Leon toyed with the smoke bomb in his hand, then leaned out from the bell tower to scan the crowd still locked in chaotic combat not far away.
He narrowed his eyes and said quietly to the group:
"Over the years, Evilus has gone from a disorganized mess to something else entirely. After battle after battle, they're a completely different beast now. Tactical command, organizational structure, coordination, logistics, funding... every single one of those is giving the Order Faction a massive headache."
Rose wiped her blade with an oiled cloth and picked up the thread.
"I think something's changed internally that we don't know about. Based on what you've said, Evilus has been way more active this year than any year before. And judging from their recent attacks... whether it's weapons and gear, or controlled materials like magic devices and fire stones, they're equipping their soldiers and followers in bulk. Resources on that scale? The cost would be astronomical."
Kureha tightened her grip on her sword hilt, her eyes going cold.
"It's those greedy merchants, and the foreign nobles who've been drooling over Orario. Has to be."
The thought of those kingdoms' nobles and merchants made her instinctively think of the disgusting things people like that had done in her own country. The revulsion on her face deepened.
Jeanne cut the speculation short.
"Alright everyone, that's enough chatter."
She flicked her wrist, her one-handed sword slicing a faint whistle through the air, and gave her orders.
"From here on, we follow Leon's plan. Our top priority is saving as many people as possible. As for fighting, avoid it where we can. Leave the combat to the Ganesha and Astraea Familias and the other frontline Familia adventurers. Everyone, move out!"
"Yes!"
At Jeanne's command, everyone moved, herself included. Everyone except Leon.
Leon stayed behind alone as a lookout, holding the bell tower's high ground.
He watched their figures vanish from sight in an instant, then slowly pulled his gaze back.
"Right. Time to get to work."
He shrank into the shadows of the corner, leaving only a pair of sharp eyes exposed, scanning the chaotic battlefield below like a hawk searching for priority targets.
From his bird's-eye view of the entire plaza, crates upon crates of grain, vegetables, fruit, and other food had already been destroyed in the fighting and looting. Golden ears of corn, white flour, plump rice, even freshly baked bread scattered across the ground, all of it trampled into ruin.
"All good stuff from the Demeter Familia. What a waste."
Leon sighed under his breath.
Then his eyes sharpened, locking onto something. His gaze snapped to a specific direction.
"Is that... Adi Varma and Ryuu Lion? And their opponents?"
"Well well, old friends from the Rudra Familia."
In one corner of the plaza, two girls stood back to back, fighting together against three Rudra Familia adventurers who had them surrounded.
After watching the fierce exchange for a while, Leon pulled out his notebook and began jotting things down.
Based on the combat prowess the enemy was displaying, he immediately confirmed that all three were Level 3, same as Adi and Ryuu.
And not ordinary Level 3s either. These were hardened fighters, loaded with PvP experience, every move vicious and decisive.
"Damn, you'd expect nothing less from the Evilus faction that mirrors the Astraea Familia. Rudra's strength is no joke. They might not have any Level 4s, but Level 3s and Level 2s? They've got those coming out of their ears..."
He recalled the rough intelligence on the Rudra Familia's strength he'd gathered a while back, when he'd snuck into one of the black-market transit warehouses Evilus ran and helped himself to their stock. His guard went up.
"Just the Level 3 adventurers I've personally seen from the Rudra Familia numbered around ten. If you add in the ones I haven't seen..."
A flicker of wariness crossed his face.
"Jeanne, Rose, and I would be fine. Even if we can't wipe them out, we could do serious damage. But if Laurier or Aura run into them, and backup doesn't get there in time... they'd be dead. No question."
"Forget it. I'll let them slide for now."
"Until I'm absolutely sure of my odds, better not to poke that hornet's nest. But..."
A sly thought slid into place in Leon's head.
"Just because I can't mess with them openly doesn't mean I can't cause problems behind the scenes, right? As long as they never find out who I am, Laurier and Aura stay safe."
"If I remember right... that transit warehouse still has a ton of supplies stored up, and it's a Rudra-operated site. If I go shopping there one more time, when this eventually blows up, it could deal a real hit to Rudra's reputation within Evilus."
Leon had no idea that the factions inside Evilus were already riddled with backstabbing and hidden agendas. But since there was an opportunity to make their lives harder, and there was zero risk once he went in disguise, he didn't mind turning up the heat.
"No rush. I'll make a withdrawal when I hit Level 4 and need the cash."
He jotted this down in his notebook, snapped it shut, and was about to resume surveying the battlefield when...
A piercing shriek of something tearing through the air erupted from behind him.
Leon's expression twisted. He threw himself into a desperate roll, pure instinct taking over.
"Frost Armor!"
He threw up the ice shield in a frantic rush, but the instant the armor crystallized...
A spear the color of fresh blood, carrying terrifying force, punched into the bell tower wall right where he'd been leaning. The shaft was still vibrating violently, humming with a deep, resonant drone.
Leon glanced back at the still-trembling shaft and the spearhead buried completely in the stonework.
If he'd been half a second slower, that spearhead would be buried in his skull instead of the wall.
"Hey there, pal. Pretty quick reflexes you got."
"Real shame, though. You slipped away."
Leon whipped around at the taunting voice, his eyes locking onto the direction the attack had come from.
The instant he made out the attacker's face, his pupils contracted sharply and the identification left his mouth before he could stop it.
"Ikelos Familia..."
"Hazer, Dix Perdix!"
Heavy military boots crunched over the rubble atop the bell tower, each step unhurried yet bone-chilling.
As Leon's words faded, the figure stepped fully out of the shadows.
Shearling jacket, long pants and leather boots, and those goggles he was never seen without. It was none other than the captain of the Ikelos Familia, the Level 4, Hazer... Dix Perdix.
"Ha, well how about that. Didn't realize my name had gotten so famous. Even a nobody lookout like you knows who I am? Man... that's kind of a problem."
The smug curl of his mouth said the opposite.
"Seriously, what the hell is our useless god doing? I told him to keep things low-key. If we attract too much attention and those annoying justice-freak bitches start looking our way, that's gonna be a real pain in the ass."
Dix strolled over to the spear as if Leon didn't exist, gave a light tug, and wrenched the blood-red weapon out of the wall.
The whole display treated Leon like he wasn't even there.
Watching Dix dismiss him so completely, Leon's mind clicked. He'd just thought of a way to get out of this without revealing his true strength.
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