Under Crisis

Once they finalized the purchase, the Hestia Familia was able to move from the old church and into a proper dwelling. Well, not exactly since there was still the matter of cleaning the former home of Astraea Familia.

"You know," Hestia commented as she swiped the floor. "I admit that I don't expect you to know how to clean a room, Morgan."

"I know many things that ordinary queens would not know about." The Servant simply replied, exiting the room that she had just cleaned.

"Lady Hestia," Lily suddenly arrived. "Lily thinks we need to get a plumber. There's no more water flow in the bathroom which we should have expected considering how long this building is abandoned."

"Right." The goddess nodded. "While there's no plumbing god in Orario, we could ask…"

All day long, the Familia spent time cleaning their new home. Only when night arrived that they stopped. There was still more to be done, but for today, they had cleaned enough for them to stay.

There were, however, other matters to be dealt with.

"First, our financial situation." The queen stated. "We're paying for this building through installments. We will end up paying more in the end, but it put less burden on our finance. As for the installment itself, we need to pay the Guild 1,250,000 valis each month."

"That's…quite a lot," Bell commented with a rather pained expression.

"A house isn't exactly cheap, husband." She replied. "Plus, as I have said because we pay it in installments, we will end up paying more."

"That means we must be diligent in gathering money." The Pallum stated.

"We have Dungeon diving, Morgan's magical items, and – once he's ready – Soma's wine as sources of income," Hestia stated. "They should be enough to make sure we're not in the red."

"Then let's move to another matter," Morgan said. "Since we now have our own dwelling along with having one more member, our Familia rank has been raised by one. Meaning we would have to pay a higher rate of tax to the Guild."

"Geh!" The goddess looked as if she had been physically struck.

Once the meeting was over, the Familia had a small dinner with each other before retreating to their respective new rooms. Yawning on his way there, Bell was about to immediately fall onto the bed when his wife stopped him.

"M-Morgan?" His confusion was apparent. "Something's wrong?"

"Since we now have our own room," She stated. "Strip."

"…"

"…"

"…EEEEEHH?!"

His face became even redder than a tomato. However, he then noticed that the smirk on her face was not that of flirting, but one of teasing.

"M-Morgan…" He tried to calm his heart down. "Don't say something like that!"

"Forgive me, Husband. That's not an opportunity that I could just ignore." She replied. "However, I am not joking about wanting you to take off your clothes."

"W-Why…?"

"If you sleep with your clothes on, then they would crumple in the morning. I am sure you notice that." The Servant explained. "And since we no longer share bed with Lady Hestia, there's no more reason for not taking them off.

"Besides, it could be the first step for you to get used to me."

He was about to reply that he had already got used to her presence when he realized what exactly she meant by those words, causing him to blush once more.

"So," She folded her arms. "What shall be your decision?"

"…let's do it."

Morgan had to admit that she was impressed. Despite how much he appeared to be on the verge of painting, her husband didn't take more than a moment or two to come up with the decision.

Slowly, Bell took off his clothes one by one. First, it was his brown jacket before moving on to his black shirt. After that, it was the turn for his pants. In a matter of minutes, the boy was left with only his boxers on.

One advantage that a Servant had compared to normal living beings was that everything about them was basically solidified mana, including their outfits. Thus, all that she needed to do was to dispel her dress, leaving behind only her underwear.

She was actually only wearing panties, but with Bell in consideration, she decided to create a bra as well.

Both of them went into the bed almost at the same time. It was clear from his speed that Bell really wanted this night to be over soon.

"Good night, Bell," Morgan said before closing her eyes.

"G-Good night…"

When morning arrived, the adventurers of Hestia Familia walked toward the Babel Tower where their usual meeting spot with Welf was located. On the way there, both Lily and Habetrot noticed that a certain white-haired boy didn't appear to have rested enough.

"Are you alright, Mister Bell?" The Pallum asked. "If you don't feel well, we could just cancel today's expedition."

"No, no, no need for that, Lily." He assured her. "I just…need to get used to something."

"Well, if you say so."

Upon reaching their destination, they saw that the blacksmith was already there first, sitting on a bench as he waited for their arrival.

"Welf!" Bell called him as he ran toward him.

"Yo, Bell!" The red-haired man stood up from his seat. "You guys are finally here."

"Sorry for being late, Welf." The boy said, scratching his head. "We usually start around this time."

"Nah, the fault is mine." He told him. "I just woke up earlier than usual due to having an inspiration and since I was already ready for the day, I decided to go here."

"I see." He nodded before his eyes widened. "Oh, that's right. Lily, could you give it to Welf?"

"Give Lily a moment." She put down her bag before taking out a cloak from it. "Here you go."

"Hmm? This is…" Welf inspected it for a while before figuring it out. "Salamander wool? Wait, that means…"

"Yep. We're going to go deeper this time." The white-haired boy confirmed it.

"Great! I have always wanted to do that!"

Just as had been planned, the party went deeper than their previous record. The floors they went into were inhabited by new types of monsters, among them were the Hellhounds, dog-like creatures infamous for breathing fire as if they were dragons. It was for that reason that clothing made from Salamander Wool was recommended for these parts of the Dungeon.

The effectiveness was proven when Bell raised his cloak, protecting him from a fireball that a Hellhound spat out. Lily aimed her crossbow at the beast and fired, hitting it right between the eyes. Another tried to spit out fire but was stopped when Welf's Magic Will-o-Wisp caused Ignis Fatuus, causing the monster to be killed by its own flame.

"Man, no wonder they recommend these wools." The blacksmith commented as he looked at the one he wore. "Especially since Hellhounds could attack from distance."

"It's a shame that their Drops are their fangs." The Pallum stated as she picked the fang in question. "Their fur could be a good fire-resistant material. We wouldn't have to rely on these expensive Salamander wools instead."

KABOOM

Everyone turned their attention toward the source of the explosion which was dozens of feet away before turning in on Morgan who was responsible for it.

"Something wrong?" Habetrot asked.

"There was a large group of monsters over there." The Berserker explained.

"Must be a Parade," Lily commented. "We should get away from here then. There could be another nearby for all we know."

As the name suggested, a Parade was a parade of many types of monsters. It was one of the greatest dangers of the Dungeon for many parties had fallen in spite of their skills and Levels simply due to the sheer weight of the number opposing them.

Thus, despite the sheer power that their party possessed, the Hestia-Hephaistos team decided that discretion was the better part of valor and moved away from their current position.

CLANG

"Hmm?" The Rider noticed something. "There's a voice up ahead. I believe it's a steel hitting something hard."

The party became more alert. Carefully, they approached the source of the sound. Upon arriving at the scene, Bell's eyes became wide.

Below them, a party of adventurers was being beset from all sides by monsters. As if their situation wasn't bad enough, one of them had been injured and was currently being protected by her teammates. Judging from their outfits, the adventurers came from the Far East.

"Let's go!" He immediately ran toward them. "We have to save them!"

"W-Wait, Bell!" Welf tried to stop him to no avail. "Damn it, you're being too hasty!"

In spite of being the one who moved first, it was Habetrot who reached the other party first, unleashing a bombing run on the monsters. With their numbers thinning out, it was easy for the rest of the party to make their way through.

"W-What?" A Far Eastern man wielding an axe noticed their arrival. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We're saving you." The white-haired boy immediately replied. "What's the situation?"

"Well, we currently…" He stopped talking momentarily to smash an Al-Miraj. "We have one injured, but that's it. We're still able to fight."

"Well, we almost kill all of them." The blacksmith stated. "So…"

"More Parade!" Morgan exclaimed, pointing at the group of monsters in question.

"Oh, come on!"

"Thank you for jinxing us, Mr. Welf!"

"Firebolt!" Bell fired it at a small gathering of Hellhounds, causing them to panic. "Morgan, use something powerful!"

"You better prepare a potion in hand then."

The Servant turned her staff into an axe before slamming it into the ground, resulting in an ocean of blue flame that consumed most of the monsters, including those that had just recently arrived. It was so hot that not even the fire-resistant fur of the Hellhounds could protect them. At the same time, her husband grabbed a potion and immediately drank the content as he felt his Mind being consumed in a large amount.

"A-Amazing…" A Far Eastern woman with katana commented as she saw the destruction.

With the threat gone, the rescued party remained silent for a moment, trying to catch their breath. Once he calmed down, the axeman approached Bell.

"Thank you for your help. If not for you, then we might be…" He shook his head, changing the uncomfortable subject. "Wait, aren't you…Prince Consort?"

"Y-Yes, that's me." The boy nodded. "Bell Cranel of Hestia Familia."

"I see." The man smiled. "I am Kashima Ouka, Captain of the Takemikazuchi Familia."

"Takemikazuchi?" His eyes widened. "Then that means our gods are friends!"

"Takemikazuchi…Take…" Welf muttered the name. "Huh, I remember Lady Hephaistos muttering the name once in a…"

CRACK

Before he could finish his sentence, the ground under him suddenly gave him, plunging him into the floor below. Lily – due to being close to him – soon followed.

"AAAAAAAAHHH!"

"WELF! LILY!"

"Bell, don't!"

Trying to prevent her from falling, the white-haired boy tried to catch her but ended up following his teammates into the hole as well.

"Damn it!" Morgan cursed before jumping into it as well.

"Eh? Eh?" Habetrot – due to being on an aircraft – was never in any danger. "Eh?"

"Go! Your party needs your help!" Ouka told her. "Don't worry about us. We could find our way out."

"I-If you say so," The fairy said. "Tell Lady Hestia that it might take a while until we return."

"It's the least that we could do for your assistance."

Thus, without further ado, she descent into the recently-created hole.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch…"

When Habetrot arrived, she saw that others were gathering around the blacksmith. Considering the words that came out of his mouth, he must have been injured.

"Are you guys alright?" She asked. "Well, besides Welf since he made it obvious."

The red-haired man chuckled at the remark before gritting his teeth in pain.

"Just some superficial wounds," Bell replied, rubbing at his bleeding forehead. "But Welf is…"

Looking at him, it was clear that his left foot had bent the wrong way. It wasn't too bad, but it was obvious that walking would be out of the question until it was corrected.

"Anyone knows how to fix it?" He asked.

"Sorry, Welf. But no." His fellow male said.

"Nope. Lily never suffered anything like this." The Pallum shook her head.

"Too small for the job." The Rider-class Servant stated.

"I might twist it off instead," Morgan replied.

"Figures." The blacksmith sighed.

"Well, at the very least, I could heal the wounds." The small fairy gave a silver lining.

Thanks to that, the wounds that the mortal members of the party suffered were gone. However, it did nothing to fix the wrongly-bent foot. Bell decided to help his friend, carrying him on his back.

"You sure you're alright with this, Bell?" Welf asked. "I am taller than you and likely also heavier."

"Don't worry. I am a Level higher than you." He replied. "It should be enough to compensate for the differences."

"Good." The queen looked upward. "We should go back to the surface as fast as we could."

"Um, actually…" The supporter spoke. "Lily doesn't think that it would be a good idea."

"What do you mean?" The white-haired boy asked.

"We've just rescued another party from a Parade." She pointed out. "And before that, Miss Morgan has destroyed two of them. Lily isn't the superstitious type, but Lily couldn't help but feel that going back to that floor would be…unwise."

"Well, she got a point," Habetrot stated. "If we go back there, we might encounter yet another Parade, and with Welf's condition in consideration…"

"Then," Morgan put a finger on her chin. "Are you suggesting that we go to the 18th Floor, the Under Resort?"

"Wait," Bell exclaimed. "Isn't going lower mean encountering more dangerous monsters?!"

"Not necessarily. Until we reach the Resort, the monsters wouldn't be that much different." The Pallum explained. "Well, there's going to be minotaurs, but Miss Morgan could easily handle them.

"Anyway, what matters the most is that there's a permanent presence of adventurers in the Under Resort. We could have Mr. Welf healed there and then return back to the surface once he recovered. Who knows, we might even be able to return alongside Loki Familia who is currently on an expedition."

Hearing the last sentence, the witch couldn't help but twitch an eyebrow.

"Hold on," The blacksmith spoke. "If we go to the 18th, then that means we must pass the 17th. And in there…"

"The Goliath Rex, yes." She nodded. "However, it respawns two weeks after being killed and Loki Familia entered this Dungeon less than two weeks ago. It would be safer for them to kill the monster."

Things then became quiet. The Berserker-class Servant closed her eyes, thinking about the decision, before opening them and directing her attention to a certain boy.

"So, what shall be your decision, my husband?"

"M-Me?" He was surprised by the question.

"On paper, I might be the captain of our Familia." She reminded him. "But the final decision is always in your hand."

That's right, the boy thought. Morgan was a Servant and he was the Master. Regardless of how their relationship actually was, that fact was something that could not be forgotten.

He remained silent for a few moments, letting himself consider the available options. It was true that getting back to the surface with Welf's current condition wouldn't be a good idea. Going to the Under Resort would also be faster compared to having to climb up more than ten floors. At the same time, gods only knew what danger they might encounter on the way there, especially the Floor Boss. For all they knew, it had respawned earlier than usual.

His decision…would decide whether or not they would survive this disaster.

"I see." Hestia nodded. "Thank you for informing me."

"There's no need for that, Hestia," Takemikazuchi replied. "Thanks to them, my children are able to return to me alive."

The Goddess of the Hearth wondered just what it was that caused her friend to invite her to his home for tea. As it turned out, it was to deliver some bad news.

"Hestia," He spoke. "Currently, my children are recovering from their ordeal. But once they could stand on their feet, we could go searching for them."

"Hmm, a good plan." Considering what she had been told, there was a possibility that Bell and others would be heading to the Under Resort since it was closer. "By the way, we should also inform Hephaistos. One of her children was with them, after all."

"Ah, you're right. I almost forgot about her."

"Is this…the Great Wall of Sorrow?" Bell muttered at the sight in front of him.

Once it was decided that they would be heading toward the Under Resort, the party immediately began their journey, racing against both time and the monsters chasing after them.

Surprisingly, despite the dangers that they face, it was actually quite an uneventful journey. Not only Lily possessed a stinky pouch that caused the creatures of the Dungeon to avoid them, but every time one of them decided to take its chance, Morgan didn't waste time turning them to ashes.

Thus, they were able to reach the entrance of the 18th Floor without anyone getting injured more than they already were.

"This is it," Lily spoke. "We just need to pass that entrance and we will be safe."

"Great!" Habetrot exclaimed. "What are we waiting for? Let's go and…!"

CRACK

The party slowly turned their heads at the source of the sound which was revealed to be a crack in the wall; the wall from where the Goliath would spawn.

"Me and my big mouth…" The fairy sighed.

"RUN!" The white-haired boy yelled for it was the only appropriate response.

Wasting not even a second, everyone moved their legs and headed toward the entrance of the Under Resort. Morgan might be able to beat the Floor Boss, but Bell didn't care about that. All that he cared about was getting himself and his party to safety.

ROOOOAAAARRR

Just in time, they were able to set foot on the Under Resort. From the distance, they watched as the Monster Rex was furious at its prey escaping, letting out its anger through roar after roar before turning around, and heading to the middle of the 17th Floor.

Knowing that they were now safe, Lily immediately collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. Bell was tempted to do the same, but he had Welf on his back. Speaking of which, the blacksmith was doing its equivalent on his back.

"Right…" The Pallum slowly rose up. "We should head to Rivira, the town that adventurers here build. Everything would be overpriced, but we should be able to manage."

"Considering the location of the town," Morgan commented. "That is to be expected."

After taking a breath for a minute or two, the party began their walk toward the Town of Rivira. However, on their way there…

"Ah, it's you."

Recognizing the voice, Bell turned his head and saw a certain blonde girl pointing her finger at him.

"Miss Ais?" He spoke her name before realizing something. "Wait, if you're here, then that means…"

"Ais, what's wrong?" Another voice called her. "Is there something – whoa, that's Argonaut!"

It was an Amazon, a member of Loki Familia that he recognized from the Hostess of Fertility during that…night. If he remembered it correctly, her name was Tiona "Amazon" Hiryute.

If both of them were here, then that could only mean…

As he realized the implication of their presence, the boy didn't notice how his wife was clicking her tongue in annoyance.

A bit short, I admit. But at this point, I basically think, "Fuck it, my readers have been waiting long enough. At least I could give them something."

Hope you guys enjoy it!