In the Labyrinth City of Orario, various races lived side by side. Not only humans, but also stout dwarves with thick beards, graceful elf with pointed ears, tiny pallums resembling children, beastmen with animal-like ears and tails, and even gods walking among them.
"The fantasy vibe is so strong…"
Walking through the bustling crowd, Charlie still wasn't used to the sight, feeling like he was attending a cosplay event.
Around him, a sea of diverse faces and body types filled the streets.
Muscular dwarves clad in thick plate armor carried heavy war axes. Graceful elf glided lightly, with longbows slung over their backs or magic staves in hand. Some beastmen strolled casually, longswords at their waists, while pallums often carried bags larger than their own bodies.
On the other hand, the gods and goddesses were instantly recognizable at a glance. Though their Arcanum was sealed and they lived like mortals, the people of the lower world instinctively knew they were divine beings from Heaven without being told.
There was an intangible aura or presence that clung to the gods and goddesses.
"Hm?"
Charlie looked up, noticing dark clouds beginning to gather in the sky.
"I think it's going to rain today."
Not wanting to get wet, he quickened his pace.
It should be noted that Orario's size was equivalent to two or three kingdom capitals. So, even though Charlie sped up, it still took him about 15 minutes to reach his destination.
If not for the no-flying rule in Orario, he might have arrived faster. After all, he was an Indonesian in his previous life, and Indonesians were notorious for avoiding walking. Charlie was no exception.
Upon arriving at his usual flower shop, Charlie was greeted by the shop owner's daughter, renowned for her beauty even among Orario's most stunning women.
"Good morning, Charlie-san."
The woman had long, wavy flaxen hair cascading to her waist, partially tied back with a maroon ribbon. Her deep blue eyes radiated gentleness.
She wore a white long-sleeved blouse with a ruffled collar and maroon ties at the front, paired with a dark gray vest and a soft pink long skirt. Her look was simple yet exuded an innocent, captivating charm.
Anna Claes.
"Morning, Anna. How are you? While I was away, no rough adventurers bothered you, did they?" Charlie asked casually.
Anna smiled faintly, her clear blue eyes meeting his. "Thank you for your help last time, Charlie-san. The number of male adventurers flirting with me has dropped drastically thanks to your reputation. But… occasionally, a god proposes to me."
"Oh~ interesting." Charlie raised an eyebrow at that.
Anna was undeniably stunning, her beauty so remarkable that it attracted marriage proposals from numerous gods, all of which she rejected.
"Why do you turn down marriage proposals from gods?" Charlie asked, his tone slightly curious. He picked up a white lily from a nearby basket, feeling its soft petals. "Among them, there must be one who meets your standards, right? If you married a god, your life would be far better than it is now."
He knew there was no taboo against romantic relationships between gods and the people of the lower world. On the contrary, it was commonplace.
For the past thousand years, countless gods and goddesses had formed romantic relationships with people of various races in the lower world.
Setting aside the three Goddesses of Beauty—Aphrodite, Freya, and Ishtar—who might engage in purely physical relations with multiple men simultaneously to satisfy their desires, most gods and goddesses didn't change partners until their mortal partner passed away.
So, in Charlie's view, there was no reason for Anna to reject a marriage proposal from a god, especially since no god was unattractive in appearance.
"It's… I can't tell you, Charlie-san. I'm sorry."
A faint trace of disappointment flickered in Anna's eyes, perhaps because Charlie seemed indifferent to the fact that gods had proposed to her.
"No need to apologize." Charlie replied, waving his hand. "I'm the one who should apologize for asking about a sensitive topic."
He felt a bit rude for meddling in someone else's personal life.
(Speaking of which, I often say 'sorry' like Siegfried. Could slaying Fafnir and becoming a Dragon Slayer have a side effect of making me apologize a lot? No, it's just a coincidence.)
Charlie shook his head, dismissing the irrelevant thought.
"Charlie-san, ordering the usual flowers?" Anna changed the topic, a faint smile returning to her face.
"Yeah, the usual."
"Alright, I'll prepare them. Please wait a moment."
Confirming Charlie's order, Anna gathered several beautiful blue roses and began arranging them neatly into a bouquet. The deep blue petals looked striking under the shop's warm lighting.
*TICK… TICK… TICK…* *TICK… TICK… TICK…*
*TICK… TICK… TICK…* *TICK… TICK… TICK…*
Suddenly, raindrops began falling slowly from the sky, wetting the streets. The soft patter of rain soon grew heavier.
The once-busy street became even busier as pedestrians hurried to find shelter from the unexpected downpour.
Charlie was about to step inside the flower shop to take cover when he was suddenly bumped into by a pedestrian running to escape the rain.
"A-I'm sorry!"
The other party quickly apologized, their voice slightly breathless.
"Lefiya?"
Charlie immediately recognized the elf woman who had bumped into him as none other than Thousand Elf—Lefiya Viridis, a member of Loki Familia.
"Eh?"
Hearing her name, Lefiya looked up. Upon seeing the man before her, her eyes widened, and she took several steps back.
Instantly, memories she wished to forget flooded her mind. The person she admired, Ais Wallenstein, had been defiled by the man in front of her!
"Yo-You… Stay away from me, pervert!"
After saying that, her face flushed Red, Lefiya ran off as if she'd seen something terrifying, ignoring the rain now soaking her body.
"Huh?"
Lefiya's reaction clearly confused Charlie.
He was completely unaware that his affair with Ais had been directly witnessed by Lefiya.
Meanwhile, Anna approached, holding the bouquet of blue roses. Unable to contain her curiosity, she asked, "What's wrong, Charlie-san? Why did Thousand Elf call you a pervert?"
Could Charlie have done something inappropriate to Lefiya?
As Anna thought this, her grip on the bouquet tightened.
"No idea. Maybe because Lefiya accidentally touched me? You know how sensitive elf are to physical contact. They're a proud race that looks down on others, refusing physical contact with anyone but their own kind—it's a natural bodily reaction. Even gods aren't exempt."
That was the only logical explanation Charlie could offer for the situation.
"I see."
Anna considered it carefully, then nodded. She found it reasonable and dropped the topic.