But now...
This house, which would have sparked a buying frenzy on the open market, had simply fallen into Haimo's hands.
He hadn't even needed to say another word.
Shakti had only needed to show her identification.
"So this is what power tastes like..."
After all...
This was the [Ganesha Familia].
An enormous organization with an S-rank rating, entrusted by the Guild with maintaining order throughout Orario!
Their massive headquarters in the southwestern part of Orario alone-[I Am Ganesha]!
The annual maintenance, cleaning, and repair costs for that colossal statue of Ganesha added up to a dizzying astronomical sum.
With an organization this massive...
Haimo felt perfectly justified spending its money.
He had no qualms whatsoever.
After all, this fat sheep had come knocking, begging to be fleeced. It had even washed its neck and offered it up.
Being polite now would only let all that goodwill go to waste.
Even for a god...
In this world...
Living respectably and having a place of one's own were top priorities.
A home...
For a wanderer, it was the only anchor that could make them feel grounded in this chaotic world.
Humans had used fire since their cave-dwelling days. The campfires lit at cave entrances, those little circles of warm light, had enclosed not only a sense of security, but also the earliest form of a home.
Gods were no different.
Once they descended to the mortal world and shed the mantle of omnipotence and omniscience, a sense of rootlessness would dog their steps, even if their divine presence remained.
Only when they held that weighty key in their hands, knowing that somewhere in this vast, bustling city, a light shone for them and a tree belonged to their own little view...
Would that feeling truly fade.
"Come to think of it, having Captain Shakti around really does make me feel safe."
"I imagine Orario's residents feel the same way whenever they see you."
It was hard to be harsh with someone whose generosity you had accepted.
Haimo's attitude had clearly softened.
Shakti bowed slightly, remaining as courteous as ever.
"It is my honor to ease your troubles, Lord Haimo."
An impeccably guarded answer.
"All right, spare me the formalities."
Haimo waved a hand.
He hadn't expected an entertaining response from such a wooden beauty anyway.
"With you footing the bill, I ought to enjoy a little shopping."
"That house with the courtyard looked completely empty just now. It didn't even have a chair."
"Now that I've got a new house, it's time to buy some furniture and whatnot."
"I can't have my children sleeping on the floor when they get back."
"Come along, Captain Shakti."
With that...
Haimo turned and started walking, glancing back to beckon her along.
"Yes."
Shakti answered and immediately followed.
A short while later...
Orario's streets were as bustling as ever.
But now...
A curious vacuum had formed around Haimo amid that bustle.
The two maintained their distance, neither too close nor too far apart-exactly five paces.
Haimo walked ahead, spear in hand, as casually as if he were strolling through a garden.
Shakti followed behind, fully armed, her expression cold and stern.
The crowd packed together up ahead...
Scattered to either side like startled fish the moment they spotted Shakti's distinctive uniform as captain of the Ganesha Familia, automatically clearing a broad path.
No one dared block their way.
Haimo was enjoying this now.
It saved him the trouble of squeezing through the crowd, after all.
As for Shakti behind him...
She kept her gaze fixed on Haimo's back.
Lord of Arms...
War Calamity...
Shakti silently repeated Haimo's titles from Heaven.
Source of Chaos.
Maker of Strife.
Father of Ten Thousand Weapons.
What sort of story lay behind those unsettling titles?
What exactly had Haimo done in Heaven?
Why had merely descending to the mortal world, before he had even begun to act in earnest...
And simply acquiring a weapon been enough to put Lord Ganesha on such high alert?
That was something Shakti was curious about.
It was like the instinct etched into the bones of every sentient being.
When someone stood at the edge of a canyon...
Even knowing they might fall, they couldn't resist leaning out for a glimpse of the scenery below.
Even though reason told her to remain wary and regard him as a source of danger...
The more dangerous and mysterious he was, the stronger her desire to uncover the truth became.
Meanwhile...
The Dungeon, tenth floor.
A thin mist drifted through the area, its hazy light making it feel like an early morning shrouded in fog.
Visibility was limited.
The air was damp.
Heavy footsteps echoed nearby.
Thud, thud, thud.
The ground trembled.
An enormous figure emerged from the gray mist.
It stood over three meters tall, its muscles knotted like rocks and its skin a sickly grayish brown, with only a ragged animal hide wrapped around its waist.
Two tusks jutted from its massive pig's head, and a savage gleam shone in its eyes.
A Pigman.
A characteristic monster of the tenth through twelfth floors.
Renowned for its thick hide and tremendous strength, it was practically an insurmountable wall of flesh for Lv. 1 parties lacking heavy firepower.
"ROOOAR!!!"
The Pigman let out a deafening roar and charged like an out-of-control war chariot, swinging the thick leg bone it held as a club.
Its charge was terrifying.
But...
In the next instant...
Crack!
Red and white splattered everywhere.
The back of the Pigman's enormous head burst open, reduced to a pulpy mess.
Its headless body swayed twice.
Then it crashed to the ground.
Thump.
The corpse dissolved into black ash.
It left behind a magic stone of middling purity and a pair of broken tusks.
"Disgusting."
Sasamori Aya flicked the filthy blood off her hand in distaste.
Before, she had torn Goblins and Killer Ants apart with her bare hands.
This time, it was a Pigman.
She really is a monster...
Tsubaki marveled inwardly.
And...
It wasn't just Sasamori Aya.
The others were putting on impressive displays as well.
Swish!
Squelch!
Onigawara Rin severed a Pigman's spine with a single slash.
The Rapier in Kikakujō Mary's hand pierced another Pigman's eye socket, driving straight into its brain.
Chapter 35: Growing Coordination and a Trembling Shopkeeper
Straight into its vital point.
Its brain was shredded.