The dim artificial labyrinth resembled a gigantic beast waiting to devour anyone who entered.
The evening sunlight had only just fallen gracefully across the ground when an invisible hand seemed to drag it into the labyrinth, where it vanished without a trace.
Pitch-black darkness filled the end of every corridor. The sound of bones being crushed seemed to echo faintly in their ears, and even the wind passing through the passages wailed like something in pain.
"If you're scared, you can head back first. If Alfia saw you making that face while wearing hers, she might get angry enough to beat you up."
Shiro glanced sideways at the small human-shaped creature beside him.
Lily was desperately pretending that nothing bothered her, yet her body kept curling inward instinctively as though trying to make herself smaller and safer.
The sight amused him.
Back at the entrance, when she saw him remove the Orichalcum gate, her eyes had practically lit up as she urged him to take the entire thing with them.
The moment her excitement over their sudden fortune faded, however, she immediately transformed back into a trembling hamster.
"Shiro-sama is the one pretending to be a god. If Lily went back now, wouldn't a god walking around without a guard look suspicious?"
Hidden beneath her black cloak, Lily pouted with an expression that practically said she had no choice but to put up with him.
"And those people might secretly attack you. If that happened, wouldn't the whole plan fail?"
A closer look revealed that she no longer resembled the brown-haired Pallum she normally was.
The childish roundness typical of a Pallum had faded from her face, leaving behind sharper, more mature features. Long gray hair, which might have looked dirty on someone else, complemented her cold beauty perfectly.
Even within the darkness, her mismatched green and gray eyes seemed to emit a mysterious light of their own.
She now looked exactly like Alfia had during her human life.
Lily was not the only one disguised.
Shiro had also altered himself with magic, returning to the black hair and black eyes he had possessed in his previous life while slightly changing the structure of his face.
Unless someone knew him exceptionally well, even a god would have difficulty recognizing his true identity.
"As for a guard, I could just create a humanoid monster and have it follow me."
Shiro gestured toward the bracelet on Lily's wrist, which continued to emit faint magical fluctuations.
"If those creatures realize I'm walking around with a monster, they might actually get even more excited."
He was not truly a god who had sealed away all his power.
If danger appeared, relying on a bodyguard to rescue him would be far less useful than simply handling it himself.
For this operation, the guard's symbolic value mattered far more than its actual combat ability.
This was not the Dungeon, where monsters constantly spawned. In fact, he might not have needed to bring a guard at all.
Having Lily disguise herself as Alfia was merely meant to make Evilus trust them more easily.
After all, a woman who had committed such enormous crimes several years ago could hardly be an agent sent by one of Orario's so-called righteous Familias.
Still, the disguise was ultimately only a secondary move.
If it failed, it would not matter much.
Considering how long they had already been wandering through the labyrinth without being attacked, unless Evilus was preparing something enormous, they probably intended to talk first.
After all, why mobilize so much force against two people who had willingly entered the labyrinth alone?
"Then why did Shiro-sama insist on dragging Lily all the way out here?"
"I heard from Riveria that you've barely left the house these past few days."
As he spoke, Shiro continued walking through the artificial labyrinth.
Whenever they passed another Orichalcum door, he casually cut it free and stored it inside his Gift Card, fully intending to sell it for a fortune after returning to Orario.
Despite the absurd behavior, the subject he brought up had nothing to do with the labyrinth at all.
Liliruca Arde hated most adventurers.
Having suffered under Soma Familia since childhood, she had frequently gone hungry and lacked even basic clothing.
The one place she had once been able to call home had eventually been destroyed under the direct leadership of Soma Familia's captain.
Even though Lily had escaped Soma Familia now, those experiences continued clinging to her like parasites buried in her bones.
They constantly reminded her that most adventurers could not be trusted.
That belief had rooted itself deeply in her heart.
After Shiro left, Lily had barely interacted with the other members of Loki Familia, something that caused Riveria, who had been quietly observing the newest member, no small amount of concern.
Unspoken emotions did not simply disappear.
They were buried alive, only to return in the future in an uglier form.
Bringing Lily along today was partly so she could impersonate Alfia.
But the main reason was far simpler.
Shiro wanted the girl, who had barely gone outside for days, to get some fresh air.
"Lily understands."
After hearing his explanation, Lily remembered how Tiona had repeatedly come to her room over the past few days and tried to drag her outside.
Realization gradually appeared in her eyes.
"Don't overthink it. If being around someone makes you uncomfortable, there's no reason to force yourself to get along with them."
Shiro's opinion differed somewhat from Riveria's.
Familia members normally needed to maintain good relationships because, barring unusual circumstances, they would probably spend the rest of their lives together.
Naturally, it was better to get along.
The family-like atmosphere within Loki Familia was also something most people would find difficult to dislike.
But that logic only applied within this world.
If Lily genuinely hated interacting with Loki Familia's adventurers, Shiro could simply take her to another world where adventurers did not exist.
Not everyone possessed the courage to confront the shadows of their past.
Running away might be shameful, but it worked.
That was all Shiro intended to say.
What Lily chose afterward was up to her.
He could not truly solve her psychological trauma for her.
Besides, there was something more important demanding his attention now.
Their target had appeared.
"Hm? A new face after all this time. Did you descend recently, god?"
Just as Shiro was about to dismantle the gate in front of them, it suddenly rumbled and slowly rose.
Three figures were already waiting on the other side.
Judging from the divine presence radiating from them, two were gods.
The third was presumably the guard accompanying them.
Lily immediately pulled her hood lower and put on an icy expression.
"Are you Enyo?"
Once the gate fully opened, Shiro shifted his attention away from Lily and looked toward Thanatos, whose gloomy aura filled the corridor.
During the incident on the twenty-fourth floor, Revis had mentioned sending the fully cultivated Violas to Enyo.
And in the language used by the gods, the name Enyo carried the meaning [City Destroyer].
There was little doubt about what that represented.
It was a criminal declaration issued by a god, openly announcing that someone was plotting something capable of destroying all of Orario.
In other words, the one calling themselves Enyo was the mastermind responsible for creating the creatures and the Violas.
…