During the earlier incident with the Man-made dungeon, Knossos, the Loki Familia was the first to be caught up in it.
The chain of events triggered by the Amazoness Nation ultimately revealed the backer funding the construction of the Man-made dungeon: the Ishtar Familia.
And it was precisely thanks to this gray-market ruler's meddling, with Freya and that golden-haired god Hermes stirring up the waters, that the "hero candidate" Bell Cranel, valued by several powerful figures, was dragged into the mess.
In the end, it even forced the goddess Freya herself, to take the stage personally, bringing the curtain down on that grand play.
As for Aisha and Ryu Lion, one, a pawn being toyed with, the other, kept in the dark due to strict information control, they were both outsiders and insiders at the same time.
It fell to Asfi, who had calmly observed everything and pieced the threads together, to explain to them the origins of this Man-made dungeon and its current purpose.
After hearing her account, Aisha simply looked amused, taking it as entertainment.
But Ryu Lion's delicate face turned cold, her eyes darkening with suppressed fury.
"The Evilus faction… that group of rats who only hide in the sewers. I thought on that day three years ago, I had already wiped them out. Who would have thought there were still so many left, even bold enough to stir up trouble again."
"..."
"..."
Asfi and Aisha exchanged a glance, both with a trace of helplessness in their eyes.
Veterans as they were, one the captain of an information broker Familia, the other a key member of a gray-market syndicate, it would be a lie to say they hadn't seen the name 'Gale' appear repeatedly in black market reports and bounty notices.
The chain of events centered around Gale, from five to three years ago, had practically shaken all of Orario and the major Familia.
Even the Guild headquarters, unable to bear the pressure from all sides, had been forced to issue a wanted order for Gale, with a bounty of over 10 million valis.
Of course, they also knew why Gale had acted that way, so they chose to turn a blind eye.
Otherwise, could Ryu really have lived peacefully as a waitress at the Hostess of Fertility?
Had they underestimated the intelligence networks of the Guild and the major Familia? No, it was simply that everyone tacitly chose not to press the matter.
After all, the Evilus faction never wanted to live like people.
"Ryu, though this does involve Evilus… the god of the main Evilus Familia's have already been sent back, by your own hand, no less." Asfi carefully tried to console her.
Meanwhile, Fron, who had been silently inspecting the massive gate of the underground labyrinth and wondering if he should fetch the key from the surface, suddenly spoke up.
"I think it's more likely the Ikeros Familia and Thanatos Familia are behind this. You know, our Loki Familia clashed with them not long ago. Finn's old acquaintance hasn't even come into play yet."
That "old acquaintance", all three of them had heard of.
After all, they were survivors of the events seven years ago. And as one of Evilus's top officers, it was impossible not to know.
For example, Asfi had instantly recognized the appearance of the Fanatic, Olivas Act, at first sight.
"Valetta Grede… so she really didn't die. Back then, Finn clearly pierced her heart with a single strike."
"Who knows? If even Olivas Act could return from the dead, then it's not so hard to imagine for her."
Aisha and Asfi traded remarks about their enemies, but Ryu remained silent, her face cold and her gaze sharp, lost in thought.
"Ahem… this gate. Without the key, getting inside is nearly impossible, you understand that, Asfi?"
"Yes. Forged from the hardest alloys… these people really do have money."
Fron shrugged. "And who knows how many such gates exist? Just imagining it gives me chills. Over the years, they must have raked in unimaginable profits through underground trafficking."
"Speaking of the Ikeros Familia, I've heard their name but don't know much. They don't seem to be very high-profile. All I know is their main god has a rather vile personality."
Resting his massive cleaver on his shoulder, Aisha rubbed her chin, narrowing her eyes in thought.
At her words, even Fron paused. True, not just Aisha, even he only knew vaguely. Ikeros was a typical trickster god, offering no real leadership or guidance to his Familia.
Once again, Asfi stepped forward to explain, after all, commerce and intelligence gathering were her Familia's trade.
"The Ikeros Familia, led by the god Ikeros. His personality is as vile as my own god's. According to Lord Hermes, Ikeros allows his children free rein, whatever they want to do, they do. Their character isn't even a consideration. He only cares for his own amusement."
"But that's not the main point. According to our investigations, the Ikeros Familia deliberately keeps a low profile. Their registered strength at the Guild is inaccurate. For instance, their captain, Dix Perdix."
"He's one of the few first-class adventurers outside of Loki, Freya, and Ganesha's Familia, a level 5. His combat style is unknown, and whether he wields dangerous magic is also unclear. He's not easy to deal with."
Not just "not easy", with his magic and weapon, even someone like Fron could fall if caught unprepared.
That's the thing about Evilus, they always come up with bizarre tools, especially curses.
Curses, to weaken, to cause bleeding, to sow confusion… any one of them is dangerous enough, let alone when they use them together.
If Fron barged in alone and fell victim to such tricks, his strength could easily be reduced to level 4 or lower. With magic sealed, bleeding curses active, and then subjected to a war of attrition, even the toughest could be crushed.
The thought made Fron draw a deep breath.
"You all wait here. I'll go fetch the key."
"No need, Fron Algon."
"?" Following the voice, they saw him, and their eyes widened.
It was Lyd and the other Xenos, along with Bell Cranel, but all of them stood behind a cloaked figure who hid his face entirely under a black robe.
"We've met before, haven't we? And of course, Perseus as well."
"The client who requested the mission to investigate the pantry on the 24th floor, right?"
The mysterious figure nodded and then spoke.
"Let me formally introduce myself. I am Fels, once of the Daedalus Workshop…"
Fron raised a hand to cut him off.
"To mingle with intelligent monsters like these, and conceal their existence for so many years… other than someone working with the Guild itself, I can't imagine you belonging anywhere else. Your patron must be the Guild's god, Ouranos."