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

"Mmm~ I'm so full..."

Even with snacks, eating too many can leave you stuffed.

Finally getting a chance to walk around the festival with Bell-kun, Hestia let herself relax and enjoy the moment.

"Goddess-sama, it's not good to overeat on snacks. That kind of thing isn't great for your body."

"It's fine, it's fine! Gods don't really change shape, no matter how much we eat."

That's not what I meant. Bell let out a deep sigh. He wasn't worried about Hestia gaining weight—he was more concerned about whether she might throw up later when he carried her to find a good spot to watch the show.

Standing by the roadside with Hestia, Bell kept observing the atmosphere around them.

'The stench from the sewer... it's already leaking up.'

As they walked the streets, Bell had already sensed something unnatural rising from the underground. He was almost certain that Orario's sewer system had been overtaken, and whatever was down there was about to strike during the festival.

Shaking his head, Bell gently took Hestia's hand and led her into a nearby alley.

"Goddess-sama, sorry to cut the fun short, but we need to get out of here."

"Huh?"

Hestia paused, glanced around cautiously, then instinctively leaned into Bell-kun's arms.

"Bell-kun... is it dangerous here too?"

"Yes."

Bell immediately activated a rune to conceal their presence.

"Since we started walking around, I've felt something moving in the empty sewers beneath the street. That strange stench has already reached me."

"No way..."

Hestia was stunned. She had been looking forward to Monsterphilia for so long. They had only just started their date, and now this unexpected situation had popped up.

'Ugh—my date!' Hestia stomped her feet in frustration, as if trying to vent her disappointment.

But after that brief moment of sulking, she quickly snapped back to seriousness.

"Bell-kun, do you know who's behind this?"

Bell did. Even though he was still new to Orario, anyone paying attention to the city's past incidents could make an educated guess. If something big was happening in Orario, there was only one group likely to be behind it—Evilus.

"Goddess-sama, who do you think would dare stir up trouble during Orario's biggest annual festival?"

"...It has to be those guys."

"Exactly."

Hestia immediately understood Bell-kun's meaning.

There was only one organization capable of causing large-scale chaos in Orario—the Dark Faction that had once brought the city to the edge of ruin. Only they could pull off something this bold.

Bell confirmed her suspicion—it was the only possible answer. And Evilus wouldn't stop at a minor disturbance. They likely intended to unleash something massive on the surface, aiming to tear down Orario and throw the world back into chaos.

"But I remember Hephaestus saying those people had already been wiped out."

That's what Hephaestus had told her, and Hestia didn't believe she would've been mistaken.

"A centipede doesn't die easily, Goddess-sama. The Ishtar incident alone proves those people are still operating from the shadows—and they've never been truly eradicated."

Bell's reminder brought the recent Ishtar affair back to Hestia's mind. She had heard that many members of Evilus were captured during that siege.

Thinking about it now, if Evilus really had been eliminated, there's no way Bell-kun could've gotten such solid leverage over Ishtar. Nor would the underground passages have been so thoroughly exposed.

Still, the discovery of numerous underground passages in Orario confirmed one thing—the Evilus wasn't truly wiped out.

"What do we do now?"

Realizing this was the work of the Evilus, Hestia had no choice but to give up on her date with Bell-kun. But what should they do next?

"We do nothing."

"Nothing?"

"That's right."

Seeing the questioning look in Goddess-sama's eyes, Bell explained further.

"Goddess-sama, do you really think only a few gods are involved with the Evilus?"

"Don't tell me…?"

Hestia's expression changed instantly.

Bell's gaze was equally serious. He was extremely cautious when it came to the Evilus. Because 'the enemy hides in the dark, while we stand in the light', this kind of situation could easily spiral into trouble. Even if he knew the storyline, there was no guarantee the Evilus would follow the script exactly.

"The Ishtar Familia's connection to the Evilus is already obvious. I believe the Evilus never actually disappeared. They've simply been hiding among the gods this whole time. Over the years, they've probably grown stronger and may have pulled several gods into their circle."

"Ugh…"

Hestia looked frustrated. She was just trying to enjoy a simple date with Bell-kun—how did things end up involving the Evilus again?

Still, she understood why doing nothing was the best option.

Since they couldn't tell which gods were secretly aligned with the Evilus, acting carelessly could draw unwanted attention. In times like these, any rash move could alert the wrong side.

"If that's the case, things just got a lot more complicated."

If the Evilus really had gods hidden among the divine ranks, then this would be far messier than she'd expected.

She'd have to be careful even during the Denatus. If they were marked by the Evilus, it could jeopardize everything she and Bell-kun had planned. That thought alone made her tense.

"It's okay, Goddess-sama. Right now, the Hestia Familia is aligned with Loki's Familia and Hephaestus's Familia. That makes us too visible. If the Evilus were to mess with us, they'd be exposed immediately. They're not that reckless."

"The Evilus wants to destroy Orario and plunge the world back into chaos. For that goal, they won't risk exposing themselves just to make trouble for us. If they were that stupid, they wouldn't have survived this long in the shadows."

The Evilus had always operated from behind the scenes—that was their downfall.

Their obsession with perfecting the destruction of Orario was also their greatest shackle. Until they were ready to go all-in, the gods behind the Evilus wouldn't make any reckless moves.

"And besides, Goddess-sama, you don't need to worry. The three talismans I gave you are still active. If they try anything, it won't be easy for them."