I, along with Asfi, Ais, and Ardee, were going through the maze-like street of Daedalus. Above us, the sky was barely visible—just narrow strips of fading daylight squeezed between buildings that leaned toward each other at precarious angles, some actually touching, creating accidental archways and covered passages.
Laundry lines crisscrossed between windows, creating a tangled web of fabric that fluttered in the breeze like forgotten flags. The higher levels were even more chaotic, with buildings stacked on top of each other in defiance of basic engineering principles.
"Ugh, we've been just walking around for the past hours with no clues of a giant door or anything like that!" Ardee's complaints were valid. Even after spending so much time walking around the district, we haven't found anything of concrete value.
I was starting to think it had been a bad idea from the start. Trying to find something abstract with little to no clue was a fool's errand. But now we are here, it wouldn't hurt to keep searching. We might stumble onto something useful.
"This would be the perfect place for criminal organizations," I said aloud, voicing the thought that had been growing in my mind. "Look at it—dozens of escape routes from every location, passages that don't appear on any map, a population that won't talk to authorities, and enough architectural confusion that even if someone gave directions, you'd still get lost trying to follow them."
"It's not just about hiding," Asfi added, "It's about control. A criminal group that understood how to navigate Daedalus Street would have an enormous advantage. They could move goods, people, and information through here without being seen. Set up meeting places that would be impossible for outsiders to find. Create escape routes that pursuers couldn't follow."
"And if you wanted to hide an entrance to something important," Ardee continued, catching on, "somewhere that needed to remain secret even from most of your own organization..."
"You'd put it here," I finished. "Somewhere in this maze where even if someone knew generally where to look, they'd still struggle to find the exact location." Just when I finished talking, I saw a silhouette of a person walking into one of the narrower streets. My breath caught. Dix. One of the people I'd been hunting for.
"Wha? Arin, where are you going?" I heard Asfi call from behind, but I didn't slow down and entered the same street as he had. But there was no sign of him here. I tried following one of the diverging paths, but it was futile. Without knowing which route he'd taken, I'd only end up separated from the girls and waste time chasing shadows. Still, my fists clenched at the missed opportunity.
"Arin, what happened?" Ais, who caught up to me, followed by others, asked.
"No, it was nothing, Ais, I thought I saw a person matching one of the descriptions the Evilus remnant described to me before," I explained.
"And he got away, huh? Guess today really isn't our lucky day," Ardee complained, her eyes scanning the area in search of the said person.
"At least we got a clue, no matter how small. Asfi, can you mark this area on the map?" I said, looking at Asfi, already drawing a circle on the map.
"And let's end our search for today," I announced. The girls looked up in surprise.
"Are you sure?" Ais asked.
"Yes, like I said, I wasn't expecting to find much on our first attempt. Getting even this small lead is good progress. I will try to dig up more information, and we can come back again." I said, as Asfi relayed it to Riveria and others, doing their own investigation.
I gave the alley one final look. Dix. A trashy human being if there ever was one. I still remember how he and his entourage used to torture the Xenos. He is someone who needs to die… and who knows, I might even be able to get some information out of him.
"Are you not coming, Arin?" Hearing Asfi call, I decided to join back up with them as we made our way back home. The streets were busier now as evening fell, merchants packing up their wares and workers heading home.
"Miss Ais~~!" Just as we were making our way back home to meet up with Riveria and others to discuss our findings, or lack thereof, we heard Lefiya call and turn to see her making her way through the sea of people, as she came to a halt in front of Ais.
"Lefiya?" Ais questioned, her head tilting.
"Ais, where were you? I couldn't find you anywhere." Lefiya asked, but instead of Ais, Ardee answered.
"We were just doing some investigation. I wanted to invite you, but you were nowhere to be seen." She said.
"Oh, sorry, I was at Gobiniu familia," she said, and as if just remembering something, her eyes widened as she looked at Ais again, "Speaking of which, Miss Ais, I was able to make a deal with Gobiniu familia for your debt." The word 'debt' made me perk my ears, as Lefiya continued, "They said if we can pay them ten million valis in a week, then they will extend the date for the full payment!"
"Ten million is not a small amount, you know," I interrupted, and before Lefiya could say anything, I continued, "Which is why I will also help!" I announced.
"Eh! But it was supposed to be just me and Miss Ais!" Lefiya's complaints fell on deaf ears as Ardee spoke next.
"Me too! Or so I like to say, but we are having a special training for a week in our familia starting tomorrow," Ardee said, seemingly feeling guilty, "So, I am sorry but I can't come with you."
"Don't worry, Ardee… rather, it's my own debt, so it should be just me who works to pay it back," Ais tried to make Ardee feel better, even trying to speak more than usual.
"Isn't it fine if they help out, Ais?" Asfi said, "That's what friends do, and while I would have also liked to help, I have some important business to attend to."
"Yes, Miss Asfi is absolutely correct, Miss Ais." Lefiya spoke without missing a beat, "Then we will start our dive in the dungeon's upper floor tomorrow," she concluded, while Ais could only back down at Lefiya's intensity.
"...okay, thank you, Lefiya, Arin." She said.
"Don't worry about it, but for now, let's meet up with others and exchange any intel we had gathered," I said, as all of us made our way back to the twilight manor.
____________________________________________________________________________
The manor's common room was warm and inviting compared to the oppressive atmosphere of Daedalus Street. Riveria's group had already returned and claimed one of the larger tables, spreading out maps and notes across its surface. They looked up as we entered. I could read the answer in their expressions before anyone spoke—they'd found nothing either.
"Nothing," Kaguya said flatly, confirming my suspicion. "We spent hours wandering through that maze, checked every suspicious building, every odd passage, every location that might conceal an entrance. Found absolutely nothing useful."
"Same here," I admitted, pulling out a chair and dropping into it heavily. Hours of fruitless searching had worn me down more than I'd realized. "Well, almost nothing. I spotted someone who might have been one of the Evilus remnants, but they disappeared into the alleys before I could confirm or follow."
"At least that's something," Alise said, trying to inject some optimism into the deflated atmosphere. "It means we're searching in the right area, doesn't it? If Evilus members are still active there—"
"Or it means I saw someone who vaguely matched a description and jumped to conclusions," I interrupted, not wanting false hope to cloud our judgment, especially my own. Though those comically oversized goggles were hard to mistake. It had been Dix—I am certain of it.
"Daedalus Street is full of shady characters. It could have been anyone."
Ryuu leaned forward at the table, "Still, it's worth noting the location. If we see similar activity in that area during future searches, it might indicate a pattern."
"Asfi already marked it on the map," I confirmed, gesturing to where she was comparing her sketches with Riveria's notes.
"Well then," Alise said, stretching dramatically and breaking the tension, "since we're apparently done with secret investigations for tonight, I'm going to find some food. Anyone else starving?"
"Actually, before everyone disperses," Lefiya spoke up, and I was reminded of the conversation we'd had on the street. "Miss Ais has a situation that might require some assistance, and I think now would be a good time to explain it to everyone."
Ais shifted uncomfortably, suddenly the center of attention, but Lefiya continued undeterred. "Miss Ais is somewhat in debt to the Goibniu Familia for weapon maintenance and repairs. They've agreed to extend the payment deadline if we can provide ten million valis within a week as proof we're serious about settling the debt."
"Ten million?" Kaguya whistled. "How many weapons have you been breaking, Wallenstein?"
"Desperate costs more to maintain than regular weapons," Ais said quietly, almost defensively. "And I... may have been neglecting the payments."
"You were prioritizing equipment upgrades over debt repayment," Riveria translated, her tone carrying gentle reproof. "Ais, we've discussed this. You need to maintain financial responsibility—"
"Which is why I already volunteered to help her earn it," I interrupted, sparing Ais a lecture she'd clearly heard before. "Lefiya will be joining us, and we planned to dive the upper floors tomorrow to collect drop items and magic stones."
"The upper floors alone won't generate ten million in a week," Asfi observed practically. "You'd need to go deeper or target monsters on a large scale."
"Or take on Guild requests with cash rewards," Ryuu suggested. "There are always well-paying jobs available for skilled adventurers."
"We can work out the details tomorrow," I said. "For now, does anyone else want to join? The more people, the faster we can accumulate the funds."
"I'll join," Ryuu said simply. "If you're dungeon diving, an extra person increases safety."
"As will I," Alise declared. "Can't let you have all the fun!"
"Then I suppose I should come as well," Kaguya sighed. "Someone needs to keep Lion from doing something stupid."
"I don't do stupid things!" Ryuu protested.
"You do stupid things at least twice per dungeon dive," Kaguya countered. "I've been keeping count."
"Then it's settled," I said, "We'll meet at the dungeon entrance at dawn. Ais, Lefiya, Ryuu, Alise, Kaguya, and me. Our goal is to accumulate as much wealth as possible within seven days."
"So you can pay your debt as well?" Kaguya snickered, which genuinely annoyed me, but I let it go. Four hundred million versus ten million. The comparison wasn't even fair—and she knew it. That's why she was smiling like that.
"Don't push too hard," Riveria cautioned. "Ten million is a significant sum, but it's not worth injuries or recklessness. Pace yourselves." We all nodded at her words as the meeting was adjourned.