I walked through the familiar hallway of the Travelers Inn, heading straight for the workshop, my hurried footsteps echoing my urgency. Before long, I reached the studio, and after knocking once, I entered.
Asfi was standing in front of the counter. The spherical object was placed on the table.
Noticing me entering the room, Asfi spoke, "Finally, you are here,".
"Hey, don't say it like I am late," I protested, "I practically sprinted all the way here, you know."
"Really?" she asked.
"Yes, anyway, what did you find out?" I leaned over the table to examine the sphere more closely.
"Right," She said, her tone changing to a serious one, "I completed the analysis on it and figured out that it is a key, just like you suspected." She announced.
Just as I suspected. But that raised a bigger question: how do I find the actual entrance? From what I remember, it was somewhere in Daedalus Street or the sewers—both far too large to search alone, and I had no other leads.
"Arin?" Asfi's voice jolted me out of my thoughts. I looked to see her standing very close to me, close enough that I could see my reflection in her glasses, and she opened her mouth to speak, "What happened? You suddenly went very quiet," she asked.
I debated whether to tell her or not, but then I remembered the promise I made to them and decided to tell her. "Asfi, do you mind if we invite the others as well for this conversation?" I asked, making Asfi tilt her head in confusion.
____________________________________________________________________________
Less than an hour later, my requested companions had assembled in Asfi's workshop—along with some unexpected additions.
The space suddenly felt much smaller with Ryuu, Riveria, and Ais standing around the workbench, all wearing expressions of curious concern. But they weren't alone. Somehow, word had spread, and now Alise, Kaguya, and Ardee had also squeezed into the room, making the workshop feel distinctly overcrowded.
"Well, Arin," Kaguya said, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, her fingers tapping impatiently against the hilt of her katana. "We're all here. So, mind telling what this is about? And preferably soon, before we all suffocate in this cramped space."
"Yes, I will." I looked pointedly at the three uninvited guests. "But I don't remember inviting you three, though?"
"Arin! Were you really going to leave us out of something this interesting?!" Alise protested, wearing an expression of mock hurt that would have been more convincing if her eyes weren't gleaming with excitement. "After all we've been through together!"
"Yes, and just when you promised not to leave me out anymore, too!" Ardee added, pointing an accusatory finger at me. "We made a deal, remember?!"
"That deal was about dungeon diving, not secret meetings," I pointed out, but I could already feel my resolve weakening under their combined assault.
"Details!" Alise waved dismissively.
I sighed in defeat, earning victorious grins from both girls. "Okay, fine, you can join. But!" I continued quickly before they could celebrate too much, "This isn't a fun adventure or an exciting treasure hunt. What I'm about to discuss is serious, potentially dangerous, and will require actual work. So I expect you to give it your full attention and commitment."
"You got it!" Both Alise and Ardee chorused enthusiastically, though I suspected they'd have agreed to anything just to be included.
"Now that we've settled who's attending this impromptu meeting," Riveria's voice cut through the settling silence, "would you mind explaining what this is actually about, Arin?"
"Yes, I'm also very curious about it," Ryuu added, her ocean-blue eyes studying me with that perceptive gaze, while Ais also nodded her head, paying full attention to every word.
"Right," I said, taking a deep breath and organizing my thoughts, "so let's start from the beginning. During the time I was raiding the remnants of the Evilus, I found this strange orb," I said, pointing at the orb sitting in the middle of the workbench.
Asfi continued after me, "And after a thorough research conducted by me and Arin, we found out that it's some kind of key."
Everyone moved closer, studying the sphere with new interest. I could see the analytical wheels turning behind their eyes, each one drawing their own conclusions about what such a key might open.
"Now here comes the part where I need your assistance," I said, "Based on various pieces of evidence I've gathered and patterns I've observed, I have reason to believe there's another entrance to the dungeon. A hidden entrance that's been used by Evilus to move in and out without being detected."
"What?!" Alise and Ardee's simultaneous exclamations of surprise were loud enough that I worried they might alert the entire familia.
The others reacted more quietly, but the shock was still evident on their faces. Riveria's eyes widened slightly, her usual composure cracking just enough to show genuine surprise. Ryuu's hand moved unconsciously to her weapon, as if already preparing for whatever this revelation might lead to. Ais tilted her head, processing this information with that focused intensity she brought to important matters. Even Kaguya, usually unflappable, straightened up from her casual lean against the wall.
"I understand this sounds far-fetched," I continued, raising a hand to forestall the barrage of questions I could see forming. "Challenging everything we think we know about the dungeon's accessibility."
"What drew you to that conclusion?" Asfi asked on behalf of everyone present.
"Let me explain, you girls remember the times when those Evilus appear in the dungeon floors like they manifested out of thin air?" All the girls nodded at my question, "How do you think they were able to do that? Were they so good with their stealth skill that they breached through all the defense layers?" I asked, "No, I am positive they had traveled through another dungeon entrance."
Ryuu's eyes narrowed, clearly recalling specific encounters. Kaguya's fingers stopped tapping her katana hilt
"Now ask yourselves: how did they accomplish that?" I pressed the question. "Were they really so skilled in stealth that they could breach every layer of security? Past the Guild's monitoring, past familia members stationed at the entrance, past adventurers on every floor between the surface and their destination?" I shook my head. "No. I'm convinced they traveled through a different route entirely—a hidden entrance that allowed them to bypass all normal security measures."
"That..." Riveria said slowly, her hand moving to her chin in that contemplative gesture I'd come to recognize, "actually makes a disturbing amount of sense. There were multiple occasions where we had second-class and even first-class adventurers maintaining watch at the dungeon entrance, yet Evilus members still managed to infiltrate the deeper floors. We attributed it to magic items, or inside information about guard rotations, but a hidden entrance would explain it far more simply."
"Yes, that would also explain Erebus's entrance to the 18th floor as well," Ryuu added, her voice tight with remembered anger.
"So, now you want to find that entrance? And that so-called key is the mechanism that operates those doors? …That's a lot of guesswork," Kaguya said, "but it's also better than doing nothing, I guess."
"Justice must be served!" Alise declared dramatically, striking one of her characteristic poses. "If there's a secret passage being used by those who would threaten Orario, then the great Captain Alise and her companions will find it and bring those responsible to justice!"
"You do realize the people who used it are already mostly captured or dead, right?" Ardee pointed out, grinning. "But count me in, too! This sounds way more exciting than regular patrols!"
"I will assist as well," Ryuu said quietly, her voice carrying absolute certainty. "If there's any chance Evilus' remnants might use this entrance again, or if other criminal organizations might discover it, then it must be found and secured."
Ais nodded firmly, her expression determined. "I'll help."
I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding, but there was still one question that needed addressing, and I knew Riveria would be the one to raise it.
"But Arin," she said, her emerald eyes studying me with that penetrating intelligence that missed nothing, "why are you not asking for help from Loki and the others? Finn's tactical expertise would be invaluable for something like this, and having the full strength of our familia behind the search would make it far more efficient. Why keep this limited to such a small group?"
"There are several reasons," I said carefully. "First, as Kaguya pointed out, this is still largely speculation on my part. I have circumstantial evidence and logical deductions, but no concrete proof. Taking this to Finn and Loki without more solid information would be premature since that would likely trigger an official investigation that might alert anyone still monitoring the entrance."
"You think someone's still watching it?" Asfi asked sharply.
"I think it's possible," I said. "The Evilus leadership might be gone, and tried as I did, there are still remnants out there. If they realize we're actively searching for their hidden entrance, they might collapse it, booby-trap it, or move their operations elsewhere before we can locate it. Keeping this search low-key and unofficial gives us the element of surprise."
I didn't remember much about who else operated the entrance—Dix, certainly, but there had been others. Without knowing their identities or how they might react to our search, I was working with incomplete information. Risky, but unavoidable.
Involving the girls carried its own dangers, especially with so many unknowns. But I couldn't do this alone, and I trusted their skills. I'd just have to stay vigilant and hope my fragmented memories were enough to keep everyone safe.
"That's... actually a sound strategic argument," Riveria admitted. Her gaze swept the room, lingering on each face before returning to mine. "Very well. I'll trust your judgment on this—for now. But Arin, if this becomes more dangerous than a simple search, we will bring it to our familias immediately. Understood?" she said, her expression firm. I gave a nod in agreement.
"In other words, you want to confirm your theory before potentially embarrassing yourself by being wrong," Kaguya translated with brutal honesty. "And you don't want to waste everyone's time on what might turn out to be nothing."
"That's... one way to put it," I agreed, seeing that as a good excuse.
"So it's just us then?" Ryuu asked, looking around at the assembled group. "The people in this room?"
"Yes," I confirmed. "At least for the initial search phase. I know it's not ideal—we're a small group trying to cover a large area. But I think it's the right approach given the circumstances. And I am not expecting us to find it on our first try either, we will be doing searches like this on several occasions in the future as well."
"Where should we start from?" Ais, standing on my right, asked.
"We will form two groups and start our search from Daedalus Street," I said.
"It's going to be very difficult," said Ardee, "that place is nothing but a maze." Her complaints were obviously ignored by everyone.
"We should split up," Riveria suggested. "Cover more ground. Arin, you take Asfi, Ais, and Ardee. I'll lead Ryuu, Alise, and Kaguya."
I nodded, "Works for me, Now, let's head out," I said, as all of us began our search. The workshop emptied fast, as we made our way through the streets of Orario, heading straight towards the Dedalus streets in two groups.