Chapter 577 - 577: Avoiding Hestia

After leaving the flower shop, Charlie did not return straight to Empyrean Citadel; his footsteps led Est toward the Market Area.

The Market Area was a true melting pot of cultures. It was here that the concentration of foreign residents reached its highest point in all of Orario.

A sea of people and various races jostled through the streets flanked by permanent stalls and makeshift tents hawking everything imaginable.

The air in this place was thick and heavy, filled with a dense mixture of aromas: the pungent scent of exotic spices, the savory smell of grilled meat from street food stalls, the fishy odor from the wet fish market, and even the smell of sweat from thousands of people carrying on their daily activities under the scorching sun.

With Est's hand still held tightly in his grip, Charlie parted the crowd with the composure of a man walking in his private garden.

His black coat occasionally brushed against the light armor of passing adventurers or the robes of traveling merchants, yet he seemed to possess his own personal space amidst that ocean of people.

On the other hand, Est observed her surroundings with a clear, flat gaze, though her eyes occasionally fixating on certain objects betrayed her curiosity.

For a spirit who spent most of her time isolating herself from society, the noise and vibrant colors of this market were a novel experience.

They passed rows of lower-tier blacksmiths, where the pounding of hammers striking hot metal created its own rhythmic music, chiming in harmony with the shouts of merchants promoting their crafted weapons at bargain prices.

In another corner, thick plumes of smoke billowed from food stalls serving fragrant vegetarian dishes, contrasting sharply with the pungent smell emanating from taverns selling harsh stout beers and ales.

The clamor of the Market Area was truly deafening; boisterous haggling in various dialects and racial tongues, loud laughter, and minor squabbles over the prices of goods all merged into a single dynamic background sound.

Their journey paused briefly in front of a stall selling trinkets and handicrafts from outside Orario.

Est's eyes were fixed on a row of small wooden dolls that were crudely carved yet painted in striking, colorful hues.

Without saying a word, Charlie approached the stall and pointed at a wooden doll in the shape of a small white cat with large blue eyes, which somehow bore a slight resemblance to Est in her human form.

After handing several valis coins to the merchant, who looked surprised to see Charlie's elegance in such a run-down place, Charlie handed the doll to Est.

Est received the wooden doll with both of her small hands, observing it briefly with a gaze that was hard to decipher, before finally hugging the doll tightly against her chest.

There was a very faint, subtle gleam of happiness in her eyes—a human emotion that had slowly begun to sprout inside her ever since Charlie brought her into this world.

Charlie merely smiled faintly upon seeing his sword's behavior, ruffling Est's silver hair for a moment before leading her forward again.

They continued navigating the market, passing a potion stall tended by a chatty Pallum, until they finally reached an open area where immigrants from the Far East were performing a dynamic, colorful traditional dance accompanied by the rhythmic beating of drums.

They stood at the edge of the crowd for a moment, watching the performance.

For Charlie, this was a moment to observe the Lower World in its purest condition—a world crammed with the ambitions, hopes, and despairs of mortals attempting to survive beneath the shadow of the gods.

"Ah! The guy who looks like Bell-kun!"

A shrill, childish voice suddenly sounded from behind him.

Without needing to turn or pivot around, Charlie already knew precisely who had just spoken. After all, in the whole of Orario, there was only one individual who always addressed him with such a strange term.

Turning around, Charlie saw Hestia standing not far from him alongside Bell.

Hestia appeared to be pointing toward Charlie with a surprised look on her face.

"Haaah... How many times have I told you, Goddess Hestia? My name is Charlie Avalon. Please remember that." Charlie let out a weary sigh, gently massaging his temples.

"Ahem... Sorry, sorry! My bad!" Hestia replied with a soft chuckle while patting her chest. However, judging by the expression on her face, she did not feel guilty in the slightest.

(Who told this young man to have the exact same white hair color as my beloved follower?) Hestia thought in self-defense.

"Um... Hestia-sama. Who is he? Is he an acquaintance of yours?" asked Bell, who was standing beside Hestia, staring at Charlie with an innocent look on his face.

Hearing that question, Hestia turned toward Bell with her brow furrowed in bewilderment.

"Bell-kun, what are you talking about?" she asked in confusion. "Even if your relationship might not be very close, you two know each other!"

"Eh? Really?" Bell tilted his head, eyeing Charlie from top to bottom with his eyebrows knitted tightly together.

Bell tried hard to dig through his memories.

He was absolutely certain that if he knew someone with such extraordinarily handsome looks and an aura as elegant as the young man before him, it would be impossible for him to simply forget him. Yet, his mind was completely blank.

Observing Bell's reaction, Charlie realized that the effect of the Law of Gods had erased all traces of memories regarding him from the main character's mind.

"My apologies, Goddess Hestia. I have urgent business to attend to. Goodbye." He had no intention of prolonging this pointless conversation.

Charlie glanced toward the girl beside him. "Let's go, Est."

"Right, Onii-chan."

Without waiting for Hestia's response, Charlie turned around and led Est away, leaving the performance site behind.

"How suspicious... His behavior clearly indicates that something is wrong." Hestia murmured softly while narrowing her eyes, observing the direction in which Charlie had disappeared.

She sensed a very strong anomaly regarding Bell's memories and Charlie's attitude, but since her primary focus today was something else, she didn't bother with it and chose not to overthink things.

Instantly, the tense expression on Hestia's face shifted into a sweet, spoiled smile.

Without warning, she immediately hugged Bell's right arm tightly, burying the young man's entire arm inside the supple, plush flesh of her abundant chest.

"Oh well! Today is a rare date with Bell-kun! You have to forget about weird things and focus on me! Mind you, you aren't allowed to glance at or get close to that perverted Elf again!" Hestia exclaimed cheerfully while looking up at Bell.

"W-Uwah!? K-Kami-sama...!"

Bell's face flushed bright red like a boiled crab.

The soft, warm, and extremely plush touch squeezing his arm made his entire body stiffen like a stone statue. The extraordinary sensation from the goddess's cleavage caused his brain to suddenly go blank and his rationality to instantly shatter.

"P-Please let go for a moment, Kami-sama! This... this is in public! People are watching us!" Bell cried out in panic with a high-pitched voice, trying to gently pull his arm that was sinking deeper into Hestia's cleavage, while his eyes darted wildly left and right out of overwhelming embarrassment.

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