Chương 331: It’s Said That Conscious Weapons Talk a Lot of Smack

For years, the remnants of the Evilus had been using the Artificial Labyrinth – Knossos as their stronghold.

Over time, the Ikelos clan ran their smuggling operations here, the Thanatos clan corrupted their fanatical followers, and the Dionysus familia—or more accurately, the familia's patron god—conducted human experiments.

Even today, the reason adventurers from Orario hadn't discovered Knossos was simple: it was built far too secretly.

Back then, the Arachnia of the Evilus had escaped through this artificial labyrinth after the rebellion failed.

And now…

"From today onward, this is officially our territory~"

"Oh!!!"

With her hands raised high in a pose reminiscent of praising the sun, the slightly ditzy little sister declared her claim. The Gulliver brothers happily cheered her on, backing her up with enthusiasm.

At the same time, Renjiro was present.

Having just completed two true god-slaying acts, he was being scrutinized by Ottar, Allen, Hedin, and the others.

Today, the hidden dynamics between the parties were finally made explicit.

From the perspective of the Freya Familia:

"To annihilate the Lv.5 Ikelos clan while still at Lv.3… Freya-sama's insight is as sharp as ever."

Clearly, Renjiro's performance today had earned their approval.

Ottar and the others thought simply:

"As long as he's not useless, Freya-sama can venture out safely whenever she wants."

But…

"Kid, don't get too cocky."

"Become an 'officer' first."

"Next time I catch you patting our little princess on the head, I'll cut off your hand."

"How cruel! I didn't even get the chance… How cruel…"

"I'm not jealous. Really."

Perhaps while Lumine curiously explored a control room in the labyrinth and toyed with some traps, Allen and the Gulliver brothers approached Renjiro for a little "friendly interaction."

Honestly, they were all allies in the same familia—so why the treatment gap?

And Ottar… big-browed and alert, weren't you supposed to be "in the know"?

You were the one who escorted the Traveler twins to register as adventurers at the guild.

Why now do you increasingly look like a double-standard hypocrite?

Clearly polite to Lumine, but now completely ignoring Renjiro?

Did you… imagine things and start favoring one side?

"Sigh… what a headache."

Renjiro sighed inwardly.

Beside him…

"Hehe~ you two get along so well!"

Freya cupped her face with one hand, her words filled with delight as she smiled widely.

Instantly…

"Emmmm~" 

With Lumine gone, Renjiro and the others exchanged glances, all wearing expressions that silently said: "You guys… it's not easy, huh?"

Just then…

"This artificial labyrinth is pretty fun~"

Lumine returned, smiling lightly, noticing the strange atmosphere between the nine people and one god nearby.

"Uh~ why are you all frozen like statues?"

The ditzy little sister asked curiously.

Cough~

Renjiro cleared his throat.

"Lumine, I'll be heading back first."

"From now on, please handle the upcoming expedition-related matters."

"Excuse me!"

After greeting everyone in the room, Renjiro asked Mona to use teleport to transport him out of the labyrinth.

He had just received a message, confirming that the Goddess Astraea would soon return to Orario.

After all, she was a friend of Ryuu's, and he had previously been making use of that supposedly useless elf. It was time to give a small helping hand.

Moreover…

"Previously, regarding 'Alise,' the situation was sensitive, so Ryuu had to be kept in the dark as much as possible."

"But now, since Alise might be reborn, this is significant. Ryuu and Goddess Astraea need to know in advance to prepare themselves."

Of course…

"As for the core secrets of my 'Primordial Human' magic, those cannot be revealed."

Renjiro had already made careful arrangements for that.

As for others…

Lumine would need to coordinate with the other members for the expedition.

And to prevent Dionysus from causing further trouble, they might set out tonight.

In that case, he would ask Mona to teleport him again to return before the expedition, joining the hunt.

In short, everyone's schedule was packed.

Even the Genshin…

"It seems Venti has formally contacted the 'Evilus' group."

"Soon enough, news about him will reach the old god Ouranos."

"This way, we can meet 'Fels' and also get information about Olympia.'"

A truly multi-benefit situation.

Finally…

"Don't worry, I've already set up new command programs for her. She'll follow your orders."

"And if you want to act personally, that's fine too… I allow it."

This was the final message Lumine sent to Renjiro over the mental link.

Honestly…

"Even the term 'command programs' came up. What a shift in tone~"

Renjiro couldn't help but mutter.

Lumine's "hacker-otaku girl" image had now deeply rooted itself in his mind.

Oh, and there was one more thing…

It had been mentioned before: if a god is completely slain instead of entering the Ten-Thousand-Year Revival Cycle, the stolen divine power can still create extra Chess Pieces (Gnosiss).

These could then be used to forge a new body for the exceedingly unpredictable Holy Sword Lady.

And in the future, reviving Alise would also require this reserve.

Fortunately, Alise only needed the divine power of one god, so she chose to use Thanatos' leftover wealth, and through the Sword of Narzissenkreuz, successfully forged herself a new body.

"Now, I'm a beautiful girl too~"

At that moment, watching a golden-haired girl fly while scratching her bottom with her right hand, Renjiro was left somewhat speechless.

"I feel like Paimon's status is in serious danger."

He muttered inwardly, shaking his head.

…..

Completed version available on [P]atreon.[c]om/Veltoria [remove brackets]