Danmachi: A Despicable Stranger

Chapter 7: A cat-like face

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A maze that expands infinitely, teeming with vicious monsters.

It is a place that only those prepared to risk their lives and embrace desperation dare to venture into.

Surrounded by wealth and fame, Orario is a magnet for adventurers of all races—a city where prosperity flourishes, and gods revel in entertainment.

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The Labyrinth City of Orario!

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"We're almost there. Orario is just ahead."

Walking along the ivory road that stretched across the lush green wilderness, the goddess, her waist-length aqua-blue hair swaying gently in the breeze, tucked a loose strand behind her ear. She was dressed in light adventurer's gear and gazed toward the thriving city in the distance.

Her eyes fell on the towering chalk spire that pierced the clouds, a sight both awe-inspiring and imposing.

The massive tower stood proudly at the heart of the bustling city, surrounded by sprawling walls, its presence a declaration of the city's unparalleled majesty.

"That's… Orario..."

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Following behind the goddess, Izzy, carrying a backpack half his size, stared ahead with wide-eyed wonder, resembling a young man visiting a metropolis for the first time.

Though the steel cities he had seen in his previous life were undoubtedly grander in scale, there was something different—something almost magical—about this place.

The vast city, encircled by walls so enormous they seemed to blur into the horizon, left him speechless.

Even from this distance, its magnificence struck a chord deep in his heart, stirring an uncontainable excitement to set foot inside.

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"Hahhh… We're finally here. I thought I'd die from walking so much..."

Beside him, Lante stretched with exaggerated flair, her slender legs shifting with each dramatic motion. Her budding figure drew attention as she yawned audibly—a sound that could easily be misunderstood.

"Stop whining, you hypocrite. You never complained about being tired while hunting before."

Rethusa, the ever-diligent captain, appeared beside her and lightly flicked the half-elf's head. Though her tone sounded annoyed, there was an unmistakable doting undertone in her voice.

Along the journey, Lante had grumbled so often that Rethusa felt as if her ears might grow calluses from listening.

"It hurts! Captain, how could you be so cruel and hit me like that?"

"How could I? I barely used any strength!"

"But it still hurt!"

"..."

Is your head made of glass? Rethusa thought, looking away with a defeated sigh, unwilling to argue further.

---

Half a step behind the goddess, Izzy turned his head at the sound of their bickering. He couldn't help but offer a word of fairness to ease the situation.

"Don't be so upset, Rethusa. Lante's still young, after all. She just has that kind of childish, competitive personality. As adults, we should be more understanding, don't you think?"

"...Yeah, that's true."

Rethusa paused to think, then nodded, albeit reluctantly.

But she wasn't actually upset—just a little exasperated. It was the same kind of melancholy a mother might feel when her once-obedient child began to grow up and act out.

---

"Ah! Izzy!!! You're saying bad things about me again! I swear I won't let you get away with it!"

Unlike Rethusa, who calmly accepted his words, Lante fumed with indignation.

As everyone knows, children hate being called children.

Why is that, exactly?

Who can say? They just do.

And Lante was no exception. Whenever Izzy teased her about her age—which had become a common occurrence these past days—she would respond by chasing him with mock ferocity.

"Come on, then. I don't believe you'll actually do it. Hit me if you can!"

Izzy shifted slightly closer to Artemis, confident that being near the goddess would keep him out of harm's reach. He flashed Lante a bright, mischievous smile.

It was a bit sad to admit.

In this world, possessing Falna makes a decisive difference.

It is absolutely impossible for an ordinary person to defeat an adventurer who possesses Falna. This is an iron rule. If Izzy were to fight with the little girl Lante now, he would definitely be beaten badly.

He himself is well aware of this, so when teasing Lante, he will never choose to tease her when Artemis or Rethusa are not present.

Because only these two people in the clan can suppress Lante to some extent.

"YOU!!!"

Sure enough, Lante, who originally wanted to go up and give Izzy a beating, just raised her hand and caught a glimpse of Artemis beside Izzy.

The raised arm froze in mid-air, and the small fist seemed to be trembling.

"You'd better not bully Lante too much, Izzy. You say you want to understand her, but in fact, you are the one who least understands her these days."

At this moment, the goddess suddenly reached out and pushed Izzy away from her, with a hint of a smile in her emerald eyes.

"..."

After blinking, Izzy, who was pushed away, looked at the smiling goddess with innocence written all over his face.

Look at what he said... How could he do that?

But after meeting the goddess' eyes that seemed to be able to see through his soul, his innocent expression gradually turned into guilty conscience.

Well... maybe a little bit~

He will definitely change it next time!

Now, more than half a month has passed since the day when Izzy met Artemis's family.

After more than half a month, Izzy is finally about to arrive in Orario.

The team has now been reduced to four people from the original twenty-two. (There are exactly twenty members of Artemis's family, including Artemis herself and Izzy, so twenty-two should be correct.)

Because before coming to Orario, Artemis first took a group of people back to the base of Artemis's Familia, and then set out from the base to Orario.

When returning to the base, most of the members stayed in the base, with only the leader Rethusa and Lante, who insisted on coming with them.

Unlike most of the gods' Families, the base of Artemis' Familia is located outside of Orario, in a town not too far from Orario.

However, no one lives in the clan's residence all year round.

After all, Artemis spends most of her time traveling around the world with her family members.

As a hunting clan, they are active outside of Orario all year round, clearing out monsters that have escaped from the underground labyrinth and wreaked havoc on the surface.

The clan's activity area is very wide, and it is common for them to accept a commission and then travel long distances to reach their destination.

...

The South Gate of Orario

The city gate embedded in the magnificent stone wall is very large. The thick rock walls on both sides silently highlight its strong defense. Just opening a gap is enough for a carriage to pass through.

As the center of the world described in adventure biographies, countless people want to enter and exit the maze city almost every day. At this moment, a team of pedestrians of all kinds lined up in a long queue, standing in front of the city gate waiting for inspection.

Standing in front of the city gate, the guards responsible for checking people entering the city checked each person one by one.

They held a strange instrument in their hands, which was an instrument for detecting traces of Falna.

The adventurer's divine gift is granted by the gods.

And that instrument will react to God's gift, and anyone who has accepted God's gift will be unable to avoid it.

After all, not every god will settle down in Orario, and there are adventurers from other countries as well.

In order to maintain the order and safety of the city and prevent adventurers with bad intentions from entering, this detection is very necessary.