Cold, and a faint trembling...
In the familiar gloomy hall, rows of torches burned quietly along the walls, stretching the looming shadows long and thin.
Arachnia, Valletta, lounged sideways on a high-backed stone seat, one arm propping up her cheek, legs crossed, a playful yet vicious light in her purple eyes. The corner of her mouth curled up wantonly as her knuckles tapped the armrest in an idle, irregular rhythm, listening to her subordinate report the attack plan they'd drawn up.
"'Operation Codename: Blood-Red Christmas'?"
After hearing out the proposal from that "quick-witted" subordinate, Valletta paused, then sat up a little straighter. She swept her gaze over the crowd of black-robed flunkies below, all hushed and trembling, and a bloodthirsty smile tugged at her lips.
"Not bad. Not bad at all!"
"This plan of yours is bold enough, right up my alley!"
She mulled it over for a moment, then gave two cold laughs.
"Let's do it!"
"Come to think of it, with the bond Finn and I share, the two of us count as good friends no matter how you slice it. Ah, after all these years of knowing him, I've never gotten that Pallum a single proper Christmas gift."
"Perfect, I'll take this chance to make up for that little regret!"
...
In the corner of the hall, a tall, powerfully built figure had stood the whole time with arms folded, leaning against the wall, silently hearing out the entire "Christmas strategy."
Boring.
Rats in the gutter, still the same old indiscriminate attack routine. Couldn't they come up with something new? What a waste of my anticipation.
But no matter. This was as good a chance as any for this pack of trash to give those little ones with no sense of urgency a wake-up call: the adventurers of Orario were not playing some game of make-believe.
He cast a long glance at the figures in the hall, then turned and melted soundlessly into the darkness.
Valletta noticed him leaving and said nothing.
It wasn't that she didn't want to put on her commander's airs and chew him out for failing to be a team player. She was simply the type to play it safe.
...
A powerful arm pushed the wooden door open with extreme care, and once inside, eased it shut again just as gently, never letting slip a single unnecessary sound through the whole process.
Only after completing that series of motions did the burly man, Zald, let out a faint breath of relief.
"Alfia, those rats are scheming up another operation."
He raised his eyes toward the gray-haired woman seated at the side of the bed, dressed in a black formal gown, lowered his voice, and patiently relayed the news he'd heard to her.
One spoke, one listened, with not a word exchanged between them.
Only once he'd recounted the entirety of their plan did Zald promptly shut his mouth.
"..." The whole room sank into silence, leaving only the faint sound of the candle flame burning.
A long while.
The witch named Alfia turned her head almost imperceptibly, the candlelight illuminating one half of her flawless profile while the other half remained hidden in darkness.
She parted her lips, and a pleasant, cool voice came out.
"'Blood-Red Christmas'?"
"Laughable." As expected of you, Lady Witch. Your words are as cutting as ever.
He couldn't help recalling those bastards of the old Zeus Familia, and the way they'd crumbled after suffering all manner of grief at this witch's hands, their confidence shattered by her viper-tongued remarks, and a chill crept up his spine.
"Ahem, never mind that. I've got another piece of intel here, from the Denatus a couple days back. I figure... you might find this one interesting."
He drew a rolled sheet of parchment from beneath his cloak, set it gently on the table beside Alfia, then quietly withdrew to the corner, finding a chair to sit in and pretending to close his eyes in thought. In reality, he was straining his ears, secretly watching for her reaction with full focus.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Three minutes passed...
Alfia still sat there quietly. Clearly, even though Zald had already dropped a subtle hint, the mere mention of the Denatus wasn't enough to genuinely pique Alfia's interest.
"Ahem, Alfia, I think you really should take a look at what's on there. Trust me."
The witch, who had been resting with her eyes shut, opened those heterochromatic eyes a sliver at his words, shot a glance at the rugged man wearing an awkward expression, and only then reached out a pale, slender finger and unrolled the parchment scroll, face blank.
The next second, a large, bolded headline leapt into view.
"The latest list of High-Class Adventurers registered in Orario..."
High-Class Adventurers, meaning those "strong ones" who had reached Lv.2 and earned the right to receive a title.
Alfia took a single glance at the headline, and without even needing to read on, guessed the contents nearly in full.
"Heh, the gods and their crude tastes. These idiotic titles, more grating than noise itself."
She first sneered at the gods' conduct, and only then let her gaze fall to the list.
And the very first name locked her sight in place.
Name: Leon Hart
Title: Shadow of Sorcery
Race: Human
Profession: Mage
Affiliation: Demeter Familia
Level: Lv.2
... Lv.2? And a newly registered High-Class Adventurer at that?
Him?
"Pfft..."
The cool witch nearly failed to hold it together and almost laughed out loud, but then belatedly noticed that Zald was still playing dead in the corner, and Alfia hurriedly restored her aloof Silence-the-witch persona. You witch, just now... you laughed, didn't you? You absolutely laughed, right?!
Alfia turned her gaze on him, face blank, and the smile just beginning to rise at the corner of Zald's mouth froze on the spot.
"Leon Hart. Not only is his combat ability outstanding, but from the looks of it now... his head isn't bad either. At the very least he knows how to play mind games, which makes him far better than certain brainless fools who only ever knew how to run around screaming about brute-force thrills."
Not one of her sentences mentioned the Zeus Familia, yet not one of them strayed from the Zeus Familia either. He would've loved to argue back, but any words felt too pale and feeble. After all, in their day, who didn't know that the Zeus Familia really had been packed end to end with battle maniacs, the arrogant, domineering, knuckle-dragging type who'd go pick fights with the Hera Familia at the drop of a hat?
Having dressed Zald down with a couple of offhand jabs and seeing him sink into his memories as usual with nothing to say, Alfia lowered her eyes once more and scanned the rest of the names on the list, the corner of her lips lifting almost imperceptibly.
Holy Maiden Jeanne d'Arc, Pure White Shield Rose Marbleheart...
"It seems the Orario of today isn't entirely made up of mediocrities after all."
"Not bad."
Beside her, Zald nodded eagerly, but in the depths of his eyes, where Alfia wasn't looking, a sharp glint showed past.
Good. According to the wisdom the old man had passed down: making a woman curious is the first step to making her fall.
Tsk tsk tsk...
Young man, you'd better make me proud, otherwise...
Casting a glance at the witch, who had once again closed her eyes and sat in stillness, Zald grinned.
...
...
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