In the blink of an eye, another three days had passed.
This brought the total to five days since the terrifying dungeon tremor shook Orario.
The past five days had not been easy for the city.
The Guild burned through a ridiculous amount of money to maintain some semblance of normalcy.
The sudden dungeon closure affected a huge number of businesses.
Luckily, the Guild had been somewhat prepared.
It was not that they predicted this particular disaster.
Rather, it was a painful lesson learned during the sudden war five years ago.
Royman had learned the critical importance of preparation for unforeseen incidents.
Because of that, he had stocked up on drop items and magic stones in vast excess.
This foresight allowed Orario to run for a while entirely on its own reserves.
As a result, regular citizens were not affected too badly.
The real burden fell upon the adventurers.
More specifically, members of smaller familias were forced to take temporary odd jobs just to make ends meet.
However, adventurers were known for their strong, rowdy personalities.
Their sudden unemployment and stress were doing more harm than good.
This forced the patrol teams of the Ganesha and Bahamut Familias to work that much harder to keep the peace.
Still, it was not all bad for everyone.
Places like the red light district...most notably the Ishtar Familia territory...were booming. Many frustrated adventurers came every single day.
They stayed from morning until the next morning, gambling, drinking, and seeking physical comfort to relieve their overwhelming stress.
The same was true for most taverns, cafes, pubs, and inns across the city.
Sadly, this financial boom was coming to an end soon.
The ban on dungeon activity was scheduled to be lifted the very next day.
The reason for the reopening was simple: the period of immediate danger had passed.
After careful scouting, reports had finally returned to the surface, outlining the true state of the deep floors.
Some scouts had made contact two days prior with Draco as he slowly returned from the depths. From that meeting, a preliminary summary of what caused the tremor was constructed and handed over to the upper management.
According to Draco's official report, he had run into an unusually powerful monster lurking on the 49th floor.
Their brutal battle was what had caused the massive structural damage, stretching all the way from the 52nd up through the 32nd floors of the dungeon.
Of course, this explanation was a horrendous mix of truth and lies.
It was crafted to obscure the true severity of the situation.
Draco knew he could not let the public know that a ghost from the past was still alive and infinitely stronger than before.
Furthermore, he had only managed to bring the fight to a dead draw, despite the immense destruction left in their wake.
Draco had judged the matter as a deep secret that needed to be kept.
If word got out carelessly, it would only bring about panic and spark deep paranoia.
During the war five years ago, everyone knew Alfia and Zald to be on the Evilus side.
That was true for the most part…..except for a select few, like Draco, Finn, and Ottar, who realized their true, hidden intentions.
But they had never shared that burden with the public.
However, if the public knew that one of the Evilus champions, Alfia, was still alive and far more powerful, it was easy to imagine how they would react.
People would instantly assume that another devastating war with Evilus was at hand.
Many would flee the city, drastically weakening Orario in both manpower and finances.
Yet, even that did not contain the entire truth.
Alfia was indeed alive, but only in a twisted sense.
She was now a creature serving a master far greater and more terrifying than the Evilus coalition ever was.
This was critical information that Draco intended to share exclusively with Ouranos.
It would be the god's ultimate decision whether to share this grim reality with other deities and their children.
Speaking of the dungeon, over the past five days, the dungeon had concentrated all its energy into repairing itself.
The structural repairs were now almost completely done.
However, Draco had been delayed.
It was not because he lacked the speed to reach the surface sooner, but because he had felt a heavy obligation to clean up his own mess.
Upon finally reaching the 18th floor two days ago, Draco had found some better clothing and eaten to his fill.
He had simply helped himself to the local supplies since the floor was currently abandoned. Because of this, his previous gathering of magic stones on the way up had felt somewhat pointless.
After having a proper meal and emptying the entire food storage, Draco had actually dove back down into the depths.
He had recovered a decent amount of strength during his rest, and he wanted to perform some light cleanup.
Due to the violence of his and Alfia's rampage, countless monsters had been displaced from their natural floors.
This was a dangerous issue.
A level three monster should never wander onto a level two monster floor; otherwise, low-leveled adventurers would be in immense danger.
Of course, Draco could have simply reported the ecological imbalance and let the Guild handle it once he returned to the surface.
But feeling a nagging sense of personal responsibility, he had decided to take action himself.
He hunted just enough displaced monsters to make future accidents in the upper and middle floors far less likely, ensuring a safer return for the rest of Orario's brave souls.
..............................…
It was a cool, moonless night in Orario.
The sky was cloudless, a myriad of stars sparkling like jewels against the velvet expanse above. Down below, the streets were rowdy with activity.
The adventurers were celebrating their return to work.
They spent their Valis even more freely than usual, much to the joy of the various street vendors lining the streets.
Watching the boisterous crowds like hawks were the patrol teams stationed in various districts. Their sense of justice had grown noticeably more ruthless with each passing day.
Yet, even among the rigid protectors, there was a palpable sense of relief.
The news of the dungeon reopening meant that the chaos would finally shift back downward, bringing a much-needed period of rest.
High above the revelry, inside the Loki Familia home, Finn sat by a desk.
He read and reread various official reports with a skeptical expression.
He could not shake off the nagging feeling that crucial information was missing somewhere.
His instincts told him that Draco was hiding something significant.
Through history, there had only been a handful of times that unusually strong monsters had appeared.
But nothing recorded even came close to the scale of the Three Great Quests from a thousand years ago.
When Finn compared the amount of structural damage sustained by the deep levels of the dungeon to the battered state in which the scouts claimed they had found Draco...the math simply did not add up.
"Just what are you hiding, Draco? What did you face down there?" Finn muttered to himself.
He stared out the glass window, looking down at the bustling, oblivious streets.
Coincidentally, at that exact moment, Draco finally emerged from the mouth of the dungeon.
He walked steadily across the paved stone until he reached the expansive square directly in front of Babel.
Taking a deep breath of the familiar, fresh night air and staring up at the wide-open skies, Draco smiled.
"Finally home," he muttered softly.
He tried to keep his voice down, hoping not to draw too much attention to himself.
It was a futile effort.
Even if he tried to hide, he could not.
With his distinct draconic features, his hulking, muscular frame, and his ill-fitting, makeshift clothing, how could he possibly blend in?
'Sigh. Now I just have to head to the Guild, report to Ouranos, and then finally go home' Draco thought.
He lightly stretched his body, taking care to avoid aggravating his deep internal wounds.
Then, he began his steady walk toward the Guild headquarters.
"Hmm," Draco hummed, pausing his heavy steps abruptly.
He felt a pair of distinct gazes pressing against his skin.
One gaze he knew very well, sharp and piercing.
The other gaze was unfamiliar, timid, and hesitant.
Turning his head, Draco looked up at the towering heights of Babel.
He squinted his eyes through the darkness.
High up near one of the upper windows, a familiar silhouette stood quietly.
Draco raised a hand and waved with a warm smile.
It was difficult to see clearly because Babel was too high, and the bright, glaring light pollution from the magic street lamps further obscured things.
But Draco could easily tell that it was Freya watching him.
She always watched.
Though, the state of things, he doubted she still held much interest in him now that her new favorite target, the white-haired boy named Bell, was running around the city.
Finished with his one-sided greeting, Draco turned back around to face the second gaze.
It belonged to a small figure standing near the edge of the square.
The person wore a large, oversized hooded coat and carried a heavy, bulging backpack that looked entirely too big for them.
From the distinct bulge in her chest and petite frame, it was easy to tell that the watcher was a female Pallum.
She appeared to be sneaking quick glances at him, though she was not nearly as stealthy as she believed.
'Chestnut hair and amber eyes, and a Pallum to the boot. It can only be Lili' Draco mused.
A wide, toothy grin marred his lips.
Lili was currently surrounded by a small group of pushy adventurers.
From what Draco could overhear bits and pieces of their conversation, the dungeon was reopening by early morning…..which was practically past midnight if one took things literally. Because of this, several eager supporters and low-ranking adventurers had gathered early by the square to secure a spot at the front lines.
They wanted to snag the good hunting spots before anyone else.
Draco started walking directly toward Lili.
The adventurers standing around her naturally parted for him, stepping out of his path with respectful caution.
After all, who in Orario did not know Draco?
He was the fearsome monster of the Bahamut Familia.
His sudden approach immediately drew widespread attention.
People all around the square stopped talking and stared curiously at the interaction.
"Yo, Lili... how have you been? It's been like, what, five years since we last crossed paths? And I must say, you have grown a lot," Draco said in a booming, friendly voice.
Lili, however, was simply stunned in place.
She froze, completely unsure of how to reply to a person of his status.
In truth, she honestly never thought someone like him would even remember a low-level smudge like her.
Regardless, the fact that he remembered warmed her chest and made her heart skip a beat.
"Draco-sama... it has indeed been a while. Thank you so much for taking care of me back then," Lili finally managed to speak.
She bowed politely, though her smile was far too wide to successfully hide.
It felt unexpectedly satisfying to see the many adventurers who usually looked down on supporters like her suddenly wide-eyed with shock at her familiar connection to Orario's strongest adventurer.
"Hahaha, think nothing of it. How have you been doing? I hope those scum haven't been troubling you too much in my absence," Draco asked.
As he spoke, he unconsciously reached out and patted the top of her head.
Lili leaned slightly into the touch, a wave of joy washing over her.
"Oh, sorry about that. It's just out of habit," Draco immediately pulled his hand back, realizing what he had done, and offered a quick apology.
"Ah, no, it's fine, Draco-sama," Lili immediately stammered, waving her hands in a panic.
"If anything, it feels goo….." Lili's low voice trailed off mid-sentence.
She suddenly realized what she had been about to say out loud.
A deep, burning blush crept rapidly up her face, turning her cheeks bright red.
"Hahahaha! How cute," Draco laughed out loud, unable to resist gently patting her head a few more times.
"Draco-sama!" Lili grumbled in embarrassment, nervously looking around at the gaping faces of the surrounding crowd.
"Ahem. Supporter... I mean, Lili-san. Why don't you introduce us?" one of the female adventurers who had been aggressively bossing Lili around only moments earlier stepped forward, her tone entirely changed to one of sweet flattery.
"Uhm..." Lili tried to speak, but she still wasn't sure how to navigate this sudden shift in reality.
She was far too used to keeping a very low profile to avoid trouble.
The sudden display of respect from an adventurer who had been chewing her out with petty insults just minutes prior felt surreal.
And while the envious attention from the crowd felt momentarily gratifying, it was also deeply troubling.
Draco realized her predicament instantly.
He shook his head, his expression turning neutral.
"Oh my, would you look at the time? I really have to get to the Guild quickly," Draco said loudly.
He stared up at the distant clock tower, completely ignoring the female adventurer who had spoken.
"Sorry, Lili-chan, I need to hurry. Why don't you come by the Bahamut Familia home sometime this weekend so we can catch up properly? That is, if you are free, of course. And hey, if you don't come visit within the next few weeks, I might just have to come looking for you myself," Draco said.
He spoke in a loud, teasing tone, deliberately committing the faces of the surrounding greedy adventurers to memory as he did so.
His words carried multiple meanings.
But the greatest and most important message of all was his public declaration that he would come looking for her if she vanished.
While simply showing her casual closeness with the Bahamut Familia would help protect her from petty street scams to some extent, the dungeon was a completely different beast where laws didn't apply.
By stating openly that he would check up on her, his words carried immense weight in Orario.
It meant that if she went missing under suspicious circumstances inside the dungeon, the monster of the Bahamut Familia would personally get to the bottom of it.
And absolutely no one in this city wanted to pick a fight with the Bahamut Familia over a meager pouch of Valis.
Lili was smart, exceptionally so.
She understood his intentions immediately.
"Thank you. I will be sure to pay a visit... Draco-sama," Lili replied, offering a deep, respectful bow.
Draco smiled softly.
He reached out to ruffle her small head one last time before turning sharply on his heel to leave.
If he stayed a single second longer in the square, he felt certain that Freya would literally bore a physical hole right through the back of his skull with her unblinking gaze from high up in Babel.
A/N: Hmm, still not sure what to do with Lili romance wise. I was initially planning for one pallum in the harem.
It was either Lili or Lyra, but Lyra cant work as I set her up to go after Finn, competing with Tione, and I haven't really written a anything worthwhile about her after the war.
Anyway, let me know your thoughts.