"So that little brat really is a thief, huh? She steals people's stuff and then makes them pay money to buy it back— isn't that way too much? Aren't they afraid of getting beaten up?"
After hearing the information, Aqua couldn't help complaining.
Hayashi Maki just shrugged indifferently.
"Obviously that kid's special. When she jumped over us, you didn't notice the wind swirling around her?"
"Most likely she has a wind-related blessing, so she's fast and doesn't get caught."
"And I'd guess she's always targeted ordinary folks. On top of that, with that 'Old Man Rom' watching her back and running a loot shop, they've been getting away with it just fine."
Aqua frowned.
"A blessing? What's that supposed to be?"
"You can think of it as the world's blessing— a built-in cheat from birth."
"Oh, so that's why this world feels so weird…"
Aqua clapped her hands, looking like she finally understood.
"Power directly granted by the world itself, just shoved onto people… this place really lacks proper divine management."
"And also… how to put it… this world looks really unstable, like it could collapse at any moment. Hayashi Maki, what kind of dangerous place did you drag me into?"
As she talked, her face crumpled in fear.
She couldn't use teleportation magic. If the world really ended, even as a goddess, she'd be finished.
What god could withstand an entire world collapsing?
"Alright, alright, don't be scared, Goddess Aqua. You've still got me, remember?"
"If this world really is on the brink of destruction, that just means it needs us to save it, doesn't it?"
"You're a goddess. I'm the hero. Saving the world checks out, right?"
"Mm… that's true!"
Hearing that, Aqua quickly relaxed again, even feeling a little surge of heroic purpose.
Of course, when it came to saving the world, she planned on letting Hayashi Maki do the heavy lifting while she played support.
Soon after, Hayashi Maki led Aqua to a small but solid-looking shack.
He politely knocked on the door.
From inside came a man's voice.
"Mouse!"
Clearly, this was a password check.
"With poison," Hayashi Maki replied calmly.
"White Whale!" came the second prompt.
The White Whale was one of this world's three great monsters, feared for who knows how many years.
"With a fishing hook," Hayashi Maki answered just as calmly.
A whale is technically a "fish" to most people here. Hooking it with a fishing line— sure, why not?
"And our exalted Dragon God, then?"
This was the final question from inside.
In this country, the Dragon was considered the protector. Those recognized by the Dragon's stone tablet— the Dragon Stone— were called Dragon Priestesses and had the right to inherit the throne.
Because the king and the royal family had died off from illness, the nation was now without a monarch.
The Council of Sages had foretold that five Dragon Priestesses would appear, one of whom would be chosen as the new ruler.
So far only four had been found.
The fifth… was the yet-unrevealed Felt.
Ahem, getting off track.
Back to the point:
Down in the slums, where people were barely getting by, talk of the Dragon's protection didn't exactly hit home.
In practice, the dragon only really protected the royal line. Commoners got little more than nice stories.
So when Old Man Rom threw out that last prompt about the "exalted Dragon God," Hayashi Maki answered with just three words:
"Our exalted Dragon God?"
"Can go die."
The moment he said that, under Aqua's shocked gaze, the door swung open.
A bald, white-browed, brown-skinned giant of an old man filled the doorway.
He was over two meters tall, muscles bulging, his presence oppressive.
This was clearly Rom— Old Man Rom— the giant-blooded man who lived with Felt and looked after her.
"Well now, didn't expect visitors to be a handsome young man and a pretty lady," the old man rumbled. "Since you got the code right, I guess you know how things work."
"Come in, sit for a bit. Felt's not back yet."
"Then we'll impose on you, Old Man Rom," Hayashi Maki said with a smile as he stepped inside with Aqua.
They sat in front of the counter, and Rom poured them each a cup of water.
"So, what are the two of you looking to buy?"
He sounded casual, but his hand hovered near the giant club by his side. He could grab it and swing in an instant.
Given the quality of the fabric on their clothes, they clearly weren't commoners.
In his mind, Rom was already guessing Felt might've swiped something from these nobles. He was thinking that if negotiations went badly, he'd grab Felt and skip town.
Faced with that wary gaze, Hayashi Maki just smiled.
"Oh, I do want to buy something. The question is whether Old Man Rom is willing to sell…"
"Oh? And what would that be?" Rom asked. "Tell me first. This tiny shop doesn't exactly have anything fancy nobles would want."
His tone was friendly, but his eyes only grew more guarded.
Hayashi Maki stayed completely relaxed.
"I want to buy Felt. What do you say, Old Man Rom— willing to sell?"
Aqua had just taken a sip of water and promptly sprayed it everywhere.
"You're trying to buy a little loli!?"
Hayashi Maki shot her a sideways look. "Of course. Out of this whole dull slum, she's the only spirited kid. I want to buy her so she can have a better life. Don't you agree, Old Man Rom?"
"Not for sale! You little punk, you looking for trouble? Who sells the granddaughter they've been raising on their own?"
Rom's muscles bulged as he glared at Hayashi Maki angrily.
Hayashi Maki shrugged. "If she's not for sale, she's not for sale— no need to get so worked up."
"Besides, Felt's better off with me than rotting in this place. And… you two took a job you really shouldn't have. You've attracted big trouble."
"My advice is you think carefully about my offer."
"Of course, I'm not a bad guy— I'm not about to split you two up. How about this: I'll put up 100 holy coins, and you and Felt come work for me. How's that sound?"
"100 holy coins…?"
Rom swallowed hard.
"You… serious?"
"Of course I'm serious. Look." Hayashi Maki set a pouch on the table and loosened the tie.
A pile of glittering holy coins spilled out.
These were what he'd bought after exchanging his jewelry at the Hoshin Company.
Rom stared at the money, clearly shaken.
But he still shook his head firmly.
"Kid, I see your sincerity, but I'm not selling my granddaughter. Let's talk when Felt gets back."
"And besides, we only just met. I don't know what kind of person you are yet. I can't just decide on the spot that we'll follow you."
Hearing that, Hayashi Maki nodded with a smile.
"Fair enough. Then we'll wait."
"And for the record, I wasn't joking— you really have gotten yourselves into serious trouble."
Rom's heart gave a heavy thump.
Felt had indeed taken on a big job recently. Just a few days ago she'd been happily talking about finishing it so they could finally leave the slums behind…