Chương 69: Chapter 69: Falling Action
After taking down the Demi-spirits, we dealt with the aftermath. That includes further investigation of Knossos' eighteen floors. We couldn't let go of potential troubles such as loose violas and Evilus remnants.
Asfi-san stayed inside the control room as it happened. She took my place in commanding others of her findings. With the map, everything became extremely convenient.
As for me, I did not stay for longer. I went to Tsubaki-nee and Lady Artemis before I went out. Lady Artemis is the other god besides Loki-sama inside Knossos. She was needed since only they could deal with other gods.
Surprisingly, Lady Artemis volunteered to handle Thanatos after returning to the surface.
"You're meeting Enyo?"
"I can't let him do his things. The cursed spirit was something I never expected. I hadn't seen it in the future."
"Curses… I'm glad you're alright."
She let out a relieved smile. It is beautiful as always.
"Lady Artemis shouldn't worry much. I am quite strong already."
"I can't help but do so when you fight dangerous enemies like that."
"..."
I concede. I admit, facing upper-class (level five and up) adventurers as a level three could be dangerous. Though it made me curious as to how large the increase would be in my status.
Since the status shown with lights syncs with Hephaestus-sama's updates, I will have to wait for later.
"Enyo isn't very strong. I will capture him."
"Enyo… You would bring those two?"
"...Yes."
Lady Artemis was talking about Filvis and Ein. For them, things can't continue like this. When dealing with Dionysus, I want them to at least see his true nature. It won't leave complicated feelings that way.
I could also deal with him without their knowledge, but it might turn troublesome. I don't want our relationship to turn into a dramatic one.
Filvis knows about us killing Dionysus and misunderstands everything, which leads to a dark story of Filvis seeking revenge against her benefactor…
It'll be the cherry on top if the ending turns out to be Filvis knowing Dionysus' atrocities upon killing me. Shakespear would rise from his tomb and give it a five-star review.
As hilarious as it sounds, that could happen. I would like to make things clear before I settle things.
Suddenly, Lady Artemis made a move.
Her face neared to mine before swiftly changing direction—to my cheek. I felt a soft sensation pressed into it.
By the time it was over, I saw her bashful look.
'...Was that a kiss?'
I had to do a double take. I looked sidewards before returning to Lady Artemis' blushing face.
"I heard it could bring good luck. My wish is to keep you safe." She said while averting my gaze.
"I have to return now. Good luck tonight, Nobu-kun."
After Lady Artemis left, my mind finally caught up to it.
"A kiss…"
I never received one outside my family. Bocchi-chan, my first friend, didn't do things like that. I would be surprised if she did, considering how she could do a breakdown both externally and internally.
"Lady Artemis…"
Complex emotions brewed within me. It is mostly joy mixed with anticipation and anxiety. Both Lady Artemis and I are clueless to matters regarding… love.
After a while, I composed myself.
"I will complete this without a hitch..!"
I became more motivated than ever.
*****
"Ah…"
Lante covered her mouth with both hands as she saw the events that transpired. She accidentally saw Artemis and Nobu talking alone in a corner. She didn't expect to happen into this scene.
"Finally..!"
At this moment, she could't wait to share it to others. She saw the ship had sailed in full. She would've waved a flag in sheer excitement to celebrate if she had any.
Lante stomped her feet in excitement as she sprinted to the rest of Artemis Familia members.
Upon hearing of it, everyone became lively.
"It's about time…"
"That's alright. Artemis-sama and Nobu-kun are inexperienced. This should become more memorable for them." Lante replied.
"Wise words!"
"What are you talking about?"
Their voices halted when they heard Artemis' stern voice.
"I-it's nothing! We're talking about those scary violas…"
"Yes, yes. We're talking about that, Artemis-sama."
Rethusa, who silently listened to their banter, couldn't nearly prevent her mouth from twitching. It didn't help that she tacitly agreed with Lante's 'ship' and kept this a secret to Artemis.
She could somehow see a time in future where Artemis would need that final push. Rethusa decided to help her goddess out with it.
'It's coming earlier… I should've expected this.'
*****
I left Knossos through the sewage entrance. The adventurers stationed to it asked me about the situation below which I answered. They were very easy to talk to, perhaps due to how they belong to Ganesha Familia.
I was able to leave after that. I bid farewell to Aiz-san and the others, too. I told them I was off to catch the final culprit—Enyo.
Asfi-san offered to offer help but I refused. Filvis and Ein are enough to infiltrate the Dionysus Familia home.
After leaving Daedalus Street, I went to our meeting place—a roof two blocks away from the said familia home. Upon my arrival, the empty space revealed a cloaked girl. She wore a pair of glasses underneath the hood.
"Where's Ein?"
"She went after that cloaked person. She carried an orb with her. From our last contact, she followed the person up to Meren."
"Meren?"
That was a city around ten kilometers from Orario. Dionysus might be cooking something there.
"It's good you're alright." Filvis expressed her relief.
"No worries. Loki Familia was heading that operation. It's very stable…"
After a while, the atmosphere turned more serious.
"Nobu… Dionysus-sama… He couldn't have done it…"
"..."
Filvis couldn't accept the thought of Dionysus being one of Evilus. Ein was the same, but she didn't make it more evident before.
"I was surprised as well… But it might be someone else. We'll know later."
I recalled the reveal from a few hours ago…
…
"Dionysus-sama… is from Evilus?"
Filvis couldn't react to the bombshell I dropped.
"No. It's not specifically Lord Dionysus. However, there is indeed a possible member of Evilus in your familia."
"How could it be..?"
I chose to establish this narrative slowly.
"That's why we couldn't trust Lord Dionysus as of now. There's a possibility he knows about it."
"He doesn't…"
Filvis is insistent on defending Dionysus' name. I shook my head inwardly. The god's prestige in the hearts of his familia members is very high. Even I might have overlooked the possibility of him being Enyo if not for my future knowledge.
That was how charismatic he was outwardly.
"I was following a suspicious person that day. I was surprised to see that person entering your familia home."
Enyo… Dionysus wears a specially-made cloak. It blocks the perception of others and allows them to hide perfectly, much like [Composite]. Although, it is far more potent. I suspect it was made by another god.
That god must have also helped in creating Filvis' dress which concealed her side as a 'creature'. I made her current dresses and cloaks based on it, too.
"It is unclear whether that person has a connection with Lord Dionysus. We could only ambush them when they meet."
One of the surprises I learned was Dionysus' outside visits increased after Valletta's death. He goes somewhere these past two days. His timing is also at midnight. That fits the schedule I planned for the Knossos operation.
"You are familiar with your comrades. Do you have an idea of who might be suspicious?"
"No… We are just a normal familia. Nobody had any dissatisfaction under Lord Dionysus."
Her mood became downcast.
…Shit.
I hate myself right now. I wanted Filvis and Ein to see the true persona of Dionysus—that their devotion was wasted on the likes of him.
I anticipated she could react like this, but seeing it firsthand made me feel guilty.
'Do I have the authority to decide for themselves? Should I have left it to them? Perhaps it would be fine for them to simply hear of his verdict?'
I shook these thoughts off.
'They might not accept it. Filvis and Ein would be hurt for a long time if I don't settle it properly. This is necessary.'
I strengthened my will as I recalled her original fate.
That time, she was not happy.
That time, she was deceived.
That time, she was broken.
It went beyond my usual responsibilities for the ones I saved. I truly want her to be happy this time. Perhaps it is my influence on my future that I became like this? I always wanted to change the bad endings with a good one. Not to mention the times she took care of my foolish self.
'How could I save a world when I couldn't even save a single girl?'
I steeled myself.
"We couldn't remove the possibility of Lord Dionysus being an accomplice."
…
"Hello~? Nobu?"
I looked at the communication orb.
"You're finally here. How was that operation?"
"It posed some dangers but we managed to get through them safely. How about your side?"
"Well, I came back to Orario just now. That cloaked person has a secret entrance to Orario. I had to sneak on the walls. I never knew it could be this thrilling."
Ein is the unrestrained version of Filvis. She never bothered about appearances and is more straightforward than her.
"It seems like he's returning..?"
A few minutes later, we reunited with the cloaked Ein. She wore the same glasses as Filvis but she had a different vibe.
"That person returned… It's someone from our former familia?"
Filvis couldn't believe it. From her eyes, she should be reminiscing about her former comrades.
"Shall we intrude?" Ein asked.
"Yes."
Hearing my decision, they turned on the cloak's function. It works similarly to [Composite] but as a cloth. Meanwhile, I didn't activate [Composite]. It'd be troublesome to cooperate with all of us invisible.
We gathered momentum from running two roofs and jumped inside the familia home in one go. A familiar courtyard greeted us in the middle of the night.
I took out a vial from my pocket. It contains a liquid metal akin to mercury—a substance that came from the forty-fourth floor. This liquid metal became rare due to the forty-fourth being inaccessible right now. I found it being kept as a collection from a store.
"Permutatio." (Exchange.)
It entered the doorknob and reformed as a carbon copy of the key.
Click.
"Coagulatio." (Flow.)
It receded to the vial as a liquid after doing its job.
Opening the door, I saw a dark interior. I didn't have trouble seeing things due to my increased status. I scanned the area before proceeding inside. I could vaguely feel Filvis and Ein going inside as well.
"Hm…"
My nose caught a strange smell of salt.
I squatted before touching the ground. There was no footsteps or obvious traces. What I did find, however, were some drops of water. I brought my finger up to my nose and smelled saltwater.
"I found something." I said in a low voice. "I will track it. [Correspondence]."
The spell scanned the area around the hallways, but nothing else. I didn't touch the sleeping people to be more cautious.
A few seconds later, [Correspondence] brought up results. Inside my mind, I saw a track of small saltwater droplets.
After asking them to close the door, we proceeded. Filvis and Ein paused now and then as if recalling some memories. Fortunately, they didn't delay much and followed in my footsteps.
We passed by several rooms such as the lounge and the kitchen before finding ourselves in front of a door.
Filvis turned off some of the cloak's functions to speak.
"Dionysus-sama's winery…" Filvis' voice came from behind. "It…"
She couldn't continue her words. I could imagine the emotions she is currently feeling.
"We'll find out inside."
Just like before, I used liquid metal to lockpick. It was easily unlocked. We smelled the aroma of different wines as we entered the winery.
It has a brick staircase. It led to a room filled with barrels of wine to be fermented. The next room is filled with stored wine bottles. Upon reaching the end of this room, we didn't find anybody.
I could imagine their sighs of relief which were hidden by the cloak.
'It's not the end yet.'
"Refrain speaking from now on. I will connect the orb to the Loki Familia." I said to them.
""Alright.""
I took out my communication orb and changed its channel. The other side didn't let out any voice. I discussed this with them.
After that, I used [Correspondence] and found some abnormalities—mechanisms—hidden in this wall.
I touched the brick wall and started going through a small section. I pushed each of them with considerable force.
When I felt one of them, my finger triggered a button.
Click.
The bricks started to move below. They revealed the hidden room lit up with a lamp. A small study was placed across the wall along with an opened wine bottle.
"Ah?"
Dionysus blankly looked in my direction. He is in the midst of removing his outfit as Enyo.
"So it was you. Enyo."
"Sirius?!"
His face turned hysterical in a split second.
"How did you—?!" He was shocked before it changed into a smile. "You trespassed! How dare you break inside a familia home?!"
I couldn't see the visage of the gentlemanly and elegant god from before. Perhaps it is due to his hysterical mood.
"Let's not talk about crimes. We all know too well of your involvement with Evilus, Enyo… or rather, Dionysus."
"Hah… Ahahahahaha!"
Hysterical laughtered filled the room. Dionysus covered his face with his hand, seemingly finding this ridiculous.
All of a sudden, he thrust a dagger at my face.
Pssshk-!
My hand steadily held the silver dagger. Blood dripped to the floor. The curse embedded to the dagger invaded my astral body.
I stared at him expressionlessly.
"Was that all? How pathetic, Enyo."
Crack-!
Crack-!
Shatter-!
I crushed the dagger with my hand. I am somewhat rational yet angry as of now. The top three on my hit list is nearby, and he is already within my grasp.
Swoosh-!
Slam-!
I kicked his abdomen. I sent him flying backwards to his desk.
Shatter-!
His bottle of divine wine fell to the ground and shattered.
"Damn you! Why are you doing this?!"
I didn't mind his hectic shouts.
"I want to inform you of something." I calmly spoke. "Evilus is gone along with three of your Demi-spirits."
"Hah?!"
He was filled with disbelief. It is the looks of someone who couldn't recognize reality.
"You are done for."
"What are you saying?! Enyo?! You trespassed into our home!"
He soon began wearing his mask. He turned from the crazy person to a wronged one.
"Stop pretending." I picked up the mask he dropped to the ground. "This is already an incriminating evidence, Enyo."
There are only a couple of moves before checkmate.
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