Some information about adventurers in Orario was public, such as their names, race, Level, and the time it took them to rank up. The Guild would collect this information and selectively release it.
However, things like ability values, development abilities, skills, and magic were absolute taboos. Even the Guild had no right to disclose those.
As for matters involving an adventurer's privacy, the person in question would certainly be consulted. Otherwise, it would provoke powerful adventurers, and that simply would not be worth the trouble.
Still, many newcomers chose to make their information public in order to gain fame more quickly. That made it much easier for Evilus to gather intelligence on adventurers.
This was a quiet street, very close to Orario's slum district. There were few people around.
If someone wanted to launch an ambush, this was exactly the kind of place they would choose.
At this moment, Elise was walking down this street. At the request of Finn, the captain of Loki Familia, she was on her way to visit a certain god.
But in the next second, Elise stopped.
"Have you finally arrived?"
As her voice fell, the surrounding scenery began to ripple strangely, like layers of waves spreading outward. As the ripples expanded, the street around her changed.
The crowded rows of houses vanished, replaced by an open expanse of land.
"I didn't expect Evilus to have someone capable of using this kind of magic... A barrier?"
With Elise's perception, it only took a moment for her to understand her situation. She had likely been pulled into some sort of barrier, similar to the conditions of a War Game.
"You're not simple after all, seeing through the magic so quickly..."
While Elise was scanning her surroundings, a woman's voice sounded from behind her.
"But so what if you know? Once you've been dragged in by us, even if you sprout wings, you won't escape!"
A woman with an exceedingly unrestrained appearance stepped out behind Elise, a wild and uninhibited smile plastered across her face.
"You must be very nervous right now, huh?"
"It's fine. We have plenty of time to play with you slowly!"
As the woman finished speaking, countless adventurers dressed in black robes appeared within the open space, surrounding Elise at the center.
"Let me introduce myself first. Although we've never met, I've known about you for a long time—Saintess of Scales Elise. My name is Valletta, and this one is Olivas."
"We are both high-ranking cadres of Evilus..."
At this point, Valletta glanced at Elise. Though her expression was hidden, Valletta could clearly see that Elise's hands were trembling.
"Heh!"
Valletta sneered. So she was just a flower raised in a greenhouse. Was she already frightened by something like this?
But the truly terrifying part was yet to come.
"You must have heard from Finn, right? Why do you think we're here?"
Valletta took two steps toward Elise, intending to intimidate her. Unexpectedly, Elise also took two steps back.
The moment she noticed that detail, Valletta froze—then burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha! I actually thought you were as amazing as the rumors claimed, but now it looks like you're nothing but a bluff!"
"Level 1 defeating a Floor Boss? That must be fake, right? I even brought so many people!"
To deal with Elise, Valletta had deliberately selected elite members from Evilus. Nearly every one of them possessed the strength of Level 2.
With Valletta and Olivas, two cadres, added to the mix, they even had a chance of victory against a first-tier adventurer in a head-on battle.
But up until now, Elise's behavior had clearly led Valletta to misjudge her.
"You're this weak? Don't even have the courage to fight us?"
At this moment, Valletta completely relaxed. Her expression grew even more confident as she began mocking Elise without restraint.
"Aren't you the captain of a justice-aligned Familia? I'm evil, and I'm standing right here. Aren't you going to come and subjugate me?"
As she spoke, she even stuck out her neck and raised her hand like a blade against it.
"My neck is right here—come and chop it!"
Valletta was growing more and more arrogant. Yet Elise still did not move. She simply watched quietly, her body continuing to tremble. She even raised her hands to cover her face.
What on earth is going on?
No...
I really want to laugh!
Elise bit down hard on her lower lip, her body shaking uncontrollably.
Originally, she had taken this confrontation with Evilus quite seriously. But from the moment this woman called Valletta appeared, everything had taken a strange turn.
First of all, her appearance and attire. Elise had no intention of insulting anyone, but she really...
She really looked like cannon fodder.
Elise knew that in the story there was a figure named Valletta the Executioner, but she had never seen her true appearance.
She had originally assumed she would be some kind of beautiful lunatic. After all, she had always been locked in a deadly rivalry with Finn. She should have looked fairly impressive.
But after seeing her in person...
Huh?
That's it?
Crazy, yes. But as for her looks... they could only be described as bizarre.
Come on, aren't you a high-ranking cadre of Evilus?
Why do you feel even more like a disposable minion than the actual minions?
The kind of character in a game who's given a random name and skill set, appears two or three times at most, and then vanishes forever—the lowest of low cannon fodder!
Before Elise could even react, this woman had already started rambling to herself and even taken two steps closer...
At that moment, a gust of wind drifted from Valletta's direction toward Elise, carrying with it an indescribable stench that made Elise immediately abandon breathing through her nose.
Just how long had this woman gone without bathing?
I'm not even close to her, and I can already smell it from this far away... Just how filthy is she?
No. Absolutely cannot let her touch me!
If that smell got on me, it would probably take days to wash off.
Elise's reaction was like that of a passerby walking down the street who suddenly spots a pile of filth on the ground and instinctively takes two steps back.
Even using Est to cut her would make Elise feel sorry for Est.
Est was her precious little sister!
Who would use their own little sister to poke at dog excrement?
This woman was simply beyond description. Elise could not help covering her face, partly to hide her expression and partly to block out the smell.
Valletta's taunts continued. Elise did not care much about verbal insults, but Valletta's words were truly going too far.
Especially when she started insulting her companions and her goddess.
Finn had said he wanted captives, but he never said all of them had to be taken alive, right? I think the silent Olivas standing over there would make a perfectly suitable prisoner.