No one's POV

Finn: We still haven't managed to find the key...

Someone let out in hushed tones, but it echoed through the office awfully loudly. The hands of the grandfather clock marked the evening hour in the corner of a room in the home of Loki Familia, Twilight Manor. As if to announce oncoming nightfall, the sky started to turn a faint crimson beyond the window. The others in the room—Riveria, Gareth, and Loki—met Finn's comment with silence. The "key" in question was a certain magic item: Daedalus's Orb, a jewel with the ability to open the doors of the man-made labyrinth, Knossos. Loki Familia was tracking the whereabouts of that orb using any means necessary.

Gareth: Tiona and the others have been looking, but nothing's come of it yet.

Riveria: We've found entrances to Knossos outside the city and inside the Dungeon. We're closing in, but...the enemy's holed up, as we expected. After Bete killed Valletta, they won't come out until the time is ripe.

The remnants of the underground force of Evilus and the creatures under the control of the corrupted spirits were hiding in Knossos—waiting for a chance to fulfill their ultimate objective of destroying Orario. And their goal wasn't nonsense or a deluded hope, especially now that they were using demi-spirits. Orario was in danger, clear and present. To stop the enemy and attack the impregnable labyrinth, Loki Familia needed the key to the orichalcum doors.

Loki: I thought I was on the right track, but...that sex addict of a goddess plays dumb whenever I try to talk to her. She won't hand over any damn information.

Added Loki in a voice steeped in disgust from her perch on the edge of a desk. This was fresh on her mind, since Freya Familia had just wiped out Ishtar Familia, which had been connected to the Evilus' Remnants. And with the intel Bete had gotten from the former Ishtar Familia member Lena Tully, they knew Ishtar had been in the possession of a key, not one but two, but she'd already been sent back from whence she came. Loki sensed Freya was the one holding the "key"—literally and figuratively.

Loki: She just won't hand over any damn information. And not only that, we now that Ishtar had two keys on her possession. Tammuz was in possession of one. The remaining one was said to have dropped within the Pleasure Quartet. But we've found nothing. And that's why...

Riveria: We've asked Sora Yatagami about it.

Knowing that the swordsman was also looking for the key himself. Loki and Riveria had asked Sora for information when he was helping them fend off Orario against Rakia. But the boy only replied:

Sora: I don't have it.

It's impossible to lie to a god and Sora Yatagami was definitely not lying one bit. Sora had answered with resolute eyes and determination that he hadn't found a single key yet. That was probably because, Sora 'currently' doesn't have it with him.

Finn:...There's no time.

The conversation came to a halt, followed by a brief period of silence. Finn spoke up solemnly.

Finn: Internal conflict...Well, that might not be the right way to put it. But if Loki's right that Freya Familia has the key, we have no choice but to weigh all our options.

Riveria's and Gareth's faces became grim. Their captain wasn't ruling out the possibility of a struggle—aka a somewhat forceful transaction backed by more aggressive methods— if negotiations fell through.

It went without saying that the Labyrinth City itself would incur serious damage if the two familias at the top of Orario took an actively hostile stance with each other. And it was hard enough for the members of both groups to interact when they operated under the whims and desires of the two patron goddesses. This whole situation highlighted the pitfalls of the entire system of deity-led familias to begin with.

Finn planted both hands on the desk, narrowing his blue eyes, which seemed very much like the surface of a lake. He opened his mouth, ready to give out instructions.

Raul: Captain! I'm coming in!

Raul barged into the room without knocking. He was terribly out of breath, wincing when he noticed he'd stumbled into an obviously tense conversation. The gazes of everyone in the room shifted to him, and he gulped uncomfortably when he realized he'd done it again.

Finn: Did something happen, Raul?

Raul: Um, uh...I was ordered to keep you updated as we get new info...! Though it's got nothing to do with Knossos...

Finn: It's fine—just tell me.

Finn urged with his eyes. Raul flinched before glancing out the window at the cityscape.

Raul: We just got word that there was a disturbance on the west side of town—

(Elsewhere)

Aiz: A humanoid monster...?

Aiz parroted back.

Asuna: Yeah, yeah. It showed up yesterday in the western quarter.

Asuna replied as she walked next to Aiz. Beside Asuna, Tiona had her arms around her back seemingly surprise and Tione frowned in annoyance. The morning sun poured in through a row of windows. After finishing her daily spar with Asuna, those two happened to run into the Amazonian sisters in a narrow hall of the manor. Asuna explained the information she obtained and the uproar that had taken Loki Familia by storm the day before.

Aiz: And it's not an oversized monster...?

Tione: Apparently not. According to the lower-tier adventurers, it was like a harpy or a siren. I bet it's not related to the incident that happened during the Monsterphilia.

Tione shook her head. Aiz was basically asking if it was a man-eating flower, and Tione confirmed that this event was most likely unrelated to the monsters running free in the underground waterways in Knossos—the same monsters they had dealt with during the Monsterphilia incident. Aiz cocked her head.

It was possible the witnesses had misidentified a beast-headed monster with a humanlike body—like a kobold, for example—for a humanoid. Humanoid monsters appeared only as high as the nineteenth floor, and it was difficult to imagine they could make their way up that many floors without being noticed by adventurers.

And first and foremost, it was a huge deal for monsters to appear aboveground in Orario, which was protected by Babel and its giant city walls. Aside from the Monsterphilia, bringing beasts out of the labyrinth was strictly prohibited. It was common sense that anyone caught breaking that rule would be harshly punished by the Guild.

Tiona: It caused a big fuss yesterday. A bunch of Guild workers are investigating things right now, apparently.

According to the reports, the alleged humanoid monster appeared in the middle of a street where regular folk were going about their day. If that was the case, it would certainly be major news. There was no doubt such an incident would cause the peaceful street corner to fall into chaos.

Aiz:...Does Finn know about it?

Tione: Yep. The captain said he'd like people with free time to try to gather some information without drawing too much attention. I think he's got something in mind.

Finn must have had some thoughts about the incident if the lower-tier adventurers in the familia were already gossiping about it this much.

Asuna(mind): The appearance of humanoid monsters...If they're guessing it's a harpy or a siren, then it's gotta be a winged species...

And the monster might have concealed itself somewhere in the city, leaving the civilians in a state of perpetual fear. It was unbearable to imagine. Asuna lifted her head and gazed at the ceiling, telling herself to drop the mental image and approach the situation as an adventurer residing in the city.

Aiz: And if someone runs across it?

Tiona: Well, Finn's instructions were 'it's better to capture it alive'.

Tiona started, weaving her fingers at the back of her head. Tione finished.

Tione: And 'dispose of it if it looks like it might hurt someone.'

Aiz let her golden hair be tousled by a breeze as she touched her trusted sword Desperate hanging at her waist.

Aiz: Got it.

She nodded after clearing her mind of all thoughts. Asuna on the other hand was still bury deep within her thoughts.

Asuna(mind): Sora. This has your scent all over it.

(Elsewhere)

Lena: A date with Bete Loga! A date with Bete Loooooga! Hey! Hey! Wanna hold my hand?

Chirped a girl with brown skin, grinning from ear to ear as she walked beside him. Instead of taking her hand, Bete elbowed Lena Tully in the temple without saying a word. By this point, he'd gotten used to making these sudden jabs.

Lena: Huh?! Why do I see stars?! Why am I seeing a starry night instead of Bete Loga?!

Bete: Humor me and tell me what the hell you're doing here.

Lena: I've been staking out Loki Familia's manor, duh! Ack! More stars!

Bete: Piss off.

The Amazonian girl yelped in pain, clutching the side of her throbbing head and writhing on the ground—paying no mind to the fact that her underwear was on full display. Some passing demi-humans shot her annoyed looks. Bete kept walking briskly without even a sidelong glance at the broken girl letting out incomprehensible screeches.

Aki: She's really taken to you...

Bete: Knock it off. Keep that shit to yourself.

Bete snapped at Anakity, the catgirl looking at him in exasperation. Even though they were both animal people, this pairing was extremely unusual, even by Loki Familia standards.

Lena: Whaaat?! Split up, you two! Spliiiiiiiiit!

Lena jumped to her feet and pounced between the two of them, yanking them apart with her hands.

Lena: Gimme a breeeeeeak! Ugh! Loki Familia has way too many cuties and hotties! Bete is gonna get seduced! I'm so worried!

Bete: You out of your mind?

Aki: Don't worry. I'd rather anyone but him.

The two of them tromped forward, completely disregarding Lena and leaving her by herself in their tracks. With a big gasp, she scurried after them.

Bete: Is this where the monster showed up?

Aki: Yeah, seems like it.

They'd been heading to the northwest section of the city and now stood in one narrow alley among many. It wasn't a main road by any means. Following Gareth's instructions, Bete and Anakity, chosen for the simple reason that they could follow its scent with their noses, were tracking the humanoid monster. The most recent sighting of the monster was the previous evening. The Guild had concluded their investigation, but that didn't mean there weren't any more hints or clues.

Bete: Who cares about that monster? It's not like it's got anything to do with the key.

Aki: You don't know that. We have to gather as much info as possible. Am I wrong?

Anakity chided Bete lightly.

Bete: Ha! What you're really saying is that we can't do nothin' else.

Lena(mind):...Hmm? What's this? Their banter makes it seem like they're partners in crime who don't get along but have clearly spent years together...! Okay, in all seriousness, is the catgirl my rival...?! What is thiiiis?!

Bete was in an obviously sour mood because it seemed like they had run out of options, and he kept taking it out on others by snapping at them. Anakity was busy trying to placate him. But Lena misinterpreted their entire exchange, and this filled her with unease about their relationship. Her solution was to cling to him more aggressively. Brushing away Lena's advances with one hand, Bete halted in front of a side alley.

Aki: It disappeared here. It says that while the locals were throwing stones at it, a black blur could be seen taking the monster away.

Bete: A black blur?

Aki: At first, the monster was wearing a black robe to conceal its body, but then people say it spread its wings while attacking a kid.

Bete: Somethin' doesn't add up...

Bete furrowed his brow as Anakity gave him a quick rundown. The two of them started sniffing and immediately picked up on a suspicious scent—the presence of something inhuman. It'd gone undetected by the humans in the Guild and other adventurers, but it couldn't slip past the noses of animal people, whose senses had been sharpened by leveling up repeatedly. They switched locations, leaving the road to follow the scent down a dimly lit backstreet.

Bete: Tch. They used a damn item to cover their tracks. And whoever it was, is good at keeping its tracks clean.

Aki: Seems like it...

Lena: Huh? What? There's no way a monster can use items...With this and our last convo, doesn't that mean someone is sheltering it?

Bete: How the hell am I supposed to know?

Bete answered Lena, whose head popped out from behind him in surprise. He was moving on instinct, heading for the seventh district in the city after putting together Anakity's explanation and a hunch he had.

Bete:...Huh? What's with this decrepit old church?

They passed by the remnants of a building-turned-mountain-of-rubble that looked as though it'd been blasted apart by magic. They could just barely make out a deserted chapel from the crumbling ruins of what used to be a proper stone building.

Lena:...Oh yeah, I think I heard a rumor about some familia using a chapel as their home.

Bete: Which one?

Lena: Hmmmm...Oh, it's no use! I can't remember their name, even though my brain's chock-full of gray matter...!

Bete: Go to hell.

Bete spat, scanning the debris as Lena crossed her arms and groaned as she racked her brain. A broken statue of a goddess rolled up to his feet.

(Elsewhere)

Lefiya: Ikelos Familia?

Lefiya responded quizzically. It'd been three days since the initial reports of a humanoid monster appearing aboveground. Lefiya was in a back alley in the city's northern district, diagonally across from a chienthrope girl with light-brown skin.

Lulune: Yeah. We only found out recently how shady that familia seems.

Lulune Louie clarified, the thief of Hermes Familia, leaning against the wall as she nodded. Lulune had apparently come by the home of Loki Familia in the morning, leaving the guard at the gate with a letter stating that she wanted to share some information at a certain meeting place. In addition, she had chosen Lefiya specifically because the elf could move more stealthily than most first-tier adventurers, especially reckless ones like Bete.

At the end of the dimly lit alley, they could see storefronts and feet shuffle forward on the bright road. The reason Lulune had chosen the back alley for their secret meeting as opposed to a tavern or someplace else was because she was unbelievably busy.

Lefiya had struggled to find the right alley for their little rendezvous, but even with that delay, the thief hadn't betrayed expectations when she showed up later than her, exhaustion plain on her face as she'd apologized repeatedly.

Lulune: They're the ones handling the smuggling in Melen, which is what the Evilus' Remnants were using to raise money.

Lefiya: Erg!

Lulune: And their main business was smuggling monsters...exporting them at top dollar to royals and aristocrats with odd tastes. We have proof of it.

Lulune revealed. Lefiya let out an audible gasp before opening the parchment scroll handed to her and scanning the contents. Ikelos Familia, a Dungeon-crawling familia established in Orario over twenty years ago. But around the same time they reached the deep levels, all records of them clearing floors disappeared—along with the familia itself. Their name stopped appearing in the circles of the usual adventurers, to the point where Lefiya hadn't recognized it at all. With a rank of B, they were undoubtedly one of the more powerful familias.

Lefiya:...Ngh! They're a B Ranked Familia. Even though they're a powerful Familia I haven't heard of them before! 'In the past, Ikelos Familia has been suspected by the Guild of being a member of the Evilus!'

Lefiya recited off the parchment with wide eyes. Loki Familia, Dionysus Familia, and Hermes Familia had formed a united front to chase down the underground forces of the monstrous creatures and the remnants of the Evilus. It was almost certain that Ikelos Familia was to be considered a part of the enemy forces.

Lefiya looked up after staring fixedly at the name of the familia on the investigation report. They were the ones who'd captured monsters in the Dungeon, smuggled them outside the city, and sold them. She couldn't shake her shock and disgust at those charges, but she was more preoccupied by the circumstances that had brought it all to light.

Lefiya: This could be a stretch, but I wonder if the humanoid monster appearing in town is related to Ikelos Familia...

Like, maybe one of the monsters escaped when they were trying to smuggle it and made it to the outside world, thought Lefiya, connecting current events with the findings in the report.

Lulune: Nah, that's got nothing to do with them.

Lefiya: Come again?

Lulune: Well, it's not totally unrelated, but they weren't the ones to blame. We don't need to worry about that angle, at the very least.

Lefiya: B-but...another one of them might show up...

Lulune: That won't happen, either.

Lulune flatly rejected the possibility, leaving Lefiya visibly confused. She was caught up on one thing: Lulune was making it sound as if she had a firm grasp on the truth behind the incident with the humanoid monster— which meant, by extension, that Hermes Familia knew as well.

Lulune: Anyway, we're pouring all our resources into tracking Ikelos Familia. If you happen to run across anyone in it...or Ikelos himself, we'd appreciate you letting us know.

Lulune added with a look of pure exhaustion. One look at her face made it clear she was too tired to notice Lefiya's surprise. The elf nodded noncommittally. The chienthrope thief started to grumble.

Lulune: Honestly, Hermes should have told Loki to her face about something this important, but...at the moment, he's spread a bit thin.

Lefiya: Really? Lord Hermes? That's hard to imagine...

Lulune: On the surface, he's got his characteristic fake smile plastered on his face, but...he's definitely on edge. It's gotten bad enough that Asfi is doing as he says without complaining.

Lefiya hadn't interacted with Hermes more than a handful of times, but she remembered him as an easygoing, charming god and found it tough to imagine him in such a state. The thief shrugged.

Lulune: ...Hey, I guess you're not going to tell me anything about the harvest you reaped from Daedalus Street, right?

Lefiya: Um...To tell you the truth, our goddess asked us not to say anything... Not until she knows what Lord Hermes is hiding.

Lefiya evaded the question. Loki Familia hadn't shared their intel with Hermes Familia about the hidden base of their enemy—Knossos—or that they'd found it while searching the Labyrinth District. They didn't plan to do so until Hermes put his own cards on the table. He kept lurking behind the scenes by himself, and Loki intended to withhold information about Knossos as a bargaining chip— or as the gods called it, a "give and take."

At the same time, Loki wanted to learn from Hermes what Ouranos's true motives were, since he was connected to the Guild.

Lulune: No, it's fine. That's perfectly reasonable.

Lulune replied, holding up her hands to politely stop Lefiya, who was struggling to explain her position. After all, we're the ones not acting in good faith, Lulune thought, choosing not to push the matter about Knossos further, as though embodying the neutral stance of her own familia. Lulune just wanted to make sure they both understood the obligations they were under.

Lulune: I know we should exchange information instead of haggling—I mean, we formed an alliance and all...but we're dealing with a messy situation.

And this mess is far out of our control, Lulune implied as she glibly scratched her head and took on an exasperated look, which was uncharacteristic of her. The fact that she was even letting Lefiya hear her rant was due to her fatigue, no doubt.

Lulume: We can't talk about what we know now. If you find it suspicious and refuse to give us more intel, then it can't be helped. Well, I guess it can, but...I wouldn't expect you to despite all the circumstances.

"I really want to tell you. I'd like to just get it out in the open. But I can't say it, no matter what", Lulune silently communicated through her bearing. That feeling from earlier made its way back into Lefiya's mind—this time with more force.

Lefiya(mind): It's something they can't discuss, even though it's about something that's tripping us both up...What could it be?

Lulune: For now, could you let Loki know about Ikelos Familia for us?...I'm sorry that everything's so half-baked.

Lefiya: I-it's fine...Um, please don't push yourself too hard, okay?

Lefiya added. Lulune smiled wryly as she peeled herself from the wall and waved, disappearing down the dim alley, away from the main road. Lefiya turned in the other direction and stepped out into the street, where the sun beat down on the pavement.

(Elsewhere)

Enclosed by stone walls and ceiling, the room had a single magic-stone lamp for lighting and no windows. It was clearly underground, and the air was cool to the touch, chilly, even. Lining the walls were wooden shelves filled with countless bottles of wine for safekeeping.

Dionysus:...

Dionysus poured himself some wine, filling a glass set atop a small, round table. Located in an underground room in the home of Dionysus Familia was Dionysus's prided wine cellar, built by a god known as a wine snob. There were bottles and casks scattered around the room. If Loki ever saw the number of famous labels and their fine craftsmanship, she'd call it a wealth of riches without a doubt.

But Dionysus didn't even allow his followers to enter the wine cellar. Except for one person. The wine glug-glug-glugged, filling the room with its soft burbles. Then he took a seat and drained the glass in a single swig. The fact that Dionysus downed it in one go without letting the fragrant red wine roll across his palate, without even tasting it, had to mean he was trying to drown his worries in alcohol.

Filvis:...Lord Dionysus, you're drinking too much.

Filvis the elf admonished, standing at attention by his side. The god poured himself another glass, ignoring her warning.

Dionysus: If I don't drink, then I can't go on...Right?

He asked, hanging his head. Filvis chose not to open her mouth, saying nothing, and Dionysus held the glass up to the light fixed on the ceiling.

Dionysus: The situation remains at a standstill. We've failed to find any clues. There's been no progress. I've sent Loki and her children on a wild-goose chase with nothing to show for it...

Filvis:...

Dionysus: I'm a buffoon, an imbecile...Yet, there's nothing to do but continue moving forward.

He continued his soliloquy, trying to convince himself. He gazed into the reflection on the glass mirroring his eyes of the same color.

Dionysus: That's right. I'm Dionysus...I'll humiliate myself and work with Loki to get my vengeance...Yes, vengeance for my children.

It was a side of Dionysus he would never allow Loki or the rest—or even his own familia—to see. It was a side that only Filvis knew, and even she softly averted her eyes, as if she was witnessing something she shouldn't.

Dionysus:...Let's go. Loki is calling us.

Downing the last of the wine, Dionysus got to his feet, betraying no vestiges of his previous mood and assuming a sweet mask of calm composure —and a strong will glinting in the back of his eyes. He retrieved his coat from the elf and departed the underground room.

(Timsekip)

Loki: One of Hermes's children contacted mine, saying somethin' about Ikelos Familia bein' fishy.

Dionysus: Ikelos, huh...Another annoying god takes the stage.

On the lawn of Twilight Manor, a few shrubs and richly colored flowers bathed in the afternoon sun. Loki had invited Dionysus and Filvis to her home and, while they sat at a table, was wrapping up a recap of the intel Lefiya had brought back. Loki impolitely shifted back and forth in her chair, making it creak loudly.

Dionysus: If I remember correctly, Ikelos is—

Loki: Yeah, suspected of bein' part of the Evils. Ikelos is the quintessential god who's starved for entertainment...A guy who goes overboard to kill his boredom.

Lefiya was standing off to the side behind Loki, opposite Filvis, who stood on Dionysus's side. The two followers smiled as their eyes met while the gods continued their discussion.

Loki: Their home has been an empty shell for a long time now, apparently. They definitely moved to a different hideout."

Dionysis: It seems that way.

Loki:...I bet he's hiding on Daedalus Street...In Knossos, I'm sure.

Dionysus:...

Loki: I wouldn't be surprised if they've got their hands on a key. If we tell Hermes about Knossos, he'll probably find them in no time, knowing that shrewd dandy.

Loki proposed.

Dionysus: I'm against it.

Dionysus replied firmly, his glass-colored eyes not wavering in the slightest as he looked directly at her. Loki cracked open one of her eyes.

Loki: I think we're past the point where we can be picky about our methods...We don't have many leads to go on.

Dionysus: I've said it before, Loki. Hermes is Ouranos's lapdog. As long as that old god is lurking in the shadows behind him, I won't trust him. If he can't tell us what he's really up to, I've got no intention of sitting down at the bargaining table with him.

Dionysus was unyielding in his resolution. After all, he'd been suspicious of the Guild, of Orario's creator god, Ouranos, even before he interacted with Loki. As for Loki, she suspected Ouranos was hiding something. But...she simply couldn't imagine how he could be connected to the plan to destroy Orario, especially if she trusted the gut reaction she felt after talking to Ouranos at Guild Headquarters. Loki could sense Lefiya was feeling vexed by something behind her and pushed toward the crux of the issue.

Loki: Aren't you bein' a bit too stubborn?

Dionysus:...

Loki: Why do you have a grudge against Ouranos? It's weird. You got any real basis for it?

Loki probed. Dionysus opened his mouth. Filvis watched with a concerned look but knew better than to interrupt a conversation between gods.

Dionysus: Let's see, when did it start...? The moment I first felt put off by the elder god.

He started, focusing his gaze up as if to search through his memories, staring into the sky spreading beyond the tall barriers surrounding the manor.

Dionysus: It started...when we were still in the heavens...I can't even remember what it was anymore...Hmm, what was it?

He wasn't lying or telling the truth—merely airing out a question. His eyes grew unfocused as he became engrossed in reminiscing about the past. As it approached sunset, the sky cast a crimson glow, and across from him, Loki looked on in silence.

Most hadn't realized that the humanoid monster was the opportunity that Loki Familia had been waiting for. It signaled the end of the merciless progression of time. It was the move that would send waves rippling through the current gridlock.

It would set everything in motion.

The pallum hero felt a faint ache in his thumb.

The goddess of jests intended to use the uproar as a foothold.

The girl with golden hair and golden eyes renewed her determination to exterminate the monsters.

And five days after the news of the humanoid monster broke, it was time.