What had happened on East Main Street soon spread throughout all of Orario.
Because of this incident, Monster Feria was temporarily suspended, and the taming performance at the Amphitheatron was brought to an abrupt end.
Members of the Guild and the Ganesha Familia were seen rushing across East Main Street, issuing public apologies while handling the aftermath, so busy that they barely had time to breathe.
Of course, the citizens were full of discussion.
Some angrily blamed the Guild and the Ganesha Familia for their negligence, others openly protested, claiming Monster Feria should never have been held in the first place, and some simply watched the situation unfold, not commenting at all.
Naturally, the gods who loved excitement were not going to overlook such an incident.
Each of them, in one way or another, took some kind of action—some on their own whim, others together with their familias—making the already lively Orario even more chaotic and boisterous.
And amid all of this, the name Riezel Brynhart once again became a hot topic among the people.
It couldn’t be helped.
Countless adventurers had witnessed his actions during the commotion—the great light pillar that had descended from the sky and the massive pit left on East Main Street were visible to all, naturally becoming subjects of gossip.
Upon learning that both the light pillar and the pit had been caused by that legendary monster rookie, it was only inevitable that Riezel became the center of public attention once more.
Naturally, this incident also made many people realize for the first time just how far this so-called monster rookie, who had risen at a pace that defied belief, had already grown.
Meanwhile, as he became the focus of conversation among both gods and mortals, Riezel had already returned to the Loki Familia’s headquarters—Twilight Manor.
"You, honestly. You just got back, and the first thing you do is cause that much of a scene?"
Inside the office of the northern tower, Finn sat behind his desk, speaking with a helpless expression to Riezel, who stood before him.
Riveria and Gareth, standing nearby, could only give wry smiles.
In the spacious room that served as the office of the top executives, Loki was also sitting on a chair nearby alongside the three top executives. Although her narrow eyes remained closed, the look she cast toward Riezel was clearly filled with irritation.
"Sorry..." Riezel smiled faintly at the familiar parental figures of his familia before speaking softly. "I guess I got a little carried away."
Hearing this, Loki smacked her own forehead dramatically and sighed.
"Carried away? Seriously? What were you so worked up about? You got some kinda grudge against those monsters or something? Did you really gotta go that far?"
Of course, Loki had no idea that what Riezel meant by ’carried away’ had nothing to do with excitement from seeing monsters.
It was more like the emotion of returning after a year and a half, of seeing familiar faces and places again.
Unfortunately, that was something she and the others couldn’t possibly understand.
After all, in their eyes, he had only been gone for a few days.
A few days were nothing—any high-level adventurer diving deep into the Dungeon could easily lose that much time.
For this reason, aside from Ais, who felt somewhat uneasy about Riezel’s departure, the others didn’t have much of a reaction upon his return.
Right now, the reason they had called him in wasn’t to catch up, but to lecture him about the uproar during Monster Feria.
Especially Riveria—the usually serious and strict royal elf was now wearing her most severe expression as she began scolding him.
"Even if it was to deal with the monsters, using magic of that magnitude within the city was going too far." Riveria said sternly. "A mage must always restrain themselves and maintain composure. What if your recklessness had caused something even worse than the monsters’ rampage?"
’But I’m not even a mage, and I did hold back. I mean, that Arcs Ray didn’t even unleash half of its full power...’
Riezel grumbled inwardly but didn’t voice any objection.
As always, he maintained a calm and courteous demeanor outwardly, bowing his head slightly to the others.
"I acted rashly this time. If the Guild wants to punish us, I’ll take responsibility."
Riezel’s implication was clear—if there was a fine, he would pay it himself.
He hadn’t forgotten that, ever since their failed expedition, the Loki Familia’s finances had been in a difficult state.
If the Guild were to impose a heavy fine on top of that, it would only worsen their situation, so whether for personal or official reasons, he fully intended to shoulder the blame himself.
However...
"You don’t need to worry about that. I’ll go talk to the Guild myself." Loki said casually, waving her hand like it was nothing. "I mean, this whole mess happened because the Guild and the Ganesha Familia were being careless in the first place, so it’s totally on them. We were the ones helping clean up their chaos and keeping people safe. If they even think about coming after us for it, I’ll march right over the Guild and raise hell."
"..."
Upon hearing their goddess’s shameless declaration, everyone couldn’t help but exchange speechless looks.
Going to the Guild to make a scene?
Seriously?
"Well, it was the Guild and the Ganesha Familia’s mistake." Gareth said, stroking his beard. "Kinda fair they take the blame. So, how are things looking now? Gonna be a pain to clean up?"
"It’s not too bad." Loki said with a shrug. "There were adventurers all over the place, and both the Guild and Ganesha Familia moved fast. Thankfully, those rampaging monsters didn’t cause much real damage. Sure, some parts of the city got wrecked, but no civilians were hurt, so it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. Clean-up’s not gonna be too hard."
"No casualties?" Riveria nodded, her expression softening. "A small blessing in misfortune, then."
"Right?" Loki grinned. "Still, the Guild and the Ganesha Familia won’t be lifting their heads anytime soon. Tons of gods and folks around the city are gonna blame them—and you know those nosy troublemakers aren’t gonna pass up a chance to kick them while they’re down, just for fun."
"Well... how should I put it?" Gareth said dryly. "Guess that’s just how gods are."
"Hmph, let them be. Honestly, those rotten-to-the-core fools can do whatever they want." Loki scoffed. "They’d die of boredom if they didn’t find something to mess with. As long as they’re not bothering us, I couldn’t care—"
Before she could finish her words, Riezel, who had been quietly listening the whole time, suddenly spoke.
"You’re not planning to join in the fun too, are you?"
Riezel’s sudden question made Loki answer reflexively.
"How did you know?"
As soon as these words left her mouth, Loki froze.
"Loki..."
"You can’t be serious..."
Riveria and Gareth both turned toward her, their eyes full of exasperation.
"Oh, great!" Loki glared at Riezel in mock outrage. "You brat! You leave for a few days, and now you’re calling me out already?"
"I just said it casually." Riezel said with an innocent look. "How was I supposed to know you actually meant it?"
"Hmph! Bad kid—you’ve really gone bad!" Loki huffed indignantly and turned to Riveria. "See? This is what happens with your parenting! What kinda mother are you?"
"Who’s a mother?!" Riveria retorted, a vein popped on her forehead.
Fortunately, Finn stepped in before things could escalate further.
"Anyway, what’s the cause behind this commotion?" Finn asked Loki thoughtfully. "Did the Guild give any explanation?"
"Hmph, they’re saying it was all an accident..." Loki snorted. "But I already talked to a few Guild staff. According to them, the monsters that went berserk were locked up tight under strict supervision. Everything should’ve been fine, but when they went back to check, all the cages were open, and the guards were on the ground like they were drunk—smiling like idiots and totally unresponsive."
Upon hearing this, Finn and the others exchanged glances.
"So, you think this chaos was intentional?" Finn said calmly.
"Ninety percent sure, yeah." Loki said with a smirk. "Could be some god messing around, could be someone with an agenda. Either way, the Guild and the Ganesha Familia didn’t catch whoever did it."
"Another prank by some crazy god?" Gareth sighed. "Honestly, can’t these gods behave for once?"
"Asking them to behave is worse than killing them." Loki scoffed. "For them, boredom’s the deadliest poison, so to keep themselves from dying of it, they’ll always find something to mess with."
Coming from a goddess like Loki herself, her words carried weight.
"In any case, this has nothing to do with us." Loki said as she clapped her hands. "Let’s just stay outta it."
Finn, Riveria, and Gareth all nodded in agreement.
Riezel quietly observed the scene, saying nothing and having no intention of interrupting.
But knowing the truth, he understood perfectly well that this matter had everything to do with them.
In fact, this was only the appetizer, since the real chaos had yet to begin.
Soon enough, the Loki Familia would be dragged right into it and would even become the thorn in the side of the one who orchestrated it all.
As long as the Loki Familia remained one of Orario’s strongest, and as long as Ais Wallenstein was among them, that person—or god—would inevitably come for them.
’Well, since I’ve come back, I’ll play along with you all... slowly...’
With this thought, Riezel smiled faintly.
Everything was only just beginning.
===
[A bonus Chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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