Danmachi : Shinigami Chapter 151 151 : Phobos

After being pestered by Ares for a while, Marius finally dragged him away just before Rayleigh's patience ran out.

After all, tonight's banquet had not been held for the sake of a musician, even if that musician was strangely captivating.

However, although Rayleigh had managed to shake off Ares, he was imdiately surrounded by other Gods and nobles.

That made him think, 'This is bad. I accidentally drew too much attention.'

He should have quietly finished performing, faded into the background, and then approached Phobos; instead, he had beco one of the main focal points of the entire venue.

Just as he was troubled by this, Eleonora "descended."

Her arrival caused the surrounding people to scatter as though avoiding a plague, Rayleigh was finally liberated.

Once the two of them gradually lowered their presence, Rayleigh, led by Eleonora, ca to the side of the Goddess Phobos, who was standing alone.

"Princess Aisha... and the impressive musician."

Seeing Eleonora co to find her, Phobos seed sowhat surprised.

The girl corrected her, "My apologies, Lady Goddess. I have already discarded that na."

"I see. I'm sorry, Eleonora."

Phobos's expression was very gentle, she gave off the impression of soone kind and understanding.

"So, what business do the two of you have with ?" Phobos asked, going straight to the point.

Until now, she had not displayed any particular charm in public, nor did she have any connection with the princess, so she was certain there had to be a reason behind this.

Rayleigh spoke at this mont. "The truth is, Lady Goddess, while I am a musician, I am also skilled in painting."

"Oh my? That really is impressive."

"But my painting has reached a bottleneck. I cannot advance any further, and that troubles greatly. It is like standing one step away from the summit of a mountain, yet no matter what I do, I cannot see the view from the peak."

Rayleigh spun nonsense with remarkable emotion, then he directly stated his request.

"I wish to paint sothing that does not exist in the Lower World. In other words, a God. More precisely, a Goddess. A beautiful Goddess."

"Hehe. Thank you for the complint."

"No. I am rely stating a fact. That is why I wish to paint you, Lady Goddess. Please grant permission."

"Eh? You want to paint ?"

Phobos rested one hand against her cheek, her beautiful eyes curved gently, making her look very charming.

A long ti ago, she had indeed had followers who built statues for her, although she had been quite moved by the gesture, the appearance of those statues had honestly been difficult for her to accept.

There were even so people who, because she was the patron Goddess of Leo, had directly carved her into a lion-headed human body.

This was the first ti anyone had asked her to act as a model for a portrait.

However, she had additional concerns, so she did not dare accept his offer.... thus, she answered, "I'm sorry, but I think I should refuse."

Hearing her say that, Rayleigh was not surprised; instead, he said, "What I wish to paint is precisely your current state, Lady Goddess. Sorrow, hesitation, anticipation—those complex emotions are exactly what I want to express."

"W-what are you talking about?" Phobos's expression suddenly beca unnatural.

"I only hope you can trust in my ability, Lady Goddess."

"..."

Phobos looked at the human boy before her, still hesitant in her heart.

There was sothing she wanted to ask, but she could not ask it in this place.

If soone overheard them, everything would be over.

"Very well."

Phobos accepted Rayleigh's request.

...

On the way back, however, Phobos imdiately began to regret it.

Why had she agreed to a stranger's request? Clearly, this was not the right ti to invite complications!

The distress letter she had sent to Orario had yet to receive any response.

Did they not intend to help her?

Sigh.

Inside the carriage, Phobos revealed an exhausted expression. She was close to being unable to hide things any longer.

The Crozzo family was even more obsessed with restoring their forr glory than she had imagined

A person capable of forging Crozzo Magic Swords had appeared once again among the Crozzo bloodline: Welf Crozzo.

The Crozzo family had asked her to report this matter to Ares, but because of Welf himself, she had chosen to conceal it.

Being able to forge Magic Swords was not a blessing for that child....it was a burden.

Welf did not want to forge Magic Swords, he even despised them.

If Ares obtained soone like him, Welf would undoubtedly be used for military purposes.

He would beco nothing more than a tool for creating Magic Swords.

"A worried expression doesn't suit you, Lady Phobos."

Inside the carriage, where Phobos should have been alone, a man's voice suddenly sounded. Phobos's expression changed drastically.

Then she saw the air before her twist, as though a sheet of cloth had been lifted away, after the distortion faded, the one who appeared there was the young musician from the banquet hall.

"You!"

Snap.

A crisp snap of Rayleigh's fingers rang out.

A barrier instantly covered the carriage, preventing any sound from passing outside.

"Please remain calm, Lady Phobos. Allow to introduce myself properly. I am Rayleigh of Hephaestus Familia."

Rayleigh changed his appearance back to its original form.

White hair and eyes as deep as an abyss were a rarity almost never seen in Rakia.

His words, after leaving Phobos briefly stunned, imdiately filled her with joy.

Hephaestus! She had sent a child of her Familia to Rakia, he had co to help her!

"Rayleigh, you ca from Orario?"

"That's right."

"In other words, Orario accepted my request?"

"The Guild accepted it, but the request was not made public. It was privately entrusted to us, Hephaestus Familia. Also, this ti, I ca alone..."

As he spoke, Rayleigh suddenly rembered Lulune's existence, so he corrected himself.

"Just , and one mber of Hers Familia."

The smile on Phobos's face instantly beca forced.

After a few seconds, she could no longer maintain it, it turned into anxiety.

"You ca to Rakia Kingdom with only two people? That's far too dangerous!"

Hearing her say that, Rayleigh looked into those Leo-shaped pupils while also sensing the Goddess's Reiraku, confirming that her words ca directly from the heart.

Rather than complaining, she first worried about the dependent of her friend.

No wonder this Goddess could beco friends with his own patron Goddess, she was a kind Goddess unlike Ishtar.

"I can't say there is no danger, but please leave this to ."

Rayleigh showed a confident smile.

The only situation he truly worried about was having information leaked and ending up surrounded by Rakia Kingdom's army.

With his current strength, he still could not face the military power of Rakia Kingdom all by himself, especially not while "protecting hostages."

He had to prioritize their safety when considering how to act.