Danmachi - Infinite Mana System! - Chapter 155 - Garily City.

[Chapter Size: 2100 Words.]
Third Person POV
Orario.

...

...

“You’ve arrived,” Lucius remarked, watching Riveria standing at the entrance of the mansion with a backpack, dressed in a small armor styled as a dress.

“Yes, shall we?” she asked, and he nodded.

“Of course. I have everything in my inventory, let’s go,” Lucius said as they started moving toward the city gate, leaving the mansion. The Hestia Familia accompanied them, intending to bid farewell at the gate.

People stared at them with suspicious eyes, observing Lucius Drakenar, who was about to fulfill his punishment—a topic the entire city had been buzzing about in the past week. He had spent the time attending to tasks here and there, organizing his responsibilities to ensure things would keep running, or at least his projects would, in his absence.

No one spoke to them directly; they only exchanged comments among themselves. After all, they weren’t criminals in the end. At the gate, the Hestia Familia and the Loki Familia gathered, with a few guards from the Ganesha Familia managing the flow of people entering and leaving the city.

Lucius smiled warmly at them. “Well, I guess it’s time to say goodbye...” he said, approaching his family.

“Good luck, Lucius-kun. Come back to Orario soon.”

“Take care, Lucius-sama.”

“We’ll be waiting for you, man.”

“Lord Lucius, you’ll return soon.”

The Hestia Familia shared their parting words, while the Loki Familia kept their attention on Riveria. She no longer carried her backpack, as Lucius had stored it in his inventory.

“Good luck, Riveria!”

“This looks so exciting! I wish I could go too!”

“Tsk.”

“These youngsters will definitely have their own adventures from now on.”

“...”

Each member of the Loki Familia had some reaction to Riveria, who acknowledged them with a nod.

“Well then, we’ll be off. See you all in a few months. Good luck to everyone,” Lucius said, smiling as he wrapped an arm around Riveria’s waist and shot into the sky, flying before disappearing with his teleportation magic.

“They’re gone...” Hestia murmured.

“I can’t believe he took Mom!” Loki’s cry erupted, followed by her breaking into tears.

“But you agreed, Loki-sama...” Tiona murmured.

“I know, but now I miss Mom. She’s already been corrupted by that pint-sized mage. Imagine how she’ll change when she comes back! She’ll ask to leave the Familia. No! I can’t picture her coming to me and saying she’s joining that shorty’s Familia! Mom can’t do that to me!!” Loki seemed genuinely distressed.

“What nonsense are you spouting, you flat-chested board!” Hestia snapped at Loki. The two began arguing immediately, while the rest of the Familia members sighed and tried to stop them, mindful of the many onlookers waiting in line to enter the city, who were now watching with varied expressions.

Meanwhile, Lucius continued flying through the sky until they reached a city quite distant from Orario, having flown over 100 kilometers in an hour. Lucius and Riveria admired the landscape between the clouds during their journey.

Lucius landed in the middle of the city without anyone noticing, much like when they had first left Orario together. However, this city was larger than the last.

“Do you know where we are?” Lucius asked calmly as she adjusted her slightly wrinkled dress, which he helped smooth out with a bit of magic.

She glanced at him gratefully for his spell that tidied her clothes and nodded. “Yes, we’re in Garily, a city not far from Orario. I spent some time here before heading to Orario for the first time,” Riveria commented.

“I see. Well, let’s go,” Lucius said as they ventured into the city streets. Being a bustling place, they quickly encountered people buying and selling goods. The pair attracted attention for their attire, clearly marking them as adventurers. Some even recognized Riveria instantly.

“I think we should be more discreet on our journey,” Riveria remarked.

Lucius nodded in agreement, and they headed to an inn. There, they finally settled down after leaving Orario and began discussing their plans.

It was still mid-morning when Lucius pushed the door open, stepping into the inn with Riveria following close behind. They glanced around, finding the place quite empty, with only a few patrons scattered about. A young woman was serving drinks to the sparse customers, while a middle-aged man stood behind the counter, cleaning glasses and raising an eyebrow as he studied them. Lucius quickly deduced that they were father and daughter running a family inn.

He shrugged it off and led Riveria to one of the many vacant tables, settling into a corner. Riveria sighed as she sat beside him, then turned her gaze to him.

“So, what’s the plan?” she asked, waiting for Lucius to take charge of the mission. Although she was an executive of a prominent Familia and could contribute her wisdom, Lucius undeniably had stronger leadership skills. It often made her wonder why he had never taken command of his own Familia.

Lucius nodded, pulling a map from his inventory and spreading it out. It depicted the central continent, where they currently were.

“For now, we’re here...” Lucius pointed to their location—a mid-sized city situated between two more prominent ones, Agris and Melen, the latter being a port city farther south of Orario. “We have an entire continent to search... From Rakia, dominated by Ares, to the arid lands of the Kaios Desert, the Abandoned World, the Empire, beyond the Great Mountain Range, the Dragon Valley, and finally...” Lucius murmured.

“My homeland... the Elven Forest, in the center of the continent,” Riveria said softly, her eyes resting on the map’s central point.

“Yes... There’s so much ground to cover. It won’t be an easy journey, but I can keep us moving swiftly. Even so, I don’t think we should rely on that constantly,” Lucius said.

“Do you have an initial direction in mind?” Riveria asked, studying the map. There were many things they needed to discuss, but one step at a time.

“I believe heading south to the Kaios Desert would be the wisest choice,” Lucius replied, and Riveria nodded in agreement.

“Excuse me...” a voice interrupted them. It was the young woman serving drinks, approaching cautiously as her eyes flicked between the two strangers and the map.

“Mind your manners, human!” a voice rang out behind the girl, startling her so much that she jumped. Everyone turned to see a well-dressed elf glaring at her with a fierce expression, as if deeply offended.

Lucius raised an eyebrow, while Riveria frowned. The elf had just entered the inn and, upon noticing them, walked over, arriving just after the young woman. “You stand before Princess Riveria Ljos Alf, heir to the throne! Show her the respect she deserves, inferior woman—kneel!” he demanded of the girl, who stood frozen in uncertainty.

“Do you know him?” Lucius asked Riveria, who shook her head in response.

“I see...” Lucius murmured, watching as the elf, seemingly frustrated by the girl’s hesitation, knelt before him and Riveria.

“Princess, I am here to greet you,” the elf declared solemnly.

“Thank you. Now, you may leave,” came the reply, but it wasn’t from Riveria. The elf lifted his head in surprise, hearing the man’s voice instead of the princess’s. He turned to see Lucius gesturing dismissively, as if telling him to go away.

“Hm?! What are you doing?” the elf muttered, a mix of confusion and anger flashing across his face as he stared at the princess standing beside the human.

“I’m saying you can leave. I understand I’m known as the Mage King, but that’s just a title. People shouldn’t be kneeling before me like this,” Lucius said with a bored expression, meeting the elf’s gaze. The elf froze for a moment, stunned, while the young woman also watched the scene unfold.

“What did you say...?” the elf finally processed the implication that this human assumed the bowing was for him. Fury overtook his expression. “Who do you think you are, human?! I am Caelith Altharion! Do you dare insult me in the presence of the princess?!” He pointed at Lucius, his mana beginning to manifest. Both Lucius and Riveria could easily sense the surge of power.

"You have magical talent, as I can see, but you're still an elf without a falna, and your magic is far too weak. So, goodbye." Lucius spoke, and the elf, who had been conjuring a spell out of humiliation, was suddenly encased in a magical sphere, vanishing the next moment as Lucius sent him to the middle of a river outside the city.

"You didn’t kill him, did you?" Riveria asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why are you worried about him?" Lucius replied, glancing at her while ignoring the young woman who had collapsed to the floor after witnessing the elf disappear in a flash of magical energy. By now, the entire inn had turned its attention to them.

"I'm not worried about him, but the Altharion family is mid-ranking in my kingdom. While they're not high elves, they can still cause trouble, and I don’t want to see my people dying simply because of their arrogance. It happens often enough during my travels, so you’d better get used to it," Riveria responded with a calm yet gentle tone.

"And do you think I’ll let any elf get close to my woman? Not a chance. You’ll see plenty of elves flying in our travels, so you’d better get used to that," Lucius retorted in kind. Riveria gave him a serious look before a small smile escaped her lips.

"Idiot..." she muttered under her breath, and Lucius shrugged, turning his attention to the man approaching them. It was the innkeeper, speaking with his daughter.

"Greetings to you both... or should I say, Elven Princess..." the man murmured cautiously, having overheard the earlier commotion involving his daughter.

"No need for formalities here," Riveria replied, and the man nodded.

"Either way, thank you for handling that. I'm here to serve in my daughter's stead. How can I help you?" he asked.

"Could you just bring us a coffee and a tea?" Lucius requested, and the man nodded, heading off to fulfill the order.

The patrons murmured among themselves, whispering about what they had just witnessed, while Lucius continued discussing the map with Riveria.

"There are so many places to visit on this continent..." Lucius commented, not letting his adventurous spirit take full control of his thoughts.

"You haven’t been to many places, have you?" she asked.

"Of course not. I came from another continent to the west, fled to Orario, and the city is only on the western side of this continent. You can imagine how much I want to see the rest of this world. There are three unexplored places in total, counting Orario, and two of them are here... places where no one has ever returned alive," Lucius explained, his eyes fixed on the map. The first unexplored place was, of course, the dungeon, but there were two more: one in the north, beyond the lands and mountains of the dwarves, known as the Dragon Valley.

"Do you think we can go there? There are probably monsters we're looking for," Riveria suggested.

Lucius nodded. There was a reason no one had returned alive from these places—likely due to the presence of extremely powerful monsters.

"Yes... but there are also many legends about monsters in other parts of the continent. Perhaps we should explore some of those as well," Lucius said, just as the innkeeper returned with coffee for him and tea for Riveria.

"Excuse me," the innkeeper said, drawing Lucius's attention as he set down the drinks. "I heard you talking about monster legends. Are you hunting them? If I may intrude on your conversation..." he asked respectfully.

Lucius nodded. "Yes, we’re on a mission from Orario to hunt beasts inhabiting the continent."

"If you’re looking for something concrete, I might be able to help. After all, I grew up hearing my father talk about a monster he saw in one of the desert ruins to the south," the innkeeper offered.

"That sounds interesting. You have our attention," Lucius said, raising an eyebrow.

"I’ve never told anyone this because I didn’t want trouble. But consider it my payment for you dealing with that elf who insulted my daughter," the innkeeper explained before launching into a tale he had heard many years ago.

Lucius and Riveria listened intently, gaining their first lead on where to hunt their first monster.

Raccoon Here:

I took a while to post because I really liked the image of the continent and all the places to explore. Moreover, the city they are currently in isn’t canonical; there will be a few like this, where they’ll make brief stops. I’ll also be creating the hidden monsters, so they won’t be canonical either.