Chapter 181

"Mr. Eren, I don't like the way you talk; you sound like one of those freaks who go 'Bwahahaha,' like some villain," Alise said, leaping in front of Ryuu with her hands raised in defence.

"Oh my, don't be like that! I will really be offended. I'm not like those other creepy gods, I assure you!" Eren replied, feigning a hurt expression.

"Yeah, that's what they all say!" Adi yelled, joining in.

"Ooof! That hurt quite a bit," Eren said, doubling over as if he had been punched in the gut.

Draco and Michalis merely shook their heads, bemused at how a serious discussion had rapidly devolved into a comedy skit.

"I thought you were just a tomboy; who would have guessed you were also an airhead?" Eren remarked, looking Adi up and down with an exaggerated raspy tone.

Ryuu felt slightly unnerved by this sudden change, a sharp contrast to Eren's earlier theatrics.

"In any case, while I'd love to stay and have fun with you all, it's getting quite late, I've got places to be and things to do," Eren said, dropping his act and straightening up.

"Will you be alright on your own? I don't see any of your followers around. Perhaps we could escort you home?" Ryuu asked.

Though wary of him, she still felt obligated to ensure his safety.

'What does she mean by 'we'? The only reason I'm still here is that I feel like I'm missing something important,' Draco thought.

Throughout the banter between Eren and the girls, Draco had been glancing between the thief and Eren, searching for a connection between them.

However, it seemed as though there was none.

'Okay, so the theft wasn't planned. But why does my instincts keep flaring up? Something is off about this god called Eren, but I can't pinpoint what it is. Should I just go home?' Draco pondered.

"Oh, that won't be necessary," Eren replied with a grin, giving a light wave before turning to leave.

'So he didn't deny having followers. Why, then, is he so broke? Is he perhaps an evilus god? No, that's too big a leap in logic. Sigh, I've got nothing,' Draco thought as he watched Eren disappear into the shadowy street.

"The guild is always warning gods not to wander around alone. Sigh, but he wouldn't be the first to break the rules, I guess," Alise said with a deep sigh.

"Yeah, many gods refuse to listen to the rules set by mortals. But even for a deity, he is quite an oddball, don't you think?" Ryuu remarked.

"Yeah, he reminds me a bit of Lord Hermes," Adi added, her blue hair bouncing in agreement.

"Good thing I don't have to worry about my goddess," Draco muttered.

"What! Why?" Ryuu asked, her brows furrowing.

She and her familia members regarded their goddess Astraea like a mother, so Draco's comment about his goddess didn't sit well with her.

"Do you know nothing about Lady Bahamut?" Adi asked, somewhat surprised.

She had thought that since the Astraea familia was somewhat close to the Bahamut familia, they would know how powerful Bahamut was.

It was quite surprising.

"Not much, except that she's a goddess of justice like our lady Astraea," Ryuu replied.

"Well, if you don't know, that's fine. Just know that my goddess is strong," Draco said with pride, not elaborating further.

"Come on, tell us more! You've made me very curious, so don't leave me hanging!" Alise pleaded.

"You do realize you can ask your goddess, right?" Michalis interjected.

"Oh, ahem, of course a pretty girl like me figured that out already. I just wanted to hear it from Draco," Alise said confidently.

"Oh right, I almost forgot. Ryuu, it looks like branches from the holy tree in your village really are in Orario. We didn't manage to get our hands on any, but we did pick up a few smugglers who spilled the beans," Adi said.

"R-really?" Ryuu said, her voice trembling slightly.

"Yeah, apparently, the evilus have been pillaging branches from other elf villages and sneaking them into the city," Adi revealed.

This wasn't the first time Orario had seen such shady trade dealings.

Each elven village had its own sacred tree, and their branches were extremely valuable.

They could be used to create weapons and staffs, but they were mostly gifted to elves leaving the village and rarely sold to outsiders.

The elves were a particularly protective race, especially regarding their sacred trees.

"Black market trade, huh? I can't believe we're seeing that sort of thing in Orario," Alise mused.

"Well, Orario is the center of trade, so it's not too surprising," Adi replied.

'Oh, the branch of a sacred tree. I wonder if I can snag some during the chaos,' Draco thought.

"I'm sorry we couldn't find your village's treasures, Ryuu," Adi suddenly apologized.

"Ah, it's okay. It's not my village anymore," Ryuu hastily replied, though her expression said otherwise.

'Oh, I forgot that Ryuu hated her village—or was it her race? That's a rather childish way of thinking. It's basically a form of self-hate. If she dislikes their way of life, then she should just grow stronger and change it. That's what I would do,' Draco mused.

Adi stared at Ryuu for a moment before taking her hands in her own.

"Don't worry, Ryuu! We will catch those pesky evilus and retrieve everything they stole," Adi said with conviction, her eyes sparkling.

Ryuu was stunned, unsure of what to say.

"I know I shouldn't play favourites, but still, I want to help you," Adi said.

Ryuu let her hand drop limply, and Alise smiled encouragingly.

Draco and Michalis simply nodded at her.

Ryuu was touched, at the same time embarrassed by their gesture.

"Uh, Draco nii, are we done for the day? We've spent quite a bit of time here," Michalis whispered, pulling Draco away from the moment the girls were having.

"Yeah, we should head home soon. I bet the others are done for the day too. The Ganesha familia can handle the night, right, Adi?" Draco said, glancing at Adi, who perked up at their direction.

"Ah, yeah, sure," Adi replied hastily, a bit embarrassed for eavesdropping.

It wasn't her intention, the words just happened to reach her ears.

"Anyway, we'll leave you girls to continue your patrol. I have things to do early in the morning," Draco said, noting that he had a meeting planned regarding the land surrounding the Bahamut familia's current home.

"Right, we also have to get back on patrol. It's time to clean up the streets and bring peace to…" Alise was cut off by the arrival of a rather cute, pink-haired pallum girl.

"It's urgent..." Lyra yelled hopping down from the rooftops.....