Chapter 110 110: [BONUS] - The Revealed Bounty

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"Argh! I was so close!" Hestia bit down on her handkerchief.

They had just left the Pleasure Quarter, and she was already fuming.

She could have taken care of those bastards. Ganesha showed up too soon and ruined her plan. With a few more minutes, she could have pinned Ishtar down and made her reveal where the local assassin brokers were. But once Ganesha arrived, she had to let it go.

Leaving a fight unfinished really got on her nerves.

"Take the win, Hestia," Miach offered.

"He's right. At the very least—you found a punching bag," Takemikazuchi added. "Ishtar took the brunt of your anger."

Artemis and Demeter chimed in, telling her to let it go. If she kept pushing, it would only lead to needless casualties for everyone.

"But that still leaves the main issue," Hephaestus said, looking at Lili, Yui, and Ui. "How did these three end up with bounties on their heads?"

Hardly anyone knew the two sisters. They had just registered as Adventurers. The Gods didn't usually talk about new rookies. It made no sense for a Level 4 killer like the Dwarf Hunter to go after them so soon.

Who could possibly hate them that much?

"We have the answer to that."

Four figures dressed in black combat gear stepped out from the shadows.

"Oh my, if it isn't Lunoire!" Demeter recognized the familiar silhouette immediately. She walked over with an elegant stride.

Lunoire Faust adjusted her black trench coat and sighed. "Lady Demeter."

She never knew how to deal with the Goddess's motherly affection. The other three women were easy to recognize: Ryu Lion, Anya Fromel, and Chloe Rollo stood in the alley.

"What are you doing here?" August asked.

"Making sure you didn't blow up the district, nya," Anya chimed in. "Mama Mia was worried you'd lose your temper, so she sent us for backup."

Anya didn't mind putting in extra hours. Maid work was one thing, and assassination work was another.

"We interrogated the killers who fled the tavern," Ryu said smoothly. "They gave us the truth."

Tracking them was easy.

With two cat-people on the team, following the scent of panic and gunpowder was no trouble.

"Aside from Lady Hestia and Mr. August, the rest of the Familia was targeted," Chloe added. "A 3.3 million Valis bounty placed on each of the three girls, nya."

Chloe glanced at the teenagers. Lili still had the rough edge of someone from the streets, but the other two looked painfully innocent.

"Getting slapped with a hit list before you even fight your first real battle. That is a first for me, nya," Chloe mused.

10 million Valis might not mean much to the big Familias, but for everyone else, it was a huge amount. It was more than enough to bring top killers out of hiding.

"Dammit. That bastard Ikelos." When she heard this, Hestia put the pieces together.

"..." The nearby Gods froze.

None of them thought Hestia would name a culprit so fast.

"Hestia, are you sure it's the Ikelos Familia?" Hephaestus frowned.

Ganesha had told Hestia about August's earlier kills in the Dungeon. The dead Adventurers were from Ikelos. But Ikelos denied being involved, and Ganesha didn't press the matter. The other Gods just thought it was a one-time fight.

"The Ikelos Familia runs a smuggling ring," Hestia explained, crossing her arms. "They capture monsters in the Dungeon and traffic them to nobles on the surface."

"August tracked their movements during his last dive. They have a hidden tunnel network bypassing Babel to move the cargo."

Hestia already understood the bigger picture, but August's tracking gave her the solid proof she needed to convince everyone else.

"A hidden exit outside Babel..." Takemikazuchi rubbed his chin. "Daedalus Street!"

If smugglers wanted a chaotic place where no one was watching, the slums were their best bet.

Ikelos haunted the same alleys that Takemikazuchi sometimes visited.

"Smart boy," Hestia nodded.

"I've crossed paths with him," Takemikazuchi noted. "He avoids the North and West districts. He sticks strictly to the slums. Daedalus Street is a massive, confusing maze. It's the perfect place to hide a subterranean tunnel."

"He will deny it, Hestia," Artemis pointed out. Even if they knew the truth, a God could lie straight to their faces.

"Hmph. I'm not stupid enough to knock on his door without a plan," Hestia scoffed.

Suddenly, August joined the conversation. "The Ikelos Familia's secret base not only contains remnants of the Evilus but also hosts dozens of highly specialized monsters. These creatures are not naturally born from the Dungeon but are artificially engineered through unnatural means."

"WHAT?"

Miach and Takemikazuchi stared at him. Even Ryu and the former assassins flinched.

"August, do you know what you are implying?" Hephaestus demanded. "Engineered monsters? Are you saying someone is building abominations under the city?"

"Pretty much," Hestia confirmed, backing his claim.

Once Hestia confirmed the information, the Gods had to treat it as a serious threat.

"That's exactly why I didn't go after Ikelos when I had the chance," Hestia said.

The enemy had a stronghold ready for them. Rushing in without a plan would be a mistake.

"Lady Hestia, are you certain the remnants of the Evilus are down there?" Ryu's voice spiked with intensity.

Hunting the Evilus was her life's mission. If she had a target, she would destroy it. To her, the Ikelos Familia was already as good as dead.

"If you want to storm the place, don't," Hestia warned the elf firmly.

"They have Deep Floor monsters locked in cages. We are talking Floor 51 threats. Not to mention, they have a beast down there equivalent to a Level 7."

Ryu froze.

A Level 7 monster. The golden age of Adventurers had passed. Now, only Ottar was a Level 7 in Orario. Defeating a fortress guarded by something that strong would take the city's biggest Familias working together in a full-scale raid.

"Is that true?" Ryu muttered. She turned to August. "Mr. August. Given your capabilities, what are the odds of a successful subjugation?"

She refused to let it go. If he could kill them, Ryu would gladly enlist as a mercenary for the Hestia Familia just for the chance to strike.

"Are you volunteering to send the entire population of Orario to the underworld?" August asked.

He had the weapons to destroy the Evilus, but using them would also destroy the city. He wanted a precise, low-risk plan rather than one that would cause massive damage.

"Ah. Sorry. I got ahead of myself, nya," Anya grabbed Ryu's shoulder, pulling her back before the elf lost her temper.

Ryu took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. Destroying the city just to kill the Evilus would go against everything she believed in.

"If you need an extra blade, call on me," Ryu offered. "I will follow your lead."

"Good. That's the right attitude," Hestia said with a nod. The elf had a strong sense of right and wrong.

"But we aren't moving on them tonight," Hestia added. "We need to sort out our own affairs first. We can deal with the slums later."

"Understood," Ryu said, stepping back. She knew they had other things to handle first.

"Let's go back. We have the Denatus tomorrow," Hestia said, leading her Familia toward the West District.

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Meanwhile, at the Ishtar Familia's home.

"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"

Ishtar destroyed everything in her temple. She threw vases, flipped tables, and broke mirrors. She had been publicly humiliated in front of her entire faction.

She glared at Phryne Jamil, who sat in the corner, tending to her wounds. Phryne was Ishtar's chosen captain, a Level 5 veteran, but she had been knocked out by a Level 2 rookie.

"Lady Ishtar."

Aisha Belka entered the ruined chamber. She ignored her Goddess's tantrum and took a knee.

"Did you find out who did it, Aisha?" Ishtar spat. Who dragged the Monster Rookie to her doorstep?

"Yes."

"An anonymous client placed a 10 million Valis bounty on the Hestia Familia girls on the underground board."

Aisha had squeezed the intel out of the local informants. When she heard the report, Ishtar realized she had been used as a shield.

"Who posted it?" Ishtar demanded.

"Dix Perdix. Captain of the Ikelos Familia," Aisha answered.

"Oh."

Ishtar stopped her rampage. Her anger faded, replaced by cold calculation.

The Ikelos Familia ruled Daedalus Street. They controlled the man-made Dungeon called Knossos and ran a huge monster smuggling ring.

They were her allies.

The Pleasure Quarter was full of secrets. Men drank, spent time with courtesans, and shared stories. Ishtar knew the city's dark side better than anyone.

Discovering Ikelos orchestrated the hit put her in a bind.

She couldn't fight back against him. Her secret weapon was currently housed inside Knossos. If she attacked the Ikelos Familia, Dix Perdix would shut her out and ruin her plans.

"Lady Ishtar, what are your orders?" Samira asked from the doorway. She wanted the green light to wage war and claim August for herself.

Ishtar raised a hand, rejecting the proposal.

"Tomorrow is the Denatus."

"I will handle Hestia there."

Ishtar wasn't going to resort to cheap street tactics. She had to play the political game. If she struck back without thinking, the one Goddess she hated most would only mock her. She would confront Hestia in the council chambers and deal with Freya later.

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