Two hours later, most of the supporting familias had already returned to their home bases, leaving the remaining matters in the hands of the Ganesha Familia.
The gods understood what this really meant—no other familia would be allowed to intervene in the subsequent investigation.
At the same time, they all realized something else. The war against Evilus was now imminent.
It was likely that once Ganesha's investigation concluded, Orario would officially go to war with Evilus.
The familias that had aided in the rescue already had a general grasp of the situation within the blast zone.
Now, each familia began holding their own solemn meetings.
The largest and most important of these was the one convened by the Loki Familia.
Excluding the Guild, Orario's current center of power effectively rested with Loki's group.
Present at the meeting were Ganesha and his captain Shakti, Hephaestus and her captain Tsubaki, Hermes and his captain Asfi, Freya and her captain Ottar, Hestia seated alongside Hephaestus, and as the host, Loki herself, together with the three pillars of her familia.
It was an extraordinary gathering—six gods united under one roof for a single reason.
Evilus.
"Ganesha, you start."
As the host, Loki immediately gave the floor to Ganesha, who was known for taking charge of large assemblies.
"Then I'll begin."
Ganesha stood, his expression unusually solemn. This time, he didn't shout his trademark introduction, "I am Ganesha!" The gravity of the situation left no room for theatrics.
"The explosion took place on the outskirts of Orario. There were no familia territories nearby, but the area was home to a large civilian population.
"The blast devastated nearly the entire residential district. Around seventy percent of the civilians perished. Only a few who lived near the outer edges of the area managed to survive by sheer luck. Those closer to the center—almost without exception—were killed instantly by the shockwaves."
Even that rough figure—seventy percent—was enough to make every god present fall silent. It wasn't a precise number, but it weighed far heavier than any statistic.
The actual death toll from the explosion's center was likely impossible to calculate.
Those farther out might have left behind dismembered remains, but those caught at the heart of the blast... even the chance of leaving behind a body was gone.
As the memory of that horrific scene crossed his mind, Ganesha's gaze turned sharply toward Hermes.
"Hermes. You've been investigating those people for a while now, haven't you? Don't tell me you didn't know about this operation?"
All eyes turned to him. Hermes's usual easy smile faded, replaced by a weary look.
"Well... yes, the explosion site was within the area I was monitoring. Even a second before the blast, my Asfi was still keeping watch there."
"BOOM!"
Ganesha slammed his fist down on the table, his voice rising in fury as he leapt to his feet.
"Then why didn't you stop it!?"
"Do you have any idea how many children died in that blast!?"
"You're always like this! Have you been spending so much time around those maniacs that you've started to think like them!?"
His words cut deep. They were harsher than anyone expected.
And while none of this was truly Hermes's fault, he said nothing in his own defense.
"Ganesha-sama, please calm yourself."
Shakti quickly stood up, blocking Ganesha-sama before he could continue. She knew full well that Hermes-sama must have had a reason for not exposing that site, and that this explosion was certainly not something he had wished for.
"Don't stop me, Shakti! I'm going to punch this bastard! I'll hit him once—for those dead children!"
Every god in the room knew Ganesha wasn't exaggerating. He truly meant every word.
Had today's explosion not resulted in such horrific casualties, he wouldn't have lost control like this.
"Ganesha, use your brain for once. Don't you know what kind of person Hermes is?"
Loki's voice cut through the tension, stopping Ganesha's outburst before it could go further.
"If those rats intended to attack Orario directly, they wouldn't have stopped at this scale. All they did was detonate a hidden chamber in a remote area. Haven't you realized what their real goal is?"
Scolded so directly, Ganesha slowly began to regain his composure.
It was true—the aftermath of the explosion was terrible. Yet Evilus hadn't taken advantage of it to launch a full-scale invasion of Orario. Instead, they had simply ignited chaos and vanished without a trace. That was what made this so suspicious.
Ganesha wasn't just a muscle-bound fool. Beneath the brawn, he was a god who could think deeply when he needed to.
But this time, the devastation—and especially the death of so many children—had shaken him to his core, clouding his normally sharp instincts.
So… the goal of those people wasn't to attack Orario at all?
"A diversion... their target is the Dungeon!"
The realization struck him instantly.
"Looks like your brain hasn't completely burned out from anger, Ganesha," Loki said, her sarcasm sharp enough to sting.
The muscles in Ganesha's face twitched. The jab was harsh, but he didn't argue.
Loki hadn't meant to mock him simply for losing his temper over the children's deaths. Truthfully, her own anger had flared just as violently when she'd heard about the explosion site.
Now that she understood what those lunatics were after, her fury only burned hotter—and when Ganesha had jumped up earlier, she couldn't resist letting that sarcasm slip.
"Have you cooled down now?"
Meeting Loki's icy gaze, Ganesha instinctively stiffened. His neck shrank back slightly, and he even took a cautious step away.
He waved his hands quickly.
"Cool—no, calm! I'm calm now. Completely calm."
And he truly was.
After all, in the Tenkai, there was only one god who didn't fear Loki—Hestia. Every other deity had, at one point or another, been terrified of her madness.
And right now, the Loki before him was almost identical to the one who had once toyed with the gods, starting wars out of boredom just to amuse herself.
No... there was still a difference.
Ganesha could feel it. Loki's emotions were far more unstable now. Even that frigid look she'd given him moments ago—cold and hollow—had felt almost like the gaze of someone staring at a corpse.
But he knew this fury wasn't truly directed at him.
No, Loki was enraged because of those dead children.
Realizing this, Ganesha exhaled deeply and sank back into his seat.
'Seems we've all changed, haven't we?'
...
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