Danmachi: Is It Wrong to Be the Main Character in Orario?

A rift slowly opened in space, delivering a figure seated on a wooden chair into the room.

"Haah..."

Bell let out a yawn—he couldn't help it. Lately, he'd been sleeping until he naturally woke up, so being abruptly pulled out of that rhythm left him feeling a bit off.

"Sorry, I've gotten used to falling asleep without using magic. Breaking my internal clock like that really threw me off."

"I heard most of the conversation on my way here. And yes, I even woke Loki-sama to have a look."

"Most of it lines up with what you've already guessed."

"The theme of this expedition is sublimation and death. That's been the tone from the very beginning."

"So Loki really was pulling the strings behind this."

Bell's candid admission confirmed Finn's suspicions—everything had been set in motion by Loki.

'Sublimation and death'... does that mean if we don't move forward, we'll just die at the hands of the Spirit?

"That's not exactly it. You could choose to run if you wanted. But doing so would mean that the peak of Loki Familia's potential ends at Level 6."

Bell had no intention of dooming Loki Familia. What they needed was an opportunity to break through.

Given how unique this situation was, Bell sincerely hoped the three pillars of Loki Familia would seize the chance.

Of course, it wasn't an ultimatum. If someone chose to back down after realizing the risk, Bell wouldn't blame them. It would just mean that his investment in Loki Familia had gone to waste.

And that was something Bell had already accepted. Every investment comes with risk.

But judging from their reaction earlier, it didn't look like failure was something he had to worry about.

Not a single person in Loki Familia had flinched. Every one of them faced the danger head-on.

"So it looks like my worries were unnecessary."

Bell scanned the group before him.

"Loki Familia really is made up of gutsy adventurers. Even when staring death in the face, they march forward without hesitation. That kind of willpower... it's honestly admirable."

"After all, a coward like me could never do something like that."

"...Bell-kun, you really shouldn't lie like that."

Hearing Bell's self-deprecating remark, Finn didn't hold back this time.

"I don't think a coward would ever have the guts to challenge Goliath alone."

Bell showed no reaction to the words. He simply nodded quietly, then responded calmly but firmly.

"Anyone who challenges Goliath is undeniably brave. But I'm just an adventurer hiding Level 2 strength. Someone like me doesn't even qualify to take on Goliath."

All Finn could do was sigh. He couldn't help but feel exasperated by Bell's insistence on keeping his power hidden, even under this pressure.

After all, he couldn't force Bell to come clean.

For all he knew, pressuring Bell might have the opposite effect—he might just shut down entirely.

Noticing the look of resignation on Finn's face, Bell gave a quiet, composed smile.

"So, Captain Finn—do you have any real basis for your guess about my level?"

"From what I understand, the fastest anyone's ever leveled up in Orario was the Sword Princess. Even if my strength is growing at a rapid pace, there's no way I've jumped two or three levels in under a year, right?"

"Does that sound reasonable to you?"

...Not reasonable at all.

Even Finn couldn't help grumbling internally.

Just reaching Level 2 in a year was already an incredible feat. Only adventurers with exceptional talent could break through the brutal early stages that fast.

And it wasn't just the first jump that was hard. Advancing beyond that took a massive amount of accumulated Excelia.

Even the fastest growth from Level 1 to Level 4 would still take five to six years.

To leap from Level 1 to Level 4 in under half a year? Even sacrificing one's future wouldn't make that possible.

Which left Finn wondering—just what kind of skill did Bell possess?

What kind of absurd ability could let someone level up at such an impossible pace?

"That's completely ridiculous!"

Tiona blurted out without hesitation.

"Less than half a year to go from Level 1 to Level 4? No matter how you look at it, that's just not realistic."

Bell fully agreed with the Crusher's judgment. Honestly, he thought the same himself.

"Exactly. It's just too unrealistic."

"If Orario really had an adventurer with that kind of skill, they'd be famous among the gods by now. There's no way they'd still be unknown."

"Yeah, totally," Tiona nodded in firm agreement. But Tione, sitting beside her, didn't look pleased at all.

'This idiot doesn't even realize she's being used as a mouthpiece.'

Bell didn't care about Jormungand's hostility. He simply continued calmly:

"Let's drop this topic. It doesn't really matter to us right now."

"Captain Finn, why don't you go ahead and tell me what you wanted to talk to me about?"

That left Finn no choice. The topic had been brushed aside completely, and there was no easy way to bring it back up. And even if he tried, Bell would probably dodge it again.

Finn quietly sighed to himself, 'What a shame,' and shifted the conversation.

"Bell-kun, how did you know about the 'Spirit' we'd encounter on this expedition?"

"That brings us to my magic."

This was something Bell could talk about, so he went straight into it.

"My magic lets me perform divination under certain circumstances—but it's limited to reading fortune or misfortune. I can't actually see the future clearly."

"Even though my magic is extremely versatile, I still can't do what Cassandra can."

Finn nodded slightly in understanding.

Divining luck or danger might fall within Bell's broad magical capabilities. Whether it matched Cassandra's level of precision, though, was another question.

Still, Finn had a feeling Bell's magic might be just as capable.

He had once asked Loki whether gods could see the future.

'No! Gods aren't all-powerful. At the very least, we can't see future trends or events.'

'If gods could do that, why would we even bother coming to Genkai to play this whole Familia game?'

Loki had practically rolled her eyes when she said it, but Finn thought the reasoning was fair.

If gods truly had foresight, they'd be able to pick out the most promising adventurers in an instant.

But since they couldn't, all they could do was stumble through trial and error—sifting through the masses, gambling on who might one day grow into a worthy follower.

"So, what do you think we should do?"

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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