Loki Familia had once again departed on an expedition, their elites all equipped with the suppression bracers that Charles had rushed to complete.
Before leaving, Finn also delivered the information he had promised to Charles.
After Charles knocked out the two factions that had been watching him, all the probing gazes vanished the next day, finally allowing him to imrse himself in his research.
To his surprise, Charles discovered a book on grimoires buried in the stack of docunts.
Grimoires in Orario were quite different from the four-leaf clover grimoire from his original world.
In the world of Black Clover, a grimoire functioned more like a magical staff, primarily aiding Magic Knights in sensing and controlling mana.
But in Orario, grimoires served to awaken magic in the reader.
The most powerful grimoires were consumables that, based on the reader's desire and potential, would generate a corresponding spell.
The book Charles now held contained knowledge specifically about this kind of grimoire. No wonder such items could only be crafted by adventurers with high-level [Mystery]—even the book itself was written in divine script.
The book had two main sections. One focused on magic, which Charles couldn't understand—he didn't possess the [Magecraft] developnt ability after all.
The magic abilities granted by his [Fairy's Blessing] didn't help in the theoretical study of magic.
However, the second section, which dealt with [Mystery], offered significant insight for Charles.
Developnt abilities like [Mystery] and [Magecraft] required different types of experience to improve. In their case, not only training but accumulated knowledge also played a major role.
Charles realized that the knowledge he had recently acquired had finally pushed [Mystery] up by one level.
In practical terms, this ant he could now forge equipnt imbued with even greater power.
After this intense stretch of research, Charles decided to unwind for a bit.
So he made his way to The Benevolent Mistress, planning to treat himself to a good al.
But as soon as he stepped through the tavern door, he spotted a man leaning casually against the bar, a feathered hat perched jauntily on his head, chatting up a group of female custors.
The god Hers—perhaps the deity Charles was most wary of, second only to Freya.
Freya might be insane, but at least her goals were clear.
Hers, on the other hand, was a pure-blooded leisure-seeker.
Though he often assisted Uranus and other gods who had withdrawn from Orario—like Zeus—and even frequently aided the main cast, Hers's true objective was far more self-indulgent.
All he cared about was ensuring the ergence of heroes, so that he could enjoy the best seat in the house when the heroic epic finally unfolded.
But the birth of a hero always ca hand in hand with disaster.
In that sense, Hers wasn't all that different from Enyo.
Acting purely on self-interest, this god was capable of anything. Even worse, he possessed the intellect and power to make it happen.
Charles rely glanced at him before finding a seat—one as far from Hers as possible.
Ryuu ca over with the nu. "Long ti no see. What would you like today?"
Charles smiled. "It has been a while. I've been drowning in work. Finally found a break, so here I am."
"As for food—I'll leave it to your recomndation. I trust your taste."
Ryuu gave a small nod and turned away, though her steps were noticeably lighter.
Just as Charles was waiting for his food, a figure approached and placed a mug of ale on his table. Hers sat across from him.
"Well, if it isn't the Dragon Furnace from Hephaestus Familia! You've been the talk of the town lately. What a surprise to see you here!"
Charles replied coldly, "Lord Hers, this is the first ti we've t. I don't think we're close enough to be drinking together."
Hers chuckled. "What's the big deal? Sotis, friendships between n are forged in an instant."
"I'm genuinely quite fond of you, Charles. It's been ages since I saw soone form a contract with a spirit. And more than that—you're interesting."
"So, let's get along, shall we?"
His eyes, half-hidden beneath the brim of his hat, glinted with a piercing, almost hypnotic intensity.
Charles stared back with total indifference. "Unfortunately, I have zero interest in you."
Hers winced dramatically, as though wounded. Any trace of divine authority from a mont earlier evaporated like mist.
"Oof, that stings! And here I thought I was charming."
Charles remained dead silent, giving him nothing to work with. He knew that if he so much as said a word, Hers would cling on like a leech.
But Charles had underestimated the god's shalessness.
Instead of backing off, Hers grinned. "Ah, I've got it! I know how we can bond."
"I'll take you sowhere fun later. A man's paradise—you'll love it."
Bang!
Before Charles could respond, a tray slamd down between them with a heavy thud, forcing a bit more space between Hers's increasingly pervy grin and Charles.
Ryuu glared at Hers as if she were looking at garbage.
"Lord Hers, not everyone shares your fondness for… such filthy places."
Hers glanced at her, then at Charles, and chuckled oddly. "Ohhh. I see. I see~"
Ryuu flinched under his gaze and turned away in a hurry.
Sothing amusing had just happened—at least from Hers's perspective. "Girls really are a mystery, aren't they, Charles?"
Charles shot him a look, then focused entirely on eating.
"Anyway, it's settled! Later, we're going out for so real fun."
Charles didn't lift his head. His eyes were ice-cold.
At first, he had suspected Hers's appearance here was a coincidence. But the mont he ntioned the Pleasure District, Charles knew he'd been targeted intentionally.
There was no doubt in his mind: Hers was linked to Ishtar—or perhaps even acting under her instructions to lure him into her territory.
Which wouldn't be surprising. In the original story, Ishtar had seduced Hers to acquire intel about Freya's interest in Bell.
Though in truth, Hers had probably let that information slip on purpose.
Sure enough, that led to Bell eting Haruhi, which deepened his understanding of what it ant to be a hero and pushed him further along that path.
But Charles was puzzled. If Ishtar had plans for him, why would she use Hers?
A more plausible explanation was that Hers knew Ishtar had her eyes on Charles—and wanted to stir the pot just for the entertainnt value.
If that were the case—if Hers really was inserting himself just to spark so chaos—then Charles had reached a new understanding of just how far this so-called god of travelers would go for amusent.
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