Danmachi Familia from Hell

*

- It will soon be three hours - said Belakher, looking at the shadow cast by the stick lying on his hand.

Although wristwatches or even handheld watches on a chain had not yet been invented, and only the wealthy could afford large clocks comparable in size to a column that could support the ceiling, the less wealthy also knew ways to measure time. The most popular were hourglasses, which could be bought at the market in most towns in every country. Depending on their size, they allowed to determine the passage of a minute, a quarter of an hour, full hour or even a day in the case of really large ones.
Landgrave knew a much more convenient solution, which did not require an unnecessary item in luggage, which was easy to break, and harder to clean up if sand and glass spilled inside the travel bag.
The elf only needed a small stick placed on an outstretched arm and the sun. The piece of wood cast a shadow, and its position revealed the time of day to the purple-eyed man.
It was a simplified version of the sundial used by the inhabitants of the Rasa Sill forest. In almost every village in the middle of the main square stood a stone table with a rock spire in the center and symbols from one to twelve placed around the corners.

- Be patient, it will take some time before the messenger reaches the palace, is let through by the guards, reports everything to Ares and returns here - replied Hades.

- If you, my lord, would reveal your true nature to them, we could avoid the wait.

- And in the process, we drew every pair of eyes in the city to ourselves.

The god of the Underworld was a staunch opponent of attracting attention. "It is definitely easier to make a move when no one cares about your existence, than when others watch your every step," he repeated to his follower. This applied to both their experiments, which were often not very ethically correct, and moving through unknown territory such as Rakia. At the gates of the capital itself, they could already confess the purpose of their visit to the country of war, but still not their identity. Many potential clients could reject the idea of ​​hiring Belakher's services upon learning that he had supported Ares in the past, who was conducting such an aggressive policy towards neighboring nations.

- So we are still waiting? - Belakher asked himself more than Hades.

- We're waiting - his god replied.

While the scribe and the guards returned to their own, letting new travelers into the city one by one, Hades and Belakher took care of themselves. The first one returned to analyzing Valua and the behavior of its inhabitants. Usually, the walls of large cities were occupied by the homeless, who could not afford to enter the city, and because of the heavy traffic near the gates, they could count on more alms than in other parts of the outskirts. Here, the golden-eyed man did not notice a single beggar. He did not know whether this was good, because Valua was prospering and everyone could find work, or whether it was the opposite, and the poor were brutally dispersed by the guards, who did not want to look at the impoverished plebs.
In the meantime, Belakher returned to the thin volume on the dependence of the biodegradation of bodies on the race, age, and cause of death of the deceased. Tiny book was only two and a half thousand pages long. Something light to read before bed, just right for the journey.
After only fifteen minutes from the private's sending to the palace, a slightly more senior soldier brought a small treat for the god and his follower, hoping that Ares' important guests would repay him with something round and shiny. He had miscalculated greatly.
They received a slice of yesterday's bread, a few pieces of ham, and a cup of bitter tea. Nevertheless, they accepted the food with gratitude and nodded, and the soldier, after walking a bit further, cursed the scumbags who hadn't given him even a copper.
After eating and drinking everything they had received, they returned to their previous activities, occasionally chatting to each other for no reason. They did not disturb the Rakians in their work, and the others did not bother or fawn on the newcomers.
About half an hour after Belakher had pointed out the endless waiting time, the young soldier finally returned with an answer from the god of war.
Red as a tomato from exhaustion from running back and forth across half the city in full gear, dripping with sweat and panting as if he was about to suffocate, he finally pointed at Hades and Landgrave.