บท 4: Excuse Me Sir, Do You Have A Moment To Talk About My Goddess Loki?
A few hours had passed by unknowingly while Isaac and Lefiya were following Ais. Each of the floors of the dungeon they passed through looked slightly different but Isaac couldn't make more in-depth observations and go off on his own. He had to put that off for when he was going to explore this whole place for himself on his quest to grow stronger.
Currently, the walls around them were coloured a light green and the ball of light hovering above them was almost not necessary anymore because the walls seemed to give off a little bit of light as well. According to what Lefiya had told Isaac when they climbed the last staircase, they were now on the 5th floor.
While Ais was relaxedly dispatching a few killer ants, which were enormous red ant-like monsters with four feet and two arms, Lefiya suddenly opened her eyes wide, as if she had just realized something, then turned to face Isaac.
"You said you want to become an adventurer, right? But to become an adventurer, you have to be part of a familia, otherwise the Guild, the organization governing all matters related to the dungeon, won't recognize you."
Isaac couldn't help but be taken aback. He didn't remember anything about that from his time reading the Danmachi novels. It was possible it was mentioned but he just forgot about it as it didn't seem like an important detail back then. Still, he remembered that some people who weren't part of a familia actually entered the dungeon in the novels, so he had to ask about that.
"Is it at all possible to enter the dungeon without being part of a familia?"
After thinking for a short while, Lefiya replied, obviously not a huge fan of what she was about to tell him.
"It is possible. But as you would be missing the blessing of the gods, the falna, the Guild won't recognize you as an adventurer. You won't be able to accumulate excelia from monsters to grow stronger. You cannot take missions and can only sell drop items and magic stones to the Guild. The Guild also won't be held responsible if you end up dying or in an accident. They won't give you any medical treatment. They simply won't care about you at all. It's a very bad deal."
The more he listened to her words, the more distraught Isaac became. He didn't really like the idea of familias as he knew, through reading the Danmachi volumes, that most of them were profit-based. You would have to follow the orders of the god leading the familia if you wanted any benefits at all. Isaac really disliked being in the position of a subordinate. But what else could he do? To get stronger in this world, you needed a falna. There was no way around it.
At least for a normal person. He was quite sure he may have given his system some way to make him grow stronger even without getting a falna, but going against the current was sure to lead to friction down the line. Also, if he truly found a familia that had his back, a group to rely on - that would be far easier than growing stronger alone.
Seeing Isaac furrow his brows without responding for a while, Lefiya grew a little worried. But before she could say anything, his tense face eased up again.
"I guess you have a point, I should join a familia. But I'll have to find a trustworthy one first. I'm quite sure that most people in this world, just like in my old world, aren't trustworthy. That includes gods. This is gonna be bothersome…"
Having trailed off at the end, Isaac was rubbing his chin in deep thought, going through all the gods he had read about in the novels. But before he could think of anything of substance, Lefiya's voice interrupted him.
"How about joining us in the Loki Familia?"
Lefiya had been waiting for an opportunity to bring this up. So when he talked about wanting to join a trustworthy familia, she immediately had to think about her own. While there were a few people that were hard to get along with, they were basically just a collection of misfits and weirdos their goddess Loki somehow brought together from all over the place for her own amusement… and to protect them. An enigmatic world traveller such as Isaac would surely be someone Loki would be interested in. While Lefiya couldn't guarantee that Isaac would be accepted into their familia, she could at least give him a chance and introduce him to her goddess.
Another reason as to why she wanted Isaac to join was because she didn't dislike him. In fact, it could be said they got along quite well. He didn't stick out in any negative way and was polite. Sure, his clothing was a little unusual, but that was just because of his origin, not on purpose. Besides that, he also didn't have much of a presence at all, to the point where you might actually forget that he was there if you didn't pay attention to him for a while. His presence wasn't as overbearing as the other males she had interacted with before. Because of all of these reasons, she was sure she wouldn't mind him being around.
But the most important reason for her decision to invite him was still his questionable relationship with Ais. She knew they had some kind of connection with each other but couldn't explain what it was. Still, if she didn't at least enable them to interact with each other on a regular basis, she would be a bad friend. Most likely, Ais herself also didn't know what was going on and wanted to find out, so how could she, Lefiya, stand in her idol's way? No matter how jealous she was whenever someone new got close to Ais, she still wanted the best for her. So, all in all, letting another misfit join their group wasn't much of a sacrifice.
Both Ais and Isaac were positively surprised by this invitation. For Ais this was because she had originally planned to jump into the conversation and invite Isaac herself. But she didn't even get a chance to do so. Isaac on the other hand was simply impressed by how friendly the little elf was behaving.
There was just one problem with the whole invitation: Isaac didn't really know Loki. What was the easiest way to gain more information on her? Right, to ask the two girls accompanying him.
"Thanks for inviting me to join you, Lefiya. But I have a few questions. Is Loki someone you can rely on, someone that will have your back? I've also heard how most familia are run in a business-like style. I'd rather prefer a familia more akin to a group of friends. Another thing I wanted to ask you about is related to the fact that in my old world, there was a mythological figure called Loki as well. They were a god of lies and tricks that no-one could trust, someone that could stab your back at any time. Seeing how these two gods are both named Loki, are they by any chance similar?"
When Lefiya heard about the other Loki, her eyes widened in surprise and she got distracted for a few seconds while thinking about what possible implications this could have, finally giving Ais a chance to reply to Isaac's questions.
"Loki really cares about everyone. But she likes to grope the girls… she is really disgusting when she does that."
Having that part of their embarrassing history revealed just like that, Lefiya couldn't help but blush in shame, pushing her thoughts about the other Loki to the back of her mind for now. She had never been able to escape Loki's grasp on her own before. If Ais didn't punish Loki every time she inappropriately touched her, Lefiya would probably have already died from embarrassment.
Ais' words spurred Isaac's memory a bit. Now, he remembered a few moments in the novels again where Loki did indeed seem to grope the girls in her familia. So… she was a caring lecher? That didn't change the fact that she was a lecher though. Before he could get slightly angry at the scenes where Ais 'suffered' under Loki in the novels, her words continued.
"The familia is my home."
Leaving these words behind, Ais started to dispatch a few killer ants yet again. Meanwhile, a happy smile could be seen on the little elf's face while Isaac was silently and unblinkingly staring at Ais.
Yes, he knew just how much these words meant to her. For someone like her, for someone who had suffered so much, to utter these words… The Loki Familia had to be a truly wonderful place for Ais, a safe haven. Because of this, after a short silence, he made his decision.
"Alright, I'll accept your invitation."
This made the already happy Lefiya's smile even brighter.
"The final decision rests with my goddess, don't forget that!"
These words left her lips more to calm herself down from the weird excitement she was feeling than to actually remind the young man in front of her.
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30 minutes had passed. By now, the group of three was climbing the spiral staircase leading out of the dungeon and into the first underground floor of Babel, the gigantic tower in the center of Orario. This was also the first time the group came across any other adventurers, as a few of them were using the staircase right now as well.
Previously, Ais had lead the group around any other adventurers, as they could be sources of danger and she was quite aware that males seen in her company were usually stared at with enmity by the other male adventurers they came across. But now, there was no way for Isaac to fully dodge that fate.
The adventurers that saw them gave Isaac quite a variety of different looks. Most of them were simply confused by his clothes but brushed that aside pretty quickly, ignoring him thereafter. A sizeable group of them shot him glances full of jealousy and hate, just because of the simple fact that he was walking right next to two extremely beautiful girls - girls whose beauty could easily topple a nation back in his home world. And the last group of them looked at him cautiously as if he was a potential threat. That changed after sizing him up for a few seconds though, as anyone was able to see he was just an ordinary human. He couldn't endanger these veteran fighters, so they ignored him after they made sure. In the first place, they just paid attention to him because he was standing right next to Ais Wallenstein, one of the strongest adventurers currently in the city.
Ais and Lefiya had started their journey from the 18th floor to the surface in the late morning. So by the time the three of them left the dungeon, it was early afternoon. At this time, most adventurers were still in the dungeon - and they would be at least until the early evening. What contributed to the first floor of Babel being almost entirely devoid of roaming civilians however was that it was currently winter. Most people wouldn't just leave their houses to roam around aimlessly when the temperatures were quite low.
By the way, Isaac really had to admire this tower. The first floor of Babel was an enormous circular room, supported by many pillars. On the ceiling, there was a beautifully painted azure sky. If he hadn't looked closer, he might have even wondered about whether or not he was already outside. Of course, the relatively stale air in the building would have given it away shortly as well.
While walking in between the sculpted white marble pillars and looking at the luxurious rooms adjacent to this central, circular room, Isaac followed the two girls outside of Babel, using the northern gateway. Out of the few people they saw when leaving the tower, none of them got close or even talked to the group. The reason for that was most likely the prestige of the Loki Familia.
"We'll now lead you to the home of our familia, the Twilight Manor. If Loki accepts you, you'll be able to stay there with us."
Of course, Isaac had already expected that he would be lead to their base but after hearing the cute elf explain this to him while smiling, he couldn't bring himself to tell her that. Instead, he focussed on the surroundings.
Although it was winter it wasn't freezing outside. If Isaac had to guess, it was about 12°C - definitely not temperatures where he had to wear more than a simple shirt to stay warm.
Enclosing Babel, the 50 floors tall tower, there was an expansive park area divided into eight even parts that reminded him of pizza slices once he mentally put them into birds' eye perspective. Apparently, the whole of Orario was divided into these eight parts, as the streets leading towards the tower, the eight main streets, went all the way to the city walls. Right after the park area, an area filled with many stalls could be seen on the sides of the street. Many exotic but also some familiar products were sold here and even in the winter, many people still crowded around here. Sometime later, Isaac really wanted to check out a few of the unfamiliar things he just saw.
The style of the buildings, that could finally be made out clearly after they had left the area clogged by stalls, was somewhat similar to buildings Isaac had seen in Europe. Those had survived from the middle ages and were renovated a few times, so the buildings of this city seemed more authentic in comparison. At the same time, Orario's buildings were oddly futuristic as well, as simple magical technology like magic lamps could be seen everywhere. Occasionally, a seemingly feeble, multiple floors high tower or building could be seen sticking out from behind the houses directly adjacent to the northern main street.
Out of the blue, Isaac suddenly recalled a certain werewolf man in the Loki familia and he couldn't help but become nervous, getting distracted from his observations. Trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, he brought up a seemingly harmless question.
"Is there even anyone currently at the Twilight Manor? You mentioned before that most adventurers are currently still in the dungeon."
Noticing the nervousness of the young man walking right next to her, Ais got a little worried and decided to ask him about what worried him so much later in private. Asking that here in public would be unbecoming and probably make him even more uncomfortable.
Lefiya on the other hand didn't notice anything wrong with the question and replied honestly.
"Loki should be home today, as she probably anticipates mine and Ais' return quite a lot. Besides that, Riveria, Finn and Gareth should be there as well, planning for the next expedition. As for the rest, I couldn't say, they are probably out and about or in the dungeon at this time of the day."
After barely being able to hold himself back from exclaiming in joy because it seemed he would be spared the displeasure of meeting the grumpy werewolf for now, Lefiya's words continued.
"Oh yeah, you probably don't know who the three I just told you about are. Seeing how you are maybe going to be part of the familia soon, I don't think there is any harm in telling you. It's public knowledge anyway. They are the strongest in the Loki Familia, and the organizational leaders as well. Finn is the captain of the familia, Riveria is an accomplished mage and my teacher while Gareth is a wise and… robust dwarf."
Isaac thanked Lefiya for explaining these things to him while they were still following the surprisingly clean main street. All his nervousness was now gone again and he soon got distracted by the things entering his eyes.
Time and time again he asked the two girls about buildings that aroused his interest. They mostly turned out to be various clothing stores that he didn't doubt he would have to visit later on, but there were also a few inns. So if Loki didn't allow him to join and he somehow was able to gather up enough money, he would be able to stay in one of those instead. It was always best to prepare for the worst.
A few more minutes of strolling later, they left the main street and walked through a network of seemingly rarely used alleys. Isaac was pretty sure that most average people would only be able to find their way through these if they had walked the path to their destination hundreds of times. Even he had to pay somewhat closer attention to carefully record everything down in his mind.
While he was impressed with how hidden from the public eye the Twilight Manor actually was, he suddenly noticed something. Or rather, the absence of something. Up to just a few moments ago, a few presences had been following them. The only thing giving them away was this weird feeling around his neck, as if somebody was staring at him. Now though, this feeling was gone. Isaac couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, deciding to be more careful in the future and to not ignore this kind of feeling anymore should he encounter it again.
At his side, Ais had noticed the change in Isaac's expression. He seemed to have sensed that the usual few stalkers that followed her around everywhere got lost in this small labyrinth of alleys. Seeing how Lefiya, who was right next to them and should be multiple times stronger than a normal human when it concerned their sensory abilities because of her higher level, didn't ever notice anything amiss when something like that happened, Ais couldn't help but smile almost imperceptibly. Noticing how outstanding Isaac's senses already were when he was just an average person, she was sure his potential had to be frightfully impressive.
Yet another few turns later, Isaac could finally see the Twilight Manor. It was a truly majestic structure. The area of land it was built on was relatively small, but the building itself was massive. Quite a few towers mutually supported each other, seemingly trying to outdo each other while climbing higher and higher. The tallest amongst the towers was the middle one who was overlooking all of the ones surrounding it. It looked like a high-rise apartment complex had a child with a medieval castle. No matter how silly that explanation might seem, it was truly what Isaac thought right now. He wasn't sure whether he should be baffled or impressed.
When he sneakily stole a glance at his two companions, Lefiya seemed to wait for some kind of reaction from him. Ais on the other hand seemed to just wait for the two others to finally get moving again with no particular expression on her face.
Not wanting to disappoint Lefiya whose eyes were already sparkling with anticipation, Isaac decided to settle on being impressed, showing a genuinely astounded look for a few seconds, making sure she had her fill. Although he felt a little awkward doing so, it wasn't too far out of his comfort zone. Also, he got to see an adorable smile as repayment - good enough.
After feeling prideful for a moment because her home impressed a newbie like Isaac, Lefiya finally led the way towards the Twilight Manor and opened the metal front gate. The party of three was automatically recognized by the magical mechanism keeping the property safe. As Isaac was accompanied by two registered inhabitants, he was identified as a guest.
Just as they passed the threshold, a red silhouette seemed to appear out of nowhere, speeding right towards Ais. At the same time, a squeal so loud Isaac almost wanted to cover his ears assaulted them.
"AIIIISSSSSS!! I MIIIIIISSEED YOOOOUUU!!!"
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Shiro_the_Hero
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