Chapter 73: Bell vs. Hyacinthos! The Duel That Captivated the Masses!
The news of the War Game between the Hestia Familia and the Apollo Familia spread far and wide.
In every tavern and on every street of Orario, people were talking about it.
As the Apollo Familia was famously associated with gambling, it was only natural that they would use the opportunity to open betting markets and make a fortune.
"Alright, is everyone ready—!? Bets are about to close!"
Despite the bookmaker's announcement, the patrons present were largely uninterested.
It wasn't because they didn't enjoy gambling—rather, it was because this particular bet didn't excite them.
"Apollo Familia vs. Hestia Familia... The odds are about 25 to 1, right? With odds that ridiculous, who would bet on this? Even if you win, the fees might wipe out your profits!"
"Well, you could always bet on the Hestia Familia!"
"Are you crazy or am I? I'm not interested in throwing my money away."
"Come to think of it, the payout for Hestia Familia is only about 20 times the bet... That's actually lower than I expected. What kind of idiot is betting on that Familia to win?"
The adventurers sitting around the tavern tables debated among themselves. Some counted bets and tokens, confirming the state of the gambling.
For this duel, the bulk of the wagers were obviously being placed on the Apollo Familia. Still, there were people who bet on the Hestia Familia.
"I'm betting on the Hestia Familia."
To the bookmaker's astonished gaze, a black-haired female adventurer—Yamato Mikoto—approached the table holding a pouch of gold coins.
It was the entire fortune the Takemikazuchi Familia had managed to earn in the past few days by desperately diving into the Dungeon—100,000 valis.
Based on the current odds, a successful bet would result in 2 million valis in winnings—enough not only to pay off their debt to the Apollo Familia but also to repay the money Shirou spent forging the magic sword [Ame-no-Habakiri] in one go.
But if she lost the bet, it would mean almost half a month's efforts would be wasted.
"Are you sure you want to bet on the Hestia Familia?"
"I'm sure."
Despite the bookmaker's doubtful expression, Yamato Mikoto's resolve did not waver.
Even though there were internal doubts within the Takemikazuchi Familia about her actions, she had firmly overruled everyone and chosen to stand with the Hestia Familia—sharing both their glory and their losses.
Since receiving the magic sword [Ame-no-Habakiri], Yamato Mikoto had become the strongest in her Familia.
The recent Dungeon expedition was only successful because of her.
Thus, even the captain, Kasuga Sakura, and most other members were unable to stop her.
And so, this scene of Yamato Mikoto wagering all of their money came to be.
"No matter what happens, I believe in you, Lord Emiya."
After placing her bet, Yamato Mikoto left the tavern to find a spot from which she could watch the duel.
The Ganesha Familia's coliseum was livelier than ever. Large numbers of people and gods had gathered, waiting for the bloodbath between Familias to begin.
"Why do we have to come watch such a boring duel, anyway?"
Led by their captain, Finn, the members of the Loki Familia also arrived at the coliseum—including the Sword Princess Ais, Riveria, Bete, and other powerful members.
This irritated Bete to no end.
He had been forced by Loki to agree to duel Bell in the past, something he had deeply resented. But as it was a divine order from Loki, he had no choice but to comply.
Now, hearing that a mere Level 1 like Bell was going to duel Apollo Familia's Level 3, Bete felt a mix of disdain and inexplicable unease. For this reason, he was probably the person least interested in attending the match.
Finn, aware of their discontent, smiled and said, "Come on, don't be so grumpy. These are VIP seats gifted by Lady Loki herself. You couldn't buy them even if you wanted to."
"Is there really a need for special seats just to watch such a boring duel?"
Riveria, standing nearby, was also puzzled.
At the very least, she didn't understand why Lady Loki had specifically sent Familia members to attend.
Ais, in contrast, was extremely calm. She voiced no complaints and seemed unnervingly quiet.
Others didn't understand her state, but those in the Loki Familia knew: ever since Ais had fought the Sword Demon on the 18th floor, she had been like this.
That battle, if not mentally scarring, had certainly shaken her worldview as a swordswoman.
If not for Loki and the other Familia members keeping her in check, she might have already charged into the lower Dungeon alone to challenge the Sword Demon again.
Because of that, the Familia members had no choice but to accompany Ais here to keep an eye on her.
Unlike the irrelevant duel between Bell and Hyacinthos, Ais was the treasure of the Loki Familia, and everyone was concerned for her well-being.
"By the way, have you guys heard a rumor lately?" Riveria suddenly asked after they found their seats. "They say on the 20th floor, all monsters below Level 2 suddenly vanished. No, it's more like they were hunted to extinction."
"Was that the Sword Demon's doing?!"
At Riveria's words, Ais practically leapt up in response.
Realizing she was too emotional, she quickly sat back down, her expression shifting slightly.
Riveria, though aware she'd raised a problematic topic, continued, "It likely wasn't the Sword Demon. With their power, they could face a floor boss or even break into the unexplored zones beyond the 60th floor. There's no reason to waste time killing Lv.2 or weaker monsters in the middle floors."
"True."
Finn and the others nodded slightly in agreement.
Realizing the matter had nothing to do with the Sword Demon, Ais lost all interest, her eyes drifting blankly, as if her thoughts had flown elsewhere.
Finn chuckled at her reaction. "Come to think of it, I also heard rumors about the Dungeon. Apparently, all Minotaurs inside the labyrinth have disappeared recently."
"Minotaurs are gone?"
This puzzled the Loki Familia members. They couldn't wrap their heads around it.
If someone was grinding monsters below Lv.2 on the 20th floor to level up, that was understandable. But hunting only Minotaurs made no sense.
After all, though infamous as newbie killers, Minotaurs weren't special monsters. They were standard Lv.2 creatures and didn't drop rare materials.
Even if someone exterminated all of them, it would be a meaningless action—completely irrational.
At a distance, Bete showed a strange expression.
He remembered mocking Bell Cranel in the past after seeing him being chased by a Minotaur, and now he subconsciously connected that memory to the current rumor.
But he quickly put on a disinterested face.
After all, as a mere Level 1, Bell couldn't possibly take down a Minotaur.
At the very least, it would take a seasoned Level 2 to even stand a chance.
With Bete brushing off the Minotaur rumors, the other Loki Familia members shifted the conversation to their next expedition.
Due to the discovery of a strange plant on the 20th floor, they had realized the Dungeon was undergoing unknown changes.
Their goal now was to reach the 59th floor and push into the unexplored 60th. That was the only way to stay ahead of the changes.
This also showed how little they cared about the upcoming duel.
They were only there because of divine obligation, not because they cared about the battle's outcome.
Even the Loki Familia believed there could be no surprise result—because the gap between Level 1 and Level 3 was simply too vast.
As time passed, the coliseum became livelier.
The duel was scheduled for noon, and as that hour approached, the crowd's excitement surged like crashing waves.
Shirou and Lili had also arrived. Though they couldn't get VIP seats, they were content sitting on the outer edges, as long as they could see the battle.
"Can Bell-sama really win?"
Lili was still doubtful. She hadn't seen Bell in almost a week and had no idea what he'd been doing in that time.
"Don't worry. He's already undergone his transformation."
Shirou calmly reassured her, his eyes fixed on the center of the arena.
Before long, the two arena gates slowly opened, and two figures walked in from opposite ends.
One of them was naturally the Apollo Familia's captain—Hyacinthos Clio, a Level 3 human adventurer known as the "Sun's Glorious Prince." As Apollo Familia's strongest member, even among Level 3s he was elite, with unique magic and skills that made him a formidable opponent.
From the other side walked Bell.
A week had passed. Though he appeared unchanged, his aura and eyes were entirely different.
At the moment he stood face-to-face with a Level 3 adventurer, he felt no fear or urge to flee—instead, he chose to confront this seemingly impossible foe head-on!
"You actually came, Bell Cranel!"
Hyacinthos looked at Bell with contempt.
He had thought Bell would flee at the last moment. He hadn't expected such reckless courage.
"Well then, I suppose you've resolved to embarrass yourself in public."
Hyacinthos gave Bell a cold stare. "Lord Apollo instructed me not to kill you and to bring you back alive. But if I break a few arms and legs along the way, no one's going to question me."
Despite his verbal assault, Bell remained completely unmoved.
It was as if he'd entered a state of extreme focus, immune to all external provocation.
"You little..."
Seeing Bell like this reminded Hyacinthos of what happened earlier that morning. Cassandra, a girl in his Familia, had begged him not to participate, claiming she'd had a prophetic dream of his devastating defeat.
Naturally, Hyacinthos dismissed such absurd words.
He'd slapped her a few times to shut her mouth, ignoring her desperate pleas.
He was carrying the expectations of his god, Apollo. Victory was the only option—retreat was unthinkable!
"Let's begin!"
At the divine announcement of Ganesha, the duel officially began.
Hyacinthos moved first. He had decided to end the battle in a single blow. No way was he letting that ridiculous prophecy come true.
With the gap between Level 3 and Level 1, he was confident this would be easy.
Swish!
Hyacinthos drew his longsword and lunged toward Bell.
In response, Bell pulled out Hassan's dagger from his waist. Using the dagger's agility boost, he rolled awkwardly to dodge the strike.
"What?!"
Though surprised by Bell's unexpected movement, Hyacinthos couldn't understand how the boy dodged his attack.
With such a huge level difference, Bell shouldn't even be able to react, let alone counter.
Furious, Hyacinthos slashed again—this time with full power, intending to make this one unblockable by any Level 1.
Seeing the deadly blow, Bell realized he couldn't dodge. He raised his dagger to block.
Clang!
The clash of sword and dagger shocked the audience.
Bell was indeed pushed back by the force, but using clever footwork and momentum, he countered mid-air with a rising kick.
Thud!
Hyacinthos had been focused solely on attacking, neglecting defense. Bell's kick landed squarely on his jaw, sending him staggering backward in disgrace.
The audience erupted.
"My gods!"
"That kid's just a Level 1? He forced Hyacinthos back?!"
"No way!"
Spectators and gods from Babel alike were stunned. The one-sided slaughter they expected never happened.
The entire coliseum burst into a frenzy—an astonishing wave of excitement!
At the same time, some sharp-eyed observers began to sense something was off.
Bell's movements didn't seem like those of a Level 1.
It was highly likely—he had already reached Level 2!