Danmachi: A Despicable Stranger

Chapter 78: Pulling Back from the Brink and Attempted Crime

_____

That's true.

It had only been about a month since Izzy arrived in Orario.

In just one month, he had already completed an upgrade.

If you thought about it carefully, could he have achieved such rapid progress without devoting himself entirely to dungeon exploration?

No, it was precisely because Izzy had been so diligent in exploring the dungeon that he leveled up so quickly.

Considering this, where would he even find the time to learn about Orario's unique features and customs?

There was a high probability he hadn't even visited most of the city yet.

So why would someone like him, still unfamiliar with Orario, decide to visit a place like Red light district on his own?

And since Izzy had said this was his first time here, what did that imply?

It meant someone had instigated him! Someone had tried to lead him astray!

The truth of the matter quickly pieced itself together in Artemis's mind. Her gaze turned almost hostile as she focused on Raul.

Meanwhile, Lante, who had been standing quietly behind Artemis, frowned. Though she sensed something was off, her small brain struggled to grasp exactly what the issue was.

"Hiss!!!" Raul wasn't a fool. He quickly recognized the gravity of the situation and took a sharp breath.

Be careful in making friends!

Be careful in making friends!!!

This Izzy fellow had managed to fool a goddess with just a few words! Not only that, but he made her believe his explanation without question!

Even Raul himself couldn't find any flaws in Izzy's logic.

With a few simple lines, Izzy had completely removed himself from the situation and shifted all the blame onto him—without giving Raul any chance to defend himself.

How could someone like this exist?!

You're incredible, Izzy! You look so innocent and handsome, but I never expected you to be such a scoundrel!

(Izzy: Who said I was responsible for any of this?)

"You're from Loki's familia…"

"Oh no, I'm not! I didn't! You've got the wrong person! I'm sorry!!!"

Before Artemis could finish her sentence, Raul unleashed a lightning-fast three-step denial and bolted from the scene.

This… was as good as a confession.

Artemis saw through Raul's lies effortlessly.

Watching the hedgehog-haired man's retreating figure, the goddess silently made a note to remember this troublemaker.

"Izzy, why were you with someone like that?" Artemis asked, her tone sharp.

"Oh, that's right. He said he wanted to show me some of Orario's highlights," Izzy replied without hesitation, decisively selling Raul out.

Orario was known as the "center of the world," and it was said that the women working in Red light district came from all across the continent.

The district itself was a mosaic of architectural styles, ranging from oriental designs with open upper floors to the heavy stone structures evocative of the cold north.

Brothels representing countless regions and cultures filled the street, each adding to the exotic atmosphere.

In a way, this was indeed one of Orario's most distinctive areas.

"Eh~~~ So you just went along with him?"

Lante's voice stretched with suspicion as she eyed Izzy, her tone clearly unconvinced.

"He dragged me here," Izzy answered firmly, his reply flawless.

Raul's reputation—and whatever consequences awaited him—was no longer relevant.

The real priority was how to protect himself.

After all, no matter how things unfolded, Izzy was confident his actions could only be seen as pulling back from the brink of a potential crime.

The worst-case scenario would be something happening to Raul, followed by Finn scolding him again, adding another embarrassing incident to his growing list of dark histories.

But surely, it couldn't get that bad.

"So suspicious..." The half-elf girl scrutinized Izzy with a piercing gaze, her eyes so intense that they could make anyone feel guilty.

However, Izzy was practically immune to such looks by now.

He had been on the receiving end of that stare at least seventy or eighty times—if not more. Was he afraid?

Not a chance!

Calmly brushing it off, he turned away and continued reminiscing with Artemis.

Perhaps it was his casual demeanor that cleared him of suspicion. After pulling him out of the fourth district, Artemis no longer wore the stern expression from earlier. She even responded occasionally to his chatter.

During their conversation, the topic of Izzy's upgrade inevitably came up.

"You actually managed to reach Level 2 in just one month?"

Hearing the subject that piqued her curiosity, Lante snapped out of her contemplative gaze and asked in surprise.

Reaching Level 2 in just a month was practically unheard of—an achievement so extraordinary it sounded absurd.

"What? Don't believe me?" Izzy raised an eyebrow, smirking. "I could take down three of you right now."

The word "three" now seemed to serve as a unit of measurement in Izzy's mouth, much to Lante's confusion.

Although she didn't fully understand the implied insult, she had a gut feeling that Izzy wasn't saying anything nice about her.

Still, her eyes gleamed mischievously as if a brilliant idea had struck her.

She decided not to bother arguing for now. Instead, she beckoned to Izzy with a sly wave.

"Come here~"

"?"

Curiosity piqued, Izzy leaned in, assuming she was about to start a quarrel.

"What now?"

"Izzy," Lante whispered, her voice dripping with playful conspiracy, "if you tell me how to get stronger quickly, I'll help you conquer Lady Artemis."

"???"

"LANTE! WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!"

Artemis's reaction was instant, her face turning crimson with embarrassment and anger. She lunged at Lante, grabbing her pointed elf ears and lifting them sharply.

"Ahhh! It hurts, it hurts! Lady Artemis, I was wrong! I'm sorry! It hurts so much~~~~"

Why was this girl so audacious? Did she dare say anything?

Was it because Artemis hadn't wielded her sword in a while, or had this elf simply grown too bold?

Artemis felt the latter was far more likely.

"Wow, I've never seen an elf getting her ears pulled before. This is enlightening," Izzy quipped, watching the scene unfold with great amusement.

Still, he couldn't help but feel a slight pang of regret.

To be honest, Lante's proposal had been... tempting.

But now? He could only pray the elf would survive Artemis's wrath.

---

Meanwhile, back at the Twilight Manor, Raul had run the entire way. Panting heavily, he clung to the gate's wall, struggling to catch his breath.

"Damn… Damn Izzy… stabbed me in the back out of nowhere..."

His breaths were ragged, and he looked completely drained.

"Oh? Isn't that Raul? What happened to you? You look like you're about to keel over."

Loki's voice rang out as she emerged from the central tower with a sly grin.

Riveria, walking beside her with an exasperated expression, sighed at the sight of Raul.

"And where's Izzy?" Loki continued. "Weren't you two supposed to be out exploring the dungeon together? Why are you back here alone?"

It seemed Raul's troubles were far from over.

Riveria, still unimpressed, folded her arms. "Weren't we supposed to go buy that sacred Soma wine days ago? You cancelled halfway through, and now you're wandering back like this?"

After some cajoling and logical persuasion, Loki had finally convinced Riveria to help her acquire the wine.