In short, the plan was simple. Lili would take him to the Soma Familia's base so he could redeem her contract and settle things once and for all.
Meanwhile, in the conference room of the joint Familia meeting.
After a long round of voluntary scapegoating, lengthy explanations, and pointed accusations, the room had fallen into an oppressive silence.
Until—
"Okay. That's enough of this depressing talk." A cheerful voice suddenly cut through the tension. "If I keep listening to this, I'm going to eat all my snacks out of frustration."
Chairs scraped against the floor as a certain red-haired captain stood up, her energy practically radiating through the room.
Alise, the very embodiment of liveliness, enthusiasm, and warm-hearted recklessness, captain of the Astraea Familia, was on her feet.
"Alise, you really…" Asfi muttered under her breath, but Alise pressed on without a care.
"I'm not wrong. Everyone's been doing their best to protect the city, yet all I hear is people blaming each other. It's weird."
"!!!"
Allen, Kaguya, Riveria, and Finn all stared at her in surprise. Shakti and several other adventurers wore the same expression.
"When it's time to reflect, you reflect. When it's time to praise, you praise. Even a three-year-old could understand that much." Alise continued, unfazed by the room's stunned silence.
Her words left the round table utterly quiet.
And then—
"Heh… hahahaha! Still fearless as always, girl but you're right." Gareth's booming laugh broke the stillness, his agreement drawing a few reluctant nods.
"Tch." Allen clicked his tongue. "You can only talk about morals, huh."
"Since you can't refute her, perhaps you should stop with the attitude." Riveria cut in smoothly, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Her suggestion is… surprisingly constructive."
And just like that, the heavy atmosphere began to ease.
"Heh, even a first-class adventurer is no match for my upright honesty. Hehehe." Alise puffed out her chest proudly, earning herself a stern warning from her vice-captain.
"Captain, don't get carried away." Kaguya muttered.
She could feel the piercing gazes of people like Allen, whose patience was already wearing thin.
Finn, however, smiled for the first time that meeting and said, "It's true we haven't had the most pleasant topics but let's follow Alise's advice and make this discussion constructive."
And with that, the real countermeasures meeting began.
"First, I'll share the information about evilus' illegal market that Shakti and her team suppressed." Finn announced, shifting into a more serious tone.
From there, they delved into detailed intelligence from every faction, reports covering not just Orario's surface, but its underground cities, and even lands beyond the city walls. The discussion was long and exhaustive, but no one complained.
Ever since the "Dark Age" eight years ago, adventurers had learned that sharing intelligence wasn't just about survival, it was about ensuring their comrades lived to see another day.
Everyone spoke openly, exchanging opinions and refining strategies together.
"That's everything we've confirmed so far," Finn finally concluded. "Does anyone else have additional information to share?"
The long hand of the clock was nearly at its third revolution since the meeting began when his gaze swept the room, awaiting a response.
Finally, the one who had remained silent since arriving at the parliament slowly opened his mouth.
It was Ottar.
"There is at least one person within Evilus who possesses superb skills, likely a truly formidable individual."
"What?!"
The other adventurers burst out in surprise, voices echoing through the conference hall.
"Ah, you mean the incident where that super-hard metal wall was destroyed, right? We fought that guy." Alise interjected.
Alise remained calm. She already knew the enemy's trump cards, two powerhouses, but now was not the time to reveal that truth.
The fact that they were undercover agents was far too important. If such information were exposed here, it would not take long for evilus to catch wind of it. And when that happened, Akira and the two's carefully laid plans would crumble.
So, instead, she deliberately tossed out irrelevant details to steer the conversation astray.
From where he sat, Allen, who had accompanied Ottar to inspect the cave entrance, scoffed, "Ha! Are you seriously telling me you fought someone with such insane skills and lived to tell about it? You're kidding, right?"
"It's hard to believe, but we were spared by that guy without even a scratch." Kaguya said flatly, adding the outcome of their battle with Zald.
Of course, she left out the part where Zald only left after Akira arrived.
Arms crossed, Alise nodded emphatically. "Yeah. Way too strong, totally crushing."
Finn's eyes narrowed. "Can you describe the battle in more detail?" He asked before stroking his chin, turning toward Ottar.
"Given what you saw, Ottar, how would you estimate his strength?"
Ottar was the highest-level adventurer present, and the one most capable of gauging an opponent's experience.
Ottar's already low voice dipped even further. "At least Level 6. It is impossible for him to be any lower."
"What!? The same as you?" Asfi's voice rang out, her composure breaking in shock.
Level 6, currently the highest level in all of Orario. Only Ottar, the city's strongest adventurer, had reached it. And now, a monster of equal or greater power might be fighting for Evilus.
The weight of that possibility pressed heavily on the room.
"When we were trying to bust the illegal marker, we encountered a woman whose origins were unknown." Shakti suddenly spoke, her tone grave. "We speculated she might be a mage or a magic swordsman."
Her next words made several brows furrow. "Although there was no lasting damage, as many as thirty members, including myself, were manipulated by her."
At that, Riveria frowned, raising a hand to her chin. "A single person fighting against the Ganesha Familia? Where could such a mage have come from?"
Gareth's expression darkened as he recalled the past.
"Considering the powerful factions from before, like the Osiris Familia, we cannot dismiss the possibility that Evilus has hidden combatants equivalent to first-class adventurers."
It wasn't an impossible scenario. In the age when certain gods and goddesses still walked the world, many rival factions had competed with the two great powers.
Some familias had concealed multiple members with power equivalent to Level 6 or even Level 7, never reporting them to the Guild. Those factions had once attempted to unite against the strongest of the era, but in the end, the divine still reigned supreme.
The gods who lost the power struggle fled the city with most of their followers, but some familias lingered in Orario.
The now-declined Sobek Familia was one such remnant.
Because of this precedent, the adventurers at the round table reacted grimly to Gareth's warning.
"Let's set that aside for now," Finn finally said, breaking the tense silence. "At the very least, Evilus is highly likely to be connected to the previous factory attack. Do not act on your own."
His words drew solemn nods from every familia present.
The conference room fell silent again.
"Alright… last topic." Finn continued, leaning forward. "Let's move on to the real reason we're here."
The atmosphere sharpened instantly.
"Through reconnaissance by the Hermes Familia, we've discovered a new Evilus base."
"!!!"
Alise and Kaguya's eyes widened in unison, while the rest of the room erupted in murmurs of shock.
"It appears they've taken over an abandoned facility." Finn explained. "Unlike the smaller hideouts we've found so far, this one is massive. In fact, there are three of them in total."
Asfi, standing beside him, stepped forward. As the Hermes Familia's representative, she laid out the intelligence in detail.
"While we couldn't investigate the interiors, the number of guards disguised as civilians suggests it's not an exaggeration to call this their base camp."
"The Guild has confirmed it as the enemy's lair." Finn continued. "We'll be launching simultaneous strikes on all three strongholds."