Foreword: As promised! Hope you enjoy!

In and around Orario, Hikigaya Hachiman looks for clues.

After Dian Cecht Familia's pharmacy, I began heading towards the Hostess of Fertility. I could resupply there, reassess the situation, and then determine the best course of action. Since I was now acting alone, I could also start looking into the clues that had appeared during the meeting with Loki and Dionysus Familia.

It wasn't long before I arrived at the tavern–which, surprisingly, had a rare "Closed" sign hanging from its door. Entering from the side door, I found the Hostess not only closed, but completely empty inside–a sight that I had never seen before.

"Hikigaya. You're back early." My eyes flicked towards the bar, where Mia was standing, wiping down some glasses, and I nodded to her. She grunted. "Don't bother coming to the kitchen later. We're closed for the day."

At that statement, I raised my eyebrows. Mia Grand, willingly closing shop? Practically unheard of. You had a better chance of killing a god than getting Mia to close the Hostess's doors–as a matter of fact, when gods were getting sent back during Lyon's rampage 5 years ago, the Hostess had remained open the entire time.

Mia must've seen my expression, because she scoffed. "You think anybody's still coming after what just happened? Better to just take it on the chin, call it a day. Be a waste of food and time otherwise."

Mia's logic made sense, and since that meant that I wouldn't be working for the rest of the day, I did what any sane and reasonable office worker would do and agreed with his superior. Before I headed off towards my room, I turned to the dwarf again. "Mia. Do you know where Lyon is?"

There was a long sigh from Mia. Both of us knew Lyon's secret, as well as Lyon herself–and both of us knew what Lyon probably would've done as soon as any mentions of Evilus reached her ears.

"That dumbass ran off as soon as shit hit the fan. Came back awhile ago, though. Probably in her room." As I moved to enter the kitchen and pass into the back of the tavern, however, Mia spoke again. "Hikigaya. You're involved in whatever's going on, aren't you?"

There wasn't any point in hiding information from Mia, so I didn't bother with lying at all, responding instead with a nod. In response, she hmphed.

"Be careful, then." As if I needed her telling me. Nonetheless, I nodded again, and Mia simply turned back to wiping her glasses.

The conversation over, I turned away and began heading towards Lyon's room.

~~This is a Line Break~~

Immediately after I knocked on Lyon's door, there was a soft reply. "Come in."

Stepping into the room, I was greeted by an array of weapons neatly laid out across the wooden floor. First were the kodachi shortswords, their blades glinting softly in the lamplight. After that were several knives, some of them still in their sheath, evidently unused.

Lyon was currently holding her primary weapon, Alf's Lumina, and as I watched, she ran the cloth in her hand down along the length of the sword's wooden blade in a single motion before setting it aside and turning to me. Her green cloak was splayed out across the bed behind her, and she was once again wearing the white shirt, long boots, and gloves that served as her adventuring outfit, a mask loosely hanging from around her neck. The Gale Wind had made her appearance in Orario again.

"Hikigaya." The elf's eyes were devoid of emotion as they met my own soulless stare, but they softened as Lyon looked me up and down, brows furrowing. "... You're hurt."

Right, my bandages. I offered a shrug in response. "I'll be fine." There were more important things to focus on. "Lyon. You already know, don't you."

At my words, Lyon gave a stiff nod. "Evilus has returned. Or perhaps…" her words trailed off as a creaking noise echoed through the room. I looked down to see her hand tightly gripping the handle of her sword, shaking almost imperceptibly. "... I wasn't as thorough as I thought.

"I was able to confront and eliminate a few of them, but they immediately resorted to self-destruction, and I was forced to prioritize distancing them over risking casualties." There was a short, controlled exhale from the elf's mouth, but I could hear the frustration in Lyon's voice. "In the end, I was unable to discover anything new about them."

There was nothing I could say that would help with the situation, so I got straight to the point instead. "Lyon. Did you ever come across a god called 'Thanatos' before?"

She shook her head. "The gods of Evilus were well-known, even if their location wasn't. They didn't make much of a secret out of who they were. I don't think that the name of 'Thanatos' ever came up… but it's been too long. I could be wrong." Her answer was similar to Hermes's–and it wasn't much of a lead, though I couldn't really blame her for it.

Asking about anything else would probably be a dead end. Deimne had led Loki Familia's efforts against Evilus, similar to Lyon, and if neither he nor the Guild had any information about the new monsters or the Tamers like Revis, then it was likely that Lyon wouldn't know about them, either.

"Hikigaya. Do you know something?" Lyon glanced at me curiously, but I wasn't fooled. I knew what it was she wanted to ask about. "Are you involved with the situation somehow?"

"Yes." I didn't bother denying it. That would've just made her suspicious. But I wasn't going to let Lyon run off on her own, either. "Loki, Dionysus, and Hermes Familia are all involved right now, so I've been put to work." If Lyon got caught up in the search for Evilus, it would complicate things and maybe even put her identity at risk, especially if Loki Familia caught wind of things.

Lyon evidently understood this, too, as after a moment, her eyes closed and she nodded with a sigh. "... I understand. I suppose there is nothing left for me to do, then. At least, for the time being…" her voice trailed off in another sigh, before she looked at me. "Hikigaya. Are you really alright?"

I waved her off. "Like I said, I'll be fine." Hadn't she asked about my wounds already?

Lyon looked as if she wanted to say more, but after a moment, she closed her mouth and nodded. "Then take care."

I dipped my head back at her in response before turning around, closing the door behind me as I left.

~~This is a Line Break~~

After restocking myself with the spare throwing knives, potions, and other supplies in my stockpile, I quickly made my way towards Daedalus Street. The area was eerily silent as I passed through, taking the long-familiar route that led me past several winding staircases and jagged archways, before I finally found myself in front of a staircase and double doors that were–for once–surprisingly unguarded.

I reached my hand out to one of the doors, but before I could push it open, a familiar voice rang out from above me. "Sorry, but we're closed for the day…" the voice trailed off. "Oh. Hello, Hikigaya."

Looking up, I saw Spider, sitting on the edge of the building's rooftop. His legs dangled over the side, and a pipe swung idly between his fingers, smoke faintly trailing from its end. His mask was shifted off to the side, revealing the lower half of his face, all the way up to his mouth. As I watched, Spider put the pipe to his lips before blowing out a thin stream of smoke, which dissipated and scattered apart in the wind.

"Spider."

He responded with a slow wave. "Care to join me for a smoke? Lovely view up here. Or just, you know, if you're here to talk, that's alright too." I wasn't interested in smoking, but a conversation with Spider was why I had come here to begin with, so it was close enough.

I bent my legs into a crouch before pushing off, jumping high enough to hook my arm over the edge of the rooftop that Spider was on before easily hauling myself over and upwards onto the building's roof. As I watched, Spider simply took another whiff from his pipe before finally pulling his mask back over his face.

"You're here for any information in regards to Evilus, right?" In response to my nod, Spider only shook his head. "I've got nothing, at least for the time being. Put out some feelers, but sorry to say that I'm just as in the dark as you are right now. They… they got me good."

Suddenly, however, he straightened and turned to me. "By any chance, would Gale Wind happen–" I shook my head, and Spider's shoulders slumped. "Ah. Not even she knows anything? ... Dammit. That certainly makes things… difficult."

There was a brief moment of silence, and I considered whether or not to tell Spider about the whole situation, but before I could come to a decision, he started talking again.

"I'll level with you, Hikigaya. You know how good I am. But this…" Spider shook his head. "This is just… something else entirely."

For someone who was supposedly the best information broker in Orario, that wasn't a very good thing to hear.

"Yeah, I know what you're thinking." Spider held out a hand as if he anticipated a response from me, but when I didn't say anything, he sighed. " 'I'm the best information dealer in Orario. Nothing slips past me. I know this place better than the back of my hand'." His words were flat and rehearsed, so he had probably gone through this conversation several times already.

Spider began ticking down options on his fingers. "It can't have been the Guild or individual familias. They wouldn't have any reason not to sell Evilus out, and they don't have the ability to cover up something so large. The Pleasure Quarter and the casinos might have the resources but they wouldn't have a reason or the space to do so, not without me or someone else finding out. Even if they were hiding in Meren, there's no way they would be able to cover their tracks so easily–and I have people there, too. And yet, somehow–" at that, he threw his free hand up into the air. "–here we are."

His frustration was obvious, and it wasn't hard to tell why. For all intents and purposes, Evilus had basically appeared out of nowhere, spawned into existence like a monster from the Dungeon. Spider didn't have any clues or leads to go on.

That was where I came in.

"Spider." The man looked up at me as I began to speak. "During the attack, I caught several groups of them streaming into Daedalus Street, and the group I tailed specifically fled into an underground entrance beneath a house."

"... the street that collapsed during the attack." I couldn't see Spider's eyes, but I'm sure they widened in realization. "That was you."

I gave him a nod before I continued. "Loki and Dionysus Familias are going to be carrying out a search of Daedalus Street soon. They're going to be looking for entrances into that base."

Spider wasn't going to be of much use in direct combat, or in this case, even with working alongside Loki or Dionysus. I didn't know what kind of people he worked with, but it was safe to assume that he didn't work with anyone over Level 2–not nearly close enough to survive poking around Evilus's stronghold.

But that wasn't what I wanted him for. His specialty wasn't in scouting–it was in what he could find. And as the best information broker in Orario, his knowledge of Daedalus Street was probably second to none. He could probably scour through all of Daedalus Street and find any potential entrances with ease.

"You want me to find any places that're suspicious and lead them there, right?" Evident, Spider had understood what I wanted to look for, because he snorted and waved his hand. "Got it. I'll see what I can do. Anything else?"

"Is my previous commission still active?"

"The one about the man-eating plants? I can reopen that one, if you want. From what I've heard though, it's not just the plants I need to be watching out for, right?"

I nodded as I recounted the information about the Violas and Virgas for Spider. "Loki Familia said that they'll be releasing all of their information to the Guild about the monsters soon. Just use that as a template and let me know if anything shows up."

"Got it. I'll try my best to be fast." In response, I took out the pouch of Valis in my pack that I had prepared before passing it to him, but to my surprise, however, he shook his head. "Not for this, Hikigaya."

"... ?"

At my confused expression, Spider chuckled. "Anything with direct ties to Evilus doesn't count as a request, not if I can help it. They're bad for business, so charging for anything related to them would just be a scam. And besides, with what you just told me, I already owe you one for finding something to work with. Even if I can't tell my other clients anything. No need for payment. I'll let you know if I find anything."

"... In that case." A thought struck my mind, and I focused on our surroundings for a brief second, attempting to see if I could sense anyone else with us on the rooftop. As far as I could tell, there wasn't anyone else, but I tried lowering my voice to a whisper anyways. "There is one more thing I'd like you to look into. Compile as much information on the side as you possibly can, as quietly as possible, and hand that to me separately once it's done."

"... You want me to build a profile on someone? Or are you looking for someone's profile?" Spider leaned in, voice hushed.

"Depends." I kept my voice low. "Does the name 'Fels' mean anything to you?" Spider didn't respond, so I kept going. "Wears a dark cloak that covers them from head to toe. Sounds like they're talking through a fan."

There was a long silence before he finally spoke. "... I won't lie to you. I've definitely heard rumors about someone like that. But you have to understand, Hikigaya–that's all I know. Nothing substantial–just rumors and hearsay. I can try, but I can't guarantee anything solid or sound."

"That's fine. I'll take anything you can find."

"Alright." Spider rose to his feet and tentatively took the bag of money. "In that case, I suppose I'll see you soon."

~~This is a Line Break~~

Since I had done everything I could do in regards to investigating on my end, all that was left was to visit Hermes and prepare for the next encounter with either the Dungeon or Evilus, something I could do over the next few days.

The Traveler's Inn was located near the center of Orario, meaning I could pass by it on my way back to the Hostess without wasting any real time. However, I hadn't even made it out of Daedalus Street's northern exit onto East Main before I found my path blocked by a thin figure that emerged from thin air, wrapped in a black cloak.

"... Hikigaya Hachiman. We meet again." Clearly, Fels had done their homework and read up on the handbook to being a Mysterious Background Figure™, because that entrance was too well-timed to be anything but a coincidence. Did you practice those lines to a mirror?

"Yo." I responded casually, but inched my hand subtly towards my sword. There wasn't any hostility emanating from them and they seemed fairly relaxed, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Like Deimne said, there wasn't any way to verify what Fels was saying, after all. "Ouranos send you here?"

"... Not quite." There was a shift beneath Fels's robes, and my grip around the handle of my sword tightened. I wasn't confident that I could beat Fels in a straight fight, given the lack of information on what they could do, but I was still Level 3. I could run away if I really needed to. And this was Daedalus Street, which made escaping that much easier given my familiarity with the place. "I'm here to continue our conversation from before."

"There isn't much to say." I kept my words vague, but Fels seemed to understand what I was getting at anyways.

"Really? I would think that it is the opposite. Even if Evilus escaped while retrieving the item, there are still things to be found from that, no? Not even I knew that the remnants of that group existed until they appeared. For them to have announced their return in such a fashion means that it was forced." Evidently, Fels had come to the same conclusion that we had as well. "However, I must apologize. I fear that we have been upholding information from you, at least to some extent." And then they bowed.

"... ?" I had expected Fels to say all kinds of things, but an apology definitely wasn't one of them. I watched as the mage smoothed out their robes before straightening.

"Perhaps you've come to realize it as well, but… the effects of the orb are known to us. It is a 'seed', which activates upon coming into contact with flesh of any kind–be it monster or otherwise. Once it does so, it induces rapid alteration of the flesh, subsuming and absorbing all other bodies in the vicinity." That explained why the commission's instructions had been so specific. Fels had probably witnessed the crystal orb in effect firsthand. "However, I do not have any more information beyond that. Before the creature could complete its transformation, we slew it. Its name is unknown to us, but for the time being, we've decided to call it a 'Crystal Fetus'."

I filed both the name and the mention of 'we' away and nodded.

There was a flash of movement, metal glinting as Fels drew out something from their robes with a slow, flourishing moment. I tensed ever-so-slightly. A weapon? "Here. Your reward."

Fels's sleeve moved, and I realized that they were actually holding a key in their gauntleted hand, which they tossed over to me. I caught it, looking down at it in my hand; it was small and intricate, with the numbers of "531" stamped along the length.

"The reward for the quest. Please hand it over to either your god or Lulune Louie, should the chance arise." With those words, Fels's hand disappeared beneath the sleeve of their black robe again. "That is all I wanted to pass along for the time being. See to it that Loki Familia and Dionysus Familia are informed of the Crystal Fetus's abilities as well."

There was a pause, their cloak fluttering in the air. "I understand why you may not trust me. After all…" there was a sly lilt of amusement to the distorted voice. "... even if you talked to Spider, I can assure you that, talented as he is at acquiring information, even he will not find enough to support or deny my case in any way." The amusement faded from Fels's voice. "But I have no other methods to convince you that I am not your enemy aside from helping you with your own investigations, at least for the time being. I hope you can understand. Until next time."

As I watched, black smoke billowed outwards from their sleeves, and Fels's figure faded away once more.

I exhaled slowly, letting my grip on my sword relax. I hadn't detected Fels on the rooftop, but if Fels was Level 3 or 4, then watching or listening in invisibly from a distance where I couldn't detect them wouldn't have been a problem, even without Perception.

There wasn't much I could do about it, though. The fact that Fels hadn't immediately killed Spider afterwards–and instead told me about it–proved that at the least, they themselves didn't think they had anything to hide.

That wasn't much to go on. All I had gleaned from the conversation was that Fels had 'colleagues'–or at the least, allies working towards similar goals other than Loki, Dionysus, or Hermes Familias–and the information about the orb. There still wasn't anything concrete to go on about either them or their connection to the Guild.

The only thing that could reasonably confirm or deny my suspicions was the key I had been left with, which was supposedly 'payment'. The Traveler's Inn was where I was intending to head towards anyways, so I could just ask about the key when I visited Hermes then.

~~This is a Line Break~~

"Here you go, Hikigaya." I took the paper proffered to me by Hermes after slipping my clothes back over my body.

Hikigaya Hachiman
Hermes Familia
Level 3

Strength: B 741 - B 768
Endurance: B 738 - B 769
Dexterity: B 751 - B 782
Agility: B 744 - B 773
Magic: I 0

Developmental Abilities
Perception G
Abnormal Resistance H
Treatment I

Skills
The Ordinary: Makes user unremarkable and unnoticeable, even if one is completely obvious in broad daylight. Effectiveness increases based on similar entities in proximity. Passive.

118 points. It wasn't as much as the last Update of 287 points, but it was still a phenomenal amount, considering that an average dive into the Dungeon to push through to Floors 30 and up would net about the same amount.

After I crumpled up the paper and threw it in the trash can, I pulled out the key that Fels had handed me and passed it to Hermes. "Fels said that this was the reward for the commission. And they wanted me to tell you about the orb."

Hermes listened to the recount of my conversation with Fels with an expression of thoughtful interest, tossing the key up and down in his hand as I relayed the black-cloaked figure's words about the Crystal Fetus to him.

When I finished, he nodded up and down with a self-satisfied look on his face. "I see, I see. Well, not to worry… for this key has given us remarkable insight into Fels's character!" He looked at me and flourished the key dramatically.

"Good for you. Bye." I didn't hesitate to turn around and make my way towards the door. Did you think that I was Andromeda? Sorry to say otherwise, Hermes, but you're going to have to find someone else to watch you play detective.

"Wait wait wait, I'll tell you, I'll tell you! Don't go just yet!" The detective act died a quick death as Hermes was reduced to comedically tripping over his chair and desk, begging for me to stay and let him finish. "This is a key to accessing gnome storage units, which are often used for safekeeping valuable metals or other precious items. Personalized items. I know the gnomes in Orario who run this kinda business."

Hermes held the key up. "They don't do business with people that are aligned against Orario–neither criminals nor Evilus have ever had access to their vaults. Even if we don't know anything about Fels's origins, the fact that the gnomes are willing to do business with them says a lot about Fels as a person, considering how little we know about them. What I'm trying to say is–at the very least, we can be sure that Fels isn't outright an enemy or someone looking to sabotage Orario, not unless the gnomes have been compromised. But I'll be checking on that soon enough, so don't worry about it.

"That's about it regarding Fels for now, though. I'll pass the information about the Crystal Fetus onto Loki and Dionysus when I get the chance. Good work, Hikigaya. See you around." In response, I nodded, turning around and making to leave.

"Actually, one more thing." Hermes's words stopped me. "Asfi told me about what happened." Every trace of amusement in the god's voice had vanished, and as I turned around and looked at him, I realized that he wasn't smiling anymore, either.

His eyes locked with mine. "Is that what your choice is, Hikigaya?" Behind his question, I could hear the unspoken words: Is that really the right choice?

–If you care about someone, that means that you're prepared for the day you'll end up hurting them.

From within the depths of my memories, Hiratsuka-sensei's words drifted into my thoughts. At some point, when I was with her on that bridge 5 years ago, those words had appeared in our conversation– in the lesson she had been trying to convey to me at the time.

It was a memory from a long time ago, which was why I had forgotten about it. But I also understood the reason it had resurfaced within my mind just now. It made sense of all the unreasonable excuses that had come out of my mouth while I was trying to justify myself and it articulated the reasoning behind my decision to leave that room even when the sounds of Hackard's tears were echoing out from behind me.

"Alright." Even though I didn't say anything, Hermes's gaze softened. He had probably seen through what I was about to say. Usually, he would've broken into a smile by now, the way he often did when he heard my answers to his questions, but this time, his face stayed the same. "If that's your choice, then I won't say anything else."

I couldn't tell if the look in his eyes was warmth or pity, but it was enough to make me look away before I turned and left the room.

Afterword: Chapter 2 in 2 weeks! See ya soon!

Also, has been alerting me that my email alerts don't work anymore or something. I checked my email and it was perfectly fine. Anyone know what's going on with that?