[ Area: Orario]
| The city of dreams and disappointments. Many come here in search of their dreams, only to realize they've gotten too close to the sun, only to get burned.
| Exploration Progress: 70%
It was a normal, quiet afternoon on the streets of Orario.
People came and went, many of them carrying weapons and armor, or just waiting inside tents and shops.
"Aaahhh~" In front of a coffee shop, a young girl dressed as a maid yawned lazily with a tray in her hands.
Her long white hair and cute round face caught the attention of many customers during busy hours, making her a perfect receptionist.
"Honestly, for the first time in my life, I'm starting to doubt myself." Murmured a man with white hair and blue eyes walking to the establishment's balcony.
"Is my spirit really that damaged?"
"Good afternoon Mr. Baal~! Would you like the usual?" She said to him in a friendly and cheerful manner.
"Or maybe you'd like something sweet to go with it this time?" She approached him as he sat down at one of the tables on the balcony.
"Ah, hello again," he said, trying to be friendly, but he looked like a grumpy old man in the girl's eyes.
"Just a cup of black coffee today." He rested his chin on his fist and then turned toward the streets of Orario, calmly looking at each of the people passing by.
"Okey dokey~" She promptly went to get the coffee, while Baal continued to grumble.
He had been looking for Bell for weeks and still couldn't find any trace of the boy.
At this point, he already felt defeated. After all, at his peak, he was considered one of the best when it came to hunting the children of Zeus.
He knew more about Zeus's children than Zeus himself.
During that time, he also took the opportunity to get to know the streets of Orario better, as well as to become more familiar with the gods and their Familias, also any other common knowledge.
He had blended into that society with mastery born of millennia of experience.
"Here you go!" The girl placed a steaming cup of coffee in front of him along with a small plate with a piece of cake topped with whipped cream and a strawberry.
"I hope it's to your liking."He raised his eyebrow for a moment under her cheerful and satisfied gaze.
…
The response was silence.
Seeing that she didn't react, he coughed and spoke.
"I didn't order this cake..." She nodded in agreement.
"You really didn't order it." she said with the sweetest smile in the world.
...
He sighed deeply, he was beginning to think that bankers and other debt collectors weren't so bad after all.
He was about to be mugged by a waitress and there was nothing he could do about it.
"Oh please, don't make that grumpy face. It's on the house, a courtesy, c-o-u-r-t-e-s-y!" she said with puffed cheeks and feigned anger. "It's not like you've never been given anything nice before."
"Have I?" he asked seriously, eliciting a long sigh from her.
"I'm doing it now," she said.
"Free things are the most expensive. What do you want from me?" He countered the argument, hoping to get some reaction from her, but she just sighed again.
"Just forget it. Did you like the coffee this time?" She said excitedly, looking at the hot coffee.
"Let me try it." He promptly grabbed the cup and brought it to his lips, sniffing it lightly before taking a calm sip.
"It's improved a lot since last time, I'd say it's a seven out of ten." She giggled a little.
"I made it this time! To think that it went from a six to a seven finally! It only took me two weeks! Hehe, I still remember the first time I saw you and you said my coffee was rubbish." She said nostalgically, leaving Baal even more confused.
'Have I been going to this coffee shop for that long? But more importantly... she went from a six to a seven in such a short time? I'm literally comparing her coffee to divine coffee…' Baal stared at the cup in shock for a few more moments.
The temperature was perfect.
The selection of beans was perfect.
The amount of water was perfect.
Other steps were almost perfect... This was not the work of a human being, but of a candidate for coffee god...
"Elemental synchronicity…to think that someone would use it like that..." Baal whispered, then looked at the cute young woman with a strange expression.
"What was your name again?" he asked.
"Hey! That's very rude! I told you that the day we met, my name is Bella." He then blinked for a few moments, still incredulous.
"Really?" He looked at her intently as he inspected her thoroughly with his spirit, giving her a sudden chill.
'What are the chances of there being two relatives of Zeus in the same city in a lower world?' He calculated internally for a few moments.
'Close to zero...'
'It must be my imagination... right?' She thought as she stood motionless under his gaze.
She had grown very close to him in recent weeks precisely because, despite being unfriendly, he was very polite, but at that very moment he was looking her up and down without any scruples.
However, for some reason she didn't feel bad, instead she began to blush.
"H-hey, s-say something... don't just s-stare at m-me l-like t-that... w-we're in public..." She looked away, trying to push away any strange thoughts that were trying to surface.
"You have a nice body," he said suddenly.
"B-but w-what?!" Her blush quickly spread across her face, and yet he continued to look her up and down even more intently.
"You'd make a great adventurer, you know? Your muscles look very firm and your skin is very soft. These are two things that may go unnoticed by many, but in fact hide great potential."
"I would even say you have unlimited potential..." He then closed his eyes thoughtfully, obviously her physique did not resemble that of an ordinary mortal. Instead, it looked a lot like his, a perfect physique but not strengthened.
"Have you ever thought about being an adventurer?"