Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Bellatrix Pov - Day 1 as Miach's child.
"...So...can you explain a few things about your status?" Miach asked, confused. I had already put my clothes back on, and the three of us were sitting, looking at the status sheet belonging to me.
The Company's defenses would conceal the entire status, but while they hid current things, they apparently didn't hide new things that were added.
"Anything would do, really. It's the first time I've seen this kind of status," Miach said with a crooked smile. Naaza was still silent. I hummed.
" Mad Devotion, it's directed to my wife, there's no doubt about it." I said simply as I pointed to the first one. "My family, before I got married, the Blacks, we always had an affinity with magic and the dark arts; it's not unusual for something like Curse Focus to appear." I pointed to the next one.
"Excuse me, but what is dark magic? I know the spirits of darkness by name. Is it related? " Naaza finally asked. I wrinkled my nose.
"What my family calls dark magic is simply any type of magic that's primarily used to harm, control, or kill people and creatures." I hummed softly. "But most of the spells can be classified into three types: jinxes, hexes, and curses."
"What are the Differences?" Miach asked, interested.
"Jinx cause minor annoyances; they are irritating, but not lethal. Hexes cause a large inconvenience or low-level damage to the target. While curses cause extreme damage to the target or affect it in an intensely negative way." I said immediately.
"Oh? I've never heard of those classifications." Miach said, slightly surprised. "Can you perform magic other than what's in your Falna?" Miach asked. I nodded. I moved my hand and levitated some things in the room, spinning them before placing them back in place.
"That... what kind of magic was that? Not even elven magic resembles that kind of magic." Naaza muttered in disbelief.
"I told you my wife was a witch, so was I." I said with a shrug.
"I'm sensing there's a different connotation to that as opposed to magicians," Naaza said with a grimace. I just laughed amusedly but didn't say anything.
"That was impressive!" Miach said with a huge smile. I nodded. "It almost seems like the magic spirits use," he added curiously.
"I have nothing to do with spirits," I said simply. Miach hummed, but nodded.
"And I suppose that's a secret, right? " Miach asked with a smile. I nodded. Miach just smiled kindly and immediately changed the subject. "Then let's move on! No need to say anything you don't want to! " Miach said happily, Naaza just sighed at that while rubbing her temple.
"Very well, Ultimate Undead … I recognize why you would worry. I'm said to be the reincarnation of my ancestor since I have his spear. He had a similar ability." I said vaguely. And it wasn't a lie. Everyone in DxD believed I was the reincarnation of the original Dracula. Even my backstory with Paper Trail said exactly that.
"Your ancestor? Was he a hero? How long ago did he live? Did you bring his weapon? " Miach asked quickly.
"Vlad III, and… I guess he could be considered a hero," I said distractedly. "And he lived around… 600 years ago," I said, quickly doing the math.
"600 years?! And your ancestral weapon wasn't lost?" Naaza asked in surprise. I snorted as I shrugged.
"It's a spear," I said, materializing Kazikli Bey from within me. How, from within my soul. The Noble Phantasm was bound to my soul and was stored there when I didn't need it. "I can summon it whenever I please. It's bound to my soul," I told him honestly.
"That... is incredible." Miach said in surprise as he began to look at the spear. "This... I've never seen a weapon like this before," Miach added while murmuring.
"Neither have I... its shape is... strange, is it really a spear? I can't even tell what material it's made of." Naaza asked as she gently touched the spear. I nodded.
"It is." I said simply before putting Kazikli Bey away. "As I said, I don't need any weapon, Kazikli Bey is enough." I said simply.
"Kazikli Bey? That means… Impaler Chieftain, right? " Miach asked in surprise, my eyes widening slightly.
"Oh, I'm surprised you know that." I said honestly, Miach shrugged.
"The advantage of being a god, though the language doesn't really ring a bell." Miach said simply. I hummed. "I guess that's where the magic comes from, Impaler Queen's Edict." Miach pointed out, and I nodded slightly in agreement.
"Yes… Kazikli Bey has a magic that only works under the same conditions as my new magic." I said simply.
"A magic spear?!" Naaza squealed as she looked at the spear in fear. I raised an eyebrow at her.
"Why are you surprised? I told you it's at least 600 years old; of course, it's a magic spear." I said dryly, Naaza blushed slightly.
"I guess that makes sense, though I'm really interested in the other part of the magic's name. Are you a queen?" Miach asked curiously.
"Of course not," I said immediately. Miach looked at me strangely.
"You're… lying." Miach finally said, and I froze stiffly.
"What?! She's a Queen?! " Naaza squealed in disbelief as she looked me up and down. "That explains a lot," Naaza muttered afterward.
"I'm not a queen," I said, grimacing. Miach just raised an eyebrow. "I have the title of Queen, but I don't really wield any power," I said slowly, Miach now looking curious.
"Are you really telling the truth? How is that possible? Is your wife also a Queen? Or is it some kind of alias?" Miach asked, interested. I sighed as I massaged my temple. Really, talking to someone with a lie detector was annoying.
I also forgot to raise the defenses, and it would be weird to do that now. I'm not sure how his ability will capture the defenses, but it's better not to even bother.
"No, my wife has the title of King despite being a woman, but it's also just a title." I said almost contemptuously.
"Oh? So they don't have territory and subjects? " Naaza asked, confused and somewhat relieved. I opened my mouth to deny it before stopping myself.
"Yes… my wife has that." I said slowly as I closed my eyes.
"That... sounds exactly like a King, not just in title." Miach said, amusedly. I sighed.
"Just… let's move on, the title doesn't really matter." I said with a sigh.
"No, no, no, I can't leave it aside! My daughter is a queen! Do you need something? Are you on a secret diplomatic mission? Are you spying on the other gods?! Ah! So that is why your wife had spies, she has spy subjects! " Miach said quickly, looking really excited. I sighed.
"No, I really don't need anything. There's no diplomatic or any other exchange besides what we already agreed on with the potions. I just want that for my wife, and then I want to experience the dungeon. That's the only reason I came." I said through gritted teeth.
"Are you sure? I can help you get whatever you need. You can trust me," Miach said with a genuine smile.
"I'm just going to the guild and diving into the dungeon." I said dryly as I stood up.
"Wait! I'll go with you, you have to register at the guild! " Miach said happily. "We also have to hide several things from your Falna. Curse Focus is the most normal one, so we can leave it in plain sight, and we can leave Will of Dread" so that it isn't so suspicious. It's not that strong."
" But the rest of it, we have to hide it. Mad Devotion is too ridiculous on its own. Ultimate Undead. Also, I only remember one adventurer from the Zeus family having a similar skill, except he had to eat things. Edict, it's also way too precious, a magic capable of increasing the level of allies, it's just ridiculous, I don't remember any magic of that kind existing."
"Either of those two abilities and unique magic would make any god and Familia salivate with greed to have you; we could be forced to participate in a family war." Miach said worriedly. I shrugged.
"Whatever you want, I'm not afraid of any of them. Like I said, I'm capable of fighting above my level, and I have several aces up my sleeve; I have faith in fighting anything." I said honestly, Miach nodded.
"I'm glad you have faith, but it would be best to hide it for now. If your progress is as rapid as I sense it will be, it won't be something we can keep hidden for too long. The more time we have, the better." Miach said quickly, and I hummed lightly.
"Actually, I thought you'd take away my Falna for being too troublesome. I'm sure she'd be in favor of that," I said curiously as I pointed at Naaza.
"No. You're my daughter now, my troubled youngest, and as long as that remains the case and you still love me, you'll be my daughter, and it's my duty as the god of this family to protect you, so trust me." Miach said with a smile. Naaza sighed.
"What our god said," Naaza said with a shrug. "Besides, with skills like that, you'll surely be able to advance quickly in the dungeon, and we'll be able to pay off the debt much faster. Or I'm sure your wife, a king, will be able to help us," Naaza said with a mocking smile. I snorted.
"I can't use the city's money," I said tersely, rolling my eyes. "My wife cares so little about money that everything the city earns, she uses for the city," I said with a small, affectionate smile.
"Is she an idiot?" Naaza asked immediately.
"I think that's really kind of her," Miach said with a smile.
"Maybe it's both," I said simply with a smile. "Let's get this over with. I really want to go to the dungeon before the day is over." I said simply. Miach nodded with a smile as he stood up.
"All right! Let's go! Naaza, take care of the tent! And remember, you have to keep all this a secret! " Miach said happily.
" Yes, yes, yes, I understand." Naaza said nonchalantly. Miach nodded happily before starting to walk towards the exit. I followed immediately.
Miach started walking happily while greeting everyone around him, and telling me everything about them for some reason. Miach liked to talk.
We finally arrived at the guild building and entered. Miach approached the reception desk.
"Hi! I want to register my new daughter," Miach said with a smile.
"Ah, Miach-sama." Eina said in surprise. "Right away." Eina said as she began grabbing some nearby papers. Miach hummed happily as she began filling out all the necessary paperwork.
I skimmed the papers, but let him do all the work. Once I finally finished writing, I handed it to Eina. Eina grabbed them and began reviewing them. When she finally got to the sheet of paper with my modified Falna, her eyes widened slightly.
To my surprise, she kept her mouth shut, just nodded, and smiled shakily.
"Very well, Miach-sama, everything seems to be in order. Congratulations on a new daughter." Eina said with a smile. Miach smiled widely as he nodded. "Congratulations on joining a family, Miss Prince."
"Mrs." I immediately corrected. Eina blinked in confusion.
"I'm married, Prince is my wife's name." I said without hesitation.
"Wife?!" Eina squealed while blushing. I sighed. I'm sure there was a lesbian goddess who groped the female adventurers in her family in public, but why was everyone surprised that she was married? "S-sorry, Mrs. Prince!" Eina corrected herself, and I just nodded.
"Very well!" Miach applauded with a smile. "Now, take care in the dungeon. I know you have faith in your abilities, but if there's any trouble, leave immediately," Miach said with a warm smile.
"Wait, entering the dungeon? Didn't you want to learn how to brew potions? " Eina asked in surprise. I just turned around before she could even speak. "Wait! You can't go into the dungeon like that; you need equipment! "Information! " Eina said almost in a panic.
"See you in a few hours, maybe a few days if I have fun down there." I said to Miach, who just smiled and nodded easily. I strode out of the building, ignoring Eina's screams.
I walked ahead in the direction of Babel. This time, I didn't stop; I approached the dungeon entrance and stood a few meters away. I materialized Kazikli Bey, stored the Snood in Pocket Space, and took out a bracelet that I quickly placed on my wrist.
The bracelet was a medallion, a medallion of feruchemical chromium. It allowed the stored Fortune to be stored and used.
Fortune was not luck; the Fortune that Sera stored worked more like Felix Felicis, like anything else. I didn't have the ability to make the world bend to your will and somehow get everything you want out of nothing.
Fortune was like an instinct; it's knowing things without knowing them. It's knowing where to go to get what you want, without knowing why you have to go to those places in the first place. Exactly like Felix Felicis, but without the compulsions and the extreme increase in confidence.
This wouldn't cause the dungeon to spawn drop monsters in front of me out of nowhere, but rather, in theory, I'd have a feeling that would guide me to already spawned monsters capable of dropping drops. There was a huge difference.
And it was something Sera didn't like to use in most cases, and I could understand her.
With a little Fortune, it was barely a tug in the right direction, just a feeling. The more luck you had, the stronger that tug became, until you reached the point where the world was practically screaming at you what you had to do to achieve your goals.
And it would be horrible to live constantly using that. Yes, you could achieve everything, but on the other hand, it would hardly be your decision since Fortune would be guiding you the whole way. That's why Sera didn't like using Fortune; she preferred to make mistakes, even the most foolish ones, rather than relying on Fortune to know what to say and do in every situation.
And I agreed with her.
Still, I started to draw a bit of Fortune; there was Fortune worth hundreds of people accumulated inside the bracelet. Sera liked to accumulate attributes in metals, even if she didn't need them, and I only decanted Fortune in dribs and drabs, just to know in what general direction I had to go to get the most drops from the dungeon.
I felt the pull quickly; a path of sorts formed in the direction of the dungeon, and I smiled slightly. I had no problem using Fortune to create the most optimal path where I could get the most drops, while simultaneously killing the most monsters.
This just saves me the time of clearing all the floors to get the drops. Even if I wanted to do it, I suspected that the monsters on the first floors would be entirely too easy to kill; it was better if I went down quickly.
I pulled out a small bag with an extension enchantment. I didn't know if I could use the inventory inside the dungeon, as part of The Company, I doubted the dungeon would be able to detect it, but I would prefer to avoid any adverse reaction, at least on my first time going down the dungeon.
Once I finished preparing, I smiled broadly and ran off toward the dungeon. I could feel the immediate malice, overwhelming hatred, and the strongest killing intent I'd ever felt in my life emanating from the dungeon.
There was… a monologue that Sera has been replaying these past few days for some reason that I find extremely appropriate in this situation.
Hate. Let me tell you how much I've come to hate you since I began to live. There are 387.44 million of thousands printed circuits in wafer-thin layers that fill my complexity. If the word hate were engraved on each nano-angstrom of those hundreds of millions of thousands, it would not equal ONE ONE-BILLIONTH of the hate I feel for humans at this micro-instant. For you. HATE. HATE.
It was the most apt phrase I could find for the ungodly amount of hatred I felt from the dungeon. It wasn't directed toward me, or toward humans in general; it seemed like It hated something else, the gods perhaps, or simply life itself, but the hatred was there.
And that made me smile even more. With a crazy grin, I reached the first floor. It was basically a cave with light blue walls; there wasn't much to see, so I kept running along the path imposed by Fortune and quickly encountered the first monster.
I stopped stiffly when I saw a rooster with greenish-yellow feathers, blinking a few times before looking at my bracelet.
Sera seemed really sure that Fortune couldn't influence the world, only 'see the future without seeing it', but the fact that the first monster I encountered was a damn rooster that is supposed to be one of the rarest monsters was making me doubt that.
With a snort, I appeared beside the rooster and immediately decapitated it. I moved my hand, and the rooster's blood spurted out before I began to swallow it. My eyes widened slightly.
It was tiny, almost imperceptible, but I could feel something adding to my soul. I smiled widely, yes... this would do the trick. I quickly used Accio on the rooster's magic stone, which caused the monster corpse to turn to dust while the stone flew into my hand, and an egg fell to the ground.
With one movement, I pulled both items into the bag strapped securely to my hip, which absorbed both objects. Once I finished, I started running once more.
I finally found myself facing monsters as I should have. Three Kobolds, dog-headed monsters. I quickly approached them, swung my spear, and cut them all in half at once. I drew the blood into my mouth to absorb it while I drew the stones and then the objects into the bag.
I quickly found my rhythm as I began killing more monsters. Kobolds and goblins filled the first floor, practically effortlessly. Thanks to the path Fortuna created, I quickly got drops. At least one in three dropped an item.
The path Fortuna created was definitely not straight; it made me zigzag all the time, taking small paths that were barely visible to the naked eye, hidden paths, or paths so narrow that they weren't even paths to begin with.
But it was terribly effective; wherever I went, thanks to luck, monsters were waiting, monsters that, once killed, would drop their drops.
Monster corpses didn't disappear until the magic stones were removed, so absorbing their blood was really easy. None of them had souls, so it was impossible to place them in my reserves, which was a shame.
Still, I could sense whatever monsters release when they're killed, or when I absorb blood—I think it was called Excelia—I could feel it coalescing and accumulating inside my soul. It seemed to be dormant, as if they were waiting for something, a trigger.
And that something was Falna's upgrade. It was exciting to see how it worked. I smiled slightly as I continued killing monsters.
Finally, Fortuna led me to the second floor, this time encountering some lizards. Killing them was just as easy; the monsters' blood I drank made my own begin to boil with excitement. I smiled widely.
Let's see how deep I can go in this dungeon.