As the members of the Hermes Familia were still fighting the horde of Violas, the northern Pantry on the 24th Floor suddenly collapsed without warning.
As if the massive quartz pillar that sustained the Pantry had lost all its nourishment and strength, becoming unable to support the structure any longer, the Pantry crumbled into a heap of ruins with a thunderous crash.
Thankfully, the members of Hermes Familia managed to escape the collapse in time, fleeing from a disaster that had come upon them with inexplicable suddenness and narrowly surviving the catastrophe.
From their vantage point, far from the center of the destruction, they watched as the area around the Pantry turned into rubble, still collapsing and crumbling further, making panic grip them without restraint.
"What about those two?"
"They haven't gotten out yet!"
"Could they have been caught in the collapse?"
"Then we gotta go back and save them!"
"How do we save them?"
"Go back and get ourselves killed?!"
Voices overlapped chaotically, each adventurer talking over the others, spiraling rapidly into uncontrolled fear and confusion.
Even Asfi, floating down from above, frowned deeply, worry flickering unmistakably in her eyes.
'They can't have failed to escape... can they?'
Asfi regretted, at least a little, sending only Riezel and Ais to handle the matter themselves instead of going to the Pantry together.
Perhaps then, they could have looked out for one another.
However, regret was useless now—she had steeled herself for the worst.
Fortunately, the worst outcome never came.
*Swish!*
A young man and a young woman suddenly appeared before them, as if transported from another dimension, startling everyone.
"Sword Princess!"
"Trickster Sword!"
"Y-You're okay?!"
When they got a clear look at the newcomers, relief swept through the group.
"You're alright?"
Asfi hurried forward, asking anxiously.
"We're fine."
Riezel removed his hand from Ais's shoulder and shook his head at Asfi.
"..."
Ais, however, lowered her head and kept her eyes down, caught in an odd, oppressive silence for reasons unknown.
Neither of them bore any injuries or pain.
Aside from being a little disheveled—clear evidence of having been caught in considerable chaos—there was nothing wrong with them.
Upon noticing that the Pantry was collapsing, Riezel quickly took Ais and escaped the vast cavern chamber using teleportation magic, successfully avoiding the falling debris.
"You being okay is good enough."
Seeing that they were unharmed, Asfi, though still puzzled by Ais's unusual behavior, finally exhaled in relief.
"What exactly happened?"
Once reassured, Asfi began inquiring about the events.
Riezel did not hold back.
"It went like this…"
He explained everything he could to Asfi, revealing all the information available that he had learned from the original work.
Whether it was the Pantry becoming a breeding ground for man-eating flower monsters like 'Violas' and 'Viscum,' the mysterious fetus inside a jewel known as the 'Jewel Fetus' absorbing the quartz pillar's nutrients, or the man in white and the red-haired woman being human-monster hybrids, Riezel recounted everything he and Ais had encountered.
Although shocking, these revelations were not the sort to be casually shared.
Yet Riezel deliberately spread them, ensuring that Hermes Familia and other forces would become aware of the lurking threats in the darkness.
In this way, Orario would not be caught off guard when those enemies finally struck.
Once the information was disseminated, the members of the Hermes Familia and the god behind them would surely pay attention and take action, which was precisely what Riezel wished to see.
He explained the situation openly, concealing only what had happened to Ais.
Upon learning these astonishing details, the members of the Hermes Familia, led by Asfi, were utterly shocked.
"Human-monster hybrids?"
"Fetus?"
"A nursery for monsters?"
"A parasitic monster?"
"Uhh..."
They were dumbfounded, unable to believe what they were hearing.
"Is that real...?" Asfi murmured bewilderedly, biting her lip.
"Absolutely..." Riezel nodded calmly. "Well, this is a far-reaching matter—there may be even deeper secrets. We can't treat this as just another Dungeon anomaly."
"I understand." Asfi nodded bitterly.
Without even considering the purpose of the hybrids or why the Jewel Fetus fed on the Pantry, it was already clear that the situation the Hermes Familia had encountered could not be dismissed as a mere anomaly.
For example, those who bound kaenseki to themselves and were willing to self-destruct to confront them—who were they?
Were they human-monster hybrids like those two hybrids?
However, even though their presence felt strange, they were not as anomalous as that of the red-haired woman.
Asfi sensed that they were ordinary humans, most likely from a familiar familia.
In other words, this incident involved not only non-human intelligent beings orchestrating events behind the scenes, but also one or more familias colluding with them.
Needless to say, this was no trivial matter.
Moreover, Riezel mentioned that the man in white had also declared something deeply disturbing.
—"When we destroy that wretched tower, when we wipe out that detestable city, and when 'She' returns to the surface bathed in sunlight, you'll all witness 'Her' glory and magnificence."
The tower he referred to?
Undoubtedly, the tower of Babel.
The city?
Orario, without question.
In other words...
"So, their goal is to destroy Babel and Orario. Am I understanding that correctly?" Asfi reconfirmed, her voice was unsteady.
Upon hearing this, the rest of the Hermes Familia grew noisy.
"Destroy Babel?"
"Destroy Orario?"
"They're nuts!"
"What could they possibly gain from that?"
Clearly, their chaotic dialogue was more venting than discussion.
Normally, the adventurers would scoff at such claims.
Babel?
It was the lid sealing the Dungeon's entrance.
Orario?
It was the stronghold built above the Dungeon, fighting monsters on the frontlines, defending the surface from their invasion.
It housed the most gods, the most adventurers, and some of the world's strongest heroes.
With the Guild supporting it, who could claim to destroy Babel or Orario?
Bold claims had limits.
Yet the strange events and circumstances left the members of the Hermes Familia unable to laugh.
A dark fog seemed to spread, creeping toward the surface, Babel, and Orario itself, threatening to consume all order and light.
Evidently, what they saw was merely the tip of the iceberg.
As Riezel had said, many secrets remained hidden—even this fragment of darkness made the Hermes Familia tremble.
Under the weight of their fearful stares, Riezel remained composed.
"They say it's true, but whether it really is depends on whether someone can uncover the secrets behind it."
Riezel's words left Asfi in silence.
"We shouldn't hide this—report it to our gods." Riezel continued calmly. "Our understanding as mortals is limited. Perhaps the gods can shed some light."
Even though he said this, he himself fully understood what lay behind these events.
However...
'In any case, this time, my main objective wasn't accomplished.'
Riezel thought quietly to himself.
In the first place, the reason he had come here and involved himself in this incident wasn't to deal with those two hybrids or those suicidal zealots, since his real target was the source that had stirred Ais's blood—the Jewel Fetus.
Ais would have to face that thing sooner or later, because 'She,' who was about to bring a destructive impact to Orario, had already set 'Her' sights on her, so whether early or late, the Jewel Fetus would eventually appear before Ais.
Moreover, the Loki Familia would also have to face 'Her' sooner or later, which was why he had come specifically for the Jewel Fetus.
For this reason, whether those two hybrids escaped or not was of little consequence since his attention had never been on them in the first place.
Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to intercept the Jewel Fetus, allowing 'Her' to notice Ais's existence and be awakened by her 'Wind.'
He honestly hadn't anticipated Ais's reaction—how she had suddenly charged toward the Jewel Fetus, even using Ariel to attack.
Ais had no idea how tempting her 'Wind' was to 'Her,' which had been seeking the master of that 'Wind.'
Ais's action had clearly aligned perfectly with 'Her' goal, or the Jewel Fetus wouldn't have reacted so strongly, wouldn't have abandoned the quartz pillar, and wouldn't have lunged at her on its own.
Everything seemed predestined.
"Still, it's not like nothing was gained..." Riezel whispered to himself.
Unlike in the original work, the Jewel Fetus in the present world had brought many hidden dark truths to the surface.
He was confident that once the Loki Familia, the Hermes Familia, and the Guild received the intelligence of what had transpired on the 24th Floor, they would take it seriously and begin investigations and countermeasures.
If everything went smoothly, there would be future opportunities to expose the enemy.
'Anyway, there's still time—it can wait...'
With this thought in mind, Riezel shifted his focus away from the incident.
Compared to the unavoidable facts, he should be more concerned about the silent girl beside him.
Riezel cast a glance at Ais.
"..."
Ais remained silent the entire time, radiating an oppressive, almost suffocating aura—her head stayed lowered, her eyes downcast, exuding a weighty aura of death.
Seeing this, Riezel sighed inwardly.
"We should head back first." Riezel said, turning to Asfi. "Once we return, we need to report what happened here and see what the gods intend to do."
Asfi nodded in agreement.
With that, the group withdrew from the 24th Floor and began their journey to the surface.
Ais remained silent, but followed Riezel's footsteps.
On the way back, Riezel couldn't help recalling their experience in the Pantry.
When Ais had uncontrollably charged toward the Jewel Fetus, being attacked in succession by a Viscum, the Fetus itself, Revis, and then the woman-like monster, he had actually had a chance to assist her.
Given that the Viscum he fought—struck directly by Fusillade Fallarica—was already in its final, dying struggles, he could have ignored it entirely.
Ais was, after all, the only ally present, so even if the dying Viscum lashed out in a death frenzy, as long as he ignored it, it could do nothing but rage impotently behind him.
Under such circumstances, with his reflexes and speed, he could have helped Ais without issue.
However, just as he was about to leave the Viscum behind and assist Ais, he felt it.
A malevolent gaze fell upon him.
It was fierce.
It was dark.
And it carried a subtle threat, warning him that, in his current state, he could easily be ambushed.
In short, there had been a third person in the Pantry, or rather, a third hybrid in the Pantry.
At the same time, a faint will seemed to be observing the Pantry.
Even though it was well-hidden and subtle, he sensed its presence and also realized the true nature of that will.
'A god, perhaps?'
Indeed, there had been a god lurking in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment.
A god and a hybrid—this duo observing him and the Pantry—had prevented Riezel from rushing to aid Ais immediately, so he could only provide ranged support with Lightning.
Only after the Jewel Fetus had parasitized the last Viscum, and Revis and the man in white had retreated under the cover of a horde of Violas, did the malicious gaze finally relent, and the god monitoring the Pantry gradually withdrew.
In that moment, Riezel immediately used teleportation magic to reach Ais and eliminated the woman-like monster with Reality Slash.
'Could it have been those two?'
Riezel narrowed his eyes as he speculated about the identity of the duo.
If it were indeed them, it would prove that the true mastermind had been drawn to the incident.
At this moment, he only had one thought.
'Well, with me here, you won't toy with the Loki Familia like in the original story this time. Hopefully, they can be a good source of excelia...'
With this resolve, Riezel set off on the journey home.
===
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