Acrophobia Obtained

Ganesha, the elephant god, the Hindu god of wisdom, wealth, and fate. It was said that in the eyes of the people of India, he was a benevolent god, brave and steadfast in war. Incidentally, his younger brother was the God of War; together, the two brothers perfectly covered both civil and martial pursuits.

Naturally, the reason Falan had thought of the god Ganesha was because he was currently riding a Wyvern from the Ganesha Familia.

So it really is a parallel world... Falan could not help thinking. In this world, Ganesha was presumably also known as the "God of Animals" due to his image as an elephant god. After all, every region had a different idea of which beast was king.

Some favored lions, some tigers, some eagles; there were even those who chose hippos or crocodiles. As for India, it was naturally the elephant.

As the elephant god, Ganesha was undoubtedly the king among animals. Even powerful creatures like Wyverns, or monsters born from the Dungeon that instinctively loathed outsiders such as gods, could be tamed by Ganesha.

As he thought about it, Falan lowered himself and lay flat against the Wyvern's back.

They had already been traveling for quite some time, but he still could not get used to it.

"I really am afraid of heights..." Falan muttered softly, too quietly for anyone else to hear.

If he could, he would rather have forgotten that he possessed a "Backpack." The journey would have been slower, but at least it would have been safe. He simply could not feel secure on a trip like this, flying through the sky without solid ground beneath his feet.

"Good thing I have Free Chant..."

Even now, he was using Free Chant to weave the spell: [Dark Spirit, become reins, keep me safe, and carry me onward.]

The spell transformed into reins, allowing Falan to better control the direction of flight without veering off course simply because he was lying down.

And because of the words "keep me safe," it had also given Falan a safety harness. He truly could not imagine what would have happened to him without all this. Perhaps Hermes really would have gotten to see him in an utterly pathetic state.

"Just for now... As long as I don't look down, there's nothing to be afraid of..."

As Falan kept psyching himself up, he failed to notice that the members of the two Familias around him were watching with amused expressions. They were adventurers—people who did not even fear death—yet he was afraid of heights?

In a sense, dreams were the same in every world. For adventurers in this world, being able to soar through the sky atop a mount like a Wyvern was undoubtedly a dream for many. But who would have thought that this dream could be someone else's nightmare?

Off to the side, Hermes began sketching on a whim. He believed that once they returned to Orario, a painting of Falan looking this pathetic would definitely embarrass him—and let Hermes fleece him for a hefty sum.

"Hermes, isn't that rather mean? Isn't Falan your friend?"

"Of course he's my friend. But aren't friends meant to be tricked?"

"...As expected, Hermes. After all these years, you still have such awful taste."

"Heh heh, Artemis, aren't you the same? After all these years, you still have that bad temper."

"...How is my temper bad?" Thinking that lecturing him would be useless, the goddess urged her Wyvern away from Hermes. Though she was a gentle goddess, she was also one who cared deeply about rules.

If Falan had to describe her, she was like the "disciplinary committee member" type commonly found in ACG works.

Artemis might truly have been gentle, but because of her personality, she could not stand gods like Hermes who loved fooling around. Not to mention that Hermes loved stirring up trouble—taking people to bathhouses, lakesides, and other places to peep, peep, and peep some more.

That had never changed since ancient times. He had been like that in Heaven, and he was the same in the mortal world. Even Falan, who had known Hermes for less than a year, knew it well, let alone Artemis. It was only natural that this goddess had little patience for Hermes.

Gradually, night fell. Flying at night was unsafe, and they had already spent more than half a day traveling.

The two Familias riding the flock of Wyverns found a spot by a river and landed.

Before long, they retrieved the camping equipment Falan had stored in advance, and the entire camp sprang into action.

As for Falan? He was an exception. At that moment, he was resting against a large rock.

"Um, Falan? Are you all right?"

"Urgh... Lady Artemis?... I'm fine... I'm just... not used to flying..."

"By the way, may I call you Falan? How about I treat you?"

Artemis could be said to have a rather favorable impression of Falan.

Part of it was because of Falan's praise for her, and part of it came from the impression he had left after a day of observation.

"Urgh... If it'll help... then thank you..."

He only felt a faint silver glow enveloping his body.

"Is this divine power?" Falan could not help muttering. As that power flowed through him, the discomfort throughout his body gradually faded.

Perhaps this was one of the unspoken rules of this world that Soma had mentioned to him?

"Yes, it is. Don't tell anyone, okay..." Artemis said, sounding a little embarrassed.

As a god who strictly followed the rules, she truly had never imagined that one day she would take the initiative to break them.

"I won't. After all, Lady Artemis, you aren't doing this for personal gain."

"But I still broke the rules. The gods jointly established this rule: we are not allowed to use divine power in the lower world."

"..." Naturally, Falan would not point out at this moment that the gods had all left loopholes behind.

For example, as long as no one knew, divine power could be used in secret. Artemis, the goddess of the moon before him, surely knew this unspoken rule as well; otherwise, she would not have said, "Don't tell anyone."

"Then please accept my deepest thanks, Lady Artemis. I'll go help out as well."

In truth, Falan was doing it for the goddess's sake. For a god like Artemis, who was so strict about rules, making a mistake would usually leave her feeling so ashamed that she needed some time alone.