Danmachi: A Despicable Stranger

Chapter 87: About Gossip and Cabbage

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"Artemis?"

Just as Artemis was washing off the smell of alcohol after her hangover and gradually showing a relaxed expression, a gentle and soft voice called from the side.

The familiar voice made Artemis raise an eyebrow and tilt her head slightly.

"Demeter, it's you..."

There were actually very few goddesses who would choose to bathe in the morning. At this hour, the number of goddesses in the sacred baths could be counted on two hands.

Most preferred to come here at dusk when the day was winding down.

Artemis was a little surprised to see her friend at this moment.

Coming into view, wrapped in a thick bath towel, was an orange-haired goddess.

Her long, smooth hair was tied up for the bath, fully revealing her voluptuous figure. Her chest, noticeably two or three sizes larger than Artemis's, was impossible not to notice.

The orange-haired goddess submerged herself into the bathtub next to Artemis, and the buoyancy naturally made her float slightly.

"..."

The stark "class gap" between their physiques made Artemis's eye twitch, and she quickly withdrew her gaze.

She inexplicably felt as if she were being ridiculed!

Demeter, the head deity of Orario's largest agricultural Familia, was an old acquaintance of Artemis from their time in heaven, and they shared a very good relationship.

Of course, back then, Artemis was often teased about his figure.

"It's so rare to meet you here, Artemis."

Demeter adjusted the bath towel scattered by the bubbles. Although it was a long-awaited meeting with Artemis, she didn't feel like reminiscing about the past at this moment.

Thinking of the news her children had brought her that morning, Demeter's mouth curled into a mischievous, gossipy smile.

"Hey, Artemis, have you heard the latest rumors in Orario?"

"Rumors? What's that?"

Artemis frowned slightly, a look of doubt crossing her delicate face.

"I heard this one just started spreading yesterday~"

The mature face was filled with excitement, like a child whose prank was about to succeed, and Demeter's malicious smile gradually blossomed.

Inexplicably, Artemis felt a bad premonition in her heart...

"I heard that last night, in the Hostess of Fertility, the goddess Artemis and the goddess Loki got into a fight over a man!"

"Ha???"

Artemis had a bad premonition, and several large question marks seemed to appear over her head.

What kind of ridiculous rumor was this?

How could anyone believe that? she had only been drinking with Loki—what did that have to do with Izzy?

"You did't refute it right away? Oh my, it seems like this might actually be true?"

"Nonsense! That's ridiculous!"

"Artemis, your reaction is so suspicious. I originally thought it was just some unreliable rumor spread by one of those gods, but now I'm starting to think it might actually be true~"

"No way!"

Artemis's thoughts were completely disrupted by the sudden appearance of her old friend. She decided not to continue bathing. Wrapping herself tightly in a towel, she walked straight out of the bath.

If she stayed, she would never escape the endless teasing.

Explaining would be pointless—Demeter clearly knew the rumor wasn't credible. She just wanted to use it to tease her.

But Artemis couldn't think of any suitable excuse to refute her.

"Ah la la…"

Stroking her cheek gently, Demeter smiled sweetly as she watched Artemis's retreating back, which seemed almost like it was running away.

---

Walking on the northwest street, which was full of adventurers, Izzy wandered around aimlessly.

"Loki is exaggerating. She really looked like she wanted to cut me with a knife..."

Recalling the situation where he tried to take refuge in the library but ended up running into Loki, Izzy sighed deeply.

Still, he could understand Loki's feelings.

After all, if someone wants to pluck the tender cabbage from their own garden, how could that not cause an explosion?

The most infuriating thing is that they are our own Familia.

But...

"Because they are our own Familia, the chances of picking cabbage are high~," Izzy nodded at his own words, looking as if he had uncovered the ultimate truth.

And as a Familia member, after eating the cabbage, Loki could only fume with rage.

The palms and backs of the hands are all made of flesh—what could Loki do in the end?

This wave, this wave could only be described as a thief in the house!

---

"Hmm? Oh, isn't this Izzy?"

"Oh, God Miach"

After walking along the cobblestone road for a while, a figure suddenly appeared at the corner and called out to Izzy.

It was a tall young man in a gray robe, exuding a gentle and elegant demeanor.

If it weren't for the simplicity of his robe, many people might mistake him for a nobleman who had stepped straight out of a book.

As an adventurer who often visited Pharmacy, Izzy was very familiar with the god before him.

Similarly, because Izzy often came to buy medicine, Miach had a strong impression of him and developed a good liking for him.

"Good day, God Miach. Are you going out to buy something?"

"No, I came out of the store to sell my products—potions—to adventurers," Miach replied with a friendly smile, gesturing to the paper bag in his hand.

Inside were some newly developed elixirs.

The Miach Familia runs Pharmacy. Although the shop is small in scale and completely incomparable to the Cecht Treatment Center, which is also located on Northwest Street, it is a genuine specialty store that caters to adventurers.

When it came to the quality of ordinary potions, the two were on par.

However, as for high-level potions... the Cecht Treatment Center specialized in those.

It wasn't that the Miach Familia couldn't make advanced elixirs, but they rarely had enough money to purchase the necessary materials.

It might sound rude to say this, but the Miach Familia, the Takemikazuchi Familia, and the soon-to-rise Hestia Familia were the three most famous poor familias in Orario.

Like this, even the sale of goods had to be done personally by their god.

---

"By the way, Izzy, since it's rare to meet you on the street, I'll give this to you."

Miach reached into his paper bag, pulled out two glass bottles, and handed them to Izzy with a smile.

"This is a dual-attribute elixir that Naaza and I recently developed. Please patronize my familia more often in the future."

It had appeared—the legendary Mercy of God Miach!

God Miach had a widely known reputation among adventurers for his peculiar hobby: giving away potions for free.

Regardless of the potion's value, if Miach was in a good mood, he might gift it to someone.

That said, the frequency of such gifts was higher for those who were familiar with him.

In Miach own words, this was his way of building goodwill with future customers.

"Thank you, God Miach. I'll make sure to visit Pharmacy more often in the future," Izzy replied, accepting the elixirs without pretense, as he was already used to Miach's generosity.

---

At the same time, on the same street corner, Artemis—wandering aimlessly through the city after leaving the sacred baths—spotted Izzy.