Is it Wrong to Try to Stay the Farthest Away from the Dungeon?

by Gavius

One day, the news spread like wildfire. "The Black Dragon is dead," they said. "The strongest Monster has been killed," they cheered. Yet, no one knew how it happened, nor who did the deed. At the same time, weird phenomena began happening in the Dungeon, plunging Orario into alarm. But that has nothing to do with the boy who's recently started to work at a certain Tavern... right?

5. Chapter 5 - Hostess of Fertility

DISCLAIMER: I do not take credit from Danmachi and its characters.

Read the notes in the first chapter if you haven't done it already.

English is not my native language, so please bear with me. I'll try to correct eventual mistakes if you point them out to me.

Having said that, please enjoy.

---

Is it Wrong to Try to Stay the Farthest Away from the Dungeon?
-Chapter Five-

Hostess of Fertility

Labyrinth City of Orario
Adventurers Guild – Pantheon

(======)

He was finally back on the surface.

Arien almost exhaled a sigh of relief as he sat inside a small, private room of the Guild's main building.

Now, having finally finished his previous and not-quite-short "chat" with Ouranos, the young man could vaguely begin to feel satisfied with himself. He had collected a great deal of information regarding the recent events that had occurred in the city, and also regarding a way to bring an end to the request that Aria had bestowed upon him. The founding god of Orario had been very helpful in providing him with information regarding this so-called Aiz Wallenstein and her location; and also regarding... another person.

But, once again, the young man with ashen-white hair chose not to think about the latter, for now. He still wasn't in the right state of mind to deal with that matter. Yet.

The Adventurers Guild had remained exactly as Arien remembered it from seven years prior. A wide building made of stone and wood, directly built above the Chamber of Prayers within which the god Ouranos constantly resided. It had a wide space near the entrance with counters for Adventurers to talk with their receptionists, flanked by an exchange area on the right side and a separate room on the left where the library was located. There were also small meeting boxes where Adventurers could talk one on one with their Advisors without anyone else hearing them, and it was exactly inside one of these private rooms that the young man was currently located, sitting alone and in complete silence.

Once his discussion with Ouranos had been resolved, the founding god of the city had called Royman inside the chamber, and had ordered him to take Arien with him in order to exchange all the drop items and Magic Stones the boy had collected during his forced stay inside the Dungeon, including the ones he got from defeating the two Monster Rex. It had been a personal favor for Arien – the very same one he had directly requested to Fels – which had been granted to him only due to the past aid the young man had offered to the Guild during the Evilus War seven years ago. That, and because the boy had lost all his money. Ouranos was not that cold-hearted.

Just when Arien was starting to lose his patience, Royman finally returned inside the private room after having been gone for more than half an hour, holding several bags of money in his arms. The young man openly raised an eyebrow in front of the elf's annoyed expression.

"You look pissed."

The fat elf with short legs snorted at his sarcastic tone. "Don't test my patience, brat. You have no idea of how much stress you've caused me in the last hour," he warned him.

Arien struggled to contain a rude smirk from his lips.

"So? Is it done?" he asked instead.

"Yes. I had to lie to my employees in order to carry out the exchange, but they didn't ask questions since it was me who took care of it. Although some of them were suspicious at first, they decided to relent when I explained that the request came directly from Lord Ouranos," he replied, placing the bags on the table in front of him. "All the Magic Stones and Items you've collected have been exchanged thank to me."

"Thank you for your generosity, then," the dragon-slayer snorted, eyeing the elf with a sarcastic smile.

He was obviously ironic. There was no generosity behind Royman's actions. At all. The fat elf was actually quite pissed by the fact that a young man had come out of nowhere from Ouranos' chamber, requesting to exchange twenty-four bags of drop items and stones (they were originally twenty-six at first, but the young man had given two sacks to the Xenos as a token of gratitude for the help and company). In all honesty, if his request hadn't been supported by Ouranos, Arien was ready to bet that Royman and the Guild would have never allowed it to happen. Not when the person making the request had appeared out of nowhere from the Dungeon, without being seen by anyone at all. His sudden appearance and request were simply too suspicious to be ignored.

However, the boy knew all too well that Ouranos would have to comply, in the end. Not only the Guild was openly indebted to him, but Arien was also aware of the Xenos' existence. He was aware of Orario's biggest secret. And in order to keep that information secret, they had to at least grant him this request to appease him. It was simply unavoidable.

Not that Royman was aware of that last part, though.

"I won't ask questions seeing that Lord Ouranos is voicing for you… but you'd better not pull this kind of stunt ever again, brat," the head of the Guild warned him, glaring at Arien with his green eyes. "Hiding and collecting Magic Stones from the Dungeon without the Guild knowing is a crime, regardless of whether you're a registered Adventurer or not. I won't stand for it a second time. You were lucky that the building was nearly empty when you came, due to the end of the celebrations. If people saw what you did, you would have been sued."

Arien inwardly scoffed. If only you knew the truth, old fart.

"Fine, it won't happen again," he promised with half-backed apologetic tone, shaking his head with a sigh. He moved to grab one of the bags, weighing it with one hand. "How much?" he asked instead, direct and straightforward as always.

Royman openly seethed in irritation. Arien could clearly feel the greed and rage oozing off his body like a fog. Not that he wasn't expecting him to react like that, though. He may be the Head of the Guild, but Royman Mardeel wasn't known as the Guild's Pig without a reason. The fat elf and the majority of the people working in this place were nothing but a bunch of greedy, stingy lords always looking for gain. Royman especially. He was too arrogant even for the elves' standards, and constantly looked down on others except for the gods and goddesses. Arien didn't even need his abilities to feel the dark emotions that hovered over his head because of that.

The Adventurers Guild was a place of greed. And as its leader and director, Royman embodied that vice in full.

Arien waited with a raised brow while the elf clenched a fist. "150 million valis," he answered through gritted teeth, as if as if saying those words was physically hurting him. The boy openly raised a brow under his forced smile. "Unfortunately, however, we weren't able to collect all the money right away. Not even the Guild can exchange such a large amount of valis all at once. We were able to offer only 75 million… so you'll have to return here at a later date to collect the rest."

Well, well. Would you look at that? 150 million valis earned after a week of total extermination inside the Lower Floors of the Dungeon... that's pretty neat, he inwardly mused, covering his smirk with a hand. Very nicely done, Arien.

It was very nice indeed. Such an amount of money would allow him to live without major worries for quite a bit of time. Heck, to be honest, he was basically rich at this point. Of course, this number was nothing compared to the total amount of money that all major Familias usually possessed, but it was still pretty nice. Arien hated considering himself an Adventurer, but he could not deny that this profession could make you earn a lot of money if done correctly. At least compared to his previous jobs…

On the outside, the young man did not react at the pleasant news. Instead, he hummed and fixed the Guild's Head with a flat stare. "Is that so? Then I'll come back in three days," he replied without batting an eye, unfazed. He stood up from his seat and gathered all the bags at once, placing one of them inside a pocket and hiding the others inside the pouch tied to his waist. "Make sure you'll have the money by then."

Upon hearing his dismissive and cold tone, Royman was about to spit back an insult, but a single glance from Arien stopped him abruptly. The elf pursed his lips and clenched a fist under his cold, commanding eyes, shivering a little as the feeling of bloodlust and death washed over him, coming from the young man in front of him. In the end, he found himself unable to retort under that oppressive gaze, and merely resigned himself to nod his head slowly while his legs trembled a bit. He truly was a coward, all in all.

Without further ado, Arien walked past him without sparing the elf a second glance, leaving the room in a swift motion and closing the door with a foot.

He began walking away in silence, placing his hands inside the pockets of his bluish-grey armor/coat with an empty expression on his face. Outside the building, the moon was shining bright in the dark sky of the night, but the so-called Pantheon was still filled with people in spite of the late hour. The Dungeon had only been reopened to the public six hours ago, after all, and the Guild was still packed with Adventurers and people who wanted to gather info before heading to the underground Labyrinth or exchange items collected at the last minute. There were a lot more people now compared to when he'd entered an hour ago.

Contrary to what many people believed – in fact – the Guild did not have an opening or closing time. Sure, the library was closed at night and the staff members did have their own shifts according to the everyday need; but the main halls of the facility were opened full-time every day. There was no time when dealing with Adventurers and the dangers of the Dungeon, after all. It was pretty common for so many people to be gathered here in spite of the late hour.

And that was the problem. As he walked through the main halls of the Guild alone, in fact, the unknown warrior who had slayed the Dragon did his very best to ignore the looks that the Adventurers and staff members of this place were sending in his direction. He didn't even need his abilities and powers to notice the perplexed looks and surprised faces that everyone was wearing upon making eye-contact with him. Some of them were even whispering among themselves in a very obvious way, fixing him with sneaky glances as they took in his appearance for some reason.

"Hey, look at him. Doesn't he look familiar?"

"Is he…?"

"Rabbit Foot?"

"Is it really him?"

"Of course not, you moron. Look at his face: he's taller. Older."

"…Meh. The hair and face match."

Waves of awe echoed throughout the walls of the building. People of all ages and races began staring at him as he walked in silence, whispering among themselves. Arien pursed his lips under their stunned, perplexed stares; clenching a fist inside his pocket in attempt to quell his growing irritation. Some of them were even whistling in his direction as he walked past them, and others were openly glancing in his direction with mouths agape and eyes as wide as they could be. It was extremely off-putting. He honestly had to force himself to calm down and stop his instinct to reach out towards the sword strapped on his back.

Arien gritted his teeth. This entire situation was unnerving, and extremely irritating for him. He had always been accustomed to be invisible, after all. He was used to go by unnoticed by the masses due to his tendency to keep a low profile or even to stay completely hidden. Due to his nature and his powers, in fact, Arien absolutely loathed being at the center of attention. He preferred to stay quiet, and hidden; opting to remain completely unnoticed in attempt to remain incognito. Even his previous… jobs… had also taught him that it was best to remain hidden in the shadows rather than stay visible and in plain sight.

So, it was easy to say that the current situation was unnerving for him. As well as greatly annoying.

And yet, he knew that it was unavoidable. Arien was no fool. He had come to realize the truth as soon as he had found himself trapped inside the Dungeon. Hs previous chat with Ouranos – along with the stories he'd heard from the Xenos – had taught him the harsh, cold reality. That being: as long as he remained in Orario, his appearance was bound to cause commotion and draw attention no matter where he went. It was simply inevitable, no matter how much he loathed it and whished that wasn't the case. Why, would you ask? That's easy!

Because he looked like the spitting image of a certain Adventurer named Bell Cranel. And Adventurer who, according to what he'd learned from Fels, the Xenos and Ouranos, had become quite famous due his peculiar growth and the recent events happening in the city.

A boy who had become a celebrity… and who also was the last living relative he had left in this world.

[A relative Arien had hoped and prayed to never meet in his life.]

…this is fucking unbelievable, he muttered to himself, trying to empty his mind and ignore the stares focused on him as he walked towards the exit of the building. With a bit of luck, he could manage to leave this place as quickly as possible and slip in the shadows of the streets before anyone decided to approach him. He really, really, hoped so.

"Bell-kun?"

Apparently, he had no luck.

The dragon-slayer swallowed a groan, and instead released a hiss that sounded more like a growl as he turned to the right, glaring with a narrowed stare in direction of the voice.

The sight of a half-elf greeted his vision. A receptionist of the Guild, apparently, judging by her uniform and the name tag on her chest. Her long, pointed ears twitched in surprise as he turned towards her with a glare, and her emerald eyes widened a bit behind her glasses in an expression of stunned stupor. Despite her good looks, she was not quite as "perfect" as the elves usually looked, as if her beauty had been glued on, but a corner was sticking up. Her guild uniform with black jacket and pants suited her thin frame very well, though.

For the first time in a long while, Arien forced himself to quell every emotion in order not to appear too hostile. It didn't quite work, however, since the girl took a solid step back under his cold, emotionless glare.

"I-I-I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to bother you," she quickly apologized in a flushed tone. Her hands were waving in every direction as she bowed to him over and over again. "I-I mistook you for another person. Please pardon my mistake."

Arien stared at her, long and hard. He could detect her embarrassment and uneasiness with ease, but there was no trace of a lie in her words, even as she flushed a bit with a panicked expression. Despite his inner distaste, then, he took a deep breath and forced himself to restrain his annoyance. He couldn't just snap at a girl who was sincerely apologizing to him.

The young man with ashen-white hair relaxed a bit. "It's fine, it's no big deal," he stated, exhaling a weary sigh as he closed his eyes in what seemed to be a forced attempt to remain civil. "I also apologize for my expression. I didn't mean to scare y… why are you looking at me like that?"

"A-Ah! Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to!" she flushed again, her face sweating a little in embarrassed panic. Despite the forced smile on her lips, Arien could detect a huge, genuine curiosity coming from her emerald eyes. "It's just… I mean… you look like… I j-just couldn't help but stare!"

He could detect the incoming sentence from a mile away. His lips pursed a little. Don't say it, he inwardly warned. Don't you dare say those words in front of m―

"Y-You looks like someone I know, and I-I just… I couldn't help it," she finished to say with an embarrassed tone, her lips curved into a chagrined smile. Despite that, she kept staring at him with wide eyes, her expression betraying a great amount of shock and surprise as she took in every detail of his face. "B-But even now that I look at you closely… I honestly cannot believe it. You really do look like him."

Arien felt his eyebrow twitch.

"Do you have anything else to say or can I leave?" he demanded abruptly, irked. His grey eyes narrowed into a dangerous frown while the girl jumped back in shock, sweating a little under his hostile gaze.

Much to his surprise, however, she steeled herself right away and lowered her head in a bow. "I-I'm sorry, that was rude of me," she apologized with a sincere tone, recollecting herself barely enough to give him a polite smile. "My name is Eina Tuille, and I'm an Advisor from the Guild. S-Since you're here at this hour, sir… are you an Adventurer?"

Fuck my life, Arien thought as the girl – Eina – offered him a hand to shake right after making that hideous question.

He exhaled another sigh, doing his best to ignore the growing feeling of irritation inside his mind. "No I'm not," he answered truthfully, forcing his voice to assume a bland tone. He openly ignored her extended hand, and just shook his head. "I just came to Orario a few days ago, and I'm not an Adventurer. I came here only because I had some things to deal with the Guild's Head; that's all."

The half-elf eyed the sword on his back. "But you look like―"

"I'm not an Adventurer," Arien cut her off, sternly. "End of the story."

The girl openly startled and took a step back under his frosty gaze.

Eina swallowed, moving her head slowly into an uncertain nod. "O-Of course… in that case, are you perhaps thinking of becoming one?" she asked instead, her voice quivering in with what Arien assumed was her best attempt to regain a professional tone. "Because in that case, sir, I highly recommend you seek an Advisor if you wish to register and…"

"Not interested," Arien shook his head, and instead fixed the girl with a narrowed stare. "However, if you wish to offer advice, perhaps you won't mind helping me in another way."

"H-Huh… of course, gladly," she spoke, blinking a little with a confused face. "How may I be of service?"

The young man stepped closer to her, his face and expression betraying nothing as he decided to take advantage of the situation to at least gather more information. He was at least three inches taller than her, so the girl had to raise her head slightly in order to stare into his eyes. He could almost swear he saw her blush for a split-second.

"I need a place to stay," he admitted, his voice flat and emotionless. "Is there any tavern or inn you would recommend to a newcomer? A cheap one," he demanded, his voice still as blank as his face.

Eina blinked again, pondering that question for a few seconds. "Well, there are a lot of inns in the city… if you go along Main Street you'll find a lot of them. Some are pretty cheap, and they only require around 1500 valis per night," she explained in a professional tone, placing a hand under her chin.

The dragon-slayer grunted in acknowledgment. "Hm. Thank you. I'll be off, then," he was all he said, turning around and moving to reach the exit already.

"A-Ah, please wait a second!" she called him, prompting the young man to stop mid-step and turn towards her with his emotionless gaze. "I-If you don't mind spending a bit more, I highly recommend a place called 'Hostess of Fertility'. I heard a lot of positive feedback from that place, and unlike most inns in the city they also serve as a tavern and a café. You can find it along Main Street as well: it's a wide building with a big sign on it."

Arien mulled the info inside his head for a moment. Then, he nodded with a silent grunt. "Thanks."

He began walking away again, and for a few seconds Eina just stared at him with narrowed eyes. Until, her curiosity got the better of her and she called him back.

"P-Please forgive me, sir, but my curiosity defeats me. My friend, he looks awfully similar. Are you perhaps―?"

"I'm not, and I don't care. Goodbye."

He didn't even look back at her, just casually walking towards the exit and leaving the structure with a solemn step. In a few seconds he was gone, leaving the young Advisor and a lot of people inside the hall perplexed and in silent stupor.

I think I was wrong. He's extremely different from the bright-eyed Bell, she mused with a sweat-drop, doing her best to quell the furious beating of her heart. His eyes were scary… there's no way the two of them are related. It must be just a coincidence.

Eina gulped, staring at his disappearing frame with wide eyes and a feeling of concern inside her heart. She didn't know why, but something inside her mind was starting to grow restless. As if she had a feeling that something bad was going to happen in the future… but that couldn't be true, right? She was just overthinking things. Yes, that had to be it.

In the end, she shook her head, and then turned to walk away with a sigh.

"Huh," she mused all of a sudden, turning around in direction of the exit with a raised brow. "I never got his name."

---

It was over.

The goddess Hera grinned, wide and proud, as she took the little bundle of life in her arms. As soon as she did so, the spell was finally broken; and everyone in the room did the same while they exhaled a collective sigh of relief, staring at the scene with huge smiles on their faces. All the while, the cry of the newborn baby echoed in the room incessantly, but for once, that noise was welcomed by everyone with joy instead of worry; for it was a cry of hope. A cry of victory. A cry that indicated the birth of a new soul in the world, the statement of a new life.

The delivery had been a success, and the Hera Familia could finally welcome the newest arrival.

"A boy," the goddess declared, holding the baby in her arms for all to see. "Our Familias have been blessed with a new life: a baby boy!"

Everyone smiled and cheered in joy.

Meteria was the first to dash forward upon receiving the news. She ran towards the goddess, her face wet with tears as she sobbed and sniffled non-stop. The woman stopped in front of Hera, and her face blossomed in an expression of sheer elation as she looked at the small baby in the deity's arms, wrapped in a warm linen cloth.

"He's so cute!" she cooed, crying in glee as the goddess gently handed the baby in her hands. The tears simply wouldn't stop falling from her face as she looked at the newborn with a trembling smile, holding him with extreme and adoring care. "My cute, baby nephew."

The entirety of their Familia shared a laugh, grinning and cheering in relief and joy.

Except for one.

"…get out."

Hera, Meteria, and the other Familia members in the room turned to the right.

Alfia was laying on the bed, her face thick with sweat and her eyes blank and unfocused as she stared at the ceiling with an unseeing gaze. She looked completely exhausted, almost drained, as if all her energies had left her body. The labor was over, the delivery had been successful, but she looked worse for wear. There was not a single trace of emotion on her face… and every single person in the room did not fail to see that.

Meteria and the patron goddess exchanged a concerned glance. "Come on, Alfia. Look," Hera attempted to lift her mood, smiling in direction of the baby. "It's your child. The boy is strong and healthy. Just look at hi―"

"Get out, and take him away. I don't want to see him."

A loud, collective gasp echoed in the room. Even the incessant bawling of the newborn seemed to falter for a second in front of his mother's cold, emotionless command.

Perhaps for the first time ever since their last dispute a few months prior, Meteria could not believe what her sister was saying. "W-What are you saying, Alfia?" she demanded, incredulous. "How can you say that? You may not like it, but he's your child! Your son!"

The older sister shook her head; her face and expression remained unchanged. She didn't even glance in their direction, keeping her gaze glued to the ceiling. "Take him away from me. I cannot stand all the noise he's making," she repeated, completely unfazed by the general disbelief.

Every single soul inside the room shivered upon hearing the cold, frosty command.

And despite the heavy exhaustion, Alfia of Silence delivered her verdict in a solemn, unyielding voice.

"I don't want to see him ever again."

---

Labyrinth City of Orario
Main Street

(======)

Arien slipped into the multiracial crowd of Main Street.

Dwarves, gnomes, animal people, prums… some of them looked like normal townsfolk and some looked more dangerous. Despite being already dark, the city of Orario was full of life and sounds, and the constant noise of the crowd echoed in every direction. After having been forced to stay inside the Dungeon for a whole week, this change was a stark contrast to the quiet, blissful silence Arien was used to. His ears were nearly ringing due to all the noise, but despite that, for once the young man didn't mind the change. Seeing the joyful and cheerful atmosphere of this place almost felt reinvigorating for some reason.

Orario… I never thought I would come back to this place.

That thought darted inside his head on its own as he eyed the crowd and buildings of the city with a smile. It had been, what, seven years since the last time he had set foot in the Labyrinth City? Maybe more? It certainly felt like a lifetime ago. It had been a lifetime ago, to be honest. So many things had happened since those days, both to him and the city, that walking here now along the road called Main Street felt like visiting another place entirely for the dragon-slayer.

Because it was different. The city had remained roughly the same, of course, but some things had changed compared to the last time Arien had walked inside this place. Drastically changed. Seven years ago, the streets of Orario were almost entirely empty and devoid of life. They were abandoned and devoid of people, because the townsfolk used to hide and remain in the houses due to the hard times they were experiencing. The crime rate had skyrocketed, the people looked gloomy, and there had been iron bars on every shop to prevent shoplifting. One could hardly believe that Orario was called the center of the world, back then. Everyone was scared of what Evilus would do, and the city had suffered a great deal of damage because of that, during those dark times.

Now, however, the city was alive. It was teeming with life and noise and joy, almost as if this place had completely forgotten those painful days and events. It was a good thing, no doubt, but it was still pretty hard to digest in full for a young man like him who hadn't visited this place once after leaving it in such a state. Everything looked so new and interesting, and the streets were crowded even during the night. All these people were making it hard to recognize any buildings and landmarks, and there were so many different races here that it was honestly intriguing to see. It was rare to find such a multiracial crowd outside of Orario, after all.

Demi-humans were smiling, drawing people off the streets and luring them into their respective establishments. Humans were laughing and chatting. A group of prums and gnomes, the shortest of the demi-human races, were standing shoulder to shoulder and singing to their hearts' content. Animal people were trying to bring in customers with some very "playful" clothing; only to be put to shame by a line of Amazoness walking by wearing not much more than loincloths, uncaring about all the eyes following them as they strut down the road. Even a few proud, elegant elves could be seen amid the crowd, walking with elegant clothes and solemn expressions; flanked by so many other races that it was honestly surprising to see.

Music, strings and wind instruments broke through the din of nightlife, and for the first time in a long while, Arien Cranel observed his surroundings not with wariness and suspicion, but with sincere intrigue and wonder. This was another Orario compared to the one he was used to, one that lived no longer in fear and concern, but in peace and prosperity instead. This was a city immersed in joy, a city that had just finished celebrating the death of the Dragon. And he wasn't used to witness such a scene.

His grey eyes softened as he walked through the street.

This should be it.

The young man with ashen-white hair stopped in front of a towering structure, observing it with a calculating stare.

A building made of stone, with a wide terrace of wood in front of it. It was relatively big compared to the other buildings. It was two stories tall like the rest, but unlike the others it looked very deep and wide. It could easily be the biggest bar in the area. An Adventurers' bar. Voices and cheering could be heard from the inside, and Arien could see a gigantic sign written on top of it. This had to be the place the girl from before had recommended to him. The Hostess of Fertility, also known as the Benevolent Mistress, according to the sign. It was quite the name, and quite the size for a tavern or an inn.

In all honesty, Arien didn't like crowded places like this one. He usually preferred something more quite, more modest, if he was forced to rent a place. The tavern didn't look fancy, not even a bit, but it was still too crowded for his tastes. The only reason he had decided to take a look was because that Advisor from the Guild had recommended this place with such an intense amount of honest appraisal that Arien couldn't have missed it even without his Divine abilities. But he wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of entering inside a place filled with Adventurers. He wasn't an Adventurer, after all.

He closed his eyes, shaking his head with a sigh. "Whatever. I'll just go search for another―"

Suddenly, his instinct screamed at him.

Something's behind me.

His eyes snapped open, and Arien reacted in a lightning-fast motion. Survival instinct compelled him to move, and he swiftly spun around to find…

Nothing…? It was impossible. His skills and abilities had clearly sensed something fixing its gaze on him behind his right shoulder. His Divine powers had hardly been mistaken before, and as much as he loathed them, Arien knew they could not fail him in that regard. He could swear he had felt the eyes of a killer on his back, an intense gaze landing upon him all of a sudden. Something had seen him, and he was sure of that.

His mind ran wild as he eyed his surroundings with narrowed eyes. Who was it? What did they want? Were they sizing him up? Whoever it was, they weren't normal, and they weren't holding anything back. The sheer intensity of that gaze had been impossible for him to miss. But why couldn't he just detect the owner, then? His eyes were jumping back and forth to all the people he could find. Maybe he'd missed someone over his other shoulder? What was happening right now?

What the fuck was that? he hissed inside his mind, glancing around frantically as the people in the street began to stare at him in confusion. I know there's definitely something around here―

"Um, excuse me…"

He spun around and raised a fist to defend himself from the source of the voice, but his hand abruptly stopped. The fist halted a few inches away from the target, missing it just by a millimeter.

A girl, a human, was standing there. She was wearing a white blouse with a light green knee-length skirt, with a salon apron on top of that. Her simple blue-gray hair was tied into a tight bun on the back of her head, and a ponytail stuck out from the center of it. Her eyes, the same color as her hair, looked innocent and rather cute, but her expression looked so scared that her smooth, milky skin was all bunched up around her eyes.

But as soon as he saw her, with his fist just a few inches away from her jaw, Arien Cranel felt something scream and roar inside of him.

The young man froze the moment his eyes landed on her.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!" the girl was apologizing, bowing her head again and again in a frantic movement. Almost furiously. "Please relax, I'm so sorry!"

Arien just remained quiet, lowering his fist and staring at her wide-eyed.

"A-Are you ok? Will you forgive me?"

He did not answer, his expression morphed into a mask of sheer disbelief. Every single fiber of his being was screaming 'danger' as he kept staring at the girl in front of him in muted stupor. His eyebrows furrowed together.

"Um… I didn't scare you so much, did I?"

She asked that question to break the tense, awkward silence that had fallen between them. Even the passersby were staring at the two in confusion, eyeing the young man and the young girl standing in the middle of Main Street with perplexed glances. But no matter how long and hard they stared, the dragon-slayer did not care one single bit.

Because the entirety of his being and powers were fixed on the girl in front of him.

Who are you? No― what are you?

That was the question that was echoing inside his head. A question that Arien did not dare to whisper out loud, for he was not a simple-minded fool. His mind was literally screaming at him to run and hide... in front of an innocent, weak-looking girl dressed as a maid who couldn't be older than sixteen? What the fuck? It had no sense. It made no sense. And that was something he was failing to understand.

For he had never seen this kind of reaction from his powers before.

The girl was talking to him, apologizing again, but Arien did not register her words. He did not register them because he could not feel anything coming from her. Nothing. Nothing at all. No truths, no lies, no emotions. Nothing. Her words were noisy, and loud, and emotive… but they lacked every kind of feelings behind them. The young man with ashen-white hair did not understand. His powers and abilities could not read her words at all, and that was something he had never experienced before.

No, that wasn't correct. It wasn't her words: it was this girl herself. His powers and skills could not read her, not her words. No matter how long and hard he looked, he could not discern anything from her, as if he was staring at a wall. And this was strange. It was unbelievably strange. This girl was a human – he could detect that much – and yet she felt entirely different. She had no feels behind her words, ad Arien's Divine abilities weren't able to detect anything from her. Anything at all.

It was weird… something was off here.

Suddenly, the girl's face twitched. Her eyes narrowed a little, and she leaned forward to stare at him with a pout. Arien took a few steps back out of instinct.

"Hey… are you listening? Why aren't you saying anything?" she questioned him, her expression morphed into a pout.

Once again, he gave no answer, narrowing his eyes on her while the girl blinked and straightened herself under his piercing gaze. The more he looked at her, the more he was growing certain of it: something was wrong with her. Extremely wrong. He could almost bet on it.

Arien was no fool. He knew there was something weird – extremely weird – with this girl. His abilities and powers couldn't discern anything from her, and that was something that had never happened before. Ever. Looking at her felt like he was staring as something indecipherable, something he could not fully grasp no matter how long he tried to reach out and grab it. It almost felt like he was staring at a deity, seeing as he was unable to detect―

His eyes widened slightly. Blood turned to ice inside his veins.

…wait a fucking minute.

A deity?

This girl? This human girl in front of him? A deity? A goddess?

What the fuck?

It was impossible. It made no sense. It had no sense.

A human being who felt like a deity…

It just… it was unbelievable. Too unbelievable to be true. Arien was failing to grasp it as well, absurd as it sounded. This girl looked and smelled and sounded like a human being, but she felt different. Completely different compared to a human. Why were his instincts warning him so insistently about her? What was the truth behind this person? Who was she? What was she?

Someone he needed to be wary of. Someone dangerous.

He needed to get away from her.

"Sorry, I was distracted," he apologized, out of the blue, and then he swiftly turned around to leave this person as soon as possible.

It didn't work. Just when he was about to step away, the girl suddenly grabbed him by the sleeve, keeping him in place.

"Wait. Please wait a minute." In less than an instant, her pout disappeared, replaced by a smile. A cute, beautiful smile that would have made every normal person blush and stutter in embarrassment. "I apologize for startling you, I just wanted to catch your attention."

To Arien, her smile did not appear beautiful, nor cute. It was appalling.

His grey eyes flashed for a split-second. "Release me. Right. Now." he warned her, his voice as cold as ice.

The girl complied, jumping a little in shock under his sharp, emotionless tone. Her eyes and face seemed to falter for a moment, but she recollected in less than an instant. She raised her hands in a placating gesture, her features returning to assume the same smile from before, as if his previous display of anger hadn't fazed her at all.

Another silent warning about the unnaturality of her being. Arien felt every single fiber of his being perk up in alarm in front of the girl's smile.

"Ah, yes, of course. I didn't mean to," she bowed with her head, her voice assuming a soft tone. "I apologize."

The young man with ashen hair eyed her warily. He forced back an enraged growl. "Apology rejected. Now leave me be," he grunted.

"But you looked like you wanted to come in?" the girl questioned him with a tilt of the head, pointing to the bar in front of them. "You've been standing in front of our tavern for a while… I approached you since it looked like you were thinking of coming inside."

So she was one of the staff members of this place? One more reason to stay away from it, then. Permanently.

"I've changed my mind," Arien declared, turning away for the second time.

The girl did not relent. "The food is really good; you know?"

"Too bad. I guess I'll never find out―"

"I'll make you a discount!"

That made him pause. The young man stopped mid-step, turning his head slightly to the side to glance in the girl's direction. She had moved right next to him again, silent as the moon itself, wearing the exact same smile from before. She was even leaning towards him in attempt to look cute.

His brows furrowed. "Pardon?" he hissed, studying her face with his eyes.

The girl's smile widened. She looked completely unfazed by his glare, and his hostile behavior did not seem to bother her either. "I'll talk to the owner, and ask her to make you a discount. Please consider it as a token of good will. A way to apologize for startling you before," she said with a cheerful tone, while something unreadable flickered in her eyes. "I'm really, really sorry, you know."

He stared at her, his eyes scanning her face for a few seconds. Once again, he could not detect anything, and he was growing increasingly more worried because of that.

"There's no need," he tried to refuse.

She wouldn't budge. "I insist."

"I'm not in the mood for such pleasantries."

"Does it mean that you'll forgive me?"

"I never said―"

"Good! Then please come inside!" Arien's enraged protests died when the girl suddenly grabbed him by the arm, pulling him inside the building with a swift and – quite surprisingly – skillful movement. "I assure you that you won't regret it!"

Out of nowhere, before he could even utter a word, the young man with ashen-white hair found himself no longer standing outside, but rather in front of a counter placed inside the main hall of the tavern.

Arien blinked, irked and wide-eyed, as he realized that the girl had successfully managed to push him inside the bar despite his attempts to get rid of her. While she gently pulled him by the arm (literally), the boy's eyes unconsciously moved to scan the room due to his wariness, and he felt his gaze narrow a little.

The place was rustic, yet elegant at the same time. The room was wide, and his eyes immediately saw a stout dwarf, probably the owner, behind the counter and a pair of young cat-people girls in aprons serving food and alcohol to customers. Looking around the place, actually, he realized that all the employees taking orders and carrying food were girls. There was even an elf working here. But despite the increasing concern inside him, the place looked kind of nice.

Indeed, he could not deny it. The decorations and style of the bar were pretty contemporary compared to other places he was used to, but it still felt cheerful, and the customers looked happy as the waitresses hopped from table to table with big smiles, especially the cat-girls. Most of the patrons were males, and Adventurers by the looks of them. They would come off a little intimidating for a common townsfolk, but they were happily drinking with their companions and buddies, and the atmosphere was pretty nice. Also, the food looked amazing. The smell was inviting too.

However, Arien wanted to leave. Like, right now.

"Welcome to the Hostess of Fertility," the boy's train of thoughts halted as he found himself seated in front of the counter. "My name is Syr Flova, and I'll be taking your order," the girl who had dragged him inside said, extending a menu towards him with a huge smile on her lips.

The young man glared at her, his gaze as sharp as a blade. Despite his usual lack of pride, Arien considered himself a pretty powerful and intimidating person. Therefore, he was quite used of people being wary of him due to the strong aura he oozed off with his presence and body. But even so, this girl in front of him right now seemed completely unfazed by him, almost as if she was toying with him despite his dangerous appearance and hostile behavior… and that irked him to no end. He just could not help it.

Whoever she was, this girl named Syr Flova was NOT a normal person. She was a dangerous individual, and that much was certain.

His eyes shone with suspicion as he focused on her again, studying her pretty face with a narrowed gaze.

She felt normal. Her face and aura and pressure… everything about this girl looked completely ordinary at a first glance. Consequently, by appearance alone, she was normal. Completely normal.

However, his instincts were warning him to be wary of her even now, and he was still finding himself unable to read her emotions and feels. He could not detect any truthfulness or falsity when she spoke, and while gazing at her face he still could not detect anything at all, as if he were staring at a wall instead of a person. It was immensely frustrating, and the young man was starting to grow worried because of that. This bad feeling was making him wary of his surroundings, and there was no way he could ignore it.

This girl was not normal. Not by any means. And he had to be wary of her.

In the end, however, Arien decided to relent. There was no reason to start a commotion yet, and since he was already inside, he decided that he could have a bite or two before planning his next move.

"If you won't make me a discount, I will leave immediately," he hissed, fixing the girl with a powerful glare as he took the menu from her hands.

The girl – Syr – remained completely unfazed, smiling at him with her eyes closed.

"I'll have some pasta, one special, and a glass of water." He handed the menu back to her without looking, and the girl bowed with her huge smile on the lips. Even as he walked away, he could still feel her gaze on him, and the young man had to suppress a shiver in spite of himself. Her stare felt cold and unnerving, and it gave him the same feeling he would usually feel when a god or a goddess landed their eyes on him.

Yes, there was no doubt about it. Whoever – and whatever – this so-called Syr was, she had to be bound to a deity somehow. The dragon-slayer could almost bet on it.

There was no way a human being could give off such a chilling and unnatural air from her body. It was impossible for mortals to hide their emotions in front of him, after all. Be it a spell, a curse, or some sort of magic trick, it was impossible to fully hide their intentions and feels from the Divine power's detection like this girl was doing. Even her stare felt different compared to the common mortals. Arien didn't know what her ties with the Divine were, nor he was able to understand her nature entirely with his eyes alone… but there was no doubt in his mind.

That odd-looking waitress was not a simple girl. She was no mere human, but something different. Something dangerous.

And as such, he had to keep his guard up for as long as he was in her proximity.

"Here's your order!"

The incoming plates planted on the counter broke him out of his thoughts. Arien raised his head, and his blank eyes were greeted with the sight of the owner he had glimpsed before: the tallest dwarf he would probably ever see in his life. She was tall, muscular and imposing; and her frame alone oozed off strength and confidence like a fog. Arien didn't even need his powers to realize that this person in front of him was dangerous. He could recognize a powerful Adventurer when he saw one, even a retired one like this dwarf apparently was. There was no way he could be mistaken about this.

The owner was leaning halfway over the counter, scanning him with almost dark eyes. The young man felt his eyebrow twitch under her stare, but he did not feel intimidated. I have feelings, you know? he thought as he stared back at her with a narrowed frown. And I like my space, thank you very much.

"So you are Syr's guest, huh? I've never seen you around these parts," the tall dwarf mused, eyeing him with an unreadable stare. "New in town?"

Arien took a sip of water, his gaze still glued to hers. "Not exactly," was all he said.

She crossed her arms as he kept facing her stare without backing down or being intimidated. Her lips twitched upwards ever-so-slightly. "Syr has asked me to make you a discount… you mind explaining what was that about?" she demanded, sounding stern but also genuinely curious about that matter. "That girl is a handful, but she has never made this kind of request for a patron before."

He inwardly sighed at her question. He could already feel a migraine coming.

"She dragged me inside against my will, so she made that promise to lure me in. If you don't like it, blame that girl, not me. I can also leave if you're not willing to comply," he replied, unfazed.

The female dwarf stared at him, long and hard. A few seconds of silence passed between the two, and Arien took advantage of the moment to grab a bite of the special dish with an emotionless expression.

"She must have taken an interest in you if she was willing to go that far, then. I'm surprised," she spoke, shaking her head in a weary expression. Apparently, she was already used to the girl's antics. Her gaze turned sharp all of a sudden, however. "Although I can certainly see why," she added at that point, studying his features intently.

Arien felt his hands clenching into fists. He wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what she was referring to with those words.

His looks, and the apparent resemblance to a certain relative of his. The young man inwardly cursed.

The owner didn't seem to care about his sour mood. "It is clear that you're not from Orario. Someone with those looks would hardly go unnoticed these days," she spoke, more to herself than the young man with ashen-white hair. "Have you come here to become an Adventurer? Many come to this city to achieve that goal, or to fulfill some kind of dream. Although," she made a pause as he ate, focusing on his face. "You don't seem like the type.

He continued eating, knowing full well that she wasn't finished. "You seem pretty strong already. Came from a Familia outside Orario?"

"More or less," he admitted while taking a sip of water. His eyes closed as the owner stared at him intently. "But you're wrong about one thing: I'm not an Adventurer. Nor do I plan to become one."

She seemed taken aback by his statement, but after a few moments of surprise, she shook her head with a chuckle.

"Whatever, you're free to keep your secrets," she dismissed him with a wave of the hand. "I'll give you a discount, so just give us a holler if you need something. I'll keep the food coming, all you got to do is keep on ordering."

Please leave me alone… he inwardly grumbled.

The young man held back a sigh and turned to face the counter again. He removed a menu from a trendy stand and took another look, his eyes finding the prices before the food.

He knew he had exchanged a lot of money just a few hours before, but he still needed to be cautious with the way he decided to spend it. After slaying more monsters than he could recall during this eventful week, he had earned roughly 75 million valis from the Guild, and that was by no means a small amount of money for a single person. However, if there was one thing that the old hag had taught him about money, it was that it was best to be thrifty than wasteful. Just because he was rich right now, that didn't mean he could simply relax and spend all the amount he wanted. Arien was better than that.

He had 75 million for now, and in three days he would receive the other half. Also, he still needed to buy some clothes and items, since he had basically lost all his previous equipment, and his current attire was the only thing he'd been able to get in the Dungeon. Equipment, weapons, and ingredients cost a lot – especially here in Orario – so he had to be cautious about investing his money from now on. His pockets felt heavier than usual, but he had no doubt that he was going to spend a lot for the entirety of his staying in the city. It was simply unavoidable.

Arien dismissed his musing with a deep breath. He took a forkful of pasta as he inwardly nodded in approval. It appeared that the Advisor from the Guild had been sincere about her appraisal. The food in this place had a flashy style to it, but it was really good compared to the standards he was used to. This was his first time eating food inside this kind of bar, but other places had to be cheaper than this.

"Are you enjoying yourself?"

Once again, the young man fought down the urge to wince and curse out loud.

To his left was the very same person who made him wary, with a smile on her face that, to him, was anything but cute. Arien couldn't stop himself from glaring as he eyed the girl for a second.

He was halfway through his pasta when Syr decided to approach him again. There was a hint of irony in her voice, but he couldn't really tell since he was unable to detect anything from her. She was untying her apron; and her dusty blue hair shook as she pulled it over her head. She put it up a hook on the wall, dragged a stool up to him, and sat down with a swift and delicate movement.

Arien felt his eyebrow twitch. "Aren't you supposed to be working right now?" he spat.

"The kitchen is a little busy, but the others have everything else covered. Things are slowing down a bit too these days, since the festival is over."

She shot a pleading look at the owner, who raised her chin in a jerking nod, giving her the okay with a weary sigh.

"So… first, let me apologize for what happened before," she began to say, ignoring his annoyed expression. "I didn't mean to startle you, really… although I must admit that I was surprised. I'd never thought an Adventurer would be caught off guard so easily. Were you distracted by something, perhaps?"

The young man swallowed a growl. "For the last time: I'm NOT an Adventurer," he hissed, glaring at the world with a powerful rage. For once, even Syr seemed taken aback by his sudden outburst, and the girl backed away from him slightly while a few patrons and a waitress glanced in their direction. "I'm sick and tired of repeating the same thing over and over again. Can't you people mind your own fucking business?"

Syr stared at him, wide-eyed, before recollecting herself with a pout.

"Hey now, that isn't nice!" she reprimanded him, completely unfazed by his glare. "I apologize if I'm wrong, but you look so strong… you have such an intimidating aura. Only powerful Adventurers give off this kind of air."

…this girl was no fool. She was clearly more dangerous than she looked.

"You know that and yet you decided to approach me?" he spat, snorting in disgust. "You must be crazy or something."

Much to his surprise, she actually giggled after hearing his words. She giggled. "I guess you could say this is my hobby," she admitted, smiling at him with her eyes closed. "Getting involved with people I don't know is fascinating. It just makes my heart race."

You sure have no shame to say that so openly, he thought.

"More people means more possibilities. I get really excited just thinking about what I might discover on any given day." Her eyes were smiling as she made that statement, but the girl suddenly gave one of those fake coughs as soon as she saw him looking at her with disgust. Her cheeks turned slightly red too. "A-Anyway, that's how it is. I guess meeting new people is fun. My heart yearns for it."

The young man scoffed. "So you just decided to approach a stranger and drag him inside… for fun," he summarized, shaking his head. "You really have some screw loose."

Syr pouted again. She actually pouted. What the hell was wrong with this girl? "I was just curious, you know. After all, I couldn't help but notice that you look extremely familiar… you're like the spitting image of a boy I'm quite close with," she said.

Arien gritted his teeth. That was it. He decided to ignore her from this point on.

"You said you're not an Adventurer. Are you perhaps new in Orario, then? Did you come here to become one?"

He didn't reply. Instead, he focused on his food.

"Do you have a Familia? Or some relatives?"

Again, he ignored her. His face and eyes betrayed nothing.

"Does the name Cranel ring a bell to you?"

He clenched his fists. Hard. He was one step away from punching this bitch in the face right now.

"Um… are you―"

"Syr." At that moment, the owner got her attention. The dwarf was standing in front of the counter, with her arms crossed and a neutral expression on her face. "Get back to work. He clearly doesn't want to be bothered."

Her tone was stern and rigid, like the most unyielding metal. It was extremely intimidating, so much so that even Arien was surprised by the warning inside the owner's tone. Any normal person would have trembled and stuttered under her gaze. And yet somehow―

"Yes, Mama."

―Syr managed to reply back as if it was nothing, smiling with a cheerful face before bowing her head and heading in the kitchen as if nothing was wrong in the world.

Arien exhaled a sigh of relief.

"I apologize for Syr," the owner grabbed his attention with a shake of the head. Her expression was a mixture of chagrin and weariness as she glanced in the kitchen's direction. "That girl just can't learn to mind her own business. She's even more bold and straightforward than us dwarves, and her curiosity always gets the better of her. I'm sorry if she was bothering you."

The young man took a deep breath. "As long as she doesn't come back here, it's fine," he dismissed her, donning a hand over his temples in attempt to recollect himself. That had been a close call. A very close one, indeed. If the dwarf hadn't intervened at the last moment, Arien was sure he would have flat out attacked the waitress and strangled her into unconsciousness. She really wasn't good for his health, no doubt.

Whoever she was, that girl was both dangerous and annoying. A lethal combination for the boy's patience.

"Do you really dislike her that much?"

Arien met the owner's eyes with a gaze of steel. "I don't trust 'nice' girls," he answered. "Especially those who have no sense of privacy and personal space."

She chuckled. "Fair enough. Your glass is empty, by the way. How about some ale?"

The young man politely refused her offer with a shake of the head. He could clearly see what the dwarf was doing here. She had promised to give him a discount, yes, but if she kept offering him food and drinks, at this rate he was going to be forced to spend more money than necessary. Sorry, but he wouldn't fall for that trick. He wasn't that foolish, and he certainly had no intention of―

A second mug was suddenly thumped on the counter. The owner ignored his words with a grin, and the dragon-slayer sweat-dropped as he exhaled a sigh. Why did she even bother asking, then?

"My name is Mia Grand, by the way," the dwarf suddenly introduced herself. "But everyone calls me Mama Mia."

…I'm never going to call you that, he thought with a deadpan. "I'm Arien. Just a simple traveler," he returned instead with a nod.

He could at least exchange this much information. This dwarf was being polite enough while speaking to him, and she had also saved him from that… thing and her annoying probing. That, and he could also detect nothing but honesty inside the owner's tone. Just like the majority of her race, in fact, she was pretty blunt but honest when she spoke, and he could not detect any ill will coming from her despite her powerful stature. Dwarfs were a pretty straightforward and direct race, after all, and that made them extremely easy to get along with. In most cases.

After exchanging their greetings, Arien and the owner shared a small talk, and the boy asked her a bit about the bar itself. Apparently, this place had been founded and built entirely by Mia alone. According to her words, in fact, she got permission from the goddess of her Familia to retire from Dungeon crawling and open up her own tavern almost seven years ago, and after detecting the truth inside her words, the young man with ashen-white hair suddenly felt more respect for the dwarf behind the counter.

She only hired women, period. However, Mia employed all types of girls with questionable backgrounds, and welcomed them with open arms. A fact that Arien could also see was true upon focusing more on his surroundings and glancing in direction of the other waitresses in the bar.

His trained eyes noticed it immediately. The majority of the waitresses working in this place were more than simple girls. There was no way his instinct could be mistaken about this. A pair of cat girls, a human, an elf… all of them shared one single thing in common: they moved and worked with silent steps. His ears could not detect even the smallest noise coming from their movements as they walked amid the room to serve the customers, making him wonder if they were used to work as thieves or assassins. Arien himself was extremely familiar with that peculiar line of work, despite his looks. His steps made no sound as well, after all.

But it wasn't just the silent steps. Even their faces and bodies looked a bit too weird to belong to simple waitresses. All the girls in the tavern possessed eyes that were both bright and cold, as if something was hidden behind their cheerful behavior. Their posture was rigid and confident as well, and even their knuckles were too developed to belong in the hands of simple maidens. There was no way those girls were simple waitresses. As absurd as it was, on the physical regard, Syr was the only one who looked normal amid the group. But the rest? They were more than simple waitresses. Perhaps they had worked as Adventurers before, or even as thieves or assassins.

Not that Arien cared, though.

"Leaving the Dungeon was the best decision of my life," Mia Grand continued her speech, observing her tavern with a huge grin filled with pride and fondness. "I could no longer stand that job and my goddess' whims. My life has been much brighter ever since I opened this place."

Arien could see that in her eyes. He turned away from the counter, and looked across the main floor of the bar to follow the dwarf's gaze. People were smiling and chatting. Laughter echoed inside the tavern. There were humans and elves looking at their food with hungry eyes, while the waitresses lightly bent over to take their orders and carry the plates. Dwarves were drinking and singing, and a group of prums was living it up on the other side of the room. Everyone was raising their mugs and drinking until they were red in the face, and the air was filled with nothing but joy and cheerfulness.

Despite his sour mood, the young man who had slayed the Dragon couldn't help but smile a bit at the scene. Basking himself amid those positive emotions always had this effect on him. Fairly enough, it was clear to see how working in such a place could be a much better option instead of living as an Adventurer. Compared to the Dungeon, here there was no fear or anxiety; and the lingering sensation of danger and death was completely absent. It was much more relaxing – much more satisfying – to work in a world of peace and happiness rather than fighting in the dark dangers of the Dungeon. That much was true, and Mia Grand was not wrong about that.

But unfortunately, Arien had no place in this bright and peaceful world.

No matter how he longed to be a part of it.

It was time for him to leave.

Arien sighed, finishing his mug of ale with one last sip. Then, he stood up from the counter with a slow movement, closing his eyes with a blank expression.

"Thanks for the food. It was delicious," he said, pushing the empty plates towards the owner. Mia nodded and moved to take the plates away, but she stopped when she saw the young man in front of her placing a small bag of money directly above the counter.

"This is for the meal," he said. "It's the full amount. I checked the prices on the menu."

She raised a brow in confusion. "What about the discount?"

He shook his head, glancing in direction of the kitchen's door from where a certain blue-gray haired girl was popping her head out as soon as he'd stood up from the stool. "I don't want to be indebted to anyone. Especially to that girl," the boy merely said, his voice devoid of emotions.

Mia Grand chuckled, but accepted the money with a nod. "Suit yourself, boy. Feel free to come back anytime you want."

Don't count on it, he mused in his head.

He was about to move and leave the establishment, but the annoying waitress from before dashed in his direction. As soon as he registered the words "Are you leaving already?" and "You still haven't told me your name," and also "Please wait a minute," the young man inwardly cursed.

However, he stopped himself from answering back, for he had no intention of forcing himself into a useless conversation. Therefore, he promptly ignored Syr's attempts to talk to him, completely shutting her words out, and simply walked towards the exit with a fast pace, even as she kept following him with a frowning face all the while. Many customers eyed him with stunned looks as he openly ignored the girl who was trying to talk to him, including Mia and her waitresses, and some of the patrons looked rather annoyed by the fact that he was ignoring such a cute girl despite her obvious attempts to talk to him.

Amid the tavern, a certain blue-eyed elf was staring at him from the other side of the room with narrowed eyes, but the young man didn't notice.

Just as he was about to open the door and leave for good, Syr surprised him with her next action.

She grabbed him by the arms with both hands, and pulled him back with a jerk-like movement.

Arien saw red.

He was about to twist around and lash out at her, but something happened.

The door opened out of the blue, and the young man inadvertently bumped against another person.

The boy recoiled back, not quite hurt by the impact but still surprised enough to blink a few times. He had been so distracted by this girl's constant nagging that he had failed to notice the presence of a small group of people outside the door. He inwardly cursed himself as he shook his head and forced himself to quell his growing frustration. Curse this girl and her damned nature. He had been a fool to enter this bar and follow her whims.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," he tried to apologize to the person standing in front of him, shooting an enraged glare to the waitress standing next to him. "I was too distracted to notice."

Her eyebrow twitched. "I tried to warn you!" she defended herself.

If she did, he had no idea. He had completely zoned off as soon as she's entered the room. Perhaps it had been a mistake on his part, but now it was too late to―

"Well, well! If it isn't the famous Little Rookie!"

The voice of the person whom he had bumped with grabbed his attention all of a sudden, prompting him to tear his eyes away from Syr to stare at the group of three people standing in front of him. Three men – three human Adventurers, judging by the leather armor they were wearing and the small blades strapped to their sides – were glaring down at him with an enraged scowl. The one in the middle especially, the leader, wore a smile on his face that was anything but reassuring. He was a tall, muscular man with blonde hair who couldn't be older than thirty, flanked by two other men who looked slightly younger but were dressed in the same outfit. Whoever they were, it was clear that they belonged to the same Familia.

Arien furrowed his brows as his mind quieted in suspicion. But he had no time to ponder and think about that person's words, because the blond man suddenly placed a hand on his body, grasping his shoulder with a powerful grip. A very, very strong grip.

"Fancy meeting you here, Little Rookie," the man growled at him with a sarcastic tone, his teeth bared into a mad grin. "What a fortuitous coincidence."

The young man said nothing, merely narrowing his eyes.

"Now, now, Seti," one of his companions spoke with a condescending tone, stepping forward a little with a sick smile on his lips. "It's not Little Rookie anymore. Now he is Rabbit Foot!"

"That's right! How rude of me," the man – Seti – exclaimed with sarcasm. His hand was still firmly placed on the boy's shoulder, gripping it with a powerful force. Judging by the strength of his grip, he was at least a Level 4 Adventurer.

Arien did not react, completely unfazed by the man's grip on his shoulder. To him, it didn't matter what Level he was, nor how strong he was supposed to be. Levels, stats, rankings… they were just numbers for him. Nothing but useless notions without any true meaning. Faced with his Divine powers and abilities, the three men in front of him were nothing but ants. Their words and actions and threats couldn't faze him at all.

But he did find the bloodlust oozing from their frame troubling, though. The temperature in the tavern had already dropped several degrees.

The young man took a deep breath, trying hard – so very hard – to remain calm and not cause a commotion inside this place. "There's no need to cause a scene here," Arien attempted to compromise, opening his lips and speaking in a cold voice. "Now, I suggest you unhand me… if you don't want me to break your hand."

Unfortunately, his words only seemed to make them even more angry.

"Hoho! Look at who's trying to be a Hero again," the leader said, fixing him with an expression mixed between mad anger and fury while he kept his hand on his shoulder, uncaring of the young man's narrowed glare. "You fucking disgust me!"

The man spat on his face, and Arien closed his eyes as the entire bar grew completely quiet.

The temperature dropped even further.

Syr attempted to cut in. "Hey! Stop it, you brutes! You can't do this here!"

"Shut up, you bitch!" Seti cut her off, snarling at the waitress with an enraged face. Syr openly stepped back in fear under his wide, bloodshot eyes. "Why are you taking this freak's side? Have you already forgotten what he did two weeks ago in Daedalus Street? All the damage and destruction he has caused? Why is everyone always defending this bastard?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!"

The man slapped Arien across the face with a closed fist. The young man's head snapped to the side as he took the blow, and the entire bar gasped in shock.

"OUR HOUSE WAS DESTROYED BECAUSE OF YOU!" the man was screaming at him. "The throne of our god Set, our Familia's treasury, all our belongings… gone! Because of what YOU did! Because you defended a MONSTER!"

The boy's eyes widened slightly, even as he received another punch in the face from one of Seti's companions.

With one single glance from Mia Grand, the waitresses of the bar stepped in immediately.

A pair of cat girls spurred into action, dashing towards the entrance and appearing next to Syr who was backing away from the group with a horrified and enraged expression on her face. Along with them, a human girl and an elf did the same thing, placing themselves next to Arien with a cold, emotionless expression while they glared at the three Adventurers who were attacking him; both verbally and physically.

"Enough," the elf commanded in a stern tone. "Unhand him at once."

"Stop it, nya!" a cat girl hissed.

Syr was openly staring in horror as her other two coworkers tried to pull her away from the group. "Leave him alone! He's not―"

"HE'S FUCKING MONSTER FETISH FREAK, THAT'S WHAT HE IS!" the leader roared with bellowing fury. Once again, he openly landed another punch on the young man's face. Syr and many other patrons gasped in horror as the boy's face snapped to the side. Blood sprayed on the floor, staining the wood with a crimson color.

Still, the young man did not move one, single inch.

The elf had had enough. With a lightning-fast movement, she grabbed a hidden knife from her pocket and moved to slash at the leader who was raising his free arm to deliver yet another punch on the boy―

―only for her arm to be suddenly grabbed by a hand, prompting her to stop before she could slash at the offending Adventurer.

Her eyes widened out of human proportion, and her world stilled for a moment. Stunned and paralyzed, the elf's gaze snapped towards the young man who had grabbed her by the wrist, only to discover with a gigantic amount of shock that he had managed to grab her hand without even looking in her direction. Her mind blanked completely, both because a man was currently touching her and because said man had done so with such an impossible speed that even a strong elf like her couldn't help but remain stunned.

This man hadn't even spared a single glance in her direction, and yet he'd been able to stop her attack while being punched in the face.

I didn't even see him move! the elf gasped inside her head, her mind filled with too much surprise and shock to fully digest the fact that a man was currently touching her skin. Stunned as she was, she didn't even realize that fact until it was too late.

Slowly, Arien suddenly released the elf's hand, and everyone in the room paused and stared at him with wide eyes; including the three men in front of him. Even the leader who had previously grasped his shoulder suddenly released him upon seeing that speed of reaction, taking a step back with wide eyes.

Tense, absolute silence fell amid the Hostess of Fertility. The whole bar quieted and waited.

Until Arien Cranel finally broke the silence with a cold, unforgiving tone. "…listen here, trash," he spat, raising his bloodied face to glare at the Adventurers frozen in shock in front of him. "Do I look like a Rookie or a fucking Rabbit to you?"

The entire tavern remained frozen in shock.

Slowly, his body began to ooze off killing intent, and the waitresses moved away from him with wide eyes, taking a few steps back to put some distance from the boy.

The three men who had previously attacked him stared at him in horror as they did the same.

"O-O-Oi, Captain! H-He is not Rabbit F-Foot!" one of them stuttered in realization – the only one who hadn't physically hit him yet – making the man known as Seti jump back in fear while the oppressive bloodlust washed over them like a tide.

Arien glowered at them. "No shit, you dumbasses," he spat, his voice cold and unforgiving. "About damn time you figured it out."

Seti was openly sweating like a scared animal. "I…I-I…"

"Mia."

The owner of the tavern stiffened upon being called out. She stared with a narrowed gaze as the young man who was at the center of this mess slowly turned to her with his head, his face dripping with blood as their eyes locked. The dwarf met his gaze, and it was cold, frosty, and wrathful; with a sharp and cold look that Mia would recognize anywhere.

The owner of the bar almost sighed in resignation upon hearing his question.

"As long as I don't wreck damage to your place, can I deal with this matter here?" he asked, his voice colder than any metal.

She exhaled a weary sigh, nodding her head in resignation. "If you must," she conceded.

The young man parted his bloodied lips into a grim smile.

"Remember," Arien spoke with a cold tone, turning his head back to the three Adventurers. "You started this."

A chill descended upon each and every one of them.

"W-Wait a second!" Seti stuttered in a frantic voice, waving his hands in front of his face with a panicked movement. "I-I was wrong! I didn't know you were-"

"I don't care," he cut him off, cracking the bones in his hands. "You called him a monster fetish freak."

The worst insult in the world, hurled at his last remaining relative.

He could not stand it.

Faster than a man could blink, Arien Cranel moved. His fist crashed against the blond man's face, and the impact generated a resounding crack that echoed throughout the bar for an entire second. The man didn't even see it coming. One moment he was pleading and stuttering in panicked shame, and the next one everything had become white, as a mind-consuming pain blossomed and exploded on every inch of his face. The man screamed and groaned in pain, his body crashing on the floor while blood exploded from his broken nose and lips.

No one saw it happen, except for Mia. It had been just a single step. The young man with ashen-white hair had taken one, single step… but he had moved farther and faster than anyone else could have. All he did was step forward, and that was all it took to erase the distance between him and the Adventurers and completely elude everyone's senses. Then, the boy had swung his right arm, and crushed the man's face completely.

Nothing more.

Everyone in the bar gaped and stared in shock while Seti fell on the floor, moaning like a wounded animal. The customers, the waitresses, the owner, and even Syr herself could do nothing but widen their eyes and part their lips in a gasp. But they had no time to react or realize what was happening in full, for the young man named Arien had already appeared in front of his next target, who was staring at him in horror.

"You guys gave me three punches," the dragon-slayer said. "That makes one."

The next blow arrived even more suddenly than before.

A second punch, faster than the previous one, slammed itself on the man's ribs, taking all the breath away from his lungs and making him double over in pain. The poor man could do nothing to defend himself. He didn't even register the movement. The moment he had failed to see and avoid the boy's limp that was at least three inches smaller than his own, he had lost the right to remain conscious.

His eyes rolled behind his head, and the man fall to the floor like a dead weight, completely passed out.

"Two," Arien counted, his voice devoid of emotions.

Then, he turned to Seti again. The man with blonde hair was rolling pathetically on the wooden floor, his hands grasped above his bloodied face as he groaned and moaned in pain. His nose was completely broken, and the young man could see a few teeth scattered around his frame, much to the customers' silent disgust and shock.

Taking a deep breath, Arien steeled himself. His right hand was covered in blood, and the warrior who had slayed the Dragon clenched it into a fist as he grabbed the man by the collar with the other one.

"P-P-Pwhease swtop," the Adventurer was pleading in a slur, tears of pain and fear flowing from his eyes. "Habe mewcy! I wo―!"

The third punch slammed on his face, and the man fell limp to the floor, motionless. A pool of blood began to form around his head.

"…and three."

The young man with ashen-white air straightened himself, staring at the two unconscious men with a blank expression while he wiped away the red-crimson liquid from his hand. His face was bloodied and swollen, but it was nothing compared to the damage he had done to the blonde. The man's teeth were completely shattered, and he had probably cracked his jaw bone with that last punch. Not that he cared, though. He deserved this.

Once again, silence returned to reign inside the tavern.

The young man ignored everyone's stunned looks, turning his gaze to the last remaining Adventurer of the trio. The one who hadn't landed a single blow on him. He was trembling and crying in fear, with his back against the wall while he desperately – and pathetically – tried to step away from there in a discreet manner.

Arien fixed him with a cold stare. The man physically startled when his grey eyes landed on him with an emotionless glare. "You," he spoke, his voice sounding completely devoid of feels. "Answer me. You guys belong to the Set Familia?"

In response, the man nodded with a trembling head, his back still glued to the wall like an animal cornered by its predator.

The young man stared straight into his eyes, his gaze colder than the sharpest metal. "Take them away, and clean this mess at once," he ordered, pointing to his unconscious companions and to the blood staining the floor of the bar. "Then go back to your god, and tell him that if I'll ever see any of you again… I won't show mercy a second time. Is that clear?"

Silence was his only answer. The poor man was trembling so much that he couldn't even form a coherent sentence.

"Is. That. Clear?" Arien asked again, releasing his bloodlust for a split-second.

"Y-Y-YES!" was the man's desperate cry.

Without wasting a single second, the man moved to obey the order, crying and sniffling all the while.

Arien closed his eyes, exhaling a long breath and finally allowing himself to calm down. When he opened them again, he found every person inside the bar staring at him, their expressions a jumbled mixture of amazement, disbelief, and – as expected – fear. Some of the patrons where gaping at him with their mouths agape, others where trembling in terror, and a few of them looked completely baffled and worried. Even the waitresses were all staring at him with narrowed eyes, their faces a mask of shock and suspicion mixed together. Syr's especially.

Upon realizing his current situation, the dragon-slayer cursed himself.

He considered his options inside of his head. He could exit this place right now, leaving the current mess behind, and try to search for another inn in the middle of the night while forgetting all of this… but if he had to be sincere with himself, he wasn't really in the mood for that right now. He had already dealt with a lot of nuisances for a single day, and he honestly had no intention of roaming amid the streets aimlessly, searching for another place to stay at this hour of the night. He was too tired – too exhausted – to deal with that kind of stress. He had barely returned alive from a fight to the death against a gigantic lizard and a week inside the Dungeon. He just wanted his well-deserved rest.

Thus, since he was already here, he might as well settle in.

In the end, he took his decision.

"…screw it. I'm too tired for this shit," he spoke out loud, not even bothering to hide his exasperation.

Arien returned to the counter, exhaling a weary sigh in front Mia, the waitresses, and the patrons' stunned gazes. He paid no mind to the people staring at him with wide eyes, and promptly ignored Syr's attempt to reach out to him while he kept his eyes glued only to the owner's own.

"I was told this place served as an inn," he spoke with a collected tone, completely ignoring the world around him and the blood dripping from his face. "I was hoping I could stay for a few nights. A week, at most."

Sheer silence greeted his casual request. Every single person inside the room stared at him with wide eyes. Yet, he did not react, waiting for Mia's response patiently.

The dwarf blinked, then nodded slowly as she forced herself to assume a neutral expression. "…that will be 5000 valis per night. Meals included."

Arien spoke no further. Instead, he reached for his pouch. From there, without uttering a single sound, he tossed a medium-sized bag of money on the counter in front of the owner, ignoring the people's silent disbelief. "Keep the change," was all he said.

Mia Grand nodded, taken aback, but she handed him a room key all the same. "The guest rooms are on the second floor. Breakfast is at 7 o'clock," she said, grabbing the bag to check the amount of money. She pointed a finger at his swollen face dripping with blood. "Also… you might want to put some ice on that. I can-"

"There's no need, but thank you for the offer," he dismissed her, uncaring, turning away in a swift motion as he began to leave the main floor of the bar, heading in direction of the stairs on the back while the entire tavern looked at him in silent stupor all the while. Just when he was about to leave the main floor, he stopped, turning around slightly and sharing a curt bow towards the owner, the waitresses and all the patrons of the tavern.

"Sorry for the mess I've caused," was the last thing he said.

Finally, with no further ado, the young man with ashen-white hair exited the room and went on the stairs, disappearing from sight without making a single noise.

Seconds passed, followed by minutes.

Until, everyone was suddenly roused from their shock when Mia Grand openly jolted in surprise. Syr and the other waitresses moved closer to the dwarf while she checked the bag filled to the brim with golden coins. Many of the girls gaped in shock at the sight of so much money.

"That brat… he just tossed me a bag with one million valis," the owner of the tavern muttered, scratching her neck with a mixture of disbelief and silent annoyance. A trickle of sweat openly dripped on her cheek as she shook her head, while the rest of the tavern looked at the scene in bewilderment.

Syr and the waitresses exchanged a silent, shocked glance.

Mia Grand snorted, shooting a narrowed stare in direction of the stairs.

"Just a simple traveler my ass."

---

He was so tiny, and yet weighted so much in her arms.

He was so puffy and cute, so much so that the woman felt like she could stare at him forever, even though she was exhausted since he had cried non-stop for the last two hours. Yet, despite the ringing of her ears, she did not abhor his cries.

They felt comforting, even.

Meteria stared at the sleeping child in her arms, gazing at his puffy, chubby face with an adoring gaze.

He was so little that she could hold him with one arm alone. His hair was of the same color of her own, their features so alike. He resembled Alfia, of course… but his eyes were different. They were not amber-colored like her own, nor heterochromatic like her sister's. They were grey, like the color of the steel, or that of the clouds darting through the sky.

They were grey… just like his father's.

Meteria did not care one single bit. The baby was hers now, and she would raise him as her own. He was so small and fragile… she wouldn't allow him to suffer as long as she draw breath. No matter who his father was, no matter her sister's rejection, Meteria would never abandon this little bundle of life; never. No matter what.

The moon shone in the sky outside the window, and the woman gently caressed the newborn's cheek.

That night, staring at the child's sleeping face, Meteria took a solemn vow.

She would not abandon him no matter what. She didn't want him to suffer. She didn't want him to be alone. She didn't want him to live in a cruel world like she and Alfia had been forced to do. Her sister had grown cold and heartless because of that, so much so that she was willing to abandon the very same life she had brought forth in this world because of her fear. Because of her pain. Because of her stubborn, unreasonable denial. She was so scared of this child that she had even refused to give him a name… something that Meteria had been forced to do in her stead.

But Meteria wasn't her sister, and she wouldn't abandon him no matter what.

She didn't want him to suffer.

She didn't want him to be alone.

She was going to make sure he would grow up strong and happy.

"Don't worry, my little Arien."

And more importantly―

"Your auntie is here."

―she was going to make sure he would grow up with her love.

"I will never let you go."

---

ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S NOTES

Many of you have expressed some concerns about the unfolding of this story in the reviews and DMs. Those concerns are basically two, and I'll try to answer and clarify them separately below.

1) - The first one is this: basically, some of you are saying that you don't want to wait too long for the moment when the world will discover the fact that Arien is the one who killed the Dragon. Some of you even went as far as saying that the story could be ruined if this secret is "prolonged" too much, and that doing so could "kill" the plot. Therefore, I need to address this matter to clarify things for good.

I think you guys have misunderstood something: there is NO REVEAL in my story.

While I do plan to make the world realize that it was Arien the one who killed the Dragon at a certain point (probably somewhere between chapter 15 and 20, or perhaps even sooner if I manage to increase the length of the chapters), that is NOT the main point of the story. Have you already forgotten?

I've said it since the notes of the first chapter. Since the very beginning: the main goal of this story is to reveal who Arien IS. His ORIGINS, his NAME, his full relationship with BELL, and the ROLE he had during the events of seven years prior, and so on. NOT the fact that he slew the Dragon. That will happen as well – make no mistake – but compared to the rest, it will be inconsequential to the big scheme of things. That had always been the plan in my mind. Despite what you may believe, we won't need to reveal his role in killing the King of Monsters to make Arien important to the public eye. Why? We'll see soon enough.

2) - The second main issue: some of you have expressed some other complaints, saying that you feel like the pairing for Arien should be with Aiz instead of Ryuu… to which I'm only going to say one thing.

I think you guys are severely underestimating the reason why Aiz has "feelings" – not quite true, but please allow me this stretch – for Bell. You are completely taking away all the interactions and emotions the two of them have shared during the events leading to the Xenos incident, which is the point from where this story begins. Bell Cranel is basically Aiz's main inspiration. Her silent hope. The only beacon of light in her world made of darkness and vengeance. That is pretty much canon in the original works. She was able to grow stronger and more resolute because of him, and for those who have read the Novels (like me), that is even more obvious.

I can't just erase all of that simply because I had Arien killing the Dragon and free Aria. That wouldn't make sense. Just because Arien has been tasked to find Aiz, it doesn't mean he must end up being romantically involved with her. Freeing her mother won't be enough to make her fall for him. Love doesn't work that way, guys. I know it's Danmachi we're talking about (therefore, everyone thinks the characters should fall in love with each other for whatever stupid reason… and sadly, sometimes that is true even in the canon works) but personally, I'm trying to create a serious story here. Therefore, I will use and treat those concepts seriously. Being a unique pair of children born from an immortal being will be a point of connection between Aiz and Arien, yes, but Bell's role in Aiz's mental and emotional development won't be diminished because of that. It just wouldn't make sense.

Also, you seem to forget that Arien is linked to the Evilus War. Therefore, he also has a connection with Ryuu. A connection that we'll see soon enough, since we'll glimpse a bit of it in the next chapter already.

I hope it was clear enough. I'm more than happy to answer to any doubts you might have, so feel free to ask me whatever you want in private. Gavius will deliver my answers to you, as always.

Thank you for reading. Comments and criticism are always appreciated, and I will always answer to those who'll let me know their opinion.