Danmachi: A Despicable Stranger

Chapter 57: This person may have some mental problems

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Syr Flova was no ordinary girl.

Everyone around her knew of her uncanny ability to discern emotions, thoughts, and even a person's moral alignment simply by observing them.

This ability was reminiscent of how a deity could perceive truth from their followers—an inability to lie before their god.

But Syr's gift went far beyond that.

She could see the very essence of a person's soul.

Or at least, she used to.

Recently, it seemed her ability had faltered.

She couldn't sense anything from Izzy.

While chatting with Ryuu, Syr's light silver eyes kept drifting to Izzy, who was locked in a playful tussle with Anya.

Though he stood so close to her, his presence felt like a void.

If not for observing him with her own eyes, Syr might have believed he didn't exist at all.

The essence of his soul—the very thing that defined a person—seemed to be absent. Or perhaps... hidden?

She wasn't sure which.

But one thing was clear: Izzy represented the unknown.

And for the gods, who had grown weary of the monotonous heavens and descended to the mortal world in search of thrill and mystery, the unknown was irresistible.

Syr quietly observed the way Izzy interacted with the cat-eared girl, curiosity flickering in her eyes.

"Hey, Ryuu~ How does it feel to go on a date with Izzy-san?" Syr teased suddenly, her voice sweet yet devilishly mischievous.

"D-Date!? Syr, d-don't joke about such things!"

Caught completely off guard, Ryuu's ears turned bright red, and she immediately tried to deny it, flustered beyond words.

"Mr. Izzy and I just went to explore the dungeon! It has nothing to do with… dating!"

Syr wasn't swayed. With a sly smile, she pressed on, her words dripping with playful insinuation.

"Really? But you two were alone in the dungeon together. I've heard some adventurers say that a tryst in the dim, secluded environment of the dungeon can be quite… thrilling."

"A… tryst?"

Syr's soft, teasing voice circled Ryuu like the whisper of a devil, clouding her thoughts and stripping away her usual composed demeanor.

Ryuu's face burned even brighter, her usual cold expression nowhere to be seen. Instead, she looked every bit the flustered maiden caught in her friend's teasing.

"I-It's slander…!"

Though Syr had lowered her voice slightly, the tavern's current occupants weren't ordinary people.

It didn't take much effort for their sharp ears to pick up every word.

Naturally, Izzy, who was still fending off Anya's playful aggression, heard it loud and clear. He turned his head, his voice carrying an air of protest.

"Hey, hey, hey—this is complete slander! Don't just make things up about me!"

His tone was lighthearted, but it was clear he wanted to defend his honor.

Of course, his scuffle with Anya was nothing more than harmless fun.

Had Izzy been serious, he would've thought twice before provoking the cat-girl waitress.

Otherwise, she'd gladly remind him of her strength—likely with a "strategic retreat" of his own.

"Oh? So you didn't try anything with Ryuu in the dungeon?" Syr leaned forward, peering around Ryuu to look at Izzy with mock surprise.

Her tone was so earnest that it bordered on comical.

Izzy rolled his eyes in exaggerated exasperation.

"I think your imagination is running wild. I'm as upright and serious as they come! How could you think of me like that?"

"...Um???"

The tavern fell into a stunned silence.

For a moment, even Syr couldn't respond.

Then, Anya and Chloe broke into loud laughter, unable to contain themselves any longer.

"Upright? Serious? You?" Chloe snorted, wiping a tear from her eye. "Don't make me laugh!"

Anya, still struggling to free herself from Izzy's grasp, chimed in.

"Yeah, tell me—what kind of 'upright' person comes to a tavern every day just to flirt with the cat-girl waitress? Meow!"

"And you often bring your own main god along?"

Anya was so amused that she forgot to settle the score with Izzy.

This had to be the funniest joke she'd heard all year!

Chloe chimed in, nodding her agreement.

"This guy might have some serious ideological problems…"

Beside her, Lunoire repeated Izzy's words verbatim in a tone dripping with mockery.

Unfortunately, Izzy didn't even flinch at their jabs.

When he spoke to others, he focused entirely on the conversation at hand, selectively filtering out surrounding noise.

In simpler terms, Izzy pretended not to hear the trio's complaints.

"Um… what do you mean by calling me dirty?"

A bit slower on the uptake, Syr asked hesitantly.

She was used to Izzy occasionally tossing out strange phrases, though she couldn't fathom where he learned them.

"Oh, they're saying your thoughts aren't pure, filled with all sorts of shady things."

"Th-That's not true!" Syr stammered, her voice rising as her face flushed pink.

"Mr. Izzy, you're so mean! I didn't think of anything like that!"

"Hah, says the person who's caught red-handed."

"What—!?"

Syr puffed out her cheeks, thoroughly flustered, and glared at Izzy as if he'd just insulted her honor.

She felt like she'd been subtly mocked, though she couldn't quite argue back effectively.

Unfortunately for Syr, no one could outmatch Izzy when it came to playful nonsense.

"It's not even opening time yet! What are you all chattering about? Slacking off again!?"

Suddenly, the tavern's owner, Mia, emerged from the back, her voice carrying authority.

Her sudden appearance brought an undeniable presence, as though the room shifted around her.

No matter how many times Izzy saw her, he couldn't quite believe this robust woman was a dwarf.

"Ah, so you're back from your leave, Ryuu," Mia said, her voice softening slightly. "Welcome back. Now, as usual, you'll need to pick up the slack from your absence. Got any objections?"

"None at all, Mama Mia," Ryuu replied with a calm nod.

Mia's tone carried a mix of warmth and expectation, much like a guardian welcoming back their child. Ryuu, in turn, accepted it without complaint.

Here, asking for leave didn't mean losing pay or privileges—Mia wasn't that kind of boss. However, it did mean catching up on any missed work, a rule Ryuu had long since accepted.

"Syr, you've got things to do. Why are you out here slacking off?"

"Ah, y-yes, I'm going back now!" Syr stammered before bowing and hurrying back to the kitchen.

With that, Mia's sharp eyes turned to Izzy, whose hand was still firmly planted on Anya's head.

Raising an eyebrow, the stout owner didn't even look surprised anymore.

"Kid, we haven't opened yet. Hanging around here just gets in the way of my staff. Beat it and come back after noon—with money!"

She strode over and patted his shoulder with what could only be described as "affectionate force."

The sound of Izzy's bones cracking slightly was audible, though the smile on Mia's face didn't falter.

Izzy, wincing under her hand, had the distinct impression she was exacting some kind of revenge on behalf of Syr.

Feeling the pressure on his shoulder intensify, Izzy straightened up immediately.

"Point taken, Mama Mia! Your wisdom is unparalleled!" He gave a mock bow. "I'll leave now and come back to bother you later—wallet in hand, I promise~"

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