by Fujino Omori
“Working together with other familias? Well, the situation and the whole ‘the fate of the city’s at stake’ shtick might sound kinda laughable, but there’s no good reason not to get help from other people.”
Loki was forced to agree that, tragically, this was not something Loki Familia could handle alone. Riveria and Gareth both nodded in agreement.
“My guess is that Fei-Fei and Ganesha might help after understanding the situation. And I’m forcing Hermes to join this time. That familia is light on their feet—the right fit for the mapping job.”
“It sounded like he was pulling a lot of strings during the mess with the Xenos. Can we trust him?”
“Not much farther than we can throw him, but there’s no way he would pull something to screw this up. Even he wouldn’t go that far.”
“Freya Familia …There’s not much point in expecting anything there, huh?”
“Yeah. Even if we told them about the danger to the city, they would never just obediently cooperate. They’ll only move according to Freya’s divine will or her whims.”
“We should ditch that stupid pervert and make her a loner. The empress in new clothes. When it’s all said and done, we can make fun of her as much as we want.”
“Ha-ha-ha…That reminds me, Loki. I want to ask Dian Cecht Familia for help, too. That one can be in the form of a quest, though.”
Even after she left the administrative stuff to the Guild, Loki frequently ended up having to settle discussions with the patron gods in other familias, which was why she started making a list of all the potential familias for this job while the others talked. With this situation, they didn’t need to inform any more familias than necessary. If it leaked that the remnants of the Evils were planning something, the city would fall into a panic. The residents of Orario still remembered the Dark Ages of the city, when evil abounded.
“…It was like this back when the Evils were running strong, too, but managing relations among familias are difficult. Even though a clear and present danger faces the city, it’s hard for everyone to work together to deal with it.”
Riveria suddenly compared the current situation to the Dark Ages, which had lasted until five years ago.
The problem was that the deities weren’t cut from the same cloth. Some factions, Freya Familia being the obvious example, would never work together without some sort of official reason, and they were frustratingly slow when they finally did move out.
“No use in lamenting it now. We just have to do what needs to be done.”
Switching topics, Finn focused back on the planning for the first strike.
“I said I wanted to preserve forces for the second attack, but obviously our familia will have to participate in both parts. It’s our plan, after all. And we’re the only ones who have any experience with everything that Knossos can bring to bear.”
He made it clear contextually that they would have to take the role of guides leading mixed squads as he explained the actual details of the operation.
“We touched on it earlier, but we need numbers for the first attack, not quality—the manpower to be able to map a labyrinth rivaling the Dungeon.”
“Dividing into multiple squads to attack…ultra-human-wave tactics.”
“Yes. There’s no shortcut here. We’re going to use this attack to get ahold of the best route to clear out Knossos, just like all our predecessors who mapped the route through the Dungeon.”
“The goal?” Gareth asked.
“Eighty percent. Worst case, seventy,” Finn responded, dumbfounding Gareth.
“Mapping over seventy percent of that giant maze…To be honest, I’m a bit dizzy just imagining doing it.”
“In order to be able to finish things with the second assault, that’s what we’ll need to accomplish. Well, there is one other shortcut we could use…but that’s something we should leave to the likes of Hermes Familia .”
Finn shrugged when Gareth winced. It was then that Riveria finally brought up the biggest point of concern.
“And what will we do about the creature?”
That still needed to be handled: the redheaded woman Levis.
“In order to achieve your goals, it seems reasonable to think it will be a drawn-out fight…That’ll take time. And the more time we give that creature, the greater the risk for our forces.”
“…”
Of all the enemy pieces, Levis would undoubtedly be the queen. She was a powerful unit that could move in every direction. Her attack signaled death to all who encountered her.
In order to finish the map, they would resort to the brute-force method of human-wave tactics, but precisely because they were spread out, any squad faced with Levis would be unable to deal with her. Choosing to disperse their forces greatly increased the odds of their attack ending in a defeat where each squad was crushed one by one.
On top of that, there was currently no method of tracking Levis’s individual movements and mustering sufficient force to deal with her inside that giant labyrinth. The battle would turn into a stalemate, increasing the overall damage sustained by their forces.
Finn pursed his lips.
“…Are you planning to carry out this strategy while accepting the costs?” Riveria asked, lowering her voice.
The implication was: Will you sacrifice our allies in order to achieve the objective?
“I’ve no intention of abandoning anyone ,” he responded clearly. “I won’t accept the loss of people on this mission. If a squad gets wiped out, all the mapping they achieved will be wasted. To say nothing of problems with morale. If we allow the creature to run free, our allies will be crushed in the blink of an eye.”
“…!”
“I’m not planning a fight under the assumption that we’ll be taking any losses. We’re not going to sacrifice anyone to that creature.”
Riveria and Gareth both gazed in wonder at his response. Loki stopped moving, her lips curling up.
He didn’t say as much, but Finn made it clear he was searching for a solution that involved no losses at all, not just one that minimized them.
The old Finn Deimne would have simply made the sacrifice without any doubt. To overcome the reality of the situation, he would never have chased after ideals in the first place. He would have made every effort to control the situation and keep losses to the lowest possible level. But Finn had abandoned that assumption.
It wasn’t that he had suddenly become overly optimistic about their chances. It was simply an expression of his resolve to achieve his ideals. He had his eyes on a much more difficult path than simply accepting losses as a necessary cost of victory.
As a realist, Finn now had the bravery to smash the scales. He was no longer someone who wanted to accept sacrificing his allies with a cold heart.
Riveria and Gareth understood that it was the result of the answer he had come to during the incident with the Xenos. But it was also a dazzling thing to behold.
When all was said and done, Finn was still the youngest member of the familia’s commanders. At times like this, Riveria and Gareth shared the sort of happiness that a parent might have watching their child growing up. Loki smiled in satisfaction, as if welcoming Finn’s transformation.
“If Aiz can take part in the plan, then I have a plan for dealing with this creature. Can you leave that to me for the time being?” Finn asked with a resolute gaze.
Riveria and Gareth both smiled, entrusting it to him. Finn appeared even more reliable than before as he continued explaining his strategy for the attack. Pointing to the map and rough sketches of the monsters on the desktop, he precisely covered the main points.
“For the time being, there are some critical things that we have to gather. Without those, we can’t carry out the plan.”
“The secret anti-curse medicine?”
“Yeah. The fighting will be extremely intense starting with the very first assault. We’ll need to have resources to deal with the unhealable curse.”
The sol
diers inside Knossos were equipped with cursed weapons. Amid’s medicine was the only thing capable of dispelling the afflictions they caused, which made it indispensable.
“If we mess this up and fail, we lose everything, so we will set aside enough time until the operation begins. But in the meantime, we’ll harass Knossos.”
The enemy had shut themselves up inside Knossos, meaning they were essentially holing up to wait out the siege. It allowed Loki Familia ample opportunity to put the pressure on their enemy: for example, starving the enemy of supplies or launching intermittent attacks when they were least expecting them. There were likely more paths connected to the Dungeon that Loki Familia did not know about yet, but if they placed an inspection at Babel, then the Knossos forces would not be able to reach the surface. At best, they would only be able to scavenge for what little food could be found inside the Dungeon. Finn’s plan involved working with Ganesha Familia to create a tight net.
“For the first attack, I’d like us and Hermes Familia to participate. And after that, I’d like to call on a familia with lots of members to help, but…” Trailing off, Finn suddenly looked to his patron goddess. “Loki, what about Dionysus Familia ?”
The other member of their alliance was Dionysus Familia . The members of that familia were undeniably lacking in level and strength, but they boasted quantity. They were the ideal familia to help with the mapping.
Loki paused for a few beats before responding. “…Let’s put that on hold for now.”
“Why? This isn’t the time to be tripping one another up, trying to read one another’s motives. Now that the big thing that Ouranos was hiding has been cleared up, Dionysus should have no reason to be on guard against the Guild.”
Loki did not respond to the question that Riveria hurled into the mix.
Watching the silent goddess for a bit, Finn responded, “All right, I guess. We can leave this to Loki,” changing the topic.
And then he revealed their critical partners for this mission.
“I’m planning to have them, the Xenos, join the first attack.”
“A double envelopment from Daedalus Street and the eighteenth floor, huh…?” Fels repeated to confirm.
Ouranos responded “Yes” with a solemn nod.
They were in the Chamber of Prayers beneath Guild Headquarters.
Atop the altar, surrounded by four burning torches, Ouranos and Fels were looking at the document from Loki Familia .
“The adventurers and the Xenos are to operate in separate groups without merging, huh…So the Xenos will attack from the eighteenth floor, and the adventurers will come in from aboveground…Braver sure is a fast worker. There’s not much more reassuring than having him as an ally.”
Organizing the adventurers and Xenos in separate groups was ideal to avoid any mishaps due to the adventurers’ lingering hatred of monsters. While he was attempting to achieve the ideal outcome, Braver was by no means willing to blindly trust in ideals alone. In addition, the document indicated that Fels was to take command of the Xenos’s side. Finn was counting on the mage’s skill. A hint of a sigh leaked out from Fels’s jet-black robes at that.
“I can accept this proposal. And you, Ouranos?”
“No objection.”
“Then I’ll offer them oculi. If we’re able to communicate inside Knossos, that will increase the precision of the mapping for this first stage.”
The mage took out a crystal capable of conveying sight and sound that could fit in the palm of a hand. Entrusting them with such a valuable magic item was proof of Fels’s trust in them and expressed the mage’s resolve to defeat the people hiding away inside that labyrinth.
“Fels, how much of the Xenos’s fighting force can take part?”
“About thirty of them, including Lido, Rei, and Gros. However, it seems the minotaur could not be stopped and immediately went down to the deep levels. There is no telling when he will return, so we can’t count on him for this first attack.”
The pitch-black minotaur had been officially categorized as Level 7 by the Guild. Though disappointed that they would not be able to make use of his strength for this mission, Fels changed gears without getting hung up on it.
Even if it was just this once for the sake of the assault on Knossos, the fact that Finn had requested this secret pact meant there was no reason to hold back anymore. They would join hands with Loki Familia without hesitation in order to protect the city.
As they were speaking, a new shadow approached the altar.
“Yo, in the middle of strategizing? From the looks of it, you seem to be working together with Loki and them.”
“God Hermes…”
Ouranos glanced at the god who emerged, and Fels turned to face him.
“Whew, that’s a load off my mind. It always felt like I was having to play the part of a double agent before.”
“…”
“Now Loki will stop being so suspicious of me, and this can end without me getting an ulcer,” the god announced with a hint of sarcasm as he removed his hat. That it did not sound unpleasant was perhaps because he genuinely was relieved.
In truth, during the Xenos incident, he had essentially been acting as a double agent. But they valued his work chasing after the Evils’ Remnants, which was why they weren’t blaming him for forming an alliance with Loki and them. Other than the part where he had gone off on his own to try to cover up the Xenos.
Fels recoiled a bit, as if not particularly pleased with Hermes for acting out of line during the struggle on Daedalus Street. But as would be expected, Ouranos showed no sign of agitation.
“…There are a few things I’d like to say, but, God Hermes, might I inquire as to why you have an imprint of a foot on your face? It appears almost as if you got drop-kicked there. And with perfect form, no less…” Fels said, rather suspicious.
“Ha-ha-ha. You should read the vibe and realize that’s not the sort of thing you should be asking. It’s neither here nor there, but let’s just call it taking responsibility for things with a certain young goddess.” The suave god with a distinct red mark on his face feigned a laugh.
“What business do you have, Hermes?”
“Hmm. I guess the god who created this city isn’t a fan of small talk. Okay, then allow me to get right to it.” Hermes’s mood suddenly turned serious. “I suspect the assault on Knossos will happen in the near future, but…I want to keep young Bell—Hestia Familia —far away from it.”
Fels looked surprised, but Hermes paid the mage no heed as he continued.
“He took another step forward during the fight in the Labyrinth District. One great enough to overcome my divine will and make a fool of me. I don’t want him to get wrapped up in this brutal fight right after he managed to reach a new stage of development. At the very least, not yet .”
The Guild had already publicly announced that Bell Cranell had reached Level 4. Hermes’s proposal was out of respect for the boy’s lightning-fast progress, as if he didn’t want anything to dim his radiance.
Fels and Ouranos had stopped moving. They did not reject Hermes. Instead, they seemed to agree with him, accepting his proposal.
“Very well. We had no intention of forcing more of a load onto Bell Cranell after his assistance with the Xenos incident.”
“But even if you want him distanced from it, how exactly would you suggest we do that, God Hermes?”
“Give Hestia Familia a mission to go on an expedition. That should be sufficient. With his level-up, their familia rank should be a D, which means they now have a duty to help clear the Dungeon,” Hermes responded effortlessly.
He was suggesting that they head into the Dungeon for the period of time when Ouranos’s and Loki’s forces were working together to take on Knossos in their large-scale operation.
“I think it is a bit hasty, since they only just went up in rank, but…the Guild seems to have high expectations of Hestia Familia , too. It should be acceptable to outside observers. Very well. I’ll pul
l some strings.”
“I’m counting on you.”
Finishing the conversation about the boy, Ouranos returned to the main topic. “Hermes, what will you do about the plan to attack Knossos?”
“My familia will be taking part, of course. Well, more like neither Loki nor you guys would let me hang back even if I tried to sit this one out.”
Hermes shrugged, and then his orange eyes narrowed.
“It’s been a roundabout path, but we’re finally reaching the end. We’re going to unmask whoever Enyo is with this battle.”
Enyo.
In the words of the gods, it meant the destroyer of cities : the mysterious person who had plotted the destruction of Orario and brought together the Evils’ Remnants, the corrupted spirit, and other underground forces. The instigator of the current situation and the one they suspected of being its mastermind.
“I’ll leave the flashy parts of the attack plan to Loki Familia and the Xenos. Leave the skulking around in the shadows behind the scenes to my kids…in order to track down all the clues we can find.”
Hermes pulled a chess piece from his cloak. A black king—Enyo. He rolled it around the palm of his hand before clenching his fist. With Knossos surrounded, they had their opponents in check. And they would keep moving forward until they reached checkmate. Hermes had lost some of his own children in the course of all this, and the intent of his divine will was blazing in his eyes.
Ouranos and Fels responded with silent assent.
“So when will the attack begin? There’s a lot to prepare for the final plan, right?”
Returning to his aloof tone, he glanced over at the letter in Fels’s hands. Looking down at the document spelling out the key points of Finn’s plan, the black-robed mage responded.
“The anticipated start date is—”
“L-L-Level Four…! H-h-h-he caught up to me…?!”
With her whole body trembling, Lefiya gripped the notice sheet declaring a certain adventurer’s level-up. Printed on the sheet was the white-haired boy’s likeness, along with an extensive report on the official announcement of his expedition mission.