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"Nya! Welcome to the Hostess of Fertility brave adventurers! Nyaaa! Come taste our wonderful cuisine and drinks! Nyaaa!" A cat girl with a green dress and white apron on the night street exclaimed, bringing adventurers inside said pub.

Bell and Shalltear, dressed in clean clothes that hadn't been stained in blood, approached the doors.

The cat girl noticed the two and turned to them. "Oh, it's you, Bell! And who's that you've got here. Nyaaa!" She grinned. "Syr is gonna be angry. Nyaaa!"

"I-It's n-nothing like tha-" He stuttered, shaking his hands frantically.

"What's going on, Anya? I heard my name." A human girl with grey hair, wearing the same uniform as the cat girl, arrived in the doorstep. "Oh. Hello." She saw Bell and immediately greeted him.

The human girl then looked at the silver-haired girl standing by the boy's side and she had an immediate look of shock. Sweat dripped down her forehead, but she regained her playful attitude after a few seconds.

"I-Is s-she your g-girlfriend?" She asked with a silly, exaggerated frown.

Bell sweated heavily. "N-No…"

'Not yet.' He thought after denying those claims. He felt his blood level rise and his face became red.

"I-It's not fair." Syr pouted in frustration. Although, it was impossible to know if she was serious or was actually teasing him.

Shalltear started to giggle, right behind Bell's back, seemingly finding the situation amusing.

Bell stared at Shalltear for a second, feeling betrayed by his companion, and then turned back to Syr.

"I-It's nothing like that. We're just-"

"Brother and sister, nyaaa!?" The other waitress, Anya, interrupted the conversation with an incredulous look.

Bell shook his head frantically. "Wait, that's not-"

"Ah. I… I understand now! Jeez, Bell." The panicked Syr gave Bell a smile that looked forced. "Y-You hadn't told me you had such a handsome sister! H-Here, let me lead you to a table. You are blocking the entrance." She pointed at a group of tough guys waiting semi-patiently behind them.

Both Bell and Shalltear deadpanned, the latter unsure whether to find this situation funny or be insulted to be assumed as this human brat's sister.

Walking through the door to inside, Shalltear immediately saw a stout dwarfess, probably the owner, behind a counter and a group of young animal girls in aprons serving food and alcohol to customers. Looking around the place, she realized that all the employees taking orders and carrying food are girls!

'Look at all these ladies! If only they were whores instead of waitresses…' In all honesty, Shalltear was very upset that this 'Hostess of Fertility' wasn't a brothel. She would've resented the boy for trying to trick her, but that was entirely Shalltear's fault as she was the one to interpret it that way. This brat wouldn't even be able to understand this sort of stuff.

But her mistake made her realise one thing: she longed for sex. She hadn't had fun playing with other's bodies ever since being transported to Orario.

Shalltear was more interested in women, but for the sake of an adorable boy like Bell, she thought she'd be willing to teach him these rules of life. After all, he was pretty cute for a human. One might even confuse his slim, tender body to that of a young lady's.

'He's even prettier than most ladies!' Shalltear concluded as she examined Bell's waist, walking behind said boy. Although was he really a man? Well, it didn't matter for now at least.

It really was cheerful in here, though. The waitresses were hopping from table to table with big smiles and the big majority of patrons who were males, and adventurers by the look of them, were all happily sharing drinks and laughing. Shalltear felt slightly irked by this joyful atmosphere that reminded her she was far from her sinister residence in Nazarick, but it wasn't as if there was anything she could do about it.

Syr was wearing revealing clothes including a blouse, skirt, and apron just like the other waitresses. Shalltear and Bell followed her through the still-open entrance. Once inside, Syr faced the crowd and took a deep breath. "Now seating two!"

Shalltear flinched at having the attention drawn on Bell and herself.

'Do they really announce everyone who comes in? At a bar…?! I just need to follow her and do my best to blend in.' Shalltear reassured herself.

But a lot of the adventurers around could not remove their gaze off her after glancing at her beautiful features. Shalltear was glad that they respected her divine beauty, but she knew that it would eventually get annoying if it happened everywhere she went.

Glancing once more around, the shop atmosphere was extremely bright. The shop employees were filled with energy and sounds of laughter could be heard everywhere. Although there were many adventurer customers that viewed the shop employees and now Shalltear with perverted eyes, basically everyone was simply drinking and laughing.

As for the interior of the bar, Shalltear could recognize it to be very stylish for human standards yet, despite this, the peculiar impression of a bar was still there.

Syr led the pair to a table on the far-left corner.

"P-Please have a s-seat h-here." The waitress stuttered.

"Thank you." Bell thanked the seemingly anxious Syr as he sat down.

Shalltear wondered if the girl somehow knew about vampires. That would explain why she seemed frightened about her, but that would not make sense. Vampires did not exist in this world, so she reckoned that the cause of the waitress' heavy sweating must've been Bell.

It seemed like Syr had a crush on Bell and he might have a crush on her too judging by the way he acted at the pub's entrance earlier. Was she the one Bell wanted to love?

Without sparing a glance at the grey-haired waitress, Shalltear immediately took a menu out of her shaky hands and peered at what it contained.

She looked across all of them, and then nodded.

'That's right, I can't read these strange characters...'

She had forgotten that she couldn't read these weaklings' writings. Of course, the superior dialects used by the supreme beings and their writings couldn't possibly spread to this dump of lower life forms. How naïve of her to forget about this.

She wanted to scream 'Ahhhh' and then roll around on the ground in a child pose, but this behavior wasn't befitting of a creation of the supreme beings.

"Is there something wrong?" Bell asked, confused as to why the vampire glanced at the menu with a defeated look.

Shalltear wasn't certain about the cost of the food, but they slew a lot of monsters so it shouldn't be that big of an issue. She would just have to order whatever fate had in store for her.

"Um, everything is alright~. I'll take this~." She pointed at the first thing she saw on the menu. She must never admit that she couldn't read. Her reputation as a creation of the divine would plummet. That was part of why she didn't use her real name. If these people traced a failure like her back to Nazarick, then they would surely spit in the collective faces of the supreme beings.

"V-Very well. A n-number one…" Syr noted on a clipboard and turned to Bell. "And what will it be for you?"

"I'll take a number 4, thank you Syr." He said as he handed over his menu.

Syr looked back up from her clipboard and took the menu back with a gentle smile. "N-No problem. I… I'll make sure the food a-arrives fast enough, s-see ya Bell."

Shalltear looked at the waitress walking away. "You two seem rather well acquainted~… Is she the one you love, Bell~?" She playfully taunted, making Bell choke on his drink. Syr, who overheard this while walking away, jumped a little, but walked away as if nothing happened.

"I-It's not like that!" Bell replied, flustered. Why did everyone try to make so many accusations on him tonight?

"Are you certain~? There seems to have something going on between you two~." She insisted with a mischievous smile.

"…"

Shalltear giggled at Bell's now recurring blushing face.

'Why me.' Bell whined in his head.

"So, ehh… What are your hobbies?" Bell began a new conversation with the first random question that came in mind.

"Aww~. Why would you want to know~? I don't have any worth mentioning~." Shalltear teased.

Bell smiled bitterly. "You're quite adamant on not saying anything about yourself."

"Meh~" She shrugged, not denying nor confirming if what he said was correct.

Bell sighed. He knew trying to befriend and get closer to her would be difficult, therefore he was going to take it slow.

"So, are we going to repeat the same routine as today for the whole week?" He asked more seriously.

Shalltear put back her usual stoic appearance. "You mean training in the morning~ and dungeon diving during the day, right~?"

"Yes, but only if you're okay with this…" He said as he looked down, timidly.

She seemed to reflect on it for a moment before answering. "Well, I suppose that works, except for the monster festival the day after tomorrow~."

"The what?"

"It's called the Monsterphilia… So, you don't about it too~?" She asked.

Bell didn't know who else other than him she referred to when she said the word 'too' but labeled it as impertinent. He answered by shaking his head with a 'No' as a reply.

"I see~. Well, as far as I know, it is a festival celebrated throughout the city~."

Bell straightened his back, fully interested in this piece of information. "Huh? What kind of festival?"

"I am not to certain as I never attended myself, but I have heard of what is being done~." She answered thoughtfully.

"Like what?" Bell pressed for more information. He should've heard of such a large-scale event at least once if it was happening in a few days.

Shalltear tried to remember the monster festival's description. "Hmm, basically, some god whose name I forgot has managed to tame monsters and his children do stunts with those beasts during the event~."

"That sounds cool!" Bell exclaimed happily. This event would surely be a first for him, who had been living in a rural area where nothing special happened for his entire lifetime. And moreover, festivities were a perfect place for the two to share memories together.

"I suppose it is~." Shalltear replied untruthfully. She didn't really care about the dumb stunts. With enough torture, she was certain that her pets back home would be able to do the exact same thing if she wanted them to.

Yet, she was looking forward to it. Not because of the event itself, but what was going to happen at the same time. The Evilus terrorist group had planned on releasing some of their plant monsters and Shalltear was certain that the chaos ensuing from it would be worth watching.

Their table was quiet. While Shalltear was thinking of unsaintly things, Bell was fidgeting anxiously.

"… Say, would you like to spend the festival with me?" He asked with a face red like a tomato.

Shalltear snickered mentally at the sight. It would take only one glance to realise that he wasn't good speaking to girls. Even so, shouldn't he be proposing this to the girl he actually loved? "Well~, I have some important business to take care of later during the festival~, but I suppose I could accompany you at the beginning~."

Bell gave her a quizzical look. "You have important matters?"

"Yes~. I must meet up with someone~. Our training can continue the next day, as usual, so you have nothing to worry about~." Shalltear made up a random excuse. She simply didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to watch the mayhem that would follow the festival.

Thinking back on it, she figured that it might be better if she contributed to the confusion. Perhaps sending a number of zombies would do? After all, zombies could reproduce quickly by spreading the plague to humanoid preys, so she didn't need to summon that many.

"Ah well. What counts is that we can enjoy it." Bell said as a stout dwarfess approached their table with bowls and plates filled with food.

"Here you are mighty boy and young lady!" 'Smack!' "Bon appetite!" The lady boss, Mia Grand, smiled, smacking on the table huge plates and bowls. The two meals were quite big portions.

Bell thanked the lady boss.

Mama Mia said nothing, but nodded, turning away and going back to the kitchen area after saying; "Just don't dash out of my place without paying this time…"

"Ah, yes, I'm sorry." Bell apologized with a sheepish smile.

Shalltear was slightly curious as to what happened to make an honest boy eat and leave a restaurant without paying, but she realized that she didn't actually care to hear the story, knowing his answer would be something stupid, so she let the matter go.

They ate in silence for quite a while. As they were almost done eating, Bell tried to initiate a conversation.

"Say, why did you become an adventurer?"

Shalltear looked at him with a questioning look. Seeing that he had her attention, he went on.

"Well, I mean, we all have our own reasons. For me, it was because of the stories my grandfather used to tell me. He told me countless stories of heroes in legends. I wanted to be just like them and went on to becoming an adventurer."

"Wasn't it for a girl~?" She asked after taking a sip of the soup she had ordered.

Bell flushed. "No. It was after I arrived here that I chose to become stronger so I could save that person and become a hero one day." He pondered over his words for a moment. "Actually, my grandfather used to tell me all about women, but I didn't fully take his words to heart until I arrived here."

Shalltear smiled and put her hand on her cheeks. "Aww~. Such a sweet story~."

The vampire grinned when she saw Bell's face turn even redder. She wondered when would the ever-getting redder brat hit his limit. He could't get more red than red itself. Nonetheless, teasing the brat was enjoyable.

"So, what about your reasons?" Bell asked.

"I don't have any~." She replied quickly, with her tongue sticking out.

"O-Of course, you do. There has to be a reason as to how you've become so strong." Bell inquired. He thought that Shalltear must've felt uncomfortable. Why did she not feel like answering?

Bell wasn't certain if he should ask for more. "But why not tell me? Are you in danger? If so, it would be best to tell the guild about it if that's the case. Or else, I can help too." He looked away timidly.

"It's nothing of the sort~. As if anyone could threaten me~." Shalltear muttered that last part. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell the boy about it, the truth is that she really had no reason to become an adventurer.

Bell looked at her for a few seconds before sighing.

"It shouldn't be so hard to entrust your thoughts and feelings to a friend…" Bell made a hand gesture to Syr, who walked over to their table with an anxious look.

Shallear's eyes went wide. Did the boy really call her a friend? Even if she had been given him the worst treatment ever and said mean things to him, he would still consider her a friend?

Shalltear felt something strange throughout her whole body. It felt as though her heart was dancing around her chest, yet how could it beat if her organs were dead. It was as if a hole in her chest she was never aware of had just been filled. Shalltear felt so light at the moment.

'That same sensation when I see Lord Peroroncino… Am I falling in love?' Shalltear asked herself in panic.

Normally, she would just shake it off as nothing, but her body felt warm after being called that way. It was the first time she had been called a friend but why was this brat so nice to her in the first place? Could she really call him a friend?

No.

She was a creation of the supreme beings. Being that idiotic brat's friend would be a blasphemy in the name of her creators. She had too much pride to let it go like that.

Even so, there was something in those scarlet eyes of his that was so beautiful, so safe and warm. He had the allure of a hero, and she was evil. Maybe he could fill this void inside her. For so long, she had longed for it, this heroic aura that resembled that of her creator whom she lost.

And now she couldn't bare to lose it again as she saw the white-haired boy stand up from the table.

The vampire couldn't let herself lose this thing that made her feel so complete.

While Shalltear was lost in her thoughts, Syr arrived at the table and picked up their plates.

"T-That would be 750 v-valis. W-Will you be p-paying for y-your sister as w-well?" The waitress stuttered.

"Eh sister?! Ah, yes... Here." Bell said as he handed over a small bag of valis.

Bell bowed to Syr. "Thank you for the meal."

Syr smiled back to Bell, twitching as if she was about to burst in rage at any moment. "N-No p-problem."

And Bell, followed behind by silent Shalltear both left, slowly disappearing into the night streets.

After the night ended and the pub closed, Syr sighed as she laid her head on the counter.

She grabbed a cup of wine, given to her by Mama Mia, placed it in front of her mouth and drained it in one gulp like one would with a glass of milk after a shower.

With no hesitation she slammed the empty cup on the counter

"What is the matter? You were shaking in your boots the entire night. It's unlike you to be frightened like that." Mia asked her while cleaning the glasses behind the counter.

In that moment, Syr prepared to answer as if she was waiting all along for this question to be asked.

"Sorry, but I do not wish to talk about it." The grey-haired girl didn't say anything else, merely continuing to toy with the empty glass on the counter.

"Stop kidding me." The dwarfess replied in mild annoyance.

Syr smirked. "There is indeed something troubling me. That girl is an insurmountable obstacle."

"Hahaha. Wouldn't that make you want him even more?" The dwarf lady teased back.

Syr raised her head and gave her a twisted smile. "Naturally."

By then, Mia had put down the glasses she was cleaning and had her full attention on the girl.

"So, tell me. What made you say she is an insurmountable obstacle? The two aren't related by blood, I assume?"

"No, they aren't." She replied and pondered over what to say next. "This… This girl is a bearer of pure evil. Dare I say evil incarnate."

Mia gave probing look. "You talk about her as if she was some kind of monster."

"And that's what she is!" Syr exclaimed desperately as she stood from her seat. "It's able to conceal its presence to both mortals and gods, but not against my [Discerning Eye]."

Mia frowned. "So, what is it then? An evil god?"

"No. While it's power sure can rival the gods, and even surpass them, it was created by the dungeon. I saw her come out of it while I was looking down at the souls below in Babel. This monster's soul is not divine, but it was definitely the creation of a divine being."

The dwarf lady gave a surprised expression as she leaned against the counter. "Still, I've never heard of the dungeon spawning creatures that rivaled the gods, except perhaps for the Leviathan, the Behemoth and the One-Eyed Black Dragon… Wasn't she also able to speak?"

"I don't fully understand the matter myself…" Syr admitted through gritted teeth. "The dungeon may have been conserving its strength for this moment to happen all along when it saw how the previous three monsters did not successfully eradicate the world."

"That means…" Mia began with widened eyes of disbelief. While she was not one to fall for petty jokes, she knew that the grey-haired waitress in front of her would never lie on matters such as this.

"Yes, whatever this human-like creature is doing, she is certainly up to no good." Syr replied back before gulping down another glass of wine.

Mia gave a stern look. "Tsk. Then, she must be the one that caused the upper floor's incident not long ago?"

"Most certainly. The time periods align perfectly with the moment I saw her come out of the dungeon."

"Dang it. I lost many customers to that massacre." Mama Mia sulked.

The waitress chuckled. "Do you only care about this incident on a business standpoint?"

"Well, would you care if the monster girl wasn't sticking next to the kid?" The dwarf lady replied.

Syr smiled and they both shared a laugh.

After giving a mirthful laugh, Mia went back to finishing up cleaning the glasses.

"Oh, I forgot. Ryu came with an interesting piece of information about that monster girl earlier."

"What was it?"

"The girl brutally murdered an adventurer that was about to kill Cranel and acted as if this response was to be expected out of such encounter."

Syr clenched her fists in rage upon hearing this. "That creature… It's trying to sully my love's soul. That is unforgivable."

"So, what should we do, goddess?" The dwarf lady asked the angry waitress.

"I am uncertain. No mortal could possibly hope to defeat her. I fear the gods will have to unseal their true power to defeat this evil." She replied with a frown.

"When do you plan on informing Ouranos of the matter?"

Syr pondered over it for a moment before answering. "As soon as possible. Her evil may corrupt my love's soul if she stays around him for too long."

Syr Flova, or the disguised goddess of love, Freya, wasn't the kind that would fight against darkness willingly. She would usually watch the battles from afar, enjoying the view with a fresh glass of wine, but now was a totally different matter.

That monster got acquainted with Bell Cranel, her love, and that was a direct attack on the goddess of love. By doing this, she might as well have declared war on the goddess. It was a war between Freya and the creature that called herself Aura, god against demon to determine whose love Bell deserved best.

Freya knew that if she played all her cards right, she would certainly win. No matter what, the goddess of love always got what she desired in the end.

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