"Honestly… don't ever do that again. It's terrible for my heart…"
Lefiya wiped at her tears, her face burning red.
Bell had been conscious the entire time, which meant he had clearly heard all of them calling out to him.
She usually called him Bell Cranel—or permanently horny rabbit.
But the name she had shouted in a panic just now felt strangely intimate.
Didn't that make it seem like she was the one trying to close the distance…?
Burying her face against Filvis's back, Lefiya hid her embarrassment.
"Cranel-san, I agree as well."
The tears at the corners of Ryuu's eyes faded into a faint blush, as if she was still bothered by how flustered she had been.
Unlike her usual composed and resolute self, in the instant their eyes met, she truly had become nothing more than an ordinary girl.
She had forgotten about her friend Syr. Forgotten who she was supposed to be.
All she had done was cry and call out for someone who meant more to her than anything else.
Now that she thought about it, her cheeks felt unbearably hot.
"Cranel… next time, could you at least give us a heads-up?"
Filvis added softly.
"..."
Ais said nothing. She remained draped weakly over Ryuu's back, quietly watching Bell.
Her golden eyes shimmered with worry—and admiration.
Faced with their unreasonable demand, Bell could only smile helplessly.
"Don't make it so hard on me. Monsters aren't going to wait while I explain my plan. And besides, if you really understand me, you should've seen through what I was doing, right?"
"Mm… I did figure it out."
Filvis replied gently.
"You were in the middle of chanting Magic, weren't you?"
Lefiya immediately called her out.
"Y-You were the one crying your eyes out…"
"…Hm?"
Filvis shut her up with that simple fact.
"Actually, I—"
Before Ryuu could finish, Filvis and Lefiya spoke in perfect unison.
"Ryuu-san, you're the least qualified to say that!!"
"…?! That's not what I meant at all!"
Ryuu hurriedly protested.
Embarrassment washed over the lingering despair.
The brief rest gave them a chance to steady themselves.
With faint smiles returning to their faces, the girls resumed their journey back.
…
Inside a shop in Orario.
Dionysus stood by the window, gently swirling the red wine in his glass.
"My lord, you seem to be in a good mood."
A server cleared away the empty bottle and spoke up.
"Why do you say that?"
Dionysus didn't turn around. His gaze remained fixed outside.
His eyes passed over the bustling crowd and settled on the entrance to Babel Tower.
"This makes your twelfth glass."
The server answered honestly.
"I see…"
Dionysus smiled faintly and drained the glass in one swallow.
"To be honest, my poor child is currently in the Dungeon. I'm merely worried."
"I apologize… I spoke out of turn…"
The server bowed deeply, about to step away.
"Wait. Pour me another."
Dionysus extended his glass without sparing him a glance.
"B-But… thirteen is considered rather unlucky…"
The server hesitated, recalling the unspoken taboo number among the gods.
"I am a god. Why concern yourself with such things?"
Dionysus's voice turned cold.
"…Understood."
The server nodded and refilled the stemmed glass.
Night gradually fell.
Before he realized it, the area around Dionysus had emptied.
Still watching the entrance to Babel Tower, he lifted his final glass.
Under the glow of the Magic Stone lamps, the crimson wine—red as blood—slid down his throat in a single swallow.
…
Deep within an unnamed passage of the Dungeon, a suspicious figure moved soundlessly toward the appointed meeting place.
She(?) wore a purple robe, her face hidden behind a mask painted with bizarre patterns.
"What news have you brought this time?"
A pillar-like god appeared without warning, wrapped in an air of decadence and gloom.
"I don't know."
The masked figure answered coldly.
That voice was sinister and unnatural, as though several strange creatures were speaking at once. It was impossible to tell whether it was male or female. It even made one suspect the being beneath the mask might not be human at all.
"It wouldn't hurt to tell me."
The god replied with a light laugh.
"I already said I don't know. God-sama can't even tell whether I'm lying or telling the truth?"
The masked figure casually handed over a letter. The seal was untouched.
"You're nothing like those children. You really are interesting."
The god accepted the envelope, but didn't open it right away.
He narrowed his eyes and added in a flippant tone, "Enyo sends you every time. Why doesn't he just tell you what's inside?"
"I don't know."
The masked figure showed not the slightest respect, tossing out the answer like it meant nothing.
"Well… figures."
The god chuckled softly. "I've received the letter. You can go."
At that, the masked figure turned without hesitation and disappeared into the darkness.
As if remembering something, the god spoke again.
"Wait… Even if you won't expose Enyo's identity, you can at least tell me why you're loyal to him. That shouldn't be a problem, right?!"
The god stared at the purple robe ahead. The figure didn't slow down.
Just when he thought he wouldn't get an answer…
That eerie, layered voice drifted back through the darkness, utterly without attachment.
"It's simple. I live only for myself."
The next instant, the masked figure vanished around the corner.
"Living for yourself, huh… heh… hehehe…"
The unexpected answer made the god laugh under his breath.
"No wonder Enyo keeps death and calamity hidden…"
Murmuring to himself, he deftly opened the envelope.
The handwriting inside was warped and slanted, deliberately disguised by some special method. The message wasn't encrypted in sacred script, making it impossible to tell whether the writer was a god or someone from the Lower World.
The god didn't particularly care.
He quickly skimmed the contents, then burst into frenzied laughter.
"Heh… hahahaha… this is what I'm meant to do…"
He could feel it—like a tide beginning to swell. [Death] had already arrived.
"Falna has already perished. So those children got what they wanted…"
He lifted the envelope and set it alight with a torch.
Flames licked upward. Ash scattered into the air.
In the firelight, the god's weary face took on a sick, terrifying cast.
"This can count as revenge for the children…"
Laughing, he left the passage and headed toward a certain place.
How much time passed, no one knew. A blue-white crystalline light gleamed in the air.
The next moment.
Divinity was unleashed.