Danmachi: Is It Wrong to Be the Main Character in Orario?

"Monsterphilia"—an annual grand festival held in Orario.

Each year, the Ganesha Familia captures monsters from the Dungeon and puts on a taming exhibition before a huge crowd.

It's like a massive performance.

Honestly, just hearing about a festival like this might not sound all that interesting, yet it draws countless ordinary citizens of Orario every year, all for their love of Monsterphilia.

After all, ordinary people rarely get the chance to see monsters up close. So naturally, when given the opportunity, they want to make the most of it. Under these circumstances, Monsterphilia gradually became a yearly tradition.

At first, only the general public showed interest in the festival. But as its popularity grew, it began drawing large crowds, which soon caught the attention of major businesses.

Especially in the food industry—food stalls saw the highest spending during Monsterphilia.

As the event was held year after year, the monsters captured by the Ganesha Familia gradually increased in level. This, in turn, piqued the interest of many Lv.1 adventurers.

It's worth noting that more than half of Orario's adventurers remain at Lv.1. Less than half ever manage to break through that bottleneck.

So when the monsters at Monsterphilia became stronger, it naturally sparked curiosity among lower-level adventurers. The Ganesha Familia's taming displays became valuable viewing experiences for many of them.

And that's how Monsterphilia began to attract not only the general public but also low-level adventurers.

With each passing year, the festival steadily evolved into one of Orario's biggest events. Little by little, it grew from something beloved only by civilians to something embraced by the adventuring community as well.

"So that's how it is. Monsterphilia reached this scale thanks to the effort poured into it over the years."

Listening to Goddess-sama's explanation, Bell finally understood the full picture of Monsterphilia.

"Goddess-sama, are you interested in Monsterphilia too?"

"Hmm… I'm not that interested in the festival itself, but I am very interested in the feast that comes with it."

Hestia waved off Bell-kun's question without hesitation. Her focus was never on the monsters caught by the Ganesha Familia—it was on the festival experience itself.

Bell instantly grasped the hidden meaning behind her words.

'As expected of Goddess-sama… of course it's all about the food.'

Still, it made Bell curious just how long Goddess-sama had been in Genkai.

"Goddess-sama, have you experienced Monsterphilia before?"

"Of course I have! But last time, I was still living with Hephaestus. Even if the festival was happening, I couldn't really go out and enjoy it."

Seeing her a bit downcast, Bell could imagine what it must've been like the previous year—Hephaestus-sama keeping a tight grip on her spending.

'Looks like Hephaestus-sama really took care of her for quite a while.'

As a friend, that level of support was more than generous.

"Then, Goddess-sama, let's enjoy it to the fullest today."

"Yes!"

Bell didn't want to ruin her mood. Who knew how things might turn out later in the day? For now, while they still had time, they should just enjoy themselves.

Even if it was just food stalls, there were quite a lot at Monsterphilia.

Of course, the most classic options were crepes and fried noodles.

They actually tasted pretty good, and the prices weren't too bad—about 300 Valis, around 100 more than usual. But it was a festival, so some price inflation was expected.

Now that the Hestia Familia no longer had to live so frugally, this wasn't a concern.

Bell gave Hestia a 200,000 Valis allowance for daily expenses. Even if she splurged on snacks, no one could possibly eat 200,000 Valis worth of street food.

So they could enjoy the festival freely and without worry.

...

Meanwhile, at a teahouse on Orario's Daedalus Street, two goddesses sat together, sipping tea.

Behind them stood two knights acting as their guards—one tall, one short—both exuding an aura far beyond what ordinary adventurers could perceive.

"Hey, you lustful woman, still got your eye on that shorty's kid?"

Freya, the elegant and generous goddess known as the goddess of love and beauty, looked at the other goddess with an amused smile.

"Watching? I'm just curious. That boy is the first one who's ever caught my eye. Is it wrong to be curious about him?"

Freya rested her chin in her hand, looking at the other goddess with curiosity.

"What about you, Loki? Since when did you start siding with Hestia?"

Loki snorted through her nose as she sipped her tea, clearly annoyed.

"Whatever the case, Shorty and I are allies now. If I'm not backing her, should I be backing you instead—a lustful woman who spends her days fantasizing about other Familia's kids?"

Freya, well acquainted with Loki, didn't get angry. On the contrary, her interest in that boy only deepened.

"So, you think standing with Hestia benefits you more than siding with me?"

"Seems even you, Loki, have recognized that child's potential."

Caught off guard by the remark, Loki grimaced and took another sip of tea to suppress her irritation.

Freya found this kind of belated realization fascinating. It was like a seasoned player used to stomping through single-player games suddenly encountering a boss immune to all her cheats. That only made her more intrigued.

Of course, Freya's curiosity was still rooted in the game itself. Unless she could confirm firsthand that the boy was truly the one she was searching for, she wouldn't make any reckless moves.

But right now, Freya was feeling something different.

Perhaps even someone as upright as Bell wouldn't let his soul be easily seen.

That previous failure hadn't been a fluke—it was inevitable.

So either the boy instinctively repelled any divine peering, or his power outright blocked the gaze of the gods. Realizing that her usual methods wouldn't work, Freya stopped trying to cheat her way in. She knew it would be a waste of time. Besides, Hestia had probably already warned him, making the boy doubly cautious of her.

Still, that only made things more interesting.

"Loki, if you came to warn me, then consider your warning received."

"If that child is special, then I'll just take my time observing how special he really is."

"After all, time means nothing to us gods."

This woman is such a pain. Loki ruffled her hair in frustration. She could tell this lustful goddess was settling in for the long haul.

'That kid probably won't be caught so easily—but how long can he keep this up, huh?'