[5] The 'Clown'

--- Chapter 5 ---

There once was a boy who lived happily on the Lower World.

Someone who had an impossible dream, captured by other's desires and dreams. A foolish person; or someone who you would call a 'clown.'

An idiot who was carefree. Someone who liked to jest around.

But even then, he become a person that people came to look up to. His legendary adventures were spoken to the world and then it later became a myth. After eons had passed, no one knew if those were true or not.

He was also the one who was called by many titles: 'The Clown', 'The Fool'. But the one title that most people would call him was by one:

The Hero of the Beginning.

---

"Well, that would be 26,400 Valis! Did you get those magic stones from other adventures that forgot to collect them?"

A beautiful Half Elf with a slim body, pointy ears, shoulder length brown hair and emerald coloured eyes was talking to Bell with surprise.

Meanwhile, the latter just gave her a smile and shook his head before packing away the Valis inside of his pocket.

Eina saw this and sighed slightly before tilting up her glasses.

"Well, you have to be careful all right? Some adventurers out there might be jealous of a lone level 1 getting much more money than them. After all, some people are even more vicious than the monsters inside of the dungeon..."

Bell just nodded his head to Eina's speech and saved goodbye before going to the Hostess of Fertility.

"Bye, Eina!"

---

'What is this nagging feeling...'

Bell had begun to feel some kind of gaze ever since he entered the dungeon. It felt like very move of his was somehow being observed.

'I might be paranoid...'

He sighed heavily afterwards and put his hand on the hilt of his sword before jogging towards a two story building made of stone.

He then walked towards it and waited for a while before hearing his name getting called out.

"Bell-san, here!"

Bell turned his head to look at the person who had called his name and found that it was the girl he met earlier this morning.

"Ah, hello Syr-san."

Syr walked towards Bell with a big smile plastered on her face. She then suddenly stopped in front of Bell and shouted to a person near the counter inside of the cafè.

"We've got a customer!"

Bell who was just about to give the Valis to Syr looked at her in shock.

"Eh? I came here to repay-"

"You just came back from the dungeon, didn't you? You must be pretty tired, just come inside and eat!"

Syr suddenly took Bell's hand and spoke to him while bringing him to an empty table.

"Well, here is the menu."

Syr then suddenly pulled out a menu out of nowhere and handed it to Bell before running away, leaving him all alone.

Bell looked at Syr's leaving back with an awkward smile before looking through the menu.

'I can get some food for Hestia-sama while I'm at it...'

While Bell was in the middle of reading the menu, Syr was hiding behind the door looking at him from afar.

"Syr, if you like him that much then why don't you ask him out?"

Syr's body stiffened when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Ah, Mama Mia I can't do that...after all I just met him today..."

The woman called Mama Mia widened her brown eyes in slight surprise before chuckling. She then walked towards Syr and patted her shoulder while walking towards Bell.

"So love at first sight? Well, that means we'll have to give him even more food! After all he is your guest."

Syr's face grew red in embarrassment when she heard what Mama Mia said. She then quickly moved away her attention from Mama Mia who was talking to Bell about the food to the people that had just entered.

"The Loki Familia..."

---

(Bell PoV)

I talked to the dwarves woman in front of me for a few seconds before ending the conversation.

"Can I take this for take away? My Goddess is waiting for me at out home..."

Mama Mia suddenly looked at me and smiled widely before beginning to pat my shoulder hardly.

'Ouch...'

Bell slightly winced in pain when the felt the pats from a level 6 adventurer. After all, his body isn't strong enough to take hit from those type of people.

Mama Mia saw this and smiled slightly.

"Of course you can take it! Just wait a second, I'll get a bag for you to pack it up!"

Mama Mia then started to walk away from my table, making me let out a sigh of relief.

I was about to take out 6,000 Valis to pay for the food but stopped myself when I heard what someone nearby said.

"Look! It's the Loki Familia..."

I shifted my attention from my pocket towards the door and saw a group of people walk near a table.

I looked at them for a few moments before looking away. I have nothing to do with them so why should I look at them?

Although, that quickly switched when I saw a person's eye widen from the corner of my eyes.

I turned to look at the person to see as to why they would look at me but I was suddenly met with a beautiful girl with blonde hair and golden eyes.

'She looks kind of...familiar?"

My eyesight suddenly started blurring a little as an intense headache hit me. My eyelids started closing slightly, making me try to force my eyes open to stay awake.

I quickly moved my hands to slap my cheeks, making my eyes widen from pain. But when I did, I saw myself on a completely different place.

'Where...am I?'

I found myself standing alone on a beach that was covered in golden sand. My crimson red eyes narrowed slightly when I felt the winds blow gently on my face.

I began looking around in confusion, only to see the same person I had seen before I came here.

The same golden hair and beautiful face.

Although, this time she had azure blue eyes instead of the golden ones.