Alex, along with a sizable group, was moving through the forest leading to the road that stretched directly toward Orario. Every now and then, he glanced back to make sure no one had fallen behind. A little caution never hurt — among the crowd were a few overly curious individuals who could easily wander off at the first opportunity, get lost, and then Alex would have to scour the entire forest searching for yet another lost idiot.
As they walked, everyone's eyes occasionally drifted to their surroundings. Truth be told, the forest in this fantasy world wasn't all that different from a normal one — except maybe the air was cleaner, and the sunlight softer.
Alex was already imagining the faces of the gate guards at Orario. The expressions of shock and mild panic when he arrived with this colorful crowd seemed all too easy to picture. Aoi and Itami, like excited children, couldn't stop staring at the scenery around them. If it were up to them, they'd have already run off to explore. Kota was in the same category — the only thing stopping him from sprinting toward the nearest tree in search of a "starting zone," like in any decent isekai, were his girls clinging tightly to him.
"Alex, how much longer do we have to walk to get to the city?" Shizuka drawled lazily, clearly not thrilled about the hike.
"Twenty minutes or so. As soon as we leave the forest, we'll hit the road that caravans use to get to the city," Alex replied without even glancing back.
"Caravans, you say?" Kasper perked up. "So I can become a merchant again and travel around?"
"Depends on what exactly you plan to trade," Alex said, throwing a brief but pointed look over his shoulder.
"And what difference does that make?" Lehm chimed in, lighting a cigarette. "From what I gather, merchants here do the same thing as back home — move goods between cities."
"You're mostly right," Alex nodded. "But there's a catch. In some regions of this world, slavery still thrives. I've made sure that doesn't apply to Orario... but as you can imagine, slaves have always existed and probably always will. So..."
Alex paused for a moment.
"...if Kasper decides to trade in slaves — he'll end up in the Red City."
"What kind of place is that?" Kota frowned. "Never heard of it. Is it another world or... something worse?"
"It's my personal hell," Alex said coldly. "For those who forget where the line is between trade and depravity. What happens there... no one should ever see. Not for the faint of heart."
Kasper gulped, feeling a chill run down his spine. He started to sweat and tremble, but despite his fear, he leaned toward his sister and whispered, "Koko... what is this Red City? Is it really that—"
Koko didn't let him finish — she grabbed him by the collar and started whispering with a sly smile. With each phrase, Kasper's face grew paler, his eyes wider. All the martial arts masters nearby had sharp hearing, and as they overheard the details, they exchanged glances. Even they — seasoned warriors who had seen a lot — looked troubled. Everything about the Red City screamed one thing: stay away. Everyone.
Alex smirked as he saw Kasper frantically nodding, clearly showing that he understood, got the message, and would behave.
Just as Alex had said, before long they emerged from the forest and stepped onto a wide, cobbled road leading straight to Orario. Looking up at the sun, Alex estimated it was around noon — they had arrived earlier than expected, which was perfect. Getting into the city at night was far more complicated — the lines at the gates were much longer.
Even though Orario was only about ten minutes away on foot, the tower at the center of the city could already be seen from a distance. Majestic, piercing the sky, it left no doubt — this was where true adventure began.
"That's the Tower of Babel! Damn, it looked way smaller in the anime!" Kota exclaimed in awe, pointing ahead.
"Wait, that's the dungeon? Why a tower instead of, you know, a dungeon? Or did I miss something about your fantasy worlds?" Hayato asked, stroking his beard in confusion.
Everyone stopped, staring in awe at the Tower of Babel rising above the horizon. For most of them, it was the first time seeing anything like it. This wasn't just a skyscraper or a building made of glass and steel. It was a real fantasy tower, and it stirred emotions far stronger than any metropolis on Earth ever could.
Anya, Nyaruko, and Jinx, comfortably perched on the girls' shoulders, were also staring at the tower. But their thoughts had nothing to do with its height. What they were thinking was simple — what would happen if they climbed all the way to the top? The three little gremlins exchanged glances and, without a word, nodded in unison. A plan was clearly forming in their mischievous little minds.
Alex immediately sensed something was off. He looked at his daughters — and of course, he caught that familiar gleam in their eyes. The one that always showed up right before they did something insane.
Meanwhile, the group continued to stand there, enjoying the magnificent view.
"Old man Hayato, allow me to explain," Kota began, adjusting his glasses so they gleamed ominously. "After all, I'm an expert on dungeons and towers!"
"Cut to the chase, windbag. We don't have all day for your dramatic speeches," Takashi grumbled, lazily kicking Kota in the leg.
"Alright, alright, don't get your panties in a twist! Long story short: the dungeon goes deep underground. And the Tower of Babel is basically the above-ground part. Inside, you've got shops, the gods' living quarters, training halls, even restaurants. And most importantly — the most beautiful goddess in all of Orario lives there, maybe even the whole world!" Kota announced proudly.
"Wow. And who would that be?" R asked, clearly intrigued.
"That would be my wife. Freya," Alex said calmly, giving R a pointed look. "So don't even think about it. Or I'll turn you inside out."
R's facial expression could only be described as a masterpiece — a perfect blend of envy, fear, and a fleeting hope that was instantly crushed by Alex's glare. The rest of the guys gave Alex a collective thumbs-up, silently acknowledging his win in the race for the most beautiful goddess.
No one except Alex's girls had actually seen Freya in person, but even based on Kota's description, it was clear — she was something else. After Alex's remark, the guys' enthusiasm dropped significantly — no one wanted to be on the receiving end of an inside-out threat.
"Alright, enough staring," Moira said, giving Alex a push forward. "The city awaits! The tower's nice and all, but I want to see how people live here."
Everyone agreed with that.
Even from here, the massive walls of Orario were already visible — along with something far less pleasant: a long line of people waiting to get in.
Everyone's faces fell as they realized they'd have to wait in line. Then, all at once, they turned to Alex with hopeful eyes.
"Alex, you wouldn't happen to have a way to... skip this, would you?" Takashi broke first. "I thought you were some kind of local celebrity or something. VIP access, no lines..."
Alex sighed.
"I wish. But no, guys. To get into the city, all of you need to get temporary ID papers. Then you'll have to register with the adventurers' guild to get a permanent one. Even Becca had to go through it. Though she nearly shot the gate guard for making a bad joke..." he added nonchalantly.
Many exchanged skeptical glances but chose not to argue.
A line was a line — no big deal. What mattered was that a new world, new opportunities, and an entirely different life awaited them. And the tower… it could wait.
Becca simply shrugged indifferently — after all, it wasn't her fault the guard had been too chatty. Everyone glanced at her, and no one was really surprised — no one doubted she was capable of something like that. Only Jinx raised her thumb proudly in her mother's direction, silently showing her approval.
Seeing the gesture, Becca beamed with joy, grabbed her daughter in a hug, and began rubbing her cheek against hers with delight. The heartwarming scene briefly distracted everyone from the harsh reality: even in a fantasy world, you couldn't escape bureaucracy. It became clear to everyone — they'd have to wait in line like ordinary mortals.
Some people glanced toward the city gates — and groaned in unison upon seeing the scale of the problem. The line stretched for a good hundred meters, and it was obvious they'd be stuck under the sun for at least an hour.
"Damn it, I was hoping for a carefree adventure in an anime world, and now there's this damn bureaucracy again! Why can't it be all sunshine and rainbows like the authors write?!" Itami moaned, dropping to his knees in despair.
"Get used to it," Alex replied calmly. "It's only this once. After you get your permanent ID, you'll be able to enter and exit the city without any issues. Oh, and before I forget…" He snapped his fingers, and thick booklets appeared in everyone's hands. "I recommend reading them before you go in. Seriously."
"What's in them?" asked Elder Chong, lazily fanning himself with the booklet to fend off the heat.
"I'm sure you've heard the saying: 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do.' These booklets contain everything you need to know about Orario so none of you end up in trouble. The system here is different — a person's strength is determined by their level, and appearances can be very deceiving. A fragile-looking girl could be far stronger than any of you. And now — especially for the men in our group," Alex paused meaningfully, "keep it in your pants. Some of the girls here can be lethally dangerous, and if you don't want to lose what's hanging between your legs, be careful who you flirt with."
"Just out of curiosity…" R raised his hand. "Which girls are the most dangerous? You know, so we know who to avoid."
The entire male half of the group nodded eagerly, including those who already had girlfriends. Unfortunately for them, their partners noticed — and immediate smackdowns followed. Even the married men weren't spared — their wives were ruthless.
As always, the worst blow landed on Kesney — Ju Ma had no intention of tolerating his wandering thoughts. Only three stayed out of the mess: Takashi — under Yuki's strict watch, Jonah — who wasn't interested at all, and Ghost — who simply didn't care.
"I'd definitely put Amazons at the top of the danger list," Kota chimed in while Alex remained silent. "They're absolute combat monsters."
"Amazons, huh?" Nathan echoed. "Like the ones from our myths? Where can we find them?"
"Most often — in the red-light district," Alex replied calmly.
That did it. The men stirred, buzzed with excitement, and a few even tried to push ahead while flipping through their booklets.
"So… brothels are normal here?" Lutz asked, astonished. "You can just go there?!"
"Guys," Alex sighed. "This world is stuck in the age of swords and sorcery. Brothels are as common here as shops. I've got nothing against you checking things out if you're just curious. Your choice. But I'll warn you: if anyone tries to cheat a girl in a brothel — they won't just get beaten. They'll be made to work off their debt."
"Also, the entire district is run by the goddess Ishtar," he added, watching the stunned faces. "So think carefully about what suits you better: a brothel or a normal relationship."
"Thanks for the warning, our great tour guide Alex," R smirked, cleared his throat, and immediately flipped to the last page of the booklet to find the city map.
The other guys nodded too, though none admitted aloud that they were actually interested in the red-light district. Curiosity got the better of them, and each mentally justified it to themselves: "I'm just going to take a look… maybe the architecture's interesting…"
The girls noticed how the men had clustered together, discussing the trip to the district with suspicious enthusiasm, and looked at them with clear disgust. Alex just shook his head — he was already thinking about which guy was going to be especially unlucky today. After all, he had forgotten to mention an important detail: if an Amazon took an interest in you, consider that you'd signed your own death warrant. Some of them were so straightforward they wouldn't bother with formalities — they'd just grab you, carry you off, and that would be it, goodbye freedom.
Saya, noticing the thoughtful expression on Alex's face, tugged on his sleeve.
"Alex, did you forget to tell them something?"
"If they'd opened the booklet, they'd already understand why it's better not to mess with Amazons," he answered calmly.
"And why?.. Wait, Yuki, I'm just asking out of curiosity! I'm curious too why Alex looks like the guys are in for something bad," Takashi blurted out just before Yuki lunged at him with her fists again.
"Hmm… alright, I admit, I'm curious too," Yuki gave up and stopped hitting her boyfriend.
"Heehee~! Time for me to shine again!" Kota declared importantly, adjusting his glasses. "The thing is, if an Amazon likes someone, she'll get him no matter what. Including by force. Her goal is to get pregnant by a 'worthy male.' Amazons are only interested in strong men. If you've defeated one or just seem cool enough — consider that she's already hunting you."
"Hm, that is actually mentioned in Alex's booklet," Rekka added, flipping through the pages and showing the relevant section.
The girls immediately opened their booklets as well and immersed themselves in reading. While everyone was absorbed in studying the "Survival Guide to Orario," the line slowly but surely moved forward. Alex's group still stood out from the others: some wore military uniforms, some martial arts attire, and some looked like they had just escaped from a cosplay festival.
And that was without counting Alex himself — a living legend of Orario, known for his deeds across the city.
Anya, Nyaruko, and Jinx were starting to get noticeably bored. For them — energetic and full of life — standing in line was almost torture. Eventually, the whole "gremlin gang" — including GIR, MIMI, Wolf, and Stitch — began running around nearby, just trying to pass the time.
The people around cast irritated glances at the children's running about, but as soon as they saw how Alex and his girls looked at them, all their anger instantly evaporated. Frowns changed to sweaty brows and guilty looks, and conversations immediately quieted.
Meanwhile, Alex silently praised himself for being so thoughtful — the booklet had been a real lifesaver. It spared him from having to repeat the same thing a hundred times.
When the line finally reached their group, Alex calmly walked through the gate with Becca, Anya, Nyaruko, Jinx, as well as GIR, MIMI, Stitch, and Wolf. The animals and kids didn't raise any questions. Becca, however, passed through with special effect: the guard at the gate was the same one she had almost shot last time. The sight of his trembling hands caused the entire group to burst out laughing.
While the others were getting their temporary IDs, Alex created a clone and sent it on an important mission — to buy the land around his mansion. He decided everyone needed a place to live and a future guild for world-saving.
The girls stared in surprise at the new "Alex," who looked like he absolutely didn't want to do anything.
"Where's… uh… the other you going? Or whatever it's called?" Jill asked, pointing at the departing clone.
"That's my clone. He went to buy land near my estate. The neighborhood's quiet, the land's still free, so it'd be a shame not to take advantage," Alex replied.
"Smart. Is land expensive in the city?" Coco asked.
"When I bought the plot where the ruined church used to be, it cost me about two hundred thousand valis. And the plots for Pilar, Maine, Dorio, and Falco — around a million in total," he answered.
"Is that a lot? Or normal for here?" Sherry asked with interest.
"Depends on the area. The closer to the Babylon Tower, the more expensive. I picked a spot on the outskirts, basically the slums. But it's quiet and the land is cheap," Alex explained, showing the map in the booklet.
"So you deliberately chose a remote place? Any particular reason?" Revi squinted.
"I don't like crowds nearby. The city center's always noisy. I prefer quiet," he shrugged.
"Hm... I like quiet too. Though those guys' looks are annoying. Maybe I should gouge their eyes out?" Alcina said darkly, shooting the disgruntled men an icy glare.
The men who dared look at Alcina's imposing figure shuddered at once. They literally felt her bloodthirsty pressure — one glance pierced like an icy dagger. Covered in cold sweat, they immediately looked away, pretending not to have looked her way at all.
Alex gently took Alcina's hand and shook his head as if to say, "Don't bother, it's normal for them… until they start harassing." Alcina got the hidden message — and it only fueled her mood further. The aura of bloodlust around her intensified, and that was enough for the men's group to scatter in different directions like cockroaches in the light.
"Yeah… better not piss off Madame Dracula," someone muttered, watching the men flee.
The group laughed.
After getting their temporary IDs, the next stop was obvious — the Adventurers' Guild.
"So, where to now, oh great guide?" Lehm asked with mild irony, looking around.
"Like I said, we're heading to the Guild. While you're registering, my clone will finish buying the land and start building houses. So once everything's ready, you can move in," Alex said with a smile, giving a thumbs up.
"Thoughtful as always. Lead us, guide," Rori added with a smirk.
Alex nodded and led his motley crew through the streets of Orario.
He walked confidently, ignoring curious glances from passersby, though it was impossible not to notice people whispering and looking back. His reputation was, as always, working at full strength.
During his last visit, several major events had happened in the city: Falco's bar opened, instantly becoming a favorite spot for adventurers, and Pilar's prosthetics shop started operating, helping those who had lost limbs in the dungeons return to active life.
The group following behind couldn't help but overhear the conversations. Bits of phrases included nicknames like "Demon King" and "Dragon Slayer" for Alex, and "Mad Demolitionist" for Becca, while GIR and MIMI were even called the beings who committed orc genocide.
"Wait… everyone knows who you is?" Hayato said in surprise, looking at Alex.
Noticing their confusion, Alex just shrugged.
"These are titles. The gods gave them to me. Local bureaucracy at work."
Hearing the word "titles," Aoi, Itami, and Kota immediately perked up — like true anime fans, they eagerly began explaining to the others that titles in this world are almost like achievements in a game and can tell a lot about a person.
When they reached the guild building, Alex let out a heavy sigh — as always, it was crowded. Someone was selling crystals, another negotiating quests, and someone else writing raid reports. The noise was typical for the place.
"Don't tell me we have to stand in line again…" Rika said reproachfully, shooting a meaningful look at Alex.
Everyone turned to him. Their eyes held a silent reproach, as if he were personally to blame for the long queues.
Alex opened his mouth… then immediately shut it. He simply had nothing to say. Queues were an evil of universal scale, and not even the Demon King could fix them.
"The Demon King is back!" suddenly shouted one of the adventurers, pointing at Alex.
For a moment — the entire guild hall froze. Silence fell like a heavy curtain. All the adventurers turned to him, as if on command.
The group froze, not understanding why dozens of eyes were staring at them.
Alex slowly turned to the shouter and looked at him with a dry, indifferent gaze. The man immediately went pale, pulled his head into his shoulders, and tried to disappear from sight.
However, the effect had already been achieved: the queue in front of the group parted on its own, as if by magic.
"I don't know what you've done here or why everyone's so afraid of you, but you know what? This is damn convenient. The queue is no longer our problem," Nobuna said, patting him on the shoulder and smiling.
The other girls nodded in agreement — it was obvious Alex was leaving a lot unsaid if people reacted to him with such a mix of fear and respect. Alex just shrugged: since they gave him the queue, it would be silly to refuse such a privilege.
He confidently headed to the registration desk, and his motley group followed him.
At the desk, Alex noticed a familiar face — Eina. He smiled, and she responded with a light, slightly tired but warm smile. However, her gaze immediately dropped to the huge number of people trailing behind him.
"Hi, Alex. Looks like you've returned from your travels… and it seems this time you've brought an entire army with you," Eina said, trying to smile more cheerfully.
"Well, something like that. Need to register everyone. I think you can handle it," Alex said cheerfully, leaning on the counter.
"That's going to be… oh, so much work," Eina groaned, putting a hand to her forehead as if already feeling a migraine coming.
"I believe in you, Eina," Alex encouraged her, giving a thumbs-up.
Eina cast him a tired and silent reproachful glance — once again, he had left her to do all the work alone. Fortunately, the other guild secretaries, seeing the scale of the "invasion," quickly came to her aid. No one complained — Alex's infectious and kind smile was impossible to resist. Even the other adventurers didn't protest, though their places in the queue had been pushed back. On the contrary, some even waved it off, as if to say, "Of course, it's the Demon King."
While the newcomers were registering, Alex and Becca kept an eye on the three gremlins — Anya, Nyaruko, and Jinx. The girls literally glowed with excitement. If it were up to them, they would have already dashed squealing toward the dungeon. Alex even had to temporarily "calm down" GIR, MIMI, and Stitch by putting leashes on them — those three were also eager to start another orc genocide, especially since the team now had a new member who was about to get a "baptism by fire."
While Alex and Becca restrained this storm of energy, the guild door suddenly swung open with a loud bang, and in literally rolled the one whose arrival guaranteed Alex a migraine.
"Well, why is everyone frozen? Look who's back — the Dragon Slayer himself, returned from yet another adventure! Hey, Alex, did you bring anything tasty? Better yet, alcohol!" came the well-known voice of Hermes, striding boldly into the building without shame.
Alex sighed and slowly turned.
"Just what I needed — you," he said tiredly, casting a heavy look at Hermes.
"Oh, don't be such a sourpuss. We're best friends forever, aren't we?" Hermes replied with a cheeky grin, approaching him.
Alex silently shifted his gaze to Asfi standing behind Hermes. She looked like she was mentally apologizing for the whole world, especially for the fact that Hermes was her god. She didn't even try to stop him. Probably out of habit.
"And who do we have here? Three cute little girls? Don't tell me these are your daughters now. Oh-oh-oh, someone's gonna be very unhappy about this…" Hermes muttered with a sly smirk, staring at Anya, Jinx, and Nyaruko.
Alex silently put Nyaruko down and removed the leashes from GIR, MIMI, and Stitch.
"Hey, hey, Alex! I was just joking! Please, no hands! I had enough last time — I couldn't get out of bed for a week! Asfi, help meeee!" Hermes shouted, backing away from Alex who was slowly advancing toward him.
With every step, Hermes retreated, glancing at Asfi in panic, hoping for her help.
"Asfi, come on! Save me! You're my right hand!" he begged.
Asfi, without blinking, simply looked away as if she hadn't heard a word. Her face showed philosophical acceptance of the situation. Seeing this, Hermes turned even paler.
The newcomers in Alex's group exchanged confused glances. Who was this strange guy anyway? Why did he call himself Alex's best friend and now look like he was going to be executed? Only those who knew anime immediately understood — this was the god Hermes, famous for his loose tongue and even looser habits.
Thanks to her spiritual connection with Alex, Brunhilda also instantly recognized the god and just sighed, fully understanding how this would end.
Alex didn't bother with formalities. Waiting until Hermes desperately tried to run away, he swiftly grabbed him, twisted him into a lock, and sent him into a pain submission hold. A loud, plaintive cry of pain echoed through the guild hall. No one even moved to help — everyone just shook their heads sympathetically. Even the other gods knew that if Alex caught you, no one would save you. After all, he once threatened Apollo himself.
"Hey, who's Alex twisting into a pretzel there?" asked Valmet, watching the scene with a bored expression.
"That's the god Hermes," Brunhilda calmly answered. "He and Alex have… well, a rather peculiar 'friendship.'"
"Seriously? That screeching guy is a god? And where's, excuse me, the divinity? The aura? The charisma?" Claire exclaimed, looking at Hermes as if she had just seen a chicken fall from the sky.
"Well, that's Hermes for you," Becca shrugged. "Likes spying on girls in bathhouses, cracks inappropriate jokes, always stirring up trouble. But he always gets what's coming to him. Especially from my 'cake.'"
"Hohoho. I think we'll get along," Kensei said enthusiastically, rubbing his hands like he'd found a spiritual brother.
"No, you won't," Ju Ma said coldly, looking at her husband as if he was a future victim. "Maybe I can't twist a god… but you, my love, I'll definitely flatten like a pancake."
Kensei immediately started nodding energetically, showing submission and a readiness to stay out of trouble. His face was full of remorse and fear.
But no one yet knew that the meeting between Hermes and Kensei would mark the beginning of the greatest disaster duo that every bathhouse in Orario would curse. Two miserable perverts, two "brothers in misfortune," would repeatedly be caught, punished, and sent on raids… of apologies.
Soon, from the depths of anger and humiliation, the affected girls would create the Punitive Order Against Perverts, whose main goal would be nothing less than hunting Hermes and Kensei all across Orario.
The others, watching this scene, had a perfectly logical question:
"Is it even normal for a god to behave like a perverted schoolboy?"
There was no answer. And honestly, no one expected one.
To be continued...
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