Chapter 91: The Fate of Peepers!
Before the gods descended to the lower world, there had once been people who drove the monsters rampaging across the surface back into the Dungeon without relying on Falna.
If it was someone like that, then reaching Level 4 within two months of receiving Falna would not be that strange.
Thinking that, Hermes asked Torajirou Shiro a question.
"You're quite amazing, young man. Did you perhaps have some incredible ancestor?"
His probing tone was far too obvious.
Shiro glanced at him and replied in an annoyed voice.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but there wasn't anyone incredible in my ancestry. I level up quickly because I have a special skill."
"Oh? A special skill? Could you tell me more about it?"
Hermes opened his eyes, which had been curved like crescent moons.
"Why should I tell an unknown god like you that?"
Many people knew that Shiro had a skill, but that did not mean he could tell everyone about it.
The only reason he told Hermes that he had a special skill was because he could tell the god would keep pestering him unless he got some kind of answer.
So for the sake of peace later, Shiro threw him a piece of information that was not especially important to him.
In Shiro's mind, his transmigration was his greatest secret.
Next came the Interdimensional Gate, then the deals he had made with gods like Loki and Ouranos.
Only after that came his special skills.
Wait, that did not seem quite right.
Now, his deal with Ryuu had to be ranked third instead.
After all, if that was exposed, it would be social death.
After silently rearranging his secrets in his heart, Shiro met Hermes's eyes.
Even after hearing such rude words, Hermes did not get angry.
Instead, he shamelessly continued.
"Actually, Loki, Dionysus, and I have temporarily formed an alliance, you know. So there's no harm in telling me, right?"
"Come talk to me about that when you're willing to tell me every skill your children have."
After saying that, Shiro said goodbye to Hermes, who still wanted to push his luck, and returned to the camp on his own.
...
"Let's all bathe together!"
Early the next morning, Tiona cheerfully shouted to the female members of the group.
Since they had joined the team, they should get along properly.
This was the method she had thought of to improve their relationship.
Asfi looked at Hermes with some difficulty.
She was responsible for guarding her god.
If she left, no one would be protecting Hermes.
"You can stop guarding me for now. No one on the Loki Familia's side is stupid enough to rush in and assassinate me, right?"
"Then I'll go too."
After receiving her god's permission, Asfi also joined the bathing group.
Tiona and the others pulled along almost every resting female member and set off together.
After they left, Hermes's eyes sharpened.
His expression became incredibly serious.
He raised his chin slightly and spoke in a low voice.
"The time has come."
He pulled Bell aside and whispered something suspiciously to him.
Then the two of them also left the camp together.
Shiro looked suspiciously at the strange pair.
After hesitating several times, he still chose to follow them.
"Bell, if anyone comes nearby, tell me right away."
Deep inside the forest, Hermes spoke to Bell, who had been forcibly dragged along by him.
Neither of them realized that Shiro was hiding nearby, listening to their conversation.
Hermes skillfully climbed up a tree with both hands and feet.
Then he called Bell to climb up as well.
"Hermes-sama, what exactly did you call me here to tell me?"
Bell was a little confused.
Just now, Hermes had said there was something important he could only say when the two of them were alone, then brought him to this place.
"Shh. Look over there!"
After Bell climbed up the tree too, Hermes showed a refreshing smile and pointed with his thumb toward the tallest tree in front of them.
"What about that tree?"
"Haven't you figured out what this place is? Listen carefully."
After hearing Hermes's words, Shiro also raised his ears.
From the distance came the sound of a waterfall mixed with the playful voices of girls.
Mm.
Now he understood what these people were trying to do.
That bastard god Hermes actually planned to drag Bell along to peep.
No, judging from how Hermes behaved yesterday, Bell was probably the honest guy he had chosen on purpose.
If they were discovered, Hermes would throw Bell out to take the blame.
Shiro silently took something out of his Gift Card and pressed its switch.
"Eh?! Hermes-sama, don't tell me you brought me here because..."
"That's right! A group of girls are bathing by the pond, so of course I brought you here to peep!"
"We can't! We absolutely can't do something like that! If we get caught, we'll definitely be killed!"
Bell shouted in complete collapse.
Fortunately, the sound of the waterfall was loud enough to cover their voices.
Otherwise, Hermes's peeping plan would already have failed.
"What are you saying, Bell? Peeping is a man's romance!"
"A man's... romance...?"
Something inside Bell's chest was dug up.
A familiar teaching echoed in his mind.
"Bell! I didn't peep because I wanted to look at the village beauty's body. This is a romance that belongs only to men!"
Remembering his grandfather's words, Bell's thoughts began to waver.
Hermes seized the chance and began brainwashing him.
"Think about it. Heroic tales often have this too, don't they? A hero accidentally enters a bathhouse, and that becomes the beginning of all kinds of stories with beautiful women!"
"But... isn't something wrong here?"
The moment heroic tales were mentioned, Bell's intelligence began to shut down.
Of course something is wrong.
Those heroes entered by accident.
You two are actively going to peep.
Shiro thought speechlessly in his heart.
Then he lowered his head and looked at the device in his hand, which was glowing red.
Sorry, Bell.
I'm only stopping you from making a mistake you're about to commit.
This definitely isn't revenge for what you did last night.
Definitely not!
Hermes looked at Bell with disappointment and spoke.
"While you're wasting time thinking about that, the girls will finish bathing! You have to consider whether this is the only chance you'll ever get in your life!"
He raised his voice.
"Come, shout with me! Rebuild the glory of heroes! We have no excuse to refuse!"
The god's persuasion easily shook Bell's young heart.
With the sound of the waterfall covering them, the two shouted loudly on the tree.
"Rebuild the glory of heroes! We have no excuse to refuse!"
"Well said, Bell! Now tell me! Do you want to encounter beautiful girls?"
"I do!"
"Then! What are we going to do now?"
"Peep?"
Smack—
Hermes slapped Bell on the head.
"So you do understand! Come, today I, Hermes, will take you to witness the true joy of men!"
As he spoke, he pulled Bell and prepared to jump toward a taller tree.
A flash of silver light passed by.
The foothold beneath their feet suddenly vanished.
The scene in their vision began rapidly moving upward.
Boom—
The human and god smashed into the ground.
The impact made the earth tremble slightly.
At the same time, it also drew the attention of the girls bathing in the distance.
"Hey! Tione! Wasn't there a noise over there?!"
"Don't tell me some perverts are trying to peep!"
"Hurry and check! Don't let them run!"
Sensing that perverts might be peeping nearby, the girls displayed unprecedented efficiency.
They put on their clothes in no time and rushed toward the source of the sound.
"Hey... Shiro... what are you doing here...?"
Tione led the group over to Shiro's side and asked him.
At the end of their line of sight, Shiro was fiddling with something they did not understand.
At his feet, two people were tied up with ropes like caterpillars and wriggling desperately.
After hearing the girls' voices, the two caterpillar-like creatures stopped moving.
Cold sweat kept dripping from their foreheads.
Meanwhile, Shiro smiled and raised the recorder in his hand.
Bell and Hermes's conversation came from inside.
"Eh?! Hermes-sama, don't tell me you brought me here because..."
"That's right! A group of girls are bathing by the pond, so of course I brought you here to peep!"
...
"Then! What are we going to do now?"
"Peep?"
"So you do understand! Come, today I, Hermes, will take you to witness the true joy of men!"
"Um... Asfi, actually, things aren't what you're thinking. There is a very deep reason behind this."
Hestia, who was also a goddess, stepped forward.
After seeing her child being misled like this by Hermes, the twin tails on her head seemed to fly up.
She huffed angrily and spoke to Hermes.
"Finally... Hermes... do you have anything else to say in your defense?"
"Peeping is a man's romance, Hestia!"
"That's enough. Die."
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"
…
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