"Chapter 40: Hestia the Kidnapper or Another Minion"

Standing up from Hephaestus' lap, Alex wanted to know who Hestia had managed to kidnap early in the morning. When he stood up, his eyes met Hestia's, who was proud of herself for inviting someone to join the family. Alex just rolled his eyes at her smug expression. He then looked at the person Hestia had brought, and his eyes widened in surprise. Rainbow-colored eyes met red ones. The person Hestia had brought became embarrassed under Alex's intense gaze and tried to look away.

Standing before him was a young girl with medium-length white hair and red eyes. Her entire demeanor showed that she didn't understand the situation she was in and was afraid to move for fear of doing something wrong. Alex continued to look at her with a tense gaze, realizing that she wasn't supposed to arrive this early—her arrival was expected in another six months or so. The girl, frightened by his gaze, tried to hide behind Hestia, but it didn't work well because she was taller than Hestia.

"Can't you see you're scaring her with your stare?" Hephaestus said, pinching Alex's nose.

Alex looked at Hephaestus and felt embarrassed, not understanding how he could scare the girl just by looking at her.

"Yeah, don't scare her! I barely managed to invite her to our family," Hestia protested.

Alex and Hephaestus' eyes twitched at her words, as she had said she kidnapped the girl.

"What's with you two? I always look like this when I just wake up," Alex said, rolling his eyes. The two goddesses remembered his eyes in the mornings and realized it was true.

"Still, don't scare her. Now she's a member of our family," Hestia said, protecting the girl hiding behind her.

"Okay, okay. What's your name?" Alex asked, addressing the girl.

"My name is B-Bella Cranel. Nice to meet you," Bella replied in a stuttering tone.

"There's no need to be shy. Nothing will happen to you in this house. You can call me Alex; I'm kind of like the captain of this family, probably," Alex said, adding uncertainly.

"What do you mean 'probably'?" Hestia asked, her pigtails starting to float, which scared Bella.

"It means I'm more like a father or older brother in this family than a captain," Alex replied with a crooked smile. Hephaestus nodded, confirming his words, but her eyes narrowed, remembering what he usually did when he went out with the girls.

"Alright, Bella, don't be afraid. If you want to become an adventurer, I'll help you. If you want to be something else, I'll help with that too," Alex said, approaching Bella and patting her on the head.

"Th-thank you, I'll do my best to be useful," Bella said shyly, enjoying the gentle pats on her head.

"Now, Bella, go with Hestia so she can officially accept you into the family, and then you'll need to come to my workshop," Alex said, stopping his gentle patting of her head.

"Um, okay. But how will I know where your workshop is?" Bella asked shyly.

"I'll take you there later, so don't worry. Now, follow me," Hestia said, grabbing Bella's hand and pulling her along.

Alex watched as the embarrassed Bella was dragged up the stairs by Hestia. He could only shake his head at the goddess, who was thrilled to have invited someone to the family. He watched until the girls were out of sight, then turned his gaze to Hephaestus, who had resumed reading. He decided to ask if she wanted to join him in the workshop. After a moment of thought, Hephaestus agreed. Putting her book in her bag, she stood up, took Alex's hand, and they headed to the workshop, enjoying each other's company.

When they entered the workshop, Alex started opening drawers and displays, showing the weapons he had created out of boredom. Hephaestus, who had seen these items before, could only smile wryly, remembering the time she saw Alex making weapons. At that moment, she had wanted to hit someone with her hammer for the first time because Alex had simply taken a piece of metal and forged a weapon, then said he was tired. Hephaestus sighed and sat on the empty chair she usually occupied when visiting Alex's workshop.

"What do you think about that girl?" Hephaestus asked, watching Alex as he pulled various weapons from the drawers.

Alex paused for a moment, thinking about her question.

"What exactly do you mean?" he asked, pulling out another drawer.

"I mean her desire to become an adventurer and how you mentioned that you would help her become even more than an adventurer. Her eyes sparkled after your words," Hephaestus said after some consideration.

"Well, that girl has the potential to become an adventurer and even more," Alex said, pulling out the last drawer.

"And what could she become?" Hephaestus asked, intrigued by his words.

"A hero," Alex replied, clicking his tongue and grimacing.

Hephaestus couldn't help but laugh at his words, remembering that Alex was the Demon King. Alex, hearing her laughter, could only smile crookedly.

"It really is funny when the Demon King and a future hero live in the same house," Hephaestus said, trying to stop laughing.

"Don't forget that you love this Demon King," Alex said, approaching Hephaestus.

She blushed at his words, noticing Alex leaning toward her. Hephaestus closed her eyes, anticipating a kiss, feeling his breath and her heart starting to beat faster in anticipation.

"We're here!" Hestia shouted, bursting into the workshop, oblivious to the fact that Alex's and Hephaestus' faces were very close to each other. Hephaestus, expecting a kiss, blushed at Hestia's shout and then frowned at her friend, who had interrupted this romantic moment. Hestia could only smile awkwardly, realizing she had messed up a bit.

"Sorry for the intrusion," Bella said quietly, entering the workshop and not noticing Hephaestus' tense look directed at Hestia.

"I see you're done. Come here," Alex said, lightly pinching Hephaestus' nose to stop her from frowning. Embarrassed by this action, Bella approached Alex.

"Y-yes, how can I help?" Bella asked shyly, still feeling embarrassed.

"Don't be nervous. I want to take your measurements to prepare some armor for you," Alex said, looking at Bella, who was trembling.

"You want to make armor for me?" Bella asked, not understanding why he was talking about armor.

"Yes. Since you're now part of this family, I need to take care of you. I'll start by making armor that suits you," Alex said, casting a spell to take her measurements.

"Alright, I've got your measurements. Now, you can choose a weapon you'd like to use. Don't worry, take anything you want. If you don't find something suitable, I'll make one specifically for you," Alex said, watching Bella nervously inspect the weapon racks.

"And you two, stop making noise, you're distracting her," Alex said, glancing at the duo of goddesses, where Hephaestus was pulling Hestia's cheeks as she tried to apologize.

Both goddesses immediately stopped, but Hephaestus continued to glare at Hestia, who had ruined the romantic moment. Alex was busy sketching armor designs for Bella. The girl was inspecting the racks, trying to choose a weapon that suited her. Bella stopped at a rack filled with various types of daggers and knives. Seeing so many weapons, she became confused and couldn't decide, afraid to touch them, thinking they were too expensive. Alex turned and saw that Bella was scared to even pick up a weapon and could only shake his head.

He decided to tell her that these weapons were essentially worthless, so she didn't need to worry and could handle them freely. If she managed to break them, he'd even thank her. Hephaestus, hearing Alex say that the weapons he made were worthless, could only grimace, knowing that even the simplest knife made by him could be sold for a fortune. If Alex could hear Hephaestus' thoughts, he would only reply that in other worlds, such weapons would be considered junk.

Bella, hearing his words, was a little scared but decided to choose a weapon, fearing to disappoint her new captain. She chose two knives: one was black with red accents, and the other looked like it was made of ice. Alex, seeing Bella had made her choice, decided to introduce her to everyone else. He picked up Hestia, who was still sulking from Hephaestus' earlier attack and was surprised to be lifted. Hephaestus just smirked and followed Alex, who left the workshop. Bella, shocked at how they treated a goddess, quickly followed, afraid of being left behind.

Alex and his small group arrived at the training ground, where fights were taking place. Bella, amazed by the size of the field, began looking around with sparkling eyes until she noticed the ongoing battles.

"Hey, kids, I want to introduce someone to you," Alex called out, catching everyone's attention on the field.

"Is this another person you kidnapped?" Lili asked, looking at Bella, who hid behind Alex, scared by the attention.

"This time, it was Hestia, not me. And I don't kidnap people to force them into our family," Alex replied, causing the girls, who had been invited to the family in a similar manner, to roll their eyes.

"Alright, stop looking at me like that, it really wasn't me. I didn't even leave the house today, it was all Hestia," Alex said, pointing at the goddess, who smiled guiltily. The girls in Hestia's family looked at Alex with accusing eyes, believing he had influenced the kind goddess.

"Please welcome our new family member, Bella," Alex said, ignoring the looks and placing Bella in front of him. Bella blushed deeply from the attention and wanted to hide behind Alex again, but his hands on her shoulders prevented her from doing so.

"Are you sure this girl can become an adventurer? She's too shy and timid to be an adventurer," Daphne asked, examining Bella, who tried not to meet her eyes.

"Yes, this girl has good potential, and she can become an adventurer or even more," Alex said with a smile, though his smile turned crooked at the end. Only those familiar with Alex understood why he grimaced.

"Are you saying this girl has the potential to become what I think?" Haruhime asked, looking at Bella with sparkling eyes. Seeing Alex's crooked smile, Haruhime could only smile sweetly and approach him, wrapping him with her three tails.

"Alright, ladies, today we have a raid, and we're taking Bella with us. She won't be fighting; she's coming along to understand what a dungeon is and to observe the battle," Alex said, not allowing any further questions.

"I also want to remind you that there will be a meeting of the gods today, and this evening might become even more surprising," Alex said, and a mad smile appeared on his face, causing everyone to sigh.

"While Hestia and Hephaestus attend the meeting, we'll go on the raid. Your task is to reach the 17th floor and fight the Goliath," Alex said, eliciting heavy sighs from the girls.

"Don't sigh, I even prepared a surprise for you," Alex said, noticing the girls' reluctance and deciding to play his trump card.

Alex took out several black boxes and placed them in front of the girls. Lili reacted first and opened the box in front of her. Inside was a pair of black brass knuckles, better than the ones she usually wore. Looking around, Lili noticed that Daphne and Haruhime each had two boxes and, pouting, began to glare at Alex, who tried to ignore her displeased look.

Daphne opened both of her boxes. One contained a silver sword and shield, and the other held a massive club. Her face twitched since she was jokingly called "the giant" and now she received a club. Cassandra opened her box and found a beautiful golden staff adorned with gemstones inside. Haruhime, the calmest of all, slowly opened her boxes and saw a priestess staff and a katana. The girls decided to try out their new weapons and went to test them on the dummies.

Seeing the enthusiasm in the girls, Alex could only smile happily, pleased that his plan to motivate the lazy girls had worked. Seeing that the girls were satisfied, Alex turned his gaze to the goddesses.

"Hestia, do you remember our plan for the gods' meeting?" Alex asked, looking at Hestia, who had been in a good mood but tensed up after his words.

"You're…," Hestia began, but was interrupted.

"Yes," Alex said, cutting her off.

"But what about…," Hestia tried to speak again.

"No," Alex interrupted once more.

"What's meant to happen will happen, and we can't stop it. It's all up to the will of the universe," Alex said dramatically, clenching his fist. Hestia could only sigh wearily, realizing that avoiding the consequences was impossible. Meanwhile, Hephaestus simply sighed and thought about how she ended up loving such a strange person. But then she remembered that he was only like this sometimes, and most of the time he was very responsible.

"Um, what are you talking about?" Bella asked, not understanding why her new goddess was sighing so heavily.

"Nothing much, don't worry," Alex replied, beginning to pat Bella on the head. "And Hestia, if Ishtar starts causing trouble, you know what to do."

"I understand, don't worry, I'll do everything I can," Hestia said, frowning as she remembered what Ishtar wanted to use Haruhime for.

After speaking with the two goddesses, Alex took Bella with him and went to join the girls who were checking their weapons, telling them it was time to head to the dungeon. The girls could only surrender and follow him. Following their usual routine, they grabbed onto Alex and were ready to go. Bella didn't understand what was happening. Alex just placed a hand on her shoulder, and then she was blinded by a light that appeared. Bella, experiencing her first teleportation, was disoriented. Noticing Bella's difficulty after the teleportation, Alex patted her on the back to help her feel better.

Seeing that everyone was ready to move on, Alex led them towards Babylon. Adventurers who saw Alex parted like the Red Sea before Moses. Bella was confused by the adventurers' behavior, not understanding why they were acting this way. Daphne, seeing that Bella didn't get it, placed a hand on her shoulder and told her not to think too much about it. Bella looked at Daphne, wanting to ask a question, but seeing her just shaking her head, decided to give up.

As the group approached the dungeon, Bella overheard the adventurers whispering and learned they were talking about some Demon King. More question marks appeared over her head. Entering the dungeon, Bella began to look around like a curious child, as she had only heard about dungeons from rumors and what her grandfather had told her. Descending to the first floor, the girls checked their gear once more and waited for Alex to speak.

"Alright, ladies, I see you've checked everything and are now ready," Alex said, looking at the girls who nodded in confirmation. "Great. Then your task is to reach the 17th floor and defeat the Goliath as quickly as possible because we still need to throw a welcome party for Bella," Alex said, turning into a child. "And let me tell you right away, there will be no spells for luring monsters or any such nonsense. Because if that happens, by the time you reach the 17th floor, you'll be fighting hordes of monsters, and it will take a lot of time."

Alex climbed onto a cushion. Bella, in the meantime, had no idea what was happening: why her new captain had turned into a child, why a cushion was floating behind him, and why the girls weren't reacting to the situation. For the first time, Bella wondered if she had joined a normal family.

Seeing the girl's confusion, Alex simply lifted her using magic and seated her behind him to keep her from getting lost while the girls fought monsters. Bella felt herself being lifted and was frightened until she realized she was sitting on something soft. Seeing that everyone was ready, Alex gave the command to start the raid. The girls immediately set off, while Alex began to slowly fly behind them in case something happened. Bella, feeling the cushion moving, grabbed the first thing she could, which turned out to be Alex in his child form. Alex, feeling someone hugging him, instinctively leaned into the hug. Bella, accidentally hugging Alex, felt him leaning on her, and her face turned bright red.

The girls steadily advanced toward the 17th floor, where the Goliath was located. Alex decided to talk to Bella, who was struggling with her feelings, unsure whether to hug Alex or let him go. While Bella was caught up in her internal struggle, the group reached their destination. Alex noticed that the Goliath was not yet present, even though it was supposed to appear by now. The girls decided to catch their breath, rest a bit, and have a snack.

Alex descended from the cushion with Bella, who immediately released him but felt a sense of loss. Alex approached the girls, eager to talk, but found himself in a tight embrace from Haruhime, who immediately wrapped him in her tails in a protective manner.

"Now you can say it was an easy raid," Alex said, wrapped in Haruhime's tails, looking at Daphne, who choked on her food at his words.

"How long are you going to keep bringing that up? I already apologized!" Daphne said, gritting her teeth in frustration.

"I'll keep bringing it up for a long time, so get used to it," Alex said, trying to pull his arms free but realizing he was entangled in the tails and could only give up.

"Do you think, Alex, that there will be more strange monsters like that? Adventurers haven't seen anything like them since that orc," Lily asked, looking at Alex, who was enjoying being wrapped in tails, and wondered if she should also try transforming into a fox.

"Most likely, those mongrels are hiding like the rats they are," Alex said, feeling movement outside the Goliath's chamber. He realized that someone was eavesdropping on their group, and his smile widened.

"It's usually the case: mentally deficient villains do all sorts of nonsense and then take pleasure in it. In the end, it turns out they're just insane," Alex continued, feeling anger directed at him. He saw an opportunity to lure out another henchman.

"I find it funniest that the guy sent by his master: one mentally deficient person sent another to die and then pretended to be upset. What can you expect from a villain who can only think with their ass and whose brain is filled with crap?" Alex kept insulting the presumed villain, hoping he would decide to attack. The girls listening to Alex couldn't understand why he was doing this, but seeing his sly smile, they realized something was up.

"What annoys me the most is that this half-villain…" Alex was about to continue, but a blade flew towards him, which he stopped by catching it with his hand.

"Gotcha, little rat," Alex said, looking toward the person who had thrown the knife.

The henchman realized the attack had failed and tried to run, but Alex couldn't allow him to escape. Breaking free from Haruhime's tails, he took up a position to shoot a bow. A bow made of flames appeared in his hands. Alex fired an arrow that pierced through walls and reached its target. He heard the scream of the wounded and went after him to gather information.

Approaching the henchman, Alex saw a girl lying on the ground, missing one leg. She clutched the remnants of her leg and looked at Alex with hatred.

"You're probably Savina?" Alex asked, moving closer to the girl who glared at him with malice.

"Why so angry? You attacked first; I just responded in kind," Alex said with a friendly smile, which only made Savina angrier and more insulting.

"Ah, these henchmen, never willing to say anything. But don't worry. Did you know that magic is a wonderful thing? If you know how to use it, you can accomplish a lot," Alex said calmly, squatting beside Savina and looking her in the eyes. Seeing his gaze, Savina was frightened and felt that something terrible awaited her.

"You did well to start being afraid because you're going to experience pain that you'll want to end yourself, or you can tell me everything and die without pain," Alex said with a kind smile, which made Savina try to crawl away, but magical chains wrapped around her, preventing her from moving.

"So, you've chosen the hard path," Alex said, placing his hand on Savina's head with the intention of forcing out all the information.

Feeling his hand on her head, Savina was ready to speak, but suddenly felt an intense pain as though she were being turned inside out. The pain lasted only a moment, but for Savina, it seemed like an eternity. Alex, reading her memories, frowned, realizing that she had little information. This meant they would need to capture Thanatos or find other henchmen.

To be continued...