After the massacre at the Soma Familia's stronghold, not only was the area sealed off by the Ganesha Familia's guards, but even the surrounding streets were cordoned off to prevent adventurers from entering.
And it wasn't just the guards of the Ganesha Familia.
Even their captain — Orario's top-class adventurer, Shakti Varma — had personally come to investigate the incident.
She had sharp, short blue hair, a dignified face, and a tall, commanding figure.
A big sister type, in every sense.
At the moment, Shakti was in a terrible mood — or rather, her mood couldn't be worse. Her brows were furrowed as she surveyed the brutal crime scene.
It had been many years since the Dark Age had passed.
Though adventurers still occasionally clashed, things had never escalated to this extent — a whole Familia had been wiped out overnight!
Although the Soma Familia wasn't particularly powerful by Orario's standards…
After verifying the identities of the corpses and comparing them with the Guild's adventurer registry, it was confirmed that almost every member had been killed the previous night.
The only one unaccounted for was a Pallum supporter — and she might be the key to uncovering the truth behind the Familia's destruction.
Liliruca Arde.
"Who could've done this?"
To silently pull off something like this… at the very least, it had to be someone at Level 3. Shakti's speculation wasn't baseless.
Who could pull this off?
Lyuu?
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she dismissed it. The Soma Familia may not have been clean — they didn't just sell subpar divine wine.
They were even rumored to be involved in dealings with the Xenos. But they were definitely not part of the Evilus faction.
Shakti's frown deepened. The Ganesha Familia's primary mission was to maintain order in Orario.
To prevent chaos among the adventurer community, a reasonable explanation must be presented.
"This feels like a mess…"
She rubbed her temples in frustration. It wasn't until one of her masked subordinates came over with the intelligence summary that she forced herself to set her anxiety aside.
"Captain Shakti, it seems the Soma Familia was holding a gathering last night."
"There were overturned wine barrels at the scene, and one bottle was placed very conspicuously — as if the perpetrator wanted us to find it."
The guard's tone was grave as he asked, "What should we do next?"
"Leave it to me."
A provocation from the killer?
Shakti's expression was clouded. She hadn't initially suspected that angle. If Evilus were making a comeback and trying to incite panic…
They would've hidden the truth — plunging Orario back into crisis.
But this was different.
A Level 3 adventurer carrying out a random massacre without any clear motive… and deliberately leaving behind evidence?
This felt more like someone was leading them toward the truth.
"Keep the area sealed off."
"I'm going to report this to Lord Ganesha." With the unopened divine wine in hand, Shakti didn't linger in the red-light district.
She decisively returned to the Familia's headquarters.
If her suspicion was correct, then the true cause of the Soma Familia's destruction went beyond public safety.
This might even be the killer's way of negotiating with the Guild?
"If I'm right…"
"We'll have our answer soon enough."
Shakti's mood was anything but light. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were dancing in the palm of the killer's hand — the evidence deliberately left behind told the whole story.
Sealing off the crime scene and conducting the investigation felt more like going through the motions.
Whether or not they pursued the killer any further would now depend on the attitude of Lord Ganesha… and Lord Ouranos, who presided over the Guild.
"Just who the hell is this lunatic?!"
Returning to their headquarters, Shakti stared up at the massive statue of Lord Ganesha. Despite her displeasure, she still passed through the corridor under its legs.
And found the deity seated within.
She reported with a grim expression, "Lord Ganesha, we've roughly pieced together the events behind the Soma Familia massacre."
"The killer left a bottle of Soma's divine wine at the scene. We believe it was intentionally placed as a clue."
"This doesn't seem to be a conflict between Familias…"
"It feels more like a grudge between adventurers that escalated into the Familia's annihilation. We're still investigating the perpetrator's identity."
After grasping the general picture, Ganesha gave no immediate instructions. If it wasn't a factional conflict, then…
This matter needed to be brought to Ouranos.
He looked at Shakti, whose expression was difficult to read, and said in a calmer tone: "Seal off the area. Continue investigating the killer's identity."
"But until there's a definitive conclusion — take no further action."
The god's command was clear: wait for Ouranos' judgment.
The decision wasn't unexpected for Shakti, but it didn't ease her frustration.
She looked up with conflicted eyes and, ignoring the Soma Familia's fate for a moment, asked: "Lord Ganesha… is this really the right thing to do?"
"Orario's stability comes first."
He didn't elaborate. The Ganesha Familia's duty was simply to preserve peace. The final decision lay with Ouranos.
After a few words of instruction, Ganesha promptly set out to meet him.
——
Deep beneath the Guild Headquarters — news of the Soma Familia's annihilation the previous night had already been relayed to Ouranos by Fels.
The Guild maintained neutrality toward all Familias.
And when it came to internal conflicts between them, Ouranos never intervened. But the destruction of the Soma Familia clearly wasn't due to a Familia war.
Had this been the result of a formal war game, it could have been chalked up to natural consequences.
But the current circumstances disrupted Ouranos' long-laid plans for the final conflict. As Ganesha arrived to discuss the matter…
The old god lifted his face, expression cold as he asked, "Ganesha. What is it you want?"
"I'm here about that matter, of course."
Wearing his elephant mask, his muscular upper body bare, Ganesha folded his arms across his chest as he began discussing the Soma Familia.
"Should we pursue the adventurer responsible for the massacre?"
"Hmm?" Ouranos waited for elaboration.
"The killer left behind a bottle of Soma's divine wine. If we don't press the matter, we can probably contain the fallout — since this isn't a factional war."
As this involved the destruction of an entire Familia, it was ultimately Ouranos' call.
As a god, Ganesha was more politically astute than his loyal but rigid subordinate, Shakti. His perspective was broader.
The killer's stated reason — as delivered through the Ganesha Familia — could serve to stabilize Orario.
Under the previous captain Zanis, the Soma Familia had long been corrupt. It wasn't unthinkable that finished divine wine had leaked.
If a passing adventurer picked it up and discovered its extreme mind-altering properties… the case could be considered closed.
There was no way Orario — or the Guild behind it, led by Ouranos — could allow such wine to circulate on the open market.
"…How interesting."
The killer had already stated their reason and delivered the message via the Ganesha Familia. Ouranos' expression didn't change.
He was weighing the pros and cons.
If it were merely a personal vendetta, the killer could've just left Orario. With the vast number of people coming and going each day, it would be impossible to lock down the city.
At most, once their identity was discovered, the Guild could issue a wanted notice.
But instead, the perpetrator went to great lengths. Clearly, they had no intention of leaving Orario — they wanted Ouranos to choose between the Soma Familia and them?
Such audacity bordered on sacrilege.
And yet, Ouranos wasn't offended. On the contrary, he was intrigued by the mastermind behind the massacre. Things wouldn't end so simply.
"Abandon the corrupt Soma Familia. Cover up the truth. And allow the perpetrator to remain active in Orario."
That wasn't a hard decision.
The Soma Familia was already gone. But if the killer's actions didn't ultimately serve Ouranos' greater vision…
Then the Guild would not tolerate any threat that endangered the coming final conflict!
Ouranos' gaze turned cold as he made his decision:
"Continue investigating the killer's identity. As for whether we issue a Guild-wide bounty…"
"Let's see how far that person can go."
Author's note:
The lack of writing experience is showing — this kind of plot-heavy scene is really causing writer's block. The missing second update will be made up before 2 AM.
---
Access more chapters at patreon.com/dzeref887