[D.C] Ch 8: Labyrinth City Orario

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About half an hour later…

The two of them arrived at the north side of Orario's main avenue.

But instead of heading to The Hostess of Fertility, Syr took Klaus to a different tavern.

This place was tucked away on the northern side of Babel Tower.

Here's how Orario works—

The city is built around Babel Tower at its center, with eight major streets fanning out in all directions.

Each street corresponds to one of the eight section directions—north, south, east, west, northeast, southeast, northwest, and southwest.

The Freya Familia's base—Folkvangr—is located at the far end of the south district

Meanwhile, the Ishtar Familia's Entertainment District sits in the southeast.

And at the far end of the north district?

That's Loki Familia territory! Twilight Manor.

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Orario Map Image

(For more details, check the wiki page:
https://danmachi.fandom.com/wiki/Map:Orario
)

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As soon as Klaus and Syr stepped into the tavern—

A lively, noisy atmosphere hit them like a wave.

Klaus, experiencing the raucous vibe of a fantasy-world tavern for the first time, looked around with wide, curious eyes.

Until his gaze landed on…

A certain beastman.

It was Bete, the Werewolf!

Talk about bad luck—he couldn't even grab a bite to eat without running into this guy again.

But that wasn't all…

At another table nearby, Klaus spotted someone way more dangerous.

A catman—Allen Fromel.

Allen. Level 6. The fastest assassin in Orario, or so the rumors say.

He is known as the Vana Freya and also served as Freya Familia's vice-captain.

(Allen's alias, Vana Freya, is a reference to Freya's chariot from Norse mythology that is pulled by two cats.)

And he had a younger sister—Anya Fromel.

…

Right now, Bete was drinking alone, clearly wasted.

So drunk, in fact, that he didn't even notice Klaus.

But Allen?

He immediately recognized the goddess in disguise sitting beside Klaus.

"…Lady Syr?"

He blinked in surprise.

A slight frown crossed his face as he silently sized Klaus up.

Who the hell is this guy?

Why haven't I seen him before?

Syr—actually Freya—shot Allen a quick glance, silently signaling him not to interfere.

Just pretend you don't know me.

Allen got the message.

He gave a small nod and stayed put, casually watching from the sidelines.

In Orario, only members of Freya Familia knew Syr's true identity.

Freya loved roleplay, after all.

And she had no intention of dropping such a fun little game anytime soon.

"Mr. Klaus, let's order some food," Syr said warmly.

She grabbed his arm and led him to an empty table.

Allen, meanwhile, nearly popped a blood vessel.

He stared, slack-jawed, full of envy.

The goddess he adored wasn't even looking in his direction, let alone acknowledging his existence.

Klaus noticed it all.

Poor guy.

They say simping gets you nowhere—and man, this was a textbook example.

As for Klaus? Haha, with his Sanctum skill, there's no way he'd ever be a simp.

...

Once they sat down, Syr turned to him with a soft smile.

"Mr. Klaus, do you drink?"

Her tone was gentle, clearly looking out for him.

Klaus shook his head.

"I'll pass," he replied casually. "Planning to dive into the dungeon later. Don't wanna get drunk and do something dumb."

He wasn't cocky.

Still Level 1—no way he was going down there buzzed. That'd just be suicide.

Syr giggled and nodded.

"Fair enough. I won't order anything alcoholic either, then."

She raised a hand and called out, "Boss! We'd like to order!"

A dwarf came over, rubbing his hands together cheerfully.

"Well, well! Miss Syr—what an honor!"

"What can I get for you two?"

The guy didn't pry or gossip, just stood there politely waiting. Not the scheming type—refreshing, really.

Syr grabbed the menu and started pointing at dishes.

"I'll take this one… and that one… Oh! And definitely some roasted beef…"

After placing her order, she handed the menu to Klaus.

"Take a look—see anything you want?"

Klaus gave a light sigh.

"You already ordered a ton. Let's just eat first. If we're still hungry, we can get more."

"Okay~" Syr beamed. "Boss, we'll go with that for now!"

"Got it!"

The dwarf jotted everything down and politely stepped away.

"Is this your first dungeon dive, Mr. Klaus?" Syr asked, picking up the conversation again.

"Yeah," he admitted. "How'd you know?"

Syr rested her chin in her palm, gazing at him with wide eyes.

"Because… you don't have anything with you~"

"Don't tell me… you're planning to fight dungeon monsters bare-handed?"

She gasped dramatically.

It was… kind of adorable, honestly.

Though definitely a bit over-the-top.

Klaus smirked and played along.

"Well then, Miss Syr… mind sponsoring me?"

"Maybe help me buy a weapon and some armor?"

But instead of laughing it off, Syr tilted her head and asked curiously: "Your Familia let you go to the dungeon like this?"

"They didn't even give you a basic potion or anything?"

Klaus stayed quiet, which was all the confirmation she needed.

Syr pouted, folding her arms.

"What kind of irresponsible god would send someone off like that?"

"It's like they're trying to get you killed!"

She huffed, mumbling complaints to herself while looking away.

Her little tantrum made Klaus want to laugh.

"Alright, alright. I know you're worried about me."

"But don't stress—I'm not going down that easily."

Just then, the food started arriving.

One dish after another, carried over by smiling waitresses.

"Let's eat," Klaus said, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

He could barely stop himself from drooling.

"I'm digging in~!" Syr chirped.

"You go ahead," she smiled at him. "I'll just pop to the restroom real quick."

As Syr left the table, Allen quietly disappeared from his spot as well.

Freya must've sent him on an errand.

Klaus didn't think much of it.

His priority right now? Food.

"Mmm~ This stuff's actually amazing. Didn't expect it to suit my taste this well…"

He chewed happily, savoring every bite.

But just as he was getting into it…

A certain drunken werewolf staggered toward him, wooden mug in hand.

"You…"

"Aren't you… that guy… what's-your-name…" Bete slurred.

He was completely hammered—barely coherent.

Klaus narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Huh, you actually remember me."

"We really are destined to keep bumping into each other, huh?"

This time, though…

Klaus wasn't backing down.

He wasn't the same helpless rookie from before.

Today, things would be different.

"Mr. Klaus, I'm back~" Syr returned to her seat, smiling as she sat down.

Allen had also reappeared—now seated on a high stool near the bar.

Just moments earlier, Freya had given him a direct order: Protect Klaus from the shadows.

Allen wasn't thrilled about it, but he didn't hesitate to obey.

When it came to Freya's commands—

He never disobeyed.

"...Hmm?"

Syr suddenly noticed Bete's drunken stare.

"Isn't that Bete from the Loki Familia?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Bete didn't answer. He slammed a hand onto their table.

Then tipped back his mug again, gulping down more booze.

Allen locked his eyes on the werewolf, ready to jump in at a moment's notice.

If Bete made a single wrong move, the Vana Freya would strike.

The air grew thick with tension.

Neither side moved.

Everyone else in the tavern suddenly went quiet—watching, waiting.

A fight was clearly about to break out.

The crowd of drinkers turned into eager spectators.

But right at that moment—

Seven members of the Loki Familia entered the tavern.

Finn, Riveria, Gareth, Lefiya, Ais, Tiona, and Tione.

.

.

.