Hermes' question caused the atmosphere around them to instantly turn strange.
It had to be said—Hermes showed no hostility at all. He looked just like a friendly older brother from the neighborhood, the kind of person who would make anyone lower their guard without realizing it.
Roy answered decisively,
"No."
Hermes froze for a moment. This was the first time he had ever encountered someone who so bluntly rejected a god's request.
Ryuu and Asfi were also taken aback.
A glimmer of something unusual flashed through Hermes' eyes as he looked at Roy. He suddenly realized that this was, in fact, the best possible response. One could not lie in front of a god.
Rather than speaking recklessly and giving him something to exploit,
it was better to refuse outright.
This was a very clever boy, with excellent adaptability. Hermes reached that conclusion.
"Good grief… I even wanted to give you some advice—"
Hermes lowered the brim of his hat slightly.
Beside him, Asfi was inwardly surprised. Lowering his hat was one of Lord Hermes' habits—it meant he had encountered a troublesome person or situation.
And yet, this young man had managed to make the ever-cunning Lord Hermes feel pressed.
It was as though invisible blades were clashing between the two of them, sparks of brilliance scattering in the air.
Hermes smiled.
"You came here to ask Asfi to help repair a magic item. What if my condition were that I want to know what you're planning to do next?"
Roy said nothing, merely turning his gaze toward the distant street.
The meaning was obvious.
Then I'll leave.
Completely unyielding.
Hermes put on a look of helpless resignation.
"Fine. Asfi, help little brother Roy repair his magic item."
The four of them entered the mansion.
Members of the Hermes Familia could be seen coming and going, busily transporting goods.
Although the Hermes Familia was registered with the Guild as an exploration-type Familia, they were also involved in commerce, delivery services, intelligence gathering, and many other fields. On top of that, they possessed privileges no other Familia had—freedom to travel in and out of Orario.
Roy handed over the Gale Wind Boots to Asfi.
The durability of the magic item had actually dropped below ten percent long ago. Even during the battle against Goliath, Roy had refrained from using its special effect. Otherwise, his combat power could have risen even further.
Magic items far surpassed ordinary equipment, both in rarity and in utility.
Roy truly couldn't bear to discard the Gale Wind Boots. Maintaining magic items required the Development Abilities Mystery or Magecraft, which was precisely why he had come to seek Asfi's help.
Asfi accepted the boots and examined them closely. Her expression changed slightly.
"Mr. Roy… where did you obtain this magic item?"
Roy did not answer.
"I'm sorry. That was rude of me."
Asfi immediately realized she had overstepped. Since this was someone else's request, she only needed to do her job properly. Knowing too much was not necessarily a good thing.
As a master magic item creator, she had simply felt a craftsman's excitement upon seeing the Gale Wind Boots.
Her own Talaria Flying Shoes granted the ability to hover, whereas these boots specialized in acceleration.
The person who created them possessed Development Abilities no weaker than hers. If she could find that person and exchange ideas, both of them could surely improve.
Asfi felt a tinge of regret, but she quickly entered work mode. She openly began repairing the Gale Wind Boots right there in the hall, not the least bit worried about others learning from her.
The threshold for crafting magic items was simply too high. In all of Orario, there were fewer than five people capable of it.
As Asfi peeled away layer after layer of the boots' outer structure, their true form was revealed.
Beneath the leather were countless tiny magic stones, each no thicker than a strand of hair, varied in shape. The entire boot resembled an incredibly precise machine in operation.
Asfi fully immersed herself in her work, holding two extremely fine needles as she carefully removed the depleted fragments of magic stones and replaced them with new ones.
One wrong step, and the Gale Wind Boots could be rendered useless. She had to devote her full concentration.
Roy had originally thought about secretly picking up a few tricks so he could maintain his magic items himself in the future. But after witnessing this, he immediately gave up.
It reminded him of advanced mathematics from his university days. There was a saying:
Life might deceive you.
Your lover might betray you.
But mathematics never will.
Watching the focused and diligent Asfi, Roy felt an itch in his heart. He really wanted to abduct such a useful "tool person"—but Hermes would never allow it.
After introducing Roy to Hermes and Asfi, Ryuu had already left. She had gone to Babel to pick up Lady Astraea and prepare dinner for that evening.
Roy and Hermes watched Asfi work, chatting intermittently.
About two hours passed.
"It's finished."
Asfi placed the repaired Gale Wind Boots on the table. A trace of fatigue showed on her refined face.
[Gale Wind Boots: Durability 96%!]
Seeing the status panel pop up, Roy couldn't help but marvel.
The craftsmanship of The Universal One truly lived up to its reputation.
"How much is the maintenance fee?"
"Five hundred thousand valis."
"All right."
Roy didn't haggle. Considering Ryuu's connection, this was already a friendship price. After all, this was a one-of-a-kind skill in all of Orario.
"Goodbye, Lord Hermes. And you as well, Universal One."
Roy placed five hundred thousand valis on the table, expressed his thanks once more, and left with the Gale Wind Boots.
Watching Roy's departing figure, Asfi asked,
"Lord Hermes, you seem quite interested in him."
Hermes wore his usual smile.
"Asfi, if you owed someone sixty million valis, what would be the fastest way to repay that debt?"
Without hesitation, Asfi replied,
"Sell magic items!"
Hermes nearly choked on his own saliva. He had almost forgotten—his Asfi was a once-in-a-generation genius. A single magic item could easily sell for tens of millions of valis.
"Asfi, why do you think little brother Roy chose this moment to make his information public?"
Though not as sharp-minded as Hermes, Asfi was still intelligent. With his hint, she quickly realized the implication.
"Could it be—!"
To repay his debt, the fastest way to make money—robbery.
Which meant his target would be other Familias.
A smile of a god who lived for entertainment spread across Hermes' refined face. He seemed to have guessed which unfortunate soul Roy had set his sights on.
But he would do nothing.
After leaving the Hermes Familia estate, Roy returned to the vicinity of the Garden of the Stars, where he happened to see a short-haired, auburn-haired girl.
It was Daphne.
She looked around cautiously. After confirming no one was watching, she spoke anxiously,
"Mr. Roy, you need to run! God Apollo has already set his sights on you!"
Roy had once helped her block pursuit from the Apollo Familia. Now that she knew Apollo was targeting Roy, Daphne couldn't bear to see her benefactor suffer the same fate.
But in the next moment, she saw that there was no fear on Roy's face.
Instead, a trace of excitement surfaced.
"You came at just the right time. I need you to cooperate with me."
Roy looked at Daphne.
Even if she hadn't come on her own, he would have sought her out anyway.