Gin saw the battle come to an end as Dainsleif bisected the last dude.
Those Evilus guys had no chance against him once Ginnungagap took effect.
It was a good thing that his theory checked out and his spell still worked even against targets a few kilometers away.
He leaned on the partition of the city wall and looked down on the site, seeing Ryuu and Alise finally arrive, with Lyra catching up to them a couple of seconds later.
They walked around the place and approached Dainsleif. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he saw Lyra point in his direction.
Gin raised his hand and gave them a friendly wave.
Thinking for a sec, he hopped onto the partition and waved his whole body so they could see him easier.
Lyra and Alise waved back to him, while Ryuu and Dainsleif only looked at him before talking again.
He shrugged and began the walk down to ground level.
Being alone like this made his mind automatically go into review mode.
Dissecting the fight that he just witnessed and went through should prove valuable in the long run.
That fight was a good measure of his ability.
His setup was geared toward group battles, it seemed. His presence alone assured that the enemy lost its battle strength permanently.
Back then, he just went for their Agility, since it was a useful battle stat for anyone, but it might be a good idea to study their fighting style before deciding on the stat he wanted to focus on.
Well, with this, it was obvious that he would offer more by acting from a distance than by fighting directly.
Should he forego the patrol with Astraea and focus on making his own patrol route after all? He might not get to help with small incidents, but he could help with his bow and magic like today again.
No, wait, he just realized something bad.
"Why didn't I shoot any arrows, dammit!" He cradled his head in frustration. "I could hit them just fine from this far away! Why the hell did I default to Ginnungagap!? What am I, a mage!?"
….
Anyway, yeah.
He should think about how to patrol more seriously now.
Should he act on his own after all? Or should he stick with the Astraea Familia method?
No, working alone was too risky for now, and sticking with the girls was a little ineffective.
In a situation like this, it was better if he asked people who were more experienced in the matter.
"Then it's better to go to them after all." Gin scratched his head.
And just when he got to be a little independent too… Oh well, this matter wasn't just for his sake.
There was no need to be stubborn about asking for help when the good of the whole city was involved.
Deciding on his plan of action, he headed toward the Third District.
Hopefully, Finn or Riveria were present now.
...
He didn't go to meet with the Astraea Familia in front of Babel, opting to go straight to the Twilight Manor to consult with his former mentor.
The gatekeeper welcomed him easily, and it only took a moment before Finn welcomed him to his office.
"Good evening, Sir Finn." Gin bowed respectfully to him.
"You are as weirdly formal as ever. Please be at ease, Gin." The pallum smiled wryly at his gesture and motioned to the side of the office, the same one where Gin had his conversation with him long ago.
"I heard that you have something to talk about."
"Yeah, about that." Gin began to tell him about everything that he'd stumbled upon today, about his theory for Evilus's hidden base, about the incident and his role in it, and also about how Ganesha interrupted his singing.
Finn hummed in understanding and questioned him.
"Is the last part really necessary?"
"No, I just want to rant. I feel like it was a missed chance." Gin shrugged.
Finn shook his head in mirth.
"The Seventh District is the home of the Ganesha Familia. It wouldn't be weird if you stumbled upon him there. Instead of thinking about how not to get interrupted, why don't you invite him along? I am sure the gesture will be much appreciated."
'Hee, a duet with that weird god, huh? Eh, it seemed funny, so why not? Anyway, time to put my serious face on now.'
"So about my hidden base theory, does it sound impossible?"
"No. Actually, I also have the same suspicion as you. It is obvious that Evilus has a hideout somewhere in Orario, but the fact that none of our residents have ever witnessed them around suggests that they do have something like a hidden base," he answered. "Your theory about how they have a passage that connects this hidden base with the dungeon and areas outside Orario is an interesting idea to follow up on."
"Really?"
"Yes. I have considered that there could be another entrance to the dungeon as well. Hmm, if we are talking about an entrance to the dungeon that could be used conveniently by Evilus, the most likely place is there after all."
Gin nodded along with him. "18th floor. Or at least a floor that acts as a safety point."
"Correct. It would be quite foolish if they built an entrance to their base that could be easily compromised by the monsters," he surmised. "Well, that is the problem with our theory, though."
"Hmm?"
"Our theory will only work if we assume that Evilus somehow has enough manpower, time, and money to establish these entrances and bases. Imagine it, Gin. How much work and effort would be needed to build a passageway connecting the surface with the 18th floor?" Finn said. "Perhaps Evilus simply stumbled upon a naturally formed entrance and utilized it after all?"
He really had thought this through, huh?
Well, a dumbass like Gin thought about it, so it was obvious in hindsight that someone as smart as Finn would have thought of something similar already.
Gin snacked on his tea and cookies as he thought.
His theory would only work if somehow Evilus had enough manpower, time, and funds to make something like that.
Yeah, that sounded downright impossible. Something like that would have taken them a near thousand years.
No. Thinking in reverse, as long as they had those, his theory was possible.
Let's assume that he was right for a second; then that meant Evilus had enough time to build something like that.
Which meant that someone from way back then was already an Evilus member?
Hmm… That sounded unlikely.
"Perhaps Evilus simply stumbled upon a naturally formed entrance and utilized it after all?"
"Wait, what if someone from a thousand years ago made the entrance, and Evilus is just using it like a hobo?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, what if, just like what you said, they actually found an already available hidden base and just used it? I mean, ancient old dudes are weird, right? One of them probably had a weird hobby of making hidden passages or something." Gin was just mouthing out the first thing that came to his mind now, but somehow he could see the gears turning inside Finn's mind.
"That's—"
Was he sucking his thumb now? No, this must be his serious thinking pose!
"Daedalus? Could it be?"
Daedalus? The crazy old fuck that designed and built Daedalus Street? Gin remembered reading about him.
He was an ancient old dude, and he was probably weird since he was associated with that stupid maze-like street.
Yeah, he fit the bill to a T, but still...
"Sorry for interrupting here, Sir Finn." Gin raised his hand to catch his attention. "I mean, sure, Daedalus is a crazy architect and all, but he's just a human, right? He probably lived until he was 80, give or take. He wouldn't be able to finish the hidden passage, right?"
"Him alone? Yes, it is impossible." Finn nodded. "But humans never truly work alone, do they? If someone has unfinished work, it is normal to pass it to someone else."
"Basically, he dumped his work on his children or students. Is that what you are saying?" Finn nodded again at his question. "He must have some very loyal followers then. Either that, or he has some crazy mind control magic that spans for generations."
"That's another plausible theory. The magic given to us by the gods has several unbelievable effects, after all." He grinned wryly. "Well, let's compile this theory for now then. First, there exists a second entrance to the dungeon, which is also linked to Evilus's hidden base and Orario. Second: The most plausible explanation, assuming it is man-made, is that it was created by Daedalus, the great architect, and his followers. With those two ideas, what is the other plausible theory that we can make?"
That was obvious, wasn't it?
"The entrance in Orario is probably on Daedalus Street," Gin groaned. "Fucking shit."
"Fucking shit indeed." Finn chuckled. "Well, this should answer your other query, no? You have a good eye, Gin. Are you willing to use it for a cause greater than yourself?"
"I am just making sure here, Sir Finn." Gin glanced at him. "You are not actually asking me to patrol around Daedalus Street to catch the Evilus red-handed when they are moving around and locate their base with it, right?"
Hel no.
He was not going to enter that stupid place again!
"I am willing to pay you in food."
"I am going to put my life on the line for this cause, Sir Finn." Gin saluted him.
....
Following his discussion with Finn and the result of his familia's independent exploration sans himself, Gin had finally set up a new schedule.
In one week, he spent three days exploring the dungeon with his familia, two days for R&R, and used the rest to patrol the accursed Daedalus Street.
He chewed his gum loudly as he lay down lazily on the edge of a building rooftop on Daedalus Street.
This place was still stressing him out.
It had been almost a year since he moved to Orario, which made it a given that there would be a bad memory or two for him here.
He recalled the times when some random elves glared at him when he walked close to Riveria.
There was also a time when he needed to go back to the Guild because he forgot to take his money with him after exchanging some magic stones.
But of course, the incident where he was almost killed by some dude with a weird-ass roofie curse on this stupid Daedalus Street took the cake.
If Ryuu and the others hadn't saved him, he reckoned he would be getting the gentlest cleaning treatment from Ereshkigal right about now.
No one could blame him for being a bit ruffled by being in this place.
He sighed.
It couldn't be helped. This was for the good of the city. There were a lot of good people living here—a lot of people he cared about.
There was no way he would squander the chance to contribute to the cause.
If he really found the Evilus hideout, then Orario would get a leg up in an instant.
They could bring the fight to Evilus, or at least set up some ambushes and blockades at the entrances.
Personally, he would be more than content to simply channel some poisonous gas down their base.
Underhanded? Yep.
Effective? Very.
Even those with Abnormal Status Resistance shouldn't be able to last against every volatile poison the combined might of the city could procure.
He busied himself thinking up ways to screw with Evilus.
Explosives, water floods, stink gas—he even considered the idea of stationing Loki or Ganesha right at the entrance to annoy them.
'Why did my mind always go to wild places whenever i was alone like this?' He sighed again for the umpteenth time.
His gaze fell on the Babel Tower, and his mind turned to his familia.
Elise had proved herself capable enough to lead the party.
Sure, all of them looked a bit beat up, and their profit was a bit on the lower side after their first independent exploration, but all of them came back alive.
That was the important part for him.
The fact that they seemed to appreciate him more was just a nice bonus.
Oh, speaking of them, his familia seemed to have become more diligent after the exploration.
Elise was studying up on tactics and the ins and outs of running a familia now.
"I am not really helping in the dungeon, so I want to help lighten your load outside of it at least," was her reason.
Maybe experiencing how troublesome it was to lead a party made her try to put herself in his shoes?
Well, she was still far from being able to help him, but it was a start.
If she could own up to her words, it might not be a bad idea to hand the mantle of vice-captain to her.
The other four also started to pick things up on their own. It became normal for him to walk in on the twins as they looked at dungeon maps.
He also heard that Elily had trained with Asta, the dwarf from the Astraea Familia, while Raul outright told him that Rem had been asking him and Aki for advice.
It was a good thing that they finally took the initiative.
He didn't want party members who could only tag along behind him without contributing to anything.
… Oh, right, there was one person who hadn't contributed to anything.
That Dum-Dum!
Hel told him that his mystery member was "Walking down her separate path, blanketed by shadows and drying blood. She is my unseen hand, my punishment for the evil. The time is not yet ripe for her to bask in the light."
Which meant that Ms. Dum-Dum was actually eliminating villains by Hel's orders behind the scenes, but to be honest, he preferred her acting normally and helping with his familia's day-to-day activities.
If she couldn't help him in the dungeon, then she could at least help him with taxes, dishes, and laundry.
"-!"
Faint noises from the distance interrupted his line of thought.
Sitting up alertly, he turned his attention to the south before relaxing again.
Sixth District? Eh, he really didn't care about that place, so it was hard to feel sorry for it.
Besides, that place was the turf of both the Freya and Ishtar Familias anyway.
The Ishtar Familia had a Level 5, while Freya's had the Warlord, a freaking Level 6.
There was no need to worry that the damage would spread too far.
The question was: should he go there and tail the Evilus survivors, or should he just wait here and look for a good vantage point?
....
He decided to wait here on Daedalus Street.
No sense in recklessly getting close to the fray while expending his stamina needlessly.
Dusting off his pants, he looked around to find a building with a better vantage point and moved there.
He got a mostly clear view of the pathways leading from the Sixth District now.
Laying down to shield his body from view, he peered from the edge of the new building.
Now the only thing he needed to do was stay silent, keep his focus, and not miss anything.
"Move it up, people!" Gin stared at the topless, pale dude who seemed to be the leader of the group.
He was definitely the leader!
Like, he was the only one exposing his body while the others were hiding behind robes!
Either that or he was the resident lunatic of Evilus.
There was always one or two weirdos in every group after all. If it was true, then he must be quite the pariah.
They were moving west now, zipping along the narrow path of Daedalus Street like they were used to it.
Not even pausing to look for directions in this stupid maze? Yep, they were used to it.
He waited for a while as soon as they disappeared from his view before following along to catch sight of them again.
He kept repeating this for a while to ensure that they didn't catch signs of him.
Stopping on another building again, he watched the one leading in the front enter an unassuming manhole before the last guy closed it behind them.
"They are living in the sewers after all," Gin muttered to himself.
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