Chapter 780: Conclusion, an Approaching Storm |
"Goddess Ishtar was sent back to Heaven!"
"The Ishtar Familia has been disbanded!"
"The Entertainment District was destroyed overnight!"
"A mysterious giant monster has appeared on the surface!"
"The Loki Familia and the Freya Familia have shown up!"
Early the next morning, statements like these began spreading rapidly throughout Orario.
Only then did the panicked citizens finally learn what had happened the previous night—why a pillar of light had appeared to send a god back, why a giant monster had emerged, and why such massive destruction had reduced the entire Entertainment District to ruins.
"So Freya went and attacked the Ishtar Familia?"
"What the hell did Ishtar even do?"
"Ishtar's always been poking at Freya. Kinda figured she'd get wiped out sooner or later."
"Man, this sucks… without the Entertainment District and the Ishtar Familia, how are we supposed to have any fun now?"
"Freya really doesn't give a damn about people, huh? Couldn't she think about us for once?"
"I'm more curious about that giant monster."
"Both the Freya Familia and the Loki Familia showing up in the Entertainment District... something's definitely off..."
"Yeah, no shit it's off. I heard even Vana Freya was covered in blood and got carried straight back to Folkvangr."
"No way, seriously?"
"A Level 7 got taken down?"
"So… what the hell actually happened?"
Various gods began paying attention to the matter and discussed it among themselves, yet none arrived at a satisfactory conclusion.
Naturally, the same was true for the general public and the adventurers.
They only knew that it had started with the Freya Familia attacking the Ishtar Familia, turning the Entertainment District into a sea of flames before a giant monster had appeared, and the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia had joined forces to defeat it, leaving behind an enormous smoking crater in front of Belit Babili—the entire area was left in complete devastation.
Meanwhile, the Guild and the Ganesha Familia ultimately failed to stop the incident.
They could only watch as the Entertainment District was destroyed, the Ishtar Familia was disbanded, and even Ishtar herself was sent back to Heaven, which filled them with both frustration and anger.
Driven by that anger, the Guild naturally approached the Freya Familia to demand an explanation from Freya, but in response, she simply delivered a single statement.
"I'm willing to accept the Guild's punishment. Even if you exile me from Orario or force me to disband my familia, I'll accept it."
As soon as these words were spoken, the Guild officials fell silent.
Exile Freya?
Disband the Freya Familia?
Needless to say, that would only accelerate Orario's decline.
Ever since the fall of the Zeus Familia and the Hera Familia, Orario had relied heavily on the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia, regarding them as the city's greatest combat power.
Given that, losing the Freya Familia would be catastrophic, so exile was not an option, nor was disbanding the familia.
At most, they could impose a penalty and make her pay a price.
In the end, with little choice, the Guild issued the Freya Familia an enormous fine.
It was said that when Freya saw the amount listed, even her ever-present elegant smile stiffened, making this the only small victory the Guild could claim, though whether it was something to take pride in or lament remained unclear.
As for the Loki Familia, the Guild also sent personnel to inquire about the incident, hoping to learn the truth, but because the matter exceeded what ordinary staff could handle, Loki and Finn personally visited the Guild and provided an explanation, bringing the matter to a close.
Fortunately, Riezel's involvement in the Ishtar Familia incident was not exposed.
Both Loki and Finn firmly stated that they had dispatched Riezel, Gareth, Tiona, and Tione to the Entertainment District only after detecting the appearance of the giant monster and realizing that underground forces had resurfaced.
As a result, Riezel was not blamed and was instead credited.
After all, he had participated in the subjugation of the monster and prevented Orario from facing total destruction.
Hence, the fact that Riezel had secretly arrived at the Entertainment District ahead of time, caused trouble there, and even engaged in a fierce battle with Allen—nearly leading to the destruction of the entire district—remained unknown.
Because the Loki Familia attributed the destruction of the Entertainment District to the heteromorph giant and the Freya Familia, they cleanly distanced themselves from the incident.
In this way, Riezel avoided punishment and successfully satisfied the Guild.
Under these circumstances, no one knew about the conflict between Riezel and the Ishtar Familia, nor did anyone attribute the Ishtar Familia's downfall to him.
Riezel had finally completed his revenge.
Whether it was the Kali Familia or the Ishtar Familia, those who had obstructed him in the Man-Made Dungeon and caused trouble behind the scenes had all received their due punishment.
Especially Ishtar—this foolish goddess had finally been sent back to Heaven, unable to cause further trouble, which was unquestionably a good outcome.
However, afterward, Riezel searched throughout the Entertainment District but failed to find the culprit who had transformed Phryne into a Demi Spirit.
'Did they escape?'
Ultimately, this was the only conclusion he could reach.
'Probably the work of that Enyo's servant called Ein.'
With the remnants of Evilus nearly wiped out and Revis as well as Olivas already defeated, the only remaining figure in the underground forces capable of such covert actions was Enyo.
As a god 'without the strength to even truss a chicken,' Enyo personally acting was unlikely, so Riezel was certain that the one who manipulated Phryne, transforming her into a Demi Spirit, was that Creature named Ein.
Unfortunately, the enemy had fled in advance. Despite using multiple surveillance magic spells to track and search, Riezel failed to locate her.
'Forget it. If she ran, she ran.'
Riezel let out a faint chuckle.
'You can run, but you can't hide forever.'
Just like that, he stopped dwelling on the matter.
Later, Riezel learned some news from Raul.
"After Goddess Ishtar got sent back, everyone in the Ishtar Familia ended up unaffiliated and got picked up by different familias."
"In the end, aside from Androctonus, who's either missing or probably dead, the rest all ended up joining different familias around the city."
"And that renard girl you wanted me to keep an eye on… she ended up joining the Hestia Familia, the one Little Rookie belongs to."
Upon hearing this, Riezel deliberately concealed his presence and paid a visit to Hestia Familia's home to see Haruhime.
On the way, he saw her out shopping with her childhood friend, wearing a bright and lively smile, no longer burdened by the sorrow and pain she once carried.
Seeing this, Riezel gave a slight smile and quietly withdrew, his task complete.
===
After the incident involving the Ishtar Familia stirred up Orario for more than a month, its impact finally began to fade. Only after that full month did the atmosphere of unease within the city gradually settle.
Through the efforts of the Guild and the Ganesha Familia, the citizens eventually shed their fearful expressions, allowing Orario to regain its calm.
However, that calm was only superficial, because beneath the surface, Orario still carried the feeling of an approaching storm.
Only those who paid close attention could sense it.
Daedalus Street had not reopened at all during that month.
Half of the Ganesha Familia's combat force had remained stationed there the entire time, with their captain, Shakti, not leaving day or night. Combined with the occasional rumbling noises and sounds resembling intense battles coming from within, it was obvious that certain matters had yet to be resolved.
There was also the Loki Familia.
Over the past month, they had been making repeated trips into the Dungeon in rotating groups, while also purchasing large quantities of potions, items, and equipment from shops and trading houses throughout the city.
No matter how one looked at it, this was far from normal.
Even Riezel, after settling the matter with the Ishtar Familia, had once again become extremely busy. Day after day, he either ventured into the Dungeon with Ais, Bete, and the others to search for entrances to Knossos or accompanied Finn, Riveria, and the rest to various business-type familias to procure supplies and confirm orders, all in preparation for the full-scale operation against Knossos.
During this period, another incident occurred in Orario.
An external force attacked Orario.
Yes, attacked.
A war-driven kingdom known as Rakia launched a military campaign against Orario, attempting to seize the city for itself.
Because Rakia had attacked Orario multiple times in the past and had also waged war against various forces across the continent, it was, in every sense, a nation built for war.
Although Reiburg on the Akasha Continent also revered warfare, there was a decisive difference between it and Rakia.
Reiburg, while warlike, possessed considerable strength and was one of the four great countries on the continent, making it qualified to wage war against others.
Rakia, however, was a different matter.
To put it simply, according to Riezel, the kingdom was exceptionally stubborn.
Like Telskyura, it was a nation-type familia, founded and developed by a single familia.
Its ruling god was Ares, the famed God of War.
Yet, compared to the Kali Familia, the Ares Familia was practically synonymous with reckless persistence.
Why?
Simply because Rakia was not a major world power, as the highest-level individuals in the kingdom were only Level 3. Not only did it lack First-Class Adventurers, but it didn't even have a single Level 4.
And yet, such a nation repeatedly launched attacks on Orario—a city that housed dozens of First-Class Adventurers—despite suffering defeat after defeat.
If that wasn't stubbornness, what was?
Riezel, for one, found it rather admirable.
'If you dropped Rakia into the Akasha Continent, it'd be wiped out in no time.'
What Riezel thought would happen beyond doubt.
However, in Orario, the situation was… oddly festive.
Many of the city's business-type familias treated it as an opportunity to make a fortune by capitalizing on the war. While Rakia's army was being overwhelmed by Orario's familias, merchants would actually enter the enemy camp to sell goods.
Weapons, armor, potions—every kind of product became a source of wartime profit, so the business-type familias of Orario, entirely unharmed, happily sold their goods and reaped one-sided benefits.
Meanwhile, Rakia's military had no choice but to purchase them at high prices.
Otherwise, how would wounded soldiers be treated?
How would damaged equipment be replaced?
In the end, the entire affair turned into a grand festival for Orario's business-type familias, even driving the city's overall economic growth.
Because of this, both the Guild and those commercial familias requested that the battling familias avoid wiping out the enemy completely, so the 'business' could continue over time.
It was, frankly, absurd.
Riezel had taken some time to visit the battlefield outside Orario, only to return with a twitching expression.
One could easily imagine Rakia's army being routed unilaterally by Orario's familias, driven off like a flock of chickens.
One could also imagine that after each clash subsided, merchants from Orario would swarm out like a tide, causing a huge commotion as they rushed into the enemy camp to sell their goods.
"Seriously, this isn't even a war."
Riezel could practically picture Ares in his camp, shouting at the sky in grief and frustration.
"...If wars on the Akasha Continent were this festive, that'd actually be wild."
At the very least, fewer people would fear war or dread sacrifice.
Incidentally, as one of Orario's strongest familias, the Loki Familia was also selected by the Guild to participate in the campaign.
However, due to their ongoing responsibilities regarding Knossos, the Guild did not require their full deployment, only that Loki and Finn send personnel to take part.
Meanwhile, the Freya Familia received no such leniency.
With a penalty still hanging over them, nearly their entire familia—including their goddess Freya—was deployed, leaving only Allen behind at their base.
After discussing the matter, Loki and Finn ultimately decided to send Gareth, Tiona, and Tione once more to handle this farcical war.
Originally, Riezel had also been selected, but he declined without hesitation.
"Rather than playing around with amateurs, I'd rather run the Dungeon. At least I can earn some excelia."
With Riezel not participating, Ais and Lefiya also stayed behind, as did Anakitty. Only Bete and Raul were occasionally called out to rotate in, and that was the end of it.
Just like that, preparations for the full-scale conquest of Knossos steadily advanced.
On this day, Riezel was summoned to the captain's office, where Finn informed him of the final issue that needed to be resolved.
"A manpower shortage?"
Yes.
Apparently, there was a severe shortage of personnel for the operation to conquer Knossos.
===
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