Creak, creak, creak…
The old wooden stairs groaned under the weight of leather shoes.
With Fron's full gear and his own body weight, it was clearly different from when Anya and the others normally used these stairs. That was only natural.
To avoid damaging the tavern's valuable property and ending up extorted by Mia, he had no choice but to step carefully.
Fortunately, once he reached the second-floor loft, the flooring was much sturdier, and the space more spacious. Otherwise, Fron wouldn't have dared to move too much at all.
Knock knock…
"Who is it!?"
"It's me."
…
The room inside went quiet for a moment before hurried, slightly messy footsteps approached.
When Ryu's delicate face appeared behind the door, and she saw the familiar face beneath the cloak, the doubt in her eyes finally faded.
"Fron, what are you doing here…?" He waved silently, slipped inside, and shut the wooden door behind him, briefly scanning the room.
"As expected of Hermes Familia, your intel is sharp, huh?"
Seeing Asfi and Aisha here was proof enough.
"Heh, so Loki Familia's Night Weaver showed up in person? Isn't a little monster attack in Rivira too small a deal to bring someone like you here?"
"…." Her discontent was obvious.
After all, when it came to the destruction of the Ishtar Familia, Aisha never really cared, in fact, she had been happy about it.
But Haruhime being taken in by Loki Familia? That was something she couldn't let go of. Worse, the entire matter had been handled behind her back, without her knowing a thing.
Thinking about it, it made sense. With the relationship between them, such secrecy could only breed resentment.
[T/N: OwO... what relationship b/w them? Last time I checked they were on complete opposite sides? I seriously am getting vibes that the author does not remember what he is writing. But this is just my humble opinion.]
"Sorry, Aisha. It all happened suddenly. Besides, you wouldn't want Haruhime's power to become known to all the other familias in Orario, right? If that happened… well, you can imagine her future."
"The familias and gods with some principles might cause only small troubles, but the ones lurking in the shadows? They would stop at nothing to erase such an unstable factor."
"…." Not only Aisha, but even Asfi and Ryu, who were quietly observing, agreed with Fron's reasoning.
The two of them had crossed paths with those kinds of chaotic elements more times than they could count. They knew very well what such groups were truly like.
"Alright, Aisha. We actually came here for something more important. You can discuss this later."
Seeing the conversation veering off track in such urgent times, Asfi had no choice but to intervene.
Fron and Aisha exchanged a glance before shifting the topic.
"Let's talk about the intel we've gathered. Hermes Familia specializes in this, Asfi, what did you find?"
Unbothered, Fron casually looked around the loft before seating himself by the window.
Asfi glanced at Ryu first, then replied:
"This incident happened very suddenly, without any signs beforehand. The only certainty is that this group of armed monsters has a traceable history. Based on what we've dug up, they can be traced all the way back to the age of Zeus and Hera."
"But… their records were forcibly suppressed by some power. As for why they attacked Rivira this time, there must be reasons we don't yet know. However… I believe the key lies with Bell Cranel. As for why, Fron, you should understand, right?"
Fron raised an eyebrow, glanced at the three of them, then instantly understood the unspoken meaning.
Of course. Even he, someone not adept at intelligence work, had noticed the unique individual within Ganesha Familia. There was no way Hermes Familia hadn't noticed.
And Hermes had been keeping an eye on Bell Cranel for a long time.
If he didn't know, that would've been the real surprise. Wandering between two deities as he did, Hermes likely knew secrets that even Loki and Freya didn't.
"Of course. Then our target is Rivira, right?"
"Exactly. Maybe we'll uncover the real reason behind the attack there. As for the nonsense about breaching Babel Tower and invading the surface, that's just a story to fool the masses."
"Time is short. Let's set off immediately."
"Wait, take these. Our identities are too sensitive. Especially with Babel's dungeon entrance under tight guard right now, if we're caught, the Guild won't let it slide."
"Not to mention Ryu's situation… and most importantly, you, Fron. A Level 6 from Loki Familia, wherever you go, you draw attention. We're here to investigate quietly, not startle the snake."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it."
Taking the mask from Asfi, Fron looked at it with interest.
It was a magic tool that granted optical invisibility once worn. The maker, of course, was the Perseus, Asfi herself.
Fron himself, after learning enough magic and craftwork, could probably make something like this given time.
But whether it would succeed… that was another question. After all, Asfi had devoted years of study to this craft. Catching up instantly would be an insult to her title as the Perseus.
With the masks, Fron and the others easily slipped past the blockade, relying on their invisibility and the overwhelming strength of a Level 4 and Level 6. They dashed straight for the 18th floor.
Meanwhile, another figure, also cloaked in invisibility, was hurrying toward the 18th floor.
...
"Being forced to stay out of this really annoys me, you know?" Loki lounged on the sofa, legs crossed, a wine bottle in hand, muttering.
"Loki, we've done all we can. The pieces are already in place. Now, we just need to wait."Riveria's calm voice analyzed the situation.
"Well, yeah. Still, my godly intuition tells me this isn't over. There'll definitely be follow-ups. Might even shake the whole Orario, who knows?"
"You really think so, Loki?" Finn sat at his desk, fingers interlaced beneath his chin.
…
…
Southwest of Orario, stood the dazzling estate.
Within its luxurious hall, a goddess sat gracefully by a huge window, a glass in one hand and a guild notice in the other. After reading it, she flicked the parchment and smiled thoughtfully.
"Hehe… so even the great god Ouranos has secrets to hide. Buried so deep, too. If not for this incident blowing up, we might never have known, right, Ottar?"
"Goddess."
"What's the situation now?"
"Do you mean Bell Cranel? We've confirmed that his participation in this suppression mission was at the Guild's direct summons."
"Oh? How amusing. Ouranos… are you trying to test my precious child? To see if he's just another puppet of the gods, or perhaps…"
"Hehe."