From the short cape draped over her shoulders down to the hem of her robes, everything she wore was pure white.
A high collar concealed her slender neck, and almost no skin was visible, perfectly reflecting the elves' preference for modest dress. Her waist-length black hair was smooth and straight, and paired with her white attire, she looked every bit like a pure shrine maiden.
Pure. That was the first impression anyone would have upon seeing her.
"It's Filvis! Lefiya's best girlfriend!" Loki clicked her tongue appreciatively as she admired the pure white elf, utterly incapable of resisting pretty women.
The white-clad elf, Filvis, awkwardly averted her eyes.
Ah, so it's her. Ryoji recognized her immediately.
She was the elf who had taught Lefiya the barrier magic Deus Grail. Lefiya had mentioned her several times before, and the two seemed to be very close.
"And this is Ryoji," Loki gestured toward him. "He recently received the alias Aurora Polaris."
At Loki's signal, Ryoji lowered his hood, revealing his face. A suffocating silence swept through the bar.
"...I see," Dionysus let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Aurora Polaris really does live up to its name. Standing in front of someone this beautiful, even I end up looking ordinary."
Behind him, Filvis merely froze for a brief moment before regaining her composure. Her clear green eyes remained perfectly calm. That earned a bit of Ryoji's admiration.
"Loki, what's this about an alliance?" Pulling his hood back over his head, Ryoji quietly asked.
"I'll explain," Dionysus smiled gently, showing none of the dignity or aloofness one might expect from a god. "I heard you only recently became one of Loki Familia's executives, so you probably weren't told. Loki and I formed an alliance quite some time ago."
According to Dionysus, two months earlier, three members of his Familia had been murdered over the course of just a few days. All signs suggested the culprit was connected to the new species of monster, the man-eating flower. Apparently, they had discovered something they weren't supposed to and had been silenced because of it.
"While investigating those man-eating flower monsters, Loki and I happened to cross paths. Our goals were the same, so we decided to cooperate." That had happened a month ago, right around the time Ryoji had been away.
"All right," Loki snapped her fingers. "Let's exchange information."
She recounted everything the Loki Familia had encountered during the expedition.
"...An avatar of the Corrupted Spirit?" Dionysus immediately stiffened. "Could the enemy's objective be to summon the Corrupted Spirit onto the surface?"
"That's what my children concluded as well," Loki nodded.
"Given Evilus's methods..." Dionysus's expression darkened. "...They're trying to destroy Orario." His mind worked quickly, and the implications immediately became clear.
Behind him, Filvis's face also grew solemn.
"Then... were my Familia members murdered because they stumbled onto this secret?"
"Possibly," Loki neither confirmed nor denied it. Knowing how Evilus operated, they would never risk exposing themselves before everything was ready. If they had really murdered members of the Dionysus Familia, then those adventurers must have crossed paths with them somehow and learned something they shouldn't have.
"What about the Ganesha Familia?" Loki shifted the topic. "If we're talking about Beast Tamers, the Ganesha Familia would be the first suspect. Investigating them was your assignment, wasn't it?"
"That's right," Dionysus thought for a moment before shaking his head. "But I don't think they're likely to be involved. Knowing Ganesha, he'd never tolerate something that endangered the city."
"True." Loki tried imagining that muscle-headed god constantly shouting "I am Ganesha!" as the mastermind behind everything. No matter how she pictured it... she just couldn't. She burst out laughing.
"The possibility of a traitor inside the Ganesha Familia is low as well," Dionysus continued calmly. "The man-eating flower monsters are enormous. Transporting one to the surface would certainly have been noticed. Yet during the Monster Festival, no one reported seeing one. The Guild has no records of it either."
His reasoning was clear. The Guild cared more about Orario's survival than anyone else. If the Ganesha Familia had transported a man-eating flower to the surface during the Monster Festival, the Guild would undoubtedly have a record of it.
Since no such record existed, the Beast Tamer couldn't have been a member of the Ganesha Familia.
"After all, there's only one entrance to the Dungeon. You can't hide something like that."
"Then this is getting serious," Loki clicked her tongue, unconsciously tapping the tabletop. "If it didn't come out through the entrance beneath the Tower of Babel... then does that mean the Dungeon has a second entrance?"
"Hm?" Ryoji couldn't help interrupting. "I thought the Dungeon only had one entrance. And considering it repairs itself, it shouldn't even be possible to create another one."
He was right. Even if someone dug a tunnel through the Dungeon's walls, the Dungeon would simply regenerate and seal the opening. Creating an artificial entrance was impossible, unless it was a natural entrance that had never been discovered.
No one had found a second natural entrance in countless years. Had Evilus somehow located one?
"Regardless, we have to accept that possibility for now," Dionysus nodded thoughtfully. "If that's true, then a lot of things suddenly make sense."
Not just the man-eating flower monsters, even Evilus's hiding place would finally have an explanation.
"Loki," Ryoji suddenly remembered something. "What about the Kali Familia?"
"Oh!" Loki's eyes widened. "That's right! They charged straight into the Dungeon yesterday and never came back out! Bete searched all the way to the eighteenth floor, and there wasn't any sign of them."
Could it be they already knew about the Dungeon's second entrance and had already returned to Orario through it? If that guess was correct, then it would be definitive proof that the Kali Familia was working together with Evilus.
"That rotten little brat doesn't care whether Orario lives or dies," Loki's expression turned vicious. "If anything, someone who loves slaughter and bloodshed like her would be the easiest person for Evilus to recruit."
"But where the hell is this second entrance?"
"If there really is one..." Dionysus offered his own theory. "...Then it's probably there. Between the twenty-fifth and twenty-seventh floors of the Dungeon, there's that enormous underground waterfall.
Beneath it is a massive lake. If I remember correctly, there's a passage at the bottom that connects to the lake outside Orario, Lolog Lake."
"But wasn't that sealed off by the Poseidon Familia over a decade ago?" Loki frowned.
"Maybe the seal has been broken?" Dionysus admitted he wasn't entirely certain. "How about this, Loki? We split up again. Your Familia investigates Lolog Lake. If Evilus is really there, wipe them out. My Familia will continue searching suspicious locations inside Orario. If we find anything, I'll notify you immediately."
"You sure know how to pick the easier job," Loki gave him a meaningful look. "...Fine. Let's do it that way."
(End of Chapter)
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