x-X-x-X-x

Dungeon, Fifth Floor

Shalltear felt slightly bored.

They had entered the dungeon two hours ago, and they had yet to encounter any kind of threat at all. Most of it were kobolds, goblins and sometimes ants and lizard monsters. The brat, Bell Cranel, progressed throughout the dungeon at a satisfactory paste and knew the upper floors' layout which meant that the two of them did not waste too much time.

The vampire had not brought out her Spuit Lance yet and had simply used the third-tier spell, [Lightning]. The spell shot a small bolt of lightning from the tip of her finger and electrocuted to death any monster that she pointed at. Shalltear wasn't sure if Bell Cranel was actually praising that weak spell of hers or if he was simply mocking her.

They were already down to the fifth floor of the dungeon which looked no different than the floors prior to it and nothing of note caught her interest. The boy tried to small talk, but she had little interest in him. Up until now, he had done nothing that caught her interest. Shalltear wasn't entirely sure if she was setting her expectations for both Bell and the dungeon a bit too high.

While the walls and floor of the fifth floor were light green colored compared to the light blue color of the four floors prior to it, they were essentially the same; corridors forming a maze filled with low level monsters and useless traps. Nonetheless, Shalltear was still curious if there would be anything different beyond those floors, remembering that so called 'man-made dungeon' from the other night, so she decided to ask the boy.

"Do you know if all floors look like this~?" She asked Bell out of a mild curiosity before a group of kobolds emerged from the walls and ambushed the two adventurers. Kobolds were average sized reptilian humanoid creatures and one of the weakest spawned monsters one could encounter in both YGGDRASIL and the dungeon.

"No. This is just how the first floors are made. I've heard from some adventurers that some floors look more like an actual jungle or a winter landscape with ice and snow." Bell answered quickly as he ran at a kobold and cut it with his dagger.

'Hmm… That description sounds somewhat similar to Nazarick's fifth and sixth floor, although I've never visited any floor besides my own before. Based on this, there may be types of environment other than those the boy described too.'

"I see, so does it stops being a maze at a certain point? [Lightning]." She asked the boy while blasting her spell at one of those foolish dragonoid creatures that attempted to jump on her divine self.

"Yep." The boy answered quickly, too immersed in his fight to deliver a longer response.

"Good~. [Lightning], I hate spending time on finding a way down~." She commented while shooting at another kobold, leaving only two of these monsters left that ran towards Bell.

"I-It's n-not that hard o-once you memorize t-the layout." He stuttered, all the while slaying a kobold and kicking away the other, sending it crashing in the wall, unmoving.

He turned to face Shalltear. "You've used your lightning spells quite a lot… Are you sure that you don't want to rest? You could get a mind dow-"

"Watch out!" Shalltear shouted quickly.

Bell only saw a flash when Shalltear pulled a giant spear out of nowhere and swung it over his shoulder. Hearing the spear piercing something from behind him, Bell turned to see the severed head of the kobold that he had sent flying into the wall earlier. It appears that his earlier kick wasn't enough to finish it off…

"That was careless of you~. Though I doubt that reptilian would have been enough to injure you~."

"T-Thank you." After the few seconds of silence that it took for Bell's brain to process everything that had happened before his eyes, he finally spoke in agitation: "…That was fast! I didn't expect you to be this amazing, miss Fiora!"

"That is only to be expected from someone like me~!" Shalltear puffed out her chest proudly, leaving the boy smiling and feeling slightly awkward at his captain's overly self-centered behavior.

Bell noticed strange bubbles forming into the lance that pierced the kobold and right after that, a green light surrounded the girl and faded a few seconds after. Still wondering what was exactly going on with the lance, Bell widened his eyes as he looked closer at the giant spear that his captain had just pulled out of what he supposed was her secret 'pocket dimension'. It was at least twice as big as the teenage girl, making her look a bit ridiculous while wielding it, though it didn't seem to bother her that much. Its design was very strange, almost alien looking, but something else surprised Bell. "That lance… Was it you who killed the minotaur the other day?"

Shalltear stiffened her pose.

She had been found out.

How careless of her.

She was not certain if she should lie to him as he saw her with her glowing crimson-red eyes, but ultimately decided to go against it since her cover was already blown. "That is correct~."

"T-Then, t-thank you for saving me and please f-forgive me for running away!" The boy stuttered before bowing down on the floor. "Miss Fiora… I have a request."

"Uh?! A request~? Then speak your mind~." Shalltear said, a bit confused by the boy's actions. Was he going to swear loyalty to her? She couldn't see how his services could be useful to her in any way. Perhaps she could simply reject his allegiance-

"Please teach me how to become strong!" He finally exclaimed, with his blushing head rising up to look at her in the with pleading eyes, similar to that of a puppy. While he looked cute, there was definitely a glint of determination in his eyes.

"Ah?!" Shalltear exclaimed. She did not expect that kind of request. The boy was asking for another favor from her, a big one at that, right after she graced him with her divine protection, twice even. How dare he! Well, she might as well play with him for a while. "And why do you want more power~?"

The boy seemed hesitant to this question. "I… I want to become a hero…" He said, feeling a bit embarrassed by his answer.

"Fuhahaha! What a generic goal~." Shalltear couldn't help but laugh at the boy's reason for wanting to grow stronger. He almost sounded like the heroes in fairy tales.

Bell rose from the floor with a sheepish smile while scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "I know it may sound foolish… But that is what I aspire to be… There's someone I need to overcome in strength."

"Oh. So, it's for girl~?" Shalltear asked skeptically. She really did hope that the girl in question was not herself. Although this overly cute boy whose near-perfect slender body easily resembled that of a girl's, Shalltear would never accept a lowly human's feelings. Perhaps except for the girl named Ais, who she had met on her first time in dungeon, but even then, the blonde swordswoman would have to be the underdog in their relationship.

Bell nodded to Shalltear's question, shyly looking away with his face blushing red as a tomato.

"Sounds interesting enough~. I guess I can teach you the basics~." Shalltear told him playfully. She actually didn't really know how to train anyone. As she was born with power already, the vampire really had no idea what the steps were to become stronger. Her fellow guardian, Cocytus would've been better with this sort of thing… Even so, it was good opportunity to replace the co-worker bound by a master and pet bound instead and all she had to do was to throw monsters at the brat and praise him for all his hard work. One thing that she knew was that puppies always loved receiving praises from their masters.

"Thank you." He gave another bow while standing. The boy should really stop bowing all the time, but Shalltear gave up on that idea reasoning that it was better for him to show her too much respect and gratitude than none at all.

"I don't need your false gratitude~. Instead, how about you repay it by collecting all the magic stones before the monster corpses disappear~?" She said in a sweet, almost terrifying commanding tone. There was no way she'd stain her hands by retrieving some worthless stones out of the corpses of disgusting reptilians. Having a pet accompanying her wasn't so bad after all.

"Y-Yes!" Bell responded and went on to pull out the magic stones from the dead kobolds. The monsters vanished into dust once their core was pulled out.

'How can he be so cheerful while dissecting a group of disgusting monsters to retrieve a few worthless rocks?' Shalltear thought to herself as she watched the boy collecting the magic stones effectively all the while humming some annoying song.

After being done putting all the magic stones into his small pouch, Bell walked towards Shalltear happily. "I am done, teacher."

Shalltear flinched at the horrible title her new pet had given her. The vampire felt irritated at how the boy easily forgot what honorifics she had told him to use. "Teacher won't do~. You may keep on referring to me as 'miss' or 'captain', understood~?"

"Y-Yes. I'm so s-sorry." Bell stuttered and hanged his head low in shame. He had easily forgotten that this petite girl, no matter how close she was to him in age, remained her senior when it came to combat experience.

When she noticed the boy's shame for not knowing his place, Shalltear nodded in satisfaction. "Good~. Now then, let us head further down~." She said as she began to walk towards the stairs that lead to the floor beneath the one they were currently on.

When she reached the stairs down to the sixth floor, she stared down at the darkness, hoping to see something, but it seemed that she was too high up to see what awaited down on that other floor.

Making sure that her newest pet was still behind her, she started walking down the stone stairs.

"What is the furthest floor you've ever been on, boy~?" She asked, without leaving her gaze from the direction in front of her.

"T-The fifth floor…" He said in embarrassment.

"Oh. So, it seems we both don't know what lies beyond this point~." Shalltear stated which confused Bell profusely.

"Uh, miss Fiora… May I ask how you've gotten your stats so high without exploring the dungeon at all?"

"No, you may not~." She replied angrily. Why should Bell Cranel even care about her conditions as long as she treated him like the good dog that he is. He should be grateful that she acknowledged him at all.

Noticing that he somehow upset his captain, Bell decided to apologize. "Eh, ah! I'm sorry for asking!"

Bell could see that his captain was going through some kind of conflict, maybe even depression. He didn't know why he didn't press the matter further… He was usually of the compassionate kind, but there was something off about his 'captain'. It was very cold and the idea of hearing more about her somehow sent chills down his spine. It was as if all his senses screamed death.

After minutes of descending the long stairway, they had finally reached the ground of the sixth floor and it looked just exactly like the fifth floor with the light green lights on the walls and ceiling.

"Miss Fiora… Are we going to go head even further down after that?" Bell said, a bit afraid of what could happen in this unknown territory, despite knowing that his captain was most likely strong enough to beat anything in here without a flinch. He had tried to ask information about the sixth floor to his dungeon advisor, but she refused, saying that this was a strategy she'd found out as a way to stop him from attempting to venture even further down.

"Hmm… I believe Miach wanted something from the seventh floor but has not told me what it is~. He must've thought that I would not be able to reach that floor yet~." Shalltear said, mostly to herself, yet also so that the boy knows.

"S-So, a-are w-we g-going further than the sixth?" Bell asked once more since his captain only dodged the question.

Shalltear turned back to look at the panicked boy and gave a huge sigh. "Well, I guess not~. Still, if we could find another small monster party, then we can call it a day after that~."

And as if the dungeon was simply waiting for Shalltear to demand that, a group of humanoid shadows turned the corner to a corridor and ran up to the two of them.

"War shadows?!" Bell exclaimed in fright. The vampire recognized these creatures as the same kind to the first monster she had come across ever since being sent into this world. She reckoned that if the boy feared these creatures, then they were perfect for his training.

"I'll leave the beating up to you~." She said playfully as she gave a small push on the boy's back, sending him stumbling a few steps forward.

The war shadows surrounded the panicking Bell, preparing for battle. Their arms transformed into pitch black blades of the same color as their bodies.

"Ghaa!" Bell let out a growl of pain as he couldn't doge one of the shadow's attacks.

It was true that the war shadows' attack pattern was relatively strong and fast, and their reach was too long for the boy, who only had a dagger. Shalltear wondered why the brat used a dagger as his weapon of choice. As far as she remembered, the guild offered plenty of other kinds of weapons like swords, spear and bow.

Looking at the boy getting attacked from all sides, she wondered if she should step in after all, but ultimately decided to go against it. These monsters weren't really worth her time. If Bell Cranel was to lose to these pathetic monsters, then he was not worth her time as well.

"Gaaaa!"

Bell's clothes were torn apart and blood flowed out in huge quantities. Shalltear could see the boy getting dizzy and eventually fell on the ground. She licked her lips as she thought about all the delicious blood-related cocktails she would make out of all of this if the boy died. Shalltear was almost certain that he was going to die until-

A shadow rose above him, striking to kill. "Gotta do it!" Bell screamed as he quickly rolled to the side to dodge and stood up.

"Gotta do it! Gotta do it!"

He charged headlong into the war shadows' advancing ranks.

"Or else I can't stand by her side!"

And as if a new flame had awakened inside of him, a heroic flame, the boy dodged the shadows' attacks, his dagger's blade faster than before.

Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash.

And just like that, Bell Cranel had beaten a group of war shadows he had troubled dealing with seconds ago. He remained standing, with his hand over his belly that had been pierced and was bleeding out. His clothes were shredded to pieces with only the parts around his waist left, conveniantely hiding his private parts. He slowly walked towards Shalltear looking like he was about to crumble from exhaustion.

"I… I did it." He said smiling as blood came out of his mouth and he finally fell onto the hard-stone floor.

Shalltear remained staring at him, shocked. This boy had a passion driving him so far. It made her heart melt. He would do the perfect pet.

While these monsters were still very weak, the boy had managed to entertain her either way. She could not help but think that this brat really was just like heroes in stories. While weak, his resolve was so powerful that Shalltear knew he was going to be hero.

Moreover, this aura was familiar to that of her hero, Lord Peroroncino. He, who had alignment justice and her, extreme evil. This calming justice filled the void inside her, but how was this boy capable of reproducing the same sensation?

Shalltear couldn't help but think that he was deserving of becoming her pet for a while.

"Mph. Good Job~." Shalltear said nonchalantly as she approached the bleeding boy. While she was touched by his drive and the heroic aura he gave off, she could not possibly show that to him. Other than her warmth, she was slightly disappointed that she wouldn't get to drink his blood. She could've if he passed out, but that wasn't an option as she would never allow herself to carry him all the way up to the surface

As she got closer, she placed her hand on Bell's chest, surprising the boy and even making a hard bulge in his pants that made Shalltear smile lightly. Of course, any man would perk up at being touched by a beauty of her level. However, that wasn't the reason why she had placed her hand on his bare chest in the first place.

"[Greater Heal]" She whispered sensually, her head getting closer to Bell's face, enjoying the chaotic reaction on Bell's face.

His skin tingled where she touched him, he felt his cheeks flushed hot, and his stomach became heavy. He couldn't find his voice. His heart started beating erratically in his chest, threatening to break out, but it felt good.

Bell finally admitted to himself what he knew all along but was too afraid to admit it: he was in love. A lot. And he wanted to be with her forever.

As a holy magic user, Shalltear could easily cast healing spells on anyone. And like that, a green light surrounded the boy and every cuts and bruises on his body were immediately regenerated back to their original state.

While the body was restored perfectly, the clothes were still torn apart and all that was left was a bit of clothing around his waist. That was fortunate as who knows how the brat would've reacted to being butt naked in Shalltear's presence. Considering his awkwardness, he might have lost consciousness from overdose of embarassment.

Thinking about it, could she be the girl he loved?

No, Shalltear shook her head.

They had only met two days ago, so his crush must've been on someone else. Shalltear knew that a man having a crush on someone didn't mean that they couldn't enjoy seeing other women. Especially in Shalltear's case. No man would resist her beauty even if some had another primary love interest. Some men lost themselves to lust, but many knew better; they searched for someone whose personality best fitted them. That was true love.

Shalltear loved her creator for both his beauty and for who he was. This was why she was surprised when Bell emited a similar personality to Lord Peroroncino. It was beautiful, but Bell's was more innocent and also a bit less perverted.

Indeed, Bell and Lord Peroroncino could never be compared to each other. One was a wimp while the other was a legendary supreme being. There was no way she'd fall in love with the little human, but his presence is satisfying enough.

On a completely different note, the reason as to why she had to reveal the healing spell to Bell was simple; this brat had spilled all the healing potions on the floor during his fight…

Bell, who had recovered from his experience mouth opened in a 'o' shape. "Whoa… Your magic is amazing as always, captain!"

"Umu. It is only to be expected~. Though you should use healing potions next time~." Shalltear told him, not wanting Bell to become reckless and always come back for healing. Would a master always give a treat to their dog every time the dog asks for it? Of course not, because it wouldn't be seen as a reward for their loyalty anymore.

"I understand! You must've used up a lot of mana for that spell." Bell nodded in understanding.

"Mmh… Yea~." Shalltear admitted reluctantly. If an excuse like that could work, then there was nothing wrong with it. The boy would probably still admire her considering a measly third tier lighting spell is seen as amazing.

"Very well then. And as we previously agreed on, we'll call it a day. Go collect those magic stones first and then we shall head back up~." Shalltear ordered her pet.

Bell seemed hesitant. "But miss Fiora… After you used your magic on me, I feel like I could keep going for longer…"

"Nah~. You've done enough fighting for today~." Shalltear reassured him. In truth, all the vampire wanted to do was to get back out of the dungeon since they have been down there for almost an entire day and it will also take a few hours to get back up. She has had enough of babysitting this brat and just wanted to go back to crying in a pillow or something like similar to that idea.