So, initially I mentioned that the novel was still going to be with Ryuu. But as I wrote this chapter, several ideas for the story popped into my mind.
For now, let's just see how the story will develop before I choose someone.
I am really in doubt about who to choose. If my doubt remains when the story has a good number of chapters, I will probably make a small harem - with at most 3 girls (if I force 4 a bit) - but it won't go beyond that. Comment what you think.
Well, if you like Freya, you will certainly like this chapter a lot.
Chapter 1 - City of Orario - Intriguing Soul - Setting Goals
The gates of the city of Orario were quite crowded today.
Various people, ranging from merchants, people who were returning from some mission that was completed outside the city, people who were coming to become adventurers, and even people who simply wanted to live in Orario City as an ordinary resident with an ordinary job. However, the vast majority were coming to simply become adventurers, thanks to the amount of money that high-level adventurers can make in the dungeon.
Within the line, you could see several people chatting happily with other familiar people, or even people who had never seen each other before, chatting as if they had been friends for a long time, asking questions like "what do you plan to do when you enter the city?"
These people were clearly, patient. But there are always both sides. While there are these patient people, waiting quietly in the big line, there are also the impatient people, yelling at the people in line to walk soon, or complaining to guards asking them to hurry the line along.
"Come on, walk!"
"How long do you plan to make all of us wait, guards!?"
"Shut the fuck up or I'll make you go back to the end of the line!" One of the guards shouted at the people who were throwing a tantrum, indignant.
The guards were responsible for keeping orders and deciding whether or not a person could enter the city of Orario. One guard stood near the large line of people, making sure that no one could enter in front of another person, while two guards guarded the large gate leading into the city of Orario. Both guards stood on each side of the big gate, and both guards had clipboards in their hands, to write down the names of the people entering the city of Orario.
Since there were two guards, they took every two people, the two at the front of the line. This setup was done to keep the city of Orario safe from very dangerous people. A small fee was also included for people who were entering the city for the first time.
"Okay, you can go through," said the guard to the adventurer who went through the gate throwing curses at the guard for taking so long. The guard sighed as he muttered, "Man, this job totally sucks."
"I can agree with you, but keep it down," said the other guard allowing another person to enter the city. "You don't want Captain Shakti to hear you saying that, she'll have you killed," he warned.
The guard shuddered when his friend told him this. Certainly, Shakti is a cold and strict woman, even in a hectic and chaotic situation. However, she is someone who follows the rules completely, if she sees them grumbling from work, she will certainly make them listen to her cold words.
They continued their work, letting a few people in. It was still the morning hours, and they would work the entire morning hours before the afternoon hour substitutes came. The time went progressively quietly after the impatient people came into town.
"Next!"
As soon as the guard called out the next one, he had a very strange feeling. He took his eyes off his clipboard and looked up, only to see a pair of deep brown eyes. He looked at the person in front of him; a man who appeared to be over 175 celch. He was a type of suit worn for special events or an occupation. But the strange part was the fact that, the color of his suit was reddish pink, a color never seen before, along with a white color in the center.
He appeared to be between 18-20 years old, one hand in his pocket and a totally calm countenance as he stood in front of the guard, waiting for the questions. Several people in the line were looking at him strangely, probably because of the unusual suit he was wearing.
But it wasn't just that. 'What the hell is that?' For some strange reason, the guard found himself totally on guard for the person in front of him, a very strange feeling. Apparently, he had nothing on him.
"Excuse me?" The man's voice said in a monotone, bringing the guard out of his thoughts.
"Oh, right," the guard came to his senses. "So, you're new to the city of Orario, right?" The guard doesn't remember seeing him before, but he couldn't rule out the fact that guards from other schedules know him, so he asked that, just to make sure.
"Yes, I am someone new in this town, this is my first time here."
"I see. Have you heard about this place from someone?"
Apparently, he needed to go through this process. He just nodded his head as the guard went to the main point.
"Tell me your full name and your reason for coming to this town."
"I am Ayanokouji Kiyotaka," he introduced himself calmly, his tone of voice never changing and the same calm countenance. "The reason I come to this place... well, I just plan to live as a resident of the city, and if need be, become an adventurer in the future."
The guard began making notes on his clipboard before looking at Ayanokouji again.
"The fee for someone who is coming to the city for the first time is about 1,500 valis."
What he feared most, happened.
"You need a fee to get in?"
"You didn't know?"
Ayanokouji shook his head. "No one told me you needed an initial fee. I'm afraid I don't have any money with me right now, is this going to be too much trouble?"
The fairies didn't mention any fee, but it's normal that they don't know that since they haven't interacted with humans in many years. The book also did not mention at any point that he needed to pay a fee to enter the city for the first time. It would be very problematic if he could not enter after waiting for a long time in this big line.
He also had no more food and water that were given to him by the fairies, he has to find a place to work quickly, and if he ends up not finding anything, he will have to venture inside the Dungeon to get some money. He still remembers the book mentioning that the "stones" that dropped from the monsters were exchanged for money in this place. The man mentioned 1,500 valis, which meant that was the name of the money used in this world, well, at least in this town.
He didn't know how many of these "valis" were valuable compared to the yen, Japan's money. Probably something useless for him to think about right now. The economy of this place is certainly quite different from Earth, which meant that he would have to learn from scratch to avoid being robbed by scammers in the future.
The hand in his pocket was hiding the ring that the Fairy Queen had given him. There were many people after him, and he doesn't want to take unnecessary risks by showing the ring full of valuable jewels to everyone, well, at least not now. It is inevitable that people will see the ring with him in the future, but so many people together in one place is dangerous.
He doesn't have any blessings like the adventurers, and in this line, apparently, there are several adventurers who are returning from missions that were done outside the city. He was playing it safe, coming into conflict with someone blessed by a god is the last thing he wants.
The guard stood thinking for a moment, probably deciding what decision he was going to make.
At this moment several people began to get impatient because one side was not moving. They started shouting at the guard to hurry up, but the guard was totally disconnected from what was happening behind the line. He was concentrating on the person in front of him.
He looked suspicious and didn't have any money. This was very strange because of the fancy suit he was wearing, which probably cost more than 100,000 valis, but still he didn't have any money with him? In addition, there is also the strange feeling that the guard gets from being around this mysterious man.
Everything about him screams suspicious.
After a long time of thinking, the guard felt that the ideal decision would be to deny him entry into the city, however, before he could say anything, a new person entered the scene.
"What's with all the yelling?"
It was a beautiful woman with blue hair and eyes. She was wearing an orange outfit with some white details, she was wearing some kind of metal armor on the part of her arms, and part of her feet were also covered by some kind of armor.
The moment she appeared, one cold glance from her was enough to cause all the people who were shouting to quickly fall silent. She stood with her arms crossed looking at the line with cold eyes, and seconds later, she started looking at the guards, expecting some explanation from them.
"Captain Shakti!" The guards saluted her at the same time.
Her eyes went to the person in front, specifically Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. She watched him calmly, his calm countenance, the way he didn't seem to care about the whole mess. The moment her eyes met his eyes, it was a totally different experience. It was as if she was looking into an endless dark abyss.
Her assessment lasted a few seconds before she turned to the guard in charge.
"Explain the situation to me," she spoke with her strict tone, causing the guard to straighten his posture.
The guard immediately began to explain the whole situation to her, about the man who had no money to pay the initial fee, as well as his suspicions about this mysterious man. Shakti just absorbed the whole explanation as she sent a few glances at the brown haired man, something he noticed, but didn't seem to mind it one bit. In fact, she was a bit intrigued about this man in the unusual suit, she totally understood the guard's suspicions about him.
When the guard finished the whole explanation, she started walking to the brown haired man and spoke to him.
"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, right?"
"Yes. Will there be problems for me to enter the city?" He asked.
Actually, he was really praying that he wouldn't get kicked out. The book was set entirely in this city and the Dungeon in it, and while there are certainly villages in other places away from this city, they shouldn't be as advanced as the adventurers' city. At worst, if he were actually forbidden to enter, he would probably go to the fairies again and ask if he could live with them.
"There are certainly some problems," she began. "However, if you are willing to come with me for a little questioning and not be considered dangerous, I will let you into the city without paying the fee, what do you think?"
"Sounds good to me."
His response was quick and without any emotions present. His monotone tone was really something quite strange. However, he seemed to be quite mature and was willing to cooperate without any problems. She knew adventurers who were quite old - over 30 - who behaved like idiots and clowns, but this boy who couldn't have been more than 20 years old was more mature than any of the adventurers she had met so far.
He couldn't afford to leave after getting this far. He didn't know what exactly her interrogation would be like, but it would certainly be something different from normal interrogations. Whatever it would be, he would be prepared.
"That's good. Follow me, we've wasted too many people's time here already."
He did exactly as she asked and followed her. When they passed the guards, the woman named Shakti advised that they could continue with the routine. The morning period was almost over.
Ayanokouji followed Shakti inside the gates of Orario.
I was leading the mystery man somewhere so that I could question him. However, I would not do this alone.
The moment we entered the city, I couldn't help but notice the curious looks on people's faces. Not only that, but the man himself seemed to be looking at the places in the city with some curiosity, he was watching everything intently, ignoring the looks people were sending at us.
The walk went on for some time as I watched him looking at the places in the city we passed. But, I noticed something very interesting about this man.
His steps were very quiet, so much so that it is difficult even for me to hear.
Although his gaze seemed indifferent looking at everything, I knew that he was totally analyzing the environment around him, as if in search of any traps that I might be leading him into. This way of behaving is not that of an amateur, but of an experienced warrior.
"My name is Shakti Varma of the Ganesha Familia," I introduced myself, since he didn't know my full name. "You don't possess any Falna, right?"
Even if he came from outside doesn't mean that he doesn't have a Falna. He may well have received it from some god who lives outside of Orario, although it would be quite difficult to level up outside of the Dungeon that is located in the city of Orario. Someone who rose to level 2 outside Orario could be considered an elite warrior. The monsters outside the Dungeon are weaker than the versions inside it.
"No, I'm a perfectly normal human," he spoke in his monotone voice as he walked behind me.
Perfectly normal human, eh? Why do I feel that this statement of his is totally ridiculous?
"I see."
So apparently he did not possess any Falna, which was quite strange. Maybe he was trained from a young age to become an adventurer in the future? If that is the case, whoever the person was who trained him must have done a good job. Although I can't say much since I haven't seen him fight, but just the way he moves is something to think about.
We didn't say anything else as I guided him to the Ganesha Familia home. I sighed at the thought of what was about to happen.
The walk didn't last much longer when we reached our destination.
"...I am Ganesha?" I hear him mutter as he looked at the sign on top of my Familia house.
I am very thankful that he didn't mention why the house is shaped like my Familia god, less of a headache.
"Let's go," I called as I opened the doors.
He followed me in silence.
This was quite strange.
Why did the house seem to be shaped like someone? The sign above it also said "I am Ganesha".
This led me to think that this place was shaped like the god of the familia she was a part of. I didn't ask her about it, which I realized was the right thing to do, if her sigh of relief was anything to go by. However, building a place shaped like the god himself? Although it was strange, it was also somewhat interesting. The god of this Familia seemed to be quite interesting.
By the way, apparently I could read the writing of this world, as I could read what was written outside. The writing was totally similar to Japanese with very few changes, which made it very easy for me to understand. This was a very positive thing, as it would probably take me much less time to understand 100% the writing of this place.
And understanding the writing was very important, as I would be living here from now on. I could also talk to the people here without any problems. They were certainly speaking Japanese, which makes sense since this work was written by a Japanese person.
"Isn't there anyone from your Familia here?" I asked while still holding the hand that was wearing the ring in my pocket.
"At this time there shouldn't be anyone. They must be going about their business for the day.
I see. So, we were most likely going to see her Familia god.
It didn't take long before we arrived at a wooden door. She raised her hands to the doorknob of the wooden door, however, it still didn't open. She seemed to be hesitating a bit as she turned to me with strange eyes.
"My god can be a little weird, so please just ignore his idiocies, okay?"
Although a little confused, I nodded, and with that she opened the door.
"Ganesha-"
"I am Ganesha!"
A male voice called out before Shakti could finish her speech. I analyzed the god who was currently standing on the wooden table as he struck a strange pose and Shakti tried to get him to come down.
He is a muscular man who wears a red and yellow elephant mask over his face. He wears an orange sash that goes over his right shoulder and wraps around his waist. A leather plate with golden hoops is on his stomach, holding the costume together. He also wears white pants with dark brown boots below the knee - also with gold details. He also wears golden gauntlets. The God in long, shaggy, grayish-brown hair.
After Shakti managed to get him down from the table, she said something to him and pointed at me. The said god turned to me and then.
"I am Ganesha!"
What is wrong with this god?
Shakti looked at me. Ah, I get it.
"I am Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, it is a pleasure," I began as I took my hand out of my pocket and raised it to him, signaling a greeting.
At this moment, I saw both of them looking at my hand intently. More precisely at the ring with a large green jewel and other small precious stones around it that was on my hand. They were silent for a while until the god shook my hand, accepting the greeting.
"That's quite a ring you have there. I am Ganesha!"
After that, we let go of our hands and I felt her gaze turn in my direction.
"Did you lie when you said you had no money to pay the fee?" Shakti asked interrogatively with her eyebrows narrowed.
I understand her distrust and I didn't want to create any misunderstanding, so I was quick to explain my reasons to her.
"No, I didn't lie. The reason I hid this ring was because there were many people in that line, I wanted to avoid any unnecessary conflict that might occur in the future. I am not so naive as to believe that there were not any greedy people in that place. Don't forget that I am not an adventurer, I don't possess Falna, so a conflict with them is the last thing I want."
This ring is certainly very valuable, much more than people will initially think, after all it is something that the Fairy Queen herself gave me. In addition, they also give me something that will be very essential for my survival in this new world, something I refuse to lose.
"Indeed, mortals tend to be very greedy when something of great value appears in front of them. You have made a smart choice, young man." Ganesha sat down in the chair behind the wooden table.
Apparently, this place was some kind of office of his.
"I see," after Ganesha spoke, Shakti softened her expression. "I didn't expect that you already had a bride."
"Hm? I don't have any fiancée."
"Eh? But isn't this a wedding ring?" She asked.
Well, it did indeed look like a wedding ring.
"Although it looks like a wedding ring it's not," I said.
"If that's the case why are you wearing it on your left ring finger? That's usually where wedding rings go, you know that, right?"
"..."
Ah, now I understand. It seems that I ended up causing a big misunderstanding by not being aware of this specific information. Well, I never sought to know things like that, after all, one way or another I would be back in that White Room. At least that was my thought when I was attending ANHS.
"Didn't you know?" seeing that I remained silent, she asked. Although her expression was still the same, I could sense the slightest bit of surprise in her voice. "Well, if you really didn't know about this, you'd better change the finger that the ring is on so as not to create misunderstandings, well, that's if you care, of course."
I took her advice and quickly moved the ring. One of my goals was to learn about that "love" thing, and scaring off women thinking I am married is not a very smart idea. After this, I saw Shakti talking to her god in a very low voice.
After she finished talking to him, Ganesha turned to me with a rather serious face.
"So you want to live in this city, right?"
His voice was completely different from before. The god who seemed to be quite playful, showed an absurd seriousness, something I really didn't expect after the first interaction I had with him.
So he knows how to be serious at the right times, huh.
"Yes," I replied, trying to sound as serious as possible, however, my voice came out monotone as usual.
"Very well," he nodded to himself. "In that case, let's start the interrogation. Just a word of advice, I don't know if you know, but mortals cannot lie to a god, so I advise that you answer as honestly as possible."
So I can't lie to a god, eh? Besides, the way he said it was clearly a warning. If I try to lie at any time, I can say goodbye to becoming a resident of this city. Shakti pulled out a chair for me and placed it in front of me, I accepted it and sat down, waiting for the interrogation questions.
"First let's start with some questions without too much weight, Shakti."
"Yes," she stood next to Ganesha, "first question, are you human?"
So she's the one who's going to ask the questions, huh. It looks like the god is just going to make sure if I'm lying or not. The first question was pretty simple, so I had no problem answering it.
"Yes, I am a human."
"Second question, how old are you?"
"Sixteen years old."
The moment I said that, she paused for a while before looking at her god. He just nodded before she turned to me again. However, I didn't fail to notice the little expression she made when I mentioned my age, although it was no big deal, she seemed to be surprised by it.
Perhaps, she thought I was older?
"Third question, where are you from?"
It seemed that from the third question on, things were going to start getting more problematic.
"I am from a place far away from here, I doubt you or even your god knows the place."
She didn't seem very pleased with my answer, but accepted it anyway. Whenever she asked a question, she would look at her god, and he would nod positively. So positive is when I am telling the truth. After the third question, she asked other basic questions that were not so difficult to answer, but soon the essential questions began.
"Do you plan to hurt any people in this town?"
That was a very problematic question. If I answer no, it will surely count as a lie, since even I cannot affirm this fact. Seeing a bit of my delay in answering her question, she looked at me more intensely, waiting for my answer which came seconds later.
"Well, I don't confirm or deny that. It will depend on the situation. Currently I don't want to get into any kind of trouble with anyone, but if it is the person himself who comes to make trouble with me, and depending on how serious this trouble is, I will return it in the same coin."
It was the most honest answer in this situation. She looked at Ganesha who nodded positively before turning to me again.
"Do you plan to do any harm to the city of Orario?"
The question was quite similar, but with a different weight.
"No." I have no reason to do anything bad to this city, after all, I will probably live here for the rest of my life.
"This ring, you said it's not a wedding ring, right? Your clothes are very elegant for someone who has no money at all, so I wonder, did you steal to get these things?"
That was an expected question. Someone with a ring that is probably worth thousands and a fancy "outfit" not having 1,500 valis to pay the initial fee is definitely suspicious. There is no reason to tell the whole truth, so a play on words should be enough.
"My clothes are a uniform that was given to me to attend a type of 'establishment' on a daily basis. As for the ring, it was given to me as a gift for helping take care of some monsters that were terrorizing someone's house. Everything belongs to me legally, I didn't steal anything."
Even if I couldn't lie in front of a god, it doesn't mean that I have to tell "the whole truth" about a given matter. As long as I know how to play with words, it is possible to manipulate.
"Okay, last question. What is your purpose in the city of Orario? What do you seek in this city?"
"A quiet life," was my immediate response.
After confirming that I didn't lie with her god, she turned back to me. "Really, a quiet life? I expected you to be like most people who come to the city of Orario in search of becoming an adventurer and making a lot of money."
Certainly, having a lot of money is always good, it is something essential wherever you go, even in a different world. However.
"Although money is important, I am not that greedy. I don't deny the possibility of me becoming an adventurer, but if possible, I would like to have a normal job to earn enough money to support myself without problems. It's much more relaxing than wanting to go fight monsters that can kill me at any moment."
"Yes, I can understand you," Shakti spoke softly. "It's normal to feel fear when facing some of the stronger monsters in the Dungeon, but you can't let this fear shake you."
Was she trying to give me advice? Apparently, she seems to think that the reason I don't become an adventurer first is because I am afraid of the Dungeon monsters. Also, she mentioned stronger monsters, which means that she must imagine that I won't have problems with the initial monsters. Well, I didn't try to correct her or anything, there was no point in doing that anyway.
However...
Fear is a feeling that I stopped feeling many years ago, Shakti.
I am really grateful that she didn't ask something like "Are you a bad person?" or other questions that could compromise me in a bad way, in case she asked those questions, I would have no escape options. I really appreciate that you turned out to be more naive than you seem, Shakti.
"I am Ganesha!" The god exclaimed before hastily standing up. "The interrogation has been completed."
"Can I stay in the city?"
"Absolutely. I am Ganesha!"
I really don't know what is wrong with this god. Shakti just put her palm on her head and let out a sigh. She seemed to be used to his mischief, and I really felt a little sorry for her for that.
"Ah, can I ask you a question?" There was something very important that I should be aware of.
Before the god could speak, Shakti put her hand over his mouth and spoke.
"Sure, if it's something that can be answered, no problem."
"You guys have the list of all the new people coming into the city, right?"
"Yes, why?"
"Could you guys tell me if someone named Bell Cranel has entered this town recently, or if it has been a while since he entered?"
That would be a very risky move. However, I needed to be at least somewhat aware of the length of time I have been in this world. It could end up being a double-edged sword. If she answers that he has already entered the city some time ago, she could mention me to him, in case she ends up meeting him at some point. The same would be the other way around, since if he hadn't arrived yet, she could mention me in the same way.
But due to the personality of the protagonist, there is no great risk in doing this. If I ended up meeting him, and he questioned me about how I know him, I could simply say that I had seen him at some point. This certainly wouldn't work on normal people and they would be suspicious of me, but the protagonist's personality is very naive until the final moment of the book - which ends right after his fight against the Minotaur - which ended, unsurprisingly, with the protagonist's victory over the monster.
One of the only reasons I ventured this way.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the way in which I will act in this world, at least at the beginning, will depend on this information.
"Bell Cranel? Well, I don't remember, I would need to see the list to be sure. Are you two friends?" She asked.
"I wouldn't say we are friends. I happen to know him a little, so I'm curious to know if he's arrived in town yet."
It was no lie, after all I knew the protagonist from the book.
"Well, if Ganesha allows, I can take a look at the lists of new people from a few weeks ago," she looked at her god, waiting for an answer.
"I am Ganesha! Help him."
"Okay. Wait a moment, I'll be back in a little while."
So I'll be alone with this god, huh? I looked at him.
"I am Ganesha!"
...
...
...
After half an hour, Shakti returned with some clipboards.
"I looked at the lists for the last two months, but no one by the name of Bell Cranel has entered the city," she told me as she handed me the clipboards.
So she wanted me to look for myself, just to be sure. Without complaint, I took the first clipboard and started looking at the names quickly. About 10 minutes later, I had read all the names on the clipboards, and Bell Cranel was not on any of them.
Well, a couple of reasons could be the cause of this.
1. Bell Cranel entered the city more than 2 months ago, which I have my reasons to think is unlikely.
2. I arrived in this world before the arrival of the protagonist, which in itself must have already changed many things in the world. However, if this is the case, I have no idea how far ahead I am in comparison to the protagonist, it could be weeks, months or even years, which would be quite problematic since my presence alone could totally mess things up.
3. The protagonist does not exist. This would be a possibility that I am in an alternate world, similar to the one in the book where Bell does not exist. I really hope that this is not the case.
Usually, in fantasy/romance stories, the author always sets challenges to make the protagonist evolve at a faster pace than the others in that world. An example of this is the broken skill of the protagonist in this story. At the end of the Minotaur fight, he reached level 2 with all stats with Rank S. This was in just a month and a half, with the person who had the fastest level rise record being that blonde girl, Aiz, who rose to level 2 in 1 year.
The protagonist basically got to level 2 eight times faster than she did.
It is also not uncommon for some authors to go overboard, putting levels of threats that can cause great destruction, or even destroy the world. If that were the case here, then the protagonist is completely essential. He is the one who has to deal with the big threats.
"Well, you don't really have his name," I handed the clipboards to her.
She quickly put them on Ganesha's desk, who was mumbling a few things, but he was always saying "I am Ganesha!" every 5-10 minutes.
"Well, I guess that's it." I stood up and prepared to leave.
"Young man," Ganesha's voice caught my attention. "You don't know the city yet, right?" I nodded and he quickly looked at Shakti, "I know you were going back to work in a little while, but take the rest of the day off and show the boy around."
"I don't want to intrude any more than I already have, you guys have already done too much," I said.
"Ha! Don't worry kid, because... I am Ganesha!"
"Yeah, I don't mind either," Shakti said, "You better get to know most of the city today still, right?"
"Yes." It would definitely be very advantageous for me to know every detail of this city. The sooner I knew, the sooner I could start moving efficiently.
"The afternoon schedule started an hour and a half ago, let's hurry. Although you can't show everything, it should be enough for one day."
After a few exchanges of words, Shakti and I left to begin the journey for me to get to know the city.
...
...
...
"Are you going to be okay?" Shakti asked as we walked.
"What do you mean?"
"You don't have any money with you, right? And I doubt that you want to sell this ring that is with you. But in case you do want to sell it, I can introduce a buyer who won't try to cheat you."
Again, I was walking with my hands in my pockets, hiding the ring in my hand. She was right, I didn't have any money. I also couldn't get a job without studying the rules and culture of this world.
"I'll manage somehow, so don't worry too much about that. And no, I don't intend to sell the ring."
"I understand."
As I walked with Shakti guiding me and showing me some places in the city, the moment I passed a store, I felt something strange. This feeling made me stop walking.
"So, this place is- Ayanokouji?" Shakti who was explaining about some stores, noticed that I stopped walking and she also stopped.
I felt her looking at me and calling me, however, I did not respond.
There was something more important at the moment. This feeling... is something I have felt thousands of times. Contempt of the many students who were discarded due to the extremely difficult curriculum of the 4th generation of the White Room. A look of interest - just like the observers looking at me through the glass - was being directed at me. And soon after, I felt lust and desire. From the moment I first felt the look, I knew where it was coming from.
My eyes went to that very place. On top of the great tower placed in the center of the city. It was from there that the glow originated.
I could see a small light from a very long distance away, and I focused on this small light with my eyes.
Right at the top of the Tower of Babel, on the top floor, is the resting place of a certain Goddess. Wrapped in a thin black evening dress, she was a slender and voluptuous figure. She is usually bored of everything. This was the Goddess of beauty, Freya. Her silver hair that reached her waist shone intensely, as if there were several pieces of ice crystals floating around her. She thought her day would be boring like any other, but...
She saw two figures walking through the city with her "mirror". A woman with blue hair and eyes. However, this is not the person she was looking at, but the man next to her, a tall young man with brown hair, brown eyes, and light skin. He was walking with his hands in his pockets, and his expression was indifferent.
Interested, she did what she always does.
She used her eyes. Discerning Eyes, an innate ability to see the color and glow of souls. She used to use this ability while in heaven to claim those she cared for before anyone else. She is also able to use it to vaguely estimate the status of adventurers by looking at them. With these eyes, she can also tell the emotions that are clouding an individual and their mental states.
Just the thought of looking into that man's soul filled her with interest. She used her eyes on that person.
She was completely surprised.
That boy's soul was out of any league of souls she had ever seen.
It was a combination of three colors, black, white and gray. The most amazing thing about it all was that none of the colors were trying to take each other's place. All the colors were in perfect harmony. A soul that carried a user-controlled rage, a perfect three-colored soul.
She had never seen a two-colored soul before. All people had only one color in their souls. However, this boy, he possessed three synchronized colors in his soul. However, that was not all. His soul... it was as if this soul had never seen the light, forever embarked on a blank slate.
A soul of three perfect colors that seemed to have never seen the light...
She had never met someone like him.
This thought was enough to fill Goddess Freya with lust for the bearer of such an incredible soul.
However, her gaze was replaced by bewilderment. The three-colored soul turned to her, staring at her as if it knew she was there.
Surprised, she just looked into the person's eyes. Brown eyes that were looking at her with such intensity that she thought he was looking directly into her soul. His eyes were like an endless dark abyss, staring at her without flinching.
"Fufufu," she laughed. She was completely baffled by this boy's soul.
She couldn't leave now. She wanted to see more. She increased the intensity in her eyes, to look into his soul in a much deeper way.
"Show me everything you have~"
Another unexpected thing happened.
...
At one moment, Freya was looking in her mirror, and at another, she found herself completely surrounded by... white.
No matter where she looked, all she saw was a completely white room. A White Room that seemed to have no end, and it was at this moment that she was more surprised than ever.
The person she was looking at... was standing right in front of her.
In front of a completely white room, the two of them were staring at each other. Brown eyes and hair, a reddish pink suit, his hands in his pockets, staring at her with a totally indifferent face.
She, on the other hand, was totally different. The Goddess of Beauty's face was red as pepper. For the first time in her life, she felt something different. She didn't know what she was feeling at that moment, but when she looked at her clothes - which were revealing - she immediately started to cover herself with her hands, as if she didn't want him to look at her like that.
She began to look around the room for a place for her to "cover herself", however, there was nothing like that. Where they were was like a white sea, with nothing, just endless white.
While she was in the moon world, something unexpected happened.
"You know," the boy's voice spoke, causing her to look at him with wide eyes. "Although I don't know who you are or what your appearance is like, there is always a limit one cannot cross, and you have crossed this limit." His voice was totally monotone.
At this moment, Freya felt a strong gale sprouting inside the White Room. She looked into his eyes, eyes completely dark as pitch, and then, he spoke again.
"Please don't pry into my soul again."
That was the last thing Freya heard before she was thrown out.
...
"Freya-sama!" Ottar's voice shouted.
Freya recovered herself. She was a little out of it, and the first thing she realized was where she was.
Currently, she was on the ground, a few feet from her "mirror". She looked over and saw Ottar, looking at her worriedly. She said nothing, just stood up with his help and covered herself with her hands, which were shaking for some reason. She approached her mirror, and noticed something amazing.
"...Broken." She muttered in disbelief.
Her mirror was cracked everywhere, making it impossible for her to use it again. Something like this had never happened before. All these amazing things happened the moment she looked into that person's soul.
She remembered that endless White Room. She shuddered at the memory.
"Freya-sama? What happened...?"
Ottar was looking at her with great surprise. He is well known for hardly ever showing his emotions, but this was totally different. He was witnessing something totally ridiculous, something that he still refuses to believe with all his might. There is no way that this could be possible...
His Goddess, Freya the Goddess of Beauty... has a totally flushed face and an expression he can't describe. She was hugging herself with trembling arms.
"Ottar," she spoke, causing Ottar to hear her abnormal tone. "...Dress."
"What? Freya-sama, are you all right?" He was not understanding anything.
"I'm perfectly fine," she said with a strange smile on her face. "A dress. Go get a less revealing for me. Now."
Although he was worried about her condition, he couldn't refuse her orders. A less revealing dress? Why would she want that, anyway? She never cared about the way people looked at her. Did this have something to do with the person she was looking at in the mirror?
As he was leaving, he heard the "fufufu" of his goddess.
Freya was totally restless, looking into the broken mirror. The feeling she felt.
Expelled.
That person kicked her out of his soul.
Something like that should not be possible.
But again, the moment she looked at him, several things she considered impossible happened, and all one after the other.
She remembered the boy.
Those brown hair and eyes...
"Fufufufufufu," she hugged herself as she shivered. "I'll be looking forward to seeing you in person, darling."
She finally found the person she had been looking for all this time.
Her predestined partner.
The glow disappeared as if it had never existed in the first place.
I didn't understand that very well, it was something that lasted a few seconds.
"Ayanokouji!"
The sleeve of my uniform was grabbed. I looked up at a Shakti who was casting deadly glances at me.
"Excuse me, how long have I been gone?"
"I've been trying to call you for at least 40 seconds."
40 seconds, huh.
"Hey, Shakti," I called out to her when she let go of me.
"Yes?"
"That tower," I said pointing to the gigantic tower in the middle of the city. "If you don't mind, could you explain its purposes and possible inhabitants to me?"
She raised her eyebrows. "I don't mind, but why the sudden interest in the Tower of Babel?"
"Just a doubt in my mind."
"Okay, but let's get going. I can explain while I show you the sites of the city."
"Sounds good."
We walked back as she explained to me about the Tower of Babel.
"Babel is essentially a tower for adventurers. You can trade magic stones, eat lunch, take a bath, and other things. On the lower floors, there are weapon and armor stores in which you buy, well, armor and weapons. And on the higher floors, gods and goddesses rent rooms and reside there in comfort. Also, various meetings take place there, such as Denatus. Since you're new here in town, it's basically a meeting where the gods decide on second names for adventurers who have moved up a level."
So, Babel is essentially a tower filled with various rooms and stores, as well as housing for the 'gods' of this world. One of those gods was the one responsible for directing that look at me. And I had a suspicion who it was, the memory of a 'certain goddess' shown in the book was enough for me to be sure it was her.
However, just to confirm...
"Who resides at the top?"
"The higher the floor, the more expensive the 'rent' is. At the top is the Goddess Freya, she being the goddess of the #1 familia of Orario."
As I thought, it is indeed Freya. In the book she was quite obsessed with the protagonist, so much so that she kept looking at him with some kind of mirror. Maybe that's what she used to look at me.
Wait a minute. If Bell really hasn't arrived in Orario yet, does that mean that her attention has somehow come to me...?
I really hope that this is not completely the case. I really don't want to have to deal with a goddess like Freya, the few times she appeared in the book was enough to put her on the list of problematic people.
But even if she did develop an interest in me, it will only be until the protagonist of the story shows up. The moment he appears, she should completely forget about my existence, and then I can live quietly. I will just have to prevent her from ending up becoming more interested in me until the protagonist of the story appears.
Shakti showed me several different places, as well as a pub that she recommended in case I wanted to drink or eat called "Hostess of Fertility". I quickly remembered that this was the place where that elf - named Ryuu - who appears in the book works. A welcome piece of additional information.
However, I did not possess any money, so going to eat anywhere was impossible.
As we walked, I asked Shakti for a detailed description of the world. Strangely enough, she did not find the fact that I asked this strange, and then she started talking.
From Tenkai and Desudia to Genkai, the lower world, Shakti explained in detail what I wanted to know.
The Dungeon appeared in this world before the arrival of the god. Following the first god who arrived here, Ouranos, the gods granted a blessing to the people. This allowed these people to gain a "Falna" that allowed humans to become stronger to fight these monsters. She went into specific detail about Falna and status. I was particularly interested in this part, so I made sure to remember every word.
This city contains the only Dungeon in the world. People with the same blessing group in Families. However, you cannot join, even if you have one. Most Families contain adventurers, people who kill monsters in the dungeon to drop their stone that can be exchanged for this world's money. Some Families focus on other types of business, such as farming and trading/delivery.
This explained quite a bit.
She delved into the Dungeon, Orario's trade and economy in the surrounding countries. Since trade and economy was something I was very interested in, since it was clearly different from Earth, I paid a lot of attention to this part. I made sure to put every word she spoke into my perfect memory.
She also talked about the slums of Orario. Although it didn't have many, there are still some. She also recommended me to avoid these places, as I could become the target of a bandit's robbery. I just agreed with her, however, I paid attention to some parts of the city she only mentioned, since she couldn't take me because it was dangerous or she wouldn't give me time.
She told me about Daedalus Street. Daedalus Street is a large residential area for the poor class located between the main streets east and southeast of Orario. It was designed by an eccentric man known as Daedalus and is complex due to the multiple planning done for it. Rumor has it that a person will never find their way out once they enter, and it is often called another Dungeon.
The reconnaissance about some areas of the city lasted a few hours, but soon came to an end.
"Well, that's about it. Although I didn't show you everything due to time, I think you can figure out the rest on your own," she said.
"Yes, you don't have to worry about that. I appreciate that you wasted your precious time to guide me about the city."
"You didn't irritate me or anything, in fact, it was nice to spend time with someone mature for a change. Even more so someone your age," as soon as she said that, she sounded a little uneasy. "Hey, are you really going to be okay? I mean, you have no place to sleep and no money, right? It's going to get dark in a few hours."
Knowing where she was going, I spoke quickly.
"I can manage. You've done enough for me already, you don't have to worry." I could sleep anywhere that I considered at least somewhat safe.
"Okay. However, if you can't find any place to stay until nightfall, come to the Ganesha Familia house. I can get a room for one night for you, at least."
That was quite convenient , however, I already had a plan about where I'm going to sleep. If the protagonist really isn't in town yet, I can work out some changes.
"I understand, I will come to you if that happens."
After that, we said goodbye to each other, and I found myself alone again.
Looking at the sky and the brightness of the sun, I realized that it would be dark in two and a half hours at most. Until then, I have to find her.
It took me about 40 minutes to locate my target. I guess I was lucky.
I stared from afar at the little goddess selling "snacks" from her food stand.
She has blue eyes and long black hair. Her costume is a white mini dress with a blue ribbon around her neck and one tied under her breasts around her arms and a pair of white gloves. She was wearing a pair of white slippers.
It is a little different from the book in that she had her hair tied up in twin tails with a ribbon, but here her hair was loose, making it swing completely with the slightest of winds. Now that I was seeing her with her hair loose, it only further increased my suspicions about the "fire-red haired girl" on the cover of the book.
She was literally a copy of herself with a different hair color. Initially, I thought she was some kind of twin sister or blood relative, but after some thought about Greek mythology, I quickly came up with a theory. A theory that would probably take a while to prove real.
But if it is indeed what I think, then I have to make the most of it.
I am not so naïve as to think of not changing anything in the story, letting it follow the original course, just to have the advantage of knowing a little bit about the future of the story. This is completely a weak view.
My very existence in this world would cause great changes.
So why not take advantage of what I already know?
Instead of trying to keep things as close to the main story as possible to use the fact that I know the future of the story, I would build the "foundations" so that I can predict future situations and shape them in my favor.
My ultimate goal is to live a peaceful life, but in this world full of monsters and threats that can end my life, the essential thing is to have various guarantees to stay alive. No matter the methods, as long as I can survive in the end, victory is mine.
And so, I will use what little I know about the characters in this story, their ambitions, desires and weaknesses to create a safe route for myself.
A route on which I will win, regardless of the obstacles.
Bell would be the first member of her Familia, however, what if he went to a more powerful Familia? A familia that would raise his potential even higher than Hestia. It's a win-win situation.
The faster the protagonist gets strong, he can handle threats more easily, and if he is strong enough to handle everything that comes his way, I won't have to worry about any major threats, and I can live my life in peace.
However, there is one thing I cannot change. The ability that allows the protagonist to evolve faster than everyone else. I have to make sure that he can acquire this ability in one way or another.
Of course, I haven't yet ruled out the possibility that the protagonist doesn't exist, or if he does, maybe he won't come to this city.
After some thought, I have come to a conclusion.
Loosening the tie of my school uniform, I started to walk towards the Goddess.
This will be the first big change.
So, what did you think of the chapter?
I gave some brains to the "guards" if you don't mind :)
Someone needs to tell Ayanokouji that he is the protagonist of the story XD.
Let me know what you think about me involving Shakti in this beginning. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, I want your opinion. (Shakti is 38 years old, but she looks like she's in her early 20s.) In other words, MILF. I wonder if there is a romance going on. P
What did you think of Freya's part? I got really excited writing this part, I hope you enjoyed it XD. And also for all of you who are in love with Freya and Freya, you must be very happy. Tell me what you think about the part where she is embarrassed that "Ayanokouji" is seeing her wearing revealing clothes.
What was that about Freya meeting in the White Room? And who was it that talked to her? Was it Ayanokouji, or was it his "soul"? Let me know your theories, it's always good to read.
What about this ending? Well, many of you may not like the idea, but I guarantee that I will try to be very innovative. Also, I made it very clear at the end that Ayanokouji is very curious about the person who appeared on the book cover, who is very similar to Hestia.
And I said it from the beginning, didn't I? Ayanokouji is going to make a big impact right at the beginning of the story. Several changes are going to happen, especially in the Familia that Bell is going to enter. Will he still join the Hestia familia? Or maybe a different Familia?
Also, I didn't mention who was in whose POV in this chapter, but I don't think that's necessary, right? I mean, it was pretty clear when it was someone's pov or change the writing to third person, right?
Well, that's it We'll see in the next chapter.