Orario was a quintessential medieval city.
In such cities, the purpose of towering walls was always to encircle and protect the inhabitants from external threats.
But for Orario, its walls served another, more critical role—to prevent the monsters of the Dungeon from breaking out and wreaking havoc upon the outside world.
After all, Orario was founded with one primary goal: to defend against the onslaught of creatures emerging from the Dungeon.
One had to understand that in the distant, ancient past, long before the gods descended to the lower world, the Dungeon already existed. Monsters of all kinds would crawl out from its depths, plunging the entire world into chaos.
But now…
Ever since the gods came down, the Dungeon was suppressed. Generation after generation of adventurers hunted down the monsters, and no longer did these creatures escape to spread disorder.
Thanks to the presence of the gods and the abundance of adventurers, Orario had grown into an exceptionally prosperous city on the continent.
In fact, the military strength of this single city now surpassed the combined might of all the nations outside Orario.
One could say Orario had become the very heart of this world.
A saying spread across the lands:
[Go to Orario, and you'll become rich, become a hero.]
And in truth, that was the case. In this city, if you were willing to risk your life, you could indeed earn wealth beyond what ordinary people could accumulate in several lifetimes.
Even if you merely joined a Familia and became an adventurer, even if you never reached Level 2, when you returned to your village, you would be the most respected figure around.
So, at every moment, people from the outside world continuously streamed into Orario.
At the same time, the screening process was extremely strict. After all, other gods existed in the wider world, and if any of them intended harm toward Orario, they might send spies.
Rigorous inspections, while not foolproof, at least demonstrated a stance—a commitment to understanding, as thoroughly as possible, the population entering the city.
However, this strict scrutiny meant that the number of people waiting for inspection outside Orario was enormous.
When Alice arrived outside the city, a long, snaking queue stretched before her eyes, so long she couldn't see its end.
"What a hassle…" Alice furrowed her brow.
Right now, within Orario, while everyone knew about the strange vine monsters, only Loki and Alice were aware of the imminent emergence of the Black Dragon.
And the direction the Black Dragon was heading, the very spot it would appear, was right near this section of the city wall.
If this many people remained here when the Black Dragon arrived, the casualties would be immense. Though, if the Black Dragon appeared, Orario itself might simply vanish.
But if possible, it was better to keep the casualties as low as possible.
"Hey! You, the blonde woman! It's the Monster Feria! Where do you think you're going? Which Familia are you from? Who's your god?" A guard noticed Alice's sudden appearance and immediately stepped forward to interrogate her.
Leaving Orario required inspection just like entering, especially for gods, who were strictly forbidden from leaving the city lightly.
Ordinary adventurers, unless necessary, were also not permitted to leave Orario without notifying the Guild.
To save time, Alice had flown here directly.
The gate guards were adventurers from the Ganesha Familia. Their level wasn't exceptionally high—Level 1 was decent enough for this post. If any trouble arose at the gate, they could handle it without complete panic.
Whether they could actually win a fight was another matter, of course.
If something serious happened, a large number of adventurers Level 3 and above from within Orario would rush to assist.
The Level 1 adventurer hadn't seen how Alice arrived, so he grew instantly wary, adopting a guarded stance and questioning her.
Alice turned and regarded the soldier coolly as he approached to interrogate her.
"I'm Alice. A large number of strange monsters have appeared within the city. All Familias are currently engaged in hunting them down. I must ask that you stop allowing more people to enter."
"You're free to disbelieve me, but the Guild should be sending a notification shortly."
Before Alice even finished speaking, another gate guard nearby signaled to his companion to stand down.
His gaze toward Alice was one of fervent recognition—after all, Alice was quite famous in Orario.
This guard held a magic crystal in his hand and seemed to be speaking into it.
Seeing his companion's actions, the guard who had questioned Alice softened his tone.
"Please wait a moment. The Guild is contacting us—likely about the matter you mentioned. We'll verify it immediately."
Alice nodded, her curious eyes drifting toward the magic crystal the communicating guard held.
She could sense it was an ordinary magic crystal, inscribed with a simple magic circle structure, probably designed for message transmission.
Right now, that guard was likely using it to communicate with someone. Judging by the rate of mana dissipation from the crystal, this method of communication was surely reserved for emergencies. Each use consumed an entire magic crystal, making it a very expensive tool.
The magic crystal was depleted.
The guard had received the relevant information.
"Lady Alice, the Guild has notified us. We'll leave matters here in your hands. We will evacuate the civilians as quickly as possible and direct them to safety."
The guard who had been communicating spoke to Alice with utmost seriousness.
Hearing this, Alice's eyebrow arched slightly.
She guessed that Loki must have informed the Guild about the Black Dragon. While the news was hard to believe, Loki was, after all, a god, and wouldn't tell a lie that could be so easily exposed.
So, after receiving the information from Loki, the Guild must have immediately contacted the Ganesha Familia, who acted as Orario's 'military police.'
"I'll leave this to you, then. You must move quickly. The monsters aren't only inside the city—soon, they'll appear outside as well. This is confirmed by both the Loki and Freya Familias."
"So you must hurry. After the evacuation, you need to take cover immediately. The monster that will appear soon is not something you can withstand. Understood?"
Hearing Alice's words, the two guards felt a sudden chill in their hearts.
One already knew Alice's identity, and the other now recognized who she was.
Thus, they deeply believed every word Alice said.
"Yes, Lady Alice!"
Standing straight, they saluted her, then immediately began guiding and dispersing the civilians.
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