Chapter 10: An Enemy that can never be defeated
"Alright, everyone, stop fooling around. Let's get back to the serious stuff. The key issue is this: judging by how the Dark Faction is moving, they're really planning to fight us to mutual destruction. Where are they getting the confidence that they can win? And who is secretly helping them?"
Lyra tried hard to pull the discussion back on track.
They were clearly talking about something extremely serious—so why did the entire tone of the meeting change the moment Alise opened her mouth?
"Yes. Those lunatics may not care about their own lives, but they definitely want to win."
Kaguya frowned as well.
The Dark Faction wasn't simply insane—it was a kind of insanity that still retained reason.
Otherwise, back when the two great familias were still around, they wouldn't have behaved themselves so obediently.
But recently, the Dark Faction had been acting without the slightest attempt at concealment.
It was as if they were convinced that victory was already theirs.
The Ganesha Familia was the first to discover signs of large-scale Dark Faction activity, which was why they intensified their patrols.
The women began discussing the situation, voicing the things they couldn't understand.
They had turned Orario upside down and still couldn't find the Dark Faction's main base.
There had to be traitors within the Guild—but there also had to be Dark Faction strongholds inside Orario itself.
And not just one or two.
With so many strongholds, where exactly were they all hiding?
If they were extremely loosely connected bases, could the Dark Faction really act in coordination instead of fighting separately?
And even if they were loosely organized, with so many of them, they shouldn't have been this hard to find.
On top of that, the Ganesha Familia's efforts hadn't been in vain—they had discovered a Dark Faction resource transfer point.
The supplies intercepted that one time alone were considerable, enough to fund a mid-sized familia's expedition into the Dungeon.
It could be guessed that there were many similar bases, and that the Dark Faction had clearly prepared for a decisive battle—or even a prolonged war.
But who was providing them with so many resources?
Those were all supplies bought with real money—who would just hand them over to the Dark Faction to squander?
"Other than the Dark Faction already within Orario, the most likely sponsors are merchants. Only they would have that much material. I asked about it, but I wasn't allowed to investigate further."
A bloated face surfaced in Lyra's mind, and her expression immediately filled with disgust.
The adventurers had already sensed the danger and were prepared for a decisive battle.
As long as it increased their chances of winning, they were willing to hold onto only the most basic bottom line.
But the Guild saw things differently.
From their perspective, Orario hadn't yet suffered any real damage.
The adventurers' intense reaction might just be alarmist exaggeration.
Because of this, the Guild was unwilling to cut off trade between Orario and outside merchants.
The Guild Master—that filthy elf even Riveria couldn't stand—kept saying that making money was necessary to keep the Guild running.
If free trade were blocked, it would cause problems ranging from individual merchants' livelihoods to the city's entire economy.
So no matter what, he refused to temporarily close the trade routes.
Was now really the time to worry about things like that?
Damn it all.
And it was precisely because of his insistence that those merchants were able to ship so many supplies into Orario.
At this point, closing the trade routes was already meaningless.
The Dark Faction had probably already received everything they needed.
Whether it became a war of attrition or an all-out decisive battle, it was bound to be a brutal fight.
Lyra also harbored a faintly ominous conclusion—
Those merchants probably believed the Dark Faction would win, which was why they were willing to provide so many resources.
So what exactly was the Dark Faction's true trump card?
Something that could make profit-driven merchants go this far—could it be something even Ottar couldn't defeat?
"In short, we'll cast aside all doubts and protect everyone's smiles! For that goal, we'll keep fighting no matter what!"
Alise gave her concluding remarks to end the meeting.
Even if the enemy was incredibly powerful, even if they currently had no opening to strike—
As long as they kept fighting, the road ahead would continue to extend.
Justice must never stop!
"There are countless forms of justice in this world. One of them exists here. Therefore, what we're doing is not wrong."
Astraea nodded in approval.
Alise was the captain she had chosen, and she possessed the most passionate form of justice.
"Since Lady Astraea has acknowledged us, let's move on to the usual thing! Tomorrow we keep working hard!"
At that, the others exchanged glances.
"Do we really have to do that again? Every time I feel so embarrassed!"
Lyra asked quietly, her expression troubled, as she spoke to Kaguya beside her.
"I feel the same way, but there's nothing I can do about it."
Kaguya was equally helpless.
It was the oath of the Astraea Familia.
The first part was recited only by Alise, but just listening to it was already embarrassing enough.
Over the years, they had voiced plenty of complaints and had even gone to Astraea about it.
Even if it couldn't be abolished, couldn't it at least be shortened?
Unfortunately, every act of resistance ended with Alise ignoring them.
To this day, they still couldn't get used to it, and ultimately submitted to Alise time and time again.
"What are you all talking about? I've never once thought that ceremony was embarrassing!"
Ryuu said righteously.
If her face hadn't been red when she said it, that statement might have been a little more believable.
Under everyone's gaze, Alise first dragged the eavesdropping Cid into the meeting room.
Cid didn't need to attend the meeting, but at moments like this, attendance was mandatory.
Even though he was about to leave the Astraea Familia, the required ritual couldn't be skipped.
Alise took the lead, solemnly swearing before the goddess.
"Fulfill the mission! Right the scales! Until we fall and become stars! Stand shoulder to shoulder with the sky, and let the earth be studded with starlight!"
"We swear upon the sword and wings of justice!"
"We swear upon the sword and wings of justice!"
That night, Alise knocked on Cid's door.
When he opened it, Cid saw Alise hugging a pillow.
"My dear big sister… you're not planning to sleep here tonight, are you?"
Cid felt that he never should have opened the door.
Luckily, he had already hidden all the tools he'd made.
"It's been so long since I slept with you, Cid! Let me in!"
Alise went straight into the room, her heart pounding.
Even though Cid had grown up, she often entered this room—there were no secrets here for her.
But a younger brother she could sleep with as a child was no longer someone she could do that with after he grew up.
If Cid weren't about to leave, Alise wouldn't have dared to be this bold.
Cid closed the door behind him without making a sound.
If he were playing his usual background role, he should have flushed and chased Alise out.
But not today—he rarely saw Alise like this.
"Are you under a lot of pressure right now, Sis?"
Cid remembered that when Alise experimented with magic as a child and nearly blew up the familia base, her expression back then looked just like this.
"Figures you'd notice, Cid."
The tension in Alise's expression softened.
After hesitating for a moment, Alise gently shook Cid's arm.
"Cid…"
"Alright, alright… couldn't you go to Lady Astraea for something like this?"
Cid rolled his eyes, sat down on the bed, and patted his thigh.
Alise lay on her side, resting her head on Cid's lap, and closed her eyes with a look of longing.
Once Cid left, there probably wouldn't be chances like this anymore.
Just because a life felt ordinary in the past didn't mean it would continue into the future.