100 Jagamarukun!
Chapter 100 - Jagamarukun!
"As expected of Apollo, always doing things so seamlessly!"
"But it's still a bit excessive, isn't it? How many Familias have been disbanded because of him in the past few years?"
Apollo's words sparked a controversy among the gods.
However, apart from a few righteous condemnations, most gods were happy to watch the drama.
As long as Apollo didn't target their own children, these pleasure-seeking gods simply didn't care about him persecuting others.
Apollo also sensibly never provoked those Familias with significant influence.
Any Familia plundered by him would be made to disappear using various means, ensuring they posed no threat to his Familia in the future.
So, he had never faced resistance from the gods.
On the contrary, Apollo's actions provided some post-dinner gossip for these bored gods.
Loki naturally had no intention of seeking justice for the disbanded Familias.
She was merely fulfilling her duties as the host of the Denatus, pointing out the most mentioned topics for discussion.
Although she felt contempt for Apollo's methods, Loki had no intention of delving deeper into this matter.
After all, she was also one of those gods who loved to watch others' dramas and had a less-than-pleasant personality.
After the topic about Apollo concluded, Loki successively picked out several other frequently mentioned topics.
She fully played her role as the host, summarizing and extracting information in the gods' discussion.
...
While the Denatus proceeded as usual, Luke and Ais finally made a rare appearance on the streets.
Both had reached Level 2 for quite some time.
The reason their presence drew so much attention at this Denatus was due to them being super rookies who leveled up in less than a year.
Luke actually leveled up much earlier than Ais.
However, considering Ais's mood and Loki's desire to make a splash at the Denatus, they kept it concealed from the public.
It wasn't until Ais successfully leveled up recently that they announced it publicly.
The aliases for both of them were supposed to be arranged in the same Denatus.
Denatus typically didn't last very long, and it could usually conclude within the same day.
So today, Luke and Ais didn't enter the dungeon to grind monsters.
Instead, they decided to take a rare break and relax by going shopping.
By the way, they also eagerly waited for the news from their goddess, anticipating the alias assigned to them in the Denatus, although both of them already knew what their alias was in advance.
Luke brought Ais to Orario's East Street.
East Street was Orario's commercial district, with stalls lining the streets selling vegetables, fruits, and groceries.
However, compared to a year ago, the streets of Orario now showed many ruined buildings and damaged roads.
In the past year, the damage caused by Evilus in the city was extremely severe.
Just by looking around, one could understand that almost everyone's faces were clouded with gloom and depression.
A small portion of the residents even became skittish, immediately fleeing at the slightest disturbance.
In addition to the panicked residents, there were many guild employees and adventurers patrolling the streets.
For example, a red-haired girl with a sword-wing emblem, a masked adventurer beside her, a life-oriented adventurer distributing items and potions, and a healer providing free medical treatment to injured residents.
Walking on the street, even without deliberate observation, one could easily grasp the current unfavorable situation in Orario.
All of this was caused by the 'evil' forces led by Evilus, and at the same time, it was the result of Finn and the others clashing against these villains.
Many smart people had already left Orario because of this dire situation.
"Why do people have to kill each other?"
Ais tugged at Luke's hand, her tone carrying a subtle and imperceptible sense of loss as she quietly asked Luke.
Luke didn't immediately respond.
Like Ais, he saw the grim scene on the street.
He didn't know how to explain to an eight-year-old innocent child this kind of evil stemming from the inherent flaw of human nature.
After hesitating for a while, he ultimately chose to be honest.
"I guess, there must be some evil gods directing behind the scenes."
"But, the current dire situation is also due to human nature."
"Human nature?"
Ais looked at Luke with confusion.
"Well, creation and destruction, order and chaos, kindness and malice, humans cannot have only a benevolent side. Everyone has more or less hidden 'violence' derived from instinct."
Ais fell silent after hearing this.
To be honest, she couldn't completely comprehend the meaning of Luke's words.
But when she recalled the dark flame hidden deep within her own heart.
Could her motivation to become stronger also be due to human nature?
Before Ais could delve deeper into her thoughts, Luke took her to an outdoor vendor.
"While this dire situation is a result of human nature, there is also a part of this nature that hopes for a better tomorrow and works hard for it."
Following Luke's gesture, Ais looked at the outdoor vendor in front of them.
A female clerk was cooking food inside, and the aroma of fried potatoes mixed with the scent of oil constantly wafted out.
Beside the vendor stood a signboard with a few slogans.
''Jagamarukun''
"Sharing delicious food brings smiles to everyone's face!"
"The new source of urban vitality, the delicious Jagamarukun!"
In such a chaotic environment, such positive slogans stood out like a ray of light in the darkness.
Perhaps because of this, this snack quickly became popular throughout Orario.
While Ais was somewhat dazed looking at these slogans, Luke had already walked over and bought two.
Taking the freshly fried Jagamarukun from the worker, Luke handed one to Ais.
Ais stared fixedly at the fried food in her hand.
The aroma of oil and potatoes kept stimulating her nostrils.
Unable to resist the temptation, Ais took a bite.
"—!!!"
The moment Ais bit into the Jagamarukun, an electric current spread throughout her entire body.
The aroma of the food filled her entire mouth.
In just that moment, Ais was captivated by Jagamarukun's delicious taste.
This was the fateful encounter between Ais and Jagamarukun.
After a while, Ais asked Luke to buy her three more Jagamarukun.
Holding the fried food in both hands, she chewed with concentration, making sounds of delight.
With that joyful expression and her cute actions, she looked like a cute little squirrel.
Seeing that Ais truly enjoyed the food, Luke bought a few more Jagamarukun.
The two of them continued to stroll through East Street while eating Jagamarukun.
...
Meanwhile, the Denatus, under the lively discussion of the gods, reached the most important segment.
Loki remained standing at her seat.
She glanced around the gods sitting at the round table, revealing a smile that some gods found quite malicious and intimidating.
"So, next up is the Naming Convention~"
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(PS: Well, this chapter marks the completion of 100 chapters. I can't believe I've managed to stick to this project for so long. Especially thank you to my Patreon supporters, as I would've already stopped posting if it weren't for their support. Anyway, let's celebrate this moment.)
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