Southern Orario.
At the base of the Freya Familia — the Silver Moon Manor.
This grand estate was located in the Fifth District of the city, nearly at the very center of the entertainment zone.
High walls encircled the grounds on all sides, completely shutting it off from the outside world.
Though built on a hill, the area was in fact a wide-open plain.
Lush green lawns and a vibrant sea of flowers surrounded the manor.
This place was known as—
—The Battle Wasteland.
It was hailed as the stronghold of Orario's mightiest Familia, the Freya Familia.
And at the center of this field stood the towering mansion known as Silver Moon Manor.
Next to the entertainment district was the Pleasure Quarter under the control of the Ishtar Familia.
Beyond that lay the Labyrinth District—also known as Daedalus Street.
It was a slum, home to many of the city's poor.
At this moment—
Inside a conference room within Silver Moon Manor.
Captain Ottar had called together the Familia's strongest members.
"Out with it, Ottar. What's going on?"
"What kind of mission is this 093?"
"Are we going to war with the Loki Familia?"
"Or is this just one of Lady Freya's whims?"
Four voices spoke in unison.
The speakers were four chienthrope quadruplets who looked exactly alike.
They were known as—
The Gulliver Brothers.
From eldest to youngest: Alfrick, Dvalin, Belin, and Gull.
Their collective nickname was the Flame-Gold War Quartet, and each of them was a Level 5 adventurer.
Standing with arms crossed, the warrior Ottar spoke in a calm, unshakable tone:
"Lady Freya…"
"...wants us to test that boy's strength."
"Tch…" A sharp glint flashed in the eyes of the catperson Allen, who scoffed with contempt. "That's it?"
Allen's tone and gaze carried an overwhelming intensity.
Every movement of his exuded aggression—enough to make any mid-tier adventurer freeze in fear.
Even in the presence of Level 7 Ottar the Might, he made no effort to hide his threatening demeanor.
"Anything else?" a male high elf asked in a biting, cold voice.
His appearance was almost unreal—long golden hair rivaling that of a beautiful woman.
He wore a pair of glasses that gave him a composed and intellectual look.
This was Heiðr Sæland, commander of the Freya Familia.
A Level 6 adventurer with the title White Wand of the Fey.
A top-class elven mage, he possessed tactical and strategic abilities on par with Finn.
His total reserves of mind and his magic control even exceeded Riveria's, as did his spell range.
In some respects, Heiðr was arguably Orario's strongest mage.
His close-combat skills, combined with his rare ultra-short incantation magic and parallel chanting—
Made him a truly all-round magic swordsman.
Seven years ago, during the Great Conflict between Good and Evil—
Heiðr and Hedin had defeated the leader of the Alecto Familia, the Dis Sisters, and ascended from Level 5 to Level 6.
"Fufufu... Roar, O heavens. Tremble, O earth. Descend, O darkness. Ku... kukuku…"
A dark elf muttered a string of cryptic and menacing words.
A sinister grin twisted his lips.
His chuunibyou-like speech was incomprehensible to most.
This was Hedin Ragnar, also Level 6, and together with Heiðr, they were known as the White and Black Knights.
Ottar scanned the room, taking in the presence of these distinct, overpowering first-tier adventurers—
Then declared in a heavy voice: "I plan to head into the Dungeon."
"I'll train a Minotaur and use it to test his strength."
"Heiðr, you are to deliver a magic tome to him. That is Lady Freya's direct command."
…
Meanwhile, at the Golden Sanctuary—
This was Orario's top gambling facility, built with investments from the entertainment city Santorio Bega.
Inside the VIP lounge, in a luxurious private room—
A dwarf-like man with a thick beard and slicked-back brown hair reclined on a high-end sofa, one leg crossed over the other.
Dressed in a fine black tuxedo, this man was—
Trisel Bantys, the casino's operator.
But in truth, he was Todd.
On either side of him sat beautiful young women dressed in revealing evening gowns.
Each of them was stunningly attractive—
But they looked eerily doll-like.
In reality, they had been kidnapped from within and outside the city through various vile means.
"That fat pig from the Guild—looks like he had a rough night, hahaha…"
An old human gentleman sitting across from Todd suddenly burst into laughter.
He was the manager of the casino.
The "fat pig" he mentioned referred to Royman.
Royman Mardeel, an elf and the current Guild Head.
He was the de facto highest authority within the Guild.
"Hmm…" Todd swirled the wine in his glass. "We pulled in what, about 300 million tonight?"
"More than that," the manager said, dropping his smile. "Just the Guild Head alone lost nearly 20 million."
"My guess is we'll hit 500 million at least."
That was how profitable high-end casinos could be.
However—
Before they could enjoy the moment for long, just as the old gentleman finished speaking—
Right then—
A mysterious magic circle suddenly lit up on the polished floor.
---
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