CHAPTER 1 WHY I’LL START RUNNING, TOO
“We made a deal with the armed monsters.”
Let me start with the final decision . After Finn led with that prefacing remark, the room fell into hushed silence for a moment before breaking into an uproar.
They were in the large dining room of Loki Familia ’s home, Twilight Manor.
Almost every single one of the faction’s members had been summoned, filling the seats and lining the walls. There was no way anyone could have expected a different reaction to their captain’s proclamation or that there wouldn’t at least be a handful who struggled to comprehend, left reeling from the shock.
The emblem of the trickster with its ridiculous grin hung behind Finn, who stood atop a seat at the head of the table in the back of the hall. Standing at his sides were Riveria, Gareth, and their patron goddess, Loki. The presence of these three was confirmation that Finn hadn’t made this arbitrary decision alone and was instead a point of consensus among the familia’s leadership. It wasn’t just Raul, Anakity, and other elite candidates who were wide-eyed. Tiona and Tione weren’t much more composed than their juniors.
The only ones who weren’t flustered were Lefiya and the others in the Fairy Force, who had participated in the assault on Knossos—and, surprisingly, Bete.
“What are you talking about, Captain?!”
“What do you mean, ‘made a deal’?!”
The members of the familia leaped to their feet, shoving chairs out of the way and shouting in bewilderment, confusion, and even something close to blame.
It was an unbelievable scene for Loki Familia , a tight-knit group brought together by their leader, Braver. It was out of place to see them up in arms against Finn and spoke to the magnitude of the problem that his proposal would create.
The younger girls jolted and cowed under thundering protests and threatening behavior, but Finn did not waver in the slightest, facing the storm of shouts and responding to every question.
“During the battle in Daedalus Street, I confirmed the armed monsters have extremely high intelligence—to the point that there appeared to be a chance of coming to a mutual understanding with them.”
“‘Mutual understanding’…You’re telling me you let that stop you?!”
“Of course not. I just saw that they possessed a certain intelligence in their eyes that was worth considering. I judged that sufficient grounds to make a deal with them.”
“And where’s the proof that those monsters won’t turn on us?!”
“There’s no way to prove their emotions—even for the gods…That said, it’s a hard fact that the number of resident and adventurer casualties resulting from this incident with the monsters was zero.”
“…Gh!”
“Sure, we can say it was because every adventurer in the city gave their all, but that wouldn’t explain how we managed to avoid even a single loss of life despite the catastrophic turn of events…It’d be out of character for the monsters we’re familiar with. Allow me to make that objective observation.”
Finn didn’t beat around the bush in laying out his reasoning. He knew that would have the opposite effect, which was why he frankly answered all the questions lobbed at him.
He let them vent their hesitation, dissatisfaction, rage, hatred—explaining everything in his own words without making any attempt to quibble with their arguments. He would never try to force his view on them with rhetorical flourishes. Without raising his voice, he appealed to them with the available information, responding with a dispassionate tone that carried across the room.
At this moment, Finn wasn’t engaging in a discussion but a ritual—not offering an explanation so much as getting them to sympathize with his cause, all in order to move forward.
“I’ve already completed negotiations with a group of armed monsters during the battle two days ago. Bearing witness to this are none other than Lefiya and her companions who stormed Knossos with her.”
“What…?!”
“This might have been something that I should have kept from you…If I’m being frank, I’d intended to hide it, even though I knew about the true nature of those monsters—all because I predicted that the familia would be thrown into disarray, like it is now,” Finn revealed, sincere, earnest, resolute.
Without any deceit, Finn gave them a glimpse of his thoughts and hopes, and the barrage of voices assaulting him died off for a beat.
“…Then why…why are you bringing it up?” a male familia member finally ventured.
“To win,” Finn declared to his confused subordinate, who looked as if he was begging for some sort of explanation. “To defeat those denizens of darkness who are lurking inside that lair of demons. To ensure peace for Orario. For that, I would even become a villain,” he finished with unwavering resolve.
He announced his willingness to throw away the fame he had clung onto so tightly, to become an enemy to humanity if that’s what it took.
Just like Bell Cranell had—and Finn knew that an even more tragic end would await him for it.
In truth, he had not given up on the path of the hero in the slightest. Just as he had told Riveria and Gareth, he had sworn to himself that he would return an even greater one if he fell into notoriety.
But to those familia members who had no way of knowing about his growth, which had happened behind the scenes, this came as an unimaginable shock. No, even if they had known, it would have only made the impact all the bigger. They were at a loss for words because they knew just how much Finn had devoted himself to the restoration of his race.
His determination toward this cause shook them to their very cores.
“Any more comments? I’ll answer anything. I intend to give it to you straight in response to your concerns and thoughts.”
The protests had come to an end after their prum leader answered every comment, systematic and unflinching, during the drawn-out assembly. By this point, even members who had been the most vocal about their disapproval had uneasily pursed their lips. The others exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.
But there were those who stayed silent for other reasons: There was no way they could beat Finn in an argument. They were the members of Loki Familia who hadn’t been able to dispel their hatred of monsters. For those with unresolved issues from losing a loved one to a monster, this animosity ran deep, unbridgeable no matter how forthright Finn was in his answers.
If anyone had dashed out of the room then, all of those who had been alienated by his proposal would surely follow in a chain reaction.
That was when Anakity raised her slender arm straight into the air, as if cutting through the noise. “Captain.”
“Yes, Aki?”
“No posturing or lip service. Can you tell us what you think of the armed monsters?” The cat person slowly stood up from her chair, speaking as though she was testing him.
Finn responded in a tone no different from all his other responses. “I’d like to say that we can use them…but I’m going to make it a point to say…I trust them. I believe those monsters are worthy of it.”
Trust. The familia members were troubled by this word.
Maintaining the same expression, Anakity came back with a follow-up question. “There are those among us who have had friends, family, lovers slaughtered by monsters. Are you still saying that you trust them?”
“I am.”
Say there were dwarves whose comrades had been killed by elves or elves whose brethren had been murdered by dwarves. Would they bear a grudge against the perpetrator’s entire race?
—Not that Finn would respond with this cliché.
He knew monsters were humanity’s enemy, a malignant tumor on the mortal realm that needed to be removed at all costs. And yet, he declared that he would take a swig of their poison.
No petty tricks. He’d chosen to show his determination with one simple idea instead of a roundabout explanation.
Because if he couldn’t even do that, how could they possibly hope to fight side by side with the monsters?
Anakity stared into Finn’s blue eyes, which concealed nothing, and bore his decision.
“…”
Her eyes, as black as her hair, were probing him. It was the gaze of someone appraising another who held the higher Status. Not that it was impolite. It was well within the rights granted to a lower-tier member in an organization. Without it, an organization would reject a great many ideas and stunt its growth.
Anakity Autumn looked at him for the others in the room—the eyes of the people. In effect, she spoke for everyone else.
The one who couldn’t break into the big leagues, Raul, flicked his gaze back and forth between the girl in his cohort and his beloved captain. His distress was almost charming.
“…Okay. Then I have nothing else to say.” Anakity silently sat back down.
It signaled that she would follow Finn’s resolution, which pacified the other familia members for the simple reason that Anakity had agreed to it.
This change of heart wasn’t something that the leaders or top-tier adventurers, including Finn and Aiz, would have been able to achieve. It had to be done by Anakity, who headed the second-string forces that connected all lower-tier members to the elites.
Winning over Aki is big…Well, I guess she skillfully directed it, huh?
He wouldn’t let anyone know he sincerely thought from the bottom of his heart that she’d just saved him. If he’d been anything less than completely committed, Anakity would have cast him aside for the sake of the other familia members. With her gifts and impartiality, she could carry it out—easy.
Though she’d respected and sworn loyalty to the familia’s leaders, she had a strong enough will to defy them if their actions were illogical. But she was wise. She understood what the familia needed as they prepared to conduct an attack on Knossos—namely, solidarity.
She had posed her question to test Finn—and to understand his intentions. It could even be said that she did so because she trusted him. It was clear that her shrewdness had brought the familia closer together.
“May I…say something?”
The last to raise her hand was the elf Alicia. When Finn nodded, she stood up, placing her hand on her chest.
“One of those armed monsters…saved my life,” she confessed, as if in repentance, causing a stir to spread through the room.
Her face was awash with a complicated expression, anguished, as though she had not yet come to a decision herself. The Fairy Force, including Lefiya, who had seen the event from start to finish, looked on supportively.
“It wasn’t some coincidence—or a whim. That siren covered me of her own volition. Even at the cost of her own body…she protected me with a spirit that can only be called philia—friendship. I’m still haunted by her gaze and smile…”
Though Alicia had a gentle side as an elder of the group, everyone knew that beyond it was her elven pride and fastidiousness. And if she was feeling something other than scorn toward a monster, no one in Loki Familia was stupid enough to fail to understand what that meant.
“I don’t want to admit or accept it. But I can’t help thinking…that was a noble display of her selflessness. If I failed to admit that, I feared I would become lower than the monsters—a dishonorable beast,” Alicia finished, carefully choosing her words and choking them out.
The moment she slipped back into her chair, drained, the room fell totally silent. Even all the other outspoken elves closed their mouths.
“…I’ve changed the order around, but I’d like to go back to the premise that led me to this conclusion.”
In the quiet room, Finn began to explain the current situation.
“In order to differentiate them from other monsters, I’m going to refer to the armed monsters as Xenos from now on. Because of their high levels of intelligence and apparent self-awareness, the Xenos have had countless of their comrades hunted by Ikelos Familia .”
“!”
“As far as the Xenos are concerned, the forces inside Knossos related to the smuggling of monsters are their enemies. I won’t go so far as to say that an enemy of an enemy is an ally, but…our interests are undeniably aligned. And just this one time, we can direct them as needed. That was my conclusion.”
“But, Captain, that means…”
“That’s right. We made a deal to temporarily join forces this one time. It’s for the sake of taking on Knossos…for the sake of ensuring victory in the coming battle, where the fate of the city hangs in the balance.”
By this point, Finn was simply discussing justifications for their actions while arguing in his sagacious and sound way.
It provided just cause for suddenly dropping such volatile news, softening the blow by shuffling the order of his delivery to manage their expectations. And Finn’s plan had clearly worked, given how even the members who had gnashed their teeth at the news were noticeably less tense.
Starting with why the Xenos had come aboveground, Finn continued to divulge all relevant information. Of course, he hid the connection between Ouranos and the Xenos to prevent further disorder, but other than that, he shared everything.
Gareth and Riveria spoke for the first time to bolster his explanation.
“We’re not saying you have to meet halfway with all monsters. The opposite, in fact. I’d actually say you shouldn’t trust them at all.”
“When you explore the Dungeon in the future, keep in mind that hesitation will get you killed. I understand it is asking a lot of you, but detach your identity as adventurers from this situation.”
Gareth had aimed his address at primarily the men. And looks of understanding spread among the elves at Riveria’s statement.
Finally, as if measuring her timing, Loki announced her divine will. “Well, basically, this is a battle to avenge Leene and the rest, so we’ll use whatever we hafta.”
A short speech, but the results were immediate. At the very least, there was no one left who would openly voice their opposition.
“…Let’s end this here. I’d like you all to take a moment to think and talk among yourselves. Okay? This isn’t an order but a suggestion. I’d like you to mull it over.”
Finn looked out at the faces of all the familia members again, saving the golden eyes of a certain girl for last.
“If anyone wishes to abstain, come to my office. I have no intention of trying to stop you. I’ll ask you to keep our discussion secret but nothing more. I’ll respect your decision. Okay, then—you’re all dismissed.”
With that, Finn left the room with Loki and the other leaders.
Once they took their leave, a furious exchange of opinions ensued among almost all the familia members who’d stayed behind in the dining hall. There was no end of things to discuss, and those who had felt suffocated by the atmosphere before could finally speak their minds.
Hesitation. Bewilderment. Rage. Hatred. Fear. None of these emotions were inherently wrong, but none were entirely right, either. They continued engaging in heated discussions about the relations between people and monsters—starting from when they were summoned in the morning until being dismissed at noon. The sky gradually darkened, bringing out the stars, as the conversations carried into the evening.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen the familia act like this…I think you all might be glaring more than when we went on the expedition…Urgh…”
Raul wobbled like a ghost before almost collapsing into a chair. He sat down at the table with Anakity and the rest of the reserve members, plus Tiona and Tione.
With raised voices, the lower-tier adventurers had roasted Raul, scapegoating him with their discontent and grumbling. Unlike Bete, he could be dragged into conversations and become the target of their complaints, which was why he had their trust (?). He had done his best to seriously and kindly listen to everyone, even though that ended up totally exhausting him. He sprawled out on the table, facedown, as Anakity patted the back of his head.
There was no change in her expression, but it seemed like she was showing her appreciation to him for serving this critical role or perhaps she was simply saying he had done a good job.
“By the way…what do you all think?”
“…I guess I’m fine either way. As long as we can get our revenge on the guys who killed Leene, Lloyd, and the others. That said, I’ve got some reservations about borrowing the strength of a monster…”
Raul had peeled himself off the table as he asked his question. Around him, Lefiya, Rakuta, and other female familia members were bustling about to distribute sandwiches, unable to sit still while everyone else kept arguing without even having lunch.
The one to respond to his timid question was the chienthrope Cruz, a Level-4 member of the junior members like Raul, who crossed his arms.
“But…but, Cruuuuz! They’re monsters! Aren’t you scared?” Lefiya’s roommate, Elfie, cut in.
“Well, yeah, it’s scary. We’ll be fighting with them, after all…If that black minotaur comes out…yeah, I’d jump out of my skin! I’m definitely uneasy about it!” The Level-4 human Narfi chimed in, shivering as she held herself, seemingly remembering the sensation of that bloodcurdling howl on Daedalus Street.
“B-but it’s the captain. He must have a plan…Erm, though it’d be impossible to work together…But I guess all we can do is trust him. This isn’t really the time to be fighting among ourselves…”
All Raul could utter was a noncommittal opinion.
“Are you dumbasses still at it?”
“B-Bete…”
His ashen hair billowing, the werewolf barged in and cut through the dining hall to get something to eat. He was one of the few people who had left promptly upon dismissal, ignoring those who had stayed behind arguing. Bete was maintaining his lone-wolf act, but for once, he didn’t try to make fun of the people discussing the armed monsters. Settling at a spot one table away from Raul, he scraped the chair across the floor before hunkering down.
When he turned his gaze to Rakuta, the hume bunny girl scurried back to the kitchen to fix him whatever supper was left.
“…Hey, Bete. What do you think of the armed monsters?”
“What?”
Tiona had been quiet all this time and used this opportunity to speak up, which the werewolf must not have expected. His voice sounded weird, and he looked uncharacteristically startled.
“…Have you made up your mind?”
“Erm…Well, I didn’t realize everyone was gonna be so worried and upset about the whole thing, so I actually tried my hardest to rack my brain, but…” admitted one of the Amazonian twins, who was generally considered a bad thinker by everyone—including herself. Sitting cross-legged in her chair, she folded her arms, groaning in thought, as she closed her eyes and nodded to herself.
But it didn’t seem that her answer was going to change, because she opened her eyes and said, “I don’t think we need to be afraid of those monsters.”
“!”
“Finn said it, too: Those armed monsters haven’t hurt anyone. And I saw one of them protect a kid on the street.”
Tiona didn’t mention that the one she had spotted was the vouivre, but she did tell them about everything else. Raul and the others were thunderstruck. As with Alicia’s tale, hearing about a monster protecting a person was mind-bending—a contradiction to an inherent truth of the world.
Everyone around them naturally listened in on the conversation among elites.
“At least I thought it wouldn’t be so bad to fight together with those armed monsters…Um, Xenos, was it?” Tiona laughed thoughtlessly.
As Narfi and the others felt unsettled by her sloppy grin, Bete shot her an exasperated look and glanced over at Tione.
She had stayed behind in the dining hall due to her younger sister’s insistent badgering, even though she was fed up with everything. When she noticed his gaze, she audibly snorted.
“That’s what the captain decided! I’m gonna follow his lead, even if it means fighting alongside the filthy monsters!”
“You’re damn consistent, ya know that…?” Bete was so beyond dumbfounded that he even felt a little respect for her undying belief in her beloved captain.
Raul and the others shared a wry smile.
“And what about you? What side are you on? I figured you would have blown up right away,” Tiona retorted.
“It ain’t a joke if the city goes under because we’re cooped up here complaining. That’s all,” Bete responded, sounding almost bored.
“…”
“At the end of the day, I can air my grievances and bloodlust all I want in the Dungeon. Gramps and the old hag said it, too. We’re adventurers. That doesn’t change. Am I wrong?”
Bete’s response was simple, though he was choosing his words carefully. His amber eyes flashed, as though he was remembering something he’d seen two days earlier during the battle on Daedalus Street. In fact, his explanation was so straightforward that it didn’t allow any room for debate, silencing the familia members who were listening.
“Assholes who just want to complain can go ahead and leave the familia. That’s all there is to it.”
“Oooh, someone thinks he’s cool. You’re such a poseur.”
“You’re the one who asked me, you dumb Amazon!”
Watching Raul and the others lunging to stop the first-tier adventurers from fighting—an everyday scene in Loki Familia —everyone who had been furrowing their brows all day started to break into smiles here and there.
After tussling with Bete for a while, Tiona whirled around with disheveled hair, turning her attention on a certain girl. “What do you think, Lefiya?”
“I…”
After distributing refreshments, Lefiya had been watching their exchange from a few steps away. She finally shared her thoughts in her honest way. “I’m afraid of the monsters…but I get the feeling those ones might be different.”
“Different?”
“Unlike every other monster we’ve come across in the Dungeon…they didn’t evoke the same sort of intrinsic hatred.”
She was thinking, of course, about the siren who had protected Alicia. The scene that she’d witnessed during the retreat from the battle with the Evils’ Remnants was stuck in the back of her mind. She was afraid that her next comment might cause her friends to shun or criticize her, but she pushed forward, clearly articulating her thoughts.
“I think…those monsters have hearts that care about their comrades…like elves and everyone else.”
Lefiya’s voice echoed through the dining hall. There was a brief moment of silence before Tiona broke into a smile and pounced on her with a big hug.
“Yeah! Yeah! Me too! Those monsters care about their friends!”
“M-Miss Tiona…!”
The monsters cared about their friends. It may have been the strangest thing that could be said, but there was certainly enough evidence to come to that conclusion. The other familia members had fallen into silent reflection, as if preoccupied with their recollections of the battle that had raged in the Labyrinth District. Bete scoffed and Tione sighed, while Raul and the others wore strained smiles, but there was no doubt that Tiona’s innocent outburst had shattered the tension and helped everyone relax.
Even Lefiya caught her infectious laugh, finding a little peace of mind.
“…”
But her face clouded over as her gaze landed on an empty seat. It was where the girl with golden hair and eyes had sat, the first to leave the dining hall after Finn’s talk was over.
Moonlight streamed in through the window. Beyond it spanned the navy sky, dressing the unlit room in a dark purple.
The noise coming from the great hall was distant, muffled. In fact, her room was so quiet, it was hard to believe both spaces were part of the same manor. It was as though it had fallen off the edge of the world.
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