“I’ll probably join the Loki Familia.
Tomorrow, I’m planning to go take a look at the Twilight Manor.”
Ize answered while looking up at the white chalk tower in the distance, the one that stretched straight into the sky.
Soon enough, that place would also become somewhere he entered and exited every day.
As for the possibility of failing to join a Familia?
Call it blind confidence if you want, but for the time being, Ize had not considered that possibility at all.
Just the fact that he would possess two rare skills after becoming an adventurer was enough.
He simply did not believe Loki would not be tempted.
After all, among the skills manifested by adventurers in the world of DanMachi, many shared similar effects and functions.
Obtaining a skill itself was a rare thing, but judging from the types that had been confirmed so far, it was common to find that some skills only differed in name, while their actual abilities were similar to those of other skills.
Among members of the same race, that likelihood increased even further.
Each race seemed to possess certain common latent skill factors.
For example, elves tended to have magic-supporting effects, dwarves tended to strengthen their physical power, and beastmen had beastification.
Among the many skills with overlapping effects, those that were unique or extremely few in number were called rare skills.
That was a nickname the gods had come up with on their own.
Holders of rare skills were like precious animals.
But once they were discovered, things usually ended quite miserably for them.
Perhaps it was because of their thirst for entertainment, but whenever other gods heard special terms like “rare skill” or “original,” they would react like fools.
Like children, they would become interested with all their might, then meddle with all their might.
And they would do it while giggling.
Some were even worse.
Even when someone had already formed a contract, they would still try to lure or threaten that person into joining their own Familia.
Yes, Ize was referring to a certain perverted male god.
As for Twilight Manor, it was the name of the Loki Familia’s main headquarters, located at the northern end of Orario.
“Loki’s Familia, huh?
That’s a good choice.
Her Familia is powerful, and she herself doesn’t act all high and mighty like most gods.
She’s easy to get along with.”
At that moment, Artemis, who had just finished meeting with Ouranos and was walking out of the Guild’s entrance, happened to overhear him.
With a faint, amused smile on her face, she spoke up.
“You seem awfully confident about this, Ize.
Be careful not to embarrass yourself.
Loki may be easy to get along with, but her standards are very high.”
Ize blinked.
According to the usual plot of adventure stories, shouldn’t this have been the part where she gave him some encouragement?
So he pressed a hand against his chin and pretended to fall into deep thought, as if seriously considering the possibility of Artemis’s words coming true.
“If I really can’t catch Goddess Loki’s eye, then I’ll have no choice but to come crying to Lady Artemis and beg her to take me in.
Considering we’ve traveled together for so many days, Lady Artemis would surely take me in, right?”
A hopeful look appeared in Ize’s eyes as he gazed at Artemis.
For the sake of realism, he even forced a few tears out of the corners of his eyes.
However, faced with Ize’s pitiful appearance, Artemis’s delicate nose twitched slightly.
“As if I’d ever believe you.
Put down the garlic clove in your hand before you talk to me!
I can smell it from here.”
“Exactly!
So fake!
Did you really think such a cheap little trick could fool Lady Artemis?
Impossible!”
Hearing her goddess’s words, Lante immediately followed up by kicking him while he was down.
“I was careless.
I never expected you to have the talent to become such a little bootlicker, Lante.
This time, I won’t argue with you.”
Ize did not dare talk back to Artemis, but as for this little girl Lante, dealing with her was still more than easy enough.
“What did you say?!
Ahhh!!!
Ize!
I’m going to bite you to death!”
After Ize said that, Lante instantly exploded with anger.
She turned into a little kitten baring her fangs and claws, struggling wildly in Rethusa’s arms.
“There, there… Lante, don’t be angry.
Don’t be angry.
It’s not worth getting mad at him.
Lady Artemis is still watching from the side…”
Holding Lante in her arms, Rethusa gently soothed her in a soft voice.
“If you keep bullying Lanti like this, next time Rethusa and I won’t help you.
We’ll just stand aside and watch you get beaten into a pig’s head.”
Perhaps unable to keep watching him bully someone smaller than himself, Artemis shook her head helplessly.
After saying that, she walked away first with her long, slender legs.
“Come on.
Let’s find somewhere to eat lunch.
Aren’t you all hungry?”
Looking at the back of the girl with water-blue hair, Ize glanced briefly at the half-elf kitten who was still baring her teeth at him, then stood up and followed Artemis’s footsteps.
At the same time, he began to wonder whether he had really gone a little too far.
In order to ask his conscience, Ize placed a hand over his chest and felt carefully.
Conscience, are you hurting?
“…”
No?
Then it was fine.
Sorry for disturbing your work, conscience.
“All right, Lante.
Let’s follow them too.
“Uuuh… I’m going to bite that heartless Ize to death.”
“Yes, yes, you’re going to bite him to death.
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
You’ll definitely succeed…”
With practiced ease, Rethusa calmed Lante down.
She had long since become immune to Lante’s routine of making fierce threats.
Believe it or not, once it was time to eat, this girl would completely forget what had just happened and start smiling happily again.
So, those words were best treated as wind passing by the ears, in one ear and out the other.
After a good deal of coaxing, Lante finally followed the two in front with an unwilling pout.
She kept her hands behind her back in a sulk, glaring fiercely at Ize’s back.
However, it was completely useless…
The four of them arrived in the southwestern district and entered a tavern named the Flame Bee Pavilion, marked by a bright red bee sign, to enjoy their somewhat delayed lunch.
Though it was called a tavern, in Orario, “taverns” were basically restaurants operating under that name.
It was just that adventurers liked drinking alcohol to soothe themselves.
That was why they were called taverns.
In a corner of the Flame Bee Pavilion…
Because she was not old enough and had been strictly forbidden by the goddess from drinking alcohol, Lante held a glass of fruit juice and drank it wildly, somehow managing to drink juice with the momentum of someone downing ale.
After finishing the entire glass in one go, the blue-haired girl set it down, let out a satisfied breath, and sighed with emotion.
“So good!”
“Ize, get me another glass!”
“If you want to order, call the waiter.
Why are you asking me…?”
Ize, who had been quietly eating, immediately retorted.
Still, he went along with her and called over a waiter, asking for several more glasses of the same fruit juice.
Rethusa calmly took a bite of her food.
See?
What had she just said?
…
After finishing lunch, the four of them decided to go shopping together in the commercial district.
According to Miss Rethusa, the Familia captain, this was for the sake of purchasing supplies needed by the Familia members.
And then, the captain who was supposedly buying supplies kept dragging the half-elf girl along as they trailed far behind Ize and Artemis, “observing in secret.” Her face was practically covered with the words “all according to plan,” and the only thing missing from her hands was a slice of watermelon.
Ize could more or less guess what she was thinking.
It was similar to someone watching their best friend and close buddy fall in love, then enthusiastically shipping them as a couple.
Now, the captain wanted to try pushing forward the relationship between her goddess and him.
After all, they would not stay in Orario for long.
Once this opportunity passed, the next time they met Ize would probably be several months later.
At least before leaving, well… holding hands, maybe a hug?
Please forgive the overly pure thoughts of a maiden in her twenties.
She was already doing her best.
Unfortunately, reality was bound to disappoint her.
Because both people involved had concerns of their own, this was destined to be nothing more than a very ordinary outing for two.
Even if it looked very much like a date, and even if a few amusing, crowd-pleasing incidents happened along the way, that fact would not change.