The cruelty and atrocities of Evilus spread through Orario's taverns, whispered from one adventurer to another.
For a time, resentment toward Evilus across the city reached its peak. Ordinary citizens, in particular, came to see Evilus as something far more terrifying than monsters themselves.
Yes—something, not someone.
At that moment, in the eyes of the common people, Evilus no longer counted as human. They were seen as creatures even lower than monsters. Calling them beasts was almost a compliment, an insult to beasts themselves.
As anger against Evilus surged throughout Orario, another piece of information spread alongside it:
'Evilus carried out the explosion in the civilian district to deliberately draw the gods' attention and use it as a distraction for secret operations in the Dungeon.'
That news hit Orario like a bombshell.
To create a diversion, to lure the gods' gaze—they had blown up the civilian district.
That kind of behavior was pure animal.
The revelation ignited Orario's hatred for Evilus even further. Even the gods' disgust for them reached its limit.
"Those bastards really don't want us to live in peace, huh?"
"Then let's send them all back to the afterlife!"
Such declarations spread among many Familia.
Within a single day, the scent of war thickened across the city. Even walking the streets, one could feel the heavy, stifling tension.
Naturally, those words reached Dionysus's ears.
"...."
Sitting within his Familia, his expression darkened slightly.
'Things are developing beyond what I anticipated.'
Dionysus had never intended to pin his hopes entirely on those fools from Evilus. At most, they were tools—means to test the Guild's response.
Bringing the surface world into chaos was no simple task. And the rise of the three pillars within Loki Familia made the situation far from ideal for him.
What Dionysus hadn't expected, however, was for those idiots to act so recklessly.
Blowing up a civilian district?
True, it could draw Ganesha's and the Guild's attention, maybe even bait the Guild into revealing their methods—but it was far too crude and senseless.
Just like the rumors currently spreading throughout Orario—and the Guild's constant surveillance of the Evilus hiding within the Dungeon.
"It seems Ganesha has already pinpointed their underground location."
"Those rumors..."
Dionysus couldn't be sure if they had come from within the Ganesha Familia. Yet the descriptions were disturbingly precise—far too accurate for anyone who hadn't seen the blast zone firsthand. And yesterday, only the Familia of Ganesha, Hermes, Freya, and Loki had entered the area to provide support.
Freya's children would never gossip behind anyone's back. Loki's children were far too conspicuous to speak carelessly in public. That left only Hermes and Ganesha as possible sources.
'It seems Ganesha and his group are beginning coordinated action.'
A flicker of concern passed across Dionysus's face.
The situation with Evilus had already spiraled far beyond his control. He couldn't even be certain what those fools were doing anymore.
This time, the Guild didn't seem to be treating it as a game. Judging by yesterday's entry into the blast zone, the Guild had at least joined forces with Freya, Loki, and Hermes.
Those three Familia working together made things extremely troublesome.
Dionysus knew Freya would never act without reason, and Hermes's children still lacked sufficient strength. That meant Loki's Familia would likely serve as the main force in the operation.
"So Loki is the key to this operation."
"We'll need to move through her if we want to influence the situation."
Dionysus pondered for a moment before reaching his decision.
Abandon Evilus.
Those fools had completely lost control. Thanatos, as leader of Evilus, was now utterly worthless.
Thanatos held nearly all of Evilus's internal intelligence. Dionysus didn't know whether any of it concerned him personally, but he was certain it contained plenty he didn't want the Guild to uncover.
Therefore, Evilus had to be eliminated. Thanatos himself needed to be silenced completely, before he could leak anything that might lead the Guild toward Dionysus.
"Seems I should speak with Loki sooner rather than later."
...
Within the Hestia Familia.
Loki clicked her tongue at the news that had swept through Orario that day. She gave a strange look to the person sitting beside her, quietly sipping his tea.
"So... you disguised yourself as a member of Ganesha Familia to make the situation spiral even further, huh?"
"Aren't you afraid someone will notice something's off?"
The one responsible for spreading tales of Evilus's terror attacks—and intensifying the city's hatred toward them—simply smiled, completely unconcerned.
"Besides Ganesha and Hermes, who else would know it was me?"
"And even if Ganesha and Hermes knew, they wouldn't tell anyone else. So who could possibly find out it was me?"
Watching Bell's calm confidence, Loki pouted in irritation. Still, she had to admit—Hermes and Ganesha weren't the type to talk.
Leaning lazily back in her chair, she turned her whole body toward Bell.
"So... you did this to provoke Dionysus?"
Bell nodded slightly.
"The current Dionysus should already realize that Evilus will soon take action. At the same time, he knows the Guild won't sit idle either."
"The leader of Evilus might not know Dionysus's true identity yet, but he definitely has some investigative information. If the Guild gets hold of that data, it could narrow down the list of suspects for 'Enyo's' identity."
"As for the other reason... it's Evilus itself."
Loki understood perfectly, though her expression looked as though she were enjoying the spectacle.
"Heh~ Those rats must have records on Evilus's main members. If the Guild gets their hands on that intel, Orario's going to lose quite a few gods this time around."