Danmachi: Is It Wrong to Be the Main Character in Orario?

When he woke again, it was already morning.

His head was resting on something soft, and something equally soft was pressing down on his body, making Bell tense up instantly.

Opening his eyes for a quick glance, he let out a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, it wasn't anything too inappropriate.

He was just resting his head on Hephaestus-sama's thigh, with her sleeping on top of him.

Bell carefully sat up, gently supporting Hephaestus-sama. As he exhaled, he turned and placed a hand on her thigh.

Of course, he wasn't doing it to cop a feel. With the kind of relationship he had with Hephaestus-sama, there was no need to sneak around. He figured that even if he did it openly, Hephaestus-sama would probably just roll her eyes at him.

Still, he had no idea how long he'd been asleep here. Her leg was likely numb from being pinned down for so long—it was only right to treat it with Runes.

Once that was done, Bell finally shifted his focus back to the base.

'The spatial fusion went smoothly.'

'We'll start reinforcing the weaker areas in the back first.'

Turning this place into a 'world apart' wasn't some spur-of-the-moment idea. Bell had been planning it ever since he bought the land.

Especially after two break-ins, he'd become even more certain that the base needed special treatment. Even if Orario fell, the Hestia Familia had to hold strong.

So, making this base a lawless zone was the ideal solution.

And that's exactly what Bell did.

He wrapped the area in a barrier, then gradually infused the concept of the world's boundary into it—drawing in the fusion of the world barriers.

The fusion was progressing well. In less than three months, this place would conceptually vanish from the world and become its own 'world apart.'

'No problems—everything's proceeding just as planned.'

The tension in his heart slowly began to ease.

At the very least, Bell was sure he was moving forward. He might still be far from his ideal path, but he was definitely on it.

With each issue behind him resolved, it was time to think about the next step forward.

His final goal was to reach Lv.10, and there was no way he could still be Lv.8 when it came time to face the Black Dragon—that would be a waste of all the experience he'd gain from the battle.

So, he needed to find a path that would take him to Lv.9.

He already had his route to Lv.10 figured out. His goal was clear: to defeat the Black Dragon.

But the road to Lv.9 was narrow—there was almost only one path ahead, like walking a tightrope.

'It's no wonder adventurers in ancient times relied solely on their own strength to get through danger. Back then, that was the only option they had.'

Now, Orario's strongest 'mighty warriors' stood tall like iron towers, casting shadows over every adventurer's path. To many, they were figures of admiration, but for those with dreams of the future, their presence only served to set a limit.

That was the tragedy of this era.

Even the strongest in Orario lacked the strength to take that next step.

As Orario's top adventurer, his Lv.7 Status had probably already hit its peak, but he still couldn't break through to Lv.8.

It wasn't because of any other reason—he simply didn't have the 'Excelia' to level up.

A lack of sufficient 'Excelia' was likely the greatest bottleneck for Orario's strength.

That's why he felt like the path ahead was no wider than a tightrope.

His thoughts came to a stop—Goddess-sama sleeping on top of him had woken up.

Her eyes were still half-closed, and her cute face had faint marks from resting against his clothes. But that did nothing to hide how adorable Goddess-sama looked right now—it made one want to hug her, to cherish her.

"Baah~"

Stretching her arms wide, Hestia tensed her whole body before completely relaxing. The sense of full-body release left her feeling incredibly at ease.

Though the fabric against her cheek felt a little uncomfortable, the familiar scent calmed her down.

The first thing her hazy eyes saw was Bell's face.

Like a newborn chick spotting its mother for the first time, she reacted instinctively.

"It's Bell-kun."

Still half-asleep, Hestia subconsciously did what she wanted most—she wrapped her arms around Bell-kun's neck and nuzzled her nose into it.

Who could possibly resist that!?

A ripple stirred in Bell's heart, and his hands moved instinctively to hold the still-sleeping Goddess-sama.

"Mmm~"

The sound made Bell freeze. It came from his right, and there was no mistaking who it belonged to.

"Ara~ Bell, are you finally done being a herbivore starting today?"

The voice was laced with teasing, along with a barely perceptible hint of jealousy.

"What are you talking about, Hephaestus-sama?"

Bell's face twitched slightly, and the emotions that had just begun to stir were instantly doused.

Seeing Bell break out in a cold sweat, Hephaestus leaned in with a dazzling smile—and pinched Hestia's cheek hard.

"Ah!"

Hestia shot awake the moment she was pinched. Bell was startled to find her eyes wide open and crystal clear—not a trace of sleepiness to be seen.

...You've got to be kidding!

Bell realized instantly he'd been played.

Hephaestus took delight in Bell's shocked expression and twisted Hestia's cheek a little more.

"Ow ow ow! Hephaestus, that's too rough!"

"And who told you to trick an innocent kid like that?"

Breaking free from Hephaestus' fingers, Hestia immediately launched into a protest over the face-pinching.

But all she got in return was Hephaestus' cold smirk—and the cold, hard truth.

At that moment, Bell was completely bewildered.

He stared blankly at Goddess-sama, who didn't look the least bit drowsy, unable to process what was happening.

"I clearly heard her heartbeat was steady… and her breathing was even… how could she have been awake?"

Hearing his muttering, Hestia flushed with embarrassment. She couldn't bring herself to tell Bell-kun that pretending to be asleep was something she was particularly good at.

In truth, Hestia always woke up early.

Every time, before Bell-kun got up, she would deliberately lie down on top of him—he'd just never noticed until now.