Chapter 165

Chapter 166: Creepy Old Man’s Up To No Good (Second Update, Please Subscribe!)

“Yo~, Izay-kun, it’s been such a long time~ How’ve you been?”

The deity flaunted his signature handsome smile, tipping the brim of his ranger hat as he greeted Izay.

“Huh, Lord Hermes, it’s been a while…”

Recognizing the unmistakable aura of divinity, Izay dropped his defensive stance but wore an odd expression.

Wasn’t Hermes summoned after Artemis’ incident?

Why is he here now? Did my actions cause this butterfly effect?

Appearing alongside Hermes was a female adventurer with pale blue hair. Izay instinctively glanced at her.

She was undoubtedly human, her exquisite features and beauty held its own even standing beside a god.

At first glance, she exuded elegance, followed by an air of refinement that complemented her shoulder-length hair.

Her silver-rimmed glasses added an intellectual charm.

Most of her body was concealed under a pure white open coat, revealing only her feet clad in strapped sandals, with faint golden wings visible nearby.

Seemingly meeting Izay for the first time, she couldn’t help but direct her gaze towards him.

Noticing their exchange, Hermes chuckled softly and introduced them.

“Izay-kun, this is Asfi, the captain of my Familial Group, a very reliable girl~”

“Asfi, this is Izay, Orario’s renowned adventurer [Silver Star], you’ve heard of him, right?”

[Omnipotent] Asfi Al Andromeda, Izay naturally knew who she was.

One of the five current possessors of “Mystery” in Orario, and the captain of Hermes’ Familial Group.

Although officially ranked Level 2, that was due to Hermes concealing her true information from the Guild.

Because a certain deity didn’t want to fulfill the “mandatory expedition” duty.

In reality, Asfi was Level 4, and with her numerous magical artifacts, she was quite troublesome even among Level 4 adventurers.

Asfi had also heard Izay’s name many times in various places, having some understanding of him.

After exchanging pleasantries, Asfi quickly noticed something off.

“Lord Hermes, when did you have time to meet Mr. Aldworth? In my memory, you two haven’t met before.”

Never. Asfi added silently, casting Hermes a suspicious glance.

“Ah… This… Well…”

Suddenly, Hermes began stuttering, unable to form coherent words.

He messed up.

He forgot that his first meeting with Izay was in Orario’s Pleasure Quarter, where he spent Izay’s money on free pleasures without telling Asfi.

Caught off guard seeing Izay, he unconsciously overlooked this detail.

“Hmm?”

Asfi shot Hermes a sharp look, causing him to sweat profusely. He silently pleaded for Izay’s help with his eyes, but Izay gave him a cold glare, indicating he wouldn’t intervene.

In situations like these, the less said, the better.

Fortunately, Asfi seemed uninterested in pursuing the matter further. After glaring at the deity for a moment, she sighed and gave up questioning.

It was probably during one of those times when he sneaked out without her noticing again.

She’s already used to it.

Previously too, he would suddenly announce trips to Far East without giving anyone time to prepare or discuss.

It’s always been like this for years.

So exhausting…

The young beauty with flowing azure hair let out a soft sigh, her resentful expression making Hermes feel a twinge of guilt.

Just a twinge.

But this was their usual dynamic, and they quickly moved past it.

“By the way, why are you here, Izay-kun?”

“I accepted an Adventurers’ Quest issued by the Guild, investigating the anomaly in the Great Tree Sea Ruins. What about you, Lord Hermes?”

“Me? I’m here to investigate the truth behind this anomaly too. A senior from Heaven asked me to, hard to refuse. I just returned from the Far East region, planning to head back to Orario.”

With the same overly familiar demeanor, Hermes approached Izay, chatting casually, almost ready to put an arm around him.

Meanwhile, Asfi, adhering to her high-level etiquette training, refrained from interrupting the deity’s conversation, quietly following behind them.

“Far East region?”

“……Ah, this is um… my recent travel destination~ I took a trip to the Far East recently~ The women there are so gentle and refreshing~”

Realizing Izay caught onto something unusual, Hermes chose to evade the question to uphold the confidentiality agreement of the “delivery person.”

Unbeknownst to him, his Familial Group’s captain was now looking at him with disdain.

“I see.”

Izay nodded, deciding to accept it as it was.

Seeing this, Hermes thought he’d successfully evaded the topic and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Oh yeah, my kids are nearby too, Izay-kun can meet them. Although our group isn’t strong, we’re quite large?”

Most members were upper-level adventurers who underwent elevation, with a captain who’s a second-tier Level 4 adventurer, yet he claims average strength.

This scheming old man never tells the truth.

Despite feeling mmp inside, Izay still smiled and agreed.

Hermes’ resting spot wasn’t far from Izay’s chosen lodging, but due to the dense forest, neither had noticed each other.

The reason Hermes and Asfi found Izay was because of the commotion caused by Izay killing a new type of monster earlier in the forest.

The magical explosion drew their attention, prompting them to investigate, leading to their encounter.

Following Hermes’ lead, it didn’t take long for Izay to reach where Hermes’ Familial Group members were waiting.

“Oh! The captain’s back!”

“Captain—! Ah, you brought back a stranger!?”

“What’s going on here!?”

Seeing their captain return, Hermes’ Familial Group members waved enthusiastically.

As for Hermes…

Within the group, he was more of a younger brother figure like Loki, often lacking respect.

Because dealing with Hermes’ whims was already exhausting enough for everyone.

There was no extra energy left to show him reverence.

Even Asfi, a Level 4 adventurer, was frequently driven to complain by Hermes’ antics, let alone the regular members.

Those were all tears.