"Mr. Spade, I'm so sorry... I was supposed to protect you, and yet—"
Ryuu's voice faltered.
She couldn't finish her words as her eyes fell on him... bruised, battered, and covered in dried blood.
"Don't worry, Ryuu. I'm fine."
Judas said softly, forcing a reassuring smile.
"Besides... who could've expected someone to attack right in the middle of the city?"
Thanks to his passive healing ability and Ryuu's Noah Heal... his injuries had already vanished.
'Now I just need new clothes.'
He thought, glancing at his tattered outfit.
He looked more like a vagrant than an adventurer.
"Now, now, don't be so gloomy, Lion. Let's treat this slip-up as a lesson."
Alise said cheerfully. As always, she found light even in dark situations.
"That's a nice mindset, Alise."
Shakti said, stepping forward.
"But not everyone has a spirit as strong as yours."
Her eyes swept toward the massive crack running through the city wall... a wound left behind by the battle.
Thanks to the Ganesha Familia and other groups, order had been restored pretty quickly.
But unease still lingered in the hearts of the citizens.
Some whispered that today's event was a terrorist attack.
Others doubted whether Orario's adventurers were truly capable of keeping them safe.
Rumors spread quickly... claims that Evilus had returned, and with it, fears that the Dark Age of Orario was about to begin anew.
"It's hard to believe anyone other than Ottar could've done this."
Loki murmured, eyes narrowing as she surveyed the destruction.
She turned toward Judas.
"Alright, spill it. Who attacked you this time?"
All eyes turned to him. Judas exhaled quietly.
There was no point in hiding the truth.
"Her name is Alfia."
He said it without hesitation.
As for the threat she had given him earlier?
He couldn't care less.
'Break all my bones?'
He had endured far worse pain before.
"She wore a black, gothic-style dress... silver hair... and though she kept her eyes closed most of the time, one of her defining traits was her heterochromatic eyes."
The moment those words left his lips, silence fell.
Everyone froze... as if struck by lightning.
"What!?"
"Are you serious!?"
Even the usually composed Shakti looked shaken.
"Goddess Loki..."
She said, her voice tense.
"He's not lying."
Loki muttered, clicking her tongue in frustration.
"But... how is that possible?"
Shakti pressed, disbelief heavy in her tone.
"Didn't she die fifteen years ago... when the Zeus and Hera Familias failed to defeat the One-Eyed Black Dragon?"
"How the hell should I know?"
Loki snapped, irritation seeping through her voice.
"If she's alive... then could there be others? Survivors from those legendary Familias?"
Shakti said in a low voice.
"No."
Loki replied immediately, shaking her head.
"At most, maybe two. If there were more, there's no way they could've stayed hidden for this long."
"You two seem to know her well."
Judas interjected, raising a brow.
"Mind filling me in?"
The two exchanged uneasy glances before Loki finally sighed, crossing her arms.
"Kid, I don't know how you're still standing after facing her."
"But tell me... do you know who the Hera Familia were?"
"I've heard of them."
Judas said.
"Along with the Zeus Familia, they fell after their battle against the One-Eyed Black Dragon."
He wasn't just recalling history... he knew this from both stories and records.
Enough to piece together the rough timeline of Orario's golden age.
'So... a member of the Hera Familia is still alive?'
'Belle's grandfather is Zeus... could that be why that woman is by Belle's side?'
'If Zeus and Hera were married in Greek mythology... does that hold true here as well?'
He thought with narrowed eyes.
"It's good that you know."
Loki said with a slow nod.
"But that woman you fought... she wasn't just some member of the Hera Familia."
Her expression darkened.
"Judas, do you know who currently holds the highest level in Orario?"
"Ottar, the warlord of the Freya Familia... a Level 7."
Judas answered without hesitation.
In the current era of the mortal world... at least in this generation... Level 7 was the highest milestone ever achieved.
Excluding Leon, who was from the School District, Ottar stood alone at the top as the sole Level 7 in Orario.
"That woman..."
"She's also a Level 7, isn't she?"
Judas began, his expression tightening, his guess from earlier was spot on.
Loki nodded.
"She's not just a Level 7. The gods gave her the alias Silence, but there's another name she's infamous for..."
She paused for dramatic effect.
"The Monster of Calamitous Talent."
Meanwhile...
"Hey, Au—Mother, Goddess, I'm back! Look how much money I got from today's dungeon dive!"
Belle burst through the abandoned church doors, proudly shaking a pouch of coins with a bright smile.
Alfia, lounging on the couch with a book in hand, shot her an irritated glare.
Without warning, she smacked Belle on the head.
"Ow! That hurts! What did I do wrong!?"
Belle rubbed the growing bump on her head, her eyes glistening with tears.
"I told you to stop being so noisy. How many times do I have to say it before you understand?"
Alfia's sharp tone... and the cold aura radiating from her... made Belle instinctively take a step back.
"Hey! Quit hitting Belle on the head!"
Hestia stepped forward, spreading her arms protectively.
"Do you want to take her place, dear Goddess?"
Alfia's tone was casual, but the threat was real. Deity or not, her attitude never wavered.
Hestia immediately backed off, sweating bullets.
"Sorry, Belle... Alfia's just too scary."
"Goddess Hestia, you traitor!"
Belle cried dramatically.
"Hmph."
Alfia lost interest and returned to her book, leaving Belle and Hestia to sigh in relief.
"By the way."
Hestia began, changing the subject.
"Did you see what happened outside? There's a huge crack in the east wall. I couldn't believe it when I first saw it."
Alfia's fingers froze on her book for just a moment before she resumed flipping the pages.
"Everyone's been talking about it. I was in the dungeon at the time, but I still felt the tremors all the way down to the fourth floor. It was terrifying."
Belle said, shivering at the memory.
"Orario isn't safe these days."
Hestia added grimly.
"Incidents are happening left and right. You need to be careful, Belle."
Belle nodded, but her gaze shifted toward Alfia, suspicion creeping into her eyes.
"Hey... why do I get the feeling you had something to do with today's incident?"
Alfia's head jerked slightly, but her face remained calm.
"It's just your imagination."
She said coldly.
"And mind your own business... or do you want me to increase the intensity of your training?"
"No! Anything but that!"
Belle paled, waving her hands frantically.
"Be prepared for tomorrow."
Alfia said, turning another page.
"You might be getting a new training partner soon."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Alfia didn't answer, her focus returning to her book.
'Belle... Judas... I'm sorry, but I'm entrusting the fate of this world to the both of you.'
'If neither of you can surpass me... if neither of you can overcome what we couldn't... then Orario... no, the entire mortal world... has no future.'
A sharp glint flickered in her eyes... cold and resolute.
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