Although Raul managed to take down the Spirit Soldier, the entire formation had already been torn apart by that sudden disruption.
The Spirit Soldier's interference had dealt a heavy blow to Loki Familia, scattering their expedition team completely.
Filvis and Dionysus, whom Raul had protected earlier, were naturally separated from the main force as well.
After the team split, one Spirit Soldier immediately chased after Filvis and Dionysus.
Carrying Dionysus on her back, Filvis sprinted away from the group. The Spirit Soldier refused to let them escape, relentlessly following close behind.
Filvis remained completely calm, merely keeping a controlled distance.
Only after she and Dionysus were entirely out of the party's line of sight did Filvis slow her steps.
Then, in an instant, her figure flickered—and she appeared behind the Spirit Soldier.
Several silver flashes streaked across its body, and the Spirit Soldier was sliced into fragments on the spot.
The pieces clattered to the ground. Paired with Filvis's cold, emotionless expression, the sight was enough to send chills down anyone's spine.
Dionysus, still riding on her back until moments ago, wasn't surprised at all.
"Well done."
Filvis accepted the praise without hesitation.
"Dionysus-sama, is the plan changing?"
"Hm. The script is unfolding quite differently from what I expected—both Loki's side and Evilus's side."
After stepping down from Filvis's back, Dionysus couldn't help recalling everything that had happened today.
"That unknown boy is the biggest obstacle in my plan."
His tone held absolute certainty.
Dionysus saw the situation more clearly than anyone: a child who somehow knew the entrance to Evilus's second base… this youth was clearly the greatest variable of all.
"And also…"
Dionysus looked at Filvis, a teasing glint briefly crossing his face.
"If I ordered you to attack members of Loki Familia, you wouldn't be willing, would you?"
"!?"
Filvis stiffened. Her eyes darted aside, too guilty to meet Dionysus's gaze.
He understood that reaction. After spending too much time with certain people, it was only natural to begin yearning for the light. So he chose not to insist on carrying out the original plan.
"Both Evilus and the Guild are acting too aggressively."
He had sensed something strange earlier. Both sides seemed like powder barrels ignited all at once, ready to explode everything in a single blast.
Their actions today were far removed from their usual methods.
This made Dionysus suspect an unseen hand was controlling events from behind the scenes.
"You mean… someone is manipulating everything?"
Filvis frowned and asked quietly.
"Loki, Hermes… or that boy?"
An inexplicable feeling stirred inside Dionysus—one that told him the one orchestrating all of this was that youth.
"That boy? The one who led us inside?"
"Yes. Him. My intuition tells me Evilus and the Guild's extreme behavior is connected to him."
Before speaking aloud, Dionysus had only suspected it. But now, faint certainty settled in.
This unpredictable variable had already disrupted the original plan. Dionysus wouldn't be surprised if it caused even more complications.
But what confused him most was—who nurtured that child?
A youth this mysterious clearly grew from the shadows, hidden away and developed step by step.
But no matter how well-hidden, there shouldn't be zero trace of him.
So…
"The Guild is helping hide him too?"
A headache crept up on Dionysus. He never expected that, while he remained completely uninformed, the Guild had been quietly moving this entire time.
In truth, he had never placed spies within the Guild. It was difficult to do so, and far too easy to expose them.
Yet precisely in the blind spot of his intelligence network, a secret this large had been concealed.
Now Dionysus no longer doubted it: that mysterious boy was cultivated by the Guild—an instrument to eliminate Evilus, and potentially to eliminate him.
"If that's the case, then Loki must be acting along as well. That woman…"
Dionysus clenched his teeth, realizing he had been played for a fool.
"So this entire expedition was one enormous trap."
He admitted it—he had stepped into a pitfall, and a deep one at that.
"Should we go back and regroup with the others?"
Filvis's suggestion was rejected immediately.
"If the Guild planned this pit ahead of time, they won't give us the slightest chance once we fall back in."
"Hermes, you're watching, aren't you?"
"This time, you win."
"The game ahead won't have room for me. Though it is a bit of a waste to leave that kid behind."
"As for me… I'll follow your script and see exactly what kind of child defeated me so thoroughly."
No further confirmation was needed. Dionysus was clearer now than ever.
"Filvis, when we encounter others from now on, you'll have to fight."
"But…"
"Don't worry too much. There shouldn't be anything else left."
He glanced at the pile of Spirit Soldier fragments on the ground.
"Perhaps even these Spirit Soldiers were that boy's doing."
If so, then from the very beginning, Dionysus had fallen straight into someone else's snare.
At this moment, Dionysus's emotions were tangled and heavy. But when it came to the game, he knew how to lose—and how to let go.
Since he had lost, he had to accept the consequences.
With that thought, Dionysus shook his head gently, fell silent, and began walking in a certain direction.
Filvis bit her lip, but followed him without hesitation.
"You're coming? You might die."
Unlike her usual sharp responses, Filvis didn't talk back. Instead, she shook her head lightly.
"Dionysus-sama's recklessness… I'm already used to it. That's exactly why I should stay by your side and watch over you."
Dionysus shook his head faintly, but a small smile still rose on his face.
...
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