"Tiona, have you lost your mind?!"
Argana scrambled up from the ground, glaring at Tiona with fury.
"Shut up! I won't let you take Eiji away!"
"Huh?"
Argana was momentarily stunned before realization dawned on her.
"Hahahaha, I see now! With a figure like yours that only makes men face the wall in repentance, you still want to keep a male by your side? Save your energy—it's obvious who's more attractive to men!"
"SHUT UUUUUUP!!"
Tiona's eyes streamed with bloody tears. "I won't allow it! I absolutely won't allow this! When even I haven't gotten my hands on him yet! His first time has to be with me!"
"What? Don't tell me you're still a virgin after ten years away from home?"
"None of your business!"
"Ha! You're a disgrace to Amazons!"
Argana burst into mocking laughter.
Beside her, Bache's lips twitched in amusement.
The Amazon race could be generously described as open-minded, or more bluntly, utterly shameless.
The entire tribe took pride in their experience with men, boasting about the quality of males they'd hunted. Aside from the youngest sprouts, it was nearly impossible to find a virgin Amazon.
In contrast, the Tiona sisters, still virgins, were practically heretics.
Facing Tiona's frenzied assault, Argana had no intention of going easy. She raised her slender arm, ready to strike back.
As Bache's sister and longtime rival, she knew her fighting style inside out—and could easily see through Tiona's attacks too.
Tiona stood no chance against her.
But—
Just as Argana prepared to throw her punch, a flash of light suddenly streaked across her vision.
Her expression changed instantly. Without hesitation, she abandoned her attack on Tiona and leaped back over a dozen steps.
"I said, stop."
Eiji's face was icy cold.
But inside, his heart was bleeding.
Damn it!
His chance to freely pick from Amazon beauties was gone!
"She's the one attacking!"
Argana protested indignantly.
"I know."
"Then why aren't you stopping her? Instead you come at me?"
"So what if I'm taking sides?"
"You—!"
Argana was left speechless with rage.
Eiji looked completely unapologetic, as if there was nothing strange about his actions.
Are you insane? Why would I help you instead of my own people?
Did you really think I came here to be fair?
"Hahaha! Fascinating! Kid, you're absolutely fascinating!"
Goddess Kali burst into hearty laughter, her interest clearly piqued. "My interest in you grows by the minute! How I'd love to knock you out and take you home for a proper tasting! But today isn't the day."
"Argana, Bache, it's time we left."
"Lady Kali?"
"Troops are heading this way. As expected of Orario—their response is impressively quick."
"Understood."
Argana clicked her tongue in regret.
Reluctantly tearing her gaze away from Eiji, she went to lift Kali onto her shoulders. Meanwhile, Bache picked up her severed arm from the ground.
"Kid, Argana's offer still stands. Think it over carefully. I hope to hear the answer I want when we meet again!"
After leaving behind those incredibly enticing words, Kali gave Argana a pat on the head.
The three of them transformed into two streaks of violent wind, crashing through the crowd as they sprinted toward the nearby Tower of Babel.
They moved without hesitation—swift, decisive, and without a trace of delay.
Like well-trained soldiers.
"Don't run!"
Tiona shouted, wanting to chase after them.
"Don't pursue them. First, check on Tione."
Eiji's words snapped her back to reality.
The two of them pulled Tione out from the wreckage of the shop. The punch had landed squarely on her back, leaving her in brief shock, but with Airmid around, it wasn't a serious issue.
"What happened here?"
Before long, a patrol squad in standardized armor arrived at the scene, piecing together the events from the scattered accounts of the surrounding adventurers.
A chestnut-haired Pallum girl hid among the crowd, staring at the Dian Cecht Familia for a long while before silently slipping away.
...
"I never expected that right after returning from the expedition, you'd cause such a huge mess."
The top floor of the northern spire in Twilight Manor.
Outside, the bright moon hung high in the sky, while the city below glittered with lights. The executives of the Loki Familia, including the three troublemakers—Eiji, Tione, and Tiona—had gathered in Finn's office.
"Brawling in the streets, nearly harming civilians… When I got the notice from the military police, I thought it couldn't possibly be true. After all, the three of you aren't the type to act recklessly. Thanks to this, today's victory banquet has been canceled."
Finn rubbed his throbbing temples, muttering under his breath.
"Captain, this was my fault alone. If punishment is needed, punish me!"
Tione stepped forward, taking responsibility.
Her expression had returned to normal, the violent battle lust from earlier seeming like nothing more than an illusion.
"Unfortunately, this wasn't any of your faults, so I won't be punishing anyone."
Finn spread his hands, a smile reappearing on his face.
"The Guild has already informed me of what happened. The enemy struck first, after all. The Loki Familia doesn't have a rule about turning the other cheek."
Even if it was the Freya Familia.
That was what Finn said.
No wonder this guy was so well-liked—he never made disappointing decisions.
Tione silently retreated.
Eiji glanced at her, then at Tiona beside her.
Both of them seemed fine on the surface, but their hearts were probably far from calm… Though Tiona, being an airhead, might genuinely not have given it much thought.
"What troubles me is—why did the Kali Familia appear in Orario at this exact moment?"
Finn bit his thumb, his expression growing inexplicably grim.
"Finn, did the Kali Familia enter through proper procedures?"
Loki, leaning against a bookshelf, raised her hand as she spoke.
"No, and that's one of the problems."
Finn shook his head, his brows furrowing deeply.
"According to the Guild, Goddess Kali and her two top executives, Argana and Bache, none of them have any official records of entering the city."
Foreign Familias wishing to enter Orario must undergo rigorous inspections.
The Guild managed Orario with extreme caution, unwilling to allow any external factors to disrupt its peace. If a god wanted to enter Orario, they would undoubtedly be scrutinized for days.
A powerful faction like the Kali Familia would never have been allowed into Orario from the start—the Guild would have directly barred them at the city gates.
"So, they snuck in?" Riveria mused thoughtfully.
"Exactly, which means they had inside help in the city."
Finn nodded with a grave expression. "We don't know which faction secretly aided them, but they deliberately smuggled the Kali Familia into the city. And the timing… makes me suspect a connection to the Evilus!"