DanMachi Vol.15

PROLOGUE : ADVENTURERS' REST

"Bell, you're...!"

"Mr. Bell, that looks like...!"

Welf and Lilly cried out, grief-stricken.

"Oh no, Master Bell, it's..."

"Sir Bell, could your left arm really be...?!"

Haruhime and Mikoto likewise averted their eyes from the sight.

Standing before his assembled comrades, Bell solemnly prepared to speak.

"It sort of just happened..."

Bell's arm was immobilized. More specifically, his armor-clad left arm was cradled in a sling. It was unmistakably set in a medical cast. His hollow laughter rang out underneath a clear blue sky.

"Li'l E and I were talking about how that was seeming kinda long for a follow-up appointment. Was Dea Saint in a bad mood, then?"

"Yes, very. I didn't realize Amid could get that mad."

They were on a street in the northwest street of the city known as Adventurers Way. Bell had just emerged onto the broad avenue from the white stone building that was Dian Cecht Familia 's infirmary and was greeted by members of Hestia Familia , Miach Familia , and even Takemikazuchi Familia .

"I heard you had a high-spec supporter item equipped, but this seems..."

"I did, but...it turns out I really wasn't supposed to move around too much, so..." Bell rubbed the back of his head sheepishly with his empty right hand in response to the exasperated look he received from Ouka.

It had been two weeks since the conclusion of the joint-expedition—which included the encounter with the moss huge, Jura Harma's atrocities, and the desperate march through the deep levels.

Bell had badly injured his left arm in his fight against the Juggernaut, and although he'd equipped a supporter as a protective measure, he'd ended up overtaxing his arm anyway. That inevitably earned him a thorough scolding from Amid during his follow-up appointment earlier that day.

The terrifying tongue-lashing he'd received from Dea Saint—a girl often likenedto an exquisite porcelain doll, and famous for her calm, collected demeanor as much as she was for her skill—had been harsh enough to singe Bell's white hair.

"So now you're in a cast to stop you from wrenching it around anymore..." Lilly sighed.

The cast was made not of bandages and plaster but dir adamantite. Despite the lightweight of the refined metal, it hammered home the healer's intent, which was: Thou shalt not move .

When Bell arrived for his checkup, Amid's fury had been evident. "She said that if I didn't listen to her, the next time she sees me, she'll tie me to the infirmary bed," said Bell, shivering at the memory of what he'd endured a few minutes earlier.

Amid lived up to her reputation as a kind, professional healer who never, ever turned her back on a patient, but for Bell, that guarantee was now as terrifying as any dragon's flaming breath. He'd learned his lesson that there was nothing so fearsome as the rage of a beautiful woman—especially one who was normally gentle.

"Dian Cecht Familia 's a bunch of quacks...Bell, it's still not too late! Leave it to me—some ultra-special medicine and a custom therapeutic diet will have you back in action in no time." The sleepy-eyed chienthrope Nahza patted Bell heartily on the shoulder.

"That medicine and food sound extremely expensive, so we'll pass."

Miach Familia and Dian Cecht Familia were business rivals, and Nazha and her comrades in Miach Familia were friendly with Hestia Familia . This time, though, they had referred their regular to Amid. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say they had entrusted him to her, believing that her renowned skills could heal him, just like when Dian Cecht Familia provided Nahza with a prosthetic arm after she had lost her own limb in the past.

While her patron god Miach was relatively forthcoming, Nahza seemed determined to deny that Bell was in good hands, even though her grumbling was ultimately in jest.

"That's a shame...If you came by our place, I thought maybe Cassandra could get that talk she's been wanting to have with you and finally get rid of some, shall wesay, frustrations...?" Nahza added a mischievous laugh and a sly grin at the end.

"Wha—?!" Cassandra cried out hysterically, her face turning red as a berry.

"Cassandra's been frustrated recently...? Does she need someone to hear her out or something?" asked Bell, confused, at which point, Cassandra immediately lost all semblance of composure.

"N-no! I was just anxious about whether I should go see you ! But since you were injured, I was worried that maybe I'd just be imposing on you! So, um, that's why...um............anyway, it's nothing to worry about! Right? Isn't that right, Daphne?"

"Don't drag me into this..."

Cassandra's words had only become increasingly incoherent as she received a withering look from Daphne next to her.

"Oh, but I did promise that we'd have a nice long chat once the expedition ended, didn't I? Let's do that next time I visit the shop," said Bell.

"Ah, you remembered!...Waaaah! Daphneeeeee!"

"Why are you clinging to me ?!" Daphne finally raised her voice at her friend, who had fallen to pieces the moment she saw Bell's friendly smile and was currently attempting to hide behind her.

As Bell watched the scene unfold with somewhat perplexed bemusement, Welf spoke up. "That reminds me, Bell, what about that elf girl from the tavern? Are you expecting her to swing by?"

"Lyu? Mia's place is so busy that I don't think she'd have time to come," said Bell. "Also, it kind of feels like she's reluctant to meet up lately...almost like she's avoiding me," he added vaguely.

In front of Dian Cecht Familia 's infirmary were gathered representatives of every familia that had participated in the alliance. As all of them had endured thegrueling expedition together, they had assembled to greet Bell, whose injuries had been the most serious.

The only one absent—aside from Aisha, who'd grumbled about being summoned by herpatron deity—was Lyu.

As Bell worriedly contemplated the possibility that he'd somehow unknowingly offended Lyu (elves were a notably meticulous race, after all), Lilly's expression shifted as she put the pieces together.

But she said nothing. There was nothing to say. She merely grumbled. "First Miss Cassandra and now Miss Lyu...? No, it can't be. It simply cannot."

Haruhime cocked her head curiously.

Cassandra, her face still burning from embarrassment, peeked out from behind the frustrated Daphne. "So, er...Bell? With your arm in this condition, will going into the Dungeon be...?" she asked tentatively.

Bell nodded with a smile. "Yes. With the expedition now over...I think I'll take it easy for a while." He peered up at the endless blue sky. There wasn't a single cloud, as though nature had deigned to grant a moment's reprieve to a group of adventurers who'd overcome terrible hardship.

"After all, my goddess once told me that resting is part of an adventurer's job."