Danmachi: Is It Wrong to Be the Main Character in Orario?

'The direction of support essentially covers attack, defense, healing, and creating opportunities.'

'In that case, I'll need to understand many people's traits and gather more intel on monsters. That means I'll be spending more on rear-line efforts.'

Bell paused for a moment.

It wasn't the money that concerned him—it was the mental strain.

With the Rune Stone business now providing steady profits, money was no longer a serious issue. At most, income just came in cycles; only after buyers used up the Rune Stones could he start selling again.

Still, this stable income meant Bell could finally leave behind his days of poverty.

The real issue was the effort it required.

'No wonder Orario relies on Familias.'

'No wonder deep expeditions are organized within Familias. Teamwork built over time can't be matched by temporary parties.'

So, Bell had completely given up on that option.

After all, his Hestia Familia wasn't likely to gain new Adventurers. He didn't need them—and he wouldn't trust those daily risk-takers anyway.

Rather than placing his faith in some stranger from who-knows-where, it was better to just put in the extra effort himself.

'If that's the case, I need to get in touch with some members of the Loki Familia.'

'I'll talk to Captain Finn first.'

Taking initiative was one of Bell's core beliefs.

Closing the notebook he had been writing in, Bell left his room, heading toward the Loki Familia.

"Bell-kun, are you going out?"

As he stepped into the living room, he heard the voice of Goddess-sama.

When Bell looked over, she was seated on the couch, casually reading a book—just like always. Hestia had loved reading for as long as he could remember, and ever since he could afford it, she'd often come home with piles of books.

Maybe he could bring her some next time.

Bell made a note to pick up a souvenir or two the next time he was out. He just wasn't sure what kinds of books Goddess-sama liked—or which ones she already had.

'Next time, I'll take a look through Goddess-sama's library. Maybe I'll find something she'd enjoy.'

After letting that thought pass, Bell didn't keep her waiting long and quickly responded.

"Yeah, I'm heading over to the Loki Familia."

"Ugh, Loki again?"

Hestia immediately pouted when she heard that. Lately, Bell had been going to Loki's place far too often for her liking.

She dropped her previously crossed legs and looked at Bell-kun, puffing out her cheeks in mild frustration.

"Bell-kun, you're going to Loki's place again?"

"Bell-kun, you're not going to see that fox from the Loki Familia, are you?"

"No, no. I'm just going to talk to Captain Finn about something."

Bell hurriedly denied it. His relationship with Sanjouno Haruhime wasn't at the point where he needed to seek her out intentionally. Even though that incident had happened once, aside from that, Bell had barely interacted with Sanjouno Haruhime since.

"Recently, I've realized I've lost direction in my growth. Based on the advice Hephaestus gave me the other day, I'm thinking of trying a support role."

"Support, huh... Ah, no wonder you're heading to Loki's place."

Hestia finally understood why Bell-kun was going there, but she also remembered him saying he wasn't good at dealing with others and that he didn't trust any Adventurers.

"But is it really okay if it's someone from Loki's Familia? Bell-kun, didn't you say you didn't trust other Adventurers?"

"I just hate all the scheming and backstabbing between Adventurers. I don't trust them because I don't understand them, and I can't be sure they wouldn't betray me. But if it's necessary, I'll still work with them. Besides, Loki Familia is on the same side as us."

Bell never trusted Adventurers—at least not the average ones.

He knew well how unpredictable people could be. Being cautious and not trusting anyone easily was just common sense.

Still, if they shared the same interests and goals, Bell was willing to trust Adventurers like those from Loki Familia.

Hestia gave it some thought and found his reasoning fair. At the very least, the children of the Loki Familia were far more trustworthy than the wild Adventurers roaming around outside.

"That's true. The children from Loki's side are much better than most from other Familias."

"But Loki's group also has a lot of impressive girls."

At that moment, Hestia's eyes turned sharp.

Bell could only smile helplessly. He couldn't exactly deny it.

"That's true. Both 'Nine Hell' and the 'Sword Princess' are incredibly talented girls."

"Bell, just listen to yourself."

Hestia's cute face slowly puffed up like she was silently declaring her displeasure. She quickly held out her arms.

Bell walked over to Goddess-sama with a resigned smile and offered a sincere apology.

Three minutes later, with her cheeks still flushed red, Hestia finally accepted Bell-kun's apology, looking quite pleased.

"Bell-kun, make sure to come back early."

"I will."

With Goddess-sama's blessing, Bell set out for the Loki Familia.

He was already quite familiar with the place, which meant the upper ranks of the Loki Familia had gotten used to his sudden visits.

Of course, most of the time, Bell didn't run into anyone else. Unless there was some unexpected meeting, he usually only met with Captain Finn or Loki herself.

But the moment he stepped inside today, Bell could feel that the atmosphere was unusually lively.

"Hey! Ais, that was way too harsh!"

"Bete, it wasn't that Ais went too hard—it's that you were too slow to react."

"Hah!? You stinkin' woman, you didn't react either, did you!?"

"...You've got some nerve saying that, Bete! You're no better! And I reacted faster than you anyway."

"Dammit! You witch, you're just picking a fight with me, aren't you!"

With insults like "stinkin' woman" and "witch" being flung around, Bell didn't even need to approach to know who it was.

Still, their argument caught his attention and drew him toward the noise.

In the courtyard of the Loki Familia, quite a few people had gathered, and at the center of it all were 'Vanargand' Bete and "Crusher" Tiona locked in a shouting match.

The ground in the middle bore clear signs of battle, with cuts and gouges from heavy strikes.

Even a casual glance was enough for Bell to sense the sheer power of a Lv. 5. But what really drew his focus was the girl standing off to the side—"Sword Princess" Ais Wallenstein.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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