Danmachi: A Mage's Journey

Chapter 279 279: Alise's Extreme Venting

"Hehe, hahahaha! This is the first time anyone's ever said that to me."

The eerie silence shattered under Syr's sudden laughter. She burst out laughing as though Alise had just told the most ridiculous joke in the world, trying not to spill the steaming soup in her hands as tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.

"Do I really look like a monster?" She asked playfully, tilting her head with a smile.

Alise blinked, suddenly realizing what she had just blurted out, and immediately felt her face burn with shame. She had just asked a kind-looking citizen, a simple girl of the city, if she was a monster.

What shame! What humiliation!

"Ah... I'm sorry for saying something so weird." Alise flailed slightly, trying to cover up her inexplicable intuition with an awkward laugh.

"I—I don't know why I suddenly thought that way, but really, I'm so sorry."

"Haha, it's fine." Syr replied with a shake of her head, her smile never faltering.

Then, with a sly sparkle in her eye, she leaned closer. "Although... did I interrupt your date?"

Her gaze flicked toward Akira as she spoke, her lips curving in mischief, and she even gave him a small wink.

The child that Astraea doted upon seemed to have quite the passionate heart. Every time Syr—no, Freya, laid eyes upon Akira, he was always surrounded by different girls. And as the goddess of beauty, even in this guise, she could see it clearly. Every single one of those girls harbored feelings for him.

"Ahahaha... n-no, no, no, it's not like that!" Alise's cheeks ignited crimson, and she waved her hands wildly, desperate to deny it. "M-my name is Alise. What's yours?"

"My name is Syr."

With a graceful flick, Syr brushed her light gray hair, tied up neatly in a bun, and offered her name.

Akira leaned closer to whisper into Alise's ear.

A beat later, Alise's eyes lit up in recognition. "Ohhh—I see! So you're Syr-san, one of the waitresses at the Hostess of Fertility. No wonder."

With puffed-up pride, Alise smacked her chest in exaggerated approval. "Aunt Mia's cooking is the best. When this war ends, we'll definitely come back to eat again."

At that, Syr's lips curved into a knowing smile. She gently rubbed the warm coin in her hand and said, "So Morning Star-san has already spoken of me. Then I'll be looking forward to Astraea Familia's visit."

Akira added, glancing around, "Speaking of which, are you alone? Where's Anya-san? She's not with you?"

His brow furrowed. He couldn't see the cat-girl anywhere. As a bodyguard, wasn't she usually glued to Syr's side?

And then Akira remembered, wincing, last time, when Kaguya had called him away, he hadn't even said goodbye to her. He could already imagine Anya sulking and maybe "forgetting" his order the next time he stopped by the tavern.

Syr twirled a lock of her hair around her finger and chuckled, her voice carrying a hint of mischief. "Actually, I followed you here in secret. Anya's working at the canteen with Mama Mia."

"That's dangerous." Akira muttered, his tone sharp with warning.

Alise glanced curiously at him, but he only folded his arms, frowning.

The three of them moved to sit by the fountain at the edge of the square. Once, water would have gushed in shimmering arcs from its centerpiece, but now the basin was dry and cracked, a lifeless ruin. The wind cut through the square, bitter and sharp, carrying the bite of winter through the broken rubble.

Despite the bleak setting, conversation flowed. Alise's natural ability to befriend anyone shone through, and Freya, disguised as Syr, was a goddess with an aura of effortless affinity. The two women drew together easily, their voices rising and falling like old friends.

Then Syr tilted her head, her eyes gleaming with a clarity that pierced right to the soul. "Alise-san... if you're troubled about anything, I'll listen. If you don't mind."

Akira stiffened at once. His instincts screamed danger.

Without a word, he suddenly shot to his feet. "Alise, I'll check how the others are preparing. You two... take your time."

Before either woman could respond, he spun on his heel and marched toward Astraea Familia's tent. If he stayed, his ears would surely be burned off.

Ten minutes later.

"...And that's basically it. Being a captain is exhausting. You have to deal with this, and that, and everyone's problems, and it's just so much work."

Alise's complaints spilled forth like a dam burst open. She hadn't stopped talking for a single breath, her words tumbling endlessly in a stream of grievances.

Syr, standing beside her, looked utterly drained, holding her empty soup cup with both hands as if clinging to the last of her patience.

"You really do have a lot on your shoulders." Syr said finally, her tone flat with fatigue. "Although I said I'd listen if you were troubled, I'm beginning to regret it."

"Hehehe. But this is such a rare chance." Alise said with a radiant grin, leaning closer with sparkling eyes. "I hardly ever show weakness to anyone. So before you leave, you have to listen to me."

"Ahahaha..." Syr's laugh rang hollow.

If she had known this chatterbox would unload an entire battlefield's worth of grievances, she never would have approached in the first place. No wonder Akira had bolted.

Her smile twitched. So that's why he ran away. He couldn't endure this endless chatter.

...

"Ahhh. I can't take it anymore. I'm a god, not an adventurer. Why do I have to work all day long?!"

A drawn-out groan echoed through the empty corridor.

The one dragging her feet along, red hair swaying behind her, was none other than Loki.

Her arms were stacked with papers, her gait lazy and sluggish.

"Ughhh, so sleepy. I just wanna drown in wine." She muttered, kicking the guild's office door open with her foot.

"Finn, I brought the documents you asked for. Looks like those five fortresses you wanted have been found." She shoved the stack onto the table with a careless thump and rolled her shoulders with a groan.

"We can start housing people there right away and adjust our defenses according to the plan—"

Her words cut off mid-sentence because the pallum standing at the table, his blue eyes locked on a parchment, wasn't listening. His expression was grim, so grim Loki felt her stomach sink.

"What now?" She asked, wary. "What's wrong, Finn?"

"Look at this." Without a word, Finn spread the parchment across the table.

"This came from the Guild. Information Hermes smuggled out. It's a list. The list of gods repatriated during the Great Struggle."

"When the gods were forced back?" Loki's lazy drawl sharpened at once, her crimson eyes narrowing. "Tch... those damned Evilus bastards. They really stirred up trouble this time."

Her gaze fell to the names scrawled across the parchment. Every single one belonged to a god of a familia fighting on Orario's frontlines.

Loki, who had been browsing the list with a serious expression, suddenly froze.

"Wait. Isn't this a bit too strange?"

Finn nodded slightly, his sharp eyes narrowing.

"That night, the number of gods sent back was nine. But according to this report, the number of destroyed familias was five. That means four more gods were sent back to heaven."

Just as Finn said, on that night of the "Great Struggle," countless familia suffered devastating losses. However, when it came to the "lifeline" of the gods, the number of deities struck down had been controlled, limited to five. Even so, that alone was an unprecedented level of destruction. But a discrepancy here was unthinkable.

To properly assess how many adventurers could still be mobilized, Finn had personally confirmed the condition of the remaining forces in the aftermath of the "Great Struggle." He would not have miscounted.

(End of Chapter)

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