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They arrived at the old church.
Lili looked at the broken roof and the cracked walls. She stopped walking.
"You live here?"
Lili asked.
Dee held her hand and pulled her inside.
"Yes!"
Dee said.
"It is our home. You will sleep right next to me."
Elias closed the heavy door behind them.
"It is not a castle,"
Elias told her.
"But it is safe. No one will hurt you inside these walls."
Lili looked at the simple beds and the dusty floor.
She did not care about the mess.
For the first time in her life, she felt truly safe.
"Thank you,"
Lili whispered.
"Thank you for bringing me here."
Dee hugged her tightly.
"Welcome home, Lili,"
Dee smiled.
Hestia walked out from the back room. She looked at the small girl.
"Welcome back,"
Hestia said.
"Who is this?"
"She is my new little sister!"
Dee announced.
"Her name is Lili. She is joining us."
Hestia smiled gently. She walked over and patted Lili's head.
"Then you are part of my family now,"
Hestia said.
"If anyone bothers you, you tell me."
Lili wiped her eyes and nodded.
She could not speak. She just held onto Dee's hand.
Hestia then turned to Bell. She hid something behind her back.
"Bell-kun,"
Hestia said seriously.
"I have something very important for you."
Bell blinked.
"For me?"
Hestia brought out a long item wrapped in cloth. She held it out to him.
"I asked Hephaestus to make this,"
Hestia explained.
"It is a weapon for yoy."
Bell took the package.
His hands shook as he pulled the cloth away.
He saw the knife. It was completely black. It did not shine at all.
"It looks... cold,"
Bell said quietly.
"It is,"
Hestia nodded.
"Hephaestus made the blade. But Dee gave it a special blessing today. It will reject anyone with a bad heart. If someone else touches it, they might die. Try holding the handle."
Bell took a deep breath. He reached out and wrapped his fingers around the dark grip.
He waited for the cold feeling. He waited for pain.
But nothing happened.
Instead, the knife felt warm. It fit perfectly in his hand. It felt like an old friend.
"It doesn't hurt,"
Bell smiled.
"It feels right."
Hestia let out a long breath. She looked very relieved.
"Use it to survive, Bell,"
Hestia told him.
Bell looked at the black blade. Then he looked at Hestia, Lili, Dee, and Elias.
"I will not just use it to survive,"
Bell promised.
"I will use it to protect all of you."
The next morning, they went back to the giant tower.
Bell walked in the front. His new black knife rested on his belt.
Lili walked right behind him. She carried her large backpack.
Elias and Dee followed close behind.
"We are going deeper today,"
Bell said, looking back at Lili.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes, Bell-sama!"
Lili answered brightly.
"I will pick up every single stone you drop."
"Just Bell is fine, Lili,"
Bell laughed.
They walked down the wide stone stairs.
They passed the first few floors very quickly.
Soon, the walls turned a darker shade of blue.
They stepped onto the fifth floor.
"Watch out,"
Lili warned, pointing her finger down the tunnel.
"The monsters hide in the shadows here. They will try to jump on us."
*Crack.*
Three large goblins dropped from the ceiling.
They held rusty weapons and growled loudly.
"I have them!"
Bell shouted.
He stepped forward and pulled out his black knife.
The first goblin swung a club at Bell's head.
Bell dodged easily.
He slashed his dark knife across the monster's chest.
He did not even need to push hard.
The black blade cut through the monster like thin paper.
The goblin instantly turned to gray ash.
"Wow,"
Bell gasped, staring at the metal in his hand.
"It is so fast. It feels like I am swinging empty air."
"That is Dee's blessing,"
Elias explained calmly from the back of the hall.
"The blade carries the end. It does not just cut the body. It cuts the monster's life."
The other two goblins hissed in anger.
They rushed at Bell together.
Bell did not step back. He dashed forward.
He spun fast and slashed both of them in one clean move.
*Poof. Poof.*
Two more piles of ash hit the floor.
Three purple magic stones dropped onto the ground.
Lili ran forward immediately. She picked up the stones and put them into her backpack.
"Three clean hits,"
Lili smiled.
"You are very strong, Bell."
Dee skipped over to them and clapped her hands.
"You look like a real hero now, Bell-kun!"
Dee cheered.
Lili looked down at the stones inside her bag.
She felt a small twist in her chest. She remembered her old life.
"Bell,"
Lili asked quietly, gripping the straps of her bag.
"Usually, supporters only get a very tiny piece of the money. How much do I get to keep?"
Bell looked at her in surprise. He put his knife away.
"We split everything equally,"
Bell answered, like it was the most normal rule in the world.
"We are a team. We all share the reward."
Lili stared at him. She looked at Elias, who just nodded. She looked at Dee, who gave her a big thumbs-up.
No one was going to cheat her. No one was going to steal from her.
Lili felt a warm feeling spread through her whole body.
She smiled a real, honest smile.
"Okay,"
Lili said softly.
"Let's go find more monsters. I will guide you to the biggest groups."
"Lead the way, Lili,"
Elias smiled.
They walked deeper into the dark caves, completely ready for whatever was hiding in the shadows.
They turned a corner and walked into a wider cave.
Four adventurers stood in the middle of the path.
They wore leather armor with the symbol of a wine glass on their chests.
They belonged to the Soma Familia.
The leader, a tall man with a scar on his chin, smiled a mean smile.
"Look who we found,"
The man said.
"The little rat finally showed up."
Lili completely froze. She dropped her gaze and hid behind Bell.
"Gell,"
Lili whispered. Her voice shook with fear.
"He is a Level 3. The men behind him are Level 2."
Gell pointed a finger at the small girl.
"You missed your payment yesterday, Lili,"
Gell said coldly.
"Hand over that bag of stones. Then we will teach you a lesson for running away."
Bell did not step aside. He pulled out his black knife and stood his ground.
"Stay back,"
Bell warned them.
"She is not with you anymore. She is our family now."
Gell laughed loudly. His men laughed with him.
"A beginner kid?"
Gell mocked.
"We are veterans. We will break your legs and take the girl anyway."
Elias calmly walked past Bell. He handed his long weapon to Dee.
"Hold this for a moment,"
Elias said.
Dee took the polearm and smiled brightly.
"Have fun, Eli!"
Dee cheered.
Elias stood in front of the Soma members with completely empty hands.
He did not use his terrifying aura.
He just relaxed his shoulders.
"If you turn around and walk away right now,"
Elias told them evenly,
"You will get to keep all of your teeth."
Gell narrowed his eyes.
"Kill him!"
Gell shouted.
Two Level 2 men rushed forward.
They swung their heavy iron swords right at Elias.
Elias didn't use magic.
He didn't use overwhelming power.
He just used pure, simple movement.
He stepped slightly to the side, letting the first sword miss him by an inch.
He grabbed the man's wrist, twisted it sharply, and swept his leg out.
The man slammed into the stone floor face-first and dropped his sword.
The second man tried to punch Elias in the jaw.
Elias easily ducked under the fist.
He struck the man in the ribs with his elbow, grabbed his collar, and flipped him over his shoulder.
The second man crashed into the wall and did not get back up.
Gell stopped laughing.
His eyes went wide.
He pulled out a large battle axe from his back.
He charged at Elias with all of his Level 3 speed.
"Die!"
Gell roared, swinging the axe down hard.
Elias watched the blade fall. He stepped inside Gell's guard, right past the weapon.
Elias raised his palm and struck Gell firmly in the throat.
Gell choked and dropped the axe.
Before he could recover, Elias kicked the back of his knee.
Gell collapsed onto the dirt, completely helpless.
Elias looked down at the defeated leader.
"You rely too much on your level,"
Elias said calmly.
"You have speed and strength, but your technique is completely empty. A bad foundation will always crumble."
Gell held his throat. He coughed violently, staring up at Elias in pure panic.
"Who are you?"
Gell gasped for air.
"I am Lili's older brother,"
Elias answered.
"If any of you ever look at her again, I will not be this gentle. Get out of my sight."
Gell and his men scrambled to their feet.
They grabbed their weapons and ran away down the tunnel as fast as they could.
Bell stared at the empty path. His jaw hung open.
"You beat a Level 3 adventurer with just your bare hands!"
Bell said, completely amazed.
Elias took his weapon back from Dee and patted Bell's shoulder.
"A weapon is just a tool, Bell,"
Elias smiled.
"True strength comes from knowing how to control your own body. I will teach you some moves later."
Lili looked down the dark tunnel.
No one from her old Familia had ever run away before.
She looked up at the tall man who just protected her without even trying.
She wiped a small tear from her eye and adjusted her backpack.
"Thank you, Elias-onii,"
Lili said shyly.
"Let's keep going. I know a secret path with lots of magic stones!"