"Hiss…"
Valletta groaned, clutching her head as she pushed herself off the ground.
Damn it… what the hell happened…
Pain radiated from every inch of her body, like she'd been beaten half to death.
Then, like a tide crashing over her mind, her memories returned all at once.
Right. I was lying in ambush for those two brats… and got outplayed by that newcomer from the Loki Familia.
Grinding her teeth, the confusion in her eyes quickly turned into malice.
They saw right through my plan—or maybe those two brats were just bait, meant to lure me out.
Damn it… don't tell me this was another one of Finn's traps!
Thinking back to everything that had happened three years ago, Valletta found that possibility all too likely.
They'd probably sent those two kids into the Dungeon on purpose—made them act carelessly, made their need for Excellia obvious—just to reel her in.
The more she thought about it, the more certain she became.
"ROAAARRR!"
A beast-like bellow echoed from afar, snapping Valletta back to her surroundings.
This isn't the Great Fall… I'm deeper down?
Water was everywhere, pooling and streaming across the ground. Large crystals glimmered faintly around her.
A food storage area?
Her shattered memories began to piece themselves together. Before losing consciousness, she'd been swept away by a raging current.
And in those last moments before blacking out, she had heard a dragon's roar.
Given what had been happening near the Great Fall, there was no doubt—it was the cry of Amphisbaena.
How ironic. Saved by a Floor Boss of all things.
Hah… they must've thought I was dead and left me behind. Guess I've got the luck of a cockroach.
Even she had to admit—her luck was freakishly good. In that situation, anyone else would've died.
Instead, she had survived—swept to the deeper levels by the raging current from the Great Fall, triggered by the Floor Boss's rampage.
While her condition was far from ideal, it was still better than being captured or killed.
First things first, I need to get back to the Great Fall.
The monsters down here are way too strong for me right now.
Her body was battered, her wounds untreated, and she didn't have a single healing potion left. Death was a very real possibility.
Especially since this was the Dungeon's food storage.
Everyone knew those areas were swarming with monsters. If she got surrounded now, she'd die here for sure—if not to the Loki brats, then to the creatures prowling this place.
So for now, her only goal was simple: get out of this food storage alive.
"Mm. No issues."
Confirming the fragments of memory transferred from Valletta, Tsuna nodded. Her recollections were exactly as he had intended.
He hadn't even erased her memories of him entirely—only the part about his abilities. Enough to make it perfectly believable.
That was how a lie worked.
Mix truth with falsehood, and even your enemy would believe it.
Erase too much, and the illusion broke apart.
Tsuna looked up, nodding slightly to Finn and Gareth.
"As long as we don't transmit memories to a god, there shouldn't be a problem."
"Is it really that sensitive?" Finn asked, puzzled.
"When it comes to gods, we can't afford even the slightest mistake. One slip, and we'll lose the chance to make use of Valletta."
"If a god notices their name being mentioned—and traces that awareness to the parasite I left inside Valletta—that would spell trouble."
Cautious as ever, Tsuna didn't underestimate the gods.
He couldn't be sure how much of his information about them was accurate, but one thing he did know—caution was survival.
"What we need is intelligence on the Dark Faction's arrangements. Nothing more. The less we extract from her, the less risk there is of exposure. That's not our goal here."
"Her greatest value," he added, "is as an early warning."
"That's far more useful than being completely blind to what the Dark Faction is planning."
"Agreed," Finn said.
Valletta's role made perfect sense. They didn't need to squeeze her for everything she knew—just to use her as a sensor, a line of warning.
"Rather than ruthlessly squeezing all her value, it's better to keep Valletta as a dormant agent inside the Dark Faction."
"As one of their key members, her existence alone is priceless."
"And when she returns, she'll definitely be under observation for a while," Tsuna added. "As long as the Dark Faction doesn't realize what I placed in her, that's a success."
"By the way," Finn said, "the people stationed around the Great Fall—are they all taken care of?"
"Don't worry. I extracted all of Valletta's memories myself. Not a single one got away."
Finn let out a small breath of relief. Having someone who could tie up loose ends so cleanly was invaluable.
"In that case, we might as well use this opportunity to make a bit of noise about what happened to Tiona and Tione. Just as Valletta suspects—let's say it was my plan all along."
"Let the Dark Faction see this as a display of your capabilities," Gareth said with a grin.
"Exactly. Make them believe this whole affair—our counterattack, Valletta's failure—was orchestrated by me. Let them be convinced of it. Let Valletta herself be convinced. It'll make the story airtight."
He smirked faintly. "We'll spread word of the Dark Faction's defeat and Valletta's disappearance in the Dungeon. The more they believe the story, the smoother our plan will go."
"With her cooperation, we'll have successfully planted a nail right into the heart of the Dark Faction."
A single, hidden nail buried deep in their organization was far more valuable than any fragment of stolen information.
Especially now, when the Loki Familia couldn't afford an all-out war.
Without proper intelligence, launching a full-scale assault on the Dark Faction would be suicide.
So for now, patience was the key—build strength, gather intel, and wait for the perfect moment to strike.
When that time came, they'd crush the Dark Faction completely.
Finn turned toward Tsuna.
"In the coming months, the gods will definitely start probing into your background. Be careful."
"No need to worry," Tsuna replied calmly. "The information I've allowed to leak is exactly what I want them to find. As long as the vital parts stay hidden, everything else is expendable."
He paused for a moment, then added, "What about Raul? Should we make some arrangements there too?"
Finn thought for a moment before nodding.
"Good idea. I'll speak with him personally."