- - - (General POV) - - -
"'Why did Hermes mention Svarog's name all of a sudden? This boy's soul is dark green, a shade no mortal should possess. What's more, it's similar to that of the gods.'
Syr was still trembling with fear at the sight of Niall. He knew why she was reacting that way, but there was nothing he could do about it. 'It seems like the gods gave me this trouble for their amusement,' Niall thought, reflecting on the deity that had sent him there.
He couldn't understand why such a god sought amusement, but he was pretty sure that the god knew that this kind of thing would happen.
"Why are you mentioning that god so suddenly? What does Svarog have to do with that boy over there?!" Mia was angry at this entire commotion. She was also deadly worried about Syr, worried enough that she was ready to kill Niall anytime for Syr's safety.
"I was suspicious of Niall too at the beginning but after I've sent him to Svarog, that primordial took quite a liking to him. So please Mia, calm down. I'm sure that Niall doesn't have any malicious intentions toward any of you, so please!"
Hermes pleaded, causing others to look at him with surprised faces. Other girls eased a bit but Syr remained trembling in fear, "I don't care about Svarog's opinions! Syr is very good at scanning people and her reaction says it all!"
Mia stomped on the tavern's floor, causing the entire room to shake for a moment. "Hermes, it looks like I'm not welcome here. We should go. I will find another place to rest; I don't want to be stomped by these high-class waitresses."
Niall's words surprised everyone; not everyone knew the true strength of the tavern's workers. But before Niall could drag Hermes outside, the voice of a fearful girl stopped both of them, causing them to look in her direction.
"I... I'm not against you staying here, but you will need to explain some things before we let you spend some time here..." Syr gulped and tried their best to act calm. The soul of this boy reminded her of one primordial which brought horror to the entire heavenly realm once."
"No thanks," Niall quickly replied, surprising the girl for a moment. "I'm not obligated to tell anything to any of you, not to mention that the menu of the dishes here is overly expensive."
Silence filled up the tavern. Hermes and Asfi looked at each other in shock before returning their gazes to Niall and the girls. Niall knew that this place was full of good dishes and drinks, but it was expensive for an inn.
He hated expensive places in general. Being a minimum-wage slave in his past life brought him some bad memories about not being able to afford better food.
Mia's anger grew to a boiling point. "First of all, you scare my worker to the bone, but now you are plainly insulting my tavern! Hermes, leave this place at once before I make you all leave with force!"
Hermes grabbed both Asfi and Niall and hurried outside. He knew that getting on Mia's bad side was a big mistake to commit. One thing he couldn't realize was why they reacted in such a way. Surely, anyone who passed Svarog's little test was free to go, but this time, that didn't seem to be the case.
- - - Inside Hostess - - -
"What was that all about?!" the blonde human girl, also known as Lunoire, commented, followed by the two cat girls yelling.
"That was intense, nyah! Syr, are you okay, nyah!?" Anya, the brown cat, rushed to her friend, checking if she was hurt anywhere.
"I am fine... I think I'll need some time to spend alone. Mama Mia, I will be off for today. Sorry for that..." Syr looked down and quietly spoke, leaving others only to stare at her before she departed from all of them and went outside.
Mia knew about Syr's true identity and that goddess Freya could see something that mortals could not, so she knew that whatever the girl saw in that boy was something serious enough to scare her to the bone.
"I hope Syr will be fine... Who was that boy anyway, nyah?" Chloe, the black cat, asked as she watched Syr exiting the tavern. To her side, a blonde elf remained silent, but her gaze could kill anyone at the receiving end of it.
She couldn't understand what Syr exactly saw in the boy, but she could sense that the boy wasn't as clean as Hermes claimed him to be. Clenching her fist, she was ready to take any action to protect her friends and her family.
Losing a family once by Evilus made her swear to protect her new family here, at the Hostess of Fertility. At first, she thought that the boy could potentially be a remnant of Evilus, but he was too young to be one.
Surely there were young children inside Evilus' ranks, but they weren't that common. Two years ago, she wiped out the last remains of Evilus, or so she thought. She couldn't remember anyone in Evilus' ranks who looked or was called like that boy seconds ago.
Still, she needed to protect her family at all costs, and that meant she was ready to spy on the boy until she found enough information about him and his background.
"Syr will be fine, now everyone is back to work before customers arrive! I don't want you all slacking off again!" Other waitresses stormed back to their duties, while Mia looked in the direction of the door.
"That sly god is always bringing up trouble, however, I've never seen Syr act the way she just did before. Either Hermes knows what he's doing, or for the first time in centuries, he got tricked by someone more sly than him... which I totally couldn't see how."
Mia brushed her thoughts aside and returned to work. The rest of the time, the inn was enveloped in an awful silence. Syr was in everyone's thoughts, and her unusual reaction to the mysterious boy brought by Hermes lingered in their minds.
- - - Somwhere in Orario - - -
"What the fuck was that, Hermes?!" Asfi exclaimed, still recovering from the shock she had just experienced. Hermes, unable to process the entire event, bought an ice cream to cool off his mind, not answering his beloved Asfi.
After finishing his ice cream, Hermes sighed and looked the boy directly in the eyes. "That wasn't the best first introduction, especially to people like Ryuu and Mia. Niall, I don't know what caused Syr to tremble in fear, but there is something that either you or both you and Svarog aren't telling me."
Hermes was serious, unlike his usual attitude. His companion, Asfi, shrugged and awaited an answer from Niall, just like Hermes. "I don't know what you mean, god Hermes. I know that my appearance is kind of unusual, but I did nothing wrong to that girl for her to get scared like that."
Both of them looked at the boy. Hermes, not detecting any lies, sighed in relief as they escaped the dangerous situation. "Well, not that it matters anymore anyway... Niall, I've been thinking about this for the past few days of our friendship. Would you like to become an adventurer of my familia? However, we aren't a dungeon-exploring familia, but that doesn't stop you from going free in the dungeon. So, what do you say?"
Niall gasped in shock inside. Even if he did not have emotions anymore, his inner mind was reacting, as it remembered well the past feelings Niall had experienced. "Are you sure, Hermes? I'm not a person built for secret operations, spying, and other sus stuff you and your familia do. I mean, sure, I can join you but don't expect anything special from me in terms of spying and intelligence work in general. It hurts my brain."
"Sussy? What does that even mean?" Asfi asked, puzzled, and Niall forced a small smile. "Forget about it, it's a term for suspicious but funny."
Asfi tilted her head, even more confused. "What about it is funny, though? Ahh, never mind, forget that I even asked." She gave up upon seeing that Niall wouldn't give her an answer.
Hermes, on the other hand, listened to their conversation patiently, awaiting his turn to speak. "Yeah, that wouldn't be a problem, Niall. I like you, and I already know that you passed Svarog's test, so there's nothing wrong with you for me not to accept you into my familia. And yeah, you aren't obligated to participate in such sussy acts, as you name it. Unless, of course, it's about trivial matters or the survival of the family."
Niall thought about it for a moment. 'Hmm, if I do enter his familia, then I would be secured in terms of food, drinks, and shelter. I'll also be free to explore the dungeon as much as I want and get stronger in the shadows since his familia is quite good at hiding intel. I will also have a magic item maker as my captain, so maybe I could grab some winged sandals like Asfi uses to fly whenever she wants... but still, I have to play this smart, or else I will be murdered by Ouranos or some other god scared of my origin.'
Both Asfi and Hermes awaited his answer with anticipation, expecting the boy to immediately accept since Hermes Familia is quite well-preserved. They have strong connections around the continent and are one of the best magic item makers in the world.
"Sounds... good, I suppose. But since I'm now your child, you and I have to have some serious talk about me when we get in private. And I must say that it must be top-secret; no other god must find out about it."
Hermes was happy for the moment before turning serious when Niall spoke with seriousness. "Fine by me, Niall. Let's go to your new home and begin the process of officially becoming my child."
Hermes patted Niall on the shoulder, and the three of them headed toward the Hermes Familia home, also known as Traveler's Inn.