Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria, Vol. 10

by Fujino Omori

  In which case, did that mean that Ganesha Familia was also aware of Ouranos’s secret?

  Finn made a mental note of that possibility.

  We can’t assume the armed monsters are the same as the violas or the vividly colored monsters, but…we’ve got a new piece to the puzzle: Ikelos Familia.

  This was a valuable clue for solving the case: Ikelos Familia was connected to the smuggling of monsters. Given this new information, it was harder to not suspect them.

  On top of that, Hermes Familia was tracking them with all their resources.

  If the armed monsters were originally captured by Ikelos Familia and then escaped…No, that doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t fit with Bors’s reports that the monsters came up from the lower floors. They could have attacked Rivira because that’s their instinct as monsters, but…it doesn’t fit together nicely.

  He kept reviewing and scrutinizing a series of possibilities in his head.

  While the others continued making a ruckus, Riveria and Gareth watched Finn as he pondered deep in thought. They’d been around one another long enough to know to wait for him to come up with a solution.

  The high elf and dwarf knew that his theory would be the best response.

  There’s not enough information. My knowledge of the background behind the incident is incomplete. I can’t form an educated theory with this, but—

  Finn’s eyes narrowed.

  Would it be too much of a stretch if I say it’s an incident at the intersection of Ouranos’s secret and Ikelos Familia’s propensity for violence?

  The parties involved would be rattled if they heard his train of thought. His intuition would send shivers up their very spines. If “a certain boy” wrapped up in this incident was there, he would have been wildly sputtering. His heart would be beating out of his chest, without a doubt.

  It’s all hypothetical. It doesn’t matter from what angle I approach this problem. I end up having to make an inferential leap. Is it too early to tie Ikelos Familia to the center of this?

  Finn examined his own thoughts from an objective perspective and shook his head.

  No, I have to assume this is true. Ikelos Familia is at the center of this. If I don’t work under that belief, I can’t do anything. This Irregular is outside the expectations of all sides…If we don’t intervene before this is resolved, we’ll lose our first and only opportunity.

  Strategy valued speed. This time, Finn was going to make use of it.

  In this situation, it was more important to move quickly than to worry about risks or mistaken judgments.

  More than anything, Finn was sure that the current uproar would tie back to Knossos and allow them to break it open. The ache in his thumb was pointing him in that direction, too.

  Our area of operations is limited to aboveground. If we try to force our way into the Dungeon, the Guild will set Freya Familia against us.

  Other than Ganesha Familia on their suppression mission, Babel was off-limits to all familias, making it impossible to enter the Dungeon.

  Freya Familia had been brought in to fill the gap in the reserve forces caused by the absence of Ganesha Familia, Orario’s main security force. The faction of the Goddess of Beauty had been penalized for their destruction of the red-light district, and they were obeying the Guild’s instructions for the time being.

  Even if Finn tried to mobilize his forces, they could not set foot on the scene of the incident on the eighteenth floor.

  “Bete.”

  Everyone in the parlor froze at the sound of Finn’s voice. The ears of the werewolf twitched as Bete looked back at him.

  “I heard you fought with a curse user when we were in Knossos…a male human with smoky quartz goggles…Is that correct?”

  “…Yeah. He was concealed under one of those Evils robes, but you’ve got it down. He was using a disgusting, creepy-ass spear,” added Bete.

  Finn started thinking again.

  If I’m right…that would be Hazer, Dix Perdix.

  The name of Ikelos Familia’s captain.

  That confirms Ikelos Familia has joined forces with the Evils…and their headquarters are in Knossos…If they carried monsters through the labyrinth to smuggle them via the underground route and out of the city, then…

  As everyone focused on Finn, he began to weave a hypothesis connecting all the small pockets of incomplete information. And at the end of that chain of thought was the epicenter that gave rise to the current incident.

  The eighteenth floor…The eighteenth floor, huh?

  That was where they had found a connection to Knossos just the other day.

  “…Everyone, get ready to move.”

  Finn had come to a conclusion.

  Everyone stood up at once with bug eyes.

  Amid mounting tension, the prum leader spoke.

  “We’re going to Daedalus Street.”

  It’d been several hours since Ganesha Familia had left Central Park for their mission.

  Loki Familia took up position on Daedalus Street.

  They’d moved quickly, quietly, and in secret to not be noticed by the Guild—more specifically, by Ouranos, who’d handed down the standby order. They left it to the other familias to control the chaos on Main Street, meeting up with Alicia, Cruz, and the rest before deploying their members along the giant labyrinthine district.

  “It’s Thousand Elf! You were here last time, too, right?! It’s a dream to see Loki Familia this often!”

  “So cute and pretty…I wish I could be like that…”

  “…Will you shake my hand?”

  “U-um, you see, we’re on patrol at the moment…”

  Nominally, their goal was to calm any disturbances among the residents of Daedalus Street.

  With the other familias prioritizing the main streets, the residents of the slum were grateful for Loki Familia’s presence, especially since they were left to deal with the situation on their own—even if their patrols were only a front for the true objective of the familia. Like the rest of her familia, Lefiya was surrounded by orphans—a human boy with flushed cheeks, an animal-person girl with a yearning gaze, and a half-elf asking for a handshake.

  “I feel bad, since it’s kinda like we’re tricking them.”

  “S’not like Finn speaking with a forked tongue is a new development.”

  “Hey! Quit complaining about the captain! And besides, we’re not doing anything wrong! If everything goes according to his predictions, we’ll have to protect them!”

  ““Quiet!””

  Even though some of them had difficulty simply accepting the gratitude of the slum’s inhabitants, the Loki Familia patrols made sure to keep an eye out for any strange occurrences along the wide swath of Daedalus Street. As they proceeded along the mazelike black-bricked roads, Tiona punched and Bete kicked Tione for being too loud.

  “Is it okay to move out in the open like this, Finn? Guild chaos aside, the guys in Knossos will notice our movements, no doubt.”

  “Even if we try to conceal ourselves, they would still have the advantage here. As long as we’re on Daedalus Street, they’ll always catch us. It’s better to just show ourselves in plain sight and draw their attention to us.”

  They were on the roof of a multistory building that looked jumbled and pieced together. The wind carried Finn’s and Gareth’s voices as they looked over the Labyrinth District.

  “Placing a check on the enemy? But won’t that lead them to retreat farther into Knossos?” Riveria’s jade hair rippled in the breeze as she stood behind the prum.

  “At the very least, they’ll be on guard, I’m sure. In any event, if they haven’t recovered Ishtar’s key themselves, our deployment…might be mistaken for preparation for a large-scale attack, tricking them into thinking we’ve found the key.”

  Save for a few familia members at the manor with Loki, Finn had deployed a substantial fighting force to Daedalus Street. A large section was placed in the ancient underground passages beneath the Laby
rinth District—the location of the hidden passageways to Knossos. Raul and Anakity were commanding those groups.

  What would the Evils’ Remnants think of Loki Familia positioning squads around the confirmed locations of orichalcum doors?

  “And if the enemy is wary of us, they won’t be able to spread their forces to deal with the situation inside Knossos,” said Finn.

  Gareth and Riveria furrowed their brows in surprise.

  “…Is something happening inside Knossos?”

  “It’s a hypothetical at the moment, but the migration of monsters and the armed ones making their way aboveground haven’t moved from the eighteenth floor.”

  Ganesha Familia had left for the eighteenth floor. That much was known.

  If Ikelos Familia was trying to patch things up, they wouldn’t be able to ignore an entanglement between Ganesha Familia and that thing. This scuffle causing issues inside Knossos might be nothing more than wishful thinking. But with Finn aboveground and with a situation erupting on the eighteenth floor, the Evils would be caught between a rock and a hard place.

  The enemy had lost a skilled commander in Arachnia, Valletta Grede. With pressure, there was a good chance they would make a misstep.

  “And also, the fact that we can see adventurers besides us, that would lend some credence to the idea that the area around Knossos is in a tizzy.”

  As Finn glanced down, he noticed a single shadow ducking behind the cover of a building. His blue eyes narrowed.

  “Daaaaamn it…Whyyyyy, oh why is Braver here?”

  The shadow was Hermes Familia’s Lulune, pressing herself against a wall and letting a small whine seep out.

  “Has he found out that Ikelos is hiding here, or…? If it’s not that, he has to know something! Otherwise, he wouldn’t be setting up his guys!”

  Braver is crazy scary, the chienthrope girl thought as her tail bristled and her eyes welled with tears.

  “This is bad, Lord Hermes…! If we don’t hurry up and get this all sorted, our secret is gonna get out!”

  Her intuition was setting off alarm bells as she started to move away.

  “…I can’t find it,” muttered Aiz, talking about the suspicious shadow.

  She was alone on a giant tower, observing the surrounding area.

  If Finn was correct, the Evils’ Remnants or Ikelos Familia or something else should show up around Daedalus Street. If they could put pressure on whoever appeared, they should be able to get significantly closer to their enemy.

  While the members aboveground were frantically searching for clues, Aiz continued moving on her own.

  I guess she isn’t going to come out?

  The creature Levis—the red-haired woman who was obsessed with Aiz.

  Aiz had the idea that if she moved around Daedalus Street on her own, Levis might try to make some kind of move. But she hadn’t felt anyone’s eyes on her so far, let alone Levis’s intense pressure. It seemed she didn’t have any intention of leaving Knossos.

  Aiz inadvertently furrowed her brow when something caught her eye.

  “That’s…”

  She saw the back of something wearing suspiciously tattered clothes scurry into a narrow alley. Aiz kicked off the moment she recognized this figure, slicing through the air like the wind. She touched down on a roof before leaping out again, landing at the entrance of a narrow alley.

  The buildings overlapped one another as if this was an optical illusion. The area was dimly lit. A broken lamp made from magic stones was barely clinging to where it was hung on the wall.

  Watching out for movement from above, Aiz raced down the narrow path, leaping up the staircase that appeared in front of her in one bound and landing in an elevated area surrounded by blue sky.

  There’s no one here…?

  In a space the size of a garden, Aiz scanned the area from side to side.

  “Daedalus Street is restless today.”

  “!”

  Aiz heard the voice of an old woman and spun around to see a goddess making her way down from the path that Aiz had sprinted through.

  “Putting me under surveillance. Hounding a goddess. Sheesh, what a troublesome lot you all are.”

  “…Lady Penia?”

  Aiz recognized that long, disheveled white hair. With her tattered clothes, everything about her looked unkempt.

  Aiz’s eyes widened in surprise upon seeing the goddess Penia—a physical manifestation of destitution. They had met when Loki Familia had come to Daedalus Street before they knew about the existence of Knossos.

  The Goddess of Poverty.

  Or, as Loki put it, poverty on legs.

  Aiz wondered if the goddess had access to a hidden passage. After all, Penia had sauntered out of the narrow alley after noticing that Aiz was following her.

  The old woman smiled as she approached.

  “Searching for something? Or stealing? Takes guts to come here when the whole city is in disarray, wouldn’t you say?”

  “…”

  “Say something! I went out of my way to start the conversation! Sheesh, just standing there with your pretty face like some doll!”

  Her lips shifted from the smile of an old, depraved witch to the downturned mouth of a mother-in-law screeching complaints about her daughter-in-law.

  It wasn’t uncommon for narcissistic deities, but Penia’s mood swings were practically violent. In fact, it was harsh enough that Aiz had a feeling that Penia’s outward appearance and intense emotions were more human than of those living in the mortal realm.

  “…Lady Penia, what were you just…?”

  “Answering a question with a question? Deary me. Loki hasn’t taught you any manners! If you were in my familia, I’d kick you out in no time at all! Though it’s not like aaaaaaanyone wants to follow me!”

  “…We’re investigating…the current incident…around here. We thought there might be something…we’re looking for…”

  “I see! I was just taking a stroll myself!”

  “…”

  I’m not sure how to put it…but she’s difficult to deal with.

  Aiz was no good with words, but she suspected she simply wasn’t compatible with the goddess standing before her to begin with.

  Penia loudly sniffed, as she often did. “…Has there been anything strange going on in Daedalus Street recently?”

  “Anything strange? Like?”

  “Like a suspicious person hanging around…”

  “This is a slum. A cesspool in the heart of the city, full of has-been adventurers with violent streaks and fools of—”

  “…A monster…or the Evils,” Aiz interjected.

  Penia cocked an eyebrow, her wrinkles drawing toward it. Aiz didn’t want to worry the residents, which was why she hadn’t said it plainly before, but with a god, she decided to get to the point.

  “Do you know anything?”

  Penia had settled into the labyrinthine district centuries ago, and she was the ruler of Daedalus Street.

  It was possible that she’d caught on to something.

  Aiz looked into her ashen eyes.

  “I don’t know anything,” the goddess quipped.

  A familiar smile spread across Penia’s face.

  A smile that a resident of the mortal realm could not see through. The smile of a god.

  “Hey, Sword Princess…what do you think of Daedalus Street?”

  “…?”

  Aiz was puzzled by this sudden question and quiet for a moment, thinking as she looked out over the complex labyrinth town unfolding under her.

  “…It’s a strange place. It’s dizzying, dungeon-like…The strangest area in the city…”

  “Ohhh? And?”

  “And…the poorest area…” Aiz managed to say with some hesitation.

  “Well, if you ask me, it’s far too rich.” Penia sneered.

  What? Aiz froze.

  “There’s no way a slum should be as clean as this one. Sure, it’s difficult to get around, the ups and d
owns of the roads are tiring, and you’ll get lost without the ariadne. It has some inconveniences, but those are trivial.”

  “…”

  “There are parentless brats who are completely filthy running around smiling. I’ve heard that some goddess is supporting them. No clue who…But even in this cesspool, there’s love, you know, and cooperation.” Penia continued, spitting out her words. “I’d say the same for Orario as a whole, but it’s definitely too happy here.”

  “Happy…?”

  “Happy people shine all the brighter. It’s like they have no choice but to be so iridescent. That’s what it feels like here. It’s claustrophobic for someone like me. Makes it hard to call it home.”

  The people, gods, and, above all, adventurers.

  The old goddess concluded that the Labyrinth City had too many people too full of dreams and aspirations.

  “It was better before. When monsters were running amok, everyone was unhappy…and they shone even brighter than any do now.”

  Aiz’s heart stirred upon hearing those words. The goddess seemed to genuinely believe that, and her eyes narrowed in reminiscence, but Aiz couldn’t accept it for some reason.

  “It wasn’t like this rotten luster we have now. It was an honorable poverty. Is there anything more glorious than a spirit without any excess flab? The people of the world shone because they were caught up in that harshness. The poverty I rule over was one side of it.”

  “…!”

  “I had a conversation like this with some god before, I think…Who was it?”

  Penia ignored Aiz and carried on, her shoulders quivering in delight.

  “Yes. It would be good to have more…hardship.”

  That smile on her face again. That look in her eyes as she revealed a certain truth.

  Aiz spat out a response to all of that head-on. “That’s not true.”

  “Hmm?”

  “That it was better long ago, when monsters were running wild…There’s no way that’s true.”

  Aiz’s eyebrows furrowed as she let out a more assertive tone of voice. Penia opened her eyes a bit wider, as if she thought this was a surprising reaction, despite having limited interactions with Aiz.

  The existence of monsters is a poison.