DanMachi Universe, Lower World, Orario.
On the way back to the surface, Tatsuo, Sakura, and Momo joined up with the other two teams. Naturally, they chatted about their dives along the way.
"You look like shit," James said while looking over Tatsuo, Sakura, who was on his back, and Momo. "Let me guess..."
Reaching that point, James turned to glance at Elicia with a smirk.
"An Irregular Situation?" James asked playfully.
"An Irregular Situation," Tatsuo replied while also glancing at Elicia.
"Hey! Don't look at me like that!" Elicia hissed. "It's not my fault."
"Yeah, we've only had three Irregulars show up in seven trips to the Dungeon," Akatsuki said sarcastically.
"Exactly," Elicia said with a proud nod before realizing what she had just agreed to and glaring at Akatsuki.
"Now, now," Zelretch said in an attempt to hide his laughter. "Young Elicia is not summoning misfortune with her words..."
Hearing that, Elicia straightened her back and puffed out her chest proudly... at least, until Zelretch continued.
"...on purpose," Zelretch continued, causing Elicia's shoulders to slump in defeat.
"Fonzie!" Elicia cried out as she threw herself into Alfonzo's arms. "Everyone is bullying me."
"Don't worry about it, Lici," Alfonzo said gently as he started combing his fingers through Elicia's hair. "Just pretend like we're back home. Then, it shouldn't bother you since you're used to it."
Immediately, Elicia stiffened in Alfonzo's arms. Then, she pushed him away with a vicious pout on her face.
"Traitor!" Elicia exclaimed as she pointed an accusing finger in Alfonzo's direction.
With that, everyone other than Elicia burst into laughter as they continued making their way toward the surface.
"What happened to Sakura?" Aletia asked once the laughter died down.
"Mind Down," Tatsuo replied. "The battle lasted too long, and she used her Magic the whole time. She's just exhausted. She'll be fine after getting some rest."
"That's good," Akatsuki said in a relieved tone. "I'm just glad it's not anything worse. Still, do you think we need to go to the Guild to report the Irregular?"
"I don't believe that is necessary," Momo replied.
"Momo's right," Tatsuo added. "The guys who have been stalking us got caught up in the Irregular Situation, too. And although most of them died during the attack, the leader, a Level 2, ran away. So, he probably already told the Guild."
"Then, that means we can go home, right?" Aletia asked while looking up at Tatsuo.
"That's right," Tatsuo replied. "Besides, Sakura could use the rest."
Everyone agreed with that statement. And with that, the decision to return home as soon as they left the Dungeon was solidified. They did not even plan on stopping at Babel to get cleaned up before heading home.
Unfortunately, as soon as they left the Tower, there was someone waiting for them who had every intention of slowing them down.
"Oh my, aren't these the children Aislynn recruited not too long ago?" a male voice said, drifting over to the members of the Aislynn Familia. "I wasn't in the city when it happened, but it's been a big deal among the circle of gods for the past week."
Hearing that voice, Tatsuo, James, Alfonzo, Elicia, Violet, Aletia, Akatsuki, Zelretch, and Momo all turned toward its source. When they did, they saw an effeminate man exuding an aura of divinity, standing around 5'7" with blond hair, orange eyes, and a slender physique, alongside a beautiful, bespectacled young woman who looked to be about nineteen years old, with aqua-blue hair, cyan-colored eyes, and a slender figure walking toward them.
"Oh, if it isn't the Messenger God, Hermes, and his Familia's captain, the Level 4 Perseus, Asfi Al Andromeda," Tatsuo said while smiling pleasantly. "It's an honor to meet you both."
At first, the god Hermes was surprised and delighted to hear that Tatsuo knew who he was, despite them having never met before. However, when Tatsuo mentioned Asfi's Level, both he and the blue-haired young woman tensed as the Messenger God discreetly looked around to see if anyone had overheard Tatsuo's greeting.
'Damn it, Kid.' Hermes muttered to himself as he pressed his hat down on his head. 'I know you must have heard about us from Aislynn. But do you have to be so loud about what you heard? If someone hears and reports us to the Guild, we'll have to pay a buttload of fines.'
Despite the thoughts in his head, Hermes continued to smile at the members of the Aislynn Familia. Asfi, on the other hand, lowered her hand to a pouch on her belt just in case something happened. However, before she could do anything, Hermes raised a hand to stop her.
The reason why both Hermes and Asfi were so tense was due to the rules the Guild had imposed on all Familias and Adventurers in Orario. According to the Guild's rules, all Adventurers were required to report any Level Ups to the Guild immediately. With that information, the Guild was able to properly assign tasks to Familias based on their rosters' strength while also charging the correct amount of taxes.
Yet, to avoid the high taxes levied on a powerful Familia and to avoid being forced to dive deep into the Dungeon on Guild-required expeditions, not only Asfi but every member of the Hermes Familia had falsified their Levels in the Guild's records.
Naturally, the Guild, as well as the god in charge of the organization, Ouranos, were aware of the Hermes Familia's deception. However, most Adventurers were not. And if the Adventurers were to find out about it, they would kick up a fuss, forcing the Guild to fine and sanction the Hermes Familia for hiding their Levels.
"Heh... Heh... Heh..." Hermes let out a hollow chuckle while looking up into Tatsuo's eyes. "You must be mistaken, young man. Asfi here is only Level 2. How could you possibly mistake her for a Level 4?"
Tatsuo and the others' response was simply to smile innocently at Hermes, causing his already strained smile to twitch while Asfi used a finger to adjust her glasses.
"Anyway, is there anything we can do for you, Lord Hermes?" Tatsuo asked politely. Then, he gestured to Sakura, who was still unconscious on his back. "As you can see, one of our members isn't in the best shape right now, and we're kind of in a hurry to get her back home so she can rest."
"Oh...!" Hermes exclaimed while acting as if he had just noticed Sakura's condition, with an unsurprisingly convincing expression of shock and concern. "I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to hold you up."
"I would say don't worry about it, but I can't say that in good conscience," Tatsuo replied while shaking his head. "Not to be rude, but if there's nothing important, we really should get going."
"Of course... Of course..." Hermes replied with a nod. "Well then, I hope we have the opportunity to meet again."
With that, Hermes took off his hat, pressed it against his chest, and bowed in a theatrical manner. At the same time, Asfi nodded at Tatsuo before she and her god watched the group of ten leave toward the Southeast District. Then, after Tatsuo and the others walked past, Hermes straightened up and put his hat back on.
"They're quite interesting," Hermes said while pushing down his hat, causing the brim's shadow to cover his eyes.
"Is it okay that they know so much?" Asfi asked cautiously. "Should I perhaps watch them for a while to make sure they don't leak the secret?"
"Absolutely not!" Hermes replied in a frantic tone as he spun to face Asfi. "If you do that, before two days pass, Aislynn will show up at our door demanding compensation. And as a dragon god who likes the finer things, I doubt our little Familia could afford it."
Hearing that, Asfi rolled her eyes. As the captain of the Familia, she knew exactly what the Hermes Familia could afford. On top of that, she doubted there would even be a reason for Aislynn to show up at the Hermes Familia's headquarters, as she did not think she would get caught thanks to her Magic Item, Hades Head, a helmet that granted her complete invisibility.
"I know exactly what you're thinking," Hermes said while glancing at Asfi with a smile. "And your Hades Head is indeed impressive. In fact, most gods would not even be able to see through it. But trust me when I say this, Aislynn will know. And she's the last goddess I'd ever want to piss off. Hell, she makes Hera's tantrums about Zeus' infidelity look childish when she's angry."
Though skeptical, Asfi gave up the idea of spying on the members of the Aislynn Familia. However, Hermes' apparent fear of Aislynn made Asfi rather curious to know what was so special about those ten that a goddess who terrified her usually fearless god so much would take an interest in them.
"Anyway, I just got back to Orario," Hermes said cheerfully. "So, let's go to Mia's place. I miss the wine there."
"You don't plan to leave the bill for me to pay this time, do you, Lord Hermes?" Asfi asked in a dry tone while adjusting her glasses again and glaring directly into Hermes' eyes.
"Oh, come on, Asfi," Hermes said as he turned away to hide a growing smile. "Didn't I promise that the last time would be the last time?"
"You did," Asfi said coldly while following behind Hermes, who started to walk toward the Hostess of Fertility. "You also said the same thing the time before that. And the thirteen times before that, as well."
"Asfi, my dear Asfi," Hermes said jovially. "You have to learn not to be stuck in the past. Otherwise, how can you hope to progress?"
Like that, the god and the captain of the Hermes Familia continued to banter while disappearing into the crowd.
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the Babel Tower, Freya watched Hermes walk away with a slightly disdainful smile on her face.
"I knew he was not as foolish as he pretended to be," Freya said in an even tone. "If I had to guess, he just wanted to get a feel for the Adventurers who managed to catch that Dragon God's eye."
A moment later, Freya looked in the direction the members of the Aislynn Familia had gone. And when she realized she could not see them clearly from where she stood, she let out a sigh. Then, she turned away from the window, walked over to her usual seat, and flopped down in an inelegant manner.
"Sigh Has Aislynn sent a reply to my request to visit?" Freya asked in a somewhat frustrated tone as she picked up an empty wine glass and held it toward Ottar.
"Unfortunately, there has been no response," Ottar replied as he stepped forward, picked up an open bottle of wine, and began to fill Freya's glass. {Pic}
"Sigh Of course there hasn't," Freya muttered despondently. "I never sent a letter. *Sigh*"
"Shall I deliver one now, My Lady?" Ottar asked in his usual flat tone.
"No," Freya replied without even looking at Ottar. "If the wording is wrong, at best, you'll be turned away. And at worst, you'll annoy Aislynn, something I'd rather not deal with at the moment. *Sigh* Why is she so selfish? Is it wrong that I want to meet such remarkable children? This attitude makes it seem as if I have a reputation for stealing the children of other Familias."
Despite being Freya's most devout follower, even Ottar could not bring himself to agree with his goddess in this situation. And when Freya noticed that Ottar did not say anything in her defense, she glanced at him before a playful smile spread across her face.
"Oh, it seems you don't agree, Ottar," Freya said lazily before taking a sip from her glass.
"I am here to make sure that your wishes are fulfilled, my Lady," Ottar replied after putting down the wine bottle, taking a step back, and bowing politely.
Hearing how devoted her Familia's captain was, Freya's smile widened. Then, she looked out the window toward the direction of the Dragon's Nest and could not help sighing wistfully.
"Aislynn, oh Aislynn..." Freya drawled. "Why must you make me wait so?"
Not long later, Tatsuo, with Sakura on his back and a smile on his face, led the other members of the Aislynn Familia back to the Dragon's Nest. And when they arrived at the gates, they found Aislynn waiting for them.
"Welcome back," Aislynn said with a smile as she shot a quick glance at Sakura. She then shifted her gaze to Tatsuo as she continued. "It seems you had a rough day, Tatsuo, Momo."
"It could have been worse," Tatsuo replied with a shrug while adjusting Sakura's position on his back. "I guess you found out from Sakura's dreams, huh?"
"Exactly," Aislynn replied. "Anyway, we can talk about your trip to the Dungeon after you've all gotten cleaned up and had something to eat. Then, you should all get some rest. Your day off is tomorrow. We'll take care of updating your Falna then, too."
"Sigh~~~~~ I could really use a bath," Elicia said while stretching her arms over her head. Then, she turned to look at Alfonzo with a suggestive gaze as she continued. "Fonzie, wanna join me?"
"Sure," Alfonzo replied with a smile of his own. Then, he turned to look at Tatsuo as he wrapped an arm around Elicia's waist. "I'll leave dinner to you, T. I did take care of breakfast alone today."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Tatsuo replied while rolling his eyes. "Let's just go inside. And can one of you girls help Sakura get cleaned up, too?"
Unnoticed by most, Sakura's arms, which were draped over Tatsuo's shoulders, twitched as if she were about to hug him around the neck. However, with inhuman willpower, she stopped herself from moving. Meanwhile, Tatsuo, James, Alfonzo, Elicia, Zelretch, and Aislynn found the corners of their lips twitching up into smiles.
And the reason for that was simple: those six had all realized that Sakura had woken up shortly before they arrived at the Dragon's Nest. However, no one pointed it out. And now that she had been exposed, Sakura realized that Tatsuo had noticed her slight movements, so she continued to feign sleep out of embarrassment.
"Yes, I will assist her," Momo said while stepping forward to untie Sakura from Tatsuo's back. "As one of her teammates on this short expedition, it is only natural."
"I'll help, too," Violet said gently while smiling at Tatsuo.
'Oh, Violet noticed, too,' Tatsuo thought to himself as he steadied Sakura on his back until she was untied. Then, while handing her over to Violet and Momo, his thoughts continued. 'Must have been when she twitched. Well, Violet has always been observant.'
"Then, I'll leave her to you," Tatsuo said as he started walking toward the villa's entrance. "I'll start cooking after I get cleaned up. Dinner should be ready in about an hour and a half to two hours.