The injured Black Widow sat against the Dungeon wall, boots stretched out, her back supported by a folded cloak. The healing potion was doing its job perfectly, but exhaustion was still evident in her posture.
Lily crouched in front of her, checking her breathing and stance with a practiced eye.
"How does it feel now?" she asked.
"Alive" the woman replied honestly. "Which is better than the alternative."
Lily allowed herself a small nod. The potion had worked, but the fight had taken more out of them than she liked. Training or not, injuries were still injuries.
She straightened, already calculating routes upward, rest intervals, and how much stamina they could afford to burn before reaching a safe exit.
That was when footsteps echoed down the corridor.
Light. Careful. Familiar.
Lily looked up just in time to see Bell Cranel step into view, his white hair unmistakable even in the Dungeon's dim glow. Behind him walked Welf, his expression shifting the moment he noticed the injured woman.
"Oh—!" Bell froze. "I'm sorry… did we interrupt something?"
Welf scratched the back of his head, eyes flicking from the injured woman to the rest of the group.
"…That looks rough," he said. His gaze lingered—skin-tight clothing, exposed arms, not a single piece of armor in sight. He winced. "Uh… no offense, but are you sure you're not trying to get these women killed?"
Bell blinked. "Welf—"
Lily smiled, thin and polite.
" we're training " she said calmly. "It's better to learn how to survive without armor on these floors than rely on it and fail deeper down."
Welf opened his mouth to argue, then thought better of it. "Even if it's a training it's too extreme."
Bell shifted awkwardly. "Welf, I think we should probably keep moving."
"Yes," Lily agreed pleasantly. "You should."
Welf nodded, exchanged a quick glance with Bell, and the two moved on, disappearing down another passage.
The moment they were gone, Lily exhaled.
Slowly.
Deeply.
She looked at the injured Black Widow.
Then at the corridor Bell had vanished into.
Then back at the rest of her team.
"All right," Lily said. "We're heading back."
One of the Widows blinked. "Now?"
"I was already planning to withdraw," Lily replied calmly. "One injured member is reason enough. Bell Cranel's arrival just confirms the timing."
Her previous experience had taught her, Bell Cranel didn't cause trouble—but trouble seemed to gather around him with impressive consistency.
Lily activated the communication device.
"Luthar," she said once the connection opened.
"Yes," his voice replied immediately, clear and composed.
"One injured. Stabilized," Lily reported. "I'm pulling the team back."
There was a brief pause.
"Understood," Luthar said. "Be careful on your return."
"Will do."
The call ended.
Lily motioned for the group to move, positioning herself close to the injured Widow as they began their ascent. Bell and Welf were already far ahead, blissfully unaware that their arrival had disrupted someone else's plans.
A short distance away, where the passage narrowed and light barely reached, five figures clung to the shadows. Cloaks dulled their outlines. Weapons were already in hand, grips tight, patience wearing thin.
"They should've passed by now," one whispered.
Another frowned, peering down the empty corridor. "They were reported moving this way."
Minutes stretched into an hour.
Nothing came.
The leader clicked his tongue softly. "They turned back."
A low curse followed.
"Send someone to check," he ordered. "Quietly. Find out why."
One figure peeled away from the wall and vanished into the darkness, irritation simmering beneath disciplined silence.
Whatever plan had been prepared here would not be executed today.
At apollo's Private Chambers :
White curtains filtered warm light across Apollo's private chambers. He reclined near the balcony, posture languid, expression amused. Across from him, Ishtar sat with one leg crossed over the other, her irritation no longer subtle.
She tapped her fingers against the armrest, long nails clicking in an uneven rhythm.
"How long am I supposed to keep waiting?" she said coolly, eyes sharp with annoyance. "I won't waste my day staring at your face."
Apollo smiled, unbothered. "Anticipation sharpens interest. I assumed a goddess of your stature would understand that."
Ishtar's lips curled faintly. "Don't pretend in front of me. I want results, not flattery."
Before Apollo could reply, a knock sounded.
One of his followers entered, dropping to one knee. The report was whispered quickly, urgently.
Apollo listened without interruption. When it ended, he waved the man away as though dismissing a servant who had brought the wrong wine.
Ishtar leaned forward. "Well?" she demanded. "Did your little hunters succeed, or did they embarrass you?"
Apollo chuckled softly. "Neither. A minor deviation."
"A failure," Ishtar corrected flatly.
"Hardly," Apollo replied, rising at last. "The group withdrew unexpectedly. Not something I anticipated."
Ishtar's eyes narrowed. "Then you failed."
Apollo turned toward her, unhurried, eyes gleaming with quiet calculation.
"Catching Lily and her companions was merely a test," he said lightly. "We can continue in that direction, or we can focus directly on Luthar and Freya."
"Focusing on Luthar is simple enough," Ishtar said. "But Freya is another matter. Touch her directly and every member of her Familia will come after you."
Apollo's smile did not fade. If anything, it sharpened.
" at least for now i don't have plans about fighting her." he said mildly.
He reached toward a side table and lifted an object half-hidden beneath a silk cloth. Metal gleamed under the lantern light as he turned it in his hand—sleek, unmistakably lethal. A firearm. Compact. Purpose-built.
He set the weapon down carefully, as if it were a work of art.
"If Freya were to fall," Apollo continued smoothly, "her blessings would vanish. What remains would be nothing more than mortals discovering they are no longer favored."
He looked back at Ishtar, eyes alight with quiet confidence.
"At that point," he said, "Luthar would no longer be shielded by her."
Ishtar leaned back slowly, expression unreadable.
"You're talking about killing a goddess," she said.
Apollo shrugged lightly. "Only if she becomes an obstacle."
Silence stretched between them, thick with implication.
At last, Ishtar laughed softly.
"…Bold," she said. "Reckless. And suicidal if mishandled."
Apollo's smile widened.
"Which is why I need your help," Apollo replied. "Pressure on Luthar. Distractions for Freya."
Ishtar's eyes narrowed, interest sharpening at last.
"And how exactly do you imagine I help you?" she asked. " Speak clearly."
"I want Freya occupied," he said. "Internally. Politically. Emotionally. Enough that she cannot spare attention for Luthar when I move."
Ishtar raised a brow. "You're asking me to poke her Familia."
"I'm asking you to keep her strongest piece off the board," Apollo replied lightly. " Like ottar."
That name drew a flicker of interest.
"Her champion," Apollo continued. "If we is tied down him —conflicts, provocations, territorial disputes—with this she won't have the luxury of watching Luthar while her own house is burning."
Ishtar leaned back, arms folding beneath her chest. "And you assume I do this out of charity?"
Apollo smiled. "Of course not."
He stepped closer, voice lowering just enough to sound conspiratorial.
"If I succeed in claiming Luthar," he said, "he becomes part of my Familia. His weapons. His production. His innovations."
Ishtar's eyes narrowed. "Go on."
"You receive priority access," Apollo said smoothly. "Exclusive contracts. And at half the price."
For the first time, Ishtar's irritation vanished entirely.
"…Half," she repeated.
"Half price" Apollo confirmed. "Before the Guild. Before merchants. Before anyone else."
Ishtar considered that in silence, then tilted her head.
"And if we can make Freya disappear." she asked.
Apollo's smile turned razor-thin.
"Then Orario loses its most dangerous goddess," he said calmly. "And you gain what she leaves behind."
Ishtar's fingers tapped the armrest once more—slow, thoughtful.
"Her influence," Apollo continued. "Her territory. And her Familia."
"that's obvious they won't follow you," Ishtar said.
"No," Apollo agreed. "But they might follow you."
Her lips curved, predatory.
"With Freya gone," Apollo said, "her blessings vanish. You won't need force, Just persuasion."
"And persuasion," Ishtar murmured, "is my specialty."
Apollo inclined his head. "You keep Freya busy. I secure Luthar. When it's over, you profit form every situation."
Ishtar laughed softly, satisfied now.
"You're ambitious," she said. "Dangerously so."
Apollo's eyes gleamed.
"Ambition," he replied, "is simply foresight."
Ishtar rose from her seat, adjusting her shawl.
"Very well," she said. "I'll make sure Freya has problems of her own to worry about."
Apollo's smile widened.
"Excellent," he said. "Then we are in agreement."
The two gods shared a look—one of mutual interest, completely ignoring about the fact they can also fail.
Authors note : so this month I had a little bit hiccup but I still able to produce 10 chapter of tpm and 8 chapters of TBFW plus few other chapters of other novels like new evil overall the month was good I got a new PC which is not working but should I able to start by tomorrow by the way if you are thinking the spication its amd 3600 x AMD 580 GPU I have use all the money I received from the donation I definitely want to replace this GPU as it has very high power draw total of 700 dollars have been spend any I can't get better pc when the market is really bad I am just lucky I didn't go to Amazon where the price of 580 around 150 dollar 💵