Chapter 156: Dark Shadows in the City! Fox Girl Dedicates Herself?
The conversation with the Goddess of Beauty was far from pleasant, but Loki kept her promise not to interfere with the other party's game with Freya anymore.
After the long-awaited Haruhime completed her conversion ceremony, the four of them returned to Twilight Manor together.
Arthur knew that there were serious matters to discuss, so he asked the two female members to take Haruhime to the dormitory tower to rest.
Inside the Guild Master's office, the atmosphere was as heavy as ice.
Loki sat cross-legged on the sofa, holding a refined orb to her eyes, her expression more serious than ever before.
It was a creation wrapped in mithril, which had excellent magical conductivity, with a "D" shaped mark engraved inside, and the surrounding spiderweb-like eerie lines flowed slowly as if alive.
"The artificial labyrinth [Knossos]... it seems the murky waters beneath Daedalus Street are far deeper than imagined."
Amidst Loki's continuous exclamations, Arthur and Finn were already standing in front of a simple blackboard, connecting all the clues they had gathered so far.
Arthur first circled the [New Species Faction], then heavily marked it with a blood-red cross, his tone cold and certain.
"The Filth Spirit's main body is dead; even if there are a few remaining monster remnants active outside, they won't be able to cause any trouble."
Finn, on the other hand, chose to work backward from the present, tapping the location of the [Ishtar Familia] with chalk and neatly drawing a line to the [Dark Faction].
"The Ishtar Familia and the Dark Faction are a typical case of mutual exploitation. The former provides money, the latter provides manpower."
"The remnants of the Dark Faction are using Daedalus Street as their base to expand the artificial labyrinth. This project is not only time-consuming but also very expensive."
Hearing this, Loki casually put away the Eye of Daedalus and curled her lips in disdain.
"Ishtar, who monopolizes the Pleasure Quarter, has no shortage of money. She is one of the wealthiest gods in Orario."
"That harlot provided Thanatos with massive funds and materials, all for the purpose of gaining combat power to overthrow Freya in one fell swoop."
Finn pondered, reorganizing the various deployments of the Ishtar Familia in his mind, and cold sweat unknowingly beaded on his temples.
"She incited the Njord Familia and the Dark Faction to smuggle, not only to alleviate financial pressure but also to cover up the arrival of the Kali Familia."
Arthur nodded slightly, raising his hand to write the key clue provided by the [Beautiful Heroine] Aisha, the Killing Stone, on the blackboard.
"Haruhime's sublimation magic [Uchide no Kozuchi] can only affect a single target, while the Killing Stone can, at the cost of life, temporarily sublimate all members of the Ishtar Familia."
Loki recalled the information she had seen when Haruhime was converted and shook her head to correct him.
"Not only that, the little fox's magic has no restrictions on its target."
"In other words, whether it's the Kali Familia, monsters, or those nascent female new species, they can all receive the boost from the Killing Stone."
Arthur's lips curved upward upon hearing this, and he teased,
"A combined army primarily composed of Lv.6 adventurers, mixed with monsters of Lv.7 and even Lv.8 caliber..."
"To unite so many unrelated factions, even if they all have their own ulterior motives, the mastermind behind them is by no means an ordinary individual."
At these words, all three of them simultaneously looked at the center of the blackboard—
[City Destroyer] Enio.
There was nothing beneath this codename, yet it was like a massive vortex, with all clues pointing to it as the ultimate destination.
It was this purest malice that was secretly stirring up trouble in Orario.
Loki narrowed her vermilion eyes, a strong sense of unwillingness flashing through them.
"If the New Species Faction hadn't been so obsessed with Ais, exposing themselves prematurely at the Monster Festival, and if that fool Ishtar hadn't been able to hide her jealousy... Tch!"
As the celestial prankster who once toyed with gods and instigated Ragnarok, this was the first time she had felt such a crushing defeat in terms of strategy.
Arthur and Finn exchanged glances, then looked at the gloomy-faced Loki and said in unison,
"Notify the Guild."
Loki was startled; though unwilling, she still nodded.
Given the current situation, they could no longer care about minor gains or losses.
The opponent called himself the [City Destroyer] and had been dormant for many years; his schemes were far beyond what a single Familia could contend with.
"Got it, I'll go have a chat with that old geezer now."
Loki stood up, dusted off her clothes, and walked straight out the door.
Arthur's gaze subtly swept over Finn, who was still frowning, scrutinizing every detail on the blackboard, ensuring nothing was missed.
"Guild Master, since the information has been consolidated, I'll take my leave as well."
Finn, focused on his analysis, merely waved his hand without turning around.
Arthur turned and left the room, quickly catching up with Loki, who hadn't gone far, and lowered his voice.
"[Banshee] Filvis is a monster. Dionysus is not to be trusted."
"Huh!?"
Loki suddenly stopped, recalling past events, her face changing dramatically, her voice sharpening by three points.
"You're telling me something so important only now!?"
Arthur reached out and pressed down on the god who was practically about to pounce and bite, his tone as calm as casual chatter.
"If Dionysus were trustworthy, my words would merely be worrying unnecessarily."
"If he isn't trustworthy... his acting, which could deceive you, the God of Mischief, would naturally also see through any hint of insincerity from you."
Loki's mind raced, instantly understanding the implications, and she frowned deeply.
"I don't think he was lying; his hatred and excitement were real. And—"
The god suddenly looked up, divine will surging in her eyes.
"You're telling me at this time because you're planning to act alone again, aren't you?"
Arthur nodded slightly: "Waiting idly for death is not my style. The best way to deal with a threat is to become stronger than the threat."
Loki clicked her tongue, then heavily patted Arthur's arm.
"Go quickly and come back soon. If you die, I won't be responsible for your corpse."
"Huh? Well, thank you very much!"
...
The night was as dark as ink. Arthur lit the room's magic stone lamp, and a soft yellow glow poured down.
Fou, who had been waiting for a long time, was bouncing left and right on the soft bed, looking ready to depart at any moment.
Arthur couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Just as he was about to raise his hand to signal it to jump onto his shoulder, a regular knocking sound gently echoed.
"I apologize for making you wait, Lord arthur. May I... may I come in?"
Arthur's eyebrow twitched slightly. He opened the door to see Haruhime standing with her head bowed, her pretty face flushed.
However, the fluffy large tail behind her nervously swayed from side to side, clearly revealing her inner apprehension.
He raised a hand to rub his temple, his tone carrying a sense of helpless déjà vu.
"I always feel like I've experienced this scene before, but the last girl was much more decisive than you."
Haruhime, clutching the hem of her kimono, suddenly looked up, her clear, limpid eyes filled with shyness, and she murmured bashfully,
"I... I understand. A person like Lord arthur never lacks devoted admirers."
"However, Haruhime is merely a courtesan... Tonight, I hope Lord arthur will permit me to serve you in your bed."
Arthur crossed his arms, observing the trembling fox girl with a half-smile, his gaze playful.
"So, Aisha never told you that she's actually still a virgin?"
Haruhime: (⁄ ⁄ • ⁄ ω ⁄ • ⁄ ⁄)
"A, a virgin!? Me!?"
The sudden truth exploded in her mind like a clap of thunder.
Recalling her shameless words just now, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted outright.
Arthur was quick, sidestepping to embrace her delicate, boneless waist, gently laying the pure-hearted and unknowingly innocent fox girl on the bed.
Afterward, he noticed Fou actually had a small expression of disappointment, as if scolding him for not being up to par, and immediately laughed and chided,
"You really did learn bad habits from that Merlin fellow. Let's go, our journey must continue."
A dimensional gate opened before him, and an unknown aura emanated from the deep other side.
Whether it was Orario or Chaldea, he needed power to resolve all of this.
He hoped the next world would grant him his wish.