Looking at the familiar symbol on the sign, I immediately questioned my knowledge of the Danmachi verse.
I couldn't recall any Slavic gods being mentioned in the anime or on the wiki. There were plenty of other unseen minor gods referenced in the lore, but Slavic ones were definitely absent.
Back on Earth, there were a couple of versions of Svargo's symbol, with the first being a simple Kolovrat representing the Sun and the repeating cycle of life and death.
However, it seemed that the symbol looked exactly like a Kolovrat, just aimed at the other side, as noted on Wikipedia itself, even if official history is often questionable.
"Now let's enter; my good friend is always eager to greet new customers, especially stunning adventurers like you aim to be," Hermes said, patting me on the back and pushing me inside Svarog's shop.
Being Slavic from my past life myself, I was eager to meet one of the main primordial gods of the Slavic pantheon. Even though most Slavic people knew more about Perun than Svarog, Svarog was the main deity who created all, from all the knowledge I possessed.
Entering the shop, Hermes pushed the wooden door, only to be met with the metallic scent of metal being scorched under fire.
"Hermes... I'm a bit surprised to see you here," a relatively tall man in his late thirties, with long brown hair and a beard, greeted us.
"Yo, long time no see, Svarog! I've decided to pass by your shop since this fella here needs a weapon for the dungeon," Hermes said, taking down his hat and waving at the god who sighed.
"Ehhh, I don't like dealing with you. You're always involved in some shady business that only brings trouble and nothing else... And who do I have the honor of meeting today also?" Svarog placed a hand on his chin and scanned me for a moment.
Before I could say a word, the primordial's eye narrowed, and the mood in the shop became utterly serious, and the air became heavy.
"You! Come with me right now," Svarog pointed at me all serious, while Hermes, on the other hand, was freaked out by such odd behavior from a primordial god that sweat started to drip from his forehead.
I nodded to Hermes, who looked at me blindly and made my way into Svarog's room, which was located behind the shop desk.
"Sit right here," his voice was commanding as he pointed at the sofa. I followed his command and obediently sat down on the comfortable sofa.
Shutting the door behind us, Svarog turned his gaze to me and sat on the opposite side of the room, on a small wooden chair that was oddly decorated.
"So? Mind explaining to me what you're doing inside our realm? Surely you didn't think that some of the more powerful gods wouldn't have the ability to see right through you?" He crossed his arms and didn't move his gaze away from me.
"I don't know what you mean, god Svarog," I tried to play it cool, but I knew that I was in trouble the moment his mood changed rapidly.
I realized I had unintentionally insulted the god who granted me powers by questioning why he hadn't given me the ability to hide my soul.
Now, facing Svarog, it became clear that such a powerful primordial being could easily see through my soul.
"Don't play the fool with me, child. I know for a fact that your soul isn't of this world! Even so, it's covered in a sluggish green color that emits only malicious energy," he raised his voice slightly, possibly to prevent Hermes from eavesdropping.
"Something blocks me from seeing through your memories, but not your soul. Now tell me loud and clear... who are you, and what do you intend to do with this realm of ours? Be sure, we, the gods of this world, won't go easy on foreign threats."
A yellow-like energy started glowing from him, forming a small outline all around his body, which somehow reminded me of Naruto's bijuu mode, but with fewer lights and particles.
"Fine, god Svarog. I haven't come here to bring any harm to this world. I'm a simple reincarnation from another world who happened to reincarnate here under some odd conditions that I refuse to disclose."
My answer made his eyes widen for a moment, taking him by surprise, but he wasn't letting me off the hook that easily.
"Then explain to me, if you aren't here to bring any harm... why does your soul emit such dangerous energy that reminds me of only one god that I wish not to mention under any conditions?" His lips trembled a little before returning to his serious mode.
"I don't know which god you mean, but I also have an answer as to why my soul looks like that. However, I do not wish to share it with anyone. I guarantee that I haven't come here to bring harm to any innocent people or the world itself. I just want to live a life of adventure, meet new people, and enjoy the charms of being an adventurer."
Hearing my words, Svarog stopped the light emitting from his body and sighed in relief. "I don't detect any lies, so I guess you are speaking the truth. Even though I don't know if the laws of this world apply to you, that answer isn't enough to satisfy me, you know?"
He sat down, now more relaxed, and awaited my next answer. "Of course. Well, I can tell you that the world where I came from has a different or similar version of you too. In my former world, there were a variety of cultures and races of humans that worshipped their pantheon until the two major religions emerged.
My culture belonged to the one that once worshipped a Slavic pantheon, where you were a main, primordial deity that created all. Even if most of my people knew more about Perun than you, you were still fairly known among those who took an interest in their ancestors' religions."
His eyes widened as he leaned closer. "Tell me more, tell me more!" he spoke in a childish manner, which confused me for a moment, but then I realized that I would act the same if I were to meet a being from another world in my past life.
"Sadly, Slavic mythology is one of the most unexplored mythologies of them all, mainly because the knowledge behind it was burned by radical Christians and other religions that wanted to eradicate all teachings of my ancestors. I cannot tell you much since there isn't much good information about the Slavic pantheon itself. There are numerous sources where I don't know what is true and what is not."
He was saddened a little before looking at me seriously again. "You mentioned something about Perun... can you repeat that?" He dangerously smiled and pushed me to say it again. With no other choice, I tried to sound as peaceful as possible.
"Yeah... people knew more about Perun than you, sadly. He's after all the most known god among my people," the moment I said it, Svarog clenched his fists and looked at the house ceiling.
"That damn son of a bitch!!! So he isn't any different in another world, great!" Svarog quietly released his anger before calming down. Taking a deep breath, he became calm again. "Fine, you're free to go now. But keep in mind that some of the gods will be able to detect your soul, and you'll have trouble because of it. Also, in exchange for the weapon, I will give you one for free only if you agree to come and visit me some time to talk more about the world you originate from. You can't blame the old god for wanting to know more about something beyond this realm of ours, can you?"
He smiled, and I nodded, thinking about how a god could change his mood in a second like that.
"Yeah, that sounds affordable. I have more spare time to talk if you don't mind. I want to know more about this world itself and the deities of it. Sure, you can return the favor?" I waved my hands, and the old god nodded.
"Of course. I'm the main god of the Slavic Pantheon, as you know. Most of the Slavic gods are in heaven since they aren't that interested in the mortal realm, at least from a personal view. But the gods that are down here beside me are Perun, Devana, Jarilo, and that crazy woman, Morana. Be wary and stay away from her since she's crazily obsessed with death and she's part of Evilus, somewhere away from Orario."
"Evilus?" I knew who they were, but I had to ask that question since I thought they were eradicated by now.
"Yeah, most of them are eradicated, but there is a small number of gods that still lurk somewhere hidden from any glances. Orario is thankfully peaceful due to the efforts of the coalition and such, but you cannot always be so safe, so watch your back."
I placed a hand on my chin, thinking about the remaining Evilus forces. Three years from now, there'll be a scramble between Loki Familia, the demi spirits, and the remaining Evilus forces in the dungeon.
Most likely, Morana is hiding somewhere in the dungeon, like others. I could try to wipe them out before the conflict starts, but I am sadly too weak to do anything against Revis, who's estimated to be at level 7 at her limit.
"Listen, I want to chat more, but I think Hermes is getting impatient by now," Svarog pointed out. Both of us exited the room, only to see Hermes suspiciously standing close to the door.
"Oh, Heya you two! What did you talk about in there? I have waited for quite a long time now," Hermes maintained his casual, suss composure, which made it obvious that he heard something from my and Svarog's conversation moments ago.
"Okay, now let's see the weapons for you, kiddo. Also, I forgot to ask you about your name... mind telling me it?" Svarog was in a calmer mood now, which made the tension from before disappear.
"My name is Niall," I replied, and the god nodded. "Now tell me, what kind of weapon are you interested in? What is your specialty in fighting?" he pointed out all the weapons that were placed on the wall.
They were shiny, obviously well-made weapons whose quality resembled Hephaestus and her products. Of course, they were cheaper since this is the town of Agris and not Orario, which is the center of the world and adventuring.
"Hmm, you see, I am a mage, so I rely on ranged attacks. I don't know why Hermes brought me here since I told him that I don't need a weapon too," I asked a clear question before Hermes put a hand on my mouth and laughed.
"Hahaha, don't worry Niall, every adventurer needs a weapon, even if they are made like you! Svarog, show us your finest daggers and let the boy see them," I rolled my eyes, and Hermes released my mouth.
"Also, I may have some money for traveling, but I don't have that amount to cover something as expensive as the finest weapons," I added, but both of them ignored me. At that moment, I remembered the deal I had with Svarog moments ago, so I felt a bit stupid for forgetting such a thing so fast.
"Here, these are the finest daggers I have currently. All of them are newer products of mine that I've spent quite some time on, so take your time and carefully inspect the one you like the most," Svarog opened a wooden box, and inside stood the five finest-looking daggers I'd ever seen.
They were similar looking, but I could see that each of them had its uniqueness. Not wanting to waste any more time here, I picked a dagger that looked pretty cool to me—a small, polished dagger that reminded me kind of Hestia's Knife.
"I'll have this one, please," I said, picking it up and inspecting it. It was very light, even lighter than a feather. But its sharpness was something worth praising. I tried cutting a piece of cloth with it, and it passed through like butter.
"A good choice, Niall. That was the one I made just two days ago, and I intended it for dungeon activities. It's pretty light, as you can see, and it cuts pretty well. And since we have an agreement from before... you are free to take it!" Svarog patted me on the shoulder and smiled.
I looked at Hermes, and he smiled too. "Dear Niall, would you mind waiting outside for a moment while I talk about something important with Svarog?" he maintained his usual cool facade, and I agreed.
Making my way outside with the dagger in my small pouch, I noticed an amazoness troubling Marcus in the distance.
"Where did he bring himself into now?" I thought as I started making my way there to save my boy from getting either sucked dry or beaten to a pulp by an angry fighter woman.