One week later...
A week had passed since the Bahamut familia began expedition into the dungeon.
As planned, the familia had not ventured past the fourth floor, instead focusing on harvesting magic stones from the abundant goblins, dungeon lizards, and kobolds that inhabited the upper levels.
The goal was to demonstrate their abilities to their guild advisor, Rose, in the hopes of gaining permission to delve deeper into the dungeon depths.
However, the past week had brought about more than just progress in the dungeon.
The contract for renting the two houses adjacent to Bahamut's residence had been signed and paid for, and it was now time for the familia to make the transition from the cozy confines of the Nekomata Inn to their new, more spacious accommodations.
It was a Monday morning, and the Bahamut familia had a busy day ahead of them.
Not only would they be moving out of the inn, but they also needed to update their status boards and attend an important meeting with Rose later in the day.
As Draco carried the last of his belongings to the waiting carriage, a small figure clung tightly to Eleni's leg, refusing to let go.
"Waaaah, you're leaving. Don't go!" Cleo, the innkeeper's daughter, wailed in distress.
Draco paused, slightly taken aback by the unexpected display of affection.
'This, I wasn't expecting,' he thought as he placed a box in the carriage.
The innkeeper hurried to pry her daughter away from Eleni's leg, apologizing profusely.
"Sorry, this has never happened before." she said.
"It's fine," Draco assured her, watching as Eleni finally managed to coax Cleo into letting go.
Apparently, Eleni had promised they would visit regularly, and if the innkeeper permitted, Cleo would be allowed to come and visit their new home, which wasn't far from the inn.
'Cats are so unpredictable' Draco thought.
With that, the Bahamut familia bid farewell to the Nekomata Inn and climbed into the carriage.
Draco took the reins, and they set off for their new abode.
It didn't take long for them to arrive at their new housing, and the familia quickly began the process of unpacking and settling in.
Both of the rented houses had three rooms each, while Bahamut's own residence had two rooms and two storage rooms, one large and one small.
Eleni, Dimitra, and Vasiliki would be staying in one house, while Michalis, Nikolaos, and Vasileios would occupy the other.
Clair, meanwhile, would be staying in the free room in Bahamut's house, and Draco had decided to convert the larger storage room into a room for himself.
Draco was aware that his housing plan was not the most efficient, but he had a long-term goal in mind.
He planned to purchase the surrounding land within the next year and build a grand familia manor, a centralized home for the entire Bahamut familia.
It took several hours for the familia to settle into their new living arrangements, and once everything was in order, it was time to update their status boards.
"So, who wants to go first?" Draco asked, looking around at the group.
The silence that followed was palpable, as no one seemed eager to be the first to check their status.
He could sense their nervousness about checking their statuses, as they had not experienced any sudden power surges, leaving them feeling as though nothing had changed.
Draco understood their apprehension, as their recent hunting activities had been focused on the weaker monsters of the upper dungeon floors.
"No one Huh? Fine, I'll go first then," he said, and entered Bahamut's room.
The goddess was dressed in a well-fitted gown, her body properly covered.
There had been an indescribable atmosphere between Draco and Bahamut during the past week, with her actions making it feel as though they were distant yet oddly very close.
'Is she becoming more aware of me?' Draco wondered as he removed his shirt and lay down on Bahamut's bed.
The goddess climbed onto his back, and Draco felt a drop of her blood fall onto his skin, signaling the activation of his status board.
The status board bearing the Bahamut familia emblem began updating itself, its display flickering to life with a series of numerical values that reflected Draco's current status and abilities.
As the numbers swiftly changed, Draco felt a strange sensation, almost like a tingling, across his back.
"That tickles a bit," Draco said, his brow furrowing slightly as he felt Bahamut's small, delicate hands running along his spine.
Bahamut's expression was one of concentration, her red reptilian eyes narrowed as she studied the status board intently.
"Stop being a big baby and stay still," she scolded, her tone slightly exasperated.
Draco remained obediently still, allowing the goddess to continue her examination. After a moment, Bahamut's brow furrowed.
"Hmm, is this normal?" she murmured.
"What's wrong?" Draco asked, a note of concern creeping into his voice.
Bahamut's fingers paused momentarily, and she replied, "Nothing bad, I think. It's just that your stats have increased a bit too fast." Her gaze shifted to meet Draco's, and there was a slight furrow in her brow.
Draco's expression brightened slightly. "Then it should be a good thing, right?" he asked, a hint of optimism in his tone.
Bahamut's frown deepened. "Hmm, have you felt any sudden pain at all?" she asked.
Draco considered the question for a moment, then shook his head.
"No, I don't think so," he replied. Bahamut's tail twitched slightly, and she sighed.
"Sigh, well, I have no idea what's really happening, so we'll just have to wait and see," she said, her tone slightly apologetic.
Draco couldn't help but think that Bahamut's response was a bit irresponsible, but he knew the goddess was doing her best to understand the situation.
"Can you give me a copy of my status board?" he asked, hoping to gain a better understanding of the changes.
"Sure," Bahamut replied, and with a quick slap, she pressed a sheet of paper onto Draco's back, the status board's information transferring to the surface.
Draco studied the numbers, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Hmm, I see why you're worried," he murmured, his gaze fixed on the paper.
Some of his stats were already within the 300s, which was highly unusual.
"I don't think any of my skills could cause this," Draco said, his brow furrowing in thought.
'My equilibrium skill is kind of vague, but it shouldn't cause such fast growth.' he thought.
Bahamut's expression grew thoughtful, "I have a wild theory, do you want to hear?" she said.
Draco nodded, his curiosity piqued.
"Well, Imagine that your original sources of strength and growth were, let's call them, dragon power and natural energy. These energies have pools formed, slowly accumulating within your body, and keeping each other in even balance to ensure a smooth growth." Bahamut paused, her eyes meeting Draco's.
"Then a new pool suddenly emerges, called excelia, which is empty." she said.
Draco listened intently, his mind already piecing together the implications of Bahamut's theory.
"This empty energy pool causes an imbalance to the other two pools," Bahamut continued, "so to balance things out, your vessel is attempting to hastily absorb as much excelia that is necessary to regain balance with the other two pools of power." she surmised.
Draco nodded slowly, his expression contemplative.
"Hmm, it weirdly sounds plausible," he admitted.
"But," Draco said, a slight frown tugging at his lips, "if the other two usually gather way slower than my new excelia pool, won't it quickly grow larger than the other two as I hunt more powerful monsters and perform more feats, the balance will again be destroyed?" Draco asked.
Bahamut's tail curled thoughtfully around Draco's leg as she considered the question.
"Hmm, maybe the excess excelia gets converted into the dragon and nature power for your growth phases to take effect. A better possibility is that your body will forcefully increase the absorption rate or production of dragon and nature power to match that of excelia, triggering your natural growth phases faster," she explained, her voice thoughtful.
"Interesting," Draco murmured, "it sounds similar to the effects of my equilibrium skill." he said.
Bahamut nodded, a slight smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
"Well, this is all just theory, so don't take it too seriously," she said, her tone light.
Draco couldn't help but chuckle, a fond smile spreading across his face. "Hahahaha, as expected of a genius legal loli dragon goddess," he said, the words slipping out before he could stop them.
Bahamut blinked, her expression one of curiosity.
"Loli, what's that?" she asked, her voice soft and inquisitive.
Draco felt his face heat up, and he hastily replied, "Ah, Uhm. It kind of means petite and beautiful." he said.
Bahamut's eyes narrowed slightly, and she leaned in closer, her breath tickling Draco's ear.
"Hmm, doesn't seem like you're lying, but not entirely true. What does it really mean?. I remember you saying something similar when we first met" she whispered, her tail tightening around Draco's leg as her chest gently rested against his back.
Draco's heart raced, and he felt a sudden, intense warmth spreading through his body.
'Oh, shit,' he thought, 'I now have a raging boner. What do I do? Is she teasing me or torturing me on purpose?' he wondered.
Knock Knock !
A sudden knock on the door, temporarily distracted Bahamut.
'Chance' Draco thought as he ....: