The day after Fels returned, the Guild quietly replaced a large number of people.
Among them, the highest-ranking was one of the Guild's vice directors.
There were also several mid-level staff members, a few clerks responsible for registration and review, and several investigators who had long been assigned to outside operations.
Overnight, every one of them was removed.
Of course, the Guild was not foolish.
They could not act on nothing more than the verbal list Genichi had given them.
What if he was making it all up?
What if he was deliberately framing people?
So before anything else, Fels had already investigated those individuals in secret.
The result...
Every last one matched.
Their movements, financial dealings, and personal contacts all pointed, to one degree or another, toward Evilus.
The evidence was solid.
So the Guild moved.
Cleanly, decisively, and without the slightest hesitation.
Some of those who were removed were secretly imprisoned. Some were driven out of Orario. And some...
Simply disappeared.
As for where they went, no one knew.
At the Demeter Familia.
Inside Genichi's room, sunlight streamed through the window and spilled across the golden glow by the sill.
Genichi sat by the window with Demeter in his arms.
Those black eyes looked out over Orario bathed in sunlight, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"Everything went according to plan."
His voice was calm, though there was a trace of satisfaction he could not quite hide.
Demeter leaned against him and tilted her head up to look at him.
"So you already guessed this would happen?"
"Yeah."
Genichi nodded.
"From the moment the Guild came to my door, I knew it would end like this."
Demeter blinked.
"So you had already prepared a response?"
"Yes."
Genichi's voice remained calm.
"The list I gave them was real. Those people really were traitors."
He paused.
"But that list was only part of the leverage I had."
Demeter froze slightly.
"Part of it? You had something else too?"
Genichi lowered his head and looked at her.
A meaningful light flickered through those black eyes.
"I also have a trump card that could kill Uranus outright."
Demeter's pupils shrank.
A trump card?
Against Uranus?
Against the supreme god of the Guild, the one who sat upon the altar suppressing the Dungeon itself...
He had something that could threaten Uranus?
"What trump card?"
Her voice trembled a little.
Genichi was silent for a moment before slowly speaking.
"The Xenos."
Demeter froze.
The Xenos?
It was obvious she had no idea such beings even existed.
"Those monsters born from the Dungeon that possess intelligence are called Xenos. And Uranus is the god protecting them."
"Uranus is protecting those monsters?"
Her voice was full of disbelief.
"Yeah."
Genichi nodded.
"If Uranus had refused earlier, I would have played that card. And I know where those Xenos are hiding."
Demeter fell silent.
Of course she understood what the existence of the Xenos represented.
Intelligent monsters were both a miracle of the Dungeon and one of the Guild's greatest taboos.
Uranus had been protecting them in secret, keeping their existence hidden from the world.
If Genichi truly knew where the Xenos were...
Then yes, that really was a killing blow.
If he played that card, Uranus would have no choice but to compromise.
Because he could never allow the Xenos to be exposed to the public.
That would cause massive panic.
"But..."
Genichi continued.
"I'm not going to play that card lightly."
He looked at her.
"At least this time, there's no need."
Demeter let out a breath of relief.
She knew Genichi was measured in what he did.
If he said there was no need, then there truly was no need.
If that card had actually been played, even Demeter was not sure what Uranus might have done.
"So what now?"
Genichi was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "For now, all this is settled. Next, I plan to reach Level 6. Level 5 is still too weak."
Demeter was speechless.
Level 5 was weak?
Did he hear himself?
But she quickly shifted the subject.
"Right now, there's something from Loki's side that needs your decision."
Genichi paused slightly.
"What is it?"
Demeter looked at him.
"You weren't here before, so I didn't agree to anything. Now that you're back, I naturally have to discuss it with you."
As Demeter finished speaking, Genichi's brow furrowed slightly.
The Loki Familia.
The Familia that had once turned him away at the door.
The Familia that had clashed with them outside the tavern just a few days ago.
The Familia whose Bete he had cut down with a single strike.
What did they want to talk about?
An apology?
A probe?
Or...
Demeter lifted her head and looked at Genichi.
"What do you think?"
Genichi was silent for a moment.
Then he smiled.
It was a faint smile, but there was something difficult to describe within it.
"I'll go."
"Why?"
Genichi's gaze drifted toward the window.
"I want to see what they're really after. And this might be an opportunity."
Demeter looked at him, a complicated emotion flickering through her amber eyes.
She knew that once Genichi made up his mind, no one could change it.
"Then I'm going with you."
Her voice was firm.
Genichi lowered his head and looked at her.
A touch of gentleness flickered through those black eyes.
"All right."
At the Loki Familia's home.
Inside the meeting room, Loki sat in the seat of honor, her red eyes full of complicated emotions.
Finn, Riveria, and Gareth stood behind her.
Their expressions were equally grim.
"He agreed?"
Finn spoke first.
"Yeah."
Loki nodded.
"Word came from Demeter's side. He agreed to come talk."
Riveria's brows drew together slightly.
"Could he..."
Finn cut her off.
"He's not that kind of person."
He paused.
"And if he really wanted to do something, he wouldn't have held back that day."
Riveria fell silent.
She knew Finn was right.
That day outside the tavern, Genichi's blade had pierced Bete's chest.
If he had truly wanted to kill him, that strike would not have gone through his lung.
It would have gone through his throat.
He had held back.
That meant he had no intention of tearing things apart with them completely.
"That's good, then."
Gareth stroked his beard.
"Hopefully we can talk properly this time."
Loki leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling.
A complicated emotion flickered through her red eyes.
That boy had once come to her Familia.
He had wanted to join.
She had turned him away.
And now...
She had no choice but to invite him here herself.
What a difference.
But she did not regret it.
Because that boy was worth lowering herself for.
Loki took a deep breath and straightened up.
"Get things ready."
She spoke calmly.
"We're receiving an honored guest."
(End of Chapter)
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