"What a bunch of lunatics!"
Asfi couldn't help but curse those Evilus bastards from the depths of her soul, her teeth trembling uncontrollably. She could already imagine what kind of devastation such an act would bring to Orario—and the chaos that would follow.
"Ah, that's just the kind of madmen they are."
Even Hermes, who was always dancing between good and evil, wore a conflicted expression.
There was no doubt that the actions of those lunatics endangered the interests of most gods. If Orario were destroyed, the deities would lose the home they had worked so long to build. Such an outcome went completely against the will of the Familia Gods.
And, of course, against Hermes's own interests as well.
A flash of cold determination passed through Hermes's eyes. He would never allow anyone to interfere with the "script" he wanted to see.
But when his gaze fell on Bell's calm face, Hermes realized he might not have to do much at all.
"That place... you haven't cleared it out yet?"
"No. To avoid provoking them into a reckless counterattack, I've temporarily held off taking any direct action against that base. More importantly, I found their traps... a bit much."
After thinking about it for a while, Bell decided that "a bit much" was the best way to describe how overly complex the traps were.
"Even after seeing what they were guarding in the underground warehouse, I still think they went overboard. They set up dust detection on the surface, traps at the entrance, and even gravity traps in the basement."
"Judging from the dust coating the first-floor barrier, I'd say those traps were set up about a month or two ago. My guess is that someone discovered their surface base and accidentally triggered one of their traps. Otherwise, they wouldn't have gone so far to strengthen their defenses."
As Bell finished speaking, he noticed Hermes's expression twist into something almost... amused. He blinked in confusion. Why did the god look so entertained by this?
Then, following Hermes's gaze, Bell saw it—Asfi, the always composed and collected captain, her face completely flushed red.
...Wait a second.
Bell's mind froze for a moment before the realization hit him.
"Ahem... Perseus, don't tell me the one who triggered their trap... was you?"
The moment he said it, the words hit like a spark to a powder keg. Asfi, whose face was already crimson, looked ready to explode.
Bell could only shake his head helplessly.
"No wonder the defenses at that base were so extreme, and the trap level so absurdly high."
At that, Asfi finally broke under the pressure.
"I... I'm terribly sorry. I underestimated them."
The realization that her blunder had directly caused Evilus to strengthen their defenses made her cheeks burn with shame. She couldn't even form a proper excuse. From any angle, her mistake had been a complete lapse in judgment—and she knew it.
"Let's set this matter aside for now."
Seeing that his captain had already recognized her mistake, Hermes spoke up to smooth things over, then shifted the topic toward Bell.
"Bell, you said earlier you came here to ask for help?"
"Yes. I've found that the surface bases are heavily fortified. Aside from me, there's probably no one who can infiltrate them quietly enough to gather intel. So I need to focus more on those surface outposts. That means my surveillance on the Dungeon will have to decrease for a while."
Hermes believed him without question.
Asfi's earlier blunder had, without a doubt, made infiltration much more difficult.
With the increased difficulty of investigating those bases—and the need to keep watching Evilus—it was inevitable that even Bell would find himself stretched thin.
"In that case, Asfi should be able to assist."
Hermes didn't hesitate for even a second before volunteering his own captain.
Surprisingly, Asfi didn't seem upset this time. Instead, she straightened up and looked ready to help.
"If there's something I can do, leave it to me."
Since she'd agreed herself, Bell naturally had no reason to refuse. In fact, Hermes Familia's captain was probably the best person for the job.
Hermes might not have been the most reliable god, but his captain was the exact opposite—dependable and meticulous.
"Then I'll be counting on you."
Of course, the monitoring Bell wanted to shift wasn't limited to a portion of Dungeon surveillance. He was talking about a network that spanned all of Orario.
"Perseus, does Hermes Familia have any special private spaces?"
"Isn't this one good enough?"
Asfi asked tentatively.
The room they were in now was one of the most private within the Familia. It held her research tools and partially assembled devices—part of her ongoing development work. Other than herself and Hermes-sama, only the vice-captain was permitted entry.
"It would be best if it's a secret space only you and Hermes can access. What I'm bringing can't afford to attract attention."
"A special magic tool?"
Asfi immediately thought of Bell's crafting skills. Even to her, his Rune Stones were abnormal creations. If he'd made some new magic device for surveillance, it would likely be of impressive quality.
After a brief pause for consideration, she made her decision.
"There is... another special room."
"Huh?"
Her response left Hermes completely dumbfounded.
As the god of Hermes Familia, he hadn't even known his own captain had a secret room hidden somewhere in their home base.
Bell noticed Hermes's stunned expression and understood that the "secret room" Asfi mentioned must be truly hidden—perhaps even from her god.
"As long as it's well hidden, that's enough. If what I'm bringing were to fall into Evilus's hands, they could track the movements of every Familia in Orario in an instant."
"???"
Good grief. Asfi's statement had already shocked Hermes, but Bell's follow-up completely froze him in place.
What kind of thing could possibly allow Evilus to monitor every Familia in Orario?
;;;
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