After spending the entire day in the dungeon, the party of Belle, Welf, and Lili walked out of the Guild headquarters with their pockets filled with valis.
"It's been a while since we last went dungeon diving… I got a little rusty, but the haul was still pretty decent."
Welf said as he jiggled the sack of valis in his hand, the sound of metal coins clinking against each other ringing softly through the air.
"You know, Mr. Welf… with the reward money we received from the Antares subjugation quest, we could stop diving into the dungeon for months and still have enough valis to buy a fairly large house."
Lili pointed out, implying that there was no real need for them to enter the dungeon just to earn money, though in the end, she still came along because of Belle's insistence.
If it were up to her, she would've spent the rest of her days taking long rests and relaxing.
"Well, it's been way too long since we've been in the dungeon… as adventurers, it just didn't feel right staying away for so long. Plus, I wanted to get some exercise."
Belle reasoned.
"And I needed to gather some materials from the dungeon for my smithing."
Welf added.
Hearing those words, Belle suddenly remembered something and turned toward the red-haired smith.
"Ah… Welf, I think I'd like to commission another sword… my previous one snapped."
Belle said as she unsheathed her sword, only to reveal that it was completely battered and snapped in half.
"Looks like it couldn't handle your strength. Seriously, Belle, you fight like you expect your weapons to be invincible."
Welf said as he shook his head, inspecting the broken sword in his hands.
Belle could only laugh awkwardly at that.
"Well, let's see what I can do… a sword that can handle someone as freakishly strong as you… I already feel the urge to run to my smithing room and start forging right away."
Welf added, touching his chin.
"Great… thank you very much."
Belle said with a smile.
Though she could buy expensive weapons from high-end shops now, she still preferred using Welf's custom-made weapons.
"Lili would like to go back home now, Lili is pretty tired."
Lili said with a yawn.
"I guess this is where we part ways, see you guys next time."
Welf spoke as he walked forward, turning for a brief moment to wave goodbye.
Belle and Lili also waved back before walking in another direction, heading back toward the Abandoned Church.
What they didn't realize was that, at this moment, a shadowy figure standing on a rooftop could be seen observing their movements through a pair of binoculars.
"The target is headed back home… I repeat, the target is headed back home."
"Begin the operation."
The shadowy figure said before signaling with his hand as a dozen more figures appeared and began trailing behind Belle and Lili.
'Someone is following us?'
Belle felt her instincts prickle as she sensed multiple gazes locking onto her like hawks.
'No… it's not just one, I can feel several eyes on me.'
Belle turned her head to look toward the surrounding rooftops.
'I can't see them… but I can feel them.'
She thought with a frown as a bead of sweat rolled down her face.
"Miss Belle? Is something the matter?"
Lili asked when she noticed Belle's alert expression.
"Listen… Lili, don't speak too loudly, but I think we're being followed."
Belle whispered as they continued walking forward.
"What?"
Lili's eyes widened as she also began looking around, searching for anyone suspicious.
"Don't tell me… is it the Soma Familia? Are they out for revenge because of last time?"
Lili spoke quietly. Although she didn't see anyone, she trusted Belle's abilities enough to take her words seriously.
She couldn't help but recall the incident with the Soma Familia.
"No… I don't think it's them… their gazes feel different, and besides, after Zanis got arrested, the Soma Familia gained a new captain and completely reformed."
"Plus, these guys seem far more coordinated than the ones from the Soma Familia."
Belle said as they continued walking through the crowded streets.
Learning from last time, she avoided heading straight into an alleyway to try and lose them.
"Let's just go back home… with my aunt there, even if they have a first-class adventurer with them, we can deal with them quickly and find out what they're after."
Belle decided that this was the safest course of action.
With Lili by her side, even if Bell could fight them all off, the small supporter would be in grave danger if something unexpected happened.
Lili nodded after hearing Belle's words, the image of a silver-haired woman and her fist colliding against her skull flashing through her mind.
That first meeting was something she could never forget, and Lili couldn't help but shiver.
She had been in the Hestia Familia long enough to know just how terrifying Belle's aunt was.
There was even one time when Alfia offered to train Lili, only for the pallum to immediately shake her head after witnessing what Belle's training sessions with her looked like.
"That terrifying woman… she won't go overboard, will she?"
Lili questioned, to which Belle could only respond with an awkward chuckle, unable to answer.
Now that her aunt was involved, the sneaky group following them no longer seemed nearly as threatening.
As they continued making their way back home, a couple of loud, obnoxious voices cutting through the crowd caught their attention.
"Hey! Have you heard of the Little Rookie from the Hestia Familia? The one who ranked up in just one month and one week?"
A pallum in a black outfit spoke with a shit-eating grin splitting across his face.
His name was Luan, one of the members of the Apollo Familia.
"Hehe… you mean Belle Cranel? The one people all over the city have been praising these days?"
Another member of the Apollo Familia replied, wearing a similar grin.
"That's right, although I question whether that achievement is even legitimate, considering she comes from a no-name dirt-poor familia."
"There's also word going around that she went with Veneratus Est, as well as the Hermes and Artemis Familias, on that terrifying mission said to be the unofficial Fourth Great Quest and even achieved great feats herself."
"I bet they were all fake and the others were the ones who did all the work."
Luan continued with a mocking expression.
"Though she is a cutie. Do you think she sold her body to that pig guildmaster Royman to bribe the Guild?"
"Keke… that must be the case."
They chuckled amongst themselves, not caring how obviously loud they were being.
"Miss Belle… let's go."
Lili urged, tugging at her sleeve.
The two of them kept walking, both understanding that with sudden fame came people who would naturally harbor jealousy and malice.
But the next part of the conversation made them freeze dead in their tracks.
"Speaking of which, I once saw that rabbit's goddess working at a food stand, and trust me, she's a looker."
One of the men said while licking his lips.
"Bwahaha! I knew they were dirt-poor, but to think they make a literal Goddess work such a mundane job… she should have just sold her body to the Pleasure Quarter instead!"
Luan shouted, laughing so hard he was practically clutching his stomach.
Then, they looked directly in Belle and Lili's direction, making it blatantly obvious that they knew they were there all along.
"A slut Goddess with enormous boobs and a slut, cheating rabbit… a perfect combination for such an attention-seeking Familia."
Belle clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.
She could tolerate being insulted herself, but the moment they started badmouthing her goddess, that was where she drew the line.
"Miss Belle… don't… it's not worth it."
"This is obviously a trap, don't fall for it."
Lili tugged at her shirt with a worried expression.
"See! I told you her achievements were a sham! I just insulted her and her Familia right to her face, and she's too scared to do a damn thing about it!"
Luan exclaimed loudly, pointing a mocking finger directly at them.
"Hey, rabbit! When everyone finds out what a fraud you are… make sure to lend me your Goddess for the night! I can spare you a few valis for the trouble!"
A chorus of mocking laughter erupted behind him.
That was the final straw.
Belle snapped, spinning around on her heel to confront them directly.