was close with, someone who she respected. She can't just take one of her Familia members like this.

Freya had decided, she will help Bell grow, watch her become more pure, more beautiful. And she knew just the way how.

"Hah!"

"Whoosh... cling..clang"

It was already the day, and currently Kaguya was helping Bell train.

Yesterday, just before reaching the Stardust Garden, Bell had taken all her belongings from the abandoned church and brought them back.

When asked how was the dungeon, Bell just replied that it was much easier than before but she needed to get more skilled with a sword.

Astraea also updated her status to see how much she had grown already.

Bell Cranel

Astraea Familia

Race: Human

Level 1

Strength: I0- I51

Endurance: I0- I20

Dexterity: I0- I35

Agility: I0- I89

Magic: I0- I47

Magic:

Jupiter: Swift-chant magic. Coats the user in lighting which increases speed and strength.

Once activated user can say 'Bolt' to turn the lighting cloak into lighting strikes that can be fired. 

After certain amounts of Lighting Strikes, the cloak will disappear.

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Skill:

Liaris Freese: Heroic Desires results in Increased growth.

As long as the user Desires to be a hero, their growth will increase in accordance to their desires.

Gives extra excilia to fellow Familia members if they share thoughts similar to the user.

Grants immunity to all charm effects.

Mirror: Allows user to perfectly copy any fighting style as long as they focus on it.

If the strength of the owner of the fighting style is more than that of the user, fighting style won't be properly replicated.

Bell's growth was insane, 240 stat points by just going all the way from floor 1 to floor 5 once and staying there for a few hours? Astraea already knew that if someone finds about this skill, Bell will be in great danger. So she had to warn Bell that she can't let anyone know of this no matter what.

Astraea was just thinking of ways to help Bell while watching her and Kaguya spar with Kaguya obviously holding back a lot as she is a Level 5. Bell's growth was too fast, and she knew that Bell would go through swords and armor at a very fast rate. Armor wasn't much of a problem unlike swords, which could easily break and put an adventurer in danger.

Bell in fact already broke the sword she was using while practicing and now had to get another one a bit stronger.

Astraea had an idea but she didn't know if the person she is thinking of would accept it, but hopefully they would would.