by Fujino Omori
“Every unit must maintain a strict guard while you gather information. The armed monsters will appear in Daedalus Street for sure. Watch out for hidden passages in particular.”
It was the fourth morning after the armed monsters had appeared. Finn had deployed almost the entire familia on Daedalus Street. They were based a short distance away from the center of the Labyrinth District, near the spot they had let the black minotaur escape.
Many of the buildings had been destroyed, burned down, or turned to ruins, and a swarm of Guild workers was working on repairs, mingling with Loki Familia members rushing around.
And along the street, there were adventurers from other familias out and about. Everyone was on pins and needles, observing everything and intently gathering information from the residents.
“I guess it’s to be expected, since the other adventurers have noticed there’s something in Daedalus Street…” Riveria noted as she walked up.
“Or they were instructed by their gods to come,” Finn responded without looking at her.
“Is it okay to let them be?”
“Yes. They definitely haven’t discovered the existence of Knossos. It’s fine to ignore them.”
“…And the evacuation of the residents? With all of us gathering here, their tension is mounting.”
“If my theory is correct, this area will turn into a battlefield again. Leave the evacuation to the Guild and continue working to de-escalate the situation. It’s too inefficient to do otherwise.”
“…” Riveria remained silent.
Finn was correct, but his response was rather indifferent. Loki Familia’s pretext for deploying in this area was the reconstruction and defense of the Labyrinth District. Their real reason was to steal the Daedalus Orb that was in the possession of the armed monsters.
“After the monsters were seen on the eighteenth floor, they suddenly appeared in Daedalus Street. They crossed through Knossos. It’s indisputable. With Ikelos Familia defeated, there’s no doubt that the monsters are now in possession of their key. We have to get our hands on it.”
Without the key, they couldn’t take on Knossos. Finn was doing everything in his power to obtain it. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had dropped into their laps. And he wasn’t so good-natured that he could let it go.
He was mobilizing the familia with the justification that they were working to prevent the destruction of Orario.
“Captain, there have been reports of monsters in the city’s sewers to the north and northwest! And that the adventurers who spotted them were all pushed back…What should we do?”
“Those are decoys. It’s the opposite end of the city from us in Daedalus Street…They’re waiting for us to fall for it and move out. Don’t worry about it. Alicia, where are the doors located?”
“Sir! The vouivre emerged from a hidden passage, which is being investigated as we speak! And we just found a third door!”
“Keep it up. The Evils won’t blunder and come out of the doors, but in the event that a fight with them breaks out, getting a key is the top priority. Rakuta, I want you to map the hidden passages in the area around the newly discovered door as soon as possible.”
“U-understood!”
The familia members appeared before Finn one after another, reporting their finds.
He ordered Narfi, who reported an enemy sighting elsewhere, to ignore it; he acknowledged Alicia’s report; and he had Rakuta continue her mapping of the area.
The image of their reliable leader handing out orders without hesitation comforted the familia members. In the midst of all this uncertainty, a normal person would not be able to determine the correct goal and work toward it, but Finn was different. As long as they had Finn as a guide, Loki Familia would never lose track of their path.
Everyone trusted Finn, who never changed.
Everyone commended him, “as expected of Braver.”
No one noticed his internal conflict.
“…Finn.”
If anyone might have been able to, it would only be the high elf standing beside him—or the dwarf who wasn’t there at the moment.
“Riveria, what are you doing? We don’t have enough manpower. Head to the sewers and take command there for me.”
“Finn.”
“It’s inefficient for the two of us to stick together. I need to get instructions to Gare—”
“Finn.”
Riveria’s tone hardened as the prum continued to bark orders without looking at her.
She cut him off. “You’re getting too impatient.”
“…” He closed his mouth.
“I realize that we can’t let this opportunity pass us by. But why are you rushing? It isn’t like you.”
“…”
“I can understand maintaining appearances for the familia. But do not put up a front with me.”
“…”
“When was the last time you slept? I haven’t seen you leave the command center once in the past four days.”
“I can just—”
“‘Make do with my skills’? Were you really about to give me an excuse?”
“……” Finn was silenced by the tone of her voice and her sharp gaze.
He’d intended to keep up his usual calm appearance, but he couldn’t pull the wool over her eyes. She’d been with him too long to fall for that.
Gareth and Loki had noticed it, too.
“Take a break. Raul and the others can hear your gruffness in your orders. It’s rippling outward.”
If it became an issue involving the morale of the familia, then Finn didn’t have any room left to argue as a commander entrusted with its care.
He shut his eyes, breathing in—and then out. Finn turned to Riveria and smiled wryly.
“…I got it, Riveria. Once they carry out the instructions I just gave, I’ll take a nap. Is that okay?”
“Yes, that’s fine.” Riveria nodded magnanimously. “I should warn you, though—I’ll be standing watch beside your bed until you go to sleep.”
“And sing me a lullaby? I’m honored, but I think Alicia and the other elves might resent me for it.”
“No, I won’t be the one singing. That’ll be Gareth.”
“…Kh—ha-ha-ha! That might be a problem. I think his singing would drive me up the wall, and I’d never fall asleep.”
For a moment, Finn stared in complete bafflement before responding, as his reflexive sarcastic quip elicited a sudden, unexpected joke. And then he suddenly burst into laughter.
His laughter was rare enough that all familia members working nearby were shocked. Riveria noticed that Finn had finally loosened up a bit. She wasn’t one for jokes normally.
Her eyes relaxed as she smiled.
I’ve really done it now…I screwed up and made the others worry about me…Finn derisively laughed at himself.
I’m in a position where I need to make sure everyone else is okay, but I ended up making someone worry about me instead—a failure as a captain.
That’s not like me. That’s not like me at all.
He’d intended to hide it behind the outward facade of a leader, but someone had managed to peer into his heart.
“Captain.”
He pulled himself out of his thoughts when he heard someone calling him.
Anakity was standing in front of him. “A messenger from the Guild has come…It’s the head of the Guild himself.”
Upon hearing that, Finn turned back to Riveria.
I’ll hold off on my orders of sending you to bed. She gave her permission with a nod.
Finn shrugged, leaving various matters that needed to be dealt with to his second-in-command, and stood up.
“Got it. Bring him here.”
“—All right, then, I’ll accept your conditions. I’ll inform Ouranos…But! Don’t even think of trying to get the jump on us! If you try anything funny, I’ll wash my hands of you in an instant!”
The Guild’s head, Royman Mardeel, gave his warning, spittle f
lying as he breathed heavily through his nose. His rotund belly quivered up and down in sync with his raised voice.
“I promise.”
Finn smiled back sweetly, closing the deal in the guise of a conversation. As he watched Royman leave with his aide, Riveria came in to take his place.
“Good grief…That man hasn’t changed, I see.”
“Ha-ha. I don’t trust Royman, but he’s predictable. As long as our interests intersect, we can negotiate with him. In that regard, he’s easy to understand.”
Royman had come to lay down his complaints: to demand that Loki Familia withdraw from Daedalus Street, likely in accordance with Ouranos’s will.
“Is this okay? Intel on Knossos aside, you even promised to turn over the key.”
“We know there are multiple keys after talking with Ikelos. As long as we can keep one for ourselves, it’s fine.”
As part of the deal with Royman, Finn had promised to hand over the key to coax Royman into convincing the Guild to formally station Loki Familia in Daedalus Street. If their presence was officially sanctioned by the Guild, it wouldn’t antagonize the residents or any other adventurers.
Finn wanted to avoid any needless disputes, predicting the possibility of fighting an enemy on top of the ongoing hunt for the armed monsters. Giving up one key was a small price to pay.
“Even if it’s a calculated move, is it a good thing to collaborate with the Guild?”
“At the very least, I’d say it’s fine to work with Royman. But what happened with the announcement of the mission is fishy. There isn’t enough evidence for us to trust the Guild as a whole, at least when it comes to this incident.”
While Finn and Riveria were discussing the situation, the girl with golden hair and golden eyes made her appearance.
“Ah, thanks for patrolling, Aiz.”
“Mm-hmm…”
“Did you notice anything unusual?”
“…That boy, Bell. He came to Daedalus Street.”
Finn’s blue eyes narrowed. “He’s on the move, huh?”
“Finn…Are you suspicious of Bell Cranell?” Riveria asked in Aiz’s stead, upon seeing her attitude.
“I’m sure he’s a key witness to the incident. The adventurer who squared off against us is not the Bell Cranell I know.”
Yes, Finn didn’t know the Bell Cranell they’d encountered on that day—the fool who’d planted a seed of disturbance in Finn’s mind.
To prevent others from noticing his internal discord, Finn did his best to speak dispassionately.
“If there’s more to those armed monsters than first meets the eye…and if Bell Cranell was aware of that when he acted the way he did, that might explain what happened that day—meaning something forced him to stand against us.”
Finn chose his words carefully so as to not agitate Aiz, who watched him in silence. Noticing that she was quietly focused on him, he flashed a wry smile.
“Aiz, I’m not going to treat Bell Cranell as an enemy without giving him a chance to explain himself. Despite all this, I still believe in him. As an individual and as an adventurer.”
“…”
“But for the purposes of handling this incident, it’s a different story. Is he our ally? Or is there a chance he might become our enemy? That’s what I want to determine.”
That was his honest opinion. He managed to skillfully hide the doubt in his heart, even as he spoke the truth. As he looked toward the clusters of tall towers and buildings, he spoke again.
“Riveria, I’m leaving this area to you. I’m going off by myself for a bit.”
“What?”
“I don’t want to stand out or put him on guard. Aiz, did he come to Daedalus Street by himself?”
“…He was with his goddess.”
“Hmm, got it. Tell me where you saw them.” Finn announced without hesitation, “I’m off to meet Bell Cranell.”
With a smile plastered on his face, Finn looked up at Riveria, who met his eyes. The high elf nodded back after a while.
“…Very well. I’ll take charge here for a bit.”
Aiz was shocked to see Riveria accept him heading out as Finn said his thanks and left the headquarters.
I made her worry about me again, he murmured to himself as he walked away.
Finn followed Aiz’s directions to make contact with Bell Cranell. There was no trace of anyone on the intricate web of roads. Finn was equipped with his spear and armor, and his footsteps echoed against the gray sky covered in clouds.
Along the way, Finn tried to look at himself again from a disinterested observer’s point of view. His thoughts had been lacking composure—enough to warrant a talking-to from Riveria.
Why was that?
Was it because he had to do whatever it took to get his hands on the key?
Or because the city was on the brink of destruction?
Or because his comrades in the familia…Because Leene and the others had been killed?
There had to be a bit of that, too.
But the main reason was…
“Bell Cranell…”
That boy.
Finn couldn’t get the image from four days ago—Bell turning his back to the vouivre and standing in their way—out of his mind.
That image introduced static into Finn’s mind, which should have been more composed than anyone else’s, and created a disturbance in his heart.
“Hey, look…”
“Bell Cranell…Did he come back? To hunt monsters?”
“Just like ya’d expect of a top-tier adventurer. He wants that Guild reward money for himself, apparently.”
The chattering residents of Daedalus Street cut off his thoughts. Their gloomy voices led him in a certain direction. Finn eventually found the white-haired boy standing at the focal point of people’s glares. He was looking at the ground as he walked, as if desperately trying to flee from the scornful whispers and disdainful gazes of the crowd.
The Little Rookie’s reputation had plummeted—for no other reason than Bell Cranell’s own actions. In the eyes of the public, he had been utterly idiotic choosing to protect the vouivre and claiming it as his own prey as justification to attack adventurers attempting to take out the monster.
Some called him an adventurer who cared only for his own selfish desires; others said he exposed the city to danger to advance his own standing. Orario was filled with voices criticizing and denouncing him. The fact that the Little Rookie had been the talk of the town before only intensified the disappointment of the city’s inhabitants, which verged on hostility and malice.
How pitiful. How foolish.
There was no room for sympathy after he took things that far.
It would be so much easier if I could think like that.
“Bell Cranell,” Finn called out, stepping away from the people spewing bitter remarks.
The boy froze in place, his rubellite eyes filled with an intense shock when he turned to see who called him.
“Mr.…Finn…?”
Finn gave Bell a once-over, his eyes narrowing.
“Only a knife for self-defense, huh…? That’s a light load out in this situation.”
“!” Bell clearly winced at Finn’s observation.
Every adventurer in the Labyrinth District was fully equipped for self-defense purposes at the very least. Even Finn had weapons and armor to deal with the impending attack of armed monsters.
And amid all that, the young boy before his eyes wasn’t in battle clothes, let alone armor. It was as if he was absolutely sure there was no danger in the city—that the armed monsters wouldn’t inflict any further harm.
As the boy displayed a level of agitation that Finn found almost humorous, Finn spoke in a voice that bore no hostility.
“Are you by yourself? Perfect. I’d like to have a conversation with just the two of us.”
The neighborhood had been on edge from the moment they started talking. Everyone was focused on them: the captain of Loki Familia, whose member
s were putting all their effort into protecting the city, and the captain of Hestia Familia, who had insisted on acting selfishly. On one side, an ally of justice; on the other, the villain who single-handedly earned the derision of everyone in the city. There were even some glares condemning Finn for trying to have a chat with him.
I want to have a private conversation where no one can interrupt us, Finn implied as he asked again with a friendly smile.
“What do you say?”
“…Oh, uh, okay,” Bell responded stiffly as he nodded awkwardly.
They headed toward a back alley, walking for a while before arriving at a cul-de-sac that seemed like it was being used as storage. Casks and wooden boxes of all shapes were haphazardly placed around the scene. There was no trace of anyone nearby. Perfect for his purposes.
Bell looked as though he had something to say as he trailed behind Finn. To not give Bell enough time to regain his composure, Finn began to talk as he spun around.
“I intend to turn a blind eye to what you did that day. The priority is resolving the current situation. I want to have a productive conversation with you.”
Finn was looking up due to their height difference. Bell looked down, shocked by his suggestion.
“A conversation…?”
“Yes. You know something we don’t about those armed monsters, right? To take it further, I’d venture a guess that you know the whole truth behind the recent incident.”
To put it even more precisely, Finn had a decent grasp of the full story, though it was only conjecture. That line was a calculated move to lower Bell Cranell’s guard and create an opening in his mental defenses—a tactic to drag more information out of him.
“I consider the events of the other day a small misunderstanding. If we’d been sharing information, things would have gone differently.”
If Bell had made that choice, the current situation would have been different. The end results would have changed as well: Finn would have undoubtedly killed the vouivre in front of the boy as he screamed and cried.
After extracting all the useful information out of it, of course. As was fitting for the Braver.
Because Bell had realized that subconsciously, his face became taut as he frantically tried to read into Finn’s words. Bell Cranell was a fool, but he wasn’t stupid.
