Danmachi: A Mage's Journey

Chapter 280 280: Akira's New Job, Delivery Guy

"So what's going on? Did the Guild's information have errors? Or maybe that peeping tom Hermes messed up his report?" Loki asked suspiciously.

Finn interjected, his voice low and steady, "Or... several gods from Evilus may have been sent back to heaven as well."

Loki's eyes widened, her voice cracking with disbelief. "What!? How the hell does that work? I thought when our gods were sent back, they took the enemy down with them. Or don't tell me, they turned on each other?"

"I don't know. I can't say for certain..." Finn muttered. His thumb brushed across his lips as he sank into thought.

"But if this was part of the enemy's plan, then the gods' ascension may have carried another purpose besides shattering Orario's morale."

His gaze sharpened, and he revealed the darker suspicion lurking in his mind.

"For example, a feint or worse a disguise."

Silence fell over the operations room. The two of them stood amid the war maps and scattered reports, and the weight of Finn's deduction pressed down heavily.

Wild conjecture, perhaps, but that speculation had the ring of truth.

"Oi." Loki muttered, her tone uncharacteristically grim. "You're not saying what I think you're saying, are you?"

She went still beside Finn, recalling every possible scenario, and finally whispered the conclusion neither of them wanted to voice.

"The real purpose of those bastards wasn't to—"

...

"Alise! It's time to rest now!"

The voice cut across the battlefield, pulling Alise's attention. She turned her head to see Akira approaching.

"The Ganesha Familia will be taking over patrol duties for us. It won't be long, but they've said we can return to base and rest. Astraea-sama will also be joining us there."

"Alright. Then let's make good use of it. Even soldiers need to know how to rest properly." Alise answered with her usual brightness, sheathing her sword.

The Astraea Familia immediately relaxed, relief softening their expressions. After endless skirmishes with evilus troops that appeared sporadically, the girls finally had a moment to breathe.

As night fell, the sky overhead glittered with stars.

Meanwhile, Akira stood alone atop the Tower of Babel, waiting for the arrival of a certain god of travel.

Why the top floor was usable in the first place, he didn't know. But apparently, a certain goddess of beauty had ensured that no other gods would intrude upon this place. The entire floor had been cleared out, leaving it utterly empty.

Bored, Akira idly shaped icy constructs, his element coalescing into figures of Kamen Riders locked in combat. He was just about to unleash a finishing Rider Kick when a faint tapping sound reached his ears.

He immediately dispelled the constructs. The ice warriors evaporated into mist, leaving the rooftop silent once more.

His expression hardened. The playful smirk faded into solemn focus.

After a moment, a figure emerged from the stairwell, one hand pressed to his head to keep his feathered travel hat from being blown away by the wind.

Hermes stepped out, smiling with that ever-cheerful air, and waved.

"Yo, Akira! What a relief, it really is you."

"God Hermes." Akira greeted him with a curt nod.

"Don't be so stiff. Just call me Hermes." Hermes strode closer, attempting to sling an arm around Akira's shoulder.

Akira smoothly sidestepped, feigning distaste. Hermes, unbothered, only chuckled and carried on.

"I honestly thought you'd refuse to meet me."

"Well, Astraea-sama said you might need my help with something important." Akira spread his hands in a helpless gesture. "So whether it's for her sake, or for the people, I figured there's nothing to lose."

"Haha! Is that so? Ahaha!" Hermes laughed, his expression over-exaggerated with delight.

Akira frowned, realizing Hermes was deliberately dragging things off-topic. "So, Hermes. What exactly do you need from me?"

"Hold on."

Hermes removed his hat and placed it solemnly over his chest, his orange hair catching in the wind. He bowed deeply, almost theatrically, before Akira.

Akira blinked in confusion.

"...???"

"Even if you don't remember, I must thank you." Hermes lifted his head, his tone suddenly sincere.

"My subordinate, Lidith, was saved by you. Her body is no longer whole, but she still lives. For that, I owe you a debt I cannot forget."

Although Lidith herself hadn't seen her savior upon waking, Hermes had pieced it together easily from her description.

From within his robes, Hermes produced a small, finger-sized badge, engraved with an exquisite feather motif.

"This is my token of gratitude. With it, you may request a favor from me, though of course, I cannot be compelled. Even so, this is my oath as a god."

Then, in typical Hermes fashion, his expression shifted in an instant, eyebrows waggling playfully.

"Whether it's investigating a girl's preferences or digging up secret intel, I'll get it done for you."

"...Thanks, I guess." Akira accepted the badge with a faint scowl, though he had no immediate use for it. Regardless, he would not refuse such a promise.

As he studied Hermes, he noted something off. Hermes seemed hurried, his casual attire untidy, his pants especially wrinkled, as though he'd come straight from a scramble.

Akira cleared his throat and asked, "So. What do you really want my help with?"

At last, Hermes grew serious again, brushing off his clothes. "Right. Back to business. Finn asked me to secure your aid in transporting food supplies. I also consulted Astraea, and she approved."

"Transporting food?" Akira tilted his head, arms crossing in thought. "That doesn't sound too complicated. With your abilities, why involve me?"

Though Evilus forces now encircled Orario, Akira couldn't believe that such a task would pose any challenge for the god of travel standing before him.

And in the end, it turned out to be food. No wonder Freya had given up the room so obediently.

"With you helping, things will move much faster. That's what Finn said, anyway." Hermes spread his hands in a helpless gesture.

"I see." Akira let out a small sigh, then urged, "In that case, let's not waste time. Let's go."

"Alright. Please follow me." Hermes turned and began leading the way.

"Too slow."

Before Hermes could react, Akira casually grabbed him by the collar.

"H-Hey, wait a sec—!"

With Hermes' startled scream trailing behind, the two shot into the sky like a gust of wind.

Moments later—

"Woooah! So high! So fast—Achoo!!" Hermes sneezed violently, his orange hair whipping around as he clung to Akira's arm for dear life.

"S-So cold. Once we're back, I need a change of clothes or I'll catch lightning in my lungs. Achoo!"

"Stop talking. Bite your tongue at this speed and you'll regret it." Akira warned flatly.

Clouds raced beneath their feet, hiding their trail. Neither Orario's defenders nor the evilus patrols ever noticed their passing. It wasn't long before the two crossed the distance between Orario and the Beol Mountains.

There, Hermes' followers worked together with Demeter to move vast stores of food hidden in a secret base. Akira transferred everything into a massive refrigerated mobile warehouse he had prepared, then carried the entire structure back atop the Tower of Babel.

Once there, Hermes' lower-ranking adventurers moved the supplies into place. Other members of his familia simultaneously ferried medicine and magical tools through a secret underground passage, an exclusive path connected to the city's underbelly, sanctioned by Ouranos himself.

The Hermes Familia's network stretched far beyond the labyrinth city. With their out-of-city managers stationed across distant lands, they alone retained freedom of movement after the night of the Great Struggle. While Orario was encircled, Hermes' neutral faction still slipped through the cracks, launching quiet but decisive operations outside the walls.