"A War Game?"
The elf girl parted her lips slightly. She had never expected that this was Roy's plan.
In Orario, when conflicts between two familias became irreconcilable—or for various other reasons—this kind of battle would be held: a war with self-defined rules.
To put it plainly, two familias chose a location and fought it out. The winner took everything—plundering all the loser's possessions and even sending the opposing patron god back to Heaven.
Ryuu's sky-blue eyes stared at Roy. Did you seriously misunderstand my capabilities?
No matter how weak the Rudra Familia might be, they still had several hundred members. Having her alone challenge them to a War Game—was that revenge, or just delivering herself to death?
Roy knew what the elf girl was worried about. His expression remained calm. "You don't need to worry about combat power. When the critical moment comes, I naturally have my ways."
The greatest cheat of a transmigrator was the information gap. With countless pieces of intelligence at his disposal, finding help was far too easy.
If he were truly pushed to the brink, he could simply sell the red-eyed rabbit to Freya in advance and have the Freya Familia take action. Even ten Rudra Familias combined would be wiped out!
The risk, however, was a bit high. The charm of the Goddess of Beauty was no joke—one encounter and you'd be controlled. He didn't want to become a disgrace among transmigrators…
Ryuu felt like she was going crazy. Ever since meeting Roy, she had been led by the nose from beginning to end.
"Believe me!"
Roy looked at the elf girl seriously, not a hint of jest on his face, his voice deep and steady.
Staring at Roy's solemn expression, Ryuu felt a powerful sense of loneliness emanating from him, as if no one in the world could truly understand him.
Having lost all her companions, she felt a deep resonance.
The two of them were like orphans abandoned by the world, hiding in a dark corner, licking their wounds alone.
"…Alright."
The elf girl asked, "Then how can you guarantee they'll agree to a War Game?"
"They definitely will!"
Roy said confidently. As half a troublemaker at heart, he understood the nature of gods all too well. The gods of Orario were divided into the orderly faction and the chaotic faction. The orderly ones went without saying—they were willing to follow the rules of the lower world and live peacefully.
The chaotic faction kept only the most basic bottom line—no use of divine power. Everything else was done on a whim.
Familias, at their core, were merely organizations created by gods for amusement. Gods determined their familias' direction—some explored the Dungeon, some forged weapons, some liked farming, and some even enjoyed playing villains, deliberately opposing the mainstream…
Faced with something this entertaining, Roy didn't believe that Rudra, the patron god of the familia, could resist.
Even if the other party did restrain himself, Roy still had several backup plans. One way or another, there was always a plan perfectly suited to the constitution of dark familia "babies."
"People aren't allowed to die in a War Game."
"That's for War Games with normal familias. The dark faction is another matter entirely."
Back and forth they went. By the end, Ryuu was left speechless. She realized Roy wasn't boasting at all—this young man had an astonishingly deep understanding of Orario. Where did his information come from, to be this detailed?
As they talked, the two headed toward the Guild headquarters.
Taking a shortcut through a narrow alley, the elf girl suddenly stopped. "Stop!"
Roy silently stepped back, positioning himself behind Ryuu.
Her face turned icy as she stared warily at a shadowy bend five meters ahead. "Stop hiding and come out!"
A ghostlike figure stood there, shrouded in a black robe. Both hands were covered by patterned gloves, exuding an air of mystery. "Gale…"
Ryuu demanded, "Who are you?"
The robed figure spoke coldly. "There's no need to inquire into my identity. The monster that appeared in the Dungeon—the Juggernaut. Information about it must not be disclosed to anyone. If you abide by the agreement, we'll let you go. Otherwise, everyone who knows will die!"
Ryuu's pupils contracted. Juggernaut!
"Do you understand?" the robed figure asked.
Ryuu frowned. This didn't feel like the style of the dark faction. Was this someone from the Guild?
"Cough! Cough!"
Roy cleared his throat twice, interrupting the robed figure. He really couldn't stand it—this old bastard was quite the actor.
The visitor was none other than the "Sage," Fels.
Roy smiled. "Wait. Are you threatening us, or are you asking us to keep this confidential?"
Fels fell silent. He wanted to be tough, but it was clear the other side wouldn't accept that.
Seeing Fels remain silent, Roy smiled.
As the administrator of Orario, the Guild possessed many privileges. But a big tree attracted the wind. To avoid drawing the wariness of other powers and familias, the Guild had voluntarily relinquished military force.
Guild staff bore no divine blessings. Fels was the only private soldier of the great god Ouranos.
Out of respect for the Sage's magical attainments and Fels's Lv.4 strength, Roy maintained a proper level of courtesy—but threatening them? That wasn't enough.
Although Fels had lived for eight hundred years, his status values were fixed at Lv.4. If they truly fought, whether he could defeat Ryuu, who had been battling constantly for years, was still uncertain.
"You are…?"
Fels finally noticed the young man standing behind the elf girl. He didn't match any high-level adventurer in his memory at all. What was going on?
"My identity isn't important. I'll ask again—are you threatening us, or are you requesting our cooperation?" Roy spoke as if he had seized the other party's lifeline.
The Guild wanted to conceal the existence of the Juggernaut.
The conditions for the Juggernaut's appearance weren't complicated. Just toss a few hundred explosives down to the lower floors and that would do it.
With a deadly weapon in hand, murderous intent naturally arose!
If other adventurers learned this information, they would definitely drag their enemies down with them. It wasn't hard to imagine how lively the Dungeon would become afterward.
The Guild had to seal this information.
And if you're asking for a favor, you need to have the proper attitude!
Even if the great god Ouranos chose to take a risk and used the Guild's connections to bring other high-level familias to control them, Roy and Ryuu only needed to shout the information on the street, and news of the Juggernaut would spread throughout Orario in no time.
The initiative in this matter was in their hands!
After a brief standoff, Fels was the one who finally conceded. Helplessly, he said, "…It's a request."
Roy revealed a triumphant smile. "You're from the Guild. Since it's a request, then asking for a small favor in return isn't too much, right?"
"What do you want?" Fels froze.
This development was completely beyond their expectations. When Ryuu suddenly headed to the Guild, they feared she was going to make the Juggernaut's information public, so he rushed over to stop her—never expecting things to become this troublesome.
Watching the young man push this mysterious figure step by step into a corner, turning the tables completely, the elf girl gained a whole new understanding of his sharp mind.
Roy pinched his index finger and thumb together and smiled. "The Guild turns a blind eye to our next actions—and gives us a little bit of convenience on top of that."