Within the labyrinth city of Orario, there were a few rules every adventurer needed to remember.
First: Gods were forbidden from leaving the city without reason.
Second: Registered adventurers could not remain outside the city for extended periods, several months at most, unless given a special commission.
Third…
"Ohhh-lehh-wa! Ganesha da~!"
…Well, as long as you knew that loudmouthed elephant-headed god, you could treat some of those rules as background noise.
Of course, Renjiro, a newcomer, had no such connections with the city's resident attention-grabber.
Fortunately, first-time arrivals in Orario weren't required to show any kind of "entry permit."
A Guild employee had explained it to him like this:
"Orario is the center of the entire world. Every day, hundreds, even thousands, of people come here, dreaming of becoming adventurers.
If we had to thoroughly investigate every single one of them, we'd never finish our work.
And besides, this isn't like seven or eight years ago, when the Evilus Faction ran rampant.
So now we just use this magical device to scan for Falna. If you've never received a god's blessing, and you're not an enemy spy or criminal, you're free to go."
As the guard waved a crystal sphere over Renjiro's back and confirmed he was just an ordinary human, he was allowed through without fuss.
And it made sense.
"By common logic, a regular person trying to stir up trouble in a city filled with adventurers is like holding a lantern in a cesspit, begging to die."
Of course, Renjiro could already think of at least nine methods of causing trouble without being caught.
But for now, he had no such intention.
Besides…
"Evilus?"
The word sounded familiar.
In the original history of this world, that dark faction had nearly destroyed Orario.
Most of them were just clowns, sure, but when they attacked the city…
"Well, they didn't exactly use the front gate."
With that thought, Renjiro stepped into Orario proper.
He was self-aware enough to know that countless eyes were already on him.
After all,
"These modern clothes… yeah, I stick out like a sore thumb."
When that meteorite had sent him here, all he'd had on him were a wallet, a set of keys, and his smartphone.
If it weren't for that cursed "Seven Choices" mission, he would have gone straight for either Hestia Familia or Loki Familia.
Instead, here he was, empty-handed and worrying about not even having a weapon for self-defense.
"…First things first, I need to find Soma Familia's base."
That kind of detail wasn't in the original story, so he'd have to get it firsthand.
And since Orario obviously didn't accept Chinese yuan, Renjiro was flat broke.
"If I don't finish this starter mission today, I'll be sleeping on the streets tonight."
Orario's streets at night… ugh.
That was basically suicide.
The guard might have said Evilus wasn't rampant anymore, but that didn't mean adventurers here were all saints.
Even with Ganesha Familia acting as the city's peacekeepers, Orario wasn't much different from a lawless zone.
People dying was common.
And if by some miracle he survived…
"All the little property I have would be stripped away."
Getting robbed down to his underwear on day one of transmigration… No thanks.
So in reality, his three-day deadline to join a Familia was nonsense.
He had half a day at best.
Otherwise…
"…Guess I'll just go lick Freya's boots."
The words slipped out bitterly.
Suddenly,
"Lick Freya?"
A girl's doubtful voice rang right in his ear.
Renjiro jolted violently, stepping back as he whipped his head toward the source.
There, in a maid outfit, stood a gray-haired girl.
Shff!
Without hesitation, he bolted.
"Wait~!"
Her call to stop chased after him.
But to Renjiro's ears, it was as chilling as: 'Adventurer, please stay…'
Damn it.
What did they take him for, someone who hadn't read DanMachi?
Didn't they know that certain sultry goddesses loved using alternate identities to toy with naive little rabbits?
"Joining Freya Familia is the last resort. Not only is leaving impossible once you're in, but it's not even guaranteed they'd take me in the first place."
His stance didn't waver.
"Tch. Big mouth. Serves me right for saying it out loud."
He swatted the air as if to beat away his own carelessness, then sprinted straight toward the heart of Orario.
There stood the towering structure sealing the Dungeon's entrance, the Babel Tower.
Beside its grand plaza lay the Guild headquarters.
That was his target. Ask a Guild employee, and he'd know exactly where Soma Familia was located.
But there was one important detail he'd overlooked…
Babel Tower was special.
Freya lived there.
================
Half an hour later,
When Renjiro found himself trussed up like a pig and dumped before a certain goddess, his mind went completely blank.
This was the highest floor of Babel Tower, the residence of Freya, goddess of beauty.
On the throne before him sat a daringly dressed gray-haired woman, legs crossed, right hand holding a wine-filled goblet.
Behind her stood a massive pig-man warrior, looming like a loyal guard dog.
Renjiro instantly knew his plan had gone off the rails.
Moments ago, that same pig-man had swooped down, snatched him up from in front of Soma Familia's base, and carried him here like a kitten.
And now…
"What an amusing little toy."
Freya idly turned over the smartphone she'd plucked from his pocket.
Unable to unlock it, she simply admired the lock screen wallpaper of a cartoon duck with curious fascination.
Beside her were his other belongings: a set of keys, his wallet, two silver bank cards, and a neat stack of cash.
"Tell me…"
Her eyes narrowed as she fixed him with a look.
"What exactly did you mean by 'lick Freya'?"
Good lord.
A single careless phrase had just blown his entire cover.
And now, Renjiro wasn't sure if he'd even leave this room alive.