Chapter 68

After another three hours of pillaging the nineteenth floor of all its resources, it was Anya who stretched shifting her arm back and forth as she spoke that broke the monotony of the grind. "Nyah it's been a long while since I worked this hard in the dungeon... Hehe, I bet I will get a couple of stats here as well today so I may be able to beat Chloe in our next sparing session." Anya joked pridefully.

But Ryuu mercilessly popped her bubble as she snarked. "That would require you to actually get your Falna updated."

Even I winced as Anya's tail stiffened and the brown-haired cat girl looked at Ryuu with a very uncustomary snarl. "Yeah, and are you any different Miss I hide away from my goddess out of some stupid sense of shame at something you failed to accomplish anyway! Chloe Lunoire and I have been following you every single night helping keep Evilus from dog piling you. And you aren't even brave enough to see Lady Astrea become strong enough to actually clean out Evilus!" Anya said sharply poking Ryuu in her chest.

Honestly, Ryuu looked utterly gobsmacked at how the happy-go-lucky girl just completely whirled around on her, especially with us third wheels fucking right here.

"Then why haven't you gone back to Freya then Anya," Ryuu said crossly as she pushed Anya's hand away from her chest.

Anya's face twisted into a snarl at Ryuu's question before she smiled a sickly thing as she retorted. "I used to fear going home to the Folkvanger, nyah due to my brother's control over me and how he would beat true strength into me... But how could I ever go home especially to see my goddess when the man who snapped my blood brother's neck like a twig is Freya's most favored adventurer?" Anya asked rhetorically before she looked to me and Bell and reflexively my Magna Cannon raised halfway up as this was far to confrontation than I could accept.

"Why don't we all calm down... We can go our separate ways or whatever but fighting in the dungeon is a terrible idea." I said trying to calm the situation but both girls just rolled their eyes.

"We are not so stupid to actually fight within the dungeon Jake Barris... We are not amateur's." Ryuu seemingly reminded me primly as her hand moved away from her sheathed wooden sword at her side.

"Nyah its fine. Stress has been building up and we both needed to shout at one another a bit. Though honestly I may need to look for another Familia as the situation I have with Freya's is." Anya sadly shook her head before wryly shrugging. "I obviously can't be in the same Familia as Ottar is... My blood boils at the sight of him Nyah." She finished and after seeing so much death both in the dungeon and the Evilus people I could see some of that same acceptance for death in her eyes.

That of course wasn't too unusual as all adventurers had some level of it but Ryuu, Anya, and a bunch of others had a different light in their eyes that told me that although they would make death take them kicking and screaming, in the end, they will accept it. Ryuu for wanting to eradicate Evilus and now Anya for wanting to kill Ottar for revenge for her brother, I guess.

Seeing the two nonhuman girls calming the hell down I sighed brushing my hand across my face as I eyed Bell. "Well, I think today's excitement has been enough for today. Don't you think Bell?" I asked and the albino beauty quickly nodded.

"Yup! Jake, you got plenty of materials right!?" Bell asked me loudly and semi-rhetorically, and as I nodded Bell matched my nodding with double the enthusiasm as she grinned. "Thats awesome, now we can go on that date we agreed on earlier." She continued and my brain froze as I most certainly didn't agree to any such thing.

Anya and Ryuu both blinked in surprise with Ryuu actually blushing for a moment before she turned pale as she pointed between me and Bell. "Wait Jake Barriss, you and Mrs. Cranel are in a relationship? What about... No, I am sorry but when did this happen?" She questioned.

I shrugged as I counted the days and answered with a waving hand. "Oh, something like a few days or close to a week ago, I guess. Why ask?"

Before Ryuu could respond Bell poked my cheek and as I looked back to her, I saw she was pouting but blushing. "I mean we have been on a date once... Could we go to the Hostess for dinner please!" Bell asked guilelessly and I couldn't help but see how Ryuu cringed like she imagined something most unfortunate.

"Uhh sure, I guess. I could do with a late lunch." I said and then looked to Anya and Ryuu. "You girls willing to call it quits for now?" I asked and Anya excitedly agreed as she could have the rest of the day off but if anything, Ryuu looked kinda green for some reason. "Ryuu are you alright? Did you get poisoned or something you honestly look ill or something." I said honestly feeling concerned for the petite elf so I approached, and she choked up freezing in place as I placed a hand against her forehead to make sure she wasn't running a hidden fever to burn away any poisons or something.

And no, I knew it wasn't some dense harem protagonist crap as I knew damned well that Ryuu didn't have a crush or see me in that light or anything at least yet.

"Well let's just get going I guess," I said shrugging as Ryuu's face turned normal when I pulled back, so I tried to just put it out of my mind. "Bell, do you want to upgrade your space guns to jungle theme stuff like sending a stream of razor-sharp leaves at monsters?" I asked on the way back to make conversation and then I got pulled into a conversation with Ryuu about my Sword of Grass and how she was interested in possibly buying a smaller version of it.

Funny enough the conversation carried us all the way back into Orario as we took the tunnel, I made it back to the surface but as we exited the dungeon and began walking the Hostess to get lunch Ryuu seemed to literally forget whatever issues she was having in the dungeon until we stopped right in front of the Hostess of Fertility. Then she had a weird face cover her features again.