"....."
With those words, their conversation fell into a heavy silence.
'By now, Hermes should have gone to find Aphrodite...'
It was a strategy to focus Olympia's attention on himself so that Hermes could move freely, but...
'Now that we're actually talking, I ended up speaking my mind without realizing it...'
Ssh—
'Just what is this man hiding?'
Was it inevitable for an uninvited guest to feel detached from the story?
He simply thought of the others who would have gone to find Aphrodite, his mind clouded with lingering suspicion.
"....."
Grip!
"As I thought, you are..."
'An uninvited guest who should never have come.'
Clang! Clang!
"Good grief, how did things end up like this...!!"
Meanwhile, just as Akumo had anticipated, the party had moved outside Olympia to find Aphrodite.
"Ohohoho!! My darling children! Capture them all, won't you?"
Perhaps it was because of the airheaded persona she usually displayed? The moment they discovered Aphrodite's residence, they had attempted an infiltration.
—'I knew you'd come if I stayed out in the open like this!'
"Dammit, I guess a God is still a God!"
"She looked so stupid, I never expected a trap!"
They had walked right into it, and a chaotic skirmish broke out.
The only saving grace was that Aphrodite was currently in the middle of a drinking bout, leaving her unable to use her [Charm] properly.
Thwack—!!!
"""""Gah!!?"""""
"I hit you with the back of the blade, so rest easy."
And more importantly, the ones present were adventurers who had grown significantly through countless trials.
"Haah!!!"
BOOM—!!!!!
Dozens of opponents were knocked unconscious in an instant by Ryu's Lævateinn, while Aisha's massive greatsword tore through the ground, shattering the enemy formation.
"As expected of Orario, my children are nothing but small fry to them...!"
"But as long as it's a brawl, the victory is ours!"
Aphrodite, confident because she was one who didn't bother controlling her [Charm], believed that once she sobered up, everything would be fine.
"I'll [Charm] you while you're busy fighting! Now that I'm sober, I'll turn you all into my cute little pets!"
However, the God of Adventure had known this fact long ago.
"Now then, Aphrodite. Let the children play. Let's have a talk between ourselves."
"What, Hermes? You were here too? Well, it doesn't matter! With one wink, I'll make you my pris—"
And naturally, the Goddess of the Forge had accompanied him, knowing exactly what to expect.
"Hieeeek~!? Hephaestus~~!!! Why are you here too!?!?"
"Conversely, why did you think I wouldn't be?"
"Ababababababa...!! The trauma of crying my eyes out.... I'm shaking so much I can't strike a sexy pose...."
With just Hephaestus's appearance, Aphrodite was completely suppressed.
"Aphrodite."
"Hiiit!? W-What? What are you planning to do!? Are you going to tie me to a bed and do this and that to me again!?"
"I'm not! Didn't Hermes say it? We just want to talk."
As she reacted fearfully to every word Hephaestus spoke, Hermes asked her in a rare, serious tone.
"Aphrodite, tell me. Why haven't you been using the power of your [Charm] properly?"
"....What are you trying to say...?"
From the moment he heard that Aphrodite had invaded multiple times, a single question had plagued Hermes.
"The power of [Charm] is not weak. If you were serious, you could have forced their surrender long ago...."
Ssh—
"Why didn't you?"
No matter how unique the flame was, as long as the God Prometheus had not shown himself.
[Olympia] did not have the capacity to repeatedly fend off Aphrodite if she used her divine power.
So why hadn't Aphrodite been serious?
"...Are you an idiot, Hermes?"
To Aphrodite, Hermes's doubt sounded like an incredibly simple question.
"Who would be stupid enough to get serious over a mere [Pile of Ashes]?"
""...!!""
"Even a foolish, naked queen wouldn't do that. That's just the work of a madman."
[Pile of Ashes].
Her referring to Olympia—a city founded on and maintained by flame—in such a way...
Sizzle—!!
"Uwooooooo!!!!!!!!"
...was clearly no empty remark.
"What was that roar just now!?"
"A monster...? No, there shouldn't be any monsters in Olympia..."
In the past, Epimetheus had supposedly driven out every being known as a monster from Olympia.
Sizzle—!!!
"....!!"
However, Rhea, who was fighting alongside them, could clearly feel it.
"From deep within the forest.... something is coming...!"
Soon, following Haruhime's words, everyone's gaze shifted toward the woods.
Step.
Step.
Crushed bodies, grotesque forms burning a dark red.
—Uwoooo!!!!!!!!!
Literally, aberrations of flame.
They rushed toward the group, casting threatening flickers of fire.
"Aberrant monsters...!? Could they be a new species?"
"No, it's not! It's not on that level....!"
'This feeling.... it's completely different from humans or monsters...'
"It's just like back then...."
The aberrant beings inside the temple they had seen at Elsos.
Sensing that same heterogeneous presence, their nerves were stretched to the limit.
Whoosh—!!!!
"Guaaaaah!!!!"
""""!!""""
In that moment, an Olympian soldier captured by them was instantly reduced to ash and consumed, seizing their attention.
"Everyone, retreat to the island!"
""Yes! Lady Aphrodite!!!""
"W-Wait...!!"
"Leave them! We don't have the luxury to give chase right now!"
In the interim, Aphrodite had fled with her Familia.
—Uwoooo!!!!!!!!!
Now, only the aberrant beings and the party remained.
"Dammit! No one get close! Fight primarily with magic!"
It was already too late to run.
Aisha immediately began gathering information on the enemies, formulating a strategy to minimize damage.
"I will prepare my magic!"
Whirrr—!!
"[Too sacred to even utter—"
Just as Mikoto was about to crush all the enemies with [Futsu-no-Mitama].
Creak—!!
"Everyone, get down!"
"""""!?"""""
A glowing green arrow, formed from the hands of an elf, streaked past them.
BOOM—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Step, step.
"It is already evening."
"So it seems."
In front of Epimetheus's sword at the Great Temple, Akumo and Eton had shared a long conversation.
"It was a truly enjoyable discussion."
"Not at all. I am merely grateful that you listened to my tedious stories."
"How could that be? Lord Akumo's tales of adventure were nothing short of magnificent."
Akumo had heard the history of Olympia from Eton, and Eton had heard Akumo's stories in return.
"..."
'Dammit.... at this rate, nothing has changed.'
Even after hearing the stories, Akumo's doubts remained entirely unresolved.
'Is he Prometheus himself...? No, that's impossible. I don't feel even a trace of Arcanum...'
Step, step.
'No, let's think about this again....'
Lost in thought as he walked, Akumo needed to know Eton's true identity and what exactly was happening in this place.
"....?"
"What is the matter, Lord Akumo?"
"No.... over there...."
In that moment, a certain scene entered their view.
"Now, stop messing around and talk."
"....."
"What exactly was that monster from before?"
The party was standing before Rhea, interrogating her.
"We call them [Flame Men]."
Monsters that had appeared around the time the [Heaven's Flame] became contaminated.
They appeared silently, ran amok, and targeted living humans to burn away their very existence.
"Existence....?"
"Yes.... you could say they desire souls. A Flame Man that has devoured a person becomes even stronger."
"Is it similar to an Enhanced Species...."
"How do we counter them?"
According to the information Rhea provided, the beings known as Flame Men were far more dangerous than ordinary monsters.
"Use a flame stronger than theirs, or fire magic... and destroy the core located somewhere in their bodies."
"But if you approach carelessly, you'll be engulfed in flames and burned to a crisp... is that it?"
To the party, who had heard nothing about such beings roaming around, this news was a shock.
Dash!
"Could you tell me more in detail?"
"And you are...?"
Even for Akumo, this news was unexpectedly jarring.
Approaching them, Akumo heard everything about the [Flame Men] they had encountered while chasing Aphrodite into the forest.
"Do you know nothing of their origin, habits, or any detailed information?"
"....No. We tried to investigate, but the scale was too large, so we ended up simply avoiding encounters."
In response to Ryu's question, Rhea calmly stated that there was no further information.
""""....""""
Of course, they were not such naive adventurers and Gods as to believe those words at face value.
"Ryu."
"I agree. The sense of incongruity is too strong."
The sudden invitation, the various suspicious elements regarding the flame, and now the monsters known as [Flame Men].
"It's suspicious to the point where they can't hide it anymore."
The fact that they were hiding all of this until they were caught red-handed made Akumo doubt everything.
"Was it that they didn't want to reveal the nation's shame?"
"We are outsiders, after all. Especially considering the unique nature of this place..."
It was a plausible explanation. However, even so, their suspicions could not be resolved.
—'This can't be... it's too fast!! Why...!'
"Just what exactly is 'too fast'?"
The invasion of the Flame Men? Their rate of multiplication? If it was neither of those, then from the beginning...
"Because they appeared before nightfall?"
"""""!!"""""
They had been hiding something from the start.
And what they had hidden from them from the very beginning was...
"Are you saying those guys are concealing something during the night?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
"Akumo and I can no longer remain still as mere guests."
They felt as though they were being manipulated, both in terms of information and their actions.
In such a situation, Akumo and Ryu eventually had to choose to move proactively.
"Both of you, please calm down...! If you act on your own, it could become an international issue..."
Grab.
"Asfi, come here for a second."
Drag—!!
Hermes grabbed the shoulder of Asfi, who was trying to stop them, and led her outside.
"Let's leave the Aphrodite matter to Lord Hermes and the others."
"Understood."
From now on, it was time for the pieces on the chessboard to move in earnest.