"Welcome to the flower shop. What kind of flowers are you looking for?"
The flower girl smiled warmly as she greeted the customer.
"Please prepare a bouquet of blue roses for me. Thank you."
"Please wait a moment."
Hearing the customer's request, the flower girl began to prepare the order.
Charlie glanced briefly at the flower girl before being captivated by the flowers on display.
'Zeus wasn't exaggerating. If a man wants to find beautiful girls, come to Orario. Compared to celebrities in my previous life, most of whom achieved beauty through cosmetic treatments and even plastic surgery, the girls in Orario are naturally beautiful without makeup.'
Charlie recalled Zeus' advice to Bell.
For example, the flower girl in front of him was a beauty with long, wavy, waist-length flaxen hair, strands that draped down her chest on both sides, and bangs swept to the right, with deep blue eyes.
Her bust size was larger than Aiz's, Charlie estimated at least an E-cup.
If the flower girl were dressed more elegantly, she would look like a noble lady.
"Are you buying flowers for your girlfriend? Not many men in Orario are as romantic as you."
While arranging the blue roses, the flower girl, named Anna Claes, started a conversation to keep the customer from getting bored.
"Not for my girlfriend, but for my wife."
"Huh? You're already married?"
Anna's hands stopped, and she couldn't help but turn to observe Charlie's appearance, who looked very young and possibly the same age as her.
"Is it really that surprising? As far as I know, many people marry at this age." Charlie didn't feel like he said anything unusual.
The world of Danmachi has a medieval European setting. So, the marriage age was very different from the 21st century. The average age for women to marry ranged from 12 to 14 years, while for men, it ranged from 14 to 20 years.
"Ah, you're not wrong. It's just that it's rare to meet someone married so young in Orario. Most of the people in Orario come from outside, seeking the blessing of Falna from the gods for various reasons. Typically, adventurers focus on becoming strong and aren't that interested in romantic relationships."
'If not, the brothels in the entertainment district wouldn't always be packed with adventurers every night.'
Anna could only say the latter part in her mind, feeling too embarrassed to say it aloud.
"That makes sense. That's why I rarely meet married adventurers."
Hearing this explanation, Charlie realized his understanding of Orario was still shallow.
"Here you go, sir. That will be 80 valis."
"Here's the money."
"Thank you for buying flowers here."
Anna had a good impression of the man in front of her.
Women are very sensitive to the way people look at their bodies. Moreover, Anna often served male adventurers who bought flowers just to get close to her.
But this man was different. She didn't see any lust or greed in his eyes, unlike the men she had encountered before.
"Huh? What are you doing? Weren't you going to give these flowers to your wife?"
Anna was confused when she saw the petals of the carefully arranged blue roses suddenly detach from their stems and float into the night sky.
"That's exactly what I'm doing. I hope these flowers reach my wife in heaven. She loved blue roses. Where I come from, blue roses are hard to find, so I had to pre-order them in advance."
Without looking back, Charlie blew the petals with Wind Spirit Art, full of longing and sadness.
"Could it be…"
Hearing those words and seeing the other person's lonely figure, Anna covered her mouth with her hand, shocked after understanding the meaning behind his words.
"I'm sorry, sir... I didn't mean to—"
"No need to apologize, it's not your fault."
Charlie ignored the curious gazes from those around him and continued to control the wind, blowing the flower petals until they flew out of Orario.
'To be loved even after death, what a lucky woman...' Thought Anna, feeling envious, hoping that one day she could meet a husband like the man front of her.
"Oh, this is surprising. I didn't think you were such a melancholic man."
The solemn atmosphere was interrupted by the cheerful voice of a man.
Before Charlie could respond, Anna was displeased with the disturbance, but when she saw the speaker was a god, she swallowed her words and showed respect.
"Hermes-sama, it's impolite to interrupt someone mourning."
The woman beside the man scolded him.
Closing his eyes for a moment, then opening them, Charlie hid his sadness and guilt deep in his heart. Looking at the newcomers, he recognized them both.
The man had blond hair, orange eyes, and wore a feathered hat. His appearance was feminine and incredibly charming. Beside him was a short-haired blue woman with glasses, giving off an intellectual vibe.
"Is there something you need, God Hermes?" Charlie asked politely.
"Nothing important, just curious to see the man who can fly like my dear Asfi. Hmm~... Unlike Zeus Familia, which only accepts men, Hera Familia only accepts women. Although there's no restriction on Hera Familia members living in Orario, without Hera to update their statuses, they can't progress. This is the first time I've heard of someone who can update their own status without a god's help."
"If everyone were like you, we gods would be useless. Don't you think so, Asfi?"
While stroking his chin, Hermes circled Charlie as if inspecting him very carefully.
"Enough, Hermes-sama. You're bothering him."
"Ahaha... My apologies for that."
Pulled back by Asfi, Hermes smiled without feeling guilty.
"Is that all? If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Not wanting to be involved with Hermes, Charlie wanted to leave as soon as possible.
"Wait a moment. It's very rare to find you, at least let me see you fly. Asfi is very curious about someone else who can fly besides her."
"Hermes-sama! You promised not to mention that!"
Asfi blushed in embarrassment and anger, stomping on Hermes' foot to vent her frustration.
"Ouch, Asfi is so cruel."
"..."
Through this brief interaction, Charlie realized that Hermes and Asfi were very close, just like Loki and her Familia members.
Not all gods who founded a Familia had close relationships with their children. The best examples were Goddess Ishtar and God Soma.
There were many gods who treated their Familia members only as tools for their own amusement.
"Sigh... Fine, go ahead and watch."
Charlie kicked off the ground and rose into the air with Wind Spirit Art.
"Amazing..." Anna gasped in awe.
Not only Anna, but the people witnessing this had their eyes as wide as plates, their jaws practically dropping to the ground.
"Incredible! You're flying without any props! You've shown me something extraordinary!"
With arms outstretched, Hermes exaggerated his reaction.
Asfi remained calm on the surface, but deep down, she was shaken.
Her flying ability came from Talaria, a pair of winged sandals she created herself. Because she possessed the Development Ability of Mystery, she could craft magic items like Talaria.
In other words, her ability to fly didn't come from herself but from the magic item she made.
But Charlie was different; he flew using natural wind that he controlled, not by wearing props like Asfi did.
"Alright, I'm off now."
"Goodbye, God Hermes, Perseus."
Descending to the ground, Charlie bid them farewell and hurried off.
"As expected of a history-maker. He's no ordinary person."
Tipping his hat slightly to hide the sharpness in his eyes, Hermes gave a faint smile.
Last night, he was one of the gods who had seen Charlie's status on his back.
At that moment, Hermes was shocked to see an EX rank in the basic abilities.
Was there a rank above SSS?
This was the first discovery in history since the gods descended to the lower world a thousand years ago!
Of course, Hermes kept this a secret and didn't want to share this astonishing information with the other gods.
"Zeus, it seems there is someone better than the hero candidate you've prepared." He muttered softly
After that, Hermes and Asfi left the flower shop.