The day after the meeting, a heavy tension hung over all of Orario.
Following Evilus's sudden assault, the Guild behaved as though nothing had happened—merely repairing the damaged streets, taking no other visible action. That eerie calm unsettled everyone.
In a certain tavern in the city, countless adventurers sat quietly at their tables, mugs in hand. Yet despite the subdued atmosphere, every conversation circled the same topic.
"I'm telling you, Evilus really kicked a hornet's nest this time."
"I'd say so too."
Speculation about the Guild's next move filled the air, but on one point, everyone agreed—Evilus had made a grave mistake.
"The Guild doesn't just sit around, and none of the Familias in Orario are pushovers. You think they'll let Evilus shit on their heads and get away with it?"
Crude as it was, the logic couldn't be denied.
"I heard Ganesha Familia was the first to enter the blast zone for rescue."
"Not just them. Even Loki Familia, Hermes Familia... and Freya Familia got involved."
"That many?"
"What do you think?"
The speaker—a worn, exhausted man—rolled his eyes.
"I was one of the support teams sent in. You think I can't tell who's in Freya Familia?"
"Fair point."
The man who'd spoken up earlier quickly waved his hands in apology.
"Freya Familia's hard to miss. No way you're mistaken, brother. I just find it strange... Why wasn't Freya Familia connected to the explosion itself? And why'd they show up for the rescue?"
The weary man frowned, just as confused himself, but he still gave the fool a warning look.
"You shouldn't be asking me that. We're just mortals. The minds of the gods aren't for us to guess at."
"Right, right."
The man laughed awkwardly, dropping the topic.
"So... how was the rescue?"
"Rescue, huh...?" The tired man gave a bitter laugh. "It wasn't a rescue. It was hell."
His voice turned hollow, trembling slightly. A look of haunted disbelief spread across his face.
"The blast's center... there were almost no survivors."
"The devastation there can only be described as... unspeakable."
"Just look at me."
The entire tavern went silent as every eye turned toward him.
"Look at my face. Look how pale I am. That scene... I can't even close my eyes anymore. The moment I do, I see it—corpses everywhere, rivers of blood flowing under my feet."
His body began to tremble as he spoke.
He'd only come here to drown the memories in drink, to find a bit of peace. But the moment he spoke, the images from the day before came flooding back.
He raised his wooden mug and took a deep gulp. The burning liquor flushed his face red.
Thud!
He slammed the mug down hard on the table, as if trying to stop his shaking—but his hands wouldn't stay still.
"I've seen piles of monster corpses. I've seen adventurers die beside me in the Dungeon. But I've never—never—seen ordinary people blown apart like that. Limbs scattered everywhere, blood soaking the ground until it formed a river."
"I can tell you this—more civilians died there than the population of an entire city."
"I used to see kids playing outside that area. Yesterday, during the rescue, I found one of those kids... only half a body left."
The man's words painted the scene in vivid horror in every mind there.
They were adventurers—people who lived by gambling with death every day. They shouldn't have felt pity for others.
And yet, in that moment, not one of them could speak.
Even though they were adventurers, they were still human—people with normal sense and reason.
They could scheme and deceive fellow adventurers or exploit their supporters without guilt, but even adventurers wouldn't raise their hands against a group of powerless children.
Some actions went far beyond any line.
The haggard man's voice rose again, this time rough and trembling.
"I don't know why Lady Freya chose to act, but after seeing that scene... I imagine any god who loves children would be enraged."
The tavern fell into silence.
Everyone shared the same thought.
Maybe it really was because the goddess had witnessed such a scene that she was moved to act—perhaps that was why Freya Familia had intervened.
And what about them?
Were they doing anything only because the Guild had posted a bounty?
Looking at the haggard man's pale, haunted face, they could almost guess why he looked like that. He probably hadn't slept a single night since seeing the devastation in the blast zone.
"Those damned rats... their methods are too vile," muttered the man who had begged for mercy earlier, now sighing heavily. He finally understood why the older man's expression remained so grim.
The haggard man shook his head slowly, his voice bitter.
"Evilus's cruelty didn't start today. They've been disgusting from the very beginning."
"We adventurers—we lie, betray, bully, and exploit our supporters. But even we haven't sunk as low as those monsters. We'd never lay our hands on helpless children."
The entire tavern went quiet again. No one spoke, but every face reflected agreement.
Yes, they could be shameless, but they still had a human bottom line.
They could exploit their supporters because that was business, profit, survival.
But defenseless children—there was nothing to gain from them, no reason to hurt them. Killing them was pure madness.
The haggard man spoke again, his voice tight with anger.
"This time, Evilus did it on purpose!"
"The explosion happened in a civilian district. They targeted that area deliberately—to enrage the gods!"
That got everyone's attention. A few leaned forward, frowning.
"Brother, why do you say that?"
The man didn't answer right away. He took a long drink from his mug before continuing.
"Because Ganesha-sama had already tracked those rats' movements in the Dungeon. After yesterday's blast, we found traces of their activity again. It was a classic feint—lure us one way while they struck another."
"Ganesha-sama cares deeply for ordinary citizens. And many gods grow furious when innocent people bleed."
"Those bastards clearly used that to their advantage!"
The tavern erupted.
Shock and rage rippled through the crowd of adventurers.
To think—the explosion that wiped out an entire district wasn't random. It was a deliberate act, aimed at civilians.
The realization left every adventurer in the room burning with fury.
...
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