Whether it was malicious or kind, that gaze had an overwhelming presence.
Like some dangerous beast, merely being watched by it made her body react involuntarily.
She couldn't tell what the owner of that gaze thought of them.
But the Blonde Elf was certain that its owner was very dangerous.
"Hey! You lazy elf! What are you slacking off for?"
The long-haired beauty beside her was dressed in a kimono and was expertly slicing meat with a knife. She looked delicate and lovely, but the moment she opened her mouth, the texture of her beautiful voice came across as coarse and sharp.
Usually, the Blonde Elf would have fired back at those words, but this time, she didn't immediately retort. Her azure eyes continued to warily sweep over the crowd.
"Wait, Kaguya. I don't want to argue with you right now. Just now, I felt someone watching us. I don't know if it was someone from the Dark Faction."
At that, the kimono-clad girl narrowed her eyes slightly, her dangerous gaze sweeping over the crowd like a blade.
But after looking around a few times, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. The crowd remained noisy and packed together, so she withdrew her gaze and looked at the Blonde Elf doubtfully.
"Hey, are you sure you're not just imagining things because you're in heat and can't get any?"
Even the Blonde Elf, good-natured as she was, couldn't stand hearing that.
Forget suspecting that the Dark Faction was lurking in the shadows—even if the One-Eyed Black Dragon descended, she'd have to fight this sharp-tongued woman first!
"Hey! Kaguya! You jerk! Wanna fight?!"
"Hah? You think you can beat me?"
The onlookers didn't seem afraid at all. Instead, they watched the scene with eager expressions, and a few even looked ready to cheer them on.
After all, how many things in this world were more entertaining than watching beautiful girls fight at close range?
People really shouldn't eat too well. Otherwise, it was hard to imagine how shameless they could get.
At the critical moment, a red-ponytailed girl with a cheerful smile squeezed between them and stopped the fight before it could break out.
"Okay, okay! Kaguya, Ryu, why are you two suddenly arguing again? Remember, members of the Loki Familia and the Guild seniors are watching us. This kind of thing will cost the Astraea Familia points!"
Kaguya elegantly flicked her sleeve, then turned away and continued cutting ingredients as if nothing had happened.
The Blonde Elf, whose name was Ryu Lion, looked at their captain, her brows raised in displeasure.
"Alise! I'm telling you, Kaguya—"
After hearing the explanation, Alise Lovell had a general idea of what had happened. She also instinctively glanced over the crowd.
When she didn't sense anything unusual either, she thrust out her flat chest beneath her armor and waved a hand at Ryu.
"Ryu, you're probably just being paranoid. After all, it's only natural for people to take a few extra looks at me, a world-class beauty! It's just a shame that I have to fight for Astraea's justice! I can't return their affections!"
Watching their captain get excited, pleased with herself, then sink into regret and sighs—all on her own—left Kaguya speechless. Even Ryu had completely forgotten what had happened just moments ago, a web of exasperation appearing across her fair forehead.
Alise, however, was completely oblivious. When she caught sight of an emerald figure from the corner of her eye, her eyes lit up.
She vaulted over the table and ran straight out of the stall.
"Ah! Isn't that the Nine Hell? It's been ages—huh? Who's this little girl?"
Watching their captain lose herself at the sight of one of the city's famous First-Class Adventurers, the Blonde Elf and the kimono-clad girl—who had almost come to blows just moments earlier—exchanged a glance and sighed helplessly.
Northeastern section of the city, District Three.
Perhaps because the charity meal service had drawn the passersby away, the surroundings felt unusually quiet. Even the clamorous noise from the north district seemed very distant.
In a deserted alley, Noah stopped and rubbed his slightly empty stomach.
With a sigh, he decided to deal with the trouble as quickly as possible so he'd have time to get something to eat.
"Come out. How long are you going to follow me?"
His chilly voice echoed slowly through the silent alley, carried on the strong midday wind.
As the sound faded, the steady footsteps of hard-soled shoes on the city's stone pavement slowly rang out.
Predatory eyes gradually emerged from the darkness. The newcomer's hair was a vivid, striking light red in the sunlight, and she wore a damaged undershirt with leather pants.
"Well, well. Kid, I can tell you've never appeared in Orario before. Are you a newcomer? I'm rather curious about you."
Valletta Grade swept her gaze over the silver-haired boy. It seemed flippant, but beneath it lay a guarded seriousness.
As one of the Dark Faction's most important executives, she had been given the title of Killing Emperor because of her frenzied bloodlust. But she was also the sharpest and most capable leader in the Dark Faction.
Otherwise, she could never have survived from the "Dark Age" seven years ago until now, repeatedly clashing with the "Brave," Finn Deimne.
A few days earlier, after learning that Thanatos had failed to tempt the renowned rookie of the Loki Familia, the "Doll Princess," and had been attacked while retreating by an unknown swordsman who seemed to be at least Level 4, Valletta had begun investigating.
After all, with the Zeus Familia and Hera Familia defeated, Ottar of the Freya Familia was the only Level 6 in the entire city, and the Guild's public records listed fewer than ten Level 5 Adventurers. In such circumstances, an Adventurer of at least Level 4 whose records were unclear could turn the tide at a critical moment.
She had arranged for people to search for and keep watch on Adventurers matching the description throughout the city, while also mobilizing her intelligence network to find out whether a new force had entered Orario.
But how should she put it?
Because she'd assumed from the start that the other party had come to target the Dark Faction, Valletta had focused her search on hidden locations around the city. As a result, three or four days passed without a single lead.
It wasn't until a member of the Dark Faction spotted Noah on the street that she finally realized what she'd overlooked. Her expression immediately turned grave.
Going against expectations meant their opponent wasn't simple.
So, the whole way there, Valletta had run through every possible scenario in her mind.
No matter what happened, she'd decided, she would remain calm—
"Newcomer? Compared to you, I suppose I am, old woman."
Noah shot Valletta a sidelong glance.
"You're interested in me, but I'm not interested in you at all. You're just like that perverted purple-haired man—a heretic who blasphemes and usurps the name of the God of Death."
"What?"
Valletta had to admit that she'd lost.
She had clearly decided to stay perfectly calm no matter what happened during this operation, but the silver-haired boy had managed to rouse her murderous impulses with a single sentence.
There weren't any screws in her head, but she still seemed to hear a sharp snap, as if something had broken.
She, Valletta Grade, was a woman!
Even if she was a murderous maniac, Valletta was still a woman!
The Dark Faction wasn't some kind of church that preached abstinence and the suppression of individual will. On the contrary, it indulged people's desires.
And no woman who was past the age of innocence, whether nine or ninety, liked being called an old woman!
So Valletta had nearly drawn her sword and cut down the boy in front of her.
But when she heard his second sentence, she forced herself to hold back.
His tone had been mild, but the arrogant fervor contained in those words was very familiar to Valletta.
There was no mistaking it. Wasn't that the pious tone Dark Faction members often used when making vows or praying?
Could the silver-haired boy be one of them?
And perhaps a member of some main-god faction she didn't know?
Valletta didn't think there was anything wrong with that guess.
First of all, there were countless main gods in the divine realm. Many gods were unknown to the others, and even the great god Uranus probably didn't know them all.
Perhaps beyond the city, there was a main god whose ideals closely aligned with the Dark Faction's, who had raised a Familia and then sent them back to Orario.
Secondly, it made sense for a Dark Faction god to keep a low profile.
As far as Valletta knew, one of the Dark Faction's masterminds was named Enyo. She had only heard the name and never seen the person; it was possible that even the other Dark Faction gods hadn't met them.
And last, and most importantly, the silver-haired boy's crazed audacity in going after other gods was completely in keeping with the Dark Faction's style.
In an age when gods were the absolute center of the world, almost no one dared show disrespect to them.
People who dared to attack the gods—or even kill them—were rare, even within the Dark Faction.
Compared to the reckless act of killing a god, attacking someone from their own side of the Dark Faction was nothing. When Valletta got angry, she'd killed more than a few of her own utterly foolish, hopelessly incorrigible members.
At that thought, Valletta restrained herself and kept calm.
"Kid, is your god also a god who shares the same beliefs as we do?"
Noah's eyes widened as if he'd been insulted. His voice rang with fury as he glared at Valletta, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Don't you dare lump me in with you! In all the heavens and earth, only my god is worthy of wielding the authority over death and being called the God of Death! All others are heretics! One day, I'll execute every last one of you heretics!"
Although he'd been threatened so bluntly, the murderous intent in Valletta's heart faded. She even felt like laughing.
That confirmed it. This guy was a member of the Dark Faction.
And he was more extreme, more zealous, and more fanatical than she was—or than any other member of the Dark Faction she'd ever met.
His faith was so extreme and fervent that he couldn't even tolerate other Dark Faction gods who wielded the authority over death.
After all, Valletta had heard countless times that heretics were more hateful than unbelievers.
With that thought, Valletta's mind began to race, and the way she looked at the silver-haired boy changed.
No one knew how much Valletta suffered. All the people around her were useless teammates!
If the Guild's faction in the city owed half its brains to Finn Deimne, then Valletta accounted for at least two-thirds of the Dark Faction's intelligence!
And even if members of other Familias were lacking in brains, at least they didn't hold Finn back.
But among the Dark Faction, where lunatics were everywhere, members who could carry out a plan without going berserk halfway through were already considered elite. Never mind helping devise one.
Valletta really needed a smart teammate to ease her burden!
Having enemies wasn't a problem. The Loki Familia and Freya Familia could barely keep from fighting whenever they met, couldn't they?
These days, you didn't fear an opponent as strong as a god. You feared a teammate as useless as a pig.
Smart people could be negotiated with and predicted. But when fools started acting foolishly, there was no telling what they'd do!
Right! She'd test him!
"Destroy us? Kids these days are hilarious. You don't know anything, yet you dare make such a bold claim. Even the Guild in this city wouldn't say that!"
Noah snorted and lifted his chin slightly, as if he were offended by being looked down on.
"That's only because they're fools. The weaknesses and vulnerabilities of people like you are right there in front of you, yet you don't know how to deal with them."
Valletta raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Oh? And you know? You're not just guessing, are you?"
"Guessing? That's hilarious! First, where does your food come from? The only people who could get supplies to you while avoiding the Guild's inspections are those fat-headed idiots!"
Valletta's eyes narrowed slightly, and the corners of her lips curved into a crescent.
Although Orario had flourished through its monopoly on magic-stone technology, it couldn't escape the common problems of a major city. It lacked farmland and had a large population, so it had to rely on the outside world for food.
The Dark Faction was no exception.
In a vast city, it was possible to create one or two small, hidden entrances, but those were nowhere near enough to provide supplies for the hundreds or thousands of people in the Dark Faction.
The Dark Faction obtained its supplies through merchants.
Those merchants made enormous profits by selling Orario's magic-stone products all over the world and bringing all kinds of goods back to the Labyrinth City.
Only profit could drive merchants to act. That was naturally why they supported the Dark Faction.
Orario allowed the sale of various items dropped by monsters and sold magic-stone products, but it monopolized the trade of raw magic stones.
That was because monsters that consumed too many magic stones would become dangerous Variants.
Even in the Dungeon, where Adventurers were generally high-level, every appearance of a Variant caused heavy casualties. The outside world, whose fighting strength was generally lower than Orario's, was even more vulnerable.
Monopolizing the sale of magic stones and prohibiting high-level Adventurers from freely leaving the city were both measures the Guild had taken to prevent harm from spreading to the outside world.
Before you continue