"Heh, the rich really do know how to play."
------------------------------------
Standing before the door, separated only by it.
Even though the thick wooden walls and doors were built with special soundproofing materials, Fron's superhuman hearing could still faintly catch the sounds of unwilling cries and angry shouts coming from inside.
Without hesitation, he kicked the wooden door open with one sharp strike, and in that instant… his eyes met the pair of red eyes belonging to a boy who had frozen stiff mid-struggle.
"Well, well, isn't this our cute Bell Cranel? Long time no see. How did you end up becoming a boy toy for the Ishtar Familia? And even get yourself tied up here?"
Glancing at the various instruments of pleasure hanging on the wall, Fron's expression twitched.
Suppressing his laughter, he mocked the white-haired boy kneeling before him, tears of humiliation streaming down his face.
"Uuuhhh… Big Brother F-F-Fron!!!!! Save meeeeee!!!"
"…"
What kind of treatment from Phryne did it take to turn a youth so full of dreams into this pitiful state?
Snot running, eyes red, face dried stiff with drool obviously left by some monster.
And his clothes, torn to shreds. Tsk, tsk…
Just imagining the scene for a moment sent shivers down Fron's spine.
Terrifying.
[T/N: And you bastard did not think of saving him or at least telling him to be careful. If you didn't know him and did not do anything that would be okay, you clearly know him and he calls you big brother; you can't even give him a small clue?]
For Bell Cranel, Phryne would likely become a shadow haunting him for the rest of his life. Who knows what kind of expression Goddess Freya would make when she saw the stain on his very soul? Just imagining it was amusing.
With a sigh, Fron raised the sharp tip of his spear, and with lightning speed broke apart the handcuffs and shackles restraining the boy. At the same time, he spoke:
"This world is not as beautiful as you imagine. After this lesson, surely you won't still naively believe that all adventurers are kind like you? The relationships between familias are even more complicated. You should develop a bit more self-awareness. Wasn't the lesson from the Apollo Familia enough for you?"
Fron's voice was sharp and merciless as he lectured, but looking at the boy's miserable state, he relented in the end.
"Enough. Right now, a war between familias is breaking out. You'd best not get involved. Even if you don't care about yourself, think about Goddess Hestia, your familia, and your comrades. That's all I'll say, take care of yourself."
With that, Fron turned and left.
Saving Bell had been nothing more than coincidence. His true target wasn't the boy.
"Th-thank you, Big Brother Fron! I won't forget your words!" Bell bowed, his face lowered in shame.
Just as Fron said, the world was not simply black and white. Having been an adventurer for a few months now, the boy was beginning to see the true face of this world.
Cruel reality shattered his fantasies and forced him to grow quickly.
Especially after this incident with Phryne, the alarm bells in his heart had already been struck. If Fron hadn't stumbled upon him and saved him, what would have happened? Just the thought was chilling, so chilling he didn't dare think any further.
"I must leave this place and inform Lady Hestia immediately." Rushing out of the cell, Bell darted away in haste after only a few steps.
…
Meanwhile, just as this episode ended, Fron was hurrying toward the tower rooftop, the location of the ongoing ritual.
The Freya Familia and the Ishtar Familia had already begun their clash.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The streets of the Pleasure Quarter echoed with the clashing of weapons, the metallic friction, and the curses and roars of adventurers, turning the battlefield into chaos.
Burning flames set by magicians lit up the night, with thick smoke and fire illuminating the entire southern district.
...
Northwest Street (Adventurers' Avenue), Guild Headquarters.
It was already deep into the night, and the hall was nothing like its busy daytime self.
Occasionally, one or two adventurers returning from the dungeon were met by night-shift staff to either take quests or exchange magic stones for valis.
Even the usually lively bulletin board area was quiet. A few scouts lounged on sofas in the corner, hats pulled low to cover their faces, arms folded as they dozed.
Cold night air seeping in through the doors occasionally made them shiver.
"What did you just say!?"
Suddenly, the sharp voice of a receptionist shattered the silence of the hall.
Startled, the sleepy scouts quickly straightened up and glanced toward the reception counter.
There, a few men in suits with loosened ties and disheveled clothes, panic written all over their faces, were frantically talking to a half-elf receptionist.
Combined with their frantic gestures, the scouts instantly understood… something big had happened.
They exchanged quick glances, stood up, and edged closer, ears sharp to collect information.
At the counter.
The one on night duty tonight was the half-elf, Eina Tulle.
Pushing up her glasses, she gestured an apology to those in the hall, then looked seriously at the men before her, men whose adventurer's aura was unmistakable despite their messy suits.
"You're saying… there's a war in the Pleasure Quarter? Adventurers are fighting each other? Even the streets have been destroyed?"
"Y-yes! Believe me, the ones fighting definitely weren't just low-level adventurers. At minimum, they were Level Two!"
At those words, Eina's expression hardened. Her heart sank as she realized the gravity of the situation.
"You're certain?" She pressed for confirmation, because once verified… the Guild would have no choice but to intervene.
"I'm certain, absolutely!!! Those people… they were definitely from a major familia! Don't forget, the Pleasure Quarter is the domain of the Ishtar Familia!"
At that name, both the adventurers and the eavesdropping scouts visibly stiffened, their expressions full of dread.
Clearly, everyone knew the Ishtar Familia was nothing to be trifled with.
But then again, if someone dared launch an all-out war against them despite knowing this, then things were more complicated.
Not to mention… such an act completely disregarded the order maintained by the Guild.
And only a handful of familias in all of Orario had such power and influence.
Including Eina, everyone who heard the news had the same thought: which familia had made the move?
"The Loki Familia? No, they have no motive. Besides, their members have been moving secretly these past few days, clearly occupied with something else."
"The Ganesha Familia? As the city guard, they definitely wouldn't…"
"Could it be…" Thinking of the hostile relationship between two goddesses, everyone's eyes widened as the same answer struck them at once.
"It's… the Freya Familia!"
"I'll go report this immediately!" Eina's expression sharpened, and she hurried toward the deeper part of the Guild to deliver the intelligence.