Bringing the Goddess Home

The air resistance at high speeds is enormous. Nearly all energy is sucked up by air resistance at speeds of 40 km/h.

The higher the speed, the more exponentially the air resistance increases, draining energy.

Therefore, Charlie used Spirit Art to create a Wind Shield while flying while carrying Astraea. With the Wind Shield, the air is blown away to reduce the air around him.

In less than five minutes, the Tower of Babel began to appear, Astraea's eyes were fixed on Charlie in amazement.

'This flying speed is even faster than Perseus. Moreover, Perseus flies using her own magic item, Talaria. But Charlie is different, he flies with his own abilities without the help of any magic items. What an amazing young man.' Astraea thought, admiring him.

Meanwhile, Charlie did not immediately enter Orario, but landed on the ground to join the queue to enter the city.

Astraea had to go through legal procedures to enter Orario. Otherwise, she would soon be noticed by the gods, and she would surely face complications in the future.

'Fortunately, I haven't reported the fact that I'm Level 3 to the Guild. My flying ability is no secret, so it can be assumed that I left Orario illegally. At worst, I'll be fined.' Charlie was more relaxed thinking about this.

It should be noted that First and Second Class Adventurers require strict permission to leave Orario. After all, their power could cause havoc in the outside world, which is why the Guild does not allow them to leave Orario without a reason.

"..."

Outside the city gate, there was a long queue waiting for inspection.

The people in line consisted of businessmen riding horse-drawn carriages and pulling goods, farmers holding hoes and wearing simple clothes, swordsmen in robes holding swords and equipped with armor.

As the center of the world, Orario attracts people from all corners of the world.

"Hmm... Are you a goddess?"

Standing in front of Charlie and Astraea was an ordinary human. He wore coarse brown linen clothes and had a unique simplicity as a worker.

When he saw Astraea beside Charlie, he couldn't hide the shock on his face and asked her cautiously.

"That's right. I am the Goddess of Justice, Astraea."

Facing the commoners, Astraea did not look down on him, she showed kindness to everyone regardless of someone's social status.

"Y-You... Astraea-sama?!"

The man was stunned for a moment, then gave up his position in front of them, indicating that they could stand in front of him.

"Astraea Familia once helped me, please go ahead."

"Thank you very much."

Not refusing the other party's kindness, Astraea took Charlie's hand and walked forward.

Next, the people in line would give up their positions after seeing that Astraea was a goddess. Unconsciously, they had both arrived at the entrance to Orario.

The man guarding the city gate was a member of the Ganesha Familia.

As Charlie had predicted, when his name was not listed in the information of the adventurers who left Orario, he was taken to a room and interrogated.

Not wanting this issue to drag on, he silently hypnotized them with Spirit Art. Hypnosis only works on targets weaker than him. Fortunately, the gatekeepers were only Level 1, so Charlie hypnotized them easily.

In the end, he was fined one million valis. Only then was he and Astraea allowed to enter.

Once the two of them entered, the first thing that caught their attention was a large colosseum in the style of ancient Rome.

The Colosseum was built right across from East Main Street. Many soldiers wearing armor entered and exited the colosseum with high energy.

Besides the colosseum, there were also many shops and settlements on the left and right sides of the road, mostly made of stone buildings. After passing several buildings, there were alleys leading to the back that seemed to stretch in all directions.

"It's been five years since I left, Orario remains the same." Astraea felt nostalgic looking at the surroundings.

Six members of the Ganesha Familia passed by guarding a carriage carrying a monster caged in an iron cage.

"Hmm~... It seems I didn't miss Monsterphilia this year."

"Monsterphilia? What is that?"

"You don't know, Charlie?"

"Actually, I'm a newcomer, I've only lived in Orario for less than a month."

Responding to Astraea's surprise, Charlie shrugged and explained.

"So that's it. Well, I'll give you a little introduction to Monsterphilia."

"..."

Glancing at Astraea who was still holding his hand, Charlie just nodded slightly.

"Monsterphilia is an event that turns monster taming into a spectacle. This festival was proposed and organized by the Guild. It was created five years ago to soften people's hatred of monsters, no matter how small, and has continued ever since."

Pausing for a moment, Astraea whispered in his ear.

"This is just between the two of us. Ouranos is the driving force behind the event. Holding a show despite the danger of bringing monsters out of the Dungeon is his idea. He wants to soften public opinion about monsters by showing the greatness of the tamers interacting with them, making monsters less alien, and providing a foundation for change in the future. It's all to lay the first stepping stone that will lead to a day when the Xenos can enjoy themselves under the sun."

"Xenos?"

This was the first time Charlie had heard the word. He had to admit, his knowledge of Danmachi wasn't very reliable because he only watched the first season of the anime.

"Let's talk over there."

Worried that their conversation would be overheard, Astraea pulled Charlie into a quiet alley.

"If Goddess Astraea doesn't want anyone else to listen, I can put up a soundproof barrier."

"You can do that? Please do."

Astraea felt that Charlie was versatile and could do anything.

"Okay."

With Wind Spirit Art, Charlie made the space around him a vacuum so that sound wouldn't travel like in space.

Sound cannot travel through a vacuum. This is because sound is one type of mechanical wave so it needs a medium to propagate. This is elementary school physics.

"Goddess Astraea can start. I guarantee no one can hear our conversation." Charlie said lightly.

Trusting him, Astraea told him about Xenos.

"Xenos are monsters that have somehow gained intelligence. They tend to be stronger than normal monsters and some Xenos are even capable of speaking like humans. Unlike other monsters, they don't have barbaric tendencies. Instead, they have a desire to live side by side with humans."

"Unfortunately, they are often hunted by adventurers who don't know about their existence. They also live in hiding and often move from place to place for their safety. To this day, their origins are unknown, there is speculation that they are defects or mistakes in the Dungeon, perhaps trying to make monsters more intelligent."

"Charlie, if you meet a Xenos, don't attack them, okay? Their lives are truly miserable, they are hunted by adventurers and the monsters themselves consider them enemies."

"..."

Hearing that, Charlie was surprised, but that was all. Unlike the people of this world who have a bias against monsters, he has no ill prejudice.

"Understood. If one day I meet a Xenos, I won't attack if they don't act aggressively first."

"Mm, that's more than enough. Let's go to your house."

Not detecting any lies from him, Astraea was glad that Charlie was a good person.

On their way to the Empyrean Citadel, the two of them were delayed quite a while due to the Gods and Goddesses who were shocked to see Astraea.

If it weren't for Astraea refusing their invitations to chat, Charlie doubted whether he could go home.

"Welcome back, Charlie. I'm hungry."

Opening the door, Aishia lay limply on the couch.

"Sorry, there were a lot of things that happened today. I'll make dinner soon. Goddess Astraea, make yourself at home."

After saying that, Charlie went to the kitchen to cook.

"Charlie never mentioned he had a Spirit."

Sitting on the couch, Astraea recovered from her shock at seeing Aishia.

"I'm Aishia, Charlie's Contracted Spirit."

"I'm the Goddess of Justice, Astraea, nice to meet you, beautiful Spirit. From now on, I'll be staying here, hopefully we can get acquainted."

"Mm."

After the two women got acquainted, Astraea started chatting with Aishia. The main topic was of course Charlie.