Although Dio had gained a better impression of Orario, that did not mean he intended to change his mind.
Morning sunlight spilled across the city’s main avenue, warming the stone-paved road beneath their feet.
As Dio walked beside Demeter, his gaze drifted over the shops and stalls lining both sides of the street.
Some sold grilled meat or fresh fruit, while others displayed potions and magical items.
Several weapon shops had racks of gleaming swords and shields arranged outside their doors.
The scent of freshly baked bread mingled with the rhythmic clang of metal from a nearby forge and the distant melody of a bard performing in the plaza.
It was certainly far more pleasant than the Dungeon’s dark, damp corridors and ever-present stench of blood.
Still, pleasant scenery did not change his decision.
“And Goddess, you really should stop wasting your time.
I admit that seeing this side of Orario affected me a little.
The city feels more real now, rather than being nothing more than a name from a story.”
Dio turned toward Demeter’s beautiful, expectant face, but his voice remained firm and distant.
“That’s all.
Walking through a lively market and seeing ordinary people enjoying their lives isn’t going to transform me into a hero willing to die for this city.
That only happens in novels and fairy tales, and I know the difference between fantasy and reality.”
Even after hearing him reject the idea yet again, Demeter’s smile remained unchanged.
Her amber eyes curved into cheerful crescents, and she spoke as though his words did not bother her in the slightest.
“I never said anything about making you a hero.
You’re the one who keeps talking about saving the world and sacrificing yourself.
I haven’t mentioned any of that.”
Dio rolled his eyes and decided not to waste any more breath arguing with a goddess who was deliberately pretending not to understand.
Her intentions were obvious, no matter how innocent she acted.
Whatever she said or did, his plan would not change.
The moment the Dimensional Gate finished cooling down, he would leave.
Anyone who wanted to remain in this troublesome world was welcome to it.
This was hardly the only world where supernatural power existed.
For all he knew, his next destination might be much safer, with effortless ways to gain extraordinary abilities without all the fighting and bloodshed.
Perhaps he would even find another method of becoming stronger while lying comfortably in bed.
Safety came first, pleasure second.
That had been Dio’s guiding principle ever since he began traveling between worlds.
While he was lost in pleasant fantasies about his future, Demeter suddenly wrapped both arms around his right arm.
The movement came without warning, as swift as a gust of wind.
Before Dio could react, his arm sank into something warm and soft as Demeter pressed her full chest tightly against him.
Her familiar scent of wheat and flowers drifted into his nose, making his heart skip despite himself.
Dio raised an eyebrow.
He glanced down at his trapped arm, then up at the sly smile on Demeter’s face.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
“Seduction won’t work either, Goddess.
That trick might convince someone else, but even though this feels extremely nice, it won’t change my position.”
“Shut up and come with me!”
Demeter glared at him, her amber eyes filled with embarrassment and stubborn determination.
Instead of releasing him, she tightened her hold until his arm was almost buried against her body.
Without allowing any further argument, she dragged him deeper into the city.
Dio stumbled for several steps before sighing helplessly and matching her pace.
It was clear that Demeter had made up her mind to force him to properly experience Orario’s charms in the hope that he would reconsider.
He was certain it would accomplish nothing, but since resisting seemed pointless, he decided to cooperate.
He could at least treat it as a free sightseeing tour.
…
For the next several hours, Demeter led Dio through Orario’s streets and districts.
Their first stop was the central plaza, where an enormous fountain sent glittering streams of water into the air.
Sunlight passed through the spray and formed small rainbows around it.
Adventurers and ordinary citizens filled the surrounding area.
Some chatted on benches, others fed pigeons, while several children chased one another around the fountain.
“Look.
Isn’t it beautiful?”
Demeter pointed proudly toward the fountain.
“It’s all right.
Definitely prettier than the stone walls in the Dungeon.”
Dio’s praise could not have sounded less enthusiastic.
From there, she pulled him into the commercial district, where many of Orario’s finest businesses were located.
High-end weapon shops, magic-item stores, tailors, jewelers—anything someone could want was available there.
Demeter darted from one shop to another like an excited young girl, dragging Dio along as she examined merchandise and repeatedly held things up for him to inspect.
“Does this look good?”
“Would this suit me?”
Dio remained expressionless throughout the entire ordeal.
Every so often, he nodded or shook his head and offered a mechanical response such as, “It looks nice,” or, “That suits you.”
There was not the slightest spark of enthusiasm in his eyes.
He understood exactly what Demeter was doing.
This was merely another attempt to soften his resolve.
Later, she took him to the Guild headquarters.
The Guild occupied an imposing stone building with adventurers constantly passing through its broad entrance.
Their expressions varied wildly.
Some looked delighted, others dejected, while a few were angry or simply exhausted.
Quest notices and bounties covered the walls, and crowds gathered around the request boards, jostling and arguing as though fighting an invisible battle.
“This is the Adventurers Guild’s main office,” Demeter explained while secretly observing Dio’s reaction.
“Adventurer registration, commissions, and magic-stone exchanges are all handled here.”
Dio gave the building one indifferent glance before looking away.
“Mm.
It’s busy i guess.”
He already knew what the Guild was.
More importantly, he had no intention of spending much time there.
At present, he was effectively invisible.
He had never registered with the Guild, his name appeared in none of its records, and almost no one in Orario even knew he existed.
That was the safest possible position.
By the time they had spent most of the day wandering through the city, Dio had completely run out of patience.
Compared to this supposed date, he would rather return to his room and quietly relax—or enter the Dungeon and see whether he might get lucky enough to encounter a weakened enhanced species capable of providing the great feat he needed to reach Level Two.
At least either of those options offered a practical benefit.
Following a goddess around while she shopped accomplished nothing beyond wasting his time.
“Do you really hate spending time with me that much?”
Demeter finally stopped walking and turned to face him.
Her smile faded slightly, replaced by a seriousness and faint disappointment that Dio had not seen earlier.
Her voice became softer, stripped of its deliberately cheerful teasing and carrying genuine emotion instead.
Dio looked at her solemnly.
“If we were in your room—and especially in your bed—I’d be more than happy to devote myself completely to your satisfaction, Goddess.”