Two days had passed since they parted ways with Wiene. Unable to forget the young dragon girl's tearful face, a heavy, suffocating gloom settled over Tsuna and the rest of the Hestia Familia.
Upon hearing the circumstances following their return from the Mandatory Mission, Reborn seemed to understand the turmoil in Tsuna and the others' hearts. Without a word of reprimand, the hitman temporarily suspended their hellish training regime, opting to give them space to recover their spirits naturally.
They were just barely managing to return to their normal daily routines when a shocking piece of news rippled through Orario—a revelation that struck the Hestia Familia like a physical blow.
"Lyd and the others attacked the Town of Rivira!?"
Tsuna shouted in sheer disbelief upon hearing the report from Welf and Lili, who had just rushed back from the city. Haruhime and Mikoto were struck completely speechless, while Reborn simply absorbed the situation with cold, analytical calmness.
According to the Guild's emergency broadcast, an armed group of monsters had stormed the 18th Floor and completely annihilated the Town of Rivira.
Desperate for details, Lili and Welf had hurried to the Guild, only to find the building utterly swamped by panicked citizens and screaming adventurers. Realizing they wouldn't get any solid information in the chaos, they retreated to the Familia home to regroup.
Bell was currently absent; he had insisted on going to the Dungeon alone earlier that day.
"Haa, haa..." Hestia practically collapsed through the front door, gasping for air. "Even if we wanted to go investigate directly... pant, pant... They've completely locked down Babel and restricted all access to the Dungeon... They forced me to evacuate, too..."
Since Hestia's second part-time job was inside Babel, the lockdown had forced her to abandon her shift and sprint back to Hearth Manor.
"Those Xenos should know better than anyone that pulling a stunt like this will only draw massive hostility from adventurers and get their comrades killed, let alone ruin any chance of coexistence," Reborn stated. "If they went on a rampage anyway, it means something happened that forced their hand. The most likely explanation is..."
"The Poachers..." Mikoto whispered in dawning horror.
Reborn nodded. Someone among the Xenos had been captured by the Poachers targeting them, and Lyd's group had decimated the Town of Rivira in a furious retaliation.
"I-If the Xenos truly launched an attack..." Haruhime covered her mouth, trembling. "What... what will happen to Lady Wiene?"
"If the information is accurate... and the monsters really destroyed Rivira, Orario won't have a choice. The city will be forced to launch a subjugation mission," Lili replied grimly. "...At the very least, a final settlement of some kind will be forced upon them."
Hearing Lili predict the imminent execution of Lyd's group, Haruhime swayed on her feet, nearly fainting from the shock before Mikoto caught her.
Ding-dong.
The sharp ring of the manor's doorbell cut through the heavy silence. Mikoto hurried to the entrance and returned moments later, clutching a sealed parchment scroll.
"Who was it?" Welf demanded.
"A Guild employee! Lord Hestia, read this!"
Hestia quickly unrolled the parchment, with Tsuna and the others crowding around to read over her shoulder. The letter contained strict orders: in preparation for potential emergencies, the Hestia Familia was to remain on the surface on standby and keep their mouths completely shut.
But what truly shocked them was the final line written in Hieroglyphs: Bell Cranel had been formally drafted into the Subjugation Squad.
"Tsuna!?"
The moment he finished reading the letter, Tsuna bolted from the room without a single word. Hestia cried out in surprise at his sudden departure.
"You guys head over to Bell. I'll send Tsuna after you later," Reborn ordered seamlessly.
"...Understood," Hestia nodded, instantly grasping Tsuna and Reborn's unspoken intent.
Though Welf and the others were completely confused by the cryptic exchange, they knew there was no time to argue. Trusting that something important was happening behind the scenes, they grabbed their gear and sprinted toward Babel to find Bell.
----
Hearth Manor — Tsuna's Room
"Lord Ouranos," Tsuna spoke clearly into the magical crystal in his hand. He had dashed back to his room to demand answers directly from Ouranos using the Oculus.
"It seems that letter has arrived," Ouranos's ancient, rumbling voice echoed from the crystal.
"Why did you draft Bell?"
"He happened to be near the Guild, so I requested his cooperation through Fels. The situation requires absolute urgency. Furthermore, if it is Bell Cranel speaking, his words might actually reach Lyd and the others."
"But won't the Subjugation Squad just slaughter them before he gets the chance!?"
"The force heading to the 18th Floor is the Ganesha Familia. I have already sent a secret missive directly to Ganesha, ordering him to tame and capture the Xenos without killing them, and to covertly integrate Bell Cranel into the squad."
"Wait... Lord Ganesha knows too!?"
"Yes. Ganesha is fully aware of the Xenos. In fact, he is actively cooperating with us to achieve coexistence between them and humanity."
"Does that mean everyone in the Ganesha Familia knows about the Xenos?"
"Not all of them. Likely only a select few within the Familia are aware of the truth. At the very least, their Captain, Shakti Varma, knows."
"Shakti knows..." Tsuna muttered, surprised.
"Because these are Ganesha's direct orders, even the members unaware of the Xenos will not kill them. They have mobilized their entire force, including all eleven of their Level 5 adventurers. Fels has also been dispatched to shadow them covertly. Whether the taming process goes smoothly remains to be seen, but in terms of combat power, our side holds the overwhelming advantage. This is the best possible move."
"..."
Tsuna gripped the Oculus tightly. While he was somewhat relieved to hear there were no orders to kill, there was no absolute guarantee that a peaceful capture would succeed. The situation was still balancing on a razor's edge.
"I am aware you likely wish to rush to Lyd's side," Ouranos continued. "However, to prevent the Dungeon from descending into further chaos, and more importantly, to avoid provoking intervention from the Freya Familia, I have assigned you to city defense—in exchange for formally wiping the slate clean regarding the Ishtar Familia incident. Many are already questioning our unusual directives. Adding Bell Cranel to the Subjugation Squad has undoubtedly raised suspicions among Ganesha's dependents. Throwing a Level 1 illusionist into the mix would only pour oil on the fire. To contain this crisis, we must avoid inciting any more unnecessary confusion."
After the incident at the Grand Casino in Santorio Vega, Tsuna had requested that Shakti keep his true combat capabilities a secret as part of his reward for resolving the crisis. Normally, concealing one's true Level and abilities was a blatant violation of Guild regulations, something a military police commander like Shakti could never overlook. However, witnessing Tsuna's instrumental role in the undercover sting, his insistence on acting entirely behind the scenes during the War Game despite his Familia's crisis, and his desperate desire to hide his strength despite shouldering a 200 million valis debt, Shakti had deduced he had profound, unavoidable circumstances. She had agreed to his plea. Because of that, the rest of the Ganesha Familia still believed Tsuna was merely a fragile Level 1.
"So, did the Xenos go on a rampage because of those Poachers you mentioned?"
Reborn casually strolled into the room, smoothly hijacking the conversation to interrogate the God.
"We cannot definitively confirm the Poachers are involved, but it is highly probable," Ouranos replied.
"Got any suspects?"
"Unknown at this time. However, the Xenos have remained stationary on the 18th Floor since the attack. Their exact objective is unclear, but I suspect there is something on that floor they are looking for."
Despite combining the known facts, the Xenos' true objective remained shrouded in mystery.
"I've got one more question," Reborn stated.
"What is it?"
"Is there another entrance to the Dungeon?"
Gasp! Even through the magical distortion of the Oculus, Ouranos's blatant shock was palpable.
"What do you mean, Reborn?" Tsuna asked. "Another entrance?"
"Think about it. The Poachers are capturing the Xenos and selling them off to wealthy weirdos," Reborn explained coolly. "To sell them, they obviously have to transport the captive monsters to the surface. But do you honestly think they could haul live monsters up through Babel without anyone noticing?"
"Ah! You're right!"
"If they tried that, it would've caused a massive uproar ages ago. The fact that it hasn't means there has to be another way in and out of the Dungeon. Am I wrong?"
"...We share the same suspicion," Ouranos finally admitted. "We believe a second entrance exists. However, we do not have the slightest clue where it might be located."
Come to think of it... Lord Hermes said something similar, Tsuna remembered. When they first met, Hermes had interrogated him about a secondary entrance, suspecting that Tsuna had used it to bypass the upper floors and arrive directly at the 18th Floor.
"So, if we find that entrance..." Tsuna began, the pieces clicking together. If they could locate the surface entrance and shut down the smuggling ring, the Poachers would be caught, and Lyd's group wouldn't be hunted anymore.
"We'll search for the entrance from the surface. Is that acceptable?" Tsuna asked the crystal.
"You have my gratitude."
With Fels currently occupied in the Dungeon, Ouranos had no other covert operatives he could rely on. Tsuna's offer was a godsend.
Tsuna cut the connection to the Oculus, steeling his resolve. He turned to Reborn. "Alright, let's go meet up with Hestia and the others."
"Hold your horses, idiot," Reborn said. "A smuggling route is built specifically so it won't be found. Even if this secret entrance is somewhere within Orario or just outside its walls, wandering around aimlessly won't get you squat. We need a solid clue before we even start looking."
"A clue..." Tsuna muttered.
"What is it, Tsuna?"
"Maybe..."
Author's Note: Tsuna won't fight or even meet Dix. Tsuna would win easily, and the curse could be lifted by the power of the Sky Flame. The story will begin moving in earnest next time.
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