The high tower Ritsuka noticed was called the Tower of Babel.
The Tower of Babel sits above the Dungeon, like a giant 'lid'. The first floor is the entrance and exit to the Dungeon, and the second and third floors are public areas set up by the Guild for Adventurers.
From the fourth to the twentieth floor, it's all shops serving Adventurers, with equipment, items, materials, and everything else imaginable.
As for the floors above the twentieth, those are reserved for the high-ranking Familia gods in Orario.
The owner of the top floor of the Tower of Babel is Freya, the true 'Goddess of Beauty'. Even in Heaven, she captured the hearts and bodies of countless male gods with her beauty and ability.
She was the undisputed number one goddess in Heaven.
This goddess is very mysterious; besides gods and her Familia members, few people have the fortune to glimpse her beauty.
Yet at this moment, on the highest floor of the Tower of Babel under the starry night, Freya, holding a stemmed glass, suddenly trembled and crouched on the ground.
"So beautiful..."
Her slender, pale fingers traced her cheek, revealing a stunningly beautiful face on her smooth, snow-white skin.
Freya, the Goddess of Beauty, was at this moment displaying her charm in an extremely undignified posture, her infatuated expression making one blush with embarrassment.
Muttering softly, Freya's beautiful eyes were glazed over as she stared directly at Emiya Ritsuka, who had quickly fled from the square beneath the Tower of Babel after sensing her gaze. She looked as if she was about to reach 'climax'.
A perverted goddess.
As for why she was so uncomposed, it was because she possessed a very incredible pair of eyes.
These eyes could see through the essence and radiance of souls; outstanding individuals could not hide from her gaze.
Because it was an innate talent, even after the gods descended to the lower world and had their divine power sealed, she could still use this talent. The strength of her Familia was inseparable from her eyes.
If her eyes did not favor someone, she naturally would not accept them into her Familia.
And those whose souls radiated brilliance often achieved great things, so naturally, the strength of Freya Familia grew steadily.
As a goddess, she was extremely obsessed with shining souls, so the moment Ritsuka appeared in her line of sight, she could no longer tear her eyes away.
That exceptionally bright soul was even somewhat dazzling.
And what was most perplexing was that a layer of lonely gray covered that soul...
Making Freya completely unable to stop herself.
"A great hero whose heart is clouded, who has lost their way, who once looked down on the world?"
Freya, sitting in a seiza-like position, absentmindedly reached out in the direction where the radiance disappeared, her beautiful eyes a little moist, her cheeks flushed.
At this moment, more than a soul that might become a hero in the future, she developed immense interest in this figure who might already be an unparalleled hero, yet was self-secluded.
Perhaps nothing is more satisfying than reawakening the dormant passion in a hero's heart...
(Actually, what she saw was just the disguise of Heracles's twelve great feats covering the surface.)
"I must have her... she is mine..."
"My Lady?"
Through the open door, the man who had just arrived at the top floor of the Tower of Babel changed his expression and quickly entered the room.
This man was a legend of Orario, the only Level 7 Adventurer, the undisputed strongest, the Orc Tribe 'the king' Ottar!
The next moment, Freya waved her hand and turned to look at Ottar, her trusted subordinate.
"Ottar, inform all Familia members to search for a girl with orange-red hair... She belongs only to me!"
———
———
"Orario, what a truly interesting place."
In the early morning, Ritsuka, who had stayed overnight at the library, stretched by the roadside, muttering to herself as she recalled the information she had gathered last night.
Ritsuka, who had fully understood the basic information in just over ten minutes, had a good night's rest on the second floor of the library. It wasn't that she didn't want to seize the time to learn specific details, but she couldn't understand any of the books in the library.
She didn't recognize the script of this world.
Although everyone seemed to be speaking Japanese, the characters in the books gave her a feeling of returning to the age of myths.
Looking at the streets full of demi-humans in the morning, the sense of déjà vu from the age of myths grew even stronger.
This world was a real-life version of monster hunting and leveling up: receive a god's 'favor', join their Familia, and you can adventure in the Dungeon to become stronger. It sounded perfect as a setup for a classic hot-blooded work.
"Ah, the Pocky is all gone."
The crystal dice opened, and in the snack compartment, there were only a few bags of chips and similar items left; only an empty box remained from the biscuit stick series.
Reluctantly putting the box back, Ritsuka calmly looked at the blue and white sky.
"Miyu..."
Reaching out as if to grasp the sky, Ritsuka pursed her lips.
Even though she had survived beyond imagination and arrived in a very interesting world, she felt a sense of boredom, an emptiness in her heart.
No matter how interesting this world was, it wasn't as reassuring as the Emiya Residence, which wasn't big but occasionally lively.
"Emiya girl, I've prepared some vegetable pancakes. Would you like some?"
Behind her, the kind old man from the library called out.
After last night's suggestion magecraft, Ritsuka also learned a bit about this old man. He was an old man who hadn't joined a Familia and had no family.
But he had a very cheerful personality, and after she lifted the suggestion magecraft, he was still very kind to her.
"Hehe, then I shall humbly accept. But I can eat a lot, you know."
Laughing, Ritsuka walked into the library and sat with the old man at a small square table. On the table were a few vegetable pancakes and two bowls of rice porridge. The meal was not lavish, even a bit simple, but it had a touch of warmth.
Ritsuka put her hands together, silently murmured 'Itadakimasu' in her heart, and began her morning energy replenishment.
Once upon a time, when they didn't have much money, she and Miyu also ate this kind of breakfast...
After breakfast, Ritsuka left the library. After discussing with the old man to stay for a few more days, she went out for a stroll.
She temporarily had no thoughts of becoming an Adventurer. She even wanted to understand the situation of this world, then open a restaurant, and by the way, research the highly destructive mapo water.
Before leaving that world, she had secretly filled a bottle at a mapo ramen shop and put it in her crystal dice.
A moment later, Ritsuka, with no money in her pocket, was happily eating a bag of fried potato balls, once again stepping onto the large square outside the Tower of Babel.
A scorching gaze fell upon her, as if to roast her alive.
"Who is it? So annoying."
Ritsuka bit into a fried potato ball, her eyes half-lidded like a dead fish.
The gaze from the Tower of Babel was incredibly intense, without the slightest restraint. Just as Ritsuka was about to make a quick escape, a muscular figure blocked her path.
The newcomer wore a long robe, with a hood covering most of his face, but Ritsuka could feel that this person was staring at her.
After a brief thought, Ritsuka narrowed her eyes, "Did the one from the Tower of Babel send you?"
"Yes, my Familia Goddess wishes to see you."
Ottar, the Orc Tribe, met Ritsuka's gaze with intense aura, his brows tightly furrowed.
With his strength, unless the opponent was a Level 6 Adventurer, it would be impossible for them to calmly eat fried potato balls as if nothing was happening. But there weren't many Level 6s in all of Orario, and he, Ottar, wasn't old enough to forget things.
This girl is strange!
"A meeting is out of the question. Please move aside, I'm not interested in your goddess."
A conflict was almost on the verge of erupting, yet no one around could sense it.
Ritsuka nonchalantly ate her fried potato balls. Suddenly, the crystal dice reacted, appearing and slowly displaying an image.