"You're back."
Eina's voice held a trace of relief that she couldn't quite hide, but her crossed arms and slightly furrowed brow projected a clear stance: I am very angry, and there will be consequences.
"Yeah, I'm back," Lynn replied with a broad, carefree grin. He shut the door behind him, sealing away the smell of gunpowder and the fatigue of the journey. "What's up? Who ruffled your feathers?"
Eina was so stifled by his nonchalant attitude that she puffed out her cheeks in frustration. Finally unable to help herself, she stepped forward and poked a finger against his dust-covered light armor.
"Didn't you promise to stay near the 18th floor? Look at you! Which monster pile did you go rolling around in this time?"
Even as she scolded him, her eyes scanned him from head to toe, confirming that he wasn't missing any limbs.
"Ah, an accident. It was all an accident," Lynn said, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender, though his face wore the smug smile of someone bringing home a trophy. "However, the harvest from this 'accident' wasn't small at all."
With that, he carefully fished the charred secret letter—battered by Black Flame—from his breast pocket and held it out to Eina.
"Here. Freshly baked intelligence, still warm."
Eina's reprimand died in her throat. She took the blackened parchment with a look of confusion. The moment her eyes landed on the twisted, eerie script remaining on the page, the expression on her face froze.
As a Guild employee, she had been trained to decipher various ancient scripts and codes. Although she had never seen the characters in this letter before, the ominous aura they radiated—and the barely discernible words for "Orario" and "Conspiracy"—made her realize the gravity of the situation instantly.
"Volcano Manor..." she whispered the unfamiliar name, then snapped her head up. Her emerald eyes were filled with shock. "Lynn, where... where did you get this?"
"In a special cave," Lynn replied cryptically. "The members of the Loki Familia can testify to it."
Eina's breathing quickened. Forgetting her anger over Lynn's reckless excursion, she clutched the letter and rushed toward the communication crystal on the table.
"This must be reported immediately! Lynn, don't you go anywhere. Stay right here!"
Her voice was decisive and urgent, the earlier scolding replaced by the sharp efficiency of an elite Guild operative.
The crystal flickered with light as Eina reported the situation at high speed. The other end of the line fell into a brief silence, likely stunned by the sudden intelligence, before a series of commands were barked out in rapid succession.
The nerves of the entire Guild—and perhaps all of Orario—were suddenly pulled taut by this charred letter from the depths of the Dungeon.
In less than an hour, an emergency summons spread through the headquarters of Orario's major Familias.
The circular meeting hall at the Guild headquarters was brightly lit, the atmosphere so heavy it felt as if the air might turn to liquid. Finn, Riveria, and Gareth of the Loki Familia, Ottar of the Freya Familia, and the gods and captains of other top-tier Familias were nearly all in attendance. Each wore an expression ranging from confusion to grim solemnity; it had clearly been a long time since an emergency meeting of this level had been convened.
Freya sat in her seat, her silver hair flowing like moonlight. She tapped her slender fingers lightly against the table, her beautiful face unreadable, yet a rare spark of interest flickered in her soul-piercing eyes. She had little interest in Orario's power struggles, but any chaos capable of birthing a "brilliant soul" was enough to catch her attention.
At the head of the meeting, Royman Mardeel, the Guild's director, projected the image of the crystal-sealed letter into the air.
"Everyone," his voice broke the silence. "Early this morning, the adventurer Lynn and several members of the Loki Familia encountered an unprecedented monster in an unrecorded area of the 18th floor. They retrieved this... letter from its body."
Every gaze focused on the charred parchment.
"Volcano Manor?" a beastman captain frowned, reading the unfamiliar term. "What organization is that? I've never heard of them."
"The focus should be on the conspiracy," Finn said as he stood up. His small frame seemed to harbor infinite wisdom. He walked to the projection and pointed at a serpent-like mark in the corner of the letter, nearly destroyed by the fire.
"This mark, and the residual energy fluctuations on the letter, are fundamentally different from any known Dungeon monster or Dark Faction. This is a brand-new power, originating from beyond our current understanding."
His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone clearly, sending a chill down the spines of those present. Orario's enemies had always come from corrupt internal factions or the Dungeon itself. A completely unknown external force—whose goals, strength, and methods were a total mystery—was the most terrifying prospect of all.
Finn habitually rubbed his thumb against his lip, his golden eyes flashing.
"According to reports from the Loki Familia, the monster encountered possessed the ability to manipulate 'Black Flame'—a type of fire we have never seen, characterized by high corrosiveness and the ability to drain life force. This aligns perfectly with the anomalies appearing in certain sectors of the Dungeon recently. This letter proves that the saboteurs are not a disorganized rabble; they are backed by a well-organized, eerily powerful force."
The hall erupted into a clamor of voices.
Finn ignored the chatter, his gaze shifting to Eina, who had been sitting quietly in the corner.
"Miss Eina, regarding the discoverers of this letter—it was my Loki Familia squad and Mr. Lynn, correct? Where is he now?"
Startled by the sudden mention, Eina stood up and answered respectfully, "Captain Finn, Lynn is currently on standby at my residence."
"Excellent." Finn nodded, then turned to Royman. "I have a proposal."
Once again, all eyes were on him.
"Our enemy is entirely new, and our intelligence is nearly zero. Lynn and his companions are the first to have faced a core member of this faction and returned with vital information. I propose that, in addition to the Loki Familia, the Guild officially grants Lynn the title of 'Special Advisor,' allowing him to participate fully in the subsequent investigation and operations."
The proposal caused the hall to explode in protest. An adventurer of unknown origin, without a Familia, and only at Level 2, becoming an "Advisor" for an operation affecting the safety of all Orario? It sounded like a fairy tale!
However, Ottar's mountain-like silhouette shifted. His deep voice rang out: "My goddess, Lady Freya, has no objection to this."
Freya's endorsement silenced the dissent. With the Freya Familia's consent and the Loki Familia as the proposer, the two top-tier Familias were in agreement; the others had little room left to argue.
After weighing the pros and cons, Royman finally reached a conclusion.
"...I agree with Captain Finn's proposal. The Guild will draft the appointment documents immediately. After the meeting, Captain Finn and Miss Eina, please bring Lynn to the war room."
The meeting ended, but the waves it stirred had only just begun.
When Eina led Lynn into the war room—a place accessible only to a select few—he was still a bit confused about the situation.
"Special Advisor? Sounds like a big deal," Lynn mused. "Does it come with a salary? Is room and board included? What about hazard pay?"
"Lynn!" Eina couldn't help but glare at him. Did this guy have no idea what was happening?
Finn, however, laughed. He looked Lynn over with great interest. "Mr. Lynn, the Guild will provide you with a very satisfactory figure for your salary and stipends. As for the danger... I suspect that for you, that might be the most attractive part, wouldn't you say?"
Lynn shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.
"Alright, down to business," Finn's smile vanished. He pointed to a massive map of Orario on the table. "Based on recent intelligence, we have narrowed down several suspicious hideouts of the saboteurs within the city." He circled several areas on the map, mostly concentrated in the Daedalus Street labyrinth and abandoned districts. "The Guild and the major Familias will launch simultaneous raids on these locations tonight."
"However," Eina added from the side, her face grim, "we know very little about the enemy. This operation will likely face fierce resistance, or even... traps."
Finn's gaze turned to Lynn, his golden eyes appearing to see right through him. "Lynn, regarding this 'Volcano Manor'—besides the monster you fought in the Dungeon, what else do you know? Any detail could help."
Lynn fell silent for a moment. He knew quite a bit, of course—Volcano Manor, Rykard, the Godskin Apostles—but he couldn't possibly explain those things here. He chose his words carefully, deciding to tell a half-truth.
"In my... homeland, there were similar legends." He spoke slowly, his voice carrying a touch of the ethereal. "An organization that worshipped a great serpent and mastered fire. Their mark is a coiled snake. They are... fanatical, and very powerful."
He didn't go into detail, only providing enough to be useful. But even that was enough for Finn and Eina to exchange a shocked glance.
"I see..." Finn whispered to himself, the light in his eyes growing brighter. "It seems you truly are an indispensable key to this operation."
He looked up and spoke solemnly to Lynn. "Lynn, as a Special Advisor, I want you to participate in tonight's operation. Your combat experience—especially your familiarity with that Black Flame—is vital to us."
"No problem," Lynn agreed readily. "I'd like to see for myself what these guys are trying to pull in Orario."
With the plan settled, Finn left to deploy the specific tactical arrangements. Only Lynn and Eina remained in the war room.
Eina, who had been all business a moment ago, now shed her professional mask. She walked up to Lynn, her emerald eyes filled with worry.
"Lynn..." She hesitated, then reached out to gently straighten his slightly messy collar. "This enemy is different. You must be careful. Please, don't overextend yourself. Promise me that if you encounter danger, you'll protect yourself first, okay?"
Her voice was soft, carrying a note of pleading.
Looking at the concern in her eyes, Lynn felt a strange warmth in his chest. He smiled, reached up to ruffle his own hair, and said in his usual lighthearted tone, "Don't worry, Eina. Have you forgotten the teachings of my 'god'? Suffering is merely the tempering of the soul. At worst, I'll just die once."
"Don't talk about dying! You are not allowed to say such unlucky things!" Eina slapped his hand away, caught between anger and an urge to laugh.
"Fine, fine. I won't say it." Lynn raised his hands in surrender, the smile never leaving his face. "I promise to return in one piece to keep freeloading your meals."
Night fell. The lights of Orario spread out below like a tapestry, and the night wind carried a chill. Lynn sat alone on the roof of Eina's cottage, gazing at the bright moon and the unfamiliar stars. Without turning around, he softly called a name.
"Ranni."
Blue motes of light coalesced from the air, and the petite, four-armed puppet witch appeared beside him, sitting down. Beneath her hat, her spectral blue eye stared calmly into the distance.
"What is it, my Lord?" Ranni's voice was ethereal and cool, as if coming from the far side of the stars.
"People from Volcano Manor have made it to this world as well," Lynn said concisely, recapping the day's events. "They are colluding with humans here and seem to be plotting something."
Ranni listened quietly without interrupting. Only after he finished did she speak, her tone carrying a hint of nearly imperceptible gravity.
"It seems the crumbling of the Order is even more thorough than I imagined."
"Hm?"
"The roots of the Lands Between have long since rotted. The brilliance of the Erdtree can no longer bind the shards. When a world approaches its end, its residual power instinctively seeks new soil to inhabit." Ranni turned her spectral eye toward Lynn. "The appearance of Volcano Manor is only the beginning. It means the merging of the two worlds is deepening."
She paused, her voice becoming clearer. "Prepare yourself, my Tarnished. Soon, you may encounter even more... old friends from home here."
Ranni's words were like a stone dropped into the lake of Lynn's mind, sending ripples through his thoughts. Old friends?
"Well, that certainly sounds... interesting," he muttered. He glanced at the silent, doll-like Ranni beside him. "Though I think it sounds like a headache. If I meet old friends, I should probably bring a gift, right? All I've got left are some Runes—I wonder if they take those here."
Ranni's blue eye flickered slightly, as if she were trying to analyze the logic of his words, before she gave up and simply uttered three words:
"Beware the Frenzied Flame."
"Ah, that..." Lynn's smile faded slightly. He looked toward the distance, at the Babel tower that remained majestic even in the dark. "I know."
While he was lost in thought, the cottage door squeaked open. Eina poked half her head out, holding a steaming cup of milk.
"It's cold out. Drink this before you... hm? Who were you talking to?"
She blinked in confusion. Besides Lynn, the roof was empty.
"The moon," Lynn said as he slid down from the roof, landing steadily and taking the milk without missing a beat. "We were exchanging thoughts on the view. It said it was a bit lonely, and I said I was too."
Eina was amused by his nonsense, rolling her eyes and ushering him inside. "Get to sleep! You're going to be busy tomorrow!"
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Danmachi: My Primary God is Hidetaka Miyazaki? (Simulpub – Ongoing)
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